Impromptu Tea Party

 Flower arrangements were a gift from our daughter-in-law and perfect for this tea party her son ( son of our youngest son and his wife) asked me to give him and two of his cousins. For many years I have had tea parties for my grandchildren , family, and friends and my youngest grandson, our miracle grandson, was unaware of these many parties. About a year and a half ago he asked for a tea party ~ joy oh joy !

 We were able to have our youngest granddaughter stay with us last weekend and her sister stayed with our youngest grandson and his family. Our little grandson asked if I would have a tea party for them and this required me to have a tea party the NEXT day after his request ! I jumped at the chance and with the help of our youngest granddaughter who was staying with us, we prepared an impromptu tea party.

 I needed to use what was in my fridge and pantry and of course I had a plethora of teacups and teapots on hand. I think with the help of our youngest granddaughter we pulled it off quite well !

 Youngest granddaughter and I made peanut butter and jam sandwiches, tuna fish sandwiches, and youngest grandson's request of tomato, pickle, and cheese sandwiches. We also had a veggie platter, olives, peanut butter stuffed celery and don't forget the tea. We filled one teapot with hot cocoa, the other teapots held peach tea and mint tea.

 Youngest grandson with youngest granddaughter.( Does this little boy, our youngest grandchild , look happy to you ? I know he was over-the-moon happy !)

 Celery stuffed with peanut butter ~ staple snack of kids.( Prepared & plated by our youngest granddaughter.)

My bounty of teacups was quite handy for this impromptu tea party. I had chintz teacups for the ladies here ( my daughter-in-law, her mother , and myself), butterfly teacups for two granddaughters and a grandson, and a bright yellow and white teacup for my husband who was wrangled into this last minute tea party.

This was a very special day for me. Our youngest granddaughter was  able to spend 2 nights with us and after our youngest grandchild's request for a tea party she pitched in and helped plan and implement the party. We had a very good time together with family and I know our youngest grandson who was born well after the rest of our grandchildren truly desires that connection with his many older cousins ~ connections we all want and desire. I love watching my older grandchildren interact with him and even more watching them be patient and kind with him. I pray for all my grandchildren that they come to know my Lord & Savior Jesus, and their family interactions inspire and encourage that.

The Gift of Family

We had a family gathering last month. Our three children, their spouses, and their children camped with us for 2 glorious nights and 3 days on our family's back 80 acres. There were 11 grandchildren ( 2 are now adults and one is in the Marines) . We hiked, played games, sat together around the camp fire, and some of the family went fishing. I cannot adequately express my love and thankfulness to God for His abundant blessings, His gift to us of our family, and that we're still able to get together in spite of distance and life's busyness. Praise Him !

( The picture is of our youngest son and his son, our youngest grandchild, heading off to go fishing.)

Grandkids !

"Grandchildren are the crown of old men, and the glory of sons is their fathers." Proverbs 17:6

Our Last Days at Cedar Pond ?

The sale of Cedar Pond is pending. We had two offers to buy Cedar Pond right after the open house, the first day it was shown.

I see I haven't blogged since April 10th, but we've been busy packing, sorting, cleaning, moving things to our future home and depositing other items at the local dump and Goodwill.

I am still tending my gardens and sometimes have to distract myself so I don't cry. That is really the reason I haven't blogged lately. Every time I begin to post pictures or write on my blog , so many emotions flood my heart and mind that I opt for a snack to munch while watching t.v. or reading a book, or catching up with friends and family on Facebook. Quick distractions.

Of course, having kept chickens for many years now I have learned not to count my chickens until they hatch and I know Cedar Pond is not truly sold until all the paperwork is signed and official. But it does appear another family with young children will be loving life here at Cedar Pond soon.

We had a big work party in April when most of our family came together to help prepare Cedar Pond for sale and also help load a lot of heavy stuff into a rental truck. We drove 6 hours , over the mountains and far away, to our future home. We unloaded the truck , storing our belongings in the barn there. We still have at least 2 more truck loads of stuff to move  ( how did we accumulate so much STUFF ? ) not including my sheep, my geese, and my chickens.

I hope you don't get the wrong idea about my feelings though. I am prone to nostalgia and "what-if's", but not sorry to be moving . We built Cedar Pond from raw land almost 30 years ago. We raised our children here and enjoyed life here . I knew this was the right decision for many reasons, but I also knew I was ready to move for sure when the last few trips to our future home I did not want to return to Cedar Pond because I was home . My home over the mountains and far away !

It's The Most Wonderful Time of the Year ! (And a GIVE-AWAY )

It is the most wonderful time of the year, the month of December when our family celebrates Christmas. Yes, I do mean the whole MONTH ( plus ). Decorating usually begins just after Thanksgiving but our family plays Christmas carols year round. ( Picture above is of me and our daughter's three youngest children.)

I spent the last 9 days with our daughter and her 3 youngest children on a trip of her choosing, her birthday present to herself in celebration of a milestone birthday. I am honored she and my grandchildren wanted me to accompany them on their trip to Disneyland and Universal Studios. This was a gift for me too since she paid my expenses. We drove 20 hours each way ( not including stops for gas and rest-room breaks) to get there and back.

Do you like my mouse ears ? It is hard to see them in the picture because they match the tree ornaments, but my mouse ears light up and the lights blink showing snowflakes. I will be wearing them a lot this month.

I am happy to be home now and getting ready for Christmas festivities. In honor of this month of giving I am offering a give-away. I will be sending a pair of Wee Little Sheep* to the winner. I will enter anyone who leaves a comment on my blog beginning today through the 20th of December when I will draw the name of the winner out of Santa's hat. I will enter your name every time you comment ( limited to one comment per day ).

For our family Christmas is especially dear because our faith, our lives, our very being , rests in the person this holiday season is based on ~ Jesus Christ, Son of God, Saviour of all mankind who put their trust in Him. ( John 3:16) Yes we know He was probably not born on this day of this month and many Christmas festivities trace their beginnings to pagan roots. Yet my husband and I grew up celebrating Christmas with the knowledge we were celebrating the birth of our Saviour Jesus. We joyfully celebrated Him with our children and now celebrate with them and theirs. I am eagerly looking forward to this month and sharing good times with family and friends, including you, my blogging friends. Bless you all !

Hanging Out, Giving Thanks

I spent last week bathing and prepping chickens for a poultry show. This is Lil' Blue , a bantam ( small ) self-blue mottled d'Uccle hen. I entered her and her mama in a show mostly because I love hanging out with the people who raise and show poultry. A few of those people are related to me or are long time friends. I have a lot of fun hanging out with chickens and the people who keep them.

 

I will be spending the next 10 days hanging out with family because my daughter and her kids want me around with them on a major holiday experience. My goodness, they want to hang out with me ! Well, I want to hang out with them too. Happy Thanksgiving to you all. When I am done having so much fun with my daughter and her kids I will be posting a give-away for the holiday season.

 

Thanksgiving = giving thanks ! "Make a joyful noise unto the Lord all ye lands. Come unto the Lord with Thanksgiving." Psalm 100

Over The Mountains & Far Away ~ Family Time

 My husband has worked so hard for so many years it is good to see him enjoying time away with our sons and their families .

We journeyed over the mountains and far away to be with our sons and their families. We have a home there where we will re-locate within the next 2 years, but until then we visit when we're able. This past week we were there visiting and we also went fishing. This is a picture of Diamond Lake where we went fishing. We LOVE to fish....

...especially when we're catching fish ! Look at this stringer full of Rainbow trout my husband and youngest son are holding ( it was heavy ).We all limited out and later on the same day we had a fish fry. Enough fried fish for everyone to have a whole fish. So delicious.

Our sons' families ( including 7 of our grandchildren ) enjoyed the fried fish and all the goodies that went along with the meal. We enjoyed the company of our sons and their families.

Yes, over the mountains & far away holds our hearts and God willing, will soon be the place we live until we die. This pic is of a few of our grandchildren watching one of their cousins ride our youngest son's ( their uncle ) horse. So many good times, so many good memories, so many hopes and dreams over the mountains and far away.

Happy New Year 2015~ Bring It On !

 My Wee Little Sheep were tangled in the miniature Christmas lights and the little Santa was unwinding them for me as I cleaned up my craft room / studio for a new year of rug weaving and crafting. I can see by his eyes he was a bit frustrated with the mess the little sheep made, but being of jolly nature, little Santa persevered and the lights were wound up and put away until next year's Christmas crafting.

 Our year ended with the joy of having our daughter's  children for a few nights before Christmas. We shared Christmas Eve with her and her children, it was a pleasant time of family fellowship. ( We had a good time of cooking together, watching movies, games, puzzles, and a special outing. )

 Our Christmas Village takes up our whole sun-room. It also takes a little more than a day to set up, and a whole day to take down and put away...

 ... but we think it is worth it. ( Whew ! ) Now the Christmas lights and the Christmas Village are put away until next year.

 Santa has hung his suit up in our guest bedroom for the year but not until after he ...

 ...visited our 5 grandchildren over the snowy mountains and far away and our 4 grandchildren on this side of the mountains. He is a busy Santa, but this grandpa ( oops, Santa) makes a lot of time for all of his grandchildren !

The past year, 2014, was a year of many challenges and blessings. We are thankful for all God has given us and look forward to 2015 knowing He is in control. Of all His many blessings this past year we have to say we are so thankful for the miracle and blessing of this little guy, firstborn child (son ) of our youngest son and his wife after almost 13 years of marriage.

We hope 2015 is a year of blessing to all our family & friends. May you have blessings abundant even in the midst of tragedy, trials, and whatever life throws at you. Take time to savour the little moments of simple joy, hug those you love whenever you have the chance, write notes of thanks & appreciation to those you seldom see, read & contemplate your Bible, and dance for joy when the mood strikes ! Happy New Year 2015, bring it on.

Kona ~ A Happy Dog

This is Kona, a Labrador Retriever. Kona is a happy dog. Kona's mistress , Shannon, ( sister of our youngest son's wife ) hosted a baby shower for our son and his wife who are soon due to have their first baby ( our grandson ) after over 13 years of marriage. A miracle and a blessing we will never take for granted. Kona seemed to take over the role as host for the baby shower and I thought he was pretty entertaining, greeting every newcomer and checking out the gifts. During the baby shower I saw him grab an unopened water bottle, bite the lid off  and enjoy a long cool drink . His happy face made me even happier. How can you beat this ? A happy son, a happy daughter-in-law, a happy family, a happy dog enjoying the gathering ? Well, the only topper for this ? A happy birth !!!!! Soon.....

What Am I Working On ?

 I acquiesced to a blog meme recently not realizing family and other obligations would hinder my best intentions of fulfilling the commitment of accepting. For this I apologize to  blog friend  Vickie *. I know so many of you who blog and read blogs value above all family and the times we have with our families. For this Lovely Blog Tour I was required to list 3 blogs I love and answer 4 questions. The blogs I love are written by bloggers who do not desire to be part of memes so I decided to list them anyway without any requirements. Before I continue I will show you pictures in answer of one of the questions about myself. What am I working on ? Well, the ongoing care and tending of my flock of Jacob Sheep ! This is one of my lambs ( above ), a ram lamb. ( baby boy sheep ) I am also spinning into yarn and dying large quantities of their wool, an ongoing process here given the amount of wool I have.

 I am also working on enjoying my Sebastopol geese who love and adore me. They follow me everywhere I go when I am outdoors. If I am working somewhere outdoors for any length of time my geese Ella and Fella will park themselves near me and simply sit until I move on. ( I hope you can forgive me for calling this pleasure work ! ) If it is any conciliation to those of you who think geese are all beauty & pleasure, please be comforted  knowing I have to scoop their poop the same as I do my dogs'. If Ella & Fella sit for long near me I know I'll be scooping away their leavings later. It's all worth it to me though , especially when I watch them gliding around our pond looking very much like the swans of fairy tales.

 I am also working on training my German shepherd pup, now 1 year old. Whimsy is the best dog ever but don't tell my Labs Bea & Willow I said this.

I am working on remembering to enjoy any & all time I have to spend with my grandchildren without thinking about the real hard work at home I am not getting done because I am having so much fun with granddaughters who actually enjoy spending time with their old granny. These two granddaughters spent a few days with me this past week and oh what fun we had .

How does this work differ from others of its genre ? Not sure this "work' falls into any "genre" but I guess spending time with one's flocks, herds, and grandchildren differs because I have a unique breed of sheep, geese,  and of course my grandchildren are the best ! :)

Why do I create what I do ? I craft rugs from the wool of my sheep. I spin the wool of my sheep to weave into fabric,  I craft Wee Little Sheep* from the wool of my sheep and gain inspiration from my sheep and my poultry flocks. I create because I cannot exist without creating. How can I not be inspired by what my husband & I have surrounded ourselves with here on Cedar Pond ? Sometimes my head fairly wants to burst with all the ideas I have but practical time & energy limit .

I have probably left out some of what I should have added to this post but I will now list 3 blogs I love ( not exclusive of many blogs I enjoy ! ).

Nib's End * is written by a writer. She is able to write succinctly and sometimes heart-wrenchingly in a way that brings to my heart & mind emotions oft buried  but brought to the surface in tender and comforting ways.

Buttons Thoughts *  is a blog written by a Canadian blogger. Boy, I find I do love so many blogs written by my Canadian friends. Buttons writes her thoughts on life as the hard working wife and soul mate of a Canadian farmer. She has a particularly sweet relationship with their cows, some she has knitted hats for !

Thistle Cove Farm *  is written by Sandra Bennett. I read her blog many years ago when I did not know what blogs were. She has been an encouragement to me, a prayer warrior, an on-line pen-pal, and an inspiration . She was widowed more than a year ago and has written words of wisdom learned the hard way to share with women who find themselves without their life partner , shattered, and not knowing where to turn when their lives fall down around them. She also writes about farm life, community, travel,and so much more.

I have a feeling I am forgetting to add some things to this post but have a big day coming up later this morning and need to get some sleep. The temps are extremely high for our neck of the country , lots of watering to do of animals & gardens. Adventures with a granddaughter who is staying with us for another week, and simply keeping up with the work & pleasures of life here on Cedar Pond. Thank-you for indulging me in reading this post and I hope you'll check out the blogs mentioned, I don't think you'll be disappointed, and if you like what you read in these other blogs please leave them a comment ! Good night and good morning to you wherever you are in Blog Land.

Some of my handspun Jacob sheep wool yarn*.

Family Baptism & Celebration

 Over the years our grandchildren have come to know Jesus as Savior. This is all we as grandparents have ever desired. Riches, fame, "happiness", all the world deems successful, these have never been our prayers or ideals for our children and their children. True happiness and true success are  ideals the bible teaches are a result of trusting Him. Because our grandchildren have proclaimed they believe Jesus is the "way, the truth, and the life " and have accepted Him as Savior, my husband and our family set aside a day to gather together at a lake and baptize all who believe . My husband gathered us together the evening before the baptism at the lake to talk about what the bible says about salvation and baptism. The grandchildren listened, asked questions, and affirmed they too believed and desired baptism.



 We had a family camp-out at our place over the mountains ( see the camper- trailers gathered in a semi-circle ? ) and the family gathered to witness and rejoice in the baptism of the grandchildren and one of our daughters-in-law.

 We went to a local lake early in the morning of the 4th of July. All those to be baptized wore white t-shirts over their clothes, but it was a chilly morning and we waited until it got a tad bit warmer.

 Our oldest son baptized his 4 daughters , and what a day of rejoicing this was !

 Our daughter asked her father, my husband, to baptize her children. This was very important to all of them. No one in our family is pressured to be baptized , or to ask Jesus into their heart. This is a personal experience, between an individual and God ! But blessedly, each of our daughter's children requested baptism because they believe. ( John 3:16 ) Here my husband is baptizing our oldest grandchild...

 ...his sister ( who seems the most joyous of all ! )

 ...their little sister...

 ...baby brother....

... and oh what a joyous day for us all !

Our youngest son baptized his wife  who is expecting their first baby after 13 years of marriage,( a miracle !) . We laughingly expressed our delight that he was not only baptizing his wife but his soon to be born son !

 

"True baptism must always be vitally related to faith. Only through responsive faith to the regenerative work of Christ can the soul participate in spiritual baptism, and subsequently in the symbolic form of the act itself. Through faith , as a commitment to the person of Christ , the believer is brought into an actual relation to God through the radical change of nature which is inherit in spiritual baptism. Faith is a "surrender-in-response " relationship to the Holy Spirit, who, through spiritual baptism brings man into vital union with God."  The Zondervan Pictoral Bible Dictionary