it's 9:15 and this is my life

I stack a few plates to make room on the kitchen table for my computer. Ella Fitzgerald is singing about New Years Eve and Blaise is happily munching away on  banana bread and swaying to the music.
I'm trying out a new class at the Y this morning and looking forward to it. I haven't done an official Pilates class other than the videos I did in Uganda but I'm hoping it's a good, hard class and I'm hurting tomorrow. I like workouts that aren't a waste of my time.
I cut a few more cubes of banana bread for Blaise and we do a bit of a face off as he whines for ALL THE CUBES instead of just the four I've plopped on his tray. I win.
Noah and Jude are already at school and I wonder what they're up to right now.
I've finished my Advent envelopes and I stare at them through the doorway that connects our kitchen to our dining room. I'm thinking about that article that's gone viral -
Blaise is finished his cubes and wants more. I make a stack of four on his tray and watch him knock it over and then try and replicate the tower I made. We both hear the heater come on and he points to the front door.
- so back to that article. It was about celebrating Christmas with "littles" and how we as Mothers shouldn't strive for perfection, but rather to be present. And I think this is true and good. Lately I've tried to only do things that bring joy and refreshment to our family. I don't always succeed, but if something is really stressing me out, I scrap it. This is my approach to advent activities. I love them and I know the boys do as well, but if it's overwhelming me, then I opt for something more low-key like watching a favourite Christmas movie or listening to Christmas music and making popcorn.
I think this will be key for us all as I'll be solo parenting for 10 days this December as Jamie is in Africa encouraging the team that took over for us when we left.
The milk sippy cup gets chucked onto the floor. I had forgotten this "throwing all the things on the ground" stage. It's annoying. But Blaise is now trying to make me smile and laugh by making cute noises and bonking his head. A talent he no-doubt gets from his brothers.
He wants his milk back and adorably signs "please". I praise him and hand him his milk.
He's done eating and it's almost time for us to head to the Y.
I'll go a bit early so I can spend a bit of time reading the Word. I'm longing for my heart to be set right during this Advent season.

And with that, it's time to pack up and go!

friends and birthdays and Halloween {o my!}

Last week worlds collided. Our best friends from Uganda came to visit us from New Jersey! The Hallahans {you can read about our times in Uganda here and here or you can check out Kelly's blog here} were doing a road trip across America and stopped in to visit with us for a few days. It was awesome and such a gift. 

Kelly and I. I was super pumped to be able to see her and her baby bump {a girl!}.

Happy {loud} times with these boys reunited. 

It was great to catch up and chat with friends who understand what life is like in North America but also what life is like in Uganda. That is a precious gift to me that I honestly didn't think would happen. So glad they came!

Their visit was perfectly timed with Noah's birthday {and party} so after school on Noah's birthday we had his party which included a couple friends from school, the Hallahan boys, a friend from church and Jude. Of course. 

Noah wanted to have a Star Wars Angry Birds party and I {of course} waited until pretty much the last minute until calling in a {HUGE} favour from my Mom to bust out the cake skills and make one for Noah. 

Right? I mean, mind = blown. 

So that was awesome. And we played Star Wars Angry Birds bingo and one of Noah's friends kept winning but he had THE BEST declaration of bingo I think I've ever heard which made me laugh every time so it was all good.

And then yesterday was Halloween! 

We totally rocked the group theme costume.

These crazy kids. Such troopers and highly motivated by candy. Seriously. They walked around the neighbourhood with no complaints in the wind and rain and cold. For candy. Reminds me of this:

"EVERYONE WE KNOW IS JUST GIVING OUT CANDY!?!?" Love it.

Noah was Clone Commander Rex {from Star Wars The Clone Wars}, Jude was Darth Vader and Blaise was an Ewok. Cute, eh? {I'm biased, I know.}

And then my family came over for dinner to celebrate my sister's graduation ceremony from University. It was such a happy night and I love my house being full of noise and love and laughter. Exactly what I had pictured in our living room {which is coming along! Hardwood laminate floors and white walls. No art or baseboards but it's getting there.}. Good food. Lots of laughter and love. Can't go wrong there.

Happy Weekend to you! I am trying to keep up with my blogging. Eventually I'll figure out a way to stay up to date here while also staying present in the real world. Thanks for hanging in there with me!

enough

There are moments where I ask myself,
Did the last two years even happen?
Because everything seems the same. I seem the same. They seem the same. This city and all the familiar places seem ... the same.

And then there are moments that are almost like a slap in the face with clarity and realization that scream in my face, YES. The last two years really did happen and I wasn't here. I was in Uganda. I have changed. So has everyone else. In one way or another.

Isn't it funny that what I missed most while I was in Uganda, is the same thing I miss now that I'm back in Canada?
Being known. Belonging. 

It's like re-learning the lesson of where I truly belong and can call home all over again.
This isn't my home. I'm not meant to feel truly settled on this earth.

I'm struggling to find my routine. To figure out where and how I fit. To figure out what I'm supposed to be doing here. In Guelph. In this life.
The simple answer is giving glory to God in all that I am.

But what does that mean for me, a Mother of three boys, two of which have just started school for the first time? What does that mean for me, a wife, married to my best friend, but trying to find time for our marriage in the middle of chaos and a fast-paced life? What does that look like? What does it mean for me?

And the things that Jesus is teaching me are things He's already taught me before. And the way He continues to reveal the ugliness of my soul can sometimes feel devastating and frustrating.

But there is grace. And sweet gentleness. And unconditional love. And mercy.

Last week I read through the book of Ephesians {hands down, my favourite book in the Bible} and once again was just struck with the depth of my need for a Saviour and how despite my rebellious, ugly nature, Christ died for me. He loved me. Before I ever did a thing to love him or move toward him with any good intentions or repentance.
Before I was repentant
He came for me.

So I don't really know a lot these days. But I do know that I am loved. That He chose me. And I think that if I really internalize and ruminate upon that truth, all my actions will flow from His love for me. 

And that will be enough. 

.

7am

My alarm goes off. Either that or one of the boys has already woken me up.

I'm usually up after this.

Stumble downstairs, open the pantry, pull out the coffee cart and either plug in the Keurig or the coffee pot {depends on how I feel. Will this be a multiple cup of coffee day or a single cup?} to get the caffeine started.


I'm over at {our nest in the city} guest blogging for Emily who was {at the time I wrote this} very pregnant and is now experiencing the newborn phase for the third time in three years {mad props}. 

Check out her blog for the rest of my post plus tons of her DIY stuff, recipes and general life and parenting posts. 

today we are...

a bit sick and feverish

saying YES to snacking and why do we need three square meals a day anyway?

cuddling and nursing babies back to longer naps

watching movies {Star Wars!} and reading books

doing a bit of packing
cleaning
sorting
purging

solo parenting

looking at houses online

listening to countless facts and stories about Star Wars

hanging laundry

chugging water and occasionally popping Tylenol to combat a nagging headache

today we are taking it easy. because all rules go out the window when some of us are sick and there's only one parent.

today I am leaning into Jesus to be more than what I need.

an update and what I want my bedroom to look like

A little update, shall we?

He's sick. Again. Not sure how he got sick exactly, but the runny nose is ever present and always increased in stuffiness at night. As if we needed another hurdle to overcome when it comes to sleep. {In other news, I am so tired.}

The sugar-free thing is going pretty well. I did have some chocolate last week after a particularly rough day and Jamie and I were having a night in. I've discovered a small business here that makes the most amazing Greek yogurt. So I've been making Greek yogurt popsicles, blending up pineapple and banana with a tiny bit of honey and yogurt. Mmmm, so good.

Things are coming together with some arrangements for when we get back to Canada. We've got some temporary housing set up with our dear friends and we've been pre-approved for a mortgage! Hoorah! So now we hunt online and my friend Jen is going to check out some places for us.

I've been pinning ALL THE THINGS and have decided I want a white bedroom. Full of texture and various shades of white/cream/grey...oh it's going to be so fresh and lovely.

Source: lovelyclusters.tumblr.com via Vanessa on Pinterest

Source: hometowngirl.typepad.com via Vanessa on Pinterest

Source: 4.bp.blogspot.com via Vanessa on Pinterest

Source: thenowbook.tumblr.com via Vanessa on Pinterest

Aren't they lovely?

I think so. The best thing about white is you can bleach it and it comes out looking oh-so-lovely and new again. 

So I'm on Pinterest. And looking at real estate listings. And making lists. I love lists.

And it's almost midnight. Gah. This is a contributing factor to me not getting enough sleep. A small factor, but one nonetheless.

{There's so much more going on in my brain to do with sleep in older children and judging Moms and hospitality and tons of things that are going on here in Uganda. But I can't quite make them coherent enough to post here.}

on not being "here" forever

i don't really like griping and groaning on my blog. but perhaps that's why i've been so scarce around here lately. jamie and i feel like we're running on empty and while we know it's just for a time, blaise is wearing us down. barely napping at all during the day, doing decently at night, but it really depends - sometimes the nights are bad too. and then we've got two older ones who have had far too much screen time and seem to constantly need us to entertain them or they're at each others' throats.

needless to say, life is not super easy or fun at the moment. not that i expect it to, but it's sometimes hard to be stuck at home in a country with very little support and no family nearby. i know this phase will pass. i know it will. but that doesn't make the here and now any easier.

God is still good. and good to us. i know He hasn't left us and He gives us daily mercies as we fail daily at this whole parenting/missionary/life thing. He gives us good things and we are thankful. and Christmas was actually quite lovely. full and tiring, but good. not stressful.

my friend kelly was over yesterday and i was sharing some things i've been reflecting on lately. it was good to know my brain isn't completely mushy and that i am taking time {when i'm rocking blaise for the fiftieth time} to process and reflect on my life here and this past year as well as think about what 2013 will look like for us. to know that we won't always be in this stage. to know that the future holds good things for us and while the future won't be free of difficulties or hardships, it's nice to know in my heart that even though i feel worn thin and physically exhausted, i'm not going to be here forever. i'm not going to be in kampala forever. i'm not going to be in this phase forever. i'm not going to be a mom to little boys forever. i'm not going to be on earth forever. it all passes.

i don't say all this to receive sympathy or pity. i know i'm not alone. i'm not despondent. i'm thankfully not experiencing PPD this time around. and i know we'll be into a new phase of life soon enough and that this time won't be our lives for forever. but if you're feeling this way, please know that you're not alone either. the trenches of life {whether you are married and have kids or are single or whatever your situation} can feel really deep and cold and sludgy with mud sometimes. but we're not here forever. life is forever changing. and then it's done. i guess that's why they say, "carpe diem"!

in the meantime, Lord give me strength...

on having adventures and being productive too

last week we had a few things we needed to get done as the noon hour {or mid-day as they call it here} hit. they were:
1. take out money from the bank
2. mail a package of pretty ugandan jewelry to my sister in law
3. buy some chapatis {pregnancy craving and the boys love 'em!} to accompany our lunch

so we decided to go on a family adventure into mengo - a nearby area of kampala. we drove and parked at the hospital nearby and first went to get some money.
that was easily accomplished after jamie picked up jude to cross the road and noah tugged at my arm to "RUN!" across the road at the first break in traffic.

next up was to find the mengo "posta" {post office}. we knew generally where it was, but inquired after two more people before we found it. i had to buy a bigger envelope to fit all my goodies in but the posta didn't sell them. nope. it was the little hut just outside the posta that sold everything from pepsi and snacks to airtime for your mobile and envelopes. i bought one for 500 shillings. {2500 shillings = 1 canadian dollar to put it into perspective}.
the package cost 43,000 shillings to mail and i'm hoping my sister in law gets it by mid-september. mail seems to work a lot faster going out of uganda than it does coming in.

finally was the chapatis. jamie knew the area better than i did so he directed us to the line up of little stands selling chapatis, samosas, sodas, airtime and rolex. no. not the watches. a rolex is a local snack that's made up of a chapati rolled up with a fried egg and often some vegetables like onions and tomatoes inside it. it's good. but it's all fried. so i limited myself to one per year. and i've filled that quota already. ha! we picked up 3 chapatis and watched while they were being made. it was sunny and the boys were hot from walking back up the hill from the posta so we bought them a mango juice and the people around laughed and smiled as they drank from 2 straws and literally chugged away the entire bottle while the chapatis were being made.

it was quite the accomplishment for me being pregnant and walking around, but mostly? accomplishing THREE things in just over an hour. seriously. you're lucky if you can accomplish three things in a day around here.

noah was wearing his manchester united jersey {the kid is already a huge fan. he insists on often wearing his jersey two days in a row if he can get away with it.} and the ugandans liked to call out after him, "manchester united!" or "wayne rooney!" {i had to explain to noah that wayne rooney is a player on the man u team. he asked if he was a boy or a man and didn't really seem to understand how they could mistake him for a man. i didn't bother to inform him it's because he's white, has short hair, and a round-ish face.} ugandans generally love kids and will call out "baby!" after them. yes. even my almost 5 year old gets called "baby". jude really doesn't like being called "baby" and at the craft market that we frequent they actually know him as "the big boy" because he has yelled back at them, "i'm NOT a baby, i'm a BIG BOY!".

ugandans here in the city aren't the most friendly right off the bat. often they'll just stare at you. but say "good morning!" or "good afternoon!" to them and watch if their face doesn't light up into a big smile at you. especially if you're pregnant. or have kids. it's not what i thought it would be, but i realized that often if i don't make the first move, then all that happens is me getting stared at and feeling uncomfortable.
so there are similarities. life in the city is life in the city - no matter where you are. whether it's toronto or kampala. if you don't take the initiative to smile and say hello, chances are no one will do the same to you.

so smile and say hello to someone today and you just never know what might happen!

creative can be easy

on friday i posted the friday links and then ended by saying that me and the boys were going to bake some chocolate chip cookies.
they had so much fun holding the hand mixer and dumping in the chocolate chips. but then when the dough was ready, i didn't feel like scooping out each individual cookie so i asked the boys if they had ever had a cookie pizza and if they wanted to make one with me.

of course they did!
all i did was spread the dough onto our round pizza pan and throw it in the oven for the amount of time it took for me to blow-dry my hair {15 minutes? it was still pretty wet.}, pulled it out and muah! perfection. and so much easier and less time-consuming than doing several sheets of cookies.
the boys loved it and were so excited when it was done that they insisted on having a cookie party and surprising jamie up in his office {he's moved his desk up to the "party house" now that we've re-arranged furniture for baby B}. we each took a plate up and gobbled up our pizza slices of cookie.
delicious!

sometimes thinking out of the box and being a little creative takes less work than doing things the old-fashioned way.

what's something creative you've done lately that's been easier than your usual way of doing things?

freezing & three & stuff

my youngest turned three yesterday! THREE! how did time fly by so quickly that my baby {but not for much longer!} turned three? amazing.

jude lines up all his monster trucks to watch a monster truck video on my computer.

we had a monster truck party for him on sunday. i didn't take a single picture. jamie captured a few on his iPad and his family got some as well, i'm sure. it's been pretty busy here, to say the least. did i mention that jamie's family is here? it's been great to have family here to "do life with" around these here parts.

this morning my nose and my toes are cold. i sat at the table putting peanut butter on toast for the boys and had a memory of autumn. my most favourite time of the year. it feels like autumn this morning. maybe it's just me being used to warmer weather, or maybe it's just actually that cool, but i love it. i just need to put on socks and a sweater now.

on monday we went to the zoo. it was a perfect day. not too hot but still sunny and beautiful. the chimps were making quite a fuss and were hilarious to watch. i tried to sit down as much as possible. the swelling in my feet has begun. it's still quite minor, but by the end of the day i can feel it and i don't want hobbit feet again.

yesterday i had my last midwife appointment before she heads to the UK for 2 months. i made my first appointment with the doctor who will hopefully be catching this baby. baby B is head down {hoorah!}, has a strong and very good heart beat {no ectopic heart beats like we've heard in the past} and is still moving like a fiend. the kid can move, let me tell you!

i flipped the page on the calendar this morning. we're in august, folks. that's nuts. on my calendar are the departure date for jamie's family {sadly, it's this saturday night}, one of my brothers' birthday, my sister's birthday, my first doctor's appointment and our one year anniversary of living in uganda.
my last month of pregnancy.

here we go....

this kid

this crazy monkey. my almost 3 year old.

this morning he ran to the bathroom {hooray for boys who potty train quickly!} and i heard him yelling,

POOPOO! GET OUT OF THERE! TIME TO GET OUT!!!

then a minute later he runs out and says,

mom, i told the poopies to get out, but they wouldn't. 

he cracks me up on a daily basis.
my life is full of laughter if i'm willing to open my eyes to see it and roll with the punches.

10 months in motion

we've been here for 10 months. amazing. some days it feels like we've been here for much, much longer. some days i can't believe how fast time has flown by.

last night as i lay cursing in my head at our stupid inverter, i thought to myself that i still find things to get angry about. to complain about. have i even changed at all?

i killed a cockroach last night with a kleenex box.

i say "keep your body to yourself" about ninety seven thousand times every day.

there's a bajillion pieces of lego on the ground.

oh hey there big belleh.

i made these delectable donuts a couple weeks ago and devoured about 6 in the span of 5 minutes. i'm going to make them again. {and i'll share the recipe when i do. and take better pictures.}

today or tomorrow. i should make them today because unlike my hometown of toronto, we're not experiencing high temperatures combined with humidity. i keep saying it, folks. perfect weather here in kampala. perfect weather.

i'm sitting on one of three couches in our living room. it's a one-seater. there are two little boys crouched behind me. fighting-playing. this always happens.

i want to set up our room for the baby. but jamie wants to wait until the guys move out of their house and we clean it so we can move our desk {which is in our room} to a clean "party house".

i may or may not have browsed mls.ca a couple days ago in two specific cities in ontario. and then i stopped. i need to live in the now. there will be time to figure out where we'll be living. but now isn't that time. and i also need to pray hard. i have loved living with less {although our house here is likely larger than any house we could afford in canada} and i don't want to get caught up in wanting, wanting, wanting. i want to live in a place that suits our needs and a place that allows us to freely give of our finances without having to pour them all into a temporary building that doesn't last for eternity.

i just said "keep your body to yourself". again.

jude thinks the living room carpet is a perfectly acceptable place to leave his finished apple core.

i have changed. but it's more of a changing. something that's continually happening. sometimes it's one step back and two steps forward. but always changing. moving. in motion.

i need to make some sandwiches for lunch. and maybe today i'll get around to exercising.

what i'm into:: may 2012

today i'm joining megan @ SortaCrunchy in sharing What I've Been Into this past month.

what i'm into:: MAY 2012

on my nightstand:

there are always far more books on my nightstand than i can ever get to. but for now i've got having a mary spirit by joanna weaver {a book study i've been going through with the other canadian staff women on our project}, you can raise a well-mannered child by june hines moore {an old-school freebie i got in spain} and seeing and savoring jesus christ by john piper {still working my way through that one, slowly, since lent}. 

i've also got my kindle on my nightstand and have been working my way through a storm of swords {the third book in the fantasy series, a song of ice and fire written by george r. r. martin}. 

want to read:

i want to finish the book i started shortly after i got here, holy available by gary thomas. i'll have to restart the whole thing, but the first three chapters blew my mind. 

also on my list is les miserables {on my kindle} since i just saw that there's a remake of the movie coming out in december {in canada. who knows when it will come to uganda, if at all.}. 

t.v. show worth watching:

so i totally downloaded episodes 17-24 of grey's anatomy and watched them. i am always amazed at how they manage to have me bawling my eyes out. every.single.time. 

movies i've seen:

so our staff team went out to my most favourite place in kampala and we watched back to the future. outside. at night. it was awesome and i was reminded of how great a movie that is. so awesome 80's. 

i also watched rocky balboa for the first time when i was feeling sick last week. decent. a bit slow. but nothing to write home about. 

in my kitchen:

it's been an interesting month as we've had the staff and students here from canada so we've had quite a few meals out or catered. i'm almost out of the habit of meal planning! 

but we've done some epic pizza nights for 13 adults, spaghetti nights {i made this veggie version} and tonight i'm cooking up some shepherd's pie for me and the boys. 

and i purposely bought a ton of bananas today so i can make the banana muffins i've been craving. but i might add some wheat germ since my awesome friend hannah brought me some. i love me some wheat germ.

in my ears:

lately the boys have been singing behind the clouds from the cars short film; mater and the ghost light. it is absolutely adorable to hear jude singing it. i'll have to get it on video soon before he stops. 

and i haven't found any new songs lately, but i've been listening to a bit more classical music, the civil wars, coldplay and page cxvi. 

pinterest finds:

so freaking funny. good thing i've got this chart to tell me that i married a trustworthy man. 

Source: visual.ly via Tsh on Pinterest

and i can get all the ingredients for these delectable cookies & cream cupcakes! huzzah!

Source: stockpilingmoms.com via Linds-e on Pinterest

and i really want/am planning on making this for christmas. just picture it with a sweet little baby finger print! squeee! 

Source: etsy.com via Tsh on Pinterest

what i'm looking forward to in june:

going on safari!

my delightful and gorgeous friend beth coming for a visit!

celebrating {somehow} 8 incredible years of marriage to my handsome best friend!

well, friends, that's what i've been into this past month. what about you?

friday links

we went to the craft market today. there's a few things i've been wanting to pick up for awhile. the dress i wanted was just too expensive and the seller wouldn't come down low enough {for jamie's liking} so we walked away. {lesson #1 when shopping at a craft market: be willing to walk away.}
but the boys got these sweet african fabric stuffed animals {a hippo for jude and a rhino for noah - they both named theirs 'rocky'} and even a tiny rhino for le bebe.
i got a kikoy {pronounced "chi-koy" and also called a 'kanga' in tanzania}, which i've been wanting for awhile. they're versatile {wear it as a skirt, a shawl, use as a blanket if you're cold, a mat for your baby, a carrier for your baby, etc.} and they're pretty. winner!

we almost got a uganda cranes jersey and short set for noah but it was on our way out and the seller wasn't coming down enough {again, for jamie's liking} so we left. plenty of time to pick one up for him on another day.
tonight i'll be doing pizza for 13 people! epic. but i'll have heaps of help so it's good times.
also? jamie's gone vegetarian until the end of the summer project {mid-june}. random. but true.

links! you want links? i got 'em.

how asking yourself a question can put things into perspective and give you a second chance.

do what you love: love this!

it's garage sale season! i held an epic one just over a year ago. if you're planning on having one, here are some helpful tips.

photography tips to get good expressions from kids {photography}

it's almost strawberry-picking season. pick a bunch for me and eat 'em. then pick another bunch and make these amazing cookies.

but these? these i can make. and likely will.

lastly, i'm in love with this website. vintage children's books = heaven.

happy weekend, everyone!

nonstop flight to crazytown

jamie's in rwanda right now until sunday.

we're coping. there's plenty of hands and people to entertain the boys which makes things heaps easier.

but of course we still miss him. 

this morning we got to skype with him. but skyping with our family wouldn't be right without a gong-show.

in the middle of our conversation, jude yells out,

i peed, mommy! i'm peeing!

he's standing as pee is dribbling down his legs in a cowboy stance.

so i turn to jamie and say, i'll be right back. noah, tell daddy about what we've been doing these past days. thankfully noah obliges.

just then, jude whirls around, steps in his pee, slips and promptly goes flying into the corner of the door.

my first thought, dear God, why do things like this always happen? followed very closely by, dear God, please let him be okay and not need stitches. i turned him around to face me as he wailed and saw that thankfully, the skin wasn't broken, but just read and probably would bruise. whew.

so i got him cleaned up and brought him back {still crying} to the computer and we finished talking to jamie {who was probably reminded of the chaos he left}. 

and just minutes before writing this post, i had a glass on the table beside me that has a slice of lemon and some melted ice cubes left in it and jude was trying to touch my computer and decided to fling his arm about and of course, my glass went flying and broke into pieces on my foot. again, thankfully no blood. 

life is always an adventure with kids. well, at least it is with my kids. 

friday links! woo!

hey friends.
right now pink's raise your glass is blaring and i feel like getting my pregnant self up off the floor and bustin' a move. but i won't. because if i get up, this post won't get written.
we're still busy with the canadian team, but loving it.
i stayed up way too late last night laughing with some of the staff when i probably should have gone to bed at 9:30pm. worth it, though.
i felt like 5 million cups of coffee this morning. but i only had one. {so far.}

the boys and their friend seth playing together at yesterday's play date

our mongoose family is back. i woke up at 3:30am thinking that someone was outside our window and ended up walking around half-asleep and half-paranoid and then lying in bed for an hour, despite feeling absolutely exhausted. then i had a crazy dream about rafting and jumping off cliffs into lovely blue lagoons.

i wrote up a blog post about breastfeeding and specifically public breastfeeding, but i think i may work on it a bit more before publishing. or not. who knows.

anyway, some weekend links for ya!

hilarious post on 10 tips for visitors after the baby is born. caution, strong language is used.

here's how to appreciate a mom of young kids this mother's day. caution, hilarious pictures are used.

please watch this video. prepare to have your paradigm of love and marriage blown out of the water. also? grab a box of kleenex. {at the bottom of the video, there are also two other links to more of their story.}

i really like this list of 100 ways to make your marriage rock. some are super cheese, but sometimes you just gotta be super cheesy together.

this. just this. salt + chocolate = amazingness.

it's naptime. for me too.
happy weekend!!!

when in uganda...

...make pineapple coconut banana bread!

oh yes.
i'm feeling very bake-y these days what with the rain and cooler weather {oh hello jeans and socks and sweaters. in africa! crazy.} and some lovely guests arriving soon. and so, my freezer is as full of muffins and breakfast breads as i can cram - which isn't a lot because our fridge/freezer is about the size of 2 bar fridges. i kid you not.

our house girl doesn't "get" these breakfast breads i make. she says they look and taste and smell like cake. i told her that it's true. they pretty much are cake, but if we call them "breakfast bread" then it's okay to eat for breakfast. works for me.

i hear that the weather isn't much warmer in ontario {where i'm from} so make yourself a cuppa and get baking!

pineapple coconut banana bread
recipe adapted from Laura's Best Recipes

ingredients
1/2 cup butter, melted and cooled
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups white flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
5 very ripe bananas, coarsely mashed
6 oz. canned crushed pineapple, drained liquid {or if you live somewhere like me where the fresh pineapple is out-of-this-world-amazing, use that instead. i just used my kitchen scissors and snipped the pineapple into little tidbit-sized pieces - about 1 cups' worth}
5 oz. canned coconut cream {not coconut milk although you can use it if you can't find coconut cream, just add an extra 1/4 tsp of vanilla}
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup shredded coconut
1/2 cup chopped nut of your choice {the original recipe calls for macadamia nuts which would have been amazing, but i already had pecans so i used those}

this is how we do it
preheat oven to 350F. grease and flour 2 loaf pans
cream butter, 2 of the mashed bananas and sugars in a large bowl.
mix in eggs.
in a separate bowl, mix the remaining dry ingredients.
mash remaining bananas thoroughly in another bowl and fold in pineapple, coconut cream and vanilla.
fold both banana mixtures into the dry ingredients - don't over mix!
fold in coconut and nuts.
pour batter into your prepared pans {i always forget to "prepare" the pans first so i'm usually greasing and flouring my pans at this point}.
bake for about 55-60 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the loaf comes out clean.
let the bread cool on a rack and turn out of the pan after 15 minutes. let cool completely.

enjoy!

*professional food taster, noah strickland gives this bread two thumbs up and asks "why do i only get 1 piece of bread? why can't i have another?" {because mommy is mean and i'm saving the rest of this loaf for breakfast tomorrow. and freezing the other loaf.}

friday links

this morning i threw jude's beloved bunny in the wash thinking, if i do it now, it'll be washed and dried by the time his nap rolls around.
and then our inverter went on the fritz and everything connected to our inverter stopped working. like the washer. we called our handy electrician friend who said he'd come by around "mid-day" {noon}. we went out to run a few errands. came back, ate lunch and then it was time for naps and jude's bunny was still sitting in the washer; soapy and wet.
i convinced him to lie down and told him that he'd have to nap without his bunny. he didn't cry, but he did tell me {repeatedly} that he missed his "bun-bun" and wished he had his bunny back. and then he napped. for a good {almost} 2 hours. woohoo!
by the time he woke up, our inverter was working, bunny had been washed and was in the dryer. jude was happy. so was i.

anyway, here are some links for you to enjoy this weekend!

already thinking about mother's day? here's a fun-looking craft for the mom who is a goddess in the kitchen!

this.looks.amazing. please make this today. or this weekend. or just...soon.

this is a fun craft you can do with kids and it's from a blog i've recently discovered and subscribe to.

addicted to instagram? i think i might be if i had a smart phone. here's a review on a bunch of really cool and fun-looking products you can make with your instagram pictures. {i also just found her blog and am now subscribed to it. love these aussie bloggers!}

i am addicted to this website. gorgeous nursery themes for your baby or toddler. love, love, love all of her themes!

and an article i came across this week and was so refreshed by. on finding and receiving grace - especially in those early years of motherhood.

happy weekend!

how to make a sandbox in uganda

on saturday morning we woke up with no plans.

jamie said, let's go to the beach.


i said, let's make a sandbox instead!


so jamie called our friend james who can do pretty much everything and our local carpenter friend robert and told them what we were looking to do. today.
they both came over around 11am.
jamie, james and robert gathered 'round a notebook and discussed plans and materials.

then they dispersed, picked up supplies and got started.

one of the delightful things about africa when it works to your advantage is how people are just 'available' to help out with whatever needs to get done. sure i can come to your house right now and help you build a sandbox. why not?

we decided we wanted to paint it red. {noah said he wanted pink, but personally i don't think i could handle seeing a pink sandbox for the next year and a bit. just...no.}

oh...and then you probably need some sand for that big 'ole empty box.

um...how many sandboxes is all that sand for? just ours? oh. okay.

now it's time to fill 'er up!

sandbox complete!

and now we welcome many hours of play outside and more sand than i'd like inside!

also...anyone need any sand?

the sweetest thing

jude is only wearing a diaper and is covered in blue {washable} marker.

noah is wearing his red cape.

there are 2 cardboard houses in my living room {decorated in blue washable marker}. one belongs to a washing machine. the other to a dryer. we have power. both are running right now. so incredibly thankful.

putamayo kids folk playground music is playing right now.

i did a 30 minute pilates video workout this morning and dripped sweat.

i made our favourite banana muffins this morning.

my hair feels unbelievably healthy and wonderful after getting a haircut last week.

tonight we're having tuna casserole for dinner. i'll probably get started on that soon.

i banned all kids toys in the living room this morning after the boys painstakingly and with much complaining grudgingly cleaned up the mess that had somehow taken over our entire living room. we'll see how long it lasts. jude needs constant reminders of this new rule. i've lost it a few times with them today. i hate raising my voice. i feel like bill cosby sometimes,
come here. come HERE. COME HERE. COMEHERECOMEHERECOMEHERE. 
i know this is a reflection upon my poor parenting skills and lack of consistency as of late.

regardless, there are many things {so many things} that we have to be thankful. i am counting my blessings. one by one, big and small.

- that jude's cold has passed. we didn't have to take him to the clinic.
- a washer!
- a dryer!
- my very own Mr. Darcy who would say that i have bewitched him body and soul.
- power!
- friends here in Kampala
- sweet friends and family in Canada
- skype
- sour gummy worms
- sharing a giddy laugh with jamie in the pantry
- friends here who know how to fix stuff
- the smell of freshly cleaned and dried laundry
- money to buy food
- noah's imagination and love of reading
- a Kindle from my in-laws {the gift of unlimited reading here!}

thank you, Jesus.