My new Sigma 17-70mm lens came in the mail the other day. I haven’t had much time to play around with it. Need to wait for some nicer weather.
Shrubs (iPhone)
We purchased some cedar shrubs and once the ground is soft enough to dig, we will plant them. Right now I’m not exactly sure where on our property they’ll look the best, but we’ll figure it out. I’m also giving some thought as to what to plant in the front garden. Maybe impatiens, as there’s only morning light.
Just playing around with HDR (high dynamic range) photography. I discovered my photo program, Corel PaintShop Pro x3, can make these kinds of photos. I googled how to do auto bracketing exposures on my Canon 60D and just played around a bit. This picture turned out neat:
After two weeks of living in our new house, Jordan was sent away on an exercise in the U.S. until the first week of March and I was left on my own. I don’t know anybody here, which made it kind of lonely. I ended up going back to Kingston for four days, staying at my mom’s house and visiting my family and old co-workers. I was really missing my nephew Ashe, so it was great to get to spend so much time with him. He’s such a happy child!
Playing iPhone games with my buddy!
I’ve noticed that it seems to snow every day here, even if it only lasts a few minutes. The snow is also heavier and sticks to the ground much longer than I’ve seen in Kingston. I hate shoveling. Now that it’s April, the snow is finally melting.
When my darling husband returned, he used up the rest of his leave and ended up with the majority of March off work. We spent a weekend in Kingston staying with friends and I got to visit with Ashe again (in the above photo). Little monkey was 20 months old in that picture, and as of yesterday he’s now 21 months. He’ll be two this July, which is insane!
Ashe @ 20 months old
My mom came up for the second last weekend of March. We painted the master bedroom:
Before
After
I am SO excited about moving our furniture into that room. I’ve always wanted a purple room and Jordan said he didn’t care what colour our bedroom was. 
While my mom was here we did lots of cooking and baking. She showed me how to make mushroom risotto. OMG, delicious! I am not a fan of rice, and her risotto was like eating dessert. We also used my Kitchen Aid mixer for the first time (she wants to buy one) and made caramel sticky rolls from scratch and applesauce muffins.
We also spent Easter weekend in Ottawa at his sister and brother-in-law’s. Our niece, Zoë, is just over a year old now. She’s still shy and takes awhile to warm up to us. She’s pretty cute. We didn’t do anything fancy, just hung around the house or went shopping, and had Easter breakfast at their church on Sunday morning, which I think we did last year as well. On the drive home, we detoured through Fort-Coulonge because Jordan wanted to see the red covered bridge:
Standing with the covered bridge in Fort-Coulonge, Quebec.
Snapshot while driving through the covered bridge (iPhone).
Received a chocolate package from the Attewell’s in Germany:
Chocolate stash from Germany (iPhone).
I’ve begun learning how to use my Canon 60D camera on Manual mode. With the help of this book:
Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson
It’s something I’ve always wanted to do and I’m now taking the time to teach myself. Doesn’t seem as difficult as I expected, but I’ve still got lots to learn. My camera came with a Canon 18-200mm IS lens and I have been saving up to purchase the Sigma 17-70mm OS lens. One more week and I should be able to buy it. I’m really excited! Not only for a new lens, but for Walt Disney World!
That’s right, we are going to the World where dreams do come true! We are booked into POP Century, a value resort, for 8 nights/9 days in October. We are planning to drive and will also spend a night and full day in Washington, D.C. I’m a little obsessed with Disney World right now. I’ve done so much research and planning already. I even have an itinerary done up in Excel. Okay, I’m crazy. But anyway, I’m going to master Manual mode on my camera and take amazing photos on our vacation, I just know it! 
We arrived in Petawawa on February 2nd, driving up through a snowstorm for most of the way. That wasn’t fun! We checked into Grey Gables Manor that evening. What a beautiful bed & breakfast! The Kensington Suite was exactly what I had expected from the photos and the hosts were very inviting and accommodating.
Kensington Suite at Grey Gables Manor
We received the keys to our new home just before 5 pm on the 4th, which meant that the following day our truck would arrive to unload everything. Unload Day went fairly quickly; the only issue was a broken patio table. The next day two young men showed up to unpack everything. The unpacking service only requires them to put items on the nearest surface, and when they leave they take with them all the boxes and paper associated with the move.
I’m happy everything was unpacked, but afterward the house was covered from counter to floor with stuff. And it still is. The only rooms that actually look decent right now are the main floor bathroom, kitchen, and living room. Every other room looks as though a tornado tore through it!
Kitchen
Living room
Main floor bathroom
I know it will take time to organize and decorate our home. I can’t believe how much stuff (ie. crap) we have! But right now, all I want to do is relax and read a book.
Tomorrow I work my last shift at JYSK. I will have worked there just shy of 6 years and it feels weird knowing that I am almost finished. I will miss many of my co-workers, especially those who have become good friends. It’s kind of like the end of an era, since I am the last person left of the original crew from when the store first opened. Crazy. The district manager was in today and did our “blue sheet”, which is basically a score sheet for the store. My cash area received 9.5 out of 10, so I can go out on a good note.
Moving Day is just around the corner. On Wednesday the movers will show up to pack the house; Thursday everything will be loaded onto the truck. And on Friday, after we clean and drop the key off to the lawyer’s office, we will no longer own this old country farmhouse. Then on the weekend we will drive up to Petawawa with the stuff the movers won’t take (liquids, personal items, etc) and check in to Grey Gables Manor Bed & Breakfast until our stuff shows up.
I am both anxious and excited to start our new life up there. But I’m also sad to be leaving behind all my friends and family. I know it’s only a 3 and a half hour drive north, which doesn’t sound very far away, but it certainly feels like we are moving to the ends of the earth. I’m really trying to go into this posting with a positive attitude, otherwise I will be miserable.