...and it's gone

the bus that is. As another school year comes to an end so does Wayne's bus driving days. It's officially now summer around here. I hope that means we can soon update the neglected flowerbeds, transplant some shrubs, remove old and plant new trees.

It feels like we're behind so much this year; it's likely because this time last year we had to have everything done to be ready for the wedding.

So here's to looking forward to many days of freshening up the yard and enjoying our time outside.

Blessings

Another day, another anniversary

for my mom & dad, celebrating 47 years of marriage.

Congratulations!

Blessings

Once upon a time

there was a beautiful princess, who married her prince charming exactly one year ago today. During the garden wedding ceremony in front of the many family & friends, they pledged their love and devoted themselves to each other.

.... and they are living happily ever after

Blessings

HIS promise

After last nights storm I was encouraged to see this. It reminds me of the promise when God said in Genesis 9: 13 - 16 "I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life. Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth.”

Blessings

Summertime

ah yes!! summer!

Today, according to the summer solstice anyway, is the official first day of summer and it's the only day of the year where we get the most daylight hours.

This song

always reminds me of summer.

Blessings

Jammin'

With the strawberry season in full swing, Krystle & I got together today to make a several batches of the most scrumpt-diddily-umptios jam. We were busy for several hours, hulling, chopping, blending, mixing, stirring, pouring and freezing all those strawberries. and of course, only Krystle can make making jam such a fun time! Blessings

Early Morning Visitor

With the beautiful summer-like weather, I find myself quite often enjoying my morning cup of tea sitting outside on the deck. Over a month ago, I placed this hanging basket that I purchased from Huron Ridge Acres filled with petunia, calibrachoa & verbena, all purple, of course! As I sit outside enjoying my early morning cuppa I quite often have an early morning visitor. When I first heard the loud buzz, I figured there was a bee, but no it was a tiny little humming bird which are unfortunately very difficult to photograph. I love watching her sip nectar from several different flowers and I definitely don't mind sharing my flowers with her.

Blessings

Date night

Tina Fey + Steve Carell = A funny and heartwarming film. "Date Night" is a movie about a couple, named the Fosters, who are running in the biggest rut of their life. They want to spark it up, and decide that one night they will change up the routine. So they go into the city and try to get into a new popular restaurant. But when it's full, Phil decides to take the reservation of a couple who doesn't show up. While they're having dinner two men approach them and instructs them to stand up and go with them. They think the men are with the restaurant and want to talk to them about taking someone else's reservation. But it appears the couple whose reservation they took crossed someone and the two men work for this person...

What follows is a nice mix of comedy and inner conflict that brings you deeper into the story. There are moments of heart-to-heart talks and moments that could make you cry-- from laughing or from understanding. Thankfully though on our "date night" last night, nothing like that happened. Could you imagine? We went to the local pub, had a bite to eat, {without taking any one's reservation} enjoyed a nice relaxing walk on the beach and came home.

Blessings

a few fave's

Shopping at Costco, tea at Starbucks, spending time with Aunt Ginny, are just a few of my favourite things. When you put all those together into one day, well..... that's about as close to a perfect day as I can get.

With both our crazy schedules; time to spend with Aunt Ginny is few and far between. So when we found out we were both available on Thursday (today) we decided to get together. Since she'd never been to Costco, I thought it would be fun to show her around as part of our day. Of course no visit to London is complete without a Starbucks treat. Even though technically she is my "aunt", I consider her to be one of my closest friends.

Time well spent? - i think so!

Blessings

G-man

Our daughter married an awesome guy who happens to be celebrating his birthday today. Shortly after Krystle & Gerard (or simply known as G around our house) started dating, Krys left for post-secondary school. When we would go visit her we quite often had an extra young lad along, for he too wanted to hang out with our girl. Those long drives back and forth from Cambridge allowed us opportunity to really get to know and love this guy that captured our girl's heart.

As their relationship grew into an engagement and only last year the wedding, we watched as Gerard became a man who takes his responsibilities seriously. Not only does he love his wife, but he cares well for her. He loves her unconditionally, provides for her and for her well-being. Really, that's' all a parent can ask for. We are so thankful that Gerard has joined our family.

Happy Birthday G!!! May you be blessed today and always. Love Mom & Dad.

Blessings

Time, time, who's got the time

well, thanks to my wonderful son-in-law, I do!

After seeing something like this, I asked him if he could make me one and he did!

It's absolutely perfect, now when we're outside and want to know the time we do not have to go inside the house to check, we can just look at my sweet new clock.

Blessings

Hello/Good-bye

This past weekend our son Kyle came home for a few days to spend time with his friends, catch up with the family and enjoy some of my homemade cooking.

While it was fun to say hello and welcome him home it was very difficult when we had to say good-bye.

Before we knew it, the weekend was over, and he was headed back to Orillia. Why is it that time seems to go so quickly when you're having fun?

Most days I am OK with him living away from home, but every once in a while I get that overwhelming sense of sadness, thankfully those days are rare. So until he's home again, we skype, facebook chat and call each other so we can stay connected.

Blessings

vEggIE pAtch

We planted out vegetable garden yesterday- finally! With all the rain and thunderstorms we've been having it's made getting the farm crops out a little later than usual, which pushed everything else later than usual, like planting the garden.

In the movie Wallace & Grommit, they have a huge veggie garden, and my garden too is fairly big. Thankfully though, I don't have to worry about the 'were-rabbit', like they did in the movie, I have to worry about the real live jack rabbit that happens to live in the nearby field. {not sure if you can see him in this picture, but trust me he's there}

We're looking forward to the sumptuous bounty we'll gather at the end of summer from the garden.

Blessings

Thunderstorms

We've had a few thunderstorms with alot of rain the last few days. Did you know that lightening gives off an electrical energy causing oxygen and nitrogen gases in the air to combine to form nitric oxide. This dissolves in the rain and becomes nitric acid. Plants depend on getting some of the nitrogen they need from the electro-chemical reaction which is caused by lightning. It's a natural fertilizer. Rather than complain about the weather, we should thankful since it's less chemicals we need to buy to help our flowerbeds or garden veggies to grow.

Other than a few branches scattered all over the yard, we've been fortunate to have no real damage around here, so it's easier to be thankful. As I drove through the country side and saw huge trees down {one was on top of my friends car - thankfully no one was in it!} and the mess and devastation throughout the local town, I was awed by the power of God.

Blessings

Waitin' on a woman

i love this song!

it's the gentle reminder that i need - you see i am an impatient person, just like at the beginning of the video where he's on the phone waiting and leaving multiple messages sounding more and more frustrated each time - see, that's me - i can get so caught up in my own agenda that often i do not see what's going on around me and can miss important opportunities - at the end of the video where he's patiently waiting, i too need to be reminded to find a bench and wait and to remember that 'all good things come to those that wait'!

blessings

Three Little Girls

My dear neighbour needed a place for three of her five children while she had to go to the airport in London to pick up her parents for their weeks stay. And of course I was more than willing to spend time with these sweet little girls. We coloured, rode bikes, sat in the shade to read, had a bite of lunch, played card games, painted our nails and of course coloured some more. The girls were astonished that I liked to colour as much as they did. In fact I was told that I could invite them over anytime and they would LOVE to colour with me. How cute it that?

Overall it was super fun day, mind you I am tired, I am not used to entertaining so many little people at once.

Blessings

Den

also known as the man room. Or maybe I should clarify that it is formerly known as the "man room". After Krystle left for post-secondary school we kept her bedroom as it was so she would have a place to sleep on those occasions she was home. However in her third year she stayed for the summer and told us she didn't need her room anymore, so we took out the bedroom furniture and made it into more of a den. The boys' quickly dubbed it "the man room", since their TV, game system and "beer" fridge was getting moved in. I was also informed that since it is their room, all farts & burps are accepted - whether girls are present or not. We went through several sets of cheap furniture and for that past year we were using lawn chairs to sit on. Not the most comfortable, but at least we were not on floor. This past weekend I decided that since Kyle was not coming home for the summer we would do a little re-arranging and make the man room - I mean DEN more conducive for reading, watching TV or just chillaxing. So we moved a bed into his room and brought his futon down. ah yes i love it!

Bleesings

Administrative Assistant Day

Each year the MCEC (the larger church organization that ZMC is a part of) hosts a day for all the admins in the group. Yesterday we met and sat through an amazing seminar, {I mean webinar since the speaker wasn't actually there} discussing "Effective Communication" by Yvon Prehn.

In the afternoon we spent time with Stu Steiner who led the session "Finding God in the Everyday". We were encouraged to go outside and intentionally focus on something. Spend 5 minutes and study it, or feel it. As I walked the grounds I thought I would study a beautiful tall Iris but as I wandered I got distracted by a small dandelion. My first thought was "ugh! what can a dandelion teach me about God". Regardless, I sat down and stared at the dandelion and this is what came to me.

The dandelion was created for a purpose and it does what it was created to do. As the strong wind blew, the dandelion bent over but it did not break and then it stood back up and continued to do what it was created to do. Here's my lesson: I too am created for a purpose. As strong winds blow, {trials or troubles}, I need to bend to His will and stand back up and continue to follow His plan and purpose for my life. Who would have thought a simple dandelion could teach me such a valuable lesson, it seems that sometimes the answer is blowin' in the wind.

Blessings