Fall

Right after our company left, well actually, the next day, I had to do more raking. We had a wind storm and being on a corner, well, you can just imagine what it looked like around the house. So far I have collected about 30 bags and the way it is looking now I have to rake again.
It is a shame to throw it all away but I have no place to compose all that stuff. I took a couple of bags and even that will take a long time to turn into turf.

What a nice day we had yesterday, I had the patio doors open and even put some plants outside. I did some house cleaning. It is not that our guests had left a mess, my goodness, when I went downstairs it was like they had never been there. Nevertheless, I had to strip the beds and wash the bedding and I actually put a whole bunch of pillows out side to air. I vacuumed the whole house and that will do it for awhile. Ted and I only use the sun room, we eat and have our snacks there. Also our laptops have their place.

For the rest not much to tell. Oh yes, yesterday we received a call from Sammie. We could not make out what she was saying because she was crying so hard. Apparently she was on MSN and she thought Opa did not want to talk to her. When her call came we were just having our tea and we told her that we would turn on our camera. So all happy she appeared on our screen. I showed her the tea, she wanted some and reached out with her hand, soooo cute. Of course, Opa told her how pretty she looked. (She never gets tired of hearing that!) She likes to wear dresses all the time! She talked to us while Mommy (who is expecting) was resting. Sammie is being home schooled that is why she is able to talk with us, we see her almost every other day.

Just before that we got a call from Aila and Yvonne. Aila, who has no idea about the distance, asked me to come over and bring her a toy she had left behind. I would mail it except I have been unable to find it. She said: "Oma I will come over and show you where it is!" Right if THAT were only possible! I then talked with Yvonne for a while and we said goodbye. A few minutes later a crying Aila called, she did not have a chance to say bye to me, little sweetheart. People who have no grandkids or....do not put them first are missing out a lot.

Our Weekend

We had visitors this past weekend. My SIL Willy and my niece Nelly from Toronto area. They again came by train, (that is what they seem to enjoy). Of course we had to have Sunday lunch for which I have to make my cinnamon buns. On the first picture I am serving Willy a piece. (I am not sure why I look the way I do!)

I told her I am serving you once, after that, you have to help yourself or you will starve!

Of course we don't have to say that to Alyssa.
Mmmm, I wonder what I can take next!

I think I try them Dutch shoes!

A horse back ride is always fun!

Nelly used to be a little niece like that and it seems like yesterday for me! That was when we were still living in Holland. My brother Dirk and his young family moved to Canada in 1952, I came in 1960.

Ted and his girlfriend! Willy looks very good for her 87 years doesn't she, actually 10 years older than Ted!

We had a good time together and we have to wait an other year for them to come again.

Results

The result from the colonoscopy came back clear, for which we are very thankful. It is always nice that this is behind you so we can get on with our lives. Mind you, we were not really too worried about it, nevertheless a good report is something to be thankful for.

This morning I am going to pick up Lynne and little Alyssa for some mall shopping. Since their second car broke down, Lynne has no transportation. The Mall we are going to has a new Dollarama. It always amazes me how they are able to sell their stuff for that cheap. Mind you I don't need anymore stuff, I'd better get rid of some!

New week

Well an other week has gone by, I am sure you noticed! Hahaha!

Ted and I managed to put the Christmas lights up around the windows on Friday. I had to really persuade him. I told him I'll be extra, extra nice to you but added, I don't know how much nicer I could be!! "Well", he said, I think we don't need those lights at all!"

But he did get the ladder out of the shed and placed it in front of the window. All he had to do is hold the ladder while I got on and hopefully stayed on. But... I had to remind him once in a while to hold it with his steady hand because a few times the ladder and me began to shake. I am NOT so keen on heights in the first place

It broke my heart to bang the nails into the newly painted wood even thought the painters mercifully left the old holes in there, which helped a great deal.

I also cleaned the front lawn but have to do it again because the neighbors across the street did a lousy job on theirs. Why people leave all that rubbish in the gutters I'll never know, do they expect it to disappear magically? Don't they realize that it also plugs up the city sewers?

On a different note. Ted is going to have a colonoscopy tomorrow. We get the results right away.
I have to drive him to the Hospital and find myself something to do until I pick him up several hours later. Because of the medication they give you you are NOT allowed to drive yourself. Mind you we always go together anyways. I might go for a walk around the Hospital, a new scenery might be nice.

We are very thankful for the medical system, I know you don't hear that often. Rather you hear what is NOT good about it, especially during the last couple of weeks. There has been so much of criticism.
Did you see the debate how they attacked Harper? They were like a bunch of little boys and a nasty little girl in a sandbox bullying the "nice kid".

Well, I'd better make some coffee for us.

Pictures

Please go to Yvonne's blog for her latest pictures

(Click on her name)

Fall

A few weeks ago. Summers are too short!
Look at it now!

I have been yard cleaning. Last week I gathered four bags of leaves only from the backyard. This large tree looses the leaves and then decides after cleaning those up to shed the small branches which holds the leaves. So..yesterday I spend another two and a half hours cleaning up the back and the side of the house. That gave me ten bags of fall waste. As you can see, no more flowers in the back because I cut them down as well.

See that frost on the deck? (Click on the picture). Nevertheless, it is going to be another beautiful day today so that I can tackle the front of the house. I read that you kill the grass if you leave the leaves on it for more that two or three days, yes that is right. The treatment your lawn gets this time of the year prepares it for next year. I did not know that. Actually a good rake is the best you can do.

Where do I get all this energy? Well in the beginning of August, I could barely mow the lawn and I was out of breath, me, being out of breath? I decided no way and started walking. First it was 15 min with my music on. I worked it up and now I walk for an hour, no make that run. I actually walk, run. When it is rainy I go on our treadmill. That is why I was able to work that long yesterday. There is no way that this lady is going to be old before my time, hahaha!

By the way, these pictures I took just before posting them. Mind you I took them through the glass. Our new laptops are capable of accepting the card from the camera, and instantly transfers the pictures, our previous laptop was not capable of doing that. Also I have a pull out remote control, very nice indeed. I am so very happy with this laptop!!

Resemblance?

Our Thanksgiving Day

Waiting for dinner to be served, over at Ron and Lynne's place. Lynne and her Mom going as fast as they could, while I took the easy way out by taking some pictures. The only problem, I am not on any of them!Auntie Irene is trying to persuade the boys to try some of the salad she had made and brought along with her. I am afraid she was not too successful. I wanted the recipe because it was the best! And below is Ted's creation one of our favorites.

Lynne had prepared a beautiful meal. We all brought a few of our favorite items.

These occasions bring families together and we miss those who could not be with us. How important these days are depends on the families tradition. We are all familiar with the history of "Thanksgiving day" and if you are not, you Google it. There is no excuse for not knowing. In Holland there was not such a day (I guess we were thankful all the time, hahaha)

We were talking with some friends and she commented that when she thinks about thanksgiving, that meant that weekend the windows were being changed. The outer screen replaced with a glass window. (In the spring this was reversed). That was before the modern triple glazed windows with sliding screens.

It is also the time to hang Christmas lights. Ours were taken down by the painters. Of course they are not working anymore. So now I bought the LED kind, because they last and last. It is just such a pain to hang them again because Ted is unable to do that for me.

Jesus - Everything I do I Do it For You -

YouTube - Jesus - Everything I do I Do it For You - Bryan Adams

Remember Me

YouTube - Remember Me

Please click on the above link to listen to one of my favorite songs. Make sure you listen almost to the end where you'll hear the last words Jesus spoke, taken from "The Passion of the Christ". It is very, very moving.

Stefano Ruben Lether

-Stef-

(Click to enlarge)

Trudy, late? Neh!

Ted tells me that I have many good qualities, actually too many to mention.
Punctuality is NOT one of them. He tells me his middle names are "patient" and "wait". I always arrive late no matter where I go, work? Well, "I used to get there when I got there", church, after they start singing. You get the picture! Ted might be sitting in the living room with his coat on and as punishment with his shoes on my white carpet!! I tell him: "Well it takes me longer everyday to come up with "this"!

On my obituary it will read, "In honour of Trudy, her funeral will start when you get there!"

When you call on Jesus

Everyday, well, almost everyday I go for a walk with my MP3 player, and listen to music. This song I really love. I googled the lyrics because I find that I am not always able to hear the words, which are so important. I will be posting some more of my favorites. Now because I love to sing along, I try to avoid residential streets, and I walk on route 90, hahaha, nobody can hear me there because of all the cars and trucks going by.
For me there is nothing that does more for me than to be reminded through music, how much I am loved by God, He never disappoints me. When I hear a song like this, I am not just walking, I am soaring! (and singing!!)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XYeNfXpZ0pU

Call On Jesus LyricsArtist(Band):Nicole C. Mullen

Verse 1:
I'm so very ordinary, nothing special on my own.
Oh, I have never walked on water,
And I have never calmed a storm.
Sometimes I'm hiding away from the madness around me
Like a child who's afraid of the dark
Chorus:
But when I call on Jesus, all things are possible
I can mount on wings like eagles' and soar.
When I call on Jesus, mountains are gonna fall'
Cause He'll move heaven and earth to come rescue me when I call
La la la la la, la la la la la

Verse 2:
Weary brother, broken daughter,widowed, widowed lover, (put your name here)you're not alone
If you're tired and scared of the madness around you
If you can't find the strength to carry on
Chorus:
When you call on Jesus, all things are possible
You can mount on wings like eagles' and soar
When you call on Jesus, mountains are gonna fall'
Cause He'll move heaven and earth to come rescue you
when you--
Call Him in the mornin', in the afternoon time
Late in the evenin' He'll be there
When your heart is broken, and you feel discouraged,
You can just remember that He said He'll be there
Chorus (2x):
When I call on Jesus, all things are possible
I can mount on wings like eagles' and soar
When I call on Jesus, mountains are gonna fall'
Cause He'll move heaven and earth to come rescue me
(back to top first time, 2nd time finish with "when I call")
La la la la la, la la la la la, la la la la la-a-a


Darlene Zschech Hillsong Call on Jesus

You may add a word or two

http://www.condoleance.nl/registers/register_10618.html

This is a very sad time for our family in Holland. We communicate every day so that I know what is happening.

When the accident happened Stefan's friend witnessed the whole thing, he actually called out, "Stef, stop!" But too late, needless to say, his friend is totally beside himself. They have set up a trauma centre at the school, Stef's classmates are in shock. Letters have been sent home to parents.

On the street where the accident happened a memorial has been set up, where flowers and letters etc are being placed. He was thrown against a tree and that is were a cross has been placed and his name carved into the tree. Al this with the cooperation of the town of Hoofddorp.

The funeral will take place on Monday. They are expecting hundreds of people, including the police department. He will be buried in Heemstede where I grew up.

That I would like to be there is an understatement. But that is not going to happen. There is no time for seat sales and compassion fares are not that much cheaper. So, I wait for pictures and video clips.

It does brings the family together that's for sure. We have a very large family, lots of nieces and nephews, brothers and sisters. (I come from a family of nine.)

When I mentioned in my previous post "that God is not finished yet", that means of course that God will bring out something beautiful. For starters, the oldest son (19), the one I talked to, made a new commitment with God to make Jesus part of his life and told his parents that he is going to look at life a whole lot different than he has done in the past. He wants to attend church again.
This, I am convinced of, is only the beginning of what God (Holy Spirit) is going to do. That is my prayer anyways.

Before and after

This evening Ted and I watched a beautiful movie with that exact tittle, starring Merryl Streep, an excellent movie

I won't go into what that movie was all about, but I found the statement "Before and After" very fitting because of the news we received today from my sister Bertie. Her seventeen old grandson Stephan was instantly killed by a pickup truck right after school while crossing the street. The truck was going full speed. Els was waiting at home with the tea as is their custom. Instead she got a call from the police.

I was able to talk to the oldest son for a while ( his parents were taken by a police car to the Hospital). I asked him how he was doing under the circumstances, all he could say was, "Tante Truus, I am in shock, we all are." Later in the day I talked to my niece Els and she just could not comprehend that Stephan is gone. She was making coffee and realized that she did not have to pour a cup for him (he just loved her coffee!). The police gave her a bag of his clothes all cut up in pieces by the paramedics, she had not been able to look at them. Neither had she been in his room yet.

Their nine year old Kimberly cried out very expressively (the only one who showed emotion!): "But Mommy now I only have two brothers left and it will take a hundred years before I see him again, that takes too long!" When she went to bed she took a picture of Stephen with her, on which she wrote, "I love you and I miss you!" Isn't that precious?

Els was telling me that tomorrow they have to start with arrangements for the funeral. Nobody is an expert in those things, especially when it happens so suddenly. I also did not sense any frustration as I talked with Els and was able to say to her that God is NOT finished yet, without sounding too preachy. The fact that I had an opportunity to talk with her oldest son who has some issues with parental discipline, meant a lot to her.

It is in times like these I wished I were there just to be of comfort to my sister as well. She was so proud of him. He was such a good teenager, an "A" student and always trying to make money in an after school job so that he could buy him self nice clothes and treat his parents. He was also very good looking. I do not have a recent picture of him but I have requested one.

Our lives can change in an instant. We have to be prepared that there is such a thing as "after".

So where will you find comfort?

Still afraid to die?

This man died...and returned..Heaven and Hell are real

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGpxfoF3SYg&feature=related

Trudy-ism

<sup>The other day Ted and I had a coffee in a coffee shop. When we were about to go he folded up some clean left over napkins. I quickly said before he had a chance:"You are not putting them in your pockets now are you?"(Sometimes I forget to empty his pockets when doing laundry and I so dislike the mess!)

He looked at me and said: "Now what did you just put in your purse?"
(An unused creamer and sugar bags!)

Then he remarked, "that would make a great cartoon sweetheart!" Unfortunately his right hand tends to shake quite a bit so I don't think you get the pleasure of seeing one.</sup>

My favorite make-up

These three items by Clinique are the best.
I was introduced to them by Jennifer last year. Actually Paul gave me the money to buy some items and at that time because of a promotion, I got a travel case with various items for free. But these three I stick with. Actually the lip sticks are okay but I can do with the cheaper brands.

On our last trip as we entered a mall to do some "serious" shopping, Paul gave both of us girls $100.00 cash (isn't he a sweetheart?) to buy what ever we wanted. With the warning to spent it and NOT to hoard it. I guess he knows me by now. He wanted to make sure I would spend it on ME!!!

I could not think of anything else but my favorite make-up items since I was in desperate need of them and have been waiting until we got back to the US. In Canada the foundation is $38.00 and in the US $28.00. to give you an idea.

You can buy this product line only in selected stores such as Belk's (in the US) and Sears.

Eliana