Kaleidoscopes

Blog announcement

2012-01-09T14:10:00.000-08:00

We interrupt your blog reading for a public announcement.....

As you may have surmised from the increasing length of time between my blog posts- it's been hard for me to carve out time to blog recently.

Like many women my age, I am finding that there are just not enough hours in the day to do everything I'd like to do. As a result of trying to keep up, I find I'm in a constant panic to cover all the bases with a decreasing energy level.

It's time to evaluate and prioritize the activities that fill my days.

As I've mentioned in past posts, there are all the things I must do - house keeping, cooking, laundry, garden and office work. And then there are the things I love to do - travel, spend time with grandkids and friends, make cards and scrapbook, read, cook and entertain.

One thing that's become very evident is that I'm spending too much time on the computer. There's office work, posts for Mennonite Girls Can Cook, keeping up with friends, reading other blogs, bill paying and on-line photo books, to name a few.

So one of the first things I've chosen to do to reduce computer time is to declare a hiatus on writing my personal blog.

I've really enjoyed blogging and hope to return to it again but for now, I'll be leaving this on the back burner until further notice.

Many thanks to all of you for your interest and comments. You've been a real encouragement to me. I look forward to resuming this when I'm working less and have accomplished some of the things on my long "Must do" list.

Thanks again for your interest and now...back to your regular scheduled blogs......

And all around the house –

2011-12-22T09:33:00.001-08:00

glimpses of Christmas

Christmas Activities with the Grandkids–

2011-12-19T20:41:00.001-08:00

In the middle of December, we spent a weekend with our Grandkids in Seattle.

We met in Everett at the Children’s Museum and while Harv and the boys explored the museum,

Dulci , Ella and I went to a special children’s performance of the Nutcracker. The (mostly) young performers did an excellent job and Ella was entranced by the costumes, music and dance.

After we all had lunch together, we headed to their house to make gingerbread houses. It was harder than anticipated so PopPop came and demonstrated his architectural and structural knowledge..

The kids kept PopPop well grounded while waiting for the gingerbread “mortar” to dry.

Mom and Dad took a mini retreat on Whidby Island, so we stayed with the kids for the night

The next morning we took the grandkids shopping for gifts for their mom and Dad and to have their picture taken with Santa as a special surprise.

By the time the gingerbread houses where dry enough to decorate, Dad and Mom were back and we had a special dinner of Raclette.

It was a wonderful way to celebrate the coming of Christmas and spend precious time building memories with the grandchildren.

Christmas is Coming –

2011-12-16T00:40:00.001-08:00

It’s been very busy around here. There was lots to catch up on after our holiday.

One thing we chose to make time for when we got home was a weekend in Seattle to see the grandkids.

We went shopping for an Advent wreath – .

of course PopPop found something that interested the children more than wreaths and candles!

Nana and Ella made Christmas ornaments for the tree.

Back at home, I had fun making up some outdoor arrangements.

I love the red berries, and varied shades of the different evergreens.

Some, pine, spruce and fir, and some huge red ornaments and glittered mesh ribbon and the front entry looked like Christmas.

Meanwhile Harv was stringing lights outside. He loves doing this and we have a standing joke about how he buys more lights every year.

The result of his creativity are impressive – we have a winter wonderland around the house.

The lights brighten the dark night reminding us how Christ’s coming brightens our dark world.

…… and Tropical Fish

2011-12-01T04:13:00.000-08:00

These Sergeant fish came in droves when I held out a bit of bread in my hands.

I could feel their tiny teeth against my fingers.

This little guy darted in and out of the camera frame – neon blue dots and a yellow tail.

Lots of bright blue and lighter blue fish

And a few juvenile Stop Light Parrot fish – I think that’s one down in the corner.

They have clearly defined scales and a red belly when they are young and then turn to a sea green with a pink sheen

when they are older- looking like a completely different fish.

And last ,but definitely not least – this spotted eel.

Of Hobie Cats …

2011-11-28T04:31:00.000-08:00

We saw them lined up on the beach – these colourful “Hobie Cats”

They just seemed like a perfect photo op. Two days later, we reserved one for an hour’s sail.

It was so much fun, we did it again a few days later.

These little catamarans are sturdy, and very easy to sail. Once you learn the very basics of how to tack

(turning the sail to catch the wind so you can zig zag back and forth), it’s all fun and games.

We bought a little underwater camera before leaving on our trip – it’s a Nikon and we really enjoyed using it.

However, you had to watch those pesky waterdrops on the lens. I learned later to blow them off before taking a photo.

Hobie back on the beach again. A perfect way to enjoy a sail on the warm ocean.

A Dominican Holiday

2011-11-24T20:45:00.001-08:00

Harv and I just returned from 2 weeks in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. As I mentioned back in August, Harv and I celebrated our 40th anniversary this year and thought a tropical holiday would be a good way to mark this milestone.

We stayed at the Barcelo Bavaro Palace Deluxe – an all inclusive resort. This was the first time we’ve done this kind of a vacation and found it to be relaxing and very enjoyable.

Here are a few pictures to tantalize you, who have had to endure the cold, snow and rains of a November on the west coast of Canada.

The view from our balcony.

The pools at the main part of the resort.

A warm ocean to swim in and a gorgeous long beach to walk along. The white sand was silky soft.

The first thing we saw when we woke up in the morning.

Time to soak up some sun, read and relax.

Our room was the one with the open door on the second level.

I’ll share a few more pictures in the next couple of posts.

More November glimpses

2011-11-15T04:31:00.000-08:00

A Snapdragon’s last hurrah.

Time for a walk in the crisp afternoon air with my grandbaby.

Inside, a pan of cranberry orange muffins for that cold November morning..

"In the garden, Autumn is, indeed the crowning glory of the year,

bringing us the fruition of months of thought
and care and toil.

And at no season, save perhaps in Daffodil time,

do we get such superb colour effects as from August to November."
- Rose G. Kingsley, The Autumn Garden

"I saw the lovely arch
Of rainbow span the sky,
The gold sun burning
As the rain swept by."
- Elizabeth Coatsworth, November

Autumn Sunset.

2011-11-09T20:59:00.000-08:00

This time of year always brings such beautiful sunsets.

We get a front row seat when we sit in the hot tub after work.

It's a great way to end a day.

A frosty Friday in November

2011-11-08T04:18:00.000-08:00

"Even if something is left undone, everyone must take time to sit still and watch the leaves turn."
- Elizabeth Lawrence

Her first Hallowe'en

2011-11-02T07:23:00.000-07:00

Our little pumpkin showed up at our door.

Hope your Hallowe'en brought you as much joy as ours did.

An Autumn Album.

2011-10-27T12:51:00.001-07:00

Trees in their brilliant coloured fall wardrobe!

The slanting rays of the setting sun make for a dappled lane.

The late afternoon sun gilding the already golden hillside.

A new coat of paint for our old house.

The view from my office on a crisp October afternoon.

Even a grey rainy day can’t dim these colours.

Our Granddaughter’s first fall – those red leaves are so fascinating.

Thanksgiving

2011-10-07T15:32:00.001-07:00

Thou that hast given so much to me,

Give one thing more- a grateful heart;

Not thankful when it pleaseth me,

As if Thy blessing had spare days;

But such a heart, whose pulse may be

Thy Praise. George Herbert.

More book signings.

2011-10-02T15:35:00.000-07:00

Yesterday 7 of the girls from Mennonite Girls Can Cook headed down to

the Barnes and Noble bookstore in Bellingham

to sign cookbooks.

Although sales were a bit slow,

it gave us time to talk with each person that came in.

We were delighted to meet several blogging friends

as well as those who hadn't heard of our blog or the book

but seemed very happy to buy a book.

After leaving the book store we had a fun lunch together

and then drove up to Vancouver

where we signed books again at

the Ten Thousand Villages Store on Commercial drive.

The Ten Thousand Villages Stores across Canada

were celebrating their 65th anniversary.

They had a real celebration going on with live music, and birthday cake.

We enjoyed chatting with those that came by our table

Each had a story to tell and we loved hearing

a little about their lives.

We had a great day with lots of time visit with some of our faithful readers.

Thank you to all who came out to see us.

We appreciate each one of you.

Neighbourhood BBQ

2011-09-27T10:48:00.001-07:00

We were privileged to host the 3rd annual Neighbourhood BBQ this past weekend.

I think we can say it was an unqualified success. 65 people came (19 of them were children!) representing 22 families.

We've lived in this neighbourhood for 37 years now and although we've become good friends with our immediate neighbours, we've not gotten to know those further afield.

Thank you, Marg and Marilyn, for initiating the idea of gathering all the neighbours for a summer BBQ and to Linda and Jim who have hosted a party for us all at Christmas. It's because of these folks that we have become friends with the wider neighbourhood and why we had such a turnout this year.

As you can see the kids had a ball and the adults found lots to talk about.

The weather was mostly good with a
bit of rain at dusk which didn't seem to dampen anyone's spirits. We just moved the party under a canopy and enjoyed dessert by candlelight.

Thank you to everyone who came.

We loved having you.

From Garden to Table

2011-09-16T23:09:00.001-07:00

I planted a garden this year. I haven’t had a vegetable garden since Harv’s mom passed away 15 years ago.

That spring and summer we spent so much time with her in the hospital that the garden never got planted and somehow we just didn’t plant one after that.

I’ve been talking about planting a garden again for the past several years. I love the taste of fresh leaf lettuce first thing in spring and home grown carrots have a flavour that can’t compare with the ones from the store.

But, I wasn’t willing to go back to the vast garden of years past – the garden with 2 feet between the rows (so you could till it with a roto-tiller of course. which I couldn’t handle and Harv never got around to)

So there would be acres (it seemed) of weeds to pull.

No, if I had a garden again it would have to be a small garden in a raised bed. I’d been eyeing a number of friends’s gardens and I knew just what I wanted.

Of course, Harv is always scheming and he devised a different sort of raised bed for me. It has 2 steps of soil on one side and one step on the other with a 4 foot expanse of soil at the top.

So, I planted a garden this year. Beans on one side, carrots and herbs on the other along with onions. Across the top were beets, more onions and herbs, lettuce, spinach, arugula and of course some flowers to brighten the vegetable patch.

On one end I had a planter with tomatoes – not the most successful but I did get a lovely bowlful of cherry tomatoes.

We’ve been eating the beans and greens and it’s been wonderful having all the fresh herbs for cooking.

Tonight much of our meal went directly from the garden to the table.

Beets and carrots, basil, dill, parsley and chives and cherry tomatoes all made for a delicious supper.

Aren’t the beets pretty? I’m not sure why some are white when the package promised white and red concentric circles but no matter. When peeled, tossed with oil and kosher salt and roasted at 350º they were sweet and wonderful!

The carrots were dressed with butter, a smidge of honey and fresh basil and the cherry tomatoes were delicious on greens with buttermilk dressing made with fresh herbs.

A special meal for my husband who’s been away on business for a week. Home grown at it’s best.

Anniversary Week

2011-09-08T14:31:00.001-07:00

August 28 was our 40th wedding Anniversary.

We started the celebration by inviting our friends and family to a party.

Even our youngest granddaughter came.

Tim and Rick helped out with the corn – cooked in the large “Meagropa” or cauldron we inherited from Harv’s Dad.

My dapper brother-in-law, Ernie helped out at the BBQ and our niece helped serve while my sister and sister-in-law pitched in where ever needed.

On the menu: BBQ pork loin, Ernie’s wonderful Greek Salad, Caprese Salad, crunchy pea salad, fabulous corn on the cob, fruit platter and fresh buns.

It was a lovely afternoon – perfect weather, lots of visiting and time to catch up with friends.

The following Friday morning, Harv and I drove up to Vernon where we stayed at the Ilahee Inn right on Kalamalka Lake.

We had a gorgeous suite with a private patio over the lake and enjoyed a relaxing afternoon. Supper was at the Italian Kitchen in Vernon. It was a perfect way to celebrate again – just the two of us.

From Vernon we drove to Lake Country where the wedding of our neighbour’s son was to take place.

It was held at Casa Bella Mansion right on Okanagan Lake. What a gorgeous setting and a lovely wedding.

It reminded us of the vows we made so many years ago.

Harv and I in our wedding finery.

Then on Labour Day Harv and I took the boat out on Harrison Lake. We cruised at least two thirds up the lake. The weather was perfect- hot enough to take a swim, with enough of a breeze to keep us comfortable.

Once we left Long Island behind I think the only boat we saw all afternoon was that of the Fire Warden.

We found a quiet cove to have our mid afternoon lunch.

Later in November we plan on continuing the celebration by taking a tropical holiday. Don’t know where or when but it’s something to look forward to.

40 years has passed so quickly. I’m very thankful for my husband and friend.

Life has its ups and downs but by God’s grace we’ve come this far and we are grateful.

What can we do at Nana and PopPop’s?

2011-08-30T10:13:00.001-07:00

Jump on the trampoline with our cousins

It’s even more fun when we set up the sprinkler

Play tag

Find a quiet moment (rare but even kids have to take a breather)

The “Docter” is In and can diagnose your ailments. Just write your name on the appointment schedule.

Hang out with Aunts and our baby cousin.

Admire her fashion sense..

Test out the effectiveness of an umbrella on a sunny day.

Line up for a picture with the shirts Nana brought back from Niagara Falls.

Get to know our newest cousin.

Practice holding a baby.

Learn how to toss pizza dough.

Make our own pizzas

As you can see, there always lots to do at Nana and PopPop’s!

Family Reunion

2011-08-22T23:44:00.001-07:00

Harv and I, my Dad and my sister and brother-in-law spent the last week in Ontario attending a family reunion.

My mom’s siblings, their spouses, my cousins and their families all gathered at Queenston Heights on Sunday to celebrate family.

It was sad not having my mom there but I like to think she and our grandparents were watching and pointing out all the new additions.

What a blessing it is to belong to a loving extended family like this one. They have all played such a huge part in my life – supporting and encouraging me, praying for me and showing their love in countless ways.

Of the 6 Suderman siblings and their spouses only my mom was missing. And about two thirds of my cousins were there, along with quite a number of their children. I think we counted about 54 people in all.

We had wonderful food: German sausages, meatballs, salads and corn corn on the cob steamed to perfection by Uncle Elmer and his steam engine.

There were stories told, pictures shared, years and years of being apart to catch up on.

There have been many joys over the years and, like in all families, difficulties along the way – divorce, death, cancer and debilitating illnesses but through it all the story of God’s faithfulness emerges triumphant.

My godly grandparents would be so happy to see how the faith they instilled in their children has been passed down to their grandchildren, great grandchildren and great, great grandchildren.

This time with family was the highlight of an event filled week – more of which I’ll share in later posts.

An ‘At home’ Camping Weekend.

2011-08-04T20:35:00.001-07:00

The plan was to take the pontoon boat with the kids and grandkids and find a camping spot.

Two things changed our minds – the high water on Harrison Lake (no beaches!) and the August long weekend.

We had no desire to fight for a camping spot.

So we “camped” at home. We might even have tented had the forecast not been for rain.

As it was – we slept well in our comfy beds and had all the fun of a camping weekend.

dirtbiking

slip ‘n slide

Hot dog roast with PopPop showing us how he can roast 7 at one time and a picnic!

Fishing – yes they caught one (small)

Ready aim…… FIRE!

and Hiking at Bridal Veil Falls.

The weekend ended with a marshmallow roast at Uncle Rick and Auntie Adele's and yummy s'mores. (Have you ever tried them with peanut butter cups?)

What more could one ask of a camping weekend?

Canning Cherries

2011-07-30T10:52:00.001-07:00

I canned cherries last week, something I haven't done for a few years.

The cherries were so beautiful I had to grab my camera.

These light coloured cherries are called 'Queen Anne'. In Washington State they are known as 'Ranier'. At their best they are sweet and firm in texture. They are a favourite of mine.

I also canned some sweet cherries. I didn't find out what variety they were

but they were a rich, deep red colour and sweet to the taste.

We enjoy eating them out of the jar but I also love to make 'Plumamoos' with them, or 'Kirschenmoos" If you don't know this cold fruit soup, check the recipe out at our 'Mennonite Girls Can Cook blog. It's in the Mennonite foods category. It's always eaten with Ham at Easter and often served at 'Vaspa' (Sunday supper) with zwiebach and cold meat.

When the canning process is finished, I get such a feeling of satisfaction - a job well done, and my own canned cherries on the basement shelf. They'll be there for those gloomy winter days when I want a taste of summer.

Quilts and St. Jacobs’ Market

2011-07-28T21:50:00.001-07:00

As Kathy drove around the countryside, we saw some hand painted signs advertising ‘QUILTS, HOMEMADE CRFTS”

We followed the sign to a Mennonite farmyard where a 13 year old girl with thick braids was our hostess.

She took us to a basement room where a bed was laden with over 25 quilts, each neatly spread out over the one beneath it so that they could be folded back for display. What amazing colours and handiwork. The stiches were so small, the corners so well matched and the designs planned by an artistic eye.

As we chatted with her, we found out that her “Doddie” (grandmother) was the quilter. When we asked if she was learning to quilt as well, she answered “Well… it’s not really my line.”She confessed to being much happier in the barn with the animals.

I bought a lovely table runner and apple pot holder, although I would have loved to have taken home one of those beautiful quilts

This will dress up my Thanksgiving table with memories and colour.

When we left I snapped a picture of this little sweetheart – don’t you love those chunky little running shoes.

Her older brother and sister where swinging – it was a picture right out of the past.

The next morning, Charlotte and I spent some time at the St. Jacobs’ Farmers Market.

It was sensory overload all the way!

Check out these colourful and appetizing displays!

I bought homemade summer sausage for Harv – no preservatives and chock full of flavour.

This little guy caught my attention.

What do you suppose he is thinking as he exchanges gazes with the non-Mennonite boy?

We stopped on our way out at this delectable display and bought a chocolate dessert to share.

They truly were designer desserts – a feast for the eyes and a treat for the tastebuds.

What fun it would be to visit this market each week.

Waterloo, Mennonite Country

2011-07-22T10:59:00.001-07:00

While In Waterloo, our hostess, Kathy took us for a drive one afternoon to see the surrounding countryside.

There are numerous groups of Old Mennonites who live in the area. Some are readily identified by their conservative clothing, the horse and buggies they drive instead of cars and the lack of electricity in their homes.

This is the oldest church, or Meeting House in the area and in its adjacent cemetery, there are headstones that date from the 1700’s to the 1900’s.

The Mennonites in this area emigrated from Switzerland in the 1700’s and settled alongside the 6 Nations Native Indians along the river. They cleared the land, establishing large successful farms.

This Meeting House has hitching posts instead of a parking lot. It is located side by side with a Conference Mennonite Church who’s members’ cars fill its parking lot.

Kathy said that on Sunday mornings the horse and buggies alongside the cars make for an interesting contrast.

The Mennonite Farms are all kept so neat and tidy and most have large, beautifully kept gardens with rows of flowers planted alongside the thriving vegetables.

As we drove through the towns and past farms we felt we had gone back in time.

We stopped at the Wallenstein General Store and did a bit of browsing.

It was tempting to help myself to a handful of these gorgeous cherries but I resisted.

The store shelves offered merchandise not available in our local stores. Rows upon rows of shiny black shoes and boots with the toes all neatly pointing outwards, and a choice between blue and black suspenders.The fabrics on offer where cotton in plain colours or tiny flowered prints. Blues and purples where the favoured colours. There were also a few varieties of hats lined up on the shelves and I found a straw one for my son.

As families debated their purchases, and barefoot children studied the toys, I came upon something too cute to leave there.

These bonnets, smocked, beribboned and tucked were the perfect purchase for our tiny granddaughter.

Stay tuned for one more post on this wonderful Ontario region.

Book Signing Trip to Waterloo

2011-07-17T23:40:00.001-07:00

As many of you know, I’m one of the 10 “Mennonite Girls Can Cook” cookbook authors. Charlotte was asked by Mennonite Media to represent us all at the Canadian Mennonite Assembly in Waterloo at the beginning of July.

She invited any of us who could make it to go with her. My high school friend, Ester lives in neighbouring Kitchener and I was delighted to be able to accompany Charlotte in representing our cookbook and to visit with my old friend at the same time.

The Assembly was held at the campus of the University of Waterloo and after visiting with Ester in her home on Sunday evening, she took me to the residence which became our home away from home for the week.

She works for the Eastern Conference of Mennonites and so we met several times over the course of the assembly. What a treat that was for me.

We signed books at the Menno Media book table several times between sessions for the first few days.

On Wednesday, Kathy, who runs the Mennonite Publishing Network warehouse took Charlotte and me on a tour of the warehouse. It was quite something to see our cookbooks on the shelves. She had recently had an order for 1000 books from the “10 Thousand Villages “ warehouse and was excited to see our book selling so well.

After leaving the warehouse, she drove us to Words Worth Bookstore in Waterloo where they were featuring our cookbooks in a unique window display.

We signed a few books there before leaving for an afternoon of sightseeing. (more on that in a later post)

Our last official task was to sign books at the Ladies Luncheon on Friday. Kathy was asked to say a few words about the “Mennonite Girls Can Cook” blog and cook book to the ladies.

We sold all the books Kathy brought and were delighted at the positive response of everyone we met. Later we heard that our cookbook is Menno Media’s highest selling book.

As our royalties are being donated to a children’s shelter in the Ukraine, we were delighted to hear how well it is selling.

It was a wonderful experience and I was so privileged to be able to share this with Charlotte. A huge bonus was that Charlotte and I had lots of time to build on the friendship that our collaboration in the blog and cookbook had begun.

Thanks, Charlotte for inviting me to join you – I loved our time together and am so glad you are my friend.

Baby Shower

2011-06-26T07:15:00.001-07:00

It’s been a practice among our friends to celebrate the events in our children’s lives.

There’s a bridal shower when any of our children marry and now when the grandchildren are born, we hold a shower for the first child of each family.

Last week it was our youngest son’s first child that we celebrated. Julia was born at the beginning of May, 5 weeks early so we waited a month before celebrating her birth.

Jan hosted the shower and had the table decorated so beautifully.

Julia was the centre of attention and was passed around as everyone wanted to hold her.

This little girl will be well dressed!

We were so happy to have Adele’s mom attend. She was visiting from Peace River.

Before the shower was all cleaned up Betti, Lorraine, Jan and Pat were already planning a bridal shower for another friend’s son’s fiance’. I feel so blessed to have such a supportive and loving group of friends.

A Weekend with my Daughter!

2011-06-21T11:54:00.000-07:00

Chris called me a while ago to tell me that her husband and boys had a father/son weekend planned. " That means I'm free, Mom...how about meeting me in Edmonton?"
Now what mother is going to say no to that? Not me!

So this past weekend she drove the 5 hours out from Saskatchewan and I flew from BC to meet her in Edmonton. After picking me up from the airport the first item on the agenda was a good visit over lunch!
After lunch we found our hotel and got unpacked. Later we looked up her friend's shop, "The Country Pumpkin" and spent an hour or so browsing the hand crafted items there.
That evening we enjoyed a dinner theatre at the Mayfield. The performance was a musical; "The 25th Annual Putnam Spelling Bee" and included an extensive dinner buffet. We thoroughly enjoyed it all.

Saturday we shopped! This was the first time I've been in Edmonton and not shopped at West Edmonton Mall. Chris' SIL recommended South Commons so we spent the day in this large shopping area. Unfortunately it was pouring rain most of the day so we had to do some running between shops and our vehicle. But the weather was easy to ignore as we shopped the sales.
We found some cute tops for Chris, some must-have kitchen gadgets and gifts for upcoming baby showers.
After dinner we took a drive up Whyte Ave. in the old part of the city and then took an involutary tour of the area on our way back to the hotel. (smile)
Sunday we spent at Home Sense and Ikea and found some wonderful items for the boy's newly rennovated bedroom.
Then it was time to say goodbye as she dropped me off at the airport and drove home.
Chris, I loved every minute of the weekend and am so glad you chose to spend it with me.
You are one special girl!

Montreal – Churches

2011-06-08T14:29:00.001-07:00

On Saturday we booked a walking tour of the Old Town. I’d highly recommend this to anyone visiting Montreal for the first time. Our guide’s forefathers were among the first settlers in the area and much of his tour took on a personal flavour as he related Montreal’s history to the stories handed down from his family. One of the highlights of the tour was the Notre Dame Basilica. It dominates a large plaza set in the heart of Old Montreal

This gothic revival cathedral is the largest in Montreal and it was designed by an Irish Architect from New York . It’s design was based on the cathedral situated in Paris however as the local craftsmen were more familiar working with wood rather than stone, the entire interior is beautifully carved from local hardwoods. At the time of its construction it was the largest cathedral in North America. It was built in 5 years beginning in 1824 with the main edifice completed in 1829. The twin stone towers were added in 1843 and 1845. One of the towers houses the Saint Jean Baptiste bell.

The interior is incredible and the lighting highlights the amazing wood carvings and many items of art.

Two of the many events that took place in the main Nave, were Pierre Elliot Trudeau’s funeral and Celine Dion’s wedding.

The Chapel of Notre Dame Sacre-Coeur was built later to accommodate smaller weddings and funerals. It became known as the Wedding Chapel and was partially destroyed by fire in 1978. Rather than try to duplicate the original wood carving the new architect chose a more modern design for the ceiling and frontpiece which were damaged beyond repair. This caused much controversy. Now opinions are divided as to whether the marriage of the original intricately carved side porches and the new more modern ceiling and frontpiece is successful. Harv and I thought it was brilliantly done and that the old and new together brought a peaceful atmosphere of worship and reverence.

We also took pictures of a number of the other old Churches in downtown Montreal.

This church was on the harbour and was nicknamed, the Sailor’s church. It was called The Norte Dame –de Don Scours Chapel or the “ Chapel of Our Lady of Good Help”

It looked like a conglomeration of buildings from the outside but was glorious inside with a vaulted ceiling and fabulous stained glass windows.

We passed on touring more churches, truly enjoying and marvelling at the ones we did see.

Montreal – Places, Plazas and Promenades

2011-06-02T22:52:00.001-07:00

Place de Jaques Cartier was the first area we stumbled upon. This is a wide promenade area with restaurant terraces lining both sides and small vendors booths, park benches, statues and fountains in between.

We found a restaurant where we could hear the street entertainers serenading us as we ate dinner. All the entertainers we heard throughout the week were excellent and enthusiastically supported by the crowds of people that gathered around them.

The weather here had been cold and wet before we arrived (as it seems to have been all across Canada this Spring) so the dry and somewhat warmer weather brought out tourists and Montrealers in droves.

Rue Saint Paul, the main street of the Old Town is a dedicated pedestrian area in the summer months . It is paved with old bricks and stones and is lined with restaurants and tourist shops. We felt a real atmosphere of fun and community in all of the public spaces we visited .

One afternoon we came upon the Plaza Des Spectacles situated near the Museum of Contemporary art. Here water shot up in different heights and sequences from the paving stones and it was fascinating to watch and to see kids of all ages running through the water or trying to guess where it would next spout from.

When we went back a few evenings later to see how it looked under the lights, we were surprised by a completely different activity there.

There were no water fountains on, instead, just as we approached, the lights came on and long rows of people began to file onto the plaza. They spread out into 7 rows, stretching into lines of 30 or so per line. They were all ages from 15 to 75, dressed in everything from suits and ties, jeans and tee shirts to flowing skirts and exercise wear.

They danced and we watched for almost 3/4 hour as they moved to the music. It was a cross between line dancing and contemporary dance and was very well choreographed. Later the water jets were turned on and became part of the dance. It was absolutely amazing and we felt so fortunate to have happened upon it. We found out later that it was a dress rehearsal for a performance several days later. We heard several people remark that they were planning to volunteer for it the following year.

On another promenade area on the edge of the downtown district, there were rows of open structures which, as we approached, were seen to be swings. There were probably ten of them supporting 3 swings each. Again, people of all ages were swinging. They were set up to play music as the swing went up and down and if you cooperated with the other swingers in your set, you could make different sequences of music. It was fascinating and everyone walking by took their turns.

Other areas included a wide park area along the waterfront, small promenades next to peaceful pools of water and beautiful groves of cherry trees.

Perhaps it is because of the long winters but it was obvious that these places drew people – everywhere we saw people strolling along, sitting on park benches, bicycling or dancing – truly enjoying their city.

Montreal

2011-05-30T23:17:00.001-07:00

Harv had a trade show booked in Montreal last week so we decided to take a few extra days to get to know this amazing city.

Montreal is situated In the province of Quebec on the St. Lawrence River and is one of the oldest cities in Canada. So there are many old buildings and lots of history.

Harv had been here several time for trade shows but most had been in the dead of winter. The last time I’d spent any time here was when when our family drove out to experience “Expo 67”.

We flew out on a Thursday evening and at noon on Friday we headed to the Palais de congres de Montreal where the Canadian Institute for Mining show was to be held.

This is a popular venue for trade shows. One entire side of this building was made of panes of coloured glass that glowed at night.

Our crates were there waiting for us and we made quick work of setting up the booth.

We left the exhibition hall using a different door than the one we’d entered and discovered a quiet courtyard with exquisite cherry trees in full bloom.

We had a lovely suite at the Marriott Springhill Hotel right in the centre of Old Montreal. However there was one small design flaw which was quickly discovered the first time we used the “facilities”.

It was funny enough to share so we set up a photo op. Needless to say, we moved the roll from its holder to a spot within reach.

Our hotel was within walking distance of both the show venue and most of Old Town’s major attractions. Montreal’s Chinatown and Rue St. Catharine which is the commercial area of the city were also both within a half hour’s walk.

What a wonderful place to walk around.

Rue Saint Paul, is the main street of Old Montreal which is one of the many areas of the city that are designated for pedestrians only. There are numerous buildings still standing that date as early as the 1600’s and lots of excellent restaurants which were taking advantage of the nice weather and had set up outside seating .

There are so many more things I’d like to say about this city and our holiday there so I’ll share more in future posts.

More fun at Nana and PopPop’s

2011-05-15T20:19:00.001-07:00

After all the excitement of our Cookbook and a new grandchild I finally have time to share a few more memories from our Easter week:

The Geo Tracks where set out and most days there were several kids playing trains.

Hot tubbing in the rain and a jubilant finding of Easter goodies.

Dirt biking up and down the driveway

Cozy chats with Opa

A bouquet for Nana

Aunt Chris giving Lego advice

and the whole family at the table for yummy ribs.

Even though everyone has gone home, these pictures remind us of our precious time together.

Wasn’t that a party!

2011-05-09T23:35:00.001-07:00

Tonight House of James, a local Christian Bookstore hosted a book signing event for the Mennonite Girls Can Cook Cookbook.

When I got there 5 minutes before the event was to start, the parking lot was full and there was a line up of people clutching the cookbook.

We’d been asked to bring sample of baking from the book.

Rhubarb and Apple bars, stollen, apple buns , peppernuts and oatmeal date cookies.

It all looked very yummy and by the end of the evening all the plates were empty!

There were lots of books to sign and well before closing time, they had sold out all their copies.

Lovella told the story of our blog and cookbook and answered questions.

My sister, Janet came to celebrate with us and brought me a lovely plant for my garden.

It all feels somewhat surreal but we are so appreciative of all the people who have supported our blog and the cookbook.

It wouldn’t have happened with out you! Thank you!

On top of it all, The Canucks won the deciding Game against the Predators and the town went crazy.

When we left later, the streets were crowded with people of all ages, flags waving wildly and horns honking as cars full of fans cruised the streets.

Anneliese’s son brought in his Canucks towel and had us all sign it to celebrate both the success of his team and our cookbook.

All I can say is, “Wasn’t that a party!”

Arrivals and Departures, The Week that Was!

2011-05-08T18:01:00.001-07:00

What a lot can happen in one week.

Last week we had the whole family visiting and our garage entry looked like this!

Sunday morning it looked like this!

One family of Kids and grandkids departed for their home in Seattle on Satuday evening

And another family of kids and grandkids packed up their truck and trailer and departed for Saskatchewan on Sunday Morning.

Our son Rick and his wife who live here decided we’d had enough of departures and early Tuesday morning announced a welcome arrival.

This precious little one is doing so well and we love her to bits. She has a bit of growing to do before she can depart from the hospital and arrive at her new home. As you can imagine – this made the week busy with eagerly made hospital visits.

In between we had Stephan, a Danish Colleague arrive to do a bit of training and make a business trip with Rick to Prince George.

However with his daughter’s arrival, Rick’s commitments were necessarily changed and our employee took his place. When they arrived back on Thursday, we hosted Stephan for dinner before he departed.

Thursday was momentous for the “Mennonite Girls”. Our cook book is out and Thursday “GrandPappy’s”, a local business hosted our first book signing event. We arrived there with much excitement.

Halfway through the afternoon, the excitement increased when Betty, one of the “Girls” arrived a day earlier than we expected.

Friday, Charlotte and Ellen arrived and then in the evening, all 10 “Girls” and 9 husbands (we missed you Tony!) arrived at Terry and Lovella’s for our official Book Launch Party. Our first order of business was a photo of us all with our cookbooks. (As you can see it was (still) raining so I apologize for the raindrop in the corner)

We had a fabulous dinner and even better fellowship.

A toast to Lovella, our Blog Creator and Administrator for an amazing job well done.

After more signing and a few goodbyes we departed for our beds.

The next morning some of us arrived at Winks In Chilliwack to sign more books while others arrived at Lepp’s Farm Market to do the same. These businesses and others ( see the link on the Mennonite Girls Can Cook blog) have been so gracious in their support for our project with some even giving all their profits to the charity our book sales is supporting.

One more fun arrival was that of “Ocean Soul” a fellow blogger whose blog many of us follow.

So the week ended with departures as Betty and Ellen and their husbands as well as Charlotte left to visit friends or head home.

I’m so grateful for each of these mentioned above. It was an incredibly busy week but I wouldn’t have missed a minute of it.

She's arrived!

2011-05-03T15:15:00.001-07:00

Our newest grandchild was born last night. Our youngest son and his wife are the proud parents of a beautiful little girl. She surprised us all - arriving 5 weeks earlier than expected but is healthy and strong. At 4 lb. 10 oz. she is tiny with beautiful skin and dark wavy hair.

We are thrilled!! and grateful to God for her safe arrival. R & A we wish you both much joy in this new season of life.

What is there to do at Papa and Nana's?

2011-04-28T15:50:00.000-07:00

It's been a year since our grandboys have visited from
Saskatchewan so when they arrived they needed to check everything out.

There were dandelions to pick and present to Nana.

The hot tub is a huge attraction so it's on each day's agenda.

Papa has to measure each boy against the kitchen door post to see how much they've grown since their last vist. (Evan grew 3 inches and Kyle a full 4 inches!!)

We pulled out the super scrabble and E proved his expertise by pulling off a Scrabble (using all 7 letters on his tray at once) on his first turn!

They boys went exploring in the crawl space and found the trumpets and blew us an energetic tune.

Of course the creek always holds its attraction - a bit scary for Nana but she gave in and found fishing rods, so they dug for worms and went fishing and then their Mom gave a hand to span the creek with a board so they could dangle their feet in the cold cold water.

Since then they've played Lego, read voraciously, gone bowling, rode their bikes, took the dirtbike for a spin, decorated cupcakes, watched the birds (calling PopPop to show him one we hadn't seen yet) cheered on the hockey game, went for ice cream, checked out the used bookstore and shared their favourite stories with Nana.

They've also been a great help - setting the table and clearing their dishes after the meal, making their beds, tidying up the toys and helping Nana cook.

On his first morning here, 9 year old Evan cooked breakfast for us - scrambled egg and bacon wraps.

And that was only the first couple of days!

Then the Seattle cousins arrived and the excitement has risen to a fevered pitch.

Easter weekend

2011-04-25T22:40:00.001-07:00

A few highlights from the Klassen household!

Hunting eggs, family around the table, and Monica getting Uncle Harv to slice her freshly baked Paska on the big meat slicer. It worked but left a lot of icing on the fingers!

seeing Mike and Ros as an engaged couple and watching Harv’s brother juggle his twin grandbabies.

The only downer was watching the Canucks lose but being together with family more than made up for it.

And last but not least, I got to share my excitement over the arrival of our “Mennonite Girls Can Cook” Cookbook by giving each family their own copy.

And most important of all - the reason we gather together on Easter Sunday:

Christ is risen! He is risen indeed!

Good Friday

2011-04-22T07:04:00.001-07:00

Beneath Thy Cross

Am I a stone, and not a sheep,

That I can stand, O Christ, beneath Thy cross,

To number drop by drop Thy Blood’s slow loss,

And yet not weep?

Not so those women loved

Who with exceeding grief lamented Thee;

Not so fallen Peter weeping bitterly;

Not so the thief was moved;

Not so the Sun and Moon

Which hid their faces in a starless sky,

A horror of great darkness at broad noon -

I, only I.

Yet give not o’er,

But seek Thy sheep, true Shepherd of the flock;

Greater than Moses, turn and look once more

And smite a rock.

Christina Rossetti

They’re Here!

2011-04-19T22:49:00.001-07:00

Our cookbooks arrived today!

Hip Hip Horray.

A journey long,

a heart of song,

a job well worth

the months of work.

Pages bright

filled with light;

food and story,

in all their glory.

Get yours now!

You’ll wonder how

you ever cooked without it.

Cookbooks can be ordered by going to http://store.mpn.net/productdetails.cfm?PC=1624

Desert Flowers

2011-04-13T22:37:00.000-07:00

We've been back home for over a week now and I've just now had a few minutes to work on my blog. I thought I'd share a few highlights of our vacation with you.

Palm Springs lies in a dry valley between two mountain ranges. Wherever there is water, the land is covered in green lawns, majestic palm trees and every type of shrub and flower.

However in its natural state the whole area is a desert and as soon as you leave the irrigated towns and head up into the mountains, dry, rocky landscapes and cacti are the norm. But even in the desert, there are many flowers that brighten the driest, most barren landscapes. Sometimes you have to look close to find the delicate beauties but others bloom boldly and they are hard to miss. Unfortunately I don't know the names of most of them but here are a few we saw on a hike near 49 Palms.

I'm always amazed at the way God has created these plants to bloom where they are. Despite the scorching sun during the day, the contrasting cold at night and their barren location, devoid of water or noticeable nourishment, they bloom where they are and bring delight to those of us who are lucky to come upon them.

Destination: Sun and Warm Temperatures

2011-03-18T15:50:00.000-07:00

From this:

To this:

We've been on holiday in Palm Springs and the weather's been lovely. Such a change from the snowy conditions we left at home.

What do we do with our days? - reading and sitting by the pool, games, shopping, bicycling, motor bike riding, visiting with friends (there are about 20-30 of us from our hometown here), checking out a hot rod show, cruising the different areas of town, hiking in Joshua Tree Park and meeting friends for coffee or a meal out.

It's all good.

Mennonite Girls Cooking Class

2011-02-18T23:54:00.001-08:00

As many of you know, I’m privileged to be part of the the “Mennonite Girls Can Cook “ blog.

Well… we had our very first experience of actually cooking together this evening.

We were asked by Lepp Farm Market in Abbotsford (see side bar on the MGCC blog) if we would be interested in teaching a cooking class.

We talked it over, thought it could work and arranged a date with Charlotte Lepp who then added us to the list of their very popular cooking classes.

It was a bit scary but gratifying to hear that our class sold out quickly .

So tonight Lovella, Anneliese, Julie, Kathy and I tied on our aprons and and demonstrated how to cook Borscht, Rollkuchen and Cinnamon Buns.

What fun we had – those attending the class were so supportive and encouraging and we enjoyed interacting with them as we cooked and baked.

And the food – well, it was superb! All of the recipes are on our blog and will be in the upcoming cookbook.

Here are a few pictures from our evening.

Lists in hand, Lovella and Kathy shop for our ingredients

We had the pick of the crop at Lepp Farm Market

Charlotte Lepp and Lovella go over a few last minute details

while the rest of us started the food prep.

Lovella, Julie, Bev, Kathy and Anneliese.

Adding veggies to Julie’s Borscht.

Lovella rolls out the Rollkuchen.

Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves as much as we were.

Enjoying Kathy’s cinnamon buns after the class was over.

Thank you Rob and Charlotte for inviting us. It was a fun experience for all of us and we’re already looking forward to the next class in April.

Bird Watching

2011-02-03T11:59:00.001-08:00

We’ve been bird watching lately. With the big windows in our new room we have a front row seat to the bird feeder in the back yard.

Red Winged Blackbirds – one comes first then a flutter of black with flashes of red and the bird seed disappears in a hurry!

House Finches – with their rosy coloured plumage.

And Song Sparrows.

This one got a bit peeved that the Starlings had eaten all the suet and gave the empty cage a good kick to vent his feelings!

A Spotted Towhee – not the best picture but evidence that we’ve seen him.

In front of our house we can see Eagles at the top of the neighbour’s Cottonwood tree surveying their world.

This past week there were 3 of them there at one time.

This is just a smattering of what we’ve seen this past week. My neighbour had an Evening Grosbeak visit her this week.

We’ve not seen one at our feeder yet but we’ll be keeping our eyes peeled and our camera at the ready to document him when he comes!

January Blues

2011-01-19T22:34:00.001-08:00

I heard that this past Monday was supposed to be the most depressing day of the year. Did you find it that way?

It was blue last week when I took these pictures. I got up at 7 in the morning and the world was blue in the gloom of early morning and freshly fallen snow.

By the beginning of this week our yard looked just like this!

It rained all week and as the snow disappeared our house became lakefront Property.

Our front and backyards were flooded and the water was a foot deep on the driveway between the house and the shop.

So what do you do on those long January evenings to take your mind off the weather?

I did a jigsaw puzzle and watched a couple of movies last week and

I completed an on line book using My Publisher software and sent it off while Harv figured out how to use a negative scanner he bought himself for Christmas.

Then we decided to tackle the HUGE job of organizing our pictures and scanning negatives into the computer.

Our dining room table was covered in pictures and negatives

and we started the long process of scanning our negatives into the computer. So far we’ve done the negatives from one year – 1974.

Thankfully most of our negatives are stored in chronological order, because many of our pictures are not. Some are in albums, most aren’t. You know how it is, you go looking for a pictures for someone’s school project, or a family wedding and then never put them back in their proper place. So we have boxes and boxes of pictures that really need to be sorted through.

Then there are old pictures found in a box that came from Harv’s Dad’s place. These are amazing . Although many of the pictures in that box are of people and places unknown to us, there are a few gems among them.

Here’s a few samples:

Harv’s Dad in the Hop yards

Dad with his horse, Star and his dog back in the Prairies and then this gem:

The old Harrison Hot Springs pool. The date on the back of this picture is 1939.

This whole picture thing will be an ongoing project – I don’t expect to complete it any year soon but each picture sorted, each negative scanned is progress.

The bonus is discovering pictures of times long past and, when going through family pictures, remembering the people and experiences that have enriched our lives.

I’d say it’s good medicine to get rid of those January blues.

Happy Birthday Harv

2011-01-11T09:30:00.001-08:00

Harv (on the trike) and his brother, Jim – I’m guessing he’s about 4 years old.

you’ve always maintained a good relationship with your family – I love the way your brother and you call each other about everything.

Harv and I this past summer in Tofino. (We were on a motorcycle trip which explains the leather jackets on a beach!)

(Oh the places we’ve seen and the things we’ve done! - You’ve made my life so interesting and so much fun. I can’t think of anyone I’d rather be with!)

Your kids love you as a Dad and as a friend. You’re generous to a fault and are great example to your family .

You’re a conscientious businessman – working well with your son and wife. (no mean achievement)

You do business with integrity and are highly respected by your colleagues.

You’re a wonderful grandfather – so much fun to play with and always dreaming up exciting and new things for the children to do each time they come over.

I love you and wish you an awesome birthday.

Bev

Holiday Review

2011-01-03T22:35:00.001-08:00

Pictures always speak louder than words so I’ll share the following review of our Christmas/New Years week with only a minimum of commentary.

Christmas Day we headed down to Seattle to be with our oldest son and his family. (The other 2 families were spending Christmas Day with their in-laws)

As you can see, the kids enjoyed their gifts.

On Boxing day we had breakfast and then spent the hour before church started at GasWorks Park. The views were lovely, there are alot of old gas pipes to climb on and a hill that is great to fly kites from

We had friends in for dinner several times during the following week, and also celebrated the engagement of our friend’s son.

On New years Eve we enjoyed home made sushi and a raclette meal at our friends’ home.

New Years Day my Dad, our oldest son and his family and our youngest son and his wife came to celebrate Christmas. Unfortunately, our daughter and her family were unable to make the trip to be with us this year.

Grandson Nate read the Christmas story from a wonderful children’s Bible, called the Jesus Storybook Bible. (written by Sally Lloyd-Jones and published by Zondervan)

Grandprincess E loved the apron and ABC book her Nana made for her.

After opening gifts there was time for hot tubbing, bird watching and rocket launching and Grandson N even got in a few runs on the dirtbike.

He also had a great chat with his Opa (my Dad). It’s so nice seeing the oldest and youngest generations enjoying each other.

We ended our day with the traditional Turkey dinner and after the children were tucked into their beds, we sat and talked and played games.

It’s hard to believe another holiday season is over. This week the decorations will be packed away and life will resume its daily rhythm.

God has walked with us through the highs and lows of the past year and we are trusting Him to carry us through the coming year.

From our family to yours – May you be kept safe within the hollow of God’s hand. We wish you all a wonderful New Year.

Gifts for/from Gramma

2010-12-20T15:03:00.001-08:00

I’ve been the lucky recipient of some wonderful mail this month. Yes there are lots of cards and pictures and letters from family and friends each of which is read and displayed.

But so far, my favourites have been these:

3 amazing Christmas drawings from Grandboy K (the top one had pictures on both sides)

and..

This one from Grandboy E – his own idea for a gift for Gramma.

He sent me gift tags to be used when I wrapped my presents. As you can see, they have “From Gramma” on the top and then the word “To:” and a line for the recipient’s name.

I used them on the gifts I wrapped and was so thrilled with the thoughtfulness of both boys as they sent their love and Christmas wishes to a very happy Gramma.

A new perspective on entertaining.

2010-12-15T21:17:00.001-08:00

As many of your know, we’ve been in the process of renovating our 35 year old house. I thought you might be interested to see the difference in how our dining room looks now.

These were taken several years ago

Note the shag carpet, chair rail and paneled wall.

This picture shows the new floor we put in last year.

Now that we’ve taken out the 9 foot patio door and enclosed the covered patio this is how it looks.

As you can see we have a lot more room – here the table is set for sixteen.

There is so much more light and we feel like we are sitting outside in the garden.

Looking into the room with my back to the new windows.

We brought up an old cabinet that we’d bought when we were first married, cleaned it up and use it now as a cabinet to store wine and glassware.

And, we finally laid the carpet down that we’d bought just for this room last year when we were in Istanbul. (This room was just a dream then)

The table will normally be set up where it was before the addition but when we want to make the table bigger, we can now turn it and accomodate more people. We are very happy with the way it looks and when we had company on Sunday, we loved the extra space for entertaining.

We’ll still need to find some upholstered chairs so that we can sit and look out into the yard and enjoy the birds and flowers this spring. But I for one am thrilled to have this much done.

The next phase will be replacing the rest of the flooring in the house. Hopefully we can start that early in the New Year.

Pfeffernuesse

2010-12-09T04:00:00.000-08:00

I mentioned in my last blog post that my niece Monica and I were making Pfeffernuesse or Peppernuts. There's a bit of history to these tiny spiced cookies. I remember being told that Mennonite grandmothers used to keep a few peppernuts in their purses during church services. When the children would become a bit noisy or restless, they would pop one of these hard nuggets into their mouths and the necessity of sucking the hard cookie and the surprising spiciness would distract the child and silence was achieved.

They are always number one on the list of Christmas favourites at our house and they can become a bit addictive.

There are many recipes for Peffernuesse but this is my favourite. My friend Delores made them and I adjusted the spices to my liking.

It's a big recipe and I usually only make half of it. This year because Monica is staying with us and she was eager to help I decided to mix up the whole amount. When a bowl of Pfeffernuesse are on the table they disappear by the handful and a pretty Christmas tin filled with Pfeffernuesse is always a welcome gift.

Here is the recipe I use - it is easily halved if the whole amount is intimidating:

4 cups Roger's Golden syrup (this is different than corn syrup)
4 cups sugar
2 cups margarine
2 cups milk

Combine the above ingredients in a large saucepan and bring to a boil.
Let mixture cool completely before continuing.

2 beaten eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 tsp. peppermint extract (use the clear extract not the green tinted one)

Beat eggs in a small bowl and add extracts. Set aside.

8 - 9 cups flour
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon nutmeg
3/4 teaspoon ground star anise (not anise seed)
1/4 teaspoon cloves
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Place 7 cups flour in a large mixer bowl.
Add spices and baking powder and stir until completely blended with flour.
Add syrup mixture to the flour, stirring well until blended.
Add beaten egg mixture and continue to stir until blended.
Continue to add flour until dough thickens but remains sticky. You will still be able to stir it with a wooden spoon however it will take a bit of strength. I use around 8 1/2 cups flour but this may vary depending on your flour. Please note that the dough will harden considerably once it has been refrigerated so be careful not to add too much flour.
Refrigerate dough overnight or for several days.

Prepare cookie sheets with parchment paper. These cookies will stick to the pan whereas if you use parchment paper, they will just slide right off and you can reuse the paper.
Take a tablespoon and spoon out a good handful of the dough.
Sprinkle a little flour on your counter and roll the dough into a long rope about the thickness of your ring finger.
Using a bench scraper or pizza cutter, cut the rope into 1/2 inch pieces and place on your prepared pans. (I get 99 cookies on each large cookie sheet)
Bake at 350º for about 15 minutes or until cookies just begin to brown. This is where having a convection oven comes in handy as you can bake 2 or 3 cookie sheets at a time.
Remove from pan and cool. Store in ice cream pails in a cool place.
The Pfeffernuesse will keep for a long time - at least 3 or 4 months.

Monica rolled the dough into long ropes and cut the pieces while placed them on the pans. I had to get out my pizza pans to accomodate the volume of cookies.
This whole recipe makes about 1600 Pfeffernuesse but my prediction is that they will be gone before January is over.

It's December and...

2010-12-07T16:14:00.000-08:00

It's December .. is it already the 7th? ... and there are still few signs of Christmas at our house. On the other hand things are happening here. Our home renovations are actually happening and with luck our dining room addition will be finished by the end of the week.

So... I've been dusting and cleaning and dusting and cleaning again. A crew of drywallers came to put up the sheets of dry wall and used a ROUTER!! of all things to cut it to size and didn't bother to put up any poly to protect my existing dining room so everything was covered in a 1/4" of dry wall dust. I think it took me 3 hours to wipe and then wash everything down. The fellow who did the taping and mudding won my heart when he tightly wrapped the dining room off from the addition and also draped poly over my living room furniture before he started sanding. Then Harv did the painting and yesterday the flooring guys were here to install the hardwood floor. So... more dust - this time sawdust - not near as thick and a bit easier to clean up.

Hopefully our finish carpenter friend will be by tomorrow or Thursday to finish the window trim, baseboards and crown molding. Then the dirty work will be done and we can finally start to put up a touch of Christmas.

I have mixed my Pfeffernuesse (tiny nutlike cookies called Peppernuts) and my niece, Monica and I will roll, cut and bake them tonight. There is also a rapidly growing pile of packages and bags on the bed in the extra bedroom ready to be wrapped and sent to the grandkids. So we are remembering that Christmas is coming and although the house may not be decorated, I am preparing my heart for this wonderful season.

It is the "away" year for our family this Christmas when our kids spend Christmas Day with their in laws so it's not as crucial to have the house completely decked out for which I am very thankful. With all that's been going on at our house this year, that would seem an overwhelming task. I'll post a few before and after photos as soon as it's done.

I hope you are all preparing for Christmas - not only the tree, the decorations, gifts and baking but more importantly that your hearts are ready for the advent of Christ's coming.

Dirt Bike Tales and Trails

2010-11-26T11:36:00.001-08:00

The first two days we were at our daughter’s place in Sask. we spent the afternoons dirtbiking with their family.

Well, I rode on the back of Harv’s dirtbike to the trail head and then snapped pictures while everyone else rode the trails.

G-Boy E all ready to go.

G-boy K trying out the new bike his Dad bought and PopPop brought out with him.

Mom gets K all buckled up and Dad gives the bike one last adjustment.

The whole family ready to go.

Harv Chris

G-boy E looking like a pro G-boy K riding down the trail

Dave shows us how to do a wheelie. Chris looks on as the boys ride by.

Reviewing the day’s riding as the sun sets behind them.

Look who dropped by

2010-11-23T23:26:00.001-08:00

Every so often this fellow drops by and this time Harv had a camera close by.

Blue Herons are often seen in our area and it is fun to watch their antics.

This fellow seemed to have his mind on something but we have seen one try to get to the other side of the fence without flying over.

First he pulled his neck down so that his beak sat on his chest and then he bent his “knees” (do herons have knees?) until his feathers touched the ground.

Then, just like a duck, he waddled under the fence wire. Once on the other side, up went his legs and up went his neck and he became heron height again.

They watch the creek intently and when they spot a fish or eel, they are lightning fast as they pounce and then fly away.

You can click on the picture to enlarge it – the herons have beautiful markings. This fellow’s neck will seem to be blurry in the picture but that’s only because he has very fine, fluffy down feathers around his neck and the wind kept them in motion.

On the same day I laughed at a half dozen Mallard ducks - bottoms up in the creek and then on the driveway, a pair of Muscovy ducks looking very much like bald eagles from a distance.

It’s amazing what we can all see here in our corner of the Valley..

A Visit to the Prairies

2010-11-17T22:50:00.001-08:00

Harv and I spent the past 2 weeks in the Prairies. Our daughter, Chris had invited me to see a play “Welcome To Mitford” that was being performed at Bethany Bible College. (Where I attended many years ago and where each of our children also spent one or two years.) I was excited to go – we hadn’t been at their place for at least half a year and it was time to make the effort and go. Harv was able to schedule several meetings in Edmonton and near Regina which made the trip even more feasible.

We had a lovely drive over there – the weather was great and the roads clear.

Chris and I headed off to the play Saturday afternoon and had a lovely afternoon’s entertainment.

We got back from the play and headed out to a local farmer’s place where the boys were all riding dirtbikes. After church on Sunday we headed back for more riding. I took lots of pictures and will share a few on a subsequent post.

After a great weekend with warm and dry days, we woke up to 6 inches of snow on Monday morning

Of Course the grand boys were ecstatic and eager to walk to school.

At the end of the day, we drove by the school playground. I wish I’d had my camera. The schoolyard boasted a crowd of snowballs and snowmen of every size and shape – many much larger than the children who’d made them.

One afternoon, Chris and I headed to Hague where we spent a couple of hours in a great scrapbooking and quilting store. Once again we had to acknowledge how small the world really is. The “Prairie Chick” who owned this store used to live a block from our home. Chris and I also spent a day shopping in Saskatoon, something we love to do each time we’re together.

There is always a lot of activity around their home. Chris teaches preschool one morning a week and is on call as an EA at their local school. Dave always has a number of projects on the go which Harv was able to ehlp a bit with.

We watched the boys play hockey,

And then watched first Dave and then Chris play on their respective teams.

Harv got to watch the boys at their Karate lesson

and we celebrated Dave’s birthday with dinner out.

These were just a few of the activities we got to share as we spent this very special time with our family

Eating Cake

2010-11-17T22:09:00.001-08:00

While at my Daughter’s last week I read a library book she had checked out called “Eat Cake” by Jeanne Ray.

It’s a novel about a woman living with aging parents, a teenaged daughter and a husband who’s just lost his job. She finds her peace and security in the baking of cakes which plays a large part in helping her to cope with the crises that come her way.

I’d like to quote one of the paragraphs that struck me, however I don’t want to be guilty of pirating copyrighted material so I will try to paraphrase what Jeanne Ray said.

Basically she comments that Cakes have gotten a bad reputation and that those who can turn down a piece of cake seem to be more virtuous than those of us who accept the cake and enjoy it. She goes on to say that the person who passed on the cake isn’t really a person with more discipline than the rest of us but is someone who has “lost touch with Joy”. Afterall, we don’t eat the whole cake and one piece of cake never made anyone fat . Cakes are served on happy days; birthdays, weddings, and baby showers – they are celebratory and they make you feel safe and that all is right with the world.

She says it much better than I do on Page 2 and 3 of the book. But don’t you agree with the jist of it?

There is something wonderful about a beautifully baked cake. This book is well worth a read. I hope you’ll enjoy it as much as I did.

Otters

2010-11-01T23:10:00.000-07:00

This post is a little late as these pictures were taken several weeks ago but I'd like to share them. We had alot of fun watching the otters in our creek. There were 4 of them and they were making quite a splash. Literally! Harv grabbed his camera and followed them up the creek a ways. They were hungry fellows, gobbling up eels by the mouthful. Who knew there were so many eels in our creek? There's always something happening down by the creek.

A Primer on Nuts

2010-10-26T22:17:00.000-07:00

If you were to come visit me, you would notice a small orchard at the front of our property and would have to pass under these large trees planted on either side of the driveway.

At other times of the year you might wonder what kind of trees they are. They must be almost 70 feet high with thick sturdy trunks.

However at this time of the year, it's not hard to figure that out. As you walk up the driveway you will feel a crunch under your feet. Looking down this is what you'll find.

Walnuts.

If you look up into the tree you will see green globes hanging from the tree

But nature has made it easy for us so we don't have to climb the tree to harvest the nuts. Most fall to the ground, shedding their green casing on the way.

I found one that was still nestled in its cracked case.

Picking them up, it's better to wear gloves as the fibers inside the green case will stain your fingers a dark brown. (our great grandmothers used walnut skins to make brown dye) Each year we would gather the walnuts, dry them, crack them, toast them and eat them but in recent years I've developed an allergy to them so the crows and squirrels are now the grateful recipients of nature's largesse.

If you look to the right, you'll see the orchard floor covered in very prickly pods.

Picking up nuts in our orchard can be hazardous. These prickly pods can incur sore fingers and because they litter most of the orchard you'll want to wear thick soled shoes.

Looking up into the tree above you will see the green pods and brown tassles of

an English Chestnut tree.

In spring this tree is gorgeous with light green tassels highlighting it's bright foliage.

This is what the chestnuts look like after they've fallen to the ground. This years crop is not as good as last year so the chestnuts are smaller, but each pod contains 3 chestnuts with the centre one being larger than its bedfellows. These are the type of chestnuts that the song says are "roasting on an open fire" and that go into chestnut stuffing. I haven't used these chestnuts although I keep intending to.

The nuts I use most often are the ones that grow on these trees on the edge of the orchard.

Again, if you look up you may still find a few nuts on the tree, although most have fallen by now.

These are hazelnuts and they grow in these clusters which look like babies in blankets.

They are prolific trees, producing far more nuts than we can eat. And, yes, you might want to be careful as you pick these up as well. You may pick a wild mushroom by mistake as they thrive under the thick foliage and in the slanting fall light can easily be mistaken for nuts..

Or, far worse, in my estimation, would be grabbing or even touching one of these BC sized slugs. (Ugh!)

What do I do with all these nuts? Well, I share them with friends and relatives, I use them in baking of course, and for fall decorating.

(Those horse chestnuts came from a tree up our road which I didn't get a picture of.)

And last but not least, I use them in a favourite pasta dish at our house:

Chicken Linguini with Hazelnuts.

Linguini noodles
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 or 3 boneless chicken breasts cut into slices
2 cloves garlic, minced

Alfredo sauce (or you can use a prepared Alfredo sauce)

1/4 cup butter
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/2 cup coarsely chopped hazelnuts
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

Boil a pot of water and add salt and enough linguini noodles for your family.
While the noodles are cooking, heat a tablespoon or two of olive oil in a fry pan.
Add minced garlic and the chicken pieces.
Saute until nicely browned and well cooked. Set aside.
In a small pot, melt butter.
Add heavy cream and heat without boiling, stirring occasionally until slightly thickened.
Add grated parmesan cheese and stir until melted.
Drain pasta, toss with Alfredo sauce and place on a large platter.
Top with chicken pieces, chopped hazelnuts and freshly chopped parsley.
Serves 4-6

A Family Tradition - Making Apple Juice

2010-10-17T21:46:00.000-07:00

After a hiatus of several years and with the urging of our youngest son, we decided to make apple juice again this year. We started making apple juice very early in our marriage with Harv's parents. The first year we borrowed a press and after using it Dad and Harv thought they could build one themselves with a few improvements of course. Instead of hand cranking the drum that chopped up the apples, they added an electric motor and instead of winding the press down by brute strength, Harv designed a hydraulic press. (After all what more would you expect from a hydraulics expert)

These Klassen men will always find a way to mechanize and improve. This year was no exception. Rick jokingly suggested we run the juice through a heat exchanger and in the midst of laughing about it, Harv got this arrested look on his face and voila! Another time and mess saving innovation to the process. So over the years we have streamlined and have become pretty efficient at juice making.

The Juicing process starts with a visit to a farm in Keremeos where we go to get apples. It is owned by a Swiss juice maker who told us we'd have the best juice ever this year using his recommended mix of Jonagold, Cox Orange and Ambrosia apples.

Harv and I always enjoy the day trip to get the apples.

Apples are grown on smaller trees now - not the huge old trees we knew as children.

The apples were dumped into our truck.

It takes about 2 1/2 totes to fill the long box on our pickup.

We we get the apples home we choose a day and get everything set up. The press is pulled out of storage and washed, it's hooked up to an electric source and the hydraulics are put into place, the heat source and juice dispenser set up and the tables arranged. All available jars are gathered up and washed, lids and rings rounded up and everything taken to the shop.

In past years our parents and siblings from both sides helped but with 3 parents gone and our siblings with other obligations it was just our family and one niece this year but Dad came to watch and had the privilege of dropping the first apple into the hopper.

We're in business!

The whole family gets involved -

even the little ones. The grandkids get into the back of the truck and help Aunt Adele fill the wash tub with apples. I don't think I want to know how many apples are eaten in the process.

Adele washes the apples

and then loads them onto the ramp that funnels the apples into the hopper.

Monica guides them a few at a time, into the hopper and watches that it doesn't plug up.

An electric motor spins the chopper which is a drum fitted with many rows of nails. As the apples are channeled into the hopper, the nails chop the apples into small pieces.

The chopped apples fall into an oak barrel. When it is full it is slid forward under the press and a second barrel is placed under the chopper.

Dad and his friend keep an eye on it all over coffee and fresh platz.

Harv was always in charge of pressing the juice until this year when the torch was passed to Rick. He has to control the press carefully so that the juice comes out in a steady flow and to prevent "auspoofs"(a "klassenism" coined to describe the way the apple pulp comes flying out when the apples are pressed too quickly)

As the chopped apples are pressed, the juice flows through the slats into a bucket.

When the bucket is full, the pressed juice is poured through a screen to filter out any pieces of apple and then the bucket of juice is taken to the juice dispenser where it is heated using that handy dandy heat exchanger.

Tim checks the temperature of the juice. It has to be brought to a minimum of 160 degrees and held there for 15 seconds to pasturize the juice before it can be bottled and sealed.
My job is to fill the jars and top them with hot lids and rings.

We use an old coffee dispenser to fill our jars. It consists of two pots which we fill with juice inside a hot water jacket that keeps the juice at the right temperature as we fill the jars.

We used to have to heat the juice in canners on camp stoves. It would take so long for the juice to heat and then sometimes it would boil over making a sticky mess. Then we'd have to dip a pitcher into the hot juice and pour it into jars. The Juice dispenser makes it so much easier!

The finished juice - naturally sweet, no water or sugar added and absolutely delicious!

It was fun having people drop by to watch - Judy and her grandson from

http://judys-front-porch.blogspot.com/2010/10/applicious.html ,

Dad and his friend and Tim and Dulci's friends from Seattle.

The last thing to do is clean up and Grandson N and Grandprincess E were more than willing to man the pressure washer.

A big job done and lots to show for it!

500 quarts of juice to share and enjoy this winter!

A late look at Thanksgiving

2010-10-12T16:49:00.000-07:00

It's been a busy week so I didn't get to blogging our Thanksgiving until now but I wanted to share a few photos of our family celebration.

We've been doing a few rennovations at our house and have enclosed the covered patio off our dining room. It's made it possible to change the postion of the dining table so we can seat the family with room to spare when we turn the table and extend it into the new room.
It worked very well.

I'd followed Judy's tutorial on folding the napkins into the "Bishop's Hat". As you can see my family tried them out and found that they could make them do double duty- first as hats and then as napkins. (Check it out at http://judys-front-porch.blogspot.com/2010/09/hat-tricka-napkin-folding-tutorial.html)

It was a lovely afternoon and after the big turkey dinner, everyone went outside to enjoy the late afternoon sunshine.

The children were so excited to rake up the leaves and jump into them.

The looks on their faces as they leapt into the piled leaves was pure joy!

Of course leaf fights are inevitable and so much fun!

So much to be thankful for!

Not only a roof over our heads but a home.

Not only food to eat but a wealth of variety and flavours.

Not only family and friends but love and support on all sides.

Above all for a God who not only provides for us

but who loved us enough to send His Son to save us

and provide the promise of eternal life.

Here's what's cooking...

2010-10-11T10:00:00.000-07:00

Most of you already know that I've been immensely blessed to be a part of a recipe blog called Mennonite Girls Can Cook. Lovella Shellenberg started it back in June 2008 and I was invited to be a part of it in July that same year.

The 10 gals who contribute to the blog are as follows:
back row, L to R: Judy, Marg, Lovella
centre row, L to R: Julie, Betty Anneliese, Bev (that's me)
front row, centre to L: Ellen, Kathy Charlotte

These gals have become my very good friends through the blog and through our daily chat via the internet. We not only share our recipes with our readers but we share our everyday lives, our joys and our prayer concerns with each other. I can't describe the love and support I receive from these dear friends.

The MGCC blog has taken off and as of this month we are getting around 3600 hits per day totalling more than a million since we started. It's been alot of fun sharing recipes and we appreciate each person who follows our blog.

We've had some of our readers ask if we were going to do a cookbook.

Well the news is out (check today's post on the MGCC blog) that the cookbook is in editing right now.

We'd dreamed of doing a cookbook based on the blog but agreed that it would only happen if a publisher came to us. This happened earlier this year and since then we have been busy - cooking, tasting and tweaking; then cooking again. Then we had to take pictures of what we cooked and often our families and friends had to wait until the perfect photo had been taken. And then there was the recording and writing and rewriting. Now the manuscript is in the hands of the editors.

Although several of us knew each other prior to the blog, we did not all meet together in person until last month and that was because we had a cookbook contract to sign. We spent 3 wonderful days together doing what women friends do - eat. laugh, cry and talk.

The picture above shows us all toasting the signing of the cookbook contract.

So that's what's been cooking around here and we think it's reason to celebrate!!
The cookbook is due out in May and you can read the news release and pre-order a cookbook by going to the Mennonite Herald Press website at: http://store.mpn.net/productdetails.cfm?PC=1624 Any proceeds realized from the cookbook will go to an MCC project dedicated to feeding hungry children.

There's something cooking...

2010-10-08T23:20:00.000-07:00

However, like my two precious grandchildren you're going to have to wait for it!

September in Seattle

2010-09-29T15:52:00.000-07:00

After spending Friday afternoon and evening with our terrific grandkids Harv and I drove to the Hotel Vintage Park in downtown Seattle and spent 2 nights on our own. We had a fabulous day exploring Pike Street Market and Seattle Centre Saturday and then spent a bit of time shopping before heading home Sunday evening.

Here are some of the sights we saw!

The Seattle Central Public Library.

Another of Seattle's beautiful buildings.

This working man stands in front of the Seattle Art Museum.

Harv took a number of pictures at this fountain on the waterfront.

The first thing we saw when we got to Pike Street Market was this flower stall.

I love the combinations these talented ladies compose. I wish I could have taken several bouquets home with me. They were only $5 and $10. per bouquet!
More Dahlias!

Looking down the centre aisle of the indoor part of the market.

Outside, the beautiful sunshine drew buskers to entertain and crowds of shoppers.

We strolled streets that were dappled with sun and shade . Then we took the monorail to Seattle Centre where we sat for a long time watching the children (and adults) play "chicken" in the International Fountain. If you haven't been here, the fountain spouts water randomly - often in time to classical music from speakers located around the fountain. The trick is to run up and touch the sphere in the middle without getting wet!

We watched three little girls with blond ringlets - about 3 years old, I'd say, who were running in and out of the spray. They would have made a great ad for Fruit of The Loom in their pink flowered panties. They were so cute.

We had to take one picture to prove we'd been here.

Finally, the Space Needle against a brilliant blue sky. We always enjoy coming to the Seattle Centre park. There is so much to see and do. This time we did more seeing than doing and loved every minute of it.

Friday with the Grandkids

2010-09-27T16:53:00.001-07:00

This past Friday Harv and I headed out to Seattle to spend some time with our grandkids. Grandboy B had a birthday this month that still needed some celebration time plus Grandma had been kids clothes shopping lately so we drove down laden with gifts and cookies.

We visited with our DIL and the two oldest while grandboy B finished his nap. Grandboy N and Princess E kept asking their mom when she would go shopping so they could visit with PopPop and Nana. Too funny! When Grandboy B woke up he opend up his gifts ( 3 Duck books by Jez Alborough and a pair of Cheeky monkey pyjamas)

Daddy came home from work early so we had some fun in the yard with the neighbours...Head first down the slide is so much fun!

A little soccer

some vigorous red wagon pushing

And more than a little hanging around upside down.

....before heading out to "Five Guys Burgers and Fries" for supper.

After supper we had enough time to spend a half hour at a local playground before it was time to go home.

Granboy N loved the zip line

Walking the balancing wall looked like fun when Princess E did it so Grandboy B had to try it too. The first time he had a bit of help from Nana.

Mama and Daddy showed us that playgrounds are for grown ups too!

On his own now!

And once more down the slide.

Then it was home to stories and pj's and bedtime.

Sister Time

2010-09-19T17:40:00.000-07:00

My sister and I got away this weekend for some long overdue "sister time".

I only have one sister so I'm especially blessed that she and I are also good friends.

I turned 60 earlier this year so when we talked about taking a couple of days together she told me she would treat me to an overnight stay at the Village Inn in Fairhaven Washington.

Fairhaven was a town site established by "Dirty Dan Harris" in 1883. The town grew and prospered on the anticipation that the Great Northern Railway would establish a terminal there. However the railway decided to locate in Seattle and the town went into a period of depression. Many people moved away and buildings were left unfinished. In 1888 it amalgamated with the small mill community of Bellingham and slowly established itself as a thriving community.

Today it boasts many locally owned shops and restaurants and is very proud of its small town appeal.

The Fairhaven Village Inn is a lovely heritage building right across from the Village Green and central to all the shops and restaurants. When we arrived we had a great soup and sandwich at a local bakery and then the walking trail along Boulevard Park lured us and we spent several hours walking along the water.

On the way back to our hotel, we stopped to admire the yard art and I thought of Ellen from http://happywonderer.wordpress.com/ as I took this picture.

The flower beds in that yard were in full bloom with a variety of Dahlias in brilliant colour. The perfection of each petal and the amazing complexity of patterns fascinated us and I spent some time taking pictures.

Aren't they incredible?

Later we sat outside a cafe and enjoyed a lemonade, went back to our lovely room to read for awhile and then went out to browse a few of the shops. There were a couple of wonderful toy shops where we found some unique gifts for our grandkids, a kitchen shop (always my favourite) and several art galleries. It was so nice that we could walk everywhere we wanted to go.It was also wonderful to have no agenda or time schedule pushing us.

Dinner was at "Dirty Dan's" - I had some amazing Dungeness Crab stuffed Prawns and Janet had a lovely fettucini dish.
We then spent a very happy 2 hours among the "stacks" at the Village Book Store.

A bonus was the beautiful weather we enjoyed. The forecast had been for heavy rain both days and we were fortunate that it was wrong! In fact we had no rain at all and it was warm enough on the way home to put the top down on Janet's Toyota Solare.
We stopped at Bellis Fair on the way home to do some clothes shopping, and then had a jolt at the Border because we'd bought more than the allowed amount (my fault - I should have checked) Fortunately we had a compassionate customs clerk who mitigated the damage and we were home in time for supper.
We both promised to treat ourselves this way again - soom.

Thank you Janet for an awesome couple of days.

Look what came in the mail!

2010-09-16T11:44:00.000-07:00

I saw Marg's recipe for creamed corn on the Mennonite Girls Can Cook blog yesterday and decided to make some for Harv who loved creamed corn. So this is what I was doing this morningWhile this was cooking in the oven I went to the post office to pick up our mail.
There was an envelope with a Saskatchewan return address and this is what I found inside.

Grandson E drew this unique perspective of a house.

This spaceship is exploring new worlds.

And this ocean is teeming with a variety of colourful fish.
(and the artist, Grandson K can identify each species)

These pictures will join our art collection in the hall.Needless to say it is one of the most precious collections in our home.

Wasn't that a party - day 3

2010-09-11T09:46:00.001-07:00

On our last day, Ellen and I took advantage of the sunshine and hopped into my VW and drove out to join the girls at Minter Gardens.

We met at the Trillium Restaurant where we enjoyed their buffet brunch.

We then headed off to walk through the gardens which were spectacular as always.

It was a gorgeous afternoon and we leisurely strolled through the beautiful gardens and took time to chat with each other.

We stopped to do an errand and then sat on our patio until it was time to drive up the hill to Julie's where she'd rented the clubhouse. She'd set up her table with every attention to detail. It was lovely - all lace and pretty dishes and there was a rose at each place setting.

It was fitting that our last meal together should be a Mennonite one. Julie treated us to her wonderful schnetki (recipe on the MGCC blog), zwiebach, borscht and flapper pie.
Absolutely delicious!

After dinner Kathy and Marg - our intrepid and creative social coordinators, presented us all with kind words and a small gift.

I think these are the girls that deserve the accolades as they did an incredible job of organizing our first ever MGCC "summit".

Our time together ended the way it began with an "Aufwiedersehn Gedicht"

(farewell speech) from our two Mennonite Frauen (ladies).

Our time together ended all too quickly and we hugged and promised to meet again soon.

Thanks so much to Betty , Charlotte and Ellen who traveled here so we could all be together;

to Kathy and Marg for all the hard work they put into planning this;

to each girl who hosted us and

to Lovella for putting her dream into reality and including all of us in it.

Wasn't that a party - day 2

2010-09-06T19:48:00.000-07:00

The next day we all met at Judy's for brunch. It was a special day for all of us and the excitement level was high. Judy's table reflected her personality and lovely country home. We were made very welcome!

Judy made her Ham and Egg cups (recipe is on the MGCC blog)

And we all raised a cheer to the MGCC and to Judy for the fabulous cinnamon buns!

After a very fun and photo filled experience at Judy's, we headed out to Harrison Lake where Harv was waiting for us.

We'd been worried that the weather wouldn't allow for a cruise on the Lake but the sun came out and it warmed right up.

So we climbed aboard and set out.

We stopped at a beach for the obligatory photo op!

Then it was back to our place for BBQ pork tenderloin

and those intriguing baby zucchini we'd bought the day before which turned out to be very good.

Kathy and Marg headed off to Marg's place to set up dessert and their evening event so the rest of us sat out on the patio and relaxed for a bit.

Harv called us to the back yard for yet another photo by our old Maple tree.

The it was off to Marg's for her Hazelnut Roll

and a spa evening complete with a 10 minute chair massage for each of us.

We all went home soooo relaxed.

Thanks Marg and Kathy!

So ended the second day!

Wasn't that a party!!

2010-09-03T08:39:00.000-07:00

After three days of Partying with the gals from http://mennonitegirlscancook.blogspot.com/

it's time to chronicle some of our fun.

Many of you will have already seen pictures on the MGCC blog but I can't help but post a few pictures taken from my perspective.
We met on Tuesday at the Abbotsford Airport to meet the Manitoba girls.

Kathy and Marg - our social committee were there in true form to wel come them and had us (and the rest of the crowd there) laughing out loud with their Menno antics.

Then it was off to Lovella's where she had her famous "High Tea" waiting for us.

It's the first time all 10 of us who contribute to the blog were together and it was wonderful to finally visit with Betty and Charlotte (from Manitoba) and Ellen (from Seattle) in person.

Lovella had business cards ready for us to take with us.

Two local businesses that have generously donated to our MCC project were next on our itinerary.
Neufeld Farms are well known in the Fraser Valley for their chicken products both fresh and frozen.

We were warmly welcomed and browsed through their lovely store.

The berries in their produce section were a feast for the eyes. (and to the tastebuds)

Next it was off to Lepp Farm Market on the Mission Highway.

We lined up with Charlotte Lepp for one of many group photos taken over the course of the 3 days.

Charlotte Lepp graciously gave us a wonderful tour of their market, describing all the locally grown produce and locally made food products so well that many of us filled our baskets (also bought at the market) with tempting products to try at home.

I bought Baby Zucchini with the blossoms attached
to serve at dinner the next evening.

It was still raining so hard that we decided to head to Anneliese's a little early and enjoyed a hot appetizer and coffee while she did the finishing touches to supper for all of us.

Her beautifully set table reflected her attention to detail and her sweet spirit made us feel so special.

Dinner was a lovely chicken vegetable casserole, coleslaw and not one but 2 delicious desserts.

Spanish Flan and Bread Pudding with Orange Creme. (check the MGCC dessserts for the recipe)

Before we left for home, Julie "tucked us in" with a devotional and presented us all with these lovely potholders she'd made.

Because each day was so full, I'll save our next 2 days activities for another post.

What fun it is to review all we did.

Hey,Hey the gangs all here!

2010-08-31T22:54:00.000-07:00

There's alot of excitement going on here in our part of the world.

Friends of the heart who've never met are meeting and the air is a-buzz with their chatter.

I'm lucky to be a part of it and tomorrow I get to host these great gals.

For a peek at what's happening go to :
http://mennonitegirlscancook.blogspot.com/

I'll be back in a day or two to fill in the details.

Bev