old stuff

I have a love for old stuff!

 I love the history and the story behind things that have been around for awhile.   For a few years now there has been talk about tearing down the 'old house' on the Hinko farm.  It is the old homestead house that my Great Granparents lived in. It was my Grandpa Hinko's parents.  They are planning to knock it down in the spring so Uncle Mark and Dad asked if we wanted to do an exploration mission to see if there was anything we would want or anything of value.  So firstly, it was sooooooo crazy in there and secondly we found some GEMS!!!!!! 

It has a dirt basement, which I remember as a child being both cool and scary.  The roof was half tin and half shingles so when we went inside the shingle side of the house had caved in and it was pretty nasty.  The other side of the house was surprisingly pristine, dusty but pristine.   It ended up just being Alyson, Mikey and myself along with Uncle, Dad and Auntie June. They removed the dead bird before I came in and they didn't see the deceased cat skeleton or they would have likely removed that too before we went in. The gross was worth it though!! We pulled out a few windows and cut out an old wood door and oh the nasty but cool tin stuff we found in that basement.

 

 At my moms insistence we wore masks and had hoods to cover our heads, once we walked in we were definitely grateful for the coverage...a must!  There is just something so fascinating about exploring another time and considering what life was like in that little old house.  We talked about what Dad and Uncle knew about the layout and how the rooms were used, when and why expansions on the house happened.  The bathroom which I remember also having the ringer washer in the corner was once used as the bedroom for my Grandpa's youngest brother. The bedroom with the cool door we cut out was previously the porch that they built up and made a bedroom (that was were the cat bones were eeek).  All of the kitchen cupboard knobs had already been taken off and a it was evident that people with interest had already been through the house.  How special though to have something or be able to use something from that old house!

After we spent a few hours looking around we washed up and all went out to eat. It was nice, wish I would have gotten a group picture. I did however snap one of these brothers :) They are hilarious, sound the same and often dress similar hahaha!

 I almost immediately started dreaming about my mantle and how I could incorporate one of the window frames into our house.  Knowing that it comes from our Hinko Farm makes it even that much more awesome.

I wanted a quote on family and when I came across this I knew immediately it was perfect! How true. Oh how important famiy is. 

~ Mrs. P

school girl - First Grade

 

We had our back to school dinner Sunday night before our first day and as become tradition the kids picked the meal, homemade pizza and root beer floats.  Root beer floats are great to celebrate any occasion or make things just that much more special ;)  I had set a few books aside earlier in the summer and after reading them we finished up our special evening with blessings for both girls from their dad. There were sweet words of encouragement. Grateful that Graham can do that for them!

Last year the girls each got a CTR necklace with a butterfly and this year I was able to get these CTR bracelets made by a lady at our local Farmer's Market.  I love giving them a physical reminder to go and be a light in the world, stand tall and Choose The Right.  More and more I have to support and built up my wee ones at home and then pray for them as they go out and are beyond my arms reach or ear shot.

We had been away camping until Friday and really wanted to have the weekend to have some kind routine. I am so glad we could savor our last summer weekend together just the four of us.  Starting school was both sad and exciting!!!!  Sad because I LOVE hanging out with these women, it is truly such a privilege to get to be a momma, their momma and we have lots of fun together.  It is also exciting because I know how fun school can be and what growth and experience comes.  Grade one is just that next step or our little family -all day school- gosh I can't even believe how quickly the time has gone.  Amelia was sooooooooo excited, no tears or apprehension.  She would say that she "will be brave and but will miss us"....oh my heart! Everything was right ready for Monday morning and she got up and did her jobs without a hitch, smiling the whole time. It makes a momma proud!

 We parked together and did the cross walk, found old friends and they played at the park while we waited for the bell to ring.  Amelia was eager to find her locker and was soooooo thrilled to have her own desk!  My nervousness dissipated as she simply got to work on her sheet while I filled out the forms, there were big hugs for sister and a kiss for me (just like the kissing hand) and we were off, so quick and simple with big smiles all around.  Stella and I walked out with some other momma's and started our new routine, just her and I.  

Stella eagerly awaits her first Joy School day!

~ Momma P

Anniversary

"Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in awhile, you could miss it." -Ferris.

HAPPY 13th ANNIVERSARY Mr. P

I like when we have adventures together, I like laughing about our children together, I like going to concerts together, I like sitting in church together, I like holding hands and I like when you help me pause to have gratitude for the many good things in our life! Thanks 

~ Mrs. P

visiting the north

There is a lot of love when we go north...for the cat! Seriously, my girls talk as much about the kitty Leia as much as they do their Gramma, Grandpa, Auntie and Kingston.  Auntie Jenn and Max are the two other top priorities when we go north, lots of love when we go up there :)

 Everyone is a fan of Uncle Mikey and his big TV.

 Everyone LOVES my Dad's massive pancakes! The girls asked him almost as soon as we got in the door if he would make them and our five day stay gave him a few days to make us our favourite breakfast.

 We snapped a few pics after church on Sunday. My mom would often get us to pose on the front steps in our church dresses! Even thought the sun was in our eyes these pictures still seem special to me.

 Fun, fun, fun in Kingston's pool in the summer sun!

LOVE all of the cousin time!

These two shared some sweet moments. I love my cousins and I love watching this next generation build their friendship - LOVE

This little guy, love his face! It was awesome so get to spend time with him.  We hung out with Jenn and made some yummy food for her freezer. The girls had a lovely time playing with Mr. Max, he is such a smiley, happy baby.

Park playing with Kingman. This is tradition whenever we go north in the winter, hit up Thickwood Heights School Park. Amelia and Auntie Leslie were just darlings, swinging together. This was the Hinko kids elementary school and of course the park is updated, way different but so fun to be there.

Cousins Camp

We started a new tradition, cousins camp!  Leslie planned a craft (from Mr. Maker) and I planned a t-shirt activity.  I want the littles in our family to have a time each summer devoted to them and have some special things planned for just the cousins to do.

Super fun in the tub playing with Kingston's googles! I think we may need purchase a few of our own :P

 

So even though not all of the little people are into this group selfie I LOVE it!  We spent a day out at Gregoire Lake.  Going to the lake holds a ton of summer childhood memories for me.  Growing up we would often pack up the minivan with a picnic lunch and towels, stop so my mom could pick up a second hand novel from the Salvation Army and head out to the lake for the day.  Such great memories.  When we pulled into the parking lot I was blown away with how mature the trees had gotten and as dorky as it is, I had a moment of nostalgia...park of my childhood.  The beach was in pretty good shape, lots of weeds but meah the kids didn't care.  They ran between the water, the sand and the park. A perfect way to spend a beautiful summer day!

~ Mrs. P

zoo camp

Zoo Camp was crazy awesome!!!!

The girls were able to attend a half day camp at the Edmonton Valley Zoo this past week.  I honestly went back and forth about sending Stella because she is my baby and still little but both of the girls just love animals so I knew she would be sad if Amelia was able to attend and she didn't. A phone call got special permission for them to be in the same class.  Voila we set aside a week this summer for them to have 'close encounters' with critters!!!  It was such fun to pick them up and hear the excitement as they spilled out the stories of the animals they were able to touch and see. There were stories and crafts, the week ended with a puppet show...it was adorable as it sounds!!!!!

I just love these animal loving ladies of mine.  We are super lucky to live so close to such an amazing facility and I am grateful the girls had the opportunity to attend something like this.  Also super fun was to wear animal outfits everyday :P I am a nerd and I know it!!!!!!

~ Momma P