still the one...

...after 41 years!

Many waters cannot quench love;

rivers cannot wash it away.

~Song of Solomon 8:7 NIV

That was the verse we chose on our wedding day...

so long ago.

We had no idea what those 'waters' would look like.

They have come and gone over the years.

They will continue to come.

We are committed to the end.

We are taking a few days off...

and going to one of our favorite places.

And in a few weeks time...

we plan to celebrate our 40th anniversary once again.

 We had a family vacation all planned for last summer...

one that would include all the kids and grands.

But when we found out that Baby Lucy would be arriving in July...

we decided to postpone our 40th-anniversary-family-getaway for a year.

Coming soon.

Happy anniversary to my best friend!

the volunteers of summer...

We never planted or watered...

...and yet we can 'reap'! 

I love the bright and cheery sunflowers ....

that are perking up the backyard these days.

We feed the birds.

They drop the seeds.

We say...

thank-you!

I don't recall the last time I sowed dill.

And yet it grows...year after year.

I like that!

The wisteria blooms early in the season.

And then in the middle of summer...

it blooms again.

I like that too!

 

The blueberries are ripe for the picking.

They are the perfect addition to a lunchtime salad.

One that we enjoyed on the front porch the other day.

If you are interested in the recipe...

head over to MGCC today.

wheels...that came and went

We've had a few cars over the years.

But not many, really!

We have a 'ten-year rule'...for the most part.

We like a car to serve us for ten years.

During our four decades of marriage...

we have basically had four cars.

(We won't count the lemon that never made one year...a Cougar.)

During the seventies...we drove a Nova.

In the eighties...

it was a Monte Carlo.

In the 90's...

a Park Avenue.

And...once the kids left home...

we finally bought a four-door sedan.

(I guess we wanted to be sure they never bailed out of the back while we were on the road!)

It served us quite nicely for the past 14 years. 

We put it at the road with a for sale sign on it a few weeks ago.

Two days later it was gone.

We wish the young couple who bought it many more happy miles!

We are now on to a new model...

an SUV of sorts.

It is quite handy in transporting my dad around right now.

I'm off to Abbotsford today to take Dad to see his specialist.

Have a great weekend!

a few pinteresting ideas to share...

If you need a little inspiration...

head over to pinterest and browse a little.

I've browsed...

been inspired...

and pinned.

 And one day when I have time...

there are many fun things waiting for me to make.

Many months ago I decided I would try the 'sundress-made-from-a-dress shirt' idea...

that I found on pinterest right here. 

I cut the pieces...

and waited for a rainy day to sew it up.

We had plenty of those...

and still the project lay unfinished.

With July coming to a close...

and sunshine in the forecast...

I finally sewed up the sundress.

Cute...I said to myself.

I then I called Maggie to come try it on.

 Even cuter!

I put on the finishing touches and she took it home.

So...

if you have an old dress shirt or two that  need re-purposing...

and a girlie or two that would like a sundress...

there's a 'pinteresting' idea you might want to check out! 

Another idea which came from pinterest was...

how to cook hot dogs for a crowd.

Pack about 4-5 dozen wieners upright into a crock pot.

Do not add water.

Cover and cook for about 4 hours on low.

We tried it out at Lucy's big birthday party...

and it works like a charm!

The wieners are neither grilled nor boiled...

but taste rather like those that would come off a roller at a hot dog stand.

Two more down...and a long (and growing) list to go!

Feel free to check out my Pinterest boards right here.

You may even find a recipe or project to snag!

chilliwack ~ making the news

Chilliwack.

We are famous for growing the best sweet corn around.

(It is now available at the stands...and as good as always!)

But we made the international news over the weekend!

One of the biggest fish ever caught in North America was snagged right here in the Fraser River.

It was over 12 feet long and weighed in at  1,100 pounds.

The sturgeon is believed to be over 100 years old.

A few years ago we gave my dad a sturgeon fishing expedition as a gift...

and went along on the adventure.

He caught a nice-sized sturgeon and I documented it right here.

But his four-foot prize was not nearly the monster that Margaret and Michael Snell 

of Salisbury, England landed last week.  

It took 4 1/2 hours and a ten-kilometer chase down the river to bring in the 'dinosaur fish'.  

They will have a whopper of a fish story to tell! 

Also on the weekend news...

a story about the record-breaking mosquito plague in Chilliwack.

I'm staying away from the Fraser River these days...

and wondering if the Snells weren't eaten alive as they struggled with the great white sturgeon!

Sturgeon, mosquitoes and sweet corn...

giving Chilliwack a name!

hedged about with hydrangeas...

Finally.

The hydrangeas are in their glory!

Everything is a little late here this year...

so I have been waiting.

They make the best cut arrangements...

and will keep on 'keeping  on' right into the fall.

My favorite?

The limelight hydrangea.

It is not blooming as yet.

Soon!

Flowers can brighten any day.

like a river...

It has been rather busy here lately.

My dad has been home from the hospital for two weeks...

recovering from hip surgery...

and yesterday Dad and Marge moved to their new home.

Between appointments and moving arrangements...
summits and birthday parties...

and having grands staying with us while their parents are away...

life has not been boring.

One morning the grands and I went for a walk along the river.

The rivers in our part of the country aren't all that peaceful...

especially when the snow is still melting on the mountains.

But as we walked that morning...

I had to think of a song that spoke of 'peace like a river'.

It made sense...

even if the waters still flowed fast.

Those fisherman had not one care in the world...

other than to catch a big one.

And what could be more peaceful than sitting on the shore and strumming?

Or more relaxing than breathing in the heady scent of flowers blooming along the path?

 Some come to read the morning paper...

and sip their favorite drink.

Some come to watch the grands have a fun time exploring!

 

It was peaceful down at the river!

Just what I needed.

Have a wonderful weekend.

Time For Ice-Cream

Summertime is upon us.

It's time to eat ice-cream with reckless abandon!

An ice-cream cone can solve any problem...

even if only for a few minutes.

My advice to you is not to inquire why or whither, 
but just enjoy the ice-cream while it's on your plate. 
~Thornton Wilder 

A balanced diet is an ice-cream cone in each hand!

Ice-cream is happiness condensed.
~Jesse Lane Adams

And if you don't get your full fix of ice-cream in the summertime...

I know from a reliable source that an ice-cream cone at Christmastime is a good thing as well!

richmond...revisited

We went a few years ago...

on a warm summer evening...

and enjoyed it so much we went again on Friday night.

This time we brought a whole busload of friends along to experience

the Richmond Summer Night Market.

We weren't the only ones there!

Though there are some 300 vendors offering all kinds items for sale...

we spent most of our time in the food fair.

Mostly I 'looked but did not touch'!

I may never visit China...

but I can experience their Asian cuisine right here in my back yard.

As I have mentioned previously...

Richmond has the largest Chinese population of any city in North America.

The prices were right...

we could sample a bit of each...

if we felt so inclined.

We tried sheesh kabobs...

...and hurricane potato fries.

Add a little Korean spice to the potato...

and call it Korean food!

It was a good time...

all around.

We were back home by midnight...

and early the next morning I left for Richmond once again.

Richmond is a good ninety minute drive from my front porch...

if all goes well.

I visit the city a few times a year...

not usually a few times in a 24-hour period.

On Saturday...the Mennonite Girls Can Cook team was invited to be a part of a

women's conference at the Sheraton Hotel.

Lovella shared our story...

as she does so well.

We met many wonderful people...

and signed a lot of cookbooks.

Richmond...

two times in two days.

It was all good!

sweet things...

A simple and meaningful gift from a friend.

Sweet.

It was just a field of weeds next to the parking lot.

But I had my camera with me...

 ...and decided to take a picture or two.

 

The field of weeds...

...was actually quite beautiful!

“I am beginning to learn that it is the sweet, 

simple things of life which are the real ones after all.” 

Laura Ingalls Wilder 

My grandson usually has the biggest of smiles!

When I saw his passport picture...

it was me that smiled!

 

Is that not the sweetest passport photo?

I think he had a hard time keeping the smile off his face!

Wishing you a wonderful weekend...

filled with sweet things.

May you have many reasons to smile.

coming down from the summit...

The summit 2012.

A reunion of all ten of the 'Mennonite Girls Can Cook' team.

We had our first summit in 2010.

And our second in 2011.

I think we should just make it an annual event!

Betty and Charlotte came out from back east.

Ellen drove up from the south.

And what a fine time we had together yesterday...

from morning until late at night.

We hung out at Bev's for the day...

and enjoyed a wonderful lunch together.

For dinner...

we had a fabulous Mongoli Grill at Marg's.

The guys came out and joined us for the evening.

They were invited.

These two were not...

but came regardless!

Can you tell we had fun?

And this morning...

we are meeting for breakfast before we all go our separate ways.

The summit 2012...

it was a good place to be!

they are at it again...

 I drove by the farmyard on my way to town yesterday...

and saw the country candy store was back in business once again.

 (Emme, Spencer...and their next-door-friend)

It started when they were four years old.

Emme and Spencer set up a candy store on the farmyard and sold surplus Easter goodies...

to unsuspecting customers.

Customers like Grandpa.

 Since then they have recruited local help...

and expanded their business.

They have moved it to the road...

and lure in the sweet teeth passing by.

They are open on sunny summer afternoons.

If there is nothing better to do!

So...if you are in my neighbourhood...

be forewarned.

As for me...

I won't be stopping by the sweet shoppe today.

I'm off to 'the summit 2012'.

What fun we will have!