Fab Fridays!

I am in love with the new Zinnia print by Dwell Studios. I am actually considering having another child just so I could put this bedding in the nursery....well, maybe I won't go that far ;)

http://www.dwellstudio.com/designer-baby-boutique/nursery-bedding/zinnia-rose-crib-set.html

Haiti Update

If you haven't heard yet, Mike is going to Haiti in January. He will be there for just over a week with a construction and medical team from our church. Mike will be on the construction team. He will be putting the trusses and roof on a church. In countries like Haiti, churches are so much more than a place to worship. Mike will be putting the roof on a building that will sometimes give shelter, sometimes be a school, sometimes be a clinic and so on. I am so excited for him to have this experience.

How did we come to plan for this some of you may ask...well, to put it in short terms, God made it happen. To put it in longer terms, God told me in August when the team leaders asked Mike to come and he said "no thanks". This trip weighed on my heart for a few months when I went to one of the leaders and said that I believed Mike needed to go. They agreed so we set to work on Mike. Within a few days someone stepped forward with a $1000.00 donation for Mike to go. We were shocked since financially this trip was a big commitment and that was the main reason Mike was holding back. With $1000.00 it meant we only needed $500.00. That amount was manageable. Since that moment we have done a fair bit of fundraising to cover the remaining amount as well as contribute to other trip costs. The team as a whole needs to raise $19,000.00 beyond their $1500.00 to cover material costs, donations and medical supplies. We have been beyond blessed by donations and have raised well over $1000.00 at this point.

I truly believe that God wants Mike to be in Haiti. There is something special planned for Mike there and something special planned for the people of Haiti.

If you would like to make any donation or pass this info along please do not hesitate to contact me. I am incredibly thrilled at where we are at but there is still a lot to do.

anticipation...

It seems the defined changing of the season outside (snow) came with perfect timing today as it is also a day of political change for our city. Today is the day our new mayor, Naheed Nenshi, and several new alderman start their new jobs. I feel this joyous little sense of anticipation as I think about all the changes coming to our 'purple' city in the coming days. I hope our new mayor is supported, works hard and follows through on his promises. I truly believe he will continue to earn my vote.

Fab with an announcement...oooh!

My fab product of the week...

"Baby Guide to Calgary". I loved this book when I was pregnant and I loved it even more when I was in desperate search of child friendly places to check out. This book was chalk full of great tips on being a parent in our fair and beautiful city. This is a must have guide!

This fab product also comes with a bit of a fun announcement for me. I am going to be WAHMing it up with "Baby Guide to Calgary" I was just asked to be one of the researchers/writers for the third edition coming out summer 2011! I am really looking forward to expanding my skills in the wide world of Mom and being a part of something new and for me very fun. I will still be one of the smiling faces at bo bebe, I love working there so I will not be leaving anytime in the near or distant future. This is just another fun opportunity to throw onto the Mommy plate.

http://www.babyguidetocalgary.com/

Been there, dumped that!

I had a friend request on facebook recently from an old boyfriend. Out of curiosity and if I am being totally honest the need/want to show off my beautiful family, I accepted the request. After perusing some of his photos and seeing where he is at I am so thankful I dumped that. I actually dumped him as a friend almost right away realizing that I don't need to show off who I am or where I am at in life.

It is amazing to me how things can turn out. I am thankful I had that courage to wait for Mike. I am thankful God gave him to me when he did and I am thankful for the life we have together. While we have had some major ups and downs it seems that neither of us knows how to be without the other. We are deeply connected and seem to know how to crawl out of the bad times together.

I have debated sharing this but in the interest of being honest I am going to share with you all a bit of my story with Mike.

Mike and I met, married and got pregnant all before we had known each other a year. Just before our first anniversary we had our beautiful Evelyn. That first year of being a family of three was blissful. We had some hardships. We lost Mike's Dad suddenly to cancer and we had to navigate a life with baby while we were still in essence getting to know each other but we were happy and in love. Our second anniversary came with great celebration. We had a big year, it was worth celebrating. Our second year of marriage was a challenge. I was so deeply depressed and full of anxiety that I found myself losing all my bliss. Mike and I had horrible fights. The threat of divorce was openly made on more than one occassion. That time is still hard for me to think of. We went to Mexico last February and I actually considered suicide. Here we were on this amazing holiday and I was so lost that I didn't even want to live. Upon coming home Evelyn had her 18 month immunizations. The public health nurse was a close friend of ours. She asked me how I was doing and I broke down. I cried and cried in that little room. The nurse promptly sent me to the doctor where I was diagnosed with depression and anxiety. I am now on medication and learning how to take care of myself better so I don't get back to that dark place. All the while, Mike stood by me. Through all the fights, all the drama and all the tears he was perpetually there. Mike is calm and even. He has rarely lost his cool in the years we have been together and through all of the struggle and heartbreak I went through this last year he has been there. He has taken care of me. Mike and I have developed such a strong faith in each other and God that it seems at this point we can overcome all the challenges life gives us. In September we celebrated our third anniversary. Now that was an anniversary worth celebrating! We went away for a whole weekend together and had a wonderful time. It was so nice to just hangout in bed reading, eating leisurely meals together and walking around the mountains without any concern. That weekend was truly a joy and treat for us. It was the perfect way to celebrate all that we had overcome. On the drive home we both agreed that a few more days would be nice...but only if Evelyn would have been there for them :)

Late Fab Fridays

Well, it was a very busy weekend around here so I have hardly been on the computer. My Fab Friday this week is not so much a product as a person. Joy, from Captures Photography is an incredibly talented photographer and one of the MOST fabulous people I have had the privilege of knowing. This past weekend she did a fundraiser for my husband Mike's mission trip to Haiti and helped us to raise an incredible amount of money.

Joy spent her entire day Saturday taking family photos. She ran thirty minute sessions and charged $100.00/session. Included in that cost the family will get a disc with all the best images on it. Saturday was not a particularly warm day but still everyone showed up happily for their photos and not once did I hear Joy complain about any hint of cold or heavy camera equipment!

One of the many reasons I am claiming Joy as such a fabulous person is that at the end of the day she surprised us and gave us every penny from the day. The original agreement was that Joy would share the profits so we were overwhelmed with gratitude when she gave us all the money from the day. Because of Joy's generosity Mike has nearly paid for his portion of the trip!

I feel so blessed to have someone like Joy in my life :)

I will post more about Mike's trip in the coming days. I realize I haven't written about it on here.

Here is a link to Joy's website. I strongly encourage anyone reading this to book her for your next family photos.

www.captures.ca

Something funny

Saw this today, thought I would share.

Enjoy!

Fab Fridays!

Books that give back!

I love to read, my husband loves to read and Evelyn from a young age is already showing that love. I remember being in trouble growing up reading by my nightlight at 3 in the morning. Mike's story is not unlike mine. On countless nights we have gone into Evelyn's room before going to bed to find her buried in books sound asleep. Hmmmm, do you think this is genetic?? lol!

Barefoot Books are some of my faves. They have beautiful illustrations and wonderfully unique stories. Barefoot Books has a series that are charitable giving books. These are books that once purchased money is given to charity. Ten Thousand Villages in Calgary (on Crowchild Trail) sells some of these. "We All Went On Safari" is a current fave in our house! What's better than learning to count in Swahili and knowing that proceeds from the book went to the African Wildlife Foundation.

http://store.barefootbooks.com/we-all-went-on-safari-books-for-africa-edition.html

Love...sigh

Our babysitter called in sick yesterday which meant we needed somewhere for Evelyn to be today. Mike decided that he needed a Daddy Daughter day so he stayed home with Evelyn. I was a little sad that it was him and not me until I came home and noticed everything Mike had accomplished. I seriously am never sure what I will come home (read: naked child running about and Mike playing a video game has happened in the past) but today was a very pleasant return. The house was clean...very clean! Mike had vacuumed every carpeted surface and did a load of laundry. Evelyn was clean and clothed and supper was on. Mike made whole grain rice, pork chops and peas. I have to admit I also enjoyed the midday phone call from them telling me about what they were doing and the cuters albeit cheesy pics Mike sent me of the two of them playing.

Sometimes I am overwhelmed by how much love I have in my heart for that man. Funny how a little vacuuming can make my heart flutter.

Fab Fridays!

OMG!!! I LOVE LOVE LOVE the new Ikat print OiOi bags! I seriously hope we get some of these in at work so I can put it on my Christmas list. Wink Wink Michael ;)

http://www.oioi.com.au/index.php?s=collection&p=NEW%20Ikat,167#