Christmas thoughts...

I've been reading the book of Galatians this month and last night I read again what God has designed for us to be....filled with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. The bad news is that this doesn't describe me and I know that I am incapable of being all this. I may be able to fool you if you don't look too close. But I can't fool myself and I certainly can't fool God.

The good news is that someone did exemplify all of that in his life. And it isn't Mohammed. It wasn't Joseph Smith. There is only one person who ever lived a perfect life and his name is Jesus. Many think that Jesus was a good man but in the same category as all religious 'prophets' and 'gurus'. But if we strip him of perfection and sinlessness, we strip mankind of hope.

You see we are all flawed and no amount of education will change that. I can aspire to be all that Galatians describes and read the list as many times as I like but I just can't be all of that all of the time. I can have the very best of intentions and be sincere about it but I will still fail.

But God knew that and He was willing to do something about it. And that's what Christmas is all about. He knew that only He could provide the way for us to be made right. The miracle of Christmas is that God became one of us. And the world didn't know what to make of Him. It still doesn't. We hated His perfection. We were uncomfortable being shown up for what we really are. We resented Him. And so we killed Him. We tried to get rid of Him once and for all. We're still trying to get rid of Him. But still the offer is open.

God offers us an amazing gift beyond any other Christmas gift we could ever receive. He offers us a life marked by the characteristics in Galatians - we just have to accept it and yield our lives to Him so He can fix the things that are broken in our lives. And if we do, the most amazing thing of all is that He then considers us His children and we become heirs! Now that's an inheritance worth getting excited about! May your Christmas holidays be filled with love, joy and peace and more importantly may you have a relationship with the only One who can fill our lives with every good thing.

A visit with Santa Clause...

Blessings!

Sunday night was our Christmas music postcard to the community. I was involved in a piano, violin and keyboard (trombone) trio medley of Handel's For Unto Us A Child Is Given and Joy to the World. That was an exciting challenge that went well. But the highlight was when one of my students introduced me as his accompanist, voice teacher and friend. There was a collective 'awwww' from the audience and truly I was touched - pretty special coming from a teenager guy. A few weeks ago he auditioned to sing for Kinsmen's Telemiracle which is a pretty big deal in Saskatchewan.....and made it! It's my privilege to be part of it by playing piano for him.

And there was one other performance in which I had a hard time keeping quiet in my seat. I've been working with one girl since last year and when we started she had trouble keeping her pitch. She got a solo part in the Christmas play and we worked at it for a few weeks in our lessons. She hit every note perfectly and it was beautiful. My heart sings when I think of it.

There are others I could speak of who are excelling, each in their own unique way. And every accomplishment brings me incredible joy. Can a person be more blessed than that?

A Christmas Quiz

I've been tagged by Carol!

1. Hot Chocolate or apple cider? At the moment, apple cider.

2. Turkey or Ham? I just finished making a ham but I gotta have turkey for Christmas

3. Do you get a fake or real-you-cut-it-yourself Christmas tree? Our tree is fake but gorgeous.

4. Decorations on the outside of your house? One tree outside with blue and golden lights. Icicle lights along the roofline. A plastic lit-up Santa Clause and candles in the windows.

5. Snowball fights or sleddin'? Neither unless the weather (and the snow) gets a LOT nicer!!

7. Do you enjoy going downtown shopping? I do when the boys are with Grandma.

8. Favorite Christmas song? The First Noel (Can I just name one?)

10. How do you feel about Christmas movies? I don't watch too many of them.

11. When is it too early to start listening to Christmas music? Anytime before November

12. Stockings before or after presents? We don't do stockings.

13. Carolers, do you or do you not watch and listen to them? We seldom get carolers - we love it when they do come.

14. Go to someone else's house or they come to you? We don't do a lot of visiting either way but we spend most of Christmas day at my inlaws.

15. Do you read the Christmas Story? If so when? Christmas morning.

16. What do you do after presents and dinner? We'll often play a game and then enjoy a faspa - a light lunch before we head home for the evening.

17. What is your favorite holiday smell? Candles (I usually don't burn them)

18. Ice skating or walking around the mall? I'd have to vote for skating as usually I really dislike walking around the mall.

19. Do you open a present or presents on Christmas Eve, or wait until Christmas day? We always wait until Christmas morning. Maybe we'll rethink that if we decide to go the Sunday morning service.

20. Favorite Christmas memory? Caroling at homes up the Sou'west. The noise and exuberance of the five of us getting into our stockings at the same time.

21. Favorite Part about winter? Hoarfrost - beautiful!

22. Ever been kissed under mistletoe? No, I'd better go get some - I need some kisses *grin*

23. Tag. I'd like to tag Geannie, LJ, Sparrow, Kim and Saija. Bloglines is down so I'll link these names later.

Christophobia?

In this country, a lot is made of the fact that Steven Harper would like to see a free vote on the redefinition of marriage that was shoved through our parliament (with the liberal government leading the charge). The vote was not free at that time and there are so many in our country that did not support that change. And immediately there is an outcry that morally conservative folks are homophobic, outdated in their thinking and not willing to protect the rights and freedoms of all people in this country. Hogwash!! Folks that base their morals on Christian values are not willing to abide any unfair treatment of any group of people but...that is not the issue is it? This isn't about mistreatment or abuse. Equal rights and freedoms can be assured without changing the definition of marriage. And I've probably said it before but I'll say it again - it's ridiculous to call someone homophobic because of their christian based ethic and morality. Since when does disagreement equal fear?

But in this country I think it may be more accurate to say that there is a serious case of 'christophobia'. People are offended by Christianity (which has fueled the move to remove Christ out of Christmas) and want Christian values removed from politics, education and society in general. There is a line in the sand and it is clear that many would vote for anyone but a Conservative. The proven injustice, gross mismanagement and untrustworthiness of our Liberal party is still preferable to many people in this country. But we must not kid ourselves. The framework of our society and politics is based on Christian values - not Islamic values, not Hinduism, not other codes of ethics. But as soon as we take God out of the picture, our society will have to collapse eventually (history attests to this). With no standard of ethics and morality, we will have no choice but to embrace amorality with all its potential for all kinds of injustice and oppression. We are on a dangerous path in Canada - a very slippery slope. You may not agree with Christians (and neither do you have to) but aren't honesty and integrity still worth something?

Note: I first heard the term "Christophobia" from our pastor and I thought it was a very apt description.

Well I've been a busy little creature lately. I can't wait for Christmas so I can slow down a little. I now have music students every day of the week except Sunday. It really isn't that much more time but it's amazing how busy that little bit on otherwise 'free' days can make one feel. But I'm not complaining - I really work with a fantastic group of young people. And I never have to worry about the common homeschooling myth of socialization.

But the countdown is on and this is the last week of lessons. And then I'll have a whole three weeks before lessons start up again. Right now I'm busy getting caught up with my bookeeping because that's the last thing I want to have on my plate for the holidays.

And....I can't wait to get caught up here. It seems like a long time since I've been able to check my favorite blogs every day.

We're in the season of toilet training at our house. I had to laugh when Paxton picked up these books when he went to the potty... a little light reading. (Introduction to philosophy)

Speaking of reading... I was planning to take a book fast - no books but the Bible for a few weeks. I modified that to no other books before I've spent time reading the Bible each day. And it's been good as I've been enjoying the Bible much more consistently.

Today we get to try some homemade deer and pork sausage for dinner. A piano student's mom brought it today after spending hours butchering in the last weeks. What a treat that is!!! And I got to return the favor in a small way by recording three songs for their school's Christmas program for the kids to sing to. It reminds me of the old barter and trade way of doing things.

A day off...

I decided last night I'd better take a day off. I've been running around and not getting the chance to get over a nasty cold that has me feeling plugged up, in a fog, bleary eyed and grouchy. So today I declared a day off.

Crowded malls. Snow. Christmas concerts. Cold weather. Beautiful lights. Egg nog. Apple Cider. Shopping. Music practices. Christmas tree. A new Angel for the top. Little fingers can't stop touching. Candles. Presents. Excited eyes. Grandma's birthday cake.

These fill my heart and my days as Christmas gets closer.

A book fast...

Blest with sons has a challenge out to those of us who love to read but don't spend enough time reading the most precious book of all. Go check it out!

I'm going to 'dive in' and take back all my library books this week. So right now I'm going to make a cup of coffee and get my Bible out while the boys are amusing themselves this morning.

Christmas is coming...

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas. Lights are up and decorations are out. We've had some beautiful hoar frost this past week. We don't have much snow anymore but this morning freezing rain made our drive to church a little more exciting.

This morning our message was about the difference between our possessions and our treasures. We get these things so mixed up sometimes. We act like our possessions are our treasures and in the process of getting 'more' and 'better' we can lose sight of the things we value most; like the relationships with our family and our relationship with our Creator God.

I don't think that possessions are a big deal in my life most of the time - I don't shop for much except groceries but I was reminded how I do value the things that I do have. Just the other day Rory knocked over the clock on our fireplace and broke the glass in it. Did my reaction tell Rory that the clock was more important than he is? I sure hope not but I was reminded of how easily we can get it so backwards. Our pastor said that we may work hard for our possessions but it's the treasures of our heart that we would lay down our lives for.

And guess who thinks that we are a treasure worth dying for? It's really hard to grasp just what it means for the Creator of the Universe to consider us a treasure when none of us are any great prize until and unless God gets ahold of our hearts and starts making something beautiful out of each one of us. May our Christmas celebrations be infused with a childlike wonder at the lengths God went to to reach each one of us with His love.

The crazy things chocolate milk makes me do....

I've been trying to cut down Rory's sugar intake as I've been wondering if that's contributing to some nasty behaviour. The other day Rory was at Grandma's house and he turned down her offer of chocolate milk saying, "I can only drink white milk or I'll go craaaazy!" And then he started acting crazy to prove his point.

I just couldn't believe he refused chocolate milk *grin*

It's quiet this afternoon as Ladger took Rory to his swimming lessons. And Paxton is playing with the guinea pigs - I should put him to sleep for a nap but who can resist a grin like this? Notice how he's hiding behind the chair - he really likes disappearing when it's nap time for some reason.

Time to go catch the little scalliwag!

Last night I was reading Beatrix Potter's stories to the boys and Rory seemed to enjoy the escapades of the naughty Peter. I guess he can relate...

We thought tantrums were a thing of the past with Rory but now at five he's being very difficult. Sometimes he can be the sweetest little guy and the next moment be so full of rage and hateful talk. One night he had to go to bed instead of having a bowl of pudding I was preparing for a treat. And he raged for awhile and then begged and pleaded and then raged again and then begged and pleaded and so on. I thought he'd never get around to accepting the consequences of his disobedience. And then he missed AWANA the next night - again because of his behaviour. And we had to go through the whole thing again. Yikes!

I can't believe it's winter already...

We had our first snow a week ago and I thought it would be gone by now with warmer weather for a few days afterward but it never disappeared totally and now we have some new snow. It looks like winter has decided to stay. The roads are terrible and so we cancelled our MOPS this morning. I'm just not ready for winter with all the horrible driving conditions.

So I have an unexpected morning home and I need to go take advantage of it :-)

Here's a sample of what I've been working on in my spare time (Ha!...Did I really say that?) I first tried out calligraphy when I got a set as a gift when I was still living at home. Every once in awhile I pick it up and have some fun with it.

Surprise...

The other day I received a neat surprise in the mail. My aunt gathered some autumn leaves from maple trees to send us because she remembered me saying that we have just about no maple trees in Saskatchewan. We do have Manitoba maples but they are a far cry from the beautiful maple trees in Eastern Canada. I'm thinking I'll put a collage together and frame it. Maybe you have some ideas of how I can showcase the leaves - if so, be sure to let me know.

Paxton is at such a cute stage. The problem is that when he gets attention for doing funny little cute things, Rory goes after the same attention only it isn't so cute then! It must be tough being a big chunk of a lug at five years old with a barely talking, funny little two year old brother.

One of the things Paxton will do is ask for something. When I repeat to make sure I've understood he looks at me with a big smile and says, "Sure!!".... as if it were my idea in the first place and I'm offering. And when we thank God for our meal, he has to have the last word....gibberish followed by a resounding "AMEN".

Remembrance Day

As we remember the horrors of two world wars, I find myself looking at current events like the problems in France. Islamic immigrants are acting out in violence against the Jewish community there and the government seems to feel that it's hands are tied. And then the news report went on to say that some of France's Jewish community are finding a new home in Montreal. And then I heard that the Jewish community in Winnipeg is growing as well. I hope that they may truly find a home in Canada. And may we have the courage of our veterans should we find ourselves with the need to fight the battle should hatred gain a foothold in our own communities.

Rory had a great time painting this morning.....and as you can see, his underwear came in handy!

What's your story?

Yesterday went well. Rory seemed back to his normal self. The worship team went well. The evening concert was special. And today is the day to stay home and get caught up in other areas that have taken a backseat last week.

We've just had our last message in a series from "The Purpose Driven Life" by Rick Warren. The last purpose is about sharing our story with others. Oprah once said that everyone has a story. And the popularity of reality shows attests to how much we love watching the stories of other's - even if just a segment of a person's life in a manufactured setting.

The song our team will be working on for next Sunday is about our story. Avalon's "Testify to Love" is talking of how God's love has impacted our life in such a huge way and how we will spend our lives testifying to it - telling the story of God's love in our lives. There's no more amazing story than that - how a Creator God loves his creation..you and I...so much that there is nothing He wouldn't do to bring us into a relationship with Him. I'm thinking I'll share a bit of my story here in the next couple of days.

What a crazy week! This morning our worship team is on and we had a great practice. I came home to a sick boy. Rory had been sick to his stomach all evening. He was fine all night though so we'll see how he's feeling this morning.

Tonight is a piano fundraiser evening for our new grand piano. And I've been working on a piano solo of Fairest Lord Jesus. And then I thought our violinist would set the piece off really well so we got together to give that a try. And then the organizer asked if we could also do another number as a prelude.

So it's been a lot of work pulling that all together (and practicing).

Plus our worship team has been asked to prepare a number for a celebratory Sunday special service ....next Sunday - we've started to work on Avalon's "Testify to Love". And I've agreed to play piano for one of my voice students who wants to audition for the Kinsmen Telemiracle (which means a trip to Regina on Saturday).

So this means I'll be a crazy busy woman for another week at least.

But with everything that's zooming around in my head, it feels good to finally sit and write about it. Everyone else is sleeping and the house is so quiet. It won't be like that for much longer this morning. *grin*

My friend lent me a book the other day that I've been wanting to read for awhile. Indeed, she's rescued me from Nicholas Sparks.... not that I have anything against romance fiction. But I do find that unless the plot involves a lot more than a budding romance, I tend to get a little bored with it. I've borrowed "A New Kind of Christian" by McLaren. I'm almost halfway through and I'm still waiting for it to 'shock' my conservative, evangelical sensibilities. My friend has seen some sparks fly in discussions about this book (and others like it) when discussing PostModernism.

Here's are a couple of quotes from the book that I'm enjoying pondering:

"I'm not in any way saying truth isn't important. But I am saying that truth means more than factual accuracy. It means being in sync with God."

"What if faith isn't best compared to a building, but rather to a spiderweb? Instead of one foundation, it has several anchor points... But where does the Bible fit in?...It could be seen as one of the anchor points. Or perhaps every passage in the Bible that has affected your life could be seen as an anchor point. Or perhaps the Bible isn't only in the anchor points. Perhaps it is part of every thread of the web."

I'd be interested to hear what you think of these two quotes.

Needin' a little creativity....

This week has been busy as I've been preparing for our worship team this Sunday. I just can't seem to pull it together these days. Half of my team is unavailable this week and we don't have much time for songs so I'm wondering if I shouldn't skip the practice on Saturday night and go with a smaller team. It would help if I could even figure out the songs I'm going to use. I'm stumped....maybe suffering some brain fatigue. *grin* Well I'd better get cracking as I only have an hour to finish up this morning and make lunch before I head to school and then off to a birthday party this evening with the boys.

Rory's a lucky boy! Monday he got gifts from us. Tuesday he got gifts from Grandma & Grandpa and today he was ecstatic to receive yet another parcel in the mail from his other Grammie! I think he's hoping his birthday never comes to an end.

We had MOPS on Tuesday and our craft was card-making. But I was surprised that a few were not used to my free-style way of doing things. Some prefer to follow a specific set of instructions and copy a sample done up ahead of time. It amazes me the difference in personalities at times. I love getting ideas from others but I love to dive in and see what I come up with on my own too. There's such a feeling of accomplishment in creating something. I thought the end result was incredible - some brilliant looking cards were made. And I hope those who thought they couldn't do it were pleasantly surprised at what they came up with.

I got a parcel with music I had ordered so I'm up late playing piano. I'd better get to bed as I have a long day tomorrow (teaching music lessons).

Sunday was Rory's birthday but as we couldn't get his parcel from the post office, we had to celebrate today instead. It really helped that we had Bible study after church at our friend's house. Most of the couples who attend have children around our boys' ages and so they really enjoy it!

And so first thing this morning we went to town to get 'the parcel' and birthday cake and a big balloon (a police car). And then it was home to open his new Rokenbok building/remote control set. He's been playing with it all day so we're pleased that he's enjoying it so much!

It's been a long, good, tiring, happy day.

French Canadian, eh?

Sometimes I listen to Paxton point out different things and hear a little French embellishment. C'est ball. C'est cat. C'est Rory. C'est book. C'est bon! Ok, not that last one. But everything he points to and names is preceded by eh! Maybe it's not French at all...maybe it's our Canadian heritage shining through. But usually 'eh' is a question mark after a statement..as in Ball, eh? Cat, eh? But with Paxton it's "Eh ball. Eh Cat". So what is he? French, Canadian or French Canadian, eh?

Today may be the last day of harvest! Ladger's heading out to our last field - the one that got hit the hardest by hail this summer. There's a good chance he'll get out there and decide it's not worth the fuel to harvest it. If not, it will be another three days until we are finished. Either way, things are wrapping up and none of us will be sorry to see this season come to an end.

Rory's birthday is this Sunday and the gift we ordered for him hasn't arrived yet. I wonder if I should not let on that it's his birthday and celebrate it later - at this point he has no idea when his birthday is so it probably wouldn't hurt.

The boys are watching cartoons and I have a little time this morning to get the house caught up a bit before I head to school for the afternoon to teach music lessons. So I'd better git!

Off to Australia...

Last night we had some friends over for supper. We won't be seeing them for awhile as they are moving to her home country.....Australia. They brought a beautiful bouquet of roses and we enjoyed a special evening together. The good thing is that it's not hard to stay in touch these days with email and reasonable phone rates. And maybe the best part is that Ladger and I will probably make the exotic trip to Australia some day to visit them. How cool is that?

This morning Rory flew out of bed and started asking where M & J were? He was missing them a little already, as will we all.

In case you think I'm good at being a SAHM...

I can be a terrible cook sometimes! I've avoided roasts like a plague because I've had so many disasters and then I thought how it would so much more economical to cook up a roast for sandwich meat then buying deli meats all the time. So I tried a nice roast beef taking care to follow the instructions for my slow cooker. But something went wrong and it was way overcooked by the morning (I left it overnight). Then I tried roasting one in the oven and it ended up pretty red in the middle and tough! So I chopped it up for soups. And then I thought I 'd try a pork roast. And when it was as dry as a bone I could have cried (I think maybe I did shed a few frustrated tears). Just last week, a friend was talking about how she cooks roasts a lot because they were so easy!!

Finally I invested in a better meat thermometer and tried it out yesterday on yet another pork roast. And finally, success!! I hadn't really planned a Thanksgiving dinner but since Ladger was home and I had a decent roast (plus a pumpkin cake), we ended up with a nice holiday dinner after all.

And then I took the boys out to the field with me. I had to do some of the trucking as Ladger's mom hurt her knee. For sure, the first time I came home to dump a load of peas into a bin, I overloaded the conveyor and it stalled. So I had to get about 10 - 10 gallon pails and sccop a lot of the peas out of the conveyor before I could start it up again. But the rest of the day went well and we are getting close to the end of this harvest, finally!

A day of mishaps and strange events...

Today was a strange day. I had planned to stay home all day and maybe I should have.... But it's the start of a long holiday weekend and we ran out of diesel this morning. We had enough for today but not for the next couple of days. So I quickly changed and took Ladger's lunch out to the field so I could go to town directly from there. And then a friend called wanting to borrow a playpen. So it was no problem to drop that off on the way.

A few minutes before I got there, I hit a dog that had chased my car so many times when I was zipping along there. This time I was going slower so I wouldn't miss the house and sure enough I hit the crazy dog. By the time I turned around and went back, there was no sign of him. My friends had a good idea whose dog it was so they'll phone for me and check it out.

And then it was on to town which was uneventful except that my shirt was irritating me for some reason....and then I realized it was on backwards! There's a little bow that's supposed to be off to one side on the collar only now it's sitting on my back shoulder. And the tag is irritating my neck in front. Surely other harried housewives have done the same thing now and then. You'll make my day if you 'fess up and make me feel just a little less pathetic. *grin*

And then I was heading to the truck to head home and a guy walked by me and held out a bag. I asked, "What is it?" And he said, "Oh, just some treats for you and your kids if you'd like". So I thanked him and took the bag. Inside was a bag of chips, a coke and two chocolate bars. That doesn't happen every day (good thing or I'd be a blimp). It's a funny thing these days - it feels very strange to accept something from a stranger without secondguessing and questioning. But for whatever reason he wanted to give away a treat, Paxton and I enjoyed a little snack on the way home.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Have I ever mentioned that I love teaching music? I've got another great group of kids to work with this year and I thoroughly enjoyed getting back into it!! Rory went to spend one of the two days at one of his AWANA leader's home. So he gets to experience a whole new side to farming - livestock. When I picked him up, they were all out working with the sheep. And I guess he helped with watering the cows too.

And today is my 'catch-up' day. I let some things go in the house and it's time to whip it into shape.

This weekend is Thanksgiving here in Canada. We'd rather have it in November like the Americans do because our harvest is often not over in time to really enjoy the weekend properly. And that is the case once again. Ladger's hoping to get in a good day tomorrow and wrap things up next week if the weather holds. I guess we'll just have to have our own family thanksgiving when the crop is all in and we feel like celebrating. Not that we aren't thankful....no, we just don't have the time to sit and think about it these days. *grin*

Here's our new little baby...

...guinea pig, that is!! Rory named him Luke (maybe he likes the name because of one cool counselor at camp).

I'm back!!!

I could kiss my telephone repair man! I've been offline for a whole week and it's been a very long week for me. It turns out there was a problem with our phone line and it just got fixed. So I'm so glad to be back.

So here's highlights from my week:

We're not done harvest and the header broke down again. Ladger's hoping to get it fixed and going for after lunch today.

We have a new addition to our family.....our guinea pig collection that is. We bought a baby - 3 weeks old. He's so cute!!

I've started music lessons this week. Tomorrow and Friday will be busy with teaching voice, piano and guitar.

Well I'd better go and settle some raging dispute out in my kitchen :-)

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Noise...or the sound of laughter.

Ladger was home last evening for the first time in awhile. I think he had been looking forward to a nice evening home with his family but I think he completely forgot the reality. The boys got along great - maybe too good- and the noise level was a little intense. It's easy to just hear noise but I had to step back and hear the laughter instead. And there was plenty of that. What a blessing those two imps are in our lives.

It's a Beauty...

Yesterday I 'blessed my home' (to borrow from FLylady). Today it looks as if a whirlwind caught us all off guard. How does that happen in one day?!! Yesterday I spent the afternoon digging potatoes, onions, carrots, etc from our garden. I guess that's part of the answer. I didn't do 5 min room rescue and 2 min hotspots or 15 min in my zone. And a little mess seems to explode with no effort at all at our place.

(The boys and Grandpa had a little excitement though - trying to shoo a stray cat out of the grain truck.)

But I do have to admit that there is a sense of satisfaction in storing food away for the winter... maybe some primeval instinct kicking in. Rory was digging out his own potatoes and I could barely get mine done because every few minutes I heard, "Mom! Look at this one...it's a beauty!" And of course I'd have to go and have a look and ooh and aww over his potatoes. He was convinced that his were much better than mine. LOL

Waddaya mean....not even halfway?!!!!

We all went to town this morning as Ladger had to pick up some parts and I had to pay some bills. Last night Ladger's dad hit the ditch with a full grain truck for the second time this season. This time it was as he was trying to pass a combine on the road...not enough room when the header of a combine is usually around 30 ft wide. Will this harvest ever be over? Ladger said we're not even half way yet - YIKES!!!

Everything is turning color so I thought I'd post a picture of one corner of our yard. There's not much red in our fall foliage and that's one of the things I miss about New Brunswick.

This morning I thought I would have to go to town to pick up some parts for our combine header (the new one which broke down yesterday... again...grrrr). For those of you not familiar with this machinery....It's the wide part that you see on the front of the combine. So I got the boys all ready to go and then Ladger phoned and said I didn't have to bother as some parts wouldn't be here until tomorrow. Since we had nowhere to go I left the boys with Grandma and went to the Wymark school to try and fix up the music schedule. And then it was back home to get a phone call that I would be having an extra guy for dinner (and not someone I know either). And that's when I knew....I'm starting to 'fly'. I didn't have to look around my house and panic even though I hadn't even figured out what I was making for dinner. The house was already quite tidy and so I could just focus on cooking something. No problem!!!

It's been taking awhile to transfer all my old programs and files over to our new computer. I'm sure there's an easier way but I just copied files and re-installed most of my programs. It took a bit of doing but it's almost finished and more importantly....my accounting software is finally ready to go. So that's what I'm working on today.

Unlikely candidate for speaking to a group of ladies on housecleaning...

We listened to a simulcast with Rick Warren on Sunday. One thing he said was that God will use the troubles in our life to minister to others... much more so than our strengths. I've been thinking of this as I prepared for MOPS. My topic was 'housekeeping' as I was asked to share what I've learned through Flylady. I really did enjoy it and it's true. Sometimes we have to be willing to be honest and vulnerable about the areas we struggle with because inevitably someone else struggles with the same thing.

And I certainly need to be on top of housekeeping these days as I never know what I might be facing when my back is turned. The other day, Paxton dumped out several of my spices including garlic powder, ginger and oregano with several cups of flour to make the mix really fun! It was a wretched combination of smells. But I vacuumed and carpet cleaned and am ready for what he does next. *grin*

Back up and running....

I haven't been writing lately...mostly because of two new toys that I got last week. The first is a digital video camcorder and the second is a new computer. I knew that we'd need to upgrade the computer if we were working with video files and so I've been doing some research for awhile and I just picked one up Saturday. So I've been really busy making the switch and I still feel like I have a long way to go but it is fun work!

Plus tomorrow, MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) starts and I'm the speaker. So that's been heavy on my mind these past days. If you see me talking to myself...well that's just how I think things through. LOL

But here are a couple of shots that I've been able to get with my new camcorder. It'll be fun to get those impromptu shots - funny facial expressions. And I love the one with Paxton in the grain truck.

Still trying to get that crop in.....

One of these days, I'm sure the sun will shine again. But the last few days have been wet, cloudy and miserable for harvest. We didn't get a great amount of rain like a lot of farmers did but this rainy weather just seems to want to hover. This morning we saw a bit of blue sky and we had high hopes of a nice day. Soon a gray fog settled in and the day is looking dreary again. Ladger says at this rate, maybe we'll finish harvest by Christmas!!

Almost exactly two months ago we ordered a digital camcorder and I had almost given up hope of ever receiving it. There was a strike on the West Coast that affected shipping of products and they told me that it probably wouldn't get in until August. August went by and nothing. I called a few days ago and they said "It's here!" Now I'm wondering how long it had been sitting there with no one letting us know. Anyhow, I've finally been able to start learning how to use it and I think the wait will have been worth it...in the end.

We've had a couple of days of rainy weather but you won't hear me complaining. Many parts of our province received up to 6 inches of rain and that's bad news during harvest. We didn't get nearly that much so hopefully the crop dries enough that we can get back at it tomorrow.

Yesterday was the first meeting we've attended for the homeschoolers in our area. I was pleased to meet quite a few new people. The boys had a great time - we barely saw them at all. One family's daughter is selling guinea pigs and they just had a new batch. Oooh, I'm really tempted to go over and take a look one of these days. And most likely if I do, I'll be bringing one home. Yikes!

You probably won't believe this...

I really enjoy driving that big grain truck! I love it when I get the clutch rhythm down and nothing feels better than to have that gear shift slide into place smoothly. The drummer on our worship team said that I shouldn't have any trouble with the rhythm of clutching. It seems that I have found my rhythm and am enjoying it. I love the surge of power as I move that truck to a decent road speed. I love having the window down and enjoying the beauty of a summer quickly coming to an end. I love sitting on the field and either entertaining one of my boys while watching the combine go up and down the field or burying my head in a book for a few minutes at a time as I wait for another load.

God is good.

Flying High on wings like eagles...

Here's what I wrote in the middle of Saturday night:

Tonight I'm on the edge of a precipice looking into a deep ravine that I need to walk through. If I could just take one small step at a time, I'm sure I will get to the bottom safely and then be able to climb out the other side. But I'm afraid that I'll fall and become trapped down there. My heart cries out, "How can I cope?" I honestly don't know the answer. Tonight I was reminded how the events of a short period of time can change everything. I'm overwhelmed and so tired but sleep eludes me because I haven't yet handed over my worries to the only One who has offered to take them.

One of my greatest fears is that something will happen to my husband's dad (mid-seventies). We are at a point in our farming operation that Ladger is the only one that can operate all of the machinery and he relies heavily on his dad to do certain things. For instance Ladger is the only one who can operate the combine and he relies on his dad to drive the main grain truck which is a thirteen speed with no syncronization of the gears (meaning it needs to be double clutched - clutch to take it out of gear into neutral and then clutch again to put into the new gear).

At noon, Ladger told me he was very concerned about his dad as it seemed that he wasn't feeling well. But when asked he said it wasn't to worry about. All day, little things happened that indicated that he wasn't doing well. And then he drove into the ditch as he was making a corner...with a full load of wheat. It was a miracle it didn't roll. We got the truck out with the help of neighbors and then Ladger and his mom decided to take his dad to Emergency to have him checked out. I got the phone call after 11 pm that explained this. And I just had a sick feeling. I knew that Ladger's dad would not be able to work for at least a few days in the best case scenario. That leaves me as the only possibility.

I was afraid of so many things that night as I waited for Ladger to come back from the hospital. I was afraid that I would not be able to learn how to drive the truck. I was afraid that I would learn and suddenly be working for hours every single day and not being available for my kids for weeks. I was worried about how we were going to manage starting AWANA and swimming lessons. I was discouraged that all the housekeeping and homeschooling routines that I've been working so hard at would just be wiped away like that. Everything in my life would have to be put on hold indefinitely.

Sure enough, Ladger walked in and asked how I felt about driving the grain truck. His dad would be staying at the hospital until they discovered what was wrong. There was never any question in my mind. Of course I would be driving. I just didn't know how everything would work out. So I wrestled in my spirit far into the night until I could finally hand over my worries to God. It was irony to me that I would be leading worship the next morning as my life felt like it was unravelling. But I can testify that God is good. The words to one song touched me "You are God alone.....in the good times and bad". I didn't just know it in my head. I knew it deeply in my heart. I also 'happened' to talk to two other farm wives going through their own struggles right now and we promised to pray for each other. And then I went home to learn to double clutch.

I did. It wasn't long before I was ready to drive out to the field and give it a try. Ladger took the two boys in the smaller grain truck (we can all drive that one). And I drove the big one and it went well. He combined for a couple of hours and filled up both trucks and then we headed home. The boys were so good. And I felt like I was ready to tackle this situation one small step at a time.

But I didn't have to...at least not today. The gentleman that we rent some land from offered to drive the smaller grain truck and then asked if we would need his son to help out with the bigger truck - he was available for the day and he took his trucker's license a few months ago. And my heart is filled with gratitude.

Meanwhile it turns out that Ladger's dad had a vicious stomach flu and ended up dehydrated. He's still in the hospital recovering but I no longer have to worry about a more serious prognosis. One way or another, we'll find a way to keep going and get this harvest in. One of the most special things was that my willingness to learn and drive that truck meant a lot to my husband. I think it gave him hope that he badly needed when things were looking so bad. As for me, I learned that I truly can hand over my worries. I'm at peace tonight even though I have no idea what will take place tomorrow. Blessings to each of you and especially to those who are going through a crisis of your own.

"How can you say the Lord does not see your troubles? ...Have you never heard or
understood? Don't you know that the Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of
all the earth? He never grows faint or weary. No one can measure the depths of
his understanding. He gives power to those who are tired and worn out; he offers
strength to the weak. Even youths will become exhausted and young men will give
up. But those who wait on the Lord will find new strength. They will fly high on
wings like eagles...."

I've been listening to Josh Groban. The 'you' in his song "You Raise Me Up" is probably not intended to be God but that is how I always hear it. And it reminds me of this passage at the end of Isaiah 40.

Supernanny spotted...

I took the boys to McDonald's for supper. Sitting at the table next to us was a mom trying to get her young boy to eat his dinner before playing. After watching her go after this young fellow a few times, Rory says to me in a stage whisper, "That must be the Supernanny!"

My little farmer...

Rory was harvesting too. Earlier this spring he planted a row of wheat seed right in front of my perrenial bed...in front of my roses. And if you know what wheat's like - it's quite tall but I didn't have the heart to remove it. Today, he went out and started 'combining' it with a pair of scissors. Then he'd bring it in and carefully 'thresh' out some wheat kernels. He's planning to take them out to the field and add them to Daddy's wheat when we head out there for supper.

Harvest has begun!!

It was so great to hear the trucks going back and forth last night - the sounds of a harvest in full swing.

What can I say....

This morning I've got the music festival syllabus out and I'm making sure I've got pieces for all my piano students to play should they want to enter. The internet is a wonderful thing. I can buy individual pieces of music and download them immediately. I love it!! It's particularly exciting as we have no music stores in our city...unbelievable!! And I put in another order that I'm hoping to pick up today.

Yesterday I finished up a piano arrangement for a song that my friend wants to sing for a wedding. She lent me her CD to see if I could do it for her so her accompaniest would have some sheet music to follow as she doesn't play by ear.

And now I've just been asked to fill in for the worship singing this Sunday. I said yes even though I have no idea how many of my team will be available. Hopefully at least a few of them will be able to help me out.

Now that my house is being kept so much tidier, I'm finding that I'm spending much more time practicing guitar and now I've even started learning some new classical piano pieces as well. Hurray for organization!

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Character Building Days...

These are hard days. Everyone has them at some point; when tension runs high; tempers run short. It is so hard to see so many combines hard at work and be stuck at home waiting for parts knowing that every day that goes by means our window of opportunity is closing - having harvest pushed back by a few days means much greater chance of poor quality and even poorer prices. It's been a real test of our patience and character. And yet, even as I write this, I know that there are many who have much larger, more urgent problems - like all those dealing with the Hurricane in the States. My heart goes out to those suffering from such loss and devestation.

We heard a very good exposition of Psalm 107 on Sunday. In it the Psalmist talks of different calamities that had befallen the people of God like wandering in the desert for 40 years, slavery/ imprisonment, storms, wicked rulers. Sometimes life throws such a curve ball that all our expertise, experience, confidence and courage count for nothing. And at these times we have the opportunity to call out to God. The last verse says that those who are wise will remember the faithful love of God. And that is something we can put our trust in no matter how tough our circumstances are.

In the meantime...maybe tomorrow things will look a little brighter again.

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Here's a map of where I've been in Canada. Looks neat to see it like this.

A Few Extra Gray Hairs....

Isn't it about time I wrote about harvest? Yeah...I thought so. It has been a difficult year with flooding and three different hailstorms. Lately it's been threat of frost early in August (which we've escaped so far) and too much rain. And that is nothing compared to the stress over having new machinery that isn't working properly. We got a new combine which is exciting until you try hooking it up to your headers and having nothing work the way it's supposed to. By the way, headers are attached to the front of the combine that cut the crop and 'suck' it into the combine to be threshed. Yesterday, Ladger was excited about running to town for a new part that should have done the trick but alas they sent the wrong thing. And who pays? Why we do...with more gray hair, wrinkles, stomach ulcers, etc. At least Paxton got a new toy tractor out of the trip. Apparently while Ladger was at the counter, Paxton found the toys and came over beside Ladger holding this one with a big smile. Ladger told him he'd have to put it back but the parts guy said he could have it - who can resist such a cute little guy!! Yes, who indeed!

So this morning, Ladger went dessicating our lentils. That means spraying to kill the plant so that it will dry down so it can be harvested. If one doesn't do that the weeds often stay green and cause problems and sometimes the crop ripens very unevenly with some being ready to harvest and some still green. I wish he could get on the combine and go...but it looks like we'll be waiting until Monday 'cause it's the weekend. And it's forecasting rain again. Yikes!

So we're all eager for this crazy year to be done with. And since I don't like dwelling on the difficulties...I haven't written much about farming at all this summer. I can just hope that once we DO get going, things will go smoothly and things will look brighter.

Meanwhile, I'm preparing for another year of music lessons. And guess what I got it into my head to buy. A classical guitar. I already have a really nice acoustic one but since I just love fingerstyle and have been getting into classical guitar music....well it just made sense to get a proper classical guitar. And I really do love playing it - so much easier on the fingers and a more expressive sound with the nylon strings. Thank goodness Ladger supports me in my little whims. He had no idea what I was buying when I stopped at the guitar store 'just to see what was there'. And out I come with a new guitar. I have a number of students that really like fingerstyle guitar and some younger students that could benefit from it as well - it's a little smaller and easier to play. I also put in an order for some new materials and I can't wait to get them to start putting together a plan for each of my students this year. So between that, housework, and homeschooling I really don't need to think about harvest at all!

Ugh my post disappeared...

And I'm too tired to write it again.

I can't believe the difference...

Once in awhile I look forward to the day when we'll build a new home. I don't dwell on it and most of the time I'm content in our mini home.

But over the last while I've been thinking I've not been faithful with the little so why should I gain something more. I've come to the realization that I need to do better...much better at keeping our home neat and tidy.

I've started a new housekeeping regimen through FLYLady and it's really working for me. I've done lots of decluttering and it's staying cleaned up. And my sink and dishes are always done up. I must say I'm amazing myself with how I'm enjoying housework these days. It just goes to show.... I needed a boss to kick me into gear. Well, if she's not a boss, at least she's great at sending out reminders via email about everything I'm supposed to be doing.

The downside is that I haven't spent nearly as much time online and while I hope to write more and keep up with my favorite blogs, I wouldn't trade the sense of accomplishment I've been feeling these days.

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Curious about Grammar...

Whatever happened to grammar? I started a new novel written from the perspective of a teenager growing up in a Mennonite community. And I can't help but find the punctuation (or lack of) very interesting. Here's an example:

When I got home my dad was on the roof. Feel safe up there, I asked. He shook his head. He was crouching and looking at something.
I put my fist around my mouth like a bullhorn and said please come down from the roof. I repeat, come down from the roof now.

Does anyone else wonder what happened to the traditional dialogue markings. For example: He said, "I'm cleaning out the eavestroughs." Have the rules changed?

Just curious.

BTW the excerpt is taken from "A complicated kindness" by Miriam Toews.

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It's been a good day...

I've been having fun getting myself ready for teaching music in the fall. I've got some new piano students and so I pulled out my old conservatory books and played some of my old festival pieces.I couldn't believe how much I'd retained - I probably haven't played those pieces for 15 years.

Today I really treated myself. I left the boys with Grandma and went for a rare trip to town on my own. I played with some classical guitars for awhile (am interested in buying one). I had my hair cut and styled. I bought three new books, 2 worship CD's and a songbook.

And I still managed to get lots of stuff in the house done (which almost never happens on a 'town' day). And yes my sink is still clean!! (see comments from yesterday).

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I'm not flying by the seat of my pants...I'm FLYing!

I am now dressed...with shoes on for my first day of FLYing lessons.

It's my first step in making a lifestyle change....to get organized in my home. I've had enough of flying by the seat of my pants and feeling a constant failure in this area.

The other day Rory said "Daisy (guinea pig)thinks I'm his mother." He's taking the mothering thing quite seriously. He held out two hands with a food pellet in each one and asked Daisy, "Do you want the cappuccino or the chocolate?"

We all enjoy our guinea pig so much that I find it funny that not all are so equally enthralled with this kind of pet. There have been a couple of people who have been less than enthused about the idea of a 'rodent' as a pet. It's funny but I really don't see Daisy as a rodent. And to be honest I actually think mice are quite cute...as long as they are not in my house!!! Sometimes I forget that not everyone feels the same way *grin* I had to laugh when Ladger said how much he preferred Daisy to a dog that 'poops all over the yard'. We're all so different and that makes life so very interesting.

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Gaza stripped away...

News of the Gaza strip bothers me these days. After all, aren't each of us responsible for what is happening there? It is our global community that has put such political pressure on Israel to give in to Palestinian demands in the name of peace. And if peace doesn't happen....what then? In the meantime, people's lives and livelihoods are being stripped away. I feel it deeply as a farmer - we love our land; we put so much into it that it becomes part of us - monetary compensation doesn't come close to the value we place on it. (Let alone giving it up to those who have made themselves so clearly an enemy). So it hurts to watch knowing that's all I can do....and pray.

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He can sing....

Rory can sing a tune!! I wasn't sure until he got two CD's this summer from 5 Day Club and DVBS. He's been learning the songs by heart and actually singing. And my heart is blessed as I would love to see my boys be involved with creating music in some way. So every night we put in one of the CD's and he and I sing for about half an hour as the boys settle down to sleep. Poor Paxton. I don't know how relaxing it is for him to be serenaded by his brother every night. *grin*

And now that's he's actually learning the lyrics, he's asking questions about some of them. He always points out the lyric "Satan is a liar.." It's really reinforcing what I told him a few months ago that Satan is the father of all lies.

It's making me wonder what lies I'm believing these days. I've been struggling with feeling way too unspiritual and unworthy to lead worship - for God to actually choose to work through me seems impossible. And so once more I need to come to Him as an empty cup and instead of believing the lies, I must hold to the truth of who God is - that He is more than enough to fill my cup to overflowing.

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I'm going to beat you up!

Rory's been saying this quite a bit lately. Now before you think I've got a violent child on my hands, let me explain. All of a sudden he got the idea of competition and everything has become a race. I can be eating my dinner and hear "I'm going to beat you up" as Rory gulps down his in a great effort to 'beat me'. Tonight, he and Paxton made a disaster of the toys in their room. I gave him half an hour to clean it up after which I told him I was taking everything I found on the floor out to the garage. Well he was in a great panic when the half hour was up and I started. It's amazing how fast he can go with a little motivation. Pretty soon he was saying with great elation "I beat you up, Mom, didn't I? I beat you up!!"

Technorati tag: Children

DVBS....

Last night Rory said something that sounded a little funny. He said that the devil takes food away from children. He's been attending DVBS this week and I can only guess that he means that children are going without food because of the evil in this world. So he and I had a great talk last night. He was very concerned that there are children who don't get snacks like chocolate milk, ice cream or candies. When I told him that lots of kids only get a little bit of rice to eat in a day, he hoped they got some soy sauce on the rice. Then he decided that we need to share - to send some food in the mail. Well I explained why that doesn't work but I told him that we can share by giving money to those who provide food for those children and explained about our World Vision sponsor child. It was a thrill to see his concern. And this morning when we were talking about giving some of his money for the offering the DVBS is collecting for a missionary in Africa, he promptly picked out $3.35 of his total $4.37 to give. I was impressed with his generosity and tripled each of his coins.

Technorati tag: Children

Thank goodness I'm done with Harry Potter! I did a marathon of sorts - I've read 5 of the six books in less than two weeks. I don't know why I do that to myself - what's the rush, eh? I ended up buying them because I didn't have enough patience to wait for them through the library system. It almost becomes a job that I have to get done before I can move on to something else. So now I'm free! And it's time for something other than reading!

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One kid can accomplish a lot....

It's just been Paxton and I this morning but as I look around my house after being on the phone for awhile and preparing for leading a worship team on Sunday, the evidence that I haven't been paying attention is all around me. Someone spread out some bedding and less desirable 'stuff' from our guiniea pig's cage out on my kitchen floor. Someone found the hardware odds and ends container under my bed and dumped out a whole bag of screws in my bedroom. Someone emptied out the dirty laundry from the hamper into the hall. Someone smushed candy into the socket Ladger was using to fix the toilet earlier this morning (because someone flushed too much toilet paper and plugged it).

The price of focusing on something other than the kids is a high one to pay...sometimes it's almost seems too high. But no, my life is enriched by relationships, music, reading, blogging, etc. So I guess I'll just remind myself as I clean up the mess, that life is nothing if not interesting...

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Mom's in trouble...

I mentioned previously that I put up a discipline chart for Rory on my fridge. The other day he put up another piece of paper and when I said something nice to him he promptly got out a marker and put an 'x' on it. He told me that I would get more 'x's' when I'm being good. This might just turn out to backfire on me.

Technorati tag: Children

Halfway thru...

Most birthdays don't hit me too hard. I didn't struggle with turning 30. But turning 35 is at least making me think a bit. The Bible mentions man's lifespan being 70 years. That means I'm halfway through this life of mine (more or less) and so I've been reflecting a little bit today on my life and if I'm making it count.

But I haven't stopped to ponder too long - I just finished up Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix so I can start the latest one which I have just cracked open.

Later today, we're going to have a wiener roast and have Ladger's parents over for a little birthday get-together. It's hot today so all I really want to do is drink coke.... better make that water *grin*

Technorati tag: General

It was an odd feeling to hear about the Air France accident at Toronto's Pearson Airport the day after we'd flown from there. A day's difference....

I couldn't get over the difference in Paxton in the few days we were gone. He knows more words and speaks them more clearly then ever; amazing how they can just 'get it' and start talking a lot suddenly!

Rory disobeyed specific instructions three times yesterday. So I've finally implemented the discipline chart I've been thinking of for awhile. Basically, he has to obey, tell the truth, treat others(Paxton) with kindness, and treat things well in order to maintain the privileges he usually enjoys (e.g. treats like ice cream, toys, visiting at Grandma's without me, etc). I'm hoping that the visual aid of the chart will help.

Next comes a housecleaning and homeschooling schedule for me to get into the swing of things once Fall comes. I have come to believe that organization is absolutely key to not going 'crazy' while homeschooling. So here I go in my quest to be much better organized.

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Get 'er Done!

One of the wedding party was a maritimer and throughout the reception he would say this at different times throughout the program at opportune times...to the amusement of all. I heard one person refer to it as the theme for my cousin's wedding. I know of no one else who throws feminine pronouns in at every opportunity like maritimers do. Another example is "How's she goin'". And I also heard the plural you - "yous" a few times as in "Yous are all welcome to join me". Oh yes, maritimers are a unique group of people ... and proud of it!

It was really great to be surrounded with Dad's family for a few days. I miss him and I know they all do too. Several told me how much I look like him which pleased me very much. It was hard to say good-bye to everyone as who knows how long it'll be before I see them again. It was the first time many of them met my husband and he enjoyed talking about farming and politics with Dad's brothers.

Another highlight was meeting some of the newest additions to the family like my new little cousin (adopted from China)...my grandmother's namesake. And my cousin's two girls - the youngest is 3 months. And getting to wish another cousin a Happy Birthday on her 14th birthday.

It was also great to get home and see my own two little scalliwags. It seems they did great and the worst trouble was when Rory got his hand stuck in a gopher trap - ouch! Well, I'd better go and get unpacked. Go ahead and say it with me - "Get 'er Done!

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In Toronto..

We've been really enjoying our time here in Toronto. We attended my cousin's wedding yesterday. It was beautiful and the reception was great fun. Today there'll be lots more visiting as all the uncles and aunts will be heading here (the bride's parents home) in a little while. We've been having fun talking politics. Some of our relatives are strong Liberals and some are strong Conservatives - makes for lots of fun. It's fun to throw a little western perspective into the mix.

It has been the first time Ladger has met our Ontario relatives but he's doing quite well in keeping up with who is who. Meanwhile it sounds like our boys are doing just fine with Grandma and Grandpa. Apparently Rory's been missing us though and that's sweet to hear. We'll be flying out tomorrow and will see them around suppertime.

BTW, I managed to whip most of our place into shape without getting too grouchy *grin*.


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Getting Ready to Go....

Today is the day before our trip to Toronto and it's the day I'm most likely to be surly, impatient, harried. Why? Well, I want to leave the house spotless. Partly because I wouldn't be surprised if Ladger's mom will come over for one reason or other (she's already talked about coming over so the boys can sleep in their own beds)and nothing makes me more uncomfortable than that and partly because I don't like leaving my house in an 'unfinished' state when I go on a trip. So between internal pressure and external possibilities I have my hands full.

And little boys have a way of getting in the way of housecleaning. I've already had to clean up a few extra messes this morning. Paxton thought it would be fun to crunch all the beautiful wrapping paper I was using to wrap up the wedding present and dump out my vitamins all over the place. Last evening he brought in a pile of grass sod and dumped it in my kitchen after I had spent quite awhile carpet cleaning (three times over).

So I need to alter my goals and let go of my own agenda and pride. I don't want my last day with the boys to be a miserable day. Maybe I can get the house into decent shape and still enjoy the boys being around. Maybe I can find ways for them to help me and just maybe God can give me the grace to show them the kind of love He shows me every day!

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The Good Life...

Lately I've read a couple of posts relating to 'blogger envy'. So here I sit with a blank mind and sure I'd love to write something brilliant (*grin*) but I doubt that's gonna happen today.

But I'm content. I just have to remember why I started this in the first place - it wasn't to gain the attention of oodles of people all over this globe. For me, it's a chance to capture moments of my life, my kids, my thoughts and be able to share the joy I find in my day to day life with any who would like to share in it.

And so I sit here in my office having stayed up late for the last few evenings to catch up on my bookkeeping...tired but content. I hear the hum of a tractor as Ladger is working in the orchard - evening out straw clumps left over from our flood. Paxton is humming to himself as he watches Dad out the window. Rory is off with Grandpa - not sure what they're up to exactly. And so, having taken a few minutes to appreciate the life that is mine, I'm off to accomplish great things in my house.

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If you haven't read it yet...

Last night I stayed up late to finish a book. That's one thing my husband doesn't understand about me... How do you explain being that involved in an unfolding drama that your own need for sleep is forgotten for awhile? I've been reading the series A.D. Chronicles by Bodie & Brock Thoene. I love it particularly as it's full of tidbits on how to understand some stories of the Old Testament as a foreshadow of Jesus' life on earth. That understanding adds such a rich dimension to understanding the life of Jesus. And it adds a wonderful dimension to this series of books. Go read them and enjoy the wonder of Jesus' days on earth.

"And then The Light came to earth as the prophets foretold in Holy Scripture. Born as a man named Yeshua, which means "Salvation", He lived among us.

The Angel of the Lord. El Shaddai. Adonai. The Way. The Truth. The Life. The Living Word of God. Saviour. Messiah. Redeemer. The Anointed One. El Olam. Ancient of Days.

So many names of grace and beauty to call Him - as many names as there are human needs to meet. And so The One Lord of All Eternity came to our world to ask each heart The One Question: Who do you say I am?

This is the story of the battle between The Truth and the Father of Lies. Each fought mightily for the souls of mankind.

Those who witnessed the conflict firsthand could not comprehend how ancient this war was, nor what the outcome meant for generations yet to be born."

...excerpt from the prologue of "Third Watch"
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Busy Days...

This week was busy. First of all, every morning we hosted a 5 day club and had 11 kids by the end of the week (including my boys). It was great to have such nice weather for the whole week. And... Rory asked Jesus into his life on Wednesday as he and I were working through the lesson from the day before.

Wednesday evening I went to splurge club and had a nice evening out with some girl friends.

Thursday, Ladger and I left the boys with Grandma and Grandpa and went to the annual customer appreciation event at our local fertilizer supplier (Wiens Agritec). First the guys went on a crop tour and while they talked farming, ladies went for an afternoon of pampering. I enjoyed the works: a pedicure, manicure, massage and jacuzzi. When the guys got back, we boarded the bus and headed to SaskLanding. We enjoyed four holes of golf (most of the ladies had golfed very little if at all - so it was pretty funny). I loved it and would love to take it up sometime. And then we headed back to a huge tent and enjoyed a 'redneck barb-b-q'. The food was excellent and we enjoyed the live band. And then quite a few couples played a round of mini-golf while enjoying the music and the beautiful evening. Things wrapped up with fireworks and we headed on the bus for home.

So the next few days will be busy as I get ready for our trip to Toronto for my cousin's wedding. Last night the boys did well staying overnight at Grandma's for the first time and so I'm feeling a bit better about leaving them for a few days. In no time at all summer will be half over and that is just hard to believe!

Technorati tag:General

I never know what I'm going to find next...

The other day the phone rang and I went to answer and saw this. Paxton obviously thought his playdough telephone should work just fine.

What's in a picture...

Many looked at this picture and found reason to scoff. But maybe those folks have never been to a rodeo. Cowboys aren't known for being fashionable but that doesn't keep us from donning our cowboy hats and boots and getting into the spirit of things. One minute media is saying that Stephen Harper is too serious looking and the next they turn around and look for opportunity to make him look ridiculous. What's ridiculous is an 'objective' media making sport regardless of the suitability of dressing in western gear in the context of the Calgary Stampede. Maybe it wouldn't hurt for some of our elite media to kick up their heels and live a little.

As election draws nearer we're going to be hit with all kinds of typical media bias. Here's a link to a good article entitled "Scary Evangelicals"



Technorati tag:Politics

Great White Combine...

This has been the year to top all years in my short history of farming. It started with baseball sized hail and 6 inches of rain in a matter of minutes that caused a flash flood through our yard in June. And then it hailed again a few weeks later on another field. Yesterday it hailed once again and we have yet to see how many fields were affected by this latest storm. As the summer progresses, hail becomes more damaging as crops try to mature and lose the chance to recover.

This last time may have caused irreparable damage and that's why hail is called the Great White Combine. It reaps our crop for us.

I was explaining to Rory about what hail does and why Dad's feeling a little blue today. Before I knew it Rory had great tears falling down his cheeks and he told me he was going to find a way to fix our crops. I told him nothing can be done and then he said "But God can fix them!" And right then he prayed that God would. And then he bounced up and said "I"m so excited because God's going to fix our crops". I love the faith of a child!

Meanwhile I pray that the Great White Combine would leave enough for us to harvest this fall.

Technorati tag: Faith

The Sky is Falling....

It's quite a change in pace from reading Thoene's book "Second Touch" about lepers in Jerusalem nearing the time of Christ's crucifixion to Nino Ricci's "Where She Has Gone" to Andrew Murray's "Absolute Surrender" to John Piper's "Don't Waste Your Life" to Galdone's "Henny Penny". But I have to admit it's fun to read to the boys even though I just get to a good part in any of the books I'm reading and I can count on someone bringing me a book of their own for me to read. But I don't know how many more times I want to retell the tale of Henny Penny and her gullible friends Ducky Lucky, Cocky Locky, Turkey Lurkey and Goosey Loosey. It's just too much of a mouthful to get all those names in there.

Our dryer is on its last legs so I'm really avoiding it this summer. And that's been fine except that we're supposed to get rain today and I need to do quite a bit of laundry. Hopefully the rain'll hold off until my clothes get a chance to dry a bit.

And then this afternoon, it's off to town to play for a wedding. Most of it is classical music and so I've been enjoying brushing up on some pieces that I haven't played in awhile.

I'll try to come up with a more interesting post when I get a chance to read something a little deeper than how Foxy Loxy really outwitted Henny Penny and friends and how it all started 'cause she jumped to a wrong conclusion when the acorn fell on her head.

Technorati tag:books

Here's some pictures from camp: I was surprised at how much Rory enjoyed archery.

Ready...aim...shoot!

And here's Paxton and his duck at our cabin!

"I must, I may, I would, I shall...

be filled with the Holy Spirit." I've been working through "Absolute Surrender" by Andrew Murray. He lists these as four steps we need to take.

1. "I must..." - that's easy for me. There's no question in my mind that I must if I wish God to use me (I've been thinking in context of leading worship in a few weeks in particular)
2. "I may..." - that's harder for me; to not have doubts that God will indeed empower me through His Spirit.
3. "I would..." - willingness, I am willing but at times I drag my feet and wonder what God will ask of me so I'm still working on this one.
4. "I shall..." - I'm also working on this one; to step out in faith and claim God's promise.

As I started praying and working through these, I found myself having some difficult days. I found myself discouraged because of so many failures in my life as a mom and a wife. But I press on because I know that I cannot live as I ought unless the Spirit that resides in me has His way in my life.

Technorati tag:books,faith,Andrew Murray

Soccer season is over and we've got lots of great pics but this has to be my favorite!

An Evening Out....

On July 4, many of you celebrated but four of us celebrated a different event here in Canada. We went out for a birthday dinner and talked almost non-stop about things like post-modernism, philsophy, world views, evangelism, church etc. Now that's my idea of a party! *grin* So I've got lots of thoughts mulling around in my head. Hopefully, one day I can sort through some of it and write a post touching on some of the issues we talked about.

But if you'd like something to wrap your mind around while you're out enjoying the sun this summer, here's a link to one of my favorite authors. I enjoyed a debate between him and Morgentaler at the University of Saskatoon in my college days. And I drank in his lectures at our college when he came for a few sessions as a guest. I found this link at Apologia Christi. Here is Dr. William Lane Craig with "Politically Incorrect Salvation"

Family Camp...

We just got back from a great time at Westbank Bible Camp.

We left Thursday to get there in time for supper...a Mennonite favorite - homemade peroghys and vorscht. Peroghys are tiny dough pockets filled with a potato and cheese mixture (or cottage cheese, potato and bacon, etc) and vorscht are farmer's sausages.

On Friday, Rory and I went horseback riding. He loved it as we went throught a small creek with the horse and most of the trail was fun. I didn't like going downhill though because our horse decided to head down a different path (steeper) and while I was trying to keep him under control Rory was really scared. But as soon as we reached the bottom all was well again. That afternoon, the husbands looked after the kids while the ladies were treated to an afternoon at the pool with a foot spa, fruit platters, ice cappucinos, Josh Groban playing in the background - very nice. And then Rory came swimming with me and had a blast in the pool.

On Saturday, the guys got to go golfing in the morning and they had a good time. And that afternoon (after a short nap), Rory really enjoyed archery. He also spent some time at the creek trying to catch fish. And then he tried ziplining for the first time - really cute! Paxton got to try jumping on the trampoline which was really fun for him. (Rory was on there every spare minute too). And then they fed the kids and took them off for a time of games while the adults enjoyed a banquet - tender roast beef and roast potatoes with all the fixings and cheesecake for dessert.

We had a campfire each evening and lots of crazy songs. A kid sitting beside me kept telling me how 'stupid' the songs were. I guess it looked funny to him to see a bunch of adults having so much fun singing about a moose who spilled juice on his head and other such silly songs.

I'm so glad we went as we got to renew some friendships from last year and met some new families. We had good discussions and motivational chapel times. All in all, it was a weekend jam-packed full of good times.

We just got back early Sunday afternoon and are having a lazy day catching up on some rest before heading into a new week. I hope you all had a great weekend!

It's our 9th anniversary today! And I get to pull out my wedding album and reminisce and share a couple with you.

In this photo, Ladger had a funny expression when I kissed his cheek - like I surprised him - I should try for that look today...hmmm....

BTW, I read an excellent post today at Mommy Life by Barbara. The topic was specifically how to deal with the 'submission' verses in light of feminism. What she writes captures the spirit of what I wish to be in my own marriage - a great challenge!

We're not really rednecks but...

we are down to earth country folk with some quirks!

To borrow from Jeff Foxworthy's "You Might be a Redneck If...":

You might be a redneck if you swerve to get roadkill. (Now Ladger doesn't swerve to hit all critters but gophers.... I've learned not to try to put make-up in the vehicle as he aims for gophers on the road every time!)

You might be a redneck if you pass cars in the ditch. (This one was Ladger's and I really wonder how he drives when I'm not around!!)

You might be a redneck if you wear rubber boots with your dress to get to your car...and then change into good shoes. (That's what Ladger thinks I should've done all those times I had to walk to the vehicle on his parents yard. I refused and so now he usually picks me up - yay for chivalry! Now we have a garage on our yard and that has made a difference too.)

What do you do that might be considered 'redneck'?

Democracy Hypocrisy

Polls are just a semi-accurate picture of public opinion on any given issue. But even so, what is clear from the polls is that we are a nation divided on the issue of a redefinition of marriage. But our government acted as if it had no other alternative. Maybe a referendum would have shown that a majority of persons in this country would change the marriage definition but we weren't given the chance to find out. At the very least, some effort at trying to represent all interests fairly would have been in order.

I think it is a very sad picture of democracy when a government in power can push forward its own agenda especially on social/ moral issues such as the recent change to the definition of marriage. Our current government has decided that one minority group's concerns to be valid while a larger minority group (those who believe that the Word of God is the basis of morality) is not worth listening to. Since when is that a good democratic process?

It only goes to show that the strength and integrity of a democracy is in direct correspondence to the strength and integrity of its people and its leaders. If nothing else, we can see clearly the problems inherent in relativity and tolerance. When government decides where we are to stand on moral issues it has chosen a side and has been intolerant of someone's position in the process.

Despite claims that freedom of religion and speech will be protected - our freedom has been eroded. How long before that freedom will be eroded even more for those who don't fall in line with what is deemed to be 'politically correct'? What happens to nations that turn their back on God? History can give us a pretty clear picture if we're willing to take a look.

politics

Close To You...

Here it is as I sang it this morning. It was a blessing to share it with our congregation - many encouraged me to keep on writing. A special thank you to those who took the time to give me your thoughts on the lyrics!

Close to You

verse 1
The morning sun is rising
From the dancing of the stars
And breezes whisper softly
Of Your presence in my heart
I can nearly touch the heavens
You are so near

chorus
Close to You
There's no place I'd rather be
That's where Your Spirit's calling me
Close to You
This world is not my home
I know where I belong
Close to You.....Close to You.

verse 2
Like rippling waves in wheatfields
Move by the slightest breath
Your Spirit gently moves me
Bringing me to newer depths
From the desert of my soul
Your beauty starts to grow

Bridge
On a day long ago
As the skies turned dark
And a veil was torn in two
You hung
There on a cross
Bearing my sin
Turning my eyes to You

verse 3
The pain You bore in my place
The shame You wore alone
And so I cry out and healing waters flow
In Streams of loving mercy
Running down over me

Mixed Up Day...

My day hasn't gone as planned at all. I really wanted to get a good day to focus on catching up with housecleaning. But... Ladger went spraying and so he needed lunch. I was talking to his mom and found myself volunteering to Barb-b-q for everyone. So most of my morning was spent filling the fuel tank on the halfton with diesel and gassing up the truck and then loading up the gear and barb-b-q and then preparing the lunch. And then we got out there and started cooking and the guys decided they'd better finish up as the skies were blue. Sure enough, we hurried through lunch...accompanied by thunder and lightning in the west (pretty really), packed up and headed home. So it turns out I wouldn't have had to bring a lunch out to the field at all. If I hadn't gone to the bother, the guys would have come home for lunch and I would have had the morning for other things. Oh well.....

Canada Day...

Today's the parade and Rory's in it! He's so excited - too funny. He's on the float with AWANA and he is determined to take my recorder so he can 'play music'. I guess he figures that's what you're supposed to do if you're going to be in the parade.

My childhood...

I've been tagged by Catez at All Things to All. I've been asked to describe five things that I miss from my childhood and I can tell this is going to be a little stretching as I dig back a few years.

1. I miss the days when I had nothing to do but head outdoors on a nice day with a good book and sit on my favorite rock beside a little brook. I loved the freedom and the sense of well-being. Now I'm lucky to find tiny bits of time!

2. I miss the days when cleaning the bathroom was the only chore I had all week...besides the dishes after supper. I was never too quick to get the job done and so I always ended up being the dish dryer. And most of the time I'd sneak away to play a little piano while my sister got started. She'd complain about it but I always figured that I may as well enjoy myself until there were some dishes to dry. I'm still not quick to get the job done and it's always tempting to just play a song or two before I get to work in earnest. Unfortunately, there's no one to get the job started but me.

3. I miss the days when I'd wander through the woods and come upon an unexpected clearing. One of those became my favorite place - there was a large black rock in the middle of it. I wonder if it's still there as I remember it. I wonder if I could even find it.

4. I miss those early days of school. I loved the school bus because my best friends were on it. We were silly, giggled lots and did this hand clapping thing a lot - the busdriver must have been so relieved to see us get off the bus finally. I loved life and I could be sillier than most. Now I should kick up my heels and be silly once in awhile...just because.

5. I miss the wonder... the wonder of Prince Edward Island, Cherry Brook Zoo, Magnetic Mountain, Kingslanding (New Brunswick) and other excursions we'd take in summer as a family; when everything was an adventure and new places so exciting; when going for a boat ride with my dad and sister in a little motor boat and being in a storm was the most exciting thing I'd ever done. Little things were a huge deal and it was so easy to see all that was 'wonder'ful.

Here's the procedure:

I pick four people to write on "Five things I miss from my childhood". I'd like to pick the following four. Let me know if you can't in the comments and I'll find another unsuspecting victim... er... participant. I have seen somewhere before so please let me know if I've tagged you and you've already done this one :-)

Kim from The Upward Call, Sparrow from Intent, Carol from Carol's Storybook and Gem from Roughcut Gems.

Remove the blog at No.1 from the following list and bump every one up one place; add your blog’s name in the No.5 spot. I've linked to their posts on childhood, with the URLs for you as well:

1. Just Ask Judy
http://justaskjudy.blogspot.com/2005/06/ive-been-tagged.html
2. Loose Leaf
http://www.looseleafnotes.com/archives/2005/06/meme_5_things_i.html
3. Black Currant Jam
http://blackcurantjam.blogspot.com/2005/06/meme-5-things-i-miss.html
4. Allthings2all
http://allthings2all.blogspot.com/2005/06/i-wanted-green-hair.html
5. Tales of a Farmwife
http://alynnmusic.blogspot.com/2005/06/my-childhood.html

And pick four people. Thanks!

Dark time in Canada...

I'm struggling this morning. I feel so discouraged about the marriage bill that may pass at any time...almost too discouraged to even pray about it. There are so many Canadians across this country who are against this new bill but the current government has made it their own agenda and is pushing it through regardless of the concerns of so many of its citizens. I guess the government forgot that they are supposed to be representing all of us... It's a dark time in Canada.

I love Mondays - a fresh new week is ahead of me. I've been working so hard outside that I need a good day or so to catch up inside. So I won't write too much as I need to get as much done this morning as possible - otherwise the day just disappears too fast! Blessings to all of you as you start a new week.

This Good Day...

Last Sunday I found a surprise in my mail box in the church - the CD "Home" by Fernando Ortega. A dear friend picked it up at our local Christian bookstore because she remembered that I loved hers when I heard it (and they were giving away all their older demos). I'm sure she had no idea how much it meant (I don't think she was aware of our flooding at that point). So I got home and was touched anew by the first song. Here's the chorus:

That this good day
It is a gift from you.
The world is turning in its place
Because you made it to.
I lift my voice
To sing a song of praise
On this good day.

It resonated with my heart that it was indeed a good day and that I had so much to praise God for. Here's a little list of blessings:

• I always wanted lots of mulch in my garden and flowerbeds - now I have plenty :-)
• I found the little weeding tool that I love so much - I was so surprised and pleased to find it among all the straw and debris
• My strawberry plants are yielding strawberries!!!!
• Friends came and gave me a hand with some of the hard work
• Every flower that blooms is like a little treasure
• God has filled my heart with joy

Mosaic...Fractured or Whole?

Independence and individuality are given such value in our society but at what cost? It leads to being 'disconnected' and fragmented. We've lost our sense of being part of a community as we strive and search for something to make sense. Relationships are valued for what they can do for 'me'. But that pragmatic view turns ugly when we see how quickly we discard any relationship that is not fulfilling 'my' needs. Divorce has become commonplace. Unborn babies are literally discarded.

But the truth is relationships are fundamental in our lives. We need them. It's true that every relationship has the risk of breaking apart and causing all kinds of stress and pain. But a good relationship is so valuable that most of us are willing to take the risk...drawn to the possibilities and potential.

It is interesting how many bloggers are stay-at-home Moms! That makes sense as working Moms probably don't have an abundance of 'free' time and have less need for adult interaction after spending a day with co-workers, customers, etc. But blogging allows a real network of friendships to develop and that's part of what draws us to it: a colorful mosaic of people and ideas.

Our need for community becomes more clear all the time. It becomes more important to invest in friendships..to not get too busy or to be satisfied with superficial friendliness. I spent a couple of hours with one friend recently and for sure I smiled the rest of the day - loving life and refreshed.

But above all there is one relationship that has no risk. It is a relationship that encourages and refreshes like no other. It is a relationship that should be sought out and invested in above all others. And it does take investment...time, effort, priority, sacrifice.

A close relationship with our Creator is worth everything. And it costs everything. It's counter-culture; sacrifice, undeserved kindness, need, brokeness, humility and unconditional love become the words we live by. And it will absolutely turn our lives upside down. But what have we got to lose?

Within that relationship lies the key to a rich abundant life - full of meaning and purpose, full of joy and refreshment. Drawn close to our Creator we find ourselves close to each other. Is the mosaic of our intertwined lives fractured or whole; ruined pieces or art?

Note: This was a post I wrote one day and then for the fun of it, sent it as an entry in Marla Swoffer's "Intellectuelle" contest.