winter fun

Trying on Dad's sweater... fits like a glove!

















Playing in the quincee Daddy built in our yard. Duke wanted in but "no dogs allowed."

I think I can, I think I can...














We don't have much for hills in Caronport, but we had alot of fun sliding anyway. If the hill's not very long to slide down, at least it isn't a very long climb back up to the top!

buggy birthday bash

Our Ezra is now 6 years old. Ask him how that feels and he'll say he feels proud to be 6.

We celebrated by inviting the entire grade 1 class to our house for a buggy birthday bash.
Activites included an indoor bug hunt (plastic bugs, some of which I am still finding now), a worm pinata and of course, a bugs-in-the-dirt cake and presents.

The head count was 16! Our house was so full that while Ezra was trying to open presents he kept saying, "It's getting a little crowded." and move to a new spot but of course all the kids moved with him and it became just as crowded as the previous spot was.

I asked Ezra to describe the party afterward and he said, "I played with my friends and I like all of my presents!"

let's catch up

It's not that my Caronport life is so much busier than my Mexico life. My routine is different though and I definitely spend less time at the computer which results in fewer emails and fewer blog posts... have you noticed? So here's a quick review of significant events...

We spent Thanksgiving weekend driving around Saskatchewan in order to have three turkey dinners in as many days! We got to spend time in Swift Current on Saturday with my Grandma, Uncle Ron & Auntie Trudy; this picture is Sunday with Uncle Art, Auntie Linda, Vickie (not shown) Pam & Jessie; and Monday in Warman & Saskatoon with Scott's parents and so many relatives that I won't start naming them.


After owning our new Uplander only something like two weeks we drove it into a coyote on the way home from Swift Current on the night of Oct 17. It did almost $4,000 damage to the front of the van. Consequently, we were without a vehicle for the next three weeks during which we had to rely on the kindness of friends (thanks Pat for driving out to save us in the middle of the night)


Then it was out to Steinbach on Oct 19 to report with the Board of Missions. That was the purpose of the trip, but we were able to celebrate Thanksgiving yet again with my family (no turkey this time, but Nicaraguan food which I think is actually more traditional for us to have when we're together) Friday morning we woke up to find snow that wasn't there the night before. We all had lots of fun playing together and teaching the kids to make snowballs. Our first romp in the snow for many years!

two thumbs up for crescent park

Friday night we went to Moose Jaw to do some business and discovered Crescent Park downtown. We had just enough time to walk around and meet the resident moose family (not real) and pair of swans (real) and to decide that we absolutely had to go back the next day. So Saturday afternoon we drove out there again, this time with a bag of bread to share. For us this park is spectacular. It's small enough that by the time we were done there, we had reached the other side, but big enough that there was lots to discover. After we fed the swans and ducks we walked along the creek until we found a neat play area. The Great War memorial captured Scott's imagination and I liked the fountain. We watched more than a few bushy tailed squirrels go about their business and all the while we enjoyed the soft green grass. And I know I'm sounding like a scratched record, but the fall colours are beautiful.

call me the tortilla lady

I finally did it.

I put on some Gloria Estefan and got ready to make corn tortillas. I had a bit of a shaky start with a few tortillas that we'll only see later as chilaquiles. But I finally got the masa right and I got better as I went, utnil by the end they were even sort of round-ish.

They're no Maseca factory tortillas, but they taste good!

cold and colourful

Ok, so it's getting cold... it has already gotten as cold here than it ever does in Cuauhtemoc... and I'm getting cold. I think everyone is laughing at me wearing long johns, touques and mitts already (in fact, I know they are!). But just for the record, and to prove it's not just the Canadian weather: I always wear long johns at these temperatures... have for the last 4 years!

I don't think the kids are as cold as I am...they're still biking to school wearing only sweaters.

We drove to Saskatoon for a wedding this weekend. The weather warmed up on Saturday afternoon so we headed to the reception early enough to take a walk on the Mewasin Trail down by the river, where we took this picture. The kids had lots of fun climbing on and around the bandstand. We noticed that it was almost like a Mexican plaza with the bandstand in the centre of the park. The noteable exception being that we were allowed to walk on the grass, of course. Ezra found about a million ladybugs there.

Ezra needed to take a bunch of leaves to school for a math/science activity so we all went leaf-collecting together before supper yesterday. It was a beautiful sunny afternoon and the trees were looking gorgeous. There are so few deciduous trees in Cuauhtemoc that it doesn't make for a very colorful season. We haven't had such a beautiful fall for a very long time and are thoroughly enjoying it.

eight years old, and no pinata

Last week, Lauren & I worked together to make birthday invitations for the 13 girls in her class. Then we planned the party: bake cookies, make marbleized paper, decorate bags to take their cookies & paper home in, and finish with pink punch and birthday cake. Oh, and of course... the presents!

So we went shopping and got ready for the party. I baked a cake and set out the cookie and craft supplies and braced myself for a full house! Tuesday after school, they all walked home together and arrived ready to party. I never did get a chance to count, but no one was missing so it must have been 14, including Lauren. I think they all had a good time. I may have been a little tired when it was all over.

For future reference, I do not need to plan so many activities: a giggle of girls can keep themselves entertained quite well when there's cake and presents around!

caronport, saskatchewan

So here we are. Two countries and a world away from Cuauhtemoc. And it's good. But I never expected I would miss Mexico as much as I do. One of the things I miss the most is greeting and being greeted with a kiss. Going to church here feels like a bit of a solitary activity. On the other hand, I am thoroughly enjoying the excellent music and preaching at Caronport Community Church.

Here we are having our first meal in our new home. We could hardly walk through the house for the boxes stacked all over the place. Two weeks later the boxes are almost all unpacked. Lauren & Ezra are happily settled into their school routine and Scott has enjoyed his first seminary course. Avery asks every day if we can go to Emily's or Hannah's house (in Mexico) and I find myself looking for something meaningful to do, as though caring for my family weren't meaningful enough.

We're settling in and beginning to find a routine that will be comfortable for us. And we're cold! It's 8 degrees outside and blustery and on the short walk from the van to the church Avery huddled into herself and said "I'm cold! I'm cold!" over and over. So I'll be off to buy mittens, scarves and touques not too long from now!

avery is three

When Avery woke up yesterday morning, the day of her birthday, I asked her how old she was. Her answer was, "Two." We realized that she didn't think she would turn three until the actual party. Even on the way to the party she still maintained she was only two years old. At some point during the party someone asked her age and then I heard her answer, "Three!"

And what a party is was! A pretty dress, a face full of #3 stickers, a "prettyful" pony pinata. She loved that pinata to pieces but was just as enthusiastic as the others about whacking at it and dove in to gather candy with all the rest. Then there were the special presents which were so much fun to open, a birthday cake with heart sprinkles, Zoo Pals plates and lots of time to play at Emily's house... Really, when you're 3 years old, could life get any better?





















Look for more pictures on our webshots page

pack it up

I am consumed by packing right now. I eat, sleep and breathe packing and still the progress is painfully slow. Yesterday I worked hard all day long and only got one measly box done. Why is this taking so long?

I will be so glad to close the front door of this house for the last time. The roof should have been fixed last summer already and now that rainy season is upon us once more each room has its own puddle to navigate. I've already packed up our best towels and we're using the threadbare ones which means I don't have any extra towels to sop up the leaks. Pails I have, but the water kind of seeps in through great sieves in the roof so pails don't help much. It's the wettest rainy season we've seen here yet so while we have the nuisance of water in the house, we also have beautiful green everywhere we look.

Like Scott said in his blog, it'll all be over soon. Kind of like facing hours of labour... as hard as it may be, at the very least it'll be over soon and then you can enjoy the new baby! Except I still have a couple of weeks of work to push through before I can rest. Right now I'm just sick of all of these material possessions and wonder why we can't just live with the bare essentials.

peeping sebastian

I have a Peeping Tom. His name is Sebastian. Now that school is out for the summer and Sebastian seems to be old enough in his parents estimation (he must be 5 or 6) to spend large blocks of time alone on the street, I find him very often standing on our front sidewalk looking in. Maybe that wouldn't be so bad if there was a yard between the sidewalk and the front wall of our house. But since it's Mexico, and since our house is built directly touching the sidewalk, and since my kitchen counters line the front wall under the street-facing windows, this means I am often working in my kitchen with my face only two feet from Sebastians! And I'm a little uncomfortable with being watched.

Last week this behaviour reached its most annoying level. We were hosting our small group and while the kids ate and played in the patio, the adults were enjoying supper in our kitchen. Sebastian apparently had nothing better to do than to stand at the window and talk to himself very loudly as he likes to do. I tried to send him away, "Lauren & Ezra have company right now. Why don't you come back tomorrow?" Scott tried to send him away, "Sebastian, go away. Sebastian, leave us alone." And finally I actually had to close the windows and blinds in his face in order for us to be able to resume our conversation!

I'm not sure what our house will look like in August, but I'm expecting that this sort of thing won't happen. Speaking of houses in August... we finally have a place to live. We only just found out today that there is still room at Briercrest for our family and even our dog. Since Scott told me the news this morning I have been breathing a whole lot easier. We had been praying for a place on campus and God has provided it for us.

there might be hope

Every once in a while something happens to make me think there might be hope. Like the other day, when the kids got up while I was in the shower and made their beds without having to be reminded. I walked into their room to tie back the curtains for the day and was met by tidy beds. I just about fainted with surprise. Just a few weeks ago, Lauren asked if she could vacuum for me (yes, you read that right... she asked) Of course, I let her try and it turned out she did a fantastic job. She may now regret that request, because it has since become one of her regular chores. It helps me out tremendously and she does it cheerfully, too.

Since that day the beds haven't been made without a reminder... but I'm hoping for a repeat performance in the future!

the week in review

Monday was the last day on Scott's tourist visa so that meant a trip to the border to take out a new one. That night we met Peter & Martha (our field director) for supper which is always an encouragement. They were coming through El Paso on their way to Canada for their daughter's wedding. Since we didn't have much other business to take care of aside from a visit to U-Haul and birthday shopping for Avery we had alot of time for fun family stuff.

Tuesday we went to see Cars. The last movie we saw in the theatre, Chicken Little, was not a hit with the kids so Ezra did not want to go. He finally conceded, though, and said he would "rest" the whole time, which meant he would keep his eyes closed. Thankfully, it was a great movie. Ezra spent the first 10 minutes pretending not to watch, but soon he was openly enjoying it. Now, of course, it's his favourite movie in the whole world. The rest of us enjoyed it, too. It's one of those kids movies that is very entertaining for grown-ups.

Wednesday we went mini golfing. Avery used a stick. Ezra had a putter, but most of the time he kicked the golf ball around the course... he called it "soccer golf." Lauren really enjoyed the game. When she got the only hole-in-one she jumped around and hooted with excitement for awhile! Then the guys quickly took a turn around the go kart track and we took off for our next stop... ice cream.

Thursday we drove back home. Ho hum. No problems at either border checkpoint and Scott had an easy time with his visa. Read James Herriot out loud to Scott most of the way home.

Friday... unpacking and small group. Can't remember anything else.

Saturday's big event was taking the training wheels off of Ezra's bike. He caught on amazingly fast and after a couple of runs with him up and down the street he was on his own. He was very excited and could hardly steer straight for all his giggling!

Sunday was the official end to youth. Instead of a service with a talk, the praise band just led favourites by request and Scott opened up a time of sharing. He came home very touched as everyone had something positive to say about Scott's ministry and influence in their lives. I wish I could have been there. I'm sure Scott will have more to say about this on his blog.

Yesterday was to be my official start to packing... but it didn't happen. We drove to Chihuahua to pick up Elma Janzen and what should have been 3 hours, tops ended up being 5 hours away from home. And seeing as I still had to feed my family and look after the house, there was no time for packing.

Today I did it. It was a slow start but at least it was a start. I have 5 boxes packed and a gazillion to go. *sigh* One box at a time. And three and a half weeks to go.

ok... I haven't been able to post the pictures here. Check out my photo albums to see them.

not so much winding down

Winding down? Who am I kidding? These past few days I've been doing nothing but rushing around! Kindergarden grads, buying presents for teachers, painting father's day banners, helping people with their English assignments, shopping & cooking for the counsellor training weekend, hosting World Cup parties... sheesh!

Here's the little graduate himself. He was given a fish as a graduation present from his teachers. My suggestion for a name was flatly turned down (Simon is a perfectly good fish name if you ask me) and it was promptly named Fishy Fish. Also known as Pezy Pez in Spanish.

And here's Lauren with her teacher today after their final day at school. In celebration of the year's end, the entire school hiked up a small hill to symbolically represent working to reach a goal. At the top they held a little gratitude service thanking God for a great year. Lauren was kind of volatile this afternoon, so I think she's feeling a little sad at the prospect of not seeing her teacher and classmates again. Last week we sent her to school with a disposable camera to take pictures of her friends. I hope they turn out. She looks through her photo albums often and it would be nice to add those as well.

winding down

Things are definitely winding down for us. Tonight will be Scott's last night speaking at youth (there is one more regular youth meeting and an end-of-the-year party yet) After church today we were driving to a restaurant and I commented on a certain restaurant we haven't been to for awhile. We realized we likely won't be eating there again before we leave. Next week we drive to El Paso for our last visit and on our way back we'll be getting our papers renewed for the last time. So my days are filling up with sort of a melancholy feeling. But still, I'm happy.

I haven't written at all about our upcoming move to Canada. During the time I was really processing it and dealing with the changes I couldn't mention it because it was this big secret. And now that it's public news... well, I've hashed and rehashed enough in my mind and with Scott that I don't really feel the need to do it here. Last week I was about to split wide open with all my thoughts and emotions and I sure could have used this outlet!

When Scott first shared this idea with me on his return from that meeting in Oasis, I could do nothing but cry. Not that I was so opposed to moving to Canada... it was just such a shock, such a drastic turnaround in our plans. After the shock subsided, we were able to really talk and pray about it and we can see how God has been moving us in this direction for months. Once again, if we had really heeded Him in the first place, instead of relying on human wisdom, it would have been easier for us! And despite all the unknowns in our near and distant future (and let me tell you, there are a few) I have been flooded with peace. I am especially thankful for all the support we have received. Of the people we have told, not one has even suggested we reconsider. That is a blessing.

avery-isms

For those of you who haven't talked with Avery recently, I thought I’d give you a little peek into her unique vocabulary. See if you can make out these words...

bullerwhy
pockissle
macanroni
tonypail,
kitchem
bailey suit
slissors,
upslidedown

The last two are actually hand-me-downs... in fact, Ezra still says upslide down!

... reminds me of a conversation I once had with Todd. He must have been around Avery’s age when I tried to get him to say ice cream properly. I carefully said, "ice cream" and Todd repeated, "icheem." We went back and forth like that for a little while, me saying "ice cream," Todd, "icheem." He soon became impatient with what he thought was my mispronunciation of the word because he looked up at me and said, very clearly, "No, not ice cream... icheem!"

my little sous-chefs

Ezra loves cooking. Sometimes he prints recipes that he finds online, from kids websites like Postcards from Buster, Zoom or Maya & Miguel and then he wants to try them. He makes a great hummus, actually. This morning we made pancakes and now that he can read so well, I had him follow the recipe himself. As you can tell by the big spill on the counter, he did most of the work today. Except I was still on clean-up duty.

Last Saturday, Lauren copied down a recipe for Bruschetta from a tv show. It was delicious! She's old enough now to actually be a help in the kitchen. She can totally handle making a fruit salad or guacamole completely on her own. When Ezra's helping me cook, it slows me down a bit. And with Avery, well I might as well book my whole morning off! Actually, this week Avery put the papers in the muffin tin without completely messing them up like she usually does, and it was actually a help. I think the kids always enjoy the food more when they've helped make it.

fear factor

"If a watchman were hired to guard my house, I would be foolish if I also sat up for fear of thieves. Why have a watchman if I cannot trust him to watch? 'Cast thy burden upon the LORD' (Ps 55:22), but when you have done so, leave it with the Lord and do not try to carry it yourself. Otherwise, you mock God; you use the name of God, but not the reality of God. Lay down every care, even as Jesus did when He went calmly to the rear part of the ship, quietly took a pillow, and went to sleep."

-- Charles Spurgeon

summer wear

I'm choosing my battles today... can you tell? Do I really want to take issue with Avery not wanting to get dressed? It's hot, we're not leaving the house, so what's the harm in letting her stay in her underwear? In a couple of hours Lauren & Ezra will be home and after dinner they'll get into their swimsuits and then Avery will want hers on, too. Problem solved. (We did have a little showdown earlier when she didn't want me to shut off the tv!)

I'm waiting for Scott to get home from Oasis. He was there overnight for a meeting about our future ministry. I've gone back and forth on this moving thing and right now I'm somewhere in the middle and I want to make a decision, already. So hopefully he will come home with a little insight into the matter.

home again, home again, jiggetty jig

It never ceases to amaze me how long it takes me to catch up on things at home after being gone for a few days. Today I have finally caught up on laundry, cleaning, and with this, blogging.

We had a great week at Sivell's Baptist Camp. It was very relaxing. The video series was amazing (RC Sproul's The Holiness of God)... I was inspired to a deeper understanding of the separateness of God. I want to watch it again soon because I missed bits and pieces when I had to run off to break up a fight or apply a bandaid or some such thing. We also learned exactly how much weight a person can gain in 5 days! Breakfast of biscuits, waffles or cinnamon rolls, scrambled eggs, sausages (I never could say no to a breakfast sausage) and a fruit bar. Dessert at dinner and supper. Actually, I could have gained more since I went out for a jog every morning. The miles sure go by faster when you're running outdoors, watching ducks and red-wing blackbirds fly out of the wet ditch and being watched by cows, than when you're on a treadmill watching only the time tick by. The kids had lots of free time and freedom to walk around, play and feed the fish. Here's a picture of my family playing in the Ruidoso river. Click the my photo albums link at the left to see more pictures from our staff retreat.

So we got home on Saturday and found we weren't the only ones who had gained a few pounds. The lady we left Duke with fed him all sorts of table scraps because she felt so sorry for him. He's on a strict diet like the rest of us! Sunday we went to church and were so blessed by the baptismal service. 7 youth were baptised, 2 of the guys are so changed and so eager to grow in the Lord. All of the testimonies were sincere and touching, and even more special was that some of their family members who don't set foot in a church for anything came to see them bapstized. Halfway through the service Scott leaned over to ask me if we could pull off a BBQ for the youth after the service. After asking him if he was out of his mind, I agreed to it. So an hour later and for the rest of the afternoon we had a house packed full of youth. It definitely delayed my post-trip organization but it was fun!

staff retreat

Tomorrow we leave early for Cloudcroft, NM, the site of this year's Missionary Staff Retreat. It will be so nice... With the exception of Alvira, we mainly see these people every three months or so at staff meetings, so this is a chance to be together in a more relaxed setting. I'm looking forward to the Holiness of God video series we'll be watching, the evenings of table games, the great food served at Sivell's Baptist Camp, and a day in Ruidoso, NM. The kids are looking forward to the pine forest where they want to hunt for treasures and the rainbow trout pond where they will have fun feeding the fish.

Look for a new post and pictures in a week's time.

desvelada

That's what I am right now... desvelada. It's the Spanish word for sleep deprived. This because I was up until 3:00 last night designing the youth camp pamphlet with buggy software. We only received the information we needed yesterday and it needed to be ready for today so it has been a very last minute project. But to make things even better, Scott called me from the stationary store this morning saying the copies are not coming out clear so I'm back at the computer now, printing out 100 pamphlets (that need to be ready withing the hour, I might add) on a temperamental printer that has decided it will randomly fold down one corner of the paper as it feeds it out. At least it's generally cooperating today. I should be thankful for small blessings.

Now that I have that off my chest, let's get on to more pleasant topics... aren't my children adorable? Lauren & Ezra look so good every morning when they leave for school. When they get home it is entirely another matter, of course... then I wonder why do they make them wear white? The picture of Avery is taken after Lauren dressed her up as a bride (but why is she holding a baby?) Lauren & Avery are wont to disappear for long periods of time only to reappear entirely transformed. Avery has the ability to stay in character all day long. In fact, just the other day she was pretending she was Bibble, a round & fluffly flying pet from the Barbie Mermaidia movie who speaks only in high-pitched unintelligible speech. (charming at first perhaps but after all day, let me tell you...) I had to laugh at the end of the day as I was putting her to bed when she sighed and said, intelligibly this time, "Bibble is tired!"

Well, the rest of the pamphlets have printed off without incident... I'm off to fold them now. Ah, the glamour of being a youth pastor's wife! Actually, I enjoy doing this kind of thing. What I don't enjoy is doing it at the last minute.

For those of you who like to leave comments... you'll notice I've added a word verification step... you can blame it on the person who's been spamming my site! Not appreciated! I'd love it if you kept on commenting, though.

wereneki

I've been wanting to try my hand at making wereneki for a long time and today I did it. People that make them always tell me they're easy to make and it's true. It's not that they're not alot of work (I was rolling & cutting for an hour and a half) but they're not fussy. We'll have them for supper with some farmer sausage and then we'll take a vote on how successful I was.

This is my second new Mennonite food in as many weeks. Last week I tried flinsen and they were a solid hit. Ezra devoured them like he hadn't eaten for three days, but I was greatly missing the fruit sauce my Grandma always had with them (was it choke cherry?) I think by now I can make all the traditional foods that are important to me. Mmm... there's just nothing like Mennonite food! If only learning Low German were as easy...

el mirador

I'm going crazy with all of these long weekends! I want my routine back!! Today is Teacher's Day and another day of no classes.

Scott had a few errands to run this morning, so we all went with him before going out for lunch. On our way home we checked out a new park in town. It's not finished yet, but it's already open to the public. Once they put in all the plants, it will be very nice. The park is called "El Mirador" which translates to something like "The Lookout" It's on top of the highest hill in town and you can really see everything from up there. We could pinpoint our house and our church as well as various other landmarks.

Oh, and yesterday I got a rare sleep-in and was treated to breakfast in bed which had been lovingly prepared by Lauren & Daddy. Good thing they brought me lots to eat, because I had to share... Ezra & Avery thought breakfast in my bed was a pretty neat thing, too!

before & after

Remember this? I'd kind of forgotten how I used to look. This one was taken in 1996, the year after we got married. We always joke about how much weight Scott put on in that first year... but what about me? I can't even blame it on babies at that point! Our move to Texas in 2001 marks my decision to lose weight. I have no idea how much weight I've lost since then because we've never owned a bathroom scale but I've gone down several clothing sizes. They say that slow changes are the most permanent ones and I hope that's true. I'm very happy with my current weight and excercise habits.

I also found a picture of our patio when we first moved in to this house four years ago. It was a mess of garbage, nails and gravel with only half a wall separating us from our neighbors. I didn't like to have the kids playing back there at all. It's nothing special now, but it's safe and fun for the kids. We have finished the wall, paved the whole yard and put in a sandbox. They have a ton of fun back there with sidewalk chalk, sand, bubbles and water at their disposal. Whenever I'm out there I find myself wishing it were nicer... flowers, plants, maybe a patio set... but when I look at the "before" I see how far it's come and I'm more content to leave it as it is. Besides, why waste money on plants when I will just turn around and kill them?

upheaval

There are too many unknowns right now for this creature of habit.

I like to know what to expect, and right now I have no idea what to expect! We will finish our current term of ministry in July and head to Canada for a six month furlough before beginning another term. The details of our next term have been vague for some time now. We knew that Scott's ministry & focus would change, but we thought that our family would be back in Cuauhtemoc, fellowshipping in the same church, kids attending the same school, living in the same house. Now we're not so sure. Suddenly there are many options, some exciting, some not. I was surprised to find myself open to moving... maybe God was preparing me for this. My biggest concern would be moving the children to another school (they are very happy where they are). Anyway, Scott & I are seeking God's will in this and Scott will be talking to several local leaders in the next while to see if we can get a glimpse of what His plan is for us. We'd like to know before too long because there are a certain number of arrangements we will need to make before we leave for Canada.

I should also mention the big surprise I had today. Gabi (the neighbour I mentioned last week) stopped in to see me today. I had some old pictures out that I've been organizing so she started to flip through them and actually sat down and chatted for a few minutes. She didn't stay long, her baby was napping and she had to get back, but I am so pleased that she dropped by.

mother's day

Today is Mother's Day in Mexico.

This means that last night we heard serenades in the streets. Actually, this year I heard only the beginnings. I was sleeping like a log by the time they really got going. Traditionally, they would hire a quartet to do this, but nowadays they just pull their cars up in front of a house, ideally at midnight, and blast a song on their car stereo. Seems kind of strange to me that as a special gift to their mothers, these people will wake them from their much needed rest and then proceed to deprive them of sleep!!

We stopped to fill in gas today and I got a carnation from the service man at which point I was reminded by my dear husband that Mother's Day is really on Sunday. Was he feeling guilty that I was not part of all the excitement? Actually, the kids have been working hard at school to prepare a special program for tomorrow night. When I picked the kids up from school, it was hugs all around from the teachers wishing me a Happy Mother's Day. So don't worry, babe, I'm not feeling neglected.

Anyway, all I really want is a good nap. I can't seem to shake this fatigue.

culture clashes

Ok. So I finally called my neighbour again after about two months of not making the effort. Her response was predictable... "Why haven't you come to visit me?" I asked her the same thing. She said she couldn't come until she could pay me the money she owed me (a few months ago I was yard selling all my baby stuff and she took some home and paid for everything except about $10 worth... no big deal to me) I pointed out that before she owed me, she still never came to my house. I also told her I haven't come to see her because I was beginning to wonder if she even wanted me to. Every time I go, I am warmly received and assured of how much she appreciates my friendship, blah, blah, blah. But she never reciprocates. Naturally, I was beginning to wonder if she even wanted me there... was she just being polite in receiving me while all the while wishing I hadn't come? Boy, did she think that was the most ridiculous thing she had ever heard. And I thought she was being ridiculous about the money. I told her this is all because we come from different cultures, but she wasn't so sure.

After my brother, Lyndon, came back from a few weeks in Nicaragua in March he made a list of things he would miss about the place. Among them was "the fact that relationships are more important to latins than time or accomplishments" After showing the list to Scott, we agreed Lyndon could say that because he was likely on the benefitting end of that characteristic. Let me tell you it's a lot less charming when you're sitting alone at church after preparing all day for an important meeting and no one shows up because they're busy entertaining their cousins who just popped in for a visit three hours before the meeting was supposed to start! This is probably my numer one complaint about Latin American culture. That or the way it's more important to be agreeable than dependable. "A car wash next Saturday is a great idea for a fund raiser! I'll be there!" instead of, "Sorry, I won't be able to make it that day." Sheesh, just tell me the truth once!

Obviously there are things about this culture that I like, but I'm venting today so I won't go into the good things! Hmmm... We've been here just about four years now and are about to go back to Canada for six months. Have we adopted enough Mexican ways that people back home will now be frustrated with us? I am going to have to change my habit of only starting supper at the time we invited company to come over. (ok, I'm exaggerating, but we've had people be up to two hours late for a dinner invitation) And we won't be able to leave our house at the time a party starts and expect to be the first ones there. Then there's the not taking our shoes off when we come into the house... My goodness, now that I think about it, we really have melded to this culture quite a bit.

Look out, everyone... here we come!

a season of sacrifice

Normally I'm not one for devotional books. I don't know... I find them too bite sized or something. I have found the exception, however, in Devotions for Sacred Parenting by Gary Thomas. It was a Christmas gift, a year of weekly devotions for parents. I'm 7 weeks into it and I am enjoying it so much I don't want to wait a whole week until I read the next chapter. It is not predictable like most devotional books, and I find myself actually thinking when I read it. Always a good thing.

I say this because it's Thursday and I read it on Thursdays. Thursdays are kind of an easy day for me. Scott's gone most of the day (it's a heavy day for him), and I end up not cooking, just putting on some leftovers or sandwiches for the kids for supper. Like I usually do on Thursdays, I spent my morning, after cleaning up breakfast, sweeping & mopping, with a cup of tea, catching up on my Bible reading (I'm reading the Bible in a year again this year, but inevitably once a week I have two or three chapters to catch up on) and reading other books I have on the go. I usually have a good cup of tea, but since I'm out of Red Rose (again) this morning I had a very mediocre cup of tea, so it wasn't quite as enjoyable.

Also today I've been sporting a pair of bunny ears all morning. Not that it's really my preference, but Avery decided we should be Avery bunny and Mommy bunny. And I've found myself hopping everywhere. (mopping is harder when you can only hop!) Interestingly enough, today's devotional reading was about how parenting is a season of sacrifice. If my only sacrifice for my children today is hopping like a bunny while I do my housework, then I'd have it easy!

my very first post

Of course, now I've spent so much time creating this blog that I have no time to write my very first post!

I'm not sure if this is something I will keep up over the long run. I've enjoyed reading the blogs of a few friends and family lately so here I am, starting my own. Am I crazy to add another thing to do to my already busy days? Maybe, but it's also something for me and I am in particular need of that sort of thing.

So, for those of you who are actually reading this, welcome to my ordinary life...