Christmas

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Isaiah 9:6


wow, this blows me away.
a saviour born into man, a helpless babe.
in a lowly stable, into a dirty manger.
i can't imagine putting my own baby into a filthy animal feeding trough, let alone the messiah!
but that's how it was planned out.
from the beginning of time.
a humble beginning for the Lord of Lords.
how awesome a beginning.
but that's not even the most exciting part of the story.
this God man grew... and lived a perfect life.
something no one else can and will ever do.
then, He died.
was crucified.
for me.
for you.
so we have the chance to live.
what a gift.
a precious gift!
God is good... Christmas is a time to celebrate His birth.
even in the lonliness that many often feel during the holidays you can rest in His peace.
He will comfort like no one ever can.
feel it... accept it.
His peace, love, hope and joy are His gifts to you.

Merry Christmas!!!

thoughts on marriage

i went for a run this morning and on my playlist came a great tune.

you see, i'm kinda cheesy and like a whole variety of music when i run.

this sunny morning i got to hear a great tune called 'believer' by the canadian christian boy band, jake.

ha!

even writing it out makes me laugh!

anyhow, i couldn't help but reminisce that some good friends of ours used this song in their wedding slideshow.

they were young, like us, when they got married.

early 20's.

i remember when i was engaged and working at an accounting firm that people were just flabbergasted that i was so young and getting married.

i just shrugged and said, "yep!"

they just couldn't understand how i didn't want to go "find myself" and "live a little" before i got hitched.

it still makes me shake my head.

why on earth would i want to wait to marry?

"well, you don't know if he's the right one!"

well, guess what... he is!

i chose him... and i got married.

i made a commitment.

before God.

are there tough times?

have we gone through trouble in our marriage of 12+ years?

you bet!

have i had doubts?

probably.

but i'm committed.

i took a vow.

and even though i was a mere 20 years old at that time, those words meant something to me.

and now, a dozen years later, they mean even more to me.

because i choose to live out those vows each and every day.

the infatuation may have subsided... those butterfly feelings of new love may have faded...

but what's left is love.

real love.

it's not always pretty.

we're not always kind to one another...

but at the end of the day, we know that we're together 'til death do us part.

and here's the beauty of it all...

once you're married, you're joined together.

it's no mistake that God created the institution of marriage.

it reminds us of His union with us. 

when we became Christians, we were joined together with Christ.

essentially we made a vow with Him.

and guess what?

He's gonna stick it out through the good and the bad times.

do you think He ever thinks about leaving us?

nope.

case in point:

"Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you."

Hebrews 13:5

He stays committed to us... so we need to stay committed to Him.

just as we need to stay committed in our marriages... and other relationships.

our relationship with God is such a good reminder to continue to love those around us, even in the hard times.

in our hard times... and in our loved ones hard times.

even when we're a hot mess, lost and feeling alone, God is always there.

even when we don't feel Him there... heck, even when we don't want Him there.

He is always there.

He is never failing.

His love never fails.

no matter if we were young when we made the commitment to follow Christ or old, He never gives up on us.

marriage... with our spouses... and with our God.

it's something that needs continual care and work.

with prayer, love, devotion, honesty and commitment, there can be amazing fulfillment.

no matter how young you were when you committed yourself.

grace on a wednesday

lately, i've been in particular need of God's grace.

the tough days seem to just meld into one long stretch as of late.

yes, we've had a quite a few of these rough days lately.

you know the drill.

too much rushing around...

too many scheduled events...

too many deadlines...

too many burdens...

too many hurts...

too many this...

too many that.

i've had a few moments where i feel the need to flee.

then, reality sets in, and i know that this is the life i've chosen.

life is busy.

yes, it is.

i feel overwhelmed at the exhaustion of it all.

i have little patience and a multitude of embarrassingly short tempered moments.

between the yelling, the crying and the complete gong show (and that's just ME), i want to give up.

i am a failure.

oh yes, mom guilt.

actually, maybe it's just human guilt.

there it is.

it's messy.

complicated.

life is not perfect.

far from it.

luckily there is some saving grace.

grace from God.

oh sweet grace!

it's the only thing that gives me comfort.

when i'm feeling my lowest, drowning in a sea of self doubt, self loathing and pitying...

i just look up.

my Saviour is there, offering me the best gift.... grace.

i certainly don't deserve it and yet it's freely given.

i don't have to be perfect.

i can't be.

i will fail, time and time again.

but His grace will NOT fail me.

He will lovingly restore me and fill me back up.

oh how i need that grace.

the grace of Jesus.

it doesn't make my multiple wrongs right.

i still need to be challenged to change my stubborn ways.

but that grace brings peace to my soul.

and hopefully, with every bit of grace i willingly receive, i can give it to others.

sweet, sweet grace.

my budding artist

“It took me four years to paint like Raphael, but a lifetime to paint like a child.”
― Pablo Picasso

i've been inspired to make more use of our art supplies.

let me rephrase that...

i've been inspired to let my children make more use of our art supplies.

i craft and create all the time...

but my overwhelming urge to keep things tidy hinders my children from being creative with my stuff.

miss casey is fantastic at convicting me to let go of my controlling tendencies and let my kids create what they want to create.

check out this great video of her passion, here.

so, this morning, i pulled out the paint supplies and some fresh paper.

i gave baby H a brush and let her paint to her heart's desire!

i didn't even put a smock on her... because she was already wearing a bathing suit.

(gotta love 2 year old fashion sense!)

 watching her paint freely without reservation was beautiful.

 again, i'm learning through the eyes of a child.

“Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up.” 
― Pablo Picasso

snow

our first snowfall came a couple of weeks ago already but it seems our girls have been waiting forever for the white stuff.

once it arrived, they were happy as can be!

first instinct?
to eat it, naturally.
no waiting on mommy to tell them if it's clean or not.

particularly, this one has a penchant for eating the white stuff.

of course the older two have taught her well.

for some, me included, the snow means less time outdoors.
how quickly can i get back inside a toasty warm home?
how fast can i pile my groceries in the vehicle to be out of the cold?
but for these three?
nah.
how efficiently they can put on their snow attire, ready to tackle a blanket of white.

the cold does not bother them.
it's magical.
and fun.
and a new adventure awaiting to be explored.

fresh and new.
something beautiful.

these girls teach me new things every day.
stop where you are.
enjoy the moment.

be thankful for what's right in front of you.
jump for joy for the simplest of pleasures!

thank you Lord for snow!

instafriday

again, these are from the past couple of weeks...

my life as of late!

two little munchkins hitching a ride!

ladies church event... a good friend was speaking and my dear friend, D and i wouldn't have missed it!
yes, i bring my "camera" to church.
only b/c it's my phone... and my father in law was stuck watching my girls.
i had to have it on in case he needed my help.  ha ha!

my sweet grandma, or "omi" as we affectionately call her.
we went to visit last week and got to go swimming at her apartment pool.
a highlight for my girls, for sure!
i just wish we lived closer than an hour away. :(

pole dancing in the cart at dollarama.
doesn't get any classier than this.

fur stoles is where it's at, yo!
don't you know it?!
ha ha!
my sweet pal and i on a shopping escapade.

enjoying my new pretties!
(even when you're christmas shopping for others you can treat yourself, right?)

a glimpse of my home made teacher gift.
thank you, pinterest!
you are a time waster... but you give me inspiration and help me to be creative!

choosing a christmas tree to take home.

the one we chose... undecorated.

 the same tree... WITH all the trimmings!

christmas baking!
hard on the feet standing all day... but love having a freezer full of yummy goodies to share!

sushi date with one of my oldest and dearest friends.
it's like a piece of art!

my little stinkster!
one of her favorite treats... sour cream.
go figure?!
so i put it over some raspberries and blackberries and she devoured it.
strange girl... but i LOVE her!!

good day sunshine

i was noticing my reflection on my screen as i was browsing the intranets...
ooooooh... kinda creepy sunshine in the face pic!!!

that is all!
(can you tell i haven't been in the blogging mood as of late?!)

instafriday

this is from a couple of weeks ago but i couldn't resist.

she is way too cute to not get this pic on!

obviously this is PS (pre-snow).

the tickle monster makes her appearance.
baby giggles are the best!

first snowman of the season...
definitely won't be the last.

first real snowfall of the season too!
find me a child that doesn't do this at least once a year?

being the nerdy mom i am, i took my girls to the museum.
we had lots of fun!
it's awesome to come here year after year and see some of the same exhibits from when i was a child.
so nostalgic for me!
here we are, pretending to be crewmen on the Nonsuch boat!

this is the same boat, but on the outside of it, naturally.

woah!

those are some freaky deaky eyes on my kids!

of course we had to check out the science exhibit.
b/c, you know, we're so sciency.

 can you tell it's movember here?!?!

we also tried a cool science project...
you know, b/c we're so sciency?
we made ice cream... in a bag.
it was SO yummy!
seriously!
although the recipe hardly made a cup.

no school = crafting day!
can i resist anything that's owly?
i don't think so!

of course you need to get some good make-up techniques done on crafting day.
i have such girly girls!
i wonder where they get it from?!

ok, we also attempted this play clay recipe.
it was kind of a fail.
boooo.
really messy and stainy.
is stainy a word?  i don't think so.

new sock bun curls on pinterest?
well, didn't work for me.
but the before pic is kinda cute... if you're into ballet!

an awesome snow run!!!

eye doctor visit.
she did great!!

that's it!!