A Year of Dates: Date #5 (Finally!)

A blizzard couldn't stop the "do-over" of Date #5.  Even though we had to postpone this date last week due to weather and illness, Chad was not letting the massive blizzard interfere with his plans to pull off the date he had painstakingly planned.

Chad's task this week was to incorporate two of the following items into the date: music from mixed tapes he made while we were dating, dinner, mail, shoe and jar.

Which items did he pick?  "jar" and "music"


So what did he decided to do with these items, you may ask?

THE NOT-SO-NEWLYWED GAME

I thought this was SO clever!  I mean, sure, we could have played  a variation of one of the numerous games we already have, but this was totally original for us.  It also meant that he had to search around for this idea and then implement it.

Saturday, Chad ran up the stairs around lunch time.  He said that someone had "left" this at the front door and that we should be ready to play anytime.  It was my first glimpse to our activities of our date. :)

a sample of the song list

We headed down to the coziest room in our house (the rec room) with a fire blazing whilst the snow whipped around outside. Music was playing in the background.  The songs were all from our dating years and many of them from the mixed tapes he made me "way back when."  I LOVED hearing songs I hadn't thought about for YEARS - but somehow I still knew all the words!  It was a nice touch and it amazes me he remembered all the songs.

Then he told me where I was to sit and passed me a clipboard and a pencil.  Chad explained the rules: Simply, we each were to take a slip of paper from the jar.  We would record our answer and then we would ask the other the question.  If our partner answered the question correctly, they would be awarded that slip of paper.  We were to carry this on until the jar was empty.  Then we would count the strips of paper we each had.  The person who had the most, would be declared the winner, and the knowledge that they know the other so well.

Let the game begin!

We played.  We laughed.  A LOT!

We were also baffled as some questions required us to think back over 20 years to come us with the answers!  That's a hard thing to do, you know.

After all was said and done, and the jar was empty, I was victorious!  In all fairness, Chad had to guess some doozies... like: "What was the name of the street I grew up on?"  and, "What are my parents middle names?"  While these might have been mentioned before, the answers wouldn't be at the forefront of anyone's minds.

It was such a fun way to pass a snowy afternoon.  We topped off our date with some popcorn (our fav) and an episode of the new Sherlock Holmes series.

Another successful date for 2013!

Delayed (A Year of Dates - Date #5 which will be soonish, I hope!)

Have you ever had one of those weeks?  I mean, a week where everything needs to get done, appointments scheduled at the most inopportune times, weather related issues reek havoc, and to top it off, you're sick?  Yep.  That's been my week.

My hubby opened up our next date night envelope last Thursday.  (He wanted to know what was in store for him this week before he headed out of town on business for the weekend.)  I think that he was slightly disappointed it was his turn right off the bat for February... though, he began planning and scheming right away.  Needless to say, I was intrigued with his growing secretive plan.

My Screen, Monday night... My
hubby's plane is cancelled AGAIN!

However, his plans for our date night were thwarted due to weather.  I understand it is winter, and I suppose we have to expect some snow to come our way.  But this snow screwed up flight schedules for three days! This meant my hubby did not get home from a weekend of business until late Tuesday night - our usual weekly date night. Despite this delay, he still had a plan... until he came home and found out I was suffering from a bad cold.  Nice homecoming, eh?

One thing I love about my husband is that he is an optimist.  Not much ever gets him down; he's just like that Monty Python song - Always Look on the Bright Side of Life.  (I am convinced he sings this in his head all the time!) He simply shrugged off all this and said, "Don't worry.  We can do it later. I want you to enjoy it!"  And with that, the wheels continued to turn as I suspect he was/is still planning.

It is now Friday, and I am playing host to eight girls for my daughter's birthday party.  My hubby is doing some last minute running around for the anticipated Nor-Easter hitting us - no - SLAMMING us tomorrow. We have had very little time to connect this past week.  But he has a plan.  Our date will be tomorrow - in spite of the gross amount of white stuff and the prospect we will be snowed in.

I am excited.  I am intrigued.  I cannot WAIT to see what we are doing.

Stay tuned.
TO BE CONTINUED...

A Year of Dates: Date #4

Two Minutes in Heaven

Don't be afraid to spice things up a little!  I mean, we tend to think of dates as movies, dinner, games, walks, activities outside the home.  But don't discount the stolen moments you can enjoy at home - even with the kids in the house! Sometimes it is these specific stolen moments that reconnect you and align you as a couple, especially in the crazy world of work, kids, commitments outside the home.

This "date" is meant to be intimate.  Oh, very intimate. Thus, due to privacy, I will spare you details of our date, but I have to say, I love this.  It is fun and it doesn't require anything fancy other than a die and a few minutes alone with your spouse.  I cannot take credit for this (though wouldn't I have been a genius if I had?!) This is once again an idea from the Dating Divas. You can check out all the details:  http://www.thedatingdivas.com/just-the-two-of-us/2-minutes-in-heaven/

What I did to present this to my husband: I simply cut and pasted the rules, printed them out on coloured paper, and inserted the paper and a couple of index cards into an envelope.

Chad thought he was opening a night that included a gift card because of the stiffness of the envelope... he was {pleasantly} surprised and very pleased with the contents.

Give it a try.
Savour the "stolen moments."
 It is all important to our sanity and our marriages.

Resolution/Goal Check-in: January

Confession:  I am not one to make a resolution, let alone a bunch of them, come January 1st.  However, I always set some goals to work on throughout the coming year. I find it helps me keep focus and perspective on life and challenges me to be, and do, better.

This year, my goals include:
1. Make a brand-new recipe each month
2. Read 1 book a month (I often don't make time to just read.  This, I feel, will help me make time for it.)
3. Finish 2012 scrapbook and keep up with 2013 scrapbook
4. Go to 3 places I have never been: 1 restaurant, 1 city, 1 museum or attraction
5. Blog once per week
6. Limit facebook time, posting once or twice a week.
7. Take a course in the education field (professional development)
8. Paint a special piece for the house (I haven't paint since university)

So, how have I been doing meeting these goals?

1. Recipe:  I made a bok choy salad for lunch one day.  I have never prepared anything with bok choy and I was curious.  I found out you can eat it raw, so I thought - Perfect!  I found this recipe: http://tastykitchen.com/recipes/salads/spicy-crunchy-bok-choy-salad/  Now, I didn't have rice vinegar, so I used regular vinegar.  (It would have been better with the rice vinegar.) I omitted the almonds as I am allergic and I didn't have a jalapeno pepper... so that got left out.  Overall, it was okay. I am sure, if the recipe is followed exactly with no omissions, it would be full of flavour and perfect to accompany a steak dinner or a tofu dish. For me, I think I will search for other  yummy bok choy recipes in the future.

2. Read: I have my Kobo to thank for meeting, AND going beyond, this goal.  (FYI: I LOVE my Kobo Glo I received for Christmas.)  I read The Foretelling by Alice Hoffman; The Custom of the Army by Diana Gabaldon, a non-fiction, riveting work (not really that exciting) about the care of chihuahuas, and I am halfway through The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel by Deborah Moggach.  I also borrowed an e-book called The Element by Sir Ken Robinson.  (I am almost finished that one.)

3. Scrapbook:  I have uploaded new papers and embellishments into Storybook Creator - I had a backlog of files to load in from last year.  I also purchased credits for a 12x12 book and an 8x8 book.  I plan to use the 12x12 for the first six months of my 365 from last year.  I have finished to May 2012  for that book.  So almost there!  For 2013, I have simply been organizing my photos (all digital into folders) and really haven't contemplated the book yet.  That will have to change if I am to keep up with this goal.  That being said, I have taken on keeping a SMASHbook for the year.  AND I have been adding to it throughout the month.  Does that count for my scrapbook goal?

4. Places:  There hasn't been any progress yet on this front.

5. Blog: I have been doing at least once a week, faithfully, and lovin' it!  I don't really know how many people I am reaching, but for me, it is not about that.  It is an exercise in creativity, expanding my writing skills and voice, tracking my year and events/items I feel are important, and getting experience using the program.

6. Facebook: I WAS doing well on this until last week.  Last week, we adopted a new four-legged friend and well, that meant more posts; then old habits crept back in this week.  February is a new month, and I will try again to limit time on fb and keeping my posts to a minimum.

7. Course: This is a work in progress and it isn't necessary to complete this month. :)

8. Painting:  I am searching for the topic of my piece.  I have played around with a few ideas... abstract vs. a more Impressionist inspired piece.  I am debating to do a large piece vs a triptic (An art piece that consists of three canvases that hang together.)  More developments will be shared in the coming months.

I am please with my progress thus far in 2013.

I have also completed and begun several other projects.  I already showed you some of the crocheted pieces (and working on my son's cowl now.)  I also blogged about the SMASHbook (and more to be posted in the short term.)  As well, I have made an upcycled dog sweater from a sleeve of a wool sweater (post to follow) and a personal address book for a close, dear friend.  I have been documenting the process of creating this book as I have gone along as I will be blogging about it shortly.

I am LOVING, LOVING being crafty, creative and keeping this blog.  I am feeling centred and calm. (Maybe great weekly dates have been a contributing factor, too.)

January was a good month!

A Year of Dates: Date #3

This week's date was postponed from Tuesday to Saturday afternoon.  Whether you have kids or not, life needs to keep us on our toes and keep us flexible.

I am glad for the delay.  It gave me more time to prepare this special date. This week, I was on deck for the entire execution - from start to finish. I based this date around the movie, The Tourist with Angelina Jolie and Johnny Depp.  I used the setting of the movie for the "setting" and food for our date.

(FYI: I got the idea for this date from The Dating Divas. www.thedatingdivas.com)

On Friday evening, I delivered, (actually our greyhound did with some coaxing,) an envelope that contained 2 tickets to Venezia (Venice.)  To create the invite, I simply used Word and found the Italia Rail logo to put on the "ticket."  I had to look up words for passenger, departure, and the date in Italian. The invite/ticket gave a hint of intrigue and wooed my husband right away.

All I have to say, is thank goodness for the date change from an evening to an afternoon.  Preparation took a little longer - no, A LOT longer -  AND it required much assistance from my two children.  They helped with set up, the cleaning, and the take down of the whole affair.  My daughter even played our hostess for the date.

Side note: Getting your children involved is a great idea as it shows them the care you need take for one another in a marriage. (Brilliant, I say!)

At 3:30 pm (the "train" was delayed by 30 minutes = I needed extra time), we arrived in the lobby of "Hotel Italia," (our house) greeted by our hostess, Signorina Abigail.  She led us to the sitting room of this fine establishment (aka. our living room) and offered us an expresso.  She then proceeded to hand us an envelope from the "proprietors" of the hotel which we opened while she checked on our room.

We opened the envelope whilst we were sipping our expresso.  To "our" surprise, we were told that everything was included, and that we even had euros to pay for our dinner, as the restaurant was separately owned.  (I thought this was a creative way to include more props and use our left over euros from our last European adventure.)  

After finishing our lovely beverages, we were escorted to our "suite" (our bedroom.) On the bureau was a tray with wine, cheese and crackers, chocolate, and there was a bubble bath waiting for us in our lovely ensuite.  We were informed by Signorina  Abigail that our dinner reservations were in an hour and to take this time to relax from our "traveling."  She even told us that clothes were provided for us to change into for dinner.  Naturally, after we were left alone, we opened our wine, ate some cheese and crackers, and soaked in the tub.

Ah!  Perfect after a morning on the train!  LOL!

After an hour, we received a call from the "front desk" to let us know our dinner reservation was upon us.  We put on the clothes set out for us and went down to the "lobby."  Signorina Abigail showed us to our table on the lower floor.  She seated us at the best table in the house!  Situated right in front of a blazing fire and away from it all!  She poured sparkling water handed us the menu.  She explained that this was a family-owned restaurant, using only the freshest ingredients, and because it was a small establishment, they only offered one choice for first and second course, and of course, dessert.  She also said the menu rotated, but today's menu was one of their finest!  I knew then we were in for a treat. ;)  (Loved playing in character.)

We had a lovely three-course meal.  A salad, lasagne and garlic bread, and chocolate cheese cake, accompanied by some red wine.  The service was impeccable, but I was interrupted a couple of time due to phone calls from "the kids back at home." (This was a code between my daughter and I so that I could help her get the next course dished out.)  My husband didn't seem  to mind, as he used that time to peruse the Italian phrase book we found in our "suite."

After our dinner was cleared, Signorina Abigail brought a board game to our table that she thought we might enjoy to play as we soak in the experience of dinner in "Venice."

The game was Ten Days in Europe. We played two rounds of it. I am pleased to report that yours truly won both rounds.  I think that means that the score of game wins on our date nights now stands at 2-1 for my husband.  (I am gaining on him.)

After we finished our dinner and game, our gracious hostess brought us back to the sitting room for a cappuccino. Upon my reservation at "Hotel Italia," I had reserved a private showing of The Tourist in Hotel Italia's theatre (aka. our rec room.)  Once again, Signorina Abigail escorted us to the theatre which had the most comfy seating I have ever had in a theatre! ;)

My husband was in awe of the whole affair.  He commented that I really set the bar high and that he felt like he was truly was transported "away."  Thanks to our wonderful hostess, Signorina Abigail, for all of her help throughout our mini getaway.

Us at "Hotel Italia" at
our special dinner

My Smashbook Adventure Begins

What is a Smashbook, you ask?  If you were like me me, you may have never heard about it until recently.  For a refresher, simply put, it is a book that collects it all: thoughts, dreams, plans, inspiration, memories and treasures. (AKA: a junk drawer). There isn't necessarily a rhyme or reason to it, it is a book that houses your "stuff."

I am an artist.  Although, over the last number of years, you would never know it.  No new finished masterpieces adorn my walls or unfinished ones hide in the corners. The truth is since I had kids, the artist in me has remained silent, never wanting to speak up and break free from the confines of schedule, routine, kids, work, life. I am truly me when I am painting, creating, collaging, drawing, getting covered in paint and pastels.  I feel alive when I soak in the moment and time stands still.  The artist in me longs to reign and show my kids that just because you are a 'boring ol' parent,' it doesn't me the "you" in you dies.

Enter stage right: the Smashbook.  I am hoping the essence and spirit of what it is, ignites the artist in me once again and puts me back on track.

How will this happen exactly?

Well, a number of years ago, I took up scrapbooking as a token creative activity.  And I can't lie; I LOVE it! I scrapbook traditionally (paper, stickers, photos, glue, and pens) and digitally.  I think in terms of layouts and design when I take pictures.  I ponder about the musings of my journaling that will accompany my pages (I actually DREAD that part, believe it or not!)  And I try to capture the essence and the feeling of that exact moment when I scrapbook.  When I leaf trough the finished pages, I feel blessed and I know I am leaving a special legacy for my family.

But sometimes I would like to throw convention of "acid-free," "proper layouts," and "rules" out the window and return to the way I used to scrapbook when I was a teenager. My journals and books resembled more of a "smashbook" than a tidy, handwritten book of teenage angst writing and pictures.  My books and tape covers I made (for those endless mix tapes) held magazine cut outs, pictures of my favourite things, sayings, doodles, tickets, receipts and even petals from flowers received on special occasions. They were memory joggers every time I opened the tape case or perused through the book.  Any sorrow, pain, anger or loneliness that accompanies teenhood, was lost to happier moments and a smile always adorned my face.

My Smash Book set I purchased with
my 40% Michael's coupon

Naturally, to achieve this freedom again, I did what any self-respecting crafter/scrapper does: take that 40% coupon from the Michael's flyer and make a special trip to the store to pick myself up the basics... a book with a pen/gluestick combo and a few extras (journal boxes, decorative tape etc.). I actually found a starter kit.  PERFECT!

With my wares in tow, I returned home and leafed through it just as I do when new textbooks and curriculum arrive at my door. (Yes, the nerd in me is showing through!)  The blank pages hold so much possibility; they are blank canvases awaiting to waken to creative juices.  The extras are delightful and extend my expectations even further.

But there is a problem.  Sometimes a blank canvas remains just that.  Blank.  Empty.  And I often leave my canvases blank despite the inspiration that exists in my head. The worry of spoiling the possibility and ruining my vision takes over.

I am determined, however, that 2013 will be a creative one and this beautiful Smashbook of mine will be filled with so much of everything interesting, cool, fun, memorable, happy of this year by December 31, 2013!

So far, I have only added a few things, mostly a couple of lists.  I still need to let go of the organizer in me and allow chaos and whim to take over.  I believe that in doing this exercise I will overcome the blank canvas syndrome that has plagued me for the least several years.

Here are some urls to explain and show Smashbooks further:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_PFsArr4Z1s
http://www.smashstoriesblog.com/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kiz2xFdfwl8

BINGO!

Have you ever had a moment where you sat silently with a smug grin on your face; you know, the one that turns one side of your mouth upwards as you give yourself a virtual pat on the back?

Me, too!  It is not often, but every now and again, I have one.  My moments are usually associated with something my kids are doing and that I have had a hand in their "success."

For example, like this morning. My daughter HATES reading.  I mean she CAN read and does when she HAS to, but reading is not an activity that she gravitates to or wants to do with her time.  (I can relate.  I was the same at her age).

But, my smug smile appeared earlier today when I have hit the jackpot.

BINGO!

I finally found some books that have captured her and have taken her hostage.  They have enveloped her with relatable characters, fun plot twists and sparked her imagination a little.

Last night, she was nearly tripping us as we arrived in the door to get to the books I picked up at the library for her.  Just for her.  I had a strong feeling she would like them.

This morning, she put her breakfast on hold and said that she would get to her school work AFTER she read for awhile.  Who can argue with that?  Not me, as I sat across from her drinking my morning coffee, with that smile adorning my face and patting myself on the back.

1 point for mom!

BINGO!

The books that I "won" with for her:
The English Roses Series by Madonna
AND
Whatever After Fairest of All by Sarah Mlynowski

I am crossing my fingers that this ignition of the desire to read for enjoyment will continue.  Well, off to hunt for some more winners, I mean, books for her to read.

January Creations

This year, although not an actual resolution, I want to keep my creativity up and not let excuses get in the way.  We will see how long it lasts, but I am game and willing.

So far, 2013 has been a busy one.  I have completed two cowls.  Tried my hand at a cup cozy (jury's out as to if I like it or not). Designed, made, redesigned several ereader cases (and in the process created a Balckberry Playbook one, too). Oh, and I have begun working on our Disney '12 album.

Here are some of the creations:

 
These are the single cowls I made for my hubby and my daughter.  They were fast and easy to crochet (which I REALLY like!) My son wants a double cowl - so that is next on my list to complete.  Pictures will follow!


This is my second attempt at an e-reader case.  The first one, which was to fit a Sony brand, was even too tight for a Kobo Glo.  So I had to go back to the drawing board.  I like the fact it had pockets, but I dislike the yellow band around the top.  I wasn't thinking and added it on AFTER I had sewn the top together, thus, the yellow band created a bit of a pucker and left the edges raw.  Despite this "failure," I love designing and figuring things like this out.


So...

I remeasured, drew out a few ideas and came up with a simpler, yet more polished look, I believe, to a case.  However, like the other two before it, it was fatally flawed.  This time I had made my seam allowance smaller and thus created the perfect case for a Blackberry Playbook.  I love when mistakes actually look as if one had intended the outcome all along.  My son thought it great that I had made a case just for him!

Okay.  It was once again back to the drawing board (literally) for me.  I  decided then that I would make it even simpler yet again, but this time the case will include a flap to help give it some extra security (prevent the book from slipping out).

The result?  See for yourself.  I think they turned out perfect!  The cases fit like gloves.  I made 2 Kobo Glo cases - one for me (the cats) and one for my hubby's co-worker (red fan).  I also made one a little longer for the Sony e-reader for my sister (blue fan). What do you think?

Note:  I actually have my sister to thank for this grand adventure of case making as she requested one after receiving her reader at Christmas.  Thanks, Bon, for kicking me into high gear and encouraging me to get the creative juices flowing once again.
  

A Year of Dates: Date #2

Last night marked our second date in 2013.  This time, hubby was on deck for carrying it out (according to the envelope contents he picked for this week).  His instructions were on a sole piece of blue paper.  He had to find a creative way to "invite" me out for the date AND he had to include a couple of items from a list.  He chose poker chips and popcorn to weave into the festivities.

My cute invitation included a handmade envelope (by hubby) and two "tickets" to the evenings events at "Chaz Seward." (He meant to say, Chez Seward).  Very cute!

Plio thinking she needed to help
hubby with the instructions

 We began our date by the fire for another classic game, Careers.  This time, we used poker chips instead of paper money and we played to 100 (normally we always play until 60).

Hubby was champion yet again - but it was close.  (Not really.  Just saying that to make me feel better at losing two weeks in a row. I think the multiple rolls to the Hospital early in the game really hurt me).

 When we peeled our stiff bones off the floor (Yes, our youth is slowly leaving us little by little) from in front of the roaring fire, we headed to find seats at the Seward Theatre.  Since he was the game champion, hubby got to pick the genre of the movie.  To my surprise, he went right for the romantic ones.  He shortlisted a few on Netflix, and I made the final call .  My pick? Bounty Hunter with Jennifer Aniston and Gerard Butler.

While I "saved" his seat, he went and got (made) us popcorn (in our new popcorn maker!) and more of our favourite: chocolate mint Italian Soda. (Soda water and Torani)

We laughed and snuggled.  The movie was entertaining and the second date of the year was a light and relaxing one.  Thanks for a great evening!

A Year of Dates: Date #1

For Christmas, I gave my hubby a big box.  I am not quite sure what he thought he was opening, but I know he was definitely surprised and taken back by what he found inside.  I had planned out a year of weekly dates, and then some.  Each date is secret and cannot be revealed until the envelope is opened.  Each of the dates for a month are in a larger, monthly envelope.  This means, he can't peek and see what's coming up!  I also included a photo album for us to put the pictures from these dates into so that at the end of this Year of Dates, we will have a cool record of our adventure.

Last night was Date #1. It was a Flip and Open date.  (Simply: You flip a coin to see who opens up a smaller envelope, carry out that task.  Then flip to open the next one and so forth).  Hubby seemed to think this was grand!  (Though I was the one who one the flip with "Heads" and got to open up the first envelope).

In it, was a simple scavenger hunt-type activity.  Most of it, we completed while we ate bbq nachos. 

We were required to take a number of pictures to complete the tasks.  Some were very silly, including the one we had to take with the orange (#7).  It was hubby's idea to stage it like we did... LOL!  It looks way too happy!








Mortimer and Bubbles also joined us throughout our pictorial adventure of Envelope 1.



After we completed Envelope 1, we flipped to open Envelope 2.  Now hubby won, but I got to chose what to do with our $10 PC card.  My task was to pick up a treat so that we would take it back for a game of Clue (that was in Envelope 3 which was opened by hubby after best  2 of three flips).!  I think that it almost killed hubby that I was biting on his subtle suggestions as we walked the aisles of the store.  We came out with fancy bubbly water from Italy and super decadent chocolate chip cookies.  Perfect for in front of the fire on a cold January night - or at least I think so! 


How we ended the evening...

PS.  I let hubby win both games of Clue! ;)

Lest We Forget

Here I am.  Once again I find myself putting together the November NSHEA newsletter.  I want to include poems and quotes that honour the memories of those who have fought and still fight, for our freedom. But, I don't want to repeat the same ones I placed last year. ( I think it very important to gain different perspectives from people who were/are affected, hence why I would like to use different pieces this yea)r.  So I referred to last year's November issue of the newsletter.  When I did, it reminded me about a post I put on facebook a year ago.  I decided I wanted to share it with you.

November 10, 2010


I was compiling some Remembrance Day poems and quotes for this year's NSHEA November newsletter when I came across a series of poems by my great - grandfather.  He, himself, served in WWI and WWII.  He watched how war affected the town of Springhill, and the sacrifice that was made so that Canada (and other countries) would remain free.  

As November 11 approaches in near minutes, I remember, not only my great grand-father, but my grandfathers, my uncles and great-uncles, and my friends; all who have served this country either in the wars or in the armed forces years later.  I also take a moment to remember those who served along side them and those who were on the homefront, as well as those  who are presently serving.  Without them, we would not know freedom like we do.  

I know peace had its cost.  Lest we forget.

TO MY SON

You saw your duty, and did it well.

You suffered, fought, ‘mid shot and shell.

You gave your life, and where you fell,

A wooden cross doth mark it well.

My heart is full. I’m proud. I’m sad.

I’m proud that you proved your worth, my lad!

I’m sad at the loss of a manly son,

Who gave his life because of the Hun.

You are laid at rest in a foreign grave.

You didn’t shrink, your life to save,

But answered the call your country made.

You couldn’t think of her a slave!

And someday when this war is o’er,

I’ll set my feet on that distant shore,

And then to God, on bended knee,

I’ll give my thanks that we are free.

Yes, at the cross that marks your grave,

I’ll thank my God that I’m not a slave,

Because of my lad, of boys like thee,

Who fought and died to keep us free!

“Dedicated to my son: Sgt. William G. Fletcher, who was killed in action in North Africa on April 2nd, 1943.”

1943-1944

~ Q.M.S. Charles B. Letcher

Patience Always has a Way of Paying Off

As I spent my afternoon and evening waiting for my name to be called one flight after another, I began to take on a more go with it attitude than my regular go get 'em way. I was realizing that all this was out of my hands and that if I waited, good things will come. I would be rewarded.

Well, I arrived at my first destination safe and sound. Overdue from the original plan, but I am here none-the-less. I actually had 2 great flights. The one to YUL was actually in first class! Now THAT is patience rewarded. (The cheese plate and hot towel is nice, too). The second leg was a short jaunt from one gate to another and an even shorter wait for the leg to YYZ. I swear everyone had an entire row to themselves. It was great! Smooth sailing.

Patience. I got to practice and embrace it today. I remembered that patience is key in all situations, especially in ones that are out of my control. I must remember that more often (note to self on that one).

And now for the greatest reward of the whole ordeal is that I am settling in for the night at a dear friend's place who I treasure so much. That makes the wait all worth it right there!

Sent from my iPad

Waiting... A test of patience

I am presently sitting beside the gate at the airport listening and watching as they are frantically trying to figure out how to get people on the flights to their destination.

Me, I am just a "con"- an "employee" on standby, thus, I am the last priority.  I have already sat through three flights; two of which were supposed to have room but because of delays and cancelations, I am "bumped".  Once again, with sweaty palms and heart racing, straining to hear my name called last minute.

Sigh.  It is definitely a reminder to have patience and lots of them.  It's also telling me that I just need to take it all in stride.  After a busy year and summer, this is my calling.  Be patient and take it in stride.  And for me to remember that it's all art of the adventure.  Right?

Catching Up

I just realized, that in the madness of moving, settling in and summer schedule, that I had yet to post.  YIKES!  I am supposed to put one up every week - or at least it was my goal.  Oh Well!  Just like when we take a hiatus from anything, we must return.

We have now been in our house now for 3 glorious months.  I am still in awe of it.  I wake up thinking I am in someone else's home.  Slowly but surely this is becoming our home with each new thing placed on the walls or added to the rooms.  

Presently, we are finishing up the office space in the basement so that we can be ready for fall.  Its down to the finishing touches and putting the stuff into its place.  More pictures are to follow.

We're Moving!

It has been such a whirlwind few weeks.

Our house was sold within 3 days and we move out in less than a week!  It has been a non-stop adventure to say the least.

Needless to say, through all the hectic-ness of it all, we feel incredibly blessed to have such an opportunity.

More to come on life, stuff and irrelevant things very soon!

The house goes on the market tomorrow

We have toiled, sweated and stretched ourselves getting our first home ready to sell.  It has been a gratifying process, though with some sadness attached.  I had to hold back the tears as I painted over the growth chart on the edge of our kitchen entry.  Each mark represented a memory of when my children were that size and what they were doing.

So while the process of negotiations occur and time on pins and needles continues, I will be in and out - semi missing in action, let's say.

Here are a few pictures of our first home getting ready to shine for others to see and fall in love (and hopefully buy!)

Mac's Room

Classroom/den

 

Master

Rec Room

Living Room

Reno-d main bath

Kitchen

Abby's Room

Still Missing In Action

Okay.  I know I vowed to have a post up a week after my last one.  Unfortunately (or fortunately) I have been wrapped up in other things.

 The biggest one is prepping our house for sale!  Yep.  We're doing it.  We're putting our abode of 10 years up and diving into a new and bigger one. We have been plugging away like peons trying to get all those little jobs done.  That is where and when we hit a snag that has consumed our time for the most part...a leaky toilet.  This has meant repairs to the ceiling, taking up the ceramic and subfloor.  It has also meant new subfloor and flooring, new toilet, a semi new vanity and new trim.  And like everything else, the bathroom is in a state of chaos!

So please forgive me if I am MIA for a bit. I promise to be back very soon with pics of the whole process and perhaps with pics of our new abode, too.

Enjoy your week!

PS.  The kids are enjoying the process and learning a lot from all this... go figure! :)

CANADA GAMES BREAK. Be back next week!

Sorry for not posting last week.  I started one but did not finish  it as the family and I have been cheering on our Canadian athletes in the Canada Games.  This 2 week event is such an opportunity to see some amazing sport right in our backyard.

The big news was that Mac was even a flag bearer at the medal ceremonies for Air Pistol last week.  What an honour!  As my dad told him, "Its a once-in-a-lifetime thing." Between that experience and watching a wide variety of sports, he is inspired.  He wants to train hard and make it there in four years.  You never know, I could be blogging about being a parent of an athlete at the Canada Games.  How cool would that be?

Until next week when I can finish the post I started and add in one about our times at the Games, here are some sites to check out:
http://www.canadagames2011.ca/en/home/default.aspx
http://canadagames.bellaliant.net/ (You can watch some of the live action. Keep in mind, the camera work isn't as awesome as national tv but that what you get when its not)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canada_Games (not very comprehensive)
http://www.canadagames.ca/Content/HomePage.asp?mnu=0

Rainbows, Sun Dogs and Moon Dogs

Have you ever felt like there was a "sign" placed in front of you to let you know that you are honoured at that moment or that you are on the right track?  I have.  Several times.

In the past 6 months, I have witnessed 4 of these "signs" all at integral moments. The first two were within a month of one another and were rainbows. These colourful occurrences followed special moments with our family.  And after such a rocky year, it was almost like God telling us that he keeps his promise and would keep our family from harm and would make us stronger.  (Sound familiar?)  The third and fourth happened within two days of one another and they were the dogs - a sun dog and a moon dog.  The sun dog was different than the rainbows as it didn't seem to be so much about our family directly as it was our finances and the shepherding of said finances.  We are presently in the middle of making some big changes.  And the moon dog capped a rare eventful and romantic date night last evening.

The first "sign" occurred on September 8th, 2010 on the day of our vow renewal.  After the ceremony, we headed to Horseshoe Bay where we were graced with a lasting rainbow.  It hung in the sky, unchanged for close to a half an hour.  Incredible.  We stood in awe for what seems like forever, soaking in all the colours and the beauty of it.  Feeling at peace, we continued on in our celebration and played in the waves some more.  I couldn't help but to keep checking ever minute or two to make sure it was still there.  And it would was.  Seeing it there provided a sense of God's contentment with us and the promise of a new beginning.  Isn't it the same symbol He used with Noah to show His promise?  That's all I could think about as I watched the kids play and splash in the turning waves, laughing as they are bowled over.  Sigh.  I could live in that memory forever.  Time stood still.  Joy abounded.  God smiled.

The second "sign" was a different, yet it existed in similar tone.  A double rainbow, (yes, a double rainbow,) was spotted on Thanksgiving weekend in October while on a family getaway to Cape Breton.  It was the first time away since we returned from Bermuda.  We had been going non-stop with our daily lives and hadn't had a chance to reconnect as a family.  We were longing for some quiet time away.  The phone wouldn't ring.  Friends wouldn't be knocking at the door.  Demands of work would become a faint whisper.  And focus once again would be placed on the family, drawing upon the blessings God had provided us.  All of us were enjoying each other as a new and improved family.

What amazed me about this rainbow in Cape Breton is that we could literally see the beginning and the end of it.  It arched over the Alexander Graham Bell Museum we were visiting. It seemed to come out of the tall grasses from the homes below and span into the pine forest just above the museum.  According to wikipedia, a double rainbow occurs when light from the sun reflects twice, instead of once, inside water droplets. Between the two rainbows is a very dark area.  This band is dark because "while light below the primary rainbow comes from droplet reflection, and light above the upper (secondary) rainbow also comes from droplet reflection, there is no mechanism for the region between a double rainbow to show any light reflected from water drops, at all."  Interesting.  I never knew that.  To me, it makes the "sign" even more poignant as we were continuing to make our family stronger.  With a dark band between the two arcs, it is like a solidity of our family, not letting anything in between that could challenge our new, more solid foundation.  I felt blessed when I saw it as if I was being given a personal note from God telling me how proud he was of us and we were loved. In that moment, I was given the pat on the back or that gentle shoulder squeeze I would get from my dad when he was at loss for words but donned an endless smile when he was overcome with pride for my accomplishments.


Wednesday, we were coming home from the bank and a sun dog was just "there,"   right in front of us as we drove on the highway.  My husband wasn't sure what it was.  He hadn't seen a sun dog before.  I told him with confidence what it was we were looking at.  This time, the "sign" comes at a time when we are  making some big financial decisions and creating new goals for our family.  


A sun dog is witnessed when plate-shaped hexagonal ice crystals are  in high and cold cirrus clouds or, during very cold weather when ice crystals called diamond dust drift in the air at low levels. (It was BITTER COLD WEDNESDAY.) Ice crystals act as prisms as they bend the light rays. Often, as these ice crystals move through the atmosphere, they can become vertically aligned.  This leads to the sunlight being refracted horizontally causing sun dogs.  

WOW!  I still am in awe that I have been able to take these sights in and at such important times in our life as a family.  Chills are sent down my back just thinking of what is to come!

History can be a rockin' good time!

Last week, I came a cross this YouTube channel called History for Music Lovers.  All I can say is that the kids and I must have spent over an hour watching and rewatching the videos.  We were supposed to be working on other things!

Mac, especially, cannot get the song lyrics out of his head.  He is often caught singing in the kitchen and at the table, "Fleas on rats, fleas on rats" (from the song, Black Death to the tune of Hollaback Girl) much to Abby's disapproval. She doesn't like the images those particular lyrics conjure up.  Her favourites that needed replay were Constantine (to tune of Come On, Eileen) and Iceman (to the tune of Tax Man, by the Beatles.)

Just from listening to a handful of songs (there are over 51 in all) a few times, the kids are able to recall details about various events and people.  Its quite ingenious, I think, to develop and carry out such an ambitious project that leads to a fun way to remember historical facts and figures.

Here's the link.  http://www.youtube.com/user/historyteachers#p/a

But be forewarned... it is a time sucker - so make sure you have a cup of coffee in hand and snuggled in a comfy chair. Or at least in a spot that you have room to boogie and dance in, if you feel so inclined!