Doing a little house cleaning

Mark and I made an agreement when we moved into this house that whenever we bought something new- whatever it was- that something had to leave so that we didn't accumulate unwanted items (i.e. junk). It was quite obvious with many things that this idea had been overlooked for some time- mostly by me!

I have sat down to post a few blogs on our vacation, but I found myself unable to focus and get words down on screen because as I looked around, I kept seeing things that didn't have a place! Worst of all, I couldn't find the best place to start. I would go to start something and realize that I needed to do three other things before I could even start to organize the thing I went to do. So, when this happens, the crazy need-to-organize side of me comes out to play and inevitably a list is made of some kind. Fortunately, this time it actually helped me prioritize things without becoming overwhelmed. I decided the best place to start was our bedroom.

There were a few unfinished projects in our room that needed to be done before anything else in the house. I have been in limbo over that past few months figuring out what to do in our room. I have wanted to create a prayer space/reading nook where I could pray, read, mediate, journal, etc. In order to do this, I wanted for there to be very minimal furniture so that the room didn't look busy and cluttered. The easiest way I could figure to do this was to combine my dresser and closet into one area. Before I could do this, I HAD to get rid of some clothes and sort through what fit, what didn't, what I liked and what I didn't. SO, today was the day!

I waited for Kaley to go to sleep for the afternoon and then the real fun began. Out came every piece of clothing from the closet and went onto the bed. I put in a few organizational things into the closet and then started to sort through everything. After that was done and the clothes were in the closet, then I had to go through the dresser and do the same. The sad thing was, I got rid of about 2/3 of my clothes that I rarely ever wore! There were even a few maternity items in the mix and it has been 18 months since I have needed them.

In the end, everything fit perfectly! It took the entire time that Kaley slept, but it got finished. Unfortunately, now I need to figure out what I am going to do with the empty dresser and how to reorganize the space, but that is for another day.

Before picture:

After pictures:

Kaley Singing

I have been trying to get Kaley on video singing "Jesus Loves Me" with her Jesus bear that she got when she was born. I finally got the whole thing on tape!!! You'll have to excuse all of the movement...she decided to sing and travel at the same time. Enjoy!

Our Afternoon Excursion

Today we had one of those spontaneous afternoons that ended up better than anything we could have planned. Mark had a wedding to do this afternoon and Kaley and I were just going to spend the afternoon at home. About 15 minutes before he left, I jokingly asked Kaley if she wanted us to go to a wedding. We talked about it and decided that we would go with Mark, and while he was officiating the wedding, we would find a park and have a snack and play a bit and then go get Mark when he was done. So, we packed up a snack, grabbed the diaper bag and left.

After we dropped off Mark, we drove a bit and found a beach in Innisfil with a play area! I had a blanket in the car and a towel, so we put everything in the stroller and found a place in the shade to have our snack. Kaley kept looking at the water and "talking" about it with me, so after we were done, we took off our shoes and socks, rolled up our pants and walked across the beach.

I hadn't planned on going to the beach, so I wasn't prepared at all for getting wet, other than the towel I had in the car. The first time the water hit her feet, she went up on her tippy toes and squealed like a little girl. The waves covered her feet a couple more times and then she said "all done" and walked onto the beach to the play area. Then, she looked at the water and decided she wanted to try it out again. This time she went in a little further to her calves. She spent a little more time in the water this time and laughed and squealed as the water splashed on her legs. Again, she said "all done" and went back to play on the slide. Then, after a little bit, she looked at the water and made a bee line for it. THIS time, however, she decided that she wanted to bend over and touch it with her hands. Well, as you can guess, a wave came at that same time and got her drenched from her neck down. After that, she sat down in the water and splashed and had a great time!!

It didn't matter how wet or how dirty she got, as with any diaper bag, we were prepared for ANYTHING! I've always thought why I feel the need to bring so much stuff in the diaper bag, and now I know why! The best part is, since we changed to cloth diapers, it meant that I had a waterproof cloth bag in the diaper bag which worked great for the drenched clothes. Kaley got all cleaned up and dried off and we headed back to pick Mark up.

It was such a fun afternoon together. Kaley had the time of her life, got a nice LONG bath tonight and there are currently clean towels and blankets in the car, and a fresh clean outfit in her diaper bag just ready for our next spontaneous excursion:)

Happy Birthday Dad!!!

Today is my dad's birthday! I know I sound like a broken record, but I am so thankful for the family that I have been blessed to have, and my dad is just another one of those blessings. He is so kind, generous of his resources and time, thoughtful of others and passionate about what he does. Thinking back on my childhood, some of the fondest memories I have are going out to the shop where he worked and he would let Jason and I ride the hoist in his work area, would let us go see the firetrucks in the other part of the building, and would always let us get a bottle of pop from the machine. Vacations were always so much fun. We would take a two week vacation during the summer and drive to wherever our destination was. We went to places like New York City, Missouri, Washington D.C., South Dakota, California and all the states in between. We learned all about reading maps, saw a bunch of historical sites and even when it was time to learn how to drive, dad taught us how even on the highway (and mom, you must have been VERY brave to let him do this!!!). He also taught us good life lessons that I cherish still today.

He has become a great grandfather to both Olivia and Kaley and they no doubt love him back just as much. Dad, we're so thankful that you are who you are. Thanks for everything and have a very happy birthday!!! We love you.

Proud grandpa with Baby Kaley


Grandpa listening intently to Olivia explaining something...no doubt a game they were going to play later:)


Dad and his historically great gifts (and always practical)


Grandpa and Kaley playing horsey!

Helping Hands

We've been participating in the Organics program in Barrie, which means that we put our food scraps into an organics bin and put it out on garbage day to be taken to be decomposed into soil! We thought that it would be a great way to help out the environment and do our part to become more "green." Unfortunately, sometimes being "green" isn't all sweet smelling roses, which led us to needing to find another alternative. The Organics program worked great in the fall, spring and winter, but the idea of (excuse the term) week old rotten food sitting in a warm garage produced an awful smell. I looked into this and the advice given was to put the food scraps in the freezer until garbage day..yeah, I DON"T think so, EEEEW!

So, we decided to get a garbage disposal to use for the worst of the food, and still use the Organics bin for the less offending odor foods. As most of you know, whenever daddy starts a project on the home, it is an automatic magnet for kids to want to watch and "help." Kaley was NO different. She got in there like a champ and even tried to offer some advice on the situation. We were able to get her "helping" on video and get a couple of pictures. What a great help she is!!!

Barrie Ribfest

On Friday night, we went down to Barrie's annual Ribfest with Phil and Anne, some friends of ours. Each year, Barrie has this event where a number of rib teams come in to compete against each other and cook all kinds of scrumptous bbq'd items. Along with that, there are fresh lemonade stands, blooming onions, french fries, ice cream and my all time favorite...grilled corn on the cob. So yummy!

This was the first year that Kaley actually took part in this event. She had corn on the cob for the first time and loved it. Poor Phil didn't stand a chance at eating his once Kaley got a taste of it. I think he had as much fun feeding her as he did eating some of it:) She also loved some of Mark's ribs and my pulled pork.

It was a perfect evening to be out. The place was packed with people, but we did manage to find a spot on the grass in the shade to enjoy our dinner.

Kaley enjoying her corn on the cob.

After that, we walked down to the waterfront and had some ice cream for dessert. It was a great evening spent with good friends.

Kaley enjoying Anne's ice cream.

Kaley decided that she liked the ice cream so much that she was holding firmly onto Anne's hand so that she wouldn't take the ice cream away. We all had a good laugh at that one:)

Ah, and yes, the sticky and gooey ice cream dripping down her chin. Even after a year, the stickiness STILL makes me shudder. I don't think I will ever change, but that is what wipes are for...YEAH!!!

Another Great Song

I love this song from Hillsong called "At the Cross". It is a great worship song that brings everything back the basics! This video has such great images, love it!

At the Cross

At the cross I bow my knee
Where Your blood was shed for me
There's no greater love than this
You have overcome the grave
Your glory fills the highest place
What can separate me now

Oh Lord You've searched me
You know my way
Even when I fail You
I know You love me

Your holy presence
Surrounding me
In every season
I know You love me

You go before me
You shield my way
Your hand upholds me
I know You love me

You tore the veil
You made a way
When You said that
It is done

And when the earth fades
Falls from my eyes
And You stand before me
I know You love me