Thursday, May 26, 2011

Happy Trails & Equally Happy Homecoming

For the first time ever, our girls and I embarked on a rather considerable road trip without the guys. We missed them terribly, but enjoyed a wonderful 13 day trip - all 3,800 kilometers (roughly 2400 miles) of it!


Our first stop was on May 14th in Centerville, Tennessee, where we attended the wedding of a precious young couple. 




Though the weather was cold and rainy that day, the wedding ceremony was wonderful, and the sweet fellowship with so many dear friends, more than warmed our hearts.


   









Tuesday, May 17th, found us in Cincinnati visiting the Creation Museum with dear friends.  We had a terrific time with them!






If you've never been to the Creation Museum, do make the effort!  We're just so impressed with Ken Ham of Answers In Genesis, and those who laboured with him to create this truly biblical museum, a museum which doesn't shrink from proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ boldly.  

 






  



While in Cincinnati, we also visited the Cincinnati Museum Center, three museums in one, actually.  


 














After leaving Cincinnati, we meandered our way up to Niagara Falls in order to attend the wedding of a dear young friend of ours.  



Our son got up at 3:00 a.m. to get the milking and barn chores done, in order to hitch a ride (a 7 hour drive) with the groom the day before the wedding.  He was able to hook up with us, visit the Falls on Friday afternoon/evening, stay with us overnight, and enjoy the wedding the following day.  We were so glad to see him, we'd all missed him very much! 



In the Pavilion at the Falls (on the Canadian side), we enjoyed watching two expert candy makers in action.  They layered different coloured candy, continously rolling it out into a nice, smooth log.





Once the log had just the right number of colours and layers, one candy maker pulled the end of the heated candy, snapped off a number of lengths, and passed them over to the other candy maker.



This gentleman, kindly explaining the entire process to us, continued to keep the lengths rolling between his hands and the warmed table, ensuring they were all fairly regular in size.  He then used the little spatula you see above to chip individual candies off of each length.  The flavour of this particular batch was mango, and lo and behold ...



... each individual candy had a little mango on it!  He gave us free samples which were very tasty, and we bought some to share with hubby when we got home.

The following day we attended our friend's wedding.  Such a sweet and godly young couple!





After the wedding, our son hitched another ride back home with  friends, and we gals moseyed on over to Toronto to visit the Toronto Zoo



Nice zoo, but boy oh boy, what a lot of walking!  In our opinion, far too much backtracking to leave area and get to another.  







Nevertheless, it was a beautiful day (other than a brief thunder storm!) and we all enjoyed seeing the many varied and exotic animals. 



 Our youngest was particularly enamoured of a chipmunk, the dandelions, and the puddles, much as a child prefers the box to the expensive toy it once held.  She kept us all giggling at her enthusiastic excitement over those day-to-day sights, caring less for the more exotic exhibits!



We saw many interesting sights along our journey, not the least of which were these two trucks and the cargo they were hauling. 



I must admit, I'd never given much thought to what the bottom half of a fire hydrant looked like.



This rock climbing wall seemed an odd bit of cargo, not something one sees being hauled every day.

When choosing hotels in which to lay our weary heads after those long days of driving, we were careful to avoid places with this kind of advertising.  I don't know about you, but when I see a hotel advertising "Low Rat", I'm not terribly inclined to pull in!  And I've heard of El Paso, but I must admit, I've never heard of El Come.




If our friends, the Hammonds, happen to read this, we'll give you one guess as to which chain this one belonged to.  :) 

We returned home Tuesday afternoon ready to tackle the many jobs awaiting us.  With the fieldwork barely begun due to all the rain we've had this spring, and the guys going hard at it, our services were required in the barn for morning and evening milkings.  The house is a wreck with bits and pieces of luggage strewn here, there, and everywhere, and as I decided it was finally time to begin the winter to summer wardrobe switch, we're surrounded by even more chaos.  Nevertheless, we're so happy to have been able to enjoy such a lovely time together, and equally happy to be home!  

We praise God for His travelling mercies, and for keeping the guys safe and sound during our absence.

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

The Old Lady's New Hat

There was an old lady who stood rigid and true,
Along came a storm, gusty winds fiercely blew.
Her hat the winds carried aloft in the air,
Shredding it completely, leaving her in despair.

A new hat was purchased to cover her head,
The mill'ners so brave, falling they didn't dread.
Eighty feet above ground, they placed it with care.
The old lady’s head is no longer bare.









Sunday, May 8, 2011

May His Truth Endure To All Generations ...

On this Mother's Day, 2011, surely I am amongst the most blessed of mothers. God has been so good to me, filling my heart and home with our six wonderful and cherished children.

Glory to His Name!!

May His truth endure to all generations, to our children, to their children, to their children's children...



Psalm 100:1-5

"Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands. Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing. Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations."

Two Temples



Two Temples

A Builder builded a temple,
He wrought it with grace and skill;
Pillars and groins and arches
All fashioned to work his will.
Men said, as they saw its beauty,
“It shall never know decay;
Great is thy skill, O Builder!
Thy fame shall endure for aye.”

A Mother builded a temple
With loving and infinite care,
Planning each arch with patience,
Laying each stone with prayer.
None praised her unceasing efforts,
None knew of her wondrous plan,
For the temple the Mother builded
Was unseen by the eyes of man.

Gone is the builder’s temple,
Crumpled into the dust;
Low lies each stately pillar,
Food for consuming rust,
But the temple the Mother builded
Will last while ages roll,
For that beautiful unseen temple
Was a child’s immortal soul.

~ Hattie Vose Hall ~




Dear Christian Mothers,

The work you do, though seldom praised, is work of great value, arguably the greatest work of all.  You are shaping your children to serve as Christ's Ambassadors, representatives of the Kingdom of Almighty God.  

Don't listen to the liar who whispers in your ear, telling you that you could be doing something more worthwhile, more praiseworthy, more noble.  Nothing is more so than your valiant efforts to raise up godly warriors and servants for the cause of Christ!

Happy, Happy Mother's Day to all who faithfully build temples not of stone and mortar, but temples which glorify the Lord, Jesus Christ!