Thankful Thursday

Welcome back to Thankful Thursday, a feature started by Louise at Talk Nerdy to Me, where we look back over our week and remember our blessings.  It is so good to see all that has happened, especially if you have had a particularly tough week. Being grateful is good for the soul. Here are just a few things that I am thankful for...

1. Not fractured

Abi had an incident in PE class where she fumbled a football and it slammed into her index finger. That evening, it was so incredibly swollen she couldn't bend it! We taped it up and told her to be mindful of it and we'd keep an eye on it to make sure it was healing. Then, of course, she went away for the weekend!

When she returned, it was so incredibly bruised, and still very painful, although the swelling had gone down and she had some mobility return. To be on the safe side, I took her to the clinic where the doctor sent her for an xray.  The nice thing is that this xray clinic took all of 15 minutes for the pictures, instead of like an 10 hour wait in the ER. The bad news is that it took the clinic 4 days to get the results back on the xrays, whereas it would be the same day news if in the ER.

Good news is that there is no fracture.
The bad news is that there is no fracture. (that means she will still have to do PE again.) 

2. Sudden Pro-D Days

The floor in the gymnasium of our high school is being resurfaced (after a leak) and the sealer that they use on it is so powerful that some kids were being sick from the smell. The final sealant went on this past weekend, and since we were told it is 5x stronger than the previous layers, the school decided it would just be safer for all to close the middle/high school. And to keep it fair, they've closed the Elementary/preschool campus as well! Yay another long weekend!

 We had some of the boy's friends over, so there was much computer game playing, computer gamer videos to watch and a big Nerf gun war in the drizzly rain!

 3.  Safe Hallowe'en

We had pouring rain the morning of Hallowe'en, and were told to expect more during the evening, but thankfully it didn't fall and so the kids got to go out trick-or-treating in the neighbourhood for over an hour. We even got a burst of sunshine just at dinner time too, just to confuse us and brighten our day!
 

Abi wanted a theme dress up and most of the siblings were on board (thankfully so was Grandma Lynn who sewed most of these beautiful costumes!)  so we had Peter Pan, Captain Hook, a pirate, Tinkerbell, a Hunter, a Chopper Jr Contestant and a Bandit!

 4. Excellent Parent-Teacher Interviews

 This week, we had our first ever Parent-Teacher interviews at the high school. That was different. Instead of seeing one teacher at a set time, you need to see like 9 of them and stand in line at an open-house-type evening. I am so thankful that Abi is a good student, a conscientious girl and an easy-going friend. Her teachers had nothing to report other than that and so each interview was only 5 minutes long! 

We were at the Elementary school the next night, and the Middle School the week earlier. I am happy to say that those went well also!  Our kids are doing well, and I am so thankful that they are in this school! I feel that the teachers they have are such a blessing and a perfect match so far! 
 
5. Vintage Barn Market and coffee meetings

Over the weekend, the Vintage Barn Market was held out at the Heritage Barn in Chilliwack. This market is a big one and I've been waiting to go for a while! After I dropped off Abi at a friend's house, I drove out to see my parents (and snagged some pizza for dinner, yay!) and my Dad and I went to check it out. It was so amazing!  We have so many talented people locally!  I was impressed.

Afterwards, my Dad and I went out to Timmys to discuss the market and go over business ideas. It's been a quiet year for us, not one that we had thought we'd have, but we've had so many other things come up, and this is normal for a small business. Next year will be exciting!

I am thankful for a fun evening walking around with my Dad. I was laughing as I realized just how much alike we are!  

6. pumpkin faces

I felt bad that I didn't get to go to the pumpkin patch with the kids, and I forgot to pick up pumpkins for them as well. But then my parents dropped off two that they weren't going to use, so yay! So thankful for that! 

Rhys got one when his class went on a field trip to the pumpkin patch, so he carved one, and Bryn and Eden shared a large one and decided on a face to create. They had fun doing that the morning of Halloween! (I helped Rhys carve his. Normally I don't, but he insisted!)
 

The last pumpkin Abi carved since Kai wasn't too interested. She printed off some stencils and decided on doing Ariel (the Disney Princess). It turned out so good!

 

 7.  Chocolate!

Kai was super excited that they recognized his birthday this month (and all November birthdays to be exact) in the youth group. He was given a card and his fave snack, which is  white chocolate!

It had him feeling pretty happy!

8. bday parties

I love it when my kids are invited to birthday parties. Even if it is because the whole class was invited. I love it when they're included.

Rhys had a blast playing at Go Bananas for a classmate's birthday (who he plays with in class as well) this week!

9.  Team Effort

I am so thankful for family and friends who helped us out when we had to juggle around rides to preschool and after school after a trip to the hospital. It made things so much easier for us to know that our kids were being taken care of and such a wonderful thing to know we have good people in our lives.

10. No more tonsils

That's it! They're gone! Our appointment came up quicker than expected and Abi had her tonsils removed this week. She's still recovering, but she's doing well. Hopefully this will mean a healthier winter for her this year.

 {this is her pre-op, after we'd been up since 5:30am and she was feeling a bit silly sleepy. I love her smile!}

So that's my week in a nutshell. How about you? What are you thankful for? Write up your list and see just what a good week you had after all! :) 

Happy Birthday Canada!

Happy birthday, Canada!  Just 148 years young!!

I am so proud to be a Canadian! (heck, I'm so proud, it's in my user name!) It is an incredibly beautiful and diverse country. I love it here and couldn't think of any more perfect place to live!

Have fun celebrating! And be safe!!!  We'll be by the lake with sparklers and hopefully s'mores!

Thankful Thursday

Welcome back to Thankful Thursday, a feature started by Louise at Talk Nerdy to Me, where we look back over our week and remember our blessings.  It is so good to see all that has happened, especially if you have had a particularly tough week. Being grateful is good for the soul. Here are just a few things that I am thankful for...

1. Surprises in the mail

I got a fun surprise in the mail this week, to "help me cheer for the Ducks": a playoff towel from my friend in California! Haha!  I've never been a big Anaheim Mighty Ducks fan, but I suppose I can cheer for them.  

They play against Chicago next though, and well, I've been more of a Blackhawks fan!  It will be an interesting series!  I"m mostly cheering for Montreal! Got to cheer for the Canadiens left in the Stanley Cup playoffs!

2. Nat

I love this woman!  She really is such a blessing in my life!  I am so thankful that she offered to babysit Eden for me so that I could attend my last BSF meeting. There was no childcare that day so that everyone could be involved in Sharing Day. It really meant a lot to me to be able to be a part of this last "class".

3. Long Weekends

Yay for Long Weekends, and sunshine and Queen Victoria's birthday so that we Canadians could have the day off!

4. Tree Climbing

There is a tree that sits in the front of my parents' yard that the kids have taken to climbing. It's neat to see how they get bigger and can climb with ease...and how much smaller that tree gets!

5. Water table fun

I got to babysit my sweet nephews this week; it feels like it's been so long since I've been there!  They had just got a water table on their deck, which was perfect for this week's weather!  The cousins had fun playing at it for a while. (until they got too cold and it was time for lunch!)

6. Paintball

Kai's best friend, David, celebrated his birthday this past weekend with a few paintball games. This is something that my Hunny did as a teenager too (and he still has a few of his gear!) so he came along and played with the boys and David's father!  It seemed like a fun afternoon! (Kai managed to not even get hit either! Since they all played on each other's team, they didn't get to gang up on eachother....that's a good/bad thing! It's fun to attack your friends, but nice to know that certain friends aren't going to corner you and pelt you with paint!)

7. old music

I found an old cd that I borrowed off of my brother years ago (*snicker*) and had a good time listening to it again. It's not so much a #tbt, but I did remember listening to this many times and hearing my brother drum to it. I miss his drumming! I miss my teen years too!

8. Little Friends

Now that Eden has discovered Joey next door, the two girls always have to play together!  Eden went over in her Princess dress, which got Joey all excited, so she put hers on too! It was  a perfect photo op!

They are so adorable!

9. Healing

My Mom has been sick with strep throat and bronchitis this past week (I know, right! Isn't that terrible? When your immune system is down...ugh!)  so we didn't get to visit her for Mother's Day. Finally, she was feeling well enough for guests, so we popped over for a bbq dinner over the long weekend; what a relief to see that she is looking and sounding better than she had earlier in the week! I was able to give her a gift that I made as well.

Her children arise and call her blessed. Proverbs 31:28

10. Afternoons and Conversations on the Playground

I am thankful that it has been such beautiful sunshine this week. The kids have been able to play after school on the playground, and I have had good chats with a friend that I am getting to know better. It is good to connect with other moms. And it is so important to share each other's lives so that we can encourage each other. I'm not the best at meeting other parents and developing deeper relationships; it's something I need to work on. I don't like small talk; I find it awkward and sometimes superficial. I don't want to have pretend conversations with people who don't actually care. But jumping into deeper talks takes time. I am so grateful for those who put themselves out there, ask questions, dig deeper and open up their own lives to me. What a blessing it is to find someone like that!


So that's my week at a glance.  What about yours? What are you thankful for? Taking time to look back over the week and remember the blessings is so good! Consider making your own list up...and then share it with me. I'd love to hear about your Thankful list too!

Thankful Thursday

Welcome back to Thankful Thursday, a feature started by Louise at Talk Nerdy to Me, where we look back over our week and remember our blessings.  It is so good to see all that has happened, especially if you have had a particularly tough week. Being grateful is good for the soul. Here are just a few things that I am thankful for...

1. Anniversaries to celebrate

Sixteen years already?  Wow.

2. Mutual Cheering

I'm not happy with how our team ended up (It was a very painful ending. I was reminded of why I'm not allowed to watch hockey games at home; I get animated and yell at the tv and try to coach the team from my couch! haha.)  But I did enjoy the games, and I liked watching them with the kids.

There's always next year...

*sigh*

3. a great school that the kids enjoy

Our school had their Student-Led Conferences this week and so Rhys and Bryn got to show off their work to me. They were both excited about this opportunity. 

{{I look tired here but I wasn't. I'm just not photogenic!}}

I am so thankful that they get to go to this school and that they are growing and learning. I am so thankful that this is an opportunity that we get to have each year. I am thankful for planned nights where we can spend time getting to see what they are learning or how they are doing in school, no matter what their level or marks are. The kids are excited and you get to see them shine more!

4. Blessings in the mail

Is it wrong that I am so thankful that a friend got a surprise in the mail this week and that surprise was that I mailed her a get-well package? She and her kids have been under the weather a lot with various illnesses and they are run down, and so I wanted to send her something fun and good. So I made a get well card and added some tissues, hand sanitizer and some facials for fun. I also included some small Crayola travel packs for her kids. It was relatively easy to put together and didn't cost a heck of a lot. (I got most of the supplies at Dollarama. It was just the time it took to actually get down to the post office to mail it off that took the longest)

I am just so happy that she was surprised and that it made her day. I am so thankful that I could bless another with a simple act.  It made me feel good.

5.  Crafty Affaire

This past weekend, my Mom and I went to White Rock to check out Crafty Affaire, a Market of local artisans. It was a great afternoon to do that too. I was impressed with how everything looked...the displays were nice and elegant, and there were so many different crafty businesses.  It's a Market that we hope to participate in next year (or even in their winter one) as a vendor with Once Again designs.

{{our newest, and most colourful so far: wild & free sign. It's 5x5 and made out of reclaimed fence boards.}}

I am thankful for afternoons out with my Mom, and for talks and for de-stressing. I am thankful that I have such a good relationship with my mom and that we share similar interests. I am so blessed!

6.Thy Word

I am so thankful for my BSF group. We are finishing up the Life of Moses and I have gotten so much more out of it than I was expecting. I am thankful for His Word and that I have been able to study it and learn it more this year. 

What a blessing it is to be able to read this book! We live in a country that allows us some freedom in our beliefs, and we take it for granted; there are a lot of countries that don't and many believers risk a lot to grow their relationship with our God.


7. cookies!
 
Who doesn't like warm cookies from the oven? Yum!

8. My Hunny home

I am so thankful that my Hunny was able to take the day off of work so that I could go on a class field trip with Rhys (little siblings weren't allowed to come due to space). We also had an appointment with the paediatrician immediately after, so that I wasn't able to be at the school to pick up the kids when they got out. I am thankful that he was able to be with Eden and take her out for lunch and to pick up the Olders.  I am thankful that he has a good job and could take the time off when needed.

9.  my nephews

I got to babysit my nephews again this week. It feels like I haven't seen them in a long time! (especially since I had to cancel last week due to pink eye. Phooey) I love these boys!

 {{Micah and Eden stacking blocks}}

10. water power

Kai used the pressure washer to clean out the back of the truck from all of the dirt we filled for the gardens. He really does love that machine and will always volunteer to use it if it comes out!  I love that he will work hard at a project. 

That's my week in a nutshell. I have so much to be thankful for and I have many more that I didn't mention. What are you thankful for?

Sixteen Years

My Mountain Man and I celebrated our Sixteenth Anniversary this weekend.

Sixteen years!

It doesn't feel that long and I certainly don't feel as old as it sounds!

Of course, being as the Old Marrieds that we are, we didn't do much to celebrate the day. We're at the stage where kids are more expensive than personal celebrations. But we're hoping to maybe one day soon get away for a night.

Or a weekend.

Or a week. That's what my doctor told me that I needed to do when I saw her last week. She honestly suggested that I go away for a week and asked if I had someone who could take the kids.  I looked at her blankly.  Great idea. But not feasable! One day.

Look at how young we were!!!  There really is a big height difference between us, but I was wearing ballet flats and he was wearing dress shoes with a bit of a heel! My friend said that we look "very Jane Austen", which made me laugh.  I honestly had never read her books (or seen the movie adaptations) until a few years ago. (I know!!!  Pride and Prejudice is now one of my favourite books and movies!)  But, I guess I've always had a Victorian-era heart; I am a *bit* "old fashioned". 

If I could go back and re-do our wedding, I'd do it the same, but more iron-ed out. I'd also have a bigger budget! We put together a wedding without a lot of money but with a lot of help and support of family. I thought it turned out perfect though. The day after our wedding, I told my new husband that I wanted to get married again!  He laughed at me, but I was serious! It was a great and fun day!

I love this photo.  I made this photo holder out of pallet wood just so I could display this picture.  I am pleased with how it turned out.

Thankful Thursday

Welcome back to Thankful Thursday, a feature started by Louise at Talk Nerdy to Me, where we look back over our week to remember our blessings.  It is so good to see the good things that have happened, especially if you have had a particularly tough week. Being grateful is good for the soul. Here are just a few things that I am thankful for...

1. BSF

I'v been thankful for my Bible Study Fellowship group before, but I wanted to specifically say that I am happy that we are meeting again! We took two weeks off for Spring Break, but then had to take an extra week off since the church we meet in was doing some construction. We are now back on and yay! It feels so good!  

2. Egg hunts

Every kid loves Easter egg hunts!   What's not to like about having to do a scavenger hunt in search for candy, chocolate and money?

I am thankful that my mother-in-law loves to do them as well and that we had nice enough weather to do it outside!

3. Easter surprises

What a funny and happy surprise to see that our caterpiller from all the way in August FINALLY emerged as a moth this weekend! We thought for sure that it didn't survive. I was pretty excited! I felt like a proud mama for not killing it, haha!

 
4. Ice Cream Makes Everything Better

Bryn complained of sore eyes on Tuesday after school, and by dinner time I could see why, so off to the clinic we went when it opened the next day. The doctor walked into the room, took a look at B and said, "Oh!" then started writing out a prescription for his double pink eye!  I found it humerous that he didn't have to ask any details, but knew right away what was wrong. But I also found it a bit frustrating that he didn't give any information to us. But hey, we now have some medicated drops to heal him up and he gets some more days to relax at home in pjs and play computer games!  (he likes school though, so he's missing that, and his friends. I guess you can't have everything!)

After the doctor's visit, we got ice cream, because ice cream makes everything better.

5. Surprise friends!

Abi decided to miss out on her class grade 8 grad sailing trip, even after fundraising for three years and friend's trying to convince her, and my telling her how much fun it was when I went on my trip in gr 7.  I was a bit disappointed, but we let her make up her own choice and told her from the beginning that we wouldn't push her.  

I was worried about her having to go join a different class this week (two of the gr 8 classes went on their trip last week, and 8X is going this week, just as scheduling works for the S.A.L.T.S program works, so Abi joined 8W) and having to be without any of her friends, but God surprised us!   We found out that one of her friends is actually in that class, and another good friend of hers ended up not being able to go on the trip either, so she has been  able to spend the week with two of her guy friends! Hooray!  Small blessings make for much better weeks!  God is good and I am so thankful that He answers even small worries and prayers!

6. Good dental appointment

Kai had his teeth cleaning this week, and I was happy to hear he has no cavities! Yay! And they did a more advanced x-ray to check on the placement of his adult teeth (they are almost all in now) and they look good too. No worries of his mouth being too crowded or pushing other teeth out of place. Phew!

7. birthday parties

Rhys was invited to a classmate's birthday party and I am so happy for that. Maybe one day, those invitations will slow down. So for now I am grateful for the parties that include the whole class!  He had such a blast at Go Bananas!

8. free air!

I am thankful that the gas station near our house still has a complimentary air pump. Our one tire has a slow leak from a nail (yay, dang constant construction in Langley) and so I need to fill it every few days. Most gas stations want you to pay for it now, and I don't tend to carry change with me, so I was thankful to see Chevron didn't install pay meters on theirs! 

9. sunny days to play

I am so thankful for sunny and warm days again! The kids are often playing at the playground after school. Hooray for chances to burn some energy. Not that it has made them more sleepy at bedtime yet, but hey, at least they're outside running around!

10. Happy Dances!

I love Rhys' Happy Dance!  It makes me smile.

So that was my week in a nutshell. How about yours? What are you thankful for?