Vickie Fears & I had a friendly blogging competition on who could eliminate the most underground varmints in a year.Vickie and her family farm suffer terribly from the devastation groundhogs cause, and my husband and I ( and our property) suffer from mole destruction. Please do not take this lightly because it is pretty bad. Anyway, Vickie Fears is a fearsome ( pun intended) foe of the varmints and she won 2 years in a row. I intended to send her a prize and she told me "no", she was sending me a prize for being such a good loser. I like the sound of that...being a good loser, well, if that includes a prize I can deal with it. Little did I know that when I opened my prize I would cry because it was so perfect, and so precious.Look at the ink & watercolor above I received in the mail from her.How did you know Vickie, that this would mean so much to me? Vickie, you truly caught the spirit of Abel here and also, you portrayed the eyes of a ram perfectly, a feat I do not see often. The eyes of a sheep or goat are hard to capture just right, but you did!
Abel was a ram I loved, a triplet lamb from my very first Jacob sheep, Joy. Joy died of old age ( 17 years old) in our garden, and Abel was a very good ram who never displayed the bad behavior rams are notorious for. Abel also seemed to be constantly adorned with greenery in a way no other ram I have ever had has displayed.Most of the sheep I have now are in some way related to Joy & Abel, and I appreciate them more now as the years have gone by .Vickie, I do not think I can adequately express how much your gift / prize has touched me, and how much of a treasure it already is. Thank-you, very much.Please check out Vickie Fear's blog* and be sure to click onto her web-site showing her art.
My box of goodies from a Secret Santa arrived! Suzanne Melkoski * ,( Colorado Lady) hosted and coordinated this blogging event and I thought it sounded like fun.She assigned each of us a fellow blogger to send a package to. We were not to reveal who we were, the package is from a SECRET Santa. Since I did not know the lady to receive a package from me I had to read over her blog to figure out what she might like, and this was fun. Kind of like being a detective, a mystery. Suzanne also e-mailed each of us a list of likes from the person we were to gift.That helped a lot.I hope the lady who received my package was as pleased with hers as I am with mine ~ Blizzard my cat made sure he was comfortable under the wrapping paper he shredded as he watched me unwrap and ooh & ahh over my goodies.
Look at how clever my Secret Santa is. The gifts came wrapped and numbered, each with its own note. "It's all about the Christmas cheer. This little box that we have here. I hope you do enjoy the gifts, Ive sent you for your spirit to lift." ~The gifts did indeed lift my spirit!
"I know you like a cup of tea, or tea for two as the case may be. The cups are pretty, vintage too, This first little gift from me to you." Oh the teacups are exquisite. I will do a Teatime Tuesday post very soon featuring these precious teacups made in Occupied Japan, yes, they are vintage!
"And what is tea without a treat, some Finnish bread for you to eat. My Grandma's recipe, I did bake. Called "pulla", sort of tastes like cake." ~ My Secret Santa BAKED bread for me !Isn't it beautiful bread? It smells so yummy , perfect for breakfast this morning.
"And then of course, what good is tea without a bit of sweet you see. Some M & M's , the almond kind I heard that you had these in mind." ~Oh yes, I did, I did! I ate most of these right away too.
"And if you're hungry after that, Then take your coat, take your hat, And off to eat egg rolls and test your Chinese at the Panda Express." ~ I will, very soon!
Don't you love GOOD surprises? Unexpected gifts in the mail are GOOD surprises!
I received this elegantly beautiful teacup from LindaSue of Buhl-a-land*, The cup and saucer are made by Royal Grafton, the pattern is 'Majestic'. I think the name fits, the color is a rich red embellished by gold, on white. Perfect especially for the Christmas season~
LindaSue writes a delightful blog about the life she shares with her beloved husband and their animals in Texas. She says life is always good on Buhl-a-Land* because of God's abundant blessings!
Another gift arriving by mail is a lovely miniature of 'The Old North Church' , made for the New England Village Series, in 1988. I received it from Mildred at Mildred's Photo For The Day* , and it is very special as it once belonged to her beloved Mother. Mildred knew I would appreciate it after reading another Tea Time Tuesday post in which I featured this church on one of my teacups. You can click here to read it, Liberty Blue Tea Time*. Mildred is a very special and sweet lady who shares her life with her beloved husband , 3 cats, and Harriet...although Harriet is a dog, she is not JUST a dog. You have to read Mildred's blog to know a bit about Harriet! They live in a beautiful home called The Circle Of Love.
I made an Oslo Kringle (recipe here*) and had a few pieces with my tea while I thought about the Christmas decorating and gift wrapping. I really do like this time of year. Oslo Kringle is very easy to make, especially if you need a quick and tasty treat to serve unexpected guests. The candy kisses and sprinkles are optional, but so festive, don't you think?
Thank-you Mildred and LindaSue, for your thoughtful gifts AND especially your friendship!
~Hubby is doing the last minute things to prepare for the evening. He has planned a wine tasting with games and lots of food for dear friends and family.He has uncorked some very, very good wines collected on our travels and will share them .
~The game is a blind taste testing. Hubby also talks about the wines and how to score them.
~We also set aside a special lactose- free platter for our daughter who suffers terribly if there is even a whiff of dairy in the food. And all those years with us, her parents..why dairy is a staple of life, right ? Butter, cheeses, whipping cream.....even most margarines have some dairy in them. So our daughter gets Nucoa to spread on her dairy free food.
~Here are most of the evenings celebrants. The children are wandering in and out of the dining room and perching on our laps when the mood strikes. We are so thankful for the friends and family we are blessed with. These friends ( and others coming over Friday night ) have known us and put up with us for many years now. Our daughter and her husband , are family AND friends, or our friends are friends AND family!
~My husband loves so very much to share his food and wines with others. You would have to see him studying recipes, cook books, magazines and watching the Food Network, all the while making lists for some event he has planned. He is just so happy when he is bustling around the kitchen , cooking, stirring, roasting, basting.....well, anything related to food preparation for people he cares about. So as we head into a new year, I am thankful for a husband who cooks well, family and friends to share the food with, and the abundance of food we have .
~As we grow just a little older ( but not too old yet) we value even more our friends and family. Our grandchildren are quickly growing up, many of the older relatives and friends have passed on to eternity. Some were literally here today and gone tomorrow, and some just disappeared from our lives because busy-ness, distance, and other priorities parted us. We really try to remember time goes by so very quickly and special people need to know we regard them as special. So here is hoping 2009 allows us this privilege!
~This was the front of our Christmas cards that winter. I think it was very considerate of the tree removal company to decorate their truck for me. The tree service came out the next day after the storm and after surveying the damage, set on a time the NEXT day to remove the tree. We were very grateful to be so high on the list, as all tree removal companies in the Pacific Northwest were overworked and had long, long waiting lists of people needing their services. I will tell you, Mac's Tree Service of Yelm, WA is the greatest, and amazingly did not break the skylight windows while removing the 2 trees stuck in, around and outside the windows.
~The first morning after the storm , Hubby's younger brother came over with the biggest blue tarp I had ever seen this side of a circus tent! He actually owned this tarp. In the still very windy and wet and cold weather, he and Hubby wired that tarp over the roof, and I mean, it covered the roof, and even the tree on the roof. This really saved our home and contents, because it pretty much stormed on and off for months after . I could not watch them on the roof, for worry about their safety! Thank-you David, very much!( picture above is of Hubby's brother David and his wife Margie with our granddaughters )
~Here below is Dirt and Lanny, see It's The Dirt . Dirt and Lanny were over right away with their own personal work crew. I cannot begin to tell you how much work and self-sacrifice was evidenced by this family. Although they did not have any trees on their home, they had numerous trees down all around their home. Plus, this was Christmas time. We were supposed to be in the thick of Christmas shopping and buying and baking ( you can bake even without power ). And hey, they had a generator so could have even been watching the Christmas specials on T.V. But nope, they came over with a chain saw, work gloves, and worked and worked until all the trees fallen all over our property were cut up and the big chunks of wood were hauled ( by them ) to a spot by the garage. We also had an enormous bon-fire burning the debris."A friend is someone who is there for you when he'd rather be anywhere else." Len Wein
~Dirt and Lanny's daughter Bet, Paddle In The Pond . Bet works as hard, or harder than many young men now a days. She too was hauling debris, huge branches, and worked non-stop til the job was done." It is not so much our friends' help that helps us as the confident knowledge that they WILL help us." Epicures
~Our son-in-law Tom, A.Joy At Home, came over with his chain saw and work gloves, and immediately began working. He and our daughter and grand kids had just the night of the raging storm, moved out of the tent they were living in( and had lived in for months) into the not quite finished new home being built on their property because the storm was wreaking havoc on their tent / home. This was literally in the nick of time because their tent was destroyed and they would have been injured or worse had they toughed it out in the tent. But here was Tom, helping us when there was a great deal to do at their home, and storm damage to clean up.
~"May God give you....for every storm a rainbow, for every tear a smile, for every care a promise and a blessing in each trial. For every problem life sends, a faithful friend to share, for every sigh a sweet song and an answer for each prayer." Irish Blessing God gave us so much that year, and into the next, these friends and family have been there in very difficult times and our family and friends have been so kind as to surround us with prayers and encouragement. These are the TRUE GIFTS of GOD, and because of His Son, these people are who and what they are.....kind, forgiving, self sacrificing.....
~Our home today, in the snow. Look, no holes in the roof !We do still have a lot of landscaping to re-do. We had hundreds of Hostas and our landscaping was designed for shade, now we have full sun all around our home. New plants and trees, new buildings,new adventures in life. Thank-you dear friends and family and the many who brought us containers of water and meals and encouragement and prayers !
~Consider it all joy , my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance." James 1:2 and " Every good thing bestowed and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with Whom there is no variation, or shifting shadow. ."James 1:17
~Lately this is all I see(below). The fruit from our orchard and vines is abundant, and the fruit in this basket is but a small bit of what awaits me in bags in the fridge and pantry. Again, I take for granted this abundance.....and I am ashamed. Lately I have viewed our abundance as a nagging reminder of the 'work' awaiting me, and the fruit is not patient. Oh no ! Fruit left unattended rots ! It attracts fruit flies, it goes to waste. Again I say, shameful !
~This year I vowed I would be more diligent about preserving the harvest of the fruit and vegetables my husband works so hard to produce. For the most part, I have done that. We have quarts of pears, applesauce, green beans, grape juice, pints of plum, strawberry, and blueberry jam.I still have an awful lot of apples in bags and baskets, and as many more on our trees. I almost, I said ALMOST, complained.
~My view of the kitchen sink just yesterday, before I headed off to Alice's for spinning. I actually got all my grapes canned, as grape juice. The best grape juice I ever drank ( not including some very fine wine ) was grape juice I canned. I don't care for grape juice I have bought and usually prefer water to it, but I do like my canned grape juice. I got 21 quarts of grape juice put away in the pantry.
~Anyway, the point of this post is that I have forgotten perspective. Forgotten that I am where I should be, where I need to be. I have all I need and more than I ever expected to have in this life...and yet sometimes I will complain or grumble. I will be a little jealous of someone else, I will covet someone's view, or .......you get the picture. ( or view )
~The last two years have been difficult years for our family, and difficult for me. I am so thankful for friends and family that upheld us in prayer, and did practical things like check up on me....give help to the family member we were so worried about, just listen as I poured out my heart and sorrows. Friends and family who also gently reminded me of what we did have..and WHO is really in control and cares for me and mine even when it seems not to be so.
~ I also want to say thanks to all of you out there in blog land, who even before I began blogging, were my view to a world that showed me people survive trials and tribulations . A world where hurting people were offered sympathy, humor, encouragement...perspective. And sometimes, a healthy escape, just for a few minutes, from what troubled them so much.To enjoy the life YOU enjoy and blog about, wow ! A small bit of living vicariously in healthy way, and seeing life through someone else's eyes and experiences. Recipes,decorating, art, joyous living and ultimate triumph through or in spite of tragedy !
~Our prayers have been answered. I am so grateful for the working out of so many tears and prayers...to a good outcome I had given up hope of ever seeing. ( believe me, I can and do work up some pretty dark and dire outcomes to any situation) So, all this to say, here is my view from my sink. The cat enjoys it, my grandchildren enjoy it.....my hubby enjoys it, and so do I.
