A TTV Welcome

I'm not sure if it was while on one of the trips or just before we left, when I found out that all Ten Thousand Village Stores across Canada are now carrying the cookbook. Of course, we are quite excited about this and it is not something we take for granted.Ten Thousand Villages is a non-profit fair trade organization that partners with thousands of talented artisans in low income countries to provide a market for them and the ability to earn an honest living to sustain their families.

One may wonder how the cookbook fits into the picture . . . seeing as we are not trying to make a living with this book. I believe what has attracted them to the book is that, as authors of the book, we have pledged our first year's royalties to go to a children's shelter in Ukraine.

So far we've had signings at five Ten Thousand Village Stores and all of them have been beautifully planned and very successful! I have to commend the staff in their creative advertising, decor and preparation for these events. In the above photo you may take note of the story behind the children's shelter that will be benefiting from the book sales. (click on the photo to enlarge) We have found some significant relationships between the story of the women who began the orphanage and that of ourselves . . . details we did not know about when we chose our project . . . which have simply astonished and humbled us.

Most of the stores took the initiative to prepare goodies. Customers were greeted with a simple but beautiful presentation of what is available on the blog or in the cookbook and had time to nibble while standing in line.

As customers came by our tables it was our pleasure to hear their stories . . . many stories of how these recipes reminded them of a grandma. Stories of how they stumbles upon the blog or who had given them the book . . . or whom they were purchasing it for.

After one of the signings we were given a little tour of the back of the store . . . this one visibly displaying the partnership that Ten Thousand Villages has with MCC, a worldwide ministry of Mennonite churches engaged in relief, development and peace efforts in the name of Christ. MCC workers around the world regularly connect with Ten Thousand Villages staff in their shared goals of working alongside artisan groups as they build better lives and futures for their families.
In this warehouse bolts of cloth were stored next to a row of sewing machines . . . where volunteers come in to sew blankets. In a world where we can get overwhelmed with needs and how they can be met . . . this scene was encouraging. Encouraging, because there are organizations that have proven their concern and can be trusted to continue to share the love of God in practical ways to those in need.

Today I am thankful for the opportunity and ability to play even just a very tiny part in the big picture.

Make New Friends, but Keep the Old

One of the side benefits of the book tour to the east was the chance to visit a few friends along the way. This time, as we planned our trip to Winnipeg, my H and I decided to leave a few days earlier to visit his cousin  .. . then he flew home and I stayed for some girl time.

John and Alvina made us feel welcome from the very first phone call and we so enjoyed our time with them. . . such gracious hosts. We went for walks, played boccie ball, enjoyed their great cooking, baked together and went to church with them.

On Sunday we ate on a patio at The Forks and took the tour boat on the Assiniboine River, which has flooded its boundaries once again.

Alvina and I enjoyed the Assiniboine flower Park and botanical conservatory.

One morning we had breakfast on the patio at Pineridge Hollow, where we were entertained by the interaction of noisy goats and roosters crowing nearby.

I also got to meet a special little granddaughter who frequents their home . . . and she became my friend when I gave her some dough to roll out.

quite oblivious to where her large amounts of flour dusting was landing.

Alvina, you are a special cousin by love ... thank you for your inspiring hospitality and chauffeuring me around. Your genuine laugh and friendship mean a lot to me. I'm so glad I decided to combine a little book business and meeting new friends with the pleasure of spending time with you.

Air Canada Flight #299 from YWG to YVR

I was headed into the sunset . . . settled into my window seat for several hours and politely using only one armrest . . . when the captain announced that we'd be making an emergency medical landing in Calgary.

What seemed strange was that suddenly the sun was behind us and, looking out, we were flying over a large range of mountains.

Since there are no mountains east of Calgary . . . it was obvious that we had already passed the city and made a loop! Clicking on the map, confirmed this strange turn about. An interesting decision and one they do not necessarily bother explaining to curious passengers.

Emergency personnel were ready for the patient when we landed . . . but getting going again took time and seemed like a long wait in a hot cabin. After re-fueling, we got on our way again and I was very happy to be finished with my travels when I saw my H waiting for me. It's good to be home!

I have lots more to talk about but no time now. It's been an amazing week!

Copycat Morning

While on the couch I noticed how Lacey licked her finger as I turned the pages of the book we were reading.

 

In the kitchen I squatted for something . . . with one hand on my leg and soon, catching my eye, she was doing the same. We continued with a few squats while we were at it . . . just for fun.

 

I got the camera out to catch her . . . when suddenly she was rummaging in the toy box

 

 and I was caught with a camera looking at me!

In our back yard, under the big maple tree, we have two swings. One baby swing and one big girl swing. She likes both. We did the baby swing for a while and then she kept pointing at the big one, but refused to get out of the one she was in. Finally I got the message. I sat on the big girl swing . . .

and everything was cool under the big old maple tree as we played peek-a-boo

with the trunk in-between us.

In the best of times there is no one to take a picture.

His Favorite Drink

We were coming home from the playground, walking up a hill,

his little legs trying so hard to keep up while holding my hand.

We talked about having a snack when we get home. 

Oh, he liked the idea, "I want to have some apple juice,"

he said it like it was the most delicious, juiciest drink ever!

Then he added . . . "With no lid."

I smiled . . . because it's at Grammy's house

where they all get introduced to cups with no lids . . .

and they can do it!

 I just did not realize it was special.

Blueberries

Here in the Fraser Valley it's blueberry season. If you have nothing planned for this weekend, gather up some pails and enjoy some time amongst the rows of blueberry bushes. It's fun and you have the added benefit of berries for the freezer.
Rinse them off in the sink, then air-dry them on trays or cookie sheets lined with paper towels.
Freeze  berries in ziplock containers or bags.

Now . . . or in winter enjoy them in your favorite cereal or salad,
use them for
 blueberry platz

crips

muffins

pies

meringues

perishky

the possibilites are endless!

Trip Down Memory Lane

Back in 1994 our family experienced one of the best summers when someone connected us to a service project at Lithuania Christian College and we spent a good part of our summer there. The couple in charge of the job there was Henry and Marian from Lancaster, PA. He supervised the work on the dormitories and co-ordinated the volunteers there while she was in charge of the sewing and supervised day to day needs in the kitchen. Can you imagine a 70 year old couple taking this on?

Marian was the kind of lady that you can love instantly. I don't know if I could have enjoyed the work in that hot, humid kitchen with limited supplies, had it  not been for her sunny and optimistic disposition.

At the end of our time there she presented the two volunteer moms, Marta (from Switzerland) and myself with aprons she made from curtain material. After their stint was over, they went home and over the years we got their yearly newsletters. One summer they even came to visit us.
For some reason we lost contact with them about 4 years ago . . . but a wonderful thing happened while I was in Lancaster at a book signing. A couple came in to get their book signed and I asked them if, by chance, they would happen to know Henry and Marian L. They did!!

And the next morning we had breakfast together.

I had a gift ready for her ...

and guess what ...

she loved the aprons!

Henry and Marian have been married for 64 years. Truly an inspiring couple.
I wish they lived closer.

Final Tour Day

I'm siting here in our hotel room, close to the Toronto airport, almost packed up, with some time to look back on yesterday.

It was a full and rewarding final day! Kathy, from the Canadian Publishing Warehouse, took us on a mini tour of the surrounding towns . . . one of them being St. Jacobs. We passed beautiful homes and farms along the way.

and, once again, saw a way of life that we do not normally observe where we live.

We visited several touristy shops. One of them being The Village Silos. I could have spent a whole lot more time in there! It is just as it sounds . . . a number of old feed silos converted into little shops. It had the feel of an old castle with it's rounded shops and shelves tucked into little nooks.

I was told there were more than 50 local artisans in this place selling their wares . . . one of them being The Village Potter, where we could observe the artist at work at the potters wheel.

We also visited the local farmer's market . . . a busy place on a Saturday . . . showing off its beautiful local produce, honey, maple syrup, homemade sausage etc.

Lovella picked some gladiola stems to take to the dinner we were invited to for the evening. Lunch was served in a similar fashion as at our local MCC Relief Sale. I had perogies . . . Lovella had cabbage rolls and perogies . . . Kathy had a large hotdog.

In the afternoon we had book signings at Ten Thousand Villages and at Wordsworth Books in Waterloo. . .

just so grateful for the positive response and people who are joining us on this venture.

Once again, it was to special to meet bloggers in person, especially when we recognized the name!

This still looks surreal to me . . . does every one of these authors feel like this? We left with signed books on the shelf. This too was something new to me.

Late in the afternoon Kathy took us to the Publishing Warehouse . . .

 

just to see where she works. This is the friendly voice that takes the orders for the books ordered in Canada. We had a tour of the warehouse.
For dinner we were invited to the home of Ron and Kaye, the president of Herald Press . . . who just retired, but still wanted to host a dinner. We met a large number of their friends, shared our story and signed more books. Late in the evening we drove to Toronto, our hearts filled to overflowing with all that we have experienced these past two weeks.

New York City

After a quick breakfast we got on the subway . . . an experience that can be quite entertaining on it's own!

At the end of the line . . . at Ground Zero, we saw the construction going on in full force. It is hard to fathom what happened here ten years ago . . . and how it has changed all of our lives to some extent.

We took a ferry tour around Manhattan . . . past Ellis Island. . . . once known as The Gateway to America! A reminder of what it was like when immigrants came to this country with hope of new opportunities and dreams to follow.

For lunch we stopped by a hot dog stand

and enjoyed it on a large patio area, alongside a busy street, under the trees . . . where a uniformed person appeared out of nowhere to tell me to get off a low ledge I was using to take photos of birds. I had no idea.

We looked for the tallest building . . . and found it. Then stood in line for over an hour to take the elevator . . .

to take photos of the view from the top . . .

and two crazy girls . . . with security always close at hand!