:: Post Number 7,386 In Three Days ::

You're overwhelmed with blog posts, I get it........I've been letting Blogger try to upload my video of the dance for 12 hours now, here's hoping.

Just thought some of Denay's family across the sea might like to see some up-close shots of the babe. These are a couple of my favourites I took with our new toy!

:: I really, really want that black thing mommy ::

:: This is the face Denay makes when she hears the door open and close or daddy's voice when he gets in from work. And just last week I was feeding her and an ambulance went by and she froze, with this look on her face and kept looking from me to the front window until it stopped. Priceless! ::
:: My uber-favourite. This was kind of a whoopsie actually ::

Happy Monday Ya'll!

Hope you're able to get those windows open and let the outside in a little today! I sure am!

Denay's Dance Debut

I mentioned in my last post that Denay and I were able to take part in a dance this weekend. They liked it so much they asked us last minute to perform the dance again for both church services this morning. Please excuse the onslaught of pictures.......a certain special Grammie and Grampie weren't able to be here.

This first collage is of the performance at the fundraiser on Saturday night.

These next few are of the two Sunday morning dances.I'm trying to hard to figure out (as I write) how to upload the video that we took. You can see in the pictures, there is a part in the dance that I hold Denay up high, swoop her to the other side and then spin in a circle. Each time she would kick her legs and flair her arms and smile so big at me and the whole congregation just loved it. They were laughing and clapping and Denay couldn't get enough. All the dancers had numerous people come up to them in tears, thanking us and saying how touched they were. I think it gave people a really good visual of the relationship that God wants with us. Hearing everyone clap and laugh during the last performance got me all teared up.......Oh I will try SO hard to upload it!

Until next time!

:: This Week In News ::

This week has been rather eventful for us.

First off, on Wednesday afternoon I had a meeting with my boss to discuss my coming back to work. After much prayer and thought I knew before going in that I wouldn't be willing to work full-time. I was very anxious going in....I've always had a fear of making big decisions because then I am to blame for any consequences of that choice. I'd spent so much time praying for guidance and God's path, but wasn't getting any sort of answer. Then I had a very good chat with a dear friend who reassured me that God will have His way.

Long story short, I told my boss I really felt I couldn't work full-time and she let me know that they wouldn't be able to hire me back part-time. So, the big news is that I am officially a SAHM. Even though it's not the outcome I was kind of hoping for (I liked the idea of one or two days a week) now, a couple days later, I feel so strongly that this is best and I'm excited. It does bring up the issue of learning to live off of one paycheck but I'm confident and trusting that the Lord is our Jehovah Jirah (God Our Provider) and that he will carry our family through.

In other news......a few weeks ago, after selling almost all our motorcycle gear, we ordered ourselves a new camera and yesterday my mom phoned to say it was in. So today we drove down to pick it up and I can't stop playing! Because my parent's are part of a home club, we got it for $150 less than retail.

It's a Canon Rebel XSi and I am in love.

I've been soaking up all the photography tutorials I can get but I'm trying to be patient with my perfectionist-self and really take some time to play and learn.

On another note Denay had her very first performance as a dancer tonight. For the past few years my church has been hosting a evening of entertainment and dessert to raise money for different organizations around town. I've been part of a dance ministry team at church for three years now and last year around this time, we choreographed and piece for that event that I danced while seven months pregnant. This year, since we were raising money for women's shelters and teenage mothers, the team leader, Liz, asked if I would be interested in a doing a piece with Denay, her four month old and a couple of our pregnant friends. So that's what we did. Two babies, two expecting moms and two teenage girls all together.......I just got a call from one of the girls and they want us to do it again twice tomorrow for each church service. It was so much fun! And the two babies were wonderful. We had so many people touched by it. It's the first piece I've been in since the event last year and I sure missed it!

I hope you all had amazing weeks and may you be blessed in the coming one!

On This Day, Last Year

This is where we were, March 25th, 2008.

At the International Departure gate at Vancouver Airport, ready (oh, so ready) to catch our flight with our good friends D&B to Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic.

Tanned and warm and doing nothing but eating and lying around.
Our amazing resort, the Barcelo Punta Cana.
A look down the beach on our first day.

What I wouldn't give to be there again right now......it is some time I cherish for sure.

I look at the pictures often, remembering the laughs and memories we made and looking forward to doing it again someday!

New House, New Look :: Part One - Downstairs

In honor of the (almost) three year anniversary since we took possession of our house I thought I'd do a "Before & After" special on what it looked liked the first time I viewed it, and what it looks like today! Keep in mind this is the previous owners furniture and decor on the day I had the first viewing. So come on in, take off your jacket, kick off your shoes, grab a cup of tea and make yourself at home, in my home.

Looking towards the back of the house from the kitchen (front) area - Before....

-After-

Some major changes would obviously be the color, vast (but hard to see) improvements in the garden and the subtraction of the cement slab and pea gravel and addition of a cedar deck.

Looking from the living room towards the front of the house - Before.....
-After-

Again, color is a big change here as well as the wood floors have been sanded and refinished. All of the blinds have also been replaced in the downstairs.

Downstairs powder room/laundry room - Before.....
-After-

Notice in the before of the bathroom, the matching pink strip of melamine on the edge of the door.....each cabinet door (both bathrooms and kitchen) had to be removed, taped off and painted with numerous layers of white paint. All of the cabinet door hardware in the house was replaced as well. We weren't feeling the plastic matching handles. You can't see, but the floor was redone with stick down lino tiles. The sink and faucet were also replaced.

View from the dining room table into the living room - Before.....
-After-

Again, new blinds, paint and electric fireplace with lots of fun decor.

Looking from the patio doors to the front of the house - Before....
-After-

New kitchen light fixtures, blinds, counter tops and the stove was replaced (thanks M&D) and a new dishwasher installed as well as updated cabinets, door hardware, sink and faucet. Oh yes, paint as well (if it wasn't obvious).

Another shot from the kitchen to the back of the house -Before.....
-After-

Notice a new light fixture......you get a good view of the difference in the countertops and hardware in this one. They were a mauve color. Barf, I know.

Looking from the front door, down the hall, to the living room - Before....
-After-

Refinished hardwood floors, paint (have I been clear that we painted each room a different color?) I've also pretty much "adorned" each wall in the house......not one has been left bare.

The opposite view, looking from the living room to the front door - Before.....
-After-

New light fixtures.....I think that's pretty much all that I haven't mentioned already that's new.

From the back to the front again - Before.....
-After-

Great view of the new light here and you can see a peek of the washer and dryer that's opposite the sink in the powder room.

So there you have it.......a full tour of our lower floor. I'll start work on the upstairs soon so make sure and check back for the next installment!

It amazes me, now looking at these photos, how much we've poured into our house. If I had to pick, the downstairs bathroom and the the back garden/patio as my favourite changes. I think the deck we built (with much help from my dad) holds the most sense of pride for us. I love our home but it is fairly small and humble but I feel like while it may be small, we've got a small bit of everything we need here, including a deck, garden and a sizable side yard. I'm sure eventually we will outgrow this place but for the foreseeable future, this is what we can afford and I've settled in here so well and have just grown to love it.

Hope you had a blessed weekend......mine was spent at a church fundraiser, then a very relaxing and enjoyable visit with Denay's Grammie and Grampy!

:: I Salute You ::

There are many things in my life that are important to me. God, my family, my church family, my country. I believe so strongly that there are many people that serve this country everyday that are so undervalued in society.I turned to CTV Newsnet today only to catch breaking news about four more Canadian soldiers who lost their lives in Afghanistan today. The oldest was 28, the youngest, was just 20 years old.

It isn't enough to remember those who sacrifice, just once a year on Remembrance Day.

Most of you know that my brother served overseas for seven months. My husbands grandfather, father and brother all served/serve as police officers. I have also had the pleasure of getting to know some new local police officers and their families through church and am good friends with a firefighter.

When we are in an hour of need, we are blessed to live in a country with numerous emergency responders who save lives everyday. We also live in a country, and a world, full of men and women willing to make a stand for those in need and even lose their lives to fight for freedom.

Every day, across the world, mother's lose their sons, father's lose their daughters, wives lose their husbands and children their parents in the name of freedom and defending justice.

Take some time today to pray for our emergency responders, troops and world leaders. Remember them and the things they, and their family give up so we can be safe.

Let's take a second to say thank you, we respect you and hold you up in prayer.

Can I see a show of hands.....

......on how many of you love flyers?

Sometimes I feel very alone in this world.

One of the things that I look forward to every week (aside from Friday's at 6:00) is Friday afternoon when our local paper arrives. Not as much for the news but for the juicy tidbits inside that get a scan before the paper does......

.....flyers my friends, flyers.

I can't tell you why or when for sure it started but I can't get enough of them......maybe partly because of my newly formed habit of coupon-clipping and price-comparing but it's more than that. I read flyers for stores we don't even have within a 45 minute drive. I read flyers for stores where, even if they were within a 45 minute drive, I probably still would never shop there.

It's funny, if I think of it. Why do I get flyers for Michael's, London Drugs, Best Buy and Jysk?

I guess because if the deal is good enough people from here will bundle up and hunker down for a three hour round trip to buy that one item they just have to have.

:: All that being said, I betcha can't guess what my favourite flyer is ::

The one my husband and I snatch away from each other and flip through more than once to make sure we didn't miss any good deals.

You'll never guess.

Give up?

It's the Canadian Tire flyer.

Interesting.......

There are weeks that I am bitterly dissappointed, being barraged by nothing but man tools and auto parts.

Then there are weeks, oh blessed weeks, with pages full of home organization, decor, garden accessories, and just all around pretty things for prices that make me mad at full price anything.

I was perusing through there the other day with my mom to get a garbage can for the trailer (half price) when she came across a 20 piece knife set (complete with eight steak knives, bread knives, two kitchen scissors and more) in a wooden block, all for $13.00 (75% off the regular price). Needless to say we both left the store with one.

Have I mentioned I love flyers.

Some other favourites are London Drugs (even though our new/first one is still concrete walls), Walmart and Michael's (even though I can count on one hand the amount of times I've walked through the doors).

Be assured I will wake tomorrow with an added spring in my step and sit on pins and needles for the familiar sound of someone coming into my carport and then leaving again one newspaper lighter.

Ahhh.

Can I get a show of hands.......anyone?

Anyone??

I thought so, alone in the world.

:: Happy Shower Becca, Natalie and Alana ::

I had the pleasure of being invited to a 3-in-1 Baby Shower yesterday for three girlfriends of mine and their babies! I tried to bring Denay along but a lot of crying and a soaked-thru diaper later, Trev came over and picked her up. I can't say enough about how thoughtfully planned and lovely this shower was. There was such well-thought out ways to make each mommy feel special and and to celebrate each new life. Here are some pictures I took before my battery died of the afternoon.

In the center is Rachel holding Alana's boy Gavin and Faith is holding Becca's girly Evolette.

Each mom had her own diaper cake, tiara and matching light up pen, set of balloons and whack of gifts!

Rachel, Kelly, Lizzy, Loni and Rowena, you did a beautiful job and threw a fantastic shower! Thanks for letting me be a part of it!

Oh, The Babies

I know I've mentioned before the mass amount of babies we are surrounded with. It's beyond a blessing to be able to spend time with other mommies and not only forge Christ-centered relationships with them but foster future friendship for our children. We've made it tradition over the past few months to get together at the local pool every Thursday and we always have a great time. My good friend Becca just had her second baby a few weeks ago so she took pictures while her sister and I shared holding her oldest, Michal, in the pool. And I checked this time, you CAN actually click and enlarge the photos! Also, these pictures are post haircut. I guess I needed to be more clear that I didn't butcher her hair as much I cut it a lot shorter than I was planning. It actually kind of looks like a cute pixie cut and I'm hoping it will grow back nice and thick and even.

Notice Denay in the lower middle photo above, she was not to pleased to be out of the sight of mamma.

These ones are my favourite! The little gal on the left is the daughter of a girl I graduated highschool with have have recently reconnected with. The lone boy is Max, and his cousin Michal and Denay on the end.

Late Saturday night Trev and I drove out to Crofton for our friend Daniel's birthday party. Just before we had to leave, we propped all the babies up on the couch for a picture! We've got Evolette (born in February), Adaiah (born early December), Denay (July), Michal (Evolette's sister, born June of 2007) and Max (Evolette and Michal's cousin, born October of 2007)

The only friend missing is Nat's girly Abigail!

It is SO much fun with all these babies around. And there are still six more coming before the end of the summer in our group of friends. I can't wait to see 20 years from now what this generation will be doing in the world for Christ!

:: Sigh ::

Confession time..........

A couple weeks ago I trimmed Denay's hair with scissors because she was getting a mullet again and it was really in her eyes. It wasn't the best job but it wasn't terrible either. I've been meaning since then to get out the buzz-trimmer and get all the random long hairs and even things out. I was going to wait until tonight when Trev was home so he could help but I figured no time like the present. I made sure to put on the longer hair extension but failed to start with the longest setting and work my way down. The end result? Me in tears phoning my husband telling him me will hate me when he sees his daughter.

In reality I may just be over-reacting because her hair just looks different and it isn't like she's bald but......you ever do something that just makes you feel like a moron and sick to your stomach and want to hide in your house for two weeks until your mistake grows back?

That would be me. Notice how I haven't posted any pictures.

Of course I've already committed to swimming today with a bunch of my girlfriends who will no doubt notice my lack of expertise in the hair cutting department.

I guess I've made it clear how stupid I feel and embarassed I am.

Good thing Denay can't tell the difference and to say the least, I will know better for next time.

Big Number Eight

Today our Princess turns eight months old!

It seems like everyday she changes and either does something new or gets better at something else.

:: Trev took these pictures on Saturday at our friends wedding. Pastor Shane forgot that Denay had sucked on the microphone until he went to make and announcement and was up front wiping drool off his face. *Smile* ::

I took these yesterday of Denay "helping" mommy doing some organization. Her way of doing that is knocking everything over and pulling all of the folded, sorted clothes out of the storage bin and dropping them on the floor. (click to enlarge)

Here's where our baby girl is at today......
- I had her weighed last week and she is 13 pounds 12 ounces, only six ounces away from doubling her birth weight!
-Eating homemade baby food mixed with baby cereal and a bottle at every meal (breakfast, lunch and dinner)
-still has no teeth and no sign of them coming in either
-we've stared giving her minced meat and shredded cheese and rice puff snacks to get her used to chewing her food
-sleeps 8:00-7:00ish with two naps in the day
-is starting to figure how to put her rice puff snacks in her mouth on her own (this momma cried yesterday when she did it the first time)
-crawling, pulling herself to standing, sitting up (in the tub too), sits on her knees, and is beginning to furniture walk
-no words yet and no signing yet
-she loves her blankey
-she still fits nicely into her 0-3 month clothes. I've got friends with four month olds who are passing their clothes along. I like having a tiny baby :)
-loves crawling around and exploring, hanging out in her high chair and exersaucer. We've had quite a few "bonks" in the last few days but she needs a little cuddle and is off again. Tough girl like mamma
-will take attention from anyone! She loves going to Walmart for groceries because of all the people constantly wanting to say hi

I could go on forever. It's overwhelming to look back and realize how much she has changed in a short period of time. She's really coming into her own and becoming a little girl. I can't wait until she starts walking and the weather gets warmer so I can take her outside!

Anyways, I'm off to start work on a fun little project I will let you in on soon!
Vaarwell!

::: See You In A Wink :::

:: Reverend Carol Patricia Boschma ::

March 8, 1965 - August 8, 2006

Carol would have been 44 years old today.

In the spring of 2005 Carol began having terrible headaches that just wouldn't go away. Her eyesight began faltering and after a trip to the doctor and many tests later it was discovered she had a fist-sized tumor in her head.

:: And the praying began ::

Her church and global church family fought hard in prayer. Much knee time in the throne room was spent on her behalf.

I remember so vividly the day she went home.

Without a doubt, I would not be who I am or where I am today without the work God did in me through Carol. She was passionate in prayer and joyful in worship.

The world is a brighter place because she was here but a little dimmer now that she's gone.

I think of her often. She is a woman who truly left a legacy.

When I was still in high school, we were at a conference with my youth group and the Lord gave Carol a verse for me that she wrote on a scrap of paper. It's still in my bible and that verse is so dear to me and Lord has used it more than one time in my life.

:: I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. ::

Ezekiel 36:25-26

Carol you are still loved and remember......can't wait to party with you.

All The Grandma's

This week has not been a good one for the grandmas and nannys in our life.

We got home from the mainland on Sunday to a phone call from my mom telling me that my only surviving grandma was in the hospital.

I just got a call from my MIL this morning and she let me know that her mom (Trev's nanny) was in the hospital and that Trev's grandma had just had a fainting spell and subsequent fall.

:: My grandma is back and home and doing fine and I've yet to know anything new about Trevor's side (they are both okay) but I would certainly covet any prayers for those in our life that have gone before us and are dear not only in our eyes but in the eyes of our daughter ::

:: Christy's Critique ::

I just realized I missed my critique post for last week!

It actually took me a while to decide on something to write about, but I settled on this.....

The Product - Coby 7 inch digital picture frame

The Review - This was a Christmas gift from my husband. My MIL has one and it wasn't until I saw an ad for one half-off (we got it for $50) at Canadian Tire that I thought it might be kind of neat. I got a pretty good deal on a couple memory cards in the states and it was super easy to upload the photos then I just had to pop the card into the frame and bada-bing bada-boom, we're up and running. There are two settings for the picture so you can fit-to-frame or display at it's normal size. I prefer (even though some pictures look a little stretched) the fit-to-frame setting so the picture fills the whole space. I have no idea what the resolution is but it's really clear and the color is great! It's got lots of different settings and options to play with and is very user-friendly.

The Recommendation - Buy one! I'm so pleased with mine. For someone like me (who has way too many awesome pictures to choose from) it's a great option to keep things fresh and changed. It's also nice to have pictures of friends displayed that you wouldn't necessarily print and put in it's own frame on your wall. One thing I would say is invest in a large GB memory card. I've got two GB worth of photos in the frame now but it still feels like I'm seeing the same pictures over and over. It's just one small cord that plugs into the wall so it's very clean and it has a stem for sitting on a shelf or hardware to hang on the wall. I just love mine and for the price and the purpose it serves, it's well worth the (little) money we spent!

Christy's Critique - Four and a half out of Five Stars

the Loot

:: We spent a few days on the mainland this past weekend for Trev's brothers birthday ::

His parent's recently came back from a trip to Palm Springs and had a couple gifties for baby Denay!

:: Have to ever seen such a cute bathing suit! We even got to test it out with a swim at the Surrey pool with Grampie and Grammie and Auntie Shawna and Uncle Paul and her cousin Cole and Jacob! ::
We were flipping through flyers on Saturday night and came across one for Army and Navy. We don't have them on the island and I'd never been to one.......Trev's parents have one in the same complex as their church so we popped in to take a look after the service......I came home with these beauties.......
:: An adorable brown with blue poka-dots pair of Keds. I've never owned a pair and for $15, there's no going wrong! ::
:: And this......I'm really beginning to think I have an addiction to zip up hoodies. It's a Dickies hoodie and I LOVE it! It's hard to explain what it looks like and I know the picture doesn't do it justice but trust me, it's fabulous ::

We had such a great time just hanging with family and and celebrating Denay's uncle Jordie's birthday. I was a little worried that Denay would make strange (she's been doing that increasingly lately) but she was SO good.....even fell asleep in Grampie's arms at church. I can't remember the last time she fell asleep in any one's arms!

Jordan......we pray that this year will be full of God's richest blessings and much love and good memories! We love you!

:: Farewell Friends ::

Last Saturday Trev and I, along with some other friends, got together for a duel going away party for S & A!

S* is moving to Winnipeg where her fiancee lives (her wedding is in April) and A* is moving to New Zealand to explore and discover.

:: A, A, and S ::

:: All the gals ::
:: All the fellas ::

:: Kerry and I ::

:: Cutting the ice cream cake ::

It was such a treat to get out and enjoy some time with friends laughing and reminiscing.

Ladies, we wish you all the best and will miss you dearly. We love you!!