Friday's FAVE Five ~ Musings

Friday's here so fast...

This week I sort of wanted to share all the negative things.
Ooops! I realized...this was to share the highlights...
so I started thinking and found so many pleasant memories, after all.
Thank you Susanne, our host out at Living to Tell the Story.

This was such a delightful, simple, and yet classy little dessert,
to share with long-time friends.
Strawberry Mousse Cheese Cake

Truly, someone who loves gave me this striking orchid.
It helps brighten up those cold winter days.
This gift lasts forever...

Making a coffee date with a good friend is always a highlight.
Honestly, that's no Bull!

Brandy's off to Haiti...to visit Mikki.
So I delighted in making a small package that comes from the heart.
I hope it gets tucked away, and received in well order.

Two crazy sisters....12 years apart.
It always good to get together and enjoy a breakfast out,
better yet, its a good time to reflect about our lives.

Hope you can all find something good about your past week.

Happy Birthday Lovella

It's your Day!
You've been our cheer leader.
You've been are our visionary leader....
You've inspired us...
You've motivated us...
You've chosen us...
You have gone up and beyond.
You've gone far beyond our dreams.

Some days you have driven us crazy...
'check those recipes'
'check your setting on your cameras...'
'higher resolutions girls....'
'what about your spelling'
'retake those photos..they won't do'

'Who wants to do an interview on CTV?
First one responds, is in....'
Opportunities galore!
Go, Kathy, Go!!!
This is your debut.

'Lepp Farms has invited us to cook...Who's in??'
I'm feeling tired, Lovella....
Where do you get your energy?
We all pull up our socks....
Yes, we'll be your assistants.

We've had so much fun!
The book is coming out shortly.
The due dates are coming.

'Who has an endorsement?'
What's that? we all ask ourselves....
We run to the internet/google to find out the meaning.

'Who has a forwards...?'
We need a forward?
To me that means a position in basketball.
But, not to Lovella.

She has encouraged, led, paved the way.
She exemplifies what she says...(most times)
We've had so much fun coming together.
You've believed in us...
You've shared your vision and it's to unveil shortly.
We're all waiting.

Thanks for giving us the time of our lives.

Happy Birthday, Lovella and many more to come.

Run over to Lovella's blog and celebrate her special day!

Friday's FAVE Five ~ Birthday Favorites

It's my Favorite Five Show Case!
It's been a month of birthday celebrations, back and forth.
It's always fun to share our highlights with our host, Susanne.
Check out what's happening at her blog.
I've learned something interesting over this past year.
It seems like I have other family members that also enjoy the culinary arts.

I loved it! It was my birthday last weekend and
I was asked to bring my large steamer pot,
some shears, seafood forks...you name it.
By now, she's got me wondering what's on the menu?
Never did I think that I would be served live lobster.
This was one gourmet, elegant meal with all the trimmings.

Only to be followed, with a delicious dark chocolate fondant cake.
Where does she find her cake decorating skills?
She told me...."MGCC"
She said, "When I'm stuck, I always look on your cooking blog."

Well, would you believe it?
I tried my first attempt at Napoleon Cake.
Thanks to Anneliese for a wonderful tutorial,
as I carefully followed the steps using my Grandmother's recipe.
My Grandmother only made this for very special occasions
This was served for the King's birthday, a week prior to mine.

While some were cooking lobster and cakes,
others were very busy making their special Valentine's cookies.
It's all about teaching them when they are young.
Somehow I have great difficulty in restricting them to one or two cookies.

Most of these cookies went straight to their tummies.
"I snitched another cookie, Oma."
Splurging and snitching they did.
We've all had a great time cooking and baking and
now it's time for a change.
I'm beginning to think it's nearly spring time!

Thanks to all of you for your wonderful birthday greetings.
It's been a wonderful month sharing these celebrations with you!

Hey,...It's Our Day!

Here it is,
another day,
another year...
time moves ahead...
but the memories never fade...
We share this day together and even
though we are miles apart...I'm still singing
Happy Birthday to you...from the bottom of my heart!
Happy Birthday Mikki!

This is our day together and I toast to your dreams for the future,
where ever your heart and road my lead you.

Somehow, I cannot conclude this special wish without
thinking how fortunate I am to have two grown daughters.
It is really something to witness this sort of maturation in your own child,
the adult settling-in, the taking-on of responsibility in life.
You raise them for it, and for awhile, but honestly,
when it happens you can't help marveling a little.

It sort of feels like an ongoing apprenticeship,
just like everything else in life that matters to me__
being a mother, a wife, a daughter, or simply
a women alive in the world, learning to be content to be myself.

"What children take from us, they give.
We become people who feel more deeply,
question more deeply, and love more deeply."
Sonia Taitz

I love being your MOM!

When You Least Expect It!

It all started early.
A quick work out at the gym at 8:00 am
A good brisk walk on a sunny clear day at 9:15 am.
Then it's time to shower and clean up.

But not today.

My walking partner needed some Farmer Sausage,
so I told her where we could dash to a local farmers market,
dressed in disguise...and pick up a few items.

We drove along smiling because we were on a mission.
We stopped and picked up our Rempel's Farmer Sausage, Vereneki and Noodles.
We are definitely planning in advance for the weekend.
Isn't that what Menno's do?

At the counter, I was busy chatting it up, about Rempel's Farmer Sausage,
and she began telling me about this website on-line with great recipes.

I said, "Oh, do you have your own website with recipes?"
"I'm always looking for new recipes."

She timidly looks at me and mumbles something about Mennonite Girls.
My walking partner points a finger straight at me...and says,

"She's one of them."

The clerk then proceeds to share her favorite MGCC recipe,
" Corn Chowder, made by Marg."

Oh my....
By now my face is all shades of red.
I'm wearing my toque, heavy jacket, workout clothes...
and my face was left at home.
I started apologizing for my appearance,
but then on the other hand I thought,
"That's who, I really am."

We all know how to dress for GLOBAL TV, or for THE PROVINCE,
or cooking classes, or interviews,
but when you really get down to it,
sometimes, most times, most of us are plain ordinary women.

I'm hoping the MGCC group will forgive me for a misrepresentation.
It's like the old saying goes....
"Don't be surprised if sometime, somewhere, someplace when you least expect it, someone steps up to you and says, smile! You're on Candid Camera"


Meanwhile, my birthday's coming up this weekend...

Does it really matter?

I'm celebrating my last year of a decade!

Red-necked or not, it's my day to call the shots!
Celebrations have begun!

She's Half Ways There!

This post is to cheer on my basketball road trip buddy.

I've gone to many a game with Elsie,
but this weekend, she did not show up...
I knew why...

She has been on a health journey since summer.
Every month she travels the long road to Vancouver with her beloved...
spends the whole day in the IV Chemo clinic and travels back home.
Her blood counts are dropping rapidly and she was hoping for no more treatments,
but her doctors want to make sure that she has a positive outcome,
and told her 'she's half-ways there!'

I know this has been a rough road for you,
and so as I sat at the game...alone,
I knew what it meant for you to attend the TWU Seniors Games.
(A Seniors Game is the last game in the home gym, meaning
they have completed five years of playing ball in the CIS level.)

TWU Girl Spartans Team cheering on for Corina!

TWU Men's Spartan Teams!
Yes, it was emotional just like last year!

We have sat together at many Senior Games,
watching our own children go through that final Senior Game.
We know the excitement and emotions that go along each player.
Those emotions always pull at our heart strings.

Can you see Corina biting her lips?
You bet...so was I and so were others.
Here's Corina!

And her loving family...they never miss a game!

I did not want you to miss Jacob's family.
We all have fond memories of Trevor's and Jacob's special friendship.

And then there's Danny's family that is always cheering him on.
Your son Jon, played with many of these seniors....
And yes, we both would of been sitting together wiping our tears.

But I know there's a future for the Spartans as they are heading off to the
Western Finals at the end of February.
I'm hoping we can take that road trip together again.

Hey, a favor to all my special blog friends.
Please say a prayer for Elsie...
She's half ways there and needs all our support.

Marg

He's Always a Winner!

We're always in competition whether it's skiing or cycling. You name it! He's not happy till he whirls his ski poles and knocks me over, into the deepest snowbanks he can find.

Don't look so stunned! We are going on a bike trip...We've headed down the Lockside Trail that connects Victoria to Schwartz Bay, the ever popular bike trip (29 km/18 mi) off-road paths and bike lanes. Cyclists are rewarded with views of agricultural land, beaches, marshes and suburban yards.

Did I say agricultural land?

But as usual, he always has another plan, I thought we'd rest...and tackle the path back to Victoria. No, he saw the bus, and figured....Why not?
I must admit, it was an amazing cruise back to Victoria, sitting on the upper deck!

Come on! You can do it....Finally, after hesitation, he grabs my hand and walks along Odgens Point! "We Can Do It, I holler!"
I loved it as we strolled along the waters edge.
He's always motivated if there's a coffee shop at the other end.

Then he chooses to ride the Galloping Goose Trail, just a bit more challenging than Lochside.
Guess who's smiling and waiting for me at the top of the hill?
Don't forget, he has a motorized bike...I am left pedaling the old fashioned style.
He stands at the top and waves....as he watches me walk my bike up the steep slope.
He loves being the winner!

But guess who I found snoozing in the park later that day? I think I was the winner...but actually

He is the winner today, but only today....

It's his birthday!
Come on!
Let's cheer this tired man on!

Happy Birthday!

Would You Shoot For $1000?

TWU Spartan's created some hot action this past weekend.
If someone told you that they'd give $1000,
if you took a shot from half court,
would you be brave enough to chance it?

Is Julie setting him up for failure or success?
On Friday evening, Jan. 28th,
young Samuel, a young budding ball player (10-12 years old)
took his lucky shot.
He could take his own shot from half court, or
substitute his favorite BB star to shoot for him...
He chose the latter.
He knew the challenge that lay ahead of him...
so he chose Lucian Sauciuc, TWU Spartans #10 player to shoot.
And did he SCORE...
The ball flew through the air and swished through the basket.
Young Samuel won $1000!

He Shoots!

He SCORES!
I need to highlight Jamelle Barrett, an outstanding point guard, from the Huskies.
On Friday night he scored 42 points.
One amazing player...third year from CA.
He knows how to lead his pack.

Meanwhile the TWU Spartans brought out a record breaking crowd,
as they challenged the second placed team, SA Huskies in the Western League,
and toppled the Huskies to third place in their division.
If you are interested in stats and standings check this out.

Check out the Spartans this weekend for a last home game.
Presently, UBC holds the first title, followed by TWU Spartans in second place.
TWU Spartans will be playing there last seasonal home game
this coming weekend against Brandon, ranked 11th.
So if you need to catch up on some fast paced action,
or win $1000, here is your lucky chance.