OooOOooOoOo Look at all the pretty colours....

Well there is nothing more beautiful than a walk with my two pupheads on a crisp cool morning looking at all the leaves that have turned colours. Unlike the commercial where the woman walking down the street falls into complete horror scream (a la Psycho) when she sees a lone red leaf upon the sidewalk, I look forward to this sign of changing times. I can say this with the upmost honesty, I hate summer. I hate the heat, I hate the humidity, I hate having to go to work in 85 degree weather wearing my Navy uniform, adorning my 20 lb duty belt, and strapping unbreathable kevlar to my chest. There really is no sense in denying that I cannot stand it. Maybe I would enjoy it more if I were in the pool business, or something that didn't require the inferno suit. I kind of went on a rant there, but I love Fall.. It marks the beginning of the holiday season. Which means that we come home, from whatever we are doing, home is the most important thing during this time. We return to our roots so to speak. It begins with the harvest, yes I know that *I* personally, and most of my colleagues and friends are not physically doing the harvest, but instead we are harvesting at the local grocery store or farmers market, hoarding away goodies which we know will not return in such good price until this time next year. We then pull out old ratty juice stained recipe cards, or books that the binding has come loose and make jams, jellies, pickles and preserves, thus the modern harvest. The first holiday I cannot waitr to enjoy is Thanksgiving.. forbidden turkey... hardly attempted at any other time of the year (until recently) the bird that takes no less than 3 days to prepare and a full day in your oven at just the right temperature and humidity, too hot, makes a beautiful outer shell but the insides end up drier than a popcorn fart in a windstorm, too cool and You might as well set a place for the bird itself to join in the feast of vegetables which you will be dining on. I thought I would share a collection of my favourite fall photographs that we have taken over the past few years.. This pic was taken outside Medicine Hat Alberta, I have a few more for the Alberta Wheat Pool.. It just amazes me that these Canadian Icons are slowly dissappearing from our Canadian landscape. If you see one, document it, your kids might one day ask what the heck a grain elevator is. This pic was taken near Parry Sound, On. I don't have any photos from the Dorset fire tower to show, but if you ever have the chance, it is absoloutely breath taking and worth the climb! We took this pic in Mountain Park AB. Mountain Park was a town of 1500 before the coal mine closed. Whats left of the CNR railline is all that is left today. To see more pics on Mountain park please visit http://stewart.railfan.net/rail/mp.htm

First time Canadian Gals

Hey ladies, http://www.ovusoft.com/forum/tm.asp?m=4831355&p=1&tmode=1 Is our new BG thread..

My body doesn't believe in Womanhood

Why do I feel SO Alone? I feel so not a woman. I feel like a reject from the human race. As a species are main purpose in life is to procreate, to reproduce, to copopulate. As women this what we are made to do.Women are supposed to bare children, breastfeed them and nourish them.My body is not a woman. My body does not believe it has this purpose in mind.My Husband and I have been trying for Baby number 1 for 3.5 years, we have had 3 unsuccessful pregnancies. We have spent a fortune in clinics and invasive proceedures, we are 27 and 28 years respectively, we are 30 thousand dollars in debt for our quest for our baby. We struggle everyday to go to work, to make more money, to move along in our lives... But there is always something missing.., We work holidays so other families can spend time together, We send birthday wishes and gifts to all of our friends who have little ones on their special days, we attend showers and christenings, we watch as our friends slowly stop inviting us to their get togethers because we have no children to compare stories with. We know they mean no harm in excluding us, they just have little in common with us now, their children are growing and making steps and they are making friends with PTA, soccer, ballet, etc. I work with 9 pregnant women, everyday I am reminded how unwoman I am. I see pregnant lady after pregnant lady, family after family, all day long.. I often find myself crying on the way home, or trying to find the strength to even get out of bed to torture myself for another day at work. I am now to the point where someone announces their pregnancy, I do not even congratulate them... How do you keep going after this?

Links to Ovusoft..

For many of my FF friends who woke up this morning with no access to FF's Circles, I wish to send you here. http://ovusoft.com/forum a link to ovusoft, the OTHER charting site. I requested from FF that since the service of the circles is no longer free that the censorship for other websites be removed, not only was my post deleted within 5 minutes, but the response I got fromth e administrator that sent it was that there "were no plans in place to revamp the posting policy"

Bryan and Kaycee..

Welcoming Kaycee to our world....

Some pics of Kaycee's First day with the family..

Drunk peaches

Excellent over pound cake, warmed over vanilla ice cream or just on its own. Fruit whichever peach or pear [slightly firm]( 4 baskets ) 5 cups water 3.1/4 cups sugar Brandy to taste (about 1/2 - 1 cup) lemon juice/colour preservative Blanch peaches about 30 seconds in high boiling then plunge in ice water to remove skins. Place in colour preservative solution (1/4 lemon juice to 4 cups water) dissolve sugar and water in large saucepot, heat through, add peaches and brandy, boil for 10 minutes or until fruit is soft. Pack in jars 1/2 inch headspace Boiling water canner processing time 20 minutes for 500ml jars 25 min for 1L Remove jars from canner without tilting. Cool upright undisturbed for 24 hours. DO NO RETIGHTEN lids. After cooling 24 hours check lid seals.

A word to the wise...

I had to share this story that was posted on a message board I frequently visit... although I have not written this particular story. I have however experienced this shame..

Hair removal 101...God love the woman who shared this... All hair removal methods have tricked us with their promises of easy, painless removal - The epilady, scissors, razors, Nair and now...the wax. My night began as any other normal weekday night. Come home, fix dinner, and play with the kids. I then had the thought that would ring painfully in my mind for the next few hours: Maybe I should pull the wax out of the medicine cabinet. So I headed to the site of my demise; the bathroom. It was one of those cold wax kits. No melting a clump of hot wax, you just rub the strips together in your hand and then they get warm and you peel them apart, press it to your leg (or wherever else) and hair comes right off. No muss, no fuss. How hard can it be? I mean I'm no girly girl; I am mechanically inclined enough that I can figure it out. *YA THINK!!!* So I pull one of the thin strips out. Its two strips facing each other stuck together. Instead of rubbing them together, I get out the hair dryer and heat it to 1000 degrees. Cold wax my rear end (Oh how this phrase haunts me!) I lay the strip across my thigh. Hold the skin around it tight and pull. OK so it wasn't the best feeling, but it wasn't too bad. I can do this! Hair removal no longer eludes me! I am She-ra, fighter of all wayward body hair and smooth skin extraordinaire. With my next wax strip I move north. After checking on the kids I sneak back into the bathroom, for the ultimate hair fighting championship. I drop my panties and place one foot on the toilet. Using the same procedure I apply the was strip across the right side of bikini line, covering the right half of my v-g-na and stretching down to the inside of my butt cheek Yes, it was a long strip) I inhale deeply and brace myself. RRRRIIIPPP!!!! I'm blind!!! Blinded from pain!!!!....OH MY GOD!!!!!!!!! Vision returning, I notice that I've only managed to pull off half of the strip. crap!!! Another deep breath and RRIIPP. Everything is swirly and spotted. Do I hear crashing drums??? OK, back to normal. I want to see my trophy - A wax covered strip with my hairy pelt that has caused me so much pain, sticking to it. I want to revel in the glory that is my triumph over body hair. I hold up the strip! There's no hair on it. Where is the hair? WHERE IS THE WAX??? Slowly I ease my head down, foot still perched on the toilet. I see the hair..The hair that should be on the strip. I touch. I am touching wax. I run my fingers over the most sensitive part of my body, which is now covered in cold wax and matted hair. Then I make the next BIG mistake...................remember my foot is still propped up on the toilet. I know I need to do something. So I put my foot down. noo!!!!!!!! I hear the slamming of the cell door. V-g-n-Sealed shut. Butt?? Sealed shut. I penguin walk around the bathroom trying to figure out what to do and think to myself "Please don't let me get the urge to poop. My head may pop off". Hot water!! Hot water melts wax!! I'll run the hottest water I can stand into the bathtub, get in, immerse the wax covered bits and the wax should melt and I can gently wipe it off right??? *WRONG!!!!!!!* I get in the tub - the water is slightly hotter than that used to torture prisoners of war or sterilize surgical equipment - I sit. Now, the only thing worse that having your nether businesses glued together is having them glued together and then glued to the bottom of the tub. In scalding hot water. Which, by the way, doesn't melt cold wax. So, now I'm stuck to the bottom of the tub!! God bless the man that convinced me I should have a phone in the bathroom!!!!! I call my friend thinking surely she's waxed before and has some secret of how to get me undone. It's a very good conversation starter "So, my butt and who-ha are stuck to the bottom of the tub!" There is a slight pause. She doesn't have a secret trick but does try to hide the laughter from me. She wants to know exactly where the wax is located on bottom "Are we talking cheeks or hole or what?" She's laughing out loud by now...I can hear her. I give her the rundown and she suggests I all the number on the side of the box. YEAH!!!!! Right!! I should be the joke of someone else's night. While we go through various solutions. I resort to scraping the wax off with a razor. Nothing feels better then to have your girlie goodies covered in hot wax, glued shut, stuck to the tub in super hot water and then dry shaving the sticky wax off!! By now the brain is not working, dignity has taken a major hike and I slip into glazed donut land. My friend is still talking with me and my hand reaches towards the saving grace....the lotion they give you to remove the excess wax. What do I really have to lose at this point? I rub some on and OH MY GOD!!!!!!! The scream probably woke the kids, scared the dickens out of my friend, but I really don't care. "IT WORKS!! It works! I get a hearty congratulation from my friend and she hangs up. I successfully remove the remainder of the wax and then notice to my grief and despair................................. THE HAIR IS STILL THERE.......................ALL OF IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So I shaved it off. Heck, I'm numb at this point. Next week I'm going to try hair color......

Why did I not consider this earlier?

A link to my Ovusoft Chart If your ever interested in what my body is doing or if you must be so nosey to know exactly when my Husband and I are

The expansion of our Family.....In other ways

Well, We have decided for some time that we are going to expand our family with a baby in some way. The opportunity has risen that we have considered adoption. After much discussion we have concurred that we will adopt in the interim.. We could use the practice of sleepless nights, ever messy rooms and never ending cries for more food, more attention, and more love. We have decided that the time has come for us to adopt a second Berner. A little girl, We have decided on the name Casey or Winnie (depending on which suits her best), We meet and take her home on Saturday. Bryan will be a big brother, and although he has no clue what this means now, or I am unsure if he will ever understand... But on Saturday he will have some adjustment to go through. We all will have an adjustment to go through. I am excited yet nervous at the same time.. I wonder if she will love us, love her new home, or be upset at us taking her from her mommy and other siblings. For those that are not crazy about dogs or do not live with (I would never say own since they truly own us)the four legged peter pan (never growing up) This might not make sense, or to those that share their live with a cooler more sophisticated breed like a poodle or shepherd. Life with a Bernese Mountain Dog is different. I feel confident in saying this because I have lived with many other breeds of dogs, but none compare to the absoloute foolishness a Berner brings to the adult household. There is a certain way that Berners can make even the most hardened spirits smile. They always appear to have a natural goofy smile upon their face, which brings the rest of us to join in their laughter. With all of our fertility woes, ups and downs, Bryan knows exactly what will make us feel better. A constantly wagging tail, a forever shadow and the best hugs ever given are given by Bryan. I am just not sure how easy it will be with both of them hanging off of us!