Do You See What I See?

It's so exciting to see these green sprouts coming up through the soil!  That's three so far out of the five daffodil bulbs planted in this pot.

And the second amaryllis bulb is in full bloom now - four beautiful flowers with more to come on the second stem a little lower down.

                           

Letting Go of "Stuff"

Our sorting and purging project got a big boost today! I finally broke my emotional ties with our bunk bed, and not even a single tear!  Not even a tiny little emotional twinge! The boys slept in this double decker bed for years.  Henry started in the bottom and put his Lego and farm animal displays on the top to keep Mark from messing with  them.  But it took Mark only a few days to figure out how to climb up there.  So much for Henry's peace and quiet. Then these beds came in handy for university because they're so light and easy to move from place to place, and move them we did, a lot!

all this stuff went out of the house today!

I had saved this bunk bed for sentimental reason, thinking someday I could say to our grandchildren, "Your daddy slept in this bed when he was your age."  Then recently we heard of a new immigrant family that needs beds for their 5-year-old twin girls, who are soon coming to Canada with their mom to join their dad. Perfect!  All of a sudden this seemed like a good new home for our bunk bed.  I contacted our kids to see if anyone would be upset if we gave our bunk bed away.  No one was interested in keeping it.  

back of the car completely loaded with give-aways

So today was the day that I was finally able to let go of it.  No big deal!  It wasn't until we were on our way home that I realized I felt no regret at all.  Instead, I was happy watching the father's joyful anticipation of how excited his girls would be with their new bed.  We took pictures for him to send back home to show the girls what was awaiting them in Canada.  So what I had avoided for years, turned out to be a happy experience. 

picture of the "new" bed for the twins

As we were loading the beds, mattresses, pillows, and bed sheets into the car, I kept thinking, "This is all excess from our house! A whole carload full of good stuff that has been unused for years, cluttering up our house because of my "sentimental attachment" to it.  I like to think that we intentionally live simply, without too much "stuff" and without too much attachment to "stuff". I felt almost ashamed for having so much excess.

Well, it's all over now, and I survived.  It feels liberating to let it go.  And I can breathe easier seeing empty space behind the TV room couch, and under the queen bed in our guest room, and in our linen closet where all this stuff used to be stored.  I'm hoping that today's experience will make it easier to part with other extra's around the house as our sorting and purging continues. 

Last Thursday's Visit

Another enjoyable Thursday morning spent with our two little grandsons. It was really icy outside so we chose to stay in. Oscar loves to "read" the "Old MacDonald had a Farm" book and "The Big Fire Truck" book with Opa.

These days he has to share some of his Opa and Oma time with Charlie who just sits and watches everything. Another favourite activity is hooking all the monkeys into a chain and counting as we go. You can see the anticipation building on his face as he nears the last monkey, because then he hits the chain and monkeys fly all over the place.  Great fun! And then they start all over again.

Well, that's about it for today. I've been coughing a lot since yesterday and don't have much energy today. I'm hoping to recover very soon because Henry has offered to take me on a road trip to Eastern Ontario to visit family next week. Gerard is feeling fine again after spending most of Saturday sleeping on the couch.  Good thing we're taking tuns.  That way we can take care of each other. Thank you, Lord, for each other!

Indoor Gardening

Did you know that exactly one month from today is the official beginning of spring?  I can hardly wait to be digging around outside again. Until then I'll have to be satisfied with what can be done inside.

In celebration of the official start of spring exactly one month from today!

This week I changed my focus from sorting and purging papers to cleaning up the plants.  Way more fun and far less stressful.  I re-potted a few and pruned some back to make them look bushier.  These jade plants in the basement window were all getting tall and scraggly looking so I cut them back and poked the cuttings back into the pot to grow new roots.

                            

jade plants in the basement window

Gerard's been gathering water by catching what's dripping from the roof as the snow is melting.  We usually get it from the downspouts but they were completely blocked with ice.  So catching the runoff from the roof works.  Plants don't really like chlorinated water. We've managed to keep the houseplants watered without using any tap water at all yet this winter.

                          

catching dripping water from the roof for the houseplants

We've brought some branches inside and are looking forward to seeing greenery and hopefully even some forsythia flowers sprouting from these bare branches in a few weeks.

hoping for some leaves and flowers soon

I've been faithfully checking the pot of daffodil bulbs every day, looking for some sign of life. Nothing yet! Yesterday I lost my restraint and dug around in the soil with my fingers.  And guess what!? About an inch below the surface I found two green shoots!.  Yay! They're growing!  I quickly covered them up again as if nothing had happened and now look forward to the day when I will suddenly be surprised by some little green shoots breaking through the surface of the soil.

Amaryllis bulbs at all different stages of growth

My last indoor gardening update today is to show you how the amaryllis bulbs are doing.  Look at how much taller the stem is on the bulb in the middle compared to the one on the left with all the flowers! That's at least how tall I had expected the first one to grow.and that's why I was surprised to see it flower so soon. The buds on the middle bulb are just starting to open and as you can see, not much is happening with the third bulb yet. 

So that's it for my indoor gardening report for today. If you've been reading here for a while you've no doubt noticed that I love growing things. You'll probably be hearing more about that over the next few months.Are you growing anything indoors?  

Just for Laughs

I burst out laughing when I found this cartoon on Facebook today. The play on words is brilliant! And the picture brings back so many memories from times spent in the hospital.  So many patients struggle with these hospital gowns.  Open at the front?  Open at the back?  Just to be safe, many people wear two over each other- one open at the back and the next layer open in the front.  Tie straps often don't match or one of them is missing. How are you supposed to make it stay on? Black socks showing under knee high gowns are such an elegant fashion statement!  I've seen patients, especially older men, walking around almost like this.  It's just hilarious!  Couldn't resist sharing this with you. Enjoy!

Thanks to Carolyn Carkner for sharing this from The Official Alex Kava Fan Page photos.

Spring is in the Air Today

Five days since my last post! It feels good to be back.  Plenty of things going on to blog about: (company over for two days, English Conversation Circle, 90th birthday open house, church services, phone visits, the Olympics, another puzzle on the dining table, lots of snow, Bible reading group) but not much motivation to do any writing. I've been letting my circumstances take over and that's not good for me. 

For about four days now I've been experiencing strange sensations from my waist down, especially in the back of my legs and my left foot. They come and go randomly.  Immediately my mind went back to the time my mouth was numb, due to a new growth on my brain stem.  And then my thoughts go all over the place and I worry about the cancer surfacing again.  It just hung over me like a heavy cloud and I didn't feel much energy or motivation for anything.  And then yesterday we got the appointment date for the cataract specialist - June 24th! a whole four months away!  I had hoped something could be done sooner about the blurriness in my good eye. After a restless night I got up not feeling the greatest. Wondering whether or when to call our doctor, we started in on our day.  

Some colour for this post - a cheerful box of tissues

First up was breakfast and our devotions which, once again, I really needed to hear.  

You are feeling weighed down by problems both big and small. They seem to require more and more of your attention, but you must not give in to those demands. When the difficulties in your life feel as if they're closing in on you, break free by spending quality time with Me.  You need to remember who I AM in all My Power and Glory.  Then, humbly bring Me your prayers and petitions.  Your problems will pale when you view them in the Light of My Presence.  You can learn to be joyful in Me your Savior, even in the midst of adverse circumstances.  Rely on Me, your Strength.  I make your feet like the feet of a deer, enabling you to go on the heights. 

(Quoting  from "Jesus Calling" by Sarah Young - February 19 based on Exodus 3:14, Habakkuk 3: 17-19)

Thank you, Lord!  

Once I had some breakfast I suddenly felt a lot better. Then we were off for our morning swim, some indoor gardening (more about that tomorrow), and a refreshing walk.  The warm weather (4 degrees C.!) is such a treat! The spring-like sounds of birds singing and water running was wonderful.  We tried to walk with the sun in our faces as much as we could, but inevitably had to change direction, otherwise we'd never get back home.  No hat, no mittens, warm wind blowing through my hair! A few more moments soaking in the sun on our font porch while watching Gerard clear the ice out of our downspout in preparation for tonightès rain. We ate lunch while watching the Olympics and then writing this blog.  Ièm hearing some cheers from the TV room next door, so Canada must be doing OK.

A great start to a great day, and now Ièm off for a nap.  Retired living sounds tough, doesnèt itÉ  Glad to be able to tell you that life is looking brighter after a few overshadowed days. Ièm having a problem here whenever I key in an apostrophe. Well, Ièll leave it for now.  Heading off for a nap.   

Look at the amaryllis! All three remaining buds burst into full bloom yesterday, so four beautiful flowers on a short stumpy stem!

Today we are enjoying the company of John, Karen and Anna who are here to see Karen off to China. Anna helped complete a project that has been on my back burner for years!  We have a pile of Bibles that we've been using for almost thirty years for our family devotions.  Many years ago (15?) I bought Mac Tac to cover them to protect them.  Every day since then, when those Bibles come out for our devotions, I say to myself, "I really should Mac Tac these Bibles before they completely fall apart."  

Well, today was the big day.  My niece, Anna, who is an expert at MacTacking books because she used to do this a lot with her mom, did an amazing job of covering four Bibles, and then we ran out of Mac Tac. It took all of an hour, we had a wonderful time together, and I should have done this years ago. They look amazing again and thanks to her work today, I'm sure their life span has been extended by quite a few years.  Thank you, Anna!  

Today's Blessings

This afternoon we enjoyed a visit from Alida. She arrived with this colourful bouquet of roses.
.

We visited over a cup of tea and did some baking. Well, Alida mostly did the baking, and I mostly did the watching.  

It's wonderful to share this time together.  Gerard and I visited with Mark on Saturday and Henry treated me out for lunch last week, so we had some one-on-one time together.  I love it!

If You Want to Feel Rich

If you want to feel rich,

just count all the blessings that you have

that money cannot buy.

From "GodVine" on Facebook

Despite the cold and snow life continues in its regular routine inside our warm and cozy house.  The first amaryllis flower opened up yesterday!  I was so surprised how low the flower is.  The amaryllis plants we've had before sent out stems about three times taller than this one.  So this flower was an early surprise. And there are three more buds on this plant so a lot more flowers to come. I love the contrast of the snow outside the window and the flower inside.

The sorting and purging continues. We started on our bedroom today. The most work there is my desk area. I've sorted through it before, but more purging needs to be done.  Papers and books - that's the hardest thing for me to get rid of. The spare room is all done. We now have three empty drawers in the dresser!  What are we going to do with all this space?

Our latest form of entertainment is shuffleboard (in Dutch called sjoelbak).  It's been sitting out since the kids were over last weekend and we've been enjoying it ever since.

sjoelbak

Hannah

Here's the second youngest member of our family - Hannah, at exactly 7 months when these pictures were taken two days ago. I got to spend a lot of time with her last Saturday while Gerard and Mark were watching a movie that I wasn't interested in seeing, and while Rosemary was on a mini-vacation in downtown Toronto with her friend. So I had her all to myself for over two hours and it was wonderful!  We sat together in her room, rocking in the comfortable rocking chair, beautiful soft music playing, light dimmed; ever so peaceful and relaxing!  Great bonding time with my cuddly little grand daughter!

Hannah at exactly 7 months

She seems to be growing up so quickly all of a sudden!  She's able to roll over so you really have to watch her closely on the change table. Within this last month she's moved from spending most of her time in her crib and little reclining baby seat to moving around from one activity centre to another. This was the first time we saw her in the Jolly Jumper. She'd been in it twice before.  Once she warmed up to it, she really enjoyed bouncing up and down and just kept on jumping and bouncing.  So fun to watch her enjoying that movement. It took a lot of shots to get a clear picture because she just kept spinning and bobbing.  I really like this one.  

And here is little miss Hannah Rose looking all grown-up - sitting upright in her highchair!  Even though she still has room to grow into it some more, just seeing her in a high chair makes her look so much older all of a sudden.  

Mark and Rosemary started her in the highchair a few weeks ago when they began introducing her to solid foods.  Here I am feeding her pureed peaches.  She loves them and will just continue eating as we long as we keep offering it to her. I'm surprised I got this picture with her eyes open because most of the time she closed her eyes when the spoon reached her mouth. So cute, because she has the most beautiful thick dark eye lashes! She has cut two little bottom teeth and I imagine there will be more to follow soon because she chews on everything she can get her hands on.

enjoying peaches

And here she is in her exersaucer (aka "the office") I'm so glad I caught her smiling.  Those heartwarming smiles just light up her whole face.  It makes me want to smother those chubby little cheeks with kisses! The picture below is a bit blurry, but it was the only time I was able to catch her smile. 

Taken Feb.8, 2014.  Hannah @ exactly 7 months

What a blessing little Hannah is to our family!  Even though there are three babies to love and cuddle now , I could watch each one of them forever.  They are so adorable and it's all such a miracle!

Charlie

 Charlie, at five months he's the youngest member of our family and growing up very quickly.  We can see the changes from week to week every Thursday.

He used to spend all his time lying in his crib or in his little reclining baby seat.  A few weeks ago he started in his "office" aka exersaucer.  I think he's working on cutting some teeth because everything goes into his mouth these days.  Sometimes he gets hold of my fingers, brings them to his mouth and starts chomping away.  Wow! What a strong bite!  And he's trying to roll over, but one arm always gets in the way.

 Last week he also started using the high chair and his big brother has moved up to a booster chair.  Charlie suddenly looks so grown up sitting up straight like this.

He is just starting on solid foods. Here he is diving for a spoonful of sweet potatoes.  He loves them!

diving for a spoonful of sweet potatoes.  He loves them!

Charlie is such a relaxed cheerful baby.  After his nap or after a feeding he just looks at us and smiles and smiles.  So adorable! He is getting cuter by the week and interacting with us more and more.

My favourite picture of the week.

Memories - My Grade 2 and 3 Doll

Look what I found today! 

my doll from grades 2 and 3 in Holland

Sorting and purging is worth it! The kitchen and bathroom are done and today we finished the spare room on the main floor.  What took us so long is the 6-drawer dresser that is a catch-all for things we're undecided about.  We want to keep them, but don't know where.  Today I found things that I had put away to make room for Christmas decor.  This little doll and her clothes go back to my grade 2 and 3 days in The Netherlands.  

Once a week the boys in two classes would go to drawing class and the girls learned to knit, crochet, and embroider.  Our first lesson was how to start knitting.  I still clearly remember that we had to lay out our yarn on our desk top and make a loop.  Then the teacher inspected each loop.  Then pull part of the yarn partway through the loop.  Then wait for the teacher to come around for an inspection again.Then put the yarn on your needle.  Argh!  I was so impatient! Why couldn't we just start! I had already learned how to knit when I was four, sitting on a little stool beside my mom's chair.  Anyway, eventually we were allowed to actually get going on a little doll scarf. 

Grade 2 and 3 projects: scarf, hat, skirt, 2 little purses 

Next we started on a much bigger piece and learned how to add other colours in the skirt and the hat.  The little purse in the forefront of this picture taught us how to increase and decrease stitches and do the pearl stitch.  Each time we finished our knitting, the teacher would sew the hat or skirt parts together.  All the clothes were made to fit a specific size of doll.  After the end of the grade 2 school year in July, my parents surprised me with a doll and a little suitcase for my birthday.  Later my mom and I sewed more clothes for the doll and kept them in the suitcase.   

learning some basic embroidery

We also learned how to embroider basic stitches and to crochet the little purse with the white button in the picture above.  

One more peek because she's so cute!

For some reason, one day all of the girls went to the boys' drawing class too.  We received a piece of graph paper and could a chose a picture that was all squared off like the graph paper.  Then we had to copy and colour it onto our graph paper exactly like the example we had chosen.  So much for encouraging creativity. What a difference from the way children are taught these days! 

Hearing the Familiar in a New Way

view from the kitchen window early this morning

Have you ever experienced hearing something over and over again, and then all of a sudden one day it registers with you in a completely new way? That happened to me on Sunday morning.  We were about to celebrate communion.  The pastor read the "Invitation to The Lord's Table" and it was as if I was hearing it for the very first time. I had to know where it came from so I could read it again.  So I asked our pastor and he directed me to

The Heidelberg Catechism, Question and Answer 81:

Q. Who are to come to the Lord's table?  

A.  Those who are displeased with themselves because of their sins, 

but who nevertheless trust 

that their sins are pardoned 

and their continuing weakness is covered 

by the suffering and death of Christ, 

and who also desire more and more 

to strengthen their faith 

and to lead a better life.  

Wow!  It was good to hear that!  "Those who are displeased with themselves...but who nevertheless trust ... and their continuing weakness is covered by the suffering and death of Christ."

I'm not sure why it felt so comforting and reassuring at this particular time. Maybe because what keeps playing through my mind lately is that, sure, I keep saying that we entrust our future to God.  We try to keep our eyes on Jesus and surrender to his leading us step by step and day by day.  We try not to worry about the future and when we keep our eyes on Jesus we experience peace.

However, all it takes is one little twinge in my head or an odd feeling in my foot and I fear the cancer is back.  All it takes is our opthalmologist telling us last Friday, that since my vision in my good eye is slowly getting blurrier lately, maybe it's time to go to the cataract specialist to see whether it's time for cataract surgery, and I get all worried and depressed for a whole day. Surgery on my good eye?  What if something goes wrong and I completely loose my sight? Where is my trust in God? Do I really trust God? Why do I keep backsliding by worrying again, if I say I'm trusting God? It makes me feel like such a hypocrite.

I'm "displeased with myself because of my sin". I'm continually disappointed in how I respond to my circumstances and so easily forget to keep my eyes on Jesus..  And yet... hearing this invitation to participate in communion reminded me that I do trust that "my sins are pardoned and my continuing weakness is covered by the suffering and death of Christ.." I am relieved and reassured that God does not give up on me so easily. And so I can go on - feeling relieved, reassured and comforted by hearing this invitation to communion.

Gerard's been shoveling snow on and off all day. 

Some snow walls along sidewalks and driveways

are by now taller than he is (6 ft)

In Celebration of Three Bonus Years

This morning the rising sun caught the ice on our crab apple tree and transformed it into a work of sparkling crystal. Just beautiful! The bright sun streamed into the front windows.  The sky was deep blue, accenting the snow on the trees behind our house. What a perfect way to start a day of celebration! 

Exactly three years ago today God took us on a new journey. The diagnosis of three masses in my brain did not sound good to us, and the family feared for my life. We had no idea what God had in store for us. It's been quite the roller coaster ride so far. We've had our up days and down days but we know we are walking hand in hand with God,who knows where we are going and how we will get there. We've been showered with blessings and love and support and good health. So here I am, a whole three years later, alive and well, taking pictures of the snowy and icy beauty outside!

I went for a walk this afternoon to enjoy the sun and the snow just because I could. I wanted to celebrate that I can walk, that I can see, and could hear water running and hear the birds singing. Thank you, Lord! What a huge difference from exactly the same time of the afternoon three years ago when we were in the emergency room at Sunnybrook Hospital! 

Also in celebration of the bonus three years God has given me, I planted these daffodil bulbs that Mark gave me for Sinterklaas. They're really meant to be planted outside, but the ground was already frozen when I got them and I'm really eager to grow things, so I'm trying them inside.  It will be fun to watch the fresh growth every day.  Hopefully they'll flower inside too.  If not, they'll go out into the garden this fall.

Self portrait taken today - February 3, 2014

So all in all, we feel blessed and thankful for these amazing three years.  They've put us on a journey that is teaching us a lot.  And we have been showered with blessings: three very dear grandchildren, Alida's marriage to Jeff, a loving and supportive community all around us and the assurance of God's love and faithfulness to pull us through each and every day.  Thank you, Lord!

Family Stir Fry Dinner 2014

Yesterday our whole family came over for our annual stir-fry.  We had a lot to celebrate: Mark's 35th birthday, 35 years in this house, and our 38th wedding anniversary!

Here's how this stir-fry tradition started:  Thirty-five years ago, on January 19th, Mark was born and on the same day Gerard received the key to our current home. While Mark and I were in the hospital for five days (that was routine in those days) Gerard, my sister Tina, and lots of our friends moved us into our new home.
The day Mark and I came home was our wedding anniversary - the 24th of January.  So to celebrate the new baby, our new home,and our anniversary, my sister prepared a fondue dinner. And that became a tradition which we have observed (almost every year) as close to the 24th of January as possible, ever since.
 

At one end of the table: Karen, Ellie, Gerard

It used to be a relatively quiet, adult affair, but this year with three little grandchildren around the table it was completely different.  Oscar, who was at the opposite end of the table from us, kept making sure we didn't forget him by calling and waving, "Hi Opa! Hi Oma!" That is just so endearing and heart-warming, that ignoring all dinner table etiquette, we enthusiastically waved and called back, "Hi Oscar!" And that's how it went - babies and toys all over the place and lots of noise and hugs and cuddles.  Wonderful family time!

Oscar at the opposite end of the table

It was great that Karen, my niece, could be with us because it was her mother who started this tradition, and also she could meet all the new members of our family that have joined us since she moved to China:  

Rosemary and Mark with HANNAH

Henry with CHARLIE

JEFF, our new son-in-law

 Such a blessing that, with everyone living in the city, we are able to enjoy family times together like this!