My Son the Doctor!

Good Morning Company Girls!!

Well, this week I have wonderful news to tell you about so I'm going to start off with that right away! Last Friday was hubby's alternate Friday off and we were able to travel to Toronto...which is about an hour away from here. Toronto is a very busy and for me, confusing city....to say it intimidates me would be an understatement! I was glad it was hubby's day off because that means he was able to do the driving! If he hadn't then I would have gathered up my courage and made the trek to the big city myself if I had to because my eldest son was defending his doctoral thesis!!!! Yes, can you believe it...a very exciting day, to be sure. I had never been to a 'defense' before..didn't know what to expect..didn't even know what to wear! Fortunately we left in plenty of time to find parking and get in there before it started because they had signs posted that latecomers would not be admitted! I knew my daughter-in-law, Jennifer would be disappointed at this because she had hoped that hubby would be able to slip out part way through the defense, and take the baby and she would be able to come in and observe her hubby, at this pivotal part in their lives. I felt bad for her, if it was my hubby I certainly would want to be in there! Anyways, if you've never been to a 'defense', I'll give you a brief overview....in this room, a little bigger than most living rooms...and placed in the centre there is a long table with chairs. Six chairs are placed with water glasses at each place and a pitcher of water in the middle. Also, in the middle of the table was one of those 'spider' speaker phones that you see on television shows...this is needed because one of the questioning professors lives and teaches in Michigan and would do his questioning via speaker phone.

At first, it was just hubby and I and Ryan in the room....slowly, other men started coming in...these were the other professors...and last to come in was another professor who was the chairman of the committee. So, do you have the picture set in your mind? The next thing to happen was that we were sent out of the room! Apparently all the professors had to chat and decide who was going to ask what...oh yes, they had already got the Michigan professor on the phone.....so, we waited at a little sitting area for about ten minutes, then we were called back in.

Hubby and I sat over, against the wall and for the next one hour and forty-five minutes were quiet as two mice could be while we observed our son as he defended his thesis. Each professor took turns for approximately fifteen minutes asking him questions...'Why did you say that', 'What is the meaning of that section', 'What were you thinking when you said that'.....I will admit to being fascinated...I will also admit to not understanding everything they said...you see the topic was from the New Testament.....in fact I'd really have to get my brain working at even understanding the topic of his thesis,...Conjectural Emendation in New Testament Criticism with the Epistle of James as a Case Study. Say that five times fast!

When Ryan was much younger, like in elementary school, he was a challenge...in fact one teacher thought he was ADHD.....I questioned that...to me he didn't seem that way at all....they said....'he's always looking out the window, not paying attention'....I questioned Ryan on that...he said ' they teach the same thing, over and over for three days...I got it the first day'..ahhh, so there you go.....another thing he liked to do was challenge what you said...everything we'd talk to him about, or the teachers did..he'd challenge...we began to call it 'his word games'...he'd love them, you could tell...he'd also loved to debate....whether he'd believed in the topic or not, he could debate it and do it well.....this is the son that we cut our parenting teeth on.....he was definitely the kid that 'walked to the beat of a different drummer'! At first I thought that he'd be the death of me(so to speak) but when he was older I could appreciate his thinking, I no longer found it frustrating but found that it was a marvellous strength! No one was going to convince him to do anything that he didn't want to do! A fabulous trait to have when faced with peer pressure every day! So...you get the general idea of the personality of my son...which hasn't changed a lot in this thirty-four year old man!

After the professors had their allotted fifteen minutes then they went for round two...five minutes each.....then,...they sent us out again!

After about ten minutes they called him and us back in again....the professor that was his advisor came and got us...smiling from ear to ear, and tipping the committees hand when he said 'Congratulations, Ryan!'

When we were all seated again, the chairman gave the official news, that other than a few minor corrections before it could be published, he congratulated Ryan on successfully defending his thesis!!!!! After fourteen years of post secondary schooling, it had come to this! To say that hubby and I were proud, was an understatement, really, words could not really describe how we felt.

As we were getting ready to leave one of the professors turned to us and said....'Well, you both did very well, just sitting there quietly and not jumping in and defending your son!' I replied, 'well, no, Ryan has always been able to express himself well, we didn't need to'.......I knew, and had tremendous confidence in him......I had witnessed it from the time he was a young boy, I knew he could do it....and as I sat there observing and praying, praying that the Lord would speak through him, that whatever words that came out of his mouth would be from Him, I was assured that all would be well.

Apparently, his convocation isn't til next fall...good grief...I don't think we'll be able to call him doctor before that..but...it does have a nice ring to it doesn't it?

Dr. Ryan Wettlaufer...cool eh?

Now, if any of you know of a bible college needing a really, really fabulous new testament teacher...please let me know...I can personally vouch for him..if that counts!

Have a good week, with last minute Christmas preparations!

A Christmas Memory...

Good Morning Company Girls!

Rachel's suggestion this morning sent me waaaaaaaaaaay back in my memory banks.....I had to have been only 6 years old. I went to bed that night with visions of Santa and sugar plums dancing in my head...as well as a loose tooth! When I awoke the next morning, I discovered it was missing!! No longer in my mouth, not in the bed..no where to be found...it must have been swallowed...oh no! I immediately didn't feel very good, I remember having a stomach ache...knowing me it was most likely my brain working overtime.....when your only six it does give you a moment of panic to know you swallowed a tooth! My older sister went racing down the stairs to see what Santa had left under the tree...in our family, Santa gifts were never wrapped but just displayed under the tree...something I will admit to continuing with my kids...after all, Santa doesn't have the time to wrap gifts you know.....anyways, back to my story....


.....there I was, sitting on the toilet with this stomach ache...the bathroom in this very old house was directly across from the top of the stairs....my dad was sitting on the edge of the tub with his arm around me....sister dear came to the bottom of the stairs and started hollering, telling me what I got...dad, quickly shushed her....he didn't think it was fair that I was stuck in the bathroom while she was having all the fun! I remember, even at that young age...it wasn't my mom that stayed with me...(she was probably trying to keep younger brother from tearing the place apart)....it was my dad...I remember being pleased that he stayed with me til I felt better. When I finally got downstairs I was so excited....a brand new Betsey Wetsey doll...ya, you guessed it..you gave her a bottle and she wet her diaper....quite the new innovation for a doll 53 years ago! The only other thing I remember about that morning is that my sister wrecked the cellophane on the doll box getting to what she thought was her doll, only to have my mom tell her that the blond haired Betsey was mine and the brown haired one belonged to her....I remember not being thrilled over having a wrecked box!

....I guess what I'm saying is the best memory of that whole thing was my dad patiently waiting with this little girl in the bathroom....being ever so nice to me.....it made me feel special on that Christmas morning.

I pray that on this Christmas morning that each of you feel very special in some way....we all need that sometimes, don't we?

Oi vey!

Good Morning Company Girls!

I hope that the ones that celebrated Thanksgiving last week had a wonderful time....these two pics are of William , he's our youngest grandson, and he turned one this week...yes, he really is that cute.....

This week I did a lot of driving and on one trip to take Maya back up north, which was on William's birthday, I was recalling the trip I made a year ago to witness his birth.... oh . my. goodness! Never have I ever been more scared in my life as I drove through a snow storm for over 45 minutes and I couldn't even see past the front of my van!!! It was just me, praying constantly, knuckle gripping the steering wheel and using those poles at the side of the road with the diamonds on them to guide me. Thankfully, in taking Maya home I just ran into some very light, hardly there, flurries.

So, this week is one that I'm very glad is over....too much driving..really, I don't mind driving..it's especially easy in my 'new to me' van.....but it was a lot and at gas prices..up to $1.12 a litre..(if you multiply that by 3.79 then you get how much that is per gallon, if you don't live in Canada that is)......so, that to be said, when I took Ben for his shift on the Salvation Army 'bubble' or 'kettle'...whichever way you say it.....at the mall 25 minute drive away...I took a good book and sat in one of the comfy mall chairs and read while he did his 3 hour shift....if I could just figure out what to get my adult children then I could have been shopping...but....I hate shopping and so I hate just wandering aimlessly...thinking...'well, maybe they might like that'....good grief!

On Tuesday, Maya had the biggest adventure so far in her life, I think...she had to come down from up north because she had a specialist appointment on Wednesday morning at 9 a.m., hubby decided that taking the bus down into our area would be the way to go.....speaking of go...we have a fast transit system that involves bus and trains around our area called the GO system...good friends of ours, well the husband is a GO bus driver.....hubby talked to him and gave hubby the scoop on what Maya's suppose to do...it involved her taking the bus so far and then getting on a train to come the rest of the way...she was nervous...I don't blame her...I'd have been nervous too...but I did the mommy thing and told her that she'd do great, that I'd be praying for her and that it was a great adventure!!! Inside I was thinking...oh my goodness!

She did just fine.....very pleased with herself...and so was this momma!

So, on Tuesday, before I picked Maya up, I had to take Ben to his kettle shift, then take Emma and Megan to another city, down the main highway about half an hour away, for an appointment that Emma had...then back home, drop the girls off then out to another city on the other side of ours to pick up Maya then back up to the mall to pick up Ben....all that took about 4-1/2 hours...non-stop, go, go, go.....did I tell you I just turned 60, I'm old people...too old for this stuff....

Then, the next day...took Maya into the city for her appointment...stopped to visit my mom ...home again for an hour then onto another appointment in the next town...finished that at 2p.m., drove Maya back up north, stopped long enough to use the facilities, grabbed a hot chocolate and donut at Tim Horton's, then drove back, getting home around 7 p.m.!!!

Yesterday, I went to the naturopath...she wanted to try this treatment on me,...called Bowen.....it was kind of weird and I kind of wondered about it's validity since she didn't seem to be doing much...but, good grief..was I ever in pain by the afternoon! Then I had to take Emma to the church...her and I were attending a ladies Christmas dinner...I was eating and she was serving...(I was mildly surprised that she actually went!)...eldest daughter, Leslie also sang at it...it was a lovely dinner..turkey with all the trimmings...haven't enjoyed having that done for me in years!

That brings us to today...no appointments so to speak...but I do have to go and get some bloodwork done for the naturopath.....not my favourite thing to do...since I'm physically disable in my arms then they have to take the blood from my foot..ya, ouch!...plus it has to be a fasting one so when hubby brought my tea this morning, I had to remind him that I couldn't have it...he knew but had forgotten....so, I'd better go and face the music...it's the only way I'll get a cup of tea!!

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend...we plan on travelling north to have birthday celebrations with that cutie at the top of the screen...and his parents too, of course....then on Sunday after church, we plan on going and cutting down our Christmas tree at the tree farm...then in the evening, we plan on meeting with(just hubby and I) my siblings and spouses to celebrate my mom's 85th birthday!!!

Ya, tis the season! go, go, go....

We were just getting ready for bed when I heard the wailing.....coming from downstairs....I knew it was Emma....she was once again angry with me.....

She wanted her 'friend' to come and sleep over.....she had already tried to convince me that this girl needed to come and live with us...that her dad was kicking her out...she needed a place to stay.......this is the same girl that used the 'b' word, for a female dog...which is fine if you're actually talking about dogs...but she was talking about me...just a few months ago....and Emma now wanted her to come to live with us.......

I told her that first of all...we didn't have the room.....she indicated her bedroom floor...I said that was fine for a one night sleep over but not an extended indefinite stay......I also said that because this girl was underage that she really should be calling Children's Aid ...they could help her in ways that we couldn't...they could put her in touch with government agencies that could help her to establish life on her own......the bottom line is that I didn't want this child in my home.....this is unusual for me....I've been accused by family members of 'collecting' kids....and I will admit that my 'former' foster mother heart wanted to help this girl, wanted to give her the mothering that I knew she had never experienced...but I just can't.....too much going on with Emma these days, too much going on with Megan these days, concerns for Paul, Corey, Ryan, Jenn, Leslie, Jairus, Lauren, Ryan P, and most of all, concern for my beloved....who works too hard....he doesn't need another teen in this house, especially one that we would have no real jurisdiction over....

Emma wants to hang out with school friends after school, on weekends....any time.....we say no.......these kids are the ones that claim to be bisexual, who post really gross pics on Facebook, most have the tattoos and the multiple piercings, the less than appropriate clothing attire....

.......I said to Emma, as she sobbed....Emma, when you were younger and you made the choice to go out on the road, get to close to a moving car, too near to the campfire and kept on having asthmatic attacks in the pool...dad and I did something...we kept you away from the road, out of the path of a moving car, stopped you from leaning too close to the fire and made sure you took your inhaler before swimming.....that's because you were making bad choices that would harm you...we are your parents, we love you...it was our job to keep you safe.....

......now, you are older but sometimes you are still making choices that are harmful to you.....hanging out with these kids after school (I can not control her hanging out with them during the seven hours of school time).....is harmful to you.....we have to try and keep you safe.....she just cried...'just stop, I don't want you to'.....'I know, but I have to...that's my responsibility, I'm your parent'....

Earlier, I had found a paper on the floor in her room...(she had left it in plain view for me to find)...it said (in her favourite colour)....there will be five new cuts on my arm for everyday that I'm not allowed to see my friends......I asked 'are you trying to blackmail me.....if you do this, it will be your choice....I don't want you to do it..but it will be your choice...and it's liable to get you onto the psych ward....'I don't care', she says........'well, it is your choice', I say.

So, as I sit beside her bed, at 11:45pm....I'm drawn to touch her shoulder, as she cries, to rub it gently....she cries out..'don't touch me, I don't want you to touch me'....I continue to rub......I say...'I'm your mom and I love you'.......

...a few more minutes pass...she says 'just go, just go'....and so I do....but, as I leave I gently, inconspicuously, move a pair of scissors of the floor, that were by my feet.....to under the bed...no, I don't think she's suicidal....I just didn't want anymore cutting...I didn't want the scissors there, prompting her to use them.....

....another evening past....another day today......we'll see how today goes.....

#1 Son...

Ryan with son William on his shoulders...William actually enjoys his dad holding him this way....

Eldest son Ryan holding Flannery as she is now..... (I know ..I uploaded the pics in wrong order...adjust!)

Eldest Son Ryan holding his dog Flannery when she was a pup......

These pictures are posted because 34 years ago on November 25 at approximately 7:30am, Ryan came whimpering and mewing into this world .....it was a planned c-section, big sister Leslie's birth made that a necessity......she couldn't get down the birth canal so they were pretty sure that babe #2 wouldn't be able to either. Thirty-four years ago they did things a little differently.....you were admitted the previous evening to prep you properly.....husbands/dad's were not allowed in the delivery room......with Leslie, because it was suddenly needed they just put me out, general anesthetic....with Ryan I opted for an epidural......worst mistake of my life....I really should have known better.....I had two epidurals with Leslie...neither one 'took'....

.......when they inserted the needle for Ryan, I remember thinking that it was higher than I remembered the ones for Leslie's...but I was sooo nervous that I didn't give it much thought....until the doctor made the first incision and I felt it!! I let out a gasp...the doctor leaned over the drape and said...'did you feel that?'...yes!!!.....in went the local freezing...(they were prepared...that's a scary thought!)......I didn't think that I'd feel a thing....being frozen and all....was I wrong! It felt like they were going through my body and trying to come out my spine!..I lay there praying and hoping that it would be over quickly....a few moments later the doctor exclaimed...'it's a boy.....what?, I said (i had been convinced I was having another girl)...it's a boy!

They laid him in a little bassinet, and wheeled him over...not too close but I could still see this tiny, wee babe (6lbs7oz) on his tummy, curled up with his knees under him, and he was just making these little mewing sounds.....so tiny.....he obviously wasn't happy about being taken from his warm secure spot to this cold, sterile room....and it was snowing outside.....hey, I just realized that when baby William was born this last December that it was the snowingl for him also....they both came into the world as the snow came down outside....hmmmm.....

...anyways, it was quite the day.....when they had stitched me up they wheeled us both out into the hallway where hubby was waiting.....he was overjoyed that he had a new baby...hubby loves the babies.....we had to stay in the hospital a week...another thing they did differently back then...sections were always a week in the hospital......I ended up having complications from the epidural...some of the medication got into the spinal fluid and went up to my brain....horrible headaches....then the meds they gave to counteract that gave me hives! A birth to remember for sure!

Thirty four years later, that tiny wee babe is all grown up.....he's a good husband, a proud dad, a scholar....he's spent the last fourteen years going through post secondary education and Lord willing should be graduating with his ph.d. in new testament theology next spring...he's an excellent carpenter, he's made me many wonderful things....he's got a good head on his shoulders...and as his siblings will attest to, knows anything about everything ....he's going through a bit of a rough time right now...he's been trying so very hard to get a teaching position the last few years but these positions seem to be as scarce as hen's teeth.....he's discouraged...we pray for him every day....even little 2 year old Afton (grandaughter #3) prays everyday for 'uncle wyan to get a job'.....there is a job out there somewhere, of that I am convinced....I truly believe that God wouldn't have led him into this field if he didn't want him to use it to further his kingdom by teaching others....yes, I truly believe this...unfortunately, we want it now and our timing isn't God's timing.....it's all about resting in him, isn't it...easier said then done when you're discouraged..been there many a time....

God has a plan and His love has not failed me yet because I know that my Redeemer lives....because..

He runs to the weary, the worn and the weak (that's me)

And the same gentle hands that hold me when I'm broken

They conquered death to bring me victory.....

....and I know my Redeemer lives!

...and he lives for everyone of my children, in heaven and on earth....He has not forgotten.....

Ryan....I type this for all to see....dad and I are so proud of you.....we are proud that even amidst your sorrow that you keep going....you are a responsible, sensitive, caring man.....all the positions you fill..as a husband, a dad, a teacher, a carpenter, a co-worker, a friend....and most of all to us...a son...our very first son......you have filled our hearts with pride....and tomorrow we wish you a very Happy Birthday....may the Lord shine his face upon you and give you peace, my son. We love you.

Happy Birthday, Ryan!

An Amazing Weekend!

Good Morning Company Girls!

Well, I've waited til today to blog about my amazing weekend last weekend because I wanted to share with the Company Girls that graciously read my blog......for so long it seems like it's all been doom and gloom, but not this time...the only gloomy thing is that I don't have pics to show you...I know...failed again....you see we got this new camera about a year ago and I haven't made myself figure out how to load the pics on my computer yet and well, poor hubby is usually too busy during the week with working three jobs that I don't want to bug him about it when he's finally home.

but.....

I can still tell you about it...and maybe post pics over the weekend when hubby has a few moments...

...well, if you read last Friday's post then you would know that it was my 60th birthday....hubby had made plans...hubby loves making plans! Just after noon on Friday we left the house and drove down to Niagara Falls.....it had promised to be a sunny day but so far it wasn't.....by the time we had arrived though the sun was shining...lovely because the hotel room he had booked overlooked the falls from the fifteenth floor! Gorgeous, breathtaking view! While we were getting settled into there, my cell phone rang...it was my youngest brother calling, which I thot was strange since he's an elementary teacher and he should still be in school...which he was...I heard excited kids in the background......and then singing! His class sang Happy Birthday ...chachacha! to me!! I giggled throughout the song...what a hoot!

Then, after a little reading time (yes, I had brought a book...(never like to go somewhere without one) we changed our clothes cause hubby said we were eating someplace over the border in Buffalo and we had to be slightly dressed up....
....at the border crossing, the guard, of course was very nosy...asking a million questions...asked hubby what he got me for my birthday..hubby said..'this weekend away from the kids'...the cheeky guard said 'well, if you hadn't had the kids you wouldn't have to get away, would you?'....nervy pup, I'd say! Anyways, then we went to Joannes, where I did a little fabric shopping, and bought my first official Christmas gift for little Miss Honour, my 7 year old grandaughter....a small Singer sewing machine.....the label said for 6 years plus so I guess that fits her.....I hope she likes it!

Then onto supper at the Asa Ransom House....an old house set up for dining and staying at...they had a few rooms ...but the dining room was lovely ..very homey....we enjoyed a tasty meal...during the meal, eldest son Ryan called to wish me a Happy Birthday......Ryan lives about 3 hours and a bit away from us with his wife and baby son....

Then we crossed back into Canada to return to our hotel...unfortunately the fog had moved in so our perfect view was gone! It was like being in a room surrounded by cotton balls...very surreal!
...but at 9 p.m. all of a sudden there were fire works high in the sky above the clouds...I have no idea how they got them so high...we were on the fifteenth floor and they were higher than us....we stood at the window just delighted to watch them...I secretly thought...'look at that, fireworks just for me to celebrate my birthday!'....(ya, I know..just a little vain... :0)

The next day, we had a leisurely morning...hubby insisted on room service for breakfast...I had a fit when I saw the prices and just ordered a muffin off of his breakfast order...good grief they sure charge a lot...but then again it was Niagara Falls...everything is expensive there!

When we checked out at noon we travelled slowly back home, stopping at the Butterfly conservatory...an amazing place with a huge amount of beautiful butterflies in a natural habitat just flying around...they even landed on me!

Then we continued on to Niagara-on-the-Lake, where it was tea time! We went to the Irish shop and had tea and scones...after that we walked around for a bit but it had turned quite chilly so we finally left....just outside of NOTL, there is a lavender farm...now, I love lavender and hubby had planned to stop there....a really nice young man who owns the place with his wife, told us all about the different kinds and invited us back next spring when they have a whole weekend filled with activities....after buying some lavender body wash, we moved on...hubby said we had to stop on the way home to pick up a birthday cake for Sunday...he had invited my siblings and spouses for birthday cake on Sunday afternoon....as we got closer to Grimsby, he asked if I was ready for supper...now I kind of had been thinking that something was afoot here....both of us were a little weary and we're both usually on the same wave length....I would have gladly gone home, put my feet up and had some tea at this point and I knew he would feel that way too....but..here he was suggesting supper out...after we had already spent all this money....hmmmmm......
....also he had been texting madly throughout the day with someone...he wouldn't tell me who....the plot thickens...
after some supper, we stopped by the grocery store and he went in and got the cake...and then finally we were on the way home...not without some more texting though....the texting was weird cause hubby doesn't usually do a lot of texting.....hmmmmm......

When we arrived home ..all the lights were on and cars in the driveway...I thot I saw son Ryan, who was suppose to be 3 hours away in my bedroom window! I said to hubby...'was that Ryan?'....he shrugged and said..'I don't know, I didn't see him'...as we were getting out of the car I could hear the grand kids squealing...all the windows were open.....

walking into the house...everyone was exclaiming Happy Birthday...all my kids and some significant others were there...(well, except Corey, but I really wouldn't have expected to see him.....)...then eldest daughter said, apologetically....'um we kind of made a mess in your bedroom...you'd better come and see'.....so I did......as I walked into my bedroom I was dumbfounded! They had completely redecorated my bedroom while we were away! They had all worked together, stripped the room, removed old wallpaper that had only been there for over thirty years!....painted the walls and ceiling......installed a closet organizer...had always wanted one of those....and eldest son had made, stained and put up a shelf around the perimeter of the three walls of my room, about a foot lower than the ceiling, for my teddy bear collection.....yes, I've had a teddy bear collection for years....and now I could display them all!

OH MY GOODNESS!!!!!

What a treat....what an amazing thing for them all to do....even little Honour told me she had helped! They all worked together..all my kids to do this unbelievable thing...for me!

The next day after the siblings had left and we were all sitting around the dining room table....Lauren said..'well, mom..you only turn 60 once, we had to do something!'......

..and they sure did...but as I looked around the table, I will admit to getting a little teary eyed.....the thing that meant the most was that they had all come together, they had all worked together...it really made the last 36 years of parenting worthwhile....and that border crossing guard was wrong....if we hadn't had all the kids, life would yes, probably have been a little less stressful at times but....man, I think it would have been really boring and I would have missed out on this! To see my kids altogether like that...well, it warmed my heart and made it all worthwhile.

Have a great weekend!

Happy Birthday to me!

Good Morning Company Girls!

Well, today is my sixtieth birthday...yes, I'm really old! I actually don't feel that old...I was saying to one of my daughter's, just a bit ago that when I was younger, I thought 60 was really old! Well, now it really doesn't seem so.....although my eyes did betray me in the shower yesterday....

you see, when we went to San Antonio the guests shampoos and lotions were from Bath and Beyond...really nice Orange Ginger....so, of course, cause you are suppose to bring these little bottles home with you...that's what Oprah says.... I did...now the shampoo and body lotions are in these tiny brown bottles and the shampoo is in a clear one...I noticed just before I got in the shower that the conditioner one that I had been using was almost gone so I went to my travel bag and grab another bottle. After shampooing I put the conditioner on...well, it just didn't seem to go on the same way as before...it made me think...did I get the body lotion...I squinted at the bottle and couldn't see a darn thing...my glasses were on the vanity so I reached out of the shower, put them on..and lo and behold, yes, I had just put body lotion on my hair!! Good grief! So then I had to rewash my hair and go without conditioner...I guess that's what you'd call a senior moment!

So, fortunately today is hubby's alternate Friday off...he's made plans...anybody that knows my hubby knows that he delights in making plans to surprise me....so..because he had a few points left to get to the gold level for a hotel chain(Marriott)..he decided, with my suggestion, to book a hotel room for tonight at Niagara Falls! He also planned that we'd slip across the border to Joannes in Buffalo....Joannes isn't in Canada....to look at quilt fabric...he said that maybe I could buy a little....then he's made dinner reservations at some restaurant in Buffalo...I have no idea where..he wont tell me.....then we come back to Niagara Falls in Canada for the night...tomorrow, I'm not sure what he's got cooked up..but....he says he doesn't want to bring me home to the kids til he absolutely has to....you know it's been a rough couple of weeks with the kids...I really do need a break....so, that's it! Sounds pretty nice, eh? He's a pretty good hubby...I think I'll keep him..for at least another 37 years I hope!....oh....wait a minute...that would make me 97...good grief...I don't want to live to that old!

On Sunday, our children's program, of which eldest daughter and I co-ordinate, will be doing their Operation Christmas Child shoe box packing! It will be a full morning to be sure!..

so..that's my weekend...at least, I hope...that's what is planned, Lord willing, as my grandfather used to say.....what are your plans?

The Gentle Heart

Maya is struggling....of all my kids I think that she is the most sensitive....the one that struggles with her emotions...they overwhelm her and she becomes a puddle. My heart aches for her.

Maya has called many times since she's been away....most times she is in a good mood ...doing well....but the closer that we come to Christmas the harder it is for her....last night, as soon as I picked up the phone...before I even said a word...I could hear her tears...her voice quivering....she's dreading Christmas without her grandfather....I am too, but when I allow myself to think about it it just makes me really sad, and sometimes tears will fall......she's also worried about her grandmother...worried that she'll go for another walk, get lost again or even worse, have an accident....

it's really hard to comfort your child when they're so far away, to reassure them that it will be okay...we will watch grandma, the weather's getting colder...she wont go wandering in the cold weather (we hope)....yes, we agree, Christmas will be different, no, it wont be the same....

...you hear the tears, the words seem inadequate, you speak softly, calmly...all the while your heart is breaking too....but you're a mom and you try to be strong...because that's what they're looking for, that's what they need.....

...she wants to go to the cemetery when she gets home at Christmas, she wants to see the gravestone.....I can understand that because in comparison to my siblings, I go there often...but I know Maya and I know that it will turn her into a puddle...

she ends the call by saying how much she loves me and how much she loves her dad...good words to hear from a teenager....

Maya's a big girl with a gentle heart....easily wounded....

parenting...it doesn't get easier as they get older, does it.....

Books, Kindles and the Anglican church...

It's a quiet Sunday afternoon so far....the grand babies are off visiting a friend...they're suppose to come later to have birthday cake. Tomorrow is Emma's seventeenth birthday so were having cake today, when people are available.

I've been reading this afternoon...mainly because I overdid yesterday....we've started the long process of fixing Ben's bedroom....yesterday I went through everything in his room..really, Ben would qualify for one of those hoarder shows..anyways, did that...moved all the furniture out, threw out his bed and mattress...the bed was at least 20 years old....we've bought a new bed..a double size...he's quite tall, he needs it..when they get that tall they look a little ridiculous in a twin size....anyways, this old body is paying the price today so this afternoon, as I said I've been reading.....

....tried to get some done on the book for my book club that meets on Tuesday...we're doing the Joanna Weaver book....'Having a Mary heart in a Martha world'...very good but I will admit that I don't seem to be in the mood for reading non fiction this afternoon.....so after a couple of chapters...suppose to read four....I moved onto my fiction read....the latest in the Father Tim series (which comes after the Mitford series)...I will admit to absolutely loving the Mitford series....I wish I could live in Mitford, a fictitious town, I know..but I still want to live there....it even made me appreciate the Anglican church that my son became part of....at first, when he did that , I was very upset....you know when you bring up your children in a certain way, a certain faith, a certain church..when they choose a different way, or a different faith and or a different church..well, it's hard...you become very hurt...it's almost like they're rejecting you...but after reading the Mitford series and learning more about the Anglican (Episcopalian) church...I then could appreciate the parts that my son found so appealing...anyways...that's kind of off the topic now isn't it.....

I do enjoy reading, in fact I feel sorry for people that don't enjoy it....so, many times, growing up, when I didn't have a friend to share things with then I lose myself in a book, their lives would become mine, you could go off to different lands, to different families...for a few hours, you could just immerse yourself in a life that wasn't yours...I found it very enjoyable...and when the book came to an end I'd feel a little sad...the characters in the stories had become friends and I'd no longer be part of their lives. Many a time I'd wish the stories would go on and on and not stop....

Today in my inbox, there was an ad for the newest Kindle...I'm torn about wanting one...part of me does...(even though I can't afford it) and the other part doesn't...I do like the feel of a book in my hand, they become an old friend that I put on my library shelf..yes, I have over 700....and I can return to them, I can stand and look at them,...remembering stories, choosing one to reread that fits my mood...the Kindle or other such readers do have some advantages, one in particular is transportation...books are heavy...put 3-4 in my carry on bag and it's alright if you have a short walk between gates at the airport but they can get pretty heavy....one slim Kindle in your bag would solve a lot. But,..do I go away enough to justify the cost....no, I think not...so, I'll stick with my books...I did get smarter this time though..when we went to San Antonio last month I put the majority of my books in my checked and just chose one for the flight..plus a couple of magazines...never know when you might like a change in a read...

So..that's my quiet afternoon....reading...it's a good thing.

A few hours......

Good Morning Company Girls!

Well, how are you all doing? Personally, I'm very glad that it's Friday...today is not hubby's alternate Friday off...that is a definite draw back....I truly love those days....puts you in the mood for retiring that's for sure!

Last week I asked you to pray for my hubby and I'm very grateful to those that did....you see, that week, a few days before...hubby had an extremely stressful day and when he came home from teaching that evening he was confused, disoriented and couldn't remember anything. It was quite alarming! The next day, he was acting normally although he had a bad headache.... he (at my insistence) got his blood pressure checked and it was fairly high making me wonder just how high it was the previous night to cause the situation that occurred! Well, we got him into the doctor this week and the doctor did say that there was a possibility that he had a TIA . For now he's put him on a low grade aspirin daily and is sending him for an MRI. Unfortunately, there's usually a long waiting list so who knows when that will happen! The doctor did say that if it happens again that I should get him into emergency right away. So..it's a wait and see time.....unfortunately, now I have to work extra hard not to tell him too much of what's going on with the kids because I don't want to stress him more....very hard after sharing everything for the last 40 years!

So, this past week I went to quilt class on Monday...started hand stitching a new quilt...I think I'll give it to my mom...when I got the top put together the whole pattern just hollered that it was her style...it takes me about 6 months to handstitch a throw size so maybe by the beginning of summer I'll have it done...I'm looking forward to winter days, sitting with my mom at her wee apartment in the retirement residence, just sitting there sewing and keeping her company....

Tuesday, I had an appointment with a social worker that I see about once a month...I originally went to see her to get help with Ben but now she helps me....it's a positive relationship..she helps me to see the trees thru the forest..or vice versa...can never keep that straight....

On Wednesday, Don and I were suppose to have an appointment with Emma's counsellor but one of us (the counsellor or me) goofed up the location (she has two offices) and it didn't happen..it's rescheduled for next week...which is a good thing, since to add with the cutting situation Emma has now decided that she's bisexual...apparently most of the kids she hangs out with...you know the kind...multiple body piercings, tattoos,black clothing..you get the picture...are also bisexual...it seems to be the 'in' thing to be these days..especially when you see it all the time in television shows and movies....quite frankly hubby and I are really struggling with this latest development.....

Thursday had me taking my mom back to the dentist...this time it was just for a cleaning...she nearly blew a gasket when she paid the bill...all the while I was driving her home she was very quiet...when I asked what was going on she complained about the cost and whether it was really worth it to have this done at her age.....I kind of turned the tables and pointed out that at least she had the money available to her to get it done...some people don't....that got her to thinking that at least she still had her own teeth...I agreed that that was a good thing....I then suggested that maybe we could stop and have lunch at a restaurant instead of at the retirement place....she agreed and we had a nice lunch.
...later...that day...I took Emma to a talent agency that had spied her at a fair this past August..they wanted to see her...she was thrilled...I was sceptical but thought that if it was legitimate that maybe it would give her a different focus in her life...she really is a pretty girl...the interview went well..they're suppose to call next week to see if they can use her....

next week we have a few family birthdays...Emma on Monday and grandson Donovan on Tuesday..November is a big birthday month in the family so that by the time December rolls around you're thoroughly tired of birthday cake!

Today, even though it's not a 'hubby day off'....I'm going to take a day off......it's been quite a week....I think I deserve it!....I'm thinking of going somewhere and hiding.....last night I said to hubby.....'you wouldn't be upset if I ran away tomorrow would you...you'd understand right'....he said yes he'd understand but that he'd be upset...well, can't have that...blood pressure you know...maybe I'll just run away for a few hours.....

Goings on....

Good Morning Company Girls!

Well, it's been an interesting week but I'm determined only to speak of positive things today so ..here goes!

I'm thinking.........thinking........hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm........

okay...well, that's not happening......

...so, I'll stick to the facts... :0)

* today eldest daughter is leaving her family and flying to ...wait for this....TEXAS! ...all by herself!.....she even has a layover...somewhere.....I think she's a little concerned about travelling on her own ..but I know she'll handle it just fine....hey...she has four little kids..she can handle anything! She's flying into DFW to partake in a music workshop for her Musikgarten classes that she teaches...this will allow her to add a different age level to her teaching classes....

* this weekend, I believe is the cutoff date for applications/resumes to be handed into a college/university in our city that has a position that would be perfect for eldest son to teach. Now, we're just praying that the Lord thinks it's the perfect spot for Ryan also. Ryan has his own blog...it's for professional reasons...not a chatty one like mine...but I was very impressed with it......I'd hire him...but then I'm a tiny bit biased......you should go and look at it...(it's also got some really cute pics of my grandbaby).... http://ryandwettlaufer.blogspot.com/

*today, we need to go up to where we camp, where Maya, third eldest daughter is working...apparently they've decided to move the teams' base camp even further north......so, instead of her being 2-1/4 hours away...she'll be more like 3-1/2 hours and I don't know how to get there on my own.....where she is now is a piece of cake...I've been driving there for over 30 years...but the new place...well, I could get there but I'm not very comfortable about it.....she wants us to come and get her guitars (acoustic and bass plus amp cause she doesn't wants to take them to the new camp), plus she needs us to bring her snow pants...apparently it's suppose to be a very snowy and cold winter...she'll need them....

*plus side...Megan went to her friend's house last night for a sleep over...that means 24 hours of respite from Megan...woohoo! ...sounds awful I know, but people ..you have to live with her..take my word for it!

*a friend of mine, Kelly just finished 6 months of chemo and radiation therapy for breast cancer....Praise the Lord! She considers herself a survivor...I'm really happy for her!

*because eldest daughter is going away..guess what.....the job she does in the children's program every Sunday will be mine...... oh. my.goodness. To say I'm NOT looking forward to this would be an understatement.....she does what we call the opening in the program..a 45 minute slot of high energy, music filled, game time, Bible filled, ...well, you get the idea.....did you see the high energy...ladies, anyone that knows me knows that that is NOT ME!!! So, I'll definitely be out of my element!

* this week I got to take my mom too the dentist...I can add it to my resume....I have to take kids to the dentist, the pediadontist, the orthodontist, and oh yes, took Ben to the Oral surgeon this week...he needs to have one impacted wisdom tooth removed next month.....and now my mom.....she has to go back too cause some of her fillings are sooooo old, like 25-30 years ,that they stopped doing there work (protecting the tooth) and now she has cavities underneath...goodness, makes me wonder about my old fillings..let's just not go there....geesh!

*I'll leave you with one last thing...not trying to sound mysterious but there's a situation with my hubby that we need to get checked out...don't want to go into it cause all the kids don't know about it yet...maybe it's nothing but just the same I'll feel better (I hope) after the doctor's visit on Tuesday...maybe you could remember him in your prayers..his name is Don.....thank you.

So, I hope you all have a great weekend......we're getting into November.....had a wee bit of a panic this week because Christmas is sooooo close and I haven't done any shopping yet...Lord have mercy!

Thank you Jesus...

Good Morning Company Girls....

The last few mornings the Lord has brought a particular song to my mind....I find the Lord does that for me, especially in times of great emotional stress......when my dad died just five months ago, I had barely heard the news,and while in that hotel room in Chicago , the song that almost immediately filled my heart was one that I couldn't even remember singing or hearing for a very long time...in fact , I don't know when I did...maybe when I was a child....it was the chorus of the song that went something like this....

'I shall know Him, I shall know Him,
When redeemed by His side I shall stand,
I shall know Him, I shall know Him,
By the prints of the nails in His hands'

...and thru my tears and anguish I could visualize my dad standing by our Lord, smiling from ear to ear, no longer in horrible pain and I cried out....'are you there dad...are you standing with Jesus?....and immediately I had that assurance that indeed he was......

The last few days another song has come to mind....I shared it with my daughter-in-law because this week we found out that our unborn grandbaby was already with the Lord....please pray for my son Ryan and my daughter-in-law Jennifer as they struggle thru this time of despair, of walking thru the valley of shadows.....

The song that the Lord gave to me also speaks of our Redeemer...it was popular a few years back, sung by Nicole Mullins.....I've heard daughter Leslie sing it a few times.....it's a beautiful song with words that describe and remind us that when we try to limit God, try to put Him in a box that He's just so much greater than we could ever imagine...and even though we will not know the 'whys' this side of heaven that there is a 'why' and He is in control....

Who taught the sun to stand in the morning,........(it's shining this morning, as I type)
Who told the ocean that you can only come this far?
Who showed the moon where to hide til evening,
Whose words alone can catch a falling star?

Well, I know my Redeemer lives,
Yes, I know my Redeemer lives,
All of creation testify
This life within me cries
I know why my Redeemer lives....

The very God that spins things in orbit,
He runs to the weary , the worn and the weak ......(thank you Jesus, that's me)
And the same gentle hands that hold me when I'm broken
They CONQUERED death to bring me victory!!!

To take away my shame
And He lives forever I'll proclaim
That the payment for MY sin
Was the precious life He gave
But now He's alive
And there's an empty grave.


...lift your hands with me ladies and proclaim. even if our spirit is broken, we KNOW deep inside that we are being held up, we can go forward, we can testify......

AND I KNOW MY REDEEMER LIVES,
YES, I KNOW MY REDEEMER LIVES,
LET ALL CREATION TESTIFY
THIS LIFE WITHIN ME CRIES
THAT I KNOW MY REDEEMER LIVES....

...go to utube and listen to Nicole sing it...it's powerful ladies...you'll feel your heart soar thru your tears......as I think of my dad.....my unborn child Leah, my unborn grandbabies Hayden and now this little one...I'm so glad that Jesus is there...He's always been there, thru my doubt, thru my tears, thru my anguish.....

I know my Redeemer lives! Hallelujah....thank you Jesus....

A lovely weekend...

Good Morning Company Girls!

Well, it seems like forever since I wrote a post! Things have been surely happening around here!

Last weekend was Thanksgiving in Canada.....and we went to Texas! Ya, I know...we're soooo patriotic! Hubby had been planning this since Spring, the onlylong holiday weekend that we'd be able to do it was on Thanksgiving. At first it didn't go over very well with all our kids...'what...you're not going to be here!!!'.....but they did just fine without us...they even had a lovely turkey dinner with all the trimmings!

Anyways, back to Texas...last Thursday we flew out of Buffalo, did a layover in Maryland and then onto San Antonio! We arrived in time for some supper...hubby checked on his GPS for the nearest Chik-fil-a, which was in Southpark mall and we headed there. I do enjoy them....I wish we had them in Canada! We were staying in the Riverwalk Marriott (or the other way around....Marriott Riverwalk)......and it was just lovely....our room overlooked the Riverwalk....unfortunately it was right smack dab in the center of the two streets that run on either side so we got all the traffic noise too!...You couldn't leave the balcony door open at night if you wanted to sleep...plus they warned you that you could get crickets...or was it grasshoppers....coming in....I wonderedhow they could reach the tenth floor...but anyways....it was lovely and relaxing...not a lot of activity....until the next afternoon....oh mygoodness.....there was a ladies conference across the street....Women of Joy I believe...they had several thousand ladies at it....I was soooooo wishing I could have joined them! I don't think hubby would have liked that...although he was trying to figure out how we could possibly get into the little Steven Curtis Chapman concert he gave there! I'm pretty sure a goodly amount of the ladies were staying at our hotel.....I've never heard so many beautiful southern accents all in one place! I remembered that fellow Company Girl Jen from Finding Heaven was suppose to be there....I kept searching all the ladies faces to see if I could see her but all I really knew of what she looked like was that little pic from her blog....anyways, I didn't see her....I told hubby that maybe I should just stand at the conference centre when all the ladies came streaming out with a sigh...you know like the drivers do at airports....Jen for finding Heaven....this is Marie from And if Not..... but I'm really not that brave of a person...especially with thousands of ladies...I guess it would have been like finding a needle in a haystack!

Anyways....we visited a few historical places....one not too far from the hotel...I think it was the Presidents Mansion or home...something like that...the thing that excited me the most was the sweet lady there asked if we were seniors! Hubby joked that I would be in a few weeks so that nice lady said she'd give me the dollar discount as an early birthday gift! My very first Seniors discount!!! Something to put in the memory book for sure! This place did have the most peaceful garden area you'd ever want to sit in...I was wishing I'd brought my book...I would have happily spent the rest of the day sitting in there enjoying the tranquility!

We also had lunch on the Riverwalk at a really nice Italian place , we've eaten at it before when we visited....., hubby looked over at me and said...oh, no a bird just pooped on your shirt sleeve..sure enough...the perfect ending to our lunch....sitting outside, a table right on the Riverwalk.....right under an overhang..where a stupid pigeon decided to rest it's weary bones and clean out it's system....yuck! It was a lovely lunch...really....and the waiter was really apologetic as he brought me a wet cloth to clean up......poor guy..he can't control the dumb birds...

It was a lovely weekend...the weather was perfect, the company was even better! I do love my hubby..he is the best!

It was a very long day of travelling on Monday...we left the hotel just before 11 a.m., returned the rental car...got to the airport......left San Antonio, flew to Houston..then on to Chicago....a trillion hours of layover there...landed in Buffalo at midnight and arrived home just before 2 a.m. on Tuesday....yes...a very long travel day....I'm still trying to catch up....


Oh..and before we left for our holiday...eldest son and his wife called with the most excellent news...yes,..a new grandbaby is on the way....I see a new quilt needing to be made.....what fun!

Oh...and on the Emma front ...things have calmed down to some degree and we are(she is) going to weekly counselling sessions.............. time will tell....

Have a great weekend!


.....stupid blogger was acting up today and whenever I went back to correct a mistake it kept erasing the next letter...so in a few places my words run together...sorry couldn't figure out how to get it to stop doing that!

Riverwalk...ahhhhh....

Good Morning Company Girls!

Well, it's another lovely fall day here in Southern Ontario...the sun is shining!...We haven't seen too much of that this week...as usual, it's been a very busy week....appointments with dentists, went to quilt class where I'm learning how to make a stack and whack quilt, my siblings and my mom went to the cemetery on Wednesday to see my dad's gravestone...it was finally installed...looks lovely....

but today is hubby's day off...sometime today we have to get the grocery shopping done...and then tonight my one grandson, that I don't see very often..(his mom and dad aren't married and he's mostly with his mom), is coming to sleep over...it should be interesting since we really haven't had any amount of time with him since Easter!

So..have a lovely weekend.....I am buying our turkey today cause next weekend is Canadian Thanksgiving...I'm actually buying it for my kids to cook...cause we're not suppose to be here....next Thursday hubby and I are suppose to fly to San Antonio for the weekend!!! He used his 25 year gift certificate from the company he works for to purchase a few nights at a hotel right on the Riverwalk...I'm very excited and looking forward to it soooo much! With everything that has happened in the last six months we truly need a break from all the things we've dealt with and continue to do so.

Have a great weekend!

The Crazy Grey haired lady running around today is just me...

Hello Company Girls!

Well, it's a lovely mild day here in Southern Ontario, Canada...and I'm enjoying it! I will admit, and I realize that it's almost committing suicide to do so.....but....I'm not an autumn person...or winter.....the only redeeming things in my books are beautiful coloured foliage and Christmas...other than that I'm afraid I'd jump right to spring! When I read my blogs....so many people rave about autumn and how much they love it!...me...not so much....I hate seeing all the trees go bare, the grass yellow and brown...I hate the cold...can you tell I'm not really an outdoorsey person?

So...today is a busy day.....I decided to have a family dinner tonight...usually these occur on Sundays but eldest son and wife and baby William are coming tonight....I'm not sure if they're staying one or two nights but....they are coming! (For those of you that don't know, they live just over three hours away and with our schedule and their schedule we only see each other once every 3-4 months...babies do a lot of growing and changing in that time!)

Plus in the last week there have been three birthdays in the family...first was eldest daughter's, Leslie...she turned 36 (good grief I'm old!)...then Laurens' boyfriend Ryan..he's been coming around long enough that he's part of the family, and then Laurens' birthday...(which I blogged about a couple of posts back)......so it's grand birthday time!! I was going to bake some cakes but ran out of time and energy last night...and today the roast of beef has to be in the oven most of the day.....it's got to be fairly large to feed all 16 of us! So, must purchase the cake today....finish the cleaning, pick up a small table and chairs from sister, pick up prescription from drug store, pick up Maya's guitar that I dropped off yesterday at music store to get string replaced, set the table, find autumn decor somewhere downstairs, finish prepping veggies, make Yorkshire pudding batter, and fortunately, in all of this, have a massage...that I booked 3weeks ago, before I even knew I'd be doing this today!

....and, if Megan's glasses just happen to come in today (please read previous post)...then I'll take her to get those too......when she gets home from school.....

So, I must get going....things to do, places to go, people to see...have a wonderful weekend!

The Glasses

So Megan's glasses broke on the weekend.......tragic for her, annoying for us....just in case you're thinking I'm hard hearted...please let me explain.....Megan is developmentally delayed..she's our youngest at age 15 but cognitively she's 3-4 years old. Have you ever lived with a hormonally charged teenage girl who has the comprehension of a small child ..think about it...think about having all those lovely 'coming of age' talks with your teen daughter...and then think about having said discussion...again and again and again......that's living with Megan....so, back to the glasses. We took her right to the eye doctors when it happened but they were officially closed so the lady there just taped them and said 'come back on Tuesday, she needs an eye exam anyways'.....of course, since the break was just where the bridge meets the actual frame around the lens, the tape was really useless....so Saturday night hubby and I are trying some kind of super glue..which seemed to hold...we put tape on just to be sure....that lasted Sunday and Monday...on Tuesday she came home from school with them in pieces..again....

Now...before we left for the eye doctors she was going on about a new glass case...without a word of a lie...i told her five times that she'd get a new eye glass case when she got her new glasses....which wouldn't be that day cause they have to order them....we don't normally go to those places that have them done in an hour....I tried that for my glasses one time and quite frankly it wasn't worth it...the quality just wasn't there....anyways back to the cases, after the doctor did the eye exam and said her eyes were just fine....we went out to look at new glass frames...chose a pair....the lady said it would be a week before they come in...maybe if we were lucky they'd come on Friday.......and Megan opens her mouth...and you know it...says...what about the glass case....will I get that today????? Good Grief!

So yesterday, being Wednesday..she comes home from school....'did they call, are my glasses ready?' 'No...what did they tell you?'...'well, she said maybe Friday'...'is this Friday?'...'well, it's almost Friday'...'no, it isn't...anyways, don't get your hopes up that they'll be ready for Friday..it'll probably be next Tuesday'...'why, next Tuesday?', she asks...'because that's a week', I say.....'but I can't see to do anything at school'....'well, I'm sorry but there's really nothing I can do about it..we've done all that we can....you'll just have to wait'.....

A little later..she came back again......'why can't they be ready for Monday?'...'cause the office isn't open on Monday'.....'aren't they working on them?'...'they don't work on them at the office they work on them at the glass factory' (for lack of better terminology)....'will they work on them tonight?'...'no, they'll only work on them in the day'...'why?'...'cause they go home to their families at night...just like your dad does'...'but my dad doesn't come home at night'...'that's cause your dad goes and teaches at the colleges some nights..,but the people at the glass factory go home to their families at night'....'what about on Saturday and Sunday...will they work on them then?'...'no, is your dad at work on Saturday and Sunday?'...'no'...'well, then, those people deserve some time with their families too'...'but I need my glasses'....'I know...there's nothing more i can do'.....'but what about the recycling?'

'What about recycling'....'my class does it tomorrow at school....I always wear my glasses to do recycling'...'well, you can do it without this time'...'but I can't read without them'...'yes, that would be difficult but you can do all the rest of the stuff at school....now, go do your laundry'....

So, the rest of the evening, Megan...did her laundry, set the table, unloaded the dishwasher, played her game boy, ate her supper, made her lunch for today...all without glasses.

This morning, as she was leaving for school..she says...'so, this is day two'....'day two of what', I said....'day two without glasses'......


'Megan, ....last night you did your laundry, unloaded the dishwasher, set the table, ate your supper, made your lunch..and the night before you played the WII and had a shower......all without your glasses didn't you'...'yes'.....'well, you can still do everything at school today just fine'...

...'but I can't read my journal'.....'no...you can't read your journal'.......


....and my mother keeps telling me that I have the patience of Job...I question that...cause inside I feel like I really don't......

.....maybe you could join me in prayer right now that the glasses are really ready by tomorrow.....I would be ever so grateful......

The Ride!

I don't know if I told this story before...but it's such a good one that it bears repeating. (Is that the correct way to spell bears or is it bares....hmm...I think it might be bares but you choose the one you want!)

Anyways, the summer of 1986, hubby and I had been a foster family for about three years. We were on our holidays and we had one little boy as well as our oldest two...the little boy was quite the terror so I really don't know why we were even giving this any consideration at all...but we were young and so we did. You see, we had been approved for one foster child and if you wanted to be approved for two you had to inform 'the agency' -Children's Aid it's called in Canada.....well...we spent our whole holiday discussing this....whether it was a really good idea or not..whether we could actually 'handle' four kids...(the Lord must have been having a giggle about that since he ended up giving us nine!) On with the story,.....we decided that we would...but quite frankly,..whenever I thought about it when we returned home...I'd get cold feet...I wasn't entirely convinced that I could do it. Finally, about a month later...I know, I'm a big scaredy cat...I called. It was on a Monday...I remember it well....I talked to the social worker that we usually dealt with..she was in charge of the babies..we were approved for 0-2 years old. She said that she wouldn't have time to come out that week to do our home check for another child...it would have to be the following week. Okay, I thought...that was fine....on the Friday of the same week, I got a call from this worker......she asked if we'd be interested in having a newborn....I was very excited...who doesn't love brand new babies....I said 'YES!"....she said that she'd bring this little one out on Monday....'but' ..I said...'we haven't been approved for two yet!' The worker said that it was okay...she come out on the date scheduled to do that......then the worker said when the baby had been born.....she had been born on the very day, the Monday...that I finally got the nerve up to call the agency!!

Now, some people would call this a coincidence, a fluke....me...well, I can definitely see the Lord's hand in this whole situation...he planned it all.....and over the next number of years whenever I questioned whether we were the right mom and dad for this little one, I would remember just how the Lord brought her into our family in the first place...and I would know that it was right.

Twenty-four years ago today I made that call....two years later she became our very first child that we adopted.....the first of seven...what a ride the Lord has taken us on...but I wouldn't have missed it...I'm glad he chose us!

Happy Birthday! Lauren Kristie Victoria!!

* the pic is Lauren holding baby William last Christmas...

Neverending Love....

Good Morning Company Girls!

I have an Uncle Shorty....yes, he really is short....his actual name is Hugh, but I was told that he preferred Shorty ...he really didn't think Hugh was a 'manly' name...which is kind of humorous since he also name his own son Hugh! Uncle Shorty was married to Aunt Elsie...she was one of my dad's older sisters. Uncle Shorty was a neat man....always caring, always seemed much younger than his 91 years. When his wife was declining and she had difficulty moving he did everything for her..bathing , dressing, did her hair..even put her earrings in for her..so she always looked nice. Aunt Elsie got to the point where her speech was so slurred that people couldn't understand her...she needed special care in a nursing home but Uncle Shorty still tried to do everything for her..he moved into the nursing home with her..even though he didn't need to be in a nursing home. I'll always remember when he'd take her for a drive..after he put her in the car, he'd lean over her to buckle her seat belt for her....he'd say something to her and give her a little kiss. It was my dad that told me that he always told her that he loved her...every single time he buckled her seat belt for her! I was awestruck. About a year and a half ago, Aunt Elsie died and Uncle Shorty moved out of the nursing home...he lived in Ottawa for about the last 40 or so years...but his only son, his only child left (his daughter died of cancer 9 years ago) lived in Victoria, British Columbia. So, Uncle Shorty decided that that's where he'd go. I had mixed feelings at the time...I knew he was lonely, I knew it would be good for him to be near his son...but I also knew that I'd probably never see him again alive. It made me very sad as I hugged him good bye...but..I did see him again..he and his son flew back in May for my dad's funeral. I cried when I saw him come into the funeral home and embrace my little mom. He had been their Best Man at their wedding...now they both were without their spouses.

You may have caught that I referred to Uncle Shorty in the past tense, a few sentences back. That's because this morning he was probably giving my dad a big hug as he joined him in heaven....he was a great husband, father, grandfather...and a great uncle.

We will miss him but rejoice with him that he is with the Lord...and all the special people, his wife, his daughter, my dad...and a host of others that have gone on before.

Oh dear....

Good Morning Company Girls!!

Well, it's been some week...good grief!

On Monday we took Maya up to the camp where she'll be spending a lot of her time for the next few months! Poor kid...she was apprehensive but tried not to show it...I'd show you pictures but hubby still hasn't put them on...... I casually said to him the other night...um...do you think you would have time to put my picture gallery back on (from the external hard drive) this evening? He looked at me rather sheepishly and replied...'well, I'm not quite sure how to do that...I think I need to check with James..(son-in-law that took everything off my laptop and put it onto the external hard drive to begin with!)....I was confused...I said 'well, then how come you told him you could put it back on...no problemo!???' Good grief....well, anyways...no pics of Maya looking cautiously pleased to be at her new place. Hopefully this gets worked out very soon!

On Tuesday the other three started off to school...took a pic of that too...wasn't going to given that they're all so darn big now...but one of them said before they left 'aren't you going to take our picture...you always take our picture...it's tradition!' So..I dutifully got the camera out....hopefully you'll see that too...someday.....

Wednesday I went to the dentist...no..not for me..but to watch over grandgirls while eldest daughter had her cleaning and check-up...I will admit to coming away from there quite worn out...where do they get their energy! On the way home I stopped and visited with my mom for awhile........she's doing pretty well most times...but the nurse came to check on her when she didn't show up for lunch one day....she was playing her piano...my mom says that was the only way she got through the three years that my dad was overseas (WWll) after they were married, when he was in the war.....so, the nurse goes in to check and there was mom, sitting, playing the piano...the tears running down her cheeks...the nurse started crying because when she checked to see the song my mom was playing it was one entitled 'Without Him'......now the nurse thought it was about my dad but it's really a song talking about Jesus.....I would imagine in my mom's case she was probably crying about both.....poor wee mom...

Yesterday...I did nothing, absolutely, positively nothing... I realized after a very poor night of very little sleep that I was in a tremendous amount of pain...everywhere....and whenever I got up to do anything, it just made it worse.....it made me extremely fatigued....so..I rested. Maya called to say that she had tipped the canoe she had been in with two other people....she said the water was freezing...I encouraged her to have a nice warm shower but she didn't have time before lunch to do so...thankfully she wasn't hurt and didn't ruin any of her new clothes or her one pair of running shoes she has with her...she was wearing older clothes and flip flops on her feet.....

Today is just starting.....the pain is manageable so far so maybe I'll get something accomplished! Although I'm not sure what...do you ever have one of those days (I have a lot of them) when you have so many things that you could and should be doing that you end up doing nothing because you can't decide what to do?

Oh dear, I think it's just getting back into the routine of things that's the problem....and if it isn't...well, let's say..that's my story and I'm sticking to it!

Have a great weekend, company girls!

Letting Go...

Good Morning Company Girls!

Today Is The Last Official Day of Summer Holiday for My Teens!

Tuesday , Lord willing, three of them will get up early...that will be a departure for Emma to be sure who has slept in every day since we came home from Fairhavens til at least noon and most days, except Sunday, til 2p.m. ! They will leave the house at 7:45am and not return until 3 pm.

Maya, the one who is the eldest of the group (in reality Ben is but since he's developmentaly delayed and stuck as an 8 year old the rest of his life, Maya has moved into the eldest spot. I know it doesn't sound nice but it's a reality in this home and family.) Maya, Lord willing, will leave on Monday. The plan is for Hubby and I to take her up to Fairhavens (where our trailer is) with all her earthly possessions...because between Fairhavens and a place called Muskoka Bible Centre..a camp a little further north, those are the places that Maya will live for the next 8 months until the end of April. Of course she's very excited about the possibility of going on her very first plane ride to Costa Rica in January where the team that she's on are suppose to work for the whole month! I'm not quite sure if I'm ready for one of my babies to go that far away from me....but once again, I shall do an emmy award performance...it's all about the acting isn't it, when we're moms......

....have you thought about that...how many times your kids are going through a rough time...whether it's just a scrape on the knee, to giving birth to their first baby.....to moving out on their own to joining a fairly intense profession, to moving thousands of miles away to different time zones or just moving ten minutes away....how often do we put on our game face and plough on..cause that's what our kids are looking for...they're not looking for us to show all the fear and angst in our hearts that we can already see on their faces.....no, they're looking for us to be strong...someone that they can depend on while inside we're ready to scream and hold on to them because we know all those exciting adventures come with situations and decisions that they will be going through without you.....it's called growing up.....most moms have a problem with it...their kids growing up that is...in our family it really depends on the kid....all these times we are called upon to cover our feelings up and put on a solid front, as they say.

Sometimes, kids need to grow up and they don't want to....Maya is one of those kids. Yes, she'd love some of the things of growing up...she'd love to have a boyfriend...something I keep telling her to be patient about...the absolutely best guy for Maya is out there..somewhere...he'll have to be a special guy..someone who doesn't push her to hard...who doesn't expect too much...someone who will love and cherish her for the wonderful person that she is. Maya has a fabulous smile...it lights up a room. She's helpful and capable of so many things. I pray that any guy who comes into Maya's life will truly value her for who she really is....someone very special.

Then again...all my kids are special, each one unique...sometimes I wonder why God chose me to be their mom....it's like he said.....long before I was born...okay Marie, I'm going to give you this great guy to marry and you're going to have a few kids (understatement for me but not for Him)...some of them I will choose special to be born to you, one of them will live with me instead of you, and some I will pick out special to be born to other moms but really, they will live with you...you will be their mom. It will not be an easy mom role...in fact some days will be darn hard and some days you will feel like giving up....you will say you are done....but remember, I am with you, I will uphold you in my right hand, I will shelter you ...and I will give you strength.

Strength to rush a child to the e.r. who just burned her face, strength to comfort a child when his pet dog died, strength to let a child go when they make bad choices, strength to let your child go into the army, strength to let your child meet her birth parent (when every part of you screamed no) strength to go to appointment after appointment with a developmentally delayed child and hear those doctor's words that they'll never get better, strength to let a child go who you know needs this independence to grow but you're not convinced in your heart that she's ready (or maybe you're not ready), strength to go to counselling with a child and you don't know if it's ever going to get better, strength to deal with the repetitive questions, over and over and over, of why a child can't see her birth sister....a situation that was decided by others and you have no control over...a situation that because the child is developmentally three years old, the child will never comprehend.

So, yes, on Monday I'll be needing an extra measure of this strength Lord, because it will be hard ..it will be very hard to look into Maya's face and....let go.

Letting go...I think one of the hardest things a mom has to do.

Part of a Week in the Life of....

Well, it's been a very busy week....hubby still hasn't had the time to put my pics on the laptop so no pics to show you. On Monday, I took Megan for her annual check up with the pediatrician.....he's at the children's hospital in the city, so it's a bit of a trek to get there. He decided that Megan needed some bloodwork and they prefer having it done at the hospital so we had to stay for that...after waiting for an hour and a quarter to have our number called, they brought Megan in to draw her blood. Megan's never had that done before so understandably went into a panic...the tears flowed, but through constant talking to her and making her always look at me and not at the needle..we got through it.

Then I raced home...dropped Megan off and then picked up Emma and arrived a few moments late for her appointment at the high school with the Vice-Principal. She wanted to talk to Emma about this years classes and about Emma's need to smarten up and perform better. I'm afraid I wasn't very impressed with the v.p., her little speech lacked any kind of substance....Emma just said yes, yes, and yes..and the v.p. said..well, I hope you have a good year! Then she sent her to the guidance office to change her classes a bit....
...so..after leaving the house at 10 a.m., I didn't return til 4 p.m........I would say that maybe one hour in total was actually any interaction with other people...the rest was driving and waiting...and waiting...and waiting...I was glad I had brought along a book to read!

Tuesday was a little more relaxing...went to visit my mom for a bit then on to my massage appointment.....I have this little problem with my muscles...they don't work very well and the doctor says I need regular massage....my massage therapist and I have become friends (I like to think)..we chat about everything..so it's kind of like massage and friend therapy at the same time! It was a lovely 45 minutes!

Wednesday, I woke Maya early because we still haven't found a bathing suit for her...had to go to a mall that's twice as far away as the one I usually got to but we had success and Maya got her bathing suit! We were also looking for hair clips...ones that were recommended to use to 'wrap' her hair around her head each night before she uses her hair cover...no luck with that but did find the hair conditioner to use on her hair that was recommended...on sale! Bonus! Maya didn't end up getting her hair cut last Friday...the hairdresser said that she'd find it much higher maintenance to cut it short...she'd have to flat iron it every few days and do all manner of stuff to it just to keep it looking nice. She ended up relaxing it and trimming off the dead ends.....Maya, although initially was disappointed that she didn't get it cut short, in the end was pleased with the results and has been finding it fairly easy to look after this week. It really does help to have a professional look after these things!

Today, I hope to go and see my mom then return in time for my grandgirls to come for a visit! Eldest daughter has to take her son (my grandson) for an appointment in the big city of Toronto...knowing traffic she wont return til early evening. Emma and Maya are going out with a friend in the afternoon...then Emma, and hubby and I have a counselling appointment this evening. I hope we get a few situations that have arisen this past week ironed out!

Tomorrow....well, tomorrow is the dreaded shopping day.....I know, I know...it's all in the attitude...well, when it comes to shopping for clothing my attitude distinctly sucks! Actually, there is some shopping I actually like...such as meandering through Home Sense...or places like that....or put me in a fabric store looking at the quilting fabrics...I find that very peaceful...but clothing shopping....ugh.....but I've put it off long enough....school commences on Tuesday and I can't have my kids looking like ragamuffins!

Have a good day!

Marie