The Gift of an Ordinary Day

I had a glorious day on the beach with the family (dog included.)  The kids brought half the beach home with them and deposited it in my tub!  It was so beautiful, so warm, with a cool breeze off the ocean - spectacular.

Coming home in the car with the iPod on shuffle, we listened to one of my favourite songs by one of my favourite bands, a few local boys who call themselves Great Big Sea.  They're spectacular.  One of the lads, Alan Doyle, due to his friendship with Russell Crowe, just snagged the role of Allan A'Dayle in Robin Hood, so you can check him out there.  But, due to my pride in these Newfoundland boys, I digress.

The song playing in the car was called "Ordinary Day", and it really drives home the philosophy that my family is trying to live our lives by - Fry Guy and I think it is such an important lesson to pass on to Small Fry.  After such a gorgeous day that anyone would recognize as a gift, it's nice to be reminded that any ordinary old day is just as precious.

Here's a link, and the lyrics:




Ordinary Day - Great Big Sea

I've got a smile on my face, I've got four walls around me
The sun in the sky, the water surrounds me
I'll win now but sometimes I'll lose
I've been battered, but I'll never bruise,
It's not so bad

[Chorus]

And I say way-hey-hey, it's just an ordinary day
And it's all your state of mind
At the end of the day, you've still got to say,
It's all right.

Janey sings on the corner, what keeps her from dying
Let them say what they want, she won't stop trying
She might stumble, if they push her 'round
She might fall, but she'll never lie down
It's not so bad...

[Chorus]

In this beautiful life, there's always some sorrow
And it's a double edged knife, but there's always tomorrow
It's up to you now if you sink or swim,
Keep the faith and your ship will come in,
It's not so bad...

[Chorus]


I hope you enjoyed Great Big Sea, the Pride of Newfoundland.  If you do, check out their new album, Safe Upon the Shore, on iTunes.

The question I ask you: do you try to live your life this way?

I'm linking this to Emily's Tuesdays Unwrapped party on Chatting at the Sky - take a stroll on over there and enjoy the other gifts.

Let's Play a Game!

In light of yesterday's post about decor that reflects the personality of the people living in the home, I wanted to post a few photos from around my home (it's only fair!)  What do the following pictures tell you about my family?

If you guessed that my family is composed of imperfect craft-making, Lettered Cottage following, book loving, dog spoiling, happily writing coffeemaniacs, you would be right!  The last one is pure me - I'm a Keith Urban phreak!

Thanks to Chris (a fellow Canadian) at Just Beachy for suggesting http://www.picnik.com/ for photo editing.  It's amazing.

Thanks, too, to Chris (I follow a lot of Chrises!) at Just A Girl.  Chris is my blogging idol, and she made the very first comment on my blog - I am so excited!  Visit these two ladies - they are true inspirations.

Home Decor - Where Do You Start?

I've been procrastinating - I haven't blogged in several days, and I think it is because I'm not quite ready to discuss The Fire yet.  I've been sorting through images to include, and spending my time choosing my words, but it's been a hard process that's sapping my joy in writing again.  So, instead, I'm moving on to other topics.  But I promise I'll be back to tell the rest of our story.

In following various blogs, you tend to gravitate to and follow those that mirror your likes, dislikes, hopes, dreams, beliefs, and even your day-to-day routines.  And what I've noticed about the homes of the women I've been following (yes, I have not been following any men's blogs, yet) that their homes say  a lot about who they are as people.

I know that the first piece of advice in decorating your home is to sort through pictures from the web and magazines to discover what your likes are.  I agree that this is an excellent way to label and solidify your decorating style - it's how I came to realize that I love white kitchens, that I adore nautical and seaside accessories, and that I have to have bright, open, naturally lit spaces.

But most people, particularly those with children and pets, don't really want their homes to look like a magazine photo shoot.  A friend of mine, after visiting and acquaintances home, once commented that the house was beautiful, but that it looked like no one lived there...I certaintly don't want my home to feel that way to my visitors and family.  And so I have come to the second step in decorating your home: to decide what you want your home to say about the people who live there.  Who are we?  How can we reflect that in our homes?    

For instance, what does this photo say about the people who live here and what they value?

Words and language? Family?  Teaching responsibilty to their children? This project, that Mom made herself, thank you very much, decorates this family-oriented home while teaching.  Cute, huh?  Do yourself a favour and visit this blog!

Likewise, art like the following hanging in a home demonstrates that the family is Christian,  and that they have a deep and abiding faith in God.  If this appeals to you, visit http://store.dayspring.com/ , a division of Hallmark.

What does your home show about your family?  Is it true to your spirit and values?                               

The Finest Man I Know

Today is my 16th wedding anniversary, which means that Fry Guy and I have been together for 21 years.  I thank him for his steadfastness, his caring, his sensitivity.  I thank him for puppet shows at bedtime, glow sticks at Girl Guide sleepovers, and for burning letters to Santa and making smores on November 30th..  I thank him for always telling me the truth, for picking me up off off the floor, metaphorically speaking, too many times to count, and for sticking with me despite the fact that he must feel a little bit like John Corbett's character in the United States of Tara.  He is the type of man who calls all women "ladies,"  who puts his family first, above all else, and who, just the other day, told me that the thing that makes him most happy is seeing me happy.  And I know that he means it.

Happy Anniversary, hon.  I love you with all of my heart.

Our Story - Part One

When Fry Guy and I married 16 years ago, we began our couplehood in a rental, the top floor of a house in a suburb of St. John's, the capital city of Newfoundland.  Fry Guy was working full time as a mechanical engineer, I was substituting when I could get the days.  We couldn't afford a house, but dreamed of owning one in the near future. 

A year later, Fry Guy comes home and tells me he has found a cheaper apartment in a nicer area.  We drive about 15 minutes from our rental and take a look at the cutest little apartment.  It is in a former garage, and has a kitchen, living room, bedroom and bathroom. The location is beautiful - sea views out the front, with views of the wooded hills out back.  And the homeowners are beautiful people, transplanted Nova Scotians raising their kids by the sea. We grab the apartment up.  And we quickly fall in love with our new community - two townie kids who had grown up spending vacations and holidays "around the bay" by the sea discover that salt water flows in their veins (but truly, whether a townie or a bayman, what Newfoundlander doesn't have sea-salted blood?). The smell of fresh sea air, the sounds of whales blowing on a clear day, the view of spectacular sunsets sinking into the ocean - that was what we wanted to come home to after long days working in the city.

Fast forward yet another year, and the house next door goes up for sale.  A fixer-upper for sure, but we are ready to take the plunge into home ownership.  I've managed to find myself a replacement position for a full-year teaching high-school English, and we want to start a family in the near future.  And we recall the first rules of real estate - location, location, location.  So we buy the house, and start renovation.  A lot of work, worry and frustration lie ahead in renovating, but we love this place, and I am convinced that I will never live anywhere else.

We spend 13 happy years in our home - first with our first golden retriever, Scully, and then adding Small Fry in 2000.  When Scully passes away at the young age of 8, we can't bear the thought of another dog.  But then we find Remy, and he fits in to our little family perfectly.  Life is good.

I'll post the rest of our story soon - bear with me, it has a happy ending!

Let's Start at the Very Beginning...

...which is a really fine place to start, don't you know! I'm so excited about starting this new adventure into the blogging community. I have enjoyed lurking around so many blogs for the last year, and I've learned so much from all these incredible writers that I felt the need to start out on my own. This also seems like the right time to begin a blog. One year ago, on July 4th, my family lost our home to a fire. Despite this tragedy (and, in the true definition of the word, we've learned so much from this experience), we consider ourselves truly blessed. Many serendipitous events over the last year have led us to begin the process of building our dream home on the land on which our former house stood. So, over the next year, I will be writing about the fire that began this new chapter in our lives. I'll also document our former home, our present home and our dream home as it is built and decorated, and introduce you to Newfoundland, my birthplace and homeland. Coastal living is the life for me, and I'll tell you all about it. See you soon!