Happy Thanksgiving!

This Thanksgiving weekend has flown by and I haven't really taken the time to reflect on what I am truly thankful for.

M,on the other hand, has spent most of today working on a drawing of what she is thankful for..which includes, Halloween, Easter dinner with the extended family (cats included!), the park, school, Christmas...and the list keeps going as I write this post.

So what am I thankful for...

1) My family. I often underappreciate my husband and kids as I am too busy trying to get life organized. But I am so thankful to have them around to make me laugh, make me think..and even make me crazy sometimes!

2) My friends. I find that it's hard to keep in touch with everyone who has impacted my life, but I am truly thankful that my friends stand by me. It's often said that friends are the family you choose, and I totally agree with that!!

3)My team mates - they have encouraged me in my work endeavours with Norwex and Epicure, and have become good friends too!

4)My health. A few scares over the past years have made me want to work at keeping my health. And all test results have come back negative, so I am very thankful to be healthy!

and 5)Starbucks - I know that this is a bit sad, but a nice warm drink has brought me lots of comfort over the past year!! And lots of great conversation over a nice warm drink!

I hope you all have a great Thanksgiving weekend!

Growing pains...

School is now in full swing, but I still feel like we're adjusting to the fall routine. M is having a more difficult time adjusting to school this fall, and we haven't figured out why...she loves her teacher and she loves learning, but she hasn't connected with her classmates yet and often says she plays by herself or she doesn't have any fun.

As the overprotective mother in me surfaces, I wonder if something has happened on the playground or if someone has said something mean in the class. I want to put a bubble around her so I can keep the twinkle in her eye shining brightly or keep her home with me to protect her from the world. I know this is not realistic and that I need to teach her how to be happy by herself, but I find this really difficult! I'm sure I went through these growing pains as a child too...but thank goodness I don't remember them!!

Another summer...

Where does the time go!!! It seems like just yesterday that I was struggling with the decision of what I wanted to do when M went back to school...and now she's back and I have a goal set for my business for the next year!

So what were we up to this summer?

Strawberry picking!!! (N may have sampled a few!)

Lots of fun at local splash pads and the beach

A visit to the Toronto zoo

Hanging out with cousins

Lots of gardening and attempts at preserving foods

T and I headed to NYC for a mini-vacation

And I went to Winnipeg for the 10th Anniversary Conference for Norwex.

A great summer overall!

And now M starts SK...she has grown up soooo much!
My beautiful little girl

First day walk to school

I anticipate great things for this fall season and I look forward to sharing them with you!

Decisions, decisions...

I have been relatively happy as a stay-at home mom...yes, there are days I'm ready to throw in the towel. But mostly I'm glad to be around to watch my kids grow up and participate in day-to-day activities.

I am glad that I added Norwex to the mix of things I'm doing, because it's nice to be out with adults once in a while...and the little extra money I make is good too!

But in the last few weeks, I have been questioning whether I am meant to do Norwex full-time... I have been lucky to have had a steady stream of shows. Enough to keep busy, but not swamped. And then in the last few weeks it seems like all of my shows are getting cancelled. I know the weather is nice, and let's be real....who would want to sit inside listening to a talk on cleaning products when it's so nice outside :) An aside - I try not to make it boring! And there is always great food! While cancellations aren't a bad thing, it means that I don't get new bookings - the life line of home party sales. And I am not a pushy person, so then how do I get more bookings to make this sustainable?

I do enjoy this job and feel passionate about teaching people about how to protect themselves and the environment from all sorts of nasty chemicals. So I know I can find answers to my questions if this is the route I choose...

Then in the last 2 days, I have been 1)offered a job with a company that I do some contract work for and 2) emailed a job posting for a job that I've considered in the past. I know I could do both jobs..but do I want to? Or I am thinking about it b/c I'm the type of person who likes new challenges but will be bored in a year from now...

So now I am trying to decide what to do...I am thankful for the opportunities, but I don't know what's going to be best for me and my family. How to decide....

I tried...

So a while back, I was going to come up with a great source of coupons and make some meal plans for as cheaply as possible. And I wanted to stay organic as much as possible.

Well, I tried. I really did! I checked out several on-line coupon sources and even joined a "coupon train". And while I accumulated lots of coupons, I discovered that I don't really use the products that have coupons attached.

For example, I don't buy any cleaning products anymore, so that removes about 1/3 of the available coupons. I try not to buy prepackaged food, so most of the Kraft and Cash for Kids coupons go unused.

I did find some organic coupons..Stonyfield Organic has a downloadable coupon (but it's only good for one use) and Earthbound Organic sends weekly email coupons and some by mail. Unfortunately, they are both American companies, so I'm a bit torn about that.

But now that summer is approaching, I have a share at my cousin's CSA and am very excited to get fresh, local, organic produce. I also discovered that we have a local organic grain place, Oak Manor Farms. I am also planning on attending a workshop on the 100-mile diet in our area, so I hope to find a good source of organic meat, milk and eggs.

So back to the drawing board...I'll try to post recipes and costs once I get my sources figured out!

In the meantime, if anyone needs some coupons, let me know!

ScrapFest 2009

This weekend was ScrapFest at the Aud in Kitchener. I sometimes hate to admit that I've gone...there are some strange people at these things!

As part of the admission, you are entered into a grand prize draw. And guess what...I won!!! What are the chances! I think there is well over $200 of product in the grand prize...I was so excited when I found out!

But besides winning the grand prize, I really did have a good time. I learned some new tricks to create some beautiful layouts..but ones that don't require tonnes of work. We took home some great "make-n-takes" and maybe a few more kits :)

A great show for anyone interested in paper crafting!

The Beauty in Death

The last few weeks have been very emotional in our family. Two weeks ago, my grandma had a stroke. From that point on, she was unable to take any food or water. My aunts and uncles took turns being by her side...I'm not sure there was a moment when Grandma was by herself. Grandma passed away peacefully on Saturday afternoon surrounded by 8 of her 11 children.

I chose to visit my grandma in the last few days of her life...partly because I felt guilty that I hadn't visited her in over a year (she wasn't able to communicate with us anymore) and partly because I wanted to support my dad. I also wanted to be there to provide some closure. It wasn't easy to see a once vibrant woman lying still on her bed with very little sign of life other than the steady breathing. But there was also something beautiful about being surrounded by people who loved Grandma and seeing Grandma's eyes flicker when someone talked to her. Even though she couldn't speak to us, I know that Grandma heard us. And there was a sense of peace around her. I know how much Grandma loved God, and I know that peace came because she knew she would be with Jesus soon.

Today was the funeral for Grandma..and it was very emotional. Although she lived a long, healthy life, it still hurts to lose such an important role model in my life. I grieve for dad - I can't imagine what life would be like without parents around. I grieve for my children...they won't remember the loving, accepting person who helped shape the person I have become. But I loved seeing Grandma's family expressing their love for her...from her sister, to her nieces and nephews, her sons and daughters and her grandchildren. And I loved how you could feel God in the church through the 4-part harmony singing and through the words being read from Grandma's journal. I was moved by the pastor's comments talking about how appropriate it was that Grandma passed away as the dead of winter is giving way to the early blossoms of spring. Knowing how much Grandma loved nature, the timing seems so appropriate, and I will be reminded of her every spring as I see the first crocus peek through the ground.


So what are my memories of Grandma....

A wise woman who loved me unconditionally. She never judged me or asked me to be someone I'm not. She encouraged me in my faith both in words and just the way she lived her life.

I remember a woman who was passionate about gardening and all things about nature. She took the time to teach me about weeding, and had a lot of grace when I accidentally pulled out the plants instead of the weeds.

I remember the twinkle in her eye and her contagious laughter. And her love for life was displayed in all that she did..from her airy whistle in the morning, to her exclamations that "This is the day that the Lord hath made, let us rejoice and be glad in it!"

The fun times we had playing games, her amazing cooking, cross country skiing in the bush, spending the night and waking up to a hearty breakfast accompanied by a daily dose of cod liver oil, and on and on I could go.

I don't think I ever told my grandma how important she was to me, but I hope she knows how much I loved her. I will miss her dearly.