Como Zoo

What would summer be if you didn't stop by Como Zoo at least once? We try to go every year - it doesn't always happen, but we try.

I snuck out of work for 3 hours the other day so that I could go with mom, nephews, sister-in-law, twins and niece. The nephews and niece had been there before but seeing the zoo through the eyes of 2 year olds was a lot of fun.

How many people does it take to handle twin 2 year olds at the zoo?

Well, there was 6 of us - thank goodness!!

They both thought the "big monkey" was pretty cool when he was outside and far away but when we went into the building and he walked past the window - well lets just say there was some screaming and running involved. Mom was able to grab Nadia before she fled the scene and I practically tackled Aidan before he was able to take off.

They weren't afraid of the big cats like they were the big monkey. Maybe that's because the lions were sleeping when we stopped to see them. I told Aidan that they were napping so he thought that we should all whisper.

How sweet can these two be?

Pretty gosh darn sweet.

Well, until the temper tantrums which, by the way, both threw at least one at some point in the day. Going to the zoo is a lot of work when you are 2 years old and when you run through the whole thing instead of riding in your stroller that can add to the exhaustion after a few hours.

The best part of the zoo was the butterfly exhibit. It was amazing and all the kids enjoyed it a lot. If you get a chance to go out to Como don't forget to stop at that exhibit. It truly is worth it. And don't forget your camera!!

Yumm.....Grandpa Jam

The hubby stopped at a strawberry patch last Sunday for me. I wanted some freshly picked berries so that I could make some wonderful Grandpa Jam (aka freezer jam).

There's nothing better!!!

I miss the gramps so much and I will always remember when I said good-bye to him before I left the farm he would say "Jeannie, go down to the cellar - there's something in the freezer for you". I would then bring that precious jam home and hide it from my kids so that I didn't have to share. Yes, I'm a terrible mother but hey, we're talking about Grandpa Jam here. It's every man for themselves!!

All those years that gramps was giving me that tasty jam that he made I always thought that it was his "secret" recipe. I even mentioned it in front of him one time and after he finished laughing he told me that yup, its such a secret that they put it on the back of the Sure-Gel box.

I was devastated!!

Here all these years I thought my gramps was the best jam maker that the world has seen. I mean, how many people do you know that keep jam in the freezer?

Anyway, a few years ago I begged my mom to make me a batch of jam to get me through the winter. Gramps had taught her how to make it and she was really good at it. Her and dad were leaving for three months to go south and I needed a jam fix.

She refused.

I panicked.

She told me there was no reason why I couldn't tackle making jam myself. That way when I ran out of it I could make my own.

So I did. And it was wonderful.

I made some on Sunday night and then sent a text message to both kids.

"I have a jar of Grandpa Jam for the first one to bring me a baby."

Actually, one batch was enough for all three of us but I thought I would use it as a little leverage. Tony's been over several times this week but has walked out without his jam. If he leaves it too long I'll have to claim it for myself.

I plan on stopping by that berry batch again this weekend and whip up a few more batches. It's a long winter and I'll need my jam to get me through it.

Thanks gramps for the wonderful jam. It will be passed on for generations.

Yes, I still exist.......

My apologies to the 3 people who read my blog for being away so long - 19 days to be exact.

Ok, here's my excuse - computer problems galore!! Not only at home - which is expected - but at work also. For over two weeks my work computer has been down more than it has been up. It was getting very frustrating and it seemed like there was no end in sight. When it was working I had to do as much as I could, as fast as I could before it went down again.

I have been informed from the IS department that things will be better from now on.

I can only hope......

Besides computer problems we also had 4 residents pass away in one weeks time. 3 in a 48 hour period.

When it rains, it pours.

But enough of bad, negative items.

The 4th of July was a wonderful time for me. I had Thursday and Monday (kind of) off and I spent 4 days/nights at the lake. The hubby and I had a very restful mini-vacation that we really needed. We also had visitors. Amanda, her Tony, Emma and Timothy came on Friday and stayed until Saturday early evening. It was wonderful to spend that time with the babies. It was great to have Amanda and Tony there too. Tony went fishing and Amanda caught up on some much needed rest.

Since then I have been trying to catch up on scrapbooking grandbaby pictures because I have more coming in the mail (if I get behind I'll never catch up!), taking Kobi for lots of walks, catching up on postings for my Picture a Day, and working on my OPAM - cleaning Tony's old room.

I'll be posting an OPAM progress report next week when my first month is up (with pictures). I doubt that I will be done with the project but I'm trying to accomplish as much as possible.

That's why we set goals, right?