Grieving

Our Ranch friend, Carrie passed away this morning.

We will always remember her laughter, her smile and her great love for her family and life.

Click here to read her Obituary.

For all you Local Readers...

BOOK SALE

My friend B is raising money for missions and selling off all her books. If you are interested in any and want to know the details re. contacting her to buy the books, just let me know and I will send you a private message. Here is a word from B:
"I have a tonne of books in brand spanking new condition that I am selling with all proceeds going to local non-profit organization, Flights of Hope, and their January humanitarian relief trip to Haiti.

I would love to go on this trip myself, but since that is looking less and less likely, I wanted to find a way to support their efforts.

Please help me to raise lots o' cash for this amazing group in the fight against global poverty.

I dare you to pay outrageous amounts for all of these books, knowing that 100% of your donation will go toward changing lives. Sales of over $20 are eligible for tax receipts."


List of Titles to be Sold

Fiction:

The Pillars of the Earth - Ken Follett
What is the What - Dave Eggers
The Yacoubian Building - Alla Al Aswany
The Testament of Gideon Mack - James Robertson
A Long Way Down - Nick Hornsby - SOLD
The End of the Alphabet - CS Richardson - SOLD
Slam - Nick Hornsby
Twilight - Stephenie Meyer
Divine - Karen Kingsbury
The Fifth Mountain - Paulo Coelho
The Devil & Miss Prym - Paulo Coelho
The Valkyries - Paulo Coelho
Shopaholic & Baby - Sophie Kinsella
The Odyssey – Homer
Republic – Plato
The Love of a Good Woman – Alice Munro
I Know this Much is True – Wally Lamb
Unless – Carol Shields
The Birth of Venus – Sarah Dunant
The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency – Alexander McCall Smith
Anna Karenina – Leo Tolstoy
The Hobbit – J.R.R. Tolkien
Candide – Voltaire
The Metamorphosis & Other Stories – Franz Kafka
The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants – Ann Brashares
Testament – Nino Ricci
Selected Poems – Charles Baudelaire
Naked Lunch – William S. Burroughs
Misconceptions – Naomi Wolf
The Bluest Eye – Toni Morrison
Of Human Bondage – W. Somerset Maugham
A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius – Dave Eggers - SOLD
Last Orders – Graham Swift
Hesiod & Theognis
The Vagina Monologues – Eve Ensler
The Acid House – Irvine Welsh
Death & Fame – Allen Ginsberg
Shoeless Joe – W.P. Kinsella
Much Ado About Nothing – William Shakespeare
The Bacchae & Other Plays – Euripides
The Da Vinci Code (no cover) – Dan Brown
American Psycho – Bret Easton Ellis
Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha – Roddy Doyle
The Iliad – Homer
Sophie’s World – Jostein Gaarder
Women in Love – D.H. Lawrence
Lord Jim – Joseph Conrad
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time – Mark Haddon
Trainspotting – Irvine Welsh
The Crucible – Arthur Miller
The Wars – Timothy Findley
Angela’s Ashes – Frank McCourt
The Stone Angel – Margaret Laurence
The Edible Women – Margaret Atwood
Jewel – Bret Lott
The Blind Assassin – Margaret Atwood
The Bonesetter’s Daughter – Amy Tan
Dubliners – James Joyce
Sons & Lovers – D.H. Lawrence
The Theban Plays – Sophocles
A Widow for One Year – John Irving
The Convict Lover – Merilyn Simonds
Barrel Fever – David Sedaris
The Picture of Dorian Gray – Oscar Wilde
Anil’s Ghost – Michael Ondaatje
A Year in Provence – Peter Mayle
Richard III – William Shakespeare
The Tempest – William Shakespeare
Lolita – Vladimir Nabokov
The Princess Bride – William Goldman
The Shipping News – Annie Proulx


Non-Fiction:

Transforming Power: From the personal to the political - Judy Rebick
Ideas: Brilliant thinkers speak their minds (CBC Radio's IDEAS Series)- Edited by Bernie Lucht
The Art of Happiness - His Holiness the Dalai Lama
A Long Way Down - Ewan McGregor & Charlie Boorman
Shut Up, I'm Talking: And other diplomacy lessons I learned in the Israeli government - Gregory Levy
Stumbling on Happiness - Daniel Gilbert
Eat, Pray, Love - Elizabeth Gilbert
Existentialism – John Macquarrie
Nietzsche for Beginners – Laurence Gane & Kitty Chan
Ireland – Eyewitness Travel Guides
Dictionary of Nineteenth-Century History – Edited by John Belchem & Richard Price

Christian:

The Divine Conspiracy - Dallas Willard
Drawing near - John Bevere
Thus Saith the Lord - John Bevere
Face to Face with God - Bill Johnson
When Heaven Invades Earth - Bill Johnson
The Bait of Satan - John Bevere
Dreaming with God - Bill Johnson
Enemy Access Denied - John Bevere
For This I Was Born - Brian Houston
Orthodoxy - G.K. Chesterton
The Successful Family - Creflo Dollar
Total Life Prosperity - Creflo Dollar
Honor's Reward - John Bevere
Love & Respect: The love she most desires, the respect he desperately needs - Dr. Emerson Eggrichs
Prayer: Does it make any difference - Philip Yancey
I'll Have What She's Having: The ultimate compliment for any woman daring to change her world - Bobbie Houston
Fight Like a Girl - Lisa Bevere
90 Minutes in Heaven - Don Piper
Searching for God Knows What - Donald Miller
Blessed Beyond Measure - Gloria Copeland
Breaking Intimidation - John Bevere
Nurture - Lisa Bevere
Walking with God - John Eldridge
Woman, Thou Art Loosed - T.D. Jakes
Conversations with God - Neale Donald Walsch
The Four Loves - C.S. Lewis
Waking the Dead - John Eldredge
The Happy Intercessor - Beni Johnson
The End of Religion - Bruxy Cavey

Doodle and a Hot Drink

So, a blogger friend of mine (Redeemed Diva) left a comment on my last post. She was wondering what was up with the name of my Bog ~The Happy Doodler~? I guess it is difficult to see the connection to that name and what this Blog is actually all about. Well, the story goes that years ago my husband set me up a Blog. He thought that it would get my creative juices flowing and he knew that I have "journaled" since I was proably 13 years old. Since I am a chronic Doodler, he gave my blog it's name! :) I have been Blogging ever since and yes, I still Doodle too. Diva was wondering, might I post some of my Doodle? Sure! What not?! 

In picture one you see a letter "H". Then some random heart doole with some text. *I feel silly posting this...but oh well...I blame Diva!*

So...now on to my Christmas theme: 

deluxe hot chai mix found HERE at "cakeyvoice"

You will need:

2 cups caster sugar (vanilla sugar is best)
1 cup Typhoo QT instant white tea  (I will be using that instant iced tea that comes in little crystals)
1 cup coffee whitener
1 cup dried skimmed milk powder
1 cup Coffee Mate 'Latte Creations', original or vanilla  (I think I will omit this and just use and extra cup of the skimmed milk powder)
4 teaspoons ground ginger
4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground cloves
2 teaspoons ground cardamom
2 teaspoons ground allspice
1 teaspoon white pepper

Mix all the ingredients in a large bowl. Process the mixture in a blender or food processor, 1 cup at a time, and store in airtight jars.

To serve, put 2 tablespoons in a mug, top up with boiling water and wait a few minutes before drinking to allow the spices to settle at the bottom. 

Some special moments to share

Oh happy day!! Shaun and I had the privledge of taking pictures at our dear friend's wedding.  (Click on a pic to see it in a larger scale. )

Teena and Troy 

They said: "I do!!"

Teena and Troy

...are getting married in 5 days!!!!!!

Creative Cat

My friend just joined the Blogging world. Click HERE to visit! She loves writing, taking pictures, her family (and her 2 cats and dog)!  : )

My Hippy Friends...

...now have a Blog!! Check it out: here!

Passionate about living simply and "green", I am sure we can all learn something new and interesting from their experiences. :)

What we did this Sunday afternoon...

...helped a little Princess celebrate her 4th Birthday at M and D's house!

Check it out!

Over the past 2 days I have read some pretty amazing Blog Posts. I thought I would bring them to your attention.

• "To Love, Honor and Vacuum" wrote: Suing Good Samaritans. Click HERE to read.

• "Lifestyle of Worship" wrote: When Fear comes Crawling Your Way. Click HERE to read.

Just for fun

Where is your cell phone? in top of the desk

Your hair colour? dark almond

Your mother? plans
Your father? builds
Your favorite thing? being loved
Your dream last night? weird

Your dream goal? share a creative business with my husband

The room you're in? livingroom
Your hobby (hobbies)? lots and mostly creative

Your fear? lack
Where do you want to be in 6 years? on a vacation with my family

Where were you last night? bed
What you're not? moody

One of your wish-list items? Amaryllis

Where you grew up? all over Canada (my Dad was a Pilot in the Canadian Air Force)
The last thing you did? run a few errands with my mom
What are you wearing? black cords and a cream sweater, stripped socks (all different colours)!

Your TV? off
Your pet? outside
Your computer? well used by 3 out of 4 of us!

Your mood? offended (that the Dr's need to do sooooooooooo many useless tests on our daughter who isn't feeling well).
Missing someone? yes

Your car? sitting in the driveway

Something you're not wearing? makeup

Favourite shop? Winners
Your summer? gardening time!

Love someone? deeply
Your favourite colour? Ocean Blue (so...various shades of blue and green)

When is the last time you laughed? last night at something Shaun said; he was trying to be funny and he was!
When is the last time you cried? Hmmm. I can't remember! Not in the last little bit, I don't think. I do cry easily though and it isn't necessarily a bad thing either!

Happy Birthday (on the 6th of Nov) Jenny!


"Oh, the comfort, the inexpressible comfort of feeling safe with a person; having neither to weigh thoughts nor measure words, but to pour them all out, just as they are, chaff and grain together, knowing that a faithful hand will take and sift them, keep what is worth keeping, and then, with a breath of kindness, blow the rest away."
Dinah Maria

I Love this quote and it so describes the friendship I am blessed to have with Jenny.

Happy Birthday faithful, passionate, warrior, deep, intercessor, loyal, wise, funny, girly-girl!!

May you see some of the deep desires of your heart fulfilled this year.

Baby update

I talked to Willow this morning. Her baby is doing much better but still needs our prayers. Also pray for the family. Thanks everyone!!

Pray ladies Pray!

Please PRAY for Ranon (Glen & Willow's new baby boy). He is in hospital with bacterial infection in his blood (blood poisoning). Pray for (1) his complete healing; (2) that this will have NO effects on his brain; and (3) pray specifically that the swelling in his left kidney will go down. Also keep the family in your prayers as well.
*************************************************************************************
Update coming.....

Cookie Press

Several years ago my friend Teena and I were shopping together at Winners. I found this cool Cookie Press Kit and I was pretty much "drooling" over it. BUT...Shaun and I had just bought a house and it wasn't a practical thing for me to be buying. I sadly put it back on the shelf and perhaps I did moan and sigh...just a bit! Anyway, a few weeks later Teena presented me with what she called was a Housewarming Gift: The Cookie Press!!!!!! Unknown to me, she had gone back to the store and bought it for me!!

Well, it has been a difficult thing for me to master. But, yesterday Shaun and I got the hang of it! Pictured below are some of our goodies. I thought they looked a bit plain and ended up adding chocolate and sprinkles. YUM! And pretty too!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHERYL!

Today is a very special day. It is our dear friend Cheryl's Birthday! Here are some of the things we love about her:

~Cheryl has the heart of a mother.

~She loves to love, mentor, encourage and take care of people. A natural mom to three children but a mom to MANY Spiritual Children!

~Cheryl is a worshiper...this is not just about playing an instrument or singing, but it is a lifestyle. I am very thankful that she was able to mentor my husband for 5 years in this kind of Worship.

~Cheryl is living out her dreams! She has just returned from a Missions Trip in Africa...I can't wait to hear about it....

~Cheryl is married to a special man: Sid and we love him too! ;o) Three years ago they moved to B.C. and we miss them still!! Have a wonderful day Cheryl. We are so blessed to celebrate you today! You are a beautiful woman!!

For Tirzah


Tirzah and her friend Jillian having fun at the pool! (July 2008)

Downhere song

This is for a Friend. God has not forgotten you.

Protest to Praise

I knew the times would come and now the times have landed
With stinging abrasion As ready as I seem to be
It's never like I planned it, yeah

I'm wrestling my thoughts I'm overcome
Would you give me up I'm asking Lord
There's no where I sense Your presence here
So I will cry out, until I go

From Protest to praise
You're always amazing me
You're changing me slow, but surely
And You're gonna see me to the end

How long will I be forgotten by You forever
You're not making sense here
Seems like eternity has made a home between us, yeah

You're changing me slow
I just can't help but see it that way
Cuz You're gonna see me to the end

Tea Time

In the mornings I am a faithful coffee drinker. In the evenings I prefer a herbal tea. All winter long, husband and I have been enjoying Rooibos Tea. Now that Spring is here we felt like a change. Last night we found a new Herbal tea by Celestial Seasonings called "Bengal Spice". It is half between a Chi tea and "Good Earth's"; Sweet and Spicy Tea. It is Sooooo good! I have been looking for a tea like this ever since I tried the Good Earth. You can't get that kind in Canada and it is only found in certain States in the USA.

Here is the description: "Bengal Spice Tea is an exotic flavor adventure with cinnamon, ginger and cardamom to awaken your senses and a hint of vanilla to add a bit of creaminess. Discover the treasure of sweet and spicy flavor in a shimmering mug of Bengal Spice. Add a touch of cream or milk to treat yourself to a traditional serving of Indian chai spiced tea."




*(images found here)*