Two more sleeps and odds and sods!!!!!

Two more sleeps and we will be flying through the skies to sunny Minnesota.....to see our newest, littlest member of our family. What joy!!!! Laura is picking us up and taking us to the airport very early....what a friend.....and then we will see our kids at around 2:30 P.M.

These pictures are just odds and sods from summer and fall.....These pics are kind of backwards..... in Sept......Ron and Delaine at their special celebration, 50 years of wedded bliss.......Lloyd was one of the groomsmen..... they came for the party......they are sitting under the lilac tree (that I got from my mom's garden in Tiger Hills) on the "Discussion Bench"........ we went walking in Fish Creek with Lloyd and Betty and this chickadee came to visit Lloyd.....in August at our Sister reunion plus our gem we call her (Aunty Jewel).....when Larry and Irene were at our house...... in the beautiful Kananaskis....... Anthony and Kim's engagement picture that they had set up at their wedding, such a great picture, you guys.....having lunch out in our back yard....... ice cream at Turner Valley........ my flowers did so well last summer. May I say that I LOVE posting pictures!!!!!

To Be Intertwined there Forever

Love to Nanc and Wayne. We really can't express in words how we feel at the moment, so proud of you guys, so overwhelmed by God's tender care for you during Breiden's birth, so amazed at this wonderful miracle of another grandchild. I found the book (which I am going to give you now) that was given to us on your birth Nanc, from Barb and Norm and this is just an excerpt from it.......
Our journey towards joy is at an end. I can see the light at the end of the long, dark tunnel. The brilliance of the light nearly blinds me. I look up and smile. The light at the end of my tunnel is merely the spotlight over the delivery table.
The discomfort of the past hours dreamily disappears and pushes itself past my consciousness to be forgotten forever. I lie back limp and totally exhausted. Yet somehow I am encompassed by exhilaration and great pride. I have stepped over the threshold of motherhood.
Our child is born! Our child! Our child! I whisper the words again and again to my swelling heart. During these first precious moments of his life he begins to wrap himself around my soul - to be intertwined there forever. I gaze at him with fascination - his little fists waving so indignantly in the air - his brow wrinkling itself in preparation for a loud and gusty cry - his tiny round toes (a miniature replica of his daddy's) wiggling as he kicks.
Mere words cannot express his newborn beauty. It's a beauty completely alien to the word as I have always known it. A beauty that does not rest on comeliness, but in the nucleus of the entire being. A beauty reflecting the very face of God.
He is His creation.
His image.
This is the absolute of his life - the whole of his being. What total worth God has given this helpless infant! What a blanket of binding love He has tenderly wrapped around him!
I reach out to touch him for the first time. As I feel the soft, wet warmth of his skin, it seems I am touching the very breath of God. I am touching a tiny miracle of life - and the center of creation.
All of this is... OUR CHILD.......
Our child.....
Our child!

Exciting time in the Stender household!!!

Just talked to Nanc and Sue hangin' out in the hospital room with Wayne while Nanc is being induced and as of 10:30 A.M. she was having contractions so that is a good sign!! Wayne and Sue were having coffee and all three were chattin' and havin' a good time!!!! Reminded me of when Nanc and I were in with Heather and Duane when she had Jemma and Siri and we phoned Susanne. And then Nanc when she was with Sue when she had the twins. I WANNA BE THERE!!!!! But we will see them soon in less then a week. Susanne will capture the event on film of course so that is the next best thing.
God is so good and I just pray that this little person will be strong and healthy. God loves him far more than we ever can and is even now holding him in His strong arms of love. What a struggle these precious babies go through just to arrive in this world (struggle and pain for the moms as well. The hubby too as he sees his wife go through the pain) but they emerge beautiful and wonderful. I just felt so humbled when my children arrived at birth and realized again what an awesome God we have to create this way of showering us with these beautiful gifts of children. She would appreciate your prayers, I know as she goes through this exciting but painful experience!

More pics!

Our mini-vacation in Edmonton. Before going shopping at West Ed Mall.

In Joy and Orv's new house in Camrose. Her kitchen and dining area. Very nice house.

Kalle having fun with Grandpa!

The Danielson family on New Year's Day

It worked, Erin!!!!

Erin, I owe you one. You are an awesome teacher!!!! And right now I am patting myself on the back because even though I am almost a senior, I remembered what you taught me!!!! You CAN teach an old dog new tricks.........yeah!!!!!! Thanks a bunch!!!

This is the test!!!!

These are a little mixed up. To the far left is Christmas Day with Gramma, the next is Boxing Day (Grant, Kevin, Nat and Brent), then Kimberly, Matthew, James, Kiersti, Janessa and Emma.

The first picture is our grandchildren and the mommy. The second picture is Christmas Eve, watching a Christmas Gaither video with Gramma. Then a picture of Steven, Jehru and Jarvin. So now I am going to see if this will work.

Finally!!!!!!!!!

MY FRIEND, Erin is here and finally I am learning to post pics, yeah!!!!!!!! This is of Kalle's birthday!!!!

A picture of the Christmas program. I can't put too many on because we have to reformat our computer but I am learning. Derek will probably come over and help us with updating, etc.!!!!

Grandpa reading the Christmas story from Siri's Bible on Dec. 22 when we celebrated with Heather and Duane.

Making lefse!!!! I am doing this from a CD so the pics that I have of Bragg Creek are not on a CD yet but I promise I will put some more on. I am just so excited that I have learned this much. Until we get our computer fixed, I can't download the software from my camera!!!

Now MY FRIEND ERIN and I along with Jim are going to have tea!!!! Want to join us?

Happy Birthday to a forever friend!!

We just got home from a cozy, wonderful evening spent with our "forever friends", Art and Ardy Berge and their daughters and husbands. It happens to be Ardy's special birthday tomorrow and the girls and Art invited us, Laura and Glenn, Hannes and Margaret, Dennis and Darlene to an evening at the Steak Pit in Bragg Creek. It was a blast!!! The Steak Pit is rustic and quiet except for a pianist playing and singing. It has a fireplace and it is just so cozy!! Ardy did not know the four couples other than her family were going to be there so she was abit surprised!!!! We had such a nice time........Happy Birthday dear friend..........

ANOTHER YEAR!

Another year! Another chance
To make the golden moments dance
With zest for life and happiness;
Another quest for right success;
Another chance to recognize
The things wherein true value lies.

Another year for doing good;
For living love and brotherhood;
To aid world peace by starting here
To conquer prejudice and fear.
Another chance - that the ideal
May come, through us, to be the real!

Another year to feast the more
On God's great beauty at our door;
Another year, unto the end,
To qualify as someone's friend,
Farewell, old year! We leave you here.
New faith........new hopes........another year!

Dear Lord, give me courage to walk quietly into this new year.
Give me wisdom, Lord.....that I may see, the hidden path you have for me.
Give me patience and quiet grace, to run with Your strength, this earthly race.
Give me compassion and a loving heart
And words of comfort that I can impart
To a soul that is hurting and bowed with care,
That you, dear Lord will always be there.
And when each day ends, let me humbly see,
How tenderly and lovingly, you have cared for me!

Happy New Year!

I am now sitting downstairs with Nate and while he watches Dora, I thought I would do a quick blog. The rest of the Danielson clan except for Nate and Kalle went to see "Charlotte's Web" this afternoon. Kalle is having her afternoon nap. Heather and Duane came for brunch before going to the movie as did Pastor Anthony and Kim. We had "Christmas Croissant" brunch dish, orange juice, fresh fruit and I made risegrot for Heather. Pastor Anthony also likes it and Kim tried it as well. Mmmmm, good! Pastor Anthony got the almond only it was a pecan so he got a box of chocolates. I had also made a ham, egg, tater tot and cheese dish mainly for the kids because they don't like mushrooms as well as we do. I usually have salsa on the table when I serve this breakfast menu. It was so fun to have them all here with us! The only down side of this day is that I have to work tonight. O well, such is life and I must be thankful!!!!!!
Happy New Year to you all.

Mini-vacation!!

Jim and I just got back from a little mini-vacation up to Edmonton and Camrose. It was so fun and relaxing! We started out on Wed., got out of Calgary before the freezing rain started and made it to the hotel at about 12:30 P.M. and was able to get our stuff into the hotel right away. Then we hit the mall (West Ed) and shopped til we dropped!!! Ran into Carol and her three girls shopping for a wedding they are going to have in June. Kaele's boyfriend, Roger and Michael stayed home and bonded. Thursday afternoon we started out for Camrose, stopped by Dale and Sally's and had coffee with them and then went to Joy and Orville's for supper. What a gorgeous home they have and we just can't believe how they can hold down two full-time jobs and then paint these houses and get them ready for occupancy on the side. Amazing amount of work. It would boggle my mind to try to co-ordinate colors and rugs and hardwood and trim and what kind of windows and doors to put in, so many details and yet it all comes together so beautifully. And besides that Joy can get some awesome deals on things, she loves it. It was fun visiting with them. After supper, we had a great game of scrabble (they have scrabble nights with friends every once in awhile, instead of Mexican train which is the game of choice in Calgary, it is scrabble) Got home around 4:00 P.M. Friday (after a slow drive on slippery roads from Camrose) and then got ready to go out to Heather and Duane's and visited with Miles, Arlene and Brittany. They live two doors down from Heather's. What a nice evening!
Today, we are relaxing in front of the fire. Going to do abit of shopping later on.

Olson Get-together!!!

Just got back from the church. We had an Olson get-together this afternoon and of course it was fun to see everyone. Particularly Steven and his new wife and three-month old baby son named Jarvin. First time meeting his beautiful Ethiopian wife named Jeruselem (they call her Jeru) and is she ever a sweetheart. Jarvin is such a handsome baby too with big dark eyes and a dimple when he smiles. Vivian was here as well, came with Grant and Debbie so it was fun to see her. She is doing well. Ron and Delaine with some of their crew, Brent and Tanya and four kids, Kevin, Luke and Zane, Jarle and Judy, Cherie and Dave and all their kids except for Jarod, Patty and Darryl and their four, Lisa, Alicia, James and Emma, Nat, Tim and Melissa and their three. Jim and I went up this morning and set it all up and decorated the basement, had candles and Christmas table cloths, napkins and plates, made a cranberry punch, had goodies and finger food. I took lefse which was a hit and made some double date cookies like Gramma Olson used to make especially for Ron. Then had butter tarts, shortbread, lemon bars, no bake bars and another type of gooey yummy squares with cherries and nuts in it. Everyone brought something so it turned out great. I guess we were there about 4 hours. Heather and Duane didn't make it back from Camrose in time to see everyone. They came just as Jim and I were finishing cleaning up.
Grant and Debbie will be leaving for Mexico on the 17th of Jan. to attend the wedding of their youngest daughter so they are looking forward to that. And I guess they will have a reception for them sometime in March in Innesfail so hopefully we will be able to go.
Gramma was able to attend the Candlelight service on Christmas Eve. O how she enjoyed that and everyone was happy to see her. Denise, her friend who plays scrabble with her and is a care-giver to some of the residents came with us too. After the service we went up to Gramma's room and watched with her the DVD we gave her (Gaithers in South Africa), had tea and lefse, then came home to open our gifts. Christmas Day she was able to come to our house and have koomla, ham and risegrot so she enjoyed that. She did pretty good. She finds it harder now to transfer from the wheelchair to the car.
And now I am going to go watch a movie and besides that I have rambled on and on.............

MAKING LEFSE!!!!!!

Guess what my hubby and I have been doing this morning????? Making LEFSE!!!! We had two grills going.....I rolled out the dough and he turned the lefse!!!! To my daughters....next time you all come home, we have to have lefse making party. It is so fun, flour all over, sometimes there are holes in the lefse but no matter, it is all good. And this is not the potato lefse I am talking about, it is the "krotekake" with the whipping cream and butter filling......very rich, lots of calories but so, so tasty. Very, very Norwegian!! I made "No bake bars" (the bars you made at Nanc's baby shower, Sue) and lemon bars as well this morning. And then I am making a rice, curried salad for the party at Laura's where we construct gingerbread houses and we see who can be the most creative!!!! And we eat and eat and eat!!!!!
We had a great time at Heather's last night and we will post some pics!!! It was kind've crazy, you know the type of crazy where you have two hyper grandparents, two parents who have been working all day making it nice for us (bless their hearts) and 4 excited kids (Kalle loved the paper) so we didn't even turn the computer on. But we will!!! It will have to go on Heather's blog.

Party tonight!!!

We are going to party at Heather's tonight. It is going to be our Christmas Eve with them a couple days early because they are heading up to Camrose on Sunday so we get to watch the kids open some of their gifts. It is a beautiful, sunny day today, unlike Colorado. We talked to Larry and Irene last night and Larry had been out shoveling all day, Stephan's flight was cancelled (he was supposed to fly out today). He did get another one on Sunday afternoon so hopefully he will get there then. Julene (she had gone down early) and Irene couldn't go Christmas shopping because of the snow!!! Snow, snow and more snow but apparently is moving east today. Larry said they have a huge drift in their backyard so when the grandkids come, they will have fun building a fort. Remember Nanc a few years ago when we had all that snow and we spent the afternoon outside. It was so much fun. You made an awesome fort even with shelves inside where you put candles and lit them.....so cozy. Then we spread our huge Canadian flag over the top and took some pics. It is rather brown around our city now, not too much of the white stuff here. So I can really sing, "I'm dreaming of a white Christmas!!" We are also planning a get-together with all the cousins, aunts and uncles, brothers and sisters on Boxing Day at the church to meet Jarle and Judy's new little grandson born in Ethiopia, little Jarvin. Also Aunty Vivian will be coming down as well from Grant and Debbie's. It will be fun to see everyone. So now I must go and get my salad ready to take out to Heather's so bye for this time..........

Joy and sorrow....

Another day of joy and sorrow has come and gone......Yesterday we came to church to listen to the children's program and found out as we walked in that our dear Helen had gone "Home" that morning about 6:oo A.M. Joy because we know she is not suffering anymore but sorrow because we are going to miss her so much. A truly gracious, fun-loving, warm and compassionate lovely lady. Our angel we called her. How appropriate that the little ones were dressed as angels and we can imagine Helen seeing angels for the first time but much more important, she got to see her Savior and was probably singing....how she loved to sing! Not too long ago, the praise and worship group went up to see her and here she was, in her bed just loving every minute and we sang and sang and sang. She did not need words, she knew the words of the hymns off by heart. We got such a chuckle that night because she still managed to get her eye on AJ (our youth leader) and tell him how handsome he was. She asked Bev, "Where is your honey? Oh there he is". She loved Jesus with all her heart, she loved her honey as she called Mark, she loved her children and grandchildren and she just loved people. She would often go to the Care homes and visit and bring cheer and love. She had also a fun-loving nature and a sense of humor that I just loved. She was the only one I knew that felt honored when the young people from the youth group came and toilet papered their shrubs and trees one night......she invited them in for goodies........ she was the only one I knew that at 80 yrs. of age could still dance up a storm and wear a bikini in Hawaii and look good......always ready to hug, encourage and just have fun!!! Janet said yesterday, they are at Peace because this little lady invited them.....we won't know til we reach Heaven how many people she impacted by her life. Our dear Helen.......

Yeah, the Christmas letter is on its way!!!

Finally, the letter is out of my head and into the mail!!! I still have to address some but the bulk of it is done. It is short and sweet this year. That is a huge job done and now the baking will start!! Jim will help me roll out the dough for the lefse and flatbread. It is always so much more fun to work together.
We had a busy Sat. First thing this morning, I addressed envelopes, then babysat Kalle and Nathan while Heather, Siri and Jemma had a practise for the Christmas program tomorrow morning at church. Heather had to make some costumes, like three pine trees the same height as Jemma, and a cardboard boat. Then when the kids went, Jim and I drove out to Millerville to Don and Karen's open house. The day was absolutely so sunny and clear so we got a wonderful view of our beautiful Rockies!! That in itself would have made my day! The mountains sometimes takes my breath away! Of course, the host and hostess made us feel so welcome and their home is so cozy. We came home about 5:00 P.M. and I went right away over to Father Lacombe home where a group of "young adults" from our church did some Christmas caroling for the residents, then over to the Beverly where we walked up and down the halls singing, gathering people as we went. Gramma just loved it. Kim's gramma too. Then we all gathered at Lisa and Andre's house for chili and salads and yummy appetizers! Lisa had made that artichoke dip we had at Nanc's shower. So, so good! And played the gift exchange game where we can steal if we like someone else's gift better. Always a good time!!! Now it is time for bed and how wonderful it is to think that I can sleep allllll night!!!! Yahooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Good-bye, Carol and Rob!

This Sunday was Rob and Carol's last Sunday before they move to Martensville tomorrow. It is sad, we will miss them terribly but on the other hand, it is exciting for them. And we know that they will bless others there as they have blessed us here. Carol is a dear, dear friend as is Rob to both Jim and I and we have had many times of sharing - laughter and tears. How good God is to allow people like these two to come into our lives to enrich and bless. We just pray God's protection, love and guidance as they continue their lives in another province and home.
We love you guys.

"It's beginning to look alot like Christmas"

Yup, it is around here - the tree is up with it's pretty white lights, the Christmas music plays constantly, the rest of the house has decorations all over, the lights are on outside, the advent box has little goodies for the grandchildren when they come over inside each door and they can take one for each day of Dec., the Christmas letter is still in my head but eventually will make it onto the paper and out in the mail, the baking will have to start as well one of these days. We have Norwegian Christmas traditions like lefse, koomla, ham and risegrot on Christmas Eve for our meal, very rich but oh so good, plus the Christmas Eve Service at the church which we all just love, then it is home to a fire in the fireplace, candles lit, singing of carols (we so miss Grandpa Archibald's reading of the Christmas story) and the opening of most of the gifts and usually we open one at a time, from youngest to oldest (it takes forever but how fun) This year it will be quiet as the kids are at their in-laws (we will celebrate either before or after and of course Sue and family and Nanc and Wayne will stay in Fergus) so we are hoping Gramma will feel well enough to come over and perhaps stay overnight. Christmas morning we have the opening of the stockings first thing and when our kids were younger, I would have a treasure hunt for their one last big gift, then breakfast (Norwegian style) in the living-room, again in front of the fireplace eating manderin oranges, Norwegian pancakes (Nanc would usually be the pancake maker) and fried koomla (what could be better!!!!), and we would relax. Christmas dinner is around 4:00 so it is not so rushed. And I never know who might sit at our Christmas table, it just is wonderful to share our Christmas meal with family and friends. I love this season.....and on that note, I just want to wish you all a very Happy and blessed Christmas.

Back to work!!!

What a downer to go back to work after having a fun time on the weekend. Yes, it was busy but how we enjoy being with the grandkids, seeing their imaginations go to work, reading them stories before they go to bed at night, singing with them and just chatting about things. I especially love the mornings when they all four jump into bed with us and we watch "Treehouse"!!! Watching Kalle - she is learning to walk - she falls- she picks herself up and tries again and again and then when she does get the hang of it, looks at us with a very satisfied grin on her face!!!!!! Nathan who at the moment has a favorite book called "No, David!" and I had to read it about 6 times at one sitting! It is about a little boy who gets into all kinds of trouble like 'writing on the walls, overflowing the bathtub, climbing up on a stool to put his hand in the cookie jar, running down the street "butt-naked", playing with a ball and a bat in the house, ultimately breaking a vase and having a time out in the corner, and in each situation his mommy saying, "No, David, no, no David!" but then at the end, she says, "Come here, Davey" and you turn the last page and she has him in her arms saying tenderly, "I love you, Davey!" Nathan perhaps could relate to him abit. It almost seemed like he would breath a sigh of relief when I turned to the last page - he would get a twinkle in his eye and a big smile on his face!!! How important it is for these precious little ones that their parents and grandparents love them unconditionally even when they have been naughty. To give them positive reinforcement instead of telling them how naughty they are, yes they have to have consequences too but so, so important to build their self-esteem, rather than tearing them down by our comments and even by our tone of voice or look on our face or in our eyes and we can do that so easily it seems. Dr. Dobson says it takes 9 positive comments to cancel 1 negative one when dealing with children. And sad to say we hear or read about the negative comments all too often. I just pray that God will give us wisdom, patience and Christ's love when we are dealing with our children or grandchildren.

Sleeping at last.....

Whew.....the grandkids are sleeping and I can softly sing "Blessed quietness, holy quietness". Jim and I are out in Okotoks looking after Heather and Duane's four munchkins. She left this morning with Duane (after telling him that she had an appointment in Calgary this morning and I had had to borrow the van the previous day so she had to ride with him......what tall tales, I tell you!!!!!) and he not knowing anything about anything, had a bag packed for him and her, had her neighbour Rose come over to look after the kids until I got here around 1:30 this afternoon, had two airplane tickets to Saskatoon, one reservation for a hotel tonight there and a special dinner tomorrow night with their close friends from University days, coming back Sunday night via Edmonton, all as a surprise celebration for his birthday tomorrow. I really didn't think she was going to pull it off but he did not know anything until they got to his work where she informed him that he didn't have to go in to work (She had phoned his boss a couple of weeks ago and he was in on "the plan"!!!!) They will have a good time, I'm sure. In the meantime, we get to spend time (a busy time) with the kids for the next two days, going to watch Jemma skating tomorrow morning, taking Jemma and Siri to Calgary for a playdate with their little friend Carter from Bridlewood ( their old neighbourhood) in the afternoon, then church on Sunday plus all the fun things that go along with being with the grandkids. Little Kalle is almost walking and of course, it is her first birthday this coming Monday. Nate talks constantly and is his grandpa's buddy. Siri and Jemma are both growing up too fast as is our dear ones down in Fergus. We are so looking forward to Jan. when we get to see them again plus the brand new one that is to be born. And now, I hear the kettle on, Jim is making some green tea.....and then it is off to bed for me as I worked last night and didn't have too many hours of sleep this morning......I am praying the kids sleep all night........

Quick trip!

We made a quick trip to Saskatoon this last weekend to see how my oldest sister was doing after losing her husband in October. We started out on Friday, going as far as Swift Current and staying with a very good friend who has just moved there. Then after breakfast, we drove up through very familiar territory, past the small town where my husband grew up and then to my other sister's farm. There she had homemade chicken soup for us with dumplings like our mom used to make. Yummy!!! After visiting with them, we were on our way to Viv's. She, of course had coffee waiting and what a nice time we had. She is doing so well and looks so rested. I am so glad she is living where she is cause in the years that they have lived at that Senior's apartment, they made so many friends. We took her out for supper to Grainfields and then just spent time visiting Sat. evening. We got up early Sunday morning, Jim went to visit his Uncle Jim and then we got ready for church. It was great to see the congregation in their new (to them)facility and then to meet old friends there. Then Viv took us out to a Sunday brunch and we were on our way back to Calgary. Roads were excellant so we were so happy we had gone as we weren't able to attend the funeral. We were able to see for ourselves how she was doing. I admire her.

I like Saturdays.........

I like Saturdays...no, I can honestly say that I love Saturdays (I don't have to brave the coooold to go out and start the car for work....Yippee) ....with my coffee cup in my hand.....a fire in the fireplace........all curled up in the big chair......my husband sitting over there on the recliner and reading ....yup... you guessed it.....flyers!!!!! How exciting is that!!!!! Now before you roll your eyes, it almost reminds me of my childhood when the Christmas catalog would come and we would drool over the toys for days on end only now it is drooling over the price of "Hey honey, the price of coffee has gone down" or "look here, you can actually get two roasts for the price of one!!!!" I think more than anything, it is the coziness of being together with a loved one and perhaps just being thankful that we are still in relatively good health and woke up this morning....breathing!!!
"Thank you Lord for the gift of life. Help me to appreciate every precious moment here on this earth! Most of all, Lord help me to have a song and laughter in my heart, and love and compassion for my fellowman!"

New blogger!!!

The oldest daughter of the Archie Crew has just joined the blogging world. Check out her site at
www.dazeofwonder.blogspot.com She has Naomi to thank for showing her how just today so thank you Naomi!!! It is fun to have you on board, Heetee!!!

One of these days.......

One of these days, I am going to be able to put pictures on my blog. I have all the instructions but I have to get someone in to help me delete a whole bunch of things on my computer. Either that or buy more memory. We need a new computer I guess because this one is already 6 years old and it boggles this old brain at all the new technology that is out now!!! No that is not right, I talk like I know the new technology......let's just say....the whole computer world boggles my brain!!!!! If I do go that route, should I get a laptop or a desk, should it be Dell or some other kind? I think of people that are computer smart like Wayne or Jeff or Darryl or Kevin or Diane or Erin or Derek and maybe if I bribed them with a home-cooked meal and pie, do you think they might help me out? Of course, Wayne and Jeff are 18 hrs. away so sorry guys, you are out!!!! But the rest of the above are here.......mmmmm.......maybe, just maybe.......

Can it get any better???

Yesterday my little grandson Nate and I had a talk.......not just 2 minutes, not just 5 minutes but 3/4 of an hour talk, him sitting on my knee with his favorite blanket, (He was really supposed to be resting but who cares....this was so much better!!!!) and yes he talked......told me about Noah's Ark at the church Tuesday night (Halloween party), told me what he had dressed as...a "owboy", and what his three sisters were, two "rincesses and a "umpkin, he told me he "elped astor Anthony" put away a table and then Pastor Anthony picked him up and he shut the light of!!!! He told me about his "riend" Miles who came over and got the computer "orking" He was just full of stories. He kept saying he wanted the brown bears......well....I think I found every brown stuffed bear in the house and brought them up to him.......turns out he meant the little bear animal crackers I have up in the pantry!!!!!! that he can eat....he gets so excited about that. I didn't have his mom there to interpret so I would say "Oh that's nice" when I really didn't know what he was saying!!!!! He told me "amma's ouse is bootiful" ...... He sure knows how to get on the good side of his gramma!!!! Anyway, it ended up with Gramma telling him the story of THE THREE BEARS.......and papa bear said "WHO'S BEEN EATING MY PORRIDGE?" He giggles and looks up at me with a twinkle in his eye and a mischievous smile on his face and gramma's heart melts............It never ceases to amaze me, the love that bubbles up in my heart for these precious grandchildren.....thank you, Lord for these gifts.......

Just an ordinary day.......

Taking my husband to work so I can use the car, sleeping a few hours, then getting ready to run errands ...... like looking for a picture frame for Heather, taking back a parcel for Nancy, picking up a few groceries for us, going to get Ardy's house key so I can water her plants while they are on vacation in Mexico, window-shopping (my favorite thing), having coffee and reading the Sun at MacDonald's.......what a treat to be able to have the time to do that and relax a little, going to one of my favorite stores (Linens and Things) to look at all kinds of things ( I have a very good coupon in my purse) so my head is starting to think Christmas gifts!!
Just an ordinary gal, on an ordinary day, doing some ordinary things........ but the very fact that this ordinary gal is able to breath and walk and work and love and laugh and see and hear (sometimes!!!) and eat (how fun!!) absolutely proves that the day is not just ordinary but extraordinary........

I'm thankful....

Open my heart and you will see
All the blessings that were brought to me;
Golden rays from the sun's bright hue,
Acres of diamonds with the morning dew,
Smiles of my friends whom I hold dear,
Wishes from loved ones far and near,
Happiness is things we take for granted,
Seeds of kindness we may have planted,
Peace of mind that comes from above
Wishing that everyone had more love.

Why do we worry and often fret
For unseen objects we cannot get,
When all we need do is open our eyes
To all the wonders and surprise.....
Tiny seeds growing in the warm earth,
The cozy warm fire aglow on the hearth,
Family ties that mean so much,
A bountiful harvest, a dear one's touch,
A house that's a home on a country lane.....
Then being thankful all over again.

Thanksgiving Day seems to say:
I'm never just another day;
I'm set aside for thanks and prayer,
A special day for folks to share;
A day for joy and gratitude,
For open fires and special food;
Time for thinking about the brave
Who gave their lives this day to save;
A time for faith and hope this day......
That's what thanksgiving seems to say.

In Fergus....

Well, our kids made it back yesterday to Fergus and I think tomorrow Eric has an appointment to see a doctor which is good. They made it to Dickinson the first night, left our house at 9:00 A.M. and had a pretty good trip, Eric driving the whole way. The grandkids enjoyed the pool at the hotel and then drove the rest of the way on Sat. I still don't like the silence of our house, I could have cried and cried Friday morning when they left but as my mom used to say to me, if you are feeling down, just get to work or get out of the house.........so that is what I did, stripped the beds, did about 6 loads of laundry, did the dishes, worked like a madwoman and do you know what? It did make me feel better plus in the end I had a sense of accomplishment!!!! Every once in awhile, I would look at the pictures we took, run my fingers over the many new drawings the kids made us to put on the fridge (I don't have room left), read the lovely note that Mikenna wrote for her grandpa and put in his lunchbox, and of course prayed for them as they travelled. I really don't know how my parents did it when they would say good-bye to my brothers and their wives and grandkids when they left for Africa knowing that they would not see them for 4 years. They did not have email at that time so the letters that were written took alot longer. I am sure they shed many tears.....just another hard thing for them to go through with God's help but it made them stronger. How I admire them!

Empty House........

The house is empty and I am not so sure I like it right now!!!! It has been so wonderful having Eric and Susanne and kids home for almost two weeks and one week with Nancy being here altogether. Then Heather and Duane would come in or we would all go out to Okotoks. Can it be any better than that? What blessings........but also surprising curves in our lives sometimes and that is what happened in the life and times of the Archie household. I told you in my last blog that Eric wasn't feeling well that day at Banff....well, the pain and a low-grade fever continued and finally day before yesterday and after a very miserable night of pain, Susanne took him to Urgent Care and then to Rockyview for tests!!!! It turns out after 15 hours of seeing different doctors, waiting, bloodtests, waiting, catscan, waiting, waiting and more waiting..... that it is a ruptured appendix!!!! The surgeon decided that Eric is to wait a week taking two kinds of antibiotics to fight the infection and then get his doctor in Fergus to drain the area and then three months later have his appendix removed!! So they had to stay two days longer than planned and today they left for Fergus, hopefully making it as far as Bismark tonight. The doctor told him that he could travel, Susanne would help drive. Even if they stayed, the surgeon wouldn't have done anything for a week just because the area was so inflamed and surgery might have caused more problems. So we never know what is around the corner of our lives and perhaps that is just as well. But we do know that we receive strength for the day and our God looks after us no matter what comes......

Joy and Sorrow.......

What a wonderful week........having our family home - Nancy coming by plane last Sat. Oct. 7 as well as Eric and Susanne arriving the same day around 1:00 P.M. by car. We had a very busy week with church, Thanksgiving dinner, going to the mountains on Monday where we had an absolutely beautiful day in Banff (poor Grandpa and Eric didn't have as good a time because both of them were feeling a little under the weather)......getting ready for Nancy's shower on Wed. night at the church.....going up to spend some time with Great-gramma at the Beverly.....just spending time together.......having the little ones come upstairs in the morning all sleepy-eyed and warm dragging their favorite blankets and being cozy on the couch while we had our morning coffee in front of a fire in the fireplace, chatting and laughing with my daughters, doing some shopping. Sat. Oct. 14th came too fast and we had to say good-bye to Nanc for a little while.... til we go down to Fergus for the birth. She looks absolutely radiant and she and Wayne are so looking forward to the little one make his appearance in Jan. Sue and Eric and their family took off again for the Kananaskis on Sat. morning and we took Nanc out for lunch before seeing her off at the airport at 3:15 P.M. Then we (Jim and I) went to the Legacy Five concert at Grace Baptist Church with Rob and Carol on Saturday night. What a blessed, joyous time listening to these fellows sing!!!!! Joy and sorrow often go together and when we arrived home on Sat. night, we had a message from my sister Joyce telling us the Howard (Viv's husband) had passed away that evening. I phoned Viv right away and talked with her. She is so strong and we know God is providing her with strength. So another loved one has gathered on the other side. We will go to Saskatoon for the funeral probably at the end of the week.
Today we spent at Heather and Duane's out in Okotoks.....so fun!!! Eric and Susanne are staying with them tonight and then they don't leave until Wed. morning early so we have a couple more days.......Time just goes too fast......

O.K. so I am getting a mite excited..........

Three more sleeps and we wait in anticipation for the kids.......how exciting is that!!!!!! I got a message on my phone this morning which I could not make out except that there was a quite abit of screaming going on and a few words at the end saying......."and we get to have coffee together too!!!" I think I recognized the voice......it was my second born crazy daughter who can be and always has been quite vocal when she is excited about something especially when she knows she is coming home!!!! Home.....what a warm and friendly word in my memory.....I could hardly wait for the last leg of the journey......I remember the butterflies in my stomach as we would turn the final corner on the country dirt road to the hamlet of Tiger Hills, past the small, general store, past my dad's blacksmith shop and then the last 1/4 of a mile to our 2-story house..... we would drive into the driveway admiring my mom's beautiful flower garden with a fragrant lilac hedge along the road and flowers everywhere.......and then at last to see them standing....... waiting for their children and grandchildren with open arms and love in their eyes.........to end up sitting around the cozy kitchen table catching up on all the news and drinking a steaming cup of good boiled coffee!!!!! Yes it is hard having our daughters and their families live that far away but what a special time it is when they do come home.........

Continuing.......

Continuing on with Saturday..... at 5:30 p.m., we were invited to a surprise 60th birthday party for some dear friends of ours that attend the same church as us. It was such a nice time and yes they were totally surprised!!!! Their two sons and their wives had planned the party and it was wonderful!!!! They had invited family and friends....some who came all the way from Saskatchewan, from Edmonton, from B.C. , Calgary and I don't know where else! Their daughter-in-law has a gift of decorating - weddings, showers, birthday parties, you name it - she does an amazing job. And one of the things that she did that night was to tell the story of this special couple's lives on poster boards - using pictures!!! Very interesting and fun!!! Congratulations to you, Laura and Glen on reaching this milestone!!! You guys will always be young to us and to all the people that know you no matter how many years go by!!! And you know what.....60 is a great age....we know ..... we are there!!!! It is just a number!!!!!

Leaves, leaves and more leaves!!!!!!

Yesterday was the most gorgeous fall day you could ever imagine in the city of Calgary!!! The sun was shining, the sky was so blue and the colors of the leaves on the trees are just at their peak. Guess what my hubby and I did? Raked and raked and raked til we had 12 huge orange garbage bags full of leaves just from our front yard. We got dusty and dirty and today we have sore muscles and guess what - our front lawn now has another layer of leaves on it. But it was fun...even though it is hard work, the day was so wonderful, we loved being outside. Of course, we had to stop for coffee at least two or three times!! We left a pile of leaves in the back yard so our grandchildren could jump and bury themselves and just have a blast when they came for the 2 hours in the afternoon!! I got some great pictures. Then Grandpa decided to give them rides in the wheelbarrow and dump them into the bags of leaves out in the back. They enjoyed that immensely!!!! We were glad our neighbours on either side of us decided to rake as well cause if they don't and if the wind comes up, we all get another probably 12 bags. O the fun of having poplars along the street!!!! I love them, they look so beautiful in the fall and their millions of bright orange and yellow leaves stay on the branches for such a short time then decide to fall gently to the ground and on the lawns and in the shrubs and flowers and eves of the houses and everywhere you can think of!!! The roots of poplars grow very close to the surface too so they can cause havoc with the sidewalks and the cement blocks become uneven!!! Guess what happened? I tripped on one of the uneven blocks and did a sidebody connection with the cement and in the process broke my toe plus I am black and blue down one arm and leg!!!! I am just glad it was in the backyard instead of the front yard for all the neighbourhood to see!!! One always wonders - now how in the world did that happen!!!!! I tell you, my old nature came to the forefront and I felt like screaming or crying or something!!!!!!! I hate swear words or even slang - I don't say them but somehow when something like that happens, they kind of just pop into your mind!!! However, I got up and in a few minutes the pain was pretty much over and I continued working, limping yes but no broken bones for which I thanked the good Lord because you see in another week's time, my grandchildren from the States will be here and I certainly want to be able to pick them up and walk with them and cuddle with them! And we want to go to the mountains, do abit of hiking and of course how can we forget shopping or window-shopping whatever the case may be!!!! And on that note I will sign off for this time.......IT WAS A GLORIOUS DAY!!!!

Company!

Today my brother Lloyd and his wife Betty are coming to our house from Ft.St.John, BC. They are coming for the 50th wedding anniversary celebrations of my other brother Ron and his wife, Delaine on Saturday. Times moves on!!! Lloyd was in their wedding party and it just does not seem possible that 50 yrs.have gone by already. Ron and Delaine have been role models for Jim and I. I remember when Ron would bring Delaine home to mom and dad's when they were courting. I was just at the age where this was soooooo romantic and I thought to myself, I want to have what they have, a love so strong and a friendship which still goes on today. Plus they have a strong Christian faith and it shows. They are simply the best.......They have raised three handsome sons and one beautiful daughter and they have 12 grandchildren. I love them so much and wish them many more happy and wonderful years together. Blessings to a dear couple!

22 days!!!!!!

In exactly 22 days from today, our kids from the States arrive in Calgary and we are just so excited!! Nancy comes from Winnipeg via Westjet on Sat. Oct. 7th and Eric, Sue and family come on Sat. sometime. They are driving. Nanc is staying for a week and the Strom's for a week and a few days!! We just wish Wayne could come as well. It will just be so good to have them here for Canadian Thanksgiving! We will celebrate with the traditional turkey dinner, turkey and all the trimmings!!! And we hope it is going to be nice that following week so we can go out to the mountains. Maybe we will have a wonderful Indian summer. The trees are already turning color and the streets are covered with leaves. I love fall, the crispness in the air and the brilliant colors on the trees. Today I am sitting here at the computer and as I type I look over and on the floor is little Kalle playing with toys, in the family room is Jemma, Siri and Nate writing in their little notebooks and watching Winnie the Pooh. Their parents went out for dinner last night and then today they will maybe get some more boxes unpacked. It is hard to do stuff with 4 little ones around as you know Sue and Eric when you have moved. It is raining out today and they say we might get some snow. Yesterday they had snow in Banff and Canmore and expecting more today. Tomorrow, Sept. 17th is Sue's birthday - Happy Birthday Sue!!! I remember so vividly the day you were born. We were getting ready for church and all of sudden, my water broke and we had to quickly get to the hospital. And at exactly 10:56 A.M. just before church started, you were born!!! What a thrill! You had lots and lots of black hair!! You looked like a little papoose and you weighed in at 10# 5oz. We will celebrate your birthday, Noah's and Heather's when you come!!! So you will have to wait for your birthday gift!! Have a wonderful day and you know we will be thinking about you. Listen real hard and perhaps you will hear your dad and I singing to you!!!!!..........

Overwhelmed!!

I am overwhelmed with emotion tonight as I looked again at Nancy's blog and the ultrasound pictures of our precious little grandson in the womb!! All I can say is this: It is truly a miracle, a miracle that only God in His love can perform. Words cannot adequately express the wonder and the overwhelming feeling of awe and humility when you think how this little person is being formed. I think of the verses in the Psalms where it says:

For you created my inmost being: you knit me together in my mother's womb.
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well!

Besides being a miracle, it is a mystery. Know this, little one.... that the God who created the universe is right there beside you, even now, holding you in His tender hands , giving you a mommy and daddy who will love you forever, who will pray for you and teach you that "you are special" and the best news of all, that Jesus loves you........

Fun Weekend!!!

We just got back from a 2-day mini-vacation. Saturday morning we got up early, made a picnic lunch and took off north to O'l MacDonald's Resort and Campground near Stettler, Alberta around 9:00 A.M. We took off on a different highway, went through cute little towns, past cows grazing in the pastures, saw many very nice acreages and farms along the way, drove down into valleys and over rivers. Finally about 11:30 A.M., we reached the campground where Heather and Duane and their friends (their daughter Courtney goes to Trinity and was in the same grade as Jemma) were situated. What a great place for families!! It is right on Buffalo Lake which is shallow so far out, a nice beach,and lots of things for the kids to do. We spent the afternoon with them at the beach, then took off about 4:00 P.M. for Camrose. We didn't tell anyone we were coming, just got a hotel room for the night. It was such a gorgeous evening so we went for a long walk around Mirror Lake right in the middle of Camrose. Camrose reminds us of Fergus so much. Went to Walmart and then came back to the hotel and ate at the restaurant there. We got up this morning, made coffee and I still had blueberries and strawberries in the cooler so we had that for breakfast. Got ready for church and of course seen alot of people there. Joy insisted we come for lunch so we did. They are in the process of selling their house and are building another one which they will live in for perhaps a year and then sell. They think they will be able to get into it in Oct. Their boys and another friend build the houses and Orv and Joy are the general contractors. Alot of work but they are so good at it. The house they are living in now is absolutely beautiful and are hoping to sell it at a very good price. They had just been to Hawaii for 6 days from Aug.11 - 17th to attend their son Kjell's wedding on Lanikai Beach in Oahu. It was Joy and Orv, Kjell's girlfriend's mom and her Gramma and Kjell and Michelle. They showed us pictures. Very nice! We recognized the beach cause we had spent time at the exact same spot. We left their place around 2:00 P.M. and drove to Wetaskwin to the Reynolds Museum where there was a motorcycle display and also a threshing and harvesting demonstration. Jim was in his glory!!!! I sat out in my chair on the lawn, reading and enjoying the sun. I guess it was about 4:30 when we left there and drove to Sylvan Lake for supper. The beaches there were just packed with people, the lake with boats, seadoos, sailboats, waterskiers, rafts, etc., etc.!!! We ate at Joey's Only which was right beside a marina and watched as people came with their boats to go for a ride and then got their boats out of the water and unto their trailers. Very interesting! It was two great days away and tomorrow it is going to be nice again so we are going to our lake to spend a few hours. The last few weeks have been so extremely busy so it is so good to relax!!!!

They have moved!!!

Happy Days.....our kids have moved and are getting settled. This is just a little poem I came across and I thought was so good when we think of our homes. So to my daughters and their hubbies and children.......
A roof to keep out the rain,
Four walls to keep out the wind,
Floors to keep out the cold.....
Yes, but home is more than that:
It is the laugh of a baby,
The song of a mother,
The strength of a father,
Warmth of loving hearts,
Light from happy eyes,
Kindness, loyalty, companionship,
Home is first school
And first church for young ones,
Where they learn what is right,
What is good and what is kind,
Where they go for comfort
When they are hurt or sick:
Where joy is shared
And sorrow eased.
Where fathers and mothers
Are respected and loved,
Where children are wanted,
Where the simplest food
Is good enough for kings
Because it is earned.
Where money is not so important
As loving-kindness;
Where even the teakettle
Sings from happiness.
This is home........
God bless it!
Love you and pray for you all. Mom

I have seven brothers!!!!

Can you believe it? I have seven brothers!!!! They are all unique, fun and some of them are so competitive especially when it comes to golfing!!! I love them all so much and have learned alot from them over the years. One of my brothers is in Heaven and I am looking forward to seeing him again someday. I guess the brother I knew the best growing up was my brother who is two years older than me. We fought, we played. He was a loner but when we reached our teens, we became best friends! Then he left to go to California for college and I missed him but we kept in touch by letter. In fact when I went to Bible School, I met a girl from Wisconsin who became my best friend and who I thought would be a perfect match for my brother. Do you know what? He met her, he fell in love and he married her and this summer they spent almost two weeks with us again and what a wonderful time we had together. We have visited them in their beautiful, cozy home in Colorado and just appreciate them so much. They have 4 beautiful daughters who we love like our own. Isn't family just the best? My brother pastors a church in Fort Collins and his wife is there right beside him and I guess what I so love about them is their enthusiasm and excitement about their faith in Jesus and life in general. No, the road has not always been easy for them but through it all , they have kept the faith and know beyond a shadow of a doubt that God is right there beside them whatever may come. You two are an inspiration!!! We love you, our daughters and their families love you and we continue to pray that God in His great love will surround you each and every day!! Blessings!

Movin'!!!!!!!

Who said movin' was easy? It is a huge job and I am glad that I can still stay in my humble home for a few more years yet!!!! Heather and Duane are in the process of moving out to an older home in Okotoks and with the flooring guys putting hardwood down plus painting the bedrooms plus packing and frustration on the legal end of things plus four kids running around, it is quite a production!!! It will happen however and everyone will survive!!!!! I have kept the kids for the afternoons so they are out of the house and they have been good. Jemma has gone to VBS in the mornings and she plays with Carter in the afternoons. Heather is on the phone many times a day to the lawyer, the real estate agent, etc. etc. Last Sunday night, they were invited to the Kargs, bless their hearts, for a welcome to the neighbourhood party as well as good-bye to the people who are moving out of the house. It was such a good time for them all and they got to meet their neighbours in the cul-de-sac!! What a thoughtful thing for the Kargs to do. But then that is how they are, thoughtful and kind. Jemma got to meet a girl the same age as her. The big stuff will be moved on Friday morning so everything has to be good to go then!!!! I say, it will happen......it always does!!!!!! In the meantime, we pray for patience and good old-fashioned strength plus some good sleeps!!!!!!

Wedding bells!

It was a glorious day for a wedding! Pastor Anthony and Kim were married yesterday - a day that all the congregation had been praying for. They looked so happy and enjoyed the entire day which included the ceremony, a reception with cake and coffee at the church immediately following, pictures out at Kim's parent's farm and then another reception at the Canyon Meadows Golf Club at 6:00 P.M. Kim looked beautiful and Anthony, very dashing!!! Weddings are so fun and it just brings back memories of our own wedding. Their wedding was meaningful and God-honoring and everything went so well. We just congratulate them and pray that God would go with them as they fly out Monday for beautiful Oahu for a 2-week honeymoon. Blessings to a dear couple.

What a blast!!!!

Yes, I can definately say that it was a BLAST being with my sisters who by the way are all over 70 yrs. and two of them are into their 80's!!!!! (I am the youngest sister.) But they don't look it and certainly don't act it!!! My second oldest sister who turned 80 last year drove all the way from California with her husband who just had open heart surgery in April/06!!!! I am truly amazed at that!! We all had more fun talking, laughing, drinking coffee, laughing some more, drinking coffee, going for walks, talking, talking and more talking, doing some crying, sharing our lives with each other, as Gwen says, we can let our hair down when we are together and still know that we are loved unconditionally...... some talked more than others. Viv and I are the quiet ones!!!!!! NOT!!!! We also talked about how good it is to have our Christian heritage, a childhood that was difficult sometimes because of being so poor but so rich in knowing that our parents loved us more than life itself and faithfully prayed for us as we were growing up and prayed for us til their dying day! Not only did they pray for their children but their grandchildren and great-grandchildren and many others! O how we still miss them. Cedar Lodge was the place and the people that work there are so nice. They have a wonderful ministry to the homeless in Saskatoon, providing meals for so many. Christ's love in action. It is a retreat center so they do wedding receptions, conferences, family reunions, etc. The Cadets had been there for the weekend before we came and they were catering to another big group the weekend after. They treated us like VIP's, made us the most wonderful home-cooked healthy meals and one of their cooks, a gal from the Phillipines played in the kitchen (her very words). She made roses and birds out of apples, a mouse out of a lime, a bouquet of flowers out of green onions, carrots and honeydew melon rind. I got pictures of them all. They had soft music playing at every meal and were so glad we liked the Christian music they played. We watched home videos (I had made one of the last three sister reunions) so we watched that, Viv's grandaughter's wedding and "Love's Enduring Promise"!! We swam in the pool, Ida G, Joyce, Auntie Jewel and I and had so much fun. Precious, precious times together. We stayed from Tues. at noon to Thurs. noon. Then I went to the farm with Joyce to help her get ready for everyone coming down on Friday for a big dinner at noon. Do you know what she served? New potatos, new carrots, new peas, tomatos and beans fresh from the garden. Beet and dill pickles that she had done, homemade buns, a pork tenderloin roast with mushroom gravy and for dessert, a raspberry, blueberry and banana trifle......raspberries from her garden of course!!!! One word......Yummy!!!! I guess there was 11 of us around her table in her country kitchen. She makes such a good farmer's wife!! It was so good to have that time together but it was so good to get home too!!! I rested alot today because I woke up with a sore throat and headache this morning (I had been fighting a cold all week) so stayed home from church and slept and slept. My co-worker phoned this afternoon and wanted to work tonight so she could have next Sunday night off. I was so glad so I am going to bed early. This coming week is going to be busy again. Til next time, my family and friends..............

Praying for you Stephen and Julene!

Larry, Irene and I sat today and watched the military ceremony for Jason Warren, Stephen's brother on CBC. He was buried in Ottawa at the military cemetery there. It was almost surreal seeing Stephen, Julene and his sister, his mom and dad standing there, sometimes emotional and sometimes sombre, grieving for their son and brother and brother-in-law, yet knowing that Jason had died doing what he wanted to do and that was serving his country. Irene cried as she watched. It brings it all close to home when a family member is hurting. From all the reports, Jason was a very good soldier and well respected by his colleagues who were also grieving his death. He was known for his wide smile and infectious laugh and oh how much he looked like Stephen. It is so hard to lose a loved one. Stephen and Julene, we just want you to know that we are continually praying for you that God in His great love will be your strength at this time. We love you.

What a weekend!!

What a weekend, Friday night and all day Saturday at the first Calgary Women of Faith Conference! It was wonderful!!!! We had many great speakers, funny, inspirational, ordinary women who through various experiences, sometimes painful experiences have such JOY in their lives, who know beyond a shadow of a doubt that they are loved by God and that they CAN reach out and touch someone who needs a friend and needs to know that they are loved. We are unique as women and God has made us special. We sang some wonderful praise songs, heard the group Avalon, laughed til the tears came and cried with the women as they shared what they had learned. Speakers like Luci Swindoll, Patsy Clairmont, Sheila Walsh, Marilyn Meberg and Donna VanLiere. What encouragement to hear what they had to say. And to hear Max Lucado speak on Friday night. I definately want to go again next August when they come back to Calgary. Nanc and Sue, Heather and I can definately see why you spoke so highly of this conference. Wouldn't it be fun to be at one together. Maybe someday..........

Women of Faith!

Yes, we finally get to go to a Women of Faith Conference. There are about 8 of us going from our church and we will meet tonight at 5:30 P.M. at Peace and then take the C-train down to the Saddledome. My two daughters from the states have told me how much they have enjoyed the last I think it is about 3 years that they have attended one and so it will be interesting to hear the speakers and the music. I am excited to hear Max Lucado speak. Patsy Clairmont as well. I have read her book. Will update after the conference.

God loves Me!

Sometimes I get to thinking - of the way you care for me
And I feel so very humble, that such a thing could be.
For I'm only just a creature that you fashioned out of clay,
But you're always making sure that I have all I need each day!!

Sometimes when I am worried and I don't know what to do,
And things don't seem to work out, I always run to you.
And what I thought were problems, simply vanish beneath your Hand,
You take the time to listen and you always understand.

My dwelling may be humble, but You share my small abode,
And when I feel I'm sinking, You are there to lift the load!
And I count myself most blessed, that anyone can be,
Because I KNOW beyond a doubt that my Savior loveth me!!!

Help me, Lord, to count my blessings. To know that every good and perfect gift comes from your Hand. You are MY STRENGTH!!

Good day!

I woke up earlier than usual yesterday as I was invited to Laura's house for coffee and she lives 7 minutes out of the city on a beautiful golf course. Actually the invitation came from my daughter's best friend, DeeDee who lives in Vancouver and she was home for a few days. It has been the tradition for many years that if she comes home to visit or if Susanne comes home to visit that we, Ardy, Laura and I along with our daughters who live so far away, get together at some point during that time just for fun, either a lunch date or coffee to get caught up on each other's lives. Although, this time it seemed that the grandchildren was the main topic of conversation!!!! I wonder why!!!! Don't we just love to do that!!! Lisa, DeeDee's sister came too with her two older kids and her brand new baby. Aunty DeeDee got her hands on that baby and nobody else could hold him which was as it should be cause she does not get a chance very often to do that. It was fun. Of course, Laura did not just give us coffee but had a platter filled with fruit (strawberries and blueberries to keep us looking young) and fun breads with humus!! Yummy! Before we left, we got a tour of her beautiful garden! Wonderful time!

Fun weekend!!!

It started on Friday night with Art (Sheri-lynn's dad), Kathy (his wife) and his son, Morgan coming to our house for supper which we had out in our outdoor room (our backyard). The mosquitos surprisingly were not too bad at all and it was beautiful and warm. We then took our guests up to the Home to visit with Gramma while I did her hair and of course we had tea and cookies. Saturday morning we got up and chatted around the breakfast table. They were on their way out to Drumheller to go to the Passion Play later on that day but wanted to go the Drumheller museum first so they wanted to get a good start and I had to go up to the church to help prepare food for the Stampede Barbeque we were going to have on Sunday. After I got home from the church, I packed a picnic lunch - fruit, cake, cereal bars and coffee and we took off for the Kananaskis - the Kananaskis village to meet my cousin and her husband who had just come through the mountains from Golden on their motorbike. I guess we got there about 2:oo P.M. It was gorgeous in the mountains. We drove up to the lakes and had coffee there! It was beautiful!! Then they got on their bike (they are in their fifties - good for them!!!) and we got in our car, (they decked out in their leathers and we in our shorts - it was hot!) and we drove highway 40. They had never been that way right to Longview!!! It is one of our favorite drives through the mountains. Finally arrived at Turner Valley where we had supper at a cute little restaurant called Route 40. Then came home to baths and a comfortable bed. They had been camping in a tent the whole week and had driven to Jasper, Ft. St. John, Prince George, Kamloops, and then on to Banff and Canmore so they were so glad for a bed in a house!!!!!! Sunday was sunny and hot. We went to church and had the service outside. The musical part of the service was special guests from Arizona who sang then and also when we were having our barbeque. It was great!! Our pastor always has a good sermon for us and also a story for the kids. We got home and changed into shorts and sat outside under the lilac bush in the shade. About 3:00 P.M. we decided to take them out to my brother's place in the country where at the moment, they are living in their R.V., soon to be moving into their son's brand new house in the parent's suite which is being built unto the garage. When we looked to the west, we could see huge thunder clouds and we knew we were in for a storm so again, all the plants went into the garage!!!! We got out there, had our coffee and before you know it the rain started!! We quickly got into our car and started back to the city!!!! OOooo, the sky was black!!!! We drove right into the storm, decided we better take some shelter, so we drove into a driveway lined with trees and waited for about 1/2 hour while golf-sized hailstones rained down upon us!!! We couldn't see very far at all because the rain and hail were so intense!!!! The poor horses out in the pasture were galloping back and forth trying their hardest to get away from the hailstones. I felt so sorry for them! Anyway, finally started home, had to drive slow but made it. We had not gotton any hail at our house, just rain and thank goodness, the only damage our car received was two little dents in our roof. A town east of the city had hailstones as big as apples and windows of a van was broken by the hail. The people down at the Stampede grounds had to take shelter anywhere they could find it!!!! By the time the sun was setting, the sky was clearing and the sun was shining!!! O the awesome power of wind, rain and hail!!! How small and finite it makes us feel when we see it!!! Dale and Darlene were definitely glad that they were not on their bike!!!! They left yesterday morning, they were anxious to see their children and grandchildren!!!!! So fun to have them.

Thunder, lightning, rain and hail!!!!!!

Went grocery shopping last night about 5:30 P.M. and when we got out of the store, the sky was dark in the east, thunderheads all over, lightning lighting up the sky and we knew there was going to be a storm!!!! We hurried home and put away all my containers of flowers in the garage and got the groceries into the house. Then it poured and poured - I love watching it - but only when it is not real severe!!!! This was not and thankfully we didn't get any hail like some parts of the city - it passed over fairly quickly!! I just remember the time in Minneapolis when we took the kids and sat under the stairs because of a tornado that touched down about 3 miles from our daughter and son-in-laws place!!! Ooooeee......now that was abit scary!!!!!!!! We also have had tornados close to our city sometimes. But it doesn't last and after the storm is the calm! As I was driving to work last night, the sky in the west was absolutely breathtakingly beautiful!!!! The sunset was just as gorgeous as any sunset I seen in Hawaii!!!! And with the mountains in the background.........I can't express in words.........it is like God sitting at His easel and painting a picture just for us.......

Sisters!

I have four wonderful, crazy sisters that I love with all my heart. I miss them so much. We all live many miles from each other and this year we are having a reunion in Sask. They are all quite abit older than me (I am the baby of 12) and they grew up together so when we get together, I love to see them relate and interact with one another. They are interesting and fun, have travelled alot and experienced many more things than I have. My oldest sister now in her eighties ( I can't quite believe that yet but yes time marches on) had to quit school when she wasn't very old to help mom in the house with all the little ones plus go out to work at a very young age. I admire her so much. My sister from California married a guy who went many years to university and they lived very frugally in the states during his school years and they have never come back to Canada to live. She is an organizer, has a heart of gold and loves to have fun. My next sister lives on a big farm and she is a perfect farmer's wife, plants a huge garden in the spring, is crafty and started oil painting in her 70's. I say, good for her!! And then there is my sister in B.C. who also has a heart of gold, was and still is a comedian. I guess I spent more time with them because when she was pregnant with her second baby, I went to live with them for 6 mos. and basically was their nanny. I loved it. I learned alot about looking after kids and keeping house. Their daughter was the first baby I ever looked after. So you see, I am so blessed to have these sisters in my life. We talk on the phone every once in awhile and we love getting together for our reunions. We laugh alot, we cry together and we reminice. It is just so good. Thank you, God for my sisters.

Happy Canada Day!!!!!

It is July 1st and Canada's birthday!!!!! We usually have our Canada T-shirts on, sit in our Canada chairs, sing the national anthem, take a picnic in our Canada picnic bag and wave our Canada flags. I haven't done one of those things today yet. We usually go to a park and watch the fireworks in the evening too and we probably might still do that. We have had company so that is my excuse!!!! Anyway to all who read this, I hope you are having a wonderful Canada Day!!!! Yeah C A N A D A !!!!!!!

Busy days!

We have had 3 very busy days around our household. Gramma's two sisters, Esther and Helen came to visit. They had not been together for 7 years so it was so exciting for them despite the fact that Helen was very nervous about flying from Saskatchewan. Esther and her two daughters drove by car from B.C. on Sunday. They all stayed here and when you have elderly people around, everything moves in "slow mo" and being able to get to the bathroom is a huge priority! Helen is a single gal with a servant heart - she has helped all her brothers and sisters in their homes at one time or another throughout her entire life and now she still lives by herself in her little apartment. I love pampering her when she is here and she loves it too. So every morning, we would decide what she was going to wear (decision making becomes harder and harder as you get older) and then I would do her hair. She is a sweetheart. Esther has worked so hard all her life with raising 10 kids and taking in a foster child. Now she is living with her daughter and has to be helped with things although she does quite well. She knits these little dish cloths that I just love so she was busy doing that while here. And I am using the one she gave me. I love it. They both use walkers and still can get around that way. They have seen joy, sorrow, hard times, happy times and sad times in their life and I honor and appreciate them so much. God has been their strength throughout all these years and still is. It was so touching when we brought Esther up to see Gramma at the Home. I can't explain it in words but you could see the love connection of these two sisters right away. I couldn't hold back the tears. The four sisters that were in that family lost their parents when they were very young and had to be raised by the older brothers and their wives so in those years, they clung to each other and were very close all their lives. I just can't imagine what that was like to lose your parents that young. My heart hurts for them and what they missed. But their faith in their Heavenly Father has brought them through all this and they have a sweet, sweet spirit. I learn alot from them. And the best thing is they are still learning. They love to play Scrabble and had a game every day they were together. I just think that is the best!!!!!! It was a blessed time for them and for us.

I'm done!!!!

Whoohoo, I finally finished "SCRAPBOOKING" our trip to Hawaii. It was fun but I sat for many hours cause I wanted to get it done before all this company arrives and I want to take the two albums to my sister reunion in August. And every comment and picture was just reliving the whole experience. I am so glad to be done.......but much more fun doing this type of thing in a group I think! Company starts arriving Sat. and continues pretty none stop until the second week in July. Then Larry and Irene come around the first part of August and I am so looking forward to that, just visiting with them. I get so lonesome for them sometimes. Then my sister reunion and then our precious grandson from down south comes for a couple of weeks. And in between we get to have our other grandchildren that live right here in the city come to visit every once in awhile too!! What a fun-filled, busy summer!

Nice Day......

I asked my better half what he wanted to do for this Father's Day weekend. He thought he might like to go to the Car Show in Wetaskwin.....however when we got up this morning, he decided that he didn't necessarily want to do that so he said that we were going to drive out west via Bragg Creek and then do the Highway 40 circle.....so that is what we did. Took a picnic lunch and took off, of course stopping by Timmies for coffee....mmmmm, that first sip of that coffee is so good!!!!! We picked up some Homestyle Bacon and Egger's at the A and W. The day was sunny and the trees were just so green from all the rain. The mountains take your breath away. It was beautiful. Stopped at the Kananaskis Lodge, took some pictures and continued on........drove to Cat Creek, had our lunch there, took more pics and then carried on to Longview, Turner Valley, Black Diamond and Millerville. The creeks and rivers are running pretty high....Millerville Farmer's Market was cancelled due to the road into the Market being washed out!!! It isn't as bad as last year but some of the residents of these towns are a little nervous. It was a great day and now we are watching the Oilers and Carolina play hockey and having steaks for supper. My friend from Edmonton was supposed to come tonight to stay here til Tuesday but opted to stay at her sister's cause she thought we weren't going to be home until tomorrow. Anyway, tomorrow we decided to go to Okotoks for church as it is Jared's confirmation, Jarle and Judy's anniversary, Nat's 50th birthday and Father's Day so they have alot to celebrate. Judy wanted us to stop by which we might do as they are having an informal get together to celebrate everything. We haven't seen them in awhile as they have been in Saskatchewan on the farm doing some seeding, etc. The next few weeks are going to be busy at our house. We are getting company from Kelowna possibly (Aunty Esther's daughter wants to bring her out to see Gramma. They would probably be here about a week), Dave and Donna are coming the last few days of June, then the following weekend, some relatives from Saskatoon are coming out to stay with us. So it goes.......the Archies B n B is up and running........

Scrapebooking!!

Today it is raining outside and is supposed to rain all day!!! So that means that I can't work out in my garden so I have all my tools (my scrapebooking tools, that is!) laid out on the dining room table and it is warm and cozy inside and I am about to scrapebook to my heart's content. I am going to do an album on ..... guess what......yup.......Hawaii!!!! That way, instead of carrying around 4 packs of pictures, explaining them each time, a person can just pick up the album and take a little tour!!!! I have done this with reunions, weddings, etc. and it is fun, so fun. My girls did an album couple of years ago for us and gave it to us at Christmas. And the thing about the albums these days is that you can add pages and update them. What a wonderful gift and so interesting. I love it. So if you don't hear from me in awhile.........well, you will know the reason!!!!!!

I want to be there even more!!!!

They called this afternoon from Sue and Eric's and they were having a BIG BARBEQUE in their back yard with everyone including my brother, my sister-in-law, my niece and her family and then all the rest of our family. The kids were having fun in the little pool, Nanc and Wayne ran out for hamburger meat and I just wanted to be there even more!! They had just finished a photo shoot with Larry and Irene and fam and of course they were in Fergus to attend the Convention as well. So now you guys, I want to see pictures and details, O.K.? Love you all. I spent a very pleasant afternoon with Margaret out on their beautiful acreage. Guess what I brought them for dessert? A lovely, juicy, fresh pineapple of course!!!!! And we had part of ours for supper. Yummy!!! We ate so much in Hawaii. Until next post...........

I want to be there!!!

I want to be there - having coffee with my girls!!! They are all together this week just having a good time. I am so glad. The kids can play together and they can talk mommy talk now that Nanc is going to have a baby next Jan. I want to see Nanc and Wayne's house - Sue said it is so cute! I want to go shopping with them too. By the way, I gave Nanc my order from Bath and Body. I am thinking about you all right now. You are probably still sleeping. Have a great day! Love you so much. Blessings.

It's raining......it's raining!!!

I love the rain.......it makes everything smell so clean.......and especially now when I have just planted my containers and flower beds.........We made a little patio this year for our discussion bench...I refuse to call it a gossip bench.......it is under my lilac tree and the grass did not grow there so we cleaned it up a bit with sand and blocks. Looks ever so much better!!! The lilac tree is higher than the house and it is special because it came from my mother's garden many years ago. The little runners that come up every year drive me crazy but I would not get rid of it. The smell from the blossoms in the spring is just out of this world and the birds love to chatter together in the branches!!!!! And their chattering gets even louder when an enemy comes to visit......the magpie!!!! They have, of course little ones in a nest in the bird house and boy do they get mad at that particular bird!!!!! I guess it is going to continue raining tomorrow as well. It is cozy to hear the droplets hitting the house and know that the coffee is on and there is a good book sitting nearby..........and to top it all off, two little girls fast asleep in bed at Gramma's house!!! What could be better than that!!!!!!

Back to Reality!!!

It has been a week and a half since flying back from Oahu, Hawaii and I really didn't want to leave!!!! I could have stayed another two weeks easily. I can see where friends of ours go for a month at a time and still want to stay longer. I miss the mornings having breakfast on the lanai, the sound of the surf, the flowers - brilliant and beautiful, the air - balmy, the breeze that cools and the people, gracious and friendly! And yes, even Garth - our resident gecko in our cottage. He would wake us up in the morning with a sound almost like a cricket and we would see him peek his head out between the crack in the ceiling! I even was able to get a picture!!!! It freaked me out a little the first time I seen him but they told us that geckos eat pesky insects (almost like our Saskatchewan dragon flies!!!!) and are considered good luck if you have one living in your house. So he was a friend!!! (I did empty our my purse one day just to be on the safe side!!!! I didn't want to open it up and see him peeking out from there!!!) We ate shrimp, mahi mahi fish, pineapple, mangos, papayas, even tried mashed taro root called poi (yuck). It is a staple in Hawaii - they even have it at MacDonald's like apple pie!!! And of course, macadamia nuts which are just too yummy!!! Another thing that we just loved was pineapple whip which is a little like frozen yogurt and it was very refreshing and to top it off, it was low fat and not that many calories!!!! We walked and walked and walked, downtown, the beach and if we didn't walk, we rode "the Bus"!!!! Their bus system is excellant!!! And we sat in the park just watching people - families, newlyweds, grammas and grandpas. We would think of our families back home and think how fun it would be to all go to this island someday!!!! We were on the 11th floor of our condo in Waikiki and every morning (like 6:00 A.M.) we would be out on our balcony having our coffee and poor fellow that moved very slow but had his grocery cart and all his belongings would come and make a little bed under a tree and go to sleep, obviously didn't have a home to go to but considered the park as his home. The second week we had a car so we explored the island from one end to the other. It is beautiful, hiked up to some falls at Waimea Park on the North Shore, saw the surfers ride some huge waves there - they are very dedicated these surfers - they go from morning to night riding the waves!!!! Sundays, we went to a church on the beach which was so interesting and inspirational. This particular group have been there in front of the beautiful Hawaiian Hilton Hotel for 35 years singing, speaking and sharing just a simple message of faith, love and hope in Jesus. We enjoyed it so much. I could go on and on about our trip. Did we enjoy ourselves? How can you tell!!!! We would go back in a heartbeat!!!! Aloha!!!!

ALOHA!!!!!

Aloha from Hawaii,
This is absolutely amazing to be sitting here on this beautiful island enjoying the sunshine, the sound of the surf, the birds, the flowers, the palm trees, the sunsets, the air. I still can hardly believe that we are here. God is so good and He has created all this!! Will blog more later when we get home and then I will have time to write about what we have seen. Aloha!

ALOHA KAKABIAKA (Good morning)

It is almost time to leave and we are doing the last minute things, like watering plants, etc. I woke up this morning and as I got up, I said to Jim "I don't know about you but I'm going to Hawaii!!!!!" To my 'OHANA ( family, extended family and friends) I just say this, have a great day and ALOHA AU IA 'OE which means I love you. Blessings.
ALOHA NUI LOA (Much love or fondest regards)
TUTU (gramma) I couldn't find the word for mom

Gardening....gardening....gardening.....

It is almost as addicting as chocolate......I love to see the plants peeking their heads through the soil in the spring, I love the buds coming out on the lilac bush (which by the way is very, very special to me because it came from my mom's garden), I love the birds even the sparrow (You know God sees the little sparrow fall....it meets His tender view) as they busily prepare their nest in the bird house for their little ones, I love the fresh, young, vibrant green of the grass and the softness of it under my bare foot, I love the black dirt, yes to get my hands dirty... digging and preparing the soil is fun and even therapy for me, I love the sun as it warms the earth and is so important for the plants to grow, I love to see the robins happily singing as the rain gently falls and as they are so industrious trying to pull the worm out of the ground, I love the beautiful smells of the flowers and their gorgeous colors as they grow throughout the spring and summer, I love going to the Garden Centers and seeing what new things they have this year, and after all is said and done, the pots planted, the seeds in the ground and the grass freshly mowed, I love sitting out under the lilac bush in our wooden chairs, drinking coffee on a Sat. morning just looking around our little back yard, (our outdoor room, I call it) or if it is later on in the evening, sitting in front of our fire pit, watching the logs burn and enjoying a "Screamer" (which is a slurpee and soft ice cream put together in layers in a cup.....very refreshing to say the least!!!) So you see, it isn't almost addicting as chocolate, it is as addicting as chocolate.......

"Honolulu Hula" or "Aloha Hawaii"?????

Which one should I play today? As you can guess I have been playing Hawaiian music these last few days!!!! a CD we got from you, Sus! Only 5 more days til we go and now I am getting very excited!!!! Our suitcases are packed and as usual I think I packed too much!!! They say to pack what you think you need, then take out about half!!!! I got a couple of good books to read - you know that is something else I am looking forward to...... is reading. We have been told by so many people that the thing that will forever linger in our minds is the feel of the air as we step off the plane and the smell of the flowers. Mmmmmm.....too good to be true........I want to enjoy and capture every minute of this trip! How does one do that?

Here comes the bride.......

Can it be almost a year already? This time last year, we were getting ready for a wedding in our family!!!!! How exciting!!!! Nanc, you were busy making invitations, decorations and who knows what else!!! I was baking, baking, baking. How fun and with mixed emotions......here our baby was getting married to the love of her life, this man who loves her and makes her feel so special.....her and her sisters and her best friend were finding bridesmaid dresses....her sister was able to go with her to look for her dress and they found a beautiful one, the details got all looked after. They got married at the School in the chapel there and had the reception in the gym. What a fun time square-dancing the night away!!! Her uncle married them and a good friend in the seminary had the meditation. A very meaningful and God honoring ceremony. One of their best friends sang and played his guitar. It was a beautiful day!! And a fun day!! Eric took some fantastic pictures both at the wedding, down by the river, on the railway tracks, back of the school and at the reception. It was a small wedding ceremony and the fun part was that she had all her nieces and nephews as well as Diane's two boys involved. 10 children......... from age 10 down to age 1. It went so well and was so wonderful to be able to be there helping where we could and just seeing the love these two have for each other. So now Nanc and Wayne, enjoy your very first anniversary. We love you and pray that God will continue to be with you as you look for a house and then as you open up that home to reach out to others.

Fill our home, dear Lord, we pray
With blessings from above,
But......most of all....we ask that it
Be always filled with love.

May those who step within our door
Find happy hearts inside,
And, Lord, please may our door and heart
Be ever open wide.

May all who gather round our hearth
Find kindness glowing there,
And may each soul who dwells within,
Love and contentment share.

So, bless our home and bless each one
Who dwells or steps inside,
And may we find beneath our roof
That peace and joy abide.

Gramma....

My husband's mother lives in a beautiful Care Home not too far from where we live. She has a cozy, big room which she calls home, has found some good friends, and loves the nurses and care-givers. They are good to her. This week was her birthday so last night, we asked her what she would like to do. She replied, "I would like to have Chinese Food, real Chinese Food." So that is what we did. And she enjoyed it so much, she enjoyed just getting out .... it was a beautiful evening. Her daughter also came and we had a good time. Later on in the evening I went back and washed and put curlers in her hair because tonight, she and her friend, Irene from another Care Home are going to the Ice Capades!!!!!! Isn't that cool! And she needed her hair done for that!!!! I think it is so great when older people do not lose that sense of wanting to do new and interesting things for as long as they can even if they are in a wheelchair. Her daughter and her also work together selling jewellery and perfume, etc. from an organization that does the Home party idea which is great for them and it has been good for them to work together. She just had laser surgery on her left eye as well and I think that is going to be good because it will allow her to read more. We have to wait three months, then have a follow-up check on her eyes, then she can get her new glasses. She turned 86, still loves to sing and knows by heart many of the hymns plus other cute songs from her childhood, plays scrabble every Wed. with another resident and his caregiver. More often than not, wins hands down!!!!!! More than anything, her faith and family are so important to her and loves when we come, loves to hear from her children and her grandchildren and greatgrandchildren. She shares her Faith in God and prays about everything. Her prayer list is very long!!! That is just what you do, according to her when problems come is to take it to the Lord in prayer. We are blessed to have her in our lives!

Speaking of Mother's Day.......

Might I say that I have two daughters who are wonderful moms and another daughter who is going to be a fantastic mom someday. I am amazed so many times when I see them interact with their children. I honestly don't know how they manage it but this, folks, is a 24-7 job and not much pay in terms of money but oh the rewards that come with the hugs and kisses and the realization that these precious children are happy, adjusted..... monkeys....yes sometimes......, whiney......yes, sometimes.....funny, yet with hearts of gold and so special in the eyes of God, their parents and their extended family. They know they are loved!!!!! Back to you, my daughters.......just know this that your dad and I have you in our prayers daily as you face the awesome privledge of raising those children and to you, my youngest daughter, know this that we are already praying for the children that you will have eventually. Happy, Happy Mother's day to all three of you.........

12 days and counting......

Whenever I think of May 14th, which by the way is mother's day, I get goosebumps because now I am thinking that it is going to happen.....our going to Hawaii, I mean!!!! What to bring, how much to bring, and do we have everything that we need to have in order to go across the border. Passport, travel and medical insurance, money of course, our reservation papers for the condos and the car, and COFFEE!!!!!! What else do we need? Maybe an extra bag in case we bring back some extra things!!! Who knows!!! But before we go, we have birthdays to celebrate, a mother's day tea to go to, a craft and garage sale at our church, singing at the Care Home, a dear friend in the hospice that I would like to visit before we go and another one that just came home from the hospital.....whew....lots of things to pack into these few days. Makes life interesting!!!!!