First Thursday without Kelsie.

Today I felt very flattened.

It seemed as if life had no colour or flavour.

I think it's all caught up with me. Robert was all set to head to work in Surrey. I didn't want him to go. It's only been one week since his gall bladder surgery. Robert usually doesn't listen to me. It gives me angst. However, a co-worker said he had to stay home today, and told him that his meetings would be organized by conference call. So I'm grateful to that person! It somehow helps to have him here. I keep looking for Kelsie. The photo above is from April 28, 2002: her very first birthday.

I made a special "cake" for her. She loved it.

I'm working through the 2002 photos now. We surely had many good times together. You don't realize how good your life is, until it has sped by. 

It was very cold and wet today. It poured all morning. No little dog to let in the back door and rub off with the towel. No little dog shaking herself until her collar rattled. No smell of wet dog filling the kitchen. The weirdest thing to me is that no one is there to let out often. I feel bereft and very lonely.

This photo was taken in June 2002, at Trout Lake. Kelsie loved going to parks in the car. She loved car rides. She loved exploring. She was a great companion for Matthew.

Do you entertain?

A way of life.

I love the past eras where people loved to entertain their family and friends, and they actually had the time or took the time to have them over for gatherings in the kitchen or dining era. This is still one of the delights of living that makes me so happy! Last night I entertained in the boiling 32 C heat in our dining/kitchen area and I used a real table cloth, and my fine Dimity Rose pattern china set by Royal Albert which I collected piece by piece in the 1970's and 1980's. (a lot as gifts from my parents)

I love my china set dearly and I use it often. Not every day, of course, but for special occasions and for company. Our son has actually said that he likes my china pattern, so hopefully one day he will use it too!

By Loretta Houben

Our European trip; May 17 - June 2, 2017

Three weeks ago we returned from our trip to Europe, to celebrate our 35th wedding anniversary.

It was shorter than 10 years ago, and Matthew didn't come with this time. We visited London, Somerset, Blaenau Ffestiniog, Port Meirion, Dublin, Oxford, Paris, Maastricht, Frankfurt and Heidelberg.

The above 2 photos were taken at YVR before we set off. As usual we got there by taxi too early, but I always have a fear of not getting there in time, so we browsed the shops, and had supper before boarding the plane. I think YVR is a very pretty airport.

After 2 nights in London we traveled by train for 2 hours to Castle Carry, where we caught an expensive taxi to Wells. We spent 2 nights here, and I could cheerfully have spent 2 weeks. John Chant, a distant relative of the Palmer family, came and picked us up at noon and drove us to 

Stoke-sub-Hamdon, place of the Palmer ancestors. It was a dream come true! Here I am with John at Ham Hill.

Here I am at Stoke Priory, a medieval hall in 

Stoke-sub-Hamdon.

John and Robert in Stoke Priory.

Another of my dreams come true; St Andrew's Cathedral, commonly known as Wells Cathedral. Elizabeth Goudge was born close by in 1900.

And yet another dream come true; Geufron Terrace where my paternal Grandfather, John Griffith Williams was born, in Blaenau Ffestiniog. We loved Blaenau!

Robert at the Llechwedd Slate Mines.

We visited Port Meirion on our full day in Blaenau.

We rode the one hour long old Ffestiniog train down, and spent a few hours. This is where "The Prisoner" was filmed 50 years ago.

Capel Pisgah, a renovated Welsh miners chapel, where we stayed for 2 nights.

On our way to Paris!

In Paris!

In Dublin, Ireland!

In the doll museum in Paris!

In Theu and Ellie's garden in Maastricht!

We had a delightful time.

By Loretta Houben

Mother's Day 2016

This is my beautiful mother, Susan Williams, known as Susie. She was 29 in the above photo. She had a little son, Martin James in Dec 1957 but he only lived for 2 days. Then we came along!

Leona on the left, myself on the right.

Here we are 54 years later!

Leona on the left, myself on the right.

Two more daughters joined us; Marlene in 1965, and Marie in 1970 but they couldn't be with us yesterday when we got together for lunch with Mom.

Leona brought the lovely roses. I gave Mom a pretty nightie and a book about prairie girls in the 1880's and the quilts they made. Tee hee...the book has quilt patterns and I'd love to make a quilt with my Mom. She's always wished to sew one.

My dear Mom and I...I love these blurred photos!

I used my cell phone and a selfie stick. The light was bad, so the photos have an odd old-fashioned look.

Happy Mother's Day, dear Mom.

I'm so thankful for my godly Christian mother who with the help of her Christian husband raised 4 daughters. I'm grateful for a happy childhood filled with laughter and love, and glad I was taken to church where I learned about Christ and His love for us. I never take these precious gifts for granted. Thank you, Mom, for all your sacrifice and love for me.

By Loretta Williams Houben

Remembering Easter 2003

Easter Egg Collection 2003

(once upon a time when my kitchen was white with green stenciling...)

Matthew reading his Bible.

Our get together on Good Friday, April 18th, also Paul's 12th birthday.

My Easter table. Mom made the cute cake.

About to enjoy dessert.

Paul's 12th birthday.

Matthew and his Easter basket.

Matthew and Loretta in their Easter finery.

Colin and Paul Partington and Matthew; Joel Mallette standing.

The young men put together Easter plates for the seniors in church.

Celebrating Easter and Paul's birthday at White Spot.

By Loretta Houben

Easter Memories from years past....2001 and 2002

Easter 2001; at the Braun's lovely home in Surrey, BC.

Here is Marie with her pretty decorated table. I always enjoyed going here for Easter dinner.

For a few years, she would have Easter at her home, and I would have Thanksgiving dinner.

A variety of delicious salads and meat.
Robert, me, Mom, Dad, Robert B and Marie.

Matthew and Loretta in their Easter finery, 2001.

Easter 2002:

My parents, Susie and Jack Williams;
Matthew, Colin Partington, and Robert having a traditional Easter dinner at our house. I think this must have been on Good Friday.

Myself included. Our first digital camera didn't have the pause button.

Our Easter table. I loved the "chocolate" rabbits which I bought from Bowrings.
Bowrings is now gone from Metrotown and I miss it so much.

Matthew finding his Easter basket in the pantry.
He loved hunting for it.

Matthew and Loretta in their Easter finery.

I've always loved Easter the best of all seasons in the year.

By Loretta Houben

Memory Monday...the family cookie jar.

I just love this photo. It shows the kitchen counter area and sink at our little house on Euclid Street in Vancouver BC. I lived here from 1960 - 1963. I remember the kitchen the best, and a bit of the living room. I can't remember any other part of the house. I don't remember the bathroom or my bedroom. Isn't that odd? I remember one hot summer day watching my Mom cut a Popsicle in half, and wishing I could have the WHOLE thing! I loved store bought Popsicles. I also remember eating toast at the kitchen table which was just across from this area in front of a window. It was a very small house.

I recently inherited a large yellow cookie jar, and this is the only photo in which it appears. It's behind the loaves of bread on the left side of the counter. 

I remember my Mom's delicious cookies, especially her gingersnaps which were my favourites. My Mom has always been an excellent baker and cook. She rarely bought cookies when we were growing up.

This picture was taken a few days after I was born, in June 1960. My Mom's sister, Lydia and her husband, Louis Buzynski had decided to drive up after their mother's funeral in order to cheer up their father, Adolph Brutke. Can you imagine? Yet no photo exists with him and I together. It's really odd to me. My poor Mom was exhausted with my birth in which she nearly died from a hemorrhage, and she was grieving for her mother who died when I was 10 days old on June 25. 

Yet here all this company came to visit, unannounced, and they all stayed in this little house! 

It's so strange what family members will do. And there's my dear Mom making lunch for everyone as in those days no one went out for fast food as they couldn't afford it.

I do so wish I had a picture of me and my grandpa, whom I never knew.

He died in 1971.

By Loretta Houben

PS: Here are recent photos of the cookie jar I just can't part with.

My Mom gave it to me in 2015. It's sitting in my kitchen, but if I ever had to fill it I'd need at least 3 dozen or more large cookies! It's in fantastic condition.

Underneath it says "Royal Haeger, R1657 USA".

I looked up that name on Google and discovered that it's a pottery in Illinois near Chicago, and was founded in 1871!

Update on April 12, 2023

The Haeger Potteries closed May 2016, shortly after I created this post.

They had to close mainly due to rising costs. 

They were in business for 145 years.

I found a history of their website on Wayback Machine, which scrolls the web and saves photos of many sites that are no more.

I saved the history pages to my Genealogy files.

By Loretta Williams Houben

First Tuesday dinner of 2016

Last evening Matthew came over for dinner. He is back on schedule for putting up risers for a church choir, so he drops in for dinner each week. He had 5 weeks off; at least, we didn't see him for that long as we were in Disneyland on one of the Tuesdays.

I made a roast beef dinner with roast potatoes and gravy, baked carrots with dill, Yorkshire pudding, and a whipped raspberry Jello salad. I call it the Feast of Epiphany whenever it's near Jan 6, although we don't really celebrate it as we are not Greek. Afterwards we watched "Meet me in St. Louis" with Judy Garland. I had forgotten that movie was so funny! I bought it with 3 others in a package for only $11.00 Cdn.

By Loretta Houben

Merry Christmas!

Christmas 2015.

I had really missed having a full sized tree.

I gave our old one away in 2009, and from 2010 - 2014, we had a miniature white tree. It wore out so I gave it away in January. I longed for a full size tree, but Robert thought we didn't need one. He did say if I made space for it by giving away our piano, we could get one. I had wanted to sell the piano but although I tried for many years, it never sold.

So I offered it for free on Craigslist and it was gone in one week.

Here is our beautiful new tree which we bought at Michael's craft store for 1/2 price on Halloween Day.

Happy Christmas!

Matthew, Robert and I.

Matthew came over after work on Christmas Eve.

We had a little banquet of poutine with cheese curds from Quebec, a homemade Caesar salad (Matthew showed me how to make the dressing), Italian meat balls, and butter chicken veggie rolls.

Kelsie loves to pose in photos too.

Christmas Day we had a delicious turkey dinner with the trimmings.

Colin was the only one who joined us this year.

Fresh turkey from IGA, mashed potatoes and gravey, pickles, fresh cranberries, fruit salad, stuffing, green salad and veggies. The last 3 items were courtesy of the Braun family who had their catered dinner on Dec 24. Alas, Robert, Matthew and Colin had to work, so we couldn't attend.

The feast close up.

My parents came over after the dinner, and we Skyped with Marlene in St Louis for 45 minutes. We had dessert and sang Christmas carols and watched Mr. Bean's Christmas on DVD. A great time was had by all. My parents hadn't been over here since last Christmas! Kelsie was very excited to see them again.

I was so tired I forgot to take a picture of the food, except for something new; a marzipan pig from Germany. He was delicious.

Matthew spoiled us with nice gifts. He gave us a DVD, "Peaky Blinders"; lots of edible goodies including almond bark for Robert and chocolate gummy bears and Purdy's hedgehogs for me; an Anne Perry Christmas book for me; goat soap; and a subscription for 5 months for Netflix. The latter is an interesting concept; hundreds of movies we can view either on our TV, our computer, or our iPads. He's such a nice guy.

Robert gave me a lovely poinsettia arrangement, chocolate, a gift certificate for Chapter's, and a wonderful curved and cordless keyboard for my computer.

It was a very nice Christmas.

By Loretta Houben