March joy

 just a few of the little things, or more specifically, the "joy-makers"...

this dear boy and the budding relationship with his fur baby friend, sweet Miss Ruby...

do you see Miss Ruby in her kennel below?  baby C is watching and calling her in gibberish from the sunroom.

family movie night, and baby C just couldn't last until the end...down for the count.

i don't think Jeff minded :)

something about the chunk on these arms that just gets me...

a surprise gift of Easter beauty, so stunning!

no picture for this one, but standing by the barbeque grilling supper in March, in my bare feet, well that has to be some kind of record!  the weather has been amazing. so sunny with some really warm days already.  the evening sunsets have been spectacular too!  feels like a giant gift, especially this year!

her flare

 Layla has way more creative flare than me.  i'm soooo glad she does, and considering i have very little creativity, it's lucky for her as well!  she continues to be my chalkboard artist, changing it out every few months as per my request....  

more recently she's taken an interest in baking delicious things in the kitchen.  she had less interest when she was young, but she's gotten really good at it lately, especially since the pandemic has sidelined most other recreational hobbies or activities.  these cake pops and the layered cake below were both really yummy~ and she takes her time with the details even with only a few cake decorating tools in this house.  although, i'm adding some here and there because no one wants her baking to stop!  can you blame us?!

  next time she takes to another creative project, i'm going to be sneaky and get her in the picture, one way or the other.  

can't wait to see what she makes next!

UPDATE: these two cakes were created shortly after this post!  sooo yummy....

never lasts long around here, thank goodness! otherwise it would be calling out to me from the fridge...

dose #1

 so thankful this happened... Jeff has received the first dose of his covid-19 vaccine.  huge gift.  

this guy has been a complete champ through covid,  blessed to be working, he would say (so true and so grateful), and adapting and going with the changes as they come, just as he does with life.  i remember those first weeks and months of virtual visits with patients and the struggle and the reinventing he had to do.  it was so draining for him.  he pressed on.  then there was the disruption to the staff at his place of employment as layoffs happened and hard decisions were made and they kept things afloat while the crisis deepened and changed the working environment they'd loved and appreciated for soooo many years.  next  was the huge decision over the course of the summer to change his place of employment as he decided to start fresh somewhere else, after twenty five great years at one place.  that wasn't easy, or simple, but he did it with class and grace and confidence that God was leading him to this next step.  and he transitioned without even a single day off in between!  so proud of him, his work ethic and the way he never complains.  

grateful for science, grateful for modern medicine and options that will allow Jeff to work safely and uninterrupted in the coming months.  this is good!

international women's day

 just a copied passage for today.  this is from a Facebook page i follow and like, called Foster the Family.  how i loved the message it spoke.  and to be clear, while it relates to foster care (trust me, i know foster care isn't for everyone.  i totally get that), it also relates to so many other ways women are strong.  in countercultural ways, specifically.  ways we don't often hear in the context of strength.  so, here's to endless women who exhibit daily strength in tireless ways that often is unnoticed, unseen, unglorified.  here's to the women who are changing their world for the better.  here's to the gritty, selfless women who are more concerned about love and kindness and healing than power and wealth and status.

i'm blessed to know lots of these amazing women, and i'm so honoured to pause and celebrate them today (i mean yesterday!). 

"I reject the caricatured picture of a strong woman. The common conception—or misconception—of strength: a woman who always speaks her mind and prioritizes herself and pursues her interests above everything else. Making money, kicking butt, taking names, and knocking down anyone who gets in the way.

The vision of strength I value is different. Counter to this cliche. Countercultural. Counterintuitive. The strength I value lies in a life lived for others. Pursuing your dreams, speaking your mind, winning for your own good? Anyone can do that. The strong women I look to, they do hard things—for others—with very little benefit to themselves.

Strong is devoting your life to caring for those you have no responsibility to care for. Strong is loving with great risk to yourself. Strong is saying yes to certain heartbreak. Strong is speaking "I hope your child can be with you soon" while thinking "I want this child to be with me forever." Strong is patiently parenting through the trauma and behaviors of abuse and neglect. Strong is knowing when to speak up and when to bite your tongue. Strong is handing over a child you love to a complete stranger. Strong is doing the hardest thing you've ever done for a dollar an hour. Strong is using your strength for others.

Nothing has made me feel weaker than this foster mom life. But I've found great strength in embracing weakness. I'm as strong as a (foster) mother."

cheers to the women who are game changers and life-givers! you are especially awesome!

really??

 baby C. has always been a spitter.  like lots and often.  but i'm not sure "spitter" accurately describes what happened below. i think "puker" might be a more suitable descriptor.  yes, i was the lucky recipient of his regurgitated stomach contents that evening.  and still he's entirely worth it.  his sweetness is unmatched. 

i also had to laugh because it was a perfect fit to the sort of week we'd had. you know, one of those yuck kind of weeks...blechhh!!! can anyone relate? :)