The road to hell is paved with good intentions...

...and I am going to have one smoo-ooth ride, my friends. I have been composing posts in my head, always intending to record my witty musings in a timely fashion, but I guess I will now just lump some words and pictures together in what is turning out to be a monthly update!

The first potential post was about our spur-of-the-moment whirlwind trip to Lethbridge on the Father's Day weekend. We had a great time, blissfully unaware that a wheel bearing on the van was ready to seize at any moment. (It has since been fixed.) Jason and Terri had also decided to visit, so it was a houseful, and I'm sure Mom and Dad were glad that we and our three big boys could only stay a short while. I think they would have kept precious Copper longer, though, as she was certainly the center of attention for all involved.

She like hanging out with her cousins, especially Derek! She apparently doesn't mind being mauled somewhat!

Her morning was spent sitting on the table, hamming it up for everyone, and Grandpa was by far the most impressed with her entertaining abilities.

Copper's short night soon caught up with her, and she started to wane a bit...
...until daddy put her down for a nap (and joined her, I believe, as his night was a bit on the short side, as well!)

The second potential post was about our first-born, Adam, who turned 16 about two weeks ago. It hardly seems possible, considering how I am not much older than that myself! The post would have started with a really cute picture of him as a baby, grinning with his railroad engineer's hat on and showing off those amazing dimples. Alas, the scanner wouldn't work. Then I was going to show you a picture of him driving his new car. Alas again, since the examiner decided Adam could use a little more practice driving. So I will show you a picture of our handsome young man enjoying his birthday cake.

He doesn't enjoy his brothers quite as much, but here they are, "my three sons",

I'd still like to take a picture of Adam and his car, but since he did eventually get his license, we see very little of either one. He got a summer job at the local lumber yard, and so will hopefully be able to keep his car paid for and full of fuel!

The third potential post concerned Clem and the boys, who have been busy around the house and yard. We closed off the door in the kitchen, added a window on that wall, and replaced the existing window with garden doors. We also replaced our bedroom window. Then, to stop the cold Saskatchewan winter winds from stealing the heat in the house, Clem and his friend, Rob, along with help from Adam and Stephen, put new insulation on top of the old siding, covered the whole house with a weather wrap, and put on new siding. I was very impressed with the results!

Here's the inside view, pre-drywall and -paint (because they haven't happened yet, silly!)

Derek took some pictures while work was being done outside.


Stephen was lucky he didn't lose his pants!
Stephen was usually on the ladder, but we were all surprised to see Clem on one!

And finally, we were fortunate to have some friends from Scotland visit during their stay with their relatives and our neighbors, the Wrights. David and Lorraine were kind enough to host Lisa and me when we were in Scotland last summer, and it was so good to see them again.

From left to right: Lynn, me, Clem (who even entertained a bit with the guitar!), Lyle, David, Carol, and Lorraine.

Here's Derek teaching Lorraine how to use her camera.


So here we are, pretty much caught up, I think. The boys all had good reports cards. Stephen pulled up his socks and brought his average up ten points to 90%. He's deservedly proud of himself. Derek's average was about the same, and has been throughout the year. Adam passed - enough said.

The weather has been grand - lots of sunshine, and even lots of rain. Last Monday we had an inch in about 10 minutes, and then we had another inch (or maybe more - still guessing without a rain gauge!) on Sunday evening.

The crops look fabulous, and Clem's itching to spend some more money on machinery. But first things first - a deck to go with the new garden doors, and new steps in the front, necessitated when Stephen tried to replace some rotten boards and things got carried away - literally.

Anyway, life continues at the Schraefel ranch. Next time, I hope to include some pictures of the finished outside of the house, as well as Derek's first plane ride when he and Mom and I go to Thunder Bay next week.

Talk to you soon, and thanks for checking in!
Chandra

Happy Birthday to us...

It's birthday week again.  My brother and sister and I all celebrate our birthdays within 8 days.  It has always been fun.  Back in the day, Mom would have all of her family out one weekend and all of Dad's the next, so we would get two big birthday parties.  When we got older, we each had our own party with our school friends - birthdays were a big deal around our house.  

This is our group party with Mom's family (I can tell because Grandpa's car is in the background) in 1970, the year we got Charlie, that lovable black lab.  


Of course, birthday parties were not the only thing we shared back then:


And then there was the obligatory Christmas Eve picture, with the cute matching outfits.  Note the gun-carrying brother with the dapper scarf around his neck!



But enough traipsing down memory lane.  My dear neighbor, Carol, showed up with roses for me again this year.  They are gorgeous!



Adam and his friend Eric have been building rafts and trying them out in the dugout.  I don't think they were terribly successful, as I had to wash a load of clothes at 10:30 that night, but they sure had fun!  



Stephen decided not to attend the annual awards night at the school yesterday.  Pity, as he won two awards.  The first was a plaque for the most improved Grade 9 student.  The second was a certificate for taking 1st in divisional high jump and attaining 4th overall for his age group.  The academic award makes me the most proud, since he has been working hard to bring his grades back up after a slip this winter.  Shows what he can do when he puts his mind to it.

Derek has been busy with baseball and track.  He went to his division track meet today in Wilkie, also for high jump.  He didn't place, but he gave it a good try.   He only had the one event, so he came home with me when he was done, and we had a nice lunch together at Unity.  He was glad to have some time at home, as we got a new trampoline.  He spends every spare minute out there, and has a grand time trying various flips.   Good exercise, too.  I may try it myself, but I'm torn - I don't want anyone to see me, but I will need someone to be there for the inevitable call to the paramedics...

Must run.  Happy Birthday again, Mark, and Happy Birthday on Sunday, Lisa!

Thanks for stopping by!
Chandra

NOW it's spring in Saskatchewan

There, that looks better, doesn't it?  Green is always preferable to white in May.  Derek has been kept busy cutting grass.  Even though it's dry, the grass seems to grow.  Well, it was dry - it's been raining all day here, which has put a stop to the seeding.  Clem said he's glad for the moisture and the break.  I put the garden in on Monday, so the rain is great in my books!

This is a shot of the perennial bed in front of the house.  I was happy to see that everything came back again this year.  


When Derek isn't driving the garden tractor, you will find him on his new dirtbike.  He is pretty pumped.   And's he's only been caught popping a wheelie once.



Grandma Betty stopped on Monday on her way back to Lethbridge.  Here she is saying good-bye to Derek and telling him how busy he keeps her saying prayers!


Adam has been Clem's right hand man this spring.  He has been taking over the seeding every day right after school, and on the weekends.  Clem can then do some harrowing or seed cleaning or whatever else needs doing.  

Stephen has been the man around the yard - hauling, cleaning, changing cultivator shovels, whatever.  I love it!

We had a good visit a couple of weeks ago with our Edmonton cousins, the Kobles.  I'm surprised they picked this year to come, seeing how the Riders have the Cup and all.   However, we managed a clan-gathering and potluck, and even got in on a birthday party.  It was very good to have them here again.

This is Randy, Tammy, and Jamie (Randy's daughter) out at Parnitsky's, with Jack and Michelle in the cheap seats.



Allan brought out a propane heater to keep us warm, but you would have thought that Kenny, Mark, and Randy would have provided enough hot air!!


Here's a good shot of Jaycee (with no braces!) and Erin.


It's always good to see the kids having fun, such a familiar sight on that farm.





Chris came out on Monday, and we took a little drive over to the Ermine cemetary, to check out the giant wheatsheaves.  Quite an impressive sight in the middle of the bald prairie!





And so that about wraps up another month with the Schraefels.  Thanks for your patience with the dirth of postings.  Perhaps you'd like to check out sister Lisa's Central and South American adventures on her blog (http://lisahuck.blogspot.com) or brother Rob's ramblings on his blog (http://bumfonline.wordpress.com) in case it takes me a while to get back here again!

Thanks for stopping in!
Chandra

Spring in Saskatchewan

I guess winter doesn't just seem long, it is long!  What a treat to wake up to this!  Now Environment Canada gets it right -  I suppose one should be more specific when saying we need moisture.  Oh well, never a dull moment here in God's country.   A bit of a juxtaposition to see the air drill surrounded by snow drifts.  Good thing Clem took the snow blade off the tractor. 
And more to come today and Monday, along with wind.  I think that means a blizzard!








Dylan came for a visit last weekend, and when his mom came to pick him up, she brought pizza and birthday cake.  We had a grand time celebrating his 13th birthday.  Another Schraefel teen-ager - look out, world!



On another note, I received word the other day that our new-found Scottish cousin, Ivie Fisher, has passed away.  Made me want to get on a plane and go back.  He was such a kind man, with a great sense of humor and a devilish twinkle in his eye.  His son said that he was still talking about his Canadian cousins while in hospital, showing his visitors the Christmas card Lisa sent him from Russia (which arrived in February, by the way.  Then again, I'm not sure when Lisa sends out her cards!).    Rest in peace, Ivie, til we meet again.



Thanks for checking in, and Merry Christmas!
Chandra

Spring has sprung.

Flocks of geese.  Warm afternoons.  Daylight when I get up in the morning.  Yep, it's spring.  Finally.  Maybe I'm just getting old (yeah, I know, there's really no maybe about it), but the winter
seemed to go on for an awfully long time.  There's still a lot of snow in the trees, but now I can see those piles getting smaller every day.  Hooray!

So what prompts me to write today, after such a long absence?  Well, I couldn't sleep.  (Did I mention I was getting older?)  Also, Dad's cousin called from Victoria the other day, and mentioned that he reads my humble musings, so I thought I should update you all on the happenings around here.  I mean, if you're reading this, you're probably getting older and can't sleep, either.  At least you could be current.

Hockey is finally over.  Derek's team won the league championship.  The kids were all pumped, and skated around the rink holding the very heavy trophy.  



Then we had Easter.  We had a very quiet celebration - roast beef for just our family.  Sorry, no pictures.  But on Easter Monday, Terri and Copper stopped in on their way back to Calgary.  Mark joined us for lunch, along with "the aunts".  We had a great time, mostly just watching Copper.  But what better to do than watch a seven-month-old have fun?



Derek is still Copper's favorite.  She doesn't have much choice - he's just always there.



Here are the four cousins.  


Then the aunts had their turn with Copper.



Next on our agenda was Confirmation.  Our parish had a "catch-up" year, as they are changing the age for Confirmation to 7 from 11 or 12.  So 45 kids were confirmed, including Derek.
 Adam was his sponsor.  The Bishop predicts Derek will be a theologian.  Heaven help us all!





That's about it, I think.  Adam continues to practice with the band.  He also likes to create huge messes in the shop while he and his buddies work on a go-cart.  Stephen is getting us up early to take him in for track.  He is thinking of entering the four-mile race.  (I'm not sure who he takes after, but I don't think it's Clem or me!!)  I have taken the librarian position at the town library.  It's just 10 hours a week, so we'll see how that goes.  Clem is on his way to Saskatoon to pick up a new-to-us grain truck.  Apparently we'll be farming for another year.  Would you please pray for rain?  Thanks.

So there you go.  If that doesn't make you sleepy, I just can't help you.  

Thanks for stopping by.
Chandra

Babies, giraffes, and sunshine

We decided to get out of Dodge and go looking for spring, so it was off to Calgary for a couple of days.  It was fabulous!  Shirt-sleeve weather (at least for the boys), lots of sunshine, and that amazing view of downtown Calgary backed by the majestic, snow-covered Rocky Mountains. Awesome.  It was good for the soul.  It almost made us wish we still lived there.  Almost.  Then we went shopping.  Oy vey, the people.  And traffic.  And more people.  And more traffic.  

BUT WE GOT TO SEE COPPER!!


She's seven months old now, and loads of fun.  The poor thing gets hardly any attention at all, what with being an only child (temporarily, I hope) and the youngest grandchild by nine years. She just sits on the floor all by herself, playing with the few meager toys she has.


Yah, right.  Here's the little princess, incognito, on the way to the zoo.



She had a ball. She's a real people person, and screeched and squealed whenever she met anyone on the path, especially children.  

She really took a shine to Derek, who really took a shine to her!



(check out those teeth!)


Grandma and Grandpa came up from Lethbridge for the day.

Rob and Amber came over, as well, after Amber was done her "chocolate bath" at the spa.  She really smelled good!!



Another reason we went to Calgary was to bid farewell to Lisa, who is headed to Central America, Guatemala to be exact.  She is taking a Spanish immersion course, and will then teach English.  I'm going to give her a bit of time, then I think I will start looking into flights....


I love this picture of Lisa and Copper.  Does Lisa remind you of anyone?  (See below)




Jason does laugh on occassion.  I think this was right after we said we were finally leaving.


There were so many photos of Copper, I thought I had forgotten her mom, but no, here she is!!


Derek really enjoyed the zoo.  After lots of walking, we finally found the giraffes he was wanting to see.


Here's the crew taking a break to sit in the sunshine.



You might have noticed that Adam is not in any of the photos.  That lucky 15-year-old got to stay home on his own for the weekend.  Thankfully the house, and shop, were still standing, and the vehicles all accounted for, when we returned.  His band, Borderline, played for a birthday party at - wait for it - Broadacres Hall, so he wasn't able to come with us.  He said there were lots of people and they all had a great time.  Apparently there are pictures on Facebook, but I'm not sure I really want to check them out.

Derek's team won the first game in the two-game final series for the league championship on Tuesday in Luseland.  Their home game was cancelled due to a flooded rink.  We are waiting on word of the second and final game.  Adam's Midget team is also in the league championship series against Elrose.  The first game is tonight at Kerrobert (they managed to get the flooding under control!)  The Battlefords AAA Midget camp scheduled for April 4, to which Stephen was invited, has been cancelled.  I'm starting to think someone is out to get him this year!!  
He is now going to try to get to the Junior Klippers camp in Kindersley on the same weekend.  What do you suppose will happen with that??!

That's about it for news around here.  Thanks for checking in!
Chandra

Shades for sale, or, pride goeth before a fall

Clem said I was bragging too much about the boys.  I told him to never mind, that someone should blow their horns, and who better than mom?  Turns out he may have had a point.  The SHA zone rosters came out yesterday, and guess who's name was missing?  That's right.  No Stephen.  After a call to the coach, it turns out "they" made a "mistake", (what? a hockey player who can't read? imagine!) and he is NOT on the team.  I was pretty shook up, and nervous about telling Stephen, but when I did, he just shrugged his shoulders and said, "oh, well".  Guess I should take a lesson.

Other than that, things are moving along quite smoothly.  Adam has been promoted to lead singer in the band and they've found another drummer.  They are still having a ball playing music.  Derek's team is on their way to the league finals after beating Wilkie in the semi-finals.  Only two games to go and they are done.  A little time away from the rink should lower the ol' blood pressure!   But consider yourself warned - the blog may get even more boring.  Read at your own risk.

Thanks for stopping by!
Chandra

We are all going to need shades for this bright future!

Well, he did it.  Stephen made the Bantam Zone 7 team!  He attended the weekend tryout in Eston, and must have impressed someone.  His ex-coach was one of the evaluators, and he either didn't carry much weight with the coach or he was generous and gave Stephen a good evaluation.  Whatever happened, Stephen got the magic phone call about 10:00 last night.  We are so happy for him and proud of him.  The team will have a one-day practice (four hours on the ice) in three weeks, and then they head to the tournament in Regina March 14 -16.  There the eight Saskatchewan zone teams will play off.  Apparently there are scouts all over the place at that tournament.  40 players are chosen to participate in a summer camp with last year's 40 picks.  
The following year, at the camp with next year's Bantam zone picks, a team will be picked to play in either a Under 17 tournament or the Canada games.  He'll have to "keep his stick on the ice" as they say.  (Or keep two hands on his stick, as his mother says.)

Stephen has also been invited to try out for the Battlefords AAA midget team.  That tryout is at the beginning of April, so it will be a while until we are done with hockey.

Clem took Adam to Medicine Hat on Friday for an appointment with an orthopedic surgeon. Apparently he has injured ligaments in his knee, and will require two months of exercises and no
hockey or other sports.  If it is not better after that, they will look at it again.  Luckily he has his music to fall back on!  The reviews of the band's debut have all been super.  They practiced again last night, apparently with a new, better drummer, and decided 
that Adam should concentrate on the vocals.  That boy is going to have girls hanging all over him!

Derek seems to be back to normal.  He didn't play in the Dodsland tournament on the weekend, but went to practice tonight and didn't seem to suffer any ill effects.   I also lost a bet with him that he couldn't not talk all the way into town.  I'll gladly cough up that five bucks!!

That's it for tonight's update.  Thanks for checking in!  And happy Family Day!
Chandra

A star is born

Last night I attended the debut performance of the hot new band "Borderline".  (Or, as some might put it, I got sucked into chaperoning the teen dance where Adam's band had their first gig.  But that would be cynical.)  The dance, first scheduled for last Friday, was postponed due to a storm and the illness of a couple band members (Adam in particular).  So they went with a Valentine's Day dance, and the results were great.  The boys started out a little shaky - they hadn't all practiced together since the middle of last week when Adam got sick - but they came together pretty good.  Adam is the main drummer, and they have been sharing the vocals.  But Adam wowed everyone, especially his proud mom, with a couple of great songs.  That boy has his dad's voice!  I was blown away.  I knew he could sing, but  not like that.  It got better as he got more comfortable with his friends showing their appreciation.  In the end he was hamming it up good.  It took a while for the boys to come down from the performance high - they had a lot of fun.  I think they are booked for an elementary dance in town next month, and then who knows?
They've even written a couple of songs.

Stephen has been fighting off the cold/flu bug that has invaded our home.  Cold FX, echinacea
(bet you didn't know I could spell that!), zinc lozenges, oranges - you name it, he's doing it.  He has Bantam zone tryouts this weekend, and he's hungry to make the team.  He's a pretty determined kid, so he probably will!

Derek is still trying to recover from the asthma attack, and had a rough go his first time back at hockey practice last night.  Clem said he was gasping and moaning and laying on the ice - he's a bit of a drama "king", in case you didn't know - until the coach told him to get up and get going, as there was no way he was giving him mouth-to-mouth.  He managed to finish the practice, but doesn't want to go to the Dodsland tournament tomorrow because he won't be able to skate hard.  Doesn't break my heart.

Speaking of hearts, my husband actually remembered Valentine's Day this year.  He took the van in to Saskatoon for repairs, and then got storm-stayed in North Battleford where he had a
meeting.  I guess he had lots of time in stores, where it would have been hard to miss the gazillion signs with hearts on them.  Somewhat unfortunately for me, the stores he frequents don't really cater to what women would consider a romantic notion of the holiday.  And so I received a heart-shaped container of Ferraro Rocher chocolates (yum!) and a Tobi clothes steamer (a Canadian Tire special - you've seen the infomercials).  However, it really is the thought that counts, and I do appreciate him thinking of me (and the chocolate, love the chocolate).

That's it for now, folks.  Keep those comments coming, and don't forget to sign your name so I know who the lurkers are!!

Thanks for stopping by.
Chandra

Back to normal (or as close as it gets, anyway)

Things are settling down somewhat since the last post.  Stephen still seems OK with his decision to quit his team.   He's taken a bit of flack over it, but nothing that he can't handle.  He has even expressed an interest in music, now that he has some spare time.  He spirited Clem's guitar up to his bedroom the other night and worked on a few chords.  Clem thinks he has a nice touch.  

Adam and Derek have been home sick for the past two days.  They are both suffering from colds, although with differing symptoms.  Adam seems to have a flu of some sort - achy, coughing, headache, fever, just generally feeling rotten.  His timing isn't too great, because his band's debut is tomorrow night.  We watched them rehearse the other day, and they sound pretty good.  Loud, but good.  Adam did some singing, and seems to take after his dad!  We are chaperoning the dance, along with some other parents.  Adam doesn't seem too keen on that, but he will survive that embarassment, I'm sure.  Wait till he sees his mom dancing!!

We spent a couple of hours last night at the hospital with Derek.  His bad cold and cough has triggered his asthma again, and he needed the nebulizer.  He recovers amazingly fast after receiving the Ventolin, and was back to his old talking self in no time at all.  Apparently he
has quite a reputation at our hospital.  The nurse (who used to ride the same school bus as I did, way back in the day) asked if he was the same kid who got his finger stuck in a wet-wipe dispenser (yes) and the same one with the warts on his nose (yes).  Those nurses have way too many coffee breaks.  Anyway, he's still coughing today, but hopefully he's on the mend.  

Clem has ventured outside since the break in the cold weather, and has started cleaning some grain.  I guess his farmer's holiday is coming to an end.  And then there's me, just waiting for a mother's holiday to start...

Thanks for checking in!
Chandra

Now what?

As some of you good readers may have surmised by now, our lives have been revolving around hockey.  Well, we've hit a crack in the ice.  Adam has been out for over a month with a bad knee, and the earliest he can get in to see an orthopedic specialist is February 8, in Medicine Hat.  Yes, you read correctly. Medicine Hat.  I asked him the 
other day how he's going to get back in shape to get back into hockey, and he said he's done.  Yes, you read correctly again.  Done.  The boy who lived and breathed hockey is done.  So that's one down.

Stephen's team has continued to struggle, although by the end of league play they did manage to climb out of last place and all the way up to 8th (out of 10).  Warman came to Kindersley on Saturday for the first two-game round in the provincial playoff series.  The Klippers were soundly beat 8 - 3.  The coach, in his infinite wisdom, played one of the 
defensemen continuously - no, I mean it, one time he was on the ice for nine minutes straight - and Stephen got short little shifts to give him a rest once in a while.  We think the coach was punishing Stephen for missing the extra practice he called on Friday night, the night after their regular practice and right before two big games, the practice his parents wouldn't let him attend .  But we don't know for sure, since he still hasn't called us back.  Anyway, this amazing coach decided that Stephen and the goalie were to blame for the loss, and told the team so in the dressing room after the game.  On Sunday, the team headed back to Warman for the second game, minus one defenseman.  Yep, Stephen quit.  I guess he decided he had taken enough crap and didn't deserve to be treated like that.  It's hard to know exactly what a 14-year-old is thinking, but that's what I'm going with.  And I haven't seen him so 
happy in quite some time.  It's like a huge weight has been lifted from his shoulders.  I asked him last night if he regretted his decision.  He said, "Why would I?  I wasn't having any fun anyway."
So that's two down.  Oh ya, and Warman won 6 -2 on Sunday.

So now Derek gets two doting parents to watch his every move on the ice.  Lucky kid.  He's still having a ball, just loves going to practice and to games.  The team is remaining very strong, and has only lost one game this season, an exhibition game with a North Battleford Tier 1 team.  

Other than that, it's really cold outside.  

Thanks for stopping by.  Catch ya next time.
Chandra

Farewell, good friend

               DON PHILLIPS   1957 - 2008


The Phillips and the Schraefels have been friends forever.  Clem spent lots of time out at the Phillips farm when he was growing up.  Donny was just younger than his brother, Norm, and
Clem, and they all got into lots of trouble together over the years.  Donny was diagnosed with cancer in November.  We were priviledged to be able to see him in Edmonton on Friday afternoon,  and had a good time reminiscing and laughing.  He was still sharp as a tack, and those 
black eyes were as piercing as ever.  He died while we were driving home that night.  We will miss him, but are glad for him that his suffering is over.  I'm not sure what heaven is like, but I keep picturing him having a grand old time darting around renewing old aquaintances, and entertaining one and all with his great stories!

Bev asked if we had any photos of Don, so Clem and I had fun looking through old albums last night.  Here's one from way back, a camping trip, I think.  Recognize anyone?



Don and Hilda lived in Calgary while we were there.  They came over for Christmas Eve in 1990, the first time I didn't come back to Saskatchewan for the holidays.  We had a great time!  I remember hassling Don about the fancy suit, but he said he had to dress up if he was going to church!  I can't remember what Don said just before this photo was taken, but it cracked Clem up.


I'm not sure why there were so many Phillips in Calgary this time, but they came over for a visit.  Donny told some hair-raising stories that night, sitting beside his mom!


I told Donny on Friday that Derek is his fault!  We went to Don and Carla's wedding in Fort MacMurray in 1997,  and apparently had too good a time, because nine months later we had Derek.  I love this picture of Don and Mary dancing at his wedding.


Rest in peace, old friend!  We love you!