On keeping it real and Instagram

I'm a total Instagram addict and I'm okay with that. It's kinda where I "blogged" for these last few months.

But I love browsing other people's profiles and I'm always drawn to those whose pictures are white and bright and lovely and airy. And I look at mine and I like my pictures but they are not all white and bright and light and airy. But they are a reflection of my life and my life is colourful and gritty and sometimes filled with shadows and sometimes it is fuzzy out of focus. Sometimes it is white and bright but it is not always so. And neither are the lives of the people whose profiles I like. 

Because there is always some sort of disparity between real life and the interwebs. Even when we try our hardest to "keep it real". 

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!

one week left ramblings

In exactly one week, I will be checked in at the airport and getting ready to board our flight outta here.

Yeah.

In my mind, it still seems like a lifetime away before we leave. Like it's not really going to happen.

I realized I am a "pre-processor" which to me means that I do a lot of my processing ahead of time. Which would explain why I don't like long, lengthy good-byes. Just say your good-byes, maybe give a good hug and get out of there asap. I've already grieved and accepted that it's a sad thing to leave. And I've probably moved on to being excited about what's to come. So please don't think I'm cold-hearted if I don't shed a tear. It's possible I've shed tears about this exact moment; just a few weeks ago.

Yesterday we sent back two bins {remember these bad boys?} and a bag with the staff team that left to go back to Canada. I am quite proud that I was able to pack up two of those things and it'll be nice not to have to lug them with us {as we'll likely have five others to lug. plus kids. that'd be a lot of luggin'.}.

It's hard to pack with a crawling, mischievous baby. Who doesn't sleep at night. {Still.}

I keep seeing lovely Ugandan things I want to buy and bring back with me. {I love craft markets!}

I can't wait to see and hug all my friends and family.

I am nervous about peoples' expectations of me/our family and the fight against a packed schedule to see and do ALL THE THINGS. {Sometimes I am a "worst-case scenario" kind of person.}

We went swimming yesterday and I need a new bathing suit. So does Blaise. He's not quite as chunky as Noah was at this age as the 12-18 month suit doesn't quite stay up on him. But he definitely loved swimming! So there's that.

Last week I took down all the pictures from the walls. They look so barren now.

Today I will pack some more. And try to remember this:

ruminations

I've been doing a lot of processing and ruminating lately. 

I've always yearned for authenticity in friendships. This yearning has often lead to me being someone who is guilty of "the overshare". {Here I am. Know me. Looove me.}

These last two years we've lived with a total of 3 people "outside" of our family although they've all become very much a part of ours. It's been good and sometimes tricky to not have our own space. I look forward to walking into our living room in my pajamas in the mornings. Or having a private conversation with Jamie in our living room. But I will miss having others around to interact with and build those connections with as well as see our boys do the same.

I've become close friends with Kelly during our time in Uganda and we've "done life" together - during weekly play dates and sleepovers and the rare {coveted} time we hang out with no kids. I said to Jamie last night that I am so sad this season of our friendship is over. I'm in mourning. 

I've been reading a book where the author talks about the idea of "being brave" with your friends. And I love that. Because sometimes {most times} honesty and authenticity and vulnerability requires courage and bravery. I can think of at least two friends that I can always count on to be brave and honest with me and those that I can be brave and honest with as well, knowing there's a foundation of love and friendship to rest on when the truth can hurt.

I've missed my friends and my community back in Canada/Guelph and I've experienced some sweet fellowship over skype and emails, but it doesn't compare with the face-to-face conversations I've had here and I had before we moved here.

We're not meant to live alone, isolated, without community. We're meant to live in community. Brushing shoulders with one another. Laughing loudly. Crying together. Making and eating food with each other and in each other's homes. Holding each others' kids and celebrating birthdays together. 

I'm not sure I always embraced community during these last two years, but the times I did, I don't regret. 

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.}

a gobblety goop of things

it's been a good week. but it hasn't been an easy week.

we're currently experimenting with not swaddling blaise for his naps. he sleeps no better, but no worse. we'll see how it goes.

blaise got his 2 month immunizations on tuesday. he's been a bit irritable during the days. thankfully still sleeping really well at night.
i'm tired. and most days i feel like i fail more than i succeed. but there's grace. and strength.
i'm feeling a bit lonely and missing face-to-face conversations with people who know me and love me and understand me. but there's grace. and strength.

i had a bit of an ache in my heart the other day as we drove the streets of kampala. i was thinking about how i'll miss living here when we leave. i'm very much excited for the day we return to canada, but right now? kampala is home for us. and there are many things i'll miss about living here. {noah remarked to me almost seconds after i thought this that he is glad we're moving back to canada because the streets are bigger and don't have pot holes. yeah. that'll be nice.}

i crocheted a scarf. it's incredibly soft and thick. and warm. much too warm for here. but i'm saving it for when we go to spain in january.
you can find the pattern here.

i haven't exercised all week {tired much?} and i've been scarfing down chocolate. holding crying babies makes me crave chocolate.

jamie challenged me/us to watch all our christmas movies this year. we figured out that we have 22. so far we've watched five.

our tree is up. the stockings are hung. we're listening to christmas music. and i'm loving watching the boys act out the christmas story with their little people nativity set. the other day i heard noah yelling at jude: LET US IN! WE NEED A ROOM!!! LET US IN OR I'LL PUNCH YOU!
i looked over and found that he was holding mary and joseph and jude was holding one of the wise men. i think maybe he was supposed to be the innkeeper. i'm not quite sure that's how it all went down, but i like jospeh's protective and assertiveness.

a wasp flew into our living room the other day. as it was flying around, it got stuck in a spider's web. i have never seen a daddy long legs {or whatever this african equivalent is called} move so quickly! seriously. the spider was on that wasp so fast. but the wasp got free and we eventually "swooshed" it outside again.

i would like to sleep for the entire weekend. but that's not going to happen.
there are so many good things in my life. but life is not always easy. no matter your stage in life or where you live.
wishing you a wonderful weekend! {and a happy thanksgiving to all my american friends and readers!}

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.

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!!!

just for fun

so the other night a few of the girls and i were watching a friends episode on dvd and it was the one where {among other things} chandler makes up a game where you have to write down all 50 US states in 6 minutes.
we weren't even finished the episode before hannah and i had grabbed a sheet of paper and were trying our hand at naming all 50 states.
by the time the episode was over, kelley and angela had joined in and we all sat quietly trying to complete the task.
none of us did it, but with 39 states i was pretty proud of myself - mommy brain and all!
can you name all 50 states?
if you're american, can you name all 10 provinces and 3 territories of canada?
bet you can't.
ready, set, GO!

{leave a comment with how many you honestly got before giving up.}

happy weekend links!

how is it friday again so soon?
insane.
it was hot today here in kampala.
we met some awesome friends at our favourite art gallery/cafe/gardens for lunch today so i could take their family photo. their kids are adorable.
noah wore his cape there.
then we all flopped out on the couches when we got home.

nick & trevor went to mbale tonight so i postponed friday pizza night until sunday when they'll be back {i'm such a nice team "mom"}.
so we got take out. it wasn't so much of a healthy day. but i guess that's why we don't go out too often.
the boys watched robin hood.
i skyped with my sweet friend emily {she used to live in the basement apartment of the house we rented in guelph. good times.}
the boys are in bed now.
i had a cool, refreshing shower and now i'm sitting in my pajamas.
jamie is playing NHL on the xBox.
it's been a fairly chill day. hope yours was too!

here are your friday links:

cake pops! an easier {and delicious} alternative to cake pops

a fun way to add variety to your date nights - dates in a jar

don't have access to a library or just feel like staying in? free books! online! {the boys and i love this site and for every book you read, they give a book to a child who wouldn't otherwise be able to access one}

are your kids bored? {really, who's kids aren't bored at least some of the time?}  here's an awesome list of 75 activities to do with your kids

a great article on why Christians can raise kids anywhere {in response to this one about raising kids in the city - which i also think is a fabulous idea and one i am passionate about}

start with food, end with food: make your own {big, soft, delicious} pretzels!

7 months and randomness

it's hard to believe {and yet somehow not hard} that we've been here for 7 months now.
this is home.
it's not always easy, but it is definitely our home.
my mind often wanders ahead into the future and thinks about what life will be like when we move back to canada. where we'll live, how the boys will adjust to school {noah will be in grade 1 and jude will be in j/k! so mind blowing for me at this point}, seeing friends and family again, how we will adjust to orderly traffic and winter and western society again. yes, my mind it wanders.
yesterday noah was asking if we could buy a chuggington train and i told him that they don't sell them here, only in canada {and also that it wasn't his birthday and that he had plenty of toys already and that whole lecture}. and then lo and behold, jamie walks in with a package that our dear friends had sent over 5 months ago for a birthday package for noah and it had FOUR chuggington trains in it! sweet blessings from Jesus. so, so good. except that the aftermath has been two little boys screaming and fighting over one specific train. sigh.
i haven't picked up my camera in almost a week. i'm not sure why.
tonight we're going out for a fun team dinner at fang fang's, the best chinese restaurant here that makes a killer sweet and sour pork dish that i'm for sure ordering a large plate of. *salivating*
the only thing about going out at night is that the traffic here doesn't usually clear until sometime after 9pm so if we do go out, we're in a standstill for most of it, hence why we {as a family} don't often go out at night. the guys can take bodas, but there's no way that i would ever take a boda with my kids. uh uh. no way.
there is a team of canadian staff and students from power to change coming in may and june and we're getting excited for them to come. i look forward to interacting with more people on a daily basis {this is me, the hermit speaking} and for the boys to get to hang out with "the canadians"! {also i'm secretly - or not to secretly - hoping they'll all bring me some reece's peanut butter cups. *more salivating*}
yesterday me and elizabeth {our house girl} made tortillas! i told her they were like chapattis, but thinner. so we did our "level best" {as they like to say here} and we'll see how they turn out later this week for dinner. they sure looked good.
tomorrow elizabeth is going to teach me how to make ugandan beans and cassava {it's a root vegetable. almost like a potato}.
so this is life in uganda.

i must be dreaming

the other night i dreamed it was winter and i was in canada. i was with 3 other coworkers {all females and all friends of mine}. we found our way into some sort of department store that was decorated all christmasey and happened to have a starbucks attached to it.
we found a group of 4 seats and sat down and started chatting. mainly i was chatting with one of them, but we were all having a lovely, relaxing time. the guy near us was on his cell phone and was ending his call when he said,
"i have to go, but what can i pray for you for?"
and the friend i was talking to said,
"prayer requests...NICE." pretty loudly with a very affirming voice {as opposed to sarcastic which you could totally read it as. it was not. she was impressed. or something.}
turns out he was a starbucks employee on break and when he came back on shift, he served us all $8 muffins {on the house} which were gigantic and delicious and we were happy for the freebie.
i woke up from the dream and it was the middle of the night. i was smiling. i honestly felt so refreshed by that dream girl time that i could have started my day. except it wasn't day. it was night.
my thoughts: i need more girl time. and starbucks.
also? hilarious but not far from the truth with the $8 muffins.
my subconscious must be dreading the sticker shock when i return to canada.

donuts

this is my third attempt at writing a blog post today.
mainly because i was trying to be witty or poetic or pretty much something i'm just not feeling today.
but i wanted to blog because i wanted to show you these pretty donuts that me and the boys made today.

see? pretty.
also i needed to clear up a serious misconception on noah's behalf wherein he confused bagels with donuts yesterday. donuts are not bagels. and bagels are most certainly not donuts.
it's because we made bagels yesterday. they were a huge fail. however, i know what i did wrong and will not be repeating my mistake again. {curious? i boiled them for far too long. my recipe was not specific and i didn't realize they needed to be boiled for a maximum of 1 minute, not like...7.  holy water-logged bagels, batman.}
the plan for tomorrow is to decorate all spring-like. and finish off the leftover donuts.
sounds like a great day to me.

have you ever made donuts? or bagels? what's your worst baking/cooking flop? what's your biggest success in the kitchen? are you tired of all these food posts? {circle one: yes or no.}

a bit of verbal you-know-what

i've been feeling a bit of writer's block on this blog lately.
maybe it's because i've been preferring to actually journal {for awhile, this blog was my only journal} and keep my thoughts to myself. to reflect and be raw without thinking about grammar/if this is interesting to other people.
maybe it's because life has slowed down and we've been shuffling back into place, like pieces in a puzzle that are familiar with their places.
i find myself in that all-too-familiar place of looking forward more to what's coming than where i currently am. the rush of christmas and visitors and sightseeing has passed and here i am in the
now what?
i've been consistent {for the most part} in sticking with three simple health-related goals i set for myself about a month ago.
1. drink water. all the time.
this involves me filling up my water bottle over and over again throughout the day. it also involves many, many trips to the bathroom throughout the day.
2. exercise 5 times a week.
surprisingly i've been doing really well with this. it's helped that jamie's been doing the 30 day shred along with me for encouragement.
3. no snacking in the evenings.
this allows me to still nibble on some chocolate in the day if i want but after dinner, snacking is no longer. except for one "cheat night" a week. i've also stuck to this with unprecedented resolution.
it feels good to stick with something. and see results. that has helped as well.
i don't tend to weigh myself too much {i generally go by how my clothes fit - or don't} but i'll likely step on the scale at the end of january and see how i'm doing.

i've got the heebeejeebees right now. nighttime is always when the bugs and creepy crawlies come out. the big ants that like to hustle around our kitchen. the mouse was already spotted tonight. {i shake my fist at that thing. or that species in general as i can't be sure it's the same one since we've already disposed of 2.}
there are scratchy noises coming from across the room.
but that's life here.
in a few weeks we're headed to spain for a week and a bit. i'm excited. but also? it's going to be stinkin cold compared to here. {that would be our 30 degrees compared with their 12 degrees. brrrrrr.}
but still...spain! hoorah!

whew.
that feels better.
any resolutions or goals you've set for yourself - health or otherwise?
what gives you the heebeejeebees?

just another friday morning

so, we have this mouse problem in our house.
we've tried poison but that gives me the heebie jeebies what with us having young kids and all.
we've tried traps. no dice. these african mice are smart, i tell ya.
and finally our friend james set up these little piles of bait (i have no idea what's in them, except that he crushes up some drug that totally makes the mice chill and immobile. yeah, so now i'm not sure if that's any better than poison.) and this morning jude walked into the dining room and went straight for the corner of the room and said,

Lookit Mom! Lookit!

and i thought he was pointing to the open cupboard doors.
but he wasn't.
it was this teeny tiny mouse.
with wide open, beady, little eyes.
just sitting there.
totally drugged up.
i called my hero {that'd be the hubs} to come and dispose of it.
he did.
so who knows if there are any more mice, but thank God for jude noticing it. i would NEVER have noticed it sitting in that corner.

oh hai

we've been here and there.

we didn't do halloween {it's not a thing here} but the boys put these costumes on and wore them the entire afternoon of the 1st. 

hope you're having a great week!

my love for coldplay

it all started in a rusty red car driving along a scenic route on the north island in new zealand in 2000.
a song came on.
it was catchy.
i'd never heard it before.
and i really liked it.
the announcer {in her adorable kiwi accent} said it was a song called yellow by the british band, coldplay.
i was hooked.
and today they are by far, my favourite band of all time.
i have loved every single album for different reasons.
i love how each album reminds me instantly of a specific time in my life.
parachutes reminds me of my time in new zealand and directly after when i returned back to canada. yellow and sparks {this should have been the song jamie and i danced to at our wedding} remain two of my most-loved songs.
a rush of blood to the head reminds me of the winter in toronto; crunching down snow-covered sidewalks at night while listening to politik or the scientist.
x&y will always remind me of the months jamie and i spent living with my mother and sister in law and while fix you is such a great song, some of my favourites from that album include 'til kingdom come and swallowed in the sea.
and then there's viva la vida or death and all his friends. jamie and i purchased this one while in england on our way to ireland. and then? we listened to it for 5 days straight while driving through the irish countryside. sometimes i can still smell that gorgeous irish air when life in technicolor starts playing.
and now a fifth album {mylo xyloto} is being released just 3 days after my 30th birthday {that would be october 24th}. and i'm pretty pumped. {because someone is buying it for me, right?}
also? i have never seen coldplay live.
never.
this is a travesty.
it's also on my bucket list {okay, so i don't really have a bucket list, but if i did have one, this would be ... definitely in the top 5}.
did you know they played downtown toronto {for free} a couple weeks ago?
yes.
they did.
and where am i?
not in toronto.
sigh.
but that's okay.
this post doesn't really have a point, other than i felt like i should catalogue my love for coldplay over the years.
that is all.
happy random thursday!

saturday

i slept like a log last night. it was amazing.

i made starbucks coffee this morning for breakfast. have you heard of this amazing invention called a thermos? you should get one. it keeps your breakfast coffee hot when it's 2pm in the afternoon and you're hankering for another cuppa.

it's pouring rain. the boys were delighted to put on their raincoats and run around. i liked watching their joy and the beads of water coming off their {MEC} raincoats that we bought before we came here. a wise investment as far as i'm concerned.

i had cheesy scrambled eggs with a leftover biscuit from yesterday for lunch. and a cup of coffee.

i lay down with jude for his nap and watched him suck is fingers until slowly he drifted off into sleep and his fingers fell out of his mouth. is there anything more wonderful than watching your child sleep?

i took this picture of noah while running in the rain and all i see is baby noah. i love it.

i'm waiting for my butter to come to room temperature and then i'm making these. be jealous. or make 'em. whatever.

tonight jamie and i are going on our first date night since moving to kampala. i'm excited. maybe i'll tell you tomorrow what we ended up doing. {rule #1 of living in africa. always hold your plans loosely.}

plans are in the works for a swing set to be made for the boys. again, holding this loosely. maybe by the end of this month there will be some sort of play structure in the backyard for the boys!

i'm exercising almost every day. we got a stationary bike and i'm using it! i think i'm in a place where exercise is just a part of my life. i enjoy it. i need it and i want it in my life. so i do it. it makes me happy and a little bit proud of myself.

our house girl {elizabeth - she is awesome} is looking into the availability and prices of a turkey and ... pumpkins! now apparently they don't have orange pumpkins here. they only come in yellow/green so we'll see. i may have to experiment a bit but i'm hoping to be able to serve pumpkin pie come next monday {canadian thanksgiving}.

have i told you how much i love october? no? well. i love it. it makes me sad to be missing the change of the colours of all the leaves in ontario. the crisp fall weather that requires cute hats and pretty scarves and stylish boots and goes well with steaming mugs of hot chocolate and apple picking and baking, baking, baking. so i'm getting some of this and i miss it, but i'm not homesick. instead, i'm embracing the goodness of living in africa. life is pretty awesome and i'm choosing to open my eyes wide to the beauty and splashes of glory in the everyday.

this is me. on the first saturday in october. 2011.
how's your saturday?