Wednesday, March 30, 2011

rambling procrastination

hey....

yet again i am placating myself with a blog post because i am currently off facebook and can't procrastinate there!!

so...as i mentioned in my last post, i have an upcoming craft fair that i bought a table at.....and am hoping to sell some beanies and other things i've made....

my only problem.....i don't have many things made!!

note my slight dilemma!?

so...instead of hooking away like a crazy woman, i am here.....rambling

dinner is in the crock-pot.....

#2 is down for a nap (shocking that she's over 3 and gotten back into a habit of napping lately - i think she's still recovering from a flu...a month ago!! is that even possible??!)....

#1 is doing her journal.....

Dado is out cutting wood again today, as the permit is only valid until April 1st!!

i wish this was more inspiring....or encouraging.....

but i have come to realize that growing a baby takes up more than just space in my body......it has currently occupied all forms of rationel and reason, along with any creative thoughts in my brain!!

speaking of the baby....

so far things are going great!

february was a rough, rough month......

i was sick every single day......but that was an expected and very welcomed feeling

we had been trying for #3 for 16 months by then and to know that "things were working" because of the morning sickness, was reassuring

then we flipped the calendar to march

and all of everything stopped!

i still had/have some food aversions...but NOTHING like february!

honestly, although one would imagine a sense of relief from the ending of morning sickness, i actually am battling a sense of anxiety....

i know that satan wants nothing more than for me to suffer in any way possible...and if it's not going to be through morning sickness, then he'll try stressing me out with negative, defeating thoughts about the baby and what is/may be happening to cause the morning sickness to stop....

all the while, God is faithful

He's kept close to me and reassured me that this is all His plan.....and there is nothing to worry about

so the anxiety has certainly died down....a LOT in the past week or so....for that i am thankful

as far as feeling go about what we may be having....i think it's too early to tell....

all i know is how i felt for my last 2 pregnancies....and this one is identical to those two...?!

i think i am going to start a little poll on the side...

but before then i am going to go and do some web-search and look at what the preggo-sites guess that my "signs" are telling me...you know, those chinese calendar thingys, and the old wives tales....

once i've done those, i'll post the results and then add a poll and you can make your guesses...

we WILL be finding out what we are having in about 3-4 weeks.....i am undecided yet as to whether we will be sharing that information.....

so....that's me and #3 so far.....

and now....my rambling is all done

hope you have a fabulous day!

Monday, March 28, 2011

::monday::

outside my window....clouds are flying by revealing big and small sections of beautiful blue sky and sunshine

i am thinking.....about a friend who has returned to work, what to get for a four year old's birthday, and what is in store for us today

i am thankful.....for the stirrings of new life - in my garden and in my body. For my husband who is preparing for next winter by going out and collecting wood. For my girls who are slowly learning how to be good friends.

from the schoolroom.....i will attempt to cover more science and social studies this week, in hopes to get finished this year with a bang....and extra early!! i am thinking about doing some plant growing and neighbourhood drawing....that should be good!!

in the kitchen...some nearly black bananas are screaming to be made into banana chocolate chip muffins! the oven is hoping to be needed for dinner, but i am personally thinking we may just pull out the BBQ again tonight! everything tastes better a little charred!

i am wearing.....a bright pink AE hoodie, some ultra comfy (read: super baggy) lounger pants and my sheepskin slippers.....YES, I am still in my "jammies"!!

i am creating.....i just finished sewing up 6 burp clothes, a lovey, a beanie and a hooded bath-towel for a friend's baby shower yesterday.....and now i must "hook" like a mad-woman to prepare for my looming....er, i mean up-coming craft fair on April 2nd!! eeeeek.......

i am going......to try and get the kids out for a walk/ride/play today as well as do a bit of grocery and hunt down a gift for a four year old...all by 3pm today!!!

i am reading......Francine River's Her Mother's Hope and still getting through Tim Kimmel's Grace Based Parenting

i am hoping....to get started on a garden sooner than later...to hear baby's heart beat this week at my appointment.....and to start enjoying warmer weather!!

i am hearing.....the hum of the fridge.....the chatter of a five year old.....the silence of a three year old, napping

around the house.....floors need washing....laundry is crying to be done....dust is setting up permanent residence.....and we are loving life!

Jim and Ron have been working like crazy downstairs finishing off a closet and making things feel more "homey" down there.....the trampoline has been set back up and the yard is starting to show the signs of spring's arrival!

one of my favourite things....as of late - citrus fruit!! i have been devouring oranges and grapefruit like a pirate with scurvy!! they are more enticing lately than chips, cookies or ice cream!!

a picture of what' been going on so far this morning....

my monkeys sure can make a mess in a short span of time! but man, they had fun making it!!


i made this "shoe lace box" for Karys the other day (reminding me of the book I used to love reading as a child!!)


after we bought her runners with laces...


she was determined to figure out how to tie them on her own......


and after one afternoon alone, this determined girl brought the box to me displaying a beautiful double knotted bow!! and she figured it out HERSELF!! i was certain Daddy must have helped her, and even asked her to make sure she was telling my the truth when she said "no one helped me!"...but after asking Daddy and him replying "nope, i didn't help her" I had to apologize and further praise Karys for her determination and figuring abilities!!!

So....I hope you all have a great monday....me and my lemon-sized baby (and #1 and #2) are off to get things going today!! ....after #2 wakes up from her nap, i guess!

Saturday, March 26, 2011

lazy day

i got nuthin' for ya...but seeing as how i'm not on facebook for another few weeks, i have no where to mention the fact that we are heading out for a dinner date (or sorts, brother in law is coming too) tonight, while my incredible Mum takes the girls...

the dinner is "courtesy" of our neighbours who just recently returned from their snow-bird trip down south....jim has been keep an eye on their place while they've been gone since dec. 26th (!!) and when they returned they blessed us with a gorgeous gift basket and a card - we were so thankful! but then...inside the card was a generous gift certificate to a great local restaurant!

so...we will use some of it tonight....my only wish is that i hadn't eaten so much at the little get-together we had this afternoon...for a childhood friend...who's packing up and leaving province - heading east...as far as she can but still remain in this country!

but it was sooo yummy! and dinner will be sooo yummy!

the only thing that would make it yummy-ER is if i could indulge in a couple glasses of wine along with it...

i'll take what i can though...being thankful for the fact that i cannot partake in some wine because of the miracle taking place within...

more on that, and how i'm feeling, in a different post...

i gotta stretch my thoughts out here...after all, they are few and far between these days!!

so...off i go...to stuff myself again...mmmm!

Thursday, March 24, 2011

*sigh*...a reminder to SAVOUR these moments!

every once in a while it's so refreshing to get a reminder you didn't know you needed!

we strive to live a simply life...not get "caught up" in it all and keep our daily routine family-focused.

but even while homeschooling does make this much easier, there are still times when i feel like i'm rushing the girls (and myself) through this chapter of our lives to get "there"...wherever "there" is!

so, when i stumbled upon this post the other day - from over here - i took it as a little whisper from God telling me to remember...to savour...to enjoy...to hold tight to our embrace of simplicity.

it's a post geared toward Mum's of daughters, but i think it's applicable to anyone - even people without children...embrace this chapter you are in right now, and don't wish it away - you are growing

************************

REFLECTIONS FROM AN EMPTY NEST

Spring-cleaning is just around the corner! And part of my springtime cleaning routine is to clean out cabinets. Feathering my nest is so easy and enjoyable! But when it comes to organizing my domain, that is when it gets a bit more difficult. I hate to clean out cabinets and believe this is because I am hopelessly sentimental. Clean and tidy cupboards I adore, but it is oh-so-painful to part with all the “memories”. Cleaning out the bathroom cabinet used to be my daughter’s chore…until she left home. I think the reality of her permanent departure from my nest and launch into the world hit me on the day I decided it was time to clean the bathroom cabinet. It was then I saw her numerous hair ribbons in a jumbled heap that I realized that she gone, never again to live in my home as a permanent resident.

As I untangled and sorted the pile I found the blue bow, the white fluffy one, the Kelly-green polka dot bow hmmm, I mused, why didn’t she take them with her ? Random snapshots, snippets of memories flashed before my mind’s eye of her scurrying around the house getting ready for church, AWANA, or one of her numerous babysitting jobs, her long brown braid hanging down her back anchored with one of her bows. That was when she was fourteen and she was now eighteen and wore a more mature and sophisticated bob.

Where did the time go?

The little girl who wore ribbons, bows, and braids was only transient, like a butterfly that stays but a summer, like the little bird that rests on your sill before migrating south for the duration of winter.

Today, she is in a nest of her own with two little ones.

Mothers, take it from this empty nester, make the most of the time you have with your daughters! In the time you spend training her to be a homemaker, you can give her skills and share moments that create life long memories. The moments you spend teaching your daughter are the “forever moments”. These are the instances that will influence her and give her the skills she will use someday in her own home. Don’t let this precious time of her life fly away without experiencing it with her. I look back on this time and wish I would have strived a little less and enjoyed a lot more. Make it a point to this week to savor this season when your nest is full!

Shelley

**************************

isn't it so true!?!

i need to remind myself of this more...

hope you have a good day!

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

encouragement for your day...as a mum

well, it's wednesday, and my letters are stuck on orange! i like orange!

oh...there we go, that's WEIRD!! don't know what i did...

anyhow, i just thought i'd share this with you...it's the breath of fresh air i needed today, or yesterday (when i found it)...actually for ALL DAYS!!

it's from over here...a truly incredible place to go for a "rest"...go one over and take a peek!

10
Point Manifesto for Joyful Parenting

1. Today, I will make our home a house of prayer. I will pray at set times. And I will invite our children to come move into an interior space that lives with God.

2. Today, I will transfigure all things into beauty, and I will refuse to see anything else.

3. Today, I will not have any emergencies. There are no emergencies! Only amateurs hurry.

4. Today, when stress mounts, I pray to dismount it with gratitude. My stress management plan will be intervention with verbal thanks. I can only feel one feeling at a time, and I choose to give thanks at all times. Fight feeling with feeling!

5. Today, I will pray to speak words that are only STRONG words, words that make these children feel strong. Grace words. Grace is the only non-toxic air. All other words I breathe are death words.

6. Today, I will pray to be consistently consistent. I will create safe rhythms that our children can find security in. I will create daily ceremonies because everyday we are CELEBRATING the gift of now!

7. Today, the moment when I am most repelled by a child’s behavior, that is my sign to draw the very closest to that child.

8. Today, I will hug each of my children as many times as I serve them meals — because children’s hearts feed on touch. I’ll look for as many opportunities to touch my children today as possible — the taller they are, the more so.

9. Today, my priorities will be all Things Unseen.

10. Today, I will laugh! And I will let the little children laugh! I will create a culture of JOY!

::

hope you have a great day!

Thursday, March 17, 2011

::taco soup::

wanna know how it's done...over here at our place?!?

Well then go on over to simply homemade and check it out...

(and no, in case you were hoping for some long explanation about my absence, i got nuthin!)

Crafy creations...as of late!

PLEASE NOTE: this IS a very long post,
but if you stick it out to the end....
you won't by disappointed, I promise!


ok...so i've gotten slightly addicted to crocheting...or "hooking" as it's more popularly referred to these days!? I think I'll stick with the "old fashioned" term...thankyouverymuch!!

take a peek at these little gems..and let me know if you'd be interested in purchasing any of them! Most of these are sold, as they were made for a friend as photography props...but reproducing any of them would be simple enough:)

::colourful beanies::

::aviator::

::little bear::

::pompom square::

::ear flap cap::

::ear flap cap and diaper cover::

::daisy top::

::flower beanie::

::popcorn top::

::molly monkey::

::max monkey::

::fuzzy bear::
and NOW, onto my newest favourite thing - RE-PURPOSED T-shirts!!!! And the magic of WUNDER-UNDER!!

::knot top "tough guy" beanie::

and my personal favourites.....

and.....

::Whatdoya think?!?!?::

tylynn

::unsure::

last week we had the privileged of watching my niece for the evening...I wasn't too sure how it would pan out as she hasn't been to our place in a long time, and it was during dinner-time prep that she would be here, needing to be watched, and not easily distracted with the same things my girls are!!

::curious::

anyhow...she did GREAT!! We enjoyed having another 3 year old in the house! And my girls were great with their cousin!!

::warming up::

::there you are, Tylynn!::

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

ACK!!!

....i AM here...and did arrive home safely after a weekend away with my Mum!

But...I haven't been able to catch a breath since returning...which certainly leaves blogging out in the cold!

but, please bear with me (is that the right way to spell that?!) and I will be back here as soon as I can!!

possibly without anything more on project31...but let me know if you'd like me to do a few of the last ones!! ...please :)

sidenote/tangent: Lent begins tomorrow and I am giving up Facebook! So...maybe you, my faithful reader, will be blessed by that with more frequent posts here?! ...i'm not promising anything though, because the idea behind giving up FB was to allow for more TIME!!

anyhow...hope you're having a swell week so far...i sure am!!

~C

Thursday, March 3, 2011

project31 - day 25

Day 25. Style 31. Post a pic of your favorite comfy clothes.

okay...so I'm kinda copping out here (again) as far as posting a pic goes...but there ARE two pictures...just not of moi!

but, in all seriousness, these two pictures perfectly represent my all-time favourite comfy clothes...

they are: Lululemon "Feel the Love" Hoodie - the name of this hoodie says it all...when you put it on it feels like your getting a nice, big hug! And it's nice and long too!!

and Lululemon "Be Still" pants - long :) Putting these pants on makes you wish that every pair of pants felt like these, fit like these, and make you look like these!! AND.....they are comfortable!! What more could you ask for??


.......I couldn't think of anything else either!

So there.....go get yourself some!! You'll thank me later!!

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

project31 - day 24

whoa...barely made this one before the deadline of midnight! but i should honestly be in bed to get as much broken sleep as I can with a little sickie sleeping beside me with a croupy cough and super high fever :( poor Bean!!

Anyhow, here's today's...

24. What is Jesus teaching you presently?

Without a doubt, hands down, I am (we are) being taught to completely live out the faith I claim to have in Him and His promises. It's incredible, and somewhat sad at times, to get a good look at where your faith stands when it really comes down to the nitty gritty!!

I can have faith in many situations, and speak about faith to people in difficult circumstances, but when it comes to a time like this that we find ourselves in now, I have no choice but to run away or to run into His arms.

I've tried running away and doing it myself many times before...but the thing is, in living a life following God, you never fail His tests...you just have to keep taking them over and over...and over.

I am done taking this test...and on the narrow path of passing it with flying colours...with His mercy and love guiding and protecting me along the way.

how about you?

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

project31 - day 22 & 23

okay...I am SO FAR behind, I don't even know what day I'm on anymore!!! BUT I think that if I do these two more....I MAY be caught up?!?! Let me know if you think different!!

22:: What are some needs that need to be met in your community? Blog about how to extend your hand to those who need you.

There are many different demographics in our little town, each with their list of needs.....but the one that hits us closest to the heart is those families in need. So something that we try to make a habit of doing is going through our things at home and thinning out some of the things we could do without in order to give to others. As well, when we can, we add a few extra things to our grocery cart in order to drop off at the food bank. At Christmas time we make it a tradition to do a few hampers to dontate to the Elve's Club.

I know it's not much, and I'd love to be able to do more, but those are just a few things we are trying to help the needs of our community.


23:: What are your strengths? What are your weaknesses?

Strengths:
~ determined
~ loving
~ persistant
~ this one's HARD!
~ trying to be an optimist


Weaknesses:
~ insecure
~ unorganized
~ procrastinator
~ messy
~ I think that's enough for now!

....ahh!! All caught up - I think!!

project31 - day 21

21. Write a letter to your husband to encourage him


Oh My Lovey...

I know that many people won't care to read what I have to say to you.....but I also know that I don't say it enough!!

I love you more than I even know. I love how you love me and how you are patient and persistent with me learning to love myself.

You have taught me so much, from the names of parts of an engine to what unconditional love looks like.

That unconditional love is something I see spread out into your role as "Dado, Daddy, Dad!" to our girls. The sparkle in your eye when you greet them after a days work is unmistakable. The joy in your heart as you cuddle them on the sofa is contagious. The kid inside you that breaks free when they ask you to play with them is hilarious!

You are an incredible husband, a loving father, but most of all, you are a man of great integrity and determination and that is something you need to be proud of. Those characteristics are not easy to come by, nor are they easy to maintain, but in these past 11 years that we've known each other and been together, what a testament to see those priceless characteristics never waiver.....but grown stronger.

I could go on and on, but I will leave it at that. What a honour it is for me to be yours....
I look forward to many more memories to come!!
Love you...lots,
me

project31 - day 20

20:: Write about your job and why you love it or hate it.

Oh..... here we go!!

No job-hating here!!

I am finally living the life I have waited for for years

I feel blessed to have had my years of teaching in a great school district, but there is no way that you can give 100% in any area of life when you are a wife, mum and working woman....I don't care what anyone else says....there are always areas that suffer.

My life is free from the chaos of rushing off to work
to get my job done
to rush home to the kids
to get my job done
and repeat
and repeat....

No, it's not an easy job
No, it's certainly not glamorous
No, it really doesn't pay well - in a monetary value

But these days that I get with my girls
playing
baking
exploring
visiting
laughing
resting
being
are days that I can never get back
days that will be gone sooner than I care to imagine
days that teach me more about myself and my role in their lives than I will ever be able to teach them!

Making this choice in "career change" has certainly been a huge adjustment as far as finances go, but this is the job that I have been called to
these are the people who I have chosen to be my employers
and as much as there are moments in some days when I wouldn't mind getting back in a classroom, it only lasts a moment....and I am quickly reminded of my blessings


and how incredibly blessed I am to be able to stay at home

project31 - day 19

19:: Write about your favorite comfort food

hmmm......let's see here!?

I love food in general......so narrow it down to A comfort food is a tad difficult for me!

I find any/all types of food comforting......but I guess if I had to narrow it down I would have to say appys of many sorts...guacamole and chips, warm dips and bread, hummus and warm pitas, fresh salsa and nachos, veggies and dip (not anywhere near the top of my list, tho!) .....

So, I guess, further narrowing it down, I love dips and dipping things:)

I know I have a picture in here somewhere of something yummy I've concocted at some point, but I can guarantee you it is my external hard-drive amidst all the other 135,324 pictures retrieved after they had been permanently deleted from my lap top :P .....so, you're not gonna see it!

....off I go to get something to nibble on!!