Why I think my Mom should Blog

I'm writing a sneaky post right now. I'm about to send an email to my Mom with the link to the previous post I just wrote. She will likely read about and look at the pictures I took explaining her Christmas decorations. I'm also hoping after she reads that that she will look around at other posts on my blog.

I'm hoping she will look at this one....

"Hey Mom!"

Anyway, here is why I think my Mom should have a blog.

My Mom is a brilliant lady. She loves education and studying how people learn and how to better improve the "system" of education in Canada. She has a heart for kids and their learning. She likes people and I think deals with them well. She has developed an ability to navigate through the politics of being in an influential position. Perhaps her job doesn't allow her much time or room to blog whatever she would want to but I think she should start blogging when she retires.

My Mom also is a great cook. She bakes great things and has lots of recipes she's collected over the years that she could share.

She is creative and has great tastes as you can tell from my previous post.

My Mom also loves Jesus. I love talking with her and my Dad about the things they're wrestling through and sharing what I'm working through too. I feel edified by their faith.

I've always respected and appreciated my Mom but lately I have a greater respect for the decisions she's made in life and for the things that are coming to light now that we are friends.

All these reasons and more are evidence that I would LOVE to read a blog that my Mom had and would love to read really any topic or anything she wanted to write about.

So Mom, what do you think?

Some Christmas Decorating Ideas for Next year

My Mom's decorations this year were beautiful. I took some pictures for your viewing and for me to remember for next year. Sorry for the poor quality of pictures. Two years later and I'm still trying to learn my camera and lighting. Take a look:

My Mom effectively used ribbon in these three key places:

Over the island in the kitchen she hung ornaments from the lights


She used ribbon for all her ornaments to put them on the tree.

Her Christmas tree is always gold and silver colour scheme. Here's a great view from the balcony in the Great room (Grandpa and Jacob are hanging out by the tree):


She also used ribbon to hang up these angels for her armrail.


Speaking of Angels:
This little display reminds me of growing up. I don't find the green one that attractive but I have fond memories of seeing this angel and setting up the angel display for Mom in the old house.

My Mom was also pretty proud of her mantel.
She used pine and pine cones and fake Granny Smiths.

She also used some pine to make this table center piece.


My Mom barely spent anything for these decorations. She had all the supplies. They also conveniently have pine trees on their property so she didn't need to pay the ridiculous prices to have pine in your decorations.

Oh and don't forget the Nativity Scene.

We were always instructed every Christmas season that we can't bring out Baby Jesus until Christmas day. This year we didn't remember until Boxing Day. My sister cleverly joked that "we can't bring out Jesus until Christmas Day because he's not born yet every year..." She probably worded it funnier than I tried to capture here.

I might try what I can with these Christmas decorating ideas next year! Thanks Mom! And thanks to the Magazines that you got some of the ideas from.

If only...

I'm currently sad that Christmas is over and my birthday isn't this month and neither is our Anniversary... because of this:

The word of the year necklace.

drool.

Since I became a Christian I have had little words that seem to go with the season God is bringing me through.

Here are some words that have been for some of the seasons:

Freedom
Humility
Peace
Surrender
Perseverance

Those are the only ones I can think of now. God's cool like that. There is usually a trend of something he's growing me in or teaching me that I can put under the theme of one word. Which is neat because I work like that. By no means do I have a grand vocabulary but God has made me with an inkling to like to put things in categories. And I like words. And I like putting things in categories with a major header or just one word.

I think if I were to get this necklace it would say: Joy, grace or patience. I'm not sure who would want to have patience written on a necklace though. HA! I think I would probably go with joy. It's something God has been working through with me for awhile now.

Maybe by my birthday I will still want my word of the year necklace. I think it would be super cool to have one for each year with a new word that I'm learning or have appreciation for etc.

Anyway, a girl can dream.

Winter Clothes continued....

I posted a little while ago about Winter Clothes and the things I hate about it. A major theme was that I had to buy some crucial items and I'm cheap:
- boots
- mitts and hat
- hat for Jacob
- Snowsuit for Jacob (I didn't write this but realized he had grown out of the one I had been given to borrow)
- Coat (didn't need to buy but really tired of my old coat)

Well... I am truly blessed. I received all of the above for a great deal or for free or to borrow!
Boots: Mom bought. I love them and she doesn't use them. So... she gave them to me... for free! They are pretty much everything i was hunting for.
Coat: My sister (who has very stylish clothing and Andrew is always glad when she gives me hand me downs.) gave me her coat that she doesn't wear anymore.
Mitts and Hat: Got these at Zehrs. The Joe Fresh line. Reasonable prices. Nice style.
Hat for Jacob: I received 4 of these to borrow from Vanessa. Her oldest son had a big noggin just like Jacob!
Snowsuit for Jacob: Also given to me from a friend to borrow. I think it's a 9 month suit. Jacob will be out of it pretty soon... Gosh what a tank.

Another thing I wrote about was hating to wear socks. I received at Chapters on "Mom's night" 30% off at Old Navy. I picked up some slippers. I've been wearing them all the time. I love it. The only downside is that if my feet sweat it smells in the slippers. However, my sister (the one that I always get clothes from) bought the same ones and said you can just throw them in the washer. Yippee!

two sidenotes on my current wardrobe:

-I've discovered that 80-90% of my wardrobe is a gift or hand me down. I was wondering the other day if I didn't get hand me downs from my sisters and Mom or clothing gifts from Andrew's Mom if I would buy more clothing. I don't think I would. I think I would look like a slob. Well, maybe not now that I'm married but I would be very tempted to look like a slob. I know... you can shake head or finger at me right now.

-Also, I also realized the other day that some crucial clothing items of mine that I have purchased myself I have had since Gr. 11. Grade 11 people. That's ridiculous. I worked at a high end ski and clothing store and bought some items there half off. This goes to show regarding my first post that what goes around does not come around. I rarely have hand me downs (that are not ripped or ridiculously used) to give to people. My poor sister rarely gets anything from me. Perhaps I should buy her little gifts every now and then. That goes better with my conscience. I know... you can shake head or finger at me now too at the absurdity of that statement.

The Hunt for the perfect Winter boot

On a budget, pretty, functional boots. Is it possible?

I've seen functional but not pretty. I've seen functional and pretty but costly.

I'm not sure which one I want to get rid of.

I love things that are inexpensive but also last.

I want to wear these boots all the time. To church, to grocery shop, to play in the snow when Jacob is older (yes... the other thing. I would like these boots to last for 5 years. HA!)

I'd like to feel good putting on my boots and feel a bit put together. I like to look pretty. Perhaps I don't have enough kids to just want functional at the expense of pretty.

Anyone have any suggestions?

Devastating Realizations

In the span of 3 hours I've had some shocking realizations. They seem more extreme to me because I'm having one of those hormonal dramatic days.

#1- I read the car seat manual. I had two realizations. One good, one bad. The good is that he has a good chunk more time to be in the car seat. The weight is 25lbs and the length is 30 inches. I thought it was 28 inches which was cutting it too close for Jacob as he is 27 and 1/2 inches long. So yippee he can stay in the car seat for travels over Christmas. Bad shocking realization: The shoulder straps are adjustable. Why is that a bad realization you ask? Jacob has been looking VERY snug in the car seat and when I put him in a snowsuit it's difficult to buckle him up and I think it may have been pinching him. Turns out there are 5 adjustable levels and we were on the first one. Oh wow I feel like a horrible Mother. Devastating realization.

#2 was a false devastating realization but I felt so stupid while i was processing. I thought I had been taking Jacob's temperature with the plastic see through cover on the thermometer. I thought I had been getting a wrong reading because there was plastic over it since Jacob was born. Maybe he was too hot or too cold many times I checked his temp. After I tested it a few times on myself i realized it's not possible to take temperature that way. And then I realized that I'm crazy and should have refuted myself upon the first thought when I thought it may have been possible that I had been doing that.

#3 I baked a bunch of goodies to give to my family and Andrew's. I put them in nice tins and put them by the tree so I wouldn't forget. um. Idiot. They need to be refrigerated if they are going to last a week. I tried one of the cookies tonight. They taste awful. I cannot give these to my mom and mom-in-law. This is a big devastating realization. I could cry.

Most people wouldn't post this.

5 Month Update

Jakester is keeping us in stitches. This kid is funny.

Here are some other things that I'd like to remember about this stage:
- He pretty much sits up on his own... almost.
- He still loves kicking
- Man. The teeth. It's killing me... it seems he's always teething. He already has two teeth! I need to get a picture of him when he's smiling a certain way and you can see the teeth. They are not too far up.
- He loves watching Baby Einstein. Last week Jacob was just fussing and fussing. The only time he wasn't was when he was sleeping, nursing or watching Baby Einstein! I think the growth spurt, or teething or something has subsided now. ( I just learned today that this is likely bad for their language development to watch this... and possible detrimental for another reason regarding development to watch a monitor or screen before they are age 1)
- He think it's HILARIOUS to sit on our bed when someone is walking (just walking.. doesn't have to include funny faces or actions) on the floor at the end of the bed. Andrew discovered this just when he was walking around while I was burping Jacob.
- He still hasn't rolled over.
- He doesn't seem to like solids- well rice cereal at least. I'm going to keep trying every day though. I've tried about 5 times.
- He is almost too big for his highchair... what?
- He is almost too big for his car seat... sigh.
- He slept through the night last night (like a good 11 hours)... yippee! We'll see what happens tonight.
- Jacob seems to love people. When people are around he's silent and smiling. He seems to be just taking it all in. When people are not around this kid is loud... talking to himself etc. I think he's pretty social.

Jacob will be 6 months on Christmas day. Wow time has flown by.

The 2010 Lumsden Siblings Christmas Mix

I've began what will hopefully become a yearly tradition: The Lumsden sibling Christmas mix. I've asked my siblings to send me some of their faves and we'll put it on a CD that I will mail out to them. My sister Kelly made a CD with a couple friends last year and that's really the only thing I listened to for the whole Christmas season.

This is this year's line up:

1. "All I want for Christmas is you"- Mariah (Chris' pick) *
2. "What child is this?" Andrea Bocelli and Mary J. Blige (Suz's pick)
3. "Good King Wenceslas"- Barenaked Ladies (Jen's pick)
4. "Christmas Song"- Dave Matthews (Kelly's pick) *
5. "Hark the Herald Angels sing" (Family fave from Little Women)
6. "Baby it's cold outside"- Glee (Christian's pick)
7. "How Great thou Art"- Page CXVI (Suz) *
8. "Angels we have heard on high"- Sixpense none the richer (Jen)
9. "Come thou Fount" -Sufjan Stevens (Kelly)
10. "The Prayer"- Celine Dion w. Josh Groban or Andrea Bocelli (Family fave)
11. "O Holy Night"- Glee (Chris)
12. "O come emmanuel"- Sufjan (Suz)
13. "Song for a Winter's Night" Sarah McLachlan (Jen)
14. "It came upon a midnight clear"- Sixpense (Kelly) *
15. "Silent Night"- Eva Cassidy (Suz)
16. "O come all ye Faithful"- Starfield (Kelly) *
17. "Auld Lang Syne" -Pink Martini (Chris)

* these are for me. They mean I already have them on my computer. The rest I will need to buy.

Christmas at our place

I have gotten really into decorating our place this Christmas.

I bought some cheap garland- $1.99 each.
gold pinecones
bought some stuff to make Stockings- $20 (I think I got a discount as I know the girl that works there)
We bought a real Christmas tree - $45 (it's kind of pricey if you think about it for every year versus the artificial one time cost but it smells so lovely.)
And I had some stuff that was given to me at an Engagement party for A and I that I used to decorate too.

Here is the final product of "Christmas at our place"

First real Christmas tree! It smells lovely! Andrew went out to get it for us last Sunday.




Our wall unit (in place of a mantel) where we have our stockings

The stockings took me about a week to do. It seemed like it took a long time and not that long at the same time. They are kind of funny because the boot part of the stocking looks different on all three. Andrew's looks the best (the green one.) I still need to put our names on them but perhaps that's a project for next year.

New Favourite Blog

Lisa Leonard has a wonderful blog where I can get some creative ideas. She is like a breath of fresh air. Whenever she comes up on my reader I get excited and I star most of her entries so I can re-read later. I know... it's sounds like I have a girl crush on her. Well... I think I do.

Check her out.
She makes some neat jewelery as well!

Here are some fave posts of mine:

The one about her workspace
The one about her front porch
The one about her fave colour combo
The one about her doormat that I think i will make

Enjoy!

In Need of a New Tea

The tea that has been my go-to tea for the summer and fall has been Caramel Orange Rooibos.

I'm now sick of it.

I need a new go-to tea. One that I will just naturally pick to have when I'd like some tea.

It needs to be decaf.

I don't like fruity as my "regular" (read "I'll have the regular")

I don't think I'm a fan of spicy although I'll have to try some more variety.

I like peppermint but again not as my "regular"

I'm on the hunt. Perhaps it will be a decaf Earl Grey or regular tea... but I want a little something special to it.

Maybe English Breakfast.

hm. We'll see.

Now I'm getting excited!

Christmas is so close. I'm getting excited now for the festivities!

Now I'm looking at the calendar and our plans and I'm wondering if we shouldn't get a real Christmas tree this year. I was really looking forward to it but I think we should have got it last weekend.

Now I really only have until the 17th and then after Christmas to enjoy it. hmm I'm not sure what to do. I love the smell of having a real Christmas tree... but is the cost worth it for the amount of time to enjoy? I'd really love to not have a Charlie Brown Christmas tree again this year.

In other news. I can't wait until December 14th that is when non-stop joy begins!

Dec 14th- Work Christmas party
Dec 15th- Church Mom's group hang out
Dec 16th - baking night with a couple friends
Dec 17th- Christmas all-nighter for the youth (eek.. not really looking forward to that)
Dec 18th, 19th- Christmas with the in-laws
Dec 20-27- Christmas with my family. My sis and I are heading up early and our hubbies will follow on the 24th.

Also, I'm pretty much done my Christmas shopping. Yup. I'm impressed with myself. I only have 2 gifts left and I think I will finish them tonight.

Redeemed

I dislike writing discouraging posts. I like to be candid and real in my writing but I don't necessarily like writing the "raw" feelings as I'm feeling them on here. I like to save those for my journal. But I'm glad I wrote what I did today. Because now I can write how my day picked up since I wrote the entry.

Here are some ways the day was redeemed:

1. I made some peanut butter cookies. I burnt half of them but they were still tasty.
2. I got a phone call from a friend who spoke some reality into my feelings and shared from her own experience. I was encouraged.
3. My sister visited and I enjoyed her company and Jacob was a sweetie while she was here.
4. My friend who just moved from the city called and we got to chat for a bit. It was nice to catch up. Jacob was fussy but not too fussy that I couldn't manage his needs and talk at the same time.
5. I listened to some Wailin' Jennys while waiting for A to come home. It's really calming to listen to them when I feel "uppity." Jacob seems to relax when the music plays too.
6. Andrew bought us Subway. Yes, no cooking today.
7. I bought some fabric etc. to make Christmas stockings for the family and saw a friend who works there. She helped me with my selection (which was GREAT because I like guidance in unchartered territory)
8. I'm home now and about to get into the word and have a cup of tea.

Ah. If I hadn't written that post I might have forgotten how bad (I would write a swear word because it would describe exactly the experience) the morning and early afternoon went. I'm glad I did though because I'm feeling refreshed and thankful now.

Is it tomorrow yet?

Today I wish I was sick so I had an excuse for feeling... ugh.
I would love to be able to lay in bed all day long and have an excuse to not feel like a lazy depressing excuse for a human. hah.

Jacob and I are a wreck today. I can't understand my son. You'd think by 5 months I would have a clue what's going on. I don't. It bothers me when other people have a clue. Do I not have any maternal instincts?

Is he teething? maybe. I'll give him some Camilia.
Is he gassy? maybe that's why he won't sleep longer than 45 minutes today. I thought we were over that.
Is he going through a growth spurt? Maybe... I'll feed him.
Is he overtired? Probably we're way off routine.

I hate with a passion those questions.
I hate that i don't feel like I ever really know until a tooth pops through, he's outgrown his clothes or he poops or burps or farts!

I hate that I don't have enough guts to let him cry it out at night.
I hate that I haven't had uninterrupted sleep since Jacob was born (minus like 3 nights)
I hate that I'm not persevering in really any particular struggle we're having.
I hate that when people give me "solutions" they don't work and I feel like a failure. I'm probably doing something wrong if it's working for them.
I hate that I'm even writing this blog post and am such a whiner.

Perhaps this day will be redeemed. Better yet, apart from seeing my sister I want today to be over right now.