Resolutions, Lists, Stories and Dreams

A story about a story:
Laura:  Oh Linus, you naughty dog *sigh*
Luke: What did Linus do?
Laura: He shredded some kleenex and made a mess.
Luke:  Is it tattered to shreds?
Laura: Yep.  Tattered to shreds.
Luke: Droofus's wings were tattered to shreds in the storm, and his neck was twisted around by the wind.
Laura: You've been reading Bill Pete!
Luke: I've been reading Pill Bete.
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Luke the narrator, example one:
Luke aloud: The little boy says, "Oh no I am going to fall in the ocean!"
he makes the little wooden doll fall off the table
Luke aloud: The little girls says, "Do you want help little boy?  Are there whales down there?" 
"No" says the little boy, "I like to swim in the ocean with the whales.  Just leave me here."
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example two:
Luke aloud: "Hello" says McQueen, "would you like to race?" 
"Yes" says McKing, and they drive and drive and drive.  "I am tired" says McQueen.  "Should we take a hot chocolate break, McKing?" 
"That is a wonderful idea.  Let's go sit at the kitchen table," says McKing.
and Luke takes his cars to the table and insists his cars would like a hot beverage.
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I've done such a terrible job of telling stories on this blog lately.  I've gotten some photos up, but even those have been few and far between.  I can blame some of it on being extremely uncomfortable and pregnant, but only the last five months or so.  Before that I guess my "slacking" was due in part to a busy schedule (made by me), and some depression (of my own) and perhaps a deep desire for change...but not knowing what that might look like, I just meandered and putzed.  Some very important changes have since begun for us (a pregnancy!), and others must still be shaped and dreamed up.

When I thought of coming home to Manitoba after two beautiful weeks in California with my family my sad, recurring thought was, "I can't get depressed.  I have to have a project!"  My brain was on stand-by while we were there.  It was just so lovely to live from nap to nap, visit to visit, meal to meal.  But now that I'm home I've had much more time to think about what to do to keep life feeling fresh and exciting. I am a perpetual list-maker, so bear with me as I divide these goals into lists.


General List of Things to Do:

• paint the dresser...white?  light blue?
• get new bedding for Derek and me (ours was a wedding gift.  The first year we had the light pink corduroy duvet cover I spilled hot chocolate on it and never got the stain out.  I've since dyed it blue to try to cover the stains...unsuccessfully, and reinforced the button holes...it's now it's just time for a new blanket)
• Choose and frame beach themed prints for our bedroom
• re-paint the green in the basement (we're not liking the green)
• organize bedroom closet (buy shelves?)
• Finish painting Luke's bedframe (just drawer fronts to go...and new handles)
• build shelves in the storage room and laundry room
• cook nice dinners and snacks for my family now that I've got the energy and the appetite back
• clean all the door knobs and switches...strange how that needs to be done so often with a two year old.
• organize the office
• update my website and the gallery photos hanging in Pembina Hills Art Centre

List of Things to Do for baby:

• sew shoes
• crochet some tiny sweaters
• begin a memory book with ultrasound pictures, belly pictures, stories, family history, etc.

List of Things to Do on a Daily Basis:

• shower (I know that sounds easy, but it's uncommonly hard to find the time!)
• stay on top of dishes
• take photos
• tell stories on the blog, still not sure if this is going to be daily, weekly?  I need a goal.

List of Dreams for the Garden:

• an arbor with a swing in the SE corner
• a fence around the garden so my dog will stop eating my fruits and veggies!
• move raspberries to S side of garden
• build one more 4x4 box
• plant LOTS of carrots 
• plan long-term shrubs for last year's new flowerbeds
• rotatill a flowerbed on N side of lawn in full sun just for sweet peas and roses
• a swingset for Luke (and monkey number 2)
• I'm not going to grow from seed indoors this year...just going to buy veggies already started.  I think it'll be easier to handle this project.

List of Dreams with Derek:

• more school for Derek...PhD
• more school for Laura...art degree/photography?
• setting new goals for paying off debt
• where our kids will get their education...homeschooling or public school/ where will we live?
• pursuing outdoor winter hobbies
• goals for our friendships with other adults
• goals for our church involvement

And that's all for now.  I guess I'll be attempting to blog more regularly in the next fifteen weeks or so before baby comes.  So hopefully we will all begin to see the fruits of my list-making.