'snow' fun

it was 4pm on saturday afternoon.
the hub gets spontaneous.....i call him crazy, but i digress.

"who wants to go tobogganing?" i hear him say.
the 'boy' jumps on board, "i do!" he says.
jordyn too, jumped on board.

the rest of the house.....quiet.

the girls......
well, they just came upstairs & out of hibernation(eryn & dani had been studying for exams) looking, well, tired & unmotivated to do anything that would require physical exertion.

dani & roni quickly changed their minds though.

now it was just convincing eryn......not an easy task.
"you don't have to go sledding, just take the dog for a walk while we go", i tell her.
hmmmm.....no.

"no problem, but we're leaving, so it's up to you, come with us or stay home...your call.  it'll feel good to get outside for some fresh air....clear your head from studying so much........i'm just say'n."


so we all load up in the van & head to ball's falls where there's a great sledding hill........

at one point jordyn caught some serious air....she wasn't hurt, just embarrassed ;(
good thing dad was at the bottom of the hill so he could carry her back up to the top

by this point we were ready to go home......cold feet & faces for some of us....it also started to snow more heavily

one last run....

.

one last time dodging the trees @ the bottom of the hill.....

one last trudge up the hill.....

some of us felt the effects that this sign warns to those who are willing to risk it........

'oh, my aching back'......i kid~he was fine:)

after over an hour on the hill we call it a day & head home for some hot chocolate ........

 i love these spontaneous moments;)!!

reverse thinking...

with the junior youth group at church we have been studying a book titled 'you can't fool God'.

the poem(click on it ;)!) fit in so nicely with the lesson this week about how one needs the gift of salvation~it can't be bought with money...He's already paid the price!!!

we also discussed about how our culture & sin/the enemy leads us to believe that...
~ we don't need God
~it's a life of bondage living with all those 'rules'
~we are free to do whatever we want...it's all about me
~we are in control of our own lives

however.....

we can only have true freedom in Christ!!

ask Christ to reverse your thinking if you are living for yourself instead of living for Him!

the mayonnaise jar and 2 cups of coffee

i saw this on a friend's blog yesterday, & borrowed it...

enjoy....i did!

When things in your life seem almost too much to handle,

when 24 hrs in a day are not enough,

remember the mayo jar and the 2 cups of coffee.

A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, he wordlessly picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.

The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with an unanimous "Yes!".

The professor then produced 2 cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.

"Now," said the professor as the laughter subsided, "I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things~your family, your children, your health, your friends and your favorite passions~and if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.

The pebbles are the other things that matter in life~your job, your house and your car.

The sand is everything else~the small stuff. If you put the sand into the jar first," he continued, "there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff you will never have room for the things that are important to you.

Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Spend time with your children. Spend time with your parents. Take your spouse out to dinner. Play another 18. There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal. Take care of the golf balls first~the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand."

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee represented. The professor smiled and said, "I'm glad you asked. The coffee just shows you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend."

thanks for this lori  ;)

snow day!

so yesterday the kids were home from school.....we got a ton of snow ;)

the good things about snow days are....
you get to sleep in ;)!
~well, all except for the hub who had to get up extra early to dig out the car, blow out the lane way so he could go to work...poor fellow :(

                                                                      

the kids had fun making forts in the snow.....

the dog, well, she just a spaz in the snow.

she looks like a baby goat jumping about in the snow~weird creature.

snow days are also good for getting creative......

~for those of you who make these from scratch...kudos to you

me, hmmmm. no

the kids found all the extra candy in the pantry to load on. 

i think this house had more candy than gingerbread.

another good thing about snow days are....
~playing games

and of course on snow days, there's the clearing away of the snow!

fun job

this was actually done 3 times yesterday!



sisters...

my sister sent me the following & it is so very true...God bless all the women in my life~you are so appreciated!!

A young wife sat on a sofa on a hot humid day,

drinking iced tea and visiting with her mother.

As they talked about life, about marriage, about the
responsibilities of life and the obligations of
adulthood, the mother clinked the ice cubes in her
glass thoughtfully and turned a clear, sober glance
upon her daughter..

'Don't forget your sisters,' she advised, swirling
the tea leaves to the bottom of her glass.
'They'll be more important as you get older.
No matter how much you love your husband,
no matter how much you
love the children you may have, you are still going
to need sisters.
Remember to go places with them now
and then; do things with them..'

'Remember that 'sisters' means ALL the women...
your girlfriends, your daughters, and all your other
women relatives too. 'You'll need other women.
Women always do.'

What a funny piece of advice!' the young woman
thought. Haven't I just gotten married?
Haven't I just joined the couple-world? I'm now a
married woman! A grownup! Surely
my husband and the family we may start will be all I
need to make my life worthwhile!'

But she listened to her mother. She kept contact
with her sisters and made more women friends each
year. As the years tumbled by, one after another,
she gradually came to understand that her mother really
knew what she was talking about. As time and nature
work their changes and their mysteries upon a woman,
sisters are the mainstays of her life....

After more than 50 years of living in this world,
here is what I've learned:

THIS SAYS IT ALL:
Time passes.
Life happens.
Distance separates.
Children grow up.
Jobs come and go.
Love waxes and wanes.
Men don't do what they're supposed to do.
Hearts break.
Parents die.
Colleagues forget favours.
Careers end.

BUT...........
Sisters are there, no matter how much time and how
many miles are between you..
A girl friend is never farther away
than needing her can reach.

When you have to walk that lonesome valley and you
have to walk it by yourself, the women in your life
will be on the valley's rim, cheering you on,
praying for you, pulling for you, intervening on
your behalf, and waiting with open arms at the
valley's end...

Sometimes, they will even break the rules and walk
beside you...
Or come in and carry you out.
Girlfriends, daughters, granddaughters,
daughters-in-law, sisters, sisters-in-law, Mothers,
Grandmothers, aunties, nieces, cousins, and extended
family: all bless our life!

The world wouldn't be the same without women,
and neither would I.


When we began this adventure called
womanhood, we had no idea of the incredible joys or
sorrows that lay ahead. Nor did we know how much we
would need each other...

but God in His infinate wisdom did!

~thanks for sending me this deb, love you forever & always ;)!

oh, and here's more....christmas blooms

beautiful christmas blooms....amaryllis.

these  remind me of my mom because she always had them.

i look at these & smile, remembering my mother & how she took great pleasure in yet another of God's wondrous masterpieces.

still more...

every year for the past,oh, i don't know...10 yrs i think, my dad has given my sister & me a nut cracker for christmas.

this was the one this year...

for the past 4 yrs he has also been giving us a new ornament for the tree....

this was something my mom always gave deb & me~he's carried the tradition on.

the new one...

one of the original glass ornaments from my mom.....

i love how it sparkles in the light.

lov'n the crisp winter snow...

december re~cap...

2011...already!
i know, i know....it's been a while since i've been able to find the time to blog ;(
BUT, december has been a very busy month!
let's see.....
there were dani's vb games & the all day tourny in vaughn(just north of t.o.)


she's #4

the kids were finished school the 21st & that night we had the otten family 'sinter klaas'....

the kids are so pumped & have a grand time together...

they play games in the gym...

so much fun!  

                                

                                 

they pick names amongst themselves & give their gifts....

                                   



 jordyn enjoying new baby cousin adam...

we also celebrate wayne's 40th b~day!!



then.....

dec 24...

our tradition on christmas eve has been to have 'gourmet' for supper & then do our family gift exchange!!

oh, the delicious concoctions that everyone creates for their supper is just fabulous!!

they made chiken alfredo...
shrimp scampi...
asian meatballs w/ rice...
bacon & eggs...
& that's just the beginning!

 they got some books, jewelry, pj's and some games for the wii....
                                  

@ school, jordyn made a gift for the best dad!

the next day...

dec 25

what a beautiful morning....snow on the ground & it's the hubs 40th birthday too!!!

~yes, he was the christmas baby in 1970....even made it in the news paper :)!

after a great breakfast of freshly made quiche.....

mmmm, yum!

this breakfast all the kids love~it's tradition on christmas morning ;)

and wayne opened his birthday presents....

we were blessed to once again hear the beautiful christmas message of our dear saviour's birth....what an amazing gift above all others, none can compare to the sacrifice that was offered for unworthy sinners as us! how great our love is for Him for giving His one & only Son.

i will never tire of hearing the christmas story.

then on sunday....

dec 26 

my dad was preaching in the vinland church so they came for lunch....

while grampa had a snooze, jordyn entertained sylvia with some 'illusions' & slight of hand tricks(~ a  kit she bought with her dad @ giant tiger)

 syl tried to make mika disappear...kidding, she likes our pooch.

boxing day

dec 26...

we head up to brantford to my dad & sylvia's home for the schouls gift exchange.sam makes sure his sis doesn't get too cozy with her 'friend' ;)!!

 jordyn tries to pull a fast one on uncle bill....

we were once again blessed with an abundance of food which makes me keenly aware of sooo many people in our world...the third world as well as right here in canada, that go hungry on a daily basis.

" we are blessed beyond what we could ever dream in abundance or in need"...(from nichole nordeman's song gratitude)

because of His goodness to us daily, in trials & in times of blessing let us echo what paul says in phil 4: 11 ~13

'....for i have learned in whatever situation i am to be content....i have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. i can do all things through Him who strengthens me.'(esv)

i am so thankful to our great God from whom all blessings flow....He has once again sustained & blessed us/our family this year.

we have a roof over our heads,  our loved ones, our church community, & we can go to God with our needs & cares.

i don't make 'new year's resolutions', but.....

this year i would like my responses to be more God glorifying in everything....

my prayer for you is that you all have a blessed new year.....give God the honour & glory He is due!!