Happy Halloween

My daughter left a month ago and she also left me a pile of stuff.
So last week, I finally tackled that project,
tidying, sorting, washing, and packing her leftover clothes.
Bags for thrift store lay neatly packed in my garage..

Meanwhile I received a calling asking if I still had the Dinosaur suit?
"Oh my....where on earth could that be?"
Didn't she wear that costume to her farewell party?
I had not seen that during my cleanup...
Ah...ha....I remembered this one big plump full bag.

I ran out to the garage,
scrunched through this bag vigorously
And what did I find....
Just the perfect dinosaur suit for little Miss Dino.
It was just about on it's journey to the Thrift Store.
A quick phone call and a quick rescue.

Little Miss Dino wishes you all a Happy Halloween.
She's happy because she's been telling the world,
that she wanted to be a Dinosaur.

Sometimes it's good to delay some projects...

Happy Halloween!

Can We Compost This? I Need Your Help!

This man never leaves machinery out for night.

But here it is...this old JD.
I've written about him before,
I've actually written him off...
but he seems to be giving us trouble again.
The motor stopped in the middle of our last cut,
and this poor baby sat outside all night.

That seat is trashed.
We're using bungee cords to hold it together,
around the steering column.

Is that a piece of shingle tacked on to the window space?
There used to be a plastic covering, to determine it's weight.
Then when we lost the cover, the grass flew all over the yard and
slightly misted me with freshly strewn lawn scent.

We've been working hard at composting this year...and
I've grown to appreciate this concept...
staying with the green theme color.
Mean while, I just hollered out...I was fed up
"Why don't you just compost this thing?"

I don't think those were the right words.

Now, he's taken out the JD manual...
I think he has second thoughts.
If this was the primary tractor at the barn,
it would of been composted years back.
I wonder why he has a roped tied on the front bumper?

Sure enough....
I get a call from the house..
"Can you give me a quick hand?"
I can still hear him muttering...
"No piece of machinery of mine stays overnight in the rain."

Now you know what kind of hand I am.....
I attempt...but I'm not that good anymore.
Obviously you know where he dragged me from.

Finally we did it together...
He pulled the JD with the truck,
while I sat on it steering, it close to the shop.
Another project for the winter.
Us farm wives come in all shapes and sizes,
and yet they still think we're good for something.
I bet you anything,
I'll be the last to the compost pile in our family.

How many of you can help me vote,
YES! to the compost pile?
Maybe the results on a national wide poll might make a difference.

Friday's FAVE Five ~ Beauty

Ready?

Here we go with this week's Fave Five.
Beauty throughout the whole week.
Beauty in nature...
Beauty in relationships.
Beauty in technology...
Thank Susanne for being our gracious host.

I peered out the window, to the east,
and awed in wonder, as I saw the sunrise in the distance,
above Mt. Cheam.

My eyes turned out to the west,
and a Red Sunset Maple became my favorite.

I turned my eyes to this little bowed head...
How could this not be a favorite?
There's nothing better than slurping up those noodles.

I turned my eyes down the driveway,
and wondered what was weighing down this big guy?
This little guy's been shopping or has he.
Something that has a bit of weight.
What's he trucking off to the shop?
Looks like he's been hanging out with his Opa.
Check back on Monday.

My eyes are always glued to this icon..
Is she or isn't she on line?

I've learned something new...

"SKYPE"
(the arrow should be pointing to the S)
Another method of video/phoning for free via internet.
Something else that I added to my tool bar...as I use it frequently.
So far the internet is very slow and delayed in Haiti,
but nevertheless less we sure have made use of SKYPE'S chat line.
It's a favorite part of my week.

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend.

Valemont ~ Vancouver

What do Vancouver and Valemont have in common?
There's a saying out there....
Location! Location! Location!
I've realized when you are in love and anticipate marriage,
Location has no relevancy.
We've had the privilege of attending two family weddings
in the past week.
Two weddings, two diverse couples, and two diverse locations.
What is the common thread?

If you have drive through Valemont and blink your eyes, you've missed it.
Valemont is known for it outdoor recreational facilities.
Mountains of opportunities exist everywhere.
We could barely find a coffee shop.

Mount Robson...as it breaks through the clouds,
is the featured mountain that everyone talks about.

The foliage of this region was in bright golds and browns.

Mixed within the foliage...we spotted wild life.

The colored theme for this wedding reflected deep reds.

Reception was held at the TeTe Jaune Community Hall.
SUV'S and Trucks were the dominant mode of transportation.
Community Potluck dinner was served...
Who would barbecue for the group?
No one had been assigned.
The Schmidt brothers volunteered quickly.
Steak and chicken satisfied our appetites quite quickly.

Narrow long tables were covered in white cloths,
sprinkled with autumns tones and bouquets of natural foliage.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Meanwhile the next wedding took place downtown Vancouver...
Welcome to Vancouver, a city of sky scrapers reaching tall.
Didn't we all just witness the Winter Olympics?
Opportunities of business or high paced life styles?

Here, I noticed the deep red foliage...and streets lined with red cars.

The color theme for this wedding was a charcoal gray,
sprinkled with purple/lilac tones and white cala lilies.

You can figure out the mode of transportation quite quickly.

Reception was held at the Fairmont, Waterfront.

Tables were round and decorated with gray cloths,
and white accents giving a charming and delightful atmosphere.
Beautiful bouquets of hydrangeas, and roses gave a final touch.
By the way, this kitchen did not need to arrange for volunteers.

But what did these two weddings have in common?

A theme of love, respect, honor and commitment,
to a covenant based on God's enduring love,
witnessed by family and friends.

Friday's FAVE Five ~ Thanksgiving

It's Friday's Fave Five!

Can you feel the autumn crispness?

The falling of the leaves?

The rustling?
The colors?

It was Thankgiving weekend...but we had a family wedding.
So the two of us decided to check out Jasper, first.
We had never been there before.
Perfect place for peace and rest.
Just the two of us!

A quick trip down to Valemont, BC.
(within one hour's drive from Jasper)
A first time discovery for me.
Mountains galore!

It was fun to join the excitement of a family wedding in Valemont,
this weekend. My nephew Kris married the love of his life...
Crystal, and she is one amazing lady.
We all love Cameron!
Thanks for making this such a special occasion for all of us.

Another opportunity for the Schmidt sibling to gather together.
We may look strange...
But we all know how to have fun!

A quick glimpse of Mount Robson..
Many times it's been veiled in clouds....
but not today..
This mountain stands at about 12,000 feet in it's splendor and view.
It is one amazing view!

On Monday we celebrated Thanksgiving dinner with the family.
I love to bring the natural beauty to the table, the horn of plenty,
meaning the celebration of fruits and vegetables.
This year we decided to change things up...
We chose to use the fresh produce from our garden,
cook the meal, and of course add a Turkey with stuffing,
thereby taking the opportunity to teach our grandchildren,
the art and value of gardening.
Potatoes
Carrots
Zucchini
Beets
Cucumbers
Tomatoes
Raspberries
We took sample seeds and had the grands identify the seeds to the vegetable.
It was amazing to see how many things they could identify.
Only because they have been part of the planting and harvesting.
We ate the produce and gave thanks...
As usual, there's always tears flowing as family share their experiences.

Last but not least....
We also celebrating the successful rescue of the 33 miners,

and the 6 rescue crew that assisted this mission.

As they said,

"Mission Accomplished Chile"

What an amazing defeat for the world to observe.

~~~~~~~
I know I have more than five items....
I think she's OK with it.
but talk to Susanne at Living to tell the Story...
She is a wonderful host.
Have a wonderful weekend.

Itching to Tell You!!!

Mennonite Girls Can Have Fun!

A while back we hosted our first MGCC Summit, Sept. 2010.

We had planned this for months.

Many of us had not met each other, 

but nevertheless, we knew how to have fun.

Cooking and baking and eating were the key events.

 After all this is what brought all of us together.

 Over the past three years, we have been preparing recipes,

sharing our favorites with all of you, experimenting in our kitchens, 

and sampling our menus with family and friends.

We shared our stories of life as we cruised up the Harrison Lake.

How does  Rosedale Post Office make the headlines?

This little post office has memories for me from my last 35 years.

It is located in the heart of Rosedale, a farming based community of 2100 people.
I have used the services of this little post office for many years.

But never did I think that this would be a memory

that would last a life time.

It was Thursday, September 2, 2010 4:03 pm,
that 10 women crowded into this little country post office,
grinning from ear to ear in anticipation.

We were making history.

We all signed the dotted lines.....

And sent the document away.

Check out behind the scenes what we've really been up to.

We've all been itching to share this news with you.
 Did you know that Mennonite Girls Can Publish?

Meanwhile get the facts straight from the heart as you head over to our,
Mennonite Girls Can Cook Blog

What' in a Cloud?

I was driving along the country roads to the chicken barn,
with both little boys in my SUV.
While we drive, we sing, we chat, or play I spy...
But today, our play was interrupted by a question.
"Oma, Do you see that cloud up there?
It's really hard to drive and look at clouds and snap photos.
"Yes," I said.
"That looks like God's hand." he says cautiously.
So I asked him, "What do you think it means?"

Earlier on our ride we were talking about the word, "expression".
I had used it in sentence, but he did not understand what that meant.
So from my rear view mirror, I made a silly face,
then a sad, face....and then he understood the word "expression"

So now we had our minds turned back to the cloud..
"That is God's way of expressing himself that he cares for us."
What are ways that you think God cares for you?
He was so moved by this visual cloud and that God
could actually communicate like that.

I love those moments of truth, when they arrive..
They are precious and there hearts are so in tune with God.
It's a perfect way to thank God for his endless ways of making himself known.

It's Thanksgiving weekend and I hope that you can all bless one another.
"Oh give thanks unto the Lord for he is good."

FAVE Five ~ Harvest Time

Here it is again....

Friday's FAVE Five.
Head out to Susanne's and check out what FFF is all about.
This week has flown by, but we have enjoyed the weather.
We are back to summer??

Five of us headed out to Whistler for a weekend,
bikes and all..rain or shine...
We all new how to have fun, regardless.

The schools have celebrated Terry Fox day this week.
My Icon took the day to share his story at a local school.
When I picked up the little boys....
I heard the story all over again, about Terry Fox.
"Opa, could you please run the race with me on your yard?"
Even the little one decided to join the run.

But for one little guy....
Off to Opa's shop.
He too needed a bionic leg.

This other little guy is not eating an apple....
Can you tell me of any other little two year olds
who dig into tomatoes?

And one more big bonus one for dessert....

It's time to harvest those potatoes that he planted in early spring.

You know my heart.
It's close to the ground.
Fresh cut fields on October 1st in balmy warm weather.
What a wonderful pleasant surprise for all the farmers.
I love the sound of machinery fired up bringing in the harvest.
Last weekend Mt. Cheam had snow...this weekend we should all be hiking.