Slow Learner...

I ate mac and cheese today.

I went to a meeting at our church that was debating whether or not women should be deacons.

Both made me sick.

I should have known better.

All things pink.

This past week I had to go to the podiatrist to check out why it feels like I'm walking on nails constantly. After a fascinating conversation about how flat my feet are and the imminent danger of my Achilles tendons breaking again, the doctor gave me 2 things to do:

Get x rays of my freakishly flat feet
Get a pair of crocs

Crocs! I've avoided these ugly shoes for so long! I just got very cool slippers from my mil and now I'm doomed to plod around the house in foam shoes. So this weekend we were off to find crocs. Of course it is a bit early in the season to find them. Finally at one store I saw a few and it was at this point that I realized that I'm doomed on so many levels. Let me explain.

Up until the year 2003 I had a hate on for the color pink. I have never worn the color by choice and had started a "I hate pink" club with some other women. Then I had Pookie. At my first baby shower at a church that sponsored us as missionaries, I received 40 gifts of clothes. 39 of them were pink. I had never known that so many variations of pink existed! From barely pink, to peachy pink to hot pink. It was horrible! Of course we all know now that Pookie's favorite color is pink, despite my best intentions.

Now when I wear anything pink or remotely in that neighbourhood, Pookie is ecstatic! It literally makes her day. I now own several pink-like shirts and hoodies. The real problem is that my girls both look good in pretty much every color under the sun and even non-colors like black. Pink is a color that happens to look amazing on both girls, so it is hard to not have them in pink often.

Back to the crocs....as I walked up to the shelf, I soon realized that the only colors in my size were purple and of course...pink. The two favorite colors of the girls. Since they were on massive clearance, I ended up getting both pairs for $14 total. (they are no name brand, real crocs coming soon!)

The morale of the story? I will wear one pink and one purple croc like shoes for my daughters because it makes them happy. Or as Bear put it, "You look like a real mom now with pink and purple shoes."

Thanks kid.

Food for thought

I've got food on the brain.  My thoughts are wrapped around food more often than I would like to admit.  I fasted one day during Lent and if I thought about God 1/10th of the amount of times that I thought about food, I'd have a vibrant spiritual life!  

Food is foremost in my mind for two real reasons:

1).  I think I'm developing an intolerance for preservatives and lactose....which has severely curtailed our weekly Kraft lunch after church. (I know the stuff is horrible for you, but oh so good!)  But I am now getting sick from eating many different packaged food stuff as well as lactose based sauces or desserts.  It is a random sickness, but very painful and takes everything literally out of me.  Fresh food is best right now.  So my bread maker and crock pot are being put to good use.

2).  My thoughts and dreams are consumed with gardening, especially food gardening.  The yard we have was filled to the brim with plants and trees and bulbs.  Despite our heroic efforts to thin out the yard and enrich with black gold-type dirt, we do not have room for a full veggie garden.  So my dreams have turned to finding land that people are willing to share.  The idea of community gardens are common in the city, we always had an allotment garden, but the suburbs are a different story.  There is almost so much land that people are not willing to share.  If they do have land, it is all landscaped to death.  No food growing.  Plus, 'burb folk tend to be a wee bit more territorial than city folk.  City folk know that there isn't much land, so we best all share.  'Burb folk have worked hard to acquire all this land, so they guard it jealously.  I have hope that someone will be excited about having 2 cute little girls growing food in their yard!

I just read Farewell, my Sabaru.  Not that I would or could ever do what the author did, but there are aspects that are so appealing to me.  One of my colleagues at work is developing a urban gardening curriculum that is geared to teaching biblical truths around stewardship, planting, caring and harvesting.  I really want the girls to have an understanding of food and earth and their role in that.  That is my summer goal.  Find land, plant food, teach my girls and enjoy the journey along the way.

My daughter Pookie

I know that my daughter Pookie came from me. I carried her, felt her kick inside me, birthed her amid much pain and tearing...but sometimes I wonder...
Pookie is a girly girl who has told me on more than one occasion that she has the "fashion" in the family. She hates pants, gym and bike riding. She is often dressed with her hair done before I even cracked my eyes open in the morning. Her favorite color is pink, she wiggles her hips when she walks, likes to flip her hair and talk on the phone a lot. Yesterday she was dressed for church in a lovely flowy dress with a white cardigan. When I told her it was time to change into play clothes to go to a friend's house she did so willingly. (I should have been suspicious at this point) However, when she came back down, she was dressed in a pink and brown shirt, brown leggings and a pink shirt. Points for matching, but when I asked her how those qualified as play clothes she rolled her eyes and said, "Mom! Leggings under skirt make it play clothes so I can jump on the trampoline and you can't see my underwear." Then she flounced off to get in the van.

I'm not sure what to do with this girl who gets grumpy when I can't do the latest braid in her hair or make her wear pants for gym class. We get so frustrated with each other because in reality we are much more like each other than either of us care to admit. We both get mad fast, are both stubborn, loyal to fault to friends, get hurt easily by others and need to learn to give and accept love.

I love this girl more than I can imagine, but sometimes....The scary thing is that she is only 5, I can't even begin to think of what the teen years are going to hold for us!

The battle for Spring continues...

Winter thinks it's a bad-ass.  Last night as I finished updating my new look, Hubby came home and informed me that it was snowing.  Feeling a little threatened Winter?  I've got another trick up my sleeve.  A pedicure.  That's right Winter, some sassy pedicure that matches my new blog color.  Whatcha think about that?  Bring it.  

I received a pedicure as a gift from my sister and I was saving it for when I'd be wearing sandals and some cute capris.  But if Winter is going to be such an ass about things, then it was time.  A comfortable massage chair, a daring color and foot massage and I'm feeling pretty good.  So good, that I should actually start working now instead of blogging.

A new look

It is the 1st of April and it is pouring rain and freezing cold.  I am not amused.  I am way past the point of wanting Spring to actually spring!  We've been teased of what Spring could look like...snowdrops and daffodils are blooming, buds are appearing on trees and I got a good 3 hours in the garden on Sunday.  Then BAM! There are 100 km/hr winds and freezing rain.  

So, in the effort to have a fresh start at both Spring and my mood, I've done a blog makeover.  Not exactly what I want, but a good start until I figure out how to design my own.

What do you think?