times of late

Well hello. It’s been a full week which lead into a full weekend which leads to this week, which has also been pretty active – thinking mainly of Tuesday’s re-organizing of many shelves and cupboards.

Andy passed his first aid course – yippee – and went on a backpacking trip Sat.-Sun. We did a bit of gardening together on Fri. night which was lovely. Weeding is a good change of pace for me – and there are always babysitters for Sarah there – thanks Cherie. It was funny how we got there though. Andy had been borrowing his folk’s car cause ours needs brake work done. We didn’t have time to put Sarah’s car seat in the car before he had to pick Cherie up from work, so I took the bus.

Sat. started off with a garage sale in the morning. I got a hurricane lamp, an XL fishing hat that will fit Andy with his bushy hair, some toys that were given to Sarah including misshapen white little bear with a red elf hat the 2 year old at the sale gave her - she seemed to like it. Then we went to Zachariah Harnett’s second b-day party at the park…good to talk to some people there. Sat. evening Mom, Aimee and I went for a walk and after Sarah went to bed we watched ‘While You Were Sleeping’ – we just wanted something ‘nice.’ Then Sun. was very full also…to Central Heights in the morning, out for lunch to the food court (pic here), and a nap and to Vintage church at 5 pm (we were late). They were having a potluck and little meeting after the service so we stayed for most of that as well. Then we went to the HOJ for a Jazz concert by the Mennonite Jazz Committee. I brought Sarah’s bed and baby monitor thinking she could sleep upstairs, but she wouldn’t so it was a late night for her. Then we met up with Andy at home later. They climbed a different peak than planned (Mt. Garibaldi was the plan). Erin, there is still snow up in the Elfin Lakes area. That’s where Andy was…they didn’t need snowshoes though. Email us if you have other questions re: that area. We have a good book for it too. Some summer pics from that hike I found here.

Today, Sarah and I brought the car in to the shop. Drove there without using the brakes – just lower gears and the E-brake to slow down…kinda nerve-wracking but it went ok. The trip home included stopping at a bakery for flax bread cause I was hungry, nursing Sarah a bit at the park and waiting to see if this group of moms from our church would show up on this overcast day (no). I did talk to a 60 yr. man who was playing with his 1.5 yr. old grandson. He is a Christian and was telling me how you don’t need to speak in tongues etc. to see miracles in your life. He attends a Mennonite Brethren church and says he can share miracle after miracle with me…and he did share some. He stressed the importance of love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind and just being available to the Lord, talking to people about the Lord and loving your neighbor. He was a really down-to-earth type guy who was full of joy from God and was sharing it. That was neat…a good encouragement to step out where I think God asks me.

Went the Podiatrist Mon. I will get orthodics. If those don’t help, surgery is the answer, possibly. It was really good going there cause the other theories people had about my foot totally didn’t make sense. So, previously I’d bought these very expensive shoes from the Running Room and I’ve been wearing them inside – oh glorious comfort, I feel I could be on my feet all day. It looks like I’ll be returning them though because *all* of my shoes don’t fit. I need at least 2 pairs of shoes – one pairs for inside and one pair for outside. Our kitchen is concrete with lino on top and not comfy without shoes. My feet have flattened and lengthened with pregnancy and I just have noticed it when I run and walk a lot. My toes were getting bruised. So, the plan is to wait for the orthodics and then go shoe shopping. So, today for my walk home from the Auto body place, I wore Andy’s shoes with my Superfeet insoles J Not bad.

Well, I’m typing this in Word right now cause the internet is down. That’s probably good, cause I’ll head straight to bed now…but I am curious is I have any email :)

Goodnight.
Check out my mom's blog for pics from my weekend.

just on the radio

Hey...I was just on the radio. BC Almanac on CBC Radio One was having an open line on camping and hiking with children where people can call in to recommend a hike...so I called and recommended the Estuary Trail in Squamish and camping at the base of the Chief. Everyone who calls gets entered to win a book, so that was more insentive. I was a little nervous because I didn't know how exactly how it works...anyway it wasn't too tricky. One guest one the show said camping in that area with kids would be better at Alice Lake. The audio streaming (web) must be delayed a bit, cause after I got off the phone and returned to my compute where the radio is playing I heard myself on the radio - the last of it. Cool.
Sarah has slept through the night both last night and the night before...very encouraging.
Today is the last day of Andy's first aid course. We ordered in last night, which was a nice break.
Sarah has discovered my face is 3D. Sometimes, during her meal, I'll lean forward so are faces are close together. Lately, I've been seeing her look distracted by something on my face and I lean forward and she points to my nose...first with one hand, then with the other. She has pointed to my eyes too, but I think she prefers my nose. I don't like playing this game with her while her hands are all covered in food.
We've enjoyed some spontaneous laughing sessions together as well, Sarah and I. I will laugh at something she does and she will start laughing too, which makes me laugh more and results in her laughing more...so we just laugh and laugh together. This morning - I can be quite quiet in the morning - I was holding her on my lap and I laughed and reaction was full-body. She squiggled (squirmed) in my arms - ducked down her head, shoots out her legs and giggles. Such fun.
I've made 5 salads this week...Andy has had one every day in his lunch. His lunches are quite similar from day-to-day which he says he doesn't mind...he doesn't get tired of the same thing.
PB sandwhich, orange juice, salad, assorted snacks, and some baking.
The zuchinni muffins I made yesterday were excellent - they had nutmeg in them. Yum. When I was putting them into the muffin tins Andy said, "What's that green stuff?" He thought I'd put some of our kale into the muffins...now, that's an idea.
If I get around to it, it would be fun to try and make our own Rebars...with all the greens we have.
That shall be all for now. I didn't win the book :)

trucking along

Hey...busy week for us as Andy is in another 40 first aid course.
Some point form cool stuff that's been happening:
-Had a few raspberries at the Abrahams
-Enjoying lots of greens from our garden
-Sarah is crawling more, like, as of yesterday
-I'm going to see a pediatrist...maybe he can help me. Otherwise, I may need to take up swimming more seriously than running perhaps?
-We went to a cousin's wedding on Sat. Sarah cried at the loud laughter and hooting. Grandad helped by whisking her away just before the little 'kissing game' was played.
-Had a little swim with Sarah at Grma Klassen's pool on Sun. Nice.
-Went for a walk with Andy and Sarah on Sat. Sarah tasted her first berries - redcaps and salmonberries.
-Had a bit to eat with Dad Klassen at the HOJ today.
-Sarah is 21 pounds, 3 ounces as of today and over 29 inches long.
Can't think of much else. Oh, got "This Earthly Pilgrimage" from the HOJ for 11.99 (versus 35.99 was it?). A collection of stories from an amazing storyteller - Walter Wangerin. I highly recommend it.

Couldn't decide which photo to include, so you get them all. Sarah wants to read the Chronicles of Narnia too - that's the book she's got there on the bottom right. Don't worry James, we are being gentle with the book...it's not stored under the bed anymore.

I made some rice blobs for Sarah and she had fun feeding herself a bit...one of her first times.

Bookshelf fun. The bottom shelf is for Sarah...and she did get Momma's journel off the second from bottom sehlf. Label's fascinate Sarah. She's a label reader just like her mom :) This was last week sometime.

Gourmet weekend.

Some highlights from the past while
Last Wed.: Going to the La Leche League meeting and seeing my cousin Erin and her son there...and a friend, with her six week old boy, who I haven't seen in ages (Anita Froese). Good meeting...re: nutrition. Someone asked me what we did to shrink our grocery bill and I couldn't think how we could shrink it any more (which wasn't the question), but I guess I could have shared what we are doing presently...did share that we buy a huge bag of rice that lasts us for about a year. Also, can our own beans, rarely buy pre-made food, don't buy much meat, or cereal.
Fun story from that day: Austin, Erin's 15 month old son, started giving a girl there (same age) a kiss. He gives his older bro at home kisses on the lips. Fiona, the little girl, was on one side of a fence that came up to their chests, and Austin on the other. Austin lifts his chin, puts his lips together and gently plants one on Fiona's lips. His eyes were half closed too (maybe becuase he was tired) which looked so cute. Erin had tried to stop him a bit before this. Things where going ok for a while (with all the moms smiling on), but then Fiona must have been getting fed up with the kisses because she scrunched up her face and started pushing back into Austin's face with her own face. Then they were helped apart.

Thurs. I went with Andy to work so I could borrow the car for the day. I picked up Aimee in Surrey (at the b&b her Lance and Steven were staying in) and we went to Van. to Lady Sport, trying to meet Phil, this shoe expert guy who I was recommended to see. In all my flurry to get ready for this big trip I hadn't doubled checked if he was going to be in that day...or what hours. He would arrive about an hour after we'd gotten there. We waited a bit for another guy, who was helping someone else, but then left because we were already going to be late to pick up Andy from work. A quick stop by the studio where Lance was recording (see Aimee's blog) and then home. Aimee drove some too cause I was quite tired. It was a good day to be together.
The b&b they stayed in was very small. I got there early while everyone was sleeping and fed Sarah at the foot of Lance and Aimee's bed. Then, we went for a walk cause Sarah wasn't sleepy like her momma was. We walked to the end of a sidewalk near where they are building new homes and even some on a part of the King George Highway (to complete our loop) :). Then, I slipped her into her playpen (as she'd fallen asleep on the walk) which I had set up at the foot of Lance and Aimee's bed and 3 feet from the door and I climbed the narrow stairway to set up my bedroll :) and sleeping bag on the floor of Steven's room upstairs.
Fri. Andy and I went on a date. We did something we've actually never done before but is such a common date for most people...Dinner and a movie. :) Went to a very nice restaurant (very artistic presentation - yes, art food, but it filled you up) which uses locally grown organic foods. Then we saw Cinderella Man. Good movie. Made us think lots.
Sat. was another big day. I participated in Love Abbotsford with the Vintage 242 church. We gave away pop and popcorn, choc. bars at the McMillian skate park. Sarah (on my back) and I ended up picking up garbage and visiting with other church people mostly. It was cool that there were other church groups there too who made hot dogs and hosted a skate clinic (via Replay Boardshop).
Sat. night I made dinner which included a salad of our greens from the garden and strawberries (which we picked that day too) and a special dressing. Andy said it was the best salad he's ever had. Dressing included: mushed strawberries, apple cider vinegar, maple syrup, Udo's oil. We had that with Curry ginger mung beans on rice. A note on those strawberries...it took us an hour to get a pail and a half of berries cause hardly any were ripe...and they aren't that tasty. We'll try a different place next time.
Sun. Andy was trying to do a hike in Whistler which had been clearcut. I went for a 2 lap run around the lake with Sarah and to church with a friend in the evening. It was kinda crazy cause I hadn't brought any toys for Sarah and I really wanted to try and stay for the sermon (which is at the beginning of the service)...so I just kept shifting Sarah around - stand up Sarah, look at the chair in front of you, oh wow, look at the tag on the extra shirt we brought, oh, the string on the new testament, flip the new testament around, etc. The guy behind us helped too, as Sarah really enjoyed looking at him. Then Bonnie and I went out for something to eat. Sarah had fallen asleep on the way to the restaurant so we got a booth and she slept on the seat for a while. I ordered an $8 plate of thick potato chips - spicy. They weren't bad but I wasn't quite expecting them to be like glorified chips...I don't really like chips. Kinda hit my stomach weird too...probably all the oil.
Oh, I fit into my jeans now, that I wore before being pregnant. I was trying to find something to where yesterday and was thinking, "I'd just want to were a pair of jeans." So, I pulled them out and wow, they fit. I actually thought I'd never fit them again. That's nice. Patience paid off...I hadn't bought any new jeans.
Well, probably should lay down, but I am feeling the pull of the craziness of the kitchen, as I didn't do any dishes yesterday. Hm...ok, sleep you win. Good night and good day.

police story

So, yesterday I came back from a big day out...running to visit someone, walking back so I stretched in the backyard in the shade against the house and was laying down on my back relaxing while Sarah slept in the stroller. I hear a voice say, "Uh, hello?" and look up to see a male police officer who had come around the house to the backyard. I say, "Oh, hi, I was just relaxing," and I get up. He informs me that our alarm went off and they couldn't get a hold of anyone (the alarm company has a list of people to call if this happens...then they call the police). Anyway, the house looked secure but we thought it'd be good to check inside anyway. As I was laying out there I had heard the phone ring upstairs and then downstairs. It was the alarm company calling. So, I am rifling through my pockets and stroller pouches and can't find my keys. The police officer was very patient but then I told him he could go cause I was locked out. Anyway, I return to the backyard to kill time till Andy comes home and there is my key on the grass - it had fallen out of my pocket. So, the alarm went off for no reason...malfunction. There is someone coming today to fix it...hopefully it works. There's been troubles with this part of the alarm before. It was too bad cause all sorts of family got called and probably a little worried and nothing was wrong.
Sarah update: She can now pull herself to a standing position. So, I come to her in her crib now and she is standing...easier for me to pick her up :)
She is getting more hair. Her top teeth are really there now. They came in so quick.
I may give myself a haircut....or - ah ha- here's an idea...ask Aimee to do it when I see her later this week (what do you think Aim?). The bottom layer of my hair that touches my shoulders is bothering me. I think I'll lop that off today myself.
Favorite kitchen applicance currently:
Coffee grinder. We don't even drink coffee but got it for grinding whole grains (oat groats, rice, millet) for Sarah's food and I've found it works wonderfully for this purpose, even though the manual said not to grind grains. Other things it grinds wonderfully are flax seed (add to pancakes or just about anything, use as egg replacer), nuts (for baking or atop your favorite frozen dessert), and making flour out of rolled oats.
Andy and I have started reading the "Lion, Witch and the Wardrobe" together. I saw the preview for the movie and caught a bit of the English accent, so I try it out when the children speak. Fun.
If you ride the bus this week you have a chance to win $2000 or a host of other prizes (put on as a part of the One Tonne Challenge ). Could be fun to go on a bus ride date with someone eh?
Hey, can anyone identify where this picture was taken from in Abbotsford? I'm curious, this is no contest, by the way.
There's a variety-pack blog for you. Good day once again.

juice adventures and police

2 stories from yesterday while I wait for someone to come pick up some guitars from upstairs.
Juice Adventures:
This weekend we bought a juicer we discovered through the buckpasser. It was a splendid deal from a lovely East Indian man who has studied nutrition and health. I got a lower price than he was asking...just barely. I was grabbing for the door handle to leave (as Andy instructed me to do if he didn't go for my lowest price...that was an act of faith) and he said, 'So $80 is your final price. What is it based on?" And I said, "Well, uh, we really don't have very much money." And he said, "Oh, well, if that is the case and you're going to use it, that's ok." Then he shared more about nutrition and some good websites to go to and said in summer we could come by and sit on the porch and talk about juicing. :) So, actually that was the pre-story to the juice adventure story.
Then, yesterday morning, I tried out the juicer. It works really well...it's a 'slick rig' as Rea from Crowsnest would say. I thought I would put various fruits and vegetables through just to see how their juice tasted. I put an apple through - tasted it, yum. Then a carrot which produced a lot of juice - not bad, but not my favorite...I don't think I really liked it to much actually...I think an organic carrot would have tasted better. Brocolli - hardly any juice at all came out. Then I mixed the juices together, thinking this would taste better. Ugh...gross. But I spend 15 min. making the juice and it was made out of good food. I resolved to drink it. Ok, I put a banana in to try and improve the taste...didn't help. My body actually shuddered upon tasting it. I really didn't think it would be that bad...reminded me of when I had wheatgrass juice. So, finally I restored the juice to a drinkable mixture by adding an equal part orange juice. I have resolved not to juice again minus a recipe.
The guitars were just picked up and I will go take a nap, so you'll have to wait on the police story. Talk to you later.

Andy and Sarah in the 'worship circle' at Naramata vacation (photo Erin).

What's happening here? I guess one day on a walk we had lost Sarah's hat. My mom found it strung up like this hanging from the neighbor at the end of our block's tree. He said he'd been trying to catch someone from our family for days...calling out from the house, but we never new where the voice was coming from. Thank you kind neighbor.

Austin, Nicholas and Sarah...members of the Cousin Chariot Club (my cousin Erin and Brian's kids). (Photo Erin).

Sarah's squishy smile. As my mom said on her blog, "At the height of it though her eyes are scrunched a little tighter." (photo Kathy).

HHMMmm

I thought of a bunch of stuff to write earlier, but I'll see if I can dig it up.
Been keeping up with the dishes amazingly. Doing little 'loads' throughout the day is manageable...it's like doing dishes is a hobbie. Oh, what shall I do now, oh, why not another load of dishes. YES! that's perfect, great...here I come....(chuckle).
Sarah and I took the bus today to meet Andy at the garden. The bus took the route in the opposite direction (not direct to his parent's house) so we had a mini-tour of Abbotsford. It was nice but I was hoping it'd get me to where I wanted.
Oh, Wed. morning I got together with some friends and their kids. It's a group that was meeting at church and was cancelled for the summer but wants to keep meeting so they are doing their own thing. So, we were rained out of our walk so we were at Jody's house. That was very nice. I wanted to walk there but didn't leave enough time so ended up running.
The dead Dogwood tree in the backyard got cut down.
I discovered this website and email thing you can sign up on that informs you of food recalls etc. Here are some of the disturbing headlines I read:
May 26 - HEALTH HAZARD ALERT - Frozen GREEN GIANT BROCCOLI, CARROTS, CAULIFLOWER & CHEESE SAUCE may contain metal particles
April 9 - HEALTH HAZARD ALERT - Certain PRESIDENT’S CHOICE baby food jars may be contaminated with harmful bacteria
I put a couple new links up...for VIP Soap and the Forstbaurer farm. The Forstbaurer's are a family that we know mainly from our family's involvement with Camp Luther. Super cool family - 12 kids. Certified Organic produce from Chilliwack...they come to the Mission Farmer's market and other ones too I believe.
We are eating lettuce, spinach, swiss chard (soon) from our garden. The lettuce was a mixed bag so we have some pretty funky looking stuff. It's great...some was bitter, the stuff that got a little big, I believe. The spinach is superb. Everything is so luscious and green. And it's perfect, I told Andy, I volunteered to bring a SALAD to the church picnic on Sunday.
Oh, about church...I went to a meeting last night where anyone had an opportunity to ask questions re: the annual ministry plans or other things. I enjoyed hearing what other people had to ask and it was just neat to sit in a group and 'talk church.' In such a big body I think the general congregation can feel so disconnected from the inner workings of the church.
I feel this entry had been particularly bad re: punctuation etc. Hope the road wasn't too rough.
See ya.