Laughing at the Future

10, 9, 8, 7...

2011-12-31T20:00:00.006-06:00

May peace, joy, and contentment be your constant companions in the coming year,and may this year be filled with unexpected blessingsand pleasant surprises. May the peace surpass your understanding,and may the blessings be only surpassedby your gratitude and growing love forthe one true God,our Lord and Saviour.

A Time for Everything

2011-12-30T08:27:00.006-06:00

Man, it feels like forever since I've blogged. Like, really blawged. There's been the standard weekly Thankful Thursday posts and my weekly posting over at the Through the Bible blog. More recently, I've been looking back through old photos for Forgotten Foto Friday posts, and sometimes there's a random or reposted thing on the weekend or early in the week... but nothing original and/or of much substance since October 23rd!!

I've found myself wondering again if maybe this blog has run its course. It's not that I have nothing to say, but I somehow don't seem to have the time or want to MAKE the time, to get my thoughts sorted out and in print. I still sit here at the computer too often and too long, but I'm never writing anymore. Just reading, making a short comment or two, updating my FB status, and looking through a few Pinterest boards.

Of course, it's the end of the year, a time when one naturally tends to take stock of last 12 months and wonder if the New Years resolutions have been kept ~ or what they even were! Most of us tend to feel like we've failed. Because I kept my goals few and relatively simple, I actually accomplished two of the three I set for myself. Today I finished reading through my Bible in a year once again, and looking back through my prayer journal, I can see most of my days began with asking God to help me prioritize in a way that would honour Him. In this case however, my success is limited to the letter of the law. I never learned to co-operate well with that request; I just started my days with good intentions.

So not too shabby, right? Except that the one goal where I feel like I've failed is the one that was the most important as far as the outward manifestation of my relationship with Christ goes.

I wanted to spend more time discovering how to put my husband first among my earthly relationships and how that's supposed to look in my daily living. I wanted to spend more time doing things WITH my girls instead of merely being together in the house every evening, each of us pursuing our own agendas. I wanted to conscientiously work at developing an attitude of service and hospitality, to serve my friends and church family members better. I said, "All the above categories of people deserve more from me than they've gotten in the past. I don't want people to hear that I care about them; I want them to FEEL it."

But once again at the close of the year, I don't think I can say that happened. Others may be in a better position to comment objectively, but I feel like I did quite poorly in this area. And I know I've said it here several times in the past that I want to improve in this respect, so I'm starting to feel quite hypocritical about it all. I realize I'm a work in progress and to the casual observer, it's virtually impossible to tell the difference between a hypocrite and someone who's continuously trying despite constant failure, but recently, I feel that God has really been speaking to me about my half-heartedness and lack of commitment to true change.

I was offered a casual, part-time job that will start sometime in January (not the same job I was offered back in November, but still with the same company), but before I agreed to accept that offer, I spent a lot of time praying about it. The end result was a feeling that I should take the job, but that I also needed to spend a bit more time focusing on living out what I claim my priorities are. I feel like that's been a constant struggle over the last few years. I consistently put my children ahead of my husband, my hobbies ahead of my children, and all the housework that piles up in the mean time ahead of my friends. My "in real life" friends.

I believe the time may have come to take drastic measures to remedy that situation. Obviously, I will have less time to fool around here anyway due to the job (even though it shouldn't amount to much more than a dozen or so hours a week), but I think I need to actually do something about breaking this habit I have of just sitting here, idly, wasting precious time. Which is another thing I've talked about ad nauseum here and in person... Ugh, so many good intentions that never get any further than that!

I listened again last week to a Revive Our Hearts series from last Christmas about putting first things first, about disciplining ourselves to look after the truly important things before allowing the urgent to take up our time, about weighing the temporal against the eternal. The thing that piqued my interest initially and made the entire series resonate so deeply was host Nancy Leigh DeMoss' introduction in the first broadcast, saying her life goal is to be able to say something similar to what Jesus said to His heavenly Father in John 17:4 ~

"I have brought you glory on earth

by completing the work you gave me to do."

The reason that struck me so hard was because wa-a-ay back in 1990 as a 17-yr old giving my testimony in church before my baptism...

...that's exactly what I said, too.

John 17:4 was MY life goal as well.

It's important to note that Jesus didn't accomplish everything others wanted Him to. Maybe not even many of the things that He, as a human, wanted to do. But everything GOD wanted Him to do? He had exactly enough time for that and accomplished it all. I believe there is exactly enough time in every day to do everything God wants me to accomplish as well. But I need to get better at allowing Him to direct my time and guide my actions.

I believe, like Solomon said, there is a time for everything. And maybe, just maybe, it is time for me to leave ~ or take a break from ~ the blogosphere in pursuit of things I should have started working on a long time ago.

Practicing Gratitude: Year-End Edition!

2011-12-28T21:00:00.000-06:00

Last one of 2011. Wow.

I had thought to go back through my gratitude journal or at least through my blog and post thankful highlights, but you know, what it all boils down to is that I'm thankful for my life.

Sure, there are many things about it I wish were different, but I have an amazing family ~ immediate and extended; I have wonderful friends; I have everything I really NEED and so many additional things countless people would consider luxuries; I have a beautiful view of the setting sun each day from my dining room window and a mile road on which to walk daily and meet with God...

I am truly blessed.

*Click the button at the top of the post to visit our host and other thankful bloggers!

I Believe

2011-12-25T06:00:00.026-06:00

Have a happy Sunday...and a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS, too!!

Merry Christmas Eve!

2011-12-24T08:25:00.001-06:00

Over the rivers, and WAY down the road—
Oh, how the wind does blow!
It'd sting the toes and bite the nose
If in a sleigh we'd go.

Over the rivers, and WAY down the road,
To have a first-rate play.
We hope to arrive by a-quarter-to-five,
It's our second Christmas Day!

Over the rivers, and WAY down the road
Drive faster, my Windstar grey!
Eat up the miles while we're still all smiles,
How we wish for a shorter way!

Over the rivers, and WAY down the road—
Straight to the city's south side,
We seem to go so EXTREME-ELY slow,
It is so hard to wait!

Over the rivers, and WAY down the road—
Now Grandmother's face I spy!
Hurrah for the fun! Is the supper done?
Hurrah for the pumpkin pie!

Merry Christmas!

(My apologies again this year to Lydia Maria Child!)

Forgotten Foto Friday

2011-12-23T09:38:00.000-06:00

Wherein we dig through our memory cards, hard drives, photo CDs and flashdrives, mining for memory gold ~ pictures we liked or were significant but somehow got forgotten ~ and we finally share them with the world in a delightfully random post!

Wanna play, too? If you want, you can grab the button code from my sidebar and link up your FFF post using the Mr. Linky tool at the end of the post.

Well, since it's the day before the day before Christmas and tomorrow the days start getting longer...

Man, I can hardly wait for summer! ;)

What are some of your favourite memories?

(Remember to please enter the URL for the specific post you wish to share, not your blog's address. This way, even though you may have posted a few other things since linking here, people will still be directed to your Triple F post rather than having to try and hunt it down. Thanks for playing along!)

Practicing Gratitude

2011-12-21T21:00:00.072-06:00

Well, the hustle and bustle is indeed catching up with me! But it has been a good week.

I'm thankful all the presents have been bought, all the wrapping is done, and I'm so excited to see the faces of two little girls when they open their gifts!

I'm grateful my best friend and I took the time to go out for coffee one night this week just to chat. Both of us had plenty that could have kept us busy at home, but I'm glad we decided to visit for a while instead.

I'm thankful to reconnect with an old friend whom I haven't seen in almost a decade and whose address I misplaced last Christmas after she sent me a random card after years of silence. This year, when a card from her appeared in the mail, I KEPT her return address and mailed back a card with a note as well, including my email address. A few days later, there was an email from her! I'm looking forward to giving her a call in the New Year and catching up.

I'm grateful the issue I alluded to last week has been dealt with and peace and happiness has been restored! It IS a work in progress (aren't we all??), and it's not like these things will never happen ever again, but having worked through it once makes it easier the next time.

I'm thankful for Christmas and I'm so looking forward to heading down to The Big City to celebrate with our families. It'll feel chaotic like it always does, I'm sure, but I'm praying for a good attitude and the desire to be a blessing to my parents, in-laws, and siblings.

I'm grateful for the end of the school term and Christmas holidays!!

I'm thankful for fresh snow. We got our first "real" snow on November 5/6, but haven't had more than a few flurries since then. With the milder temperatures we've been enjoying, it was starting to look rather dingy and messy outside (more like early April does around here!), so I was happy to see the snow falling this morning in big, fat, lazy flakes and making everything clean and bright again.

And I especially loved walking in it before daylight and being the first one to mess up the new blanket of white on the road!!

* Click the TT button at the top of the post to visit our host and other thankful bloggers!

Living Nativity

2011-12-18T07:00:00.011-06:00

Oh, thank God that He was willing to sacrifice something, Someone, none of the rest of us ever would have.

PS. Thanks for the link, Sharon!

Forgotten Foto Friday

2011-12-16T09:43:00.003-06:00

And I almost FORGOT!!!!

Forgotten Foto Friday, in case you're wondering, is a weekly post for random pictures. Where we dig through our memory cards and hard drives to find pictures we liked or were significant but somehow got forgotten, and we finally share them with the world in a delightfully random post!

Are you ready to play along this week?? If you want, you can grab the button code from my sidebar and link up your FFF post using the Mr. Linky tool at the end of the post.

Well, last week I posted a few old Fidget fotos, so I felt at least three Peanut fotos were in order this week. You know, to keep things peaceful around here!

I found these ones from a couple of summers ago that capture a part of her personality that you'd probably never guess about her: she's daring!

Despite her sister's high energy, constant movement, and loud, boistrous nature, it's my quiet, detail-oriented, crafty, bookworm Peanut that always wants to try something new and exciting ~ something often a little bit scary. I love her complexities!

What are the memories, special moments, or hidden personality quirks hiding in storage on YOUR memory cards or hard drives? Take a trip down memory lane and invite us along for the ride! Just add your link below.

(Remember to please enter the URL for the specific post you wish to share, not your blog's address. This way, even though you may have posted a few other things since linking here, people will still be directed to your Triple F post rather than having to try and hunt it down. Thanks for playing along!)

Practicing Gratitude

2011-12-14T21:03:00.118-06:00

Which has been rather difficult this time 'round.

I am not gonna lie. It's been a rough week.

I've struggled to find things to write in my gratitude journal. Many of the days are just blank. Not because there was nothing to be thankful for, but because writing something down just seemed disingenuous. I haven't FELT thankful much this week about anything.

But I am thankful in weeks like these, that I can rely on God's promises. On His love, His grace, His patience, His forgiveness...

I am grateful for the power of His Holy Spirit working in me, shaping me, even through tough situatons, so that when they are over, I will (hopefully) reflect His glory better than I was or could before.

I'm thankful there is a time for everything ~ a SET time. Only God knows how long it will be, but I can rest in the assurance that it won't be forever. Maybe just another day or two, maybe a week, or maybe it will be a work in progress for many, many years. But in light of eternity, that's still only a temporary problem.

It's like I keep telling my girls when they complain about something being too hard (like practicing piano):

Nothing worth having comes easy.

Especially a close and ever-deepening relationship with my heavenly Father. And there is nothing worth more than that.

But boy, am I ever thankful God is more patient with me than I am with my girls and their whining about piano practice!

* Click the TT button at the top of the post to visit our host and other thankful bloggers!

Forgotten Foto Friday

2011-12-09T06:00:00.014-06:00

That's Forgotten Foto Friday, in case you're wondering. Where we dig through our memory cards and hard drives to find pictures we liked or were significant but somehow got forgotten, and we finally share them with the world in a delightfully random post!

Are you ready to play along this week?? If you want, you can grab the button code from my sidebar and link up your FFF post using the Mr. Linky tool at the end of the post.

This is gonna be an "F is for FIDGET" installment today.

Fidget is: fabulous and fun...

Frighteningly flexible...

and had a beautiful case of Fifth disease pretty much exactly two years ago.

Ahhhh, good times. Good times.

Whether they start with the letter F or not, I bet you have some forgotten gems that bring back all sorts of memories! Why not link up and share them?

(Remember to please enter the URL for the specific post you wish to share, not your blog address. This way, even though you may have posted a few other things since linking here, people will still be directed to your Triple F post rather than having to try and hunt it down. Thanks for playing along!)

Practicing Gratitude

2011-12-07T21:00:00.057-06:00

Thankfulness time caught me by surprise this week. I can't believe it's that time of the week already!

I'm thankful for the busy-ness of this time of year ~ helps keep my mind off the days that are getting shorter and shorter and shorter... Right now, we still have 8 hrs 34 mins of sunlight, but from December 20-23, on those four days, we will have only 7 hrs and 40 minutes. It's nice to have things to keep me busy these long winter evenings, at least for now!

I'm thankful those four shortest days of the year happen when they do. I think it's so cool how Christmas Eve day marks the change towards increasing daylight. How like the birth of Christ, the Son of God, offering us a new hope, a new day, a new LIFE, in the light of His coming!! Which is, of course, the best and most important thing to be thankful for!

And I'm thankful for these sights around my home:

Because they just make me happy!

What's making YOU happy today?
I hope you've remembered to give thanks for it!!

* Click the TT button at the top of the post to visit our host and other thankful bloggers!

Big City Drummer Boy

2011-12-04T07:00:00.003-06:00

Found this linked on Facebook a couple days ago and HAD to share it. This is an extremely talented 16-yr old from my hometown ~ The Big City.

I think what makes me love it is not only the familiar places in the video, or that it's one of my favourite Christmas songs, or even that he looks like he's having a lot of fun. What makes me love it is his humility and purpose behind the whole thing. You can read that story here.

Happy Sunday!

It's Triple F time again!

2011-12-02T06:00:00.072-06:00

That's Forgotten Foto Friday, in case you're wondering. Where we dig through our memory cards and hard drives to find pictures we liked or were significant but somehow got forgotten, and we finally share them with the world in a delightfully random post!

Are you ready to play along this week?? If you want, you can grab the button code from my sidebar and link up your FFF post using the Mr. Linky tool at the end of the post.

Here are a few forgotten December fotos from six years ago...

Horsey-back rides at bedtime. The 'Man used to haul them off to their bedroom like this every night.

::sigh:: In some ways this feels so long ago, and in some way, like it was just yesterday. The 'Man got halfways choked up looking through these old pictures with me. He misses having little baby girls. I kinda prefer them the age they are now in many ways, but I miss the innocence and cuteness I see in these pictures, too! They're so growed-up nowadays...

Here are two from the following summer:

Matching grandma's pretty flowers! I cannot believe my lanky almost-10-year old Peanut used to look like this!!

And then there was Fidget's favourite plaything...

Which she fit into!! In fact...

...they BOTH used to fit in it! Ahhh, those were the days.

Maybe I do miss them a little after all. ::sniff, sniff::

What memories are hiding on YOUR old memory sticks and photo CDs?

(Remember to please enter the URL for the specific post you wish to share, not your blog address. This way, even though you may have posted a few other things since linking here, people will still be directed to your Triple F post rather than having to try and hunt it down. Thanks for playing along!)

Practicing Gratitude

2011-11-30T21:00:00.001-06:00

So? Are all y'all ready for Christmas yet?? I'm totally not.

I think I promise myself every year that I will be DONE all my preparations by the time December rolls around, but I don't think that's ever actually happened. In fact, most often there are some gifts that have to wait to be purchased until we get to The Big City to celebrate with our families. Hardly even makes sense to wrap them because they're only in my possession for a few minutes before gift-opening time!!

My girls have a long weekend this week, so we will be doing our decorating then... and maybe some baking, if I'm all ambitious-like! I'll set up the tree and string the lights Thursday night after they're in bed (because that's always an adventure when they want to hang ornaments before the branches are even fluffed out!) and then we'll tackle the rest of the décor on Friday.

I'm thankful for the excitement that comes with Christmas decorating! Growing up, I used to hardly be able to wait to put up the tree with MY mom, and I love it that my girls eagerly anticipate it, too. I'm also grateful we're out of the stage where every single ornament gets hung on the SAME branch... :)

I'm thankful for their growing understanding of the stories in each Jesse Tree devotional. It's awesome to see how they piece things together and I love the discussions that so often arise after the day's reading.

I'm thankful that though I am far from crafty, I DO have SOME creative juices flowing in my veins! The walls in the corner of the dining room where we have our Jesse Tree had old achievement awards hiding some rather large paint chips left from popsicle sticks that had been glued onto the wall in the girls' younger years. I really needed something else on the walls because the certificates were quite out-dated, but the bottom half of the wall is not generally where you want to hang pictures! Then I had a moment of brilliance and decided to cover some cardboard rectangles with wrapping paper, ribbons and bows, and now I've got 5 Christmas presents on the wall behind the tree. I love how it looks! Of course, once Christmas is over, I'll have to figure out something else, but I'll worry about that next month! (suggestions are always welcome, too!)

I'm grateful for good music and the "Yuletide Fireplace" channel that makes my home feel more festive somehow! Our woodstove is in the basement, so other than the delicious warmth, it does nothing for mood-setting in our home, and though I tend to prefer silence when I'm home by myself during the day, at this time of year, I love having the TV tuned to that channel in the background. Goofy, I know.

Mostly, I'm thankful for the increased feeling of joy, wonder, and anticipation this season always brings. I know we have so much to be thankful for year round, but there's no denyin' it ~ we tend to FEEL it more this time of year.

* Click the TT button at the top of the post to visit our host and other thankful bloggers!

Stumped. In a good way!

2011-11-26T06:05:00.006-06:00

A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. ~ Isa. 11:1

I'm so excited to be starting our Jesse Tree again this week! (I originally thought we'd be starting tomorrow, the first day of the Advent season, but after we hunted down and cut the perfect branch to put into the stump, I dug out the book and realized we don't actually start till Tuesday!! Oops.) Of course, it won't look like this just yet, but by Christmas day it will!

Since I started blogging 4-1/2 years ago, I think I've seen this idea surface every Advent season. Though I liked this particular way of counting down to Christmas, I didn't really know where to start. There were many online resources, but many required buying or making a bunch of ornaments. I didn't want to spend a lot of money and I'm decidedly UN-crafty!

But last year, Ann Voskamp created an e-book that she made available. For FREE. Naturally, I was sold! Honestly, I'm not really a big fan of her writing style and I often shorten her long, wordy sentences when I'm reading the devotionals, but I do love having an all-in-one (and did I mention FREE??) resource to use. Even all the graphics are included. All I had to do was print them out, cut 'em up, glue them onto cardstock, and tie on some ribbon. (which is about the extent of my crafty-ness!)

I love how each day begins with a reading from God's Word, a journey through the Old Testament, giving a better overview of history ~ His story ~ each story pointing towards the coming Messiah. I also like how there's a little practical element at the end of each devotional. Last year, because we started only two weeks before Christmas and had to double- and triple-up our readings, I didn't bother much with those. But because we're actually starting on time this year, I hope to focus a little more on those suggestions of how to apply the lesson to our daily lives and share Christ's love in our homes and abroad.

If you're interested in starting a new Christmas tradition and would like to check out the e-book, click here and follow the download instructions. I hope it will be a blessing to you and your family as you prepare your hearts for Christmas!

Welcome to TRIPLE F!!

2011-11-25T06:00:00.010-06:00

That's Forgotten Foto Friday, in case you're wondering! Where we dig through our memory cards and hard drives to find pictures we liked or were significant but somehow got forgotten, and finally share them with the world in a delightfully random post!

Are you ready to play along this week??

Here's a few from my computer:

"Doin' corn" is a family affair!

The shadow of a jet contrail against the clear sky. Not sure how there can be a shadow projected against thin air, but here's the evidence that it CAN be done!!

Self-portrait of me with the cordless drill, rearranging the shelves in this closet! In the process of giving that closet a DESPERATELY-needed sorting and organizing, I decided to move the shelves from the wall I'm facing to the wall behind me in order to work better with the way the door opens.

It worked beautifully, by the way, and I didn't even hurt myself!! And now, two months later, I'm pleased to report the shelves are still doing their job AND my closet is still neat and tidy!!
So what forgotten gems are hiding on YOUR camera or computer?? Wanna share them? Link up below and show them off!

(Please enter the URL for the specific post you wish to share, not your blog address. This way, even though you may have posted a few other things since linking here, people will still be directed to your Triple F post rather than having to try and hunt it down. Thanks for playing along!)

Happy Thanksgiving, America!

2011-11-24T06:00:00.000-06:00

Twas the night of Thanksgiving, But I just couldn’t sleep.
I tried counting backwards, I tried counting sheep
The leftovers beckoned — The dark meat and white,
But I fought the temptation with all of my might.

Tossing and turning with anticipation…
The thought of a snack became infatuation…
So I raced to the kitchen, Flung open the door,
And gazed at the fridge full of goodies galore.
I gobbled up turkey and buttered potatoes,
Pickles and carrots, beans and tomatoes.

I felt myself swelling so plump and so round,
Till all of a sudden, I rose off the ground !!
I crashed through the ceiling. Floating into the sky…
With a mouthfull of pudding and a handful of pie,
But I managed to yell as I sored past the trees…

HAPPY EATING TO ALL ~
PASS THE CRANBERRIES PLEASE!!

~ found at Heaven Sent

Practicing Gratitude

2011-11-23T21:00:00.107-06:00

This has been a big week around here. We had a major decision to make. A part-time job offer from out of the blue was dropped right into my lap. It was the perfect job for me. Even the hours would have been workable as far as the girls' school days are concerned.

But I ended up turning it down because of their non-school days.

It's really no use being their stay-at-home mom on the days they're in school if they have to go to a babysitter for most of the days they don't have school.

We could have made Christmas and Spring Break work, but summer... not so much.

But I'm thankful for the opportunity; thankful I was wanted. (I'm even a little thankful they sounded so disappointed when I gave them my decision!)

I'm thankful I desired my husband's input, was willing to accept his final decision, and that it confirmed my own feelings.

I'm thankful he desires that his girls have a stay-at-home mom more than he desires extra money, even though it would have made life much easier in that sense.

I'm thankful I had people praying for us as we wrestled with the decision.

I'm thankful for peace, even though it was hard to let go of the promise of significant additional income.

I'm thankful for the fresh perspective this has given me about how I do my jobs of housewife-ing, stay-at-home mother-ing, and housekeeping.

I'm thankful for the opportunity to explain to my girls how "unfair in our favour" life has been as we were packing our Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes tonight, and there were complaints about them not getting to keep some of the goodies for themselves.

I'm thankful for a great God, the Sustainer of life, who has blessed us so richly...

...that we might BE a blessing to others.

* Click the TT button at the top of the post to visit our hostess and other thankful bloggers!

Forgotten Photo Friday

2011-11-18T09:48:00.002-06:00

Man, I just don't post photos the way I used to here on the ol' blawg. I miss that! But I also don't post nearly as much as I used to either. So I've decided to try publishing a short photo post each week, just to share some of my favourites that, for whatever reason, never made it off the hard drive...

Captain, we are cleared for take-off.

Girls wanted a picture with daddy before he had to shave his beard for work earlier this fall.

November sunrise.

Amazing how kittens instinctively know where the warmest spots for sleeping are! She just hopped right up there without hesitation and took herself a nice long cat-nap!

Are there any forgotten photos on YOUR camera or computer??

It's short notice today, I know. But be sure to dig out and share your forgotten photos next Friday!

Practicing Gratitude

2011-11-16T21:03:00.116-06:00

Can you believe we're already in the SECOND HALF OF NOVEMBER??! Seriously, I feel like I'm losing time somewhere in between Monday and Friday each week ~ like Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday (or any combination of the three) ~ just aren't consistently showing up anymore!!

Normally, the frighteningly rapid passage of time is not something I appreciate, but with the snow on the ground now and no melting in sight for the next 4-5 months, I'm fine with time speeding by... Grateful, even!! ;)

I'm SO thankful for a wonderful reason to celebrate down in The Big City with family this past weekend ~ one of The 'Man's sweet sisters got married! It was a LOT of work, but so worth it. And I'm grateful I sucked it up and decided at the last minute to emcee the reception. I'd originally said yes, but then kinda chickened out because while public speaking doesn't intimidate me, ad libbing DOES!! Hubby had said he'd do it, so I knew I had a substitute, but then literally the night before the wedding, after we were back at my parents' place recuperating from a day of decorating, I made the decision to go for it. And it was fun! I could laugh at my mistakes without getting flustered, get a few laughs without having a script to follow, and judging by the compliments I got afterwards, I did a good job. I'm so thankful to have had the opportunity to serve and participate in her wedding ~ she is, after all, one of my closest friends.

And I'm so grateful for an awesome afternoon and evening of shopping with my fashion-savvy cousin/sister-in-law when we first got into the city. I needed a dress and accessories for the wedding and she helped me find the perfect one ~ plus a shrug, tights, and necklace to go with it. All for under $50, taxes included!!!! (Too bad there are no pictures of me in it!) We shopped for roughly FIVE HOURS, had supper at the mall, and had a lot of fun together. Since enjoying more than five minutes of shopping is already unusual for me, this was downright extra-ordinary! Thanks again, Andrea! ♥

I'm thankful the drive home Monday afternoon/evening went well. We ran into weather, visibility, and road issues about 2/3 of the way home and it was pretty dicey for about half an hour, but the rest of the trip was fine. We hardly lost any time at all.

And I'm so thankful to be home. As much as I love visiting our families and getting away from home for a while, I sure do love to come back...

...and sleep in my own bed!!

* Click the TT button at the top of the post to visit our hostess and other thankful bloggers!

Jesus' Little Light

2011-11-14T06:00:00.005-06:00

This is another repost from a year ago. I was going through my archives a while back and this is another one that caught my eye. It's a little too early (in my opinion, anyway!) to be focusing on Christmas just yet, but EVERY day is the right day to focus on The Light of the World...

Last year I bought myself a Christmas decoration ~ it's the word "LOVE" with a small, lit nativity scene within the "O." It was on sale after Christmas and I had just enough gift money left over to purchase it.

Of course, since it was only purchased after Christmas, it didn't arrive in time to display last year and it's been sitting in storage for the last 10 months. Last Sunday, I decided to slowly ease into Christmas and broke out some of the seasonal CD's. On Tuesday, I brought out the never-before-displayed crêche.

The girls LOVED it. It was already dark outside, so I flipped the little switch to illuminate the scene. They were mesmerized and for the next two days, I had problems getting them to keep their hands off it.

Thursday morning, after the girls' alarm had gone off, li'l Fidget came down the stairs to use the bathroom, but when she got down to the still-dark main floor of our home, I heard a little gasp and then she came running to the office where I was finishing up my quiet time.

"Mom!" she said with eyes wide in excitement, "you could put Jesus' little light on?! 'Cause it's DARK out there!!"

I laughed and told her that if she was careful, she could tilt it back and flip the switch. While she ran off to do just that, I couldn't help but wish...

...I felt the same excitement every morning at the prospect of BEING "Jesus' little light" and shining into the darkness.

Remembering

2011-11-11T05:00:00.001-06:00

*I posted this a year ago, but as I read over it a few days ago, I decided I couldn't say it much better or differently, so I decided to share it again this Remembrance Day.

Today I'm thankful for freedom.

I tried to find a poem fitting to share, but just couldn't find one that said what I wanted to say, that felt how I feel, that believed what I believe.

I know we take soldiers for granted. I know we take our liberties and luxuries for granted. I believe, without having lived under combat conditions, it is impossible to comprehend the sacrifices thousands upon thousands have made to promote and preserve democracy around the world.

I believe, in our land and time of peace, it is impossible to fully appreciate what freedom really means. I think that's why it's so easy to point fingers, to complain, and to make all sorts of assumptions and accusations regarding war, the causes of war, the consequenses of war.

I get so sick and tired of the uproar that's caused whenever a soldier comes home in a flag-draped coffin. The inquests and inquiries and public outrage make me sick. Why can't we just gratefully accept the death for the gift of life it bears for us? The freedom it affords us? Why must the streets be lined with angry protesters instead of respectful mourners, heads bowed in reverence and thanks?

I know some argue that we have no place fighting certain battles, but we tend to forget that our soldiers don't just fight for OUR peace and freedom. They help others fight for theirs as well. Those who are oppressed by their own governments, those who are ruled by sadistic dictators and evil despots ~ innocent and poor and unable to escape their lot in life.

Sure, sometimes our governments stick their noses where they don't belong, and yes, it's an incalculable loss when young men and women die, especially for causes that are not particularly near and dear to our hearts, and that we don't understand. But I choose to be thankful anyway.

Thankful someone was willing to become a soldier, to bear arms, so I wasn't forced to.

Thankful someone was willing to fight so I could stay here to enjoy the peace.

Thankful someone was willing to sacrifice the comforts of home so I could continue to enjoy the comforts of my home, the embrace of my family.

Thankful someone was willing to die in my place. And in the place of countless others.

I choose to honour the fallen instead of being angry. I choose to remember instead of disrespecting their sacrifice.

And I choose to be grateful for the countless freedoms they helped ensure.

Practicing Gratitude

2011-11-09T21:00:00.063-06:00

Happy Thankful day!!

I trust this past week has been filled with things to be thankful for, like mine has. It might not be anything huge, like a miraculous healing or a promotion at work when you thought you were actually going to lose your job. Maybe it's something smaller...

Like your husband loves making you laugh and knows exactly how to make it happen.

Or like your girls are excited about practicing special songs to play on the piano at the church Christmas program.

Maybe after 24 hours of howling winds and swirling snow, the sun came out and turned your yard into a sea of diamonds.

Or maybe it's something like your youngest daughter pouring out her heart in her bedtime prayers, pleading with God to restore her dying kitten to health. And waking up the next morning to find the cat as good as new.

Or like having so much food in the cupboards and freezer to choose from, that you can shake your head in frustration and run to the store for something else because "there's nothing to eat in this house."

We don't have this much snow (yet), but I love how
you can see the "diamonds" in this shot from last year.

Or like the constant, enveloping warmth of the woodstove fire in the basement that keeps your house toasty even on the coldest, windiest days in winter.

Or maybe it's just that you woke up this morning with a fresh start ~ that God gave you one more chance to live for Him.

It really is the little things, isn't it? Miracles are indescribably wonderful, but cultivating a contented, grateful heart starts with recognizing the simple blessings that surround us each day. I hope you'll realize just how many grace your day today.

* Click the TT button at the top of the post to visit our hostess and other thankful bloggers!

Winter has arrived.

2011-11-06T15:36:00.002-06:00

And quite abruptly, I might add! From not even a single skiff of snow this fall to, well...

THIS:

What you see here is between 4-6 inches of snow, with many drifts and banks much deeper/higher already! Fortunately, it's not actually COLD ~ barely below freezing ~ but the wind has sounded and felt very wintery since last night. The icy snow pellets didn't feel that great on my cheeks and eyes on my walk today either!

But here on the yard, inside the trees, it's a beautiful day for playing in the snow!

How's the weather in YOUR neck of the woods today?

Practicing Gratitude

2011-11-02T21:30:00.168-05:00

Wow. NOVEMBER.

About this time of year, my to-do list each day starts getting longer and longer, and by the beginning of December, a gnawing feeling of panic has become part of my daily routine! So much to remember, so many things going on...

Ahhhh, 'tis the season!! ;)

But I'm thankful for a church with plenty of opportunities for me to serve. I've agreed to head up the Christmas program organization again this year, so I best get started! I'm so thankful for ENDLESS free online resources!!

I'm happy to have a a good reason to make another trip to The Big City yet before Christmas and thankful it includes a GREAT excuse to buy a new dress!

I am SUCH A SUCKER!!!

I'm thankful the two surviving kittens of our last abandoned litter seem to be healthy and growing. And I'm extremely grateful that they knew how to use a litter box right from the start, even though they were only 4 weeks old!

Every year on the last Sunday in October, our church conference region has a "family get-together" where all the churches from the region hold a joint service. I'm grateful we could attend again this year. We enjoyed it so much last year and had a good time again this year in a town an hour and a half away. It was great to share the experience with our best friends as well as some new friends that we started to get to know at least year's event. I'm so thankful the girls really love these mini-conferences as well!

I'm thankful the powers that be decided to postpone switching back to Standard Time a few years ago because being able to go trick-or-treating before it gets pitch black is so much nicer! I'm not a fan of Halloween, but I'd promised the girls we could do some ~~begging for candy~~ trick-or-treating this year, and I'm so thankful the weather co-operated quite nicely, too. It wasn't BALMY or anything, but we didn't need to hide the girls' costumes under winter parkas either! (which is often what happens on Halloween up on the Canadian prairies!)

I'm grateful one of The 'Man's uncles could stop in for a supper visit on his way through town this week. It was a bit of a surprise visit in that we knew he was hoping to come by that day; we just didn't know exactly when! But it all worked out nicely. He came about half an hour before the girls got home from school so he and I chatted until they arrived, and then they took over, touring him around our yard ~ showing off our growing "petting zoo!" ~ while I made supper. Then The 'Man got home from work and we all sat down to enjoy a meal together.

And I'm overwhelmed with gratitude for God's grace and mercy. I have a couple "besetting" sins (that I KNOW of ~ there are probably more than just a couple!!) and sometimes I get so frustrated that I'm constantly praying about the same thing, over and over again, never seeming to be able to take the necessary action to overcome them. I'm hoping someday with the strength of the Holy Spirit, God will grant me victory and freedom from them. But if it doesn't happen, I'm still grateful that each time I confess and repent all over again, He is faithful and just to forgive me my sin and cleanse me from all unrighteousness, washing me whiter than snow. God is so good!!

* Click the TT button at the top of the post to visit our hostess and other thankful bloggers!

Practicing Gratitude

2011-10-26T21:00:00.152-05:00

Wow, these months pass by so quickly, don't they?? I can't believe November is only five days away! Do you find the second half of the year always goes twice as fast as the first half? Yikes. I have my theories about why that is, but that's for another time. On to today's busines!!

This week, among many many other things, I've been thankful for:

☼ Reading side by side on the couch with hubby in the evening instead of watching TV (we're both huge Clive Cussler fans, especially his Dirk Pitt series!)
☼ Teaching my girls piano is more enjoyable than I thought it would be
☼ The privilege (and responsibility) of continuing to write the story of the spread of the Church begun in the book of Acts
☼ Watching a movie with the girls that actually MEANS something and teaches them about faith in God and spreading the Gospel (we watched The Secrets of Jonathan Sperry)
☼ The ability and training to translate a bunch of circles, lines, and other mysterious markings into a beautiful musical story
☼ The privilege of praying for a woman I've never actually met, but whom I know is in desperate need of prayer
☼ A challenging theological discussion with the girls over lunch including such fun topics as: how come it seems like God makes mistakes or changes His mind? and, Where do newborn babies go if they die?
☼ Reading my Bible and noticing things it feels like I've never noticed before, over and over again!
☼ The ability to see and appreciate the beauty of nature (like horses and foxes at sunrise)
☼ Aprons and the smell of fresh-baked bread!

And last, but not least...

☼ NUTELLA IN THE MAIL!!! For serious! My sweet bloggy friend Jessi and I were discussing Nutella the other day on FB and I complained about the cost of it in my area. She was a bit shocked at the price. Some time later, she asked for my mailing address, but I thought maybe it was for a Christmas card or something, even though she'd said it was something sweet. But then yesterday a large jar of the chocolatey goodness was waiting for me at the post office ~ all the way from Oklahoma!! I'm so grateful for thoughtful gifts and crazy sweet friends!

What are you most thankful for this week? Click the TT button at the top of the post to visit our host, link up, and meet other thankful bloggers!

Swimming Lessons and Knowing God

2011-10-23T08:09:00.000-05:00

This past summer the girls took swimming lessons again. Sometimes they ask why they need to keep going since they're comfortable and relatively confident in the pool.

We tell them being comfortable and confident in the water is easy when you can see the bottom and the sides and know exactly how far you have to swim before you can touch, either the edge with your hands or the bottom with your feet. Swimming in a lake with waves is very different.

Even if you can see the shore, you can't necessarily judge how long you'll have to swim before you can touch the bottom with your feet. You certainly can't SEE the bottom. The waves and the wind greatly affect your progress. It's very different from a pool.

We want our girls comfortable in both scenarios. Comfortable enough, at least, to not panic and to just start kickin' in the right direction. To know how to change strokes to prevent fatigue without losing forward progress.

Swimming lessons are so much like our need to study our Bibles to produce and aid spiritual growth and an ever-increasing understanding of God. A steadily growing trust in His plan, power, and providence.

So many times in life, we find ourselves in situations where we can't "touch." Worse, there's often no shore in sight. When we can't see our way through a circumstance, we need to be able to rely on something we DO know... and just keep kickin'. Without knowing how long we'll have to continue struggling against the waves, we need the calm assurance that we've been equipped to handle the situation because we know God's promises. Because we know God.

But we don't get to know God automatically just like we can't swim automatically. Being dumped into a tough situation doesn't make our faith strong just like being dumped off a boat in the middle of a lake doesn't make us strong swimmers. Only lessons and practice will work. And even if we WERE strong swimmers at one time, if it's been years since our arms and legs were used to regularly propel ourselves through the water, we may not have the necessary endurance to reach the shore when the need arises. That, too, requires dedication.

I'll be the first to admit that even though it's fairly habitual for me to pick up my Bible and read several chapters on a daily basis, it still often just feels like an obligation and my mind has trouble with not really wanting to be there. And yet as I continue to pray, asking God for an ever-increasing hunger for His Word, and as I continue to participate weekly over at The Bible in A Year blog (which forces me to concentrate ~ and even STUDY at times!!), I do see the results.

I am stronger spiritually; I believe my understanding of God is much deeper than it used to be. I know my love for Him is. I don't struggle with grasping certain aspects of His character that I always used to. I have grown to love even some of the hard-to-understand passages ~ not necessarily because I understand them all now (a few I do; most I still don't), but because they are a part of God's Holy Word, which I have a deeper reverence and love for.

But I wouldn't if I wasn't routinely spending the time.

I'm 39 years old and I've been a professing Christian virtually all my life, but this change has only occurred in the last two years. I've wasted a lot of time, thinking what I heard in church Sunday mornings was all I needed to know, relying on that weekly morsel to provide strength for whatever challenge came my way. But really, how strong a swimmer can you possibly be if you only eat one good meal a week? If you only get in one liesurely swim with friends every weekend?

Take some lessons. It's never too late. But even more importantly, start practicing regularly! It won't make perfect, contrary to popular belief, but it will make PROGRESS.

Which is exactly what you want the next time you find yourself in the middle of a choppy lake with the shoreline barely in sight.

Study and be eager and do your utmost to present yourself to God approved (tested by trial), a workman who has no cause to be ashamed, correctly analyzing and accurately dividing [rightly handling and skillfully teaching] the Word of Truth.

~ 2 Tim. 2:15 AMP

Practicing Gratitude

2011-10-19T22:26:00.003-05:00

I can't believe another week has gone by since I last posted anything! I can't tell if I'm falling out of love with blogging, if I don't have time, or if there's just too much going on in my head for me to get out in a coherent fashion!

I think it's a combination, but probably mostly the third thing!! There's so much to say and yet I just don't feel like I have the time ~ or want to TAKE the time ~ to sit here and write it all out. Which means I'm busy doing something OTHER than sitting here at the computer.

I'm thankful for that. I've confessed several times in the past here on the ol' blawg that I have a bit of an addiction to my computer. I've long known I manage my time HORRIBLY. But slowly and surely, I've been working at staying away from the computer for longer and longer periods and focusing on getting the things done that NEED doing before I sit here for any real length of time. It sounds really pathetic ~ and it is, I admit it! ~ but I'm grateful there's been progress. I'm constantly harping at my youngest daughter for doing all sorts of things instead of what actually needs doing, but I have to admit, she comes by it very honestly!! She's unfortunately got a great role model.

I'm grateful for a husband who challenges me and forces me to be very sure of what I believe. There are some areas where we just don't agree and it's tough sometimes to present my point of view without sending the message that he needs to change his view to match mine if he wants to be right. (Remember, I'm opinionated and argumentative by nature!) Especially in matters of faith, Bible interpretation, and conviction, this can be a touchy subject. I'm thankful he and I can have these discussions and disagreements without causing major damage. In fact, I think we're getting better at ending them and carrying on like normal once they're over. I'm choosing to believe this means we're both still growing and maturing!!

I'm thankful for new opportunities to invest my time in my community and my church. I've mentioned a couple times already about starting up our somewhat defunct church ladies' group with my best friend and that still excites me. I'm also extremely grateful for the group of church leaders' wives (of whom I am one) who continue to meet to pray together twice a month.

And earlier this week, I agreed to accept an "executive" position in our school's Parent Advisory Council. It won't require a whole lot of extra work or time, but it will force me to go to ALL the meetings and keep informed of what's going on in our school. I'm a bit of a hermit and don't really like to leave my home if I don't absolutely HAVE to, so this will be good for me in a few different ways! I've been attending these meetings on and off for the last three years and in some small way, I hope this will help me be a slightly brighter little light, reflecting the glory of The Light of the World just a little more clearly, for just a few more to see.

* Click the TT button at the top of the post to visit our host and other thankful bloggers!

Practicing Gratitude: Post-Thanksgiving Edition

2011-10-12T21:00:00.107-05:00

Ugh. I. am. so. FULL!!!

Of thanks, I mean.

You totally thought I was talking about food, didn't you? Admit it!

Well, in all honesty, that wouldn't have been an entirely WRONG answer... :P

I did eat well this past weekend. A wedding feast on Saturday, a Thanksgiving family feast on Sunday, more feasting and snacking on Monday, McDonalds on the drive home Tuesday... yikes.

I'm thankful that no matter how we feel about our financial situation, our dinner table never seems to be affected. And while cleaning out my fridge is often one of the most revolting tasks, I'm reminded with each and every "science experiment" or container of "dog food" that I have more than enough.

I'm grateful for family to share special meals with. My own husband and children make each meal we can have together a special time, but there's just something about being together with my parents or The 'Man's family yet, too, that makes it feel like a celebration whether it's an actual holiday or not.

I'm thankful for safe travels to and from The Big City yet again. We'll be making that trip a little more often than usual this fall because between now and Christmas there will be a FAMILY WEDDING to attend!! I'm grateful my sister-in-law grasped the concept of biblical femininity early on in a way that so many in my generation haven't, and stubbornly held to her beliefs even though had she been more ~~brazen~~ assertive, she might have been dating and married off years ago. I'm grateful she waited on God's perfect timing instead of stepping in and "helping" Him along like we are so often wont to do. I'm so excited that she's been almost literally swept off her feet by a wonderful, godly man.

I'm grateful for new experiences and grandparents that have interesting ideas of how to spend some of our time with them! This weekend we toured the Western Canada Aviation Museum ~ something we didn't even know existed until just a few years ago and had never checked out. Lots of old planes, and most importantly, a REAL retired cockpit for the girls to play in!!

I'm thankful the colours of fall are STILL sticking around! Normally, the best time around here for colour would be about the middle of September, but thanks to the weather we've had, there are still plenty of golds, oranges, and reds to enjoy! (and still even an amazing amount of green!) The forecast doesn't look quite as nice this week, so I'm guessing that will end very shortly now, but it's been so wonderful to be able to enjoy the beauty of the season much longer than we normally get to!

There are just so many things to be grateful for! I could go on and on, but speaking of food and fridge-cleaning.... I have a menu and grocery list to make.

What are YOU most thankful for this week??

* Click the TT button at the top of the post to visit our host and other thankful bloggers!

Thanksgiving Service

2011-10-10T06:00:00.027-05:00

Hopefully, it's more than just LIP service.

Because I have been given much, I too must give.
Because of Thy great bounty, Lord, each day I live.
I shall divide my gifts from Thee
With ev'ry brother that I see
Who has the need of help from me.

Because I have been sheltered, fed, by Thy good care,
I cannot see another's lack and I not share
My glowing fire, my loaf of bread,
My roof's safe shelter overhead,
That he too may be comforted.

Because love has been lavished so upon me, Lord,
A wealth I know that was not meant for me to hoard,
I shall give love to those in need ~
Shall show that love by word and deed;
Thus shall my thanks be thanks indeed.

~ Grace Noll Crowell

Is just saying the words, "Thank you," really enough to show true gratitude?
Sometimes I think we content ourselves with simply SAYING thanks. We seem to believe that meeting the minimum requirements of the command to "in everything give thanks" is doing our full Christian duty. But these lyrics indicate ~ and I think Scripture bears this out ~ that if we're really truly grateful for the good things in our lives, most importantly our eternal security and satisfaction guaranteed by the redeeming blood of Christ that spares us from God's just wrath, there will be a genuine out-pouring of love for others manifest in our words and acts of kindness. That we will seek to be a blessing to others in the same ways God has blessed us.

On this Thanksgiving Day, let's remember that thanksgiving isn't just between us and God ~ it should affect (and INfect!) those around us, too. Not just in our words on this specific day, but LIVED OUT in our everyday lives throughout the next 364 as well.

Fellow Canadians,

2011-10-08T06:00:00.015-05:00

I know I certainly do!

Practicing Gratitude: Pre-Thanksgiving Edition

2011-10-06T08:14:00.001-05:00

I can't believe it's Thanksgiving time again! I know most of you Interpeeps don't celebrate Thanksgiving for another several weeks yet, but up here in Canada, we like to get the jump on things. ;)

I'm thankful for holidays and times when we can spend extra time together as a family. I'm thankful I HAVE a family ~ a wonderful, handsome husband, two fun, beautiful daughters; parents, in-laws, sisters- and brother-in-laws, nieces, aunts, uncles, cousins... I love my family! I'm grateful we'll be able to spend some time together with some of them again this weekend, too!

I'm thankful for the seemingly extraordinary struggles with envy I've had over the last couple of years because I think I understand now why they came my way. I'm grateful for the experience that I hope will make me a better blessing and encouragement to a dear one who has much greater cause (humanly speaking) to struggle with this than I ever did.

I'm thankful the amazing weather we've had for the last three months is CONTINUING! If this keeps up, we'll almost be able to wear SHORTS while enjoying Thanksgiving dinner OUTSIDE! For serious!!!

I'm grateful for my church family, for a renewed interest in a church ladies' group, and for friends whom I can pray with. I wish I was braver about praying with ALL my friends ~ I'm not sure why it seems so much harder or more unnatural with some, but I'm working at it. I'm so thankful to be able to do that with at least some friends. What a blessing that is!!

And I'm so thankful for salvation. At times, when I think about exactly how undeserved it is, I am overwhelmed. To know that God, desiring to display His own glory, chose ME ~ a sinner condemned to death ~ to hear His voice, to receive the heartbeat to respond, and the faith to believe.... it just blows me away. How could I do any less than live only for Him?

I'm thankful for opportunity after opportunity to show my love for my Saviour. And I'm so grateful for new mercies and grace for each new moment, each new day...

...because I mess up so often.

* Click the TT button at the top of the post to visit our host and other thankful bloggers!

Say What You Mean; Mean What You SaySing

2011-10-02T07:59:00.000-05:00

I often wonder how much we really think about what we're singing in church every Sunday. I played an old favourite hymn at the close of the service a while ago, but I had to question how honest I was being.

It may not be on the mountain's height, Or over the stormy sea;

It may not be at the battle's front My Lord will have need of me.

But if by a still, small voice He calls To paths that I do not know,

I'll answer, dear Lord, with my hand in Thine, "I'll go where You want me to go."

I'll go where You want me to go, dear Lord,

over mountain, or plain, or sea.

I'll say what You want me to say, dear Lord.

I'll be what You want me to be.

Really? Even a Sunday school teacher, week in, week out, all year long? Even volunteering to be on the weekly church-cleaning rotation? Even a Bible study leader? A gracious host to friends, family, and people we don't know so well when hospitality doesn't come naturally? Saying, "Why don't we pray about it right now?" when a friend is sharing her burdens, and then praying together even when it's not something I'm particularly comfortable with?

Am I really willing to go where He wants me to go, or do what He wants me to do ~ BE who He wants me to be ~ when that still, small voice whispers, "I need you right here."?

Fall Decorating

2011-10-01T10:53:00.002-05:00

Nature really does do it best, doesn't she??

Happy October!!

Practicing Gratitude

2011-09-28T21:00:00.058-05:00

Hosted in September by
Iris @ Grace Alone

Happy Wednesday, everyone!! I know, I know, it's supposed to be Thankful THURSDAY, but the host's post is up and the linky tool is available already...

I have so many things I'm grateful for and nothing really specific this week, so I'm just going to share snippets from my journal again this past week.

I'm thankful for:

a marriage that's never been threatened by the temptation of infidelity
God watches over and takes care of my husband even when he's on the road and I can't be there with him

He guards the hearts and minds of my little girls in a way I just can't as well
laughing so hard together with The 'Man that we were in tears
waking up to a tidy house!
the school bus comes later than it used to, so the girls have extra time to play and feed their pets before leaving for school
taking a walk with my girls after school to visit a little flowering bush in the ditch covered with butterflies and bees
being able to use the kiddie pool still at the end of September!
a warm evening walk with the sunset and many daydreams
one less skunk frolicking on the yard...
the ministry of Revive Our Hearts and the great influence and inspiration it's been in my life since I began listening regularly two years ago

I don't have to worship God alone and/or in secret,
but I love time alone with God on my walks and in the dark, early morning quiet before anyone else wakes up
that feeling of being partially awake when you can tell exactly how delicious it feels to be in a warm, cozy bed

Ahh, there's always SO MUCH to be thankful for ~ from the seemingly insignificant to the awesome and amazing! God is so good.

* Click the TT button at the top of the post to visit our host and other thankful bloggers!

Seriously...

2011-09-26T12:00:00.002-05:00

We're still picnic-ing,

And needing freezies and kiddie pools to help stay cool,

And wearing shorts for a walk and sweating like crazy,

And needing the kiddie pool at the end of the day again,

Even though the A/C's been on all day.

Just like any other normal, summer day.

BUT IT'S THE END OF SEPTEMBER!

AND WE LIVE ON THE CANADIAN PRAIRIES!!!
This is a very big deal.

Hard to believe...

2011-09-24T10:08:00.000-05:00

...yesterday was the first day of fall. Other than the changing colours in many trees, you really wouldn't have known it.

The girls and I went for a little walk down the main road after school to check out a little purple bush I'd seen while driving past earlier in the day.

It was still covered with butterflies, although they weren't too thrilled with our presence and it was tough to get any pictures. They don't sit still long!

There was a variety of bees as well ~ this one was by far the biggest guy around.

We were almost too warm, even in capris, t-shirts, and sandals... ON THE FIRST DAY OF FALL!!

We could hardly believe the awesomeness ourselves.

But we thoroughly enjoyed it!

Practicing Gratitude

2011-09-21T21:00:00.097-05:00

Hosted in September by
Iris @ Grace Alone

Man, I can't believe it's that time of the week again! I don't know WHERE the time is going, but I don't seem to spend much of it writing here anymore, that's for sure!

I'm sure that's a sign I'm far too busy! ;)

I'm grateful hubby and I had the perfect opportunity to go on ANOTHER date night. (I know ~ pinch me, right? I must be dreaming!! TWO date nights in ONE WEEK!!) Peanut and Fidget were both invited to a sleep-over birthday party and so I rode with The 'Man for the second half of his trip from the bush up to the mill.

After he'd unloaded (pictured below), we went out for a late dinner before hopping back into the semi for the 2-hr return trip home.

I'm grateful my husband has a job, even though it often feels considerably less than ideal for everyone. Sometimes it feels like he just can't win ~ either he's working and we've got a good, steady income but he's never home, or he's home lots but then we've got no income. For him so often it feels like a lose-lose situation. I'm thankful he puts in some very serious effort as the sole provider for our family. I wish it would be easier for him.

But I'm so grateful that the reason he's gone lots isn't because he doesn't want to be at home. I'm thankful I can reassure my girls that their daddy loves them very much even though he isn't always home while they're awake to say it himself, and that we know it's the truth. I'm not just making something up to make them feel better.

Autumn Rose

I'm thankful for a good turn-out for our first church ladies' meeting on Monday night. Mostly it was just a coffee and visiting night, but I gave a short devotional about how and why we need each other in the Body of Christ, as members of HIS Church. I found this handy little printable list of the "One Anothers of Scripture" that fit really well with the topic and I made it into little reminder cards/bookmarks for each of us to take home to help us remember.

I'm grateful for a small but wonderful bunch of women who love our church and I'm looking forward to a year of getting together to celebrate that!

* Click the TT button at the top of the post to visit our host and other thankful bloggers!

Some Thoughts from Isaiah

2011-09-16T09:53:00.000-05:00

What feels like a really long time ago, I posted some of my thoughts about the sovereignty of God. I promised a Part II and I haven't delivered. Not yet, anyway.

Partly, it's because it's difficult to put into words and it will take time. And I'll be honest: I'm unmotivated to take that time.

But partly, it's also because, quite simply, I don't spend much time thinking about it anymore ~ the matter is settled in my mind. Someday, hopefully, I will be motivated to revisit and make that second installment because I really feel like there was always a puzzle piece missing that's been found. I imagine there may be many others who feel the same way. I'm not saying I understand it all now, but this whole subject doesn't vex me the way it always used to ~ something that troubled me before just doesn't anymore.

Anyway, my post for today over at the Through the Bible blog sort of discusses the same theme and so I thought I'd share the link if you're interested.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Practicing Gratitude

2011-09-14T21:00:00.072-05:00

Hosted in September by
Iris @ Grace Alone

Another week, another Thursday, another chance to tell people how grateful we are! (not that we can't do it all the other days of the week as well, of course!)

I'm thankful for a return to routine and a renewed desire to tidy up, organize, and maintain my home ~ to be a better home MANAGER. But it's a lot of work! I was looking forward to feeling like I could relax and read more now that the girls are out of the house all day again, but that hasn't happened yet! Maybe once my house is organized and under control...

I'm so grateful for answers to prayer! My best friend and I have decided to try and breathe new life into our tiny church's ladies' group. Attendance at the monthly meetings dwindled to the point a few years ago where we just quit meeting altogether, but the last time my friend and I were together, we decided to do something about it. This is a huge answer to prayer for me because for months now, I've been feeling like I need to be involved, possibly even lead, but I wanted to wait on God and do it His way. My friend approaching me about it felt like confirmation. And I'm so grateful she and I will be partners on this!

I'm thankful for completely unexpected date nights. If we're going to do anything like that (which is already quite rare), I generally have to make the arrangements to make sure it happens. But last weekend, The 'Man told me to keep Saturday night open and HE took care of the details ~ like hiring a babysitter! It made me feel special and like I was worth the effort. It really is the little things! This weekend both girls have been invited to a sleep-over, so we could actually do it all over again!! (provided he's home Friday evening!)

I'm thankful the sun is still warm, even though the air is cooling off. Fall is definitely in the air. And very abruptly, too ~ Saturday was a beautiful 30C/86F and suddenly yesterday we were down to a very cold, windy 12C/54F. And it FROZE overnight!

So I'm especially grateful that frost is so beautiful...

Because without that, it would have absolutely no redeeming qualities at all!! ;)

* Click the TT button at the top of the post to visit our host and other thankful bloggers!

Enough

2011-09-09T06:00:00.045-05:00

No soul can be really at rest until it has given up all dependence on everything else and has been forced to depend on the Lord alone. As long as our expectation is from other things, nothing but disappointment awaits us.

Feelings may change and will change with our changing circumstances. Promises may seem to fail. Everything that we have believed in or depended upon may seem to be swept away, and only God is left. Just God. Simply and only God.

God is enough for time.
God is enough for eternity...

~ excerpts from The God of All Comfort

by Hannah Whitall Smith
~ photos by me, taken on my walk yesterday morning

Practicing Gratitude

2011-09-07T21:00:00.108-05:00

Hosted in September by
Iris @ Grace Alone

Happy September, Thankful people!

I can't believe it's here already ~ September... and SCHOOL!! It was the girls' first day today, but the weather we're having right now doesn't feel like EITHER should be here yet! Hovering around the 31C/88F this time of year is a little unusual and it really feels like we should rather be at the beach than back to school! I'm so thankful for the amazing summer we had though ~ and that it is continuing at least as far as this week!

I'm grateful my girls enjoy school, even though it's really tough for them to want to go back when it feels like summer is continuing without them! I don't blame them. I wish they could stay home a few more weeks, too.

The girls this afternoon -
after their first day back in school!

But I am thankful for the return to routine and time to work in and about the house relatively interruption-free. The first day of school I usually spend fairly leisurely, but this year, I cleaned bathroom, did half the mowing, headed to town for groceries and errands, and then tackled a mountain of dirty dishes after supper. Whew. But it felt good to be able to accomplish so much for a change!

I'm thankful for a renewed sense of purpose in keeping my home. It's getting easier and easier to stay away from the computer to actually get things done around here!

Tomorrow and Friday have plenty on the agenda as well, but I want to also try and spend some time working out some goals for myself ~ and maybe even a routine for the week. I'm a list- and chart-maker, but so often, that's as far as it gets. This fall, I'd like it to be different. I'd like to say I'm resolved it will be, but then I'm bound to fail, so let's just say, my PLAN is to continue being more deliberate and intentional with my time! (wish me luck...)

I'm thankful for a home and a family and I'm grateful for the opportunity and responsibility of looking after both! Ultimately, my goal is to SHOW my gratitude to God by doing the most excellent job I can.

* Click the TT button at the top of the post to visit our host and other thankful bloggers!

Summer Goals Final Checkpoint

2011-09-06T06:00:00.080-05:00

I didn't bother posting Checkpoint #4 two weeks ago because, well, quite frankly, virtually nothing had changed since Checkpoint #3!! Other than one of The 'Man's sisters coming out for a quick weekend visit and an afternoon/evening at the lake with close friends one Sunday, we have done VERY LITTLE around here lately! July was so busy; it's just felt good to relax and do nothing. (Well, other than the normal stuff, of course!)

Get to the local library and school playground once a week ~ July 12, Aug 9 (library only), Sep 1, Sep 6 (library only ~ and just to return two movies)
Spend 20 minutes a day in the garden ~ Jun 28, 29, (away from home the 1st to 3rd) Jul 4, 7, (away 15-17), July 25, Aug 16... Clearly I'm not doing well with this one again!! In my defence, hubby's been home a fair bit this summer, so he's been doing much of this. It really is HIS hobby, not mine!
Teach girls some simple chore routines:

swish'n'swipe bathroom: virtually every morning since July 5!! (except weekends, and their/our absences from July 18-23 and Jul 29-Aug 6)
make beds: ditto

Involve girls with meal prep and dishes once a week each:

I abandoned this as an actual plan, too. The girls have helped with random things in the kitchen here and there, but it's almost never been a planned thing. Will try to implement this once we're in the school year routine.

Weekly piano lessons for Peanut ~ discarded for the summer. Part of the reason I wanted to continue into the summer was because we only picked it up again in May and I kind of didn't want to take a 2-month break so soon after resuming. But let's face it, summer is just not the time to insist on piano practice!
One playdate or special activity each week:
- July 1-3 ~ visited some relatives (incl. the girls' favourite second-cousin) 4 hrs away on the July long wknd
- July 6 ~ had a friend and her two young children over for a morning playdate
- July 7 ~ swimming at the lake with school friends
- July 14/15 ~ Fidget was at a friend's place for the day and a sleepover; Peanut and I had a special supper and movie night.
- July 15-17 ~ camping with the 'Man's family
- July 18-23 ~ girls first ever week at Bible Camp!
- July 22-25 ~ one of the 'Man's sisters came to visit
- July 29 ~ rodeo parade in the morning and the midway and grandstands for the rest of the day!
- July 30-Aug 1 ~ extended family gathering at the lake
- Aug 1-6 ~ visiting all the grandparents, aunties, and cousins in The Big City, which included a sleep-over, several trips to local school playgrounds, an IMAX movie, and two trips to a nearby outdoor pool
- Aug 12-14 ~ the other sister-in-law came to visit for the weekend
- Aug 14 ~ spent the afternoon and evening on the lake with friends, tubing, wake-boarding, and swimming; joined a few other families from church for an impromptu picnic supper
- Aug 26-29 ~ spent an incredible weekend at the lake with my dad's family; it was a 3-day playdate for everyone!!
- Sep 1 ~ met at the school playground with friends for a playdate
- Sep 4 ~ spent the afternoon and evening with great family friends
- Sep 6 ~ spent the morning and had lunch with two little friends (and their mom!) and played on their new, awesome play structure!
Try to head to the lake or pool once a week:
- July 3 ~ swimmin' in the creek on my uncle's farm
- July 7 ~ the girls and I went to the lake (some of the girls' school friends were there, too, it turns out, so this also counts as a playdate!)
- July 15-17 ~ swimming in the lake each day while camping
- July 19-22 ~ girls swam in the pool each full day at camp
- July 30-Aug 1 ~ we were all swimming (or skiing or tubing) all day, every day at the family gathering!
- Aug 4-5 ~ girls went to the pool in The Big City with grandpa both afternoons (once with their dad along, and once with grandma along)
- Aug 14 ~ spent the afternoon and evening up at the lake
- Aug 26-29 ~ spent the weekend at the lake for another family gathering
MORE PICNICS!
- at home: Jun 29, Jul 11, Aug 25
- away: Jul 3 weiner roast by the creek; July 30-Aug 1each day had at least one outdoor meal at the family gathering! Aug 14 picnic supper at the lake. Aug 26 picnic supper at the family gathering. Sep 6 weiner roast for lunch at a friend's house.

I can't believe it's over. It just went by so fast. And I don't think it's just because I have kids in school either, because I've asked others who either have grown kids out of the house or little ones still home year 'round, and everyone has said this summer has felt awfully fast. Maybe because we finally had a beautiful sunny, hot summer for a change we were all out and about more instead of huddled indoors? I don't know. But tomorrow the drudgery sets in as the girls return to school!

We'll miss you, Summer ~ enjoy your time off!! Rest up well so you can perform a repeat next year!!

The Homestead-y Weekend

2011-09-05T09:01:00.003-05:00

We had a productive weekend around here for a change. We worked HARD. Even ME!

On Friday, we "did" corn. Peanut and The Man picked all the ripe ears and shucked it while I prepared the kitchen and then Peanut carried three 5-gallon buckets full of raw corn in and I immersed as many as possible at once. (Which wasn't terribly many, because many of the cobs had to be broken in half to accommodate my biggest stock pot!!)

Once the ears were blanched, I plucked them out of the pot and dumped them in a sink full of cold water, put the next batch onto boil, and then moved the cooled cobs into the drying rack on the counter. From there, Peanut and The Man, having finished the shucking, brought the cobs to the table, stripped off the kernels and bagged them. There are now 26 two-cup packages of corn in my freezer ~ YAY! Not as many as we hoped for or were expecting, but if we have a couple more weeks of warm weather, I'll probably get another small batch yet, plus a few meals of fresh eating.

After that, I mowed around the house and puttered inside the house while The Man began chopping our firewood supply for the winter.

Saturday morning after pancakes, The Man and I washed, cut up, and puréed all the ripe tomatoes we had for salsa and once that part was done, he let me finish that up while he went outside to trim the trees right in front of the house. Once the limbs were down, he brought out the girls' favourite toys ~ the quad and the tractor ~ and chained each one to a group of branches for the girls to drag to the back of the yard to be burned. It's amazing how much they love helping if it can involve driving the tractor and the quad around the yard!

I did some more puttering in the house and then went for a walk in the afternoon while the rest of my crew went to get our first MEAT RABBIT!! Well, technically, she will be the mother of all our meat rabbits. Hopefully. We're looking for a suitable mate for her and then we'll see where that goes! The Man made a set of cages a few weeks ago and put them in our old pig barn, so they should be comfortable year 'round. And if I know anything about rabbits, it shouldn't be long before we need more cages...

Sunday we went to church early for a potluck breakfast to kick off the new Sunday school year. I decided to be slightly unconventional and I brought Pumpkin Pie Bars to share. (I know I brought a dessert for breakfast, but hey, they can't be any worse than muffins filled with cream cheese and/or chocolate chips, right?!)

After lunch, I reheated the salsa and canned it before we headed out to spend the afternoon and evening with great friends, watching our province's version of the "Labour Day Classic" ~ one of four fixed pairings of rival CFL football teams that always happens this weekend. Unfortunately, our ever-so-slightly over-confident team didn't win, but we still had a great time visiting during and after the game.

And today, well, I guess it's time to dig through all the school supplies and begin the arduous task of labelling and pencil-sharpening because the girls start school on Wednesday!! And since there are at least half a million pencils to be sharpened and labelled, along with a few things needing labels and organization, I better not leave it any longer!

Sounds like a great way to spend Labour Day to me. :P

How are you spending yours?

Practicing Gratitude

2011-08-31T21:00:00.123-05:00

Well, it was much easier to be thankful this week! The literal and figurative clouds rolled away, the sun rose hot and high each day, and we spent a glorious 3-day weekend at the lake with my dad's family.

I love my dad's family ~ every last one of them!! There were 81 uncles, aunts, cousins, and cousins' kids in attendance (which is actually only 55% of the entire family!!), plus an additional 4 "honorary" family members, and 2 special guests all the way from Costa Rica!! I'm so grateful to have such a huge, awesome family!

Most of us see each other only once or twice a year ~ now and/or at the Christmas gathering ~ but there's definitely more time over a weekend to catch up with many people. And of course, it's virtually impossible to catch up with ALL of them! But I'm thankful Facebook has made it so much easier to keep up to date with all the goings-on in everyone's lives!! Plus, it provides conversation starters with relatives you're not necessarily very close with, but want to reconnect with or just express interest in.

The coolest thing about this whole gathering for me was seeing and hearing how God had answered my prayers for my family. After last year's gathering, I made a promise to myself to pray for each and every single person in my family by name once a week. I'm thankful for the discovery of exactly how helpful a prayer journal can be ~ with a family that size, it would be easy to forget MANY people without writing their names down each week!

Many times, I really didn't know what to pray ~ I have plenty of family members (roughly the 45% that weren't at the gathering) whom I haven't seen in YEARS or just have very little to do with because of our age differences, etc. And many times, I prayed just getting a feeling from something I may have heard from another relative or the types of things that got posted on FB. And yet, God is so good!!

In several random conversations I had where the other party had no knowledge of my prayer resolution, I discovered God had answered my prayers about them or their son, daughter, or spouse! It was just such an incredible feeling to know that even though I wasn't necessarily praying about something or someone I really knew, what was laid on my heart to talk to God about was heard and the requests granted! It was wonderful!!

I'm so thankful God hears and answers prayer. I'm so thankful He's been so good to my family, even though we have many who've decided He isn't the most important thing in life anymore and there are several who've never had a personal relationship with Him. I'm trusting that someday we will all not only be one huge biological family, but spiritual brothers and sisters in Christ as well.

...Oh, and though I'm not always very thankful for a large garden (I'm not a gardener by any stretch of the imagination ~ it all just feels like WORK to me!), man, oh man, am I ever grateful to be eating fresh, sweet, juicy, home-grown tomatoes and corn on the cob these days! :)

* Click the TT button at the top of the post to visit our host and other thankful bloggers!

The Weekend in Pictures

2011-08-30T06:00:00.000-05:00

Every year, my dad's family gets together for their traditional summer gathering either the last or second-last weekend in August. He comes from a large family (13 surviving siblings!), so there are uncles, aunts, cousins, cousins-in-law, and cousins' kids like you would not believe!!

The last dozen or so years, we've used the same Bible camp to hold our shindig, and it just so happens to be nice and close to our place ~ only about a 45 minute drive away up into the hills south of us.

Up here on the Canadian prairies, the weather generally starts to cool noticeably in the second half of August, and up in the hills by the lake, it's sometimes quite chilly already. The last several years have ranged from "okay" weather to downright miserable.

But this year? Other than the coolness overnight, you'd have thought it was much earlier in summer! The weather was absolutely amazing! None of us could remember the last time we'd had a full weekend of great weather at this particular camp the end of August like we had this year. It was incredible.

The girls were in the water virtually from the moment we arrived Friday afternoon until everything was packed up Monday morning. They really took to using the camp's kayaks.

Even my dad, who doesn't often even don swimtrunks ~ let alone go swimming ~ went TUBING, of all things!!!

And canoeing, of course. It's one of my parents' favourite pastimes ~ and the girls love the rides, too!

Muskrats and beavers were both spotted, usually in the evenings, paddling around our lakefront.

Monday morning dawned warm and beautiful. The lake was still as glass ~ too bad everything was packed away already!!

The mist was just clearing off the lake in the morning sun...

the reflections spectacular and completely unmarred by even the tiniest ripple.

Until I couldn't resist dipping my feet in one last time!

Counselling my heart...

2011-08-26T10:18:00.000-05:00

I'm not particularly thrilled with the quality of this video, but I hope the song ministers to you. I need to remember to tell myself this a little more often...

The clouds are rolling away and the sun is shining through, and it looks like it will be a beautiful weekend! Hope yours is, too!!

* Of course, the ACTUAL forecast isn't really that great, but I'm still going to enjoy a great weekend at the lake with my extended family!!

Practicing Gratitude

2011-08-24T21:00:00.111-05:00

I'm gonna be real honest here: today it really IS a matter of PRACTICING gratitude. I am just not feelin' it this week, my friends.

I KNOW I have much to be thankful for; I just don't FEEL it.

I'm struggling to "laugh at the future" right now.

I know what I said about tough times just a few posts ago, and how if we just always seek to fix things instead of endure them, we may be missing God's richest blessings and the sweetest moments in His arms. I really do believe that. I know the benefits of waiting on God far outweigh the benefits of rushing on ahead of Him.

I KNOW it; I just don't FEEL it.

But I know faith isn't based on feelings. Like love or self-discipline or joy, faith is a decision. A decision to counsel my heart instead of following it; to talk some sense into myself instead of listening to the made-up half-truths and lies in my mind. It's a conscious decision to place my life and my future in the hands of God and trust that whatever comes will be what I would have chosen for myself if I were Him.

I'm thankful for friends who, unknowingly, have provided encouragement. And distractions like thoughtful gifts and impromptu birthday parties!

I'm so grateful for divine "coincidences." I don't think it's any accident that this week's Revive Our Hearts series on Psalm 37 was scheduled perfectly to begin on my birthday. Today's broadcast on being STILL before God was particularly fitting ~ exactly the wise, encouraging counsel I needed to hear.

I'm thankful for passages like Psalm 27:4-5, 13-14 and Habbakuk 3:14-19 and Isaiah 40:27-31 ~ and so many others ~ that offer the beautiful, reassuring reminders that God is GOOD regardless of my current circumstances...

That He is in control regardless of how I FEEL.

* Click the TT button at the top of the post to visit our host and other thankful bloggers.

39 Reflections

2011-08-22T11:12:00.004-05:00

Today is my birthday. I am now officially 39 years old.
But I don't look a day over 28. (come on, why are you laughing?)
I have a good life. Some days it takes more convincing than others to believe it, but I really do.
The Almighty God is a good Friend of mine. My Best Friend, actually.
I still struggle a lot with making Him LORD of my life though.
So I'm extremely grateful for His grace and mercy.
I love that even though I've heard about Him all my life, I still hunger to know more.
And the more I study, the more I realize I never knew before.
My husband is my other vey best friend. We've had almost 15 years together.
Sometimes it seems like we just go from one crisis to the next, year after year.
But our commitment is constant.
Most days, I really take that for granted.
I have two amazing and beautiful little girls. Who aren't so little anymore.
I'd like to say they keep me young, but let's face it, I'm usually exhausted just watching them.
I love how they're each other's best friend.
I have the most important job in the world ~ raising and training future adults.
It's a tough job, but somebody's gotta do it!
Most days, I love being a housewife and stay-at-home mom.
Some days, I feel very forgotten.
But then I remember I'm serving the King of Kings. And that it was an honour for Him to appoint me to this position.
I love my church family and I'm growing to love "church" more and more.
One thing I'd love to see in such a small church family is more intimacy.
It frustrates me that we've adopted the mentality of the world and view vulnerability as weakness.
I pray I'll see a revival in my lifetime. REAL revival, not just a week of evening meetings called that.
I'll confess I'm a little worried what that might demand of me, but I know it will be worth it.
I talk to God about it on my daily walks. Among many other things.
I love my mile road and starting out my day without a walk is tough.
Feeling unsettled and unfocused the rest of the day is a common occurence.
Well, I guess if I'm being honest, focus is something I struggle with almost EVERY day!
I keep talking about wanting to be a deliberate wife and mother, but it's easier said than done.
Especially when you're lazy like me.
I also keep talking about wanting to be a better friend, but I feel like that hasn't happened yet either.
Which is why the few that hang in there with me are so very special.
In our day of convenience, making time for "real life" friends is hard when Facebook and blogging are so much easier.
I want to get better at having a more flexible agenda.
And just doing things that need doing when they need doing instead of thinking and planning and rearranging my schedule and then deciding they're just too much work. And having wasted valuable time in the process.
I want to quit spending my time and start INVESTING it.
I want to have a mission statement for my home and my life so that I can visually remind myself of my purpose to be a blessing to others in a more practical way.
Because I have been blessed. For 39 years.

Practicing Gratitude

2011-08-17T20:02:00.067-05:00

Ahhh, I love summer!

I'm so thankful we've had an incredible summer, weather-wise this year ~ it's been LONG overdue!! I think in the 10 summers we've had here in The Valley, this is only the second time I can remember feeling we'd had a long, hot summer! And it's not even quite over yet!! Yay, for long, hot summers! (and by long, I mean at least the full two months they occupy on the calendar ~ that's bordering on miraculous up here on the Canadian prairies!)

I'm thankful yesterday was the first full rainy day since about June! We didn't really need a day of rain ~ we've had several showers over the last two weeks ~ but I'm thankful it's been a good two months since our last dark, damp day! That's pretty amazing, considering how the last few summers have gone!

I'm thankful this week has been relaxing. No unpacking and cleaning up, no preparing to go away, no company coming for the weekend... While I enjoy being gone, and visits from family, summer almost always feels like there are too many weekends "spoken for" even before it technically begins. This coming weekend is the only one this month and one of only two this summer where we are home all weekend and aren't getting overnight company.

I'm so grateful The 'Man ran into a construction foreman friend of his in town the other day. Work for the trucks has been somewhat hard to come by this summer and though hubby co-owns and manages the company, he really only gets paid when he drives. Which hasn't happened a whole lot this summer. So when his friend offered him work, he jumped at the chance. I'm thankful he's making money this week, even though the company is still struggling. And that he's working 9 hrs each day but still comes home for supper each evening ~ I could see myself getting used to this!!

I'm grateful for almost 39 great years! By the time Thankful Thursday rolls around next week, I expect to have celebrated one more birthday, God willing! He's given me so many more years, blessings, and joys than I could ever have earned. While I sometimes grow weary of His endless refining process, I'm so thankful He keeps giving me chance after chance, day after day, year after year...

And I'll confess, I'm kinda countin' on many more!!

* Click the TT button at the top of the post to visit our host and other thankful bloggers!

Not just for sailors

2011-08-16T22:35:00.000-05:00

After a dark, damp, windy day,

a calm, peaceful evening...

with a red sky like this...

delights ME, too!

Blessings

2011-08-14T07:47:00.000-05:00

So often, when things are not going well in our lives, the tendency is to try to fix them instead of endure them. Somehow we feel this can't be right, it can't be what God wants for us. And yet in stubbornly gritting our teeth and fixing rather than enduring in brokenness and surrender, I fear we sometimes short-change ourselves as we blaze right past the evidences of God's goodness along the way, the assurances of His presence at our side...

We miss the blessings.

Over and over, this is something that's been driven home for me over the last year.

I had no idea there was a song that put it all into words and music so perfectly until one of my sisters-in-law told me about her new favourite song last week. She'd printed out the words and randomly sang a few bars. It very quickly became mine, too, and I bought and downloaded the sheet music the day after we got home. I had the crazy idea to sing it in church today, since I'm up for special music.

Problem is, I can't sing and play piano at the same time, and certainly not with only a week to learn and practice it.

Coincidentally, that same sister-in-law was coming out for a visit this weekend. And she had said the next time she sang in church, she wanted it to be this song...

And so this morning, with her voice and my fingers at the piano, my little church family will hear it. We both feel like we were sort of somehow prompted to do it and so we believe it bears a message God wanted someone else to hear and that the Holy Spirit will use it to minister hope and encouragement.

I hope the song holds a special blessing for you, too.

Summer Goals Checkpoint #3

2011-08-12T09:03:00.001-05:00

This week has been filled with unpacking, laundry, and getting caught up with the yard and garden after being away from a week, so I almost forgot to check in. The "official" day would have been Tuesday, so I'm not THAT far behind!!

In the last 2-week period, the girls were at camp for a week which affected our results, and in this 2-week period, we were away from home for a week, which ALSO affected our efforts... Attaining these goals has been a bit of a joke so far this summer!!

Get to the local library and school playground once a week ~ July 12, Aug 9 (library only)
Spend 20 minutes a day in the garden ~ Jun 28, 29, (away from home the 1st to 3rd) Jul 4, 7, (away 15-17), July 25... clearly I'm not doing well with this one again!! In my defence, hubby's been home a fair bit this summer, so he's been doing much of this. It really is HIS hobby, not mine!

Teach girls some simple chore routines:
- swish'n'swipe bathroom: every morning since July 5!! (except weekends, and their/our absences from July 18-23 and Jul 29-Aug 6)
- make beds: ditto
- 10-minute "fling boogie": still waiting... although we've tidied up the front porch/toy room twice last month and this week they're doing their bedroom.
Involve girls with meal prep and dishes once a week each:
- Peanut: Jun 29; Aug 9, 10
- Fidget:
- Ugh ~ EPIC FAIL!
Weekly piano lessons for Peanut ~ Jun 30, Jul 11, (not doing so great here either, but all our comings and goings over the last four weeks made lessons sort of pointless since she hasn't been home to practice! Hoping to resume next week, but I'm considering just giving it up till school starts again.)

One playdate or special activity each week:
- July 1-3 ~ visited some relatives (incl. the girls' favourite second-cousin) 4 hrs away on the July long wknd
- July 6 ~ had a friend and her two young children over for a morning playdate
- July 7 ~ swimming at the lake with school friends
- July 14/15 ~ Fidget was at a friend's place for the day and a sleepover; Peanut and I had a special supper and movie night.
- July 15-17 ~ camping with the 'Man's family
- July 18-23 ~ girls first ever week at Bible Camp!
- July 22-25 ~ one of the 'Man's sisters came to visit
- July 29 ~ rodeo parade in the morning and the midway and grandstands for the rest of the day!
- July 30-Aug 1 ~ extended family gathering at the lake
- Aug 1-6 ~ visiting all the grandparents, aunties, and cousins in The Big City, which included a sleep-over, several trips to local school playgrounds, an IMAX movie, and two trips to a nearby outdoor pool
Try to head to the lake or pool once a week:
- July 3 ~ swimmin' in the creek on my uncle's farm
- July 7 ~ the girls and I went to the lake (some of the girls' school friends were there, too, it turns out, so this also counts as a playdate!)
- July 15-17 ~ swimming in the lake each day while camping
- July 19-22 ~ girls swam in the pool each full day at camp
- July 30-Aug 1 ~ we were all swimming (or skiing or tubing) all day, every day at the family gathering!
- Aug 4 & 5 ~ girls went to the pool in The Big City with grandpa both afternoons (once with their dad along, and once with grandma along)
MORE PICNICS!
- at home: Jun 29, Jul 11
- away: Jul 3 weiner roast by the creek; each day had at least one outdoor meal at the family gathering Jul 30-Aug 1!

Again, if not for the fact that we were away from home for just over a week, these stats would look like we were failing miserably, but thankfully, statistics don't always present a very accurate picture! When I first laid out these goals, I didn't really figure in how busy July was going to be. I'm looking forward to being able to work on them a little more now in August. My calendar is remarkably empty-looking, so it might actually work this month!!

Practicing Gratitude

2011-08-10T20:00:00.121-05:00

It's been two weeks again since I posted for TT last and there has been MUCH to be grateful for in the mean time!

I'm thankful for an awesome day at the local rodeo ~ I don't seem to tire of walking with the girls from one ride to the next for hours on end. I love watching their faces, especially when they go from concentrated and anxious to carefree and laughing.

I'm thankful for an incredible weekend at the lake with The 'Man's extended family. They have an annual gathering and it's been 4-5 years since we were at the last one, so I'm grateful we finally got to go again. He has some really great cousins, aunts, and uncles!

I'm thankful for perfect lake weather while we were there. It was so hot I couldn't think of anything I'd rather do than swim! I'm not much of a water person ~ I can swim relatively well, but it's not a necessity just because we're in close proximity with water, but it was a necessity that weekend!! And oh, it felt so good! I'm so thankful for opportunities to enjoy nature like that.

I'm grateful our visit with our immediate families was wonderful, too. Sometimes I wish we didn't have to have such extended, concentrated visits with our families. I'd rather have an evening/afternoon visit once or twice each week, but since we just don't live close enough for that, I'm thankful we can still see them all at least a half-dozen times a year, either at our home or theirs. I'm thankful we don't live so far away that we can only afford to travel home once every few years!

I'm thankful that though our truck was broken into one night while in The Big Bad City, there was no damage. I'm thankful all the hudlums really got was a cheap, cruddy, temperamental portable DVD player, a few old DVDs, and about $5. They did take hubby's wallet (which he doesn't normally leave behind like that!!), but none of the cards were used before he reported them all. His drivers licence ~ a pretty important document for a professional trucker!! ~ was quickly replaced without any hassle even with the complete absence of ID, thanks to a police report file number. We hadn't actually intended to report it, since we knew there was really nothing that could be done about it, and since nothing of great value was taken, but we found out later that without that file number, getting replacement IDs would have been much tougher and more expensive! So we're thankful we decided to report it anyway. Most of all, we're so VERY grateful the villains never noticed that the spare truck key was in the same cubby hole the wallet had been in!!

I'm thankful for date nights! Especially out of the ordinary ones!! While in the city, The 'Man took me out for a casual supper (to a little fish 'n' chips place his sister had recommended) and then on the spur of the moment, we popped in at the local ballpark and caught most of the baseball game ~ in really great seats for cheap! Because the game was already in progress when we bought our tickets, they told us we could buy the cheapest tickets and just find empty seats wherever we wanted to. It was a perfect evening to watch a ball game and so much fun to be out with my best friend. I'm thankful that we still have such a great time together!

I'm grateful for travel safety and that we could bring home a semi-truck from the city again without having to make an extra trip. The girls, of course, chose to ride home with their dad in the semi, and I enjoyed 5 hours of very-alone time!

I'm thankful my garden is starting to really produce. Y'all know I'm not fond of gardening ~ it's more hubby's thing ~ but I do love eating the fresh veggies! And even though it feels like it takes FAR too long, I'm grateful there's garden beans and peas in the freezer now, too!!

I'm thankful for my house, my bed, my yard... my HOME.

* Click the TT button at the top of the post to visit our host and other thankful bloggers!

Last Week in Pictures (and some words!)

2011-08-08T11:58:00.004-05:00

We kicked off our little holiday just over a week ago with a day at the rodeo here at home.

Peanut had decided to try two "new" rides this year all on her own. Fidget joined her on the swings and the two almost couldn't get enough, but Peanut had to brave the pirate ship all by herself the first time. (Daddy was sittin' in the grandstands, and ain't no WAY mama's goin' on that one!!)

She ended up loving it and went on it repeatedly as well, while her little sister lamented the fact that she just wasn't as brave as her big sister. The 'Man and I split a sheet of 10 tickets (the girls always get wristbands) and I did the traditional mother-daughter ferris wheel ride and he went with BOTH girls on the pirate ship, which Fidget was then brave enough to ride with just her sister one last time afterwards!

It's been interesting to watch them grow up in terms of what they tackle and enjoy at the rodeo!

That exhausting day was followed by frenzied evening of packing and loading the truck and then a 7-hr drive south the next morning to attend The 'Man's annual extended-family gathering at a lakeside camp in the southeast corner of the province.

The weather was absolutely PERFECT for being at the lake ~ hot, HOT, HOT!! I'm not one of these people who has to get in the lake just because we're there, but I love it when it's so hot that I can't think of anything else I'd rather do! I have rarely spent as much time in the water as I did those two days.

That's my man!

On Monday afternoon when the gathering wrapped up, we headed into The Big City to spend a few days each with my parents and in-laws ~ and we even got a date-night squeezed in there as well! We went out for fish 'n' chips and DEEP-FRIED MARS BARS!!!

As we were leaving and trying to decide if our date was going to consist of more than just supper and a trip to W&l-M&rt, we noticed a game had just begun at the baseball stadium so we asked if we could still get tickets. They sold us the cheapest tickets and told us to sit in any empty seats we liked, so we ended up getting really great seats for almost nothing!

It was a perfect evening and really nice to do something other than the usual "dinner and a movie" thing ~ especially since we'd eaten too late to catch any of the early shows anyway!

I think this may have been the best, most relaxing and rewarding little trip to The Big City we've had.

How noticeably have I been transformed?

2011-08-04T06:00:00.010-05:00

I originally posted this just over a year go, but lately, I've found myself struggling with a similar issue. I found the conclusion of this post was a good reminder of what my goal is as a Christian who desires to make disciples.

There were hints of it months ago already, but it's become very obvious lately.

I mean, certain pride issues I've been aware of for quite some time ~ some most of my life ~ but this one wasn't even a potential problem until about a year ago.

You see, about a year ago I started praying that God would give me an unquenchable thirst for Him. An unsatiable hunger for His Word. And He's really answered ~ almost instantly, and in a much bigger way than I expected.

Almost overnight, I quit watching daytime TV (which, by the way, I've never regretted or struggled with for even a moment since), started journalling through my Bible reading, and started DESIRING to read my Bible every day. I developed a keen interest in books designed to help my spiritual growth.

But there's been a trade-off. As a result of all this reading and interest in knowledge, there has been far more conviction and conscience-pricking about stuff I've never thought about before as even requiring deeper thought and examination. There have been numerous discussions and arguments with The Bushman, who doesn't always feel convicted in the same areas I do, or to the same extent, which sometimes translates to a bit of additional stress in the home. I suspect there are people who probably think I've gone off the deep end.

And maybe I have. But I tell ya, I think this past year is the first time in my life that I've really taken my faith seriously and tried to really understand how it's supposed to make my life look. It is, after all, supposed to be a TRANSFORMING faith.

Romans 12:2 says, "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will."

With the home and church background I grew up in, I don't know that my life would have looked much different even if I hadn't become a Christian. It's tough to speculate, but I can't really imagine being terribly different from the way I've always been even if I'd never made the choice to give my life to God. Yet now I suddenly need there to be hard evidence that I have indeed been transformed.

I realize there hasn't been much of that in my life.

Yes, I have a saving faith. But beyond that, I have very little. My relationship with Him has never grown much past my initial confession of faith. Which most of the people currently in my life weren't around to witness and which means very little without further evidence anyway.

So this past year has been very exciting in that respect.

But if we read one verse further in Romans 12 we see this: "For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you."
And now I'm faced with a new challenge: how to avoid feeling a bit smug and superior with my newfound knowledge and discernment, as limited as it still is. (Funny how the more you know, the more you realize you really DON'T.) ~ and being critical of other believers who aren't as intense about spiritual growth as I happen to be right now. How to entice and inspire others to want to thirst more rather than just showing off my thirst.

I don't WANT to be off-putting. I don't WANT to look and sound like a know-it-all, like I have heard from the Almighty on whatever subject we're discussing and am therefore the authority on it. I don't WANT anyone to feel like I'm looking down on them because they don't seem to have done the studying I have or have the same new perspective and insight I now have. (if I indeed have those...)

But I suspect they do sometimes.

And I need to repent of my pride.

Because what I DO want is to develop a manner that makes people want to dig deeper. I DO want people to get excited about learning by observing my desire to learn. I DO want people to see the benefits of spiritual growth. I want to inspire others to "thirst for more thirst."
And above all, I want people to have to ask for my opinion instead of being subjected to it regardless of whether they're interested in it or not.

I want to learn to listen more and speak less.

::sigh::

I guess the "dignity" part of my Proverbs 31:25 goal still needs a bit of work as well.

Silhouette Water Ballet

2011-08-01T06:00:00.027-05:00

My family at play two weeks ago, when we went camping with The Man's parents and siblings.

These look serene, but don't be fooled ~ there was plenty hootin', hollerin', splashin' an' thrashin'!

And then there was this, which really WAS serene.

Happy August!

FINALLY.

2011-07-29T06:00:00.003-05:00

It's RODEO WEEKEND again!!!

I can't believe these are the most recent rodeo pictures I have ~ they were taken THREE years ago!

I'm looking forward to experiencing it all over again...

ALL. DAY. LONG.

Practicing Gratitude

2011-07-27T20:00:00.147-05:00

Can this really be the last week of July already?? I know time seems to speed up the older you get, but I'm already feeling a little breathless! I can't imagine it getting much worse than this!

Anyhoo... I'm thankful my girls' week at camp was a huge success and that I really didn't struggle at all with them being gone because it really didn't feel like a very long time. The quiet, empty house felt strange, to be sure, but the week didn't DRA-A-A-AG like I thought it might. I'm thankful for the alone time hubby and I had at home on Tuesday and Wednesday when he was home,

The girls and their counselor.

and I'm thankful for the ALONE alone time I got on Thursday and Friday.

I'm thankful the girls came back from camp wanting a guarantee that they'd be able to go back next year. Even the WICKED thunderstorm (complete with hail and high winds) that knocked out power to the camp for a day and a half hardly got more than a passing mention in their narrative of the week. I'm thankful for answers to prayer for their physical safety, for wise counselors who would know how to handle everything from vicious storms to settling disputes among littles, and in general, for a wonderful, memorable experience.

I'm thankful I've seen a side of my husband that either wasn't as noticeable before or that I just didn't notice ~ maybe a combination. I've seen his wisdom is deeper than I've given him credit for; his desire for spiritual growth and developing biblical knowledge and discernment is far greater than I realized. It was a little humbling, but I'm so thankful to have been given the chance to see his leadership qualities shine through. It encourages me to want to be a better follower and supporter.

I'm thankful for the blessing of family and I'm so excited to see our little family grow together in our desire to accurately reflect what marriage and family were designed by God to do. It might not always be very visible, but the desire for transformation is there and I'm so thankful He's placed that in our hearts!

* Click the Thankful Thursday button at the top of the post to visit our host and other thankful bloggers!

Summer Goals Checkpoint #2

2011-07-26T08:18:00.007-05:00

Yikes, I can't believe we're in the last week of July already!! This month has just FLOWN by!

Last year when I adopted this strategy for the weeks of summer holidays, I just posted about each two-week period. This year, I've decided to keep a running 'tally' of each goal instead of just recapping the period in between checkpoint posts, so it will give me a better picture of the entire time.

In this two-week period, the girls were gone for one week at camp (which they LOVED!), so that is affecting some of the plans.

Get to the local library and school playground once a week ~ July 12
Spend 20 minutes a day in the garden ~ Jun 28, 29, (away from home the 1st to 3rd) Jul 4, 7, (away 15-17), July 25... clearly I'm not doing well with this one again!! In my defence, hubby's been home a fair bit this month, so he's been doing much of this. It really is HIS hobby, not mine!
Teach girls some simple chore routines:

swish'n'swipe bathroom: every morning from July 5-15 (except weekends and the 18-23, when they were away at camp!) and yesterday
make beds: ditto
10-minute "fling boogie": still waiting... although we've tidied up the front porch/toy room twice this month and today they're doing their bedroom.

Involve girls with meal prep and dishes once a week each:

Peanut: Jun 29
Fidget:
Ugh ~ EPIC FAIL!

Weekly piano lessons for Peanut ~ Jun 30, Jul 11, (not doing so great here either, but with them being gone for a week and now home only 6 days before we're gone for another week as a family, it just doesn't really make sense to have one this week.)
One playdate or special activity each week:

July 1-3 ~ visited some relatives (incl. the girls' favourite second-cousin) 4 hrs away on the July long wknd
July 6 ~ had a friend and her two young children over for a morning playdate
July 7 ~ swimming at the lake with school friends
July 14/15 ~ Fidget was at a friend's place for the day and a sleepover; Peanut and I had a special supper and movie night.
July 15-17 ~ camping with the 'Man's family
July 18-23 ~ girls first ever week at Bible Camp!
July 22-25 ~ one of the 'Man's sisters came to visit

Try to head to the lake or pool once a week:

July 3 ~ swimmin' in the creek on my uncle's farm
July 7 ~ the girls and I went to the lake (some of the girls' school friends were there, too, it turns out, so this also counts as a playdate!)
July 15-17 ~ swimming in the lake each day while camping
July 19-22 ~ girls swam in the pool each full day at camp

MORE PICNICS! ~ at home: Jun 29, Jul 11; weiner roast by the creek Jul 3

Well, even without the girls' week at camp, I'm not sticking to these goals terribly well. But it's not like we've needed boredom busters either, so I think it's okay! We've had a very busy month with only one weekend where we were home and had no overnight company, so I think we're doing not too badly. Next month, the weekends will look about the same, but the weeks will HOPEFULLY feel a little bit more liesurely!!

(HA, wish me luck!)

Practicing Gratitude

2011-07-20T20:00:00.080-05:00

Oh my goodness, I can't believe another week has gone by!! Slow DOWN, Summer!

I am thankful for the busy, but fun week I've had! The second half of last week was busy as we prepared to camp with The Man's family and then the weekend was camping, Monday was hurriedly preparing the girls for their first ever week of Bible camp and bringing them there, and yesterday and today have been full of laundry and cleaning up from camping and settling back into a normal routine ~ such as it is when I'm home alone!

I'm thankful for the AMAZING weather we had while camping. Our province has been basking in a heat wave the last week or so and while it was abnormally hot, I still prefer that for a weekend at the lake than cold and rainy. I'm thankful the thunderstorms waited until we got home!

I'm thankful for family and the good time we could enjoy together ~ the fun in the lake and at the campsite around the fire.

I'm thankful for scenery, for the beauty God's created for us to enjoy and to give us a glimpse of His majesty and supremacy over all.

I'm thankful He controls the weather and the seasons. My province has struggled with the combined results of an unusually wet fall, an overabundance of snow over winter, and far too much rain this spring. And while flood battles are still very fresh and even ongoing in some areas, for our Valley, it was good to get the thorough soaking we got last night and today. Earlier, many wondered if The Valley would EVER dry out, and yet after four straight weeks of hot, sunny weather, we found ourselves hoping for a bit of rain. And now we got it.

I'm thankful my girls get to experience camp and I'm taking it as a really good sign that we haven't been contacted since dropping them off Monday afternoon! I'm grateful for a vehicle with extra space so I could offer a ride to the girls' two school friends who were also going to the same camp. And I'm thankful their mom ~ who happens to be a good friend of mine ~ and I could enjoy supper out and a liesurely drive home after dropping them off.

So as you can see, it's been a full week. And most of all, I'm thankful I don't need to concern myself with preparing and packing up for the next adventure for at least another week! ;)

* Click the Thankful Thursday button at the top of this post to visit our host and other thankful bloggers!

Home Alone

2011-07-19T14:34:00.001-05:00

I have never really been home alone before.

Before our girls were born, there were a few times when I spent the night alone without any other HUMANS in the house, but back then we always had a large dog living in the house with us.

Since then, I've gotten used to nights without The Man since he started driving truck six years ago, but it's always been me and the girls.

And this past year, I got used to days alone at home, too, since both girls were in school full-time.

But I have never been in my home completely alone at night until last night.

Settling into their cabin, which they
also share with their school friend.
(Pardon Fidget's goofy grin ~ I
couldn't get a normal smile out of her
that day!)

My girls are experiencing Bible camp for the very first time this week and their absence is a little disquieting. Especially at night. I really never gave it much thought before, but obviously, their presence in the house is comforting, even though I'm the only adult. It was a very weird feeling, trying to fall asleep last night, knowing I was the only one in the house.

Sleep came eventually (and morning far too quickly as a result!) and it all feels relatively normal again. Just like a school day would. The Man will be home for night tonight, so that'll feel more "normal," but knowing the girls won't be slamming one of the porch doors every half hour or so to beg for freezies for at least the next 4 days still feels a little odd!

I'd lined up all sorts of work projects to keep me busy, but I've decided to relax and just cover the basics ~ maybe do a few more fun things than I normally have the luxury of doing.

Plus, it's too hot and humid to do all those work things anyway!

*For all you curious southerners, it's 106F with the humidex today and we're still a few degree shy of the forecast high. It's been this way for the last week or so and the long-range forecast predicts this trend will continue for the next two weeks without much of a reprieve.

Don't laugh, but we're calling it a heat wave... ;)

Practicing Gratitude

2011-07-13T20:00:00.143-05:00

I can't believe I completely forgot to post last week!! Just havin' too much fun, I guess.

I'm thankful for a great week. The girls and I had a playdate with a friend and her two young kids, an afternoon at the lake (which ended up being a playdate, too, because a handful of the girls' friends also happened to be there!), and an evening at the town library and school playground. The 'Man and I invited some friends over whom we haven't visited with in a long while on Saturday evening ~ ALMOST spontaneously!! (I called around lunchtime to invite them over!) It was just a generally fulfilling-feeling week.

Running to catch "the wave."
(The ONLY wave!)

This week hasn't had as much on the agenda, but that's partly because we're gearing up for a weekend of camping followed by the girls' first ever week of Bible Camp!! I'm thankful we found a camp not too far away where they can go together, and that they'll both have some school friends attending as well. Peanut's been excited since the day we first mentioned it, but it took Fidget a little while to adjust to the idea of being away from home for a week. She's looking forward to it now, too, and I think they'll both have a great time.

I'm thankful the weather has been so wonderful over the last few weeks ~ it makes summer so much more enjoyable! Our Canadian Prairie summers are so short and our last few have been cool and damp, so the last three weeks have just felt INCREDIBLE!

I'm thankful for plans and goals for the summer, but also that I don't need to feel like everything HAS to happen. I love the carefree-ness of the summer break! There are a few things I want to work at or continue working on over the next eight weeks before school starts again, but I want to focus on just enjoying having the girls at home.

I'm so thankful I'm a stay-at-home mom. The day we came home from our afternoon at the lake last week, we happened to drive by as one of the school moms we know picked up her kids from their babysitter's home. I was instantly flooded with gratitude that I don't have to work away my girls' holidays. I would hate to have to miss out on all the fun! And to not be able to do these kinds of spontaneous things.

I'm thankful that I'm learning to love my life and to believe that its good-ness doesn't depend on things we can have or do. I know that those things don't determine whether or not my life has been meaningful and fulfilling, but it's hard to train your heart and mind to believe it when your culture constantly bombards you with the message that they do! Contentment is a constant struggle. I can't imagine ever getting to the point where I NEVER wish we could afford this or that, but I'm thankful God is teaching me daily to rely on Him and to just enjoy what He's already blessed me with.

Summer Goals Checkpoint #1

2011-07-12T06:00:00.226-05:00

Well, we're two weeks into summer holidays. Can you even BELIEVE it??! I sure can't. Man, I remember the days when two weeks into summer holidays I was already bored out of my mind, thinking that waiting another 8 looooooooong weeks to return to school would almost kill me. Now I can't believe we've only got just 8 weeks left! Hoping to feel like I'm relaxing somewhere in there....!

Anyway, it's time to see how we're doing with those summer goals I publicly announced on the last day of school:

Get to the local library and school playground once a week ~ umm.... nope. Planning to hit the library this afternoon though!
Spend 20 minutes a day in the garden ~ Jun 28, 29, (were away from home the 1st to 3rd) Jul 4, Jul 7 ~ not doin' so great here either!
Teach girls some simple chore routines:
- swish'n'swipe bathroom: every morning we've been home since July 5 (except weekends)
- make beds: every single day since Jul 5
- 10-minute "fling boogie": not once (though I did get them to clean up the play room/front porch on Saturday)

Involve girls with meal prep and dishes once a week each:
- Peanut: Jun 29
- Fidget:
- (ugh ~ FAIL!)
Weekly piano lessons for Peanut ~ Jun 30, Jul 11
One playdate or special activity each week ~ visited some relatives (incl. the girls' favourite second-cousin) 4 hrs away on the July long wknd; had a friend and her two young children over for lunch July 6; swimming at the lake with school friends July 7;
Try to head to the lake or pool once a week ~ swimmin' in the creek on my uncle's farm, July 3; at the lake July 7 (some of the girls' school friends were there, too, it turns out, so this counts as a playdate, too!);
MORE PICNICS! ~ Jun 29; Jul 3 weiner roast by the creek; Jul 11;
More face and/or phone time with my real-life friends. ~ Jul 4 phone chats w/a friend AND w/my mom; Jul 6 friend and her two young kids over for morning playdate; had friends over for coffee and an evening visit Jul 9;

So far, I think we're not doing too badly. Obviously, the gardening and the meal prep and clean up are my weak areas. The library hasn't been a priority either. In my defence, The 'Man's been around a fair bit lately, so he's been tending the garden ~ which is kind of his baby anyway ~ and the girls have more books than they know what to do with so I think we just haven't felt the need for new books. Peanut actually bought a few more at a thrift store last weekend ~ does that count??

I would really like to be a little more conscientious about the dishes and meal prep, but it's still easier to just do it myself, especially if they're busy playing at something. I kinda hate disrupting them when they're playing well together or having fun outside. But I probably just need to get more organized and give them fair warning of what will be happening.

Next week will be rather out of the ordinary for all of us, so this list of goals will pretty much get thrown out the window. After a weekend of camping together with The 'Man's family, we've got one night at home before the girls are off to their very first summer Bible camp experience! And they'll be gone ALL WEEK ~ like, from Monday afternoon till Saturday afternoon! I hope to get a few things accomplished in their room while they're gone, but I also hope to spend a day with The 'Man in the semi-truck, and maybe get together with a couple of my girlfriends. So it will be busy, even without them at home!

But the weather's been AWESOME and the forecast is predicting more awesomeness, so that's all that matters! Hope you're all having a wonderful summer, too!

My Week in Pictures

2011-07-08T09:34:00.001-05:00

Technically, these shots are all just from Wednesday and Thursday, but sometimes it just takes two days to make a whole week feel full, wonderful, and rewarding! Ever had weeks like that? I'm hoping for at least eight more before school starts again!! ;)

Almost heaven

2011-07-05T06:03:00.002-05:00

This past weekend, we spent a couple of days visiting my cousin and her husband and their kids, who used to live up here, but moved back to her family's farm a few hours away only a year after we moved here. It's been almost exactly 10 years since I visited that area in the summer, and probably at least twice that long since I went specifically just to visit. (10 years ago it was for another cousin's wedding and then we were just there for the day)

It was awesome to travel the old familiar roads, see the houses where uncles, aunts, cousins, and my grandparents used to live, and to remember all the wonderful times spent with my cousins ~ the crazy schemes we devised, the horseback rides, the hours of work in the hot summer sun followed by an evening at the town pool, and long, long walks through my uncle's beautiful farmland.

On Sunday after church, my cousin had planned a weiner roast lunch down by the creek that runs through her dad's property, and since that was always my favourite place on earth, I heartily agreed. The weather was perfect.

First, a drive across the pasture...

And then through the cattle fence, a narrow line of trees, and another small pasture...

Cookin' lunch!

And then swimming in the creek afterwards! (which is fun even if you have to wear pajamas instead of a swimsuit because your mom wasn't expecting any swimming!!)

Normally, by this time of year, this creek has all but dried up, but this area of our province experienced some serious flooding this spring so it's still flowing. This particular community, actually, is STILL fighting floods.

The river that's destroying Minot, ND and surrounding areas flows only a few miles away from here, right beside the town. It's washed out two of four bridges in the area and there's grave concerns about the main bridge from the highway into town.

They're expecting the crest this coming weekend.

But here? You'd never know anything was wrong in the world.

I love my yard, but I was reminded afresh why I used to call this my favourite place on earth.

I think maybe it still is.

For my southern neighbours...

2011-07-04T06:03:00.018-05:00

Have a very happy...

2011-07-01T06:00:00.000-05:00

Any special plans for celebrating? We're heading out to visit some relatives we don't see often enough, and hopefully we'll get in some fireworks and shopping, too!

Have a great long weekend!!

Practicing Gratitude: Patriotic Edition

2011-06-30T08:29:00.001-05:00

It's Canada Day tomorrow! She'll be a youthful 144 years old.

I'm thankful for wide open spaces. For endless prairie skies. For the wind in the waves of ripened grain and tall grass. For "character-building" winters. I'm thankful for hardiness and endurance! I'm thankful we're known the world over as peaceful, friendly people.
(provided we don't lose at hockey, of course... )

I'm thankful for freedom, even though some insist on exercising it in unattractive ways. I'm thankful for choices in education, occupation, and relationships. I'm thankful it's still possible to worship without fear, to not have to meet with other believers in hiding.

I'm thankful for all the choices that don't get made FOR me ~ how to dress, how to act, how to live. I'm thankful failure to abide by the rules isn't automatically punishable by death. I'm thankful for opportunities to learn from my mistakes.

I'm thankful for all the luxuries I have the luxury of whining and complaining about. I'm thankful I'm learning, on a daily basis, how to live more gratefully ~ developing an attitude of contentment. I'm thankful for unexpected treats and delights from family, friends.... and God.

I'm thankful for the national anthem, though I wish we would sing it through more often. Especially the last verse:

Ruler Supreme,
Who hearest humble prayer,
Hold our dominion in Thy loving care.
Help us to find
O God, in Thee, a lasting, rich reward,
As waiting for the better day,
We ever stand on guard.

God keep our land
Glorious and free!
O Canada! We stand on guard for thee.
O Canada! We stand on guard for thee.

I'm so thankful for my country, though not as much or as regularly as I should be. I find myself often looking at other nations with "greener grass goggles," but really,

I have it so good.

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Schoooool's Out. for. Summer!

2011-06-28T06:05:00.237-05:00

Well, after the awards ceremony this afternoon it will be anyway!

Let the holidays BEGIN!

(And the sleeping in, too! It'll take a while for them to get the hang of it, but give me a week or so, and I'll have them sleeping until at least 8:30 every morning!)

Other than the girls' first ever week at camp, we don't have much lined up for the summer. The girls were in "early bird" swimming lessons again this year, so they finished those on Friday. We don't have anything out of the ordinary planned for the summer, but for all those days and weeks at home, I really liked the goals we made last year and so I decided to do something similar again this summer. In fact, I'm copying and pasting the entire list!

Get to the local library and school playground once a week
Spend 20 minutes a day in the garden ~ this one NONE of us stuck to last summer, but I really want to work at it myself, as well as involving the girls. Note to self: buy them each their own hoe!
Teach the girls some simple chores ~ I had them doing some laundry and swish 'n' swiping the bathroom almost daily last summer, so we're going to implement that again. And I think I'll try setting the timer for 15 minutes each evening for the three of us to do a "27-fling boogie" à la FlyLady.
Get the girls involved with meal prep and dishes once a week each ~ I virtually abandoned this goal last summer, but I want to try again. Summer is the perfect time for this because meals are often simpler and I don't need to worry that I'm not allowing them enough play time after school/before bed.
Weekly piano lessons for Peanut ~ we have struggled with maintaining this throughout the school year, but picked it up again at the end of May and she moved to the second level two weeks ago. We've set up a few short- and long-term goals now, and so she's more determined to practice and better at reminding me it's lesson time again
One playdate or special activity each week ~ not counting the ones covered by the other goals listed here!
Try to head to the lake or pool once a week ~ I'd like to get a bit more organized to prevent much of the "last-minute" running around that ends up taking an hour and making the whole thing just feel like WORK!

MORE PICNICS ~ the girls, especially Fidget, are always begging to have a picnic supper or lunch, but it's just so much easier to stay indoors! If I can get my act together with the meal prep and planning goal above, this won't be as much of a hassle and we can all enjoy it.

Whew, it looks like a lot of goals, doesn't it?! A little planning will go a long way though ~ and it will also serve my purpose to become a more deliberate parent. I really want to try and wrap my head around the fact that I'm raising future adults. While I want them to enjoy childhood as long as possible, I also would like them to learn that responsibilities are just part of life.

I also have one goal specifically for myself:

Work at getting in more face and/or phone time with my real-life friends. ~ The Internet has just made it too stinkin' easy to not actually spend time with anyone. Given my reclusive tendencies, I feel like it won't be long before I don't HAVE any real-life friends if I don't start investing a little more personally in them! I want to make sure I at least talk to a friend on the phone once a week if not actually getting together with them and chatting face-to-face.

Do you have any particular goals this summer? For those of you well into your summer holidays already, how are you doing with your goals?

Practicing Gratitude

2011-06-22T20:00:00.013-05:00

Wow, I can't believe it's been a full week since I posted anything ~ that's gotta be some kind of record around here!! Even when we've been away from home for a week, I generally have a couple of scheduled posts during that time. We haven't been anywhere!

And it's been TWO weeks since I posted a Thankful Thursday post!! Not because I wasn't grateful, of course, but because last Wednesday, I posted about my daughter's birthday instead. Because it WAS her birthday! I'm so thankful to have had SEVEN years with my "baby." She's kept us hoppin', that's for sure!

I can't think of anything in particular that I'm thankful for today, so I'm just going to list a few of the things that have appeared in my gratitude journal over the last week:

a tractor that mows most of our yard!
wide prairie sky
Peanut's doing really well with remembering to practice her piano 5x a week.
girls loved "bike week" at school ~ and riding their bikes all the way home after the last day (with mom slowly cruising behind them in the van and eventually picking up the little one, whose legs just couldn't quite make it!)
seeing the girls learn how to think a little more about what they're praying
BEAUTIFUL summery weather for Fidget's birthday party/playdate
a husband who takes the responsibility of provider for his family very seriously
old-fashioned Saturday morning cartoons!
the sights and sounds of my two daughters playing so well together for hours
WONDERFUL day at the lake with my church family (best weather we've had in a long time for our annual lakeside service!)
thoughtful friends
good, challenging discussion with my husband ~ WITHOUT it turning ugly!
a husband who wants to grow in his relationship with God and who wants the same for me

conversation about faith, God, and Christian living with a good friend
FOOTBALL SEASON HAS STARTED!

What are YOU thankful for today??

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First ever Fidget-Fest!

2011-06-15T06:00:00.087-05:00

Believe it or not, this year was the first time we really had a birthday party for Fidget, our younger daughter.

She turns 7 today.
(Man, where DOES the time go?? ::sigh::)

I don't remember why we didn't have one for her last year ~ although after-school swimming lessons the week of her birthday were used as an excuse, if I remember correctly. This year, the girls are once again in after-school swimming lessons this week and next, but we threw her party on Friday so that wouldn't be a problem. Only two of her little friends came (50% of the guest list), but the four girls had a great time together.

Fidget isn't into organized games and has no patience for crafts, so it felt a little weird to not be planning anything, but it certainly made my job easier!!

After a quick snack, the girls visited our almost-month-old kittens, jumped on the trampoline, played on the tire- and rope-swings, and picked this beautiful oriental-looking bouquet for our picnic table.

Then we played a little "sidewalk curling." My girls love it when I freeze water in sour cream containers and then they slide the ice chunks ~ usually with a small figurine frozen inside them ~ along the sidewalks. (seriously, I ask you again: why on earth do we bother buying them toys??!) In a flash of brilliance, I'd thrown a few in the freezer the night before. My only regret is that I didn't do way more ~ they were a hit with our guests, too!

Fortunately, The 'Man was able to be home just in time for supper, so he could look after getting the fire started, whittling some roastin' sticks, and supervising the li'l wiener-roasters at the fire while I brought out all the other food. I hadn't originally planned on a picnic, but it was a BEAUTIFUL summery day and Fidget is always begging to eat outside, so it worked out perfectly. (And kept my house cleaner, too!)

Then it was cake and present-time and more running around before the moms showed up to pick up their kids.

(Simplest. cake. EVER. I love how easy-to-please this kid is!)

♥ Happy birthday, Fidget! ♥
It was fun throwing your first official birthday party!!

The Lesson Plan

2011-06-13T06:00:00.015-05:00

As most of you know, I was working through the ebook 31 Days to Clean and participated in the related challenge over at Joyful Mothering. I decided I needed to set that aside for yardwork season ~ I just can't deep-clean my house right now! Our Canadian prairie summers are so stinkin' short that I want to be outside enjoying them ~ but the Mary challenge from Day 15 has haunted me since I first read through the study for that day.

The assignment was to come up with a lesson plan (I'm guessing not necessarily a LITERAL lesson plan, but at least a general idea) for teaching our children why keeping an orderly home is important. WHY is it important for them to keep their rooms tidy? WHY is it important to be organized and efficient? Sarah Mae's suggestion was to also find some supporting Scripture verses to add to the plan.

I thought about it and thought about it, but just couldn't even really figure out a philosophy, let alone articulate it into something I might be able to teach my daughters. And I sure didn't know where to start looking in my Bible either. So, at a complete loss, I turned to one of my most trusted resources: Revive Our Hearts Radio (bet that didn't surprise anyone, eh?!) I found the answers and inspiration I was looking for in an archived broadcast called The True Value of Your Home. Host Nancy Leigh DeMoss says:

Being home keepers, homemakers, reflects God’s heart for the home. God is somebody who loves home. Psalm 68:5-6 tells us, “A Father of the fatherless and protector of widows is God in his holy habitation. God settles the solitary in a home.”

God is a homemaker, and we reflect His heart for home when we cultivate homes where people can grow and be nurtured and nourished.

When you bring order out of chaos in your home... you are reflecting to the people in that home the One who created the world when the earth was formless and void and dark. You’re incarnating the Creator God in a sense, giving people a glimpse of Him.

When you cook nutritious, tasty meals for your family, you are pointing them to the One who feeds the hungry and who satisfies thirsty souls with Himself. You’re giving them an appetite for Him.

When you go to the time and effort to be sure that your husband and your kids have adequate clothing that fits, you are pointing them toward the One who clothes us with His righteousness.

When you learn how to decorate your home tastefully, you’re giving your family and guests in your home a glimpse of the One whose handiwork and artistry are reflected in creation. The heavens declare the glory of God and the firmament shows His handiwork.

When you maintain a clean home, an orderly home, you’re creating an atmosphere where your family can appreciate the value of being spiritually clean, cleansed from sin, and of having lives that are spiritually ordered. You’re teaching; you’re training not just to be clean and orderly because that is not a supreme, ultimate eternal virtue. It’s pointing them to virtues that are supreme and eternal. As you are homemaking what you are doing is creating a taste for our ultimate home in heaven.

Jesus said, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms . . . I am going there to prepare a place for you” (John 14:1-2, NIV). So Jesus is a homemaker. His purpose is not Himself. “I’m going there to prepare a place for you.”

The thought of what Jesus is doing in preparing a place for us in heaven is supposed to keep our hearts from being troubled. It’s supposed to bring us peace as we wait and anticipate that home.

So our ultimate focus is on our eternal heavenly home and our homes here on earth are supposed to point people to Christ and to give them a taste for their home in heaven. They’re supposed to be glimpses of heaven here on earth, places where hearts are encouraged, not troubled, where hearts are at peace.

See, every aspect of homemaking is meant to reflect some spiritual, eternal truth that we’re trying to picture to our world.

This is what takes the mundane and the tedious and can make it an act of worship,

can make it a work of art,

can make it something profoundly spiritual.

As we prepare a place for our families, for those that we invite into our homes, we are demonstrating to them the way that Christ is serving us and preparing a place for us in His Father’s house. (bold, same-colour emphasis in original; different-colour emphasis was added by me. Clicking the picture at right will take to the beginning of the ROH series, God's Beautiful Design for Women.)

That's my lesson plan. That's what I want to keep in mind when I feel like I'm tidying up the same mess for the bajillionth time. That's what I want to remember when I'm tired and the girls want me to jump on the trampoline, or when they want a picnic even though it's so much simpler to eat inside. That's what I want to remember when I'm feeling taken for granted, and figuring I need more recognition than I'm getting. It's what I want to teach and model for my girls.

My home can have significant eternal value depending on what it is used for. I have been blessed with a home so I can use it to be a blessing to others ~ my husband, my children, our guests. I want to care for it like I understand and believe that.

And I want to teach and model that to my daughters so they will understand the value and importance of their future homes as well.

It's a hard-knock life...

2011-06-11T13:02:00.000-05:00

...for us.

Really.

I had planned to mow lawn, but discovered my lawn-mower had been taken to town by The 'Man, who figured the grass on the shop yard was in desperate need of cutting.

So I guess I'm stuck doing THIS.

::sigh::

How are you spending YOUR Saturday?