Merry Christmas

Wishing you love, joy, peace & hope...from our family to yours!

show & tell

Just want to show you what I've been doing on my week off...

... and I'm a very happy woman!

Today I got some Christmas shopping done - mostly for the kidlets, cause that's the easiest & most fun!

Sunday afternoon we will have our first of several cookie baking & decorating events- we will start with sugar cookies, because they are the most labor intensive (and we'll have lots of help).

So, there you have it Bev, no snow, just fun. :-)

it's beginning to look alot like Christmas...

... and I'm loving it!!!

Just sayin'

Noah's dog

For his fifth birthday, Noah requested that Grandpa & Grandma take him to Build-a-Bear. He had his heart set on a stuffed dinosaur dressed as a policeman. Last Saturday (Halloween) was THE DAY - everyone was healthy & the sun was shining! We had a lovely drive to Coquitlam Centre. We wasted no time finding the workshop; told the hostess that it was Noah's birthday present we were there for, so she loaded him up with birthday stickers; we listened as she explained the whole procedure & showed us where to make our choices; then we let her know that he had already decided that he wanted to make a dinosaur. Her face fell as she told us they haven't had dinosaurs in about two years - don't you think they could update their website occasionally? But all was well, Noah happily changed his mind & decided he wanted a dog instead. Whew!!!

It's serious work stuffing a dog - getting the amount just right...

...Grandma gets to kiss the heart before Noah inserts it...

...and while giving his dog it's airbrushing, Noah gets a sudden inspiration for his new puppy's name. "It's name is Ruffles" he said.
Aww, we have a Ruffles in the family again. sniff sniff

There were lots of outfits to choose from, but it was a bit of a no-brainer for Noah...

...Ruffles is officially a member of the Vancouver Canucks, complete with helmet!

After all that building, we had to have a hearty, if not healthy, lunch. The Orange Julius had a banana in it - it's all good!

On the ride home we chewed our way through my gum supply, looking for one that wasn't too spicy - finally settled on apple trident.

We had a fun time with a very happy little five year old. I think we've set a precedent which will be fun to repeat four (at least) more times!

Word of God Speak...

I'm finding myself at a loss for words
And the funny thing is it's okay
The last thing I need is to be heard
But to hear what You would say

Word of God speak
Would You pour down like rain
Washing my eyes to see
Your Majesty
To be still and know
That You're in this place
Please let me stay and rest
In Your holiness
Word of God speak

I`m finding myself in the midst of You
Beyond the music, beyond the noise
All that I need is to be with You
And in the quiet hear Your voice

Word of God speak
Would You pour down like rain
Washing my eyes to see
Your Majesty
To be still and know
That You`re in this place
Please let me stay and rest
In Your holiness
Word of God speak

I`m finding myself at a loss for words
And the funny thing is it`s okay

-MercyMe

As I have been at home with the flu for the last week, this song has been in my head, ministering to me.

It has been a holy experience.

Enough said.

Whistler & Harvest

We made our annual trip up to Whistler this past week & once again were blessed with quality family time and, for the most part, glorious autumn weather. We were joined by Greg, Becky, Noah & Isaiah for the Thanksgiving weekend until Sunday morning. Monday evening, Rick had to return home for work, but he was replaced by Dobby, Cindi, Olivia, Sabrina & Malcolm. Dobby's work schedule did not allow them to be there for the Thanksgiving weekend, so we were unable to all be together. The kidlets wished that they could have been there with their cousins, of course, but we had fun anyway.

Rick took these two pictures on one of our walks; the leaf colors were quite spectacular. It was clear, but pretty cold - if you look closely you can see the ice on the branches in the waterfall. Snow was in the forecast, but it never materialized, much to the disappointment of the little ones. They had really been looking forward to sitting in the hottub while the snow fell.

Back in August, Rick & I raided Terry & Laura's crabapple tree & I made my first attempt at pickled crabapples. Other than the fact that I had forgotten about the second bucket of apples in the fridge until after I had processed the first several jars, it went really well!
What could have been a quick project took twice the time. Aaargh!!! Of all the things I've lost, I miss my mind the most...

We had a bumper crop (what does that mean anyway?) of sweet yummy grapes this fall; took the last of them with us to Whistler.

It's the middle of October & the passionflower is still blooming. I took down the hanging baskets at the beginning of October, even though they were still looking good - the pink fuschia just didn't blend well with the bullrushes & scarecrows.

Now we just have to get through Halloween (those hooligans & their firecrackers) ^-^ and then I can start decorating for Christmas!!!

worth coming back for

These little ones have such a huge place in our hearts - we missed them alot while we were away.

I've taken their picture on this arbor bench for the last three years. It's getting to be a tight fit; fortunately they don't look like they mind squishing together.

We are blessed!!!!!

San Francisco...

...open those Golden Gates. Or at the very least lift the fog so we can see them! Seriously, we drove on the Golden Gate bridge, paid the toll and everything, and did not see it!!! The big pic on the collage is what we saw as we drove into San Francisco area - fog rolling in off the ocean & it literally pulled itself over the city like a big quilt. And stayed there. We were there for 1 1/2 days & it was cold, windy & foggy the whole time. But fun.
The drive along the coast was beautiful - the redwoods magnificent - the coastline ever-changing, always breath-taking! It's hard to take pictures while driving, but you get the (blurry) idea.
So, back to SF... we met Ron & Viv there, stayed at a very cool hotel across from pier 39 & spent our time walking, exploring, and eating yummy food. We actually walked from our hotel to the Coit Tower - the picture on the right side (with me in the corner) shows the tower as it looks from Pier 39. Ya, it was pretty far - uphill both ways!!! Then we walked through a large portion of the Asian part of the city - crowded with alot of markets selling unusual (to me) products. Oh, the smells. We had thought of eating there, but changed our minds.
We kept looking for the elusive G G bridge, never did see the whole thing. The fog lifted enough so we could see the span, but not the arches.
After SF, we drove to hot Bakersfield for a couple of days at my bro & sis/law's place; then we all converged in Pismo for a week.

And so concludes my epic about our summer vacation. Now it's been two weeks back at work - I'm ready for another holiday! Good thing it's a long weekend.

Oregon coast

Rick & I planned our trip down to Pismo on the basis of dividing the days into equal driving hours, knowing that we wanted to have time in San Fransisco as well as somewhere on the Oregon coast about half way to SF. After studying the map & internet (what a wonderful resource!) we settled on a place called Coos Bay. The pictures showed that it was right on the water, so we booked two nights there, with high expectations.
When we drove into Coos Bay, I gotta say, I was ready to cancel the hotel & drive on. It looked like a dumpy little industrial town; NOT on the ocean, but rather on an inlet of the ocean. I said to Rick, " What in the world are we going to do here for a whole day" (or something like that:) )
But we decided to check in for the night anyway, and while we did, I asked the receptionist whether there was anything to do in Coos Bay. Well, she looked at me like I had just grown horns - all insulted (but very friendly) - and proceeded to explain that not 10 minutes down the road we would be on the actual coast where we could enjoy a whole list of attractions. Which she listed quite proudly. So, we decided to stay two nights & do some exploring.
I have to say, that next day on the Oregon coast was one of my favorites of the whole vacation. We spent alot of the morning at Cape Arago, watching hundreds of harbour seals & sea lions (oh, the noise - it was unbelievable) & also trying to capture a whale (on camera). We saw alot of blowhole spray, so I just kept shooting & actually caught some parts of it.
We found a beautiful, almost deserted beach, probably because it was a little overcast. I just wanted to lay in the sand, watch the waves roll in & read. So that's what we did. I started in jeans & sweatshirt & after awhile it cleared up & got hot, thus the swimsuit shot.
We also had some entertainment show up. There was a group of kids trying to surf, not very good, but fun to watch. A professional kite flyer - maybe not professional, but pretty intense. And then Oregon's finest took a guy down on the road just behind where we were lying. Not sure what he did, but it was weird, in a quiet sort of way. You just never know what's going on a few feet away when you're sheltered by reeds & engrossed in the magnificence of the ocean.
Another phenomenon we enjoyed that day were the sand dunes - ALOT of sand, beautiful white rolling hills of sand. I was really quite impressed - never seen that before!
Add to all this a couple of yummy dinners; one Thai, one Mexican & we would definitely go back. Who knew? Sometimes you get lucky!

Hearst Castle

This was something I've wanted to see for years & we finally got a chance. The castle has been donated by the Hearst family to the state of California, so it's a huge, expensive tourist attraction, but we paid our money, rode the bus up the 5 mile winding road & followed the informative (bossy) tour guide around. The thing I was most interested in seeing was the pool - I didn't know there were two pools, I had only ever seen pictures of the outdoor one. We had been told NOT TO TOUCH ANYTHING; so when I leaned against the pillar for the pool picture (really, I didn't mean any harm!) I got in a bit of trouble. Oh well, it was worth it.

Then the indoor pool - wow, talk about ostentatious! HUGE & completely mosaic (1 inch square tiles) & shimmering with gold. Ya, real gold! The whole thing is 10 feet deep - total opulence. All I wanted to do was jump in, but I thought I'd probably just get in trouble again.

The grounds were magnificent; the view, breathtaking. Have I mentioned lately how much I love palm trees? It was so nice to get my fix for a week or so. I think I look right at home sitting on that patio, don't you?

The whole experience was so interesting, but it was really hard to believe that people actually lived there. There was just nothing homey about it. Different time, different mentality, I guess. Anyhow, it was very cool, & we were glad we went!

sibling vacation

Two weeks ago today, Rick & I met my siblings in Pismo beach for a much anticipated week together. We were blessed to stay in a beautiful vacation home that belongs to a family friend. We had never been on the California coast in summer before - it was not nearly as hot as I thought it would be, actually it tended toward cool at times (as you can see from the way we're dressed in some of the pictures.) But whether or not the sun was out - there was just nothing like being on the beach ; watching the waves roll in from the Pacific Ocean. I would never get tired of hearing that! "I love to stand at oceans' shore & hear the thundering breakers roar..."
This first group of pictures are from the pier & beach at Pismo (click on pic to enlarge)

On one of the sunnier days, we went to Avilla beach and the top right picture shows how I felt about being there. My brothers, sister, husband & I all tried our abilities on a boogie board. I have to say, I was definitely not a natural, but when I actually caught a couple of waves - man, was it fun!!! Thanks for being so patient with me, Merv. And guess what, I only swallowed ocean water once - not bad, eh? Oh, there was a sea lion (or one of it's relatives) playing about 25 feet away from us - pretty cool, but it didn't make it onto any of the pictures.

It was so great for us all to be together for an extended time - it's usually not more than a day or two per year. We did some really fun day trips, golfing, wine tasting, live theatre, Hearst Castle, shopping (probably too much for some), and of course beaching.
We also did a fair amount of eating, mostly at the house, but we did go out a few times.
Below are a couple of pictures taken at a restaraunt called F. McClintocks. One of their specialties is that the servers fill your water glasses from about three feet away. On request, they will do a "blind pour" - the picture with Viv is self explanatory :)
Another of their specialties is turkey nuts - yup, the real thing. Couldn't bring myself to try them, although I was the only one who didn't.


The day after we got to the vacation house, Rick filled a hummingbird feeder that was hanging empty. For the rest of the week we were entertained almost constantly with the coming & going (and sometimes fighting) of the little creatures. I have never "heard" hummingbirds before - they can actually be very noisy!

I have lots more pictures - of Hearst Castle; San Fransisco; Oregon coast; the Redwoods.
Is anyone interested in seeing them?

trip to the strip

Back in May, I asked my brother-in-law whether he had any plans in mind to celebrate my sister's 50th birthday. He told me that yes, actually, he was planning to send her & her best friend on a little getaway to Las Vegas, and that she was aware of this plan already. When she joined us in the room, I said how exciting this was, and asked her who she was going with. She looked at me and said something like - duh - to which my hopeful self said - me?

I can't even explain how excited I was right then! And the anticipation for me is almost as exciting as the actual event!!

So, plans began; flights & hotel were booked; spa appointments were made; shows were chosen & tickets reserved.

June 29th I was up at 5:00 am & by 6:30 I had picked up Viv & we were on our way to Bellingham airport. Our flight was scheduled to leave at 9:25, and even with a stop at Woods for coffees, we were there in plenty of time.
We easily went through the check in & then through security. We happily made our way to the "holding room" were we saw our plane already waiting for us. It had BLUE MAN GROUP painted on it - what fun!!!

Shortly before boarding time, we were told that there was a mechanical problem with the plane, and that we would be delayed in leaving. They would give us more information in 1/2 hour. Okay, we can deal with that - we want to make sure the plane will make it safely!
About an hour later, we were told that the part had not yet arrived - we would be updated in about 1/2 hour. OKAY - we can deal with that - we're going to Vegas after all, what's a little more delay!
At about 11:00 am, they tell us that they're going to order pizza for everyone - it should be there in about an hour. WHAT!?! Now we're starting to get annoyed - okay - we were already annoyed, but this isn't funny anymore.

About 1/2 hour later, they tell us that they have ordered a rescue plane to take us to Vegas, since they can't seem to fix our plane.
Our new scheduled time of departure is 4:00 pm.


WHAT!?!?!?!?!?!?!
The room explodes with frustration - pizza is not going to pacify this crowd.
But wait, they are also going to give us each a $25.00 voucher.
To be used on our next flight with Allegiant.
Except nobody wants to EVER fly with Allegiant EVER again!

We are told that if we wish to leave the airport, we should be back by 3:00pm.
Viv & I look at each other with the same thought - Bellis Fair!!!
We relinquish our offer of free pizza in a stinky airport holding cell & happily make our way to the mall -
when life gives us lemons - we make lemonade

(with cranberry juice & vodka - but that's another story)

We tried to do a picture of us together looking mad, but we just ended up laughing.

We laughed alot on this trip :)

We eventually did arrive at our destination - 7 hours later than planned & hungry because in addition to not flying on schedule, Allegiant only has about three of the things on their food list available & a kid's snack pack only goes so far. But enough about Allegiant - okay, maybe just one more thing - we were also delayed 1 1/2 hours on the way home. BUT THAT'S OKAY - WE MADE A MEMORY!!!!!

We checked in at the Bellagio - what a beautiful hotel!! Of course the cab driver dropped us at the wrong entrance, so we trekked through the casino with all our luggage.

Our room was amazing!! Oh, in keeping with the theme of the day, we found housekeeping in our room (this is around 8 pm) either watching TV or making a phone call - we're not sure which - but she left in a hurry. At this point we weren't surprised by anything anymore.

Some of the highlights of our stay were a morning at the spa (absolutely wonderful); fabulous dinner at Olives; Menopause the Musical (laughed my butt off); O by Cirque du Soleil (phenomenal!!); walking the strip & being hit by a wind, dust & drizzle storm (weird); being asked if we were twins (okay that was more of a highlight for me than Viv); browsing through art galleries; pastries from Jean Philippe (amazing chocolate fountain) & time spent laying out & swimming in the massive pool area. OH YEAH, WE HAD A GREAT TIME!!!

The atrium in the Bellagio is so beautiful - the gardens were breathtaking (they smelled great too) Such attention to detail. Enlarge the collages for a closer look.

From our room we had a great view of the Bellagio fountains - I could have just sat at the window for hours & watched the dancing waters (but we had places to go)

We packed alot into our four days - we even got some sleep each night!!!

I had a fabulous time & know how lucky I am.

Ron said it was Viv's gift, but I feel like it was mine too.

Viv, thanks for choosing me to go with you & Ron, thanks for having such a great, generous idea!

I love you both so much!!!!!

facepainting

We celebrated Olivia's 7th birthday today with a family brunch. One of the gifts we gave her was a Klutz facepainting kit and you can see the creative talent that she & her sister have inherited from their mommy.

I have lots of pictures from our Vegas trip - one of these days I'll make the time to post some & share some of the stories - and there are stories!!

passionflowers & perversity

I have been uninspired to blog lately, but on the off chance that anyone still checks, I'm back.


We have a new plant this summer called a passionflower. The blooms are quite spectacular but sadly last for only a day or two.
I'm wondering if it got it's name because passion can be so fleeting.
Whatever... it's growing like crazy & has tons of buds so it's all good!

This is the view from our deck of part of our backyard. You can see that everything is coming along nicely and, for the most part, the beds are relatively weed free. We enjoy compliments from neighbours who walk by & appreciate the work we've done. We also enjoy seeing other neighbours' yards that are well maintained.

By definition, perversity means contrary to what is right, reasonable or accepted. Look over our back fence with me & you'll see what we DON"T enjoy...

That's right, people, that is a six foot fence & the "lawn" is clearly visible. And NO, it has not been mowed at all this year.

It's so bad that one of their visitors let loose a string of profanities when he came out of their back door & saw it.

Now I AM glad that they are quiet neighbours (ever since they got rid of their dog), but seriously, there has to be some sort of law against this mess. We've considered spraying roundup over the fence after dark (would that be wrong?)

Ah well, if this is the biggest problem in our neighbourhood, I guess life could be much worse! Of course, as I'm writing this, some hooligans (for lack of a better term) are setting off fire crackers in the cul-de-sac. Sheesh!!

O, I'm off on an exciting adventure next week. Maybe I'll remember my camera this time. Or maybe I'll win so much money that I can buy a new one!

apparently nobody looks there

All of last Christmas season (which, if you know me well, you know that's quite a long time) I could not find my favorite Christmas CD. I racked my brain trying to remember what I might have done with it; leant it to someone, maybe? But why would I lend out my favorite CD?

Yesterday, I was getting something that I had tucked away in the guest room closet & thought while I was at it, I'd tidy it up a bit. As I grabbed an "empty" box to put stuff into, I discovered inside it some Christmas gift bags that I had purchased over a year ago along with MY FAVORITE CD!!!! I must have missed putting it away with all the other Christmas stuff in Jan 08 & thought that would be a good place to store it.

I was pretty excited (and also glad I hadn't bought another one - I tried, but couldn't find it anywhere). I was also glad that I haven't lost my mind - just misplace it occasionally.

the ranch

Having a son in law who is the program manager at Timberline ranch gave us the opportunity of a fun family outing yesterday. Of course, Dobby & his family were excited to show us around, especially the kids, who already have their favorite horses & best loved play areas.

It was so great to see where Dobby has been working & get to explore a place that we've heard lots about but had not yet been to.

We were not disappointed - and I'd love to give you a glimpse of our day....

(click on the collages to get a closer look)

Some of us did rock climbing (in varying degrees of difficulty) while others stuck to driving tractors. Motorized vehicles are sometimes safer than dizzying heights!

The kids could hardly wait to show us the ropes - literally! We all tested our coordination & strength on the challenge course. It was great to see everyone playing like kids - I even tried a couple of things & was relieved to make it all the way (under close supervision by Olivia)

Making new friends. Personally, I found Bethany the llama a little stand-offish, however one of the calves loved me. The kids had a great time with the animals, even though it had started to rain by this time. After spreading the love, we headed for home. The calf kept calling us back as we walked away; they were pretty young & I think they missed their mommy.

Naps on the drive home; then a yummy barbecue to celebrate Greg's birthday. Such a fun day!!