Finally... some photos...

Bonswa, zami mwen... finally some Haiti pics - in all fairness, my computer which is approaching geriatric status in the techno world, has been giving me some grief with its arthritic processes to upload photos - but however, today i persevered and rather than thumping my computer and roaring my indignation at its turtle speed, i managed to get a bunch of photos uploaded for your viewing pleasure. They are a random assortment - a few of the over 2100 photos taken by our team of 5 nurses and 2 paramedics, while we were in Haiti for 11 days this month. Most of us had never met before and this could have been very interesting but the Lord provided us with great fellowship and lots of laughs together as we were given opportunity to serve in Haiti. We left on the 3rd of March, travelling through Toronto and a major snowstorm (deicing is really cool for anyone who wants to know - lots of dribbly orange and green liquid seeping all over the plane like some bad sci-fi movie!)

Our team - Nadia, myself, Lynetta, Jennifer, Alisha, Samantha and Deanna
enjoying our lunchtime meal of rice and beans - it was super yummy with veggie sauce!

Deanna consulting with Dr Ed about some issue

while in the foreground, admissions keep rolling in to the clinic

Alisha and I celebrating the arrival of #150 signifying that the

last patient had come through the clinic for that day - i spent that day in pharmacy

- you can see it displayed in the suitcases behind us!

A drive-by shooting of the presidential palace in downtown Port-au-Prince... it was pretty overcast that day- threatened rain but not much happened (this is the better of two pics - the first one only happened to catch a vehicle driving by!)

A view of one of the many crowded neighbourhoods in the capital - it is amazing to think that nearly 3 million people live in Port, so many of them cramped together and living in poverty.
Some of the little kids in the slum of La Saline, where we held our Friday clinic - we saw a lot of malnutrition and diseases related to poor living conditions. So sad.

Demonic/voodoo images in some of the artwork at the metalsmith's village - Satan has deceived many in this poor country... all the more need for the gospel to be brought in word and in deed.

The views from up at Fort Jacques - over the city of Port and the countryside - there is greenery to be found!

Karen and I with two precocious little kids who came to the clinic at

the Charboneau's mission on Sunday - they were full of beans and super cute!

Travelling Haitian style - we were thankful we were behind and not in that taptap

Jen and I were safely in Dr. Ed's truck - but the rest of the girls were somewhere up ahead, in that huge dustcloud in the cage truck - they were pretty dusty by the time we got to the ferry!

Waiting with all our luggage for the trucks to take us to our temporary home on the island of La Gonave, an island where there is very little in the way of infrastructure, education or health care. We stayed at a guesthouse which the OPC has set up.

Our fabulous early morning pancakes - cooked to perfection by Jen and Deanna - they were improvisational in that we had no eggs - so mayonnaise had to suffice!

Prayer meeting before our clinic began - asking for a blessing on the day - we saw 200 people that day!

If anyone ever complains about potholes - just show them this picture of one of our trucks emerging from the bushes where there appears to be no road - we were thankful our drivers knew where to go because to our untrained eyes, there certainly wasn't much of a road here...

One of the young patients at the clinic, not so sure about all these "blans"

Our oldest patient - this lady was 90 years old, amazing when you think that the life expectancy of Haitians is usually late 50s or early 60s. She has seen a lot over the years - just think of the history she has lived through. She was very thankful to be seen at the clinic - she was also happy that she was allowed to drink coffee - at her age, she was allowed to have that luxury!

Our team - suffering a little at the beach on our last day - it was nice to have a down day before heading home again - we got a bit of sun and enjoyed the beautiful beach!

Our team - can you tell who we all are by our feet???

One last team pic - i know, it looks like we're a big bridal party- but that's not the case!

"Is this not the kind of fasting I have chosen; to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wandered with shelter - when you see the naked, to clothe him and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood? Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard. " Isaiah 58:6-8

Still alive...

Hi there... Nope, I'm still alive - still here in my little house - still completely out of inspiration for my posts - i know i have plenty of fodder to post for you all to enjoy, yet somehow, i've been having the toughest time actually sitting down and doing anything - to be sure, i've started posts about four times since getting back from haiti - but with no success - either the computer kicked me off or i quit in disgust... So here i am, on a beautifully sunny morning, wearing my t-shirt whilst typing and feeling quite clean after a nice hot shower, with clean teeth from my "widow's oil" toothpaste tube - i bought it in Curacao last summer and i started it around Christmas time - and it just lasts and lasts - everytime i think it's done, i can still squeeze a little bit more out - how fun is that! Maybe i should have a sign by my door - dedicating this as the spot where the "miraculous toothpaste tube made its appearance". Oh, boy, i've gone off my rocker this time - hmmm... what have i been up to lately? In the last month,

- i've been to Haiti and back safely and healthily, albeit with a little delay

- i've picked up my new couch and tada... it fits! Come over and take a seat sometime with a cuppa tea - i'm open for visitors!

- i've worked a lot of shifts at work - some good, others not so great - but hey, that's life

- i've been to the Home Show with my dearest Mother... what a fun and exhausting day!

- i've read two books - and am working on a third - i love to read!

- i've won the nobel prize for astrophysics with my latest invention

- i've done three loads of laundry with my bottomless bottle of laundry soap (i know, my house is just full of interesting things!)

- my dear friend and i ate duck for the first time in our lives - it was yummy (quack, quack)

- i went on a plant hunting excursion with my sister one Saturday when we were super bored and bugging the life out of my mother!

Okay, enough for now, i'll try to get some pics in here too to liven things up...

Bonswa zami mwen..

Bonswa zami mwen, matin mwen ale au Port-au-Prince... okay, so that's as far as my Kreyol goes at present - having suffered from a severe lack of neglect over the last few years - i now am on the verge of betaking myself once again to Haiti - a country so different from our own - yet there are many brothers and sisters in Christ there with whom we will joy to fellowship. I leave tomorrow morning bright and early with a team of nurses and medics - to participate in medical clinics in the capital city of Haiti, Port-au-Prince and on the island of Gonave. We hope to be active in clinics on at least five days - assessing, treating and helping people who have little access to medical care on a regular basis - much as we sometimes bemoan our health care system (i could tell you a few nice stories about how it seems to be gradually going downhill), it sure is heaps better than what is real life down there. So hopefully, we will be tools in God's hands, to do with what He pleases, to minister to whom He would have us minister to - and to work for His glory and not our own. I covet your prayers for our mission in Haiti - for Randy and Karen at Adoration School, for our team - for safe travels, for a spirit of unity and cooperation, of fellowship and the joy of working together, for good health, for many to be reached, not just with the healing of the body but with the good news for the spirit. I still have my fears and worries about things - but over the last few days, i have received so much love and support from everyone - that it feels more peaceful in my spirit tonight - having just emerged once again from the loving arms of my family as well. So that's me for now... signing off... sleep deprived and malaria free (thus far!)

p.s. a funny little anecdote - i was thinking back to a memory of myself the other morning - i'm pretty sure that the people in the neighbourhood were thinking i was a mite crazy - i walk to work more often - a 20 minute trek and usually listen to my favorite soundtracks on my mp3 player - happily bobbing along. This morning in question however, i chose as my walking companions, my Kreyol flash cards... It was all fine when i was reading the Kreyol outloud and then saying the English translation... but when i read the English - and then quietly mumbled the Kreyol to myself so no one could hear my poor pronunciation - i'm pretty sure people would have thought i was insanely having a conversation with no one. "Hello. My name is... I'm hungry.... What time is it? One, two, three... Goodbye... house... sit there... help... sing... sleep..."

Heehee, i still get a chuckle out of the thought. Bonswa zami mwen - I will be back - si bon Dieu vle (If God wills).

Tonight

Tonight...

I sit here.... listening to mellow music... feeling warm and cozy in my sweater,

my house, my skin...

yet

there is unrest in my spirit,

in myself,

my soul.

Longing for rest, completion, peace.

Knowing where to find it - not knowing all the time how to reach out and grab it - and make it real for myself.

Trying to understand the inside of myself - my thoughts, goals, dreams, aims, hopes.

Begging for the balm to be on my soul and heal it, make it whole and make it fly to a place of safety, fulfillment, and joy.

Wondering to know how to express joy in myself, for others, for my Creator

Aching to be made whole and perfect in a time not belonging to this earth

Not needing to cry anymore or try to be someone who i'm not,

but longing to know as I am known.

Extreme Makeover - My Edition

So, we embarked on another chapter of the Extreme Makeover - My Edition today. Mom and Dad were the willing slaves to whom were entrusted the paint brushes and drills (i think i made the hole too big!?? Uh oh!) The first two shots are of the dining of my little abode as they were when i purchased the house - oh so wonderfully outdated and in dire need of some updating.

Note the lovely stained carpet, boring white walls and outdated furniture
The drapes were so faded, we discovered today, that they had stripes on them - pink stripes to be exact where the sun hit and brown where it was shady - hmmm... methinks them curtains weren't opened muchly.

Now brought at least into the 20th century with some elbow grease, a splash of "thicket" on the walls and a sleek new artwork on the wall; i'm so happy with the results... we weren't sure as always, how the paint would turn out - but the stuff is awesome - it's paint from Benjamin Moore - i would totally recommend them as they are super helpful and they have great colours and products - it has made the onerous task of painting a house full of oil paint so much more easy and relaxed.

The dining room - after picture. We still need to find some accessories and maybe a rug and some curtains in case i don't want every neighbour in the hood to be seeing me eat my mac and cheese or cereal... but it is definitely more grown up and neat looking than what we started out with this morning... on to the living room - any ideas??

Hmm... kinda dumb...

Well, poor old Prunelope had a little run-in with a snowbank this evening, silly car... whilst i normally am a very careful driver, alas, this evening, i was not hundred percent concentrating while as she backed down the long driveway which i was leaving this evening. All of a sudden, there i felt a bit of a bump and hmm... couldn't drive anymore... I wasn't able to move forward or backwards and so had to call on the assistance of my elder and his son to rescue me and Prunelope from our snowy peril... sure enough, snip, snap, and we were on our way again - boots full of snow and cheeks glowing, not cause it was so cold, but with some embarrassment to light them! What a flake! heehee...

It's a race... i'm winning...

Just to beat my dear friend Laura on her posting race... i beat you!!!

Winter wonderland???

Green Meadows??? Me thinks not so much...

Okay, i know it's been a little while since i last posted... and you're probably wondering why in the world a post at 11:58 at night... but this is how it is... my blood is pumping nice and warm since i had to shovel my driveway yet again... so much for global warming and the climate change theory - in my opinion, we seem to be regressing into the 3rd ice age (or whatever number we are up to at present!) I think that there is somewhere a little snow maker perched over Hamilton and delighting in dumping snow on the hapless new owner of a house... having to slave away each and every day shoveling yet another load of snow out of her driveway! Pretty soon i'm gonna need a ladder to pile the snow up there cause it's getting pretty deep on my lawn... hmm... tomorrow i think i'll have to go and jump in the middle and see how long it takes to extricate myself from the snowy grasp of the drifts... but for now, i suppose i'd better take myself off to bed to rest up for the shoveling drama to begin yet again! Happy shoveling!Dad looking awfully cute having come in from shoveling a lot of snow... again... I didn't have a shot of myself looking the same from a few minutes ago... so just picture this without a beard and gray hair... and maybe the wild eyebrows... add a little bit more brown hair and a zit on the chin and you've got the picture!

Christmas lights...

So i took a little drive around the burbs this evening after work, trying to get ideas for how to put up my Christmas lights next year, since i'm a rookie at this... so i did some drive-by shootings so you'd get the picture of what i meant. There are many differing styles of decorating ... there's the cozy classic... i'm a fan of this minimalism...

There's the ever-impressive "let's decorate every possible inch of our property with a zillion lights so that there's a glow over the east mountain." I do believe that Horizon loves these people - i love their enthusiasm!

Their neighbours apparently took up the challenge and are well on their way to being Horizon's second best customer for December...
Then there's the "we don't have much time to decorate so we'll sling our lights up whereever they fall!
And then there's Take 1 on my little abode... i think it turned out okay, though occasionally i fear that it appears that my porch is about to eat up any who dare to venture on to it!

hmmm...

Hi there...
Just thought i'd set a little blurbie (barbie's cousin??) on here... just to say how happy i am to be able to spend some time with my beloved family this weekend... I am SO looking forward to it... this will be my Christmas celebration time... with dinner and games and just spending time together in coziness and family love. I am so blessed with my family - my dear parents who love me unconditionally... my sisters with whom i share so many memories and i am so glad that our bond is strong and keeps growing more so over the years. And the boys - who could forget them? They have opened up our mostly female family's eyes to a completely different world and way of thinking and working. It has been a real pleasure to get to know and appreciate both of them! And my darling nephew - i can't wait to give him a little squeeze and see what he's been up to - growing so quickly - but i guess that happens to little kids eh? And see how far little VanderDeen is progressing in vitro - see if we can feel any movement yet - and make a connection with this little one whom i love dearly already! Aaah... yes, I do count my blessings each day and thank God for their love, support and friendship. Here's to the Mussches!!!

oh dear...

Today, i went shopping... with my zit. I wasn't lonely.
Thats zit.

Oh deer...

As i was wandering the aisles at a certain local hardware store, i came suddenly into an aisle to which i had never in my whole life paid any attention to or even probably had ever had occasion to be in. As i was wandering - in a state of dazedness due to all the Christmas paraphenalia everywhere - i saw something that i had no idea existed - and to tell the truth, i have to think why would anyone ever want to use such a product... it was a nicely packaged bottle of "scent of deer in heat". I'll leave it at that. So now you know what to get that person on your list whom you have no clue what to get... heehee... don't "stag"ger too much when you see how dear the bottle is... oh boy, i better stop...

Have you ever... totally pirated from a friend...

Have you...? I was recently perusing a friend's blog and this little (or rather big) list appeared... it intrigued me so i thought to myself, hey, let's do that and see how far i get... i loved to read hers and learn little bits about her that i didn't know... so maybe you can do the same... perfect for a lazily snowing morning..
Copy and paste this to your own blog and bold the things you have done.
1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars - several times, in Haiti, at Grundy...
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disney
8. Climbed a mountain - accidentally... in Scotland... we didn't mean to...
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped - no, and never will...
12. Visited Paris - twice... lucky me
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France - twice
20. Slept on an overnight train - twice
21. Had a pillow fight - old feather pillows were the best thumpers..
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping - no comment
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice - too expensive... a water taxi was cheaper
29. Seen a total eclipse - you're not supposed to look at that are you?
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset - most memorably in Australia after a mad dash through the drivethrough to get to the coast on time to watch the sunset over a lighthouse over the ocean.
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise -to Kleine Curacao...
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing - how big do the rocks have to be???
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt - so just on time... we pulled up in the parking lot and thar she blew!!!
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance - with a patient...
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris - twice!!!!
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud - just last week, i think!
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie - home movies count right??
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies - Brownies...
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy - from what... i don't throw anything out...
70. Seen the Lincoln Memorial in person
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London - a very long time to stand and wait for not that much...
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. visited the White House - the outside thereof
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating - disgusting... i couldn't even kill a wee little baby bird in the middle of the woods who had fallen out of its nest and would probably die anyways...
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life - i've done cpr, and have probably had a hand in helping save lives at work??
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92.Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone - no, but i probably should get one since it is useful when it's cold out and your car can't steer... pay phones are becoming obsolete, i've discovered.
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Totally copied a post from someone else's blog to your own

Bits and pieces

I thought i'd share a few pics from my little abode here in the meadows... they're not so green anymore, but rather are more brown and a few leaves lay scattered here and there - the garden weeds been killed off by the frosts and my roses in the gardens have had their feet tucked in with a blanket of dead leaves and soil to ensure that they survive the coming winter. And yes, indeed, winter has come to some parts of our fair province, but with the exception of a few little flurries, Hamilton has mostly been spared the wrath of winter so far. But i'm sure it's not far away - you can feel the coolness in the air and today was the first day i had seen sunshine for any length of time in a few weeks (it's entirely possible i was not really looking also... i tend to do that a lot - look but not really see!). And life marches ever onwards - there never seems to be time to sit and meditate on things - on how many changes have occured this year again - new home, friendships, opportunities, frustrations, family members - and so much more. My cousin recently talked to me about trying to simplify life - cutting down on the things that fill our lives with busyness and focusing on the things that matter and are important - first and foremost being our relationship with our God and Father. It is something i'm trying to work on - amidst the renos in the house it's difficult - but there's always time blocks - as a matter of fact, with no tv because it's packed up - i realize how much time that thing eats up - tonight i am sitting in my bedroom with my computer, a candle, Casting Crowns singing to me and actually taking some time to process things - how nice! I have to do this more often - good for mind, body and soul... anyhow, i'm not going to babble on too much more... i've thrown a few more pictures on here of the latest projects in the house... just to keep you up to date!

Before - in my bedroom - taken on one of my house visits before

purchasing my home... gotta love those curtains...The changed bedroom - it's not completed yet - but it is definitely more "me"... the hideous curtains have been banished to the basement - where i seldom venture when alone (what a chicken eh?? there be monsters...)
Renos in the bathroom - i finally got a plug installed for my hair dryer - i don't have to blowdry my hair in my bedroom in the dark anymore... how nice that people have gifts and talents to figure out an area of home ownership that i have absolutely no idea about - but i'm picking up a few little bits - i can talk about grounded plugs and "hot" wires now... though that doesn't mean i really know what they mean... i just nod my head and pretend sometimes...heehee...

My floors are being stripped (poor things) and redone starting Monday morning, bright and early at 8 am!! I am excited and anxious to see what they will look like... but that also means that the living room, dining room and the closets needed to be emptied and moved... not a little job - things are now empty and echoey - it was interesting to see things like this since when i moved in, there was the couch and other furniture already - now it's all stripped bare except my little carpet and it feels so empty and lonely... maybe this is the new style - minimalism... no chairs - just a bare floor and space to race around on a mini-trike if one so desired!! Sounds like fun to me - i'm waiting for someone to race with!

De-vine experience...

A few weeks ago, my dearest Mother and I decided to don our galoshes and head out to the backbeyond in search of materials with which to decorate our respective homes for the upcoming holidays. It was a chilly day with a good nip in the air, but we bundled up in our woodland best and struck out bravely. We were in search of some grape vines to build Christmas wreaths with, but along the way managed to pick up some great pictures of the beautiful fall woods and lots of other "stuff" along the way... I thought i'd share a few of my favorite pictur Aes from our little outing. I LOVE spending time with my mom, whom i learn so much from and when that is combined with a walk in the moody fall woods, it makes for a great afternoon out. I love finding things with Mom and watching her mind form a purpose for it - old twisted pieces of wood, prickly thorn branches, berries wilted by the frosts and pieces of barbed wire, all of which will find their secondary purposes in decoration somewhere, somehow. I also have to always marvel at the glories of creation - the dying away of things before the winter of rest and renewal. Enjoy!

I love this shot - probably my favorite of them all... so you get to see it first!

Below - Mom trying to push down a rotten old tree with her poky stick...no success!

Using all my might to wrest the grapevines from their hold in the tree tops - this particular vine had me determined to have it - since the effort required landed me on my butt not once but twice! That thing was going to come out no matter what!

Me and my long long probably 18 foot train - practicing for a wedding??
heehee, would be some sort of weird attire for a wedding!

Pull!!!! Through the mud, weeds, grass and gravel - the construction guys

must have been thinking - who are these kooks??!!

Yep, this is good old Mothers Street... sadly ripped to shreds by the massive diggers and excavators - who said that urbanization was progress never saw the mess that is now our former quiet little street - now the constant sound of "beep, beep, beep" of the dumptrucks is audible even when i chat with my mom on the phone... you nearly need a four-by-four to get into the survey - and mud boots are a must!

My dear mom and I... we had a great time poking around and

enjoying the creation around us!

I LOVE the mood of this picture - soooo moody and mysterious - you almost expect a tornado or a smuggler or some other ominous thing to be right around the corner...

An attempt to be artistic.. i kinda like it - but i'm always learning

about settings on my camera...

This picture reminds me of the Group of Seven - and their wonderful knack for capturing the rugged Canadian shield beauty... colour amidst the bleakness of fall!

Falling up...

Some fall pictures for your viewing enjoyment... what a gorgeous day we had today! I shared lunch outside with my mom, didn't have to wear a winter coat despite the fact that it's the first week in November and was even tempted to put the air conditioner in the car on.... What a blessing to share the beauties of the day and my little back yard with you all! Enjoy!
Then God said, "Let the earth put forth vegetation: plants yielding seed, and fruit trees of every kind on earth that bear fruit with the seed in it." And it was so. The earth brought forth vegetation: plants yielding seed of every kind, and trees of every kind bearing fruit with the seed in it. And God saw that it was good. And there wa s evening and there was morning, the third day.

Choices, choices, choices

Welcome to Style at Home with Danielle... the show where the homeowner makes a zillion choices in an hour and completes her home decor - making everything matchy matchy and creates a feeling of ambiance and warmth which makes her feel at home. Hmm... okay, not quite so crazy, but the last few weeks have been decidedly full of choices. And also of confusion as to which detail to start things off with... hmmm... does one first purchase the sofa of choice (would you like wooden arms, puffy cushions, firm seating, a matching chair or a cheap price tag to complicate matters) and then the rug (would you like cotton, man-made, foreign, eco-friendly or make-it-yourself rugs?) to complement it, then the drapes (floor length, panels, rods or hooks, see-through or opaque?) to match the rug, or the couch or the walls... arrrggghhh, sometimes the options are limitless. I definitely don't want to turn into Martha Stewart, nor will i, but there are times, like today when we walked into a lighting store (oops, i forgot to mention lighting in my little tirade!) and i nearly wanted to run out of the store with my hands waving frantically and erratically whilst i screamed out my mental agony with cries of "aaahhhh, i've seen the lights!! Okay, it wasn't so bad, i am getting into this whole decor thing and it is kinda fun... though i'm always glad to have a second person along with me to bounce ideas off of - Mom is great for that - we talked about so many little things that i even had forgotten about - what, you have to paint a ceiling? Or, oh, is there a difference between paint brushes - i just bought ones off of the shelf last time? Aaah, well, come on over some day and see where we are at - slowly but surely ticking little jobs off of the ever growing to-do list! Any and all ideas and suggestions welcome...

I'll take a poll on which colour towels everyone likes...
I've seen the light and the light and the light and the light....

Nope, it's not a marking for a crime scene unless it's a decor crime

perhaps to put scotch tape on a hardwood floor???

Home ownership... my style

Well, over the last month and a bit, i have grown up. Well, okay, so i spent last night playing with Legos in my basement, that doesn't mean i'm not grown up, it simply means i can appreciate the engineering potential locked into each little building block - see, that makes playing with Lego sound almost necessary and deeply philosophical. Hmm, maybe i should abandon nursing and go with making up baloney. Seems to be a fitting little job for me. But, like i was saying, i have grown up in the last while - learning how to manage a household (i'm not quite there yet believe me!), learning how to balance out living in a house with continuing to live your life and not let the house live your life for you, and other various and sundry accomplishments.

Currently, as i hunt and peck away, the house smells warm and homey - yes, my dear friends, C.P. and L.V.B. (you know who you are!!!), the house was almost up to 18 degrees tonight - heehee, but it quickly got turned down when i was busy like a bee in my little kitchen which i am learning is more and more unhandy for working in - no order or efficiency there at all!! Any carpenters out there with free time and good ideas? You are more than welcome to have a crack at things - there are times when i'd just like to take the hammer to things myself but that would of course not be very wise.

Creepily enough, my curtains keep wanting to open up on their own - a sign of the full moon approaching (not that i hold much credence with that idea!). My curtains, a gift of infinite value from the previous owners of my little abode, are quite the lovely things - they are brown vinyly flowered things in my "office" and blue vinyly flowered things in my bedroom - with four sections so that each night before retiring, i have to carefully pull all four sections together so that there are no ominous black slits in my windows through which the dark can creep in! What a chore! I long for the day when there are full and lovely updated curtains installed - hopefully tomorrow's shopping excursion would bring some remedies to my dilemmas.

Dilemmas, aah yes, seems my life has had it's share of insignificant to the world but significant to me dilemmas. Was i going to get the roof done on time? Do i need my chimney liner replaced? How do i prepare roses for the winter? How does one kill grubs in a lawn when they've been having a free-for-all all summer??!!! I have oil paint all throughout my little home - what a pain in the neck! When you are already signed up for an automatic withdrawal system for a bill - it's best not to pay it again yourself - it's much too much work getting money back from companies once they have it in their iron fists.

And the list goes on and on... little things can depending on the day become things that can itch and pain you until you are driven a little crazy. Fortunately, i have a great crew of people to whom i can vent and mooch ideas off of. I am so thankful for you all! But as i said earlier, learning not to let the house take over is a good thing. So taking time to call someone, bake something or write a card are just as important as picking out paint colours, ripping up carpet and pondering life in the bathroom of pinkness.