three

Triptych of stained glass windows

Makawao Union Church (south side) -  Makawao, Maui

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Thursday challenge

Next week: HANDS (Sign Language, Finger Nails, Hand Decorations, Rings, Gloves, Holding,...)

green

Cedar Express

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Thursday Challenge

Next Week: THREE (Triplets, Trio, Triptych, Triangle,...)

lazy spring (882-890 of 1000 gifts)

"Nothing can be rushed. Things must grow, they must grow upward ..." - Paul Klee

The quote above is a perfect reminder for me to be patient for spring this year. It is taking its time. One nice thing about a cool spring, though, is that with the blossoms all in the fridge, so to speak, they last a long time.

Now where was I in counting my weekly list of gifts...

882. My novel is off my desk and in a queue for the editor at the publisher's Yaaay!

883. Mornings. The world always looks so much brighter in the morning.

884. The smell of freshly cut grass. Even though we've had an unseasonably cool March, the landscapers are busy around town and their work delivers the most wonderful smells of verdancy.

885. A fun time with a couple of brilliants (you'd never know that my niece is a Radiation Oncologist and her husband a Glaciologist working on his Ph.D.). Thanks for spending the day with a couple of old timers, you two!

Walking in the rain with Brita and Brad

886. An adult birthday party, complete with goody bags! (I can't remember the last time I got a goody bag.)

Happy Birthday Joe!

887. Finished writing my FellowScript column yesterday—another tick on the old to-do list!

888. We're loving the spring signs that we do see...the purples

Heather

889. ...and the pinks.

Pieris

890. I'm afraid I'm hooked on curling this week. Heather Nedohin (Team Canada from Alberta) rocks!

Standings after this morning's draw when Canada defeated Korea

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If  you'd like to join me and many others collecting One Thousand Gifts,  please do. Some members of this gratefulness community post their gifts  on blogs, while others list them in private journals. Instructions on  how to join are here.

food

Cranberries

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Thursday Challenge

Next week: GREEN (Fruit, Vegetables, Animals, Clothing, Vehicles,...)

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Cranberries are not only lovely to look at, but delicious to eat. Here is a super-simple recipe for Cranberry Sauce. (It's a recipe that's been on bags of cranberries since I was a kid and was my contribution to Christmas dinner as far back as I can remember.)


Cranberry Sauce

2 cups cranberries
2 cups sugar
1 cup water

Put all ingredients into a cooking pot.
Place over heat and bring to boil.
Cook till the berries soften and pop.
When cooked to desired mushiness, let the sauce cool, then bottle and store in refrigerator.
Serve with turkey.

Use leftover cranberry sauce for lots of things—like stirring into plain yogurt. Add banana slices for a great dessert.

Submitted to Food On Fridays March 16 edition, hosted by Ann Kroeker.

revision (#874-881 of 1000 gifts)

"It is never too late—in fiction or in life—to revise." Nancy Thayer

Our flooded room has been revised. The restoration company moved everything back on Wednesday. Look at it now! That is my headline gift this week (and #874 of 1000).

875. A lovely visit with sister-in-law.

876. Daily walks (well, almost daily).

877. Spring crocuses.

878. A safe trip to the interior on Thursday.

879. Spending time with my favourite little people

880. Watching a whole season of Downton Abbey on the weekend (fun!).

881. DQ ice-cream cakes. YUM!

882. A safe trip home yesterday through snow squalls in the mountains. 

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If  you'd like to join me and many others collecting One Thousand Gifts,  please do. Some members of this gratefulness community post their gifts  on blogs, while others list them in private journals. Instructions on  how to join are here.

pink

So cute in pink

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Thursday Challenge

Next week: FOOD (Food Markets, Ingredients, Cooking, Baking, Pots, Pans,...)

lavender just keeps on giving

You have probably heard me talk of the Lavender Project the women in my church have been involved in. Through it we harvested and sold lavender products to raise money for plastic surgeries to reconstruct the mutilated faces of women in Uganda.

I was excited to find out, today, that our leader and the idea person behind this project, Cherril Holcombe was one of four women honoured by the Langley Rotary Club at a luncheon just in advance of International Women's Day tomorrow (March 8th). Read about it here: "Local women are honoured for good works."

How fabulous is it that the story I wrote for our denominational magazine, testimony magazine, also published this month. "The Lavender Project- a fragrant offering of hope" begins:

"Cherril Holcombe listened with horror as Marilyn Skinner, guest speaker at the May 2010 Life Women Conference in Surrey, B.C., described the facial mutilation many north Ugandan girls suffer when they try to escape from sex slavery at the hands of soldiers from the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA). Marilyn first became aware of the problem when she saw a photo of Nancy, a woman with no nose, no lips, and no ears. Then Marilyn met Nancy and heard her story. Nancy was only seven years old when she was abducted by the LRA. She escaped but was abducted a second time. After her recapture, another child soldier was forced to do the facial mutilations with a razor blade.


Marilyn went on to describe how it was virtually impossible for these women to integrate back into normal society. Their repulsive appearance and the way food dripped out of their mouths when they ate meant that nobody wanted to be around them. When they started businesses, no one wanted to do business with them. They were rejected by everyone, even shunned by their own families and left isolated with no hope." 

Read entire... 

Related: "Lavender sales rebuilds slaves' faces lives.

still playing (#861-873 of 1000 gifts)

"Sometimes you have to play for a long time to be able to play like yourself." - Miles Davis

I'm not sure why the above quote resonates with me. Perhaps it's because I've been working on my novel edit with its vast amount of words (vast compared to poetry at least) and wondering, is this sounding right? What it should be sounding like. This is so different than editing short pieces of prose and poetry, which is tweaking one word here, a comma there. Hallelujah I am nearing the finish line of even the long edit. That is 861. of my list of gifts today.

862. Our flood reno is progressing wonderfully. Drywall has been replaced, walls painted, a beautiful new floor is in. The restoration company may be moving our stuff back this week!

863. More curling to watch—when I find the time. The Brier (playing in Saskatoon) is on this week.

864. A bonus of curling—I get to play with yarn! Here's my latest project all done.

865. Catching up with friends not seen in a while.

866. Listening to Jason Crabb while I do my number crunching.

867. Bird sightings—a Red-tailed Hawk.

868. ...and a Blue Heron.

869. Some missionary events at my church that focused on incredible people and opened my eyes to what's happening in North Africa, Zambia, Cambodia and Guatemala.

870. Spring is advancing, taking baby steps mostly, although the other day I saw this!

871. Yesterday's walk with extended family.

872. ... the new generation of bird watchers.

873. Psalm 20—a special encouragement this week.

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If  you'd like to join me and many others collecting One Thousand Gifts,  please do. Some members of this gratefulness community post their gifts  on blogs, while others list them in private journals. Instructions on  how to join are here.

exercise

Gym under the sky 

(Workout equipment in a Nelson, B.C. park)

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Thursday Challenge

Next week: PINK (Flowers, Produce, Clothes, Makeup, Candy,...)