Through Christ's Eyes

And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns. Phil 1:6

Sometimes when something happens that disappoints me I just can't get it out of my mind. It consumes me mentally, emotionally and physically. I've been holding on to a huge disappointment and while I sat in church about to take communion, the Holy Spirit spoke directly to my heart. He said "Let it go." I could not reflect on Christ's sacrifice for me and how much I have disappointed him and not show the same grace in my situation. He looks at me through his eyes of love and forgiveness and that humbles me. I truly believe that looking at things through Christ's eyes makes the emotions that come from disappointment easier to bear. Thank you Lord for the peace that you so freely give. Let me wake up each day and pray to see the world through your eyes. What a different view I would have!

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A few more of my favorite things...

A new season, and new favorite things.

Fall brings:

crunchy and tart, MacIntosh apples

big, cozy sweaters

leaves changing colors

crisp air

Harvest Time

TV premier week

Thanksgiving weekend

Thanksgiving dinner and ALL the fixins

coffee that tastes better because I don't sweat while I drink it

warm gingerbread and ice-cream

Halloween and cutie, little kiddies all dressed up

"start-up" of almost every program one could imagine

pumpkin carving

trips to the Annapolis Valley

Christmas at the Forum

And, of course, Fall Chocolate - that falls off hips like leaves off the trees!


What favorites do you and I share?

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Family. A big, 6 letter word...

Have you ever looked up the word "family" in a dictionary?
If not, do.
There are many definitions.

This past Friday evening I attended a "family potluck". The dynamic of that particular group was such that not one of the original "family members" were blood related. Yet, we have something in common that brings us together.

This past Saturday evening I attended a "family cookout". The dynamic of that particular group was the opposite of Friday evening. We were clearly blood related.

It's interesting that you and I could have different groups of people in our lives and that we probably consider more than one of these groups, family. Or at the very least, like family. You are enough like me, I'm sure, to be thankful for this fact about life.

I'm single, without children. And I would be lying if I said that there are never times when I wish that my family included more people besides myself.

Which is why I am thankful for many definitions to the word family.
And for all the different groups of people whom I share commonalities with and whom I love, like family.

Mostly, I'm thankful for the family God gave me - my Frankland peeps, and their peeps.

Who is in your family?
In mine there is Katheleen (my mom and our most treasured Queenie), Tanya and Andrew and Nicole, Jenna and Bradley, Paula and Jonathon and Hannah.

Whom do you consider family?
For me, simply too many people to list.

Two very different, yet similar, questions.
It's interesting.

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Lights, Camera, Action!

What a better way to kick off the blog than with a photoshoot?

The group

Lisa

Lauri-Ann

Norm and Heather

Jennifer

Chris

Janet-Lynn

We didn't really know what we were doing or what we wanted... but look what we got!!

LOVE them.

Even more than that, though, I LOVE the PEOPLE involved.

For all intents and purposes these women have become like family to me. And, Heather even gets to bring her hubby along for the ride... Norm, you are a gem and we are so excited to have you as part of this blog team.

I love team... LOVE team.

So much more can be accomplished through team.

Now, there is one more woman involved - but who is faceless - no, pictureless.

My Eldest niece, Nicole. She was our photographer. (Check out her facebook group by clicking here , or her blog here).

Am I allowed to say that I am proud of her? That I love the guts out of her?

My Nickie Noodle.

She is an artist. Everything her creative hands touch has the potential to turn gold. And I am so grateful for her involvement with this blog. Whenever the home page changes, it is because she whipped something new up and had fun doing it. What she didn't understand - she learned in order to be part of this blog for you and with us. So yipeeeeeeee for us all.

I will say it again... I LOVE team, LOVE team.

PS: when's the next photoshoot?

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"Catch a Man" Blueberry Muffins

One day last month I started thinking about my grandmother's blueberry muffin recipe. I don't believe I have made the muffins or seen the recipe since she passed away in 1998. My brother loved them, and when ever I made a batch, he told me that they would "catch me a man" some day. Well, I got a man without the muffins, however, I wanted to make them again and I had to do some hunting to find the recipe. Thankfully my aunt Maisie had the information I was looking for.

I did not make the muffins right away but was spurred to bake them after my kind neighbor, Tom, boosted my car (another story unto itself ) on a sunny Wednesday morning so I could get to Women to Women. I made the muffins to thank Tom for His kind deed. I received a good review from both Tom and his wife.





The recipe is as follows:

Cream 1/2 cup margerine and 1 & 1/4 cup of white sugar
Add: 2 eggs and mix well.
Sift: 2 cups of flour
2 teaspoons of of baking powder
1/2 teasponns of salt

Add dry ingredients to the creamed mixture alternately with 1/2 cup of milk.

Fold in 2 1/2 cups of blueberries

Put in muffin tins and sprinkle each muffin with white sugar ( ~ 2 teaspoons should do all 12 muffins)

Bake @ 375 for 25 minutes.

Yield: 12 muffins



Try them! Let me know if you catch a man.

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What's going on... pt 2

So, here's the rest of the story...

Cleaned the bathroom. Not one bit glamorous.

Put up a few Fall decorations. Next to Summer, Fall is my favorite season.

Painted my fingernails. A bit glamorous.

Read chapter 4 in "The Power of a Woman's Words" by Sharon Jaynes.

Considering what to cook for supper. Any suggestions?

Talking with you again. Yeah!

Have still to rescue towels off the line.


I hope your Saturday was a great one. You deserve it.

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What's going on...

Slept in til 8:30.

Gabbed on the phone with my sister.

Showered.

Three loads of laundry on the line. One of my favorite chores to do, honest!

Dishes done... but not put away. Drip dry is the only way to go.

Lunch made and eaten. Ham sandwich and garden fresh tomatoe.

Many windows opened. Crisp, Fall air and warm sunshine pouring in.

Big "Canada AM" mug full of coffee. Favorite mug. I LOVE Canada AM.

Talking to you.

Great day!

What are you and yours doing?

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Will she DARE...

Do you have a teenaged daughter or do you know a teenaged girl who would benifit from, and be encouraged and challenged through a day that is set aside just for her and... honest conversations about the secrets and the science of sex?

DARE 2B... PURE, is just such a day.

Saturday, Nov 6, 2010
1:00pm - 8:30pm
Grace Chapel, Halifax, NS

Visit this website for more information. Click on DARE 2B
http://stephrobbins.com

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Try it - cause you'l love it...

A perfect Fall dessert.
Right out of the oven... uuuuum, uuuuuuuum good!

GINGERBREAD

1C butter
1C shortening
2 eggs
2C molasses
2 tsp ginger
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground cloves
1C sugar
5C flour
3 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2C hot water

Cream together butter and shortening, and sugar. Add the beaten eggs and molasses, then dry ingredients. Add hot water and beat until smooth. Bake in a greased 9x13 pan at 325 for 1 hour and ten minutes.

Recipe from Sherbrooke Village Recipe Collection





Thanks Tan.

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Friday and Monday...

Beginnings and endings - there is good about them, both.

Beginnings can signify a fresh start, butterflies in our bellies and new experiences.
Endings can signify change, potentially a period of rest and anticipation about what could be next (which might also mean butterflies in our bellies).

monday, tuesday, wednesday, thursday and FRIDAY

It's Friday.
And the first full week (well, almost full week) of school is over.
And, for many, today marks the end of another work week.

I hope it was a good week for you and yours and I'm choosing to believe the weekend will be wonderful and funderful for everyone.

MONDAY, tuesday, wednesday, thursday and friday
What will Monday bring?

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It's A BIG DAY!

September 12, 2010 --It's a BIG DAY!

• We've been at our new location for one year, so it's time to celebrate.
  Join the party during the 9:00am and 11:00am services, then starting at 1:00pm
  we meet again at Oakfield Park (Oakfield) for more celebration including a
  BBQ* and games for the whole family.
  
• Bring your own lawn chairs, blankets,
  sports balls, frisbees, kites...
  
  ...or just bring your friends and family and join the party.
  
  *(Burgers and dogs and sodas available for a nominal fee, or feel free to bring
  your own picnic-type lunch.)
  
  
  

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School Days....

All through my preschool years of having children I dreaded the days of all my kids going to school. I assumed I would sob for days, WEEKS even, when my first child toddled off to school. It wasn't easy the first day...but imagine my surprise when I was fine after ohhhh...one day. The same went for my second one.

I could never understand those mothers who rejoiced at the end of summer...that would NEVER be me. NEVER. Then, at the end of this summer, before 2/3 of my children headed back to school, I felt a twinge of something....I was ANNOYED. Summer just needed to be over. I don't care what anyone says, by the end of the summer, vacations are over, day trips are done and kids are bored. I started to look forward to the beginning of school...WHAT?? I swore that would never happen! But I was looking forward to routine, and for my kids to have one too...they needed one! Now my youngest has started nursery school two mornings a week. That means two mornings of alone time. At first I was overwhelmed with the thoughts of it...what in the world would I do? Two hours alone? Unheard of! As someone who had three kids in four years...I haven't had a scheduled amount of alone time in some years. I was sure I would dread it. HOWEVER, by this morning...day two....I am starting to realize I will look forward to those two mornings immensely. Instead of dreading school days I am starting to embrace them. I came home and stared blankly. Then I washed my curtains. Of all things! Motherhood is such an emotional and unexpected journey. The things you thought you would hate...you love...and the things you dreaded the most you find out just may not be so bad after all! Although I don't look forward to saying good bye to my last one, when she goes to school full time next year....I am starting to realize it may not be so bad after all. Who knew?

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Warnings schmornings...

Every single day of the last week we, Nova Scotians, listened to multiple warnings and updates concerning Hurricane Earl - along with suggestions and reminders on how to best prepare for hurricanes (Earl or otherwise).

A bit of history for you:
On September 28, 2003, Hurricane Juan hit Halifax and much, much more of Nova Scotia. It went Right... Through... Us.

And we remember it. Some after effects are still visible.

Before Juan was part of our province’s history, Nova Scotians had nothing to draw on as far as up close and personal experience with hurricanes. We had nothing to measure the word “hurricane” up against.

Sadly, knowing the dictionary definition nor viewing pictures of hurricane destruction from other parts of the world did not do for us what personal experience did.

It's not like we had not been warned about the inevitable arrival of Juan. We had been. And we had been told to prepare for strong, dangerous winds and high, dangerous waves. Prepare by bringing outside furniture in, prepare any watercraft you may own, prepare for power loss by having candles/matches/propane/batteries/flashlights on hand, plan to stay off highways during the storm, and by all means stay away from and out of coastal waters.

Some folks heeded the warnings, and some didn’t.

Why is that?
Why do we believe warnings are for “them”?

Let’s flash forward to September 2010. This, my friends, is where personal experience comes in to play. See, in 2003 we did not predict well enough nor did we play scenarios through far enough to understand what having no power would actually, completely, fully mean - even for those of us who prepared like we were encouraged to, we were not fully prepared.
No power meant no ATM machines. And no ATM machines meant no $$. Which translated into no groceries, and/or no gas. No power also meant no washer or dryer… for many days. No water meant NO WATER - none for drinking, for showering, for flushing toilets, none for NOthing.

Soooooooo, after a week of warnings and reminders (from news anchors as well as my sister), AND after the personal experience with Juan, I decided that in preparation for our roaring visitor, Earl, I would:
bring the outside furniture in
locate my lighter/candles and flashlight/batteries
fill up my gas tank
have cash on hand
grocery shop before hand (and, grrrrrrrrrrrr, even pay for drinking water)
recharge phone batteries
get caught up on the laundry pile
cancell at least PART of my long weekend plans... grrrrrrrrrrrrr again.

This time round I would heed the warnings, and then some.

It all made me wonder this:
Why don't we (you and I) heed God’s warnings in our lives? I mean, when He shows us “pictures” of destruction from previous life storms, why don’t we (you and I) pay attention? Why do we (you and I) believe the warnings must be for "them?

Yet, He loves us (you and I).
Amazing.

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NO, absolutely NO working today...

Labor Day is an annual holiday to celebrate the economic and social achievements of workers. Labour Day has its origins in the labour union movement, specifically the eight-hour day movement, which advocated eight hours for work, eight hours for recreation, and eight hours for rest.

Labour Day has been celebrated on the first Monday in September in Canada since the 1880s. The origins of Labour Day in Canada can be traced back to April 14, 1872 when a parade was staged in support of the Toronto Typographical Union's strike for a 58-hour work-week.

While Labour Day parades and picnics are organised by unions, many Canadians regard Labour Day as the Monday of the last long weekend of summer. Non-union celebrations include picnics, fireworks displays, water activities, and public art events. Since the new school year generally starts right after Labour Day, families with school-age children take it as the last chance to travel before the end of summer.

An old custom prohibits the wearing of white after Labour Day. The explanations for this tradition range from the fact that white clothes are worse protection against cold weather in the winter to the fact that the rule was intended as a status symbol for new members of the middle class in the late 19th century and early 20th century.

Interesting, eh.

Happy Labor Day everyone!

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Preschool, the best school...

Anyone of you who have been involved, in any way, with a preschool know that they can be terrific places of fun and adventure of the little people we love so much.

PebbleStone Creek Preschool is one of the ministries our church is able to offer.

I come from an Early Childhood Education background so, for many different reasons, I believe this to be a wonderful opportunity for our church family, for children, and for our community.

This school year Mrs. Debbie and Mrs. Fran are introducing a French language component into the program. I love that.

Mrs. Debbie writes a blog, included on our church’s webpage. You moms may want to check it out from time to time.

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Got my mind thinking,...

I had the opportunity to be in beautiful British Columbia a couple weeks ago. My reason for going was to attend Board meetings. My reason for staying as long as I did was so that I could visit with the Founder and CEO of Monarch Place.

It is a wonderful place.

Monarch Place is a Transition House offering shelter and support for women and children fleeing violence.

Many amazing events take place there, daily.
Women come and receive good crisis counsel. They receive food, clothing and a safe room to live in. They receive support in finding work and housing in a very short period of time, so short that one realizes that these situations are being worked out in a manner that is beyond human control.

The staff was amazing. I thoroughly enjoyed meeting them and watching them move forward with the same level of passion for this great big mission.

There is a:
Director,
Children’s Support worker,
Woman’s Support worker,
Community Outreach,
Multi-Cultural Support worker,
Counsellors

I asked one staff member what was most stressful for her in this line of work. She replied, “When all of the systems (social systems) don’t come together”.

Understandable.

I then asked her what was most rewarding about her job. Her reply, “When a woman just blossoms.”

Totally, totally, totally understandable.

Check out their webpage.


It all got my mind thinking about what could be done, right here in Lower Sackville, NS with the number of amazing women I happen to know.

Are you game?

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