Our Greatest Blessings

Treasure Hunt. I thought the grandkids might think it was getting a little lame, but no. Not yet. This year, the clues were in the form of puzzles and questions to be answered .

They had to work for their treasures.

It's heartwarming to witness co-operation between cousins.

And, the younger ones were equally engrossed in the hunt.

I've forgotten how the world looks through a veil of long hair.

It took a while for treasures to be found. The younger two needed to be educated about what a generator looks like. Yes, going out into the -8°C weather to find a clue hidden around the generator happened. Tests like that stretched the hunt. Brain-wise and time-wise.

This year's treasure included a personal letter written by me! Just to stretch the older kids' minds, I wrote theirs in cursive. Mean Grandma.

Charlotte especially loves hand-written letters. I think most people do, it they take the time to think about it.

The most loved treasures were petted.

More words from Grandma .....

.... were read. I would have loved to have something like that from my grandmother.

After the treasure hunt challenge, it was time to get creative. These past few years, I haven't needed to suggest things to do.

We all got into our own version of Telestrations.

And, this classic exercise. This time, instead of having 3 sections, Nora suggested 5 sections. Why not follow the youngest member's lead? It worked great!

Even she was thrilled with the outcome.

The youngest generation is now taking initiative in gift-giving. Frances crocheted a frog for Ewen......

.... and a snake for Charlotte.

All of that fun required some sustenance. Yum! A very MOIST pistachio cake.

Writing this post, I am thinking to myself, "No wonder I am tired today!"

I will title the image below: "Where's Charlotte?" Can you see her?

Aha! There she is!

We probably had 10 rounds of hide&seek, all over the house and in the dark garage. Or maybe it just felt like 10 rounds.

Oh, how I love this young lady.....

.... and this young man.

When they wanted to go to the pond, I was ready to get some fresh air too. The kids were thrilled that the ice was strong enough to carry them.

And, when it wasn't slippery enough...

.... water was fetched from the house to help them slide.

When you are growing and active, you need fuel. These days, all I need to do is supply the ingredients and two sous-chefs get busy arranging them. They make a great team.

Your mouth is watering.

Today's post is brought to you by the letter "O". As in "Oh my, that looks good."

I think Seneca's words sum up yesterday's Christmas gathering:

“True happiness is to enjoy the present,

without anxious dependence upon the future,

not to amuse ourselves with either hopes or fears

but to rest satisfied with what we have,

which is sufficient,

for he that is so wants nothing.

The greatest blessings of mankind are within us

and within our reach.

A wise man is content with his lot,

whatever it may be,

without wishing for what he has not.”

Merry Christmas to us!