Friday, June 22, 2012

of five minutes

Five Minute Friday.
Five minutes to write, just let it out, no editing, no second-guessing.


Today's word: Risk


My heart pounds, thundering in my chest. Words that need to be said tumble around in my head. Justice drives me. Fear holds me back. Adrenaline rushes through my system, stress building.

And that's just with the thought of what I need to do.

There's still the action to come.

I hate risk. I hate speaking up. I hate confrontation.

It's never felt like it helped.

But sometimes, sometimes you just have to. Regardless. If no one speaks up, the things that are wrong can't and won't be addressed.

But still. Still. Still.

And go.


Today's word was especially relevant for me, with what's been swirling around us the last little while. I've hinted a bit at it in previous posts... church politics are never pretty. And it's even more difficult to deal with when you actually really genuinely *like* all of the people involved. On all sides of the issues.

Life sucks sometimes. We deal. And I'll be having a difficult conversation sometime soon. Sigh.

Linking up with Lisa-Jo...

of my week in instagrams

Not a terribly exciting week here...

It's been mostly rainy and dreary - apparently we're making records here for the wettest, coldest June on record. Most people in the area are referring to this month as Junuary. It seems appropriate.

So, we took advantage of every possible moment to get outside - the daisies are gorgeous along all the roads nearby, and the playground is always fun to visit (even if you discover 3 minutes after you arrive that you actually really badly need to go to the bathroom!)

And in the not-so-sunny moments(!), we found other fun things to do. Like a tea party. And a glove. Did you know that you can blow up a (latex?) glove really big, and draw on it with a marker to make a rooster? And then you can give the rooster a dashing curly moustache, and name him Le Buck. Eventually he'll snag on a tree branch and explode, but in the meantime, he provides hours of entertainment. Who knew??

There's one more week left in June... fingers crossed that we actually get some summer-ish weather!

Linking up at Life Rearranged...

Friday, June 15, 2012

Insta-friday. again.

So, it seems that this is all I'm able to keep up with, blogging-wise, these days. So be it. Let's hope for more some day.

This has been my week:

We've had rain, sun, rain, rain, rain and more rain. Also a bit of sun. But mostly rain. There's not so many pictures of the rain, because on those days, I generally sit indoors to avoid looking at it.

I have walked more this week than I have in a long time, starting with a gruelling climb straight up a mountainside.

Ellie and I have done school indoors and out... today we went to the lake and interspersed our readings with periods of wading (Cold water is so relaxing, Mum!).

Our old van (see top left corner) has made her last trip... to the wrecking yard. I got all nostalgic - she was a good vehicle - but I don't miss her. And it's nice to have the carport back!

The flowers are absolutely glorious just now... my favourite spot is along the trail near our house. It was seeded with native wild flowers, and is full of daisies and foxgloves and lupines and I-don't-know-what-all-else.

I have my sewing machine back and functioning. My son tried to sew something with it, and managed to completely mess up its innards. I've borrowed a machine from a friend for the interim, but there's nothing like an old familiar machine to make you feel like you know what you're doing.

I spent two days working at the pottery studio where I take classes. First of all I made a huge mess, unpacking boxes after a show; then I tidied it all up, dusted everything and re-stocked the shelves in the showroom. I find that I really enjoy arranging things and making little vignettes.

And that's about it, I think. There's a blog post or two brewing in my brain... hopefully I'll manage to get them out in type before they evaporate...

Friday, June 1, 2012

InstaFriday

First row: 1. setting out on a journey 2. on the ferry 3. beach and crow 4. lunch
Second row: 1. yes 2. BC Legislature building 3. sunset 4. wildflowers
Third row: 1. heading home 2. geraniums 3. cherries 4. coffee/sister time

It's been a fun week. I got to spend a bit of time in our capital city... actually, I spent a full seven hours non-stop walking. My legs. were. sore! I was very glad for the soaker tub in our hotel room that evening!

Linking up at Life Rearranged...
life rearranged

Friday, May 25, 2012

InstaFriday

It's been an interesting week. Not all good... but not all bad, either.
1988

2012
We celebrated our 24th anniversary with a walk at the beach. Extravagant, I know. But you only live once...






















We got unsuspectingly dropped into the middle of an ugly bit of church politics... and I made (and ate) a dozen muffins in self-defence.





















 We were given a new (to us) car.



And spring has firmly arrived, and there are many gorgeous flowers around the neighbourhood.


That's my week, more or less.


Linking up at LifeRearranged... and I'm wendyklassen on instagram, if you feel like following.

life rearranged


Friday, May 11, 2012

of Mama's Day (part one)

Today we had our first Mothers' Day celebration.
my mom.

Mom and her husband drove up from their home in Washington state, and my brother and his family came as well, and we had a small brunch.



We drank tea from my new teapots (they work well, but don't hold very much... I was constantly refilling them!)






















We ate yummy food...  and there was much bad punning (as one would expect at a Janzen gathering...)























 And we got our fill of these two lovely little people...  oh, they grow so fast!!












Thursday, May 10, 2012

of pottery and things.

So I've been feeling guilty for not keeping up with this space... life's been busy. That's a stupid excuse, I know.

But here's some pretty pictures of my latest batch of pottery to hopefully make up for it...

(I need to give a shout-out to Lianna, who gave me a light box that she wasn't using... it made taking these photos a hundred times easier than it was before!! I still don't have lights for it, but I just put it out in the sunshine, et voila! Lovely pictures!)


a small, subtly beige bowl
Four mugs... part of a series that I'm calling "four identical, all different".
Two have feet on them, and one has no handle. I love them all.
two of four bowls, also part of the
"four identical, all different" series.
...and another.

another bowl...
two teapots that both pour reasonably well (yay me!!)
the blue one...
...and the brown one






a spotty vase
and a stamped swirly one.





























 I also had a few misfortunes with a couple of my pieces.


a big bowl... my biggest so far. About 10" diameter.






A tea-light holder with a hole-y cover








Sadly, it had an air bubble in it.











Unfortunately, the top and bottom stuck together
and had to be broken apart.




That's what I brought home from the studio last night. There will be more next week.


Tuesday, May 1, 2012

of the end of april: a recap

Another month just flew by. It boggles my mind that this year is one third finished. I'm glad that spring has arrived, though. It's my favourite.

This month I...

Retreated.
Well, I went away sans family for the better part of four days. Ahhhh, that was refreshing. It's something I need to do every once in a while.

Read lots.
Among others, I read the first three Jack Aubrey/Steven Maturin books by Patrick O'Brian (you may have seen Russell Crowe (yum) in Master and Commander: Far Side of the World). The books were a bit slow, and a tad heavy on the technical/sailing side, but I enjoyed them. Every once in a while there would be a statement that would make me laugh out loud with its dry, unexpected wit. Now I just need to slowly accumulate the other ten or so books in the series. 
Also, I re-read a few of Dorothy Sayers' Lord Peter Whimsey books. That's always a treat... her characters are so very appealing in their humanity.
A new author for me is Rennie Airth. I read his trilogy of crime/suspense books, set between post-WWI and mid-WWII in rural Britain and found them rather enjoyable.

Took a lot of photos.
As I may have mentioned once or twice, I've got a new smartphone with a very capable little camera. Now I'm never without the means of snapping a picture (...unless I've forgotten to bring my phone along...). Instagram is my new favourite thing.

Watched some TV.
Once Upon A Time has been fabulous. I can not wait to see how it all plays out, and I'm already mourning the end-of-season that is right around the corner. I do, however, dread the possibility that next season won't live up to this one. I've seen so many shows start out well and then just sink to utter dreck within a few years.
Castle is always a favourite. I love Nathan Fillion. And having Adam Baldwin guest on the show last week was pure fun! And this week there were zombies. I ask you, can it get better than that? Quote of the week: "It's time to holster the lasers and be adults." Awesome.
Also, Eureka is back again with the other half of the season (what is with the weird scheduling of some of these shows??)
And, of course, NCIS.

Cooked/ate. Paleo.
Still going with the paleo thing... have lost a few pounds, which is good, but more importantly, my brain chemistry seems to have improved. I feel like I'm a lot more emotionally level. Not so many mood swings. I'm liking it.

Sewed.
I bought a few purse/bag patterns from Keyka Lou. I like her designs a lot - they're cute, easily adaptable, and simple to make. Also, she allows people to sell things made from her patterns (as long as they're hand-made, not mass-produced) which I may actually start to do soon.

Made pottery.
Two evenings a week of classes. It was a bit much, and I'll be going back to just one night a week after this session is over with. I've been improving, though, and have made some pretty things. Glazing happens this week, and then I'll soon have a bunch of new things to show. (Which reminds me, I still haven't posted pictures of the last batch... better get on that soon!)

Schooled.
Ambleside Online Year 1 is still going well... when we do it. I'm soooo not motivated to do school every day, but we're pushing through. I still haven't decided if we'll keep going through the summer or not... it might be better to keep the routine going so we don't lose it entirely.

Pondered.
Many things. Like blogging, and what to talk about. Like God, and my relationship with him (it's complicated). Like prayer, and how I've realize that I don't really believe in it. Like how an introvert (me) fits into an extrovert-rewarding society. Like what my dreams are, and why they should matter. Many things, for which I have few answers.


So, that's a glimpse of my April. And while I wrote all this, May has arrived. Happy May Day!!

one of my favourite things about spring... wild flowers in the evening sun.

Friday, April 27, 2012

instagram friday

A few random samplings of my week via instagram...

bleeding hearts.

cherry blossoms

evening sky

rhododendrons

some sort of flowers... petals on the ground
I've been taking lots of walks... and loving my waxed cotton coat which keeps me very dry in all the rain we've been having.

My phone is brilliant as an easily-portable camera. I'm loving that too.

Thursday, April 19, 2012

of photos and expanding my options

So, you may have noticed a new thing in my sidebar... some instagram photos.

Yes, I have now joined the modern era. I have a smartphone.
An android, of course, because heaven forbid there should be an electronic device in this house that is owned by either of the 'big two'... no apple or ibm products here, thank you very much. It's linux or nothing for us, if you please!

Sorry about that - I was just channelling my husband for a moment there. (Or at least, my understanding of whatever it is that he says/does. If I just said something stupid up there, through my lack of comprehension, please don't bother to correct me. He's tried. It doesn't stick, sadly.)

Anyhow. The smartphone. Right.

The first thing I did was to install instagram. And a few other photo-apps. My lovely new phone has an 8MP camera in it, so it's only logical that I would want some toys to play with.





 Ahhhh, such fun.
And now I always have a camera with me, everywhere I go, even when I don't bring the 'real' one along.

I'm looking for people to follow, so if you're an instagram user, feel free to follow me (I'm wendyklassen) and I'll follow back.