A little celebration

Last night was Hubby's last night of papers. So, fittingly, it was the night where the presses broke down and Hubby went out, not once, but twice to see if they were there. They didn't arrive until nearly 6 am, so Hubby did his papers and then went straight into an eight hour shift at work.

As great as it would have been to sneak away for a couple of nights, family obligations keep us here. So tonight we kept it simple. A box of our favorite candy each and the DVD, Avatar, cuddled on the couch. Our little celebration.

I've missed that.

Deep Theological Thought.

Another late night

This makes 2 nights in a row where Hubby and I are getting to bed after midnight. For a normal couple, this would be no big deal. But Hubby gets up in 2 hours to do papers. Slight problem.

However, both nights have been well worth it. Last night involved getting a new to us car and today was celebrating a good friend's birthday. Which involved great food and beverages with fun people and lots of laughs. One of the drawbacks was finding Pookie wide awake and talking at 11;30pm with the babysitter.

Ah well. Sleep is for the weak.

Food Theology - A redemptive act

A friend of mine raises chickens on an island farm, a short ferry ride away. He had sent me a message asking whether or not I wanted some for my freezer. And since I'm trying to cut down both on meat eating and buying from stores (feedlot meat), I jumped at the chance for fresh, natural chicken.

Early this morning, I got the call. The location was set. The price decided.

I rolled into the parking lot. Mike quickly jumped out with the box of chicken. The money was passed from hand to hand. And just like that the deal was done. Back into our cars and off we went.

The location? The parking lot of the local McDonalds.

It was a subversive, redemptive act of food theology at its best.

Some pictures from the wedding.

Here are some shots from the wedding reception that we attended on Saturday. One of my former youth, Jenn, was the photographer.


Family Shot

Me & Bear

Beautiful Pookie

Bear & Hubby otherwise known as Hubby and Hubby Jr

The first big harvest & my day with Gimpy and Pukey.

Due to life craziness, I haven't been able to get to my garden for a while. I optimistically took a big basket and snuck out for an hour today. I came home with 15 lbs of potatoes, 30+ onions, a handful of garlic, handful of purple peacock beans and 1 carrot. (not sure what is going on with the carrot crop)

Digging out potatoes and onions is a bit like treasure hunting. You just never know if you got all of them, but when 1 little seed potato produces 1 1/2 of potatoes, it is a miracle to me.

Today was quite the day in our household. Bear, aka Pukey, showed up this morning in our bed around 4am. She promptly christened our bed with the driest vomit ever. There was literally no fluid in it and my heart sank. Bear had spent most of the afternoon playing in the park on a slip and slide and though we had fed her, we had forgotten to monitor her fluid intake. Which meant, she had no fluid. Heat/sunstroke. Awesome.

So I dragged down a TV to our bottom floor and pulled a foamy mattress into the living room. Bear and I spent the whole day there, plugging in Disney movie after Disney movie, interspersing vomit sessions and naps.

Gimpy, aka Pookie, spent the morning selling lemonade for Childrens' Hospital, but spent the afternoon watching movies with us. Her broken big toe is cramping her style and testing my nerves with the constant complaining. She broke it at a friend's house when she was playing in a treehouse and a trapdoor shut on her toe. Since no one was with her, it took a while for Hubby to realize the problem and save her. We thought that it was no big deal initially, but when she started going into shock on the drive home, we called Oma and headed to the ER. They decided that it was probably broken and there wasn't much we could do...except to drill holes into her nail to relieve the pressure.

Let me tell you, there is nothing worse than holding down your child, at midnight, in an ER and having a doctor drill HOLES into a broken toe. I think the begging that Pookie did was the worst. "Please don't let him hurt me!" "Take me home Mom" And the screaming. Oh the screaming. By the time we got home, Bear was sleeping my bed and I was reduced to sleeping on the floor beside Pookie's bed to soothe her every time she hit her toe in her sleep. Luckily she is now able to walk on her heel and the whining...well, that's going to be around for a while.

Mendhi

In my ongoing internal discussion around tattoos, I couldn't resist the opportunity for a Mendhi tattoo at the market today. Unfortunately, whether it is my skin colour or body chemistry, but the dye never takes as dark as it should. It was still fun though!

Wedding day

Today we attended a wedding of a former youth of mine who was 9 years old when I first met him. It was a beautiful service that was more like a worship service & family reunion than a formal wedding ceremony.

Urban hippies. Gotta love them.

Eventful night

Pookie + crushed big toe = long night in the E.R.

Details to come

Bob the second.

My hubby has 3 siblings, Momma's boy, Bob Jr and Mini Bob...2 brothers and a sister. Suffice it to say that Hubby's dad, Bob has a strong personality that 3 of his offspring have inherited.

Now before I get in some serious hot water with my in laws, a few disclaimers:

~Momma's boy aka the oldest brother: He gets this name simply because he is the only one that takes after Hubby's mom. He is the kindest, gentlest man I know. He is also freakishly strong and will act like a fierce man if someone insults his family. I know this from personal experience when one of the extended family made an unkind comment about me while Hubby and I were engaged. Momma's boy almost took his head off and in that moment I realize how fully embraced I was by Hubby's family. I love this man.

~I love people who work with their hands. There is something to be said about folks who can created something out of nothing. Nothing I write here about tradespeople should be taken as disparaging.

~ I have nothing against the consumption of alcohol...unless you are addicted. Then I have a problem. (and no one in this story is anywhere near addicted)

Intrigued? OK, here's the story.

Remember a couple of posts back when I talked about Hubby's 3 jobs? Well the newest job is a job working with a construction crew. So Hubby goes from coaching kids in a mostly female environment in the morning to an all male construction crew for the afternoon. There is much swinging of hammers, manly talk and sweat. The first day Hubby came home from this new job, he was carrying a box of beer. And before I knew it, he'd cracked one open and crashed on the couch. I regarded him for a minute then burst out laughing. In that minute my husband had morphed into Bob the second...the mirror image of his father, Bob the first.

After I finished laughing, I told Hubby my reason for laughing. He looked at me, his beer and back at me and groaned...He tried to deny it, but it was impossible. He did what I'd seen his father do countless times in the past. Because up till this point Hubby had been primarily a social drinker, the occasionally beer and glass of wine. We have never stored much alcohol in the house, mostly because I don't like the taste of it (despite trying many, many combinations) and because we really didn't choose to drink all that much.

I think the most embarrassing part of all this for Hubby is the fact that I'd been telling him for years that he was turning into his father.

The good news is that Hubby's father is a good man. A man who loves God and his family. A man who works hard to provide for them. And I'm totally OK with being married to Bob the second...he is a good man too.

Lemonade and cents

Today I watched my girls along with some of the other kids in the complex, decide to do something for someone else. They created paper fans, necklaces and bracelets made out of beads and a jug of lemonade. Then they approached anyone that came near our complex to sell their treasures. And the money? It goes to Childrens' Hospital to help sick kids. I know this was Pookie's idea, though the louder and bossier kids took the credit.

It is moments like these that I realize the depth of goodness in my girls and the hope that we as parents are doing something right.

3.

Three. That is the number of jobs that Hubby is currently holding. Two during the day and the paper route at night. The poor man is so tired that he barely made it through dinner tonight. His dedication to supporting us as a family is so amazing. His sacrifice means that I get to be at home with the girls instead of having them in daycare. Every day I remind myself and the girls how lucky we are to having a hubby/daddy who would do that for us.

Three. It is a lot.

Summerland

Words cannot really describe our time in Summerland, so I'll let the pictures tell the story...

{Swimming on our private lakefront beach}

{Picking cherries in a local orchard}

{Climbing trees and sleeping in Lionel}

It is so good to be away, just the 4 of us!

And we are back!

Just got back from a weekend up in Summerland, the sunniest place in the world according to the local info centre. Lots of fun, but need to keep it till tomorrow!

Saturday fun

We are here!

The Outsiders

I love this song by NeedToBreathe - "the Outsiders"

Shortfalls of little sins
Close calls and no one wins
Stand tall but running thin
I’m wearing thin

Oh, why are we keeping score?
Cause if you’re not laughing,
Who is laughing now?
I’ve been wondering
If we stop sinking
Could we stand our ground?
And through everything we’ve learned
We’ve finally come to terms,
We are the outsiders.
Oh, we are the outsiders, oh

I’m not leaving without a fight.
I got my holster around my side.
Just ‘cause I’m wrong it don’t make you right.
No you ain’t right.

Oh, why are we keeping score?
Cause if you’re not laughing,
Who is laughing now?
I’ve been wondering if we stop sinking,
Would we stand our ground?
And through everything we’ve learned,
We’ve finally come to terms.
We are the outsiders,
Oh we are the outsiders, x7

(On the outside,
You’re free to roam
On the outside
We found it home
On the outside
There’s more to see
On the outside
We choose to be)x2
On the outside

Attack of the killer mosquitoes!

Earlier this week I dreamt that my arm was on fire. I woke up to discover that although my arm wasn't on literal fire, it was burning, swollen and bright red....due to 22 mosquito bites.

I spent over an hour in the middle of the night trying to track down the little bugger and was totally unsuccessful. When I took my shower in the morning, I saw my tormentor all fat and satisfied in the bathroom. Smashing it was therapeutic, along with copious amounts of cream and Clartin to relive the itching.

Then, the next night it happened again! Less bites and Hubby managed to kill the little bugger when he got home from papers.

Then last night was the last straw. I started getting dive bombed around 1:45am. I tried to hold out till Hubby left to start my hunting...but I couldn't. I turned on the bathroom light and searched as quietly as possible. Finally the stupid thing landed on me and one slap later, I was tucked back into bed. Just as I was falling back to sleep ANOTHER one landed by my ear. Do they have a ear radar? Seriously! Back on went the bathroom light and a louder slap got the one on the wall. That sound woke up Hubby who then decided to go do his papers. Without a word of a lie, literally 15 minutes later 1 more mosquito started his campaign of abuse against me. An hour of hunting and nothing. Finally I gave up and hid under the covers.

Then Hubby came home and found my prey in the bathroom and dispatched it with manly efficiency. But the damage had been done...I am covered in bites again.

So much for home being a sanctuary! Stupid mosquitos!

Splashdown Park

The sun came out and we went to the waterslides!

For our last day with Hubby's family, we hit the waterslides in the next town. The water was freezing!!! I don't know if I'm just getting old, but it was hard to get motivated to go down slides. Lucky for me, Hubby is a superstar about things like this and took all three girls wherever they wanted to go. Pookie didn't really get into it until the last 1/2 hour when she went down the slides 8 times by herself. We all got a little browner and my skin is feeling a little sensitive. I will never understand people that do that on purpose, the whole burn, peel cycle. No pictures on my end, but Oma and Sara got lots.

Simple Pleasures

Freshly made coffee.

Picking veggies from my garden.

Eating white buns with homemade strawberry jam.

Cuddling up with kids during a movie.

Making a tent for 2 little girls and their big cousin to have a sleepover.

Playing cards with my hubby and in laws.

Watching a concert of one of my favorite artists on TV.

A hot cup of tea.

Lynn Canyon

After a morning of trying to figure out different things around the house, we decided to take a trip to Lynn Canyon for a walk in the woods and over the suspension bridge. So we packed up and headed out around 2pm. The sun finally came out, we watched crazy people jump off cliffs, dipped our toes in glacier water and climbed all sorts of rocks and trees. An added bonus was dinner at our cousins' house just up the road. They have 2 girls that fit in between Pookie and Bear age wise, so they just ran around all evening together. Good times had by all!

Pookie and Bear


Bear and Oma


Sara in the hollow tree


Pookie and Hubby

Holland's World Cup

We decorated the house. Bought Dutch food snacks. Painted our fingers and toes. Hijacked my sister's flat screen tv. Ran out of church as soon as it was done. All for the soccer game today. Alas, our team lost, but it was a great day surrounded by family and friends, all cheering for a common purpose. Hup Holland!

We went to our village market after the game still dressed in our orange. We created quite a stir and heard many comments!

The girls sporting the Oranje



Me and Sara during our half time hair painting fun!



My brave mother in law going under the spray gun...


Most of Team Oranje...(5 adults missing from picture)

My beautiful niece.

This is my almost eleven year old niece, Sara. She is visiting with us for 9 days along with my in laws. My in laws have a tradition of bringing a niece or nephew when they turn eleven out to BC to visit with us. Because we often don't see our nieces and nephews for 2 years at a time, the change in them is pretty astonishing. Plus the fact that they don't know us well, there is often a couple of days of adjustment and shyness. Sara is over that now and is giving us grief just like our own girls. It is awesome.

As you can see, she is quite beautiful...but she is also very funny and quirky and is amazing with her young cousins. She plays with them for hours, reads to them and they idolize her. Too bad I can't keep her.

Double Date

About a month ago, at a local fair, my husband was asked out on a date. The asker? A man. Hubby, never at a loss for words, responded, "Great, shall we bring our wives?". Luckily, the asker is someone we are getting to know. Our girls are similar ages and go to the same school.

It's been a long time since dating. You wonder, is it going to be awkward? What are we going to talk about? Do I offer to pay or do we split? We couldn't have the car tonight...our parents needed it. So we had to ask our friends to drive.

All joking aside, it was great to go out with these couple. We have a lot in common and the evening was fun and easy. It is a strange thing to navigate new friendships. We often feel so busy with family life that we forget that we, as a couple, need to have adult time. We are lucky to have a group of friends that have hung out for years. But it is really great to meet new friends that bring a different blessing into your life.

My firstborn is SEVEN!

This kid is seven.




I'm not quite sure where time has gone, but her Birth day was much like this day. Hot, busy and slightly painful. But the joy! Oh the joy..

We were awaken at the crack of 6 am by this kid. Much like the original birthday..but then we went out for breakfast, picked berries, had a pedicure and a huge family dinner. It was a great way to celebrate seven years!

I love you Pookie!

Hello Summer!

Today was the first full day with my in-laws and niece from Ontario...although they didn't come over till 10am. Unfortunately I think Pookie was up with the sun, so by 10, she was frothing at the mouth with impatience!

We headed over to my parents for coffee and pool time. And 4 hours of pool time later, the in-laws are red, my girls and I are very brown and everyone is happy and tired.

I love summer.

FarmCity

This woman is crazy. She moved into the ghettos of Oakland, took over a vacant lot and turned into a farm. Complete with chickens, rabbits, ducks and pigs. She butchered her own animals! Makes her own cheese! Dives in dumpsters to feed those pigs twice a day, up to 100lbs of food. Built garden boxes from scraps. Has a chicken coop in a burned out car. Keeps duckings in her bathtub till they are old enough to make it outside. This woman is hard core. And I admire her.

But, I could never do it. I'm scared of birds. I have no desire to skin my own animals and eat them. I don't want to dumpster dive to feed them. And I definitely don't have a husband that shares any of the above desires.

However, her vision of a vacant, dirty unused lot transformed into a space that feeds her and her neighborhood??? That is something I can get behind. I already have friends that do that in the city. Guerrilla gardening they call it, reclaiming abandoned lots and turning them into community gardens. It makes me think of Camden and the numerous lots there of abandoned houses, dirty vacant lots. It makes me dream of a city where you cannot buy fresh food, the dreams of community gardens where kids can learn of faith and gardening. Where families can gather and where barrenness can be reclaimed. One seed at a time.

Uninspired

I cannot finish a single good posting lately. Maybe I'm hitting the 365 wall...

Yeesh!

Lazy Sunday

We went to church, had lunch, played at the beach with friends, ate pancakes for dinner and watched cartoons till bed.

I love lazy Sundays.

A long, but good day.

15 hour work day.

Lots of talking to folks.

Too tired to blog about it.

The "unorganized" birthday party.

Today we hosted Pookie's seventh birthday party. A few weeks ago Pookie was talking about her party and looked at me and said, "Mom, can I have an unorganized birthday party?". Oh child after my own heart...of course you can!

Really, an unorganized party requires just as much work as an organized one. What she really meant was: Can the kids just play and you feed us when we are hungry? And a cake. And goody bags. It sounds like my child has gone to many highly scheduled birthday parties, which we all know I could not do if my life depended on it.

So, we had a slip and slide in the park. There was watermelon and chips available for snacking. Then burgers and hot dogs on the bbq and a rainbow cake made up of mini cupcakes. An impromptu soccer game, sand castle building and bubble blowing all happened. Parents came and stayed and had grown up chat time. It lasted 4 hours and I'm pretty sure I barely saw my kids. Everyone left happy, a little wet and tired, goody bag in hand. Pookie had asked for donations to Childrens' Hospital in lieu of gifts, but our friends ended up bringing gifts as well as donations. She felt asleep holding her new Tiana Princess Barbie doll, surrounded by new dress up clothes.

It was a good day. Pictures to come.

Happy Canada Day!

Today we got up to a grey and rainy day. So we put on our Canadian gear and tried of something of festive to do. So we went to Tim Hortons' and got coffee and Canadian themed donuts. Then we came home and spent the day cleaning the house, the back yard and making a rainbow cake for the party tomorrow for a certain seven year old. (More on that tomorrow)

Then we went to my parents' house to say Bon Voyage to my sister. My sister who is going on a 3 week holiday...To London, Geneva, a vineyard in France for a wedding and then to the French Rivera. Yep, rough life..

Happy Canada Day!