.... across the room to reminisce....

While many have recycled their Christmas trees and cleaned up all the decorations in order to turn a new page and ring in the New Year I am enjoying the quiet of my home, surrounded by all the Christmas decor I love so much. Today is my chance to relax and review all the busyness of the season in order to let the memories take root for recollection down the road.
There were some very special moments with our little family this year. There was good conversation, lots of laughs, squeals of delight, hugs and kisses of thanks, and we haven't even mentioned the food yet! Lots of it! Too much as usual!
We really do have royalty in our family. There are two little princesses usually decked out in tiara's, large sparkly earrings, necklaces, rings, and of course, high heeled shoes! There is play make-up too. Purses complete the brightly coloured outfits. They are so adorable! The boys are warriors, fighter pilots, and well, all things boy! The adults try to have meaningful conversation above the sounds of motor noises, clicking of heels on the hardwood floors, battlefield noise, little mommy and baby sounds, the Christmas Train, and 'silly songs', among others. There is dancing, twirling of big skirts, transformers and bionicle's being propelled throughout the house and occasionally a rousing game of ping pong downstairs!
Meals are usually rushed because some little person is usually REALLY hungry and needs food immediately! One of the princesses doesn't seem to think a prayer of thanks at the table is always necessary and spends the duration of the prayer hushing the "pray-er"!!
There is so much action and inter-action it almost makes my head spin! I love every minute of it. It's a different kind of tired. The kind that feels good!
We are so blessed with all the additions to our family of four. Our sons-in-law are second to none and those grandbabies become more precious to us every year! I think what I love most about my family is that our Christmas is about being together as a family. Although we always exchange gifts we all (except for the little ones) know that if there were no gifts we would want to get together just as much as we do when there are gifts to exchange. We are so thankful for God's unspeakable gift to us and know that without Jesus there would be nothing to celebrate.
It's been the best Christmas ever! Really!

...across the room to wish you a Merry Christmas....

I LOVE Christmas! I have ALWAYS loved Christmas! As I was growing up our home was filled with the aroma of fresh baked cookies and Christmas cake during the days leading up to Christmas. Mom loved to decorate the house and tree and often bought new decorations to add to her collection. There were shopping trips to Winnipeg and often Calgary for my parents and when they returned home there were strict rules about which closets we needed to stay clear of! My parents loved lavishing gifts on us at Christmas time. We did not generally receive gifts the rest of the year....I don't ever remember getting a birthday present from my parents until after I was married. It just wasn't done at our house. I think it made Christmas all the more exciting for us as kids. One of the first events I "noticed" my husband at was a Christmas Eve caroling party. I made sure I got to go in his car and eventually got to sit in front with him, in the MIDDLE (something I fought the friend I was with for!!... and won!!). Some years later, in 1970 to be exact, we were engaged on Christmas Eve! We have always made Christmas Eve our day of celebration. Most years we would attend the Service at church, come home to a dinner I had spent most of the day cooking and after dinner we would open our gifts. It has always been our special day. I don't ever remember Christmas being anything but happy and exciting! The first year I remember a change in our celebrations was when my little nephew passed away a month before Christmas. Next was the year my Mom passed away, again in November. Christmas changed quite drastically that year as we muddled our way through the family get together. This year again, in November, my sister passed away. It has changed my preparations somewhat again. There has been no panic to get anything done. I gave myself permission to do what I could or wanted to do and not stress about any of the preparations. I decided if I didn't get gifts bought, I could always give cash as a gift! My husband mused this week about the house looking perfectly decorated without all the usual fuss! I took that as a compliment! This month I have experienced some exciting fun filled days of shopping, and lunching with friends. I've also had days where I got nothing done because I felt the sadness coming back to visit me. It settles in like a rain cloud, stays for awhile and then empties out along with my tears to let the sunshine in again so I can get back to my holiday preparations.
My special memory of this Christmas will undoubtedly be that the JOY of that very first Christmas permeates my very being and no matter what happens all around me, to me, and in me, that JOY is there to stay. It is God's gift to me. It is God's gift to you if you care to receive it. The JOY is God's Son Jesus whose birth we are celebrating. He came to visit me many years ago. I invited Him in and when He comes in to your life He comes to stay permanently! He is my forever JOY!
May your Christmas be filled with His forever Joy as you celebrate God's indescribable Gift!

...across the room to see the light....

I just reviewed my last post and spent a little time "in it" to allow myself to remember what those days were like. Yes, I am speaking in past tense! This past week, Tuesday, to be exact, I remember clearly feeling a lightness in the very depths of my being and then realizing that the dark, heavy fog I had been in for the past while had lifted. That is not to say that the tears have stopped. I can say though that I know for sure that happiness has found it's way back into my life. I've felt mostly sadness for so long it seemed I had almost forgotten what real happiness feels like. This sadness was not a choice for I would have certainly chosen happiness had I been given the opportunity to chose. The sadness was something that came to visit me for a period of time. It was unwanted and unwelcome like an uninvited house guest who doesn't know when to leave. It stayed for as long as it took for me to do my heaviest grieving. Grieving is hard work. It wears you out physically, mentally and emotionally and it is so important to be able to take the time to do this properly. I am so fortunate to be able to put my life on hold to allow myself to experience this process. Initially it seemed that the only way to keep my head above water was to remember only the good, fun and humor and honor the life of my sister in that way. I would not be very real if I could not admit that there are other thoughts going through my mind that I have to consider if I am going to work through my grief. It seemed a little disrespectful at first but I had to face the fact that no relationship is perfect and that there are usually some regrets to be dealt with when we lose a loved one. The best thing to do is face them head on and not bury them to dig up later. I think it's a choice. We can feel sorry for ourselves, in some cases harbor unforgiveness, grow bitter over things we have no control over or we can chose to do what we can to come to terms with whatever may have been lacking and give our loved one the benefit of the doubt and go on with our lives. At the end of the day it would be good to be able to say that losing one family member was a good reminder to the rest of the family to draw a little closer, be a little kinder, more forgiving, loving and accepting and live in peace and harmony as if each day is our last.

...across the room to admit my condition....

This business of grieving is a perplexing journey. I'm not the sort of person who likes anything to drag on and on. I get so impatient just waiting for a flu or cold to run it's course so I can get on with life. Well, I've discovered that there is no way to hurry grief along and make it go away. It reminds me of giving birth to a baby. Once the contractions start they will not go away until the baby is born. So it is with grief. Once it starts it has to run it's course.
The perplexing part is that sometimes after a really dark day I might wake up the next morning feeling basically normal again. Then a florist shows up at the door with an amazing bouquet of white roses with one pink rose in the centre. I know what the pink rose is for and I lose it on the spot and cry myself a river of tears once again. Suddenly the loss is so fresh and so huge I feel like I'm carrying the weight of the world on my back. It is too heavy for me to carry that load and then God reminds me that He will carry it and He will also carry me. He has to because I feel unable to walk on my own.
Today I looked at a picture of my sister and for a moment thought "No, it can not be. She can not be gone." Then reality sets in again as I look around the house at the flower arrangements and cards from family and friends, and listen to the comforting music on CD from another friend and I know it is real. And so is this grief journey I am on. How long is this road anyway? From past experience it seems to me it goes on for a long time but eventually the pain subsides and we are left with the memories we love to cherish. But then I have never lost a sister like Jean before so I don't know how long this path is and where it will take me.
It is a lonely road since no one can walk it with you or for you. Yes I surround myself with family and friends who so obviously feel my pain but they cannot walk in my shoes. Our grief journeys are as unique and different as our personalities and relationships with one another. Just as dying is a solo flight, the grieving process is one we journey alone.
I can not imagine doing this without the support and understanding of my wonderful family and my awesome friends. They seem to know when to give me space, when to barge into my life, and when to let me know they are close by. It couldn't get any better than that! I am truly thankful!

...across the room to pay tribute to my sister...

Duane, Hayley, Brooke and Taylor, I consider it an honour to be allowed to pay tribute to your wife, mother and my sister today. Thank you for asking me. This may very well be the hardest thing I have ever done but I’m glad to have the opportunity to help us all reflect, remember and give thanks for the blessing of having Jean in our lives.

It seems to me there is something not quite right about the sequence of events when you have to say good-bye to a younger sister. I would have never believed that this would happen. I miss Jean so much. These have undoubtedly been some of the worst and most difficult days of my life.

I feel like Brooke did after she and her sisters finished writing the obituary when she cried and said “It doesn’t seem enough. There is so much more to say.” Where do I start and how do I end a tribute to such a special sister and how do you condense a life into a few minutes.

I guess I’ll start at the beginning. Since I am five years older than Jean, we did not spend a lot of time together growing up. Jean and Phillis were usually huddled together in their room playing while I followed Mom around the house. I’m sure that for most of our growing up years Jean probably remembers me mostly as her bossy older sister since Mom would sometimes leave me ”in charge” a privilege I took very seriously much to my sisters chagrin!

The little bit of playing together with Jean and Phillis earlier on consisted of dress-up and make believe play time. Dress-up included attaching long scarves to our heads to simulate long flowing hair, and inserting building blocks inside our shoes to create our version of high heels. We always pretended to go to church and we always had our baby dolls with us. I don’t remember doing anything in church other than looking at one another to see who was most beautiful in our dress-up clothes.

I watched my sister grow into a beautiful teenager and then into a lovely young woman. In no time at all she caught the attention of a very handsome guy and we could all see she was heading down a one way street all the way to Dalmeny, Saskatchewan! This past May she shared with me that when the honeymoon was over and she realized how far she was from family and friends she thought perhaps they could move a little closer to home. But when Duane explained to her that farming with his Dad is what he was going to be doing for a living she did what she had to do to come along side of him and make a life for her family in Dalmeny and what a wonderful life they have had!

I loved how Jean honored Duane by supporting him in every way possible. She immersed herself in the lives of her husband and daughters. And what a mother she was! Jean and Duane have done a remarkable job of raising three awesome daughters. The girls are the essence of their mother with many of their own qualities. You don’t have to spend much time with them to realize how commited their mother was to being there for them. You could not pry Jean away from her family with anything if she thought she needed to be home. There were times I would try to entice her to come to Alberta or go with me to Manitoba but most times she had family commitments at home and she honoured those. It was during these years of raising our families that our relationship morphed from being sisters to being really good friends as well. Our lives paralleled one anothers in many ways and we had much in common. We have enjoyed so many good times, laughs, and get togethers with Jean, Duane and the girls.

Jean, beautiful inside and out was a humble soul, unselfish and giving. A free spirit who loved adventure. She was stylish, artistic, talented, smart, a quick study, loyal and confidential. She was a wellspring of laughter and I’m already missing her quirkey sense of humour. I cannot tell you how many times she called to tell me something, all the while laughing and talking at the same time until I would interrupt her with “you are going to have to repeat that without laughing because I didn’t understand a thing you said” only to have her do it all over again, laughing throughout the entire story and leaving me to wonder whether I would ever find out what was so funny.

Shopping with Jean was never dull. I think one of our best shopping exursions was when Jean, Phillis and I were shopping for a hat for Jean for a special ocassion. Phill and I had our hats and we had about an hour or less to complete Jean’s outfit with a hat. She found one in a store at the Polo Park Mall in Winnipeg, but as usual we had to check every store in case there was something even better. We raced down to the opposite end of the mall into another store we knew sold hats. As we were looking at their hats we realized that Jean still had in her hand the hat from the first store. We wasted no time getting out of there and back to the first store where we found the sales lady waiting for us to bring her hat back to the store! Most times during our shopping trips Jean would find things for everyone else to buy. How often we heard her say “This would look great in your house” or “You need this to go with that green dress you have in your closet”. I’ve heard her daughters say more than once that they would often insist their Mom should buy something for herself and not just for them.

Jean pursued excellence in all that she did whether it was in her kitchen cooking for family and friends, decorating her home, sending a carefully chosen card, clothing her family, giving the perfect gift, or decorating her home for the holidays. Everything was done to the best of her ability and nothing was done half heartedly.

When we consider what stage of life Jean was at we might wonder why God would take her through this valley she has been in and then home to be with Him. Why now? She had everything to live for and so much to entice her to stay here. Her girls are all grown up, freeing her and Duane to do some traveling together and pursuing interests as a couple. Jean loved to celebrate and the future was pregnant with those opportunities. There are upcoming graduations, most likely some weddings, and later on possibly some grandchildren. Above everything else, Jean loved Jesus with the very core of her heart and made Him a priority in her life through the study of His Word, prayer and conversation. She looked forward to spending eternity with Jesus.

Stacy forwarded a little story about Jean to me that clearly explains Jean’s take on death and dying. “On November 13th our Mom passed away. When I called Jean to tell her that Mom was gone, she paused and said “Oh, she’s so lucky!” “Lucky?” I asked. “Yes”, Jean replied, “when I hear someone has gone to heaven, that is what I think. I think they are so lucky”. Jean, you said you had a beautiful lpicture in your mind of Mom in heaven holding Del on her lap. They were surrounded in beautiful light. And now you are the lucky one. And we have a beautiful picture in our minds of you reunited with them."

In May when I stayed in their home Jean knew she was sick and that every day was a day of grace. She told me “I know God is healing me right now. I do not know for how long but it doesn’t matter to me. However many days He gives me is fine by me because I trust Him completely.” She was a woman of faith and trusted God with her life. Literally! Those of us who knew Jean well know that she immersed herself in being the best wife and mother she could possibly be. While Jean was in the hospital so very sick and not getting better I found myself asking God “Why now? Why not heal her and let her stay for awhile longer?” Then I tried to see this situation from God’s perspective. He gave her some things to do here on earth. He provided a husband for her to love and care for and three daughters to raise. In our last few conversations I realized that these past five years were years of refining for Jean. She told me if she had not gone through this illness she would have never known or trusted Jesus as she could now. I have a feeling that God decided she had done everything He had given her to do and now it was time to reward her for the fruits of her labour. So He raised her up to be with Him for eternity.

I have watched Jean battle this terrible disease to become one of the strongest women I know. Her strong will, quiet determination and courage coupled with her steadfast faith and absolute trust in her heavenly Father allowed her to travel this road with grace, joy and contentment. Just the way she wanted it. Jean was an amazing woman and I am challenged and encouraged by her unwavering faith and trust in our precious Lord. She has been a great source of inspiration to me personally especially these past five years. Jean, you have been raised up as God promised you He would! Hallelujah!

...across the room for a beautiful sister...

I haven't been very faithful posting to this blog recently and thought I would just create a short blurb about what I am up to these days. This picture is of my beautiful sister Jean with my grandson Riker. At the moment Jean is in ICU and I am with her most of the time, taking turns with family to be by her side day and night. This is not an easy time for any of us, especially her three daughters and husband. When I came across this picture it simply reminded me of a time when she was not sick. She loves children of all ages and has devoted her life to raising three remarkable daughters. This week I have been reminded of so many wonderful times we have shared over the years and all the laughs we have enjoyed together. I wish I could hear her laugh again. It is what our family does best and there is often laughter coming from her hospital room. She would want it that way. I suppose it is our way of coping at a time like this. We are praying for divine intervention these days and having said that, we are also very sure that our God is sovereign, wise, all-knowing and as Jean said before she was admitted "in charge of all this"! We are resting in that thought.

...across the room to worship AGAIN!...

I thought I would re-post this since some of you had trouble reading it. Let's hope it works.
Something to chew on....

"Worship is the rationale of existence. It is the ground from which love emerges unique and strong, with convictions and reverence. Worship provides the posture of the heart and harnesses the inclination of the will. We stand together as a community before God, but we also stand in communion first with the triune God who himself is a Being in relationship. Only when holiness and worship meet can evil be conquered. For that, only the Christian message has the answer."
Ravi Zacharias

Worship is "the response of who we are to who God is" says L.T. Jeyachandran.

We were created for worship....for communion with God. It is all about God!
The Bible says that God is WORTHY to receive honour, glory and praise. Worthy to be worshipped simply because of who He is. It also says that we should offer our bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God. To me that means that I should worship God with my life. Every day. That includes everything I do and say. If that is so, then it would seem that when we all get to our respective Sunday Worship Service we bring our worship, our lives, with us. All of it...the good, the bad and the ugly! Joys and sorrows, pain any other junk! All of it together, Sunday Morning Worship!

I think worship has everything to do with our concept of who God is. Is my God up in the heavens somewhere or is He an intimate personal God. Through a study I did some years ago on worship I came across a statement by Dr. E. Stanley Jones who said "The Church is filled with Christian idolaters, for idolatry consists not only in kneeling before visible objects and giving them obeisance but also of carrying in our hearts a picture of God which is unworthy of Him." I need to get a clear SCRIPTURAL understanding of who God is before I can worship Him in spirit and in truth. Many have recently read "The Shack" which portrays God like I've never seen it done before. We can't expect any book other than the Bible to reveal the truth about who God really is and what He is like.

It seems to me the first time worship is mentioned in the Bible is when Abraham was commanded to sacrifice his son Isaac. God had promised Abraham many descendants so before he went up the mountain with Isaac he said "WE will worship and then WE will come back to you." He didn't seem to have any problem obeying God because he trusted God. It reminds me of Job who also trusted God as he falls on the ground and worships even after losing almost everything he has. We can't very well worship God in spirit and in truth if we don't trust Him. If we trust Him we won't feel the need to pretend. We will come to Him as we are, with all our pain, frustrations and disappointments in life to worship Him. I think this should not only be accepted but encouraged in corporate worship. Many of the Psalms in the Bible are laments that were sung by the Israelites and we too can admit to God how we really feel Sunday morning in church. We need a place of worship where we can be real. We should be able to worship Him IN the difficulties of life.

One aspect of worship that I think is missing a lot of the time is that our ultimate goal as Christians is to spend eternity in heaven. When I was growing up a very large percentage of songs we sang and messages we heard were about heaven. I must have heard the pastor say a million times how wonderful heaven will be. I hardly ever hear anyone talk about how wonderful it will be to get to heaven. We seem to be so focused on muddling through this life we have no time to consider the next life. Sad since heaven is our ultimate destination and life on earth is very short. I think our worship has to include the anticipation of eternity with Jesus. It helps us to focus on what is important in life here on earth.

OK...that's all I can manage for tonight. Hope it makes sense. This is turning out to be a great exercise for me right now and I'm glad and a little timid about sharing it.

May God bless you as you worship Him with your life this week!

Across the room to Worship, Part 2

Something to chew on....

"Worship is the rationale of existence.  It is the ground from which love emerges unique and strong, with convictions and reverence.  Worship provides the posture of the heart and harnesses the inclination of the will.  We stand together as a community before God, but we also stand in communion first with the triune God who himself is a Being in relationship.  Only when holiness and worship meet can evil be conquered.  For that, only the Christian message has the answer."

Ravi Zacharias

Worship is "the response of who we are to who God is" says L.T. Jeyachandran.

We were created for worship....for communion with God. It is all about God!

The Bible says that God is WORTHY to receive honour, glory and praise. Worthy to be worshipped simply because of who He is. It also says that we should offer our bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God. To me that means that I should worship God with my life. Every day. That includes everything I do and say. If that is so, then it would seem that when we all get to our respective Sunday Worship Service we bring our worship, our lives, with us. All of it...the good, the bad and the ugly! Joys and sorrows, pain any other junk! All of it together, Sunday Morning Worship!

I think worship has everything to do with our concept of who God is. Is my God up in the heavens somewhere or is He an intimate personal God. Through a study I did some years ago on worship I came across a statement by Dr. E. Stanley Jones who said "The Church is filled with Christian idolaters, for idolatry consists not only in kneeling before visible objects and giving them obeisance but also of carrying in our hearts a picture of God which is unworthy of Him." I need to get a clear SCRIPTURAL understanding of who God is before I can worship Him in spirit and in truth. Many have recently read "The Shack" which portrays God like I've never seen it done before. We can't expect any book other than the Bible to reveal the truth about who God really is and what He is like.

It seems to me the first time worship is mentioned in the Bible is when Abraham was commanded to sacrifice his son Isaac. God had promised Abraham many descendants so before he went up the mountain with Isaac he said "WE will worship and then WE will come back to you." He didn't seem to have any problem obeying God because he trusted God. It reminds me of Job who also trusted God as he falls on the ground and worships even after losing almost everything he has. We can't very well worship God in spirit and in truth if we don't trust Him. If we trust Him we won't feel the need to pretend. We will come to Him as we are, with all our pain, frustrations and disappointments in life to worship Him. I think this should not only be accepted but encouraged in corporate worship. Many of the Psalms in the Bible are laments that were sung by the Israelites and we too can admit to God how we really feel Sunday morning in church. We need a place of worship where we can be real. We should be able to worship Him IN the difficulties of life.

One aspect of worship that I think is missing a lot of the time is that our ultimate goal as Christians is to spend eternity in heaven. When I was growing up a very large percentage of songs we sang and messages we heard were about heaven. I must have heard the pastor say a million times how wonderful heaven will be. I hardly ever hear anyone talk about how wonderful it will be to get to heaven. We seem to be so focused on muddling through this life we have no time to consider the next life. Sad since heaven is our ultimate destination and life on earth is very short. I think our worship has to include the anticipation of eternity with Jesus. It helps us to focus on what is important in life here on earth.

OK...that's all I can manage for tonight. Hope it makes sense. This is turning out to be a great exercise for me right now and I'm glad and a little timid about sharing it.

May God bless you as you worship Him with your life this week!

...across the room to expose myself....

...to get real, that is.  I'm thinking that if I put my thoughts down on this blog for anyone to read it might help me to sort out this topic and come to a place of rest.  The topic? Corporate Worship.  I have no trouble worshipping God on my own or with some close friends just in case you might read this and wonder if I EVER worship.  Oh YES!  I HAVE to worship my God.  He is my life.  He is my everything and I love Him with all my heart and soul and strength.  When you are really passionate about something you just have to share it and I feel that way about God.  I want to worship Him corporately with my brothers and sisters in Christ. That is where my dilemma begins.  This issue has plagued me for a number of years by now.  Those close to me know this full well.  I have been confused, angered, extremely frustrated to the point of tears (OFTEN!) and completely aghast at the type of worship I have been seeing in churches wherever I go.  For the most part I have not liked, or enjoyed, or been able to participate fully in a worship service in a very long time.  This journey has been wracked with pain and disappointment.  I know... it is a sad state of affairs but it's not over yet.

Throughout my life, whenever I have experienced real difficulties, I have made it a policy of sorts to go back to the basics, or the beginning.  I go back as far as I have to in order to find a starting point so I can deal with what I know for sure.  Sometimes I struggle for a long time before I remember to do this.  This time it took me a lot longer than usual to finally get there!

It seems to me that any time I have struggled through something, nothing happens until I get to the end of myself.  To get to that place where I finally decide that nothing matters to me more than a solution.  I am willing to give up whatever I need to and I'm willing to do whatever it takes to resolve the issue.  I don't know that I've arrived yet but I do think I am beginning to see a path.  Where it will lead, I'm not sure.  I believe it will be to a better spot than where I am now.

Often people don't like to hear anything beginning with "Well, when I was a kid...." but this is my blog and that IS where worship began for me.  Sunday mornings we would get dressed in our best clothes and go to "Sunday WORSHIP SERVICE".  Never did it enter my mind that only part of that service was for worshipping.  Worship included singing, praying, scripture reading which was often done by parishioners, bringing tithes and offerings, a sermon and quite often a sharing time where we were encouraged to share what was on our hearts.    Prayer time often involved several parishioners praying audibly.  Singing was led or directed by either the pastor or a song leader.  He made sure everyone was joining in and he made sure we were aware of the words we were singing.  Many times the singing was stopped long enough for him to either give some background information about the song or the writer, or to ask us to think about the words we were singing and I remember how that changed the way we sounded.  Suddenly there was LIFE in the music.

During my teenage years we moved and consequently attended a new local church.  These people would often meet thirty minutes prior to the worship service for a sing song.  They loved music and they loved singing together.  This did not keep them from singing more songs during the worship service.  The singing was hearty and there was lots of it.  This I know for sure:  I absolutely loved Sunday Morning Worship Service!

I checked my online dictionary for the meaning of worship.  Some of what I found included...THE REVERENT LOVE AND DEVOTION ACCORDED A DEITY..., THE CEREMONIES, PRAYERS, OR OTHER RELIGIOUS FORMS BY WHICH THIS LOVE IS EXPRESSED; ARDENT DEVOTION, ADORATION, etc.

Obviously worship is all about God...

Keep checking back....this is only the beginning.

...across the room for the birthday guy again....

You simply haven't celebrated your birthday properly until there are some little people in the picture and today was the day.  We simply placed a token number of candles on the cake and tried to keep them lit long enough for a picture.  It wasn't easy as you can tell by the death grip on little Miss Rowan who firmly believes that all lit candles must be extinguished immediately!

Tonight we feasted on roast chicken and potatoes, BBQ roasted veggies, asian cabbage salad, and banana chocolate coffee cake.  The little bouquet of fresh flowers and basil is compliments of Miss Rowan who cannot keep her busy little hands out of my flower bed.    I think she did a nice job of of colours! 

It's been a fabulous week of celebrating this amazing man who we all love, cherish and adore. Thanks Michele, John, Declan and Rowan for coming out to celebrate with us just one more time!  I can't think of how to fill those cake baking hours this coming week!!

...across the room for the birthday guy....

I love to celebrate birthdays .... especially my guy's birthday.  He is happy with anything I arrange for his birthday, never asking for or demanding anything.  It's so easy and it makes me want to try harder every year to celebrate "properly".  So this year was an extra special birthday and by this morning I had baked my third cake.  The first one was to celebrate with his buddy whose birthday was Monday.  I brought this chocolate sheet cake with chocolate pecan frosting.  YUMMMMYYYYY!  Then there was the cake for the co-workers (at his place of work you bring the cake for your birthday and that way nobody is forgotten!!). Tonight I made a special dinner for him (BBQ New York Strip Loin topped with a jumbo cajun spiced prawn, mushrooms on the side, pan fried potatoes, asparagus with lemon dill sauce, and spinach strawberry salad).  I had to stall the dessert because I had invited some friends to join us for 'cake number three'.  The look on his face when friends Wayne and Celine showed up at the door and said "we just thought we'ld come over", meanwhile handing him a card was priceless. He still didn't realize they were invited.  The next couple Keith and Helen showed up on their Harley, making all kinds of noise outside but he didn't believe it was a motorbike....he thought he heard a helicopter!!  They came to the door asking if we wanted to join them for a ride on the bikes which he declined because our other friends were here.  By the time Brad and Lois arrived he had it all figured out.  What fun for me!!  They all helped us eat cake number three as we talked our faces off, laughed a whole lot and just celebrated one absolutely amazing person. Happy Birthday Baby!!

....across the room for the tail of the dragon....

Every year we spend a few consecutive weeks riding our motorbikes through a somewhat predetermined, hopefully foreign (to us) area in Canada or the USA.  Every year when we arrive back home we say the same thing "That was our best trip so far", and this year was no exception.

Crossing into the USA through Manitoba we headed east until we reached the Straits of Michilimackinac which divides Lake Michigan from Lake Huron.  We pointed our bikes southward and continued through Michigan, Ohio, and down to Kentucky.  Our best roads had to be through Kentucky and Tennessee and the picture you see here is at the end of a stretch of road known as "Tail Of The Dragon".  If we look a little worn out it's because this eleven mile road sports 318 curves, not to mention the hills and switch backs!  Definitely the most challenging ride I have ever done.  I'm surprised I have any footboards left on my bike for all the blacktop they had to scrape!

Whether riding the Smokey mountains, Kingdom Come Parkway, Cumberland Gap, through Arkansas, Missouri, Kansas,  or crossing the mighty Mississippi, wherever we rode the roads and scenery were unlike anything we had ever seen.  To top it off we were blessed with people like the lady fueling her truck while we were having a snack beside our bikes.  She stretched our her arm to us and hollered "I just prayed God's protection on y'all!"  Music to our ears!

Four weeks of pure bliss with the sun shining down on us almost every single day may be hard to beat next year but I can hardly wait to see what else is out there for us to enjoy!

PS...the other picture was taken in my favourite hotel bathroom, from the throne!!  A lake view is always nice but you just don't ever expect to see it from the bathroom!

...across the room for shattered dreams...

I can't believe I forgot to mention the book "Shattered Dreams" by Irene Spencer!  It was one of my favourite books this summer.  Another page turner.  I could hardly put it down long enough to ride to my next destination.  She is a polygamist's wife and tells her life story.  It really is a must read if you would like to find out what that is all about.  I can't wait for her next book.

I do not consider myself a religious person but I am very passionate about my faith in God and was reminded through this book that there are many people who feel very strongly about their religious convictions and will do almost anything to defend them...even things that they don't feel that good about doing.  When something is taught to children, re-enforced throughout their lives, it is difficult be freed of those teachings to make personal choices.  This is a good thing when you are taught Truth.  "Raise up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it" the Bible tells us. This book illustrates very well what happens to a person who is taught religion rather than Truth.

...across the room for some summer reading...

....ahhhh....those lazy days of summer beg to be spent with book in hand and so it was for me this summer again.  This is my collection of reading material these past two months.  I devoured "The Shack" by William P. Young in no time at all and loved it.  It's not that I agree with everything (do we ever, in any book?) but I did absolutely love his way of looking at the Trinity. Young wrote the book most of all to explain his long and painful journey of suffering and consequent healing to his six children.  I think he did it very well indeed.  The story is about a person who, like most of us at one time or another, asked the question "Where is God in a world so filled with unspeakable pain?"  If you can keep yourself from getting hung up on some of the controversial theology you can't help but love this book.   Next book I breezed through was "An Irish Country Doctor" by Patrick Taylor.  A most enjoyable read of the life and times of a recent graduate in a small town in Ireland.  Love his writing style.  "The Memories We Keep" by Walter Zacharius is a page turner about a young woman in Poland struggling to survive World War II.  I surprised myself at my response to the ending of this book.  Mia, the main character, re-connects with the man she always loved and could not forget.  She never married but he did and he also had a child.  In the end they get together for a three day passion filled weekend (it's gets pretty graphic!) and you find yourself being happy for them.  Then you remember that this man has a wife! ... and a daughter! ... at home and what business does he have behaving like he does not?  And what about Mia?  How would she feel if the shoe was on the other foot?  Such a great book spoiled by the ending!  Sorry but I just like people to be strong and do the right thing!  Next I read "Walking With God" by John Eldridge.  Some of it was a little tiresome but a good read none the less.  My favourite quote from this book was:  "The only safe place for my heart is in God.  Understanding or not, that is where I have to land".   Learning to hear from God and learning to talk to Him is what he focuses on in this book.  It's a kind of  'year in the life of John Eldridge book'.  I really related to a section titled "Make It Happen" because that is who I am and I'm always needing to step back and see what it is God is really asking me to do and more importantly, in what kind of time frame!  Mostly He seems to direct moment by moment and not "this I want you to take care of next Wednesday at 2:15 PM!!)  I'm glad I read this book.  Then I made my way through a book called "Crazy Love" by Francis Chan, subtitled "Overwhelmed by a relentless God".  There is no room for complacency in the life of a Christian.  He says that everything changes when you are wildly in love with someone and therefore if we love God "wildly" we will be living a very radical life with Him as our focus and final authority.  It's inspiring, thought provoking and yeah, even a little uncomfortable!!  Good timing for me to read this.  Finally, but not lastly, I read my Bible.  Not from cover to cover.  In fact, I concentrated on the Psalms.  Psalm 17 caught my attention this summer.  I noticed how confidently David prayed and why he could pray that way.  We often hear comments like "Yes, I prayed but..."  David says to God "I am praying to you because I KNOW you will answer, O God!"  How can he be so sure?  God has tested his thoughts and examined his heart in the night.  Wonder why he says 'in the night'?  Could it be because we think we can hide from God in the darkness?  That in the night He won't see those little secrets, those little sins we try to hide?  Things no one else could know about us?   David says that God has scrutinized him and found NOTHING wrong.  He knew that his relationship with God was clean.  He had kept his heart pure and he had not wavered from following God. His prayer came from HONEST lips.  This Psalm changed my praying this summer.  I enjoyed every book I read but none of them can hold a candle to God's Book, the Bible.  I LOVE to read it!

What did YOU read this summer?  

....across the room to re-connect again.....

I'M BACK!  I hardly know how to 're-enter' this blog after a five week hiatus.  So perhaps I should do a little mini series?

For today, just know my vacation has come to an end and I'm ready to connect with my friends and family.  I came home to a basil plant that looked like it had been feasting on a hormone diet and the ivy in the urn and surrounding foliage was unrecognizable as mine as well.  Our gardener once told friends of mine that not only did I not have a green thumb, mine are black!!  I'm so glad there are good people out there who can keep my plants alive while I tear around the country on my Harley without a care in the world!!

Next time I'll share with you my summer reading adventures so STAY TUNED!!

Summer doesn't last forever...

I've decided I'm going to take a break from blogging for the rest of the summer.  Time to do some reading, relaxing and riding; catch some rays and hopefully spend a little time in places like this!

Have a great summer and I'll talk to you in September.

...across the room for two year olds....

Grandparenting brings me back to my days of raising two bright energetic youngsters who drained me dry, ran me ragged, brought me to my knees, infused my very being with love and joy beyond measure, and taught me more about love than any book ever could.  

Going back there, I don't know that there were any years more frustrating than those terrible two's!  It's like having a multiple personality being in your home.  Sweet as sugar most of the time and completely and utterly unreasonable and unconsolable the rest of the time.  And why do they have no trouble understanding what no means when they use the word and yet seem to be mentally incapable of comprehending what it means from the next person!  This was the predicament at the dinner table last night.  We both knew she was hungry.  She begged for food while I was cooking.  I knew she liked what I made.  For some reason she got messed up in her head and had the idea that dessert ought to be the first course.  I won't divulge what transpired for the next 1 1/2 hours but will tell you that ninety minutes later I held her like a baby, with one arm behind me (her arm, that is) and fed her.  She ate most of what was on her plate.  

This child tried everything to get me to do what she wanted me to do.  Anger expressed in various ways, regret expressed through "I so sorry Nana" and reaching for me, mournful yet forceful sobbing into her hands with her elbows on the table (this was heart wrenching to watch!!... and almost did me in!) and a few other tricks that didn't work on me either.  It reminded me that a two year old is a control freak and MUST NOT win this battle.  She had no idea that I have many more years of stubbornness on her and recognize the games.  Hard to believe that a little person like this can even come up with all the tactics.  Food and bodily functions are the two control issues that I think most children will use against their parents for as long as possible.  No wonder the potty training and introducing all the food groups are so frustrating for most parents. 

Breakfast and lunch today were calm and serene.  She gobbled down her food and gladly went down for her nap.  She really is the sweetest little thing in the world and happens to find herself at that very tough age of life!  I am confident her parents are also well aware of the two year old tactics, have experienced many episodes and are in control of the situation.  I had forgotten just how intense things can get until she jarred my memory!!

The life of a seven year old is certainly more calm than a two year old.  He understands rules (we only had two....it was enough) and once he decides to comply life is pretty easy and enjoyable.  He did make a comment to me that brought back memories of his Mom who was much older than he is when she said the very same thing to me in almost the same words!!...."I want to make my own rules!"  (incidentally, Mommy, I suggested he speak to you in depth about that!!  Ha!)

We take them back home with mixed feelings but it is always good to know they are intensely loved, taken care of and blessed with their Mommy and Daddy who are anxiously waiting for them at home!!

...across the room to let you know "they're back"!!

....the grandbabies, that is!  The two hour ride seemed shorter than usual and definitely more entertaining than my CD's.  I love to look at my surroundings through the eyes of a two year old.  The conversation went something like this:

Rowan:  Oh look Nana.  It's a choo-choo!  

Nana:  Yes, Rowan I see the choo-choo.

Rowan:  Oh no Nana.  Where da choo-choo go?

Nana:  The choo-choo went away.

Rowan:  Oh look Nana.  It's a twee!

Nana:  Yes, Rowan, there's a tree.

Rowan:  Oh no Nana.  Where da twee go?

Nana:  The tree is behind us.

Rowan:  Oh look Nana.  It's a big twuck!

Nana:  Yes, Rowan, I see the big twuck, er, truck.

Rowan:  OH NO Nana, where da twuck go?

Nana:  The truck is going bye-bye.

Rowan looking out at a huge wheat field:  Oh look Nana.  Sticks!

....and on and on and on.....

She is at this moment safely tucked in bed while her "big" brother gets to stay up later and chat!

...across the room to speak up!

Sometimes I feel so strongly about something I just HAVE to do something about it.  I feel that if I'm quiet and don't say anything or do anything then I have failed in some way...either myself, a friend, a group,  and in this case, my country and future generations.

I did my part to send letters of concern to government officials regarding the Morgentaler appointment to the Order of Canada.  Today I received my second reply.  Today I CALLED Rideau Hall to speak to Right Honourable Michaelle Jean, Governor of Canada and got a recording so I left my message on her recorder!!  

I believe there are MANY men and women in our country who have done us ALL proud that deserve this medal and I asked her to choose someone we could ALL be proud of.  I think there is enough division in our country without doing something so inconsiderate of so many Canadians!

Besides, REAL doctors HEAL, they do not kill. 

...across the room to reveal myself.....

OK!  I've been tagged by Stacey to divulge six unimportant facts about myself so here goes.....

1.  I'm a bit of a "closet actress".  The last few years I've discovered I quite like an audience when I can 'hide behind a character'.  It is a refreshing change from the speaking that I've done for a number of years where I tend to feel like I'm forever baring my soul!

2.  One of my very favourite foods to eat is a bologna sandwich with French's mustard on that gooey soft sliced white bread that is supposedly so bad for us.  YUMMY!

3.  I could feel fully dressed as long as I'm wearing perfume!

4.  Memorization is the same as torture for me.

5.  I'm not really violent but when I was in grade six I beat up a girl.  It's the only time I've ever done something like that.  Can't remember ever telling her I was sorry.  We were friends after that though so I assume it's OK.

6.  My collection of salt and pepper shakers some of you contributed to is in boxes somewhere in our house.  

...across the room over and over again #2.....

         ...FRIDAY turned out to be another activity

filled day  trying to keep the two little rascals from getting bored.

Thankfully Papa was home to help relieve the boredom. Morning and evening motorbike rides for Papa and Declan were included in our busy agenda. Meanwhile the women had some shopping to do.  Miss Rowan was a trooper as I dragged her from store to store until she yawned and informed me "I'm tired.  I want to nap!"  What two year old says THAT?!

After lunch (complete with many candle lighting ceremonies again) and a nap,   everyone agreed a trip to the park was in order.  Going to the park is a piece of cake when the Papa is present to do the running after the two year old!! 

 

Later, bath time was so much more fun with some new Dora and Diego bath toys and everyone was ready for a good night's sleep. 

 

The pace in our home Saturday mornings tends to be slow and relaxing.  Compare that to trying to cook bacon, scrambled eggs, toast, coffee, hot chocolate, clearing the toys off the table, trying to look modest in a robe that keeps rearranging itself,  to chants like "I hungwee!", "Juice?", "Nana, is it ready yet?  I'm starving!"  "My tummy hurts!"  "I POOPED!" and others I can't remember!  Meanwhile Papa is tearing around the house after the two year old who continually teases him with "Papa, you gotta GET me!"

After breakfast and staggered showers for the adults in order to provide police presence for our energetic inquisitive house guests it was time to pack the bags for the trip back home.  For some reason there was more to pack for the return trip.  Could it have anything to do with the women's shopping spree?!  I didn't mention that during nap time the little man and I enjoyed another shopping spree!  It's all about equality and keeping everything fair!

It felt a little sad to drop them off at their home and oddly enough we don't seem to be in any great hurry to tidy up the house yet.  It just looks like somebody REALLY lives here!!

 

....across the room over and over and over and over...

Our quiet, peaceful, relatively neat retreat has recently become a den of music, Ratatouille replays, squeals and shrieks of laughter, tea parties, ping pong games and bed time routine revamping!  Our refrigerator  is bulging with chocolate puddings, apple juice, cheese, M & M's, cookies and other delectables people our age should be ashamed to have in the house.   I don't even want to talk about what lurks in the pantry!  They like candles even more than we do....especially extinguishing them!  I probably lit the kitchen table candles ten times during our last meal.  Declan is a pro at roasting wieners with Papa; Rowan's idea of hot dogs is to eat the bun around the wiener  corn on the cob style until all that's left is the whole wiener!  I'm to eat that part!  She has no ice cream cone issues though.  My apologies to her Mom for not wiping the ketchup off her face before taking pictures!  

My days seem to have so many more hours in them now.  We were up and about by 6:20 AM, made Papa's bag lunch, ate breakfast, and dressed for our 7:45 AM walk in the park with my friends. Normally I grab my running shoes and socks (or one shoe and two socks, or two shoes and one sock...the other sock is often on the driveway when I get back home!) and dash out the door to meet my friends.  Today we transferred the car seats from the car to the truck, put the stroller on the box, made six trips back and forth from the house to the truck, from the car to the truck, from the garage to the truck, from the shed to the truck before we finally got going. Our walk was delayed by wrist protectors, knee protectors, elbow protectors, helmet, and roller blades which my friend patiently helped the little man with.  Suffice it to say the walk seemed so much longer than our usual hour.  We came home, packed a picnic lunch and made our way to another city park.  (Note to self:  Do not spread picnic lunch for two year old in plain sight of playground EVER!)  Two hours of lunch and running back and forth to catch Rowan coming down the slide and pushing Declan on the swings, running after Rowan from station to station, I was about ready to convulse!  We maneuvered out of our parking spot with much unsolicited advice, ducking and sucking in of breath by a seven year old who thought we would fall into the woods with the back end of the truck!  It caused a set back for me and brought on a case of hot flashes I have not experienced before!  Thank the Lord for nap times.  I couldn't keep my eyes open any longer and I needed an energy infusion.  Unfortunately seven year olds don't nap, and don't realize naps in four minute intervals are mostly disturbing.  I love bath time.  I make sure the two little rascals are safely tucked into their beds, fast asleep before I slip into my big soaker tub for a good long muscle relaxing soak (reminder:  add epsom salts next time!).          

...across the room to celebrate again....

         

                                                       *Birthday  & Anniversary

          I've been trying to post a picture of us at the Spa this weekend and for some reason it will not work for me.  We spent from Friday to Sunday at the Spa and had the most relaxing weekend ever!  My BP reading was extra low when we arrived back home! The weekend get away was for our anniversary and the spa treatments were my birthday present from my hubby.  All I can say is BLISS!!

For most of the time we have lived in Alberta my birthday celebrations usually last at least one week.  This picture is a few of my biking friends and I on a birthday lunch ride.  My good friend Renita who is a "pre-rider!" (meaning, of course she will have her own bike eventually!) honored me by allowing me to give her a ride on my bike!  Later this week another friend and I are going for pedicures for our birthdays and then I think I'm all done celebrating!   My body cannot handle any more desserts!!

Thank you to all my family and friends who helped me celebrate another great year.  I am truly blessed!

 

...across the room to celebrate....

*Canada Day!  Canada...our HOME land.  Whenever we leave our Country for awhile I enjoy my time away but I have to say that when I cross back into Canada I feel a sense of relief, rest, and safety as I immerse myself in familiar territory once again.  Canada is home to me and I love living here.  We are so blessed to live with all the freedoms of this country.  God keep our land, glorious and FREE!  

We celebrated with family this year as we enjoyed a fabulous dinner out on a restaurant patio and then joined many of our city folk to watch the fireworks.  It felt much like a great big family gathering and it was a very special day.

...thoughts of summer, weddings, marriage ....

Summer seems to be the season for weddings and this summer is no different.  We have some weddings to celebrate again this year.

I have to say that for myself the whole idea of the big wedding bash/celebration does not have the same appeal it once did.  As a young woman I looked forward to the day I would be the one to walk down that long isle to meet my husband to be.  The idea of a big celebration with all our family and friends with us seemed very exciting and something to dream about and look forward to.  

When the time came for us to get married, what mattered most to me was the vows that we would promise to one another, the reality of a life together forever, and of course the gown I would wear!  I even forgot to order a wedding cake.  It just was not a priority for me.  Our cake ended up being three boxes, all different sizes, stacked, and iced!  There was not a crumb of cake to be found underneath all that icing!!

After being married for 36 years, I am so aware of all that follows that very important day and it makes the wedding day pale in comparison to 'life after the great big fat wedding'!  There is so much fun to be had, such joy to be shared, and so many blessings to experience as a couple. There are also adjustments to make, pride to be swallowed, humility to be learned (humble pie is my least favourite!),  and a life long opportunity to share all of ones self with that one person that we chose from all the others out there to chose from!   A good thing to remember when the honeymoon is over! 

This is the part that seems to dictate just how good the relationship will be.  In this relationship honesty is paramount.  I remember discussing this early in our life together and promising to be honest with one another.  It is risky business.  Or at least it feels like it.  To be completely real and honest about ourselves, our motives, and our intentions will mean that some of the time we won't look very good to our spouse.  We might not even like ourselves much some of the time.  But unless we can share ourselves openly and honestly we will never reach that point of satisfaction we crave in a marriage relationship.  When I think back over the years of my life since my wedding day, it seems to me that it was all those times of raw intimate openness that helped us evolve into 'one' unit.

With another anniversary to celebrate soon I've been thinking about what makes our marriage feel so solid.  We are SO DIFFERENT in personality, interests, professions, likes and dislikes. Strangely enough, we seem to have 'one heart'.  We are soul mates, best friends and lovers.  Our commitment to each other is forever.  We do not allow ourselves to entertain ideas of other options.  It is the two of us together for the rest of our lives like we promised at the altar. There is security, peace and rest in knowing that.  Our priorities are the same.  Our God is the same and we both realize that our thanks for our life has to be directed to Him.  It is because of Him that we are where we are today! To God be the glory!

If there is one piece of advice I would like to give to newlyweds it would be to keep your promises to one another, don't allow yourselves any other options or a way out, and take the risk of being completely real, true and honest with each other.  

...across the room to Halifax!!

My hubby was going to Halifax for a conference this year and I decided the opportunity for some R 'n R for me  was too good to pass up!  We've just returned from our week on the east coast. My schedule the past six weeks had left me rather sleep deprived so while he was busy attending sessions I slept until I could sleep no more.  Between naps I got re-acquainted with downtown Halifax.  I walked EVERYWHERE and if you know Halifax you will know that there  are NO level streets there!  I was so thankful for my habit of walking every day this last winter.  Even so, I had to keep doing stretches to keep limber.                                        Last time we were in Halifax I was so enthralled with the scenery and I was this time as well, however I found myself taking note of the people more this time.  They are refreshingly friendly and interesting.  Waiters and waitresses, store clerks and hotel staff were helpful, gracious and seemed to be happy with their jobs.  We found drivers to be extremely courteous to one another as well as to pedestrians.  Personally I found the street people in Halifax to be particularly entertaining and fun.  Because we spent a week there and I did so much walking I often saw the same people and I know they were beginning to recognize me as well.  When we didn't donate anything to them (after awhile you run out of change!!) they would say things like "I accept bills!", and "I accept credit cards!" or "I give tax receipts!"  One lady I saw often as she sat on the street corner held out her donation cup to me and when she saw she wasn't getting anything that time she said "How about giving me your coffee to go with my sandwich?"  We both had a good laugh and I went on my way, gripping my cup just a little bit tighter!  I was not about to give up my Starbucks Java for anyone first thing in the morning!!

In case you've started packing your bags for a move east to this perfect city, be warned!! ... it seems that anything loud going on at the water front carries all the way up to the citadel and these easterners like it LOUD!  When they finally turn off the speakers for the night everyone makes their way up the hill.  Nobody is in a hurry.  There's lots of loud chattering, laughing, joking and singing to share with their friends.  Since we liked to sleep with our window open it's no wonder I had to keep napping during the day!!

Not too far from our hotel was the beautiful St. Mary's Cathedral.  Since I had Sunday morning to myself I decided to worship there.  The beauty of this building is breath taking. The gorgeous stained glass windows become even more exquisite as the sun shines through them.  I love pillars and there was no shortage in this sanctuary which seems to go on forever!   I especially noticed the respect and reverence in this place ..... something I often find lacking in churches these days.  The music was beautiful and the singing hearty.  One song in particular gripped me so that I copied it to take home.  Here it is (I'm not sure the words are exactly right but they are close):

Lord Jesus we must know You if we would make You known

For how can we proclaim You but by Your grace alone.

We long to know Your fullness, Your life of risen power.

For You alone can answer the challenge of this hour.

Our broken world is seeking what only You can give.

Our words may go unheeded but not the way we live.

O Saviour live within us, Your life so strong, so true.

That others touched with wonder may seek and worship You.

Lord Jesus by Your Spirit, renew Your church we pray.

'Til what we are makes valid the truth of what we say.

So truly may we know You, So make Your life our own.

That we become so like you our lives must make you known.

I love Halifax and will look forward to going back some time.  Hopefully we will find ourselves seeing this beautiful city on two wheels next time!!

Celebrity Collage by MyHeritage

http://www.myheritage.com/collage

This looked like fun so here are my supposed look alikes!  I had to try a few pictures to get anything I would be brave enough to post here!!

MyHeritage: Family trees - Genealogy - Celebs

...an invasion of sorts #4...

Sigh!  It's my last day here at the palace!  Of course by now I've realized that I'M the one invading THEIR space.  They know where everything is and how things are normally done. Suddenly a person who usually simply plays with them is left in charge!  This rubs some little people the wrong way at times.  I do notice the little smirks when I let them know that "Mommy told me..." and then we get along just great!  

The multi-talented Cinderella by the way, is also a poet.  She loves to add a line or two to everything that's said and the last words of the lines always rhyme.  Today she made up a little song as she was playing outside. She called it "Jesus Is With Us".......  "Jesus is with us, He is always here.  Even when we pollinate, Jesus is  with me every time!"  It's so good it doesn't need to rhyme!  We can conclude she knows about the bees.  I doubt very much she knows about the birds too!!  It was a coincidence I'm sure but it almost left me blushing and wondering if the neighbour next door heard her!!

Taking them out of town on an outing today confirmed to me once again that mother's really do need eyes in the back of their heads (growing up, my daughters were almost convinced I did have them!) as well as six arms and hands!  I never realized how much entertainment a public bathroom can be!  For instance did you know that:   standing under the hand dryer will set it off every time? a five year old can get 5 paper towels from an automatic paper towel dispenser before you can stop him?  and while you're setting him straight the three year old can repeat the offense?  and just as you've washed and dried all the hands, but before you can make it out the door the three year old goes and touches the toilet seat AGAIN?!  and while you're washing her hands the five year old escapes and runs down the hallway into the mall?!  Are you getting a visual of this?  My visuals always come in cartoon form.  Oh how I wish I could sketch!!

One thing I know.  The days are never long when you share them with a three year old and a five year old and the tired is a good kind of tired!

I have had an awesome week with my royal charges!