Upset

This has me so upset this evening, although I'm SO GLAD she's home safe. Saying prayers tonight for families with little ones, everywhere.

Freshen Up

I've been at the church for most of last night and today, as the building is being used by the Division for training workshops. It's been going well and I've appreciated reconnecting with friends in the area and listening to them share how God has been working in their lives. Fresh food for the soul. :)

Speaking of fresh, I've given the blog a fresh look, as sometimes a change is a good thing. I'm hoping to blog more frequently as I constantly revamp my daily routine to include some ME time. I still find blog-journalling to be very therapeutic and meaningful, but have not been as intentional about recording things. Another Mom-blogger, whose site I have been catching up on, underlined how our children's generation will have so much more of an understanding and glimpse into their childhood due to blogged records of the day-to-day details their parents have recorded online. It certainly makes all the daily happenings seem so much more valuable and significant.

On that note, I'd best be going as I think the sessions are ending and I now get to head home to hug my babies. I think we'll have a popcorn and movie night.

Tagged For Fun

I don't usually do this but a VERY GOOD FRIEND (haha) tagged (or NAGGED) me with a list a questions, so here goes nuthin...

Four jobs I've had:
1. Own E-Business of Primitive Art/Candles
2. Mirror Engraver
3. Real Estate Assistant
4. Politician's Secretary

Four movies I can watch over & over:
1. A Knight's Tale
2. Braveheart
3. The Great Outdoors
4. Gone With the Wind

Four places I've lived:
1. Ontario Pt. I (Toronto, Napanee, Whitby,)
2. Ontario Pt. II (Whitby, Welland, Cambridge, Ajax)
3. Manitoba (Winnipeg)
4. Alberta (Red Deer)

Four TV shows I love:
1. Jon & Kate + 8
2. The Biggest Loser
3. The Mom Show
4. Gene Simmons' Family Jewels (stop rolling your eyes...)

Four places I've vacationed:
1. Nassau, Bahamas
2. Las Vegas, Nevada
3. Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
4. Clearwater, Florida

Four of my favourite foods:
1. ethnic (fattoush, shawarmas, tandoori, spicier the better!)
2. seafood (Atlantic salmon & calamari)
3. Mom's boiled raisin cake (a Christmas tradition)
4. MIL's homemade chocoloate truffles (another Christmas tradition)

Four favourite websites:
1. Friends' Blogs
2. Facebook
3. Costco Photocentre (that means I've taken more pics!)
4. LUSH (as my birthday & Christmas are coming up...)

If you've read this and have a blog, consider yourself TAGGED! :D

I'm a "Great" Aunt Again

No, not in a "pat on the back" way, but my neice Pamela recently gave birth to an adorable baby girl named Tessa. That would make me Tessa's "Great-Aunt." (That also makes me sound like an 89 year old women with a hairy mole on her chin - not that there's anything wrong with that...). Here is a picture of Pam, my brother (her Dad) Fred and our little angel, Tessa. Wish I could hold her!

Bria Starts Grade One

A little late, considering we are now entering week 3 into "back to school" mode, but here are pictures of Bria on her first day of Grade One. She is really enjoying it, loves having her own desk, having "lost of recesses" and staying for lunch whereby she gets to go play in the "big kids playground" now. She is the tallest in her class (almost as tall as her teacher!) and she is bringing home reading homework on a daily basis. Her reading is coming along very well and she will read signs when we're out and about now, i.e. shopping and the word "sale!" LOL (What can I say, she's her mother's daughter.) She has started gymnastics again on Thursday nights and will start Pioneer Clubs with Blaise at our church in October. A full schedule! And we're enjoying every chaotic minute of it. ;)

Labour Day Monday

Here we are on a cool but sunny Labour Day Monday. Is Jerry Lewis still doing the Tele-thon thingy? Shows you how much I watch TV. We're about to head out for a bike ride with the kids through a path in the forest. Jason & I spent the morning making lists. They come in handy! They're also great for focusing on specifics for prayer. We make a list. We pray over the list. The list slowly gets done, but not always the way we initially planned. It's great to plan things out, but our faith journey is reminding us to leave room for God to work. Something that sounds like a "given" but can easily be forgotten when you're up to your eyeballs in things to do.

Tonight we'll make the last minute preps for tomorrow's first day back to school. I have muffins to bake and jello cups to make. The kids have clothing to pick out, backpacks to fill and baths to calm their jitters (especially Bria who "has butterflies" in her tummy over starting Gr. 1) and give them a good night's rest. We don't find out who her teacher is until we check a list that will be posted tomorrow morning. I remember finding out our next year's teacher on the previous year's report card. I guess times they are a changin'.



We introduced the kids to the movie, "Annie." I forgot how hiliarious Carol Burnett was in her role as Mrs. Hannigan. LOL The kids enjoyed it, but we had a bit of damage control over some language at the end that we had forgotten about (even though it's rated G!!!!). Bria was very concerned over the orphans - what an orphan was, what happened to their parents, what would become of them at the end of the movie. It's a happy ending for all in the movie, but it opened up conversations for us to have with her about concern for others as well as being content and happy in her own family situation. I love how each age brings with it new phases and questions. She's growing and asking and learning. It's surprising to see how deep a 6 and 4 year old can get and how much they truly understand.

Off to that bike ride now...

I (Heart) Saturday Mornings

Ahhh...

A hot 'n' fresh Western omelette, cup of tea, week's worth of flyers to flip through, comfy jammies and a comfy couch (thanks former officers of RD!). What could be better on a Saturday morning? Maybe a beach in view? I'll settle for the sunshine pouring in the living room windows. The kids are downstairs watching cartoons (ironically, the same toons that I watched when their age) and hubby sitting across from me going over his sermon for tomorrow. I'm thankful to God for lazy Saturday mornings!

We took the kids to Chuck E. Cheese last night (their final summer "hurrah") as well as some last minute back to school bargoons at The Children's Place (there isn't one in Red Deer). I'm finally feeling ready, although there are a couple rooms in the house that still need a good "going-thru." I'm satisfied with my accomplishments of this week, though. I'm now able to look back on our summer and reflect on things. I think my "happy place" has now become our time at the trailer in BC. We had such a good, relaxing time there. It's funny how in TSA (as in a lot of organizations), you get 3 weeks of holidays initially and have to wait until having 15 years in to get 5 weeks. What's sad is that in 15 years there won't be any little one's to take along on holidays with us! Wish we could reverse that. It might actually bring a lot of families closer. But we will savour the 3 weeks we get with them now. We're building lots of good memories to cherish.

I'm getting into Autumn mode. I've got the itch to decorate in Fall colours. I need a new candle, maybe a pumpkin spice type? Mmmmmmm.