More Birthdays!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to you

Happy birthday to you

Happy birthday to Elisabeth and Isaac

Happy birthday to you.

Elisabeth, we look forward to being with you at your party. Always so nice to get together.
Isaac, we wish you were here so we can share in your day. Hope Mary spoils you. :)

Have a great day! We love you and we're thinking about you!
Love from Omke Marten, Tante Karen, Nicolle and Jason

Happy Birthday Matt!

To all my faithful listeners. This message goes out to a special guy on his birthday:

Happy Birthday to you!

Happy Birthday to you!

Happy Birthday Dear Matt!

Happy Birthday to you!

And many more.....

Aren't ya glad this was blogged and not actually sung out loud to you?

We love you! Have a wonderful day!

Omke Marten, Tante Karen, Nicolle and Jason

You're More Beautiful Than A Tuna!

I'm still laughing. I thought this was so funny.
Jason and I are always saying "I Love You." "I Love You More." As I was tucking him into bed last night, we were going through this routine. To outdo me, he gave me a BIG hug and said "Mommy, you're more beautiful than a tuna." Well, I laughed and laughed and he looked hurt and asked me why I was laughing. I asked him if he knew what a tuna was. He thought it was a flower; maybe a tulip. Awwww... so sweet. I explained the mistake to him. We haven't stopped laughing and teasing each other since. Isn't it priceless? Too funny. I'm laughing as I type this. I won't forget this for a long time. Mmmmm... I better inform him that line won't work with all the girls. He must have taken lessons on romance from Marten. :) I love you, Marten!
I, of course, told Marten and he has since told everyone at the farm. Great! I expect a little bit of teasing the next time I see everyone. I hope I don't turn into a cold fish. Hee, hee. lol
There. Have I made your day? I love to laugh out loud.
Keep laughing. With much love, Karen

Call Us Crazy!

Nicolle was sitting at the dining room table and all of a sudden "Mom, can we dye my hair brown tonight?" We had discussed it before because her blonde was fading to yellow and it wasn't very attractive anymore. We weren't sure what to do. Well, I happened to have a extra box of my color in the cupboard. She was determined so off we go to the washroom. I was really nervous. What if she didn't like it? What if I didn't like it? What will everyone say? We went through the procedure and washed it out, then blow dried it. And... she LOVES it. She was so giddy she couldn't sit still. She couldn't stop talking. She was just hopping up and down the hall. She phoned Nana right away (who is shocked, by the way :P). She's just tickled pink (or brown as the case may be). She keeps saying "I look like Rebecca." That's a good thing -- Rebecca has beautiful hair. Marten is quite pleased. "Have fun with your hair" is his motto. By the way, he wants me to dye mine red. Yah, right! Anyway, we're all pleased with the final look. What do YOU think? Let us know, truthfully.

Oh, the pie was delicious. We had a piece for supper! Here's a picture of some of the children that went apple picking. Nicolle (with blonde hair) and Jason are on the far right.

I forgot to mention in my last post that I was able to go to the ladies' retreat on Saturday because my wonderful husband was able to stay home and look after the kids. It's amazing how God makes everything work out. They have 35 acres left to dig but they're not ready yet so Marten could have the time off. Terrific! He spent the day closing up the pool for the winter. Sad but true. We'll look forward to next spring.

Really looking forward to your comments about this one. We're anxious to see what everyone thinks of the brunette. I don't have my little blonde dutch girl anymore :( but I think she's so pretty.

Much love, Karen

Church Filled Weekend

Can it be? Have I not written for 10 days? Time gets away. Plus, the question is... what do I write about?
This weekend was worthy of remembering. Saturday was the fall Ladies' Retreat for our island churches. We have 13 Christian Churches/Churches of Christ on the Island and we take turns hosting a spring and a fall Ladies Retreat. It was our church's turn this year and I was on the committee. I was the registrar lady (for 108 women) and then I counted the money. After that, I worked in the kitchen to get ready for the lunch. The theme of the day was "Spiritual Spa Day" emphasising that God wants us to work on our inner beauty. On top of two wonderful speakers, we had demonstrations from a chef, a nutritionist, a massager, and a Mary Kay lady. Very interesting -- they actually tied their thoughts into the theme of the day. (I REALLY want a professional massage on my poor feet now.) Since I had a heavy workload for the day, I didn't make it to all the events, but what I did see I really enjoyed.
Sunday was another fun-filled church day. After Sunday School and Church, the families of the children from grades 1-6 were invited to stay for sandwiches, veggies and sweets. Then we all went apple picking together. Such a fall thing to do. York has a wonderful place to pick called Windymoor Orchards. Bags of apples later, it just started to rain. We were going to all go on a nature trail walk but decided that we didn't want to get wet. So, what to do? The thought of going for coffee was discussed. Can you imagine a restaurant full of excited kids? We thought not! So.... being the hostess that I am :), I invited everyone here for coffee, pop, cookies and chips. Arghhhh... the house was a mess. So I rushed home and cleaned up as fast as I could -- it's amazing what you can get done in 2-5 minutes. Everyone arrived and the children had a blast and so did the adults. I love getting together with friends.
So today, I'm really cleaning up (laundry, sorting through old shoes, dishes...). I also caught up on all your blogs. I haven't 'visited' you for 3 days. And now I'm thinking about all those apples downstairs. Mmmm... I think I see an apple pie in our near future. :) Marten will be happy. A good thing to cheer up my family on this dreary, rainy fall day. The kids will be getting home soon, so I must go to the kitchen to get that started before I need to supervise homework.
Have a happy day. Love from Karen

Happy October!

I love the beauty of this month. The orange, red, yellow and even the browns of the trees. The orange pumpkins. The hay bales in the field. Good old Island dirt. Piles and piles of potatoes. Sorry Mary -- 'your' warehouse is filled :( We've had such wonderful weather that the grass is still brilliant green, the bay is sparkly blue. Just beautiful. "In everything, give thanks. For every day, give thanks. For every little thing, give thanks. For the breath of life, give thanks."

I found this Thanksgiving poem and wanted to share it with you:

Thanksgiving is a time of gratitude to God, our Creator and Provider, whose guidance and care go before us... and whose love is with us forever. Thanksgiving is a time to reflect on the changes, to remember that we, too, grow and change from one season of life to another. Thanksgiving is a time of changing seasons, when leaves turn golden in Autumn's wake and apples are crisp in the first chill breezes of fall. Let us remember the true meaning of Thanksgiving as we see the beauty of Autumn. Let us acknowledge the many blessings which are ours... let us think of our families and friends... and let us give thanks in our hearts.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend. Give thanks to God and remember that I have given thanks to God for you.
Love from Karen