it's all fun and games: March 2011

hali day 1

very happy

yep. going to nana and poppa's

very excited

we told him this am that he was going to hali, he then nagged me while i showered, packed and got ready

then he sat in the van for 20 mins. waiting for me to "hurry up and finish"

quinn and nate. project #1

project #2 (they filled the wheel barrow themselves)

project #3 (chris, you would have been proud!)

very proud of themselves

project #4

baking cookies and making supper

having a blast

happy girl!

group hug?

"let me OUT!"

some books were read and cookies ate

charlie too

i was there. this is proof

then i gave quinn the camera. great group shot quinn!

and nate

and papa's knee?

and nate again

then nate had a turn

good job bud!

it was a busy, fun filled day!

tomorrow will be another one i am sure

chris is home, enjoying the peace and quiet...

right!

0 comments

Posted by mel at 7:31 PM

i am so proud of myself. my en suite tub has been clogged for a week or so. on sat i remembered to get some draino, took it home, carried it upstairs, put it in the bathroom, saw it on monday morning (normally it could have sat there for months....) read the instructions, poured it in, let it sit. remembered to come back, flush it out, cleaned the tub...voila. i fixed it. all. by. myself then yesterday morning while showering away, hair full of conditioner, my wedding band slipped and. yep. you guessed it. fell down my newly, cleaned drain boo then chris came home and cause "my daddy can fix anything" quote nate chris found it for me in the pipes haha! ironic eh?! 3 comments

Posted by mel at 1:05 PM

very interesting....

while doing my daily word look up, on my most fav dictionary site (when i don't have my trust 1950 dictionary on hand) i saw this. front page... http://hotword.dictionary.com/bible/?__utma=1.1915335369.1301074135.1301074135.1301429727.2&__utmb=1.1.10.1301429727&__utmc=1&__utmx=-&__utmz=1.1301074135.1.1.utmcsr=(direct)utmccn=(direct)utmcmd=(none)&__utmv=-&__utmk=203079569 "Transcribing the text of the Bible has been an ongoing and often controversial process ever since the Greeks translated ancient Hebrew manuscripts around the 3rd century BC. The revised New International Version (NIV) and The New American Bible, respectively, will include gender-neutral language and substitute words that the editors claim will reflect a modern understanding of the book’s theology. What are some of the words that will be changed in this translation? And how will the use of gender-neutral pronouns affect reading of the text? In Indo-European languages (primarily the languages of Europe) there are three gender noun classes or categories: masculine, feminine and neuter; the latter refers to words that are non-gender specific or refer to language and cultures that recognize a third gender, where the gender of the subject is always referenced by the subject of the word. In contrast, gender-neutral language aspires to “neutralize” any reference to a specific gender; replacing “stewardess” with “flight attendant” is a widely understood example, as is “chairperson” for “chairman.” The Apostle Paul writes, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female…” – this passage from Galatians 3:28 makes a statement about gender roles by using the specific masculine and feminine pronouns. However, if replaced with a gender-neutral pronoun, as in the case of NIV, the intended meaning may simply get lost in the translation. The same could be said for the passage: “Man cannot live by bread alone” (Mathew 4:4), as it has become such a popular cultural phrase. (On the topic of religion, do you know what the common word “amen” literally means? Check out our analysis, here.) The New American Bible’s revisions also attempt to reflect the evolution of modern language. For example, in the original scriptures “holocaust” refers to the offerings made to God. Most people equate that word with World War II and the genocide of Jews. The new version reads, “burned offerings” which denotes the original, positive meaning. “Booty,” which has a modern sexual connotation, has been replaced with the “spoils of war” – a reference to the gains inherited from the winning of a battle" thoughts? 0 comments

Posted by mel at 5:19 PM

no! really?!

http://news.ca.msn.com/world/cbc-article.aspx?cp-documentid=28159492 Major disasters like the Japanese earthquake and tsunami or Pakistan's floods are likely to become more frequent, and global governments must prepare for an uncertain future, according to a British report. Paddy Ashdown, a member of the British House of Lords and ex-United Nations high representative to Bosnia and Herzegovina, said rich nations must help poorer countries to build up their defences against disasters. In a government report published Monday, he said scientists believe recent natural disasters were not an aberration, but "the beginnings of a new kind of future in which mega-disasters are going to be more frequent." "The scale, frequency and severity of rapid onset humanitarian disasters will continue to grow in the coming years, and at an accelerating pace," said the report issued by the International Development ministry. Ashdown said a lack of prior support for Haiti and Pakistan worsened the impact of recent events. By 2015, the report predicts, roughly 375 million people will be affected by climate-related disasters every year, well above the 263 million believed to have been directly impacted by natural disasters in 2010. Non-climate-related disasters such as earthquakes and man-made disasters are expected to affect many more. Areas of the world most prone to natural disasters tend to be economically underdeveloped, which may exacerbate the death toll. On average, 1,052 people die from natural disasters in less developed economies, the report said, compared to an average death toll of 23 in fully developed economies. The global trend toward urbanization will also have an impact. "More people will be living on marginal land, in overcrowded and poorly planned housing, lacking access to adequate water and sanitation," the report said. Climate change is also expected to reduce crop yields, "sometimes catastrophically," which will also require a change in the way agencies plan to feed those affected. The report was focused on determining how the British government can best deploy its aid dollars. 0 comments

Posted by mel at 4:26 PM

life with my boy

whatcha building?

ohhhhh a microscope. gotcha.

he used my mirror and a hat and played with his microscope for over an hour....good times

i asked him to help with unloading the dishwasher

he obliged

but first he had to wear his "dish washer unloading hat"

love him!

0 comments

Posted by mel at 4:11 PM

MUETTI! VATI!

wanna go to cuba, out of toronto to Club Amigo Atlantico Guardalavaca for exactly 1100.00 leaving on the 31 for 7 days for BOTH of you??? this was one of the more pricey ones :) am i tempting you yet??? go! hee hee 3 comments

Posted by mel at 4:29 PM

i read the most wonderful chapter yesterday and what's a better way (other than coffee) to start the week ? i read it slowly, taking the time to think about what i was reading (which was not long...remember my attention span is that of a goldfish :) how wonderful is my god! let all that i am praise the lord lord my God, how great you are! You are robed with honor and majesty You are dressed in a robe of light You stretch out the starry curtain of the heavens; you lay out the rafters of your home in the rain clouds You make the clouds your chariot; you ride upon the wings of the wind The winds are your messengers; flames of fire are your servants You placed the world on its foundation so it would never be moved You clothed the earth with floods of water, water that covered even the mountains At your command, the water fled; at the sound of your thunder, it hurried away Mountains rose and valleys sank to the levels you decreed Then you set a firm boundary for the seas, so they would never again cover the earth You make springs pour water into the ravines, so streams gush down from the mountains They provide water for all the animals, and the wild donkeys quench their thirst The birds nest beside the streams and sing among the branches of the trees You send rain on the mountains from your heavenly home, and you fill the earth with the fruit of your labor You cause grass to grow for the livestock and plants for people to use You allow them to produce food from the earth wine to make them glad, olive oil to soothe their skin, and bread to give them strength The trees of the Lord are well cared for the cedars of Lebanon that he planted There the birds make their nests, and the storks make their homes in the cypresses High in the mountains live the wild goats, and the rocks form a refuge for the hyraxes You made the moon to mark the seasons, and the sun knows when to set You send the darkness, and it becomes night, when all the forest animals prowl about Then the young lions roar for their prey, stalking the food provided by God At dawn they slink back into their dens to rest Then people go off to their work, where they labor until evening Lord, what a variety of things you have made! In wisdom you have made them all The earth is full of your creatures Here is the ocean, vast and wide, teeming with life of every kind, both large and small See the ships sailing along, and Leviathan,which you made to play in the sea They all depend on you to give them food as they need it When you supply it, they gather it You open your hand to feed them, and they are richly satisfied But if you turn away from them, they panic When you take away their breath, they die and turn again to dust When you give them your breath, life is created, and you renew the face of the earth May the glory of the Lord continue forever! The Lord takes pleasure in all he has made! The earth trembles at his glance; the mountains smoke at his touch I will sing to the Lord as long as I live I will praise my God to my last breath! May all my thoughts be pleasing to him, for I rejoice in the Lord Let all sinners vanish from the face of the earth; let the wicked disappear forever Let all that I am praise the Lord Praise the Lord! ps 104 0 comments

Posted by mel at 8:49 AM

photo booth pic's

i chose at random a handful of pics to post. there are many more...the booth was fun and ladies of all ages took part. i say we should do it again next yr...bigger, better :) ha!

enjoy!

-i did not contact anyone for posting permission, if you do not want your pic on here, email me or comment for me to take it down and i will! i just simply don't have time to contact everyone :)

1 comments

Posted by mel at 3:26 PM

laughter and ladies!

center pieces. tree branches (thanks cry and shawn!) they let me cut down their trees from n.s and i drove them all to n.b. why? did YOU see the snow we have?! i ain't crawling through snow up to MY knees to get branches! then i used scraps of flower petals and glued em on. easy-peasy. i was going to use paper flowers but they didn't look right, then i was going to make tissue paper ones but that was too much work. besides "garbage" is free! then i wrapped the branches is bright green grassy stuff from the $ store then rocks to weight them down in the bottom. voila. cheap center pieces

tables set and ready to go

set table. the tea light holders i scored at jysk for .25 each!

party favour (it's not a party unless you get favours!) medicine bottles from superstore, jelly belly jelly beans and a cute label, which read

pharmasaved

rx proverbs 17:22

A Happy Heart is Good Medicine

take as many times per day as possible. they even had a cute scan bar on em

doorway. poms. cheap and bring color

flowers promise of spring...soon...

the amazing non-stop dessert table!

the mile long food table!

we also did a photo booth. so. much. fun!

i grabbed a bunch of props (minus the furs!!!) from around the house, then the ladies dressed up and chris took pics of them. i will post those later. chris has to upload them first! i was a wee bit nervous to see if this whole photo booth would fly, it was kinda out of the box for a ladies potluck but growing and going out of your zone of comfort is never easy! right!!! it was a success!

chris. our photographer. who i must give a HUGE shout out to. chris worked ALL day finishing his friend's basement. then he ran home, showered and changed and left for the church to take pics. he was SO good about it. he was EXHAUSTED! then he came back at 9:30 to help me tear down and clean up. seriously. how amazing is this guy!

thank you chris. i love you. thank you

you will be rewarded. later

muwahhhhhhhh

full house baby! wheeeee! we had a extra table all ready to go if we needed it. and we did! i am not sure of the final count yet but the turn out was GREAT! it was fun. and the video comedy was FUNNY.

yeah for parties!

who's next??

haha

and a another special thank you to dad, who stayed home to watch my naters. thank you dad!!!

2 comments

Posted by mel at 10:17 AM

You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people. gen 50:20

joseph said that after his brothers sold him out and dumped him in a pit to die

god took all that suckyness and turned him into a super loaded leader

intended ='s purpose, design, plan

jer 29:11...i know the plans i have for you, good plans to give you a hope and a future

so this means god is always thinking about me. and it's always good

so. in life (ok lets use me here) the past 2 yrs have brought me

-death of loved ones, of babies
-cancer
-family problems
-depression
-anxiety/panic disorder
-financial issues
-marriage stuff
-stuff more stuff and more stuff

i can not begin and i actually can't (eph 3:20) begin to understand what good is coming my way!

i read a while back the following, which i love, love, love. i want to share it with you's

your wealth of experience makes you rich. spend it on hurt people. they need it so badly. god can use anything

lives that need the kind of help you can give are surrounding you right now

life is hard. most of us have reasons to lie down on life and never get up. you've been through your stuff

most of us can rationalize staying angry, bitter, or fearful and insecure for the rest of our lives. most of us can blame others for being in a pit. we think we want people to lie down next to us, feel what we feel, and give us permission to stay there. but if they do, they help talk us into making ourselves at home in the early grave. they agree to our living death

christ got down next to us in the grave, stayed the better part of 3 days, and then he got up...so we have permission to get up too. and start living life

how incredibly thankful i am to chris, my butt kicking hubby. he let me go through the grieving, he held me, he loved me. he even lie with me in the darkness

but

when it was time, he go up and told me what i did not want to hear. but needed to hear. he took my hand and pulled me up and took me to get help i needed. he lets me talk, but refuses to let me be "living death"

he helped me get back on the track i needed, then walked with me few steps, took my hand from his and gave it to my god and he let go

in spending time with god. real time. getting intimate with him, opening up, allowing myself to open up once again

i am ready to live life again 2 comments

Posted by mel at 2:24 PM

nate's suprise!

aunty, shawn, quinn and charlie stopped by this afternoon (on there way to j&j's) dropping mom and dad off so they could spend the weekend. which is nice, cause, i have a full wkend and babysitting is nice!

charlie shares the same love of books as nate!