The 8 Pound Challenge

I want to lose 8 lbs in 8 weeks.
Who's with me?

If you are serious and would like to join me and do a daily check-on by e-mail confession what you have eaten and how much you have moved, I'll show you mine (numbers) if you show me yours.

Together, we can do it! Even in DECEMBER!!!!!!

Scissors, Tears and If Looks could Kill

So, after much "warming up to the idea", today was "H" day... time for Adam (10) to get a hair cut. I have no idea why I think I can do this myself, but I had it in my head that I would take a stab at it and if it was a total disaster we could go to FirstChoice and get it "fixed".

We had the big conversation about cutting the back off (it was long enough to be in a ponytail with almost 3 inches dangling. It was aweful.

He decided he wanted it cut shorter in the back and longer over one eye... very "skateboard-esc".... I thought I could pull that off. I mentioned my plan to Cheryl today and she said "just cut it like yours... short in the back, long in the front--hahaha"

And that, my friends, is exactly what happened. I gave my son a woman's hair cut. My haircut, to be more specific. No wonder I had so much confidence in my ability to cut his hair. I'd seen my hairdresser cut my hair the same way for years!

He was a little upset that I'd cut so much off the back(even though he agreed to it before the first snip) There were a few tears. There was a certain glare.

I had to keep doing double takes of him for a few hours afterwards because I thought I was looking at myself (before I started growing my hair out). He's got these wavy spots exactly where I do... it's wierd. Depending on how i look at him it's either as close as he's going to get to a very cool skater cut, or it's mini-me. (or, Maybe, I'm so cool I have skater hair?????)

Update:
He just walked in the room.
"How's the hair?" I asked
"Awesome!"
"Really??????????"
"Yeah, it was way too long before"
"I'm really glad you like it now buddy"
he leaves, and I do a big "Whew!"

We'll see how it looks tomorrow... and if he gets teased for having a girl's haircut... funny how that could be a possibility after getting about 4 inches cut off.


PS. The before picture was taken a month ago (I forgot to take one before the cut).... it was much longer
PSS. Brodie was also planning for a little trim. After witnessing Adam's fate, he gracefully declined my offer.

Chocolate Cake Confessions

I really want a piece.
There is a half a cake in the fridge.
I am not hungry.
I just want some.


Everyone else is sleeping, I am playing Settlers of Catan online and all I can think about it having a piece and a glass of milk.

Will I or won't I?

More fun than a pants-off dance-off

That's my new favorite saying. Who knows if I will ever find an occasion to speak it.


On a completely unrelated note...
I LOVE MY CROCK POT

Now that I am a modern woman trying to have it all, cooking dinner requires a bit more planning and short-cuts. Enter, the crock pot. (I even treated myself to a brand new, larger, stainless steel one.)

A few super simple recipies...

CHICKEN ROSA...
Skinless chicken (bone in or boneless thighs, breast pieces, whatever)
R is for Russian Salad dressing (about 1 small bottle)
O S is for Onion Soup Mix (About 1/2 an envelope)
A is for Apricot Jam (about 1/3 cup)
(all measurements are general and too taste.. you can't screw this up)

Dump it all in the crockpot for a bunch of hours, you can add chopped cilantro at the end if you like it, a bit of grated orange peel is good too... serve with rice & corn... it's like a sweet & sour sauce.


Honey Garlic Pork
Take one frozen (or not) pork tenderloin
Pour one jar of No Name Honey Garlic sauce (from Extra foods, often $1.78)
cook all day on low.
Voila

Salsa Chicken (Kelli had a post that reminded me of this)
Skinless chicken (bone in or boneless thighs, breast pieces, whatever)
Put chicken in Crock pot
Pour enough salsa over to cover
cook all day
about 1 hour before you want to eat, throw in a bunch of cubed cream cheese.. .mix it occasionally and you end up with this creamy salsa sauce.

There you go... I'd love any other simple ideas your family enjoys!!

happy dinner tonight! I think it's Tuna Melts over here... feel free to pop over!

Good Company

FACT: I love having company over.

I love that because I've friends over 3 times this week, my house has stayed clean all week. But you know what, that's just a bonus.

I hope that people feel relaxed when they come to my house... that they feel like & know how special they are to me because I'm ready and happy to have them. I want them to come in and put their feet up and enjoy themselves.

I'm not aiming for "impressive" in what I serve (usually do one of two stand-by's... greek chicken which takes literally 60 seconds to prepare the marinade the day before and then you just bake it as is, or else Taco salad -- super simple and tasty...)

I just want people to sit back and relax in a comfortable spot, flickering candle light, with some simple but good food and feel cozy and cared for. That's what hospitality is to me...

so suck it, Martha!

p.s. If I ever invite you over, please inform me if you have an aversion to greek chicken or taco salad :-)

It occurred to me the other day...

as I was taking the "Made in China" sticker off the stuff I bought for the Operation Christmas Child boxes...

What if the child who gets my giftbox opens it and pulls out a toy and says, "wait a minute! I made this!"

Question: Will the underpriviledged children who work in factories that produce products for the dollar store be punished by the factory owners who think they have stolen from the factory when infact they have received it from North Americans trying to brighten their day?

Hello Again!

After a lengthy hiatus from blogging, I am BACK BABY!
Where have I been all these weeks?

I had the awesome priviledge and humbling honor of speaking at Willow Park Church's Women's Retreat at Gardom Lake Camp last weekend. There were 110 women, all of them beautiful and amazing. I have done a fair bit of public speaking but never a retreat before (so that meant 4 x 30 minute talks in one weekend). The preparation was a HUGE challenge for me and it was really time consuming so that has been my focus for the last while. When people ask, "So how did it go" it's really hard for me to know how to answer. All I can go on is the response and feedback from the women who were there and they were incredibly affirming... so, I guess it went well :-)

The women at WPC are a great group.. I really appreciated the time to hang out with them. I know a few and met a few more this weekend, as well as met up with some old friends who I had not seen for a long time.

Now that that is out of the way, I am faced with a few other "To Do's" that have been neglected over the last month or so...
1) my house... like some detailed cleaning.
2) my house... as in, the fact that my basement is nearing the end of being finished and I have to make decisions on things like Carpet (yesterday) Paint (today) Trim (tomorrow) Tile (Yesterday) Doorknobs, cabinets, furniture, lighting, towel bars, blah, blah ,blah....
3) my house... as in painting that basement. I went down there yesterday to help my dad who was cutting in the priming. I rolled primer for an hour or two and mentioned that I didn't mind painting, I jsut wasn't very good at it. My dad then inspected my work and politely offered to finish up (as he gently took the roller out of my hands and tried to fix what i had done) Poor guy hates painting, but his desire for a job-well-done seems to override that. So, I think I might be off painting duty... pays to not do things well in some situations :-)
4) SunRidge for Women Dinner tomorrow night... we have 25 girls who are going house to house for several courses of dinner... I'm hosting the salad stop... really looking forward to that but have a little work to do there yet
5) FoodBank Dinner... every December our church puts on a nice dinner for the patrons of the westbank foodbank... this is our 4th year I think. WE also do gift bags for every child and every adult. Some friends and I are responsible for putting the adult gift bags together so that all needs to get finished this weekend. These friends are coming for dinner on Sunday and then we'll pack the bags after that. The bags have things like good quality coffe, chocolates, Christmas napkins, beautiful handmade Christmas ornaments, and a Tim Hortons gift certificate. The generous people at SunRidge have been donating all the items and our job is just to pack them up pretty! If you ever need a good place to buy funky giftbags or boxes... Interior Retail Supply on Kirschner is excellent.
6) Memories & More... we have 3 special days coming up in the next 4 weeks so I have a little coordinating yet to do there as well. I love special events days... and I think we've got some pretty great stuff lined up, thanks to the uber talented staff at M & M!
7) Christmas Details... (ok, now this is just becoming an on-line to-do list for myself!) We need to figure out if we're heading to Spokane between Christmas and new years or not... Joel's Grandma is turning 100 in January but we won't be able to go for her party so we might head down over the holiday with Joel's Brother from Edmonton who are contemplating the same visit. Neither of our families will be able to go at the end of January when everyone else is going for her party because....
8) Vacation stuff!! We are heading to LA and then MEXICO to meet up with Patti & Nathan and Brad & Carmen (brothers & cousins) for a little vacation! Our kids have no idea about any of it!! I have booked almost everything.. .just need to figure out the car rental situation and the park tickets and then it's all done!

SO, if you've been wondering where I"ve been or where I'm going... there you have it!!

Loooking foward to keeping in better touch with you guys again!
love,
Dawn

I'm an OP with OCD -- just keep it on the DL

My name is Dawn and I am an organized procrastinator.
I have set aside this day to get a whole bunch of work done for something coming up in 3 weeks (I have 4 x 1/2 hour of talks to prepare for a retreat I'm speaking at the November long weekend.) I have not spent one second doing it thus far today.
Instead I have played 4 games of Settlers, sorted and started the laundry, cleaned the kitchen, printed some brochures off for a graphics client, and am going to look at a house that is for sale.

Oh, and am posting this picture of my guys... love it... love that it captures the bond they have. Someone please bookmark this for me so that in a few years when they are beating the tar out of each other I will remember that they were once best friends.

have a great day... hope yours is more productive than mine!!

Weekend Statistics

63 - hours she was here
29 - minutes before we visited our first restaurant (Take-out from DaWett :-)
11 - episodes of "The Office" watched
5 - Kilometres run
5 - pastry goods enjoyed
6 - Chai lattes
1 - evening of "Must See TV"
5 - restaurants we attempted to buy a 3pm lunch at before we found one that was open and still had food-- a nice way to tour downtown Kelowna though!
2 - Enzyme Wraps & Massages from the O Spa (THANK YOU JOEL!!!!)
1 - game of Settlers of Catan (Brodie kicked our butts, 2nd wins in a row)
0 - showhomes we sucessfully viewed on Saturday afternoon
1 - greek dinner at home with all the boys
2 - inches until Adam is taller than she is
13 - approximate number of my friends she met (Cheryl plus the running girls)
2 - Keg Teriaki Classic Dinners ordered
6 - Pina Coladas consumed
1 - trip to liquor store to buy coconut rum for above mentioned pina coladas
1- trip to grocery store for chips and dip
82 - leaves we cut out of felt for Joel's halloween costume (our "Scissor work")
50 - estimated hours of talking and laughing
157 - estimated topics of conversation
13 - months until we see each other again
infinite - reasons why I love this chick!

Countdown to Cupcake

Today my best girlfriend Marcie is coming to visit me for the weekend from Kitchener,ON. We haven't seen each other since Jan '04!! That's just wrong.

She flies in around 1pm, I will spirit her away to my new favorite cafe -- "The Bread Company" -- (thanks Tara! Cheryl & I accidentally parked infront of it yesterday and after one visit we were in love. I'm a total junkie now! -- hey! a replacement BINGE!)

After a few hours of yaking, our jaws will need a break so it's chips, dip & a 2 litre of Diet Coke infront of Must See TV! Deep, I know.

Friday afternoon we are off to the O SPA!! Aromatherapy wraps all around!
Then we will uphold our little tradition of going to the Keg for dinner whenever we get together. Mmmmmmm..... steak..... I'm hoping she hasn't seen "The Break-Up" yet... I think it's just out on DVD and I'd love to see it with her. Saturday we are joining my running group for a run in peachland, followed by more coffee (which neither of us drink)at Bliss Bakery and then will spend with all the boys. She is going to FREAK when she sees Adam, who is probably eye-to-eye with my petite friend by now.

Marcie and I met in grade 9 (1984) in the Library at Westgate Highschool in Thunder Bay. Her home quickly became my 2nd home and I've always appreciated the way her families door was open to any and all kids (there were usually at least 6 kids under their roof at any given time.)

When I moved to Kelowna in 1986 we kept in touch for a few years and then lost each other for about 5 years. One day in September 1992 she called me at my house in Edmonton. She had made a split decision to move to Edmonton to go to school, heard that I had moved there and was on her way over. That was a great day. We picked up where we'd left off 5 years before and even though our lives are very different on paper (she's a single, professional women who loves sports and gives the impression of being on the quiet side until you get to know her) we are forever connected across the miles and life circumstances.

On April 25th, 1998 she was visiting us in Grand Cayman so she could be there for Brodie's birth. WE were watching "Donnie Brasco" and there was a long screen kiss. 2-year old Adam turned to Marcie, took her face in his hands and reinacted the Hollywood Kiss so long and passionately, that I laughed so hard my water broke and 5 hours later, there was Brodie.

We've been friends for 22 years, she has held my hand during the birth of both my boys, she and Joel became fast friends and the three of us have had countless good times with about 10,000 inside jokes as a result. Including the fact that we've called each other "cupcake" for the last 2 decades... (we got it from a soap opera... anyone else remember "Patch" from another world -- I think... anyway, he called his love interest Cupcake and we thought it was too good to let go.)

2 years and 9 months is just too darn long. I can not wait to spend the weekend with her!

A Day of Mourning.

binger n.
Synonyms: binge, fling, jag, orgy, spree
These nouns denote a period of uncontrolled self-indulgence: a gambling binge; had one last fling before beginning a new job; a crying jag; an eating orgy; a shopping spree.

I am a binger. (Not a purger, just a binger -- well, when it comes to food.)
I get totally into something and consume it much too regularly for weeks or months and then switch to something else.

My binges over the years include...
Cinnamon Buns (1997)
BBQ Chicken Pizza with pineapple (1998)
Greek Pasta Salad (2005)
Steamed Milk (2005)
Peanut butter on toast (2004)
Wise Crackers with FF creme cheese (2006)
Natchos (intermittently through the 90's and 2000's)

and most recently (and most intensely) CHAI TEA.

I stared drinking them at Starbucks about 6 months ago, which was racking up quite a bill at $3.95 a pop for a grande-non-fat-no-water-tazo-chai-extra-hot.
Then I discovered that I could buy a 3 pack of the Oregon Chai Concentrate for under $10 at Costco, which would make like dozens of cups! (Of course I justified this purchase as a money saver because I wouldn't be buying Starbucks any longer.... in actual fact, I just 2-3 "at-home-chai" per day to my 2-3 starbucks per week!! I think the most I had was 4 in one day. But I digress...

Yesterday, on our field trip to Costco, I was given the bad news.
Costco no longer carries my sweet and creamy treat.

Is it too much to ask to have ONE little vice? I don't smoke, I have about 6 drinks a year, and I've almost completely cut out the crystal meth.

Now I will be forced to pay about $8 per tetra-pack at Extrafoods. Where is the fun in that? It just layers on further guilt.

I wandered around Costco depressed for another 20 minutes. Cheryl tried to distract me with cute sweaters and running wear. It worked for a brief moment.

So anyway, just a word to all you fellow Oregon Chai Junkies... I'm so sorry for our loss. Your black armbands are in the mail.

It's happening... they're becoming smarter than us. (Well, me.)

Last night I could not help Adam with his grade 5 math homework. I didn't get it.
Smarty pants (Joel) tried patiently to explain it to me for 5 minutes (ok, it was only 30 seconds before I just walked away). He was probably just showing off his 7 years of post-secondary education at smarty-pants school.
I still didn't get it.

But I can organize the heck out of anything -- so I do have my redeeming qualities.
And I can kick his butt at Sudoku. (We have races and the score was like 65 to 17.)
And that's where my superiority ends.

Just two modern women trying to have it all...

First of all... I LOVE MY JOB.
This thought occurred to me last week: "I'm happiest when I'm organizing."

We had our Creative Retreat this weekend and I am so happy with how it went! The hotel was set up beautifully, there were just the right number of guest, it was a wonderful group of ladies, every single instructor did an outstanding job of their classes and make & takes (Thank you to Cheryl, Yolanda, Gen, Min, Andrea and Karen & Dianne from TinBox Creations!

The feedback was excellent and we got some great constructive criticism for next time.

This was the second event that I've been involved in coordinating for the store, and much bigger than the fist one. I love that I get to do what I do best and get recognition (and a paycheque) for it! I could not work with a better group of ladies and I'm so happy to have this opportunity to be a right hand to Gina, give leadership to special events, learn a TON about this industry (I have so far to go!), work with incredible women (both staff team and clients) and have the flexibility to still keep some of the other prioreties and commitments in my life too. I couldn't ask for a better situation at this point in my life.

Personal highlights...
- Talking until 3am with Cheryl & Audrey in out hotel room
- Finally eating at the Aggean Grill with Cher
- Sewing my first "Andrea Wiebe" Flower
- learning to sand (not manicure) my paper -- thanks GEN!!
- Meeting women that I would LOVE to spend more time with - Charm, Sharron especially (They've been friends for 39 years and it was amazing to be near them and absorb what they have in each other!)
- Seeing women have a much needed, well earn, fully deserved "GET AWAY" to just create!
- Falling in love clear stamps and Van Dyke brown ink
- Creating these 3 boxes!

Can't wait to do it again! Thank you for the opportunity to work with you, and be a part of giving you an awesome weekend!

I made it all by myself

This is what I picked away at over the weekend at the crop using the new techniques and tools I learned!!

I think I'm going to make another set that says...
"THIS"
"THAT"
"THE OTHER"

and then another that says
"CRAP"

2:13am

There he was, puking his guts out. Poor Adam.
Why is it that kids always start puking in the middle of the night? I can't remember a day-time onset of vomiting.

He's doing a lot better now... lying around, drinking gingerale, watching TV. I sure hope Brodie doesn't get it... or me!! This weekend is our big CREATIVE RETREAT at the store and I'm so looking forward to it! I can not get sick.

I was so glad it was Adam and not Brod who was sick... at least I could run into work for a couple of hours and leave him at home... not that I wanted to leave him, but I really needed to see a couple of things through today. It is SO nice to have him at that stage where he can be left alone for a few hours.

I think he's going to be able to stomach a bowl of homemade turkey soup right away here... (my favorite! -- isn't it pretty?) and I'll be downing a bowl or two myself! There is nothing like homemade soup :-) I hope that whole theory about chicken soup is right... and that turkey counts too!

Fresh Bread

You know that smell?
Doesn't it make you want some, just thinking about it?

I've been considering my quiet time with God in the mornings "Fresh Bread"... here's what I savored the morning from by bible.... (Ephesians 4)

Be completely humble and gentle,
be patient,
bearing with one another in love....
because to each one of us grace has been given by Christ

I think of grace as giving room, excusing, bearing with, letting go of the bad, not holding against someone, being patient, not writing off, sticking by a person despite...

I need this from the people around me every day, every hour, and from God too, of course.

I want to be a person who is on guard to give grace to the people around me--it's not my natural reaction too much of the time. I don't think this means be a doormat... it means speak the truth in love, with grace.

And the grace we get from Jesus is more than what I tend to think it is... when God gives it to us, it's about allowing us joy -- his favor. I hope I can learn to bring the grace I give to that level... where joy is a by-product of my relating to people, no matter what the situation.

I'm so thankful to God for the GRACE poured over me.
I'll be trying to keep the words Humble, Gentle, Patient, Love & Grace at the front of my mind today.

JUST RUN WITH IT

Rank: 284/508 runners
Pace/KM 6:22
Time 1:02:45
Gender Rank: 153/323
Division Rank: 63/112


This was my 3rd race this year and my 2nd 10K. It was a gorgeous day and I was able to start the race with my sweetie on his 37th birthday! We've never done anything in the realm of "athletic events" together -- even though he's a life-long super-jock. Running is the first sport that has caught my attention and it's only been 9 months since I started. Just very cool to be at the start line together -- though it didn't last long! Joel had a friend to run with (at their pace) and I had Cathy to run with so that was all good. I felt great for the first 40 minutes and then I felt like my legs were 100 lbs each. If it wasn't for Cathy helping me with my mental game (of which I have none!) I would still be out there somewhere! My time was a little slower than my last race, but that's ok with me.

We quickly went to the gym in Joel's building and showered and got pretty for our brunch at the Grand with my family (Joel's B-day, Mom & Dad's anniversary, Thanksgiving -- all rolled into one big pig out at the Grand's Thanksgiving Brunch!) Then we headed back to City Park so we could see my friend Patti cross the finish line on her HALF MARATHON!!! She did so well!

I have no idea why, but I get choked up watching people cross the finish line. You watch their eyes as they push through the last seconds of their race and you can't help but feel their sense of accomplishment and pride. Watching people finish a race is really moving... no pun intended.

It was so fun for Joel and I to do something together like this... even if we didn't run together.
To have him high-five me on my way to the finish line (his time was 55:27), just a cool, NEW thing for us... not a lot of NEW things come up after 17 years together :-)

Will I do this again? Absolutely!
Am I inspired to do better? Yes!
Will I consider training for a half-marathon? Not today, but possibly, maybe, one day in the distant future. Potentially.

Congrats to my running group friends Patti, Cathy, Kari & Linda -- great job!!

Thankful

Thanksgiving weekend is here and I get to do all my favorite things... sleep in, relax with my guys, have an awesome meal with my larger family, hang out with favorite friends and who knows what other good things will come in the next 3 days.

In the grander scheme, I am so thankful.
That I have the kids and husband I do and no one ever has to question for a minute any given day if they are loved to the ends of the earth.
That I am surrounded by amazing friends who keep me laughing, give me perspective, bring out the best in me, encourage me, challenge me, care for me and that I (hopefully) get to do the same for them.
That even though I am still 13 years old inside sometimes, I am growing in confidence and feeling solid in who I am, what I want from life, what I can give my inner circle and the greater world and that what I have to give is good.
That even though there is some uncertainty with some things in my life, I have 100% confidence in the Love of God, His unfathomable power, and his perfect view of the big picture. I am thankful that I can rest in that, and that alone is enough in an uncertain season or situation.

I am incredibly thankful for all this and more.

It's a great weekend... enjoy all that you are thankful for!

The Talk

I just had "the talk" with my kids.

We had just been looking at Brodie's baby album before the three of us sat down for dinner (Joel must have known what was coming and decided to work late!)

The question that started it all: "What's that black thing hanging out of my belly button"... which led to a crude drawing (mine) of the mom's body... and things just kind of rolled on from there. I knew this conversation had to happen soon and was kind of hoping that some vaguely related question would be the opportunity to inform these guys before they heard a bunch of bad information on the playground. Grade 5/6 kids are pretty knowledgeable sometimes and Joel and I had had the "he'd better hear it from us first" conversation in the summer. No progress had been made yet so I jumped on this opportunity tonight.

Ammbilical cord led to uterus, which led to the Vagina monlogue.

"You know how boys have a penis... girls don't -- instead they have an opening called a vagina."
(This no-penis business was apparently news to Brodie.)
"The vagina kind of has two holes... one tiny one for pee and one for babies to come out of."
Dramatic pause...
Adam: "So kind of like a Super Penis?"

I lost it. All three of us were rolling on the floor laughing at that point... which made the rest of the conversation much more tolerable for all of us. There was only one point (during the actual "and that's what sex is" part) where Adam was trying to plug one ear with his shoulder while he ate his corn and muttered "it is so hard to eat right now"... he was a little uncomfortable.

All in all, I think it went well. My kids now have a basic knowledge of the facts, they know I'm/we're the ones to go to if they have a question at some point (and not their ill-informed friends). They know it's something special for people who are married (I only said that about 16 times) and that it's pretty cool how God made our bodies, how babies are such a miracle, and that this isn't topic for conversation amongst their friends, but that it's important they know the true scoop. I want to have boys who know enough about a woman's body so they can be respectful of them. I hope this first conversation planted that seed (no pun intended.)

I am however afraid that everytime I hear the word vagina I will think "super penis".
I hope I don't blurt it out at my next gyny appointment.

Road Trip

After years of talking about it and months of planning it, I finally made a trip to Vancouver for a girls shopping weekend! 6 girls, one mini-van, two rooms at the Hilton, 11 hours of non-stop shopping at Metrotown, 2 more hours at Ikea, two tanks of gas and countless shopping bags! Collectivly, I think we bought; 6 pairs of shoes, 3 pairs of pants, 2 skirts, 8 copies of the same Old Navy sweater in 3 different colors, 7 hoodies, 4 watches, a few belts/hats/jewellery items, 2 down vests, about 67 assorted t-shirts and kids items, and an assortment of Ikea items including three massive bundles of twigs which had to ride between passengers on the way home.

It was so great to get a whole weekend to spend with some of my favorite friends, including Christine whom I hadn't seen in person for a few years. It made me so thankful for the awesome women I get to call friends -- new friends and long-time ones. Loads of laughs, good talks, taking care of each other (well, them taking care of me and my near-migrane)... a relaxing, carefree, productive, exciting little get-away... a real treat, well deserved by all. I am a lucky girl to get to do this. Now for some unpacking!

My love to the 5 of you!
Thanks for being my "shopping ho's... fo' sho'"!

A few favorite quotes from the weekend:
"It looks like a curling iron" - re Joolz' burn on her forehead... poor Patch!
"I used to put paper-clips on my teeth" -- re Michelle N's memories of wanting braces as a kid
"and he told the neighbors they could help themselves to the blackberries when they became bountiful.... but he tended his blackberry bush a little too vigorously..." Cher on Jay
"Oh yeah, well I just send the kids in to get my liquor" -- Christine's contribution to the "isn't it great that we don't have to spend 20 minutes buckling our kids into their carseats anymore -- and you can just leave them in the car while you run into the liquor store" conversation
"I tried on a pair that barely covered my genitals... I draw the line at genital exposure" -- Christine on ultra-low-rise jeans

... and although a written description won't do it justice... Cheryl's glasses slowly becoming more and more crooked as the night wore on.

Breakfast Date

This morning Adam and I were reading our bibles over breakfast, reading Ephesians and the part about how God's power is so amazing that He could raise Jesus from the dead. We talked about how sometimes we forget how much power He has and how he wants us to ask for his help. We talked about how we need to remember that if he can raise Jesus from the dead, he can for sure help us with our stuff... studying better, working things out with a friend, making decisions. It was a good reminder for both of us, ages 10 & 36. Then Adam prayed, thanking God for wanting to be involved in our lives, and that he "never puts us on hold". That was a very powerful image for me. You know how annoying it is to be left on hold (just think of calling Airmiles!) I do that to God all the time... later, later, after I get this or that done. How backwards. In a day or in the grand scheme of life, I don't want to put God on hold and I am SO thankful that He does not do that to me. Even when we have to wait something out--which is hard too! I know that I am not being put aside, on the back burner, on hold... Ge is not saying "later" to me... He's saying trust me. Sometimes Trust grows in the waiting. Sometimes Faith grows in the waiting. I am never on hold, He is always working. I'm a thankful mom who thought she was sitting down with cereal and a bible to help her kid get to know Jesus a little better but ended up being reminded and convicted and warmed up inside. I love what is happening in the heart of my long-haired, deodorant-wearing, french-speaking, guitar-playing, pre-teen. And proud.

Laughing Out Loud

So, we're driving to my Dad's birthday party. I am going through the list of all the people who will be there with my kids, reminding them of their names -- it will be all adults, some they know, some they don't.

From the back seat I hear a certain 8-year old laugh out loud for no apparent reason.

"What's so funny" I ask.
He replies, "I'm just practising my fake laugh incase someone makes a lame joke tonight and everyone else is laughing."

I thought it was hilarious.

But he raises an interesting point. Why do we offer a fake half-laugh when we don't really think someone/something is funny? We do it all the time, don't we? How did he pick up on it? Did he figure out "people are laughing, but that wasn't funny, so they must be faking it" or did he just want to be pretending to "get it" when there is nothing to get?

Moral of the story: if you make a kid laugh, he may just be being polite.

As for me, I probably won't laugh if I dont' think you're funny. Probably. But maybe. You'll never know for sure.

Little Mr. Chip Pits

Question of the day from my 8-year old boy: "Can I eat ketchup chips while I play on the computer?"

(If you don't know my answer to that question, clearly we've never met.)

Which reminds me of the time he proudly proclaimed that his armpits were sweaty. "Hey Adam, come check out my armpits, they're all sweaty!!" Adam touches them, they're wet. "EEEWWWW!" Then he smells them. "They smell like ketchup chips!" Then we knew that he who had just eaten a before bed snack of ketchup chips, had somehow licked his own armpits. That's my boy. Talent AND charm!

Reasonable Facimile

This is me.
You know how there are never any pictures of the mom because she is always taking the pictures, well, there it is, evidence I was on our summer vacation!
And yes, I did photoshop some of the wrinkles out.

Crow Eating Hypocrite

Gulp.
I know, I know, I know. I've had some bad things to say about blogs and the dangers of them... chiefly that blogs are just a venue for you to do all the talking and feel like you're interacting with people but really it's just your chance to get stuff out without having to actually engage in relationships with real, 3D people. So, friends, if you find me slipping out of real life friendships & conversations, if I stop going for coffee and movies, if I withdraw to my computer and don't leave the house.... please post a comment and remind me to get a life. That said, I hope this is a way to keep in touch & updated on me & my life, maybe be encouraged in yours, and hey, now I'm one of the cool kids--I have a blog. Looking forward to sharing life with you --- irregardless.
(p.s. I know irregardless is not a word. It makes me laugh so I like to use it.)