I hate cancelling out...

We had a party all lined up and we were ready to receive guests at our place for tonight...and I ended up sick.

We had to bail.

I hate doing that.

But running to the bathroom every half hour and running out of energy before 8 p.m. is not condusive to the New Year's Eve party theme.

We have understanding friends and I am thankful.

Stay warm and safe tonight.

And may all of you, my friends, be blessed with the most wondrous of New Years...ever.

When you're feeling sick and down...

Just sit and think about those you love.....if you're not TOO sick, that is.

It helps.

'Nite...

Blahhhhhh...

It's all caught up with me.

I'm sick....and sore...and fevered...and generally yucky.

Back to bed with my new fleece-covered hot water bottle...with a jingle bell...when it jingles, I think of my sweet Brittney-girl.

'Nite...

Look Ma....more light....

Have you noticed the ever-so-slight shift from "suppertime in the dark" to "suppertime with a hint of light"? We simply won't need candle light any more...unless, we're having a "special time" with a loved one.:-)

I take note of things like that (daylight vs. darkness) because as Christmas has come and gone for 2008, there is a new longing that takes over now.

A longing for spring. With gentle breezes and new growth and flowers.......sigh.......

But not before at least 100 days of cold, dare I say frigid, winter weather.

But we must cheer up and all that you know. Pip. Pip.

The daylight hours are gaining ground....and one day, we shall have spring.

It's the rhythm of life that God gives us. We rest when it is cold and dark....and go like thunder when it's warm and bright.

So, onward into the beginning of a New Year and all that it will bring to our lives and homes.

But first, a cup of steaming Red Rose.

Ta ta.

Another birthday...

Le Chef

Le Fisherman

Le Dreamer

A very "Happy Birthday" to my man. Another year and he'll be one of those "old time pensioners".

I trust for him, the coming year will be one of good health, of courage, of learning, of mellowing and of enjoyment. He's a pretty serious fellow, after all.

I pray for God's blessings to fall on him in abundance.

Now, on with the New Year's celebrations........coming soon to a house near you.

Time goes by too quickly!

Santa Claus made his visit.

Gifts ready to be opened in the morning.

First to arrive for the holidays.....and first to leave.....today:-(

Clothes were modeled.

Surprise packages opened.

The Advent Wreath was lit.....to celebrate Jesus!

How did 6 days go by so quickly.......I'm still back on Wednesday.

There was a frenzy of whispering, wrapping, hiding, and secrets before Christmas morning.

Presents were exchanged. Turkey meal was consumed. Tea was made....several times. Movies were watched. Lates nights and early mornings....for some.

When all is said and done, the best thing was the presence (not presents) of my family.

That's all. No more. Finis.

The cards remain with the written words. The pictures remain to remind me they were here.

But a part of my heart goes back to their homes with them.

I'm really glad that Christ remains constant. He never leaves me and yet he also goes to be with my loved ones. A mystery.

Thanks God, for your reminder this Christmas season, that you walk with us in this life, prodding us along and encouraging us to go on....to go further....to explore and search the depths of your being and all you have for us in this life.

And now for another birthday tomorrow....

Celebrations and Gifts......

Todd's perfection in wrapping.

Shannon, Todd and Brittney

Kim and Matthew

Matthew, our son.

We celebrated 25 years of our son's life yesterday. He's a good son...dare I say, a superb son.

His love was with him...Kim. And Shannon, Todd and Brittney too....and Logan, his friend, came for cake and the young stayed up late for a showing of "Gremlins".

There is nothing on earth like having those you love, close to you, whether it be Christmas or not.

It's their presence.........that's all........that's everything. No gift can ever replace that joy.

Just how good can a Christmas get anyway!

Tonight at 7:30 p.m. we will all go to our church Candlelight Service. I trust it will be a beautiful time for welcoming once again the Bethlehem baby into our hearts and homes....and lives.

Come, Lord Jesus... Come.........

Friends...

There is nothing like having friends who come to your aid when you are in need. We have friends like that. They make time for us, they sacrifice their agenda so we can be taken care of in whatever need arises.

I thank God for friendships like that. They are what give the Body of Christ a "good" name.

These people are friends to many people.....but I must say, they continue to prove themselves to us over an over again as to what friendship should look like. They are selfless, caring, loving, genuine people who love God and in turn.....love us.

Now for the wrapping of gifts to those we love..........on with Christmas.....but not before son's birthday tomorrow. If he's a quarter of a century that makes me really old....in number only of course.:-)

I didn't do it MY way....

Today was the fourth Sunday in Advent and we lit the pink candle of Love.

Love.

I don't believe it means a "mushy-gushy-feeling". I think this love is the love that comes from the Father...the Creator, for his creation. He loved that much that he brought us a savior in the midst of our misery, in the midst of our trying to get more and be better than anyone else and attempting to look better than we really are...kind of savior. A Savior who would know us better than we know ourselves. A Savior who would come into humanity and offer himself for us.

I don't know of any other kind of love that true and selfless.

Today we worshiped and adored the Savior of the world. We sang carols about waiting and expecting and longing for his coming and about how his perfect love would save mankind from their sins and their desire to do things their own way instead of HIS way.

It is good to sit and think on that.

The "olden" days of yore...

"The stockings were hung by the chimney with care in hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there...."

I used to have a very large book of "'T'was the Night Before Christmas", which was read again and again and again....first of all by my father and then I took over the story to my children. I loved that book. It had enormous, beautifully colored pictures and I would sit mesmerized and wide-eyed. I remember the night Dad brought the book home after returning from a road trip. I had already been in bed but heard his laughter as he was welcomed home by Mom.

I was still in a crib in my parents room, so I wasn't more than three. It was a tiny house. I remember dad coming into the bedroom then, picking me up and sitting me on his knee in the big corner chair. Opening the huge book, he began the magical tale of Santa Claus and flying reindeer and gifts and candy. It held a spell over me for years as I continued to read and remember that first reading of my special book....by a wonderful father.

The stocking pictured above was my very own stocking which was hung up for years...well into my adult years and is still, as of this night, hung "in hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there....". It has the green yarn my Dad used to darn the holes that had developed over the years, and the packaging string still pulls through a hole in the top to hold the stocking which would contain various Santa-delivered goods.

Sometimes Santa would bring "ribbon candy" which we would devour in huge chunks of spicy sweetness on Christmas morning.

Yes, dear Santa Claus. He still comes by our place every Christmas Eve.

I wonder what he'll bring me this year. I think I've been pretty good.....well, except for that one time when...........oh, and then another time......ya, and then the time when.......oh gee, I'll most likely get coal.............:-(

Power shopping...

This is our first day of shopping.

5 p.m. we hit the stores.

Whooooaaaaaaaa

Then open house at the Vandersluys place with a rousing game of Mad Gab.

....followed by picking up a Brittney girl from the bus.

And the talking begins.....

Ya, it's after midnight and I need my beauty sleep....but it's so exciting.

Tomorrow is another mad and wonderful day....oops, make that today....

Bill and Eleanor...

I look at some of our tree decorations and I remember people. This heart was given to us by a former pastor and his wife, Bill and Eleanor Jackson.

Every time I see this decoration, I am reminded of those two wonderfully, special people. Servants of God. True and faithful servants. When they returned to the States, they went to the people of Haiti and helped them out....for many, many years.

They were like that. They helped even before you knew you needed it.

So, tonight I thank God for these two dear folks. We remember them fondly...

And the countdown has begun for the family arriving. Yipppeeeeeeee

Give them all journey mercies, God. Thank you.

Advantages....

I do believe there are certain advantages that angels have over we mere mortals.

When we bulk up for winter.......it shows....layered hips, lumpy thighs, chicken wing arms, triple chins and such.

Angels on the other hand, don't eat.

Perhaps that could be a vocation of choice.....food-wise and all.

Well, I've never really seen an angel either, so maybe there are some "mature rounded ones".

Not sure.

We'll end that day on that note....."while visions of sugar plums danced in their heads".......

'nite all....

Listening....

It was that kind of day.

I listened to BostonPete.com at work today with all the Christmas songs.

I listened to people come and go from the office....some were happy, others sad or mad or grouchy or enthusiastic.

I listened to friends today who are having difficult times. They aren't quite seeing the end of the tunnel and it seems like nothing is falling into place like they hoped it would....at least as quickly as it could.

I heard a friend tell me about a child. An older child. We take on the troubles of our children as if they were our own. Always. We want "the best for them". Sometimes we forget that in those times our children are being moulded and refined by our Creator...God. He is fashioning us in new ways. He's asking us to discard our old clothes, our old ways, for some totally new ones.....ones that don't quite feel right yet, but in time, they will. They will feel right because God has done the fitting. Ya.

So, the day was good. It reminded me again of the importance of caring for people, of loving them..........and listening.

Keep me listening to you God, as I walk through life. Teach me more about what I need to know, so I can be of more value to those around me. Give me ears to hear.......

A shopping misfit......

Our first go at Christmas shopping.

Crowds are pretty slim so guess we can't call them "crowds".

The five stores we entered didn't have anything we wanted. Nothing. Zilch. Zip. Zero.

Haven't the stores heard the message about how tall and slim most young men are these days??????? Tall. Over six foot four...tall. With matching arms, no less.

I hope Thursday will be a little more fruitful.

It's too cold outside and too hot inside for shopping.

My socks fell down into my boots making a big ball under my foot so I didn't enjoy walking.

My feet ache.

I'm a miserable, giftless, no-good,Christmas shopping failure.:-)

If I had a crystal ball I just may see "gift cards" in my future sprees........

Just thinkin'....

and remembering......................ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh........sigh..........

The steamy days of summer and goin' fishin'.....ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

Well, it's -45C out there with the wind chill. What better thing to think about than hot, very hot boiling summer days on beach and water......ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

Think I'll just stay there just a wee big longer.......ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

Now back to the regularly scheduled programming.

'nite..........

Of all days....

Last evening the youth were over to our place to do "stuff" and see our guest "Hillary". I initiated them also to the movie, "It's a Wonderful Life"...the old black and white Christmas movie. Some of them hadn't seen it, so hey, what better place to watch their very first "I.A.W.L." than our place. I'm sure it will be one of their memorable moments of their youthful teen years.

But today was St. Lucia Day at the Anderson home....AND I FORGOT MY CAMERA. That was not good. So many artistic possibilities with the saffron buns, the peppercocka (sp?), various cheeses plus hot apple cider and Swedish coffee....and I missed them all.

Anna, the granddaughter, once again adorned the headdress of holly and flaming candles while she sang "Santa Lucia"....with Mom and Grandma standing closely by in case of emergency. She's quite an old hand at it now at 15 and looked very natural in her white gown with red sash.

I can't believe I forgot my camera!!!!

The rest of the day, between visiting with our guest, was spent doing a bit more baking Christmas shortbread, lemon squares and another batch of fruit croissants in the fridge ready for rolling out tomorrow.

Third Sunday in Advent tomorrow will see us lighting the candle of Joy. I look forward to it.

Oh God, let Joy come to your people. Help us to find reasons to be joyful when we are sad and depressed and alone.

Help us to look beyond ourselves, to the bigger picture..... of angels singing and proclaiming to a bunch of sheep herders in a field, of a young mother giving birth to her first born son and wrapping him in swaddling clothes and laying him in a manger.....because there was no room for them in the inn.

Help us find joy in the story of your birth.

Another good-bye.......

Another funeral today. At the beginning of October there were three ladies in our church who were 92 years of age. Only one remains.



Today was a great tribute to Edna McLennan. She was one strong-willed, feisty lady, who refused to live in a Care Home. Now she doesn't have to concern herself with those kinds of decisions. She has reached her final destination....heaven.



I love to hear the stories at funerals of people whom I thought I knew. It always turns out to be a time of getting to know another side of them, it seems.



I hope I am transparent enough in this world though, so people will know all sides of me, the good, the bad and all that other stuff in between. That is important to me. I don't want people to say about me when I'm gone, that they wished they had known this or that about me. I want friendships to be true and honest enough so that they know who I really am....and I in turn, know who they are. Good friendships can do that. I want to be able to appreciate others lives while they are here.....not only after they are gone.



To me, friendship with God is very similar. I want to get to know him now, here, while I am able, so that when I see him again when I leave this earth, he won't have to say to me that he never knew me....



The church youth are over tonight. I'm going to watch them play some games. I want to get to know them also.......and if I join them and make a stupid move, they can get to know the real me!

How to really celebrate being 61...

This is how I ended 61 years of living, with tomorrow the beginning of my 62nd year:

It began with a phone call from daughter and granddaughter on their speaker phone singing the "Happy Birthday" song while I unwrapped their birthday gifts that had been sent to me earlier in the week.

Then I was serenaded by our illustrious duo,

Andrea and Val in two part harmony with said Birthday song....

with a surprise visit from Santa Kim.

There were emails and verbal good wishes all day long!

I even received some cards with more kind words...

Then an E-card from son with some very funny mooing cows and such
followed by some loving and very kind words to his mother.


And more kind and loving words on a card
from daughter, son-in-law and granddaughter...

Gifts....some lovely tree ornaments, some Body Shop stuff and
this beautiful Christmas treat calendar from daughter and family.

And God saw to it that I had a special gift of snow!

Then supper at a fine dining restaurant "Chandeliers"...

with some Filet Mignon.......oh man.....was that scrumptious.....

A lovely birthday shared with the wonderful love of my life.

A moment ago son called and he and his girlfriend and her friends all sang "The Birthday Song" once more. What a lovely ending to a perfect day. I am blessed indeed.

Iwould be remiss if I did not say "thanks" to my dear mother who bore me on this day in 1947, and my wonderful father who shared his genes with me. They fit quite well..........:-)

Did you know that my favorite Christmas movie, "It's a Wonderful Life" with Jimmy Stewart, came out in 1947? Ya.....I'm that old!

Visiting....

Hillary, the ravishing young lovely on the right, will be gracing our home tomorrow night. She's the second child of former pastor Randall and wife, Lauralea Friesen. She's coming 'home' for a few days from Bible college for a visit. It will be wonderful to have her in our home.:-)

She hasn't had opportunity yet to make "The Field" in Alberta her real home yet as she has either been working away or in school, but her mom and dad seem to be doing pretty well in that area, I think. I thank God for that...it's tough moving.

But before Hillary arrives, husband has to clean up "his bathroom" downstairs so she will not have to go "eeeeeeuuuuuuuuuuuwwwwwwwwwww" when she goes to shower. All in due time, he says.

I'm off now to have coffee with a dear friend. We have some discussing to do.

And then tomorrow I'll be having two more parties. My friend Phil and I share the same birthday...different years, of course.:-) I suppose you could call us the 'Forest Service Twins' (we kind of look alike.....we both wear glasses). He's getting to be a year older tomorrow....and I'm NOT, so he may just catch up.

PLUS, the folks who own our building are putting on a nice get together for all of us at the Forest Centre tomorrow too....so, need I say more.....food...it's all about food.

Lord, help me to choose the most delicious, delectable food with the least amount of calories......or not.

TaDaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa...

She's a lovely, isn't she!

A little "3 yr. old Brittney" ornament

An ornament Christmas gift
from an 8 yr. old son to his mommy:-)

Old Saint Nicholas adorning our tree.

The day is done.

The tree is done.

And I'm done.

'nite................

Silver and my son.....

As a tradition in our home, my dad used to sit at the kitchen table before every special occasion and clean the tarnished silverware. It gave him great satisfaction to see something dull and sometimes even black become a gleaming presence at the table.

Well, dear dad is no longer with us but his grandson has taken on the task over these past years. I'm sure he does it just so I don't have to, but nevertheless, it is a job I have appreciated him doing.

Matt is a very practical son. One year as a Christmas gift, he bought us "special" silver cleaner. It cleans it well and the silver doesn't tarnish near as quickly. I figured he may have been thinking ahead somewhat, knowing that it would be me doing the silver cleaning when he wouldn't be around to do the job. It was very good thinking, I must say.

Tonight, in my pre-Christmas cleaning frenzy, I covered our (now-black) silver cream and sugar set and our (now-black) silver candle sticks with the marvelous product. In a few minutes they will be gleaming again and fit for the presence of "kings" and "queens" that will dine with us in a few short weeks. How exciting.

Then husband and I got our tree in the stand and sitting upright.

Husband sat down and looked at the tree and said to me, "I love you."

I said, "Ya, you love me now but wait until we start with the lights!!!":-)

Second Sunday in Advent...and baking.....

We shared communion this morning. We were again reminded of Christ's death until he comes again. There is something that happens to us when we share in that meal. We sit and think of the great sacrifice that took place in order for us to be able to break the bread and drink the wine. We reflect on what that looks like in today's world of "self"...self-serving, making sure I come first, and not another, looking to my own interests instead of the interests of others. Jesus came to show us how we aught not be first, but last; how it is better to serve than to be served. It's just all backward from the way the world tends to show itself. I like Jesus' way better.

The second purple Advent candle was lit too, this morning, the candle of peace. We sang songs of peace and prayed for peace throughout the world.....the peace that comes from Christ....the peace that passes all understanding.

So was the morning.

The afternoon arrived and out came the decorations from the many boxes. Cpl. Nutcracker stood at attention on the dining room table and watched over the proceedings as garland appeared and wreaths and every manner of Christmas remembrance....some were home-made by our children, some given to us by friends, others purchased in some particular little shop - all with a story.

Then I baked up the croissants. The dough had been left in the fridge overnight. They didn't rise as much as they should have but, ya, once again there just happened to be two fatalities.....one for husband and one for me. Yum

Who knows what tomorrow will bring, but for today, it was full and enjoyable not to mention tiring.