This week’s Quick Takes has some stuff from last week also… I just don’t have time to write separate posts for some of the photos I have, so they end up in shortened form here each week (for example Mahone Bay).
1. Two Sundays ago we went for brunch with a couple friends we hadn’t seen in a really long time. It was cool to catch up and to find out that they are pretty much in the same boat – she’s living with his parents and they want to save for a house too.
2. Two Mondays ago DH and I drove down to Mahone Bay.
It was a beautiful day so after lunch we took a walk along the main road. Several of the houses are painted candy colored and that made me really happy 
‘Inspiration’
We also picked up the real estate listings book I mentioned last week.
3. On Saturday I went to my friend’s 23rd birthday party/potluck. Interestingly there were almost none of the same people from her party the previous year and no one that I could say I knew, but I actually thoroughly enjoyed myself. The food was great, we had great adult conversations and for dessert her mom brought out homemade ice cream cake. It was really tasty, and apparently pretty simple to do.
Ice cream Cake:
chill pan
oreo thinsations and melted butter for the crust
chill pan
mix ice cream with crumbled compliments chocolate chip cookies and layer on top of crust
chill pan
top with more oreo crumbs
And the baby behaved for most of the night, until about 8:30 when he got really cranky and we went home soon after.
’23′
Convo snippet
Guy 1 “Remember that guy from fame, he committed suicide, wait no he died of aids.”
What we were all thinking ‘There’s a big difference’
Guy 2 “like the difference between he fell off a bridge, no, he got shot in the head”…
Someone else: “No, his dog died, that was it.”
Guy 1 “No, I know what it was! His dog committed suicide because he had aids!”
4. On Sunday we went to the Mini home open house. Sadly, we can’t afford a new one unless we were to live in a park, and as nice as the homes are I still wouldn’t want to do that. So if we go this route it will have to be a used mini home.
Of course it wouldn’t come with the rainbow bedding…
Check out the fall colors here
We also went to look at the plot of land we’d seen advertised: “MLS 40659898 $39,500 Deeded ocean access. 3/4 acre previously approved property with large fish pond. Level lot is ready for you to start construction.” They weren’t kidding about large fish pond, it was more like a swamp. 
There wasn’t even room for a driveway so we didn’t get to see what was up behind it, but I didn’t see much level land there, besides the swamp itself. DH and I are going to hold off scouting the market much until next year, when we’re ready to seriously consider buying something. Clearly God is not ready for us to leave yet, but I have to assume He will be next year, because DMIL is going to want her house back at some point (in other words she’s going to want us to move also).
5. Praying the rosary seems to be making a difference in my life already. There was a night when I woke up in considerable pain and turned to God to get me through, and I had the patience of a saint phenomenon right after saying the rosary on Saturday, when the baby screamed for 30+ minutes.
6. On Tuesday I decided to check out the playgroup at the other church. Unfortunately, it only made me wish to have our old playgroup back. There was nobody else there, they only had 2 boxes of toys, and then someone else almost came but anther lady said she couldn’t play when there was someone else there :S I just felt so lonely for me and the baby alone in the big empty gym. I got really upset over it, it’s something that’s been bothering me for a while, the lack of companionship with other mom’s of little ones. My church had a playgroup but for a number of reasons the lady decided to stop it. There was a little girl about a month and a half older than my son and there at the last few sessions they were recognizing each other, and it breaks my heart because we may never see them again. 
The next day, the prayers in my heart which I hadn’t even articulated to God seem to be answered. At the end of the visit my doula asked if there was any information on any resources centers I might want and I said there was one thing, I want a playgroup. And they have some, and they’re free and presumably fairly well attended. She’s going to bring me more information on them next time. Her resource center also organizes trips, they’re going apple picking in a few weeks and I think I’m going too. I find out today if I get a spot. I’ve always wanted to go apple picking
ETA: The morning came and went and I didn’t hear anything, so I figured it was not meant to be, and then about 2 min after I finished the rosary for the day they called! 
7. Here’s some of what baby has been up to lately:
We got him a Growth Chart
He discovered chalk..
and crayons.
Hi Gillian,
Thanks for your weekly update.
Here are my thoughts:
- I really liked your work there with the ice-cream shop and the purple aster. The colours were in harmony, as were the ‘feel’ of the objects: fun, lighthearted, childlike, summery.
- I noticed before that you are quite sensitive to and in tune with colours (remember how we used to compare your bright against my drab clothing?); this comes out in the pictures.
- See from Tyler’s scribble drawing that his writing is coming along far ahead of schedule! :p
- I am glad to see that you are enjoying and finding comfort in your (also brightly coloured) rosary. I remember you telling me, when you first got it (that must be more than a year ago now) that you didn’t feel ready for prayer with a rosary – that it wasn’t the sort of thing that you saw yourself doing. Doesn’t that show how far you have come in achieving your spiritual goals?
- I was impressed with the interior of the mobile home: it was really quite nice. Not bad at all. Could see that being quite cozy. Even if you can’t get this one, a mobile home in general, might be quite a good starter home.
- I was not so in to the plot of land. The earth around the soil is bound to be wet. Anything you built there would sink, or at least have a wet, mouldy basement. It would be dangerous for Tyler to play in the garden on his own and the mosquitoes would be horrible…. it made for a nice picture but I’d definitely say…not a good buy!
Love, Tanya