Exercise machine...

Can I just say, it's wonderful when kijiji purchases work out. I am so happy to have found this new-to-me elliptical trainer that I can use on rainy days and when running gets to be uncomfortable due to pregnancy. I'm really hoping that the latter is far from coming.

Jake and I stuffed this baby into the car and made it home safe and sound, eager to see how it looked in the basement.

As you can see, it's perfect, and I couldn't have spent $50 any better.

Love,
Ashleigh

Almost a Mother...

This year I had an interesting and new experience-Mother's Day!  There were varied responses to my pregnancy-

"Congrats! Well, almost.  I guess you still have to wait until September."

"Happy Mother's Day, Ashleigh! Did Jake make you breakfast in bed?"

"Happy Mother's Day! Oh wait, you're not a mother yet."

Ok, so when do I officially become a mother?  In my own reflections and thoughts, I certainly don't feel like one yet.  My body is doing all the hard work involuntarily, and I just sit back and wait for the baby to arrive.  I don't have to change diapers yet, tend to a little crying one in the middle of the night, or worry about feedings.

And yet, if we, as Christians, believe that life begins from the first moment the sperm fertilizes the egg, then there is a real human baby living and growing inside my body, and it is my child, therefore I am mother.

So why is Mother's Day so ambiguous for a lot of people?  In my experience, it was actually older people who were hesitant to congratulate me on motherhood, insisting that it wasn't yet, that I had to wait to become a real mother, whatever that means. 

Next up is father's day, and Jake will experience the same rigmarole.  Let's just call a spade a spade.  We are both mother and father, even though our babe is yet unborn.  Jake protectively and lovingly cradles my belly at night while we are sleeping-just because he can't hold our child in his physical arms doesn't mean he is any less a father.  His concern and responsibility is every sense of real just as if our baby could be seen with human eyes and touched with our hands, skin to skin.

We feel the anticipation of meeting our child with a tangible excitement, and this waiting period only solidifies our amazement for the miracle of life.

Love, 

Ashleigh

Quinoa Spinach Stuffed Tomatoes...

Need I say more?

Bon appétit !

Love,

Ashleigh

Little Desk Fan...

I close my eyes, and allow your cool breeze to caress my face, to dispel the heat that pools between the spaces of my mind.

You keep me sane when an overwhelming fever would otherwise drive me mad.

You are the saving grace of the office and desk workers, our only reprieve when swimming is not an option.

Without you, I would be a hundred times more melodramatic.

Love, Ashleigh

Opportunities ...

Knowing how much Christian influence I can have on my students is amazing ...and daunting.  I've been praying for God to give me time and wisdom in those short yet powerful windows of opportunity.
I was thankful for the reminder of the Holy Spirit's encouragement and conviction in my life as I grow more in godly grace.  Galatians 5:16-26 and Romans 8 were especially poignant for me today.
I'm praying that God will keep growing fruit in my life.

Love,
Ashleigh 

Long Walks and Starbucks ...

Today was kind of difficult. I was super emotional amd self-pitying, it was hot, it was a holiday and I still had to wake up early and work today. But praise the Lord for friends. After my evening shift was finished, Lois suggested we go for a walk. We enjoyed the evening air, discovered a new trail, and regained strength for the walk home with a discounted Refresher from Starbucks. Freshly showered and having spent time with the Lord, I feel rejuvenated and ready for a new day tomorrow. I'm so grateful God redeemed the day!

Love,
Ashleigh

Jumpin' Junipers...

This might be my last post of the week, since Jake and I are going away for the weekend.  I've been enjoying writing daily, save the weekend, and have noticeably slipped into a routine.   Some days I have an idea ready and waiting, and other days I have to search my mind for what to write about. More often than not I just start rambling- like I am today- and hope that it turns into interesting and soulful prose.  

I have been feeling the baby move pretty regularly for about two weeks now.  I'm still getting used to the sensation.  At the beginning, it actually made me queasy, and I felt like I was on a roller coaster ride.  This baby is a lil' mover, that's for sure!  The technician commented on its constant movements at each ultrasound, so I shouldn't be surprised.  

The baby had been quiet for a couple of days, but yesterday it picked up its twirling and flailing right where it left off .  I was sitting at the table and hadn't felt any movements for a solid half an hour, until Jake came home, and I swear the sound of his voice made the baby start dancing again!

I don't have the faintest idea about a baby's cognitive intuition at this stage, but there are certain things that leave no doubt in your mind.  Baby loves daddy, just like its mama does <3

I hope you have a fabulous weekend.

Love, 

Ashleigh

Any Excuse For Chocolate...

I always enjoy visits to my Naturopathic doctor(ND), since she is a very good listener for any run-off-the-mouth explanations of various health issues.  I am very grateful for the benefits that Jake's company provides so we can afford her services.  Over the past year and a half that I have been seeing her, I have found that this type of medical help suits me much better to an impersonal family doctor who has a mere five minutes for the one issue that brought me into the office.

{In saying that, I am not for a moment ungrateful for free health care.  I recognize that doctors are in over their heads with patients and often don't have the time to be sympathetic and caring like a Naturopathic doctor.}

In suggesting natural ways to improve my health other than the usual quickly scrawled-out chemically-treated medicated prescription, my ND often prescribes expensive vitamins, tinctures, and UNDA numbers that I would never have bought for myself.  I often feel like I spend money every time I leave her office, but being healthy doesn't come with little sacrifice.

At my appointment this week, she told me that I might be low in magnesium, so she recommended that I eat one tablespoon of organic cacao powder (not to be confused with the commonly known cocoa powder) every day.  That can't be so bad, right?

http://www.healthpalace.ca/organic-traditions-cacao-powder-raw-organic-227-grams/

Thankfully I had a little bit left from when I bought it for a recipe last year.  I placed some Greek yogurt in a bowl, dumped my tablespoon of cacao powder on top, and added some honey and a handful of blueberries.  I took a bite.

I was immediately transported to some sort of chocolate heaven when the creamy yogurt and rich cacao touched my tongue.  If you're thinking, "What's the difference between cacao powder and that cocoa stuff I have in my baking cupboard?", have you ever tried eating cocoa powder while making your mother's brownie recipe? 

Yeah, it's disgusting. 

Cacao powder is nothing like that.  It has a full and deep chocolatey taste that transcends even your wildest chocolate dreams, it's chock full of antioxidants, that plant chemical which makes people crazy for 'superfoods' such as acai (by the way, in Portuguese it's pronounced ah-sigh-EE-- practice saying it aloud so you can correct all the others out there), and one tablespoon contains about 50% of your daily dose of magnesium.  The best thing is that it's not bitter.  

Oh, and did I mention that this form of chocolate is good for you???!

I'm so glad my ND recommended cacao powder for my magnesium deficiency rather than a regular ol' supplement.  This is one expense I look forward to purchasing!

Love, 

Ashleigh

The Smell of Freshly Baked Bread...

After a few weeks going without, I finally decided to make some bread today.  I love how convenient bread makers are, and yet I still find excuses not to make a loaf every week.  We don't buy bread anymore, because homemade bread is just that good (especially for grilled cheese sandwiches!).

I'm starting to see how working full time saps any energy people have for cooking/baking, and I'm feeling a real need to have baking days so I can just get everything out of the way all at once. I have so much more joy and delight in cooking on the weekend.  There's no pressure, there isn't the fatigue hanging over you from working all day, and you can relax while you're measuring ingredients, rather than flying through the recipe during a 5 or 10 minute break.

I've started making the main meal of the day at lunch, like we did in Brazil.  My work hours span over the dinner hour, so after 8pm we usually eat a light dinner such as eggs, or leftovers.  I know that everything will get easier over time, once we get used to new routines and schedules.  My body is still being accustomed to waking up at 4:30am every day!

Love,

Ashleigh

Becoming Newsy...

A couple of months ago, I made it one of my goals to become more informed.   Before I started my teaching job, I was finding the goal rather difficult to ascertain.  I just didn't have the interest nor the stamina to look at online newspapers everyday.  Now, however, I find myself browsing exciting headlines, looking for new and interesting topics to discuss during conversation lessons.  It's a goal of mine to find something news-worthy that a student might not be aware of.

One of the websites I've been going to is The Korea Herald, since this gives me up-to-date information from within my students' spheres of influence.  The website, offering articles in both English and Korean, is comprehensive and well laid out.

Although I have been only doing this regularly for a week or two, I am still embarrassed when I find things out that the nation has known for 5 months or so (take our Canadian astronaut in space, for example).  I am excited to see how continued practice will keep me 'in the know' and newsy.

Love,

Ashleigh