5 days in 1

man, some days i'm no good at this blogging thing
i had a schedule and everything!
oh well, i have had quite the nice little weekend
thursday night michael and i led worship with tracy and then we went to uncle tim and auntie jody's for a family get together (it was a pool party, but we missed the swimming)
saw kaleb and hayden for a little bit, wow they are growing. hayden looks just like mel, it's crazy

i literally can not wait until december... josh and leah's baby has no idea how many kisses it will get from it's auntie ashley... what a christmas blessing

then on friday morning i went and saw grandma while michael got us some coffee. she is doing so much better... it's amazing. i just love visiting with her, i'm excited for her to be at home so that there aren't "visiting hours" and she'll be closer so i can just pop in after work for visits
then we were off to the lake, i just love being at the lake
we visited
we went on the boat
we ate delicious meals
we listened to music
leah and i floated on her new floaty and laughed a lot
we napped
we talked
we celebrated father's day
and we went to sleep!

saturday was a very rainy stormy day. i literally love rainy stormy days. i really really do. i think i would love living in BC. michael thinks i'd get bored of it, but i just really enjoy it
the power went out after breakfast, so we tried to read by the light coming from outside
i finished my book, we had more naps and then packed up
sunday was church, lunch at the thiessen's, visit to the hospital, clean up the house and we went to see Transformers! it was really good, and it was all "free" because we still have gift certificates!!
it was all very good, and we finished the weekend off with peppermint tea at starbucks... always a good ending.

daily inspirations that i've been reminded by, 5 for the last 5 days i missed:

• build a sandcastle --- oh i love being at the beach. somewhere hot and tropical. i bought passionfruit soap the other day just so i could imagine being in the dominican republic!
• say please and thank you --- it just makes life that much better!
• breathe deeply --- enjoy the moment, take a minute to look around, enjoy those around you! and tell them!
• celebrate little victories --- little milestones, hard tasks, it's good to celebrate
• visit a museum --- ok not my favorite thing, because a lot of museums can be quite dull. but i've been going to the mennonite heritage museum every year for the last 4 years in a row, and it is quite fun.

i would also really like to go to the states and see one of those wax museums. pretend to meet all the celebs.

also... this is the size of my neice or nephew right now... !!!

transform negatives -- be a little kinder than necessary

we did a strengths finder at work a while ago, and one of my strengths is "positivity"
it talks about seeing the positive in situations, optimism etc.
it also mentions that for people like this it can be hard to be around negative people

now, i am normally not a huge fan of "strengths finders" and books that "explain" who you are, and why you do the things you do. if we could all be categorized properly by these books... well we would be boring. i would rather just take little snippets from these books and figure myself out by trial and error!

however, i've found that i can see that strength in myself. i find it hard to be around pessimistic attitudes, because it kinda brings me down. however! i find it even harder to be around people who are overly optimistic or ridiculously positive. it doesn't feel genuine to me.

sorry to those who are actually reading this, i feel really scattered this morning!

in the last year i've learnt a lot about myself, and i've also realized that there are a lot of things that i used to care about/make a big deal about, that I have now realized aren't that big of a deal. i've realized that people have different priorities than me, and that I won't always understand people entirely! i've found things that frustrate me, that probably didn't used to before, so i'm learning to be kinder!

ramble ramble ramble. that is how i feel today!
BE NICE, and that is all for now.

be brave * take a class

the title almost sounds like it could be one inspiration rather than two! be brave and take a class!!

there is actually a class that i've been thinking about taking, purely for fun

the school is prarieview... http://www.prairieview.ca/Prairieview_School_of_Photography.html
it looks super cool, and like it would be tons of fun. although then i would probably want to buy a new camera... hmmm this is sounding like even more fun! but i may just have to wait for a bit

i like the idea of taking a class just for interest sake, i've always liked the idea of auditing classes, so that you can just sit there and soak it in, because you want to, not because you're trying to pass
so, that idea is always on the back burner

hmm being brave. i felt less than brave twice this weekend, and both involve animals!
we were camping this weekend, and i was in the washroom and went to wash my hands. i went to the middle sink and was about to put my hands under the tap when i jumped back. there was HUGE gross beetle laying on its back flayling (how do you spell that?) it's legs around... yuck. so i moved to the next sink only to look up to see the biggest month i've ever seen!!! literally, it was the size of a pancake, but so not as good as a pancake. so then i jumped back, ran to the third sink and got out of there as quickly as i could

then, the second unbrave moment came when i was walking back to the tent and i saw this bird. so i was watching it as it was flying and then it swooped down so low, i thought it was going to land on my head! so i squated down so fast and let out a little yelp. i was glad it was early in the morning so that no one saw! what a wuss. i ran back to the tent and snuggled up to my husband, safely away from moths, beetles and swoopy birds. phew!

be part of a team * take nothing for granted

so i forgot to write yesterday, but my day was full of good things anyway!

at work i finished making the binder with all the notes on how to do my job. it looks so nice and clean and organized! love that

then shauna came over for supper and we enjoyed some delicious asparagus and cheese ravioli, with spinach and cheese tomato sauce and fresh cucumbers as a cool crisp side dish

then we were off to the first summer service of 2009. at 10 to seven i was literally the only person in the sanctuary!! but in true mcivor summer form by 7:05 people were there (never as many as a regular sunday service, but still good). i find summer services refreshing, as they are relaxed (time wise), people have chosen to come specifically for church (rather than a sunday morning ritual/habit), there is time to share where we see God working, or where we feel that he's not, there is time to pray and not be rushed, there is a children's feature, and we have a chance to hear and see their childlike faith. refreshing. i sat with lisa, simon and marcus. i just love those boys. i hope that they will continue to let me love on them. one of my favorite things that i've done this year so far is sit in their kitchen and watching marcus climb on the counter to make me some coffee. he was so pumped about being able to do it, and he was good at it! and that evening while i was waiting for the coffee i was able to watch simon eat an icecream cone... with his whole chin. they are such precious guys. and russ and lisa, well... they are invaluable to us.

then it was time for caregroup. God thank you for my caregroup! it is so nice to be with them, laugh with them, shake our heads at some of the ridiculous things that are said, eat gelati, browse jewelery and just catch up. lisa buller we miss you! this is a very special group.

and then we ended the evening with a tour of james and carmyn's apartment. it is so nice and has so much character. love it.

i haven't even talked about my "inspirations" and evidently i haven't really needed them yet.
be part of a team, whenever i hear team i think sports.
and well, sports are not my forte. i played baseball when i was a kid, but was so nervous that the ball would actually come to me that I just stood there biting my glove. good thing i could sing... music or sports, that's often how its divided.
but i really am part of a lot of teams, all depends on how you look at it
i'm part of teams at church, worship teams, volunteer teams, worship committee
i'm part of "teams" with my husband, with my families
i'm part of a Kindred Production team at work, and part of the Conference team at the office
it's nice to be part of something larger than yourself

and take nothing for granted
this made me think about a little blessing i received in the mail yesterday. it's the picture that is at the top of the post.
a couple of months ago, michael and i started sponsoring a very special little nine year old boy from Burkina Faso (where mike grew up). His name is Boureima Keima. we received our first letter from him yesterday, and that was the picture that he included, he's pretty good i think!
his letter was written in someone elses writting (his writing looks like he's younger than nine) but he tells us about his family. he has 2 brothers and 1 sister. his father has died and his mother has AIDS (he says its an "incurable disease" i'm assuming its AIDS). wow. take nothing for granted. i can't even imagine being nine, with no dad and a mom so sick. Boureima is a part of our family now, Michael and my first kid :) (he'll have to wait quite a while for any siblings!)
i thank Jesus for bringing Boureima into our lives and hope that we can learn to appreciate life and love in general thru getting to know him. and I hope that he can feel loved.

take nothing for granted, that is certainly something i've been learning this past year. i don't think i took Jay for granted, but I don't think I realized how blessed I was until he came and was taken so quickly. i don't think i'll ever take him for granted, or how his little life taught me so much about love. genuine. strong. overflowing love! Jay, you're so special! i will alwyas love you little sweet pea. and never will i forget you, you are a gift.

try a new recipe

i love trying new recipes
however, at the same time... if i find something good i will make it over and over and over

examples:
my granny's recipe for cookies : toll house cookies, works every time
stir fry with peanut sauce and rice noodles... my own concoction that i started making when we got married, and i'm sure one of these days michael will wish i had never come across it (meaning that when i don't know what to make... i make that!)

i received a whole bunch of cookbooks as wedding/shower gifts, and i spent some time flipping through them marking recipes that i would like to try
problem is, it's way quicker for me to go to my favorite cooking/baking website (http://www.cooks.com/) and search a topic and find a new exciting recipe on there!

i've begun making my own recipe book. a few years ago i typed out my mom's favorite recipes into a binder for her, and i have since recopied those recipes for myself, ripped recipes out of magazines, copied recipes out of books instead of buying them (only a couple times... sometimes i photocopied...) because i just want to have a book that is the best of the best.

and other times i take recipes and modify them, to make them my own
a couple months ago leah and i modified a recipe to make "leah and ashley's chocolately moist apple banana lite on the sugar muffins" altho i think we had a better name at the time. this name certainly is descriptive if nothing else!

so, i encourage you to try a new recipe, if it's bad, throw it out and try a new one! and if it's good, well... modify it and create things like "ashley's never fails perfectly peanut-y rice noodle stir fry"
mmm delicious

Here is one of my delicious finds: try it i dare you! (except mom, don't try it, it has feta!)
********************
Artichoke and Feta Hot Dip

1 can artichoke hearts (drained and chopped)
8 oz crumbled feta cheese
1 cup mayo
½ c grated or shredded parmesan cheese
2 oz jar of diced pimientos drained
1 garlic clove crushed

Mix mayo, garlic and pimiento. Add drained and chopped artichoke hearts.
Preheat oven to 350.
Fold in the cheeses (they’ll melt thru the whole dish).
Transfer to 9” pie plate or 3 cup baking dish.
Bake for 20-25 minutes. After the top is browned and the cheese is melted and bubbly, carefully remove the dip from the oven.
Allow to set before serving.
****************************

on a side note, right now it feels like michael and i are on vacation
we are in our jammies and came to sit outside on our front step. there aren't many street lights on our street so it is delightfully dim, we've seen a few people walking around and even someone driving by really slowly (we think maybe it's our new neighbour just checking out their place?)
michael is smoking a cigar (from cuba, if i close my eyes it actually smells like we are in cuba!)
and we are sipping deliciously dark coffee... mmm
also, since our internet is 'borrowed', it works better outside than inside! who knew?
i told michael that it felt like we were on vacation and he said that we should try always sort of feel like that, so true, a vacation that never ends!

go where you've never been

easy one! i love traveling, and trying new places.
our family rarely goes to the same place when we travel (we did go to florida a few times, but always stayed in different places in florida)

go where i've never been to me means taking risks, trusting instinct, letting God lead the way, having fun and just going for it!

the other half of that for me would then be "go where you've never been, and remember the places you have!"

enjoying the places you've been, the memories you've made, inside jokes, special stories, new experiences... even the bad not so delightful memories, they are all part of the experience.

speaking of places we've been... i have some pictures from the weekend to show. I took 300 pictures but will only post a couple on here!! enjoy

drink plenty of water * worry less * love what you do

i'm about to try and fall asleep in my comfy bed next to my husband
we have the fan going almost full speed, as this is the first evening it's actually felt hot in our house (due to outside weather instead of the furnace!)
i'm updating my ipod so i can listen at work and we're watching an episode of friends
i shouldn't have said i would have to try to fall asleep, truth be told, as soon as i put my head down on the pillow i will be out
we got home so late last night (1 am) and it was back to work first thing this morning!

i went past the hospital to see my grandma after work and she was wearing her dentures!
you can tell it's been a good day when she's wearing her dentures. it takes some getting used to now, but her spirits were very good and her feeding tube is out, so she felt good today.

so now, to catch up on my 'daily inspirations'

drink plenty of water... mmm water. i find there are some times in the day when all i can think about is how good it would feel to chug a giant glass of ice cold well water

when i think of a hot summer day i think of being at home in anola playing in the yard with my brother, and when it was so hot that we would go to the side of the house, turn on the outdoor water tap and drink straight from it... mm refreshment
drinking plenty of water is something i do happily and willingly!

worry less... i don't think worrying is too much of a problem for me. depends on the day i guess. i don't worry as much as i overthink, or is that the same thing? i don't think it is. either way, doing that a little less would be nice!

and love what you do, mm this is a good one
i'm more for loving what you do rather than doing something to please other people
again this weekend i had to stand up for myself and explain yet again why i chose not to pursue music therapy right now. i was even told that i should 'just get a degree' so that i was 'more valuable' to people. interesting. all of that is more important than happiness? not to me

i'm happy in my job right now. there is a lot of admin work, which i find enjoyably repetitive, but to make it even better there are tons of challenges to the job that keep me thinking and working hard. i think that maybe if i was just answering phones it would get overwhelming, but there are always things to figure out and learn.

at the same time, if my contract is done in march (if elenore decides to come back), i think it will be fun to look at my options. i have some ideas in mind, but i'm going to mull them over in my head for awhile. ask if you're interested!

either way, i think it's very important to love what you do. and to just enjoy life! even if i had the worst job, i would still have the rest of the day evening and weekend to love other things that i can do! hopefully this week we will plant some flowers, i would LOVE to do that. :)

stay posted, i'm going to put up some pictures from the weekend tomorrow i think.
xox

push the envelope

this is one of those phrases that i always sort of knew what it meant, but wasn't ever fully sure

so i googled it (which is my solution to figuring out most things that I don't know about)
and here is some of what I found:

• To exceed the existing limits in a certain field; be innovative.
• This means to go to the limits, to do something to the maximum possible.
• push the envelope, to stretch established limits, as in technological advance or social innovation.
• to exceed normal limits. Pushing the envelope is a term adapted from aviation. The term implies a sense of risk at transcending the normal safe limits of operation.
• idiom to go beyond established limits; to pioneer

which is basically what i thought to begin with. i don't think that i'm much of the "pushing the envelope" type, although i have been known to be strong willed and stand up for what i believe... maybe perhaps exceeding the limits people would like me to have. But i think that pushing the envelope is a good thing to strive for.

my mom likes to say "go big or go home" and has chosen to live that out in her life. in my opinion, my mom is an envelope pusher (that makes it sound like it could be a negative thing, but its not), you see she exceeds the limits, she moves beyond her comfort zone, she stretches herself to serve Jesus, and to serve others, sometimes even stretches too far. But she does not settle. and that, is a gift!

i would think that would be one reason why she fell in love with my dad, because he is a guy that is always striving for more, to do better, be faster, serve more. he is an encourager, and a do-er. he is the definition of non-lazy, and has the best 'get it done' attitude. my parents have modeled for us a lifestyle to strive for more, especially in ways to know, love and serve Jesus.

i actually think that most of my family is the push the envelope type, and maybe i shouldn't have been so quick so say that i'm not that type, because in many ways I am. I just feel like i have so much room to grow and become more like that, so i'm not quite there yet

but i wish everyone in the world could have known my grandpas. it is no wonder to me that my parents are the way they are. poppa was always thinking of new ideas, starting them and nurturing them. he dreamed big and followed through. anyone who knows my brother in a way knows my poppa, in so many ways they are one in the same!

grandpa klassen was the hardest working man i know, hard working, tough, persistent but gentle, and loving and servant hearted. he pushed the limits for himself all the time.

what a rich heritage.

i think it is good to set goals for ourselves, and to push to exceed them. to go big or go home, rather than sliding in and out of one day to the next.

i think my mom's retreat vision is pushing the envelope, but we are so blessed that we will be able to see that come to fruition, and see the joys and blessings of letting God push us even further than we know how! for anyone that isn't sure what i mean about the retreat vision, check out this website: http://womenrefreshed.wordpress.com

pushing the envelope. seeking after more. pioneering. exceeding. maximizing. risking...
time to go for it!

go barefoot

hmmm this is my habit
and well, it's just me!

this one is an easy reminder, because even as i write this, i'm at work, with my nice dress pants and curly hair, and i'm barefoot.

i kick off my shoes as soon as i walk into my cubicle, or as soon as i get home i take off my socks
i normally only wear socks in the winter, although not always even then and you will know that i am comfortable in your home if i take off my socks when i get there
sounds kinda gross i guess to some people, or weird maybe
but that is how i am, and it's comfortable!

maybe if i had weird looking feet it would be different, but fortunately for me, and everyone else i guess... my feet are pretty a-o.k.

on a separate note... chad is back!
we are so excited to be able to see him, and give him hugs and tell him how much we missed him
but more importantly than that (and chad, i hope you read this... although we intend on telling you again in person) we are so excited to hear stories, and put faces to names with all the pictures, to see how God has used you, chad, and how he has stretched you. it's so exciting to see how your faith and love for Jesus has deepened, and widened, and has spilled out of you onto the "statistics"
it's weird coming back from things, and seeing people, and feeling in ways like nothing has changed or that no one will ever fully "get it", but i'm/we're so excited to even get a glimpse!

plant trees... (lots of them)

so, i've never actually planted a tree myself
nor have i ever had the desire to be a "tree planter" and go basically live in the mud for a few months
but i do like the idea of planting things, and more recently planting things in my yard

my caregoup came over the other day and laughed at my sad little flower bed, with one teeny tiny plant in it. my flower beds are actually quite large, but all i had at the time was this little purple plant that has since died, ok not a good start

so yesterday michael and i went to rona and roamed around their garden section
we didn't stay too long because it was cold, and we were hungry... it was 8:30 and neither of us had eaten since lunch time so, we were on the verge of hunger grumpiness.
but we roamed for a little while and plan on going again next week

we are going to pick out 2-3 shrubs, and as many colorful flower plants as i can fit in my front flower bed. not only that but we are going to build a little flower bed in the backyard against the fence and fill that with color, and life!

we are very excited. and... i even contemplated an apple tree. and then i could get my grandma to pass on her recipes for applesauce, apple juice, pie filling and just general mennonite apple goodness!! it would be a good investment...


i could go into a different spin on planting trees, talking about the way that God allows us to plant seeds in the lives of other people but quite frankly i have to be out the door in 3 minutes and really shouldn't be writing right now anyway!

if you are reading this.. come over in a week. maybe i'll be ready to show you all my colorful flowers by then!! :)

enjoy simple pleasures... seek out the good

so, i've already missed a day... not a great start but oh well
i'll do two pages in one post, kind of cheating my own little schedule, but it doesn't bother me, so i think we're ok.

see, i've realized that there are 120 different "daily inspirations" and that could take me a good 4 months to complete, so sometimes I'll have to do two in one, so that I don't get too far behind.

enjoy simple pleasures...
this is me! i'm kind of a no fuss kind of girl. i mean, i love doing extravagant things, or making a big deal out of gifts and events etc but when it boils down to it, i love simple
examples:
i love doing the same thing over and over again, going to the same places, eating the same suppers, watching the same movies because it's simple, and no fuss, and it's peaceful

simple pleasures to me are: sitting in my parents gazebo, sipping giant mugs of peppermint tea or black coffee, watching you've got mail, fever pitch or bewitched, driving to the lake, camping in a tent, grocery shopping (most days), ordering chinese food and watching friends with michael, mowing the lawn, singing, listening to josh and leah's jokes, hugs, sitting with my grandma

no fuss, just natural. simple simple simple and so life giving and.. peaceful. i know i said that already, but it pours peace into my soul!

which i guess naturally leads into the second one, seek out the good.

things, simple things, can become so enjoyable when you seek out the good in them. for example, seeking out the good in ordering chinese food and watching tv with michael looks like this (to me): we put on our comfy clothes, and don't worry about "dressing up", my husband never looks better than he does in his sweats and t shirts, just being him. we sit on the floor and jokingly argue over what to order and who has to actually call. we trade food from our meals so that each person gets extra of what they really like. we attempt to eat with chopsticks, and laugh when we make a mess. we watch the same old familiar show and recite the lines before they happen. we sip some wine and pretend to be fancy, we laugh and enjoy and go to sleep later feeling like that was a good night. it is something we enjoy, because we've found the good in it.

i also feel like God has given me the gift of being able to see the good in people, even in bad or stressful situations. i think that is part of empathy and sensitivity. i also know that sometimes that opens a person up to be hurt, because it's often linked to being too trusting. BUT 9 times out of 10 if you choose to look for more good things in a person, you will find them. and how could that not be worth it?

life is something to be sipped and savored

a couple of months ago i went to starbucks (well... i do that weekly, but this one specific time) & bought a journal.
i felt like i hadn't journaled regularly in a long time, and i really liked this one, and thought maybe it would inspire me to write more
see... i love to write, but sometimes feel like i am either on repeat or have nothing of value to write down. but i really do love to write.

the journal is called life's little reminders and this is what it says on the back:
the best journeys are always about laughing together, loving each other, seeking adventure, believing in our dreams and making a difference... but sometimes we forget. so we offer life's little reminders: a journal filled with daily inspiration - wise and wonderful little ways to reconnect with life's pleasures and appreciate one another. take it with you on your journey. and always remember that life isn't something to be hastened or hurried: it's something to be sipped and savored.


as it says in the description, there is a daily inspirations, or reminders of things to do to enjoy life even more! i've decided that to inspire me to write, i will use one daily inspiration per blog post, and see where that takes me.

so, the first one is: care deeply
i've realized that caring deeply is something that comes very naturally to me. sometimes to my dismay! right now i'm in a stage where i feel like i want a friend to come that cares about me as deeply as i care about them
don't get me wrong, i have a lot of people that i care about and that care about me, my husband being the most caring of all!
but i'm talking about a girlfriend, someone who thinks to call me first and that i think to call first
it's been hard having jo move back to ontario permanently and i feel like there is a hole that is staring me in the face
caring deeply... this is something that i appreciate about who God made me. and i think he put me into the right family, (and now another right 2nd family). i feel like i would do well in a caring profession, and i've been mulling that over in my mind a lot more lately
i laugh easily, and cry even more easily, sometimes i feel like i can feel other people's emotions that they aren't speaking about. i get that from my mom (and my dad too...). i'm learning to not hide that, but to share it with people.

i care a lot, and about a lot of things!

i decided to finish this post by sharing three things that i really care about: my family, my friends and photography... and here is some of my recent melding together of those 3: