House update

For those of you who follow this blog and not our other "house" blog, here is our latest set of adventures in that regard - The House that Wes built.

Also I have started reading again - dipping  my toe into all sorts of things that just catch my fancy - and if you have to know it is likely 17 or 18 century as that is my favourite period of writing! Not a big fan of the big, deep, depressing and important works that people write now. A bit of reality is sometimes too much!

Here is a very lovely quote I read today from An Ideal Husband by Oscar Wilde.

"You see, it is a very dangerous thing to listen. If one listens one may be convinced; and a man who allows himself to be convinced by an argument is a thoroughly unreasonable person."

Ha ha. On the lighter side, but still very cute!

It is well with my soul

I wanted to share a couple pictures and a quick thought.

Friday I had the honour to sing that song in an assembly that had gathered to celebrate and mourn a wee precious girl.

By -Horatio Spafford

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

It is well, with my soul,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!
My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

It is well, with my soul,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,
Even so, it is well with my soul.

It is well, with my soul,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

When I was a child, even then, I loved this song. At that age I judged song merely on their musical quality. I loved "athletic" songs. But this song had a melody and tune that resonated with my heart even then.

But now... this song and I have history.

I sang this song as I drove back to Calgary, having just received news that my Grandma was in the hospital having had a stroke.

I sang this song when I got the news of Bronwyn's condition, unaware of what the future would hold for us.

I sang this song when Wes lost his job and the fear of financial worries crowded in.

I sang this song for my best friend when she had to bury a preterm infant.

I sang this song with a crowd gathered to support a dear friend who lost a child to a complicated and scary disease. Friday, I sang it again with the same crowd for the same family.

I sing this song when my spirits are low. I sing this song to bolster myself, to give myself courage, to remind myself of the community I live in and the suffering many others have had to endure.

I know I am not alone. I know that many of you feel the same way about this song. I know this song was a special gift from God.

So sing it! Sing it as loud as you can and know that - it is, indeed, well with my soul (and yours too).

This little Youtube link has the song (not the best rendition I have heard, but if you watch and read it tells the very moving story of the author of this song).

A new invention

I love roasted brussel sprouts and so does Gavin. When the outer leafy bits fall off and roast and crisp in the pan and salt - mmmmmm - so good.

So I decided that I would try pulling apart a couple brussel sprouts so they would be a pile of leaves and then deep frying them. I figured it would give the same roasted effect - if not an even tastier effect. Sort of like really healthy chips.

The did taste very good - greasy - but good.

The problem lay more in the execution of the project. It was frankly, dangerous. Potatoes splatter and splutter in grease. But these popped and exploded, well the leaves didn't explode, the molten hot fat did. I had to throw little handfuls in and shut the lid quickly. It was louder than popcorn. Hot grease was flying everywhere. It is a miracle I didn't sustain a burn on my arms or hands.

Not sure I will try it again. It was an awful lot of work, but it was nice and kind of a fun, albeit not kid friendly, project. And not one I'd recommend you try.

Maybe if I coated them in tempura batter they would be even better? Huh, I wonder...

Sunday evening thoughts

This was a lovely weekend. A lovely sunny, first day of real spring/summer kind of weekend. We enjoyed it so much. The grass is getting greener, the leaves are really starting to pop out and the neighborhood seems to be waking up from hibernation. All weekend long I could here lawn mowers going.

We did however, hear some very bad news pertaining to some friends of ours and our lovely weekend has been tainted with grief.

I am so blessed and tonight I am very keenly conscious of our blessings. My heart hurts, my spirit is heavy and my mind is whirling. And yet, for us life chugs on... and for that we are very grateful.

Part of wisdom is, I think, learning to grieve and share sorrows with others while still managing to celebrate our own joys and gifts. Life is a weird, wonderful and often scary thing, coming to terms with that and staying the course is tricky but necessary.

God bless you all. May God give us all strength to carry our various burdens and to rise to our own struggles. And lets make the road more pleasant by walking together.

My apologies for the lack of cohesiveness in my thoughts tonight. My mind really is a jumble.

Sunday morning rambles

It is Sunday morning. We are preparing to go to church. We don't always go to church. We sometimes meet with other friends and or family in fellowship, more private and intimate. But today we will go.
The kids are all ready. We have been up for, thanks to Gavin, several hours now. Wes slept in. My husband is very tired these days and I rejoice when he can get a wee bit extra rest.
Last week was not a normal week for me. My head just wasn't in the game. I blame it on a very busy weekend. Last weekend I drove to Edmonton to attend a cardiology conference. It amazes me how doing this, while super informative and helpful, also drags me into the world of "what ifs" and the reality of Bronwyn's condition. I cultivate a place for my family where we don't concentrate on this, where we forget. We have the luxury of forgetting.
I also did some reading. We all froze our butts off at soccer and we ran from activity to activity. The house project also had its fair share of drama.
Life's pressures sometimes weigh so hard, sometimes they just seem a bother, other times I'm reminded they are a gift.

We wait and watch while friends struggle through their own battles, several friends, all different, all serious, all well loved.
Family time is precious. We aren't big on outings and family events. This likely starts with me. I hate going places like the zoo. But, we do treasure our time, we just maybe do it differently than many others.
I know this week will be better. I rested this weekend. My head will be far more in the game this week. I'm thankful for that, but I am also thankful for last week. The reflections, the thouhts, the ignoring of all the housework.
Refocus and remember where my path lies and who I have my eyes fixed on.

God is good.