Best Laid Plans ...

Yesterday, I planned to go for a walk with a friend, head to the market for produce and the grocery store for other stuff, sew a dress, and perhaps putter in my garden. 

Instead, I went for a walk with a friend, then drove up Island to deal with some house stuff. Possible renters. Who will not work out. As the link will show, the house is painted in cool tones, greys, whites and blues, and the possible renters asked if they could repaint it in dark earth tones. I don't think so. They are no longer possible renters. I put an ad on line last night and by this morning we had 8 more people interested in renting our home. I'm sure we'll find someone.

While there, I thought I'd walk my favourite beach. Sadly, the tide was up, but I sat on a driftwood log, ate my lunch, and enjoyed the view. The distant mountains are hazy. Recently, we've had a pinkish haze on the horizon, due, we're told, to massive forest fires in Siberia.
 

 I'm loving my hydrangeas! I have a long candelabra that holds 10 tea lights. Usually, it's put away for the summer, but I dragged it out and filled it with hydrangea blossoms. They march prettily down my dining room table.

More blossoms on the mantel. Yes, I do love blue.The weathered grey driftwood has more of my favourite tones.
 

And a recipe. Unbaked, for those of you sweltering in the heat. Chocolate Marshmallow Squares. The recipe, and a story to go along with them, are on my recipe blog, found by clicking the link in blue.

Today, I'm going to the market and the grocery store, but I won't be sewing or puttering in my garden. Company's coming for dinner. What are you doing today?

Garden Party

Over the weekend we celebrated a birthday. I'm so glad Ashley had the foresight to marry someone who had a birthday in the summer. The rest of us are in the fall or early spring, when garden parties are out of the question. 

We ate outside, surrounded by green growing things, pretty blooms, and warm drifts of summer air. Grilled chicken, quinoa cakes, and various salads were on the menu, followed by a frozen chocolate mousse cheesecake. I love summer food.
 

A little side table held the glasses and drinks, a simple mixed bouquet of garden flowers and a chalkboard sign. A white linen cloth and black napkins gussied up the table.

It's a party in the garden every day around here! The first dahlia has blossomed, all painterly streaks and blushing colour.
 

Even the tomato plants wore their finest sparkling jewels this morning!

Tell me about the party in your garden these days.

Sunday Afternoon at Thetis Lake

Here in the Pacific Northwest, more specifically Vancouver Island, we are, at last, basking in the warmth of summer. We spend every possible minute outdoors - eating, lounging, working in the yard. Summers are so very short and we take advantage of any opportunity.

This afternoon Tim and I took a walk around Thetis Lake. There are two lakes, Upper and Lower, and a trail goes around them both. The lower lake has a couple of small beaches that were carpeted with sun-starved skin covered by skimpy bikinis and swim shorts. Further along the trail the crowds dissipated. Although the afternoon was warm, our walk under the canopy of trees was pleasant. Filtered sunlight patterned the pathway, and I thought of Gerard Manley Hopkins' line "Thank God for dappled things."

The lakes meander through the forest where trees stand as sentinels on the shore. Occasional vistas open up on rocky bluffs.
 

Oceanspray (Holodiscus-discolor) is in bloom. A native plant, also known as Creambush, it was used by the First Nations in a variety of ways. The wood is very hard and was used for arrows and small tools, including prongs for reaching into fire because it doesn't burn easily. The leaves and flowers were used as medicine. 

The common name comes from its similarity to frothy ocean waves. It grows everywhere in our forests, its delicate prettiness belying the challenging conditions in which it thrives.

I'm hoping this beautiful weather lasts and lasts. The weather report shows cooling temperatures and no precipitation. I intend to savour every bit of summer I can.

Linking to Mosaic Monday, hosted by Mary of the Little Red House.

Summer Delights

I'm not getting much accomplished on my list of projects these days, but I'm sure having a lot of fun! Here's Miss Tiggywinkle at one month, bright-eyed and nearly the same size as her cuddle bunny. I'm sure she's smiled at me already, although some people say it's just gas.

The Little Miss has spent the last two days here with Nana. We've watered the garden, played in the park, splashed in the pool, and yesterday, we painted. Little Miss knew just how to dip her brush in the paint pot and swipe it over the paper. But then her little hand got dirty and she put it into her mouth to clean it off. That was the end of the painting because Nana had given her pudding as paint! Pool time followed painting for a good reason.

Now that summer is here (oh glorious thought!) we took an evening stroll along the beach. Long slanting rays of gold illuminated water, gently bobbing sailboats and houses tucked into the trees with soft summer light. Ahhh.

A Sea of Chocolate

When I go to the mall (which isn't very often), I stop by Purdy's Chocolates on my way out and indulge in just one dark-chocolate covered caramel sprinkled with pink Himalayan sea salt. I take it out to the car and eat it there, slowly, by myself, then drive home. The combination of flavours is irresistible.

I've been haunted by the thought of a sauce that would combine all these flavours. A sauce to pour over ice cream, sliced bananas, fudgy brownies, or even to eat a spoonful straight from the jar.

Our son-in-law who has been staying with us for the past month is wide-eyed at the amount of chocolate his wife and I have been eating. All in the name of taste-testing, of course. Here's the product of our testing, a smooth sauce with hints of caramel, salty goodness, and not too much chocolate. 

1 cup white sugar
1/4 cup water
2/3 cup cream (33% - whipping cream)
2 Tablespoons butter (I used salted)
1 oz unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 Tablespoon sifted cocoa powder
1 Tablespoon cream (save back 1 Tablespoon from the first amount, or add another)
1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt, divided

In a 1 quart heavy-bottomed saucepan, over medium high heat, let the sugar and water come to a boil. Do not stir, but occasionally swirl the pan. Watch carefully as the mixture begins to caramelize. Let the mixture caramelize to a golden brown colour, ensuring that it does not burn. 
Remove from the heat and add the cream, butter and unsweetened chocolate. Stir with a spoon, or a small whisk. The mixture will be a gloppy mess and you'll think you've ruined the sauce, but stay with it and stir. Set the pot over very low heat to help the combining, stirring constantly.
When the mixture is smooth, whisk in the vanilla and cocoa powder. Then whisk in 1 Tablespoon cream and 1/4 teaspoon of the sea salt. Adding the cream at this stage will aid in smoothing the sauce even more. The sauce will thicken as it cools.
Let the sauce cool, then stir in the remaining 1/4 teaspoon sea salt. Add this extra salt later keeps it from dissolving and allows for the hit of salt that tastes so delicious!


Makes about 1 1/2 cups of sauce.

S.A.D. in the Summer?

The hydrangea bush just outside our front door is beginning to bloom. It's rather pale blue just now, but the colour usually deepens as summer goes on. I'm hoping that will happen this year. 
 

Waking up to grey skies morning after morning is becoming depressing. I have never suffered from Seasonal Affective Disorder (S.A.D.), but this weather is enough to bring it on. I thought we'd turned a corner on Sunday afternoon. Alas, yesterday was grey, and heavy rain in the night had me thinking it might be November.

Brighter weather is in the forecast. I'll be patient and try to wait well. Today is a day for sitting down at the sewing machine instead of working in the yard. But in between rain showers, I think I'll clip a bouquet of hydrangeas.

 

"A dead hydrangea is as intricate and lovely as one in bloom. Bleak sky is as seductive as sunshine..."    Toni Morrison

Morrison's words may be true, but in summertime, I prefer my skies sunny and my hydrangea in fresh bloom. 

How's the weather out your way, and how are you coping?

Thoughts on Being Canadian

Today is Canada Day, which marks the joining together of the colonies of New Brunswick, Canada (present day Ontario and Quebec), and Nova Scotia into a federation of four provinces on July 1, 1867.
Tim and I celebrated by visiting Fort Rodd Hill Historic Park where red and white t-shirts, picnicking families, and festivities marked the day. 
The park is also home to Fisgard Lighthouse, the oldest lighthouse on the west coast of Canada. The building is beautifully maintained, with interactive displays for visitors of all ages. 

 Wandering through the somewhat crowded space, I was struck most by the gorgeous vistas seen through sparkling glass held by pristine window frames. A lot of care has gone into the caretaking of this site. 

A rather strong wind blew the clouds away and we lifted our faces to the sun and welcomed the warmth. I hope it returns every day.

Fort Rodd Hill was constructed at the end of the 19th century, in conjunction with Britain who feared war with Russia. No shots were ever fired in war, no battles ensued here. The gun emplacements, one of which is seen above, are now empty. Children climb on the embankments. Families play games, couples lounge on blankets spread on the grass.

As part of the festivities, there was a shooting display. I recently re-read Remarque's All Quiet on the Western Front, and when the machine gun stat-stat-stat sounded, I thought how terrible it would have been to exist in the trenches under such a barrage of noise and fear for days on end, as the soldiers of World War I experienced. 

How fortunate are we who live in peace. Much of the world is not so blessed. The UK is celebrating the Queen's Jubilee Year and the Olympics. Later this month both the USA and France celebrate their Independence and Bastille Days. Let us celebrate humbly, knowing that freedom is precarious and hard-won. 

Happy Canada Day! 

Linking to Mosaic Monday, hosted by Mary at the Little Red House.

Enjoying Summer Moments

Here on the west coast of Canada, summers are short. And they seem even shorter when June is cool, windy, and rainy. Yesterday, we had summer. We took advantage of that by eating outdoors on the deck. I picked a random bouquet of roses as food for our eyes. 

Eight of us sat under the summer sky, laughing, talking, eating, or sleeping peacefully, in the case of the youngest, Miss Tiggywinkle. Summer moments - I wish for many more of them.

My garden is thriving in this weather. The greenhouse affair protects the tomatoes from too much wet, but the broccoli and Savoy cabbage are drinking it in and growing well. The beans are a little slow; they flourish in the warmth that we hope is coming soon.

This morning I awoke to rain. Fat clouds plaster the sky and showers are forecast throughout the day. The grey suits my mood at the moment.

Just to "keep it real" - you may remember that we have a house in Parksville that we are trying to sell. No action there, and so we rented it, as of last Friday. This morning, the renters called to say they wouldn't be moving in. They have their own rental property that became vacant this morning and so they will move in there while they build a new house. I'm disappointed and not a little frustrated.

However, just as I know that we will have more summer moments in which to bask in the next few months, I also know that this house situation will one day be resolved. I'm trusting God to give me patience to wait well. Meanwhile, I'll enjoy the roses and take out my frustration on those weeds!

In Progress

When we moved a few months ago, I asked the movers to leave the china cabinet in the garage so I could paint it. It took awhile, but here is the almost-finished project. A close look will reveal that the handles differ and one drawer has no handle. I'm waiting for more handles on a back order, and installed the old pulls on the doors to make them easier to open in the mean time. 
Here's a link to a photo of the cabinet - before. It was taken in our former home, and is just in the background of the second image. We removed the doors on the hutch to create a more open feel.

How does anyone take a good photo of a gallery wall on a staircase? I stood upstairs, downstairs, half way - and this is the best I could get. Another project in process. The three large wedding photos will anchor the gallery and other photos will fill in. These frames will be painted as well. But I wanted to get started. Tim helped me with the measuring and leveling - so glad for a husband who will take the time to indulge my ideas.

Friko recently posted about the apparently perfect lives many bloggers seem to live. The comments are enlightening, too. My life is not perfect - there are things I'm concerned about, unfinished projects, disastrous attempts at creative endeavours that never get posted, family issues that I prefer not to discuss here, and so on. But I hope my blog is real enough that no one thinks I'm making my life out to be something it is not. 

The quotation above expresses, in a small way, one of the reasons that I blog the way I do. This blog is a creative outlet for me. It's not my journal where I spill my deepest longings and frustrations, nor is it mere frivolity (I hope). I appreciate the friendships, the connections, the inspiration I've found through blogging and hope that I give back some of the same to my readers.

It might not be fine art, but these lettuce leaves and herb sprigs are beautiful to me, worthy of the time to take a photo. Yet, they are not perfect. A couple of tiny slugs washed down the drain when I rinsed the leaves in the sink.  

My parents were here for a quick visit to see their newest great grandchild, and spent a morning with the Little Miss as well. She warmed up to Great Grandpa when he took her outside to play!

I've been helping with this little one, three weeks old today. A few feeding issues have been sorted out and she's gaining weight well. Her hair is quite wild sometimes, and she reminds us of a hedgehog. As a result we sometimes call her Miss TiggyWinkle, after the Beatrix Potter character (who was a Mrs., not a Miss).

That's some of what's been happening around here. Things are not perfect, but they are good. I don't take any of it for granted.

Downtown Fun

On this sunny Sunday morning Tim and Travis strapped on their helmets and rode in the Ryder Hesjedal Tour de Victoria bike ride. Riders ranged from the ultra-committed who rode 140 km, to others riding 100 km, and others who rode 50 km. Tim and Travis were in the latter group. Travis pulled ahead of Tim in the last 12 km to arrive at the finish line under 2 hours from starting. Tim was about 10 minutes behind him. 

Ryder Hesjedal is the Canadian cyclist who recently won the Giro d'Italia race.

After Tim came home, rested for a bit and had some lunch, we went back downtown. A mountain biking track, set up along the waterfront, provided spectators with the opportunity to oooh and aaah at cyclists performing 360 degree turns in the air on their bikes. There were a few falls as well. 

The activity didn't stop at biking  - buskers, fire juggling, steel drums, and more offered all kinds of entertainment on a sunny, if cool afternoon. We usually spend our free time away from crowds in more natural settings. But a few times a year we wander along the waterfront promenade and mingle with locals and tourists alike. I'm always amazed at the languages I hear downtown - Spanish, French, Chinese, German and more. 

What sights are there in your town? Do you take the time to play tourist once in awhile?

Linking to Mosaic Monday, hosted by Mary at the Little Red House.

Routines and Creativity

How many crows does it take to make a murder? A murder meeting took place in our back yard this morning. Fluffing, cawing and swooping. 

Morning light on my Bolero rose. The bush has tons of blooms on it. But it's potted and I think the foliage is suffering because of it. More food? Change the soil? Transplant it? Any ideas?

Now that classes are over and my job has ended, I'm spending time helping our daughter with little Sadie. Her husband took the first week off, but he's mostly back to work now. Yesterday afternoon, while Mama napped upstairs, I sat downstairs with Baby and stitched while she dreamed in her blanket cocoon.

I'll be going over there again around noon, but meanwhile, I'm getting a few things done around the house. 

Tim had an early meeting this morning, so my day began around 6:30 with a shower and drying my hair. Then downstairs to fix his lunch and chat while he eats. I have a hard time eating that early and so I wait until he's gone. But before I ate, I stripped the bed, started a load of laundry, and then, in a fit of virtuous enthusiasm, cleaned a bathroom and vacuumed upstairs. Then I sat down to eat, well satisfied with myself for having done a chore I dislike. The rest of the day looks much better from here. 

This is another piece of stitching that I worked on. It's from the 39 stitches project on Amy Powers blog, started in 2010. I planned on doing more than 39 squares, but like most of my other creative pursuits, this was laid aside until I completed my degree. That was last fall, but then Christmas came, and a partial move, then a complete move, and so on. It's only now that I'm getting into my stitching/sewing stuff again. And it feels good. Ideas are beginning to flow again. That's a good thing. 


The internet is full of ideas on creativity and inspiration. In the end, however, if I'm only creative in my head I'm not expressing myself. And it's scary to actually try something new. The novels I write in my head are always best sellers and the sewing projects turn out perfectly. Alas, in real life, that's just not so. That's no excuse not to keep trying. I need to just do something.  But thinking time is required. Doing mindless things like cleaning bathrooms, folding laundry and vacuuming provides me with thinking time. My chores earlier this morning led to this post, scattered though it may be.


How about you? When do you do your best thinking? What creative pursuits are you involved in today?


Here are a couple of links to sites that might interest the creative mind - and I believe we are all creative in one way or another.


Daily Routines - this blog is no longer active, but the archives offer glimpses of the routines of people like C. S. Lewis, Winston Churchill and Emily Dickinson.

Creating Brains is a blog I just found and am eager to explore. Leonardo da Vinci's process is featured in this post.

B.C. Wildflowers - June Note Card Party

Wildflowers of Vancouver Island is my theme for this month's Note Card Party, hosted by Vee. This first photo is of a columbine found while hiking "off-trail" at Englishman River Falls.

 Isn't this Columbia Lily stunning? It was blooming in the forest on Sonora Island, a little bit off the trail where we walked to the cliff overlooking the narrow passage named "Hole in the Wall."

This wild rose grew alongside the road near our home in Parksville. Since last summer the bushes have been torn out, the trees cut down and a new subdivision of small homes crowds the land. Sigh.

This last selection is a Henderson's Shooting Star, captured while hiking the Coast Trail at East Sooke Park in April.

It takes time to go back and find these photos, and the posts in which they were featured, but it's fun to re-live some of the experiences.  Click on over to Vee's Haven where you'll find many more photos that would be lovely as note cards.

Perfect Peonies - Mosaic Monday

Our cool weather that is lingering long has at least one benefit - the peony blooms are lasting for more time. I don't remember seeing so many bundles of them in the store before. Late one afternoon I took some time to photograph the ones left from last week's baby shower. 
 

They are just so pretty, all layers and ruffles. In flower language the peony symbolizes secrets because small fairies were said to be able to hide inside the overlapping petals. 

Outside, my peony blossoms were torn into shreds today by a constant strong wind that danced wildly with treetops and flowers alike.  A couple of tight buds survived and I hope they open. Perhaps the wind is blowing in warmer, sunnier weather. We would all welcome it. 

Linking to Mosaic Monday, hosted by Mary of the Little Red House.http://dearlittleredhouse.blogspot.ca/2012/06/mosaic-monday-rose-garden.html

Father's Day Thoughts

What can I say about my father? He's a rock, always has been. He loves his family intensely: his wife, his three children, his 10 grandchildren, and his 10 great-grandchildren. His faith is strong and deep; I know that he prays for all of us regularly.

As the first son (4th child) born to large family during the Depression years in rural Saskatchewan, he learned to work early on.  Love was there, but when I once asked him why he didn't tell stories of his childhood he said there were few good memories. I know that school wasn't much fun - he was strapped the very first day of Grade One because a picture fell off the wall when the door closed behind him. He came from a German-speaking home and during the war years, that made for ostracism and taunting from the English-speaking community.

He's been retired for a number of years now, but he's still one of the hardest-working men I know. Countless hours are spent volunteering at his church - painting, renovating, cleaning - and in helping others. He doesn't suffer fools gladly and has decided opinions. 

I love my father. Happy Father's Day, Dad!

Sometimes I think fathers get short shrift on their day. Mothers are showered with cards, flowers, meals out, and a day more-or-less free from duties. Gifts for fathers, on the other hand, tend to run to barbecue tools (so they can cook), tools (so they can fix/build), or new shirts (so they can look the way we want them to look). Gifts of time to do what they please, such a round of golf or a hike are less common. 

Tim, pictured above with our newest granddaughter, is another extremely hardworking man who loves his family and his God. For him, a meal out is never as welcome as a home-cooked gathering with the people he loves, so that's what he's getting. He says there is nothing he needs or wants, so his gift is a token.

I am blessed to have these two men in my life.

Summer Evening

A couple of weeks ago I received an email from Brenda of It's a Beautiful Life asking if I would be interested in the cover of an out-of-date planner. The William Morris design was just too pretty to toss. Of course I said yes, and so she mailed it off to me. It arrived a week or so ago - in the midst of travelers and baby arriving, and I've just had time to photograph it now. The design is so rich - I'll look forward to creating a journal worthy of it. And the tags she included are so pretty. Brenda's blog points the reader to find the beauty in every day life and it's one that often gives me thoughts to chew upon. Thank you, Brenda, for the parcel, and for inspiring your readers.

I've been dragging with a cold for the past few days. I've managed to go to work, drinking copious amounts of lemon-and-honey-laced tea all the while, but the evenings have mostly been spent doing nothing. Today, I feel like I'll survive. I've stayed away from the baby but today after school I zipped over there for a little cuddle. What a darling.

After dinner I watered my plants, did some rearranging on the deck, and lettered signs for my herb garden.
 

Tim made the signs a few weeks ago and this is the first chance I've had to do something with them. I used a Sharpie and lettered them free-hand. If they fade too quickly, I'll go over them with acrylic paints. But I wanted something finished NOW! After pounding the stakes into the ground I took a few pictures. The light was fading and long shadows testify to the lateness of the evening. 

I'm using fresh herbs almost every day now - enjoying the luxury of stepping out my door and snipping off fragrant fresh leaves to flavour marinades, teas, salads and dips.

Do you have a garden? How's it doing? What are you currently enjoying from it?

For the Love of Books

Chapter One  -
in which a girl learns to read
and escapes to many worlds
but always returns home for dinner with her family

I cannot remember learning how to read. I remember Dick and Jane but not the struggle to decipher the letters and words. Once I did learn, I was off like a rocket, devouring every printed word I could come across. My younger sister and brother say their only childhood memories of me were with my nose in a book.

I've spent the past 5 weeks here, with a few days off last week to help with the new baby, in the school library, surrounded by books. I arrange the shelves, neatly pulling the books out to the front of the shelf, shelving them by strict alphabetically (or numerical) order. 

And I am overwhelmed.

I recognize many of the books and have the time to open a favourite, read a chapter, then close the book and put it back. Agatha Christie, Dorothy Sayers, Jane Austen, Harper Lee, C.S. Lewis, Tolkien - their stories live on and on. Newer authors like Tom Clancy, JK Rowling, Suzanne Collins, Alice Munro and Bernard Cornwall. Classics, adventure, romance, magic and more reside on these shelves.

How to choose what to read?

So many books. I love to re-read the good ones, savouring the knowledge of the story's end as I bask in the beauty of the language. 

My library time comes to end this Friday when classes end. I'll miss it. The library is a busy place, full of students coming and going, studying, choosing books for pleasure, visiting with friends. They energize me with their youthful enthusiasm. 

How do you decide which books to read? 

Sleeping Beauty Baby Shower

A baby shower was planned for BEFORE the baby's birth. But the baby must like parties and really wanted to be there in person. And so she was. The baby's mother thought she could swing a couple of hours sitting in a chair eating, visiting and opening presents. So we went ahead with it. 

Sleeping Beauty was the mother's favourite fairy tale and so we went with the that for a theme. Pink was the colour of the day, with lush peonies in vases around the room. On the door, a white wooden frame held a bouquet and across the frame was a ribbon lettered with the classic opening lines, "Once upon a time..."
 

We took a few quotations from the story, lettered them onto cardstock and placed them on easels. And another quote "Every good and perfect gift comes from above..." from the book of James in the Bible. A banner over the fireplace said "Sleeping Beauty" and we gathered the gifts in and around a doll bed made for Baby Sadie's Auntie when she was a child.

On the mantel I stacked well-worn children's books gathered from my bookshelves and placed vases of peonies atop. A simple collage of photos of the baby and her parents took centre stage on the mantel.

Auntie Katie (mother of the Little Miss) made gorgeous pink and white tissue flowers which we hung in corners and above the dining room table. To present the menu, I covered books with plain white paper and lettered whimsical menu names on the spine - such as Courtly Sage Crisps, Queen Mother's Cream Puffs, and Pink Palace Punch.  Auntie Ashley prepared some delectable food - which I'll wait to post since many of my food pictures didn't turn out, and there are enough leftovers to take more photos, now that I have a little more time.

This is the cake that Auntie Katie made for the shower. She is so talented and makes cakes that are not only beautiful to look at, but also delicious to eat. The buttercream icing was so light and not too sweet. In fact, after this post is up, I'm going to have a piece.

The guest of honour slept through the entire shower, but I snapped this photo as she was getting ready to go home. Car seats may keep little ones safe, and I advocate their use, but she looks entirely too tiny and fragile for all the straps and buttons. 

Linking to Mosaic Monday, hosted by Mary at the Little Red House.

A lot like yesteryear ...

Here, she is - Sadie Victoria - wearing the same dress her mother wore home from the hospital after her birth in a little jungle hospital in Ecuador. The dress is newborn size, but still very big on Sadie. 

I awoke in the night after the excitement of Sadie's birth. Two scenes played in my mind - one was the hospital room I had just come from - full of aunts, uncles, and grandparents. Cell phone calls flew back and forth all day. Joy shared is joy multiplied, don't you think? 


The other scene was the hospital room in which Sadie's mother was born. Just the three of us. We were newly arrived in Ecuador and hadn't made many friends. The doctors and nurses were so caring, but we missed family. No cell phones in those days, no internet, nor a reliable land line. Instead I lay there, waiting 36 hours until a scheduled ham radio call could be made and a call patched to family. Tim and I were overjoyed at the birth of our daughter, but longed to share the news. 


I have to confess I shed a few tears for that much younger me during the night. And gave thanks for God's faithfulness even when things are tough. 


But enough about me - isn't Sadie just lovely? I marvel at her tiny perfectness.

And the excitement continues

We all joked that Ashley and Owen had to arrive home before Cristal and Gerry's baby could be born. We didn't expect that the baby was listening, but apparently, she was. Eight days before her due date, and just 24 hours after the travelers' return, we welcomed a new baby girl into our family.

All babies are special and this one is no exception. Her arrival has been long anticipated, and we are so happy to welcome her into our family. Aunts, uncles and grandparents gathered, held her, and marveled at her perfect newness. Thanks be to God!

I'll be busy for the next few days, helping where needed, and cuddling my new grand-daughter. If I'm not around the blogging world, you'll know where I am.

And the Travelers Return

Our son-in-law Gerry chose the perfect word to describe my feelings this evening - complete. All of our children (and grandchild + grand-to-be) sat around the dinner table, laughing, talking, eating, sharing. Together. Complete. Wonderful.
 

Tired and jet-lagged, Owen suffering from a cold, they smiled and we smiled back. They look so much better in person than on Skype, wonderful technology though it is. The weary travelers went to bed early and I hope they sleep soundly through the night.
 

Little Miss wasn't even walking when they left, now she runs and climbs with aplomb. Here she is, trying to fit her 18-month old self into the doll bed made for her auntie long ago. Her contortions were hilarious, and she eventually curled herself up and settled in - for a few seconds. 

I'm just so happy, and give thanks to God for bringing Owen and Ashley home after nine months of adventures, from Germany to Switzerland, France, Italy, Turkey, Spain, Morocco, Ireland and England. 

Sigh of contentment. 

A Bit of This and That

On Saturday night we enjoyed our first salad from the garden - tender lettuce leaves and crisp radishes. Delectable! The first of many to come, I hope.
 

Although a watched pot may never boil, a watched peony will eventually open its tight buds. 
 

Early last fall, I planted tulip and Siberian iris bulbs in pots, suspecting that we might move. I wanted to take the flowers with me. The irises emerged from the ground first, long reed-like stalks. But they never bloomed. Until now, when I had given up hope.

Isn't that the way of life sometimes? After longing for something for what seems like aeons, hope dies, yet not infrequently, in my life, those long awaited for dreams eventually come to pass. 

Gardening teaches patience. The seed is planted, then watered and fed. A small tree grows larger, finally producing fruit. And all we can do is wait and watch, trusting that God's plan for the seed will unfold in due time. 


This post took an unexpected philosophical turn.  I'll let it be. This month is going to be an exciting one - our world travelers return this week, and another beloved grandchild will be born. This is a rich season for our family.


No Mosaic Monday this week. Mary, our host, is dealing with some family issues. Details are on her blog, if you are interested. Life's seasons come and go for all of us.