Jude's first beach day! As you can see, he had his beach bod in very good form. What with all his sand eating and water drinking, he's done an excellent job prepping his immune system. Sitting on the beach is tiring, but don't be fooled by his cat nap - it only lasted 20 min. max. 

We love to spend at least one or two days every summer at nearby Greenwater Lake Provincial Park. It is true to its name - the water is greenish and weedy - but the beach and the shallow water are sandy and weed-free. When the weather hits a minimum of 25 degrees - Dan's rules - we pack the van to near capacity with kids, food, toys, and all the many things we seem to think we need for a day trip. We bring copious amounts of iced tea and chips and bum around eating, building sand castles, and floating. After hours in the sun, we realize no one has been drinking enough water and we all probably have heat stroke. Then we rinse all the sand and greenish stuff off, pack up, and enjoy a blissfully silent 1 hr ride home as the kids fall into exhausted sleep. Classic beach day. 

Summer Bucket List: Forestry Farm & Zoo, Pilgrimage to a Shrine

 

We spent a great weekend in Saskatoon this month, knocking fun outings off our summer bucket list: the forestry farm and zoo, a Latin Mass, and a little pilgrimage to a shrine.

The highlight of our zoo trip was watching the huge grizzly wander around his enclosure, swim in his water hole, and shake afterwards. The kids were delighted and we spent at least 20 min just watching him. 

On the way home from the city, we detoured to Cudworth, SK to visit the closed down shrine of Our Lady of Sorrows of the Ukrainian Eparchy. It is so beautiful there! Maybe one day they can fix it up and reopen it to public pilgrimages. 

Despite a less-than-usual simple trip, we had a great time doing simple things and it was a nice little getaway. 

Second Annual Chopped: Millette Kids Edition

I believe that if you do something once and it's good, then it must be tradition. Right? And so, I present this year's edition of Chopped: Millette Kids Edition.

Contestant #1

Emilie Lucy

(her name has no Lucy in it, but she's been having us call her that lately)

Helper:

Mom

Why I'm doing Chopped:

"Cause I get desserts."

Contestant #2 

John Paul

Helper:

Dad

Why I'm doing Chopped:

"Because I want to cook with dad."

Contestant #3

Joseph

Helper:

Jude

Why I'm doing Chopped:

"I like cooking and stuff."

The contestants must use all four mystery basket ingredients as part of a dessert. 

Ok contestants, open your baskets...

Cool Whip!

Doughnuts!

Walnuts!

Cape Goose Berries?

You have 20 minutes to make a dessert. You will be judged on presentation, taste, and use of the basket ingredients. And your time... starts... NOW!

Chopping goose berries.

Smashing the berries into a juice.

Crushing walnuts

Melting chocolate is exhausting.

Grilling sliced doughnuts. Idea stolen from John Paul.

Crushing walnuts as well.

Time running out!

5... 4... 3... 2... 1...

Hands off the desserts! Stop working!

Now for the judging.

Each category will be judged separately.

Presentation

John Paul, Emilie... sigh, you have been chopped. 

That means Joseph wins!

Judge: "Joseph, your doughnut covered dessert was beautifully crafted and superior in presentation. Congratulations."

Taste

John Paul, Joseph... sigh, you have been chopped. Emilie wins!

Judge: Emilie, your cake was fantastic. The marshmallows and cooked down goose berries brought brightness to the dish. The grilled doughnut provided nice texture. The sweetness to acidity was balanced perfectly. Congratulations.

Overall use of basket ingredients

Joseph, Emilie... sigh, you have been chopped. John Paul wins!

Judge: "Making a dessert sandwich was very creative, and a great way to use the ingredients. The grilled doughnuts and roasted walnuts provided perfect texture. The gooseberry sauce cut the sweetness. And the Cool Whip brought a pleasant filling. Congratulations."

Now... 

Let's Eat!

"Where are Our Keys?" Locked in the Van... with the Baby!"

Not everything has been going our way lately. Because of this, yesterday was a very good day.

Two things to complain about: the rain and the Mass. The rain has been plentiful this summer. Too plentiful. The only thing more plentiful than the rain has been the mosquitos. Meanwhile, the Mass has been frustrating. Mass? I Meant Massk. Or was that the holy sacrifice of the Mask? Call it what you will, but when a priest becomes afraid of COVID, it becomes a hellish nightmare for the parish. Or what's left of the parish.

God is good. Yesterday we ended up at a Mass in a nearby town. Our third in four months. The Mass there is usually a challenge, liturgically speaking. But what a difference four months makes. The Mass yesterday was just a normal Mass. No incessant talk on The Virus. No masks and gloves.  No hand pumping of sanitizer every 34 seconds. Just a small, practical, and very normal Mass (liturgical challenges and all). I cannot tell you enough how refreshed our souls were afterwards! Thanks be to God.

As for the rain... rain brings colder temperatures. We were leaving a house sitting session for my parents - out on their acreage - later that afternoon. As were preparing to leave my wife somehow locked our keys in our van. Haha. 

Wait... our ten month old boy was trapped inside in his car seat! I have never felt so helpless watching him sitting there through the tinted window. Absolutely gut-wrenching. But, as it's been very rainy, the day was cool. In the twenty or so stressful minutes it took for the tow-truck to arrive, the van did not heat up much at all. Our little ten-month-old Jude did quite well. His parents lost a few years off their lives, but otherwise are very grateful. To top it off, the tow truck guy refused to accept any payment for his service.

"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God" (Romans 8:28). Amen.

One last thing. Rain means crazy big potato plants! 

Deo Gratias!