Isn't this a beautiful thing?

Now that school has begun, I've been able to focus a little more on the work I wanted to accomplish. This time of year brings a lot of produce from my garden as well as many gardens & businesses around us. It just makes sense to take advantage of the abundant fruit and veggies that are growing around us and get them ready for the freezer or pantry. I have many bags of strawberries, raspberries, rhubarb, blackberries and blueberries that have been picked from my garden or a neighbor's. This past week I canned a fair number of pickles & green beans. Such a satisfying thing & they just look beautiful all in a row of jars... Can't wait to start eating!

What a view....

There's not a lot to blog about - we've enjoyed a week of vacation just before school started. During that time the Abbotsford Airshow was going on and the planes bank right in our back yard. We've never actually been to this airshow because we get such a show for free. Here's a shot of part of our family enjoying the show after church one Sunday. They're sitting on the roof of our partly finished garden shed - a very multi-purposes building.

Good-bye "K"!

This past week our sweet "K" went home. She stayed with us for almost 2 months and we miss her dearly. God has blessed our family by allowing us to care for very content & beautiful children. This little one would smile for absolutely everyone & responded very well to our youngest. He's old enough to carry her around & bring her to his play place just so she could see him & he could talk to her.

Building in progress...

The week after Mom & Dad left (middle of June) we began a few projects that have been talked about for quite some time. The first was a cement pad for the dog kennel & house to sit on. Since we first got Carman her kennel has been on a pad made up of cement squares. This worked for the first while but these squares don't always stay level & the weeds have a way of growing in between. It started to look messy & was hard to clean - so with the help of our neighbor & friend, Harvey, a pad was framed & poured. At the same time we poured a pad for a hot tub just beside our deck. I found a used hot tub on Craigslist and we couldn't resist the great deal. Both of these jobs are complete & Carman & our family are enjoying the finished project. When this was done we began work on a "garden shed". We do not have a place for our 4-wheeler, riding lawnmower & wagon, etc. and things were just sitting in the elements not getting any nicer looking in the process. On the south side we have plans for a "lean-to" greenhouse, but that is still in the future plans. The framing part was the work Henry's brother Andy. This was a little job for him - done in a Saturday. It's great to have talented family & friends. Here are a few photos of the progress that has been made so far. Henry's learned a lot & is enjoying finishing it up somewhat on his own.

Vacation Bible School

I need to back up a bit to write this post - a couple weeks ago our youngest two children attended Vacation Bible School at our church. It was organized by two young ladies who did a very nice job. Our youngest really did not want to go but I signed him up just so he could make an educated decision next time. He absolutely loved it - especially the songs they learned. There were approximately 35 kids there - most from our church but a number from outside. I volunteered to be snack coordinator - an easy job seeing that the program had a list of suggestions to go along with the lesson. It wasn't difficult to get parent volunteers to bring these snacks.

My "plentieth" birthday...

Lest you think that nothing has happened here the last few weeks, here's a little update. We've had H & J's birthday parties and then a week later mine. After planning for two shindigs I wasn't really in the mood to create more work. I had a few ladies over to help celebrate, got a few phone calls (missed a few), and a few emails which brightened up my day. One email from my cousin congratulated me on my "plentieth" birthday. I thought that was really cute. Let's not worry about details... like numbers... I had previously received some money for a bird feeder from my Mom and Dad & so I finally went out and bought something to attract the birds. I moved my hummingbird feeder to the clothesline in the hopes that our "wonderful" cat will not scare them aware there. I really think birds are a lot more fun than cats but our "H" is very defensive when we talk negatively about Milo. Let's hope the birds are brave enough to defy our little predator... The other picture is of a gift the family gave me, a portable fireplace. This way we can have smaller fires closer to the house - instead of out in the back behind the fence. I'm looking forward to having it put together and using it. I also rec'd a gift certificate for a pedicure - but I will spare you the photos of my nice looking feet & pretty nail polish. Can't wait...

A good book...

In my last post I mentioned I had a bit of time during swimming lessons to read. Well, I finished a good book titled "The Soloist" which someone had written about in their blog. It was a very moving (true) story about a musical genius who ends up on Los Angeles' Skid Row because of schizophrenia. The book is written by Steve Lopez, a journalist who initially is looking for a good story for his column. He ends up more involved that he could have ever imagined. The book does not have the happy ending that you would wish for, but it gives much insight on the plight of those who are mentally ill. I highly recommend it - a word of caution, however, it does contain some cursing and foul language - the setting is Skid Row so that doesn't come as a total shock...

Lazy days of summer...

I'm rethinking that title because I don't feel like summer has been that terribly lazy. Our younger kids, however, would probably agree with it. They've been waking up a bit late...yes, even "A"! I don't have that luxury with an infant in the house. I've been trying to coax our 4 month foster baby "K" into sleeping through the night but she's just not getting the hint. I'm getting too old to be awoken more than once - and it's hard not to be grumpy in the morning. Our oldest is taking a Nurse's Aid course at a local nursing home & will be employed there for the summer as well as part-time during school when she successfully completes it. "J" was not able to find any steady summer employment but has been pleasantly surprised at the number of calls she's getting - from mowing lawns, weeding gardens, cleaning houses and babysitting she is keeping quite busy. There's just enough spare time to feel like she's having some time off as well as helping us around the house. The youngest two are in the middle of swimming lessons at the private pool of Mrs. "B". We've taken lessons from her for years and she's still an amazing teacher. I'm guessing she's close to 60 years old but does not seem to be slowing down. I get an hour and a half of reading a book & sitting in the sun - now that's just a little bit lazy!

Hannah at Horse Camp

Last week Hannah attended a Horse Camp at Kelly Ridge Farms. She had so much fun with her horse "Fred". Her horse was the largest horse & a little spirited but she did great! The week flew by and each time I came to pick her up she would thank me for allowing her to go. She went each morning and the final morning (Friday) they all put on a one hour show to display what they learned through the camp. The instructor/owner was a no nonsense kind of lady but was amazing at getting the class to accomplish and learn a lot. The entire class was made up of young girls - not sure if that's typical but I guess it does show that many are like Hannah and have a love & admiration for horses.

Bits of wisdom....

I want to share some profound bits of wisdom which I was reading in Normal Kingdom Business by Andree Seu. I just love her candid style of writing - she has a wonderful way of making you think deeper about everyday life. Here's a few that I thought were especially worthy of contemplating...

1. When I have no intention of obeying a Bible command, I say it's not meant to be taken literally.
2. A lot of what I thought was my personality was just sin.
3. Living in regret of the past, or fear of the future, are two ways of not living at all.
4. Talent is good, but faithfulness is better.
5. If you wait for better times to "Rejoice in the Lord" you will never do it.
6. Praising and thanking God all day long are the only cure I've found for depression.
7. If you're not dead yet there is still time to repent.
8. The longer I live the truer the Bible gets.

These are only a few that really spoke to me. If you want to read more you'll have to buy the book....

Have a great Sunday!

At last....a clothesline! Thanks Dad!

I don't usually air my laundry for all the internet folks to see but this one is special. Here's a photo of my new clothesline which my Dad made while he was visiting. We talked for many years about making something to hang clothes outside but just couldn't agree on where and how. My parents couldn't quite get over my hanging clothes on the front porch railing and over outside chairs & talked us through how to construct an actual clothesline in our back yard. This morning I hung up my first load - it worked wonderfully. I look forward to taking off fresh white laundry this afternoon. P.S. For those of you thinking it looks like it's hanging a bit low - we fixed that. Just a little tightening & a small purchase at the hardware store & there's no sag...

Mom & Dad's Visit

We've enjoyed the company of my Mom & Dad this last week. Here's a few shots of some of our outings - Mt. Baker and Hovander Park. The day we went up Mt. Baker was absolutely beautiful - the sun was shining and the snow was melting. We met a bear on the way up - a large bear which we think was a young grizzly was walking on the side of the road. When we stopped and opened our window to take a better look, it lay down and put his head on it's paws like it was bored with us. None of us thought this was boring in the least!! I have a closer shot but cannot figure out how to rotate it.

Showers...indoors and out!

During the last week of school we helped the gr. 3/4 students throw a shower for their teacher, Miss K. The kids each gave a bag of bulbs and together bought a bird bath. Miss K. is getting married in Australia in July and will come back to teach as Mrs. F. The students had a lot of fun playing a dress up game and tying the ribbon in Miss K's hair. Not only did we have showers indoors but plenty outdoors as well. Our spring has been extremely cold and wet - lots of clouds and rain. We are looking forward to going straight into summer - soon!!!

Another good book....

Our "book study club" finished another great book titled "Instruments in the Redeemer's Hands" by Paul David Tripp. The subtitle is "People in Need of Change Helping People in Need of Change". Using the words from the back of the book "It will guide anyone who wants to give real help to others, the saving help that is found in Christ's redeeming work". It was well worth reading - I highly recommend it.

Another week... another year...

This week was busy - our Tuesday morning bible study met for the last time this year and we ended it with a brunch. It has been a good year - I led this year with Mrs. J. and we studied the book of Amos. We used "You Only" by Rev. P. Feenstra and found it to be a good study guide. I am done my term so it was my last meeting. I promised myself that just because I will now have more free time I should not go & commit to something else.

It was also our last day at the school library - at least it was the last day we will be open to students. If you are a librarian you will know that it doesn't mean the last day of work. We will need to collect all outstanding books, do inventory, print reports and run after fines and lost books. It was a good year - but it becomes more of a challenge to stay motivated after 5 years. You get a bit of repetition after a while & you need to find fresh & exciting ideas for talks to the students. I hope to enroll in a Children's Literature class of WWU this coming fall - that is IF I can get over the fear of being the oldest student in the class...

Yesterday was also AK's 9th birthday. It's hard to believe he's already that old. He had 7 friends over from gr. 3/4. I had arranged to be at the Bellingham YMCA to climb the rock wall there. So the theme of rock climbing came out in his cake (at least I tried). They are also studying rocks in class so it was really neat. There was one 30 foot wall & another 65 foot (if I remember correctly) and 3 "belayers". They mostly stayed on the 30 ft. wall - which was challenging enough. About half of them made it to the top - they each tried at least 10 times. By the end, their arms felt like rubber. It was a great way to expend some "boy" energy. I was very disappointed when I realized I had forgotten my camera - sorry, no photos.

Today it is Sports Day at our school and we are at B. Fields. I had the gr. 3/4 girls for the day - a very sweet group of girls. They had a lot of fun trying to beat their PB's and making points for their team. I "snuck" home for a bit to change and do some laundry & then got sidetracked onto the computer. I should run back & see how their baseball game is going - till next time!

Pitt Lake

This past weekend was a beautiful one - very warm & sunny. We planted most of our veggie garden - at least what would fit. I had to hold myself back from making it larger - I get excited & forget what it takes to weed, harvest & freeze things. It started out as a small patch with just enough to eat from during the summer - but I'm afraid it grew larger!

This past Monday Jocelyn left with her Gr. 9/10 class to stay over at the Elk's Camp in Aldergrove. They made day trips from there. I drove them to camp on Monday & they went Geo Caching at the park that day. I went up Tuesday morning to drive them to Pitt Lake (BC). It started out quite rainy & cold but it got better. We had a beautiful canoe trip to a place where we hiked to an amazing falls. A few girls had very long faces & little energy to canoe & hike, but amazingly found lots of energy to stay up late to sneak out to the boys' cabin... I must say, the hike was not an easy one with many areas totally covered with mud & water from the quick melt this past weekend & from the high levels of snow from the winter. My body is feeling the extra physical activity & I took a friend's advice - a long hot bath with a glass of red wine... ahhhh.....

Junior/Senior Trip - they're off!!

Tonight Henry & I drove to Seattle airport (yes, again...) to bring the Jr & Sr class and chaperones to the airport. This has been a long anticipated trip for all of them. They've done a ton of fundraising - mostly in the form of working very hard at various places - cleaning, painting, landscaping. etc. They have an amazing list of places they hope to see. To see the itinerary and follow their travels check out their blog at www.washingtondc-08.blogspot.com. It will be quiet around here and we'll all miss Lorelle a lot. We'll pray for safe travels and God's blessings on all of them.

Piano Festival...

The past few days have been somewhat stressful since Lorelle was working hard to prepare for her big class trip to Washington, DC. As well, she was planning for her first ever participation in the Abbotsford Piano Festival. She had been sick for a week & this put the pressure on to practice, practice, practice... She played two pieces from memory - one from a Canadian composer & another was a romantic piece. Both were adjudicated by the same woman - she was very helpful and instructive. It was a great "first experience" and a much needed confidence booster. Both pieces she was awarded a second place - definitely reason to stop and buy a donut at Tim Horton's. Yaaah... the pressure is off and we can begin packing for Washington, DC!!!

Congratulations - Fourth Place!

After listening to 12 very brave and capable speakers, Hannah was awarded fourth place in the quad school speech contest. Here she is afterwards with her teacher, Miss VB, who coached the 5/6 class these past few weeks. She is completing her first year of teaching & is doing a great job!

Hannah's Speech

Oh...I forgot one thing! Hannah's class has been preparing for the speech competition at our school. Actually, it's a Gr. 6/7 competition and three kids from each class are chosen to give their speech to the school and others who like to listen. Hannah was chosen as one from her class. So we listened today to these speeches - they all did a great job. Public speaking is something I missed in elementary school - and believe me it's much too late to change when you're an adult. Well, she was chosen as one of the three from our school to go on to the quad school Public Speaking Competition in Yarrow, BC this Friday. Her speech was on Foster Care & and I think she made a great speach... I get a lump in my throat each time I hear it. We wish her well on Friday.