Weird, Wacky, Wild, Wanda Willy Whoopie Cushion

Need some calamine lotion for that?

2011-10-12T20:04:00.000-04:00

I've been noticeably silent for a while. While I'm sure some of you have been thankful for that, I've been feeling guilty about ignoring you for so long. After spending a busy summer running around with my family and my new business, I'm trying to get back into the swing of things.

Curiously, I find myself even busier. But I'm more focused now, too. I've re-dedicated myself to being there for my kids when they need me and to providing a safe and healthy home for them. Part of what that means is that I'm making even more of an effort to cook things from scratch. I realize that cooking from scratch means different things to different people. I want to see how scratchy I can get in my cooking. Today I rendered lard. If you don't know what that is you'll find out soon enough (but only if you want to.)

I like this blog as it gives me a place to be random. But I've also felt that with my new semi-organized self it made more sense to have a blog dedicated to the "from scratch" stuff that I do. So, I will be posting homemade, from scratch stuff on another blog called "Scratch That". (Check it out to see about the rendering lard thing-a-ma-hooey.) I'll try to keep up over here too, but I really felt like I needed to have a different place to try to be "scratchy". So I hope you join me over on the other side.

The daily anatomy lessons are paying off

2011-07-25T10:35:00.000-04:00

I wrote this note two years ago and came across it this morning. It was too cute not to share. I'll be posting a few of these to my blog, just to have them over here where friends and family can read about the funny things my kids did when they were dirst learning how the world works.

June 2009...
The other day, over dinner, the word "bride" came up in conversation. The four year old girl piped up with, "I know what a bride is!" My hubby asked her what it was so she explained...

4 yr old girl: A bride is the thing that moms put over their boobs to keep them from popping.
Dad: What?
4 yr old girl: A bride is the thing that moms put over their boobs to keep them from popping.
Dad: What happens if they don't have a bride on?
4 yr old girl: Their boobs pop!
Dad: How do they pop?
4 yr old girl: They just go *insert hand motions that show her breasts exploding*
Me: Well what about when moms are in the shower and they don't have anything on? Do they pop then?
4 yr old girl: Well no, well, I don't know. *laughing and slightly embarrassed* No, they don't!

We set her straight on the difference between a bra and a bride. :-)

But then today in church...

Our Pastor asked our three elders' wives to pray for a woman who is going in for surgery later this week. As we all sat with our heads bowed, The three year old (who was on my lap) nestled his head back onto my chest in an attempt to be quiet, yet comfortable. I think it was that very action that prompted him to whisper to me, mid-prayer, "Mom, you should be praying for that lady too, because you have boobs too."

I promise, we don't just talk about female anatomy all day. It does seem to fascinate the younger two children right now though.

Baby, it's hot outside

2011-07-11T13:13:00.000-04:00

I am so blessed! I have air conditioning in my home. My sister moved into a “mid-level of a house” apartment this spring and realized somewhere around June that their windows were about 1/2 inch too short to house a window unit. They've had fans blasting in their house so far this summer but it just doesn't help to stay cool when the kids are crying, hot, sweaty and not willing to sit still. So I give you my list of ways to stay cool this summer, even in an apartment with no grass:

Find a splash pad for the kids to play in. It's a great way to get relief from the heat.

Invest in a few “magic bags”. They're long bags of fabric filled with beans or rice. Keep those puppies in your freezer and let the kids snuggle with one when it's nap time.

If you live near a beach, go there! We have a few around here, so we've got lots of options.

In lieu of a beach, find a local pool that offers free swimming times. I've heard that Niagara Falls pools are free in the summer.

Hang out at the library for a morning/afternoon. Better yet, sign up for their free workshops or story-times.

Have a mall-day where you wander around the mall looking at fun stuff. Your mall gets bonus points if it has an escalator. Kids love escalators.

Find a friend that has a/c and hang out at their house for a day. If they don't want to be around you, give them the key to your place and tell them to make themselves at home.

Anything I missed? What are you favourite ways to stay cool when the a/c just isn't available?

Stop and Go Summer Boredom

2011-07-07T11:46:00.000-04:00

It seems we're either going full speed ahead into road trips this summer or screeching to a halt into boredom at home. I was talking with a fellow mom yesterday about my kids' summer boredom and she told me about a friend of hers whose goal was to have her kids get so bored through the summer that they became creative and made up their own fun. Liking that idea I declared today "Electronics-free Day". ("But aren't you typing on your computer, Wanda?" I'm the mom; I get an exemption.)

My kids ate breakfast this morning and then the youngest queried, "Can we play on the Wii?" I told him no, that it was Electronics-free Day. The three of them bounced away to play. Half an hour later the girl comes over; "Can I watch TV?" Nope, it's Electronics-free Day. After some outdoor play and long-due showers, the girl asked if their "laptops" counted as electronics. Yep, no dice. Satisfied, she went off to play again.

I think they've been playing with trains and Magnetix all morning. At least the boys have. The girl goes in and out of playing with her dolls and playing with the boys.

I expect this to be a fun summer, full of adventurous play, outdoors, reading, a little bit of schoolwork (don't worry, they like it), and lots of bumps and bruises. In the end, the Wii won't miss them and they will have strengthened their bond with each other and the friends we plan to hang out with. I hope.

What do you do to counter summer boredom?

What I learned because of Kansas

2011-06-30T23:05:00.002-04:00

I feel like my own blog should be a safe place to vent, although I'm certain it's not since anyone can read and respond. My views generally do not represent the views of the general population. Kind of an “in the world, not of it” sort of thing I guess. I'm sure some people reading this will disagree with something I'm about to say. You are welcome to have and express your own opinion. I only ask that we do so respectfully, thinking of others over ourselves. That being said...

I got into a discussion on Facebook about abortion. Apparently, Kansas has passed some laws about the physical state of clinics that provide abortions. They are regarding things like the size of the janitor's closet and the operating room, the temperature of the operating room and recovery room, the amount of time the woman has to stay regardless of the depth of procedure. Since the clinics in Kansas have not had enough time to meet the requirements, they have been shut down, until they can meet the new requirements.

A question was asked by a Facebook friend: “should Pro-Life folk feel good about what has happened in Kansas?” I responded that I imagined they would, at least temporarily. There were a few more comments passed back and forth about how it could come to women getting illegal abortions again and that so many women will die from unsafe conditions like they did before Roe v Wade in 1973. I wasn't around back then and didn't study much U.S. law/history in my Canadian classrooms, so I poked around to see what the stats were.

It has been estimated by proponents of abortion that 5000 women died each year from illlegal abortions before 1973. Apparently, in 1960 there were 1579 pregnancy-related deaths; 289 of those deaths were attributed to abortions (legal and illegal.) In 1968, 133 of the 859 pregnancy-related deaths were attributed to abortion. In 1972, there were 24 deaths from legal abortions and 39 from illegal. The reason for the steady decline is more likely attributable to factors such as the availability of better antibiotics, the appearance of ICUs, and better surgical techniques. (I got these stats from someone else who did all the research with the Vital Statistics of the United States, Vol. II, Mortality, Part A. 1960-77. You can read the two page article here.)

Back to my Facebook discussion, I was told that those who think the decision to have an abortion is easy are being judgmental. I'm awfully glad I hadn't said that it was an easy decision and hadn't, therefore, just been called judgmental (even though I can be.) Not wanting to judge, I started wondering what the reasons were that a girl/woman would choose to have an abortion over carrying the child to term and putting the child up for adoption. Some of the reasons I've found:

1 - Pregnancy means producing a child and some women simply do not want to do that to their bodies.

2 - Married women who already have children are embarrassed by unwanted pregnancies and do not want to explain where the child went if people see them pregnant for several months with no sign of a baby afterward.

3 – She may become attached to the baby as it grows inside of her, making her want to keep it.

4 – If she is able to overcome this attachment, she may wonder if the child is safe or not once adopted. Furthermore, the child may try to find her later in life, which would be emotionally difficult for her.

5 – She feels like she is abandoning her child if she puts it up for adoption. Rather than subjecting her child to these feelings, she feels the child is better off aborted.

I promise you, I'm not making these up. The full article can be found here.

I guess after reading that article, the only thing I can think is: Is my own personal comfort more important than the life of a defenseless person?

The vast majority (99.5%) of these aborted babies are the result two people having consensual sex. (According to the Alan Guttmacher Institute [the Planned Parenthood people] only 0.5% of babies are aborted because of rape.) So these people choose to have sex, having learned in Grade Five that it can result in pregnancy, and then when it does, they decide that the baby they just made is inconvenient so they want to kill it before it gets big enough to really cause a nuisance.

I want to understand a lot of things about this, but I just can't.

Someone I knew growing up (and remained friends with since) got pregnant at a very bad time in her life. It was incredibly inconvenient, embarrassing and shameful, not to mention expensive, painful and life-altering. She went from being a pre-med major, with hopes of one-day being a doctor, to being a college drop-out and stay-at-home mom. She expedited her marriage to her fiance and then settled in for a very tough haul that resulted in divorce many years later. Ask her if she regrets that discomfort and pain and she'll vehemently say “NO, it was worth it for that baby to still be in my life right now.”

And I guess that's the perspective from which I consider the subject of abortion. I've seen unplanned and difficult pregnancies. I've seen the looks of joy as infertile couples received their adopted babies, all the more precious because they spent so many years hoping for a child they could not have. And I've heard stories of pain from women who chose to have abortions and spent their years wondering what might have been or who might have been.

I'm not trying to judge someone that has had an abortion, is considering it, or supports those that have. I do question the decisions that they have made and whether they really realize that they are taking a life that is not theirs to take when they make that decision.

I promise, I am not judging. “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. “ I hope those that know me can testify that I am trying to understand. I want to understand why it is so important to people that we stand up for a legal way to kill a baby.

I'll leave you with the words of "Janet Roe" of the landmark Roe v Wade case:

I was sitting in O.R.'s offices when I noticed a fetal development poster. The progression was so obvious, the eyes were so sweet. It hurt my heart, just looking at them. I ran outside and finally, it dawned on me. 'Norma', I said to myself, 'They're right'. I had worked with pregnant women for years. I had been through three pregnancies and deliveries myself. I should have known. Yet something in that poster made me lose my breath. I kept seeing the picture of that tiny, 10-week-old embryo and I said to myself, that's a baby! It's as if blinders just fell off my eyes and I suddenly understood the truth — that's a baby!

I felt crushed under the truth of this realization. I had to face up to the awful reality. Abortion wasn't about 'products of conception'. It wasn't about 'missed periods'. It was about children being killed in their mother's wombs. All those years I was wrong. Signing that affidavit I was wrong. Working in an abortion clinic, I was wrong. No more of this first trimester, second trimester, third trimester stuff. Abortion — at any point — was wrong. It was so clear. Painfully clear.

An honest look at the Mac vs PC discussion

2011-06-28T12:06:00.001-04:00

I have a PC. I've always had a PC. I recently experienced terminally slow upload speeds and inquired of my Faceboook friends to see if they had an ideas of why this might be happening. I received a few helpful replies, as well as a couple "Get a Mac"-type suggestions. I am not interested in getting a Mac and I'm fairly certain the slow upload speeds are the cable company's problem, not my PC's problem. But, after talking with a few people and reading a few articles, I'm curious and want to hear your pros and cons of PC vs Mac.

Since I have never used a Mac, I'd love for you to explain to me what you think makes a Mac so much better than a PC. I'd also love to hear from people that have used both and choose to continue using a PC. I read through this article and like the unbiased way that the author views the machines. In the end it seems that it's a toss-up between the two machines. His conclusion is that if you want a quicker machine and/or do a lot of creative editing then a Mac is your machine. If you don't mind a slower machine that is more versatile, go with a PC.

What are your (respectful) thoughts?

(Any comments deemed inappropriate will be deleted. We're here to have a nice discussion, not sling digital mud at each other.)

Ready...

Set...

Go!

If only we could keep the boys that still

2011-06-11T11:54:00.001-04:00

I wish I had taken my camera with me today. We had the whole family out shopping this morning and stopped in at Old Navy to redeem a Groupon I had purchased. While I stood in line to pay, our seven year-old girl meandered over to the display mannequins and started playing around them. Eventually, she stood beside the little girl mannequin, grabbed her hand, and stood stone still. And stood still. And kept standing still. She stood there for a good four or five minutes while my hubby and I giggled behind her back. She heard us but was so dedicated to her art that she didn't move. When we left the store, she dissolved into a laughing fit at her stunt.

Seeds versus Skins

2011-05-20T23:49:00.000-04:00

We had waffles with berries a few days ago. Tic Tac Toe happened. Blueberries won the first match but raspberries won the next two. A delicious time was had by all.

Pay At-tent-tion

2011-05-19T23:29:00.003-04:00

As you know by now, we love to see what the kids have to say in the middle of the night. My hubby went in to check on the kids tonight. The eight year old is sleeping on the floor (by choice) under blankets that he made into a tent. The following conversation just happened:

Dad: Hey Bud, are you cold?

8: No

Dad: You feel cold. Do you want another blanket?

8: No

Dad: Are you comfortable?

8: *shrugs shoulders*
Dad: You wanna move to the bed?

8: No

Dad: You wanna stay on the floor?

8: Yeah.

Dad: What's 4x4?

8: 16

Dad: What's 6x8?
8: Um... *thinking* The answer is “I'm sleeping in a tent tonight.” *smirks* A not-real tent.

Nope, but I'm sure she's got a great wave

2011-05-09T23:30:00.000-04:00

We finally got the phone calls from our kids' T-Ball and soccer coaches announcing practice times and locations for the summer. I told the youngest boy that his coach called and that her name was Catherine. My 7 year-old girl, who is still hung up on Wedding Fever, instantly piped up with, "Do you think she's the new princess???"

I'm sorry to have to tell you this

2011-05-07T11:25:00.002-04:00

"Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall. Better to be lowly in spirit along with the oppressed than to share plunder with the proud."

I'm stubborn. It's eased up over time, but I still have that stubborn streak in me. Once, my hubby and I were driving home from somewhere, at least a half an hour, and through the course of our conversation I stubbornly stopped talking. I was probably trying to prove a point. It annoyed and frustrated him. I have no idea what it was that made me mad enough to stop talking, but it was childish and unproductive. I have matured a bit since then and when I feel myself regressing into those very same immature behaviours, I remind myself that acting like that really isn't productive.

Along with this realization came my ability to admit my faults and apologize when I have wronged somebody. Since I'm admitting my faults here, I must tell you that I still fall short in this and don't always apologize when I need to. But I usually see the light and come around to apologizing a few days later. I have too much of a guilty conscience now.

But in interacting with many different kinds of people these days, I'm realizing that not everyone cares about admitting their faults. Generally speaking, there are three different kinds of people:
1) Those who offer half-hearted (at best) apologies, without really meaning a word of it.
2) Those who rarely offer apologies, not willing to look for (let alone acknowledge) any wrong-doing on their part.
3) Those who offer sincere apologies, feeling bad about their transgressions (intentional or not).

I have found myself increasingly frustrated with people who are unwilling to get over themselves. If you haven't said I'm sorry recently, please examine your daily interactions to see how you measure up against the humility chart. Here are a couple suggestions:
If you have lied or presented facts in a less-than-honest way...
If you have discovered that an assertion you made was incorrect...
If you wouldn't admit that someone else's idea may be better than your own...
If you have hurt somebody, even unintentionally through your words...
If you have ignored someone else (adults or kids) because of your own agenda...
If your spouse/friend/family member feels like they can't talk to you anymore...
If you're in the wrong for whatever reason...
...get over yourself and apologize today!

A little apology can go a long way. The best thing about an apology is that once you've said it, it gets a lot easier to say it the next time. Exercise your apology muscle to make it stronger and more capable of doing its job.

What is a "thing", anyway?

2011-05-04T12:09:00.001-04:00

So here's the problem with playing 20 questions with a five year-old...

Inspired by Rhett and Link's current road trip video, my five year old and I decided to play some 20 questions. The five year-old wanted me to guess first.

Is it a thing? No
Is it a person? No
Are you sure it's not a thing? Yep
It's not something I can touch or taste or smell or see? Oh wait, it is.
Is it something in our house? No
Is it something outside our house? No
So it's not in our house or outside of our house? Right
So what is it? Our house.
D'oh. Should have got that one.

Now I've got one for him to guess. He clearly doesn't understand the guessing tactics but ventures some guesses anyway:
Is it an insect? No
Is it the couch? No
Anything in your body? No
Is it the piano? No
Um, what is it? The school

He wanted some revenge so I'm up for guessing again.
Is it a thing? Um... Yes.
Do you know what it is? Yes
Is it inside our house? Yes
Is it on your body? No
Is it in the living room? Wait, is this the living room? Then yes
Is it a piece of furniture? Mmmmm, no.
Do you know what furniture means? Yes
Is it something you're standing on? No
Is it something you can hold in your hand? Yes
Is it on a bookshelf? (He looks at the piano) Um, no.
Is it on the piano? Yes
Is it your piano book? Yyyy-yes!

See the video that started it all here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LsoIQAgi8fg&feature=channel_video_title

Just don't try to eat it

2011-04-26T12:38:00.000-04:00

My sister decided to give Norwex a try when she moved here and she's been selling it ever since. When your sister sells the stuff you find yourself trying new things that wouldn't have chosen to purchase. One spray of their carpet stain buster and I knew I wanted it. My hubby (the thriftier of the two of us) saw how well it worked and implored me to order some. It came a week or two ago and I'm giving it a whirl. These stains, which have been here for over ten years, came up in a matter of seconds. I had to take pictures to prove the awesomeness of this stuff.

The before shot...

The in-between-cleaning shot...

The after shot...

How about this nasty stain?

Yep, it can handle it!

The yellow stain in the above picture is a paint stain and will not come out with this stuff. But all protein-based stains (most stains) come out. The best part is that it's all enzyme-based, so it's not bad for the kids, pets, hamsters, fish, or Grandma.

But please stay home for a few more years

2011-04-21T08:12:00.000-04:00

Somehow the kids and I got talking about university this morning. It's fun to see how kids' minds work:
Boy 1: And can we come back and visit sometime?
Me: Yep. Come people go to university and stay on campus and some people stay at home to save some money, because it costs more to live at the school.
Girl: And can we go outside and play with our friends whenever we want?
Me: You sure can. You'll be an adult by then so you'll be responsible for making those kinds of decisions.
Boy 2: Will we sleep in a sleeping bag?
Me: Well, you'll probably have your own sheets and blankets and make up your own bed.
Girl: Will there be bunk beds??!!??!!??
Me: Some places might have bunk beds

It was at this point that kids stopped asking questions, eyes bugged out, imagining such a fabulous place that might have bunk beds.

Judge not, lest ye be judged

2011-04-12T22:39:00.000-04:00

You know those statuses on Facebook where someone says, "Today is Whatever Cause It Is Day and you should change your status to say that you support this cause by reposting this to your Facebook page or a worm will eat your big toe and your goldfish will die"?

It was this kind of Facebook post that started this thinking in my head today. A friend told me about a conversation he had on someone's Facebook wall. The lady posted one of these “Proud to be ______ . Please repost” messages encouraging people to promote the love and acceptance of homosexuals. My friend, a God-fearing Bible-believer, felt called to write a comment on the message saying that God loves and accepts everyone, homosexuals included, even if He does tell us in the Bible that being gay is a sin. This comment set off a bit of a back and forth between my friend and a few others, the end result being that my friend was told that his opinion is welcome as long as it doesn't have to do with something he read from the Bible.

(Let me insert here that I know there are some people that read and interpret the Bible differently. This post is not about that. This post is directed at those who read and interpret the Bible to say that homosexuality is a sin. If you would like to discuss the hermeneutics of homosexuality, we can do that. But I'm not doing it in this post.)

Since I heard about this, I've thought a bit about tolerance, sin, the Bible, and where Christians fit into all of this. As Christians we are to let our light shine so that the world can see Jesus through us. The world asks us to accept and tolerate people who are different from us, however that might look. I wondered how being like Jesus fits into all that. So first, since I like words, I looked a up couple.

Tolerate - Allow the existence, occurrence, or practice of (something that one does not necessarily like or agree with) without interference.

Accept - Receive as adequate, valid, or suitable.

First we're asked to tolerate opinions that we disagree with. I can do that. I can let someone think differently than me. I'm pretty sure Jesus put up with people thinking differently than he. If God wanted us to be drones that all thought the same, we would be. But where's the fun in that? I can tolerate dissenting opinions. I will not interfere with someone thinking differently than I.

But then we're asked to accept, or receive as adequate, valid or suitable. Does that mean I accept an action or practice which I believe to be a sin according to the Bible. Is that something that God wants me to do? Should I just be quiet and let people think I'm okay with something when I'm not? I don't think that's fair, in any situation.

Some Christians turn their lack of acceptance into a personal crusade, targeting those who campaign for acceptance, and spreading messages of hate. I wish those people would look at themselves and see what they are doing. They are acting as judge where they shouldn't, and declaring themselves to be God's voice in messages that go against what the Bible says. And these are the people that have made it so difficult for the rest of us to have normal, level-headed, conversations of God's love and acceptance.

Because God does accept. He doesn't accept the sin, but he definitely accepts the person. Accepting an action and accepting a person are two different things. I will not accept an action that I think is wrong and neither will God. But, I can most certainly accept a person as a created child of God. The decisions another person makes really are between that person and God. They are not ultimately accountable to me but to God. They will have a chance to stand before Him and take credit and blame for all the decisions they made in their life. More importantly for me, I will have to stand before my Creator and my Judge and take credit and blame for everything I've done. I want to be able to tell my God that I'm spreading a message of love, not one of hate.

I know that I will have quite a few other Christian friends reading this and I want to ask them right now what they would do if someone that they knew was gay walked into their church.

Would you welcome them and expect that this is the beginning of change in their sexual orientation? Would you bring them in and tell them right away that being gay is a sin? Would you invite them to sit next to you while hoping they are listening to the words being read about the sinner changing his ways?

Would you realize that your sin of pride and judgment is just as bad as any sin they are guilty of? Would you hope that God looks past your self-righteous behaviour on the day of judgment? Would you even admit your self-righteous behaviour?

The thing is, we are all sinners. Some of us see things a little differently, but we are all sinners. The difference is whether we have Jesus as our Saviour or not. The difference is whether we care enough to accept a person that God has put into our lives, someone that likely needs a little extra love because they are hearing messages of hate and rejection. That's the way Jesus lived his life and the way he ran his ministry, and it's definitely the example we need to follow. If you sit in a church every week, please take this as a challenge to find a way to be Jesus to someone who really needs him.

Wanda's Famous (and not so secret) Chocolate Chip Cookies

2011-04-07T22:53:00.000-04:00

I've spent the last few years perfecting my chocolate chip cookies recipe. I'll let you in on a little secret though. The recipe hasn't changed. I've handed this recipe out to many people and (I want to say this without sounding boastful) few can replicate the cookies that I serve. I'd like to tell you that the secret is “love”... But it's not. The method of mixing and brand of ingredients makes a big difference. So if you want my recipe, you'll need to pull up a chair and sit a while. It's more than a list of ingredients and a cooking time.

(You'd better pay attention. There won't be a quiz afterwards, but there won't be a traditional recipe either.)

You'll need to preheat your oven to 350 F when you're ready to start. Don't do it now though, you need to read the process before you're ready to get going. We start with ½ cup of Becel margarine in a medium bowl. If you just can't afford Becel (or can't buy it because you live in the States), you are allowed to use “Can't Believe it's Not Butter”. Please don't use other brands. And I love butter but you can't male these cookies with butter. They melt down into a flat pancake with butter.

Add ½ cup of packed, dark brown sugar. Please don't use light brown sugar. It just doesn't have the same depth of taste as dark brown sugar. With a fork, lightly mix the sugar and margarine, just until they're coming together. You can't over mix. Something bad happens when the sugar and butter spend too much time swirling around each other. It's like boys and girls in the pool at Camp Omagh... We need to be really careful how much contact they have.

So when your margarine and sugar are just combined, add 1 egg, 1 teaspoon of real vanilla (if you use artificial, I will notice and it won't taste as good) and ½ teaspoon of salt. Mix until just combined. Again with the swirling. Too much swirling is not good.

Put in 1 cup of all-purpose flour and throw in ½ teaspoon baking soda. Make sure it's fresh and hasn't been sitting around for a while. Stir until you start to see the batter mixing with the flour. Don't mix it all the way though!!

This is when you put in the fixin's. Start with ¾ cup of Chipits chocolate chips. (1 cup if you're just putting in chocolate chips.) I've tried a few varieties and these really are the best. If you must use a different kind, go ahead. But do so at your own risk. You can add in whatever combination you'd like at this point. I also like to add 1 ½ cups quick oats. It's entirely up to you, but they're much better with the oats!

At this point you can make the cookie your own. These are my current combinations:
Almond Cherry - ½ cup almonds, ½ cup dried cherries
Toffee Pecan - ½ cup Skor toffee bits, ½ cup pecan pieces
Peanut M&M - ½ cup chopped peanuts, ½ cups M&Ms

Stir just until everything has come together. You want it to hold nicely together but it won't want to if you beat it into submission. Spoon large spoonfuls, about 1 ½ to 2 tbsp onto a cookie sheet that has been lined with parchment paper. (Parchment paper can be reused and helps cookies cool and come off the pan in their own time.) Bake 10-14 minutes. (Smaller cookies can bake 8-10 minutes.) They are done when they still look a little under-done in the middle but the outer edge is starting to brown. Take them out and let them cool on the parchment paper for about 15 minutes before moving them.

Pour a glass of milk, grab a cookie or two, and enjoy a job well done.

So... What would you put in your cookie?

A Sweeping Change

2011-03-29T19:26:00.002-04:00

As some (most?) of my family and friends know, my sister and I are starting our own little cleaning business using natural and toxin-free cleaning supplies. We've done our homework (thanks Caroline, Al, Trina, Mom, and anyone else that's helped us out), made our flyer, registered our business name (YEAH!) and now I'm making a Facebook page so that you can like us and I can cheer like Sally Field when she won an Oscar.

So now I have to fiddle with code. I don't do code. So I may experiment on this blog for the next post or two, trying to figure out what this code does. In theory, I should be putting a "Like" button on this post for the Facebook page.

I'm sure I'll end up bugging my coding friends in about three minutes when I get fed up with being dumb. Until I get it sorted out, please bear with me. In the meantime, please look for us on Facebook (The Cleaner Sweep, http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/The-Cleaner-Sweep/174666169250756) and please Like us!

Midnight Math

2011-03-28T22:18:00.000-04:00

A common game in our house is to ask math questions at supper. We've recently started extending this game into the night-time on those rare occasions when the kids need night-time attention. The other night the eight year-old was up so my hubby decided to drill him.

Hubby: What's 6x8?

Boy: I don't know.

Hubby: What's 2x8?

Boy: I don't know.

Hubby What's 2x2?

Boy: 48.

It was a little delayed, but he got there.

Tonight, it was the seven year-old's turn.

Hubby: Hey, what's 3x4?

Girl: I don't know. Ask me an addition math question.

Hubby: What's 4 +4?

Girl: Eight. Easy-peasy.

The best part is that the kids never remember these conversations in the morning. We like our midnight math fun.

Finding blessing in the "No"

2011-03-28T15:10:00.001-04:00

Every time the phone rings today, we all jump to see who it is. At lunch it was my husband. Then I got a beep on call waiting and I jumped over to see that it was my friend across town. The adults in this house are all anxiously waiting for the phone call.

My sister and her family are still here. They move out next weekend. This will be good for all nine of us. In the meantime, we are waiting to hear if my brother-in-law was the one out of three candidates that was chosen for the dream job.

I've been praying about this a lot over the weekend, but especially today. As I walked home from school this afternoon, praying about it, I found myself telling God that He knew the good that this job would bring to my sis's family, and to please just let it happen.

And then I realized that God knows exactly what He's doing, and we don't need to be so selfish as to assume that the blessing in something is for us. Who knows but that this job is going to be a lifesaver for someone else. Maybe someone will even come to know Jesus because of this job. Or maybe there's another job lined up for my brother-in law that will allow him to be a blessing to others. We just can't know what God has in store.

Don't get me wrong... I'm not giving up on the job yet. We still have time before the end of the day to get that phone call. (Those that are not chosen will not get a phone call, just a letter later in the week.) And I'm still expectant that my brother-in-law will get this job. But if he doesn't, I will know that someone else will receive a greater blessing because of it.

Ch-Ch-Changes

2011-03-01T00:55:00.000-05:00

Wow... I turned my head for just a minute sometime back in January and suddenly March is here! I am amazed at how quickly the time has flown from January until now. I'll let you in on a little secret. We have a semi-legitimate reason for our distraction.

On January 14, my baby sister, her husband, and their two adorable girls came for a visit. They liked hanging out with us so much that they decided to stay.

Okay, maybe that's not exactly how it happened, but I like to think about it that way. Truth be told, they prayed and waited and watched and realized that God was leading them out of the west and into the mid-east. We had offered our home to them as a place to stay until they could get on their feet with jobs and a place to live. Needless to say, I was ecstatic to get the phone call back in December (or was it November?) that they had decided to move out here.

To be quite honest with you, it doesn't feel like they've been here six weeks. The time has really just flown by. I think it has something to do with the munchkins that I get to play with every day. They look like this:

The best thing about this whole experience is that my kids are changing as a result of their live-in cousins.

My 7 year-old girl has turned into a little mother, right on down to lifting and buckling girls into high chairs, wiping little hands and mouths, and finding toys to occupy bored pre-schooler brains. She adores her little cousins, and I think the feeling is mutual.

I have watched the boys change too. The 8 year-old has continued to be a big helper and he's becoming more involved in the meal-making process. He made oatmeal for seven people this past Sunday and he's constantly sorting, folding and putting away laundry, emptying the dishwasher, and begging for more chores to do to help. The 8 year-old pretty much just rocks these days.

And the 5 year-old, the baby... He really has been the baby up until about a month ago. It's not that we treated him like a baby, but he was just always the youngest and relied on others to entertain him. Now, he's got two younger housemates and he ends up comforting a sad little girl or finding fun games to play with the two cousins, or speaking with that sing-song voice grown-ups use when they're speaking to a 2 year-old. It's been miraculous to watch him change so swiftly over the last month. I've never treated him like he's my baby, (well at least not since he started school!) so it's nice to see him growing into a big boy version of himself on a more full-time basis.

Wait a minute. That wasn't what I meant by big-boy help!

There he is, helping the girls play Connect Four.

That's more like it.

I think the biggest surprise/relief for me has been the way Hubby and I have interacted with each other over the last six weeks. I must admit that I was a little concerned that we would get snippy with each other and have shorter fuses with the added "stress" of having four more people in our house. I am certain it is one part "good marriage" and many parts "Divine intervention" that has caused us to grow closer as a result of our shared living quarters.

It really has been awesome to see our individual responses to the changes in our house. I'm looking forward to seeing what our new and improved selves do next!

(And just an FYI for those who are curious... My sister and her hubby both have full-time jobs now and are hoping to have a place of their own by April. I know they will love having their own space and privacy, but we plan to see lots of them after they've moved out. So they'd better not get any ideas of being too far away!)

Another Reading Binge

2011-01-25T21:33:00.001-05:00

I know I don't talk about reading too much, at least not on here, but I can get heavily into reading and forget that I have responsibilities at home/school/church/etc. So I tend to have seasons of reading and seasons of no reading.

One of my best friends has been reading Beth Moore's books for a while. Okay, several of my friends have been reading Beth Moore's books for a while. But this one particular friend actually made me look at the books and read a portion, which of course got me hooked. So I immediately ordered the books and waited and waited and waited until they finally came in. (Yes, the wait was that dramatic.)

While I waited, I also won a free copy of Dannah Gresh's book, "What Are You Waiting For" which recently came in the mail. So now I have three books that I am anxious to get through. I'm half way through "Waiting" and loving it. The other two are "Get Out of That Pit: Straight Talk about God's Deliverance" and "So Long Insecurity: You've Been a Bad Friend to Us."

While I get through these books, I'd love to hear from you about good books you've read lately, fiction or non-fiction. And I'd love to hear what you thought of any of these three books if you've had the chance to read them.

Gourmet Group Goodies

2011-01-18T18:49:00.002-05:00

I have a very dear group of ladies that I hang out with about once a month. They're my “Gourmet Group.” Don't get weirded out by the word “gourmet” though. We aren't all hoity-toity. We've just decided to try new things together! So once a month, we meet at one of our houses, our hostess has chosen the menu, and we've each brought our assigned dish.

As someone who loves to be in the kitchen, attempting delicious foods for my family, I love having the menu from these evenings to draw on. Many dishes from these nights have been added to my nutritional repertoire. I was reminded of this as I was about to post a meatless meal idea to Green Grandma's Facebook wall. One night we had this amazing veggie lasagna that I have since made a few times. It is quite different from your typical Italian lasagna, but if you enjoy good food and want to add some veggies to your life, I think you'll enjoy this one.

I wish I had a picture to show you, but you'll just have to make it to find out what it looks like. Pair this with a salad and you've got a great dinner, meat-free!

(The original recipe can be found at http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Vegetable-Lasagna-232660)

Vegetable Lasagna

6-8 oz goat cheese

1/3 cup chopped pitted black olives

1 tbsp chopped fresh thyme

2 tsp dried basil

1 tsp dried oregano

3 cloves garlic, chopped

4 cups prepared pasta sauce

1 lb whole-wheat lasagna

Freshly ground black pepper

2 small zucchini, diced

2 small summer squash, diced

3/4 cup bottled roasted red pepper, diced

1/4 cup grated Parmesan

Heat oven to 375°F. Mix goat cheese, olives, thyme, basil, oregano, and garlic in a bowl; season with salt and pepper. Spread 1 cup pasta sauce on the bottom of an 8" x 11" baking dish. Add one layer of lasagna and season with black pepper. Add a layer of zucchini, squash, and red pepper. Dollop spoonfuls of goat cheese mixture over vegetables and spread to cover. Repeat layers, finishing with pasta and sauce. Sprinkle Parmesan on top, cover with foil and bake 40 minutes. Uncover and bake 5 minutes or until top browns. Let stand 10 minutes. Makes 8 servings.

Nutritional analysis per serving 312 calories, 5.1 g fat (2 g saturated fat), 58 g carbohydrates, 14.9 g protein, 7.3 g fiber

A Spontaneous Date Night

2011-01-12T10:45:00.003-05:00

If I asked people to describe my husband in one word, they might choose words like organized, planner, particular... They might also say he's funny, helpful, talented. I can't think of too many people that would automatically think “spontaneous!” But spontaneous he was, yesterday. He came home from work early, having exhausted the jobs he could accomplish for that day and went off to get his hairs cut. He came back home and said, “Hey, let's go out tonight! We could use that coupon for The Outback and then go see Dawntreader in 3D.” I asked if he had a babysitter lined up, to which he responded, “Well, no.” As soon as the babysitter got home from school we checked with her and sure enough, she was free. So we were set for our impromptu date.

We got to The Outback at around 5:00 and sat right down and ordered. I think there were about three other tables occupied. It had been a while since we'd been there so when we looked at the menu and prices we nearly keeled over and died from heart failure. After taking our pulses and discovering that neither of us had actually experienced heart failure, we ordered steaks which came with huge loaded baked potatoes and some delicious veggies.

Hubby and I settled in to enjoy our meal and some fun conversation... We thoroughly enjoyed having the chance to chat over dinner without telling the kids to use their napkins to wipe their hands or to grab a cloth to clean up the drink they spilled. As we paid the bill I realized that I have become somewhat of a food snob.

It's not that I'm a snob of all food, just of food that I have to pay an arm and a leg for. In case you didn't already know, Hubby and I are thrifty. We aren't cheap (as my good friend Moni points out) because we do value quality. We just look for the best deals. In everything. So after dinner, on the way to the movie, I expressed this discovery of my “thrifty, food snobbery” to my husband. The Dear answered me with, “That's because everything you make is better than anything you can buy at a restaurant anyway.” I think the idea of being on a date had gone to his head and he was just going for flattery, but I smiled all the same.

And I realized that I would so much rather pay $6/lb for a tenderloin (on sale, of course) and make it at home with some $1/ea baking potatoes, topped with my own toppings, and perhaps some nice Parmesan-crusted asparagus than pay $75 for the same thing at a restaurant. I don't think it's because I'm better than the restaurant chefs, nor is it entirely because of my thriftiness. It's a combination of the two.

You see, spending time away from the kids can be as simple as feeding them first, popping in a kiddie movie, and enjoying a dinner upstairs while they're vegging downstairs. And I think my cooking skills have developed to the point that I enjoy preparing food that tastes good. Not just “good” but good. And knowing that I did it and saved myself $50, that just makes it all the more satisfying. The cut of meat may not be exactly what I would get at a steakhouse, but seeing my husband stuff himself on what I've prepared is immensely more satisfying than handing $75 to a restaurant for doing the same.

I will still enjoy dates with my Best Friend, but I don't think we'll choose $75 dinners on a regular basis. I know he would rather grab a burger anyway. And I think I have some Harvey's coupons somewhere...

My slightly, mythically obsessed four-year-old

2010-10-18T09:18:00.000-04:00

Our family is slightly obsessed with the fantastic singing/dancing/rapping/comedy/movie-making duo called Rhett and Link. If you haven't seen any of their videos, take a moment to do so now.

I recommend The Facebook Song, The Taco Bell Drive Thru Song, or The ShamWow Song.

Now that you know who/what I'm talking about, you need to know that my kids love these guys. A couple days ago my youngest, the four year old, was asking if Rhett and Link were pretend or if they were in real life.

Mom: They're real people with wives and kids, just like our family.
Boy2: Do they sing songs all day?
Mom: Only when they're doing it to get ready for a video or to make a video. But not all the time.
Boy2: Do they live in the same place?
Mom: Well they probably live near each other, but they each have their own houses that their own families live in, kind of like *insert our friends names* live near us but not in the same house as us.
Boy2: Do they live *insert our city*?
Mom: No, they live in North Carolina, which is in the United States
Boy2: Can we go visit them some time?
Mom: Well, we can't just go visit them like we do our friends or cousins. Rhett and Link don't really know who we are, so we can't just go visit them. But if they ever come near us, we'll do everything we can to go see them.

Boy2 was satisfied with that answer and that was the end of the Rhett and Link discussion. Or so I thought.

I booked a hotel room in Niagara Falls this morning because of a sweet promotion that they have going on where I can get a fallsview room for $45. I went out to tell the kids, knowing that they'd be excited to sleep in a hotel with a pool...

Mom: Guess what guys.
Kids: What???
Mom: In a few weeks, we're going to be staying in Niagara Falls at... a hotel! And it has a pool!!!

The older two had the appropriate response and oohed and aahed. The four year old, clearly with our two day old conversation in his mind, piped up with, "And we're going to meet Rhett and Link????"

Cue disapppointment.

(Maybe I can appease him with some Phat Dippin' in that hotel pool.)

Easy as pie

2010-10-05T09:18:00.000-04:00

Just a quick little editorial note on the English language and the use of it in the blog world...

If you are stuck for a title, don't sweat it. Write your blog post and then the last thing that you were thinking of writing, don't write it at the bottom of your post. Put it at the top as a title.

(This blog post has been brought to you by the letter E and Z and the number π.)

Not so Barenaked Mac and Cheese

2010-09-30T08:19:00.000-04:00

I'm the lunch supervisor at the kids' school, which means that I spend 50 minutes each day in two of the primary classrooms and outside on the playground. During my most recent jaunt through the Grade One class, my daughter, having seen her friends' lunches, told me she wanted Kraft Dinner (Kraft Mac and Cheese for all you Americans who haven't listened to "If I Had a Million Dollars"). I told her that we didn't have any, so she asked if we could buy some. I don't really like the stuff and I'm not willing to buy it when it's not on sale, so I said no, not this week. She humphed and I decided to compromise. We needed a side dish to go with the leftovers for supper and I was certain we would have more of this casserole remaining for kid lunches the next day. So, after some searching I think I have finally found the best Homemade Mac and Cheese out there!

I found this creamy mac and cheese on Allrecipes.com, but I've changed it to suit my tastes. It seems like the sauce is too runny, but trust me, it really does bake up very nicely so don't try to thicken it up any more than the recipe causes it to.

Ingredients:

8 ounces (1 ¾ cups) uncooked elbow macaroni
2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese (or half and half mixture of mozzarella and cheddar)
3 cups milk (I used 1% and it worked great)
1/4 cup butter
2 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
(you can also add garlic, mustard powder, tobasco sauce, according to your tastes. I put mustard and garlic in, but I think I'll try without next time.

2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup bread crumbs
sprinkle of paprika
(I used smoked paprika and it was too smokey. I think I'll omit the paprika next time.

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. Cook macaroni according to the package directions. Drain.

3. In a saucepan, melt butter or margarine over medium heat. Stir in enough flour to make a roux. Add milk to roux slowly, stirring constantly. Stir in cheeses and other seasonings, and cook over low heat until cheese is melted and the sauce is slightly thickened. Put macaroni in a large casserole dish, and pour sauce over macaroni. Stir well.

4. Melt butter or margarine in a skillet over medium heat. Add breadcrumbs and brown. Spread over the macaroni and cheese to cover. Sprinkle with a little paprika.

5. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 30 minutes.

Grape Expectations

2010-09-29T12:41:00.001-04:00

Through the generosity of some friends from church, we received many pounds of grapes, white and purple. I decided to make grape jelly out of these grapes since the rest of the family was not enjoying eating these seeded grapes. After a quick Google search, I became a grape processing professional (Not at all!)
The consensus among grape juice/jelly web sites was to first wash the grapes and pick them over for any bad grapes. Take the grapes off the stems and mash them with a potato masher. I opted to just run them through my food processor the first time. I only had 4 lbs of white grapes, so it didn't take too long. (And these didn't stain when the juice leaked out a little.)

With the concord grapes, I washed and picked them over, then put them all into my big huge stock pot. I didn't want to mash them and then move them and get my entire kitchen all stained, so I mashed them with the potato masher in the stock pot. Some of the grapes didn't get mashed, but they break down as they cook, so I wasn't too worried.

So after your grapes have been squished up, one way or another, put them on the stove in a pot that holds at least twice the volume of the grapes. Turn the oven on to medium high heat to get the grapes up to temperature, stirring occasionally, then turn down to medium-low heat to allow the grapes to break down and release their juice. How long you let them sit really depends on how many you have. When I had 4 lbs of white grapes it took about 15 minutes. When I had 15 lbs of concord grapes, it took about an hour. Anyway, you want to let it simmer for a while to get the juices out of the grape. Stir occasionally to make sure nothing burns on the bottom. (You shouldn't need to stir too much if you're simmering on low.”

Prepare another bowl or pot, big enough to hold all the juice, by wrapping a cheesecloth over the top of the bowl and securing with an elastic band or twine. Let the cheesecloth sag a little if you have a large amount of grapes to strain. Pour the grapes over the cheesecloth and let them sit for at least an hour. I found that I needed to stir them a little every 20 minutes or so to let the juices move around and drip through. I also covered it, just to make sure the fruit flies didn't make their homes in my grapes.

What drips through is the juice that you use to make your jelly. It may form crystals after sitting in the fridge for a day, but that doesn't affect the juice or jelly, so don't worry about the crystals. Different pectins have different recipes, so I can't tell you how much you'll need, but you can always top it up with another kind of clear juice (apple, cranberry, pear, store-bought grape). The first recipe I made, with store-brand pectin, called for ¼ cup lemon juice, 4 cups of grape juice and 4 ½ cups of sugar. The second recipe that I made, with Certo pectin, called for 5 cups of grape juice and 7 ½ cups of sugar. They both tasted great.

If you decide to skip the jelly and just drink the juice, I have to tell you that it is very sweet if you drink it straight up. We ended up mixing it half and half with water and it still tasted just as good (if not better) than the store-bought stuff. It was just too sweet and concentrated straight from the grape!

So there you have it. That's all I've learned about grapes in the last few days. I welcome suggestions and ideas from anyone with more than three days experience in the grape juice/jelly-making business.

Friday's Husband

2010-09-27T11:32:00.000-04:00

I'm currently reading a book called "Have a New Husband by Friday", by Dr Kevin Leman, upon the recommendation of a few women. I am on page 122 of 212 and here's a summary of what I've learned so far:

The attributes that my husband could have by Friday? He already has them.

I don't know why I'm still reading this book instead of writing my own about how wonderful my husband is. I know, it's got stuff in there for me to do to be a better wife. The problem is, my hubby is so good to me, it's hard to want to try sometimes. (Triple C, if you're reading this, please don't take that to mean you need to stop being so swell!) Don't worry, that doesn't mean I'll stop wanting/trying to be a good wife. Just that he is honestly so patient with me and my shortcomings that I get complacent about my personal betterment sometimes.

I'm also finding that the generalizations in this book make me mad. Women are more organized. Men are not. Women can think about more than one thing at a time. Men cannot. Women see the clutter on the floor. Men do not. I'll tell you, in this house, my hubby is more organized than I am, is already thinking ahead to the next thing, and sees the clutter that I do not see.

I think Dr. Leman needs to write a book to help my husband get a new wife by Friday. That'll be the one that I need to read!

Honey, thank you for being that ama-za-zing, awesome, wonderful husband that you are. I try to let you know how much I appreciate you, but I know that I still take you for granted far too often. You are one in a million, a rose among thorns, a Drew Brees among Matt Leinarts. I love you!

Things That Make Them Go "Mmmm"

2010-09-10T18:40:00.003-04:00

It seems that every time I make something, I'm taking pictures, imagining putting it up on my blog here, so I can share delicious food ideas with you. And then I decide not to put it up here. It's either because the pictures didn't look good or I decided the recipe was too long and drawn out or I just got lazy.

Today, because my feet hurt from standing all day, I am sitting here, typing this recipe to share with the world. It's not too ground-breaking, but the last time I made it, all three kids ate and ate and ate and didn't say much until they had cleaned their plates. Three kids, eating, and chewing and "Mmmm"ing equals a very tasty meal.

And so, without further delay...

Mexican Lasagna

Ingredients:
2 large (3 small) chicken breasts
1 pkg taco seasoning*
8-10 large tortillas*
1 can refried beans (398 mL)

1 1/2 cups salsa
300 g cheddar cheese, shredded

Cube chicken and pan-fry until no longer pink. Add taco seasoning and a splash of water (a couple tablespoons, maybe). Cook a few more minutes to let the seasoning permeate the chicken. Give it a spin through a food chopper for a few pulses, just until the chunks are broken up and shredded.

Cut tortillas in half.

Arrange in a 9x13 pan with the cut edges of the tortillas touching the outer edge of the pan.

Fill in any holes with tortilla pieces.

Spread half the refried beans on the first layer of tortillas.

(I cannot get this picture to turn the right way. It's very weird. It has a mind of its own.)

Top that with half the chicken.

(I cannot get this picture to turn the right way either. It's got its brother's mind.)

Top the chicken with about half a cup of salsa.

Top the salsa with 1/3 of the cheese.

Repeat that process, layering tortillas, beans, chicken, salsa, and cheese a second time.

To top the lasagna, lay one more layer of tortillas. Spread the remainder of the salsa on top

and sprinkle with the rest of the cheese.

Bake uncovered at 350 F for 20-30.

Allow it to sit about 10 minutes before cutting and serving. This tastes great topped with sour cream.

Of course, you can add whatever you like into this recipe. I'm a big wimp when it comes to spicy food, so I do not put jalapenos or any other spicy pepper in here, but I'm sure they'd taste great if you like extra heat.

* I've started making my own seasoning and tortillas. Here are the recipes that I use. The tortillas take a little time (about half an hour altogether) so make them ahead of time.

Taco seasoning

1 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon minced garlic

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1/4 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon sea salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Mix with the meat, adding 1/2 a cup of water if using ground meat. Allow to simmer for a few minutes until well combined and the water has started to evaporate off.

Tortillas

1 3/4 cups flour

2 tbsps butter

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 cup warm milk or water (maybe more)

(Works best in a stand mixer, with dough hook.)

Combine all the ingredients except milk. Now slowly add the warm milk or water to knead to a soft dough, kneading well for 4-5 minutes. (In a stand mixer, I only mix it for a minute or so.)

Cover with a greased piece of plastic wrap. Let it rest for 15 minutes.

Cut into eight equal pieces and use a rolling pin to roll out like very thin tortillas, approx 8″-9″ size.

Pre-heat a griddle to medium-high and place each tortilla on the hot griddle for about 10 seconds on each side and remove. They should have a few light brown spots when they come off.

Ramblings about Summer, Vacation, and Contentment

2010-08-16T10:34:00.001-04:00

The summer has flown by! The last time I posted I was on my way to Family Camp and it was the middle of June. Here it is, middle of August and my friends in the United States are already sending their kids back to school!

I do have a semi-legitimate excuse. We've been busy. I know, it's not really a very good excuse. Everyone's busy. I guess we're just enjoying having fun and being lazy this summer. The highlight of our laziness was going out east and seeing Atlantic Canada and the north eastern USA. We travelled through Quebec and New Brunswick before staying on Prince Edward Island for five days. Then we went over to Nova Scotia, took a ride around the Cabot Trail, and booted it home through New Brunswick, Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and New York.

The kids loved the trip. While we were travelling around, they loved the hotels, especially the ones with the pools! That was their favourite things about the whole vacation. While on the Island, the kids had a blast playing with their new friends, the seven and nine year old children of our Italy-trip companions. You see, we stayed with a couple that we met when Aaron and I went to Italy. They were in our tour group and we ended up hanging out with them. We each invited the other couple to come for a visit if a tour of our respective areas was ever in order and we both took the other up on the offer this summer.

As we drove through the Maritimes, I couldn't help but say, over and over, that I would love to live "here" (wherever "here" was at the time.) New Brunswick had lovely rolling hills, and such scenic drives. The Bay of Fundy and the Flower Pots Rocks were magnificent. But the thing I noticed most there was that it was so not crowded. I felt a little bad for the province that there weren't too many people that took the opportunity to drive through New Brunswick. And we didn't even see the northern half of it!

We spent five days on Prince Edward Island. Life there is so different! Traffic was about as light as our city gets on a Sunday afternoon and our hosts kept saying how bad the traffic was! They just have a slower pace there and they really know how to enjoy people and life in general. We had no internet access and two TV channels while at their house. It was refreshing, to be able to reconnect, face to face, with people. We spent days driving around and seeing the beauty of God's creation, we explored beaches and marvelled at the wonder of the tide, coming and going every six hours. We ate shrimp, mussels, lobster, fresh PEI potatoes, and lots of ice cream (the origin of which was our friend's dad's dairy farm.) We sang hymns in a country church just down the road from our hosts and smiled to ourselves as the country organist ignored inconvenient things like half notes, opting instead to plow through "It Is Well With My Soul" one rapid quarter note at a time. We were A/C free, enjoying God's natural A/C instead. (The wind off the ocean was so refreshing!)

And then, sadly, we left Prince Edward Island and our newfound friends-for-life, and headed to Cape Breton Island, part of Nova Scotia. We drove the Cabot Trail, stopping here and there to take pictures and enjoy the view. We climbed mountains in our good, old Montana, 30 minutes to get up 455 metres, 10 minutes down. We chewed gum to get the pressure in our ears back to normal. We drove by cliffs, looked down into treed valleys. And we loved it!

It wasn't just the five of us though. We had companions with us in the van to make the journey a little more compfortable, of course. Rosie (our GPS, named by the youngest after a Thomas the Tank Engine character) was our boss, telling us how to get where we wanted to go. Sometimes she took us the wrong way, going down a road that was closed or a path that really wasn't necessary. Sometimes we ignored her. Sometimes we manipulated her to get us somewhere the way wanted to go. But we all got along. Our other favourite van companion was a set of DVDs from our good friends, the 4M family. It was a six disc set called "The Wonders of God's Creation" and it was similar to the Planet Earth videos that show how the world works. But these discs do all that while showing that God had a great plan and design in mind when He created us and our world. This world and these bodies are so complicatedly interwoven and interdependent, that there is just no way this all could have come about by chance. I think us two older travellers may have enjoyed the videos more than the younger travellers. But, it kept our minds entertained on the longer stretches of road.

There were some long stretches of road in Maine, Massachusetts and New York. Loooong stretches of road. You know how when you spend a lot of time doing something and then you're done doing that thing, you just want to be Done-done? That's how we felt about getting home. We drove two 12 hour days to get home from Sydney, Nova Scotia. I made a mental note to appreciate being in a new State each time we crossed the State line, and then my mind would numb again to the constancy of the road in front of us. Don't get me wrong, I loved Maine. It was so... hilly/empty/forested/remote. (And it gave us a chance to sine Rhett and Link's "Maine Man" song a few times. New Hampshire was quick. Massachusetts was fun while we were still heading south, then it took a turn for the boring when our van pointed west for good. New York was expensive to drive through and not new to us. And then we were home.

The kids counted 87 cranes on our ten day vacation. Don't ask me why. Their father is a mechanical engineer. Ask him. Over half of those cranes were counted within an hour of our house. I think that tells me something about the pace of our life compared with the lives we sampled on our vacation. I'm not going to spend time wondering which I would rather have or what the consequences of it would be if we suddenly found ourselves a thousand kilometres away from virtually all of our friends and family. This is the life we have and this is the life we love. We are so much more content if we can love what we have, be thankful for our own blessings, be thankful that the people around us are blessed, and leave it at that. So I am thankful that I had a chance to see a little more of God's earth, I am thankful that I have friends all over this continent that I can visit, and I will continue to give thanks for the wonderful life I've been given. What more do I need?

Happy Father's Day!!!

2010-06-19T23:00:00.000-04:00

I've known my Dad for a little over 33 years now. I can't remember how we met but I know that it's pretty much been my whole life. I don't think he was the first thing I saw but I know he was one of the first people I met (right after the doc, Mom, a nurse or two...)

I like to think that I'm my dad's favourite. Of course it's not true, but I like to think that anyway. When I think back to my childhood memories involving Dad, pretty much all of it involves sports in one way or another. I can remember watching the Red Wings year after year, knowing that our team would never really win the Cup... until they got good, and then we watched, waiting for them to finally do it. And then they did and we cheered and knew we had the best team in the world! I can also remember going to Tigers games with my Dad. He was often the Youth Group chauffeur so he would escort us to those couple of games that we went to. He accompanied us to Cedar Point and rode all the roller coasters with us. One of the things I remember doing as a young child was hearing that us girls would get to go to one of his hockey games! It was always fun to go watch him play pick-up hockey with The Guys.

Family vacations always involved being together as a family, once again being driven around by Dad. But he wasn't just our chauffeur. Dad was our family photographer. One of the great things about Dad is that he photographs life as it happens, documenting it for the rest of us to see, but he makes sure he gets in there too. He doesn't mind sharing his camera with others and letting them point and shoot. I love that my Dad loves to document life with his camera as it happens.

My Dad also cares very deeply about his faith. For as long as I've been around (and I'm certain much longer) he has defended what he believes in with vigor. He knows what he believes and why he believes it. That is a legacy that he has passed along to us girls. We have always been taught to know what we believe and why we believe it. Both of our parents have done a great job of passing that along to us.

My dad loves my mom. And everyone that knows them knows it! I've shared with many people over the years that I always felt secure about my parents' relationship because I saw them kissing or hugging frequently, right in front of us girls. Dad has never been ashamed to show the world, and especially us girls, how much he loves his wife. I love that about him!

My dad has a lot more time now and when he's around our family he can be very often found on the floor or on the couch, with a grand child on his lap or at his side. He loves to curl up with a grandkid and read books to them (or have them read to him.) He'll burrow his head into a baby belly and get the biggest laugh he can. He's really hitting his stride now and he's just getting better with age.

I have to be away from my dad this Sunday, which is pretty usual since we live hours apart. But I hope that he knows how much he is loved and appreciated for the way he loves his God, his wife, his girls, and our families. Happy Father's Day, Dad!