Winter love

Enjoying a white winter on the mountain!

Merry Christmas to you and yours,

Much love,

The Grays

Thanks to give

This Thanksgiving I truly have so much thanks to give.

I am thankful for my beautiful family God has given me, who despite my faults and failures, give me grace and love me anyway.

I am thankful for my parents and siblings who support me and my family's crazy ideas and adventures, even when they may not completely understand why we do what we do.

I am thankful for the friendships that are spread far apart, yet continue to be alive, because of love that holds us together no matter the distance or time in between communication.

I am thankful for new friendships that are just beginning to bloom and take specials places in my heart.

I am thankful for the sound of my children playing in the trees, kittens purring, and fire crackling in the stove.

I am thankful for my husband who continues to melt my heart and who wants to be on this crazy adventure with me.

I am thankful for the song of the mountains that surrounds our home.

I am thankful knowing that I am loved by the One who made me.
          No matter what comes my way, I am His and He is with me.
                     Therefore, I can be thankful for even the hard times because Love never gives up.
                                 My eyes are on greater things, what can this world do to me?

Give thanks with a grateful heart for what He has done.

Summer Joys and Plans

Summer is finally here on the mountain. It was a long winter, with snowfalls up into June after a spring tease in May. It's the second week of July and finally warm enough to begin setting up the kids pool to enjoy on hot days. Life living on a well only allows filling the pool a little each day. We have yet to ever run our well dry, but not willing to take the chance! After a spectacular lightning storm in June and power outages, the memory of how precious water is, is fresh in our minds yet again. With a new generator, we're ready for anything. A power outage can't keep us from getting water again!

Power tools, air compressors, ladders, and saws are back out of hibernation, as we begin building a new wood shed to hold fire wood for a number of years if we can get that far ahead. Part of it will be enclosed for bikes and stuff needing cover in the winter. I can't wait to get rid of tarps covering things on our property!

School came to a nice close and the girls and I are taking the summer off for once. Although I'll still be working on September start up and course planning this month to get a bit ahead, knowing how quickly summer slips by.

These past couple of months has been full of new experiences including giving a chicken a bath, growing my own sprouts, and experimenting with raw food recipes in my dehydrator. I took a bunch of my students to the Vancouver Aquarium for a sleepover at the end of May. What an awesome experience. Jason and I managed to get away at the end of June to celebrate our 15 year wedding anniversary. We enjoyed two nights at Halcyon Hot Springs. Beautiful and relaxing! We also enjoyed visits with cousins, a raptors show, and I finally have a kitchen table!

With plans of finishing the wood shed, planting raspberry bushes, and building a green house, snow will be upon us in no time. However, we take each day as it comes with the challenges it throws at us, and enjoy family time, community events, beach days, and the abundance of fresh produce growing throughout the Okanagan. We hope to see some of you this summer. Our home is always open.

Mountain Living

Well, here we are, almost the middle of April and we're still living in the snow. Perhaps I forget each winter where exactly I live, but I can't help but get excited for spring as soon as March hits, only to be disappointed that we just may have snow until May! Despite the 1-2 feet of snow in my yard, the world still whispers spring. The birds are back and the days are warmer. No longer are days with the wood stove burning continuously, but just at night or in the morning to take off the chill. Although we continue to have some snow flurries, hopefully gone are the days of shoveling!

The chickens are happy to be out on the ground, pecking away at the dirt. The cats can be found in the patches of sunlight found on dry ground beneath the trees. The stellar jays, grey jays, and juncos squabble over fallen chicken pellets and cat food. The girls have pulled out their gum boots and put away their snow pants (hopefully for good now!). The sunshine feels so good, along with the longer days of light.

We look forward to a spring of building a new wood shed and chicken coop. Hopes for a green house too. We'll see what this year brings.

We've enjoyed teaching a study group up here on the mountain and getting to know our neighbors more and more. We look forward to many more potlucks and tea times. What great friends we have made!

Wishing you a bright and happy spring!