Photo Cards for Missions!

My friend Tara is doing an awesome amazing thing...she's going on a Missions Trip!!

If you are interested in supporting her (I hope you will), she has an offer for photo cards on her blog. Great deal! Check it out by clicking her name above.

So proud of you Tara! I should be going with you! We all should be doing more but I hope this little bit helps.

Bragging Rights

Yes, I do believe I have bragging rights...in the husband department, that is. At least for now.

I was just away in Ontario for a week with my mom. My husband was very supportive and agreed that it would make it easier for me to get things done if Sarah stayed home. And so, even tho' he was nervous, he became a "single" dad for a whole 7 days!

And as I knew he would be, he did an amazing job. Sarah is still in one healthy and happy piece and I believe she seems to appreciate her daddy even more now....he can do things almost as good as mommy can.

We have to admit that guys are not naturally as nurturing as women, in most cases. My husband has moments when he doesn't seem to clue in to things that seem common sense to me. So here are the few things we did to make my days away successful:

- I wrote lists for daddy. Lists of what to pack for lunch, what to pack for a day away, what to pack for overnight in case he wanted to go visit Nanny and Poppy Hynes in Norris Point.
- I explained our nighttime routine (Jamie usually closes up the store for me to stay home with Sarah for bedtime). I wanted him to be successful - If Sarah got a good nights sleep then so would he.
- I tried to encourage Jamie through his nervousness. When he was anxious about me leaving, I told him I knew he would do a great job.
- I called...every morning and every night to check in. And I left my phone on at all times in case daddy needed me for anything. He didn't call EVEN ONCE in a panic. I was so proud of him for not needing me constantly.

Going away for a week was not nearly as difficult as I thought it would be. I missed Sarah a TON but I knew she was in good hands. Often we, as moms, are so paranoid and feel that things need to be absolutely OUR WAY ONLY that we don't even give our husbands a chance to become their full dad potential. Again, they may not do things the way we do, maybe not even close, but they do love our children in their own way and they do have their best interests in mind. My husband may not excitedly change his voice for each character in a story book but he does read to Sarah. He may not arrange her snacks to look like a happy face on her plate but he does make sure she has a good lunch. He may not kiss her a million times at bedtime and tuck her in so tight she can't move but he does give her lots of love and ensures that she is safe and protected.

Note to self: Try not to be a big nag when he doesn't do things perfectly. I'm so guilty!

So this is a big thanks to my husband. Not every husband would have done this, I know that! But if your husband is cautiously willing to participate in you taking a few hours or a few days to yourself, let him show you how wonderful a job he can do. It'll make you both feel so much better about yourselves as individuals, as a couple, and as parents.

The Choice is Made

I was reminded today by Christa that I really needed to add a post regarding my decision to purchase a house.

And Jamie and I have chosen....

Drumroll please...

Option #4
This was the teachers house. The typical kinda newfie house with the really nice landscaping, swing set, basketball net, and 2-storey shed.

We are VERY excited!

We close on the 30th of this month. We are actually going to spend the first few days painting and laying carpet on the bedrooms before we move our furniture.

Sorry to leave you hangin' like that....and now you know!

P.S. I'm in Ontario right now and am so excited about getting to see Vicki and Christa today...thanks girls for an awesome lunch! I SO needed the girl time and the good chat!

Wedding Blues

BIG CONGRATS to Melanie and Ryan on their beautiful wedding day this past Saturday. It turned out to be gorgeous and sunny and everything went off without a hitch...Well everything, that is, except the cake....

Back a few years ago I did a cake decorating class. I've had people ask me to do cakes since moving home and even though I'm very out of practice, I've done a couple. Birthday cakes, no problem. Melanie's wedding cake, BIG problems!

Mel asked me a while back to do her cake and I did agree. Ryan's aunt had already made the 3 layers of fruit cake and all I would have to do was decorate. They wanted something very simple and I thought it would be a great challenge and experience in the cake-decorating business.

OMG! What a (near) disaster! I spent a VERY late night on Friday trying to perfectly smooth-out the icing on the cake. I put a little bit of ribbon around the edge. Looked pretty good, I must say. We packed up the cake to bring to the hall. Got to the hall and had to wait about an hour for someone to come and unlock the building and it was getting close to the time for the reception. We then got the cake out of the back of the truck and the middle layer was nearly completely destroyed. Our bumpy and hilly journey from Birchy Head to Trout River had resulted in the cake rubbing up against the glass dish it was in and the icing was half off. The top layer was smudged. I brought extra icing with me but I wasn't expecting THAT! Then we went to put the cake together after the icing repairs and the cake table and the cake holder thingy was so high up I couldn't get the pillars in between each layer to properly line-up. I was seriously almost ready to burst into tears, I thought for sure I had ruined Melanie's wedding. Anyways, Mom and I got it pretty much together and added the Gerbera daisies to the cake. Those were very nice and more importantly, hid a LOT of the flaws of the cake.

So it appeared we had saved the day. I apologized profusely to Melanie and warned her to be careful with the cutting of the cake because it wasn't the most sturdy. And then, to top things off, part way through the reception, after people continuously nudging up against the cake table to fit into their chairs, the top layer of the cake actually started to slide!!!! Yes!!! Slide!!! I was SO embarrassed and mortified. I tried desperately to fix that too but the cake still ended up looking slightly crooked in the pictures.

Needless to say I think this was my FIRST and my LAST wedding cake! (as if anyone would ever ask me after that fiasco).

Heading to Ontario later this evening. I promise to post a picture of the cake when I return for all to see.

Scrappin' Again

I'm so happy! Tonight I start "teaching" some scrapbooking classes. I'm certainly no pro but I'm desperate for some new scrapbook friends (since I left mine behind in Ontario).

In case any of you readers out there are here in Bonne Bay and want to start scrappin, here are the details:

When: Every 2nd Wednedsay night, starting Oct 8th, with a total of 10 classes.
Time: 6:30 - 8:30 pm
Where: At The Chocolate Moose Cafe (upstairs at the store)
How Much: NOTHING for the class!! However, there are supplies to purchase if you want.

Other details:
Every week I will design a page layout for everyone to follow. This layout and the supplies to complete it will be FREE!! If you wish to buy other elements to complete a layout of your own design, that's totally up to you! OR, you can bring your own stuff and work away!

This week:
All you need to bring is scissors, a cutting mat, and your photos!

At the end of 10 sessions you will have completed a 20 page album...yay!

Can't wait to start scrappin'!

On the Rise

The hubster recently informed me of an exciting article he read. Apparantly, the population of Newfoundland rose this year for the first time in 16 years! Good news, yes?

And to think we, as a family, were able to contribute to this increase is very exciting! Now if only I could get the rest of my friends and family to come home too.

Here's an article I found on cbc.ca:

Population uptick 'really significant': researcher
Last Updated: Thursday,
October 2, 2008 3:26 PM NT
CBC News
Rob Greenwood says
newly released demographic figures hold promise for Newfoundland and Labrador.
(CBC)
A small rise in Newfoundland and Labrador's population is significant
enough to suggest an improvement in the province's demographic outlook, a
researcher says.
Statistics Canada reported this week that Newfoundland and
Labrador's population as of July 1 was 507,895, or 1,436 more people than at the
same point in 2007.
The provincial government trumpeted the report for
showing the first year-over-year increase in 16 years.
Rob Greenwood,
executive director of Memorial University's Leslie Harris Centre of Regional
Policy and Development, said the change represents only a third of a percentage
point in population, but suggests that a trend is emerging.
"It's still quite
small … but really significant," Greenwood told CBC News on Wednesday.
"For
now, it's pretty clear it's based on net 'in-migration,' so there [are] more
people coming back to the province now than leaving the province, which is new
for the past 16 years."
"Out-migration" is a household word in Newfoundland
and Labrador, describing an astonishing decline in population that was sparked
with the 1992 closure of the northern cod fishery.
Thousands lost jobs
The
fisheries moratorium, which put about 20,000 fishermen and plant workers out of
work, has been called the largest single industrial layoff in Canadian
history.
The 1991 census put the province's population at 568,474, an
all-time high.
Soon after, a demographic free fall kicked into gear, driven
by two main factors: a birth rate that went from one of the highest in the
country to one of the lowest; and thousands of families — including young
adults, some of whom became parents in other provinces — seeking work
elsewhere.
In 2006, Newfoundland and Labrador set a dubious record in
Canadian demographics, becoming the first province to record more deaths than
births.
"The natural increase, births minus deaths, is still not in our
favour," said Greenwood, who believes that workers returning to the province may
at least compensate for that demographic loss.
"It'd be really interesting to
know who these people are, their education level, skill levels, age levels [and]
where they're coming from. My guess is that the bulk of these folks are
Newfoundlanders coming back from Alberta, from Ontario," said Greenwood, who
also credited the provincial government's immigration strategy.
Greenwood
said additional data should be available in November that will better explain
the population increase.
To help address the population decline, the
Newfoundland and Labrador government earlier this year introduced a "baby bonus"
of $1,000 per child, as well as $100 a month for the first 12 months of a
child's life.

Important and EXCITING!! Announcement!!

I now have HIGH SPEED INTERNET!
Small town Newfoundland is now connected with the rest of the world...yeehaw!!


P.S. This means I can finally post pics of Sarah for all to see :0