tired. but good.

What can beat an evening of sewing while listening to John Piper? (okay, so a lot of things, but really, this is a very lovely combination don't you think?) Tonight's sermon was "Parenting with HOpe in the Worst of Times". what a glorious title. God is most glorified in US when we are most satisfied in HIm. LOVE THAT. Classic Piper.

So my lovely Cousin had her first little bebe this week, and i am so sad to be far from her and so happy for her new life!!!! Wow. what a transformation the first baby brings to a couples' life.... i am stoked for these three happy people :)welcome to the world Baby Logan. (love the name!!! that was our name-pick if Julia had been a boy.)

Here are some whirlwind sewing projects i have designed in lieu of the new Bebe. :)


Camo-Overalls... :) awesome!!!!! :) Now Logan can play real Hide and Seek when mommy brings him out to the forest!! :)


Diaper Wrap, to keep in any diaper-seepage from a long-long-long-restful-full-night of sleep.... I'm praying for that to come with the gift of the wrap of course!! :)


A Bunting Bag to match the overnight-diaper-wrap. :)Perfect for camping trips, when you don't want your little bundle to get cold overnight when they kick off their blankets. :) ((because they CAN'T kick off this blanket!! Muhahahaha.))


I helped out a friend today by adding her daughter to my crew. we walked to the market for veggies, fruit, and donuts of course. :) OH!! AND pussywillows!! aahahaha, the girls sang a PussyWillow song all the way home (like a 30 min. walk!!) . IT was super cute.
Once at home, we had lunch and art time. Then some doll-in-pool play. Kids love anything involving water! It was great to help a friend out, and by the end of the day, i was tired!! :)




These last photos are from Sam's family bday party. I worked hard all day to make time to sew the Party Bunting with trains on it just for Samboy. Julia worked hard all week drawing trains and coloring then, punching holes and stringing them up all over the dining room. :) She loves to decorate. A long piece of beautiful cotton material worked well as our table cloth for the night. My mom brought it for me to sew with eventually... but for a sweet three year old's bday party it worked perfectly as a table decoration! :)

ESCAPE.

Finally, after a week (or more) of having to hide inside with different illnesses, we took off, headed out, escaped!!! I have never had so many secondary infections come from a cold. really, it was ridiculous. But now we are on the mend, and i thought a 10 hour Family day trip to a local Provincial park was much needed. *ah*

IT was the first time we explored in a long long time.... and my body was not up to much. Between antibiotics and fluid in my head i felt pretty beat. Push push push, it took a lot just to cover the 2 km trail we chose. (and if you know us, we walk a lot further than that on a daily basis...2 km isn't very far) But everyone else was loving it!! Sam and Julia took off and crossed boardwalks and bridges and explored Fungus, woodpecker holes, leaves and signs of spring.

This season is interesting in that, it doesn't feel like Spring yet (lacking in color), but the mysterious beauty of Winter has melted away. I learned from a friend that this season is called "Stirring" in the Elf World, and i like that. :)

Our family has chosen to take a family day in honor of each person's birthday. So i took a picture of Sam on the beach to celebrate his near approaching 3rd birthday.

Ah. the silence of an EMPTY beach. The warmth of Pre-Spring, a breeze, the relaxation of watching kids entertain themselves happily with rocks and waves.... *ah* *Sigh*

Sam's Birthday is Fast Approaching.

So I thought i'd try my hand at a new art form: Fondant Icing. BOY is it fun!! i chose to buy it ready made, since mixing it can be very difficult unless you own a Kitchen Aid mixer (apparently).

So, now to bake and freeze the cake, so i can form it into a train later this week!! Horray for Trains and little boys turning 3!!!!!

Time for cake?? you might ask, how is that practical...? But you see, i have been TRAPPED indoors with sickness. I have terrible congestion. Mercy is recovering from Bronchiolitis and Sam is recovering from Pneumonia. Ik. Julia has a "bad cough" and so far Dave is fine. (Praise the Lord!) I cannot wait for tomorrow, when he'll finally be home and i can take it a little easier. (this is where dave laughs and says, "yeah, but you still won't- rest that is")

Anyway, being trapped indoors takes a lot off my "To Do" list. I haven't gone out for groceries, play dates, spring break games at church, school, walks, adventures in the woods, errands, yard work, neighborhood visits, or ANYTHING besides getting the mail (and THAT is on my porch, so it doesn't count!!). SO, i have TIME to explore the world of Fondant. :) hahaha. and it was fun. This afternoon i'm hoping to sew some Party Bunting. (i think it's called that). Thanks to my mom for the awesome construction material, it will suit this Birthday perfectly!!

love to all. keep praying for health. the sun is out and we want to PLAY!!! :)

And so another Visit is over.

Twice a year we get the opportunity to have my folks in to stay with us. Well, actually, to stay in with my Sister in law. :) We don't have a room for guests, so i suppose you could say we "rent out" a guest room just down the street.

We have my folks join us in our everyday events: they went to school with Julia for Chapel and Show and Tell. They came exploring through the woods, ice, and snow. We shared our evenings playing games and talking. We even shared cold-bugs. ik. Bowling together, biblestudy together, cooking together. together.

Real life is satisfying. It is always nice to share it with my parents, since usually they only get to experience Real Life with us over the phone or internet! :) My mom and I had a nice date out for a walk and some window shopping in the Cultural hub of Sarnia. :) My dad and I ran together on day while he was here, the plan was to do much more than that.... but time and sickness got in the way! On the First Friday of each month Sarnia's downtown stays open later than the usual 8 pm, with live music, or special art displays or projects set up for passersby to examine. After perusing some art galleries, we went to a Local Tea and Jam Tasting. (okay HOW GREAT IS THAT????) The "Local" part being both where they were made and what they were made of. My favorite was a very strong Carolinian Blend tea called "Four seasons". We purchased a Sumac Jelly, which was so good it is gone just a short week later!! We have a lot of Sumac trees here, so it was neat to buy something that we talk about frequently with the kids. The Native Americans used them for various foods and dyes, and now we know something practical we could make out of them!! :)

Dad brought "My Side of the Mountain" to read with Julia (at my request), here ((pictured above)) he is telling the tale as we sit my a fireside! :) how appropriate for the story! :)

Well, now the house is sitting much more still and quiet. we are still trying to shake the cold bug that entered it a week and a half ago though, boo. Sam and Mercy have it the worst, and i finally had to take meds to fall asleep last night due to congestion. boo. But hey, this year has still been TEN TIMES better than last years' flu season. ik.

more Visitors.

I think the Geese are a sign of spring... :) even if they are walking on ICE. :) haha.