Our First Long Weekend

So here I sit, on a Tuesday afternoon. Trying to dry out from my quick dash to the store for some milk. And yes, I had an umbrella. I waited until there was a break, or so I thought! I made it there dry, coming back was another story. The rain just seems to come down sideways here. Seriously! I watched as sheets of rain moved sideways. I took a deep breath and made a run for it with the milk in one hand and my umbrella in the other. Things were going fine until I stepped in a puddle that was wa-ay deeper than it looked and lost a foot-flop. One foot-flop retrieved. One jug of milk bought. One drenched person. And to think that I walked under shelter most of the way. Thank goodness there's a small grocery store in our complex!

Yesterday, much to everyone's delight, was a public holiday here in Singapore. It was the celebration of Hari Raya (known as Eid in Canada) which marks the of Ramadan. Those who are Muslim celebrated with feasts, but for us the long weekend was simply some much needed down-time. We are slowly, but surely getting settled in. It's taking awhile. We knew it would. It's not a surprise or even unexpected. But oh do I wish the process would speed up! I think Andrew described the last couple of months best -- a bureaucratic nightmare (you can click on the link to read more). Tons of paperwork. Tons of sorting out. But we're getting there. The kids are now both in school. Andrew loves his job. Our stuff arrived. Our stuff arrived! I'm slowly, but surely making this place into a home and will soon begin to hunt for a job.

It was not an exciting weekend. And that is just what we needed. We hung out around the complex. Read, napped and watched TV. It allowed us to rest. To breathe. To feel renewed.

 We ventured out on Sunday to try a new church. St. George's. The inside was even more beautiful than the outside. The people were quite friendly and we found ourselves invited out to lunch afterwards.

 We ended the weekend with an evening swim. I don't think I will ever get tired of swimming under palm trees.

This weekend is just what the two homebodies and even the two adventurers needed.

Christmas 2012

We started by counting down the days. One day at a time.

Teeny-tiny boxes lined the window sill, marking off the days one at a time. For me the days rushed by, but I know the days moved slower for kidlywinks as they opened one box at a time, waiting and waiting.

The days rushed by until late one evening, past bedtime in fact, the tree went up. Chosen from the tree lot and lugged home in the van. Transformed with lights and ornaments new and old.

And always a reminder. A reminder of why we count the days - the anticipation of hope and peace wrapped up in a little baby. 

And come Christmas morning did at last. Christmas pyjamas opened on Christmas Eve and worn on Christmas morn. Pausing, much to Mr. Man's chagrin to take a photo by the tree.  

Gifts carefully chosen and wrapped were given to those we love. Unwrapped...

 ...and some enjoyed right away.

Two family Christmas dinners enjoyed by candlelight. 

The last of the sparkly decorations are now all packed away. 

Sweet Wonderful Sunshine

It was time to change things up. Time to add some summer to the living room. Even though, technically, as Mr. Man will remind me, summer doesn't start until later this week. We are enjoying the hot weather despite what the calendar says.

I love words. I always have. Words that remind me of the good things in life. Like sunshine. And to take time to enjoy it.

Oh, how sweet the light of day,

And how wonderful to live in the sunshine!

Even if you live for a long time, 

Don't take a single day for granted.

Take delight in each light-filled hour.

Ecc. 11:7-8

And a little chalkboard bunting full of sunshine.

The best part about this project is that I had everything on hand. A repurposed board and some paint left over from the previous owners is all that it took. 

And of course my little buddy that helps me with everything. We're counting down the days until school is done and when the all there is to do is enjoy the sunshine.

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Sneaky Peakies

Yesterday we celebrated Sneaker's first birthday. I can't believe that this eight pounds of furry fury is a year old. He is much loved.

Party hats and treats filled his day.

Happy Birthday little Sneakers!

Planning

This week we are planning.

Planning a party to celebrate Mr. Man's 9th birthday next weekend. 9! Can you guess the theme?

And planning a party for this crazy one. Oh, little Sneakers how you are loved! He turns one on Monday. The kidlywinks want to throw him a party. There were going to be invitations, puppy friends and cake. I think I've talked them into a quiet celebration with just us. We'll see who wins. But oh do they love their puppy so.

Monday, Monday

Today I am enjoying all the sunshine that is streaming through the window as I  clean out the closet in the dining room and plan for Easter (it's THIS weekend - how did that happen?) before heading to work for a couple of hours.

Sneakers is enjoying the sunshine too. Silly little puppy. All eight pounds of furriness

The happy window. Terrible picture, I know, but the kidlywinks had fun drawing spring pictures. It makes me smile every time I walk by.

Enjoy your Monday!

You Make Me Feel Lucky

Every once in a while, I need to declare my love for the man that I've been married to for almost 17 years. I'm not mushy. But I do love him so. This just seemed to fit. I was inspired by this post by Elsie Larson at A Beautiful Mess, in fact I even pinned it. I also pinned this sweet little clover. Time to put the inspiration into action.

I grabbed all those scraps from left over projects - mostly from when we refinished the basement.

I cut them and nail them to two pieces of wood that run vertically behind the boards. The strips of wood are all different sizes. I like the look. Not perfectly lined up, not exactly the same length. Definitely different widths and thicknesses.

Next up, paint. I just used some white paint that was left behind by previous owners. No priming, just a quick lick of paint.

Now the fun begins. My message to my love: you make me feel lucky like a four-leaf clover. I dug out some vinyl lettering left over from another project and that has been used time and time again, which meant that I had to improvise. In several places I used two letters to make one (look closely at the r's and the first e and the blue K). If you don't have vinyl lettering lying around, you can find it at an office supply store.

Once you have the vinyl stuck firmly in place, paint over it. I chose a green that, again, was left in the basement by the previous owners. It was a quick paint job. Some of the white still peeks through.

Next, pull out the stamps. And fight off the 8 pound puppy that is eyeing the stamps. You could avoid all the trouble that crafting on the floor with a curious pup brings, but where's your sense of adventure? I like to live dangerously.

While you are waiting for the green paint to dry, stamp out the remaining words. If you don't have stamps, you could use the same process as above with vinyl. I just didn't have vinyl letters that were small enough to fit, but I did have stamps. Once the paint is dry, carefully remove the vinyl letters.

To make the shamrock, cut out 4 leaves. Each leaf looks like a top of a heart. Sew a running stitch across the bottom of each leaf and pull the thread tight. A small rectangle becomes a stem. I used green flannel because it was what I had, but felt would be great. Glue it on to the board.

Give it to your love. Who declares it is great. And asks if you are going to share it on the blog.


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