Not 2010 yet - Christmas pictures

Even though my blog's look has changed, it still isn't 2010. So here is the highlight of our family Christmas on Christmas day with all the kids and grandkids. We started a new tradition of reading the Christmas story from the Bible and the grandkids light a candle for each person mentioned - Joseph, Mary, Baby Jesus, Angels, Shepherds. Evan was in charge of Baby Jesus' candle, but the cupcake looked way too inviting. He tried to fight off the urge, but...well, see for yourself:

That's ok. Baby Jesus' candle got lit and put on the "tower" anyway. Then we sang "Happy Birthday, dear Jesus" and the kids blew out the candles. It was so cute! Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas!!

See you January 1st!

Day 1 - January 1, 2010

Today is the first day of my 2010 blog. It's a new day, a new year and a new beginning. I hope I can blog every day, but if not, I will blog about every day. So, here goes with Day 1 - Today, I am thankful for toothpaste. Now, this might seem a bit silly, but wait until I explain. First I want to give you a little history of toothpaste. Toothpaste dates back a long way, but it didn't really get into public use until the 19th century (that's the 1800's for those who get confused with that sort of thing). It was a powder then and probably tasted pretty awful. I remember tooth powder. I think my grandma used it. We always had toothpaste, probably Pepsodent ("Hey Ma, look, no cavities!" remember that commercial?) It was minty and gritty, but it did the job. Dale and I like Aim, as it is very cheap (less than a dollar a tube) and has a minty taste.

Now, why am I thankful for it? Well, I have a saliva problem - I make very little. My mouth is always dry (that's why you'll see me with gum or a water bottle). During the night it really gets bad. So, first thing in the morning, I go and brush my teeth and BINGO, my mouth isn't dry and it tastes fresh and my eyes are even open! For those of you who aren't morning persons, you won't understand how hard it is to get going in the morning. I usually brush my teeth with my eyes closed (this helps produce tears, as my eyes get very dry at night, too) and by the time I'm finished, VOILA!, I can see and feel much more awake! If I didn't have toothpaste and just tried to get started with say, a cup of coffee or some such, it wouldn't be the same. So thank you all those people who came up with the idea for tooth powder and for the companies that made it into toothpaste! I'm sure there are friends and family out there who are thankful, too, as otherwise, I think we'd all have very bad breath!

My first picture of 2010 may seem strange to you, but it shows me the start of the new year. Every year when I was growing up, my mom and I would watch the Rose Bowl Parade on TV on New Year's Day. She would start taking down the tree and the decorations while we watched. Then everything would be put back where it belonged and that's how we started the new year. So, I chose a picture of the Rose Parade from Pasadena, California and the corner where the tree sat for my first + picture.

"The whole world was lost in the darkness of sin,

The Light of the world is Jesus.

Like sunshine at noonday His glory shone in,

The Light of the world is Jesus."

Our Christmas Eve service is a candlelight service and is always beautiful and touching. We sing "Silent Night" a cappella while the candles are lit and it give me goose bumps every time.

This year, Pastor Bernard and Lynette Farquar sang "One Day" (to a different arrangement and tune) while tableaus were performed. One, the nativity, two the cross, three the tomb, four, His ascension and five His coming. Each time they sang the chorus "Living He loved me, dying He saved me, buried He carried my sins far away. Rising He justified, freely forever, someday He's coming, O glorious day!" the people in the tableau changed a little. It was really awesome and I admit I had tears realizing all my Savior had done for me. Plus, thinking ahead to His coming, as of course, at Christmas time I always think of our Christmas 22 years ago and how sad it was. But, I know there will be a glorious reunion when we all get to heaven! Like my nephew said on facebook - "...if this earth thing would hurry up and get over with".

I want to wish you all a Merry Christmas and will post again on Monday to let you know how our celebrations went.

Emmanuel - His title; Jesus - His name

God With Us

Who are we --- that You should be mindful of us?

What do You see --- that's worth looking our way?

We are free --- in ways that we never should be.

Sweet release --- from the grips of these chains.

Like hinges straining from the weight

My heart no longer can keep from singing,

All that is within me cries,

For You alone be glorified,

Emmanuel God with us

My heart sings a brand new song,

the debt is paid, these chains are gone

Emmanuel God with us.

Lord, You know --- our hearts don't deserve Your glory

Still You show --- a love we cannot afford

Like hinges straining from the weight

My heart no longer can keep from singing

All that is within me cries

For You alone be glorified

Emmanuel God with us

My heart sings a brand new song

The debt is paid, these chains are gone

Emmanuel God with us

Such a tiny offering

Compared to Calvary

Nevertheless, we lay this at Your feet

All that is within me cries, for You alone be glorified

Emmanuel God with us

My heart sings a brand new song

The debt is paid these chains are gone

Emmanuel God with us

Picture a congregation singing this chorus with a band backup and about 40+adults, 10 teen and 25 or so younger boys and girls. I truly believe heaven will be this glorious! This was the picture Sunday morning (December 20) in our church. It was the 3rd service and we choir people had been at all three (since 7:45 I might add!) and I, with my staunch Baptist upbringing, could almost not contain myself! It was truly a beauty to behold! You could tell the people in the congregation were moved as well.

I love singing Christmas carols and this one is pretty much not a carol, but, boy does it ever relay the Christmas message!!! Why should He have ever been mindful of us or find us with any worth whatsoever. And yet He sent His only Son down to the earth to suffer and die for us, so that by taking Him as our Savior, "The debt is paid, these chains are gone!" Praise God! That's what we are living for!

God bless you all as we come to Christmas day. I pray that we will all put this truly wonderful Gift of God in the forefront of our lives that day. I am planning on making the "Happy Birthday Jesus" cake for our grandkids - with a few variations. I want them to know the true meaning of Christmas!

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life". John 3:16

Happy Birthday, Xander

Sandra made an awesome "forest of Endor Moon" cake. We got a cheesy smile from Xander while we sang to him. Grandpa Stein obligingly lit the candles twice, so I got a picture of him blowing them out. (He lit them so Evan could blow them out, but Xander beat him to it, so they were lit a third time!)

December 5th is Xander's 4th birthday! We had celebrated with family last night (the 4th), as it makes it easier on his other grandparents to come down and make it home in time for Sunday service. We had a good time. Even Aislynn and Elora came, as they were staying with Aunt Cindy for the evening. It is so hard to believe these kids are growing - well, we say that all the time, but I don't know why it is so hard to believe. That's what happens. Years go by and kids grow up. It's just so neat to see the changes in them and in Xander especially. He is so much more outgoing and we love it that he comes over to our place. Papa says after the new year (or maybe during the Christmas break) he's having Xander and Lucas over for a "Talespin marathon". I can't imagine Bethany and Erin not wanting to get in on this as well and probably Evan, too. Oh my, what a houseful that will be!! We so enjoy being with them and playing or watching them play. Xander got some new games, too, so Christmas should be fun.

Happy Birthday, Xander!!

"Here's hoping..."

I think I have a cold. Just a cold and not the flu. But, it doesn't act like a cold, either. It started out flu-like with chills and a slight fever, but tylenol took care of that. I was tired yesterday, but only a little bit of a sore throat and cough. I've had a headache all day today, but have been taking sinus pills, so no runny nose and only the occasional sneeze and cough. I feel ok, just a little tired after I do something. I've had the flu shots, so I shouldn't get it badly, if it is the flu. That's what they say, right? Oh well, I'll just take it easy and take one day at a time. Crummy timing with Xander's birthday on Friday, the start of choir practice for Christmas and Dale's work's Christmas party on Saturday. I have almost finished addressing my Christmas cards, so that's a plus. Get that done in case I do get sicker. Will let you know how it goes.

I Have "Rethunk"

How's that for a title? Well, I have been thinking a lot about my last post. I got some comments here and some from friends and family that were very positive, so here is what I have decided. Starting January 1, 2010, I will be blogging every day (Lord willing) to tell you what I am thankful for. I hope and pray I'll be able to come up with 365 blogs (or a compilation of days depending on the circumstance) to record my thankfulness. I also want to try the 365 picture thing, as I think it will be fun. (Thanks, Sandra, for the neat idea!! BTW I have LOVED your pictures this year! Can't wait to see the book!) So, now that I have put it down on "paper", so to speak, I am committed. It will be a challenge, but I am up for it. Until then, "keep the faith, don't give up, don't give in" (line from Mid-South Boys CD I listen to in the car).

RethinkingThings

Happy Thanksgiving on Thursday!

I think I need to rethink this whole blogger thing. I'm not on it very much, as I feel like I really don't have much to say. I rarely get any comments (except from Jen and Sandra and occasionally from Jason and Juliane), so I don't even know if anyone is reading it.

I love the idea that Sandra has of taking a picture a day for 365 days. I really want to try that starting in January. It would give me something to think about. A friend of mine on facebook used the month of November to say something she is thankful for every day. That is a cool idea,too. Not sure if I could do 365 different thanks, but I'm sure if I thought about it, I probably could. The Lord has been so very good to me and I do have a lot to be thankful for.

So, maybe that will be my "new year's resolution" (I really don't like them and rarely use them).

I will try to be on here again a little more often before January 1, so, until then....

Happy 2nd Birthday, Evan!!!

Friday, October 23, 2009

Doesn't he have the cutest face?

He really loves his Papa!! Have a great day little man! We love you!

Happy Birthday, Lucas!

Today is Lucas' 7th birthday!!!

Hey, Lucas, what did you get for your birthday?

What's that? Nascar Cart for the Wii!!!

He is all boy! Whether it's playing racing (and letting Emily take a car)...

or jumping high like a skateboarder!

He is the sweetest kid you could ever meet. And, of course, we think he is super-smart and handsome and loveable, etc. etc. etc., even though he does cheer for Tony Stewart and boos Jeff Gordon.

God bless you today, Duke!!

Adventures of a Mellow Wife

My newfound committment to reading the Bible and praying is going fairly well, I think. I really like reading from the Message. I'm halfway into Mark now and still finding it insightful. Maybe it is this new committment, but I seem to be feeling mellower about things. Hmm... For instance - We have a "guest" staying in our apartment and we are having a hard time getting him (or her) to leave. Apparently, it likes Dale the most (he IS the family's early bird riser) because he(Dale) gets the pleasure of seeing it every morning. It also seems to like our stove for some odd reason. (If you haven't guessed by now, our guest is a mouse- YUCK!) I heard a lot of banging this morning early, but I wasn't fully awake, so thought, AH, HE'S CAUGHT THE MOUSE! Not so. My crockpot insert and lid were in the sink soaking until morning and some how or other the lid just exploded! Dale said it happened around 2 or 3 because it woke him up and he thought it was the mouse getting caught. Alas, no. And the banging I heard was Dale putting the trap under the stove to try to catch it there. So, now I have a wonderful almost 20 year old crockpot that I likely won't be able to get a replacement lid for. Ho hum...(and I really LOVE (note the sarcasm)picking glass up out of the sink. Thankfully, no cuts. If I were Jen, I would have a picture of the lid on here, but I forgot. Oh well, it was a glass lid and it was smashed to smithereens - use your imagination! On a lighter note - Dale is into his second week of being supervisor (all is going fairly well). Since taking this position, he has not been here in our building, as it isn't in his "Zone". So, I go to the elevator to do some laundry upstairs, dressed in sweatpants, shirt and slippers and was greeted by one of the nice old men in our building. He asks where Dale is, as they haven't seen him for a long time. I said he was supervisor now and this wasn't his building anymore. Oh, he says, does he still live here? (Hmm - don't think he's moved out without me.) I couldn't wait to get off the elevator and burst into laughter over that one! Dale liked it, too. Sometimes the tenants come up with some doozies! I love the reading; I've finished my Bible Study lesson for this week about God being our El Elyon (God Most High); and I'm not freaking out about the mouse. God is good!

Happy Birthday, My Jodi

Friday, October 2nd was Jodi's 33rd birthday. We gathered at their place to celebrate her birthday and Lucas'. Lucas will be 7 on the 7th, but they have Faithbuilders that night, so thought an early celebration would be in order.

We had loads of fun and it was fun to see their faces as they opened presents. Lucas got what he wanted - a Nascar Cart game for the Wii and Jodi almost (but not quite) overdosed on stampin'up things! One can never have too much of that!!

Hard to believe 33 years have gone by. I really am feeling much older as I see my kids age. Oh well, that's life. God has given us three wonderful children, spouses and 5 grandchildren and we are truly blessed!!

Happy Birthday, My Jo!

So Far, So Good

I love to read. I have ever since I first learned. I used to go to the school and public libraries and pick out three or four books a week to read. But I've never read the Bible completely through. Why is that? Well, I have come to the realization that although the Bible was written by holy men of God who were used by the Spirit to write these things down for us, we are a people of impatience. And the Bible translators were very well-educated men. I, however, am not a well-educated person. Even though I do read a lot, I don't read really deep things and find it hard to comprehend things I'm reading unless it is told to me in easy-to-understand language. I have started over and over in Genesis, even in the New International Version, and gotten pretty far before I quit. My kids even gave me the Bible on CDs and that was good and I got as far as Leviticus. But it still wasn't working. So, the other day I'm trying to decide what to do about my new committment to reading and studying God's word and something came into my mind. When we first moved to Regina in 1993, we were in a Bible Study with Al and Jenny Ramsey. It was a good study and we started off every lesson by reading the scripture passage from "The Message". This is a translation of the Bible that makes it into more of an easy-to-read novel. I thoroughly enjoyed this study and always considered getting a copy of The Message, but never did. So, here I am, this woman who has been a believer since she was 6 and knows lots of scriptures, hearing the stories from the Gospels in a totally different way. I thought, "Why not use this translation this new journey I am on?" and decided to go and buy a copy of The Message. I have been reading in Matthew and oh my, it really does make a difference. Sure, it's the same scripture I've always heard and studied, but said differently and is more easy to understand. I have never been a scholar and any books I've read had to be easy to understand and enjoyable. Well, that's how this translation is for me. The Lord is really using it to make me see things I should have seen all along, but never really thought about. It makes me excited and a little afraid - what if I fail again? It wouldn't be the first time something has made me get really enthusiastic about reading the Bible. But no, this time, I am committed to reading and studying the scriptures. I just pray I can keep this enthusiasm going. "Lord help me to remember Your word! Thank you for giving us Your word, creating us and making it possible for us to be Your children."

My Desire

"Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will."

Yesterday, our pastor preached a sermon on Romans 12:1 and 2. If you are like me and have gone to church all your life, you have likely memorized these verses at one point in time. Well, I have and I've always loved these verses and thought I was living them. But I realized at one point during the sermon that I have not committed my life to the Lord. I've been married 37 years to a wonderful man and when I said "I do" to the list of things Pastor Baxter asked, I made a committment to him to do all I could to make this marriage work. Well, why haven't I done the same with the Lord? I mean, I have committed my life to Him and yet, I haven't worked as hard on it as I should have. I've neglected prayer and Bible study and let other things control my life. I've complained about my body and how much I hate certain parts of it over and over all through my life.

We are starting a new study in our Care Group out of the book called "Lord, I Want To Know You" by Kay Arthur. Already, after studying the second chapter, I am knowing the Lord more. We are made by Him and for Him, for His glory. "Thou art worthy, our Lord and our God to receive glory and honor and power; for Thou hast created all things and because of Thy Will they existed and were created". Revelation 4:11. If this is true (and it is) why haven't I realized how far from my committment to the Lord I've gone? I've let the world get in and crowd out the Lord and what He wants for my life. I DO want to know Him more.

So today, I made a strong committment to the Lord to study His word more, pray more and work hard at making my life one that will reflect HIS glory! Pray for me that I will keep this committment.

Growing Older and a last goodbye

Written By Regina Brett, 90 years old The Plain Dealer, Cleveland, Ohio "To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me.It is the most-requested column I've ever written.My odometer rolled over to 90 in August, so here is the column once more:" 01. Life isn't fair, but it's still good. 02. When in doubt, just take the next small step. 03. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. 04. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch. 05. Pay off your credit cards every month. 06. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree. 07. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone. 08. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it. 09. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck. 10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile. 11. Make peace with your past, so it won't screw up the present. 12. It's OK to let your children see you cry. 13. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about. 14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it. 15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks. 16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind. 17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful. 18. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger. 19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else. 20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer. 21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.22. Over prepare, then go with the flow. 23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple. 24. No one is in charge of your happiness, but you. 25. Frame every so-called disaster with these words ''In five years, will this matter?". 26. Always choose life. 27. Forgive everyone everything. 28. What other people think of you is none of your business. 29. Time heals almost everything. Give time, time. 30. However good or bad a situation is, it will change. 31. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does. 32. Believe in miracles. 33. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do. 34. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now. 35. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young. 36. Your children get only one childhood. 37. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved. 38. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere. 39. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back. 40. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need. 41. The best is yet to come. 42. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up. 43. Yield. 44. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift. 45. Remember that I will always share my spoon with you! Friends are the family that we choose for ourselves. Tomorrow we lay to rest our brother-in-law, Glenn Dynna. He was a wonderful man of God and he had a special gift for making others feel special. He helped us out many times and only gave advice when you asked for it. He was a great husband, father and Papa and he will be sadly missed by all of us. He was the best man at our wedding and we spent many wonderful times with Glenn and Donna and boys at the lake and in their home. He was a good friend. Goodbye Glenn - we love you!

Music for my soul

My car has something in it that I really wanted when I bought it, but knew if I didn't get it I could live without it. That was a CD player. Praise the Lord, He made sure this one had one. So the one joy I have is to be driving and listening to the music I want to hear! One of my favorite CDs is by the Gaither Vocal Band and it is called "I DO BELIEVE". I love every song on it and as my kids can attest, I play it over and over again. Jen can even sing along and knows the words! I decided I couldn't put all my favorites on this blog, but I did want you to see the words to one of them that makes me cry everytime I sing along with it. The words are so powerful and the music and harmony is so good - I know Heaven will be like this!! The title is "A SINNER SAVED BY GRACE". I hope you enjoy the words: "If you could see what I once was If you could go with me Back to where I started from Then I know you would see A miracle of love that took me in its sweet embrace And made me what I am today Just an old sinner - Saved by Grace. Chorus: I'm just a sinner saved by grace When I stood condemned to death He took my place Now I live and breathe in freedom With each breath of life I take Loved and forgiven Back with the living I'm just a sinner saved by grace. How could I boast of anything I've ever seen or done? How could I dare to claim as mine the victories God has won? Where would I be had God not brought me gently to this place? I'm here to say I'm nothing but a sinner saved by grace." -Gloria and Bill Gaither, Richard Humphries I really like the last verse the best. It is the testimony of my life! I'm only here because God loved me enough to send His Son to the earth to die for MY sins!! I am so unworthy, but I know I am so loved!!

Vacation pictures part I

Dale had holidays from July 1st to the 19th. Our first thing was to go to the Science Centre here in Regina and see the "Wings of the World" (or something like that) done with Legos. There were too many pictures to show them all, but this is the big race car at the beginning of the displays. We were too big to get in it, but we did stand beside it! Our next excursion was to Moose Jaw. I don't think I've ever taken pictures of the Moose. Moose Jaw was a "hangout" for Dale and I when I was still at Briercrest and we were engaged. We spent quite a few Sundays there when he'd come out. He went to Siast there the year before, so would show me all the sights. There are more now, of course. We went through the Tunnels of Moose Jaw tour - the Al Capone one. There were a lot of stairs, but I managed them ok. It was a very good tour and we highly recommend it. After the tunnels, we decided to walk around and it started to pour rain!! We were sitting at the fudge factory looking out over Main street and it really came down! Dale had always wanted to go down to Coronach, near the US border, to tour the Power Plant and the Mining. The mining wasn't available because of all the rain, but we did get to see the power plant. Quite interesting - even for me - and we got to wear cool neon green hard hats, googles and ear plugs! Woohoo!!

The one shot I got of Dale in his hard hat and goggles. I did take one picture of this really scary-looking elevator (if you could call it that), but it's an up-and-down picture and I can't figure out how to turn it. Anyway, all it was was a conveyor belt turned vertical with little "outcroppings" for standing on. She said the men rode it up to other floors! It was the scariest-looking contraption I've ever seen!!

But, we really enjoyed the tour and learned alot about strip mining and how clean coal is to burn, etc. If you want the big scoop, you'll have to see the rest of our pictures and talk to Dale.

The plant tour was on Friday, July 7th and we went on the Big Buddy badlands tour the next day, so stayed in Coronach overnight. I'll put pictures of that tour on my next blog.

Happy Birthday, Bethany!

Happy Birthday to Miss Bethany!

She turned 5 on June 30th!! Now on to kindergarten

Mommy made the gorgeous cake!

Looks like a beautiful ladybug to me!!

Bethany is growing up so much. She seemed to do really well at preschool this past year. She is very, very shy (like her mommy was), but seemed to come out of it a bit toward the end of the year. I'm hoping her kindergarten experience will be a good one for her.

Happy Birthday, Bethie-boo!! I love you!

Happy Birthday to a really wonderful guy!!

This is Dale's birthday, May 31st. We celebrated at Jodi and Steve's. This is Papa with Erin. Her favorite thing, next to being read, to is to swing. Dale has been trying to get her to "pump", so she can swing herself, but I think she just likes having someone push her. So, Papa complies.Here he is trying on her shoe. She continually puts her sandals on the wrong feet (after unbuckling (or un-velcroing) both straps and had been playing with them for some time. She was quite "put-out" that he would try to wear her shoe! He is so good with all the grandkids and they love him to pieces!He got THE BEST (well, pretty darn close) present from Jodi, Steve and kids! It is the first season of "Talespin". For those who don't know what that is, it's a cartoon that used to be on every Saturday and Dale would watch it with the kids back in the 80's. Baloo from Jungle Book is the main character. Look at him beaming! Of course we had to watch the pilot episode! This is another reason why he is so wonderful. This was the May long weekend and we were taking my new car out to the farm. So, he was checking the oil and filling the washer fluid. He is so mechanical and can fix just about everything! I love that about him and the kids love it, too, as they can call and ask him questions about their cars or houses and he usually knows how to fix whatever needs it. So, even though Dale is one year older, he is wiser, I think he's handsomer and he's definately more mellow with each passing year. I love him dearly and thank God for letting us get together and stay together for almost 37 years!!

Happy Birthday, Erin!!

Sunday, June 14th was Erin's 3rd birthday. Jodi had us over for a barbeque and we had a really good time. Erin even persuaded Nana, Auntie Sandra and Mom to play "Ring Around the Rosie" with her. I think she had a really good time. She liked her presents and the beautiful Ariel (Little Mermaid) cake her mommy made for her. All in all, it was fun. Bethany's 5th birthday is June 30th so I thought I should get this in before that.

This is our lovely Erin (wearing Nana's hat -it looks better on her than on me!!)

Thanks, Jen, for getting my camera plug-in plugged into the back of my computer. I wish I had your young knees and could get down on the floor like you did! Thank you so much!!

Now, hopefully, I'll be able to get back on here later and do some more posting.

Family Togetherness?

Well, we did it. Something that was supposed to be done in February finally got done. It was my birthday wish and then I got sick and kept being sick and one thing led to another and well...you know how it is. So, last Saturday (May 30th), Jodi and Steve and Jen and Craig came over around 10ish (sans kids) and we all tackled the spare bedroom. It went really smoothly, as I kind of figured it would. My two girls are wonderful at organizing and getting down on the floor and did a terrific job of helping me decide what should go where. I totally forgot to take before pictures, but will show the after pictures at the end of the post. Steve was my technician and did a wonderful job of putting my computer in the spare bedroom. Plus, he moved the newer DVD/VCR player into the living room and got it hooked up and put the DVD player in the bedroom and hooked it up. He and Craig put together the bookcase we bought the other day. The girls moved my stamping table to the spare room and I helped transfer all the other paraphenalia. They vacuumed and we all took turn dusting (you don't realize how much dusts accumulates in those hard to move spaces!!!) Dale put some stuff that we absolutely couldn't part with (like the bench seat from the van and our baby furniture) into a storage room at the building here. He did leave my Grandma Williams' treadle sewing machine in its box on the spare bedroom floor so that we would have to be tripping over it and will, eventually, put it together. It is in good shape, needs some oil on the wood and wrought iron. I'm excited about it being put together again. I'd like to know how old it is, etc. Then, Dale brought in an air-conditioner that a tenant had left behind and put it in the hole in our living room wall. It works fine and I like it better than our fan. Now I can bake and we won't!!

There is still some organizing to do in the spare bedroom, but that will come in time and I don't have to walk over it or be frustrated by it. I'm so very happy with how it all turned out. Our bedroom is so nice now and the living room is very spacious! Thanks Jen, Jodi, Steve and Craig! We really appreciated the time and effort you put into it all!!

Sorry - no pictures at this time. But if you REALLY want to see it, come over some time!

E-N-C-Y-C-L-O-P-E-D-I-A

Do you know how I learned to spell this word? By watching "The Mickey Mouse Club". They had a section with Jiminy Cricket where he would sing this song that went "E-N-C-Y-C-L-O-P-E-D-I-A, if you want to know the answer, here is the way". Then he would go on to tell something new and interesting that we would love to learn about. Anyway, the song always stuck in my mind and if I ever had trouble spelling encyclopedia, I just remembered that song. Isn't that funny how our minds are? Well, this afternoon and this evening I took the time that I look forward to every May to watch the Scripps Spelling Bee from Washington, DC. I don't remember when I got interested in it, but I'm sure I've been watching it for more than 7 years. I thoroughly enjoy watching the kids spell those really hard words and, being a English buff, trying to spell them before they come up on the screen. Over the years, the words are getting harder and harder, but the kids are getting smarter and smarter and this year was no exception. They started the Bee with 293 spellers and were down to 11 in the final tonight. I started writing down some of the words as they were so unbelievable and I couldn't stop. Here are a few samples: omphaloskepsis -staring at the navel to induce a trance as some swamis in India do. deipnosophist - person skilled in table talk (after this one, I didn't write down any more definitions) Out of the following 13 words, 4 spellers were eliminated: herniorrhaphy psittacosis geusioleptic conchyliated avoirdupois tagliatelle gyascutus blancmange apodyterium derriengue simnel passacaglia The next words seemed harder to me (I guess you need to hear how they are pronounced) and with the 7 spellers left, all but one were eventually eliminated. I put an asterisk next to the words that eliminated spellers. axolotl plaidoyer goombay hypallage buignoire arrhostia byssinosis orillade xebec grisaille huisache neufchatel cretonne (the only one I correctly spelled :( ) amarevole * becquerel caerphilly palatschinken * ecossaise fackeltanz * jacqueminot schizaffin * wisent diacoele reredos antonomasia bouquiniste oriflamme guayabera isagoge sophrosyne menhir * phoresy maecenas * Only one speller was left. Her name was Kavya Shivashankar from Olathe, Kansas. Her last word was one that caused me to laugh - laodicean. Since this is a name from the Bible, I could actually spell it and she breezed right through it. For her, persistance paid off, as she had been to four spelling bees and came in 10th the first year, 8th the second, 4th the third and now she won!! I was thrilled for her. I know to most of you this seems like a silly thing for a blog. Well, it might be, but it's a contest like any other sport and these "athletes" have been training for a year for this day. (One of the boys said he'd likely take a week or two off now and then start studying again for next year.) Sound athletic to you? Anyway, I just wanted to show you these words. I dare you to look them up and see what they mean. They really are words that are used in the English language! Oh and the last word in the dictionary is --

ZYZZOGETON

Scrabble anyone???

OOPS - Big Time

A great big HUGE apology to Juliane and Nathan!!! I am so sorry I forgot to include you two and Tracey and Justin and Elaine and Leon as well in my list of those who couldn't come to the picnic. I hope you all will forgive me and not hold it against me!!!! Oh my goodness, I can't believe how forgetful I'm becoming! I was so worried that I'd miss one of the great-grandchildren. Please, PLEASE forgive me!! You truly WERE missed and are so loved!!

Again - SORRY!!

Victoria Day at the farm

Terry and Holly invited the brothers, sisters and families out to their farm on the Sunday of Victoria Day weekend. Holly has made a gorgeous yard area for picnics and such with a firepit and little "brook" with a bridge, a gazebo and a cute little fish pond. It is nice and relaxing to go there and enjoy nature. Our family was all there except for Jason, Sandra and the boys, who are on vacation on the west coast. Holly had bought a HUGE bottle of bubble soap and some big and little blowers (or whatever you call them) and the kids had a ball blowing bubbles. Papa even got in on it and showed them how to sweep it through the air to get more bubbles. They played with it for hours. It is hard to see the bubbles because of the trees, but there were lots. I didn't put all the pictures I took on this blog, as there were so many. Lucas took my camera at one point and went for a walk. He took about 25 pictures. He is really a good little photographer and some of the pictures are really neat. (Jen may have some on her blog as well as more farm pictures) Dale took his kite and flew it for the kids. It is a stunt kite, so he tried new manuevers and had quite a crew watching and helping him launch it again when it hit the ground. It was good to visit with the rest of the family. I think Jason, et all, and Mike, Lisa and Glenn were the only ones missing. Mike and Lisa stayed in the city to be with Glenn who is still in the hospital. We missed Dad a lot, as these Victoria weekend bbq's were something he really loved. But his presence was felt. Of course it isn't a bbq without roasting hot dogs. This was what I called the "trinity" - Jodi's stick for roasting hot dogs for all three kids at once. It worked good, too. We also had Cory's bbq to cook hamburgers and of course everyone pitched in to provide salads and desserts. It was a good spread and we ate well. And it wouldn't have been our family bbq without a peanut scramble. Between Lynn and Terry, there were tons of peanuts! The kids love to run and pick them up - even some of the bigger kids still love getting in there to body check each other to grab the most peanuts! Right, Jen, Jessica and Caleb? It was fun to watch the new generation get in on it. Lucas, Joshua, Christopher,Bethany, Aislyn, Rhyder, Erin and Chase had great fun. Little Elora is too small yet, but maybe the tradition will continue and she can join in next year, as well as Cory and Jo's little one who is expected in October. We had a gorgeous day for the picnic - which wasn't always the case. So many got rained out. Thanks Dad for the neat tradition and fun we can have as a family.

After dark it was time for the sparklers. There were so many that even the adults got to play with them. This is Erin and Bethany with their sparklers. They loved the sparklers and kept asking for another one.

Lucas, unfortunately, as well as Mark and Terra's daughter, Aislyn, burned their hands on their first ones and were sort of out of commission after that. It was fun to watch the kids and the grown-ups playing. After that, we watched the fireworks that Dad had left with Terry after a rained-out bbq. They were very pretty and loud and even though the cows weren't impressed, the rest of us were. It was a

wonderful conclusion to a great day!!!

My New "Toy"

This is my old car. I used to call him Timmy - he was a Ford Tempo. Pretty old car - 1989 - and not terribly reliable. But, a good friend of ours once told us "a bad car is better than a good walk anytime". So, I didn't complain about it -- too much. This past year was hard on Timmy. The winter was so very cold and he just didn't have a good heater. Dale was concerned about me driving him. I think Dale was afraid he would give out on me and I'd be stuck somewhere in the extreme cold. Mind you, I only drove around the city in him, but Winnipeg street can be pretty lonely at 10 p.m. (that's usually when our care group was over). Anyway, it was time for something newer and more reliable. We had the car parked at Jen and Craig's and were planning on donating it to the Kidney Foundation. The gas gauge said there was still a half tank of gas in it, so Dale figured he would siphon it out and put it in his van. He had lots of trouble sucking the gas out of the tube to get it siphoning (major YUCK!!) and ended up burping gas most of the evening - double yuck!! Then, he only got a couple of gallons out (I guess the gauge wasn't quite accurate). Oh well...it helped the van a bit. We ended up just giving the car to a tow truck guy Dale knew and he gave us $20, which we promptly spent on Dairy Queen blizzards, etc. Ha! So, we went out about a month ago and did some car shopping. Well, we didn't do much, as the first (real) used car lot we went to had this perfectly-cute-and-exactly-what-we-wanted 2004 Chevrolet Optra (her name is Suzy). I love the color, I love how she handles and she has a/c and a cd player (yeah!) and I Dale said I would find any excuse to drive her - and I do!!! I was so excited when we "found" her. The salesman asked whose car it would be and Dale said "Robin's", so he barely looked at Dale after that! I even have the registration in my name. Dale said he is just glad he won't have to worry about me, as she is so much more reliable. Dale's dad would be so pleased for us. He was always so worried about our old vehicles and made us drive his car whenever we went anywhere. We drove my car (that still sounds so cool!) out to Terry and Holly's farm on the long weekend Sunday, so I got pictures of Dale checking the oil. It traveled well on the highway, but I made Dale drive it because of the gravel roads and because Craig and Jen went with us and Craig has to sit in the front seat or be sick. All in all, I am terribly pleased with my new toy!!

Been away so long...

Sorry it's taken me so long to get back here. Seems like other things take over and I forget I should get on here. I enjoy other's posts so should remember that maybe others would like to read mine. I'll try to do better in the future.

This is our beautiful youngest grandchild, Evan. I had to post this picture because it is the best one I've ever gotten of him. He and brother, Xander, were at Jodi's one day and I popped in for a visit. It was nice to have all 5 grandkids together. They play really well together and Evan and I played and had a good time. I was really happy I had gone over.

Dale has been busy helping out the kids, which he really does enjoy doing. He is a hands-on kind of guy and likes doing the fixing and carpentry and all that stuff. He helped over at Jen and Craig's new house to get it liveable and helped Steve with a bathtub tap that was leaking. That was an all-day job (as it usually is), but I was a part of that one, in that I was there and brought a ham and scalloped potatoes over to cook for supper. It was a good day. That was Good Friday and then Dale worked at Jen's while we three girls went out shopping and to lunch. It was fun to be out with my girls.

Sunday was Easter and we went to the middle service at our church and got to sit with Jodi and family. Jason and Sandra and boys went to Manitoba to spend the weekend with her sister and husband. Then, Dale and I went for lunch with Allan and Lynn, Trevor and Kim and their 3 boys and Elaine and Leon. We had a really good time at Montana's and then went over to Elaine's for the afternoon. It had started really raining hard by the time we left the restaurant. I was waiting at the door with Kim and her three for the vehicles to come pick us up. Rhyder, their middle son, asked where Uncle Dale was going. I said he was going to get the van because I was made of sugar and so sweet I would melt if I got wet. He got the funniest look on his face like (yeah, right, Auntie) I hope maybe Kim explained to him after I left. I'm such a tease.

Easter Monday was just a relax day. Dale and I ran a couple of errands and it felt good just to do whatever we wanted and be together. The weather has finally gotten a little more spring-like and we've had rain and some really nice warmer type days. The snow is finally all gone and it is fairly dry. Yea!! This is an Easter card I made with my Cuttlebug. I cut the letters "E" and "B" and printed the rest of the words off the computer. It turned out pretty good. (albeit a bit crooked, right Jen?)

Jen and Craig took us out for supper last Friday night to thank Dale (and me, too) for the help with the house. As we talked, we heard a few stories we didn't know that happened to the guys while the girls were gone. (Ask Dale sometime about the "smoke" in the bathroom.) It was a very good time and we had a wonderful steak dinner. Craig tried to interest in some fried calamari. I knew what it really was and said I'd try one little one and well, it was "rubbery" and "fishy", the one thing I really dislike about seafood. It all just tastes fishy to me. Oh well...Anyway, I tried it and Dale ate his share, as did Jen. (Their shares were smaller than Craig's)

This is how I looked at the tail-end of my Bell's palsy. (taken March 22nd) It is gone now, with only tiny little bits that I don't even notice are not quite right still. This was the last Sunday I wore my patch to church. The eye doctor said he didn't need to see me anymore unless things got really blurry or my eye hurt really badly. He is referring me to a plastic surgeon, as he is concerned my sagging eyelids are causing eye problems. He said when I squeeze my eyes shut, my eyelashes go into my eye and that's how I scratched my cornea at the beginning of the Bell's. So, he is recommending an eyelid lift and it should all be paid for by the government since it is medical. Well, hope you enjoyed the update and I'll try to get back here more often. Now that I've figured out the pictures and can actually put some on, it makes it a little more interesting.

Update on my health

It's been quite a "ride". Today marks 3 weeks since I found out I have Bell's palsy. I had gone to see Dr. Michel a week later re: my sinuses and he thought 50mg of prednisone for 10 days straight with no decreasing was a better way to go to stop the Bell's. PTL, I think the high dose of prednisone really did a number on the inflammation and the paralysis is going away. I can close my eye tight now, but it doesn't always stay and it still doesn't just blink, but it is way improved. Dr. Mervitz, the eye doctor, is really amazed at how well it is doing. I did have a scratch on my cornea, so he has been seeing me quite regularly. He is a really good ophthamologist and I like him a lot. Today, I saw him again and he said I have the beginning of a cataract on my right eye. Has nothing to do with the Bell's, but - it figures. They take a long time to develop, so I guess they'll be watching it. My vision is blurred in my right eye. Dr. Mervitz says that is because that eye is very, very dry and we are trying different drops to help it along. He said the scratch is healing fine. I see him again next Weds. morning and then he is going away for awhile, so will see what he has to say. To say the least, it is wonderful not to have to wear the patch anymore and to be able to eat and talk better. I still use a straw in my drinks, as my lips don't seal real well yet, but it is coming as well. I am finding my hearing quite disturbed on the right side. Loud sounds are louder and more echoing and it hurts, so I try to cover or put a plug in if I know the noise level will be higher. I am still fighting this sinus infection and 2 weeks of antibiotics are doing nothing. I may have to go back and see what other antibiotic might work. I can finally blow through my nose, so that does help. It's a strange thing to be so paralyzed and it's made me realize how many things we take for granted. My smile isn't quite as big on that side yet and Erin looks at me funny, but she is happy she can see both my eyes and I don't scare Evan as much. So, I am doing better. Thanks so much for all your prayers. I especially want to thank my care group for their love and support and prayers. I love you ladies very much and cherish our friendship!!

51 years ago - yesterday March 21st

Ok, all you "oldsters" - wonder how many remember the old evangelistic meetings we Baptists used to have. They usually lasted at least a week - every evening and twice on Sunday. A travelling evangelist would be the main speaker and sometimes he brought special music or something special for the kids or whatever. I remember one young evangelist we had - I believe his name was Lance Ross (no relation) and he was so cute and so sweet. His wife played the marimba and was she ever good!!! She could play with four sticks and really go fast!! Anyway, at the end of the week, he kissed me on the cheek and I swear I didn't wash that spot for a long time. I think I was about 7 or 8. Anyway, back to 51 years ago. On March 21, 1958 we were having an evangelistic meetings week with Rev. Clifford Lewis. He was a very dynamic preacher and I really don't remember much about the meetings except his preaching. I was 6 years old and remember sitting in the front row with my friends listening to his sermons. I'm not sure what night it was - it could have been a Sunday night and maybe the last one. Anyway, his sermon was on heaven and hell and which one were we going to? Well, as I sat there listening, I realized my mom and dad and brother were going to heaven when they died, but I wasn't. My little child heart was crushed and I remember during the invitation thinking I should go forward and ask Jesus into my heart. But I was pretty shy back then and little afraid. After the final prayer, I went over to my dad and told him I wanted to ask Jesus into my heart. My dad was a deacon in the church - who better to go ask? He took me to Rev. Lewis and they both took me back to a room behind the stage. I remember vividly the coolness of the room, the very cold metal folding chairs we sat on and the cold tile floor where we knelt. After Rev. Lewis explained salvation, asking Jesus to forgive our sins and live in our hearts and asked me if that was what I wanted to do, I said yes. He knelt on one side of me and Daddy on the other and I prayed and asked Jesus into my heart. I remember it all so clearly. Rev. Lewis told me I had to go tell someone, so I went out and found my mom sitting and waiting and I told her. The church was made up of a lot of my relatives and I imagine my mom had spread the word, as I got hugs and kisses from aunts and uncles and of course, my dear grandma. I have always loved the fact that my brother, sister and I were privileged to grow up in a church with close friends and relatives and to have the wonderful Christian heritage we had. Those memories are dear to me. So, Happy Birthday to me - 51 years ago!!

Aaarghh!!!

Now, for those of you with kids, that could be a pirate talking or for those of us "oldies" it could be a word of frustration! Both seem to apply to me these days. I know I haven't posted in a long time, but there is a good reason. February was not kind to me and now it seems March isn't helping much. The first part of February was fine. I got to watch my favorite sport, figure skating, for about 4 nights, as the Canadian Championships were on in Saskatoon (tried to go see it live, but no tickets were available. Good thing I didn't - read on). The Canadians are really coming up in the skating world and I think the World Championships in March will be exciting. Well, that Sunday, the 15th, I started aching and having chills and thought, well, I guess I have gotten the flu from Dale. He had it the weekend before and typically for him, it lasted about 3 days and he just ached and his stomach hurt a bit. I took Nyquil like I always do and it helped for about 2 hours and that was it. I should have known something was wrong, but I just ignored the signals my body was giving. I wasn't throwing up much - only when I drank too much liquid. I ended up eating a lot of ice chips and that was all. I only took the really life essential pills (blood pressure medicine) I take every day to lessen the amount of water I drank. For some reason the aching and pain were even worse this time. Jodi kept telling me to go to the dr., as her girls had been sick and it was a bacterial infection of some sort. Well, I find it hard to get in to see my dr., but by Friday I was really, really sick and weak and phoned and begged to get in. She took one look at me and said, go to the ER. Well, I had taken a taxi to her office, so just decided to go back home and have Dale take me when he got off work. We sat in the waiting room for 4 1/2 hours before I got seen! I was so miserable by then I could barely sit. Found out I had a bacterial kidney infection and was severly dehydrated. They hooked me up to an IV and got fluids and a bag of antibiotics in me. Those of you who are Canadian know the horror of our hospital situation and it was no better even though I was so sick. The wonderful doctor explained everything in detail, which I was very grateful for and wanted me to stay in at least 2 days to get hydrated and full of antibiotics. The infection was very bad! I was shuffled from the examing table (so hard) to some horrid recliners in the patient waiting room to a bed in a closed off part of the ER after 10. It was very cold (by a window), but the nice nurse brought a warmed blanket and that helped. I sort of slept after getting some pain medication and was able to keep breakfast down the next morning. After getting my next round of antibiotics, I slept for about an hour and then got shuffled back to the recliners so they could open up those beds again. Ho hum! Dale came by and then was going to go up to see Donna. (more about that later) Meanwhile my dr. came to see me and asked if I wanted to go home. As I was feeling much better I said yes!! Anything was better than those dumb recliners and I didn't think a bed was forthcoming! The nurse said I had to have one more round of antibiotics at 10 p.m. and so I asked if I could come back. That was fine with them, so I found Dale and we went home. They left the iv tubing in and plugged and we went back at 10 and I was hooked up right away and we were home by 11. I was given a prescription for oral antibiotics and told to go see my dr. on Weds. I felt better at home, but was so weak and barely able to do anything. I did see the dr. on Weds. and had more blood and urine tested. It always seems to take me so long to recover from illnesses and maybe because this was so severe, it took even longer. I was just beginning to feel better the first week in March when my tongue felt wierd. It was Weds., the fourth and I thought I had burnt my tongue on my supper. Water tasted really funny. The next day my right sinuses were horribly painful. More so than normal and that's saying a lot. I have chronic sinusitis on that side. Even antihistamines didn't work. I ended up taking strong pain pills and noticed my lip sort of feeling numb - like the freezing was coming out after dental work. Later in the day, I noticed my eyelid not quite closing. Friday morning it was all worse, so I phoned the dr. and someone had cancelled PTL!! I got in and she said it was Bell's palsy. Such a strange thing! Did the sinuses cause it or a viral infection? No one knows. She put me on a decreasing dose of prednisone (steroid) for 10 days. It continued to get worse on Sat and by Sunday the whole right side of my face was paralyzed (I can feel though) and I have to wear an eyepatch, as my eyelid won't close. I tape it shut when around the house. It's annoying to read, watch TV, eat, drink and do just about anything. I can't drive and this is really distressing to me!! I won't be taking Bethie to school anymore, but fortunately, Jodi will be able to as her child care kid became a big brother and she won't have him anymore. I will miss it, as I loved the time with Bethie. So, that's been my month. About Donna. This is Dale's sister. Her husband, Glenn, was on the roof of their house on Valentine's day and fell off sustaining a very bad head injury. He is not doing well, although is more or less awake now and breathing on his own. It's been a rough month for their family, too. In the midst of all this fell my birthday. I had asked the kids to come over on the 21st and help us empty out our spare bedroom and get it organized with my stampin' table and computer and stuff like that. Our living room and bedroom are just too full of stuff. Well, that didn't materialize and neither did my birthday celebration on Sunday the 22nd. So, one of these days we'll do that. Now it has to wait until we get Jen and Craig all moved into their little house. They bought a cute 2 bedroom house about 6 blks from us. Dale and Craig have been busy with Gary's help trying to fix up the bathroom and kitchen and Jen, Jodi, Steve and whoever else will be painting four rooms. Should keep them busy. They hope to move in the 21st. I can't help much because of the dust and paint smell. Well, that's my tale of woe. I am thankful for the continued use of my limbs and one good eye, so the Lord is good! Hope to be on here a bit more often. Til next time...

Happy, Happy Birthday, Jennifer!

Jen singing "Mary Did You Know?" at our Christmas eve service.

Today, January 14th is Jennifer's birthday! Wow!! How well I remember her birth! I think even more than Jason and Jodi's. Probably because it was shorter and I was more "alert" for it - not as many drugs and she came fast at the end!! Dale even got coerced into going into the delivery room (the nurse gave him scrubs and said, "suit up"! No ifs, ands or buts!) I was very happy he was there for the support and for being able to see her as they cleaned her up. She wasn't crying and I was worried, but he said she was kicking, so that made me feel better. She has been a real joy to us and I think to her brother and sister, too. I'm so glad they all get along now as adults and we all have such a great time together. Saturday we are celebrating her day at their place. Birthdays are big with us - I guess that is my "fault", but my family always made a big deal, so what can I say. I always felt sorry for Jen having her birthday so close to Christmas, but we still always tried to make it special for her. It was great last year when Jodi and I went up and spent the weekend with her. Now she's here and we don't have to go anywhere and that is super special, too. I love her and love how she loves Craig and the heart she has for the Lord and the things of the Lord. He gave her a very special talent - her singing - and I love that she has always used it for Him. God bless you, My Jen and thank you for being my daughter! I thank God for that special gift, too!! Love you lots!!

Looks aren't everything!

( This is the view from my front window)

"Baby it's cold outside!" I think this will be our mantra this winter. I am up already (it is 7:33 a.m.!) and listening to my poor industrious husband as he snowblows the sidewalk outside our window. The temperature is -19 with a windchill of -33!!! Too cold for me!! It is very quiet here, as there is nothing on tv. I am also hearing the "chewing" noise I hear quite often coming from the kitchen. We can't decide if it is a mouse, rat or maybe the refrigerator. Anyway, it is annoying and I wish we could figure out what it is. I hear it right behind the fridge and I am sure it is a varmint of some kind. Aaargh!!! As long as it doesn't gnaw its way into the apartment, I guess I can live with it. About being up so early - well, Dale and I have been going through stomach troubles - not really bad, but enough to wake us up and all that fun stuff. So, I was awake a few times after 5 and couldn't go back to sleep, so decided to get up. Dale came in and said it was "ugly" out there, so I imagine Jodi will have fun taking the kids to school this morning. It will probably be as cold at noon when I take Bethie, but it seems better if it is daylight. I have to tell you about a movie I watched on Sunday. I like watching movies on Turner Classic Movies - because they are usually old and run without commercials. This one was called "Marty". I have heard of it, but never watched it. It won best picture the year it was out - 1955 I think. Ernest Borgnine had the lead and if you know who he is, well, he wasn't your typical hollywood "star" - especially back then. He was usually a criminal or tough guy or some such, because he wasn't all that handsome. So, the movie was about someone who wasn't a "looker" as they used to say back then. I found if very poignant and was really cheering for him at the end of the movie. His costar was Betsy Blair (who? don't remember ever seeing her before), pretty, but not "va-va-va-voom" and the right pick for his costar. I said to Dale, I wondered if they felt a little sad that they had been picked for their roles because they were plain. Oh well, it was really a tale of perception. Ugly or plain guys figured they had to have "dolls", but the "dolls" didn't want them. So, when Marty meets Clara who has just been dumped by her blind date because someone prettier comes along, his friends think he's dating a "dog" and should forget about her. Like they were so great looking! Well, it reminded me of my teen years. I was not a cheerleader nor anywhere near perky and cute, so most of the guys just looked past me. It was that way with most of my friends also. How shallow people are! Well, I'm glad the Lord brought Dale and I together. I thought he was a pretty good looking fella when I met him (except for the sideburns!) and I guess he thought I was pretty good looking, too. (he says he did and still does - aaahhh!) Kind of wish I'd gone to one of my class reunions to see what the "va-va-va-vooms" ended up with! Ha! "Man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart". Hope you have a great day!!! P.S. Happy birthday yesterday (12th) to my daughter(in-law) Sandra!!

It started out nice...

Today WAS a good day. It started out that way. When I woke up it was about -10C out and no wind and I thought, ok, this is good. See, it has been so bitterly cold for the past - well, forever - that I only go out if I have to and then do what I have to do and get back inside. So, today I thought if it was so nice and "warm" out, I'd go and do some shopping and put gas in my car, etc. and it would be good. And it was! There weren't nearly as many people out as I thought there would be (well, I was out before noon, so that makes a difference), so it didn't seem like a jungle or anything. I went to Michael's and had a good roam through the store. I even found a pattern for a shawl that looked like it would be nice - I've been looking for one for quite some time. I found some other stuff and the line at the till wasn't unreasonably long, so I was happy. I went to Roger's and found a couple of movies I'd been looking for. I really was having a good day. I picked up the pictures I had finally had developed and a pair of pants I had ordered from the catalog. After getting groceries, I finally arrived home. I was still feeling fine and got the groceries put away and all that. I tried on the pants and they were miles too big! No, I haven't lost more weight, they just were huge! Bummer. When I finally had a minute to sit, I decided to look through my pictures. Now, I have to explain. I haven't gotten them developed since Evan's birthday party, which was October 23rd, so there were LOTS of pictures! Needless to say, I did not feel like standing and going through each one to check for red eye or whatever at the store. As I looked through them, I was a little annoyed that some were poorly lit. They looked yellow and some were fuzzy. I know my camera isn't a real expensive one (it's a Kodak digital and usually I get pretty good pictures.) I think part of the reason is that I tend to zoom into take pictures rather than get up and go closer. This is because if you do that with the kids, they are usually on the floor and I can't get down there, plus when you move, they stop what they are doing. Well, you know what I mean, I'm sure. Then, a lot of them were Christmas Eve pictures and it was pretty dark in the church. Then on Christmas day, my camera started to make noise and I found if I turned the automatic focus off it stopped ticking. Anyway, I knew they weren't great and I had deleted a lot that were really crappy before I got them developed. I kept some that were just so-so. I was ok with them, then Dale looked at them. I know I am just being touchy, but when he complained about them, it really hurt my feelings - like I wasn't a very good photographer. I really like my little camera and usually the pictures turn out pretty good. Isn't that stupid? After that, everything went downhill. I was trying a new recipe for roasted potatoes and they didn't cook right. I had decided on pork cutlets and they were frying perfectly, but got done too soon, so weren't as nice as they should have been fresh from the pan. Then, I wanted to put one of my pictures on my blog that turned out pretty cool, but I realized I deleted it before uploading it. It seemed like one thing after another. It just seemed like my good day went away and a crummy one took its place. I guess I will just have to say, "Oh well, tomorrow is another day.". Hope your day is going well!