lovely words

as i picked up boo-boo for a hug, she said

"i'm so glad you're my mommy"

what a little blessing to my heart

how it makes it all worth while

christmas day

well our christmas day was certainly not what any of us expected

boo-boo's sickness kept her up all night

at midnight, bugsy decided to join the party and got terribly sick

somehow papaya slept blissfully unaware of the happenings

as the big cheese and i switched beds, made beds, arranged kids

rinsed out buckets again and again

by morning i felt bleary and weary

and my hands were raw from being washed over and over and over

gratefully, our non-sick child is very patient

and put up with the "ill" and simply tired members of her family very well

if it wasn't for papaya, we might have just cancelled presents till the next day

but i just couldn't look at her and do it

the two other sisters rallied, well barely, to the occasion

but boo-boo had to interrupt the plans for.....

well, a little break

this picture was taken at the end of the morning

you can tell that she was barely hanging on....

and right after the last present was unwrapped

she laid down on the living room floor

and passed out

we picked her up and laid her on the chair

which she didn't move from for most of the rest of the day

a little later in the day, not wanting to miss the festivities

the big cheese thought he would join along with the girls

and found his place on the couch

so papaya and i snuggled, read books

and assembled the toy from grandma and grandpa

all in all, it wasn't awful

except i felt terrible for boo-boo who had it the worst

took her a few days to recover from it too

so many things to be thankful for though

we were still together and could care for one another

we had food (though not many were eating), shelter and each other

as we look at the gift of the manger, we have a reason to hope and keep on

when i see so many who don't or won't

evening of Christmas eve

here is the two older girls on christmas eve

we were just home from the candlelight service at church

our youngest didn't want to be in the picture

we soon realized why

she quickly got sick with the flu

which left her catching bits of sleep in between "the yucky stuff"

her body didn't give her a break from the flu

until at least 7 a.m. on christmas day

even then, she was far from finished

a pre-christmas peek

angels aware concert

here are pictures from the Christmas concert our church put on

all three girls participated in it

and mommy helped organize it from september to december

it had a great gospel message that Jesus came to earth as a baby

so that we can be in heaven with him

the angels we're aware of God's plan of salvation

and said these words before the last song of the concert:

"we're aware that the wages of sin is death,

but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord

we're aware that God sent his son into the world,

not to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved

we're aware that God so loved the world,

that he gave his one and only son,

that whoever believes in him should not die but have everlasting life"

conversation with a 6 year old

papaya asks, "mommy, when i get married will i have to kiss my husband at the wedding?"

mom replies "maybe not, but he might want a kiss after the wedding"

papaya with scrunched up face "eeeeewwww!!"

camera play

i had just sat down at the kitchen table

with bugsy and a friend of hers

we were scrapbooking, LOL because i am not a good one

except maybe in my daughter's eye

however, she is so creative she doesn't take any suggestions anyways

she just likes playing with all the paper, ribbons, etc

and creating her thing...does that sound familar mom?

anyways, like i was saying, i sat down and looked out the front window

the frost was on the tree and the sky was this beautiful shade of blue

and i needed to catch it on picture

before i downloaded the pictures i thought i did a good job,

but realize now that i should have had a tripod

because you can tell i was moving a bit

i wanted to post the pictures though, just to show the contrast

the first picture i turned of the flash and slowed the shutter speed

the second one (below) i put on manual setting and let the camera do its own thing

same scene but remarkable difference in the end result

i have lots to learn in the world of aperture and exposure

holiday cheer

here is our little elf

she loves to be domestic

bake, decorate, craft

she's quiet and gentle

but don't mess with her

because though her fuse is long

her boom can be big

we love her

the girls

here is boo boo at her open house ballet class

papaya dressing up like a kickboxer

(she's just too cute to take serious) and bugsy putting on the moves,

looks like she might have learned a thing or two from mom

(ie. keep your defense up)

she is certain though that she doesn't want to do martial arts

and I am thinking i like kickbo and kickboxing so much,

that i just might have to try karate yet

not me! monday

Contrary to what anyone else may tell you

these things most definately did not happen in my house....

because I did not quit Christmas decorating on Saturday

then leave a pile of stockings and trim sitting in my office

and if you looked that pile would not

still be sitting where i did not leave it

and on the same saturday mentioned above

i did not also leave one, maybe two, or possibly three laundry baskets

full of folded clothes at the bottom of the stairs, that i walked by

but didn't touch all weekend

and i definately did not pick up those baskets on monday morning,

carry them back to the laundry room

and start to fold clothes into them that did not spend the weekend in the dryer

not me, no way!

i had nothing to do with it

here is the creation oma and opa made with the girls

i had nothing to do with it

i stood back and watched

they even cleaned up the mess! gotta love that

if you get this far into the post, i do wonder....where opa's decorating skills went? did he really retire that long ago? love you dad!

Bangladesh end

hubby arrived home safely last night

the girls were absolutely thrilled

he arrived over half an hour late, so the wait was hard on them

he is getting over his cold, but is really tired

he is up helping with the christmas tree and breakfast etc

but then all of a sudden he is curled up in the chair napping

or on the couch resting

he is already talking about the future, the men who went

want to help get the walls up on an a particular orphanage...

maybe go back next year

all thoughts and things to give to the Lord in prayer

right now, we are glad that he is home

safe and sound

Bangladesh 5

My hubby sent this Wednesday at 7:53 am B.C. time, which was 9:53 pm in India

Hi, we are currently waiting for our flight at the Hyderabad airport
Tomorrow morning we will be taking a short tour in London
and then flying into Calgary at around 4:00PM local time on Dec. 4th
I am feeling a bit better after taking antibiotics
My chest and head was very plugged up
I went with our doctor in the group
to get some antibiotics from a medical store and bought some yesterday
It cost about $1.40 to buy it over the counter and in Canada,
the same prescription would be about $50-$60
I am feeling very ready to be home now ...... sorry, the rest is just for this mommy :)

Bangladesh 4

here is some pictures of the big cheese in bangladesh

the first two are from a microcredit school they visited

currently he is in hyderbad, india

they are feeling the constraints there

not allowed to walk alone, eating and sleeping in the hotel

OM shuttles them everywhere

he didn't say directly, but i believe these precautions are because

of the instability in mumbai and thailand

the muslim influence is very clear here, from the loudspeaker calls to prayer

and the treatment of animals (cows, rats and water buffalo) as gods

do you?

boo-boo and oma were finishing lunch

when boo started talking about her belly button, she asked:

"oma do you have a belly button?"

"yes"

"can i see it?"

after a little hesitation "okay"

"can i put my finger in it?"

there was no answer to that except side splitting laughter

"well can i?"

"okay!"

after boo-boo checked out oma she informed us that her belly button had been destroyed, but then promptly changed her mind and said it was lost. after a while she felt it coming back, but oma wasn't allowed to get anywhere near it

Bangladesh 3

my husband is now in india
he was not there during the terrorists attacks
he is not in mumbai
he is in hyderbad and they have been assured all things are safe
they were going to a meeting with joseph desouza of OM when he called
that was all the news, he was busy but safe

Bangladesh 2

rick called again this morning, which is actually the end of his day in dhaka
they had a "day off" of sorts, they had a meeting in the morning and spent a day in markets and did touring, it was their only "off" day in the trip
when he arises tomorrow, or when i go to bed, they will be boarding a plane to go to india
he won't be anywhere near mumbai or the attacks, same country, not same city,
they have been assured of safety from what can be seen right now
his time in dhaka was spent in giving medications, where they prayed for people if possible
one day they heard that the secret service was coming to check them out, remember this is a country that is controlled by Muslims, the place they were staying was only 5 km from an elkyda headquarters
at first the thought of the secret service caused concern, later they were pretty sure an agent came in plainsclothes, with a pen and a pad of paper and started to take notes of what they were doing, asking questions, checking things out
however, at the end in very broken english he pointed to his arm and said "lym disease" and held his chest and said "asthma", the man who was talking to him and was sure he was secret service felt compelled to pray for him, so he followed the leading of the holy spirit, took a bold step and prayed, the man left and no harm came to anyone
on another day they also went to the slums
where they saw families and children living in vile conditions
walking through open latrine pits
filthy and dirt, with children as young as mine, caring for their own siblings
no hope, no where to go
in addition to these already desperate, bangladesh is a flood plain and has a rainy season
the only accesible high points of ground in the country are the roads
when it begins to rain, people desert their homes and seek temporary shelter on the side of a road, they grab their six feet of road space and camp out there for weeks at end, maybe even a month, at this time of the year, disease is rampant and many die
many many die........i don't think i can fathom
i sit in a heated house, a comfy chair, with electric lights and a hot cup of tea
i go to the grocery store and pick up my groceries, and oh maybe a starbucks too, just because
do i really understand what it is like to go without? it is said that north america is in a recession! a crisis! is our crisis even comparable? is our "crisis" worth all the air time and discussion that the news stations give it?
and as i sit in my heated, lighted, comfy house i often feel very far from God
i see my bible on the table and pass it by more often than i should
sometimes in the course of my day, it seems that i have so much to do, that well, i don't have time
i often feel apathetic, maybe sometimes even justified in all the things that i have to do
my husband went to bangladesh feeling very similar to that
feeling a bit like God had lost relevance in the day to day and that he was an on-looker spiritually however, being there has re-shown him a very powerful, very real God that is truly active in this world in a way he never comprehended before, he has met with the Lord in a new way
the details of how he meet with the holy spirit are not mine to share, but i believe that when he comes home, he will be more than willing to share them
i know that God is here too, here where i live, where you live
i know that you don't need to go half way around the world to meet him anew
but i also know that my husband is exactly where God wants him right now and that he needed to go, that God wanted him there, that God has things to show and teach him that he didn't even expect
if you think of it, pray for him
with thanks, from me

Bangladesh 1

so rick called on monday morning
he was safely back in dhaka, bangladesh after having a trip to the north
they had visited an orphangan, a micro-credit school and performed a few dozen baptisms
he saw children that were so joy filled at the opportunity to have an education
children who lived away from friends and family with 2 one month breaks in a year
who worshiped with Lord without fear and boldly
in a country that is dominated by Muslims and that rejects Christianity, stifles it
he was so challenged by their faith, inspite of all that they don't have

boo-boo's birthday

luau party

papaya needed to plan a celebration as part of her homeschool work

she decided on a hawaii party

her choices for food were

snickerdoodles, which she made with oma

(who convienently disappeared from the picture)

fresh fruit with coconut dip

luau punch

the games of the day were suppose to be

hide-and-seek and crazy eights,

but that didn't exactly pan out

everyone had fun and lots of sugar

Small Fryday Contest

MckMama is having a contest (here)

to raise money for string of pearls

http://www.stringofpearlsonline.org/

check it out to find the details

but more so read the story of pearl

how this couple trusted God with their unborn child

even when it didn't make sense,

how they trust God now

even when they didn't get the answer they wanted,

how they help others,

inspite of their pain

see how they live the hope God has given

wordless wednesday

dinner devoured

dinner tonight was pesto prawn pasta,

garlic bread and caesar salad

i really thought i had made way too much

turns out i was wrong

at the end of dinner all that was left was scraps of salad

when boo-boo was offered it,

she, well,....dug in and enjoyed

gave us all a laugh

not me monday

link to my charming kids blog page here

yesterday being sunday and all

i did not spend most of my day socializing

and this socializing that did not happen, did not start right after church

i did not go out for lunch, certainly did not eat a plate of "delux" eggs benny

and i did not finish before everyone else, including the kids

then in the afternoon i didn't go out to another restaurant

with a friend and have a cafe mocha

and then since i didn't go out twice already

i definately did not go out for a steaming cup of decaf tea in the evening

with another friend and my oldest daughter

really, i couldn't have done that

mother's heart

i have been trying to pray the 7 x 7 prayers for my girls

http://audreycaroline.blogspot.com/2008/11/seven-prayers-day.html

i will keep at it, day by day

my hope is that my prayers become unceasing

that prayers flow out of me, instead of quick words

that i pray first, act after

today, my oldest daughter is struggling, hurt by the sin of our world

entering the struggle i went upstairs to her room

i walked around, sat on her bed

and interceeded for her

life is poking her, it is hard to see her hurt

i prayed for protection, understanding, patience, love

and mostly that God would be behind, before, and all around her

this job of motherhood....it's too big

i can't do it on my own

i wish i could align the stars for her

but i can't

i can pray though

and love

and listen

remember when i was there as a child

and keep trusting her to God

i'm addicted

my very first sock ever

i love it! it was so incredibly fun to make!

gotta make one more so that i can actually wear it

and like the title says "i am addicted"

our "cafay"

oma, mommy and boo-boo went out for coffee and errands the other day
the big cheese had a doctor appointment
opa was attempting to nap on the couch
while papaya and bugsy got creative

i should have known something was up
when bugsy kept calling wondering where
we were and when we would be home

when we finally did arrive they had a "cafay" ready for us
oma was muttering "i don't do tea parties well, help me!!"
but much to even her surprise they did a great job
and all was very pleasant and enjoyable
the table in the kitchen was set
we had water (opa wasn't letting them make tea)
yogurt decorated with chocolate chips
and another with butterscotch chips,
along with cut up bananas
the surprise, we got paid to go! how exciting!
opa was very generous and gave the girls a tip too

tooth fairy story

when one of our children lose a tooth

everyone in our family knows the tooth goes under the pillow
in the morning there is a bit of fairy dust and a loonie

(that is $1 for any americans)

the tooth fairy is just expected

so when our daughter woke up on wednesday morning

i was in the shower and the important message was

"the tooth fairy didn't come"

"what? impossible?" panic, guilt, ah!

luckily, the big cheese and i can work under pressure

all was saved, see below

apparently when she runs late, her fees double

and papaya got a toonie ($2)

they're here

so oma and opa are here

all snuggled up tight in bed

opa is already well into slumber

or maybe i should say lumber, as he is seems to be sawing

the girls are so excited

papaya lost her other front tooth

the big cheese has been teaching her the song

"all i want for christmas is my two front teeth"

the tooth fairy missed picking up papaya's tooth though

AH?!! can you believe that?

we couldn't! what is the world coming to?

will tell you how it played out....tomorrow

o canada

papaya learned the national anthem for school

she is very cute singing it

especially since she lost one front tooth last week

and hit the other with a ping pong paddle,

so it is hanging by a thread

touching base

so i feel a little like i dropped off the face of the planet
last week we went to the big city and it was great
other than i had a whooping head cold
i just kept pumping tylenol cold and sinus
if i had been at home i would have been in bed
but i wasn't going to let that slow me down away from home

we ate good food, walked by the ocean, shopped
we also went to an irish pub for supper
where i declined alcohol because of my cold
the waitress nicely offered me blueberry tea
i had no idea! i thought i was getting herbal tea
what i received was MUCH better and definately
had some positive effects on my cold
the connoction is one shot grand marnier, one shot ameretto and stepped black tea
yum...it was so good and so relaxing
highly recommend it!

then on the weekend i went to a quilt weekend

i managed to get the binding on boo-boo's quilt

that matches papaya's

i also got the top started on another quilt

so i felt like i had actually accomplished something

fly away

turns out that this mommy is getting a break
the big cheese needed to go to the big city
and i am getting to go along too
i am thrilled of the idea of some time to myself
since i fly out in the morning and the big cheese flys in the evening

our girls are staying with friends out of town
and are thrilled about it
bugsy is a little worried about us flying and would like us to drive
boo-boo packed her bag and did a fabolous job
but i tucked in socks and undies afterward
papaya, miss organization, lost her tooth today and looks cute as a button
will show a picture when we get home on thursday
i have to remember to play "tooth fairy" tonight too

have a sinus cold, should head to bed and see if i can kick it

halloween, our day

here is a little view of what our day looked like yesterday





we carved pumpkins

























had a bat and her witch join us for trick-or-treat, along with some neighbours

















created a jester, a butterfly and jasmine