{home...sweet home}

and now begins the heavenly party...Oma went home to Jesus this morning and we are battling our earthly emotions with our heavenly excitement.

no more pain...
no more inability...
reunited with her loved ones...
reunited with her Saviour.
we seek comfort for our loss...
rejoicing in her happiness!

we love you Oma...
goodbye...until we meet again!

{selfish sadness}


my heart is heavy
my soul is happy
it's quite the mixture
of earthly feelings
meshing with heavenly reality

{Karys and Oma}


Oma Boschmann has been a joy for me to get to know
she's such a ray of sunshine and has an incredible way of making you feel
like you are so loved and so special

in January we got together once again
to celebrate Oma's 95th birthday
she was beaming with joy and love -
so happy to see her entire family under one roof
Karys and Avery had a chance
to sit and smile
to thank Oma for having a birthday party
and to remember her like the smiley and happy person she is

Jim and I just made a trip over to the city to say our 'goodbyes' to an incredible women -
a true matriarch of an incredible family.
a family of which i have been blessed to become a part of.

my sadness is selfish
my heart is heavy
because i want her to stay here longer
i want my girls to get to know her like i know her
or even better than i know her
i want to know that she's there
ready to sit and chat with

but my soul is happy
because she is ready to go home
she has lived a long, full life
and she said she has heard Jesus calling her

i'm filled with joy at the thought
that when she gets to heaven
she'll be able-bodied,
free from pain and worry
and living the life she's lived so long for!

the tears fall at the thought of what we'll be missing
of her down here
and at the thought of what we're missing
with her up there!

so, now, we sit and wait
to get that call
that lets us know she's 'home'
safe and sound...
finally.

{friday thought}

We should never doubt our beliefs and believe our doubts. Instead, we should believe our beliefs and doubt our doubts.

~ Greg Laurie

I'm trying to hold-fast to this thought...always room for improvement! Hope you have a good weekend...a sunshiney one!

{a little bit of R & R...and R}

.:rest:.

we've been purposely taking some time to do nothing except be together...and it looks like it's paying off! We had to document this unsolicited cuddle and it's "open-arms" reception!

.:relaxation:.

yes...art and creativity is relaxing to me and my kids!!

this is a picture Karys came up with while doodling one day! What it is, you ask? Why, it's a canoe with men, obviously! And wind (the black squiggle) and stars?? I forget what the 2 blue things at the top are...they may be clouds with rain.

more creativity at work...


{karys' prints on the left...avery's on the right. not much difference in size, I see!}

.: and renovation:.

yes, our property in continually changing!
the bottom half of our house is now blue, thanks to some free hardi-board siding Jim got. I think it's a nice contrast to the incredible fir posts!

and our yard has been virtually stripped of all things with roots, minus the "grass"(read:weeds), of which we have an abundance!

we're patiently waiting the arrival of Jim's brother, for with him comes the ever-coveted bulldozer!!
yes, some serious transformations are in store for this little plot of earth we own:)

off I head...for some more R & R & R...

{hiccups}

it all came about with the simple little question: "Mummy, how do you get hiccups?" ...and the direction in which our conversation headed would change my life...and hers!!

me: "I'm not too sure K...I guess it's something you'll have to ask God when you get to heaven."

k: "Hmmm..............how do you get to heaven again??"

me: "You know..."

k: "Oh yeah, I forgot, I have to ask Jesus into my heart!"

me: "YAAA, your right Karys!!!"

k: "I know!!" (said in the tone of a four year old...going on 14!) "I did that already when you and Daddy were sleeping at Oma and Opa's...*hiccup*"

me: "what?!?! what did you do at Oma and Opa's??!"

k: "Asked Jesus into my heart when I was laying in bed and you and Daddy were sleeping...are you done my hair yet??"

me: "Awe Karys...that's so incredible...Mummy's so happy for you!!"

I couldn't get into a deeper conversation with her at that moment as I had company over, but that evening during dinner, I asked Karys to share with Daddy what she told me...and after pretending she didn't know what I was talking about, she told Jim the same thing!!

We both looked at each other...admittedly, with tears in our eyes! We were very happy for our little girl, to say the least! So, after a phone call to Oma and Opa, and Gram, we headed out to celebrate - Karys and her new salvation...and Avery and her potty-training success!

{the ever-faithful "cheese" face}

{our big girl...she looks so mature here!}

...my heart rejoices...my soul sings...

{life...carefree}

ahhh...life without the stresses of "work" has been de.light.full! we've enjoyed some down-time just hanging out around the house...and we've also been to visit family for a week, and back:)

as "they" say, "time flies when you're having fun!"

a girl after Opa's heart...

getting right to work
{she was actually driving the tractor herself!}

****
and here, we're off to the lake

- 100 Mile style - all 4 of us in the back seat!!

and...oh, the mud

glorious mud!

glorious sunshine

we had a great time relaxing with family, getting our fill of vitamin D and I was even able to get in 3 runs!

we've been up to lots since getting home...so stay tuned!

{my heart...as of late}

i have, over the past few days/weeks been thinking about life...3 years ago...when God met me, where I was at, through Jim and the never-ending hope I can find in my faith and the family I've been blessed with...my refuge...my easy silence.

after my search for an applicable video to the music turned up nothing...I thought I'd make my own...enjoy.

{oh the bliss}

we're off!!!! which means - I'm off! As in, this term is finished, only one left to go!

"Where to?" you ask...
well, here of course!

He calls this "relaxing" - she calls this "fun!"

and of course, one cannot forget the joy of all road-trips!!
happy Spring Break to you all....

{like mother/father...like daughter(s)!!}

so, not too sure what it's like in your place, but around here we like to pretend:) sometimes we're fairies - go figure! sometimes we're cats/dogs. sometimes we're princesses.

And sometimes...

we're "Mummy"

hat, gloves, heeled boots and a watch

and/or "Daddy"

gotta love that grin!!

At the moment, we're all counting down the days until I am done my second term of work! Each of us is eagerly anticipating the arrival of this Thursday!! Then...it's only a matter of 3 more months!! Can NOT wait!!!!

And in anticipation of "time-off" I'm mentally planning my vegetable garden...any tips/veggie suggestions for this "black-thumb" gardener will be greatly appreciated!

Come on...you know you've got some!!