Life hits hard

...it always amazes me how life can hit us, usually out of the blue and from what seems like all directions.  I just finished writing a note to my Aunt, my Uncle Hugh has been diagnosed with aggressive lung cancer.  They got the diagnosis on Friday and today, Tuesday he is in hospital with questions about needing hospice.  They haven't even talked to an oncologist yet.  Then 1 1/2 hours away another Uncle is recovering from major surgery including removing his gallbladder, part of his liver and a large part of his colon and is awaiting biopsy results.

For some families uncles are seen at weddings and funerals...but not our family...we were always around family, spent summers together and Christmases...even mixed it up as both my dad and moms family knew each other fairly well, well most of them...my dads family is 12 and moms was 4 kids. It made for a huge number of aunts, uncles and cousins.  Weirdly enough my Uncle Marlin and Aunt Alice(dads sister and brother in law) lived next door to my moms childhood home, my mom babysat for them...so these two uncles specifically knew each other fairly well.

My heart is overwhelmed, memories if my moms illness and death are just constantly whirling around in my head and my empathy for my aunts and cousins is tearing at me because you never know what loosing a parent is like until you face it.

My mind is frantically looking and calling out to God and I know He is wading towards me ever straight, it is I myself that puts the muck around me and as soon as I let it go He will be there with His strong arms and strength to hold me up in the days and months ahead.  While I do not fear death at all,  I fear the pain of that temporary loss and change it daily life that it brings and of watching those around my hurt and grieve.

Tell the Egyptians it was delicious...

...well yesterday was a double treat day we went to babysit Mattias and Rachekl yesterday and it just so happens that Naders whole family is here, his 2 sisters from Egypt and his brother from the East coast...so mattias' Teta(grandma) was busy cooking up a storm and wanted to share some authentic Egyptian cuisine with Meghan and I.  So we had Koshary (mix of rice, lentils, pasta with a tomato vinegar sauce) and Kofta (beef kabobs made with ground beef and spices)... I am sure my dear friend Anne would be so proud of me!  It was very yummy and funnily enough Nader popped his head up the stairs and asked us what we thought of it...he actually said "what can I tell the Egyptians...lol"

It was amazing to hear them all together ... Very loud and excitedly talking in Arabic...a very happy family 💕

Oh Mr. Sun!

Mr. Golden Sun, please shine down on me...ok enough already I'm feeling all mossy and humid...I want my dry heat back and I want it now! It has been awhile since we have had to undure such a rainy cool July and I am really quite over it.

I want to go swimming and camping and feel the fan blowing warm air on my face...lol.

Megs and I are heading out to Lac Le Jeune today(Wednesday) thru to Saturday then home to repack and off to Shuswap lake for a few nights and I need some sunshine.  We are picking up our favorite little three year old on Friday for a night at Lac le Jeune and while I'm not too sure about a three year old in a wheelchair who needs catheterization 4 times a day...I am glad Meghan will be with me to do the chasing around part.  I am sure it will be fun kids make camping so much better...and we can do it!

The forcast actually as days of sunshine in it so fingers crossed...summer is here!

Happy Birthday Canada

I am lucky to have been born in the Centennial year of our Country's birth.  I always got that question right on my socials exams.  149 years ago this Country became one.  This weekend for me is the kick off to summer, but I really need to move past that now that I no longer have kids in school and I don't work.  It is a lot easier to get camping sites in May and June than it is in July and August.

But having said that I do have 4 trips booked for July and August, and depending on weather and how I am feeling I may add in a few more short trips.  I am so blessed by our trailer, once it is ship shape for the season it is so easy to just hook up and go.

Well almost, I was supposed to take 3 nights away with my hubby this week at a little creek we know up in the Red Lake area, but alas our truck had different ideas and broke down as Keith was filling the propane tanks for the trailer...as I wondered where he was and what was taking so long he was sitting in 33 degree temperatures hoping the darn thing would start...so after a $114.00 tow bill the trip was canceled and an appointment made at the garage.

I was so very disappointed, I am struggling to keep my head above water these days there is just so much going on...I do not like being grumpy and out of sorts but sometimes those dark clouds just take over.  So how do I cheer myself up?  I book another 3 nights at Shuswap lake...yay for us there was an opening so I scooped it up we don't go till Wednesday so that allows me to babysit my sweeties and go to a sewing day then take off for 3 nights.

I am hoping for nice weather...but really all that is necessary is no continuous down pour so I can enjoy some roasted marshmallows and time chilling with my camping mate, Meghan...lol everyone else is working so it will just be two of us this time.

I am looking forward to another warm Thompson\Okanagan summer swimming in the lake and napping in the shade...life just doesn't get much better than that.

Happy Canada day everyone!

So many places

I am thinking of changing to just one blog...that way there will be one place to come talk to me.  I have chosen to move to this blog and close down the other.  So I am hoping new people will find me and join in the fun of sharing lives together

I've been working

I've spent some time sewing lately...I managed to make a table topper for a wedding gift.  Again I forgot to do the finished photo but I do have an almost finished photo...oops never mind...I actually only have a photo of the mistake...I had to rip it apart...well I guess I could show that just for the effect...I did fix the error...can you see it?

Then I made this nifty tv table ironing board for when I need to iron small pieces as I sew...loving it and the fabric!

One of the best weekends ever...

There are a few things in life that will always trump this...wedding days, birth days of my children...vacations with family and hubby, graduations...but I do have to say the few days between March 12-March 15 were absolutely hands down fantastic...

Imagine three full days to sit with some girlfriends, and do your favorite hobby all day long...with meals provided...a snack bar at your finger tips...the biggest decision is what time is appropriate to put on pj's...sigh

Quilt retreat 2015 at Sorrento Center was a awesome experience...I got to know two friends better as we spent 3 days together at a table of 4 sewing, laughing, talking about God in our lives and how he sustains us.  The only thing that would have made it better is if it was a Christian Quilting retreat now that would be amazing!!

I took along a few projects not sure what would inspire me and I got 2 small projects done, 2 block of the month blocks and finished cutting out a flannel quilt project and another easy quilt called cake boxes.  I felt like I could have stayed for weeks...my imagination was flowing as I imagined a sunny beach location quilting Christian retreat that lasted at least 2 weeks so you'd have time to relax on the beach...oh my I think I blacked out for a moment...well it wasn't quite that perfect but I can dream...here are my finished projects and the quilts you will have to wait for...

...this is a block of the month project based on the Underground railroad story, each block represents a code to help the slaves get to freedom, the book tells a story as you make each block so its a mini history lesson too...

...a sewing machine cover...I found this on pinterest and loved the fabric it was from a line from 2010...so I hunted high and low over the Internet to find it and got just enough to do this project with a little left over...I love it!  Bright and cheerful!!

...oh oh, more owls...lol, I got this!bag as a kit from a store in Kelowna while on our anniversary trip last year..it is an awesome bag, great for holding my crafty projects when I'm on the go...

So that is it for now...hopefully I'll be more regular here now that I have the photo thing worked out!

TTFN...