Thank you MANITOBA COLD!!

So, yesterday, as we were getting ready to call it a day around here, J comes to me and says the most magical words in the world ---
ready for it ---
Why don't YOU go out shopping ALL BY YOURSELF and get those last few things that we need. It'll be one less late night for the girls, and it's unnecessary to take them out when it's so COLD outside.
YAHOO FOR THE WINDCHILL FACTOR!! Is all I can say!
I double-checked, just to make sure our communication was on the same wave lengths (not that it often isn't, or anything like that!)
You mean - all evening, out of the house, A.L.O.N.E. !?
Yes was the answer amidst the shrieks of my delight!!

Not that I don't love being at home. I DO! Not that I don't love shopping with my gals - I often do .

But this couldn't have come at a better time.

You see --- Toddler Boot Camp is in mighty full swing around here. It's toe-to-toe, iron-will combat around here most days. As baby-ness battles with independence (hers AND mine!!), the wrestle can grow FIERCE!

I will NOT share my cake. I will NOT share my toys. My baby sister is a BAD GIRL! Oops, did I say that out loud ?

As M pushes the limits, I find my own, which are remarkably shorter than I thought they were, just three short years ago . And so, as the training (again, hers AND mine!) continue --- its GREAT TO HAVE A BREAK!a

Celebrations!

Maybe it's that things are starting to feel more "normal" after 17 months of  -- unexpected journeys.
Maybe it's the quietness that settles over the house when children are snug in their beds.
Maybe it's the christmas lights that cast a warm glow throughout a tidied home.
Maybe - just maybe - it's that I'm finding God's gracious peace & long-awaited rest in the midst of it all.

Whatever the case may be, the celebrations continue. I nearly jumped out of my skin when I saw sweet K approach and conquer stairs for the first time. She looked like she'd been doin' it all her life long. Sweet pea . In the midst of a full-with-good-things kinda day yesterday, I found myself breathing and laughing and visiting like I hadn't done in a long time. We have flights instead of facing a daunting 3-day holiday journey. And little M's 3rd birthday party - complete with her party guest list  - is on Friday, and after facing 3 birthday parties, I dare say my birthday cakes are --- improving. I learn by trial and error . 

And in the midst of all these good celebrations, more than ever I cling to the promise of Advent

"I have come - and will come again." 

 "Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End."
Revelation 22:12, 13

So, let the celebrations continue.
And, if you're feelin' particularly sassy , you can always groove with this stunning rendition from Cool & the Gang 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YwEMxYggoKQ

Ya Know It'll Be That Kinda Day When....

1. The phone starts ringing at 7:30 am. And doesn't stop, for the most part, for the rest of the day.
2. One of those phone calls includes the words - this is the doctor's office, test follow-up, appointment. Yoikes!
3. The day begins with 3 "time outs" before 7:30.
4. You've been up 1/2 the night with one babe, while the other sleeps alllllll night, storing up rest and energy and zest and enthusiasm which she will unleash for the next 13 hours straight, while you are left wondering how on earth to keep up!
5. Oh ouch. And all this is following Monday. And Mondays are Mondays, no matter what!

Bring on the coffee, that's what I say!!

A few favorites!

Yoikes. The other day I wandered the local mall, kiddies in tow, starting that insane yearly venture known as Christmas shopping. Wow. Every year the craziness of the frenzy hits me anew, as I watch people frantically grabbing this and that and cringe at ads that promise better futures with better presents. And I wondered as I wandered :)....

However, there are so many fun things about this time of year that make it stand apart - simple indulgences, sweet traditions and yes, even comforting nostalgia. Here are just a few favorites....

 

Recipes - nothing says yummy like a bowl-full of carmel corn WITH peanuts! My first batch (sans peanuts!) did not last very long.  I look forward to more! Give this a  try:  http://www.elise.com/recipes/archives/006139caramel_corn.php

 

 

Crafty things - I love browsing Better Homes and Gardens and Michaels for fun, creative, often inexpensive ideas. Of course, most of it is browsing, and not actually COMPLETING a project, but every so often, I come up with a winner (or a dud, and those get left at the back of the closet!) Just for fun: http://www.bhg.com/holidays/christmas/crafts/handmade-holiday-projects/?sssdmh=dm17.350647&esrc=nwwu24_09&email=859244215

 

 

Soft lights, soft music - for a little online carolling, visit: http://www.accuradio.com/holidays/

 

 

 

 

 

And of course, the retelling of the ancient story. Thank you Jesus.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P3BO5CJbw6Y&feature=related

10 Things I forgot I already knew!

1. Manitoba is cold cold cold! Looks can be deceiving. Glorious sunshine and peacock-blue skies LOOK warm, but do NOT take into consideration the WIND CHILL FACTOR. For anyone who has not experienced a wind chill, it is a lovely term used to describe weather that is significantly colder than first appers!!

2. There is a new, personal definition for the GOOD, the bad and the downright ugly! - The good - those days where I feel like I've been the kind of mom I hope my kids remember me as! - The bad - a slight to moderate deviation from the aforementioned good day, however still redeemable - The ugly - teething, my friends, is inhumane

3. Sleep is essential to a proper perspective. 1 good night out of 20 rough ones is still not essential rest!

4. Time spent in laughter, with a good friend, is the best healing balm in the world!

5. There is nothing like that first cup of coffee, in the morning, savoring solitude, before the rush of life begins anew.

6. Computers are great - but inevitably cause grief!!

7. Kids say the darndest things! Little M - who is not quite three - always catches me off guard. The other day, when she discovered that her little sister was not cooperating, shook her head in dismay, adding "why am I not surprised." !!!

8. Simple, self-indulgences, like a quiet stop at a coffee shop, a long soak in the tub, a funny phone chat can brighten even the dreariest day.

9. Maintenance jobs ALWAYS take longer than they appear (and more parts and more trips to the hardware store!).

10. "Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness." Lamentations 3:22, 23

Gray Day

It's one of those days where you have to go the second round of coffee just to keep it moving until afternoon tea.

I did not intend to start my day somewhere around 1:30am. I also did not intend to have my floors mopped by 8:30am (some accidents in life just necessitate that - thank heavens for carpet cleaners!). I also did not intend to waste a single moment of a precious day feeling discouraged by short comings and frustrated by circumstances.

But sometimes I find myself wrestling with the intentionalities vs. the realities of life. Grappling with

"I wish I could", "I really should", "I want it to be like..."
vs.
the "this is who I am" and "this is where its at".

Some days I find myself stuck in the middle - not okay with the way things are, but not sure the time is right to press forward, either. A day that's neither sunny nor stormy, but cloudy and dreary and not very much fun.

And mopping the floor before breakfast is done is not much fun either .

So, as I press through the Gray Day, I will also choose to recall the precious things that make this messy life so sweet - grace, growth and good friends.

Oh. And that second round of coffee. That was also very helpful!

Well, wouldn't ya know ....

This weekend I had the "opportunity" to create an "oriental dessert." I am culinary-challenged, and so I thought this sounded a bit ... daunting. After an internet search - I found a "great idea." Yeah - the kind that you leave until the last minute and if it turns out to be a disaster it's actually too late to do anything else and so that just adds to the pressure of the whole situation at hand.

Breathe.

I found a recipe for fortune cookies. I should've read the "this is a bit harder than it appears" disclosure before assuming that I could somehow possibly whip this up at the last minute between nap times and lunch times and leaving-the-house-at-a-certain-time times.

Breathe again.

Okay. I discovered that you don't even need a rolling pin for fortune cookies. Did you know that ? All you need is a bit of culinary skill (ahem, recall the aforementioned "challenge"?) and, of course, time. Since you can only bake 4-6 cookies at once. Yoikes.

However, to my utter and complete amazement, I managed to create 23 well-formed, "Proverbs" cookies (instead of creating oh-so-witty fortunes, I made slips of paper with Proverbs. Brilliant, I know). I would've had 24 but one dropped on the floor . It's quite the procedure, but once you get the hang of it --- well, now I know what all those "hard to shop for people" are going to get for christmas gifts!

Here's the proof:

Here's the link (go on, give it a try!!!)
http://chinesefood.about.com/od/diningout/r/fortunecookie.htm