little helpers.

it's nice to have help.

(even when that help just wants more chocolate chips...)

all i wanna do.

I've had a lot on my mind over the past few days. I've wanted to let the flood gates open and get it all out onto paper but it seems stuck...do you ever feel like maybe some things are just too, hmmm, sacred to be written down? Anyways, a song popped into my head today and my gut feeling is that God pressed the play button...it seems like something He would do. I thought I'd share that song with you.

All I want to do, is give this life to You

All I want to do, is give this life to You

All I want to do, is give this life to You

And let Your will be done, until it's all I want to do.

How does doubt slip in, so silently?

And why does condemnation come so naturally?

Why do I still get the best of me?

Loving so little and living so selfishly?

When all I want to do, is give this life to You.

All I want to do is give this life to You.

All I want to do is give this life to You,

and let Your will be done until it's all I want to do.

What have I been given by Your grace?

Will I come to understand this mystery I embrace?

Make of me a new creation now,

Fill me with all you are and be all I am some how.

Cuz all I want to do is give this life to You.

All I want to do is give this life to You.

All I want to do is give this life to You

And let Your will be done, until it's all I want to do.

Faith so fragile

Reaching for Your hand

All I want to do, is give this life to You.

All I want to do, is give this life to You.

All I want to do, is give this life to You,

and let your will be done, til it's all I want to do.

And let your will be done, til it's all I want to do.

-Ginny Owens

random bria.

I love, Love, LOVE Shel Silverstein! I remember sitting in Elementary School and reading his poems over and over and over. I love the whimsical and silly subjects chooses to write about and how he can jot two lines onto a page and somehow it becomes such good storytelling. So, in honor of my love of the silliness that is Mr. Silverstein, I will leave you with two of my favorite poems from his book, 'Where The Sidewalk Ends'.

One Inch Tall

If you were only one inch tall, you'd ride a worm to school.

The teardrop of a crying ant would be your swimming pool.

A crumb of cake would be a feast

And last you seven days at least,

A flea would be a frightening beast

If you were one inch tall.

If you were only one inch tall, you'd walk beneath the door,

And it would take about a month to get down to the store.

A bit of fluff would be your bed,

You'd swing upon a spider's thread,

And wear a thimble on your head

If you were one inch tall.

You'd surf across the kitchen sink upon a stick of gum.

You couldn't hug your mama, you'd just have to hug her thumb.

You'd run from people's feet in fright,

To move a pen would take all night,

(The poem took fourteen years to write-

'Cause I'm just one inch tall).

my new best friend.

i am overjoyed.

so many things to make.

so much creativity.

a new skill to learn.

oh, the possibilities are endless!

now i need to find a name for my new best friend...

stella?

marge?

bonnie?

hmmmm.

james and bria.

Once upon a time a handsome young man made the wise decision to attend a new high school in his eleventh year of studies. On his first day of class he spotted the most beautiful young woman from across the room and his heart began to soar. He tried to befriend her in the best ways he knew how; he pulled her hair, he threw balls at her head, he called her pretending to be other people...but nothing seemed to woo her to his strapping side. In fact, things weren't going very well at all...it turns out he had made her cry numerous times.
Lucky for him (and her) the young man matured mentally during his summer break. When he came back to his studies he had caught her attention...finally! The two hit it off and started dating much to surprise of everyone around (especially the young woman's mother). Sadly, things came to an end only a few weeks later when the young woman decided to focus her attention on her last year of schooling instead of the handsome young man. Crushed and broken hearted the young man made a firm decision to love her and to one day marry her.
Many months later, on a lovely afternoon, the two decided to skip all of their classes and take a stroll downtown. Enjoying the young mans company, the young woman turned to him and asked what was on his mind. Little did she know, earlier that day he had made a firm decision to confess his undying love for her if that exact question was asked. So...he said it, "I love you". Shocked and slightly confused she took a few minutes to collect her thoughts and said that soon it would be time for them to be together.

Well, their relationship started and then it stopped and then started and stopped. She took off to another country and he stayed home and thought about her, still firm in his conviction that he would love her and marry her. When she returned from her travels they met over coffee and she instantly realized how stupid she'd been, for the man of her dreams had been there, in front of her this whole time!


Soon the day came when he asked her the question he had been wanting to for years, "Will you marry me my dearest, my love?" Overjoyed she said "YES" and thus set the wedding wheels in motion; plan this, order that, sample this, make that. The year went by quickly as there was much to accomplish to make the day flow smoothly and be created into a beautiful memory for all who where there.

On that brisk October morning angels sang as their lives were molded together. All eyes watered watching them take each others hands and exchange vows, it was a beautiful testament of determined love. Their new journey was sealed with a kiss and *poof* they became a little family of two.

And then *poof* three.

And then *poof* four.

The god's had blessed them with the most beautiful children in all the land and they lived happily ever after.

~THE END~

(i think that it might need a few fairy godmothers, a fat gnome for comedic relief, a lovable talking yak, and possibly an evil warlord to make it to the movies.)
Happy Anniversary Darling!

homesteading (part two)

For some time (years actually) my husband and I have been giddily (?) and nervously planning our escape into the great wilds of Northern Manitoba to homestead. Our main plan is to avoid the impending doom of the economy and lead a mainly self-sufficient lifestyle. I was hoping that the economy would hold for at least a few more years so we can make all of our preparations, but it's not looking so good. My father trades commodities and stocks for a living and as a result I get a constant update on how close the world is to financial disaster.
Anyways, my plan was to write another long homesteading post about some more specific plans but my husband beat me to it. If you are at all interested in what our family is hoping to accomplish in the next few years I would highly suggest visiting his blog and reading all about it. While, at first, it may come across as a joke, I assure you that it's not. We've actually started lists and set time frames and started reading (yes, I do read-up on how to skin rabbits). It also may come across as being a tad extreme...but I guess you can decide that for yourself. The wealth that North America has experienced since the 80's cannot last forever. Our lifestyles that we've become so comfortable with rely wholly on cheap gas and if you know anything about the Hubbert Peak Theory one can't help but be concerned. I thoroughly believe that in the next few years we will see a major shift in North America as the poor become poorer and the rich become richer. Things we once took for granted, like winter trips down to Mexico or even road trips to the States, will become increasingly difficult as we find ourselves hard pressed for even the most basic of items. A prime example of this came the other day when the Free Press ran an article about the 'Economic Doom and Gloom'. In the article Winnipeg Harvest was highlighted with the co-coordinator, David Northcroft, saying "The pressure of the food bank continues to grow rather than shrink" and that "It's worse than we thought." Winnipeg Harvest is also seeing more and more 'working poor' Manitobans come through their doors as companies are going through layoffs due to the trade issues with the States.
Both James and I are trying to expand our skills for when we make the move. I am currently learning how to knit, sew, and garden as James is about to get his PAL and Hunter's Safety and is also constantly reading up on how to build practical things (like a log cabin).
I'd love to hear your thoughts on the issue, even if you totally disagree with our plan of action. I also want to emphasize my husbands comment that any friends or family that wish to join us in this crazy adventure are welcome, after all, I will need some friends up north.

25.

I've been dreading this birthday for awhile; something about turning a quarter of a century made me a bit uneasy. Part of the uneasiness could possibly have come from the fact that my early twenties have been consumed by planning a wedding and then diving head first into diapers, diapers and more diapers. How can 5 years fly by so fast? As a result of the apparent time warp I've found myself in I approached this birthday with a little bit of apprehension and was surprised to be greeted with a warm welcoming hand. I was actually happy that my birthday fell on Thanksgiving which meant that on top of just having a birthday we had a large turkey dinner with wonderful food and good company...and the new addition, Annabelle. I was overjoyed to see that my sister had baked me a yummy cake and had even written my name on it!

It was a relaxing day littered with special birthday moments; James cleaned the WHOLE kitchen, I painted my nails, I got a back rub, I got to laugh with my family, I was able to cuddle my week old niece and I even got all spiffied up in the purdy dress that I bought myself on my last birthday (with Julia!). I know that those things may seem trivial to the rest of you but as the years go by and my 'plate' becomes oh so crowded, it is the trivial and simple things that seem to warm my heart the most...amazing. The cherry on top came when I opened my gifts from my mother and sister, which were in and of themselves great gifts but miraculously became even better when put side by side...I laughed, oh how I laughed. A bag from my mom, a bag from my sister, gloves from my mom, gloves from my sister, and magazine subscription (gardening) from my mom, and...YES...a magazine subscription (hobby farm) from my sister!

The funniest thing of all is that they had no idea what the other was getting for me! Too funny. I got such a kick out of it. I also got some cash from my brother and sister-in-law to get some new clothes from Joe Clothing which means even more to me now that I'm thrifting for a year. I'm very excited to go and buy a new sweater for winter. All-in-all it was a wonderful day and I'm very happy with how it all played out. I don't feel as nervous about being 25 now that I've stopped being silly and realized that God has a lot in store for me this year...and now that I have two cute bags to carry me through this next year I'm ready to tackle anything! well, maybe not anything.

amazing grace.

Every year that my family gathers around the Thanksgiving table my mom asks us to say one thing that we are thankful for. My normal response is family, friends, the food before us, yadda, yadda, yadda. They are good answers and it comes from my heart, but this year I find myself going a bit further, digging a deeper to figure out what I am the most thankful for. At a time when I feel utterly flawed and as though I am constantly falling short I would have to say that I am most thankful for God's Grace. It seems that every year that goes by I realize more and more how horribly inept I am without it; as a wife, a mother, a daughter, a sister, and a friend. The only thing that carries me through is God's grace. It is by God's grace that I have made it this far and it is by God's grace that I have the wonderful family and blessed life that I do.

"My grace is enough; it's all you need."

2 Corinthians 12:7

fresh babies are good for the soul.

annabelle joy cattani

"bella"

born october 6th 2008

8bls1oz

20 inches

hurricane

like a tidal wave it rushed up and over the edge

it came pouring out

spreading down the sidewalk

of this little home

a crack in the core

a vicious wind

and it all fell down

it crumbled apart

she crumbled apart

held by masking tape and honey

a makeshift heart

it held no more

she held no more

it all fell down

like a volcano she billows,

she explodes

the raw human finally appears

it shows

her ugliest parts

wounded, hurt, broken,

exposed

she held no more

one can still dream...

When I was in Jr. High I wanted to be a photographer for National Geographic. Clearly that didn't happen but who says I can't take my son's toy chimpanzee and my new Jade Tree and pretend that it did happen!? I'm still such a child.