Saturday, January 30, 2010

BOOM!







This past Monday our lovely friends Drew and Sara Brown rallied the troops in Winnipeg and decided that something needed to be done for Haiti within their range of contacts...
Well they got the job done and done well!

...A little back info... Drew and Sara have this AMAZING ability to gather people together for a cause like no one else I know... They say something needs to be done and the masses listen!...

Hair pieces and artwork were sent off from this house along with
guitar recorded and added to a brilliant song...
A GATHERING OF 15,
3000 INVITES,
ONE BLIZZARD,
400 PEOPLE,
A GREAT SHOW
and
SILENT AUCTION
later...
over $41 000!!!!!!!!!!!

BOOM!

Now THAT'S HOW YOU MOVE MOUNTAINS!!!!!

Matched by the gov brings it over $82 000!

Check it out people! I'm still smiling from the news...

But now back to laundry...

Thursday, January 28, 2010

What happens after a long week=


My throat hurts.
Ooooo it hurts.
That scratchy burning swelling misery that comes when your body decides you've done far too much so it is going to boycott life until further notice hurts.
Well... it will have to wait...
Because this weekend there is a lot of living to do so I am taking charge!
This means chugging Wheatgrass Juice and popping vitamin C's and putting Omega Oil under my tongue to be followed by Olbas Oil and Garlic with Oil of Oregano rubbed on my feet tonight-
man that's sexy!



Now if only I could get Mr. Prince to bed.


Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Missing...

This week I lost a dear friend.

4 years ago we moved onto this street, into our first home.

And I met Cheryl.

Cheryl and Bob lived next door. For the first year it was friendly "Hello"'s and occasionally I would sit with The Prince (who was a baby at the time), and just enjoy the new found company.
The next year I was expecting and began to spend time weekly on the other side of the fence.
By summer three we were there daily.
And a friendship blossomed.
She became a very special friend. A confidant. An extra mother for all the times my kids needed extra mothering, and she brought joy to my day.
Cheryl saw the good in people. Not in the cliche way that we would like to think those that are gone lived. NO. She REALLY saw the good in people. She seemed blind to the harshness of life, yet had had some very hard times.
She raised two beautiful daughters. She was incredibly close with her mother and her brothers. She doted on her grandkids. And as it was said to me today: To know her a day was to know her a lifetime. She just drew people to her. Me included.

Cheryl was married in June 2008 to Bob who she had been with for over a decade.
She danced. She danced walking out of her house and down the pathway... she danced walking out onto her daughters back deck where they said their vows... she danced as the bbq was going and the beers were opened and she danced as she waved everyone off at the end of the night. It was beautiful.

The next week Cheryl was told she had cancer.
For the following year she had surgeries and treatments and chemo and last summer we all hoped that she was out of the woods.

We had an AMAZING summer.
I "wasted" dozens of afternoons when my parents were on Noe and Popops duty, hanging out with Cheryl instead of vacuuming, or cleaning, or painting. She would say "Just half an hour more..." which inevitably would turn into hours.
We drank pop and tea and wine and ate cheese and crackers and burgers and she provided an endless stream of popsicles to my kids who no longer no the difference between their house and ours.
I spent 5 hours one day in their kitchen with Bob learning how to bread onion rings and old fashioned deep fried chicken and we had ourselves an all out cook out for the neighbourhood. We ate till it hurt and still kept eating!!!

This September Cheryl was told the cancer had spread.
We kept our time outside weekly as the weather turned cold and would still hop the fence to say hello and catch up running in and out to our cars.
By January she was really sick.
And this week she went downhill fast.
I saw her on Thursday night and my heart broke.
Cheryl was fading into a wisp.
But it didn't become the scary experience I thought it would be.
Because on Friday I went to see her again and rather than popping in and out the door I was asked if I wanted to stay. So I did. And slowly the house filled with her family. We were told she probably wouldn't survive the weekend and when we knew she was stable we all anxiously went home that night praying there wouldn't be a phone call.
The next morning I went back. And again the house slowly filled with her family. She was no longer able to speak but we each took the time to sit beside her and tell her everything we felt. We cried. We laughed. We ate and we hugged.
By 5pm the time was approaching and her daughters held her hands and told her all the last things they needed to say as her husband watched and their husbands supported them. Her younger daughter said the Serenity Prayer and 15 minutes later, as Bob held her and whispered to her, and as the family sat around the room in silence, Cheryl went into the arms of Jesus.
It was peaceful.
It was beautiful.
And it hurt like hell.

Today was the last day for the ceremony of goodbyes. It was also the start of the emptiness that seems to have filled a portion of this close knit community that we so love.

But even through these last few days I healed a little bit.
I have been privileged to be included as family. To get to know her daughters who are each just like her and yet so different. I was there to laugh at the moments that we knew she'd crack up at. I was allowed to cry when we all felt the ache of her absence and I was honoured to pray during the moments when my own words were empty.

For the next while I will greatly dislike the front of my house. The fact that she'll never run up to me again when I'm unloading groceries... or yell "REEEE Bekah!!!" out her front door when she's brewed a fresh cup of coffee. I'll even miss picking out her wall colours with her and then helping her convince Bob they were the right choice. And my kids will miss her... Oh how they'll miss Auntie Cheryl...

But I learned the most valuable lesson from her. Always have time. Have time for relationships. Have time for people. Have time to sit for just half an hour more. She knew this before the cancer. This wasn't something Cheryl was taught.
This is what Cheryl always knew.

That's why to know her was to love her...
Man did I love my dear friend.
And I miss her bad.


Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Thinking. Doing.

I have lost sleep for a week.
No exaggeration.

I am 25.
Some of you may be younger. Some older.
But I am 25.

At 25 I could someday become a surgeon.
At 25 I could someday become an astronaut.
At 25 I could someday run for Prime Minister.
At 25 I can do anything.

I am not saying that anyone older can't DO anything.
My Mum at 55 decided to study piano.
She was passionate and dedicated.
Now she teaches to children who thrive under her guidance and easy demeanor.
I thinks she's inspirational.
I think she's making an impact.

That's what I want to do.
Make an impact.
I will not become a surgeon.
Or an astronaut.
And I have no intention of becoming Prime Minister
(Couldn't wear boring suits, blast my mouth too much and could you picture me campaigning wearing my hair jewellery?!)

Since at 25 I am a wife, a mother and an artist, I think that I have a nice weighty load on my shoulders.
Yet I know that I would like to have a larger impact, beyond these walls of my beige and chocolate brown house.
(I am not complaining about my wall colour... the chandeliers stickers do spruce things up :))

I am not sleeping because I am disturbed to my core by what is happening in Haiti.
(I have never shed so many tears for people I don't know. Problem is, tears are just that. Tears. Unless they carry change.)
I cannot go. I have responsibilities here.
AND I would probably be a waste of space and water due to my lack of emergency aid skills for the crisis they are in.
But today I decided I don't want to be useless.

So I am going to sketch 14x17 inch pencil portraits of some beautiful Haitian children, taken by friends who are a part of a dedicated and active organization called
I would like to sell each sketch for $60.
All proceeds will do directly to their Relief Fund

This is what I CAN do to help Haiti.
Won't you help too?



Monday, January 18, 2010

All in a days work.





I have more jobs than I can list, or care to.
And I'm okay with this... No. I'me better than okay with this.
I thrive on it. I love it. And I think the people I work alongside are awesome.

First is Motherhood.
I get to work alongside my best friend and love in raising two of the most spunky, funny, smart and precious Royals ever!
In this role I am a referee (during the harder part of the day), a playmate (during the fun part of the day), a dishwasher (at least 3 times a day) and a maid, a cook, an accountant, a handyman...etc.
Still I think it's fabulous. Not every day, but most days.

Secondly I am an artist.
In all aspects. I see paintings and pictures in everything. I most favour doing portraits, but I am pushed with each piece I do to go further than before.
Now I am a "Ribbon Designer". I create hair jewellery and necklaces out of fabric and jewels and in this I've found an outlet for expression that I have been craving for so long.

Thirdly I run "the homework room".
On Mondays I get the chance to interact with some passionate people and unique and special kids at Simcoe Hall Settlement House. I think Mondays are pretty cool. (Today I got to paint a fab banner and chill with quiet kids) Each week I get to learn something new about these interesting and excitable kids and the woman who make it all happen. They give so much of themselves without a blink. Cool.

By the time the clock starts to tick at midnight, and my day winds down to finishing laundry, or completing that last hair piece, I am beat. BEAT.
Then I wake up to a smiling, jumping, enthusiastic 4 year old, and a yelling, laughing 2 year old, and I drag my dopey butt out of bed and get hugs and kisses, brush off yesterday, and enjoy it all over again. Not all of it. But most of it.

I am soaking up this time. I know life won't be like this forever, but if ever there is a time in life that I could bottle up and keep frozen eternally, this would be it.
Although I'm hopeful that the next stage in life will be just as intriguing and I will want to bottle that up too.
In the meantime, I think I'll just open a bottle and say...
"Cheers to THIS life!"

Sunday, January 17, 2010

A Gloomy Day of Quiet Contemplation...



I actually have no complaints about today.
I ate a great breakfast with a great family in a great neighbourhood in a great country.

I had a great date night out with The Hubby last night and ate a great dinner and saw a great movie.

I have a great life.

And I am grateful.

Very grateful.

Today there are people suffering. In a place that I have wanted to go for quite a while.
I have spent hours now watching CNN and reading newspapers learning about what the nation of Haiti is suffering through.
Suffering is the only word that seems to fit because right now there isn't much living amongst all the death.

My heart breaks.
And so I pray. And I give. And I am grateful for those who have the capabilities to help those who remain.

I have learned something today on this gloomy Sunday.
Not a new lesson but one that is good to be reminded of every so often.
It brings perspective.
Life is fragile.

I have been lucky enough to never have experienced the deep personal pain of losing someone who changes my world directly.
I have seen others live through this. I have cried for their loss. I have cried for what I knew of that missed individual. Yet I have thus far been spared.
But alas I am getting older. Not old, but older. And the thing is, it's going to keep happening and someday it will hit my life completely.

Only months ago I saw a friend lose her amazing father in a period of months to cancer.
It SUCKED.
She is one of the strongest, most inspiring people I know and she said this to me today:
"We are all fragile. Even the ones with thicker skin :)"
I think her Dad passed along his amazingness to her.

This is not meant to be a downer or a sob letter.
This is the other side of having a rich life. And you know what? Learning these things, whether it may be for the first time or the last time... is a lesson I hope keeps ringing true in my life.
Don't take the moments for granted.
Don't take the people you love for granted.
Don't take our world for granted.
And God is still God.
So God is still Good.


Friday, January 15, 2010

Bosom Friends


I can still remember as a little girl watching that scene in Anne of Green Gables where Anne and Diana swear to be bosom friends from that moment on...
As a little girl I giggled. (Bosom is a silly word to an eight year old) That is until my Mum explained what it meant and suddenly I went Ohhhh. And I decided I wanted a friend like that too.

My wish has been answered over and over and over again.

I have some splendid close friends. Ones who have been there through the truly devastating times and through some happy and memorable times. They have been shoulders to cry on and arms to hold me. (After The Princess was born I stayed at one of my dearest friend's place in Toronto while Princess recovered from some complications in Sick Kids Hospital. This friend stayed up with me during the long nights as I was first separated from my baby and helped me focus on breathing through the afterpain of labour. I will never forget her bathroom at 4am. THAT is monumental.)

Each woman in my life has a special slot which is reserved for the love I carry for them. My children are especially blessed by the friendships I have. Doting Aunties make their little lives even richer. These women are even patient during the times where I am only capable of being a mother and wife and can give nothing more. In those times they still pour into my life.

I believe it is immensely important to contribute to the relationships in your life. Easy for me, my friends are such UNBELIEVABLY talented, wise, supportive, understanding, intelligent, funny and beautiful people that giving to them gives me sheer joy.

Whether it is over a latte out or a tea on my couch...
Thank you...
To my sister and my friends...
You are all treasures.


xo


Thursday, January 14, 2010

Weight.

So here it is. I need to lose 13-15lbs.
Now I am not accustomed to announcing things like that, especially on the abyss of the world wide web, but apparently I am incapable of being motivated this time (I have lost weight after 2 children) to the point where even the pressure of the weight watchers site saying "you have gained a little this week" is NOT guilting me into responsible (portion controlled) eating.
This is in no way a pity party. But I MISS my favourite jeans. I have a love affair with jeans. We go through our ups and downs as any relationship does, spurred on by my decision to either eat my share of food or to eat my share of everyone else's food!
We are VERY healthy eaters. The food quality is superb (and my cooking is catching up). My vice is not a daily intake of fast food (though VERY tempting) it is the QUANTITY of healthy food that is coating my already God-given hips with some unwanted and NON-FITTING INTO JEANS padding.
There.
I said it all.
Finally. I will eat my Optimum Blueberry and Cinnamon Cereal with a clear conscience knowing that if I get that little bleep from weight watchers next week, it will be because I ate a bear IN MY SLEEP!!!

And now back to our regular programming...

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Good Life


I realized driving home from a great/long coffee night out that I have a soundtrack to my time in the car.
Usually each week is different. Usually. There are times though that in spite of hitting repeat on an album 5 buzzzillion times, my appetite is insatiable.

This week's soundtrack is One Republic Waking Up (Good Life)
Now I want you (those of you who don't know me can imagine) to picture me driving on the 401 singing quite LOUDLY/probably off key to this song... Occasionally waving a hand in the air, truly enjoying myself, so much so that I took the long way off the highway home so I could blast my ears with it just ONE MORE TIME!
(And I can't guarantee that next week it won't simply be another song off this album although I am also falling a little more in love with 30 Seconds To Mars- not always appropriate for younger audiences.)

All this BLARING and SINGING and DANCING got me to thinking (well, after the moment of thrill) that I am BORED and highly unimpressed with almost everything on the radio right now. I do not claim to be an avid radio listener, but with a child that LOVES music I will grab for anything available to calm two children in the backseat of a car who are ready to eat each others faces off. (Sometimes I could use a third very looong arm!)

The current daily intake I have had of this "radio" music is over-produced pop. Granted, there are times that call for that kind of mindless, hollow, bass and drums with mediocre vocals auto-tuned in, yet those seconds are rare and should involve a lot of young, possibly intoxicated people moving in small, dark, and grungy, overpriced drinking establishments. I personally feel that that is all that music is REALLY good for.

I like music that requires brain function. The kind where the layers of guitar and bass and keys and drums and COW BELL inspire the deep appreciation of the amount of work and sleepless nights that caused the TRUE musicians to be drained and emptied momentarily of all the creative juices that actually keep the sound worth hearing.

At another time... More specifically when it is not 12:15am I will write more on the brilliant ONES who I think ROCK THE WORLD... but again, it is the MIDDLE OF THE STINKIN' NIGHT so I'll move along :)

And in my backasswards way... I have started with the end of my day and now I will show you the very beginning of my day (and in the middle there was a whole lot of "Good Life")

After all the pics were taken a friend pointed out that the hat says:
"Hottie Police"
Now where did the kids get that?
















Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Full Days.


Some days are long.
Any Stay-At-Home mom knows that.









Today was not one of those days for me.







Usually it's The Prince who keeps me on my toes. He has a natural talent for mischief as anyone close to us knows... Soaking carpet with Vim BLEACH! Escaping from locked rooms. Climbing things that should be insurmountable to an 8 month old! You think your kid can do crazy things... Let me tell you... My kid's done it BIGGER, WILDER and BEYOND WHAT YOU CAN IMAGINE!!!

BUT.
Today The Prince was just that. A Prince.
The Princess on the other hand...
After enjoying a lovely Phut-c Ion Detoxification Cleanse at Grandma's Health Centre, decided that she would rearrange most of the vitamin shelf... Wake up my sleeping nephew...Then use the after-treatment foot lotion to decorate her arms and shirt... And yet, while knowing all of this I (the ever present and aware mother that I am(ha)) missed her walking into Grandma's powder room alone and hence, was late in catching the detailed job she did cleaning her entire body, face, clothes and hair with the fabulously smelling hand soap and lotion! (Should have got the brand name... I'd like that in my house.)

So now that the two royals are asleep in their beds. - Well. One in theirs, one in ours. Sometimes it's not worth the battle.-

I am going to work. In my shop.

Goodnight.









Monday, January 11, 2010

Reasons Why.

Reasons why I adore my family... and why you will too!



What can I say? He's a hottie.



Booking movie night with Dad on the iPhones.



88 years between Gran Gran Cherry and little Cherry and they're best of buds.



Babies who coo and cuddle and then go home with THEIR Mommy and Daddy.



Cousins who play well together... and get into trouble together :)



Popops putting these on himself. Anything to make the grandkiddies laugh.



Godsons who are born supermodels. (Seriously. Ain't he the cutest?)



Posing for a pic.



Breakfast at the BEST greasy spoon... across the street.



Diggin' for gold.



That smile.



Sibling Love.



The cool cat.



My Sibling Love. :)