Silver Linings

Soggy and Sluggish - this Spring of 2019!!!

It's been awhile since my last post - perhaps the sluggishness 

has settled in far too deep?

It's been the wettest and coolest Spring that I can remember

and just last evening the farmer finally was able to plant his fields.

I don't think it's ever been this late here on this farm!

He is relieved - to say the least.

My vegetable garden remains seedless and ironically this was the summer

we decided to stay home to do some serious gardening - sigh.

All is not lost, however ...

It's been a busy time in spite of the rains and there have been many

bright days with Silver Linings...

We have been blessed with an unusual number of orioles, red breasted 

gross beaks, and beautiful finches.

What a joy to watch them and to hear their happy singing.

Fresh Oranges and Welch's Grape Jelly are their favourites

Then off to our nation's capital, Ottawa, for the annual tulip festival.

Except that not many tulips were blooming yet.

We did find some early blooming varieties and enjoyed biking 

along the Rideau Canal.

Ottawa is a beautiful city any time of year or weather!

A great way to spend Mother's Day

with dear friends on the bike trail.

The raging Ottawa River - many floods along its way this Spring!

If you could zoom in closely you would see the bottom path that

goes around the back of the parliament buildings, was completely under water.

Historical Byward Market area in the city.

"Maman" in front of the National Gallery of Canada

Silver Linings?

When it's sprinkling outside,

one must put on an apron

and do some sprinkling on cookies!!!

And during the sunny breaks - do some perennial transplanting ...

Mr. Sun did come out to play at times.

The annual Mennonite Relief Sale saw a few peeks of sunshine

before the down pours ... but the rhubarb booth sold out

and oh, the quilts!!!!!! 

How I wish I had more time to sit and watch them all sold.

So many gorgeous and stunning pieces of fabric art.

The Silver Lining to this day was when the crowd stands to sing,

"Praise God From Whom All Blessings Flow" in four part harmony!!!

A long standing tradition just before the 125th quilt is sold - it brings tears to my eyes

every time!

We were blessed with a beautiful sunny Spring day (with a cool breeze) for our

Family Picnic in Stratford's Upper Queen's Park.

Sisters ...

And, this little sweetheart!

Then June arrived and so did my fragrant Lily of the Valley.

One of my all time favourite Spring flowers!

A Silver Lining to any dreary day...

In my Mom's vase. She always used it for this flower!
Today, June 13, would have been her 103rd birthday.

Then, the best part of all - my youngest niece's wedding day.

It was a beautiful day - we felt SO blessed.

Each and every one of my siblings and their spouses were in attendance

(a rare occasion indeed as one of my sisters lives in Northern Ontario and

doesn't make it to the South West very often).

I can't wait to see all the pictures ... here is a sneak peek of that 

beautiful sunshiny day:

My "baby" sister Evelyn and my BIL Richard, walking our youngest niece Elysia, down the grassy aisle!
Picture credit - our Becky.  God is Good!!!!

Our Becky!!

A commissioned butter lamb made the picture. It's a tradition and it's on Mom's bread plate!

Everything was perfect!

A Gerber Family Favourite - anytime, even after a huge wedding banquet!

Congratulations Elysia and Robbie!

We are all SO happy for you.

May God bless you in every way.

And so today, the rain has returned with gusto, 

leaving puddles and swollen rivers once again.

But, we will not fret, for many Silver Linings are sure to be in store.

Summer is just around the corner - right?

Till next time - enjoying each day - rain or shine!
And ------ WTG Raptors - history is made!!!! Talk about Silver Linings!!!

Spring Joy!

Our sweet boy, Sullivan James

turns ONE today!!

The time has gone by so quickly.

Sully you are a joy and you delight our hearts every day.

We thank the Lord each day for you and for your amazing big sister, Noa.

How did we even ever deserve this? God is so good!

We love your sunny disposition,
your warm snuggles,

your sparkling blue eyes,
and everything about you!

May God bless you and keep you - we love you Sully Bear!

Photo credits go to Sully's Daddy!!!

Till next time ..... Counting our blessings and wishing you much Spring Joy!

Maple Surple Time

Spring is in the air.

We know this:

Because it's Maple Sugaring time!

One of our favourite producers

here in our neck of the maple woods!

Apparently this has been an exceptional year

 (due to the extra warm and long summer of 2018 and perfect mild days and frozen nights this Spring?).

Because the Stratford Swans have been "piped"

and marched down to the Avon River!

Guided to the water by their elderly "keeper". A wonderful annual Spring ritual!

Best Swan Parade viewing spot!

Because the Pussy Willows are in bloom!

The farmer picked a huge bouquet for me.

Because the chives have grown an inch in the last

two days!

Because there's an urge to make Mom's special Fett Kucha (donuts) to dunk into that sweet maple syrup!

(A Swiss Mennonite Easter traditional treat - at least it was in our family)

My sister's picture is below ... she has inherited Mom's good cooking genes!

Fett Kucha by Evelyn

Because Easter preparations are underway!

Onion skins are being collected to colour the "bunny eggs".

Dinner plans for the Easter Ham menu.

Family gathering plans.

Our hearts are being prepared for this very special upcoming Holy Week.

Because the butter lamb carving needs to be put on the to do list!

The 2017 Easter lamb!

and oh so many other signs of Spring!

Even though, the temperatures are still staying quite cool

and the weather forecaster has threatened more possible snow flurries on the way.

Till next time ...... how are your Easter preparations coming along? What are some of your family's traditions? Has Spring arrived where you are?

Lambs and Lions

March slipped in like a lamb ...

and is roaring out like a lion!!!

It seems true what they say - the farmer's Almanac that is.

During all that "Marching" - so much has happened here on this old farm.

The month literally slipped by SO quickly and Spring is on our doorstep.

I have been totally unsuccessful in slowing down time.

Baby Sully turned 11 months old - what!!!!??

He's so sweet, cuddly, and loves to feed himself - with a good appetite I might add!

Always "dressed for dinner" in his tux bib!

We love him to bits.

Noa is growing like a weed and lights up our days with her delightful

stories, love of bird watching, playfulness, and sweet manner.

She can identify so many birds and loves to sit by the window watching them at the feeders.

"Cardnails" are her favourite!

We planted some Tomatillo and Ground Cherry Seeds.

That's what you do in March right?

The Tomatillos sprouted very quickly and have become long a leggy - not sure they will survive till planting time but at least we tried.

Hoping to grow some so we can make the special green sauce we learned to make in Mexico last month.

My baby sister Evelyn's baby girl Elysia is getting married so we had fun

showering her last weekend.

She is the youngest of 24 nieces and nephews.

It was a beautiful day and the room was filled with love and family!

Sisters, sister-in-laws, daughters, nieces and great nieces

Congratulations to the happy couple.

(Elysia is in the middle of the bottom right picture of the collage)

L-R My niece Chrissy, my sister Marie (wearing red and tan top), flanked by her two granddaughters and daughter-in-law, my youngest sister Evelyn (mother of the bride), and Ruby (mother of the groom) - watching the opening of the gifts.

The snacks and nibbles were delicious but the star of the table was

the "Mennonite Girls Can Cook"  party sandwich loaf.

It was posted quite some time ago - click on this link

and I've made it several times!

I adore the recipes and the ladies who have posted them on their blog website

Mennonite Girls Can Cook

and in their much treasured cookbooks!

Another sure sign of Spring was the sighting of a flock of migrating Tundra Swans in a 

field just down the road.

Today, I write this summary of March whilst waiting for a batch of

Mom's Coffee Cake dough to rise.

Hope it turns out - her's was the best.

Trying to chase the Lion part of March away - it's raining and threatening to snow.

The farmer has a nice warm fire glowing and we're staying in tonight.

All is well.

Till next time ... how is your Spring springing?

Main Course Cabbage Soup

It has been my privilege to be on our church's

food committee for the past several years.

Sometime's it's a lot of work but there are always so many

wonderful folks who step up to the plate

to volunteer their time and talents in this department!

Today we served a luncheon to our local ESL

(English as a Second Language)

ladies and their preschool children

who meet weekly on Thursdays to learn English

and have some much needed time with their peers.

These dear ladies belong to local Old Colony Mennonite churches

and many have come directly from Mexico.

They speak Low German and are eager to learn English and other

skills such as computer work, self care, and all the things 

that come with living in such a different environment and location!

Peeking into the Nursery Class 

window where games are

played, stories are read,

and lots of fun is had by all,

while mom's are learning

English!

Teaching and Learning

Our food committee serves lunch to this program a few times a year.

Today our menu was Cabbage Soup, dinner rolls, cheese slices,

raw veggies and cupcakes. 

A simple but wholesome and delicious lunch.

The recipe we used was from our sister church's cookbook,

Family Favourites - Mapleview Mennonite Church,

 and was submitted by Idella Leis, a former well loved

pastor's wife at that church.

If you need a delicious hearty large pot of soup - try this one!

Main Course Cabbage Soup

(serves approx. 10 people)

1 lb. hamburger

1 medium onion – chopped

½ Cup Diced Celery

½ Cup Green Pepper

2 Tbsp. Oil

2 tsp. salt

2 Tbsp. sugar

¼ tsp. black pepper

½ tsp. paprika

1 28 oz. (796 mL) can of diced tomatoes

4 Cups hot water

2 cubes or sachets of Beef Bouillon

2 Cups Diced Potatoes

1 Cup Diced Carrots

3 Tbsp. chopped parsley

7 Cups coarsely chopped cabbage (packed)

Brown the beef, onion, celery and green pepper in oil until all redness is gone. Add all the ingredients except the cabbage. Cook for 1 hour.

Add the cabbage and cook for an additional hour.

Beautiful voices in prayer before the meal.

Kudos to Shirley Bauman and her team for organizing this worthwhile program!

How was your Family Day?

Ontario celebrated this day on Monday and we had some

fun sledding down the barn hill ...

Here is the link to the video

(Blogger doesn't seem to like videos so I've made a Youtube one too):

https://youtu.be/QOQEBDiFFTs

"There she goes"

Till next time ........ stay warm and healthy. Spring is on it's way, right!?

Hola Guayabitos!

Hola from Rincon de Guayabitos, Mexico 2019

We made it back to this "laid back" Mexican Fishing Town

after 7 years!

It's changed a bit but thankfully not too much.
Here is a link to 7 years ago!

Staying at the DeCameron, Los Cocos all inclusive resort made for

a relaxed Winter Get-Away.

Walks on the beautiful beach, no cooking, reading, and eating

3 square meals a day - oye!

While there, we took a Casa Cooking class in Betty Nunez's cozy kitchen in La Penita, 

a town adjacent to Guayabitos.

She taught us and our travel mates how to make the most delicious enchiladas

served with authentic sauces of green tomatillos and red plum tomatoes.

She also made and shared a family recipe of Guacamole - what a treat!

Thanks Betty - you are amazing.

Here we are enjoying  a home-made Mexican dinner. 

Guacamole made in the traditional molcajete (mortar & pestle)

Each day our beds were made, our room was cleaned and there

was some "towel art" left on our bed!

How do the maids do this?

  

While hearing reports from home

of -20C's or more, we enjoyed +20C's here!

Bedtime came early for us most nights but we stayed awake long enough to view the lunar eclipse on January 20th.

There was a surprising extreme high tide the next morning on our beach walk,

all due to the full moon eclipse?

We had early morning walks on the beach each day, where the fishermen

sold their daily catches,

enjoyed the buffet of foods at the resort and tried to get "our" same table

and waiter every meal.

Selfie lessons needed!!!

The Monday market shopping in the town square was so much fun.

Bought some great sun dresses (Mexican made by two sisters - TY Bikinis),

 and gifts to take home. The "TY" booth was always packed with women trying on dresses

as the men stood back in the shade.

Thankfully we had lots of suitcase space to take home our treasures.

La Penita also has a fabulous market on Thursdays and there we had a good feed

of fresh made churros (deep fried long donuts rolled in sugar - oh yum).

I need to learn how to make these!

This resort and area seems to attract mostly Canadians and lots from the Western Provinces.

We visited with some friends that we met here in 2012 who hail from Saskatoon area

and now rent a bungalow for 6 weeks in town. So great to see them again.
(I missed getting a picture of them - Ev and Leonard)

Many folks come year after year to this wonderful place.

Good times were had with our "old" friends forever from home!
Gary and Anita

Our meeting place! Let's do this again some year.

Till next time ....... Adios and stay warm!

And so that was Christmas!

If any readers are still out there,

forgive me for I'm feeling compelled to document

part of November and December of 2018

for my own records .......

I realize how sparse my posts have been and

literally have to look back at any pictures I took during the

last 4-6 weeks to simply even recall what has happened.

(hope I took enough to jog the old memory - eek)

We've been busy - need I say more?

A Condo Renovation - stay tuned.


Our sweet grandgirlie's first hair cut!

Our handsome grandbabie's first Christmas!

He is simply the sweetest little thing! (#vintage diaper panties)

A Christmas Eve Facetime Scavenger Hunt with Auntie Kira.

It was so sweet to watch as she followed the instructions to discover hidden treasures throughout the house!

Super creative.

A postponed Christmas dinner, due to sick children

and after several trips to the emergency dept.

(one with pneumonia, no less, the other with a bad cold)

So thankful they are on the mend now.

Some memorable moments

(including another of Racheal's famous cakes and one "copy cat" for

my brother's birthday).

I too have completed another trip around the sun.

Can't even believe how many times I've done it!

Can it really be 67 times???? 

I love Christmas!!!

Till next time ...... Happy New Year and many blessings in 2019!! Stay healthy and happy.