Simple Woman #71

For Today . . . January 11, 2010

Outside my window . . . it's a beautiful balmy winter day with a temperature of +10 degrees C, sun shining, snow melting off the roof and generally feeling alot like spring.  Alas - it's only January and this reprieve from winter will be short-lived - guaranteed!

I am thankful . . . for surrendering to God and living my life according to His plans. 

And I also am thankful . . .  for quiet, restful days at home.

I am praying . . .  that I will be faithful in daily reading and study of scriptures.

I am thinking . . .  about what I should write in the letters I send to my Compassion sponsored children this month.

I am creating . . . still the last page of personal thoughts in my December Daily album.  I worked on finishing lots of little details and journalling today so look for pictures later this week - I love it!

I am celebrating . . .  my friend, Lynnette's 55th birthday today.  Even though I won't see her, I still think of her fondly.

From the kitchen . . . leftover borscht and homemade buns for lunch; Sweet and Sour Spareribs over Brown Rice, Lettuce Salad with Apples and Pecans, Yellow Beans with Butter, and Gingerbread Cake with Lemon Sauce and Whipped Cream( dessert leftover from Bob's birthday).  

I am wearing . . . black yoga pants, matching tshirt, rose coloured fleece jacket and slippers.  

I am reading . . . The Runaway Quilt (from the Elm Creek Quilters series) by Jennifer Chiaverini.  I've wanted to read this series for a long time and I finally ordered it at the library.  I'm learning lots about the Underground Railway and quilting too :)

I am hoping . . .  to get some sewing for Valentine's Day started this week.

I am hearing . . . Oprah on channel 3 TV as she chats with families about spending time together.  

I am going . . . on the treadmill once this post is up!

Around the house and yard . . . the Christmas tree is going out this week.  I'll miss its glow in the corner of the living room but the needles will soon be dropping off in buckets so it's time.  Of course that will mean vacuuming, dusting and rearranging again.  

One of my favourite things . . . finishing projects in my scrapbook studio. 

A few plans for the rest of the week . . .  2 days of subbing, a meeting for a new group that I'm involved with, putting away Christmas decorations, sorting and purging in the basement, maybe entertaining this weekend.

Here is a picture thought I am sharing . .  . snowmobilers and ice fishermen on the lake.  We went for a little drive yesterday and they are out in droves now that the weather is nice.  

You can visit the Simple Woman Daybook to read more entries.

Poetry for a Sunday

.

Another New Year

 by

Phyllis C. Michael

Another new year - what shall I make of it?

God gave it to me as a loan.

Shall I search for earth's cheer with its pretense and take it -

Not bread for my soul but a stone?

Another new year - what shall I gather,

Earth's tinsel, her glitter to show?

Another new year - what would I rather,

A flash or a deep inner glow?

A year full of getting or a year full of giving

The best that I have to give?

A year full of fretting or a year full of living

The way that God wants me to live?

Another new year - what shall I make of it?

God gave me the right to choose.

Another new year - God helping, I'll take it

And give it to Him to use.

Corners of My Home

As part of my Project 365 pictures this year, I want to photograph more of our home.  So yesterday when SouleMama reposted her invitation to join the Flickr pool Corners of My Home, I had to investigate and get on board to participate.

Our Christmas tree always stays up until after Bob's birthday which is also Ukrainian Christmas.  So this corner of the living room is filled with warmth and light at night and green goodness during the sunlight hours.  I will definitely miss all of this when it comes down next week.

So please consider this invitation to share pieces of your home - come over and join in the fun!

Embrace - Week One

2010 is one week old already!  How quickly that passed by!  My one word for this year, as outlined by Ali Edwards,  is EMBRACE and I'm looking forward to living this word this year.  The dictionary definition that I like is:  to adopt, accept, incorporate, welcome.  This year I want to embrace life - to welcome each day with the plans that God has for me, to incorporate more of His living into my words and actions, and to adopt practices that suit a life of intention, simplicity and joy.

After 4 days of working, it was time to EMBRACE a quieter day!  Some reading, some chatting with my husband, some fresh air, some photography, some homemade soup and buns, some Bible study.  

Last night I had to shovel a path through this snowdrift so I could get in to the driveway.  Luckily our neighbor came later with the snowblower and cleared the whole thing.

                                      

Remember this truck from an autumn picture?  It's still there - and covered with snow now.

A skating rink on the lake

Ten on Thursday - Happy Birthday, Bob!

It's been quite a year!

One where you realized one of your dreams,

met 2 new grandsons,

played lots,

tested your skills time and again ,

helped others,

hung out with our kids,

rode many trails,

played lots of games,

and many times reminded me how glad I am that I married you!
Happy, Happy Birthday!

Best of 2009

I'm still working on my review of 2009, as outlined by Gwen Bell - I will get this completed, I promise myself!

December 19 - Car ride  
What did you see? How did it smell? Did you eat anything as you drove there? Who were you with?


Our car ride of the year was the 4000 km ride while on safari in Kenya and Tanzania.  Clarence and Sandra and Albert and Iris were great companions for a once in a lifetime ride in a totally unique vehicle with an amazing driver / guide.  

I love this picture of Chris and Bob in the Ngorongoro Crater with the zebras grazing in the background.

On this drive we saw things we will never see again!  The quantity of mammals living undisturbed in the wild and the photo opportunities we had were unbelievable.  We saw everything from the largest slum in Nairobi (as we drove by) to a Masai village to shopping center towns in the middle of nowhere.  And we saw more than enough rocks and bounced over some very rough roads!!

Gratitude Gifts Today

Today I am grateful for these gifts:

- phone calls from the sub office

- lunch made the night before

- ginger lemon tea

- a warm shower

- Oil of Olay skin creme

- Burt’s Bees colored lip gloss

- good driving conditions

- smiles to greet me in grade 1

- great lesson plans :)

- organized systems for hot lunch orders

- playing games to discover the sounds of letters

- little ones echo reading

- watching pointer fingers follow the words

- eyes lighting up as I hear “Hey, I get it!”

- mini-muffins for snack

- hot chocolate + coffee + flavoured creamer

- helpful colleagues checking in on me

- reading stories 

- beautiful illustrations

- favourite authors

- kids having fun on crazy carpets on the big hill

- warm winter clothes

- Kleenex in my pocket

- cooperation and good natures

- sandwiches

- time to read independently

- math word stories

- “Tell another one!”

- after school visiting

- shared pizza bread

- a pot of tea

- non-stop chatting

- a listening friend

- coming home to supper ready to heat

- popcorn with melted butter

- warm air blowing from the furnace

- a rocking chair

- making lists

- warm gloves

- the last piece of Red Velvet Cake with cream cheese icing

- email messages

- going to bed early

Simple Woman #70

For Today . . . January 4, 2010 (my first entry for this year!)

Outside my window . . . the weather has moderated a bit,  -15 degrees C today - still chilly but the kids at school had fun playing outside, the snow is deep - yesterday I sank in over the tops of my snowmobile boots while putting some compost into the garden area.  The forecast is for moderating and -5 by the weekend.  

I am thankful . . . for a new year - full of new possibilities and opportunities, full of God's goodness and gifts.

And I also am thankful . . .  for an early morning phone call to sub today!  And by the end of the day, 3 more days of subbing were booked :)) 

I am praying . . .  for my nephew as he begins his last semester of mechanical engineering at university.  I know the workload will be heavy and I pray he will have stamina and energy, the knowledge he needs and the confidence to tackle each day and the tasks that need to be completed that day.  

I am thinking . . .  about doing a monthly layout for January.  I am really excited to be doing Project 12 with Heather, Roslyn and other talented scrapbookers.  

I am creating . . . still have the January 1st entry to do in my December Daily album and then I can show it to you!  Hopefully that will happen later this week :)

I am celebrating . . . Bob's birthday on the 7th - it's a big one ending in 9!

From the kitchen . . . Turkey Vegetable Stirfry over Brown Rice, Rhubarb Fluff and Lemon-Ginger Tea.

I am wearing . . . brown cords, white long sleeved tshirt and a brown vest - a typical winter work outfit for me.

I am reading . . . Downtown Owl by Chuck Klosterman, still - trying to finish it to return to the library later this week.  I sure wouldn't have picked this book on my own!

I am hoping . . .  to host a little birthday gathering some time this week.

I am hearing . . . Highly Favoured by Amy Grant, Michael W. Smith and the Watoto Children's Choir (from the Compassion Art album).  This is an amazing song!  Go here to preview the album - and then go and find one to add to your collection.  

Around the house and yard . . .we still have the Christmas tree up - it never comes down before Bob's birthday (which is also Ukrainian Christmas - a big celebration in our community).    And there are some snow drifts on the driveway - there was a big windstorm here on New Year's Day and Bob had to shovel a path open so we could get out.

One of my favourite things . . . going to the deep freeze and getting out fruit and vegetables that I put away last summer.  Today it was rhubarb - and I also found a container of chili from a few months ago so Wednesday's supper is on deck.

A few plans for the rest of the week . . .  2 more days of subbing, a birthday to celebrate, 2 birthday cards to make and send, small group Bible study and some pyjamas to sew.

Here is a picture thought I am sharing . .  . Silas helped me open a gift on New Year's Day and Jonathan captured this moment.  I love his surprise!  He is so into opening gifts and loves to rip the paper off - it's so cute!  By the time he was done here, there were shreds of brown packing paper all over.  He took handfuls of the stuff and let it drift down all around him.  What good times we have had with our grandchildren in the past year!!

Poetry for a Sunday

Earlier this fall, after I posted a gratitude entry, Margaret emailed me and asked if she could use my thoughts in a poem.  I was very surprised at the request and honoured that she would ask to write with my ideas.  We've chatted online several times and once again I realize how blessed I am by the people I have met in blogland.  I love the poem she wrote!

How He Loves Me Still

by 

Margaret Brown

Oh, how He loves me, He knows my every prayer,

Lavishing gifts of beauty that surround me everywhere.

Clouds tinted pink from a glowing sunrise,

The sheer intensity of the purple evening skies.

Like a billowing breeze blowing countless falling leaves,

Countless are His thoughts that He thinks about me!

Gently invading daybreak with a regally creeping sun

‘Til a burst of fire lights my day, crowning the horizon.

Trees with leafless branches reaching toward the sky,

Remind me to praise Him with my own hands held high.

Sometimes I stumble and fall from His will,

Ah, though He knows me, He loves me still.

Family Olympics

It was family gathering time on New Year's Day and if you know anything about my family, you know that it's very likely we did more than just eat, visit and sit around!  Yes - my sister, the event planner and her husband, the 'rig everything up for the event' guy, planned a winter Olympics day for us.    Unfortunately, the weather was freezing cold and windy so they had to modify things but we still had alot of fun!

We did eat dinner all together and then we headed outside.

Everyone was dressed for the weather!  I love this picture of Esther and Larry,  our hosts.

First event up was biathalon - two people skiing together on 2 X 4 plank skis - this required some coordination - alot like a three legged race!  "Left, right, left, right!"  Luckily there were no broken bones!

I really like this picture of the spectators watching from inside the warm shop!

More ski competitors.

Then we moved on to hockey with everyone having a chance to shoot 4 balls and trying to hit the targets on the corners of the net.  We had to have a shoot-off because each team tied in points!  I think Will, Jen's husband, had the fastest shot.  This is my aunt who is a really good sport!

Next event was bobsled racing where 1 person from each team rode on the GT snow racer and 2 other team members pulled the rider -

on the sled around the loop on the driveway.  That's Melinda (Kelsey's sister) riding with Silas and Meadow on the other sled.  It was a good idea to pull the lightest team member!

Going downhill was pretty fast but coming up the hill on the other side took abit more effort!

Larry even carved the Olympic rings in the snow in front of their house!

After those events, we went back up to the house where the awards ceremony, complete with gold medal canning jar lid rings were presented to the winners and Esther played O Canada on the piano!!!  It was a great way to celebrate Christmas and welcome the New Year!!

Happy New Year!

(blue moon rising on New Year's Eve)

May 2010 be filled with light and  beauty for you!