Troy & Naomi Johnstone

I have created a new flickr account for photos of the kids. You can see the newest photos online at http://www.flickr.com/photos/johnstonekids/

Labels: Adelaine, Ellie

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Adelaine Johnstone makes her first theatrical performances in two short films. Here lines are pretty small now, but they will grow over time.

In the second film, Adelaine is joined by Ellie Johnstone, a film veteran with numerous other videos of her own.



Adelaine meets the world - 4:37 minutes
Small (5 mb) | Large (9.7 mb)




Adelaine and Ellie - 5 minutes
Small (5.6 mb) | Large (17.5 mb)

Labels: Adelaine, Ellie

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In the early hours of December 28th, 2006, at 2:51 AM, Adelaine Leigh Johnstone was born. Another beautiful baby girl!

The details for the guys: a baby girl was born.

The details for the ladies:
healthy baby girl with good colour,
7 lbs, 14.5 oz
20.5 inches long
A good head of hair, grey eyes, her dad's long fingers.
Both mother and 2nd daughter are doing well.
More details to follow

Labels: Adelaine

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Christmas 2006 was our first one that we celebrated in our own home. Each year we have travelled to share the special day with family, but for obvious reasons, we couldn't travel this year, unless it was to the hospital to deliver a baby. So this time family came to us. Naomi's parents were here to celebrate the day with the growing Johnstone clan.

The day started off with a beautiful red sunrise

that illuminated our Christmas snow...


and was followed by the family tradition of the men cooking breakfast.

After overeating in the typical Christmas fashion, we read the Christmas story, thanked the Lord God in prayer, and then began to open presents.

As Ellie wasn't feeling well, she was down for a nap so we only opened a few things. After Ellie got up we started opening the rest of the presents. Ellie was quite helpful in tearing away wrapping paper.


It would seem that Ellie's favorite toy this year was a jack-in-the-box, which she kept going back to after each present she opened. She did get one especially cool present from her dad..

Ellie received a wonderful Tux doll. Tux just happens to be the official mascot of Linux! Naomi was thoroughly impressed with her husband's choice of gifts.

Actually, there were two Tux dolls, one for Ellie, and one for her as yet unborn little sibling.


Later on we had our big Christmas meal with all the fixins..


Followed by one of the greatest Christmas day traditions:

a nap.

I hope you had a great Christmas too.

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This morning we read the Christmas story from the gospels of Luke and Matthew. I started thinking about how the traditional nativity stories feature a pregnant Mary riding on a donkey the day before Jesus is born and about how uncomfortable that would be for a pregnant woman (not that I could really know, but hypothetically speaking). I wonder if a lengthy donkey ride would help induce labour.

The baby countdown clock has reached zero today.. but still no baby. Naomi is perhaps wishing that we had a donkey that could help move things along for us.

Labels: ramblings

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This morning I made a trip to Wal-Mart at about 1:00 AM. Not because I had to get that last minute gift for my wife.. not me. I did my shopping way early this year. I think I got her gift on Friday.

Anyway.. I had to go to the store to get a humidifier for Ellie. She had come down with croup - a nice sick cough. We could hear her in bed hacking away, and thankfully Wal-Mart was open 24 hours now to accommodate those who hadn't planned ahead like me. It was a pretty busy place at 1:30 AM on Christmas Eve morning.

Ellie is doing better today. She still doesn't have a younger brother or sister (much to Naomi's dismay).

I hope you have a great Christmas.
God bless.

Troy and Naomi, Ellie and ??

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No.. not the good ones you see in the night sky. I'm talking about the cheesy kind of northern lights.. the annual "lets-dust-off-the-really-old-tacky-lights- we-had-out-last-year-and-hope-everyone-forgets-how-corny-they-were" kind of northern lights. Each year the down town of Owen Sound lights up the Festival of Northern Lights. The displays are pretty much the same as last year (and the year before, and the year before..), yet people still travel from all over to see them. I fully suspect some of the displays are older than me. Where else can you see a Christmas R2-D2?



Or a Santa on a chopper?


I guess from a distance it is nice, in an expensive electric display kind of way.

Labels: ramblings

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"...He made the stars also." Genesis 1:16

It is written almost as an afterthought of the Creation account in Genesis, but when you consider the enormity of what these few words entail.. well, as my dad would have said.. "It boggles my mind."

You are small - part ii

You are small - part i

Labels: astronomy, ramblings

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Naomi and I have both drawn up our own lists of names for the newest Johnstone. Tonight we compared the lists and crossed a few off of each others lists (mostly mine). The debate begins. If it gets heated enough, it may induce labor.

What name would you suggest for the Johnstone that is about to enter this world?

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I don't usually use this blog to pass on things that are forwarded to me, but this was too timely and too applicable to me to pass up. I wish I could take credit for it, but it has been around the internet a few times. So here it is: Gift Wrapping Tips for Men.

This is the time of year when we think back to the very
first Christmas, when the Three Wise Men -- Gaspar,
Balthazar, and Herb -- went to see the baby Jesus and,
according to the Book of Matthew, "presented unto Him gifts;
gold, frankincense, and myrrh."

These are simple words, but if we analyze them carefully, we
discover an important, yet often overlooked, theological
fact: there is no mention of wrapping paper.

If there had been wrapping paper, Matthew would have said
so: "And lo, the gifts were inside 600 square cubits of
paper. And the paper was festooned with pictures of Frosty
the Snowman. And Joseph was going to throweth it away, but
Mary saideth unto him, she saideth, 'Holdeth it! That is
nice paper! Saveth it for next year!' And Joseph did rolleth
his eyeballs. And the baby Jesus was more interested in the
paper than the frankincense."

But these words do not appear in the Bible, which means that
the very first Christmas gifts were NOT wrapped. This is
because the people giving those gifts had two important
characteristics:

1. They were wise.
2. They were men.

Men are not big gift wrappers. Men do not understand the
point of putting paper on a gift just so somebody else can
tear it off. This is not just my opinion, this is a
scientific fact based on a statistical survey of two guys I
know. One is Rob, who said the only time he ever wraps a
gift is "if it's such a poor gift that I don't want to be
there when the person opens it." The other is Gene, who told
me he does wrap gifts, but as a matter of principle never
takes more than 15 seconds per gift. "No one ever had to
wonder which presents daddy wrapped at Christmas," Gene
said. "They were the ones that looked like enormous
spitballs."

I also wrap gifts, but because of some defect in my motor
skills, I can never completely wrap them. I can take a gift
the size of a deck of cards and put it the exact center of a
piece of wrapping paper the size of a regulation volleyball
court, but when I am done folding and taping, you can still
see a sector of the gift peeking out. (Sometimes I
camouflage this sector with a marking pen.) If I had been an
ancient Egyptian in the field of mummies, the lower half of
the Pharaoh's body would be covered only by Scotch tape.

On the other hand, if you give my wife a 12-inch square of
wrapping paper, she can wrap a C-130 cargo plane. My wife,
like many women, actually likes wrapping things. If she
gives you a gift that requires batteries, she wraps the
batteries separately, which to me is very close to being a
symptom of mental illness. If it were possible, my wife
would wrap each individual volt.

My point is that gift-wrapping is one of those skills like
having babies that come more naturally to women than to men.
That is why today I am presenting:

Gift Wrapping Tips for Men:

* Whenever possible, buy gifts that are already wrapped. If,
when the recipient opens the gift, neither one of you
recognizes it, you can claim that it's myrrh.

* The editors of Woman's Day magazine recently ran an item
on how to make your own wrapping paper by printing a design
on it with an apple sliced in half horizontally and dipped
in a mixture of food coloring and liquid starch. They must
be smoking crack. If you're giving a hard-to-wrap gift, skip
the wrapping paper! Just put it inside a bag and stick one
of those little adhesive bows on it. This creates a festive
visual effect that is sure to delight the lucky recipient on
Christmas morning:

YOUR WIFE: Why is there a Hefty trash bag under the tree?
YOU: It's a gift! See? It has a bow!
YOUR WIFE (peering into the trash bag): It's a leaf blower.
YOU: Gas-powered! Five horsepower!
YOUR WIFE: I want a divorce.
YOU: I also got you some myrrh.

In conclusion, remember that the important thing is not what
you give, or how you wrap it. The important thing, during
this very special time of year, is that you save the
receipt.

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Ellie likes wearing our footwear, especially her mom's as they are smaller and lighter. The other day, however, she wanted to put on her mom's winter boots, which became hip waders on Ellie. She was only able to take one step before she fell over..

Labels: Ellie

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Any day now, I (Naomi) will start into the long-awaited labour. However, this labour experience will be a bit different than what I experienced with Ellie. With Ellie, the room was filled with nurses and the obstetrician. This time, I will be attended by two midwives.

When we tell people that I will give birth with the help of midwives instead of a doctor, I usually get some strange looks and interesting questions, which tell me that people don’t really understand much about the job of the modern midwife. I think that most people envision a lady pushing through the woods with her blankets, boiled water and herbs, ready to deliver quadruplets in the kitchen at an old farmstead.

I must admit that when the idea was first presented to me, I was skeptical. To be honest, there really wasn’t really any other option at the time – there was only one obstetrician available for a population of about 40,000. Needless to say, it was hard to get in to see him. So it was strongly encouraged that I go with a midwife instead. When I went for my first appointment, I was half-expecting a hippie-looking woman to meet me with a mug of bark tea and try to talk me into a home birth without any medication or interventions. Instead, I met with women who were very professional and knowledgeable in their expertise – pregnancy, childbirth, and initial infant care. I have appreciated the fact that I rarely have to wait more than 5 minutes for an appointment and then I have between 45 min. – 1 hour to discuss things with them if I feel the need. Even during the many uncertain months of this difficult pregnancy, I never doubted their competency or felt they were too relaxed in their care of me. They are very thorough and have been quick to order tests, medications, and consultations with the obstetrician as they’ve seen the need. In fact, I would say they’ve been much more thorough and careful in overseeing my care than I ever had in my pregnancy with Ellie. And I have yet to be offered bark tea.

So, any day now, I will head to the hospital, where my midwife, whom I’ve gotten to know fairly well these last 7 months, as well as another midwife, will meet me. I will have almost any medication and intervention available to me, plus the knowledge that these women know me quite well and will be very capable of helping me through those long hours. After the baby comes, they will look after me and the baby’s care for 6 weeks, including house calls if necessary. Up to this point, I’m so thankful that I overcame my initial trepidation and chose this route. We can’t wait for the day we can let you know how it went!

Naomi

Labels: Naomi

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I found this article at LinuxInsider.com:

Is Now the Time to Move to Linux?

The biggest reason for migrating to Linux is freedom, said Patrick Davila, co-host of an online Linux talk show. Linux is not owned by anyone and is the ultimate community project. "In many ways, the community reminds me of the early days of computers," he said. "People are willing to share information and help others. All one needs to do is ask."

Your next operating system move could be to one of the half-dozen most popular free Linux desktop versions instead of to Microsoft Windows Vista. With these versions, you would not have to perform a risky software upgrade, nor would you have to settle for a watered-down Vista option if your new computer were underpowered.

The Linux operating system (OS) -- already well known in the workplace for its virus-proof ironclad security -- is garnering approval from consumers as the computer system of choice in the home- and small-business office.

Instead of glitzy media advertising, distributors of the various Linux versions rely on satisfied users and word-of-mouth support on the Internet to spread the news about using Linux.

Continue reading at linuxinsider.com

Labels: Linux

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A group of individuals has created a business to make money off Christians in a unique way. They call it the Post-Rapture Post, a way for a Christian to send letters to your non-Christian friends and family after the Rapture when all the Christians are taken from the Earth by God. How does it work? You pay the PRP to send a letter after you are gone. They are atheists, so they won't be part of the Rapture, and they will be able to send the letters to whomever you want. Of course.. you wouldn't be around to make sure they actually did send it..

www.postrapturepost.com

Labels: ramblings

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School Update:
Fall Quarter is over and our students have gone home for Christmas break. We are very thankful for their efforts in ministry to others and their hard work in their Bible studies. Please pray that they will stay strong over break and come back refreshed and ready to go with another busy quarter in January.

Basement Update:
The basement project is done! Back in the summer we asked the Lord to help us raise $5,000 to allow us to use our basement as office and living space and a guest room in preparation for the arrival of our next child. The funds came in, and went out as we purchased building materials. Some good friends from Alberta flew in last week to do the construction work, and it is now all finished. Praise the Lord! A very sincere thank you to all who helped out financially and those who prayed for this project. And a special thanks to Andrew, Jack, Trevor, and Mitch who came to help us.

You can see photos of the construction project online at:
http://www.troyandnaomi.com/2006/12/extreme-makeover-basement-edition.html

Personal Update:
We are now down to just a few weeks before the due date for our second child (21 days from today). With the basement done we can now work on preparing the nursery and get other things ready for this new arrival. We are really looking forward to meeting this little person. Please continue to pray for a smooth delivery and a healthy baby.

Thank you and God bless.

Troy, Naomi, and Ellie.

Labels: Ministry Update

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Several months ago we started raising funds to add a room to our basement in preparation to the addition to our family. Many people generously responded by sending in money so that we could purchase the supplies needed. Naomi's brother and some good friends from Alberta traveled here to do the construction.

The house we are living in is located on the Word of Life property and is a small three bedroom house (really a double wide trailer, 20' x 40'). It does have a full basement underneath that was just used for storage as it was very cold.

Our basement as it was

The house also had a very steep set of stairs. The layout of the house never included stairs to a basement so the only space large enough was a pantry area, and it wasn't long enough to give headroom for a normal set of stairs. The steps made most people uncomfortable, especially if you have to carry laundry downstairs. We wanted to make the basement more accessible for our guests and our kids as they get older. This was going to be a major challenge for the crew.


The stairs of death


Our basement as it was

The Crew :: Andrew, Mitch, Jack, & Trevor

Day 1 :: Wednesday
The plan calls for a 20' x 20' room, with a small mud room for around the door. This is half the basement, and will equal the space that is used upstairs for our kitchen, dining area, and living room.. a rather large increase to our usable living space!

The first task was to put down a floor on which we would build the walls.



While the floor was going down, Naomi's brother, Andrew, began work on the steps. The only way to improve these things was to increase headroom. To make the stairs less steep, we decided that the steps would have to turn as they went down, so we had to sacrifice part of a hall closet.



Andrew preparing for the new stairs :: the view from the closet.

After the floor was completed, it was time to begin framing the walls.



Danger! :: Troy with power tools.



One of my favorite parts: destruction. We had to remove the old stairs, so after swinging the sledge hammer a few times, I had busted it up enough to pull them down.

End of Day 1: stairs removed, subfloor and framing complete.



Day 2 :: Thursday

Andrew and Trevor make plans for how the stairs will work.. not an easy task.



Meanwhile, Jack is beginning to install the heaters for the room and prepare for the rest of the wiring.


Trevor works on the support for the landing while Troy works on bending nails..


We were concerned about how Ellie would handle all this noise and commotion and how it would affect her day and her naps. Turns out she loved it. It seems like she slept better with the saws and the hammering and banging. She would hear a saw and say "tactor", thinking it was a tractor outside. She also enjoyed watching everything and sometimes got upset when the door was closed.

Ellie supervising her workers from behind the safety barricade.




Mitch ran the wiring for us as Andrew and Trevor focused on the engineering of the steps and Jack continued with the electrical system for the basement.

At the end of Day 2 the basement looked like this:


Ellie was uncharacteristically friendly with everyone right away, especially with Mitch. I'll be watching out for this guy!


Day 3 :: Friday
Insulation goes in and we start putting the paneling up.




I was worried about these Albertans and their healthy lungs. I provided each with an Ontario Smog Filter on their arrival.


Mitch helps with the paneling by nailing them on.


The stairs start to take shape..


.. and so does the room.


Day 4 :: Saturday
It's Saturday and Trevor's daughter, Missy, who is attending the BI is coerced into helping us with the painting..


while Mitch does more destructive things.


I took Ellie down the hallway to the closet that has been gutted. "Ellie, I always told you there was a monster in the closet, well.. here he is."


Day 6 & 7 :: Monday & Tuesday
Suspended ceiling is installed with the lighting (WOL had quite a few pallets of ceiling tile donated!)


and the steps are almost complete.


The carpet was also put down and trim installed.


In the middle of all this, we had septic problems and the tank had to be dug up. Coming back from supper I found this in the yard.. I had hoped for something more profound on my grave marker..

"All that remains of him - not much!
T Johnstone"
Hmm.. I think Trevor might have something to do with this..

Day 8 :: Wednesday
The last day. The guys leave in the afternoon and the final push is on to get stuff finished. By noon it was pretty much finished and we had put in the hide-a-bed that Naomi's mom has been sleeping on, a desk and a book shelf.


The finished stairway :: from this:


To this:


The finished room :: from this:


To this:








This project went very fast! They worked hard to get things done, and, praise the Lord, we were able to finish it!

To those who donated to and/or prayed for this project, thank you. We couldn't have done much without the supplies. And a special thanks to the guys who gave up a week of their time and flew here to help us. We really appreciate all that you and the Lord have done for us.

Troy, Naomi, and Ellie.

Labels: Ministry Update

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