Scenes from our Easter weekend

When a major feasting time occurs, it's double the blessing when additional family are present to celebrate with us, specially since our move to Ontario almost seven years ago now.

Welcome!

It sounds corny I know, but for me, mother to many and nana to almost a dozen, the quiet and smaller population in our home these days just seems way too quiet for me. I need festive, outright noisy, loads of laughter filtering through the air, plenty of warm loving hugs, and making memorable family times. 

I know, it's just me and my camera most often, at the very least, trying to snap what I can to remember and seize the days when able. For the first time since our move, yes, we indeed had company at Easter time.

"Children of the same family, the same blood, with the same first associations and habits, have some means of enjoyment in their power, which no subsequent connections can supply..." 

~Jane Austen, Mansfield Park, 1814  

Here's a photo journal of sorts, a small glimpse into our Easter weekend this year...

Our younger boys posing with our company.

A highlight for him, a definite highlight he said was to play pool again after so many years later, of having owned his own pool hall in the "good old days" of his youthful years. 

Meanwhile, there was still daily prayer readings and reflections throughout Holy Week, and a fabulous new favorite "egg tree" to place these wooden images on with simple threaded string hangers. 

On Easter Sunday morning, we were able to flip the cross around to feature the the purple liturgical color with the symbolic and uplifting lilies so nicely adorned on it. 

Did I mention that I LOVE this new to us set? Oops, oh yes I already did in a past post. grinning...
 

Our little grandbaby missy loved having company over, and she engaged in their attentions and affections quite well.

So sweet, and so kind, this lovely gentleman has watched our children grow up the past half dozen years. He has offered such hospitality to our family over the years when offering his own home for us to stay in Plymouth, MA, right over the ocean. 

Time to pay it forward.

These two have really hit it off over the years. 

It was so good to see them together again.

Easter morning after mass our breakfast was scrumptious; fresh pacific salmon quiches, fruit, bacon and fresh orange juice, not to mention coffee aplenty. 

Oh! Did I mention an abundance of chocolate too? Oh, I didn't? 

Forgive me... grinning again. 

Afternoon snowy forest trail walking, a bit of sightseeing, more liturgical celebrating, and then Easter Sunday dinner; my foodie husband had this one with his yummy (grass fed) turkey, special homemade cranberry sauce, homemade secret family recipe (wink) stuffing, sweet potatoes, my signature salad (wink), and gravy.

Yum! Just look at this baby! 
Leftovers all week long!

Teasing everyone, I just couldn't resist these chocolate bars and subsequent introduction to our friend of our youngest daughter's bunny. There was an uncanny resemblance with her bunny to the one on the package, so cute! 

More yummy meals together; wild pacific salmon (we all love seafood!), quinoa salad, coleslaw, green salad, green beans with garlic, and more. 

Hail, Hail, finally there are enough around our family table this day!

 

And, another lovely reminder for the "reason for this season", one of our blessed palms, folded up into a cross and gently laying under our Alleluia letters on the dining room buffet. 

We were so happy you two to have you drive all the way up here for a short weekend visit. 

Come again!

Ten Things I'm Thankful For ~ a spring rose edition

Yep...I'm definitely awaiting the spring's roses yet to come... Aren't you?

Here are my "Ten Things I'm Thankful For"....

When the night has been too lonely, and the road has been too long,

and you think that love is only for the lucky and the strong,

just remember, in the winter,

far beneath the bitter snow,

lies the seed that with the sun's love

in the spring becomes the rose.

(The Rose, sung by Bette Midler)

Well, in the last blog post I did warn all about our strange weather patterns looming before us, and indeed the snow did visit to cover the earth once more, with its (once again) wintry white snowy blanket.

The air grew very damp, and a tornado bounced off a farm an hour away from us. The odd weather offered us more bitter cold for a 48 hour period, and then all began to thaw and warm up again. 

I'm happy to report we have only a little rain today, and the weather forecast to come for the rest of the week, is sun, sun, and more sun! The temperatures will rise, and with a steady increase of 20C+ of thermometer reading blissness, we will - at last, feel the effects of spring in our midst.

- 1 - I'm thankful for the gifts of spring. My husband gifted me with these lovely tulips yesterday. He too, felt the sun rounding the bend ahead.  

I'm happy to report our trees are filling up with tiny buds, a sure sign that we still require patience for spring to finally begin blasting in with full force. 

I am filled with great anticipation for a visible change of season to remain for more than a day, and having experienced one very beautiful day already as a teaser this past weekend, enabling doors open wide, and being able to sit for a bit and soak up the sun's rays while quietly listening to the multitudes of returning birdies, well now, that was so very wonderful.

- 2 - I'm thankful for the many blessings intentionally sought after day to day. Our world and personal circumstances still prove that there is so much to pray for, and still so much to be ever-thankful for. Always. 

There are important family dates filling up our calendar, ones we will highlight in bright yellowy hues, glowing radiant like the sun to provide some blessed excitement ahead. 

On May 19th, our future son-in-law will be baptized and receive his First Holy Communion. We will celebrate his and our daughter's wedding this August, and in both September and November, two more grandbabies (Yes now 2!) will make their welcomed entrances into our family. Other extended family events are dotted in between these ones, milestones for some and delights for others. So blessed!

 

- 3 - I'm thankful for the heart of our home - our kitchen! With Lent now behind us, and the Easter season in our midst, sporadic and impulsive baking moments are present in our kitchen. 

The goodies are becoming a habit, and I hate to spill the beans to one daughter that our traditional "Lenten Pie Sundays" are now over. Two pies this weekend, and happy faces resulting from serving those were quite funny. 

- 4 - I'm thankful that our schooling is rounding the bend, and the light at the end of the tunnel ahead is now (finally) beginning to brightly glow. 

At this time of year, there is a tattling with our teens showing definite preferrences for some subjects over others. The dawdling becomes quite remarkable when a least favorite subject is presented for the week's "catch-up" scheduling mode. Oh, but we all know, those essays, and assignments that they really aren't a fan of will still be there come Monday. Right? 

Seize the day children, for this part of schooling too shall pass...and then there will be many more challenges and learning opportunities ahead throughout your entire life. Real life-schooling never ends! Know that. :)

- 5 - I'm thankful for this old solid oak  "Wilson" piano, the one that is daily adorned with sheet music, or a favorite piano book. It's the one that fingers pass across the ebony keys, offering joyful song and rhythmic tunes enough to fill our home with the sounds of music. 

 

Thank you to our children who still love to play, we love to listen to your efforts, and thank you mom and dad for having it surprisingly dropped off that one day, now so long ago. This is the piano all of my siblings played tunes upon, the one we had in our home growing up.  

All eight of our children have been privy to piano lessons, in the hope that they would learn to especially, and simply love fine music down the road. It is my fondest hope that they all still appreciate having had the opportunity of being introduced to, and playing on this timeless musical instrument. Maybe they won't continue to play in the future, but it will remain here whenever they wish to sit and run the keys again in the future.

- 6 - I'm thankful for the opportunity and pleasure of having guests in our home at Easter, for the very first time since our move to Ontario almost seven years ago now. 

My sister and our friend spent many hours driving here from Cape Cod, arriving late on Good Friday, and not leaving until Easter Monday morning. It was very special to have them here with us, one of those really thankful things in life to have additional family around on a special weekend. Love to you sister!

A highlight was the men's pool table games, so neat to see them enjoy circling around it and having a great time. Our friend used to own his own billiard hall many, many years ago and really enjoyed revisiting that special former hobby of his.

- 7 - I'm thankful for the formal change of winter to spring sports. Our son is playing ball hockey again this year. He's made a move to a new venue, with the biggest change being that this particular new-to-him league is outdoors, snow or shine. 

He was over the moon crazy-happy to be able to grab his favorite number 10 again, one that he's had for most of his ice/ball hockey seasons thus far. 

Though these photos have the sun shining, it was freezing cold out there, hovering around a mere 3C degrees! So cold, the sun didn't even warm a body up, so these boys were wearing layers to keep warm, and working it out there to keep pumping up their circulation.

Team win of 6-1 was a hearty bonus for all the kids on his team, but all were happy to run for warmth as soon as they exited their arenas. 

I'd like to mention the incredible professional flooring they are able to play on, a formal floor used in roller hockey games, so there is a cushioning for joints moving about throughout the season, as opposed to playing in an indoor arena's concrete flooring. Bonus!

- 8 - I'm thankful for attempts at resolving issues with short cuts to cleaning hardwood floors. This "shark steamer" allowed me to make an unexpected happy dance when locating it locally and finding it on sale for almost half the price. Ohhhh, was I ever thankful when the cashier surprised me with that good news, as it was the night before the actual mark down event and she offered it to me early. Yay!

With the recent purchase of this steam cleaner, I worked and worked at cleaning for some additional super shine on our abundance of flooring in this house. My verdict? Perhaps the sales pitch is hailed by many to be fantastic, yes it did clean well, and I'm still thankful for having it, but honestly, I think I'm needing a commercial unit instead to perform for us here. 
  
Though the manufacturer claims it will disinfect at the same time as cleaning, even at its lowest steam setting, I found it left a rather dull streaked flooring as a result of all that abundance of cleaning. I still really like it though, specially on my tile flooring in the hallways, doorways and bathrooms, but one thing was sure - performing the task with such a large amount of flooring required several breaks when the motor obviously became too hot to continue. (Your thoughts, if you own one are most welcomed.)

- 9 - I'm thankful for this white frothy cuppa sweetness! I gave up these and other things for lent, and boy oh boy was I ever thankful for this special and unexpected serving placed before me! Yum! Yum! 

It's a ceremonial thing for me, not to be indulged in too often, but slowly savored when present. Bliss! 

- 10 - I'm thankful for daily cell phone reminders when viewing my newest photo placed on my cell phone's home screen. This was a photo I snapped a while back through my window, one that I love to check out daily that is graced with this window decal, which has become so special to me.

It makes me smile, when every single day my cell phone offers a little reminder not only to see the sunshine in my days, but to also fill my heart with gratitude for the many, many blessings given unto me. 

As this week's Sunday epistle bible reading details;

" Dearly beloved, Every best gift, and every perfect gift is from above: coming down from the Father of lights, with Whom there is no change, nor shadow of alteration...."

~ 1 James 1:17

 And once again, ten - only ten out of hundreds of thankful things are offered for just a minor glimpse at some of my simple things in life ~ from me to you.

Grab a pen, grab something to jot down your favorite and thankful things today. Count your blessings and know they really do come down from the Father of lights.

Have a great week everyone! 
Blessings;
Renee 

"People from a planet without flowers would think 

we must be mad with joy the whole time 

to have such things about us."

~Iris Murdoch

Ten Things I'm Thankful For ~ (early) Holy Week edition

Holy Week - 2013

There just aren't enough hours in a day, and of that, I am very sure. Purposely reflecting on life's moments though, always happily becomes time well spent. 

Remaining ever-hopeful, and not always trying to lean blindly on our own understanding, well, that's often so much more difficult, isn't it? 

May you become filled with hope and grace during holy week ahead, spending time searching, praying, and acknowledging all those blessed "thankful things" pouring forth within your quiet, everyday moments. 
  

Somehow, we giggled over being handed entire branches this year, 
21 fronds on my husband's alone.

 My fridge, with a few favorite things; a countdown on the road to Calvary, a lenten idea calendar, hot cross bun recipe, and a perfect bible verse.

I'm so glad you're here, thank you for your visit today. May you be blessed during this Holy Week, and throughout the Easter season ahead. 

With gratitude;
~ Renee 

 

Here are my ten thankful things for this edition, in no particular order, always random, and just a very few from a whole boatload of thankful things I attempt to gather each and every day. 

My photos just tend to pop out at me (pick me, pick me) when I review them, thus the lack of exact common sense direction each time I post these "ten things". Choosing items at random, even though it might make no sense at all to anyone else for the reasons why I've chosen them, please be assured they always make perfect sense to me to include them here. 

"Life is full of pains and hardships, but we are lucky we have a great God behind us all the time. Be thankful and count even the simplest blessings..."

~Panwar

 

- 1 - I'm thankful for the support system our daughter continues to be blessed with, so many kind, caring, and wonderful people have embraced and loved her so much over the past year since having her baby girl. Thankful!

Now, isn't this dress appropriate for this horse loving/owning/riding little mama? The coach/owner of the girls' barn came back from Kentucky thrilled with this bitty dress for our little granddaughter. How appropriate is right!

- 2 - I'm thankful for an Irish bottle of Carolans around St. Patrick's Day, a little coffee additive used for special occasions, like on Sundays during Lent. 

I'm not a fan of the usual types of additives in my coffee, things like cream,milk, or sugar sweeteners, but give me a shot every once in a while of  bailey like creams, and yes, I'm thankful. And, so is my husband.  

- 3 - I'm thankful for so many things actually, and with having my blog posting efforts running a little slower these days, my memory banks are overflowing, and as always, I'm jotting down all thankful things to savor, oodles of moments which provide me with a happy heart when revisiting them later on. There's always so much to be thankful for. Always!

When (mysteriously, we won't point fingers, right? :)) finding this VW collector car in our grandbaby's hands this week, my mind began rolling back to our days of early marital bliss, with thoughts of a neon, bright, yellow Volkswagen beetle car definitely coming to mind, making me break out in a big wide grin. Those were the days my friend....because that was our first car.

- 4 - I'm thankful for impulsive neighborhood pickuup drivebys, when a late afternoon or evening ski date becomes a very fun and serendipitous mini event. Always lots of smiles, and thank yous afterward over a steamy hot chocolate, and a rip roaring fire in the chalet.

- 5 - I'm thankful for teenagers who aren't afraid to bring themselves down to a baby's level, who will crawl under tables and chairs to fetch, or play with our grandbaby, help keep her entertained, and away from the stairways, while dinner is being prepared in the kitchen.

- 6 - I'm thankful for our maple sugaring weeks, where our rookie attempts are actually turning out to be alright. Yes, entire days have been spent boiling sap on our kitchen stove. 

After researching about sugaring, we thought our first year using the indoor kitchen, would be just fine for producing this sweet bottled ending to the sap gatherings, and it has been. It's been extremely handy to have all the action nearby, allowing us to multitask and to pursue other endeavors, and yet still being close enough to keep an eye on things as the bubbling and boiling progresses. 

A general rule of thumb is the 40:1 rule, where it takes 40 cups of sap to boil down to equal 1 cup of syrup - amazing, but true! At first we were so excited to have SO MUCH sap, but then to see how little comes from hours of effort, well, I for one will never, ever, again complain about the cost of purchasing maple syrup from the store. Yikes! 

Next year if we attempt our sugaring again, we already know changes will be in order. We will build ourselves a wood fire sugaring station outdoors, and have a larger production boiling away out yonder in the snowy depths of our back property. We'll be able to save ourselves lots of time and effort from usage of much larger pans, while creating a much more cost effective method to the madness. Meanwhile, I can assure you that pancakes never tasted so good! Yum!  

- 7 - I'm thankful for fantastic pots and pans, and even for having an often crowded stove. When that's the case, that obviously means I'm cooking something up for my family, be it syrup or dinner. 

Actually, the back two pieces of cookware were purchased before we were married, over 36 years ago, and they truly don't owe us a dime! They have sustained years and years of usage, assisting us in providing and hosting big family celebrations, with plenty of food preparations included for their successes. 

Thank you to our frying pan, about ten years old, for you too happen to be my dear, and lovely companion these days! I'm always doubling up the cooking, and enjoy two meals from one foodie making effort.  

- 8 - I'm thankful for Angie and Jane, owners of  the Etsy store called; "Jesse Tree Treasures" . These ladies sure do offer visually meaningful, and gorgeous handmade items, for families to use round the liturgical year.

I love this "Holy Week" set, complete with wooden tree, and scripture study for use with the meanings of each symbol dedicated and represented for use over the week. 

How rich our faith to be able to include these items in our homes, and how wonderful these sames items would be to tuck away into a bride-to-be's hopechest, or for any other type of vocation, for use in their own homes someday. There is something to say about providing the next generation with these types of rich liturgical offerings, especially for use with our future progeny, that makes the investment well worth its weight in gold. 

Thank you ladies!  

- 9 - I'm thankful for another great year with lots of time well spent taking our younger two skiing and snowboarding. Last July we purchased winter passes for a great preseason deal, for this new to us mountain instead of the last one, which obviously became the sole venue for this year's activities.  

Similar to the one we frequented last year, both are not far, just in different directions. The location was sure handy for taking in extracurricular moments, kids fast becoming completely rejuvenated, and better able to handle the assigned algebra for the day. (kidding) 

Everything in due season comes to an ending, and with spring's thaw rightly attempting to claim its grand return, these photos were all snapped on the mountain's very last day, before the "closed" sign was placed the following day, on the slope's chalet doors. 

  
With weather always permitting for slope actions, the hours spent in the great wintry outdoors, were greatly appreciated by all. This winter felt extra long compared to previous years, and perfect for all the shushing, jumping, and tricks one could muster on any given mom-designated "slope day". Plus, knowing so many others with yearly passes there like us, or meeting homeschooling or our church groups there for a day of camaraderie and fun, all only added to this year's enjoyable season. Goodbye winter 2013!

- 10 - I'm thankful for other people in our lives who have an obvious knack for getting to the point, and who mentor our children well in our absence. 

If this isn't stating a great fact at the barn, and if this great coach/owner didn't place announcements up like this on the communication board, guess who might instead be having to get after all the girls about important things like this over there? 

I love the mentoring, support, and guidance our two girls have been getting at this barn. I still feel it will be a sad day once September comes, and the barn as we know it, will experience forever changes.

Are you still with me? Thanks so much for reading, and for allowing me to share with you.

To me, only including ten things is so tough. There are hundreds of things I'm thankful for.

What about you?