Leaving On a Jet Plane

All my bags are packed and I'm ready to go...

Because Family Matters, we will be spending the next
month in Germany, visiting family.
For the past 30 years they have been coming to Canada
and we've hosted them in our home.
So we are really looking forward to this delightful exchange.

During this time we will all be taking an
8-day cruise on the Danube River.


The river cruise boat holds less than 200 people.
The cruise departs from Passau, Germany through to
Krems, Vienna, Bratslavia, and Budapest.

There was talk of going to the Opera House in Vienna,
but most of us did not want to sit through 6 hours listening to Wagner,
so we will be listening to a mix of Operetta's in Budapest.

Meanwhile, we are thankful for a young couple with two children,
that will be moving into our home,
while they renovate their own place.
So it's good for both parties.
So why am I pulling my hair out, cleaning house??
They would never notice.
They are such so happy to have a place of quietness.

I will be missing the blossoms that are just waiting to burst
with every bit of sunshine and warm air.
The bottom picture is of our big oak tree which still has a few
fall branches clinging to it, amongst them are the new buds.

I will miss my two little boys, and the rest of my family
and of course all of my blog family.

In no time I will be posting pictures of our recent trip.
So long my friends.
I think we have the travel bug this year,
but I gotta run, we've got a flight to catch...

Marg

Tying Up Loose Ends

I'm working on my to do list before we leave....

· Wash the bedding. My hubby never provided me with a washline, so for you, Lovella, I learned to improvise and hung up my duvets and sheets over the fence line. It works. And Wow did the bedding smell fresh and the smell lingers on....

· Clean the house

· Cut the lawns

· Sort and file mail

· Clean the fridge

· Last minute interviews

· Wash and iron travel clothes

· Pack

· The list goes on and on.

· Last minute visits with the kids.

· Find some good books.

How appropriate. I found some good reading for my flight.

Three more sleeps.

Family Matters

This was a weekend spent with family and friends.

We spent one evening celebrating two prestigious awards
designated to special friends who have worked hard.
One award presented was their "first published book,"
"Marilou", an autobiography of his first 20 years in the Philippines.
An amazing funny journey. You'll laugh and cry over this one.

Another award presented was, "Master Breeders"
a highly prestigious award for Holstein Purebred Breeders across Canada.
If any of you are in agriculture you will know the meaning.


It's always so good to celebrate with friends.
"Family's Matter" did not only refer to purebred pedigrees,
but also, to the strong farming legacy
of a father and son and their wives.

Thus, the title of my post today.

We love to have our kids over for lunch on Sunday's.
And that's our time to play and enjoy those little boys.
Right after lunch, (not even before the meal is cleaned up)
Lora and I take off for a quick brisk walk,
while the little one is sleeping.
When we arrived back,
BINGO!
The kitchen was sparkling clean.
It's amazing what those men can do.

You've all seen these little feet before, usually they are kicking and moving,
but while he nursing, those feet are so relaxed and absolutely darling.

Then comes the wake-up time after his sleep, and I love
to tip toe into his room and peer over his bed.
Even though we had all the cold weather last week,
this smiles just warms up any Oma's face.

And here he is, I have permission to post his smiling face.
Most of my blogs speak about Levi, but this little one is also a winner.

And because "Families Matter"
you'll find out tomorrow why
I will be taking a break from this post over the next month.

Bursting Forth with Snow?

Do you believe that they forecasted snow for this weekend?
Where is that beautiful warm sun? It's almost May.


I'm taking you back a bit to last November when I planted
my tulips bulbs with my little helper. We had so much fun.
This became a time where I could teach him
about the growing cycle of a bulb.
After December, it became our weekly chore,
to walk to the back of the shop and inspect those bulbs.
One day we were a bit impatient and so we
began digging our fingers into the dirt to see
how those bulbs were growing.


Until one day... he took his spy glass (really it's a gas funnel)
and he saw the buds poking their heads out of the soil!!
He was quite excited. We love to pretend.

Then came the day we distributed all the pots around the house.
This year it was my goal to create color impact in my garden.

Right now they are blooming even in the rain.
I placed the plants right in front of my patio window
so I can enjoy them all day long.

Last night I opened the front door and was just awed by
the beauty and richness of their color.
Thank-you God for bringing beauty in flowers day or night.

Proudly my little helper is showing off his tulips bulbs!
So whatever the weather holds, sun or snow,
continue to enjoy the memories of last Saturday.

What's Your Story?

"We all get heavier as we get older
because there's a lot more
information in our heads.

So I'm not fat,
I'm just really intelligent
and my head just couldn't
hold anymore so it started filling
up the rest of
ME."

That's my story and I'm sticking to it!!

A colleague at work, gave me this wonderful quote.
I hope this makes you smile!!
marg

Shout to the Lord

Shout to the Lord
By American Idol.

Take a moment to enjoy the beauty of this song.
Thank-you Kathie for posting your comment.

The Sun is Shining and you can imagine where I am.
My little friend, Levi will be coming by today
to help me garden and to help cut all those lawns.

And of course we'll end off the day with supper, family, and friends.

Have a wonderful weekend.

American Idol???

Oh my Goodness!!
I love watching American Idol.
But what happened last night?
Is there any one else out there watching Idol??
America did not know who they were choosing.
Michael Johns is gone?
Did he not have enough fan fare from Australia?
This guy was to be the finalist or runner up.

Did you notice how American Idol had their final Eight sing the song.
"Shout to the Lord" recorded by Hillsong?

My Jesus, My Savior Lord there is none like You,
All of my days,
I want to praise The wonders of Your mighty love,
My Comfort, My Shelter Tower of refuge and strength
Let every breath, all that I am Never cease to worship You.
Shout to the Lord, all the earth Let us sing.
Power and majesty, praise to the King.
Mountains bow down and the seas will roar
At the sound of Your name,
I sing for joy at the work of Your hands
Forever I'll love you, forever I'll stand
Nothing compares to the promise I have in YOU!

We turned up the speakers and the music rang through our home.
It is so amazing how they can choose such a beautiful song,
singing along with those in the blue choir robes.

Then I wonder if any of them know what it really means.
What a testimony to share with America!!
This is American Idol?

Do I have any fans???

Way to go....

Grab the Right Drinks

I just checked the weather forcast and it's supposed to be warm this weekend.
Yippee!! Seeing so many of us are often talking about the right foods, I thought I would introduce you to some new fresh, inexpensive drinks.

First of all empty your fridge from all the Coke and soda drinks. Once you've done that, you need to replace it with something appetizing and thirst quenching for those sunny days to come.

So simple, take a pitcher, fill it up with a bit of ice and add 10 cucumber slices. Yikes!!
You are thinking I've gone nuts. No, Just try it. It is so delicious and thirst quenching.

If you don't like that then grab another pitcher, throw in some ice and add some frozen berries like raspberries or strawberries with a few slices of lemon. Thirst quenching and appetizing.

Last but not least, take your largest pitcher, throw in the cubes and add orange, lemon, lemon-lime, pineapple or watermelon and talk about the best drink in town.

Generally I only have one specialty drink in my fridge but I though I'd experiment and besides, I think my fridge looks much more attractive inside...What a selection and choice.

There, I've opened my fridge for you, something I thought I would never do.
And there you see for yourself the bright colorful drinks. Remember no extra sugars added and we'll see ourselves dropping those extra pounds, especially as we keep wearing our pedometers. Whoops! I just noticed that I better take out that Gingerale Bottle..

Watch out for the sun and don't forget to enjoy it..Who knows how long it will last.

Sending Flowers Your Way!

Is it ever going to quit raining?
I thought that it was spring on the coast...
I can't bring you sunshine,
but today I'd like to send all of you some flowers
wrapped with warm memories of the Hawaiian Islands.

I believe this is the famous Hawaiian Hibiscus
which blooms all year round.

This is my favorite.
I have no clue what it's called.
It's delicately placed in the green foliage and makes a beautiful backdrop.
Maybe from the African Daisy Collection?

It's a close-up of the previous.
Isn't is delicate looking?

This shot is my favorite.

It's a bare tree with very few leaves and yet
it produced this large, deep orange blossom,
magnifiying against the rich colors of the sky.

I hope the sun starts shining again.
Thank-you to all my bloggers who stop by and comment
Your comments are like flowers to me,
bringing an awareness of your special contributions to my life.

"To know someone here or there with whom you can feel there is understanding in spite of distances or thoughts unexpressed - that can make this life a garden." Goethe

For Judy

This bouquet is dedicated to Judy.

My dear blogging friend Judy, grandmother to five wonderful children
had the experience of holding a newborn, "Baby Hannah"
for just a few short hours today.
God, then chose to wrap his everlasting arms
around her and took her home.
Take a few minutes to read Judy's story
of courage, support and perserverance
for her family and her newborn grandaughter, "Hannah"

I'm feeling at a total loss of words tonight,
but ache deeply for Judy and her family.
Only the heart of a grandmother can hurt and ache with pain
as we watch our young ones grow, some only for a short time,
others live with imperfections that make it difficult to thrive,
and others are healthy. He didn't promise an easy life.
And yet God created life and he taketh away.

May we continue to support each other and
share the journey of walking through life together.

We can say with confidence that while God's purposes and
plans are very different from ours,
He is infinitely just and His timing is alway perfect.

"The secret things belong to the Lord our God,
the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever,
that we may follow all the words of this law."
Deuteronomy 29:29

Surprise of the DAY!!

Wednesday's is the day I volunteer at the hospital.
We just finished celebrating our 40th year Event for
our Junior Volunteer Program.

As always, there seems to be a glitch in all programs.
I was asked to prepare a power point on the JV's history.
So as you all know, my wonderful husband consented to being my
IT person for the evening.
We checked out the equipment prior
to the event and Yes, it all worked, and always remember,
"When things are not functioning HIT Function 4"

It was Murphys' Law.
Time for the presentation and it was totally skewed.
I'm sitting at the head table, with the Mayor of Chilliwack,
trying not to show anxiety attacks,
while everybody turns around and looks at the IT man
and "Everybody's waiting...."
(I don't think my IT man will consent again)

Quietly, in my mind I remember " Hit F4"
F4 did not become the magic button.
Finally I stepped out of my chair and walked over to him,
and whispered, "Let's shut it down and log-in all over again."
Bango! There it was.. Thank-you God.

So later in bed that evening he says to me,
"Did you see the tulips draped on your front door?
"What, tulips? On my front door?"
(I had been gone for nearly 10 hours)
"Who sent them?"
Well there was no name or no card.
Then he shared how he tried to revive them,
by putting them in the sink.
I asked, "Did you take a picture, so I can blog?"
Well as you know, he's concerned about reviving them not blogging.
So anyways I tried to recapture what he
possibly saw on our door step.


I was too tired to think of tulips last night,
but this morning when I came downstairs,
I found them lying in the sink with water.
I took them outside and gave them some extra attention
and draped them over the door knob.

What a beautiful bouquet!
I can't imagine driving onto my driveway and seeing this bouquet.
I don't only have anonymous bloggers,
but I also have anonyous friends who send flowers.
Whoever it is, please stop by and we'll have coffee.
What a wonderful treat and I hope that next time you'll find me at
"HOME AGAIN"

Jump Start to your Day

Was last night's sunset a heads-up for my morning?
This is unbelievable to see the sun so early!!
The sun is shining and I'm off for my walk.
There's no better way for me to start my day,
than walking with a good friend.
Thanks Laurie and Judy.
It doesn't take long and the steps have been completed
and secondly, it's very therapeutic.


Every morning from my window I view this greenhouse.
And yesterday, was it's opening day....Ya Hoo!!
And it's not an April Fool's trick either.
So I ran across the street and filled my bags
with cucumbers, tomatoes and peppers.
Stopped by the kids place and made sure they all had
healthy snacks in their homes.
I'm so lucky to be able to walk across the street
and enjoy these fresh vegetable for the next months.
Stop by on your way and have coffee!!
This sure beats gardening.

Supper time came and I knew it would be
Greek Salad and Greek Feta Chicken.

Greek Feta Chicken Recipe

Check this one out!!
It's simple and it's a keeper!
It sure hit the spot for a hungry farmer
after cleaning barns all day.

The sun sure brings out the dirt in my windows
So you can guess what I'll be doing today.

Have a great day and enjoy the sun!!