The Post-Christmas Post

 Merry mid-week what day is it? My family has asked this countless times in the past week. Last week Chad & I were trying to figure out what day of the week Boxing day was going to be, and it took us about 10 minutes to pin that one down.  With all the church services, and no school, every day feels like Sunday, or Saturday.... or is it Thursday? My Google now tells me both the date, and the day of the week in my morning routine!

We had a pretty good Christmas.  We are used to not seeing family over the holidays, although the last few years we were close enough to my parents that they'd usually come up for Christmas.  This year it felt weird since we are close enough to see Chad's family, but we weren't allowed to see them. We are doing lots of Zooms instead, which is better than nothing, but we can't wait to get together with family & friends... whenever that will be allowed again.

With Chad being busy with Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, & Sunday church we were still pretty busy.  Because of the tighter restrictions we have to sign up to attend church in person, and I did not remember to do so before all the Christmas services got filled, so we waved Chad off, & watched them from home.  That was definitely a weird feeling!

Then on Christmas day we opened our gifts.  Did I take any pictures? Nope, not a single one.  Asher's first gift was a WaterPik. He said, "This is a terrible present!" (Sums up 2020 pretty well though!)  I told him, "It can only get better from here!"  We got lots of new books to read which  everyone was happy about.

I bought myself some really nice bunny slippers, wrapped them up, and boy, was I delighted to open them! Unfortunately they were too small, so Chancery is happy, and I have cold feet!  Chad said that's what I deserve for buying myself a present.

The kids don't go back to school until Jan 11, so now we will have lots of time to bake, play games, & read.  We're borrowing skates so the kids can take advantage of the ice rink that is just beside our neighbourhood, and we have lots of ski-doing that can be done on the lake. I'm appointing myself the hot chocolate maker so I can stay in the warm house!

Cease and Desist

Today I was talking to Mr. G after church about transit engineers.  Now, to me, "Transit Engineer" could have 2 meanings... The first would be, "a person who plans & designs for transit", the second, "a person who drives transit, like a train driver". So I asked which type of engineer he was referring to, & he informed me that Transit Engineers are only the former, in Canada, & the latter is a "driver".  If a person who drives were to publish a paper, for instance, & call themselves an "engineer", they'd get a cease & desist letter.  It was an enlightening conversation!

Another friend, Miss K, walked up & handed me some cash for some vases I picked up at a thrift store for her, & we were discussing how many more they still needed for an upcoming event.  I told her, "I'll keep looking for them until you tell me to decease."  A moment later I realized I had messed up the 'cease & desist' phrase!

Church Challenges!

Last Sunday morning after church I picked up a cup of coffee, added my cream & sugar, & walked over to "my spot".  (Yes, I have a certain spot where I stand, it's just off to the side, people know where to find me, & I find it easier to hear what people are saying to me)

I lifted my little mug to take my first sip & noticed there was a bit of lipstick on the cup (which couldn't have been mine!), so I decided to wipe it off, & turn the cup to drink from the other side.  I turned it around to discover MORE lipstick!  At that point I couldn't handle it anymore, I don't even WEAR lipstick 90% of the time! So I returned the full cup of coffee to the kitchen & sought out a new cup of coffee & started the whole process over with less lipstick!

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During offering time I handed each of the kids a quarter.  Asher handed his back to me & whispered, "I can't put this one in, it's a special one!"

I took the quarter back & sorted through my wallet for a 'regular' coin for him to donate instead.  I was about to put the fancy quarter in my pocket to take home & add to my special coin jar.

Chancery then leaned over & said, "I want to see it!"

I handed the special quarter to Chancery, & just then the offering basket came by & Chancery put the special quarter in!

....so, I reached in & grabbed it back out!

I thought I was in the clear until a man sitting behind me leaned forward & said, "If you're that hard up for cash I could loan you some!"

New Groups

Every time we move, I try to find a new Bible Study group to join.  Sometimes the new church we are in has one, & sometimes they don't.  When they don't, I peruse the area churches online & see what they have going on.  This morning I went to a church about 20 minutes away, & as I had been warned beforehand, the group consisted of 10 ladies who were at least twice my age.  Every single one of these ladies had an accent, mostly Dutch.

When I came in the room, they greeted me & then told me what normally happens.  "We sing a song, & read the Bible, then we have coffee & snacks.  After that we do the devotion, then we sing again & have more coffee!"  Very formal, but you know what to expect!

I thoroughly enjoyed the study & company of the women, but what really made me smile was after our second round of coffee, one of the women beside me was telling about how she had bumped her leg at the doctor's office last week, & before she knew it she had  exclaimed, "Potverdekke!"  Then she had to apologize to the doctor for saying it even though he had no idea what she had said.  I don't know many Dutch words, but I knew that one!

Sunday Pictures

Asher - 9 years

Chancery - 6.5 years

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 Asher: "As a good-bye to PEI, we decided to be outside!"

Chancery: "It's a beautiful summer day, & we are celebrating lots of things today!"

Asher: "One of them is a farewell party with our church."

Chancery: "And it's also our church's birthday!"

Asher: "And we're having a potluck!"

Chancery: "And we're taking Daddy to the BEACH this afternoon!"

Asher: "He doesn't get to come with us very often, so we better make sure he has a fun time, right, Chancery?"

Chancery: "You bet!"

Oh Yeah, We're Moving!

I realized after my last post that I had not mentioned on the blog that we are moving!  In the last month there has been a lot going on!  PChad received a job offer from a church in British Columbia, & after a lot of prayer & consideration, we decided that is where God is calling us to be.  An added perk of moving is that we will be closer to both of our families, & only about an hour from my extended family!  I can see it now, dropping the kids off at Grandpa & Grandma's house, & saying, "Good luck, we'll see you in a week!"

So, we are busy getting moving quotes, getting our house cleaned up & put on the market, entertaining the kids now that school is over, singing the kids up for their new school in BC, etc, etc.  We are planning on leaving in about a month, & driving across the States, visiting family along the way.  We want to make it a fun vacation for the family, & make lots of memories.  Hopefully those memories will be good ones, not ones filled with arguing about legroom & who touched whom!

So, please pray for us in this next couple of weeks/months that we get all the things done that need to be done, & that we also have a chance to enjoy a bit of summer here in PEI before we leave.

Dinner at the CN Tower

One of the activities of the conference was a trip up the CN Tower & dinner as well.  We somehow managed to arrive 1/2 an hour early to the Tower, so we had some time to observe the city from the observation deck before we were seated.

 

Then we enjoyed a 2 hour, 3 course dinner with some lovely ladies representing PEI, Alberta, Minnesota, Iowa & Ontario!

 

And, yes, I wore jeans!

A Little Conference Fun

I was on the planning team for my conference in Toronto, & one of my duties, along with one of the other team members, was to come up with the game.  We decided on group photo challenges, & here are a few of the results!

 

“Break the Stereotypes”

Teams had to come up with a photo of a person breaking free of the other teammates.

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  “Think Before You Speak” (or “Hold Your Tongue”)

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“Be Yourself” (or “Be Silly!”)

“Support Challenge”

 

We had a really great time of fun & fellowship, along with some great messages from our speaker Ruth Vander Zee.

Sing-A-Long

During church yesterday, after we had just sung a song, Chancery turned to me & said, “I was singing too!”

 

Me: “That’s great!”

 

Chancery: “Yes, and I wasn’t singing ‘Twinkle-Twinkle’ or another song!  I was singing the same song that you were singing!”

Church Picnic 2013

July First was the Annual Church Picnic, & we had pretty nice weather, not too many bugs, & lots of fun!

 

Asher’s Sunday School class had a potato sack race.  The instructions were, “Hop to the end, hop around the can & come back.”

 

As you can see, Asher had some difficulty with what he was supposed to do…

 

 

Chancery’s Sunday School class had 2 teams which filled up a cup, ran it down the field & tried to fill their bucket first.

 

Chancery tried hard, but her teammates were not all that concerned about winning… 

There was a bit of confusion every time the cup was passed to the next person, but the kids all had fun.

 

During the last part of the race, Chancery ran into another kid, & her cup of water got all over her shirt.  She was pretty upset about it, but then they handed out the prizes, & she got some princess hairclips.  Princess hairclips make everything better!

 

After lunch it was time for the adult games!

We had to run down the field, put on a scuba mask, lifejacket & flippers, then run back.  We also had 2 buckets which we had to walk down the field with 2 other team members moving the buckets for us to take our next step in.

 

The last part of the challenge was to stack 6 straw bales into a tower & get all your team members back across the line while your tower was still standing.

 

Once again, the games were a lot of fun, & it was great to see all the teams getting so into it!

Dahl Soup (Indian Red Lentil Curry Soup)

We had a soup potluck at church yesterday, & PChad’s soup was a hit!  I had many people come & tell me they really enjoyed my soup, but I had to give all the credit to PChad.

I have only made soup twice in my life.  The first time we had to stop on the way home from the potluck we had brought it to to dump it out in the ditch… it was that bad.  The second time was better, but not by much.  So, I’ll leave the soup making responsibilities up to PChad.  He does a much better job of it!

Dahl Soup

2 T Butter/Margarine
2 Garlic Cloves, chopped
1 Onion, chopped
2 T Curry Powder (or to taste)
2 cans Chopped Tomatoes
1 C Lentils (preferably Red)
2 t Lemon Juice
2 C Vegetable Stock
1 can Coconut Milk
Salt & Pepper too taste

-Saute Onion & Garlic in butter (about 3 minutes)

-Add spices, cook 30 seconds

-Add remaining ingredients

-Bring to a boil

-Simmer 25-30 minutes (until the lentils are tender & cooked)

The Mother’s Day Gift

We have Coffee Break at our church on Tuesday mornings, & last week was the final week of it.  There are different classes for the kids, separated by age groups.  Chancery’s group made necklaces for all the Mums last week.  My friend JJ came up the stairs wearing her gift from her daughter, but Chancery insisted that I couldn’t open mine until Mother’s Day.  Since I had seen JJ’s, I knew what my gift would be, & I figured it would be similar to hers.

 

When I opened my gift on Sunday morning, I was a bit surprised at the difference between the necklace JJ had been wearing, & the one Chancery gave me.  Here’s JJ’s necklace…

 

 

And here is the one Chancery gave me…

Notice that there is a knot right at the centre of the necklace, so my beads all hang on one side.  Chancery told me, “You can wear it when you have your jammies on!”  I think I just might!

Sunday School Lessons

Yesterday I picked the kids up from their Sunday School room after church, & as they ran out they handed me their crafts.

  Apparently, they learned the story of Jesus feeding the 5000.  Chancery handed me her basket…

Then she told me about what was inside.

“I have two fish, & five pieces of bread in my basket, but they look like potatoes to me!”

Sometimes, along with the craft that coincides with the story, they make additional crafts as well. Asher handed me this & said, “That’s me… and I have a beard!”

It’s Not A Building!

As we were driving up to the church for Coffee Break today, Chancery announced, “I can see the church through the trees!”

 

We often watch for it as we are coming up the hill, & we make the announcement as soon as we see the building.

 

Chancery then continued on, “The church can drive, you know.”

 

Me: “Can it?  I don’t think so, it’s pretty stuck where it is.”

 

Chancery: “Yes it can drive, because you are driving, and you are the church, & I am the church too!”

 

So great to know she gets it at such a young age.  The church isn’t the building, it’s the people who gather together!

Chancery at Church

A few of Chancery’s interactions at church…

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Chancery asked a lady at church, “What’s your name?”

 

“I’m Anne,” she replied.

 

“Oh, I went to your house before!”  Chancery said with enthusiasm.

 

Anne looked a bit perplexed.  We hadn’t been to their house since Chancery was 1 1/2.  It was doubtful she’d remember that one time…

 

“…When I went to Green Gables, I saw your house!”  Chancery finished.

 

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We were sitting in the row at church today, & Chancery noticed a very pregnant woman in our row.  As she was passing past the woman to get to the children’s message, Chancery asked…

“Do you have a baby in your belly?”

 

“Yes, I do,” the woman replied.

 

“Then you need to feed it milk!” Chancery told her.

 

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After the children’s message, the kids are told that 3, 4, & 5 year olds may go down to Sunday School.

 

Every week, Chancery announces, “I’m 3 and a half!”

 

After a month or so, one of her friends has joined in with, “And I’m four!”

Deep Thoughts

Chancery was lying in our bed this morning, & I could tell she was thinking some deep thoughts.  After a few minutes’ contemplation, she declared:

 

“Some people don’t even need hair.  Because they are bald!”

 

This statement wasn’t as out of the blue as you may think.  Just last Sunday whilst sitting in church, Asher announced quite loudly during a quiet part of the service:

 

“That man has no hair at all!”

 

The man in question was sitting directly in front of Asher, so there was no doubt he had missed what was said…

but I guess he doesn’t really need hair anyway.

Church Picnic

Friday was the annual church picnic.  Though the weather wasn’t overly sunny, it didn’t rain, & it was a pleasant temperature.

The kids had a great time running around.  They both seemed to get all their injuries for the the day within the first hour, and then had a good time playing on the playground.

 

PChad found a friend…

 

…and Chancery found her friend Mr Harrie!

 

Then we had the adult games.  Teams had to complete a few different tasks including forming a ‘roman horse’ & carrying a person holding an egg on a spoon in their mouth down the field.

 

The teams also had to fill a cup with water, which was being held in someone’s mouth.  PChad ended up pretty wet, but their team won, so it was worth the sacrifice.

Destined For The Spotlight

During our worship services, just before the sermon, all the kids go up front for the children’s message.  Usually Asher has an answer for every question, sometimes they are complex answers.  Yesterday, the kids were asked what a mirror was for.

 

Asher answered, “So you can look in it & see what you need to do… like when you are fixing your hair.”

 

It was a good answer for the question.  He had his moment that everyone heard him talk.  After the children’s message comes the children’s song.  It changes from month to month, & this month they are singing “The Wiseman Built His House Upon The Rock…”  Since the song has actions, the song leader set the microphone on the pew so she could do the motions with the kids.  Asher seized his opportunity, grabbed the mic, & proceeded to lead the rest of the kids in song.  After church he told PChad, “Sometime I’d like to sing a song all by myself.”

All Dressed Up

A few weeks before Christmas, Coffee Break had a Christmas program.  I was one of the readers for it, so since I was going to be standing in front of everyone for an extended amount of time, I thought I should wear something nicer than my usual jeans & a hoodie.

 

For me, dressing up is something I don’t really like to do.  I feel much more comfortable in clothes that I’m not worried about getting dirty or ripped.  So, when I say, “I’m dressing up” for something, if it’s not a wedding or church, chances are I’ll still probably be wearing jeans.

 

The morning of the program I decided to wear a knit hoodie sweater with jeans.  I figured it was the perfect mix of “dressed up” & comfortable.  Later that afternoon after Chancery woke up from her nap, she kept telling me, “You need to take off your church clothes, Mummy.”

 

I guess it goes to show, that even SHE thinks a knit hoodie qualifies as “nice” clothes!

Dressed For Success

Sunday morning, Asher put his clothes on & came into my room to show me his fancy duds.  Then, the following conversation took place.

 

Asher: “Look, Mummy, I look just like Grandpa Marvin does when HE goes to church!”

 

Me: “Oh yes, he DOES wear shirts like that, doesn’t he?”

 

Asher: “AND I have a thing right here on the front to put things in.  I HAVE A POCKET JUST LIKE GRANDPA MARVIN DOES!!!”

 

He seems to have found quite a good role model.