David's Greatest Woodworking Achievement

Well, I finally did it!
'It' only took one full day of gluing and cutting and then designing. and then regluing because I didn't wait long enough for the glue to set.  And then screwing the glue and using nails.  and then upgrading to a few screws here and there. 
But I think I've made my finest woodworking yet.
Yes, even better than any deck, or shed, or pergola or gazebo or muskoka chair. 
I have made.....
A Bird Feeder.

Now hopefully the birds like it...

Christmas Lights

Last night we went to visit Upper Canada Village that has their "Alight at Night" show.  Dad, Mom, David and I drove up to Ottawa in the afternoon and picked up Grandma, who wanted to come along.  Then we went down to Steve and Katrina'a, got everyone all bundled up and headed out.  Luckily for us, the wind died down so it wasn't too cold out and with all the walking we did, we kept quite warm!  I had never been to Upper Canada Village, so that was cool on it's own.  But the 2 million lights (Dad's estimation--and over a quarter million according to their website) made the village light up to create a spectacular effect! 

There were lots of things to see.  There was a gingerbread house competition, which displayed the prize winners.  There were some very detailed entries!  There was also a life-size gingerbread house.  Naomi and I thought it would be cool if we could take a bite off of it, but it wasn't "eat-able" according to her.  They had a sound and light show, which is always really neat.  One of the songs they played the lights to was "Jingle Bells" and Naomi was belting it out at the top of her lungs and dancing around!!  And they also did a song from the Trans-Siberian Orchestra, which was my favourite.

Anyways, here are some pictures of our night.  They didn't turn out really well because it was at night and we used a low shutter speed...but I think you'll get the drift!

Steve and Katrina and the girls--Halfway to the North Pole

Mom, Grandma, and Dad taking in the lights.

Inside getting warm and checking out the gingerbread competition entries.

A Yellow House--mom's favourite.

One of the gingerbread entries--a piano with wood grain, even!

The whole clan!

The "gingerbread" men on top of the life-size "gingerbread" house.

Christmas

Ahhh, I've officially made it to the first extended break of the year. Today I'm really tired (had to take a nap right after school!), but I am so looking forward to a few weeks off! The thing I love about Christmas break, is of course spending time with family, but mostly that the time off helps me regroup and refresh. Always at the end of the two weeks I'm ready to go back, with lots of ambitious ideas (some get done and some don't) and a refreshed perspective.

Anyways, definitely looking forward to the next 14 days! First on the calender: Christmas Cantata. Yep, we decided to join the choir again. It's been lots of work, mostly in the form of being at practice one night a week, and a bit of stress for me, my solo is significantly more difficult this time around, but still a blessing to be a part of! If anyone's in the Barrie area on Sunday, come and check it out at 9:30 am!

On a totally different note: For those who don't know, Dave is quite the artist. He loves to draw and often comes up with very creative ideas for my bulletin boards! He is frequently "recruited" to help me when I start new units. So, when he was in one of his teaching placements he came across these really cool markers that you can use on the blackboard but don't erase with a regular chalkbrush. These are great for writing things that I don't want the kids to be able to take off the board easily!! At one point last year Dave thought it would be fun to draw a picture for my kids on my back blackboard. The kids loved it and it has now become a bit of a tradition! He changes the picture about once a month. The kids try and put in requests for what they want to see, but we often try to keep it "curriculum-based", for example last month he drew a space picture with all my french vocab on it. I always say we should take pictures of them because they're really cool, but I generally forget and then it gets erased and a new one put up. Well, this month I had my camera at school for something else so I can finally show you what he does. Here is the December 2009 picture:

So I hope everyone is having a great Christmas season! Merry Christmas!

PS~Check out the pictures on our sidebar....I updated some of them!

Engaged!

Congratulations Nathaniel and Rachel!

(Thanks for the picture guys...we "borrowed" it from Facebook....)

We're very excited to welcome Rachel into our family!  Dave is feeling very good about himself right now because he's not the newest person anymore!

Anyways, we can't wait to spend more time with you guys!

Geertsema Christmas

The unveiling of the Geertsema Family Picture 2009!

Here's the nice version:

And here's the "Where's Waldo" version (or maybe....Where's Michael???)

Very Fun! Well, keep an eye on our blogs for more pictures to come of our fabulous weekend!

Christmas

As many of you know, I've become an avid fan of many of Stephen Leacock's writings. I've shared some 'snippets' before, and I'm going to share some more right now... even though Stephanie rolls her eyes and says "not Again!" every time...
But these ones I thought appropriate to the season....

"Let me say right at the start that I am devoted to Christmas -- no time in the year like it. It's all brightness and light and Christmas trees with candles, and holly berries -- with little children dancing in a ring and everyone pretending to be a fine fellow, and pretty nearly succeeding in it.
I was brought up on it; weren't you? It was a sort of family tradition -- house all hung with mottos of MERRY CHRISTMAS, and cotton wool and red flannel.... You had all that in your family, too, didn't you, and your brother Jim always gave your brother Dick a neck-tie every Christmas, just the same as the one Dick gave to Jim, and your mother paid for both of them -- didn't she, so as to teach the children to be generous?
Quite so; and in that case you'll agree with me that of all the side issues and extras that go with Christmas and make it what it is, there isn't one that for warmth and character is in it with Christmas shopping! The pleasure of anticipation, that warm glow about the heart, eh! that joy in generous giving far ahead of getting anything for yourself. That's you, isn't it? Yes, I'm sure it is."

From "My Remarkable Uncle" in a chapter called "Christmas Shopping: Pre-war"

and later in his essay:

"... But it was a kind thought, anyway. I've had quite a few like that. There is a man going round in Montreal wearing, for me, though he doesn't know it, a smoking jacket that I nearly gave him the Christmas after he got married. There is, or was, a retired clergyman who nearly qualified for an encyclopaedia; and ever so many of my young married friends have imaginary sets of Shakespeare. But I needn't expalin it. I am sure that you yourself, and everybody else, have a list of these gifts that never were given. It is very sweet of you to have thought of them. Perhaps this Christmas you might make good on one or two. Change the encyclopaedia to a fountain-pen, or, if you like, to a pencil shapener; only give it, don't wait. But it is getting late - the shops will close soon..."

- from Stephen Leacock, copyright 1942.

Now, I'm not a tailor, but...

I recently came into possession of a new pair of pants.
They're a nice pair of pants, all things considered. But one thing really, truly annoys me.
The buttons...

Buttons seem to be a real problem with the manufacturers of pants lately, because, well, I run across this problem alot.
You see, the button, affixed to the pants above the zipper has come loose. Such that I know it will eventually pop right off. Which is compoundedly annoying for this reason - the manufacturers of these pants have sewn two (2) extra buttons to a tag on the inside of the pants.
Which means that they knew that the button would pop off if worn for anything more than 5 times.
But as I said, this whole button thing is a problem I've had with other pants... Which means that I have gained the experience necessary with a needle and thread to actually sew a button back onto a pair of pants.
What I don't get is this...
Every button that I've sewn onto a pair of pants has never come off. Even if I've worn the pants more than 5 or 6 times, my sewing has not come loose. I'll even stretch that to say that I've worn some pants 30 or 40 times and the button has still not come loose.
AND yet, the manufacturers of pants, who are trained (hopefully) workers with some skill in designing fashionable pantalons can't sew on a button so that it will remain affixed to a pair of trousers for more than 5 wearings.
But the two buttons they sewed to the inside of the pants are still there...