Anne & Joel

Sunday, June 26, 2011

Goodbye

12:05 PM | Posted by Anne | | Edit Post

Goodbye

Goodbye to Saba.

Goodbye to my friends.

Goodbye to Joel.

Goodbye is a little sad so how about thank you.

Thank you Saba.

for welcoming me with smiles, waves and honks

for teaching me to live with less

for showing me beauty like I have never seen

for teaching me to be creative with what I have

for helping me appreciate my home

for entertaining me on a daily basis

for the adventures you provide on every hike and scuba dive

for showing a prairie girl what real hills are

for showing me that even though you are little, you have a lot to give

and most of all for bringing us all together

Thank you to my new friends.

for making me feel welcomed, always

for accepting me for who I am

for always being there for me

for helping me find the humour in our situation

for inspiring me to try new things

for providing support just when I needed it

for beng honest with me

for teaching me how to sew

for the amazing memories I will never forget

and the life long friendships with the most amazing women

Thank you to my husband.

for bringing me with you on this adventure

for making me so proud

for making me feel appreciated

for being honest with me

for putting me first

for supporting me

for sharing your dreams with me

and for loving me

I have enjoyed every minute with you over the last 11 months

And what is a post without any pictures.

The amazing friends I have made.

One thing Sophie and I are going to miss, our walks with Joel.

1 comments

Saturday, June 18, 2011

Since September when Sally introduced me to sewing/quilting it has kind of taken over my life. Between searching for fabric and patterns I have spent hours on the internet dreaming and finding inspiration. I know I am kind of a loser like that. But because of Sally I have now finished 4 quilts. With many more requests to work on when I get home. So I thought I would give you a little round up of my work because I know you all care so much.

My first wonky pot holder. I love the retro feeling fabric I found in Sally's scrap bin.

My first full sized quilt! The obsession begins...

My quilt for new baby Alex. I love the zig zag but the animals on the fabric got a little amputated. Oops!

My quilt for Alex's sister Emma. I had a little trouble putting it together but only I can see the flaws now. And if you can see them please don't tell anyone.

The new baby quilt for the cabin. The babies needed a blanket, I came to the rescue.

I even make a striped back. I am kind of in love with this quilt which I designed as I went. Yep I'm turning pro. Now if only I could get my corners to match up..

Hope you enjoyed this round up. Next week I am back to real life so I think my sewing is going to slow down. But my fabric buying might increase. Real fabric stores here I come!!!

3 comments

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

My Chef Experience

12:26 PM | Posted by Anne | | Edit Post

I guess I have changed since I came to Saba. I could barely make dinner for Joel and I when I came, and then last week with the help of some lovely ladies I made dinner for 14 adults and 3 children. Who saw that coming?

I am proud (well Winnipeg proud) to have introduced perogies to a lot of new people. I love perogies and am always so sad when people tell me they have never heard of them much less tried them. So I got to work with the help of Leslie and Lauren assembling about 8 dozen (I think it was more but we lost count) potato/cheddar and sauerkraut/bacon perogies. Of course I had all the fixings: sour cream, bacon and sautéed onions. I could only find turkey kielbasa so I passed on that, and there was no rye bread. So it wasn't the full experience but I tried. The meal was topped off with a huge salad and my other favourite, apple crisp. I had a fabulous time and was so happy to have Leslie and Lauren there to help. I am also thankful for Lauren letting us use her house, because I know my 342 sq. ft. of cottage could not accommodate that many people

The only disadvantage to doing the cooking is that I have no pictures of the event. So if you want to see my masterpiece and all my friends chowing down head over to Lauren's blog, http://fromourfrontporch.com/2011/06/14/sos-cooking-night/

I did take these pictures last week though....

Sophie watching geckos run across our screen at night

The other Sophie. The dog we have been fostering for a few days.

She loves treats, walks, sleeping and getting pet.

She is up for adoption if anyone is interested....

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Thursday, June 9, 2011

Snorkel Break!

10:04 AM | Posted by Anne | | Edit Post

Prior to this week the weather has been constantly beautiful. It was hot, sunny, the water was extremely calm and so inviting. Joel and I even went on a night dive. We saw a lobster half my size and about 3 nurse sharks swimming around and feeding. It was amazing! Perfect way to finish off my diving here.

Since the weather was so beautiful on Sunday, when we left for church Joel decided he was willing to take a break in the middle of the day and go snorkelling. I was beyond excited! So we headed down to The Cove to see what we could find. The water was gorgeous, so warm and calm.

There was a huge school of pretty blue fish

There were also other things lurking in the water.....

And sea turtles

And more scary things..

I love how crystal clear the water looks in this picture. And that my mask is slowly filling with water.

After snorkelling we headed over to the tide pools. This is one of our favourite places. They look so different every time we go. The last time we went the tide was really high and the sea was rough. Meaning you can't go in very far for risk of being swept away. But when we went on Sunday the water was soooo low and calm we got to explore places we had never been before.

Joel got a great close up of this "thing" (I don't know what it is). He knows but he's not here right now...

I think closes and sucks things into the rock or something like that.

And this really cool sea urchin on the right. There are hundreds down there that look like the one on the left but we only saw one of this kind. It looks like it is made out of metal.

And when I say there are hundreds of sea urchins I mean it. And they come in so many different sizes. This one is probably the scariest one I saw. Look how long those spikes are. They were probably somewhere between 5 and 10 inches. Wouldn't want to step on that one.

On a side note I learned something interesting last week. If you step on a sea urchin you cannot pull the spikes out. They are too delicate and will just break. They have to work their way out and it can take over a year! Talk about uncomfortable. So a note to everyone, watch where you step!

This picture is from the same view as a painting we bought. Minus the fact I am in this picture. Opps!

Aren't the colors beautiful. These pictures do not this place justice.

Barely even a ripple in the sea.

This picture was taken in January. We are looking down at the place Joel is standing in the picture above. We couldn't get down there because the waves were too big and the pools we really full on that day. What a difference!

I'm sorry for the delay in posting. Not much happened the last couple weeks. But hopefully I will have more to update you on after this week of activities! Stay tuned!

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Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Presents!!

11:06 AM | Posted by Anne | | Edit Post

This week we got some fabulous presents, and I even made one too!

For those of you that don't know I call Joel Go Go Gadget, because of his extremely long arms. Seriously this guy can reach to heights you can not even imagine. What I never realized before is how much Joel looks like Inspector Gadget. Maybe not in this picture but when he has long hair and wears a hat it is very similar. So I laughed so hard when our friend Habib sent Joel this shirt. It is perfect!

Then yesterday we got a surprise package in the mail from Joel's parents.

I love mail!

Sophie loves them too. She is that black blur in front of my leg jumping like crazy.

Waiting patiently to see what was in side (after scratching my legs all up).

She just knew there were treats for her.

And treats for us!

So many delicious treats.

Like Joel's favourites, pretzel M & M's

And mine, York Peppermint Patties.

It took me about a minute before I couldn't resist any more.

They seem to send packages full of snacks right after we run out. How do they know?!

This is some energy food for Joel's long study days, which there are not many left of. He will be home in 2 months and 22 days! With only 2 more sets of block exams and then finals he is soooo close to be done!

Yesterday while he was writing exams I was making presents.

A reversible bag.

Do you like?

I was really impressed with how easy it was to put together. It only took me a couple hours while even fitting in some eating and socializing. Because that is what happens at a sewing party. I think I am going to have to start these up at home with my friends. Anyone interested??

2 comments

Thursday, May 12, 2011

Italy and Paris, only a little late

11:51 AM | Posted by Anne | | Edit Post

Since my last post I have not been up to much. Just working and starting yesterday I got back into sewing! Wow have I missed that. We even got new fabulous machines that I am not giving back till I leave. I have so much I want to do. So hopefully in the next week or so I will have pictures to share.

Oh and I started applying for jobs in Winnipeg. Booo! I don't want to leave but Joel asked nicely so I am going to leave him be. He has a big test and we all know how loud and distracting I can be so I am coming home. If anyone hears of any jobs they think I might be interested in please send me an e-mail!

I didn't take pictures of anything interesting this week but I realized I did not tell you about my time in Italy and Paris. So let's go back in time to the middle of March.

I love Italy. So much so I have been there 3 times in the last 3 years. Every spring I seem to make my way over to hang with my bestie, my sister. One of the reasons I love staying with her is the food. Oh can Luca and Ellen cook. Let's take a look at the feast we had for Luca's birthday...

It is no surprise I come home weighing more then when I left. But how do you pass on any of it? Seriously if you know how to say no to delicious food please let me know!

The ladies waiting to enjoy the afternoon in the sun eating way too much food.

Obviously we had to do some shopping.

We went to the market in town and did a little shopping and chased Emma through stalls.

Then the highlight of the trip. Italia in Miniatura!!! Yep that's right miniature Italy! Ellen and I have been wanting to go since last spring. Emma was too little so this year we had to go. She loved to push all the buttons and watch the little trains and cars move.

Thumbs up for Rome!

See how little everything is. Super fun!

The rest of the trip was filled with walks, playing at the park, trips to Ikea, and a lot of laughing. I took on my role of Nanny Annie again and cuddled babies, changed diapers, helped with bath time and did some dishes. At least this time Emma knew may name, well Auntie Auntie is close to Auntie Annie right?

After one last new baby cuddle and a cute I love you from Emma I headed to Paris.

Paris is beautiful and so are all the people living there.

It was a little lonely sight seeing by myself so I guess I will have to go back.

But I did do the things everyone should.

1. Eat croissants (yes multiple)