some thinking about me

so, I'm going to be 36 this summer.

not a significant age except it's the one i'm turning.

I have been doing some thinking about me lately.

i heard once that at 30 a woman knows who she is.

She has confidence in who she is.

i struggle with what others think of me.

I always have.

other people's opinions have always mattered to me.

I've had phases when I don't care what others think and truly don't care.

but that is not me on a regular basis.

I am scared of disappointing others.

I shy from confrontation.

I compare myself to others.

I compare myself to other moms.

I just wrote about dan and I going bouldering.

the first thing i said as we grabbed the crash pads and headed to the rock was

"i don't look like I should be here."

it made me stop and think.

i think that about a lot of things.

I have dreads.

(a mother of 2 shouldn't have dreads)

I wear cords, tshirts and birkenstocks.

(she has no style)

i hate makeup.

(she needs make-up, she'd be pretty)

i wear surf shorts in the summer.

(she looks like a boy)

I love spoon rings.

(ugly things)

I love drama and escaping into a character.

(She is no good at that, someone should tell her)

I have a little girl who hits and pushes anyone smaller.

(she has no control over her kid)

I love to draw.

(that doesn't look like what she thinks it is at all...i don't see it)

I love to play catch with my husband - football or baseball

(she throws like a girl - her arm sucks)

the list could go on and on...

i need to be the woman i am, with confidence. 

I need to believe i am just who God made me to be.

I know I am just who God made me.

I have gifts and talents, and am good at many things.

I worked with youth and kids for years...

my passion was making sure that they have a confidence in who they are and encouraging them. 

I didn't want them to believe the lies I sometimes believe.

but..

some days it's so easy to fall and believe the lies.

Bouldering

Victoria Day Weekend Dan and I headed south.

to West Virginia to be exact.

Why stay home with the cottagers and tourists...

when we had a long weekend to go elsewhere.

We shipped the kids and dog off to dan's parents

- whom I am very thankful to have near.

and off we went down the highway.

Country Road...

Take me home...

To the place I belong...

West Virginia.

WV has beautiful countryside.

WV has the New River Gorge

and it has Cooper's Rock State Forest.

It was at Coopers Rock that we arrived and set up camp.

we had beautiful weather all weekend to do what we enjoy,

and the reason we went.

Dan on the first climb of the weekend

Anniversary

Anniversary: 

1.the yearly occurrence of the date of a past event.

2. the celebration or commemoration of such a date.

Anniversaries are a time to remember.

a wedding anniversary is a time to look back on why you married your spouse. 

why you fell in love with him/her. 

a time to cherish the years you have had

and to look forward to the years to come.

A birthday is the anniversary of your day of birth.

to mark each year you have been alive.

a time to celebrate with friends and family.

The anniversary of the passing of a loved one

brings with it sorrow.

the sorrow and memory of losing that special person

remembering that he/she has not been with you for the past year(s).

it also brings the bittersweet memories of your life with that person.

joys, tears, laughter...

and why you love him/her so much.

remembered, not forgotten - but still painful.

people celebrate anniversaries of many aspects of life.

some people even celebrate certain 'month'iversaries..

especially in relationships. 

the one month!

the six month!

the 18 month!

sometimes people get a little carried away

(especially when an anniversary is supposed to be an annual event).

Some anniversaries are only special to the person who is remembering.

not a time for a party.

not a time for balloons or presents.

just a time for someone to remember.

to remember what happened on that day a year...or many years...ago.

a year ago a very special man passed away

while that same day another very special man survived.

i love them both so much,

and am thankful for the memories with the one,

and for the memories past and still to come with the other.

Mother's Day

When asked "What do you want to do for Mother's Day?"

I generally answer the same thing.

"Let's go for a hike."

I love hiking and being out in God's spectacular creation.

 

This year we went on a hike on the Saturday,

after a morning of yard work.

The dog didn't do so well in the car...

(let's just say he barks really loud!)

The kids did amazing -

the girl didn't need to get in the backpack at all

- her first official hike.

We hiked to a dam &  waterfall. 

Wilson's Falls.

One thing that I loved:

Dan watched the kids while he let me wander and snap some photos.

So nice to be able to do that.

Lunchtime Reading

I love to read.

I love to read quietly.

I LOVE to read out loud to anyone who will listen. 

My husband is someone who loves to listen. 

My kids love me to read to them too. 

We read to them at bedtime. 

I love those moments. 

But, my favorite time is our lunchtime reading.

We just finished reading the boy's Storytime Bible. 

We read a couple stories each lunchtime that we're home. 

Monday we finished it. 

I didn't know what to read next. 

So i went to the boy's bookshelf - it has chapter books i plan to read him one day. 

I selected one, and we began it at lunch. 

i hope they love it as I did as a kid.

Lunatic, Liar or Lord

**Alright, so I changed the look of my blog - not sure what I think.  

Oh well, I'll let it stay for a while and then tweak it to something I like.. or who knows I may begin to LOVE it.  we'll see.**

As Easter arrives, and thoughts turn to Christ, His death and resurrection - 

the reason we celebrate Good Friday and Easter.

I have been thinking about who He is, and why He did what He did.

C.S.Lewis (Clive Staples Lewis) was a fantastic Christian writer.  

He wrote wonderful kids stories (enjoyed by ALL ages) - The Chronicles of Narnia.  

But he also wrote many books about the Christian Life.

(photo from wikipedia)

This quote, from his book 'Mere Christianity', is CS Lewis talking about who Christ was/is.  

"I am trying here to prevent anyone from saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: 'I'm ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don't accept his claim to be God.'  That is the one thing we must not say.  A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher.  He would be either a lunatic - on the level with the man who says he's a poached egg - or else he would be the Devil of Hell.  You must make your choice.  Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse.  You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. "  *emphasis, mine.

Lunatic...Liar or Lord.  

As the Easter holiday comes and goes, take the time and think about who you truly believe Jesus to be.

some wishes come true.

Have you ever said or wished something and then only a mere moment later have it happen?

Not a positive wish.

One that you didn't really mean, but it was a frustration or angry moment and the thought/words came before you could filter them.

I had one of those on friday.

Our dog has been a handful this past week.

He has not been listening.

I have been quite frustrated and annoyed with him.

Friday i put my daughter to her nap and went out to see 'Jack'.

There he was

playing in the ditch

down by the road.

I called him.

He looked at me, cocking his head, as if debating what to do.

Why come when he is doing something wrong.

...to sum up he did finally get out of the ditch and ran to the back edge of the yard.

On my way to the house to get the chain i started venting - to no one in particular.

"i hate this dog.

I'm sick of cleaning up his poo

I'm sick of him not listening

i just wish he'd run on the road and get hit.

but what I hate is that I'd miss him,

i'd cry.

i'd actually miss the annoying dog."

and I continued to complain.

I came out of the house, attached the chain to the pole and called Jack.

IMMEDIATELY, from the road...

THUMP!...

WHIMPER.

I ran so fast to the front of the house

I knew exactly what happened.

there was a pick-up pulled over on the side of the road, with a lady exiting it-crying

She hadn't seen him until he jumped onto the road - from the ditch on the other side from our house

I had just wished it.

I HADN'T MEANT IT!

Thankfully, he wasn't lying anywhere.

in fact... he wasn't anywhere.

we searched, called his name.

another driver had seen the hit and saw him run across the street and up into the bush.

My neighbor - who I am SO THANKFUL for - went out looking for Jack as I had to go in with my kids.

My neighbor spent the next hour and a bit looking in our back bush.

When dan came home he and his dad joined the search.

the boy and I prayed Jack would be alright.

just over 2 hours from Jack being hit

Dan came home walking a very sore, banged up, scared dog!

Jack has some wounds.

but he is ok. 

I am so thankful my full wish hadn't come true.

Be careful what you wish for!

"but you're not alone.."

i was watching Criminal Minds tonight, a favorite show of mine, and (if you know the characters) Garcia left a message on Prentiss' phone.  

This was part of the message:

"but you're not alone,

you are not alone,

we are in that dark place with you,

we are waving flashlights and calling your name.

so if you can see us then come home but if not, you stay alive.."

That brought a tear to my eye. 

It was something that I'm sure everyone who is going through a dark time longs to hear.  

I loved that she said they were in there with her, but waving flashlights and calling her name.. 

coming to find her, to rescue her, to help her.  

loving her enough to search for her.

i could go all spiritual right now, and it does cross my mind, but i want to think on the earthly level.. how important it is to be that for those we love.  

are we there in the dark with them searching for them, hoping to help them, to rescue them?

are we the home for them to come to.  

or do we wait somewhere wondering why they don't get their butt in gear and come home on their own? 

no one wants to be alone. 

dark places are scary, a flashlight is the light you long to see. 

my wish is that everyone has someone who would come to their rescue no matter what. 

oh man, i am sitting in the dark typing this and, maybe it's just the rainy late night, but thinking about this makes me want to cry.  

i don't even know if i'm making any sense, but read those lines i quoted and imagine yourself being lost, alone, without hope and hearing that said to you. 

How do you feel?

Kindergarten

I just registered my boy for school.

my little boy will be 4 this summer.

He will go to school for the first time in his life, in September.

He will only go 3 days a week, because i don't want to send him all 5.

He will start his scholastic career and stay with it until i let him leave; after he gets his Masters.

(just kidding to anyone who believed that.  he will finish high school Lord willing and can decide what he's doing with his life: college, univ. or the work world)

His sister will miss him terribly each day he goes.

I will miss him terribly each day he goes.

we will both get over it quite quickly.

He will be meeting new friends.

He will like his teacher - i hope.

He will learn how to do many new things and improve on his present skills.

He will enjoy recess.

he will ride a school bus each day.

my little boy is growing up.

I don't know if I want that to happen.

Japan

So, there was an earthquake and a tsunami in Japan.

no, I'm not behind with the news, I didn't just hear about it, but I'm finally sitting down and writing out some thoughts. 

yesterday as I was doing something - i forget what it was - something that was just a part of daily routine, I stopped and thought about all those people whose lives have been turned upside down - some of them, literally.  

and I wanted to cry. 

the day to day, ho-hum routine is probably something they are wishing they could be doing now, but instead of that they are hoping to hear from loved ones, or find loved ones alive.  

They are sifting through rubble and mud finding anything that they can save.  

they are staring at the location their home used to be before the wave came.

wishing... that it had all been just a drill, that it was a bad dream, that they had somewhere to live, their own home. 

lives have ended...been disrupted...been devastated.

I was trying to think about how I would feel as my house collapsed around me.  

would I be able to get both kids to whatever safety there was?  

what about the wave sweeping toward my home, could I get my kids high enough, fast enough? would my husband be at work and would he be alright?  

i would want to stay strong for my family.

would i question God and His goodness?  

i can say I would definitely be asking, crying, "WHY?" 

how long until that answer would be revealed?

i believe God is in total control, and I believe He loves us, but I know I would be asking why.

would I doubt His love?  

I'd like to say I wouldn't doubt, but I honestly don't know how I would react to a catastrophe like that...

I pray for the people of Japan, and the families here in Canada and the US.  

So far away from their loved ones during this time.

This song is only $1 on itunes.  all the money raised is heading to Japan.  more people buy the song, more money can be sent to help. 

dreeeeam, dream, dream, dream....

So, I have a friend who blogs.  Vanessa.

I read her blog today and it got me thinking. 

She posted some of her dreams, some pretty sweet dreams that I hope she is able to accomplish.

and at the end she asks the reader what their dreams are. 

Vanessa, and my faithful follwers, here's my list:

(in no particular order)

• to sit in the sunshine atop a mountain (preferably surrounded by mountains)
• take my kids canoeing on the Buffalo National River, Arkansas
• share Christ confidently
• publish a book
• learn to weld
• sing a solo or duet in front of a crowd
• perform Shakespeare on stage
• rappel something high and overhanging
• travel to New Zealand and Australia
• read all of CS Lewis' works (except maybe his science fiction)
• go to Northern Ireland with my husband, kids and my dad - so they may see it through his eyes.
• skydive
• sell some of my photography
• hear God speak to me. (like Samuel when he was a boy- - verbally)
• bike downhill without using my brakes.. no fear!
• run 10km
• backpack throughout Ireland, Scotland, New Zealand or Australia
• wear my Birks all though the winter without cold feet or socks.
• to have dreads to my mid-back.
• learn spanish
• love who God made me

everyone has dreams. 

these are some of mine.

dreaming

what are yours?



deleted

So the other day I deleted one of my posts.

i didn't want to but needed to.

it was about my kids and their favorite things to do.  

I had titled it Nekked Kid. (only spelt properly)

i had debated the spelling, I had debated the title and finally just posted it.

i liked the entry.  

I liked the photos I chose of my kids. 

it made me laugh reading it - especially as one was clotheless running around at the same time I wrote it.

why did I delete it?

i was checking out my stats - seeing who stopped by the blog to visit, when I saw under the search stat that someone had found my blog when they searched N_k_d Kid.

i wanted to vomit. 

if someone is searching that on google I don't want my kids, my stories, to be a result of that search. 

I know I should never have titled it that.

I debated it for a reason, and should have listened to my inner battle.

so that's that.

all I want to say.

another fortune.

So, while drinking my Green Apple Soda today I read my newest fortune.

"You will get the practical help you have been seeking"

hmmmmmm.

i didn't know I had been seeking any help.

Maybe it is that i was in need of a babysitter for monday night, but I got that practical help arranged the morning before I even bought my Jones Sodas.

So, yet again, I am left to wonder how my fortune will come true.

and my next question is.....how soon?

do I have to wait only minutes or hours until the practical help arrives to save the day or do I need to wait for months..years...?    

it doesn't give me a timeline, so i honestly think I won't know if it is ever the fortune being fulfilled or what. 

oh, fortunes are more stressful then they should be.

So, I'm gonna go now.

i need to rest my brain from trying to figure it out. 

maybe i shouldn't have had a soda today.

or maybe i'll just ignore the fortune next time.

Quality time with my valentine.

Happy valentines day.

Yes, Valentines Day was 2 days ago, but aren't we supposed to show love to eachother EVERY day??

anyway,

what did I do with my Valentine to celebrate on that day?

I made heart shaped meatloaf.  hahahahaha!!!!

seriously, and I truly L'dOL as I formed it and started it baking, and again when I took it out of the oven and showed it to Dan. 

but on the Sunday, the 13th, was when Dan and I did somthing special.

the kids went to their grandparents' house for the afternoon and Dan and I came home, ate lunch, got our snowpants, boots, coats, mittens, toques (stocking caps - for my american followers) on and outside we went.

we worked hard for 2 hours.

Finally...there it was.  

something I had always wanted to make.

when the kids came home the boy LOVEd it. 

Our igloo.

do we really grasp God's love?

I watched this video yesterday.

i cried at one part(at about 8:48), I couldn't help it.  I have kids.  I have a son . 

wow - do I have the right to ask God for anything else? yet I do every day!

God's love is ultimate.

Happy Valentines Day.

A little bit of this, a little bit of that...

Hello Faithful followers!

i greatly apologize for my lack of mad writing skills over the past....

however long it has been since I last posted.

you are the faithful few.  

and I am thankful for you. 

(although how faithful you are is still to be decided- Tim, when did you last read my blog??)

because of that I am going to - 

not promise, as I don't want to disappoint you by breaking my promise - 

guarantee to you that I will attempt to maybe try to write more often. 

so, why have i not been here?

life. 

I know, it is crazy to think that life could get in the way of my computer time, and especially my blogging and social networking.  

for I know how important those things are to the daily grind of living.  

but I am sorry, I had other things to do.

playing in the snow

spending time with the kids

baking

cleaning (the not so fun aspect of life)

yes, watching Dragon's Den

eating

sleeping

being sick

those are a few of the things I did instead of sitting in front of the computer.

Dan's home.  

Gotta run.

I'll be back sooner than later...I think....

Film Festival

This past week Dan and I were able to have 2 - that's right, I said 2 - date nights.

 

We had an opportunity to go to the Algonquin Theater and watch 2 nights of films.  

13 films all together.

 

films about being outdoors... exploring, climbing, skiing, paddling.... adventures of all varieties.  

For people who love to be outdoors, enjoying the wilderness...not being in a city... these are nights of inspiration and adventure as we follow others in their adventures, growth, and enjoyment.

The Banff Mountain Film Festival.  

one day we would love to go to the Banff Centre for the film festival in Oct.  

Maybe when the kids get older.  

Maybe one day we'll even put in a movie, or some photos for the photo contest. 

if you have an opportunity to get to the film festival world tour I highly encourage you to do it.

**this year we even won a door prize!!** 

My Treasures.

Words not needed.

spending time with my little boy.

what fun.

laughter and pure joy.

snow in our faces.

here we go!........

watch out for the....

BUMP!

we made it over.

more laughter.

"mommy i still laughing"

"mommy i will keep my eyes closed if we go over the bump again."

I love my little boy.

what fun we have sledding in our front yard.

2010 - what i learned

2010 was a year of learning for me.

as I go into this new year i pray that I am able to remember what I learned in 2010 and grow into a stronger person, with a strength of character that cannot be shaken and a faith that is solid and rooted and cannot be ripped away.

what did I learn? 

in no particular order

I love dreads. 

I got them in March and though there are days I wish I had straight hair again, 99% of the time I love my dreads.

i have 2 beautiful children i need to be thankful for - even when they're cranky and fighting.

They are to be cherished and i need to lead by example because they are watching my every move, listening to my every comment, sigh, complaint.  they see my smiles, my tears, my frowns.  They need to be taught that I love who God made me, and who He made them.  I love these kids.

I love my husband.

He is my best friend, and I had forgotten how true that is.  He is amazing and I need to remember to cherish him, to tell him how much I love him,and am thankful for him.  I need to pray for my husband daily, that he may be the man I know he truly is, and who God created him to be.  He needs to be my best friend.  I need to respect and love him.

Depression is all consuming.

It is real.  it is destructive.  it is powerful.  i never knew how much it truly tears apart someone's life - every aspect of the life.  it affects everyone who loves the person.  Depression is serious.  The person feels alone.  I've discovered that most people don't know what to say when depression reveals itself...so they avoid it, or don't say anything... for someone who feels alone, this is not good. 

Communication is so important.

Suicide is not selfish. 

I always thought it was selfish.  although it appears thay way, it is really a way to 'remove the burden'  from those the person cares about. unfortunately the 'burden' is the person.  and ending one's life isn't the answer, but the person who attempts or 'succeeds' truly believes they are out of options and believes it is the only thing they can do.  it is, in their mind, truly unselfish.

Forgiveness is essential to healing.

marriage is sacred.

people now a days seem to say their vows but not truly believe them.  i heard this year that 5 years is the average length of marriage now.  so sad.  marriage is a covenant with each other, not to be broken.  It is so easy to end a marriage now, and so common practice.  That saddens me. 

God is in control

...still working on this.  I know it as truth.  I believe it as truth.  but do I live it as truth?  i have a hard time - when things are tough.  but this past year I was reminded of the truth of it a lot.  and looking back - I do believe it, but in the hard times it's so difficult to remember it, and rely on it.

i love dance.

I love to dance. I love watching dance.  I love So You Think You Can Dance (U.S)  I love the arts!  singing, music, drawing, acting, painting, creating.   

Those are a few of the things I learned in 2010. 

2011

Well as of tonight at 12:00 2010 has ended. 

no more.

all gone.

over and done.

will not see it later.

no chance to redo anything in it.

as of 12:00 2011 has begun.

fresh and new.

no blemishes yet.

a blank canvas.

365 days with no sadness, no mistakes...yet (is it a leap year, that would give us 366)

According to the Mayans it's the last year we have before the destruction of the earth as we know it.

I don't believe them.

I believe that God is in control of the life of this world we live in.

He said we will not know the day or the hour of Christ's return, he said nothing about how we have to worry and stress about the end of the world.

there are people, I am sure, that believe this is it.

2011 is our last year.

they are probably going to spend their year either preparing for the destruction and making sure they have all the resources to survive whatever is left.

OR they are going to live however they want, enjoying this last year before the end.

as Christ followers we do not have to worry about the Mayan calendar - we are not to worry about tomorrow. 

we do not know the hour or the day of Christ's return.

What if Christ decides to return tonight as the ball drops at midnight?



just liked this picture :)

Merry Christmas

O Holy Night

the stars are brightly shining

this is the night

of our dear Savior's birth.

Merry Christmas!

not happy holidays, not season's greetings...not even happy festivus.

(but if you're a Seinfeld fan, have a Happy Festivus)

I wish you a Merry Christmas.

I celebrate Christ's birthday.

so I wish you a very Merry Christmas.

Happy birthday Jesus!

or in the words of the song I knew from our Sunshine and Snowflakes record:

Happy birthday baby jesus

even when your birthday's through

all year long i'll remember

to sing happy birthday to you.

WHY?

Forgiveness.... reconciliation.... grace....

are these just words Christians throw out to people because they are the 'right' thing to say.

do people truly believe them when they say they are needed for everyone?

or are there limits as to who those should be given to?

i understand the "we're only human and we screw up" line.  But if we're seriously striving to follow Jesus Christ's example don't we need to truly strive to bless others and ourselves with forgiveness, reconciliation and grace - in as much as we're able to humanly do - and to trust that the Lord will give us the strength to mean it and to do the rest of the work in our own hearts and the hearts of others??

yes we're human....

yes we screw up...

so why, when a person screws up and is completely, genuinely, humbly apologetic for the mess up, WHY do we make them feel even more like shit?

Why do we hold it against them and make them fight their way back to acceptance? 

Why do we make them feel as though they are the only ones who have ever messed up? 

Why do we make them feel ALONE?

if they are genuinely asking for forgiveness (I'm not getting into a situation where someone isn't remorseful) why can't we try to give them that? 

why must we make ourselves feel 'high-and-mighty'?

why do we avoid them in the streets or halls and not even acknowledge their existence?

why do we turn our eyes away with hopes that they didn't see us glance at them?

what happened to forgiveness?

what happened to reconciliation?

what happened to grace?

or are those things only something God can bestow on someone?

when someone asks for forgiveness.. when someone apologizes.. when someone acknowledges having messed up...

how is it 'helping them heal' by turning away from them.

if you're hurt by them, then understandably, there's healing on your side too; but for both your sakes - and both your healing... if paths are crossed make eye contact and acknowledge.  

(conversation isn't needed, hugs aren't needed, even a big welcoming smile isn't needed... but making the other feel like a leper isn't going to help anyone.)

I don't recall in the Scriptures where Christ walked by and avoided a person because they had messed up their life more than He could handle,(and I happen to believe He would have been hurt by a lot of these people.) 

forgiveness isn't an option.

reconciliation isn't an option. 

grace isn't an option.

not if you're truly striving to be like Christ.

in as much as we can humanly do those three things.  Christ needs to take care of the rest. 

Someone who is genuinely remorseful, can be forgiven by Christ and the wrongs 'forgotten'. 

why then, do we as humans feel the need to make sure to remind others of their screw ups - small or large. 

God can raise people from the dead.

God could forgive Paul - a killer of Christians.

God heals the lame, makes the blind see...

God can give the strength to forgive, to heal...

He created the earth, the seas, the living creatures, etc in SIX days, I think He can help us forgive, reconcile and give someone grace. 

i am working on these things daily, and I understand they're not easy, if I try to do them by myself.. sometimes I don't want to do them, but i have learned over the last year just how important and healing these can be when i get out of my self-focused little bubble and realize how needed they are for my own healing and for other's healing. 

no one should feel shunned by people who call themselves Christ followers, if they have seen their wrongs and now attempt to right their wrongs and mistakes. 

followers of Christ?

what does that really mean to you? 

Christmas music

I used to start playing Christmas music as soon as it got cold out.

Then I started playing it when the stores got out their Christmas stuff 

(it didn't used to be at halloween time)

Then I started playing it after US Thanksgiving - it made more sense to me.

now I don't want to hear it until at earliest - Dec 1st.

I'm listening to the radio, Life 98.9 right now, and it is Christmas music all day.

(sunday was a day of praise and worhip with some Christmas music thrown in)

I am not a fan of that much Christmas music.. 

I miss the regular 'Christian' music.  

i get annoyed with the same carols over and over just by different artists.  

variety is not there.  and some of them I find quite boring or just plain annoying. 

I wish it would be a mix. 

I wish we could have the regular music with some carols. 

"Switch the station or put on some other music" you say.

I do. 

when I get annoyed enough i do - or i just turn it off completely.

or I just put on Sharon, Lois or Bram and dance around with the kids to the Elephant song.

Some of the non-traditional Christmas music are really good - and they're a nice change.

oh, I am not Scrooge McDuck, I am not the Grinch.

I do love Christmas. 

I love the Santa Claus parade.

I do love the Christmas specials on tv, and wish I would have some of them on dvd - 

i just need to buy my favorites.

I love White Christmas with Bing Crosby.

I love Lampoons Christmas vacation with Chevy Chase, It's a Wonderful Life, Scrooge (B&W version)... 

I love the Christmas story.

I love nativity scenes - although the wise men weren't actually at the stable with the baby.

I love reading the Easter Story at Christmastime to be reminded why Christ even came as a baby, why we have Christmas in the first place.

and I do love Christmas Music.  

just not 24-7. 

this is just me taking time on my blog to write my annoyance at that much repetition of Carols... 

so call me Scrooge if you want, but to me, most carols are sung without depth or emotion being revealed.. they are just sung - the words not really thought of -

now, Jingle Bell Rock (it just came on the radio) is one I don't like much at all - but that's not a real Carol.  

the ones about Christ are the ones I'm talking about. 

 people sing those all the time but don't mean the words or even believe them - they're just Christmas Carols.

O Holy Night is in fact one of my favorites... or What Child is this...and Mary's Boy Child

So, you see I do like the songs - i sang the 12 days of Christmas to the kids at lunch - although I got stuck on days 11 & 12...my true love didn't give me anything on these days - oh well.

I guess I rambled long enough.  

if you made it this far before quitting then Thank You, and I am sorry if you're now confused at the purpose of this entry... if it makes you feel better i am too.

anyway...

Merry Christmas

J@de

I have 5 nephews and 3 nieces. (i hope I counted right)

Today my oldest niece turns 17.

me and J@de

I first met Jade (she prefers to write it J@de) when she was a baby.

I know that sounds like that is the most expected thing, but Jade is in no way blood-related.  

although I think she is.  

Her mom and my brother dated when Jade was a baby and I wanted her to be my niece back then. 

it took a few years but Jade is my niece.  

and I am so glad she is.

Jade is a beautiful young woman with a huge heart.  

She loves everyone.

family is so very important to her.  

friends are the world.  

God is crucial to living. 

I am proud of the young woman she has become.

She is extremely gifted in the arts - drawing, photography, and drama is in her scope too.

She loves music - music is her soul. 

I think she is overlooked too often because she is so willing to give of herself to her family and friends (and as a teen I know it doesn't come across so obviously sometimes)

She is quiet, but funny.

She adores her step-dad, my brother, and loves to go to his comedy shows.  

What a support and encouragement I know she's been to him as he starts off his comedy career.

She loves serving God - even though it is a thankless job a lot of the time.  

(on mission trips, and at camp)

I have a gorgeous niece and i pray often for her.  

I see myself in this girl who joined our family at a young age.  

i adore her.  

She is wise - but doesn't realize it.  

She is absolutely beautiful, but doesn't realize it. 

I am blessed to have her in my life.  

She is an encouragement to me in many ways. 

I pray this next year of her life is full of many unexpected blessings, many friendships strengthening and forming, many dreams accomplished and dreamt. 

Love you J@de. 

helping

today the kids and I made rice krispies squares.

The boy thinks Rice Krispies are the best ever - they are green!!

not fuzzy mouldy green.

but colored green by the kelloggs factory for Christmas.

only some are green, but the green ones were the ones that the boy was excited about.

we made a batch of squares - the kids helped. 

• the girl tried 2 marshmallows - exclaiming both times "don't like".  and then attempting to put the now gross marshmallow into the mix. - - the boy and i successfully stopped her.
• the boy ate about 6 Large marshmallows before i reminded him that eating too many marshmallows may make his tummy sick.
• he helped me put the marshmallows into the pot with the melted butter.
• she tried to grab all the rice krispies.
• he asked multiple times "can I put in the krispies yet?" 
• she successfully grabbed a handful of rice krispies and, after putting some into her mouth, put them into the pan.
• he helped me get those rice krispies out of the pan.
• he poured the rice krispies into the pot for me to mix.
• she played with the sink stopper after tossing a half eaten marshmallow into the drain.
• he licked the spatula with the remaining stuck krispies.

The kids then were so hungry after helping that they needed some green and red rice krispies with some milk.  the boy ate 2 bowls.

What great helpers I have.