Precious

In the Grief Share group I did last year, they talked about Miracle Moments. Times when you get a glimpse of Heaven or something that is a reminder from the person you have lost.

This is one of mine.
My dad left this note in my Bible right before I was baptized when I was 17.
It has always been one of my favourite verses.

I have always kept the note right there.

The first time I found it after he died, I fell apart. But now it is one tangible thing that I can look at whenever I need to.
I am so thankful to have something with his handwriting on it, and for the verse itself.


It is one of my most precious possessions.




We also found a note in my dad's wallet with this verse written on it after he died.

It was included in Rick's message at the funeral.

Isaiah 41:10

So do not fear, for I am with you;
do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

I am struggling right now.
Some friends lost their dad last week after a long battle with cancer. My heart breaks for them.
It seems there is heartache everywhere I turn

Yet there is hope. Which I cling to.

1 Thessalonians 4:13 (The Message)

And regarding the question, friends, that has come up about what happens to those already dead and buried, we don't want you in the dark any longer. First off, you must not carry on over them like people who have nothing to look forward to, as if the grave were the last word. Since Jesus died and broke loose from the grave, God will most certainly bring back to life those who died in Jesus.

Good Deals

This is my latest addiction - searching for deals online.

I don't buy a lot. But have got a few really good deals:

- a fair trade, organic cotton adorable dress for my daughter for $12.50.
-awesome Autonomie Project Fair Trade Sneakers with organic cotton and sustainable soles for $25 total (shipping included)

-Ecobumz organic bamboo, AIO cloth diapers for $12 each (just waiting not-so-patiently for my washer to be installed by a plumber so they can be washed to try them out. The joys of living in a century old house with OLD plumbing)


-half priced amber necklace to try for my teething daughter because I was too cheap to pay full price for something I wasn't convinced would work. I do think it has helped though!


Some points to remember before buying:

• Deal a day sites can actually be bad for your budget. They’re all about buying on impulse. They create a sense of don’t-miss-out urgency that’s hard to resist. Take a few deep breaths before you buy and ask yourself these three questions:

Can actually use the item? If not, it’s not a bargain at all.

Is there a possibility you’ll want to return the item? All sales are final at some sites.

Is it still a deal after you factor in shipping costs?

• Keep in mind that some of the items may be final sale (no returns). Read up on the site’s return/exchange policy before you buy.
• Do a quick price comp to make sure you’re getting the deal you think you are.
• Shipping timelines on some items may be extended.

These are some of the sites I look at:
Mamabargains
EcoBabyBuys
BabyHalfOff
BabySteals
KidSteals
BabyHeist
Hippo Bargains
Olivia Place
MiniBargainz



Some of my talented friends have started their own businesses! Check these out and shop locally!

Three Leaf Designs specializes in eco friendly, organic or alpaca (sometimes local yarn) hats. Children and adult hats available for custom orders. Amy's hats are gorgeous!

Odd Duck Creations makes handmade custom hats, diaper bags, and accessories made to fit your own personal style. Karis can pretty much make anything you ask her to! I gave her a picture of shoes I liked and she made some for my daughter.

Yummy

We made these today and I have to say they are some of the best muffins I have ever made. And I make a lot of muffins. It's an easy breakfast or take to work food. Plus my kids will always eat them.

The ricotta cheese makes them so goooood! They don't taste cheesy though.

I cut the sugar down to 1/2 cup instead of 3/4 cup and they were definitely still sweet enough. I only had frozen blueberries and they worked just as well. Just make sure not to add them until the very end. It also made more than a dozen, so you could fill the cups up more or just make more muffins.

Make sure you do the streusel topping!

Blueberry and Ricotta Muffins Recipe
( makes 12 )

Dry Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 c flour
• 3/4 c sugar
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 2 tsp baking powder

Wet ingredients:

• 1/3 c canola oil
• 5 Tbs whole milk
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 egg
• 3/4 c ricotta cheese
• 1 c fresh blueberries

Streusel Topping:

• 1/4 c sugar
• 2 tbs flour
• 1 tbs butter

1. Mix the dry ingredients and the wet ingredients separately then using a spatula stir the two together until incorporated. Don’t over mix.

2. Fold in the blueberries then fill 12 muffin silicone cups 3/4 of the way full. Top with 1 tbs of streusel topping if desired or just sprinkle some sugar on top then bake @ 375″F for 20 min or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

3. Cool in the muffin cups on a wire rack for 10 min. Turn upside down and the muffins will slide out

Christmas is coming...

This is my 3rd blog - have been blogging since 2005 and I have always posted this at Christmas but it really is one of my favorites:

Because of the tender mercy of our God,
by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven
to shine on those living in darkness
and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the path of peace."
Zechariah's song, Luke 1:78,79

I love these verses.
This is what Christmas is about. Our Messiah coming to save us.

I am really loving my friend Karina's blog these days (and always :). Beautiful pictures and posts that are making me think. She has been doing Advent readings and I'm really enjoying them.



Can't believe it is only 5 days until Christmas! I'm not feeling too stressed. I don't really have any shopping left and other than getting a couple of things ready for work, cleaning my house and doing some baking I am good to go.

Speaking of cleaning my house... that is my one Christmas wish. *a clean house*
That would be wonderful :)

But if I got one of these - I don't think I'd be impressed:


Although we do need a new vacuum...


And some more fun for you :


Yes Santa - nothing says, "I love you like a new ironing board!"

So cheesy:
Hilarious:

And this for my friend Erica:

like a child

As I was putting my son to bed tonight, I was praying with him, thanking Jesus for the good day and the snow and for Christmas when he piped in and said, "and thank you that you have Papa."
So I asked if he meant that Papa is in Heaven with Jesus and he answered yes.

We have had such a hard time explaining to him that Papa is with Jesus in Heaven and that we will see him again someday when we die. At times - we've wondered what he understands and if we've explained it properly. When I still don't understand everything myself, how do I explain it to a four year old? But it sounds like he's getting it.

So, that made me smile. And cry, at the same time.

The Winner, baking, and more links! (just cause I can)

The Winner of some awesome Norwex kitchen helpers is Becky!!! Yay for you! (send me your address and I'll mail you some cool stuff)

Today my son and I made some Monkey Munch and Pumpkin Spice latte. The monkey munch turned out pretty well. I used regular white chocolate chips and I have to say, they are not as nice as Epicure Belgian White chocolate. They didn't melt very well and I ended up having to add more butter and then some Belgian Milk chocolate to make it more smooth. But it worked out. My son's favorite part is shaking the bag to spread the icing sugar around :)
The Pumpkin Spice latte was really good too! I didn't use half and half but milk instead, and didn't have whipped cream to top it off but it still tasted yummy. Will definitely be making that again!

This is kind of a random post, but that's life lately!


Some of my favorite songs lately:

What a week

I don't mean to be a whiner, really I don't, but this is how our last week has been:

Last Friday - baby girl (I know she's not really a baby anymore but she's MY baby) threw up all night long. Literally every half hour. We kept her in our bed and would just hold a towel, or wipes or whatever we had that was still clean under her while she threw up. Poor girl, she had nothing left in her. Finally at about 5 am she was done. We slept for a couple of hours after that.

Saturday -We decorated our tree and house for Christmas, cleaned up a bit and just hung out at home. Then that night my husband and I went to his staff Christmas party. The kids did fine with the babysitter. Supper was fab, party was fun but the chairs were really uncomfortable. At the end of the night, my back was sore.

Sunday - Early morning, baby girl is throwing up again. No church for us. But our son had to go to Sunday school to practice for his Sunday school Christmas program. Thank goodness for my mom who picked him up and took him there. I tried to clean up, make some food and do laundry, knowing that I might not have the energy to do those things throughout the week if this continued. Later that evening little boy starts throwing up. Every half hour. We let him sit on the couch, drink ginger ale and watch Diego episodes until 10 o'clock. Then put him to bed. My husband and I took turns getting up everytime he threw up in the night.

Monday - I started throwing up. Husband had to come home from work to look after the kids. Enough said.

Tuesday - Kids had upset stomachs, but were ok. I was in some serious pain though. Went for a massage while my lovely friend watched my kids. Found out my hip was displaced. (I've had problems with my SI and hips since giving birth to my daughter)

Wednesday - Tried to get into my chiropractor, couldn't. Called my mom and cried. She brought me some painkillers. ;) Went to my RMT who did an adjustment on my back. Could barely walk. My mom took my kids to their daycare so they could have some attention and I took some painkillers and iced my back. Slept the day away :) (anyone who received an email etc from me that day might have been confused - I was pretty loopy) Missed work.

Thursday - Baby girl threw up, little boy had upset tummy. I felt a bit better, did some dishes etc, but probably pushed it too much and hurt my back more. Missed work again. Then threw up all night long.

Friday - Finally got to my chiropractor for an early morning appointment. Felt a lot better. Actually made muffins with my son. Tidied the house a bit. The kids and I did some colouring and got out some more Christmas decorations. Husband brought supper home but did not eat it.
Then he threw up all night long.

Today - daughter was up at 6am (teething?) is now back down for a nap and my son and I are watching tv. I have a feeling we will not be doing too much today.
I am hoping and praying that this is the end. We have a very busy day tomorrow and I am quite ready to get out of the house, get back to work this week and get ready for Christmas. So many things that I wanted to get done - Christmas photos and cards, wrapping presents, baking, visiting with some friends. My brother and sister-in-law are moving today and we can't even help out.
Two weeks until Christmas! I am so glad I don't have more presents to buy. That is one thing that I was on top of.

*I will do the draw sometime today or tomorrow*