25 Things you didn't know about me

25+ Things you didn't know about me I found this on facebook and was officially "tagged" (prompted) to participate... 1. I hate the feeling of running my hand "backwards" on suede. Really, I hate it and can not do it. 2. When I was 9 months pregnant with Atalie I weighed 220 lbs (gasp!! did I just say that?). 3. I pee my pants if I jump on a trampoline without using the facilities first. 4. To this day, I love Kraft Dinner with ketchup, even as leftovers. 5. I've never had (and still don't have) any desire to try pot - I guess I like reality too much. 6. I love dollar stores and have even been known to buy clothing and food from them - I'd like to think I know better now!. 7. I like adrenaline. I ended up severely bruised, nearly breaking my tailbone while cliff jumping into the Kootenay River from 65ft. 8. I took a course for a Level 1 Diving Instructor. 9. I count. My steps, cracks on the road while driving, even my staircase to the basement which I know will have 15 steps every time but still count them anyway (sometimes in odd or even increments). 10. The TV volume has to be set on an even number or in multiples of 5. 11. I like my house to be clean or else I can't function for the rest of the day. If you came over any given day, it would likely be quite clean. 12. I don't like to drink water. I didn't drink any up until a few months ago when I made myself and realized I feel MUCH better and have even lost weight doing so. 13. I like people to know they're appreciated and I try to speak and listen genuinely. 14. When I was in Junior High, one of my best friends and I dressed up as salt and pepper shakers for Halloween and everyone thought we were condoms!! I was mortified! ....lol... 15. When I was in High School I unintentionally jumped my parents Dynasty (the low rider) on the canal road on my way home from bridge jumping and filled the entire underside with rocks. Oops~ 16. When I was about 6 I remember hiding behind the bathroom door crying when our babysitter came over for the evening (she was even really nice!). 17. My knees look like potatoes, even at my skinniest! 18. My girlfriends used to call me banana legs b/c I had awful standing posture with my shoulders slouched, my hips out in front of me and my knees bending in slightly. Nasty:) 19. I can't seem to remember facts which I see in writing - even movie & book titles, in spite of how much I enjoyed them! 20. I tear up easily - from a cheesy TV show (extreme home reno's) to seeing a total stranger cry. 21. I have a little bumb and I like it! (assuming the rest of me is in proportion;)) 22. I have a fake front tooth - when I was in Grade 7 I did an endo off my 10 speed while riding back to school from lunch... smashed my face into the pavement and broke my front tooth, receiving many hours in the dentists' chair, including a root canal. 23. I don't regret any of the paths I've chosen in my life so far. I'm doing the things I want(ed) to be doing, just in a different order than expected! 24. I truly believe that you can accomplish anything you choose to do but think that some things aren't always worth the sacrifices in order to get there. 25. My favourite colour is red! Although most of you probably knew that... it's slightly obvious. 26. The first 3 things that come to mind which I'd LOVE to do successfully would be motocross, mogul freestyle skiing and long boarding (skateboarding). 27. I'm not fond of swimming in the ocean - too many unknown variables which can not be controlled!

Around Home... as always ;)

Well, I definately don't mind being "around" home. I love my home! I love having people over too. Last night I hosted an Epicure party (you know, one of those food sampling parties where you buy lots of spices and whatnot) and we had a good turnout (10 people plus another 2 outside orders). I really didn't care much about the orders themselves, even though I benefit somewhat depending on how much other people buy... I mostly wanted to get to know some new and some familiar people in the town where we live. I met four new faces anyway. It was great to have everyone over! From this event we discovered a perfect furniture layout for out livingroom!! Finally! We assumed that b/c our sectional didn't fit properly, a sofa and loveseat combination would lead to the same problem - either blocking the stairway, the entry or the door to the deck. However, when we replaced the sectional with a different set we had the movers put them directly downstairs, assuming they wouldn't fit properly upstairs, so we didn't really have the opportunity to try arranging them otherwise. This is kinda hard to explain but basically it works. Here's a picture, just because I'm so excited to finally have enough seating for our guests and we can enjoy the fire at the same time. Woohoo:) Anyone want to come over for pie and coffee???? BEFORE: AFTER: The deck door is just to the left of the sofa, behind the curtain. It's about 3-4 feet away from the love seat, but it's plenty of room to get in and out, come summer. Low and behold! We can actually move freely between the entry and the kitchen, without worrying about tripping over the couch and falling to our death down the stairs... that's always nice;)

A little project

Ok so it's actually a rather large project. I've been working on it a couple hours every day for the last week or more. I've decided to do the Invermere Farmers Market again this summer, however I'm going out on a bit of a limb this time. I did great($) last year when I sold baking, however I think I'm going to try my hand at selling my photography this time around. (yikes!) It's a little scary putting yourself out there, for the world judge (like it or not) your developing gifts. I won't be making more than one or two large framed prints, mostly for display and to attract people in. Everybody has a couple bucks in their pockets when they're browsing to buy, but not everyone has a couple hundred... which is why I'll mostly be selling cards - LOTS of cards. I've taken what I consider to be my best photographs and found some scripture/quotes to add to them - to help bring out, or rather focus on, what I saw when capturing the picture. I've got over 100 photos selected, with about half of them complete. I'll also be selling each card blank, without any wording at all. I'm hoping this will help get my name out a little bit, raising the question, "Do you ever take pictures for other people?" ...we'll see. Here's some examples of what I've been working on (you may have to click on some of the photos to read the print - I've still got some details to work out with font size on a 4x6 print).

Kev's new job (again)!

Kevin starts a new job tomorow! Yes, you are remembering correctly that he just began a new job one week ago. That job was with a company from Canmore (ya, the province over - strange I know) who had a contract to put up a few condos in Fairmont, which is a 20 minute drive away. Well, the guy who Kevin really wanted to work for (his name is Pierre) lives about a block away from us in teeny tiny Canal Flats (our home town) and drove by our house today to offer Kevin a job! He has lots of local work in town here too, which is strangely awesome. Believe it or not, last summer there were 100 lots which sold here in our little town, in a new subdivision on the lake - they were in limbo b/c of technicalities but should be picking up in spring. Kevin's new boss will be taking on jobs like those in the subdivision, building his own spec homes to sell and doing the odd reno (both in our town and surrounding area). We're super excited about this b/c he will be paying Kevin either the same or more as his last employers, and we'll be saving $300-$400per month on gas!!! That's HUGE! He even gets to come home for lunch:) - oh wait, does this mean I actually have to MAKE lunch now??? Hmmm, anyway.... We're thankful for this huge answer to prayer, as this job is heading in the right direction for us and is one in a million right now! Thank you Lord and to everyone who has been praying and believing for us:)

Out of wood?!!

Yes, Friday was our last day of tropical temperatures in our house... until last night!!! It's funny how quickly a person gets used to 23 to 27 degrees (C) in their house. I've been used to it since summer began and I had to bake throughout the week and did so without airconditioning - the house would literally be 28 to 32 degrees every day. So when winter came we started heating with wood and it's just continued... I actually start to shiver at 20 degrees in here! Anyhow, we've been using wood heat 24/7 for almost 3 months now and we've burned up 5-6 trees in that time. Yesterday we cut up 2.5 more trees (two of them were smaller deadfalls already and we couldn't quite get at part of one) so I hope they last another month. That kind of sucks in itself b/c we'll have to go out, likely in the snow, again at that time. We've decided that come spring we're going to go nuts getting firewood every weekeend until we know for sure we have enough for the whole winter to come!! Finding a dead tree in winter is near impossible! Unless of course you can find a pine, which are pretty obvious when they're dead. Otherwise you have to look for a good fir b/c there are SO many larch trees around and they all lose their needles in the winter so you just can't tell with them. The trees we got yesterday were all fir, which is great in my opinion b/c they burn nice and slow (hot hot hot!) :) The smaller trees are actually great as well b/c you don't have to chop them after you buck them - just huck em in the fireplace and be done! :) Bucking up our first tree, which was conveniently located beside the road!!! Yay! It's then my job to carry them out as he keeps cutting... And if there are any left (usually I leave the monsterous ones for him but there weren't any this time) he helps;) Done! yay!! That was actually really fun! I highly recommend it for excersize too;)

You know what they say about small things...

...they amuse small minds:) Aiden begun the "sorting" of plastics in the corner cupboard... then Atalie joined in to restore order... but the plastics just began to spread;) Hiding in the curtains is great fun when you jump out and yell "BOO!" Aiden is always discovering some way to entertain himself! This is what I got when I asked him to say cheese - "Baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!" Big but not quite big enough;) VERY interested in what the bread machine was doing! Fighting over window space. Snuggling with Mum for a brief moment:)

Morning Glory Muffins

I love these muffins so much that I thought I'd share them (virtually) with you:) I realize the rediculous size of this recipe above, however I tried typing it out in this post and the entire recipe was jumbled up in one paragraph - too frustrating trying to read that! So I typed it out in Word and uploaded it that way instead. You'll just have to click on it to enlarge, if you want the recipe:)

Finished Product!

Ok so I overestimated the difficulty level of this project. I was right about the amount of time it would take to complete; wrong about the timeframe it would be complete... I'm done! Yipee!! I worked on Atalie's blanket yesterday afternoon and evening and the other things (her pillowcase and Aiden's bedding) this morning. I wasn't expecting to be so motivated but I had so much fun doing it that I just couldn't stop myself! lol:) Two things which I have to admit having learned the hard way: ALWAYS measure your duvet before sewing the cover.... I know, it seems stupid not to. However, I have a crib-size Ikea duvet and a singe-size Ikea duvet for the kids (used to be mine as a kid!). I figured I could just get the duvet cover measurements off the Ikea website since the covers I've bought in the past have fit perfectly! Well, the size listed for the childrens bed was "twin" and I couldn't find a "single" size listed anywhere so I assumed this was the same thing (you know how Ikea can be with their bed sizes). Anyway, I ended up sewing a size larger than needed, so I had to cut down a foot on each side of the duvet cover and sew it up again. At least it was too big and not too small! Phew!!! Also, I discovered that I am NOT very good at sewing that snap-tape stuff (the snaps are pre-sewed onto a strip of fabric so you don't have to attach them individually, only sew the strip onto your project). I had to lift the presser-foot to avoid hitting the snaps, and even then my fabric shifted every time I did, so the snaps on Aiden's blanket ended up being a bit twisted and didn't line up very well at one end... which makes me confused at how Atalie's blanket turned out so well! Sheesh. I don't know the solution to this but I may consider individual snaps next time. Atalie's bed. I made both blankets and pillowcases reversible, and the pillowcases with a little tuck-flap (for lack of actual term) inside of them so the pillow doesn't come out. I also made an extra (average size) pillowcase for Aiden for when he's a little older and using his blanket in his toddler bed, as opposed to the crib. Aiden's bed. A good mistake: I discovered that the lady who helped me measure and cut the fabric in Fabricland did something majorly wrong and cut me twice as much fabric as I needed for Atalie's bed. SO, this means I didn't actually have to spend the $88 that I did! I hope I can return it for a significant refund - otherwise I'm going to need some large girlie projects to use it all up!

What have I done??!

This first pic has nothing to do with the title of this post:) Just a quick cute shot of Atalie with her new haircut!! She got it done yesterday while we were running around like madmen doing errands in Cranbrook. She sat so very still and so very patiently:) I think visits to the salon will never lose their appeal;) She's a little lady after my own heart. So I sit here, with about 14 metres of fabric waiting for me to sew it into 2 duvets and 2 pillow cases for my kids. I got this little bug in me the other day while flipping through Ikea's catalogue... "why don't I MAKE some bedding instead of BUY it?!! YES! A fun project!" I thought, "Perhaps I'll be saving a bit of money, or ok maybe not.. but at least it'll be something fun to do and besides, how much could something as simple as this really cost?" Well Kendra, let me show you (and most of this is half price!!): I priced out an Ikea duvet cover set for Atalie at $19.99 + tax and Aiden at 16.99 + tax. Making them myself ended up costing WAAAAAY more than I had anticipated!!!! So, I have to say a huge THANK YOU!!! to my Grandma and Grandpa Lepp for this gift, as this is what the kids' Christmas money went towards (for those of you saying, "that sucks, kids don't want blankets for cmas" you should come here and SEE the amount of toys they have, they don't need more!!) As you can also see from the pic above, I got the "easy" snaps for the bottom of the duvet covers;) I didn't even know they existed until the kind lady at Fabricland showed me! Above, the fabric I finally chose (Aiden's being the two blue ones of course) after milling around the store for nearly half an hour... and really, I wasn't at all impressed with their selection. There wasn't really a selection at all, unless you like cheesy baby patterns from the 80's. Perhaps it's one of those downsides to a smaller city. I'll do my research before I spend this much money buying fabric here again! Anyway, the covers will be reversible incase they outgrow one of the styles sooner than I'd like;) I'm hoping these will last until they grow old enough to have taste of their own! When does that happen anyway?? Oh well;)

Art In Many Forms: Celebrating Skill!

I think it's time for some fun video clips:) Let's celebrate our talents, whether it's an ability to rock a longboard, a humbling sense of humour or a little dance. Some are a little silly, others not so much. Riding The Longboard (the above clip is a bit long but very cool and worthy of a glance) No Pants New York! I thought this one was hilarious... but that's my sense of humour perhaps;) Over The Rainbow A-D-O-R-A-B-L-E! Dancing around the world Kind of inspiring:) Free Runners Atalie's response to this clip was, "They jump like monkeys!... how do you do that Daddy??? How boys jump like this? They really good!" Insane Hockey Goals Most of these I don't really care about but check out the goal at 1:20 (a minute and twenty seconds) and 2:45. Heavy Load This clip had over 9,000 views and was given a 6 star (out of 6) rating!!!!!!! hahaha:) Way to go Attie, you're a star!

correction

I've mentioned to a few people that Kevin had a week more work than expected - however that's not entirely correct. He looked at the amount of work he had remaining on the job site and assumed that he'd be there until it was done. I guess one should never assume. Friday will be his last day - if that. However, as mentioned he does have a job lined up and is going to call that guy today to confirm. I don't think he's looking forward to changing jobs... but what can you say? He's (we're) greatful for the work and pray that it will lead to an even better job opportunity!! Thank you Lord :)

Job Update

Well it just so happens that 1 of about 15-20 construction companies are actually hiring! Whadaya know!! Kevin took Friday off to drive around looking for building sites so he could ask if they were hiring... only b/c everyone else he called said they weren't hiring and he was running out of ideas. The company he found builds condos. It seems they're the type of company that "slaps em up" so Kev's not too excited about this job - but work is work so we're very greatful! He hasn't officially been hired but the guy hiring said that they're currently hiring and to call when he was done his current job. Kev also got one call-back from a company which builds quality high-end homes, one he'd prefer to work with. He spoke with the owner for awhile about his work experience and he told Kevin that he'd love to have him on board, except he currently doesn't need any more guys... but to call back in a couple weeks and would keep Kev's resume on the top of his desk! We're hopeful about this one. Kevin knows one more guy who would have hired him if he'd known Kevin was looking for work awhile ago, and said he's actually been turning jobs away b/c he didn't have enough guys! ??! That's so strange b/c the general word we've been getting is that companies can't find enough work. Very odd... So that's that. Thank you everyone for your prayers and support! Things are looking up at the moment but we continue to pray for guidance and that Kevin would be blessed with an awesome job! Cheers!

2009 so far: bittersweet

Bittersweet is probably the best way to describe our Year thus far... which is, lemme count...... only 7 days in! Wow, that's nuthin! First I'll share the "sweet": Last night as Kevin was heading off to shinney (hockey with the locals) and I was tucking the kids into bed, Atalie said something which made my year - or perhaps my whole life!! :) I asked her if she'd like to pray before bed and she said, as usual, "(bless) Daddy and Mommy and Aiden and Atalie and..." then she paused and said, "Bless Mommy. She's the best thing I ever seen!" She opened her eyes and I said, "What did you say Attie??". She stood up about 1 foot away from me, looked into my eyes, pointed right at my face and said, "You're the best friend I ever seen!" and gave me a great big, very affectionate hug. I was rather stunned to be honest ~ that's the best compliment I've ever had!!! I said, "And you're MY best friend Attie!" and she gave me another very affectionate hug:) What a sweet little girl! I love her to bits:) **After pondering this for a day I have to add that I'm really astonished as to how anybody could believe we came from a "big bang" - and with no purpose, just by chance. Is that who we think we are? It's no wonder people struggle so much in life, having to believe that they are nothing and worth just as much! If a 2 year old, who has so little understanding of the world around her, can have such a firm grasp on love, isn't this enough evidence that there is a loving being who created us with a purpose greater than eating, sleeping, pooping and passing on our genes to the next evolving generation? I can't think of anything more bland, vile or depressing. I suppose that both Creation and Evolution take equal amounts of faith to believe in. I think I prefer to believe that my life has love thus purpose, not because of a 1 in a gazillionoide chance. Thank you Lord for Love! And for freedom of choice:) ** As for the "bitter" part of this new year, I'm hoping it will turn into another "sweet" part, perhaps a huge prayer praise and reason to give everyone else in our situation some hope!! Kevin's boss informed him on Monday that he had roughly two weeks worth of work left. Hmmm.... yes it was rather unexpected considering we last heard that there was enough work to last until spring sometime. However I wasn't totally surprised, neither totally discouraged. Although I realize the huge risk which is upon us (we live paycheque to paycheque, are currently in the minus b/c we haven't recovered from Kev's schooling period and don't really have a financial back-up of any kind, except for a small amount of credit on Mastercard), we know that a work shortage has been a reality for some of our friends already and we're praying that God will make the change one that is for the BEST! If you'd join us in prayer we would sure appreciate it! We're praying that God would provide Kevin with a job which is even better than the last (which may be tough to beat!) and that there will be longterm blessings which come from this! Amen! Thanks!

Christmas '08 - Mom & Dad Dyck's Home, Coaldale

We went to Coaldale for a week (longest visit ever!!!) to spend time with our family and friends. We usually just see family, as most of our friends have moved away by now... however this time I got to see my great friend Kristie :) :) :) over lunch at Penny Coffee House, and we got to know Tyler's girlfriend Jana! It was a great week! As always, here are some pics: Atalie hides no excitement when it comes to opening gifts... Tyler wins an award for most creative wrapping this year;) Tyler gives Aiden a gift, who in turn seems a little reluctant to accept ???! haha! Atalie helps Grandma open her much anticipated (and hand painted!) gift from Tyler. Jana helps Aiden eat his yogurt for breakfast:) Aiden gets geared up for some toboganning at Tayler Mountain (WOW! haha)! Kevin heads down with the kids - who look less than thrilled (Aiden wasn't feeling great and somehow got snow in his face every time down...poor guy!) Tyler and Jana with their fancy skills:) Atalie gets a free ride up, lucky girl! She had so much fun (and cried when we had to go home)!! Aiden is ready to pack it in for the day, after about 20 minutes of sledding (or rather struggling to pick himself up out of the deep snow b/c he wanted to be left alone to wander miserably). A very poor (but funky) self portrait on our way down the hill;) Bowling with family on my 28th birthday ~ I realize it's more of a 8th birthday type party;) I'm handing out awards here, so I guess I'll start with myself since I'm the birthday girl;) I win award for first (and most deceiving) strike of the game!! WOOHOO!!!!!!! Mom (D) showed some serious consistancy in skilled stance and take off (and ignoring the unfortunate fact that the lane would be slanted each time her ball hit the floor)! She gets an award for most dedicated bowler! Andrew shows some early talent in his carefully crafted "granny" shot! Way to go bud!!! I think he wins an award for biggest trooper! Jerah took on the role of assisting with the bowling balls as they came out of the return-hole. She definately wins an award for biggest helper! Mom (I) gets an award for most positive bowler! I don't think bowling is her favorite activity, yet she had fun and always had a big smile:) Kevin wins an award for most entertaining bowler. Luckily, there were no holes in the ceiling and all the drywall tiles were still in place when we left! :) Dad (I) wins the most powerful bowler award!! Just look at the sheer force!!!! ;) Lisa wins an award for most patient bowler!!! She brought her two kids, Andrew and Jerah. Now, let's be honest... she could have distracted them and stolen their turns ---- buuuuuut she was a true Mother in sacrificing her own bowling time to help them along:) Way to go Lis!!! Tyler wins award for most creative bowler! I think he got second place too!! How'd you pass my flawless score???!! Jana definately wins the most vibrant bowler award! She played off her skill by being casual and quiet, but watching her entrance and exit was a true experience to be had!!! :) Tyler and Jana watch Mom (D) rock the alley. Jana decorates my DQ Cookie Dough Icecream Cake!! Mmmmmm!!!! Atalie helps me blow out the candles. Atalie helps me taste-test the cake (quality assurance). Atalie and Aiden cuddle up to some cartoons. Tyler and Jana sip some coffee during one of MANY card games. Atalie wisely chose to sit beside Jana during the card game, who crafted all sorts of animals and electronics out of playdough. You are her new best friend Jana!! The puzzle we all worked on (even Jana - the nonpuzzler!) - Kev and I finished it up after everyone else wussed out and went to bed ;) heehee... Aiden has some Daddy-time!! And some Grandma-time!! He snuggles when he's miserable - bittersweet:) Lastly, we have Tyler and Jana displaying more of their astounding skills - this time as gymnasts (or acrobats? not sure).