The Great GORP Project

Assiniboine Park Children's Garden! Yay Winnipeg:)

 
 
 
 
 
I just can't say enough about the new Children's Garden at Assiniboine Park. . .The first time I saw it in full bloom after the grand opening I had to use every ounce of willpower to stop myself from openly applauding. . .then skipping and running through the darn place like an overgrown ape-like child. . .instead I contained myself, although I couldn't do anything about the stupid grin plastered across my chops. . or the many random outbursts declaring (to nobody in particular) THIS PLACE IS FLIPPING FANTASTIC!!!

I'm not just saying this because we happen to be partners in the company responsible for constructing some of the amazing installations out of reclaimed wood. .. ahem. . cough. .Wood Anchor. . .cough!

The best part about the "thinking" that must have been invested into the design of the garden was that unlike a giant "McDonald's Play-land" full of so much distraction that kids are overwhelmed and can barely think straight, the Assiniboine Park Children's Garden built into the design. .. room for IMAGINATION !! There is room for space(if that makes sense?). . .room for imaginary play. . .and the flow incorporates opportunities for discovering the unexpected. .. I LOVE the organic flavour. . .this granola loving gal gives it 2 thumbs up with a side of Whooopeeeee!!

This week has been packed full of "stuff". . .yesterday I attended a workshop on Strategic Planning. . .and it blew my mind. .. in more than the figurative sense. . .my head is still aching. . .I think I might have blown a fuse. . .but that's alright. .stretching right?? I'm putting together a short summary of some of the neat take-aways from the lesson plan. I'll share next post. . .tonight my dear Georgia competes for her yellow belt in Taekwondo, and right now I've got a 3 year old on my lap requesting some reading time. .. so off I go!

Rock out. be mighty and make someones day. . .do something EXTRA kind, just because it's Wednesday:)

Good Morning:)

Well my BUS TRIP to the pas for 3 days of meetings/Ag tours was AWESOME! Who knew The Pas was such a beautiful welcoming vibrant community? I didn't. .. and I'm ashamed to say I was expecting something much different, and not in a good way.

I think this sign in the Super 8 was one of the highlights for sure;) I just wonder what the events were that necessitated the making of such a specific sign? I LOVE IT! Only in small town Manitoba. .. can't you just picture it:

Hey fellas. ..no running in the halls please

WE AREN'T RUNNING MAN. .

Um. .yes, you are running and chasing that ball around. .

YEAH, WE'RE PLAYING HOCKEY. . THAT'S TOTALLY DIFFERENT.

Oh. ..(I guess we better make a sign. . obviously the current no running sign is unclear!)

The board I'm on is full of an array of different producers and folks related to the interests of creating vibrant rural communities. . AKA some real crackerjacks. It was inspiring to see the real passion that is simmering out there. . .beneath the cruddy weather, markets and all out crisis for many in Ag. .there are people all over our province that are willing to volunteer there time, connections and smarts to evoke change. . . obviously there needs to be change, a morphing of systems/ideals/process and programs to support this quickly changing industry so we can keep it and the communities built on it viable.. . but how? That's the question. . my ideals were challenged on this trip and it is always exciting to get your brain stretched. . . on the bus we watched Food Inc. the much debated documentary (I use the term loosely, as it was obviously a biased film) on the Ag/Food processing industry that focuses in on meat specifically. . .

Did you know? 1 in 8 jobs in Manitoba depend on the Ag industry just to survive. . .so from accounting to banking to equipment dealers, construction and grocery stores in small towns (to name a few). . .many need Ag to ironically keep food on the table and some don't even know it. . .INTERESTING NON?

I've got  a BIG GIANT OPINION about the Food Inc. film that I will share tomorrow. . .it might actually surprise you. .. considering we farm.

The Saskatchewan river. .. beautiful!

Did you know that there are no rats in The Pas? There are also no disease/mite problems in the bee colonies, and this problem has plagued this industry all over the world. Neat.

Yeah. .. this was another unexpected highlight.  .we stopped at a gas station/restaurant on the trip home to eat. . .the ladies in our group kept coming back from the bathroom smiling and laughing. . they implored me to make a visit to the washroom before we left, insisted that it would be worth my while. .. from my experience visiting the washroom is always worth my while. . .but I could sense by the suppressed giggles that they meant something different. .  .SOMETHING DIFFERENT is exactly what I found. . .TWO TOILETS IN ONE STALL?? Definitely warranted a picture.  ..sorry. . .I just had to:) And no, I opted for the other stall if anyone is wondering! Purely on principal:)

Tomorrow... my rant on the film Food Inc.. . and a bit of the story of the wake up call I experienced during my month long blogging/pregnancy induced pity party break. . .

Laugh today. . .even if you don't feel like it. . .and pray for an opportunity to live outside yourself and affect someone else. . .that's what's on my agenda. . .that and making a load of energy bars for a tour coming by the farm on Sunday. . Step on!

Stolen date downtown. . .

Grant and I don't often get the opportunity to drive together anywhere by ourselves. .. .and one of my dream dates has always been to wander downtown around Albert and Arthur and check out all the cool boutiques and retro furniture shops, and ANTIQUE STORES! Which are all crammed into cool heritage buildings on crooked little streets. .. so neat, but I'm a little scared to do it all by myself due to some unfortunate experiences I've had alone downtown. . .

So on Thursday I had two follow up meetings with Branding/Design companies in the area. Grant came along to get a feel for them and help me make up my mind, since he will be dealing with whoever we choose as he gets more involved in the business..  . ..PLUS I VALUE HIS OPINION. . .BIG TIME. So we crammed in a speed date before and after the appointments. .. .ate at The Lineup (very cool Thai/Fish and Chips pad). .. .deeked into a few cool stores. .. . (drove him a tad crazy as I could barely tear myself off a vintage mid-century modern sofa from Hoopers. .. ) We laughed, I tripped (and almost cried), we had a mini sneak of a date. It was awesome to be reminded that us marrieds should still be "courting" each other in between the work, and diapers and meal making, and "practical" life stuff that consumes us.

 

I LOVE DOWNTOWN WINNIPEG!

 

O.k. .. what the heck is Stomach Powder? I'm so going to Google that one.. .

 

Yeah. . so my revelation of the week is this: Magic needs to be watered people. . .and it needs to be watered with FUN.. . .sneak in a mini date this week and court your honey in the good old fashioned way! Even if you can't go out. . .find a way to water the magic.

You won't regret it.

Belated Happy Kissy Day. . .and tales from a militant child?

 

Once upon a time deep in the folds of the hippy quadrant of the Ottawa valley two small girls met and became friends. Despite their differences they had that undefinable thing in common that allowed one of those friendships to bloom that can defy time, space and fights over who's turn it is to play with a(much coveted) Barbie camper. One girl's family moved to Toronto and because of a similar/fantastic friendship between the two girl's fathers the other family followed. . ..they moved into the same townhouse complex and the friendship picked up where it left off. . . . .after a time one girls family returned to the valley and the others headed West to the flat yet oddly inspiring plains of good old Manitoba. . .

My dear friend Julie who I haven't seen for 9 years landed on our doorstep for a visit with her beautiful 5 month old son Hudson. We've spent the week reminiscing about the "old" days. . .from our matching Blue Angel banana seat bikes to fights over her Snoopy snow cone machine to swinging from the branches of the massive weeping willows by the creek. . . I fully believe that the type and depth of childhood drama that is bread in neighbourhoods that share a common green space can be somewhat "intense" and unique. Nobody had their own backyard. . it was a winding strip of "fend for your self or be eaten jungle" that encircled our interconnected homes. . .this green space had to be shared between all types, ages, and temperaments. . .. it created an almost "Lord of the Flyish" type of environment. . .

                  "Ralph wept for the end of innocence, the darkness of man's heart, and the fall through the air of a true, wise friend called Piggy."

Lord of the Flies

Throughout our conversations I've slowly been coming to the realization/appreciation of how my childhood years take up so much more space in my brain/memory/sense of self than I ever thought. Our conversations have opened up a portal in my consciousness my adulthood had closed. . .the rawness and innocence of feeling things without the wide angle lens and perspective of adult reasoning. . .the carefree happiness of sipping a coke from a glass bottle to the horrible guilt and twisting gut regret brought on by playing pranks on a lonely old man a few doors down from us. . . .

It's like I've been in a time warp of discovery. . . I guess when you live somewhere different from where you spent your childhood. . .there is nobody to look back with that has the same general experience as you. . so you just box it up. . .Ella and I have definitely been enjoying the feeling of finding our long lost sister. . .someone who knew us as we were. . .before life had a chance to inflict it's battle scars.

What I'm trying to get at with this ramble is this. . . try remembering yourself as you were. . .who you were as a kid. . .what were the bare naked qualities of your spirit. . your imagination. . your thoughts. . .strip it back and see what was there. . .. who was there. . .

I got to thinking about how the "kid Colleen" would handle some situations I'm dealing with right now. . .and it brought a smile to my face. . .of course I have to edit her a little. . .but the militant convicted truth seeking at all costs kid I used to be could probably teach me a thing or two. . .. Try doing the same thing. . .I guarantee you will crack a smile!

Bad stuff happens to us. . .some we cause some we don't. . .it can leave variousfilters on our brains. . . insecure, angry, suspicious, untrusting. . .whatever. .. but filters that don't need to be there. . .that won't let us really experience joy. . . YES. . JOY STEALING FILTERS HAVE GOT TO GO. . .I challenge you to look and see if you have any. . . .I was shocked by what I found. . . thanks God. . .thanks Julie. What a pleasant surprise.

Cool and Ouch.

Giver.

Oh. . and the Manitoba Monday trip today is of course Festival du Voyegeur! Vive le Maple Syrup on a stick!!

 

We made it. . .almost. . .

 

 

Operation Manitoba Monday to Fort Whyte was a success. . . even though I had to wake up the kids from their nap when we got there . . . notice NO PICTURES OF GEESE, yeah, I'm no dummy. Yes, we saw some, no I did not get within charging distance, whew. And how can you pass by a tee pee without stopping for some impromptu break dancing? It had to be done!

Of course it wouldn't be a Dyck Family excursion without a public meltdown. . .I couldn't leave well enough alone. . .after everyone was good and tired we tramped off to Home Depot to pick up some obscure screw we needed for the house. . .and everyone, Leo included decided to throw a hissy fit in aisle 3. . . .AWESOME. . .and TOTALLY MY FAULT. . .I pulled out my ventriloquist mom mean voice. . .(you know the one). . .where your mouth barely moves and you are trying to look like you aren't really hissing through your lips "I said sssssstop it!!". . .. all the while giving the kid/kids in question the bulging mommy hairy eyeball. . . .Yeah, I smartened up mid-sentence and just took a minute to realize that I was the dolt. . .then I gave the kids a mega fast cart ride right past the ever-so-helpful orange vested staffers (I'm a little sarcastic here. .) And we blew outta the joint. . .Whew. That was a close one. Mean mommy almost prevailed. . .almost.

Well, gotta tune in to the U.S. election, I'm all a twitter. . .ahhhhhh.

Best chicken curry sauce recipe tomorrow. . . It's killer.

Sweetness. . .Thumbs up God. . .thanks for the awesome weather. . Harvest is almost done. . Thank you.

Honk, Honk, oh crud. . run Georgia run. . .

So, it's a last minute Manitoba Monday around here. . .I may be asking for trouble, but today we are off to the Fort Whyte Center. . .where good times and nature education abound. . .however there are also geese. . nasty honking, mean dirty geese. Sure they are pretty to watch fly overhead and we get all nostalgic. . ."oh how nice fall is coming. . .ohhh, I love. . . .wait what the ? Ahhhhhhhh." Yeah, cause the goose/geese are charging at you trying to murder you with their obsurdly strong elbows. . . yeah, it happened last year as I was picking up some nice organic veggies from a local grower, and decided to go for a little walk to look at the pond in the back and the greenhouses. .. . we were enjoying our walk. . .innocent pregnant lady and two young kids, when out of nowhere this spased out goose was charging us, making a beeline for Oskar's head, I swooped in for the rescue all the while screaming myself, (because geese are darn scary), and proceeded to run/waddle in circles screeching "run Georgia run. . .ruuuuuun!" I tried to lure the goose away from Georgia while dragging Oskar with me. . .when we finally escaped we all fell to the ground and cried for a good 5 minutes. . . .embarassing to say the least. . .

Oh and I nabbed the recipe below from EatingWell.com . It's super easy and great for keeping colds away. . .broccoli is full of quercetin which is a flavenoid that has been shown to stave off the influenza virus when the body is under stress!! High five to that. . .chomp down an apple and you've just done double duty. . apples are also rich in quercetin.

1 pound Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into wedges
3/4 pound broccoli crowns, chopped (4 cups)
3/4 cup shredded cheese (whatever kind suits your fancy)
1/2 cup nonfat milk, heated
1/2 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper to taste

Basically you cut the potatoes into chunks and steam for 10 min. then throw the broccoli on top and steam for another 6 minutes. Mash everything together and feel the power that is now yours to spend as you choose!

NUTRITION INFORMATION: Per serving: 135 calories; 4 g fat (3 g sat, 1 g mono); 16 mg cholesterol; 17 g carbohydrate; 7 g protein; 2 g fiber; 329 mg sodium; 201 mg potassium.
Nutrition bonus: Vitamin C (100% daily value), Vitamin A (30% dv), Calcium (15% dv).
1 Carbohydrate Servings

I'm working on perfecting a natural sea salt scrub/moisturizing recipe I created a few years ago. . . I just dragged it out of my things to do pile. . .There's nothing worse than winter chapped hands. . . .I'll share the recipe Friday. . .when I've made sure it still works! It's delish.

Look for pics of Fort Whyte tomorrow. . .if we survive. . .

Smashing! I'm off to Bible study tonight. . .we are doing an amazing study on the book by John Bevere. . . Driven by Eternity. .. . it's oh so challenging. . .Me yow.

And out!