Breathe. Deep......and a Before/After

What a whirlwind the last 9 days have been, and the whirlwind is on the verge of turning into a tornado.

Last weekend we were experiencing some fantastic autumn weather, and so we packed up the trailer and headed away for a 4 day getaway. The sun was warm and the colours so vibrant (were the leaves not green like, just a week ago?!), so we heard nature beckoning us out to enjoy it all weekend long. And enjoy we did!

Well, we tried to enjoy where we went. We literally were in a camper parking lot, with everyone else and their cousin, who also decided to enjoy the weather by camping. It wasn't until Sunday afternoon, once everyone left, that we became relaxed. But we live and learn - not to go to this campground again!!

But more about that later. Like I said in my first sentence, life has picked up speed here. I came home from camping on Monday, with two big unexpected things happening within a few days of each other due to the death of loved ones:

The first one being, I made a 3 day trip to Cincinnati to be with a friend who lost her little guy (more about this on another day).

And the second one: I came home on Thursday, after driving for 7 hours from Cincinnati, to welcome not only my own two children, but my three nephews as well! My family has doubled in size and will remain double for a week as my sister and her husband are Out West to bury a beloved aunt of my brother-in-law's (aren't my nephews adorable?!).

And then, on top of the unexpected things, there are the things that have been planned all along: leaving next Thursday for our annual Thanksgiving trip, as well as Keziah having surgery the day after we get back from camping.

See? Forget whirlwind. Tornado seems fitting. Breathe.....I can do this. One hour day at a time.

However, despite all this, I have not forgotten my new series of "Before and After". This week's one is not a cleaning one; if you need motivation to get that hotspot cleared up or those baseboards dusted, you won't find it here :o)

The big Before and After actually has something to do with Keziah and her mane. With surgery coming up, and too many tangles for school mornings, it was time to tame the mane.

Before (ah, I love her hair!!!)

After:

Before:

After:

I love it shorter on her (and she is loving the lack of knots)......however, I don't love how such a simple change can make her look so much older.

But she still is my gorgeous, mischievous, fun-loving full of life little girl!

She isn't the only one that got a hair cut. I did as well.......but for some reason, there are no before and after pictures of that ;). I also got my hair high-lighted, but I am thinking it will need to be re-done once the next 3 weeks are over, thanks to more grey :o) Oh well, I shall wear the grey with pride. I think.

Anyway, all 5 kids were sound asleep by 7:40 this evening. If they go down to bed like they did tonight, I may even be able to catch up on the blog and post about some of the things I mentioned above.

Take care and have a great weekend!

A New Series....

This blog is almost two years old. With each passing year, I take a lot of time to reflect on this space, whether to continue to use it or to be done with it. Actually, these thoughts don't just come to the forefront of my mind in the Fall, but often throughout the year: is it time to wrap it up or keep going? My blog is often quieter during these reflective times.

But when I prayerfully make the decision to continue on with it, I usually then embark on a new series of some sort. That is how the Book Talk came to be, as well as my series of Adoption and Infertility posts.

I have also done photo series, changing it up every Fall. The first year, it was Monthly Learnings, a post filled with pictures of the done month, which shows what we've all learned in those 30+ days. After a year of that, I started P.H.F.R.T.L. (I looked back and saw that my last PHFRTL post was in June. Oops.)

Anyway, seeing as another year has almost passed, I would like to start a new series called Before and After, using mostly pictures. How did I come up with this?

Well, it all started a few weeks ago, looking at the clutter in my house. I had a dear friend over, and I was explaining to her that I have a few hotspots that I just wish I could get rid of but I don't always know how to start. She stood up and said "Which spot bothers you the most? We are going to tackle it right now." And so, with her help, we tackled a cupboard and counter that just seems to collect every piece of paper, toy, paper clip, sticker, nail, light bulb, paint swatch, pen lid, scissor, "beautiful" craft, screw driver, keys, charger for this, charger for that......well, I think you get the idea. :o)

It took all of half an hour and I was left with a beautiful-cleaned up-everything-in-its-place (i.e. garbage or into Nathan's tool chest in the garage) -organized and very usable space again. And let me tell you, it felt good!! And left me with "Why didn't I do this earlier?!"

The unfortunate thing though was I never took a Before and then an After picture of it. But *that* is how this idea came to be. And since then, I've been snapping lots of Before and Afters. And while doing this has kept me motivated to get things done in the cleaning department, I am not limiting it to just that. So you'll have to stay tuned to see what I mean.

For now, I will leave you with a Before and After of my sliding door. As you can see in the Before picture, it kind of needed a cleaning. I never tackled it all summer long for obvious reasons. It would be like that saying that I am sure you've read before: cleaning your house with kids around is like brushing your teeth with Oreo cookies. That's right - useless.

And now the After.....drum roll, please.....

Aaaaaaand, proof of why I chose not to touch them all summer long:

I'll be honest - while I love that I now have an unobstructed view of my beautiful backyard, I am missing the intricate little designs the shadows made on my floor from the sun shining through my dirty windows. Good thing I didn't have to wait too long for those shadows to start showing up again :o)

Friday Night Thoughts

Nathan is at a meeting tonight (who has Friday night meetings?!?!) and so I have some time to put some thoughts down. Seeing as it *is* Friday, these thoughts are far from deep :o)

Another week has come and gone. While the weather has been on the cooler side, the sun has been shining brightly. But boy, when that sun goes down, it is chill-y!!! Tonight, our school put on a BBQ and that chill was felt right to the bones. Good thing the fellowship was so warm. We are so thankful to be part of the communion of saints, having an evening to enjoy one another's company.

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So Keziah had her first 3 day school week, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. I must say, she has handled it quite well! Last night she did say she didn't want to go back to school the next day because school is so tiring, however this morning, when I woke her up, she was eager to get dressed (in red for Red Day, including a red bow! And yes, she is wearing red under her sweater :o) and off she went.

 I also actually went to school today. This afternoon I was in a Gr.5/6 classroom, supply teaching. Oh, how I love the classroom! Tuesday afternoons I also help out in a Gr. 3/4 classroom, with this past Tuesday being the first time. Man, that environment is just so 'home' for me. I look forward to being in this environment every Tuesday afternoon, as well as whenever I am called to fill in for a teacher.
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Any ideas on what book to do for Book Talk? I've been thinking about this again lately. I enjoyed doing one last May/June. Possibly thinking of doing another one sometime this Fall/Winter. So if you have an idea, do share! And it doesn't have to do anything with parenting....;)
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Keziah's next surgery is in less than a month. Eep.

Speaking of surgeries, Lincoln is now at the exact age of when Keziah had her first bubbles put in. Here she is, waiting to go in to get her bubbles placed. She just seemed to be a whole lot......older than what Lincoln is at the same age.

And a close up of her at 4 months before turning 3. Ugh, my heart stirs when I see pictures of her and her full birthmark. I don't know if I miss her birthmark or just miss her at this age.....probably a bit of both. Just wanna kiss that darling face!!!

And now to post a picture or two of Lincoln at the same age. Hmmmm, well, I'll be honest - I don't have a whole lot of him! Not because he is the second child, but more because this boy doesn't stand still for a moment! But, just before I gave up, I remembered I grabbed one of him at the only place he does sit still - at the table, waiting for food :o)

 

But no, not a whole lot of close ups. Something I shall work on, but yeah, he's a boy. He doesn't have time to pose for pictures. There are more important things to do, like cars to line up, people!!

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I have not forgotten about Tough Mudder. I had mentioned that I would post pictures of our very fun, very muddy day, but I do not have all the pictures yet. But once I do, I will post them so you can see what kind of fun you are missing out on!! :o)
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Nathan was gone for 4 nights last week. I can tell the kids are getting older - it is a bit easier when he is gone now. We had a good four days, spending the last two days at my best friend's house. She is like a sister to me. I love her and her family so much. They are very dear to us. And we must be dear to them, because they named their youngest after me, taking my first and middle name, switching it around and named their daughter. I still can't believe they did that. So, so special. But yeah, we moved in for those 2 days and it was just so relaxing and fun. We will be sure to do this again the next time Nathan leaves!
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I am glad Scotland is staying, not separating.
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With Fall around the corner, not only do I look forward to the leaves changing colour, but for one of my favourite sports to start up again - the NHL. I know, I know. They are sooooo overpaid. But I just love the game. Maybe, just maaaayyybeeee the Leafs will do okay? No? Oh well. At least they are consistent......sigh.
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Well, it's getting late. Time for bed. I hope all of you have a wonderful weekend!!

A Lonesome Soul

Time for an update on this handsome boy!

Keziah has gone to school now 4 times. So how is Lincoln faring with that?? Lonely. Desolate. Disorientated. Clingy. Restless. Just a few terms to describe how his days have been without his best friend. Poor guy!

He has certainly needed a whole lot more cuddling - which his mother sure didn't mind, seeing as she was experiencing similar feelings in regards to her daughter being gone.

But, despite a few days of restlessness, we are finding a new normal on the days she is gone. Lincoln is able to play nicely on his own, which is great!

And I am learning to have him by my side, "helping out" in the kitchen. I am finding out though that whatever we bake, the yield is smaller than usual, thanks to his need to lick, touch, put in his mouth every. ingredient. before it hits the oven. Usually I can get 16 muffins from one batch of batter. We are down to 14. (350 degrees is a good temp to kill all those germs, right?!)

And not only does this boy love to bake. He LOVES to clean up his mess as well (his future wife will certainly be thankful for this :o)

It has been a lot of fun spending time with just him. I always knew he brought a lot to our family, and I am reminded daily of his ability to bring simple tasks to a whole new level, like grocery shopping. He was just *thrilled* to be able to take Keziah's spot at the back of the cart, rather than in the cart!!

However, that status didn't last long. For when I turned around to grab some produce and then place them into the cart, this is what greeted me:

So back in the cart he was. Maybe next week we'll try again?! ;)

Linc and I are definitely figuring out how and what to do on the days Keziah is not home......and learning to enjoy them! However, that bus in the afternoon is still probably the most exciting time of the day for him!

And once home, back together, they just pick up where they left off......"knitting"

.....or playing "doggies".

And yes, that skipping rope got changed to being tied around the wrist rather than the neck!

A sister is worth 1000 friends!

School Days!

Doesn't she look chipper and excited for her first day of school?! She was definitely eager and ready to go!

As mentioned in my last post, we will be driving her to school in the mornings, rather than sending her on the bus at 7 am. Seeing as it was her first morning, we hung around for a bit at school, until her teacher took the students into the classroom.

And with that, Linc and I went home. We didn't stay home for too long, but spent the day out, so that we wouldn't feel the hole that this girl has left behind. Despite being away from home, this boy asked me every 7 minutes: "Where's Keziah, mom?" and "Go get Keziah, mom."

Finally, the time 3:07 came and we went to the bus stop to wait for our dear girl. And we waited, and waited and waited some more.

While Lincoln loved watching all the trucks with trailers, and cars pass us by, that school bus could not get there soon enough for him. Finally, close to 3:30 a bus came rumbling to a stop, and off came our very tired but happy little girl!

It was come and go with the stories that she shared. She would all of a sudden tell a story of something that happened, and then we wouldn't hear a word about her day till hours later.

Although she isn't as tired as I thought she would be, times like this are very much needed after a whole day of school!

She has gone twice now, with tomorrow being her third day. She is excited to go, which I am so thankful for!

This boy, however, isn't so excited. More about how him and how he is handling this new phase of life next time.