it's monday again already?!

 Snow snow snow, if you think you're sick of hearing about it, imagine living in it!  Some of you have been there done that, I know.  It's just been a whopper of a winter, January was like six months long, and February is following suit.  When the pine trees glisten with snow, and the whole house is lit with that glow that only a snow covered yard can bring, yay, I love it!  I avoid driving in it as much as I can, but it still happens.  The older kids have to go to work too, so they're all driving in it all the time.  This is from Sam and Grace's drive home last night: 

When the road is covered like that, you can't see where you're supposed to be driving, and when the flakes are coming down heavily, you can't see anyway.  On a perfectly clear summer night, it's hard for me as it is, driving in the dark, but add these things and then slippery-ness...I recently had to slow down to turn onto my road and there was a truck, right on my tail...it's stressful!  

Anyway.  Our weekend was just as it should be, fun and loud and warm and good.  

I stole this picture from Emily, Lake Ontario.

Just the random things, little Miss Blythe and Bluey...Paul, Tennyson in the background with a toy gun, Ben, Kathryn.

Me with seven of my eleven daughters:  Margaret, Kathryn, Evelyn, me, Sonja, Suzanne, Abigail, Camille holding Kathryn's Jamie.

The five-girls-in-a-row-in-five-years...Margaret, Kathryn, Evelyn, Suzanne, Sonja

Random:  That's Abigail's fiance Derek, then Evelyn with her fiance Nate, Grace and Sam with Maeve...you can see Sunny at the side, and Nate's dog Newton.

Suze, Marge, Cam, Oscar, and Sonja

Camille using the little kitchen torch that Jonny got her for Christmas on her Creme Brulee' cookies.  

Margaret and her Blythe, Jamie, Grace with her Maeve

Grace and her two little girls, Ruth and Maeve...the kids love that three dollar Bluey!

I didn't go around taking pictures, being intrusive, I always feel intrusive when I take pictures in such a cozy, let-your-hair down setting.  So I will just have to use my words.  Ben and Ashley were there with Anya, Elise, Declan.  Suzanne's husband Zech was there.  My son Joseph was there.  

Son-in-laws Adrian and Zech.  

Anyway, we had meatballs and Buffalo mac and cheese, and chicken wing dip and ribs and yesterday Nate made three kinds of chicken wings.  The espresso machine clogged up (it was just the little insert basket of the portafilter, it clogged and the water couldn't get through), the kids went in and out, but Paul did take them sledding on the back hill, there were dogs:  Sunny and Suri, Newton, Suzanne and Zech's big black gentle giant Lab Winnie, Rosi's little Junie.  They were all fine, Newton is small and mighty, and likes to be the boss, but the other dogs didn't care that much.  Junie just ran around wagging and smiling.  

(When I vacuumed on Sunday morning, oh dear, I had to keep stopping to empty the dog hair!)

I'm going out the door to the pool in ten minutes, so this will be short.  Life is interesting.  I want everyone to choose the good, to walk on the straight and narrow, because I love them and want them to be happy.  Yesterday in church we heard about blaming others.  It's not right, and when we get the nudge not to do that, we need to really take heed, because it's something that brings US misery.  It doesn't feel good.  Pointing the finger even in the most trivial matters can lead to those bitter roots, which defile many.  God has much better plans for us.  When we pray for it, God will answer.  When we listen to that still small voice of the spirit, things will go well.  Christians get a bad rap, mostly because they tend to be self righteous, and that's not Christianity at all.  We're to judge ourselves, and give other people freedom.  We see how glad our hearts are when we say no to sin,  we want others to experience it, but without love, it's just clanging....and love isn't puffed up, doesn't parade itself.  It is patient and kind.  So love comes by much obedience to that still small voice!  It suffers when wronged, and doesn't fight or argue.  We have to live the life, then that is the light of men.

Okay, stepping down from the pulpit now and hurrying like heck out the door...have a good day!