Mama-luia

It's been almost a year since my most recent "What's New" post. Anna wasn't even born back then! I'm giving it another go because it gives me a simple and fun format to report on each member of the family. (The reason I *keep* a blog is for that purpose, so it's worth doing. I love looking back at old posts and remembering what we were like a several years ago. {Did you know I have been blogging now for 5 1/2 years?! Good grief...!}) Anna My darling baby will be eight months old this week. Time has flown and flown! She is a baby full of smiles and laughter. Today the boys were taking turns making her giggle after her afternoon nap, and I felt my hurt feel very full with joy, indeed. She has a remarkably calm temperament. I am surprised how much she will happily sit in her exersaucer, exploring her little world. In a crown Noah made with the help of a babysitter She is also a tremendously cuddly baby. Her head nestles just so on my sho...

Something terrible took place this week, a tragedy so awful, I can hardly fathom it. A friend of mine, a priest, was murdered in his rectory on Wednesday night. "Kenny" as we called him, 2005 We went to university together ten years ago and he was a great friend to me back then.  He was an exceptionally pious young man, which made him almost child-like. It was impossible not to be endeared to him, because he was so kind, so joyful and completely without pretence. He was hard-working in his studies, deeply devoted to the Mass and his prayer life, and poured so much zeal into everything he did, even moving; dear Kenny seemed to live by the motto, "why walk when you can sprint?" From our yearbook, 2004 I enjoyed our conversations immensely. Because he was such a rare mix of reverent and yet light-hearted, it was easy to open up to him about anything. I suppose that is a mark of a good priest, being warm and disarming so that souls...

Happy belated birthday to Isaiah! Our little ray of sunshine turned three in May and we had the pleasure of celebrating the day with his grandparents and godparents in Nova Scotia. First off, cereal with his beloved Gooey. Gooey takes his cereal very seriously, and is happy to shower his grandchildren with it (figuratively, of course), because they lead dull lives, being forced to eat such mundane things as oatmeal, pancakes and scrambled eggs for breakfast. A birthday greeting from cousins back in Ontario His godparents provided the MOUTH-WATERING cake If you can believe it, it was made without gluten, dairy, cane sugar or soy. My dad, the hater of food-restricted diets, had a second slice that night and said "you would never know" that it was made with substitutions. He has a fierce love of dress-up so the fireman suit was a big hit As was the cowboy costume... He asked to wear his chaps over his jammies. Isaiah...

Before we left for vacation, I wanted to make sure we had our garden prepared. When we return, it will be perfect timing to transplant some tomatoes and peppers, throw a few squash seeds in the ground, say a prayer to St. Isidore the farmer (and maybe St. Jude for good measure), and see what happens. So I needed to make sure the soil was turned. On one of the first truly nice days this spring, I decided we would spend the afternoon outside. With a baby strapped to my back, I set about to digging with my spade. Not surprisingly, it was hard work, but in that gloriously satisfying way. Out in the fresh air with my lovely children surrounding me, dreaming of fresh vegetables, and enjoying the reprise of the longest/most awful winter imaginable. The boys took to helping me, while Noah, ever the 'do-er' narrated excitedly all his visions for the garden plot. After a while though, they both plunked themselves down in different spots and went back to playing in the ...

My little boy turned five last month. It was a fun birthday celebration. We threw him a party with a bunch of his young friends and his sweet cousins, too. The little kids were adorable, practically vibrating with excitement over party games like the pinata and pin-the-beak-on-the-owl. Yes, it was an Owl Party. A rather Pinterest-y theme? Kind of. In fact, the only reason I suggested it to him was so I could make a cake that actually looked like something . I'm tooting my own horn, but I do think it was my best-looking cake yet. (It didn't have much competition.)  It helps that I picked something ridiculously simple.  I didn't even pipe eyes -- those are just halved gluten-free Oreos (GF because 3/4 of the kids who came to the party don't eat wheat). I was so amused and delighted by how our guests were so hard at work at this game. The six-and- under set take birthday parties mighty seriously, it seems. Also, they came with adorable ca...

Christ is risen from the dead! The most beautiful feast of the year is here. Time for celebrating -- consuming much chocolate and gouda and crackers, singing Alleluia to our hearts' content, and enjoying a few days off with Daddy. Hall-le-lu-jah for that ! On Saturday we brought our baskets to be blessed in our lovely parish. Our children were so excited that the eggs they had dyed and the Alleluia banner (tied up like a scroll) that they had painted were right there being blessed by the priest at the foot of the altar. I realized I had no decorations in the house at all for Easter, so I got out the watercolours while Patrick and Noah were at the Easter Vigil. This is what I came up with. While watching "Sister Wives" on Netflix. (Things I shouldn't admit online?) The boys wore suits I found through a local buy-and-sell and on consignment. I'm wearing a Reitman's dress bought before I was married, a cardigan I bought at Fairweath...

I'm not sure whether I conveyed what I had intended to with my last post ; I am not wallowing around, feeling unattractive. While I certainly have moments of feeling insecure about this or that aspect of my appearance, for the most part, I look in the mirror and feel quite delighted by what I see . I believe myself to be beautiful. The problem is, to what extent do I need to 'enhance' or 'adorn' that beauty with physical things? That question can't possibly be answered right now. I think it will be a continuous process of examining my heart (as in, in dressing in a certain way, who am I trying to please? What am I trying to say about myself?). For now, I want to be a bit more practical... and fun! So here is a little sampling of beautiful things that are inspiring my upcoming Operation: Defrump-ify.  1. This dress from eshakti .  I love the colour, the neckline, the little cap sleeves, the embroidery.  It's gorgeous, I say! 2. ...