Could it be any colder?

Short Term ForecastUpdated:Friday, January 25, 2013, 11:23EST

	FridayAfternoonAfternoon: 12:00 PM - 5:59 PM	FridayEveningEvening: 6:00 PM - 11:59 PM	FridayOvernightOvernight: 12:00 AM - 5:59 AM	SaturdayMorningMorning: 6:00 AM - 11:59 AM	SaturdayAfternoonAfternoon: 12:00 PM - 5:59 PM
	Flurries	Scattered flurries	Scattered flurries	Scattered flurries	Variable cloudiness
Temp.	-6 °C	-8 °C	-9 °C	-8 °C	-3 °C
Feels Like	-12	-14	-14	-13	-6
Wind	SE  15 km/h	E  15 km/h	E  5 km/h	SE  10 km/h	NW  10 km/h
Relative Humidity	73  %	79  %	79  %	73  %	68  %
P.O.P.	70  %	60  %	40  %	40  %	20  %
Snow	1-3 cm	close to 1 cm	close to 1 cm	less than 1 cm	-

Here's the forcast I puled up for the next 2 days.   Can you say coldness?  

I'm trying to look for the positive in all of this coldness and here's what I've come up with so far:

• Hot drinks taste so much better when it's cold outside.  Hot chocolate, latte's, tea, coffee.   Amazing.    I appreciate them so much more in this weather.
• There is nothing better than flannel pajamas in this climate.
• This weather makes me want to slow down, stay home, cuddle, read books, watch t.v. and hang out with my family.
• Hats and scarves are super cute:)
• Spring is going to be so fantastic when it arrives!

How are you all staying warm?

2012 Highlights

Looking back on 2012, here are a few things I am super thankful for.  A few absolute highlights:

I.  A really cool job opportunity that fell on my lap.

2.  Our church launched a new location in my community.

3.  Saturdays became family days.

4.  Our family (okay, mainly Steve) organized an Easter breakfast and egg hunt and in the process raised a bunch of money for Kiva.

5.  Grace became a teenager.  Um, wow.

6.  I joined the 21st century and got a cell phone  :)

7.  Beth learned to swim in the deep end.

8.  Eva found the courage to sing a solo at her school Christmas concert.  So proud of her.

9.  December.  It was a month full of amazing 40th birthday celebrations that I will treasure and carry with me for a long, long time.

How about you?  What are you thankful for in 2012?

Lessons of 2012

As I look back and read over my journal and calendar from this past year, there were some obvious and reoccurring themes.  That's the way it tends to be with me.

Here are (in no particular order) some lessons I have learned (and continue to learn) as a mother, wife, daughter, sister, friend, leader and precious child of God.

Let me just add that many were learned the hard way :)

1.  God is trustworthy.  I will wait on him.  In the "land between",  He is present, good and faithful.  I will tether myself to his faithfulness.

2.  Assume the best and not the worst of people.  Love always trusts (1 Corinthians 13:7).

3. Don't overreact.  Or blow things out of proportion.  Nothing good comes about as a result.

4.  Practice radical self care.  And compassion toward myself.  I can be way too hard on myself at times.

5.  Be brave and courageous.  "We have to be braver than we think we can be, because God is constantly calling us to be more than we are"  Madeline L'Engle

6.  Love myself.  Part of loving God is loving myself (ties into #4).

7.  Laugh.  Often.

8.  Eliminate hurry.

9.  Get lots of rest.  Fresh air too.

10.  Let my yes be yes and my no be no.  Say what I mean.   Mean what I say.

11.  Be ruled by love and not fear.  Don't make decisions out of fear, obligation or guilt.

12.  Let the kingdom of God be my priority.

13.  Speak words of life.  Words have power.  Lots of power.  Guard my tongue.

14.  Refuse to be offended.

15.   Don't tell stories that are not mine to tell.

16.  Choose to be a person of clarity.  Communicate.  Communicate.  Communicate.  Over communicate if necessary.

17.  I can only be responsible for myself.

18.  God has not given me a spirit of timidity.  Rather, one of power, love and a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7).

19.  Be faithful in the small.

20.  It takes humility to receive compliments.  Practice humility.

21.  Practice the discipline of celebration.

22.  Tune my ears toward heaven.  Listen.  Yearn for the whisper of God.  Act on the nudges and whispers of the Holy Spirit.  Recognise and starve the enemy's whispers of lies, doubt and destruction.

23.  The best gift that I can give someone lacking in self awareness is awareness.

24.  Stand up for those who have no voice.

25.  Build my spouse up.  Especially in public.

26.  Be true to myself.  Listen to and honour my gut.

27.  Start my mornings right.

28.  God cares about my dreams.

29.  God alone is my provider.  Where God guides, He provides.

30.  Seek and you will find.  If you look for things to be thankful for, you will find them.  If you look for things to complain about, you will find them.

31.  My voice matters.

32.  I crave silence and space.

33.  It's important to renew my mind daily.

34.  My hope comes from God alone.

35.  Live in the light.

36.  Choose to be present over perfect.

37.  It's better to do something poorly than not to have done it at all.


So, there you have it!  What is one lesson you have learned (perhaps repeatedly) in 2012?

Favourite Christmas Music

One of my favourite things about Christmas is the music.

We put up decorations, a tree and outside lights.  We send cards and decorate gingerbread houses.  We love Christmas around here.  But it's Christmas music that I really love.   Pretty much as soon as Hallowe'en is over, I gradually incorporate Christmas music in our day to day lives.  I sneak it in before my family can even realize what I am doing :)

For me, it creates so much anticipation as I approach Christmas.

I also smile and remind myself that I grew up in a family where music was a huge part of our lives.  My Dad is a lover of music (that's putting it mildly) and there was rarely a day growing up that we didn't have some kind of music playing in the house...on a record player in my early years, a cassette in my early teen years and then CD's took over somewhere around the middle of my high school years.  Everything from The Beatles to Duane Eddy to Van Morrison to Johnny Cash and beyond...

Christmas was no exception.  Music played a big role.  When I think of Christmas growing up, I think of music, the smokey smell and crackling sound of a fireplace and shortbread.

Some of my all time favourite Christmas songs/albums are:

1.  Amy Grant.  I love Amy Grant Christmas albums, the first one (A Christmas Album) in particular.  I mean, who doesn't love "Tender Tennessee Christmas"?  This album makes me think of high school.  Every year I pull out that album and feel 17 again:)

2.  Happy Christmas (War is Over) - the Alarm ( 1991 Cover).  This song takes me back to Belfast, Northern Ireland, 1991.  I was at school in the U.K. for eight months and spent three of my most-favourite-weeks-ever with my relatives in Belfast.  This song was playing everywhere at that time.  In restaurants.  Outside as you shopped in town.  In Castle Court (or as we would say, the mall).  Every time I hear this song, I smile and time stands still for a moment.

3.  I watched  White Christmas for the first time when I was in university.  I fell in love.  Pretty much ever since, it has become a tradition to watch it every year.  My girls even love it.  Bing's version of the song is obviously one of my favourites.

4.  O Holy Night is my hands-down, all time favourite Christmas Hymn.  

5.  My church together with another local church put together this amazingly creative and worshipful CD.  So proud of them.  Just beautiful.  You can download it for free here.

6.  I know I'm about a decade behind, but I have just started listening to Sarah McLachlan's, "Wintersong" album  and I love it.  It's quickly becoming a favourite.

I'm sure there are more, but these are the ones that came to my mind first. How about you?  I'd love to hear.   What is one of your favourite Christmas songs/albums?

Practicing Gratitude

I realized it's time I paused and recognized all that I am grateful for in this particular season.  Ever needed to do just that?

Here are a few things I am grateful for:

1.  Beth is all about writing short words and she's on an absolute roll with writing.  I receive daily "love notes" from her and trust me, they never get old.

2.  I loved waking up to sunshine this morning.  What a gift.

3.  An afternoon hike today with dear friends (which included some family photos being taken!).

4.  This past week we had parent-teacher interviews.  I was reminded afresh that our girls have the most outstanding teachers.  Really fantastic people.  I'm beyond thankful.

5. The new Food and Drink magazine that my neighbour picked up for me this week.


How about you?  What are you thankful for today?

Jumping in Puddles

I went for a hike last week with Beth and was struck by the fact that my girl couldn't avoid a puddle for the life of her.  It was as if those pink boots of hers were drawn like a magnet to every puddle in her path.  Even the small ones.

I loved watching her.  I was in awe.

It made me long for a childlike spirit of adventure.  I wanted to recapture the five year old in me.

Ever felt that way?

I couldn't help but think that as I get older, I go out of my way to avoid puddles.  I go out of my way to avoid mess.  In the process, I miss out on adventure.  I miss out on the freedom of living in the moment.  The joy of fully embracing life.

It's no secret that these days that I am missing my girl tons.  She's at school full days now.  I never expected to feel like this.  No one is more surpirsed than I am.  The truth is I'm kind of lost without her around.

There's a part of me that doesn't want Beth to grow up.  I guess maybe I just don't want her to stop jumping in puddles.

I hope along that way that I can learn from her.  Learn more of what it means to fully embrace life and find joy in the simplist of pleasures.

Only God.

This evening, Steve and I are leading an 8 week marriage study in our home in the form of a "life group" through our local church.

As I've been thinking about and preparing for this evening, lots has been filling my mind and heart.  Excitement.  Fear.  Inadequacy.  Anticipation.  Hope.

I'm in a place today where I am so in love with Steve.

I've also been married long enough to know that these kind of feelings can change in the course of a day.  Literally.

I know that marriage and love and commitment has nothing to do with feelings, but let's face it - it's great when they are there.  Today they are and my heart is full.  I hope God gives me 60 more years with him.  I'm crazy about him right now.

Last night, Steve and I attended a reunion/celebration of a ministry called Youth Eventz that I was a part of in my teens and twenties.  This ministry played a huge role in shaping who I am today and was without question the catalyst that God used to draw me into a relationship with Him.  I am forever grateful for this ministry.  For  the life change, leadership opportunities and friendships that came out of such an era.  Truly beautiful gifts.  Last night was a chance to celebrate all of that and give God all of the glory.

I've never gone to a high school reunion and so this would have been the closest big reunion type event that I attended.  Along with that comes lots of awkward conversations where you are catching people up on the last 10-20 years of your life in a matter of minutes.

Driving home, I was overwhelmed with God's goodness and faithfulness on a number of levels.  I couldn't help but think of Steve and I and what a miracle our marriage is.  Our road started out so rocky.  We came from such different worlds.  Our strong personalities clashed constantly in the early days.

As we chatted with old friends last night, the question came up, "how long have you been married?" and "how old are your kids?" and so on.  It occurred to me afresh that we can't take the credit for anything.  It's not like we can say that we did something outstanding to stay together and be in a place of deep connection today.  Nope.  Not even close.  It goes something like this:  Only God.  In our twenties, we were a mess.  It didn't take us long in our married lives to learn that if we were going to make it and thrive (not just survive), we had better surround ourselves with some great friends.  That was a huge prayer for us in the early days of our marriage and wow, did God ever deliver.  More than that, we came to the realization that without God at the center of our relationship and soon to be family, we were destined for trouble.  We hung on to Jesus with everything we had and we still do.  He was and continues to be our only hope.

Driving home last night, I was overcome with the abundance of his faithfulness.  Only God.

As I spend this afternoon preparing for tonight's life group, the irony is not lost on me.  I am thankful for and challenged by the gift of marriage.  I am in awe of God's faithfulness.  I am excited about learning and growing and laughing and maybe even crying with new friends around my living room in  the next 8 weeks.  I'm excited about what Only God can do when we give Him the chance.  I want to keep on giving Him the chance...

October Links

Welcome to October.  Turns out I like fall way more than I remembered!

It's been ages since I've blogged, and I really have no excuse other than the fact that this fall has been all about me adjusting to and embracing a new reality.  More on that to come....still processing:)

Here are a few of my faves as of late:

Vision Night - This is one of many, many reasons why I love my local church.  Total high point of this fall.  Unforgettable.

This quote from this post pretty much sums up why I chose to blog in the first place:  "there will always be enough beauty, enough hope, enough good, if we decide to be people who are always on the lookout for it.  I want to use my voice to bring light and hope and beauty.  I want to search for what’s good, and shout about that."  Shauna Niequist

Something about this blog post made me smile and feel all warm and fuzzy inside.  Maybe it was this quote:  "But mostly, home is...Feeling loved not despite my vulnerabilities and imperfection but because of them.  Always knowing there’s a place where I belong. No matter what. Never needing to shrink or play small when I’m proud of an accomplishment and never needing to puff up when I’m struggling."  Brene Brown

Out of my desire and prayer to use my time and energy well, I am going to give this a try.

I can't wait to read this book.  It's been ordered.  I even talked some friends into reading it with me :)

Lastly, this week I've been watching bits and pieces of the documentary on PBS entitled, Half the Sky.  Hard to put into words.  Gripping.  Devastating.  Empowering.  Inspiring.  It's a must watch.  Especially if you are a girl.  Or have daughters.  Or if you know a girl.  You'll also want to check out www.halftheskymovement.org.  I can't stop thinking about what I'm learning.

Have a lovely Thanksgiving!

4 Reasons.

 4 Reasons why I am loving September:

• Parenthood is back on for a 4th Season.  Love the Braverman's.  
• Honey Crisp Apples are in season. I am dying to buy my first bushel. 
• Boots, scarves and sweaters.
• Windows are open.  No more air conditioning running 24/7.

How about you?  What are you loving about September?

Back to School

As you know, I loved summer.

And now, I am loving the routine of back to school.  This is my first school year ever where all three girls are in school all day.  Wow.  It's kind of surreal.

When my girls were wee, I couldn't even imagine what this would look or feel like.

I can hardly put into words what I am feeling this week, but here are a few main themes:

• Shock.  How did this happen so fast?  Seriously, weren't they all just in diapers?
• Scattered.  I don't even know where to begin or what to do first.
• Breathing deeply.  Feels amazing.
• Margin.  It feels so great to have margin in my day and in my calendar.

Honestly, most of the time, I feel giddy.  Ecstatic.  It feels great.  I'm not going to lie.  I know things could change for me in an instant, but for today and for this week, I am breathing deeply and loving the month of September:)

I have to say, our girls attend a fantastic school with great kids and teachers.  That makes a big difference.  No question.

Here they are on the first day:

Here's Beth on the second day.  Honestly, she is so cute I can hardly stand it.  At moments like this, I don't ever want her to grow up.  I call this her "sporty spice" look:)

In other news, we are 4 for 4 in making school lunches the night before.  That's right, the girls are making their lunches the night before.  All I can say is that this simple change has been life altering and I can't believe we didn't do this sooner.  No tears.  No stress. No yelling.  Mornings have been redeemed.

How has the first week of school been for you?

September Links

Every parent will want to read this post.  Especially if you're sending little ones (or big ones) off to school.

I can't wait to try this recipe.  (thanks Christa!)

Shauna Niequist's newest book can be pre-ordered.  Yay!

I scored big points by making my husband these last week.   They're sooooo easy. They were super delicious, but next time I think I will try these ones ( because they have even more cocoa in them and that matters around here).

Check out these chore charts.  Do you use chore charts in your home?  I just downloaded #8 to use in our home this fall.   Now, I just need to purchase some fun stickers:)

Lastly, if you are thinking about giving a kiva loan, check out this opportunity.

Happy Labour Day weekend, friends!

p.s.  This gluten free blog is on my reading list for fall.  I so need to find gluten free recipes that I can bake for my family.  Since I have gone gluten free, I have deprived them of all things baking.  That needs to change this fall.  Thanks Vicky for passing on this blog to me :)

Soaking Up Summer - Part Three (the final installment)

I'm in the home stretch now as far as summer goes.  Totally gearing up for all things school related.  Consider this the last installment of soaking up summer.

Here are are few more ways that we soaked up summer in 2012:

This photo is an old photo (from July Long weekend).  I came across it recently and remembered how much I liked it.  This was also back in the early days of summer when I still blow dryed my hair!

Camping:

Campfires, smores and pie-irons.  

Beach Time.

All things breakfast.

Sleepovers.

This summer, Beth is in the process of learning to ride a two-wheeler:)

Watching the sunset.  One of my favourite parts of camping.

I love the annual traditon I am a part of - a day of canning peaches with 3 lovely friends.  What a great day of hard work and fantastic conversation.  I look forward to it every year!

Watching Steve re-live his youth at the pool.

One of our absolute hightlights this summer was that Beth became a swimmer!  She passed her "deep end" swim test at our local pool in July and has been going strong ever since.  We are super proud of her and she is delighted with herself.

At Safari Niagara last week, Grace and Eva fed a giraffe:)

No question, we've loved summer!

Now.....we're ready for September:)

An honest moment.

I love summer.  Everything about it.  We've had a great summer, but this week all of that has changed.  It's like I've hit a wall.  Everything in me is ready for school to start.  And I mean everything.  Out of nowhere.  It's funny how things can shift so quickly.

Maybe it's because my house is upside down and I've stopped making my bed or any other bed for that matter?

Maybe it's because I realized that I have actually only blow dried and styled my hair a handful of times this summer?

Maybe it's because all of a sudden I'm falling apart at the seams?

My confession is that I am craving routine and order and a clean house and time for me.

Please tell me that I am not alone!

I've loved summer, but right now I am in survival mode and counting down the days till September 4th.  Anyone else with me?  Teachers are my heroes :)

August Links

These days, my girls and I are all about sock buns.  Thanks Jess :)

This post was just what I needed to read after having my girls home all summer.  I was kid-free for a span of 24 hours this week, thanks to my sister-in-law and I had forgotten how easy it was to have a clean house when no one is home!

This is my new favourite salad.

I loved this honest and beautiful story about adoption.

Lastly, if you are following Lydia's journey, you know there is much to celebrate.  Lydia is a friend of Grace's from camp and although I don't know Lydia or her family personally, we have some mutual friends and I have prayed for and followed their journey very closely.  Prepare to be touched, deeply.


Enjoy the last days of August!  Read anything great lately?

Fall Goals

On Sunday afternoon, we arrived home from a fantastic week of camping.  It was wonderful to be away and wonderful to be back home too.  Just the way it schould be.

The evenings cooled right down while we were camping and it felt great to snuggle in close by the campfire and wear cozy flannels to bed.  I have loved this summer and been intentional about savouring it, but something about camping got me thinking about and gearing up for fall.

Over breakfast on Monday morning, my friend Alison and I got to chatting about fall goals.  Our conversation made me want to commit to writing down some goals in a way that makes me take them seriously.  I'm the type that if I don't set goals and write them down, they just don't happen.  I always like to throw a few easy-to-attain goals in the mix.  That way I feel an immediate sense of accomplishment, but that's just me:)

Here are a few of mine.  They are in no specific order.

• Take a photography course.
• Back up all of my current photos.
• Meditate on and maybe even memorize Isaiah 58
• Get in shape.  Walk regularly.
• Organize my spice cupboard.
• Improve posture (this one is for you, Leah)
• Buy a pair of coloured jeans :)
• Silent retreat for a day.
• Family bike ride along the canal path.
• Work on and improve my listening skills
• Mail a letter to Sonia, our sponser child through World Vision
• Sew blinds for my family room (thank you in advance, Emma!)
• Finish off our new mudroom that we began in the Spring.
• Embrace conflict and differences of opinion.
• Ask really great questions.
• Critical thinking without being critical.
• Try out some gluten-free recipes for cookies, muffins and so on.  Since I have gone gluten-free this past spring, I have deprived my family of all things baking.  

Enough about me.  How about you?  What are your fall goals?  Post a list of attach a link.  I'd love to read them!

Morning Prayer

Earlier this spring, my parents were helping a friend move as she was downsizing her home.  This friend of theirs is an individual who loves to learn and had a tremendous collection of books which reflected her curiosity for life.   I was fortunate enough to be given the chance to look through a number of the boxes of books, which included everything from cookbooks to gardening books to fiction to theology to spiritual direction to psychology and more!  

One day as I was going through the books, this little piece of paper with a typed litergical prayer fell from the pages.  As I picked it up, I was drawn to it.  Immedietly I was drawn to the simplicity, beauty and depth of this prayer.  This summer I have gotten into the habit of starting most days with this simple prayer.  It has been so life giving to me and often verbalizes what I cannot put into words.  

Come, Holy Spirit

Replace the tension within us with a holy relaxation.

Replace the turbulance within us with a sacred calm.

Replace the anxiety within us with a quiet confidence.

Replace the fear within us with a strong faith.

Replace the bitterness within us with the sweetness of grace.

Replace the darkness within us with a gentle light.

Replace the coldness within us with a loving warmth.

Replace the night within us with your light.

Replace the winter within us with your spring.

Straighten our crookedness.

Fill our emptiness.

Dull the edge of our pride.

Sharpen the edge of our humility.

Light the fires of our love.

Quench the flames of our lust.

Let us see ourselves as you see us

That we may see you as you have promised

And be fortunate according to your word.

Blessed are the pure of heart, for they shall see God.

This prayer has been a lifeline of sorts to me this summer.   A real unexpected gift.