Dedikasi

Dan kamu yang cukup baik dan cukup sabar
Apapun tentangmu dan dirimu
Bagiku sudah cukup

Kau selalu penuh dalam hatiku, Ibu.

Ligx

Dedikasi

Dan kamu yang cukup baik dan cukup sabar
Apapun tentangmu dan dirimu
Bagiku sudah cukup

Kau selalu penuh dalam hatiku, Ibu.

Ligx

tent parties and turning 30

Here in British Columbia we are having some kind of serious fever.
Warm weather has been slow in arriving but now that the temperatures are edging towards tent weather .. .we are spending our dinners outdoors.
Our Canucks are in a new series against the San Jose Sharks and we take our hockey pretty seriously.

My beloved sorted out the issue of whether we should be outdoors for dinner . . .
or  ..
inside watching the game.

We watched the game and as they began to lose interest in playing hard. .
we spent more time talking ..
and less time watching.

Saturday morning the drizzle began again and when Grandgirlie came to spend a few hours she was unconcerned with the danger of melting . ..
even though she is made of mostly sugar.

After toting around a small pullet for the better part of an hour . .
she helped herself to some fresh eggs from the hen house and suggested I get some hash browns going to pair them with.

While I made us some lunch.  ..
she listened to kids music through the outdoor speakers and sat in the tent waiting for lunch.

Kids are brilliant . .
they know full well that coming in for any reason at all might constitute remaining indoors on a drizzly day.
She took no chances and offered to pick some flowers while she waited.

From the kitchen window I saw her look of complete and utter disbelief when her gentle tug at a English Daisy stem rewarded her with the entire plant.
I smiled at her  . .."sorry Grammie". . .
as it was such  small matter between girls.

With one hand grasping my camera. . .
I took the unrooted plant and gave it a firm reminder where it was to be.



While we spent the afternoon playing games of teasing .  ..hiding and finding. .
her Daddy was easing into the reality of being 30.

Stuart is the little one.
Grandgirlie saw my picture of my friends and was most impressed with the number of friends I had ..
wanting to know all their names.
I said. ."can you tell me about your friends.  .honey?"
She said. . ."yup"
I said. . ."okay ...tell me their names"
She tilted her head in serious concentration . .listing them off.
Noting she didn't name her little sister I asked her. . .
"what about  . . . . "
She answered rather sadly . ."no  .she's my sister".


I thought then of the picture of her Daddy and his big brother.
Little boys. . .
full of hugs . ..squabbles ...scraps . . then and still ...connected because of parents in love.

Had I known. ..when that picture was taken that 30 years would fly like the wind. . .
I would have surely hung on for dear life.

If I could .. .
I would not go back and do it over again.
I'm happy with the outcome.. ..
and find great joy in seeing all Stuart has become.

all for now .

tent parties and turning 30

Here in British Columbia we are having some kind of serious fever.
Warm weather has been slow in arriving but now that the temperatures are edging towards tent weather .. .we are spending our dinners outdoors.
Our Canucks are in a new series against the San Jose Sharks and we take our hockey pretty seriously.

My beloved sorted out the issue of whether we should be outdoors for dinner . . .
or  ..
inside watching the game.

We watched the game and as they began to lose interest in playing hard. .
we spent more time talking ..
and less time watching.

Saturday morning the drizzle began again and when Grandgirlie came to spend a few hours she was unconcerned with the danger of melting . ..
even though she is made of mostly sugar.

After toting around a small pullet for the better part of an hour . .
she helped herself to some fresh eggs from the hen house and suggested I get some hash browns going to pair them with.

While I made us some lunch.  ..
she listened to kids music through the outdoor speakers and sat in the tent waiting for lunch.

Kids are brilliant . .
they know full well that coming in for any reason at all might constitute remaining indoors on a drizzly day.
She took no chances and offered to pick some flowers while she waited.

From the kitchen window I saw her look of complete and utter disbelief when her gentle tug at a English Daisy stem rewarded her with the entire plant.
I smiled at her  . .."sorry Grammie". . .
as it was such  small matter between girls.

With one hand grasping my camera. . .
I took the unrooted plant and gave it a firm reminder where it was to be.



While we spent the afternoon playing games of teasing .  ..hiding and finding. .
her Daddy was easing into the reality of being 30.

Stuart is the little one.
Grandgirlie saw my picture of my friends and was most impressed with the number of friends I had ..
wanting to know all their names.
I said. ."can you tell me about your friends.  .honey?"
She said. . ."yup"
I said. . ."okay ...tell me their names"
She tilted her head in serious concentration . .listing them off.
Noting she didn't name her little sister I asked her. . .
"what about  . . . . "
She answered rather sadly . ."no  .she's my sister".


I thought then of the picture of her Daddy and his big brother.
Little boys. . .
full of hugs . ..squabbles ...scraps . . then and still ...connected because of parents in love.

Had I known. ..when that picture was taken that 30 years would fly like the wind. . .
I would have surely hung on for dear life.

If I could .. .
I would not go back and do it over again.
I'm happy with the outcome.. ..
and find great joy in seeing all Stuart has become.

all for now .

Mother's Day

Yesterday my husband brought me home tulips for Mother's Day. Isn't it amazing what fresh flowers do for a table and for a room? The whole room came alive with just that simple addition.

My kids, not to be outdone, decided to write messages for me on our driveway. I'm sure they don't realize this but the better gift was those two playing together in peace. My oldest and my youngest, ohhhh the arguments they have, always bugging one another. Thirty minutes of playing with no arguing, no teasing, no shoving......yup, now that's a perfect Mother's Day present right there.

To all my blog readers that are lucky enough to be celebrating this weekend with their precious children, whether they are playing peacefully or not, Happy Mother's Day!

Mother's Day

Yesterday my husband brought me home tulips for Mother's Day. Isn't it amazing what fresh flowers do for a table and for a room? The whole room came alive with just that simple addition.

My kids, not to be outdone, decided to write messages for me on our driveway. I'm sure they don't realize this but the better gift was those two playing together in peace. My oldest and my youngest, ohhhh the arguments they have, always bugging one another. Thirty minutes of playing with no arguing, no teasing, no shoving......yup, now that's a perfect Mother's Day present right there.

To all my blog readers that are lucky enough to be celebrating this weekend with their precious children, whether they are playing peacefully or not, Happy Mother's Day!

Sunday

Happy Easter from our family to yours!!

Sunday

Happy Easter from our family to yours!!

Growing Up

This little boy is officially registered for Kindergarten 2011-2012! It's a sad thought that he'll be in school a full day next year. He's the youngest and when the youngest goes to school, there are officially no more babies in the house. No more lazy mornings spent in pajamas, no more lunches out with his mama, no more random trips to Target to get him a toy "just because."

Nope, he'll be with the big kids. I'm going to enjoy every last minute of this school year while he's still home.

I'm going to miss that dimpled face of his when he's in school.

My baby is growing up.

Growing Up

This little boy is officially registered for Kindergarten 2011-2012! It's a sad thought that he'll be in school a full day next year. He's the youngest and when the youngest goes to school, there are officially no more babies in the house. No more lazy mornings spent in pajamas, no more lunches out with his mama, no more random trips to Target to get him a toy "just because."

Nope, he'll be with the big kids. I'm going to enjoy every last minute of this school year while he's still home.

I'm going to miss that dimpled face of his when he's in school.

My baby is growing up.

Change is only the beginning of a new adventure...

On December 15, 2010, I wrote in my prayer journal:

I pray today about Trevvor's work.  Bless the work of his hands and may it bring him a measure of fulfillment at the end of each day.  Show him what Your work is for him and give him the strength and courage to do it.  Teach him to do all that he does for Your glory alone.  Let him be content with the job he has if it is Your will for him.  Show me how I can best help and support him in this area, Father.

The next day, I asked for the same things, adding:

If this job is Your will for him, let him find fulfillment, contentment, and even enjoyment in it.  If it is not Your will, then direct him to where You want him to be at the proper time.

I need to stop being surprised when God answers prayers in BIG ways, because about two weeks later, Trevvor got a call from PricewaterhouseCoopers, the Big 4 international accounting firm that he'd interned for in Birmingham last spring.



They wanted to offer him a position as a first year associate, starting ASAP.



Last spring he had an opportunity to have a position there starting this coming fall, but first he would need to do a 12-month masters' degree program in tax accounting and then sit for the CPA exam.  He didn't relish the idea of going straight back to school, and wanted to try management accounting for a while (which he's been doing since last summer here in Huntsville), so he turned down the position at that time.



But apparently things have changed, both on their side and ours.  On our side, Trevvor was realizing that he enjoyed tax accounting much more than management accounting.  On their side, they needed an incoming associate with or without a masters' degree and a CPA.  Trevvor was their first choice, despite not having either of these.



Long story short, a few days after the initial call, Trevvor accepted the position.  Since then, we've kept busy by interviewing (and now training) replacements for his position at my dad's company and traveling the hour and a half to Birmingham once a week to look at houses.



It has certainly been an adjustment, shifting my future plans from a Huntsville local (close to my family and high school friends) to a Birmingham one.  To make things more difficult, only two months ago did we place membership at a wonderful church of Christ right down the road from us, and now we'll have to begin the "church search" all over again!  *sigh*



But overall, we are sure that this is a very positive move (literally and figuratively) for us.  Trevvor is thrilled about his upcoming job--which starts February 7, a week from today--and I am so proud of him.  I'm mostly excited about buying a house:  it will be so wonderful to call a place "home" for more than a year or two!  (On the housing note, we think we may have found one we'd like to place an offer on, but we're seeing it for a second time this afternoon before doing so.)



In conclusion, keep us in your prayers as we make this transition.  It will be hard for my family, especially since they've been used to having us right down the stairs for the better part of a year now.  And buying a house, moving, and being a tax accountant at this time of year can all be stressful things.  But with your prayers and support, we can handle it.

Change is only the beginning of a new adventure...

On December 15, 2010, I wrote in my prayer journal:

I pray today about Trevvor's work.  Bless the work of his hands and may it bring him a measure of fulfillment at the end of each day.  Show him what Your work is for him and give him the strength and courage to do it.  Teach him to do all that he does for Your glory alone.  Let him be content with the job he has if it is Your will for him.  Show me how I can best help and support him in this area, Father.

The next day, I asked for the same things, adding:

If this job is Your will for him, let him find fulfillment, contentment, and even enjoyment in it.  If it is not Your will, then direct him to where You want him to be at the proper time.

I need to stop being surprised when God answers prayers in BIG ways, because about two weeks later, Trevvor got a call from PricewaterhouseCoopers, the Big 4 international accounting firm that he'd interned for in Birmingham last spring.



They wanted to offer him a position as a first year associate, starting ASAP.



Last spring he had an opportunity to have a position there starting this coming fall, but first he would need to do a 12-month masters' degree program in tax accounting and then sit for the CPA exam.  He didn't relish the idea of going straight back to school, and wanted to try management accounting for a while (which he's been doing since last summer here in Huntsville), so he turned down the position at that time.



But apparently things have changed, both on their side and ours.  On our side, Trevvor was realizing that he enjoyed tax accounting much more than management accounting.  On their side, they needed an incoming associate with or without a masters' degree and a CPA.  Trevvor was their first choice, despite not having either of these.



Long story short, a few days after the initial call, Trevvor accepted the position.  Since then, we've kept busy by interviewing (and now training) replacements for his position at my dad's company and traveling the hour and a half to Birmingham once a week to look at houses.



It has certainly been an adjustment, shifting my future plans from a Huntsville local (close to my family and high school friends) to a Birmingham one.  To make things more difficult, only two months ago did we place membership at a wonderful church of Christ right down the road from us, and now we'll have to begin the "church search" all over again!  *sigh*



But overall, we are sure that this is a very positive move (literally and figuratively) for us.  Trevvor is thrilled about his upcoming job--which starts February 7, a week from today--and I am so proud of him.  I'm mostly excited about buying a house:  it will be so wonderful to call a place "home" for more than a year or two!  (On the housing note, we think we may have found one we'd like to place an offer on, but we're seeing it for a second time this afternoon before doing so.)



In conclusion, keep us in your prayers as we make this transition.  It will be hard for my family, especially since they've been used to having us right down the stairs for the better part of a year now.  And buying a house, moving, and being a tax accountant at this time of year can all be stressful things.  But with your prayers and support, we can handle it.

36 Weeks! (And I'm Freaking Out!)

Why am I freaking out? Well, it's probably because I have so little time and still so much to do before Baby Josiah arrives! It could be that I've never waited this long before getting everything prepared. It might also be that I've never had 2 kids, a husband and 2 dogs to take care of as well as my own household to run.

This is definitely new territory to me.

It might seem strange to those of

36 Weeks! (And I'm Freaking Out!)

Why am I freaking out? Well, it's probably because I have so little time and still so much to do before Baby Josiah arrives! It could be that I've never waited this long before getting everything prepared. It might also be that I've never had 2 kids, a husband and 2 dogs to take care of as well as my own household to run.

This is definitely new territory to me.

It might seem strange to those of

Snow softly falling...

 When life hands you rain instead of snow at Christmastime , there's only one thing to do. Create a snowy environment on your own. My holiday decor includes many shades of whites and cream and lots and lots of glitter. Glass icicles hang from my tree and I stacked mounds of faux snowballs in my outdoor urns and hung snowflakes and icicles from my porch.

 
But perhaps my favorite snowy finish of all this year is the craft I made with my mum, sister, niece and (of course) Sophie.

 

During our annual crafting session, we focused on crafts the girls could handle making largely on their own. We all share a love of glitter and whimsy so Martha Stewart's snow globe project seemed perfect for us all. I purchased miniature Schleich toy fawns and bleached the colour out of a bag of bottle brush trees, using the tiny ones for our snow globes. The tutorial is here, but basically all you need are some jars, distilled water, some glitter, and glycerin. And of course some tiny treasures to place inside! Sophie and I both used the sweet little fawns, but we have plans to use some more Schleich toys to make more globes. It was fun, easy, and something we have wanted to do for a while.

(the boys helping themselves to a snack while the girls work away)

We also made some other pretties, which I will share later, but here is a pretty wreath project the girls tackled. 

It is from Babiekins magazine, which also features the most adorable Winter Woodland Party, produced by my friend, Debra Norton, of Vintage Paper Parade.

Here is my niece Ella's interpretation of the craft:

Although some accuse me of being "crafty", I really am not. I simply like to do a craft now and again for each of my favourite seasons. Four or five crafts a year hardly qualifies one as a crafter, now does it?

Here is my mum working away:

and my sister:

And here are the other finished snow globes. We think the one with the girl inside looks like she is drowning and pleading to be rescued. Not exactly the effect we were going for:

Just to be sure, mine is on the far left. 

It is okay if you think mine is the best...

Now, get crafting! You will have fun!

I promise...!

Snow softly falling...

 When life hands you rain instead of snow at Christmastime , there's only one thing to do. Create a snowy environment on your own. My holiday decor includes many shades of whites and cream and lots and lots of glitter. Glass icicles hang from my tree and I stacked mounds of faux snowballs in my outdoor urns and hung snowflakes and icicles from my porch.

 
But perhaps my favorite snowy finish of all this year is the craft I made with my mum, sister, niece and (of course) Sophie.

 

During our annual crafting session, we focused on crafts the girls could handle making largely on their own. We all share a love of glitter and whimsy so Martha Stewart's snow globe project seemed perfect for us all. I purchased miniature Schleich toy fawns and bleached the colour out of a bag of bottle brush trees, using the tiny ones for our snow globes. The tutorial is here, but basically all you need are some jars, distilled water, some glitter, and glycerin. And of course some tiny treasures to place inside! Sophie and I both used the sweet little fawns, but we have plans to use some more Schleich toys to make more globes. It was fun, easy, and something we have wanted to do for a while.

(the boys helping themselves to a snack while the girls work away)

We also made some other pretties, which I will share later, but here is a pretty wreath project the girls tackled. 

It is from Babiekins magazine, which also features the most adorable Winter Woodland Party, produced by my friend, Debra Norton, of Vintage Paper Parade.

Here is my niece Ella's interpretation of the craft:

Although some accuse me of being "crafty", I really am not. I simply like to do a craft now and again for each of my favourite seasons. Four or five crafts a year hardly qualifies one as a crafter, now does it?

Here is my mum working away:

and my sister:

And here are the other finished snow globes. We think the one with the girl inside looks like she is drowning and pleading to be rescued. Not exactly the effect we were going for:

Just to be sure, mine is on the far left. 

It is okay if you think mine is the best...

Now, get crafting! You will have fun!

I promise...!