"I Hope They Call Me on a Mission"

T minus 19 days and my oldest son will be off to Argentina for 2 years to serve a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Lots of people have asked me what he will be doing for the next two years in Argentina; so here is the explanation:

The role of missionaries of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with anyone who is interested and would like to learn more. The missionaries teach about how God has a plan for us (the plan of Salvation), and this plan provides us with a way to return back to live with God after this life. The missionaries teach about the importance of family and how families can be together forever by being sealed through the priesthood power of God. They teach about the importance of keeping our bodies clean and free from addictive substances and behaviors so that we are able to be in tune with the holy spirit and receive promptings and spiritual direction. They teach that we are God's children and that he loves us and wants us to be happy. In addition to teaching people about the church missionaries of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints also perform at least 4 hours of community service each week. In a nutshell this is what my son will be doing for the next 2 years

Interested? Click on this link to learn more http://mormon.org/

It's a Mystery

This morning my youngest daughter was putting on her coat for school and had some difficulty doing up the zipper. After several attempts she realized that there was something in her pocket that was making it hard to zip up her coat. She opened her pocket and found an orange, "who put this orange in my pocket?" she asked... I don't know. It's a mystery who would have put an orange into her coat pocket? I will tell you a secret though, she took an orange in her lunch yesterday.

Tickle Trunk Creations

I have been toying for a while with the idea of making and selling aprons. And here they are:

So Spring

Show Your True Colours

Made this for a friend overseas. A little bit of home while you cook.

Halloween

I liked that this wasn't your typical halloween colours, makes it a little more versatile.

Double Sided Beauty

One side gets dirty and you can switch it to the other.

aprons cost $45 cnd (shipping is extra)

 

A Literary Mystery

I am a hopeless fan of classic literature. Before Christmas my husband gave me a copy of Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell. It's a "vintage" copy of the book that was passed on to him by a friend.

 In the front of the book there is an inscription: "To my dear Mildred who is so faithful in her devotion. Frances Mjolsness Christmas /44". I've no idea who Mildred and Frances are, but I love the mystery of it. I can imagine stories about the two of them. Perhaps they were mother and daughter and the daughter had to move to the city to work while her husband was away at war. Or, they were two sisters struggling to raise children, but who supported one another through the good times and the bad. Maybe they were best friends and Mildred kept some terrible secret for Frances.

It makes me grateful that my husband and I always write an inscription in the front of books when we give them to each other. It is a way of ensuring a tiny bit of mysterious immortality for us. Long after we are gone someone will pick up one of my books and invent a history of Rena and Erik. Like Mildred and Frances live on in a tiny sentence written on the front-piece of a book. My husband asked if I wanted to try to find some of the family of the two women and selfishly I said, "no". Part of me would like to know the real story of Mildred and Frances, but the bigger part of me likes the romance of inventing a history for them that is likely way off base... besides I don't want to give up my book!

From my honeypot to yours!

Christmas means parties, late nights and rich foods. Coming up with the perfect dish to take to your umpteenth party can be a challenge. Here is one of my favorite recipes: Lupe's Fresh Salsa Mexicana. It is delicious, and healthy (well, depending on how many tortilla chips you eat with it.) Enjoy.

Lupe's Fresh Salsa Mexicana

3 tomatoes, chopped

1/4 onion, chopped

2 jalapeno peppers, chopped

small bunch cilantro (5 or 6 branches), chopped

Salt to taste

Juice of one navel orange

Cut tomatoes, onion, peppers and cilantro into very small pieces. Add salt and orange juice, mix well. Serve with your favorite tortilla chips as a snack.

If you like your salsa on the milder side, remove and discard the seeds from the jalapeno peppers.

Note: Always wear rubber gloves when chopping jalapeno peppers!

Do the Renovation!

My darling hubby gave me the best birthday present ever! A week of slave labour (Canadian spelling) on my current renovation project. We laid laminate floor, put new baseboards, wainscot and chair rail in our baby girl's room. It looks amazing by comparison to its previous incarnation.

I wanted a somewhat sophisticated look that could grow up with my daughter. It is hard to find the right mix that can be little girl or big girl, but I think we have done it. Her walls and flooring are a chocolate brown (adding a sense of warmth to a cool north facing room) and the ceiling, trim and wainscot are a pristine white. Her room will be decorated with pinks, reds and whites (delicious with the brown background).

Want great step by step instructions on how to install wainscot? Follow this link to the best how to video that I found: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1xXzho457nk&NR=1

Oh Remember, Remember

So tomorrow is Remembrance Day in Canada. I love Remembrance Day. I love taking my kids to the ceremony and having the opportunity to talk about our nation's past history. I love getting to hear the military bands play. I love to hear and sing "O Canada". And, I love the minute of silence. I love how everything becomes so still. I am alone with my own thoughts about war -- its great and terrible costs -- and peace.

For me Remembrance Day is all about peace. I wear a poppy and think about those who sacrificed not because I think war is somehow romantic or necessary, but because I think that we will never achieve peace unless we remember the costs of war and conflict. I hope to pass that understanding on to my children.

I try to remember that peace begins at home and if I cannot achieve a semblance of peace in my home it is hard to imagine how peace can be achieved on a global scale. I am going to strive for a day where my children solve their conflicts in a constructive way (ie. no hitting or screaming), because it is unrealistic to assume we can have a day without any conflict.