tagged!

From Emily's blog

The Rules:-

Pick up the nearest book of 123 pages or more. (No cheating!)

Find Page 123.

Find the first 5 sentences.

Post the next 3 sentences.

Tag 5 people.

"I was nervous at first but it worked like a dream. I kept my part of the bargain: I stayed out of his way and was very polite to him when I was in his company. Mum asked me, did I like him and I opened my eyes very wide, which is a good thing to do if you're telling something not exactly true, and I said I thought Kent was just find and Mum said I was a good son, a very good son indeed, and her eyes got watery so I took myself off."

From Maeve Binchy's Whitethorn Woods

I tag : Billie, Bonnie, Magan, Monika and Teri

in case anyone needs a brush-up on babies

if you need a refresher course on baby care, please check this link out.

you may learn something important.

or you may laugh really hard.

perhaps both.

winter blahs

I am SO over winter right now. It's been so cold lately, and when it was less cold, we were all sick. I haven't had the kids out to play in the yard in forever. Makes me feel like a bad mom.

This is our third winter here, second full one. I'm really glad it's sunny today, because I'm done with the gray and dreary days. Easter is in two months, and there will most probably be snow. Who sings "I'm dreaming of a white Easter"? Nobody, that's who. I can't picture at least two more months of snow, maybe 3, depending on how well it melts.

I understand why people run off to tropical places. My friend Jen was talking the other day about how she wishes she was back in Jamaica...and I almost, for a second, felt sorry for her. Which I told her, and then we laughed. I don't know, is it better to go somewhere south, warm and sunny to come home to winter...or not to go and to never have your system totally shocked by boarding a plane in hot temperatures, and arriving to a deep freeze? Maybe I'll have to try the tropical vacation to compare...

Too bad my husband went into a career that is not known for it's high wages. On the other hand, he made the front page of one of the local weekly papers yesterday. It's a picture of him using my hairdryer to melt the lock of the church door. My hair dryer is almost famous!

what's in a name?

I was listening to CBC radio yesterday morning while doing the breakfast thing. On the Sunday Edition, there was a conversation about women's names. About taking husbands names, or keeping maiden names. That there has been a large return in the USA to women taking their husbands names at marriage. Something like 90% of women marrying recently will take their husband's name.

I took my husband's name. I liked my maiden name, it was easy to spell, easy to say, and neither too common or unusual. I used it for work purposes, it was part of my identity. I also had no issue with taking Rob's last name. Equally easy to say and spell, if with one more syllable than my maiden name. If our last names together didn't sound so silly, I may have hyphenated, maybe not. I mainly took his name, not just out of tradition, but because I wanted it to be easy for identification of the relationship between us and our future (at that point) children. For us all to have a common last name.

There are women out there who believe that taking your husband's last name is a slap in the face to feminism, yadda, yadda. That women need to step out of the system that keeps them labeled at their husband's property.

I don't buy that. After all, isn't our "unmarried name" just showing that we belong to our father? I smell a bit of irony.

very interesting food for thought

on benign neglect of children

I fully think this justifies me drinking coffee and flipping through a magazine in the morning while my kids run up and down the hall playing monster and dress up.

bummer

I was at my mom's this weekend, got the boy and I looked at by a doc - we're both fine and on the mend. went to church with my mom, and got to sit through an entire service. the kids went to the Sunday school, and did great. I finally got to sit and hear a sermon without handing out sippy cups, keeping a squirmy toddler from swinging on the pew in front of us, or teaching Sunday school. Great, right? no. mom's priest is not a great preacher. He didn't reference the bible lesson at all, and I'm still not quite sure what his point was. Maybe I should get Rob's sermon notes from yesterday instead.

blah

influenza is a nasty thing. let's just say that 2008 hasn't been a great year so far, courtesy of said illness in this house.

Happy New Year!

Just for a New Year's laugh (at me), here's a rundown of my Christmas Eve, after having egg nog bread pudding and wine at J's house.

goodness.

DH left at 6 to make sure our church was ready to go for our 7pm service. I was "hair done, make up on, just not dressed" at that point. The kids were still finishing up supper.

So I get the kids dressed. Ruby is struggling to poop (ongoing issue), so I need to give her a little helper (suppository...nice....). While I'm doing that, my dad phones long distance and is chatty. I'm trying to multi-task, it's all good. Then Ruby poops. Oh my. that's all I will say about that, except that I accidentally flush the toilet when she wants to do it. whoops.

Then we are just about ready to head out the door. I realize I'm still in my yoga pants and tank top. I run into my room, throw on my jeans and my nice shirt. Good to go. Remote start the van, take the kids out (and it's *just* below freezing -yay! finally warm!), get them into the van with minimal issue. Except that my pants are feeling funny. I put on the too big jeans. So I run back into the house and grab my belt, and put it on as I'm walking back outside. Then I realize that my belt is too big, so back inside to jab a new belt hole.

We get to church, that's all good. Kids are wound up, lots of fun. They handle the service well - including Ruby actually yelling "baby Jesus" and holding up the baby Jesus from our pageant yesterday when he's talking about her stealing the baby Jesus at the end of yesterday's pageant. Oh ya, that's *during* the sermon. After the sermon (which we do in near darkness), we light candles and sing Silent Night. Guess whose daughters manage to drip wax on her, from both sides.

Then, Norah decides she needs to use the washroom. Apparently, I'm not allowed in to help her. UNTIL she's stuck on the toilet and can't reach the paper. After pooping. Did I neglect to mention she had locked the stall door? Guess who got to slither under the stall door.

So now I'm home, all is well. I took the kids driving to look at lights and wind down. Then we got home and all into bed.

Then I got to plunge the toilet (see earlier pooping incident).

Merry Christmas - can only go up from here, right???

Best one yet

Christmas, that is.

Really, this was just a wonderful Christmas. Aside from a Christmas Eve crazy couple of hours (to come later), this was one of the nicest ones in my memory.

Kids went to bed and sleep well, and had to be woken up in the morning - gotta be at church by 10, so have to get moving! Rob got home safely from his second service at the smaller town church, despite snow and bad roads. I "Santa'ed" up the house before he got home, and we got to sit and enjoy a glass of wine when he got back.

Christmas morning wasn't a huge present overload (yay for family sending money, not lots of gifts!). The kids were all excited by what they did get. I was pleasantly suprised by Rob's gift to me (my own ipod!), and managed to suprise him a big - which is hard given the book list he gives me. Then we went to church, then home for lunch, then into the van to go to my mom's. Our only issues were the wrecked wiper blade on the driver's side of the van (slushy roads - ick!), and needing to find a place for a bathroom stop at the halfway point of the trip.

Arrived at my mom's to a ready turkey dinner - yay! - and a few more gifts. My mom was thrilled with the vintage tin I found her, the kids loved what she had for them...and I got to give Rob our big suprise gift. A Wii! Somehow, my mom managed to track us down one in the city and buy it on my behalf. I'm shocked I kept quiet about it to Rob! My family tradition is to play a boardgame on Christmas night, after gifts and dinner. Last night, mom, Rob and I Wii'ed. How fun!

All in all, this was a great Christmas for other reasons too. Like homemade Christmas gifts that really went over well. Feeling that there was nothing we really 'needed' as gifts is a great feeling too. The real icing on the cake was getting an early birthday present from a couple of friends...and really realizing that there are friends here who *know* me, and care enough about me to get to know me and my likes and dislikes. That was beautiful and humbling, and I cried (and made them cry too). Now to make more friends like that would really be a fantastic Christmas and New Year blessing. *heart*

Come for a visit

If you can't make it out here for Christmas, I can at least show you around a bit. ;)


Just across from the front door is our card display. I made it in a (brief) flutter of craftiness.



This is also crafty, but I bought it. I just thought it was cute.



Our garland and tree. You probably can't tell, but the lights on the tree are white, and red on the garland. If you were here, I'd invite you sit down and I'd bring out snacks and a nice drink.



I like this touch - little wreaths around our dining room lights.


Merry Christmas from our family to yours! Wish you were here...or we were there (especially if it's warmer than here!)

Christmas themed links

for your enjoyment.

http://www.goingjesus.com/cavalcade/
http://www.goingjesus.com/cavalcade.shtml (these are two different displays, and both worth the look)
http://tackychristmasyards.com/

Take the Quiz here!

the good and the bad

Good:
I delivered two gifts today. One was handmade by me, the other a collaborative effort with my friend M. Both were very, very well received. Yay!

Bad:
picked up some vitamins and omega 3 capsules to help me deal with some 'gosh it's stupid dark and icky' winter stuff. That is fine. Just a warning though, if you take omega 3's that are fish oil based - if your coffee makes you burp at all, it WILL taste like salmon. ick.

one step forward...

and two back.

I guess that's typical, right?

sigh.

I hate winter, darkness, feeling just depressed enough to notice, but not depressed enough to do something about it. Feeling like I can't work the friendship gig, that I can't do the pastor's wife thing, the mom thing. That I'm a constant screw up across the board. Oh, and people sure do love to kick you when you are down, don't they? "oh here, let me point out your shortcomings, shall I?" "why didn't you do x?" Where is the support? The caring? The grace? I sure can't find it. I think I may be close to getting something right....but nope, I'm generally wrong. At least I'm consistent there.

Hey, isolation, meet your friend, Kristin. You'll get along great, really.

I nearly peed my pants

http://www.goingjesus.com/cavalcade.shtml

just go and read. but hit the bathroom first. really.

see thtat beautiful sunrise?

I took this photo this morning.

At 9:35 am.

I live way too far north.

I often feel stupid and numb. Sometimes at the same time. I wonder if my words, my actions have meaning. If what I say or do has resonance anywhere. If what I try to accomplish is doing anything. If I should love more and be less self aware, or be more self possessed and love more cautiously. If I even have the capacity to love more. Fog settles in to the brain too quickly.

I want to ponder deeper things, to yearn for depth in life, in relationship, in discussion. To hash out issues that trouble the soul (preferably over a glass....bottle of wine or coffee). I think that is my biggest struggle lately, the feeling of being so terribly shallow, and trying to remember how to swim in the deep end.

I need to swim in the deep end. Anyone want to come with me?

D

D is for Dye.

Hair dye. I dyed my hair this week. Nothing exciting or new about that - I've been dying my hair for ever. Well, at least for...gosh almost 20 years now! Once it was for fun, now it's to hide the hints of gray that poke their way out and annoy me.

Picking the box of hair dye brought back memories. Of young girl giggles, a pair of barely teenaged girls, thinking we were up to trouble by lacing our hair with colour. Rinsing out auburn dye and hoping it didn't stain the bathtub or towels, too nervous to pull the towels off to see the results, but too excited not to. Wanting to make a statement, but yet not to be noticed. Good times.

Which makes me wonder what would have been different, how the twists in the road may have looked if relationships hadn't changed. evolved. ended. Would friendships that formed over giggles and 'minor offenses' have been different, if one party hadn't moved, if contact had been better maintained? Some days I wonder. I really wonder. Makes me wonder if someone could be missing me, or relationship we once had.

C is for

Coffee. 'nuff said.


Children - I'm happy with 3, thankyouverymuch. I love having three children, and they are the greatest blessing, it's just not always a cup of tea to be outnumbered.

Church - lots of meanings here. The physical church building, the church body of believers, the bigger church. I'm talking about the body of believers in our church. I'm really really starting to like some of them a lot, and some days I feel really blessed to be able to be a part of their lives. Some of them, well, they require extra grace. A lot of extra grace. *wink*

B

B is for Blogging

Something I do. *grin* Although, some days I'm not entirely sure why. Not sure what my "voice" is trying to say. I've been at this almost 3 years now, and I started this blog to journal our move, and to keep in touch. 3 years...wow. A lot changes in 3 years.

I guess I blog so that it feels like the words I say go further than the walls of our house. That the thinks I think may have some meaning. It's not always been a smooth blogging experience, but I guess that's part of the trip, right?

B is for busting out of town.

what I did on Thursday. I'm home now. Went to my meeting, did some shopping, drank some coffee. I like the freedom of going out and the anonymity of the city. Sometimes it's really nice to just be a face in the crowd.