Hello Modda, hello Fadda, here I am at Camp Greenhilla
Now I'm sayin' I'm a bit hotta,
Here alone at Camp Greenhilla

I'm a speakin' and I'm a prayin'
That the staffa hear what I'm sayin'
And the fooda keeps me goin'
Here I am at Camp Greenhilla

Stayin' by myself in Morgan Manor
I have everythin' that matters
I'm a havin' a small retreat
Here alone(sorta) at Camp Greenhilla

Farewell to Nova Scotia

Well, we finally said good-bye to Nova Scotia this morning. A great week apart -- Doug at John & Laurie's in Porters Lake, me in Shelburne with the Southshore Sister until Saturday, and then Doug and I together at Randy & Sandra's house in Glen Haven at Indian Point. Thanks, everyone, for the great week away in your beautiful province.

Hello, New Brunswick! Now I'm preparing to go to Greenhill Lake Camp to teach the Bible to the summer staff. Not sure if I'm staying up overnight or will travel back and forth. Time will tell. Doug is going to hold down the fort. Thursday we take off with our caravan, hauling Jed & Granny's travel trailer with our RV -- St. Martins here we come for two weeks! Yeah! A vacation, although Doug is going to work and travel. Oh, I wish he could retire!

Must go prepare for the next adventure.

Say Hello to Nova Scotia

Hello to Nova Scotia, our newfound home. It's Wednesday, and I'm in Shelburne at the Southshore Sister's. Doug is in Porters Lake, outside Halifax, installing a roof and windows at John & Laurie's. We like to get around -- the country, that is.

Nat, Josh, Aiden and Sarah left on a jet plane on Sunday morning. Boo hoo -- more tears for Gram Deb. Does it get any easier? I could see Sarah's face when I closed my eyes for a couple of days. I miss my northern babies -- all of them. Doug and I continued on to Nova Scotia. I didn't want to go back to an empty house. After all the people that were in it last week. And Doug had renos to do in Halifax.

Sunday evening we went to a Linda Randle concert in Halifax, and I won a DVD and talked to her afterwards. A sweet woman. I play her a lot on the radio show.

A night at Laurie & John's -- me on an air mattress and Doug on the pull out couch, and it was a great night of sleep, after I got settled down and bounced off the mattress a few times. Laurie took me to Dartmouth in the morning to connect with Doris and her daughter, Michelle, and her new granddaughter, Alice Blue. She's already smiling and she was only nine days old. Michelle says it's because she was postmature. Cute anyway.

Michelle dropped me off at the Halifax Mall, and Sandra drove from Tantallon to pick me up. We drove back to Tantallon, had lunch at Smitty's and I drove her to her home in St. Margaret's Bay. After a short visit to see their torn apart house (they are doing renos, too), I took off for my adventure to Shelburne with Sandra's Audi. Generous people. I felt like I was on a movie or something -- Planes, Trains and Automobiles, but I got to Brenda's about 3:30 on Monday.

All week we have been walking, cooking, eating, tours to the grocery store and the cafe, plus me trying to get rested, which hasn't happened yet. Too much green tea and going to bed too early, I think. We went for a bike ride this afternoon before our dinner of fish on the barbie, potatoes, caesar salad and pavlova. Now Luke is trying to hook up the WiiFIT so we can get fit.

Doug is still in Porters Lake and moving on to Randy & Sandra's when he's finished to help him with renos. I didn't realize this was going to be a separate vacation for us, but I guess that's how it is turning out. Oh well, c'est la vie.

Soon we'll be saying farewell to Nova Scotia.

Party Week!

I am VERY busy with kids kids kids! Two days at Jon’s — I slept on the floor by the living room window one night. Brought Jack back with us to Fredericton. He and Aiden having a great time here in The Pines. Alicia & Jon etc arrive this afternoon for the big party, along with many others, perhaps upwards of 50! Pray that it doesn't rain.

The house is a disaster and will get worse. LOL love it!

Nat & I are getting ready for the big party tonight.

Currently she is making cupcakes and I am making potato salad, then banana breads. The boys are watching CBC kids. Sarah in bed. RCMP man still resting.

I’m loving all these children. Sarah and Croy — well, what can I say? I could eat their heads, they're so adorable!

The 'Old Woman' in the Shoe

A few pics of the MacDonald kids. More pictures to come when I get to my home computer...

Here I am in Carlow, wherever that is, the older woman in the shoe on the hill. Blogging, while her six grandchildren are all together in one place, snug in their beds while visions of sugarplums or warm milk dance in their heads. Jon, Alicia, and Natalie have gone to Shiktehawk to 'titrate' the olympic size swimming pool, to get it ready for the campers (a project Jon has taken on). I sit here, amazed that 33 years ago when I married Papa Doug,

We had a great time today after we finally got here. Josh and Doug are still in Fredericton, but they will travel up tomorrow afternoon and we'll be one big happy family here tomorrow evening. Stephen and Becky and their three kids will be here for supper as well as Kirsten, my niece (Janet's daughter, who lives here in Bristol). It is mayhem but I love it -- I love seeing the children play, create and sometimes get in tiffs. It makes for interesting drama.

I am blessed.

Grandchildren

Oh, I feel like the old woman in the shoe -- had so many children she didn't know what to do, but to play with them, pick them up, kiss them, feed them, read to them and put them to bed. This weekend we drove the RV up to Jon & Alicia's in Bristol (NB, not England), and Doug was able to back up the mountainous driveway and find a semi-level place where we parked for a couple of days. It was very warm on Saturday and frigid at night, good sleeping weather. A gorgeous view of the Saint John River. Chickens in the backyard pecking and clucking, gardens growing. Who could ask for more?

Then Sunday we ventured home to get ready for the rest of the family. RCMP man, Natalie, Aiden and Sarah arrived at 4:30. We parked the RV in the yard and Doug and I made our nest in there for the week. Sarah's smile lights up the room. Aiden is his usual bubbly self, a very active three-year-old. It's good to have them home again.

Now we're planning a trip up river again -- to Jon & Alicia's so all the cousins can play together. Should be a crazy time!

This Week So Far

Is it really Wednesday? This morning at the gym, my trainer asked me what day it was. "Monday," I replied. "No, Deb, it's Wednesday." Oh. Too much happening in the last few days that I've lost track of the days.

Monday night was the BIG SHEW -- a finale concert for the year of my dear students. About 100 people attended, and my students performed amazingly! Variety show it 'twas. Ended it with "Today I'm Gonna Try and Change the World" -- me and Sarah MacLoon, a 10-year-old student. I hope I make a difference in these student's lives.

On Tuesday I was so many places that I couldn't believe it was the same day at day's end. Here's a list of the day's activities:
1. Drove Doug to work at 6:20 am
2. Prepared a talk for Greenhill Lake Camp
3. Drove 35 minutes to Greenhill Lake Camp
4. Spoke to the seniors at Seniors Day about laughter
5. Waited on tables, serving dinner to seniors
6. Drove 35 minutes home
7. Went to Superstore -- met a friend. She invited me to tea on her deck
8. Drove home and planted some flowers, put groceries away
9. Drove back to Fulton Heights to have tea on deck with friend
10. Drove over town to get Doug from work (this having one car -- honestly! Natalie -- come off that PEI Island soon!)
11. Drove back to Fulton Heights to have Doug look at friend's bathroom ceiling that needs painting
12. Drove Doug home
13. Drove back to Fulton Heights to give Grace a piano exam at her house
14. Drove back home to give Jared a piano lesson
15. Went for a bike ride down to Main Street and back
16. Had a shower and watched TV
17. Went to bed

TODAY, Wednesday -- I biked to the gym at 7ish and worked out til 9 am. Biked home. Radio show. D picked me up and we went to Currie's for flowers. Home to plant my beautiful flower garden. Lunch. A semi-nap on the verandah (I wonder why???). Worked on accounting, then database for the radio station. Made Doug chicken/bacon/ranch salad. To grocery store with Doug. To Granny & Jed's. Home now and awaiting bed again.

I think I need a vacation, don't you? Soon....this is the start of my vacation of sorts. == TODAY. Hallelujah!

Back from a cold weekend in St. Martins. We had a great weekend, however – lots of laughter and pontificating with John and Laurie. Walks on the beach, campfire and ice cream. Cheryl and Allan came last night for campfire. More discussion and laughter. Hated to leave today. See you in three weeks, my favourite spot to be… Thanks, Byard & Linda.

I started raking the lawn today for an hour or so, and my flower beds, which are covered with leaves. Hurts my wrist, but I like the results. D. came up and helped me -- she weeded one of the beds; looks nice. It is so nice to work outside, isn't it?

Taught a couple of students at supper time. I think I'll be glad to have a rest from teaching, although I do love it. Tonight we had a bunch of people in for our Thursday night gathering. R & S Skyped in from Halifax -- so good to have them here on our TV with us. Tomorrow morning brings more people, for our Friday morning Bible study on Romans. Might be the last one for the summer. We'll see what I'm doing next week and where I want to go.

Tomorrow we'll fire up the RV and head for St. Martins again. John & Laurie (from NS) have rented a little cabin from Byard & Linda. We plan on having a few campfires, walks on the beach, talks (or symposiums as we like to call our talks). Anyone want to join us? Come right along. Century Farm Campground -- Google it. You'll find it. St. Martins is the place to be!

Haven't found out anything about my wrist yet. Thanks for praying. Just a ganglion, like Krista said....