Lists of 2012 - #29

Listography 2012 - #29 - (Just Some of the) Books I Want to Read

1.  The Secret Lives of Dresses by Erin McKean

2.  Gold by Chris Cleave

3. Ripe: A Cook in the Orchard by Nigel Slater

4.  Chocolat, The Girl With No Shadow, Peaches for Monsieur le Cure' (2 more books that continue the story begun in Chocolat) by Joanne Harris

5.  Lots of Candles, Plenty of Cake by Anna Quindlen

6.  The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh

7.  The Golden Scales by Parker Bilal

8.  Earth's Children #5 - Shelter's of Stone by Jean Auel

     Earth's Children #6 - The Land of Painted Caves by Jean Auel

9.  Lipstick in Afghanistan by Roberta Gately

10.  Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese

11.  Half the Sky by Nicholas D. Kristof

12.  Cinderella Ate My Daughter:  Dispatches from the Front Lines of the New Girlie-Girl Culture by Peggy Orenstein

Gratitude Gifts Today

$4432 - #4472

- the seasons moving along steadily, no matter what
- grandchildren playing with sounds as they learn and listen
- being home
- buying groceries
- thrift store finds

- supplies for chickens
- apologizing
- a cool basement on hot days
- weed-free rows
- finishing a stack of sewing projects

- mending completed
- lightning flashing across the sky
- showers of rain
- last jars of the 2011 harvest
- more pots for transplanting, an unexpected find

- Egyptian dress and all the memories of that trip
- taco salad
- cool breeze blowing in the windows
- water hoses running on garden rows
- leaves of crinkled spinach

- polished toenails
- special gifts
- putting books on hold at the library
- beautiful rose blossoms
- hay bales rolled up, dotting fields around the countryside

- driving on country roads
- weekend plans
- little yellow zucchini forming on big green plants
- new varieties of vegetables in the garden
- yellow and orange marigolds for the garden

- company for Sunday dinner
- a whole meal from the garden and the sea
- time at the lake with little ones
- pails and pails of strawberries picked
- help with getting them in the freezer

- strawberry pie
- so much goodness provided by God
- amazing growing conditions, a gift from Him
- reading in His word
- bedtime prayers from our grandchildren

Hello, Monday

Hello middle of July!

Hello rain - you were much needed and greatly appreciated!

Hello leftovers.

Hello roses - how nicely you are growing now.

Hello clean house.

Hello frozen strawberries.

Hello afternoon tea with friends.

Hello last of the transplants - finally.

Hello time for sewing.

Hello time for letter-writing.

Hello grosbeaks eating the saskatoon berries right outside my kitchen window.

Hello last piece of strawberry pie.

Hello new week!

Five on Friday

1.  Ann Voskamp, from A Holy Experience,  and her family continue to amaze and inspire and bring me to tears.  She is in Haiti this week with her son Caleb, doing amazing things!


2.  Did you know there are three Friday the 13ths this year?  January 13th, April 13th and today.  And did you know they are all 13 weeks apart?  (Randomness from the Scrapbook & Cards Today blog)


3.  It's been so very hot here all week and we've had to start the water running on the apple trees, the saskatoon and raspberry bushes.  Today we moved on to soak the cucumbers and peas in the garden.   


4,  We caught a few chickens this morning and weighed them just to see how big they are getting to be.  We had a 4 lb. hen and 5 and 6 lb. roosters.  They are growing great and I have a butchering date all booked :)


5.  This week's featured item from the garden is beets!  We've had sauteed beet greens, borscht (beet soup), hot beets with butter and a beet and walnut salad.  Tonight I'm going to roast some and try another salad idea.  

Spinach and Beet Salad 

from Eating Well.com

Lists of 2012 - #28

Listography 2012 - #28 - The Best Part About Getting Older

1.  I get to be the adoring grandmother of 8 wonderful little people!

2.  Playing pretend games, jumping on the trampoline, building forts, dancing and singing, reading books and making messes are wonderful ways to spend a day.

3.  Staying up late and sleeping in.

4.  Time takes on a new meaning and new perspectives.

5.  Helping others and sharing what I have.

6.  Having an attitude of adventure + a longing to learn more = great travel opportunities.

7.  Knowing what I like to be surrounded with in my home including photos of those I love, books, bright colours, and fresh flowers.

8.  Memories of childhood that creep back into my thoughts.

9.  Watching my children marry their life partners and become amazing parents.

10.  Knowing that laughter and tears are good for the soul.

11.  Resting in God's assurance that He has it all under control and I only need to love and trust Him.

12.  Having so many friends and family members to share my life's journey.

Gratitude Gifts Today

- 

#4377 - #4432

- printing pictures, lots of pictures
- smiling over the memories
- recalling stories for my Dad's 80th birthday
- seeing the absolute joy in our son's eyes as a new father
- cousins crowding around her

- flourless chocolate cake with whipped cream, strawberries and blueberries
- gifts read:  good books to get lost in, reading to grandchildren, lists for a new week
- recipes written down
- online advice on how to garden and how to raise chickens
- neighbors coming for supper

- rhubarb, saskatoon and strawberry crisp
- little helpers with the chickens
- all the room that Canada offers
- new potatoes + cream + dill = deliciousness!
- lettuce from the garden

- a gift in red: strawberries
- a gift in white:  vanilla ice cream
- a gift in blue: denim jeans
- irises blooming
- phone calls on cell phones

- water droplets on big leaves
- pulling weeds
- chickens happy to peck through the weeds
- garden growing wildly
- rainy days :)

- a day of mending and finishing sewing projects
- clean kitchen counters
- trip planning
- walnuts in salad
- healthy crops in the fields

- a gorgeous scenic trip
- mountain goats right outside the car window
- American and Canadian flags blowing side by side
- sweeping vistas
- Weeping Wall of melting snow water, right outside the car window

- colorful wildflowers
- one-hour shopping trips
- 70% off sales
- exploring
- eating together

- fresh cherries
- photos through the years all proudly displayed
- picking fresh peas
- shrimp and snow peas sauteed in butter and garlic
- a walk through a new neighbourhood

- wild turkeys in the driveway
- visiting with cousins
- surprise Sunday afternoon barbecues
- taking Bob's parents to visit Darrin & Kelsey and Heather & Jonathan
- wild hugs and enthusiasm from grandchildren when we arrive

- 1000 miles safely driven
- God's amazing creation
- that His love is as wide as the big blue sky
- praise music
- words of wisdom found in the Bible

The Weekend Lens in July, part 2

We took a little road trip this weekend and drove with Bob's parents to Kalispell, Montana to visit Mom's sister and some of her family.  The two sisters had a great visit, reminiscing and laughing about times when they were young.

It was very hot and that, combined with a record-setting amount of rainfall in June, has made for awesome growing conditions.  This garden had the biggest leaves of spinach that I have ever seen!  Mine are positively measly compared to Uncle Philip's!

On our journey down we decided to take the scenic route around Waterton Parks and through Glacier National Park.

The Going-to-the-Sun road is breathtakingly beautiful with wide mountain vistas! 

 This 50 mile long road took 10 years to build in the 1920's and is now a National Historic Landmark.  

The road opened on June 15th this year and there was still lots of snow around.

We crossed the Continental Divide at Logan Pass.

This section of road is called The Loop and it winds right along the side of the mountain.    The rock railings along the edge of the road (that you can see here) are being historically restored.

As we came around near the end of The Loop, you could see far down into the valley.  In the center of the photo is a waterfall that splits.

You can park your car at either end and then use the shuttle system to explore the area.  At every lookout point the parking lots were full of cars.  The park was being enjoyed by lots of people this weekend.  

These three mountain goats were right along the side of the road!  It's the first time we've seen the elusive goats while driving through the mountains. 

I can see why this drive is considered one of the most scenic mountain drives in North America!

Fun fact:  "Glacier has some of the darkest skies around and is an ideal lace for viewing many celestial wonders." (from the Glacier Visitor Guide)  So there's an educational programs, 'Half the Park Happens After Dark", which provides an opportunity to see the night sky in all its glory.  They even do laser guided constellation tours.  Cool!

The Weekend Lens in July

Canada Day - the perfect day to gather as a family - and to celebrate a baby!  Our families gathered on July 1st and Peyton was the star attraction :)  Everyone got to meet her and hold her and love on her!

There were lots of presents - 

and cute clothes - 

and even some dress-up clothes!

Her little closet is filling up and she's absolutely adored by all of us!

Five on Friday

Some links for you to check out today:

1.  Where Children Sleep by Bruce Mollison is a beautiful book with incredible pictures of children and their bedrooms around the world.    Check it out - each picture has so much to say about the culture of the child!

2.  The Top 5 Condiments to Eat - and the Ones to Avoid is a postt related to healthy eating.  Good stuff to know now that summer is in full swing.

3.  Mary at Owlhaven linked to the Bountiful Baskets program in her community this week.  I love the concept of cooperative buying of fresh produce so I went to their website to investigate more.  Does anyone know if there's a similar program in Canada?  I so want to participate!!

4.  While on that little trip through the worldwide web, I found this post  Mangoes 101.  It de-mystifies the whole question of how to cut a mango!

5.  What the World Eats is an interesting pictorial look at weekly food consumption in several countries around the world.   It's really got me thinking about what our picture would look like for one week.  How about yours??

Lists of 2012 - #27

Listography 2012 - #27 -  Things About Me

1.  I love being a grandmother and adore each of our grandchildren :)

2.  Book stores and fabric stores always call out to me when I am near them.

3.  Gardening and growing things is slowly 'growing' on me.

4.  A day when I can create something in my studio or at my sewing machine is a good day.

5.  I love traveling!  On my bucket list are the British Isles, Australia, New Zealand, Scandinavia, Ukraine, India, Chile, Antarctica, South Africa, each of the US states - I could go on and on.

6.  Relationships matter more than things to me.

7.  Chai lattes and iced tea are my favourite beverages.

8.  I love bright colors - in clothes, in decorating, in fabric, in paper, in flowers, . . .

9.  Having my bathroom redone by one of those 'come to renovate your house and film our TV show' crews would be a dream come true.

10.  Supporting causes for women and children in developing countries is near and dear to my heart.

11.  A dream of mine is to take each of our grandchildren (individually, when they are older)  on a special travel experience.

12.  Reading and encouraging others to read is a total passion for me.

Creating

Two days before Peyton's baby shower, I got the idea to make a little banner for her.  I have no problem dreaming up projects and thank goodness, I got this one put together in time!

I used 3 red cotton prints that I had in my stash, cut out the letters and zigzagged them on to the banner pieces.

The banner was hung on the "gift boxes" - crates from the John Deere dealership that our son might be able to re-purpose and use in his garage!

It's amazing for me to have two projects finished in one weekend!  It's a rainy, windy day here today so I'm heading to my sewing space for more fun :)

Creating

On my list of projects for this year was the line "sewing for babies".  It's taken a while but at long last I finished a baby quilt for Peyton and gave it to her this weekend.

It's a strip rag quilt with 3 flannel patterns on the front.

I love how the seams opened up and almost look like little ruffles.

It was my first time sewing minky, that lovely thick plush fabric that is found in so many baby quilts.  It's good to be challenged and learn something new, right?!  The #1 thing I learned was to pin, pin, pin and pin some more when sewing with it.  But the end result was so worth it - a quilt back with the most wonderful feel and texture.  I just wanted to keep smoothing and stroking it!  I think the back is softer and cuddlier than the front.

Here's the dedication panel, my favourite addition to the back of every quilt that I've sewed.

I'm so happy to have made this.  I hope it will be a reminder for our granddaughter that she is loved and cherished so very much.

Gratitude Gifts Today

#4314 - #4377

- time and all the moments God gives me to fill
- early morning time, just a grandson and I
- cooking supper
- Mamas who choose to use natural products
- two boys having baths at the same time, one big and one very little

- vehicles lined up and pretend play
- playing baseball outside, learning to be a better pitcher so he can hit it every time
- mothers and babies nursing
- little head bobbing on my shoulder
- Thai Quinoa Salad for lunch
- photographer to capture the first new days

- bright colours on houses
- beautiful birth announcement showing our son and his family
- sunshine + sand + water = good times
- golden evening light gilding pink rosebushes alongside the house
- sewing when the house is quiet
- phoning to sing "Happy Birthday"

- food at Farmer's Markets
- conversation around the table
- Bible reading after every meal
- discussing stories and what God is telling us
- building edible creations

- hearing "Gramma, do you want to play hockey / play baseball / read books / play with me?"\
- fridge full of good food
- friends sharing baby things with Mel
- tea at the end of the day
- Malachi sleeping through loud praise music at church

- gifts found in someone older than me: my Auntie Ruth who always does cleanup at family gatherings, my Mom who serves faithfully in her community, my Auntie Irma whose door is always open with warm hospitality
- the play space at Chapter's
- wading pool swim for Samuel after soccer practice
- gifts found in fabric: warm and plush ivory minky for a quilt back, ocean print flannel for a car seat cover, little squares of soft flannel for baby wipes, cupcake fabric for birthday pillowcases
- gift in hard beautiful: having to say good-bye and fly home

- "Gramma, your daughter is really going to miss you when you go home. "
- after a few minutes of thinking, "Gramma,  your grandsons are really going to miss you when you home."
- "And I'm going to miss you all so much when I have to go home."
- drawings and photos scattered around the house
- good friends who wait half the night for delayed planes
- 2 coolers full of fish

- both of us home again
- lunch - all freshly caught or freshly picked
- summertime weiner roast
- birthday parties
- watching them open gifts, smiling and delighted with each one

- happy chickens
- weeds out of the garden
- finishing sewing projects
- year-end lunch together
- trading tomato plants for eggs

- baby shower
- Canada Day family gathering, everyone in red and white
- peonies from gardens
- cuddling Peyton
- four generation pictures

- God's abundance to me and to our family
- new little ones held by the older ones
- gifts, gifts, gifts for babies and birthdays
- my sister
- feeling oh, so very blessed

Writing

Linds linked to The Gypsy Mama and her Five Minute Friday project today, which inspired me to write on her prompt "Dance".

I first learned to dance when I was 16 and began dating the man who would five years later become my husband.  I was raised in a home where my parents weren't dancers so the world of music and motion was a new one to me.  But I had an awesome teacher :) , community dances were popular at the time and so I soon learned how to waltz, polka, and two-step.   We spent many Saturday nights whirling around wooden dance floors and having a ton of fun.

In my first year of university, I audited a social dance class and was introduced to square and round dancing.  Classes were led by a pair of senior citizens in the gym and my roommate convinced me to sign up.  The girls had to wear red skirts and white blouses and even had a year-end dance evening.  It was fun for sure and I still remember some of the techniques we learned.  Bob and I took dance classes in our community one winter so we could learn to jive together.

I love to watch ballroom dancers and "Dancing with the Stars" is one of my favourite TV shows.  When we visited Argentina, the tango dancers were fascinating with their dramatic moves.

I wish we danced more often these days but the occasions to do so are few and far between.  The memories I have of all those long ago nights when my feet so easily followed my love's lead still make me smile and I'll follow him onto the dance floor whenever he might ask!

Bob dancing with Helayna

at D & K's wedding

Five on Friday

1.  Bob went fishing off Prince Rupert on the west coast and came home with some lovely salmon and halibut.  Our freezer is stocked up for some great meals this summer.

2.  We did a little birthday celebrating with our June birthday grandchildren this week.  How can it be six and three years since they joined our family?!

3.  Our chickens have morphed from cute cuddly bits of yellow fluff to big white birds who eat and drink a lot these days.

4.  Our dinner yesterday included some of the halibut, new baby potatoes, sauteed beet greens and a spinach salad.  Everything except the fish was grown on our land.  It's such a great feeling to eat food that you've grown.

First picking of radishes and spinach from the garden

5.  Prudent Baby has great instructions for making simple boys' pants.  I wish my days had more hours in them so I could get some of these cute things actually made instead of just adding them to my Pinterest boards!

Lists of 2012 - #26

Listography 2012 - #26 - Things I Love About Canada

Canada Day cookies by The Vanilla Bean Baker

1.  Our red and white flag

2.  The four seasons

3.  Cold weather that eliminates many insects and snakes

4.  Long summer evenings

5.  Big sky and beautiful sunsets

6.  Our coloured money

7.  The variety of geographic regions, each with its own beauty

8.  Amazing food like apples, salmon, saskatoons, lobster, ice cream, and

9.  The Rocky Mountains (and living so close to them)

10.  The abundant water we have in rivers and lakes

11.  The stories our immigrants brought with them

12.  The way we celebrate everything from Canada Day to hockey's Stanley Cup playoffs

and a bonus one -

13.  Our international reputation for helping and being good people