Monday, February 26, 2007

a couple of happy things

1. a three day "teaching" week [woohoo, teacher's convention!]
2. I did 2 sets of 10 push-ups tonight
3. a whole week of calories under 1500
4. 24
5. my new paper snips

okay, my top 5 happy things for the day...you have any??

Saturday, February 24, 2007

some things about a saturday...

okay, not about any saturday...just this one!

I went to my walking class today - 10k in the cold. it took everything in me to do the whole thing. it was one of those walks that you totally have to talk yourself into! but alas, I did finish and my legs are STILL attached to my bum. all is well.

anyways, there was a speaker at our class today that spoke about goals and motivation. and as expected, something struck a cord with me. she talked about writing goals [something I do well...personally & professionally] and then more importantly, about keeping that momentum going [something I have a much harder time with]. she also talked about designing a "to be" goal as well as a "to do" goal. for example, I have a lot of "to do" goals: lose 10lbs before spring break, drink 3L of water everyday, keep my calories lower than 1500 daily. what happens when life steps in? what would I do if I sprained an ankle? or when school gets ULTRA busy? or if a kid gets sick? lets be honest, life happens to all of us. what happens to me, when life takes a turn of some sort, is that I feel like a failure at my "to do" goals. the momentum stops. the good habits stop. I totally stall. what if I also had a "to be" goal? something that wasn't dependent on life happening to me? what if I had a goal like this: I will work at being kinder to the people I work with or I will persevere through slumps or I will be more playful with my kids? anyways, it's an idea - one that will have to simmer in my brain for a wee while!

all that on a saturday!

Thursday, February 22, 2007

o.c. pt 2

they are all going to be okay. summer. taylor. the cohen's. the cooper's. off to college, new babies, new houses. all okay.

man, I am going to miss my show.

o.c.

I am going to miss seth & ryan and "the gang". [watching right now...I'll let you know how it ends!]

finally!

okay, how many times have I said THAT lately??!

finally. report cards are done.
finally. sell-a-bration is over [pretty much!]
finally. it's teacher's convention - which I LOVE AND ADORE!!! [okay, so it's not until next week, but I love it so much that I am counting the sleeps!!]
finally. it's thursday night.
finally. my beloved oc is ending.
finally. 3 whole days of good eating.

PHEW!

oh! and some new pics of nate chompin' down on some ice cream.



Tuesday, February 20, 2007

swimming...

deeply in the sea of assessment, curriculum and reporting. when I resurface, I will reconnect & do some catching up!

a good day though - 1260 calories...trying a new thing. I'll let you know if it works!

tomorrow: more water & hopefully I'll be 80% done my report cards. optimistic, a bit. but, you know me...that glass is always half full!

Saturday, February 17, 2007

if you were asked

...for your top itunes to be posted on the "celebrity playlist" what would you choose & why? okay, here's how you play: 2 choices - post yours on YOUR blog or post yours in the comment section of my blog or email me and I will post it here on my blog: cori[dot]fraser[at]shaw[dot]ca! if you post on your blog, ask your readers to do the same...lets see if this can go some places & more importantly, if I get some great new song ideas!!

here I go:

1. ben harper: steal my kisses [live from mars disc 1] - ben has that smooth, simmering, sexy voice that is just chalk full of all sorts of hurt and longing and all things passionate. I love all of his stuff, but when he does this song live, well, it's like no other!

2. natasha bedinfield: unwritten [unwritten] - this is the song I play when I am needed some creative inspiration. I like the lyrics, the hook, the whole 9 yards...and I love british pop, so it goes without saying that she would make this list in some capacity!

3. the clash: I fought the law [the essential clash] - this song just makes me want to dance...so when I hear it I crank it and usually pick up a kid and just jump around...be warned, though, it's the kind of song that just sticks itself to the inside of your brain and won't let go!

4. tim hughes: beautiful one - turns out, I have a bit of a crush on this man...something about amazing song writers with low, tenor voices. if I had to say that I had a hero-mentor-person I admire in the christian worship community, it would be tim hughes [okay, and robin marks as well, but that has more to do with the irish accent]. this song makes me sing aloud. every time.

5. third day: God of wonders [offerings ii] - love this song, but I love the way third day does it just because [okay, other than buddy's excellently low, gravely voice] of the little part in the middle where they cut to "holy, holy, holy" [the hymn]. I think that bit of tribute to the old through the new is brilliant and totally up my alley in all things worship. plus, this version is live and michael tate [of dc talk fame] does some of the vocals!

Wednesday, February 14, 2007

so many things.

do you believe in signs? omens? the word omen is just another word for sign. we seem to associate it with "bad signs" or apprehension, but in the old days, it just meant...well, this is what dictionary.com says: "anything perceived or happening that is believed to portend a good or evil event or circumstance in the future". k, enough of the tech talk!

a couple of things have happened over the last few days.

1. at church, week before last, andrea did the leading and she talked about the parable of the talents - the guys with 10 & 5 investing theirs and doubling what they had and then the guy with 1 [who hid it and got sent to the lake of burning fire!]. we talked about the kingdom of God and what that is and to be honest, I can't even remember all the things we talked about and the conclusions we came to...but it's important, nonetheless...trust me!

2. I had a talk with a friend/mentor about my career future. we were talking about the alchemist [the book] and how the universe [God] conspires to bring us good things. God wants to give his children good things...we just need to ask [okay, so I know my theology isn't all explained here, but you get the idea..."we have not because we ask not" and all of that]. bottom line. I just need to ask. new job assignment. a four-day week. I need to ask.

3. I downloaded the whole read the bible in a year podcast. guess what it was today...yup, the parable of the talents. think it's a sign? mmmmm....

4. I also downloaded a sermon from htb [I am having a bit of a love affair with british things right now]. now, I have only listened to the first half, but buddy [seriously, I have no idea what his name is] starts talking about dreams - that God wants to use us, but so often we dream too small.

okay, so on their own...nothing huge. together, mixing around...a sign. do I know what it all means? heck no. but my eyes are open and I am asking and waiting for God to show me.

Sunday, February 11, 2007

mmm...

lots of stuff in my head. so much so that I almost don't know what to write about. however, I know that I must - my head is just a TAD cluttered, so bear with me.

bottom line, I've been neglecting my soul. I have been working very hard at balance - family, work, health, me - and I haven't really been doing a great job. a decent job, yes. a great job, no. I've consciously worked hard at not bringing school work home so that when I am at home I can have "boy time". I also have been working hard to improve my health and fitness, which in turn has decreased my stress and increased my creativity. so, all should be well. right? yeah, seems like I am more miserable and cranky than before. and the scale keeps going in the WRONG direction. so the question needs to be asked: what am I missing? my relationship with God is being neglected. and really, that is the glue that holds it all together - no wonder I am feeling cranky.

I was talking with erika a while ago and we were talking about losing weight and sin. if I know what I am suppose to do, yet continue not to do it, then it's sin. when I overeat, knowing how bad it is for me, then that is sin. when sin is present [and let's be honest, we all have it], repentance is needed. and somehow, I am unable to ask for it. why? I know God is faithful to forgive, but it's like I have it in my thick head that I am somehow undeserving. okay, so technically, I am undeserving...but not unworthy. I have done absolutely nothing to deserve God's grace or His forgiveness, but He loves me nonetheless and is just waiting for me to come to Him. so why is that so difficult? grrr. my stubbornness drives me CRAZY. I am SO being like nate right now, yelling at God, saying, "I CAN DO IT MYSELF!!!" all the time knowing darn well that I so cannot do this - lose weight, keep the balance, be a great wife and mother - without God.

so I was listening to a podcast this past week. mosaic, in los angeles. and the sermon was about soul cravings. the scripture that he mentioned was in psalms: "O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water." [ps 63:1] it got me thinking that there are a lot of things that I crave: chocolate, coffee, affirmation, love, acceptance, satisfaction/fullness. and nowhere on that list is God. so the list needs to change and the list will change when my focus changes. and my focus needs to change today. so as of today, I am going to make a relationship plan: a plan that will bring me to a place where I am craving God - His word, His spirit, His presence. I am going to start with downloading the bible on my ipod so that I can get a daily dose of the bible on my way to school. I think I will start with this one step this week. I also want to endeavour to comment on the scripture I am reading/listening to on this blog. and in there, I know what I really need to do to repair this relationship from my side. repent. make things right. come to my creator - broken, undeserving, alone.

Friday, February 09, 2007

the way I see it #189

"leadership requires relentless preparation. you cannot predict every possible challenge. but if you prepare for those challenges you can predict, you will be better equipped to handle all problems, even the unexpected ones."
-rudolph w. giuliani

Thursday, February 08, 2007

it's been one of those weeks









not to sure if I can even talk about it...just lots of little stresses and not enough sleep. I did make some cards tho...

okay, so I only made one card, but I prepped for a workshop tomorrow night and I decided that I need to take care of this on coming sore throat...so I am stying home tomorrow. I just feel so incredibly tired, but unable to sleep...ha! gotta love it.

Saturday, February 03, 2007

did some stampin' today...







gotta love the getting rid of the stress the old fashioned way...the one with the big pieces is a case of this card!

Thursday, February 01, 2007

the way I see it #162

the test in life is not how far we go, but where we stand. will we give in to selfishness and fear, or seek for others what we demand for ourselves: dignity and an equal chance? [robert shrum, political strategist]

interesting...