snow kidding

There is finally snow on the ground for the first time this season
not any appreciable amount but the brown grass is covered.

Not that I particularly like snow.

I haven't shovelled snow yet - although I did scrape some off of the walkway up to the porch. I didn't really shovel - just pushed it around a bit.

I am just glad we don't have tons of it yet.
Here's hoping that we got most of the snow for the winter already.
Ha

At least we didn't get the amount of snow as above

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Just over a year ago we got a thorough dumping.

                                               As Alexander says
                                                     - STUCK-

you are more important than things

A number of years ago I led a small group bible study after Coffee Break had ended. In one of our discussions group member Grace had told us a story about her sister.

Grace's sister had faced rather significant health challenges throughout her years and lived in a nursing home far earlier than any young lady would have wanted to.

Grace had once borrowed her sisters set of Delft Blue cups and saucers for a special occasion. In the transportation of said dishes Grace accidentally dropped the kitten-kaboodle and they fell to the ground in the typical thousands of pieces.

Grace had felt terrible about this as this was a very special set of dishes that had high monetary value but even higher sentimental value for her sister.

It was with some amount of trepidation that she told her sister about the mishap. It was not likely that these dishes could be replaced and Grace felt that her sister had every right in the world to be very angry with her.

What Graces sister told her was this
"you are more important than things"

I love that.

What I find so neat about that story is that Grace shared it with me and then I get to learn a wonderful lesson from Grace's sister. A woman I had never met gets to teach me a better way to live.

I now know that people are more important than things.
So if one of the grandchildren spills something or a guest drops something - I find myself very quickly remembering the gracious attitude of a special woman - I adopt the same attitude quickly.

At one point I gave everyone in the small group a reminder of that story.

 It is not the same kind of Delft Blue that Grace had broken
but I bought them so that we would each remember that  
"you are more important than things"

say what now ?

Martin's sister Sylvia took this picture at the lunch following 

Ethan and Moriah's baptism. 

I love the look on our faces.

Clearly we get along fabulously ...all the time.

I really appreciate it when people share pictures with me in them. 

Not that I like seeing myself in pictures but 

because I am the only one in the house who takes pictures 

I am hardly ever in any of them. 

There have been occasions that I was scrapbooking and 

listing the people at a certain event by name and 

all I could do is to mark my attendance at said event was to draw a stick figure 

Anita 

because there was no actual photographic proof that I was even there.

90 years young

We went last week to the open house for Martin's Tante Truus who is 90 years old. I respect and admire her very much. Years ago she attended the same church as we did and she was my Calvinette counsellor. She had been widowed young and left with four children to raise. She would likely say herself that it was not without some bumps on the road but she also sees her blessings and appreciates life. She has also done some writing and values highly the education of the mind. She is still as sharp as ever and I just plain enjoy spending time with her.

here is Tante Truus with Martin's sister Sylvia

Once a number of years ago Martin and I went to visit her.
He was sitting next to an old organ that he recalled from years ago and asked me to to get a picture of him next to it.
What he said was something along the lines of wanting a picture next to the old antique. Tante Truus gave him a stern look and swatted at him. He then explained that she wasn't the old antique he was talking about. We have had a good laugh over that one.

I took lots of pictures at the party and had an extra set printed up for her.
We will try to get out there for a visit soon.

four generations

Over Christmas we got a picture of my mom and my daughter and my granddaughter and myself.

I love this picture.

the decorations are down

 It has been a busy Christmas season.

On the 23rd we had the kids over for a turkey dinner. 

With just our children and their families we had 19 around the table.

Then on Christmas Day (and Henry's birthday) 

we had extended family over for soup and buns. 

There were 30 people for lunch. 

I loved having all of them over.

 

Andrew helped me take the decorations down today. 

It was especially fun to put them up 

when there are little kids around to enjoy them.

It was fun to watch Alexander enjoy the tree when they came over.

 

We had to block it off for a while because it drew Isabel like a magnet 

and we had gotten tired of trying to keep her away from it.

 

It didn't seem to stop Alexander from enjoying it.