Happy New Year Everyone

Happy New Year to each one of you.
Have we told you lately how much we love you?
Well - in the words of wisdom from four little ones nearly half a century ago, we love you "all around the world and infinity".

In 2010 we wish you love, health, happiness, safety and the Lord's richest blessings.

Keep facing the sunshine and all the shadows will fall behind you. Stay close to each other and to our Heavenly Father. Our strength is in our family. Let's keep it that way always.

Love,
Gramma & Grampa

PS: Now - MY wish for ME in 2010
I wish that all those people who 'look' at the blog and haven't written in a very long time would share some thoughts with the rest of us. We love to hear from you, even if you think it is trivial. We like the connection - and those who have been so good about sharing. Thank you. Please keep up the good work. We love hearing about the little things and seeing pictures.

Belated Merry Christmas

Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas.

Cal and I had a good time seeing the nieces/cousins and the babies (I know Aunty is jealous) and spent some great time with Grandma and Grandpa for a couple days. We visited a lot and even played some cards, and just to let you know that Grandpa and Uncle Troy (who have carried the torch of cheating at nerts) have been dethroned and the torch has been passed to Grandma (still not sure if Cal was an accomplice or just guilt by association). Grandpa and I won anyway, (see cheaters never prosper). So let this be a lesson to all you grandkids, If you want to cheat well at cards follow Grandpa and Uncle Troy, But if you want to be stealthy about it talk to Grandma for tips. I'm sure she's been pulling the wool over our eyes for years, but after much dedication and investigation as to why we always lost I think we have finally found a way to win (catch Grandma).

Grandma and Grandpa we love you very much and will still play cards with you (just pay closer attention).

Love to all, Uncle Troy,
Miss you Baby, Little Miss, Cass and Jeanine, Mat, Pat and Heather

Remember this,

A New Years resolution is something that

goes in one year and out the other.

Merry Christmas Everyone

O.K. I decided I would be the FIRST to wish you all a wonderful Christmas, filled with love, joy and thoughts of the Saviour.

I am so grateful to Him for coming to earth and being an example of how we should live our lives and then to make it possible for us to return to live with our Heavenly Father.

I hope that we all remember the reason for the season and give thanks.

The gift for us is that Troy and Cal will be able to spend a bit of time with us. We are looking so forward to that, as are the cousins. However, as we look forward to our good fortune, we are mindful of the family in Bremerton -- anything worth doing is never easy. Please know that we love you and are thinking of you and wish you were here with us as well.

Anyone travelling - please drive safely.

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Much love to everyone,
Gramma & Grampa

Polischuk's on Vacation!

So we are back and looking forward to Christmas!! Getting away is always great but there is no place like home. The days of being DINKS (dual income no kids) are over and with that has come a change in vacationing, still awesome but waaaayyy different. Amelia had almost two suitcases to herself, no jokes Graham and I crazy packed our stuff sharing one. Oh how things change, I use to bring one bag for shoes/purses/puchases...now diapers/food/baby gear. Amelia did great, the hardest was our flights. She wasn't a terror by any stretch but she reached a point both times where she would have liked her own space with no one crowding or touching her - tough luck on an airplane sweetheart!! The little woman watched and looked at everyone and everything, just taking stuff in with those little peepers. It was a blast, so fun with our wee woman and Grandma Hinko! Grandma still loves to travel and since Grandpa Hinko passed takes the opportunity to travel with others.

Cruising is fabulous; the shows amazing, the musicians talented and the food, oh the food!!!

We left Florida and stopped in Grand Cayman, Honduros, Mexico and the Bahama's.

A family pic on the ship!


Making Amelia's hat go Austrailian outback style!!


Kisses from momma, she clearly was only 'sorta' enjoying them!!

Weirdly Graham's Dad and Janis were in Mexico so we had planned to have a date.

Amelia after trying my strawberry marg...yum yum!

Beach in Mexico, not a beach to go swimming in that day!

One of the sunset views from our deck!

Grandma Hinko and I posed for an amazing background!!!

It just seemed so 'un'christmas like wearing shorts and seeing Santa in shorts!!!! It seems REAL christmas like upon our return to Canada!!!!!

In retrospect it seems wrong to have let this guy hold our child! Sorry Mia!!

She loves drinking from a 'big' girl cup, fun times especially when she is dressed pretty!!!!

Chillin on our deck with her dress stuck on that head.

On the little boat, going to the BIG boat!!

Just a cute pic of the short one, such smiles now!!!!

In her sailer outfit Grandma (my mom) bought for her. Of course one must sport nautical wear when going nautical!

Hope fully not boring for you guys but wanted to show my parents and thought you all might get a few laughs from the Amelia pics! We are slightly obsessed with her, a good thing though I think. ~ Love the Polischuk's

A Miracle of Sorts

I just thought I'd share with you a little sort of miracle.

Last Thursday and Friday we had the missionary couple from Yellowknife staying with us. We brought home a missionary car for them to use and had them park in our spot where they could plug in. We parked in the visitor parking (no plugging in there). The missionary car stayed here over the weekend all snuggly and warm under the carport and plugged in.

The miracle is that our 12 year old car with well over 200,000 k on it started immediately each of those days when we were the coldest place on planet earth. Now - I believe this to be a miracle and that we were definitely being blessed. Could it be because we are doing a mission???

I just wanted to share.

Love you all,
Gramma

celebrate death aunty itll be ok!

this is for all we have lost and all we care about love the family miss u all so very much!

Sad News

This is to let you all know that we have some sad news in our family.
Auntie Roxanne's father passed away yesterday morning.

The funeral will be On Friday, December 18th at 11:00 a.m. at the Rose Garden Funeral Home in Barrhead. It is located next to the arena.

To Roxanne, Brent, Brandon, Aaron & Jordan and families - We pray that your happy memories of Grampa Schneider will be a healing influence at this difficult time. Please know that we love you.

Love always,
Gramma

hey all its cal i am finally on here i know!

hey now that the american family is coming back seriously this time i have one question.

When is the big big bad hudkins family reunion gonna happen and where of course come on grandma set it up lets go set it up for some time after june when mom and them come back =) i miss everyone oh so much im working like a dog and wish i were sleepin like a log but im not about 5 hours every night working 2 jobs lol i may be getting a truck soon here. i finaly talked dad into buying a bass guitar so we could finaly jam together im teaching him slowely but surely lol mike hinko im gonna come visit u eventually and we can jam together to ok gimmie some time to get a few days off work and ill fly up some time and addie, mike, chris,jordan,aron,brandon maybe a phone call or 2 gimmie an adress so maybe i could drive up and stay a few days with you guys some time or maybe a little cousin cousin bonding time in lethbridge u know what just bring the whole family lol i know dad would like it anyways its late and i work with bruce jensen tomorrow on my day off of both jobs lol workoholic i know dad to but it keeps us out of trouble anyways i love you all and miss u oh so very much and cant wait to eventually see you all again very soon.


Love CAL the Hitman Hudkins you all enjoy the snow now

Holiday Wreath Cookies

I was looking in my "Grandma's Touch" cookbook and came across this recipe. I thought it was such a neat and easy recipe and would look really pretty on a tray of goodies to take to a neighbor or visiting teacher.

HOLIDAY WREATH COOKIES
30 marshmallows
1/2 cup butter (or hard margarine)
1 tsp. vanilla
2 tsp. green food coloring
3 1/2 cups cornflakes
1/2 cup small red cinnamon candies

* Line 2 large cookie sheets with wax paper
* Melt butter, marshmallows, Vanilla & food coloring. Stir until marshmallows are melted. (If doing on stove top, do it on low heat or in top of double boiler so it doesn't burn)
* Remove from heat and stir in cornflakes
* Drop rounded, greased spoonfuls of mixture onto wax apper. Shape into wreaths & decorate with red candies.
* Store between layers of wax paper

I haven't tried them yet. I will do that this afternoon.

Have fun with this recipe. Be careful with the food coloring because it can get on everything.

Love,
Gramma

Christmas Cheer...sneak peak!!!

Here is a little sneak peak at our Christmas Card picture...it was quite the proces to get a good one with all of our 'babies' somewhat cooperating!!

We are pretty much ready for Christmas, shopping 95% done but wrapping 0%, oh well that can wait until crunch time if needed. We actually leave on Thursday for a cruise so I'm focused on getting ready for that. Amelia will have her first winter vaca, I bought hats and shorts for her at the end of summer and then hit a store last week that had markdowns with some summer clothing priced at a $1.00 SERIOUSLY GOOD DEALS! The little woman is set for her cruise and the Sutcliffe & Hudkins wedding in Feb.

I am with Grandma, the blog has been mighty quiet. I know that another family just had a nice sunny trip, would love to see a few pics! It is a busy time of year though - this computer time has been my 15min of 'personal time' instead of packing, laundry and christmas cards. Have a great Christmas, love you.

Little critters posed and sorta smile from Mia!

Down, Rudolf going down!!!

Oh kind Tula letting Amelia chill out!

Good times at the Polischuk's! Love ya ~ Amelia, Graham & Jenny

Much Too Quiet

You are all sure a quiet bunch. When did that happen? I seem to remember everyone talking at once and having lots to say. Now even the blog is quiet!

I know there is some good news out there - how about sharing it? (RMH)

Last weekend Charlene, Sylvia and I went to a quilting retreat - well, lots of ladies quilted but some of us are quilting challenged and so I scrap booked. Still working on those pictures. It seems the more I get put into books, the more my pictures multiply. Maybe I should put my camera in the deepfreeze like some people do their credit cards.
It was a nice weekend and gave Grampa a break from the old woman he lives with. I think he enjoyed McDonalds, Wendy's and Chinese food. I'm not sure which one of them cooked the most for him, but I do know that his favorite place to dine is the golden arches.

We set up our tree this evening. Next week we have two zone conferences. The senior couple from Yellowknife are coming out and will be staying with us. We're looking forward to getting to know them.

Hope to hear from some of you.
I love you all very much,
Gramma