Thimbleberries Reject

Yes, that is my latest quilt.  It's called "Thimbleberries Reject" because I used all my Thimbleberries fabric from a club I was in up in Rainbow Lake.  Never finished most of the projects because I was so over Thimbleberries stuff by then.  Easy; no pattern, not much measuring, not much cutting.  All I did was cut 3" strips, sew them all together lengthwise, cut every other one in half, and sew enough of them together to make a twin size quilt.  Talk about fast and stress-free.  Well, all except for the deadline of a week.  And my constant procrastination.  Good grief, you'd think I'd have learned a thing or two about leaving stuff until the last minute, but I haven't.

Anyway, the quilt went on the prize table at one of the boys' hockey tournaments and was won by someone who really wanted it - nice, eh!  The rink manager/zamboni driver had his eye on it and put his name into the draw specifically for the quilt.  Needless to say, I didn't see that one coming.  Somehow he didn't strike me as the quilt buying type, but was he ever happy when he got it!  Just a reminder to myself never to judge a book by it's cover.

A Valentine's Day Grouch

Yep, that'd be me.  Snarly with the kids this morning and sure to be snarly later on today.  I still need to bring a snack over to Caleb's class and reschedule my worship team practice yet again.  Not to mention pick the rest of the music, put it in the computer that sends it to the projector, and get it to the right person.   Man, am I ever being whiny!

My day will get better.  Once I do all those things it will feel like a load has been lifted and I'll smile again - probably just in time for Luke to get home.  I might go buy some fresh lobster for supper and we'll have us a Valentine's day feast after the kidlings are all tucked into bed.  The thought of that is cheering me up already!  A little seafood, a little wine, a nice conversation with my very funny husband, and a cuddle on the couch while we watch a movie.  Sounds like heaven.

*I just got a phone call from school.  Ethan forgot his valentines at home.  Aaaagh!*

Famous relatives

Luke and I were watching Hockey Night In Canada on Saturday and who should pop onto the screen but good ol' brother-in-law Ken!  No, he's not one of the jovial folk with a microphone in their hand, but the somber, watchful security man in the toque on the bottom left.  The lucky guy got to be security for Ron MacLean, famous Canadian sportscaster.  Ken, I don't know how you pulled it off, but I hope you got to talk to him a bit.  I can't believe you got to meet him!  It should've been me!

9 Already?

I can hardly believe Caleb turns 9 today.  It seems like only yesterday I was in the hospital in High Level competing for the one and only delivery room with another couple from Rainbow Lake!  And won it, of course- the competitive gene runs strong in my family.  Caleb is no exception to that rule.  Sports, sports, cars, and more sports.  Right now hockey is the main thing but soccer also has its day, as does running, biking, and countless other such occupations.  He is such an awesome kid.  Smiles alot.  Likes TV a bit too much, but what kid doesn't!   Happy birthday, son!

 

Yes, this was the temperature the last two weeks.  During the day.  Talk about bone-chilling cold!  It's been much warmer this week.  Thank goodness, because today my house will be full of boys celebrating Caleb's 9th birthday, and I'm hoping they will play outside in the enthralling (to them) mounds of snow the grater and front-end loader have left on our lawn.  Caleb and Ethan have also been adding to the pile by dragging large blocks of snow and ice from the school grounds to our house with the help of their sleds.  Endless entertainment, I tell you!  Of course, Titus is much more his mother's son and prefers the warmth of the indoors.  I'm hoping that the lure of many new children outside our house will prove too much for him to bear and he'll head out sooner or later! 

New nephew!

My baby brother now has a baby himself!  Lindy had Benjamin Levi on Friday, the day before her own birthday.  Eight pounds five ounces.  So big for a first baby!  He looks so adorable from the pics.  I was so sure they would have a girl - how many boys can one family produce?  Mom and Dad now have 7 grandsons and only 1 granddaughter.  Wow.  Hard to believe.   Congrats Luke and Lindy!  Can't wait to meet Benj!

I'm such a Dummy!

     I love games.  Always have, always will.  When I am on the internet and a page isn't loading as fast as it should, I play a game.  It's called Zuma and a person has to shoot a coloured ball at a row of other coloured balls to knock them out.  Anyway, I was on the computer the other day with Titus on my lap, playing this game and I missed.  The ball went to the wrong place.  

     "You dummy!" I said to myself.  Then noticed the boy on my lap and said, "Not you, Titus.  Me.  Because I made a mistake on the game."

     "Oh," he said, quite visibly relieved.  The game went on for a few more seconds and I messed up again.  

     "Mommy, did you make a mistake?" he asked innocently.

     "I sure did," I replied.

     "You dummy!"

     

Books

Remember a while back when I got all excited over the books that Yann Martel was sending to the Prime Minister?  Remember how I said that I just couldn't resist reading lists?  Well, I have been going through the list for a few months now and decided to write my impressions of the books.  The first one on the list was by Tolstoy.  The Death of Ivan Ilych is about just that - Ivan Ilych's death.  I have always been a huge Tolstoy fan, but hadn't even heard of this book.  Quite short, very readable, incredibly illuminating.  It deals with how a person deceives himself throughout his life and can only see clearly when it is all done.  Very interesting.  Two thumbs way up.

Number two on the list: Orwell's Animal Farm.  I was looking forward to this book.  If you can believe it, I have never read anything by Orwell.  Unfortunately, I really hated it!  Not entertaining but depressing.  I know, it's a classic.  I'm supposed to see the value in it and all that bunk, but I didn't.  Communism among farm animals.  It didn't tell me anything I didn't already know.  Power corrupts absolutely.  Man is bad.  Ideals get

 smashed in the face of ego.  Blah, blah, blah.  I almost quit reading halfway through, but soldiered on in hopes that the end would make up for it.  It didn't.  About as disappointing as The Catcher in the Rye.  Which I also hated.  Why do people think existentialism makes a book an instant classic?  Where is the rule that hopelessness in literature is smart?  I really want to know.  If you liked Animal Farm, please comment and tell me why.  I truly want to know.

Thanks a lot, Dan and Joce!

I hadn't laughed this much for a long time.  Nothing like a little game of "Twister" to get the giggles started!  I can't even believe I'm showing a picture of my behind.  Oh well, nothing like a little humiliation to jump-start a New Year's resolution!  By the way, Luke called me a dork for blogging this.  I just thought it was too funny to keep to ourselves!  And yes, there are four of us on the mat.  You can just see an extra leg.  Apparently, Caleb is reeeally flexible! (Thanks for the great Christmas present Dan and Joce!)

Yeah for Christmas!

I've been busy trying to figure out my Christmas present. Yep, I got a Mac! How much fun is that? I've been moving stuff over from my old computer, which is taking a while. Hence, no pictures. But I thought you might enjoy this youtube of apple ads. I know I did!

Home again, home again, jiggety jig

*This is not our house, not our suit of armour. Just one I drive by on a regular basis!

Yes, we're back. The whirlwind trip to Manitoba in a little car is now a thing of memory, as is Christmas Eve in Saskatoon with nowhere to eat except the local 7-11 (due to everything closing at 7 pm). Just one of the many adventures of taking a roadtrip during the holidays! Luckily we knew where all the trucking stops were, so we were able to eat breakfast on Christmas morning before hitting the road out of Edmonton and getting back home to bare cupboards. Good thing the family party was on Christmas day - we made it there in time for supper!

Hope your Christmas was as blessed as ours. We are truly grateful for our loving families who welcome us with open arms. We thank God that we all belong to His bigger family and that the celebrating will not end someday. What a gift He gave. His Son. I cannot even fathom how painful that must have been. Merry (belated) Christmas!

Straight No Chaser - 12 Days

Saw this and fell in love with this acappella group. If you're reading this on facebook, you really need to go to my blog to see this video!

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Yes, Christmas has officially landed on our doorstep. Last week I went to a Secret Prayer Sister Christmas/revealing party on Monday (I was my best friend's prayer sister and my mom was mine! So cool for my first year!), a Baking Exchange party on Thursday (thanks Jana! My freezer's stocked.), Luke's work Christmas party on Friday, two hockey games on Saturday, and a quick trip down to Edmonton on Sunday to see Van Halen. I'm exhausted. Luckily caffeine is plentiful and I was able to stay alert on the snowy roads home this morning. I left Luke in Edmonton to write an exam so I had some serious alone time for five and a half hours - it's been a while since that has happened! I actually came up with a brilliant plan to tie the separate parts of the Sunday School Christmas play together. Now to write it up and get it sent out to the right people before Sunday! Wish me luck!

Making God sad

"Mom, Titus won't help clean up!"

It's a phrase I hear far too often. In the time frame of cleaning a room, maybe ten or twenty times. Needless to say, I get more than a little perturbed when I've heard it for the umpteenth time. This was one of those times. I stomped into the room. Caleb and Ethan were diligently picking up pieces of lego while Titus sat on his bed with a scowl.

"Titus, help your brothers clean up.

"I'm too tired."

"Well, you can have a nap after your room is clean."

"No."

By now my eyebrows are raised in incredulousness at his sass. I'm sure the steam was coming out of my ears, just like it does in cartoons.

"Titus, who's in charge?"

"You are," he says with a whimper.

"Clean this room now."

"Okay."

As I'm leaving the room he asks me one more question: "Mommy, are you in charge of everybody?"

"Yes, I am," I reply, not quite sure where this is going.

"You're making God sad. He's in charge of everybody."

I guess I can never say that he doesn't pay attention in Sunday School!

Hockey and Computer Woes

*from Titus' perspective*

I've been trying and trying to post but my silly internet connection has really been messing me up. I detest going with a new internet provider but I absolutely abhor having one thrust upon me just when I've gotten on a first name basis with the original one. Ok. Whew. Enough complaining.

Caleb and Ethan are loving hockey this year. They're both on the same team and, so far, on the same line. Caleb is playing center and scoring goals, and Ethan's been on left wing. It is so much fun to watch. I'm afraid I'm one of those moms, though. You know the ones. Always yelling and telling the refs what to do. Good grief. I didn't realize I had reached the embarrassing stage until Luke came to a game with me and had to almost shush me a few times. When a man as loud as my husband has to tell me to be quieter - well, let's just say the devil may have had to shovel the snow off his sidewalk for the first time.

Titus and hockey have had a rough go of it. He finally had a practice tonight that didn't end in him laying on the ice for five minutes while having a mini tantrum. A step in the right direction. For a boy who expects perfection from himself all the time, hockey has been his nemesis. This is a kid who cries if he can't draw a letter just right, never mind skating with a bunch of awkward equipment on and chasing the ever-elusive puck around the ice. On his first game he gave up on the puck and started slashing the other team with his stick whenever they came in reach. Oy vey. I think we've been watching too much Hockey Night In Canada.

Well, have a good day and try to stay warm (we almost hit -30 C last night)!

*Titus' first hockey game*

Busy as a (sick) bee

Sorry for the unexpected break. Something about being sick, going to hockey, leading music, going to hockey, leading music, more hockey, and finally being violently ill took up much of my spare time. And to tell the truth, not much spare time today, either. I've got a birthday party to plan for after school, 9 kids and 2 adults to feed, and then, you guessed it, a hockey game to maybe attend. Of course, Luke will be home by then so I might beg off and stay home to fold laundry. Ah, wintertime. The busiest time of year.

Next week I'm working on Christmas stuff. First cards, then some baking for a Christmas baking exchange, and I might get around to figuring out a few presents. Mom, I was going to knit you some socks, but it just isn't happening. Good thing I tried it out for myself first! I'm going to have to undo the binding and make it much looser - won't go around my toes! Talk about frustrating!

Today, though, it's all about Ethan. Very excited to be turning seven! He's had a gap for a front tooth for a year and a half now, and that elusive piece of bone is finally making an appearance. We got a him a BMX bike - I can hardly wait for Luke to get back from Calgary so we can give it to him!

Knitted pleasure

Yes, this is my latest knitted possession, and it has been trailing me around the house. I'm feeling a little like Linus from Charlie Brown - I just don't want to let it go. It is sooo cozy. Seriously cozy. Wrapping it around my shoulders feels like I'm getting hugged all the time. I haven't even taken the time to block the poor thing. As soon as it was off the needles, it was in use. And I used to think knitters were crazy!

Books for the Prime Minister

I was on pneuma's blog this morning and read about Yann Martel sending Stephen Harper a book every couple of weeks or so. It sounded vaguely familiar - I'm sure it made the news quite a while back. On her post, she had a link to this site where Mr. Martel lists the books as well as copies of the letters he writes the Prime Minister. I found it endlessly entertaining. I loved Mr. Martel's Life of Pi and thoroughly enjoyed reading how and why he selected each book for Mr. Harper. Of course, anything that has a book list ends up as a personal challenge to me and I will not rest easy until I have read every single book. It's a sickness, I know. The compulsion is simply too strong for my frail mind to resist.

nike Tag

This is so cool. Wouldn't it be awesome fun to be involved in a citywide game of tag? I think my favorite part is the people hiding behind those bins. Too funny!

The Day After

Here they are in all their Halloweeny glory. People were unsure about Ethan's costume - karate guy? Jedi? Poor Luke Skywalker just isn't as popular as Darth Vader or Superman. Despite the lack of recognition, he came home with as much loot as the rest of them. My living room has been transformed into a candy-sorting room and is beginning to feel a little Willy Wonka-ish. Chips all go in a heap in the middle, pop has its own corner, Coffee Crisps are delegated to the kitchen for Mom (that's my boys, always thinking of their momma) and assorted kinds each get their own little pile. By now they've totally forgotten the caramel popcorn that my parents gave Luke and I, and I'm hoping that it stays that way. That stuff is just too good to share!

All Hallows Eve

Yes, Hallowe'en has come around again, bringing with it much sewing and candy buying on my part, and much anticipation and "Mom, is it done yet?" on the boys' part. I am now the proud parent of Superman, Luke Skywalker, and Darth Vader. *sigh* Pictures to follow tomorrow!

Hallowe'en is such a touchy subject around Christians. Personally, I enjoy it. Not so much the macabre, but costumes are a fun thing. As a kid, I loved the idea of dressing up and becoming whatever I wanted. I remember quite a few of the getups: gypsy, construction worker, bunny, Pippi Longstockings, mechanic ... as you can see, nothing too scary! I don't let the kids delve into the icky stuff either. The one vampire request I recieved was turned down this year.

Titus has been sick these last few days. Monday night we pulled his mattress into our room because he had such a croupy cough. Luckily his breathing didn't worsen, but it was still a little scary. Luke and I didn't get a real good sleep. He did much better last night, but didn't want to go to preschool today. Truthfully, neither did I. His being sick couldn't have come at a better time, since his preschool is having a Hallowe'en potluck (I know - crazy!) and we were all supposed to dress like our ancestors. Man, I did not want to go and spend three hours with a 20+ preschoolers who were hopped up on sugar and excitement, not to mention having to get two extra costumes together just for a party. If we had gone, I was planning on telling the teacher that my real name was Lois Lane and that Titus was dressed up like his only earthly ancestor. There was no way I was making him dress up like a Mennonite. What fun is that? Dark pants with suspenders, a dress shirt, and a dark hat. There is just no way it can compete with a bodysuit and a red cape.

You can see we have our pumpkin cut and ready for tonight. Luke and the boys were working hard at it last night while I had the sewing machine zipping things up. I think it looks great! Luke got the template off the internet. The kids were so excited. Now if it will just stand the test of heat and time on our front porch! Have a happy All Hallows Eve, everyone!