Redneck juicer!

 

 

 

 

IT SPEAKS FOR ITSELF!!

 

 

 

 

 

The Art House

This is the tree house in our backyard.  But there was something missing.  So the girls decorated it.. and had a party!

 

 

 

The sign says: Come in the party is on!  The door also has "WELCOME" painted on it.

 

 

 

This is poor kitty.  Upon arrival of the party, you had to sign her cast.  The reason for her cast.. she had a bruise on her bone. 

 

 

 

The reason for the name: The ART house! 

 

Gotta love the "streamers".  The walls are also painted and there is some different furniture in there.  The camping chairs are out and there is a bar height counter and a kids size Dora sofa chair in the corner. 

 

 

 

Mom: remember this stove?

 

 

One way of leaving the art house.  Please return floor board upon exit.  We would hate to have our party guests fall through the floor.

 

 

Please join us for our next party.  Please R.S.V.P!!

Princess Party

The princess party happened for 2 reasons:

1. The girls have been asking for make-up ever since they met the neighbor girl who has her own makeup, which she is only allowed to wear at home.

2. I like doing fun things for/with the girls that cost very little, if anything at all.

 

 

We started out with yummy cupcakes

 

 

 

Emmy was the first one to be finished: make-up, pretty hairdo and a fancy dress.  I tried to get a picture of her inside, before I started on the other girls.  But, like me, she can not keep her eyes open when she is getting her picture taken with a flash involved.  So, when it was time to take pics outside, she got upset (dress wasn't comfy, and she didnt want her pic taken anymore!).  That is why the picture of her outside does not show any make-up on her.

 

 

Princess Mckenna 

 

 

 

We invited the neighbor girl to join us.. she has no sisters to play with. 

 

 

They also got to have nail polish on.  They got to pick their colors and patterns.  Very interesting choices.. wouldn't you say?!!  This is Mckenna's choice.

 

 

And Emmy's choice 

 

 

This girl puzzles me.  She made such a big deal about getting her picture taken at first. After crying and letting me know that her heart was broken, and then settling down, we went outside to take this picture.  As you can tell, she was having fun being a goof.  Notice she also changed her dress!! 

 

 

All in the life of princesses!!

Barkerville trip 2

Everytime we go to Barkerville, there's something new to see.  We haven't attended the schoolhouse session, or taken the horses to the courthouse.  We haven't watchen a live theatre show, or gone to chinese school.  And there's still more that we haven't done.  We love Barkerville.  I don't know if it's the aged balsamic vinegraitte that you can find there, or the miner's lunch, or the pastries at the bakery, or the stories told by those that have "lived" during the gold rush!

 

 

 

The kids are waiting for the waterwheel show.  The lady seen in the next picture is the "owner" of the mine and she is trying to get the audience to buy shares.  Between her and her "employee" they explain how the water wheel works to bring up the gold.

 

 

 

Her employee, Mr. Teach has behaved inappropriately and is now suffering from the consequences... a good ear pulling.

 

 

 

 

Licking the rock to show the streak of fool's gold in the rock.

 

 

 

Emmy was chosen to give him "luck" in finding gold in the bucket of gravel that he "brought up" from the mine.

 

 

 

 One of the horse and carriages that give you rides... for a fee!

 

 

group picture in front of the house where the Mrs. was making biscuits

 

 

 

One of the window displays in a house

 

The front of the church building

 

 

 

a row of buildings along main street 

 

 

 

 

Time spent with Derek, Barkerville trip 1 of the year

 

Jackof Clubs Lake, or is it Ace of Clubs or Ace of Spades???

John and I were approaching the lake and we couldn't remember what it was called and those were our guesses.

If I do remember correctly, the real name is Jack of Clubs Lake!

 

 

Derek arrived on a Friday afternoon.  That night we went to Ten Mile Lake for a swim.  On Saturday we went to Barkerville, on Sunday we went for a leisurely stroll through Pinnacle Provincial park to see the hoodoos, and on MOnday we went for a drive to see som back country and wildlife.

 

Skipping together

 

a vacuum cleaner from way back when 

 

the Ten Commandments for Miners :)

 

 

 

inside the church

 

 

 

John was chatting with the Mrs of this house, learning about all the utensils and such that were hanging on her wall.. including the bamboo rug beater that he remembers his mom using when he lived at home (not on him).  The girls got to grind the coffee grinds for the next morning. 

 

 

found in the blacksmith's shop 

 

 

 

US 

 

main street in Barkerville 

 

Mr. Teach and Mr. Grimsby making music.  Mr. Grimsby tells a wonderful story of how/where/when the gold rush started

 

Stop on by for a haircut 

 

Emmy got it to come right to her hand.  She though it was just wonderful 

 

 

On our walk in the Pinnacles Provincial Park 

 

they call these hoodoos.  They are large rocks, sticking straight out of the ground 

 

 

one of Quesnel's mills from a mountain view 

 

if you look REALLY close you can see the elk that we saw on our drive! 

 

 

 a baby moose. It wasn't long until his instincts kicked in and he ran to hide in some tall grass.  When he realized that we weren't going anywhere, he bedded down and waited it out. We left then, cuz we couldn't see him anyhow. 

 

 

:)

 

Emmy turns 7

Because John was going to be gone for Emmy's birthday, we had a mini celebration the Saturday before.  She got to open some of her presents and we went out for dinner.  From us, she got a scrapbook, a movie, a Wii game, bocce set and a Webkinz.

 

 

 

I was too lazy to wrap these presents so she had to sit in the chair with her eyes closed.

 

                                    Her card from Opa and Oma Van Oort.. it was the same as her Kitty

 

Who thought you could get a kid grinning so big over a bucket of rocks. Well Emmy did!  And these rocks are now painted.  Once i get the proper spray, they will have a permanent home in my garden!

 

 

 

I don't like to go all out on party decorations, I'd rather  spend the money on their gifts.  But I think it still looks pretty.  I don't have a picture of it, but I took plastic tablecloths and used them as curtains at the front door.  

 

 

 

the kids got to decorate their own cupcakes. This is Emmy's.

                                                               birthday cupcakes

 

Emmy with Natalie and the gifts she got from her

 

 

 

Thanks Zoe and Isaac

 

 

Spoiled by Whitney.  She was the reason it was so hard for Emmy to leave Kersley School.  These girls are best friends. 

 

 

I bought mini bird houses for the kids to paint. 

 

 

They all wore one of John's work shirts and painted away. It was a big hit