Happy New Year!

Christmas Day! My mom and dad meeting their new great grandson for the very first time. Son Ryan lookin' a little weary.....
The three sheepies! The little one in the middle is Flannery, with Reilly on the left and Maggie on the right.

William...having a quiet moment...poor wee William has colic...momma and daddy aren't getting much rest I'm afraid...

Little Afton wanted a drink of juice and as I was getting it she plunked down almost on top of Reilly...looked so darn cute that we just had to have a picture!

The living room on Christmas Eve....all was quiet.....

Well Christmas Day has come and gone...and now today is New Year's Eve! Time to think about the year that has past and to think of what may come in the next year....This time last year we had no idea that the Lord would bless us with a brand new grandbaby...and even with the colic, he is just the cutest little guy....and thankfully colic does pass,..although I'm sure his mommy and daddy aren't convinced of that! My mom and dad are becoming more and more fragile...it fills you with apprehension when you think of the months to come......army son is no longer 'army' and has moved back home for a bit and is looking for a job to be able to put gas in the beast of a truck he drives..(also to support his brand new relationship with his very first serious girlfriend!).....and to move back out and get his own place......

Second eldest daughter moved out and got her own place and is hoping and planning for some positive changes this coming year....yea Lauren!

We wont talk about second oldest son but I do hope he manages to stay out of jail this year!

Third eldest daughter is suppose to take on a new co-op this coming semester...something new, in the health care system....it's all day and hopefully will result in a job that she can move to upon graduation this June!

Eldest daughter and I have a humongous decision to make as to whether we will continue leading the Sunday School program this coming year (September)...there have been some pretty rough stumbling blocks the last few months that have caused us to question whether someone else would be better for the position......

Praying that eldest son will get a teaching position this year and finish his dissertation...and graduate!!!! Yea!!! My son the doctor! (Years ago, when he was a teenager, he joked around when he filled out an application for a gas charge card and filled out the name as Dr. Ryan W..........., we all laughed at that at the time...seemed impossible...now, it's soooooooo close, you could touch it) C'mon Ryan, you can do it!

My family...some I haven't mentioned.....like Emma......frittering her school time away.....Megan and Ben......well, what's to say about Megan and Ben.......unfortunately not too much right now....except many people have been telling me that I need to get some respite from parenting them......sometimes the process of getting help is harder than just doing it yourself and putting up with everything.... We'll see.

And I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year: Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown. And he replied: Go out into the darkness and put your hand in the hand of God. That shall be to you better than light and safer than an known way.

~King GeorgeVI 1939 Christmas message.

Happy New Year everyone!

Good Morning Company Girls!

Rachel mentioned in her note today about Christmas memories and it got me to thinking....thinking about Christmases as a child...a couple of memories came to mind.....one was when I was quite young, probably about six or seven....I had gone to bed with a loose tooth....but when I awoke it was nowhere to be found! I was quite dismayed and upset..it was no where in my bed,..I must have swallowed it! My dad, now I really can't remember why he did this but he took me to the bathroom because just the thought of swallowing my tooth gave me a stomach ache...so, there we were Christmas morning, in the bathroom..my dad and I...I'm sitting there and my dad is keeping me company, holding my hand. My older sister had run downstairs and was so excited and kept running to the bottom of the stairs to tell me what was under the tree..I remember dad telling her not to do that,..to let me see on my own....when I finally got to go downstairs, I found that my sister and I had received new dollies from Santa...Betsy Wetsy dolls...you gave her a bottle and she wet her diaper! Mine had blond hair and my sister's had brown. I kept mine for years and gave it to my eldest daughter when she was a toddler!

The other memory was when my sister and I were older...probably into our teens...we'd always planned to get up in the middle of the night...my poor parents..quite often they would have just finally gotten into bed...and we'd sneak out of our bedrooms and when we got to the living room, we'd make all sorts of noise to wake them up! One year my dad played a trick on us...back then we ate a lot of potatoes.....no pasta or rice in our house growing up!......my dad bought them in 50lb bags........well, one Christmas Eve, my sister and I had gone to bed and woke up around 2:30 or 3 a.m.,.....we snuck to our bedroom door........slowwwwwwwly opening the door..as quietly as possible....when we both let out a humongous scream!!!!! My dad had tied the empty potato bag so it was hanging in front of our door! Dad was quite pleased with his joke and how he had finally gotten back at us after all those years of us waking them up in the middle of the night!

The funny thing is that my hubby is very firm about when our kids get up...it used to be 8a.m., but now it's 9 a.m.,.....the older we get the longer they have to wait! The one blessing with having teens is that they usually like to sleep in anyways!

Memories....they can be a wonderful thing....hope you and yours will be making wonderful memories this Christmas season as we celebrate the birth of our King!

Merry Christmas everyone!

A Few of My Favourite Things....

These are a few of my favourite things.......(cue Julie Andrews singing).... For the last few years we've gone tree hunting at this particular tree farm...the grandkids have had their pic taken each year...of course when we first started out there weren't that many..... :0) ...now, you have to admit that they are just darlin'...agreed?

Just after James cut their tree down.....

Paul and his girl Sara came tree hunting this year...Sara wanted a small tree for her bedroom....Paul was going for the northern lumberjack look!

There's hubby after he cut ours down...it's a fine specimen this year..if I do say so myself.....(of course I chose it)

Lauren and her beau Ryan cut theirs down...first time for Ryan and he wasn't exactly convinced it was a good thing...but he did just fine.

Jairus and Honour in front of our tree before hubby cut it down....

Now, we move onto my stay last week, up north, where they actually had 3-4' of snow!!!! This is the baby quilt that I made for little William....it's usually folded over him, keeping him snuggly warm in his wee bassinet....

William

William and I did a lot of cuddling last week....enjoyed every moment....

...being held by his papa when he came to fetch me home...although, the snow was so bad that they closed the major highway just outside of town and we had to spend another night in Parry Sound, Ontario!

Family Shot!

So there's some pics of what has been going on in our family the last few weeks! It's been a busy time....now, the crunch is on to get all the Christmas preparations done! A lot of work still needs to be done...even the tree isn't completely decorated yet....so far we've got the lights done......

a tree with just lights on is okay..isn't it? I mean..do we really need all the decorations?

He's Here!!!!!!!

This is William Ward Wettlaufer.....he decided to be a December baby and was born at 2:30 a.m. on December 1st.

A moment between new mom and dad.....

It all started on Monday morning...first hubby was up at 5:30 a.m. to leave for the airport on time to catch his 9:15 a.m. flight...we live about an hour or so from the airport......so it started out as a very early morning.

I decided to go to quilt class as usual because I knew that Jennifer was being induced, but I also knew that the method (applying inducing gel) was a very slow method. Returned from quilting in time for the kids to get home from school....Ryan had already texted me a few times saying that nothing really was happening.....
Around five o'clock, another text said the contractions were steady and they'd be having a baby that night. I texted hubby in California and he texted back that he thought I should go 'up'...Jenn and Ryan live about three hours north of us..hence the 'up'....well, I'm afraid that's all the encouragement I needed....fortunately army boy, (who hence forth shall be known as Paul because he's no longer in the army as of Monday morning) had just returned home and agreed to watch over the teens so they did not kill themselves or others in my absence!

So I left around 5:45pm, and unbeknownst to me there was a winter storm taking place just out of the city where Ryan and Jenn live!!!!!!! Ryan sent me a text...while I was driving....that I tried to read,..while I was driving....ya, I know....you don't have to tell me..I already slapped my own hand.....but it's really hard to pull over on a major multi laned highway to read a text....plus I didn't have my reading glasses on...just my distant ones...so I made out something about snow between a city called Barrie and their city...and to go slow.....well, after a detour to Vaughn Mills, the Bass Pro shop...to be specific...you see, when I had to change from one highway to the next...and I was just congratulating myself on this because there's about ten million lanes of traffic at this point...and I thought I was on the right one...but I looked up and it said I was suppose to be way over on the other side of all the lanes....too late....(hubby did say later that I probably would have been okay)...so I quickly took the next exit....and because I am woman, hear me roar...I stepped into the very first place to ask for directions...and use their facilities because I was desperate at this time....pressure has that affect, ya know......so the nice clerk at the Bass Pro shop, told me how to get back to the highway...unfortunately cause she lives around there she wasn't specific enough and I was wondering up this road, looking for the highway signs, when my cell phone rang...it was hubby, calling from California...I figured it was the Lord's doing cause I was just talking to myself and the Lord, wondering if I had made yet another wrong turn.....well, he stayed on the line (my cell phone bill's going to be humongous!) and helped me get back onto the major highway.

So, I'm just going along...at a steady 110 km/hr...roads were clear and good...no snow....further north I went the roads were wet from a light rain but no snow....I was just thinking to myself....well, this is good...I'm making good time.....just me and Andrea Bocelli singing his new Christmas album...well, that may have been a mistake.......when somebody is singing let it snow, let it snow, let it snow......well,maybe I should have put in a different c.d.!

About 40kms from Ryan and Jenn's town, the snow started.....I thought...'okay, here's the snow'...'I can do this'.....in a flash, it went from I can do this, to oh no, I can't see!!!!!! I had two vehicles behind me and none in front of me...the snow on the road was already thick enough that I couldn't see any road markings.....I was in a panic....hands clutching the steering wheel, leaning forward, trying desperately to see....anything....there was nothing...the odd time I would see a rutted tire track that hadn't filled in yet...mostly I just watched the roadside markers to try and stay on the road...I had no idea what kind of terrain was just off the road.....the snow was coming in huge flakes, hitting the windshield faster than my wipers could handle. ....and all the while good old Andrea kept singing merrily away....but I daren't even take my hands off the steering wheel for a second to shut it off.....finally, the exit came up for Ryan and Jenn's town and I slowly crept off the highway. At the first McDonalds I came to, I stopped and called hubby......who was enjoying himself at a bar-b-que in the nice California warmth!!!! Then, of course I had to visit their washroom....then on to the hospital....as soon as I could stop shaking!

When I arrived Ryan met me...we really weren't sure how this was going to play out cause of the H1N1 thing...they were suppose to be strict about visitors, but I pretended to be invisible and got in! Jenn and her mom were walking the hallways, stopping once in awhile for a contraction.....
We quickly got to to room that she was labouring in and I sat there, trying to be quiet as a mouse and invisible so a nurse wouldn't kick me out. I don't know if it was because it was later in the evening or what, but they let me stay....and about five hours later...I witnessed the birth of my grandson....we think he's a beauty! At first he cried some and then he just opened up those dark eyes and was looking around everywhere...Jennifer did an amazing job....she was very determined and tireless in her effort to bring forth her son.....I was very proud of her and my son, who stayed by her side, supporting her...he admitted that if it were him he thought he would just ask them to put him out....much more civilised!

So, there it is...my adventure into the wintery north.....(I will admit to being scared to come home when Ryan said it's like that on that stretch of road from now til spring!)..after 4 hours of sleep, and putting William's name on his quilt...I left the little town of Parry Sound and drove home.....the roads were clear and for the most part, dry.....I had been praying and I know others had too,...especially my worried hubby, thousands of miles away.....it's the first time that I've ever travelled so far, all alone.....on the way home I listened to Lonestar.....wasn't taking any chances!

Welcome to the family William...we're sure glad you're here!

A Week in the Life of....

Well, it's Monday morning and hubby has left me!....for the week....he's off to California..til Friday.....that's Friday people!!!!! Just me and my darling teens....who, when I turn my back try to kill each other at a moments notice....if any that read this are praying people I'd appreciate it this week! Hubby assures me that he really doesn't want to go...it's work you know....right....just as we head into the coldest weather...so far we've got away with light coats and jackets but this week we'll have to break out the warm woollies they say!

Baby Wett has decided that he needs a little encouragement to make his appearance..so son and daughter-in-law are headed to the hospital today for a series of induction applications...slow process to be sure....I think he just decided that he didn't want to be clumped in with all the eight November family birthdays and be born in December! There's only two in December plus Christmas!

Today is also the day that army son leaves the army for good...he's already moved a lot of his stuff home and later on this morning will say his final good bye to army life and squeeze the rest of his paraphernalia into our little abode. He has big plans that include, hopefully, becoming a police officer......hubby and I only want him to be happy, hopefully everything will go as he wants.

So, it should be an interesting week...can't say, except for meeting baby Wett finally, that I'm really looking forward to it....it's a heavy load when hubby's not here to share it. I'll let you know how it goes.

Special Places

This weekend I remember a sweet little boy...I didn't get to know him but he was very much like his big brother so I know that he is sweet. Three years ago my third grandson was born....but he was already with Jesus. There are certain songs that I hear at this time of year that remind me of him and I will admit, leave me in a puddle. "When a child is born" and "Please celebrate me home", are just two of them. I miss him on his birthday, I miss him at Christmas, I miss him at any family celebration really. I weep and grieve for what we were denied.

Special places in your heart...that's what they are......the wee ones that we never got to hold, never got to sing to, never got to laugh with....

I don't want to bring people down over this post, or upset them (Jennifer)........I just want everyone to realize that these wee ones were real, not to be hushed about, not to be forgotten...but to be validated. Validation is so important to a mother's heart.

Sweet Hayden and our little Leah.....nana and mommy love you and miss you.

This is my son Ryan and his wife Jennifer....and their dog Flannery....they are expecting their first baby any day now....although, personally I think the little guy will wait til next week.......but, anyways, for today we are celebrating Ryan's 33rd birthday!

Can you believe it? I can not. Where has the time gone! I remember his birth so well...a snowy winter type morning and my hubby arrived at the hospital,..it was about 5:30 a.m.....I was already awake...anxious about the day....hubby appeared in the doorway...snow all over his shoulders and a big grin on his face........it was a planned c-section because his older sister couldn't make her way out so they figured he'd probably have the same problem. I decided that I wanted to be awake...there was absolutely no way that I wanted everyone to know whether I had had a boy or girl before I did! (That's what happened when Leslie was born) So, I went with the epideral.....unfortunately...it didn't quite work...ya....you get the picture...burning pain when the incision was made...thank the Lord for local freezing! When they pulled Ryan out, of course I couldn't see because of the drape and back then, hubbies weren't allowed in the surgery..(poor guy was in the hall).....so, the doctor leaned over the drape and proclaimed.."it's a boy!" ...I was taken aback...I though for sure it was a girl...should have known with all the heartburn! I said 'what'...the doctor repeated himself....then they pushed the bassinet over so I could see and there he was lying on his tummy, knees pulled up, arms close to his chest....and he was making these mewing sounds...poor wee guy.....yanked out of his warm bed into the cold and bright lights!...and he's preferred his bed ever since! He wasn't impressed! He was only 6lbs. 7 oz.......

Fast forward 33 years later......and any day he'll be greeting his little boy.....new memories will be made.....'when a child is born'....

Happy Birthday Ryan!

The Millcroft Inn....ahhhhh!

Good Morning Company Girls!
Well, if you read my post last Friday I spoke about my hubby taking me to a special place for my birthday lunch. He wouldn't even tell me where we were going until we were almost there! At one point, he said we were going to eat in a pod! Well, that just brought up a ton of images in my head.....a little concern, which I didn't express, because I'm claustrophobic...good thing because it was nothing like I imagined. We left the house quite early so I knew we had a distance to travel...and we did..about an hour and a half...to ski country...of course there isn't any snow yet, so no skiing...but...it was a beautiful fall day as you can see by some of the pics.
This is the Millcroft Inn......and as the name suggests, it used to be a mill...many, many years ago. Do you see that bit of white in the pic...that's the tablecloth on the table that we sat at to have our lunch. That's what they call the pod!

When I sat in my chair, and looked straight ahead, this was my view. Doesn't it look so peaceful?

This was the view of the Inn from the non-creek side. It's a good thing we were only having lunch because we heard the rooms went for approx $400 a night!!!!!

That's me sitting in my chair...just relaxing...bliss....

A pic of the falls that I could see when I looked down....

Me!

A pic from the outside......

It was a lovely day.....after lunch we walked around the grounds a bit, then we went into the little town and toured another mill that had been turned into an artist's gallery and workshops.....

Then we came home because by that time the teens were home from school and we thought we'd better make sure they weren't killing each other.......then we went out to a movie after that...we saw Julie and Julia...yes, I know...it's been around for awhile but I really wanted to see it and fortunately I found a little theatre that was still showing it.

All in all, it was a very lovely birthday celebration!

Baby Wett still hasn't made his appearance yet......I hope he comes out soon! :0)

Life...isn't it a peach!

Life. Life gets in the way of true happiness sometimes. Oh my, that's truly profound isn't it....I am brilliant this morning....or just really tired...maybe I should stick with the tired. :0)

It was a crazy weekend. Hubby took me to my surprise lunch on Friday....we drove for about an hour and a half to this quaint little town called Alden to a place called the Millcroft Inn....haven't got hubby to put the pics on my computer yet...but I will...it was real pretty there...we ate in a little overhang called a pod.....it holds about 8 people.....it's right over a waterfall....very picturesque.....then we poked around the town a bit...bought some yummy Chelsea buns at a local bakery...then came home to check on our teens.....you see, we have to do that.....for the most part, they don't get along....they try to kill each other...I jest not....

Then we went to a very old movie theatre and saw Julie and Julia......I was really disappointed when I looked at all the movies playing at the big mega cinemas......nothing appealed to me so I was tickled when I found this movie playing at this tiny theatre...best part...the tickets were only $5!!

The next day, Saturday.....I was tired out from all our travelling and doing stuff the day before....I'm like that..it doesn't take much of doing different things to wear me out......so, it was a lazy day...til I decided to start working on Jairus' quilt top......it got to be a case of...okay...just one more block,...then ...well, I'd really like to see how this border looks...then, well.....I only have one border to go and it will be done....I just can't go to bed now...looking at the clock when I finally went to bed it was after 1:30am.....good grief...and I started out tired.

The quilt top is done! Once again, still haven't got pics on my computer to show you...(I really have to learn how to do this myself!)

Sunday was, of course, church....which for eldest daughter and I was MountainKids...that's what we call our Sunday school program....eldest daughter and I run it .....for the moment...we may give it up...some days these things just aren't worth the stress in your life, ya know what I mean?

We have two ladies who are 'greeters'...they mark the child present, give them their name child and in general 'welcome the child'.......well, after program started...I passed by them and they stopped me...they had 'attendance questions'......okay...soo...these ladies...bless their little hearts..have been doing this job for approximately 6 weeks....I've been doing this job for 45 years!! They proceeded to tell me that I've been doing my job wrong and they were surely right in their thinking of how it should be done.....oh my goodness......needless to say I left that little exchange in a dither.....just in time to go and teach my class of 10 year old boys! Have you ever taught a class of 10 year old boys? If you have, and are still sane...please...share with me your secret....because what little sanity I have left is slowly ebbing out my toes each time I'm there!

After church/Sunday school...we had play practice......something else daughter and I are crossing off our list for next year! Good grief....why do all the parents....that refuse to get involve and help always have the loudest....and I mean loud.......opinion on how it should be run. We are having a rather traditional type play and that involves littlest kids being sheep. Well, we thought that they'd be a lot more happy playing in the nursery until it was their turn to do their part...(rather than having them sitting, in the sanctuary while everyone went over their lines)...good idea, don't you think....absolutely not.... I heard rumblings from the parents, sitting in the foyer, not helping.....about 'why were they there...they could be home...this was ridiculous'...and so on.....so, it was finally the little sheepies turn and we called them in...they were to crawl around the shepherds and just be sheep like....the shepherds were visited by the angels and were 'sorely afraid'...they clutched each other and looked stricken...but as a group of boys are wont to do, they started moving and losing balance and almost stepped on one of the little sheepies...at that moment....mama bear of said sheepie comes roaring in from the foyer....hollers at eldest daughter and the rest of the cast about what nearly happened to her little sheepie...started directing cast members where they should be standing so this didn't happen again...then retreated to the foyer to grumble and complain to all the parents (who weren't helping) again!

Like one older lady of the church, who came across me after the 'attendance discussion' earlier said to me....You gotta just tell these people that if they're not for you, then just get out of the way!..I like that lady...she's a peach!

Then we left the church and went to a hotel where my grandson, that I don't see very often....(being the son of the son that I don't see very often probably has a lot to do with it)...well, it had been his 5th birthday a week earlier and his mom was having a birthday party for him (I told you that November was the birthday month in this family!) There's a pool at this hotel so that's why she had it there......we stayed for awhile then scadaddled home quickly because the rest of the family was coming over for my birthday dinner...everyone looks forward to it cause hubby orders Chinese food.....so that's what happened and 16 people ate up a pile of Chinese food and then had more birthday cake...my granddaughter was thrilled because she was getting two birthday cakes opportunities that day!

So...that was the weekend...and then joy of joys it was a P.D. day yesterday...that means that the kids get the day off school while the teachers have meetings. Well, I had an important meeting to attend all day yesterday...which had fantastic results.....and at that point....I will admit that I didn't care if the kids were home all day, killing each other.....yes, I know...I just lost mother of the year award.....you live with Megan, questioning every five minutes whether strawberries are too hard to eat with her braces but goes ahead and eats a crispy wonton chip....or saying 'why', to everything that I tell her no to, and you'd feel the same way too......trust me....

So, the rest of the week I plan on working on sandwiching Jairus' quilt and starting the stitching and waiting for grandbaby Wett to make his appearance....c'mon baby Wett!..nana wants to see you!

Another day, Another Birthday.....

Good Morning Company Girls!

Yesterday was the start of a new year for me...it was my birthday.....hubby had to work which is a little different then birthdays in the past. Quite a few of my birthdays have been spent wandering around a small town not to far from us called Niagara-On-The-Lake..it's close to Niagara Falls. It's a quaint little touristy old fashioned town, with many little shops that we enjoy poking around. Not to be yesterday.....it was impossible for hubby to take a holiday day but today is his official 'everyotherFridaydayoff' day...so we're suppose to be doing something today....hubby likes surprises and refuses to tell me where we are going...I'm just suppose to be ready to leave in two hours so I'd better get on my high horse and get a move on.

Yesterday was an unusual day......faced with a day of doing whatever I wanted to do......one of my quilting friends told me to make sure that I did something that I wanted to do...unfortunately, it wasn't something I could blog about...sorry, but suffice to say it was something that I've wanted to do for years....and I'm glad I did....then I went to Ikea and wandered around there....bought a new lantern and candle for the front porch..then I had to think of lunch.....quilting friend said...go out for lunch.....but where to go.....I don't ever go anywhere by myself....my parents had suggested that I go to this place where you get your meal for free if it's your birthday...I toyed with that idea but then I remembered that they also crowd around you and sing and clap to you and I really didn't want that....especially if I was by myself.....it had been on my mind all morning to give a call to second eldest daughter to see if she wanted to 'do lunch'...but I waited to long and she had to go to work....so...I went to a restaurant...by myself....I wish I had brought a book with me......now don't feel badly...it was surely an interesting experience......especially in the time frame of ordering and waiting for your meal...what do you do...where do you look.....I almost thought of cleaning out my purse.....maybe I had something buried in there that I could read...but alas, it's a small purse. It really did give you a taste of what a lot of people that are forced to regularly eat on their own, face on a regular basis. I will admit to being tempted to using the old 'it's my birthday' card to try and get some free chocolates that you'd get if you ordered 'the special'...(I didn't want the special, but the chocolates would have been nice)...but, I didn't.

Then I went on to the local mall, visited with second eldest daughter, who was working at the time....shhhhh, don't tell the boss.....(actually, he came by and shook my hand). I looked in all the stores for a new jacket...didn't find what I was looking for. I've really come to the conclusion that if Stacey and Clinton showed up with their $5000 card to buy me a new wardrobe that they'd get really frustrated with me since I really hate shopping! After that I came home to take Ben to his program. While he was in his program I took another look in some more shops...no luck...and then settled in to Tim Horton's with a cup of tea and this time, I brought a book and spent the rest of my time sipping my tea and reading.

When I got home, I had a bowl of cereal and then finished Baby Wett's quilt......just can't put his name on it yet, cause they wont tell me the name!!!!!! So, c'm on baby...anytime now...your quilt is ready!!!! Of course, everyone knows that's a prerequisite to being born! :0)

Oh...army boy is definitely getting out of the army...no deployment for him....now we have to find room for all his stuff.....including a lazy boy recliner....do you know how huge those suckers are??

So, I'd better get going...hubby will be saying that I need to stop blogging and get ready.....have a great weekend ladies!

Too much........

Okay...so a lot happened over the weekend.....some good...some not so good. There were many times that I wished that I had stowed away in my sister's car...she left on the weekend for a holiday in Florida.

Emma's party didn't turn out as horrendous as I had envisioned....unfortunately her school friends baled and didn't come....one of the church friends was iffy, and didn't end up coming and another church friend is on a hockey team and they had a game and then her dad didn't want to drive that much....so...just two girls came...but they did have lots of fun...making pizza and peroghies for their supper (I know, weird combination)...and icing cupcakes....(left my kitchen marked for a disaster zone....watched a movie that we heard them uproariously laughing over at times...all in all it went well...she was disappointed at the numbers but was pleased that everybody had a good time.

Saturday was a do nothing day...which suited me just fine...

Sunday was horrendous. We went to church. Eldest daughter and I run the children's Sunday school program, and it runs at the same time as the church service. There was a baby dedication yesterday and the parents of the baby asked eldest daughter to sing a solo.....dilemma...eldest daughter is required in our program at the same time...our minister said 'no problem'..have all the kiddies come into the service, witness the dedication then go back to their program...oh, and while they're there they can stand up in front of the congregation and sing a song...fine...done and done.....then we went back to the kids room where, instead of the usual lesson program we were packing boxes for Samaritan's Purse.... The last three Sundays have included a special program all about three different countries where Samaritan's Purse distributes their shoe boxes and the kids had been earning 'box bucks' so they could 'purchase' items to go into their boxes. Well, picture Christmas morning and multiply it by 40 kids and that pretty well sums up the packing time.......oh my goodness! The kids had a great time though and hopefully it made a positive impression.

Then we had lunch and stayed for Christmas play practice....our Christmas program is on the first Sunday of Advent, November 29th...so we need the practice!

After that, we raced home to put the finishing touches on the house before extended family members arrived for Emma's 'family' birthday party. On Saturday, all day,...Emma worked very hard making this cake...which there should be a picture of somewhere in this post.....not bad for her first effort! Soon family members arrived, stayed for a few hours and then left. Hubby made some supper for the ones that stayed (eldest daughter's family and us) then they left too.

After that we had a conversation with 'army son', by phone...who, apparently, I wont be calling him that for much longer. He's chosen not to re-enlist, and will be moving back home in two weeks and staying til he gets a job!!!!! It has been my experience...(with eldest daughter, eldest son and second eldest daughter and briefly second eldest son...that this situation is never good. They have lived outside 'the family' too long and have forgotten what it's like to live in a family. They don't tolerate us well and we don't tolerate them either...it just upsets the apple cart, so to speak....not good for relationships all around, really.

I was glad to get to bed last night....all in all, just too much in one day.

Emma is Sixteen!

Good Morning Company Girls!!

Do you remember that song from years ago...'What a day for a daydream'...well, I wish today was the day for that.....my goodness!

Emma will be sixteen this weekend....she has planned a birthday party for herself for tonight. Now, because we are a 'large' family over the years I've had to draw the line for the age when birthday parties stop....usually it is at the age of ten....but..... Since February Emma has been planning this party....first she wanted it in the summer.....an early birthday because she wanted a beach party....she set up the requirements for us agreeing to this...she would get over 80 in all her subjects! Well, hubby had a fit...there was absolutely no way he'd agree to that....but I quickly pointed out(out of earshot of Emma) that Emma barely passes most of the time....you see, she has good intention but lacks focus and soon loses her train of thot when it comes to school work.....she has boggled the mind of many poor teacher over the years! They beg her to hand in any work at all just so they'd have something to mark...anyways, I digress......I was positive the marks wouldn't be happening so I agreed. Needless to say...we didn't have a summer beach party.....

So, in August, she started to plan the one she is hostessing tonight......she's planned activities and games....she's invited about five friends from school and church...to be here all evening til 11 p.m.! We shall see how it goes but I'm sure she'll be happy with it because she has planned everything!

We shall also see how hubby and I survive a houseful of sixteen year old teenage girls for the whole evening!

On another note, with Emma....Emma has asthma (she also has many allergies) ......apparently one of the prerequisites for obtaining the H1N1 flu shot is having asthma...so the doctor's office called and wanted her to come in for it....so...yesterday, I took her there, sat for about twenty minutes in a 'germ filled' atmosphere..which I wasn't pleased about......only to have her finally called in and then come back out....'salmon...it has salmon'.....'what are you talking about?'....the needle...it has salmon....I'm allergic...I can't have it!' Good grief......I was not impressed!

Yesterday morning I spent the whole morning in the orthodontist office while Megan had her braces put on....I will admit that I've been waiting for this day since she came to live with us four years ago.....her teeth are really crooked....something could have been done by removing some when she was younger to make room ..but it wasn't....somebody dropped the ball back then and by the time she came to us it was too late. It's very difficult for her to brush her teeth and get them clean when the teeth are so crooked. So, yesterday morning, for 2-1/2 hours...she sat, while they applied the braces. I will not post a picture....I will not tell her...but it isn't a pretty site.....I hope she doesn't get teased at school today....she would be very upset.

So.....if hubby and I survive the weekend then I will talk to you next week...let you know how it all went.

Two weeks...give or take...till baby Wett! Yea!

...to remember me by.....

In our area , everyone seems to be affected by this H1N1 virus that's going around. Last weekend I had Ben in bed....we weren't too sure just what his problem was because when Ben gets a tiny thing wrong with him...well, let's just say that the world is coming to an end....and that's putting it mildly. Then during the week, Maya started to feel unwell....she kept taking Vitamin C but continued to get worse...by yesterday I kept her home...now, it wasn't the virus but it was definitely something so I kept her home for the day....which she chafed about all day...but her voice sounded like a shadow of it's former self and I figured others really wouldn't want her near......she took Cold FX, Vitamin C, Tylenol.....I made her gargle with warm salt water......which she hated.....I made her drink water, juice and her favourite Lipton Chicken Noodle soup......all day......it's one thing to make them do all this when they're little but when their taller than you and bigger than you....well....it's just different....but she complied because she really wanted to go back to school...yes, she wanted....go figure.

The problem with this stupid virus scare is that any other time you'd say, 'you just have a cold, you're fine'...but now , in your head, you're saying is it a cold or is it the dreaded virus....oh no,..what to do and you start second guessing yourself.

This morning, she got up...sounded much better and I knew she was intent on getting back to school....I insisted she take more Cold FX, Vitamin c ...and the dreaded gargle with salt water before I would let her leave the house....but leave she did.

Now, second eldest daughter called the other morning, sounded like she was at death's door.....she had all the classic symptoms of the H1N1...but she works at a drug store...the next best place to pick up the virus ..right up there with the doctor's office.....when they are older like that you are kinda torn.....not sure if you go over and mother them.....or just give verbal instruction....drink lots, gargle with salt water, rest......or do you go over there...but then do you just carry the germs back and forth from the two homes .......since Ben had already been sick, Maya was in the midst of something and Megan was starting to look like a dying duck in a thunderstorm........so I made the decision not to go to her house. It was not without a lot of guilt but I was hoping that her boyfriend would be there for her, when I couldn't. (he's usually there anyways).....I think he was...he's a pretty good guy. It's hard when they're all grown up and have partners...you're just not sure what your role is anymore......

Today is hubby's 'everyotherfridaydayoff' day.....I call them DDO.....Don's Day Off......I'm trying to convince him that we should go to Costco and get some Christmas shopping done......for some, I know it's early..but......when you have 9 kids (12 counting in-laws), one serious girlfriend, 6 grandkids, parents and mother-in-law to buy for......well, I have to start early.....especially, since we only have 3 weeks to go...before baby W is due to be born....I'm almost done his quilt...I finished the hand stitching last night and now just have to get the binding put on and it's finished!!! Then I can start eldest grandson's quilt...I have the material all washed and ready to cut! When his is done then I'll have all the grandkids done! Yea! Some of my kids have had their noses out of joint cause the grandkids got their quilts before them......I figure if the Lord allows me time and ability to do quilts for them all ...then I'll be very happy....something to remember their mom by.....even if I can't be there for them all to make chicken soup when they're feeling lousy! :0)

Ryan and Jennifer....

I probably should have asked for permission...but....I didn't....in fact I didn't think of that till blogger was uploading/downloading,whatever it does...them.....

Eldest son was down this weekend...Ryan had some conference that he had to attend for his church........his poor wife was home fighting off a virus...one of the twenty million that are going around.....she would have loved to come but I think she also was grateful for the quiet cause Ryan brought the puppy with him. While Ryan was here he used my computer to check a disc of pictures that were taken of them two weeks ago and my computer automatically imported them....there were many....many.....but I chose a few.....of course the pup, Flannery is part of their family now so she got in on the deal.....

Ryan and Jenn are expecting their first child next month....we are all very excited.....ultrasounds say it's a boy....but they wont tell us the name!!!!!!..oh well, something needs to be a surprise.......when Ryan left last night I told him that he must call as soon as labour starts..even though it's the first and it will take awhile.....it's at least a 3 hour drive to where they live......I've been there for all the other grandbabies births...I really want to be there when this little guy comes out...if at all possible!

Counting down the days!

Life Choices ~

Well, it's the end of the week and I, for one, am very glad that it is. Way too much going on this week....I must be getting old.....ever wish for a little place in the country that you could just hide out at? Then again, that's probably not good for me considering that seems to be the reason that I'm not suppose to live past 83! Yes, yes, I know you wonder how I know that...well, in all my driving that I was forced into yesterday, when I took Ben to his social program for delayed kids, then went to Maya's basketball game, so she could have a ride home (and I got to see the last half of the game...it wasn't pretty), then on to the highschool to have seven parent teacher interviews from 5:50pm to 7:00pm, then back up to the 'mountain' to pick up Ben from eldest daughter's house, cause she picked him up from his program for me because I haven't figured out how to clone myself yet to be in two places at once-whew!.....say that all in one breath! Well, in all that driving I was listening to John Tesh and he said about this web site you could go to if you wanted to calculate your life expectansy...well...usually I avoid those kind of things...like the television ad for Alzheimer's..the one that tells you to go to this web site and do a test to see if you are a candidate for it?.....well, my paternal grandmother had Alzheimer's...not very nice and secretly I've always been a little terrified of ending up with it..so I don't go to that web site.....but...apparently this site is designed to get you to change some of your life habits so you can live longer....so I did the test! They deduced from the questions that I answered that I need more friends...that this social interaction is important for my well being and to live longer! Son of a gun! They do have a point, I guess....I don't have any 'girlfriends' that I hang out with, sister and I do somewhat but heck, we both live busy lives....other women, my age, are looking at retirement and not still raising four teens...plus, because I was so busy raising kids, relationships like that kind of fell to the wayside ...you know, if you don't use it, you lose it.....
but that little hideout in the country is appealing........

Would you take a test like that....don't get me wrong, I do strongly believe that my days are already written down, the Lord knows exactly when I will meet up with Him...but it was kinda interesting...and it did bring out the friendship thing, something that's been niggling in the back of my mind for years....

What about it...would you?

Irish Quilts and Donneybrooks!

Yesterday was a wonderful day....until I got home...but first the day...

Some time ago an older lady from the church who has been such a friend to me invited the ladies from our quilting group to attend a quilt show with her. My sister and I were the only ones that were able to go and Marilyn just squealed in delight when I said that we would go....she really is a sweetheart...anyways....when we agreed I really had no idea of the schedule for the day. First of all we had to meet the coach bus......ya...I went on a bus....haven't been on a bus since before I was married and had to take a coach bus into the city every day to go to work......and I don't want to seem coach bus snobbish...but......I much prefer my own vehicle.....you know...leave when I want to leave....stop for a snack or washroom break when I needed to...not when it was scheduled for 50 women to stop.......you must visualize the picture here people......50 women + one Tim Horton's + one washroom with three stalls!!!!!!....ya, I think you get my drift.......so we had to meet this coach bus at 7:45am!!!! ...which means that I got up at 6 a.m.,...the middle of the night.....(hubby argued with me on this point but I firmly maintain that if I'm still in bed and it's still pitch black dark out...then obviously it's the middle of the night! So, we boarded the bus, made one rest stop along the way and arrived at our destination around 11 a.m. The community centre was filled with quilts from Ireland...being of Irish descent is the reason why it caught the interest of sister and I. The quilts were very beautiful.....sister got many ideas for changing, once again the quilt she's presently designing....we had lunch...looked some more.....but we were finished about 2-1/2 hours before the bus was ready to leave....another drawback of not having your own vehicle. By this time sister and I were definitely flagging as our energy just seeped out our toes....but finally the bus was ready to leave. On the way home we made a stop at a Swiss Chalet restaurant and had a lovely chat with some ladies that we hadn't met as of yet....they almost convince me that joining their guild would be a fun thing...but that would be an evening out.....which, I will explain in a minute why that would be a problem!

So we arrived back in the city about 8:30 p.m. and then sister had to drive to her place and then I drove home....and was met by four teens all tattle tailing at once...even the two dogs stuck to me like glue when I walked in the door, as if they too were trying to tell me about all that had taken place...(it really is too bad that they can't talk because I might have got the whole truth from them!)

Apparently, youngest daughter Megan had a huge blow up....not quite sure what triggered it yet....but the blow up included hitting, scratching kicking...not only her siblings but the dog, breaking things as she threw them at sibs and pushing furniture over.....this is the abbreviated version....I'll spare you the details...(I wish that I'd been spared).....so, you can see why that since hubby teaches 3 evenings a week, I really think that it's unlikely that I'd be able to attend a guild meeting.....sigh....it would have been nice I'm sure.

When I agreed to go on this little day trip I didn't figure on arriving home so late and the kids being at home for as long as they were...normally, one would be able to leave a 14, 16, 17, and 18 year old for a few hours but in this family that would be a loud resounding NO!

...it really was a lovely day.....

This week....

Good Morning Company Girls!

Well, the weather has turned quite coolish in this part of Canada.......considering how weird our summer was, I guess I shouldn't be surprised that Fall/Autumn only lasted about a week! Today my kids wore their winter coats and mitts to school! This is not fair!!! My least favourite season is winter and here we are in the middle of October and the weather guy is mentioning snow! Snow, people!!!! A bit much I'd say!

Today is second eldest son's 26th birthday. This guy is one messed up person. He came to live with us at the age of 2-1/2 after being in five other foster homes. When he was three, he nearly drowned...well actually he did drown...he just didn't die. Eldest daughter, who had taken him to the beach, found him face down, spread eagle in the water where we camp....she gave him C.P.R. and the life guards from the pool that was close by the beach, came and helped. He was a fortunate little guy. A couple of years later, he became available for adoption. Quite frankly we really didn't know whether we were the right parents for him. The Children's Aid agency who we fostered for, looked everywhere for another family...you see, his birth parents were born in Morocco, and as such he wasn't considered Caucasian...plus his family was(is) Muslim...we are Christian......the agency found no one.....Muslim people are very particular about 'the blood'...they don't adopt other people into their family who aren't blood related. At this same time, we were trying to adopt a little girl that came to our home as a new born just three months after this toddler came......... a social worker told us...'you might adopt one,...you'll never get two'....well, the adoption papers were finalised for both kids just two months apart. This also made us a trans-racial family...which came in handy later on, when we wanted to adopt a little bi-racial girl that came into our home when she was just 3 days old.

As this little boy grew, it became obvious that he had a number of problems...at the time he was diagnosed with ADHD. It wasn't until he was in his late teens that we realized that it was really FASD....Fetal Alcohol....his mother had consumed alcohol while pregnant with him and damaged his brain...permanently.

We tried to help him in many ways,....counsellors, therapists, doctors...even an expensive place for teens down in the states...to no avail......by the time he was 18 he was living on the streets, going from one place to the next.....involved in drugs and drinking. Every once in awhile when he was desperate for a place to sleep he would show up and we'd make up the couch for the night.

Five years ago, he fathered a little boy......a cute little guy who sounds amazingly like he did when he was that age.....we see him from time to time.....

Last Saturday our son showed up for an hour or so before Thanksgiving dinner...he hadn't communicated with me after I invited him so he didn't know the time of the dinner and he had to leave before most of the relatives arrived. This morning I sent him a text message to wish him a Happy Birthday...I asked him if he was at home so I could bring his gift around........he didn't reply.........maybe I'll just save it for Christmas.

Thanksgiving '09

This was the 'adult table'....it actually had a lot more people than the pic could hold......there were 17 here..... This was the 'kids table'.....with 10 kids from age 4 - 18.......of course little Verity strikes a fabulous smile!....and Honour....has that..'what are you doing look'.... :0)

Lauren....pretty as a picture...my second oldest girl....Maya, to the left...she's number 3!

This is army boy's girl...her name is Sara,....this was her first 'big family function'...brave girl...she handled herself well....

Eldest son and my brother-in-law,..actually he's my hubby's twin brother..holding the new pup...

Some of the family........

...another family shot.....

...and here's Flannery.........

...isn't she a cutie!???

.....our female Maggie, brought out her mothering instincts....

Well, Thanksgiving is done! Well, actually, officially...it's tomorrow...but...since we had our big dinner yesterday than ours is done....today we are recuperating and hubby is doing the last of the kitchen clean up.....me...I'm completely wiped. Two people weren't able to come...eldest daughter was still sick so her husband and our grandkids came without her and one of the nephews had to work...so that left 27 to sit down for a full turkey dinner with all the trimmings!

I cooked a 24 pound turkey...the gravy turned out perfectly, if I do say so myself,....mashed potatoes..eldest son threw me a curve by putting garlic in the potatoes when he was mashing them, peas, carrots...yummy sweet potato casserole that eldest son made, stuffing and homemade cranberry sauce (thank you Barb) and rolls. For dessert there was pumpkin pie, harvest berry pie, apple pie, cheesecake, and banana chocolate loaf cake...throw in ice cream and whip cream to compliment and you have our Thanksgiving dinner '09.

People started arriving around 2 p.m. and the last left about 9:30pm.....doesn't seem like many hours ....but...I will admit to being tired when everyone left.

So, as you can see..I've posted a few pics...added some of the new puppy that eldest son and his wife have , she's a cutie so I thought you'd like to see her...her name is Flannery!

So, tomorrow I'm hoping for a quiet day...we'll see.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Good Morning Company Girls!

This weekend in Canada is our Thanksgiving weekend. I really like that our thanksgiving is in October (please don't be offended it you're an American and reading this).......we have a huge turkey dinner and since it's in October, we have to wait two and a half months til we do it all over again at Christmas! Yes, I must admit that I don't do the big turkey thing more than twice a year...why?....I have no earthly idea.....it's not like it really is more work than the other big meals that I prepare for a large number of people.....but....I just don't. It does require a little more preplanning....for instance, we've had this humongous turkey sitting in my fridge, thawing since last weekend. Today, I have to go and buy the rest of the food that will hopefully feed the 29 people that are suppose to be sitting at three different tables tomorrow , in my house.

Eldest daughter came down with the stomach flu yesterday so I certainly hope they're able to come tomorrow....it wouldn't be the same without them and especially the four little grandchildren that come with them! Other grandchild is way up in northern Canada for the weekend with his mommy's family...and oh, yes...there's still one grandbaby to come...but he's still enjoying the warmth and security of his mommy til he's born next month! His mommy and daddy ...well, they're the ones that got the new puppy a few weeks ago....go to this blog to see....http://juniper23.blogspot.com/........new babies and puppies...nothing better! Then there is army boy and his girlfriend, second eldest daughter and her boyfriend...second eldest son was invited but he has not replied so I guess he's still angry with me and wont be coming......

The rest of the group is my husband's side of the family...usually we get together at Christmas but this year hubby's twin brother, wife and kids plan to be in Florida at that time, as well as hubby's sister. My dear mother-in-law wanted to have a family gathering sometime so this seemed the most logical.....

So, I must get going...get on my high horse and do a lot of cleaning and shopping to ready everything up for tomorrow!

I pray that you all, whether you celebrate this weekend or in November, to please have a wonderful Thanksgiving, where you can praise God from whom all blessings flow...because without Him there would be nothing to be thankful for.......

My daughter says I speak with a southern accent...weird I know......so...

Happy Thanksgiving, y'all!!!!!

This Job.....

She stood at the foot of my bed this morning...she had questions about her brain. She had listened in to a conversation between the pediatrician and I the other day....how we were talking about her delays and why this had possibly happened to her. Sometimes you wonder if doctors ever use their brains when they speak in front of the child, forcing you to answer questions that you don't want to answer in front of the child....so this morning she wanted to know about her brain.....this brain that has been working for over 14 years....not well but working. She wondered why her brain was bad.....I quickly said and had to repeat myself several times in our short early morning conversation....your brain is not bad....your brain was damaged before you were even born...it is not bad. Over fourteen years but developmentally it stopped at age three.....then she asked about her heart....she was born with a heart that didn't work properly....she had three surgeries...one when she was just a few days old....'well, if they could do surgery to fix my heart, cant they do surgery on my brain?', she asks.....'no, I'm afraid not...there isn't any surgery that can fix your brain'......I know what she's thinking...babies...she wants babies....I've had to tell her that she cant have babies....she wouldn't be able to look after them......and then it comes out...'so I cant have babies?'...'no, I'm afraid not'.....'will my sisters be able to have babies?'...'yes, they will'.......

I hate these conversations.........as the mother, I'm the one that has to dash their hopes, their dreams...when they were little you could listen to what they said and smile and say 'maybe...we'll see'...knowing in your heart that it wouldn't happen.....but when they're little you can 'put them off'....delay the hurt....as they get older you cant..... When the 18 year old who is really 6 years old in his comprehension, wants to get his driving licence,...you have to gently say no...that's not going to happen...you have to find the words to explain the why...words that they will understand but hopefully not hurt...but they do,...they always do.....

....there are definitely parts of this job that I hate.....