Pictures, pictures and more pictures!

A gorgeous Saskatchewan sky in August.

What a beautiful family. G n G Barreth's pride and joy!

Wendy and I at her house.

A new way to serve limes plus tomato roses!!

Peek - a - boo!!!! Joyce's corn crop last summer!!!!

Walking in Fish Creek.

My three wonderful sisters-in-law that live close to us.

Random pics from the weekend and who knows what else!!

Good pic of Rob and Carol and Ron and Delaine last Sunday.

Gramma having a birthday/Easter cake for me last Saturday night plus gifts!!!

Friends!

The fairest rose in the garden of life is the fellowship of friends;

Time but glorifies its beauty with a fragrance that never ends.

No cloud can shade its loveliness,

No storm its petals part,

For the flower of friendship dwells forever

In the shrine of the human heart.

Rob and Carol.......another one of God's abundant gifts to us......the gift of your friendship and love!!! Even though we don't see you as often, we pray for you and thank our Heavenly Father that you came into our lives.

Come again soon. We love you, guys!

More celebrating and special times!

Saturday, April 7th. It all started with morning coffee and fresh fruit by candlelight in our living-room with our good friends, Rob and Carol. They had come from Saskatoon Friday afternoon to stay with us for the weekend. It was so good to see them. We had a wonderful morning just visiting.....then we got ready and drove out to the Chuckwagon Cafe in Turner Valley about noon to have a late breakfast. Miles and Arlene and Ron and Delaine joined us and what a hoot we had!!! My stomach hurt with all the laughing we did. Between Carol and Arlene and their humor, Ron telling funny stories as well as Miles and Rob then Jim and I telling about how getting older just does something to our ears and when we repeat what we heard each other say, it is totally different!!!! All we can do is break into gales of laughter although sometimes it is NOT that funny!!!!!!

Saturday night, we went up and spent some time with Gramma, also I washed and set her hair. And here she had a birthday cake for me. Ida was there too to help celebrate. Is there no end to the blessings that come our way, day after day? God is so good!

Easter Sunday............The children all lining up with their tulips to bring up to the front to put at the foot of the cross. It is so touching to see these little ones, happy and smiling, knowing that Jesus loves them (even little Isaac in his wheelchair). What a wonderful day, the very basis of our Christian faith that Jesus took our place, then rose again on the third day. No wonder we can sing with confidence and joy in our hearts, "I serve a risen Savior"!!!!

Children's message.......they are so quiet, you can hear a pin drop. They don't want to miss any of the questions, Pastor Anthony might ask them.

The cross in the background is covered with pieces of white paper that has written on it, "Jesus died for ________. Then you put your name on it and at the end of the service on Friday, we all walked up and nailed our papers to the cross signifying that it was for me personally that He died. It is always a special, special time.

Dinner at Gramma and Grandpa's house right after church - but before sitting down to eat we had the annual Easter egg hunt!!!!! Jemma had lots of fun finding eggs and of course she is tall, she could spot them in places that the other kids couldn't. And I will probably continue to find eggs for weeks to come because this gal does not remember all the places they were hidden!!!!!

Nate enjoyed the hunt. He was very happy with all the yummy eggs he found!!!!

Kalle had her own little basket and she got quite afew. She really didn't know what to do with the foil-wrapped eggs when she found them and that was quite all right with her mommy!!!!

Even the adults had to get in on the action. Carol and Heather looking for some eggs while Aunty Delaine looks on!!

It has been a wonderful and special weekend.

Special time with family!

We went out to Tony Roma's for my birthday lunch today with the kids, Heather and Duane and Jim's sister, Ida. It was special. This morning there was a special service at out church. Our grandchildren had slept overnight so we all went together up to the church. They sang to me this morning at breakfast, so cute. Sue called and we chatted for a long time, their kids sang to me then too. This afternoon Nanc called, my brother Ken called, Ted and Florence called, Joyce and Viv called so I felt very blessed.

Spring HAS NOT arrived as yet!!!!

Spring is taking it's jolly time arriving but guess what........Carol and Rob ARE arriving on Friday to spend three nights with us and we are looking so forward to visiting with them. And the weather is supposed to warm up!!!!! We cannot have them here without going out for Rob's favorite.......pancakes!!!!! And hopefully the gorgeous Rocky Mountains will be in fine form and beautiful as always as we drive towards the foothills to another fav, a cozy little cafe !!

Do you know how anxious I am for the sun to shine, the birds to sing and the green to start showing in the grass? Well I am.......but that does not make it happen!!!! We are still looking at white stuff falling out of the sky. Hopefully this weekend...........hopefully.........hopefully it will happen but I am not holding my breath!!!!!! We have had more snow in the first four days of April this year than all of April last year. O well, at least we don't get bored with our weather, we can't because things can change so fast!!!

Nate's "awoads" at "nymnastics"

On Saturday morning, we were invited to go out to Okotoks to see Nate get his certificate and medal for completing his gymnastics. He was very excited and of course we watched him on the balance bar, the trampoline, the ladder, etc. It is so cute, these three year olds. Sometimes they listen and sometimes they don't! The teacher was very good with them.

We were watching from the upstairs viewing room.

Meanwhile, Kalle plays in the playroom.

Waving to us as he listens to his instructor. Good job, Nate!

Nice Evening with my daughter!

Last night, Heather and I spent a lovely evening, just the two of us going out for supper at a Vietnamese restaurant and then attending the Soweto Gospel Choir (a South African choir) at the Jack Singer. This was her gift to me for my birthday and it was great. First time we had done something like this in all the years they have lived here ( I mean without the kids and just her and I). The only thing that we thought we should have had was more time to chat!!! O yes, we chat over the phone and in person but when the children are there, that takes priority. I absolutely love the fact that all three of my daughters are my best friends and we can talk about anything. It just fills my heart with joy and I thank the Lord everyday for that blessing!

Our appetizers were chicken, rice and lettuce in rice wraps. I think these are one of my favorites in Vietnamese restaurants.

Having the best Thai Curried Beef with noodles and bean sprouts. Yummy!!

What a wonderful birthday gift ..... Thank you so much!!

Some more guests!

Dale and Darlene came out to Calgary last Wed. night and spent Thurs., Friday and Saturday with us and then left this morning. What a good time we had! Dale had a symposium to go to on Thurs. and Friday for aircraft maintenance that happens every March so that meant that Darlene and I could shop til we dropped and we did!!!!! Literally!!!! Thursday, Heather picked us up and we went over to Walmart, had lunch with the kids at MacDonald's!!!! Nate talked the whole time!!!!! So fun!!! Then Friday, I had the car so Darlene and I got ready, went to Shawnessy, Ikea and finally Chinook and spent the whole day shopping, talking, having lunch, talking, having coffee, talking, shopping, and talking some more..........do you get the idea????? She and I grew up together and yes, we can hardly get the words out fast enough!!!!! But when I looked back on the conversations we had, one subject came up again and again and I bet you could never guess what it was.............our wonderful, unique and beautiful (Yup, you guessed it!!!) GRANDCHILDREN!!!!! These little people are absolute "sunshine" in our lives. They have two ..... a beautiful little girl and a handsome little boy. Only God could create this situation. He knew that when we reach our age that we need these precious kids to teach us again how to live, to love unconditionally and how to look at the world with awe and wonder. Is it any wonder that we love them so!!!!

Saturday, we got up early, had our prebreakfast coffee by candlelight in the living-room, then took off for Turner Valley to a little restaurant for a hearty cowboy breakfast at the Chuckwagon cafe. It was a gorgeous day for a drive in the foothills. On our way back, we showed them Heather and Duane's home and visited with Miles and Arlene who happened to drive up just as we were turning around in their cul-du-sac. Siri and Jemma were out on the front lawn hunting for ladybugs, chatted with them for a few minutes, then went home, later to get ready to go to "The Booth Brothers" First time that Dale and Darlene had seen them live. We enjoyed it so much!!

What a wonderful, inspirational and fun concert!! The Booth Brothers and the Dixie Melody Boys were at Grace Baptist. I think the Booth Brothers are my absolute favorite of all the groups that I have listened to. They are so honest and genuine and want to share their faith. When you leave their concert, you are in no doubt about what they believe. Very excited about sharing Christ. They also had a video tribute to Roger Bennett who just passed away March 17th. He was one of the best pianists in the Southern Gospel Association (for the group, Legacy Five). He was only 48. I have been following his online journal in his battle with leukemia and it is so amazing. His wife Debbie is going to continue to write and tell some of the events and answers to prayer that they as a family experienced. What a witness to the grace and strength that God gives us in our trials. He is going to be missed so much.

Alberta Sunset!

SPRING HAS ARRIVED!!!!

SPRING HAS ARRIVED - at least according to the calendar!!!! Not so at our house - the ground is covered in snow and it is abit chilly outside!!!! Our friendly forecaster said this morning that it IS going to warm up!!! All this talk about spring makes my fingers itch to get them working in the soil along with the earthworms!!!!! Remember these slithery, ugly looking things are GOOD for the soil. The kids love looking for earthworms and usually come out with Gramma with their pails and shovels and collect families of them!!! I am longing to fill our back yard again with flowers, flowers and more flowers!!! I love the look, the smell, the beauty of flowers in the spring and summer and besides that it is absolutely theraputic to work in the soil!!! My husband, on the other hand sometimes shakes his head and I think he thinks his wife has gone bonkers with her passion for gardening!!! O well, he IS a patient man and WILL come out and work along side of me. I think the best part for him is sitting down and having a cup of java with some good Australian "tim tams"!!!!! That funny-looking bush in the first picture in the middle is a "Smoke bush" and I loved it. It just grew and grew and grew last summer. The flowers (IF that is what you call them) look like smoke billowing. Very, very interesting bush. Anyway, I hope this gets you longing for the greens, the pinks, the reds and every other color that flowers come in. HAPPY GARDENING!!!!!!

Fun and Fellowship with family and friends!

Had a fun day Sat. The first thing I did was to have lunch with my nieces, Patty and Elaine at a Vietnamese restaurant (so good) while Jim took Phil down to Mountain Equipment. He didn't make it to Ikea but Patty and Elaine did (the two favorite stores of the Saskatchewan people) Then we were all going to go out to Jarle and Judy's for coffee in the afternoon but Judy phoned us and told us she was making chicken and rice (you know, our dear Judy with the loving and servant heart) for supper and wanted us to come. So I phoned her and told her I was bringing the salad and dessert and so we had a wonderful time around their table. Phil had not seen them for quite some time and it is always fun when Elaine comes (she brought her daughter to the retreat)

Phil and Jim looking suave and debonair in the kitchen before heading off for church Sunday morning. Phil had to go back to they youth retreat and pick up his teenagers - boy that must mean we are getting to be shhhhhh.........seniors!!!!!!! We so enjoyed having Phil stay with us.

Here is proud Grandpa Vern holding his cutey little grandaughter, Darcy's little baby. She was baptized yesterday at the morning service. What a special time and what a special service!

I don't know how I managed to get two pics on here but anyway this is another child who was baptized yesterday. Remember Jennifer Crickett - this is her little boy and her husband. Jennifer is expecting another little one in the spring. It is so fun to have her and her mom, Linda coming again to our church. He is such a fun little boy and so good in the nursery - wants to help all the time and not shy at all. Then we had a wonderful potluck after church - so much variety of food and yummy desserts - For Friendship Sunday. I think everyone enjoyed it.

So you see, it was just one blessing after another this weekend and made me want to sing at the top of my voice, "I'm so glad I'm a part of the family of God!!!"

Uneventful week!

It has been a rather uneventful week with working, sleeping and sleeping and working!!!! I do manage to get some eating in there too!!!! I did have coffee at Patty's on Wednesday afternoon. I brought her a book and she had the coffee on so that was fun to get caught up on what we all had been doing. She is anxious like I am to get out in the flower beds. We will be also getting together this Saturday because Elaine is going to be in town. Elaine is bringing some kids to a Youth Retreat at the Covenant Bible College in Strathmore this weekend. Phil Loseth is also bringing some kids to it and he will be staying with us on Sat. night. Always fun to spend time with family.
Sue, your dad and I have been so enjoying the pictures you have been putting on your blog. And of course remembering the smells, the beauty, the sunrises and sunsets, the beach, just everything!

Birthday lunch!

Last Monday, Bev and I took Margaret (who had a special birthday the day before Nancy's) to the Dove's Nest - a cute Tea House connected to Jen's Country Folk Market. It serves the best food, it is run by Jen's mom and we all love going there for lunch. Then the next best thing is that we get to shop around in Jen's store afterwards. Jen is Laura's daughter-in-law and a very good friend of Nancy's. Anyway, both Bev and I go to Margaret's Bible Study that she holds in her home on Thursday afternoon. The other gals that come could not make it that day because of other committments. Jim and I had been invited to her special birthday supper right on her birthday but because I had to work (yuk!), we couldn't go so this was the next best thing. She is looking forward to the end of this month because her kids from Minnesota come to help them celebrate both hers and Hannes birthdays. Margaret has such a servant heart and always has been one to visit when people in our church are sick. Not only that but she brings food that she has cooked which is always delicious. Thank you, Margaret for your concern, love and prayers for all of us in the church family.

Ice Cream!!!!!

After walking in Fish Creek Sunday afternoon we went over to MacDonald's with our kids and had ice cream!!! So much fun on such a gorgeous day. It was like summer - 18* celsius - almost as good as Hawaii - right? Not!!!! Your last day in beautiful Maui, Sue and Eric - we are anxiously waiting to hear about your trip. Praying for you as you fly back!

"Heiraas Fine Dining" Rating - Exceptional!!!!!

Saturday night, our friends, Laura and Glen invited us to go with them to a fairly new exclusive restaurant in town and what a wonderful experience it was. The food was excellant, the atmosphere - delightful and so were the cooks!!!!. They served a four-course meal with appetizers, delicious brocolli soup, roast beef, mashed potatos, vegetable dish, yorkshire pudding and a chocolate lava cake and ice cream for dessert. It was delicious, delightful and downright delectable!!!! Thanks guys for a most wonderful evening!!!! You are simply awesome!!!!

You shop til you drop........

How fun is going shopping in the mall with grandkids.......I'm serious.....it is so fun!!! They add a whole new dimension to things.....like finding a table close to the play area in the food court......putting them on rides......sitting in the cozy couches entertaining a couple of them while mommy does her errands......they are refreshing like the rain that falls......they keep us young!!!! Yesterday was one of those days. Heather came into town to the Moms and tots group that meet every Thursday morning and so this gramma phoned her up and said, "Do you want to come to the mall with me? Let's go out for lunch." And (of course this just warms the very depths of my heart) the kids love coming to Gramma's house......what can be better!

Our baby girl is 27 today!!!

Happy Birthday to you

Happy Birthday to you

Happy Birthday to our dear Nancy

Happy Birthday to you!!

How I remember that day. We were living at the church at the time and after Nanc was born, I called my dad and he said, "Are you still in one piece?" It was so good to have them there. From Nancy's baby book.......I wrote......"Jim was able to be with me throughout the delivery this time and he was just fantastic. NancyAnn has chubby cheeks, looked like a 3 month old and reminded us of both Heather and Susanne when they were born. Lots of black hair. Our reaction was one of thankfulness to God for another beautiful daughter, awed again by the Miracle of birth. We named her NancyAnn Ruth.....NancyAnn means full of grace, mercy and prayer. Ruth means a beautiful friend. And that is our prayer for our precious baby that she will grow up to be a beautiful friend filled with grace, mercy and prayer.

There she is, our baby girl born 27 years ago on March 7, 1980 weighing in at 11#1oz.

At the toddler stage, a happy child, and of course the pride of her whole family. Susanne and Heather love her so much.

Her graduation from Gr. 12.


Now a beautiful mommy herself! Having coffee together the week we were there after Breiden was born.

I wonder.........

Eric and Susanne........We are thinking about you and wondering how you are enjoying Maui........We are so anxious to see pictures, we can hardly stand it!!!!! You will be taking some awesome ones, I know that. So if you happen to get to an Internet Cafe, you two, send us some!!!! Your family is waiting........
Isn't it just the best? The sand, surf, sun and smells of these gorgeous islands is breathtaking and we hope you are just enjoying every minute!!!! Love you......By the way, how was the flight?????