Another Trip Around The Sun

Christmas and New Years have come and gone and Here we are in 2017 and I have to tell you it has been a busy month since my last post! I did get to spend a week with my sister and brother. We (my sister and I) had fun baking and cooking and filled her freezer before I left. I don't use that term loosely when I say "filled".  Her freezer was unplugged and empty when I arrived and we used up pretty much all the available space by the time I said goodbye.

 

 

 

Tortieres, chicken pot pies, butter tarts, home made beans, cabbage rolls, meatballs, chinese fried rice...See what I mean! Those few spaces that are not filled in this these pics were filled the next day with sweet cakes and shortbread cookies. With all the shopping, tending on things for my brother to make sure he stays warm this winter, getting him a haircut and last minute gift shopping and wrapping. It was a busy week!

It was so worth it though because Gary is so happy when I visit...he doesn't care if we do anything but sit in the living room he is just happy to have me there. 

 

Being with family is the most important thing to Gary. Living in a nursing home is not his preference but he cannot live on his own and when he gets to spend time with family that is the highlight of his life. I live almost 2000 km away and another sister lives over 2000 km away in the other direction but Fortunately we have a sister who lives in the same city and Gary gets to visit her 3 times a week so that keeps things on an even keel for him. 

 

 

As busy as things were and as hard as we worked, the hardest thing was saying goodbye. There may be a smile on his face but I saw the sadness in his eyes when we brought him back to his room that night. Love you Little Brother!

 

 

From there we crossed over to into Michigan and headed West. If you have driven the Northern penninsula in winter, the most interesting thing to see is the snow and the wildlife 

 

But I chose to work on a knitting project to keep my hands busy and help pass the time. Take a look at these next 2 pics and tell me what you notice...if you are an observant knitter it should be a piece of cake!

 

After 2 days we crossed back into Canada and at Winnipeg airport we met the first of the family members arriving for our Family Christmas. This would be the first time all 12 of us would be together. 

 

We had done a bit of shopping, picking up supplies to feed 12 hungry people for a week. When you are starting with empty cupboards at the resort units you need to get lots!

Needless to say we were pretty loaded and we had not picked up any of the fresh fruits and perishables yet!

We had a travel weary grand daughter aboard and there was not much room to stretch out and nap, but hey! Napping over rated anyway.

 

Life is such an adventure! Within a couple hours we met up with 2 more, then 4 more arrived a few hours after that and slowly by slowly the rooms were filling up. By noon the next day the gang was all there and I was a happy camper! All the chicks were safe in the nest. 

It was really special to have our children and spouses and all our grandchildren with us.

 

Nanny and Pa with all the grandchildren. It was a Merry Christmas indeed!