Merry Christmas!

To all my (2) readers, I wish you all a blessed Christmas. I hope we all have a wonderful celebration of Christ's birth, spending time with family and friends. Safe travels in this winter wonderland, and a very very happy New Year!

For the Men....

...a helpful little video....

http://bewareofthedoghouse.com/VideoPage.aspx

Oh,the weather outside is frightful...

...but inside is so delightful! Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow...

We are cozy and warm here at home. So what do you do on a snowday?

GINGERBREAD!!!!

Allison and Amanda decorated this tree...

And Deanna (with Natalie's help) did the house. She did the icing all by herself too, all I did was glue it together.

Later, we will open our presents. They are under our "new" tree:

Hopefully you are all safe at home too, and enjoying a cozy snow day!

Busy Days!

So the big news around here is the new school. After 32 years at it's present location, Covenant Christian School is moving. The choice was to either do some major renovations and additions to our current facility, or find another more suitable. Providentially, a school was found for sale that met our needs, and an offer to purchase was made. To make a long story not so long...
We got possession last week, and now the work begins!
The previous owners (another Christian School) basically walked away from the building, leaving classrooms and closets packed with stuff. Some useful, some...not so much!
So we have been cleaning and sorting, every chance we get. The students will get an extra week of Christmas holidays so we can start school in the new building! The kids are so excited!
A website has been set up for the school, so feel free to check it out at www.ccslondon.org.

Have a great week, and if you're in the area, stop by...bring your mop and bucket!

Sandink Christmas Dinner

I know Sherri posted pictures on her blog, but I thought I'd add some of my own. Last Saturday we gathered in Freelton for our annual Sandink Christmas Dinner. There was a good turnout, the food was delish as always, and we could catch up with those we hadn't seen for awhile. This was the first Sandink Dinner without Opoe, but hopefully not the last.

On with the pictures:

Callum loves trucks!

The stage was popular - no music, but the kids put on quite a show!

Nice face, Amanda!

Natalie's favourite Uncle Pieter!

And of course, Santa Claus dropped by with a bag of goodies for all the kids!

_______________________________________________

4 years ago, we met at the same hall in Freelton for the same reason. And guess what!

I found pictures on my computer from that dinner too:

It's a bit far, but Opoe is sitting at this end of the middle table, with a red sweater on.

Amanda and Allison! Weren't they cute?

Tim with Santa.

Deanna taking a shot at the pinata.

This one's for you, Alicia! Rick and Reuben. I hardly recognized him without his curls! (Reuben, I mean, not Rick. Obviously his curls are hidden under the Santa hat!)

Advice?

Any ideas on what to do for a 9 year old with a nasty annoying dry cough? It seems to be really bad at bedtime, and she has a hard time falling asleep on a good day!
I got her the Benylin Nighttime Dry Cough, which doesnt' seem to do much, but I was hoping it would at least make her sleepy... tonight she is complaining that her throat hurts. I think it's just from trying not to cough, and then having a huge coughing fit caused by holding it in.
So now she has had the Benylin, some Motrin for the sore throat, and I put the cool mist humidifier in her room
Anyone else have any different ideas I can try???
Anyone....?

this has been going on for about a week. I, for one, have had enough of it, and so has Deanna, I'm sure! It's not bad enough to go to the doctor, but it sure is frustrating!

***Thanks to my SIL, the "cough expert" for the telephone consultation. You're better than Telehealth!!****

Sunday Funnies:

This afternoon, in the middle of the sermon in church, Natalie (whom I thought was asleep on my lap) looked at me and said:

"I really wanted to be a mermaid. But...I'm a girl. With legs (as she pointed to the offending appendages). I'm not a mermaid".

And she heaved a mighty sigh and laid her head back down on my lap.

Don't you just wonder how their minds work sometimes?

Harsevoort Sinterklaas 2008

I know, it's not even December yet! But since we were all going to be together for family pictures anyway, we thought we'd combine it with Sinterklaas.

The Story of the Red Hat

Once upon a time, there was a red hat. After outliving it's fashion heyday (sometime in the 80's, I believe) it was relegated by its owner to a thrift store. It gained new life a couple of years ago when it was purchased by my mother to wear to a Red Hat Lunch for my aunt. After this event, it was given a place of honour in the dressup box downstairs.

Yesterday, it was the most popular item in the house! Proof:

Amanda, Natalie, Deanna and Jonah all had a turn.

Even Uncle Pieter looked dashing in his nouveau chapeau! Let's hope nobody had head lice :)

And some more memorable moments:

Aunt Kathryn, I was sitting here first!

Callum taking after his father :)

Uncle Art getting his baby fix

Kim enjoying a frosty beverage....

Aaron setting the kids table - so helpful!

Caleb taking it all in.

Callum likes his new book!

Uncle Rick had a nice hat too!

Well, it snowed...

...about 6" so far.

This afternoon I went to the school to teach P.E. (as I do every Thursday afternoon. I have Gr 3/4 for an hour, and then Gr 1/2 for an hour at the end of the day.) When I arrived, the entire school was in the back yard building snow forts! Even the staff - it was great!
Lunch recess is supposed to go til 1:00, but nobody wanted to go inside, so we all stayed out til 2 rolling giant snowballs and building them into forts. I think Mr. Meinen (the principal) rolled the most snowballs! Gr 7/8 used their snow to build a large ramp at the top of the backyard slope. Then they slid down it on Crazy Carpets. I really really wish I had brought my camera. It was something to see! The older kids helping the younger kids roll snowballs, or climb the ramp to slide down.
At 2, the teachers decided they should do some work yet, so Gr 1/2 and I were left with the ramp to ourselves! It was fun Phys Ed! We also played Cops and Robbers (using the snow fort as the jail), before we went inside for a few minutes at the end of the day.

More snow is on the way.... Tim might have a lucrative weekend (shovelling driveways)!

**UPDATE**

Friday was indeed a snow day. Although the sun was shining here, just west of us in Strathroy they got dumped on! Up to 75 cm in some areas.

This is how much snow we got here, just about a foot:

WHAT???????

COPIED FROM ENVIRONMENT CANADA'S WEBSITE:

SNOWSQUALL WARNING: London - MiddlesexIssued at 3:28 PM EST WEDNESDAY 19 NOVEMBER 2008
ANOTHER SIGNIFICANT SNOW SQUALL EVENT EXPECTED TO DEVELOP ON THURSDAY. THIS IS A WARNING THAT SNOWSQUALLS ARE IMMINENT OR OCCURRING IN THESE REGIONS. MONITOR WEATHER CONDITIONS..LISTEN FOR UPDATED STATEMENTS.
AN ALBERTA CLIPPER WILL CROSS SOUTHERN ONTARIO TONIGHT ALONG WITH A DOLLOP OF SNOW. ACCUMULATIONS WILL GENERALLY BE AROUND 5 CENTIMETRES WITH LOCALLY 10 IN A FEW LOCALES..MAINLY IN PARTS OF SKI COUNTRY. A SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT IS IN EFFECT WITH MORE SPECIFICS ABOUT THIS EVENT. A MUCH MORE SIGNIFICANT SNOWFALL EVENT IS ON TAP FOR THURSDAY THROUGH FRIDAY. SOME OF THE COLDEST AIR OF THE SEASON THUS FAR WILL SURGE INTO SOUTHERN ONTARIO BEGINNING LATE THURSDAY AND BECOME WELL ENTRENCHED ON FRIDAY. VERY UNSTABLE AIR COMBINED WITH THE RELATIVELY WARM WATERS OF THE GREAT LAKES WILL PRODUCE ABUNDANT SNOW SQUALLS. THESE SQUALLS WILL BECOME PARTICULARLY ROBUST THURSDAY NIGHT AND FRIDAY. SEVERAL SIGNIFICANT SNOW SQUALLS ARE LIKELY TO AFFECT THE BRUCE PENINSULA TO COLLINGWOOD LATER ON THURSDAY AS WELL AS DOWNWIND LOCALES TO THEIR SOUTH. ACCUMULATIONS IN EXCESS OF 15 CENTIMETRES ARE LIKELY THURSDAY NIGHT. BUT A MORE MONUMENTAL BAND IS QUITE POSSIBLE NEAR THE EASTERN SHORE OF LAKE HURON EXTENDING ACROSS GRAND BEND OR SARNIA AND SOUTH FROM THERE. SIGNIFICANT SNOWFALL AMOUNTS IN EXCESS OF 30 CENTIMETRES APPEAR LIKELY THURSDAY NIGHT. COLOSSAL SNOWFALL TOTALS IN EXCESS OF 50 CENTIMETRES ARE POSSIBLE OUT OF THIS EVENT BY THE TIME IT WEAKENS ON SATURDAY

SO...BETTER BREAK OUT THE DOG SLEDS!

Decor Project

Today I had both Deanna and Amanda home sick. Natalie has been suffering from a bad cold all week, as have I.

Since it was going to be a write-off day for housework anyway, I thought I'd tackle a project. Deanna has been wanting a new desk chair. This is what she's been using:

Not too beautiful, or remotely comfortable! This is an issue, since she likes to sit in her room and read.

So, $25 and a couple of hours later, this is what that chair looks like now:

I was just going to use the stripes, but we happened to spot that blue chenille in the remnant bin as we walked by, and she loved it! It's beautifully soft, but very difficult to cut and sew! Glad I didn't do the whole chair in that!

Much more comfortable (especially with 3" foam!) and it looks a little better too!

Vacancy..

Today our pastor announced that he has accepted a call extended to him by the church of West Albany, Australia. It was an emotional day in London. I'm sure this was a difficult decision for the Pot family to make. We wish them well, but we will miss them.

WHAT month is it??

October? Cause it sure looks more like December around here:

I don't know if you can see it, but a big branch broke off our maple tree in the bak yard. The snow is really wet and heavy, and the leaves are still on the trees. There are branches down everywhere around here. Our hedge is about a foot shorter too.

School is not cancelled, though. Outside of London, there is no snow apparently. The radar shows a band straight from Lake Huron (Grand Bend) through London.

It will all melt tomorrow. Funny weather...

And some other pictures that have been waiting for a blog:

This is how Natalie helps me bake:

The beautiful roses I got for my birthday:

The day Deanna got her foot stuck on her bed. Silly girl...

And Allison trying to unstuck her.

Not to be Forgotten...

...last Friday, Allison and Amanda celebrated their 7th birthday! Wow!
They were very happy with their Webkinz, new purses and Kooky Klicker pens!




We took a cake along to the reunion, and had a "drop-in" celebration in our trailer.

Thanksgiving Weekend

After much planning and emailing and anticipating, on Friday afternoon we packed up the van and the kids and headed to Sherkston Shores for a Harsevoort reunion! The last Harsevoort reunion was in 1994, so it was definitely time!
It was a wonderful weekend! The weather was gorgeous, the trailers were nice, the resort was splendiferous! And the company.... well, that was great too. Lots of catching up and renewing relationships was done, remember whens... and new memories...
The interior of our trailer... we had a 3 bedroom model, which also had a pullout couch in the living room. It worked out really well.

The quarry and beach behind the hall. The kids had fun in the sand, and the adults enjoyed the sunshine on the patio...


Saturday afternoon Talent Show...

Saturday dinner in the restaurant, followed by minigolf..


Sunday afternoon on the beach...

Waiting for fireworks....

Everybody helping clean up the hall on Sunday night...

That poster was a list of all the birthdays/anniversaries on this weekend. There were a lot!