Well it's a start isn't it...

I figure at least a change in background design will give me a little kick in the blogging pants. Our year has been quite full, and frankly, if I had kept up with this, it would seem so dang overwhelming now! For the most part, I feel anything I blog here is not really news to those I care to share with anyways, but it is a good record of events...so herein I shall attempt to journal just a little more frequently:)

I've had a nasty cold this past few days, complete with head-ballooning, aches and pains, and that great water-up-the-nose feeling, so I've been trying to be responsible and block out the fact that I have a granddaughter within kissing distance! Don't want to give this to my little Elliott, but then again, I realize she was super snuffly when she was at my house, and prolly gave this to me! Heck with it, I'm calling them up tonight:) Can't wait any longer!

What a dolly:) We had a family photo shoot last week, with bedlam of the best kind happening all around her and she still slept through most of it. Looking forward to seeing how those pictures turn out and maybe we'll post a few here too! (ok, for those skeptics wondering if I'll ever get back here, I don't blame ya).

Aiight, that'll have to hold us all for now, I've got baby snuggles to collect:)

He is Risen:)

Happy New Year!

I'm already thinking about my New Year's Resolutions....




ON A MORE SERIOUS note, ...here's a letter I just received and it explains a lot, actually. I thought it was because I was getting older (this is my jubilee year after all, quite a landmark), but it is all coming clearer..

Warning - Women's Body Parts Move
Open letter from Ms Peggy Legg
This is an explanation to those friends and family who have experienced mysterious switches of their body parts. This effect is especially noticeable in January.
You may have read of the scare story about the man whose kidneys were stolen while he was passed out. Well, read on. While the kidney story was an urban myth, my story is true - it occurs to me practically every day.
My thighs were stolen from me during the night a few years ago. It was just that quick. I went to sleep in my body and woke up with someone else's thighs.
The new ones had the texture of cooked oatmeal. Who would have done such a cruel thing to legs that had been mine for years? Whose thighs were these and what happened to mine? I spent the entire summer looking for my thighs. Finally, hurt and angry, I resigned myself to living out my life in jeans and Sheer Energy pantyhose.
Then, just when my guard was down, the thieves struck again. My butt was next.
I know it was the same gang, because they took pains to match my new rear end (although badly attached at least three inches lower than my original) to the thighs they stuck me with earlier.
Now, my rear end complimented my legs, lump for lump. Frantic, I prayed that long skirts would stay in fashion.
It was two years ago when I realized my arms had been switched.
One morning I was fixing my hair and I watched horrified but fascinated as the flesh of my upper arms swung to and fro with the motion of the hairbrush.
This was really getting scary. My body was being replaced one section at a time. How clever and fiendish.
Age? Age had nothing to do with it. Age is supposed to reap, unnoticed, something like maturity.
NO, I was being attacked repeatedly and without warning. In despair I gave up my T-shirts. What could they do to me next? My poor neck disappeared more quickly than the Thanksgiving turkey it now resembled.
That's why I decided to tell my story. I can't take on the medical profession by myself.
Women of the world, wake up and smell the coffee. That really isn't plastic that those surgeons are using. You KNOW where they are getting those replacement part, don't you?
The next time you suspect someone has had a face ' lifted' , look again. Was it lifted from you? I think I finally found my thighs...and I hope Cindy Crawford paid a really good price for them!
This is not a hoax. This is happening to women in every town every night. WARN YOUR FRIENDS.
Yours alarmed
Peggy Legg

Oh, My Son-in-law Can Do That...

It doesn't really matter what it is...I'm not kidding you.

I have to say I am continually amazed at my multi-talented son in law Jeremiah:) It seems every time we're together I discover a new gift in him. Or even a new sense of appreciation of him as a young man. Our young man.

I remember when Carmen & Jeremiah first moved to Calgary. Peter and I dutifully met them there to help them move into their new place. (We still really didn't know Jeremiah that well and I am sure none of us were looking forward to awkward stranger moments, but we knew he would be ours for life, and wanted to get to know him better, and it is a big job for just two people.). At some point, the girls got their way and we went to the Sunridge Mall.

This is not startling news about Jeremiah I know. I'm getting to that. First off, we were in a lonely little cul de sac somewhere in the industrial site. Not sure how we got there, my memory is fuzzy at this point so I would have to make it up. But we handed Jeremiah the map book and within minutes he had us sailing along to our destination.

This may seem a simple task to some, but I detest those little map books that are too small to actually give you 3 square blocks, and then it says 'turn to the farthest page away from you and watch how we magically don't make the lines match up"... What was even more fascinating to me was that we were looking for a specific store . He says " it will be on the second floor, somewhere by the escalators in the center of the mall, possibly 3 stalls to the left or right..." (remember, he has never been to this mall in his life, and while I do know that many mall layouts can be similar, there is absolutely no way a normal person would remember that. Sure enough he was exactly right. And yes, he pulled the exact same stunt at Ikea for me when I wanted to go back for some item. So you see he is basically doomed to the task of escorting me shopping whenever we are in Calgary:)

Among his other giftings, (both he and Carmen love to garden together), Jeremiah is quite the creative and artistic kind of guy. He spends some of his time painting small detailed creatures - I on the other hand could never even do a paint by number as a child, inevitably coloring outside the lines, so any kind of painting impresses me. Especially the fleur de lis he painted on a vase for me one Christmas. When Carmen & Jeremiah were preparing for their wedding celebration, Jeremiah cut out several shields, designed and painted them himself, and it really made an authentic beautiful Medieval statement all across the base of the stage in front of the head table.

Not to mention, he has put together numerous costumes over the years, and even made a little kid one for a friend this year. This talent will come in handy when their own little prince or princess comes on the scene. Here's a nice pic of Jeremiah's costume for Ken & Jade's wedding.

Jeremiah is good electrician too - we reaped the benefits of that when he came for 3 days to visit and spent part of 2 of them wiring our en suite with Peter. We wanted him to rest and enjoy his holiday, but he insisted on honouring us and taking the time to do this wiring. It would have taken Peter literally 2 or 3 weeks if he would have done it on his own.

I know he takes things like this for granted but I do not. There is a certain boldness about Jeremiah that enables him to face challenges head on.

I wanted to take some time this birthday (belatedly!) to honour Jeremiah for the warm, loving son that he is to us. Jeremiah, you are a fine man and we love and appreciate you so much! You've brought your unique giftings into the family and we are richer for it. I am slowly getting used to being picked right up off the floor when you come home for a visit (my, but you're strong! lol), and while I know you have a great mother and father of your own, it always makes me smile when you occasionally address me as 'mom':)

Yep...there's Ray & Jeremiah fixing the furnace one Christmas. My son in law can do that.

This summer I discovered a couple more of Jeremiah's talents...we had the most delectable bbqued bacon-wrapped chicken ...mmhhmmm:)

And I also didn't realize he was such a great drummer lol. While we were visiting them this fall, C&J made me play Rock Band. I had managed to avoid it up to this point, but I figured what the hey:) I already knew Carmen was a beautiful singer but I didn't realize Jeremiah was good too! They also discovered how bad I am at the game. Apparently you have to actually strum the guitar to make it work? I was all about the fancy fingerwork with the red/green/blue/yellow... anyways, it was fun.

Here's to the next year, Jeremiah! May it be full of great surprises and new adventures:)

love you ~'mom'

Beauty and Grace

...that's our Kissy Face:)

I believe her Grandma Ev gave her that name originally and it's one of my favorite nicknames for her too.

And even though I'm VERY late with my bday post, I would like to honour Jesse Grace. While I'm on her name, I will say that I heard somewhere that one of the meanings for the name Jesse is "current with God" (which she is!). Couple that with Grace (the power of Jesus) and you have a beautiful recipe for a lovely girl inside and out, someone who makes an impact on the Kingdom of God just by being herself.

Although I grew up with Jesse's mom, Arlis, we seemed to go different directions after high school so our children had to discover each other for themselves. The first time I really noticed Jesse was when she visited our church with some other young people, and gave her testimony. My heart was touched by her honest story of how the Lord has been so good to her, and I could see the passion for Him inside of her as she told of the ways the Lord has rescued her, how she clearly knew it isn't because she does everything right, but it's because of His love for her, and how He pursued her, that I fell in love with her on the spot. (and I'm glad Ray did too LOL).

It was with great joy that we welcomed Jesse into our family. (At this point I didn't realize I would forevermore have beautiful eyebrows and toes as well, I just loved her for who she was and not for what she could do...but now...well let's just say money talks and we're both happy).

One of the things I love about Jesse is her deep love of family. When Ray & Jesse were first married, we had this thing of having dinner together once a week. I loved it. We should work on bringing this tradition back lol. And singing together - my favorite:) We don't get a lot of chances to do this, but I am always so filled up inside when we do!

This was an incredibly difficult year for Jesse as Peter & Areli and family moved to

New Brunswick. It was a special treat for her to go for a visit and get a good family fix! Not too sure what's going on with Jarv's eyes there, but hey... (sorry Simon, we'll have to post you later).


Enjoy your year, my dear! I am looking forward to seeing what new surprises the Lord has in store just for you.

love you lots! ~momzie

Good Gifts:)

From time to time I receive a devotional article in my mailbox and I really enjoy them; so I decided to post today's choice morsel:)

'Girl Meets God' from Melissa MathewsWeek of September 6 - 12, 2009
Fill My Cup Up- Let it Overflow

Thank Him in advance for what the future holds, for He is already there. Elizabeth Elliot

As I banged the cup on the counter, I got a groan.
"Mooomm, the cuuup's not fuuull yet."
As if I didn't know that, as if that wasn't the whole purpose in me banging the cup in the first place. The 7-11Slurpee machine was running really slow and thick, and I was just trying to be helpful. (If you don't know, a Slurpee is a frozen, sticky, sweet, foamy drink.)

It's been a long process- trying to teach the boys to use the Slurpee machine correctly- and I wasn't about to let them mess up now: 1) Choose the cup, 2) put on the lid, 3) make sure the dispenser is centered in the hole (not close to the hole, not above the hole, and certainly not beside the hole), 4) twist handle, 4) stop when cup is not-quite-full, because the Slurpee stuff always expands, and it's one huge mess when it drips down the side of the cup and gets dirty hands all sticky.
But that's all beside the point. I was pounding the cup on the counter so the Slurpee stuff would even-out on the bottom of the cup so I could add more Slurpee. And whichever one's cup I was holding was being impatient- acting like I was actually going to give them a slurpee cup that was half full! Who was paying for this anyway? Why in the world would I pay for a full cup of Slurpee and only take half a cup?
And, am I not one of the most push-over-parents you've ever seen? Am I not the mom that always changes my mind and gives 3 cookies instead of two? Am I not the one who always buys the Happy Meal, even when I said that I wouldn't? Am I not the mom who lets them spend $2 each on video games, when I only said they could spend $1?
So it was hard not to be irritated when whoever made such a ridiculous statement. "Mom, the cup's not full yet."

And then it flashed on the screen in my mind: "If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!"
Hmm. Was He talking to me?

"If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!"(Matthew 7:11)

Okay. Okay. So maybe I do act just like my kids sometimes. Maybe I do groan and say
"Is that all I'm getting, God?"
"Is that all the money I'm gonna have this month?"
"Is that all the wardrobe I can buy for my boys this season?"
"Is that all the honor I'm going to get?"
"Are those the only opportunities I'm going to have?"

As if God doesn't know what I need before I ask. As if God hasn't already given me more than I deserve. As if God doesn't have the fullest intention of filling my cup.

So God- bang my cup on the counter all you want. I trust you to fill my Slurpee.

Author's Bio:I'm a preacher's kid, pastor's wife, and southern belle who married a Southern California boy. Can you say "culture clash?" Scott and I have four boys - Max, Mark, Jackson, and Grant who keep us busy with homework and sports. Scott and I have been married 20 years and currently live in Northern California where we are beginning year five as church planters. I also teach 12th grade English and love it. I would love to hear from you. Email me anytime at melissa.g.mathews@gmail.com

Copyright:'Girl Meets God' Copyright 2009 © Melissa Mathews. 'Girl Meets God'
http://www.liveasif.org/

Wow Wow and Wow.

This man was at the Cry (Vancouver) recently and gave his testimony. Later I found it on youtube. God is amazing!