All posts in Life Keeps Changing

Showing Off My Dad’s Way With Words!

by admin on February 26, 2012 in Feeling It (Thankful), Life Keeps Changing, Little Things, People In My Heart with No comments

A weee POEM it is then… 

Well I am greatly encouraged.. Up is still up and down is still down and last time I checked I had both feet on the ground.. I`m pullin up my collar so I can stay warm and bendin my head as I lean into the storm. Just another day, they say, as I sally forth.. with some trepidation into the Great White North… It`ll not be too long, if I stay on the track.. on the narrow straight road and I`ll soon be back. I`m done with this place and I`m headed for home .. like I said I`m encouraged cause The Lord is STILL ON HIS THRONE.. Blessings to each and all.

~~~

So, when was the last time you went through all your jeans and removed all that grayish/blueish lint that accumulates in the pockets… ever wonder how it all gets there, in the first place. The odd thing is why am thinking about this type of thing, more often than I used to.. am I becoming disengaged from life? .. To some degree I think that may be happening. I seem to spend more time now sitting in a chair at home.. with my jaw hanging, slackly open, with a distant stare , on my face. When someone breaks in I usually answer with  some wise utterance like ” HUH.”  Let me be the first to tell you that ” The advantages of Old Age have been greatly exaggerated.  Oh well.. sometime I think we live in a very weird world ..I mean you should see some of my friends.. Let alone any of my opposer’s.   Fact is most of us could all  give weird  a new definition and that in a myriad of ways..Thank God it’s going to be so much better in the next.  So Do Not Lose Heart.. The Good Book says ‘ He that endures ALL THINGS until the end comes.. the same shall be SAVED.. and am I ever glad about that.. Hey??

Papa Munro

And Down To One Fish

by admin on February 23, 2012 in Adventure and Me, Dem Kids Sayed WHAT?, Do I Call It Parenting Advice?, Life Keeps Changing, The Pet with No comments

 Well you never can tell with fish.  Yellow-whisker just didn’t seems as healthy from the get go.  The day before she died I was starting to warn the kids she seemed ill. 

We are now down to just Nia.  Sure didn’t take long for the first experience with a pets death to happen thanks to our new fish adventure.

The kids handled it well, although all differently.  Youngest two seem very unaware.  My eldest is just hoping we get a new fish; maybe a fancier one like a Beta next time.

My oldest boy, however, was the one who found her…  belly up… He looked so ash colored as he came and told me.  I took one  look at her and confirmed his suspicions.  He then looked really solemn.  I asked if he was okay and he shook his head ‘no’.  I said it was okay to be upset and when he started to cry I grabbed him in a big hug.  I assured him it is always a hard lesson in life to learn… that life ends.

After we hugged for a while he asked if he could go be alone in his room.  He then asked the sweetest question, so honest, “Is it okay if I am not okay for a while?  I still feel sad”.

“Absolutely okay my boy”, I assured him.

For now Nia is very healthy looking so we will stick with her and when she goes we will debate trying ONE Beta or just two new goldfish again.

TTFN

Adventures in Waiting

by admin on February 7, 2012 in Adventure and Me, Feeling It (Thankful), Life Keeps Changing, My Listening Year with 3 Comments


(My fridge has become THE family organizational center of the house.  
Need to know info?!  Check the fridge.)

Audacity 

It occurred to me that all to often in our desire to follow after Christ I have been like Sarah, laughing at God’s plan because it seems so beyond her, and Garnet has been more like Abraham, taking God at his word, just his word, needing nothing more.  Being the one to see everything through to the end has been a good trait as the mom in this family.  I keep on top of everyones stuff, thus need a detailed plan for my day to day, my week to week and even months ahead.  This doesn’t transfer over to a healthy personality trait in the world of faith.

Steven Furtick is a young speaker from the states.  I gleamed much from a message he shared on bold faith.  Faith is audacious (showing a willingness to take bold risks).    It takes audacity to live by faith, because faith abounds when you don’t have all the info.  It is risky and appears brash to step out and act on what little leading you usually get, all too often it is not enough info by worldly logic.  It involves doing our part, the only part that we limited humans are able to do, and then trusting God for the rest.  Our part is faith in Christ’s call.  This doesn’t mean figuring it all out, all that you are to do, and then getting to work.  It is more correctly, intimately getting to know Jesus more and digging to the depths of who you are in him. Taking steps, with out the whole picture, moves this from daydreaming to a vision.

2 KINGS 3: 16-20

The before mentioned preacher shared about the story of Elisha telling the people to fill their valley with MANY ditches so they would receive plenty of water.  They had to act and dig the ditches with no visual proof that the rain would come.  The rain was God’s part.  He finishes things… we want to know it all and yet don’t need to for we are not doing it all, he is… and he knows already.

Our Ditch

Garnet and I dug a ditch when we left Waldheim, turned our backs on the chance to have our dream acreage.  We felt asked by the Lord to put ourselves in a place of availability, available to be active workers in his kingdom, and that meant moving on from where we where happy and comfortable and then waiting where we where not comfortable.

With each passing year since our choice to dig that ditch we have seen growth and opportunities present themselves.  We’ve tried to let the Spirit do his work in us, and sought to seize all opportunities of purpose in Christ’s kingdom.  All along we still feel a call; a need to not hold on to what we have and where we are at.  In prayer we strive to keep our hearts prepared for change, for more intense kingdom service.

With each year we see glimpses of clarity about this call, but still have little information on what, when or how… we still don’t appear to fit the bill of your typical ministry couple…  THUS we have lots of opportunities to grow more in faith…

My Ditch

Garnet has always been very open about sharing this.  I have always huddled behind my man wishing for more faith… Today I dug another ditch and shared our call publicly at a study and now on my blog.  Now I wait.  Garnet and I wait, digging ditches as steps of faith present themselves.  It is the least we can do as we hope for opportunity to do more…in his time.

TTFN

Where I Come From

by admin on February 2, 2012 in Bits Of My Personality, Do I Call It Parenting Advice?, Life Keeps Changing, Little Things, Mama Heart Mushings, Northern Tales with No comments
(My Dad’s most faithful fishing buddy, TANK the minpin.)

We all have a story to tell.  I am working so hard at learning to REALLY listen to others and their story.  I am also learning to share mine when asked.  My kids are dragging it out of me bit by bit.  Often at bed time they ask me to tell them about ‘where I come from’.

Bless their little hearts, they know I enjoy sharing crazy stories once I get into it.  I try to not brush the requests off so much, as they get great joy out of what to them seems like another world… that other world being my upbringing.  They are prairie born city kids and I was a northern bush born farm kid.  We eventually had a phone and most modern utilities; but for the first few years of my life we had no plumbing, no electricity, no phone, wood heat and a goat/rabbit/chicken/little bit of everything else farm, by a lake, with limited road access and lotsa bedrock and bush to play on.

I think I will start sharing a few of the stories I remember on here too.

(THE dog and THE Dad that took me hunting.)

Chicken hunting brought Dad and me together.  Wild chickens, spruce hens and the like, are not very clever and oh so taste-y.  Dad, Mel (the English lab) and I would camo up and hit the trails on a weekend.  Tags and shot guns in hand we would travel sandy roads through the bush till we found the prey.  We shared the shooting and often the boys (my brothers) where along too.  Mel would point and retrieve and we all enjoyed it a great deal.  The snacks where good and the conversation better.

The night we where heading home and he took my hand while I poured my heart out about how hard high school was for me I will never forget.  We had just finished a day of hunting.  It had been very joyful but my heart was heavy at the idea of school the next day.  I got very quiet going home, so he asked me about it, and with tears I poured out my heart.  I don’t know what negative pressures I would have given into during those three nasty years, if it wasn’t for the reliable support I got from my folks.  With patience he offered encouragement, support and a willingly present listening ear.

Dad always had time for us.  If we where willing to strap on the grubs (rough clothing) and go fishing, hunting or just lumbering through the bush with him he was very very available.

I tell my kids this story to encourage them to find something, anything, like bird hunting was for me, as a way to make the time to talk with their Dad and to BE with their Dad often.  It takes two to make it work.  Dad was available and I was not shy about taking him up on it.

TTFN

Nya and Yellow Whisker

by admin on January 19, 2012 in Adventure and Me, Bits Of My Personality, Four Little Eggs In My Nest, Life Keeps Changing, Little Things, The Pet with No comments

 The kids where hanging off of the railings at the fish pond (in Market Mall) once again. Garnet and I where waiting. Myself more patiently then him. The kids can stair at the koi forever! I mentioned perhaps we should get a coffee and just let them stair while we talk.

Somehow we started talking about getting fish. I have never really been into this type of pet, mostly because they lack a lot of actual pet like advantaged… like touch and affection. Well Garnet dared me to get set up with fish for under 20 dollars because I had said it would have to be kept simple, no big tank, no more then two fish, no adding to it later. Well I marched into Zellers with his bet on my mind. Got a tank with the gravel, plant, food and conditioner for 11 dollars. Marched over to a pet shop and got two fish for 60 cents a piece. Done, only about 12 bucks!

For less money then a lot of their barely enjoyed toys cost we had a new pet. The kids where ecstatic. I don’t think having their own fish had ever entered their minds before. The whole affair took up most of the day and that was intentional. We had no plans (something rare on a weekend) and so this was turned into a grand family adventure.

After we picked the fish up we went home to choose names. Everyone, even our three year old, have very very strong opinions on a name for each fish. So we decided to draw the names out of a hat. My eldest’s warrior cat name ‘Yellow Whisker’ and then my oldest boy’s Lego Ninja name ‘Nya’ won. I was very disappointed that my suggestions ‘Jane Eyre’ or ‘Eeyore’ didn’t make it. Garnet was clever and picked spaghetti as a name and I thought meat ball would be perfect for the other in that case. No one but me liked ‘tweedle dee and tweedle dum’. My five year old daughter was heart broken that her names ‘cute and cutie’ didn’t get picked so she is refusing to stop calling them by her names. The youngest, our three year old, picked Bob the Builder and Diego… I am sure we all know where he got those ideas…

My olds daughter was sure everyone would be coming over JUST to meet our new fish. The littlest two spend a lot of time staring at them and talking about how CUTE they are. My biggest boy is hoping to teach Nya (the bigger of the two) how to do kungfu or spin-gitzu.

For now I am in charge of feeding them and we are all learning to not torment them. It they want to shake or touch something go find the dog. Eventually we hope to have the big kids feeding them too.

I am in no rush though. I find it very relaxing to feed them and watch them do their thing. Bonus is how smashing their pretty purple bowl looks in my sitting room.

Here is to new pets!

P.S. I want to put in writing though, that I draw the line at birds and rodents. I have a lot of reasons if you would like to know.

TTFN

-45 Confirms Our Weird Fall is Gone

by admin on January 18, 2012 in Bits Of My Personality, Domestic Damsel, Four Little Eggs In My Nest, Life Keeps Changing, The Pet with No comments
 

Well, our prolonged fall is gone.  It was historical in its oddness and I feel also in its end.  One day we are in the plus and the next we are in the -30s, and lower, with a few feet of heavy snow!  I spent three and a half hours clearing our walk ways.  We have a nasty big driveway (note to self, next house must have short driveway).

Yesterday the school bus didn’t make it, -40 will do that to a school bus.  This morning the thermometer read -45 so I hollered at my man to not get the kids up and rolled back under the covers.  SNOW DAY!  No bus, no school, no schedule!

(Introducing ‘Yellow Whisker’ and ‘Nya’)

I mozied out of bed at 10 and had a deliciously slow breakfast.  Made coffee to go with my Greek yogurt and homemade bread with jam.  Poured the remainder of the coffee over a roast, slow cooker supper.  Mixed up my weekly bread batch and finally got dressed around one.  The kids found a variety of games and insanity to entertain themselves as I puttered. Kitchen got clean and toys put away.

Lunch for the fish was followed by lunch for the crew.  Popcorn, hot chocolate, carrots and cake on the menu, a menu that at least contributed to the lack of a single complainer in the bunch (please note, fish DID get fish food)!

Riddick is in full winter rebellion gear again.  He looks at me like I am joking when I encourage him to go out for a run about and a wizz.  “Come on boy, you can’t cross your legs for ever,” I insist as I give him a gentle boot out.  Once back in doors we got the broom out and played broom ball dog style.  I run around with the broom and he tries to catch and destroy it.  After he was warn out the floor got washed and soon doggy gets a bath too.

So what kind of a post is this?  Well this is an itinerary to a mozie day.  I know you regulars are wondering where the long romantic descriptions of tea drinking and snuggle up time with chocolate are… no worries done that a few times today.


Excuse me while I continue to seize the day and take a nap.

TTFN

So I Read It Too

by admin on January 11, 2012 in Bits Of My Personality, Book Flavor, Do I Call It Parenting Advice?, Four Little Eggs In My Nest, Life Keeps Changing, Mama Heart Mushings with 1 Comment
(Snapped this treasure of a photo a couple winters ago.  This is my fourth born, copying his big sister.)

My mom was (and still is) a good mom, so I don’t mind stealing things I remember her doing.  Reading what literature my kids are supposed to be reading, or bringing home to read willingly, not only came from her inspiration but most definitely it comes easily to me due to my being a library technologist.

When my older two got into reading as a hobby, a few years back, I started reading along with them.  They would bring library books home from school and I would rub my hands together with anticipation and think ‘oh so what did we get this time’. 

More and more I am impressed with their choices.  I wonder if they have caught on, or noticed, that I will run to the computer to do research on authors and books I am unfamiliar with, that I am thrilled when I notice they have brought home classics or award winning books, that I will make them send back dribble; that basically I am big into books.

I know they catch me devouring their books after they have gone to bed for the night.  I have actually pried a book out of my eldest’s hands once she had fallen to sleep, and turned her room upside down to find it the next night so I could finish.  She knew… she wasn’t so impressed with the idea of me finishing her ‘biggest chapter book yet’ before her.  My daughter especially really really gets into books so I feel fully with in my right to check out what she is soaking in… I also just simple adore reading.

When I am reading their book choice, at the same time as they are, I get so much energy out of talking about the book with them.  I am jumping in to a new world with them!  Whether they like it or not this Mama is cannon balling it, I know I am not subtle.  “Mom, not another book talk!”  Oh yes, I like to refer them to other literature that is similar to their current reads, and to discuss reaching out to try new genres.  I feed off of questions they have about their book, or books in general.  I AM THAT MOM who reads to them at night and acts it out, voices and all… by all I mean when the owl got knocked out by the bat throwing a large icicle upon his head, ending a magnificently tense scene, in tonight’s bed time chapter, I fell on the floor to demonstrate.

Well it sure hasn’t deterred them from reading, quite the opposite.  They seem to really enjoy that we have this comradery.  Can I just add how amazing it feels to be sitting on the couch in the evening reading with my oldest daughter and oldest son on either side reading too?  Three little heads bowed, noses buried in books… I have waited for moments like this!  My kids make reading more fun for me and that says a lot since it has always been a joy of mine.

TTFN

Doing More Because I Can Now

by admin on January 5, 2012 in Bits Of My Personality, Domestic Damsel, Feeling It (Thankful), Life Keeps Changing with 2 Comments
(I can nap, or sip tea in silence knowing I have earned it!)

Now that my kids are older I can:
make all our bread,
re-educate myself in the area of dessert baking,
make all our house cleaning products,
make our laundry detergent,
plant and harvest from our mini indoor greens garden (health idea and fresh food all through the winter),
shop for groceries like a deal finding magnet (cosco once a month, super store once a month, safeway weekly, health food stores, farmers markets, bulk barn, organic honey dealer),
multiple bank runs,
skate twice a week with my oldest boy,
toboggan at least once a week (if it ever snows this year)
jog each morning,
get away with insomnia because I no longer have sleep deprivation due to babies or toddlers,
own a dog and not find him to much in the mix,
NOT to mention all the hobbies I will pick up again and all the new ones I will learn…
blog ridiculously silly posts full of seriously long run on sentences!

Of course getting my thyroid meds balanced has a lot to do with my ability to do all this too.

I am thankful:)

TTFN

Selfish

by admin on January 4, 2012 in Feeling It (Thankful), Life Keeps Changing, My Listening Year, My Year of Right Sacrifice-TIME, People In My Heart with No comments
(Fall 2009)

Selfish heart you never could stand up under the pain,
the brokenness,
that loving people brings.

Scoffing at pain came easily when there was no love to give,
no brokenness to face.
Avoiding naively,
the pain came,
you would deny it.
Denying,
futile.
Girding yourself with anger,
RAGGING against the brokenness…
Only to be broken more,
falling harder,
shattering.

The rage doesn’t last,
it was all a desperate show,
as also the scoffing and denial held no strength.

Get shattered enough times and you learn how to bend,
how to kneel…
how to surrender to the suffering of loving beyond yourself.

With prideful selfish resistance gone,
the focus outward,
the heart is molded,
rearranged,
redefined.
Embracing the risk,
the inevitable pain,
and loving the people you’re given,
you grow.
More and more people,
more and more breaking.
More and more strength found beyond you,
selfish heart.
Strength found in Jesus.

TTFN

Find Delight (Even or Especially In Winter!)

by admin on December 31, 2011 in Adventure and Me, Bits Of My Personality, Do I Call It Parenting Advice?, Domestic Damsel, Feeling It (Thankful), Life Keeps Changing with No comments

(Skating CHRISTMAS DAY! 2011)
What can I say?
I really am delighted with winter!
I guess that is why I still live here.

You can’t have those sweet rosy noses and cheeks with out it.
Or wear thick sweaters and knit scarves each day without it.
Mittens and toques with pompoms are a must have and a must enjoy.

(At the neighbourhood rink with my oldest boy!)

Trips to the outdoor rink, to the toboggan hill, snow forts and snow angels and the amazing way the house feels when you freshly return from winter adventures.


(Our home, a couple winters ago.  We don’t have this much snow yet this year.)

Ones house never feels so inviting in the warm months of the year!
How perfect a big hot mug of tea or hot chocolate feel whether going warmly down your throat or just being held in your chilled hands!

Such glorious domesticity blooms in ones heart as you unpack your snow covered children, rediscovering them from underneath loads of winter clothes and you place a warm cup of love in their sweet little hands.  Just standing over the pot of home made hot coco is enough to make me feel like a great mom.

(A day gone by, at the community toboggan hill will the whole crew.)

Yes winter takes a lot of work and requires effort and yet this is why the little moments feel so very good this time of year.

(My eldest son, on the way home from a winter adventure.)



Hurrah for winter!

TTFN

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