WREATHMAKER

Today I'd like to share some photos of our son's garden. He and our lovely daughter-in-law did much of the building of their house, and then proceeded to do a great job of landscaping. The main plantings are perennials, filled in with annuals.

During these cold winter days we start looking back on some lovely flowers we have seen, and ahead to the time when we can again enjoy greenery and blooms around us. I looked back to the photos of last year's Orchid Show here in Winnipeg and remember how lovely the conservatory at Assiniboine Park was, as society members and others transformed it into a tropical scene. We usually stop by Everspring Orchids and purchase a plant or two. Orchids stay in bloom for a very long time.

As soon as our Christmas decorations were put away, my husband began a little redecorating task. He repainted our rather small front entry, and we found a small hall table on sale. The paint is Benjamin Moore Aura, in Venetian Plaster. I still have a little more tweaking to do with accessories. We are using a small trunk for storage, and a fake book which holds pen and paper, messages, etc.

This week my Mom (89 years of age) gave me this little blue sugar bowl. She said it was probably one of the first things my Grandparents bought when they came to Canada in 1912. I do remember that as a child, I sweetened my tea with sugar from that very bowl. Often my Grandma would serve tea with her special honey cookies (honey from their own bees) or bread baked in an outdoor oven. She was a great gardener and cook, and I guess she had lots of practice cooking for her husband and 10 children, and other people who dropped by their farm, some of whom were known as "tramps", but my Grandparents never turned anyone away. A very good lesson in hospitality for us as children. We have very few items which had belonged to my Grandparents, so I feel honored to have this little treasure, not worth a lot in dollars, but rich in meaning.

I copied this list from another blog, sorry I don't remember which one, so I can't give proper credit. I thought it was a fun and interesting list. The things I have done are in red. Would you like to join in? Let me know if you do. 1. Started your own blog , (well, yes!) .2. Slept under the stars 3. Played in a band (Kitchen) 4. Visited Hawaii 5. Watched a meteor shower 6. Given more than you can afford to charity...this one is difficult... when would it be too much? 7. Been to Disneyland/world 8. Climbed a mountain 9. Held a praying mantis 10.Sang a solo, (once, when I was 10) 11. Bungee jumped 12. Visited Paris 13. Watched a lightning storm at sea 14. Taught yourself an art from scratch 15. Adopted a child 16. Had food poisoning 17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty 18. Grown your own vegetables 19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France 20. Slept on an overnight train 21. Had a pillow fight 22. Hitch hiked 23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill 24. Built a snow fort 25. ...

Tonight we celebrated Ukrainian Christmas Eve. We started this tradition in our family because of our son-in-law Jim. His parents always made it a special occasion, but they passed away a few years ago. He would miss them especially on this date. Three years ago we decided to surprise him with the traditional meal of 12 meatless dishes (one for each apostle) . He was so appreciative that it has become one of our family traditions. Some of the main dishes I prepared were beet borstch, cottage cheese filled crepes, and cabbage rolls (photos in that order, below). As well, we had fish, various vegetables, and of course, dessert. In the background of one of the photos is a framed piece of embroidered fabric. This was made by grandmother in Ukraine before she was married. She wove the linen fabric, and cross stitched it and made a shirt for my Grandfather. This framed piece is from one of the sleeves. In our family we have quite a diverse nationality mix..my husband's family came from E...

I made these desserts last week...Turtle Cheesecake, and Eggnog Cake. I did leave out the chocolate chips which were to be sprinkled on the cheesecake. Both were delicious .

Just a few photos of our Japanese themed meal on New Years Day, 2009. It was lovely, and our family(4 generations) had a great time. After dinner, the kids went outside and set off a few fireworks...not quite Mount Rushmore on July 4th, but fun anyway!

May you experience great blessing in 2009! We had a party for 24 people of our age group from our church at our home on Dec 31, and are looking forward to our family ethnic theme dinner at our son's house today. This year we are attempting Japanese food. I am planning to make teriyaki chicken or ribs. Last year it was French.