A new day, a new year, a new decade....

Well, it's happened whether I like it or not. Time has a way of simply marching on. I didn't want a lot of fuss and bother, but the children decided that we needed to do Something! So on Saturday of the long weekend, Stevin and Katrina and their children, David and Stephanie and their little one(s), and John and I went to Upper Canada Village for their opening day of the season. We enjoyed a picnic lunch and learned more things about life in the 1860's. It was a hot day, and for a change did not feel any of the breezes coming off the river as we usually do.  

Later, we went to Stevin and Katrina's for supper, and that's when I received my gift from my family: Blue Denmark dishes to add to my set! I certainly did not expect this, as I have pretty well given up on looking for more plates to replace the broken and cracked ones - they are not easy to obtain. So this gift was a lovely surprise! 



Here is a picture of the card I received - it's called Oma's Garden! Precious faces in the flowers and their footprints as butterflies! On the outside it says "Happy 60th birthday, Oma!"

On Sunday, we had a delightful afternoon on the patio and yard, and dining alfresco. It was another beautiful day! And yes, I had help with the 60 candles and it took more than 1 breath from each of us!

The Treacherous Beauty of Ice

So far, this winter has seen a lot of rain and freezing rain instead of lots of snow. Tree branches have been heavily bowed down, creating scenes of beauty.

Every needle has been coated with ice - awesome!

And then the snow would add its majesty.

Words just can't describe the beauty and majesty of this winter scene. Even the camera didn't do justice!

Heavily laden branches created a winter wonderland at night too!

And dawn one morning after a snow simpy took our breath away.

Winter in Canada needs to be enjoyed; backyard skating rinks, toboggan hills, Ottawa's Winterlude
 - and the annual Fishing Derby on Graham Lake.

But all that beauty also brings its own brand of treachery: the build-up of ice makes walking very dangerous! This picture shows ice on the hill down at the lake.

And nearer to the house there's another treachery: you think that's grass we can walk on? Nope! Between each blade of grass and each pine needle  and each leaf on the ground, there is ice and more ice. The snow has also thawed and frozen so many times that it is now ice. Finding safe places to walk is almost impossible. And I cross this terrain 4 times a day just to get to the school bus and back again. The driveway is impossible, and coming down through the trees and onto the lawn is also impossible. I've fallen twice already, and my head remembers the pain very well. This week, I've taken to crossing the back lawn over to the road allowance and have found a bit of icy snow to break through for my trek.

Here's a glimpse of all that ice! And the seeping water has found a new path to come down. Instead of crossing the yard, it is coming down the yard and into the patio area. A deep freeze could do major damage to our brick wall!

The back corners of these steps now have almost 6 inches of ice built up on them. We've never had ice on them before - I usually shovel the snow off them so that we know where they are!
Is our driveway the only one affected by all that ice and melting ice? It sure isn't! As I drive my bus route, every lane and driveway is just as bad as ours.

This is our driveway looking towards the back. It's received ash and sand to give some traction, but the melting simply coats it anew.

The driveway across the back normally gets thick with ice and snow, and as the melting creates little rivers, we get huge crevices across it - making the navigation with the cars rather tricky. This crevice, however, is so big and deep that John put four 2x4's in it: 2 beside each other and 2 deep. And no, the boards are not level with the top.

And this is the entrance of our back driveway from Sunset Lane. We're hoping this crevice melts before it becomes too tricky to get through or over.
There is another kind of damage as we look around: the ice has also caused many branches to break off trees, reminding me a little bit of the IceStorm of '98. Winter also causes some types of trees to bend their trunks; I've seen several of them bent so far that they're breaking off.
Winter. It's nice to have some mild weather and it sure seems like spring is around the corner when the sun brings the thermomete above freezing, but I do wish for a few feet of snow yet! The insulation factor would help get rid of some of that ice, and we'll be thankful for the full lakes and rivers come summer!
In the meantime, ice makes life a bigger adventure!

Captured!

We captured this snapshot last night while on Skype:
  Little Lauren Joy has surely captured our hearts.

 May the Lord bless this little one in our family! 

A NEW DAY...

THIS I CALL TO MIND AND THEREFORE I HAVE HOPE:
BECAUSE OF THE LORD'S GREAT LOVE WE ARE NOT CONSUMED, FOR HIS COMPASSIONS NEVER FAIL.
THEY ARE NEW EVERY MORNING; GREAT IS HIS FAITHFULNESS.
I SAY TO MYSELF, "THE LORD IS MY PORTION; THEREFORE I WILL WAIT FOR HIM."
THE LORD IS GOOD TO THOSE WHOSE HOPE IS IN HIM, TO THE ONE WHO SEEKS HIM; IT IS GOOD TO WAIT QUIETLY FOR THE SALVATION OF THE LORD.
     ~ LAMENTATIONS 3: 21-26

Blessed New Year, Everyone!

Tradition...

By now all of my kids have received their packages, or there's a notice in their mailbox to go pick up a box at the post office....Sinterklaas has sent a lot of goodies this year! Although a couple of years did get missed, this has been a tradition that started when the kids were young - a tradition of little gifts and chocolate letters and special baked goods on December 5. Ok - missed several years in between, but I did at least try to bake special Dutch recipes around December 5.
Anyhow, it started in real earnest again when David was in college. Redeemer College had a program whereby parents could send care packages during exam time. We decided that Saint Nick needed to get into the action instead!
Dutch tradition has Saint Nicolas coming around to homes to give presents and pepernoten and marzipein and other goodies on December 5 - often leaving gifts in shoes during the night. It's a very exciting time for all, as there is not usually any gift-giving on the 25th.
I think it's fun, too, and upon reading up on the particular customs, I found that disguising gifts and making up rhymes is part of the fun, too! We have done well in disguising gifts in the past...!
Today, I was on Skype as the Dartmouth crew opened their box - it was fun to watch Maria's and Nicole's excitement as they took everything out. Jingle-bells for the tree, hagelslag, chocolate letters and taai-taai to eat!
And to bring tradition around again - David did mention the other day that they were wondering if Sinterklaas was going to remember them this year...
Enjoy! Hope your season is a little brighter because of this special tradition!

Thanks for Family

Thanksgiving saw David and Stephanie and Anneke join us for the weekend, and on the Saturday, Stevin and Katrina, Naomi, Petra, Rachel and Elijah joined us too. Although we wanted to try climbing Blue Mountain, the children are too young yet for the long hike, and so we walked down to the lake instead, where Naomi tried to put her feet in the water.

 Anneke discovered that the piano keys make really nice sounds...

 On the Sunday, we had dinner with Laurisse and Gwenda, Mark and Tanya, and the children, and Dad and Mom G., at Charleston Lake Provincial Park. Gwenda and Tanya have the pictures to prove that their kids were in the water! The 13kg turkey was cooked under a can with barbecue brickets - and it took only 2 hours and a bit to cook! We also got a hike in on one of the trails and only turned around because it got rather difficult to push the stroller over the rough terrain. The boardwalk was the easy part!

 What's a grandmother to do without a baby on the table?!

 This weekend we were blessed to celebrate Maria's 3rd birthday with her - in Ontario! Emily and the girls are staying at Emily's parents for a couple of weeks, but hope to be here next weekend. After the birthday party at the Schuler's, Maria and Nicole came home with us for a sleepover - letting Mommy (and Grandma!) have a break. Of course, all the toys are out on the floor and going up the stairs. I love this pose of Nicole - a little lady in the making while she plays with our old Fisher Price farm set! You can't really see it, but her right ankle is tucked under her left knee...

 We took advantage of a sunny break and went outside to play in the leaves. Lots of fun! Leaves were raked into a big pile and we threw them around and played hide and seek and pretended we were in a comfy bed.

I'm so glad for opportunities to enjoy my grandchildren. And I'm so thankful that they are being taught how to love the Lord. I was especially blessed this morning to watch and listen as Maria sang with us in church - no words, just a joyful lifting up of her voice. Today's message was about parenting and one of the songs was "Parents, tell your children" - very fitting with Maria's musical contribution! Thankyou, Lord, and thanks to my children for teaching my grandchildren!

an attitude of gratitude...

Between our family Thanksgiving meal and dessert last weekend, we made a long list of things to be thankful for:
chairs
Elijah
God
Jesus
able to walk
flowers
apples and applesauce
Abby (the dog)
sunshine
daughters
nephew!
Opa
40th anniversary
Oma's dinner
family
children, grandchildren, greatgrandchildren
clothes
chaise
warm house
shuffel board
outdoors
birds
work
school
school bus
ponytails
food
hugs
Oma
kiss
beds
Mom
Dad
whipped cream
ice cream
sisters, brothers
cousins
fridge
table
blankets
rain
snow
musems
boat
toys
ice
hockey
aunts and uncles
Grandpa and Grandma
music
bodies

Thankyou, Lord, for giving us life!

Ends and Beginnings

Summer season's end brings many activities: this year, we made salsa and tomato sauce. And we discovered that honey bees had moved into the empty hives out back, and we were able to take about 20 pounds of honey off. Rachel loves honey....and enjoyed watching the honey come through the extractor and then sampling it!

September is also Anneke's special month: we celebrated her 1st birthday this weekend in Barrie. She is one happy little girl who got "spoiled" with lots of presents - and all of them she is ready for: puzzles and books and a riding truck and clothes.

May God bless the growth of our little ones! We love them all so much!

A Grand-Boy!!

 Opa and Oma welcome their first grand-boy! Elijah John was born this morning to Stevin and Katrina, and is baby brother to Naomi, Petra and Rachel. Oh, how precious!

"F" is for Family, Friends, Flowers, Food, Fun and Forty!!

August 7, 1971: A new beginning -

August 6, 2011: Forty years later, the yard and gardens were ready to show off -

 The children arrived to pull their plans together, and our youngest son surprised us with his arrival!! Yes, I cried.

 The tables were laden with food and yummy desserts -

Other family members and friends came to join the celebration -

Children added their fun and frolic -

and lastly - the wedding party (sans the flower girl) -

Really, we haven't changed - much....?

We had a lovely evening with family and friends; the weather stayed warm and dry; and the BBQ with salads and cupcakes was delicious!

Thankyou to our very special children who pulled this all together, and thankyou to everyone who added their special presence to our special day. Love you all!