...think noisy and colourfully...

Breakfast of Champions...

2012-01-14T08:21:00.000-06:00

I'm a creature of habit. I love routine, I love predictibility (in most things), I find a flavour I love and then I stick to it. When it comes to breakfast I have a few favorites...

Rye toast with butter, thin slices of old white cheddar, slices of tomato topped with salt and pepper.
Honey nut cheerios. Mmmmmm.
2 eggs, sunny side up, shredded hashbrowns, bacon, no toast (who needs toast when you have potatos?)
oatmeal with brown sugar and cinnamon.

So when I started an eating challenge this month in which the name of the game is NO white flour, NO sugar, I felt a little stuck. I don't like sugar substitutes and I tried honey in my oatmeal and it just wasn't doing it for me. Then one day a friend of mine posted that she'd made a little shake for a snack and it sounded so yummy that I thought I had to try it.

Here's what I put in it (totally tweaked from her recipe),

1 banana, 1 cup almond milk, 2 scoops chia seeds, 1 large handful spinach, 4 ice cubes and 2 TBSP cocoa

I've been having it every morning, it's SO yummy! Dark chocolate goodness in a breakfast shake that has over 12 g fibre per shake and a tonne of omega 3s and other goodness.

The best part is, I feel GREAT!

Trash into Treasure...

2012-01-12T15:30:00.000-06:00

Today I decided to take a break in the afternoon (well, ok, I folded and ironed laundry during my "break") and watch Rachael Ray. Today's theme was on turning one man's Trash into another's Treasure...my little Menno heart just went pitter-pat :o)
They tackled things like the bottom of food containers, you know, like when you have just 1/4 or so left of something just sitting in your fridge doing nothing. Then they talked about the bits of veggies that are leftover like potato peels and broccoli stems and celery tops. Bits of make up was another one that they tackled, but it didn't really apply to me since mine ends up expiring before I use it all up anyway.
I gotta say though, my favorite, the one that had me running for my recipe book, was the Potato Peel Gratin. Seriously, who thinks of this??!! Take the peels from 8-10 potatos and chop them roughly, mix them with 2 beaten eggs and 1/4-1/2 cup of whole milk. Add about 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar, some green onion and then bake it til it's golden. Yum, yum, yum, yum, yum and SO not on my diet (or as I call it, my Eating Challenge) right now!
Now, I like to save the bones from chicken or the juice (not fat) from a ham to make soup from, but this took things to a whole new level. I may need to dedicate one freezer just for bits to make stuff out of :o) Supper is gonna be interesting around here!
What about you? Do you make Treasure from Trash? Share your ideas, let's learn together!

Thai Butternut Squash Soup...

2012-01-10T13:28:00.000-06:00

Yesterday was the day!
Here's the ingredients (minus the veggie stock)...

Don't they look yummy? The squash I cut in half, seeded, covered with plastic wrap and cooked on high in the microwave until it was done (about 10 min).
Ok, ingredients (I'll post my changes to it, not the original recipe by Moosewood),

1 can coconut milk (original said 1 cup)
2 1/2 TBSP That red curry paste (original said 1/2 tsp)
1 tsp salt (original added 4tsp sugar)
2 cups veggie/chicken broth
1 butternut squash, cooked (equal to about 4 cups chopped) (original said 2-12 oz pkg frozen squash)
1 lime (zest and 2 Tbsp juice) (original also added 1 Keiffer lime leaf)
2 cups fresh spinach
1/2 lbs shrimp (peeled, and deveined, tails off) (original had pan-fried tofu)
1 cup chopped fresh cilantro (original had cilantro as just a garnish)

I scooped out the squash and combined it in a pot with the coconut milk, curry paste, salt and broth heated it through (don't boil) and pureed it all with my immersion blender (which is quite possibly the best kitchen gadget of all time!). I then added the shrimp, lime zest and juice, spinach and cilantro.

It was good, the kids weren't thrilled (surprise, surprise) but after it sat for 2 hours it was quite good and the leftovers were fantastic! I think this is one of those soups where you could make it in the morning or the night before (minus the shrimp), then heat it up when you're ready for it and throw in the shrimp. It's not spicy and not too sweet but has hints of lots of different flavours. If I'd made it with low fat coconut milk then it would be a great diet soup (no carbs, no sugar, lots of flavour) :o)

White and Nerdy...

2012-01-08T22:02:00.000-06:00

...about cooking.
and cookbooks.
and great sounding recipes.
Get ready for this one that's on the menu this week...
Thai Butternut Squash Soup.
*swoon*
Picture this...
Roasted butternut squash, red thai curry paste, coconut milk, baby spinach, cilantro, and shrimp.
My mouth is watering already, I can hardly wait!
When I take the kids to the library I inevitably come home with a cookbook to read. I'm fascinated by the millions of different combinations you can put ingredients in and the amazing yumminess that comes out of it! As I explained to a cousin of mine, "you are creative in so many ways, this is how I like to be creative" and maybe part of me is just a little nerdy when it comes to food. I get all wrapped up in it and captivated by it :)
Mmm, food.
I'll keep you posted about the soup, oh I hope it's a good one!

Our family...

2012-01-04T20:10:00.000-06:00

Here we are, all actually smiling at the same time for a Christmas picture, what are the odds of that happening?! One of these years I'm gonna get a professional one of us done again so the lighting isn't so bad. Oh well!

So begins a new year full of new and wonderful possibilities and new and awesome challenges, BRING IT ON!

The Best Christmas Lights Display EVER!!!

2011-12-20T14:18:00.000-06:00

I love Christmas lights...the white twinkling ones that make everything look festive and warm. I love it when people have them wrapped around their garland, or on a tree outside, or on their house. It's so beautiful. I'd love to do it too and have my house all pretty and lit up...
...but, well let's face it,
I'm too thrifty.
The cost of the lights, the electricity, it's to much and just feels like a waste somehow.
BUT...
...I will thoroughly other people's beautiful houses and displays!
A friend of mine shared this on Facebook and I thought it was awesome. Enjoy!

O Christmas Tree...

2011-12-18T17:01:00.000-06:00

Yesterday was quite the day...

I was not feeling well at all so Mark took Riker out to find a tree for us. They went to lot after lot and finally hours later came home with a gorgeous tree that Mark managed to score a pretty sweet deal on :o)

We got it home and set it up and then ran out of steam, but it was beautiful just the way it was. From my spot on the couch I took pictures of the kids. Sawyer was in love with the tree and kept exclaiming, "WOW, WOW, TREE, TREE!"

It was no problem to get him to give it a little kiss, teehee.

Trinity loves any posing opportunity!

I let Riker choose his pose (good idea Mom!)...classic.

All three of our kiddos together :o)

Then what will possibly be my best Christmas memory of 2011...

As I was sitting on the couch, Sawyer crawled up into my lap and snuggled in, which he basically never does unless I have his sucky or I'm gonna read a book. I started singing "O Christmas Tree" then moved on to other Christmas songs. It was funny, for the ones that he liked he would listen to the whole thing. For the ones he didn't like he would say, "NO, NO!" then giggle. We lay there for a good 15 minutes...it was awesome.

Looking on the Bright Side...

2011-12-16T09:57:00.001-06:00

So on Tuesday Trinity got to be the sick girl, yesterday was my turn and today it's Sawyer. This does not bode well for getting Christmas preparations done :o( I won't even talk about the sights and smells around here, not pretty.
Time to look on the bright side of life (both to make my blog less depressing and for my own good!)...

I have amazing kids (9 and 7) who cooked their own supper last night, and fed their little brother. So sweet.
Trinity came to my room before bed to pray for me to feel better, what a girl!
The Christmas shopping is over half done, and the stockings are filled! (shhhhh, don't tell the kids, it's our first year with stockings and they have no idea!)
I ate toast this morning and it felt great! Need to get my strength back up!
I've lost all the weight I wanted to lose before Christmas (though I think I'll find a different method to keeping the weight off :oP)
I get to snuggle with Sawyer today (who's very snuggly when he's sick) and read many, many stories.
We got a beautiful covering of fluffy snow last night :o) and a nice mild morning today.
I'm really enjoying the fact that this Christmas is ending up more simple and less commercial than others. Yeah, getting the shopping done is a little crazy, but since I haven't been doing it for a whole month I feel less consumed by it.
I'm LOVING the CHRISTmas playlist I made for my ipod last year! I still listen to my other Holiday music, but the focus of a whole playlist that revolves around Christ is awesome!
It's Friday. I normally don't count down to the weekend, but this week I'm very happy that it's Friday and that means a weekend of downtime :o)

Let's keep it going, what are you positive about today?

I need ideas!!!

2011-12-13T14:08:00.001-06:00

Oh boy, there are 12 days left until Christmas and guess how many gifts I've bought...2. Yep, that's it, just 2. I'm in BIG TROUBLE! I know that I wanted to get some gift cards this year (and a friend reminded me today that there are a variety at Safeway!) and I have ideas for a few people, but when it comes to Riker, Trinity and Mark I'm at a complete loss. No clue what to get. We don't do crazy extravagant gifts, in fact we keep gifts to a minimum, but both Riker and Trinity are at ages that are hard to buy for (especially for $20-25!) and really anything that Mark wants costs more than our $50 limit :o(
I need to think out of the box. Problem is, Jobina doesn't think out of the box. Jobina thinks inside the box. And Jobina is happy that way. Well, except for right about now.
Anyone who knows my family have any ideas for me???

Christmas-a-fied...

2011-12-11T19:49:00.000-06:00

Due to Mark being in an accident and writing off our van and then his grandpa dying in Calgary and a quick family trip out there we were a little behind on the whole Christmas decorating and advent thing. It's still strange for me to think that Christmas is only 2 weeks away and I have done only about 10% of my Christmas shopping and there isn't even a tree up around here! Christmas music though has been played in abundance, scripture has been read, verses about the birth of the Christ meditated upon...our hearts are into it, just our decorating and our gifting hasn't caught up yet :o)
I put out a few things though and I've been enjoying the simplicity of it and the reminder that it brings of the celebration to come!
First I decided to trim my spruce out front and deck our mantel with something fresh this year...

Then out came the snowman and advent tree...

and, of course, something to brighten up the table...

Now for a tree!

The Good Old Days of Blogging...

2011-12-11T18:22:00.000-06:00

I was reading back to some of my blog posts from 2006 and 2007 and had such a great time down memory lane. It seems that when we first moved to Winnipeg and I was a lonely wife of a student and far away from parents that I put down a lot of just our everyday goings on and everyday thoughts on here. Not to mention pictures! I absolutely LOVED looking back at old pics of our kids, places we went and things we did together.
With the introduction of Facebook in my life I just find it so much easier to put a quick thought or memory or picture on there and I've missed putting on here and having those memories caught on my blog. That makes me sad.
So, though I feel super out of practice and can't imagine anyone actually connecting to anything I write or post about our little life, I'm gonna go back to the good old days of blogging and capture those memories on here again.

Little Drummer Boy...

2011-12-09T09:38:00.000-06:00

This totally made me smile this morning :) Sean Quigley is a high school student here in Winnipeg and shot the whole video in Winnipeg. This song has never been my favorite but something about the little smile on his face when he sings and the enthusiasm he has when he drums makes me think twice. There is something so sweet about giving what we have to the Lord, an offering. It may not look like much to someone else but when it comes from the heart it's so beautiful!

Luke 2...

2011-11-23T13:47:00.001-06:00

On Sunday morning, Riker and I were working on his memory verses for Sunday school and realized that what he was supposed to memorize was missing 2 verses in the middle, so we got out Mommy's Bible and looked up the passage so that he could memorize the whole thing. He was having a little trouble and I've noticed that it helps to talk to him about what is happening in the verse, who is talking, what the setting is, etc. It makes it easier to memorize when you "set the stage", so to speak. Here's the passage...

Luke 2

⁸ And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. ⁹ An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. ¹⁰ But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. ¹¹ Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. ¹² This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

¹³ Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

¹⁴ “Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.

As I explained it to him my eyes welled up with tears... imagine the excitement of the angel who got to proclaim that Jesus, the SON OF GOD, had come to earth! Imagine hearing a great company of the heavenly host praise God! Imagine living in a land where only one race "knows" the One True God and then hearing that He has come for ALL people! A Saviour for YOU!

Wow!

Wow.

I wish I could've been there :)

7 years old!!!

2011-11-16T11:57:00.000-06:00

We are blessed with just one girl. One small feisty package of passion, creativity, originality, strong opinion and intense emotion all wrapped up in a pink, sparkly, flashy package called Trinity!

Trinity in pictures...

I saw it on Pinterest...

2011-11-10T13:55:00.000-06:00

...and I MADE IT!!!!
I totally didn't get the whole www.pinterest.com thing until I really got into it. I got an invite, I started my own page, I "pinned" things left, right and centre. The crazy part came though when I didn't just pin something, I actually got off my butt, found what I needed and MADE IT! I have found some amazing things that really work and can be made so simply and with things that I have just lying around my house. Here, I'll show you...(btw, I've made all the pictures links)

I saw this sugar scrub and felt so inspired. I love scrubs but I'm cheap and hate buying stuff like that. Also, most of them feel really rough and I don't know why, but my skin doesn't handle that well. Anyway, I saw this pin and figured, I could make that, so I mixed sugar, coconut oil and lime juice and got yummy coconut lime sugar scrub! I use it in the shower, I use it when I'm baking and need to get all the bits of dough off or I use it just to exfoliate and "lotion" my hands all in one step. Love it!

A couple of months ago Mark went grocery shopping and came back with spring roll wrappers. I had no idea what to do with them but as soon as I saw this recipe I knew I had struck gold!!! The flavours were perfect, the texture was perfect and we dipped them in Greek yogurt and salsa and had a salad on the side, super healthy yummy meal. These would be an amazing appetizer too!

When we moved to our current house I discovered that I only have 2 soap dispensers and 3 bathrooms. I love my soap dispensers so I went to Walmart to buy another and discovered that they no longer come in white :( I hate spending lots of money on a disposable dispenser (because I don't want the cheap ones, they don't look nice!) and I couldn't find another reusable one that I liked. Then I saw this. Hmmm, my Mother-in-law buys those, I thought. Sure enough, next time we were there she has a foam soap that she was just finishing so I snagged it, brought it home, cleaned it out and made my own foam soap from some Bath and Body Works Twisted Peppermint body wash that I had and water. It seriously works and it smells just like it I'd bought it that way. Score!

And the most awesome of all!

Salad in a jar.

I know, it sounds silly, how could salad stay good in a jar?

It just does people.

DO IT! :)

I didn't use her dressing, I'm not a big dressing girl so I just put a tablespoon of Newman's Own oil and vinegar dressing in there, then onion, mushrooms, grape tomatos and spinach (I totally forgot the quinoa!). I made 5 jars and put them in my downstairs fridge. I skipped 2 lunches of this so it ended up being 7 days before I opened the last jar and honestly, I kid you not, it was as fresh as the first day I put it together! My only theory is that the mushroom absorb any extra moisture in the jar so the spinach keeps so long. SOOOO yummy and healthy and easy to take with you.

Ok, so I have to know, what have you made that you saw on Pinterest??

Flour Tortillas...

2011-11-04T09:38:00.000-05:00

First of all I need to give credit where credit is due...I got this recipe from AllRecipes.com. It was posted by a lovely lady named LaDonna and between her description and the comments it was so well thought out that I just had to try it!
Plus I had a craving for Mexican food :)
Scrounge up....
4 cups all purpose flour
2tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt

...and place in a bowl. Using your hands, work in 2 TBSP lard until it looks like cornmeal.

Make a well in the centre and pour in almost 1 1/2 cups warm water (I always keep a little back and add more if needed).
Knead the dough until it's smooth and elastic. Divide into 24 balls (for smaller tortillas, maybe 16 or 12 for large burrito sized tortillas) and keep under a damp tea towel.

Heat a little oil in a heavy bottomed non-stick skillet on medium-high heat.
One by one on a well floured surface with a well floured pin, roll out a ball of dough to lunch plate size or smaller, it should be the thickness of a quarter (don't roll it too thin! this one was too thin.)

Place tortilla in pan and cook until it has a little colour, then flip, cook to the same colour,

(notice how big the tortilla is? Too big! Cracker tortilla, yuck :( )
Remove from pan and keep under a damp paper towel.
Repeat.
Repeat.
Repeat.
Repeat.
Ok, you get the picture!

There's definitely a learning curve with tortillas. At first I was rolling them too thin and ended up with giant tortilla crackers. Not so good for wrapping around yummy taco filling! Keep them a little on the thicker side and they'll be soft and pliable. Oh and store in a sealed bag in your fridge. Yum, yum!

thankful...

2011-10-10T09:42:00.000-05:00

...for people to love, for those who care for me, for friends who are like family, for family who are my friends, for food to put on my table, for warm beds to tuck my kids into, for funds in our bank account, for the Word of God in our home and hearts, for the ability to communicate around the world, for awareness of others needs and the means to help, for a church family who constantly encourages us and points us to God.
Our 9 year old son said yesterday, "I realized that Thanksgiving isn't about what's on our plates!"
May you see the blessings in your life and in God and may it cause you to be Thankful :o)

Reign in Us

2011-10-05T12:44:00.000-05:00

This month at our church is "Missions Month" and though we are highlighting Missionaries that have gone to other countries and organizations that are sharing the Good News all over the world, it's also a call to us as the Church in Canada to live out our faith everyday. I have the honour and privilege of leading the musical worship this Sunday for our friends who recently returned from a year in Ecuador. They asked if we could sing this song and even though I've heard it lots of times on the radio, I hadn't really listened to the lyrics or prayed through them like I did today. There was some dancing going on in my kitchen today!

Reign In Us

You thought of us before the world began to breathe
You knew our names before we came to be
You saw the very day we fall away from you
and how desperately we need to be redeemed

lord jesus
come lead us
we're desperate for your touch

Oh great and mighty one
with one desire we come
that you would reign that you would reign in us
we're offering up our lives
a living sacrifice
that you would reign that you would reign in us

Spirit of the living God fall fresh again
come search our hearts and puify our lives
we need your perfect love we need your discipline
we're lost unless you guide us with your light

lord jesus
come lead us
we're desperate for your touch

Oh great and mighty one
with one desire we come
that you would reign that you would reign in us
we're offering up our lives
a living sacrifice
that you would reign that you would reign in us

we cry out for your life to revive us cry out
for your love to define us cry out
for your mercy to keep us
blameless until you return

oh great and mighty one
with one desire we come
that you would reign that you would reign in us
we're offering up our lives
a living sacrifice
that you would reign that you would reign in us

REPEAT

So reign please reign in us
come purify our hearts
we need your touch
come cleanse us like a flood
and set us out
so the world may know you reign you reign in us

Differences...

2011-09-23T13:41:00.000-05:00

Mark is a good sport.

Usually for vacations we end up doing what I like, visiting people, sitting, talking, driving.

This year we did what Mark likes, stayed at an eco-cabin on an almost private lake for a whole week.

Here's Mark and the kids...

jumping off the dock,

hiking in the woods,

yep, they were loving it!

My version...

drinking coffee and reading on the deck,

snuggling Sawyer in the screened-in porch.

Don't worry, I do stuff with Mark and the older 2 too!

See, I biked

and I swam!

It's all about compromise :)

From summer to fall...

2011-09-19T19:59:00.001-05:00

Our summer was crazy, absolutely crazy! We bought and sold a house. We went camping for 1 night, yurting for 2 nights, and stayed at a cabin for 7 nights. Riker went to camp, Trinity went to VBS, then all 3 kids and I were at our church's Summer Adventure Camp for 5 days. There were play dates and trips to see Mark's parents and my parents came over. There was the day that Mark biked from Winnipeg to Grand Beach with a couple of guys and we met him there, swam and had supper. There was just not-stop insanity and frankly, some of us are ready for a break!

Welcome school!!! It's the most wonderful time of the year! My older two get their fill of social interaction and book learning and Mommy and Sawyer have time to do errands and unpack and clean and make food and do all the things that have been sorely neglected all summer! It's good :)
I also get to begin going to my ladies group which is studying Romans this year and I'm really looking forward to it! I have a very hard time extracting deep learning from things without talking it out, I'm very auditory, always have been. Studying a book or the Bible with a group and being able to discuss stuff is awesome, I'll keep you posted on how it's going :)
Eventually there'll be pictures of the house going up but I just finally found our camera today so give me some time to tidy up first before I have to take pics ok?

A month to the day...

2011-09-19T14:02:00.001-05:00

Wow, it's been exactly a month since I last posted. That's way too long!
Time to think of some interesting things to talk about on here but for right now I really need to find my camera, put some more things away in the garage and fold a load of laundry. Check back in the next day or so, I'll get back to it! :)

Lift Me Up...

2011-08-19T17:04:00.000-05:00

LOVING this song lately!

SOLD!!!

2011-08-10T15:25:00.000-05:00

Finally, after thinking our house was sold, then putting it back on the market, then taking offers a second time, we accepted one and it's done! Horray!
I honestly don't know another situation where I felt like I needed to "cry out to the Lord" like that. It was constant. The stress, the worry, the panic, the rushing around, the details...it was all too much for me! But god tells us that He will be our strength when we are weak, he will be our refuge and our fortress. He tells us not to worry and that His plans for us are for the good. And He is so right! I feel as though I've been through a refining fire (and I'm sure that in my lifetime there are MANY more to come!), and my trust in Him is that much more sure. Thank you LORD!
So, now the real work begins...I have a house to pack up in about 2 weeks and then friend's kids to look after and feed while they paint our new house :) Then in we move and out we go to a lovely vacation. Whew!
Time to pack!

Attacked...

2011-07-28T22:03:00.000-05:00

When life is stressful and I feel the weight of worry or expectation on me I feel like I'm in a war. It all came to a head for me the other day...our kids picked up all the crab apples in our yard (and there were a lot) and so I told them that I would take them to 7-11 for a Slurpee reward. As they got their Slurpees I stood in front of the machines thinking about if I would get a Slurpee too. In the end I didn't and you know why? I didn't feel like I was worth it. My efforts at parenting were pathetic that day, I was on my iPod WAY too much and eating junk and feeling like junk. On the way home I was so low and almost in tears and I started praying. As I cried out for help I felt the Lord speak to me, "Put on the full armor of God". How I love that still small voice! As I thought about the armor of God and applied it's Truth to my life I instantly felt lifted up, covered and protected, loved and secure. "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." John 10:10 Don't listen to the enemy, he just wants to beat you down! Put on the Armor of God... " Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God." Ephesians 6:10-18.

God gives us just what we need, just when we need it. He will walk with us and lead us and guide us, but it's our job to follow.
Now I've got that song in my head... "I'm in the Lord's army, YES SIR!" :)

Coffee Bar...

2011-07-27T11:28:00.006-05:00

In the basement of our new house there is a bar space. I can't say that it's my favorite right now, it's all white and green and has a strange cut out in the wall and wood valance thing and old fridge. I've been dreaming though of what it could be someday :) Jobina's coffee bar space! So far here's my ideas (to be added as I save up money)...

I'd like to paint out the wood and cupboards to an espresso colour and the walls (in the whole basement) to a light portabello mushroom colour and put updated handles on the cupboard doors. I'm toying with the idea of painting the walls just in this small bar area a different colour. I don't know if I'm bold enough to go red but I think I'd love it!
I'd like to take down the wood thing and the shelves in the cut out space and paint the space with chalkboard paint.
I'd like to put in a stainless steel or black fridge
I'd like a dark countertop that's not green :)
I'd like a great cappuccino maker in the bar area, with syrups and cinnamon sugar to sprinkle on top
I'd like an interesting grouping of mugs in different sizes (espresso, cappuccino and latte)
I'd like two large glass containers, one of biscotti and one of chocolate covered espresso beans
For Mark and the kids I'd like an industrial milkshake machine and a cute popcorn popper

What would you do to this space? (oh, and the pics are from the listing, no moving for us yet, though our house is up for sale!)

Bright spots in my day...

2011-07-26T20:49:00.000-05:00

hearing the slap, slap, slap of Sawyer's little feet on the floor. He's a walking machine now and is a constant source of entertainment!
Trinity's loss of her 2 front teeth :) I don't know what is cuter about a 6 year old than the time that they have no front teeth, makes me smile every time she talks to me. Or should I say, "maketh me thmile every time thee talkth to me" :)
Riker wanting to make everyone breakfast this morning. Mini bagels for everyone! When did he go from fighting making his breakfast to this? I like it!
an impromptu visit and picnic with a friend. That helps me recharge! Especially when it's a person who's laid back, easy to talk to, and positive. I need some more sleep so I can be that for her!!!
getting a call from a Realtor who wants to show our house to his client Thursday! And so the crazy weekend of showings begins!!!

A lot can happen in a month...

2011-07-25T15:10:00.000-05:00

In a month we have purchased a new house and gotten our house ready for sale. It's been a crazy experience and I'm learning new methods of stress management! Mostly though I feel like I'm at the end of my rope and have to force myself to keep going. This weekend is the big push with showings Thursday, Friday, Saturday, open house Sunday, showings Monday, Tuesday and offers Tuesday evening. If anyone out there is the praying kind, please, please, please, pray with us that our house sells fast and for what we need it to sell for. I can't take much more of this!

A rockin' evening walk...

2011-06-24T11:21:00.000-05:00

7:49pm yesterday, Mark was putting the kids to bed (thanks Honey!) and I laced up my runners, stuck my earbuds in, selected my Praise and Worship playlist on my iPod and hit Kildonan Trail. As I walked I could feel my spirit lift...looking at the dragonflies darting around, feasting on mosquitos, studying all the different trees with different bark, different leaves, different heights, passing so many different people each so unique. I walked to the beat of the music praising God, the arms of my little heart raised to Him, thanking Him for so much in my life, in our world...

I thought I'd share my playlist from my walk, they are so uplifting,

Our God- Chris Tomlin
Because of Your Love- Paul Baloche
All the Earth will sing Your praises-Paul Baloche
You are Holy (Price of Peace)- Michael W. Smith

It wasn't a long walk, but it was so awesome!

Tiny spaces...

2011-06-23T10:23:00.000-05:00

I don't know if it's just that more people are doing this now or that yahoo news just has more stories about them, but I'm seeing a lot of small, but functional spaces lately.
I'm in love!
I'm not the neatest person in the world (Mark, stop laughing!)
Ok, fine, I can really be quite the disaster, but I really love it when my house is all organized and there's a place for everything and everything in it's place. Even if only for about an hour on Saturday morning after our family clean-up.
I dream of having cabinetry and storage solutions for everything and not seeing the clutter constantly. I love the coziness of little spaces and the contented attitudes of the people who live in them.
Here's three that I LOVE...

What makes a good friend???

2011-06-21T13:32:00.000-05:00

Lately I've been watching other people, and being aware of myself with the question in mind...what makes a good friend? I've noticed some things in my friends that I really appreciate, like a short phone call in the afternoon, a few minutes of emailing back and forth in the morning, meeting at the park so the kids can play, a compliment, real concern in their voice when they ask "how are you?", connecting with my kids...the list goes on. I've often been frustrated with myself because I see myself as a person who has trouble connecting with others...I interrupt people, I don't keep in touch, I hole up at home by myself. Lately though I've been trying to put some effort into being a good friend instead of beating myself up about what I'm bad at. I'm trying to ask questions instead of giving all the answers, I'm trying to be the one to email or call, I'm trying to put thought and care and concern into these relationships. And you know what? It feels so good! I like it when I see my friends smile or hear them laugh or know that their day maybe got a teensy bit brighter. I have SO far to go, but I'm really enjoying focusing on my friends a little more. You are all so awesome and incredible people and I learn so much from each of you.
(((((HUG))))))

A good cry...

2011-06-20T15:09:00.001-05:00

Yesterday, even though we were already getting to bed way too late, Mark and I lay in bed and talked. I am so blessed to have a husband who wants to talk to me, who probes into not just my day to day goings-on but my thoughts and feelings. Who lets me share with him and will offer his advice if I want it but will respect me enough not to give it if I really don't want to hear it. He's a gem I tell you!
Anyway, for some odd and unknown reason I've had a lot of things going on in my head as of late. A lot of negative self-talk. About my body, my personality, how I interact with others, on friendships or lack thereof, whether I am loved, my parenting, my ability to keep house, to be a wife...oh my goodness, the list goes on and on. And I've been miserable. It's like having Eeyore in the house with a little black cloud above him. I'm one of these people who needs a good cry every once in a while. It's so cleansing, it releases the dam of pent up emotion and makes it so I can think straight again.
So last night Mark let me talk, and cry, and talk, and cry some more.
I'm truly amazed at the difference this morning. Sure, the thoughts are still there but now I feel like I have the strength to fight back, to counter the thoughts, to pray about it and to ask God to reveal the truth to me and not allow myself to get bogged down with lies. To sort out what I need to work on with what simply isn't true. Yep, there's a little more light at the end of the tunnel today....
...though I told Mark, I may just have to rent a really sad movie to get any residual tears out.
He said that I could always watch his old-school animated Transformers movie. When Optimus Prime dies it always makes him a little misty.
:o)

Mini vacation of the mind...

2011-06-17T14:35:00.003-05:00

Last week when Mark and I went out for a date we inevitably ended up at Chapters to check out the books and browse around. We spent some time downstairs first scouring the sales (ok, that was mostly me) and then headed up the escalator. I was babbling away to Mark when a book caught my eye and I rushed toward it, squealing all the way. "The Pioneer Woman- Black Heels to Tractor Wheels" the cover read. I was this close to just paying the money for it when Mark mentioned that they might have it at the public library. I looked at it longingly, not even cracking the cover to peek inside, and put it back wishing I could freely buy pricey books without having to consult the budget or take from my personal money.
When we got home I looked up the book on the library website and sure enough they had it. AND IT WAS IN STOCK!!! I requested the item and waited. On Thursday I got an email, the book was in, I emailed Mark to see if he could pick it up for me...wonderful man that he is, he already had. I could hardly wait :o)
Thursday afternoon I ate lunch, put Sawyer down for a nap and picked up the book. An hour and a half later I roused, realizing that I'd so totally immersed myself in the book that I hadn't hardly moved! I felt so beautifully rested and rejuvinated, I puttered around for a bit, then picked it up again. Today at lunch I finished the book. All 340 pages of awesomeness. I've loved her blog for years, her stories, her recipes, her humour and the way that she puts words together. I keep trying to win one of those trips that she hosts at her ranch, where you get to stay and cook and talk and laugh all weekend. Yup, that would be right up my alley.
For now though I'm just going to enjoy the aftermath of my mini-vacation. The joy of reading a good book that you totally connect to, that feels like you had a great nap, or ate an amazing meal. Ahhhh....

We've got a toddler on our hands...

2011-06-16T12:13:00.000-05:00

Sawyer's still our baby, but he's showing more and more signs of toddler hood everyday. He's in relentless pursuit of all things electronic, the cordless telephone being his current favorite. It's excruciatingly hard to do dishes when he's awake because every couple of seconds I have to dry my hands and get him down from the computer desk. Unfortunately this is where the phone has to live so he's just gonna have to learn...and I think I'm gonna start getting more exercise :o)

Summer Food...

2011-06-15T10:23:00.001-05:00

Ah, winter food. I love you. I love the comfort from the warmth of my stove and the savory smells in my house. I love the warm feeling in my belly when I eat you and how I feel happy afterwards.

Ah summer food, I find you so difficult. My kids are picky about you and I find you hard to plan for. We aren't big bbq'ers so the house gets hot from cooking inside. You are full of fresh and expensive ingredients. Summer food, I'd rather eat you at a restaurant than make you myself!

Yes, the warm weather is upon us (most days at least!) and already I'm finding cooking stressful. I was talking to a friend today who I did a Bog Cook with in winter and we were trying to figure out how we could do a big cook but for summer. What kinds of things could we make? I'm not big on freezing veggies and our older two are not big meat eaters, but I had one idea...

We could freeze stewing beef in a marinade to be thawed and threaded onto skewers with veggies later. Serve it with noodles or rice or garlic toast.

What other ideas do you have for summer meals? What do you cook for your family? Any ideas of things to freeze ahead and cook later?

The camera cord is found!!!

2011-06-10T10:35:00.002-05:00

Oh, I'm so happy! Mark found my camera cord yesterday behind the couch, YAY!
Come outside at our place, sit on the deck, enjoy a cup of coffee and see what I see...

My little garden!

I'm not a gardener by any means, in fact this is the first year I've had one. Other years I've done a few plants in pots but really it can't compare, the weeding alone is crazy in a garden!

My little plants are coming up nicely, soaking in the sprinkles of rain we've gotten and waving hello to the sun.

My raspberry bushes are totally wild (I might need to look up how to trim those yet)

but are starting to bloom and even the strawberry plants are trying to produce.

I've had to attempt bunny proofing my garden because of the crazy amount of them that live around here, and hopefully it'll keep the little neighbour dog out too since the fence is half done between our property and he thinks our house is his. Oh, and this vine has totally taken off and is quickly covering up the ugliness that is a chain-link fence.

Last year I was so busy with caring for my little baby that I didn't even enjoy our yard much.

This year we set up the camping chairs on the deck and I'm finding myself out there for a bit during the day enjoying the air and sunshine...oh, and coffee :o)

I {heart} weddings...

2011-06-09T10:45:00.001-05:00

I saw this on she {hearts}it the other day and it was so beautiful it made me cry. Whoever the Schultzes are, they are incredibly talented and fantastic with photography and videos! Enjoy...

whitney + matt from The Schultzes on Vimeo.

A week in the bush...

2011-06-08T09:49:00.003-05:00

During the summer we've booked a week away for us and the kids at an awesome resort in southern Manitoba, Falcon Trails. We've loved going there since our Honeymoon (almost 14 years ago!) and have been back for many weekends, 2 Christmas' and even brought the kids. We just love the pine cabins and the style that the place has. It's still quite wild, there's no playground, there's nothing that feels fake or put on about it. It feels real, like this is the way life is supposed to be.

Two things we've never tried though are going to Falcon Trails for a whole week or staying at one of the Eco Cabins. A few years ago they put in 2 Eco cabins that you have to hike/bike 2.5km to get to. The cabins face a different side of Falcon Lake so they are much more private. Also, the energy is solar (so no hairdryer, coffee maker or straightening iron), the toilets are composting toilets and there's no hot tub to be had. There are the regular fridge, stove, microwave amenities though since they run on propane :o)

Thanks to someone who was selling a gift certificate to Falcon Trails on Kijiji, we were able to book a whole week for much less money than almost any other vacation would cost us. Our kids are thrilled because they get to tromp around the bush for a week and have campfires and play games in the evening. There are also 2 canoes complete with life jackets to use to explore with and trails to hike and bike.

I'm not big on the bush. I hate bugs. I'm a total wimp in the rain. I wear makeup when I'm in the bush. But...I confess, this city girl is slowly being lured in. I like the quiet. I like the solitude. I like the natural playground. I love the air and the sounds and eating outside (in a screened in porch that is!).

I love how even just thinking about being surrounded by creation makes me think about God...

Romans 1:2

For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities--his eternal power and divine nature--have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.

Psalm 19 (in part)

The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard. Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.

(all photos taken from Falcon Trails website. Check them out and if you book, tell them Mark and Jobina Westman sent you. Awesome people, awesome place for a vacation. Enjoy!)

Cuties...

2011-06-02T09:06:00.000-05:00

I love it when my kids play together well...it makes me happy :o)

Trinity and Sawyer decided to get into the closet the other day and play "dress-up", it was so cute because Sawyer was just as into it as Trinity!

Sawyer has been LOVING the outdoors too and it's so cute to see his personality coming out. And just look at his hair! Isn't it awesome??

The end is in sight...

2011-05-30T11:48:00.000-05:00

Thank goodness Wednesday is the first day of June! This silly 4 Hour Body eating plan that Mark and I have been on has worked great for him but I've lost 2 pounds. In a month. yeah, not really much of a success. So...

I decided that next month I'm gonna switch it up and make some changes to this. Honestly, I'm constantly starting some sort of eating plan or exercise plan but nothing ever "works" because I don't stick to it! Well, last month I proved to myself that I can follow even the most ridiculous of eating plans, so now I know that I can do it! It's time to get rid of these pesky pounds for good and tone up all this jiggling!

The problem is, I don't know what kind of rules to give myself. How many calories, how much fat, how much protein, cheat days (yes or no and how much of a cheat?), and how much exercise? 3 days? 5 days a week? I've got some decisions to make before Wednesday that's for sure!

What's worked for you?

Gardening...

2011-05-27T10:31:00.000-05:00

My wonderful neighbor came over this week and tilled our garden and part of the front yard for us. Yesterday I bought seeds and plants and had a ball planting my garden and putting up fencing to keep the bunnies out. It's my first garden ever! I've planted lettuce and tomatoes and herbs in pots before but I've never had a garden plot to call my own and I'm so excited! I already know that I'm going to have to really push myself to go and weed once the mosquitos get bad. I just hate mosquitos! Maybe I'll get myself one of those bug shirts with the hat attached :o)
This year I planted a whole bunch of stuff. There's already a good raspberry bush and a few strawberry plants so I just added 2 more everbearing Strawberry plants. Then for the veggie side I planted tomatoes, green peppers, beets, romaine lettuce, carrots, peas, cilantro, basil and chives. We'll see how they do, it's supposed to rain this weekend so that should give them a good start especially if we can get some sun after!
I'm so looking forward to all the truths we can learn about God through experiencing creation, I was already teaching my kids about the parable of the seeds when we were pulling weeds out of the rocks at the playground.
hmmm, maybe I'll read Francine Rivers' Leota's Garden again....

ps. I still can't find my camera cord so no pics :o(

First steps!!!

2011-05-23T14:53:00.000-05:00

Today Sawyer started standing in the middle of the floor by himself and just before his afternoon nap we caught this with my iPod!!!

Enough about dieting and food already!!!

2011-05-19T09:48:00.000-05:00

Lest you think that's all I think about these days, how about I fill you in on other happenings in the Westman family...

our littlest man has recently allowed us to stand him up alone for a few seconds at a time and even takes 1 or 2 tentative little steps toward us :o)
Trinity and Riker both had their hair cut at the hairdresser (a BIG deal around here since Mommy usually does the cutting) and honestly, I just stared at them for a few days...my kids are so darn cute!
Mark called MTS yesterday and asked them to disconnect the cable. I'm on board, really I am, but I'm also already trying to figure out what I'll do evening after evening after evening.
I have been doing a laundry marathon! Seriously, does it ever end?? So I complain that we have too many clothes...don't tell anyone but I just made an order to Old Navy for more :o) Oh well, at least the homemade laundry soap makes it fun!
I've been doing yardwork. Probably not a big deal to the greater population of southern Manitoba, but it is to me. I kill everything! I've successfully cleaned out all the debris and weeds from the side garden, now I just have to figure out what to do in the front with the mess there and get a tiller so I can turn the soil in the back garden. After I bunny-proof it then I can actually plant some stuff, I can hardly wait! Fresh veggies, here we come!
my goal of reading a book a month is suffering badly. I think I've read 2 books. I'm sure that the lack of TV after next week will help that goal along :o)
I walked up to our neighbor's house and asked if she wanted to sell it. Yep, that's how it's done around here! Our neighbor told us that within the last year 3 houses have sold that never went on the market because a neighbor bought it! Mark and I really want to stay in this area but we really need more room, the sleeping situation with the boys is getting worse and worse. Sawyer thinks it's awesome to be half asleep, then wake up and start jumping in his crib and laugh at the top of his lungs at Riker. Not really conducive to sleep :o/ The neighbor didn't want to sell yet, maybe in 5 years, so Mark and I have been choosing which other ones we like. I guess I'll just walk around the neighborhood one day and see what I can do!
I have no pictures for you because I can't find my cord...hmmm, I guess I have some looking to do.

Enjoy your day!

The 4 Hour body gets revamped...

2011-05-18T09:23:00.000-05:00

Sunday I was cranky and tired.
Monday I could not get through the afternoon without lying down for half and hour.
Tuesday morning I was barely up and I was exhausted. Things were not going so well. By the time I got to my morning Bible Study I considered asking the girls if I could just close my eyes for a bit while they talked, instead my very loving girls convinced me to eat half a bran muffin. The difference was incredible! Within 20 minutes I was alert and attentive and upbeat, completely opposite of what I had been when I walked in the door that morning.
I really hate to give up on stuff and I'm telling myself that I'm not giving up, I'm still going to follow most of what I was doing before, but I'm gonna have to put in a few carbs here and there. I spent a bit of time yesterday looking up low glycemic index foods so that I can eat a few carbs without spiking my insulin and so I made one change for today, just one little change.
I had oatmeal for breakfast.
With 1 tsp brown sugar.
And it was glorious!
I still need to figure out how else I'm gonna tweak things because I know myself, it's far easier to say "no" to everything than to say, "I'll just have a little bit". But if following the 4 Hour Body for 2 weeks taught me anything, it's that I have more control than I thought I did!

And another week of the 4 hour body...

2011-05-16T11:17:00.001-05:00

Weighed this week and went down 0.4 pounds from my original weigh-in.
So...not much progress here! I can't say that I'm a big believer in this thing right about now. I will say though that there are a few pluses to this whole eating plan.

I'm a lot less bloated. Ok, maybe that's TMI but normally my stomach feels full of air, especially after meals. I think carbs are a big part of this for me. I definitely feel better.
I'm not drinking my calories.
I'm getting in a lot of veggies.
I've learned that I can do anything I set my mind to!

The bad side...

I haven't been counting calories. Now he says that you don't need to, but look at my last few weeks...nothing! basically no weight loss to speak of!
I'm exerting so much energy on meal planning that I find it hard to exercise. Though with the beautiful weather yesterday I was outside tonnes and lost almost a whole pound in a day! Yard work will be my exercise this week!
I'm so sick of meat! He says not to use nuts and chickpeas and stuff for protein, mostly because people tend to overeat these things and consume a crazy amount of fat and calories. Since I don't mind portioning, I'm gonna start putting in more of these things because meat is just not as appealing to me as it used to be!

I'm gonna stick with it for the rest of the month but after that if there's not some significant weight loss happening, I'm gonna tweak this sucker to make it a little more true to life.

So, there you have it!

4 hour body a week later...

2011-05-10T13:35:00.000-05:00

so on Monday I weighed myself and today I did my measurements and...
...nothing. yep, nothing. A little disappointing to be sure, but I read somewhere that this fat burning thing sometimes takes a little bit to kick in so I'm sticking to it. I've been surprised though, I thought it would be excruciating but it's really not and I'm not even hungry. Now, maybe that explains why I haven't lost anything...I don't know.
So, what do I eat? Well, for breakfast it's usually a bowl with 2 yolks and 3 egg whites scrambled, then about a 1/2 cup lentils, a big handful of spinach and a bit of salsa. Lunch is either leftovers or a salad of veggies, lentils and protein (like salmon, chicken, beef, hemp seed or whatever) and supper has varied a lot. I've made stew (minus the potatoes and adding turnip instead), roast chicken with veggies and lentils, chicken vegetable soup with noodles for the kids and lentils for us, spaghetti sauce with noodles for the kids and spaghetti squash for us, to name a few. It really is yummy and 20g of protein isn't excessive at all, it actually looks like a normal serving (with most meats it's about 3-4 oz).
We're spending more on veggies but we're saving money on dairy and bread stuff. Last week I was still having cream in my coffee, this week I'm going to try having Almond milk half the time and see if I can tell. Now that I'm not having sure and am putting in cinnamon and vanilla instead I think I could actually go off cream (or milk or almond milk) altogether, but I'm not rushing it :o)
So this week I'm adding in my Jillian Michael's 30 day shred, reducing my cream, and drinking at least 2 litres of water every day.
We'll see what happens by next monday.

I'm hesitant to even mention it...

2011-05-04T16:09:00.000-05:00

...but since my hubby already did and people are asking if I'm on board too, I guess I'll satisfy everyone's curiosity.
Yes, I've been reading the 4 Hour Body by Tim Ferris.
Yes, as of May 1st, I've been trying out the eating guidelines with Mark.
So here's what's going down...
Mark and I went on a date a while ago where we ended up in Chapters with Starbucks in hand, perusing the books. Mark had mentioned the 4 Hour Body to me so when I saw it I picked it up and started reading. I had a hard time putting it down! Tim Ferris definitely has a different outlook than most people, he seems to see life and our bodies as a vehicle for various experiments and his results are fascinating! So, since I've been frustrated with weight loss I thought, hey, why not experiment a little?
So, the other day we got ourselves one of those crazy scales that can measure your body fat and hydration level and bone mass and everything and we came up with our eating plans. If you want to read about Mark's, go here. I'm following these guidelines...

no white carbs. So nothing white or that may have been white and then recoloured ( like some rice and flour). Just to be on the safe side, I'm going no carbs. Cauliflower is white though and that's a-ok :o)
no dairy. Exception here being 2 T of cream in my morning coffees and cottage cheese.
no fruit. Fruit is largely sugar which is a no-no. Exceptions here are tomatos and avocados. The latter though should be restricted to one per day.
no sugar. Limit sugar substitutes too. I'm just going no sugar. Even in my coffee, which I thought would be hard but since I started putting cinnamon in my coffee it's not an issue.
Drink lots of water! I've been drinking at least 8 cups a day mostly because I find that when I get less than that I fell thirsty.
Don't drink your calories. So no juice, no pop, no milk, no anything but water (oh, and those 2 glorious cups of java in the morning!)
get at least 20g of protein in per meal.
Eat legumes with every meal. If you don't follow this it's really hard to get full enough and to not starve yourself with too little calories.
Take one day off a week and go nuts! And he means nuts! It keeps your body guessing and is so awesome mentally to know that you can cheat like crazy and not suffer for it.

So, we'll see how it goes. I've already seen weight loss and my percentage of body fat has gone down. I'm not a sugar person so that part isn't hard but I'm already dreaming of the carbs I'm gonna consume on Mother's Day!

Think we're crazy? Maybe we are. Try reading the 4 Hour Body though (language warning:do not read if you're easily offended) and I promise you that Tim will make you rethink everything you thought you knew about your body!

My Husband Rocks!

2011-04-23T18:03:00.000-05:00

A few of my friends have these shirts and I always thought that they're super cute! I'm not usually much for having slogans on my shirts but this is a message that I could support :o) because it's true, MY HUSBAND ROCKS! I've been blessed by having a guy who listens to me, works hard to support his family, pours into his kids and has loved me for the past 13 years (15 if you count the dating years!). Why not proclaim it?
Head over to my friend Tammy's blog and enter her giveaway or get the code for 15% your purchase at Union 28. Tammy's giving away a chocolate

or hot pink

"My Husband Rocks" shirt in fitted or non-fitted style. Go ahead and enter too, the more the merrier!

True Things...

2011-04-20T09:59:00.001-05:00

There are some points in my life as a Christian where I feel like I'm just waking up to a truth about God, lately it's been a realization that with God ALL things are possible! I've felt challenged to pray for those things that I see as impossible, or "just the way things are" or "that's the hand that person has been dealt". God wants to do incredible things in us and through us, He wants us to have faith in Him, He wants us to not only see Him for who He is but to follow Him living out that belief!
Mark 11:22-24
"Have faith in God," Jesus answered. "I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours."
There are true things inside of me, truths that God has placed on my heart. I believe, help my unbelief! I'd rather go out on a limb and ask God in faith than have no faith and feel no leading of the Spirit. So today I'm asking God for the "impossible" and I'm trusting Him!

Easter songs...

2011-04-15T10:52:00.000-05:00

I love Easter!

And it's not because of the chocolate.

As a Christian, to me Easter has got to be the most important and the most exciting of all the holidays, CHRIST IS RISEN!!! Without Easter it is totally pointless to believe. Jesus would be just another "higher power" that we would worship and plead for things from but who actually had no ability to do anything. He would be dead. That's not the case though, He's alive! He defeats death! He is powerful...very powerful!

When I think of celebrating Good Friday, the day that Jesus died for our sins the day that He paid the penalty for us, somber songs come to mind... Nothing but the Blood of Jesus, The Power of the Cross....

But when I think about Easter Sunday and the joy starts welling up in me, I want songs that celebrate! I want PRAISE! So I was thinking of making myself a playlist on my iPod of CELEBRATION songs for Easter.

What song would you put on the playlist? What song expresses your joy for what Christ has done?

I left my heart in Ecuador, part 7...

2011-04-14T12:57:00.003-05:00

Friday evening all three of the younger Franklin's were busy with friends so us adults went out for a night on the town! In Quito every Friday night is a party down in Centro Historico. The streets are closed to traffic, the restaurants are everywhere with open doors and windows and yummy smells wafting out, the little shops are plentiful (and as Lee discovered, "very economical"!) and you can buy a cinnamon-rum drink from one of many pots along the street for very little (I think it was 25 cents).
To start off our night we parked the car in a guarded parkade and came upon this beautiful graffiti first...photo op!

Then we walked down to a church that is covered in gold leaf. It was really beautiful at first but after a while the amount of saints and sculptures in it really started to bother me. The opulence for one but also it felt like it bordered on idol worship. Give me a simple but reverent church any day!
It poured rain on and off and though Lee and Trish bought umbrellas from a lady on the street we still got a bit wet. We walked down to the Presidential Palace (where he ironically doesn't live!)...

...took some touristy pictures :o)...

...beautiful Trish...

...saw the first hotel in Quito (very posh!)...

...and even saw monks and nuns!

Then since we figured the restaurant should be open by now, we went to eat, YUM! Fresh Strawberry juice, 3 llapingachos (two mashed potato patties, sandwiched with cheese, then fried), beef (that had a greek-type taste), lettuce tomato and avocado salad, and a sunny side up egg. It was delicious but I think all my eating had finally caught up to me and I had to give away one of my llapingachos.

We heard a spanish song over and over (they were trying to figure out something with the sound system) that sounded just like the Dance of the Cucumber from Veggietales which sent us into a fit of giggles. The music in the restaurants there is loud to try to invite people from the street to come in, unfortunately once you're in, you can barely hear each other speak! Yummy food though and all for $7 a person! We talked about our trip and about coming home and what that might be like. Dan and Trish got us started on thinking through our trip and what had impacted us. It was good to start that reflection and have their guidance.
Afterward we wandered around Centro Historico for a bit and enjoyed the nightlife. I was constantly concerned about my purse which was distracting. Too red, too big. Next time I would just shove some money in my pocket and forget the purse, I would have been much more comfortable! The music flowing out of various establishments and all the people made for a very friendly and festive atmosphere and we popped in and out of shops for a while until it was time to go and pick up Annalise from the birthday party she was at. Fun night!

Saturday we would fly out of Quito at 11:30pm so for the day, we decided to get out of the city with Dan and Trish and Annalise (Mikayla and Elena were both out still).

We drove through beautiful scenery, which most saw but some, ahem, had a nap through. Hey, I was tired!

The countryside though is really even more beautiful than the city and the small towns have such a nice feel to them, I think I must have said at every place, "I could totally live here!"

In Cotocache the thing to buy is leather so who are we to argue? Lee found a super cute green leather purse and I bought a black leather jacket ($65!!). The town was ok, but we were eager for the market so off to Otavalo we went!
Market was super fun and we developed very elementary bartering skills but managed to be understood and to understand.

In the end we got souvenirs for everyone on our lists and even a few for ourselves. As usual, Lee out-shopped me again! What is happening to me???

Ecuador, more pics from Lee...

2011-04-14T10:25:00.000-05:00

Jobina trying (unsuccessfully) to balance an egg at the equator

But Lee can do it!!! An egg master!

Trying to walk the line at the equator... thought I would throw up after this! Magnetism makes me dizzy!

Amazing handmade wall hangings at the Equator...

...and here's the man who made them. So talented!

A rough playing little sweetheart at the garbage dump daycare :o)

Two of "my boys"!

Gorgeous princess at the same place.

More Ecuador pics from Leanne's camera, kid edition...

2011-04-13T18:59:00.000-05:00

Ecuador pictures from Leanne's camera...

2011-04-13T16:26:00.000-05:00

If you ever go on a missions trip, travel with a photographer! Thanks for the gorgeous pics Lee!!!

The Love Shack!

Lee and I in the front yard of Casa Elizabeth early Sunday morning

Stamped arms to get in...and out!...of prison

"Auto Mac" :o)

Quito Traffic

A little Sweetie riding in the back of a truck. Anything goes!

A look at the buildings in Quito.

Beautiful city!

Up the Teleferico! It gets bright above 10,000 feet!

The characters on the other side of the ride!

Stopping for a breath! Walking up mountainsides isn't easy!

Inside the gorgeous Basilica!

The architecture is so amazing!

Tickling a new friend at Ganas home.

Playing Peek-a-boo at Ganas Home (though I can't say Peek-a-boo in Spanish so it ends up being "Hola!")

I left my heart in Ecuador, part 6...

2011-04-11T17:28:00.001-05:00

Friday, almost the end of our week in Quito, we woke up to the same gorgeous sites we'd woken up to all week.
Cayambe in the distance, majestic and beautiful!
Friday meant that we would be going back to Zambiza (the daycare at the garbage dump). Seriously, I could move to Quito and work there...I'd have to learn more Spanish, but that would be a small price to pay for working with these kids and in such a great ministry! These for me are the pictures that I treasure, these are "my kids", these are the ones that really pull at my heart strings and make me want to go see again. I wish I could take my kids there and show it to them and let them experience the reality there. And I'm told that this dump is really nice compared to the ones outside of Quito where people's homes are literally in the dump site. I'd love to see that end and for these people to have another way of making ends meet.
(On the way there we finally got a great view of Cotopaxi and pulled over to the side of the road to take pics!)

We got there and were accosted by the kids right away this time, note to self: get lasik eye surgery or wear contacts. Glasses are just something to be grabbed at or knocked off your head. The boys especially enjoyed it when I would turn them upside down, then flip them back up and put them down. It didn't take long for me to have a line-up of little boys waiting for their turn!

Soon though, a little girl came in wailing. I found out that her name is Pamela and that it was her first day.
Poor kid, she bawled and bawled. I picked her up and tried to quiet her and she was pretty good by the time we were almost done snack. Then my little friend Emily, remember her from Monday, came and started to cry too.

So, I had 2 little teary girls for a bit but everyone eventually cheered up. I took a couple of kids to the bathroom though and when I came back another worker handed Emily to me, who was in tears. Apparently she didn't like having me out of the room :o)
While the older boys had their school time,

I entertained the toddlers on the rug with blocks. We counted and sorted and made towers, we used baskets to put on our heads and play peek-a-boo, and sometimes we just lay on the floor.

I was sad when Emily's mom came for her early but I was thrilled when one of the workers explained to her that Emily and I were amigas and she let Emily come and give me a hug and kiss! Soon after it was time for lunch, yummy soup, as usual, but the rice looked like it had leftovers in it so I passed since my stomach had already been a little bit "off". I also discovered that I don't like papaya juice. It smells like barf. So much so that I actually thought someone had used my cup to barf in until I smelled the pot of juice and found that it all smelled like barf. Yup, that'll take your appetite away!
When Dan showed up to drive us elsewhere and we said "chao" and "adios" to our new amigos and amigas it was sad to have the "mission" side to our trip come to an end. A little piece of my heart is still there with those kids, the ministries and the workers. What an experience it was!

I left my heart in Ecuador, part 5....

2011-04-11T15:53:00.000-05:00

Thursday was bright and sunny as we travelled with Dan and Trish to Ganas Home. This was one place that I was especially excited to visit, it is a home run by a church (please correct me Trish or Lee if I get this wrong!) for kids whose parents are in prison. When this ministry was started the kids were tentative to being affectionate with people who came to work there, they had a hard time sitting still and having a teaching time was difficult. When we were there the kids totally participated, with the very animated pastor, in the music and listened (for the most part) to a bible lesson. They learned verses too and were rewarded with candy (candy can do amazing things!). Our involvement was much less here because a church group has taken over the ministry. We watched though and tried to participate where we could. We were even rewarded with a few new friends who would climb on us or sit in our laps :o)
After the lesson and music time we went outside in the sunshine and played some tag-type games. Lee took pictures (I don't have them yet, but soon!) and I played. Man can those kids run! I had my first, and only, asthma attack there from all the exertion but it was super fun. I'm so glad that I learned to count to ten too because it helped me to interact a little during the game. They played some Simon Says type games and we went inside to put lunch on plates so it would be ready for the kids. We had to walk through the kitchen to get to where the kids eat and I was a little taken aback by how dirty it was. We were going to store a few things in the fridge but then thought better of it when we opened it up and discovered that it wasn't plugged in. The food that had been donated by a local grocery store was already going bad and a warm fridge wasn't helping, the veggies in there were rotting and had bugs in them :o(
I was very glad that there are missionaries like Dan and Trish who are bringing at least 1 meal a week that is fresh and healthy and prepared in a clean kitchen! We prepared 2 tacos per kid and had enough for the workers too. They scarfed them down and came back for more, especially the meat. We heard a of "Yo quiero taco!" and "carne, carne" I love to feed a hungry crowd!

We took advantage of the beautiful sunny day and visited the Equator. Dan and Trish got a guide for us who was fantastic. She explained to us all about the indigenous people who lived there, showed us what they ate, what they lived in, their customs and beliefs...it was really amazing to listen to! We got to walk the equator line and learned all kinds of new things like...

Lee and Trish can balance an egg on the head of a nail at the equator but Jobina can't
If Lee closes her eyes and puts her arms out with her thumbs up and walks the equator line she can walk straight and has perfect balance, if Jobina does it she walks funny then gets nauseated and has to open her eyes
we are both fairly strong north of the equator but if we stand on the line we're weak little babies, weird.
water really does turn direct directions when going down a drain depending which side of the equator you're on.

When we were done our tour we got our passports stamped saying that we'd been to the equator, then we checked out some of the goods there. Lee bought a few things from a man who had set up shop there and did fabulous work on a loom...apparently this is a guy thing, the girls don't do it! Totally contrary to our culture! (oh and FYI, Lee may not be much of a shopper in Canada, but bring that girl to Ecuador and introduce her to the person making the stuff and she is a shopping machine! I couldn't believe I got out shopped!) I bought a cute black and white vase at the gift shop :o)

Afterward we went home and made coffee to perk up the tired gringos then Lee and I stayed "home" and slapped supper together and did more work with putting donations away. I think Trish was pretty happy that she didn't have to make supper that day and we were just happy we could help.

I left my heart in Ecuador, part 4...

2011-04-08T13:12:00.000-05:00

Wednesday we were scheduled to go to the women's prison in Quito for a worship and Bible Study time. We waited nervously outside, passports in hand. When the guard let us through we handed over our passport to a lady in the office and gave a name of a prisoner that we were visiting, she stamped our arm and sent us to another room. Then we had our bags rooted through, got patted down, stamped again and sent on. We passed another guard, who we showed our stamps to, and went into the chapel. I love how the Ecuadorians always greet each other! There was much kissing of cheeks and wishing "Buenos Dias". We discovered that no one had brought the keys to the cabinet and so Intern Sarah (from Casa Elizabeth) and I would not have piano accompaniment for our song. No problem, missionaries are used to improvising, Gail, the song leader and guitarist, quickly learned the chords for our song! We had a beautiful music worship time in a mix of Spanish and English with people reading from the word between songs. I loved that part of it because it really made it feel like corporate worship! After the singing time Sarah and I sang Broken into Beautiful by Mandisa. I don't even remember it in English anymore but the Spanish runs through my head constantly! (I sang the chorus with her in harmony)
Cambias indigna en preciosa, (You change worthless into precious)
culpable en perdonada, (Guilty to forgiven)
hambre en satisfecha, (Hungry into satisfied)
vacia en llena. (Empty into full)
Se rompen las mentiras, (All the lies are shattered)
Y creemos que valoremos, (And we believe we matter)
cuando cambias destrozada en hermosa. (When You change broken into beautiful)

The song fit not just the ladies in prison there but all of us, God changes us from the inside out. He can take all of our brokenness, sin and failure and by His mercy and grace make it into something beautiful and precious and pure. Thank You Lord!

Gail introduced a friend of hers and translated her testimony into Spanish for those who did not speak English. Her friend is from Romania and has an amazing testimony of her abusive father coming to the Lord during the war and then her and her husband escaping communism and miraculous things she has seen Jesus do since then. It was awesome to listen to her testimony and my tears wouldn't stop coming. I just kept thinking about how I don't see the hand of God in the moments of my life...when I look back I can see that He was leading and guiding the whole time, but my heart's desire is to be an active listener and follower of the Spirit. When she finished, we were encouraged to pray for the prisoners that were there. Out of my comfort zone!!! I approached 2 ladies and asked what I could pray for them. One said that she could barely move her shoulder and asked that it be healed and the other wanted prayer for freedom. I wasn't 2 words into praying and the tears started, have you ever believed and yet doubted at the same time? "I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!" (Mark 9:24) I prayed knowing that God could grant these things but not knowing if He will. If you think to pray for these ladies please do, life in prison is hard and lonely. Pray most of all for their spiritual freedom!

Just before noon we showed our stamps to the guards, got our passports and left the prison (note to self: do not smile at guards, it makes them recheck your stamps!)

Dan was there with the vehicle so we all hopped in and went out for lunch near the girl's school... $3 for all this, juice included! Yum, yum!

After lunch we drove to higher heights to the Teleferico. $8.50 later we were in a small pod being hauled up the side of a mountain. I think the air must be even thinner up there because Lee and I were attacked by a fit of giggles about "gorgeous gorges" that our acclimatized hosts did not quite understand! The scenery was beautiful and I was shocked to see that there were little farms and shacks on the side of the mountain!

Here's a closer look...

(When I showed these to Mark his eyes lit up and I could tell that looked like the kind of place he'd love!)

We hiked around a little at the top and took pictures (Lee has many more than I do). It was cool up there and the walking wasn't easy on the old lungs, but the air was fresh and cool and smelled so good! The clouds were really low and moved fast too which was so neat to watch. Being up there made me miss Mark a lot, he would have loved it! I don't usually do outdoors stuff without him so that was a weird feeling. I'd love to visit there with him someday!

After the Teleferico we went back into the city to see the Basilica and climb the towers to get another view of the city.

The stair part was no problem, even the winding stairs were fine for me. Once we got to the ladders I had to push myself a bit, but the bridge to the back tower and the ladders back there were steep and terrifying!!!

We did it though and were rewarded with awesome views! (Lee, I'm sure, has much better pics!)

When we went back inside the Basilica we were shown something really interesting by a guide, when you stand where the priest would stand and look through the heart shaped window in the front of the church

you can see the statue of Mary up on the hill perfectly!

Just goes to show how much thought and care goes into the designing and building of some of these old churches.

In the evening one of the Mom's started having contractions (turned out later to be false labour) and Dan and Trish had things to do, so Lee and I stayed with the Franklin girls and attempted to put together the baby swing and exersaucer (unsuccessful on both accounts!). Oh well, we left it for the nights and moved on to the donation cupboard which was in need of some major organization!

When Trish returned, she and Lee prepared lunch for the next day's adventure and I kept going on the closet...do what you love!

I left my heart in Ecuador, part 3...

2011-04-07T15:32:00.001-05:00

Tuesday was going to be our busiest day, at Camp Hope School for the morning and first part of the afternoon and then to the orphanage until suppertime. The school and orphanage is for those who have special needs and I was terrified. I really have not had much experience with special needs, especially severe mental and physical challenges, and I have always been so scared that I would do something really wrong and the person would react and we would have a bigger situation on our hands than I could handle.
On Tuesday I learned so much.
We arrived at Camp Hope with Dan and Trish who translated for us and helped us fill out our volunteer forms. We had a tour of the school and discovered that it was not all those with special needs. As we visited the youngest classes I dared to hope that I would be placed there for the day, but we kept going and the needs became greater and greater. Finally we came upon a room with about 10 children in it, 8 of whom were in wheelchairs, a lady named Jenny who was in charge and her adult helper who was also in a wheelchair (I couldn't catch her name). This, they told us is where we would be for the day. Most of these kids also lived in the orphanage, so we could could get to know them during the day and then we would be familiar to them when they saw us in the evening. Dan and Trish left then and I looked at Lee and took a deep breath and dove in. At first I found myself very tentative, I walked around and said "hola" to the kids and touched their hands but I was still so fearful. Jenny was able to speak a bit of English and she directed Lee and I to each play with one of the kids. Lee spent some time with Suzie who had such a sense of humour! She loves slapstick type comedy and if something fell or spilled she would laugh so hard that we thought she'd fall out of her chair!
Jenny asked me to play blocks with Carolina.
Carolina likes to put the blocks one by one into an empty baby powder container, which sounds like it would be boring but I entertained myself, and I think her too, by counting them, or naming their colours or just by talking to her in the little bit of Spanish I knew. After a while she warmed up to me and would lean forward, extend her hand and want me to give her the customary kiss on the cheek, hold her hand and say, "Buenos Dias Carolina!" We did this over and over!
We sat there for a while and it came into my head to pray for her, so I did...I thanked God for making her, for giving her a place to live and a place to learn. I thanked God for giving her an amazing teacher like Jenny and then I thanked God for what He was doing in my own heart. As I prayed my eyes filled up with tears and she just stared at me. I felt a connection with her that was so intense, she is God's child, precious and treasured by Him. It was beautiful to look in her face struck by such an awesome revelation. A few seconds later a Pastor came in and prayed over each child and then over the whole room. It just reminded me once again of that verse that my heart sister had given me before I left... "You go before me and follow me. You place your hand of blessing on my head."

He goes before these kids, He follows them, and He has placed His hand of blessing on them :o)

We discovered that most of the kids there really love music and I had fun singing If You're Happy and You Know It and Jesus Loves Me to them. Kevin

and David

especially really enjoyed that! I didn't get a picture of her (maybe Lee has one) but one of the little girls there, Mariuxa, was also deaf and blind (in addition to other handicaps) and so I got the bright idea to hold her hand to my throat as I sang to her. It was awesome to have her turn her head towards me and then to not startle or flinch after that if I came to her and touched her cheek or her hand. She is very precious!

It floored me though to watch the teacher in the room, Jenny. Jenny has an incredible ability to show love to these children in a way that I hadn't seen in Ecuador yet. Other workers that we'd met were kind and cared but Jenny showed a tender compassion. She cradled the kids like they were her own, she kissed them and snuggled them. She wasn't just doing a job, it came from the very core of her. I seriously can not say enough good things about Jenny, she is so amazing to me, I only pray that God grants me that kind of grace with others and that I can show a tender compassion like that to the people I come into contact with. It was like seeing the hands and feet of Jesus at work. Beautiful!

I left my heart in Ecuador, part 2...

2011-04-06T15:32:00.001-05:00

Day 3 we woke up, had our breakfast and coffee, then attempted our first uphill walk to where we could catch a taxi. Trish taught Lee and I about the intricacies of hailing a cab, needs an orange liscence plate, sticker on the side and NO OTHER PASSENGERS!
I found one and we waved him in, then we were on our way to the daycare at the garbage dump in Quito. For generations people have scrounged for usable or sellable goods in the garbage dump. Just this year a law passed making it illegal for these people to have their children with them in the dump. A daycare was founded (I forget by whom) and the children are now not just cared for, but fed and taught preschool so that they will be ready for kindergarten when the day comes. The hope is that the generation who is "working" in the garbage dump now will be the last one.
When we got there the kids were just arriving and 2 girls who are interns with other organizations came as well. They were such a help to us since they spoke both Spanish and English! Trish left to take care of other things and Lee and I got to it. Lee was asked to help with the little ones while I went with the toddlers and preschoolers (sorry, we didn't take any pics this day but we did snap some later on on Friday). I was busy playing megabloks and dump trucks, giving the kids snack (apple wedges, the kids ate the seeds and core and peel and everything!) and then it was "school" time. The teacher taught the kids little songs and focused on the letter "h". They coloured and practiced printing the letters and saying their colours in Spanish and English. It was just my level of learning :o)
One of the little girls, Emily, was there for the first time. She's only maybe 2 and was so sad. She cried through most of the morning. I sat her down beside me while the teacher taught and rubbed her back and held her hand. Eventually she settled down to a little sniff but I had to stay near her most of the day.
Lunch was fantastic there! The cook kept the kitchen very clean and always made a traditional Ecuadorian lunch, soup, then rice and meat, and fruit juice to drink. We ate with the kids and helped feed them if they were eating too slow. The kids at the table were pretty well mannered for being so young though their silliness peeked through every once in a while :o)
Lee and I learned a few new things that day...
#1. When you say Hello or Goodbye you kiss people on the cheek and greet them. It seems excessive if you are in a room with 3-4 workers but if you don't they consider you to be a bit rude. After a while it became fairly natural but still always made me smile.
#2. A little Spanish goes a long way with kids. We learned easy words like Bueno and Bien (words for "good") We made casas (houses) with blocks that were mucho grande! We greeted our amigos and amigas with Buenos Dias and Buenos Tardes and asked Como se llama? (what is your name?) and said Muchos gracias. Kids are awesome, so much fun, so little language skills needed!

In the afternoon we went through the suitcases of donations some more and then went to pick up Dan and Trish's girls and some buns and from there we headed for Monica orphanage.
We split up and half of us went in to where the babies/toddlers were and the others stayed outside to play with the older ones. The babies and toddlers were just finishing up their snack and then it was playtime...at least we guessed it was playtime, the workers actually left us there with the kids and did something else. I sure hope they had a break and weren't just doing more work! I busied myself with Sophia and a little boy whose name I never caught. Sophia is 9 months old and the little guy was maybe 11 months?
It was awesome, I chased the 2 of them on my hands and knees as they crawled away as fast as they could. I fed them each half a bun and we read and tickled and giggled and hugged and squished. They were so quick to accept me and had a ball playing on the floor. They both loved getting zerbits on their necks and having me "chew" on their bellies. Both thought it was a great game too to take off their shoes and socks...mischievious looks in their eyes followed by giggles. It wasn't long though before the time had flown and we were leaving.
Later in the evening when I was emailing my kids, I told them how glad I am that they have parents who they get to live with and who love them and care for them. It was heart breaking to leave the orphanage knowing that more than likely most of these kids would grow up that way and not have the stability of a family that can afford to keep them, or a family that was able to love them. pray for these kids that they would be adopted into good families or that the family that they do have would be able to afford the cost of raising them!

I left my heart in Ecuador...

2011-04-06T11:41:00.000-05:00

I never, ever thought that going on a missions trip for a week could make coming back to Canada feel so weird. I'm really not that good at sorting out my feelings and describing what "weird" means to me, it's just weird. What a week though, it was a whirlwind! Some days we felt like we did so much, some days it felt like we didn't do much but honestly those days it was because we were doing things that were more in our comfort zones. Amazing what a difference that makes!
We travelled to Quito on Saturday, suitcases bulging but still under the weight limit, connections all made and smooth flights (minus a bit of turbulence from Minneapolis to Atlanta which caused some of us to do a lot of praying!). We saw the gorgeous yellow lights of Quito spreading as far as the eye could see before we landed, what a huge city! Dan and Trish were at the airport welcoming us with smiles and open arms, it was so good to see those familiar faces! We settled into our little place, dubbed The Love Shack, at Casa Elizabeth and tucked in for the night.
The next day we woke up to the most beautiful view and enjoyed our morning coffee outside in fresh, eucalyptus scented mountain air.
We joined the Franklin's in their church (English) and were so blessed by the peopple, the songs (some in Spanish) and the sermon. The pastor there has been preaching on the book of Luke for 2 years! He opened up the passages in such a way that we were challenged by Jesus' words all over again. Luke 21..."Stand firm!"
After church we went out for lunch at a small Ecuadorian cafe and ate fabulous food!
I could eat like that everyday! Soup, then a huge plate with chicken, rice and a warm veggie salad. There's always aji (pronounced ah-hee) on the table to add some heat and flavour to your rice and the soups are filling and nutritious.
Yum! The juices there are made fresh too, Sunday lunch we had pineapple juice, so good! (The cow travelled with us, a symbol of our church's Sunday school kids. I think he really liked the lunch too!)

We visited the "art park" after lunch where vendors were set up all around a park in the city. Lee and I both found beautiful paintings and Trish bartered for us to buy them. There is something so satisfying about buying something from the person who made it :o)
After supper Lee and I opened up all the suitcases and showed the Franklins all the donations that our church had sent, what a blessing all those things will be to the pregnant girls and new moms who come and stay at Casa Elizabeth! The supply cupboard is bulging!
Just before bed Lee and I joined Dan and Trish in the hot tub outside talking and looking at the stars (when Jobina's arm motions weren't turning on the motion sensor light!!) Awesome first day!

You know...

2011-03-21T09:29:00.000-05:00

At our church we have something called "Heart Sisters". It's not a program that everyone does but for us ladies who do it is a beautiful and encouraging thing! My Heart Sister sent me a card this week letting me know that she is praying for me and for my family while I go to Ecuador (5 sleeps btw!!!) and encouraged me with this verse from Psalm 139:3-6 (New Living Translation)...

3 You see me when I travel

and when I rest at home.
You know everything I do.

4 You know what I am going to say
even before I say it, Lord.

5 You go before me and follow me.
You place your hand of blessing on my head.

6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
too great for me to understand!

What a wonderful thing to be reminded of, God knew about this trip before I was born, before the world began. He goes before us and follows us. It really is too wonderful for me to comprehend! On Sunday our Pastor also called Lee and I to the front and had the Elders pray for us...I honestly don't think I can explain how I feel. But the word "covered" comes to mind. I've had some anxiety about another part of my life that past week and it's seeping over into my thoughts about my trip...let me just say that this verse was exactly what I needed to hear.
Thank-you Heart Sister, whoever you are!

Comparison...

2011-03-18T10:39:00.000-05:00

I keep looking at my kids and thinking, what are they going to look like when they're older? What are they going to be interested in? What are they going to do with their lives?
Sometimes I look at a teenager and it's like I'm looking at my future kids.
So just for fun I grabbed a close up of that old picture and put it beside a new picture of me. I'm guessing that I'm about 4 here, judging by my hair length and next week I turn 34. What a difference 30 years makes and yet I'm still me, just bigger, with a lot more of life behind me and hoping for a lot more of life ahead of me too :o)

Last birthday post, I promise...

2011-03-18T10:04:00.000-05:00

On Sunday Mark's parent came down from Gimli to celebrate Sawyer's birthday with him. It's funny, people say that Mark's Dad and Sawyer look alike, but who would've thought that they'd also have the same facial expressions??

Sawyer had fun unwrapping his present. It took him a little while to catch on but once he did, the sound of ripping paper made for one happy 1 year old :o) It's so cute to see Riker and Trinity want to be a part of Sawyer's birthday too, there's not so much competition when it comes to him, he's too little.

Amma and Sawyer got to spend some time together playing with his new toy, Sawyer loves musical noises and things that move and this thing has both! Happy boy!
So our boy has turned one, has been celebrated over and over, and now we're on to bigger and even better things!

Golden Oldie...

2011-03-17T08:55:00.000-05:00

My Mom sent me this pic the other day...on the left is my Uncle Vic (my Dad's brother) and Auntie Debbie, On the right is my Dad, my Mom, and (the bottom left to right is...) my sister then me.

I love looking back at old pics! It doesn't matter that it's a totally different era and hair and clothing styles are so different, pictures like this just remind me of a very happy childhood, of family and that time passes so quickly. Now my kids are that age! How weird is that??

No more baby, He's ONE!

2011-03-12T18:43:00.000-06:00

Our "Baby" is one! Yesterday Sawyer had his birthday whether he realized it or not was another matter. It was so funny to watch him be so passive about the whole thing, he who is often SO expressive and noisy! We just had a little party with the five of us after Riker and Trinity came home from school, and I'm glad, I think that's all he could handle. Any more would have been overwhelming.

I took pictures all through our day...

Someone decided to get up way to early!

saying good morning to Daddy and Trinity

helping Mommy "clean up" Cheerios from the floor

up from his nap, happy boy!

Look what Mommy put in the living room to play with!

hours of fun chasing balloons :o)

Riker and Trinity gave him presents

a train from Riker...

and a cup from Trinity

Mommy and Daddy got him a Mega Bloks Pirate Ship. He's really impressed with it, don't you think?

Birthday supper of homemade pizza and salad, yum!

Birthday cupcake...

he liked the icing...

then he played peek-a-boo with icing hands...

Where's Sawyer??

This was the face he gave me after I tried feeding him some cupcake...

what kid hates cake?

Ours.

So he went outside with Mark and the older 2.

He went sliding with Riker...

and swinging with Trinity...

and then finally got to go to his happy place... The bath.

happy screeching.

All done his day and ready for bed!

Planning...

2011-03-10T09:09:00.000-06:00

Our little boy is turning 1 tomorrow...is it really possible? The first year is gone already? I have so thoroughly enjoyed having a baby in the house again. I love watching him struggle to learn things, I love that he's so lovey, and I LOVE that he's interacting so much. Since Sawyer is our last baby I really wanted to go all out and have a big birthday party with friends but it just hasn't worked out. So, we're going to compromise a little...it'll just be our little family of 5 but we're having pizza and veggies and dip and cupcakes and balloons and hats and streamers and noise makers and all that fun stuff! I can hardly wait to celebrate with our precious little guy!

Visit from Nana and Papa...

2011-03-04T10:51:00.000-06:00

My parents came to visit last weekend too and though I took a few pictures, this one is my favorite! Sawyer has now mastered the art of smiling on command :o)

Cheaper groceries...

2011-02-28T22:01:00.001-06:00

I love food.

I love to cook.

I love to grocery shop.

I love a good deal.

BUT, my grocery bill is not always what I wish it was.

Over the years I've learned tricks to keeping that bill down and some months I'm awesome at it. Other months...not so much. This would be one of those months! So to remind myself as well as maybe teach some old dogs new tricks, let talk about getting those grocery bills down! Here's some of my ideas...

cook simple food. That's right people, you don't need every bottle of sauce known to man. Many sauces you can make yourself by combining simpler sauces. For example, BBQ sauce can be easily made using ketchup as a base. Honey dill dipping sauce is simple honey, mayo and dill and there are many, many others!
buy from the international aisle. This may be my greatest secret! Rice, spices, dried beans and lentils...it's all cheaper in the international aisle. Cooking food from around the world is a great way to not only bring variety into your diet, but it's cheap and tastes awesome!
do some vegetarian cooking. There are so many dishes that can be made with beans or lentils rather than meat and so many wonderful international vegetarian dishes! We have come to love Lentil Tacos more than meat ones, Cheesy stuffed shells are awesome, barley vegetable soup (mmmm) and rice and bean burritos are just a few. Look online, there are so many wonderful and inexpensive recipes!
choose where you shop carefully. Look at the flyers, see what's on sale, maybe one week store A has more of what you could use on sale, the next week maybe it's store B. You don't have to stick with just one store, shop around!
plan ahead! Even planning meals for a couple of days makes a huge difference. Start by looking in your freezer and pantry and go from there, which brings me to...
use what you have. We are hoarders when it comes to food. We keep huge amounts of canned, boxed and frozen food in our houses. Use some of it up! Challenge yourself to go 2 days or a week or a month buying only the fresh produce and dairy that you need and use up your stash to make up the rest!
clip a few coupons. I'm not a huge coupon clipper, but I do use save.ca and order coupons and I do look at the coupons when I first walk into the store to see if any of them are for items I usually buy. Keep the coupons in your wallet and USE THEM! (One time I was buying yogurt and noticed that there was a coupon right there for a dollar off each pkg. The coupon didn't expire for a month so I calculated how many I'd buy in that time and took as many as I needed. Yay for me!)
buy in bulk. ok, I know that this seems to conflict with #6 but hear me out. If in a month you find that every week you are buying a little pkg of meat here and a little package of meat there, why not buy one big package of meat at the beginning of the month, divide it into ziploc freezer bags and put them in the freezer? The difference in price per pound is staggering! That alone can reduce your grocery bill significantly. Just don't forget to use it up!
This is where you get to help out. What are your favorite tips for saving $ on groceries?

My (little) boy...

2011-02-25T09:50:00.000-06:00

As Sawyer's first birthday creeps up on us I suddenly realized how much I've been slacking off on taking pictures of our little man! He's growing and changing so much these days. He's now crawling and pulling himself up beside the furniture. He's mastered the walking shuffle that kids do while holding onto the furniture, he stands at the window and yells at the squirrels and waves bye-bye to Daddy when Mark goes to work. He still says Dada and has now added "down" to his repitoire. Trinity has been working to get him to love stuffed animals which has resulted in affection towards her pink Build-a-Bear bear, of all things! He loves to take my pots and lids out of the cupboard and smash them together repeatedly then he takes off the lid and scrapes it along the floor as he crawls. Lovely sound, really.

He's started to use a water bottle for little drinks during the day and he's super proud of himself for mastering the concept of a straw! His favorite toy this week has been a helium balloon that was part of my Valentine's bouquet from Mark. I tied it to the register and it's provided hours of fun for him. The funniest though is when the air starts up and he's gulping air between punches to the balloon :o)

Sometimes when I think about how fast this year has gone and that Sawyer's my last baby I get a little sad but most of the time I'm just enjoying soaking it all up. He's such an awesome little bundle of boy! He's probably our loudest child, he yells at everything and he's super expressive. Unless of course you are a stranger who's trying to get a response out of him, then he goes totally stone faced. But at home he's a screechy, lovey, rough and tumble boy who likes nothing better than just being loved.

Auntie's visit...

2011-02-23T10:25:00.000-06:00

My Sister and her kids came out for a visit for a few days this week and she wasted no time re-bonding with her niece and nephews. Sawyer has taken a special shine to her though! He had skipped his morning nap one day, then just before lunch he decided that on Auntie was a great place to nap...

The two of them are so cute together, he even cries when she goes out the door!

Shred it Baby!!!

2011-02-14T14:54:00.000-06:00

My husband laughs at me, but I did it again...I bought yet another workout DVD. Over the years I've Sweated to the Oldies, Stepped with Kathy, Bellydanced, done Pilates, Turbo Jamm-ed, Walked at Home with Leslie (I'm sure I'm missing a few) and now I'm gonna do the 30 Day Shred with Jillian. I've been on my Wii Fit and doing my Walk at Home Dvd a few days a week and counting calories, drinking water, and eating more fruits and veggies and less snacking in the evening and lost 5 pounds in 3 weeks. Now there's 40 days left until my trip and though I can get my (comfy for outdoor adventures but completely unfashionable) Columbia Zip-off pants on, I would like some room to breathe in them. I'd also like to strengthen my heart and lungs before we go. I wanted to push myself hard for these last weeks so I bought Jillian Michael's 30 day Shred on ebay for cheap ($10 with the shipping) and told myself that no matter what day it came, I would start that day! This morning I did a marathon grocery shop with a friend (we're gonna do a Big Cook this week) and when I got home my DVD was here! So, as soon as Sawyer went down for his afternoon nap I changed and went downstairs to Shred. I told myself the whole time, "this is NOT going to be easy! You're gonna have to work for it!". I was thrilled with myself that I made it through the whole thing but about 30 minutes later I could tell...tomorrow is gonna be a lot harder! I'm gonna allow myself 1 day off a week. If I do this any less then I'll just start making excuses for myself and it'll be just another DVD in the cupboard. During the workout I kept wanting to quit or do less but I listened to jillian and pushed through when she said, "you're not going to get this for free, you've got to work for it!".
Here goes nothin'!

What to sing...

2011-02-09T14:00:00.000-06:00

So my friend and I have been emailing back and forth to our friend in Quito and we have a rough itinerary lined up. It looks fabulous! On one of the days we're able to go to the Prison Ministry worship service and Bible Study with our friend and she asked if I would sing a solo and L. would give her testimony. I'm super excited to be a part of that morning but I have zero idea what to sing. I have no idea if someone can play an instrument for me or if I'm acapella-ing it. Most of all I want whatever I sing to share Christ...any ideas?

You got in the right boat, it's ok!

2011-02-03T13:12:00.001-06:00

I've been praying for a friend recently who is following God's leading but facing hardships on every side. As I've been praying for her a story keeps coming to mind from Matthew 8:23-27...
²³ Then he got into the boat and his disciples followed him. ²⁴ Suddenly a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. ²⁵The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!”
²⁶ He replied, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm.
²⁷ The men were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!”
It just keeps repeating in my head and my heart...you followed Jesus into the boat. No matter what storm comes up, the wind and waves that threaten and dishearten you, have faith! Jesus is there! He's in the boat! Keep the faith, stay with Jesus, he'll see you through. He'll calm the storm.

Because I'm cheap...

2011-02-02T11:17:00.000-06:00

So I started looking through my clothes to see what I have that I can wear for my trip to Ecuador. It's excruciatingly hard to know how to pack because of the high elevation, 9350 ft! The nights are cool but the afternoons can be really warm because you are so close to the equator.
Note to self- pack really strong sunscreen!
Anyway, Lee and I also want to only pack in a carry-on each so that we can bring donations that are needed there in our suitcases so my clothes have to multitask. Hello unfashionable zip-up or roll-up pants!
I have a few items that would work with the unfortunate detail being that I'm one size too big for them since I had a baby within the last year and my Mommy tummy and hips just don't want to fit into things!
I was starting to stress about this because I'm also in need of some good quality sports sandals and cannot afford to get all of this plus pay for the trip.
Then Mark asked me...so why don't you just lose the weight?
I choose to not get offended by this though I know a lot of women would. He's just asking. This developed into an awesome idea...The Death Diet! Mark said, if someone was pointing a gun at you and said that if you did not lose 10 lbs before your trip they would pull the trigger...what would you do differently? (Disclaimer: We in no way advocate the use of guns, or threats, or hardcore weight loss) So I came up with a list. Yes, again. I'm starting to feel like every month I "recommit" myself to dieting!
So along with all the other things I'm doing to get ready for this trip, I'm now on "The Death Diet" and guess what? 2 lbs gone already!
It's true, I'm cheap. I really don't want to have to buy new summer clothes that fit. 8 lbs to go and 7 weeks to do it in. I know that's ambitious and possibly absurd, but here goes nothing!
Since people seem to like to here what's for supper around here, here's this week's line-up...

Chef Meg's slowcooker vegetable curry with brown basmati rice (my kids gobbled this up!)
Slowcooker chicken, spaghetti squash and salad (tastes like a rotisserie chicken, and Trinity LOVED the squash! She had 3 helpings! Riker, on the other hand, gagged.)
Crustless lamb quiche and salad
Chicken and bean burritos, veg and dip (My burrito will be mostly chicken and bean, a little cheese and lots of veggies!)
pizza wraps and salad (found this idea on a recipe app, you use less cheese and don't have all that crust to eat!)
Lentil Tacos/Lentil Taco salad
Mediteranean Salmon, pasta and Veggie (not sure what yet, we'll see)

There you go. I know that they aren't all super low fat or anything, but I'm being really careful with my portions and making sure I have lots of veggies on my plate and much less carbs and fat. I'm still having a small snack in the evening but it's only 100 calories or less. I definitely don't feel like I'm starving (at all!) but I also don't have that gross bloated feeling anymore.

New Jobina Happenings...

2011-01-31T11:32:00.000-06:00

Have you ever really, really wanted to do something but thought you just couldn't at this stage of your life? Have you ever prayed that God would transform you, make you into something new, use you in a new way and stretch and grow you? Me? Yes to all of the above! I thought that my dream of working in an orphanage, of going overseas and pouring love on children, encouraging workers and blowing my world view out the water would have to wait until our kids were grown up and moved out of the house. The dream seemed too big to me and I knew I would never venture on something like that alone. I thought that Mark would have to go with me.
God works in mysterious and wonderful ways...
A family from our church packed up their kids and headed to Quito, Ecuador for this year. They are helping to open a Crisis Pregnancy Centre type place there and educating people there on safe sex and abstenance. They have also gone to orphanges and daycares in and around Quito and worked for the day or encouraged or brought gifts. The stories have touched our hearts and we've been praying with them about many of these places.
Shortly after Christmas another friend of mine at church mentioned to me that she would like to go to Quito on a self-propelled missions trip and work at these places. My heart tugged immediately but I said nothing to indicate that I would want to join her. I prayed and prayed, I had my Bible Study group and our Small Group from church pray with me and finally, after my Mom agreed to help Mark with the kids that week, took a leap of faith and asked her if I could join her.
I am SO excited!
And scared!
I felt like I had to have a clear sign from God before I went that this is what He wanted me to do. Mark asked me why I thought that and suggested that if all the doors were open to go that I could just move forward. If God closed doors then obviously I would stay here. You know, I think that's right on. This is something that has been on my mind and heart for many years, all the doors to go are currently open and so I'm just going to move forward.
Spring Break we leave! The tickets are booked and we've started to map out our week...what an adventure this will be!!!

New Sawyer Happenings...

2011-01-27T13:43:00.000-06:00

-Last Friday Sawyer got his first tooth! Bottom right. If all the diaper indicators are correct I think he'll be popping out a few more teeth soon!
-Our boy is on the move! Sawyer finally learnt to crawl which has caused us to have to buy a gate for the top of the stairs and watch him like a hawk. Last Sunday I had put him on the floor with a toy during the singing time...I had closed my eyes for a bit and when I opened them there he was across the aisle visiting his friend!
-Sawyer has now stayed with a babysitter who is not family twice! He did really well! He still cried at bedtime but otherwise he had no problem with her holding him or feeding him or anything.
-Sawyer even stayed in the nursery at church without Mommy last week. Apparently he was one of the calmest ones there (go figure!) though he did hurt the face of one of his friends. :o(
-Sawyer loves to sing and talk. I've been noticing that if I sing he tries to too and if I'm talking to someone he joins in!
-the throwing of the food onto the floor is becoming a real problem! I'm getting so frustrated with this, it's especially hard when we're visiting or at a restaurant. Sawyer LOVES to throw his food on the floor! And he's fast! He looks at you with a totally serious expression, grabs the food and whips it over the right hand side of his highchair as quickly as he can. Then he waits for a reaction.
-on the other hand...I let Sawyer feed himself perogies the other day with a spoon and he did really well! I would put a piece on the spoon and then he would put it in his mouth. Not bad for a first try!
-Sawyer is a kissing machine! He LOVES to give kisses and has started snuggling his head against our faces too. So sweet!
-I've been really slacking off with taking pictures, I'll take some soon and post them. He's growing so fast!

I'm loving iTunes...

2011-01-21T14:39:00.001-06:00

Ever since I got my iPod Touch I'm loving iTunes, all the free apps, the cheap $0.99 apps, the music, it's awesome. I'm trying to limit myself though and I'm very conscious of how much I spend. I just bought the song The Stand by Hillsong yesterday. I've loved this song since I heard it at BCBC, I think I first heard it 2 years ago. Hillsong does this song well, but the band at BCBC totally ROCKS IT OUT! This song needs to be heard with an exceptional drummer and bass guitarist, not to mention a fabulous pianist, lead singer and lead guitar. I've been praying lots lately for God to take me out of my comfort zone and that I would listen to His voice when He leads me. I love the lyrics... (these are just a few)

You stood before my failure
Carried the Cross for my shame
My sin weighed upon Your shoulders
My soul now to stand
So what can I say
What can I do
But offer this heart O God
Completely to You

So I'll walk upon salvation
Your Spirit alive in me
This life to declare Your promise
My soul now to stand

So I'll stand
With arms high and heart abandoned
In awe of the One who gave it all
I'll stand
My soul Lord to You surrendered
All I am is Yours

How beautiful is that?  God gave us life, forgiveness and on top of it all He wants us to come to Him and have a relationship with Him.  Every time I hear this song, even if I'm not standing and lifting my arms physically, I'm doing it in my heart!  Thanks iTunes for this awesome song!

"How you doin'?"

2011-01-17T22:21:00.000-06:00

Yesterday Mark and I did something I don't think we've done before...we left ALL THREE children with a babysitter who's not family (I think it's been at least a year and a half since she last babysat for us) and went on a date.

it.was.glorious.

First of all, we got her to come to our place early which meant that we actually got to our movie early. We saw The King's Speech, which was a brilliant choice I think.

After we were debating about where to go for appetizers and dessert. We had 3 gift cards, one for Earl's, one for the Olive Garden and one for Hu's on First. I love the food at all of the restaurants but I was unsure about where to go. I said to Mark, "I'd like to have Earl's food but without the slutty-dressed waitresses!" (my apologies to any Earl's employees, I really wish you could wear pants though, or at least a skirt that fits.)

Mark said, "Don't worry Sweetie, you're the only slutty dressed girl for me."

Awwwww, doesn't he just know how to make me feel good! (Meanwhile I'm covered from head to toe!)

So, to Earl's we went, and we discovered something...it wasn't that bad. We were one of 3 tables and the waitress wasn't too badly dressed. I could handle it. The food was yummy, yummy, yummy and had me totally distracted anyway.

While we were eating though, Mark and I asked each other, "How are you doing?" It was so wonderful to just sit and have unhurried conversation, to talk about things we were thinking about, about God and our kids and our future and just life.

We came home feeling renewed and refreshed and yes, totally in love. :o)

Never underestimate the importance of dating your spouse!

New Idea...

2011-01-12T13:16:00.001-06:00

Mark and I were brainstorming the other of ways that we could increase our income a bit and he came up with an interesting idea...Cooking Lessons. He says that with his premarital counselling their are lots of Brides-to-be that are nervous about taking over the culinary duties in the house. Many of them have never been taught how to prepare a meal and are concerned about being a disappointment in the kitchen.
Mark, giving cooking lessons? No, no, we were thinking about me.
Here's the thing...I love food. I love cooking. I like to teach.
Here's the other thing...I'm terrified.
I also wonder if there's a market out there for this. Mark and I were thinking that once I get a rough model going for what I'd like this to look like, that it would be good to post an ad on Kijiji (because we LOVE Kijiji!) and see if anyone is interested. I could do this in my house or at their house (giving them a list of utensils that they need to have on hand) or if it was a group, maybe at a church kitchen. It doesn't have to be a huge committment at this point, even 1-2 days a month.
What do you think? Is there a need? How much would a person charge? What kinds of things need to be taught to someone who's a newbie in the kitchen? And most of all, what would I call it??

So far...

2011-01-10T09:28:00.000-06:00

Well, it's already the 10th of January and my resolutions have been heavy on my mind. Let's see how I've done so far...

Take my Stock In vesting more seriously... the last week I've been dealing with a massive ear infection plus a reaction to the antibiotics I was prescribed so energy levels were very low. I still invested in a stock last week and have been trying to talk to Mark about financial news when I can and look at the news myself once a day. I would say that this area is improving but not where I want it to be yet. I still have to watch the videos.
Do some form of exercise 5 times a week... because of my week (see #1) I managed to get in 3 days of 30 minutes each on the Wii Fit plus an evening of playing Wii Sports Resort with Mark. This week I hope to get up to my magic number of 5.
Read 12 books this year... I finished my first book, Chocolat. I used to own the movie on VHS and enjoyed it, but I'm always curious about seeing how a movie and book differ from each other. I really enjoyed some parts and could do without others. It's very much Religion vs Indulgence and tolerance. A real relationship with Christ though is never spoken of, it's more "being religious". The main character, Vianne, who's name I ADORE, I felt like I cold relate to in one tiny way...she has moved around a lot, more than I would ever wish to, and finds it hard to settle somewhere. To live somewhere and work there is one thing but to become involved in the community and build relationships, that's much more difficult. I feel that sometimes. I don't want to go through the pain of separation and so I just keep myself from getting too attached. I can feel that changing this year though and Vianne experiences a change in that area too.
Memorize a passage of Scripture... I finally chose one. I've loved this passage ever since it was used in one of my Grade 12 choir performances. I got to recite parts of it along with another student and it's been on my heart ever since. Philippians 2:1-11 ¹ Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, ² then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. ³ Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, ⁴ not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. ⁵ In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: ⁶ Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; ⁷ rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. ⁸ And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross. ⁹ Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, ¹⁰ that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, ¹¹ and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Go out on a date once a month with my handsome hubby...we planned out our date nights from January until June this weekend. Now to get all the babysitters lined up! Let's hope Sawyer does ok with a babysitter.

There we go, how are you doing with yours?

Blast from the past...

2011-01-06T20:48:00.000-06:00

I was looking through old photos today and was reminded once again to... make the most of everyday...make memories...treasure your family..remember that time passes all too quickly!

Resolutions...

2011-01-03T21:50:00.000-06:00

Is it still a resolution if you just hope to do it, but aren't actually sure that you'll succeed? Am I just setting myself up for failure? Is it better to just "dumb down" my resolutions so that they are more plausible? I've been wrestling with the idea of making resolutions this year. I gotta admit, I'm not a big resolution girl, but I do see the benefit in committing to doing something and then moving forward and actually doing it! So here it goes, a start at least, I may come up with more, I may chop some of this out, we'll see...

take my stock investing more seriously. I still have yet to finish the videos that I need to watch. I don't keep in touch with the financial news, I don't even understand what I read! These are 2 things that I'm going to do, finish the videos and then check the financial news at least once a day on trading days.
do some form of exercise for 30 minutes 5 times a week. Whether it's on the Wii Fit or a workout video or going for a walk, this girl has got to move!
Read 12 books this year. I don't care what kind they are or how long they are but I've been watching far too much TV and not reading enough books! Hopefully I can manage one book a month!
Memorize a passage of scripture. I'm not sure which one yet, I'll keep you posted on that, but I would like to commit some of the Word of God to memory. As a Mom at home I so often am running around doing things ,in or out of the house, and I find it excruciatingly hard to sit down and read my Bible. But, I could write this scripture on a card and keep it in my diaper bag to look at at red lights and have another card by the kitchen sink. Who knows, after one passage, maybe I'll memorize more! I just don't want to forget the first one then, I want to really get it in there!
go out for a date with my handsome, wonderful hubby once a month. The biggest hurdle here is child care. Since we moved to our current house we've had a difficult time finding childcare, especially for all 3 kids that is responsible and capable and most of all available! I'm gonna have to actively work on this one to make it happen, but the rewards are so worth it! I miss going out with Mark!

That's it for now, what are your resolutions?

I can admit when I'm wrong...

2011-01-01T08:15:00.001-06:00

Time to face the facts. I was wrong. Oh so wrong.
Last year my husband Mark had a goal to read 52 books (one for every week). It was well into December already and Mark was over 10 books shy of his goal. One evening he asked me, "do you think I'll be able to finish?" I thought about his client load and the fact that we were travelling like crazy over the holidays and foolishly said, "No." "Are you serious?" He asked, "You really don't think I'll do it?" "Nope."
Well then we had to make a little wager, which always makes things more interesting. If I won and he didn't finish, he had to read the entire Mark of the Lion series by Francine Rivers. Teehee. If he won, then I would have to write this post on my blog plus eat the most disgusting concoction on the BDI menu...The Goog. Banana, blueberry and fudge. Blech! Just the thought of it makes me want to vomit.

Guess who won?

Yep. Mark.

My 3 fatal errors...
1. making a bet with Mark. I underestimated the power of incentive. He really didn't want to read those books (even though they're AWESOME!)
2. forgetting that on a Christmas tour of the prairies, Mark devours books at an alarming rate.
3. I didn't specify how long the books had to be.

Shoot.

Oh well, congratulations Mark! You did it!

Goog...blech.

Homemade Teething Biscuits

2010-12-15T11:29:00.004-06:00

I picked up a recipe bookfrom the library the other day, leafed through it and found this recipe...Sawyer has been a sick, snotty, drooling, irritated mess lately but I've also noticed that he LOVES it if I press on his gums. Maybe we're finally teething? So this morning I made some teething biscuits.Man, are those things hard! Basically Sawyer just gummed at them for a while, but he really liked the taste. Kept him happy for a while a least! If you need a teething cookie that definitely won't fall apart, this is the one for you!

Christmas happenings around the Westman house...

2010-12-13T10:45:00.004-06:00

I haven't felt like anything significant has happened in our house and because of that my poor blog has suffered horribly. Poor blog! Here's some happenings around here, some related to Christmas, some not... the Christmas tree finally went up and got decorated last night. I love how homey it makes our house feel! Every homemade or cheap store bought or gift given ornament was a joy to put on the tree. Trinity rallied enough on the weekend to be part of the church play. My little sheep had the most beautiful dress thanks to her Nana who loves to buy pretty dresses as much as Trinity loves to wear them! Our Riker was the Bailiff in the church play and did a fantastic job and even enjoyed himself despite the nerves he suffered beforehand. He learned that making people laugh can be really fun! Here he is swearing in Miss Busybody. Sawyer was busy too keeping his Amma and Pa entertained with smiles and cooing...and some snot bubbles and really wet sneezes for good measure. Mark's Mom said that she's gonna up her dosage of Cold FX this week! Last week I was multitasking, giving Riker a haircut, Trinity a shower downstairs and Sawyer a bath upstairs all at the same time while Mark did the dishes. Sawyer has impeccable timing and decided that it was time to poop in the tub! So Mark took Sawyer to the kitchen sink to finish his bath while I disinfected the tub (Riker insists on cleaning himself immediately following a haircut because the hair drives him insane!) meanwhile the pipes start thunking downstairs in Trinity's shower. What a crazy house!!! I was running up and down the stairs, disinfecting tubs, finishing haircuts, cleaning up poop, adjusting the shower...yikes! Mark meanwhile got a cute pic of Sawyer thoroughly enjoying the sink. Wow, this is really out of order...on Wednesday Trinity was too sick to attend her school concert, but I took Riker in the evening. I just love seeing kids perform and the concert was SO cute and fun. Riker was a distracted, uninterested 8 year old for most of it but I did get one shot of him with a bit of a smile on his face...of course it's because he was kicking at his friend! What a kid! And last but not least, Sawyer's new favorite thing to do...our little toothless, immobile 9 month old LOVES to be stood up by the window to see the snow, the trees and the odd car pass by. My windows are full of little hand prints now, and I love them!

Winter Snow...

2010-12-12T22:57:00.004-06:00

Hi, I'm Jobina.

I'm from Manitoba.

I like snow in winter.

Yes, yes, I know, apparently this makes me strange. Everywhere I go people are complaining about the weather. It's cold, there's snow, it's icy, oh and did we mention that it's cold? You know what though, it's ok. It's more than ok! It's beautiful! It's wonderous! It's spectacular!

This Christmas I discovered this song and I seriously felt like the songwriter (Audrey Assad) had climbed into my head and wrote a song that I didn't know was in there. Every time I hear it it's like a warm blanket goes around me. The comparison is so perfect to me, "He came like a Winter Snow, quiet, soft and slow". I can just imagine that night (no snow of course!) but there in a quiet stable the King of Kings slipped into the world, unnoticed by most of the world. He took nine months to get here. God, in a womb for 9 months! Then birthed in a lowly stable. I love it love it love it!

Grab a hot chocolate (or an awesome eggnog latte), curl up with a warm fuzzy blanket, and look outside and the beautiful snow and listen...

Trinity's new book...

2010-12-03T21:56:00.002-06:00

The last time that Trinity brought a Scholastic flyer home she decided that she'd like to buy herself a book with her own money. I was absolutely thrilled when she picked this book...

We got the book last week and started flipping through the pages. I think I'm just as excited as she is, maybe even more so! The pages are great with pictures of each ingredient, pictures included for each step of the cooking process and really yummy looking recipes. I'm so impressed with the layout of this book, the quality of the pics and the super kid friendly recipes! The book begins with explanation pages on eating healthy, how to use the book and cooking rules. Then it includes breakfast, light meals, main meals, desserts and baking. So far Trinity and I have made hummus as well as soft boiled eggs with toast sticks! Here's a few others that caught our eye...

Fruit smoothies, blueberry pancakes, green salad with dressing, baked potatos (with yummy brocolli, cheese topping), cheese melt with poached egg, falafel with tzatziki, sushi rolls, noodle soup (with an asian flair), chicken wraps, sausage popovers, frozen yogurt, fruit pops, no bake chocolate cake, summer fruit ripple, chocolate brownies, and naan bread.

drool...

I tried...

2010-12-02T22:25:00.003-06:00

to decorate my house for Christmas but kept getting distracted by a Francine Rivers' series. All the decorations are currently on the basement floor.
to not eat sweets between now and Christmas but then a friend brought killer cheesecake to Bible study and another friend brought brownies and ice cream to small group, and well...
to get a video of Sawyer today scootching himself across our laminate floor, backwards, on his bum, but don't you think he just sat and grinned at me instead of scootching?
to do a tonne of laundry tonight and managed to do a little between watching Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice.
to explain to our daughter about being truthful and lying and trust and after we prayed about it she asked if we can trick God by not really meaning it when we say sorry.
to make a menu plan for this week but so far I don't think I've made one thing on the day I was supposed to make it. Today I even made a tomato-basil pasta instead of the Italian Vegetable soup I was going to make. All because I was too lazy to make breadsticks.
to have a normal life while reading 2 novels. Apparently his is impossible for me since I've gotten next to nothing done but I've finished 2 novels that are each over 500 pages long since Monday night.

And now I'm going to try to go to sleep before my life becomes full of any more excuses!

Winter Wonderland...

2010-11-25T09:37:00.005-06:00

On mornings like this I am 100% ok with the fact that our boys are crammed into a tiny bedroom together and our storage room looks like it's going to explode.Look at this!

Not a house in sight and yet we live in the middle of the city!

Beautiful, just beautiful.

I'm gonna make a pot of decaf,put on my Third Day and Josh Groban Christmas CDs and just enjoy the snowy scenery while Sawyer has his morning nap. Mmmmmm...

HALLELUJAH!!!

2010-11-17T09:08:00.003-06:00

I know, I know, another video, but just let me explain...

In 1994-1995 I went to Caronport for my grade 12 year and got to sing in the choir. At least once a year we would join the college choir and sing the Hallelujah chorus and the sound was incredible. I had heard the song before but somehow to hear it in that huge auditorium with all those voices...well it just felt like a little taste of heaven. I often had to choke back tears as I sang because it was so emotional for me. A friend of mine posted this video on Facebook yesterday and oh, it just tugs at my heart! Christ proclaimed in the middle of Macy's in Philadelphia! I wish I could have been there! This Christmas I'm once again struggling, balancing our North American Christmas traditions with the desire to glorify Christ in all things. Like my Mom commented re: the video on Facebook, "a little bit of heaven on earth to start off the CHRISTmas season! PRAISE GOD!!"

If you're happy...

2010-11-16T15:57:00.003-06:00

..and you know it clap your hands! His very first time clapping his hands! I think this might just be my favorite video EVER!

Six years old...

2010-11-16T06:45:00.003-06:00

Trinity turns six today.

I can hardly believe it. I remember that day like it was yesterday...

Trinity has had her own way of doing things, even before birth. The little stinker was breech (bum first through the birth canal) and refused to turn. I was going to my Ob-Gyn that morning (9 days before my due date) to talk about birthing options... there I was in the waiting room with Mark and little Riker pacing around and panting and all the while Mark and I being in total denial about what was happening. When I finally got in to see my doctor he took one look at me and said, "you'd better get yourself to the hospital before your water breaks. You're in labour." "oh," I said, "that's what this pain is!" So off we went to the hospital, calling Mark's parents on the way so that they could come and get Riker and calling my Mom so that she could leave from Alberta to come stay with us.

I was SO thrilled once our little girl was born! I treasured every little pink article of clothing, every doll, every hair pretty. She's such a girly girl. LOVES to dress up, loves romance, loves to sing and dance, loves to care for something. And yet, she's such a contradiction. She likes to get dirty, to wrestle, to beat on her brother, to spit and be gross. She's just Trinity.

I'm so proud of her. I love listening to her as she works through the beginning stages of reading, how she's learning to spell, how she explodes with excitement, how she can articulate her feelings. I love how even though she's growing up and gets so may big girl gifts for her birthday, she spends an entire afternoon playing with the baby doll that her friend gave her.

I love how she has no concept of money and will give it away on a whim or buy something for someone else just to be nice. I love how she loves to hug and snuggle and shows affection to the people she knows and loves, I love how she adores her older and baby brother each in a different way.

I hope she has a rockin' day (as we say)!

Quote of the day...

2010-11-15T20:35:00.001-06:00

...by Trinity.

"Mommy, I've got a birthday and I'm not afraid to use it!"

(she's turning 6 tomorrow)

My baby is 8 months old...

2010-11-11T09:41:00.003-06:00

Some things about Sawyer at 8 months old...

he is still a very shriek-y little man! He shrieks at everything and cannot be taken anywhere where he may need to be quiet. Seems to be a common thing with our kids!
he is still an immediate family only kind of guy. He's enjoyed his Grandparents and other relatives for tiny bits at a time, but on the whole prefers Mommy or Daddy and lets it be known by the way his little face scrunches up and by his little (big!) sobs.
he LOVES music! Last Sunday he was all quiet in the foyer of our church but as soon as I walked into the sanctuary where the singing was he grinned and started to wave his arms like crazy and shriek.
He loves to be read to. He already has a few favorite books that he, of course, shrieks while we read. Sandra Boynton's Snuggle Puppy and Guess How Much I Love You are 2 current favorites.
he still isn't moving around but is crying less when we put him on his tummy. He's mastered the art of pushing up with his arms, now we just need to get him up on his knees!
he loves toys that are bowl shaped with items in them. He has a Fish Bowl passed down to us from friends and he LOVES it! He shakes it like crazy then takes out the fish, shakes them and throws them around the living room. The interesting thing is that 90% of the time he picks out the goldfish first. Weird.
he loves hair. He'll often just run his hands through my hair and he likes to rub Riker's head too. If we're out somewhere and I'm talking to someone he'll often reach out for their jewelery or hair.
Sawyer's happy day is when the flyers come to the house. He loves to whip the paper around and make it noisy. Much shrieking ensues!
he loves to be kissed and nuzzled and snuggled. He's very squishy and lovey and hugs and kisses back lots!
cars have become a new favorite toy. The other day I gave him our little plastic shoe box full of cars and he entertained himself for a long time.

This has made me smile all week...

2010-11-03T20:44:00.002-05:00

...thanks Trinity

Halloween and stuff...

2010-11-03T10:21:00.003-05:00

I've had just a whopper of a cold this last week with my sinuses and ears still feeling plugged today and , needless to say, I've been a little behind in things! Time to update the ol'blog again....

Halloween. Not my favorite holiday. I buy the candy and pass it out to the kids who say Trick or Treat at my door. I ask that my kids choose positive things to be (no scary or evil costumes) and I (or Mark or both of us) will take them Trick or Treating around the neighborhood. I'll even help them eat some of the candy after. Yeah, I know, I'm a helper, what can I say? I don't celebrate anything per se, I just go through the motions and do the minimum participation possible. That said, you'll understand why I didn't bother to torture my baby by putting him in a costume and just helped the older two. They did look super cute though and got WAY TOO MUCH candy, chips and chocolate from Trick or Treating. I've been helping out though and so has Mark and eventually we'll just junk the rest or freeze some maybe. Anyway, here they are with many layers tucked underneath for warmth...
Our little Bride and Obi-Wan Kanobi (from the Clone Wars)In other news...
Sawyer (in between his bouts of horrible sickness (snotty everything, cough, chest congestion)) has learned to kiss and it's adorable! He's so lovey and will give you a huge squeeze, nearly ripping off parts of your neck, and then start smooching your cheek. So cute! The snotty, drooling versions are less fun, but hey, I'll take what I can get!

Your Hands (JJ Heller)...

2010-10-28T09:22:00.006-05:00

I came upon this song through a friend's blog and it's just been blessing me over and over and over. We all have different things that we are struggling with and praying about and God holds us all in His hands. The same hands that shaped the world hold us too. How beautiful is that? In this world we can hold onto God, walk with Him through our trials and smile at the promise, "one day you will set all things right".

I have unanswered prayers
I have trouble I wish wasn’t there
And I have asked a thousand ways
That you would take my pain away
You would take my pain away

I am trying to understand
How to walk this weary land
Make straight the paths that crooked lie
Oh Lord, before these feet of mine
Oh Lord, before these feet of mine

When my world is shaking, heaven stands
When my heart is breaking
I never leave your hands

When you walked upon the earth
You healed the broken, lost and hurt
I know you hate to see me cry
One day you will set all things right
Yeah, one day you will set all things right

When my world is shaking, heaven stands
When my heart is breaking
I never leave your hands

Your hands that shaped the world
Are holding me
They hold me still

Happy Bath Baby...

2010-10-26T13:19:00.005-05:00

Sawyer loves his bath.

Really, if he's grumpy around suppertime I just stick him in the tub and he transforms into a happy, cooing, sweetheart of a baby.

Here, I'll prove it to you...

Menu Monday...

2010-10-25T09:43:00.003-05:00

With all this rainy weather and the cold going around our house I just want to make comfort food! Maybe I knew that deep down somewhere when I planned this menu at the beginning of October.

Here goes...

Monday- Veggie pizza subs on whole wheat buns, fries, homemade fruit cups

Tuesday-meatloaf, baked potatos, coleslaw

Wednesday-shrimp alfredo, tossed salad

Thursday- sole, brown rice, cauliflower and cheese

Friday-Homemade pizza (1/2 ham & pineapple, 1/2 ham and mushroom) and caesar salad

Saturday-lamb roast, gravy, mashed potatos, carrots, salad

Sunday-leftovers

(Saturday and Sunday may get switched around depending on how full the fridge is of leftovers)

What are you eating this week?

My friend Lee is awesome...

2010-10-17T22:35:00.004-05:00

I love having friends who encourage me with their thrifty and creative ways. I love to cook but I'll admit to taking shortcuts when I could easily make things myself (though it would take more time that way!). Somethings though really don't take much time at all and are so worth the effort.

I was visiting with my friend Lee the other day and she told me that she makes her own chocolate syrup.

Yeah, I thought, that would be good on ice cream and stuff but not worth the bother.

Then she said, we use it in our milk.

In your milk??!!

Yeah, like instead of Nesquick.

At that moment my little mind was blown! I knew that you could make hot cocoa from scratch but I never dreamed that I could make my own chocolate syrup!

She sent me the recipe and I made it that minute...

...oh my.

It's. so. good.

We're almost done our recipe already and everyone loves it, yummy, yummy, yummy!

Now if I can just get us to finish off the Nesquick in our house I could make my own but use that container!

And now, because I wanna be a good friend too and encourage you to be thrifty and creative, here my friend is the recipe. Make it now! You won't regret it!

Lee, you are awesome!

Chocolate Syrup
½ c cocoa
1 c water
2 c sugar
1/8 t salt
¼ t vanilla
Heat cocoa and water until dissolved. Add sugar, boil exactly 3 min. add salt & vanilla. Refrigerate.

7 months...

2010-10-15T16:56:00.003-05:00

Sawyer was 7 months on Monday.

Honestly, where does the time go?