It's Been 3 months!!

Time flies by and I didn't even realize that 3 months had gone by without a single post.  I'd like to say it's because nothing exciting has happened by that's not true.  Life has been super busy with sports for the kids, packing for moving, and me being sick almost all of those 3 months!  We are moving in less than a month and are kind of excited.  We're just moving down the street but it's going to be a brand new house, so that's exciting.  It is only a rental property so I won't be doing too much extra to be making it my own home. (Other than window coverings and wall things and perhaps some new furniture items???  That will depend on what hubby decides:)  I have been super sick this winter...3 bouts of bronchitis, stomach flu, inner ear infection and strep.  I have decided that I cannot volunteer in my child's class too often anymore.  It was always 2 days after volunteering that I got sick.  I was helping out every week so I rarely had a chance to get better before I was sick again!  Now since I've been out of school for a few weeks, I'm not sick anymore.  I guess it'll only be special occasions and lots of vitamins before I help out again:)

My Walk With God

Praise the Lord for what He is doing in the hearts of believers!  Our small group has been studying the walk of the first disciples.  How encouraging! To think that they were the most unlikely of the bunch, in fact Timothy was one of the chosen ones and he was an outcast to the people at that time because his mother had him with someone other than her race.  He was chosen...among other unlikely people.  I am so encouraged that God does not need my perfection but how he longs to have throne in my life and do what he does best; transform hearts.
In my personal growth reading, I have been using the Daily Bread as well as reading "Flying Closer to the Flame" by Charles Swindoll.  The funniest thing is that this book goes along with our Bible Study material.  I love how God organizes those things!  I had nothing to do with that...after all I go to the thrift store to pick up my reading material for the winter.  Usually I choose a not-so-easy to read book although this one is a fairly easy read.  It just has a lot of content so reading it over time gives me the best results.
My spiritual goal is to put God in the place that he deserves and also learn to trust Him more fully!

Short and Sweet Vacation

My sister and her hubby live in South Dakota.  It's kind of in the hub of all the tourist attractions of the area.  We have had a lot of fun with this.  Almost every time we go out there, we try and see something.  This particular picture was taken at Devil's Tower in Wyoming.  The boys are all old enough that we could take the 1.5 mile hike around the base of the tower.  They sure had a good time!  They were running all over rocks and boulders while the adults stayed on the path.  It's really hard to tire them out:)  The problem with this for Wes is that the elevation is so high that he has trouble with his breathing and heart rate so we have to be a bit careful.  We had such a fun time exploring and visiting.  The 2 days were just too short!  We also visited the Air and Space Museum as well as Flag Mountain.
The boys really enjoyed the different types of planes and history at the museum.  Flag mountain was super steep and I almost freaked out.  The boys thrived!!  Aahh!!

I Love the Scripture

Here's why:  This past week Curtis had his tonsillectomy and I was busy.  Running to get him freezies, popsicles, ice cream, slurpees etc....you get the point all the while trying to keep this sugared kid calm so the bleeding doesn't start!  Needless to say, there was hardly any spare time, and so my Bible collected some dust.  By the end of the week I was feeling dry!  I knew I only had a few moments and so I quickly tried to memorize a verse from Psalm 143:8.  It says,"In the morning I will seek your word for my soul rests in you. Show me the way I should go for I have put my trust in you."  At Women of Faith this past weekend, I was challenged to memorize this verse.  As I was reading this verse over and over, it really came to life!  I love how I am asking God to take me where He wants me to go rather than me having Him tag along!

Recent Happenings...

Isn't it funny how life has a way of getting away on you.  Here I am blogging after 5 months and it feels like much longer.  Here's a quick update on the last few months.  I have been working, a lot.  In fact for awhile I was working 3 part time jobs and so the parenting was left up to Wes.  It was an experience.  I think it was good for me.  I will likely never take Wes for granted as far as how hard he works for our family.  Currently I am working one permanent part time job and another one only as a substitute.  I am enjoying this pace a lot more.

This year my oldest son hit Junior High.  WOW!  I am getting old...aahh!  Even still, I am really enjoying the different dynamics that brings.  We have sporting events to attend and a lot of new topics to discuss.  I love having the spiritual discussions with my kids.  Youth is definitely the starter of these conversations.  Sam said, how come the youth leader always tries to stump us with questions?  I am thrilled at that.  I am also hoping that this makes my son realize that he has to walk his own walk of faith.  That transition is one I pray happens with all my kids!  I do not want them to have a stagnant faith.

As you notice, the picture on the top is us practicing volleyball with Sam.  The picture is dark because i had to use my kids camera!  Mine is broken!  It happened in the last month somewhere.  I used it in summer and hauled it out last week just to find it won't take pictures anymore.  It's a battery issue but I do realize it is 6 years old and probably feels exhausted:)  I will have to buy a new one shortly.  There are just so many to choose from that I have no idea what to buy.  I know that my next camera needs to snap pictures faster than this one.  I guess most cameras will have been improved since 6 years ago so maybe I won't have to look specifically for that feature.

Updates on the Kids...

Sam:  He's matured a whole lot these past few months.  His understanding of life is getting bigger and long-term consequences seem to be a bit more real.  He broke a jar of banana peppers yesterday (in the fridge).  I was fortunate to have to leave at that time so Dad got to clean it up:)  He is enjoying school and is really looking forward to earning money together with his younger brother by mowing lawns for others. 

Lucas: Well he is definitely a Grade 4 student.  He is starting to challenge the Bible because a Science book wouldn't lie would it???  I have a love/hate relationship with this age group.  I love it because they are becoming quite a bit more independent but are also quite obnoxious and in your face.  For example:  If I am ever talking to anyone about anything, he always buts in and corrects me or just adds his own version of the story.  Now that I am not a first time Mom, I realize that with correction, this too shall pass.  I am so excited!  Academically, Lucas shines!  He is a great speller and fantastic at numbers.  He is super excited to be switching schools this next year.

Curtis:  Well he's actually been a little annoying lately.  I think maybe it's a part of growing up or just that he's strong-willed.  He has been challenging everything I say and always waits till I tell him what his punishment will be before he listens.  Sometimes I have to deliver!  Other than that, he is reading where he needs to be, finally!!  He is learning about 15 spelling words per week and doing fairly well at that.  Curtis' favorite part about school is friends.  He is a social butterfly and has tons of friends!  My favorite part about Curtis is how much he loves to play.  He went into his room the other and says, "oh boy, I haven't played with this or this or this in a long time.  Mom are we home tomorrow that I can just play with these things?" 

1,2,3...

Well the census is fast approaching again!  It seems like we just filled out those papers.  This year I will take a different approach to this.  I got myself a job counting people:)  There is some class time involved so I can learn what I am supposed to do.  I am excited to get some more experience to put down on my resume!  As to what this job entails I have yet to find out.  I guess that will make the month of May super busy!  Thankfully my hubby is very good at taking care of things while I am occupied elsewhere. 
I am thrilled to be doing something new and will be anticipating a nice pay check with which I hope to put away for either vacationing or camping or both! 

How time flies...

Oh the wonderful joy of spring is here!!!  I don't know if I've ever been this excited about it.  This past winter was so long and with so much snow, that I could hardly bear it.  I know we choose to live here and I should be grateful for all the things that don't happen here...such as earthquakes, tsunamis and hurricanes...but none the less now that spring is here I am rejoicing!
I met a lady a Wal-Mart the other when I was shopping for new rubber boots and I guess she could tell that I was debating about getting the tall ones or the shorter ones.  She looks and me and and says, "it doesn't matter which kind you get they will always be an inch too short!"  I had a good chuckle at that one.  "Booter" is the term my kids use when the the water comes over the top.  You would not believe how very proud they are when they don't get one!
Life has a way of speeding up for me in spring.  I am looking forward to working a bit more again.  I will be spring cleaning at the college again.  This keeps me busy for most of the summer.  The kids and Wes are so anxious to go camping.  It is not my favorite pastime partly because of all the work involved but also I don't enjoy fishing at all.  I need to find a hobby that can take up the time that they like to fish. (a portable hobby)  I have thought that it would be a great time for me to scrapbook but I am thinking that the humidity would not be great for the pics and they would probably blow away!
We (ladies group) are 3 weeks from being done our Beth Moore Bible study.  It has been a great experience for me personally.  I find that the Word has become my treasure once again.

So here we are, 2 months into the  house being up for sale and nothing:(  We've had 6-7 showings all to no avail.  I think I am okay with it actually.  I'm okay for now anyway.  Someday I would love to move to a home that is slightly larger to accommodate for family friendly events as well as hosting church events.  Until then, contentment is what I choose.

I have been extremely busy this month with work and I am thoroughly enjoying it!  I feel productive and like I am contributing financially.  Spring break is just around the corner, and I am so looking forward to being able to sleep in and catch up on some household things that are falling behind as well as catch up with the kids.  (Playing games, having people over, cooking for fun and baking for fun!) 

Today I also got an interview for helping in the Canadian census.  I am really excited about it because it gives me a chance to gain experience in what I have never done before.  The chance to earn a little extra money is also intriguing me!  I am hoping that this can get put away for a vacation in the fall or next winter.

I realized the other day that I had not taken a picture since Christmas and was a little appalled at myself.  These kids are growing up right before my very eyes and I am not taking in the memories with my camera. So there will be no new pics on the blog for a little while as I am hoping to catchup with this during spring break as well!

Hoping it's not all for Nothing...

Today we have our 3rd showing and the 4th is in the morning!  I am feeling at little overwhelmed at keeping the house in order at all times.  I am thankful these 2 showings are so close together because it then it feels like there's less to do in between!  Part of me is excited to move on and yet some of me has reservations...like how will this change our lives financially or is this move going to be the right one for our family?  Our kids are now very excited at the thought of moving...it only took them 2 months or so.  I guess from their perspective, this house is all they know in their lives.  I am noticing that I have an uneasy stomach most days due to the stress of it all.  God has really been a big part of this journey.  First of all, He loves us unconditionally no matter where we are in life and He knows what's best for us.  We are totally ok with whatever comes of all this! 

Here's some scripture that I have encouraged my kids to read this past week:  Psalm 133:1-3
"How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity! It is like precious oil poured on the head, running down on the beard, running down on Aaron's beard, down upon the collar of his robes.  It is as if the dew of Hermon were falling on Mount Zion.  For there the Lord bestows his blessing, even life forever more."
Mostly I wanted them to understand the blessing of unity according to scripture but also that the scriptures talk to brothers (likely brothers in Christ) but that they can have that blessing in their own lives!

Field trip to the Mint and the Legislature...

On Friday when it was about -36 degrees Celsius, I went along with a very bumpy bus ride to a grade 4 field trip.  It was a blast!  I was dressed for the weather but somehow my face still burned at the end of the day.  The mint was actually sort of a boring thing to look at but our tour guide was incredibly intriguing!  That guy totally made the entire visit a blast.  I don't have much interest in how things are made but thanks to Lucas who remembers the details and could fill Wes in at the end of the day!  We had lunch at the legislature building.  I don't think I have been there before and so the building was really interesting .  We had the tour which was also very well done and learned many facts about the building.  Did you know in fact that the project manager at the time of construction actually stole materials from the building supplies to build his own home?  He was arrested before completion but needless to say there is an apartment building 3 blocks away, named after this Thomas Kelly guy.  It's called Kelly apartments.  He was sentenced to 2 years in prison and restitution of $1 million.  He ended up only paying back $30 000 and serving his sentence.  This story was really the highlight for all the students.  Of course the story of the golden boy was quite incredible too.  Did you know that he weighs 3000 lbs?  He was fixed up in 2002 due to the anticipation of a visit from the queen!
This field trip is one of my favorites that I've been to in a while.  (My fave of all time was the Royal Winnipeg Ballet!) 

Did You Know...

that with anticipation comes the ever dreaded stress?  I don't know if I really like the combination of emotions that I've been having.  We have decided to try and sell our home.  I look forward to things yet to come but am very afraid of what might not happen...like for instance if the house doesn't sell.  I don't know why it makes me feel so anxious.  I suppose having lived here for 10 years plus could do that to me!  When we were thinking about this decision we kept in mind a few things; the mortgage, living within our means, and expanding without becoming greedy. I find myself living in a very materialistic world as you may have noticed by watching a few commercials or listening to people talk, but being conformed to the world isn't exactly my idea of joy!
We have put all of this into God's hands and we will choose to be joyful regardless of the outcome.  We have checked out a house that we would love to live in but it already has an offer on it.  The contractor told us he could build us one like that in the summer if we were interested.  I am praying that I can have peace instead of worry and joy instead of fear!

Hi My Name is Lisa and I am Addicted to Christmas Baking...

For the sake of repeating myself, this will be my last post on food for a while, I promise! 

I have accomplished all of those items on my baking list plus a few extras.  The total where it stands now is 13 recipes!  Can you see what I mean when I say I am addicted?  I have one more favorite that I would like to make but would also love to try some Christmas candy or balls.  I am a little afraid of trying new things like that...  For Christmas dinner this year, we will be having a variety of deep-fried items.  I am looking forward to that because we never have that at home.  The menu will consist of deep-fried perogies & mozza sticks, chicken wings, and homeade cream of mushroom soup.  I will add a small fruit or veggie tray to that as well.  My recipe books are definitely my friends and do a lot of the talking at this time of the year:)  I hope to try a recipe for Toblerone swiss fondue.  It has brandy in it and seeing as I have never cooked with it before, it would be a shame to ruin such good chocolate, so I will have to do some more research before I begin.  Each year I think it would be a fantastic idea to host a Christmas party where I could try all sorts of appetizers...maybe some day.  All right, enough of the food talk!!

No Christmas Baking yet...

I was totally going to start my Christmas baking at the very beginning of December but it seems as if though life doesn't just give me a day to do but rather that I will have to plan for it.  Curtis has invited ALL the boys in his class to his b-day party for tomorrow so I will be baking and cooking for that but with hopes that there might be extra to put in the freezer!  He wants X-large monster cookies for his "birthday cake". He doesn't really like to eat cake so it seems easier for me.  I will decorate each cookie with M&M's to make a number 6 on the top.  Simple but fun hopefully!  I never know how to decide what to do with kids birthdays...I really just wanted Curtis to pick someone to take bowling and that would be the end of it but I also wanted the opportunity to meet the friends/parents of the kids he hangs out with so here goes! 

On another note I thought I might share my dream baking list:

1.  Grandma cookies (shapes with colored icing)

2.  Egg-free donuts (they turned out better than the ones with eggs)

3.  2 batches of Eat-more bars cause they are a serious favorite around here

4. Oh henry bars

5.  Mars bars

6. Chocolate peanut butter slice

7. Butter Bud cookies

8.  Monster cookies

IF I get these things baked and I have time leftover which I highly doubt, there are a few more recipes that I would like to try.  (Sugar cookies, chocolate crunch brownies and maybe a Krispie roll and puffed wheat cake)  I think that would be too much but I with all my family coming out, I hope to get rid of some!  I always try to make most of the recipes on the same day so I can freeze them as an assortment and then when I need to bring something that I can just grab it and go!

When I'm Bored I Cook...

I've been a little too bored lately....it makes me want to cook all the time.  We all know what kind of cycle that starts: Dirty dishes, sticky floors, more dirty dishes, extra love handles on the hips, etc...  I love cooking and by no means am I complaining about the dirty dishes because I am so thankful that we have food.  The new recipe I am going to try this week is Pasta e Fagioli soup.  We'll see how that turns out.  I got an amazing recipe from a friend for a different kind of Chocolate Chip Cookies.  They were amazing but only one of my kids will them because they are too chocolatey....can you believe...too much chocolate for a 11 and 5 year old?  It really boggles my mind cause when I was that age I could eat chocolate like there was no tomorrow.  Now I don't like it as much either and really when I discovered that, it was a sad day:(  Anyway, new recipes is a good thing for me to try when I'm bored although I am not sure if my family truly appreciates all the newness.  I must say though that they are troopers with all the stuff I put in front of them to eat.  My pickiest eater is....ME.  So I get to decide what we eat and I figure it's kind of a bonus for me!

Tomorrow I get to go shopping with my Mom and sister!  It is really the highlight of my week.  Mom is going Christmas shopping and we get to help. (Really it's Christmas shopping without spending my own money!) I know that I will have to start my own shopping soon...hopefully next week.  The kids gave us a great list!  I love how practical they are.  (New pajamas, a lamp, Lego, alarm clock were a few of the items)  Don't get me wrong, they would love the DSi Xlarge or something like that but we informed them that a purchase like that, they would have to save their own money.  We can't keep up buying new games for the systems that they already own!

Finding things to write about has been a bit challenging!  I figured I'd add a photo to brighten up the entry.  The boys are growing up so fast!  For the Remembrance Day program at school, Sam read a poem and it was evident that his voice is beginning to change.  It took me a bit by surprise but I suppose the journey is only beginning. 
Every once in a while, I take a peek in my own stash of books at home.  I found something I hadn't read in a long while.  It's called Cure for the Common Life by Max Lucado.  I figured as I enter a new phase with no kids all day, I need to learn more about myself.  When I come up with great revelations on how to do this, I will be sure to let you know!  Job hunting has not been going so well for me.  The past 3 weeks Wes and I have taken to doing a reno job to earn some extra cash for Christmas and and few other things.  It has been keeping us busy and for that I am so thankful!  It also helps me not feel bad that I don't have a job yet.  Sometimes I think that might just be the way to do things because we can accomplish far more financially when he works than if I work.  (I have to spend twice the time in order to make what he does!)  It does really put a strain on Wes though and I don't think that's good for him in the long run. 
Well that's all for now so maybe I'll add another pic for more color!

Today the weather is getting under my skin!  We have had rain for 3 days straight (lots of it) and today to top it off we have wind that could blow the North Pole right into my front yard!  It is ridiculous.  The weather somehow doesn't seem to motivate me to get stuff done.  I am thinking I should go out and apply for a few different jobs like maybe Canadian Tire or Sobey's or something like that. 

I was volunteering in  Curtis' classroom this week and I read with the kids.  It really astonished me how some kids can read.  One girl in particular had finished all the Grade 1 levels and is totally capable of reading chapter books even though they don't offer them in Grade 1!  Wow!  My Curtis is not nearly there and if fact I am feeling quite discouraged about the whole process because they get certain sight words home and he's had the same ones at home for 3 weeks and gets them right every single day but as soon as he takes them to school he gets nervous and flops on one of them.  I can't help him not be nervous at school but I am sick and tired of him not being able to learn new ones.  It feels like a waste of time!  The books he brings home are no challenge for him but they don't give him harder ones until the sight words are at a certain level.  SO I'm stuck.  I was reading Dr.Suess with him yesterday for extras and he did really well on some of it so I'm thinking we'll have to get some of those books to help us along.  I need to be patient at least that's what Wes tells me:)   

A little bored...

Today, I am BORED!!  They turned off the water for the morning and so that really limits house chores/showering.  So I am thinking of what I could possibly do to pass the time.  I thought I could go for coffee but I already have to go out 3 times this week so staying at home is just smarter.  On the weekend we rearranged our basement and gave the kids their own room.  (up till now 2 were sharing but 1 was complaining that the other snored too loud)  I suppose I could make my Christmas baking menu but it seems a little hasty.  I really should be racking my brain to think of good ideas for Christmas presents in an affordable sort of way:)  I have lots of ideas that cost an arm and a leg but their will be no such spending at our house this year! 
In a weird way, I am looking forward to winter.  When I was a kid, I LOVED winter.  All the sledding and snowmobiling were my favorite things to do.  Then when I got older and had kids and had to dress them all, that novelty sort of faded.  Now that the kids are a bit older, I find myself getting excited for it again.  (Yes i do realize how much harder it is on vehicles and older bodies such as mine:)  I also really, really enjoy baking and cooking in the winter! 

Some ramblings...

Grace Awakening by Chuck Swindoll is what I read over this last year. I have never had another book impact me the way this one did.  It has helped me to pray more for what I really wanted to become.  In my heart, I know that God has called me live in a way that honors Him.  It disturbs me that I don't think that I would totally be submissive to His calling for my life or worse that I don't feel like I have a calling besides mothering.  As the kids are getting older, I found that calling to motherhood has become more profound than it ever has been.  I feel like that is one area I want to screw up as little as possible.  In becoming a more gracious women, I sort of thought that I could pray for it and it would just happen to me.  I realized today that just like praying for patience, He doesn't just hand it out, rather, He gives you opportunities to practice.  Just like that I have been given countless opportunities to be a gracious woman.  My children have been that opportunity for me and so have other things in life that I have been pursuing and haven't been working out.  It seems like God is helping me to let go of things that I think are important and replacing them with His ideas.  Praise God that He never gives up pursuing all of our heart, soul, mind and strength.

About a Month Ago...

When the kids went back to school, I thought it would be a great idea to spring clean (fall clean actually) our house.  It is now Oct 4th and I have not started!  I just started noticing dust bunnies and dirty windows.  It sounds like a great idea but the thought of starting makes me feel overwhelmed.  I already organized all our closets which are probably getting messy again! 


So maybe just maybe I will start this week???