Visit Vignettes

We had a lovely time visiting the kids and grandkids.

They live in a small town and enjoy all the benefits of a prairie lifestyle.

The library is in the old railway station with a section of track out behind it.

Main street is wide ( there are no mountains limiting space here)

with a dozen or so businesses and services.

The rink is closeby and very well used. Both my son in law and my daughter

are on hockey teams (there are 4 mens teams in this small town!) and

the boys are in skating lessons twice a week.

Grandson E can bike to school where he is in Grade 1. The school is K-12 and every child in town attends it. He's got a great teacher and I got to see his classroom and his schoolwork.

The town also has a seniors home as well as a home and workshop for the developmentally challenged where we attended their annual Christmas Craft Fair. I wish I'd brought my camera as the craft items made there are amazing. There were handmade quilts and table linens in gorgeous colours and patterns, well built, distressed, country syle furniture, angels and snowmen to adorn your home, stitched pictures for the wall and lots of Christmas ornaments and childrens' toys. I bought a couple of things for my Seattle grandkids.

One night during supper the power went out (120,000 people were without power that night) and we spent the rest of the evening playing with the flashlight and playing scrabble by candlelight.

We walked with the boys to the local hardware store where they bought gifts for Grandpa and Grandma and I bought tissue and gift wrap.

We got to babysit one night while Mom and Dad had a date night with friends.

Harv went ice fishing with our Son in law, the grandboys and a whole troop of other fathers and kids.

We girls played Scrabble, baked and made cards. And of course made our greatly anticipated mother/daughter shopping trip to Saskatoon. What a great place to shop. The shops there are different than at home and it's always alot of fun to do it with my daughter.

With the boys, we read books, made pizzas, built Lego,

played Uno and Scrabble (Grandboy E is very good for Grade 1) walked to town,

wrestled and cuddled. All fun for Grandpa and Grandma.

We also celebrated Christmas one day - We used the advent devotional booklet

"The Colours of Christmas" as our focus on Christ's birth.

It's excellent - tying in the whole story of God's love from
Creation on with activities for the children.

It was so much fun watching the boys open their gifts.

Their eyes shone and hugs and thank -yous were liberally distributed.

For Christmas dinner we did Raclette.

For the boys, who hadn't had it before, it was fun and exciting

to cook their own dinner at the table.

(I may have to do a post on Raclette someday.)

It's been a favourite of ours ever since our Swiss neighbours introduced us to it.

Now it's time to go home. Harv left yesterday, traveling south to Swift Current and Regina stopping at Potash mines and wind farms on the way. I have an appointment at home tomorrow so I'm flying home this afternoon.

One Christmas celebrated - two more to go.

That's the way it is when your children are married with a spouse's family

to celebrate with as well.

It works well for our family - every other year we get them all at our place on Christmas day.

This year is the "in-laws" turn and our Christmas is when

we can best arrange it with each of the children. That's fine by me.

We are just so thankful for our children and their spouses and familys. How blessed we are.