Experimental Crafting.

Today was a snow day (a day when buses don’t run because of weather) so all us kids were home. My sickness is starting to go away so I felt that I could at last do something productive. I fed my duck, chickens, and cats, did some writing, and even ate some breakfast. (Which I don't normally do) Then my little sisters gave me a problem to solve. Every other tree in the house has something like a star, angel, or Santa on top except for theirs. Unfortunately we don't have any more store bought tree tops to put on top of their tree. So that was my mission. To provide for the top of their tree. So this is what happened.


I went to my jewelry box and pulled out my beads, wire, and tools, and decided to try to make a tree top star out of all this. (My brother and I make jewelry for fun, so we have a lot of stuff we use for jewelry making) I was a little disappointed that my wire guage was a very thin one, not very stable, but I didn't have any thicker wire left so I had to make do. I called my little sister down and we started our experimental craft. I let my sisters choose the colours and they chose pink, red, yellow, and orange.

Little brother exploring
my collection of beads.

Sister threading her beads on a strand of
wire.

We decided that it should be a four point star, because it would be easier to make, so each girl Start to thread a wire with their colour beads. After four strands of wire were strung with beads, I attached two wires together, then crossed two strands of these strands, and added a bead in the middle, which was the hardest part of the whole project. After that, excited by the looks of their creation, they eagerly headed for their their tree and we attempted to put up their star. Unfortunately as I had suspected the wire was to flimsy, and the star kept toppling over. However we found that if we hung it on the tree it looked very nice. So our tree top story ends as we didn't get a tree top, but we did get a very pretty Christmas tree ornament.


Our finished creation.

We liked them so much we made more.

Candles, Candles,

 and more Candles!!

One very popular craft or trade that we do in our house is candle making. My mom has a table covered in candles and stuff she uses to make them. They cast such a heavenly smell throughout the house, it’s really very pleasant. Just the right smell for the Christmas season. She does the candle making most of the time by herself, but sometimes she lets us help with stuff like cutting and hanging up the wick.

My mom's collection of candles.



The stove she heats the beeswax on.



The melting beeswax



Snipping the wick on the candles to proper size.

The hanging wicks just dipped in wax. ( babies love to play with these)

Oh Christmas Tree!!

Today we (well my family, I was too ill to go) hiked in the bush and came out with Three Christmas spruce trees!!! One for the main room, my room, and my sibling’s room. My parents let each bedroom have a tree of its own, because we kids love to decorate. They find it too stress full having all the kids helping out on the main tree, so us kids do the trees in the bedrooms and my parents do the main tree by themselves.

Laying down the garbage bags to catch the pine needles.

My sister puting a bucket of sand down that will used
to keep the tree upright.

Another sister lifting the tree into the bucket of sand.

One sister holding up the tree, while the other sister puts more
sand in the bucket, and adds water.

The tree is up and our gifts to friends and siblings
are under it. Tomorrow we hope to decorate!!

Cow’s Morning.

Hello there, can you open the window and let me in?

This is more like it.

Until she comes to play with me.

   My Cats.

 I (at the moment) have four cats. Rather upset about Tints death, I have gone overboard in keeping my remaining kittys alive. Even though my mom’s allergic to cats, I’ve managed to be allowed to sneak them in through my basement window at night.  The weathers getting colder, and I don’t want them to freeze, or be run over by night drivers. I’ve taken some cute pictures of them playing in my room.


Cow goes for Starburst's tail.



Starburst's tail goes up, Cow eyes it playfully.

Cow jumps, and pulls Starburst's tail down.

Snowy days.

Well this week the snow fell for good. We are stuck with it, probably till April, unless global warming kicks in (which it never seems too) Still snow has its good times as well as bad. Unfortunately I just had an ear surgery, so I can’t enjoy the snow like my siblings can. Instead I’m stuck in bed with something pathetic keeping the blood from dripping out of my ear. Still if I was in good condition, this is what I would be doing.

Picking up a sled and heading to the hill...



Getting on the sled...

then going down....

then picking up the sled and doing it all over again.

I know this is an average thing to do in the winter, but hey, it allways is lots of fun.

             The first feel of Christmas.

Me in my greeters outfit.

Today was the middle of nowhere craft sale. ( people still live out here, just hardly anyone knows where here is) This is a really awesome event in my community. First people come to the craft sale at the catholic church, in town. Then there’s the Santa Claus parade, and reception at the lions hall afterwards.  Allmost everyone in my community is involved. I was a greeter at the craft sale, handing out candy canes, and helping people bring their stuff to their cars.  My siblings and thier friends , and some of my friends as well, were handing out candy at the  Santa Claus parade.  My mom was selling pure beeswax candles, and the most delicious treats ever, salted liqurish! I just loved today. I had so much fun shouting at my friends on the Christmas floats, begging them to over dose me with candy. Throwing snow balls at my brother, and shoving snow down one of my friends back. Talking to my friend about how it seems all young OPP are so cute looking, trying to keep some little kids, I know, from stealing all the candy canes I was giving out, and buying little gifts for my friends.



My baby sister trying to take the dutch treats from my mothers craft table
 at the craft sale today.



My mom's craft table.

My mothers beeswax candles.

                    The death of Tint

My heart is breaking. This is the third pet that has left me, since the school year started. Tint was my favorite kitten out of the liter this year too. This year both my favorite kittens out of the two liters, my cat Oreo had, both got run over by my dad. (By accident)

                  We were heading to a Christmas concert and leaving the house in our big white van. When we got out of the driveway, one of my little sisters said, Tint was on the ground dead. After having two bunnies die, three kittens die, and a bunny run away this year, I couldn’t handle it anymore. I just felt gone, not there. No feelings, nothing. Just plain nothingness. We went out for supper, went to a Christmas concert, that didn’t even happen, because we got the day wrong, and went shopping, then headed home. Now I feel everything. The feeling of my heart breaking into many little bits, the what if questions roaming my mind, the tears finally flowing from my eyes. I lost so many of my dearest pets. I bottle fed this kitten. His blue eyes looked like they could tell what you were thinking, he interacted with head motions, when you talked, and now he’s as flat as a pancake, lying somewhere in the field, because the grounds too frozen to dig up, so I don’t think we can bury him. Sorry to have to tell you such a depressing story, but this is also part of the life of a Backwoods Canadian girl.

Tint on my sisters shoulders.

St Nick day

Today was the feast day of st. Nickolas. The man who is said to have been the origin of Santa Claus. Since my family is Dutch, and Dutch celebrate St Nickolas day, today was a very exciting day. This is how we go about it.

· First someone, older in the family writes the letter from St. Nick. This year I did it.

· The letter then go's to describe all the good and bad things every person did.

·  At the end of each description, St Nickolas says whether you get a treat from him, or coal from this creepy guy called Black Peter.

There hasn't been a year yet where someone hasn't got a treat though. (Just to be fair I guess) But still, it took me a long time to catch on to that. The treats we eat are really yummy too. Real Dutch treats. Such a salted liquorish, almond rolls, and a special type of Dutch cookie, but I'm not sure how to spell it. These treats are rare to get in this part of the world. (It’s the middle of nowhere)

Anyhow I wanted to take pictures of our mini celebration, but I was too excited to see the reactions on my sibling’s faces, as they heard what St Nick had to say about them, so I forgot. But this is one of my earliest memories of a family tradition that I just had to share it with you. Have a happy St Nickolas day.

Hi. I'm Jacinta. (Jay is my nickname) I am a teen, and I live in the middle of nowhere, in Ontario Canada. I have to say, despite the isolation of my dreary road, with a population of sixteen people, (ten of them my family members) I do like living in the backwoods of Canada. I actually find a lot to do. I enjoy thrill, which the country is not lacking.  I've got chased by wild dogs in two feet of snow, and have fallen out of trees, but I enjoyed every minute of those experiences. They were exciting!! Epic!! Still haven’t broken a bone yet! Sort of experiences. Anyhow I'm writing this blog, because I love journaling. Also because it's getting colder outside, so I'm spending more time inside, leaving me with not much to do but write, and also because I have so much to say and to share. Hope I have time to write it all down though. Despite the cold outside, I still have the thing that keeps every teenager busy and stressed. Homework. Hope you enjoy fallowing me, on my daily life as a Backwood Canadian girl!!