One week

Well it's one week until Garry goes to Kiev to catch his planes to Winnipeg. He's been busy getting things done since he will be gone for two months with his ankle operation a few days after he gets here. We have snow here in Manitoba, and there was snow in the village sooner than here, last weekend. They got a couple inches from the photos I have seen on facebook.

I came early to clean the house and get ready for Christmas and to get some paperwork going, which I got in the mail last week, hoping to have it back before we leave in February. Trying to get the Christmas cards in the mail this week.  I also got to be home for Jonah's 21st birthday party with all the kids, and have some fun things to go to like piano recitals and Christmas programs,

Micah and Crystal

I was busy getting ready for Crystal (and Micah's- she says it is his baby too so he had to come) baby shower that was on Saturday. It was a group effort, with her mother, friend and our daughter Jessica making things for it and held in Josh and Krissy's basement since the gym the boys are building is not quite ready to use yet, they are still painting this week before the floor can be laid. Garry may get to help.

I have talked to Garry a few times, so I can tell you that he is nearly finished finishing the inside of the addition that was built onto Luda's (the girls house) house last March when his father, brother, and Micah and Crystal came. It is a two bedroom addition for the family, so we can use the two original bedrooms for the students instead of the one the three girls are currently sharing. It will be good to get them separated as there is some friction between Leila and the new girls. They finished painting the walls over the weekend, and he bought laminate flooring on Sunday that they started installing Monday afternoon.

He had a busy day on Monday, they finally found a cow to turn into hamburger for the group homes- he's been looking for one for a few months and finally found one that fit the bill- not pregnant and not milking much. Lucky for them, young too. We have not done one since he bought the three houses chest freezers in the spring, and they did not freeze a lot of vegetables so there will be room for meat. It is a great way to help everyone with their budgeting as the holidays- and the heating bills- are coming.


So they killed the cow in the morning and had an anatomy lesson, as the first year students had just learned about the four stomachs of cows and how they work. Then everyone was busy butchering and grinding hamburger to freeze.

If you are wondering the students are too excited about the meat to be grossed out by the butchering. Garry recently reviewed how the group homes are spending their money they get from the students. Last week he bought the boys house some bags of potatoes, carrots and onions, since they did not seem to be eating many vegetables. Seven boys were not getting spending money and eating a dozen loaves of bread a day, so he decided to stretch their budget a bit. One girls' house eats a lot of sunflower seeds and the other spends money on fish to eat, he also found out.

Last week Garry had a team building exercise, dinner and bowling with the staff. Victor missed it since he was on vacation, but here are a few pictures.

The ladies, Yana, our herdperson (former milker lady)
Larissa, Group house Mom (looks like Luda did not come)
Maria, Garry's assistant and Yulia, Max Rudei's wife

The guys, Sergey, Larissa's husband and group home dad.
Max Rudei, farm manager, Garry and Vova , parent at'
the guys house