Thursday, December 29, 2005



When you try your best, but you don't succeed
When you get what you want, but not what you need
When you feel so tired, but you can't sleep
Stuck in reverse

And the tears come streaming down your face
When you lose something you can't replace
When you love someone but it goes to waste
Could it be worse?
Hidiho. Well it is now the end of December, fancy that. Just had a visit from Jord, Dor, Amos and Martin over the weekend. They arrived on Saturday and departed on Wednesday morning, but even burning the midnight oil and the candle on both ends didn't stop the time from flying. Visited about dozens of things, half of which I will likely never recall, but that still leaves the other half to both remember and muse over. :) Monday afternoon we girls went shopping, while Jord and Martin went to visit with Mike. That evening was spent at Rod and Milly's and Tuesday afternoon at Cheryl's. Now it's time to recoup by catching up on my sleep, duties, and can't forget to pack.

Had Mark's 40th birthday party on Saturday. Wow, I've known him for slightly more than half of my life. It was a nice party, good company, conversation, food and what more could be desired?

12 days to my trip Albany, woohoo! :D

Well, I would call this "the long and short of it", but I think "the short of it" is far more fitting. :D
Tata

Jode

Friday, December 16, 2005

A few recent pictures:


And I didn't even say cheese, what's with that?

"Oh, a picture of me??" After all of his attempts to get every shot, I think he earned it. :D



Note the stylish pockets.

Here you are Tam, finally the sling pictures . :D Forgot to cut the threads..oops.

Look, it's a camera! I thought I'd try to fit her in the sling the baby way (just for the fun of it).

Everything fit, but for a foot.

Worn two different toddler ways.
Baillie's very own computer invention. Who needs windows when you can draw your own screen? She now has about five flip pages tape to the top of a monitor, so she can flip sites.

Saturday, December 10, 2005

Just a quick update from me tonight. I received my GED in the mail this week. I passed, woohoo! I was also quite happy with my marks, so there's another plus. :D Lord willingly do a real post in the not too distant future. :)

Sunday, December 04, 2005

On the Christian Life
by
John Calvin

CHAPTER I.
"4. This is the place to address those who, having nothing of Christ but the name and sign, would yet be called Christians. How dare they boast of this sacred name? None have intercourse with Christ but those who have acquired the true knowledge of him from the Gospel. The Apostle denies that any man truly has learned Christ who has not learned to put off “the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and put on Christ,” (Eph. iv. 22.) They are convicted, therefore, of falsely and unjustly pretending a knowledge of Christ, whatever be the volubility and eloquence with which they can talk of the Gospel. Doctrine is not an affair of the tongue, but of the life; is not apprehended by the intellect and memory merely, like other branches of learning; but is received only when it possesses the whole soul, and finds its seat and habitation in the inmost recesses of the heart......"

CHAPTER II.

"1. ....The great point, then, is, that we are consecrated and dedicated to God, and, therefore, should not henceforth think, speak, design, or act, without a view to his glory. What he hath made sacred cannot, without signal insult to him, be applied to profane use. But if we are not our own, but the Lord’s, it is plain both what error is to be shunned, and to what end the actions of our lives ought to be directed. We are not our own; therefore, neither is our own reason or will to rule our acts and counsels. We are not our own; therefore, let us not make it our end to seek what may be agreeable to our carnal nature. We are not our own; therefore, as far as possible, let us forget ourselves and the things that are ours. On the other hand, we are God’s; let us, therefore, live and die to him (Rom. xiv. 8.) We are God’s; therefore, let his wisdom and will preside over all our actions. We are God’s; to him, then, as the only legitimate end, let every part of our life be directed"


"9. ......Lastly, if our success is not equal to our wish and hope, we shall, however, be kept from impatience and detestation of our condition, whatever it be, knowing that so to feel were to murmur against God, at whose pleasure riches and poverty, contempt and honours, are dispensed. In shorts he who leans on the divine blessing in the way which has been described, will not, in the pursuit of those things which men are wont most eagerly to desire, employ wicked arts which he knows would avail him nothing; nor when any thing prosperous befalls him will he impute it to himself and his own diligence, or industry, or fortune, instead of ascribing it to God as its author. If, while the affairs of others flourish, his make little progress, or even retrograde, he will bear his humble lot with greater equanimity and moderation than any irreligious man does the moderate success which only falls short of what he wished; for he has a solace in which he can rest more tranquilly than at the very summit of wealth or power, because he considers that his affairs are ordered by the Lord in the manner most conducive to his salvation. This, we see, is the way in which David was affected, who, while he follows God and gives up himself to his guidance, declares, “Neither do I exercise myself in great matters, or in things too high for me. Surely I have behaved and quieted myself as a child that is weaned of his mother,” (Ps. cxxxi. 1, 2.)"

CHAPTER III.
"1. ........How powerfully should it soften the bitterness of the cross, to think that the more we are afflicted with adversity, the surer we are made of our fellowship with Christ; by communion with whom our sufferings are not only blessed to us, but tend greatly to the furtherance of our salvation."

"2. ...Though in tranquillity they flatter themselves with the idea of greater constancy and patience, yet, humbled by adversity, they learn the deception. Believers, I say, warned by such proofs of their diseases, make progress in humility, and, divesting themselves of a depraved confidence in the flesh, betake themselves to the grace of God, and, when they have so betaken themselves, experience the presence of the divine power, in which is ample protection."

" 7. ......For why? If, while conscious of our innocence, we are deprived of our substance by the wickedness of man, we are, no doubt, humanly speaking, reduced to poverty; but in truth our riches in heaven are increased: if driven from our homes we have a more welcome reception into the family of God; if vexed and despised, we are more firmly rooted in Christ; if stigmatised by disgrace and ignominy, we have a higher place in the kingdom of God; and if we are slain, entrance is thereby given us to eternal life. The Lord having set such a price upon us, let us be ashamed to estimate ourselves at less than the shadowy and evanescent allurements of the present life."

"9. .......But we have nothing to do with that iron philosophy which our Lord and Master condemned—not only in word, but also by his own example. For he both grieved and shed tears for his own and others’ woes. Nor did he teach his disciples differently: “Ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice,” (John xvi. 20.) And lest any one should regard this as vicious, he expressly declares, “Blessed are they that mourn,” (Matth. v. 4.) And no wonder. If all tears are condemned, what shall we think of our Lord himself, whose "sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground?” (Luke xxii. 44; Matth. xxvi. 38.) If every kind of fear is a mark of unbelief, what place shall we assign to the dread which, it is said, in no slight degree amazed him; if all sadness is condemned, how shall we justify him when he confesses, 'My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death?'"

CHAPTER IV.
"1. ......Hence our stupidity; our minds being dazzled with the glare of wealth, power, and honours, that they can see no farther. The heart also, engrossed with avarice, ambition, and lust, is weighed down and cannot rise above them. In short, the whole soul, ensnared by the allurements of the flesh, seeks its happiness on the earth. To meet this disease, the Lord makes his people sensible of the vanity of the present life, by a constant proof of its miseries. Thus, that they may not promise themselves deep and lasting peace in it, he often allows them to be assailed by war, tumult, or rapine, or to be disturbed by other injuries. That they may not long with too much eagerness after fleeting and fading riches, or rest in those which they already possess, he reduces them to want, or, at least, restricts them to a moderate allowance, at one time by exile, at another by sterility, at another by fire, or by other means....."

"3. Still the contempt which believers should train themselves to feel for the present life, must not be of a kind to beget hatred of it or ingratitude to God. This life, though abounding in all kinds of wretchedness, is justly classed among divine blessings which are not to be despised. Wherefore, if we do not recognize the kindness of God in it, we are chargeable with no little ingratitude towards him. To believers, especially, it ought to be a proof of divine benevolence, since it is wholly destined to promote their salvation..... "

"4. ........We ought never, indeed, to regard it with hatred, except in so far as it keeps us subject to sin; and even this hatred ought not to be directed against life itself. At all events, we must stand so affected towards it in regard to weariness or hatred as, while longing for its termination, to be ready at the Lord’s will to continue in it, keeping far from everything like murmuring and impatience. For it is as if the Lord had assigned us a post, which we must maintain till he recalls us........"

CHAPTER V.

"3. Have done, then, with that inhuman philosophy which, in allowing no use of the creatures but for necessity, not only maliciously deprives us of the lawful fruit of the divine beneficence, but cannot be realised without depriving man of all his senses, and reducing him to a block. But, on the other hand, let us with no less care guard against the lusts of the flesh, which, if not kept in order, break through all bounds, and are, as I have said, advocated by those who, under pretence of liberty, allow themselves every sort of license. First one restraint is imposed when we hold that the object of creating all things was to teach us to know their author, and feel grateful for his indulgence. Where is the gratitude if you so gorge or stupify yourself with feasting and wine as to be unfit for offices of piety, or the duties of your calling? Where the recognition of God, if the flesh, boiling forth in lust through excessive indulgences infects the mind with its impurity, so as to lose the discernment of’ honour and rectitude? Where thankfulness to God for clothing, if on account of sumptuous raiment we both admire ourselves and disdain others? if, from a love of show and splendour, we pave the way for immodesty? Where our recognition of God, if the glare of these things captivates our minds? For many are so devoted to luxury in all their senses that their mind lies buried: many are so delighted with marble, gold, and pictures, that they become marble-hearted—are changed as it were into metal, and made like painted figures. The kitchen, with its savoury smells, so engrosses them that they have no spiritual savour. The same thing may be seen in other matters. Wherefore, it is plain that there is here great necessity for curbing licentious abuse, and conforming to the rule of Paul, “make not provision for the flesh to fulfil the lusts thereof,” (Rom. xiii. 14.) Where too much liberty is given to them, they break forth without measure or restraint."

"5. Another rule is, that those in narrow and slender circumstances should learn to bear their wants patiently, that they may not become immoderately desirous of things, the moderate use of which implies no small progress in the school of Christ. For in addition to the many other vices which accompany a longing for earthly good, he who is impatient under poverty almost always betrays the contrary disease in abundance. By this I mean, that he who is ashamed of a sordid garment will be vain-glorious of a splendid one; he who not contented with a slender, feels annoyed at the want of a more luxurious supper, will intemperately abuse his luxury if he obtains it; he who has a difficulty, and is dissatisfied in submitting to a private and humble condition, will be unable to refrain from pride if he attain to honour. Let it be the aim of all who have any unfeigned desire for piety to learn, after the example of the Apostle, “both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need,” (Philip. iv. 12.)..........."

"6. ...........Hence, he only who directs his life to this end will have it properly framed; because free from the impulse of rashness, he will not attempt more than his calling justifies, knowing that it is unlawful to overleap the prescribed bounds. He who is obscure will not decline to cultivate a private life, that he may not desert the post at which God has placed him. Again, in all our cares, toils, annoyances, and other burdens, it will be no small alleviation to know that all these are under the superintendence of God. The magistrate will more willingly perform his office, and the father of a family confine himself to his proper sphere. Every one in his particular mode of life will, without repining, suffer its inconveniences, cares, uneasiness, and anxiety, persuaded that God has laid on the burden. This, too, will afford admirable consolation, that in following your proper calling, no work will be so mean and sordid as not to have a splendour and value in the eye of God."

Saturday, November 26, 2005

Thanks Tam, I fixed the link. :)

No-fault forgiveness is fatal . Interesting article.

Monday, November 21, 2005

Hey ya'll,

Here for a bit of a "real" post. The problem with being here is that once I'm here I can't remember what I was going to say. Yes, you're right, I complain about this far too much so I will just endeavor to do my best at being newsy. :D

As you can tell by some of the pics below, I finally finished piecing and basting my quilt and have finally moved onto quilting it. It's a nice change, as cutting has always been my least favorite part of the process.

I took my GED on Saturday. I believe I failed (haha, keep reading as these 4 words can be misleading when taken out of context) to mention that I've been studying for it for the last while. I think it went pretty well, although I won't know if I actually obtained my GED for 3 or 4 weeks. I guess that's because they not only get all of the test batteries from Victoria, but they also send them back there for marking. It was a very long test as I took it all in one day. They normally schedule it over two days, but for some reason they choose to make you take all 7 and 1/2 hours of tests in a day, with another 30 minutes tacked on for a lunch break. Although in retrospect, it was better to just get it over with.

So what's next? I'm not entirely sure, and it something I'm going to need to put a lot of thought into. I planning on doing more sewing, and see if a net based clothing and other thing business with Tam is flyable, as it's something I would enjoy.

Other than that, we've been enjoying lovely fall type weather for the last week. I'm not saying that I totally hate snow or something, but I know that when it comes I'll have more than my share of it. I had better enjoy the brown grass and mildly crisp air while I can. :)

Belinda has started teaching the kids Latin, which is neat. It's been rubbing off enough that I've picked up a bit of vocabulary. I find it interesting how Latin uses its pronouns. They have it so that the I, we, they etc. is actually comprehended by a sound in the actual word. I would give you an example, but I only know how to pronounce them, not type them. I hear them from a distance and don't look at the teacher manual, sorry. :D

Okay, well I'm off.

Jode
Geneva wearing the little slippers Dor made for her before Amos was born.



At the request of Dorry here are some pics of my work in progress. :)





Wednesday, November 16, 2005

Happy Anniversary Mark and Belinda! 9 years...wow.




Tuesday, November 08, 2005

Hey everyone,

Please be in prayer for Cheryl as she had a minor heart attack on the Lord's day. Belinda and I went to visit Cheryl today. She seems to be doing well, although she (and James) will be remaining there for a few more days so that they can continue to monitor her and aside from the monitors they have her on various meds. There is some minor damage to her heart, but yeah, thankfully minor as it didn't go all the way through her heart. They're telling her to take it easy, rest lots, and stress little, which she will have to continue to do upon returning home (naps included). Her neighbor Theresa is presently taking up the home schooling with the younger G's for the next few days to save Cheryl from stressing about being behind in school, and Marc is still off due to the Telus strike. The actual attack was likely caused by stress as everything else was healthy i.e. blood pressure, cholesterol etc. She's also reading some books on how to manage her stress. So yeah, she was in good spirits, and we had a nice visit. :) As for the story of when it happened... She was feeling fine until after worship, then she felt like she had swallowed a handful of pills that went down wrong and got stuck (and she hadn't been swallowing anything at the time). They left for home and on that way she started to have chest pain, that was running out toward her arms and down the left arm. After arriving home Marc took her to the hospital right way, where they at first thought it might have been something else (can't remember the name for it), but after running some tests it was confirmed to be a heart attack. Sorry if the details are a little sketchy. So please be in prayer for her and her family, and thank God for His mercies. Thanks. :)

God bless.

Jode

Saturday, October 29, 2005








Genevie in her facy spowts jaackeet, smell da ginga? (sorry, private joke)



Check it out Tam (the stool I made for B) :)



Friday, October 28, 2005

Got his one from Liz :)


My blog is worth $3,387.24.
How much is your blog worth?

Sunday, October 23, 2005

Psalms 40:1-17 I waited patiently for the LORD; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry. (2) He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings. (3) And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the LORD. (4) Blessed is that man that maketh the LORD his trust, and respecteth not the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies. (5) Many, O LORD my God, are thy wonderful works which thou hast done, and thy thoughts which are to us-ward: they cannot be reckoned up in order unto thee: if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered. (6) Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire; mine ears hast thou opened: burnt offering and sin offering hast thou not required. (7) Then said I, Lo, I come: in the volume of the book it is written of me, (8) I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart. (9) I have preached righteousness in the great congregation: lo, I have not refrained my lips, O LORD, thou knowest. (10) I have not hid thy righteousness within my heart; I have declared thy faithfulness and thy salvation: I have not concealed thy lovingkindness and thy truth from the great congregation. (11) Withhold not thou thy tender mercies from me, O LORD: let thy lovingkindness and thy truth continually preserve me. (12) For innumerable evils have compassed me about: mine iniquities have taken hold upon me, so that I am not able to look up; they are more than the hairs of mine head: therefore my heart faileth me. (13) Be pleased, O LORD, to deliver me: O LORD, make haste to help me. (14) Let them be ashamed and confounded together that seek after my soul to destroy it; let them be driven backward and put to shame that wish me evil. (15) Let them be desolate for a reward of their shame that say unto me, Aha, aha. (16) Let all those that seek thee rejoice and be glad in thee: let such as love thy salvation say continually, The LORD be magnified. (17) But I am poor and needy; yet the Lord thinketh upon me: thou art my help and my deliverer; make no tarrying, O my God.

Saturday, October 22, 2005

Oh, I guess I'm tagged again but by Cadet this time. :) So here we go: Five fast random facts with no fears of tags following.

1. When I was younger my voice was 3 times higher in pitch and at least 2 times the volume than it is now.

2. Chai is my favorite tea and I don't really like hibiscus teas.

3. I want to be a jack of all trades.

4. My great grandfather (on my mom's side) escaped from prison on a bike, don't ask me why he was there, as no one was willing to tell me. After this, the whole family changed their names. My grandmother was more than happy to be rid of hers, as she had been taunted by classmates for years. My grandfather left behind a bible that was well worn and it also showed that he had poor spelling skills, I guess this apple didn't fall far from the tree.

5. I tracked part of my family line (on my dad's side) to Albany NY, they had come from Holland and were members of a Dutch Reformed Church in Albany. Oh, and I never met my grandmother on my dad's side, as she passed away while my parents were engaged.

Have a great Lord's day everyone. :D


And as it's Belinda's birthday tomorrow

Thursday, October 20, 2005

Hm, well as I have been tagged by Cheryl I suppose I had better start thinking.

1. I abhor wearing tights or hose, the only think worse then wearing a pair myself is seeing someone else scratching their leg while wearing theirs..sends shivers down my spine (ok, yes I'm weird. :D ). The shivers resemble those that occur with nails on a chalkboard. I also don't like to wear turtle necks, they make me feel like I'm being either choked or smothered.

2. My extended and preextended (yes, I know it's not a word, but I'm using it like "prehistoric" so therefore by the word [non word] I'm attempting to insinuate those who I have decended from) family has a bad history with handling guns. Need I say more?

3. I didn't enjoy drinking coffee, eating avocado, or eating chili until I was 17 or 18.

4. I was supposed to be a boy (or so they thought) and due to that belief I received a blue baby blanket and a brown and blue teddy. Blue still remains my favorite color (on most days, as red is a close second) today and come to think of it, I'm the only blue eyed person in my family. I still have the teddy bear.

5. I fought a lot with my sisters until I was 14, at which age after having been all (actually only 4 out of the 5 of us) crammed into one bedroom for a year and having undergone a lot of different trials, today we are now all the best of friends. God is very kind in his providence. :)

I tag Amy, Dor..er..Amos, Mitch, Laura, and Leah

Wednesday, October 19, 2005

Psalms 37:3-6 Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed. (4) Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. (5) Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass. (6) And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday.

Thursday, October 13, 2005

Tuesday, October 11, 2005

Hello, hello, so here I am again to put in a "real" post if I get that far. :D

I guess I'll start with the best news I've heard in awhile. Although I think everyone who checks this already knows what that great news is, I still believe that as I am the one (one of the ones in truth)who is blessed once more with the joy of being an auntie I also get the joy of repeating it here on my blog. Yep, Tam and Shawn are gonna have a baby!! So yes, I'm thrilled, but this whole Albany = a million miles away still stinks more than ever. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure Alabny can be a lovely place (or at least it has nice buildings, trees and our church ppl?), but alas, too far away for my liking. But thankfully not all is lost as this also brings in the fact that we have technology that enables me to fly there (or them here), phone, email, chat, receive photos, mail and a hundred other things that really help when being so distanced by miles. :) If Saturday wasn't going great at first that news certainly changed it for the better. :D:D

The Lord's day was a little out of the usual as Belinda was planning on staying home with the kids who all have colds, and a little later Mark was feeling ill (although not with the cold). So I ended up going to church alone for I think the first time since I moved here, opened the building, set up, doors, heat etc. Everyone else seemed to be well which was nice to see, as it seems like we've all been taking our turns with illnesses. Had the sermon on Ecclesiastes 3:6 and quite enjoyed it.

Been working on some sewing for a last few days, doing an apron top and a long skirt so perhaps if that works out (and so far so good) I'll post a picture of it so that ya'll can criticize it to death, haha. After I finish that I really have to get back to working on my quilt. It's odd because I've attempted it a few times but it seems like the second I pull it out something comes up that demands all of my free minutes and leaves the quilt sitting on my floor gather dust from my repeatedly stepping over it until I finally give up on getting some time for it and return it to its box and stowed it in its place. Ah well, I at least have all of the materials for it now, so that shouldn't be a set back.

Worked on clearing out the garden (this kind, not this kind) for a bunch of this afternoon, pulled out all of the dead/dying plants that were starting to get gooey from all of the feindly (yes, I said feindly and meant it too)beer drinking slugs (this kind {ew}, not this kind). I attempted to kill a few of them last month with a trial bottle of Molson Canadian and one of Budweiser. But for the rain that seemed to break from the clouds both times I put the cups out there, I think it worked quite well and after tallying I've formed my hypothesis that not only does Bud and Molson cost the same, look the same and taste the same, slugs also like both equally and are happy to drown in either given the chance. Next year perhaps I should test a Molson with a bottle of Stout or other higher rated "man beer". Yeah yeah, some may consider it a waste, but it's all in the name of science right? :D
I'm thinking next year I need to build a second compost box so that we can start rotating the soil, plus we never seem to have a lack of things to fill it with. I also started to organize the outside shed and managed to come out of the mangled mess of hoses, wire, garden tools, shovels, bikes, boards, poles, dirt, mower, string and everything else alive (amazingly enough as I was trapped in there for over an hour due to the stuff blocking the door)but still far from done as knots and tangles are rather time consuming. After I finish that I think the garage is begging for my attention.

I'll likely be change my email over to my gmail account as they've come up with a feature I feel that I simply cannot live without. What feature could be so prized? An auto save system. :D Every couple of minutes it saves your email into drafts so that if the computer goes down or decides to do something illegal without your say so, you still have a good portion stowed away for that rainy say (due to tears of frustration). I've had an account for several months but figured that to switch everything would be a pain not worth undertaking, but times have changed. So if anyone is interested in setting up an account I probably still have 50 invites to gmail left, haha.

Tomorrow I need to go shopping with Belinda for a present for Calvin's b-day, take the kids to swimming and Lord willingly clear away several other things on my mental to do list, so it had better be off with me. Have a great day!

Now it's off to bed, off to bed.

Jode

Thursday, October 06, 2005

Thursday, September 29, 2005

Took the kids for a walk in the woods the other day. It started to rain 5 minutes after we left but managed to clear up quite nicely a few minutes after our taking shelter under a couple trees. :)And as we didn't get eaten by bears (which I heard after our outing, have been out in abundance) I am here and able to post a few pics from our jaunt. Sorry about the large amount of them, but it seems like when I sit down to post one, if I put off the rest for another day I never get them posted.

Hope you're having a swell day. :)

Jode































Obviously no one ever taught this bush that staring is rude.






An overpass