My new bed...and the friends in my front yard....

I just wanted to share a couple of pictures real quick. And regarding the canoe seminar.....the speaker was Kevin Callan, a very humorous guide book writer. He has paddled every major park and river system in Ontario and is extremely funny in his delivery, the books as well as the seminar. His latest venture was the Kopka River, in NorthWestern Ontario. He has written 8 to 10 books. So we didn't learn a whole lot of new stuff, just laughed a lot. The seminars are hosted by Nova Craft Canoe, in London, where we bought our canoe. Just a good time with other paddle enthusiasts....although I do find them a little hoity-toity, but Kevin is very down to earth.

The first picture is of our new bed. It is sooooo soft! The top is as soft as chinchilla fur....why they do that I have no idea. You put sheets over that anyway! It was a great sleep and my hips are really appreciating the pillow top. My bursitis was acting up
but it was very comfortable sleeping last night, even the sore side. So that was a treat....it's all good.

I did have a very nice afternoon, Ray just went to the Superstore to print out some pictures that he had on the camera and that inspired me to download this to the blog. You should know that I also have a glossy 5x7 of this one...as well as one of Ray as the first runner up in the beard growing competition at his work. Is that just a layout waiting to happen or what?!!

I just puttered around all day, I decided that I wasn't going to go crazy today. So sanding and painting just sounded crazy. I nicely finished laundry, cleaned the bathrooms and had a liverwurst sandwich with a cup of coffee for snunch (snack/lunch)...and went to the superstore to get supplies for church. I found a great pot there too...we'll have to see if it will function for the visuals at church or not. Still only $9.99! I brought it to church and went home. Then I went to the library to check my email.....HIGH SPEED rocks my socks! Took ALL my turns on Scramble and Scrabulous and updated my blog....I know....twice in one day! And I took some books out on Korean cooking and culture. And a bunch of books on crocheting scarves....I just love sitting on the couch flipping through creative books. I also found a Jamie Oliver book about Italy...he cooks such yummy things....he sure has come a long way since "the Naked Chef"....he writes funny things too, and you can just hear him preparing and bantering when you read the recipes. So after that....I just vegged for a while with a wine spritzer, and paged at my leisure....then I baked a cake...and wonder of wonders...it did not stick in to the pan. It is for the youth group fundraiser at the congregational meeting Monday night. We serve coffee and cake at halftime and it raises money for SERVE. As custodian I have to set up, open and close, and put a pot of coffee on, and as a parent...I'm there anyway...so I volunteered to make coffee (I think I got the easy end of the stick there!) I always have to wait for people to leave, and we DO LOVE our fellowship...so I can do dishes while I wait instead of twiddling my thumbs and tapping my feet impatiently.... It's always a great night for those who come out.... Please don't feel tired for me....I still have lots of energy okay!?! If you're going to feel tired then I'll just have to stop blogging and...that would make my life boring....so....

You must be wondering about the friends in my front yard.....they're so cute and little I just had to share them....don't despair!!! They'll be coming soon to a neighbourhood near you soon too!
What a sweet treat to see them the other day when I got home from work...they splay open in all their glory when the sun touches them.

Spring has sprung, the sun is warming up the earth. God never ceases to be faithful. That's just the way He is. He is the God of the universe and He cares for you....He lets these pop up just to make you smile!!!

Not Home...

I'm back at the library because the computer at home is being monopolized for Tax purposes. It happens.

The things you have to do to take your turn on Scrabulous eh!? Some people will be soooo pleased.

Drywall is happening as we speak and the mountain range is back down to mole hills. I am going to do some sanding when I get home, but not in the drywall area....I shall leave that to the pros. The new bed is too high for our old nightstands, and Joe and Eddy both need one so our old ones are going to get a new purpose. I am going to sand our old ones since they're kind of beat up and then prime and paint them. I'm so excited!

I also am ringless. I looked down the other day and noticed I had lost one of the stones from my anniversary band. Waaaaaaah! We took it to the jewelry store and they, under their microscope, noticed that the band was cracked. I wonder what kind of hand trauma would cause that. Ray and I decided that we would look for a "utility band" for me to wear at work..since I work with my hands so much. It's amazing how often you fiddle with your wedding band especially now that it's not there.

Nothing else istoo exciting....the lads are at an all day Cadet program, it was supposed to be a winter campout. It is part of their qualifying for the Camporee this summer. It is a fun day out for them and it'll be good to see how well Joe can monitor his water intake....or he'll return with a splitting headache. Hmmmm.

All Done...

Helina and I are all done painting at the current location. Wow! It looks so good. We transformed an aging, 70's mainfloor into a Martha Stewart vision! Think Debbie Travis, the calm palette. From all dark brown trim to white (primer and two coats of paint....that took forever!) Before and afters would have been so neat to see!

Ray and I have a canoeing seminar tonight in London. A hot date! 8)

Tomorrow I clean at church and then it'll be the weekend.

Our new bed comes tomorrow....don't have sheets to fit on it....but anyway. Our old one will go downstairs in the guest room. I thought to myself this morning as I woke up, aaaaaw, it is still so comfy! But tonight is the last night in that bed, I suppose I could sleep in the guest room for a day if I really missed it badly. It's not like it's going away on vacation..... Maybe we could squeeze some sheet shopping in before the seminar. Hmmmm.... there's always next week.

I have a trip planned to RONA next week. I have had my eye on a new light fixture for the backdoor foyer...then I'll paint the ceiling...and then the foyer there...now that we don't have to paint anywhere else, I can paint here! What great timing....

Supper calls....

The Things You Forget...

...when you don't tell anyone about them. I guess that's what happens in the busyness of life sometimes. You have things on your mind and you just don't get a chance to blog about them...and when all is said and done...you talk about the outcome, which is usually good, but no one knew the stuff was even going on! If that all makes sense...then you are doing really well!! 8)

Yes, Craig is going on SERVE this summer, he has heard a number of negative things from some people...and he has decided to go and find out for himself...I'll pass your very encouraging comments along to him. The project they are attending is somewhere in Michigan, if they register on time (there is always someone's paperwork to wait for...) or else they will end up in Indiana. His glasses are quite similar to his previous ones...except that they are the Nike Flexon sport fit models. They have straight instead of bent arms over the ears and are made of flexible metal...to withstand hard impacts with volleyballs, soccer balls, basketballs, and badminton rackets. Never aimed on purpose...but things that happen in sports.

So that's that....I am painting today and tomorrow and maybe the day after as well. A job fell through this afternoon, but I sort of suspected that it might. It's okay...that just means a slower week next week, and that might be nice. It has kind of been going full tilt since I got back from PEI.

We are drywalling in the guestroom, and now I will have lots of time to clean up the dust in there. Ray was going to do all the cleanup in there and he has unexpectedly become very busy at work, while they clean up the last of the files, and now I have become unexpectedly available. 8) funny how that works eh? Where a door closes....some free time opens up... I guess I'll put my feet up then...and if I keep up with the laundry there won't be a mountain range to deal with.

8)

So Much Can Change in a Short Span of Time.

It is good to sit and spew for a bit. It appears that this has not occurred since March 15th-ish.

I've had a lot of things on my mind and heart since that day. A lot of work had to be done, and a lot has been accomplished since then...and a lot has been lifted from my heart too. You know what I mean....things to do, places to go, people to see, phonecalls to make, positions to fill, walls to paint and toilets to clean... but what a wonderful feeling when it is all done.

We had a really nice Easter weekend. It gets a bit busy when you have to open the church for every service and clean up in between. The busyness increase a tad when you are the worship visual coordinator and you have to install the visuals for Good Friday and then do the switch over for Easter Sunday. This is my second run at creating worship visuals. I really enjoy it and it is very exciting to experience the Spirit at work, as some things develop while you are working with the materials in the sanctuary. I am doing the visuals with my dear friend Winnie. We have such great visits while we work together on these projects. Sometimes I get as much out of creating the visuals as I do out of the service...it is a very intimate thing.

So in the midst of the busy weekend was the oasis of Saturday. We took the whole day off and went to Chatham to visit with Ray's family. We arrived in time for coffee in the morning, so that we could leave fairly early for Ray to make it to hockey at night, but still have a nice long day there. It was such a fun day. Ray's sister Sharon was visiting from Ottawa with her boyfriend, Daniel, who we were meeting for the first time. What a nice guy! Doesn't take himself too seriously and has a great sense of humour. He is a French Canadian and doesn't believe in being subtle. Great faith too. We have been playing Scrabulous with him for weeks already and it was nice to have the ice broken already. He is smitten with Sharon, and just adores her! That much is obvious! We spent the day together, set Ray's mom up on Facebook, and left at a decent hour. Got home, Ray went to hockey and I tossed in another load of laundry.

After working all week, I had 10 loads of laundry not including towels and bedding...so just now I fished out the last of 13 loads and consider myself caught up. Phew....!!

When we arrived in Chatham, I came to the startling realization that I hadn't emptied the pail in the Youth Group room, under the leaking pipe. It drips about 4 gallons per day. So you can imagine what state the 2 gallon pail is in by 10am in the morning!!! So I made a few phone calls and was assured that someone would take care of it. On the way home I checked our messages on the machine for Ray, to see if anyone was unable to make it to hockey and a kind gentleman left a message that he was at church in the morning practicing for Sunday's service and he noticed the bucket was almost overflowing, and emptied it. Just wanted to let me know. So I wonder what happened to the person I had called to do it...hmmmmm. Must of found an empty-ish bucket.

So now it is Monday...and I'm all geared up for another week. I imagine that this is what it feels like to have an eight day week.... We have today off, Ray and the boys are theoretically home, but are actually running around town. Craig got his new glasses today and got a tetanus shot while he was at it...HAD to in order to go on SERVE this summer. He HAS decided to go. And is pretty excited.

I shall go and hang the last of the clean items in the machine and plan some supper....

The February Blahs....in March.....

...that must be why we are all tired!!!

The pipe that is dripping at church is part of the heating system. Ancient...and just corroded. We have a steady drip at about a gallon a day. That will eventually soak through your ceiling tile and cause it to crash in a large mess on the carpet and flood the place. It only takes a drip.

All is well and dripping into a container....

I am tired too. I thought that bug was gone...but I sense it is climbing up my nose and roosting there. Are you getting a mental image of that? Yucky!! I think I shall take the rest of the evening off and watch a show with Joe....so this will just be a short little post. Two shorties in two days....that IS a record!

Hope you are well....I didn't mean to give you'll a hard time about not blogging. Just enjoy your down time and if you're sick, get better, and if you are reading a good book, turn some more pages. (Oh yeah....we were all reading...now I remember.)

So Much For Curling Up.....

...I just got back from the church and dry vacuumed a leak in the youth group room. Slllluuuuurrrp. The shop vac is your friend when water is your foe.

NOW....I will read my book. And wait for the plumber to get back to me.

I did restore some semblance of order to my rooms....without tooo much sacrifice.

Downsizing....

I have come to realize that in order for there to be a bona fide guest room....we have to ...yes...get rid of some stuff. The stuff that WAS in the playroom got stuffed into nooks and crannies. I truly think I was kidding myself when I thought that would work.

Today I got down to the serious business of decreasing boxes. I went through some boxes on our shelves that never get opened. I actually compressed four half boxes into two full boxes...of things that are sort of alike. Mostly... the things just have "old" and "never use" but "special" and "sentimental" in common. I found an old letter that mom wrote in 1998 to me about how they were settling into their digs in Florida and who they were visiting. I still love seeing her handwriting....and reading it made me feel like she and dad were having a great time seeing their friends and playing "chicken foot" and "Mexican train". I found a letter that Tineke wrote me where she shared that she had just gotten a letter from me....nowadays we just do the email thing. I can't toss those out.

I am losing serious momentum as I write this, but I didn't want the thoughts to get lost.

I cleaned out the crafty cupboard in the tv room, you know that little kitchenette behind the door? I took some of the toys I plan to keep from their nooks and crannies and put them in those cupboards and now the shelves and shelf room have been eased of their burden somewhat.

The office is settling in but there is still some work to do there....half of it is still in the old space...it is seeping over slowly but surely. That is actually none of my concern, at least that's what I've been told. :D

So I must press on. See what other treasures can be relocated and saved from the fate of downsizing....

PS - I don't seem to be coming down with a bug after all??? That is so strange as I have been struggling with a sore throat and fatigue. Yesterday I was just whipped and ran out of energy every couple of hours. I sense that this uprooting of stuff must have healing qualities....I will take it easy this afternoon and finish a book that I am struggling with. Ray says I should just give up on it....I can't let a book beat me.....

PS - Where is everyone? Long time no blog people!!!!!

Nothing New...

Well....that about sums it up. Life has settled back into its predictable routine and that is what I like about it. But then again....eat, shovel, play Scrabble, sleep, eat, shovel, play Scrabble, sleep....
The latest storm is behind us and what fun it was!!! We loved it. A good blizzard and now we have actual snowbanks!!! The one by the back door is as high as my waist. The last time we had such a dump was about 8 years ago coming home from PEI after Christmas. Yes....that was a treat too!
I was glad to have all my lads to help.

The repetitive nature of this routine does make my life appear rather bland. But bland would indicate a lack of crisis, stress, and things like that. For this I am thankful. Bland is okay.

We are currently at the beginning of March Break. The lads are off to the library with a friend and will go skating on some newly discovered park puddles. I remember those days. I decided to take this day off. Totally and thoroughly OFF. I am dressed, had a coffee and am in the midst of a great book. I have one day of painting this week, should clean around the church a bit. But...we are hosting a neighbourhood SuperSaturday at church, which is a one VBS day type program and will clean after it is done. There are a number of sleepovers in the works...but hopefully much playing...maybe some painting will get done in the house.

Most monumental of all. I am blogging from the 'new' office! Ray moved the office on Saturday and I am now sitting opposite the row of windows in the old playroom. The toys that occupied this space have been moved around to other small nooks and crannies, but most of the daycare toys were gone anyway. Now comes the time to refinish the old office and transform it into a guestroom; Joe's new digs while we host our Korean exchange student, Eddy. We need to so a little accoustical insulating to make the room more soundproof. The tv is just two skinny sheets of pannelling away...we'll have to see if something can change that....I think earplugs are a good option...and much less work! 8) Joe is very excited about this change in his life! I'm getting a new bed!! I'm excited about this change in my life. Mind you, we are very excited about hosting a student. We don't know how it will go but we are ready to do our best to make him feel at home and try and show him a bit of our culture and country.... We're not just Canadian but also Dutch...so I think we will do like Dianna and introduce him to boerekool and snert. All the while there is no guarantee he will like our nasi and bahmi...and we may end up eating more noodles and beansprouts. Joe will LOVE that! (I think...) We anticipate that it wont all be smooth sailing and that there will be bumps along the way. We'll see how this set of 10 weeks goes.

My week in PEI was great. I had such a wonderful time seeing everyone so much. For me there is no such thing as tooo much. It was just right. I read a book, made cards, scrubbed a little(for all you know I just left the bottle of MR Clean open and made you THINK I cleaned8), visited, and hung out. I had a great flight home, was met at the airport by Ray and walked into a house that was fragrant with supper. The boys just returned from Cadets and it was such a nice evening. The week that followed was insanely busy and I haven't really stopped until today. That's why it's a day OFF.

Recommended reading for all you addicted people....anything by Charles Martin, "The Dead Don't Dance", "When Crickets Cry", "Chasing Fireflies" and the sequel to The Dead, "Maggie".
I just read "Skin" by Ted Dekker and found out the trilogy that follows "Black", "Red", and ''White" is out. The first one is called "Chosen" and came out last month...the next one is "Infidel"....
I also read "A Candle in the Darkness" by Lynn Austin...but it's a bit older already....

I have to go and feed my addicition now...I have been reading the blogs and see that it is going around. One day I will get into LOST but that time is not upon me yet....