Words words words words words words

I love words.
A lot.
I'm full of 'em.
That means I talk a lot for those who didn't quite catch that :).

I love having words around my house.
In fact, I'd have just as many framed "words" as pictures.

This little note sits on top of the piano in the living room.

A daily reminder.

This also sits in the living room.

A reason for our hope.

Hmmm. Can't really tell, but it says RELAX.

Yes. Another great reminder.

This was a project I did for the church prayer room.

Lots of words. A LOT of painting :).

Took a bit .... longer than I thought!

Recently I acquired some "wall words" from Dollarama. Now, I have a bit of an issue with Dollarama. In fact, I was going to do a whole post on Dollarama. A dilemma. Like how we seem to acquire a lot of trinkets from Dollarama and sometimes it drives me crazy. And I have envisioned getting in a small little motorized scooper to drive around to scoop it all up and dump it in a corner. BUT THAT WOULDN'T BE VERY PRACTICAL. AND you can get cheap gel pens and markers, craft supplies, cards, stationary, picture frames, various household items like a cheap but useful microcloth duster and all sorts of other things. So. I guess, in the end, it's okay.

Anyway. Yesterday I got to put up my two dollar Dollarama project.

I have a blank sheet of wall --- what to do what to do --- we've only lived here for 10.5 years --- and I finally found a way of filling space without getting too overwhelming:

And they are STICKERS. So, if I ever want 'em off they are apparently easy to peel off.
I also have a beautiful christmas quilt wall hanging that I can hang up seasonly, should I ever get it done. It's beautiful, really. Just haven't had a lot of time to sit and quilt these days :).
I want to turn the bottom part of this wall into a picture frame collage - however I need to go find some black frames to help round out the assorted collection of frames we've acquired from our holidays. I'll keep you posted :).

Welcome Our Newest Addition!

No, we haven't quickly gone off and had another baby.

I am fairly confident that we are finished with that season of life.

So confident I am stating it publicly.

We are not going to run off and have another baby.

There. 

Got that off my chest.

Anyway.

Prior to leaving for Florida (and by prior I mean the day before leaving as we are madly scrambling to pack and sort and pack some more) our fish of many years (five, I think) just up and died.

Just like that. Belly up.

This fish had been a part of our family for a long time - and had probably been the most affected "family member" as we started having babies. The babies take first priority. Then the dog. Then what? We have a fish? It still needs clean water and food?

Yes, he was a bit neglected.

I had to clean his (his? her? how can one really tell!?) tank prior to leaving. I had made "fish sitting" arrangements with my sister. Everything was lined up to go. Suddenly I hear HOWLING coming from the kitchen area. Folks, it is the end of the day. I was tired a long LONG time ago. In typical sensitive Leah fashion I holler out - OH FOR GOODNESS SAKE WHAT IS IT NOW!?!?

The fish. Is dead. Like Little M finding it floating on the top of the water dead. (It was in a container on the counter while I cleaned the tank.)

Oh. Sorry 'bout that. So we have a little conversation about life and death and the finite nature of it all. Which is exactly what you want to be talking about right before bed time. Right :P? Little M recovered pretty quickly and soon we had a conversation about the excitement of picking out NEW FISH for our aquarium.

Here it is: my cute little bubble gum aquarium:

What you cannot see are the three teeny tiny neon tetras we purchased for this NON HEATED tank. They warned us, oh yes they did, that the fish might not live long without heated water. But they were so pretty we went with them rather than your average orange comet fish. Truthfully, I love having fish and I had many when I was a teenager. In a non heated tank (this non heated tank, actually!) and I do not recall having to flush them away very often! Well, these fish never really ... adapted ... that well, and one night all three of them up and died. Just like that. Belly up.

So, we ended up having ANOTHER conversation about life and death. But Little M had been forewarned. Presently the tank is clean, but empty. And waiting for some hardier comet fish. To continue buying lovely little neon tetras every week would be costly (and rather unkind to the fish, too!).

SO. We're moving on to plant life.
Somewhere around Little M's first birthday I chucked all my indoor plants. They were straggly, ugly; very ugly. I couldn't stand them any more. Adjusting to life with children,  I neglected plants and fish.

But now I'm turning over a new leaf (pardon the pun) and am ready to try again!

TADA. A new hibiscus plant. It's in a sunny spot and I've been told it likes frequent waterings (that could be an issue!).
I am hoping that it will thrive.
I hope I've learned something in these last five parenting years - nurturing is an important skill.
Practice often.

And just this week I ordered seeds for my garden. Spring is on the horizon (or so I'm told by the farmers almanac) and I can't wait to dig in and get started. This year I'll have an extra helper (but it might be much easier than trying to garden while 8 3/4 months pregnant. That was an adventure.) but I am sure she'll be out of morning naps by then and we'll have mornings outside together.

Nothing fancy grows in my garden. And I'm trying to develop the maturity that tackles HARVEST with the same zest and enthusiasm as PLANTING (why do I run out of steam when all that preserving work needs to be done :P?). But that is another post for a different day!

Things I Never Thought I'd See

One of the things I never thought I'd see in my earthly life was Jesus using hairspray.
Yes. You read that right.


Jesus uses aerosol hairspray.

Before you wonder if I managed to have an out-of-body experience, let me explain :).
Never did I see a bright light (though I did wonder if I would perish from laughing so hard!!).

One of the activities we did while in Florida was visit the Holy Land Experience. Think living biblical museum. It was interesting. The park itself is not very big, and so it is easy to find your way around. The sketches were actually very funny and well done, I thought. And I enjoyed the singing.

Anyway.

It was close to lunch time. There was a very realistic reenactment of the passion story happening. (Which was quite graphic so we did not take the girls to see it - Little M was already wondering why people were beating up "Jesus" and why the soldiers were so mean and why there was red on the ground - lots of fuel for great questions and conversations though!) We decided to go find a suitable lunching area while there were very few people wandering around. We sat down at some picnic tables - which happened to provide a back-stage viewing area for the aforementioned passion story.

I was busy trying to keep the girls entertained while waiting.
And then I looked up.
And I burst out laughing.

There was Jesus, behind the scenes...
shaking out and fluffing his hair...
going through a significant amount of aerosol hairspray!!

And when I say Jesus was fluffing his hair, I don't mean just a little scrunch scrunch.
I mean head upside down, flinging his dark curly locks all over the place, eightys-head-banging, hairsprayed to the max fluffing.
It was hilarious!!!

I have no idea what "scene" came next in the passion story. Perhaps Jesus was about to break out of the tomb and needed a quick fix-up.
I'm not exactly sure.
I just know that the scene is forever branded in my memory and I will never look at a can of aerosol hairspray in the same way again.

Sometimes you need a little finesse, sometimes you need a lot!

ANYWAY.

It reminded me of how, as believers, sometimes it is hard to find the right words to describe the wonder of Jesus. It can be a challenge to explain the essence of gospel; to share of our spiritual experiences. We stumble in our explanations, grapple for the right analogy, and even with other believers we can encounter this challenge.
Indeed, "For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God." 1 Corinthians 1:18


I think that is why well-written spiritual books and songs are so vital to our christian life. They help put into words the things we experience and help describe the wonder of knowing God and enhance our understandings of things that are hard to explain.

And however we try - we must keep trying.

This group of people spend their days trying to communicate the love of God through story, song and narration. God uses that to bless people and to turn hearts toward Him. It is good.

Even if "Jesus" does have a bit of an obsession with hairspray :).

In the business of shaping hearts

Next time I get asked what I do for a living, I am tempted to respond -
"Oh. I'm in the business of shaping hearts."
And what a delightful (and often challenging!) business it is!!

I cannot think of a higher responsibility, nor greater honor, than shaping the hearts of these little ones that God has entrusted to my care. The days that we spend together seem to fly by too quickly. Before I know it, another week is gone; another month, another year.

Recently I picked up a good book:

I've read through the first several chapters, and all I can say is that IT IS GOOD.
Have you read it? Any thoughts on it?

Just in case this never happens again!

Just for the record, this morning we made it to school in record-for-Leah time!

Somehow, even with a shower, getting three kiddos ready, two off to school, and dressing up a bit myself, we actually made it to school with time to spare.

Like sit-in-the-van-for-FIVE-MINUTES time to spare.

I tell ya, this rarely never happens!! We are usually the ones running down the street with the double stroller, laughing our heads off because we must look like QUITE the sight :). Three babes on a stroller built for two, back packs flapping in the breeze, hats bobbin' and scarves wavin' as this mama keeps repeating -- well THIS is my workout for the day. (Those strollers get HEAVY particularly if there is a nasty windchill ;P.)  Keeps the neighbors entertained, anyway!


And now I'm enjoying some lovely quiet time to myself.
A cup of coffee,
a bit of country music
and some blessed PAQ.
Life is good :).

And they're OFF!

Well. It's just a humble little donation, but every stitch was sewn with love :). I really enjoyed putting together these little hats for Caps For Good.

I did manage to create ten little hats - 5 for girls, 5 for boys - and get them sent off before we left Florida. I thought the shipping might be more reasonable AND they'd actually arrive on time.

For once in my lifetime, I might actually be EARLY!!

Anyway, I hunted high and lo for the perfect little embellishments, but nothing specific caught my eye. Due to fatigue and time constraints, only one little beanie got a flower :). But HEY, it was fun and I can't wait to do it again! I am hoping to find a few more patterns (though I've already "created" one of my own and maybe I can do a few like that) and start building a stock. Since they can be finished up in one evening, they are a delightful project to have in the van or beside the TV chair (except that I seldom watch tv!).

Thanks to those who've responded. Your contributions are delightful! So excited to hear about others who are on board with this!

The Gift Of Time

Among life's provisional resources, time is one of the most precious to me. How I spend my time is very important to me - and how I waste my time is too!! There never seems to be "enough time," or it seems to move too fast or too slow. More and more, I am coming to see time as a Gift.

This fall, our little clan experienced a rare gift of time. Jon was able to take a 10-week (with 2 extra weeks at Christmas) parental leave. Due to benefits through his employer, this was a financially feasible opportunity. That meant that the kids had their dad around, I had adult conversation throughout the day and there was always someone to keep babies at home while the older one(s) made the trek to school in the cold!!

While this chance of a lifetime was a blessing, it was not without its work. Two adults, having to share space 24/7, used to doing things "their own way" requires communication, intentionality and a healthy dose of grace!!! It means ensuring that expectations and boundaries are clearly discussed (and understood!) and that it is okay to accept help every once and a while :). It means that not everything has to be done in a certain way (as a SAHM, this is a particular challenge because my house is also my 'workspace' and I am used to having things organized in a way that makes sense to moi!).

We also got to take a family vacation. When Jon first brought this up (I am fairly convinced he was waiting for just the right time, as he is quite patient that way, but he dropped the bombshell at supper with the kids bouncing everywhere :P).... I just stared at him.

Blink. Blink.
You're kidding, right!?
Quiet.
Do you REMEMBER the last time we took a lengthy trip away and I almost completely and entirely lost my marbles!???!
Clears throat. Let's me continue to vent. He's a smart man!
LET ME GET THIS STRAIGHT. YOU WANT TO GO AWAY FOR SIX WEEKS, WITH BABIES, AND STROLLERS AND DIAPERS AND HALF THE HOME AND YOU WANT TO PACK IT ALL IN THE VAN AND DRIVE TO FLORIDA -- WHICH MAY I REMIND YOU IS LIKE A 30+ HOUR DRIVE -- AND DID I MENTION THERE ARE BABIES INVOLVED!?!?!?
Yes. I do.

Oh man.
Keep in mind, this was before Wee One was born and I had no IDEA if we'd have any difficult surprises, if I'd wrestle with post-partum darkness again, and I certainly wasn't sure I was up for any adventures. And I like adventures. But REASONABLE ones!!!


Long LONG story short - we did it! We went away for six weeks (left Dec 29 in a dreadful snowstorm and returned February 10) and lived to tell the tale (though I wasn't so sure I would some times!). And you know what!? It was a big blessing. A SIGNIFICANT amount of work too, this business of traveling withe 3 little ones 5 years and younger, but a gift that will only grow sweeter with time. We did all sorts of fun things like Disney and Sea World, but my FAVORITE times were spent watching the girls gain confidence in the pool, hanging out in the sunshine, talking with Jon about our goals for the next few years (a rare treat, considering that most of the time our conversations are somewhat interrupted!) and so on. We came home quite wrinkled from having spent 4 days in the van on the way home, but refreshed.

God is One who offers us the gift of TIME. Time to live and breathe and love, to wrestle and work things through, and have adventures. Some of them are quite extravagant (like this); mostly the gift of time arrives in sweet little packages throughout the days.

Most importantly, he gives us the gift of time to FIND HIM!

 ⁶ Seek the LORD while he may be found; 
   call on him while he is near.
          Isaiah 55:6


May the gift of time be even sweeter because it is shared with HIM!