an intervention.

Wow. My book list this year is lacking. Big time.

It's so short and there are a few reads on that list that I did not even enjoy all that much.

It would seem that I can get sucked so easily into little games on my ipad. We downloaded a game for Isla, an Inside Out emotions game where you shoot emotion balls.... why do I even feel the need to explain this?

It didn't teach anything about emotions, except how internally upsetting it was to get stuck on a level for days at a time. To be honest the last level I was on, I was stuck on for 3 weeks. 3 weeks! On a silly children's game.

Remember how it was for Isla? Apparently it was for me.

And then I read this on Lil Blue Boo. And it was too real and too close to home and now I am done.

I also remembered a sermon from a few months back about doing things that are truly soul filling and soul restful.

And truly, tv and ipad games aren't cutting it.

So I am now trying to fill my evenings with reading, gardening and crafting-- I'm working on a few little projects in that area.

Even these past few nights have proven more filling (and restful!) than any straight tv night over the past few months.

I get it, I feel tired, I'm a full-time mom and wife with a full-time job and trying to keep up with friends and family part-time, it can seem like a lot. TV does seem like a relaxing mind numbing way to end my day,

But it hasn't been giving me the rest I've been craving.

And frankly, I don't really want my mind to be numb.

National Running Day!

(let's pretend we celebrate this nationally here in Canada too, shall we?)

i recently watched this little gem:

i've been reflecting on my running journey since i started last July.

less than 9 months ago, i couldn't run back to my car in a parking lot without losing my breath.
fast forward to a week and a half ago:
i just finished my first 10k!

i signed up in the fall to do the Ottawa Race Weekend 10k.
i trained in the fall, (and then took a little break due to the ridiculousness that was the Ottawa winter),
and then picked up my training in April.

i am so proud of what i have accomplished.

my sister caught this picture of me in the sea of 12,000(!) runners.

{can you spot me?}

i was able to finish in 1:05:41.

a personal best!

then, this past weekend, i did a mud hero with 9 other co-workers.

so so so so fun!

the mud hero was definitely the more fun of the two (to be expected i suppose),
but the sense of accomplishment i felt when i crossed the finish line of that 10k?

amazing.

i have become addicted:
.to running.
.to the running community in ottawa.
.to racing.

it's wonderful and exciting and inspiring.

i am a runner and an athlete.



and i am a proud big sister!!
my sister ran the marathon the day after me.
some words to describe what it looked like to see those marathoners come around the 38km mark:

crazy . alarming . emotional . disturbing . inspiring . motivational . frightening

{here she is pre-race}

{i have medal envy!}

Thankful Thursday

i am thankful.

thankful for the people i work with.

thankful for new Church in the 'Hood beginnings.

thankful for a day that google helped troubleshoot small person sleep troubles (instead of those days that all the most unhelpful info is at the top of the search results!)

thankful for vaccines that keep people healthy. 

thankful for the OSC seed catalogue coming in the mail!

thankful for downloading library books onto my Kobo.

thankful for small people cuddles and smiles and love.

thankful for life.

Thankful Thursday

ahem.

excuse my little absence. no real reasons. just life ;)

thankful this day for family, a lovely Christmas, a new year and good friends.

thankful for this past year:

-old friends with renewed friendships (or first "real" friendships)
-watching Meggie and Isla become closer and enjoy their sisterhood and friendship
-growing closer to Thom, seeing our friendship and love get stronger and tackle more
-my wonderful job and co-workers
-new friendship with a "destined-to-be-friends" friend
-becoming a runner
-losing 30 lbs (say what!?!)


life is grand!

a little secret

 i've been keeping a little secret around here... it feels big to me.  very big.
(it's not a baby)

i have recently taken up running... if you know me, you may gasp and/or snort with laughter.

i pretty much pledged to never run.

never ever ever.

if (and that sometimes has been a very big IF) i was going to do any physical activity, it was going to be a sneaky trick, as in it would be something that was fun and made me feel
like i wasn't exercising. like snowboarding, or wakeboarding or canoeing or maybe (maybe) going on a hike.

but running? no no no not ever.

 
then for some reason* in the past few months i started thinking about that "never ever never never never running"and i thought- maybe?

so i went all crazy town and decided to sign up for the color run, then i discovered that if you ran as a team, you could save $5, and me being just the little bit ridiculous that i
am, somehow i ended up being the captain of this team... oh my.

i downloaded an 8 weeks to 5K app on my iphone and finally mustered up the gusto to try it out on July 7th. Go me!

{after my first training run}

July 8th i trip over our computer cord, jam my toe so badly that i can't walk and end up needing an x-ray to make sure it isn't broken.

amazing, this is my real life.

so running gets put on hold for a few weeks.

then i started again. I have been going for a few weeks now and i find the first little run a bit daunting and then i get into it. it feels good, it feels fun, it makes me feel strong.
two weeks ago, for the first time, i did more running than walking.

{some post running pics... getting easier to smile after each run}

i am very very proud of me.

i also ran that color run two sundays ago, i didn't run the whole thing, but we ran at least half of it.
i also had miss Isla in a stroller, she wanted to be a part of the "big mess" run after she saw the promo video.
 

it made me feel like a real "true" runner.
i really and truly am enjoying my new found running legs and i am excited as to where they will take me :)

I don't feel ready for this!

these two.

are off to daycare together this morning, for the first time.

Isla has continued for one day a week this past year, and today Baby Megan is joining her.

how did we get to this point? 

this year has been crazy and emotional and a little overwhelming at times,

but it's been an amazing journey to walk through and to see the bond these girls have already--i'm glad they are so close in age*

Thom is dropping them off, and i'll pick them up.

Isla did amazing on her trial days when she was 1, and i'm sure Meggie will do great as well.

i'm glad they are going to such a wonderful home daycare. 

i felt in my gut, when Isla was little, that this was the right place for them, 

and to this day i am so thankful to God for bringing Kattie into our lives.

*just to say, that i'm glad they are close, but if we have another one we will wait a weeeeeee bit longer in between.

it's been a week of needing an extra measure of grace.

for myself, for my girls.

we are dealing with teething and first tempers and tiredness.

it's been a week of reminding myself that i can use all my own strength,
                                                             but it probably will give out at some point.
my strength to be patient
my strength to be kind
my strength to choose my words carefully and
my strength to show love

  have all given out at some point over the past week.

today as the sun is shining through my window, i am reminded of this scripture:

Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you.

See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, 
but the Lord rises upon you and his glory appears over you.

Isaiah 60:1-2 (NIV)

and this one:

This is My command: be strong and courageous. 

Never be afraid or discouraged because I am your God, the Eternal One, 

and I will remain with you wherever you go.

Joshua 1:9 (the Voice)

Thank you Lord. 

Thank you for your Holy Spirit and your strength in me. 

Thank you for second chances and new beginnings.

Thank you for your forgiveness and for your never-ever-ever ending love.

Thank you for being with me and
Thank you for choosing me to be the mother of these 2 little ladies.

Amen.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

we have had a lovely little holiday

we spent time with family and friends

we gave

we received

we feel full

thank you Lord for family and friends and love and laughter and life.

thank you that you sent your Son for all of this.

Thank you Jesus for your sacrifice on the cross and that this is what you came to do:

to bring us into a relationship with you.

Amen.

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 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. 

 

 

sick Isla update.

poor Isla.
friday morning she woke up with a fever of 40.1
that's the temperature that febrile seizures are made of. shudder.
thankfully we got some tylenol into her right away and she seemed ok.
we brought her in to see a nurse practitioner at my work.
she has an ear infection again, so more antibiotics
(apparently the resident at my doctor's office did not prescribe the last ones for long enough-for an ear infection on a child who is 6 months to 2 years old they should have antibiotics for 10 days... not 7 as had been prescribed initially-so we're not actually sure whether or not it is a new ear infection or the same one)
she also has rash.
Isla girl has been pretty out of sorts again today.
sleeping a lot and pretty much crying when she is not sleeping :(

she was supposed to be getting her 15 months vaccines tomorrow, but i guess we'll just go in to see how she is doing.

Thom leaves tomorrow morning for a week for work training.
pray for a peaceful week for this momma and her wee sick lass.

i hope that all your families are well.  sickness is not fun!
i'm praying for full and complete healing for miss Isla, and no return of colds and sickness!!

weekly dozen

a good friend of mine, a faraway friend who despite distance and a lack of constant communication, remains a very very good and close friend, started a group of us off in the New Year doing a weekly dozen list.

this is a list of 12 things that we have been thankful for in the last week.

there are 8 of us.

me, the above good friend, her sister (also a good friend), their cousin in law (who, though briefly meeting at first good friend's wedding, i would consider a good friend as well), a good friend of the first 2, 2 good friends of the good friend's sister, (still with me?), and a new good friend of the first good friend.

i have met 4 out of the 7 (7 not including me). I have heard of 2 others through facebook and emails and conversations, and 1 is a brand new friend.

5 of us are moms, 3 are god-moms to one of the others kids.

this is confusing.

the point is this:

i am loving being part of this little email group. i look forward to Sunday when i get to let these lovely ladies know how my week has been, and it is a good practice to reflect on the week and pull out some of the moments to be thankful for. big moments, and small moments.

when i was in high school and journaled like it was going out of style, i went through a time where i wrote 10 thank yous each evening. it was a very good way to remember to be thankful in all circumstances, and to always thank God.  again, there were big things, and small things.  for some reason today i can picture the words of this thank you: "Jen always says 'bless you'" - she sat behind me in english and always said bless you when i sneezed, and one week it did bless me indeed.

how do you keep track of the thankful moments?  do you journal, blog, email, talk to someone regularly? 

it seems like a practice that we should all make an effort to have in our daily/weekly lives.

Day 7: a song for the day

this past sunday, one of our Church elders preached on peace.

it was really great for me to hear, because it has just continued to remind me of the peace that I have had before going back to work, and the peace I continue to have at work.

immediately this song came to mind.

05 Peace (I give to you) by Scott Kurtz

my peace i give to you, my peace i leave with you

my peace i give to you, my peace i leave with you

i do not give as the world gives

my peace i give to you, my peace i leave with you

my peace i give to you, my peace i leave with you

i do not give as the world gives

don't let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid

don't let your hearts be troubled, don't be afraid

come let us reason together says the lord

come let us reason together says the lord

though your sins are like scarlet they will be white as snow

come let us reason together says the Lord

come let us reason together says the Lord

though your sins are like scarlet they will soon be white as snow

they were red as crimson, they will be like wool

though they were red as crimson they will be like wool

my peace i give to you, my peace i leave with you

i do not give, i don't give as the world my give

don't let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid

don't let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid

no, don't let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid

this song is written by a friend of mine from high school named Scott Kurtz.

it is taken from Isaiah 1:18 (NIV)

“Come now, let us settle the matter,”
   says the LORD.
“Though your sins are like scarlet,
   they shall be as white as snow;
though they are red as crimson,
   they shall be like wool.

(in the New King James Version it says "Come now, let us reason together")

i love that God is there to sit us down and reason with us. 

to settle the matter that we are white as snow.

amazing really.

this is my song for today.

peace, i leave with you.

Day 1: a self-portrait

so, here I am.

this is me today

at the end of a fairly ordinary day.

hanging with Isla at home in the morn,

and in the afternoon - a trip to get our passport photos done, 

then to walmart, also a stop at work to drop off some necessary documents.

but the fact is, it didn't feel all that ordinary.

today is my last full-time day at home with Isla.

tomorrow I am off to work, and she is off to daycare.

it is the end of one thing, and the beginning of another.

(endings and beginnings often work like that don't they?)

but as you may be able to tell by the photo, I am still at peace.

complete and utter divine peace.

lovely.

-I am joining in on so fawned's 30 Days Hath November-

have i mentioned...

that we're moving?

I don't think that I have.

But we are...

On Saturday.

Sorry for the late notice.  :)

In September, we were hanging out with our friends Mike and Kristen.

While we were taking a tour of their newly renovated bathrooms, we went into the basement where they have had students living with the before.

Pretty much as a joke Kristen and I said that it would be awesome if we moved in.

Ha ha.

Ha?

So, after talking to Mike she said, "no really, you should move in"

Which is funny, because we had just been praying for a way to pay off our debt really fast. 

And this happened the next week.

We hummed and hawed about it a little bit.  

It will be a total of 4 adults and 4 kids living under one roof with one kitchen...

But then we decided to go for it!

What a blessing.

But as you can imagine, in the meantime around here, there have been piles of boxes, piles of what to keep out, what to store, and what to finally get rid of already(!), piling up in our apartment.

But we are super excited.

It's a good reason to go through things and decide:

-do we really need this?

-when was the last time we used this?

-do you think this bleach stained towel with holes in it is really worth keeping?

Since it will be for about 6 months to a year, it has also been tricky deciding what to put away in storage for that time. We don't need any of our kitchen stuff and we won't have space for all my nick-knacks.

So, books are in boxes, magazines are in boxes, crafts are in boxes.

And all I can think about is how excited I will be when I get to open it all in a year!

Just like Christmas!!

who do you belong to?

this week I have been away visiting my mom.

in 18 days I will be back at work full time.

and miss Isla will be in day care full time.

God has been giving me such peace about this.

I haven't felt stressed, worried or even really dwelled on the upcoming changes.

now, to be clear, I know that there will probably be some days that are a little difficult, but I've been at peace.

Until this week.

just Isla and I.

it has been a good week, but being out of the routine I've been in for the past year has been a little bit overwhelming.

overwhelming because I keep thinking about how my routine will be completely changed in 18 days.

mind you, Isla has also had a tremendous cold.

so we've been up in the night a lot and definitely have a less than normal amount of sleep.

but because of all this, that feeling of peace has seemed a little distant.

then, this morning, the song 'God of the Redeemed' has been in my head.

We belong to You Father

Love has come, we're orphans no longer

Brought into Your light and freedom

By the blood and the mercy of Jesus

It's rising, it's rising, the song of hope

From us set free

It's rising, it's rising, it's rising up

Hallelujah to You God of the redeemed

Hallelujah, You've opened blinded eyes to see

We will praise You

You are the everlasting light

Hallelujah to You God of the redeemed

We belong to You Father

Living for Your glory and honor

Here on earth, just as in heaven

We usher in the reign of Your Kingdom

-God of the Redeemed-Jeremy Riddle, Paul McClure, and Hannah McClure of Bethel Church-

and it has brought back the feeling of peace.

I know who I belong to and I know that He is Peace.

There is a bigger picture at work here.

A bigger one than me at work,

and an even BIGGER one that has come, is coming and will come.