Morning Coffee & Conversation

TTFN

2011-08-10T21:03:00.000-04:00

I'm taking a break from MCAC (shocker, I know).
Life with a two-year-old (next week. oh man!) is hectic enough plus my part time gig at the church, and I'm looking to grow my Tupperware Business (did you know I sell Tupperware!? I do, and I LOVE it...ask me why!), and focus on family and the things that REALLY matter.

so TTFN, I hope to "see" you all again soon.

{Inspiration Workshop} Sunshine!

2011-07-14T09:14:00.000-04:00

This week's inspiration was {SUNSHINE}.

Here's how we've been making the most of the sunshine lately...

{Strawberry Jam}

2011-07-12T09:54:00.000-04:00

Picked. Hulled. Smashed. Sugared Up.

Cooked. Bottled. Bathed.

Enjoyed.

My sister, my mom and I spent some time this past weekend picking, smashing, and cooking strawberries into 31 500mL jars. They are delicious. I'm looking forward to my next canning ~~experiment~~ experience. Peaches? Pears? Applesauce for sure when the time comes.

Do you put up preserves? What fruit/vegetables do you bottle?

{Inspiration Workshop} Pamper Yourself

2011-07-07T07:20:00.003-04:00

Linking up with Gussy Sews for this week's {Inspiration Workshop}. Head over there to get more inspiration for little (and big!) ways to pamper yourself.

While it's not often I get an hour of pampering, here's a rundown of how I'd spend an entire day with no kids, no obligations, and no concern over price. (And also, a chauffeur!)

Source: flickr.com via Heather on Pinterest

We'll begin with devotions, so that the whole thing starts off on the right foot.

Source: google.com via Heather on Pinterest

And a cup (or three) of coffee, drunk slowly, while I catch up on emails and blogs.

Source: culinaryporn.tumblr.com via Heather on Pinterest

Breakfast out somewhere cozy. Definitely with homefries.

Source: thehairstyler.com via Heather on Pinterest

Get a great wash and cut from a stylist I trust.

Source: glamourzombie.tumblr.com via Heather on Pinterest

And another coffee served over a mani/pedi .

Source: beautiful-libraries.com via Heather on Pinterest

Spend some time perusing a large library or several small bookshops.

Source: strawberry-chic.blogspot.com via Heather on Pinterest

and spend the afternoon reading here.

In the evening, I'd join my husband for a lovely dinner, and play with the Wiggle until his bedtime, because my family is where my heart is, and pampering me means hanging with them.

Brief Update

2011-06-28T08:39:00.000-04:00

...still here!...

I've been away from the desk for a while now, while my husband was off work for more than 2 months with a back injury. But he went back to work ~~at the buttcrack of~~ before dawn this morning, and our lives are back to our regularly scheduled chaos.

Yesterday, I was able to get some sewing in. I found this 'tent' on Pinterest:

...and decided I needed to do something similar for my Wiggle. He has a "nook" in his room, where his bed used to be, but we rearranged, and for less than $20, I bought a tension rod and a flat sheet I could cut up to make "curtains" from.

It felt really good to accomplish something creative like this.

We've also been busy clearing out some of our spaces, decluttering, and just paring down a bit on the things we have to focus on the things we actually need and/or use. We've been reading (I just finished the 2nd in Steig Larsson's The Millenium Trilogy, "The Girl Who Played with Fire", and have re-started George RR Martin's Song of Ice and Fire series, in anticipation of the fifth and final book which is slated to release July 12th.), doing lots of playing with the Wiggle, I've been working, both at the church and at my Tupperware business, ...things have been busy, but now that Andrew's back to work, things will likely slow down, since we can never count on his being home.

What have you been up to? Read any good books lately?

Success!

2011-05-10T17:17:00.000-04:00

Everyone loves to save money, right? I sure do. I've been watching those Extreme Couponing shows on TLC, reading blogs about money-saving, and articles on how to get the most bang for your buck. I had never really tried to save a considerable amount of money off my grocery bill, though. I expected it would be way too much work, or that the cashier would turn me away for using "too many coupons" or some other ridiculous scenario played through my mind, but today I had a great set of coupons, acquired with a little work, and a lot of help from MrsJanuary and we did a little Walmart ~~shopping~~ saving.

We managed:
1x bag Romaine Lettuce - $2.50 (-$1.50 coupon from cereal box) = $1.00
2x Fibre Plus Cereal - $2.97 (on sale) (-$1.00 coupon from free sample) = $4.94
1x cookies - $3.96
1x 4L milk - $4.47
6x ziploc sandwich bags - $1.48 (on sale) (-3x $4off when you buy two found at mrsjanuary.com) = MADE $3.12
1x Frozen yogurt - $4.77 (-$4.77 coupon from cereal box) = FREE
2x SmartOnes soup - $1.37 = $2.64

Before Coupons: $33.26
After Coupons: $13.99 (saved 58%!!)

Have you done any great couponing lately?

2011-05-09T08:34:00.000-04:00

I hope all you mothers had a lovely mother's day. We spent the day at my parents, celebrating both mother's day and my dad's birthday with steak, shrimp, and ribs, salad, rolls, and great company.

The Wiggle loved playing with the bubbles in the yard, and spent a great deal of the day squealing with delight. Which is a delight for me.

No pictures today, though, since I forgot my camera at home.

...speaking of cameras, I've been thinking of making the dslr plunge...if you have one, what brand/features do you love?

Small Victories

2011-04-25T10:37:00.000-04:00

♥♥♥

Sometimes, it's all you can do to celebrate the Small Victories.

A is able to get out of bed this morning. After a weekend of back spasms so painful he was nauseous, a 1/2 hour trip from the apartment to the car, and muscle relaxants that cause extreme drowsiness (read: 45 of the last 47 hours spent sleeping), the pain is managable enough to make it to the living room.

Keep him (and the Wiggle & I) in your prayers - it's hard to live with Daddy in the next room, unable to play, or help, or make us smile.

God is in my Cheering Section

2011-04-22T08:31:00.008-04:00

Do you ever get tired of all the work you do going unnoticed? Of your behind-the-scenes efforts being outshined by those in the spotlight? Of working tirelessly without much hope of recognition?

I've been there. Scratch that. I AM there.

I work for my church two mornings a week. I don't get much recognition for the work I do, although I know what I do is appreciated greatly - especially by those with whom I work in direct contact on a regular basis. That's not what I'm talking about, though.

I'm talking about the day in - day out, all day and all night job of being a parent. Do your kids ever look you in the eyes and say, "Wow, Mom! Thanks for doing my laundry!" or "I really appreciate the effort you put into making nurtritious meals for us so we grow strong and healthy." or "I know you don't love cleaning the bathroom, but thank you for doing it anyway, so that we can learn about the importance of taking care of the things God has entrusted to us."

Most days, it doesn't bother me that my two-year-old (almost) doesn't show many signs of gratefulness. Other days it's all I can do to feel like what I'm doing makes any difference. But I know that what I do today won't necessarily show it's effects or get it's respects in the short term. I do know that the Wiggle will grow up knowing that I care about him, emotionally, spiritually, physically, and mentally. It may be decades before he really realizes how much effort I put into making sure he has the best childhood I can give him, and even if he never does, God knows.

The Bible Study I attend recently talked about the Truth "God is Always Watching." He knows how hard I work. He knows how much I hate cooking, but put the effort in for my family. He knows how it breaks my heart when the Wiggle bites his tongue or stubs his little toes, and how frustrated I get when he throws his sixth fit in forty minutes.

God knows the good and the bad and he's in my cheering section. He wants me to succeed and rejoices with me when I do. He extends his grace when I mess everything up, allowing forgiveness, and usually another try with the exact.same.circumstance all over again. And with Him on my side, I have all the recognition I need. I mean, if the God of the Universe is watching me with delighted interest, why do I need a pat on the back from people around me?

Linking up with Company Girls Coffee

Hiatus

2011-04-18T15:06:00.000-04:00

Well, it's been about 5 months since my last post. Things have been busy! The Wiggle is a year and a half, and talking and running and playing and pretending and playing outside and belly-laughing and throwing ~~occasional~~ daily tantrums. A is still at the railway, working a lot more, though, so we see less of him and cherish the times he's home a lot more. I've been busy, too, but not with anything that felt blog-worthy. Just working, mommy-ing, wife-ing, and living the day-to-day. No major revelations, or even minor ones. No big events or occasions, nothing super exciting to share.

I don't have anything exciting to share this afternoon, either, but I've been thing about posting for weeks now, and decided to just bite the bullet. Maybe now that this post is out of the way, you'll hear a lot more from me in the near future. Time will tell.

Satisfied

2010-11-02T21:30:00.000-04:00

What does it mean to be satisfied? When asked today whether I am satisfied with my job, I paused to think about the word.
Often, we think of satisfied as a lesser, barely acceptable standard in a particular area (I immediately think of multiple choice customer service surveys--excellent/good/satisfactory/fair/poor). But that's not entirely accurate. Being satisfied means getting just what we need from something. When we're satisfied with dinner, we are not still hungry; nor have we over-indulged. When we're satisfied with the outcome of a project, we are happy with the results, not wishing for something more, not wishing we could take anything back. When our desires are satisfied, we get exactly what we need. Nothing more. Nothing less. Satisfied is a perfect fit for our need.

Praise the Lord, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name...who satisfies your desires...
Ps 103:1, 5

Monday's Motivational Moment

2010-10-18T07:34:00.003-04:00

William's Nursery: Before & After

2010-10-14T22:34:00.001-04:00

Things have been busy around here. And the computer is in the bedroom now, so I'm not sitting at it all day - a good thing for my family, not so great for my blog, but family first, right?

Speaking of family, here are some promised before and after photos of William's room (the only one that's really done - and truthfully I still have a couple of things to hang on the wall and an extension cord to rig up so those lamp and cd player cords aren't slithering up the wall begging to be tugged on by little hands.

BEFORE:

We took down the bunk that was tucked in the "nook" - we found lots of icky stains, and a couple of quarters stuck to the wall. The paint was over ten years old, and there were a LOT of holes in the walls from screws and nails and tacks.

AFTER:

We cleaned, patched, primed, and painted walls and ceilings, hung the shelf (IKEA), and the Green Engine (Andrew's from when he was a kid). The toy storage shelf will be painted eventually, but it's been too cold out, and too crowded inside to tackle that project. Maybe next spring.

Slow and steady wins the race.

Right?

Monday's Motivational Moment

2010-09-27T08:14:00.001-04:00

pardon this interruption...

2010-09-24T11:02:00.001-04:00

source

We're moving tomorrow, and posts will likely be (even more) scarce.

I'll be back soon to share all of the before-and-afters of our new place.

women

2010-09-20T22:04:00.000-04:00

I started in a new Bible Study tonight. It's a Bible Study for women, held in a home, that had you asked me a year ago, I would have sworn I'd never enter again. I was harbouring hostility and bitterness and heart-muck. Praise God that's been put aside, and I have been given enough grace to cover the wounds and cross the threshold with a smile as a hot cup of tea is made in hospitality. But that's a story for another day.

We're studying Jennifer Rothschild's Walking by Faith. It looks to be a good study, and judging by the ladies who showed up this evening, I think it'll be a good group of people, too. I'm looking forward to spending time with these women - getting to know them beyond their positions in the church, or their roles as mothers. The group will be comprised of women past and present from the church I attend, women from the community, and women from other nearby churches. A beautiful mix of ideas, opinions, situations, passions, fears and triumphs. I am excited to see what the next seven weeks will bring.

Getting ready this evening, though, I found myself working through a deluge of self-doubt. I knew that there might be women present with whom wounds had not healed without scars, and was worried about what they would think of me. I took extra time to make sure that my clothes reflected what I wanted them to - comfortable, casual, but still pretty. I took time to reveal the legs beneath all that hair, for fear that one stray unsightly leg hair would proclaim its presence loudly to all who came near, revealing a particular laziness in my life. (I definately shave my legs for other women and what they might think.) I re-re-redid my hair. I chose not to wear makeup in an effort to look like I hadn't tried too hard.

And all the while I thought about why I was doing these things. Is it really so important what these women might think if they knew I don't regularly shave my legs or that I'm not really very good at putting together an outfit? Why do we care so much, we women?

I still have a lot of thinking to do on this one.

2010-09-15T14:00:00.000-04:00

I've been in a bit of a funk all day long, and I'm deciding that rather than dwelling on the things I can't afford (clothes that fit), can't achieve, or can't escape (packing. ugh.), I'm going to think about the good things in my life.

I remember as a teen, when my younger sister would get angry or sad or frustrated, the phrase you'd hear around our house was Choose Joy. Our emotions are real, but they're not always right. We can choose how we react to situations. It is our decision to make - we can slouch and grouch and moan and complain, or we can Praise Him for the good things He's given us.

Here are some of the good things I've been given:

These guys, who make every day a joy. I love being a wife to the greatest man on earth and Mommy to the cutest kid time has ever seen.

And cooler weather that makes coffee and apple crisp and soup even more enjoyable than before.

And a great job doing something I love for the church I'm called to.

And teaching AWANA with a fantastic group of leaders and kids, using the talents I've been given.

And finally connecting with some people I can call friends up here.

And windows flung wide without the house feeling like it's drowning in a swamp of humidity.

And the assurance that no matter what comes our way, He is on our side, and He will care for us.

Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?

Matthew 6 :26-27

This Week's Eats - Menu

2010-09-13T08:47:00.001-04:00


Menu Plan Monday with Laura at orgjunkie.com

I'm really looking forward to this week's menu. Fall is in the air and I feel like cooking is a lot easier when the radiant heat from the stove and oven are welcome warmths. I'm excited for fall and the soups, stews, and casseroles that are so much easier in cool weather. They are favourites that often get put on hold during the summer months.

Here's what we're eating this week:

Monday: butter chicken with broccoli

Tuesday: lasagne, using leftover spaghetti sauce from last week

Wednesday: pork tenderloin, roasted potatoes, carrots, and green beans

Thursday: leftovers

Friday: pita pizzas (I'm going to try making my own pizza sauce! I'll let you know how it goes.)

Saturday: chicken pasta with peppers and onions

What're you eating this week?

Monday's Motivational Moment

2010-09-13T07:13:00.000-04:00

Super Easy Cucumber Salad Recipe

2010-09-07T12:14:00.000-04:00

With last week being so hot all the time, with a history of throwing out the rotten lettuce before I remember to make a "real" salad, without having done groceries in almost a week, and with a desire to eat something cool and light rather than anything that would require turning on the oven, I turned to Google for a cucumber salad recipe.

I needed something that only used ingredients I had on hand - no fancy onions or extra vegetables, no specialty vinegars or sauces.

Here's what I came up with, based on a few different recipes I found:

Ingredients:
1 English cucumber, sliced thinly
4 tsp white vinegar
1/4 tsp white sugar
1/8 tsp salt

Source

Mix vinegar, sugar, and salt - I found it helped to toss it in the microwave for 5 to 10 seconds to help everything dissolve.
Pour over sliced cucumbers. Toss.
Drain excess liquid, so the cukes don't get soggy.

It's the perfect combination of sweet, salty, tart, and crunchy. A nice light addition to many lunches and dinners in the last week or two.

Enjoy!

This Week's Eats

2010-09-06T09:30:00.001-04:00

Happy Labour Day!

We spent the weekend working on the apartment we're "building" for ourselves at my in-law's.

We managed to prime and paint a first coat of the kitchen/living room, started the installation of the kitchen counters, cleared out the bathroom - it's now just about ready for the new countertop and a new sink to be installed. It feels like some progress is being made, but we still can't get into what will be our master bedroom. It hasn't been touched - there's still a bed, desk, dresser, two or three night stands, a matress, and a fold-up cot in there, not to mention the surface stuff - clothes and a computer with all the accessories, and papers and books, etc.

Trying not to stress over it, but time is getting shorter and shorter.

Anyway, on to better things -- FOOD.

This week's menu is intended to be as easy as possible, since programs at church start up again this week, there are meetings and appointments and shopping trips to make.

Monday - Chicken Pasta Salad

Tuesday - Indian Butter Chicken with Broccoli, served over Rice

Wednesday - Macaroni

appointment

Thursday - Baked Chicken Breasts, potatos, green beans

meeting

Friday - Sloppy Joes & Cucumber Salad

church program

Saturday - leftovers

**Menu-Plan-Monday is hosted by Laura of I'm an Organizing Junkie**

Monday's Motivational Moment

2010-09-06T08:53:00.001-04:00

Monday's Motivational Moment

2010-08-30T13:04:00.002-04:00

Monday's Motivational Moment

2010-08-23T09:04:00.000-04:00

Friday Photos - One Year

2010-08-20T11:43:00.000-04:00

Wishin my little man the happiest of birthdays, and all of God's greatest blessings for the next year.

Happy First Birthday, William! Your Mommy and Daddy love you so much and are so proud to be your parents.

Our first family photo - August 20, 2009

September 2009


October 2009

November 2009

December 2009

First Christmas

January 2010

February 2010

March 2010

April 2010

May 2010

June 2010

July 2010


August 2010

I'm so excited for my birthday!