Ice, Ice Baby

Kyle returned home from a week in Miami where he and some of the crew at Ice Culture created yet another ice lounge. This video is one from the Toronto lounge, but I presume the element is the same.

It's exciting for me to watch my son become such a dependable young man. Since working with Ice Culture (almost right out of high school) he's been sent to many different places - Washington, California, Rhode Island, Chicago, and now he can add Miami to his passport.

Home life is very different when kids start to leave. Krystle is living in Cambridge while she attends Heritage Baptist College & Seminary School, she's now in her 3rd year. The boys (Kyle & Darcy) still live at home but with Kyle's job, like I said, he sometimes is away from home for extended periods of time. Darcy too will be gone for a weekend here or there as he goes to his friends homes, leaving Wayne & I home alone. I remember thinking when my kids were younger and all living at home how I wished to have time alone. I guess you need to be careful what you wish for.

Each new stage in life always seems to take me by surprize and usually some time to adjust to it. Living with adult kids has some different and unique challenges but overall I absolutely LOVE it. Unfortunately for me, by the time I'm used the stage I'm in, the next one starts to come along. >.<

Blessings

Decisions, Decisions

We've finally started the renovations to the family room.

As we took off the carpet that we added in 1986 we found this 'lovely' one lying underneath.

We took it out as well and removed the panelling that has been there since the room was built in 1974 and plan to start from scratch.

After we married in 1986 we slowly started renovating the farm house, which Wayne has been blessed to live in his whole life. In fact he's been in the same bedroom the whole time too. We started with the master bedroom and the upstairs bathroom. As our kids joined our family we renovated the other bedrooms one by one. In 1988 we gutted the kitchen added new drywall, cupboards and appliances. In 1990 we gutted the main bath room and added new drywall, cabinets and bathroom fixtures including a jacuzzi tub.

Each year we put new wall-paper a fresh coat of paint and new carpet or linoleum in each of the remaining rooms of the house, until 1998 and the whole house had been redecorated.

After getting all the rooms done, I was finished with renovating. So we didn't do anything for a few years until it was time to start all over again.

In 2002, we started out by simply wanting to freshen the master bedroom and upstairs bathroom since those were the first two rooms we did after we were married. But then it sort of snowballed and we ended up doing the master bedroom, the upstairs hallway, the upstairs & main bathroom, two of the kid's bedrooms, the entry room, the laundry room and the kitchen. Now in all fairness it was only paper & paint, but again after completing all that I was finished, until now.

So now another cycle of renovating has begun with the family room.
Since we decided to gut the room there are so many decisions to make from the colour of the walls, to which type of flooring do we want, to adding new furniture, sure it's great but what style, colour and more importantly how much is this all going to cost.

Well I'm excited to say all those decisions are made and now I wait, until the painting of "Tate Olive", the laminate flooring "Honeytone Washington Oak and the sofa (encore forest), love seat (encore forest), chair & 1/2 and ottoman (both Latino Coffee) are all added. Once it's done I'll be sure to post a picture.

Now the next decision .......which room should be next on the list?

Blessings

Postscript

So as a postscript for my birthday. I received these flowers from my daughter.

Krystle totally surprised me and came home. We were together yesterday as we celebrated Thanksgiving with our extended family, so I was not expecting anything. I must admit that when I hadn't received a phone call from her, I was a little disappointed, but these flowers and her surprise more than make up for it.

Blessings

Birthday wishes

Today is the first anniversary of my 40th birthday. I guess I'm not quite ready to admit my age.

For 10 years I celebrated my 29th birthday, then last year I decided to jump straight to 40. I never thought I was one to be bothered by age. Growing up I always looked forward to birthdays and being another year older and the cool stuff that each age allowed.

Last year the kids gave me this digital camera for my birthday. It was such a perfect gift.
Although now when I ask to take a picture of anything that they're or we're doing they say "mom you're not going to blog about this are you?" which I answer "of course I am!"

I know aging is something I cannot change and should likely embrace, but I'm not ready, so I won't be jumping to the next big number until the math no longer adds up with the ages of my kids. So when you wish me a 'happy birthday' don't ask me how old I am, because if you do, I'll tell you that I'm really celebrating the "whatever year" anniversary of my birthday.


Blessings

w.h.a.t.

The acronym w.h.a.t. stands for women's hearts always together, this is a group of inter generational women, who meet weekly to intentionally develop relationships with each other. We (women) all need a support system, our husbands can part of that system, but they cannot understand the myriad of emotions that we as women go through, only our women friends can do that.

In 2006, God laid it on my heart that we needed a group for women to get together and to support each other. There is an amazing group 'Heart to Heart' that meets in the daytime for all women and it is wonderful as it's meeting a need as there are usually anywhere from 45 - 60 women attend. But for those who work during the day..... I felt something more was needed and so w.h.a.t. started.

We started in 2007 with the book "Queen of the Castle" and we met for one complete year. We decided to stay together for six more months and studied the book 'What happens when women walk in faith'.
This fall, two new groups have started, one group is studying "Fight like a girl" by Lisa Bevere and our group is reading the book "Fresh Brewed Life" by Nicole Johnson. It's about waking up to the life that God wants you to have. It takes you on a personal journey with God and your journal. We met for the first time last night. I'm so excited to see where God will lead us, and how He will challenge us as we take this journey together.

Now most of you know, I am someone who loves to journal, so this book will be perfect. I've read it before and am really looking forward to reading it again with this group of women. I'm hoping that this will give me another opportunity to a deeper personal walk with God.

Blessings

Life goes on

It never ceases to amaze me that no matter what has happened in your life, whether it's big things - like the accident (see previous post) to small things - like day to day living, that life continues to go on. I know, it's not that profound, but there are moments that I wish I could freeze frame and enjoy just a little bit longer.

Last Sunday was one such day. Krystle was home from school and she had convinced her brother Darcy to play a game of Guess who?

For those of you who've never played, here's a brief summary of the game: each player picks a card of the characters that are on the identical boards and you begin by asking questions that would define their character. IE: Does your person wear glasses? or Is your person a girl?, and so on. Until you only have one person left 'standing' and are able to guess who. On the box is says recommended for ages 8 - 12. Did I mention that Krystle is 21 and Darcy is 18?

So anyway, they decide to play this game with a little twist and called it Subjective Guess Who?
Questions varied anywhere from Does your person play the tuba? or Is your person involved in the Russian Mafia? or my all time favourite Does your person smell of cheese? I don't think I've laughed so hard in my life. I mean how can you decide the answers to those questions. Ironically, out of the 5 games they played they were able to correctly guess who 4 of them.

Blessings

Thankful

I am so thankful today. I mean most days I'm usually thankful but today.... well you read the story and then tell me.

We received a phone call this morning at 12:45 AM from the Huron OPP informing us that our son Darcy had been in a 'minor' accident. As I'm listening to the officer explain the situation to me, my brain is unable to comprehend the words being said as I am only able to hear the pounding of my heart.

Learning that Darcy was OK, I was then able to understand that we were needed to come to the scene of the accident so we could pick him up and bring him home. Coming upon the scene of any accident usually gives me goosebumps but knowing that someone I love dearly was involved had me full of tears as we approached this accident scene.

I was overwhelmed with emotions as I saw my son get out of the police cruiser and saw that he was OK. After seeing that he was OK, we then took a look at the vehicle, thankfully it was too dark, or I might have really lost it.

Later today, I then went to Exeter Collision to see how badly it was damaged and to retrieve any personal items from the truck.
This is the front fender on the passenger side where it hit the telephone pole.


The diver side rear fender as he bounced around and landed in the ditch, after rolling it once.


And a view of the tailgate.


If I stop and think about what could have happened.....
So needless to say I am thankful. Today and always.

Give thanks to the LORD, for HE is good. Psalm 136:1

Blessings