Berries & Jam, Floors & Ham

Lance and I started off our long weekend by going over to Mom & Dad's place Saturday morning. It is so nice they live 5 minutes away and we had planned a day for Mom & I to do strawberry jam and Lance & Dad to put in the floors in the suite they are building in the basement of their home.

So Lance and I had a date to IKEA Friday night to pick up containers for the jam. I know . .. so romantic! :) But when it comes to us we love to shop and browse whether it is Costco or IKEA. We picked up a bunch of containers and had fun dreaming of things for the future.

Now to be honest it had been about 5 yrs since I had made jam and I knew if I tried it on my own I'd be in trouble without my Mom's help :) So I brought the containers, sugar and aprons as Mom brought the berries & Certo. Mom & I shared a flat of fresh strawberries from Krause Berry farms. . . . What? . . . . You haven't been to Krause Berry Farms? OH MY GOODNESS!! You NEED TO GO!! Not only do they have every berry possible, they also have fresh veggies, homemade pies, bakery, and coffee shop. Check out their website at http://www.krausebrothersfarms.com/ . Such fun. :)

We made all the jam and also filled containers with fresh berries to have throughout the year. For those of you who know me I'm not much of a fruit person but I LOVE any kind of berry. We then enjoyed a wonderful lunch that included ham (note the title of this blog) and then finished up with a fresh bowl of strawberries. YUMMM!!! The guys were able to get a lot of the floor done as well which makes my parents that much closer to the suite being complete. It was a great way to start the first day of the long weekend.

A few fun facts

I was passed on this survey / questionnaire and thought it would be good to post for a few fun facts about myself. I hope you enjoy it. :)

What were you doing ten years ago?
1. Getting ready to leave for Malaysia
2. Working at a Chiropractic office as a MOA
3. A Youth & Young Adult Leader at church
4. Enjoying my new (to me) Neon Car (had it for 6 months)
5. Going through the journey of finding who I was

What are five (non-work) things on my to-do list for tomorrow?
1. Teach my final piano lessons before break for the summer
2. Workout (Treadmill & Pilates)
3. Laundry
4. Sew receiving blankets for new babies being born
5. Enjoy time with my husband

Five snacks I enjoy:
1. Popcorn
2. Peanut butter
3. Carrot sticks
4. Craisins
5. Starbucks

5 things I would do if I were a billionaire:
1. Have a blessing fund to give it away to people in need
2. Own a house with property
3. Own a vacation home in Hawaii
4. Travel all over the world for missions and vacations
5. Do a wee bit of shopping :)

Places I've lived:
1. Langley - Brookswood area
2. Langley - Murrayville area
3. Langley - Walnut Grove area
4. Abbotsford
5. White Rock

Jobs I've had:
1. Coffee shop barista
2. Nanny / babysitter
3. Piano Teacher
4. Medical Office Assistant
5. Receptionist / Administrative Assistant / Executive Assistant

All caught up!

The last 3 weeks to a month . .. okay lets be honest . . .the past 3 months have been really busy for Lance and I with not only work but life. It seems to be that time of year where everyone is running around getting things accomplished as regular activities come to a close for over the summer. Due to that our little home has been neglected.

Thankfully, last week was our first week with not only 1 evening at home but 4 evenings at home! What a luxury. Work has finally slowed down a bit as well. With that I was finally able to catch up with things at home. (Not exhausted from work) I felt quite domestic. Laundry, cleaning, dishes, prep for healthy, easy meals and even an hour workout each day (1/2 hr. treadmill, 1/2 Pilates) What a difference it made. I came to the conculsion as fun as it is to be involved in so many things, it is also important to take time to 'rest'. I love home and enjoy being home. I'm really looking forward to that this summer with having time to relax, rest and spend time with family & friends.

I enjoy every season. Spring, summer, fall & winter, but as each one approaches it surprises me how ready I am to start the new season. I'm ready to embrace Summer and enjoy the relaxed feeling it brings. "Sigh" What a wonderful thing it is!

Sensing the worth in your work

I was going through an old file today that was full of my ‘sermons’ from back in the day with working with Youth. From preaching at Encounter weekends to the small group I lead, God did some amazing things in that season.

I came across a verse from a small group discussion that really struck me today. It is Proverbs 31:18. “She senses the worth of her work, is in no hurry to call it quits for the day.”

For anyone that knows me even a little you will know that I love Proverbs 31 and try to model this amazing example of a Godly woman. This verse especially struck a chord today. “She senses the worth of her work.” What does that mean? “She senses the worth of her work.” I think that means she knows that the work she does has value in the eyes of the Lord. She knows that the work she does is contributing to the long term goal of her life and others.

I thought about my work, whether that is typing minutes, arranging meetings, teaching piano or cleaning my home, do I know how much value it has in the eyes of the Lord? And do I know or see it contributing to the long term goal?

I think sometimes it is so much easier to see the value in other people’s work. Especially my friends that are Mom’s and sacrifice daily to pour into their kids and raise them in God’s ways. That is not a 9-5 job, it is 24-7! But the beautiful long term goal is to see their kids succeed in life and live for Christ.

But what about my work? Do I know how much God values it? Is that what motivates me to get up everyday and go to work? Do I sense the worth of my work? Some days yes, some days I think it is the furthest thing from my mind….especially when I am tired, drained and ready to call it quits. Is it this thinking that gave that Proverbs 31 woman the energy to not hurry in calling it quits for the day? Is it her knowing her works value that pushed her everyday to do the most instead of the least? Something to pray into and let God reveal the worth of our work. :)

Happy Father's Day!

Just a quick note to say a big HAPPY FATHER'S DAY to our 2 Dads! You both mean so much to us and we are thankful for you both.

To Daddy Stewart. One of my favorite things about you is how much you love your family, especially when all your 'kids' are home. :) The joy that comes across your face when we arrive for a visit makes us feel so loved. Thank you for always pouring into us your wisdom, love, care and Godly ways. We love you Daddy!!!

To Dad Rourke. You always make me laugh . . .I don't know where you get your jokes and I'm pretty sure I'm the only one that laughs compared to your other kids since I've only heard them a few times because I'm the new kid around, but I love the way you tell the stories. :) You are a man full of integrity, love, and service towards others. We are so thankful for you and what God continues to do in your life. We love you very much and look forward to seeing you at the end of summer.

May today be full of people honouring you for raising us kids in the ways of the Lord. God is so proud of you both!!

Leaving on a jet plane

It's official! We booked our tickets yesterday to fly, fly away to the other side of Canada! New Brunswick to be precise to visit Mom & Dad Rourke! We had been praying that the Lord would bring down the cost in airline tickets as it is a ridiculous cost to fly across Canada and there was a seat sale yesterday for 40% off. Thank you Lord for answering prayer. So come the end of August we will be gone for 2 weeks enjoying the Maritimes with Mom & Dad. YAHOO!!

Year End Piano Recital

In January of this year I started teaching Piano again. I have taught for 10 yrs prior but took a bit of a break due to getting married last fall. My sister Heather also started teaching again this year and we put together a little piano recital for our students to show their families how much they have progressed since they started. Heather and I had fun putting the recital together where each student played a song that they have been working on for weeks, followed by an awards ceremony where each student received a certificate of recognition and then had a time of fellowship with juice, coffee and a piano cake made by Heather.

It was a great night with a great turnout and all the students did a FANTASTIC job at their final songs. I'm so proud of them all. I look forward to seeing them all again in the fall.

Uncle & Auntie Part 2

This past weekend we had my other 2 nieces over for a sleepover. They were so excited to come over as we were to have them. It was wonderful to have some quality time with the 2 of them. They came home with us after work and we had dinner, got into our PJ's and watched the Bee movie (They wanted to have the same movie as their older sisters) with their own popcorn bowls.

We took them to Captian Kids in the morning. It is like a Go Bananas but much better! They had a blast playing and I got roped into playing as well. . . but after having to go down the lava slide (A slide that goes STRAIGHT DOWN!), I decided to watch the girls play instead. Ben & Heather met us there with the other 2 girls so they all could have some fun. It was a great weekend full of special memories.

Grandma Lang

It is hard to believe we lost Grandma Lang a year ago. It seems like yesterday that her laughter, spunk and pure joy filled our lives. We miss her but know that she is dancing, laughing and enjoying being with our Lord in heaven. Lance and I went out to Abbotsford to see the gravestone in honour of this year mark. As hard as it was to go and see, it was good to go and have even more closure. My Grandma & Grandpa Stewart were also laid to rest at the same cemetery and I was able to see their gravestone as well and 'introduce' Lance to them. :) I'm thankful that there is a place I can go and remember their lives and what an impact they all made.

My sister being the oldest of the grandchildren, wrote a poem and read it at my Grandma Lang's memorial. Grandma was famous for her poems to each person in the family so it was very appropriate. I've put it below as it describes her so well.

There’s a little bit of Grandma in us
Dancers, singers, writers, artists, Musicians, poets, athletes, scholars
There’s a little bit of Grandma in us!

Teachers, administrators, inventors, assistants, Co-ordinators, leaders, care-takers, performers
There’s a little bit of Grandma in us!

Drive, ambition, spunk, adventure, challenge, discovery, strength, stamina
There’s a little bit of Grandma in us!

Fair, freckled, blue-eyed, red hair, Scottish, English, with lots to share
There’s a little bit of Grandma in us!

Encouraging, loving, helpful, fun, faithful, loyal, defender, friend
There’s a little bit of Grandma in us!

Joyful, expressive, always up for a party, Hospitable, comforting, thoughtful and giving
There’s a little bit of Grandma in us!

Respectful, graceful, considerate, kind, Humble, peaceful, but known to speak her mind?
There’s a little bit of Grandma in us!

Blessed, devoted, had favor with God, Understood forgiveness, loved unconditionally
Prayerful, Christ-like, bringing others to Jesus, Cared for the poor, the lonely, the sick
Demonstrated what a relationship with Jesus looked like…

We pray that as we live out our lives, There will always be…
A little bit of Grandma in us!