9 years

together for good

I had quite a (happy) surprise today. Tech Guy phoned me at 2:00, just as I was dropping Buster off at swimming lessons, and warned me that in typical fashion for our family, we may be flying out tonight on the midnight flight to Ontario. Just to quickly refresh your memory, this was 2 pm and the flight leaves at 12:45 am. Oh, and we have an hour to the airport. So, as I’ve become accustomed to since marrying the guy, I said “Okay, I’ll be ready!”

And I got to thinking… I posted a kind of self-pitying post the other night about how we weren’t going on a vacation… poor us… even though a lot of people are staying home during the recession. And then, without much fuss, a trip is planned, babysitter lined up, flights booked, tickets paid for… all because Tech Guy needs to tweak the sound system he installed back in March. A business trip, if you will, but almost a week to ourselves. And, brace yourselves, it’s our anniversary on Thursday!!! God is so good. Why did I complain? Why did I doubt (once again!) that he would come through for us?!!

We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God: those who are called according to His purpose. Romans 8:28 HCSB

P.S. I will still have my smart phone on me so all emails will come through and I may even have the chance to post once or twice!!

the weekend

So after the morning party for Blake, we took off for Drumheller as a family. Remember the spray park? We let the boys cool off a little then got over to the Passion Play in the badlands, which we’ve actually never seen before in 9 years of living here! One thing I did not expect was to be so emotional… I actually started crying when the first actors started appearing in costume. I just felt transported back to Jesus’ time and what he actually went through was so much more real for me. After the 3-hour play, we headed to Boston Pizza for a late supper (9:30!) and then headed home… driving in at 11:30 pm. Were we tired! The boys had hardly slept, just a few minutes in the van, so it didn’t take them long to fall asleep.

Saturday morning started early for Tech Guy. They hosted their annual Fireman’s Breakfast at the Fire Hall from 7 to 10 am, which meant him getting up at 5:30. The boys and I slept in, and snuck over there just before 10. Buster won a door prize – a boxed set of Hot Wheels cars. We stayed to watch the demonstration – a car crushed on it’s roof with the 2 Rescue dummies inside. They lit it, put the fire out, stabilized the car and extricated the “bodies”. One of the guys narrated the whole scene so the audience knew what was going on. Tech Guy was so excited with the turnout and they raised $10,000 for equipment!

In the afternoon, Tech Guy went golfing with some friends and I took the boys to the Guzoo, a licensed small-scale zoo within half an hour of here. Another place we’ve never been, even though it’s been there forever! It’s so much fun finding local attractions and the kids love it. At the Guzoo they could go in some of the pens and pet the animals… they both rode the little donkey and I even held a skunk! He was definitely de-scented and oh-so-cute! It was so hot and I was glad it only took about 45 minutes to get through because I was in search of water. Lots of it!

At 6:30 we headed to the aquatic centre for Family Swim (Tech Guy met us there) and the boys had such a blast on the waterslide. We got chased out after 45 minutes by some kind of alarm (chlorine levels??) so decided to hit A&W and head home. It was a great day and we’ll definitely file it away as good memories of ‘09…

Sunday morning we went to church… had lunch of Parmesan Chicken and Fettuccine Alfredo. Everybody had naps and then we drove in to the city. Played a round of mini golf and met Tech Guy’s parents for supper. Buster got the cutest little set of Dick and Jane books from them for his birthday… in spite of my begging that the trampoline was enough of a gift, I knew Grammy wouldn’t be able to resist!

Back home and to bed by 10. Well, at least the boys were… Tech Guy and I are both night owls which is kinda nice since that’s our only time together! This morning I was up at 7:30 and off to the dentist. Again. And after lunch Buster started his swimming lessons, which will run every day from now till Saturday. Busy? Yes. Happy? Oh yes. I love my family, I love summer. And life is good…

a week in the life…

This has been quite a week! I have barely stopped to catch my breath and the laptop has remained off for a good portion. Which is good, because it means I’m busy right? But being busy can also exhaust a person and right now I just feel kinda depressed blue and emotional. Finances are definitely playing in there right now especially since I’m facing another $1500 in dental bills. And I know better than to expect a miracle this time around.

Tech Guy’s parents want to take the kids for a week this summer yet and I had all these dreams of travel but reality has hit… I’ve accepted it and even gotten enthused about exploring our local attractions a little more, maybe even spend the week totally cleaning and decluttering the house… or buy some strawberries and make a bunch of jam. Try new recipes! Go shopping! Go on dates! And I can imagine it would actually be fun… :)

But back to our week…

I had all this enthusiasm worked up for menu planning. And wouldn’t you know, we were home for supper one night out of seven. One night!! 

Friday was Buster’s birthday and we just had a low-key party at the park in the morning with several friends and their moms. I made Rainbow Cupcakes (found the recipe here but will post on my recipe blog soon as well) and they were a big hit with the kids! I found a post on Rainbow Cake months ago and decided I would try it when the birthdays rolled around. I don’t normally make the boys’ birthday cakes, I’m simply not that creative or domesticated but this was fun and easy and they look so cool and psychedelic! Just a note, I tried this recipe again with Betty Crocker’s French Vanilla cake mix and it turned out even better. Apparently I just don’t make that great a baker!

Stay tuned… tomorrow I’ll post more on our busy weekend!

now we are six

On 07.17.2003 at 3 am, this little guy was born and I became a mom…     Happy Birthday Buster!

(P.S. Excuse the dreadful quilt – apparently 6 years ago I had no design sense!)

menu planning

This morning, after reading another great post by Tsh at Simple Mom, I decided to give menu planning a fair shot. And yes, I do intend to stick with it! I’m so enthused now that I have it written up and I’m hoping to avoid that panicky feeling at 5 o’clock every evening… what on earth are we having for supper?? And yes, we say “supper” in this part of the country. We are thoroughly countrified!

I wanted to share with you one of my guidelines for lunch that I’ve successfully used for a couple of years.  Lunch time is sandwiches… and by that, I mean not only cold cuts but quesadillas, wraps, hot dogs, grilled cheese, etc etc. And yes, there is plenty of variety; my family hardly notices a theme going on.

Now for my first menu plan… could I have a round of applause? Thank you… thank very much… thank you…

Monday: penne alfredo (meatless Mondays?), cooked mixed veggies

Tuesday: steak, baked potatoes, Caesar salad

Wednesday: chicken fingers, mac & cheese, carrot sticks

Thursday: chicken stuffed manicotti, sauteed green beans in thyme

Friday: pizza, birthday cake (Buster’s 6th!!)

Saturday: waffles with fruit & blanc mange, grilled farmer’s sausage

growth

What, you mean you were waiting for an ‘after’ pic of the front yard? Alright…

The flowers were just planted Saturday so everything looks pretty sparse… and I do realize that they never will grow out as much as if they were planted in spring. But I have living things in my front yard, and beautiful exposed concrete walls. My wonderful expensive Mother’s Day gift… thank you Tech Guy!

My potted annuals in the front have not been lazy either… just look at their brilliance and desire to live! A gallon of water each day with Miracle-Gro (except when it’s cool & rainy) does wonders for potted plants. Especially when the planter is black, like mine. I’m having so much fun pretending I have a green thumb this year!! ♥♥

birthdays

We’re heading into birthday season at our house… we’re all in the lower half of the year, and as a side interest, our birthdays all fall between the 15th and 20th of the month!

Tech Guy – December 16

Me – September 15

Buster – July 17

Noodle – September 20

Please remind me never to procreate from July to September again! You will? Oh thank you!

But I digress. Badly.

The whole purpose of this post is to get some ideas on what to buy my greedy little rascals sweet contented little men for their birthdays. Somehow in the course of nearly 6 years of parenting, I still haven’t figured out what to buy for birthdays. It might have something to do with the fact that they don’t stay the same age from year to year… hmmm…

Anyway, for Buster… I’m thinking tennis racket or something equally sporty. He has plenty of indoorsy stuff to do and we’re always encouraging a little more action for him!

For Noodle, I know I have a bit of time but if I order something online it may take awhile. This Playmobil set kinda caught my eye… or maybe this fort? 

What do you think? What do your 4- and 6-year-olds love to do? We have found our boys get overwhelmed by too many gifts so we like to give just one item that’s maybe a little bigger or costs a little more – happier kids and happier parents! And please, no singing, flashing, talking toys and definitely no Disney characters! I’ve covered this on a previous post here.

discipline

I’m not a very disciplined person. There, it’s out there and all of you reading this that actually know me in real life will be so relieved that I’m admitting it. Because I have actually been in denial. Yes I have.

One question I get asked a lot is, in varying forms, “Why do you have so many garage sales - how can you stand to part with stuff?” And the answer is not, as so many people think, that I’m just so disciplined I know when something needs to go so I follow through. No, the answer is more down the line of “I know that my house would be a complete trash heap if I had any extra stuff so I’m incapable of owning more than is necessary.” Not to mention I’m the most un-sentimental person I’ve ever met (Hi, me!) and I absolutely do not get attached to physical things.

The part that gets me the most though, is that I rarely finish something I start. Take for instance, menu planning. I would love to start menu planning – you save time, money, and when your culinary inspiration leaves you, you still have a plan. But no. I know myself too well to even begin. ARRRRGHHH!

Don’t get me wrong, I would love to be disciplined; I crave it actually… but it’s not so easy getting there. And I would really REALLY like to hear from my readers – how do you find structure in your lives and homes? And any advice on menu planning would be awesome…

on friends…

Friends… honestly how would we make it through life without them?!  Today I just want to take the time to let all my friends know how incredibly much you mean to me. And yes, I do mean my e-friends as well. There have been days that were so painful and raw and I wanted to confide in someone, yet it was too raw to visit face-to-face… and those days you guys, my readers, came through in the comments and I felt your caring. Thank you! What exactly is our purpose in life if not to make it a little better for the people we meet each day. Like Rachel Barkey shared, as she was dying, our purpose is to serve, as Jesus served. When we start thinking, I wonder what I can do to make her/his life a little easier, a little happier, rather than Why are people not putting our more for me? then we’re a true friend.

So don’t ever think commenting on a blog is useless. Bloggers live for the comments, it’s the only pay some of us get!

purpose

As you’ve noticed, I’ve struggled lately with my purpose as a mom, wife and even as a Christian. Today I found this video, and I think my life may be in for a huge overhaul. Please watch, and let me know in the comments how it affected you. This is Rachel Barkey, 37 years old, married and the mom of 2 sweet little kids… knowing she is dying of cancer and yet sure of her purpose…

Note: Rachel passed away July 2, 2009.

boring

I thought I had at least a couple years before I’d hear this word with any frequency at our house. But no. At least 10 times a day, usually right after I ask him to help me with something or tell him to play outside, Buster will say, “That’s boooring!” And I realize that my little boy is definitely developing his little personality with a bit lot of attitude. I still feel like I’m a relatively new mom, but this growing guy celebrates his 6th birthday this month. I look at my tall lanky son, all 49” of him, and wonder… “where did that come from??”

jump for joy

In spite of our un-landscaped and grass-less backyard, we have somehow been able to keep the kids happy & occupied. No, I don’t let them have a wading pool or water guns, because can you just imagine that mud?! But the 12x12’ sandbox has been a hit, and actually the garden (which is thriving!) has also been a huge source of inspiration.  But tonight… we finally set up the trampoline from Tech Guy’s parents, and I can hardly wait to see how much use it will get! It’s not new (Tech Guy’s sisters just outgrew it) and it’s actually been damaged a little but with a little fixing up, it’s as good as new. I begged Grammy to not give them anything else for their birthdays – this is the biggest gift they’ve ever received so far!

50 years

We’re back! The week with my family was a great change of scenery… we stayed at the Shekinah Retreat Centre near Waldheim, SK for 3 days. It was so relaxing to not have to cook (it was all catered) and just do what we wanted for 2 1/2 days! We all stayed in the Timberlodge for nights… it was quite new and beautifully done with lots of open beams made of reclaimed wood from grain elevators. We all got to sleep on bunks, which amazingly weren’t too bad, and Buster slept in a little loft with one of his cousins, just big enough for the 2 of them! 

I even conquered my fear of heights enough to do the zipline, and amazingly, every single one of my sisters (in-laws included) tried it too! Except for D, who had a C-section 10 days earlier… and her baby was just the sweetest thing… But I digress. We also did some hiking, Frisbee golf, horseshoes, and yesterday just before we had to check out it was finally hot enough to swim in the pond. That was another fear I had to overcome because it was kinda dirty and full of seaweed. But I jumped in and had fun with my nieces and my boys!   

The dining hall was on the second story with a cathedral ceiling reaching a 3rd story, and big windows all around for a panoramic view. The food was yummy home-cooked quality and everyone thoroughly enjoyed the short time together. I can’t believe my Mom & Dad have actually been married 50 years!

Today I was pretty much buried under loads of laundry, since we had to bring all our own bedding and towels and there was no laundromat nearby… but I found the courage to face it this morning and it’s almost done. The suitcases are all put away already which is a record for me; I usually put it off for a week, until I’m sick of living out of a suitcase!

There were stresses too… emotionally it was a pretty hard time for me, for reasons I’d rather not get into here… So glad to be back home with my dear little family who loves me unconditionally! Sometimes it takes catching a glimpse of the dark to truly appreciate the light…