At the Moment...

Celebrating... my man's birthday.  He's caught up to me again, for the next 5 1/2 months.

Watching... comments roll in on the little album I posted on Facebook of Nolan.

Loving... the weather this week.  Warm temps, no wind, colored leaves still on the trees, sunshine...

Excitement... went for a cruise in Sean's new ride - he bought a red  97 Cobra Convertible Mustang this week.  We went out after Nolan went to sleep, and left M in charge.  So nice to have that option!  I know most people with babies can't just leave like that, so we appreciate the flexibility she gives us.

Glad... to have Sean back home after being sequestered away on jury duty.  He was at the trial all last week, but was able to come home nights, and we had some nice lunch dates downtown, too.  Monday morning till Tuesday supper they were locked away - felt long.  Felt way longer for him!  He said it was an experience everyone should have.

Looking forward to... soccer season.  Madeline is playing city league this year, which is a big step up from the community association league she has been in.  The preliminary emails have been rolling in, and it should be starting soon.

Wondering... church small groups will be starting soon.  We've said we'll host, so we're wondering who our group will end up including.

Tasting... a nice little treat Sean whipped up.  He had birthday cake at work today, so tomorrow we'll be having DQ ice cream cupcakes (did you know they had such a thing?) and going to the Keg to celebrate on Saturday.  Those should both be tasty, too.

Feeling... lots of little aches and pains.  Nolan is almost 22 lbs, but is still a baby that needs a lot of carrying.  I did get in a long walk yesterday, a good stretch this morning, and a workout in the pool this afternoon (Fit for Two at the Y downtown).  Those all help.  I should do them all more often!

Going... to bed now.  Looking forward to another night without getting up with Nolan!  He's only done one night where we haven't heard a peep from bedtime at 7:30 to 7 am, but most nights this past week he's only woken once and cried just for a minute or two before soothing himself back to sleep.  The last 2 days he's gotten up at 6:15 and 6, though - I'm ready for those 7 am's again!!  Sleep is such a good thing.  We all are enjoying this new phase, and are thankful that training him for this only took a week or so.

Compassion on Pinterest

I'd like to introduce you to our 'other' two kids.

On the left is Damian - he lives way down in the south of Mexico.  On the right is Salomey - she lives in Ghana.  We got this frame with their pictures as a gift from Compassion Canada a few years ago, to celebrate 10 years of sponsorship.

Part of what I did for Compassion's Blog Month was make a new Pinterest board just for Compassion stuff.  Come by and see the stuff I've pinned there!  I wanted to post this shot on there to show how we display our kid's pictures; I would be curious to see how other people display theirs.  

Where do you keep your sponsored kids photos?

Nolan's 8th Month

Just a few shots, as promised, of our favorite little man:

Loves playing the piano.

Seeing M off on the first day of school.

Granny & Papa came to visit!

Bowl and spoon drumming.

Mustangs, iPods, and Jury Duty!

Nolan is 8 months old today!  I will post a little update and some pictures of the awesome little man soon, but today there are too many other bits to share from our week.

 

The week started off with Sean going to the courthouse for Jury selection, and since he was approved by both parties, he's doing his civic duty this week and serving on the jury.  It should go until should go till Friday; with the hours of 10 - 5 and a 1.5 hour lunch, you'd think it would be way cushier than a normal job, but there's a lot to take in and think about, not to mention the pressure of knowing you have to decide someone's fate.  They're not sequestered, so Nolan gets extra Dad time in the morning, and we've had lunch together each day so far.  Sean is finding the whole process pretty interesting, and as a bonus, appreciates our marriage so much more after hearing some of the stuff he's had to listen to.

In other Sean news, he went out last night and bought another Mustang.  It's a 97 cherry red convertible Cobra.  Now he's got one for the road, not just the one that's in the garage being built (slowly) for speed.  We should get it early next week.  Just in time for his birthday.  How convenient.  Now I don't have to buy him anything.

Madeline is a booky girl like her mom, and sometimes that pays off in more ways than just the adventures you go on when reading... When we got home yesterday, there was a message from the library for Madeline letting her know she won the top prize in the summer reading contest draw - an iPod touch!  Her face was pretty funny when she was listening to it; she just bought herself one three weeks ago.  (Can you say ironic?)  It's a white 8gb just like the one she has, so she'll sell it and fill her bank account back up to where it was. 

 

In other M news, she came upstairs tonight after her shower with a round bristle brush completely tangled in her hair.  I'm kicking myself for not grabbing the camera before I helped her out of it.

 

We had our first book club of the year last night; I'll have to post our book list for all you bibliophiles out there.  One of the things that's great about our group is that everyone brings a snack every time.  You might think it's overkill, but no.  It's great.  There's usually something inspired by the book, too; last night it was Lisa bringing a platter of grapes and other fruit a la Grapes of Wrath.  Well done, Lisa.  Last night was the first time I left Nolan at home, too.

 

Wishing you a great week, whether it's a normal one or not!

Meatloaf & Liver

A few months ago we were sitting around the dinner table, talking about food and why we never eat certain things, and we decided that we would find some well-ranked recipes and try out a couple of things that we never make.  How adventurous of us, hey?

I made a meatloaf last month, and for a funny twist, we just happened to have company over.  The supper was already in the works, and since Holly was dropping off M around 5, I invited her and David to join us - giving them fair warning of what I was making, of course!  They were happy to be guinea pigs with us, and we all decided that it wasn't too bad.  It wasn't going to make it onto our monthly menu, but it could be an every-six-months kind of a meal.

Tonight was our liver night.  We put it on the menu and knew it was coming; the onions were sauteed and smothering the lightly breaded meat, and we all took the first bite together... and for both M and Sean, the first bite was also the last.  I ate my whole piece, but it may be my last for a very long time, since it won't be made in this house for another, oh, say, decade or so...

An Open Letter to God...

Dear Jesus,

I thank you for the people who provide opportunities that bridge the gap between people who have needs and people who have resources.  Thank you that because of them, I have the opportunity to make a difference.  Thank you that there are so many little ones around the world who are being fed, clothed, educated and kept healthy - in your name -  and being introduced to you, the one who makes all the difference.

I thank you for Salomey and Damian.  Even though I was not the one getting up nights with them when they were little, and I'm not the one making their meals or tucking them in, it does feel like we are family.  Just as M's teachers, coaches, camp cabin leaders, and church youth leaders play an important role in her life, it is very cool to know that we do provide supports that shapes our sponsored children.  My deepest prayer for them, Lord, is that they'd know you truly and love you deeply.  May their faith influence their families and their communities.

Bless those who work in the Compassion projects.  Give them wisdom and patience and the ability to spread your love to each child and their families.

Amen.

If you'd like to check out how you could have a relationship like this, visit here.

A Silver Lining

In the spring, I was approached by someone who had seen my magic bags on Used Regina or Kijiji, asking if I would like to come and have a table at their vendor's market.  I planned to do that, but it ended up being cancelled.  So when she let me know it would be on again in September, in conjunction with the town fall festival, I started sewing again...

It was the worst sale I've ever been in.  Nobody came!  My guess is too many events scheduled for the day, and all the other stuff was more fun.  I sold a grand total of one item: a set of magnets for $2.  (I took magnets and poppycock to sell along with the bags.)

When I went to our credit union before hand to get a float for the sale, the friendly teller asked about it, and wanted me to bring a bag by for her; when I went to return the unused rolls of coin yesterday, I took her a few samples.  Later that afternoon, she called, asking me to bring more samples, because lots of the staff were interested and wanted to see some of the other fabrics...  So the ladies at the bank are going to make it worth my while to have gone to that sale.  Nice!

In the last two weeks, I have had three other orders for bags.  Word of mouth is a wonderful thing!  I've got the shop updated with all my current fabrics (and you'll notice that I've upped the price to $15.  Don't worry, I've still got my friends and family rate!) I'll post them here for you, too:

The Dad Collection (Dark, Argyle)

The Colors Collection (top: Yellow, Sky, Green bottom: Indigo, Purple, Teal)

The Fun Collection (Blue or Green Chevron, Frogs, Chickies)

The Red Collection (Strips, Dots, Flowers, Strips & Dots)

Jesus Loves the Little Children...

...all the children of the world;
Red and Yellow, Black and White,
They are precious in his sight,
Jesus loves the little children of the world!

Remember that one?  I was thinking about Compassion tonight, and how I can tell you more about them, and those smiling faces made that song pop into my head.  Would you like to see some of the beautiful children that are a part of Compassion's projects?  This link will take you there.

I remember one time a few years ago visiting that page and seeing those children...  I had been reading a blog where the writer mentioned that she often visited the page of children waiting for sponsors to pray for them, and I thought it was a great idea. I wish the numbers in my bank account let me sponsor dozens of children; even though that's not a reality, it costs me nothing to pray for them!

I especially like to look for children who share our birthdays, and I like to pray for the ones that have been waiting longest for a sponsor.  It was doing this one time that led us to Salomey, the girl we sponsor from Ghana.  She and Madeline were born not only on the same day, but the same year. 

Perhaps you might go for a visit?  Find a child with your birthday and pray for them?  I'm headed over there now, and I've got that song stuck in my head.  Red and Yellow, Black and White...

Edited to add:
If you click here, you'll see the 9 children who share my birthday !  Hmm... and it's got me thinking - I turn 40 next year in March - the best birthday gift ever would be to have 40 children sponsored.  All the kids that share my birthday?  (First I would pick Moses, because he's from Kenya, which holds a special place in my heart because I've been there, and because he lives in an AIDS-affected area, and an area with a higher risk of exploitation and abuse, and because he has lost one or both of his parents...)