Good Afternoon Company Girls!
A little late today....I had to be out the door by 8:30 a.m. today and didn't have time to do a blog post before I left! What got me out the door at such an early hour...not to mention there happened to be a snow blizzard going on at the time...what else could do it but quilting!! (Although I was out even earlier on Tuesday to take Emma to a doctor's appointment) Not my usual class which is on Monday mornings but this was a different one at another church, a bit further away . I went to it because the teacher there was going to show us how to do applique. I've always been a little intimidated by applique but this teacher took the mystery out of it and made it quite simple, really...except I was a little disappointed when she says she doesn't usually do needle turn applique, which appeals to me, but, since she doesn't like doing it...guess I'll have to look up some videos on the computer. Anyways, it was interesting to learn something new...I liked it...it will take a few lessons to complete the little wall hanging but it looks like it will be a nice experience.
This weekend hubby plans on working on my quilt room...last weekend he got the walls prepped and the ceiling painted....this weekend the walls! I'm actually giving him a little extra work because I saw on this other blog...I think it's called the lettered cottage....they put these wide, about 12" wide, horizontal strips around the wall...I thought that would add some interest to a small room...it's only 8' x 10'...but of course it's extra work. I went to Home Depot and got a paint chip card that had three shades of yellow on it...so the lightest is on the ceiling and the medium will go on the walls and the darkest will be the horizontal stripes! I can't wait!!! I'm hoping that by next week I'll be able to set it up the way I want it to look....I've already been drawing out a floor plan....I have never had anything like this before!!! Very exciting!
On Sunday we have an important lunch meeting after morning service...I'm kind of apprehensive about it. Eldest daughter and I handed in our resignations from leading the Sunday school program at our church. We've done it for the last three years. We're tired out.
Unfortunately,..and I imagine it's like this at a lot of churches, we can't get the parents to contribute to helping out with the program....we've begged, we've pleaded....everybody has an excuse....I've even joked that Sunday school should be run as a co-op! The trouble is there's a lot of parents that just wouldn't bring their kids if that was the protocol. I know...sad but true. They'll do anything to get their child to a hockey practice but not to Sunday school...not just picking on hockey...but anything else that kids are involved in. It would seem that if parents have to pay for it than they make it a priority. Anyways, the meeting is to let all the parents, (who have been specifically invited) to inform them that we are no longer doing the program as of June and to find out from them just what they're willing to do to have the program continue under new leadership. Even though daughter and I are not leading this meeting, I'm not really comfortable with it...I'm not a person that cares for confrontation. We have been assured that the leaders will keep a tight reign that it's not going to have a lot of negativity...I hope not. We shall see.
So, that's my weekend...what about yours...great things planned?
Friday, February 25, 2011
Friday, February 18, 2011
It's a Beautiful Day in the neighborhood.....
Of course when will I ever learn to load the pics in backwards order!! This is Maya and the other two girls on the team of ten young people that went down to Costa Rica....this pic was actually taken when they were coming home.....
Here's Maya and one of the many friends that she made in Costa Rica....
One of many beautiful sunset pictures she took...they even have a specific 'sunset time' on the schedule where they all gather at a certain spot and sing praise choruses and pray..every day...neat eh?
The cabins that the team stayed in...
...and this is a very scared Maya getting ready for take off on her very first plane ride....
Here's Maya and one of the many friends that she made in Costa Rica....
One of many beautiful sunset pictures she took...they even have a specific 'sunset time' on the schedule where they all gather at a certain spot and sing praise choruses and pray..every day...neat eh?
The cabins that the team stayed in...
...and this is a very scared Maya getting ready for take off on her very first plane ride....
Good Morning Company Girls!
Well, it's a beautiful, sunny in Southern Ontario...when the kids left for school it was a whole 8 degrees Celsius...which is about 46 Fahrenheit....I know not overly warm but a lot nicer than some of the frigid ones we've had lately....according to my little weather thingy on my sidebar, we're actually warmer than Seattle right now!...but then again they're three hours behind us so they will probably catch up!
So, that's the weather covered...what else...well, it's a long weekend here....some parts of Canada celebrate Family Day...that's a holiday that government felt we needed in the middle of February to help get us through our looooooooong winter! You are suppose to do family type things on Monday...I think this is like the third or fourth year for it...last year hubby didn't even get it off because his company decided to give us an extra day at the July 1st holiday...Canada Day....yeah I know the Americans celebrate on the 4th....anyways, sufficient to say we really didn't do anything and this year we have nothing planned...probably just working around the house...hey...that can be a family thing right?
Saw a great status on Facebook yesterday....I think it was on commenter LydiaCate's....she was repeating something she heard on a radio program....one of those things that stop and give you pause....'Are you courageous enough to let God write the testimony of your child's life'? Ya...makes you stop and think doesn't it.....my second oldest son is still in jail...he grew up in our family...learned about God just as all the kids have...accepted Jesus into his heart..just like all the kids have.....but...yet...he's in jail...for the third time.....he's twenty-seven years old....there are some kids that I will admit that it's harder to let God write their testimony.....you want to step in...you want to fix it....you can't.
Today is hubby's Friday off....maybe we'll mosey on down to Niagara-on-the-Lake for awhile...maybe have tea in the Irish shoppe...like to connect with my Irish roots every now and then...it's the closest I'll ever get to Ireland to be sure! Of course, if it's hubby's Friday off, it must be grocery day....good grief..means buying food again.....my kids at home are already all taller than me...you'd think I could stop feeding them now! Maybe we'll be able to get the paint for my quilt room today...now, that is shopping to look forward to!
So, have a great weekend...take care!
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Our House...part two...
It's been an interesting time in our household these last few weeks. Emotions have been up and down....Maya was thousands of miles away, working in a camp....wasn't sure deep down how I felt about that...some kids are harder to let go more than others...there's a certain kind of vulnerability about Maya that makes you apprehensive for her....that makes you concerned about the people out there set on taking advantage of her....when there were about 4-5 days that I did not have any communication from her, while she was thousands of miles away, that I did a little panic...deep down inside me....the kind that only hubby sees....and God. She was fine...just on a little camping trip to experience waterfalls, volcanoes and rainforests....but I didn't know that at the time.
.....now our thoughts travel to what she will do in the fall...her internship is done the end of April, she hopes to work the summer at one of the camps she's at now....but the fall....then what....
We finally got Ben's room done...looks pretty good and he loves it...with moving him back in his room..well then we were ready for the big shuffle......there are three bedrooms downstairs..all in various sizes....the medium size one was for older son Paul but also a guest room since he was already in the army when it was completed and so wasn't home too often. When he resigned from the army and moved back home, he acquired a girlfriend(well, actually he had the girlfriend for awhile.....so even though he was home...he really wasn't. So, after a year, we asked if we could put some of his stuff into storage...we needed the space...he agreed. When we started on Ben's room well he went to stay in Paul's room for what I hoped was a couple of weeks...turned out to be a couple of months.....in Paul's room, the one that Ben was staying was a double size bed....passed on when an aunt died....so it's Aunt Edith's bed...that's what we call it....double was good for when Ryan and Jenn came visiting....but then Ryan and Jenn grew, they already had a big dog but then they had Sweet William and now we are eagerly looking forward to another grandbaby in August...changes had to be made....medium size room was not big enough for two adults, a toddler in a playpen and a large dog....so....when Ben moved back to his room last Saturday, to his brand new double bed I might add,....we decided to move Aunt Edith's bed into the largest room...which is Emma's...at first she didn't like the idea...but after it was set up and she had the bed made up looking ever so nice,..she admitted that she really did like it.
Now Emma's old twin size bed was in better condition then Megan's bed (which was upstairs in Megan's room, the room next to ours) So..we moved Emma's old bed into the medium size room.....by then it was after 11 p.m. and we were done in.
The next afternoon, I spoke to Megan.....she had been moping around, wondering when something was going to be done in her room.....so, I said to her..."Megan...you know how Ben just got this nice new room done....'ya'....and Emma just got the flooring done in her room and the double bed put in there....'ya'.....well,...how would you like a different room too? " Well, her eyes lit up, she clapped her hands 'yes. yes, yes'!! We could move your stuff down to Paul's room if you like...more squeals...more yeses!! So, we did.
All this to say...it's very different in our house now...the atmosphere is different...it's like hubby and I have claimed back our house...weird eh? I wasn't anticipating that feeling at all...and I'm sure it'll change once again when Maya finishes her internship and comes home in April..but for now...it's different.
Oh...and if Paul still needs a place to lay his head the odd night that he's not at the girlfriend's family house...well, there will be room....we haven't forgotten him....but..he's not the homebody anymore...the guy that didn't leave his computer for days on end...he's out and about, he has a life...just as it should be for a grown man...another change in this mother's heart....letting them go...one of the hardest things....but you put on your game face and you forge ahead....sometimes they get upset when you make these plans without them...but, as mom you have to....in their mind, they want to move on but they don't seem to like it too much when you do....they don't like seeing you make changes that don't include them..they feel you are shutting them out...you're not....but just as they are moving on, so must you...it's the circle of life....everything is in motion, and you go with the flow....
...all for now, from this old house.....and this old mom.....
.....now our thoughts travel to what she will do in the fall...her internship is done the end of April, she hopes to work the summer at one of the camps she's at now....but the fall....then what....
We finally got Ben's room done...looks pretty good and he loves it...with moving him back in his room..well then we were ready for the big shuffle......there are three bedrooms downstairs..all in various sizes....the medium size one was for older son Paul but also a guest room since he was already in the army when it was completed and so wasn't home too often. When he resigned from the army and moved back home, he acquired a girlfriend(well, actually he had the girlfriend for awhile.....so even though he was home...he really wasn't. So, after a year, we asked if we could put some of his stuff into storage...we needed the space...he agreed. When we started on Ben's room well he went to stay in Paul's room for what I hoped was a couple of weeks...turned out to be a couple of months.....in Paul's room, the one that Ben was staying was a double size bed....passed on when an aunt died....so it's Aunt Edith's bed...that's what we call it....double was good for when Ryan and Jenn came visiting....but then Ryan and Jenn grew, they already had a big dog but then they had Sweet William and now we are eagerly looking forward to another grandbaby in August...changes had to be made....medium size room was not big enough for two adults, a toddler in a playpen and a large dog....so....when Ben moved back to his room last Saturday, to his brand new double bed I might add,....we decided to move Aunt Edith's bed into the largest room...which is Emma's...at first she didn't like the idea...but after it was set up and she had the bed made up looking ever so nice,..she admitted that she really did like it.
Now Emma's old twin size bed was in better condition then Megan's bed (which was upstairs in Megan's room, the room next to ours) So..we moved Emma's old bed into the medium size room.....by then it was after 11 p.m. and we were done in.
The next afternoon, I spoke to Megan.....she had been moping around, wondering when something was going to be done in her room.....so, I said to her..."Megan...you know how Ben just got this nice new room done....'ya'....and Emma just got the flooring done in her room and the double bed put in there....'ya'.....well,...how would you like a different room too? " Well, her eyes lit up, she clapped her hands 'yes. yes, yes'!! We could move your stuff down to Paul's room if you like...more squeals...more yeses!! So, we did.
All this to say...it's very different in our house now...the atmosphere is different...it's like hubby and I have claimed back our house...weird eh? I wasn't anticipating that feeling at all...and I'm sure it'll change once again when Maya finishes her internship and comes home in April..but for now...it's different.
Oh...and if Paul still needs a place to lay his head the odd night that he's not at the girlfriend's family house...well, there will be room....we haven't forgotten him....but..he's not the homebody anymore...the guy that didn't leave his computer for days on end...he's out and about, he has a life...just as it should be for a grown man...another change in this mother's heart....letting them go...one of the hardest things....but you put on your game face and you forge ahead....sometimes they get upset when you make these plans without them...but, as mom you have to....in their mind, they want to move on but they don't seem to like it too much when you do....they don't like seeing you make changes that don't include them..they feel you are shutting them out...you're not....but just as they are moving on, so must you...it's the circle of life....everything is in motion, and you go with the flow....
...all for now, from this old house.....and this old mom.....
Friday, February 11, 2011
My house....it's a very, very fine house..with...
Good Morning Company Girls!
I'm quite annoyed with myself because I just realized that I forgot to get Maya's Costa Rica pics put on my computer so I could show you some! Next Week For Sure! Some of the pics are quite good...she got better at photography as time went on....she has some amazing sunset pics ....they have incredible sunsets there in Costa Rica...in fact, the camp program has a definite activity each day...entitle 'sunset'...everyone gathers in one area, watches the sunset and sings praise choruses...neat eh? Maya had a wonderful time and would have loved to have stayed longer...she wasn't minding the temps in the high 70's, low 80's at all! It took her forever to get home though....it would seem that Houston was having some problems with ice....and since they don't get that very often they struggled with getting their planes off the ground...Maya's travel route was thru Houston..so, the the morning of departure they left camp at 5 a.m. to catch a 7:30am flight out of San Jose.....which meant of course they were up by 4:30am....when they got to the airport they found that their flight had been cancelled from Houston's standpoint...they sat at the airport all day and got on a 4 pm flight...landed in Houston just after 7pm.....then waited til 8am the following morning for their flight to Detroit! Maya found that the floor at Houston airport isn't really conducive to very much sleep! They landed in Detroit about 11am and then started the long drive home...she should have been in our area about 4:30pm for pick up but due to snow and highway conditions, didn't arrive til 7:30pm...then it took us a whole hour to get home from the pick up! All in all, she was travelling for 39 hours! ....and she still had a smile on her face...that's our Maya!
So, this week we're putting the finishing touches on Ben's room...it's taken forever...we moved the guy out into another room sometime in November....but hubby only has so many hours in the day..when you add in his day job, his teaching job and doing the churches 'books'....well, I think he's done pretty well at getting it all done....we just have to get Ben a new mattress and boxspring...he now has a double size bed instead of a twin...and he should be able to move back in! I'm in the middle of painting the logo for the Toronto Blue Jays baseball team on one wall...Ben is a big fan and especially asked for it....it wont be of the same caliber as Rachels work but Ben likes it, so I guess that's all that matters!
We had a tiny bit of money left from our deck project, the deck that didn't happen.....quick recap...since we put on the additions on our house almost five years ago I've wanted to enlarge the deck..right now it's just 12' x 12' and when you put up the table and chairs..well, there isn't room for anything else...I wanted some sitting/lounging area...so last year out income tax refund was larger than usual and we set aside some of it to do just that...well, summer came and went and the job didn't get done (see last paragraph indicating hubby's busy timetable)..then in the fall...both vehicles needed new tires....8 tires are a ton of money...didn't know what to do...you have to be safe...so...I quickly weighed safety over lounging and safety won...there went the deck money! When we did Ben's room, which is in the basement, it, of course, has a concrete floor....I was going to paint it but the guy at Home Depot described this complicated procedure for 'pargeing' the floor before you paint...it sounded very intense..the guy must have seen the panic look in my eyes because he took me to the flooring area and showed me some vinyl flooring..you put it down similar to a laminate..and it's good for moist conditions...it does look really nice on Ben's floor..we opted for a non-wood look...kind of a dark grey with bits of blue in it....he loves it!
Well, in this great bedroom turnaround ...that we haven't explained to the kids yet....Emma's room...which is also in the basement....will become Emma's/guest room...we are moving a double size bed into her room (that is now in a smaller room..which is too small for when Jenn and Ryan and baby and doggie visit)....so, I said to hubby last weekend...'is there any money left in the deck account?'...he said 'a little'...I said, 'enough to put that vinyl flooring in Emma's/guest room?' he thought so...yea!...So yesterday, I purchased the required product and hopefully this Saturday hubby will get a good start on it! Once he gets started it really doesn't take a long time to get down......then...the great bedroom shuffle will begin! I am thrilled to my toes!!!! You see...we have a small bungalow, built about 60 years ago with three small bedrooms on the main floor.....as our family grew we worked on the basement unfinished space and put in 2 bedrooms and a 3 piece bath....then, when we put on the additions, we dug out the foundation also....under one addition we put another bedroom (the other is just a storage room)...so...that gives us three up and three down.....the bedrooms on the main floor are ours, Megan and Maya's.....well, unbeknownst to Megan...she will be moving to the new bedroom downstairs...aka Paul's/guest room, that Ben is using right now (it has the old double bed).....but that double bed will be going into Emma's room...which is a larger bedroom, to become the Emma's/guest bedroom...with me so far?....then Megan's room will become my quilting room!!!! Now do you see why I'm thrilled to my toes....yes!!! I haven't explained all this to the girls yet....it'll just start 50 million questions that I prefer to delay for as long as possible....
So, ya..that's what's going on at my house...how's things at yours?
I'm quite annoyed with myself because I just realized that I forgot to get Maya's Costa Rica pics put on my computer so I could show you some! Next Week For Sure! Some of the pics are quite good...she got better at photography as time went on....she has some amazing sunset pics ....they have incredible sunsets there in Costa Rica...in fact, the camp program has a definite activity each day...entitle 'sunset'...everyone gathers in one area, watches the sunset and sings praise choruses...neat eh? Maya had a wonderful time and would have loved to have stayed longer...she wasn't minding the temps in the high 70's, low 80's at all! It took her forever to get home though....it would seem that Houston was having some problems with ice....and since they don't get that very often they struggled with getting their planes off the ground...Maya's travel route was thru Houston..so, the the morning of departure they left camp at 5 a.m. to catch a 7:30am flight out of San Jose.....which meant of course they were up by 4:30am....when they got to the airport they found that their flight had been cancelled from Houston's standpoint...they sat at the airport all day and got on a 4 pm flight...landed in Houston just after 7pm.....then waited til 8am the following morning for their flight to Detroit! Maya found that the floor at Houston airport isn't really conducive to very much sleep! They landed in Detroit about 11am and then started the long drive home...she should have been in our area about 4:30pm for pick up but due to snow and highway conditions, didn't arrive til 7:30pm...then it took us a whole hour to get home from the pick up! All in all, she was travelling for 39 hours! ....and she still had a smile on her face...that's our Maya!
So, this week we're putting the finishing touches on Ben's room...it's taken forever...we moved the guy out into another room sometime in November....but hubby only has so many hours in the day..when you add in his day job, his teaching job and doing the churches 'books'....well, I think he's done pretty well at getting it all done....we just have to get Ben a new mattress and boxspring...he now has a double size bed instead of a twin...and he should be able to move back in! I'm in the middle of painting the logo for the Toronto Blue Jays baseball team on one wall...Ben is a big fan and especially asked for it....it wont be of the same caliber as Rachels work but Ben likes it, so I guess that's all that matters!
We had a tiny bit of money left from our deck project, the deck that didn't happen.....quick recap...since we put on the additions on our house almost five years ago I've wanted to enlarge the deck..right now it's just 12' x 12' and when you put up the table and chairs..well, there isn't room for anything else...I wanted some sitting/lounging area...so last year out income tax refund was larger than usual and we set aside some of it to do just that...well, summer came and went and the job didn't get done (see last paragraph indicating hubby's busy timetable)..then in the fall...both vehicles needed new tires....8 tires are a ton of money...didn't know what to do...you have to be safe...so...I quickly weighed safety over lounging and safety won...there went the deck money! When we did Ben's room, which is in the basement, it, of course, has a concrete floor....I was going to paint it but the guy at Home Depot described this complicated procedure for 'pargeing' the floor before you paint...it sounded very intense..the guy must have seen the panic look in my eyes because he took me to the flooring area and showed me some vinyl flooring..you put it down similar to a laminate..and it's good for moist conditions...it does look really nice on Ben's floor..we opted for a non-wood look...kind of a dark grey with bits of blue in it....he loves it!
Well, in this great bedroom turnaround ...that we haven't explained to the kids yet....Emma's room...which is also in the basement....will become Emma's/guest room...we are moving a double size bed into her room (that is now in a smaller room..which is too small for when Jenn and Ryan and baby and doggie visit)....so, I said to hubby last weekend...'is there any money left in the deck account?'...he said 'a little'...I said, 'enough to put that vinyl flooring in Emma's/guest room?' he thought so...yea!...So yesterday, I purchased the required product and hopefully this Saturday hubby will get a good start on it! Once he gets started it really doesn't take a long time to get down......then...the great bedroom shuffle will begin! I am thrilled to my toes!!!! You see...we have a small bungalow, built about 60 years ago with three small bedrooms on the main floor.....as our family grew we worked on the basement unfinished space and put in 2 bedrooms and a 3 piece bath....then, when we put on the additions, we dug out the foundation also....under one addition we put another bedroom (the other is just a storage room)...so...that gives us three up and three down.....the bedrooms on the main floor are ours, Megan and Maya's.....well, unbeknownst to Megan...she will be moving to the new bedroom downstairs...aka Paul's/guest room, that Ben is using right now (it has the old double bed).....but that double bed will be going into Emma's room...which is a larger bedroom, to become the Emma's/guest bedroom...with me so far?....then Megan's room will become my quilting room!!!! Now do you see why I'm thrilled to my toes....yes!!! I haven't explained all this to the girls yet....it'll just start 50 million questions that I prefer to delay for as long as possible....
So, ya..that's what's going on at my house...how's things at yours?
Friday, February 4, 2011
Checking in...
Good Morning Company Girls!
How is everyone today? We had our big storm this week...left us with about a foot of snow...thank the Lord it was the day before the kids were due back to school...by the next day everything was cleaned up enough for them to start their second semester!!! Yay!!!! It is the most wonderful time of the year....
Beautiful Maya is coming home today!!! I can't wait to see her and hear all about Costa Rica...I've been doing a little mom panic the last few days cause I haven't heard anything from her, directly thu Facebook IM or indirectly thru their blog...since last Friday night....I know she'll have mixed feelings about leaving the beautiful place she's been in and coming back to these minus temperatures...but at least she wont be scared to fly today! They are scheduled to fly into Detroit at 6 p.m. today, so they probably wont hit our area til going on midnight....sounds like a late night tonight! She says she's taken lots of pictures so I'll have to get them on my computer and show you some.
Other than that there's not too much going on..son Corey is still in jail...wont be released til April....I hope he learns something from this, this time...but I doubt it....time will tell.
Hope you guys have a great weekend!
How is everyone today? We had our big storm this week...left us with about a foot of snow...thank the Lord it was the day before the kids were due back to school...by the next day everything was cleaned up enough for them to start their second semester!!! Yay!!!! It is the most wonderful time of the year....
Beautiful Maya is coming home today!!! I can't wait to see her and hear all about Costa Rica...I've been doing a little mom panic the last few days cause I haven't heard anything from her, directly thu Facebook IM or indirectly thru their blog...since last Friday night....I know she'll have mixed feelings about leaving the beautiful place she's been in and coming back to these minus temperatures...but at least she wont be scared to fly today! They are scheduled to fly into Detroit at 6 p.m. today, so they probably wont hit our area til going on midnight....sounds like a late night tonight! She says she's taken lots of pictures so I'll have to get them on my computer and show you some.
Other than that there's not too much going on..son Corey is still in jail...wont be released til April....I hope he learns something from this, this time...but I doubt it....time will tell.
Hope you guys have a great weekend!
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