Thinking

What have you been thinking lately?

I've been thinking about thinking.  Specifically, paying attention to what I am thinking and stopping myself from thinking things that are not helpful, things that are negative and should not be allowed space in my brain; choosing instead to think about solutions to those problems, or on any number of positive thoughts.  I'm choosing thoughts that remind me who I am and of all the great qualities of the people around me.

I've mentioned this before, but it's still what I'm thinking, so it's worth mentioning again.  :)

I'm thinking of which way I can drive so we pass machines on our travels.  I'm a mom with a boy.  We were thrilled to get home this morning in time to see the grader work on our alley.

My brother used to tease me about being in love with a little blond boy.  I'm thinking he was seeing into the future!

(*This one's for Girls Only!*) I'm thinking about what a great product the Diva Cup is and recommending it to all my friends.  Look it up and let me know if you have any questions!!

I'm thinking about how much I am looking forward to seeing my family soon and taking in the Canadian women's soccer game there.

I'm thinking about drinking my coffee black.  We are almost out of the vanilla syrup we use a lot, and Sean thought maybe we should take a break from it for a while.  He often drinks his black, but I think I will join him and try it for the rest of May...  Cutting out sugar is never a bad idea.  Yesterday's was not bad after the first few sips, but today's was nasty all the way to the bottom.  I will confess that I had to have an Oreo after...

I'm thinking about all of you who read this and I'm grateful that you care!  XO

Hope

I picked the hope mug again this morning.

I showed you these before: the mugs we got from Mom & Dad for Christmas.  The plan was to swap them back out once the holidays were over, but they are still in the cupboard, mid April.  Outside still looks like January, so maybe once it's green we'll do that.

I've gotten into the habit, though, of picking the mug I use based on what I would like to see or feel in my life at the moment.  Often it's the green Joy mug, but the Hope mug sees a lot of use, too, and Peace....  It's such a nice addition to the morning coffee to have a calming thought inhaled in, affecting my whole being.

This week, this is what I hope:

that spring will come
that M will get through the teenage years without being too scarred by them
that she would be strong mentally & stand strong against the pressure of her peers
that Sean and his business would thrive
that N will sleep through the night one day and not need to nurse to sleep and I'll be able to leave him  knowing he's fine without me
that God will answer prayers for the salvation of friends and family
that I would hold on to joy; enjoy friends and have meaningful work both raising my children and otherwise that this marriage will only get stronger and last forever
that my light would shine
that I would be open to people and opportunities
that God's kingdom would come on earth as it is in heaven
that we would find a dress for M's grad that she loves and that we are happy with
that Sean would find a good friend to spend time with now that one has moved away
that N's cold would be gone soon and not spread to his lungs or ears

I am so thankful that my hopes don't have to remain just hopes, but are prayers that the Answer hears.

Matchy Matchy

Tuesday night, at the beginning of small group, we were all standing around the kitchen fixing our drinks.  Someone commented on these new mugs that we got for Christmas from Mom & Dad, and I said I liked the green one (that I was using) best.  I looked down and noticed that I was wearing a green shirt - then looked at Lori, using the purple mug - and wearing a purple shirt, and then at Byron, using the blue mug - and wearing a blue shirt.

The next morning, I was telling Madeline about the matching mugs and shirts while making myself a coffee - in the red mug - and yes, I was wearing a red shirt.

Homemade Christmas... Not This Year!

With the wee man around, I made the easy decision that I would not be making the majority of the Christmas presents this year.  I don't know that I've ever made more than I've bought, but I do like to make as many as I can.  This year, not only did I just shop, but I shopped online for a bunch of it... so easy!! 

I did, however, have a big sewing session the week before Christmas.  I posted here about the coffee cozy I made myself, and here are the 10 I whipped up for my friend Holly:

I didn't have time to quilt them all like I did with mine, but had enough fun fabric that I made them doublesided - still works and looks great.

And the second side...

I will sew up a few more when I have some time; if you'd like one (for $4) let me know your favorite color and I'll make one up special for you.  Shipping will be way more reasonable than it would be for a magic bag, too...

Two Weeks Old!

Man, how time flies - I can't believe that Nolan has been here for two weeks already.  He's fitting into the family well - in the last few days he's gone to M's swimming lessons (she passed level 9), her soccer game, her basketball game, and to Dad's work.

We went to the doctor for his first visit today - he's just over 12 pounds now; above the 99.9the percentile for height and between the 97 & 99th percentile for weight.  We grow 'em big in the Schneider family.

One thing the doctor said was that he shouldn't need to eat as often as he does, and that if he's hungry more often than every 3 hours or so, to give him water.  So we tried to give him water in a bottle tonight, and he actually took some.  Funny to watch him try something new like that.

I am feeling pretty good, except that I have bronchitis... I guess labour was hard on my lungs!  I've been coughing ever since we got home from the hospital.  Doc prescribed some stuff, so I'm looking forward to kicking this pretty quick now.  I weighed myself this morning and was thrilled to find that in the past two weeks I've lost 30 pounds!  Only 13 more to go to get back to what I was before.

A fun wrinkle in life this week is that my Escape needs a new tranny.  It's in the shop and we won't get it back till next week sometime.  it was nice to be able to leave Nolan home sleeping while I drove Sean to work this morning - M was comfortable keeping an ear out for him while she got ready for school.

And some photos from today - the boy at two weeks old:

First date at Roca House - Camille (the owner) held him a while  and treated us to the yummy cupcakes to go with our coffees.

And here is me embracing the camera.  He only looks extra huge here because it's a close shot...

My 3 favorite foods. And an update on life.

Pringles.
Sunflower Seeds.
Honey Nut Cheerios.

That order changes, and as far as real food goes, Pizza and Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins are tops. :)

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I got a message on the phone today from the camp. Yeah, the one that is looking after my kid this week. They said she's fine, but they wanted us to know what was going on... Hello? Yeah, fill me in! They took her into the hospital yesterday because she hurt her wrist. Doing handstands in the field. She went over the wrong way and hyper extended it. Just a sprain. What a dork. (I say that lovingly!) Handstands are her new thing. And now, as if camp wasn't memorable enough, she's got a hospital trip and x-rays to remember this year by. They said she's got a tensor bandage and is icing it, but that her counselor said she was scrambling up the gravel pit with the rest of them no problem, so she's good.

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We have confirmed that Darren Andres is coming to join our pastoral staff this fall doing Adult Ministries; now that it's confirmed, I can tell you about MY change! The boss is going over my draft of what I'm going to send out to the young adults tomorrow, so as soon as I do that I will let you in on the news. How's that for leaving you hanging?? I could spill the beans here first, but we haven't nailed down the title, and that might be a good place to start. So I'll leave you hanging and you can check back tomorrow!

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I finished 3 layouts yesterday - one just needs a dragonfly embellishment, so as soon as I find that I will take pictures and post them for you. Two from camping, one from racing. I'm excited to share!

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Since M's away, it's date week. Monday we went out to a new restaurant for dinner, and then to a friend's for a bonfire with a bunch of people. Yesterday we went to Starbucks in Chapters for a drink and some browsing. Tonight we're out to a dessert place with a bunch of friends, and then tomorrow night we'll be packing to go to family camp. Maybe we'll get done in time to take a walk to Tim Hortons... And with M going to Winnipeg after family camp, we'll have date week part 2 next week! We are still newlyweds, you know - it's only been 2 1/2 years! (Although we'll still be dating when we're old and grey...)

Leave a comment:
What is your favorite date night date?

or

Did you ever have to go to the hospital from camp?
or
What are your favorite 3 foods?
or
Are you excited to hear what my new job is?

How important are small groups?

It's Wednesday night, which is 'Girl's Small Group' night, and no one showed. One I talked to; she is sick. That's legit. But it gives me the chance to write about something that I was thinking today and over the last little while. Ironic, really, because it fits right in. I was wondering about the need for small groups, and how important they really are. This one at least has had me wondering for months. I believe that Christians need spiritual connections, usually on a deeper level than you can go on a Sunday morning, in order to be growing in their faith.

What you do on your own in private - quiet time, devotions, praying - whatever you do and whatever you want to call it, is very important if you don't want your faith to be stagnant.

Going to church, and being part of the community, is also very important to growing. The being part of the community is the key, not just the showing up.

And in between those two, the individuality of faith and the corporate togetherness of faith, is what I have to program. Good grief. Here's the dilemma. Not everyone fits into the programs we do. Each person's needs are different as far as how they connect with their spiritual friends. We have a Sunday night service, geared for young adults, that meets the need for corporate worship, learning and prayer (and of course fellowship, or hanging out) in a way that young adults would relate to more than a Sunday morning. It's designed to complement, not replace Sunday mornings. And we have small groups. One for young married couples, one for guys only, one open one, and one for the ladies. Which may not exist at this point next week.

I want people to gather together once or twice a week, whatever they feel they need, and then LIVE IT the rest of the week. Spend time with friends, at work, at school, and be Christ's representative in that situation. Or instead of going to Bible Study, why don't you browse over your sermon notes for a bit so what you learned really sinks in, then either go out and be in the world, or rest up so you can be at your best when you're with people again?

Just a thought. I'm not saying Bible Studies are bad. It's just going back to the idea that often we just feed ourselves and forget about sharing that life giving food with our friends. And I'm not saying stay away just to do nothing; stay away so you can be intentional about using that time for living! If I didn't have to be here wondering if anyone was going to show up, I could be living. I would be out for coffee catching up with someone, investing in them, or on a date with my husband, investing in my marriage... If there is interest, I will be happy to go with it, but if it's just a lesser option for a Wednesday night, I'd rather call it quits.

Hard to sell a job description that is solely going out for coffee... but the reality is, each individual has different needs for their spiritual growth. We're all at a different place, doing a different pace, and aiming for the same goal, but working from different angles. So I have to know each one and help them find what they need, and I have to offer these different programs so there's something to fill those needs. Challenging, satisfying, and yeah, a lot of coffees. I'm starting to feel like my role is more that of a Spiritual Director than anything. Well, that I'd like to be that. More fulfilling than a program coordinator.