Monday, December 31, 2012

A Review of 2012


 Here is a month to month review of the past year & some of our highlights & also some of our difficult times. For some months, just one picture just wasn't enough.


 January

 In January, in the midst of all the decision making that was happening, I sewed about 10 baby quilts.

February

Our house sold quickly & we bought a lot in the north-west side of town & plans were underway to begin the building process in spring. The main reason for the move was due to the arthritis in my knees & increasing difficulty to walk the stairs in this house.
Yes, this was taken in February, this was the winter of very little snow.

March
 For the month of March, Albert & I volunteered with Mennonite Disaster Service in Minot, North Dakota. Approx. 4000 homes were damaged by a flood in June 2011 & there was much work to be done.

April

April saw the start of our new house & many hours spent downsizing & packing.

May
 A special Mother's Day gift of a little goat, who I named Skittles, provided lots of entertainment during the summer.

 On the 17th of May, the movers came & moved our most of our furniture into storage & we moved in with our kids, who live in the country. We moved into the bonus room above the garage & enjoyed a fun summer in the country while Albert worked daily with contractors building our house.

June
 
 A pie baking lesson. Note the toes right beside the pie plate.  No, this is not on the floor but the grandchild is sitting on the counter!
 A canola field in full bloom. One of my favorite prairie sights!

 The framing is nearly complete in our house.

 Fishing in the creek.


July
July was filled with many events. My cousin & myself traveled to Red Deer, AB to the Southern Gospel Music concerts. Somehow I missed downloading the pictures to my photo library. 
 My mom was admitted into the hospital in June with a very sore back. This was taken several weeks later when she was feeling slightly better. Also in the picture is my oldest son, Allen with his two boys. She loves Tim Hortons coffee as much as I do!

 At the beginning of July, Albert worked on the gyprock, the taper came to do the mudding & the painter was right on schedule too.
By the end of July, Albert was working on the flooring.

August
 
 The garage doors were installed & the siding was finished at the beginning of the month.

 We enjoyed one short camping trip to Stephenfield Park.

Kitchen cabinets installed, doors & baseboards were finished by the time we moved in at the end of August.



September
 
 September brought lots of unpacking, organizing & more down-sizing.
And enjoying sunsets out our back door.

 At the end of September,Ontario cousins came for a visit & we enjoyed much laughter while wearing our "Hutterite" outfits. No, we didn't leave the house!!

 Cousin Marlene "enjoying" a cup of coffee at Steinbach Mennonite Museum.


Diana stoking the fire.


October

My mom was admitted into a care home so us 4 girls cleaned out her apartment & in the midst of the difficulty, found time to laugh & have some fun.

We made to trip to Yorkton to visit son #2 & help him install kitchen cabinets.




November
 
 After a winter of very little snow, this winter has started with several snowfalls.

The grands came to help me decorate the tree.


December
 
 Christmas celebrations in a new place meant finding spots for Christmas decor.

We found a perfect corner for the tree.

Our Christmas gift to the 3 granddaughters was an afternoon of painting pottery at the
 Clay Owl Studio here in town. 

It has been a busy year but good with also some darker days here & there. In the last few hours of 2012, it's good to reflect & give thanks to the Lord Jesus Christ for His goodness & grace to see us through the good times & also the not so good during the past year.
 May the Lord guide our footsteps in 2013.

Saturday, December 29, 2012

A Quilt for my Sister

 This year it was my youngest sister's turn for a hand-made quilt from myself. I used browns, tans & greens with borders of light tans.


My Phaff sewing machine has an alphabet stitch so I like to personalize the quilts that I as gifts.

My sister seemed quite thrilled with her "nap" quilt. The name of the pattern is "All cooped up."
So, can you tell we are sisters?

Friday, December 28, 2012

An Unrau Christmas Part 2

Sigrid opening a gift of Bath & Body.

My three darling granddaughters & myself.

Our 8 grandchildren & hubby &  myself.

Lena

Charlotte

Enjoying a funny video.

Coffee, dessert & laughter.

Smile, Zac!

Now you've had a small glimpse at our family gathering. It was a good day.

Wednesday, December 26, 2012

An Unrau Christmas

Nick reading the Christmas Story with his daddy's help.


Papa trying on Carly's cat earmuffs.


 There seemed to be a bit of a SK Riders theme gifted by a brother who lives in Rough Rider Country.
 Rider pj's given in jest provided lots of laughter.

Cousins. 

Brothers!

Lena & Sigrid

Chris, Charlotte & Nick


Whoopie Cushion Fun!

Abby, Zac & Jared

Smiles for the camera.