Up to these days.....

1. Trying to motivate myself to finish the documents necessary for my DONA certification. I want one of these sooner than later even though I have taken a break from being a doula for the remainder of my pregnancy. 

2. Fawning over hosta, hydrangea and peonies at every garden center I visit.

3. Selling lots of furniture on usednanaimo and hoping to start painting a hutch for a customer.

4. Project life. I've been doing it for five months now and I am still thoroughly enjoying it. I promise to share some pages soon. 

5. Craving homemade bruschetta on toasted foccacia bread. Doesn't this look scrumptious.

6. Thoroughly enjoying my favorite yogurt and the fact that grapes are finally affordable again.

7. Neglecting housework. Particularly the bathrooms. What is the point in cleaning them when your children fill the sink with sand on a daily basis and toss toilet paper into their bath.

8. Thoroughly enjoyed a ladies retreat in Esperanza this past weekend. Hopefully I will take the time to share some pictures soon. 

9. Starting to create a nursery. My first EVER!

10. Still picking armloads of lilacs. I have fresh flowers in nearly every room at the moment. *Bliss*

     

11. Is currently 29 weeks pregnant. I feel as big as a house. 

12. Is daydreaming about creating an incredible outdoor space this summer. I just need to talk my hubby into finishing the rest of our deck and building a perogala. More on this in other post.

13. Longing to buy a beautiful handwoven wrap like this. Oh the [possibilities!

14. Loving this  quote:

Deeper Things

I just had a riveting conversation with two Mormon missionaries. This was the second time I have invited them into my home. As our discussion wove through and around various theological standpoints I found myself asking "why do I LOVE this so much". Bible study with other Christians bores me to tears, but throw some conflict into the equation and you have my attention. Is that weird? Something about our different standpoints, drives my need to know why I believe what I believe. Not only that, I  love having my faith challenged. It is not always comfortable, but so important. If I don't test what I believe then how do I know if it is true? Do I simply believe what I believe because it is what I have been taught since I was a child? Because some spiritual authority told me to? Or because I want it to be true? Digging deep and and not being afraid to be wrong or discover something new is truly thrilling.

I don't feel threatened when my beliefs differ from others. Truth is truth and it can stand on its own. I love hearing people experience of their faith, their "conversion stories", their passion for the things they believe in. I am often curious what their motivation is when they discuss their faith with me, how dedicated they are to their beliefs and  how knowledgeable they are about what you claim to believe. 

It is actually hard to find people willing to talk about such things, so when Mormon's or Jehovah's Witnesses  knock at my door, I jump at the opportunity to discuss religion with them. I LOVE being challenged. I love digging into scripture. I love learning new things. I don't mind being wrong, or questioning things I have long believed. I am comfortable with the fact that I will never figure everything out and that I will probably always be wrong about some things.

I know that I will never "figure" it all out, that my theology may always be a little off, but I also believe that the Lord knows my heart and my desire for truth.  And I do believe that there is truth. Absolute truth. I don't believe that many beliefs can exist simultaneously and all be correct. I believe that there are incredible things one can learn from different faiths, but I do believe that that there is one faith, one God. Sometimes when I get bogged down by disagreements within my own faith, I take comfort in the things I know for certain. 

I hope that when people look at me, my life, and how I live out my faith, they see authenticity.  I hope that they see someone who is compassionate, loving, and gracious. I hope they see Jesus. I hope that they experience His love through me.  I don't have it all together. Goodness, I am mess sometimes. I struggle, I fail, but I have a relationship with someone that rocks my world and his name is Jesus. I often ask myself "how do I convey my faith in such a way that people don't just write me off as "nice".  I want people to know that Jesus is is not  "a" way, I want them to know that he is THE way. He is EVERYTHING!

A delicious nap

I was tired today. Weary. to. the. bone .tired. At one point I could no longer keep my eyes open so I put on Claire's favorite show, handed my toddler a handful of almonds and climbed into a unmade bed. Five minutes later I could hear the pitter patter of mischievous feet and the scrape of a chair. Claire was  pushing one of our stools up to the baking cupboard and helping herself to a mason jar full of chocolate chips. Fine. I rolled over and let sleep wrap its delicious fingers around me. At some point my five year climbed into bed beside me with a bag of raisins and succumbed to sleep as well. (She NEVER naps but her dad promised to take her to the fireworks tonight if she did).

 I just slept and slept and slept. After what felt like an eternity of bliss I rose from my cozy bed to asses the damage. I found a toddler covered in chocolate, trails of blankets and stuffed animals, and an un-watched television playing in the background. Not bad. Perhaps I should try that again sometime.

Looks like we will be going to the fireworks tonight for the first time in five years!

Here are some sweet images of spring that perked me up this week. Enjoy.

Happy Spring!

Eye Candy

This morning I awoke to the sound of my daughter yelling for a bucket. Thankfully, she managed to wait until I handed her a tupperware container before she upchucked up the contents of her stomach. An hour later my younger daughter started puking. Oh Joy. Thankfully, they will probably be completely fine by lunchtime. Crazy kids. 

I had a full day planned for a our family but it looks like we will sticking close to home for the time being. *Sigh* I thought I might as well take the opportunity to share some swoon worthy images of the most beautiful studio/craft space I have EVER had the pleasure of viewing. These photos are from a magazine I indulge in from time to time called "Where Women Create". This particular article features a blogger/stylist/ consultant named Becki Crosby. Her website/blog entitled "Whippy Cake" is delightful and eye catching. This morning I enjoyed reading one of her older posts entitled "Pregnancy, depression and puke oh my! 

Spring!

In the past, my favorite season has always been fall. Somewhere along the way, that has changed. This year I  have found myself marveling at the snowdrops, eagerly anticipating each new sprout in my garden, gathering armloads of lilacs and getting giddy at the prospect of going to a plant nursery. 

 

The above photo was taken of my favorite variety of hellebore.

 

A happy but muddy shot of me after planting ferns and hydrangea. The left photo is of a sweet autumn clematis that is currently blooming.

Another hellebore.

Last year I dug up a couple of lupines from the side of a hill along the highway and transplanted them in my garden. They are now thriving and have started popping up everywhere. I can hardly wait until they bloom!

There is something about watching a peony rise from the soil, or a fern unfurl that is magical and amazing every.single.time. I find myself examining the wisteria that my hubby transplanted last year, rejoicing in each bud and hoping against hope that perhaps it will bloom this year. Today Nathaniel spotted an actual flower bud! I actually jumped up and down with joy. 

Dead serious.

There are worms and frogs galore, which thrill my daughters to bits. Last year Claire was rather squeamish about touching bugs, worms or snakes for that matter. This year she LOVES catching and cradling everything. She carried this particular worm around for an entire day.

There is nothing that brings Amelia more joy than catching a frog.

We have been spending an inordinate amount of time in the meadow behind our property. It is generally quite sunny up there and a nice break from our shaded yard.