Bethlehem LIVE

What is Bethlehem LIVE? It is a living nativity - a real enactment of the town of Bethlehem and the events surrounding the birth of Jesus Christ. Your journey begins as you enter the Time Tunnel and travel back in time 2000-plus years to 4 B.C. Your group will be guided by a shepherd and you will experience all the sights, sounds and smells of Bethlehem's first Christmas. As you leave Bethlehem, you will be welcomed back to 2009 by one of Gateway's pastors who will explain the relevance of Jesus' birth today. Your "journey" ends with refreshments offered by volunteers eager to help weary pilgrims.

All of this takes place indoors at 851 Panet Road.


The interactive walk through Bethlehem performance dates are:

     Thursday December 10 6 - 9 pm

     Friday December 11 12 – 3 pm (special school tours*)
     Friday December 11 6 - 9 pm
     Saturday December 12 12 - 3 pm & 6-9 pm
     Sunday December 13 12 -3 pm

Cost: There is no cost. This is Gateway's gift to the people of Winnipeg.


So mark the dates down and take your family, friends and neighbours and come see Bethlehem LIVE! For more information or if you have any questions, call 989-6580 or email bethlehem@gatewaywinnipeg.com.

Maverick and Seed, as Joseph and baby Jesus

Late again ... but I did take the pictures on Wednesday....

A new hat for baby, as per Sprout's request...

It matched the dress I had made Seed, and she got dressed up on Wednesday to attend a cousin's performance in The Nutcracker.

Next is a set of hats for the boys!  Hope to have them done within a week, but not alot of free time, so I may have to say I should have them done by Christmas!!!

http://casualcrafter-familyphotos.blogspot.com/

Welcome "Seed"

Praying wasn't enough to bring baby by her due date, but three hours of worship did the trick!!!

Thanks to Robin Mark and the PromiseKeepers worship band for getting things started!
After a 3-hour worship concert of singing and dancing, and no sleep, my labor started.  It was fairly intense and quick from the start - I was sure it could not be the real thing. Within an hour, the contractions were 5 minutes apart, but my midwife wanted to wait until each contraction lasted longer.  That never did happen, but within the next hour, the contractions were one minute apart. We checked into triage at 2:10 am, Seed blessed us with her presence at 3:39 am, and we were discharged at 9am when the day shift began.

Stats:

  Date: November 16, 2009

  Time:  3:39 am

  Height::  19 3/4"
  Weight:  9 lbs, 7 oz

She was born with the most hair of all my children, and it is very dark...we'll see if it stays.

Congrats!

Congratulations to our cousins who, along with their Wolverine teammates, just won their division finals!!!

Thank you for inviting us to your games, each one of us has enjoyed cheering you on through the season.  Thank you for always stopping to say hi to your little fans, and I will try to get your pictures to you soon!

Due Date is Here

So today is our due date.  And no baby. 

Not that unusual, I know, but this does change our plans for a homebirth.   So far, I have left this pregnancy up to God, and have turned down some "assistance" in helping baby to come earlier.  I have put my trust into God to deliver this baby at the right time.  Having said that, baby who has been on the smaller side throughout the pregnancy has decided to gain size and weight this past week.  When I do go into labor, it will mean going to the hospital (for unseen complications, based on my last birth). 

I will also be faced with a decision of induction.  When Sprout was born, late, I refused the offers of induction, trusting that he too would enter this world without being forced.  That did not happen, and I was induced at 42 weeks, and he was larger than expected, and we experienced shoulder dystorsia and brought a baby into the world with a broken arm!

So right now, I want to continue to trust that this birth will happen of it's own accord, but feel I should be considering the options that I am currently faced with. 

Until all this happens, life continues as normal (as much as possible)... so we are off to gym and swim this afternoon!

Not So Scheduled...

OK, here's my deal ... I really like the idea of this "Work in Progress Wednesdays" ... but Wednesdays are busy, and I cannot commit to computer time .. so, I am proposing to drop the "Wednesday" and  continue to post as I can.  With the new baby due any day, I may end up having much less, or maybe more computer time, but I do know that it will be unpredictable!!!

No objections? ... here goes ...  (making up for missed Wednesdays) ...

is now

"Sprout" sprouting his new pants!  Toasty warm (and dry) for the winter, without the diaper covers (even overnight)!  Love his personality, just like his older brother, he watched mommy make these, and is very attatched/territorial about them..... Now, to find (make?) a shirt he likes to wear...

My latest sewing project ... I just have to make it to the hardware store for a dowel ... or maybe I should walk to the riverbank and see if I can find anything suitable...

Crochet project ... trying some wavy lines (the project is laying flat).

My next baby dress...

Okay, this one is just about finished...it is a new sling from some material I had sitting around.  A little bright for me, but beautiful!

Belly Pics

So I have been bugged about a lack of pregnancy pictures... and Sunshine was bored one night ... the result?  My first public pregnancy pic!  What a strange and different canvas for her to work on!  And no, it didn't tickle too much!

Of course, the next morning, Speedy and Sprout wanted their turns.  Luckily my belly washed clean with a cloth and they were each able to create a masterpiece.

It felt very strange when Speedy took his turn.  He seemed to be able to draw forever, and really had to move left and right and up and down to be able to see and access his "canvas".  Defintely made me feel huge! 

Where to start?

This is my first WIP post, so I have a few projects "in progress"...probably more than I should...

I purchased this wooden highchair when I was pregnant with Sprout, but ended up being too sore in my pregnancy to do anything with it, so now he is 18 months, I am 8 months pregnant with "Seed", and am finally finding the time and energy to do it! Funny thing is that none of my children have really sat in a highchair for more that a few months. They seem to do better sitting at their own table in the kitchen on their own little chairs. Honestly, my kitchens never seem to have room for a highchair. This wooded chair takes up much less space than the newer style I was given, so we'll see if after all this work, we actually use it!!!

I am a little farther than these pictures...I have finished all the rough sanding, and now just have to do some detail sanding!!!

Another project that I just started this last week is a little dress. I found a cotton dishcloth at Dollarama that I loved and just HAD to do something with. It still needs some buttons and the front accent to be sewn on.

First Snowfall

October 9th 2009 was our first snowfall this year. At first it was melting as it hit the ground which brought lots of joy to me:)Later in the afternoon, it STAYED!!! Our family was going to attend a football game, of course I wasn't going, and I dreaded to take the dog for a walk . It so happens I enjoyed the walk ,it was quite refreshing ,and our dog enjoyed it as well. So when we got home I stayed out side for 20 minutes longer! and took many pictures and videos. but still glad it all melted the next day.

(FOR NOW)

Last Night's Outing

The cold must've got to me, I have to admit I am not aclimatized to it, even after our summer, because I didn't even think to take pics of the boys all bundled up!

This was our cousin playing football. His team won by a large margin (even though we left after one hour). Speedy was "frozen", he needs proper mitts already, but Sprout was mad and actually cried when we left for a warmer environment. He seemed rather taken by the snow, as he is with rain. :)

Latest Crafting .... Cozy Toes

I stole some computer time today, and wrote and posted the following entry, and it got me thinking. I have so many projects I am beginning, or finishing, or at some stage inbetween. I'm not sure what has inspired this latest creative push ... whether it be the approaching end of my pregnancy, or maybe it is the giving spirit of the approaching holidays. I would love to share the excitement and even the worries about these projects, but I realize that doing that would spoil some of the holiday suprises for my loved ones. I will try to post what I can, for now, but be sure to check back in the New Year for updates on my secret projects!!!

Back to today's post....


It's October now, and we are all experiencing chilly toes!
I tend to wear slippers (or other indoor footwear) all year, but for the children, October means they all need new slippers. This morning I tried a new style of slipper that I haven't made before.

I was thinking Sunshine might like this style ... kinda like ballet slippers ... I intend to make her some leather ones, but thought I'd do a test pair from my cloth stash.

The sole is leather, with a foam cushioning layer and a soft inner layer (from an old blanket). Personally, I love this fabric ... it was given to me as scrap, and I have already made several things from it! The top cuff is supposed to have a ribbon to keep it slightly tighter (when it is leather), but for this one, I just used some coordinating yarn and crochet'd a lip around the top.

The boys' slippers will be next, but I am sure I will just use the same robeez-ish style that I have made them in the past.

No more chilly toes!!!

Football

Today we were off to see our cousins' football game.
They played well - and won - and our freshman cousin even got game time! Yeah!

My highlight - watching Speedy make some new friends ... then watching him tackle and down-right beat them up! It did start innocently enough with a game of football. That didn't take long to turn into tackle football. I was suprised (amazed) that the other parents weren't butting in at this point, we all just let them play. It was getting pretty rough, but after one boy was done whining/crying, he would get back up and ask the others to pass it to him, so we let them be! Slowly the aggression multiplied and the football involved decreased. I did finally step in, by means of bringing out food!

Speedy will sleep well tonight - he ran around in that hot sun for two hours... made me hot and tired just watching him!

Cucumber Eyeball Drumstick!

Vacation spaghetti hola ,tree vegetable jail, bathtub.

For lake pineapple computer guitar, lemon favorite timer, pants onion.
You confused?
Sunshine sure was!
We were having a casual lunch, and the above is part of the conversation between Speedy and I. Sunshine was a good sport, and let it go on for quite a while before piping up with a "I must've missed the beginning, what are you saying?".
What was the reply to this?

Dumb key tuba flower!

And so it continued for another 5 minutes.
Once again we hear Sunshine "I think I missed something at the beginning"
... this time followed by a short pause...
and finally Speedy: "Oh, that's ok" ... pause ... "I did to!"

Just try to imagine the level of laughter in our small kitchen. Even Sprout joined in!

First Picks of the Season!

August 28 and we raided our garden.

If anyone has seen our yard, they know we have a very small garden, and in very poor soil. Being our first time having a garden, we tried to plant things that might be successful.

Here were our pickings today:

One green tomato

One small carrot










Three cherry tomatos,
and one beet!










Everything else was left in the garden.

Cucumbers and Peppers










We have also been picking chives, parsley, and raspberries (overgrown from our neighbor's yard) all summer, and they are still growing strong.

Sock Monkeys

What to do with ourselves....

Speedy gave us a great idea! He brought out his sock monkey, and reminded me that his brother Sprout does not have one yet. He didn't know, but I have been holding on to a certain pair of socks for almost a year now with the intention of turning them into a monkey!

When we opened our bag of stuffing, we found another project that I almost completed... the legs are complete with red spikes...if I could only find the modivation to attatch them... ahh, not today, today's focus: the monkeys!

Sunshine and her sister (in pic) both attempted a semi-traditional monkey with the socks I could find around the house... Speedy brought me a pair of his small socks, so I decided to tackle a mini-monkey, a gift for a small relative. Speedy tried to piece togther the body parts after I stuffed them.

Sunshine completed most of her monkey, then got a little frustrated and decided to take a break. That somehow resulted in a dog body with a frog head. Since this picture, the "animal" has received large green front feet.

We do not have any finished projects to show yet, the machine work is done, but we all have some hand stitching to complete. Check back for more pictures soon!

8/18/09

Sunshine was not with us again today (teenagers!). No, she has a good excuse this time - she is away at camp. A bible camp. AND, she is actually working there, helping others, not as a camper! So I guess I should cut her some slack and get on with my story...



Today we (Speedy, Sprout, and I, CasualCrafter) had stopped in at our church in the afternoon. We inquired, and were directed towards a local hiking trail. The weather was beautiful, and Speedy was excited. When we got to the trail marker, it was blank!?!? I'm sure if I spend a little time searching, I can find a trail name, but for today, there was none! This was alright, because we didn't stick to the trail for very long. About 30 yards down the trail there was a smaller foot trail off into the bushes/long grass. Guess which path we took?



Definitely not the easiest! Unlike most hikes where I wear Sprout in a sling or pouch, today I opted for the stroller. Both Speedy and I thought it might be a good time to teach Sprout how to walk with us, and I thought the stroller might be of help to us in this training. Not only did the concept of holding his brother's hand and walking with us NOT go over well, but the stroller itself became a challenge on the path we chose. The path was mud, and it has done nothing but rain for the last week and a half (some would argue the last 6 weeks!). The little wheels did not stand a chance, and were soon covered in mud, and barely managed to turn themselves. When we left the muddiest section of the path, I believed the grass would provide some relief for the stroller. Wrong again! The tall grass not only stuck to the mud, but actually managed to wrap itself around the little wheels, attempting to immobilize us even further.


This hike was by no means a pity-hike. We had a blast, took pictures of our muddy shoes/wheels, and got a little extra exercise for all the work! But the best surprise was yet to come.



It turns out, the path we turned onto led into community gardens! Row after row, plot after plot of flowers and vegetables. It was exciting for me to see which we could identify, all in different stages of growth! Dill, cucumbers, sunflowers, pumpkins, peas, beans... We could have stayed for hours... but there was not an outhouse in sight!



As we headed up to the main road to find our truck (the trail with a stroller was exciting enough the first time), one of the gardeners called us over and filled our bag! Turns out she has had a very good year for peas, cucumbers, and zucchini. She gave us some of each, then added some tomato's, adding that they would make an excellent addition to supper. Turned out they are also all organic!



We left there feeling so blessed! Speedy asked if we could stop by the side of the road to pray ... the weather was beautiful, the unplanned trail was beautiful, and now we had these beautiful (and tasty) vegetables that someone had worked hard to grow, but that ultimately were God's creation, and we are so blessed to be able to enjoy them! Of course, Sprout just echoed "mmm" and "please", trying to get more fresh peas!

Bunn's Creek Trail - July 28, 2009

I appologize to anyone viewing this over a slower connection, but today's post is very IMAGE HEAVY! It could have something to do with my camera battery dying on our last trail, but I beleive it has more to do with just how inspired Speedy was with everything today.

Today we headed over the Red River and down Henderson Highway to Bunn's Creek. It was beautiful ... pathways on both sides of the creek, and several bridges to cross back and forth.

The questions started before our hike even began. "Mom, is it spring?" That was Speedy, and he did know that it is summer (How? Definately not from our recent weather!?!?!), but was confused by the new, bright green buds on the trees - usually a sign of spring!

The mosquito's WERE out, but maybe not as bad as they could have been. As we sent out on our first path, we were amazed as a hundred? baby dragonflies flew up into the air! I managed to get a photo of an orange one, but Speedy's favorite were the blue drangonflies.

The highlight for Sprout was a ride-on tractor that passed us on one of the wider paths. Even now, the picture is inspiring his "vroom-vroom".

Speedy has began to point out locations for doing "photo-shoots". Today he found a double-stump that he thought would be perfect for taking pictures of him and Sprout. How could I argue? Out came the camera, and the results are beautiful - just as he predicted!

So ofter the pictures, and a short water break, I thought we were ready to push on. I beleive Speedy thought so too, but we hadn't taken ten steps when I heard "Stop! There's something I have to write in my nature log!" It was Speedy, and what he had found was a mushroom growing at the base of a tree.
So again we stopped, and he took out his pencil and book and added this picture!

Now we were on our way! Where to, we didn't know. Speedy was begining to do a familiar dance, and just before I gave into letting him use a tree, we saw another bridge - that led to a park with a washroom! We did take the time for one more Speedy-inspired photo ... he went under the bridge to get a closer look, and found his reflection!

We did stay and play at the park for a short time, then it was back to the trails to find a good picnic spot. Unfortunately, there were no dragnflies where we stopped, so it was a quick lunch - before we were lunch! As we began to leave, Speedy produced his compass again. I asked him which way we came into the trails, and he remembered - North! What came next shocked me - "So to go back to our truck, we have to go South" came out of Speedy's mouth, as he used his compass to show me South. So with that we left down the southward path, and as we got to our truck, we turned around and took this beautiful picture of the sky!