time to breathe

I had almost forgotten what it is like to be at home. I left work early yesterday, frustrated due to the lack of a personal computer and not knowing exactly which direction to go with projects. As I ran a few errands, I realized that it has been ages since I've done the things at my leisure during daytime hours!
Today, I've been taking my time with getting ready to go away for the weekend. Yes - this Oma decided 2 weeks was long enough to stay away from Maria, and of course, Martin and Emily. I'm flying out this evening and will return Monday. :) :) :) :) :)

moments to take your breath away

Today was a totally enjoyable day-who wouldn't enjoy people admiring their 15 month old grandchild!
Naomi went to school today, so I took the opportunity to go out with Petra for the day.We went to Ottawa to visit with Mom and Dad. We ended up running a couple of errands with Dad and Petra was admired everywhere. And it blessed my heart to see her reach up to hold Dad's hand to walk with him. An elderly man and his 15 month old great-granddaughter. But those moments are so fleeting that they are gone before you can even think camera!
Her journey up the halls and into the dining room at River Park was priceless. Those elderly folks just love seeing little ones!
At lunch she got to sit in a big person's chair; there are no high chairs or boosters there. But it worked out quite well. She enjoyed her yogurt of course, had some of my grilled cheese and had both jello AND ice cream for dessert. Including some of mine, and a bite of Great Grandma's! And she didn't just steal the hearts of all the elderly, the servers fell in love with her too, and didn't mind the mess she made one bit! She left with chocolate chip cookies in her hands! And one of the servers gave her a good giggle-producing kind of cuddle.
It's days like this when you realise that time flies by all too quickly, and you've got to enjoy the moments as they come along. There's a quotation I read a long time ago which today reminds me of: life is not measured by the breaths you take, but by the moments that take your breath away.

another reason to give thanks!

What a surprise for Martin and Emily at three weeks early! Maria Jane is our newest blessing and is a healthy 6 lb 8oz.
After all those Geertsema boys, it's fun to be having girls!!

Giving Thanks

Well my bulbs are still not planted. Tomorrow's always another day.

We picked up my parents from Ottawa after church Sunday, and took the scenic route home to take in the fall colours.

This picture from the bridge at Rideau Ferry doesn't show a lot of fall colour, but that water sure reflects the blue sky! We found that a lot of trees are already bare, and that what is left is mostly bronzes. The maples are their usual glorious golds, but there isn't much of brilliant reds.


Today Dad and Mom went with us to Stevin and Katrina's, where we had a delicious Thanksginving dinner.


Petra had some yogurt for her lunch, but when she was done, she was wearing half of it!











Petra loves her little slide!














Since there were 6 adults around the dining table, plus Petra, Naomi decided that she would have her own table. She set the table with her handmade placemat, and decorated the table with 2 oranges and a pumpkin. And of course, she was the keeper of the butter, because there was no room for it at the big table!


I'm looking forward to the day when all of the little ones will enjoy having their "own" table, just like their daddies did when they were little!









Petra's feeding apple pie to Opa. There was ice cream, too, but that was one dessert she had to eat herself!




I enjoy these two little girls so much; what a blessing they are!

energy and energized?

I actually had time to do a bit of housework this past weekend. I dusted the wood surfaces downstairs, swept and damp-mopped the floor, and cleaned the kitchen windows!
And I made some pumpkin butter - yummy!
I guess I'm finally starting to feel better. I'm into week 3 of this cold -still somewhat congested, and the occasional tickle-kind of cough that doesn't want to clear.
John's work has slowed down, so looks like he'll be home this week. I just wish that I had the time and energy to help him more. The weather is supposed to fine and warm this week, so that's a bonus for doing the outside work. I do hope that the new spring bulbs will be able to be planted this weekend - mind you, there's a pine tree lying on the ground where I want to plant these bulbs.... Guess I better find the energy!

Can it get any busier?

Life has gone from busy to busier this past month. I've over-committed myself in my volunteer activities, and now I'm paying for it with a good cold and sore throat. Between involvement with Sunday school, church council, committee work, catering, working, and more - there isn't an awful lot of time being spent on my home and garden.
I sure will enjoy Wednesday's though - Wednesday will become MY day, with mornings on whatever and afternoons on scrapbooking at church with a few others. Hopefully, some books will actually get finished this year!
Another day that I'm enjoying is Monday's. That's the day I babysit the 2 little ones in Williamsburg. Yesterday, I had just Petra. Naomi is attending J-K every other Monday. Even though yesterday wasn't a good day for either us - we both have colds, and Petra spent most of the day sleeping - she had 3 naps - I did enjoy the opportunity to cuddle and rock with her when she needed it. Such is the life of Oma!

Blooms At Night

Our mystery flower bloomed this evening.

Although it may be a kind of evening primrose, I still have not been able to match it up to any pictures and names on the web. As you can see, it is a 4-petal flower atop a slender and leafless stem. The leaves are long and narrow, and form a rosette at ground level - much like a dandelion.

Whatever it is, it is fascinating to watch!!

Summer's Half Over Already!!

Where is the summer going?! Wasn't it just yesterday that we had the longest day?

Here are a couple of this summer's photos from Oma's point of view - - - - -

I'm so glad Petra loves baby dolls too! She got two dolls and a teddy for her birthday.

From my grandaughter's birthday on one day, to my mother's birthday the next day. And my daughter-in-law's birthday was the same week, too! In this photo are my aunts and two of my cousins with two of their children, with my parents and John, at my parents' home at Riverpark Place.

We starting to wonder whether we should make a swimming pool or - a mud spa - instead of a sunroom; we've had so much rain! Not only did the rain fall into this year's hole, but all the run-off from the hill ended up in the hole, too!

David and Stephanie are having their turn with home improvements, too. This ceiling went from ivory to white with this application of paint.

In the midst of the busy-ness, we've been marvelling at this awesome flower. It goes from being a tight bud into full bloom in a matter of minutes - sometimes only 30 seconds! - but it blooms only at night! But we can't identify it! Dad and Mom G. got it at a local plant sale where it was described as a "moon flower". But looking it up on the web, we've discovered that it is not really a moon flower.

There's no end in finding projects to do. Naomi and Petra enjoyed helping their Daddy while he repaired the patio steps.

There's always time for a game of Settlers when these kids gather!

Does Aunt Em need a little practice?

Mud baths and bubble baths - we've got it all!

A Busy Life . . .

When I last wrote, Michael had arrived home for a few days. Specifically, he came home to attend Karin and Braden's wedding, which was quite lovely, and the dinner and reception was a lot of fun.

He also spent a little bit of time on the tractor. It seems that one of the (fond ?) memories of our boys is about Dad's yearly hole. Well, here is this year's hole. Grandpa and Grandma G. are having their house raised and they are getting a new sunroom. There's a lot of mud with this hole, too. Living at the bottom of a hill means lots of water after a rain - and we've had some good down-pours!

In between days working for Kriska, holes in the yard, and taking my parents to the "farm", I've finally managed to clean up my back garden. The lavender and campanula glomerata (!) look lovely with the Stella D'Oro daylilies. I'll have to keep that colour scheme in mind when it comes time to redo that garden's wall.

Here are Tante Nettie, Tante Ans and my Mom while at the "farm" last week. Tante Nettie is visiting from Amsterdam for a few weeks. We'll have to plan something special for Mom's birthday in Ottawa next week!

And while life has been so busy, the inside of our home is a little neglected. On Monday morning, Petra gave me a hand with these shelves . . . .

So, yes, all in all, it's been very busy this last month or more. I've heard it said that life goes faster once you're over the hill - it certainly is true for me!

Coming and Going.....

We had an adventure today - Naomi and I went to the Ottawa Airport.

Naomi was very fashionably dressed in her ballerina dress over t-shirt and capris. (You know you're an Oma when . . .)

While at the airport, we went upstairs and downstairs, using the "elevator" stairs of course, watched where the baggage rolls down to be loaded on to the plane, saw a magazine with a cow on it, received a colouring book about the airport, watched the activity outside, saw a couple of planes just like the one Naomi flew in with Uncle Martin, saw a waterfall INSIDE the building, checked the arrivals sign board a few times, and then . . .

Uncle Michael arrived!!