Day 19: myself, a year ago

(can you believe how small this tiny is?)

wow.
a year ago seems like a crazy amount of time ago!
i probably either just found out, or was about to find out i was pregnant with Megan!
i had a fresh new one year old on my hands and I had been back to work for a couple of weeks.
what a difference a year makes!
now i have a 2 year old, an almost 4 month old and i have been on mat leave for 5 months
(seems weird considering i was just back at work at this time!)

we had just moved into the Dearing's basement
were getting used to life without Olivia and life with 5 other people ;)

Isla had just started walking more than crawling!

whenever i watch videos of Isla from a year ago, i'm almost uncertain as to whether it's the same girl or not!

Day 16: someone who inspires me

last year i posted about Isla inspiring me to be a better mama.

well this year is similar theme, but the person who inspires me to be a better mama, wife and friend is my friend Sarah.

Sarah has 4 children... 4 very young children.
She has a very happy home, her kids love each other, they are obedient (and they are cu-ute!).

She loves Jesus, loves her husband and loves her kids.
She cares about others and is a blessing when she shares or speaks.

She keeps things real, but is always looking for the better.


When I had Isla, I found it surprisingly easy, like I had found my calling.

I never expected anything different with two.

Two was very different than one. To be honest...having Megan threw me for a bit of a loop.

I found myself becoming a mama that I wasn't so proud of.

I was yelling a lot, I was disorganized and felt overwhelmed and was very easily angered.

I decided to spend a morning with Sarah, just to pick her brain about how she makes her little brood work.

Sarah offered a listening ear, she offered some advice, some books to read, and what she has found to work.

I went out of there feeling loved and filled with confidence and peace.

Sarah makes you feel so welcome and like you are worth listening too.

one thing stuck out to me like crazy, something that I have been thinking about since that morning: Sarah's cell phone buzzed at one point shortly after I got there, she then picked it up without looking at it, turned it off(!) and did not look at it again the whole time I was there.

I think that right now, in our culture we are pretty used to cell phone's and we don't really take not when we or someone else answers a text or phone call right in the middle of a conversation, but let me tell you, it is significant when someone does NOT answer it. It made me feel like I was the most important person and that whatever I needed to say or receive in that moment was her primary focus.

She does that with her kids too. She loves each one as they are and considers the heart connection with them as one of the most important parts of being their mother.

I want to be like that.

sarah blogs over at Snailskin
she blogs about Jesus, family and real life.

Day 14: style inspiration for the season

I loved last year's smallish style so much :)
I've been working on a few new ones, so without further ado,
here's another edition of "i wish they made that in my size"

smallish style fall

Dress: Striped Dress, H&M, $17.95
Bag: BDG Buckle Tote, Urban Outfitters, $58.00
Scarf: Men's Plaid Flannel Scarf, Old Navy, $18.94
Boots: Distressed Riding Boots, Forever21, $47.80
Socks: SmartWool Women's PhD Snowboard Medium Knee High, SocksAddict, $16.77

original smallish image pulled off of Pinterest

but is from the Australian clothing company:

Country Road

Day 13: something i'm proud of

this time last year, Thom and I made the decision to move into our friends' basement.

we made this decision to be able to pay off our line of credit and save for a down payment on a house.
i was just back at work (and pregnant!), Thom was at Stats Canada and Isla was just starting daycare.

it was a bit of a crazy time, we are so thankful to our friends for inviting us into their home and sharing their space with us (two families and one kitchen!!)

in the span of 8 months we were able to pay $8000 off of our line of credit and save for a down payment on our house (which we purchased in May and moved into in July).

it was a miracle in our lives

our house officially ours!

a few months prior to that i had been looking at our situation and our finances and seeing that it did not add up to us having a house anytime in the near future (or even not so near future!).

it was through the love and kindness of our friends, our diligence and budgeting, and most importantly the grace and favour of God in our lives.

and i am proud of that.

Day 12: the last item i purchased

the last item i purchased was gas to put in my mom's car... 

but that's boring, so...

the last item i purchased was more of a little shopping spree.

while i am in Hamilton i always visit Once Upon a Child.

it's an amazing consignment store, 

nothing else i have been in has ever come close to comparing to it! 

the prices are amazing!

on this trip i bought:

cords for Isla

striped sweater for Isla

polka-dotted sweater for Isla

2 Sesame Street dvds

an activity mat/gym for Megan

a toy Winnie the Pooh colours/shapes/numbers phone

all for about 40 dollars!

pretty happy about all of that :)

and my mom found a cute little house and mouse family to keep at her house and it kept Isla entertained for hours!

Day 11: three years ago today

it seems fitting to be remembering on this; Remembrance Day.

 

my Poppa was on the HMCS Gananoque.

Albert Van Impe

we had a visit with him and my Gramma today.

it's nice to be able to spend time with them.

They have 8 children, 17 grand-children and 8 great-grand-children.

I am very very thankful for all that my Poppa did for us, in the war and in his family to give us the family and life that we have to enjoy.

 

as for me, i'm not sure exactly what was going on 3 years ago today, i know that i was close to quitting my job at the hospital, that we were still in the 6 month waiting period after my molar pregnancy, and i was in School of the Word Canada.

 

i like that you can look back on facebook and find out what was going on, it definitely helps when i think that Megan should be sleeping through the night, but then see that Isla was not at the same age.

on November 11, 2009 i found this:

 

Oh, thanks Kate!!! It's my great honor to be a friend of yours.

Thanks for your voice that encourages me a lot. Thanks for everything! Praise the Lord.

it is from my friend Gwanggil.

he's nice.

 

i'm not really sure what it was in regards to, but it sure was a nice thing to read!

 

Day 10: a favourite recipe

i grew up with my mom making amazing chocolate chip cookies.

they were amazing, so tender, so moist, so chocolatey.

my mom's cookie recipe was the best of all the mom's, no one every matched her homemade recipe.
nobody.

here it is:
 

• 3/4 cup  Shortening
• 1 1/4 cups firmly packed light brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 large egg
• 1 3/4 cups All Purpose Flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

• heat oven to 375ºF
• combine shortening, brown sugar, milk and vanilla in large bowl. Beat at medium speed of electric mixer until well blended. Beat in egg. Combine flour, salt and baking soda. Mix into shortening mixture until just blended. Stir in chocolate chips.
• drop by rounded measuring tablespoonfuls 3 inches apart onto ungreased baking sheet.
• bake 8 to 10 minutes for chewy cookies, or 11 to 13 minutes for crisp cookies. Cool 2 minutes on baking sheet on a cooling rack. Remove cookies to rack to cool completely.

seriously, you have never tasted a cookie recipe like these.

when i was in second year university i called my mom to get this recipe. she started reading it to me over the phone.
halfway through she paused and said, "you know, you can just get this on the back of the Crisco box"

so you've never tasted cookies like these unless you followed the recipe on the back of the Crisco box, and my childhood was a lie.



a big fat cookie lie.

the one thing i change about this recipe is that i make the cookies tiny. they are like little chips, which is great but problematic as you can eat about 14 in one sitting.

you can find the recipe here.

Day 9: a close up of my day

basically this is my day right now :)

 



Day 8: three inspirational quotes

 

 

The unfailing love of the LORD never ends!

By his mercies we have been kept from complete destruction.

Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each day.

I say to myself, "the LORD is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in him!"

The Lord is wonderfully good to those who wait for him and seek him. 

Lamentations 3:22-25 New Living Translation

 

Listen earnestly to anything your children want to tell you, no matter what.

If you don't listen eagerly to the little stuff when they are little, they won't tell you the big stuff when they are big, because to them all of it has always been big stuff.

 Catherine M. Wallace

 

 

i've been working through quite a few things since becoming a mother of two and a mother of a toddler.  love and discipline and grace and consequences. on living in the moment and planning for the future. schedules and free for alls.  it's been a big learning curve, figuring out this new stage; one that has it's difficulties but truly does have more joys that outweigh the difficult moments.

i've been speaking with friends and reading books and praying.

these quotes and verses have stuck out to me.

 

that verse from Lamentations is actually one i shared a preach on Mother's Day two years ago when miss Isla was first born.

 

image source.

 

 

 



Day 7: a song for the day

well, my current playlist involves a lot of Kindermusik, Raffi and Sesame Street.

having a two year old kind of dictates what kind of music we listen to.

the nice thing is she also likes Snow Patrol, Karen O. and the Kids (from the "Where the Wild Things Are" soundtrack), Mumford and Sons, and Metric.

so that helps :)

we've been doing a bit of driving these past few days -- we drove to Hamilton, and then today we drove an hour each way to a butterfly conservatory which was actually an amazing place for a toddler!

anyhoo, in the car we've been listening to a Raffi cd that Isaac got Isla for her birthday as well as her Kindermusik cds.

I think that the song that seems to however stick out the most is "Down in the Valley"
Thom used to sing it (and still does when we visit) to his younger brother Matthew who has Down's Syndrome, and now he sings it almost every night to Isla while tucking her in.

I so love to hear it over the baby monitor when I'm in another room with Megan.

But this week we are away, so I've been singing it.

It's a lovely way to end the day. 

Down in the valley, valley so low
Hang your head over, hear the wind blow
Hear the wind blow dear, hear the wind blow
Hang your head over, hear the wind blow

Write me a letter, send it by mail
Send it in care of Birmingham Jail
Birmingham Jail dear, Birmingham Jail
Send it in care of Birmingham Jail

Build me a castle, forty feet high
So I can see you, as you ride by
As you ride by dear, as you ride by
So I can see you, as you ride by

Down in the valley, valley so low
Hang your head over, hear the wind blow

(lyrics slightly changed from the traditional American folk song)

Day 6: a book I'm reading

I'm currently reading

Heaven at Home: Establishing and Enjoying a Peaceful Home by Ginger Plowman.
 

 

 I got it from the library on kind of a whim, I was looking for a book on parenting and godly-parenting.

 

this one came up.

it's been amazing.

it reminds me a bit of babywise with some other relationship and organizational ideas thrown in.

it's about letting your kids be who they are in Christ and allowing yourself to be who you are in Christ as well.

 

there is always room for improvement and grace and growth.

 

i actually think i may reread it right away, as it has had a lot in such a small book and i want to make sure that i am getting all that i can out of it.

 

she also points to scripture for the basis of all her points.

 

it's possibly a life-changer, this one. 

 

 

30 days hath November

I've figured out a way to jump back into blogging lickety split!

30 days hath November!!

I took part last year, and I truly enjoyed it!

So, I am a day late, but I will start off with day one.

this is the line-up for this month:

Day 01: A place I'd like to travel.
Day 02: A favourite movie.
Day 03: Something I never leave the house without.
Day 04: A friend I adore.
Day 05: My hometown.
Day 06: A book I'm reading.
Day 07: A song for the day.
Day 08: Three inspirational quotes.
Day 09: A close-up of my day.
Day 10: A favourite recipe.
Day 11: Three years ago today.
Day 12: The last item I purchased.
Day 13: Something I'm proud of.
Day 14: Style inspiration for the season.
Day 15: Three blogs I always read.
Day 16: Someone who inspires me.
Day 17: My family.
Day 18: What I wore today.
Day 19: Myself, one year ago.
Day 20: Something that means a lot to me.
Day 21: A self-portrait.
Day 22: What I love about my job.
Day 23: Eight things you didn't know about me.
Day 24: Something that makes me smile.
Day 25: The contents of my purse.
Day 26: Something I'm looking forward to.
Day 27: A silly self-portrait.
Day 28: A skill I'd like to learn.
Day 29: Something I could never tire of.
Day 30: Three wonderful things that happened this month.

some are the same as last year, and Desiree has switched some up.

super duper looking forward to this :)




yaaay!

Day 30: three wonderful things that happened this month

#1

Isla girl turned 1!
one whole year has gone by since that we girl came into our lives.
this was a momentous occasion!

don't judge me because my daughter is eating a giant cupcake.

#2

i went back to work and it's been pretty great actually.

Isla transitioned amazingly, i transitioned mostly amazingly
-with a little tiredness thrown in, and of course, missing out on chilling with Isla all day.

#3

i discovered that i can indeed keep blogging while being back at work full time!

if i can keep up doing a blog post every day (i wasn't even late once!),

i can certainly go back to doing a few posts a week :)

Day 29: some place i'd like to visit

the place i'd like to visit is not a city or country (though you can find it in a big city)

the place that i'd like to visit is Purl Soho.

I have been a reader of the Purl Bee for a long time, but somehow i failed to realize that they had an actual store until they moved from their 2 locations (fabric and wool) into their new big location.  

i love going into fabricland and the various quilt stores we have in Ottawa, but Purl Soho seems absolutely swoon-worthy!

Purl Soho is located in the Big Apple.

Which just so happens to be where Blogher'12 is happening next summer.

funny enough, today when i checked Desiree's blog, 

the Fawn behind this whole 30 days hath November,

she has New York as her place that she would like to go.

she plans on heading to New York in the summer for Blogher :)

i would love to head to Blogher myself, but i think we may have a few things going on next summer.

what looks amazing about Purl Soho to me:
all the colours, and all the textures, just all that plain old happiness.
sigh.

Day 28: a skill i'd like to learn

i've been seeing a lot of this around the blog world lately:

source

source

source

source

i did some screen printing in high school, but that does seem like a long time ago!

it seemed like it would be impossible to have all the necessities to actually do this again;

we had a big machine that put the vellum on the screen and lots of space and ink and the necessary tools.

the 're-love affair' with printing started with this lady holding a fabric swap.
here are some of her prints:

i discovered that a lot of them have been done by stamping ink on fabric.

i have (incidentally) also done some stamp carving (also in high school)

and i think that i could do that again and make some of my own prints for things.

fun, no?

ps. miss Leslie Keating is a Canadian gal living in Australia 

(i'm starting to think that maybe i am drawn to Canadian bloggers 

the same way that i am drawn mysteriously to Canadian authors)

Day 27: myself, one year ago

here i am a year ago.

a very unedited photo, you know, so you can see real life

note on the armrest of the couch:

phone for updating family, nipple cream, pen and journal for recording feeding and pees and poops, remote for watching many seasons of How I Met Your Mother, and the Itzbeen.

we also still had sir Charles *sniff*

i still miss him.

miss Isla was only 25 days old.

wow.

Day 26: something i'm looking forward to

no surprise here!

i'm totally looking forward to Christmas.

i love Christmas

i love:

lights
music
decorations

carols
trees

gingerbread
paper snowflakes

candy canes

hot chocolate

egg nog

presents (giving and a little receiving)

some snow

family
friends
and i especially love that it is the time of year that i get to hear music about Jesus everywhere i go :)

does anybody else love Christmas as much as i do?
is anyone else sad that in 30 days it will be boxing day?




(click on the images for sources)

Day 25: the contents of my purse

Day 24: something that means a lot to me

my lovely momma gave me this snow globe about 3 years ago.

it means a lot to me partly because i love how simply and beautifully it depicts the manger scene

and partly because this is a special gift from her to me.

my mom doesn't have entirely the same beliefs as i do,

she was raised Catholic but is fairly non-practicing,

but ever since i became a Christian she has truly been there for me.

God has used her to bless me and protect me and guide me.*

i love my little Joseph, Mary and Jesus snow globe,

and it always makes me so happy to put it out for Christmas.

thanks mom!

*a good example of this is when i first moved to Ottawa for school,

about 2 months in i became very homesick and was thinking it was a bad idea to be here,

upon telling this to my mom, she promptly replied: "you need to find some Christian friends on campus, go find that Christian group" (she meant intervarsity)

so off i went and met my now long-time friend Noah,

who was in his fourth year of nursing school (i was in first year)

and he brought me to my first meeting with the Church body that i still call my family :)

my mom is lovely. 

-she is also something that means a lot to me ;)-

Day 23: eight things you didn't know about me

i found this to  be a fairly random list since i am usually pretty open and honest.

i don't have a lot of secrets.

but, without further ado, here is the list:

1. i have a blood clotting disorder called Factor V Leiden.  basically it means that my blood can forget to stop clotting once it has started.  so after having Isla, i had to give myself injections of Fragmin in my stomach. not fun.
2. i secretly love 'Keeping up with the Kardashians'.  this is a terrible indulgence of mine.  i used to love 'The Hills' when it was still on tv.  i must have a need to have a really over the top, ridiculous reality show in my life at all times.
3. while i was pregnant i didn't have a lot of cravings, but i did weirdly crave pop music.  i rarely listen to the radio in the car, but while i was prego i pretty much was hitting the scan button just hoping to hear some Ke$ha, or Britney or Lady Gaga (and may i point out that i never listened to these ladies before!)
4. i pierced my own nose. twice.  yup, one summer at camp i decided i wanted a pierced nose and i found a cork and a needle and away i went.  then i took it out and apparently the next summer wanted one again, so another needle into the nose it was.
5. in grade 12 i shaved my head.  it was something i always wanted to do. my youth pastor Rob did it. i loved it so much and kept it shorn for about 8 months, but my mom said that she would not pay for my Grad dress if i kept it shaved. (seems weird that a girl with a shaved head would care, but oh how i loved my grad dress!!)
6. i do not have a strong desire to travel the world. it always seems to me that most people want to travel all over the place, but i have always felt like i would like to see a bit more of Canada or the some parts of the UK, but other than that... meh.  even in high school i didn't have the travel Europe bug or anything.
7. i used to be a journaling fiend.  I have milk crates filled with journals from grade 11 to about 3rd year university. i'm not sure how or when i stopped journaling regularly, but for some reason it seemed to slow down. i still have a journal that i take notes in on Sunday morning, or write some prayers or scriptures in, but not my day to day business.
8. i have a guitar that i don't really know how to play. i got it for Christmas in grade 10 and i never had any lessons. i taught myself a few songs, but never really stuck with it. but it still goes with me every time i move!