the corn is coming off

 Our glorious fall weather continues

and the farmers are finally getting the corn off.

 It's a beautiful sight seeing those combines raising dust in the fields.

 But the weather next week looks like real Manitoba

fall weather.

Our days of 20 degrees C are coming to an end.

the loon

 Katy's boyfriend, David, brought us a loon

that he had carved.

We love it.

He said he was almost finished when he dropped it

and the beak broke.

 Because the floor was covered in wood chips,

he could not find the piece that had broken off.

So he had to carve the head down to make it

proportional to the new beak size.

He did an amazing job.

It is a beautiful piece of art.

thanksgiving weekend

 I'm a bit behind....

We've had two very busy weekends in a row and

somehow the weeks just zip on by.

I will start this post with my first ever apple pie creation!

I have never been a pie baker but I am determined to change this.

I was very happy with this pie result

and those that ate it agreed.

 Katy, the ultimate poser, at our Thanksgiving table.

 This is David. 

He is Katy's dear one

and we think he's pretty special too.

He came all the way from Maine to spend Thanksgiving with us -

well, with Katy really....

but we were privileged to enjoy a good amount of time with him

as well.
I actually made the pie especially for him...

 Beth with her dear young man, Terence.

 Katy is very happy to have another man in her life

to beat on!

Her dad will be missing her "love" punches now!

 Aren't they just the cutest?

And they look pretty nice too!

fall is upon us

 We've just come through the most amazing week of

fall weather.

Actually, it felt more like summer than fall.

 Last Sunday we went for a bike ride down to the creek that winds through town.

 We stopped and Howard walked a bit.

Love that man!

Then I rode my bike through some mud and grass and gobbed

up the tires really well.

 So Howard took it down to the creek and cleaned it up for me.

 No wonder I love him so much!

 Yesterday was another hot and windy day.

The sky was bright blue and the sunflowers were radiant.

 Even the butterflies were enjoying the day.

jesus is still welcome in THIS public school!

I work in a very "Christian" school division and

at a very "Christian" school.

The other day I was counting up the number of Christians

on our staff.

We have 34 on staff including the principal,

 teachers, EAs and other support staff.

There are 4 or 5 who aren't Christians.

No wonder there is such a wonderfully warm

and positive environment in my school.

I sensed it the minute I walked in to sub

the first time.

There are also a lot of kids from Christian homes in our school

who are very open about their faith.

This conversation took place yesterday and

someone recorded it on the board in the staff room.   

Every morning all the grade 3s come down

to the music room to hear a bible story and say

The Lord's Prayer.

These religious exercises for students are division-wide.

I believe ours is the only division in Canada still allowing this.

Attendance is not mandatory but is allowed if a permission

slip is signed and returned to the school.

What a blessing it is to start my school day this way!

And what a blessing it is to work in my school.

It is a Gift.

i still love to quilt

 I have not had time to quilt for a long while.

For some reason, at the end of June, I suddenly had not only the time

but the desire to quilt again!

I saw this quilt online somewhere and got busy.

I made it brighter than it showed

and I love it.

Yesterday at church I delivered it to the young mom

and she was thrilled.

She and her husband belong to our young couples small group.

I have to get busy and get a few more quilts made

as there are more babies on the way...

I would have to say that our study group is very productive!!