butterflies and other randomness

I keep thinking that I should change the name of my blog - but then it makes me smile as I remember when my son said "hello country mouse" to me and smiled while he said "Mom I knew you would love blogging"... and I do, but lately I have had no time it seems.  I wonder how many of my thoughts remain in my head and heart.  And I guess that's okay.    I realize that this middle aged - hmmm perhaps leaning a little farther past middle aged (unless I am going to live to be 114) is growing older (and I hope more and more kind, gentle, loving and gracious!) but some things do not change - I have thoughts, musings and I chase a few butterflies!!  (perhaps some of you smile because you know me, or you do this yourself)  You know you are in the middle of speaking and something catches your eye and there goes the thought and onto another one.  It is often that I see my kids just look at each other and smile.

So I figure I will just put a few of those random thoughts that I am having today - out there.  Maybe there are still a lot of butterflies!!

Here goes.

• my husband knows so many random things.  I will admit that sometimes I google (the odd time)  to see if he is right and he is.  How does he know these random things?  He just does.  For instance - about geese.  About their test flights as little ones learn how things go.  Or about how they "gather" together ... or why geese don't soar like the eagle we saw in our yard
• my foot has been bothering me.  I think I broke something in August - and so I am left with some pain and some weird "clicking"... thing is, I made myself a 100 day challenge and I am exercising in some way every day.  Perhaps this has increased the wear and tear on my feet and thus the issues lately.  
• apparently JetDry mixed with water and dish soap make for some beautifully streakfree windows.  Unfortunately ours are not streakfree and I think I missed the cut off to get someone to come and clean
• my friend Meggie is my most spontaneous friend.  I love being able to text and say "have you eaten supper" and then to be able to meet.  Her visits are life-giving.
• when I was writing about the streakfree windows that I don't have lol my auto correct kept trying to change it to just the word streak which reminded me of the time some of the boys on our Grade 11-12 Quebec Ontario School Tour went streaking after they snuck out ... NOTE:  I did not see this, I just heard lol
• today is grey and soon the snow will fly.  I hope we do have the el nino inspired winter that the Farmer's Almanac is predicting for Manitoba
• yesterday one of our pastor's (Pastor Dave Ens) talked about fear which included his fear of the flexed arm hang when he was a kid in school and the Fitness testing was coming up.  I realized I feared anything like that ... I loved playing baseball and soccer but I hated having to do the sit-ups, or the running ... hmm some things don't change!!
• I am a MARY ... love to sit at the feet of Jesus.  
• I have learned (with the help of the Holy Spirit) to become also a MARTHA and just realized that when I serve people - it is a gift that I can give them.  
• when I go to a party I like to find one person to talk to and sit in the corner.  I do not like big things with tons of people 
• I really don't like talking on the phone ... neither does my husband.  However ministry has forced me to do call backs and phone calls.  But just shooting the breeze on the phone - its hard for me
• I am an introvert 
• I love being a mom and a granny.  I had a granny ... my mom was called granny ... I am a 3rd generation granny!  :)
• I find it hard to keep rules at times - especially with my grandkids 
• Alvin made me learn how to drive a standard on Portage Avenue.  After trying for the third time to get through a light intersection - I think he was regretting it
• I have never skied but I wish I had learned. 
• Most of my wardrobe has some form of black in it
• I love salty things.  I also love sweet things.  Sometimes I love them at the same time *sigh
• I love working out when it is finished!!
• my only regret in life is not going into Education and becoming a Kindergarten teacher.  Instead I went into daycare.  Not comparison in pay or holidays!!  But it was good.
• my first dog was a little apricot coloured Pomeranian my dad bought me - and his name was Tippy.  Tippy met his fate when he lived on my brother-in-laws farm while we were building
• I love to sing but realize that lately I love listening more than singing myself.  
• Alvin and I have been known to laugh until the tears roll down our cheeks and we are almost peeing our pants.  Sometimes the thing that set us off isn't even funny.  
• raising our kids in the country was truly one of the best things I think we could have done for them
• my sweet friend Maxine inspired me to pray for my kids before they got on the bus every day ... that morphed into praying whenever we left from one another.  
• my first 20 years of life I was raised in a Brethren church.  The thing I cherish the most is that we broke bread (Lord's Supper) every Sunday.  I miss that
• my husband eats best when I am cooking for retreaters!!
• I love to knit.  My first project was a big sweater for my husband.
• I loved to bike but then didn't bike from the time I was about 14 until I was about 53 ... 
• my husband kids me about looking like a circus bear on my bike lol
• the first time I went biking again - I promptly wiped out
• the big beautiful eyes of my grandchildren will melt this heart any time
• while I love the idea of sleeping in past 7, I realize that I hate it when I wake up at 9 and feel like I have wasted the day (um, sounds like my husband's thoughts)
• my friend Josie and I bought t-shirts from a little store in Beausejour.  They had a dog on them, and he was smiling.  There were flowers.  It said Love is Beausejour Manitoba.  WHAT WERE THEY THINKING ... a dog? flowers?  And what were WE thinking when we not only bought them but WORE them.  Sheesh
• my first paying job was working at Smitty's Restaurant in Garden City Mall.  Still remember the ugly burnt orange with white puffy sleeves uniform - looked kind of like a little swiss girl. 
• I was a daycare founder/director, in the field for 25 years
• I was a pastor in our home church for 7 and a half years.
• I worked for Canadian Blood services for two years 
• Out of all my jobs - I miss CBS the most!
• at our church, I have a look alike apparently.  Cory and I have been mistaken many many times for one another.  
• I was the one that picked the color for the barn, and the navy color for the house.  Never before was a color decision so poured over
• I love the sound of water - fountains, oceans, rivers.  It is like a soothing balm.
• when I go to the Forks in the summer, the smells, the sounds, make me feel like I am on holidays somewhere
• the fountain in the SCU on Lagimodiere has not been on the last many times I have been there. but it always smells like a pool!
• we need a new hot tub cover
• being asked to be with Michael and Ashley while Ash was in labour with Matilda was a real gift for me.  
• the song from my childhood that I have sung to all my kids is called "The birdies in the treetop"
• God speaks to me - and I love listening!
• I like to be spontaneous and the ministry schedule has clipped my wings a lot in the spontaneity department!
• the best thing is to be all together with our family - kids and grandkids - whether it is just in one of our houses, or better yet - away on a holiday.  We travel real well together.
• we did a mission trip with Josh, Leah and Ashley joining us - in 2006 to the Dominican Republic
• we have two sponsored kids - one in the DR and one in Indonesia.  (World Vision and Compassion)
• I love bold fresh black coffee but sometimes I take it with cream as a treat
• my kids make me laugh out loud
• so do my grandkids
• there are very few people who still greet me with a kiss on the lips - this btw was a THOMAS thing.  
• I am thankful for my friends who speak into my life
• ministry makes me tired at times but it also is the place that brings life and where I know I am called
• I hate it if someone makes me feel stupid.  Ya, you don't want to do that.
• my favourite book is the Bible.  I just can't decide on the version right now.
• I hate wearing socks.  My daughter seemed to get the same thing ... so did my grandkids.
• I love watching the bluejays and other birds that come to the feeders.  
• God speaks to me in so many ways through creation!  Thank you LORD.
• chocolate - love it
• favorite pie:  chocolate pie and also rhubarb ... oh and lemon meringue .  (oh boy now I am craving
• white wine or red?  I used to like Red - then switched to white and now I think I prefer red again
• don't like winter ... but it is coming 
• we just turned the clocks back except for the one in an upstairs room because I forgot to ever turn it ahead!! 
• I just signed up for a painting class at our church - should be fun and interesting
• working on the theme for the advent walk through here - 3rd annual

Well ... that's enough randomness I guess - NOT THAT ANYONE HAS TO READ THIS but perhaps you did!  Hope you had a cup of coffee with it!  TTFN  (ta ta for now!)

hugs,