Friday

Mr. T took the day off today. Except for our summer holidays, this is the first weekday he has taken off since we started our company. Crazy, I know!

We had a day that can only be described as lovely. It was rather ordinary in many ways but we were together ALL DAY and that, my friends, is a treat. We began our day with coffee and tea. Then I got to shower without a small hooligan rearranging the bathroom cupboards. Next we worked over Costco. It was so nice to walk the aisles hand in hand, laughing at the antics of our little one (who’s curls were in FULL EFFECT and caused quite a stir along the way). We bought Christmas presents, running gear, groceries. We found vanilla beans for crazy cheap! A birthday present for our oldest… I think we might have to talk to the bank about skipping our next mortgage payment (kidding, Dad!).

Young Bucky fell asleep on the way home (total strategy) so we got to eat lunch together. The first time we sat down. And no one spilled their milk or complained about their bread or fell off their chair. And no one wanted to share- until we got to dessert. Mr. T and I split the rest of my birthday cake right off the serving platter. SO GOOD!

All that chocolate made me tired so I had a nap. BLISS! Mr. T picked up the kids from school and then took them all out in the car so I could keep sleeping. You see why I like having him around?

We liked our Friday so much that we are planning to have a pajama day tomorrow. Can’t wait!

gratitude

Today was as bad as yesterday was good. Reality hit hard at 6am this morning when our youngest child decided to (very grumpily) arise for the day. It was downhill from there. By this afternoon I was in tears and was feeling wave after wave of discouragement wash over me. Instead of wallowing in it and letting myself feel worse, I decided to stop, remember what I have and be thankful for it. So this afternoon in the midst of tears, dishes, and the flurry of getting ready for the 25 people imminently arriving for dinner (potluck style so it wasn’t as crazy as it sounds - although crazy would be a good word to describe it!), I thought about what I am thankful for.

* my husband- I met him when I was 18. We’ve been together for nearly 15 years. He is a good man. A great man, in fact. I truly love him more and more everyday (especially when he offers to change a poopy diaper!).

* my kid- they all bring so much joy to my life. They have taught me more about myself than anyone else. They have stretched my faith, pushed me farther than I thought I could go and made me laugh harder than I have before. Each of them adds something special and profound to my life. I am so very thankful to be their Mom and to share my days with them.

* our dear friends- we have a group of friends here who are real, honest and inspiring. It is a pleasure and an honour to share life with them. My life is richer, fuller and so much more fun with them in it. I am thankful for their stories, their prayers and the way they encourage us to press in to God.

* challenges- one of our children has been significantly challenging us lately. It’s frustrating, overwhelming and somedays, just plain sad BUT I am thankful because those challenges force us to look at things differently. To see our kids as individuals. To do better, be more creative and pray HARDER! Our days aren’t easy but they are certainly interesting!

Life is GOOD. Not easy. Not simple. But definitely GOOD.

birthday

Today was a good day.

There were presents opened with SERIOUS bedhead.

Balloons, streamers and a DISCO BALL!

The perfect omlette.

Unexpected gifts from friends.

Many, many pictures.

Hot husband singing in the kitchen, cooking one of my favourite meals.

And doing this…

My kids.

Oldest.

Middlest.

Littlest.

Cake and candles.

Making wishes.

whisper

My little guy and I have a game we like to play. He climbs up in my laps and says, “whisper Mommy” and then turns one of his cute little ears towards me. I whisper, “I love you” into his ear and then he whips his head to the other side so he can offer me his other ear. This will usually go on and on until he is in fits of laughter. We were playing our little game the other night. I was telling him how much I love him, how proud I am of him, how smart and funny and amazing he is. After a few minutes he put both hands on either side of my face, looked directly into my eyes and leaned in close. I started tearing up at the sweetness of the moment. Then he turned my face so he could whisper in my ear and said, “I has gummy bear?”.

Ahhhh, children!

band

We are fortunate to have an amazing babysitter. She brings games and crafts with her every time she babysits. She cleans up. She even does the dishes. I love her!

Last night she helped the kids make their own instruments.

My little man got really into the drums.

His sister worked the zither!

It got really LOUD for a while.

REALLY LOUD!

Did I mention the drums and the loudness?

Not too sure what’s going on here but it cracked me up.

And then things got ugly…

Sigh.

This afternoon I met my running group at 4:00 for our usual Sunday afternoon run. I had with me my usual gear: shoes, tights, water, wicking shirt… everything I needed to make my run more comfortable. Unlike most of my other runs, I decided not to bring something with me this afternoon. Something I’ve hauled with me like a heavy weight on each of my other runs. Today I made the choice to leave my fears behind. I decided not to be afraid of how my run would go, whether I would be able to keep up and if I made better time than last week.

I got out of my car at our meeting spot, stretched and then just ran. Today I WENT FOR IT. No over thinking. No self-doubts. No comparisons. I trusted myself. Know what? I had my best run ever. There were moments that I didn’t look very graceful, times when my breathing was loud and laboured, times when I had to say out loud, “I CAN do this” and will myself to go another 3 minutes. It probably didn’t look all that pretty but I DID IT! I ran a steady 10/1 pattern for 7K. Along the way my friend told me that she was proud of me. I felt that and it strengthened me. I felt proud of myself too.

Today I learned to trust myself a little more. To not be afraid of what’s to come or feel burdened by the weight of the past. I learned to lean on my community when I couldn’t do it on my own. To trust that God would give me the strength to fulfill my goals. Today I learned a little bit more what it feels like to step out in faith, to not be hampered by fears, to take a risk and trust that it will be ok. I got a picture of what it feels like to take the ceiling off of my dreams and live them rather than allowing them only to swim in my head. I got a taste of the freedom that comes from risking and knowing that I can do it.

kiss

Dear Grandma and Grandpa,

I have something for you!

It’s for your cheek.

I’m going to put it in my hand…

and blow…

and BLOW…

it ALL the way out to you!

uggh

Ugggh! That was my first thought this morning. Not a great start to a Friday morning!

I didn’t get to sleep until sometime after 3:30AM (girls night + accidental caffeine intake + brain swirling). Fortunately, the kids slept in (did you hear the angels singing?). I lingered in bed as long as possible until I was finally dragged out by shouts of “Mom come quick. There is an entire container of soy milk spilling on the table and floor!”. Good times! At least part of the kitchen floor is super clean now.

Somehow I’ve got to slip into GO MODE.

The kitchen looks like this:

The back hallway like this:

(Just keeping it real folks. It happens to the best of us occasionally. And if your counter has never looked like that then you either have a maid, don’t sleep or have achieved the level of organization I strive for!)

It’s a PD Day and I’ve got a to do list a mile long. Plus, this arrived in the mail yesterday and is calling to me:

(And yes, darling husband, I do promise to not buy any more fabric until my projects are completed!)

A cup of tea (cause coffee gives me heart palpitations), some loud music, 6 feet of paper and fresh paint to keep the kids occupied and I’m off!

Find joy in the little things today and don’t forget to have fun along the way!

linky

I’ve been getting a lot of inspiration around the internets lately and wanted to share some of my favourite sites with you.

Meet Kal Barteski. Kal is a brilliant, inspiring, generous, amazingly talented ARTIST who lives in Winnipeg, MB with her ridiculously cute family. My favourite thing about Kal is that when she gets an idea she GOES FOR IT with her whole heart. No navel gazing or what if’s for Kal. Just straight up making it happen. LOVE that about her! A couple of years ago my husband asked her to to paint me a custom tiny art print for Mother’s Day. It is hands down my favourite piece of art that we own because it reminds me EVERYDAY how much I am LOVED. If you live anywhere near Winnipeg PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE go to her upcoming art show and then tell me all about it.

Another artist I admire is Lisa Leonard. Lisa makes beautiful jewlery. She also has a very inspiring blog that is full of creativity, love and great photography. Her blog is one of my first stops every morning. Lisa also writes over at (in)courage, another daily fav.

Shutter Sisters is a group of female photographers who are PASSIONATE about photography and celebrating the impact that it can have on our world. They have inspired me to improve technically (mostly by studying their amazing submissions), to stretch myself creatively and to look at the world differently through the eye of my lens.

More than any other photographer, Beth Jansen INSPIRES me. Her photos tell stories. I love the way she sees people, her use of colour and the way she really pushes her post processing. I kind of want to be Beth when I grow up! This black and white image was the inspiration behind this picture of my daughter:

Who hasn’t heard of NieNie? Stephanie is an AMAZING woman. Her blog started as a tribute to motherhood and her family. Last August she and her husband Christian were in a terrible plane crash where she sustained burns to 80% of her body. Their recovery story and the dedication of their families is incredible. It brings me to tears every time I read about it. Stephanie is home with her family again and writing about their new life on her blog. I continue to be moved by her.

Lastly, Amanda Blake Soule’s website, Soule Mama is another favourite of mine. She is one crafty lady! I love the way Amanda gently weaves family, creativity, crafting, thrifting, photography and homeschooling into her days. I am so INSPIRED by, well, pretty much everything on her blog! I’ve got her first book, The Creative Family and I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it!

I hope you enjoy some of my favourite spots on the internet as much as I do!

calves

Dear Rachel,

First of all, sorry for the blog highjack. It’s just that we REALLY need to get your attention. It’s about all the running, specifically the HILLS. Why? Why are you TORTURING us? Why do you feel the need to stretch and strain us so? We are weak, soft little things and we don’t much like to WORK. We don’t care about fitting into fancy boots or how we look peaking out from a skirt. We HATE spandex and we are really NOT fans of that friend of yours who says “we’ll take it easy tonight” and then leads you up hills for 9 minutes STRAIGHT. We like your wide legged jeans and your comfy shoes. We love your pajama’s and we REALLY like hanging out on the couch. So PLEASE, stop all this nonsense. We are burning! We ache with every step. Stop being so mean and go back to your lazy ways.

With anticipated gratitude,

your Calves

Dear Calves,

Stop whining! YOu sound like my kids when I ask them to do something really hard like put on their shoes or sit up at the table for dinner.

You will be ok. And I will look good in my fancy boots and spandex running pants (but not at the same time, of course!).

Love,

Rachel