today is the perfect day for this.....what a great way to start the long weekend, and a way to avoid complaining about the heat ;)
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Photo Diary - Day TwentyNine
well, my last photo diary day is here! I did it, a photo post every day! (well, all but the first day, lol).
today is the perfect day for this.....what a great way to start the long weekend, and a way to avoid complaining about the heat ;)
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today is the perfect day for this.....what a great way to start the long weekend, and a way to avoid complaining about the heat ;)
Top Ten Thursday - Things I've got done on/in my house
Here is the original list of items I wanted to get done on/in my home and I'm done just about every one of the 'small' things!
1. Hang the two collage frames (check)
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2. Finish my upstairs bathroom (check)
3. Remove the bush in the back corner of our garden (check)
4. Try container gardening (check)
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5. Replace our dishwasher (check)
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6. Re-frame the windows (check, thanks to my BIL John)
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1. Hang the two collage frames (check)
2. Finish my upstairs bathroom (check)
3. Remove the bush in the back corner of our garden (check)
4. Try container gardening (check)
6. Re-frame the windows (check, thanks to my BIL John)
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new
7. Detectors.
This wasn't on my list but we upgraded the smoke detector (it can detect two kinds of heat and smoke!) and a carbon-monoxide detector, which is becoming a home requirement in these parts lately, due to some CM poisonings.
This wasn't on my list but we upgraded the smoke detector (it can detect two kinds of heat and smoke!) and a carbon-monoxide detector, which is becoming a home requirement in these parts lately, due to some CM poisonings.
8. My indoor herb planter, courtesy Tupperware. (on a different list, but still check)
9. Remove puppy stains from the carpet.
Ok, doesn't really count, but I was one shy of 10, lol.
Ok, doesn't really count, but I was one shy of 10, lol.
10. Get a standup freezer rather than a chest freezer (check)
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I am so excited about this freezer! Now that I've organized ALL my recipes by meat, I hope after my next Costco trip it will look something like this!
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Then I can rotate better through my recipes :) AND, I found this awesome & easy way to make it more organized, a dry-erase inventory list ON the freezer!! YAY!
(yes, I realize how dorky being this excited over a super-organized freezer makes me sound)
I am so excited about this freezer! Now that I've organized ALL my recipes by meat, I hope after my next Costco trip it will look something like this!
Then I can rotate better through my recipes :) AND, I found this awesome & easy way to make it more organized, a dry-erase inventory list ON the freezer!! YAY!
(yes, I realize how dorky being this excited over a super-organized freezer makes me sound)
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Photo Diary - Day TwentyEight
what a beautiful, hot, night for some iced passion tea lemonade! ahhhh! and the lovely company didn't hurt either....we really need to do this again soon, and for longer. yay summer!
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Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Pizza Salad - Titus Tuesday
Well, food continues to be the theme of my Titus Tuesday posts...although I do have another spouse related post rattling around my brain, food posts are just too much easier these days.
I found a salad that just screamed 'TRY ME' while searching for picnic salad ideas for our Father's day picnic in the park and it was a hit, and SO easy, so I thought I'd share :) It's Pizza Salad! The recipe I found was actually this, but here is my version since mom can't handle pepperoni, and because you can buy tomato oregano dressing, and I thought shredded cheese would mix better (there is actually a pizza shredded blend :)
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YUM!
By the way, here is a great place/blog to check out more homemaking and house-wifery!
I found a salad that just screamed 'TRY ME' while searching for picnic salad ideas for our Father's day picnic in the park and it was a hit, and SO easy, so I thought I'd share :) It's Pizza Salad! The recipe I found was actually this, but here is my version since mom can't handle pepperoni, and because you can buy tomato oregano dressing, and I thought shredded cheese would mix better (there is actually a pizza shredded blend :)
By the way, here is a great place/blog to check out more homemaking and house-wifery!
Photo Diary - Day TwentySeven
new ministry possibilities I learned about tonight! so exciting, can't wait to dig in deeper!
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Monday, June 27, 2011
Photo Diary - Day TwentySix
old familiar Hwy #1. I've been driving this stretch of road between Steinbach and Winnipeg for 17 years now!
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Nice to Be Needed
My company is a global company, with offices all over the world, on several continents I, and several other staff members, would love to visit. We were discussing this, as a co-worker mentioned her boyfriend will have a 6-month work stint in Italy, and she was hoping she might be able to swing some work in Italy during his time there. Then came the subject of the 'staff exchange' program we have, where a staff member can exchange positions with another Golder office anywhere in the world for a year (provided the exchange is fairly equal). We've actually worked with one of these exchange staff from Australia when we worked with our Burnaby, B.C. office occasionally.
I of course expressed that would be very cool. Several people (including our office manager) piped up that I wasn't allowed to leave, and one clarified, because it was hard to find someone as capable as me (varying job responsibilities, not just 'admin'). So I said, "If I can find someone as capable as me, somewhere in the world, I can go?" My manager says, "No, because you won't find anyone."
Awwww. It's nice to be needed :)
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I of course expressed that would be very cool. Several people (including our office manager) piped up that I wasn't allowed to leave, and one clarified, because it was hard to find someone as capable as me (varying job responsibilities, not just 'admin'). So I said, "If I can find someone as capable as me, somewhere in the world, I can go?" My manager says, "No, because you won't find anyone."
Awwww. It's nice to be needed :)
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Photo Diary - Day TwentyFive
a little vistor at this morning's girl-coffee-chat before Church. we think it lives in the huge planter in front of Starbucks with 2 siblings.awwww.
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Saturday, June 25, 2011
Friday, June 24, 2011
Photo Diary - Day TwentyThree
spending my evening organizing recipes on to my blog. and watching Dukes of Hazzard, what an evening, lol.
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Fashion Friday
Now that the weather has been warmer I have almost a whole new wardrobe to document! :)
Here's my cute lil' Old Navy skirt, which this pink shirt looks MUCH better with, and I'm feeling so grade 8 in these capri tights :)
Here's my favorite top right now, I think it's another one of those 'magic' tops that could look fantastic on anyone, I highly recommend them :) I've shown it before with a short sweater, here it is as just a tank, and looking great casual with jeans.
I've shown this sheer blouse, (another 'magic' top) before but I think it goes even better with these pants, and this necklace (below). It's such a great top for the office in the summer, cool when it's hot but enough coverage for when the A/C blows too much cold air.
Another of my new fav tops, I love the girliness of it, ruffled cap sleeves and flowers, but without being too frufru, and it's pretty flattering :) goes well with jeans or dressed up with a nice skirt.
I've had this skort forever, that's the nice thing about skirts/skorts is that they tend to fit through many sizes! I guess I've loved plaid for years :)
Thursday, June 23, 2011
My Precious
So, apparently a diamond is a girl's best friend.
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But it isn't just girls who are obsessed with precious jewels or metals, men have quite the affinity for bling themselves.
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But seriously now.
In some arenas, precious stones and metals are a huge factor in displaying wealth and success. And why? I speculate it's because of the very high standards and subjection to scrutiny their industries have, which produces only the best of the best. What better way to advertise your success than to wear a product where low-quality is pretty obvious.
Each gemstone or precious metal is regulated based on gem-quality or purities/impurities. It takes a LOT to produce such treasures! I Wiki'd the processes for just a few of the preciousnesses.
Something else our world doesn't really understand these days is how mistakes, hurts, suffering can turn out to be the best thing for us. We revel in being victims, point blame at God, and/or claim self-survivorship. But truth is, if you are going to avoid the heat and pressure, the opposite conditions turn you into a lump of coal. If you are going to avoid the fire and the scraping, you are going to stay a lump of fool's gold.
God treasures us as we are, but we are even more precious if we allow him to mold us to be at our ultimate value. It might be through high pressure situations, stress. It might be through trial by fire. It might be exposing us to irritants. It might be by being scraped or cut.
But we can let it optimize our dispersement of his light.
But seriously now.
In some arenas, precious stones and metals are a huge factor in displaying wealth and success. And why? I speculate it's because of the very high standards and subjection to scrutiny their industries have, which produces only the best of the best. What better way to advertise your success than to wear a product where low-quality is pretty obvious.
Each gemstone or precious metal is regulated based on gem-quality or purities/impurities. It takes a LOT to produce such treasures! I Wiki'd the processes for just a few of the preciousnesses.
- Diamonds for example are created from carbon under high pressure and high temperatures, and then subjected to much cutting for optimization of dispersment of white light, to acheive the highest gem quality.
- Gold is also subjected to high temperatures to bring as many impurities to the surface as possible so that they can be scraped off to achieve the purest gold.
- Pearls evolve through the process of animal response to irritants - garbage, sand, seaweed, parasites, etc. - and over years of dealing with these irritants, it transforms it into something beautiful enough to be considered a gemstone.
Something else our world doesn't really understand these days is how mistakes, hurts, suffering can turn out to be the best thing for us. We revel in being victims, point blame at God, and/or claim self-survivorship. But truth is, if you are going to avoid the heat and pressure, the opposite conditions turn you into a lump of coal. If you are going to avoid the fire and the scraping, you are going to stay a lump of fool's gold.
God treasures us as we are, but we are even more precious if we allow him to mold us to be at our ultimate value. It might be through high pressure situations, stress. It might be through trial by fire. It might be exposing us to irritants. It might be by being scraped or cut.
But we can let it optimize our dispersement of his light.
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Photo Diary - Day TwentyOne
one of the great parts of my day! days off in the middle of the week to hang at the zoo and the Ex are awesome!
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Tuesday, June 21, 2011
My Husband Rocks - Titus Tuesday
So I came across this challenge about a week ago, thought I had more time and then the due date was today! A winning entry needs more time! How do I form all the wonderful things about my husband into a piece of writing that shows he rocks the most?!?
Compared to some other blogs I've read, he isn't the most romantic or thoughtful or chivelrous or generous husband out there.
Of course, I know despite that, I'm so much luckier than some, because I was once that some. But this isn't negative campaigning.
So, I'm not going to write in the frame of mind that my husband is the best husband out there, but he does rock, and this is why he rocks my world.
I think what stands out to me most about Sean is his grace and growth as a husband during our lowest, toughest, most painful moments.
It started early on in our relationship. But the thing is, he wasn't a Christian when we started dating, that came about 10 months later. But the trials started much sooner than that, three weeks into our dating relationship, my ex (when I was the 'some' I was referring to above) decided he was going to make life for us as a couple hell on earth. He threatened to get us fired, he threatened to expose my shameful, abused past with him to the world, he came to my house with a knife, he tried to convince me that Sean was gay, just to name a few things. Sean knew I was a Christian, and after one particular night of aweful threats, he came over, dropped to his knees at my feet, and prayed for us, and for my ex. I think that was his first intentional prayer ever.
After a few years of marriage we were both at a pretty low point, my husband's estranged father had passed away with no reconciliation, I had just been fired and I was still coming to terms with what I went through with my ex. We hadn't been committed to a Church for awhile, since we experienced some hurts in the last one, when we were invited to a Church retreat through my Church in my home town. I was anxious to go after hearing so many testimonies of freedom, but hubby was really under attack and was becoming leary of it. But I think he was just in pain enough that his heart opened to what God could do there, even though his mind was trying to close it out, so he did go. Afterwards my husband was a new man, seeking the Holy Spirit's leading, initiating changing our home Church to my home town Church, even though it meant an hour and a half drive every Sunday. It was the first big step to forgiveness he received and gave, and it resulted in his first steps towards the spiritual leadership a husband is called to have.
Another few years later, some still unresolved issues arose with me regardig my ex, while Sean was out of town on business. The night Sean came home I have a terrible nightmare, reliving some abuse, and the next morning, in the beginnings of an anxiety attack and 'losing it' moment, I contact my ex's new fiance to expose him for who he really is. I opened the door to him finding us again. I had no consideration for how this might appear to my husband, you know, like the inability to let go of an ex. But he handled it all with grace. He talked to my ex for me and ending the situation calmly. He immediately forgave me for it, and encouraged me to seek out counselling at Church. He became the opposite of who he usually became when anything to do with my ex entered our lives, but I think he was in tune to God telling him what I needed because he did exactly that.
And the latest big struggle we've been dealing with, infertility. To say my husband isn't a passionate daddy-wanna-be is a bit of an understatement, but at the end of another anxiety attack I had last fall he surprised me by confessing a lot of the pain, dissappointment, and frustration in his life last year was due in part to the pain of not being able to 'give' me my biggest passion, motherhood. Somehow in that confession, finally sharing that pain unlike we had at all in the last 5 years, something changed. It wasn't immediate, but I sensed him turning to God more and more. In these last few months I've seen him not only grow more as a Christian, as a spiritual leader, as a humble servant seeking to grow, the by-products of which have been a happier and healthier marriage, but even his demeanor around children is starting to change in a way it never has.
I am so grateful for a husband who has grace under fire. And that he allows himself to be refined in the fire. I know we wouldn't be the couple we are today, or the Christians we are today, if he didn't allow himself to be molded in His hands in that way.
Here is the blog hosting the contest, in case you want to check out more wives proud of their rockin' husbands, or other hubby honoring posts!
Compared to some other blogs I've read, he isn't the most romantic or thoughtful or chivelrous or generous husband out there.
Of course, I know despite that, I'm so much luckier than some, because I was once that some. But this isn't negative campaigning.
So, I'm not going to write in the frame of mind that my husband is the best husband out there, but he does rock, and this is why he rocks my world.
I think what stands out to me most about Sean is his grace and growth as a husband during our lowest, toughest, most painful moments.
It started early on in our relationship. But the thing is, he wasn't a Christian when we started dating, that came about 10 months later. But the trials started much sooner than that, three weeks into our dating relationship, my ex (when I was the 'some' I was referring to above) decided he was going to make life for us as a couple hell on earth. He threatened to get us fired, he threatened to expose my shameful, abused past with him to the world, he came to my house with a knife, he tried to convince me that Sean was gay, just to name a few things. Sean knew I was a Christian, and after one particular night of aweful threats, he came over, dropped to his knees at my feet, and prayed for us, and for my ex. I think that was his first intentional prayer ever.
After a few years of marriage we were both at a pretty low point, my husband's estranged father had passed away with no reconciliation, I had just been fired and I was still coming to terms with what I went through with my ex. We hadn't been committed to a Church for awhile, since we experienced some hurts in the last one, when we were invited to a Church retreat through my Church in my home town. I was anxious to go after hearing so many testimonies of freedom, but hubby was really under attack and was becoming leary of it. But I think he was just in pain enough that his heart opened to what God could do there, even though his mind was trying to close it out, so he did go. Afterwards my husband was a new man, seeking the Holy Spirit's leading, initiating changing our home Church to my home town Church, even though it meant an hour and a half drive every Sunday. It was the first big step to forgiveness he received and gave, and it resulted in his first steps towards the spiritual leadership a husband is called to have.
Another few years later, some still unresolved issues arose with me regardig my ex, while Sean was out of town on business. The night Sean came home I have a terrible nightmare, reliving some abuse, and the next morning, in the beginnings of an anxiety attack and 'losing it' moment, I contact my ex's new fiance to expose him for who he really is. I opened the door to him finding us again. I had no consideration for how this might appear to my husband, you know, like the inability to let go of an ex. But he handled it all with grace. He talked to my ex for me and ending the situation calmly. He immediately forgave me for it, and encouraged me to seek out counselling at Church. He became the opposite of who he usually became when anything to do with my ex entered our lives, but I think he was in tune to God telling him what I needed because he did exactly that.
And the latest big struggle we've been dealing with, infertility. To say my husband isn't a passionate daddy-wanna-be is a bit of an understatement, but at the end of another anxiety attack I had last fall he surprised me by confessing a lot of the pain, dissappointment, and frustration in his life last year was due in part to the pain of not being able to 'give' me my biggest passion, motherhood. Somehow in that confession, finally sharing that pain unlike we had at all in the last 5 years, something changed. It wasn't immediate, but I sensed him turning to God more and more. In these last few months I've seen him not only grow more as a Christian, as a spiritual leader, as a humble servant seeking to grow, the by-products of which have been a happier and healthier marriage, but even his demeanor around children is starting to change in a way it never has.
I am so grateful for a husband who has grace under fire. And that he allows himself to be refined in the fire. I know we wouldn't be the couple we are today, or the Christians we are today, if he didn't allow himself to be molded in His hands in that way.
Here is the blog hosting the contest, in case you want to check out more wives proud of their rockin' husbands, or other hubby honoring posts!
Monday, June 20, 2011
Photo Diary - Day Nineteen
I really needed this song at the end of the 'grrrrrrr' day I had. Thx to my friend Kristie for this great worship CD!
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Miscellany Monday
~ my littlest nephew had his first birthday last weekend, good times! thanks to Pinterest for the great cookie monster cupcake idea.
~ I really need to get off the ol' butt now that all my shows are done, but am really enjoying reruns of Reba, lol.
~ we got the puppy back because his mum's condo changed the pet rules, and so she had to have us look after him again until she can buy a house. so, depending on the market, could be a few weeks, could be months. we'll see :) oh, and of course that means we two more bottles of wine too....to start ;)
~ went to see the Green Lantern movie on Saturday....that was pretty cool! why did I not know about this superhero pre-BBT (Big Bang Theory)? now I have a new fav power, AND I'll get more of Sheldon's jokes!
~ speaking of Sheldon, saw a Bazinga shirt today at the mall, lol. I want one! there is a whole website dedicated to duplicating his shirts, sheldonsshirts.com.
~ Sunday it was our almost yearly tradition of Father's Day picnic in the park, it was beautiful! and the groundhogs tearing around really kept the kids entertained :) with the plastic croquet mallets it was a real live game of 'Wack-a-Mole'!
~ and it's almost the end of June!!! where did the time go? I was supposed to have all my crafty stuff ready to sell, before the new catalogue, and sales quarter finish June 30th, at a special '$5 or less for everything sale'! I kinda do, but I haven't even arranged for a night at my mom's or invited anyone yet! only 10 days left to do it in and the next 3 are busy! ack! ok, I'll stop using exclamation marks now :)
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Friday, June 17, 2011
Fashion Friday - Hair
I've been trying to document the many looks I've been able to achieve with my 'new' blonde short hair, here are some of my favs:
straight
soft waves
the bun-hawk
the art of the messy do (I'm still working on this, I'm not one for un-perfect!)
mini-buns
the fancy ponytail
curly, or as curly as I can get it :)
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the french braid
straight
mini-buns
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