{wordless wednesday}

{i am blessed}

i made this video a while back when jim had to go away for work. i realized with his absence how much he means to me and the girls. i missed his presence and his unconditional love...i had a hard time uploading when i made it, and just figured out how to do it. i wanted to share this because the feelings behind my making the clip still resonate within me today.

~i am blessed...truly blessed.

{crayola magic}

here's an awesome way to use up the remnants of your crayons...it's a project Karys and I did the other week while Avery was sleeping...and it was a hit!

first: get a piece of wax paper and find all your broken crayons and choose 2-3 colours that you like...


second: scrounge through kitchen cupboards to locate a grater whose use you won't require tonight at dinner! once located...start grating!!


third: once all the colours have been grated, place a second piece of wax paper over top.
fourth: place wax paper sandwich on a sheet of newspaper, and fold that newspaper over the wax paper (are you getting my drift?!)...iron very carefully, making sure not to smooth the iron over the paper, but just gently press it over the entire area.

fifth: uncover your creation...and blow on it a little (you don't have to do that, but K wanted
to;))


sixth: once cooled, figure out what you can turn it into...



seventh: and...VOILA!

all this in seven easy steps:) ...enjoy!!

{daddy-duty}

last week i was graciously able to go to the city for the day for some much-anticipated "girl-time" - while jim went to work and my lovely mother watched the girls.

once jim got home, gram's duties were done, and 'daddy-duty' started. this is NOT something that is uncommon - we are blessed in this home to have a daddy who quite willingly signs up for 'daddy-duty.'

during their time together i know that a lot goes on that wouldn't if i were there...and for that i am happy! i love that the girls find freedom and fun in time with their daddy...as well as while they're with me!

i did feel a twinge of guilt that day, however, when the time came for me to have dinner on the table and i was still on the other side of the ferry terminal - as in a couple hours away! i called jim and just mentioned that they'd need something to eat, but not to worry, they'd be 100% satisfied with cereal or toast.

well...to my surprise...i came home to a clean house (which is not out of the ordinary...i told you i'm blessed) and a suggestion that i take a look on the camera at some recent pictures.

this is what i found...

a proud picture
of a proud papa's creation for his little ones!
(pls ignore K's expression...she's simply forgot to remind her face that she's happy)

it made me so happy that after a long, hot day's work, he didn't just take the "easy way" out...but took a little extra time and effort to let his girls (all three of us) know how much he cares!

...i'm blessed!

{father's day...revisited}

so, as mentioned previously, father's day (like the actual day) was INSANE for us this year, so i took it upon myself to make it father's day on thursday, instead of sunday...making sure i paid all due respect to my incredible husband, and giving the girls ample time to express their love to their incredible Dado!

they did a little craft for him...

[hard at work]

[having lots of fun]

[finished product]

and an "at-home" mini photo shoot...

[dressed in Daddy's finest]

[or should i call it a "goofy shoot"?!]

oh MY these two make me laugh!!

and the one that made the cut...

i made him this card and created a little basket filled with an assortment of his beverage of choice...


but...the big-ticket item this year was this trusty back-yard companion that he was completely NOT expecting;) (yay me!)

all in all...it was a great day - thursday or sunday or any day...we're blessed with a great Daddy!!

{wordless wednesday}

{still here}

yup, just me...checking in to let you know i'm still here.

the ceremony went well...

i couldn't even FATHOM thinking about orchestrating anything close to taking pictures worth posting that day...but i know pictures were taken.

father's day post is still brewing...

my thaw is still braining...

the clouds of chaos are dissipating...

had a great day with the girls @ strongstart, and a community fun-fair...

hope you are well, and i'll be back soon.

~blessings...

{thankful thursday}

well, it's that time of the week already...thank the good Lord! as for me and my house...we couldn't be happier about the swiftness of this week...

as much as we would love to be devoting all this time preparing for the upcoming celebration of Father's Day for the Daddy of the house...

my family is setting up for approaching chaos in the form of a traditional ceremony...to pay tribute to my Dad...and for us to receive our traditional names...

and one may think "well, then why are you wanting this week to go quickly?"

the answer would be, "because we have been planning this for VERY long now. the pressure that comes along with carrying out a traditional ceremony without the traditional knowledge to aid in understanding slightly impedes the process."

so I am thankful...for my heritage and the ability to aid the renewal of 'tradition'...but I am also thankful that this time has almost come to an end. for countless months now, I have been unable to think past June 20th, 2010. even now, once sunday evening rolls along (because I know it will) i will find myself unable to grasp the thought of not having to "do" something by way of planning for this event.

*sigh*...i AM thankfull

thankful that our little family has made it to this point...thankful that my guy has supported me throughout this entire process of planning and stressing and carrying on. thankful that we've been able to celebrate an early Father's Day for my guy, with some really cute crafts by the girls and some creative pictures from me - along with a few added surprizes. (post on that to come after the bedlam)

thankful for surviving this day with the girls without having any of us going to be sad, upset, or...? it's been one of those days, and i am thankful that it's done.

now...to thrive (as in survive, but better) through this weekend...

by the never-ending grace of God!

~blessings...

(i'll leave you with a sampling of my Father's Day post...)

{wordless wednesday}
~kinda~

{giddy...as a school-girl}

(pun intended)

well, my stuff has arrived, so my "post-in-the-making" can now be made.

get a load of this win-fall:

{pan left}

{pan right}

i have had a lot of time to ponder my composition of this post...but nothing too witty of enlightening has bloomed in this brain of mine.

in January our family made the executive decision that we will start homeschooling in the Fall. this is something that jim and i have considered, even before having kids...but obviously had no need to commit to a decision until now, with Kindergarten on the horizon.

this is a decision we did not take lightly. and it is something we feel very strongly about. we know this is what we should do...we know this is something we are being called to do...we know this isn't a "cop-out" or a selfish excuse to hold onto our kids for longer (although it is an added bonus for sure)...we know this isn't a popular decision that will be openly accepted by all people we share this with, as it's already been questioned by about 50% of the people we tell! we know this adventure will have its ups and downs, but this is something we feel called to do...a way of raising our children that will help us carry out our calling to raise caring, responsible, Godly girls...

we are so excited about this opportunity and all the "newness" and "discovery" it brings with it.

the most recent being choosing all the "stuff" in the pictures above...board games, story books, card games, figurines, and some books for me, at the latest homeschooling conference in Surrey. it was so fun to get together with local Mum's and head into the city.

so...with all these fun things waiting, still unopened, in our new "school room," we eagerly anticipate September...the beginning of a new chapter in our life...

...oh, the places we'll go!

[stay tuned for a close-up look at the incredible things i got @ the conference that make up K's curriculum for the Fall]

{most recent procrastination}

i had some material left over from an apron i made...and because i like it, and was surely avoiding something that day...i decided to make this:

side a


side b


close-up A

close-up B

i'm off to plot my next creation...during my current attempts at mastering procrastination!

{happy half birthday...to you and you}

last week we had the pleasure of celebrating the girls' half birthdays. this is something i've decided we will do as a family to try and blur the fact that their birthdays are in December...five days apart! (note the feeling of guilt i bear)

As is tradition on their whole birthdays...we began the morning with pancakes and a song to the half birthday girls...

{bean...playing shy}

{it last but a moment...and then, the cheese face}

{then it was the big girl's turn}

{proud to be four AND A HALF!}

we spent the day with some new friends the girls lovingly refer to as "the boys"...as opposed to all the girl friends they have:) and we obviously had to bring the celebration with us...by means of krispie squares with chipits and sprinkles...mmmM!

overall, a great day was had by all...and I can't believe they're growing so fast!

here's a small sampling of the artwork done by the resident four and A HALF year old of our home...

{it's a butterfly, a flower, a tree, wind, some rain, birds, a cloud...and my name}

{and here's some of her printing}

we're excited to see what the rest of their "2" and "4" years hold...

{unshakable faith}

here again is an excerpt from today's devotion...something that pulls at my heart...i have hope...and faith...but it remains a tad shaky.

Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy.

~James 1:2

God is in control of all circumstances that surround the believer. The devil can do nothing in the life of the believer without the express permission of God. But why would God give that permission? Because Satan's attacks will show what you are made of.

A faith that cannot be shaken is a faith that has been shaken. And if your faith is real, it will even endure through the worst of circumstances, because character is not made in crisis; it is revealed. Trials, temptations, and crises separate the wheat from the chaff, the true from the false, and the real from the unreal.

Suffering takes our faith from the realm of theory to reality, and suffering brings glory to God. Anyone can be happy when the sky is blue and the sun is shining. But when a storm is hitting, it is a different matter.

~ Greg Laurie

{her debut}

karys had her first ballet recital this afternoon...and we were all quite excited about it! she did a great job...not shy, nervous, or distracted at all!

she's looking forward to doing the 2 remaining shows tomorrow, after skipping the one that was one tonight...yup, four shows for this little four year old!

ready to go...

looking so pretty


daddo trying to create calm amidst the chaos

silly mummy didn't remove her silly shades...argh!

let the show begin...

here they come!!!!

there she is! *tear*

proud of herself...and so she should be!

i'm looking forward to seeing how she feels about her performance tomorrow...and what she chooses to be a part of (or not) next year! she already has quite the list in her head...we'll see how that plays out.

note: there's a post in the making...i'm just missing some photos that are very pertinent to the text...stay tuned;)