Farmer's Wives!

Imagine spending time with 50 farmer's wives for 36 hours!

Whew! We made it!

It's always a highlight meeting other farmer's wives.

We have many things in common.

A hard work ethic.
A love for the land.
An appreciation for the harvest.
And a haunting FEAR of chasing those cows in the middle of the night.

One surprise highlight was meeting my friend Kay Fadden, and her friend.
My mother was best of friends with her as we were growing up in the Sumas Flats.
Our families spent many days working and  visiting together as neighbors.
We had a pleasant time reminiscing about our past memories.

I'm not really a pack rat....but look what I found today...
Kay asked me to help her coach the Grade seven girls baseball team at Upper Sumas.
It was way back in the year of 1973.

Kay and the team presented me with this table cloth, as a wedding gift.
which was made in the shape of a baseball diamond.
It was my first table cloth..
.and I found my first glove.
Can you see the engraved name, Schmidt? 

Gathering around a large family table brought back many memories for us.
(photo borrowed from Judy,s collection)

We considered saying thanks to God for our meal,

and before we knew it, we all lifted our voices to him in praise singing the Doxology!

 This was one of my first excursions down town to the Pike Market.
I have to admit...that I enjoyed the smell of flowers, more than the fish.
There's our tour guide, Ellen who showed us the city.
Shopping, browsing, and eating made our day complete.

There's never a dull moment when you hang out with good friends.
Up above are four farmer's wives who also cook...you may recognize some.
Thanks Mary, for putting up with us.
You are a great sport to have along.
We all enjoyed our visit to the original Starbuck's coffee bar built in 1971!

Have you heard of the Gum Wall?
This is a designated place where people make their mark in the Market.
It's obviously become a new form of art.
Where do you leave your chewed up gum?

Off we went to Chateau Ste. Michelle's Winery in Woodinville,
Washington's oldest and most acclaimed winery.

I think some of us can identify with this specialty wine of 2009,
named Eroica...famous from it's European origins.
 Wine making is truly  an intermingling of philosophy, technique and mentality,
Old World and New.

The perfect table in a perfect setting.
Who would like to sit and join me for wine tasting?

Oh, I saw another perfect setting.
I'm keeping this one reserved for a special occasion.

 

Looking forward to seeing you all back next year.

Thank-you Ritchie and Smith!

( feed company who sponsored this event)

You ladies, Vivian and Diane did an excellent job of coordinating this event.

You understand the needs of a farmer's wife.

HELP!

It was a few weeks back...I heard some rumblings about Blogger
making changes to it's interface.
I have to admit...those things paralyze me.
Meanwhile I'm hoping I can avoid any changes.
So when I attempted to open Blogger today...I froze, but not for long.

~~~~~~~~~

Meanwhile, I received  an email from my daughter, a few weeks back.
the subject line read..

HELP!

And I opened up the photo and smiled.
She wanted me to come and help her organize her room or did she?

This weekend I had a wonderful time...shopping with her.
We went to the Bay and stripped a few beds and made a few beds.
We tried this...then that, took things out of the packages...
exposed them to the light...put things back.
Finally made our decision.

We came home and stripped the bed and lovingly put things back together again.
Her handy dandy father loves to come along and becomes Mr. Maintenance.
He secured the headboard and found a few other things that needed fixing.
The bed was made and her new look was created.
I had promised her new bedding for her birthday...and it finally happened.

 

So one more final trip back to town...

It was closing time, but she knew how to edge her way into the 

little corner store and trampled amongst flowers packed in the allies.

She knew exactly which floral plant she needed for her room

and was determined to reach up and get it.

A beautiful purple orchid.

We'll keep making changes as long as we live!

And we have no choice but to get used to it.

But I have to admit, making changes to her room was such a pleasure.

Friday's Fave Five

It's been another exciting week.

I love looking back at the happy moments of my week.

Thanks Susanne for hosting this wonderful site.

National Volunteer Week, April 15-21.
It's a week where we honored all our hard working volunteers.
It's been a privilege working with this group of people over the past five years.

Our volunteers have brought us skills, advice, experience, friendship and inspiration to our organization and also their amazing gift of  TIME!
And we thanked them with a small token..a rose.
Thanks to Little Mountain Greenhouses for their generous support.

Remember, last week we were wedding dress shopping?
Well, we all met up in New Westminster for coffee.
I enjoyed watching the sister's excitement, anticipation and hearing their laughter.

The Maid of Honor was ecstatic!
For a minute you'd think she was the bride....

Then came the serious question about 'the budget' for the dress....
They were hoping there Dad was paying....

We enjoyed sifting through the gowns...stretching to see what else we could find.

Then we found it......

Oh my, I had two excited gals.
And we bought it!

I'm so excited that the Canucks won their game against LA.

It was a pleasure to see the Sedin twins back at work..

Hope you had a great week.

National Volunteer Week

Many of you have asked me,

"What do you do outside of your home?"

I am a Volunteer Coordinator in our community hospital.

I thought I retired a long time ago...but here I am working as in interim,

...five hears later.

~~~~~

One of the real joys about blogging is meeting other people along the way.

I'm sure you recognize her name...Pondside! 

I wonder what her topic is today???

Over the years, we both found we had some common interests,

and have been able to meet several times to brainstorm and share life.

But you know what it's like when you start sharing your hearts..

We found we had a few things in common...

• we both have careers working with volunteers.
• we both have two grandsons....
• they both have the same wedding outfits....
• we both are celebrating milestones this year.
• we both have a daughter getting married in 2012
• we both love to meet each other spontaneously in quaint little shops.
• we both love to travel.

One special thing I have gleaned from Pondside...

through our discussions is...

"Choose not to let things irritate you."

That was such profound wisdom, Pondside.

And I cherish your friendship.

 

This week is called National Volunteer Week, April 15-21, 2012!
So we are both busy recognizing and showing our appreciation for our volunteers.
We will both be busy hosting events in the coming month.

I'm sure that Pondside would agree with me that Volunteers give us the opportunity to

DREAM

CHANGE

and be INSPIRED!

Our Volunteers give of their Time, which is such a precious resource.

There time volunteering must be valued, but we can never put a value on that time.

They bring skills, advice, experience, friendship, vision, leadership and inspiration.

I've met many bloggers, who also share how they live life.

And I've noticed that many of you volunteer in your communities,

your church, your schools and your families.

This is your week to be recognized...

your endless Time and support cannot be replicated.

Thank you for your on-going dedicated Time!

 

Friday's Fave Five ~ Wedding Bells!

It's Friday again...

 so many exciting things keep happening in our family.

 I  want to thank Susanne from Living to Tell a Story,

for allowing us to link together to share our highlights.

 
 Christopher proposed to Suzanne on the Summit.
And I had to keep this quiet for almost two months.

 

We  had a small intimate engagement party with her grandparents,

Opa (100) and Oma Helen.

We have been so blessed to have them in our lives.

Meanwhile wedding dress shopping is on the list.
If you know my girls you will understand the next few photos.
My daughter, bride thought that this would be the perfect bridesmaid dress for
her sister, the Maid of Honor.

 

Meanwhile the maid of honor decided that she found the perfect

wedding dress for her sister....

slushing down the hills,

or is this called  Trashing the Dress?

 

Meanwhile I thought I found the perfect dress for the Bride,

for the one who loves to cycle...

Saturday will determine what the real dress could look like.

Thank you Susanne for hosting this special blog.

Engagement Celebrations!

What's happening in our household?
I can see some of you thinking,

"What's Marg up to again?"

Well, how does one celebrate Easter and an Engagement?
I wanted something other than rabbits and eggs.
I carefully peaked into my wedding box and found a few things.
Yes, I had a very long veil and I draped over the window coverings.
It has memories for me, as I watched my mother
 hand stitched the lace onto the veil fabric.

I remember as a small girl, the couple would sit on white chairs.
So I took the table cloth that my grandmother crochet,
and it became the backdrop for the chairs.
I went back to the box....

And found the candelabra with pink silk flowers that we used...
and it became our center piece.

I found more silk pink flowers in the box and draped them around the plates.

I set the table with my Victoriana Rose Paragon China,
which was gifted to me at our wedding.
Obvious trends from the 70's...PINK!
But guess what else I found in the box...?
a small ring pillow that my Mom had made.

Meanwhile, the bride to be was out happily riding her bike being accompanied by her dog,

Her Opa and Oma arrived to congratulate the couple.
Oma Helen, said, "I can't wait to hear about the details."
If you've missed the details, you can check back here.

And we all enjoyed a cherished meal around the table.
Scriptures were read from 1 Corinthians 13...The Love Chapter.

 

Wedding bells will be ringing later in summer.

And I wonder what else will be unveiled from the box.

Don't Look!

Yes, we had a wonderful weekend...filled with many activities.

The winning smile....

"Don't Look Oma!"

Of course,

nobody notices what he has behind his back.

 

"Look what I found...
"One for you...One for Opa...and on he goes."

I love how they can find simple things in nature...
Things that just make you smile.

Wouldn't that just make your day?

MY REDEEMER LIVES!

This songs speaks perfectly of what my heart believes.

 Taking time to let creation testify God's wonders.

Not often that I can sit long enough...and quiet enough..

to take a photo of a bird without it flying away.

The message of Easter...from the cross...to the grave...

He gave his life.

An empty Grave allows us to Face Tomorrow!

I know that My Redeemer Lives!

Marg