Now Playing - Downton Abbey

On Sunday, last weekend, just before the time the final show of Season 5 

was being PVR'd at home,

we were having a lot of fun preparing a dinner for some of our church staff.

Richard and Dorothy run a beautiful Bed and Breakfast in town here -

aptly name Sweet Dreams . . .

and a couple of times a year they have invited some friends to 

help them host an appreciation dinner.

The hostess always arranges with a florist friend to 

come in and do the table arrangements with fresh flowers.

You can see how this gal enjoys her work!

We set the table and continued working on the menu at hand . . .

Appetizers:

Artichoke Dip with Crackers

Bacon Wrapped Cocktail Sausages

Mini Pizza Scoops

Punch

Pre - Course:

Roasted Red Pepper Soup

Fan Rolls

Main Course:

Cordon Blue Beef Rolls

Salmon with Sun-dried Tomato Topping

Greek Lemon Roasted Potatoes

Green Beans

Corn

Coleslaw

Dessert:

Strawberry Black Forest Cake

At times when we have served a BBQ, the guys have been busier,

but this time we set them to work on the take-home favors.

(could there be a small learning curve for my Mr H?)

. . . oh  . . . 

and the men served with a smile and did most of the dishes too! 

Have you been following the Downton Abbey drama?

Which story lines intrigue you more -

is it the sagas within  the Crawley family 

or the experiences shared by the servants?

Who makes you laugh . . .

and who makes you relate to someone in your life?

Although I feel safe to say that none of us today

would want to live this kind of life,

it is an escape that has us wanting the story to continue.

Spring on my Kitchen Counter

In spite of the mild winter we have had, I was very happy to turn the calendar. 

As has been noted by others, spring seems to have sprung a little early 

and now that March is here 

it just all makes more sense to see life bursting out of the dead . . . 

leaves and buds and blossoms reminding us of the birth of another season.

 (And on this day, the birth of our youngest)

About a week and a half ago I took some cuttings off a mini rhododendron

 and put them in a jug of water on my counter. 

It wasn't until a week later, I suddenly noticed there were buds!

 I went out to check on the bush outside, questioning if they had been there all along. 

No buds outside.

So, here on my kitchen counter these few sprigs of green 

continued to grow and surprise me with renewed anticipation.
It's just one of those small delights.

Light Gives Hope

You, O Lord, keep my lamp burning.

My God turns my darkness into light.

Psalm 18:28

The Lord is my light and my salvation -

whom shall I fear?

Psalm 27:1

I'm still thinking about the fact that the first thing God created, when He created the heavens and the earth, was light.  Without light there would be no life! If light is so important in the physical realm, it surely is a great picture of its necessity in the spiritual as well. 

Spiritually it speaks to me of hope. We talk about the light at the end of the tunnel, which tells us that if we see that light we have hope.  Early this year we heard about a very young lone survivor of a plane crash, walking through wooded terrain at night to find help. I've thought about how a light in the window of the first home she came upon would have given her hope. 

Often times when the Bible refers to light, we can replace the word for hope. God gives me hope in the dark or unknown places of my life . He is my hope and salvation, whom need I fear? When Jesus told the crowds around him that He is the light of the world, I know now that He was telling them He is the One we can put our hope in. In following Him we will not walk in darkness or in confusion. The light He sheds on our path gives us a sure hope of eternal life.

How do you Define Contentment?

A Visit with the Woodpecker

I show this photo for some perspective on the size of the tree in the back of the yard. 

The roof line is the neighbor's house behind us. 

I was at my kitchen window when I saw the bird pecking away and decided to go for a visit.

He was soon aware that I was there and started playing a game of hide and seek with me.

As I moved closer he inched further around the tree while I followed.

He moved behind, peeking around the corner so I could just see his head. I did not take a photo.

Step by step he wound around the tree

until he came around the other side.

 His dark, white speckled coat turned navy blue in certain lighting.

After some time he seemed to realize that I meant no harm as he

came right into the open and just sat there.

Yup . .. he checked to see if I was still there and

then he continued the show like he owned the tree.
Kind of cheeky, if you ask me.

From the Country to the City

Last week as I was about to head down this driveway for possibly the last time, I was reminded once more of how everything has a season. Three years ago the American / Abbotsford grands excitedly moved onto this rental property that gave them just a  taste of country living.



The seven minute drive from our house took us out of our city cul-de-sac to a main street with the most gorgeous view of the Garibaldi mountains, ending in a rural area where we passed quaint little hobby farms. We'd take one short left and there was the house with the view of the valley.

I know the kids made wonderful memories here and will always remember how they fell in love with the vast expanse of yard of endless possibilities . . . trees to be climbed, fences to duck under, a hockey and basketball pad and  the cutest home built playhouse.

However, as I turned off this picturesque driveway last week, I also knew that the good ending in all of this was an opportunity to buy a house. Because the exchange of rent payments for mortgage payments is a good one, the move this past weekend was happy one! Everyone involved has worked hard to make this possible and we are looking forward to many more trips to the house in the city seven minutes in another direction.