For those of you who are dreaming of a white Christmas, we have got some snow to come your way but, if you do take some of the snow you have to take the bitter cold and the windchill it has with it this year. We are in the midst of a cold snap that reminds me more of a late January day than a December one but that is ok because it simply means curling up at night with a blanket, snuggling with the family and enjoying a nice cup of hot chocolate...when we are home.
There have been some huge changes in our lives this year; it has been a year of stretching, restructuring and the like but it has all been great! BigB & I have both changed jobs and I, especially, am loving mine. I am now at Early Childhood Intervention as the Office Manager and BigB is over at Image Computers instead of us both being at the hospital. We are also building a new sanctuary as a church and we have helped out with that some; i have learned how to mud a bit and have become very efficient at painting trim and at sanding. Rush is also working-two jobs actually; she works as a cashier at Superstore plus she babysits every second week during the evenings for us and another family while we are at school.
Yes, BigB and I are classmates! We are both attending first year classes at World Revival Training Center and the classes, so far, have been incredible (some more work than others but all the same, incredible and life changing)! The kids have all left the public school system this year and are attending WRPS the A.C.E. school at our church and I have nothing but great things to say about that place and the education they are getting! Rush is even paying for her own tuition.
We have been incredibly busy as a family as we are striving to bring ourselves to a deeper place in our relationship with God and as a family. We have made some new and truly fantastic friends but have found ourselves in a position where we are pressed for time (but for great reasons) to get together with family and old friends and they are all greatly missed. I am in the process of fine-tuning the organization of our household and perhaps with the start of 2009 will come the beginning of some new found time.
Rush has spent this current school year learning sign language and is learning new words daily; we are so proud of her and how quickly she picked it up! She started to have bass lessons but they were momentarily halted due to time constraints on both parties, teacher and student. They will be picking them back up in the new year again. Her grades this year have been absolutely great and it is just an absolute joy to be around her. Rush's humor will leave you in stitches and well, she is overall just a great lady to be around. I almost called her a kid but she is 15 years old now and I guess my days of calling her a kid are over...
Jellybean is also doing great at school and has really loved transitioning to WRPS; she loved her old school, teachers and friends but there is a difference here. So far, her lowest mark this year is an 87% or something like that. Jellybean still loves her music and plucks away at her violin at times or her guitar at times. She is a little prayer warrior when she wants to be.
Bug still makes my morning every morning with the sweet look he gives me (like he hasn't seen me in 100 days). He is loving going to school and learning all about letters from Miss Pam. Poor Miss Pam! She has Bug and his two best buddies in her class who feed off of each other like a tornado; I just hope the three of them keep it to a dull gayle force wind for her instead of a full blown tornado... Bug is a worshipper; he has music in his bone marrow I am sure and we will "catch" him in the living room singing and dancing his heart out. He is still too "shy" around non-immediate family to do that in public but it is coming.
We have had a great 2008 and we are looking forward now, to an even better 2009! There is no telling what can and will happen in the new year but we are ready and eager for it to happen!
For you, our friends and family, our hope and prayer is for a healthy, happy, prosperous 2009! You all mean so very much to us and we love you all dearly. Merry Christmas!
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Friday, December 12, 2008
Thus ends this latest bout of Teenagitis...
Sometimes I forget (like when she has a day or two of that dreaded, non-treatable disease Teenagitis-now don't get me wrong compared to most other teenagers Rush's Teenagitis is an extremely mild case but when you are used to your child one way any change can seem monumental) but my daughter is great! Fantastic even! I know, I know! It's probably not in the Mom Rule Handbook but I have to toot that horn for my kid, Rush! Toot! Toot! Toot!!!
Let me tell you why (not like you will neccessarily listen but as long as you're all ready here you may as well stay, right?) She is 15 years old, has a job, 2 jobs actually (she is a cashier at a grocery store and every second week babysits 4 other children as well as her brother & sister so the 4 parents can go to their classes), is paying for her own Christian schooling which is $143/month, is getting super fantastic marks in her schoolwork, does the Media Shout at the church and comes out to music practice when she isn't working. She makes supper for us so we can eat at a normal meal time during the week (and boy was last night's seasoned, garlicy asperagus fantasticly delicious! My taste buds are still screaming for more of that delicious veggie!), makes lunches for her, the kids & myself (at least on the weeks we are in classes) and last night we came home from our class (with our brains feeling like mush from the overwhelmingness of our Covenant exam) to find a sparkling kitchen. You guys, it was sparkling like a Mr. Clean commercial only it didn't have the bald headed dude with the earring in it. (Pity because that would have been cool!) Not only that, but, she had completely changed the kitty litter (ok, I will only give credit where credit is due. That has been a daily request for the last week but she FINALLY did it! YAY!!!) and she had (with the help of Jellybean doing her duties-again with the credit where it is due) gotten the mat for the entrance down...unfortunately that was also a battle to get done.
Rush has recently gone into remission from her Teenagitis; it is so great to look into her eyes and see a smile in there just begging to come out, to see a peaceful countenance on her, to hear her laughing with her brother & sister and to not hear sharp comments, rude retorts or see major eye-rolling an it is such a relief to not worry about the proximity of sharp objects (:D)! One thing I can say about Rush is her bouts of Teenagitis don't last very long and that is such a relief because one of the side effects to Teenagitis is that parents develop Parent-rage (similar to road rage) and there are times where it is pretty touch-and-go as to whether someone will get their tires shot out or not (:D).
This last bout wasn't very long but it was long enough that we missed our Rush with such an intensity. We thought perhaps she was lost forever in the clutches of Teenagitis; we were about ready to get her picture on a milk carton, brick of cheese, yogurt tube;any and all dairy products we could get our hands on was about to have her missing picture on it.
One of the most recent coversations we have had with Rush went something like this:
BigB: It's good to have you back, Baby.
Rush (soft and sweetly): It's good to BE back.
Brings tears to a proud mama's eyes just thinking about it.
Now her eyes are shining, her voice is its soft, sweet self, she is huggily and snuggily and thanks to her friend, Laura, she smells like "Amazmint" lipgloss and I get a craving for candy canes whenever she is around...Gee I love that girl!!!
Let me tell you why (not like you will neccessarily listen but as long as you're all ready here you may as well stay, right?) She is 15 years old, has a job, 2 jobs actually (she is a cashier at a grocery store and every second week babysits 4 other children as well as her brother & sister so the 4 parents can go to their classes), is paying for her own Christian schooling which is $143/month, is getting super fantastic marks in her schoolwork, does the Media Shout at the church and comes out to music practice when she isn't working. She makes supper for us so we can eat at a normal meal time during the week (and boy was last night's seasoned, garlicy asperagus fantasticly delicious! My taste buds are still screaming for more of that delicious veggie!), makes lunches for her, the kids & myself (at least on the weeks we are in classes) and last night we came home from our class (with our brains feeling like mush from the overwhelmingness of our Covenant exam) to find a sparkling kitchen. You guys, it was sparkling like a Mr. Clean commercial only it didn't have the bald headed dude with the earring in it. (Pity because that would have been cool!) Not only that, but, she had completely changed the kitty litter (ok, I will only give credit where credit is due. That has been a daily request for the last week but she FINALLY did it! YAY!!!) and she had (with the help of Jellybean doing her duties-again with the credit where it is due) gotten the mat for the entrance down...unfortunately that was also a battle to get done.
Rush has recently gone into remission from her Teenagitis; it is so great to look into her eyes and see a smile in there just begging to come out, to see a peaceful countenance on her, to hear her laughing with her brother & sister and to not hear sharp comments, rude retorts or see major eye-rolling an it is such a relief to not worry about the proximity of sharp objects (:D)! One thing I can say about Rush is her bouts of Teenagitis don't last very long and that is such a relief because one of the side effects to Teenagitis is that parents develop Parent-rage (similar to road rage) and there are times where it is pretty touch-and-go as to whether someone will get their tires shot out or not (:D).
This last bout wasn't very long but it was long enough that we missed our Rush with such an intensity. We thought perhaps she was lost forever in the clutches of Teenagitis; we were about ready to get her picture on a milk carton, brick of cheese, yogurt tube;any and all dairy products we could get our hands on was about to have her missing picture on it.
One of the most recent coversations we have had with Rush went something like this:
BigB: It's good to have you back, Baby.
Rush (soft and sweetly): It's good to BE back.
Brings tears to a proud mama's eyes just thinking about it.
Now her eyes are shining, her voice is its soft, sweet self, she is huggily and snuggily and thanks to her friend, Laura, she smells like "Amazmint" lipgloss and I get a craving for candy canes whenever she is around...Gee I love that girl!!!
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Like a crocus poking its way to the surface.
That's how I feel today-so much more hopeful and full of life than yesterday. My feelings of general crapiness yesterday were the result of an oncoming migraine. Haven't had one of those in a while. I left work at 2:30 yesterday and headed straight to my beautiful bed, dark room and promptly found a cold cloth to put across my eyes. I had a wonderful sleep and felt a lot better when I woke up at 6:30 but still not great. At 10:30 I headed back to bed and fell into another deep, quick sleep (with the help of my dark room and, again, cold cloth) and awoke this morning feeling hopeful and like new life (that crocus poking out as winter tries to cling to itself and spring pushes forth for hope and joy...)
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
My butt she be draggin'
Is it just that today is "hump day" or is the last few weeks completely catching up to me? Today I feel weary; I am past tired-way past. I keep pressing on, pressing in and pushing past because it is not about how I feel but be that as it may, I am weary.
It could be that I "feel" a little bug coming on; my eyes hurt, my bones ache, my head seems helium balloonish and that that is what is causing my weariness that and I really need sleep.
I haven't had a good night's sleep in about a month with working full-time, night classes, homework and studying for night classes and some good, old-fashioned building project work. This week's classes are on covenant; it's pretty intense, a lot of heavy thinking, heavy re-thinking and re-vamping and a lot of cramming of information into my brain. It's been an incredible class so far; I just don't know if I am looking forward to tomorrow's exam and essay! I don't get a huge quantity of time to study and the time I do get isn't quality because it is rushed during breaks at work or after class when my brain is all ready overloaded mush.
This weekend is going to be nice family time but still, there is a lot to get done in a short two days. I have a breakfast with the worship team and then music practice until 1, our plan is to get the tree up and decorated (the house decorated too) and then on Sunday we have church service (which I know will do me a world of good for renewal), bigB has a media meeting immediately after the service (for an unknown length of time) and it sounds like we are going to be able to enjoy a nice visit with J while we decorate our gingerbread house (which adds one more thing to my list of things to do...must get the rest of the candy, fruit roll ups, etc for the gingerbread decorating party).
My body & mind are really looking forward to the week I have off at Christmas. Unfortunately for both of them I all ready have a list started as to things that need to get done then too...My body and mind are longing for white powdered sand beaches, greenish-blue waters, the heat of the tropical sun and a bed with no alarm clock just for 4 or 5 days (mind you, I have never experienced that so maybe once I got there I would want a lot more days or a lot less).
It could be that I "feel" a little bug coming on; my eyes hurt, my bones ache, my head seems helium balloonish and that that is what is causing my weariness that and I really need sleep.
I haven't had a good night's sleep in about a month with working full-time, night classes, homework and studying for night classes and some good, old-fashioned building project work. This week's classes are on covenant; it's pretty intense, a lot of heavy thinking, heavy re-thinking and re-vamping and a lot of cramming of information into my brain. It's been an incredible class so far; I just don't know if I am looking forward to tomorrow's exam and essay! I don't get a huge quantity of time to study and the time I do get isn't quality because it is rushed during breaks at work or after class when my brain is all ready overloaded mush.
This weekend is going to be nice family time but still, there is a lot to get done in a short two days. I have a breakfast with the worship team and then music practice until 1, our plan is to get the tree up and decorated (the house decorated too) and then on Sunday we have church service (which I know will do me a world of good for renewal), bigB has a media meeting immediately after the service (for an unknown length of time) and it sounds like we are going to be able to enjoy a nice visit with J while we decorate our gingerbread house (which adds one more thing to my list of things to do...must get the rest of the candy, fruit roll ups, etc for the gingerbread decorating party).
My body & mind are really looking forward to the week I have off at Christmas. Unfortunately for both of them I all ready have a list started as to things that need to get done then too...My body and mind are longing for white powdered sand beaches, greenish-blue waters, the heat of the tropical sun and a bed with no alarm clock just for 4 or 5 days (mind you, I have never experienced that so maybe once I got there I would want a lot more days or a lot less).
Monday, December 08, 2008
Let's play catch-up
There hasn't been a lot of stuff going on in our lives as of late but enough to keep us busy. Last week I was in classes outside of my regular class schedule. The topic last week was Kingdom Worship and the worship team was asked to take part in the class; it was extremely interesting and I am SO glad I was able to go. The only thing was that a lot of things I had hoped to get done didn't get accomplished but that's all right; they'll be there when I am ready. I am really looking forward to this week's class with Pastor Greg...Covenant.
I have finally begun to do some shopping. I found a great pair of American Eagle winter boots (regular $70) at Liquidation World for $10. We found the kids some clothes but man, were we all getting discouraged!!! It is very hard these days to find clothes that my children can wear to school (due to their dress code); it was almost impossible to find dress pants for Jellybean! We finally found 3 pair and a pair of leggings to go with her long tops...We finally found dress shirts for Bug but most boys clothes is rough and rugged. I guess there aren't many 5 year old boys that wear dress clothes more days of the week than not.
We were in "The City" this weekend enjoying a family Christmas meal with my mom, step-dad, brother, sister-in-law, their boys and my sister, brother-in-law and their boy. With that many people my mom had to get creative for us all to eat together and so, this was the first time in my life I have ever eaten Christmas dinner (or any meal for that matter) in the garage. We had a few laughs over that.
Saturday evening was, I think, the most fun of the day...some of us sat around the kitchen table and played a game of Scrabble (Rush won thanks to the help of Uncle :D) and then we played Guesstures. I don't think I have laughed that hard in a long time; it was hilarious watching people try to act different words out (including myself) or guess the words that you were trying to act...
Rush finally had enough money saved up to buy herself a camera and an mp3 player so she is quite pumped. I got a new compact camera just for everyday lugging around...
Yesterday afternoon Rush & I were at the ECIP family's Christmas party; it was in the basement of a church here in town. It felt strange to be there at first...I hadn't been to that church since the funeral of my cousin who was killed while riding his bike 11 years ago (he was 11). Memories were awakened being there...
After the party the entire family headed over to Giant Tiger for a "Friends and Family" invitation only gathering. We got a few things we needed, a few extra things as well (we got 10% off) and the kids each got $5 gift cards to spend. Jellybean bought herself a Gatorade, a Lunchmate (ham) and a package of Juicy Fruit gum (just like Papa chews). Bug bought a big bag of spicy Dorritos and 2 packages of "Papa gum". They were both very proud of themselves (especially Bug as this was his first purchase ever!).
This week looks like another full week: classes Mon to Thurs, Church Friday, breakfast with the worship team and practice Saturday morning/early afternoon, decorating the house for Christmas with the family and perhaps (we haven't planned it yet) decorating the gingerbread house and ending the week off with Church again on Sunday! Looks like a good week! I am certainly glad that Superstore is open 24 hours this month...I may need that to get a few groceries here and there... :D
I have finally begun to do some shopping. I found a great pair of American Eagle winter boots (regular $70) at Liquidation World for $10. We found the kids some clothes but man, were we all getting discouraged!!! It is very hard these days to find clothes that my children can wear to school (due to their dress code); it was almost impossible to find dress pants for Jellybean! We finally found 3 pair and a pair of leggings to go with her long tops...We finally found dress shirts for Bug but most boys clothes is rough and rugged. I guess there aren't many 5 year old boys that wear dress clothes more days of the week than not.
We were in "The City" this weekend enjoying a family Christmas meal with my mom, step-dad, brother, sister-in-law, their boys and my sister, brother-in-law and their boy. With that many people my mom had to get creative for us all to eat together and so, this was the first time in my life I have ever eaten Christmas dinner (or any meal for that matter) in the garage. We had a few laughs over that.
Saturday evening was, I think, the most fun of the day...some of us sat around the kitchen table and played a game of Scrabble (Rush won thanks to the help of Uncle :D) and then we played Guesstures. I don't think I have laughed that hard in a long time; it was hilarious watching people try to act different words out (including myself) or guess the words that you were trying to act...
Rush finally had enough money saved up to buy herself a camera and an mp3 player so she is quite pumped. I got a new compact camera just for everyday lugging around...
Yesterday afternoon Rush & I were at the ECIP family's Christmas party; it was in the basement of a church here in town. It felt strange to be there at first...I hadn't been to that church since the funeral of my cousin who was killed while riding his bike 11 years ago (he was 11). Memories were awakened being there...
After the party the entire family headed over to Giant Tiger for a "Friends and Family" invitation only gathering. We got a few things we needed, a few extra things as well (we got 10% off) and the kids each got $5 gift cards to spend. Jellybean bought herself a Gatorade, a Lunchmate (ham) and a package of Juicy Fruit gum (just like Papa chews). Bug bought a big bag of spicy Dorritos and 2 packages of "Papa gum". They were both very proud of themselves (especially Bug as this was his first purchase ever!).
This week looks like another full week: classes Mon to Thurs, Church Friday, breakfast with the worship team and practice Saturday morning/early afternoon, decorating the house for Christmas with the family and perhaps (we haven't planned it yet) decorating the gingerbread house and ending the week off with Church again on Sunday! Looks like a good week! I am certainly glad that Superstore is open 24 hours this month...I may need that to get a few groceries here and there... :D
Friday, December 05, 2008
Is it THAT time of year all ready?
I can certainly tell that our lifestyle has changed quite a bit as a family. Here it is Dec 5 and I have barely started shopping...most that know me know I am usually done no later than mid-October. I haven't had a chance to even think about baking other than to know that we will make some of the cute little chocolate/cherry mice Donna from work made...maybe they will go with our gingerbread house.
The gingerbread house is another thing; it is a tradition and I have to admit I was getting a bit nervous as to when we would have a chance to all have time to put together a gingerbread house and get it decorated and be able to enjoy ourselves doing it-not throwing things on because we have to get going or something like that. Well, I found something at Liquidation World that will shave off the tedious (but extremely amusing-right Jen) part of assembling (That part is fun though...I don't know how many upside down or crooked chimneys we have had over the years or collapsed walls that needed major repair...good times, good times...) and it only cost $5!!!! It is a fully assembled, ready to decorate gingerbread house...Yay for Liquidation World!!!
The tree is another thing that is yet to be done but I am not entirely concerned with that; the month is still early. Growing up on the farm we went and picked out our tree 2-3 days before Christmas, let it thaw in the tub and we all put it up Christmas Eve Day...we all, mom, dad, us kids, the dog, a few cats and the horses would all walk through the pasture until we found the perfect tree. Fun times were had by all. That is a tradition that I really miss...
The gingerbread house is another thing; it is a tradition and I have to admit I was getting a bit nervous as to when we would have a chance to all have time to put together a gingerbread house and get it decorated and be able to enjoy ourselves doing it-not throwing things on because we have to get going or something like that. Well, I found something at Liquidation World that will shave off the tedious (but extremely amusing-right Jen) part of assembling (That part is fun though...I don't know how many upside down or crooked chimneys we have had over the years or collapsed walls that needed major repair...good times, good times...) and it only cost $5!!!! It is a fully assembled, ready to decorate gingerbread house...Yay for Liquidation World!!!
The tree is another thing that is yet to be done but I am not entirely concerned with that; the month is still early. Growing up on the farm we went and picked out our tree 2-3 days before Christmas, let it thaw in the tub and we all put it up Christmas Eve Day...we all, mom, dad, us kids, the dog, a few cats and the horses would all walk through the pasture until we found the perfect tree. Fun times were had by all. That is a tradition that I really miss...
Friday, November 28, 2008
Mad Minute
Last night I learned that a "Mad Minute" is a military term used in reference to a point where an army (who is about to retreat) will expel all of its ammunition at their enemy so that they 1. don't have to carry it on their retreat and 2. don't allow it to fall into their enemy's hand. It doesn't say quite that much here but that is the essence of what was said last night. Sometimes this tactic will work to confuse the almost conquering side and they will believe that they are about to be defeated.
We had a moment last night where it seemed like that was happening to us; it's like Satan decided to fire all of his rounds in an attempt to confound us. For a brief, almost millisecond it started to work; we were at the door of a really great pity party just about to turn that knob to an uber fun night of sulking, pouting and wailing...only a millisecond though.
Last night, as we were walking out the door, our current babysitter called us to let us know that tomorrow will be the last day she can watch Bug and Jellybean after school. They are moving to a cheaper rental and it is an apartment and not a house therefore (and I understand) she feels it would be too loud to babysit any of the kids she was. The part that was momentarily knocking us on our butts was the fact that we really got no notice and we went into a state of initial shock. We had just overcome this battle a month ago with not having a sitter and a few weeks, again, before that. (The same people were watching other kids so we know that we are not the only ones who have had this recurring battle.)
BigB & I were too into our momentary pity to listen to God for a solution. We decided, for a brief moment, that our problem had probably taken God by surprise and that He didn't know this had been coming so how would He have a solution for us. Obviously we didn't consiously think that but that is what our behavior screamed. Boy, were we dorks! :D How is our problem too big for a God who is in control of this great big universe? To put us in perspective, here is what Pastor Terry said to us: think of your problems like this. There is a great big universe and in it the Milky Way and in that our planet called Earth and in that our country called Canada and in that our province and in that our city and in our city there is me and BigB and our GREAT BIG problem...sort of makes you feel a little foolish about dwelling on some of the things a person dwells on...
Why is it that in our selfishness we think that God wasn't aware, even before time began, that we would find ourselves faced with certain situations? Why is it that we feel focusing on our problem is going to make it go away? Remember high school? Remember focusing on that "huge" pimple on your face that no one else saw but to you it was big enough to carve your very own Mount Rushmore on? Didn't make the pimple go away did it? In fact, it was pretty much a waste of time and energy to just focus on that pimple.
Last night, after our brief moment of falling on our butts, BigB & I realized how silly it was for us to focus on our problem; it's not that big in the grand scheme of things and it didn't surprise God. He was not panicking last night, pacing the floors of Heaven saying, "Oh how did this get past me?! What now!? What am I going to do?!" We needed to focus on the solution as soon as I hung up from that phone call. We needed to say "God, we are in covenent with you. Your Word says that You will provide for all our needs and right now we are in need of a babysitter. What are You going to do about it?"
You know what? Within an hour and a half of not having a babysitter and, momentarily, feeling all hope was lost, we had a new babysitter. This is a probable temporary solution that may turn into a more permanent one; who knows right now? I may not know and she may not know but God does and that is all I need to know.
Mad minute tactics diverted; we didn't fall for that trick! Thank you, Pastor Terry, for your time, for your wisdom and for giving us The Word "machine gun-style" so there was no room for our thoughts, fears and goofiness. Thank You, God for Your faithfulness even when we detoured off the road of faith and found our way onto that road of fear, as momentarily as it was! Thank You for Your provision and for supplying our needs always!!!
We had a moment last night where it seemed like that was happening to us; it's like Satan decided to fire all of his rounds in an attempt to confound us. For a brief, almost millisecond it started to work; we were at the door of a really great pity party just about to turn that knob to an uber fun night of sulking, pouting and wailing...only a millisecond though.
Last night, as we were walking out the door, our current babysitter called us to let us know that tomorrow will be the last day she can watch Bug and Jellybean after school. They are moving to a cheaper rental and it is an apartment and not a house therefore (and I understand) she feels it would be too loud to babysit any of the kids she was. The part that was momentarily knocking us on our butts was the fact that we really got no notice and we went into a state of initial shock. We had just overcome this battle a month ago with not having a sitter and a few weeks, again, before that. (The same people were watching other kids so we know that we are not the only ones who have had this recurring battle.)
BigB & I were too into our momentary pity to listen to God for a solution. We decided, for a brief moment, that our problem had probably taken God by surprise and that He didn't know this had been coming so how would He have a solution for us. Obviously we didn't consiously think that but that is what our behavior screamed. Boy, were we dorks! :D How is our problem too big for a God who is in control of this great big universe? To put us in perspective, here is what Pastor Terry said to us: think of your problems like this. There is a great big universe and in it the Milky Way and in that our planet called Earth and in that our country called Canada and in that our province and in that our city and in our city there is me and BigB and our GREAT BIG problem...sort of makes you feel a little foolish about dwelling on some of the things a person dwells on...
Why is it that in our selfishness we think that God wasn't aware, even before time began, that we would find ourselves faced with certain situations? Why is it that we feel focusing on our problem is going to make it go away? Remember high school? Remember focusing on that "huge" pimple on your face that no one else saw but to you it was big enough to carve your very own Mount Rushmore on? Didn't make the pimple go away did it? In fact, it was pretty much a waste of time and energy to just focus on that pimple.
Last night, after our brief moment of falling on our butts, BigB & I realized how silly it was for us to focus on our problem; it's not that big in the grand scheme of things and it didn't surprise God. He was not panicking last night, pacing the floors of Heaven saying, "Oh how did this get past me?! What now!? What am I going to do?!" We needed to focus on the solution as soon as I hung up from that phone call. We needed to say "God, we are in covenent with you. Your Word says that You will provide for all our needs and right now we are in need of a babysitter. What are You going to do about it?"
You know what? Within an hour and a half of not having a babysitter and, momentarily, feeling all hope was lost, we had a new babysitter. This is a probable temporary solution that may turn into a more permanent one; who knows right now? I may not know and she may not know but God does and that is all I need to know.
Mad minute tactics diverted; we didn't fall for that trick! Thank you, Pastor Terry, for your time, for your wisdom and for giving us The Word "machine gun-style" so there was no room for our thoughts, fears and goofiness. Thank You, God for Your faithfulness even when we detoured off the road of faith and found our way onto that road of fear, as momentarily as it was! Thank You for Your provision and for supplying our needs always!!!
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Smiling and working. Working and smiling...
Life has been good mainly because God has been and is good! We have all had our share of the cold that has been making its rounds. It has imbedded itself a little more deeply into some than others. Me, for instance.
Yesterday I got the chills; I got them so badly it felt like I was never going to warm up, like my bones were frozen solid. BigB was here to pick me up when I finished work; we got some gas and went to Chicken Chef for supper (all the kids were out). Immediately after we rushed home to get changed so we could go to the church to get some more work done there. I was in my warmest clothes complete with toque that I refused to take off. Due to picking up the kids from the sliding/play date I left the church at about 8, got home, got the kids to bed and put myself to bed, hoping to finally warm up. I must have during the night as I woke up this morning feeling a lot better.
Tonight is more of the same: rush home to gulp down supper, get changed into my paint clothes and head to the church. I have no idea if I am painting tonight or not but whatever it is, it will be fun! We always have fun there. Our church family is such a great group of people! I can honestly say that I have never attended a church where the people pull together so much and are so happy to do whatever is required with such a positive attitude as I have seen at WRC! It is such a joy to know that this is the kind of environment we are raising our children in!!!
Off to paint or mud or sand or...who cares!? I am off to have some fun!
Yesterday I got the chills; I got them so badly it felt like I was never going to warm up, like my bones were frozen solid. BigB was here to pick me up when I finished work; we got some gas and went to Chicken Chef for supper (all the kids were out). Immediately after we rushed home to get changed so we could go to the church to get some more work done there. I was in my warmest clothes complete with toque that I refused to take off. Due to picking up the kids from the sliding/play date I left the church at about 8, got home, got the kids to bed and put myself to bed, hoping to finally warm up. I must have during the night as I woke up this morning feeling a lot better.
Tonight is more of the same: rush home to gulp down supper, get changed into my paint clothes and head to the church. I have no idea if I am painting tonight or not but whatever it is, it will be fun! We always have fun there. Our church family is such a great group of people! I can honestly say that I have never attended a church where the people pull together so much and are so happy to do whatever is required with such a positive attitude as I have seen at WRC! It is such a joy to know that this is the kind of environment we are raising our children in!!!
Off to paint or mud or sand or...who cares!? I am off to have some fun!
Friday, November 21, 2008
"Hello, this is your calling"
Wouldn't it be nice if it really happened that way, you pick up the phone and there is an audible voice telling you what it is that you are supposed to do with your life? Don't get me wrong, I know what my overall purpose in life is but, what I don't know is what am I supposed to do with my life or how am I supposed to fulfill that purpose I guess would be an even better question. I really thought it was to go into Nursing-from the depths of my being even but as I pray on it it doesn't seem right. My friend and mentor, Wayne, says that they see me doing something with children. Yes, but what?! I love children! I have 7 of them. That seems vague to me right now...something with children. That is such a broad spectrum that I would like that "phone call".
Don't get me wrong; I love my job but, I have no plans to be an office manager for the rest of my life. I am a creative person and need a job where I can be creative. My first real "what-do-I-want-to-be-when-I-grow-up" moment was journalism...photojournalism more specifically. I dreamed of going to far off places and capturing life and all aspects of it. I don't think that is really what I am supposed to do either although I still LOVE photography!
BigB says that he feels I will be doing something creative as well; he uses the term "with my talents". I am not sure if I know what my "talents" even are.
Ideally, I would like a job where I can work part-time and be with my kids a lot more than I am and have the freedom to be creative. When I don't have time to flow creatively, in some way (scrapbooking, making cards, writing, taking pictures...) I feel like a blanket is being thrown over a fire exhausting it of its life supply. I feel the same when I feel I have not had the opportunity to "be" mom & wife enough during the course of a week. I need the time to put those hats on as well or I begin to feel like a failure in that aspect of my life.
I guess for now I just need to be patient, ask for clearer vision and wait for the "phone" to ring...
Don't get me wrong; I love my job but, I have no plans to be an office manager for the rest of my life. I am a creative person and need a job where I can be creative. My first real "what-do-I-want-to-be-when-I-grow-up" moment was journalism...photojournalism more specifically. I dreamed of going to far off places and capturing life and all aspects of it. I don't think that is really what I am supposed to do either although I still LOVE photography!
BigB says that he feels I will be doing something creative as well; he uses the term "with my talents". I am not sure if I know what my "talents" even are.
Ideally, I would like a job where I can work part-time and be with my kids a lot more than I am and have the freedom to be creative. When I don't have time to flow creatively, in some way (scrapbooking, making cards, writing, taking pictures...) I feel like a blanket is being thrown over a fire exhausting it of its life supply. I feel the same when I feel I have not had the opportunity to "be" mom & wife enough during the course of a week. I need the time to put those hats on as well or I begin to feel like a failure in that aspect of my life.
I guess for now I just need to be patient, ask for clearer vision and wait for the "phone" to ring...
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Thoughts on death.
Today marks the 9th anniversary of the death of BigB's little brother.
Jellybean turns 8 years old in little under two weeks.
I wonder how pretty well the same course of time can seem like forever AND just like yesterday at the same time. It seems like we have had Jellybean in our lives forever; I can't imagine what it was like without her but similarily, it seems just like yesterday that I was startled awake by that phone call in the middle of the night telling us about the accident that took Perry.
Does the death of someone actually get easier or do you just develop better coping skills as the years go on?
Does it become less painful or different painful for parents who have had a child taken from them?
Personally, it becomes different painful...
How can Jellybean, who never met her uncle, miss him and love him so very much that her heart breaks when she thinks of him? I have held her as she sobbed from the very depths of her heart for the uncle she has never met and yet, has always loved.
What words do you say to the father who is greiving so, 9 years later, still thinking and angry at God for taking his son away from him?
What thoughts are going through his friend's head right now, remembering where he was 9 years ago? Does he still condemn himself thinking he could have done more?
How does one get through the days leading up to and past this one...? Simply: One day at a time, one hour at a time.
Mom & Dad: We love you so very much and though we have our own grief, can not fathom yours. We are praying for you that peace may find you in your sleep and in your waking hours and that the burden is just that much lighter...
Jellybean turns 8 years old in little under two weeks.
I wonder how pretty well the same course of time can seem like forever AND just like yesterday at the same time. It seems like we have had Jellybean in our lives forever; I can't imagine what it was like without her but similarily, it seems just like yesterday that I was startled awake by that phone call in the middle of the night telling us about the accident that took Perry.
Does the death of someone actually get easier or do you just develop better coping skills as the years go on?
Does it become less painful or different painful for parents who have had a child taken from them?
Personally, it becomes different painful...
How can Jellybean, who never met her uncle, miss him and love him so very much that her heart breaks when she thinks of him? I have held her as she sobbed from the very depths of her heart for the uncle she has never met and yet, has always loved.
What words do you say to the father who is greiving so, 9 years later, still thinking and angry at God for taking his son away from him?
What thoughts are going through his friend's head right now, remembering where he was 9 years ago? Does he still condemn himself thinking he could have done more?
How does one get through the days leading up to and past this one...? Simply: One day at a time, one hour at a time.
Mom & Dad: We love you so very much and though we have our own grief, can not fathom yours. We are praying for you that peace may find you in your sleep and in your waking hours and that the burden is just that much lighter...
Friday, November 14, 2008
I asked...I will NOT grovel!
I spoke with a friend of mine the other day who told me about trouble she is now having with a friend because someone who was not a part of the problem decided that he was intervening. What a hero! He took something that was just a miscommunication and a misunderstanding, added his two (uninformed) cents and has now put a tremendous wedge between two people.
This same person has taken it upon himself to do the same thing to me in the same week. I have come to terms with the fact that I said something that was misconstrued and misread and I have attempted to apologize and attempted to ask forgiveness but due to other people's (and it sounds like more than one) interferring and adding their two-cents and their interpretations I find myself at a place where I just wash my hands of the entire thing. I did what I could; I value this person but I will not beg for her forgiveness nor beg for her relationship.
She says she is not perfect (which she is not) but expects me to be (as is evident in the fact that she can't get over the fact that I said something which may not have been 100% appropriate. I am not perfect either). I also know that there will probably be a backlash over the fact that I am typing my thoughts here but it is MY blog and they are my thoughts...and I have never mentioned anyone's name so there has been no harm or foul.
I love this person and apologize if what I said cut her; I do think that she took it the wrong way but that is between her & God. Just for the record though...the Gospel does offend. Jesus offended lots of people, especially those who were stuck in religion (Pharisees). I will not apologize for speaking the Word of God but I do apologize for the fact that people think it was done maliciously. I have never done anything with malicious intent and that will never change! I will also apologize for my approach because it may not have been the best way (we can always use work on our approach-all of us!). Now the rest is up to the other individual if she so choses to hold onto unforgiveness that is something she must contend with. My conscience is free and clear.
I just want her to know that I value her as a person.
This same person has taken it upon himself to do the same thing to me in the same week. I have come to terms with the fact that I said something that was misconstrued and misread and I have attempted to apologize and attempted to ask forgiveness but due to other people's (and it sounds like more than one) interferring and adding their two-cents and their interpretations I find myself at a place where I just wash my hands of the entire thing. I did what I could; I value this person but I will not beg for her forgiveness nor beg for her relationship.
She says she is not perfect (which she is not) but expects me to be (as is evident in the fact that she can't get over the fact that I said something which may not have been 100% appropriate. I am not perfect either). I also know that there will probably be a backlash over the fact that I am typing my thoughts here but it is MY blog and they are my thoughts...and I have never mentioned anyone's name so there has been no harm or foul.
I love this person and apologize if what I said cut her; I do think that she took it the wrong way but that is between her & God. Just for the record though...the Gospel does offend. Jesus offended lots of people, especially those who were stuck in religion (Pharisees). I will not apologize for speaking the Word of God but I do apologize for the fact that people think it was done maliciously. I have never done anything with malicious intent and that will never change! I will also apologize for my approach because it may not have been the best way (we can always use work on our approach-all of us!). Now the rest is up to the other individual if she so choses to hold onto unforgiveness that is something she must contend with. My conscience is free and clear.
I just want her to know that I value her as a person.
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Remember the heroes
Today we set aside time to remember those who fought and died for our freedom...who continue to fight and die...
I, particularily, think of my GrandpaK who never did get to serve overseas due to health reasons and was thus honorably discharged, my Grandpa H who was so affected by what he saw on the front lines of WWII that he could scarcely tell you he even served let alone speak of what he saw, of my great-uncle who was never found when he served in WWII (no one knows what happened to him at all) and of Bill's grandpa who so desperately wanted to fight for his country that he lied about his age to be old enough to serve. Heroes...absolute heroes. And today, if you were to ask a child who their heroes are chances are you will get Hannah Montana, Brittney Spears, Brad Pitt, whatever Hollywood-flavor-of-the-week is "now"...yah, they're heroes all right...just the people I want my children to model their lives after...30 minute marriages, drug-induced stupidity, acts of public indecency, unaccountability, paying off people to hide whatever crimes they have committed or minimizing it by putting them up in some luxury detention center...real heroes, right?
Now, let's get on to remembering some of the REAL heroes!
I, particularily, think of my GrandpaK who never did get to serve overseas due to health reasons and was thus honorably discharged, my Grandpa H who was so affected by what he saw on the front lines of WWII that he could scarcely tell you he even served let alone speak of what he saw, of my great-uncle who was never found when he served in WWII (no one knows what happened to him at all) and of Bill's grandpa who so desperately wanted to fight for his country that he lied about his age to be old enough to serve. Heroes...absolute heroes. And today, if you were to ask a child who their heroes are chances are you will get Hannah Montana, Brittney Spears, Brad Pitt, whatever Hollywood-flavor-of-the-week is "now"...yah, they're heroes all right...just the people I want my children to model their lives after...30 minute marriages, drug-induced stupidity, acts of public indecency, unaccountability, paying off people to hide whatever crimes they have committed or minimizing it by putting them up in some luxury detention center...real heroes, right?
Now, let's get on to remembering some of the REAL heroes!
Sunday, November 09, 2008
Just a MEME
1. Who did you spend at least two hours with today? Everyone who was at this morning's church service!!! Aside from that: Riss, Talia, BigB, Rush, Jellybean and Bug.
2. What do you look forward to most in the next six weeks? Getting the new church building enclosed and ready for inhabitation!
3. Who was the last person you called? Ruth
4. What were you doing at 12am last night? Cleaning up after church service and waiting for BigB to be done his responsibilities.
5. Are your parents married/divorced? Both.
6. When did you last see your mom? Weekend after Thanksgiving? Only a couple weeks ago anyway.
7. What are you wearing right now? Brown "Old man pants" a t-shirt and a black hoodie/bunnyhug.
8. Where is your favorite place to be? in the presence of God.
9. Where is your least favorite place to be? in the Emergency waiting room.
10. Where would you go if you could go anywhere? Norway.
11. Where do you think you’ll be in 10 years? God only knows...but I know it will be great!
12. What was the last thing that really made you laugh? Some of the pastors' jokes during the sermons this week.
13. What cities/towns/villages have you lived in? 4 different ones but not too far fromeach other.
14. Are you a social person? Yes, occassionally I just want family time.
15. Do you sleep alone? Nope.
2. What do you look forward to most in the next six weeks? Getting the new church building enclosed and ready for inhabitation!
3. Who was the last person you called? Ruth
4. What were you doing at 12am last night? Cleaning up after church service and waiting for BigB to be done his responsibilities.
5. Are your parents married/divorced? Both.
6. When did you last see your mom? Weekend after Thanksgiving? Only a couple weeks ago anyway.
7. What are you wearing right now? Brown "Old man pants" a t-shirt and a black hoodie/bunnyhug.
8. Where is your favorite place to be? in the presence of God.
9. Where is your least favorite place to be? in the Emergency waiting room.
10. Where would you go if you could go anywhere? Norway.
11. Where do you think you’ll be in 10 years? God only knows...but I know it will be great!
12. What was the last thing that really made you laugh? Some of the pastors' jokes during the sermons this week.
13. What cities/towns/villages have you lived in? 4 different ones but not too far fromeach other.
14. Are you a social person? Yes, occassionally I just want family time.
15. Do you sleep alone? Nope.
You mean that's it?
Our 10-day conference has come to an end; that's it. It is over but man, it was fantastic!!! Due to delays at the border or some such other glitch months ago, our new building wasn't finished (ok, it didn't even have walls or a roof or okay, it's just a frame!) so we have been having our church services in a tent. Cool enough. (That wasn't slang talk! It has been cool enough...even down right nippy some nights.)
We had Day 1 and Day 2 in the tent; Day 3 and 4 were at Faith Alive to listen to Pastor Steve Gray. Day 5 was to be at our church in our tent; Val was even prepared to go out and buy our 3 Kansas City friends hats and long johns but that Sunday before the fire marshall told us we had to take the tent down due to fire regulations. Fair enough; we did it that day but where were we going to have our services? We found a solution albeit an unfavorable one it was better than no solution. The day we were to have our service in the "new" facility the pastor of our sister church offered their church to us. It is a beautiful building equipped nicely to service every need of the conference!
Just think 2 churches working together to put one church's conference on!!! I don't think I could imagine anything like that before. Oh! There is another piece to the puzzle; not only did we have the 2 churches working together, we had a third church (Faith Alive) join us in our endeavour. Three churches working in unity together, becoming one family! It was absolutely inspiring especially the services we had with all three church families together.
So, the conference is over and that means life as usual now but, not entirely. We learned a lot and came away with a lot that we will all carry with us. Perhaps though we can climb that laundry mountain that wormed its way into the houses of everyone of our church families' homes! :P It also means our schedules will be somewhat less hectic but not this week (it's our week for classes) and probably not until we have that building up and ready to inhabit...
We had Day 1 and Day 2 in the tent; Day 3 and 4 were at Faith Alive to listen to Pastor Steve Gray. Day 5 was to be at our church in our tent; Val was even prepared to go out and buy our 3 Kansas City friends hats and long johns but that Sunday before the fire marshall told us we had to take the tent down due to fire regulations. Fair enough; we did it that day but where were we going to have our services? We found a solution albeit an unfavorable one it was better than no solution. The day we were to have our service in the "new" facility the pastor of our sister church offered their church to us. It is a beautiful building equipped nicely to service every need of the conference!
Just think 2 churches working together to put one church's conference on!!! I don't think I could imagine anything like that before. Oh! There is another piece to the puzzle; not only did we have the 2 churches working together, we had a third church (Faith Alive) join us in our endeavour. Three churches working in unity together, becoming one family! It was absolutely inspiring especially the services we had with all three church families together.
So, the conference is over and that means life as usual now but, not entirely. We learned a lot and came away with a lot that we will all carry with us. Perhaps though we can climb that laundry mountain that wormed its way into the houses of everyone of our church families' homes! :P It also means our schedules will be somewhat less hectic but not this week (it's our week for classes) and probably not until we have that building up and ready to inhabit...
Friday, November 07, 2008
To the Teachers at WJB!!!
Dear WJB Staff:
We just wanted to let you know how thrilled we are at the experience our family has had at WJB. There is a great bunch of teachers there & we love & appreciate you all dearly! Thanks you to the teachers who had a direct influence on our children by being in their classes & thank you to the rest of the staff (not just the teachers)! You have all truly touched the hearts of our children and, therefore, our hearts.
We are excited for our new adventure but don't think it is without a sadness. We truly will miss you all!
At this time I would especially like to thank any teacher who has spent time teaching Jellybean (H-J). She had a rough start to her schooling with her verbal apraxia and was prognosed to not even make it through Kindergarten the first time around. That never happened! Nor did it the next year nor the next! You, her teachers, encouraged her, motivated her & never gave up on her! You brought out & pulled out so many positive attributes in her & never gave up on her therefore, she never gave up on herself!
Thank you WJB staff! We take this time to stand up & applaud you! You have really impacted our family! We love you very much and will miss you all!
With much love from all of us!
This is the letter I wrote to the school today on our children's last day at WJB. Monday they start at the christian school. They are very excited for this journey to begin but, we are all, as I said in my letter, sad at the great teachers we are leaving behind. We leave the school not because we feel the teachers are doing a bad job but because we want our children's education to be based on the word of God.
Proverbs 22:6 says "Train up a child in the way he must go and when he is old he shall not depart from it.". This doesn't just speak to parents but to teachers & pastors and that is why we believe a christian education is an important gift to give our children, that their teachers can train them in the way they must go according to God's word. We want to protect our children's innocence and purity and unfortunately the education system does not always strive for that. Teaching my children safe sex instead of God's word regarding sex gives them a double message when they hear the opposite at home & church as they do at school.
That being said, we were very fortunate to have a school that did not disallow our children from praying for their friends or for their teachers at school, that did not disallow our daughter from talking about God in all her journal entries and school assignments; they did, in fact, encourage her and for that, we are truly and eternally thankful.
We will never forget the love that the staff at WJB have for our children nor will we forget how much they put into our children! I tip my hat to you all. You are loved. You are appreciated. You will be missed.
We just wanted to let you know how thrilled we are at the experience our family has had at WJB. There is a great bunch of teachers there & we love & appreciate you all dearly! Thanks you to the teachers who had a direct influence on our children by being in their classes & thank you to the rest of the staff (not just the teachers)! You have all truly touched the hearts of our children and, therefore, our hearts.
We are excited for our new adventure but don't think it is without a sadness. We truly will miss you all!
At this time I would especially like to thank any teacher who has spent time teaching Jellybean (H-J). She had a rough start to her schooling with her verbal apraxia and was prognosed to not even make it through Kindergarten the first time around. That never happened! Nor did it the next year nor the next! You, her teachers, encouraged her, motivated her & never gave up on her! You brought out & pulled out so many positive attributes in her & never gave up on her therefore, she never gave up on herself!
Thank you WJB staff! We take this time to stand up & applaud you! You have really impacted our family! We love you very much and will miss you all!
With much love from all of us!
This is the letter I wrote to the school today on our children's last day at WJB. Monday they start at the christian school. They are very excited for this journey to begin but, we are all, as I said in my letter, sad at the great teachers we are leaving behind. We leave the school not because we feel the teachers are doing a bad job but because we want our children's education to be based on the word of God.
Proverbs 22:6 says "Train up a child in the way he must go and when he is old he shall not depart from it.". This doesn't just speak to parents but to teachers & pastors and that is why we believe a christian education is an important gift to give our children, that their teachers can train them in the way they must go according to God's word. We want to protect our children's innocence and purity and unfortunately the education system does not always strive for that. Teaching my children safe sex instead of God's word regarding sex gives them a double message when they hear the opposite at home & church as they do at school.
That being said, we were very fortunate to have a school that did not disallow our children from praying for their friends or for their teachers at school, that did not disallow our daughter from talking about God in all her journal entries and school assignments; they did, in fact, encourage her and for that, we are truly and eternally thankful.
We will never forget the love that the staff at WJB have for our children nor will we forget how much they put into our children! I tip my hat to you all. You are loved. You are appreciated. You will be missed.
Saturday, November 01, 2008
Testify!
Rush gave a testimony last night (at the first night of World Conference) about what going to WRPS school has meant to her. She did a pretty good job!
World Conference Day One...Our WRPS kids sing Conganese
I ran out of memeory on my card last night but, here are the WRPS singing most of their Conganese praise song. I really wish I could have gotten more of their dancing and jumps at the end...perhaps tonight. (Rush is pretty much in the middle of the screen in the back row. I know the lighting is very bad so it is really dark but she is to the screen right of the girl with the white shirt in the back.)
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Being a Parent...
Some find it hard in this day and age to parent their children. Dilemmas like how do we discipline, how do we handle this, what should we do about that keep parents from standing firm in disciplinarian tactics. This swaying back and forth causes a doublemindeness from the parents, resulting in confusion in the child which in turn becomes aggrivation in our children. We need to have set boundaries, rules, regulations, rewards and punishments. We also need, as Pastor Steve relates in the text below, to feed our children's spirit man, to create a hunger in them for God and His word.
"Touch Your Child's Spirit
Most parents want to be good parents; they just don't know where to start! Good parenting can be overwhelming. Now you can become your child’s spiritual guide in steps. The goal is to gain so much more than your child’s obedience—but to gain their heart. Gray reveals how to begin:
Realize your child is more than a body. He or she is a spirit being with a personality who lives in a body. The inner spirit is the center of life and must have guidance.
Become the authority by earning your child's respect. Have a standard and stick to it.
Change your child's appetite and create spiritual hunger by adding spiritual things to his "diet." "
Pastor Steve Gray, Kansas City, MO.
Pastor Kevin has been preaching the same thing to us at our church and it is working. We are seeing single moms with little or no parenting skills come in and apply these teachings to their children and we are seeing these families transform before our very eyes! We are seeing parents who are simply just struggling with the how's, why's, should I's and shouldn't I's and applying this to their parenting skills is bringing about results like they wouldn't have believed.
It is a process to get out of old mindsets and old habits but you just have to keep on keeping on. Don't give up or get discouraged! Remember process is all about stages...
"Touch Your Child's Spirit
Most parents want to be good parents; they just don't know where to start! Good parenting can be overwhelming. Now you can become your child’s spiritual guide in steps. The goal is to gain so much more than your child’s obedience—but to gain their heart. Gray reveals how to begin:
Realize your child is more than a body. He or she is a spirit being with a personality who lives in a body. The inner spirit is the center of life and must have guidance.
Become the authority by earning your child's respect. Have a standard and stick to it.
Change your child's appetite and create spiritual hunger by adding spiritual things to his "diet." "
Pastor Steve Gray, Kansas City, MO.
Pastor Kevin has been preaching the same thing to us at our church and it is working. We are seeing single moms with little or no parenting skills come in and apply these teachings to their children and we are seeing these families transform before our very eyes! We are seeing parents who are simply just struggling with the how's, why's, should I's and shouldn't I's and applying this to their parenting skills is bringing about results like they wouldn't have believed.
It is a process to get out of old mindsets and old habits but you just have to keep on keeping on. Don't give up or get discouraged! Remember process is all about stages...
Friday, October 24, 2008
Things I have discovered since my last post
* My teenage daughter's worst behavior is way better than most teenagers best behavior (according to what I saw today when I was out).
* I am very, very excited to welcome a new family member into the ranks...don't go thinking ahead of me! My brother is getting married!
* I am the very proud mom of the best ever pot!!! Jellybean was in a play and she was the pot in "The Skipping Pot".
* I am trying very hard to not hate our car but somedays I have discovered that I am failing miserably! No one can figure out why it keeps stalling; we need to get new tires on it and a new CV joint before we can go anywhere other than work and church and I am missing out on several things I am not happy to have missed!!!
* I really enjoy my new job!
* I miss some of my old friends-a lot! It has been ages since we have been able to get together with some of them.
* I love going to school and writing essays (go ahead; call me a nerd...)
* I love playing volleyball.
* It doesn't take that long for you to get back into the swing of playing-even after 18 years. (has it been that long?!)
* It has, apparently, been a long time since I was in high school. It doesn't really seem that long though.
Time to make supper and off to church...perhaps more later.
* I am very, very excited to welcome a new family member into the ranks...don't go thinking ahead of me! My brother is getting married!
* I am the very proud mom of the best ever pot!!! Jellybean was in a play and she was the pot in "The Skipping Pot".
* I am trying very hard to not hate our car but somedays I have discovered that I am failing miserably! No one can figure out why it keeps stalling; we need to get new tires on it and a new CV joint before we can go anywhere other than work and church and I am missing out on several things I am not happy to have missed!!!
* I really enjoy my new job!
* I miss some of my old friends-a lot! It has been ages since we have been able to get together with some of them.
* I love going to school and writing essays (go ahead; call me a nerd...)
* I love playing volleyball.
* It doesn't take that long for you to get back into the swing of playing-even after 18 years. (has it been that long?!)
* It has, apparently, been a long time since I was in high school. It doesn't really seem that long though.
Time to make supper and off to church...perhaps more later.
Thursday, October 02, 2008
Ah the innocence of youth...and the singing of what one hears...
Today I was singing a song with Jellybean & Bug, one that we had learned at church. It goes, "Take the limits off. Take the limits off...release me" etc., etc. As I was listening to the kids Bug says "Take the minutes off. Take the minutes off" and something following that was too mumbled for me to hear.
I started to explain to him that those weren't quite the words when Jellybean piped up and said, "Ya! It's 'Take the minutes off. Take the minutes off...Belief me...'."
It reminded me of a time when we were small, coming home from Tae Kwon Do and my brother sang a song with some pretty goofy wording in it...don't know if he'd be mad if I said or not, so I chose not but...
...I almost burst a blood vessel trying not to laugh(at the kids or the memory of my brother)...almost.
I started to explain to him that those weren't quite the words when Jellybean piped up and said, "Ya! It's 'Take the minutes off. Take the minutes off...Belief me...'."
It reminded me of a time when we were small, coming home from Tae Kwon Do and my brother sang a song with some pretty goofy wording in it...don't know if he'd be mad if I said or not, so I chose not but...
...I almost burst a blood vessel trying not to laugh(at the kids or the memory of my brother)...almost.
The Pied Piper
Jellybean is in Grade 3 this year and I am sure most parents know what that means...recorder time!!! NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am just kidding, somewhat. I think it is great that they have the opportunity to learn music and to feel a sense of accomplishment and I think it's great that I bought stock in Advil a LONG time ago...just kidding again.
Yesterday on our walk home from school Jellybean perfomed for us her vast knowledge of the recorder (how to make it sound like a bird) and Bug decided that he was going to use it as a shofar (sp?). Needless to say we walked home one after the other like we were following the pied piper but the city workers who have been digging, bumping, grinding, beeping and filling the street in front of our house thought it was great.
Yesterday on our walk home from school Jellybean perfomed for us her vast knowledge of the recorder (how to make it sound like a bird) and Bug decided that he was going to use it as a shofar (sp?). Needless to say we walked home one after the other like we were following the pied piper but the city workers who have been digging, bumping, grinding, beeping and filling the street in front of our house thought it was great.
Wednesday, October 01, 2008
Tidbits from Pastor Terry
Class this week has been interesting to say the very least. Last night I felt like I was in the midst of a fireworks display; the proverbial light bulb moments were going off faster than I could compute at times.
The course this week is "How to Study the Bible" and I must confess that before stepping foot into class I thought briefly, "how interesting can this class really be?" How fleeting that thought actually was because it came alive from the very first 5 minutes of class.
We were handed our brand new copy of Strong's Concordance and Vine's Dictionary, a little overwhelming in their weight and size initially but I think they have both become two of my new favorite books.
Here are some tidbits that really spoke to me from yesterday's class:
-most of the gospels are still considered Old Covenant because Jesus hadn't died yet and therefore, the authority in His name had not yet been given.
-I had always been taught that Old Testament doesn't "really" apply to us because of the new covenant brought through Jesus. I was told, "We aren't under the Law." but here is something to think about. Pastor Terry said that if the New Testament doesn't introduce a new law regarding something then the old law still stands (tithing for example).
Take a look at the 10 commandments. In Romans 13:8-10 we are given a new law that replaces the 10 commandements; we are no longer bound to follow the law of the 10 commandments. Why? Romans 13:8-10 provides us with a new law regarding that. The 10 commandments were intended to get people to walk in love but we don't need those rules as Romans 13:8-10 (Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law. The commandments, “Do not commit adultery,” “Do not murder,” “Do not steal,” “Do not covet,”[fn1] and whatever other commandment there may be, are summed up in this one rule: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.) replaces it with this basic law: What would love do?
Love would not murder, love would not commit adultery, love would not steal...
The 10 commandments were intended to change the people from the outside in whereas Rom 13:8-10 changes people from the inside out. Therefore, I think Rom 13:8-10 raises the standard a fair bit for us as Christians today for it says in the Old Testament IF you commit adultery but in the New Testament it says if you even think about someone else or look lustfully or longingly at someone you have all ready committed adultery and according to Rom 13:8-10, you won't commit adultery if you are walking in love.
-We have also been learning how the meanings of our words has changed drastically throughout the years. We have been given a few examples and it sounds like we are getting more tonight.
Weird used to mean skilled in witchcraft
Nice used to mean foolish, senseless, stupid
One we all know...Gay used to mean full of joy.
Perfect did not mean flawless but wholeheartedly so when David, with all his mishaps said to the Lord "My heart is perfect before you." he didn't mean he was without flaw; he meant that he was there wholeheartedly.
This seems rather disjointed; I know but it is still running through my thoughts in such a way that I can not process it fluidly. I do know this; I have never had people present things to me in such a manner as to have them leap in my spirit like this...(except for in KC).
The course this week is "How to Study the Bible" and I must confess that before stepping foot into class I thought briefly, "how interesting can this class really be?" How fleeting that thought actually was because it came alive from the very first 5 minutes of class.
We were handed our brand new copy of Strong's Concordance and Vine's Dictionary, a little overwhelming in their weight and size initially but I think they have both become two of my new favorite books.
Here are some tidbits that really spoke to me from yesterday's class:
-most of the gospels are still considered Old Covenant because Jesus hadn't died yet and therefore, the authority in His name had not yet been given.
-I had always been taught that Old Testament doesn't "really" apply to us because of the new covenant brought through Jesus. I was told, "We aren't under the Law." but here is something to think about. Pastor Terry said that if the New Testament doesn't introduce a new law regarding something then the old law still stands (tithing for example).
Take a look at the 10 commandments. In Romans 13:8-10 we are given a new law that replaces the 10 commandements; we are no longer bound to follow the law of the 10 commandments. Why? Romans 13:8-10 provides us with a new law regarding that. The 10 commandments were intended to get people to walk in love but we don't need those rules as Romans 13:8-10 (Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law. The commandments, “Do not commit adultery,” “Do not murder,” “Do not steal,” “Do not covet,”[fn1] and whatever other commandment there may be, are summed up in this one rule: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.) replaces it with this basic law: What would love do?
Love would not murder, love would not commit adultery, love would not steal...
The 10 commandments were intended to change the people from the outside in whereas Rom 13:8-10 changes people from the inside out. Therefore, I think Rom 13:8-10 raises the standard a fair bit for us as Christians today for it says in the Old Testament IF you commit adultery but in the New Testament it says if you even think about someone else or look lustfully or longingly at someone you have all ready committed adultery and according to Rom 13:8-10, you won't commit adultery if you are walking in love.
-We have also been learning how the meanings of our words has changed drastically throughout the years. We have been given a few examples and it sounds like we are getting more tonight.
Weird used to mean skilled in witchcraft
Nice used to mean foolish, senseless, stupid
One we all know...Gay used to mean full of joy.
Perfect did not mean flawless but wholeheartedly so when David, with all his mishaps said to the Lord "My heart is perfect before you." he didn't mean he was without flaw; he meant that he was there wholeheartedly.
This seems rather disjointed; I know but it is still running through my thoughts in such a way that I can not process it fluidly. I do know this; I have never had people present things to me in such a manner as to have them leap in my spirit like this...(except for in KC).
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Sunday was great!
My old self keeps going to say "I can't believe what happened at church on Sunday" because I have never seen it before but I can believe because I know that God is capable and willing to do it. We are in the middle of a building project, as some of you know. We have taken our old sanctuary, built a second level put the ACE classes on the bottom floor and the WRTC classes on the top floor. We are getting our new sanctuary building today! For the last few weeks we have been having our church services in a tent...not too bad but, given the choice, I would rather not be in there for too many more evening services. It does get a bit chilly toward the end of the service.
Now, here is where things got really cool on Sunday. We, as a church, had a financial need in order to get the cement poured so we can get our building up and ready before too long. The money we needed was $30, 000.00. Pastor Kevin informed us of the need and asked who could help with that. Within 10 minutes we had raised $30, 000.00!!!
What is so astounding about that? I mean really $30, 000.00 is nothing when we are speaking about God's capabilities, right? The part that has really gotten me is that most of the people there that day were single moms and their kids. We had 120 people there that day and through them and their willingness to give and their faith in God 120 people gave $30, 000.00!!!
Most of our Junior Highs/Seniors have jobs (most of them paper routes) and between 10 kids they came up with $640.00 to give to this need!!! We definitely don't need one of those little thermometer guages when we need to raise money for something! The money is there before one could even find the paper to make it!
There is such a desperation in our congregration for the presence of God and each service it is getting thicker and thicker. Other than going to WRC in Kansas City, Mo I have never been in a place like this; I have never felt this anywhere else! You really do need to come and check it out for yourselves!! (Services are Friday at 7 or Sunday at 10:30) Even talk to the Dean or Principal and see if you can audit one or some of the Training Center classes to see if that's the place for you! Some of my friends here may be interested to know that we will be learning some Hebrew and the Jewish culture in these classes in the weeks coming up. I can't wait!!!
Now, here is where things got really cool on Sunday. We, as a church, had a financial need in order to get the cement poured so we can get our building up and ready before too long. The money we needed was $30, 000.00. Pastor Kevin informed us of the need and asked who could help with that. Within 10 minutes we had raised $30, 000.00!!!
What is so astounding about that? I mean really $30, 000.00 is nothing when we are speaking about God's capabilities, right? The part that has really gotten me is that most of the people there that day were single moms and their kids. We had 120 people there that day and through them and their willingness to give and their faith in God 120 people gave $30, 000.00!!!
Most of our Junior Highs/Seniors have jobs (most of them paper routes) and between 10 kids they came up with $640.00 to give to this need!!! We definitely don't need one of those little thermometer guages when we need to raise money for something! The money is there before one could even find the paper to make it!
There is such a desperation in our congregration for the presence of God and each service it is getting thicker and thicker. Other than going to WRC in Kansas City, Mo I have never been in a place like this; I have never felt this anywhere else! You really do need to come and check it out for yourselves!! (Services are Friday at 7 or Sunday at 10:30) Even talk to the Dean or Principal and see if you can audit one or some of the Training Center classes to see if that's the place for you! Some of my friends here may be interested to know that we will be learning some Hebrew and the Jewish culture in these classes in the weeks coming up. I can't wait!!!
Saturday, September 13, 2008
My Absurd Religion
A video from Utube from Pastor Steve Gray on My Absurd Religion...
and one more...
Why do so many Christians push their morality and their laws instead of pushing for the presence of God? If we would just seek for His presence everything else would just line up. You can not be in His presence and remain unchanged. You just can't!
and one more...
Why do so many Christians push their morality and their laws instead of pushing for the presence of God? If we would just seek for His presence everything else would just line up. You can not be in His presence and remain unchanged. You just can't!
Saturday, September 06, 2008
Can You Believe It?
It took two days of being open for our church's ACE school to be full to capacity and we haven't even completed it yet. so, we are facing another building project before completing one of the three parts we are in right now. It was Day Two and there was all ready a waiting list to get into our school. I think it is pretty cool.
Rush has been having some of the best times of her life in this school! She loves her "teachers" and she is excited to see what Coach has in store for them this year. They will be learning Cree too so that will come in handy for their career prospects.
Rush has a new friend, a girl who just moved here with her family; she is deaf but that hasn's stopped the girls from getting to know her. In fact, they are sort of breaking the rules but getting away with it on a technicality. There is the no talking/no passing notes rule and if you get caught you get a demerit; they have never once broken that rule yet still communicate during class. I think there needs to be an added clause to that rule...No sign language during class time.
So week one of school: the paces aren't here yet as they were waiting for more kids to finish their diagnostics but my daughter has learned how to say a few words in sign language and has learned how to efficiently communicate with her new friend through "spell" signing...and we have all ready outgrown our space...I'd say that that is a pretty good week.
Rush has been having some of the best times of her life in this school! She loves her "teachers" and she is excited to see what Coach has in store for them this year. They will be learning Cree too so that will come in handy for their career prospects.
Rush has a new friend, a girl who just moved here with her family; she is deaf but that hasn's stopped the girls from getting to know her. In fact, they are sort of breaking the rules but getting away with it on a technicality. There is the no talking/no passing notes rule and if you get caught you get a demerit; they have never once broken that rule yet still communicate during class. I think there needs to be an added clause to that rule...No sign language during class time.
So week one of school: the paces aren't here yet as they were waiting for more kids to finish their diagnostics but my daughter has learned how to say a few words in sign language and has learned how to efficiently communicate with her new friend through "spell" signing...and we have all ready outgrown our space...I'd say that that is a pretty good week.
Monday, September 01, 2008
Strange Friends
Jellybean and Bug have a friend who I just met tonight. They have never mentioned this friend to me before and I have to admit he is kind of, well, different, strange even. I was giving the kids their baths when it was time to drain the water; Bug told me he had to wait until he could see his friend.
Uh, ok. Who would that be.
Well, their friend is that little swirl you get at the end of draining your water from the tub...yup and he has a name...he is their friend and he is Swirlie.
I have strange kids...
...but they sure are cute...
...and entertaining.
Uh, ok. Who would that be.
Well, their friend is that little swirl you get at the end of draining your water from the tub...yup and he has a name...he is their friend and he is Swirlie.
I have strange kids...
...but they sure are cute...
...and entertaining.
I don't even know what to call this other than I really want to be home for my kids; I want to be a stay-at-home mom again...I miss it terribly. I know that feesibly it is not possible financially or mentally for me to be a stay-at-home mom 100% of the time but I am really looking forward to being done this temporary fulltime position I have so that I can be with my kids and taking care of my home.
My job is less than ideal; I completely understand and accept that but, that being said, it is not the reasoning behind this wishfulness...this longing. Ever since I was a little girl I have wanted to be a mom, wanted to stay home and take care of my house and family, plant a garden, can and freeze food, bake, be with my kids more. I DO NOT want to wake up one morning, find my house empty and wonder why I worked so much. Granted, full time isn't "so much" but I guess it is what you feel is important...being a stay-at-home mom is a job too so I would still be working full time.
I just got to spend some beautiful time with my two youngest children...we snuggled on the couch for a bit, Jellybean went to the kitchen table to do her math homework and needed my help so I was there, leaning over her shoulder, helping her solve some problems and watching her rejoice as things began to click and giving her the occassional high-five. We had a nice quiet supper, just the three of us and then I will be giving them a bath, getting them as ready for school as possible the night before and going through our bedtime routine.
I miss my kids; my heart breaks when I think of the time with them that I have lost, the time with them that I will never get back...at supper Jellybean tried to use her straw (in her straw bowl) to drink her 'orange soup' and burnt her throat; she ran into my arms and even though my heart broke for her and her pain, it felt so good to have her run to me and just trust in me so completely and to just feel her so close in my arms.
I know being a working mom doesn't make me less than a mom but it is not where my heart is...granted maybe it is not where any working mom's heart is but I feel empty and lost not being at home with my kids more and I am really looking forward to March '09 so I can be with my kids just a little more often and look after my home just a little bit better...
My job is less than ideal; I completely understand and accept that but, that being said, it is not the reasoning behind this wishfulness...this longing. Ever since I was a little girl I have wanted to be a mom, wanted to stay home and take care of my house and family, plant a garden, can and freeze food, bake, be with my kids more. I DO NOT want to wake up one morning, find my house empty and wonder why I worked so much. Granted, full time isn't "so much" but I guess it is what you feel is important...being a stay-at-home mom is a job too so I would still be working full time.
I just got to spend some beautiful time with my two youngest children...we snuggled on the couch for a bit, Jellybean went to the kitchen table to do her math homework and needed my help so I was there, leaning over her shoulder, helping her solve some problems and watching her rejoice as things began to click and giving her the occassional high-five. We had a nice quiet supper, just the three of us and then I will be giving them a bath, getting them as ready for school as possible the night before and going through our bedtime routine.
I miss my kids; my heart breaks when I think of the time with them that I have lost, the time with them that I will never get back...at supper Jellybean tried to use her straw (in her straw bowl) to drink her 'orange soup' and burnt her throat; she ran into my arms and even though my heart broke for her and her pain, it felt so good to have her run to me and just trust in me so completely and to just feel her so close in my arms.
I know being a working mom doesn't make me less than a mom but it is not where my heart is...granted maybe it is not where any working mom's heart is but I feel empty and lost not being at home with my kids more and I am really looking forward to March '09 so I can be with my kids just a little more often and look after my home just a little bit better...
Let's get caught up
This past week has been a week of changes in one degree or another so, let's get caught up on them all.
Tuesday began Jellybean's Grade 3 year; nothing too terribly new to report on that front: one new kid in the class, Hunter is still there and still her sweetie; Sharmayne is still there and still her good friend. She had math homework the first day (was excited by that) and has had everyday since.
Tuesday also found us in the midst of tornadoes and the choas of said tornadoes has ensued. Baseball sized hail did its number on windows, vehicles and most importantly, animals... My hometown, where family still lives, has been called a disaster. Jellybean & Bug figured that since there had been a tornado people were either dead or they got to visit their brother in Kansas...I get a kick out of how kids' minds work sometimes.
Tuesday also found BigB, Rush & I in emergency with Rush. She hit her head very hard, lost consciousness, began throwing up and all the other wonderful concussion signs. We took her to the walk-in clinic where they checked her over and felt she was ok to go home but doc told us if anything got worse to take her to Emerg right away...a half hour later she was blacking out again and slurring her words, so off it was to Emerg until 3:30 AM, home for a couple hour snooze and then back to Emerg at 7 to get the girl.
Wednesday I was off work because I had yet to have any sleep and we needed to keep a good eye on Rush. She was very groggy, very sleepy, very headachy but better. I got to pick Jellybean up from school today too and that was good because I wasn't able to get the time off work to take her to school her first day; I felt VERY ripped off for missing that!
Thursday I found out through phone calls and emails from co-workers that there had been a meeting I wasn't told about that directly effects my job. It was a tad bit stressful and I have to admit I did not react nor handle this situation as well as I would have liked to have. (I never did anything dumb but I just would have like to have handled it better.)
I did get birthday cake at work as Thursday was the day that we had the cake for August's birthdays. My friend, Carol made a special trip to 1521 to make sure that I got a peice of my cake. I really appreciate her for that and thought that the gesture was really, really nice.
Friday was my day off and I had planned to relax for the morning, take Bug to his first day of Kindergarten and then go to a children's church workshop before the evening church service for our Raising the Standard conference. Well you know what they say about the best laid plans of mice and men...Friday morning did find me getting to go downtown to pay the water bill but as soon as I got home I began calling our family doctor (on holidays), our "second" doctor (not in until 10:30) and finally talked to the doc who had taken care of Rush in Emerg as her headaches were NOT getting any better. Dr Ribeiro (or Dr Rubberroo as Bug called him) quickly arranged a Catscan and C-spine xray for her and we got that out of the way with the happy knowledge that there is nothing clinically wrong other than she got a bad concussion and may have to endure headaches for awhile (fortunately we have a God who heals and we don't need to endure anything of the sort).
I got Bug to his first day of Kindergarten (after giving him a lunch of Kraft Dinner and "octupus") where he was very pleased to see two of his buddies from Pre-K. Immediately following his drop-off I went to the workshop and was there until just before supper time.
Friday evening's service and our first night of Raising the Standard conference was very good; we got lots of things to think about that night (however I heard Saturday's was very, very powerful)Saturday Rush worked until 11 AM at the grocery store and BigB worked at the church (the school is almost done and can be occupied by our students on Tuesday!!!!!). After they got home we headed off to McDonald's (yuck) and ate our lunch on the way to the lake where we were going to watch my cousin get married. It was really nice (a little windy on the beach) but it was nice to see family again and Bug had so much fun dancing with his buddy and cousin, DD.
Bug and DD ran up to the head table at one point ringing their bells to make the bride and groom kiss when the bride told them that if they kept doing it she was going to kiss them. She then planted a big kiss on Bug and he strutted back to the table looking proud as a peacock (he even got to have a dance with the beautiful bride).
Sunday held the final two sessions/services for the conference and in between we had a nice lunch and visit with a new family to the church.
There hasn't been much down time this week and today I am pretty worn out but, there is lots to do: School supplies for Rush, last minute stuff on the building, bath the kidlets, make lunches...I do, however, think I have to get a nap in here sometime. Yeah, a nap would definitely be nice.
Just found this...
Our friend J.D. King has gotten himself a blog and has some very interesting views on religion that some of my friends may be interested in reading...
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Like sand through the hourglass...
...so are the days of our lives...
It doesn't seem to matter what happens in our daily lives...the world just keeps spinning. I guess that's one of God's ways of saying 'get up on your feet. Get over it. Suck it up; this is so totally not about you.'.
Today was my "friday" at work; tomorrow is my bank day and Monday is a stat holiday-a 4 day weekend and I am so looking forward to it.
Tomorrow I will be in a conference session on children's ministry, followed by our regularily scheduled evening service (and it will be great as usual). Saturday we are going to a wedding and I am really looking forward to it; it's gonna be a lot of fun. I get to hang out with some of my family and I am very happy about that. Sunday brings more services, including an evening one to bring our conference to a close. Monday is going to be a rest, relax day (perhaps a little laundry).
It's pretty much a run of the mill weekend. And for that I am glad...we had some soap operah(sp) worthy action at work today and I long to be away from that drama...now I am going to go make some pies...
It doesn't seem to matter what happens in our daily lives...the world just keeps spinning. I guess that's one of God's ways of saying 'get up on your feet. Get over it. Suck it up; this is so totally not about you.'.
Today was my "friday" at work; tomorrow is my bank day and Monday is a stat holiday-a 4 day weekend and I am so looking forward to it.
Tomorrow I will be in a conference session on children's ministry, followed by our regularily scheduled evening service (and it will be great as usual). Saturday we are going to a wedding and I am really looking forward to it; it's gonna be a lot of fun. I get to hang out with some of my family and I am very happy about that. Sunday brings more services, including an evening one to bring our conference to a close. Monday is going to be a rest, relax day (perhaps a little laundry).
It's pretty much a run of the mill weekend. And for that I am glad...we had some soap operah(sp) worthy action at work today and I long to be away from that drama...now I am going to go make some pies...
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Girl Cheese vs Boy Cheese
Bug & I have been sitting at my computer while I wrote mylast post figuring out what the two of us would have for our lunch.
Bug just asked me if we had the stuff to make "girl cheese samiches". We just happen to have the stuff to make 'girl cheese samiches'. He then asked me, "Mama, do we have the stuff to make boy cheese samiches too?". You know what?! It turns out we DO have the stuff for boy cheese sandwiches as well. Can you imagine?!?
So, I think I am going to go upstairs with my Bug and make a girl cheese samich and a boy cheese samich; then we can have our lunch. It sounds like a nice bowl of 'Orange Soup" (read Tomato soup) would really make the meal.
Bug just asked me if we had the stuff to make "girl cheese samiches". We just happen to have the stuff to make 'girl cheese samiches'. He then asked me, "Mama, do we have the stuff to make boy cheese samiches too?". You know what?! It turns out we DO have the stuff for boy cheese sandwiches as well. Can you imagine?!?
So, I think I am going to go upstairs with my Bug and make a girl cheese samich and a boy cheese samich; then we can have our lunch. It sounds like a nice bowl of 'Orange Soup" (read Tomato soup) would really make the meal.
Oh, what a night II
Yes, if you can imagine, there IS a sequel to the first and it is within a week even of the first.
Yesterday seemed to be your average, run-of-the-mill day: I took the car to the garage, got a ride to work with BigB, kissed my 2 youngest kids goodbye on their first day of school (turns out yesterday was just registration for Bug and he doesn't go until Fri...broke his little heart), went to work, put in my 8 hours, came home, made and ate supper. Sounds pretty average right?
After supper Rush went to her room to put some clothes away and tidy her room a bit; she was up on her bunkbed, went to slide down and was scared by Jewel. Somehow with all the variables involved she hit her head so hard that she lost consciousness for several minutes (piecing things together and adding times together); she came upstairs crying and told us what happened minus the blacking out part. BigB and I were just on our way to go to Shanigans for a "date" but had to go and do a tow first. The tow was complete and my cell rang, "Mom is it normal for me to feel really dizzy and nauseaus?" Those words changed our plans in a second and we were on our way home to take a peak at her.
My first instinct was to dial the Nurses Hotline but anytime we call them, they just tell us to go to emergency anyway so I hung up the phone in mid-hold. We called a friend of Rush's to watch Jellybean and Bug and took Rush to the walk-in clinic, got the usual signs to watch for blah, blah, blah and thought everything was fine.
Then she started slurring her words...and then she blacked out again...off we went to Emerg where we stayed until 3:30 this morning when Dr Ribeiro finally said to BigB and I, "Go home for a rest now while this other medicine we gave her proves itself to work or not.". He then looked at me (as we know each other through work) and said, "There will be a sick note in 'Rush's' chart for you in the morning; you are not going to work today."
We got home and had a pee accident to deal with so it was about 4:00 before our heads hit the pillows. At 7:00 we got a call saying that Rush could go home and that Dr. R wants to talk to us. Off we went, back to Emerg. Had our talk, was given my note, got our girl home safe and sound and went to bed. I haven't really been sleeping for long periods of time as the phone is either ringing or I am getting up to check on how Rush is doing.
The day does seem like it will be a long one (there is worship practice tonight. We didn't make the last 6 AM prayer for our 120 days of prayer) but at least I didn't have to go find chart numbers from old hospital papers, put them in number order and then number order them into a bigger pile...that would be WAY to much concentrating for me right now...(I almost couldn't remember how to spell 'concentrate'! LOL!)
So here I am at 11:46 A.M., not quite bright-eyed or bushy tailed but definitely thankful for God and His provision and His taking care of our daughter and thankful that we live in a country where we could just go to Emerg and get things straightened out. Oh yeah, and I am a little bit wishful that I had had a video camera last night so you all could see just how funny Rush is after she has been hopped up on Gravol and been given two T-3's...she was FUNNY!!!
Yesterday seemed to be your average, run-of-the-mill day: I took the car to the garage, got a ride to work with BigB, kissed my 2 youngest kids goodbye on their first day of school (turns out yesterday was just registration for Bug and he doesn't go until Fri...broke his little heart), went to work, put in my 8 hours, came home, made and ate supper. Sounds pretty average right?
After supper Rush went to her room to put some clothes away and tidy her room a bit; she was up on her bunkbed, went to slide down and was scared by Jewel. Somehow with all the variables involved she hit her head so hard that she lost consciousness for several minutes (piecing things together and adding times together); she came upstairs crying and told us what happened minus the blacking out part. BigB and I were just on our way to go to Shanigans for a "date" but had to go and do a tow first. The tow was complete and my cell rang, "Mom is it normal for me to feel really dizzy and nauseaus?" Those words changed our plans in a second and we were on our way home to take a peak at her.
My first instinct was to dial the Nurses Hotline but anytime we call them, they just tell us to go to emergency anyway so I hung up the phone in mid-hold. We called a friend of Rush's to watch Jellybean and Bug and took Rush to the walk-in clinic, got the usual signs to watch for blah, blah, blah and thought everything was fine.
Then she started slurring her words...and then she blacked out again...off we went to Emerg where we stayed until 3:30 this morning when Dr Ribeiro finally said to BigB and I, "Go home for a rest now while this other medicine we gave her proves itself to work or not.". He then looked at me (as we know each other through work) and said, "There will be a sick note in 'Rush's' chart for you in the morning; you are not going to work today."
We got home and had a pee accident to deal with so it was about 4:00 before our heads hit the pillows. At 7:00 we got a call saying that Rush could go home and that Dr. R wants to talk to us. Off we went, back to Emerg. Had our talk, was given my note, got our girl home safe and sound and went to bed. I haven't really been sleeping for long periods of time as the phone is either ringing or I am getting up to check on how Rush is doing.
The day does seem like it will be a long one (there is worship practice tonight. We didn't make the last 6 AM prayer for our 120 days of prayer) but at least I didn't have to go find chart numbers from old hospital papers, put them in number order and then number order them into a bigger pile...that would be WAY to much concentrating for me right now...(I almost couldn't remember how to spell 'concentrate'! LOL!)
So here I am at 11:46 A.M., not quite bright-eyed or bushy tailed but definitely thankful for God and His provision and His taking care of our daughter and thankful that we live in a country where we could just go to Emerg and get things straightened out. Oh yeah, and I am a little bit wishful that I had had a video camera last night so you all could see just how funny Rush is after she has been hopped up on Gravol and been given two T-3's...she was FUNNY!!!
Friday, August 22, 2008
Oh, what a night...
Without going into details (because I don't want to give glory to someone who doesn't need it), it has been quite the night. I got a bit of news regarding the statement above about something that someone is doing to my family and it is all lies. This person knows that what they have said and claimed are 100% lies and they will soon find out that their lies will be exposed and they will be exposed for what is truly in their heart. I just pray that they face the truth sooner than later because they are running 100 miles an hour in the wrong direction and they will soon hit a brick wall at full speed. I love this person and I don't want them to have to deal with the consequences but they will...
That being said though blood is thicker than water especially when "water" is lying through their teeth.
I had just calmed down, somewhat, over this when I found out that there was a car accident in our family as well. She is ok now but I hate that waiting (and I know it was worse for them).
Let's add what iced the cake and here is the silly part...I don't know why this would be the breaking point but it was. Bug's fish died tonight. His fish D.O.G. is no m.o.r.e. (And how did he respond? He was sad but not tearful. When it came time to flush D.O.G. Bug said, "I get to flush him?! Heh!? Where's his head?". I think he is handling it quite well.)
The old me woke up for a brief moment tonight...just long enough for me to remember what I was like and then it shifted. The feeling became more like defiance...yeah, defiance that I am not letting these attacks beat me or bring me down. In fact they are making me fight harder, stronger and longer for my family!!!
The ferverent prayers of a righteous man avails much! If they didn't, I probably would have reverted to my old ways of dealing with these kinds of things but I didn't in fact, I prayed for that person.
That being said though blood is thicker than water especially when "water" is lying through their teeth.
I had just calmed down, somewhat, over this when I found out that there was a car accident in our family as well. She is ok now but I hate that waiting (and I know it was worse for them).
Let's add what iced the cake and here is the silly part...I don't know why this would be the breaking point but it was. Bug's fish died tonight. His fish D.O.G. is no m.o.r.e. (And how did he respond? He was sad but not tearful. When it came time to flush D.O.G. Bug said, "I get to flush him?! Heh!? Where's his head?". I think he is handling it quite well.)
The old me woke up for a brief moment tonight...just long enough for me to remember what I was like and then it shifted. The feeling became more like defiance...yeah, defiance that I am not letting these attacks beat me or bring me down. In fact they are making me fight harder, stronger and longer for my family!!!
The ferverent prayers of a righteous man avails much! If they didn't, I probably would have reverted to my old ways of dealing with these kinds of things but I didn't in fact, I prayed for that person.
Monday, August 18, 2008
What makes my boy tick?
He is definitely a boy and I am still learning how to deal with the thought processes of boys and how they figure things out as they grow and move step by step towards becoming men. I have been able to see some of the process through LilB and Tuff but not the complete process and it is kind of interesting in a "I am not sure if I totally get this" way.
Bug rejoices in smelling like a man. The other day his feet stunk...like seriously stunk! He wanted us all to smell his feet, sticking them proudly under our noses and giggling with glee with at our responses; he then proceeded to ask us to smell his armpits. Jellybean, being a sucker for punishment, did and told him that between his feet and his pits he stunk!! He looked at her with a confidence and joy and told her, as a matter of factly, "I smell like a ma-an!"
Farting noises are incredibly funny to him...do they ever grow out of the humor in that?
He is intrigued by any smell that resembles flatulance. He was out with BigB for the day as they went for a tow. BigB had packed egg salad sandwiches and Bug began to sniff as BigB took them out of the cooler. "Uh, Dad...what smells like toots?", he asked his dad giggling.
He likes to take anything he can apart...have his toy dinosaurs eat the pigs from his farm animals and rip the arms off Jellybean's dolls. He also thrives on wrestling with anyone and everything he can and boy can this boy work. He goes to the church and moves chairs to help set up for service, hauls ladders to help people, drags 2x4's to whomever is needing one at the moment...he has a very keen interest in anything tool...powertool! He loves to pound out a beat on the drum, on the cat, on the back of a chair, on the wall...on his sister's head...
I realize this is normal boy behavior but I sometimes take little moments to wonder what it is that makes him think the way he does or find joy in the things he does...what makes him tick!?
I can tell you one thing...whatever it is that makes him tick, I wouldn't want him to change one little bit! I love him just the way he is!
Bug rejoices in smelling like a man. The other day his feet stunk...like seriously stunk! He wanted us all to smell his feet, sticking them proudly under our noses and giggling with glee with at our responses; he then proceeded to ask us to smell his armpits. Jellybean, being a sucker for punishment, did and told him that between his feet and his pits he stunk!! He looked at her with a confidence and joy and told her, as a matter of factly, "I smell like a ma-an!"
Farting noises are incredibly funny to him...do they ever grow out of the humor in that?
He is intrigued by any smell that resembles flatulance. He was out with BigB for the day as they went for a tow. BigB had packed egg salad sandwiches and Bug began to sniff as BigB took them out of the cooler. "Uh, Dad...what smells like toots?", he asked his dad giggling.
He likes to take anything he can apart...have his toy dinosaurs eat the pigs from his farm animals and rip the arms off Jellybean's dolls. He also thrives on wrestling with anyone and everything he can and boy can this boy work. He goes to the church and moves chairs to help set up for service, hauls ladders to help people, drags 2x4's to whomever is needing one at the moment...he has a very keen interest in anything tool...powertool! He loves to pound out a beat on the drum, on the cat, on the back of a chair, on the wall...on his sister's head...
I realize this is normal boy behavior but I sometimes take little moments to wonder what it is that makes him think the way he does or find joy in the things he does...what makes him tick!?
I can tell you one thing...whatever it is that makes him tick, I wouldn't want him to change one little bit! I love him just the way he is!
Saturday, August 16, 2008
Ch...ch...ch...changes
It has been a summer of changes, of growing, of stretching and of revamping. Our church is changing; we are getting tonnes of new people moving here to attend our church and to, in the fall, attend our A.C.E school for kids and WRC Bible College that we are currently building. It has been a summer of services in the foyer as our old sanctuary has now become the home of the new schools.
Rush has gone from earning her living babysitting for us every so often and full time in the summer to working at a "real job" where she gets a "real pay check" and therefore need to get her S.I.N. She's even wearing a uniform...but doing a fantastic job (which is no change!).
BigB can no longer answer his phone "Hi Sam; Bill here". He has resigned from his job with ISM (the reason for the Hi Sam...funny story check out the link) due to well a lot of reasons that have been a year in the making. Regardless of why, he is no longer with ISM. Which means I no longer get to eat lunch with the cute boy down the hall. I am now married to the cutest tow truck driver in the city...perhaps even world! He is happy; he enjoys the people he meets and since he is a storm chaser...winter is going to be SO much fun for him!
I am getting a 3 month break from the workplace situation I have been involved in. I am still in the same job however I am now at a different location for the time being.
We are getting used to the fact that we no longer have the van. Can someone say 'huge change!'? We just have the old car now and it is going to take time to getting used to stalling at each red light I come to and need to strategicly place the groceries in the backseat. It is a good change though because our van was costing us way too much money and we are turning over a new leaf and not wanting to live so carelessly with our money!
So...time to face the change. It will just keep coming!
Rush has gone from earning her living babysitting for us every so often and full time in the summer to working at a "real job" where she gets a "real pay check" and therefore need to get her S.I.N. She's even wearing a uniform...but doing a fantastic job (which is no change!).
BigB can no longer answer his phone "Hi Sam; Bill here". He has resigned from his job with ISM (the reason for the Hi Sam...funny story check out the link) due to well a lot of reasons that have been a year in the making. Regardless of why, he is no longer with ISM. Which means I no longer get to eat lunch with the cute boy down the hall. I am now married to the cutest tow truck driver in the city...perhaps even world! He is happy; he enjoys the people he meets and since he is a storm chaser...winter is going to be SO much fun for him!
I am getting a 3 month break from the workplace situation I have been involved in. I am still in the same job however I am now at a different location for the time being.
We are getting used to the fact that we no longer have the van. Can someone say 'huge change!'? We just have the old car now and it is going to take time to getting used to stalling at each red light I come to and need to strategicly place the groceries in the backseat. It is a good change though because our van was costing us way too much money and we are turning over a new leaf and not wanting to live so carelessly with our money!
So...time to face the change. It will just keep coming!
Monday, August 11, 2008
I want to procrastinate but I keep putting it off
I have stuff...well we all have stuff but I have stuff that the kids have out grown that I keep trying to get together because it is boys' and girls' and I will have to separate it because the ladies I know who could use it either don't have girls or don't have boys...it's easier when it can all get put into one box or one bag...rats. I also have stuff that should have gotten put into the shed but for one reason or another (I still haven't figured out how) they have all wound up in our front entrance making it unusable and unsafe! I hate it! I feel trapped-like what if we have a house fire and we need the front door to escape?
Then my current reality hits. I am tired and if I am not tired, I am not home or I have other more pressing things to do at home...because when the firefighters put out our blazing house that we can't escape from we are going to need to have clean clothes on. When I'm not tired I have been using the reason...excuse...reason...ah man! I'm not doing it because I am wanting to spend time with my family and then I decide that I need a bit of me time so I come down here and play on the computer.
I know in my heart of hearts that I would feel so much better to come home to a beautifully organized house...maybe tomorrow.....
Then my current reality hits. I am tired and if I am not tired, I am not home or I have other more pressing things to do at home...because when the firefighters put out our blazing house that we can't escape from we are going to need to have clean clothes on. When I'm not tired I have been using the reason...excuse...reason...ah man! I'm not doing it because I am wanting to spend time with my family and then I decide that I need a bit of me time so I come down here and play on the computer.
I know in my heart of hearts that I would feel so much better to come home to a beautifully organized house...maybe tomorrow.....
Sunday, July 27, 2008
I can't begin to describe what my life, our life, has felt like lately. It has been a flurry of activity yet it hasn't seemed like work. It has been a blur yet it seems to have impacted us in so many ways. We are constantly changing, constantly finding something new to work on, constantly having some new "lightbulb" moment that instantly changes us. God has been working in our lives like I could never have imagined before last October.
Today can be chalked up to being a great day. We got up, got ready for church, laid out our Carribean pre-wedding party clothes, went to church, had a great service. Pastor Kevin imparts such wisdom that I find I am taking pages upon pages of notes...the only other place that has ever happened was when I was in Kansas City (or listening to their services via streaming video). After service we scooted home to get into our party gear and had a spectacular time at Kham & Darla's party. I am so happy for them!
Pastor Kevin was speaking to us about faith and of how faith is expectation. He said that many people, believe it or not, are suffering from a lack of faith because it hasn't been taught in its completion, for the most part. Most people in churches believe more in the powers of demons and in witchcraft than they do in the power of God; I have found, with some of the people I have talked to, that this is, for the most part true. They seem to have a big devil and a little God. They give the devil all this power and all this glory for all the things that go on in their lives and focus on the problem (they look for people to validate their feelings and support their problems) when all they really need to do is focus on the solution...God.
Being faithful doesn't just mean you go to church every day and eventually become the little old lady or man who has never missed a Sunday (that just makes you a regular attender). Just by going to church every Sunday doesn't give you the right, even, to the blessings-you've got to have faith! Taking up space in the church doesn't give you an automatic in...you don't win by default. We will not advance in the kingdom of God, in our walk with God unless we have faith!
A good question was brought to our attention: How does one meet with God and remain unchanged? I hear so many people say that God moved so powerfully in their service but not a single person came out of it unchanged. I have been in services where people have said that and I know nobody changed...they left and lived their same old lives, same old problems, same old habits, same old complaints. If God were to truly come down would the effects not be drastic? Would they not be noteworthy changes? Perhaps the answer then is that they truly haven't met with God-not really. I don't doubt that they believe they did but it goes back to the question at the beginning of this paragraph.
There is much more to this topic of faith for me to learn. This was just one sermon on it. I think he got through 2 pages of 12 pages of notes... I have never been taught on faith before and so it is helping me to just think this through here...
I can't wait for the next lesson!
Today can be chalked up to being a great day. We got up, got ready for church, laid out our Carribean pre-wedding party clothes, went to church, had a great service. Pastor Kevin imparts such wisdom that I find I am taking pages upon pages of notes...the only other place that has ever happened was when I was in Kansas City (or listening to their services via streaming video). After service we scooted home to get into our party gear and had a spectacular time at Kham & Darla's party. I am so happy for them!
Pastor Kevin was speaking to us about faith and of how faith is expectation. He said that many people, believe it or not, are suffering from a lack of faith because it hasn't been taught in its completion, for the most part. Most people in churches believe more in the powers of demons and in witchcraft than they do in the power of God; I have found, with some of the people I have talked to, that this is, for the most part true. They seem to have a big devil and a little God. They give the devil all this power and all this glory for all the things that go on in their lives and focus on the problem (they look for people to validate their feelings and support their problems) when all they really need to do is focus on the solution...God.
Being faithful doesn't just mean you go to church every day and eventually become the little old lady or man who has never missed a Sunday (that just makes you a regular attender). Just by going to church every Sunday doesn't give you the right, even, to the blessings-you've got to have faith! Taking up space in the church doesn't give you an automatic in...you don't win by default. We will not advance in the kingdom of God, in our walk with God unless we have faith!
A good question was brought to our attention: How does one meet with God and remain unchanged? I hear so many people say that God moved so powerfully in their service but not a single person came out of it unchanged. I have been in services where people have said that and I know nobody changed...they left and lived their same old lives, same old problems, same old habits, same old complaints. If God were to truly come down would the effects not be drastic? Would they not be noteworthy changes? Perhaps the answer then is that they truly haven't met with God-not really. I don't doubt that they believe they did but it goes back to the question at the beginning of this paragraph.
There is much more to this topic of faith for me to learn. This was just one sermon on it. I think he got through 2 pages of 12 pages of notes... I have never been taught on faith before and so it is helping me to just think this through here...
I can't wait for the next lesson!
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Sure signs your babies are growing up...
1. Jayda and me were talking about cleaning supplies the other day... (granted her grammar needs some work)
2. Daddy could you pass me the dead cow? I really LOVE dead cow now! (from the 5 year old)
3. He wants to be a gangster when he grows up. (from the 7 year old)
4. Pardon me but could I be extused (excused) from the table for a minute? (from the 5 year old)
Ah, but at least the glimmers of wisdom and aging didn't last too long. They are now fighting over who has more books and if the picture of Moses on the one book is Moses or Jesus and they are rejoicing over finding Superman, Strawberry Shortcake, The Tawny Scrawny Lion and thinking that they are not strong enough to carry all the books they have in their piles...I've got my babies back-for a season.
2. Daddy could you pass me the dead cow? I really LOVE dead cow now! (from the 5 year old)
3. He wants to be a gangster when he grows up. (from the 7 year old)
4. Pardon me but could I be extused (excused) from the table for a minute? (from the 5 year old)
Ah, but at least the glimmers of wisdom and aging didn't last too long. They are now fighting over who has more books and if the picture of Moses on the one book is Moses or Jesus and they are rejoicing over finding Superman, Strawberry Shortcake, The Tawny Scrawny Lion and thinking that they are not strong enough to carry all the books they have in their piles...I've got my babies back-for a season.
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Fianlly!!!! 8P
I just finished checking my emails and sorting through all the junk mail...my spam "screener" was full so I ended up with a lot of garbage in my account today...I came across a happy email, a surprising email, a jump for joy email.
You see Rush & I have gone years without getting so much as a cent from her biological father. We got Maintenance involved to help us but even they can't get blood from a stone and he managed to keep himself safe working under the table, putting all his assets in his mom's name (or maybe he just really has nothing), etc.
Back in May I got a letter from Maintenance saying that they had discovered he had a job and they were garnishing his wages effective immediately at $300/month until he got caught up. I was pretty excited. The checks never came, never came and still never came. I shot an email off to my worker who replied back with the explanation that his employer had just submitted the forms and that they were still in the process of figuring out if it would be one check or two per month...the check still never came, still never came...
I was beginning to think that he had taken another easy road out and had quit his job to avoid being garnished. In a last attempt to ease my mind about the situation, I sent an email to my worker last night and got an email back from her stating that a check had been sent (including back pay from May) and I should be getting a check from them within the next few days...
...for $900!!! I should also be able to expect regular monthly checks since he is being garnished!!! "If God is for me, who can be against me?" I just had to bide my time and let God take care of it.
Let the happy dance begin.
You see Rush & I have gone years without getting so much as a cent from her biological father. We got Maintenance involved to help us but even they can't get blood from a stone and he managed to keep himself safe working under the table, putting all his assets in his mom's name (or maybe he just really has nothing), etc.
Back in May I got a letter from Maintenance saying that they had discovered he had a job and they were garnishing his wages effective immediately at $300/month until he got caught up. I was pretty excited. The checks never came, never came and still never came. I shot an email off to my worker who replied back with the explanation that his employer had just submitted the forms and that they were still in the process of figuring out if it would be one check or two per month...the check still never came, still never came...
I was beginning to think that he had taken another easy road out and had quit his job to avoid being garnished. In a last attempt to ease my mind about the situation, I sent an email to my worker last night and got an email back from her stating that a check had been sent (including back pay from May) and I should be getting a check from them within the next few days...
...for $900!!! I should also be able to expect regular monthly checks since he is being garnished!!! "If God is for me, who can be against me?" I just had to bide my time and let God take care of it.
Let the happy dance begin.
Saturday, July 05, 2008
What was I thinking!?!
We began our Family Camp on Wednesday and that included people going on adventures on the 3 seater tube that the church purchased. Rush said it was the funnest, most scariest thing she had ever done (her words...school is out). I, on the other hand, chose life and did not want to go on it especially since I don't swim at all and have a paralyzing fear of water any deeper than my hips.
I hit the tube for a brief moment with my butt before I was hurled through the air backwards over the tube. I was told by everyone who saw that I was thrown apporximately 10 feet into the air (get this picture) while doing my backwards sommersault. When I hit the water (which hurt a lot by the way) I went under so far that BigB said I probably could have stretched out my toe and touched the bottom of the lake ( I think we were only about 8-10 feet deep at that point.); when I opened my eyes, still under water, all I saw was greeny murkiness and I thought I was going to die. Yes, I had a life jacket on but I am so petrified of the water that I figure that my life jacket will be the one be faulty in some manner.
Believe it or not they managed to get me back on a second time which was uneventful...minus the tears and screaming...LOL! 
Uh, yeah. I am so brave; we hadn't even left the shore yet...lol 
This was a genuine scream, unlike the joking one from above where we hadn't even left the shore...
Yesterday they convinced me to go on the tube...well, Char did! She went with me and BigB said he would take it easy on us.
He lied!!!
(Not intentionally but still...)
Another boat came along and decided to "help" us out and began creating some nice waves for us. (By nice I mean incredibly evil, horrible, life threatening waves.)
Char fell off which left our tube unbalanced as we (meaning me) bounced over these waves. The moment the tube hit the water it was being thrown through the air again which means I hadn't even gotten my butt back on the tube and we were once again airbourn! I hung on for dear life but, alas, it was of no use.
I hit the tube for a brief moment with my butt before I was hurled through the air backwards over the tube. I was told by everyone who saw that I was thrown apporximately 10 feet into the air (get this picture) while doing my backwards sommersault. When I hit the water (which hurt a lot by the way) I went under so far that BigB said I probably could have stretched out my toe and touched the bottom of the lake ( I think we were only about 8-10 feet deep at that point.); when I opened my eyes, still under water, all I saw was greeny murkiness and I thought I was going to die. Yes, I had a life jacket on but I am so petrified of the water that I figure that my life jacket will be the one be faulty in some manner.
I eventually (sooner than it felt to me) got back to the surface and lay there bobbing in the water, panicking, thinking I was going to die and waited for the boat to come back to get me...Oh happy day!
Believe it or not they managed to get me back on a second time which was uneventful...minus the tears and screaming...LOL!
Here are a few shots. Unfortunately we didn't get the mid-air shot...you'll have to use your imagination on that one.
Uh, yeah. I am so brave; we hadn't even left the shore yet...lol This was a genuine scream, unlike the joking one from above where we hadn't even left the shore...Friday, July 04, 2008
Yo Ho Ho, a sailor's life for me.
Our church bought this boat so we could go out and have some fun. We work hard all week long, every week so we also want to play hard when we get to play. We also thought it would be great since we have a lot of single moms, to give them and their kids a chance to do something that they may not be able to do otherwise. Primarily though, we bought it for us all to have some fun...There will be other posts of how much fun it was while tubing...complete with pictures.
The captain and his first mate.
The captain and his first mate.
Jellybean and Yoshi took a ride with BigB and Pastor Rob.
I think he may be too cute for words...
Canada Day 2008
This year Canada Day found us sticking around home. We had a quick visit with P.B. & J, met their new addition (Cash) and visited with Riss and Baby. The evening found me and some of my girls sitting around the table planning a pre-wedding service to happen at our church since the wedding is in Ontario. We got the kids in the pj's and headed down to the river to watch the fireworks where we ran into our friends the Capay's. I think a good time was had by all.
Goofish and her friend/sistah, Goofda
All I wanted was a smile, just a smile!
The family shot.
P.B. & J with Cash and Jellybean & Bug.
I couldn't believe I pulled off that shot!
Goofish and her friend/sistah, Goofda All I wanted was a smile, just a smile! The family shot. P.B. & J with Cash and Jellybean & Bug.I couldn't believe I pulled off that shot!Sunday, June 29, 2008
Saturday, June 28, 2008
What a great day!
I don't know if this day could have been more fun while being so productive; I really don't. Today BigB & I went with the kids and got them 3 new fish. It has taken us this long to get over the last fish dying fiasco but we, today, have 3 new white mollies. One of which looks really neat with black spots all over; he kinda looks like a dalmation.
After lunch we went to the playground to play and to get some "fun shots" of us. (It wasn't until later this evening I realized that I burned my back quite badly). We dropped the kids off and headed back to the church to sketch out plans for the renovations and additions to the church, had supper there with Wayne and Shar and came back in time to get kids tucked into bed, "mommy made up stories" told and hamburger frying to make and share nachos with our "family" from across the alley for a movie night.
Looking at fish at Petland. He sure did take a fancy to this big guy but our tank is too small just for him.
Watch out!
We all enjoyed the swings but this was, by far, the best shot.
Me and my huney!
After all the fish shopping was taken care of we stopped by the church; BigB went with Wayne and Shar came with us. BigB and Wayne went and bought a boat for the church and Shar & I went to the store and got water skis for the church. Camp time next week is going to be so much fun!!! We can't wait.
BigB & I took the kids out for a nice lunch to celebrate their fantastic (Jellybean's outstanding) report cards. (I say outstanding for Jellybean's report card because she got all Acheivings and Excellings this term. All this on the little girl who was told she wouldn't pass Kindergarten due to her disability and each year has been the same thing...we're told this is the year she will be held back and each year she astonishes her teachers because she excels at all her classes. Yay Jellybean and Yay God!!!)
After lunch we went to the playground to play and to get some "fun shots" of us. (It wasn't until later this evening I realized that I burned my back quite badly). We dropped the kids off and headed back to the church to sketch out plans for the renovations and additions to the church, had supper there with Wayne and Shar and came back in time to get kids tucked into bed, "mommy made up stories" told and hamburger frying to make and share nachos with our "family" from across the alley for a movie night.
It has been full and fun. I'm looking forward to tomorrow as we get to spend the afternoon with Pam & Eugene & their two kids for supper after church. It will be a fun filled, laughter filled time!
Looking at fish at Petland. He sure did take a fancy to this big guy but our tank is too small just for him.Watch out! We all enjoyed the swings but this was, by far, the best shot.It is way easier to attempt this with 3 children than with 7.
This is called the art of point and shoot. Why else would she be able to shoot with her eyes closed.
Aw...how cute!
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Health Records Laughs...
This is a copy of an email I got from my cousin and since I work in Health Records I found it particularily funny...thought I would share it with you.
"Actual sentences found in hospital patient charts"
She has no rigors or shaking chills, but her husband states she was very hot in bed last night.
Patient has chest pain if she lies on her left side for over a year.
On the second day the knee was better, and on the third day it disappeared.
The patient is tearful and crying constantly. She also appears to be depressed.
The patient has been depressed since she began seeing me in 1993.
Discharge status: Alive but without my permission.
Healthy appearing decrepit 69 year old male, mentally alert but forgetful.
The patient refused autopsy.
The patient has no previous history of suicide.
Patient has left white blood cells at another hospital.
Patient's medical history has been remarkably insignificant with only a 40lb weight gain in the past 3 days.
Patient had waffles for breakfast and anorexia for lunch.
Between you and me, we ought to be able to get this lady pregnant.
Since she can't get pregnant with her husband, I thought you might like to work her up.
She is numb from her toes down.
While in ER, she was examined, X-rated and sent home.
The skin was moist and dry.
Occasional, constant infrequent headaches.
Patient was alert and unresponsive.
Rectal examination revealed a normal size thyroid.
She stated that she had been constipated for most of her life, until she got a divorce.
I saw your patient today, who is still under our car for physical therapy.
Both breasts are equal and reactive to light and accommodation.
Examination of genitalia reveals that he is circus sized.
The lab test indicated abnormal lover function.
The patient was to have a bowel resection. However, he took a job as a stock broker instead.
Skin: somewhat pale but present.
The pelvic exam will be done later on the floor.
Patient was seen in consultation by Dr. Blank, who felt we should sit on the abdomen and I agree.
Patient has two teenage children, but no other abnormalities.
"Actual sentences found in hospital patient charts"
She has no rigors or shaking chills, but her husband states she was very hot in bed last night.
Patient has chest pain if she lies on her left side for over a year.
On the second day the knee was better, and on the third day it disappeared.
The patient is tearful and crying constantly. She also appears to be depressed.
The patient has been depressed since she began seeing me in 1993.
Discharge status: Alive but without my permission.
Healthy appearing decrepit 69 year old male, mentally alert but forgetful.
The patient refused autopsy.
The patient has no previous history of suicide.
Patient has left white blood cells at another hospital.
Patient's medical history has been remarkably insignificant with only a 40lb weight gain in the past 3 days.
Patient had waffles for breakfast and anorexia for lunch.
Between you and me, we ought to be able to get this lady pregnant.
Since she can't get pregnant with her husband, I thought you might like to work her up.
She is numb from her toes down.
While in ER, she was examined, X-rated and sent home.
The skin was moist and dry.
Occasional, constant infrequent headaches.
Patient was alert and unresponsive.
Rectal examination revealed a normal size thyroid.
She stated that she had been constipated for most of her life, until she got a divorce.
I saw your patient today, who is still under our car for physical therapy.
Both breasts are equal and reactive to light and accommodation.
Examination of genitalia reveals that he is circus sized.
The lab test indicated abnormal lover function.
The patient was to have a bowel resection. However, he took a job as a stock broker instead.
Skin: somewhat pale but present.
The pelvic exam will be done later on the floor.
Patient was seen in consultation by Dr. Blank, who felt we should sit on the abdomen and I agree.
Patient has two teenage children, but no other abnormalities.
Monday, June 16, 2008
It's all so new...to us
On Thursday, bigB & I were over at a friend of ours who are moving to a different town; they had a few household things for sale and while BigB was doing some last minute, pre-move things on their computer they were discussing what all they had for sale. By the end of the night we had bought their fridge, stove and a bedroom set (triple dresser, armoir, 2 end tables, mirror, head board and double bed with frame) for $200 plus the bit of work BigB did for them.
Yesterday, we got home from church around 3:30 with a different couple friend of ours, ordered pizza and waited for one more friend to come. Once he came over, he and BigB went to get the fridge and stove but had no time to get the bedroom set as we all needed to be back at the church for a leadership meeting at 6:00.
Our friend, Y will be delivering the rest of the furniture to us anytime now. The girls will be getting the new dressers. We moved Rush's up into Bug's room and Bug's & Jellybean's are being taken back to the church to give to whichever of the new families needs it. The bed is going there too.
It has been a busy evening of getting clothes out and creating spaces for these dressers especially after working and all. bigB can't help as he had to be at a City Council meeting tonight so it was me and the kids and Y, whenever he gets here.
Bug has been in the way trying to help and not wanting to help when he could actually do something. The darn cat has been trying to hitch rides in empty drawers, empty dressers and just milling around our feet as we are walking backwards up the stairs. It's a good job she has 9 lives because I think she has used them all up tonight. Thankfully I had supper on first thing this morning (thank God for slow cookers) and we just used paper plates so there was not much clean up. I think Rush & I will be "done" after this shifting of furniture is over.
But I'll tell you what, it is nice to have a new stove, a fridge that seals and doesn't freeze what shouldn't be and freezes what should be and I am sure tomorrow it will be nice to have the new dressers as well. It will also be Rush's last day of school so there is comfort in that for her. Time to make some money off of dear old mom & dad & look after her brother & sister. It will be handy having someone here to start supper this week...the tent meeting starts on Wednesday.
Yesterday, we got home from church around 3:30 with a different couple friend of ours, ordered pizza and waited for one more friend to come. Once he came over, he and BigB went to get the fridge and stove but had no time to get the bedroom set as we all needed to be back at the church for a leadership meeting at 6:00.
Our friend, Y will be delivering the rest of the furniture to us anytime now. The girls will be getting the new dressers. We moved Rush's up into Bug's room and Bug's & Jellybean's are being taken back to the church to give to whichever of the new families needs it. The bed is going there too.
It has been a busy evening of getting clothes out and creating spaces for these dressers especially after working and all. bigB can't help as he had to be at a City Council meeting tonight so it was me and the kids and Y, whenever he gets here.
Bug has been in the way trying to help and not wanting to help when he could actually do something. The darn cat has been trying to hitch rides in empty drawers, empty dressers and just milling around our feet as we are walking backwards up the stairs. It's a good job she has 9 lives because I think she has used them all up tonight. Thankfully I had supper on first thing this morning (thank God for slow cookers) and we just used paper plates so there was not much clean up. I think Rush & I will be "done" after this shifting of furniture is over.
But I'll tell you what, it is nice to have a new stove, a fridge that seals and doesn't freeze what shouldn't be and freezes what should be and I am sure tomorrow it will be nice to have the new dressers as well. It will also be Rush's last day of school so there is comfort in that for her. Time to make some money off of dear old mom & dad & look after her brother & sister. It will be handy having someone here to start supper this week...the tent meeting starts on Wednesday.
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