Ten on Thursday

1.  It would be such a blessing if you could say a prayer that Melinda and Samuel will travel safely to meet Tyler tomorrow at the American border.  Edward and Linda (Mel's NS parents) will drive them.  Please pray for their safety on the roads and that Samuel will be able to handle all the time in his carseat (16 hours total driving time).  It's going to be a very joyful reunion when Daddy meets these 2!! 

2.  It's very good to be home again!

3.  I came home very inspired to try new recipes and be adventurous in the kitchen.  We'll see how that translates :))

4.  Ali Edwards did a post titled "Right  Now" yesterday.  Go and read it - and be inspired to document what's happening in your life at this very minute.

5.  I received a lovely fabric bag from The Green Bag Lady in the mail this week, which I had won earlier this spring during the Blog Giveaway Carnival.  Teresa is on a mission to move people away from paper and plastic bags and over to fabric bags.  Mine is #5811 and it's the brightest, coolest bag for summer.  

6.  I love looking out of airplane windows!  This is as we were descending to land in Ottawa the other day. 

7.  I love checking Her Space His Space My Space for the daily one word photography challenge.  Today's word was DIRT - and this is what the dirt in my pots is growing.

8.  And while we're on the topic of dirt, Bob worked long and hard and has a wonderful green garden growing this summer!!  He did so much work while I was gone and it looks spectacular.  It was the best present ever!!!

9.  Wrapping a few presents for Jerry and Meadow's birthdays this weekend.  That little family now has 4 birthdays to celebrate within the last 11 days of June!!

10.  I went for a 40 minute bike ride at the lake this evening and  I even managed to get the bike chain back on after it came off :))  It was a great ride - one I hope to repeat many, many more times this summer. 

Project 365

I'm sure many of you have heard about, and are probably doing,  Project 365 as outlined by Becky Higgins and featured in lots of places around the web. In short, it's a photo project where you take one picture each day for a whole year.   Heather did "Photo A Day" last year (yes, she has a photo for every. single. day in 2008 -  how cool is that!) and I kind of started but then we went away for a long time and I never came back to it.  I've decided I'd like to try again this year and was trying to figure out some way to post them without having to sign up (and pay!) at Typepad.  

Well, yesterday Heather Ann Melzer posted a link to ShutterCal where you can sign up and create your calendar of photos.  And, equally important, you can view and be inspired by many other incredible photographers!  I have my calendar started over there and I think this is going to be a great way to archive the daily photos.  Go check it out and then come back and link me to your calendar so I can marvel and cheer you on!

Merry, Merry Christmas!

May you enjoy a wonderful day with your loved ones, rejoicing in the light that comes with His birth. May He fill your heart with the gifts of peace and love and your soul with His joy and energy.

Image of the Day

Day 24



The stockings - but they never did get hung up this year. The fire was blazing and it just didn't seem like a good idea.

Images of the Day

Interrupted to celebrate Christmas with our family! What a wonderful time it was but they have all gone on to the next gathering now so I have time to carry on with my images of Christmas.

Day 23

The 4th Sunday in Advent

Today the last of these 4 banners was hung in our church






Day 22

O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree!!









And everything's ready underneath!!

Image of the Day

Day 21



For many years I've been part of an annual cookie exchange with some of the staff at school. And even though I'm on leave this year, they invited me to participate (I think they just wanted my poppycock!!) and I was happy to be included. So I took 10 bags of poppycock and came home with 10 other treats - good deal!! Now you can find everything from Shortbread to Chocolate Chip Cookies to Carrot Loaf to Chocolate Peanut Clusters in my cookie tins. The best part of course was seeing everyone and catching up on some visiting. Thanks, My Friends!!

Down Memory Lane - I remember the very first cookie exchange I ever participated in probably 25 years ago. It was arranged by my sister-in-law Rose and another friend, Linda (who has since passed away). There were about 15 or 18 people in it and I made Honey Cookies. It was a lot of cookies to bake with 4 little ones in our home that year! I wish I had a picture of that one!

Image of the Day

Day 20



From this (which has been in my stash for 5 or 6 years!!) -




to these which are gracing the windows in our dining room and kitchen!!




I just love how these turned out!! And I'm quite proud of myself for getting something sewed again. I think I'm going to tackle some other projects in the new year. Goodness knows, I have piles of fabric just waiting for some lovin'!!

And it's only 2 sleeps until our kids are all home for our Christmas celebrations! I have decided to leave off baking cookies - much to Bob's delight which quite surprises me because I think you can never have too many cookies! Tomorrow is going to be a day of tidying, floor scrubbing and moving some piles to less obvious corners. The potatoes are mashed and just need to be warmed, the turkey is in the fridge thawing and so our preparations are nearly complete. Grampa's job tomorrow is getting the swings up outside so the little girls can have some fun and fresh air partway through the day. Off to wrap some more presents and stuff some stockings (really I just want to collapse in bed but this really needs to get done). Good thing I'm a night owl :))

Image of the Day

Day 19



This is a Partylite candle holder that I've had for many years and it continues to make me happy. I love how the tree glows when there's a candle lit inside it. I took this picture during the day - I'll try to post another one with it actually showing the candlelight. You can't really tell but the table runner is a beautiful embroidered piece from Europe that Mel and Tyler gave me last year for Christmas. Our home is looking very festive these days! I hope you are enjoying your decorations too.

Christmas Tree Treasures

Morning Glory hosted a Christmas Tree Treasures event earlier this month but I've waited to do it until we had our tree up. Thanks for the questions, MG!

This is also serving as my Image of the Day #18 entry today.

* The tree topper. Why do you use the one you have and what's special about it?



Last year I finally found a star that you could plug in to light up the top of our tree. We had one that I'd bought two years after we got married but one year some of it melted together (luckily it didn't melt anything else!) so it had to be replaced. It took me a few years to find one - most of them didn't have lights in them. My grandmother always had a star at the top of tree, leading us to Him.


* The tree skirt. Do you use one? Is there something unusual about yours? Did you make it or was it a special gift from someone?



My mom made this patchwork tree skirt for me many years ago and it's always under our tree. I like how full and round it is, making a perfect circle.


* What goes on your tree first? Is there one particular ornament that you traditionally hang first? What's the story behind that.






My parents gave me both of these ornaments in 1971, after a trip they took to New York and Philadelphia. They always go on the tree first along with a gold ceramic star that's also very old. These are my oldest ornaments. I don't have any from when I was a child - I need to ask my Mom about that and see if there are some that she still uses on her tree.


* Your favorite ornament that your children made when they were young.



Darrin made this star in 1981 when he was in kindergarten class at Sunday School. The girls have taken all their ornaments now that they have their own homes.


* Which is your favourite Christmas ornament?
I can't answer this question! I simply cannot pick just one - every ornament has so many memories attached to it, which is what makes them each so special. Perhaps I'll share a few with you in the days ahead.

Image of the Day

Day 17

Now that our tree is up, I can show you some of our beautiful ornaments.



This is our newest decoration, a clay bell, purchased in Krakow, Poland in September. We've made it a tradition to purchase an ornament when we are visiting other places around the world and this one will always remind me of the time that we visited Mel and Tyler while they were living in Poland. And it's painted with some of my favourite colors too! The back of it has 'Krakow" painted it.

Image (s) of the Day

Day 16

The Day of the Tree












This was the first time that Bob and I have gone to get a tree. It's always been something our kids have done with him - but times change when everyone grows up, moves away and gets married. It was a day for new memories!

Image of the Day

On the 15th day of Christmas,
my true love gave to me -



A spruce partridge in a cranberry tree (outside our window).

Image (s) of the Day

Day 14 - Christmas in the Barn

Our neightbors hosted the connunity on Friday night - how realistic to be there as the story was reenacted.



The sheep




The cow and her calf




The angel




The shepherds came to the manger




Mary and Joseph (with the pianist in the background)




The Wisemen




One tired shepherd and his dog




And when the shepherds returned home - it was back to normal life!!

Image of the Day

Day 13






The story of our Christmas stockings tradition for the Christmas album I'm making.

Image of the Day

Day 12



This wreath greets you as you come to our door. I love natural things so this is a pine wreath - someday I'm going to learn to make one myself.

Image of the Day

Day 11



Took a sleigh ride to the post office this afternoon to mail a box to Auntie Mel and Uncle Tyler (they're spending Christmas in Nova Scotia with Tyler's family - but we wish they were going to be here!).

Image of the Day

Day 10



We had snow overnight again - it's definitely going to be a white Christmas here.


Day 9



Title pages for a small Christmas book I'm creating that will share why I love this time of year so much!


Day 8



Part of my large collection of Christmas tins (several of them are already filled and in the freezer)

Image of the Day

Day 7
Every year I try to do one or two new things for Christmas and this magazine has totally inspired me this year. It was the beautiful colors on the cover that first caught my eye in the store and the inside is just as awesome as the outside. Whether you want new recipes, decorating ideas, ways to wrap gifts or ideas for a 'greener' Christmas, you'll find them here. If you only buy one magazine this month, I highly recommend this one! Now, go forth and purchase (to paraphrase Pioneer Woman!).

Image of the Day

Chocolate Blueberry Pecan Bark and White Chocolate Cranberry Pistachio Bark

Crossed another thing off my to-do list! And it tastes pretty good too!!

Image(s) of the Day

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Poppycock! And I'm sorry but this is my heritage recipe and it's one of only 2 that I won't share. The secret stays in our family but I happily make many batches to share with friends and in the annual cookie exchange. Do you have any heritage recipes that are closely guarded secrets? I think it's a marvelous way to have a signature item!

Image of the Day

Making perogies for Christmas dinner