One Part Inspiration...

One of the challenges of the last month has been to get the place cleaned up, so we can start making it our own. In some ways, it feels as if we've been at this a really long time. But in reality, it has only been 30 days since we first broke down the door to get in the house[- the renters didn't leave a key behind - they all but disappeared after they moved their furniture out.] We spent hours taking junk out of the house and the barns. Dusty, dirty, used items of all kinds have been rooted out. Of course, my adventurous #1 son has had a blast, because he found all sorts of things to enjoy - the orange battery operated, shoes which fit over his shoes and make him sound like he is Big Foot; the guitar with two strings; the cowboy hat which I insisted he wash so we wouldn't have to clear his head of unknown animules. We have thrown out a whole bin's worth of other people's stuff. A few times I have muttered "Blessed be Nothing". More hours were spent...

It was so quiet in the house. I was upstairs, relaxing. The kids were downstairs, preparing for school the next day. How proud I was of them! It did my mother-heart good to know that their studies were so important to them, that they would spend the whole evening making sure they were ready for the challenges of the following day. Then I went downstairs to make myself a cup of tea and decided to investigate. They were not at their desks at all. They were outside in the garage. Tomorrow was "Fake Injury Day", and they were putting the finishing touches on what they were going to be wearing. I decided to go back upstairs and pretend that I had studious students who study.

Warning: This post contains graphi c illustrations. Viewer discretion is advised. There you are. The mom. All calm-like. Then BAM. MeLTdown! Why in the world does this happen so quickly? Where does it start? You can wake up in the morning and everything is going well, until you see that the garbage which was SUPPOSED TO BE EMPTIED LAST NIGHT, has seeped out of it's bag, all over the cupboard floor. You look a little closer, and now you see that the onions under there SOMEONE WAS ASKED TO put in a dry spot, are now smelling like they need more help than Dr. Phil can give. On top of that, the seepage has gone down through the cupboard into a sloppy mess on the floor which you just washed (and now you have stepped in it). And there you are. In a full scale MelTDOwn. You reach 0 - 60, in 2.5 seconds flat. Sometimes, you can sense a MEltDOWNN coming and try to head it off at the pass. Certain things have been building inside - things like seeing gobs of used toothpaste on the sink, or g...

I admit it. I'm a reward card junkie. If I go to a store, and the salesperson even breathes something sounding like ".. .Interested in our savings card? ", I have to hold myself back from jumping over the counter. "Sure". I say, while inwardly calculating my cost savings. " Let's see, 10% on regular purchases, for a whole year...and I shop here at least 3 times a year, that should add up to ... 2.....3.....maybe even 5 dollars...I'm in ". It's got so I have to have a special slot or ten in my wallet for my cards. I sign up for cards which cost nothing: I just have to purchase 3000$ worth and I will get 5$ off the next purchase AFTER that. I sign up cards which cost something, but not much: $10 for the card and I'll save the sales tax on this purchase alone . And occasionally, I sign up for the cards which cost more money. [I have yet to admit that to my husband. The card does comes in handy when I want to book a flight and...

Today is my oldest sister's birthday. Although I have celebrated it with her privately, I thought I'd write a little something here too. My sister kindly indulged me as I grew up. She never made it seem she wished that I was older. I don't remember her getting mad at me, although I'm sure she did - a sibling who is that much younger than you can't be easy to have around at times. One of my favorite memories was when she allowed me to pretend that I was the president of a Fortune 500 company. I would create and send her catalogues with my latest creations - in which I promised the moon. She would order from them and I would send badly done renditions of calligraphed cards. She was most kind, and mailed encouraging notes about how wonderful it all was, and how she would recommend my work to her closest friends. Sadly, it perpetuated the belief in my heart, that these cards were actually worth something, so I would pump out another catalogue and the cycle continued....

Yesterday it rained. And rained. And rained. Later on, just for fun, a thunderstorm was thrown in. I was about to complain about the rain, when I looked out the bedroom window and saw this. That's a raindrop on the window, in case you are wondering. I stopped to enjoy the brilliance of the tree, just doing what it does in the fall. Does anyone look at it? Does anyone savour it's magnificence? I imagine it probably goes unnoticed more than it's beauty is pointed out. Mindful of the lesson, I went to the other window - the one in the bathroom - to observe this: More beauty. This time, the reds of the tree, and the pump house contrasted with the tree farther out in the field, which was offset by the changing colours in the blueberry field. I looked for a long time after I took the picture. The rain had dulled the sky, making the colors of the trees and the fields pop (as they say in all those decorating shows). Standing there looking at all that beauty, made me thin...

The first of October came. And went. The renters moved out. A cursory look revealed more than we bargained for. Although they managed to take the washer and dryer which were written into the bill of sale for us to keep. At least they left the fridge which doesn't work because 'a mouse ate through the cord.' The fifteenth of October came. And went. Hours and hours were spent clearing out junk and debris. We called for the bin to be taken away. The bashing in of walls and burning all that purports to be wood continues. The thirty-first of October looms closer. An answer must be given. Others are waiting on our decision. There are so many factors to weigh before we can give the word. We need sheep for the pasture. A greenhouse for the tax break. A mobile home, so we have a roof over our head while renovations continue. There is fencing to take down and fencing to put up. What to do? What to do? Go to the soccer game and watch the boy play. Make sure there are ...

The Grad Five and Sixes were given an assignment today. " Write about how to do something ". The teacher asked for at least six sentences, but' not a novel'. I could see in some of the student's eyes, this was a tough assignment. Forget the novel.... Seriously? Six whole sentences? How could they possibly think of enough information to keep the teacher happy? I can identify with that feeling. Many times that same feeling greets me when I sign into this blog, and click on "NEW POST". All I see is white space to be filled. I don't know where to start. I get up and wander out of the room. Then I wander back into the room. Every time I come back in, the white space dares me to think of something to say. I go out to the kitchen and look through the cupboards in case inspiration is hiding there. I pass by the table and look through the paper to avoid starting. I come back to the computer and think. Think. Think. Th. i. NK. I ask mys...

My husband brought home a box of chocolates a few weeks ago. Isn't he a sweetie? Well, they weren't really for me. They were the sample box of chocolates from the sale his soccer team is putting on. I pretended not to notice, said "thank you very much", and ferreted them away to a special hiding spot. When I noticed them evaporating faster than I thought they should, I pretended I was a momma cat, and carried them to a new spot and hid them again. I t took me a little while but I'm happy to report I managed to finish the rest of the box myself. I like to set attainable goals.

How does one measure progress when the job is so huge? Well, in little chunks of course. Sometimes those chunks are measured in seeing the bin piled high with junk that the other people just didn't bother to remove (read a little frown here). Sometimes, the chunks are the stacks of morning glory on the compost pile - collected from here there and everywhere on the property. Sometimes it's the smoothed out parking space which this morning, was a jumble of fencing and hay, and dirt. Sometimes it's the load of drywall piled on the trailer, ready to be taken away. Yes, we are making progress. Although the picture looks like a Monet painting, it was taken after dusk, on our way to celebrating the progress we made today on "The Pokeaway". A day of creating more problems than we solved. A day of meeting new neighbours, and welcoming friends who came by with Timmie's reinforcements, to take a look at the 'before before before'. A day which started leisure...

Day Seven: I must say that the thought of thanksgiving often fills me with guilt. I know thanksgiving and guilt shouldn't be used together in the same sentence. But often times I don't FEE L thankful and that makes me FEEL guilty. Today I was doing a bit of reading in the New Testament on the topic - and found something interesting. Feeling thankful is not mentioned in the verses I read. Thankfulness is a verb. We are told to ' be thankful '. (For all you English majors out there...does this make thankfulness a linking verb?) Not only that but thankfulness is mentioned with other verbs such as singing , as in Colossians 3: 16-17 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. And whatever you do , whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thank s to God the Father through him. and in praying ...

Day Six: Earlier in the week, someone asked me if I was doing a big meal for Thanksgiving. I shook my head. This year, the timing is all wrong. We are in between renovating, moving, and trying to get farm status, along with all the regular things that are going on - like school and soccer practice and getting used to a new job. I learned a long time ago, that sometimes you have to let something go to maintain your sanity. I decided this is not the year to make a big turkey dinner. Then, each of my family asked me what we were doing for Thanksgiving. I suddenly realized how much my family looks forward to the tradition of the ...

Day Five: I found this prayer in my research for the Thanksgiving service I planned at work. I thought it expressed so well how hard it is to actually grasp the goodness of God in my life. So I am sharing it with you, dear cyber readers. Though our mouths were full of song as the sea, and our tongues of exultation as the multitude of its waves, and our lips of praise as the wide-extended firmament; though our eyes shone with light like the sun and the moon, and our hands were spread forth like the eagles of heaven, and our feet were swift as hinds, we should still be unable to thank thee and bless thy name, O Lord our God and God of our fathers, for one thousandth or one ten thousandth part of the bounties which thou has bestowed upon our fathers and upon us. ~from the Hebrew Prayer Book~

Day Four: Things I am thankful for in a Thanksgiving Acrostic: T ime for rejuvenation H ome, health and hope. A nswers for each day. N othing is impossible with God. K ids and kisses. S inging G od is good. I nteresting experiences. V isions of what could be. I mpressions and imagination. N ew neighbourhood. G od's provisions throughout the years.

Day Three : All about a little of this and not so much of anything. I am thankful for my washer and dryer. Front Loading is the way to go folks! They are both quiet and efficient. And they hold large loads, which is a good thing at this point, since the laundry can get piled up quite high in between. The washing machine has a timer, so I can put a load in and have it start just before I come home, and then I can throw it into the dryer when I arrive home. This morning, in the time it took me to drive my #1 son to early morning class, the dryer had fresh warm towels waiting for me to use for my shower. I felt like I was in a luxurious hotel. I am thankful for my bed. Crawling into it each night, or the occasional afternoon, is one of the great joys of my life. The word "Ahhhhh" comes to mind. I am thankful for the dishwasher. Especially, since I won't have it for much longer. It makes my clean up so much faster and easier. I am thankful for the fact that I can k...

Day Two: All about work. ... I am thankful for the job that I have held for seventeen years. I am continually challenged by the clients and my co-workers in every way - from the 'Healthy Living Challenge' given to us by the Rehabilitation Department, to the challenge of being organized, yet flexible in order to have effective programs. I am grateful for the long-term relationships I have formed with my work companions. I truly could hardly stand the thought of having to give it all up for something else. In my new job, I am thankful for a co-worker who encouraged me today with these words : " They are not going to fail to graduate because you don't know what you are doing for a month ". I started in September and am working hard at finding my way, but each day shows me more of what I don't know. My co-worker has come along side of me many times in the last month, with words like "Ask away", and "Sure, I can help you figure that out"...

Day One: Thanksgiving is around the corner. I was thinking how much I enjoyed posting last year's lists of thankfulness, so thought I'd do it again. I'll try not to repeat myself - so that you won't have a case of deja-vu. Today, I am looking back to what I was thinking just a year ago about the direction that we would take as a family. I could not have anticipated the adventure that we are about to take. The housing market had been rising, and the interest rates were high. We were restless but had no clear direction as to what we should be doing. Many conversations took place about possibilities. We batted around so many, I lost track of which ones were serious and which ones were purely fantastical. Then the way opened up for us to buy the "Pokeaway". (You pokeaway at this, and you pokeaway at that). And now, just as Thanksgiving rolls around, I am thanking God for the opportunity to have a place where the wind whispers through the willows, where th...

Nineteen years ago today, I was the mom of a two-month old baby girl. My parents were out visiting us. They were helping me adjust to motherhood, and to being the wife of a full time student. We were living in our first house. My friend Janna and I had planned a birthday party for Mrs. Isaacs, who would turn seventy on October 1, 1990. We decided to make it a surprise breakfast party - to accommodate the baby's schedule. I hosted, but Janna brought many of the goodies we enjoyed that morning. As I remember it, we served croissants along with a fruit and cheese platter. There were flowers and a pretty tablecloth and napkins. I dont' remember how many people came, but I remember it was a houseful. And I remember how happy I was when everything turned out so well. The baby slept through much of the party, and when she woke up, she was happy and everyone cooed over her. The food was delicious. Best of all, we got to honor a very special lady, who had taken us both und...