you lost what??

Leave it to the pregnant lady to lose the toilet tank lid.

yup.

Somewhere in our house is the lid to the toilet for our bathroom. We cannot find it anywhere.

I guess some explanation is in order - this is the bathroom that is being renovated, and about two years ago i found a perfectly good american standard bone colored toilet at a garage sale for $10. So i got it, knowing we wanted bone (not white) when we renovated, due to the cream colored counter we were going to keep in there.

The toilet got installed shortly after i was done tiling the floor, unfortunately, it had a very slow leak from the tank-bowl connection...all we had to do was move one of the bolts over a slight bit and tighten everything up, and it should have been ok. Except...um...well, we cracked the tank when we were trying to accomplish that.

So we're still toilet-less on the main floor (not fun for those 3 am this-kid-is-laying-on-my-bladder-which-feels-like-it's-about-to-burst-and-i-have-to-go-NOW-but-my-joints-are-loosey-goosey-and-my-round-ligaments-hurt-like-a-banshee-so-i-can't-move-very-fast bathroom trips that now require me to go down 2 flights of stairs, but I digress). The plan was to take the toilet tank lid and go to the home reno stores to find a new tank that would match the already-installed toilet bowl, but do you think i could find that lid anywhere?

I know I last had it when we put the toilet in, and i remember taking it off and putting it somewhere until we could fix the drip, but where "somewhere" is, I have no clue.

So instead of just being able to take the lid and go match colors (and sizes) with potential tanks, we have to bring tanks home and hope they match up with the bowl. But at least the tank lid is now obsolete, given that the matching tank is not useable. So we shall survive...as soon as we are able to get a working toilet in there for my late night forays. I just wonder where we're going to eventually find the thing.

The moral of the story is to not let this pregnant lady put your toilet tank lid anywhere for safekeeping. Maybe bolt it down when you know i'm coming over, just to be on the safe side.

it's been a while

Nothing much new is going on these days....we're humming along with the downstairs bedroom renos (will be the new office), the bathroom is on hold due to lack of taps for the tub...we need taps before we can install the tub. And the taps we want, well, after putting them on order we found out from the supplier that they are not available in canada. Sigh. So we're back to square one in deciding what to get. All i want is a brushed nickel set that allows us to control both the water temperature and pressure/volume in the tub/shower, and that doesn't have an ugly handle. But that's more difficult than it sounds....

unfortunate

Late last week we noticed that the front end of our car was making a clunking noise. Not good. So Anthony made an appointment for Monday to have it checked out, as he didn't have time to get under there and look, and he's not an expert on suspension stuff. He can fix it if he knows what it is, but wasn't comfortable trying to diagnose this problem.

Monday we found out it was a bushing on the front axle, no problem for him to change it (i love having a mechanically inclined husband), so he ordered the part from WSSL - $20 - he figured he'd do both sides, so with taxes, it would be about $50 total.

WELL, that was not meant to be. Tuesday when he was driving the car, the bushing let go and the car ground to a halt on the road. This translated into a tow job to the shop and a $250 repair bill.

If only it had held out until the part came in so Anthony could fix it himself, and save us $200. (we use the car daily, so waiting for the part to come in wasn't an option). Sigh. I'm just glad that it wasn't me driving, i typically don't have the cell with me when i go to and from work, so I would have been on the side of the road (probably crying, i'm so emotional these days), trying to stop someone to help me...at least with this huge belly hopefully someone would have taken pity on me!

I guess we've saved enough over the years with Anthony doing our car repairs and rebuilding the leaky engine on my colt that having to pay a mechanic this time isn't all that bad...but just knowing that you *could* have saved that money had circumstances been different sucks. It's like a plumber having to call in a plumber to do work on his/her bathroom.

more food for thought and discussion - "christian" books & music

I found this article over on Daryl's blog...I thought it added another voice to the discussion that has been occuring on Mike's blog and on Lindsay's blog.... in some ways it echos my own thoughts on the matter, but puts it much more eloquently. I haven't had time to digest it fully yet, so i'm not posting this as my viewpoint and something i agree 100% with, but as fodder to consider and discuss...
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Relevance, Faith & Art - by Dawn Xiana Moon

Many contemporary Christians tend to make one of three errors when dealing with art: One, we declare anything that doesn’t explicitly proselytize, anything that depicts brokenness without redemption to be depraved or unworthy of Christian notice. Or two, we decide that the secular world really does have better art, so we copy it, boldly and without apology or thought into our own creativity. Or three, we try so hard to be relevant that we adopt the attitude and worldview of the culture that surrounds us—instead of being the proverbial salt and light, we end up as dust with nothing to offer in the way of hope, because there is only a perfunctory difference between those of us who claim to follow Christ and those who don’t.

The first position emerges from a utilitarian view of art: if the lyrics don’t say “God” or “Jesus” somewhere in the song, the writer can’t really be following Christ. If the film doesn’t portray the apocalypse or a Bible story, producing it is a waste of money. And heaven forbid we depict real suffering or anything that’s not rated PG. In this view, the quality of the art doesn’t matter. What matters is being family-friendly and getting people “saved”—never mind that this tactic turns art into propaganda and produces work of dubious effectiveness in terms of reaching outside the Christian subculture.

Don’t misunderstand—there is a place for explicitly Christian art and age-appropriate material, and many of the masterpieces do focus on biblical themes. But to assume that all art must conform to this model is frustrating to artists who have an allegiance to Christ yet want to produce work that speaks to the entirety of the human experience. And it deadens the critical thinking capacity of people in the Church, deadens their ability to see and experience part of the nature of God. It also leaves many hurting, unable to ask for help or even admit their failings—what they see in the Church is happy music and people with seemingly perfect lives. Once a new creation in Christ, suffering and pain disappear, right? Wrong. Let’s be honest and admit it.

The second position acknowledges the deficiencies of the first. Tired of seeing the Church so out of touch with society, it attempts to bring society into the church. “Do you like Radiohead? How about OutKast? We do too! See, we’re cool, we’re relevant.” In an attempt to be “hip,” designers borrow the logos of existing brands, replacing company names with Christian phrases and emblazon the results on T-shirts, PowerPoint presentations and church bulletins. Bored with the current palette of praise songs (admittedly these are often another exercise in uncreative musicianship), the worship team brings U2 into the sanctuary. (Even if they are Christians, the point is that this maneuver is still borrowing a band from secular culture and dressing it up in church trappings, similar to what much praise music does.) This approach reeks of laziness and a disregard for creativity, one of the aspects in which humanity is imbued with the nature of God.

Tolkien and Lewis speak of man as sub-creator—the ultimate Creator is God, but man creates in a smaller way, using existing creation to make something new. But instead of investing the time and energy to come up with original material or original thought, or even using the rich material from ages past, Christians here become poor imitators, offering no real commentary on the human experience and why Christ might be relevant to it.

The last position is born out of frustration with the first (and sometimes the second). Tired of being marginalized in the Church and afraid they won’t be accepted in either a secular or religious world, artists disassociate themselves from the label and praxis of Christianity because their work is unacceptable by church standards—and in the mainstream, “Christian art” translates into “bad art.” Few empathize with this position on the fringe of two worlds, so they drift. Cynical from their past experiences with hierarchy and legalism, followers of Christ become reluctant to define their beliefs at all, leaving only spirituality with a vaguely Christian twist. In an effort to sound intelligent in a world that mocks supernatural belief, Christians downplay doctrine and theology.

While there are many things to be learned from tradition and the ways of the high church, the Celts and whatever group happens to be in vogue, these beautiful, artistic expressions of faith should point toward something higher than themselves, should point to God Himself as a specific, personal entity rather than an enigmatic deity or ambiguous spirituality. Without Jesus on the cross, His death and resurrection, God entering history in a specific, historical period, Christianity simply doesn’t exist. Without Jesus, we’re left with a religion that may feel good, but is powerless to save, to transform, to make new.

What we need is art made with excellence—art that reflects the joy, suffering, pain, brokenness, hope in the world around us, even art grounded in a Christian worldview—and a Church that supports it. This art may come from Christians, but we should recognize that it may also come from people who do not know Christ. In its essence, art is the expression of human emotion; true art reminds us that this temporal existence is not the end, that there is something greater, something this world cannot satisfy. It cannot help but call us to God if we only follow its calling. In this way, art is a connection, a connection deeper than mere brushstrokes on a canvas or images on film.

Thomas Hallstrom writes, “Jesus told stories. Some were good and some were dark. Some ended with redemption and some ended with confusing questions. But He wasn’t afraid to tell stories that might turn people away. Many times people walked away after hearing the story, never to return (the rich young ruler who was told to sell all he owned). Other times, the story led the listener to an experience with the living God.” Art does not need to be didactic to be effective. In fact, as soon as it becomes didactic it often loses its effectiveness. It fails to communicate. The purpose of art is not necessarily to provide the answers—it’s much more powerful to ask the questions and allow an audience to seek the answers themselves. Jesus promised that those who seek will find, and we should trust him. He meant it when he said it.

If our art isn’t relevant to the entirety of our experience, the fullness of our lives—good, bad, scared, profane—then it cannot be relevant to the people around us. It will not be relevant to our culture. We need this art, need it desperately. In expressing our creativity, this piece of us that is also a piece of the character of God, we share in His nature. And that can only draw us closer to the One in whom our hope remains.

http://relevantmagazine.com/pc_article.php?id=7378

happy mother's day to meeee

....and to my wonderful moms, of course.

It really didn't feel like my "first" mother's day, as this kid is still inside and easy to care for...my sister called to wish me a happy big belly day, that seemed more appropriate at this point. We were able to spend time with both my mom and Anthony's mom (yay for 2 bbq's in one day!!), so that was a very nice way to spend the day.

My family came over for lunch, and we were able to sit out on the patio and enjoy my new patio furniture (this is where the title of the post comes in). Friday night, while browsing the Canadian Tire flyer, i noticed a nice-looking patio set for a pretty decent price (though i didn't do a ton of shopping around). They were offering a $50 gift card if this particular set was purchased, and as we shop CT quite a bit, this incentive was all I needed to seriously consider buying the set. After all, I just got my income tax return, and it would pretty much cover the cost of the set, and the money wasn't designated for anything else at this time...

Now if you know me well, you know I am not an impulsive person, especially when it comes to major purchases (i.e., anything over about $50-$100). But I showed Anthony the flyer on Fri nite, and told him I wanted to go look at it on saturday. He asked if I was serious about it, and I said "yeah, if i like the looks of it, and it looks like good quality stuff, i think i'll get it". He laughed, knowing that was pretty far fetched for me. But we went, and I bought it on the spot. It's a nice set - muted green and khaki, with 6 chairs and a good sized 5'x3' table, a big umbrella & stand. So we picked it up Sunday after church, set it up, and had a wonderful bbq lunch on it.

Patio furniture has been on my "someday" list for a long time, i kinda knew what i liked and didn't like, what i wanted (i.e., chairs without cushions that you have to bring in out of the weather - the ones we got are weatherproof), and i just decided to do it. I had originally though maybe in fall when stores were clearing them out we'd look for a set.... but on the weekend, the idea of being able to sit outside and enjoy it all summer long when i'm home on mat leave with my baby was a very appealing thing.

So i kinda consider it my "mothers day" treat....

uncouth?

just came back from having lunch with my boss and coworker at Louis'. We go every couple weeks, just to have a time to hang out and visit - completely non-work related.

So today I had the lunch special - a yummy beef melt (but that's beside the point). The bill worked out to $7.25, and i handed the waitress a $10. She looks at me and said "you don't need change, do you?"

Um, yeah. Yes i do. You are not getting a $2.75 tip (38%) on a quick lunch when you didn't even come by and refill my water once during the meal. Why on earth would you presume that i did not need change?

And then, when i said "Actually yes, i'd like my change" why on earth would you ask "How much change would you like back?"

Um, ALL OF IT. I can just leave your tip on the table, i don't have to mess with getting partial change back and trying to figure out how much change you owe me after i take the tip and add it to the bill. Just give me my $2.75 and i'll leave you what i want to.

I felt she was pretty presumptuous, which makes me want to leave very little tip....you'll do more to earn my tip by not assuming you're getting one than by pulling that kind of stuff. And otherwise she was a nice, pretty decent waitress (except for not refilling my water).

Sigh.

i feel so spoiled

Another major life change as of late is that Anthony has returned to school. His company is putting him through his apprenticeship training for heavy duty mechanic (now called truck & transport mechanic). So as of last week, he is back in school for the first time since high school 10 years ago. So far, it's going quite well, he seems to be enjoying it.

He does 8 weeks of classes, then is back at his job for 10 months, and repeats that process 4 times in total. So after this bout of classes, he will officially be a 2nd year apprentice, as he has already put in his hours required for first year.

The biggest change for me, though, is having Anthony home in the mornings. Ever since we've been married, he's started work at 7am, which means he's gone by 6:30, typically much before I get up and get going in my day. So i have never had him home on weekday mornings in the 5 years we've been married. But now he starts at 8am, which means we get up at the same time.

I admit, at first i was unsure of how this would go for me, as i am NOT a morning person and I have my specific routine in the morning that allows me to just (barely) get everything done and get to work on time. If that gets disrupted or thrown off track, i am not a happy camper. But i have really come to like having him there when I wake up...we chat for a bit before we get up, then we each go do our own routine (which thankfully does not disrupt each other's tasks, mostly because with a job like mechanics, he showers after work instead of before...), and i get a lovely goodbye hug and kiss before he heads out and i finish getting ready.

He has also been getting off quite early, which is nice for him as we have so much stuff going on at home that the extra time has been put to good use. And last Friday, i got a call at work at 11:30 am asking me if i'd like to go for lunch. I don't think i've ever had the opportunity to go for lunch with Anthony on a weekday during work. Even when we take holidays, we tend to take them at the same time, so either we're both off or neither of us is off.

So i feel quite spoiled to have him around so much. He's done classes on June 22 (8 days before baby is due), so he may or may not get back to work before he's off to welcome his child to the world.

empty nesters

There's been quite a few changes around home lately, the biggest of which is that Leon has moved out. He went back home to help take care of his little brother (his aunt used to live there and take care of him, but she finished school and moved away or something like that).

So all of a sudden, it's just the two of us again. Even Jack the rabbit is gone. I used to greet him every morning when i went out to my car, now the garage is empty. Sigh.

It's interesting becoming empty nesters 2 months before we're gonna have our first child, i realize we're kinda experiencing these things backwards of what most people go through.

I'm really proud of Leon for being willing to go back home to help out and try to make things work there - most 18 year olds would just not bother trying to fix things with their family if they were out of the house, they'd never look back. But he has tried incredibly hard to build and strengthen his relationships with his family, and it's a very positive thing that he's back with them now to try things out.

He may or may not be back with us at some point - he's always welcome to come back, and he knows that. But for now, it's just us (and a room still full of his stuff that looks like he just went to school or work for the day - isn't that how it is when a teenager "moves out"? Ah well, it's not like we use that space right now anyways, it's still his room...)