Ocean to Prairie

Well, it's been nearly 4 years since I've last posted... it's about time to start sharing my prairie adventures again, no? Lots has happened since we last spoke.  Today, I want to share with you an experience I had about a week ago that gave me a whole new outlook on life... Shortly after Garret popped a ring on my finger (YES! I'll be sure to share that story too!), I toiled with the idea of wearing glasses at my wedding or suffering through contacts. Neither were optimal.  Glasses : Glare from lenses in pictures, less glamorous makeup, what to pair with a dress?! Contacts : Dry. Ill fitting. Crappy Vision. (Thanks to the ol' astigmatism, I have not been able to find a comfortable lens that I actually can see clearly through-- the key purpose of contact lenses.)  So, what's a girl to do?  Lasik.  I hummed and hawed and in August 2016 I booked a consult with my local optometrist. He stated that I would be a great candidate and sent me off to Saskato

Well, survived another Thanksgiving weekend foodathon and I am STUFFED. So was the turkey! Bear and I travelled south to his parent's house where we enjoyed the company of his parents, youngest brother, and extended family. They are such a great group of people; I truly enjoy spending time with them. We ate delicious food, sang songs of old and new what does the fox say?! and had a lot of laughs. A great weekend. I hope you had a great Thanksgiving too. This weekend was bittersweet too. Although I spent it with wonderful company, I was also homesick. I miss my family back home and was oh so happy to be able to Skype with them for a few moments on the holiday that brings families together. Not only was it Thanksgiving, but also this weekend marks the 2 year anniversary of me heading out of my comfort zone, on my own, and out to the prairies. Oh my gosh I didn't leave a thing behind. Of course I am glad I made the change, but at times I  think about how life would be dif

Autumn is upon us. The air is crisp cold , the combines are out, and the leaves are changing from luscious green to golden yellow and orange. A beautiful time of year. One last pop of colour until the 6 month blanket of snow or perpetual brown of winter I'm hoping for mostly brown with a touch of white. Nothing like last winter, please! Along with the season change brings new changes at the Homestead! I managed to find a great job at a residential rehabilitation facility. I'm glad to be working in non-profit again, and to be away from Le Miserable.  A fresh start is what I needed! But first... Bear and I started September with a road trip to Victoria. I really enjoyed the drive out because I got to see my mountains from below, rather than above, like when we fly. The air is so fresh once you hit the Rockies. We drove so we could bring along our little pupski, Ryder. He's a great traveller--just sleeps away the day in the most hilarious positions.

Hello there! Today's post is out of the norm. We're currently hiring at my place of work and I've had the joy of watching resumes and interviewees present themselves to our establishment. Some come prepared, but others are not making the right impression At least, to me they're not! We are a professional office that is looking for someone to be a great first impression to our clients. Many people, including myself, are visual, and at times, how you present yourself is the only chance you have to wow your future employer. Since most people find themselves work in an office, I have prepared some tips on how to better groom your resume and self into the newly-hired awesome person you are! Disclaimer: I am in no way claiming to be a guru or expert in the hiring process. The following are observations I have made over the years.  1. Proofread your resume! Suck at spelling? Most word processors have spell-check. Use it. Beware of grammar too. Check for capitalizati

Hello again! I was requested to make a post to make a rustic wooden sign. I whipped it together today and it looks pretty good! I will warn you though, my tutorial isn't a pictorial step-by-step. I didn't think that through this afternoon. Ah, yes, the Homestead. To start, I rummaged through our burn pile in the yard. We like to have fires on warm summer nights and it gets rid of the brush and barn wood that our place is currently overrun with. I found a sturdy piece with little rot and holes. I sanded the front surface just a little to get rid of any splinters and roughness that may interfere with my painting. Now, you may be wondering How is her letting so nice? Well, I used my handy-dandy word processor. I have Microsoft Word for Mac. My settings were: Paper/Page size Legal Margins set at 0.5cm all around the document Font: Goudy Old Style in BOLD Font size for main lettering: 250 pt Font size for small lettering: 150 pt I played around with the font to f

Oh hello there, just a few months have passed since our last encounter. Where the heck were ya?!  I was... what was I doing? Being busy doing something! It was a very long and depressing winter. We finally came out of the snow in May which then brought on flooding (and a pool in the basement!). We're now in the thick of haying season. Bear's out right now baling the stuff. le flood. Haven't been too creative these past months. Finally getting the hang of seeing the sunshine, so I've been outside as much as possible. Tending the larger garden. Pulling weeds. Pulling weeds. Pulling Weeds.  Oh, we planted 285 trees back in May. With the help of Bear's parents we had the job done in hours. The rest of the weekend consisted of mulching dead fall and spreading it around our new seedlings. Thank you Government of Canada ! Hmmm... what else... OH! WE HAVE A PUPPY! His name is Ryder yes, we're Sask fans and he has been with us for two weeks. He i