friday's finale...

I've had visions of peppernuts dancing through my head this week...

...and it is not even the night before Christmas.

  

We hosted an Old Fashioned Christmas Cookie baking class at Lepp Farm Market on Wednesday...

and my portion of the evening was the peppernut demonstration.

It was a fun evening...

and a sold-out class...

with all proceeds going to Matthew's House.

Earlier this week...

we had a cookie-packaging party at Bev's.

The old-fashioned cookie baskets were gifts.

That's all I'm saying. :)

Those who come to the cooking classes at Lepp's...

always get to sample the fare.

Usually it is a main course item.

We decided some appies and hot apple cider might pair up nicely with Christmas sweets.

And they did!

If you are interested in making up a cheese tree platter for the holiday season...

you can find instructions on the MGCC blog today.

Also this week...

we were invited to our friends for dinner one night.

Before we sat down to eat...

they took us for a tour of their barn.

Who knew a barn could look this special?

 Esther fixed up the hayloft and hosted a special anniversary dinner up there last weekend.

How fun!

You can read all about over here.

I was privately glad that she served us our meal in the warmth of her home...

since I've had a little trouble keeping warm this week.

We are now in the deep freeze along with most of the continent.

Winter has arrived!

Have a wonderful weekend...

friday's foto wrap-up...

The week is about over...already.

I was just looking through my pictures taken this past week...

and thought I'd post a few favorites.

A bit of this...

and a bit of that!

We had breakfast under this lovely chandelier earlier this week...

at my sis-in-law's table...

in Kelowna.

The chandelier always brings back memories of the many times I sat beneath it over the years...

and enjoyed fine food and the best of company.

It was my mother-in-law's chandelier...

a gift from dad long ago.

First it was in their farm-house.

Then it hung in the dining room of their house in the suburbs.

Then it went with her to her condo.

Eventually...

Martha took ownership and moved it to her dining room.

I've heard say that my niece plans to hang it over her table one day.

I like that...

the the gift of light keeps shining!

The eagles are back in our neighbourhood full force. 

 

I took this photo from my kitchen window one morning...

of eagles gathering in the tree across the field.

I love to step outside and listen to them  'squeak'...

their way of communicating with one another.

And just outside my kitchen window are the wee birds...

feeding at the free buffet I provide for them.

Here's something we haven't had in a long while...

 

...huge smooth sheets of ice on our grass fields...

with grands and their friends having a wonderful time out there!

I pass by this wee cemetery often...

and never really 'see it'.

Maybe it was the snow-capped peaks behind it...

that called me to stop and take a picture.

A peaceful picture...

the Tzeachten Cemetery in Chilliwack.

And those are my picks on this winter's day.

Well, let me add one more...
taken yesterday!

Tennis...
in January.

We are loving this weather.

Have a wonderful weekend!

going the distance...

We heard there was to be a birthday dinner for our brother-in-law John on Sunday night. John was married to hubby's sister until her passing 9 years ago.He will always be family as far as we are concerned!

We decided to crash the birthday dinner...to which we had not really been invited!  The problem is that he lives in Kelowna...which happens to be two mountain passes away from our home in the valley. But the weather forecast looked good, so we decided to go for it. 
 

Somehow we expected bare roads...but up in the pass it seems there is always snow. 

We had a bit of a surprise all our own...at our half-way point coffee break on the trek down. We stopped at our usual Tim Horton's in Merritt, and were about done our small coffees when we saw an old friend enter the restaurant. We knew him well for several decades...he and his wife were in our small group for many years. About ten years ago they moved to a house overlooking a lake in the North Thompson area of our province...and our paths no longer crossed. What are the chances of meeting here in this little mountain community on the Coquihalla Highway? He never saw us when he came in, so we quietly went for more coffee and joined him at his table without invitation. He almost fell off his chair. Our little coffee pit-stop became a marathon as we caught up on what had happened in his life these past years. He happened to be on his way to Vancouver to visit a specialist at the hospital that knows him well...where he spent 85 days last year. Our chance meeting was just the best...but eventually we had to leave for the last leg of our trip...if we were actually going to show up at the birthday dinner. 

The skies were grey...and the snow fell lightly for the rest of the trip. The Coquihalla Connector is not always a friendly winter drive...but it was fine on Sunday. We had compact snow...and little traffic...and listened to Paul Brandt's latest album called Just As I Am several times over. And we sang along. If you like country music...and you enjoy the old hymns like 'It is Well With My Soul'...this one is for you! Paul Brandt is Canada's most awarded country musician of all time.  A great singer, a nice guy, and one who uses his success to point people to God.

We crossed the bridge to arrive in  Kelowna just in time for dinner...wonderful Chinese cuisine. I'm not sure I'm allowed to tell you how old John is...but let's just say that our my kids remember celebrating his 50th more than 25 years ago. Here's the thing...we brought John a card and our 'presence'. He sent us home with a box of apples from the family orchard when we left for home. And that is how it has always been. We have enjoyed the 'fruits of his labours' over all these years. We wish him many more 'happy birthdays' to come!

We spent the night in Kelowna...where it seems we have a spare room (thanks, Martha!).  After enjoying a lovely post-birthday breakfast in the morning...

 
...we made the trek back over the hills from whence we came.  It was a lovely drive!

I actually would recommend  'driving' the Coquihalla n winter...if I can sit in the passenger seat with my camera! 

I would also recommend washing the car after!

Enjoy the weekend.

winter pleasures...

After a rather grey and dreary week...

we had a beautiful day yesterday.

We decided to try playing tennis at our favorite court yesterday afternoon...

my friend and I.  

How does one dress for winter tennis?  

We laughed when we arrived at the court to see we looked like we were on the same team.  

We were both dressed in black stretchy pants and jackets...

with white down vests.  

Gloves without fingers might have been nice...

but we warmed up after a while. 

 It was so good to be outdoors on such a beautiful winter day.  

And the bonus of playing tennis in January is that no one else is on the court!

This was the view as I drove home from the tennis courts.

 I never tire of it.

Mt. Cheam...in all her glory!

I've had lunch with Dad and Marge at the cafe in their apartment complex quite often...

and thoroughly enjoy the potato soup that is served there.

Yesterday I cooked up my own version...

and it was the perfect meal on a cold winter day.

I'll be posting the recipe on the MGCC blog sometime soon.

Enjoy the weekend!

come with me to the mountain top...

The other morning as the sun came up...

...this was the view to the north of our place.

It was my 'treadmill' view.

We had tentative plans for that afternoon...

but put them on the back-burner and decided to head to those mountains instead.

We crossed the Fraser River and soon we were on our way up the hill.

 In less than an hour we arrived at Hemlock Valley Ski Resort.

We arrived at the same time as the helicopter ambulance.

Someone's day on the slopes did not end as they had hoped!

 

 It seemed many young families had come to play in the snow.

The parking lots were full...

and the line-ups for the lifts were long.

 

For the record...

skiing is a spectator sport for me.

I have skiied only occasionally over the years.

I fare better on the side-lines...

with a camera!

Though Hemlock Valley is a small ski resort...

it is not lacking in beautiful scenery!

I envied the skiiers their ride up the mountain on the chair lift on this beautiful day.

Since Hemlock is quite close to home...

we brought our kids here on occasion many years ago.

 

One time we stayed in a rental cabin...

and spent a few days....

as chaperones of a youth group.

 I don't recall ever seeing so many people up there before.

 

 The last time we had been to Hemlock with the family was Christmas of 1999.

We stayed in this lodge.

The kids skiied.

We cross-country skiied.

I cooked.

We played games.

It was a good time.

 I'm not the only one who likes to observe from the sidelines!

Hemlock is a wee winter wonderland right close to home.

We so enjoyed our little trip up the mountain...

...and soon we were on our way home.

 

We couldn't have picked a nicer day to go.

It is said that Hemlock Valley is one of the best kept secrets of southern British Columbia.

It's a lovely spot on a sunny winter day.

Secrets are never safe with me!

Once safely off the mountain...

we stopped by a golf resort along the river...

for a cup of coffee and to enjoy the view.

Just 20 minutes from the ski slopes...

we could watch the golfers in action.

And we could observe the eagles swooping overhead.

The coffee needed a little something to go with it. 

Mini-cinni nachos with vanilla bean ice-cream hit the spot!

And so ended our trip up the mountains...

with a drive home along the other side of the river...

and a slightly different view of Mt. Cheam!

it's beginning to look a lot like christmas...

We had a snow day yesterday!

Some people stayed home.

Some wished they had.

Our fabulous new billion dollar Port Mann Bridge...

was closed most of the day...

due to chucks of ice falling on vehicles.

Traffic in the Fraser Valley has been chaotic!

We went to my granddaughter's school Christmas concert right after lunch...

only to find that it had been postponed until tomorrow because of the weather.

Not far from her school we passed by this lovely 'Christmassy' home...

and I said...

'Stop. I want a picture.'

Here's why.

I spent several Christmas's in that very house as a child.

When I was seven years old...

we left that house behind and moved to the farm...

the one where I now live.

The house of my childhood really never looked much like the house in the picture though!

It has gone through several re-models over the years...

and came out looking quite pretty!

The present owners gave me a tour shortly after they took over.

They were thrilled that I had photos of the house from the 1950's...

which I shared with them.

At home...

the snow fell most of the day.

I like how a snowfall cleans everything up so nicely...

and makes it feel more like Christmas.

It seems it has warmed up a wee bit though...

and the forecast is for rain today.

Who knows what the day may hold?

We may try to take in Ranen's school concert once again.

And tonight we will be going to the Christmas concert in our neighbourhood school.

 Emme and Spencer are in the sixth grade and this will be their last Christmas program at that school.

How time flies!

Enjoy the day...