Shrunk!

When I was a kid I absolutely loved doing shrinky-dink crafts (except for that one mis-spelled Sunday School mobile. Whatever people, maybe it is the Holy Sprite. I small elf-like person dressed all in white, with Jimmy Neutron hair.) So I was thrilled to find this little shrinky-dink kit in town yesterday and brought it home for the kids to do.

Caley coloured all the little mermaids and sea creatures

Matthew helped carry them to the oven

Where they were magically transformed before our eyes.




Matthew's little mind was blown

Voila

Best of all, they ran off to play with their micro crabs and mermaids leaving me to fold the laundry in peace.

Best $2.00 spent, ever.

Step 1 Done!

On Saturday we met with our social worker one last time to sign our home study.
We are trusting that God's timing is behind the fact that it took nearly 8 months to complete. I'm also hoping that the few minor changes that didn't get made to it aren't a big deal because I was not about to point them out at that point. Just get it done!

Upward and onward to step 2.

The Itsy Bitsy Spider has Drowned

Wet Flowers

Wet Berries

Happy Kids

Wet Coast Summer

What's the best thing to do if you are newly six years in one of the wettest summers ever.

Jump on the trampoline in the pouring rain of course.

Squealing, screaming, and giggling is optional, but increases the enjoyment of the experience (at least I'm assuming from the noise level.)

Pictures taken from inside

Crazy girls.

Scenes from the garden

Front corner. Plum trees, peacock ravaged broccoli plants, cucumber, celery and garlic (I'm not sure why the garlic has died back already)

Rhubarb plants I swore I was going to dig up this year. Really, how much rhubarb does one family need? Apparently the answer is a lot.

Peas, potatoes and large area with nothing planted because the soil was too wet when I was planting the garden.

Pretty butterfly

Caley and her friend

The kid's garden. 90 sunflowers around the outside, pumpkin, peas, beans and chives inside.

Crazy rose bush

New sandbox we just finished at the back end of the garden and the peach tree.

The raspberries are almost ripe.

Brussel sprouts and lettuce

Not pictured: tomato and squash beds and beds where carrots and parsnips were planted that never came up which I'm trying to ignore, because - gah, frustration.

Walkway down to the garden

364 (part2)

My children have a terrific father 365 days a year and I try to teach them to honour him every day (it's much easier to teach a lesson I myself am struggling to learn. We won't talk about who is doing better at it either).

It really started me to thinking about fathers and fathering.

Because Brad is away to often for work, the kids and I spend a lot of time just us. I certainly am not fathering them during those times, although I've heard single women remark that they are both Mom and Dad to their kids.

In our family Dads are for pushing the baby way too high on the swing and somehow never seeing or caring how dirty the kids are. Dads have the kind of confidence in their offspring that allows them to teach a 5 year old to both drive and shoot a gun (while Mother increases time spent in prayer). Going to town with Mom is a chore, with Dad it's an adventure. Dad believes ice-cream is a great dinner option because of all the calcium in dairy.

Dad's are for modeling, however imperfectly, the love that God the Father has for his children.

and then I can't help but think of all the fatherless children and I am just beginning to understand what a great lack that is.

I'll be honest, my husband is terrific, but his heart is not for the fatherless. I feel disloyal saying that but if he was crushed to think of our kids spending one day without their earthly father where they needed him to be when they are so blessed by him so many other times, perhaps he's not so far away from there as I thought.

Sometimes I'm so deeply disappointed and frustrated with him (as I'm sure he is with me at times) for his ability to completely disregard anyone outside of his sphere of contact. Poverty plays an important role in population control, he believes...ugh.

And yet, he is this amazing Dad to the two children we are parenting and it all seems so close and so far away at the same time.

So I pray each day for God to touch his heart, to change him, to open his ears to the cry of the fatherless...because when it happens and he is able to show that kind of love to others..well I just can't wait to see what will happen then.

"He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion.."

I can't believe it took me so much rambling work out that thought...phew.

364 days

In our small rural Mennonite church most of the heads are grey and eyes bespectacled. Solid, German Mennonite farm folk who's steps are a little less sure now. These are a steady folk, generally unexcitable, who regard me and my...*ahem* ..."passionate" personality with small smiles of indulgence because I'm one of their own. Maybe by marriage, maybe just because I've stuck around so long, but still, accepted.


When I think of the term "salt of the earth", these are the faces that come to mind. Between them they have lived through wars, fled certain murder at the hands of armies, watched as those they left behind fell in droves to famine, lost loved ones, and faced the daily toil of life. Their worship is quiet, reflective.....faithful.


On a few occasion however, by general consensus, quiet steadiness is put away for some good old fashioned fun.





Our church does Father's Day, and we do it well. Mountains of homemade goodies, games and music. The whole afternoon dedicated to celebrating our earthly father's. It's the official kick off to summer.

Father's Day 2010

So it was with great consternation that Brad realized that the road shutdown dates he had finally wrangled between three different users (and already advertised) were for that particular weekend.

"Well, no wonder the loggers agreed." He said, sounding a bit bewildered.





A three day bridge repair, starting on Saturday, 4.5 hours from home.





He said he'd make it.





Somehow, Brad insisted, he would be at that picnic on Sunday afternoon.





?????








umm..okay Dear?





I don't know if it was the thought of all those baked goodies or picturing Caley trying to do the wheelbarrow race without him as the legs of the barrow, but I had a really hard time convincing him that we would much, much rather he not kill himself on some Northern stretch of highway rushing home, or push himself so hard on the job that he fall right off the bridge deck. (He has come close to that one before)





It's just a day after all.





Just one day.





The kids and I would be okay if he was away for this one day.





We had 364 other days to make up for it.



(It's late, this thought will have to wait till tomorrow)