Procrastination

I have a midterm exam in two days.

I also have an assignment due in two days.

But I don't want to work on either one.

Instead I want to spend time being silly with my kids.

I want to get some fresh air.

I want to CLEAN my house. Not the surface clean with floors and bathrooms, but the CLEAN that is necessary in order to list our house in a few short weeks.

I want to feel like I am accomplishing something today.

Other than sitting alone in my too-quiet room with my computer.

I know that schoolwork is necessary. And that I alone chose to do this.

But somedays schoolwork sucks.

And I also know that by procrastinating I am setting myself up for extra stress later on.

I totally get that.

But that doesn't help when I am thinking and processing a million other things in my mind right now.

I am constantly checking MLS for new listings in our current town (there isn't a lot right now, but the housing prices are starting to climb. finally.) and for the town that we are expecting to find out we are moving to in 5 days.

Yes 5 more days until John signs the paperwork to make it official.

EEK!

Love

John is now home again!!

After his 2 weeks away he is home!!

HURRAY!

The girls and I have all been clamoring for his attention so he's probably a little overwhelmed.

He is so wonderful and had a bouquet of flowers, Lindt dark chocolates and a new movie that I have wanted to see, "The Proposal".

I love him!

I asked Ella tonight what is the best part about having Daddy at home.

She thought for a while and then smiled.

"LOVE!"

I think she has it right.

Chosen: a review

Chosen: The Lost Diaries of Queen Esther

by: Ginger Garrett

The first in the Lost Loves series, Chosen is the story of Esther—the story of a girl unsparingly plunged into heartache and chaos, who would save a nation ... of Esther, who would be queen.

Wrenched from a simple life for her beauty, Esther finds herself at the mercy of King Xerxes. Leaving behind her only relative, her cousin Mordecai, and her first true love, Cyrus, she is thrown headlong into the unrestrained extravagance of palace living. Quick of mind and strong in spirit, she refuses to suffer the fate of her harem sisters and boldly challenges Xerxes to give of his heart before taking his pleasure, thus sealing her place beside him a queen. While conspiracy spins its diabolical web, Esther's mind and spirit waver, and she is forced to confront the past in order to save her future—and that of an entire nation.

My Review: I have always been fascinated with the unique life of Esther, from the Bible. Here is a simple girl who is "chosen" for greatness. Through her extreme courage she is able to help save an entire race of people. Ginger Garrett's storytelling is very original as she relates this story as if Esther had written a diary of these accounts. Several times I found myself wondering what was fact and what was fiction. This book was well written and I enjoyed following every detail.

Mom Knows Best

This is week two of John being away.

Sure we saw him this weekend, but we spent a full day in the city with family and that is not the same as being at home together.

We text or talk on the phone every night, and this is Ella's highlight of the day when she gets to dial the numbers and talk to Daddy first.

Brie however, is not so easy to convince. She has never been much of a phone talker. In fact she would rather not do it at all.

Our theory is that it's because she is such an emotional girl. She just can't process the sad thoughts when she hears the voice of a loved one that she can't be with. So instead she would rather avoid that at all costs.

Most of the time we respect that. It's her choice and we can't make her talk to someone.

Until today.

The long days of schoolwork, and therefore little quality time with the girls, has left us all feeling frazzled and grouchy. Which obviously doesn't help when John is away.

So after a few yelling sessions"chats" about attitude in these last 24 hours I decided to try a new approach.

I decided that she was in fact GOING to talk on the phone with her Dad. I explained that her grouchiness was attributed to her feelings of missing him and that she would feel better afterwards.

So when it was her turn, she picked up the phone and talked!

For several minutes!

And she was smiling the rest of the evening!

I certainly don't have it all together, and I certainly don't think I have been a model parent these last couple of weeks (or ever!), but I do know this...

I know my daughter and I know what is best for her.

And that?

Is a great feeling.

Brenton Brown "Adoration" CD review

Modern worship songwriter/artist Brenton Brown may be the most popular worship leader you have never heard of. Brenton has five CCLI’s Top 100 songs that are being sung by millions in churches all around the world, as well as played in concert venues and recorded on albums by an acclaimed group of artists, such as Chris Tomlin, Rebecca St. James, Lincoln Brewster and Flyleaf’s Lacey Mosely (familiar anthems as “Lord Reign in Me,” “All Who Are Thirsty,” “Hosanna (Praise is Rising)” and “Everlasting God,” which was honored by ASCAP as one of the most performed songs in the USA in 2007 across all genres, marking the first time that a worship song has been recognized with such an honor).

“Adoration,” which is being released to radio this month, is an encouragement from Brenton to always hold onto hope in the Lord, no matter the circumstances. The song is Brenton’s expression of hope having gone through the painful loss of a stillborn baby girl, Gracie, and the terror of nine months of pregnancy before the eventual joy with the healthy birth of his daughter, Bella.

My Review: As someone who helps lead worship music at church, I have been familiar with the name Brenton Brown for a long time. Some of my favorite songs were written by him, although these songs are usually on someone else's album. So when I heard that Brenton Brown was releasing his own album, I knew that I would want my own copy. "Adoration" features some of his older songs, but also some brand new ones too. His lyrics are heartfelt and the melodies are inspiring. I would definitely recommend this album if you like to listen to worship music at home.

***Album courtesy of Kingsway North America and Graf-Martin Communications Inc. Available in stores Feb. 23, 2010***

Rushed

This weekend was definitely a busy one!

John got home and we left for the city 15 minutes later.

We ran errands, went to appointments, shopped, went to a nephew's birthday party, visited Ray in the hospital, and drove home last night.

This morning was dance pictures, which went remarkably well considering this is the first time that I have 2 girls to get ready with hair and costumes.

We missed out on another nephew's birthday party today unfortunately but it just couldn't all be done.

John is headed back to finish the second week of his course and I needed to work on an assignment.

This afternoon I spent hours working on my big essay that is due on Tuesday. I was amazed with the pages that I filled up today, as my head is not in it today.

Because I am getting sick.

AGAIN.

I was just sick last month.

John believes it might be "stress-induced".

You think?

Single parenting

Heart surgery for Ray

Listing house in the next month

Pending move

Schoolwork

Nah, none of those things cause stress.

Scattered

My thoughts today are very random and scattered, so bear with me!

Today Ray is going for a bypass surgery on his heart. We are praying that his surgery doesn't get bumped as it was originally scheduled for Monday.

I need to finish up a take-home midterm today but it's difficult to concentrate.

I've actually been playing piano instead, since it is a wonderful way to relax.

I've starting working on my newest challenge in piano. In January I decided to work on a shortened version of "Moonlight Sonata" by Beethoven. It has definitely been a challenge to play with the frequency of note changing, as well as the dynamics (loud, soft) of the music.

I think that this song still needs some work, but it has come together quite nicely. Especially considering that our piano teacher was away for all of February. I've actually had a couple of other Suzuki songs come together recently, and it is starting to feel like I am actually a pianist!

Giving myself a challenge seems to work well. It keeps me inspired, and it feels like a great accomplishment once I tackle it. This one will take a lot longer, but with finals coming up shortly I'm sure that I will be practicing even more in the weeks to come!

The song I want to learn?

"Think of Me", from the Phantom of the Opera!!!

LOVE that song!

At this point, I can play the first 8 or so measures of the song hands together, but there are over 60 measures so I have lots of work ahead of me.

YAY! It's good work.

We also have the unofficial word of where we are moving. I will not post the location online, but for those who are interested we are happy with the result. I will update my Facebook in a couple of weeks once the papers have been signed. Or you can email me in April to find out!

Now begins the fun process of house appraisals, listing the house, selling the house, etc.

I actually have had a few people in town asking about our house already. One neighbour was even kind enough to phone me at 8:00 in the morning to inquire. (seriously, 8AM!) Our pending transfer was in the paper (yep, pretty sad, I know!) and she wanted to know when we would be selling our house. That is small town life for you!

We will really miss this house. It is spacious and bright. I love the yard with the MANY perennials, and the garden. This year I have decided that it wouldn't make sense to plant anything. But that makes me sad because I love making trips to the greenhouse. Gardening is so fun!

Once the sale is complete, we can go ahead and search for a new place to live. Believe me, we have already searched MLS quite extensively and have a few possibilities in mind.

Well I really DO need to finish up this midterm exam....