Archive for March, 2011

This Families Music (Heidi Munro)

Music is definitely in this family of mine! I hope to get a chance to show you more of our different styles. This is a video of my cousin singing her jazz:)

TTFN

Wee Bit Wednesday (1)

{one} what color is your kitchen?
The walls are a soft green, the counters are a darker green, turquoise inspired, the cupboards are white on top and the bottom ones are butter yellow.

{two} do you have a good luck charm?
no, who needs luck with Christ (that is just how I feel and think) ?

{three} do you prefer to write with a pen or pencil?

pen

{four} can you use chopsticks?
I think I do, the food gets to my mouth!

{five} do you prefer baths or showers?
Baths, you can read in them and it slows you down.

{six} what is your favorite salad dressing?
I make a mean homemade olive oil vinaigrette.

{seven} can you sing the alphabet backwards?
If I did it very slowly I probably could.

{eight} do you have any allergies?
Yes, but not serious ones.

{nine} crunchy or creamy peanut butter?
crunchy

{ten} have you ever hitch hiked?
No, my mom would wig out!

TTFN

a THIS day (twelve)

I am a mother,

that is why I was finally able to get dressed up nicely and will still not be going anywhere this morning.

I am a mother,

that is why my two year old is yelling ‘I wanna booger’ and means I am to clean up his super sized sneeze.

I am a mother,

that is why my oldest child breaks down and picks a fight most mornings on her way to school, she knows she can trust me to still care.

I am a mother,

that is why my oldest son tries to lie to me and I see right through him and he can’t help but tell me and I punish him for the lie and hug him for the truth.

I am a mother,

that is why my husband took our only vehicle to work today, told me to have a relaxing day, while my four year old threw up in the kitchen.

I am a mother,

that is why I am so very thankful for the days when there isn’t a cold or flu in the house, thankful for the opportunities to get dressed up and make it out and thankful when I do have the family vehicle at my disposal.

I am a mother,

that is why I will find the opportunity to enjoy quiet time, slow time at home, catch up clean up time, read a book time today in between boogie rescues, flu bucket clean up and extra hand washing.

I am a mother.

I signed up for this and so much more… but today is about the ‘this’.

TTFN

TRUST (Marriage Monday)

~How to build trust practically~

FRIENDSHIP
QUANTITY TIME
QUANTITY COMMUNICATION

I strongly believe the three above statements aid greatly in the necessary but sometimes difficult area of trust building in the marriage.

Because my husband and I where friends first we talked about everything and still do. Today he remains very much my best friend. When something happens, good or bad, my fault or my victory, I naturally want to tell him first. When I need help it is he I rely on first. When I am in need of advice, again, it is my husband I seek out. He has earned my trust and this role of best friend by being my best friend. He values my salvation, my person, our friendship and our marriage. I think I already expressed how being friends makes the necessary quantity of communication happen easier. It also makes quantity of time spent together easier to do willingly. I can’t think of anyone I would want to hang out with more. Despite bad experiences in married life, if there is friendship, communication and lots of time spent together, loving and valuing one another, the trust will grow.

~Building trust when it isn’t practically~

I would like to say it has been easy but, as I mentioned before, all the practical advice just HELPS in the growth of trust.

It takes a lot of faith, and my husband and I choose to put that in Jesus Christ. We are both very much human. With our backgrounds trying to define how we process the now we can often be geared in different situations to be mistrustful, even of our life long lover. We will also fail one another. It is to be expected. When the mistake has been made it will take great faith to see beyond the hurt, beyond the harm and toward trust. These are the moments of true trust growth. When we are hurt by our lover it is all the more painful because of who they are and to choose to love and trust in spite of the wrong is when it all really counts.

Finally, I find trusting myself to be often a harder task then trusting my husband. I am all to aware of my faults and I fear hurting him or continuing to hurt him. Again, faith is what helps me carry on when I have been the one to cause harm or cut away at our trust. I don’t think I would continue to trust myself in this relationship if not for the transformation power that is available in Christ, for me just as much as it is available for my husband.

Christ can change any and every part of who I am for the better and so that is what makes me worthy of putting trust in. It makes my husband, my Garnet, worthy of trust. It makes our marriage a commitment worth trusting in.

First Monday of every month at Chrysalis

TTFN

A Little Pretty

Found an in town outlet of one of my daughters favorite stores. They had lovely prices and I was able to get ten hair pieces for ten dollars. TICKLED! I made an effort to pick things that I would enjoy using as well as my daughters. A touch of vintage in some of these pieces and I am happy with them:)

TTFN

The Curlers

These three dainty little photographs of my teeny tiny four year old tug at my heart. She is so sweet and pretty and full of joy in them.

When I put them in she was thrilled and apparently thought the curlers where the hair style itself. “I look beautiful!” she exclaimed as the last curler when in.

“Oh honey you leave them in till your hair is dry and then you take them out so you can see the curls.” I explained.

She looked at me very seriously and responded “Oh.” I could tell she was a little disappointed at the idea of removing the strikingly red curlers… “They match my dress.” she said.

All was saved when I suggested a little photo shoot while they where still in. I have to admit, I suggested this partially to cheer her up but also for my own pleasure. I couldn’t get over how cute she looked with all her hair up in curlers.In the end she took them out too soon and her hair was full of body but not curly… and yet that didn’t matter to me. We had such fun together doing this and she was so sweet in the curlers the result didn’t matter. I know for sure we will try this again, since she is such an agreeable little patron.

(I have to point out my dear four year olds cheeks! She has always had the sweetest and plumpest cheeks.)

TTFN

New Tea Party Recruits

(Yes they drink their tea by the tea spoon full, not very refined, but I will take what I can get if it will get more tea partiers in my corner!)

I am pleased to announce on a particularly miserable day near the end of February I was able to finally convince my two little men to tea party with me.

Coconut sugar sweetened rooibos tea with an abundance of cream was served with crackers and melted cheese on top. By simply melting the cheese upon the crackers I also convinced my two year old to finally eat cheese and crackers! A grand day of victories. Amidst a blustery blizzard-y day I shared food, drink and sweetly calm conversation with two of the sweetest little men I know.

Here’s to tea time with the boys!

TTFN

Pedicures

It took a lot to get me painting my daughters nails. Having never painted my own nails or had a pedicure till well into my adult years I found it an odd idea. I still have trouble imagining I will be up for them using make up on their face any time soon… one, because they have such perfect complexions at this age what ever is the point and two I have to admit I find it kinda gross on little girls.

Perhaps that is the tomboy in me talking, after all I hated it as a child, the feeling, the look. YUCK with a big tongue sticking out kinda yuck was my thoughts on the subject… until, that is, after my second baby I started to feel old, warn out… my skin just wasn’t what it used to be… I asked advice from some ladies I trusted, who’s make up was very nicely done and never over done… and learned you can have small doses of make up, that it doesn’t have to completely change what you look like or feel heavy and itchy.

Perhaps because I started to delve into the world of make up around the arrival of my second daughter and third child that that is why I started painting their nails. All I know now is that it is a relaxing event for us three little ladies. We pamper one another, read magazines and chat endlessly while we wait for the painted toes to dry. Need some quiet time with my girls? Pedicure day! Need some talk time with my girls? Pedicure day!

Although it took a lot for me to warm up to the idea of make up and me, let alone make up and my DAUGHTERS, I have to admit there is value in the time spent together; because we spend it valuing one another.

My parents told me NO make up till I was 16 and I didn’t even want to once that birthday hit… I don’t think I will go that route with my girls… I think I will raise the age requirement higher (wink)!

TTFN

Getting ahead, an introverts advantage?!

Last week all four children were home. No school for my oldest two, my extroverted two. Cold weather meant I worked hard at planning many inside visits away and at home for my crew. There were days where the kid count went up to 7 around here. By the end of this week full of play dates, birthdays and sleep overs I was terribly ready to get back to quiet days at home with my youngest two.

I have spent the last two days happily cleaning up after the holiday, joyfully wearing my pjs all day, merrily reading a new book and leisurely drinking many many cups of tea while seated on my cozy chaise. I lean toward the introverted side of things, perhaps… definitely more so then my older two kids.

Such a blessing to tidy up the house in the morning and then have it pretty much stay that way for the whole afternoon. Such a wonder to get ahead on the laundry and dishes. I dream that all this will lead to one thing! I will manage to get to my secondary chores this week!Do we all have these lists? The basic list of required regular chores that insure the house is in a functional and seemly order and then the secondary list, the wish list. It is a collection of the delicious big jobs that could make our world so much more streamlined, so de-cluttered, so free of paperwork baskets and the well hidden ‘deal with later’ corners of the house. No matter how well I hide my ‘deal with later’ stuff I can’t stop thinking about it…

Oh to attack that storage space that has imploded, or to finally take all the donation items in, or to put my sons freshly destroyed bureaus full of clothing back to rights. The list goes on and includes closets and bins waiting to be organized… One may never completely complete it all, the endless jobs of a house wife, but one must try or… or drowned I suppose.

Well that seemed to come to a dramatic point… to finish on a happy note, please remember I am indeed happy about the prospect of venturing to the secondary chores list.

TTFN