My Dad

 Hello Friends,

I was meant to be showing you my kitchen last week but our lives got turned upside down when my dad was taken to emergency quite ill, with extremely low hemoglobin.  The doctors searched for where he might be bleeding out and did an emergency surgery to remove a tumour from his colon.  He is stable now but we are not sure yet of his prognosis...the extent of his cancer or what his future will look like.  My siblings and I are now caring full time for my mom who has dementia. 

So many unknowns.  So many decisions to be made. 

We're so thankful that we have a God whose plan is perfect and we're extremely grateful for friends and family who are so supportive.   

80 years old in May 2014

So while caring for my mom in Kenora, 

I did what any sensible person does when they're stressed out.

I organized.

Before

After

I will have lots of back and forth to Kenora now so my blogging life may not be regular.  I will try hard to get my February THINGS I DO NOT LOVE put together though. 

Please pray for my dad and my mom and for our family as we negotiate this new normal. 

Birthday Hiatus

This girl and I share back to back birthdays.  

Today is my turn and I am currently asleep.  

I will return when birthday sleeping is over.

Rugs in the Kitchen...REALLY.

Back in April I saw this kitchen and loved the rug.  

Then in May I read this comment about the rug.

Hmmmm.  That kinda made me want a rug in my kitchen even more.

But stubbornness aside, this next kitchen clinched it.  

I love it.  

So, let me show you my new rug!  

Except I'm a bit behind.  

Do you move more slowly in January?  

I just want to crawl in bed and watch t.v. forever in weather like this.  

Anyway, I'll show ya my new look next week!

Ikea Baskets

I saw these baskets in a magazine awhile back and was so surprised they came from Ikea.

Cute!  

They come in 32 cm for $5.99 or 50 cm for $12.99.  

Choose from 3 colours or natural finish.

Perfect for some January organizing!

Free Room Refresh

 My oldest has his first high school exams this month so I decided a room refresh might enhance his study process.  I know I can focus better in a peaceful space.

Before

One way to refresh a room with zero cost and minimal time is to simply rearrange.  My goal in this endeavour was to give Jake a new look and to tidy up the space.  Often there are many ways a room can be laid out, and there is no right or wrong configuration.  

After

This project took me about 2 1/2 hours and Jake was thrilled with the result.

Do you have a room you'd like to freshen up?  

Go for it!  What do you have to lose?

Slacker...or Shirker??

Happy New Year! 

I'm not much for resolutions but I do try to choose a devotional plan 

each year that I feel I can stick with.

Last year I did Jesus Calling.

I loved it, and not cause it's turquoise.  It's such a beautiful devotional.

So I plan to use it again but I know I need more so I'd been thinking about adding a 

Read Through the Bible Plan.  

I did one a few years back and it was a great experience, but it was really intense which I do not quite feel up to at the moment.  Happily, Darla reminded me about the Shirkers and Slackers Plan that our church gave out last spring.

It's fabulous!!

Here's what I love - instead of ticking off the reading for a specific date, you read by the day of the week.  So, if say, one Friday you end up missing your reading, you can just skip to Saturday the next day without having to catch up.  I also love how the readings are divided by categories so there is variety in what you cover each week.  If you haven't started anything for 2015, I encourage you to give it a go!  And the best part...you're not behind even though it's the 5th.  

Just print it out and start on Monday's reading.  

Bible Reading Program for Slackers and Shirkers