Picture Post - thankful

 We have been so blessed.  Worth the wait :)

It's beginning to look alot like baby...

I mentioned in my last post that we put up the crib the other day.  I thought I'd share some pictures from that because hey...what's more adorable than a boy helping his daddy?

It's especially adorable when it's YOUR boy and the daddy is YOUR husband :)

Also, don't forget to leave your baby guesses here on the blog (boy/girl, size, date)!  I've made a handy-dandy poll so it's easy to vote, but if you're SURE that you'll be right, leave your guess in the comments (I've made it so that anyone can vote, even without signing in) so you get due credit for your prediction :D

nesting...and other pregnancy and life updates

I've been nesting lately.  This time around it is more in the form of "let's get rid of some STUFF" rather than "let's make sure everything is CLEAN."  Cleaning just seems so futile these days.  But if you purge some stuff, it's gone and it's not coming back the moment Levi wakes up :)  I can't help but think, too, that being 7-8 months pregnant over Christmas this year is a good thing!  As much as I don't love bundling up for the cold (huffing and puffing just from putting on my boots), the desire to keep clutter to a minimum has proven helpful in keeping the Christmas extras from taking over the house.  Out with the old, in with the new!

In other pregnancy "news"... ... ...this time around has been so different than when I was expecting Levi.  In the first trimester, I started showing earlier this time.  I was WAY more tired this time (likely thanks to not being on bed rest and not being able to have a nap whenever I felt like it).  Morning sickness was less this time, not that it was bad last time either.  In the second trimester this time, I barely felt pregnant.  I didn't notice my growing belly unless I looked in the mirror.  I was perfectly comfortable.  I got some energy back and didn't feel sick in the slightest.  Last time I think I felt decent too, but with a threatened miscarriage, I was taking every precaution and noticing every little feeling that was different from the norm, wondering if it was normal or something I should be worried about.  The third trimester in this pregnancy has been harder than the last.  I have been much more sore (again, probably thanks to not having been on bed rest and not taking it as easy as last time with a 2 year old to chase around).  I think walking on ice also doesn't help as one little slip on the ice has muscles stretched that I didn't even know I had!  I've also been feeling more of the "normal" pregnancy symptoms like heartburn and low blood pressure that I didn't really have to deal with much last time.  Third trimester is definitely my least favourite but I really can't complain.  I hear about people who are sick the full 9 months (or longer) and am just glad that I made it through the first 28-30 weeks in relative comfort!  I also can't complain because I know how much I begged and prayed for children and how much some of my friends are hurting to hold children of their own in their arms and I remember that this is really a small price to pay for the miracle that is motherhood.  It is not something to be taken lightly...each and every child that enters a family is a miracle, no matter how they got there.

Of course, I should probably throw in a little Levi-update!  Levi is growing up SO much!  He knows most of his letters.  He can count almost to 10 (1-2-3-7-8-9), usually in the right order.  We've been diaper-free for 5.5 months now, both daytime and nights (just HAVE to brag about that one!). He is talking more all the time.  He loves to use phrases that he hears Nathan and I using:
- "of course"
- "much better"
- "stay puppy! good dog."
- "no puppy!  bad dog. stay!"
- "oh no!  big mess!"
- "alright."
He has started singing in the last couple weeks which is so cute!  Before he would sing E-I-E-I-O, but now he is starting to sing songs on his own like Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, The Clean Up Song (clean up, clean up, everybody, everywhere), Wonder Pets theme song, etc.  He also loves when we sing songs with/to him...they can even replace a bedtime story for him if it's a late night because he loves it so much.  Speaking of stories, he has discovered the fun of made-up stories.  He often asks for "car story" at bedtime, which means that I am supposed to make up and tell him a story about a car.  Sometimes I get him to tell me a story too.  I tell most of the story, asking him to fill in details like colours and activities.  It can get quite interesting to see his little imagination at work!  Levi loves all things animals, especially if they're living and breathing and happen to be puppies (or kitties).  Lennox is finally starting to tolerate Levi's affection...after 2 years of Levi chasing him, it is about time he just accepted that the boy isn't leaving.

Nathan is still enjoying his work after almost 1.5 years at the church.  We really appreciate the way this church gives the pastors time with their families and also time for self-care.  Not all churches do that, often leaning more to the side of overworking their pastors (usually unintentional, I'm sure).  To be at a church where we feel appreciated and cared for is certainly a blessing and answer to prayer!

Not much else is happening.  We're right in the middle of Christmas celebrations, having just spent a couple days with Nathan's family and looking forward to time with my family.  And soon it will be the new year!  The year that we welcome another little person into our family.  It feels so surreal.  How did this happen so easily this time after so many years of waiting and praying last time?  I can't even describe how many times during this pregnancy I actually had to check the mirror to make sure that I wasn't dreaming it all.  But that's a side note.  Hope you all have a good start to the new year!

Picture Post

Levi's "cheese" smile.  Except he doesn't says cheese...it's just the smile we get when we ask him to smile.

"Levi, do you want a picture with Lennox?" "YEAH!" (Lennox will never sit any closer than this to Levi so I had to get creative with camera angle)

Levi was a little leery of my camera angle choice, not sure how I would get both him and Lennox in a picture at once.

There, both boys looking at the camera.  We'll save smiles for next time...

Levi LOVES to play guitar with Daddy.  And I don't think Daddy minds sharing...!

More "cheese."

Levi gets this facial expression from his Daddy.  I laugh every time I see it.  It's their "I know I'm being silly but I'm going to pretend that I'm serious and not smiling" face.

And last but not least, here's a picture of how the latest "project" is coming along.  I started this pregnancy being about 6-8 weeks ahead of last pregnancy in terms of how big I was.  I'm happy to report that growth seems to have slowed and I'm within 2-5 weeks of where I was last time with size.  And I'm weighing less than I did last time at this point!  Crazy, no?  I think it must be thanks to all the toddler activity that keeps me busy day and night cause I sure know it's not thanks to me resisting my sugar cravings...  Sleep is getting a bit more difficult these days (bring on the PILLOWS!) but mostly I'm still really comfortable and enjoying this pregnancy.  What an incredible blessing this little one is.  It's absolutely unbelievable to be expecting #2 when 3 years ago we were past the 3 year mark of infertility and wondering if we would ever even have one...THANK YOU, JESUS!  May I never forget the blessing that these little ones are!

And the winner is...

"The Hatch's"!  Congratulations, M!  Just shoot me a message with the address I should mail the DVD to and I'll get it out to you in no time!  Oh, and it also looks like we had a similar taste in kid's shows/movies...that, or we just grew up in the same decade...

Today has been a productive yet relaxing day around here.  Levi has started waking pre-7am again (I thought we broke that habit!  shoooot...) so it was an early morning in our house.  But, by the time Levi woke up from his morning nap at 11, I had already fed him breakfast, played, put him down for a nap, swept and washed the floor, done two loads of laundry and folded some more, cleaned the entire bathroom, and showered/got myself ready for the day!  I love to do things that keep our house looking clean and tidy and put together so it's really been a fabulously relaxing day, despite high productivity.  Ok, I should clarify that statement: I love to do things that keep our house looking clean and tidy and put together when I'm in the mood for it so it's really been a fabulously relaxing day.  There, that's better, and far more honest! 

When Levi woke up from his morning nap, we went for a short walk to the post office.  We managed to catch some sun while we were out...timed that one perfectly!  And of course we took Lennox with us.  Now that I take the stroller, Lennox is a much happier dog.  All winter I just carried Levi in the moby and there was no way that I was going to risk walking on ice with a dog strapped to my wrist and a baby strapped to my chest.  No thank you.  He got fairly depressed, I think.  Lennox, not Levi.  He would see me head out the door and yet I would fail to take him with me every.single.time.  Poor guy.  Lucky for him, it is stroller season once again and he is allowed to walk with me.  I did make the mistake of attaching his leash to the stroller a few times, but after a near death experience slight scare with a stray dog, I've learned my lesson and he now walks alongside with his leash firmly in my HAND.

Right now the little man is napping.  Nathan is sitting next to me sighing and reading and wishing he was done his last textbook of his last class of his, as of yet, incomplete master's degree.  Lennox is sleeping blissfully on the floor in front of me, enjoying the fact that his nemesis is tucked peacefully and safely in his crib for a nap and is therefore unable to chase him down nor grab a handful of his fur.  And I?  I am sitting on the floor with a numbbum (you have to say it as one word) from having just proof-read the last paper for the last class of Nathan's, as of yet, incomplete master's degree.  I have a bit more laundry to fold and supper to make, but other than that, my work is done.  It is 2pm and I look forward to an afternoon of playing with blocks and chasing a scooter. (please picture me running down the street after an electric scooter because that is definitely what I mean)

Hope you're all having a wonderful day!  Congratulations again, M!  Let me know where I can send your prize!

All tuckered out...

Levi and I went for a couple mile walk this morning.  He didn't last very long awake.  : )  Isn't he just the sweetest??

Our trip to California has been good.  I think it's safe to say that we're all tired and looking forward to being home in our own beds again, but it has been fun to see old friends again and live in the Court for a few days.

Nathan has been fairly busy with homework the whole time we've been down here.  Most of that homework has been making sure his thesis is good to go.  That is all behind him, though, because this afternoon he defended his thesis and did an excellent job.  I think having the thesis completed is a huge relief for him, though he does seem a bit tired from all the work he's been putting into it.  Tomorrow the order of the day will having it printed and ready for binding.  Tomorrow evening is a graduation gala for the graduating seminary students.  Then Saturday is the big graduation day!  Despite graduating now, though, Nathan is not quite finished his Masters degree.  He has one more directed study to finish and a trip to LA in June/July.  And then he's finished!  I can't wait. : )

Levi has been enjoying seeing many new things.  At least I think he's been enjoying it.  (How can you tell?)  I think he could do without the extremely warm weather...he's red and sweaty the majority of the day.  We try to keep him cool.  But mostly there's just no escape.  He hasn't been sleeping very well since we arrived...I think it must be a combination of the heat and so many new people/places.  Talk about overstimulation!  Yikes.  I'm really hoping that he falls back into his wonderful sleep habits once we arrive home, but I guess only time will tell.  I sure hope, for all our sakes, that his crying for 30-45 minutes before bed doesn't last too long...

I am doing well.  I am fairly tired thanks to Levi's sleep (non-sleep?) and the heat (+36C today).  But it has been really nice to see friends here again and to be able to spend so much time outside just relaxing.  The sun has been wonderful.  And it's been fun to celebrate with our friends as they finish their last assignments of the semester.


We've only got two more days before returning to the rain and cool temperatures in Saskatchewan.  I never thought I'd say this, but I'm actually looking forward to leaving the heat behind.  This heat-starved prairie girl is mellowing out...

Play time!

I get to spend my days doing this...

 

Building tents with my little man!

Nathan, on the other hand, spends his days like this:

I'm sure glad he's the one who chose to go back to school!  Otherwise I might feel a little bad about all the fun I'm having...

Picture Post!

I finally uploaded pictures from our camera, so I thought now would be as good a time as any to share some of what we've been up to this past...month and a half.  These were all the "events" that were on my camera.  I just haven't been motivated to take pictures lately.  I hope that changes once McBaby gets here!  I'd hate to miss out on those first few days of prime newborn picture-taking just because I "don't feel like it!"  Anyway, without further ado...pictures!

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When we first arrived back in Canada, Lennox had a close call with a skunk.  Gross.  He spent a couple days outside and got a scrub with a peroxide/baking soda mixture as well as with tomato juice.

The peroxide mixture is supposed to actually get rid of the smell, while the tomato juice apparently just masks it.  It did help alot, but he still smelled like skunk when he got wet until just recently.  Or maybe he still does...I try to avoid wet dog as much as possible these days.  My nose just seems to be extra-sensitive to doggy smells right now...  The white eyebrows in the picture looked so funny!  We put petroleum jelly on him so that he wouldn't get the peroxide in his eyes.  I don't think his eyes burned, but he sure didn't enjoy the cold water from the hose.  He looked at me with such sad, pain-filled eyes and whimpered like I'd never heard before...poor guy.

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The next pictures are from just yesterday.  Nathan and Josh were playing XBOX 360 yesterday morning when one of them (probably that wonderful husband of mine) had the idea to hook up another XBOX to another tv so that they could each play online and be on a team.  Now, our tv was just sitting in the basement, unused, and each of the brothers has their own XBOX, so they shifted around some furniture, hooked up some extra equipment and nerded it up BIG TIME!

Seriously, that was some nerd-fest that was going on down there in the family room.  They each had their headsets on, each had their own tvs and game systems, and they played ALL day.  In fact, they're playing again right now.  I just heard Josh rejoicing quite loudly in what must have been some sort of victory.  Now they're talking through their strategy for what to do next.  Funny guys.  I've been left to entertain myself the last couple days so I've been baking and sewing, which leads me to my next pictures...

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These are the pillows that I've been working on for the past two days!

We had four throw pillows in our old house that were in need of rejuvenation.  They were a bit faded and dirty and, while I could have just thrown them in the washing machine and at least had clean pillows, I felt that they needed a bit more.  Besides, it was something small that I could do already to work toward making our new place our own.
 

Three of the pillows are the grey plaid fabric above.  It was a bit frustrating to work with because the fabric wasn't square.  I would cut straight along the lines of the plaid and hold the fabric up and it would have an obvious slant to it.  I don't really understand, because surely the lines of the print would be straight, but in fact it was the fabric itself that was stretched or just poorly made.  Anyhow, I managed to get all the plaid lined up squarely on the pillows and even matched the pattern on the front and back of the pillows.  If you'd seen the crookedness of the fabric I was working with, you would be impressed.  I certainly am!  I'm just hoping that the next time I buy plaid fabric I won't have to deal with that!

This is the yellow fabric that I used the other two pillows.  When I found the grey plaid, we both liked it, but Nathan felt that it was a bit boring to just use grey.  He's usually the one in this relationship who loves to spice up our decor with some bright colors.  I usually appreciate his opinions, but gently gear them toward classier designs that aren't too tacky (as bright colors can be if done wrong!).  For instance: Nathan wanted something more "fun" than the grey so we picked out this yellow with a swirly white design to go with the plaid.  It's a pop of color, it matches the yellow thread in the grey plaid fabric, AND it isn't over the top.  It's a nice fabric that I can live with so in this case I'm glad that Nathan suggested something bright.  It worked out perfectly and I love our new cushions!

I also tried piping for the first time with this project.  I learned a few things throughout the process of sewing on piping...let's just say the second pillow is better than the first.  And if I were to make a third pillow at some point, I'm sure it would be better than both the first two combined!  I think the piping adds a nice, finished edge and I won't hesitate to try it again.  It does take practice, but I definitely suggest going for it if you ever find yourself thinking about it.  I'm no sewing pro and I did it.  It's always worth a try!

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I also mentioned that I have done some baking in the last couple days.  I baked burger buns yesterday for our Canada Day bbq and also made the following recipe of cookies.  They are SO good.  I suggest only doing a half batch, as the full batch made me 4 dozen good-sized cookies.  And while freezing cookie dough for baking later often works, I don't know that it would work in this case with the corn flakes in there...

Buffalo Cookies

• 1 cup melted margarine
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 11/4 cup oatmeal
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 11/4 cup crunched cornflakes
• 2 cups flour
• 1 cup coconut
• 1 cup raisins
• 1 cup milk chocolate chips.

Instructions

1. Cream margarine with sugars, adding eggs.
2. Add vanilla, baking soda, baking powder and mix.
3. Add flour and mix.
4. Add the additional dry ingredients and mix well.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 12 minutes, till they are lightly colored.

The recipe is from this great site called Mennonite Girls Can Cook....you can find the recipe HERE.
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There...how's that for a long, hodge-podge of a post?  Hope you're all having a good Canada Day long weekend!  If any of you have any suggestions for what kinds of projects I should do next, I'm all ears!  I'm always on the lookout for new and interesting things to make.  Right now I've got a baby blanket for McBaby on the go and I'm re-doing an afghan that I made last summer because I just don't really like how it turned out.  But I'll be done those in a matter of days/hours, so seriously...anything interesting that you've been making/doing lately?  Let me know!

A wonderful few hours...

I just had the most wonderful time with my husband today.  We went to the city for a doctor's appointment (each one means a month closer to D-Day!) and took our time wandering through a fabric store - pictures to come on what I bought for my latest project - having a picnic lunch by the river while listening to jazz music and grocery shopping.  It was so much fun to just spend a few hours with Nathan without homework needing to be done.  (I was able to forget about it...were you, honey?)  It was perfectly sunny too, which made the day even more wonderful.

Now, of course, it's back to rain, homework, and routine.  But at least I have a new sewing project to look forward to!  Oh the joy of little things...

p.s-As I was sitting in the car while Nathan filled us up with gas today, I realized that I've been married to him for 20% of my life already!  That number really took me by surprise.  By the time I'm 38 I'll have been married to him for half my life!  I love that we got married so young.  It certainly isn't for everyone, but it has turned out to be the best thing for us. : )  I love you, Nathan!

Facebook Statuses, ABC style...

Because I feel like making a list and telling you all about life at the SAME time (efficient and impressive, I know), behold, 24 facebook statuses in alphabetical order:

Niki...
...aims for perfection...but usually settles for less. : )
...burrowed under blankets and enjoyed a day inside when she saw the weather today.  Oh wait, that's what she should have done...
...could just jump for joy every time she feels a kick...but only kicks from one certain McCorkindale.  No one else.
...dreads hours 3-31 of the upcoming road trip.
...enjoys Sherlock Holmes as I type...with chicken alfredo pizza (yum!).
...forgets words quite often these days and has to spend forever just sitting and thinking until she remembers them again.
...giggled when the dog farted.
...hints at certain things, like chores and gifts and other such things...it's so much less presumptuous than asking outright.  That is, if you're subtle about it...
...initially thought that Ikea could do no wrong...until they discontinued the exact piece of furniture that she'd been hoping for.
...jokes around daily with her husband...it's just so fun to laugh together.
...kan't think of anything to write for her "k" status because it annoys her when people write "c" words with a "k" just so they'll suit their purposes...
...loves that she'll be able to spell words like neighbour and favourite the RIGHT way again soon!
...modified her sandals today so that they won't hurt her feet anymore AND will accommodate the swelling that is sure to come later this summer.
...notices the little look that her husband gets on his face that gives away exactly what he's thinking!  (Oh, the power I have...it's almost like mind-reading...)
...opened a strange letter from Manitoba Hydro today...would have rather had a taste of home in a more personal, less confusing form.
...packed alot of the apartment with her husband today. *sigh*
...questions their ability to fit everything into the car on Friday.
...randomly sees cars that remind her of old friends, like bright blue Geo Metro convertibles and light blue, old Honda Civics.
...says that she won't miss the sirens...but she might.  Then again, the silence of Saskatchewan WILL be nice...
...turned a 650 square foot apartment into a home over the last 9 months...and now back into an apartment in just a few hours.
...understands that life is tough...but doesn't understand why.
...values each and every thing that her husband does for her.
...watches the sky get darker and and cloudier and more like rain every minute...
...x-rated movies are not my favourite.
...yells in her mind when she drives...but just occasionally.  Usually she just sighs at the misfortune of others not knowing how to drive properly.
...zebras have stripes, not spots. (didn't you know?)

The move is coming quickly.  We're into our last week here.  It is so unreal.  We only have three more full days here.  I did laundry for the last time here today.  We packed alot of our stuff today.  We only have enough food to last until Friday...but not enough to have a balanced diet until then!  That's just how it is right before a move, though.  Eat what you have and try to get rid of most things before you go.  I'm getting more and more excited every day to see our Lennox again and to see the drab prairie brown again and to sleep in my bed again and...to be home.  California has certainly become home over the last 9 months, but it's not like Saskatchewan.  Saskatchewan will always be home like nowhere else.  I guess that's what living there for almost 20 years of your life will do...it's where I grew up.  It's where I met the love of my life.  It's where I got married.  And it's where I'll (hopefully) give birth to our first child.  Manitoba really, really became home more than I ever expected it could be.  But Saskatchewan does hold a special place in my heart. *sniff, sniff* So cheesy, I know.  Deal with it.

Thanks for all your prayers for our upcoming trip.  Please continue to pray.  I've been feeling very well lately and don't anticipate any problems with the drive.  But it is also a long trip and there are many miles between major cities on the route up.  Please remember us in prayer this weekend as we travel.  Thanks!

I did this...

A couple days ago I really felt like doing a puzzle.  I had a sneaking suspicion that there was a puzzle hidden away on campus somewhere, so Nathan and I raided the storage room and sure enough, there it was.  Fifteen hundred pieces of fun!

I finished last night but was disappointed that there was one piece missing.  Not bad for the roving campus puzzle, I guess.

I did question Nathan about the missing piece quite a bit.  I happen to know that he likes to sneak a piece of the puzzle midway through so that he can have the honour of putting in the last piece.  (Whoops!  Did I just say that out loud???)  Alas, he did not have it, so I had to put the puzzle back in the box with only 1499 pieces completed.

Oh, and yes, that glare was on the puzzle almost the entire time I worked on it.  Near the end, I resorted to matching the pieces by shape instead of colour because that was all I could see!

Weekend...

Another weekend is coming and it's a big one around here.

Nathan has a Young Leaders Conference that he is a part of this weekend.  Actually, it starts tonight (Thursday) and goes until Saturday night.  It will be fun for him, because quite a few people from his (our) Bethany days will be here for that.  We are actually hosting two of our Bethany friends in our apartment (it'll be TIGHT!).  The days will be long for them: 8:30am - 9:00pm.  I'm just glad I don't have to worry about meals or anything.  Pretty much, I just have all that time to myself!

Well...not quite all that time will be free time for me.  On Saturday I have part 2 of my Counseling Couples course.  From 9am-5pm I will be sitting in class, learning how to try to get couples to communicate and deal with conflict.  I'm really quite excited for this class to be over.  It has turned out to be much more focused on the professional counseling side of it and less relevant for someone who may hope to do some lay counseling one day as, perhaps, a pastor's wife.  Seeing as the course is part of their counseling program here at the school, though, it really does make sense.

Once all of that is over and our house is back to just the two of us, I imagine we'll have a pretty quiet Sunday.  We'll probably watch some Nascar (Nathan will watch Nascar and I'll sleep!) and just hang out together.  That just never gets old...

Hope you all have a good weekend!  Sorry about the lack of blogging lately.  It just feels like there's not much to say right now.  Routine, routine, routine.  There's only so much I can talk about classes and homework.  But life always picks up sooner or later, or at least the blog inspiration does, so keep coming back!   

200th Post!

I can't believe I'm at 200 posts already!  Wow.  In the past I have done various lists using the number of significance on the given day...but I don't think I have 200 of anything that I can put into a list form, and I doubt that any of you would make it through reading a list of 200 anything.  So 20 it is.  (Like a tithe! - 10%)

1.  My parents arrive in one week and two days!  There will be here for a week before they continue on in their other adventures.

2.  I haven't been working on many projects lately.  Well, I should say I haven't been finishing many projects lately.  I have an afghan on the go as well as two baby quilts (that I mentioned earlier).  But the quilting on the latest one kinda shifted the backing fabric - I guess I was getting too cocky after such a good first quilt - so I'm in a bit of a slump, not wanting to mess up the next one.

3.  I miss our puppy.  We haven't seen Lennox for 6 months!  Poor guy probably doesn't even remember us!  Nah.  He remembers us.  But I still miss him!

4.  It is a rainy day today.  Apparently when it is foggy for a few days in a row, it means rain is coming and apparently that clears the fog for a day or two.  Interesting weather patterns here.  Personally I was enjoying our week of sun and warmth...

5.  Tomorrow I have a class from 9am-5pm.  I anticipate it feeling like a LONG day.  This particular class is split up into two weekend sessions.  After tomorrow, I have another full day of this class three weeks later.  Hopefully I really enjoy it, otherwise I'm really not going to be looking forward to March 13!  The class is Counseling Couples, though, so it sounds interesting!

6.  Nathan, as I type, is plugging away beside me on a book that he just wishes he was done already.  It is called "The Souls of Black People" and was written back in the 1800's or something crazy like that.  He's on page 200-something, so he's getting there...but he's not enjoying it!  Sucker...

7.  I bought Nathan a box of Raisin Bran this morning just because I love him.  He mentioned this morning as he poured his bowl of Corn Flakes (with tons of brown sugar!) that he was getting sick of them and really wished he could have some Raisin Bran again.  So while I was out running errands, I picked up a box.  And he was happy...at least I think he was. : )  Not a huge thing, but fun to walk in with them just a couple hours after he mentioned that he would like some.

8.  I got the cutest letter ever from one of our friends' kids the other day.  She had been at a birthday party and got a palm tree eraser in her goodie bag and wanted to send it to me because I'm living in California!  And the note was hand-written.  So special.  It is definitely hanging on our fridge with the eraser still attached (of course).

9.  Our house has not been as clean as I would like, lately.  (Obviously I'm running out of things for my list of 20.)  I usually go through phases of keeping it perfectly spotless (yeah right) and letting it slide.  This is one of those slide-times.  Haha.  It's still not bad.  The floor is vacuumed/swept/washed, there are no clothes on the bedroom floor...but the dishes haven't been done in a day and there are papers/books (homework) laying all over our coffee-table, there are shoes piling up at the front door (because we really have no entrance or shoe rack) and the cereal is just sitting out on the counter because I don't feel like organizing the cupboards so that it will fit (because there just isn't room, even if I do organize).  You know the feeling when you live in a place that just never looks "shiny clean" even when you clean all day?  It's hard to feel motivated to work hard when it's a rental and an OLD, rundown rental at that!  But that is no excuse, really.  I should spend a day tidying/cleaning/organizing.  *sigh*

10.  We have been watching Olympics here and there.  We've watched some moguls, snowboarding, and speed-skating.  Oh, and some ski jumping.  We really haven't watched that much, but some.  And we've even seen some of the Canadians, though only if they are doing really well, because let's face it, American coverage mostly just covers American athletes.  Logical...

11.  Nathan just finished his book!  He's keeping a count of how many books he's read in 2010.  He's at 15 now.  I'm so proud of him.  He works so hard. : )

12.  I've got nothing else.  You got 12.  I guess that can be one for every month since I moved over to this blog from ThoughtsFromSecondStreet.  It's been almost a year!  March 18 was officially the switch date, I think.  Wow, it feels like so much longer.  Feels like it's almost time to switch up the blog address again...but don't worry.  If I decide to do that, I'll give you much notice and walk you carefully through the transition so that nobody gets lost along the way.  hehe.

Happy 200th post everyone!

Tastes of Canada

Today was an exciting mail day for me!  I was sitting there quilting, minding my own business, when Nathan came in and told me that he was going to open up his prized bag of Ruffles All Dressed chips that he got for Christmas from his parents. (they don't have such chips in the States)

Here he is enjoying his chips:

I took that interruption as a good excuse to get up from my sewing machine and go get the mail.  As I walked to our box, I was preparing myself, as I do every day, for empty nothingness in our box.  But I got a WONDERFUL surprise!!!  It was not only a good mail day, it was a great mail day!

Let me show you:

I joined a book review club over Christmas week and requested my first book.  And it arrived today!  This seems like a great deal.  I request a book.  Once I get the book, I read it and post a 200 word review on my blog, on a review site of my choice, and on the original site (I think).  Once I've done that, I can request another book!  And the best part...it's FREE!  I'll always take free books...especially if all I have to do is write 200 words.  No problems here!

(I think I'll be posting the reviews over at another blog that I set up especially for books that I've been reading...you can find it HERE)

And the second exciting mail item:

That, my dear friends, is a CARAMILK BAR!!!  From Canada!  My amazing, sweet sister-in-law and brother-in-law sent it to us in our Christmas card!  I'd been craving a Caramilk bar, even going so far as to say that it was all I wanted for Christmas (alongside a baby, of course).

Well, back to my quilting I go!

BabyGate

Nathan here,
A while ago Niki let me do a guest appearance on her blog and I wrote about how I had won the biggest loser contest at work (and yes I’ve put it all back on thank you for asking). Now that all my school work is done though, I thought it would be fun to write a blog post for Niki. Especially since she needs to be reading Lohfink and not thinking about entertaining all of you with her incredible depth, humor and insights. Since it’s Christmas and babies are in the air I thought I would tell the world what I think about babygate as it shall hence forth be known. Babygate is that conspiracy of unknown forces that have not allowed us to naturally conceive a child in the last three or so years (unlike Niki I do not keep a count... at least not yet). I have to say that for the first... oh... three or so years I have been on the... what’s the word... not indifferent... but willing to let the baby stuff happen or not. I’ve been all for the sex part (If Niki can always be honest here so can I right?) and I have been supportive and willing to see it happen. But it hasn’t been a real priority for me. It’s not that I don’t want kids, it is just that I wasn’t ready. Let’s face it, becoming a parent means a drastic change in life. I know people with kids, and they just aren’t fun any more (Just Kidding Brad :D ). Well it’s more that parents have to be unselfish, they have to give and give and give, and in all honesty I wasn’t really ready to be unselfish (I’m working on it though). Well over the last few months... probably since getting to know our neighbors little girl K (see pictures) my heart has been rapidly changing. The other night I couldn’t sleep and I was like, “ok God time to get moving here!” My heart has been opened, and having a child is something that I too really want to happen, and soon. I’m starting to get impatient, and I’m really not sure how Niki has been dealing with the pain for so long.

As I mentioned before December is the baby month, the month when families are supposed to be together, and when all we talk about is Jesus as a baby. So with our family smaller than Niki and I think it should be, I had an interesting devotional thought. I am reading the MB seminaries Advent devotional (free here) and I was reading the entry for Dec 6, and this thought struck me. There is absolutely no reason for the Zechariah and Elizabeth story in the Bible.... well.... maybe it was to encourage Mary and open her eyes to see God was up to something, but she had just seen an angel so I would think that would have been heads up enough to know that God was doing something crazy. Seriously, why the story about a barren woman conceiving a child? As far as I can see it doesn’t make any difference to God’s greater plan whether or not John’s mother was barren or not. This part of the story is completely unnecessary to the greater story. I can just see Luke’s editor looking at it and saying, “Look Luke, this has gotta go, it’s just fluff, let’s just keep the story going.” Since the beginning of time God has used thousands of men and women who’s mothers bore them with no problem. So why the story of John? Why in a story about Jesus, does Luke toss in a fact about this woman and her supernatural conception? For me, my hope is that God takes pleasure in causing women to be surprised. My hope is that God likes to take pleasure in unnecessary pregnancies. I can see no reason that God chose Liz instead of any number of other women with a healthy uterus to bring Jesus’ herald into the world, but God chose to do a miracle. And so this Christmas season, I am hoping that God will do one in our lives, and that babygate will become a conspiracy of how God surprised us with a healthy beautiful herald of God’s goodness.