So, where was I? Since going skiing we have actually had a lot going on. First of all, it has been winter here. THE WHOLE TIME. While Austria was enjoying warm winds and lovely flowers, except for that one cold snap which only lasted two days (!), we have been looking at snow. And more snow. Then a wind storm. And then an ice storm. Yes, some places even lost power and church was cancelled because it was just too icy. That was just last weekend! Now the weather has realised that it is the end of April and has warmed up nicely. Thank goodness! The sanity of a lot of people was depending on that!
Now, what have we been doing? We have been concentrating on homeschool. With horrid weather outside we might as well get along with it inside. When the weather is really nice we will want to be out and not doing school. If we keep going like this then the kids will all be done their whole curriculum by the beginning of June! Yeah! That would make us very happy.
Jonathan and Rebecca have signed up to play baseball for May-June-July. There are very few girls playing, so I've heard, so we're eager to see what it is like. Jeremiah is signed up to play football (soccer). They are looking forward to it all! Elena would like to do dancing but I still have to find a course that she could join. We will end swimming lessons this month to make space in the calendar for these other sports and then re-start in the autumn. The kids have really enjoyed swimming, which makes me really happy. That is one thing that we didn't have as much chance for in Austria, in the country-side, so we are really thankful for it!
Dominik and Jonathan have gone up near Westport twice to help a friend, our former pastor, with some construction work on their cottage. This was great for them both and especially for Jonathan to do some physical work with the men. :-)
Our search for land continues and although there is one possibility in the works, nothing is definite. It is hard to wait (for me, Cathy) as we have so many plans to start working on. But wait we will and we know that the Lord has something there for us. It has been a good time for my parents to get to know their grandkids better and for us all to experience a 3 generation house. It has both benefits and challenges for all involved but we see it as a good thing. Dominik has been renovating the downstairs bathroom and now has the tile finished in the shower. To find time between school and other things can be a challenge but we are really enjoying seeing how it takes shape! Photos to come!
In February we started going to the Thousand Island's Baptist Church here in town. We haven't looked back! We were met there by such friendly, funny and like-minded people that we felt immediately at home. We have been there for less than 3 months and yet it feels as though we have known some people quite a lot longer. It is great to have a church family where you talk and talk and talk after the service until you realise that it's 2 in the afternoon and maybe you should all go and get some lunch! Proving that it really IS a FELLOWSHIP church! ;-) We are really thankful for that. The kids have gained some good friends, as have we and we look forward to what the future will bring there.
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| Austrian and English Easter goodies for Easter! |
At Easter we were invited to friends for lunch and there Dominik and another guy there were asked if they might want to be in a play in Brockville at the Arts Centre. They needed a couple of German policemen. Well, Dutch policemen speaking German to Dutch Jews whom they were arresting! It was for the Diary of Anne Frank. Dominik and Richard (from Holland) both said yes and it has been a fun and interesting experience having them involved. Basically they had to go on stage, yelling in German, throwing and messing things up, and arrest the people. Dominik has been practicing for the last 40 years just to get the accent right! ;-) Rebecca went to see the play and really loved it. She was shown around the set by another actor who spoke German with her! The woman's parents were from Hanover. So, we got to meet an entirely new group of people through that experience.
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Dominik is second from the left.
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Through our contact in this church Dominik was asked to play violin at a friend's father's funeral at the beginning of this month. He played violin for 15 years but that was a very long time ago! In fact, in all the time that we have been married, I have rarely heard him play- unless helping Jeremiah as he learns violin. There was never any time. Now that he was asked, he got out the violin and was practicing A LOT. We all really loved it. He played "Sunrise, Sunset" from The Fiddler on the Roof and it sounded great.
Your update is almost complete, as it is finally NOT snowing, Dominik, Jonathan and Rebecca are now up at our piece of land north of Lanark and are trying again to make Maple Syrup! We thought that we would have posted a blog about that over a month ago. Down here near Brockville the season is long over. But up at our place it has continued to be cold and the sap was never running. It might be too warm now, as the weather has so rapidly changed, but I hope that they can at least come home with another litre or so of syrup. To say that we were able to make it ourselves is wonderful!
Speaking of making things ourselves...we made Mohnflesserl!!!! They are one of our favourite breads from Austria and we adore eating them- especially for breakfast! Dominik found a website from and Austrian baker and he loves it! I can't wait to make them again and to try another Austrian recipe.
Now for the final bit of news. We have been really enjoying being together with the kids over the last few months. We have enjoyed not having to go out to work and to have meetings taking away time from our family. This season now has been a gift to us. But of course, everyone asks, "What are you doing for work?". Finally I have an answer. My Life Coaching Course is finished, I have a website set up for that and I hope to find a way to launch that shortly. As well, I have decided to become a Norwex consultant. You Austrians will find this really funny because it's selling cleaning products! Yes, you would love them. And I, the relaxed Canadian Hausfrau, will be selling them! The company is committed to reducing the use of chemicals in the home and that is something that we have always thought important. Please pray for me as this will be a big learning-curve, doing sales parties and the lot! I am very excited about it though, especially as both of these projects/jobs allow me to set my own schedule and continue to be with the family.
The websites are: cathyvamos.norwex.biz and https://sites.google.com/view/christianlifecoaching/home
And that's your update for the month of April from us here in Ontario! I hope that the next blog will be full of Maple Syrup! Thank you and please do keep in touch with us too! Ein GANZ GROßE LIEBE GRUSSE AUS KANADA!!!! xxxxxxxxx
