Happy Birthday, Mom!

Yesterday we celebrated my mom's 94th birthday. We enjoyed an afternoon of visiting, coffee time, a delicious supper of salads, cold cuts & desserts & more visiting. My mom is doing amazing well & lives in a seniors' complex & has an array of outdoor plants she enjoys. She also still sews quilt tops for MCC & sews baby quilts for another charity.
I wonder if I have those "Olfert" genes to live a long life? If I do, I hope I have the clarity of mind that my mom is blessed with & also such a positive attitude. You are setting a wonderful example, Mom!

Field Trip

Wow, I can't believe that's it's over a week since I last blogged. It has been a busy time around here with lots of planting & gardening going on. Carly, Nick & I had a "field trip" to Morden Nursery" one day last week. They have a large fish pond & we had fun feeding the fish.



Then on the way home, we stopped at IceBurg's for ice-cream.














At home in my backyard, the neighbour's flowering crab trees, make a perfect backdrop to my garden.

Backyard Visitor

This baby robin perched himself on the frog on my deck & stayed for several hours & napped on & off while the parent robin brought snacks of worms.

10 things I love about a Manitoba Spring

1. The sound of various birds announcing their arrival - robins, mourning dove, kill deer & meadow lark.
2. The first johnny jump- ups that bloom as soon as the the warm rays of sunshine touch them & they burst out in bright colours even though they may be surrounded by patches of snow.
3. The sheen of green on distant trees.
4. Rhubarb sprouting up green & growing fast each day.
5. The first bright yellow dandelion. There is not a better bouquet of flowers a mom can receive than a fistful of spring dandelions picked by a child & presented with a smile & "I picked these just for you, Mommy."
6. The smell of the first freshly mowed lawn.
7. The sound of childrens' laughter coming from a playground.
8. The sound & smell of fresh rain.
9. Brightly blooming tulips.
10. Spring blossoms.

Mother's Day Thoughts

There are many thoughts, readings, poems & stories written about Mother's Day. Advertising bombards us with many ideas on what to buy & how & where to celebrate this special day. So what is important to me about this day? First - moms need & want to be respected & loved everyday & a day set aside to honour moms in a special way is a good thing.
My mom, who will be 94 at the end of this month, continues to be a positive influence in my life. She is a strong prayer warrior for her whole family & I wonder where would we all be if we didn't have her to bring us - her family - before the Heavenly Throne daily. She has set the bar pretty high in her example to me & I'm working towards this goal - maybe praying towards the goal is better wording.
I don't know if my kids read my blog regularly & if they do, here is a hint of a gift that doesn't cost any money & that's at the top of my list. Just put your arms around me & tell me you love me. And a phone call with those words works too. Don't get me wrong - I love gifts too, lots of presents! An "I love you" just warms me all up inside & keeps me going for days/ weeks!
And so I ask myself - do I tell my kids often enough that I love them? That each one is wonderful & has grown up to be a man that I am so very proud of? That I pray for each of them by name & also for their families?
Happy Mother's Day to all my readers. A day to receive wishes for a happy day & also a day to tell our children we love them.

Another Project Done

This project has been in the planning stages for several years. I bought a pattern to make a shower curtain for our main bathroom & I showed it to my daughters who all loved it & each one wanted one. So it took me about 1 1/2 years to make 3 - one for each of them & so now it was my turn for one. I got the fabric cut for the stars in January & we were away for 6 weeks & so when we got home this was the first on my list of things to finish.





















Now I can hang up my new towels that I bought months ago to match the paint which was done about a year ago. Guess I'm abit of a matchy/ matchy person!!

Quilt Show

Two of my quilts are at the quilt show in Morden this weekend. This one is part of my collection of quilts that will be gifted to one of our 8 grandchildren in the future.
























This quilt I pieced last fall & it is for our bed to use! The pattern really caught my eye but I didn't like the colours so I completely changed the whole colour scheme & now am very happy with the way it turned out.