This Happy Significant Day!

Two years ago we gathered to celebrate our love and to make a commitment in front of our friends and family, and we have photos to prove it.
I find it incredible how much we have changed since our marriage. We had both just graduated from College and were ready to wow the world with our knowledge. But, like any new graduated we had alot of life skills to aquire before we would be of any use to anyone. Of course we are still on that journey, but in two years, through our marriage and through our short time as parents we have matured and grown and have much more to offer still.

I think i miss our 'wild' days of cruising around in the car taking weird photos. Here are a few from our honey moon adventure road trip though a little bit of the states and Canada:

Nope, i lie! I have been trying all day to load photos, and they just won't work. I keep getting a message saying "contains no data" well boo. It honestly took me about 4 hours to get these other two photos up. Ahwell.

For our lovely evening out my mother is babysitting Corrina and we are going for dinner, a walk here and there, a movie, and who knows what other mischief we will find!

Eat, Eat, Yum Yum!!

I just came back from the mall and i am very impressed with the fall clothing, well most of it anyway. I love the color rust orange, burnt orange, pumpkin orange, orange-red- whatever you want to call it-and it is everywhere! Plus, all the shirts this year are longer cut which is great because i hate tugging things down, and everything it made to layer nicely, which i love. There are so many cozy sweaters in style too. Hmmm, fall!I also went into one really colorful children's clothing store: the children's place. Have you been? Everything is bright bright bright! Orange, green, yellow, pink! And great designs: embrodiered flowers on all the shirts, cute cute crazy fabrics, lots of ruffles and color color color. I must say this sure is going to be a good fashion year for me, and it certainly is a great year to have a little baby to dress! Ahhh, janie baby clothes. That's what i call them! So, i didn't go wacko and buy anything, i just looked and enjoyed. This shirt here is one of my favorites! And all the cute little sweaters to coordinate and little tshirts with awesome prints. I think i need to drag dave there and inspire him to dress Corrina.. these are just the sort of things he likes (the colors, not the shopping!) Oh, and i looovve these ones too! little hippy babies!

Corrina has started to chow down on so many different foods now! She eats banana, sweet potatoes, cereals, carrot, green beans, and peas. I was at the farmers market last weekend and was able to buy some fresh veggies to puree up for her. Lucky little ducky! I had so much fun sifting through people and stands and food and baking at the market and it was tough just to come home with the necesities, but i managed. Candace and i were both saying that we hope to have our own gardens one day so we can grow flowers and veggies, but i think i would miss the fun of going to a market for the things. Last night i saw "the devil wears Prada"... don't go to see it, just rent it if you must. I also watched "She's the Man" with some friends. I have to say that i really liked the movie. It was clean, it was funny, it was a teen age flick yes, but a great one. It had some morals to it even and i think i wil rent that one again! Here is a photo of Corrie with her Grandma Mary! I think one of Corrina's happiest times of the day is when she comes out of the bath tub, is wrapped cozily in a towel, and looks at herself in the bathroom mirror!

My Mom arrives tomorrow night. I am really looking forward to the week of visiting, and of course seeing my mom play with Corrina and such. I really love to show her off. Before Chris and Mary came out i was so excited for them to see Corrina and all the wonderful things she can do, and now i get to be excited all over again for my mom. I tell ya, Corrina is a little show off. She smiles and flirts with anyone, anywhere, except me of course (because i am the evil nap-time mommy.. mwah... no, she loves me too). I think she will be an extreme extravert like me and get alot of energy from others. So fun!
Well, my house needs a sweeping, my dishes a cleaning, dinner and cooking, and i am going over to a friends tonight.
Thanks for reading!

Awkward

So I'm walking down the street today, from my office to the bank for some mundane transaction, and it's sunny and I'm in my own little world. I'm walking the back path behind the Millenium Library, there's construction off to my left, I'm shamfully avoiding eyecontact with street people that I've had a run-in with in the past, and someone in big sunglasses goes by. It's a nice walk.

And then I turned. I know that face, I recognize that backpack. I know who it is on the bike and I really want to talk to them. But I just keep walking. I don't think they saw me, and they just kept going, so I just keep going. But I'm thinking, Man, I wish I wouldn't do that. I want to call his name, but I don't. I'm embarrassed. How many times have I done that, only to have it be the wrong person (note: This is not a true thought--it rarely happens--but it is what I was thinking). So I'm still going, still wishing I wasn't, still looking over my shoulder. It was the weirdest thing.

Then I'm running. I'm running, trying to catch up. He's a bike, for Pete's sake, but I'm chasing him down. I think I saw him look back, and that's enough for me. I'm in a big hurry to get to the bank and back, but here I am running down the path like an idiot. Maybe the light is red, I think. I round the corner, and he's gone. Then he's back. He too had turned around on his bike, presumably to check and see if it was really me.

And we both stop and we chat, and it's great to see him. He went to college with Janie and me, and now lives here in the city. He asks me how I'm doing and I tell him. I ask him how he's doing and he tells me. I tell him about sleepless nights and baby showers. He tells me about a recent summer job that fell through and about going to school. I ask him where he's going to church, and he tells me he doesn't. He says that he hasn't had faith in a number of years.

What was funny was that I didn't really know how to respond, because I felt suddenly awkward, but at the exact same time I wasn't really that shocked. Now, don't get me wrong. I never would have assumed that this guy would ever have left the Church. No way. It's not that. I just thought immediately about how difficult my own faith has been these last few years. I thought about how just about everyone has a faith struggle in their 20's. It's textbook (which is not to say that it's at all easy).


My very first response was, Do I have a preofesssional obligation to try and "win him back?" But thankfully my next response was a very godly "Screw that!" I felt that nither my job nor my faith demand that I make people feel judged or rejected. And so we just talked. I did my best simply to listen, and to accept him. I think that's what I would want in the situation. I felt funny, but I'm not sure why.

When we parted, we'd said we'd get together sometime. He said Don't feel awkward that I'm not a Christian anymore. I did feel awkward, but not for that reason. I was in awe that he was so bold, so blunt and so honest. I felt that I, in contrast, am so typically reserved and distant. I felt awkward because I always do around people (most people, not all). But did I feel awkward about the whole faith thing? I dunno. Maybe. Maybe not.

Either way, I was very thankful that I'm not as "narrow minded" as I used to be, and that his decision did not "offend" me, as it would have in years gone by. Also, I was thankful for my faith and the strength that it offers me which has so often carried me through rough times.

So the question is, Do you pray for someone who probably doesn't want you to? Who probably knows that you will be, and potentially could resent that? I did, and I could have felt awkard about it. But I didn' t want to.

-Dave

Is it possible...

... that i haven't really been in the mood to blog? Wow.

It is a very very grey day. Next monday the forcast for winnipeg is 40! My goodness. I think i will be hiding inside. I wonder what the temperature with the humidex will be that day? I think i will enjoy this cool, wet day and not think about it!

One of my favorite movies is Anne of Green Gables. Unlike most people i haven't actualy read the books, i have only watched the movies. Well, this past little while i have been working on reading the books. I love them, but i can't help but read and think "this isn't the way this story went... in the movie it was like this." Backwards. And for all the lines that appear in the book and the movie i tend to read them exactly as Anne or the other characters say them in the movies. I will encourage Corrina to read the books first so she isn't tainted by the movies.

I have been trying to teach Corrina to play peek aboo. Is this really something babies have to be taught, or do they just get it? Well, at 6 months she still doesn't get it. If i cover my face with my hands she watches my hands as they move away from my face, then she sorta looks at me, and doesn't really care. Whatever it is i try to 'hide' behind is way more exciting to her. That's okay. It's cute.

Here's a great post to read and think about. Claire's new inspiration!

I am off now to move my laundry from the washer to the dryer! Yippy. My day is going to be pretty dull, but made of life all the same.
Janers

Blog Basics: Editing Links 101

There are getting to be enough people out there who still have google news and EDIT ME! on the side of their blogs, so I’m setting out to show you how to change this, quickly and easily. Mark, this one’s for you.


1. First of all, you have to log in to your blogger account. This takes you to a page that says DASHBOARD in big letters at the top.

2. You should see the name of your blog on the left-ish. Click on that. This takes you to a page with the name of your blog and a list of all your posts. Right? If not, start again.

3. At the top are 4 tabs: Posting, Setting, Template, and View Blog. Click on Template. This takes you to a page with a whole lot of http and code and stuff. Take a cue from Douglas Adams: Don’t Panic!

4. Now, this is the tricky bit. What your looking for is a chunk of code that has links in it already. It’ll look like this:








On our template, this section is in the last ¼ of the code.

5. From here, it’s easy. Replace the part in quotes with the web address you want to link to, and replace the text between > and < with whatever you want the link to say. As in, if you want a link to my mother’s blog, you would edit the code to look like this:









6. Make sure you don’t add more or less than you need to (like deleting the = or something). The code won’t appreciate that.

7. Now hit “SAVE TEMPLATE CHANGES” on the bottom of the page, and then click the “Republish Index Only” button. Now the next time you go to your site, you’ll have a link to my mom’s blog! (or whatever). And that’s it! Let me know if this helps!

Note: You made need to refresh your blog to see the changes. I always do.

My House

If you walked into my house today you would see this:
-baby car seat
-cats tucked in around sandals and shoes, sleeping soundly
- recyling box
-shelf neatly arranged with large canvas storage bins (pretty blue, green, and cream!)
-a colorful kitchen with lots of orange and red
-clean dishes (most of the time, these days at least)
-plants, photos, and candles
-a colorful living room
-muppets
-The personalities of Janie and Dave
You would see that i don't really have a color scheme (even though sometimes i try, it usualy gets taken over within days by other wonderful colors that i just can't neglect), that i do like to organize but i'm not always on top of it, and that i have alot of Martha Stewart Mag's, and a big stack of 'organization/decorating' books on our coffee table.

My house means a lot to me. Besides just holding my 'stuff' it holds my heart in a way. I am represented by my house in more than one way. I can express who i am through the colors and arrangements. I can show other people my family through photos and memorabilia, i can serve food and fill people's tummies, and i can raise my daughter here. But if i go deeper and think about why i invest so much time in making my house neat i remember a metaphor that someone once shared with me.
They said that we, our 'selfs', are like a house. Sometimes someone (or multiple people) invades that space and messes things up (there are so many different ways that we can be hurt in life, and most of us have been hurt and our personal insides have been invaded) and they usualy leave without cleaning up. They tear things off the walls, throw things around, track mud around, break precious items, and then leave without a glance back. They leave us with a great big mess to clean up, and alot of sadness about the mess. At one point 4 years back,I remember feeling like i was standing in a large, torn apart room, all alone, very overwhelemed with no one to help me put things back in their place. It isn't a mess we allowed or asked for; it is like being robbed (i have never had my physical house robbed, but i can imagine the feeling). For years i have been working on cleaning up my 'emotional house' by rearrange who i am, picking up odds and ends of broken bits and putting them back together, organizing my thoughts, feelings, faith, believes, relationships, and priorities. I have come a long long way, and things are kinda where i want them, although they shuffle daily. I have come to realize that i act this out more than i realized in my real house. Dave knows very well that i move things around alot, am always wanting something new to organize with, am constantly searching through books and magazines for inspiration, and i find it very important to have a tidy, put together (when i have the time of course) environment. I know that this is just a reflection of what is happening inside of me. I think this is good and it is a part of my freedom to heal. In our relationship dave really gives me alot of room to be who i want to be, and it does change from day to day, and thus so does our living space. The house that is me really is a happy place while i work on rearraging things.

I am young and have a long journey ahead of me. Sometime i forget that and feel like i need to accomplish alot in the next 3 or 4 years and i start rushing. But really, in 4 years i will only be 26! Wow. I have time to figure out who i am, where things belong inside of me, search for wisdom and inspiration, and invite people into my house. I know there will be a day when my house is pretty much back together, i think i am almost there. And as for now, I really think i can embrace the things that were knocked out of place without my permission, and the scars they left, because i really couldn't assure you that i would be who i am without the rearranging that has taken place. It is a 'good thing' (a little martha reference for you all!)
I love having people over, and more than that just being with people. I always like to open up the house that Dave and i have made into our home to friends, family, and strangers too. And, i am a pretty open person and i would love to continue to let you in the house that is ME as well.
Anyway, those are my deep and meaningful thoughts for the day. I hope you understand now why i am obbsessed with my house (and martha!) And of course, my house that is ME looks for most of it's "decorating" inpiration from The Lord and from friends and family who gleam rays of light as to who God is!

Here are a few pictures of Corrina swimming.
Last night we celebrated her 6 month mark by leaving her with out friend Candace and going on a date. It was a spur of the moment thing! We did a little shopping, walked around a duck pond, and had starbucks drinks. In the short time that we were stopped at Starbucks we saw 5 people we know from years past. It was great and we were blessed to be there at that time! Anyway, photos:

The never ending bloooggggg... ohaooooahhoh

We rented, and are still making our way through, the never ending story! Yes, the fabulous 80's classic has invaded our evenings! I was so excited when the flying pink dog (otherwise known as the luck dragon) made his apperance! Just love him. I was thinking about the scene where Atreyou (or however the heck i should be spelling it) is romping around in the mud, in the swamp of sadness (the name alone! Ha!).. and i was thinking about what the director must have told him: "slosh around in the mud for about ten minutes, changing directions alot, and looking really sad and lonely." That would have been a super funny scene to act if you ask me. When i was a little girl i would stick necklaces on my head and pretend i was the empress.. te he. And the big indifferent turtle who refuses to help and is allergic to Atreyou... so good! This weekend, in two movies, i watched men put raw egg in with orange juice, mix in various ways, then proceed to ingest the concotion. EWWWWW. Can anyone name the other recent hit movie that this happens in? Common, this is an EASY one!

In other news, i went to the beach and burnt myself. Little miss Julia has it right when she remebers to wear her sunscreen. Little miss Janie thought it would be fine to not screen up her legs, because heck, they hardly tan, let alone burn.. unless you are in the manitoba scorching sun, lying on your back. I should have just had a big orange sign taped to my butt reading "Give me skin cancer. How about my legs?" It stings to bend at the knees, and considering i have a baby who plays on the floor, i am doing this lots. OUCH! Silly Janie. Oh, Corrina went swimming for the first time, which is really boring to write about because there aren't any pictures to go with it. I forgot the camera. Opps. But, i think dave and i are going to pack up and head to the beach tomorrow, monday, for Corrie's second swimming adventure!

On Corrie's door i hung a chalk board so i could write the latest news: "Corrie's grounded for going out with friends too late. DO NOT ENTER" or "Don't give her dinner, she's been bad"(two punishments i never actualy plan on using!) or "Corrina's making very delicate card towers: DO NOT ENTER" (i was thinking in the future... ) So, after get bored with myself writing her recent weight with a few flowers beside the numbers, i told dave it was his turn to decorate the chalk board. Here is what he did:So... if your very cute baby goes missing, they are probably just at m y house!
I found this very cute white dress at the thrift store and purchased it so dave could personalize it for Baby. Hmmm, what will he do????
And here are some other pictures of hard to resist Corrina!

Well, baby feeding awaits me, followed by husband and self feeding, followed by house cleaning, and if time, a little never ending! Exciting!
Janers

Much Joy In Blog Land!

I just love 'snooping' around on other people's blogs. Through a series of snoops i found some marvelous old friends in blog land that i never anticipated even seeing again. Wow, i am filled with joy. I saw new baby twins that belong to a bible study leader i had back in High school (camp luther connection), i found wedding pictures from a friend who just got married saturday, i found the blog of one of my funny youth friends, and many many more. I am filled with much joy because i love people, making connections, and staying in touch.
I also had a lovely visit this morning with my friend and her energetic little 17 month(?) old. He sure did keep the cats busy as he chased them under every piece of furniture (their desperate attempt to hide!) , and Corrina slept through the whole thing!
My heart is happy and my mind wants to do a little more snooping. I am off now.
Janers

Vote for Pedro

These days I've got Napoleon Dynamite on the brain. We've got our big Napoleon event coming up this Saturday, and I'm preparing costumes and games and such. And one thing I've been doing a lot is looking up stuff online.

In my googling I came across an interesting pneonminon. I'm sure you are familiar with the now classic shirt: VOTE FOR PEDRO, written in red Copper black on a white w/ black ringer shirt (yes, I actually have one of these). Now this shirt is nothing new, but I've never seen some of these before:

Deport Pedro

Pedro Sucks

Pedro Lacks Politcal Experience (my favourite)

Don't blame me, I voted for Summer

We should have voted for Pedro (with a picture of Bush)

But then I came across this. Now honestly! Is there any excuse for this?!


I'm sorry, but no he didn't. Pedro is a fictional character, and this is just sad. I could even handle a "Jesus loves Pedro" or a "Vote for Jesus", even though that would be pushing it. This is worse than sad. This is cheap. A cheap grab for attention.

What do you think? Do these sort of things work? Am I way off base here? Has anyone ever come to faith because of a whitty saying about Jesus on a shirt? Is there a cultural difference here between Canadians and Americans? I'm trying to give the creators the benefit of the doubt, but I'm struggling.


-Dave

PS> If you want a descent "Jesus" shirt, may I suggest a few.

A question for the ages

My apologies to those who have never played an adventure game, and do not understand the brilliance of this composition.

Sitting Pretty!

A new accomplishment: sitting! A whole new angle on the world for Baby Corrina. Her grabbing skills have multiplied as well, and i can't carry her around in a store without her lunging for everything that i am holding! On the downside she is teething and her happy, content temperment has dissapeared and been replaced with an unpredictable, moody, unhappy, tearful baby. Plus i think she has hit a growth spurt so half the time that i think she must be in pain and i try to treat that she actually is in pain and starving too. Not too fun for her and i try to sympathize with her by poking my gums alot and starving myself. Well, not really, but i really try to think about what she must be feeling, and then act from there. Eeeekkkk, poor little sitting beauty.(I love the naked pictures! Lovely, soft baby skin!)

This weekend was Winnipeg Folk Festweekend, which i have been dreaming about for about 2 years. I went for 2 days and had a marvelous time. The festival was voted "best festival 2006" by the north american folk alliance! The fest is about 4 days, but with COrrina i could only handle so much and was very tired out by the end! There was so much to see and do there. Amazing music (wailing jenny's, the Cotter's, K'naan, hawskley Workman, fruit, flook, and other superb artists!), great food, sooo many unique people to watch, beautiful trees and grass and sunshine! There were so many handmade treasures to be bought: clothes (see gathered roots link), jewelry, nicknacks, drums, books, iron work, pottery.... The best part is that most of it is recycled material, or organic materials, plus it is all Hand Made and individual! I forgot to take many pictures, i was too immersed in music and people watching. Dave came too one of my 2 days and really enjoyed his time. This is Corrina at folk fest wearing her beautiful hand decorated dress from hungry! it was the perfect outfit! Ahhh, i am soo inspired and feeling free. But, i also feel frusterated because i don't feel like i have anything unique to contribute to the world now. It seems like everything creative has been done. I have been praying that i would find something that would represent me and being unique, but nothing has come to mind yet. That's okay i am so young and have lots of time (hopefully)! One inspiration i can start living is to care about the earth and people more everyday. I am great at recycling, but not so good at reusing, and i could really start reducing. We are back into cloth diapers because i know Corrina doesn't want to pollute the world with diapers she doesn't even have a choice about wearing. So she has asked us to switch back to clothe so there is a chance the world will be as pretty when she is old enough to enjoy it. I will also be conscious of the products i purchase, and i encourage YOU to be too. Tricia has always inspired us to be careful about all the things we buy in packages: cookies (plastic wrap around plastic container, all shoved into a plastic bag), chips, etc... Sure, it's sanitary, so we many be alive in 50 years and in good health, but the world might suck. It has really been on my heart that God gave us the earth to take care of and i know i am not giving that my full attention and best effort. So yes, folk fest was out of this world wonderful and i can't wait until next year!
I hope everyone takes extra notice of the beautiful outside world today, especially the trees!
Janie

Animation Nation!

Today I take a few small steps into a larger world. I've always said I wanted to be an animator, so I'm going to start doing some stuff. And it may never go anywhere, but hey, at least I'm trying. Janie and I are saving up a bit for a few computer upgrades so I can run some decent software. And after that, who knows, right?

This is basically just a test run for a larger "short" I'd like to do. It's rough, but fun. Right now it's 100% Pencil with no digital edits! Whoo hoo! We'll see how things go from here. Let me know what you think! -D

We went to see Super Man!

That's Right! We went to see the Man of Steel! The Big Guy in Blue! Kryptonite's Favourite Son!

And let me tell YOU! It was........sold out. Crap.

So, what do you do when you've got a babysitter for a few precious hours and the movie you've been standing in line for is sold out? You go see the next best thing. Fast and the Furious 3? Not a chance. New Adam Sandler Movie? Too risky. Hmmmm, lastest by Napoleon Dynamite creator, Jared Hess? Interesting! But wait, didn't Janie say she never wanted to see this...

And by that point she'd already bought the tickets and we were on our way.

So yes, we WENT to see Superman, but ended up at Nacho Libre! Which, I have to say, was not the greatest movie of all time, but certainly was funny enough for me! Jack Black was much more understated than his typcial roles, which I think really worked for him. I thought he was funny without being annoying, and even managed to be quite sincere despite that mustache. But the show was stolen, in my opinion, by his wrestling partner with the humungous lips - Steven! All he had to do was the rediculous smile and I was laughing!

The movie is more "normal" than Napoloen was, but at the same time the pacing was way off from a regualar movie. Much more laid back, to the point of being awkward. And I loved it! When Nacho goes off into "the Wilderness" to die, builds himself a little shelter from sticks, and starts eating bugs and grass, but ends ups being only 100 feet from the edge of town - I nearly lost it. Too good.

Bre, Ernie, if you two haven't seen this movie yet, let me say one thing: Mexico. Entirely film in mexico with an almost entirelty Mexican cast and crew.

So Nacho Libre is not for everyone, but for fans of Jack Black or Jared Hess, it could just be a winner.


By the way, has anyone seen Superman? Is it any good? The closest I've got is this cartoon. Let me know.
-D

Human contact withdrawl

Over the weekend we had Mom and Dad Colvin visiting with us. I LOVED having them around. We did fun things together, like play board games, and east "family meals" at the table. Even when we were just sitting in the living room all reading books i felt energized. Why, oh why, do we all live in our own little spaces and houses. I am sooo bored now. I don't know what to do with myself. I am going to go out for a walk this afternoon, to the library and to buy a decent backpack, but right NOW i have no energy and it is only 11 am. AARRRRg, i don't know what to do with myself. I know i am not alone in this struggle, that there are other extreme extraverts out there who don't function anymore after about an hour of being alone. This is an ongoing struggle. Maybe me, dave and Corrina will move back into a dorm. Or maybe i just need to make sure i visit with people everyday. Or maybe i will have lots of kids, or ... i don't know...
Oh well, this too shall pass. One day, before i know it, i will be back in school, working, having a family, and be longing for these 'free time' mornings of boredom.
That's all, i have vented.
I wish everyone energized days.
Janie

Rainbow of Glass

I have many hobbies that were put aside for college, marriage, and childrearing. One of them is beading. Abbostford has the BEST beading store i have ever set foot in: Strung out on beads (a make-you-laugh name too!). The environment breeds creativity and one cannot leave without a pile of colors and inspiration. The beading store in Winnipeg is not as snazy. It is without beaded art hanging from the ceiling, creaky wooden floors, showcase after showcase of beautiful jelewlry created by locals and store owner hippy lady, local and colorful paintings spicing up the wall space, wild owners, and the most amazing selection of beads i have ever laid eyes on. But, i am not in Abbotsford, so i will forget my woes and move on! Dave gave me a gift certificate to the beading store for Christmas and i just decided to use it earlier this week. I got a little carried away and ended up spending too much, but the necklaces i made are lovely. One is simple, blue and glassey. I rarely choose blue when dressing myself or my neck, but recently i have been trying to broaden my wardrobe from green and red (Christmas all year!), to blue, and pink, and a bit of yellow... Here is necklace number one:
And then i got a little carried away and created a rainbow of lovely neck decorating delight!

I wear my lovely Jewelry with fond memories of the colorful beadstore that i miss.
Janie

Why I love the Internet, Volume 2

http://www.stuffonmycat.com
I just have to say that we have plenty of pictures that could go on this site.

http://www.deepskyfrontier.com
Amazingly, Hilariously big website.
"Use the arrow keys to try and move the scroll bar even one pixel. No wait, don't. It'll take more than 3 times your lifespan"

http://drmcninja.com/index.html
The words "Free" and "Comics" are dangerous to be sure. Combine them, and only a few will survive.

http://www.badgerbadgerbadger.com
Don't say we didn't warn you.

Or if you like, type in Diet Coke and Mentos into google and see what you get.
Man this thing is too much!
-D

Our New Look

This is our NEW blog. Inspired by a piece of paper i bought, redesigned by Dave, and created by the both of us! For sometime now i have wanted to personalize our blog, because i love creative design and such, but had no clue how. So I learnt a little HTML, and together with Dave's creative mind and graphic skills, we had done it!!!! Unfortunately when we were making changes our 'personalized comment' (someone care, no one cares, etc..) was lost as we changed templates. Sadly, i can't find the page that taught us how to do that hack, and i just don't know where to put the code. Maybe we will figure it out. However, having a completely personalized blog makes me happier than a personalized comment section. We hope you enjoy the new look too! It brings me calmness and inspiration. Still working on it though!

This weekend Chris and Mary (Dave's mom and dad) are coming to visit. We are so excited to 'show off' Corrina to them. Yes, they already LOVE her tons, but she has sooo many new tricks they have never seen! Come quickly mom and dad!!

Dave earned a new name: The prickly Pirate (for those of you who don't know he likes pirate games, and i do too!), but he quickly lost his name and has now been christened as Captain No Beard (yes, all this stemming from his prickly, itchy whiskers)!

Have a FINE day!
Oh, pictures.. let's see:
This is dave all suited up with Corrina in the Cuddly Wrap! She loves to sleep through church in this thing, and it ensures her a good two hour nap!

Everyone has such lovely gardens this summer to show off, but we live in a porchless apartment. I thought i would share pictures of our 'garden' with you anyways!

Why do I love the interenet?

Oh! Let me count the ways!

Star Wars, in 30 seconds, re-enacted by bunnies.

(requires flash)

-D

Just a little clarification....

Just so we ALL know....

Electron Microscope


























"Electrical Microscope"




















Note, if you will, the subtle differences. You may, for example, see the difference in size between to two. You may also noticed the plug protruding from the second, indicating that it indeed is an electrical microscope. With a keen eye you may even see that one is, in fact, real, while the other tends to be, as it were, not.

Steel Venom

Our favorite ride at Valley fair was called steel venom! With feet dangling you sit tightly starpped in in multiple ways (first sign that the ride is going to be a good one!) Before you even have time to notice you are being blasted forward at a high speed that took you by surprise. You shoot staright up a tower that twists as it climbs. Then you travel backwards, through the starting point and straight up another pole that doesn't twist. You reach the top and vooommm you are moving forward again to the other twisty pole, faster this time, and high too. Vaaammm, Backwards toward the straight pole, only this time there is a BIG THUNK (which freaks you half to death if you are Janie and hadn't been watching the ride before boarding it, and therefore didn't know what was coming!). Instead of moving foward toward the pole again you are stuck, facing completely forward. You whole body jerks as the ride that was moving at very hgih speeds suddenly comes to a halt. I slipped foward in my seat, my chest pressing hard again the strong straps and my stomache pushing against the tightly( or so one hopes!) fastend waist belt! "Oh, i am going to fall out and die. The ride is stuck. I want down. If i fall then at least i will hit the..." Voooooooommmm we are on our way down, and the only damage done is that my bottom has moved a few inches forward in the seat. One more time up the twisty pole and we are finished.
When we first got off the ride Bre and Ernie were waiting with Baby Corrina for us. After watching us ride, they weren' sure if they would brave it. Through much elation and shaking hands and trembling voice (yes, i was physically shaking), we convinced them that although it is a rush, it is harmless and a great time!
We went on this ride twice, and that was all we could handled. Of course the two rides were spaced hours apart, for one can only handle so much shaking.
Here's the Proof:
this is only one half of the ride!

This movie doesn't capture the "halt" the ride comes to, but believe me, it was intense!

Trip Highlights:

-Roller Coasters
-Ikea
-The biggest, comfiest, leatheriest, softess, reclining chairs i have EVER sat in. Honestly, i have never been so comfortable in my whole life. In a theater room in the house we stayed in there were 8 of these chairs. Large screen, candy, friends, and heavenly leather chairs!!! drool, drool
-Special moments with bre and ernie (without electrical microscopes!), oh, and apples
-Talking about life and love
-Beyond Balderdash
-Air conditioning
-more roller coasters!!!!!!!!
-Mall of america

So, here we are at a sign! Yup, just a lunch break at a sign
Cotton Candy at 25 cents. Can't go wrong!
Waiting in line is fun! (actualy, the longest line we waited in was about 15 minutes, and it was the Ferris Wheel. Funny!)
Corrina was in her stroller ALOT. She did amazingly well. She hardly made a peep during our car rides, mall day, and amusement park adventure.
If you look really closely in the background you can tell that we are up up up in the air, on Corrie's first ride: The Ferris Wheel!


Dave bought me some bread. I have to go eat it now!
Janie

Rolling Pin

Our house is full of new baby moving action! Corrie, after weeks of trying, can roll over from her back to her front. Last night was her first official roll. She was in the crib, naked, and i was getting her towel for bath time. When i turned around she was on her tummy! Today there has been no end to her movement. I have put her back to the far corner of her blanket so many times, and she keeps ending up over by my feet! I love it!

Here is a little photo preview of our mini-holiday. Dave and i will write about it later!

"It is not what we learn in conversation that enriches us. It is the elation that comes of swift contact with tingling currents of thought." -Agnes Repplier

Another quick article, in need of critique

No, this is not an update on our recent trip. It is however a chance for you to read and critique another article for me. This is meant to be put on a poster to be hung in and around our church, addressed to young people. Please let me know what you think.

-Dave

How to Go to Church: 10 simple things YOU can do to make going to church easier, more fun, and best of all more meaningful.

1. Get enough sleep Saturday Night. You’ll never connect with what’s going on if you’re falling asleep. You don’t have to go to bed at 8:00pm or anything, but try to make sure you have enough sleep behind you to be alert, not just semi-conscious.

2. Sit with Friends. You love spending time with your friends, so go ahead. Pretty much everything is more fun with your friends around. After all, church is about community, right? If you don’t have friends at the service, bring one with you!

3. Get involved. Life is more interesting if you get involved. So join a group, commit as a volunteer, and get into it. If you don’t see anything in the church that you want to be a part of, then START something that you would want to belong to. Church is a lot more than just Sunday morning.

4. Start taking things personally. God is interested in you and your life. He wants more than you bum in the pew--He wants you to get to know Him and for you to trust Him. A church service is a great opportunity to connect with God personally. Take advantage of that.

5. Get to know people.

6. Sing the songs. Even if you don't know them. Even if you don’t think you can sing. Especially if you don’t think you can sing.

7. Enjoy yourself. Smile. Stop worrying if you look “cool” or not and just relax. This is a church. It’s the last place people should be judging you.

8. Engage yourself in the service. Listen to the sermon, and think about it. Do you agree or disagree with what’s being said? Ask someone else what they thought about the service, and how it impacts your life (or how it doesn’t). Listen to the prayers, and think about what the world would be like if God answered them. Engage your mind and your heart.

9. Realize that you need the church. Going to church and being a part of the community is an important part of having a personal relationship with God.

10. Realize that the Church needs YOU. You have a responsibility to this church as a member of the community. It is your duty to show up, to take part, and to be who God made you to be. People are depending on you. Now what are you going to do about it?

Recently a survey went out to our church members about Youth ministry, and they all said that they want to see YOU, the young people, as a part of the church. They want you to be involved. They want to get to know you, because you matter to them.

doof Tnrub

I said i would make scones for our upcoming road trip. I found a great Honey Date scone recipie, and made it, following to the T! Then i put them in the oven at the temp and time suggested, and they came out looking like this:

Arrrg. Since i had run out of milk i decided to try a different scone recipe that called for sour cream. I added honey instead of sugar, and put in dates again. But, since honey is a liquid sweetner i forgot to add less sour cream and just ended up adding more flour. I thought they would work, but they are taking forever to Bake! They are wet on the inside.

I think life can sometimes be like these fricken scones. You have the perfect recipe and it is working so well, except in the end it burns. Plus, you can't make another batch because you run out of milk. in the words of my friend Nap D. "gooosshh"

Stupid scones.

No worries, i am already having a better day! I just had a little venting to do.
Catch our trip tales next week.

Great song, thought I'd share

Just thought I'd give y'all a heads up about a great track on the radio right now. Ben Folds has apparently done a rerecording of Rockin the Suburbs featuring none other than WILLIAM SHANTER as "Bill" the disgruntled neighbour! If you haven't heard it, go over to itunes or something and check it out! Or, since you're probaly not going to do that, here are the lyrics. Enjoy!

Rockin’ The Suburbs (feat. William Shatner)

Let me tell y'all what it's like
Watching idol on a friday night
In a house built safe and sound
On indian burial ground
Sham On

We drive our cars everyday
To and from work both ways
So we make just enough to pay
To drive our cars to work each day

We're rocking the suburbs
Around the block just one more time
We're rocking the suburbs
Cause I can't tell which house is mine
We're rocking the suburbs
We part the shades and face facts
They got better looking Fescue
Right across the cul de sac

Hotwheels take rising stars
Get rich quick seminars
Soap opera magazines
40,000 watt nativity scenes
Don't freak about the smoke alarm
Mom left the TV dinner on

Yet we're rocking the suburbs
From family feud to Chevy Chase
We're rocking the suburbs
We numb the muscles in our face
We're rocking the suburbs
Feed the dog and mow the lawn
Watching mommy balance the checks
While daddy juggles credit cards

Hi, sorry to bother you
The name's Bill
I live just across the street
Yeah that's right over there
No, no not that house, the one next to it with the extra flower bed
Oh, and here's all your papers from the last few days, they were just piling up on the driveway where the...whole neighborhood could see them
Not that that's a problem of course
But that and the grass being a little overgrown
Might give someone the impression that you Were out of town
And you wouldn't want that
I've got to be going shortly to a little
class I've been attending I just...
No, no, no, no not pottery or anything like that it's uh...
An ANGER MANAGEMENT class
Actually,
and speaking of that very class
They've been emphasising finding some common ground
With people before you confront them
to avoid becoming violent, you know?
Well actually we do have a few things in common
Here could you take these papers
They're getting my suit wet
and as I was saying
we do live on the same cul-de-sac
That's common ground
and I believe we actually have the same house plan, except the reverse, your garage is on the left and mine's on the...
No, it wasn't me that dialled 911 at 6:31pm Wednesday about your son's noisy rock band
anyway it's about your dog
And of course about our garbage
And the neighbor's garbage can
No, I'm sorry it is your dog
Who's been strewing garbage around the block
And I have digital evidence
Complete with red eye reduction
which I will e-mail to you
to prove that it is in fact your dog
Now, I should warn you that I have a black belt in in karate too
and I'm certainly don't mind using it if necessary
No, not on you man
ON...YOUR...STINKING...DOG

We're rocking the suburbs
Everything we need is here
We're rocking the suburbs
But it wasn't here last year
We're rocking the suburbs
You'll never know when we are gone
Because the timer lights come on
And turn the cricket noises on each night
Yeah, yeah, we're rocking the suburbs
Yeah, yeah, we're rocking the suburbs

-D

Corrina and Friends

Corrie has had some visitors the last little while and i have pictures to prove it!

Here is Corrie and Aunty Candace (who just wrote her RN examine and now is an official Nurse at the Neo-natal intensive care unit, the place where you don't want your baby to go! Way to go Candace!)
Then we have Naniya, our wonderful friend from College (well, she was in seminary at the time, but we were in college!). This was her first time meeting Corrina and i think they fell in love!
Here is the star of our show, grabing her feetsies, and giving me her new patented "what is that silver thing you keep pointing at me" look. "I'm not smiling for that!"
The little green linen pants are my very own creation! I cut apart a pair of her too-small pants, traced them, added inches, worried that i had no clue what i was doing (because i didn't) and magically came up with these comfy summer pants for corrie! And all for free because they are made from my left over skirt material! Can't beat that price. Oh, and i love ricrac on baby clothes, so of course the finishing touch was a wavy trim!
After about 20 minutes of photo taking Corrina got comfy with the camera and started to talk to it. If you have heard her lately you know that her talking sorta sounds like "baaing". We ask her what a sheep says, and she can tell us! So technically she is baaaing at the camera! In this photo she is sporting her new dress made with love by Aunty Heather, the master of the sewing world. You can't see it in this photo but it has a beautiful vintage eyelet lace trim! I have never seen anyone wip up so many creations, so beautifully, in such a short time. She has such an eye for color and design. have you met her and all her wonderful clothes? Looking into her closet is like staring at the most brilliant and beautiful kaleidoscope! Thanks Heather!
This weekend we get to adventure into the melting pot for a few days of fun and shopping. We are going to hit all the hot spots: Mall of America (highlight: lego land), Valley fair (highlight: hanging upside down on anything!), Ikea (highlight: ikea stuff!), Target, and maybe a science museum. And the best part is spending time with our good friends Bre and Ernie, in a car, with lots of good music.
Any Road-trip-with-baby tips from you parents who have done this?

You are a pizza!

Giggling!

I absolutely fill with joy when i hear Corrina giggle.
Be sure to scroll down and see the other things we have posted today!

adios

Winnipeg Children's Festival

Now that we have a child we can frequent such events as "the Winnipeg International Children's Festival". Of course this was more for Dave and me than Corrina at this point, but we want to make a habit of taking her out and about!

In the morning we saw a wonderful children's poet/story teller, Sheree Fitch, who shared some of her books. Lots of tongue twisters! It was a great start to the day.

Next we went to see a show by a performer named Al Simmons. He was amazing! His songs were hilarious, and his performance was so entertaining and had us laughing and singing along. One of his songs is about how when you go to see performers they always make the audience participate. The song went:

"Don't make me sing along,
don't make me sing along,
when you perform your song, please
do it on your own,
leave the audience alone,
Keep the entertainment on the stage. Because
That's where it belongs
Keep the houselights low
I'm not in the show
Don't make me sing along."

And of course he had a giant print out of the lyrics, and had everyone singing along! It was too much! he had a pointer and everything and ran into the audience and sang with people. I loved it!

Wow, if you ever ever have a chance to see him GOOOO! At the end of his set he sang a song about being a 'gypsy sock' that wanted to escape. He ended by running to the back of the tent (where we were nicely sitting with out little baby, out of all the kids way..) because he was the gypsy sock running away from the sock drawer. He proceeded to climb ontop of a wire garbage can and balance himself while singing. Then he admitted that he couldn't get down and beckoned Dave over to him. Dave was wearing Corrina in the cuddly wrap (strapped to the front of his chest... sleeping), and Al started climbing onto his back! It was awesome! Then he told dave "take me to the stage", so dave made his way through crowds of laughing children, while carrying Al (50 year old, skinny, but very tall), and Corrina on his front! A shinning moment. Of course Corrina woke up and had a look at everyone from the stage!

*Dave's 2 cents*
I had to add a few more things about Al, because after all it was me that made Janie go back and watch him a second time! Al was great because he was big and falmboiant and loved what he was doing. He had a 3-piece suit that turned into a bagpipe-players uniform and he had hats that shot water and popped open and inflated! He also had a crazy Trumpet contraption on which he played "the entire 1812 overture, including the all churchbells and the cannon fire" --what he didn't mention is that his one instrument also added water guns, a slide wistle, confetti and a little flag! And any show with an streamer-shooting rainbow trout is great by me!
You can check out www.alsimmons.com for lots of fun stuff and a few song downloads! Make sure you look up "IM4U" and the Swimsuit Calendar!

*Back to Janie*
After that show we saw Sharon and Bram (Lois doesn't tour anymore). They sang all my fav's: peanut butter jelly, the wheels on the bus, the elephant song, skinnamarinky..., walk right in sit right down baby let your mind roll on... etc.. etc..! it was awesome! We just sang along.

We missed Fred penner because we had to get lunch, but we saw a few of his songs. And to end the day we saw Charlotte Diamond, who sang songs i didn't even know i knew.. but when she began to sing my childhood memories kicked in! "Four hugs a day that's the minimum, 4 hugs a day, not the maximum" I went to tons of these things as a child, but this was Dave's FIRST festival! he had a wonderful time! Can't wait for Folk Fest, and Fringe Fest... and i know there are others... !!!

Wow, lots of writing. We forgot our camera, so no pics.
Saturday we had a church picnic at Brid's hill provincial park so we were 45 minutes from home out in the bushes for all of the day! It was fun, not too huge, but we came home with sunburns(not Corrie, just dave and i). Dave tossed and turned all night because of his burning arms. You see, it was so cloudy when we left and the weather forcast did not mention that it would actualy be sunny yesterday, so we just weren't prepared. Alas the sun came out, dave was wet from playing many games with youth and children, and the sun hit him hard. Boo. But, now we are ready for summer and have put a permanent bottle of sunscreen in the diaper bag and car!

it is now sunday. Our church Celebrated Trinity Sunday, a special day to learn about the trinity and celebrate God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. We also had hotdog sunday and love winnipeg, so we are very tired and are hiding for the evening even though there is another church event we are suppose to be going to. We told everyone they don't want us there because we will just be grumpy!
Dave is taking a nap (Corrina too!) and i am cleaning (actualy relaxing for me!) Tonight is our downtime because we have been busy every day and evening since tuesday! Wowzers.

Have a super night everyone. We sure will!
Janie

Hooks and Shelf

We finally have 'completed' Corrina's room! She now has lovely hooks to hang her hoodies on, and i have hooks and a shelf to put special items on! I am excited! Thanks Dave for putting them up for us.


Magical: Corrina has been going down for naps on her own! I just put her in her crib and leave, and KAZAM, she is asleep! It is so thrilling and i am finally getting alot of time to myself, thus my mood has improved, and our dinners have improved too!

I am working on putting up a little video of Corrina giggling, but i can't seem to load it at the moment, but keep your eyes open!

Lately i have had some wonderful visits and chats on the phone with some friends. It has felt so great to talk about things that interest me. It has also helped me to recall all the wonderful things i learned in college and other courses. This is important to me because i studied with a career in mind, and i do not want to lose that valuable info and have to retake courses i have already done. It is good to feel useful!


That's it for now!

This post have been rated PG-13 by Some People who know what's best...

Interesting article I found over at www.thinkchristian.net "Is Christianity Anti-Sex

Love to hear your thoughts.
-D

Twist Tonguer

Have you ever come up with a Tongue Twister? I have! I did so on my way to work this morning!
I was a little tiny, baby bug crawling on a tree stump, and tried to say

"Little Baby Lady Bug"

but couldn't spit it out! I tried it three times fast and it just got worse! Okay, but now as I write it out, I'm having no trouble saying it. Crap. Oh well, try it for yourself.

Peace out, Napolepon.
-Dave

Saturday Night Fever...

minus the polyester and disco dancing. Things were still hot, but not as hot as John Travolta in the 1977 disco classic!
In my case it was just my head that was hot. My saturday night fever was not fun. I have not had a bad cold like this in a very long time. Sure, i get colds all the time, but they are the usual sore throat, runny nose variety. This cold came on strong! It started friday afternoon, and by evening I had the worst sinus headache i have ever experienced. Dave was out at Youth and i sat on the bed in agony wishing that i was in labour instead. EEEk. I eventually remebered i could take tylenol while breastfeeding, and the problem went away. But, soon to follow was my 'saturday night fever.' I had dellusions the entire night about "the right pillow" and i could not sleep because my pillow was not the right shape, size, softness, material, electrical (it is hard now to recall these pathological beliefs that i held at the time, but i am sure if you asked me in the moment i would have been quite convinced that there really was a whole world of pillow madness out there that was effecting my sleep in a very negative way, and reason would not have swayed me.)! So i tossed and turned and evntualy me and a new pillow (that i either found on the floor or perhaps stole from under dave's head) ended up at the foot of the bed. Corrina slept well, in that she only woke up once that night, which allowed me to actually get the rest i needed, once i solved the pillow problem that is.
I am mostly better now, although still stuffy in the nose and froggy in the throat! And man, did i look bad the whole weekend. The hair on my head was sticking out here and there (imagine your own animated gestures), kleenex littered the entire house, sniff sniff, blow blow were the sweet sounds that filled the air, and although i couldn't smell it myself, the house smelled like 'sick', as dave kept informing me (a combination of sweaty Janie, dirty catbox, baby poo, wet dishcloth, and garlicy garbage.) We have since remedied the smell and now if you visit us you will enjoy the tantalizing aroma of vanilla, wafting from our glade plug in!
Have i helped you to enjoy the experience! I hope so!

Dave a had great friday night Youth group! Lots of youth, lots of games, lots of noise, lots of fun! We had a splendid potluck last night with our friends! We ate GREAT food: carrot bananna raisin curry (don't know the 'name of the recipie), haitian eggplant goodness (again, nameless), excellent accident-rice (too much cardamom was a good thing!), hummus, and rockin moroccan stew! Yum Yum Yum!

I just realized that Dave posted something, must have been from work, just a few minutes ago. If i post this, i will have over-blogged him, and he doesn't like that. Soooo, if you are reading this, you should keep going and read the post under here too!


-Janers

Please allow me a few moments of Geeking Out

Okay, I just have to say, Ernie and I had the BEST game of Pirates of the Spanish Main the other day! It’s a tabletop game where you build funky little ships – Square rigs, galleys, schooners and the like – and set sail for Gold and Glory!

I love any game that lets you explore different strategies of play, plus this one has PIRATES! How cool are PIRATES?!

So anyway, we started out with different fleets, and both approached the game very differently. Ships were boarded and commandeered, wild islands were explored and canon smoke filled the kitchen as we both raced for treasure. We both had our casualties with neither player was really coming out ahead. Then Ernie’s ships set a quick course for home with enough treasure to win the game when all of a sudden one of my ships boarded his and stole JUST enough gold to hinder his victory. I then sunk his other ship along with its gold, when Ernie stole MY ship, loaded with MY gold including the stolen booty I had taken from him! By this point my remaining ships had formed a make-ship blockade around his home island, attempting to block his final run. My dwindling fleet fired at his lone incoming ship, wounding but not sinking her.

So there we are. All the ships are either gathered around Ernie’s home base, or are belly up on the bottom of Davy Jones’ locker. It’s my turn. If I sink his ship (with a ship in tow, both loaded with gold) I win. If I miss and he takes his turn, he gets his ship home with enough gold to win. I have one roll of the die to sink his ship. A roll of 1, 2, or 3, and I miss. A roll of 4 or higher and I win. Can you feel the tension?

Man, I love a good game. Anyone who wants to play Pirates (or just about any other strategy game – I’m a sucker for the genre) just let me know. But be ye warned, there’s ner’ye a sailor survived a match with Captain NoBeard!

Recent Article

'Ello all.

I recent wrote an article for our Church Newsletter, and I thought I'd get y'all's opinion. It's written primarily for youth and children, so I realize that there is the occasional senctence fragment and such, but just look past that if you could. Let me know what you think.


Getting
by Dave Colvinson

Has this ever happened to you? You’re out shopping or flipping through a magazine or surfing the internet, and suddenly you see something – it could be anything. A new this, a better that – and you want it! Your eyes get big! You heart starts to pump! And you think “Ooo! I’d like to have THAT!”

Often times when I see something that catches my eye, I start thinking about it. A lot. I think about when I can get it, where I can get it, and what I can do with it. I start making excuses about why I should get it. I just get excited about getting! And sometimes I think about the Bible and how it says that Giving is good, right? And while it’s better to give than to receive, every giver means there has to be a receiver, right? Why shouldn’t that receiver be me?

Does this sound familiar? Do you like Getting as much as I do? If so, maybe you’ve noticed the same problem that I have. It seems that no matter how great something looks in the store, no matter how much fun it is once I get it, eventually the excitement wears off. After a while my eye starts to wander to newer and better things, convinced that this time they will hold my attention. But the stuff I’ve longed for never seems to satisfy.

Where has all the getting got me? Why was I so excited to get it if I’ll just end up needing more? Sometimes I want to get stuff because I’m bored or because I feel upset about something, and the getting makes me feel better. I want to forget my troubles and I want that excitement of getting again. But if getting doesn’t satisfy, then what am I doing?

Here’s my point. I’m not suggesting that you or I should renounce all belongings. I’m not telling you to sell all you have, go live in a tree, and live off honey and locust. That may work for some people, but that’s probably a little extreme. But I am suggesting this: before you buy something/get something/obsess over something, just ask yourself “Why?” It’s a revolutionary thought! If there’s one thing our culture doesn’t teach, it’s restraint in purchasing. But think about it. Just add one step to your purchasing process, think before you get, and maybe someday you won’t need so much anymore.

I want to share a verse from Luke on the subject of getting. In this passage Jesus is talking about a man who has much in life – so much that he doesn’t know what to do with it all – and then dies. Boom. And just like that, it’s all over. “a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God.” Luke 15:21. I don’t know about you, but I do not want to end up like that guy! I’d like to let go of my stuff, and spend more time and energy on things that matter. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not there yet. But hey, I’m working on it.