I AM HAVING AN ABSOLUTE FIT!

It has been brought to my attention that a photo on my blog is appearing differently to all of YOU than it is on MY computer!!!!!!

NOW I completely understand Victoria's comments about "the finger". Danielle has just informed me that the photo that all of YOU folks see is of some gentleman "giving the finger".

PEOPLE! LISTEN TO ME VERY VERY CAREFULLY!

I DID NOT NOT NOT POST THAT PICTURE. I SWEAR ON A STACK OF BIBLES!!! I PUT UP A PHOTO OF A TORONTO MAPLE LEAF! I SWEAR!

I just went in and deleted that photo immediately! Why on earth would it show that??????

I have just talked to Danielle and Victoria on the phone. I have told them if they EVER see anything like that again, they are to call me!!!!! Victoria has just explained to me that when I post those pictures from the internet, I need to first SAVE them and THEN download them to the blog. She said that the person who owns the picture can change it at any time; but if I download it and save it to my computer, then I shouldn't have any problems. ARRRRGGGHHH.

You know what? I can just hear my cousin Dean having an absolute heart attack laughing over this. IT'S NOT FUNNY DEAN!!!!!!! Oh I am just mortified. Jake says, "Well, it's kind of funny, Mom!" Oh brother. Nothing funny about it!

So, a lesson learned today. SAVE A PICTURE BEFORE POSTING IT.

I am SOOOOOOOOOO sorry everyone. I would NEVER EVER do something like that. And for those of you who know me, I am hoping you know I would never do that. And Danielle, I am shocked that you wouldn't smack me upside the head!!!! I TOLD you to tell me if something didn't look or sound right on that blog!

[sigh]

I think I'm having a heart attack.

This might be a picture-less blog from now on!

Stop laughing, Victoria. I can hear you from here!

Oh my goodness, what in the world is Blake's girlfriend in BRAZIL going to think?

I'm just gonna bury my head in the dirt.

Laminin

This video is very inspirational. Never heard of Louie Giglio before, but I watched the video this morning on a blog that I'm following called Kelly's Korner. Please take a few minutes to watch this....right to the end! I wouldn't post it if I felt it would be a waste of your time. It's worth watching.

See? Told ya it'd be worth it.

Colossians 1:16-17 For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.

Can I hear a big Amen! ???

More blog posts coming up, either later today or tomorrow. Lighter races, Michelle in Camouflage/Justin in 'Coon Fur; Friends who are "expecting".......

Stay tuned!

Blake Goes To An NHL Game

Free tickets to a National Hockey League Game = Can't go because that's our hockey tournament night! Waaaaaaaaahhh!!!!!!!

The boys' Uncle Brent was given FOUR FREE NHL tickets to a Montreal Canadiens game in Montreal. (Yah, I know, not as exciting as Toronto Maple Leaf tickets.....). Anyways, it's STILL an NHL game so YES the boys would love to go.

Sorry, WHEN is the game??????

Waaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh.

Ain't gonna happen. It's Jake & Jared's hockey finals. Remember from the previous post, we ARE the B Finalists!!!!!!!!!!! [wink, wink]

So, my sister Danielle decides that she and Jackson will go with Brent and leave Abby with my Mom for the evening. "Would Blake like to go?" Dani asks. Blake, who doesn't give two hoots about hockey, or ANY sport for that matter, decides that, yes, he will go. He is the only Montreal Canadiens fan in THIS house.... thank goodness. So, I guess it's fitting that he goes. Here he is in the driveway just before they left.

I couldn't get him to take the glasses to the game.

"But Blake, you might get on TV!!!!!"

Nope, didn't matter...... I guess he thought the ugly Montreal jersey and the stupid Montreal tie and the dorky Montreal hat and the smelly Montreal socks would be enough of an effect.

"I" would've worn the glasses..... but "I" couldn't go!


Guess what? THEY GOT FREE FOOD AND DRINKS.

Free!

FREE!

Yes, I said FREE!

What was up with that???? I've gone to the Air Canada Centre in Toronto to some Gospel Concerts and also to a Lacrosse game and had to pay $4 for just a simple bottle of water! They got everything FREE.... hot dogs, subs, ice cream, drinks, popcorn....... FREE. The only thing not provided for free to the public was beer, and the price of that was $7. hahahah. Guess they were making up for their losses.

Montreal ended up losing the game (no surprise to ME!) but I guess it was quite intense. The four of them had a blast! The excitement was too much for Jackson; apparently he passed out before the end of the game..... too much beer for a four-year-old, I guess. haha.

All kidding aside, I am glad Blake had the opportunity to go to the game. He's been quite the traveller lately..... Brazil (July 2008), New Orleans (March 2009), Montreal (March 2009) and NEXT week he leaves for Newfoundland for ten days with Uncle Brent, Aunt Danielle, Jackson, & Abby. They'll be making a stop in New Brunswick to check out the college that Blake will be attending in September of this year. Quite the little traveller, eh?


Folks, my little boy is growing up.....fast. Where did the time go? Think I did a pretty good job of raisin' him.... with the exception of all that Montreal crap that he's wearing! Other than that, I'm pretty proud of him. I wish he'd take another Victory Lap at high school this year...... I don't want him to go away. Oh well, it will be an excuse for me to take a "road trip". hahahhaa.


Sorry, Blake, I just can't close this post with everyone's thoughts centered around the Montreal Canadiens, so I'm leaving everyone with thoughts of a better team.

Go Leafs Go.

Hockey Night In Canada... more specifically, Wellington

Saturday night we said goodbye to another season of Hockey. Final games were played late Saturday afternoon and evening for my boys in 'Metropolitan Wellington'.

Now I have to be careful how I word this.... the kids told me to say it in a specific manner. Jacob's team (in the Midget division) and Jared's team (in the Bantam division) BOTH placed as "B Finalists".

Oooh, Wow!.... "B Finalists"..... impressive! Congratulations boys!!!!!!

Now for the absolute truth.....

YES, they are B Finalists. What they DON'T want me to tell you is that there are only four teams in each of their divisions..... meaning two teams competing in A and two teams competing in B. Guess which ones WE were.....yes, competing in B and losing our game..... which honestly puts us in fourth place overall..... a good standing. However, there were only four teams playing.

[Big smirk]

"No, Mom, you simply tell people that we're B Finalists! Sounds waaaay better".

Hahahahhaaaaa

I am very proud of them. They got along with the players on their teams, they got along with their coaches, they had fun. That's what's important!!!!

Now for some photos and some exciting Awards News.

First up is Jared. He shared the goalie net this year with a nice young fellow named Mike. Mike played net for the last game, which put Jared on the forward position for his last game. His playing has improved immensely for ALL the positions he played. He was Goalie every second game, and as an "out" player he filled positions of forward as well as defence.

The Coach was impressed with Jared's progression over the season and his hard work earned him the special award of Most Improved Player. YIPPEE! Congrats, Jeb!

Just after our game, we watched our "adopted" son, Matt, and his team fight for the A Championship. After a very exciting nail-biting game, Matt and his team came out victorious. I was excited to see that Matthew, as well, had received Most Improved Player for his team. YIPPEE! Congrats, Matt!

Two best friends winning the same award...... am I surprised? No. Take a look at these two really great kids. Congratulations, Jarey & Matty.



After the Bantam games, the Midget gang took the ice. Jake's team played against our friend Alec's team. Alec's team proved to be the stronger group, placing third. Alec walked away with Most Improved Player for his team. And how exciting that he also took home the Most Improved Player for the Midget division! YIPPEE! Congrats, Alec!

Jacob, who is a B Finalist, remember [wink], unfortunately did not receive the award for Most Improved Player, although I definitely could see a progression as the season developed. Here he is with his player's medallion.

We do feel, though, that he should have received recognition for his "quality time" in the ever-disciplining Penalty Box. According to Jake's calculations, he spent 44 minutes in the Penalty Box over the season. There were 25 games (not including March Break Exhibition games) less five games that Jake didn't play due to the injury to his hand from woodshop class (that's another future blog post). Twenty games with 44 minutes of penalties (averaging 2 minutes/penalty) is pretty much an average of at least one penalty per game.
'

We now believe that we have discovered the reason for all the penalties. In the photo below, Jake is sitting in his usual spot.... The Penalty Box.... but you will note that our other goalie..... our female goalie, Brooke..... is seated beside him. (She was in the Box, NOT for a penalty, but for opening and closing the door to gain those "split seconds of time" of getting the player back onto the ice). My friend Tim said, "Yup, there's Jake in the Penalty Box..... a Saturday Night Date!" hahaha. Well, at least I know where he is.

So, I am sad to see the season end. Before I can say, "What will I do with all this available time?", I find myself at the Picton Town Hall signing up Jake & Jared for Spring Ball Hockey and for Summer Soccer. So much for "ME" time. Ahhhh, that time will come soon enough when my baby boys are gone from the nest. Then I will look back and truly cherish these days of chauffeuring kids to cold arenas and hot soccer fields.

'

I am very proud of ALL my hockey boys.... my sons, Jake & Jared; my "adopted" son, Matthew; and my "nephew" Alec. You boys made the season exciting and helped keep my blood flowing to fight off the cold arena temperatures. Thanks for an exciting season.

'

Only six more months 'til hockey starts!!!

Stellan

Stellan is a very sick little boy. He is the son of a lady I have never ever met. I am simply following her blog, My Charming Kids. This lady has had a most trying week. Her son was born five months ago, and while she was pregnant for him, she knew there were complications with his heart. Now, I have not been following her blog until recently, but it sounds like there haven't been too many problems until this week. Today has been his worst day.

I have been a tad bit grumpy this afternoon for some reason. Not really bad, just feeling a little..... irritated. It's not fair to my family; they haven't done anything to deserve my "snapiness". I'm just feelin' a little frustrated with a couple of things and I've just let them bother me a little more than I should have. So I log onto my blog and see that My Charming Kids has a blog update, so I read it and just started to cry. I sit here feeling perturbed with some circumstances, and then I read about this lady watching her youngest child get worse and worse, and at any moment I could log onto her site and read that her child has passed on to be with Jesus. Makes my "monstrous, gi-normous" problems seem so puny. Makes me feel guilty for even stressing out about them. How dare I !!!! I need a good kick in the butt!

Actually..... hang on a second......

There! I just had Blake kick me in the butt. You should've seen the look on Blake & Jon's faces when I walked into the kitchen and asked one of them to give me a kick in the butt! Actually, I had to ask repeatedly for one of them to kick me. They weren't sure WHY I was bent over and requesting them to kick me in the hiney. Jon was on the phone with his friend, Mikey, and said, "Mike, you're not going to believe what my wife is asking me to do!" But he wouldn't kick me. Then Blake wouldn't kick me. They thought I was crazy...... [well.... jury's still out on that one] and they looked at one another like:

"You kick her"

"No, YOU kick her"

"NO, YOU kick her!"

Two men with such an "opportunity" and both too scared to do it!


So, I guess I'm writing this because I want us all to know that no matter what our problems are, no matter what we're facing, there's always someone somewhere in the world going through a trial that likely outweighs your problem. Doesn't mean your problem isn't real. Doesn't mean your problem is going to disappear. But it does mean that we need to take that situation and put it in the hands of the Lord. He wants that burden we're shouldering. Folks, I have to tell myself this over and over. Takes situations like Stellan to remind me of what's important in life. It reminds me of how fortunate I am.

And it also reminds me to pray for others, especially today for Stellan.

Log onto My Charming Kids and see this sweet baby and his siblings.

And pray for Stellan.

Pray.

Pray.

Pray.

(Ouch, Blake! That kick kinda hurt! ....... but, thanks)

Where Can I Go From Your Spirit?

Where can I go from Your Spirit? Where can I flee from Your presence? If I go up to the heavens, You are there; if I make my bed in the depths, You are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there Your hand will guide me, Your right hand will hold me fast." (Psalm 139:7-10 NIV)

Wow, do these four verses alone not spell out the word P-E-A-C-E ??? Why should we worry or fret.... He is all around us, all the time, no matter where we go, no matter what we think, whether content or troubled. Everywhere we go = there is God.

Keep that bit of knowledge tucked under your belt today as you head out into battle....

God is already there, and He's already won the war.

All Birdies Are Back In The Nest

Well, it's Monday and ALL my "baby birds" are back in the nest.


Yesterday afternoon around 2pm Justin walked back in the door. There were verbal bets placed as to whether he would return or not.... wondering if once he got back to his home near Pembroke last Friday that he would perhaps not want to return to The County. But, lo and behold, in the door he walked. I was pleased to see him again. He slept in the newly remodeled room downstairs and said he slept so well that at one point in the night he woke up and thought he was at home. Welcome back Justin. I'm happy you've returned to our nest.

Last night, or should I say early this morning (12:30am-ish) we (Danielle and I) picked up Blake and the gang from the bus station in Belleville from his trip to New Orleans, Louisiana, USA. (I've been spelling it N'Orl'ns on my Google Chat so that everyone gets that "accent" in there.) His experience there sounds like a very positive one, and I'm looking forward to hearing more stories when he's "more awake". I can't believe there is still such devastation in this city even after almost four years. Blake said there are still people living on the streets because they have no where to go. Guess they met one lady who was on the street selling her paintings so she could earn enough money to feed her children. I cannot imagine. I cannot sit here in my home with the heater on and the clothing crammed in the dressers & closets and the food in the fridge and the computer to use and the furniture to sit on and fully understand what these people are experiencing. And you know what? They likely have more peace than I do.

We were talking about peace in church yesterday (great sermon, Pastor Kevin). As I sat there, I yearned for that peace way down in my gut. I have really been interested in reading some blogs of people I have never ever met or heard of before. These blogs fascinate me because I see how these folks are going through such terrible times (loss of spouse, battling cancer, death of a child, ill children) but soooooo many of them have such a peace about it all. They still lift their praise to our Heavenly Father and give Him all the glory for whatever they're going through. I'm thinking, "You just laid your child in a grave, yet you praise God! How does one DO that? How does one attain that peace in that situation?" I can "say" I give it all to the Lord, but where am I when the rubber actually meets the road? When I am actually in a trial (which is no where NEAR what these folks are battling), I sometimes lose that peace. I start to worry. I take on the burden myself. Then the Lord says, "Uhhhhh..... a-hem.... Michelle? Can I have your attention again please? Would you stop worrying and 'come unto Me and I will give you rest'?" Then I give my head a shake and press on again.

Kevin preached that if we are to be peacemakers, we must have the peace in our own hearts. If we desire to be more like Jesus, it requires us to take a good look at ourselves. Sometimes, I look at myself and I sure don't like what I see. But through God's grace and mercy, He helps us along the way. The Holy Spirit continues to work in our lives and little by little we are being transformed. Soon, worry will have no room because peace will be taking up all the space. Pressin' on for that. I keep telling myself this statement that I heard: Worry is like a rocking chair --- it gives you something to do but it doesn't take you anywhere.

Today, though, I've got some peace knowing that "All Birdies Are Back In The Nest". Looking forward to supper time tonight with the six of us around the table. Yah, I'm waaay outnumbered in the male:female ratio, but I wouldn't have it any other way.

And now, Momma Bird has to get her feathers in gear and get this nest tidied up. Have a very peaceful day.

Hockey in Heaven?

So what do you think about that? Hockey in Heaven. Think it's a possibility?

This is a sport that the boys have literally begged me to play since they were little. Well, at least Jake and Jared begged; Blake never had the desire. I fought them off for years. It's a game that was big in the Found family. Jon played as a kid. His brother, Dane, played and even went as far as playing for the OHL - Oshawa Generals many years ago. Jon's late grandfather, also named Dane, was very instrumental in getting the Orono Arena up and running.

My late mother-in-law always encouraged me to get the boys involved in hockey and said that if money was the issue, she would pay for it. Well, it's an expensive sport, but money wasn't the issue; it was the time commitment. It was also the fact that I have a big mouth (for those of you who don't know! hahaha) and I have seen hockey parents in action. I never wanted to be "out of control, ripping the head off the ref, or participating in a verbal fight with opposing team's parents who tell their kid to 'take out' my son"!

Fortunately, I have found that is NOT the case (at least in House League) and it has proven to be a wonderful experience. Jake and Jared tried hockey four years ago and LOVED it. When it was time to start up again the next season, they surprisingly opted for karate instead! Just when they finally get me pumped for hockey, they shift gears.

Anyways, they opted this year to return to hockey, and it's been a blast. Exhibition Tournament filled up our March Break, but it was enjoyable (except for the 5:00am wake up) and today finished our eight games. One more regular game each for the boys this weekend, and then they participate in the House League Tournament on March 28th in Wellington. I am sad to see the season end.

Below is a picture of my aggressive little fellas....Jake, Jared, and "adopted son" Matt. This was taken a number of weeks ago during a Friday night practice. Quite the colourful photo, eh?

(l-r) Jake (center-forward); Jared (goalie, defence, forward); Matt (defence, forward)

And when you stand next to them, especially with their skates on, they appear as giants! My little men are growing up.

'

So, back to my question. Any hockey in Heaven? I had an acquaintance who suggested that "the Lord does not like sports because it's competitive and the Lord does not call us to compete with one another". I had a really big problem with that statement. I don't teach my kids to go out and be competitive. I teach them to play hard and do well, improve their skills, encourage other players, keep active and healthy, but above all, just have fun and be a boy! It's great to win, but there are TWO teams playing. There's a winner and a loser; but if you're all having fun, then you're ALL winners. Most parents have this philosophy, but there are the exceptions to the 'rule'. These parents just want their kids to walk away with that "1st Place" title. Sounds to me like parents living out their own dreams through their kids!

'

Who's to say that the kids can't be a witness for the Lord on the ice? or in the locker room? (even with that putrid stench of musty hockey equipment!) There are some kids out there with some pretty colourful language and attitudes, MANY who don't live in Godly homes. Yesterday one of the girls on our team was doing a bit of shoving and pushing with a boy from an out-of-town team.....yes, you read that correctly....girl pushing boy. I chuckled as I thought of how brave she was. The boy turned to the ref and pointed that the girl was shoving him. He was trying to get the ref to penalize her, but it sure looked funny that a boy was crying the blues to the ref for a GIRL shovin' him around a bit. (Bet he took some razzin' for THAT from the other boys in the change room!)

'

Well, I found out today that a few of the boys on the other team were calling this girl a..... ummmm...... sorry, can't write that word on the blog. But it wasn't a favourable word. I'm surprised that ol' girl didn't do more than shove him!

'

Apparently our coach, Eric, talked about it with the other coach who said he didn't know which boy(s) it was, but would definitely speak to ALL of his team. Our coach took that opportunity to, in turn, explain to his own team that this kind of behaviour would not be tolerated, and that he did not want to hear that kind of talk come from HIS team. [Big smile from me!] Another teaching moment. Thank goodness for the coaches and parents that care.

'

Folks, we are teaching these kids some lifetime skills. The principles they learn in hockey, or even other sports for that matter, can be applied as they continue to grow older and go out into the work force and have relationships with other people from friends to sweethearts to employers to those in authority....

'

I always warned the boys that if I EVER heard of them being disrespectful, I'd walk right onto the ice myself and haul them off! They know I'll do it. Don't mess with Momma.

'

So, I'm really hoping that my Mansion on the cul-de-sac that is being prepared for me in Heaven has an ice rink close by, maybe a soccer field too. Jesus said “Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of God belongs to those who are like these children." (Luke 18:16 NLT) Jesus loved the children. I just can't help but think the Lord would enjoy watching the kids have a fun game of hockey. He might even offer some good Coaching advice.

'

And, I'm pretty sure there'll be no need for a Penalty Box, which is amazing news for Jacob!!!!!!!!!!!! (Hey Jake - mental note: That means more playing time on the ice!)

Mudding with Justin

Let's get things straight --- I am a 42-year-old woman --- I am too old to cruise Main Street Picton with a bunch of teenagers (especially my kids!) with the windows down and the radio blaring, and I am too old to go mudding! My heart just can't take it! But apparently Justin felt it would be a good experience; and since I was in the back seat of his little Mazda truck with no way of escaping, I was going on this adventure whether I liked it or not!

We had gone to Jake's hockey tournament finals at the Picton Arena (which he lost 2-1, but he "dun good"), and I had stopped at Sobey's for a few groceries. About 1km from home Jake asked if I had anything frozen in the bags which were in the back of the truck. I replied that I had nothing frozen......that was my first mistake! They immediately took a right hand turn and headed towards Point Petre and I knew I was done for! They had kidnapped me, and they were taking me mudding.

Sorry for the quality of photos, y'all know I'm not really digital camera savvy..... the sun was bright and we were bouncing like Flubber in that old Fred McMurray movie!

Our location was on an old road just off Lighthall Road (Point Petre area) that leads to virtually NO WHERE. Actually the military does some training there......(yah, no kidding, I don't really need to say any more, do I ???? Key word: m-i-l-i-t-a-r-y)


Looks like a safe enough little road, eh?


Justin is more than capable of looking after the driving capabilities.....I think, I hope, I pray!




Oh, this looks interesting up ahead.... Are those water puddles covering the road?

Ah, yes, definitely water..... LARGE PUDDLES OF WATER. Uhhh, Justin, are we going THROUGH those????? (Notice the air freshener dangling from the mirror? It says, "STAY SAFE"......oh YOU're not kidding!!!!!!)

Justin saw a steep (very steep) grade with 4-wheeler tracks and thought it would be fun for us to attempt it. I HAD to shut my eyes, I couldn't stand it.

Suddenly the truck stopped. "Are we ok guys?", I asked with my eyes still shut. "Well," they replied, "we're just sitting here on the hill". Justin thankfully started backing down. I had to turn around to look and see where I'd been! (Heart? Are you still pumping?)

I snapped a pic facing out the back of the truck, and I think the mud on the window looks more like someone has been shooting at us!

Another photo of "where we're soon to go!" No turning back now!

We were doing a bit of mudding in this mudhole; but he didn't want to get too carried away because we didn't have another vehicle with us to pull us out.....just IN CASE we got stuck. Thank you, Lord, for keeping us from getting stuck!!!!! Man, I'm just too old for this!

That's Jake in the mirror.

Jared was all smiles. No fear in a 13-year-old boy. He had faith in his "new brother" Justin.

"Turn around, Justin & Jake, so I can have some evidence on the camera of who was in the truck for when the police & rescue units find our bodies."

The motor, at this point, is starting to get really wet. Had we broke down or got stuck, it was a long walk back to civilization. Hey Justin, guess who would've been doing the walking??????? Their smiles look innocent......but they're really evil grins.

OK, so check this out: THIS is a 4-wheeler trail. WE were in a Mazda truck. If there were audio on these photos, you'd hear me praying.

This is a photo of us taking a run at the "puddles". Notice the spraying of the water? Jake and Justin kept opening their doors to see how high the water was! Two words: Cardiac Arrest. Did anyone bring a defibulator?

HOME? ARE WE ACTUALLY HOME? Yessssss, home safe and sound. Pictured here are Jared, Justin, and Jake...."The J Gang". Most of the mud got washed off when we went through the ocean....I mean, puddles.

Look at these kids....happy that they scared their Momma!

Later that evening, Justin found an old round brass picture downstairs that's ready for the Spring Give Away that I'll be holding in my front lawn. He thought it looked more like a hat, so this is his Chinese Man impression. What a goof! I love him. I want to keep him. Terry & Susan, can I adopt your son?

Thanx, Justin, for the mudding day. I knew I was in good hands.....I think I knew that I was in good hands.....actually, I was too scared to really think clearly.

I will have some more photos of Justin teaching my kids how to start lighters on fire to see how far they'll shoot out into the lawn! Yes, I said lighters. And, YES, one exploded indoors! More news on THAT scare on the next blog!

Does anyone know if Wal-Mart sells defibulators?

Problems With "Comment" Postings?

Hi Folks,

Discovered a little glitch today with blogging. Dani left comments, but they weren't appearing. I indicated to her that after she posts a comment, it should say something like "Your comment has been saved; it may take some time before your comment appears on the blog".

If you've left a comment and it's not showing within a few minutes, could you take a moment to email me ( fiddlersfound@gmail.com ) and let me know that you've tried to post a comment that will not appear? That way, I can do some investigating and see what could be causing the problem. Thanx.

I can hear the geese outside, returning to their "homes" from their vacation in the Sunny South. Thought I saw one wearing sunglasses and tropical-looking shorts, but I might just be a bit overtired and a little delirious from all that dust and dirt I'm inhaling from cleaning the dungeon basement. Speaking of which, I am getting nothing accomplished by sitting here at the computer, so........ I shall bid you adieu and will get some more blogging done soon.

Thankful for Family

I want to show you a picture of some really great kids! These are my boys and their cousins on the Fraser side.

(l-r back row: Jackson, Bruce, Fraser)
(l-r front row: Jake, Carley with Abby, Jared with Celia, Blake)
(Photo taken October 2008)

Carley, Bruce, Fraser, & Celia are the children of my younger sister, Wannett. Jackson & Abby are the children of my baby sister, Danielle. It just doesn't seem possible that these kids are growing up. My boys look like GIANTS to these kids. Where does the time go?

Big changes for some of these kids in September. Blake heads out to New Brunswick for college (hold on a second..... I need a moment to pull myself together..... [cry, blat, bawl, sniffle, hyperventilate].... alrighty, I'm back.... not fully put together yet, but the blogging must go on......)

(Did you get that, Victoria? The blogging must go on!)

Now, where was I.... sorry I got sidetracked..... Yes, Blake, off to college. First one out of the nest. (I must be an eagle, I must be an eagle, I must be an eagle).

Then there's Carley & Jared who graduate from elementary school and will begin the life of secondary school in September. Oh my. Was it not just a short time ago that Wannett and I sat at her kitchen table at approximately TEN MONTHS PREGNANT downing a 2 litre of Pepsi???? (Don't touch our Pepsi!) (OK, so it only FELT like ten months!)

Then there's Jacky & Frajy who are going to begin Junior Kindergarten in September at the best school in Prince Edward County.... South Marysburgh. Oh goodness, I'm not ready for these kids to start school. I remember how hard it was to watch my own boys walk to the bus with their little backpacks.

Remember how simple life was when you were these kids ages? The biggest thing to learn when you were as young as Beulah (that's my nickname for Celia) was making it to the potty on time. The biggest thing to learn when you were as old as Blake was making sure your school project got finished and handed in on time. When did life become so much more complicated with mortgages and phone bills and electricity invoices...... ?? I keep telling the boys, "These are the best times of your life; don't wish to grow up fast; enjoy these years for you'll never get them back." If we could only be like Mork from Ork (remember that show with Robin Williams?) and live life in reverse from old age to a babe.....oh how we'd appreciate the simple things a lot more.

Well, I know that the Lord tells us in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 "Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus". So I guess that means 'at any age' as well. I am thankful for these beautiful children. I am thankful that I am alive to enjoy them. I am thankful they are healthy. I am thankful they have good parents. I am thankful they are part of MY family. I am thankful that we have a good Lord who loves us and blesses us.

Now, I must get busy and finish cleaning that dirty basement that I'm so thankful for...... I'm stretchin' it here, folks. haha.

Na Nu Na Nu

I Have Another Son!

I have another son! He arrived today! And I'm calling him Justin.

I've decided to call him Justin because, well, that's what his biological mother named him! hahahhaa

Justin worked with Jon in Petawawa this past summer, fall, and winter. The job is finished up there, as of this past Thursday, so Justin has come down to Th' Coun'y, and he and Jon will be working in Trenton for a while.

He is 19 years old and is a true country bumpkin. He will definitely enjoy Prince Edward County. He already got a good look at the Bay of Quinte on Highway 49 on his way here (he loves to go fishing and boating); and he and Jon and Jake and Jared have just left to go mudding at Gull Pond in the 4x4 trucks. (Oh dear Lord, have mercy!)

Jon asked if I wanted to go "mudding" with them, but I really don't think my nerves can handle that kind of "fun". "No, no," I said, "you guys go on....I'll just stay home here and clean up the kitchen and do the dishes and finish the laundry and sweep the floor....y'all go on and have fun". I said it in a sarcastic voice, trying to make that point that so many of us wives and mothers try to get across in such a subtle manner; but as Joyce Meyer says, it never works anyway and you only end up making yourself miserable in the long run. Sooooo, I have decided to let them go have their fun, "I" will clean the house with the sounds of Selah cranked to full volume in the background, and I will be all ready for when they return home and one of them has to be taken to the ER for stitches from doing a face plant into the dashboard because they weren't likely wearing a seatbelt as their 4x4 entered the four foot deep mud hole!

Hockey game tonight for Jake. The season is winding down and comes to a close on March 28th. If you want to see some good hockey, he plays tonight (Sunday) at 8pm, Picton Arena. Free admission.

Now, I'm off to listen to some Selah as I frantically get this house in order. Hope you're all having a relaxing weekend and catching a quick cat nap to regain that one hour that we lost last night!

Sarcasm At Its Best

There are just some emails that tickle your funny bone, and I received one today that did just that! I thought I'd share it. Perhaps you've already received this one, but I just can't help but share it. Thanx, Cuz'n Glenda, for the laugh. Although I am not the one who personally experienced this, I'm substituting my own dogs' names to make the story more personable. Here we go:

Yesterday I was buying a large bag of Purina Dog Chow at Wal-Mart for my dogs, Mick and Duke. I was about to check out when the woman behind me asked if I had a dog.

What did she think that I had? An elephant?

Well, she asked the stupid question, so on impulse, I told her that no, I did not have a dog, and that I was starting the Purina Diet again, although I probably should not because I ended up in the hospital last time. On the bright side though, I had lost 50 pounds before I awakened in an intensive care ward with tubes coming out of every hole in my body and IVs in both arms.

I told her that it was essentially a perfect diet and that the way it works is to load your pockets with Purina nuggets and simply eat one or two every time you feel hungry and that the food is nutritionally complete so I was going to try it again.

(I have to mention here that practically everyone in the line was enthralled with my story by now.)

Horrified, she asked if I ended up in intensive care because the dog food had poisoned me. I told her no; I had stopped in the middle of the parking lot to lick my butt and a car hit me. I thought the guy behind her was going to have a heart attack, he was laughing so hard!

Wal-Mart won't let me shop there anymore.

Hahahahhahaaa. Sorry, folks, I just couldn't help it. Now THAT's funny. Oh dear, guess I'm just in "one of those moods" today. Hahahahahahaa.

OK, that's it for now. Got lots of work to do (cleaning the basement.....argh!). Just wanted to take a moment and share that with you.

Everybody do the Friday Happy Dance.

Jared's Basketball Game

Here's a photo of Jared in today's newspaper. Sorry the quality isn't good; scanned newsprint doesn't produce a nice clean picture.

I think he's trying a combination of sports: basketball and the high jump.

Jared and his fellow Grade 8 team-mates from Athol-South Marysburgh Public School managed to work their way up to the semi finals last Thursday (Feb 26th) in a tournament held at our local high school. He had many bumps and bruises and scrapes develop from that day. When this kid plays a sport, he puts his 117% into it!

I don't think he got his flexibility from his Momma....if my leg ever got that high, I can pretty much guarantee it would be by accident! And I'm pretty sure after the leg came back down, I'd be sitting in ER waiting for X-rays and a cast!

Anyways, as the day wore on, Jared was becoming exhausted from his full efforts. He was rarely taken off the court to have a rest on the bench (much to his delight), and as the day progressed, I could see his patience starting to dwindle. He had experienced a full day of skiing in Oshawa on the Tuesday, and then on Wednesday he spent the whole day at Loyalist College in Belleville at a school program. So by the time Thursday rolled around and he got to the fourth game of the day, he was a bit on the "short fuse" side. He didn't feel the referees were paying close enough attention to the fact that the opposing team had elbowed him in the face and were playing a little more "aggressively" than our team was allowed to play. He stood on the court and looked over at me with his hands in the air as if to say, "Did you SEE that??? Are you just going to SIT THERE and not DO ANYTHING, MOM?" Well! What was I to do? My boy needed me! I just jumped on the court and grabbed the referee by the throat and said, "HEY! I'm a pitbull with lipstick and my son ain't happy with your ability to ref this game!!!!!" hahahhaa..... JUST kidding! I motioned my hands downward to Jared as if to say, "Just calm down and play the game". Nope. Wasn't gonna happen. Jared likes his sports, but he DEFINITELY likes fair play, and when it appears to him that things are a little dirty or perhaps a little one-sided, then "Mr. Oh Come ON!" appears. The coach recognized that Jared was just about to, shall we say, boil over; so, she called him to the bench to have a rest from his 117% efforts. His coach and I chuckled in the hall about it afterwards and I thanked her for noticing his "I'm-getting-a-little-ticked-off-here" attitude and giving him a break. The game was seconds away from ending anyways, but it gave him a chance to, hmmm, let's say, "catch his breath".

All in all, it was a good day and our school has always been chosen as most sportsmanlike at any school event. We have good kids and good teachers. I love my little ol' country school..... even if the other schools call us 'hicks'. Yes, that's right. We're southern County. We're Rednecks. And we're proud of it!

And Jebby, Mommy's proud of YOU! XO - Ya' dun gooood, son!

Baby Beulah is a Liam!

I was fully expecting a "Baby Beulah" (well, I had a 50% chance!). Turns out, she is a he; and he's beautiful!!!!



(Liam - March 1, 2009 - 8lb.1oz.)


My cousin, Dennis, and his sweet wife, Sarah, are now parents of this beautiful little bundle of joy. And his name is Liam. He was born on March 1st and I cannot wait until I get the opportunity of holding him and kissing him and squeezing him and smelling him! Ohhhh the smell of a new baby. Look at his beautiful pink skin. And those long arms and legs..... he's gonna be tall like his Daddy.


I joke about the name Beulah because that was the name of my (and Dennis') paternal grandmother. I told Dennis and Sarah that I think Grandma would have loved the fact that they call their daughter Beulah (you know, because I never had a little girl!). Now folks, you know I'm suggesting this name by "tongue-in-cheek". I loved my dear Grandma Beulah with every fibre of my being, but there is really no way I could call my little girl Beulah. (And Grandma's middle name was Iverna.... Oh Heavens! God bless you, Grandma). So I've had some fun teasing Dennis about keeping Grandma's memory alive by calling his daughter Beulah. I think to avoid me holding this over his head for years to come, he just thought it would be easier to have a boy!


I wanted to buy the new baby 'girl' a shirt with the embroidering, "My REAL name is Beulah". NOW I'm going to have to buy Liam a shirt that says, "My sister's name is going to be Beulah". hahahahaha. But I will give Sarah time to get back on her feet..... no rush, but do you have any ideas as to how long before you'll try for that girl??? [snicker, snicker]


Dennis & Sarah, Uncle Graham & Aunt Dianna, Auntie Kendra & Uncle Ray, and to all of Sarah's family too: May the Lord bless this dear baby; may He bless all of you and keep you as you care for him; the Lord make His face shine upon you, and give you peace.


Now git yerselves down here to Th' County so's I can hold that thar babe!!!!!!!!
Love you guys!

Hot Water, Hydro Bills, and Heater Cores

I mentioned in the previous blog post about our water heater. Lately we seem to be running shy on hot water in the mornings. We've always bugged Blake about his loooooooooong showers, but it was getting a bit ridiculous when there was only enough hot water for one person to shower. Jon suspected the element in the hot water tank was dying. Last weekend he checked it out and said he might be able to just replace the element. (Wahoo! That's cheaper than buying a whole tank!)

Fast forward to THIS weekend. Jon has looked into the matter a little more deeper and has discovered the hot water heater is toast.

(Pause here for a moment so I can have a little bit of a breakdown.............)

(........still losin' it...... just hang on another second or two..............)

OK, I'm back.....

Apparently there was a gross amount of corrosion and hard water sediment, and Jon said that the heater is garbage. So Jon and Jake went and purchased a hot water heater. ($$...Cha-ching...$$)

Lately I have really been annoyed at the terribly high hydro bills we have been receiving, and I can't understand why they're so high. If we're not in a room, the lights are out; we heat with a woodstove, so there's no expense with the electric baseboard heaters; now, yes, I cheat and use the clothes dryer rather than the clothes line, but my bills STILL shouldn't be so costly! Anyways, Jon feels that perhaps this little ol' water heater has been working overtime down there in the basement and is maybe a contributing factor to the high hydro bills. I am praying that this is the case and over the next few months I see a drastic drop in figures on the Hydro One TOTAL INVOICE line.

And speaking of heat, the hole in my car's heater core has just gotten larger and is now leaking Prestone. For those who haven't experienced a hole in your heater core, it creates steam inside your car and your windows fog up and you can't see where you're going and the defrost won't clear the window and your car stinks like Prestone and you wanna cry because you're having a Murphy's Law day!!!!!!! And to top it off, inhaling Prestone fumes is probably NOT the best thing for my headache!

So, in accordance with my blog description at the top, I have a few things to add:
When the valley is deep, when the mountain is steep, when the body is weary, when we stumble and fall.....when the water heater corrodes, when the heater core goes, when the hydro bills are high, when you just can't find your longjohns..........In Jesus name, press on.

You know you're getting old when......

Hahahahha.....

I am at this moment laughing about my stupidity before I have even started to type! Sometimes I just have to wonder how safe it is for me to be responsible for children and pets!

I just returned home from an after-church luncheon meeting and am feeling very tired and not quite myself due to the fact that I've had a small steady headache since Tuesday afternoon. Well, I came home and went to my bedroom to change from skirt and pantihose into my longjohns and jeans, as Jake has a hockey game later tonight and I like to stay as toasty warm as possible in that arena. I put on my longjohns, then got sidetracked in a conversation with Jon and Jake about our water heater.....that's another whole story in itself! Anyways, Jon and Jake head out the door, Picton bound, to purchase some fittings for the water heater. I head back to the bedroom to finish getting dressed. I am searching through a small pile of clothing that's next to my bed....searching, searching, searching...... "Where in tarnations are my longjohns???? They should be right here!" I stand there for a moment pondering the fact that no one would have any reason to move my longjohns when it suddenly dawns on me that...... I'm embarrassed to say this...... I am, in fact, already wearing them. Duhhhhhhh.

I immediately thought, "Oh THIS is what old people do when they can't find their spectacles and they search for hours for them, only to hear their spouse say, 'Dear, they're right on top of your head!'" Now HOW SAD IS THAT, people???? I am sure that as Sadie reads this (she's a Children's Aid Society worker), she will already be dialling a co-worker and submitting my name and address for a review! If there is ANYONE knockin' at my door this week with a clipboard in their hand, I am NOT answering the door!

So, a word of advice..... if you've misplaced something and you cannot find it, please go to a full-length mirror and check yourself out...... you're likely to find what you're looking for.

Now where did I put that Tylenol????