Seven for a win!

I'm still sending out invites to these ladies to get us together on a monthly basis.  Two of the original group are now living in Europe!  Betty is in Spain with her husband and Louise is in Serbia with her man. We've talked about doing a group trip to see Louise, but I'm not so sure about the logistics.  

Often summers are difficult times to get groups together, but on this auspicious evening everyone showed up! 

I love the energy and presence that comes when this group gathers.  They are all wanting more of God and are intentionally pursuing Him in their personal lives.  

And they are all so interesting and fun to hang with. 

There is usually lots of laughter as we share our stories, sometimes there are tears.

Life can be brutal and we've walked each other through some tough times, but there is always HOPE.  We love to end our evenings with prayer and we've had so many answers over the years.

Thought I'd get myself in one of the pictures too!  

Lovely Loving Ladies

It worked out on very short notice to have a dinner with these sweet & lovely ladies out on the patio!

Such beautiful countenances and delightful conversations.

So much love right here.

 A touch of heaven.

They are so grateful for any diversions, making it so easy and fun to pull together a quick meal and turn it into a party.

Martha brought along her baby blankets and hats 

to show us.

She is still so productive; cooking, baking and knitting, even in her late eighties!
She's got a very big heart and there are babies in other countries who have been and are being blessed through her endless gifts of service.

Pupcake was our somewhat unwilling model. 

Good thing we have our little Pupcake since there are no babies or children in our midst to dote on and enjoy in this season!  

The ladies sat out on the patio for a long time, happily visiting in the warm summer  air. 

The month of July has been absolutely perfect for outdoor entertaining and I'm so grateful to have the space and the energy.

So many gifts, such a good Father.

There have also been a few changes happening at Elsie's place, thanks to Vic for keeping on top of things for her.  

While he was down he spent countless hours staining her deck.

She recently had a new roof put on her house and had her hedge trimmed which sure made a difference in tidying things up!

Elsie's place was older when she purchased it so there have been many maintenance issues and things that need looking after.

It's such a privilege to own property, but the upkeep can be costly and very overwhelming at times.

It's even more so for a single woman, especially when coupled with some sort of a disability, but somehow things get looked after and we are able to enjoy our homes and share them with others.

Thanks be to God, our Great Helper who sends along family and friends at just the right time. 

We are immensely blessed. 

R & R

Rosie & Raymond had a wedding to attend in Kelowna this summer so I was the happy recipient of their company for a few wonderful days.

They now reside in New Brunswick so visits are few and far between.

Rosie & I spent some time downtown having coffee and driving around her old haunts as we caught up and enjoyed our familiar sweet friendship.

Once again, I'm so grateful that I can enjoy my kid's friends who still come around even when the kids are grown up and gone! 

Such a bonus.

Another amazing bonus was that Bethany happened to be in town and that it was her BIRTHDAY!!  

So we invited some more friends and threw a little party in the backyard.

These three gals have been friends for most of their lives.

What a delight to see them laughing uproariously together and enjoying this precious, impromptu reunion.

It was another version of the Gagnenzeit crew that gathered, but thankfully there is always a good reason to get together and to maintain these ties that bind.

In the best way possible! 

I was rather pleased with the dessert I threw together for the occasion.

I was inspired with all of the fresh berries that were in my fridge.

It's so easy to make something look super impressive when you have whipping cream and berries!

YUMMY!!

Bethany is a very fun birthday girl and is always game for a good time.

We were also excited for her as she just returned home from obtaining her teacher's certificate.

She can now add this to all of her other degrees and accomplishments! 

Such an intelligent, wise, Godly, beautiful young woman. 

I know God has amazing things in store for her and for all those who will have the privilege of meeting her along the way.

Little Benjamin brought along a unicorn pinata that provided a great deal of fun and laughter.

In order to get as much time together with Rosie as possible, Bethany stayed for the night and we breakfasted on crepes.

The timing was also perfect for Rosie's sister who drove down from William's Lake to bring one of her kids to summer camp.

Since these dear sisters live on opposite ends of the country it was a sweet time to reconnect and for the kids to see their Auntie.

Meanwhile, that summer storm that left us with a stunning sunset the other night also left us with several fires burning as a result of lightning strikes.

You can see several of them burning down towards Peachland.

Here we go again...

Summer Snippets

Ahhh these lazy, delightful days of summer...

Fresh fruit and veggies for smoothies & desserts to delight body and soul...

Visits with friends

and a lovely morning drive with mom,

that ended up with her getting a ride to emergency to check out a huge bump on her head.

Sadly, after I dropped her off, I watched her begin to wobble as she walked towards the building and the wobble turned into a full on fall.

Very unnerving to sit rooted to your chair as your mother teeters and totters and then falls down just a few feet away - and you can do absolutely nothing except watch with your mouth agape.

She got a massive bump on her head so they thought it was best to check her out at the hospital.  Elsie, who had just returned from Vancouver picked her up later and brought her home.

Thankfully there were no complications, but mom was left with a very tender spot on the back of her head.

Again.

Life with aging parents is an ongoing adventure!

This beautiful succulent planter that Barb gave me is thriving on the back patio.

I've turned it into a little memorial for dear Moose.

As usual, beauty abounds on the orchard.

This was the fiery sky following a big storm that blew through the valley.

Strutting His Stuff

Roosters are crowing in my backyard!

A pleasant reminder of the tiny farm out back and there are hopes of eggs arriving on the scene in the not too distant future, courtesy of the lovely brown hens.  

Speaking of eggs, look what I found in some bushes near the house!

I had been noticing a quail fluttering out in a panic when Ladybug would nose around the area so I went hunting and found the source.

I've been very careful to protect the area as well as I can and have only peeked in one other time to make sure they were still there.

I am beside myself with excitement at the thought of having a bunch of baby quail running through my yard.  

There is something so calming and soothing about having animals and birds in my immediate world.

Sometimes I pull up near the sheep pasture and stop my car, listening to them munching on the grass and bleating in the evening air.

Again and again I thank God for the privilege of living in this area and having regular access to so much beauty and peace. 

Also grateful for my close proximity to our little city and the possibility of coffee dates with friends!

Patrice, Leanne & I had a little rendezvous before Patrice drove back to the coast. We were thinking there was an awful lot of hair in this picture...

We sent it off to Joanna so she could know that she was in our thoughts.

Dawn was able to join me on the patio for a dinner & dessert.

We had a bit of a kafuffle trying to get her situated with her newly casted foot and the little scooter she is using to propel herself around with.

She just about fell and broke something else.

It's tricky when there is more than one disabled individual in the crowd...

This sweet crowd graced my patio as well on yet another beautiful July evening.

I've been making good use of the quiet house since my house-mates have been off doing ministry in the Philippines! 

I'm more motivated to have people over when I don't have to figure out schedules and kitchen space with four other people.

As with all living arrangements, there are pros and cons and one just needs to make the best of whatever is going on at the time.

When I'm in charge up here I try to get Ladybug out on an evening walk and it's just so lovely.

Crickets chirping, stars twinkling, and the moon smiling down at me.

 Ladybug, my constant friend and shadow, trotting along and sniffing the many important spots along the way.

Goodnight, beautiful world.

Pretty much Miraculous

Something fairly significant happened on 07/07...

We managed to talk Dad into coming to a family BBQ - something he hasn't done in over a year!

Daniel & Nicole were down from the coast visiting Oma & Opa in the afternoon, planning to bring them up to the orchard later.  Suddenly Daniel called and informed me that it was "now or never".  Opa was beginning to pull his absentee card - something he is fairly famous for doing.  So I ended my afternoon rest early, leaping out of bed and springing into action. 

I texted everyone that they needed to come NOW and I started to get the food ready for the Patriarch's imminent arrival. 

I'm telling you - this family can move when necessary! 

Daniel arrived bearing the precious cargo of Oma & Opa and we got them settled comfortably on the patio.

Opa seemed very pleased with his reclining chair and the warm summer air and we fed him cherries as he waited for the crowd.

The other cars rolled up in record time and the party was ON!

It was such a delight to have Daniel & Nicole & Christine join us and we had a fabulous time visiting while munching on steak and potatoes & salads and sipping cold drinks.

It felt surreal to have Mom and Dad here and we catered to their every whim.

The day couldn't have been nicer.

Cousins reconnected and stories were shared.

Pure pleasure.

So much gratitude.

The legacy of love continues.

The family stripes were donned and pictures were taken to mark the occasion.

Mom's smile pretty much says it all.

Surrounded by her beloved family, her heart was full.

As she always says, "what matters is that we are together'.

Indeed.

Mom and Dad were taken home on command but the rest of us stayed on the patio to enjoy the balmy summer evening.

I brought out a pile of the photos from the box I had packed up at Mom and Dad's last year when we were moving them into the Village.

We had lots of fun looking back over the years to when Mom & Dad first came over to Canada.  The picture above was of Mom, taken in the Thiessen's car.  They were the family who sponsored mom and lovingly treated her like family.

This was Dad's first truck.

Such a treasure to share these moments and to make more memories.

We were texting Becci in Calgary who was almost in tears, wishing so much she could be with us. We were finding pictures of her Dad as a little boy who looked an awful lot like Becci's middle son Niko.

My heart was full too.

Fathers and daughters, mothers and sons, aunties and uncles and so much love.