Phew! It's Over

Well, we survived the Christmas chaos here in the Goerzen home.  It was wonderful and great and exhausting and overwhelming and wonderful.  You know? 

I found my heart being so full, as I prepared for Christmas this year.  I kept meditating on, "God with us....God with me...."  And so He was, and is.

As I prepared dinner for the ones I love, and watched them open presents, I was so incredibly thankful.  Not for the presents under the tree, or the food on the table (although that was fabulous, if I might say), but for the people around the room.  People whom I adore.  People whom I have laid down my life, my selfish desires, my wants, for.  People who bring me such joy and blessings, people who make me want to be a better person.  My people.  My family.

Now, the decorations are down, the house is clean(er), and the quiet(er) is here.  And I am sad.  And happy.  And thankful.  And tired.  And ready for what the New Year will bring.  Are you?

Happy New Year, friends. 

Immanuel

Well, Christmas is coming....sooner rather than later.... and I feel behind the eight ball this year.  My presents are not quite all bought yet, and definitely not wrapped.  My grocery lists aren't made, and my baking is not done.... definitely not ready.

And yet, it's okay.  This week has been filled with hard things in the lives of family and friends.... kids who are sick and need medicine that cannot be provided, children dying senselessly, health issues abounding, financial struggles of dear ones....

And I need to remember, Jesus has come.  To be the Saviour of the World.  And to make it more personal, to be MY Saviour.  MY help in times of trouble.  MY rock, when things are rough. 

....the virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means "God with us"....   (Matthew 1:23)

This year, I am celebrating the season of "God with us".  God with us when things are good, bad, and ugly.  God with us when I am rejoicing or grieving.  Full of joy, or full of sorrow.  Immanuel.  God with us. 

My prayer for you, my friends, is that you too will be filled with knowing of God with us. 

Merry Christmas. 

Immanuel.

Sisters

Yesterday, the little Girls were enjoying an afternoon snack.  Molly had cut up some apples for them to have with peanut butter, and they also had a gingersnap.  I was working in the kitchen, and glanced over to see them like this.  They were chatting and giggling and just enjoying each other's company.  I don't think they even noticed me taking this picture, they were so engrossed in their own little world. 

 

 

I feel so blessed that these Girls will have each other, and hopefully, they'll continue to be the best of friends throughout their lives.  As I see my little ladies grow up, I almost feel a bit jealous of them....wishing that I had all these sisters myself... Oh my, do I ever love my Girls!

Taking Time

The other day, I was sitting at the kitchen table, getting caught up on some paperwork.  I glanced outside, and was greeted by this beautiful view...

...the sun was setting, the lights of the tree were warm.... it was beautiful.  And, to top it off, it was +1 C, so the Girls were outside playing!  I could hear their laughter from inside the house.  So often, I get caught up in the day to day work of running a household, and I forget to take some time to smell the roses, so to speak.  And then, when I do, it seems almost bittersweet.  I love these days of Girls laughter, rosy cheeks, and bright eyes from being outside.  The days of wet clothes laying everywhere once they come in, mitts piled two high on top of the heat register so they're toasty warm and dry for the next outside adventure.  The endless chatter and giggling and singing....and I know that one day, I will miss this season dearly.  So today, I'm remembering....to enjoy this season. 



Grandpa's Caramel Corn

When I was a little girl, my grandparents all lived in Manitoba.  Every summer, and often at Christmas, we'd load up the car and drive out to visit them.  My Mom's parents farmed out there, and my Dad's parents lived in town.  My Grandpa on my Dad's side was known by his family for 2 things.  The first was his oatmeal.  Every morning, he'd have oatmeal for breakfast.  IF you were lucky enough to wake up in time to have oatmeal with him, he'd let you put on as much brown sugar as you wanted.  That was a huge treat!  The second thing my grandpa was know for, was the maker of caramel corn.  I think every time we went to visit, he'd always send us home with his caramel corn.  It was a huge treat, and highlight of the visit.  Later on in his life, he had cancer, but I remember hearing stories of him being in the hospital, and when he was released, he made caramel corn for the nurses who took care of him while he was in the hospital.

 

Every Christmas, I haul up the hot air popper, and make some of my Grandpa's caramel corn.  I don't know why this only happens at Christmas, frankly.... but that's the way she goes.  Perhaps this year, I'll make it in the Spring too, just to take a walk on the wild side!

 

Last night, while the Girls were decorating their little Christmas trees, I thought I'd make this special treat.

 

Here's the recipe:

 

Grandpa's Caramel Corn

 

Pop 2 pails (ice cream pails, that is) of popcorn

 

In a pot, combine

2 c. brown sugar

1/2 c. corn syrup

1 tsp. salt

1 c. butter

 

Bring to a boil and let simmer for 5 minutes.  DO NOT STIR!  Add the following:

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. vanilla

 

 

Stir and pour over the popcorn, mixing gently until covered.  Spread the covered popcorn on cookie sheets and bake at 200F for 1 hr.

 

After it's done baking, I let it cool a bit and store it in ice cream pails in the freezer.  I find that if I "hide" it in the freezer, it lasts more than 2 days.... if I'm lucky.

 

It's hard to have this yumminess sitting on the counter without munching at it a bit, so last night, only about a pail and a half made it to the freezer.  Oh well, I suppose it's better than nothing! 

 

 

Really, Mom? Really?

The  Day has come.  It's a day that I knew would come, however, I thought that it would be further into the future... But alas.  It is here.  And it's official:  My kids are smarter than me.

I have memories of a child of me telling my mother, numerous times, how to set the timer on the VCR.  She would want to tape something, and didn't quite remember how to do it.  So she would ask me.  And in my child-mind, I would think, "Really Mom?  Really?  This isn't rocket science...."  And I am positive that my Girls now think the same about me.

We were driving home from Montana, and once we hit Calgary, it started to get cold.  Like, really cold.  -20C cold.  And the back windows on the van had totally fogged up, and were, in fact, iced up.  The Girls couldn't see a darn thing through them.  Art and I had tried everything to get them clear, and I think the Girls were having trouble breathing, it got so dang hot back there.  But, to no avail.  Finally, Molly pipes up, "Mom, if you would just take the lock off, I'm sure I'll be able to fix it."

Art and I look at each other knowingly...."Mmmm hmmm, ya right.  You go for it Molly.... I'm sure you know best" (not sarcastic. at all.  After all, don't all 7 yr. olds know everything about vans?)

Molly fiddles with her knob back there, and wonder of all wonders, within 5 minutes, the windows are clear and dry.  And I think to myself, "Really?  Really Teresa?  This surely isn't rocket science...."

Let me tell you friends, this is only one of the many ways my Girls are smarter than me.  Hannah knows how to turn on those smiley faces on my phone (I think they're called emojicons?).  I have no idea.  Abby knows all the shortcuts on the remote for the tv.  I have no idea.  Even Ellie Mae, who's 5, can beat me at games on my iPhone.   "Really Mom?  Really?   I know this isn't rocket science...."

Ahh, the circle of life.  Isn't it a bugger?!

Home is Best

We just got back from a quick jaunt down to Montana for a long weekend.  It was so great to get away for the weekend to relax....and shop.... and swim..... and eat!

We left on Thursday morning and drove the whole day in heavy fog until just before Great Falls.  Unfortunately, we missed out seeing all the scenery because of the crazy fog.  We arrived just before dinner, got checked into our hotel and had some dinner before hitting the pool for the rest of the evening.  The Girls were thrilled because the pool was empty, so they had it to themselves.  Truth be told, I was thrilled too!

Friday morning, we headed over to the CM Russell Museum with our own, personal guide for the whole morning, provided for us from the museum free of charge because we are homeschoolers.  Yay for us!  The tour guide was a wonderful, 85 year old, spunky lady who was a wealth of information!  She graciously shared much of her knowledge with us, and I really had no idea that Russell was so famous.  He was the highest paid artist of his time, and has a huge painting in the state capital building in Helena, among other places, as well as over 4500 other paintings.  He loved the West, and the cowboy lifestyle, and most of his paintings have a white horse in them, as well as something red.  One painting that was in the museum was bought from the Elks a few years ago, whom he was a member of.  They were going to auction it off, but ended up selling it to the museum for $1,100,000!  It look them a year to raise the money, and over 2000 people donated to enable them to buy the painting.  It was absolutely stunning!  Ellie Mae had my camera throughout the museum, so I have many pictures to remember the day....none of them in focus, of course.  Here is one that Art took outside the museum of us girls....

Of course, we did a fair amount of shopping while we were down there.  We drove to Helena one day (just over an hour south of Great Falls) to hit the Costco and Murdoch's (a new store for us that we were recently turned on to), and hit the usual stores in Great Falls - Big R, Target.  I also did a bunch of online shopping on Black Friday, before we left, and that was all waiting at the hotel for us when we got there.  We went and hung out at the grocery store a bit too, simply because I love walking the aisles and seeing the selection of (junk) food that we are not privy to here in the Great, White North. 

 

One of the best parts of going away is not having to cook dinner every night, so we enjoyed a few nights of pizza by the poolside, as well as another favorite, Sonic, and our old faithful while in Great Falls....Chilli's. 

 

As much as going away is so great, I sure do appreciate getting home again.  Back in the land of the freezing cold (did I mention that it was 30 degrees warmer in MT than it was at home?!), where everyone has their own bedrooms.... (or lets be honest, Art and I have our own bedroom); where I can be reassured that if we get in an accident, it won't cost us $100,000 to go to the hospital; and I pay way more for my home and food to eat and clothes on my back.... home is best.