93/365 Waiting for our Robin to return

Last year we watched her raise four babies. Spring is such a wonderful time of year. 

Today is Good Friday because our Saviour went to the cross for us. He suffered for us. he paid a debt we could never pay for us. That is Good! 

 92/365 Lucy  ~ Sweet, caring, compassionate and feisty all wrapped up in our creative, blue eyed redhead. I now have an updated portrait for the dining room wall of love. 

 91/365 Easter Tree

Emma decorated and undecorated our easter Tree several times today....

 90/365 Amazon

I really do appreciate Amazon. It is super convenient when needing an item, to find it on my computer and then have that item on my doorstep a day or two later. Does it make me shop more? Probably. It is particularly convenient since moving to a rural location. Our trips into the city are efficiently planned. 

At the same time, I acknowledging the valid concerns others have about Amazons corporate practices - treatment of employees etc.  I would much rather support a local business, and I do when I can.

While the criticisms regarding labor and market dominance are important conversations to have, the practicality and efficiency of Amazon cannot be denied. I like to think I balance the convenience and ease with a conscious effort to support local shops when possible. 

That said...there is a little excitement when the Amazon driver pulls into my driveway. It reminds me of Mr. Telerico delivering our vegetables every Wednesday am when I was a little girl. My eyes got pretty big when he pulled that wad of bills out of his pocket. Or the milkman giving us a little piece of dry ice so we could put it in water and watch it smoke up. Home delivery was very common. My Mom didn't have a car or drive and she had nine mouths to feed so when Tomboy delivered, it was very much appreciated. Remember the Eaton's catalogue and those big blue trucks? 

On another note, it is the last day of March and it is snowing. No blizzard thankfully. 

And I really like that my office in our new house gets to watch the house build across the street and all the kids heading to the school bus....and the park....and the Amazon van arriving.

 89/365 Norah

 88/365 Post Banana Split Laughs

 87/365 Eva

 86/365 Diving Board

Trying to be patient here but surely waiting for the day all this snow is gone! I have to remind myself that it is still March and she came in like a lamb. 

 85/365 Isla

We had such a good visit. I miss this little one so much. But I now have an updated photo for the dining room wall. 

 84/365 New Paints

Look what my family bought me for my birthday. Along with a stack of beautiful water colour paper. 

I played with these paints most of today :) 

 83/365 Heading Home

So thankful these little people are such great travellers. Jesse really likes to sit with grandma. :) 

 82/365 Hot Tub

How many cousins can you get into one hot tub?

 81/365 Norah is Baptized! 

So blessed and thankful we could all be here for this very special day. 

 80/365 Games

We played all sorts of card games and group interactive games that all ages could be part of. Jesse had a blast playing foosball on Team Aunt Allison. 

 79/365 Pool Fun

Five days after arrival the hot temps arrived and we spent a whole lot of time in the pool.  Isla loves the water. Such freedom for her. Here she is showing me her ballet moves. :) 

 78/365 The Ft Worth Zoo

Another five hour day with a ton of people but so much to see. 

 77/365 Perot Museum

We spent 5 hours there and I have about 30 photos of all the fun and learning. 

 76/376 Rope Course Class

Photo courtesy of Eva since that is Grandma at the end. 

I finished! 

 75/365 Grandma's birthday

It was a royal celebration! 

 74/365 Norah's Bd

It was very exciting to all be together to celebrate Norah's 14th birthday. 

 73/365 Feeding the Crowd

The real fun starts after the kitchen is stocked. We were both extremely tired shopping for 14 on 5 hrs sleep and a lot of  excitement. 

 72/365 Up and On Our Way

Nine of us are on our way to see the cousins in Texas for 10 days. 

 71/365 Bird Bath

Hoping to be able to clean this out, fill it with fresh water and listen to those birds soon. 

 70/365 Diving Board

Nine weeks! I hope to be diving off this board in 9 weeks! Maybe 10, but aiming for nine.

 69/365 Close One

Our days occasionally start with a poached egg on toast and a game of cribbage.... I lost. His crib, I led a six and he had a six. 

 68/365 Light

 67/365 Pilgrim Girl

I have photographed the four oldest grand girls in this Pilgrim outfit brought home from a trip to Plymouth, Massachusetts. 

 66/365 Church History

Reading in the streams of sunlight. 

 65/365 First Rise

One of those happy moments in life when the first rise happens so beautifully (even when you snuck in some bran to the whole wheat part) and then you get to punch it down and start creating buns and loaves and whatever your heart desires. sigh.....

 64/365 Elephant

Our dear friend Ken brought this back from Africa. Ken has gone home to be with the Lord. We miss him but are thankful for this little remembrance that sits on the living room shelf.

 63/365 Emma's Chair

After years of crumb filled booster seats and high chairs, I found these at IKEA for under $75. Emma and Jesse are both big enough to sit on them - they just need the extra height. When not holding the kids, they are my stylish plant holders in the corner of my dining room.  That plant btw is a fake IKEA plant. Less to look after + no worries about water spills = more time to paint. 

 62/365 Fuumuui Extended Needle Point Brush

When they work they are amazing but I am still getting the hang of them. 

 61/365 Three

It is next to impossible to get a decent photo of the three of them. None of them stay in one place for long but especially when they are in that place with their siblings. 

But I am training them! 

 60/365 Snow Maze

The largest in the world! Fun...but my fingers are still thawing out. 

 59/365 Shelf With My 85mm Prime

 58/365 Lego

We love lego. Lucy is vey excited to be working on the elevator for her hospital. I love how they diligently follow the directions until their masterpiece is completed. A little task lighting always helps. 

 57/365 Replenish the Freezer Day

 56/365 Front Hall Lights

With an 85mm lens. Cool! 

 55/365 This Boy!!

Grandma likes snow days more than the kids do. We had Mark's three here for the day d/t too much snow for the school buses. We had a riot all day - painting, lego, Jesse and I made labels for the electrical panel, tobogganing (so, so cold out there), kitchen fun too. We made home made sherbet. But this photo takes the cake - or I should say chocolates. Such a ham!! 

 54/365 Nyhavn, Copenhagen 

My husband brought these colourful little pottery houses back for me on one of his business trips to Copenhagen. They are replicas of the Danish home/businesses in Nyhavn. Fairytale writer Hans Christian Andersen lived in three different Nyhavn houses where he wrote the classics.

 53/3365 My Helper

Sweet times with my boy! I call him that since he arrived after six grand daughters.  

 52/365 Snowman

When the snowblower blows it right back at ya! 

 51/365 My Spinning World

Flat on my back with a Meniere's attack for the past 14 hours. Worst I have had since a helicopter ride in Oahu many years ago. So this is all I am mustering today as I am finally upright, but it captures the feeling. 

This too shall pass. 

 50/365 Madonna With Child

Inherited this from my Mom when she passed. She will always have a place on my shelf. 

 49/365 Little Green Vase

I am challenging myself to take all my photos for the next few weeks with my 84mm 1.4 prime. 

Should be interesting. Love this lens. 

 48/365 Amaryllis Bloom #2

My Amaryllis is blooming again and this time the stock is almost 4 feet tall. It is amazing that all this beauty is coming out of one bulb. I sure hope I can keep it alive over the summer and nourish it enough for it to bloom again next winter. 

 47/365 Vitamin D

It's not pool side but it's pretty good for mid February. 

 46/365 Crackers

Home made! No palm oil, sugar, wheat, preservatives or other things I cannot pronounce. Just healthy high fibre seeds and herbs like chia, flax, pumpkin, sunflower seeds, nigella seeds, garlic and whatever else you want to add. I had some fresh squeezed lemon juice to use up so in it went. 

Here is the link to the recipe  https://www.thedoctorskitchen.com/recipes/flax-chia-and-pumpkin-seed-crackers?utm_source=Iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=campaign_296245

 45/365 Winter Wonderland

We have had warm daytime temperatures and that means lots of moisture in the air. But it also means fog and hoar frost. The backyard is really a winter wonderland and I would go tromping back there but last time I did that my tall boots filled with snow! 

Happy Valentine's Day! 

 44/365 Candy Dish

My grandma used to keep candies in this dish. We were only allowed one!