I'm back! Project 365 (week 3)

January 15th: A typical scene at dinner time in our home. I love how Claire is muching on the food that has fallen off the table.




January 16th: Believe it or not, but it dropped to -40 the next day.




January 17th: After spending at least three hours in the freezing cold with his dog, Nathaniel was able to track down the cougar that has been sighted in our community. He shot it with his bow and was SO happy!!!




January 18th: I had to go to the local clinic for some blood work and when I got home I found Claire fast asleep in Grandma's arms. Claire rarely falls asleep outside her crib or car seat, so this was a surprise.




January 19th: Amelia and I baked a double chocolate treasure cake for my friend's birthday. It was easy to make and yeiled great results. Amelia loved putting the whipped cream and raspberries on top. Here a youtube video.of someone making it.




January 20th: Nathaniel is definitely the best storey teller in this household, although in this particular istance Amelia lost interest and Nathaniel looks like he continued reading it on his own.




January 21st: Usually I watch Grey's Anatomy with my neighbor on Thursday nights, but she was away so I caught up via watch series.com while I munched on some delicious grapefruit.

Project 365 (week 2)

January 8th: Getting out the door for a walk can be an ordeal. It takes an incredibly long time to get everyone suited up, find matching mittens, and get out the door without experiencing a meltdown. Today while I was putting on Claire's snowsuit, Amelia amused herself by playing in her daddy's work boots.



January 10th: Nathaniel's Grandmother has come to stay with us for two weeks. I am thankful that Amelia is enjoying her.



January 11th: Nathaniel took us out for a drive and showed us some cougar prints that he and Chester had found the previous day.




January 12th: I am really working hard at eating small, healthy portions and eating my meal slowly. I can hardly wait to step on the scale and see how much weight I have lost lost.



January 13th: Had a friend come and visit with her sweet baby girl. Claire wanted to maul her.



Jnauary 14th: It practically snowed all day today. Our christmas lights are still up as you can see.

An epiphany

I had an epiphany the other day. I was helping Claire out of her snowsuit and Amelia started kicking and screaming in frustration because she couldn't get her boots off. I knelt down beside her and said "if you are having a hard time, please ask mommy for help". I have probably said something along these lines a hundred times over the course of any given week, but for someone reason, in that moment, it struck a cord in me. How many times have I been at my wits end, throwing a temper tantrum either externally or internally when all I needed to do was ask for help. I am not good at asking for help. Why was it so easy to explain to my daughter the importance of asking for help, but so difficult for me recognize the inability to do so in my own life. It is because of pride, my fierce sense independence, my desire to do everything perfectly, and my immense fear of failure. Asking for help requires a person to realize that they can't do it, that they are unable, and that they are in over their head. Those are things that I don't like to admit, not to myself or the people closest to me like my husband and God (for goodness sake). Instead I often choose to freak out and have a temper tantrum like a two and half year old. Can anyone relate? In any case I am s.l.0.w.l.y learning how to let that crap go. I am still stubborn much of the time, but having a second child and having guests stay in my home has forced helped me to "get over myself". I am learning to appreciate the fact that I am not a one woman show, that I can't keep everyone happy, the house clean, meals on the table, and remain sane without asking for help once and awhile.

On a completely different note I don't know about other people, but when I find a song that I love I could play it to death. Right now that song is "Come to Me" by Jenn Johnson. It speaks to all the innermost bits of my soul and reminds me what a good God I serve. If you want to check it out, here is a link to her singing it on youtube. Tiffany - thank you for the recommendation.

A happy new pillow

I have been wanting to make this pillow since saw a tutorial for it on cluck cluck sew. I knew that I had a lot of scraps, but I wanted to use fabric that had special significance to me. I had a pile a mile high but when it came down to choosing a specific color scheme I decided to pull colors from this much loved photo of my family.



The tree trunk I cut from a scarf I had purchased in Southern Vietnam. The green leaves are from an outfit I had made for me in Zanzibar, Tanzania. The light and dark blue wool leaves are from a favorite sweater that no longer fits, the shiny orange fabric is from one of my bridesmaids dresses, the gold and fuchsia is from a second hand sari I bought from a sweet woman in India, the blue and red fabric is from a yard of cloth that I am going to re-upholster chair with someday, the pink knitted leaves are fun a fun thrift store find that never fit me, the fabric with the orange butterflies is from a fabric store in Coquitlam that I just adore,the yellow and paisley print fabric is from a skirt I wore on my first missions trip to Mexico, and the white and wine printed leaves are the leftovers from some pillows I made for my couches. I really love how it turned out and I think I may do something like this in the future with some of my favorite baby clothes. The tutorial was simple enough and fun to do. It sits on my couch and makes me smile everyday.

A splendid day

I had such a fantastic day today! It was wonderful. When I woke up this morning the sun was shining and I couldn't help but feel optimistic. After some peppermint tea and a healthy breakfast I received a phone call from a friend who had called to see if I wanted to go for a walk with her and her children. Nathaniel and I bundled up our girls and we took a walk in the fresh snow under a bright blue sky. When we got home we tossed the girls into the car and went to church. We ended up being invited to some one's home for lunch and happily agreed. This family lives in a beautiful log cabin surrounded by the most beautiful meadows and pasture. They still cook on an antique stove and made the most delicious chili I have had in a long time. It was served with Greek salad, homemade bread, and mashed potatoes. I let myself indulge and had a little chili but I was a good girl and didn't eat any of the brownies they served afterwards. Who hoo for small victories! The fellowship was equally delightful and I relished spending time with other believers. It makes me realize how much I miss Christian community. What I wouldn't give to have one of my girlfriends come over and spend the night lost in worship with me.(Tiffany- I'm thinking of you right now).



In any case, it was a delightful day and I was still able to tuck my girls into bed at a decent time. My spiritual, social and physical needs have been satisfied and I am soon going to head down to my craft room for some creative time. (Lori - if you are reading this I plan on finally finishing something I started for you ages ago).

This video from YouTube of a band called Walk Off The Earth playing a cover on the song "Somebody That I Used To Know". It is just pure awesomeness! Check it out.

Project 365 (week 1)

January 1st: On New Years day we loaded our skates into the chariot stroller with Claire and went for a skate at the ice rink near our home. The girls slipped around like seals in the ice while our dog Chester, barked like one on the sidelines. It was nice to walk around the rink with Holly and chat while our men shot pucks.




January 2nd: Finally completed my December Daily album.



January 3rd: Today I went to town with Holly and did a bit of shopping. Claire was excessively fussy and I felt scatterbrained all day. I forgot to purchase many of the things I had gone into town for. Geeezz.




January 4th: The other day Amelia kept complaining about her eyes so Nathaniel took her to the clinic and it was confirmed that she had pink eye. So, now we get to pin our poor daughter down four times a day and put drops in her eyes. Unfortunately, she only got sicker as the day went on and eventually threw up as well.




January 5th: When Nathaniel pulled into our driveway this evening he saw a little puppy in our driveway. He gave it a bath and borrowed a kennel from our neighbor so that it didn't pee everywhere during the night. I made a poster and Nathaniel posted it at the General Store.



January 6th: Since Amelia has been sick we have been watching a lot of movies. Since we one only a handful we have been renting quite a few from our local General Store. When we were visiting my parents in the Lower Mainland I was surprised to discover that all of the video stores had closed down.



December 7th: These are what my meals look like these days. Lots of lean protein and vegetables. I am trying to wean myself off bread, dairy and sugar. (All things I LOVE). It is actually not as hard as I had thought it would be.

December Daily finally completed!

I finally finished my December daily Album last night while watching episodes of Grey's Anatomy. Some pages are more embellished than other pages, but for the most part I kept things simple. I plan on making a December Daily album every year. It is such a great way to capture all the excitement leading up to Christmas, the goodies we bake, the traditions we follow, the wrapping paper we use, our Christmas letter and card and favorite moments










































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