June in ten photos

Life is busy these days and the poor blog has been neglected in the busyness.
So we had the idea of compiling some photos that best describe life in each month this summer.

Without further ado, I present to you June:

Fashionable People

We wake up in the morning to music for our alarm, specifically CKUA radio.  Sometimes we hear songs that we really like and tell ourselves (with a early morning groggy mind) that we're going to look up what we hear because we like it.  Well, most of the time it doesn't happen, but this morning I heard something I really liked, so I did actually look it up, and I'm glad.  On a side note, does anyone think the main singer looks and acts like Dusty?

Dads

 

My daughter has a wonderful Daddy.

Pentecost and Beyond

Sunday was Pentecost and thus begins six months of Ordinary Time in the church calendar.

But ordinary time began much earlier by my reckoning. Life has been very full, routine and rhythmic for the past month.

Babies;
Laundry and dishes and diapers and cleaning and cooking;
Pushing hard to complete the renovation project;
Soccer;
Building flowerbeds and garden space and watching seeds grow;
Various volunteer projects;
Mornings and evenings, weekdays and weekends, mealtimes and bedtimes.

My devotional talks about the importance of living in community during this long season of "ordinary time." However, we have yet to establish a clear community such as we had in our previous home.

Too, Luke talks (in quite a Socialist manner, I would argue) about the early believers living in community, selling their property and possessions and giving their money to those who needed it. 

"They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord's supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity" (Luke 2:46).

We haven't found a tight and trusting community such as Luke describes....but then we haven't really searched for it. We've spent a lot of time lately evaluating our beliefs and have come to the conclusion that many churches overcomplicate Christ's command...and for that and various other reasons, we have been slow to become involved in a church again.

Love your God with all your heart, and love your neighbour as yourself.
That is what Jesus commanded, and that is what I hope for this six months.

Our summer offers so many opportunities
for connecting with individuals around us,
for enjoying God's creation,
for teaching little E about the beautiful world we live in.

I intend to bask in the beauty that is Ordinary Time peaceful routine...
to dwell in my community
and, as Luke recorded,
to share meals with great joy and generosity.

Play Work

A sunny warm day

A front porch

A bucket of water (just like Mama's)

A washing rag (just like Mama's)

Something to wash ("dirty" clothespins)

Much soggy wet fun "work" for two little girls.

Sunshine on our shoulders...

...makes us happy indeed.
Makes the plants grow,
Makes the diapers dry,
and makes for lovely outdoor playtime.

Delicious and...nutritious?

Mama and E spent Saturday afternoon out weeding and digging flowerbeds, 

during which E developed a taste for dirt.

Mudpies, mudsoup, mud fights all still to come.

Or do those only occur if you have three brothers?

Tactile Textiles

After way too long, I finally collected my sewing machine last night and started a new project. I was also bestowed with a huge wonderful inheritance of fabric from a dear seamstress relative, which I've been going through and organizing. E decided this morning that she should contribute to the [dis]organization and examine the material for herself.

Struggling through Lent

To be honest, Lent was a real challenge this year.

I struggled to care.
Struggled to remain awake.
Struggled to remain engaged with the world.

I realized that it's easier to give something up for Lent then to add something. To give something up doesn't require thought or imagination. You just give it up--eliminate it. To decide to add something takes far more energy. And I'm going to say my Lenten "addition" was a bit of a failure. I was relieved for Lent to come to an end.

If anything, Lent this year made me realize just how  ugly, selfish and miserly I/mankind can be. This season of Lent felt dark and cruel. This feeling was echoed by my devotions. As I moved through the Gospel accounts, I was struck most of all by the sense of foreboding Christ must have experienced. He knew what was coming. He knew his friends would abandon him; that the crowds would turn against him. And he carried onward, traveled down that road of palm branches, towards that utter darkness and despair, because of that eternal light and joy on the other side.

And now, Easter has arrived. Christ has risen.

So, I continue to strive.
Strive to choose light.
To love actively.
Seek out and maintain friendships, rather than turtle myself inwards.
To seek God and faith and church.
To take a stand, put myself out there and not fear failure or judgement.

He is risen indeed.

Pascha

The Easter weekend--the Triduum--Pascha--has come and gone in a flash, much like Christmas usually does. In some ways I feel like it went too fast; that I missed it.

But at the same time Christ's sacrifice became meaningful to me in a way I'd never felt before.
B and I also had some really good discussions on what kind of Easter traditions we want to establish for our family.
And, even though we didn't actually observe or celebrate exactly my ideal, we at least noticed the Holy Week.

Maundy Thursday
Good Friday
Holy Saturday
Easter Sunday

Each of these days are significant and integral to the Paschal celebration. My devotional book talks about ways to observe each day, and in future years I hope to do more. We succeeded in going to a Good Friday service, spending some quiet time thinking and talking about the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ, dyeing eggs, eating Hot Cross buns, going to an Easter Sunday service, celebrating with family.

In the future, I'd like to do something for Maundy Thursday, to celebrate Passover like Christ did at the Last Supper and to note this final time Jesus had with his followers prior to his arrest. My sister-in-law's church did a Passover meal with specific liturgy and verses to explore this event. I'd like to participate in something like that.

I'd like to make hot cross buns on Holy Saturday.

I'd like to observe the sunrise on Easter morning...either at a church service or by myself. Last year we participated in a sunrise service on the top of Nose Hill. It was cold and beautiful and meaningful, especially listening to the voices and instruments of people throughout the hills, celebrating Christ's resurrection just as we were.

The biggest thing I took away from this Paschal season is the assurance that while there is much I don't understand about the Christian faith, I choose wholeheartedly to believe in the resurrection of Christ.

Alleluia! He is risen!
He is risen indeed.

I Inherited My Grandmother's Knitting Needles

Palm Sunday

Yesterday was Palm Sunday, marking the triumphant entry of Christ into Jerusalem before his crucifixion. It is a day of celebration of God's power and glory. As one writer explains, it is a day on which we should "sing with exuberance and wince with foreboding." Interestingly, "Hosanna" the phrase used by the many people celebrating Christ's arrival in Jerusalem, means "Save, I pray."

We went to a Baptist church yesterday where the fact that it was Palm Sunday was mentioned only once--in passing during the beginning worship. No songs celebrating this; no sermon explaining it; no liturgy acknowledging it. This frustrates me. Even if secular society doesn't understand the importance of Easter, churches should. We build up Christmas to huge heights, anticipating it, building worship services around it weeks in advance. But the Sunday before THE most important event in Christian liturgy goes more or less unnoticed? This is the day on which Christ knowingly walked towards his death--for our sake.

May we acknowledge Christ's suffering and triumph in our hearts this week.


Hosanna, Christ Jesus our Savior.

To Vegreville and Back

We love taking the back roads of Alberta, seeing sights and landscape and history that we wouldn't otherwise see. On Sunday we drove up to Vegreville (2.5 hours away) and back, taking slightly different routes for each direction.

We drove through

Ponoka

Hobbema

Wetaskawin

Gwynne

Camrose

Holden

Vegreville

Camrose (yes, a second time)

Ferintosh

Mirror

And these are just the towns we drove through, not by.

 

 

It was a lovely day, and we came home richer by photographs, memories and one second hand double stroller.

Rebuilding Vegreville Alliance Church

Yesterday we went to the dedication service for a church design project B worked on. Very cool to see the finished building for a project B spent many hours on. Specifically, at 2:10 in the video you can see the 3D rendering B did. Cool, hey? I'm very proud of him.

As an aside, we "met" (well, saw up close) Ed Stelmach at the service.

Season for Sunshine and Seeding

I would, in fact

I would, in fact, like to be better about posting regularly.

I would, in fact, like to finish the pair of socks I'm knitting. 

Just the tying off to go on sock #1.

I would, in fact, like my camera back. 

Those silly Canon guys didn't fix it properly, and now I am DSLR-less again.

I would, in fact, like to start working on a tan on my pasty legs. 

As soon as Elspeth wakes up, we're going OUTSIDE.

I would, in fact, like to get some seeds started. 

I just need some more soil. 

Why, you ask, has it been so long since I posted last? Part of the answer stems from the darkness/clouds/snow we had for a week and a half.
Too.
Long.
No.
Sunshine.
My brain shut down. Seasonal Affective Depression is no fun at all.

The lack of camera is a bit of a downer too.

But the sun is SHINING.
I have rubber boots for all my splashing needs.
E's room is done.
And I'm going to start planting seeds tomorrow.

OH: If you come to visit, bring your rubber boots.
You'll need them to get from the sidewalk to the front door.
And I'll knit you a pair of socks if you come wearing rubber boots with smiley faces on the bottom.

Knitting

It's a bit of an ugly snowy day/week here and E and I are a bit cranky. 

To keep herself busy, E decided that perhaps it was a good day to start a knitting project.

However, unfortunately, she discovered that she'd bitten off more than she could chew--happens to the best of us sometimes. 

The project was a little too complicated and required more brainpower and energy than she had.

So she decided to take a nap instead.

Possession

Possession by A.S. Byatt

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I can't remember the last time I read a book that both challenged me intellectually AND was a page turner. It's fiction and yet it is not. It is a classic Victorian novel, and yet it is not. It is poetry and prose; detective fiction and romance and history.



Byatt is brilliant. As another reviewer commented, you immediately get a sense of just how smart she is (Cambridge educated). Her grasp and explanation of literary criticism is thorough...it really forced me to call to mind everything I learned way back during my English degree. But she does not shove the various theories (ie. those of Lacan, Derrida etc) down your throat, they simply flow out of the story.



And the characters. I love a story with well-developed characters, and this was no disappointment. While Byatt is good at describing them physically (fashion is sadly stuck in the 80s), she is even better at simply allowing the characters show who they are...their foibles and hang-ups and strengths.



I came across this book after discovering the movie. The movie did well in casting, but covers NONE of the depth of the story. This book should be made into a miniseries rather than attempting to cover it in two hours. And I would love to see that happen.



View all my reviews

Participation in Lent

Traditionally, one gives something up for the forty days of Lent, to sacrifice or go without in recognition of Christ's ultimate sacrifice.
Historically this meant meat, dairy, sugar, or for some days, food altogether. (On a related note, a good movie about a modern practice of Lent is Chocolat).
In years past, I've given up dessert, Facebook and television.

This year, however, as I thought about what I was going to give up, I had a hard time thinking of anything that would be both significant and achievable. My life these days is pretty quiet and simple, with not a lot of extraneous activity.

So I decided that this year, instead of giving something up, I would add something. To pick a quality that Christ exemplified and try to model that better in my day to day life.

You may ask, and what is it that you're going to do? And I will respond that you're going to be disappointed with my answer.
I'm not going to say.
It may seem like that's the easy way out, not telling anyone, because then there is no one to hold me accountable. But I'm accountable only to God and my conscience anyway. And besides that, I'm abiding by Christ's command regarding prayer:
"And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you."

My Lenten offering is not something "to be seen by men" but meant rather to be a quiet offering to God. (Well, not so quiet, since I'm blathering on about it here...)

Words

Sometimes songs say exactly what you are thinking, especially when you are not able to say it yourself.

When the rain is blowing in your face,

and the whole world is on your case,

I could offer you a warm embrace

to make you feel my love.

When the evening shadows and the stars appear,

and there is no one there to dry your tears,

I could hold you for a million years

to make you feel my love.

I know you haven't made your mind up yet,

but I would never do you wrong.

I've known it from the moment that we met,

no doubt in my mind where you belong.

I'd go hungry; I'd go black and blue,

and I'd go crawling down the avenue.

No, there's nothing that I wouldn't do

to make you feel my love.

The storms are raging on the rolling sea

and on the highway of regret.

Though winds of change are throwing wild and free,

you ain't seen nothing like me yet.

I could make you happy, make your dreams come true.

Nothing that I wouldn't do.

Go to the ends of the Earth for you,

to make you feel my love

to make you feel my love

Lengthen

I have learned that the word Lent comes from the Saxon word for length, 

which specifically denoted springtime. 

So, once again, the church calendar is specifically connected to the seasons in the natural world. 

This connection seems apropos considering the weather we have of late...

It's beginning to feel like--dare I say it--spring?? 

The snow is melting into giant puddles; the sun's strength means heavy winter coats and toques aren't necessary; little E took her afternoon nap outside.

Oatmeal

We thought she didn't like oatmeal...turns out she just wanted to feed herself.

Fat Tuesday and Beyond...

Our 'Fat Tuesday' [International Pancake Day] was a great success again.
The pancakes were delicious; the company was delightful.
We've been doing this tradition of celebrating Pancake Day for three or four years now. It's really rather silly and more of an excuse to eat a big delicious meal of pancakes than anything else. And we love it.

But it also gives me cause to stop and contemplate the day and season afterwards.

Lent. The forty or so days before Easter.

The Catholics count it from Ash Wednesday to Maundy Thursday; excluding Sundays, which equals thirty-eight days.
Some Protestants count from Ash Wednesday to Holy Saturday, equaling forty days.
The Orthodox Church counts from the Sunday seven weeks before Easter and go til Good Friday, also equaling forty days.
Regardless of the exact number of days, or of whether some days are excluded, or of when it starts or ends,
Lent is a time to stop
and quietly take stock of ourselves in relation to, and our response to, the sacrifice Jesus made.

As my devotional says,
"to embrace a spiritual gravity, 
a downward movement of soul, 
a turning from our self-sufficiency, 
and sinfulness."

Much more on this to come.

Through Her Lens

Saturday we picked up our long lost sad broken camera which is all fixed up like new! So now I have my own camera to use, which means I should be able to take many more pictures, and post many more pictures. This makes me very happy.

Many changes coming to our lives in the next month, with a little friend coming to play with E two days a week, and spring ever so slowly creeping up on us, meaning the coming of landscaping work and finishing the house exterior. There are always projects on the go around here.

And tomorrow is the last day before Lent. In other words, Mardi gras, Shrove Tuesday and International Pancake Day. Celebrations will be had. But I'm not sure what to do for Lent this year.