A Monster Among Us

August 16, 2017 | Stacy

I can’t remember when my kids weren’t performing. As youngsters they would retell their favorite movies, much as all kids do.

Then it was reenacting favorite stories with stuffed animals.

Somewhere in the mix they got involved with Music Makers at Webster Bible Church.

And then it was using video cameras to make sweet stories.

And acquiring better cameras.

Then writing scripts.

And getting better software.

And now – it is entering independent projects into Film Festivals.

And tonight we got a sneak preview of their movie.

I’m exceedingly proud of them. This final movie represents at least (at LEAST) 200 hours. There are a few things that ended up on the cutting room floor. And a few things that I wish had gone differently. But, mostly, I am over the moon.

Colossians 3:17
And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him

“I’m a rumor weed.”

August 16, 2017 | Stacy

Somehow, the little girls had never embraced the wonders of Larry Boy and the Rumor Weed until this past week or so. While it has always been on the movie shelf, for whatever reason it remained undiscovered.

Let’s just say it went over big. Very big! In her tremendous enthusiasm, Katriel decided since Mama hadn’t watched it with them, she would share the story with me. So she did. In careful detail she retold the story to me, complete with sound effects and dance moves. She fed me the lines so that I could reenact her favorite parts of the story. I enjoyed hearing her narration to the core of my being. Now, I probably first enjoyed Larry Boy and the Rumor Weed in 2003. Imagine her joy and surprise when I was able to join her in a rousing chorus of the Rumor Weed’s song!

That was a few days ago. Since then, she has carried, “Weedy” pretty much everywhere and today I asked if I could take a picture. For reasons known only to her, she felt these faces best such a shot.

(She is such a Butler-kid!!!!!)

I did catch this smiles a few moments later.

Matthew 13:40
Just as the weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so will it be at the close of the age.

the tomatoes ARE good

August 14, 2017 | Stacy

It was one of THOSE moments. I suddenly had a keen, crisp awareness of the fleeting of time. I saw my *baby* girl as she truly is – an almost 4½ year old young lady with a whole self of her own that is growing up. And though at that moment she was asking me to turn on the faucet to wash her sticky hands, she would not always need me to turn on the faucet. I gently rinsed her hands with not-too-warm water, with the spray feature on the way she likes it, and danced the water around longer than necessary as she wiggled her fingers under the streams. I found the towel and took extra moments to dry her hands as I soaked her in with my eyes. I planted a kiss on her nose and said, “I love you, Katriel,” and moved in for a hug.

She brightly responded, “I love tomatoes. And you, Mama.”

Psalm 90:17
Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands upon us; yes, establish the work of our hands!

Ktichen Update

August 11, 2017 | Stacy

Shhhh – can you hear that? It is Pinterest, calling my name.

I can’t believe just a short time ago I wrote Pinterest off as an annoying site you had to log in to see recipes… I had no idea just how helpful it could be. I thank my friend, Diane, for helping me to understand how to use the site. I feel like the updates we have made to the house this year have gone so well in no small part to what we find on this site.

I knew we needed to paint the kitchen. And after painting the living room a sunny yellow, the bathroom a cheerful chartreuse, and the dining room an alluring blue, the warm red kitchen didn’t quite fit. (Although, I did love the red.) Those three rooms were coming together with a sort of tropical feel and I did some searches with that as my key word. One of the things that kept coming up was colored furniture. Ooooo – I’ve always REALLY LIKED color! Not only was I intrigued, but John liked the samples online, as well.

I hadn’t initially planned to swap out the table and chairs, but they are really, really beat on. The chairs have giant dents in the backs where they have hit up against the table for 12+ yers, and the cushions are disgusting. John regularly tightens the screws holding them together and yet they wobble all the time. The table isn’t the kind of wood that can be refinished. And the footprint in the kitchen is rather large, too.

Craigslist helped us find four chairs quickly. Sturdy wooden ones. Then we found a small table and chair set that would round it out. SIDE NOTE – The kitchen can only seat six and we have only been eating breakfast and lunch in there since Katriel was born. And since Katriel got out of the high chair, I typically stand to eat breakfast and lunch… OR – (insert sad face here) – this past year we noticed there are a lot of weekdays where the 7 of us don’t even eat breakfast and lunch all together anymore. That is what happens when the big kids grow up and have activities outside of the home. (Insert joy here – homeschooling gave me more meals with my kids than away-school would have ever offered.) – END SIDE NOTE

So we bought the furniture.
We bought a paint sprayer.
We watched the tutorials online.
We read lots of Pinterest pins.

And I left for Prince Edward Island for the week. John took the week of work. He and the other four kids had a STAYCATION that included working on the furniture.

The process took days. And had a lot of steps.

Joanna has Chip; I have John. ♥

I easily had 30 paint swatches from Walmart (my new favorite paint – totally not kidding) and with the help of my Captain of Color (Stewart) we selected cool cucumber.

Now – to truly embrace a trendy, tropical-style kitchen, we’d have to paint the cabinets. And that isn’t going to happen. We love the cabinets. We’re not about to mess with the real wood. We hope to add crown moulding and a backsplash. Soon. But not too soon.

Ecclesiastes 3:13

Also that everyone should eat and drink and take pleasure in all his toil—this is God’s gift to man.

Now you see them…

August 8, 2017 | Stacy

Now you don’t!

Hanny let those teeth get as loose as can be. It took a few tries to get that first one out. She would sit still and ask me to tug, only to have me stop when it got too intense. A few days later, however, she was ready to let me pull the second one out in one determined yank.

We celebrated the way Butlers do —- ice cream.

Tab also lost two teeth this week…. we’ve had a lot of dairy. Winking smile

Ecclesiastes 3:12
I perceived that there is nothing better for them than to be joyful and to do good as long as they live

Following directions

August 6, 2017 | Stacy

During the summer, sometimes I will work evening shifts on weeknights. When I do this Johanna likes me to leave the girls a note for the morning (so I can sleep in until 7:30 or 8:00).

She actually didn’t need a note one morning, because I had been able to give instructions verbally before she went to bed. But she pleaded with me to leave her one just the same.

Instead of thinking it was funny, as I did (I was laughing so hard as I typed it out) she said it made her cry. She said that as she read it she was worried about all the jobs. She also thought “gas” said “gats” and she thought those were bugs, and thought I meant get them out of the big van. Which was even funnier. But I guess she’s just not yet primed for my witty humor. I will stick to love notes from here on out.

1 Corinthians 13:11
When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways.

Nothing says welcome home

July 31, 2017 | Stacy

like a jury summons…

I must say, many years ago, I used to lose sleep at night worrying about what I would do if I received one of these. In the years where I had a gaggle of kids under 10, and my mom worked full-time, I would hear of a friend getting one of these babies in the mail and I’d get palpitations. Oh, people would reassure me I’d get a waiver, but the idea of asking for one appalled me. I mean, aren’t these kind of the whole point of why we live here? The idea of “for the people, by the people” and the like kind of hinges on these pieces of our government. And, frankly, if the only people sitting on juries are the ones with a lot of time on their hands, is that such a good idea? No. If I’d gotten one of these, I’m sure the LORD would have handled all the details. Instead, He just had them hold off until I could serve. Which I can. And I may have to. The fact that it is the last full week of summer won’t make me bitter, either. Most impressively, we happen to not have anything on the calendar for that week. And with lots of teens, and Grandma close by, I will dutifully do what I’m called to do.

I DO hope it’s not a long trial. I did sit on a case that went to trial in May 1995. It ended up with us be sequestered one evening until we reached our verdict. Deliberations had been difficult, and it was one of the first grown-up things I ever did, having just graduated from college the week prior.

Micah 6:8
He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?

Hopewell Rocks at the Bay of Fundy

July 29, 2017 | Stacy

We left the Anne Shirley motel around 7 A.M. and started our trip to Bangor. Our first stop was going to be at the Bay of Fundy. Our trip times were coordinated to hit the low tide in our effort to maximize the treat.
I was able to access the Tide Times from here.
The parking lot was very crowded, and as this is a Provincial park, not a National park, we had to pay to get in. (Our entrance was somewhat delayed as I tried to explain to the cashier that the deal she was trying to talk me into for my “group” of three was, in fact, NOT in my best interest. I know it likely annoyed the people behind me in line, but I wasn’t going to pay the $3 more she kept insisting was the “deal.”)
We got into the very crowded learning center, use the restrooms, dodge the evolutionary content, and get out to the pathway in about 20 minutes.

The Learning Center couldn’t really prepare us for what we were going to see.

The first outlook offered us only a hint.

We began the long walk down to the ocean floor. It was lovely, and cool, and fragrant, and not buggy!

There were little spots along the way with outlooks for more peeks.

And then we finally go to the bottom section.

It was so cool to me to walk there, knowing that in 12 hours or so the spots under our feet would be under ~ 45 feet of water. It blows my mind that the space we were occupying would easy be occupied by fish later in the day. I LOVE CREATION.

It was slimy. Tab is more agreeable to mud than Marie and I and she ventured out further than we.

She went out further and further and, yes, I was getting a bit nervous…

She came back (phew!) and we started back up, stopping at the foot wash station…

Last, but NOT least, we enjoyed lunch at the canteen. Marie and I noshed on some amazing lobster burgers (slurp!) and Tab enjoyed a gigantic plate of onion rings.

Amos 9:6
Who builds his upper chambers in the heavens and founds his vault upon the earth; who calls for the waters of the sea and pours them out upon the surface of the earth— the Lord is his name.

And then there was this fun day….

July 29, 2017 | Stacy

We started off with another eyeful of the ocean. How can we not, right? I mean, it is RIGHT THERE… just a few thousand feet away from where we slept.

Red sand. I lurve it.

We drove to Bedeque to see the L.M. Montgomery Lower Bedeque School. What took us 25 minutes to drive must have taken hours for her to get to back when she taught there. She only taught there for a few months, but it is all the building needs to make the claim. It really is a fascinating glimpse into life in VERY rural Canada. Our guide was an older teen who warmly shared detail after detail about the building and the area.

As we drove north back toward Cavendish we stopped in some fields to take photos. I met a man who was out walking who was originally from the Niagara Falls area. He was familiar with Rochester and Buffalo from raising hockey sons. He and his wife had moved to PEI just a few years prior and he couldn’t say enough about how great it was to live there. He provided so many details about the canola you see growing here,

and the potatoes.

The whole island is covered with fields of potatoes and canola.

As we got back tot he branch in the road to head east to our part of town we suddenly saw THIS. We had to have passed it on our way to Lower Bedeque School, but the way the signage only faced one direction we totally missed it.

They only accepted cash and I literally had to dig out change from in the car and the girls’ bags to gain us admittance. Here we learned another boatload of facts about L. M. Montgomery. She truly didn’t live on the island that long. She ended up marrying a pastor and moving back to Ontario after teaching her short time. She provided a great deal of physical care to elderly relatives, as well. But she wrote such beautiful stories to bless generations of girls.

We stopped at Avonelea Village for lunch and some shopping. This is just a creative little shopping mall. It would have been annoying except they did work hard on the presentation. Little shops to look like a community…. that somehow I can’t find photos of.
We shared a giant container of poutine with homegrown PEI potatoes.

They were good, but insanely overpriced for what it was. Still, I can say I had PEI poutine.
The girls had Raspberry Cordial a la Anne Shirley.

We cleaned up for dinner and somehow denied ourselves afternoon beach time. (I do think some were disgruntled.) We did stop in to the yogurt place again for itty bitty bits.

We cleaned up a bit and headed to Fisherman’s Wharf.

Even with the exchange rate, it was expensive. But it was our one dinner out and we enjoyed it.

I couldn’t bring myself to eat it….

Marie had her first ever lobster.

We poked around the gift shop a little.

And we did head back to Prince Edward Island National Park for one more look around. I left the camera in the car for that trip. I did pick up a dozen red rocks to bring home and filled a big ziploc with red sand.
On our drive back to the motel I tried to absorb as many of the views as possible. I did pull over to this outlook area. Photos (especially mine) don’t do it justice.

We packed up for an early morning check-out, and watched our last movie.