to sleep - or not

Naomi was permitted to stay up late to enjoy Shannon and Steve's wedding, this past weekend. On our way home, we thought she would go out like a light, and when she stopped chattering and Stephanie felt Naomi's head rest on her shoulder, we thought she was. So Stephanie whispered, "I think she's asleep."
"No, I'm not asleep," said Naomi, sounding bright as a button, "I still have one eye open!"

The Last Rose of Autumn

Last spring sometime, my mother had a little rose plant in her room. Although it continued to grow, it needed encouragement to get new flowers again. So I took it home to plant. It enjoyed its spot in the garden and grew well, giving us some more blooms to enjoy.
Well, when cold weather arrives, everthing settles down for the long winter nap, but the other day, when I was depositing leaves on the flower beds, I saw this little red thing. It had been quite cold, so I didn't think anything would happen to the rose bud when I took it in - but look! - it bloomed! Here it is basking today in the sun coming through the kitchen window - -

Blue Mountain

We had a lovely memory-making kind of day yesterday. John and I took Devin, Brent and Shannon with us on our church's annual hike up Blue Mountain. (Mark and Tanya and kids had come to Grandma's for lunch.) The temperature outside was just right for hiking, and the sun was bright and welcoming. Interestingly enough, though, several of the photos have a blue tint to them! Is that the blue effect of the mountain?

Shannon climbing the rocky approach to the top:

Can we take a picture of you?

If we can take a picture of you!

Then Shannon and I took turns taking pictures of each other ----

John and the boys headed down the mountain ahead of us, and we girls had a rather musical walk back! I felt like Psalty the singing song book, as we took turns making up verses to the Happy Wanderer song. We would walk awhile, and suddenly a turn in the path, or some pretty leaves, would suddenly make our hearts want to sing!

"I love to go a-wandering along the mountain track,

And as I go, I love to sing with a knapsack on my back!

Fal-de-ri, fal-de-ra, falderi, faldera-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha,

Falderi, faldera, with a knapsack on my back!"

Singing funny verses certainly made the long walk back seem a little shorter!

The roots of this fallen tree was the perfect backdrop for Shannon's next pose!

Almost at the end!

Shannon tried to collect several leaves and twigs and acorn hats and acorns, finally arriving at home with just one acorn which she hopes to plant! Who says fall is the end of the growing season?

And here are the real words to the rest of the song, Shannon- but our verses were just as wonderful!

I love to wander by the stream that dances in the sun, (Do you remember the streams we crossed?)

So joyously it calls me to me, "Come join my happy song!"

High overhead the skylarks wing, they never rest at home;

But just like me, they love to sing, as o'er the world we roam.

I wave my hat to all I meet and they wave back to me,

and blackbirds call so loud and sweet from every green-wood tree.

Oh, may I go a-wandering until the day I die!

Oh, may I always laugh and sing beneath God's blue sky!

Falderi, faldera, falderi, faldera-ha-ha-ha.....

Bedtime Prayer

John worked with Stevin on Monday; it was agreed that after my day in Prescott, I would head over to Stevin and Katrina's for supper, in order to get him home again. (The insurance has been taken off the pick-up.) Well, in due time it was bedtime for the girls: stories, hugs and kisses, but as soon as the lights were out and we adults were back in the living room, Naomi cried out that prayers had been forgotten! So I headed back into the bedroom and asked her which bedtime prayer we needed to say. Her response: "the one with Amen at the end."

Opa's Girls

I was reading the church bulletin and listening to the piano just before church started, when suddenly there was Naomi and Rachel and Stevin. (Katrina was attending to Petra.) Stevin sat down, took Rachel out of her car-seat, and handed her to me. Proud and pleased Oma, to sit with her littlest one. But Naomi simply said, "hi Oma I'm going to sit with Opa" (who was on sound), and off she went. She's sat there with him before, so I wasn't too surprised with that. But then Katrina came in with Petra, who gave me a smiley hello but was more concerned about where was Opa. She toodled off to sit with Opa too!! (And discovered that there are lots of buttons to play with!)
And Opa's been in Dartmouth a few times, recently, so Maria's claimed him too! Just check out Emily's blog!
I'm glad I can still hold on to Rachel while she's so tiny, but the day's a-comin'....
On the other hand, OMA makes the jello!!

A Round Tuit

I finally moved my herbs and spices into glass jars. The old glass bottles were of various sizes and had labels that were fading a lot; some of the bottles were -um- about 38 years old! The other containers were Tupperware plastic ones, and they were getting so sticky on the outside that they were not a delight to pick up to use. And, no, they wouldn't scrub clean anymore, either. So last fall, I bought glass jars in two sizes from Benson's Bee Supply -intending to make some fancy labels and make my collection look more up to date. But I needed A Round Tuit...
Well, today was the day. But the fancy labels did not materialize. I got quite basic instead.
I had picked up some glass etching cream from Michael's (the craft store!) last winter, and used that today to etch a simple rectangle on the jars, and then simply printed the name of the spice or herb by hand, in capital letters, on that space.
Neat. Clean. Another project done!
Next...?

You Know You're Getting Older When...

...you become a great-aunt twice in one week! Add these two little ones to the others, and there are now seven children for whom I am a great-aunt: Nicholas and Alexandra Triemstra, Jordan and Cadence and baby Leah Geertsema, and Jonah and baby Izzabella Triemstra.

Geertsema Week 2009

Geertsema Week is the first of many family reunion weeks in years to come, I hope! In the past, we've camped out on a weekend. This year we chose to make it a week for those who could do so. It was decided that the campout would be in our yard - the boys figured that their dad needed a little help with a few things. While the men worked on the siding of the house, as well as constructing a new dock, we women took care of little girls and meals and snacks and laundry and .... ;) and in between we spent some time at the lake.
Here are a few pictures of my favourite people; I will post another blog or two about the house and dock renovations another day.

Petra just loves her Opa, and loves to sit on his lap. She has fallen asleep there on several occasions!

Emily and Petra and Maria posing before going on a boat ride --- this is an activity that Petra enjoys very much!

Martin spent 3 precious days with us - precious because Emily and Maria had been in Ontario for most of the month without him!

Stephanie loves to watch the antics of her nieces ---

Reading is a favourite past-time: Naomi, Petra and Shannon (our niece) listen to a chapter from Charlotte's Web.

Did I say reading is a favourite past-time? Maria's caught on to this activity quite well!

We won't be able to help Michael celebrate his birthday later this week, so we had a cake for him while he was home.

We attempted to have a "beach" day on Thursday but got rained out in the morning. We did go back to the water later when the sun came through again.
Naomi often makes up and sings her own songs, and here she is at it again as we ride our chariot down the lane to the lake, while Petra just relaxes.

Baby Rachel slept a lot, but here she has her peepers wide open!

And what is Sunday morning at a grandparent's house without a picture in your Sunday best. Maria has a sunny smile!

projects, messes, and me

As many of you know, there are many boxes upstairs and that makes it difficult to move around, and find things sometimes! I have been an organized person in the past, and often wonder where that person disappeared to! I remember the times when I would clean up just to start a new project of some kind. I seem to think better when it's tidy around me.
So in tackling the space problem we may have next week when the yard and house fill up with our camping kids, I've been sorting through some of the stuff.
Clothes that I haven't worn in a couple of years is bagged and ready to go to a good-will drop-off.
Some of the framed pictures have made it on to walls.
Photo albums/Scrapbooking projects have been more or less organized into their own project boxes.
Books have been fingered once again - my library has dwindled due to the comments of a certain someone stating there are too many books!
Old magazines are ready for the dump library. (our local dump actually has a library!)
But the projects involving fabric are still there, calling me to pay attention to them.
And after some 20 years, the cedar doors have finally been stained! They're dark, but complement the paint and floor and furniture very nicely!
Space? - coming
Clean? - sort of
Feeling like I'm finding me? - still an eventuality, but it's starting....

only in the country...

Yesterday, at the end of a lovely SUMMER day, all the stuff and grown-ups and kids and vehicles had to pack up and either head back up to the house or head home. I took Stevin's pickup (while he took Mark's boat back to the boat ramp) with Naomi and Emily and Maria.
But this was no ordinary ride back up the lane!
Naomi sat on my lap and 'drove'. And Maria sat on Emily's lap, just chillin' as she rested her hand on the window that was rolled up only a couple of inches.
Petra relaxed in the back seat of my car while Opa drove it, and Rachel was in Katrina's arms.
It's the kind of thing that happens in the country ... on a farm ... on the back 40....