six things

I am grateful for :

• the third day of sunshine in a row
• my debit skimmed $ has been refunded promptly
• a friend of a relative has found a replacement window
  
• the opportunity to walk to work
• A Homemade Life - has arrived at the library for pick up
  
• The Dutch Masters exhibit opens in 11 days at our local art gallery
  

questions

Where are all the lids to my plastic storage containers?

Where do the socks go?

Are they hanging out together? With the scissors and the pruners?

Why is it that every time I clean my WHITE gas stove that immediately something boils over and bakes onto the clean white surface?

sunny day / making plans

I had a lovely visit with my youngest sister. We finished her taxes. Two years worth. We have come to an agreement. I will be her "assistant" in these matters and she will pay me in Lululemon
gear (stuff that I would never buy myself).

*please note that now I have finished our taxes and my sister's taxes - just the church taxes to be filed. Don't remind me that it is almost May!

I picked up the inlaws from the airport. They know somebody who will be able to find me a window and will install it for a beer and a burger - that is a pretty darn good deal and just about the right price for this 85 Honda.

Slowly wrapping my head around the idea that we will be shopping for another vehicle throughout the summer.

Thinking about what sort of things I am going to plant this year.

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In other news - our account was debit skimmed last night. I was trying to buy coffee at Starbucks and my card was declined. How could this be? Because I work for a FI - I check our account on a regular (read daily) basis. There was lots of money earlier that day. After we returned home I checked it out and there was a large ATM withdrawal at a random FI at 6.50 pm - right when we were eating our dinner. So, joy to the world - I get to deal with that today. ENOUGH ALREADY.

random act of destruction

This is what we woke to Sunday morning. My poor little Honda is under attack. Really, there was nothing in the car to steal - just a random act of destruction which probably took seconds and yet the impact on my life is taking hours.

We were on our way to Church. I made the decision to not fret about it on Sunday. What could be done? The RCMP would not come out... so I filed the report today. My good husband and son taped up the window with a garbage bag and duck tape. It is a sweet ride now.

I will investigate the cost of a second hand window replacement. But, this car is on it's last legs. We will have to start researching our options for a new car this September.

In other news - today is a pilates day. I am picking up my youngest sister and we will finish her taxes. I am picking up my inlaws at the airport. I will be vacuuming up all the broken glass and doing some grocery shopping. The sun is shining. I am thankful for that.

I did some serious weeding yesterday and the hosta bed looks pretty darn good - I must say! The veggie plot has been weeded too and is just waiting for me to turn it over and add some compost. Then next weekend I will think about planting some vegetables.

a funny day

This week has been good. I have enjoyed the feasting and we will share a pot of spaghetti with some young friends this evening. But, I have to say that I am also looking forward to eating simpler meals again.

Through Lent we created a schedule of meals that we rotated through on a weekly basis. We are going to do the same thing - but on a two week rotation. A good majority of the meals will be vegetarian. I am looking forward to being less full.

The sky is blue - it is not exactly warm but I will take the sunshine. The grass is growing like crazy, man! And the weeds. This weekend we will be working in the garden - rain or shine. I want to turn my veggie garden and my hosta/ lily bed needs some work too.

salad

None of these veggies are from my garden yet - I can hardly wait though.

routine

Life returns to a more normal routine this week. We rose earlier and we are more prepared for the day. Lunch is almost made. It promises to be a warm day. The skies are blue. The sun is shining.

On the collective mind: a social studies unit test on the major religions; a ton of journal marking; my sister's taxes....

We had our first BBQ last night. Home made burgers. Ground beef and mild italian sausage blended together with herbs and feta.

Plans were made for next weekend. Serious gardening needs to occur. The vegetable bed needs to be weeded and turned.

reflections

There were so many amazing, glorious parts to the weekend. I am filled with gratitude and affection for my family at St. Hermans. We are an odd bunch but we are brothers and sisters on the journey and I am glad for it.

things I would like to remember:

• the bells - a wonderful gift - orchestrated by Dan
• the bell ringers - hardcore young men of our parish
• the scarlet spray roses that adorned the tomb
  
• the sunshine while I worked outside Holy Friday
• the cool sanctuary of the inside as I prepped the tulips
  
• how the white flowers came together - calla lilies, white mums, tulips and tiger lilies and the Q'nes beautiful laurel garland
• the bells - did I mention the bells?
• brie and salami on french bread
• breakfast with friends
• fr. tom podcasts
• sleeping in
• chocolate
  
• laughter
• aha moments with my children
• the bells
  

pascha 09

egg dying on Holy Friday



preparing the tomb




white tulips




paschal vespers



the bell ringers



the bell ringers up close

the week so far

I like this photo - the boys listening to the palm sunday homily.



Holy Thursday - about half way through the reading of the 12 gospels.



Some of our glass jars which we use as votives around the outside of the church for our processions. I am missing a box. So, after my pilates class I am going to Value Village to see if I can find some more. This is the third year in a row that some of the jars have gone missing. Oh and it is pouring rain and that must stop. Go away rain. Go away.

almost there and where are the garbanzo beans?

So, today was supposed to be the first day off to get things done. Minor interruption of the plans. I need to throw some jeans and a sweatshirt on (so nobody is under the illusion that I am there for real) - and head into my office for a short time to finish something for somebody.... I could choose not to go and make them wait until Tuesday but, it will just take me an hour at the most and then it is done. The customer will be happy - I will not worry about it. It will all wash itself out at the end of time.

Then off to shop for cheese and deli meats. Yum. Yum. And flowers. And chocolate.

Did I tell you that my local market had NO chick peas AGAIN. What is the deal with that?

I managed to get a good dent in the laundry. The skies are slightly brighter. It should be a good day.

betwixt and between

I am in a funny space. It is my last day of work until next Tuesday. There are things to be done. Tidied up. Sorted out. I am certain the day will go quickly. I am very conscious of not wishing the day to go by - because there will be all kinds of opportunities that will present themselves - things to learn - people to meet - and I don't know what tomorrow will bring. Or if I will see tomorrow? So, it is best not to think too much in the future. How sad it would be if I missed today!

But, I do think towards the future and all the things I have still to do. I am purposefully not doing any prep for Pascha today - I will begin tomorrow.

Do you know that there was hardly any chocolate on sale? Weird. No lilies. No tulips. No chocolate on sale.

I have been thinking about time - how we mark time. How the time crosses over. Holy Week marches on and I am half there and half in the corporate world. I leave the corporate world today and move fully over into the journey towards Pascha. I am very fortunate I am able to take holidays this week. But, I also consciously choose to take my holidays this week. Others don't. I remember the first time I did and how transforming I found the experience. I recommend it highly. The rhythm of the day changes.

My husband does not have the luxury of taking days off - my children will make their own decision. They can take Holy Friday off or not. I have encouraged them to take Monday off to recover from the weekend.

1. done

Finally our personal taxes are done. Done. It took very little time considering all the time I spent PROCRASTINATING - ridiculous really.

But, they are done. So happy about that.

Moving forward into Holy Week. Two days of work and then I am officially off to participate in the Holy Days. I am still working on finding some lilies. We may switch to potted lilies - the thoughts are it would be nice to have more green and white.

I was the only one in my pilates class so it was like a private lesson - which means I worked extra hard. I am able to go to a class on Friday - and I am glad for that opportunity.

Thinking about cheese. Discounted chocolate.

Lazarus Saturday

By raising Lazarus from the dead before Your passion,
You did confirm the universal Resurrection, O Christ God!
Like the children with the palms of victory,
We cry out to You, O Vanquisher of death;
Hosanna in the Highest!
Blessed is He that comes in the Name of the Lord!

We officially leave Lent behind and begin the journey to Pascha. Let the preparations begin!

out of the blue

Ada was my grandmother's name. I just remembered that. She loved pastel colours. She drank tea with milk. She remembered all her nieces and nephews by name. She relearned how to knit and spent her last few years knitting slippers for the children's hospital. She loved to play crib. She made this crazy good chocolate cake with fudgy icing. I have memories of her baking bread and a flour bin that was never empty. She loved to pat you on the arm with affection. She loved to dance with her husband and after he died she never danced again because she lost her partner. I am glad to remember.

glitch

So, again I have missed the deep red dye for the eggs.   Apparently they only get a small shipment in every year and they are sold out.  Nice.  So we will do blue eggs and maybe we will try the onion skins again... although I didn't find the colour particularly appealing last year - they just looked like I dyed them brown... maybe I didn't do it correctly.   We will of course also have the standard regular pastel coloured eggs - we tend to let them stand in the dye a long time so they are quite bright and then we oil them so they are shiny.  

The tulip source is not going to be available this year.  They have contracted out to a big store and because they are behind in production due to the weather all the tulips must be used to fulfill the contract.  Plan B must be resurrected.

Apparently lilies are also hard to come by this year due to inclement weather.  Also, Plan B.

We have moments of sunshine  on this Good Friday.  We respect it is as a Holy Day for our brothers and sisters and we are living quietly.  

A day of cleaning and preparation.  A day of reading.  A day to be together.

the to do list

• find purple and white tulips, lilies and spray roses
• daffodils for palm sunday
• tea lights - lots of them
• lighters 
• check on the glass jar situation
• buy red cellophane to wrap the jars for Friday's procession
• firm up the help for Saturday night
• lighting crew for Friday and Saturday
• red dye
• red cabbage to create blue eggs
• cheese list
• chocolate

battleground

We are in our last week of Lent. Holy Week begins Monday. Challenges appear in every direction. Frustration and disappointment. Sadness. A good friend pregnant with her first child loses her father to cancer. Dear friends lose the sale of their house. Spiritual battles are being fought and seemingly lost and the temptation to throw in the towel and quit is rampant.

But, I am hauling myself up off the ground and say "Bring it on".

monday

Monday is an odd day for me. It is my 2nd day of the weekend so my mornings are more relaxed. I oversee the newly minted 14 year olds - pack their lunches, encourage them not to be late all the while keeping my computer open and checking on my favourite blogs and thinking about the day ahead.

We need carrots. And chick peas. There was an apparent shortage this weekend. Really- who bought all the chick peas? Things like that mystify me. You know what else our groceries stores ran out of? Earth friendly bags. Big brown bags to hold garden waste. In my neighbourhood - you put out your garden waste in trash bins and they dump it and return the bin; or you can use large paper bags. We have 6 bins which normally is enough. But, yesterday was a the first real day of spring. Warm and sunny and we had things to do.

The boys finally stripped the house of the Christmas lights. We trimmed all the hedges and I was merciless and cut back all the lavender to the roots. My hands are stiff. My back is tired but you can really see we put some effort into the yard.

I will go to Pilates and stretch and it will be good.

I will shore up the cupboards.

I have church accounting to prepare for the meeting tonight.

I will sit and think about the flowers required for Holy Week. I can't quite believe it is next week. I need purple tulips and red spray roses for Holy Friday. And loads of white flowers for Pascha. This Lent has flown by.

favourite things

Traveling through blog land I stumbled on source of winsome whereby she lists favourite things and how she loves knowing others favourite things.

Here are some of my favourite things in no particular order:

• a creamy americano in the morning
• peanut butter on whole grain toast
• fresh clean sheets
• newly sharpened pencil crayons
• eating cheese and salami on pascha morning
• gerbera daisies
• discovering a new author
  
• post-it notes
• watching my daughter dance and my son play football
• keri lotion
• avon bubble bath
• re-reading novels by Chaim Potok
• red licorice
• poppyseed cake
• sitting on my deck in the sunshine with friends and chilled pinot gris
• old navy boxers in the summer
• Pilot Hi-tecpoint V5 Grip pens
• moleskines
• daydreaming
• wool socks
• no socks in the summer
• chuck taylors
• doc martens
• prawns vindaloo
• yogourt and frozen blueberries
• silver jewellry
• fresh bread with butter
• Burrowing Owl syrah
• neutrogena shampoo
• sleeping in
• waking early on my vacation
• opening new toothbrush

the grass is growing

Despite all evidence to the contrary - snow - the growing season is upon us. I hear that this weekend the weather will be very fine. Sunshine and warmer weather. I CAN'T WAIT.

We have a lot of work to do outside but at this point I am just desperate to be working in the sunshine that I am not overwhelmed by the projects.

Time to pack lunches.

the dilemma

So, my homemade faux stained glass decals were dry yesterday morning. I took great delight in placing them strategically in the corner of my newly cleaned windows. Alas, mid way through the day I received a text from my son stating that bird had created a whole new mess.







I am creating more decals and I am open to any suggestions.