never too young...

...for a strawberries & cream frappacino. Thanks Grandpa!

and finally...the finale

Today we concluded a year of birthday celebrations at Build-a-bear. This little tradition started back in October of last year when Noah asked if we could take him there for his birthday. Well, the rest of the kidlets caught on to his idea, and this last year of birthdays has been a no-brainer where gifts were concerned!
We were a little early celebrating Olivia's 8th birthday, but she really had her heart set on this pink flamingo & it was part of a limited edition, so we thought we'd best not take any chances. Good thing - when she picked hers out of the bin there were only three left - we were told that they would likely all be gone by the end of the day. Whew! This new family member's name is Sparkle (which goes nicely with Sabrina's enchanted pony named Shine). You may notice in the pictures that flamingos are a bit of a challenge to dress, but between Liv & Grandpa, they managed quite nicely.

Fun times - something they will all remember as their own special time with us, and it was equally special for Rick & me to have this individual time with each of them.

Grandparenting is.............GRAND!!!!!

I hope you dance...

We have been blessed with two beautiful granddaughters who love, among other things, to perform. This morning I had the priviledge of attending their first piano recital. They have had a very successful first year of piano lessons (with a very lovely teacher) & it was so fun to watch them play their pieces - no pictures of that unfortunately.

Last saturday, they had the year end show with their dance studio. This is something we look forward to every year, and you can see from their faces, they love it! The costumes are always so great & the girls have built up alot of confidence which will serve them well in their lives.

We have three amazing grandsons who have their own talents & interests... but the dancing (so far) belongs to the girls!!

build a bear part 2, 3, & 4

Back in October I posted pictures of our trip to "Build a Bear" with Noah. He had requested the outing for his birthday gift from us, and we were happy to oblige.
Well, it seems to have been quite a great idea, for in the last month or so we have repeated the experience three more times.
First we took Isaiah for his third birthday - he chose a monkey - named him Bob - dressed him in a soccer uniform. (The picture is grainy because Grandma ((& Grandpa)) had a senior moment & forgot the camera, so we took pix with my cellphone - not great quality).
Next we took Malcolm for his fourth birthday - he chose a panda - named him Jungle - dressed him in a basketball uniform. The decision was helped by not wanting to duplicate anything his cousins had already chosen.
Today we took Sabrina for her sixth birthday - she chose the "enchanted Pony" - named her Shine - and since the dresses did not fit a pegasus very well, Sabrina dressed her entirely in accessories (my kind of girl!)

We've had such a good time with each of the kidlets; most of our times together involve the whole family, so it's been very special to spend one on one time with each of them - building and dressing their new stuffies & then going out for lunch.

Only one trip left - Olivia has to wait patiently until July! I always think anticipation is half the fun. Do children feel that way too?

ashes to beauty

At the foot of the cross where grace and suffering meet,
You have shown me Your love through the judgement You received.
And You've won my heart...
Yes, You've won my heart, now I can

Trade these ashes in for beauty
and wear forgiveness like a crown.
Coming to kiss the feet of mercy,
I lay every burden down
at the foot of the cross.

At the foot of the cross where I am made complete,
You have given me life through the death You bore for me.
And You've won my heart...
Yes, You've won my heart, now I can

Trade these ashes in for beauty
and wear forgiveness like a crown.
Coming to kiss the feet of mercy,
I lay every burden down
at the foot of the cross.

-Kathryn Scott

Easter says you can put truth in the grave, but it won't stay there!

Thank you Lord, for what You accomplished for me.
I am forever grateful and tearfully in awe!!

deep roots

This morning, during a root canal, my dentist told me I had deep roots.
The comment got me thinking, since I had time in the chair, that deep roots are a good thing to be identified with; not necessarily as they pertain to my teeth - that actually just made the procedure more challenging - but I'm definitely happy about my deep family roots and even more so, about my spiritual roots.

the middle of winter?

No, I'm not posting old pictures again :) these really are blooming in our backyard today

...guess I should go out back more often. Who knew I had baby chives out there already?

Yes, that is the "nearly ready to open" bud of one of the dozens of tulips up all over our gardens

Rough winter on the we(s)t coast; who needs Mexico?!? ;-)

seasons

I know it's winter, but in the fall (obviously) we had family pictures done. I couldn't post too many of them before Christmas because they were taken mostly for Christmas present purposes. Better late than never I always say, so here are just a few of the shots. We had alot of fun getting them done - it was a cool crisp October day that we'll always remember now!

(Click on the picture to enlarge if you want to see it better)

Oh, and by the way - Happy New Year, everyone - "better late than never" ;-)

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?