SNOW DAY!

Can you see it?!

The big smile on my face?!

I'm smiling because it's a snow day!

I have an unexpected relaxing day! I kept Daniel home from school today and my little guy didn't come today because the schools in Mission are closed (his Grandma is a school teacher there). I have my little girl, but only for a couple of hours and then I'm done for the day! All these things combined give me some unexpected freedom today!

Our church secretary is away sunning it up down south!, so I'm filling in for her at the church office. I worked there last night and was planning on going again tonight. But now, I can go there during the day (pack activities and lots of snacks for Daniel & Becca and we're good to go!) and probably get everything finished up!

Here are some pictures I took this morning of our Snow Day!

I couldn't resist taking a picture of Taleigh this morning! She had just finished her breakfast. As soon as she saw the camera was pointed at her she was all smiles!

And one last thing. Last night as Becca was helping set the table, she put her "baby" in the highchair with dishes and a big fork! Notice how the baby's hand is on the fork?! She was quite serious about her baby eating with us! So cute!

Friends and ...Motorcycles!

On Friday, a friend of Daniel's called to plan a play date. So Jonathon came over and played. Shortly before it was time for him to leave they found the marbles and magnets (I think it's called Magnetix or something). They had a great time being creative! I love it when they use their imaginations!

Then, on Saturday, Jeremy and Daniel went with Jonathan and his dad, Devon, to the motorcycle show at the Tradex. They had fun dreaming and drooling over all the bikes! For those of you who don't know, Jeremy has ridden motorcycles since he was 16yrs old. The last one he had he remodeled and fixed it up. We owned it up until Becca was a baby and then finally sold it. It just wasn't practical transportation for a young family and was just another expense.

A couple years ago, Jeremy & I went to Palm Springs for a week and rented a Harley Electra Glide for the day (I told Jeremy that if we were going to ride for the day that I wanted comfort!). We drove from Palm Springs over to Oceanside (absolutely gorgeous!), down to La Jolla and then back to Palm Springs. Our backsides were sore at the end of the day - but it was soooo worth it!

Anyway, back to reality! So, the "guys" were at the motorcycle show. Have you ever wondered how many times Jesus protects us? I'm sure there are many times that we don't even know about. Well, Saturday was one of those times where you knew that He was watching over and protecting us. The guys took a break from walking around and at the Motorcycle show and went upstairs to have a snack. While sitting and relaxing, Jeremy looked around to check on Daniel. Jeremy's heart stopped! There was a metal railing at the edge of the upper level of the Tradex stopping people from falling over and way down to the cement floor! Of course, Daniel had found a spot that he could fit through and was on the other side of the railing - the only thing stopping him from falling down many feet to the cement floor was the air! Air doesn't hold you up very well! Jeremy jumped up and grabbed Daniel and pulled him back to safety. Aside from Daniel hitting his face on the railing while he was being rescued, he was fine. Yet another reminder of God's protection on our family!

Weigh-In Saturday

Last weekend, we bought a new scale. I know, I know! You're not supposed to change scales midway, but we were having a difficult time getting a consistent, accurate reading on our analog scale so we bought a digital one from Costco. That being said, he "gained" two pounds when changing to the new scale. So from here on out, any numbers given are from the digital scale.

With that in mind, his "starting" weight with the digital scale as of Sunday last weekend was 250lbs. This week he lost 4lbs bringing him to 246lbs. He had a couple times of cheating here and there (he's discovered my French chocolate truffles in the cupboard) but over all he's been very good. Last night we went out for supper at the Pantry (gotta love coupons for a free meal!) and he took 2 slices of his own bread ("HealthyWay Body Conscious" bread can be bought at McGavins, Costco & Save-On-Foods/PriceSmart) with him. The waitress was thoughtful enough to take his bread and have the cook toast it and put the burger insides on Jeremy's bread rather than on the regular hamburger bun. He's never done this before but thought it wouldn't hurt to ask! "No problem", the waitress said! It's fun to discover new and creative ways of eating healthy.

"Overwhelmed. That's where I'm at right now. The struggle to choose laziness over responsibility is strong. I want a clean house and I want to do my devotions but I don't want to do the work required. I'm tired. Jeremy and I had another disagreement and I ended up crying. We quickly worked it out before I headed off for my massage. I've been looking at my Bible all day and ignoring it."

That is an excerpt from my journal last night. I have been feeling overwhelmed with everything going on around me these past number of weeks. Jeremy and I are still in the midst of processing and listening to God. We both feel strongly that God is preparing us for something. We don't know what or when, but we believe it could be major when it happens. That in itself is scary for me! So with all these thoughts running through my mind I have been scared to listen to God. After all, what if He says something I don't want to hear!

This past week I have heard God calling me, wanting me to spend time with Him but I have succeeded in coming up with excuses (I'm hungry, do the dishes, do the laundry, play with the kids, read other people's blogs...). Jeremy and I have been at each other more this week. All these feelings of being weighed down, scared, overwhelmed, tired, guilty, sad for ignoring God - I have allowed them to keep me from turning to Jesus. Last night after our tiff, Jeremy and I talked through things, realizing that both of us had not been spending time with God this week which is why we weren't honoring each other. When a man and woman get married they become one flesh (Genesis 2:24). Also, we were made to know and long for the glory of God more than anything or anyone else. When we don't respect that, then everything falls apart (Romans 1:21-23). Jeremy and I have really felt that this past week. We weren't spending quality time (if any) with God and so were not going about our days with Christ-focused thoughts and actions; we weren't glorifying Him with our actions and words. How quick and easy it was to fall into the old pattern of bickering (the early years of our marriage). More from my journal:

"Tonight I'm finally listening to God and spending time with Him. I'm
so tired. All I could do was ask for forgiveness and crawl up into God's
lap and snuggle. I've missed Jesus and He's missed me."

As I continued picturing myself sitting in Jesus' lap, safe and secure, a tear trickled down my face. And some more from my journal:

"I'm tired. I didn't want to read my Bible but thought I'd give it a couple of minutes of my time.

Psalm 4 "Answer me when I call to you, O my righteous God. Give me relief from my distress; be merciful to me and hear my prayer. ...Know that the LORD has set apart the godly for himself; the LORD will hear when I call to him. In your anger do not sin; when you are on your beds, search your hearts and be silent. Offer right sacrifices and trust in the LORD. ...I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety."

Psalm 5 "Give ear to my words, O LORD, consider my sighing. Listen to my cry for help, my King and my God, for to you I pray. Morning by morning, O LORD, you hear my voice; morning by morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation. ...But I, by your great mercy, will come into your house; in reverence I will bow down toward your holy temple. ...But let all who take refuge in you be glad; let them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may rejoice in you. For surely, O LORD, you bless the righteous; you surround them with your favor as with a shield."

Psalm 9:9,10 "The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you."

Isaiah 46:4 "Even to your old age and gray hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you."

Psalm 3:3,4 "But you are a shield around me, O LORD, my Glorious One, who lifts up my head. To the LORD I cry aloud, and he answers me from his holy hill."

I'm so thankful now that I took a little more time and read my Bible. I was very encouraged and reminded again of God's love for me and His continued faithfulness, even till I'm old and gray! My heart is at peace again. I still don't know what the future holds, but I do know that God is sufficient to meet all my needs and that He will never leave me!

Just Because!

Yesterday Jeremy & I were "at each other" a little. We weren't using our nicest words, tone of voice, attitudes, etc! You get the point. Anyway, he had a meeting last night so we could only exchange a quick "I'm sorry & I love you".

Around 9pm I got a call from my sweetie telling me to go to the front door. I have learned from past experiences not to ask questions but to just obey! So I did.

On our doorstop was a bouquet of a dozen white roses and a grocery bag with Rachel Ray's cooking magazine and a little candy treat! What a sweetheart! I love this man! Not only did he say "Sorry" before he left for his meeting but he took the time to unexpectedly speak my love language.

What Do You Do With A Half-Eaten Apple?

Apples - such a healthy snack for a 6yr old boy! Not such a healthy snack for the toilet, though! Yes, apples are biodegradable and great for the soil, but they don't do much for the toilet. Let me rephrase that - apples don't do anything good for the toilet!

Plunging for an hour, probing with a rubber-gloved hand and with a restructured coat hanger aren't all that effective either. Although one of those methods (or maybe it's a combination of the three of them) at least allowed the trapped water in the toilet bowl to trickle down the pipe rather than float over the top of the bowl and splash on the floor. (Oh, and did I mention that the hot air vent is right by the toilet and that it goes into the basement suite bathroom and master bedroom?) So there I was, armed with towels from the closet, a plunger (that was the best $4 we ever spent!), an empty yogurt container, an empty ice cream bucket (the yogurt container wasn't being very effective with preventing waterfalls), a rubber glove and my jack-of-all-trades husband on the phone!

Right now my rather pathetic muscles are saying, "That's enough already!" The kids have been given strict instructions to NOT touch ANYTHING in the bathroom! Can you imagine if they tried to "help"? Yikes!!! So now I'm playing the waiting game: Will Jeremy come home and fix the toilet before the kids need to go potty?!

My knight in shining armour just walked in the door so I must dash and watch him prove himself (again) as our hero!!!

**15 minutes later!**

The offending object has been removed and not a moment too soon! "Daddy! Daddy! I have to go potty!" A quick reassembling and VOILA! My husband is our hero - again!

In case you're wondering, if you're feeling sleepy and wanting to take a little nap but know you shouldn't then attempting to plunge a foreign object down the toilet is definately one way to keep you awake! Now to make sure my son knows that apples and low-flow toilets don't mix!

Under 250!

Well, it Weigh-In Saturday! Jeremy has lost another 3lbs! He is officially UNDER 250! It's been quite awhile! He now weighs 247lbs for a total of 34lbs! This past week, Jeremy had his seatbelt on and tried to pick something up off the floor of the van. And he could reach it! In the past he hadn't been able to reach it. He is beginning to notice good changes to simple everyday things like that! All of them encouraging him to continue on! We didn't bother taking any pictures this time - maybe next week.

Tooth Fairy...Get Ready!

Daniel just came home from school a bit ago and I just noticed that he has a loose tooth! It's the one sticking out a smidge on the bottom left (first one left of the two middle bottom teeth). Wow! I managed to not get overly emotional but the tears tried to come! My little boy is growing up! At his age, there aren't a whole lot of "firsts" left (compared to an infant who has a "first" every day or so). This is one that screams "I'm growing up whether you want me to or not"! I can't slow it down - guess I'll just have to accept it! Oh, I don't like change! But I love the proud look on my son's face. So worth it!

Excited boy and proud sister!

Man of Many Talents

Lately I have been feeling weighed down with some processing that Jeremy & I are going through. I have been feeling more tired, too. Not getting to bed on time doesn't help either - but it's so hard!. I have had a full work week (actually 2 weeks; today is my 11th day of work without a break - only one more day then 2 days off!!!).

Trying to help jumpstart my system, I jumped in the shower after my daycare kids went home. It's amazing how much that helps! I quickly got ready and headed out the door to attend a "Children and Nutrition" course. I am looking into becoming a registered child care facility (different than a licenced facility). The information session is next Saturday, but one of the courses I will need was tonight so I decided to go.

Because of my tight schedule, I didn't have time to eat supper before heading out. I quickly informed Jeremy of my plight on my way out the door so he could have something ready for me when I got home. Well, to my surprise & delight, he put his culinary imagination to work and made me a wonderful meal. It was all ready for me when I got home, presentation included. It was so sweet, I just had to share it with you! The meal was simple, really, but delicious. Because we are eating healthier these days, I'm starting to tire of salad (which if you know me, that is virtually unheard of). So, my personal chef got creative and made an ordinary salad attractive and tempting! Add to that the thin-crust (whole-wheat tortilla shell) pizza, and it was a wonderfully filling meal. And, to top it off, he had a wine glass of Martinelli's Sparkling Apple Juice ready for me. (No, he didn't even cheat and have any juice for himself!)

So now that I've tempted your tastebuds, here is a picture of the wonderful meal.

I think what made the meal tonight even more special was the fact that while I was gone, Jeremy put thought and feeling into what he made for supper and took the painstaking time to make an attractive presentation. It showed me that he cares about me and my loss of interest in salad and that he cares about how I've been feeling and that he loves me! I know he loves me - it's just great to have it practically reinforced.

I love my man of many talents!

Memory Verse Monday

Memory Verse Monday

(on Tuesday!)

I spent yesterday trying to figure out which verse I should memorize. I could just pick a verse but I really wanted to know that God was wanting me to memorize it. Well, I couldn't find one so I just left it.

Back in the fall I made a commitment to have a closer relationship with Jesus. My excitement for reading the bible is back and my desire to hear from God has increased. I am trying to stay committed to reading my bible and prayer with the intent of listening. Things have been going well and I have seen God working. I have asked forgiveness for things, trusted God, and now it seems that I am at the next stage of getting closer to Him.

Jeremy and I have recently been asking ourselves "What are our non-negotiables?" We have been praying and seeking God as we try to answer this question. "What are our non-negotiables with our faith? with what we believe God is saying to us?" Such a weighted question. As we began answering the question, we found there to be a ripple effect happening. If we believe this, then this will affect that, which in turn will affect that...! Currently, Jeremy and I are seeking God and the Scriptures about one of our non-negotiables. As we are processing our way through it we can see how far reaching it can go. That scares me. I don't like change, but as much as I don't like change, I know that obeying God is more important. If God says "Follow Me", then we will choose to follow - even if it means giving up everything we hold dear. That is the part that I am struggling with. Isaiah 43:1b-3 says, "Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the LORD, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior". Those verses have encouraged me knowing that whatever decision we make, God will be with us.

This morning as I opened my bible to spend some time with God, the pages opened to Nahum. I don't remember ever reading the book of Nahum, but I must have because I have a verse highlighted! Chapter 1:7 says, "The LORD is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him." This is just what I needed! Encouragement! A reminder that the Lord is good and that He cares for those who trust in Him. I can trust that He will take care of us even if following through with our non-negotiable means big changes. I know that His plan is the best one - even if it doesn't make sense to us at the time (or ever).

So, I have decided to make Nahum 1:7 my memory verse for the week. I will write it on a post-it note and add it with the other verses on the side of my cupboard by the sink.

Weight Loss Update

It's been a few weeks since I've posted about Jeremy's weight loss. He's still working on it. The last time I posted, Jeremy had lost a total of 23 lbs. That next Saturday (we headed to the Island for Christmas that day) he had lost another 5 lbs to bring his weight down to 253 lbs. Over the two weeks of Christmas holidays, Jeremy chose to be more relaxed with his eating and ended up gaining 3 lbs taking him back up to 256 lbs.

This past week he was back to work and got back on track with his eating. His goal was to lose 6 lbs and...he did! He is now down to 250 lbs. He is so excited! This next week will hopefully see him in the 240's! It's been quite awhile since he's seen those numbers on the scale.

This morning, he tried on his wedding ring and it slipped on his finger without any resistance, he had to go to the next smaller notch on his belt and it might seem strange, but he feels like he has more room in his shoes!

Tune in next week for another update! At this rate, he figures he'll meet his goal weight in May or June! Only 5 or 6 months to go!

Jeremy - 250 lbs

Life-Changing Moments

**Please Note: Some of the pictures at the end of the post are a little icky!**

Two years ago today at 7:20am, Jeremy was on the freeway driving to work and a boulder crashed through his windshield into his face. He did not lose consciousness, thankfully, so he was able to drive another 50-60ft and safely pull off the highway. It was a long day, waiting in emergency for the plastic surgeon to come and stitch him up. It was an emotional time, realizing how fragile life is. This accident came at the end of 14 months of trials (our Christmas van accident, our discovery of Daniel's epilepsy, Becca's ITP problem and finishing up 5 yrs with our foster son, Richard). During those 14 months, it seemed that every time we tried to get spiritually back on track something else would happen. On New Year's Day 2006, Jeremy and I made New Year's resolutions that we would be committed to deepening our relationship with Christ. On one hand, because of all the trials we had just been through we felt closer to God than ever, yet on the other hand we were hesitant to deepen our relationship with Him. Then Jeremy's accident happened!

When my sister heard about Jeremy's accident, she asked God if there was a verse she could share with us. This is the verse He gave, "Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens. Our God is a God who saves; from the Sovereign LORD comes escape from death" Psalm 68:19,20. It was exactly how we felt - praise for God's protection.

It was 9 months before I was ready to take that hesitant step of faith. Recently I read a verse that encouraged me and has given me peace about seeking a closer relationship with Christ. "Yet the LORD longs to be gracious to you; he rises to show you compassion. For the LORD is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him!" Isaiah 30:18.

For Jeremy, it was about a year before he was able to fully trust God again. We were in cell group one night and he shared about his desire to be close to God again but that he feared something bad would happen again. As a cell we then prayed and asked God to show each of us where He was during Jeremy's accident. Everyone had the same kind of picture. Jesus was sitting in the passenger seat/on the front hood and reached out to catch/deflect the boulder before it hit Jeremy. It was amazing! For the first time since the accident, Jeremy felt that God was really with him during that crisis! When the rock hit Jeremy's work car, it hit the metal frame at the top of the windshield. The impact from the rock was massive. When the car was getting fixed the mechanic said that if the rock had hit an inch lower it would have come straight through the windshield and hit Jeremy with the full impact, and if the rock had been an inch higher it would have fallen through the sunroof and fallen on his head. Either way, the outcome would have been much different.

Now it's 2 years later. Jeremy still has pains in his head every day. Some aren't as bad but others are bothersome and some are quite painful. Rubbing the pain seems to help it go away. The severed nerves are trying to reconnect which is what causes the pain. Because his nerves were severed, a patch of his head is numb (Jeremy likes to joke that he is a certified numbskull!); it could take years for the nerves to reconnect or they may never. Only time will tell. At the time of the accident we were praising and thanking God for protecting Jeremy. Even though we were scared to fully trust Him again we still chose to thank him.

We are thankful for the lessons we learned through this crisis.

"O LORD, be gracious to us; we long for you. Be our strength every morning, our salvation in time of distress" Is. 33:2.

"Surely this is our God; we trusted in him, and he saved us. This is the LORD, we trusted in him; let us rejoice and be glad in his salvation" Is. 25:9.

I won!

I just found out today that I won the Canadian part of the contest over at Sweetmummy's blog! I'm so excited. I totally didn't think I'd win and at one point I almost didn't finish and send off my trivia answers. Now to decide what I'm going to spend my $20 Chapters/Indigo/Coles gift card on!



On another note, I have a question for all you with "Blogger" blogs. Are any of you having problems with some of the writing being in Spanish rather than English? I am. Different parts of my blog (the part at the top where you can sign in to write a post as well as the comments part on mine and others' blogs) are written in Spanish rather than English. If it was in French it wouldn't be such a problem, but I don't know any Spanish! I tried finding a way to e-mail Blogger about this problem and have been unsuccessful. Let me know if you are having the same problem, know how to contact Blogger about problems or have any advice in this area. Thanks!

Divine Appointments

I've been thinking lately about God's overall plan for us. So often we get caught up with the busyness of life that we aren't able to see God working around us. Personally, I have found that if it seems like God is not working it's because I am not connecting with God, reading my bible or praying. However, when I am spending time reading my bible, praying and listening to God I see Him working all around me!


When my sister told us before Christmas that they wouldn't be able to come down for the holidays we were sad but knew that we'd figure something out. My parents wanted to go to my sister's place and we told them to go and not worry about us. In past years I would probably have had a little pity party but this time I just felt that we should give my parents our blessing to go up North and make other plans for ourselves. So we began making arrangements to go to the Island. We asked my aunt & uncle in Nanaimo if we could invade them and they welcomed us in with open arms. We had a great time with them, encouraging them and laughing lots! They didn't have all their children with them for Christmas this year so we helped to fill the void. Our kids loved asking Uncle Don and Auntie Marion to help with this or that and had a great time playing with my cousin.


While on the Island we visited Jeremy's foster-family. Jeremy's youngest foster-brother was there so they started chit-chatting. Before long, the conversation went very deep. God was using Jeremy to speak to his foster-brother, to challenge and encourage him. Afterward, Jeremy said he had chills during their conversation because of how God was working. It was so exciting to know that because of our "simple" decision before Christmas, God was able to use Jeremy in this way. We've begun calling these connections "divine appointments". It really helps to keep the right focus - that wherever we are, God can use us - whether we think so or not.


Seeing God at work is exciting! The more I connect with God, the more I want to continue.

Memory Verse Monday

Memory Verse Monday

Because of the holidays I've taken a couple of weeks off from sharing about the memory verse I'm learning. I have also stuck with the same verse. I considered learning a new one but I kept finding new ways to apply it and, to be honest, it's taken me this long to learn it, but I think I have it now! "In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and rest is your strength" Isaiah 30:15.

So what have I learned by memorizing this verse? Well, the first application came on the Saturday before Christmas. We were driving to the ferry to go to the Island and had snow and/or ice the whole way! Now some of you know that 3 Christmases ago we had an accident on black ice on our way home from up north. Since then we have not enjoyed driving in the snow (particularly the ice). Needless to say I was very nervous this time on our drive to the ferry. I wasn't quite panicking but I was a 10 out of 10 on the stress scale. Shortly after we left I remembered my memory verse. I began repeating the first half - it's all I remembered at that time. But as soon as I said it God's peace calmed me and my stress level went down to about a 4 and my nauseous feeling left. I was still nervous but was able to be rational and calm enough for Jeremy to drive responsibly. Of course, I was very thankful when we got to the ferry in one piece! And of course, just to make sure I learned to just rest in God's arms, we had snow on our way home at the end of our holiday! Sometimes you just have to laugh at God's sense of humor!

Another thing I have been working on these past couple of weeks is the repentance part. God has been convicting me of areas I need to repent of. It's humbling yet freeing at the same time. Jeremy & I are reading a book right now called "Seeing and Savoring Jesus Christ" by John Piper. Piper reminds us that we were created for the sole purpose of giving God glory. When we sin we are hindered from completely glorifying him. I have been really pondering this point these past few days.

The verse that I feel compelled to learn for this next week is also from Isaiah, "You women who are so complacent, rise up and listen to me; you daughters who feel secure, hear what I have to say!" (32:9). I've been pondering this verse for some time now. At one point I thought the verse said rise up and speak, but it doesn't. God is calling complacent women to rise up and listen! How do we listen to God? Through prayer! Women, pray with the purpose of listening to God, hearing what He is saying to you.

I am looking forward to this next week to see what God is saying to me as I listen to Him.