Can't think of a better place to be

At the risk of sounding like a vampire, I have to admit that I love dark, gloomy weather.   There is something about it that makes my heart light and makes me want to giggle.  Matt says that I should live on the coast near the mountains.  When there is rain on the forcast I get giddy .... I love the sense of urgency to get the laundry in or cover things up.  I know most people love the sun and heat, but perhaps you can see the beauty in the fantasy I am about to describe.

If I could be anywhere right now ...

Matthew and I live in a large brick bungalow with beautiful bay windows.  It has a huge white wrap around veranda with hanging plants and an outdoor chiminea.  A huge rain storm is brewing.  The wind is picking up and people have been sent home early in anticipation. There is a sense of community as things are closing up and people cover their belongings.  The wind starts to get intense and everything turns a different colour.  We've done all we can to prepare for the storm so we curl up on the outdoor swing to watch the storm.  The kids are playing on the porch and they keep looking up as the rain clouds approach.  The storm hits it full force.  It's Friday night and we decide to make homemade pizza.  We all sit around on the veranda eating pizza and talking.  No one is going anywhere and everything is put on hold. The weekend lays ahead so there is  no pressure to have everything in order or prepare for the next day.  After the kids have been nestled in their beds with the sound of rain hitting their windows,  Matthew and I curl up on the porch swing with a blanket and lit candles while we continue to watch the rain fall ....   I don't think there is anywhere else I'd rather be.

JJ's surprise

Surprise!

 I got my ears pierced today!  I've asked mommy and daddy for awhile and today was the big day.  I was so brave and didn't even cry.  Mommy let me pick from a couple earings and I chose the pink daisies.  I'm so excited.

What?!? I existed before kids?

So, I had this dream.  Someone I've known for a couple of years told me that they knew nothing about me.  We were at Church and people were given the opportunity to share about themselves.  I passed on my turn and this is when this lady (I won't mention her name)told me that other than holding onto a wall, she knew nothing about who I was.

Like most dreams I have, it got me thinking.  Living in a town neither Matthew or I grew up in and meeting lots of new people in the past few years ... does anyone really know anything about us?  Better yet, do I even remember who I am?  Right now I am totally JJ and Tee's Mommy.  Those who I've met over the past few years probably know me as a Mommy, a wife, Sunday school teacher, someone who likes to try new crafts and recipes.  Perhaps they've picked up some of my warped sense of humour.  Did you know that I had a whole life before becoming a wife and Mother?? What!?!  I've got to try to remember who that person is.  Seems like cooking, cleaning, adorable kid's quotes, shopping for all things baby, girl and cheap have overtaken my brain space.  Bare with me as I try to remember Lisa Johnston ... pre Baby.

Here is a list of things you might not know about me ... Lots of people will know these things and if you remember anything I'd love to hear comments.  Perhaps you could spark some more memories or interests for me.

1.  I am a farm girl.  I'm the most whimpy farm girl you'll ever meet, but I grew up playing on round bales, riding in the loader of the tractor and jumping up on Saturday morning to "the cows are out!" ... and yes I was afraid of getting dirty through the whole process.
2. When I was 2 my Dad decided to go to school in Virginia.  We lived there for a couple of years and I developed a Southern Drawl.  My baby brother was even born there.
3. I was a trumpet player.  My older sister and I went to England for 2 weeks with our school band
4. A close friend and I decided we wanted to go to Kenya to help in an orphanage.  It was a very cool experience, but I have never been so homesick and bugbitten in my life. 
5. Matthew and I met during my first year of College, but we weren't overly impressed with eachother.  He thought I was silly and I thought he was a bit of a geek. We did sing a duet with eachother at a dorm meeting, but it wasn't until years later that Jennifer Hryniw set us up.  We dated, got engaged and married all within one year.  I guess I didn't know I liked geeks.
6. I seem to like kids because most of the jobs I've had have revolved around them. Camp, Extend a family, Children's ministry, nanny ..
7. I have a degree in Counselling, but have never had the opportunity to use it.  I started my Master's in Counselling, but put that on hault right now.
8. I was a rare kid.  I was 1 of a handful of kids in Canada to have kidney stones so young.
9. I won the same kind of award in grade school, highschool and college ... none of which were for academics.
10. I was such an outgoing person before I hit 25.  I was like JJ ... except I didn't have the beautiful blond hair ... I had very dark hair. My sister remembers going down the street in Virginia to see how far she could hear me ... it was far.

Okay, that's enough remembering for now.  My head hurts.  Maybe tonight in my dream I won't pass on my turn to share about myself.

Super Cool person of the week

This week's super cool person is Carol.  

I've known Carol for a few years now and she's always been so easy to get along with, generous and fun to be around.  She is always bringing "surprises" for the girls.  Julia thinks she's awesome.  We all went to the zoo last spring and Julia was glued to Carol with "Dickey glue" ... Mama didn't exist that day!


I chose her this week because when I called to ask her about a sewing question she came right over to fix it and show me how to do it.  It wasn't something she needed to do, but she came over anyway.  We think Carol is super cool! 

Blue eyes and everything but blue eyes

It's such a toss up when it comes to genetics.  When egg meets sperm ... so many possible combinations.  It amazes me how two people can create another person.  It amazes me how different they can be and how much alike they can be.

I think my girls look nothing alike .... apart from their stunning blue eyes.  Check out these baby blues.

She's near perfect!  Okay, I can see through my rose coloured glasses, but she does have beautiful eyes.  I'm wondering where they came from.  JJ's are similar ...

 I got two very different little girl who somehow both got beautiful blue eyes.  Matthew has "hazzle" eyes.  I think they are green, but they do lean toward blue when he's sick or tired.  Their Mom?  My eyes are even more of a question mark.

 I have every colour, but blue.  One eye is brown with a patch of green and the other eye is green with a patch of brown.  Weird.  

Now, our eyes are different, but then there are other combinations that leave me amazed.  JJ is turning into a mini me.  Our personalities are so much alike.  We get eachother ... but we can also butt heads.  However, she looks so much more like Matthew.  I don't see anything of her in me.

Then there is Tee.  We are so different.  She's so much like her Daddy and it shows in how close the two are.  She may be her Daddy on the inside, but on the outside I see a 2 year old me.  The combinations are awesome.  I'm so curious to see what we'd get if we had another one (this is NOT a public announcement of a third little Dickey bird.)  

With so many possibilities of combinations I just have to believe that God had his hand in it.  He knew us before He made us ... it's pretty cool to be known that well.  We are all so unique.  There is no one out there like you ... honour who that person is because that's who God made you to be.

Lisa's yummy, but secretly healthy chocolate cake

I've had a few people ask about my chocolate cake ... so here it is.

In one bowl
1/4c oil
1/4c apple sauce (I just use an organic apple sauce cup ... works out to a good amount)
1c white sugar
1/2c brown sugar
2 teaspoon vanilla

In another bowl
2c flour
1/2c natural cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspons baking soda

In another bowl
2 cups of finely graded zucchini and carrots. Mostly zucchini. Probably 1.75 c of zucc and .25 carrots.

Mix bowl 1 and 2 together. When mixed add zucc and carrots. Seperate into two round cake tins (lightly grease and flour). Cook at 350 for 20-30 mins??? When it's spongy in the middle with a tooth pick.  As soon as it comes out glaze with frosting. I just put enough on to taste to keep it on the healthy side.

Hope this doesn't sound complicated. It's really not. It's just me trying to write out what's in my brain.

It makes two cakes ... we just ate half of one before we took a picture! You can add more frosting to make it look more "cake" like

Genetically alone

I got a message yesterday that confirmed something I have been feeling for awhile.  A lady from Ohio got my name off an inactive facebook group and wanted to know if I or anyone I knew has Miyoshi Myopathy.  I was shocked and kind of excited.  This was the first person I have ever had any contact with that has the same disability as me.


Her husband had just been diagnosed and she was looking for information.  I have finally found someone who is experiencing the same thing as me.  I found one group on facebook, but as I mentioned, no one was actively involved in it.  It's pretty rare, but type 2B is even more rare.  I even found out this past fall that my Doctor ... a world renowned specialist ... only has one patient with type 2B ... that would be me.

This may mean nothing to you, but to me it would feel so good having someone to talk with .. or even read something about someone who understands.  I am so blessed with people in my life who understand my limitations ... Matthew, Julia, Denielle, Ryan, Nancy, my parents, but sometimes it would be nice to not feel so alone in this.  I'm not sitting here feeling sorry for myself, but sometimes I feel scared.  Feels like too often I'm finding something new I can't do anymore.  Always assessing everything to see if my children and I will be safe.  Not being able to go places because there is one pesky little step.  Watching other people experience things with my children.  There are certainly lots of people who experience far worse things that I have, but this is my story and my experience. 

I guess I could feel "genetically alone" ... or perhaps I'm just so unique.  So unique in the way God knit me inside my Mother.  When he created me he must have thought ... I have a special plan for this girl.  So unique.  Hmmm.  I'm pretty ordinary to most people ... well, except the limp and the cane.  That gets a lot of stares.  I do have different coloured eyes .. that's unique.  Well, I'm not going to figure it all out tonight.  I just have to hold to the belief that I am the way God wants me to be.

Perhaps I should be that first person to post something on youtube or share my story.  According to this lady there must be at least 2 other people out there feeling the way I do ... I'm sure there's more though.  I guess I'm not alone.  

Sometimes I think it's so weird that Matthew has abnormally muscular legs ... my weakest spot.  Perhaps it's not about finding people who are like us and more about how we connect into other people's lives creating a diverse strong unit.  Learning from eachother and growing from each person's unique set up.  I certainly do fit into that picture.  I wrote about that in my last post about Matthew.  I just pray I bring enough to the table.

Love, Love, Love ... February giveaway

Valentine's Day is just around the corner and I'm going to do another giveaway.  Our last winner was Mobach's who won a handmade beaded ribbon bracelet.  The prize again will be a surprise.

For the Love, Love, Love giveaway you have to write about someone you love.  Now before you think ... "I'm not married or I'm single", this is about every kind of love.  I want to hear about someone you love and why.

As you may have all guessed, my love is Matthew.   Now he is my love for all the obvious reasons ... he's my best friend, he's hot, we're partners in life and I am in love with him.  There are also some not so obvious reasons he's my Valentine.  Matthew has the same sense of humour as me.  Sometimes we lay in bed and crack ridiculous hyperboles without changing our expressions.  We also compliment eachother.  I keep us organized and keep the drama alive.  Matthew fullfills what I can't do and keeps us all on the sane side.  When we go out as a family I make sure we have all we need and everyone is ready, but Matthew keeps a smile on our faces and makes sure everyone and everything makes it safely to where we are going.  This is where "Ohana" came from.  We are a family and nobody gets left behind.  This is a beautiful thing to someone who can't do what a normal person can.  Matthew is my strength.  He has always gone as slow as I need, held my hand, pushed me up a step, done all the housework that I can't.  He's a beautiful person.

 K, now it's your turn!  When you leave a comment about someone you love and why you will be entered into the draw .... and you could be the winner!  I will announce the winner on Friday! 

Super Cool person of the week

God has placed a lot of great people in my life.  I want to make sure that I remember that.  I'm probably going to embaress a few people by doing this, but I also hope to encourage a few people as well.  Today's super cool person is JANINE

Janine is super cool.  I don't just mean that because she's a great person.  She actually is super cool.  Way too cool for me, but she loves me anyway;)  Janine is one of the most selfless people I know.  She is always thinking of other people and often prioritizes the kids in her life over herself.  I love our deep talks on the phone, but love our silly times when we are together.  She is smart and funny and a huge blessing in my life.

 

Along came baby #2

I don't want to forgot about my second little bundle.  Some of you will laugh at the font colours I chose.  It was so important to me to keep things organized that before Tee came along I decide JJ would have stuff in pink and the new baby would be the purple baby ... files, storage bins etc.

3 days before Tee was due my friend and I decided to go to the folk festival and wander around for hours.  This accounts for my awesome "tan" in the photos.  It was a great day that kept me busy.  We even ran into my midwife there!  The next day contractions started around noon.  I pretty much ignored them and even talked to people on the phone hiding the fact that I was in labour.  Didn't want anyone to know because of the worrying that happened with JJ taking so long.  By dinner hour both JJ and I were hiding our faces in the couch crying because we had forgotten sour cream on the grocery list.  I think JJ was a little emotional with Mommy.  It was a big day for everyone!  By the time JJ was tucked into bed and my friend was here contractions were getting very strong.  It was going to be a normal birth!  Misty our midwife came over and we headed to the hospital.

This labour was going so much faster.  In my opinion .. faster means more pain!  I was able to keep it together and even got complimented by the staff on my breathing control.  I got an epidural around midnight.  When I was comfortable and able to "meet" the staff I sent Matthew off to find tums for my heart burn.  I had not idea the "heartburn" was Tee trying to get out.  They said I was ready, but I wanted to wait for Matthew (obviously)  He came back in and was shocked that it was go time.  I must have pushed 3 half hearted pushes and out she came!  A whole pound lighter than her sister, but looking identical.  

We were pretty proud of our "normal" birth until my placenta would not come out.  I tell you ... having a Dr continuousy try to pull it out certainly ruins your first meeting with your baby!  They eventually took me to surgery and removed it.

When we got back we found out that both of us had an infection and had to be hooked up to IVs.  Tee was hooked up for a couple of days and it was a little heart breaking.  She eventually got the go ahead by the Dr and she came home with us all cute and dressed in purple.