~hearthstone~

Khali-ism, 11/02/2012

2012-02-11T09:13:00.000-08:00

Making breakfast this morning and Khali came in wearing her pink dress, blue jeans, pink necklace and her 'crown'. Which is really a necklace thats too small that fits on the top of her head. She says to me that she is a princess and that she gets to dance with Papa. But, Mama is not allowed to dance with Papa because she is not a princess until she puts on a dress. :)

More Change!

2012-02-10T12:26:00.000-08:00

   As always, we seem to be in a constant flow of change. Which isn't nessesarily a bad thing, it can just be tough to keep up. :)
   On the 7th Khali turned three years old! Wow, my little girl is sure growing up. :) The day before we made her a cake (had two layers, one was chocolate and the other lemon, with a berry filling and cream cheese whipped frosting all over!) and my Mum and I blew up a whole package of balloons and hid them in the bathtub. On her birthday, we have a few people over for cake and put all of the balloons in the livingroom for the kids to chase around. :) They had a lot of fun! It was a little crazy, but thats ok.
   My hubby has found fulltime work too! Another big change for us! He is now in Weyburn SK working in the NDT field. Khali and I are still here in BC with my Mum. Its very hard being so far away, but soon we'll be together again. :) It feels very awesome to have employment after such a long dry-spell. He is getting a good wage and working lots and lots of overtime. I won't see Hubby again until my due date though. :( He will fly back for baby to be born, stay a couple days, but then have to fly right back to work. Not sure how I'll handle a three year old and a newborn, but its been done before. So I know its not impossible! Khali, Baby and I will move out end of March, beginning of April if Baby and I are doing well.
   I am now 35-1/2 weeks pregnant! 31 days to go until my estimated due date. Getting very excited! I think I have almost everything ready too. Just have to pick up a few more things for the homebirth once family allowence comes in. :)
   I would include pictures with my post, but that will have to wait until another time. Hubby took the netbook with him to Weyburn, so I have no way of getting my photos off of my camera and onto his desktop. One day I will hijack my Mum's laptop and upload some pictures. :)
   So other than the boring, stressful, details of getting ready for childbirth and a long-distance move all at the same time, thats about it for now!

"Want to do, Mama?"

2012-01-18T10:16:00.000-08:00

I am getting asked this a lot the last couple of days. Its too cold to really take Khali outside for long (the wind doesn't help) and I am running out of ideas for indoor entertainment. La sigh. Today is a long day to be bored too. Khali climbed into bed with us at 5:30 this morning (this is when I stop sleeping...) and at 6:40-ish I try to get out of bed all ninja-like to go pee. No such luck! I was caught in the act. So Khali has been up since then (normal wake up is 8). She hasn't had enough sleep so she is grumpy and bored. I think that even though we have been skipping naps altogether for the last little bit, today will be a nap day for Khali!

Khali-ism for today

2012-01-02T22:36:00.000-08:00

I have been showing Khali photos of mothers nursing their babies, in hope to prepare Khali a little bit for our new arrival. She came up to me the other day and said,
"Mama, baby is going to eat your boobies."
Very, matter of fact, of course :)

Its hard work being a toddler!

2011-12-30T16:39:00.000-08:00

We are in the process of kicking her last nap int he afternoon. If she naps after lunch, she wont sleep until 10pm or *later*. If we skip the nap, like we have been all week, she crashes at about 4:30pm until dinner is ready. Can only play so hard, you know!

Friendship - Love - Everlasting

2011-12-30T09:35:00.000-08:00

is what I found engraved on the inside of my wedding band 4 years ago as I married my best friend.

Photo update! (of mostly Khali...of course)

2011-12-25T22:47:00.000-08:00

These were all taken this month at some point or another. First off, Khali 'smiling' for the camera. :)

And Khali wiggling her nose, hehe.

Our gingerbread creation! Which is now being eaten...

And here is baby #2 at 28 weeks. We've made it to the 3rd trmester :)

Khali cuddling with baby sister. Don't you just love those big brown eyes?

Trying to get a nice smile Christmas morning. Silly kid!
Well, that is all I have for now!

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T22:25:00.000-08:00

I hope you all had a lovely Christmas today :) Last night we had our dinner (roast lamb, baked winter veggies, bean salad, gravy and horseradish, yum!) and this morning we opened our stockings :) Khali thought it was pretty neat and enjoyed eating way too much junk all day, lol. Pocky for breakfast for example... Although it was slim and there is no snow, we all enjoyed ourselves! Hanging out with family and eating food on Jesus' Birthday. :)
Love and hugs!

Khali-isms

2011-11-25T11:12:00.000-08:00

As I am getting ready to walk to the Salvation Army to talk to a lady about food hampers:

Khali: Where you goin, Mama? A walk? Khali come?
Me: No, Can't come. Mama's going to a boring meeting. (which for her it would be)
Khali: A meeting with Jesus?

Couldn't help but laugh. Where do kids come up with these things? lol

Feeling Disconnected

2011-11-21T21:26:00.000-08:00

So Hubby and I made the decision to quit Facebook a little while ago. Which was(is) a good thing and I haven't really missed it. At the same time, now I rarely hear from *anyone*. Does not being on FB kick you off the edge of the world? Is E-mail too outdated and inconveinant? What happened to all of my "friends"?

Change!

2011-11-06T23:19:00.000-08:00

   Change is an ever constant thing it seems. Some change is definatly easier to welcome. We have been in a state of flux for a while now, so I am going to do my best to sum it up and maybe even add a photo or two!
   We are now living in Kamloops BC. Its a nice (smaller!) city, with weather that is not quite as wild as Calgary's. It was a last minute move out of desperation to keep our heads above water. We had so much awesome help from a few friends and managed to get everything packed up into a u-haul. Even with me being quite useless, as I am pregnant again :D But more on that later.... We left way behind schedual (like 8pm instead of 1pm...) and pulled an all nighter through the pass. Alas we made it in one piece! We had to put almost everything we own into storage and are staying with my Mum in her teeny tiny house. We are grateful to have somewhere to go, but at the same time would love to have our own space again!
   When we moved out here, Hubby had fulltime work at a local sign shop. It paid enough that after a few months of 'catch-up' we could move out and sustain ourselves. After three weeks he was laid-off. :( This was back in September. And until now we have been looking for work! Finally he has found something, but it was not what we were expecting! It is fulltime thankfully, and more than minimum wage. Just not enough to live on our own with the debts we have to pay off. It is something though. A grand step into the right direction! We have another possible opportunity in mind, but we will see if anything actually comes of it before saying much more. :) So at this rate, my goal of getting our own place by Christmas...not happening. I was really really hoping. At the very lease out by after Christmas. As we have a special arrival coming in March!
     So as I said before, we are expecting again. We are very excited as it has been quite the jouney to get to this point! This is our eighth pregnancy and seems to be sticking :) I am nearly 22 weeks now (over half way through!) and due March 13th. Big reason I really wanted to have out own space before baby comes? We were hoping for a homebirth. I have a midwife (another story in its own right!) for which I am thrilled. We will have to discuss birthing options with the midwife this week. La sigh. And having everything in storage, means all of our baby things too. Not like there is any room here for baby things anyways... If you ever want a lesson in stress, please take a walk in our shoes, lol.
   Khali is doing well and growing lots as always! Getting smarter by the day (and talking more...and more...and more...). My Brother, Sister-in-Law and their two kids were over for dinner. It was so fun to watch Khali and Kyra play so well together! They are almost the same age, with Kyra 5 months Khali's junior. Little Dominic was born this past July. :) A little (ahem...) cutie. Ok, he is closer to 20lbs, but still cute!
   This is my update for now. We will be moving this blog over to another server soon, and I will keep you (whoever actually reads this!) updated before that happens. Ciao!

ps, this was taken the other night. :)

Catch up!

2011-06-27T19:25:00.000-07:00

Its been a while since I last blogged, so I guess its time to write again! Oh, but where to start?!? :S

We are still living in Calgary (---->), so not much as changed there, although it might. Darrel has graduated from SAIT (Southern Alberta Institute of Technology) as a NDT (Non-Destructive Testing) Tech. I am so proud of him! He worked very hard to graduate well, and he did (4.0 gpa). So we are in the business of looking for work! A lot/most of the NDT jobs are in Edmonton, so who knows. Maybe God will lead us up that way. At this point, with zero income, I am really open to go wherever Darrel has work! We have been living off foodbank and God's Graces for so long. It gets really stressful!

Khali is getting really big now, as she is two and a half! And of course she is the brightest, cutest, awesomest kid, lol. :D *Might* be a little biast though. This photo <---- was taken today, after I cut Khali's hair for the first time. She has had it cut once before, but it was done by someone who knew what they were doing! I am quite happy with how it turned out!

   We have also added a new member to the family! He is grey, and fluffy, and generally adorable! Oh, and his name is Rube! He is a Flemish Giant baby (google if you dare), and will grow upwards of 20lbs. Jestem is still alive and kicking, and grumpy as always!
I have started this thing this month call the 30-Day Husband Encouragement Challenge for Wives. I am on day 4 I think. It is really interesting, and free to download the PDF for anyone who wants to try it. The idea is simple, and the outcome supposedly is lovely. And since I am mentioning it on here, Darrel won't know I am doing it :) (Its more of a 'behind the scenes' type thing). So I think I will blog a little about it too. :)
   As far as babies are concerned, been trying for a year and a half and now have 6 angels with Jesus in heaven. Not a day goes by that I don't think of them! Although, this month I have started getting a few vague symptoms, so who knows. Maybe this month is it? Can't test until July 5th :S So a little ways to wait still.
   In other news, Darrel's Grandpa Herman passed away last week. At the age of 95. It is a bittersweet thing, as the week previous, he accepted Jesus as his Saviour! I am sad that I never got to meet him, but over-joyed that I will see him again later!
   Alas, this is all for now! Maybe I will actually get to updating more regularly!

2010-09-24T23:20:00.000-07:00

Feeling the urge to write, but not really feeling inspired...so I guess an update is in order?

Our roommate wanted to get a place of her own so she gave her notice for the end of June. I got a random message from an old friend that I went to college with asking (jokingly) if we needed a roommate! Her roommate in Canmore was moving into Calgary and Old Friend couldn't afford to live on her own in Canmore. Talk about perfect timing! So our new Roommate, who I will call JM, moved in the first of July!

My Brother, Sister-in-Law, and Niece were living up in Cochrine, where Brother had work. Unfortunatly the work fell through because of bad circumstances, so they were either going to her back to Kamloops (where there is no work for him) or try to make it in Calgary. Having little to work with, they moved into our basement for the time being. Thankfully Brother has work, and is getting lots of hours! I bet they can't wait to get a place of their own!

And really, I want my house to ourselves too. Its been so long since we had a place to ourselves. I guess it has its ups and downs. I do like having company during the day. And things are really tight, so having to only pay parcial rent and bills helps out so much, but the extra chores are tiring! Also the differences in parenting techneques. I feel as if Khali is regressing in some ways. Like getting into things that she never did before just because Cousin (niece) can? Or does rather.

In other news, we have started potty training with Khali! Just today she asked twice to use the potty and actually did! So very exciting. I am not pushing anything, but she will ask now and then.

Other than that, not much new! Not for tonight anyhow. As always, I will try and update more regularly! Ciao for now!

Miscarriage.

2010-05-20T20:18:00.000-07:00

So, I have written for a while, but I hope to get back into it. Reason being? Lost another baby, #3 actually, on the 1st of May. Most of you probably didn't even know I was expecting, or that I am hurting now. Thats ok, but now you know and blogging about it helps be feel better. :)
   I found this list on a friends blog. If you find it helpful, please take it or copy it or use it as needed. And please know that I hope for it to be edifying for you. Not just because you know me, but because you may come into contact with others in the future who suffer from losing their children. I pray that this will enable you to interact kindly and compassionately with such families.

   If you are the one suffering miscarriage (or another form of grief -- there are many), please feel free to adapt this to yourself, your form of coping, your beliefs, your emotions.
   If you are in contact with someone who has suffered miscarriage, please take this with a grain of salt and simply consider whether these might be helpful guidelines/suggestions when you come into contact with that person. Of course I am not implying that everyone could (or should!) do every one of these things for every person they know who miscarries. Use wisdom. Remember that kindness and loving your neighbor is the point.
   Also, please remember what "etiquette" means: "conventions to regulate social behavior." Etiquette is a form of loving your neighbor, living in a Trinitarian way, putting another's comfort before your own. When you read the following, don't assume that I am shouting but simply suggesting. What follows is not universal. But then again, you may be surprised to find out just how common my emotions are. Whatever this means to you, I pray that it would be a blessing to you and somehow spread encouragement to those whose lives are affected by losing babies.

                             Miscarriage Etiquette
                                     By Melissa, 2009
                                                        Proverbs 25:20

~Don’t say “it’s God’s will.” Please don’t presume to tell me what God wants for me. Many terrible things are God’s will—that doesn’t make them less terrible. Because of God’s love for us, He will turn death around and use it for good, but it is not in itself a blessing.

~Don’t say “it was for the best—there was probably something wrong with your baby.” The fact that something was wrong with the baby—or with me—is what makes me so sad. My baby never even had a chance. Please don’t try to comfort me by pointing that out.

~Don’t say “you can always have another one.” Number one, you do not know our fertility struggles. Don’t presume that I can just have more babies. But more to the point, my baby was not disposable. None of my children are disposable. I would have died for this baby, just as you would die for your children.

~Don’t say “be grateful for the children you do have.” If your mother died in a car accident, you would be grieved terribly. The fact that your father may still be alive does not take away the grief over the loss of your mother. Other children do not in any way replace the baby I have lost.

~Don’t say “it was only a miscarriage.” Excuse me, you mean the death of our child?! The only difference between this child and our two year old child is a two year age gap—that’s it. You wouldn’t dare say such a thing if our two year old died. It wasn’t only a miscarriage—it is the death of our child. How hard is that to understand?

~Don’t say “be thankful you lost the baby before you loved it.” I did love my baby. I still do love my baby. Whether I lost the baby just after finding out he existed in my tummy, or after delivering full-term, my heart would be overflowing with love for this baby.

~Don’t say “be thankful you lost the baby before you knew it.” This is far from comforting to a parent who so desperately wanted to spend years knowing this baby. I ached to know my baby.

~Don’t say “isn’t it time you got over this and moved on?” Being stricken with grief is not enjoyable. I wish this had never happened. But it did, and it is now part of me forever. The grief will ease on its own timeline—not mine, most certainly not yours—but the grief in some capacity will always be part of me. Don’t make me feel like I have to ignore my grief just to make you feel better.

~Don’t say “you’ll get to meet the baby in heaven someday.” As true as I believe this is—and I praise God for it—I honestly wanted this baby to bury me in my old age, not to bury my baby in its infancy. Although having this confident hope changes our grief, it does not eliminate our grief.

~Don’t say “I understand how you feel.” Unless you’ve lost children to death, you have no idea how I feel. And even if you have lost a child, remember that everyone experiences grief differently.

~Don’t tell me horror stories of your neighbor or cousin or mother who “had it worse.” The last thing I need to hear right now is that it is possible to have this happen six or twelve times, or that I could carry until two days before my due-date and labor 20 hours for a dead baby. These stories are horrifying and frightening; they leave me sleepless and weeping. Happy ending or not, do not share these stories with me. I have had enough grief and terror and weeping of my own.

~Don’t pretend it didn’t happen and don’t change the subject when I bring it up. If I say “before the baby died” or “when I was pregnant” don’t get scared or clam-up. If I am talking about it, it means I want to. I may need to. Let me. Pretending it didn’t happen will only make me feel utterly alone. Pretending my baby didn’t exist is a falsehood and breaks my heart.

~Don’t say “it’s not your fault.” Whether it’s my fault or not doesn’t make a difference. This tiny little person depended on my womb to nourish and care for him, and apparently I couldn’t do it. For whatever reason. I was supposed to care for her for a lifetime, but couldn’t even carry her for nine months. You can not even imagine how angry and confused I am at my body right now.

~Don’t say “well, maybe you shouldn’t have another baby right now anyway” or “you weren’t too sure about having this baby right now.” I feel so guilty for ever having complained about exhaustion or morning sickness or the financial repercussions of another child. I would give anything in the world to be dead tired and puking up a storm right now. I would go into debt ten times to have my baby back in my tummy.

~Don’t say “it will happen when it’s supposed to” or “look on the bright side” or “here, just take my kids” or “kids aren’t all they’re cracked up to be anyway.” This minimizes my grief and mocks my heartache. Scripture says “Whoever sings songs to a heavy heart is like one who takes off a garment on a cold day, and like vinegar on soda” (Proverbs 25:20). It is repulsive.

~Don’t say “maybe you aren’t meant to have more children” or “you can always adopt” or “what about finding a surrogate?” or “you’re still young, you can try again.” These make me realize that you have no comprehension of my pain, no compassion for our loss, and don’t understand the problem. These answers don’t apply to me. Be sensitive.

~Don’t say “there are plenty of people who are happy without kids or with only one kid” or something like that. You have no idea what our hopes and dreams are, where God is leading us as a family, what size family we feel called to, or why we want (more) children. The fact that some people don’t have children has nothing to do with us. Please respect the fact that we feel called to have a large family. There is absolutely nothing wrong with wanting more kids. And the fact that we’ve had babies die does not in any way indicate that our desires are inappropriate. Until the Lord directs us in another direction, don’t assume that you know better than God.

~Don’t say “you shouldn’t be angry.” The Bible does not say that anger at injustice is wrong, but that we shouldn’t sin in our anger (Ephesians 4:26). Anger at injustice is a natural stage of the grieving process as a person works out how his or her struggles fit into their relationship with God. I am angry that death is in the world. I am angry that I am a sinner, and therefore am part of the cause of death.

~Don’t gently chide me for not rejoicing in our sorrow. Grieving and mourning are good, godly, and biblical, not to mention necessary. Look it up (it’s everywhere in the psalms), and mourn with us. (Acts 8:2, Romans 12:15, etc.) Yes, we do not grieve as those who have no hope (1 Thessalonians 4:13), but we do grieve for our own loss of a beloved child (Acts 20:37-38).

~Don’t constantly remind me that “all things work together for good if you love God.” It is easy enough to quote Romans 8:28 in a trite manner, but remember that Romans 8:26 comes first: “the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.” I have never felt weaker than when I lose a baby. And sometimes it is even hard to pray. I am thankful that I have the Holy Spirit. Understand that I am weak and relying wholly on God’s strength.

~Don’t say “but you believe in the sovereignty of God.” Yes, I do. I understand that God controls all things. But that does not necessarily imply that death makes me skip around laughing, handing out lollipops to everyone. In God’s sovereignty, resurrection follows death. But it does not mean that death in itself is lovely. Remember what I said to begin with: God allows many terrible things to happen, but that does not mean they are any less terrible.

~Don’t say “oh please don’t cry.” Even Jesus cried when Lazarus was dead. Right before He would raise him up! Let me cry. I need to, more than you can ever imagine. Please weep with me. “Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.” Romans 12:15.

~~~~~~~~~~

~Do recognize that I have suffered a death in my family—not a medical condition.

~Do recognize that in addition to the physical aftereffects I may experience, I am going to be grieving for quite some time. Please remember to treat me as you would any person who has endured the tragic death of a loved one.

~Do say “I am so sorry.” Or even “I am so sad for you.” That’s enough. You don’t need to be eloquent. Sometimes what you think may be eloquent or helpful really just digs the wound deeper into my heart.

~Do say “I will pray for you.” But if you say you will, make sure you do.

~Do send flowers or a short note—every acknowledgement like that reminds me that my baby’s life meant something, that my baby was loved.

~Do feel free to offer to bring over a meal or even just a cup of coffee. But don’t be offended if you arrive and I need you to simply drop it off and head home. I might not be able to predict what days will be good and what days will be particularly trying. If I invite you in, please come visit and mourn with me. But if I don’t, please give me a hug, drop off the food, and understand that I will visit with you at some other future time.

~Do refer to my baby as a baby, and use the baby’s name. Please don’t forget that this is a member of our family, not a medical issue that happened on one day. This was a creation who bore the image of our holy God. Do not minimize that.

~Do understand that I may need some time and space. If I don’t respond to phone calls, please don’t resent that. Or if I leave quickly from church. Or if I avoid group activities for a while. Help me by not needing anything from me for a while.

~Do understand if I do not attend baby showers (or similar activities) for a while. And don’t ask why I can’t come. Please don’t take this personally or resent me for it.

~Do be considerate, and don’t share pregnancy or baby news with me until I ask. It’s not that I can’t be happy for anyone else, it’s simply that every smiling, cooing baby or every glowing round new mommy makes me ache so deep in my heart that I can barely keep from exploding. Please help me keep away from temptation, and protect me from news that would simply enhance my heartache.

~Do understand that church is very emotional for me right now. Remember that our belief that we ascend into heaven during our Lord’s Day worship means that only on Sundays at that time does my family ever really sit and fellowship together as a whole. The rest of the week, only a remnant of my family lives together. If I seem extra emotional during worship, it is because of the solemnity, joy, and sorrow involved in actually having my entire family together.

~Do remember that although I may look okay to you—I may even be smiling and tear-free—there is a good chance that I am still barely able to get myself dressed each day and cry myself to sleep every night. It may be weeks or months before I can go a whole hour without thinking about my barren womb or my dead child. And then we will come upon milestones we would have been reaching: ultrasounds and due dates. Be patient. Understand that my heartache is huge and the healing doesn’t happen overnight.

~Do remember that this was our child, a living and tangible part of our family. While this did include hopes, dreams, plans, and prayers—this also involved flesh and blood. As we look upon our little baby’s eyes, legs, head, heart—we see God’s image portrayed, and we see our image portrayed as well.

~Do consider what grief is and what mourning involves. Refer to Scripture’s examples of dust and ashes, rending of clothing, weeping and wailing—both public and private displays. Never neglect the idea that this is good, necessary, and biblical. Scripture says that there is a time for everything, including weeping and mourning. Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

“For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:

a time to be born, and a time to die;

a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;

a time to kill, and a time to heal;

a time to break down, and a time to build up;

a time to weep, and a time to laugh;

a time to mourn, and a time to dance;

a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together;

a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;

a time to seek, and a time to lose;

a time to keep, and a time to cast away;

a time to tear, and a time to sew;

a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;

a time to love, and a time to hate;

a time for war, and a time for peace.”

~Do keep in mind that this is the worst thing that has ever happened to my family and me. The word “miscarriage” is small and easy. But our baby’s death is monolithic and devastating. It takes much time to figure out how to live with it. Please bear with me.

~Do remember that all the above applies to me as the mommy but also to my husband as the daddy. Don’t assume that he is peachy-keen, even when he looks it. Please deal kindly and compassionately with him. Many people assume that men are invincible to grief. They are not. Remember what I said about Jesus weeping over death. In addition to his own grief over the death of his child, my husband takes his wife’s pain upon his shoulders—this is a natural response as a husband works to protect and provide for his wife. Live and interact with him in an understanding way, for his heart is very heavy.

~Do remember that even grandparents of the baby—or siblings, depending on how old they are—grieve for the family member they have lost. Be kind, be sensitive, be helpful, be compassionate. Above all, keep in the forefront of your mind that when you speak with someone who has been touched by miscarriage, they have been touched by death.

Here are a few of the many, many websites that discuss biblical grief:

http://essortment.com/all/comfortgrief_rsuh.htm

http://net-burst.net/hope/christian_grief.htm

http://reformedworship.org/magazine/article.cfm?article_id=1276

http://agapeindia.com/steve/spurgeon.htm

http://agapeindia.com/steve/earlydays.htm

http://pbministries.org/books/pink/Comfort/comfort.htm

http://puritansermons.com/spurgeon/spurgeo5.htm

JUST A CLOSER WALK WITH THEE

2010-03-11T08:30:00.000-08:00

   Just a closer walk with Thee,

Grant it, Jesus, is my plea,

Daily walking close to Thee,

Let it be, dear Lord, let it be.

   I am weak, but Thou art strong;

Jesus, keep me from all wrong;

I’ll be satisfied as long

As I walk, let me walk close to Thee.

   Through this world of toil and snares,

If I falter, Lord, who cares?

Who with me my burden shares?

None but Thee, dear Lord, none but Thee.

   When my feeble life is o’er,

Time for me will be no more;

Guide me gently, safely o’er

To Thy kingdom shore, to Thy shore.

Ball? Ball?!? Ball!!.....Kitty! Meow...

2010-03-09T08:54:00.000-08:00

   So Khali is quite a chatter box...she knows 9-10 words (not sure if you classify "meow" as a word). But this is the basis of my conversations with Khali, livened up with the reading and re-reading of the belly button book! This is why I am excited for the week to come. It is going to be a bit busy, but it will be nice to have some adult conversation! Mum's group at the church on Wednesday, Bible Study on Thursday evening, Traci's baby shower Saturday afternoon, and church Sunday morning!
   Darrel started his entreprenuership class yesterday, already has homework! Its going to be a long week, didn't get to visit with him at all yesterday and I have a feeling this is what its going to be like for the next 10 (?) weeks. Sunday though, we will have the day. I am definatly looking forward to it. :)
   Mum has asked me to make quilts for her, I am quite excited :) They are easy enough, made of flannel, and not too big. She will send out all the materials, so all I have to do is cut it all up, assemble, and sew! I will post pictures when I get one done :) As for now, I have to wash diapers, finnish laundry, do some dishes, sweep the floor...and the list goes on....just pray Khali has a good nap!
   I'm off for now, God Bless...Dezzi

* Laundry Soap *

2010-02-26T14:14:00.000-08:00

If you have ever wondered to yourself (or even outloud), is it possible to make laundry soap? well, yes it is! I got this recipe from a friend of mine (thanks Roxanne!) and it is quite lovely. :) It works well, and is cost effecient. You'll need borax, washing soda, and ivory dish soap. The borax and washing soda aren't too common anymore...so look on the top shelf!
   13 cups of hot tap water
   4 Tbsp washing soda
   2 Tbsp borax
   1 oz (1/8th cup) ivory dish soap.
Mix the borax and soda into the hot water, stir until dissolved. Then add the dish soap, but stir gently! Once mixed (don't take much), store in whatever you have...bottles ( pop or wine), old laundry containers...
To use, add 1/2 cup of the mixture to your wash load. Yes...thats it! Can also be used as a pre-treater.
as far as how much it'll cost you, a box of borax $5-7, box of washing soda about $5, and a bottle of ivory $2... And you use so little to make so much!
   I would like to know who has tried this and what you think! Ciao for now!

2010-02-24T21:36:00.000-08:00

Been a little while since my last post...had to wait for a few exciting things to happen first I guess! Today has been a pretty good day overall! Mum's group at the church this morning (10 until 12), and met Hubby at co-op and got a few fruits and veggies, and came home. Made delicious spaghetti for dinner, with a glass of Merlot...mmm...its been so long :)

Khali had her one year check-up, she is now 21.8 lbs and 75 cm tall! And doing great! Hitting all of her milestones with flying colours :) Probably the most successful doctor's visit! She is not a fan, thats for sure...cries most of the time. This time though, only cried when she had to lay down on the bed thing...she was afraid of the paper that they put on it!
So, she has been walking since second week of January, and now has four words! Three of which she signs :) Hi (and waves), ball (and signs), juice (and signs, kinda...needs work), and kitty...which is pretty much any animal she likes, lol.
In other news, Hubby got accepted into the EI course!! Its an entrepreneurship programme that will help us get our business off the ground :) Vey exciting! He starts March 8th, so definatly keep us in your prayers!

With so much help from my Mum, I got the quilt that I was making for Hubby finnished! It turned out beautifully and I am very pleased with it! And, its warm :) It is fairly big, fits the whole top of our bed. I think one day I will make another quilt too...one time...just not tomorrow.
So this is all for now :) I will be back later!

...10 days...

2010-01-28T20:11:00.000-08:00

   Is that it?? Another ten days and my little baby girl will no longer be a baby, but a toddler?!? When did that happen! I'm pretty excited though, to see whats next in this little adventure of ours. Khali has been walking for about two weeks now, its pretty amazing to see! And wow, is she sure proud of herself as she awkwardly propels herself here and there! She is now on whole milk and eats pretty much everything we do. Except carrots...unless they are in spaghetti, lol!
   So for her birthday, we are having a few people from the church over. Friends of ours who happen to have babies (toddlers?!?) Khali's age! I am excited, but still not sure what I'm doing. I think I'm going to make a cake. I found a recipe on-line that sounds good, for a Whipped Cream Frosting. Doesn't seem to have nearly as much sugar as the other recipes (or what you'd find that the store) and sounds oh so yummy! I will include it later :) Thus far, I have no theme...do I even need one?? And no decrations, but I think they will be made out of construction paper. I'm not too worried about "going all out". I'm pretty sure she won't remember a thing! Or even know whats going on and why she gets to destroy a whole peice of cake by herself...
   I am looking forward to Khali's one year check-up too! I am curious to see how much she has grown and where she is at as far as her height and weight! Ladies at church keep talking about what percentile their baby is in, but I have no idea where Khali is. And in this same week, I will be able to know if all this ttc non-sense has paid off!! Please pray for patience...I hate waiting!
   So it seems like this business idea of ours is going to work! We are just waiting to hear if hubby got into the entrepreneurship programme thats funded by EI. I really hope that he does :) He has done really well this far, and he knows the business...so it would be silly of them to turn him away!
   Ok, so here is this recipe:
            1 (8oz) package cream cheese, softened
            1 cup white sugar
            1/8 tsp salt
            1 tsp vanilla
            1-1/2 cups heavy cream
      In a large bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar, salt, and vanilla until smooth. In small bowl whip heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Fold into cheam cheese mixture. the end.
   well, I'm off for now! Good night :)

First Big Family Christmas!

2009-12-26T16:28:00.000-08:00

This year was our first big family Christmas! My Mum, Borther, Sister-in-Law and baby Neice all came over from BC! We were also blessed with our roommate staying with us too! Plus us three, makes for eight people. Its been lovely though, having everyone here! Decorating stockings, making an epic gingerbread house, enjoying eggnog next to a fire and singing carols. Just to enjoy eachothers company. Having all of our family in BC means that we don't get to see them very often.
In Other news... I have mdae an appointment to see my OB/Gyn. We are getting the IUD removed!! So excited to be trying for another baby! My Daughter is 10-1/2 months now, I really don't want to wait too long. Hopefully, God-willing, it won't take to long to concieve :) And I woul dlove to have a boy...hmmm...might be asking too much, lol, but we will see!

Starting over

2009-12-17T19:41:00.000-08:00

Thats right, I have decided to start over with my blogging! My last blog wasn't really going anywhere, had no direction or purpose, nor did I really keep up with it!
I am hopin to give you a peak into my life; its blessings, struggles, excitment and monotony! And hopefully, you can relate in some way or another, somehow I can encourage you, whoever you are.

~*hearthstone*~