Sugar and Spice

 

It was their first day of Christmas break and they came for breakfast.

It is easy to please this bunch with crepes ...

some like them with sugar, some with cinnamon sugar, others with strawberries and cream,

and a few with bananas and nutella. 

After breakfast we rolled German spiced peppernuts and sugar cookies. 

Peppernuts

I had found some great little craft packages 

(Christmas tree ornaments) at Target in the fall.

They turned out to be perfect for this age. 

The only one who didn't make any was Landon, 

but while the kitchen was busy, some took turns playing pool downstairs,

or hockey outside with Papa. 

They get both of us for these dates now and I love it! 

Lunch was simple ... chicken strips, mac and cheese and veggies.

And those trees on the island ...

they were a spur of the moment side trip to Save-On with Papa.

The girls who went with him came back full of smiles,

having picked out personal trees to take home. 

This still makes me smile to remember how excited they were!

Cookies and trees for this pre-Christmas week. 

And my heart filled up again,

savoring these special times. 

🤍🤍🤍

First Christmas in Heaven

I made Mom's glazed cookies this week.

The round ones which our grands have dubbed Oma cookies,

taste like a little chocolate cake incased in meringue icing.

The elongated ones are slightly spiced and filled with plum jam.

There's not many things that make me feel her absence as

much as when I make her cookies,

remembering how she rolled, cut and pinched ...

her hands wrinkled, nails cut short,

deftly filling pans, 

later to glaze them all, late into the evening. 

As I went down this memory lane,

 I saw the years I'd take her shopping for a dress

around the week of her birthday,

which we would be celebrating this weekend.

She always apologized that her birthday was so close to Christmas,

"when you are all busy!"

But she also loved getting a new dress.

Such wonderful memories that come packed into this month

truly make one want to know,

what Christmas in heaven is like. 

I listened to the song that the Clark family sings,

and you can imagine my tears...

imagine her in the choir,

and maybe even in the kitchen,

glazing, melt in your mouth cookies.

So I'll share the lyrics to Christmas in Heaven, written by 

Paul Marino and Jeremy Johnson

Maybe you have a loved one or two

whom you are missing this Christmas.

Know that one day the waiting will be over,

and there will be no more tears,

December hasn't changed

This town looks the same

They still light that tree in the city square

There's red, white and green shining everywhere

And I wish, you were here

And I wonder

Is the snow falling down on the streets of gold

Are the mansions all covered in white

Are you singing with angels, "Silent Night"

I wonder what Christmas in heaven is like.

There's a little manger scene

Down on Third and Maine

I must have walked right by it a thousand times

But I see it now in a different light

'Cause I know you are there

And I wonder

Are you kneeling with shepherds before Him now

Can you reach out and touch His face

Are you part of that glorious Holy Night

I wonder what Christmas in Heaven is like

Is the snow falling down on the streets of gold?

Are the mansions all covered in white?

Are you singing with angels "Silent Night"

I wonder what Christmas in Heaven is like.

🤍🤍🤍

Our Tenth MGCC Christmas Party

 

We had some special company come from across the line this weekend

and it was exciting for several reasons!

Greg and Ellen have not been able to come to Canada for a few years.

We got to show them our newish home

and we could travel the rest of the way to Elmer and Judy's together.

I looked it up and it was exactly 10 years ago 

that Elmer and Judy hosted our first Christmas party.

Just as then, their home was festive and welcoming

from the white lights to the tree, mantle and candles.

The long dining table was adorned with a garland of fresh cedar boughs,

blooming eucalyptus and pine cones.

Such a pretty bowl of punch! 

And here we are, 10 years older.

We missed Kathy due to illness and Char and Betty living in Manitoba. 

Everyone had something to bring, 

but our hostess prepared the delicious dinner.

Cranberry Chicken

Mashed potatoes,

Broccoli salad

Peas and carrots

She and her hubby did an amazing job of serving together.

A perfect team.

After dinner we played a trivia game and 

we learned that there still are many things we don't know about each other.

The guys left for the games room

and we got to do a small gift exchange 

while enjoying our in person visit late into the evening. 

A friendship that came together through recipes,

but has spread to all other aspects of life.

Such a treasure.

❤❤❤

From One Season to the Next

Last week, in fact just four days ago, My H went out to blow leaves.

And tonight we are in awe of the beauty of freshly fallen snow.

Whether it's colored leaves carpeting the driveway

or a dusting of white added to lights,

I can't help but think,

God's final touches are always the best! 

Catching Up

After our cruise we picked up our car that we had left at a hotel

and drove to Palm Springs for the rest of our vacation. 

We realized during our drive that it was exactly 45 years ago when we first drove down,

mistaken for honeymooners and spoiled!

The weather was perfect, not too hot to sit by the pool and read.

We admired the snow capped mountains from a distance. 

Our main activities centred around catching up on some good reading,

cycling (we had our bikes along), shopping and cooking simple meals or going out.

The desert blooms are so different from home, miraculous spreads of color

in barren places. 

The prettiest place we cycled to was about 17 kilometers away,

called Old Town La Quinta.

I love the Spanish balconies and patterned tilework. 

I poked around a cute dress shop and we had lunch on a patio

before heading back. 

Evening drives were also a sight to behold. 

It took us two days to drive back home,

Straight up the I-5, past many olive and orange groves,

dairy farms, vast landscapes and cities.

This is going through Seattle,

the city we try to avoid hitting during rush hour. 

And back home again!

All of this past week was like this, cold and sunny! 

But we know that this will soon change. 

For everything a season. 

 

The Week That Was

Saurday, October 22 was a day we had looked forward to for some time,

trying to hold loosely as we do these days, 

 but the day finally came!

We met in Long Beach, CA and boarded the amazing Discovery Princess, 

which would be our home, our floating hotel, for the week. 

Anticipation ran high as guests gathered around the pool deck for the sail away entertainment

that included the original cast from the TV series “Love Boat.”

The next day, being a day at sea, we had our first formal dinner.

How fun it is to see guests all over the ship dressed up, in essence, just to celebrate life. 

It is quite amazing how the waiters keep smiling and making it their goal to please,

one table and one cruise at a time!

On Monday we sailed into Cabo San Lucas under sunny blue skies

 and an introduction to our ship's musical horn. 

At this port the cruise ships have to stay away from the shore, so the distance to the dock from where we set anchor was covered with tenders, taking us in groups. 

We enjoyed a walk  around the marina, admiring the pretty architecture

and sat down for some nachos and drinks. 

The view back from our tender. 

Tuesday we woke up to open our curtains to another sunny day and a new port.

Our Mazatlan memorable experience was a tour through town with Humberto,

one that included some shopping, a visit to The Immaculate Conception Cathedral

and a tequila tasting. Such diversity!

But my favorite part was the place he dropped us off at for lunch,

a restaurant right on the beach with picnic tables set out on the sand. 

That is also my favorite photo of Bob and Monika.

Wednesday morning we woke up in Puerto Valerta.

This is where we took a taxi for the four of us to see an out of the way town called Sayulita.

The driver dropped us off near this interesting building.

I did not find out what it was. 

Cones were set up possibly due to clean up from a hurricane that had passed through just days before.

One could see the efforts quickly made to clean up. 

It was a nice place for another sister shot. 

Sayulita is a place my H had heard about and it did not disappoint. 

It is a quaint little town with brightly painted buildings, 

tree lined cobblestone streets with rustic cafe tables set up everywhere

 under straw roofs and trees that house iguanas. 

I loved the feeling that these people took pride in making their places beautiful

with sidewalk art and welcoming patios. 

On the beach we met a woman selling clothing and we were surprised at her good English. 

She told us that she had done this ever since she was a little girl, 

but had told herself that her children would not be doing this! 

With tears in her eyes she proudly told us about her daughter and son - 

soon to be a lawyer and a doctor.

Her daughter had promised her a house with a view of the beach 

where she had worked all her life to suppport her family.

She left a memorable impression on us. 

Back on the ship there was no end of things to do or be entertained by.

One day we got called off the pool deck to a dance lesson. A first for us!

Monika and I both love to read and share books. 

I don't even know how many pools and restaurants there were,

a big outdoor movie screen, a large theatre hosting comedies and musicals.

and live entertainment from pianists and game show hosts to cooking or towel art shows.

Everyone finds their place, whether it be at the gym, the walking track, the hot tub, 

the shops, listening to a live performance or just finding a quiet spot

and be amazed at the vast expanse of ocean.

We all looked forward to dinners! 

Although Monika and I both feel very comfortable in a kitchen, oftentimes seeing it as our happy place, it was such a treat to not have a care about what to cook, 

simply choosing from a fancy menu with no prices. 

I will never forget this time together

which we called a celebration of our anniversaries,

yet in some ways became a trip in memory of our mom.

There were times, unknown to Monika, 

I had tears in my eyes looking at her and seeing our mom in her beautiful face. 

Whichever way we look at it, 

it was a celebration of family and life.