Read it!

You can read that title as 'I read the book,' which I did, and also as 'you should read it,' because that's what I'm recommending.  I'll admit I wasn't sure where he was going with the first few chapters, but wow.  Gripping.

Thanks to Catherine Friesen for the suggestion!

Give a Book a Chance

I was in the middle of two books the other day.  One I had picked from the library because it was set in a different time and place, and we had just finished a great one like that for book club (Cutting for Stone).  It was interesting for the first couple of chapters, then got pretty tedious and strange, so I left it and started another one.  This one was recommended by a friend, so I was expecting a winner...  It, too, was a little hard to get into.  But because it was recommended, I thought I'd stick with it and see how it turns out; before I did, though, I went back to the first one, and give it a chance, too...  I finished that one, and am farther into the second - the first, while I would not highly recommend, did pull together somewhat satisfyingly.  The second is showing more promise - I'll wait till I finish it to declare it recommendable or not.

On a different level, we just got these winners from the library and I highly recommend them!

The Influence of Parents: A Spiritual Treasure

Over the long weekend, M spent a night over at her Grandpa's.  She came home the next day with a treasure:  One of my old Bibles!  I guess at one point between moves we left some books there.  She had been going through the bookshelves and brought home Little Women and Jane Eyre, too; some good classics.

I took some photos of all my old Bibles with the set now complete (the one she brought was that second one) and got to thinking about what message they send... I think there's a few, but what impressed me most was about the influence parents have.  Those first three Bibles?  They all have my Mom's handwriting on the dedication page, with my name and the dates of when I was five years old, nine years old, and for my 15th birthday.  They went from the King James to the Children's Living Bible (easier to read), to the New American Standard Bible (best mix between readability and literal translation).  The fourth, the New Revised Standard Version, was new from Neil for our wedding, since the middle one saw me from 15 to 22, including four years of Bible school, and was falling apart, and the last one that I'm using now, is a TNIV (Today's New International Version), from Sean for our wedding, when we both got new ones (also because my old one was falling apart again...)

Parents and spouses - people in your life who should encourage your spiritual self; I'm so glad they did for me.  Thank you.

Madeline got a kick out of the spine that had fallen off and that was stuck as a bookmark in the text: "I will read 3 chapters and a Psalm every day and on Sunday 5 chapters and a Psalm..."  I read that Bible from when I was eight to when I was 15.  I wonder what she thought of that commitment?  I wonder if it made her think about her own commitment to read?  We try to encourage her to read first thing in the day, before she reads anything else just for fun, but you can't be legalistic about something like that.  I just hope and pray that God's Word becomes as important to her as it is to me.  As it always has been to me.

Pray with me, won't you, for our children, that they would have a love for God's Word, a desire to commit both to him and to the good habit of reading it?  I will pray for you as parents, that you would influence your children in a positive way and leave a legacy that lasts.

That's Snow Fun!

Sunday we spent a good chunk out in the back yard, all bundled up.  Nolan didn't show much expression at all - just taking in another new experience.  Madeline tried to get him to make a snow angel, but he might be a little more playful later on...

His swing was piled high with snow, so we just plopped him on top - I think he enjoyed the ride!  That's a great snowsuit - both the hands and feet have flip over ends, so you can use boots and mitts, or just pop them over and let life be easy!  That's how we did it today - I pulled out the wagon and we walked up and down the front sidewalk for a while soaking up the sun.  He thought that was pretty ok.  I sent a photo to fb from my phone if you want another peek at him.

This is from this morning - he got a little cut on his thumb, not sure from what - a paper, maybe?  But there was a little blood so we washed him up (notice the wet jammies) and stuck a bandaid on it.  It kept him entertained for a good 15 minutes before he had it just about chewed right off, and by then it had stopped bleeding anyway.

Thankful for...

Veterans and all those who have sacrificed so we can enjoy peace and freedom.
A day off with the family at home.
Hours playing and enjoying each other.
Bright fabrics.
Online shopping.
Etsy.
Quilts.
A win for M's soccer team.
Sleepovers at Grandpa's.
Brownies and cookies and desserts.
Pinterest and new ideas to try.
Small group friends.
A new niece arriving soon.
"Dada" and "Mama."

Life in the Snow

Here's what I was looking at a moment ago - this is the view from my back door after two days of snow.  There was nothing on the ground when we woke yesterday, and now it feels like Christmas.

I got some great shots of Nolan and the Snow when it snowed earlier this week - that link will take you to see them on Facebook.

I'm feeling quilty these days.  I got a quilting book from the library yesterday, snagged on my way to check out my other books (I keep a list of recommended books on my phone, and found two - looks like some good reading this week!)  This sparked my interest and I started browsing fabric online...

 I tweeted to see where my friends buy fabric online and was sent to Etsy, which I forget has supply stuff like fabric - I always think of it as a 'finished product' marketplace - and I placed an order!  Ah, shopping online.  So great to get stuff in the mail!  I've ordered a few scrapbooking things lately, too.  I ordered from the Surly Sheep shop and got an email that it shipped today.  Can't wait!

Here's another favorite book lately:

We got it from Jamie, an old friend (and blog reader!).  It's been the before sleep story of the week - he always grins at the first picture of a cat and my meow no matter how tired he is.

Madeline has a soccer tournament this weekend, and Nolan and I made it to last night's game and will make it to tomorrow's, but had to miss both of today's.  We did go for lunch with the team and all the other parents, though - it's good to get to know some new people through that.

Well, there you have a slightly scrambled snapshot of life here right now. While N is sleeping and the others are still out, I'm going to go finish sewing up some magic bags and perhaps pull out some material and the quilt pattern I'm thinking of starting...  Have a great weekend!

What is a Colon?

Mom:  "Madeline, you're not moving."  (She was supposed to be cleaning her room.)
M: "Yes I am!  My heart's beating, I'm breathing, and my colon's moving...  What is a colon?"

We made her look it up and read it out loud from the dictionary.  She had to read the word rectum, too!

She's so confused...

Madeline was sick Saturday night, and had a dozey Sunday.  She went to bed right after supper and came up at 8 pm.  She used the washroom, peered in the office at Sean and I, went back downstairs, then re-emerged a minute later.  "What time is it?" she asked.  "Eight o'clock," I answered, to which she said, "Monday?"

Poor kid was messed up - thought it was Monday morning and that she missed her bus and we hadn't woken her, but didn't know why Dad was still home...  Then she went back to bed and slept all night.  She's off to school today, and hopefully whatever was making her pukey is gone.

Nolan also had a weird Saturday night, an off Sunday and went to bed early.  In consequence, he was up at 5:30 this morning, ready to play and make noise.  After a whole weekend of messed sleeps, I kept him up as long as I could to try to get naps and nighttime back on track.  Sleep, glorious sleep, I miss you.  But truthfully, I am enjoying the boy at this age and will miss it when it's gone, so I will take the tiredness with it and will do my best to not let the lack of sleep affect my mood!

Happy Monday, everyone!  May you be healthy and may you enjoy your circumstances even if they are not what you'd call perfect.

Nolan at Nine Months

I've had a nine-month-old for a whole week now, and the biggest development is that HE'S WALKING!!!  Yes, an early stepper; takes after his dad, who according to my mother-in-law also walked at nine months.

I counted around 35 steps at the library the other day - they've got a great open space for him to cruise around in.  His balance is great, he can stop and go, and turn around... so fun to watch.

We had him dedicated at church this past Sunday.  I always find baby dedications to be a special time, since the congregation speaks out loud these words:

As your faith community, we support you as you bring this child of your love and the love of your Heavenly Father. As you commit your child and yourself to the Father, we commit ourselves to you, to support, to encourage, to pray and to take an active part in the nurturing of this young life. As God is our witness, we receive this child in love, and promise to be unto your child, father, mother, brother, sister and friend.

It is one way that you can practically feel the ties between us growing and strengthening.  A great picture of church, and a great reassurance that we are not alone in our desire for this boy to grow up with a heart for Jesus.

We are so thankful that our parents could be there as well as a few of his aunts, uncles, and cousins, and that they could all spend the day with us.

Book Club List 2012/13

Book Club - catching up with friends, eating well and laughing about the trend of the table (this month, cheese), passing around the latest baby, and of course, talking books.  We all enjoyed and recommend Cutting for Stone, and I thought I'd share our list for this year in case you are looking for suggestions of something to read:

Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese
The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien
The Great Gatsby by Fitzgerald
Postcards Never Written by Janita Van De Velde
Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls

The Hotel on the Corner of Better and Sweet By Jamie Ford
Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand
Bel Canto by Ann Pachett
Angel's Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
Divergent by Veronica Roth

Enjoy!

Praying Police

I read an article this morning about Winnipeg's new Chief of Police, and his advice to citizens to pray for a safer city.  It of course included criticism, and because it was online, had a host of comments, some for and more mocking.

Read the article here.

My two cents?   He says his faith is part of who he is, and can't be separated from his job.  So the people who named him to this crucial role of chief would already know this and understand that it helps or at least does not hinder his ability to do the job.  I don't know any background other than what I read in the article, but I think it's great to see an unashamed Christian in such a position of authority.  Good job, Winnipeg.

I Could Tell You

I want to update my blog, but I have nothing to say.  That's what I just told Sean.

I could tell you about Nolan - he's into the kitchen cupboards these days and tonight bit through a K-cup for the first time.  He also shut his little finger in the cupboard door tonight, for the first time.  He's napping less and sleeping not as great at night these last few days.  Sigh.  He went 3 nights of sleeping right through, and we're hoping those come back soon.  He got two teeth on Monday - that makes 8.  We've got his dedication service planned at church for October 21, and are looking forward to having family join us for that.

I could tell you about Madeline - she's really enjoying this new soccer experience.  Three practices and one game so far, and she comes home with a red face and a smile.  She's off bowling with the youth group tonight, has a haircut booked for tomorrow morning and a soccer game in the afternoon.

I could tell you that balancing life is better some days than others, but I have pretty realistic expectations of myself, so I don't feel behind.  Today I wanted to clean the bathroom and change the bedsheets and got both done!  Plus managed a workout and shower during morning nap.  A successful day before noon even.  Today was P90X, Wednesday was Tae Bo.  I try to get to the Y for a weekly swim class with Nolan but skipped this week.  I was reading up on sleep issues for Nolan and read how routine is not only important for babies (makes for better naps which makes for better nights), it's also important for the mommies...  Which of course is true - if you schedule in the things that are priorities for you, you will end up doing more of that and less stuff that is less important.  So I thought through my week and our daily schedule - basically I'm going to try to accomplish my workouts and chore stuff in the morning; some while he's with me and some while he's napping.  His afternoon nap will be for quieter chores or reading or napping - recharging myself for the rest of the day.  It won't be too much different than it has been, but I'm going to focus on his naps again for him, and focus on getting in more exercise for me. 

I could tell you that Compassion's Blog Month in September was a success:  "Thanks to you 3,159 children were sponsored online in the month of September. We exceeded our goal of 3,108 children by the not so insignificant number of 51 additional lives"! 

I could tell you that Cutting for Stone was a very good book.  It is our book club read this month and I finished it up last night.  Sad to have it end, but good to know how it all resolves, you know?  That may have had something to do with why today was so productive.  Maybe.

I guess I found a few things I could tell you.

Happy Birthday, Jess!

It's my little sister's birthday today, so I'm sharing a few old photos - hooray for the 70's!

Surviving... and Enjoying

Two days ago was really rough.  Not enough sleep made for a day that took a lot more effort on my part!  I'm glad for the friend that called out of the blue and came over for tea.  Thanks, I needed that.

Yesterday was great all day long - we had two productive outings, and the time at home wasn't spent trying to keep Nolan out of places he shouldn't go.  Until the evening.  We really need a baby gate or two...

Today has been up and down a few times already.   Funny how diapering a baby can be the most frustrating part of your day - he flipped over INTO the poop and smeared it all over making his getaway.  I just put him down for a nap and wanted to post a few photos for you before I go grab some ZZZ's myself. 

Oh, and...        ***Happy Birthday, Mom!!***

)()()()()()()()()()()()()(

I had a few minutes of creativity last week - made some cards for my mom's birthday (with the 'medal'), my sister's birthday (green), and for some friends to celebrate their baby boy (blue).

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.