Monday, January 28, 2013
Thursday, January 17, 2013
a week in the life
January is fast-becoming one of my favourite times of the year. I love the stock-taking, the plan-making, the routine-returning, and the life-ordering. My life can use a lot of ordering in some areas, but in other areas I'm impressed with how routine and organized things are. I find writing out the routines I already have in place helps me to organize where to put anything that doesn't have a spot in my over-crowded life. Here's a quick overview of my week.(boring, I know, but it's the type of thing I find fascinating, so feel free to share yours with me)
Monday - Walk the girls to school. Tidy a bit. Read (right now in Nehemiah and Matthew) and journal. Run errands for work - usually Costco, Dollarama, Bulk Barn or Atlantic Wholesalers. Arrive at work for 1130am. At 6pm, head for home. Make something easy for supper so we can eat without a big wait. At 830, read a chapter to Laurie (right now, we're reading, I Want to Go Home by Gordon Korman). At 900, read a chapter to Marcella (right now, we're reading, Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren). 920ish - have a quick chat with Ashlin and then head back down to work at about 940. Finish up the close at work and head home - usually home by 11pm. Grab about 15 minutes of reading before sleep (right now I'm reading Still Alice by Lisa Genova)
Tuesday - At 715, take Laurie to Violin. Walk the other girls to school at 810. Tidy a bit. Read and journal (and prep for esl - right now in Mark). Run some errands for myself, and maybe for work too. Arrive at work for 1130. At 630, leave work to go to esl. (Lately my class has been as many as 14 students from Chile, Korea, Iran, Germany, and China. But I've had students from Japan, Columbia, Tahiti, Mexico, El Salvadore, Argentina, Brazil, Quebec, and probably more I can't remember.) On Tuesdays, Mom picks up the girls, gives them supper, brings them home and puts them to bed. Then she folds laundry, vaccuums, sweeps, and generally spoils me with a clean house! At 9pm, esl is over and I return to work to help shut things down and pick up Colin. Usually home by 11pm. Read. Sleep
Wednesday - Walk the girls to school and tell them "See you tomorrow morning." :( Tidy up a bit. Read and journal. Plan meals for the week. Around 930, Juaniece picks me up and we head down to the market to get our unhomoginized milk, local vegetables, and grass-fed beef/pork. Arrive at work for about 1130. Colin goes home, taking whatever I've had in the slow-cooker all day to the girls for supper. He spends the evening with them. Arrive home from work about 11pm. Read. Sleep.
Thursday - Walk the girls to school. Tidy. Read and Journal (and prep for Sunday School - right now we're studying the life of Jesus). Sometimes on Thursdays, I go back to bed for 40 minutes or so, but it's always really hard to get up the second time. Errands. Arrive at work 1130. Put something in the slow-cooker. 6pm, Colin heads home to be with the girls. We have live music at work on Thursday nights, so it's a fun evening. Arrive home from work around midnight. Read. Sleep.
Friday - Walk the girls to school. Tidy. Read and journal. Make sure there's something for supper. Errands. Arrive at work 1130. On Fridays, Sarah comes to stay with the girls 330-830. They make supper together, clean up, usually go for a walk, and have fun. They love Sarah! Colin arrives home by 830 (after a long, 12-hour day) and puts the girls to bed. I fall into bed sometime around midnight. Read. Sleep.
Saturday - Arrive at work with Colin sometime between 800 and 830. Wash pans, decorate and cut cakes until about noon (I like this morning time together - we usually put Steven Curtis Chapman or Geoff Moore on to listen to). Swing home and bring Ashlin back down to work for the afternoon (I usually get her a sub or wrap on the way for her lunch). Marcella, Laurie and I spend a bit of time together before I grab a nap - about an hour. Then it's back to work for the evening - Colin takes the girls for supper and spends the evening with them. Arrive home about midnight. Read. Sleep.
Sunday - We soooo look forward to Sundays. It's our family day. We drag ourselves out of bed. Church starts at 930 and we're usually on time (but sans breakfast - terrible mother, I know). 1130 is my Sunday School Class (amazing girls 12 and up). We usually plan to go somewhere for lunch. We eat and chat and catch up on each other's lives. At the first of this year, I really wanted to start a healthy family habit of hiking on Sundays. So far, we've gone hiking twice, and really enjoyed it each time. I plan to make this a permanent part of our Sunday routine. We usually intend to go to church Sunday nights, but after spending a bit of time together, Colin and I are almost always overcome by sleepiness and succumb to a nap. We do a low-key, late supper, watch some tv together and tuck the girls into bed. Read. Sleep.
And then I do the whole thing again.
Monday - Walk the girls to school. Tidy a bit. Read (right now in Nehemiah and Matthew) and journal. Run errands for work - usually Costco, Dollarama, Bulk Barn or Atlantic Wholesalers. Arrive at work for 1130am. At 6pm, head for home. Make something easy for supper so we can eat without a big wait. At 830, read a chapter to Laurie (right now, we're reading, I Want to Go Home by Gordon Korman). At 900, read a chapter to Marcella (right now, we're reading, Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren). 920ish - have a quick chat with Ashlin and then head back down to work at about 940. Finish up the close at work and head home - usually home by 11pm. Grab about 15 minutes of reading before sleep (right now I'm reading Still Alice by Lisa Genova)
Tuesday - At 715, take Laurie to Violin. Walk the other girls to school at 810. Tidy a bit. Read and journal (and prep for esl - right now in Mark). Run some errands for myself, and maybe for work too. Arrive at work for 1130. At 630, leave work to go to esl. (Lately my class has been as many as 14 students from Chile, Korea, Iran, Germany, and China. But I've had students from Japan, Columbia, Tahiti, Mexico, El Salvadore, Argentina, Brazil, Quebec, and probably more I can't remember.) On Tuesdays, Mom picks up the girls, gives them supper, brings them home and puts them to bed. Then she folds laundry, vaccuums, sweeps, and generally spoils me with a clean house! At 9pm, esl is over and I return to work to help shut things down and pick up Colin. Usually home by 11pm. Read. Sleep
Wednesday - Walk the girls to school and tell them "See you tomorrow morning." :( Tidy up a bit. Read and journal. Plan meals for the week. Around 930, Juaniece picks me up and we head down to the market to get our unhomoginized milk, local vegetables, and grass-fed beef/pork. Arrive at work for about 1130. Colin goes home, taking whatever I've had in the slow-cooker all day to the girls for supper. He spends the evening with them. Arrive home from work about 11pm. Read. Sleep.
Thursday - Walk the girls to school. Tidy. Read and Journal (and prep for Sunday School - right now we're studying the life of Jesus). Sometimes on Thursdays, I go back to bed for 40 minutes or so, but it's always really hard to get up the second time. Errands. Arrive at work 1130. Put something in the slow-cooker. 6pm, Colin heads home to be with the girls. We have live music at work on Thursday nights, so it's a fun evening. Arrive home from work around midnight. Read. Sleep.
Friday - Walk the girls to school. Tidy. Read and journal. Make sure there's something for supper. Errands. Arrive at work 1130. On Fridays, Sarah comes to stay with the girls 330-830. They make supper together, clean up, usually go for a walk, and have fun. They love Sarah! Colin arrives home by 830 (after a long, 12-hour day) and puts the girls to bed. I fall into bed sometime around midnight. Read. Sleep.
Saturday - Arrive at work with Colin sometime between 800 and 830. Wash pans, decorate and cut cakes until about noon (I like this morning time together - we usually put Steven Curtis Chapman or Geoff Moore on to listen to). Swing home and bring Ashlin back down to work for the afternoon (I usually get her a sub or wrap on the way for her lunch). Marcella, Laurie and I spend a bit of time together before I grab a nap - about an hour. Then it's back to work for the evening - Colin takes the girls for supper and spends the evening with them. Arrive home about midnight. Read. Sleep.
Sunday - We soooo look forward to Sundays. It's our family day. We drag ourselves out of bed. Church starts at 930 and we're usually on time (but sans breakfast - terrible mother, I know). 1130 is my Sunday School Class (amazing girls 12 and up). We usually plan to go somewhere for lunch. We eat and chat and catch up on each other's lives. At the first of this year, I really wanted to start a healthy family habit of hiking on Sundays. So far, we've gone hiking twice, and really enjoyed it each time. I plan to make this a permanent part of our Sunday routine. We usually intend to go to church Sunday nights, but after spending a bit of time together, Colin and I are almost always overcome by sleepiness and succumb to a nap. We do a low-key, late supper, watch some tv together and tuck the girls into bed. Read. Sleep.
And then I do the whole thing again.
Sunday, October 28, 2012
upper room miracle
I had such a fun, God-revealing-himself kind of day, today. It started earlier this week when I was reading in the book of Acts to prepare for my ESL class. I was reading a Bible that I've had for years, and noticed a note I had made, years ago, in the margin by chapter 4. It was drawing attention to this section of Acts 4:
23 On their release, Peter and John went back to their own people and reported all that the chief priests and the elders had said to them. 24 When they heard this, they raised their voices together in prayer to God. “Sovereign Lord,” they said, “you made the heavens and the earth and the sea, and everything in them. 25 You spoke by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of your servant, our father David:
31 After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.
I read it like I had never seen it before. Now, this is the prayer of someone who knows God - someone who believes, trusts Him! Satan always wants us to question, "Why?", "What if....?", or "If only..." The disciples, here, accepted the past and prayed for courage for the future - that God would be glorified. Imagine it!...the very worst had just happened - Jesus had been crucified, they were being persecuted and told to stop preaching about Jesus....everything was different than they had expected it to be. If anyone had reason to question God, to lament the past, or to lose heart, these men did! But that's not how this prayer goes. They tell God how the events had unfolded, adding, " They did what your power and will had decided beforehand should happen." And then they prayed for the future. I believe this is a powerful example of how we should pray - with acceptance!
So, I decided this is what we should read in my Sunday School class this week. My little group of 13-18 year-old girls is crammed into a small upper room, off the balcony. This is simply because every other room is already being used by another class. Our tiny alcove is windowless and gets very stuffy. Today we were finding it extra warm and tight up there. I promised the girls we would do the lesson quickly and I'd let them out early to get a breath of fresh air. As we finished this powerful passage on prayer, the girls complained about our tiny digs. So, being a bit silly, and a bit serious, I told them, "Pray for a new room. Who knows? Maybe next week a miraculous room will just appear out of nowhere!" After a final exhortation to just pray, we went downstairs. Minutes later I was informed that this week a new Sunday School room is being constructed for my class in the basement. I honestly wasn't even aware that there was any discussion about this - I didn't know anyone even knew how tiny and uncomfortable our "upper room" was! I can't wait till next Sunday when my girls see our Miracle Room that will have appeared out of nowhere!! God answers before we ask!
23 On their release, Peter and John went back to their own people and reported all that the chief priests and the elders had said to them. 24 When they heard this, they raised their voices together in prayer to God. “Sovereign Lord,” they said, “you made the heavens and the earth and the sea, and everything in them. 25 You spoke by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of your servant, our father David:
27 Indeed Herod and Pontius Pilate met together with the Gentiles and the people of Israel in this city to conspire against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed. 28 They did what your power and will had decided beforehand should happen. 29 Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. 30 Stretch out your hand to heal and perform signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus.”
31 After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.
I read it like I had never seen it before. Now, this is the prayer of someone who knows God - someone who believes, trusts Him! Satan always wants us to question, "Why?", "What if....?", or "If only..." The disciples, here, accepted the past and prayed for courage for the future - that God would be glorified. Imagine it!...the very worst had just happened - Jesus had been crucified, they were being persecuted and told to stop preaching about Jesus....everything was different than they had expected it to be. If anyone had reason to question God, to lament the past, or to lose heart, these men did! But that's not how this prayer goes. They tell God how the events had unfolded, adding, " They did what your power and will had decided beforehand should happen." And then they prayed for the future. I believe this is a powerful example of how we should pray - with acceptance!
So, I decided this is what we should read in my Sunday School class this week. My little group of 13-18 year-old girls is crammed into a small upper room, off the balcony. This is simply because every other room is already being used by another class. Our tiny alcove is windowless and gets very stuffy. Today we were finding it extra warm and tight up there. I promised the girls we would do the lesson quickly and I'd let them out early to get a breath of fresh air. As we finished this powerful passage on prayer, the girls complained about our tiny digs. So, being a bit silly, and a bit serious, I told them, "Pray for a new room. Who knows? Maybe next week a miraculous room will just appear out of nowhere!" After a final exhortation to just pray, we went downstairs. Minutes later I was informed that this week a new Sunday School room is being constructed for my class in the basement. I honestly wasn't even aware that there was any discussion about this - I didn't know anyone even knew how tiny and uncomfortable our "upper room" was! I can't wait till next Sunday when my girls see our Miracle Room that will have appeared out of nowhere!! God answers before we ask!
Sunday, February 26, 2012
troubles to grace
It's always surprising to me how fluid my life is. I mean, how up and down. When I'm up, I feel like I'll never be down again - I'm on top of the world, I'm close to God and trusting Him is easy. But then, when I'm down, I can't imagine being anything else, and I feel like there's a stone where my soul should be. One thing that I appreciate about experience, is that I'm learning (slowly) that when my life starts to fall into that downward spiral, the best and only "fix" is to seek after God - even though that's the last thing I feel like doing. Seeking Him can take many forms, but reading His Word is usually the quickest remedy. I love how He can so quickly bring things to the point I have been missing. And how does he do it?? I honestly can't explain how He used Isaiah 66 to show me I have been ungrateful and full of complaining, lately. But He speaks through His word - It is living and organic. And He can show me my faults in such a gracious way...oh, make me like You, LORD, as I raise these soon-to-be teenage daughters. I already feel that I need buckets of grace and mountains of patience. I guess that's the point of these difficulties...to make me more like Him! And so, I'll take this experience, and these troubles and just be thankful!
Monday, September 5, 2011
open hands
Ok, I am sooooo being tested on my last post. Today was painful, and I really struggled to accept it as a gift. I know there is a way to hold my hands open to receive His gifts, to accept and not fight the difficulty. Tonight I read to Marcella and Laurie from a Bible story book we've been reading for a while. Tonight's story was Daniel and the Lion's Den. In the story, Daniel walked confidently to the lion's den - not because he knew he wouldn't be consumed by the lions, but because he trusted in God and he accepted this circumstance as from God. I would like to be like Daniel. Can I trust Him in every difficulty? The proof is in the gift of His Son. How would He give such a gift and not care for me in other matters? Jesus is the ultimate proof of God's love for me.
Saturday, September 3, 2011
my life: one giant reno
My sweet sister told me I should be blogging a bit about this "building a restaurant" experience...."not that you have anything else to do," she laughed. I said she and Jen and Colin and Dad are doing all the hard stuff. I'm just going around in a fog most of the time. It is seriously one of the biggest rollercoaster rides I've ever been on. One day everything goes wrong: the oven, already in place, is the wrong oven for our amperage; the new fridge doesn't work; our debit machine isn't connecting to the router; delays, delays, delays. How will we get the front of the building painted? can we even get scaffolding that will work there? when will we ever get our logo back from the designer? can we build a shelf to fit in that tiny spot where we need to put the coffee maker? the building owner still hasn't gotten his stuff out of the basement. AAAArrrrgggh! But then, the next day everything's coming up roses: The new oven will be here next week; the plumber can come on Tuesday; the Coast calls wanting to set up an interview, yay, free press! My biggest challenge is to trust God on both types of days. He is a Good God, and only gives Good Gifts - no matter what I think of them. So I try to thank Him on the difficult days, and not just thank Him for the things He will do, but for the difficulties. It is proof that I trust Him and that I believe He is good. It's actually a bit freeing: I don't need to decide what is good and what is bad; what to accept and what to reject. All gifts from my Father are good. I need not shield my potential for joy from the winds of difficulty. God can take care of these things for me.
I'll try to post a few pictures of our work-in-progress, but no promises. (I'm too busy painting) And school starts on Tuesday. I still need to go school supply shopping. Eeeeeek!
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
and all is right that seems most wrong if it be His sweet will
Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am languishing; heal me, O Lord, for my bones are troubled, My soul also is greatly troubled. But you, O Lord - how long?
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