Walking along

It's Potty Time!

2012-01-26T14:56:00.002-05:00

I'm here . . . knee deep in potty training! A combination of things this week led me to realize it was time.

#1. Forest's cloth diapers aren't working anymore . . . nothing wrong with the diaper, the kid just pees TOO much. And I just don't want to start pouring money into disposables at this point.

#2. At random times we'll ask Forest if he wants to sit on the potty and he'll sit there until he "squeezes" something liquid out.

So after much boo-hooing to my friend Melissa, I decided it was time for ME to suck it up and just do it. She lent me her "three day" plan . . . which (in my words) is basically spending three days, at the side of your child, paying attention. It doesn't involve putting your kid on the potty every 20 minutes (tried that with Shan = miserable fail), but rather, reminding them to "tell Mommy when you have to pee!"

Anyway, methods aside, we are on day two and I think he's got it! No really! By 1:30 he had 2 accidents (one was when he was running around outside and one was first thing in the morning when he was alone, reading). And he had SIX times peeing on the potty . . . ALL initiated by him!!!!! At one point I was even washing dishes while he was off playing and he walked into the room and told me he had to go- walked with me into the bathroom and went!

Today was also his first BM- he told me he had to go potty, sat down and a few minutes later proclaimed there was a SHARK in the potty! HAHAHAHAHA! I died! Love that boy.

So anyway! I know we are no where near done, but it's a good start.

Shannon is enjoying these giant mountains of dirt that were put in our backyard, to fill in the sandy rutted-up road. While I always let my kids play in dirt, let's just say I've never seen anything like this. IMPOSSIBLE to remove. Sigh. The things we do in the name of "good for our kids!"

Boys go home this weekend- been an interesting month in the cottage. One boy released due to some serious attention- grabbing behavior (self-harm) . . . we sure loved him but we just can't keep kids here who are a danger to themselves and potentially others. Two other boys who are knee-deep in HUGE trouble- terrible talking back and arguing! Sigh. But all-in-all it's been pretty peaceful around here (as much as 6 boys in a house can be!) and we're enjoying the calm before the storm of new boys, that we're sure to get!

Happy Birthday Shannon

2012-01-24T19:41:00.002-05:00

Yesterday my precious miracle baby turned 4! Hard to believe it's been four years since we welcomed this long-awaited baby to our world . . . born into a tub of water after 12 hours of labor, born with bright blue eyes looking up at us quietly. I prayed so long for God to "let me get pregnant with a beautiful baby girl" and in daily amazes me how gracious he was to so wonderfully answer that prayer.

We had a lovely day yesterday- special time as a family and special time with all her Ranch Family- little friends and wonderful staff who are like real Aunts & Uncles to her. We started the day with this wonderful sunrise gift from God, to Shannon:

After staff meeting, we had her "family presents" - sheets from Gramma, a quilt and a bed from us! Really! Jeremiah has been working so hard on this amazing surprise for Shannon! Check it out . . .

All the boys want Jer to make them beds like that, too :)

Then all Shannon's little "friends" came over for a small (and quick . . .these things turn wild, fast!) birthday party. Yes, in our yard. Friends, it was 80 yesterday!

We had special birthday hats

Pint-sized tables & chairs

Cupcakes

and friends!

And later we celebrated with the boys . . . I am so thankful for this precious girl!

From Pinterest to Reality

2012-01-11T14:59:00.001-05:00

How to use Pinterest to help you . . .

All these "social media" things are good . . . only if they are HELPS for us on our journey of motherhood, wife-hood (is that a word) or with our work. When we just stare vacently at the screen, they are life-suckers. And yes, I've been guilty of that at the end of a day, too! But when we use the ideas we've collected to make yummy dinners, teach important lessons, make our homes more beautiful or bless others . . . then it's a wonderful thing!

I wanted to show you a fun project I've been working on and how I used Pinterest to get there! (All pictures are from the site that is linked) A co-worker's baby shower is coming up and I've been busy collecting ideas and planning.

BABY SHOWER!

1. Figure out a general theme or idea- browse for those ideas. I was looking for Baby boy and ended up with a "book shower" idea- bring a book instead of a card to go with your gift.

2. I ended up here, at the Martha Stewart site and her cute "Library Shower" Idea.

3. I started looking around for some invitation ideas and came across this idea for "old book" envelopes from this lovely Etsy shop

4. A bit more browsing led me to HGTV's site, where they have 17 different FREE blank invitations! (Seriously, some really cute ideas on here!!!!) I downloaded this one

5. Found a really cute printable "book plate" that includes spot for a message to the baby from this Fun Blog, Nested.

Now, make it your own!!!! This part was fun- messing with colors and ideas until I got the perfect thing for the shower. The best part? I used all materials we had laying around the house!!!

1. Found an old pre-teen age book and ripped all the pages out, trimmed them to make little "envelopes." Most of the people being invited are here at the Ranch, so that helps- I didn't have to worried about postage. Sewed the three sides together with my sewing machine, wrote the name with a sharpie and added some paper flowers & brads from my old paper-scrapping days!

2. Changed the color of the invitation with PSE, to a pretty blue. Printed it on grey paper (baby's nursery will be grey/white and blue!). Typed up an instruction sheet for the "book plate," using part of the invitation modified to match.

3. Added a little owl to the book-plate, to add to the "baby cute" idea. Owl is from Sweet Shoppe Designs, Jenn Barrett.

4. Using strips of yellow paper, for contrast, clipped everything together.

5. Stuffed in the envelopes!

So fun, huh? And all from a little Pinterest inspiration . . .

Here we are!

2012-01-10T12:50:00.000-05:00

I'm so behind, I don't know where to begin! I've not been on the computer much the last couple weeks, which in some ways is a good thing but yet is causing me to fall behind in other areas! Ahhh, the constant struggle of balance in life! I guess I'll just give a "bullet update," if you will!

SHANNON
* Turns FOUR in just two weeks! Hard to believe four years ago, I was eagerly anticipating this precious girl. Today in church we were singing "Thank you for healing me," and I teared up as I held my girl . . . thank you God for healing me and allowing me to be a mom!

* Shannon continues to struggle in the "potty #2" area. Almost a year ago she got constipated, it hurt when she went and it started a terrible cycle. She is afraid to go to the bathroom (#2) so she doesn't. Really. Manages to hold it in for a week or more . . . and then whenever she feels like she has to go, she hides and grunts and turns red holding it in :( We've done prunes, apple juice, rewards, laxatives, you name it. I know if we can get her to go a couple times without it hurting, that will help . . . but until then . . . when you think of my girl, pray for this area for her!

* We had a sweet learning moment this week- her dear friends here are almost 6 and the other one turned 4 last week. The three were playing together and later Shannon said they were "being mean and saying they were older than her." I gently reminded her that they WERE older than her . . . but that doesn't matter. I'm older than her and I'm not any more special. I told her that next time she should nicely say "that's okay that you're older than me." A few minutes later she went running up to one of the girls and said "Bonnie, it's okay that you're older than me." And a few minutes after that, found Hannah and said the same thing. Of course neither girl remembered why Shannon was saying it, so I had to laugh, but I was thankful for her sweet spirit. I'm afraid she'll always have struggles like this, she's SO much tinier than everyone else.

FOREST
* Oh this boy! One minute I want to squeeze and cuddle him . . .the next . . . he's not napping much anymore . . . but is exhausted. I've had to work through my own irritation and frustration on this one. The hours from 4-8 are BY FAR the hardest and most stressful of my day, since it's pre-bedtime and the boys are home. Then add a non-napping, crying and irritable boy. Yeah. Grrr. At least he's asleep at 7 when he doesn't nap . . .

BOYS
* Came back from vacation well! We actually had our BEST week since August (no joke here) this week! That's really unusual for returning from vacation. In fact, it was so good that we all biked to a nearby park & animal farm for free time on Saturday. It was a whole new experience for some of the boys and really fun.

* Celebrated a birthday in the cottage! And now I have a bit of a break . . . none of the boys have birthdays until May now!

HOME
* Of course working on the "new year" cleaning & organizing . . . continually trying to get rid of stuff to keep things more simple.

* Have I mentioned how much I love waking up to the lake & Florida sunrises in my backyard?

ME
* Getting ready to host a baby shower for a co-worker in a couple weeks- lots of time being spent on invitations and party details. In my next life, I want to be a party organizer! I love this stuff!

And for a visual treat . . . a little Christmas photo fun!

Forest . . . just keepin' it real!

Pull out the candy-canes for a bribe!

My favorite- reminds me of Victorian-era photos!

Ode to Christmas' Past

2011-12-29T14:17:00.002-05:00

An ode to Christmas' past . . .

2003- Our first year in Malaysia- enjoyed a wonderful "dinner" at a seaside "Sizzlin Chicken."

2004- Second year in Malaysia, the day before we woke up to the Tsunami occurring in our backyard! (In fact, this picture is taken on the beach of our campus, which a few days later was swamped!!!)

2005- First Christmas with family in two years! Flew to NY and enjoyed lots of family time.

2006- Christmas in Florida! Can you tell how warm it was this year? Feeling good and healthy but really wishing I was pregnant!

2007- And I had my wish this year! Pregnant with sweet baby Shannon!

2008- Isn't she so cute? Shannon's first Christmas, flew to NY and enjoyed the snow together.

2009- Surprise! Forest's first Christmas this year! He wasn't real happy much of the time, at this point. But Shannon was sure loving all the holiday festivities!

2010- What a fun year- two little kids who thought everything was amazing, and one little boy who never held still!

2011- A wonderful holiday together here in Florida (okay, I know this isn't the best picture but it's going to have to do for now!!!)

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-18T20:00:00.007-05:00

Wow, so much to say and share.

First, WE'RE ON VACATION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! From Thanksgiving until Friday were some of the busiest days in history. We were honored to be the recipients of so many holiday activities . . . but wow, I sure sighed a HUGE sigh of relief when the boys went home and honestly, we were pretty much done with Christmas stuff! We did it all- SeaWorld Christmas, holiday parties, Ballet recitals, Christmas-tree decorating, etc. And now it's just family time. We are really thankful for that.

Also trying to convince Forest that sleeping in a new bed isn't that big of a deal.

And I just plain old haven't been on the computer! We've been biking together, playing together, making Christmas cookies, wrapping presents and having fun.

Being with people all the time? Well, it's just SO good for us when it's JUST us. Mornings are relaxed and bedtimes are relaxed- no dashing in and out while trying to get the boy's ready, etc. What a wonderful, wonderful week we've had. And one more to go!

Yes, I'm complaining that it's 80 outside. Florida is warm, but come on!!!! We have from March until October that's blasted hot, can we PLEASE catch a break? Please! Does make for good pictures and fun reading Christmas books though . . .

Today is our big Christmas Eve DUCK dinner :) followed by a movie for the parents and bedtime for the kiddos! And then Christmas day . . . what fun with little kids! Hope you are having a wonderful, wonderful holiday season.

{Early} Christmas

2011-12-06T15:24:00.002-05:00

Jer got a completely unexpected, early Christmas gift today! He was waiting with the boys for breakfast (at 6:30 am!) and it was pointed out that there was a BIKE sitting in front of the office. Upon closer inspection, he found this . . . (well the kids weren't there at 6:30 but you get the idea).

Keep in mind, my husband's favorite color is orange.

We've been wanting to get him a bike to go along with the bike I got (wait for that story) but there is always something else to spend money on.

We don't know who it came from (though a couple people were as, well, guilty as sin when we talked to them) . . . but we're extra-thankful for this super-fun surprise!!!

Now wanna hear the story about my bike? I've been wanting a bike for . . . forever . . . but again, there is ALWAYS something else more important to spend $90 on than a bike. Yes I could buy used, but that requires time to look and that's a premium around here too.

One Saturday while walking back from the pool with the boys, Jer walked by a man dropping off donations (we have a thrift store to benefit the Ranch). He dropped off this bike. Jer brought it home. I fell in love. My boss said "It's yours." End of story.

Her name is Pink Pearl.
(I did a little research and my bike was over $500 new . . . just saying . . . thanks God!!!!!)

We're doing well- moving along in our Advent . . .

Day 3- get Christmas books for a gift (a fall-back for crazy-busy Ranch days like Saturdays). I picked up a bunch of books at the thrift store over the last couple months for this.

Day 4- Color Advent pictures- printed 5 pictures that Shannon loved coloring.

Day 5- make salt-dough handprints - these are AMAZING and I will post pictures as soon as they finish drying out!

Day 6- today- another easy one- paint toe-nails in Christmas colors!

Welcome Holidays!!!

2011-12-02T15:14:00.002-05:00

Well our week has gone pretty well, considering the amount of "events" and the subsequent tiredness of children! We actually just had our day off and it was really good. Best one in a while- we had some good times with the kids and were able to actually rest AND mom was able to get some things done. Always a nice combination.

Tonight we're hosting a bunch (as in as 10-20 or more!) people at our house . . . they are coming to bring and decorate a tree, hang out with our boys, etc. Should be . . . interesting. I'm hoping it's a great chance to share our lives {our lives with the boys} with a bunch of folks from church. And I'm hoping my boys can hold it together so it's a pleasant experience for them and the guests.

I need to go finish getting ready for that (remember, my day ends/starts at 4 pm, so afternoons are short!). Here are a few pictures from the week . . .

First we have a Public Event- we were the honored guests at "Light up Pointe Orlando" and got to watch some singing, dancing, etc. The kids and I stood in the back, while Shannon & her best friend Hannah danced and twirled in the grass. (Yes grass, this is Florida after all!)

Here we are, ready to go! (Hi Melissa, this is where I was texting you from!)

The kids all received 3-D glasses, to look at the lights with (they turned the lights into angels or santas, etc.)

Shannon and Hannah looking at

this 45 foot tree! LCD and everything!

Meeting the teen girl who danced the Nutcracker for us. I don't know who was more excited- the girls meeting her or the "girl" who felt so honored that they would think she was so special.

And Advent . . . so thankful I prepared this last year and in early November or it would NOT be happening.

On the first day of advent . . . we got Christmas Jammies and watched Polar Express!

On the second day of advent . . . we decorated snowflakes with glitter! Now our house will be all glittery for the whole year!

Hope your weekend is special friends!

We're back in business

2011-11-28T15:37:00.003-05:00

Hey friends! I was hoping to most more frequently but I guess that just hasn't happened, huh? After a bout with the nastiest cold I've ever seen, mom arrived! We've had the best week together and I'm so thankful for a mom who I love spending time with AND my husbands begs to stay longer . . . every time she visits! We've been keeping occupied doing a bit of this . . .

Enjoyed some Thanksgiving feasting . . .

Snuck in a couple "nice" pictures!

And a beach trip!

And now we're well into the holiday season here {at the Ranch.} Want an idea of what I mean?
Monday- Fancy "exclusive" club comes to cater dinner for all of us.
Tuesday- A group of dancers comes to perform for chapel.
Wednesday- The Ranch is being honored as the "charity of choice" at a downtown "light up" night, meaning we all go, watch a performance and light up Pointe Orlando!
Thursday- whew, a night off
Friday- Our church {Discovery church} is coming to the Ranch to bring pre-lit trees for each of the cottages, coming to decorate them and hang out with us!
Saturday- Another group coming to perform and do a cookout!

And that's just this week. Whew! I would use the word busy but that sounds so negative. It's full and fun and in the midst of it, I'm thankful for some neat activities and experiences my kids get to be a part of, because we work here.

Including meeting a woman at church who works at SeaWorld and is taking us backstage tomorrow! So for now friends, ENJOY your holiday season!

Are you ready for Advent?

2011-11-16T20:04:00.002-05:00

Well the fog came back. Not sure what in the wide, wide world of sports is going on but I'm just having a really hard time lately. Completely impatient, irritated and grouchy ALL the time. And that's just not a pleasant feeling. So rather than post a bunch of junk, let's skip to Christmas.

I've been working on getting our Advent activities ready. We had a ton of fun doing lots of things last year, despite a random bought of illness in the middle of the month.

Rather than repeat EVERYTHING, let me direct you to my three posts from last year. I do have a couple additions- I "pinned" a bunch of activities to a Pinterest board, which you are more than welcome to see. I am changing our activity list from last year (you can see the new one here and the old one on day 3 of last year).

Introduction to Advent

Advent part two- all about the Jesse Tree
(For a fantastic resource, check out Ann Voskamp and subscribe to her "feed" with a google reader or such, and at the bottom is a free link to an 80 page Jesse Tree resource- scriptures, devotionals and even little ornaments to print for your kids. It's fantastic, she's a great writer.

Advent part three- all the fun activities!

My new list of activities looks like this:

Drink hot cocoa from Christmas mugs
Make Orange pomander decorations
Color nativity story pictures
Make paper snowflakes and cover them with glitter.
Make ice luminary or decoration
make salt dough handprints
cinnamon dough ornament
Paint toenails in Christmas colors.
Make hand-print Christmas cards.
Make a Gingerbread house
make Christmas tree decorations
make paper-plate wreaths for the house
Make a cake or cupcakes for Jesus’ Birthday
Make snowman pancakes
Play with Christmas paper dolls
Get Christmas jammies for a gift
Hand and footprint reindeer
Give cookies away to someone who needs them
Put together a bag of toys we don’t want anymore

And you can see "how" to do a lot of things HERE on my Pinterest board. If you don't have an account or need help, let me know.

Includes fun things like this:

Returning from the Fog

2011-11-11T11:57:00.004-05:00

The fog has lifted! I know I've been pretty quiet on here the last week or so. The last two, possibly three weeks have been impossibly difficult. Challenging. I've felt like I was in a fog of impossibility, frustration, irritation and anger.

(Fills my heart- a boy and his blankie!)

I spent yesterday afternoon out shopping and doing a few errands. Nothing too out of the ordinary. Came home filled with a strange (heavenly I suppose) peace. And it's lasted. Yesterday and today are our family day and it's just been so nice. Peaceful. Enjoyable.

I'm a fixer. When I feel down (or angry, frustrated, etc.) I want to figure out WHY I feel that way, so I can get rid of the negative emotion. I feel really strongly about not letting emotions control my actions or behavior- they are emotions after all. Affected by situations but also by lack of sleep, food, etc. So we appreciate and value emotions but don't let them control us.

(Shannon and Bonnie have hit a "stride" friendship wise, yipppeee! Always good when you get along with the people whose roof touches yours! Have I mentioned that these girls had the same due date? You'd never know from their size, huh?)

These weeks were hard because I couldn't figure out what the problem was. Sure, two of our longest-serving staff members at the Ranch died. DIED. They are joyfully singing with the angels and I tell you, not to many people will have crowns as big as theirs. But the people around here are feeling the loss and the pain. I have had normal female emotions (can we say PMS?). Some dramas and conflicts with co-workers. Struggling with some kid issues- how much "friend" playtime is too much (thoughts here?), how to deal with kids getting picked on, etc. Two young kids. Seven 10 year old boys. Yeah, I guess there are enough reasons to feel up and down, huh?

(Concert by Shannon in the back yard- love how she praises God!)

But I'm thankful to God for these days of refreshing before the weekend. 48 hours of being ON DUTY. It's long and hard. But I know he is faithful and will pull me through. Tears maybe, but I'll survive. And on Monday? Only ONE WEEK until MOM comes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And I'll leave you with a few fun pictures from the Renaissance Faire!

So many pretty dresses . . .

Real jousting with real weapons that could actually hurt!

Is there anything prettier than bagpipes playing Amazing Grace? Oh yes, bagpipes under Spanish Moss!

And look at who I found locked up. Probably for good reason!

The "other" days

2011-10-25T20:34:00.003-04:00

Some days it is SO easy to follow the way of the cross. To obey. To find joy in the midst of heaps of laundry, piles of dishes, rooms to be cleaned, paperwork to do, a house to keep organized and an entire cottage of boys to keep running (more laundry, organizing, instructing, etc.).

Some days it's so easy to be patient and gentle with the children. To just love them along the way of God. To teach and instruct. To play and use imaginations on the floor. To celebrate birthday Boy who just turned TWO!

Some days it's so easy to love my husband. To joyfully serve him and be patient with him. To listen to his stories and hopes and dreams.

Then the uphills come.

And then there are the "other" days. Where it's not so much . . . where the joy comes hard. The reality is pressing. The joy struggles to breathe under the other mountains of things. Where Birthday Boy doesn't think he needs to nap anymore. Cottage Boys rebel and disobey. Struggles with co-workers. People get on your nerves. Words come out of our mouths that shouldn't. Loved ones step an closer to eternity. Heaven feels so far and the moods press in. Where life is kind of like these stormy clouds of last week.

But I guess those are the days we really learn. Where we really begin to realize it's not about us but rather about HIM. Who walked in our way, who stepped in our shoes. The word become flesh.

May today be about HIM in YOU. And perhaps in a day or two, when the joy rises easier, when the serving comes more joyfully, I'll be back to share again. Until then, find me pressing on, seeking to find HIM in my every day. May your day be more like these dramatic and inspiring skies!

Meeting Forest . . . 2 years ago

2011-10-18T20:59:00.006-04:00

Well, it's that time of year again . . . time to look back on October 19th, 2009 when Forest Timothy entered our lives! Since I didn't know many of you then, I'll give you all the details! Read on if you love birth stories, skip if you don't, at the bottom are pictures. The story is pretty short and sweet :) And here is the last belly shot I took, over a week before he was born! This is for all my pregnant friends, so you don't feel so big :)

On Sunday the 18th I went to visit my dear friend Tara, who had given birth two days ago, to her son Collin. I joked that I hoped my baby got jealous and came out. Went home and had the most painful "bowel cleansing" of my life, moments before the boys returned. I didn't think I'd be able to get off the bed when it was over!

Monday morning I woke up around 5 and realized I was having "pain" but I thought maybe it was just gas pain. Got up at 6 to get the boys ready for the day, started feeling pain stronger, still wasn't sure if maybe I was just tricking myself or having false labor (Shan's labor started with my water breaking, so I've never had false labor and didn't want to trick myself!!). I was already having pretty good contractions about 5 minutes apart- I carried on about the morning, sneaking in the apartment to bend over the bed or couch during contractions. I left Jer at home with Shannon and went to chapel & staff meeting with contractions 5 minutes apart, and getting harder to hide. Yes,I sat through staff meeting in serious labor!

Got home around 9:30 and started really feeling like it was hard, though they weren't real regular in time apart but were about 40-50 seconds long. At 10 am I decided it probably was going to be baby's birthday, so called our boss to arrange care for our boys, called my mom so she could change her ticket and get here (from NY) and called the midwife. Oh and I called a neighbor to watch Shannon since I had just cried my way through a shower and was having a hard time controlling my emotions.

The midwife said to call when they got closer to 1 minute or longer in length. By 11:30 I started really having a hard time working my way through each contraction and I told Jer to remind me that I could do this . . . was I that much bigger of a whimp this time around? Ended up calling the midwife at noon, said I just felt like I couldn't do it by myself and she said to get over there ASAP!

Had contractions the 15 minute ride over to the birth place (probably 6 of them?). Between walking in the door, putting my stuff down and heading over to the other room for the exam, I had to stop for 3 contractions!!!! The midwife, Jennie, laughed at me and said, "Yup, this is the way Erika does labor!" She had to check me really fast before another contraction and laughing she said "Either I have forgotten how to do an exam or you are 9 cm!!!!!!!!!!!!" Never have you seen such a happy pregnant woman. Oh wait, let me show you how happy I was!!!

I was SO happy to hear that, I was so afraid I just wasn't handling labor well or something ! We went right into our room where they started setting up for delivery (not labor!), and I had a few more contractions leaning over the couch. They helped me get up on the bed, leaning over pillows on hands & knees. By about 12:50 I was starting to get grunty, started doing little pushes and eventually the midwife broke my water, which felt great!

Because I wasn't exhuasted (like with Shannon), I could really feel each sensation and knew what was going on. Talk about empowering a woman to know how strong she is! I could feel his head move down, his body getting into position, etc. I pushed until he was just about crowning, then they helped me onto my side, where after a few more contractions he was born at 1:20!

Of course he was popped right up onto my naked belly, where we got to snuggle and cuddle. We got cleaned up, continued snuggling, took a 5 second break to weigh him and continued to lay on the bed resting and nursing. Jer got me some yummy food and 4 hours later we headed home!

This is what birth at a birth center looks like- baby is literally placed right on your {naked} chest for immediate skin-to-skin bonding- best for baby & mom, helps prevent the common hospital problem of "temperature drop" and the necessity for "warmers."

He just wanted those fingers in his mouth!

Snuggling with Daddy- again, check out him cramming fingers (and blanket) into his mouth!

All dressed and snuggly!

Ready to go home! This is my midwife Jennie, the most amazing British midwife you've ever known!!!

Meeting sister Shannon.

And that is the birth . . . more on our Dear Forest later!

Recipes

2011-10-09T21:44:00.002-04:00

Two quick recipes that I found, tried and loved this week . . . they've already been typed up on my special recipe paper, printed and put into my recipe book, they were that good! If you need these larger, let me know!

Pumpkin-Apple Bread- don't know how you couldn't like this. Perfect fall flavors, wonderful smells that come from your kitchen. Great with butter on top, too!

This one may be more particular to your taste buds- but I love lime, cilantro and avacado- how could they not be perfect together!? This soup is really "light" and was also good (the second time in one week I made it!) with rice to fill the bowl.

A bit of Random

2011-10-09T15:51:00.004-04:00

A bit of randomness- I meant to have this up on Wednesday . . . that didn't happen and then the boys were home from school all day Thursday & Friday! Whew! They did go home Friday evening, so we've had a good "home weekend" - much needed and appreciated.

Not much to report from it- it poured for over 24 hours straight and the sun just started peeking out in the last hour or so. It was kind of nice to stay inside and wear jammies and bum around!

Here are some random peeks into our lives lately, since I have nothing terribly important to talk about today!

The weather has finally cooled down (as in mid-80s instead of mid-90s), so we headed back to our favorite park- complete with a children's farm, fun playgrounds and a great dock.

Each month I take pictures for the Ranch "student of the months." On this particular day, Shannon and Forest walked out and wanted to know when I was going to take their pictures. So without further ado, here are my Boy and Girl of the Month!

Here is our little "children's corner" of the living room- where we keep a steady supply of paper for drawing and doing projects. Last week's letter happened to be G- for which we decorated the G that normally hangs on our door with leaves for fall! This is my favorite little corner, and here you can also see how it fits into the rest of the room.

Fall also brings yummy treats like Pumpkin Apple Bread, and I've been sitting down with a "fancy" cup of tea in the afternoon, instead of gulping and running! Drinking it instead, while I read my Bible, "Jesus Calling" devotional and reading through Mission of Motherhood again.

I've been unable (creativly) to scrapbook since about April, but did manage to squeeze a few pages out recently. This picture of Forest just demanded a page!

And I guess that's about it for now. Time to get charged up for the next busy four hours. Kids end naps, dinner, start & finish the "boys" laundry and then they return at 6:30 . . . with hopefully NO drama! Hey, a girl can hope, can't she?

Happy Weekend ladies!

Glimpses of Eternity

2011-10-02T20:23:00.005-04:00

Ebb and flow.

In and out.

Up and down .

Today was such a powerful reminder of the "seasons" not just of life but of days and moments. Actually our pastor at church has been talking about seasons of life and I've been listening and thinking "oh isn't this nice." And then tonight I realized that it's really what I've been learning, just not in huge months and sweeping moments of time but in small moments.

7:15 of any given night is stressful and busy- in-between watching boys and getting my own kids ready for bed. It's no fun, don't stop by for a visit around that time!

But 8:30 of any given night? Quiet. Everyone is in bed. I'm usually relaxing and peaceful.

(See my "day in a life" post if you are new here for what I'm talking about)

See? It's a season of moments. The in and out. The up and down.

Sometimes just realizing that those "moments" of the day are going to really be over in a matter of hours is all it takes to get through them. "I can do anything for two hours" is a refrain a fellow cottage parent (with littles the same age as mine) and I often repeat to each other at dinner . . . at the start of the two craziest hours of our day. I can do anything for two hours . . .

Perhaps that is partly why the ocean seems to call to me, to us- it's the constant reminder of the continual seasons of time. The "ebb and flow" so to speak. It just keeps coming and going. What may be here now will wash away and something else will take its place.

And one day we'll be made perfect. My favorite verse, hands down, in the Bible:

Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away. (Rev. 21:3-4)

That's it! Standing from the view-point of eternity, these struggles, bad days, cranky kids, moments of unpleasant discipline, endless training and correction, squabbles with spouses, work conflict . . . they are all but mere moments. Drops in the flow.

Dear friends, I pray that this week God reminds you that you can make it, that there is something else around the corner and ultimately, eternity! It's coming!

33 Things for 33 Years

2011-09-24T21:15:00.002-04:00

Saturday I turned 33. In honor of this "milestone," I thought I'd give you 33 random things. Wow, this was the hardest post I've ever written. I'm not a very interesting person, pretty routine and boring. But here goes. I wish I had a prize to reward you with for actually reading it! Okay, a few pictures thrown in for a treat!

1. A perfect bedtime snack would be a big glass of whole-chocolate milk!

2. Despite all my groaning about exercise, I was actually a very fast runner in high-school. A sprinter- the 100, 4x100 and 200 M dashes. My 4x100 team actually went to states and came in third!

3. I have PCOS which messes with my sugar regulation. In plain english, that means I think about and crazy sugar all day. Really. The only time I haven't in my life, was the year that I took Metformin. And I thought "wow, this is how normal people think about sugar?"

4. If I wasn't a houseparent, I'd like to have 5 or 6 children! Maybe more.

5. I love to read and read really fast. I have a hard time sitting down to eat unless I'm reading something and can't go to bed without reading.

6. I'd love to be a temp. foster home for babies, once my kids are all grown.

7. I have bunions on my feet and the only shoes that are comfortable are flip-flops or other thong-style shoes. So that's all I wear except during our 2 months of winter, when I grouch around the stores trying to find ONE pair of closed-toe shoes to keep my poor feet warm.

8. I adore my parents and have always had good relationships with them.

9. Favorite sandwich- thick piles of creamy peanut butter and a thick smather of raspberry jam.

10. I never drank caffeine until after Forest was born, now I start the day with a cup of strong tea and have another cup or a Pepsi around lunch-time.

11. On that same note, I've always loved herbal and de-caff. teas. Now I only drink Yorkshire Red Tea. Crazy strong tea, makes even coffee drinkers come to their knees!

12. I like looking up random junk on Etsy to make my friends laugh.

13. I can listen to 10 boys talk all at the same time and answer their questions, without losing my mind.

14. Maybe that last one is debatable?

15. I hate grocery shopping. Why spend money on something that's consumable?

16. I shave my legs every day. Even in the winter. The feeling of scratchy hair makes me want to scream.

17. I really hate texting. But I do it because it's the only way to communicate with some people.

18. I spent my whole childhood playing dress-up and imagination. Until I was 16 years old. Best childhood ever!

19. I like to sleep in the pitch-dark. And I love the feeling when the moon shines on me through the window. Somehow seems like it's God smiling or something.

20. I still miss the feeling of babies wiggling, kicking and poking. Even if they were both such acrobats it was painful!

21. I'm really proud that I was prepared for and did a great job naturally birthing my children.

22. I love photography and have loved taking pictures since I was 10 years old!

23. I sleep on my stomach, with my face flat and smushed into my pillow.

24. When I went to Toccoa Falls College (Georgia), I talked to the first black person ever in my life.

25. I am self-taught at almost anything computer-wise. I follow my instincts and they are usually correct. I still remember learning to use a "green screen" computer back in the day!

26. We didn't have TV growing up, until I was in 5th grade. If it was up to me, I wouldn't have one now, I just don't ever watch anything, have no use for it.

27. I get up 4 minutes before I have to wake the boys up. Get out of bed, throw on clothes, go to the bathroom and walk out my door. I don't even wash my face, nasty, I know.

28. BUT I never, ever go to bed without washing my face and brushing my teeth. Ever.

29. I wanted a baby girl first so badly. And prayed specifically for a "beautiful baby girl" on the "first try." Well since it took me three years to actually ovulate, technically we did get pregnant the first try since it was the ONLY time I ovulated!

30. I love pumpkin spice candles and stock up in the fall to burn them all year.

31. When I'm trying to fall asleep, I make up plans of how I would organize and what I would do if my husband or children died (run straight home to my mom, is the answer).

32. When I walk outside in a parking lot at night, the humidity and smells always remind me of living in Malaysia. And make me feel sad that it was a sad chapter in life.

33. All I wanted to "do" growing up was to a be a wife & mom. I'm thankful that's my job and I have no desire to conquer other parts of the world!

And apparently this is what I look like coming toward my children:

And the closest to a 33 year old picture, as taken by Shannon:

School time around here!

2011-09-20T14:24:00.000-04:00

So we're "doing" pre-school around here, if you hadn't heard yet. Partly because Shannon is always asking to "do school" like her friends (can I learn my letters now?) and partly because I (mommy) need the discipline. (Remember my last post?)

Yup, you heard right. We do plan (at this point) on homeschooling our kids. As I learn more and more about myself, I know the hardest part is not going to be staying at home with my kids, coming up with ideas to do or even teaching the educational parts; but rather, the discipline of #1. planning ahead and #2. being ready to do school each day. So I figure pre-school is a good and safe place to train myself to be disciplined. Since it doesn't really matter if I pass or fail!

The kids are enjoying our time together and I'm learning how to pull things together in an organized way. When I say "school" I'm not including reading books, playing outside (nature hunts), painting, puzzles or things like that. Those are things we do almost daily anyway. I'm talking more about specific letter-learning, time spent on our memory verses, doing "character" stuff, numbers, etc.

Here is Shannon working on the letter E (E is for Elephant and Erika). And yes, she's a lefty. Has been pretty exclusively since she was about one. And Forest is pretty much exclusively a righty. Fun times.

When she's doing letter-practice like this, Forest is usually coloring. Here is Forest's memory verse . . . lovingly colored by him.

The results of Shannon's color-by-number:

If you've been around awhile, you know that we both believe in creativity and art as well. We do a lot of this:

(notice the look Shannon is giving Forest!)

On their "little blue table" I place a clean sheet of paper & crayons each morning (well at night after they go to bed) for them to draw whenever they want. Imagine my surprise when Shannon picked up some drawing materials and drew a person last week! Complete with eyes and eye-brows! I was impressed (the purple one is the person, the black one is a potato, she said).

We usually head outside after doing our papers, including a stop at the kitchen or truck (for donations) to pick up some bread or treats. This day we found chocolates!!!!! (And yes, Shannon picks her clothes and that usually means a fancy dress of some variety).

Our play space is continually evolving- this summer Jer added a "roof" above the sandbox, where we have trained the Jasmine to climb. Now they have a wonderful little "fort" that also shades them from the brutal sunshine!

Inside random activities include making play-doh!

We're still "evolving" with what we are doing, but the basic system is to study a verse and a letter each week- with all the fun and random corresponding activities each week. I pull from a bunch of places, so for F week we are playing with Fish, Farms and all kinds of F things!
Here are a few of the places I use the most.

1+1+1=1 - This site is HUGE and has a ton of great ideas, printables, etc. The thing we use it for the most, however, is the "Raising Rock Stars" idea. She has great printable pages to go along with the "My ABC Bible Verse" book. Shannon loves memorizing her verses and coloring the pages, doing the activities, etc.

Confessions of a Homeschooler - This is where I get most of our ABC type activities. And wow does she have a ton! All kinds of great ideas to print and use . . . over and over! Since Forest is behind Shannon, I do laminate a lot of the pages, so they can both use them. She has good tips on laminating and other home school stuff, as well.

2 Teaching Mommies- A newer site on my list, but I've enjoyed their "unit studies," well rather we really enjoyed their Easter plan. Great, great way to teach the Easter Story.

Simple Homeschool - There are a bunch of "simple" blogs (Simple Mom & Simple Kids are good too). Since my kids are still young, I really enjoy this site for thinking about our educational philosophy, seeing different ways of educating, etc. So many good ideas out there and it's been good and challenging to read such a variety of ways of attacking the same thing.

Discipline

2011-09-11T21:11:00.003-04:00

It's 8:10 pm. What do you think I'm doing on an average night?

I'll let you ponder that for a second while you look at the funniest family picture ever. Kite flying.

My least favorite chore in the house is washing dishes. Don't know why, other than my mom hates dishes and so do I. Love baking, love cooking. Love a clean house. Hate washing dishes and all things associated with it.

Back to the clock. Guess where I am?

At my sink. Washing dishes. Every night.

Sometimes God speaks to us in big ways- we read the Bible and a verse pops out and hits us so hard, we drop to our knees in acknowledgement that we need to change. Other times it's a slow drip, drip until we suddenly realize that change has been coming to us slowly. This is where I've been. Little changes have been taking place around our house. Starting with the dishes. I don't remember exactly when, but at some point a number of months ago, I decided I *HAD* to wash all the dishes before I went to bed at night.

Oh believe me, I love waking up to a clean kitchen more than anything in the world. But until recently, I let my desire to just "crash" after getting everyone in bed overcome the desire (and discipline) of washing the dishes each night.

While this started as a "good wife" kind of thing to do, looking back I realize it was part of a slow trickle of realization that I lack a lot of discipline in my life. Not in huge and terrible things like drugs or some "terrible" vice but in little areas of being lazy and not self-controlled.

I can look now and see that God is speaking quietly to me about this area, wanting me to change- for myself to be more self-controlled but also, and possibly more importantly, for the example of my children. I look at some of my dearest friends and I realize I have some pretty amazing, disciplined friends. And I can learn a lot from them in this area. It's part exciting and part scary to see where God is taking me and to see what changes I need to make.

For now we're starting with a clean kitchen every night. I wash up at lunch time but by bedtime there is usually a pile. And along with washing, counters need wiped and living room has to be picked up. It's a small discipline but good for my soul and nothing beats walking into a shockingly clean kitchen/living room each morning.

So where are you working on?

(Last Monday I threw the kids in the car at 10 am and drove to the beach. So much fun. And Irene was off the coast, so we had amazingly huge waves. For sure going to do this more often!)

Boys and Rain

2011-09-01T14:51:00.003-04:00

One of the big things we do as cottage parents, is to present our kids with opportunities they may never have had before and may not get once they leave us. This could be something as little as the chance to learn how to hang laundry on a clothesline (really, how many people do this anymore?), what appropriate "restaurant" manners are, the chance to go to a church, the opportunity to try out all different sports, have a family night movie & snack, learn how to scrub a toilet or play in the rain!

Tuesday it rained and poured (for forty long days . . . . it seems like) and for evening free-time everything was pretty wet & damp. Including our back road . . . so we told the boys they could get water shoes on and play in the puddle. I don't think Steady Heart or Healthy Boy had ever, ever played in puddles before. The joy, shock and delight, well, pictures speak for themselves!

Shannon the other hand, she's an old pro!

Forest and Jeremiah enjoyed a nice sword-fight on the basketball pad.

Look at this fine looking group of future men!

The only one missing is Friendly Spirit. He's having a very hard time with his behavior right now. Not really sure what's up but his behavior is so drastically worse than it was in June, we don't really know what to do with him. Joyful Boy is really struggling to- he has been on a sweeping chore for 4 weeks now and STILL won't do it the way we ask for more than one day at a time. We're drawing up a contract with him today, complete with spaces to check off and a huge list of consequences if he fails to do the chore each day. We'll see if it gets through to him or not!

Boys head home on Friday for our first "home weekend" of the year and it's a 3-day visit because of Labor Day! Yipppeeee for family time! We've been promising Shannon that we'd get her felt house out and set it up on the dayroom, so I sense a lot of tea parties coming up!

Felt House

2011-08-29T11:40:00.002-04:00

I don't think I ever shared the full pictures of the felt playhouse I made Shannon for Christmas. I did a lot of research during October and November of last year, trying to come up with a great idea for a "real" gift- one that would last a long time and get a lot of use, even as she grew older. A friend sent me a link to "card table" playhouses- a house that fits over a card table, making a small fort or house. I loved the idea but realized I wanted something that would last longer- card tables are pretty small! So I ended up drafting a lot of ideas, ordering a TON of felt (by the yard) and started sewing a week before Christmas.

Jeremiah built a PVC pipe frame and we ended up with this beautiful house that is 4 feet tall and 5 feet wide on each side! Yes, its HUGE! My mom made "letters," and fruits & veggies for the garden. We kept it in the dayroom for a while and then also had it outside for a few nice days. I'll share more details on the construction if you want, but for now here are the pictures.

This is the front door- mailbox on the left, flower "pot" on the right.

On the right side is the "castle," a nice window to let in light.

The garden, with spots for the carrots, radishes and such.

And the apple tree (not sure who picked all the apples) and a basket for putting them in.

For the Love of Pinterest

2011-08-21T21:16:00.004-04:00

As you've probably seen over the "blog world" by now, Pinterest is the newest in creative idea-sharing. Of course it can be a colossal time waster . . . but used right, is a great way to save ideas (rather than having 2000 blogs bookmarked!) and find creative things to do with your family! I've really enjoyed a lot of great ideas and thought I'd take today to share some of the things we've made & done, as seen on Pinterest.

We decorated my dad's bike and took it for a ride around the yard! Got the idea from Martha Stewart, as seen here at Martha's Place. And here is our festive version for the 4th of July!

Made this fun shaving-cream paint for the bathtub. Used it when the kids were sick, the temps were in the high 90s and no one wanted to be outside. Got the idea from here. And here we are having fun of our own!

Found this nice scrapbook page and made my own version. Here is the original, at Two Peas. And here is my version, after an almost 6 month scrapping hiatus!

Another fun idea for playing outside- cornstarch paint for sidewalks, basketball courts, etc. I got the idea from here and here we are having fun of our own!

And now for food . . .

Waffles (just add a huge tablespoon of Pumpkin Pie Spice to make them really yummy). Picture is hers, not mine!

These Lemon-Blueberry scones are the BEST scones I've had since Malaysia . . . we eat them weekly now. Really, don't go another day without feeding them to yourself! Picture is mine.

We now keep these "stocked" in our freezer, every day! Strawberry Yoghurt pops? Yes please! (Picture is hers)

Blueberry Mint Lemonade . . . go drink some now. Do yourself a favor! Really, the flavor is amazing and now I've taken to just adding mint leaves to my limeade or lemonade. (picture hers)

I think that's it for now . . . what great ideas have you FOUND and DONE lately?

The Girl.

2011-08-11T14:15:00.002-04:00

I actually have a couple posts planned (I know, gasp!)- including one on our boys and one on what we're "doing" with the kids as far as learning/playing and how to fill that time. While I finish gathering photos and information for those, here is a quickie update and some pictures of my sweet children.

I say sweet children . . . while we are in the midst of a continuing hard time with Shannon. If you are anything like me, when your kid starts acting "bad," your mind fills with all the reasons "why" this might be happening. Thus far, the only things I can think of are #1 the boys are back. And #2, she's three. Enough said. We're plodding along, trying to make sure we're being

consistent & firm with rules and expectations
calm
consistent & firm with rules and expectations
extra loving, cuddling
special projects to fill time
consistent & firm with rules and expectations

Until then.

She is a beautiful little girl with a passion for song and dance. And it sure is fun to watch! Is there anything sweeter than those tiny hair-buns?

And this one might just make it into a frame in my living room.

New Boy

2011-08-08T19:57:00.002-04:00

New boy came last night. Having a very hard time #1 being away from mom and #2 being told what to do. #2 is a really big deal. I mean REALLY.

Today during work detail (simple job- pull weeds) he is crying, wailing, sniffing, complaining, telling us we can't do this to him and his mom would "freak out" if she knew what we were doing to him . . . never mind that Jeremiah and two other boys were digging huge piles of dirt . . . while all he had to do was an easy job of pulling weeds.

The crying continues. Threatening to throw up. Laying down. More crying.

Shannon comes wandering by, concerned that he's so upset and tries to encourage him:

"Hey Boy (insert name here), look at me! I am pulling weeds and I'm not even crying!"

Unfortunately I think he was too mad to notice her sweet encouragement.

Further updates on Boy tomorrow. Work detail was followed by a refusal to eat 3 bites of dinner. Threatening to throw up. Crying loudly in the cafeteria. The good thing- he is completely exhausted from not wanting to go to bed last night. Tonight should be easy. Pray for Boy to learn this is a safe place and that boundaries are what keeps him safe, not the "freedom" he's had at home.

The Boys, an intro.

2011-08-08T11:38:00.005-04:00

Ahhhh, that's a happy sigh of life returning to normal. We're into our second week of school here (well the BOYS are in their second week of school!), and although I'll never get used to school starting so early here in the south; it's good to be back in our routine!

I realize I didn't talk much about the boys last year- mostly because there is so much to talk about with just my kids and partly because sometimes I don't know what to share without boring you! But I do want to share more this year- partly so you can learn about & pray for our boys; and partly so I DO have a record of our lives with them!

As I thought of "code names" for them, I was thinking about their issues- thinking of names like "sneaky" and such. And then I realized what a horrible thing that is- I need to breathe and speak life into them. So as I introduce you, their code names will be what I want to see God do for them.

First we have Joyful Boy. What a hard story of the death of his mother just two years ago. Life with a dad who only speaks negative (after not seeing him for a week, he walked in our cottage and said "whatcha ain't got your shoes on for boy?" Um, maybe because we don't wear shoes in the house? How about "hello son!"). A step-mom and siblings who are already a painful mess. Joyful Boy needs help working through trauma, finding joy in his life in the form of Jesus and learning that he IS loved, that he CAN do something right. He is painfully lazy (why try if you always get criticized, right?) and it's hard to find ways to encourage him and yet keep our expectations high.

Strong Man is on his third year with us. Last year we watched him grow from a sad and withdrawn boy, to a more confident pre-teen. Now he is at that strange intersection of boy and man. Conflicting with step-dad at home, who doesn't want him there. Neither respects the other. He has a tight bond with Jeremiah and our prayer is that he sees what a man should be like and that it fully is imprinted into his heart and mind this year.

Friendly Spirit. Last year I affectionately (?) referred to him as my gnat or my mosquito. Because he hovers around irritating and annoying everyone. This year I pray that God grants him a peaceful and friendly spirit. Ten years of doing his own thing, getting his own way and being unbelievably disrespectful to his mother . . . we have a lot of character issues to work on. We need wisdom to know how to deal with the constant disobedience and lack of ability to get along with anyone.

Gentle Leader is a new boy to us, on his second year at the Ranch. Honestly I don't feel like I really know him well yet. But I've seen a gentle and teachable spirit, a willingness to obey and a desire for relationship. He's one of our more "easy" boys and I can already see the willingness to do the right thing and not follow the "little ones" in the cottage.

And then we have two new boys . . . . depending on the hour it changes what I want to call them. And choosing something positive can be a challenge to say the least. Let's see if I can do this . . .

Steady Heart has been with us for a week. He is the sweet boy referred to in the previous post . . . and although his first reaction to anything is high drama, for the most part it is now contained. The meal drama continues, though he doesn't carry-on about it, he still isn't eating much more than 3 tablespoons of food per meal! But we'll get there. Get this, today I actually said "he is a FUNNY, FUNNY boy!" Wow, he's come a long way in a week. Still needs to learn to relax, chill and not overly freak out about everything but he did just turn ten. HA!

Healthy Boy just turned 10. He is considered "morbidly obese," a term I hate but now understand. It's a struggle for him to stand for 30 minutes and fold clothes, let alone doing all the other tasks we require. He hasn't been well taken care of and it's pretty obvious. He struggles with being defiant and manipulative. He's only been here for 2 days, so I don't know him well yet. I'm sure my opinions will change and grow on this one!

So there you have our first six boys! And I hear a wind of a 7th arriving soon! Whew!

My kids? Really wanting their morning "school time," which they take very seriously. More on exactly what we do, later.

Thoughts and Stuff

2011-08-01T09:37:00.006-04:00

Life as "normal" as resumed . . . or something like that :) HA! Sunday we had three boys return- two from our cottage last year and a little guy who moved up from the youngest cottage. A fourth boy returned today (also moved up from the youngest cottage). This gives us a 13 year old, 11 yr and two 1o year olds. On Sunday another 10 yr will be coming! That's the youngest cottage we've ever had- our normal "average" is 11-12.

(A picture of Kyle, from 2005. He just turned 18 and entered the military this week!)

So we're looking at a "younger" year- a bit more patience required with "annoying" behaviors, teaching chores, simpler devotions, etc. But it's a good thing- we really love the younger boys and Jeremiah is SUCH a fantastic "fun" dad, that I'm glad to see that energy able to be used and focused!

(Two of the loudest boys I've ever had. At the same time. But aren't they cute? 2006)

We've had a rough week with Shannon- hard to know how much is "3 1/2" behavior and how much is life-in-transition behavior! Either way she's getting the "brick wall of consistency" from her parents on one hand and a lot of hugs & snuggles on the other hand . . . and hopefully we'll make it out from this tunnel soon! I don't like this snarly talking and loud crying, lack of naps and early rising!! Just some honest talking from me here :)

(First picture I took in NY and still one of my favorite from the summer.)

Hmmm, what else? I really need to pull my camera out- it's kind of been put aside these last busy weeks of staff training and getting ready for the boys. We've been trying to work on our garden and can I tell you it is SO SO SO hot and humid outside? Oh my goodness! To steal a line from someone else "my sweat is sweating!" Pictures and updates on that coming. Two from summer- gramma & grampa love!

Warning, personal rambling ahead. Followed by pictures.

One of the most fantastic things about our summer break was the time Jer & I spent together. I don't talk about it much because most people don't understand, but working together and more importantly, working as houseparents is very, very, very challenging/hard on a marriage. Combine that with the fact that we started doing this {house parenting} on our one year anniversary . . . let's just say we've had our shares of ups and downs. We share a very stressful job and so we have the same stressful situations to deal with. We don't get a break from each other. Most women "complain" about trying to find time together . . . we have to try to make good time away from each other! Coming up with things to talk about? Equally challenging. We can't even "come home" and talk about our day because our day was together! And let's face it, when you spend all day, every day together, no matter how much you love each other, you see every.little.tiny.detail, every day . . . and it's easy to either take each other for granted or get sick of each other!

Unless you work on it.

This summer was fantastic. I cannot tell you the last time we had so much fun together, for such a long period of time. Jeremiah is a fantastic dad and it was awesome watching him play and just be able to relax with our kids.

I'm looking forward to heading into this year with those memories behind us and refreshing us- as we are in our 12th year of marriage and 11th year as houseparents!

Hey, you don't work together this long without the amazing ability to ride a tandem bike together!

Here I am . . .

2011-07-23T14:02:00.005-04:00

For tonight . . .
* the garden is looking neater after an hour's hard work

* children went to bed clean and without drama (really big deal after Shan's paci went bye-bye 10 days ago and Forest decided when we came home from vacation that I should just hang out with him all night)

* dishes and counters are washed

* potting soil is in pots awaiting new life

* picture frames spray painted a cheery yellow

* kitchen floor scrubbed clean from the "apple juice incident"

* bathroom floor scrubbed clean (a second time) to remove the urine stench (who used my bathroom I want to know!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

I feel good. This has been a long, long week of staff training. Good week but hard on everyone, especially the kids; who aren't used to being with a babysitter every day! But we all made it out on the other side, relatively unscathed. Can you believe I didn't take ONE picture all week? Yeah, pretty busy around here!

And I think I'm ready for a new year! We have 2 boys returning to our cottage and 2 moving up from the youngest house. And getting one or two new boys . Guess what the majority age is? TEN! Yup, our cottage is slowly migrating from 12-13ish boys to young 10 & 11s! We're thrilled because we'd much rather deal with hyper-playful boys (who have ZERO self-control I might add) than 13 year old boys who have a chip on their shoulder and are "too cool for school." Or something like that . . . It will be a fun challenge to "tone down" our devotions and expectations a bit but we're excited about it. Please remind me of this blog post in about two months.

So there you have it, life in a nutshell I guess. You know, I sure am glad God doesn't stop being our parent when we misbehave or drive us nuts! It's been a good reminder of what kind of parent I need to be. Shannon turns nasty when she doesn't sleep . . . which has happened a lot the last 10 days of transition from paci to no-paci. And really, a week later, the big lesson learned is . . . thank you God for not abandoning us when we are so, so sinful and turn our backs like disobedient children, time and time again!

(And since I have no pictures from this week, here are some from our summer. I have over 600 so it was kind of hard to chose . . . but here are the first few I found!)

One of the things Jer & I enjoyed the most, was getting out on my dad's tandem bike and biking down the old railroad bed (ties removed) and through the countryside.

We also had tea parties with my china, in the yard! And swam in the kiddie pool :)

A highlight of the trip? Getting to meet the neatest friend, who I met on Xanga!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Our firstborns are just a month apart and our babies are just a month apart. So, so precious to meet Melissa in person!

(and even though we knew that there was no way all four kids would cooperate, we took a group picture for fun)

Finally, a trip to the beach when we got home!

Check in time

2011-07-18T14:30:00.003-04:00

A quick catch-up . . . We had an amazing time in NY, visiting family and relaxing. I took over 600 pictures and don't even know where to begin, to sum it all up! We got home last Thursday and enjoyed working in our wildly-overgrown garden, boiling in the hot sun, playing with long-lost toys and just hanging out together.

Yesterday we headed over to Florida's amazing west coast, to Clearwater Beach & Caledesi Island (shell island!!!!). The kids had a great time . . . despite parents making stupid decisions that ended up with us all stressed out and irritated at each other later. And bedtime? UGH! But like I said, the kids had a great time and we learned our lessons :)

I'd like to post some pictures and real details . . . but now that we're home for good, I need to get us unpacked and laundry put away . . . plan out meals for the week and good homemaker details like that.

Shannon is going paci-free today . . . should be an interesting day or two until she gets over that. And shortly after she is fine, Forest will be going paci-free too! Forest, my newest talker . . . who repeats each and every word 8-10 times, until you finally acknowledge what he has to say. For example . . .

a truck, a truck, a truck (getting louder now), a truck, a TRUUUUUUCKKKK!

Yes Forest, that's a truck.

a bump, a bump, a BUMP!

Yes, Forest, we went over a bump.

A boat, a boat, a . ..

Yes Forest, we went on a boat . . . .

. . . .

repeat for the two hour car ride home.

(screaming in your head optional)

NY

2011-07-01T15:55:00.009-04:00

** Edit- I've been trying to post this for almost a week now . . . let's see if today is the day I can NOT be interrupted or have the internet used by someone else!! And apparently I am never going to be able to get photos uploaded . . . check facebook instead!**

We're here!

NY that is!

As always, a trip to my parents' house is pure delight and greatest joy. It's so beautiful, peaceful and relaxing. Of course it's always nice not to be at home with cleaning, dishes, laundry, etc. We've had so much fun playing in the grass . . . it almost makes me want to cry to realize we'll have to go back to Florida grass in two weeks. And Jer & I are super relaxed since we're not working! On the way to church this morning, Jeremiah said "I don't know why I'm so relaxed on vacation." Made me laugh . . .that's WHY we go on vacation! Makes for happy family time, all around.

We've spent evenings wandering around my dad's garden, eating peas & raspberries. My dad's garden is amazing, someday I hope I can live somewhere to have a place this spectacular! For now I'll live through him and enjoy the bounty of his labor.

We've spent time wrestling in the grass, rolling in the grass, laying in the grass. Shannon shouting "try to catch me dad!" We went to Lake Ontario once and the kids had a blast, despite the air being around 65 degrees and the water 66! Yikes!

My brothers (and SIL and other brother's girlfriend) all came to town for a couple days. Shannon thought Anna (Brian's wife) and Christen (Dean's friend) were her "best friends" and had come for the express purpose of playing with her!

Cleaning out!

2011-06-24T14:33:00.002-04:00

Cleaning up.
Throwing out.
Packing away.
Pruning.

Yup, it's the end of our year! I know that happens for most people, at the end of December or the beginning of January. For us, there is a very distinct marker in our year and it's when the boys leave in June. As we pack them up and give the cottage a head-to-toe cleaning, we then turn our eyes to our own house. The urge to clean & purge sets in. We pack up and move out all the old junk. Reorganize closets.

June is the end of one garden season as well. All the warm season stuff (tomatoes, etc.) have stopped producing because, well, it's just too stinking hot! July gives the garden a break and then the beginning of August starts up again. I've been outside today, ripping out old plants, moving some things into the shade so they can survive the month of July, fertilizing one more time. And it felt good!

Are you like me? Doesn't' it feel good to just get rid of stuff? Whether it be old tomato plants or bags of cast-offs, it lightens the load!

Spiritually this has to be done too. Checking up, tuning up and renewing the heart. As my friend Janet and I often talk about, when you have kids, you just can't afford to let those "weakness" areas lie. You have to do something about them. I've been working on one of mine lately, realizing that if I don't do some improving, I will pass those same tendencies on to Shannon and Forest.

I'm great at starting things and I don't mind being interrupted. I like to do the dishes in small spurts- you know, 5 dishes here, another 5 later. This is a good thing when you have little kids around, because as we all know, you never finish anything with them around!

BUT this is a bad thing . . . in that it's easy to start things and then not get back to finish them.

Whether it's picking up toys or finishing dishes, or later in life starting school work and not finishing . . . I want my kids to learn to complete things and do it well. Their dad is awesome at this. He finishes everything he starts. Every time. And to the best of his ability. I learn from him in this area :) And we're working on it. I am mentally making myself stay at the sink and finish those silly dishes. Pick up all the books before going to play a different game. Finish folding the WHOLE basket of laundry instead of just half. It's a process but it's on my mind now. Exciting stuff.

So now- we've said our good-byes to the boys and finished this year. We have a new director and changes are already being made. Good things that, while at the moment are painful, are going to result in new growth. And that is amazing and so exciting! After 10 years of frustratingly watching stagnation, you have no idea how excited we are.

Monday we leave for NY, to see the family!!!!!!!!!!!! And you ALL know how excited I am about this!!!!! Three days . . . can hardly wait! And with that, I'm going to go shower, clean and try to find useful ways to bide my time until Monday :)

We're Back!

2011-06-18T19:46:00.003-04:00

I am SO excited to be posting tonight . . . with the news that after TWO straight weeks of this

my family has returned to normal, as of today! We played, we ate (kids had no appetite for a week, each), we went to the swimming pool, we played in the dirt and sand and garden! Forest jumped around, laughing and shrieking before bed! Wow, this mamma is SO happy to have her wild, happy, joyful and playing children back. Thank you Jesus!

Now in the midst of our June Nightmare, we did have a few fun moments. Mostly because mom was pulling her hair out, trying to find fun and creative things to keep this cranky, sick kids happy! Maybe you can find some good ideas for your summer activity lists here.

CORNSTARCH PAINT
This is something fun to do on a hot day, on a sidewalk (or backyard basketball court, in our case). Super easy to make: 1/2 c cornstarch + 1/2 c water + food coloring (or water colors). Stir, add paintbrushes. This happy occasion occurred the Saturday Shannon was starting to eat again and 12 hours before Forest got sick. I should have treasured it more, HA!

And you know we taking painting very seriously around here . . .

So much so, that even the cars get involved!

Here we have "playing with beanbags." Otherwise known as "Shannon is sick and we need to entertain Forest." There are multiple ways to enjoy yourself with this, including stacking and balancing on your head.

On this particular day, we have "Shannon is going stir-crazy while Forest is sick." So we pulled out water balloons.

Which quickly turned into "Shannon posing and making funny faces." I did manage to catch a few genuine grins, which is always nice!

So there you have it! A few fun things going on around here. More things coming but for now, I need to get those pictures uploaded!

Rainbows

2011-06-14T14:31:00.003-04:00

Lest you think my life is filled with rainbow colored waffles, painting with cornstarch paint, snuggling and laughter . . .

10 days ago hell broke loose in my house. Okay, that's not very nice to say. Shannon got sick. A week later, while she was still being "strange" (more on that later) Forest decided to start barfing. All over me. Nothing like looking at your mom after nursing and puking up that precious milk. All over her. Three days later, Forest is still cranky and not eating (though not throwing up, thankfully) . Shannon . . . I'm not sure what's up with her. Let's just say we've had a LOT of character training sessions lately, revovloving around the issue of self-control (not screaming and throwing fits when things don't go our way).

I'd like to update further, but time is at a dire premium these last two weeks of the year. I'm trying to be a good steward of my time and stay focused on my family, not drifting off mentally. More later.

History of June

2011-06-08T20:59:00.002-04:00

Shannon is finally recovering, slowly. I bet it will be a good three more days before she has full energy and stamina back. But she's talking again. Wow my house is quiet without her.

It's the end of the year here at the Ranch- 14 days left according to our count-down calendar! We're all tired out and ready for a break. And starting in the morning, the kids only go to school from 9-1. Long days as houseparents, that's for sure! But we can do it, summer is coming.

With that in mind . . . and the lack of mental anything . . . here is a fun look at June in year's past.

WARNING- PICTURE HEAVY HISTORY POST AHEAD.

2010- Sweet chubby Forest and beautiful Shannon, Brian & Anna get married

2009- Shannon- check out those blue eyes that just don't stop!

And my "Forest Belly" started popping out!

2008- Wow, looking through these pictures made me laugh and made me miss my baby girl! What a teeny-tiny little thing she was!

2007- Finds me around 9 weeks pregnant with Shannon. Yes I looked awful. Yes I felt awful (nauseous) and yes I thought my stomach was getting SO huge. Stop laughing please.

2006- Jer and I hanging out, looking so sexy. Just waiting to get pregnant (nope, wouldn't happen for almost another year!).

2005- Graduation at Dalat School, good-byes to our kids and our job there. Very bittersweet and painful in many ways.

2004- End of our first year at Dalat, as dorm parents. Find us- tired!

2003- Finishing up at Edgewood and getting ready to head to Malaysia! Pre-digital era of photos (wow!). I do have this picture of all our supporters, at our home church in NY! During our presentation, I asked them all to scrunch together for a picture.

And this concludes today's walk-through-Erika's-history.

Shan's Sick

2011-06-06T15:18:00.001-04:00

We're here. Shannon has been really sick (vomiting) since Saturday, so that's where I am! This was our last weekend with the boys, before they have a couple "home weekends" and then summer break. Unfortunately that meant Jeremiah was with the boys by himself ALL weekend, while I sat with Shannon and tried to keep Forest entertained. And that poor boy has been at his wit's end, being stuck inside without his best buddy to play with! Here's hoping tomorrow brings health!

Flowers, flowers

2011-05-30T21:04:00.003-04:00

Don't you hate it when it takes you over 30 minutes to do a blog post and then it's deleted? Let's hope second time is a charm!

Hey there. We had the joy of a three-day family weekend, very much needed and appreciated this time of year! I spent a lot of time with this drama queen . . .

And Forest got to "lick the beaters" for the first time.

I've been feeling "blah" or down lately- definitely a physical thing as nothing in life has changed . . . so I've really had to force myself not to think about much of anything, so I don't let my emotions carry me away. This morning I decided I really need to keep my focus on others in order to keep it off myself. And I had a good day. Whipped up a fun package for a friend.

And then tonight I was able to putter around in the gardens, which is ALWAYS a treat. Here's a peek into it . . .

These are "family plants." The big one is from my mom, which was a cutting from my grandfather, I believe. A night-blooming cyrus.

My "garden outside the kitchen window" has filled in nicely and brings a smile to my face every day!

And you can't go wrong with pots of impatiens outside the cottage front door!

Or flowers blooming outside your bedroom window!

How about bright {spicy} Thai peppers?

Fun bird-house gourds!

Or the hope of the future sunflower patch?

And finally, moonflowers! Giant, 4 inch white blossoms will eventually adorn these. For all you non-Florida girls, the small, innocent looking dirt pile is actually an ant hill. Filled with biting fire ants. Just thought you'd want to know.

Hope your week is lovely!

Catch "up"

2011-05-20T11:43:00.006-04:00

Oh Gosh, I simply just cannot get my posts up when I want to! This week has been a good one, full but good. Today was SeaWorld, then home to get the boys . . . so now at 8:45 I'm sitting down to catch up a bit!

COTTAGE
Wow, what a week. A new child came into our cottage a month ago and it's not been the same since then. Basically everyone was living their life "for" him, in fear or "awe" of him. On Thursday he was invovled in very maliciously attacking another student and was suspended. What a weekend we had . . . of peace! This morning we met with our supervisors and all the staff invovled and they decided to release him. While we truly wish we could help this child, we are grateful a wise decision was made to protect the others in our house. Whew, at least that drama is over! We have five weeks left before summer vacation and I'm humming the words from "The Little Engine That Could," I think I can, I think I can, I think I can!

CREATING
I've actually had a few little bursts of creative energy . . . mostly directed at redecorating our living room. It's the one room in the house I never really liked, the colors just weren't cutting it for me, too much tan I think. So anyway, I'm in the process of painting and also working on some little things to change it up, on the cheap! I've really been in a creative rut, scrapbook-wise. It's frustrating. I've been scanning galleries, trying to get some inspiration . . . but mostly surfing around looking for fun things to pin on my Pinterest board! I love this site as a great way to collect the ideas I find.

FAMILY
I don't even know where to begin. My kids are growing up, my love for them is growing. My patience gets stretched daily (hourly some days). My amusement, well let's just say I didn't know you could be so entertained by your own children! Shannon decided she was brave enough to trust her "saftey seal" (a swim vest kind of like a life-jacket but not as much of a pain) this week, and let go of us & the edge of the pool! Once she did . . . off she went! It was AMAZING to watch her learn a new skill, overcome a fear and take off like that. Talk about mamma's heart bursting with pride!

Sunday we had a random "picnic" on the laundry pad. I sure love this crew!

Sexy Daddy

Crazy Forest

Shannon-who-never-stops-talking

For Today

2011-05-18T15:07:00.003-04:00

Outside my window… amazing blue skies, bright green trees and a producing garden!

I am thinking… so much. As we finish the year (6 weeks or so), I start reflecting on the past year and how we've done well and where we need to improve. I start dreaming about the future and where God might take us. Had some crazy thoughts in my head the last week or so, just waiting excitedly for the "big picture future" and what our part in it is. Good stuff.

I am thankful for… a wonderful husband and two amazing kids.

From the learning rooms… outside, outside, outside! Other than memorizing our ABC Bible verses (which find daily use at our house!), we have spent most of our "learning times" outside playing. Trying to fully take advantage of the weather before it's blazing hot.

From the kitchen… garlic mashed potatoes (Jer even like), fresh asparagus and beef. Fresh pineapple requested by Shannon and enjoyed by all.

I am creating… not a whole lot. My scrapping creativity has been GONE for over a month, which frustrates me a lot. I am getting ready to re-paint our living room, so I'm re-creating a scene in there.

I am going…out to dinner with Jer and another couple . . . and no toddlers! Cheesecake Factory, here we come!

I am reading… random gardening books (of course) and re-reading "Under the Tuscan Sun." Makes me want to decorate, cook and garden.

I am hoping… to buy our airplane tickets for summer vacation today!

I am hearing… the boy-noise of the kids next-door.

Around the house… sleeping babies, laundry to put away, sewing projects to do when kids aren't sleeping.

One of my favorite things… fruit snacks.

We Love to Read

2011-05-09T14:42:00.002-04:00

I know I've mentioned a zillion times before our love of books . . . so I thought I'd show you just where we store all these books! No laughing at the hidden corners with dirt and such!

We have a basket in our living room for "seasonal" type books- right now we have all our "daddy" and "mommy" books, along with a few books on animals. The basket is under our "coffee table." Actually when the picture was taken, I believe those are our Easter books in there, accompanied by the Easter animals.

On top is a stack of stuff that Jer is reading:

Moving on to Shannon's room . . . We have a large rubbermaid tub filled with other kids books that I rotate out from time to time, as well. The middle shelf are board books that I try to encourage Forest to read, so I don't have to spend so much time repairing books.

Shannon also has a "big book pile" next to her bed, to read through before sleeping.

Forest has a shelf of books in his room. We usually read all these before nap time, all together.

And as you walk through the hall, don't trip over this other basket of books, waiting to be sorted out.

In that same hallway is a storage closet. Among other things, is our big shelf of "adult" books. (On the back of the door is a shoe-organizer that I use to sort craft supplies). The rest of our books are in storage- things we don't use regularly like baby books, history books, etc.

In our room we have a basket for library books:

A shelf for scrapbooks and gardening books:

A table for me- devotional books, light-reading books, magazines I get for free!

And Jer has a table filled with his random reading!

So there you have it, that's how we read around here!

How the other half lives

2011-05-02T20:53:00.002-04:00

As a follow up to the "day in a life" post, I wanted to show you what the boy's half of the house looks like. If you remember this picture of our house, it will help you visualize everything. If you look on the left side, there is a green door- that goes into the boy's part of the house and everything from there over is their side.

Upon opening the door, this is the sight you might see:

Well actually it might look more like this:

This is our cottage "day room" or the place we hang out while waiting to go to meals, do devotions, play games, have family nights. To the right is a door into my apartment and in the back, to the left is the door into the boy's bedroom. The door to the right is into the hallway between Shan & Forest's room.

Standing at the fireplace looking back, you can see my apartment door on the left.

This is the view into the boy's bedroom and bathroom- laundry stuff is by that back door, on the right.

Dreadful picture of the boy's bedroom- you even got lucky and get to see what happens when someone needs a time-out!

Looking back you see the cupboards where the boys keep their clothes- hanging stuff goes in the closets.

And this is their bathroom!

Hope that helps you visualize things better!

Garden Progress! Eat the fruits!

2011-04-28T13:26:00.002-04:00

Linking up with the Home school Village Garden Challenge . . . here to report some progress in our garden!

As I mention {all the time} we spend a lot of time outside. Most days include a minimum of an hour spent around our garden area, with another hour or two randomly thrown in "outside" here and there. Last night I picked THREE large tomatoes and a handful of the cutest yellow bell-shaped cherry tomatoes. If I had only one food to eat the rest of my life, it would be fresh tomatoes from the garden!

Here is our main garden spot- you can see three small tomato plants, then four purple cabbages and then two larger tomato plants behind them. To the left is our ugly but {oh so necessary} A/C unit. I planted a hibiscus in front of it, in the hopes that it grows large & bushy and hides it! There are some purple coneflowers hiding around there, too. In the pot is a Thai Pepper bush, just waiting for me to dare the boys to eat one. And then run begging for the water hose!

In our play garden area, the Jasmine came into bloom this month- so pretty and the most amazing smell. Our random patch of sunflowers are getting large, the tallest is now almost 5 feet tall! Mums are in bloom again too.

In an attempt to make the kids hang outside happily, I invested in this sand box. Yup, a rubbermaid tub plus a bag of sand = hours of great fun! I bought some glass treasure-looking squares and shells from the dollar store, too. A lid helps keep the dirt & fire ants out.

As for my garden dilemma . . . there is a lot of landscaping to do in this house. When we moved in a year ago, I set out to work on this garden area . . . which is now coming along. But the front of the house is filled with random & ugly bushes and there is not ONE plant in the back of the house! So slowly we're working on them. Outside my front door is this ugly patch. Look behind the cute children to see what I'm talking about:

Leaves, acorns and two random tropical things. They are cute . . . but on their own are just ugly! I see this out my kitchen window and really want it to look nicer. It only gets speckled afternoon sun, so that limits a lot. I'm thinking maybe some herbs? Impatiens for color? A tall, tropical grass for height and interest? Any brilliant ideas?

Hopping along Easter Lane

2011-04-24T21:10:00.002-04:00

I wasn't necessarily planning on a post today, but in my hormonal-induced state of nostalgia . . . wanted to take a walk down Easter Lane. Without further ado . . .

2008- Shannon's First Easter- dump a baby in a basket of eggs and call it a day!

2009- Shannon's Second Easter- hunting for {empty} Easter eggs in the flag garden!

2010- Shannon's Third Easter and Forest's first Easter! Basket of eggs strikes again!

2011- Year of fun! We hid eggs {again} in the flag garden and went hunting this morning. So fun!

May your week be filled with hugs and kisses!

A long Day

2011-04-19T13:53:00.005-04:00

Here is where I attempt to show you what a "typical" day is like for us here, as houseparents. Stop laughing, I did use the words "attempt" and "typical." So I've wanted to do this post for a long time- partly because I want to save this as a scrapbook page. However, as I struggle with setting our own family a schedule, it's because we only have about TWO days a week that are the same! But at least you can see what a day might be like. Some evenings have chapel or we are on a day off.

And be warned, this crazy long . . . as my day is also crazy long!

*As you may or may not remember or know, Jeremiah & I work as houseparents, at a children's home. We have eight (or as many as 10) boys who live in a home with us. They come here to work on discipline issues, anger issues, etc. Our job is to be full-time parents to them- teach them life skills, how to deal with anger, teach them about God, manners, chores, play with them, read to them, etc. *

6:00- Alarm goes off- Jer showers while I start the hot water for tea and then lay in bed for 15 more minutes (I am NOT a morning person. I've tried before but it just doesn't work).

6:15 -Hop out of bed, throw on clothes, comb hair and wash face.

6:20 - Wake up boys- start a load of laundry. Each morning I wash the bedsheets for two boys plus any who wet their bed that night. Supervise the boys getting dressed & making their beds.

6:35 - Boys go out the door with Jeremiah to do morning exercises. I go make my tea and usually do a quick check on the computer to see if there are any urgent things that need to be dealt with, important emails, etc.

6:45- I then head out the door, tea & baby monitor in hand, to the cafeteria. I pour milk for the boys and then help supervise breakfast, help with manners, etc. Each cottage sits at their own table together.

6:55 (ish) - Back to the cottage with the boys that are done eating. Boys then brush teeth, do chores, room inspection and then read quietly until 8am. During this hour I vacuum the cottage bedroom & living room (every other day), supervise chores, pick up or move things around in the cottage. All those little "house keeping" chores. At some point my children wake up- preferably around 7:30 but sometimes much earlier.

7:45- Start breakfast (oatmeal with peanut butter & honey) for Shan & Forest, fill juice (60% water) cups, put away dishes. Feed the kids, sometimes we watch Dora, sometimes we talk, sometimes we read a Bible story.

8:00 - Dash back in to give the boys medicine, check to make sure cottage is neat and clean. Have "discussions" with boys who have left their closets a mess or not folded clothes the right way. Then I run back to get my kids dressed . . . . sometimes. Other days we stay in jammies for a while, depending on how "needy" the cottage is or how tired/stressed mom is feeling.

8:15 - All of us, including Shannon & Forest out the door with shoes on.

8:25- Flag ceremony- whole Ranch gathers to raise & salute the flag. We then walk (in a line because we can't handle ourselves!) to the school building. This is Florida, so kids line up outside, teachers walk outside to greet us- we give them an update on behavior, attitudes, other important tag-team stuff.

This is where we do flag ceremony- the cottages line up around the garden.

Boys lined up, waiting for their teacher.

8:30 - Jer and I are now "off duty" and walk back to main office, sign boys in, check mailbox.

8:30-4 - This is our "off" time . . . time to do all the things that normal SAHMs (and dads) do during the day/evening. More on that later. Mornings aren't very consistent (a source of frustration to me)- Monday is staff meeting, Tuesday meeting with Case worker, Thursday is our morning off. Essentially Wed & Fri are the only "normal" mornings. Afternoons are a bit more routine for us. A normal morning might be:

* playtime inside while mom does quick chores (wash up dishes, start more laundry, check what's for lunch)
* back outside for playing in sand, bubbles, chalk, spraying with the hose, bike rides, rolling in dirt, gardening and sometimes playing with Ranch staff-baby-friends.
* back inside for cleaning up, a snack (cheese & fruit usually). Forest then often heads into his basket of cars & trains, while Shannon "does school," projects or goes to her room to sing & dance
* lunch is around 11:30 or 12, then I clean up the dishes and attempt to "finish" in the kitchen since I may not have a chance to "be back" until after 8pm, when I DON'T want to do cleaning!

1:30- Forest in bed for nap. Shannon in bed to read herself a "big book pile." The girl isn't happy if she doesn't have at least 10 books to read to herself. While she's reading I usually sit down on the computer to read my blog reader or do a post like this.

2:00- I read Shannon ONE book and tuck her in for nap. Then I either nap, clean up, exercise, talk with Jer, computer time, etc.

3:30- Forest is up.

3:45- Wake up Shannon (and F if sleeping). Get clothes on the sleepy kids, change F's diaper. Get sippy cups and snacks ready. Deal with post-nap emotions while trying to get ready to be "back to work." Check boy's rooms again for neatness.

4:00- Boys home from school. Chat with teacher as we "hand off the baton," while Jer gets them changed for work detail. We then go out and do an hour of work- weeding, raking, hauling tree branches, etc. We always go out as a family (meaning Forest & Shannon are included even though this often means everyone is filthy dirty by 5pm!).

5:00- Inside for showers and laundry. Each boy showers for 3 minutes, folds & puts away their laundry. After timing showers, I get cups & bibs ready for dinner while everyone (boys & my kids) plays in the living room.

5:30- We all head back out the door for flag ceremony and then dinner at 5:45. Dinner . . . a huge source of stress in my life. Pour drinks for everyone while keeping Forest quiet. Go through the cafeteria line while trying to guess what my kids might eat. I don't make an issue of eating dinner, since most of the foods are NOT what I would ever make them eat . . . green beans that in reality are brown and mushy (seriously, have you ever had a REAL green bean? They are BRIGHT green and crunchy. ). Or mushy casseroles, spicy meat, etc. Not terrible food, just cafeteria food and not usually healthy. I try to keep Forest quiet and not throwing things on my left side, while trying to get Shannon to pay attention (in a room with 80+ people) to eat a little food on my right side. With my third eye, keep an eye on manners to try to help Jeremiah out. With a third hand, attempt to shovel a little food into my own mouth.

6:00- Dash the kids out the door (back home), get the boys changed for free-time. Depending on what was for dinner, make them a pb&j or get some Greek yoghurt ( a major staple for protein needs in our house) to eat on the way to free-time. Which consists of swimming or running around the yard, swimming in dirt!

7:00- Take the kids inside for baths, books, jammies & bed!

7:30- Forest in bed, Shannon reading.

7:40- Boys inside- get them changed for bed, start laundry, pass out meds. Sometimes I have time to read a fiction story to them.

7:50- Back in Shannon's room to say good-night & read a book.

8:00- Good night to boys, turn on a radio drama for them to listen to. Turn on baby monitors & hope they are behaving and Forest has finished yacking and gone to sleep! Spend time with Jer, catch up on the computer, clean up the kitchen for the night, etc.

Questions? Ask away!

Thoughts

2011-04-15T20:56:00.004-04:00

I need to "vent" a bit. Update a bit. Sleep a lot.

FOR TODAY

Outside my window... literally right outside my bedroom window . . . 6 tomato plants, 4 cabbages, 1 strawberry, 1 Thai pepper, basil, lemongrass, birdhouse gourds, onion patch.

I am thinking... too much. {I censored this part from my public post but needed to vent it to you dear girls on Xanga. Consider yourselves blessed, I think.} Can't have these comments on a public blog, email me if you want to see them, HA!

I am thankful for... my husband. My beautiful and hilarious children who sing songs about "the blessing of the Lord" and "Jesus cries because he is broken."

From the learning rooms...following some Easter lessons, sorting beans, lots of garden & outdoor play, riding bikes, sorting cars & trains by color . . . you know, the usual!

From the kitchen... black bean soup for lunch. So yummy.

I am wearing... usual work-clothes- casual shirt & shorts.

I am creating... not much. Creativity has been zapped lately. I did get the yearbook done (insert wild leaps of joy and celebration here). Now I'm just trying to force myself to create a page a week, for a creative team. I know creativity comes and goes like the tide . . . I need to just ride the wave until it returns.

I am going... oh the places I wish I was going right now. Like I said, stressful week. I wouldn't mind going back to a few places . . . but Scotland is DEF on the top of my list right now. Rather than share the usual pictures of my kids, how about a few from our trip in 2007, when Shan was in my tummy? 12 weeks old!

I am hoping... that this weekend goes well. Easter egg hunt at 10, I have to cook lunch for the whole Ranch. Group coming out to do a "rain gutter regatta" at 2. Etc. Long day with 8 boys and two toddlers!

I am hearing... nothing. Blessed peace & quiet.

I am missing. . . my friends. So much. I've been really missing face-to-face friendships lately. I'm SO, SO, SO thankful for the internet, to keep in touch with some dear friends but wow, you have no idea what I would give to take a long walk off a short pier . . . Oops, I mean a long walk with a dear friend. Seriously, I might give up sugar for a week! Really, that's a big deal. Okay, so I'm getting overly-sarcastic and giddy right now but it's just a cover-up for my sadness. Missing friendships. Longing for heaven. We watched "Voyage of the Dawn Treader" tonight . . . and it just made me sick for heaven. I can't wait to leave this awful world. To go home. Finally. Come Lord Jesus, come!

How about one more picture? As I was looking through, I found this one. Jer had climbed to the top of one last mountain before we headed home and found this rock & inscription.

From where comes my help? From the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth.

Surely if he can make the earth, he can fix our problems, huh?

Project 365

2011-04-12T21:33:00.003-04:00

So last year I decide to join the tons of people who are documenting their lives, one picture a day. And at the end of the year, I had an amazing set of pictures to represent our year. I read tons and tons before starting and started with a plan, which I think helped me finish! Here's what worked for me . . . .

1. First, if you are a Type A personality, this probably won't work for you! But the older I get, the more laid back I get . . . I decided to take a picture a day, but I didn't throw the whole project out when I missed a few days. Instead, I just went with the flow- either took pictures of things that represented those days or just filled in with "cute" pictures. For example- after a bought of illness, during which I didn't take pictures, I later took pictures of the meds, a basket full of tissues, etc. At one point with a terrible situation here at work with one of our boys, the courts, etc. No camera or creativity those days :) So I just filled in pictures from other days, heaven knows I take enough!

What are you looking to document?

* changes in family (lots of face pictures)
* events over the course of the year?
* daily life (I have pictures of diapers, laundry, meals, messes, etc.)
* other people do themes- a week of toys, books, meals, outfits, etc.

2. Decide when you start what you are going to do with the pictures. Do you just want a huge pile of pictures on your computer (I don't suggest this)? Other ideas . . .

* print one picture per day (maybe at the end of each month, so you don't get backed-up) and put in a special album

* if you are a scrapbooker, there are tons and tons of {free} templates out there, designed to do 7 photos per page, or calendar style, etc. How are you going to print? As scrapbook pages or as a book? Email me if you need help finding them.

* I found a style of "template" that I liked and made them myself. I averaged 5-8 pages per month. Each month I added dates, photos and captions. I decided in January that I would print with Blurb, as I've had good success with them before- this helped me size my pages the right way. By December 31st I had my entire book finished! Each month had different date tags, etc.

Biggest project I've ever finished in my life- can't begin to tell you how proud & happy I was! (I'm good at starting things but not always at finishing!) Kids love "reading" our book at naptime, even though it's over 60 pages long!

3. This year I'm adding scrapbook paper to the backgrounds but NOT doing captions- they just wore me out. And I'm already behind . . . UGH! I have been taking the pictures but am 2 months behind on layouts!

Hope this helps those of you looking to attempt it! And you don't have to wait until January to start- pick up your camera today :)

Pictures & stuff

2011-04-06T18:25:00.005-04:00

**Edit, OH COME ON! I finally get this post done and see that flickr has changed all my picture sizes to teeny-tiny! UGH** EDIT- FIXED!

Random stuff- picture heavy post, not too much commentary since I've been trying to post this since Tuesday! Questions, just ask!

Kids- are both 22 pounds. Three inches apart (Shan 33 inches, Forest 30). Crazy.

Forest- just not sure about this boy! One minute he's entertaining us by running around in circles saying "spin around" and the next minute he's just crying and fussing. Or following me around all day crying "mamma, mamma!" And the next he's playing by himself with his cars. I know the "half year" marks tend to be a challenge for kids and so I'm blaming it on that!

(These are from a favorite "free" park just 5 minutes down the road)

Up in a tree with Papa.

Jeremiah finally found a tiny bike for Shannon at the Flea market for $15 (our type of budget!) and she learned to ride it that day! I was all prepared for days of tears & frustrations of learning a new skill . . . . I guess I underestimated this girl! I was also prepared for a battle of the helmet (in our family no helmet = no bike ride) . . . and she hasn't batted an eyelash about it!

Life- As I mentioned, my parents were here for a week. We had a blast, as usual, despite a couple of crazy Florida stormy days. We did get in a beach day and a SeaWorld day. I *really* don't like theme parks but Sea World is SO different, we actually got year passes for $70- Forest could spend ALL day staring at the various aquariums, penguins, etc. Good fit for our family and just 20 minutes away.

Our Ranch pool is open! (these pictures are actually a bit deceiving- none of the Ranchers were there, so we let Shannon get away without her "safety seal." She can't swim and our pool is 3-5 feet deep, so otherwise she isn't allowed in without it!

THE BEACH! I could live here. Seriously. When I'm old and rich, I want to retire to a little cottage on the ocean. With lupines growing in the garden.

Seaworld! So fun!

Summer gardening in Florida!

2011-04-04T13:54:00.002-04:00

Gardening is in "full swing" here in Florida. I've made mention of it a few times, but we've got three good-sized tomato plants (I think tomorrow we'll get to eat our first one!), a patch of about 20 onions, four cabbages, a strawberry plant and radishes going right now. This is our flower-garden, children's-garden area.

I have a pile of seeds that need to be planted- I really need to find a good time to do this, since it's hard to do seeds with the kids around. Since this is what they prefer to do . . . mix seeds, dirt and water and serve it to mom as soup! Our list of things to plant includes more radishes, flowers and some herbs.

Shannon actually helps me with the gardening-watering and picking . . . Forest . . . well let's just say I hope we can keep some of the tomatoes out of his reach until they are red!

Also along with our "spring" gardening is some learning! In talking with my friend Tara, she pointed me to a wonderful blog that has a whole "preschool gardening pack!" Shannon is on the young end of the spectrum, but there are some great printable games that we'll be able to throw into our learning times. If you have kids anywhere near the preschool age, I suggest you check out this link- she's got a link to three downloads including "lesson plans" for a wonderful garden lesson. Garden Preschool Pack.

Crazy in Love

2011-03-27T21:05:00.001-04:00

With these precious kids.

When you can't do it all . . . or any of it

2011-03-26T21:28:00.002-04:00

I almost never get sick- maybe once a year I get a sore throat for a day, but that's about it. On Tuesday I got this awful "cold" - head pounding and feeling like sinuses are going to explode, throat hurting, non-stop sneezing and blowing, feeling like death. And tonight, Saturday, I'm still experiencing it. While not as bad as the past few days, I still am dragging, sneezing and can't do much.

Have you ever laid in bed at night and just hoped that you actually fed your kids appropriate foods and changed diapers during the day? Hoped that you didn't misplace a person or something important? Yeah, that's how I felt this week. Like walking through muck or a fog, just surviving until I could climb into bed- not to sleep because that wouldn't come either, but to lie there.

I say this all not to complain about how I felt, because I know most of you don't have your husbands around during the day to help with some of this and you suffer far more than I do. But I say it to remind me, remind us, of God's grace.

I try so hard to be a "good mom." To give my kids attention, work on manners, teach them about God, do projects, gardening, etc. And really, when it comes down to it, GOD is the one giving them what they need. Protecting them, feeding them, caring for them.

I'm just a tool. A simple, rough-cut, imperfect, mistake-making, impatient-getting, tool. God has allowed me to be their mother. He chose me, for some unknown reason and allows me to parent these precious two. To be the care-taker and servant of my precious children.

Yup, a servant. I've been learning lately that being a wife and mom- it's about serving. Serving my family. So am I serving to the best of my ability? Meals? Cleaning? My energies? Pouring them out for my family or for myself?

So tonight, while getting ready for bed, I scrubbed our toilet clean. The rest of the house still looks like . . . well, like Mom was sick for a week. My garbage can is still overflowing with tissues. But serving starts with a small step and so for tonight, our toilet is clean.

May you be blessed as you take simple steps to serve your precious families this weekend. My parents arrive in TWO days, so I may not be around much. Love.

pictures for thought

2011-03-18T11:32:00.003-04:00

Not too many words today- Forest is in day 2 of a random fever (teething? 3-day fever again?) and so life is measured in short blips in-between his wanting to be held, making lunch and cleaning emergency hot-spots . . . and getting ready to work the weekend.

It's been a good "photo week" around here and I wanted to share . . .

Can you believe I have two little book-lovers in the house? Not sure how I got so lucky, other than stashing books in every corner, keeping them available for the kids to get out whenever they want, and reading all the time . . . but I love that this little guy comes running up holding books in his hands, desparately saying "buuuhhhh! buuuuhhhh!"

Nothing quite as sweet as little princesses!

This picture makes my breath catch in my throat. In it I see a glimpse into the "girl" that Shannon is becoming as she slowly treks out of toddler-hood. Wow do I love every little cell in her being! My long-awaited miracle girl.

Gardening days are back!

This is what our space looked like when we moved in, one year ago next week!

And this is how it's shaping up now!

An amazing Bougainvillea!

Forest, the bug hunter (check out the grasshopper on his shirt- it's what he was hunting).

Sometimes life isn't all peaches and cream.

Unless you're duck hunting!

I hope your weekend is calm and blessed.

Raspberry Scones

2011-03-10T10:01:00.004-05:00

Sometimes life just flows- you know - everyone seems to be in good spirits, no major problems, quality time together. We seem to have "caught" one of those flows lately and it's wonderful. We've been enjoying amazing time together- daddy/daughter dates, mom/son dates, daddy/son dates, mommy/son bike rides. It's just been really nice! We all know life isn't always like that (and probably, to be honest, with little ones is more often NOT) . . . but I'll store up these precious moments to save them for those days.

Okay, the purpose of the post- Raspberry Scones. During one of our weekly trips to the bookstore, I was reading a delightful magazine about women who create and I came across a recipe for Blackberry Scones. I didn't want to pay $15 for the magazine, so I took pictures of it with my phone. After much squinting and guessing, I re-copied the recipe at home, with Raspberries.

Raspberry Scones

2 cups flour
1/2 c sugar
1/4 t baking soda
1/4 t cinnamon
1/2 c butter, softened
1 egg
1/4 -1/2 cup milk
1 cup berries

Combine dry ingredients, then cut in butter with a fork or spoon. Add the egg & milk, gently combine until a moist-enough ball to roll or pat out. (I'm not sure what the recipe originally called for, I thought it was 1/4 cup but it took a LOT more milk to make mine a dough). Fold in the berries (I used frozen raspberries).

Roll and cut into wedges. Bake at 450 until light brown.

SAUCE
1 T butter
2-4 berries
1 T cream
1 c sugar
1 t vanilla

Microwave the butter & berries together until melted. Add the remaining ingredients and mash, stir until smooth. Pour on top of warm scones.

Hope your day is blessed.

Lovely Days

2011-03-07T20:55:00.002-05:00

On Thursday morning we decided to go to the "Turkey Park," a state park up the road, complete with a Children's farm, where you can look at a horse, cow, pigs, goats, turkeys, etc. It was a wonderful morning out and I was glad that I sacrificed my desire to go shopping (alone) and went to hang out with my family! Other than the moment when Shannon and I stepped in something that instantly filled us with terrible, shooting pains (I'm guessing maybe stinging nettle?), it was a great morning!

First, the amazing smell of orange trees around the park. If you've never been to Florida in the spring . . . oh my! Imagine Jasmine x100!!!

I'll be the first to raise my hand that I don't like Florida but there is something mystical about a palm tree or two.

We practiced hill-climbing, complete with "oooooohhhh."

Did some exploring (under that leaning tree is the danger-nettle spot!!!!)

Stared at the amazing clouds whipping by (the wind was SO strong we could hardly hear each other at times!).

Apparently did some jumping too . . . I don't remember her jumping in front of the camera, wish the picture had come out better!

Had our hair blown around by the wind!

All in all, a great time!

This is what happens when I pull my camera out, around the boys- they LOVE Jeremiah, can you tell?

And that hallway project? Not done yet (trim still to do) but a few details!

Hope you have a great week . . . I have a yearbook to start & finish in the next 4 weeks, scrapbook pages to catch up on, Photo 365 to finish for February, family to take care of, etc. Hope to see you around!

Thoughts

2011-03-02T15:13:00.006-05:00

Wow, so many thoughts flying around in my mind, so hard to know even where to begin!

PARENTING & THE KIDS

So many things I'd like to share but somehow they all come across the "wrong way" in type. I have had to stop reading several blogs and change the views on FB many times after reading how young mothers discipline their kids. To each their own but sometimes the things I read "in the name of Christ" just make me physically sick- the harshness with which parents deal with young children. It seems no matter how I write what I'm feeling about Christianity and parenting and discipline, it comes across wrong. So better to say nothing at all, right? So I'll stop here before I say anymore and probably have already said too much!

Reading a great book lately "The Mission of Motherhood" by Sally Clarkson. I've enjoyed her blog for a while- she has an amazing insight into motherhood and such a focus on being Godly and wise, rather than a focus on a method. Her book is not a discipline book but rather a book about the MISSION of Motherhood- guarding, teaching, focusing on your child's heart. There are different ways of getting there and it's our job as parents to figure out how to get to our child's heart. Giving them the time they need and remembering that our job during these young years is to focus on these little ones. That may mean friendships or exercise, hobbies or vacations look differently during the next few years, as my focus from God is them. And I'm okay with that. It's my Mission.

So what's going on with OUR kids?

Forest . . . is just entering a new stage of understanding and personality. I'm not sure where he'll "end up in the end" but right now he's a sweet, totally focused little boy. On Cars. He adores giving kisses and snuggles. Copies his sister in everything. Just so completely easy to love. It will be interesting to see how he develops over the next couple months, as he enters the "18 month" range and the change in attitude that usually brings.

Shannon . . . oh what a girl. A singer, a dancer. A lover. Delights to talk about Jesus and heaven. Learning to practice forgiveness and pray for our bully-friend to let Jesus help her learn to be nice. Spends most of her time singing & dancing or reading. What a girl :) This is her singing in the front yard, in what is currently my favorite outfit of hers.

HOME and HEARTH

Let's see- we've almost been in this house for a year and it's about time for a complete clean-out and re-organize. I don't think I ever showed any pictures of our living room and kitchen- the areas we, of course, spend the most time! Of course I want to show you pictures of what it looks like "all clean" but in reality, well, here is the reality. Questions, comments, "what is that's?"

Wanna see what I normally look like?

This was my Valentine's outfit

This was a Tuesday night (dress up for dinner) outfit . . . yeah those pants are looking pretty ratty huh? Guess I better hem them or toss them. See, this exercise was good for something!

This is an average-day outfit- comfy shirt and jeans . . . in front of a finger-print splashed mirror.

This is what I look like most of the time. Yup. I have to wear an apron anytime I'm cleaning or cooking, otherwise I have to change clothes a zillion times a day. So I chose to wear this adorable apron!

On this particular day, this is what you would see if you walked into my bedroom. Time to change the sheets and hadn't had the time to re-load the bed yet. Yup, we've all been there but don't want to admit it. My turn to admit.

And THIS is what happens when your daughter opens a bunch of boxes of "packed away" clothes, to try them ALL on. Yeah. I was so delighted.

2011-02-23T13:45:00.002-05:00

FOR TODAY

Outside my window… The weather is amazing. Low 80's, sunny and clear. This next month helps me enjoy life in Florida. The garden is moving along slowly, the flowers are in bloom.

I am thinking… about lots of things. Parenting. Living in community while trying to parent my children, alongside other parents trying to do the same with their children . . . and how it affects us all. Some days I like it, most days not. Trying to stay positive about it all.

I am thankful for… physical protection of my children. Shannon fell today and got her first "bad boo-boo" of her life- a HUGE fat lip and scratches under her nose and up the right side of her face. Thankful that's the worst we've had in three years. And no illnesses other than colds or random fevers for either of them. Thank you God.

From the kitchen… Italian bread yesterday. Amazing raspberry scones last week, recipe and pictures coming soon.

I am wearing… well, I need to shower and change, but for now, jeans (that need to be replaced because they are too big), a pink shirt with a grey tank underneath. After shower I'll have shorts on :)

I am creating… a pretty world-themed hallway. We have this random hallway "room" in between Shannon and Forest's rooms, with an additional door going into another closet and the 4th door going in the cottage. The walls in there were a GRUNGY gray-white color, with none of the four door-knobs matching, a dirty light-fixture and terribly stained & dirty tile floors. Because we don't spend time in there but rather just pass through, this area has been ignored. Until now. NOW the walls sport a soothing-yet-cheery yellow color. All four doors will soon be painted a bright white. It's starting to look bright and cheery!

I am reading… Mission of Motherhood- favorite "parenting" book to date. "For the Children's Sake" by Susan Macaulay. "A book about what education can be- for your child, in your home, and in your school. It is based first on a Christian understanding of what it means to be human . . . and on the Christian meaning of life."

I am hoping… my library books get delivered today and Forest's new diapers come in the mail!

I am hearing… nothing. Both kids are sleeping. :)

Around the house… unmade bed (too much snuggling going on pre-nap), dishes need to be done (next on my list), Valentine's decor needs to come down and St.Patrick's up!

One of my favorite things… Jer REALLY wanted to bring me something from Chick-fil-A so I have a yummy peppermint milkshake in front of me.

A few plans for the rest of the week: Not sure what's up for tomorrow. Friday Jer is going to a train-show all day, so just a normal day for us. Boys go home and then we enjoy a peaceful home-weekend!

Spring!

2011-02-18T20:59:00.002-05:00

Spring is coming! The signs are all around me . . .

- the lake is starting to emit that wonderful, warm "lake" smell, especially in the evenings. I could sit and sniff all night long.

- dirty, dirty feet at the end of the day. flip-flops in piles around the house. sand piles from emptied-out shoes by the bathtub.

- windows open, light breezes blowing through. A/C on at night to cool the house back down.

- blankets piled by the door, evidence of snuggling outside.

I love it! Florida goes very quickly from spring to summer, but I enjoy these few weeks of perfect weather. Sun is shining, air is warm, pollen is dripping from the trees. We've had a blast hanging out this week, getting ready to start a weekend but wanted to share a few precious moments.

Oh yeah, and we live ON a LAKE! Every once and a while I stop and realize that we have lake-front property! Granted, it's in Florida . . . not the mountains, but wow, people pay a lot of money for the amazing view out my backyard, that I get paid to have! Funny how life goes on and we forget about these little blessings, the little bits of heaven we are surrounded with. Thank you God for an amazing view of the water, and the feeling of freedom and refreshment that it brings with it.

This is where we do our hanging-out, in the backyard. The barn is a storage area and we have lots of balls in it. The kids like driving the plastic cars down that "hill" you see by the laundry pad. (Okay, doesn't look like a hill in the picture, but trust me on this one)

This week we brought our other love outside . . . books.

(I think Forest is practicing the "saggy-baggy" skin from the book here)

(Forest thinks that when we read together, he has to be UNDER me. Yeah, it's special trying not to kill your child while reading to him.)

See how close we are to the lake?

We're really happy about it!

Happy Weekending!

Inside Secrets!

2011-02-14T15:10:00.002-05:00

One of my good {internet} friends recently posted pictures of her nice, cleaned-out refrigerator. It is always fun to spy into other people's lives, huh? Okay, well at least I think so. I mean, how often can you stand and stare inside someone's fridge and not have them think you are strange?

So in the interest of equal-opportunity, I decided to post the same. Except I didn't clean mine out first. Yikes! So here is a real-time shot of what the inside looked like last week. Followed by my oh-so-interesting commentary.

Top shelf- can of opened re-fried beans, tin-foil covered rabbit and tin-foil covered chicken (leftovers), eye-of-round roast waiting in the back to be cooked and purple-topped sippy cup. Eggs.

Middle shelf- cilantro waiting to be chopped and topped on all my meals, apple juice for kids, whole-milk for kids (or me!), smart-balance and in the back a bowl of grapes & cherries.

"Cheese drawer-" bacon, cheddar cheese, flour tortillas for "cheese-roll-ups," cream cheese, Havarti cheese

Bottom shelf- lots of home-made sauerkraut, pickles, box of chicken-broth, pot of chicken-stock, some kind of Thai-curry that was given to us (and got thrown out).

Drawers- lots of apples for dehydrating or apple-sauce, carrots, celery, and oranges.

So exciting huh? Wanna see the door?

That's my VERY sexy leg holding the door open. Mmmm.

Let's see . . .top shelf- random coffee, whipping cream for tea, jelly, mayo, yeast, chili sauce

Middle shelf- hot sauce, bbq sauce, prunes for Shannon, smoke sauce, lemon juice, wheat germ, salad dressings . . .

Bottom shelf- seeds waiting to be planted, more pickles, random sauces . . .

So exciting huh? Well at least you can see what a mess it is!

Happy Valentine's Day!

For Today

2011-02-10T08:19:00.003-05:00

FOR TODAY- Simple goals including washing dishes and updating my blog. Took me until 3 pm to get the blog updated. Just one of those mornings. :)

Outside my window... It's really dark and gloomy. Guess it's going to be an inside day.

I am thinking... about our plan for the day. What craft to do? How to order our day to find time for play, cleaning, creating, resting, dancing and learning.

I am thankful for... a morning off, even if the kids DO wake up an hour early every Thursday morning. Chocolate-chip pancakes for breakfast and Barney on TV. A new {used} car- small and orange.

From the learning rooms... Shannon- learning to cut with her first pair of scissors, sorting & pouring with Valentine's-colored beans. Forest- making lines with cars :)

From the kitchen... chocolate-chip pancakes for breakfast (and a huge heap for the freezer), home-roasted-beef sliced for sandwiches, frozen pizzas for lunch.

I am wearing... black leggings, pink flouncy skirt and a black t-shirt. My newly customized necklace.

I am creating... Valentine's cards, felt flower-hair bows. Decided to "dig" into my digital stash and just create pages for me- not for creative teams or challenges (though I enjoy both) but just use random stuff. And I really enjoyed myself.

I am reading... "Last Child in the Woods" - how less time in nature affects children today, "Mission of Motherhood," cooking magazines.

I am hearing..."I could visit the fish, anytime I wish, if I lived under the sea." Barney

Around the house... laundry to put away, hallway I really want to paint bright yellow.

One of my favorite things...

http://thesimplewomansdaybook.blogspot.com/

Birthday Bash Freebie!

2011-02-03T15:04:00.005-05:00

(Posting this before I go to bed so it's on time! It starts at 6 pm according to Sydney, Australia . . . which is like 2 am here . . . and I'm not getting up in the middle of the night to do this . . . so be patient if others are "awake" yet!)

So I've been having a blast working with the gals at Two Little Pixels, for the last couple of months. In honor of their THIRD BIRTHDAY, they are having an amazing "blog hop" complete with a beautiful kit and a zillion quick pages! Trust me, this kit is wonderful and will be worth your time hopping around blog-land. I love that there are so many different color options to play with! One you have everything "collected," this is what it will look like:

A couple of pages that I created with this kit:

And now for the purpose of my post . . . the freebie! I created this little quick-page (meaning all you have to do is pop a picture in it!) to go along with the kit. And after consulting with my dear friend, I decided to offer two options (in one download)- one with a balloon and one with a flower. Hope you enjoy!

Download Link Here

To continue on the blog-hop, your next stop is here:

Jot and Scribble

If you get lost, head back to the start, at Sharon's blog!

Thanks for stopping by!

Don't forget to visit Two Little Pixels for more Birthday fun!

The Birthday

2011-02-02T20:45:00.003-05:00

I know this post is so late in coming . . . and I almost decided not to do it. But even if your interest is long-gone, the blog is also a sort of record-keeping, so I want to get it done. So here it is, my sweetie turns three . . .

The day began with her new birthday dress and hair-bow.

Followed by presents

that her dear brother helped her open.

Before lunch, we had a simple birthday tea-party for her and her little friends. A few decorations:

And a simple table (tea cups from Ross!)

complete with PINK cupcakes!

And two friends.

The celebration was simple and sweet.

And now she's three!

Mock Thai Soup

2011-02-01T11:57:00.003-05:00

I love Thai food, but it is often so complicated to make and requires ingredients that require special shopping trips. Today I accidentally created a "Mock Thai" soup that only requires two ingredients that you might not always stock in your pantry. Cilantro and a lime. The other things are pretty standard pantry stock:

1 large chicken breast (or equivalent chicken parts)
32 oz chicken stock
1/2 cup uncooked couscous
3 large cloves garlic
2 eggs
2 T olive oil

That's it! A very simple prep and you get this pretty, creamy, "Thai-tasting" soup!

Cut chicken into bite-sized pieces. Cook over medium-high heat with 2 T olive oil until chicken is cooked through and slightly golden. Remove chicken from pan and add garlic. Cook for a minute, scraping the bottom of the pan to get those golden chicken-bits. Add the chicken stock and heat until almost boiling. Lower heat to medium and add couscous. Cook for 5 minutes.

Whisk eggs in a bowl. Squeeze juice of 1 lime into the eggs and whisk. Remove 1 cup of soup and whisk into the egg mixture. Turn off heat on soup and whisk eggs into soup. The soup will instantly turn a creamy color and thicken. Add chicken and stir again. Season with additional salt & pepper as necessary.

Serve with cilantro on top!

** For a further Thai experience, add chili peppers or sauce and peanuts. **

Life meets Death

2011-01-24T20:36:00.001-05:00

Life and death in a moment. In the span of an hour today, one friend's precious baby came into this world. And another friend's unborn baby left this world. My heart is breaking and aching for the pain she is experiencing at the loss of that little one, that much-anticipated, hoped for life. The loss that so many, many of my friends have gone through.

I have felt at such a loss as to how to pray this week- reading the story of a mother losing her toddler and now another friend facing the loss of a child. How to utter words to help a friend in terrible, awful grief. Or a stranger experiencing the loss of a child. It makes me feel like I can't breathe, like I'm stuck.

I find all I can do is beg God to help them. Even asking for comfort somehow seems trivial. Comfort from the loss of a child. A child you'll never know, never get to hold or watch grow. And yet I know that's who God IS, the great comforter. And somehow, that's part of His mystery. He actually takes that life-shattering pain and offers something of Himself and somehow that heals and soothes the pain. He, Himself fills in that hole.

But really, I just can't wait for heaven. Some days the pain seems so huge and overwhelming, and it's not even my pain. But seeing the pain and watching it, I can't wait, it can't come soon enough. It might seem odd, but my all-time favorite verses in the Bible are:

Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.

Did you see that? No more

death

mourning

crying

pain

the OLD ORDER (that's now!) of things has passed away.

COME LORD JESUS, COME!

Birthday is coming!

2011-01-21T11:42:00.004-05:00

Just a few more hours until the birthday! Any birthday should be a celebration- a celebration of another precious life in this world, another year older and wiser. I am always reminded of the many, many hundreds, perhaps thousands of prayers that proceeded Shannon into this world. Three years of seriously trying and waiting, praying and begging God "for a beautiful, baby girl."

This week I was reminded, in a very sobering way, of the shortness of life. I stumbled across a very heartbreaking blog and story of a precious family that, in a terrible home accident, lost their precious little son, just a month ago. All week I've begged God to help this poor mother. I don't even have the words to pray for her because I know her life will never been the same. She grieves that little one getting into mischief, making noise, laughing, playing. And as I watch my kids this week, I think of her. When Shannon asks me the 50th question in 10 minutes and I feel irritation rising, my heart goes to this mom who would give anything to have her little one ask just one more question. And I stop and thank God for my precious children and the time I have with them.

One year ago, right about now, I headed outside to plead and beg the full moon and the Creator behind it, to let me please have this baby! I was 3 days away from what I knew to be my due-date and a week away from when the "so called experts" said I was due. But still I begged. And then went to bed. I could not sleep and got more irritated as the night went on that I wasn't resting. And then just after I fell asleep, I awoke at 3 am to a pop and gush - the very obvious water breaking! Story to be continued on the 23rd :)

The bright-pink cupcakes are baking and I have tea-party ironing to do! See you tomorrow!

Invitations to her two little "girlfriends" delivered
{cards found in the dollar spot at Target, decorated with a printed frame from Three Paper Peonies and random ribbon}

Craft projects created
{painted clothespins for holding up her birthday banner}

Comfy, tea-party supplies bought
{vintage looking pillows, scored for 99 cents from the thrift store}

Hi!

2011-01-20T09:00:00.002-05:00

Just a quick wave out into blog-land this morning. Forest is handing me a copy of "Urban Farm" magazine he wants me to read to him, coffee-cake is baking in the oven to enjoy on our morning off. Laundry is waiting patiently to be washed and other baskets of laundry are waiting not-so-patiently to be put away.

The weather has given us a little treat yesterday and today- high 70s! So we've been playing and running around outside, using up all that energy! I love the bursts of cold weather mixed in with warm days to lift our spirits. As much as I don't like Florida, I do like these warm days that cheer our souls!

Well, I really do need to be disciplined today (gulp) and that means getting off the computer chair and to work! I'll leave you with this beautiful almost-three girl!

Friday?

2011-01-14T20:27:00.003-05:00

Somehow I didn't realize it was Friday until tonight. Wow, I'm out of it! Tonight I wanted to do a quick post and share a few fun finds! I've been looking and looking and planning and planning for Shannon's little birthday. We're doing a very simple "birthday tea party" with her two little Ranch friends. BUT being the craft-lover that I am, I have to plan and make . . . . and in the process I found some great sites to share with you!

Beautiful {felt} heart garlands for Valentine's day or other special occasions.

Allthisforpenny.blogspot.com

http://allforthispenny.blogspot.com/2010/01/queen-of-hearts-garland-tutorial.html
http://www.made-by-rae.com/2010/01/easiest-heart-garland-evar.html

Look at this beautiful yarn wreath! I'm SO making one of these!

http://simplydesigning.blogspot.com/2011/01/my-yarn-wreath-no-knitting-or-sewing.html

Party Ideas

http://blog.amyatlas.com/2010/07/diy-vintage-ribbon-backdrop/

Look at that amazing ribbon backdrop and that beautiful doily sign! Ahhhh, too many pretties and not enough time :) Shannon and I did paint clothespins and I have a zillion doilies that I think we'll make a "happy birthday" or "shannon" sign for her party. Poke around Amy's blog for a bit, lots of beautiful styling.

Amazing Party Ideas

http://www.hostessblog.com/

Best collection of party ideas I've ever seen . . . don't say I didn't warn you when you get stuck paging through more eye-candy than you've ever seen.

To narrow it down a bit- all the posts with "kids party" tags:
http://www.hostessblog.com/category/themes-occasions/kids-party-ideas/

Valentine's Day
http://www.hostessblog.com/category/occasions-ideas/valentines-day/

Banana Bread Muffins

http://thepioneerwoman.com/tasty-kitchen/recipes/breads/banana-breadmuffins/

Forget healthy. These are so good we ate all 12 yesterday. Okay, so I ate most of them.

Tissue Paper Flowers

http://www.marthastewart.com/how-to/tissue-paper-pom-poms-how-to?backto=true#slide_0

Anyone else make these as a kid? Or am I too old? I bought a ton of pretty & cheap tissue paper from the dollar store today to make these for Shannon's party, too!

Okay, that's it for today. I need to get settled down for the night so I can be a reasonable person to be around this weekend. Yeah.

Love. Servant.

2011-01-11T21:01:00.003-05:00

Saturday. I'm working with the boys outside, on one of those perfect "Florida Winter" days. I turn to trim another Crepe Myrtle and wonder "how did that heart get in the tree?"

And the I realize it's a leaf. Left there. And suddenly I am reminded of Him who loves me. Who has patience with me. And grace.

Who "can dig the Grand Canyon with his pinkie . . . and thinks {I'm} worth his death on Roman timber."

He left me this little reminder that he loves me.

And I'm to go out and lavish that love on others. On those who frustrate and bother me. On my children. On my {very sick} husband.

Tonight in {a very frustrating} chapel, I'm reminded that this Christian life is about being the smallest. The least. The servant. The speaker went on and on about his greatness. The things he accomplished. Things that . . . in the end . . . really don't matter. Owning stores. Playing football. And I was sad. Do our kids need to hear that they can "do anything?" That they can "accomplish great things?" But God tells us that the greatest will be the servant of all.

I really struggled during chapel. Our kids need to hear that they are worth something. That they are capable of something. But the true Christian life calls them to being a servant. Not to be successful. It's a painful, harsh reality. And the reality that few will follow is even harder.

I pray that they will see this great love. I pray you and I will see this great love. And it will change us. Forever.

New things going on!

2011-01-05T20:43:00.004-05:00

I love January! I always feel so inspired to clean, create and do stuff!

A couple things going on . . .

First the big news! Last January I decided to "attempt" the Photo 365 project {taking one picture a day, for an entire year}. I didn't tell anyone except Tara, because I was afraid I wouldn't really do it. I do have to say, I didn't get overly paranoid about it- there were days that got missed {sickness, job-related problems, dead camera batteries, forgetfulness} but I just chose pictures later that represented that day or something we might have done. I know that wouldn't work for some people, but I didn't want to be all overly legalistic about it. I found a designer who was making templates for each day/week/month but couldn't spend that much money on them, so I made them myself. And then I added a few words about the photo, in case I get old and forgetful some day. I planned ahead of time who would print the book (BLURB) and so I sized all the pages at 8x10.

AND I FINISHED IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I uploaded and ordered my 106 page book yesterday!!!! I am SO proud that I actually finished, but more excited to have a wonderful treasure of a book about our year to enjoy over and over again!

I don't have the book yet (hopefully later next week) but here are a couple sample pages to feed your curious wonderings. A few random pages, the cover and the last page!

Other things in progress around here

* major cleaning up and out of our house. Now that we've lived here for almost 10 months, it's time to really empty out those cupboards, pantry, closets and piles. Obviously this is a very slow process with our busy & crazy lives, but I'm working on it and have several Goodwill bags around the house.

* decorating . . . again, after living here 10 months, it's time to change some stuff up. Mostly in the living room and kitchen I'm feeling the itch- need to finish some paint in the kitchen, I think I want curtains on the kitchen windows (light, airy and very high so they don't block the window) and need more color in the couch area.

* planning . . . a THIRD birthday for a certain special girl on the 23rd! Gosh, how can she be that old? I want to do a special but simple and cheap birthday for her this year . . . and am finally getting smart enough to plan ahead.

So that's up with me, in all my "spare time." Last night I had a freak-out moment. Our new boy was having some major issues that caused my peaceful-bedtime-routine with my two to turn into a chaotic run-and-dump-into-bed. That REALLY upsets my inner calm and sends me running for the "I CAN'T DO THIS JOB!" crying! I really struggle with if I feel like we can truly do this job with little kids. Yes we can DO it but can we truly do it WELL with little kids? It's hard to even bring up because "everyone has little kids" around here . . . but Jeremiah and I don't want to just "do" the job, we want to do it well. Anyway, I'm fine today and we'll be fine, but nothing like a little freak-out to cheer up the new year, right?

As promised, some of my favorite pictures from our NY trip!

Forest and Papa Playing

Gramma showing Shannon how to hear the ocean

Heading out to the snow!

2011-01-02T21:40:00.002-05:00

Home again, home again, jiggidy jig.

We had a glorious five days in NY with my family. Shannon discovered that she loves the snow. This is huge for my little chicken-heart. And sure makes mom and dad unbelievably happy that she loves something that we love so much!

And then we came home. Spent five hours in the airport, waiting for our flight. Thank you, dear crew members that decided to party late and call in sick on the morning of our flight. We got on the plane and shortly after take-off, Shannon decided to enjoy the stomach bug I had the day before, by throwing up violently every 20 minutes for the entire three hour flight.

I felt so sad for the people sitting around us and so thankful for how gracious and helpful (holding Forest) they were. I pray God gives them grace and they aren't throwing up today :(

The entire flight and airport stuff was awful- between the delay, throwing-up, stuck on the tarmac . . . but we eventually got home at 10 pm and Shan stopped getting sick around 3 am. Jer got home at midnight.

Today was good. Grocery-shopping. Lying on the couch watching movies. Cleaning the cottage, getting ready for the boys (+ new boy). Doing mountains of laundry. Cooking.

I missed the beginning of this year but hope to have some time this week to process the last year and wrap up all my 2010 projects. I have a giant project I hope to finish this week and be able to share . . . and of course tons of pictures from our trip. But for now, the last three days have been seriously sleep-deprived and I need all my energy to deal with life + a poor new boy.

He's only 11 but is 5'6". Highly intelligent. Terribly, horribly socially awkward. He was crying and crying tonight because he wanted to go home (he just got here tonight) but not in the "oh I feel sorry for you" way but rather in the "could you please stop, you're annoying us all" way. I feel bad for kids like that. He's been here since 7 pm and has already socially isolated himself from our boys. Sigh. It's going to be a long week, but I hope he can make it and we can teach him some coping and social skills . . .

So there you have it, come on in 2011~

Merry Christmas

2010-12-25T21:29:00.002-05:00

I have so many thoughts from today and this past week, swirling around. Our vacation started with us all sick (stomach thing) and it pretty much wiped me out for two straight days. No puking, just wishing I could! Since then we've been playing all day and sewing all night! We had an amazing day together today and I pushed the "guilt" aside and did nothing today- played, read and cooked! Tomorrow (Sunday) will be a trifle crazy, since we leave on Monday for my MOM'S house . . . and I haven't done much cleaning or packing in a week! But that's okay! For now, the reason for my web-absense . . . this amazing felt playhouse for Shannon. (It's 5 feet x 5 feet x 5 feet). I have a lot of tales to tell about this, but for now, just pictures. (If you have questions, leave them in the comments and when I get to the details of the house, I can answer them).

The front door- mailbox on the left (complete with felt mail that my mom made) and flower barrel on the right. There are a bunch of flowers (again, mom-made) for the barrel. The sign says "Shannon's Place."

The castle. The stone will actually have a foam sword (as in, the Sword and the Stone).

By far, Shannon's favorite place, the Garden. We have a huge carrot, radishes, lettuce and pumpkins to go in the garden. Shannon usually has me sit inside while she "works in the garden."

My mom made about 10 apples for the tree and Jer sewed a squirrel.

Ugly self and stolen moments.

2010-12-14T15:14:00.004-05:00

Those quiet moments, stolen from a busy day. Snuggling on the couch with my little ones.
Mama, read me the First Christmas Story.
They just wanted to be snuggled and held and read-to this morning. I fought back those terrible words that have bothered me and haunted me all week. Leave me alone. Why can't you play by yourself. Don't you see I'm trying to get something done around here? Words I've had to keep inside my head, push down and fight against.

I'm not sure why I've had such a hard time this week. It's not because we're extra-busy. It's not because I'm overly stressed. The sinful selfishness keeps raising it's ugly head. Reminding me that I just can't do this parenting thing by myself. I'm a sinner trying to raise little sinful children to be something more. To be Godly and wise. Patient and gentle. And boy it sure stinks to see how ugly I am inside. Thank God for Grace.

This morning I had a few stolen quiet moments with Forest. The boys had left for breakfast and I snuggled on the couch with him. We smiled and laughed at each other and I just looked at this handsome boy who has my heart. Who a year ago was so upset and miserable all the time. Who made me wonder if I'd survive this parenting thing.

And now he makes me laugh. Every day. Even when he empties my recipes all over the floor. Again. (Project for 2011- get recipes into a book format and throw out those cards that get everywhere!)

So today we played in a make-shift fort. We read books. We played with tinker-toys. I let Shannon tape up the Christmas presents and color on the oh-so-pretty packages that I had dreams of perfection. I think Brian & Anna won't mind Shannon's scratchings.

Until tomorrow. Love.

Surprise!

2010-12-09T19:18:00.008-05:00

About a month ago, I received the wonderful news that I was going to be part of the "Core Creative Team" for Two Little Pixels, a scrapbook website. I love their clean and simple designs and it's been such a pleasure to work with such easy-going ladies.

One of the designers created a beautiful "quick page" album this month. (Since most of you aren't digi scrappers, that means the pages are pre-made, you just pop pictures into them!) I asked her if I could work with it and decided to surprise one of my long-time blog readers with a mini-album. Melissa is a darling girl who has two kids, very similar in age to mine. We "met" online and although we've never met in person, she lives very close to where I grew up and we

The pictures are Melissa's and the journal-ling is a collection of inspirational bits about motherhood from A Wise Woman Builds Her Home. One of my favorite websites for reminding me that my number one goal in life is educating and raising my children, in the honor of the Lord.

Without further ado, here it is! (As usual, click on the photos to see them larger)

Change is in the Air

2010-12-05T15:47:00.006-05:00

Can you feel it? The year is coming to an end. 2010. There is an excitement in the air- a freshness, a newness. The calendar flips to a new year and somehow it seems like everything starts new and fresh again. Resolutions. Goals. Evaluations. Change. New starts. I love it!

Even though I often feel like my "new year" is actually in July, there is definitely something still amazing about starting a new calendar year. Something makes me want to hold my breath in anticipation. I feel excited, ready.

I'm already thinking of things I'd like to do in this next year. I have been so inspired by hand-made crafting this year and have a list of things I'd like to try.

felting wool by hand
make a felted fairy garden for our gnome princesses
try the Panera sourdough recipe
new veggies in the garden
making an apron

For now it is still early December. The holidays are here. Can you feel it? Our house is filled with pretty decorations from door to door. The smells are bursting through the {open for now} windows. Cinnamon. Peppermint. Chocolate. Peanut butter. Kenny G is coming through the speakers. Lights twinkle. The eyes of my kids reflect the amazement.

They don't really have a clue what's going on. Shannon things everything is so beautiful. Forest loves to poke the nose of the snowman {fake} outside. It's just a lot of fun!

Our Advent calendar and activities have been a blast. Here are some pictures from last week.

Advent Calendar hung and ready to open! I changed it a bit this year by adding some pretty wrapping paper {Ikea} behind the boxes.

Our "feed the birds and squirrels" project was a blast . . . however the birds aren't eating our treats!!! I don't know if they are just dumb because they are southern birds? At least they look pretty hanging in the trees.

We had a great time using lots of glitter, making these wreaths for our inside doors. I'm still finding glitter on the table.

We had a chance to go to "Celebration" {the Stepford Wives type town that Disney built where real people live in a fancy-ritzy-we're perfect type of life} to see fake snow! It was cold that night and we had SO MUCH FUN!

And since Forest doesn't get enough air-time around here . . .this is what he can usually be found doing!

Sourdough Bread

2010-12-02T21:31:00.006-05:00

How to make YUMMY Sourdough bread- slightly sweet and very addicting.

First you need to create the actual starter. Combine:
1/2 cup sugar
3 T instant potato flakes
1 cup warm water
2 1/2 t instant dry yeast

Stir all this until well combined. Cover loosely (I use a napkin and rubberband). Leave on your counter overnight, then place in refrigerator for 3-5 days.

3-5 days later . . . FEED the starter.
1/2 cup sugar
3 T potato flakes
1 cup warm water

Stir ingredients into starter, let sit on the counter all day. Mine sits on the counter, on my windowsill. Helps to have a small spider on the wall (Joking!).

This is how amazing I look, while stirring my starter (joking). Wow my counters were cluttered this day!

In the evening you have two choices- mix dough to make bread or give a cup of starter away. Alternately, if you don't have anyone to pass it too and it's been 5 days, you can throw a cup of it away. Either way, you want to remove one cup of the yeasty starter and put the rest in the fridge.

Combine the cup of starter that you removed with the following:

1/2 c sugar
1 T salt
1/2 cup canola or corn oil
1 1/2 cups warm water
6 cups flour

Stir until combined. Cover loosely with oiled plastic wrap and then put a lid or towel over the bowl (don't have to seal). You do want to use a LARGE mixing bowl for this, as it will rise to fill it by morning. Leave on the counter overnight.

In the morning, you have this great looking spongey!

Find a small child willing to help you punch it down. Then use your hands to roughly shape it and put it in two large bread pans (or three smaller). Cover with a towel and let sit for 6-12 hours, until risen! Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes. Remove from pans to cool. Try not to eat it all at once!

And now you want a picture of the bread huh? Oops, can't find one! :) I bake tomorrow night, so I'll try to get one. The only negative to this bread is that you have to plan two days ahead to make sure it's ready! But it is SO good, makes the house smell better than any other bread I've made and makes awesome french toast! Enjoy! Let me know if you want a printable copy of the recipe.

Thanksgiving Wrap

2010-11-29T21:38:00.004-05:00

I hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving, we did! It was pretty short this year (boys returned on Saturday afternoon), but we did manage to have some nice time together as just a family! Our "big" event ended up being a family photo-shoot. All of a sudden on Thanksgiving morning, I realized I had not yet taken our "pumpkin hat" pictures . . . that I had mom especially make a hat for the purpose of! So we got dressed in semi-coordinating {fall} colors and headed off across the Ranch to the one spot {our old front yard} where it looks like fall. And then I forgot the hats and Jer had to go home to get them.

So I set up the tripod, for my own benefit and it ended up being the best idea EVER. Shannon came over and wanted to push the button and we ended up with some great (and some funny) pictures. Without further ado . . . without the usual editing and such . . . all I did was a bit of cropping (especially when mommy was squatting and forgot she had a skirt on . . . ). Enjoy!

Finally, a family picture we love!

One of my favorite pictures of the day . . . Forest just cracks me up!

The "my daughter has amazing eyes" shot.

I think I made Forest's day, in the form of a green lolly (or wee-wee pop in Shan-guage).

This just cracks me up!

Pumpkin heads!

The best thing in the world. I know it sounds cliche, but I waited a LONG time to become a mom and these two are the best thing in the world!

Taken by photographer-in-training, Shannon.

Doing a perfect leaf dance!

A behind-the-scenes look at the photographer, and her assistant.

ADVENT PART THREE

2010-11-22T13:20:00.003-05:00

THE FUN STUFF!

I put a lot of time into coming up with a good list of 25 things for our family to do/make/receive for our 25 days of Advent. I think I finally ended up with a good combo of crafts, activities and a few little things to receive.

I didn't assign days to them, simply because our lives here . . . well they can be crazy! I am actually printing the ideas on 4x6 cards and will decide each evening what we'll do the next day. I have a rough idea of the order but it can be changed. For example, I know that we'll do the Gingerbread-cookie decorating on a Saturday WITH the boys, I know that Sundays I need a very simple thing like a gift or a coloring page, etc. The cards look like this:

And I'll use a marker to write in the date on each tag. They'll go in a simple album with a photo of that days' activities and the directions, if necessary.

Without further ado, here is our particular list of activities.

Get out the Christmas dishes and drink hot cocoa
Make Orange pomander decorations
Make treats for the birds and squirrels
Color nativity story pictures
Take a Santa-hat picture
Make snow globes
Do family Christmas shopping
Make paper snowflakes and cover them with glitter. Hang around the house.
Make Christmas cookies
Make Gingerbread Men
Make ice luminary or decoration
Put up nativity scene
Hang up stockings
Paint salt dough ornaments or cinnamon dough ornament
wrap presents
Paint toenails in Christmas colors.
Make hand-print Christmas cards.
Make a Gingerbread house
Take family Christmas photos
make Christmas tree decorations
make paper-plate wreaths for the house
Get Christmas pajamas
Read the Christmas story
Make a Christmas Eve dinner
Make a cake or cupcakes for Jesus’ Birthday

In order to make sure that I actually accomplish these things . . . because I'm a good planner but don't always finish well . . . I actually researched the ideas and then researched the "how tos" and saved them all in one place, along with links, pictures.

In case any of you are interested in these activities, here are the links (for things like Gingerbread house, there are no links- I plan to buy one from Target). Pictures are from the website I've linked you to.

WILD BIRD TREATS
Pinecone treats: http://ourhouse.typepad.com/full_circle/2007/04/pinecone_bird_f.html
Squash treats: http://www.greenlivingonline.com/article/diy-project-eco-friendly-bird-feeder
Bagel Treats: http://dawnathome.typepad.com/by_sun_and_candlelight/2008/12/im-baaaaack.html

CHOCOLATE COVERED SPOONS

SALT DOUGH ORNAMENTS

PAPER PLATE WREATH

HAND PRINT CHRISTMAS CARD

ICE LUMINARY - I also saw beautiful pictures of these made as tall containers with sticks in them and candles inside. And yes, I know it's like 80 here, but I think they'll be pretty until they melt, like an hour later :)

ORANGE POMANDER

CINNAMON DOUGH ORNAMENTS

NATIVITY STORY COLORING PAGES - no picture here- just a link to a great page filled with printable pictures!

SNOW GLOBE INSTRUCTIONS (adapted from a huge thread on the topic at MDC forums)
Snow globes are fun! You need some sort of empty jar. Plastic peanut butter if you're nervous about dropping it, large glass if you're ambitious, small glass (baby food jars work well) if you're nervous about filling space....

Anyway, choose a jar of some sort and clean it out. You can use a glue gun to glue something permanent to the inside of the lid if you want; I've seen advice to hot-glue a small (soda bottle?) cap to the inside of the lid, like a little stage, then glue a Christmasy object, like a little plastic tree or something, onto that stage so it will be visible inside the jar once you screw the lid back on.

Turn your empty jar upright and fill with sequins, glitter, beads, googly eyes, etc. Beads are a little heavy to float around, but glitter and holiday-themed sequins do well. Googly eyes don't sink and are a little creepy.

When you have as much stuff as you want, fill the jar with mineral oil. Water doesn't allow things to float as well as oil does; oil is a bit more viscous. I think in college my roommate, who was a total craft nerd like I was, used a combination of corn syrup and water--there are recipes on the internet. It was sticky and messy, though, so I prefer the straight oil. Different combinations change the floatability, of course. Good science investigation for future years, but for now my kids just want them done as soon as possible.

I then put superglue around the threads of the jar lid before screwing on the top, then put aquarium glue around the edge of that. Then I glue a festive ribbon around the lid to make it a bit prettier. I let them sit overnight before flipping them over. I was paranoid the first year about leaking, even with all of the glue, but our first globes held up for two years without a single leak, so I'm less nervous now.

Wow, so are you in the Christmas mood yet? I can't wait to begin! I've been picking up the various items we need for our activities while I'm out and will make sure to have everything ready the night before . . . again, so I can actually accomplish this! I'm working on other ideas for Advent, things we could do in a different time or place (or when kids are older). I'd love to hear any ideas that you do!

OTHER IDEAS
Breakfast in bed
Surprise dinner for grandparents
Christmas card for mail lady or garbage man
Put red or green sheets on the beds
Get out the Christmas dishes
Watch a Christmas movie (or two, or three . . .)
Drive around and look at Christmas lights
Go Christmas caroling at a friend or relative's house

ADVENT- PART TWO

2010-11-21T14:06:00.005-05:00

ADVENT SCRIPTURES AND THE JESSE TREE

I actually have three parts to this "advent thing." The first part was ideas for "how to" make your advent calendar pretty. You know, because pretty is important. Part Two will give you some ideas for the scripture part. And Part Three will be ideas to make it fun. Some people do gifts, some do activities, etc. I spent hours getting our advent fun-part together and will share it, in case it helps you out! But first things, first. Scripture.

Since the reason for the season is Jesus . . . it is important to me to make sure we include the Jesus-Story in our Advent celebration. Shannon (and Forest) is young, but she does know a lot about the Christmas story and I hope this can be the start of our family Christmas tradition.

Rather than give you a zillion links, this is a pretty good starting point with the history of advent, discussion questions, activities, links, etc. Has a good link to a "printable ready" scripture reading section. This is the particular one I use, but we general use a different translation. You should be able to find what you need to bring scripture into your family's celebration.

http://www.teachingmom.com/features/advent.html

JESSE TREE

Another Christmas "activity" is a Jesse Tree. Rather than me explain, check out a couple of these good links.

History of the Jesse Tree:
http://www.cresourcei.org/jesse.html

Basic instructions for the whole process:
http://simplemom.net/jesse-tree/

Free pictures that you can print to use on your banner, tree, etc.
http://www.shalfleet.net/advent/makeajessetree.htm

Adorable printable decorations- this is from a scrapbooking site but you don't have to be a scrapbooker to use!
http://www.the-lilypad.com/store/product.php?productid=4554&cat=0&page=1

OUR PLAN
So what is our plan, you wonder? I am going to print the Jesse Tree decorations (from the Lily Pad, bought them last year). We'll have our banner on the wall somewhere (maybe an inside door) and then each decoration will be found inside that days' Advent Box. We'll read the scriptures and work through the Christmas story.

Personally, I'll work through the longer scriptures on my own, as a way to (try) to keep centered during this busy but fun time of year.

We talk a lot about the Christmas story and tonight we came up with a really fun sign-language "chant" that says "GLORY to GOD in the HIGHEST and on earth peace and goodwill to men." We shout the capitalized words. I've got it on video if you want to see it :)

So what are you doing to bring Christ into your Christmas celebrations?

ADVENT

2010-11-18T19:44:00.004-05:00

The Christmas season is just about upon us! I **adore** Christmas . . . I love that we can celebrate our Savior's birth. I love the smells, the sounds and the sights of Christmas. The smells of evergreen trees, cranberries, baking cookies. Sounds of Christmas songs . . . I could listen to Kenny G Christmas all year! And the sights! I LOVE sparkling Christmas lights, pretty packages and beautiful Christmas dresses.

I love counting down to Christmas. Each year I usually do a basic paper-chain count-down with my boys. Something simple like this. {Okay, mine are paper, not pretty stitching like this.}

A couple of years ago, I made a set of "Advent Boxes." I got the idea, like half of America, from crafty-genuis, Ali Edwards. You can see hers over here: LOOK AT ME.

Mine look a bit more "vintage," like this:

They are super simple to make- I bought the chipboard boxes, circles and ovals from Michaels. Made up the designs on the computer and printed them out. They looked this this:

Cut them out, use a glue called "Mod Podge" to keep them down. Once dry, Mod Podge them again to really "seal the deal" and make them last! I use thumb-tacks to keep mine on a small cork board. Fill with something :)

Before we get to the "fill with something" part, I want to give you some great links for inspiration. Ideas for what kind of advent collection YOU might want this year! Beware, these ideas are amazing and may steal you away from your family for long periods of time!

24 Advent Calendar Ideas

Last Years' Calendar Ideas

Okay, this has gotten long enough for one night! Next will be some ideas (if you need them) for verses and activities to go inside. And if no one finds them useful, **I** have all my ideas in one location, since I see to look for them every year!

Of sundries and such.

2010-11-14T20:29:00.003-05:00

Whew, that about sums it up . . . after another very, very long day with a 2 minute break between 6:45 am and 8:30 pm. Some days I just have to laugh at the craziness that is my life.

You know- making sure 7 boys have the correct clothes on for breakfast, make their beds properly, do chores the right way (D, don't drag the sheets on the ground!).

Use table manners (D, how can you forget silverware? Yes, go get some, it will be kind of hard to eat without it!).

Learn to deal with being at the Ranch in an appropriate manner (D, we do not need to boo-hoo about our mom all day long. Do you hear the other boys doing it? They miss their moms just as much as you do.).

Play with each other nicely in the living room, on a Sunday in which we have to be inside all day. You know- follow the rules for UNO, talk with indoor voices, don't whip each other with ropes intended for learning to tie knots, put books away when finished looking at them. You know, just the basics.

And then there are my kids. Who are learning everything about life . . . and need supervised every second, lest an older child sumo-wrestle the younger child on the wooden floors. Just wait Shannon, give Forest 6 months and you'll be begging for mercy!

Teaching Forest not to throw toys (or food at Uncle Earl in the dining hall).

Helping Shannon practice talking kindly and gently to people, instead of growling. And understanding that it's okay for Gramma to correct her, we don't have to burst into life-ending tears because we got corrected!

Trying to get laundry done, dishes kept up with or at least counters cleaned.

Whew, I'm tired just typing this all out. Life is good, just very, very full right now. Good just full. Sorry, I keep saying that over and over . . . sometimes I have to remind myself about it! I know this season won't last forever, but boy, there are days when my happy place in my head is a very good place!

My mom is here right now, which is amazing. We get along wonderfully and seriously, if I had a way that she could live with us forever, I'd do it. I think she's been shocked at how insane (noisy, crazy) life is right now, but she's enjoying her little grandbabies! We had a quick over-night to Daytona Beach this last week, which was amazing. And now, I leave you with this . . . I have some fun scrap-news coming up, but maybe later this week.

Okay, the pictures aren't working . . . maybe tomorrow.

2010-10-26T20:44:00.003-04:00

I've had a hard time sitting down and putting my thoughts to paper (or rather, computer) lately. Everything is going well, actually. Lots on my mind and in my heart, but when I try to write it out, it just doesn't work. So, in my typical UN-analytical way, I'll just do a simple post.

FOR TODAY

Outside my window... plants sweltering in the heat. Really. 90 degrees in October. Please go away bad heat!

I am thinking... a lot about being a wife and mom. Reading Proverbs 31 a lot and finding myself often surprised at the things it really says (vs what my memory remembers!).

I am thankful for... That one of my boys was mistaken when he thought his mom said his brother broke his neck. How you can misunderstand that, I have no clue. But thank you God that he's okay!

From the kitchen... Amazing sourdough bread! First time trying it from scratch- starter to loaf.

I am wearing... pj gaucho pants (softest black ever) and a skimpy tank-top.

I am creating... a mess on my desk, as usual, with no good solution to keep it clean.

I am going... to the beach in November!

I am reading... about the horrible situation in the Congo.

I am hoping... that our WIC appointment tomorrow goes very quickly. But looking forward to getting whole milk for Forest and making yummy yoghurt with it :)

I am hearing... the air-conditioner running. The baby-monitor's drone. Jer playing a video game in the living room. Oh wait, that's the same thing I heard last time I updated, HA!

Around the house... a new boy, newly painted front doors, new sweaters from the Goodwill, new Christmas books for our "pull out at Christmas stash" from the Goodwill.

One of my favorite things... Caramel Apple Bread, free from Fresh Market. Perks of working here.

A few plans for the rest of the week: WIC tomorrow, Family day tomorrow, desparately need to do some gardening, laundry and house cleaning!

Love

2010-10-23T21:17:00.000-04:00

Happy Birthday Forest

2010-10-19T13:28:00.010-04:00

One year ago . . .

I woke up in the morning with contractions, though I wasn't completely ready to say I was in labor, because they were just 5 minutes apart. I managed to get the boys ready for school and go to chapel with them. During which contractions were a hard 40 seconds long and 5 minutes apart. Staff meeting was after that and by then I was pretty miserable, though managed to make it through the meeting.

After, I sent Jer and his friend to Borders, saying "oh it will probably be a while" and went home to shower and get things ready around the house (laundry!). It was around 10 am by now.

About 10:15, after crying through the shower (can we say EMOTIONAL SIGN POSTS of labor!!!!), I called Angela and asked her to come get Shannon. Then decided I was really going to have a baby today and called my mom, called my boss and then called the midwife. Contractions were still around 40 seconds long and 4-5 minutes apart. She said to call back when they were about a minute long. By 11:30 am I was panicking, thinking labor was too hard and there was no way I could do this again. I called the midwife back and she said I better get over there.

I think we arrived around 12pm. In between the door and the room to check me, I had three contractions. As Jennie checked me, she said "either I've forgotten how to do this or you are NINE cm!!!!!!" I was SO, SO, SO happy! Seriously, I would have died if she said I was like 5 cm, the contractions were so hard to make it through calmly. Here I am, SO happy!

We proceeded into the birth room, where they quickly prepped for delivery (not labor, ha!) and I labored away, kneeling on the floor, against the couch. Once the bed was set, I leaned on a pile of pillows, on my hands and knees. Probably close to 12:45 she broke my water, which was sweet relief . . . for a few minutes. And then I started pushing around 1 (I think). I pushed on my hands and knees until he started crowing, at which point Jennie had me flip to my side/back. And Forest was born! He was popped right up onto my chest and was just the tiniest darling.

They cleaned us up (with Forest laying on me) and then just left us and Jeremiah alone for a while. Eventually they got us (more) cleaned up, did measurements (7lbs, 3 oz) and then Jer got us food and we called everyone. Yes, WE. I felt so good that I did some calling, including my VERY shocked mother!

We left around 5:30 and were home around 6. Shannon came to join us around 7 and then we were all in bed by 9!

And what a year it's been . . .

Learning to be a mom to two kids.

Forest at one month

Then we entered the hard couple of months, where Forest had terrible gas and was miserable all the time.

Sometimes he tolerated his family.

January we had him dedicated.

And he was busy flipping around his bed with gas!

As the spring rolled around, he pulled out of his funk, finally!

Learned to sit up!

Embraced eating!

Learned to crawl, in our new house!

First time swimming!

First trip on a plane, for Uncle Brian's wedding.

Started walking . . .

And helping . . .

And now we have this amazing, little one year old! Happy Birthday Forest!

Catch Up

2010-10-17T20:57:00.003-04:00

Since it appears I'll never have time for a post again . . .

FOR TODAY

Outside my window... amazing blue skies and cooler temperatures.

I am thinking... that it's impossible Forest will be ONE on Tuesday . . . and I have a whole lot to do on Monday to get ready for it!

I am thankful for... my friend Janet and good talks with her about life and parenting. Good reminders that "this is how we do things in OUR family."

From the kitchen... so much! Jer is making sauerkraut. I'm researching varieties of sourdough starters. And birthday cakes galore! (Three birthdays in less than a week!)

I am wearing... jeans that need to go to the thrift because they are too baggy and my favorite turquoise shirt.

I am creating... lots! Birthday decorations for Forest. Scrapbook pages for creative teams and challenges. And gathering all kinds of holiday ideas!

I am going... to buy Forest a birthday present tomorrow and a birthday outfit!

I am reading... too much! (Is this a theme?) Found a great author- Julie Klassen- writes Christian fiction about women in England during victorian times. Good historical fiction, I highly recommend it!

I am hoping... for a good night's sleep.

I am hearing... the air-conditioner running. The baby-monitor's drone. Jer playing a video game in the living room.

Around the house... the bedrooms need vacuumed. More hand-me-downs need sorted and packed away (wow, we've been blessed!). Fall decorations abound.

One of my favorite things... my pearl necklace sitting on my desk.

A few plans for the rest of the week: Preparations for Forest's birthday tomorrow. Tuesday I'll celebrate my one year old! Bake some bread, organize my pantry and some major work on the garden!

Sick Delay

2010-10-10T09:59:00.000-04:00

So much for posting this weekend- Forest has had a fever since early Friday morning. I held him all day today and ended up at the "After Hours Pediatric" because his temp was up to 103.7 by 4 pm. And I was there until 8! Good news is that all the tests (urine, blood, strep) seem to be negative and it appears he just has a virus. Shannon actually had one like this when she was around 9 months- just 2 days of a high fever and nothing else.

Soooo, hopefully sometime soon I can catch you up on my life!

Beauty Within

2010-09-26T22:02:00.002-04:00

This is what Shannon and I are working on memorizing right now. She loves all things pink, lacy, fluffy, twirly, girly, princess-y . . . but I want to her to understand that the inside is the most important part to be beautiful. So when she asks "am I beautiful" (as she twirls in yet another skirt), I say yes, BUT . . .

A little of this and a little of that

2010-09-16T20:29:00.005-04:00

Yikes, can you believe this is what I looked like one year ago?????

Amazing how time flies, huh?

I thought I'd take a few minutes to update you on our "goings-on." We'll start youngest to oldest!

FOREST - Walking. Seriously. Why does a 10 month old (well now almost 11) think he needs to walk? He is the funniest little guy and continues to be in love with all things "boy" - cars, balls, trucks, moving things, bugs. Loves to wrestle and "yell" at Shannon when she's being loud. AND he loves his Momma. When we're in the cafeteria for dinner, he panics a bit if someone else is holding him and he can't see me. I love that! The baby stage lasts for such a short time, I'm trying to soak up all the "neediness" and enjoy it!

His newest thing is riding in this push-car.

Or getting into trouble with mom, for not sitting down!

He really is into "tech-decking" which you probably don't know what that is unless you have a house full of boys! (It's doing skate-board tricks with your fingers)

SHANNON- IS POTTY TRAINED! After peeing on herself and the floor for two weeks, she suddenly realized she had "invisible muscles" and she could control them! We're on week THREE of no accidents! Seriously, it clicked on day and she never went back. Amazing. And just when I was about to put her back in diapers for the rest of her life.

She continues to be my sweet princess girl- adores anything pink, princess, etc. BUT she can get dirty with the best of them, which is my dream come true! A girl who plays in the dirt but with a dress on!

Her heart for God continues to grow. One day her head was on the table and she looked so sad. I said, "what's wrong?" She responded with "I just so sad. I need Jesus in my heart to help me. I need him to obey me" (Translated: I need him to help me obey.) Anyway, I love that her heart and mind are being molded toward God at such a young age.

She gets lots of energy out using her new handles from Ikea!

ME- Oh where to begin? I've been terribly homesick for about two weeks now. It's been 14 years since I left for college . . . and I think I'm more homesick right now than I have been since then. Like seriously I think my heart aches sometimes I want to be home so bad. I'm not really sure what brought it on or exactly WHY . . . other than if I could scrape up enough money and more than a day to go, I'd be there!

On a positive note, I do feel like life is falling back in place again. It is amazing to me how HARD life with little babies, here at the Ranch can be. Trying to keep a house of 10 boys AND my little ones all going is hard. But things are falling into place. Our routine has helped and we're eating regular meals- good meals! That means happy family and happy checkbook! The house is getting clean and we're having lots of good time together.

I'm finding time to read- I love reading so much I actually pass up scrapbooking to do so!

JEREMIAH- Is doing well and enjoying another new hobby (model trains). He is amazing with the boys and just thriving in his role as temporary Dad to them.

Well, I'll leave you with a few recent pictures of our recent goings-on.

The kids favorite game to play while I make lunch- hide under the table (covered with a black sheet). Here, Forest is chasing to find Shannon, and pardon the lack of clothes :)

Our amazing backyard!

Shannon's Room!

2010-09-09T10:38:00.003-04:00

Welcome to Shannon's room! This is actually one of my favorite rooms in the house and easily where we spend most of our playtime. When you walk into her room from the hallway, this is what you see (and yes, the child reading by her bookshelf is usually the sight you see).

A closer view of the bookshelf:

We collect books, as I have mentioned. You can't ever have too many! The pink basket on the second shelf is filled with necklaces, bracelets, crowns (headbands). The big white basket on the bottom contains those random toys that inevitably find their way into our house. On top of the shelf are her castle (from Daddy, via the flea market), an antique doll from my mom and other random trinkets.

If you stand by the bookshelf and look back, this is the view.

Looking closer at this side of the room we see Shannon's bed and her "art line."

Here you see her bed, with barely enough room for her. She keeps her radio, water cup and a wide assortment of animals and critters in bed with her. Oh yeah and don't forget alligator. Should he fall off at night, it necessitates a call to mom to get him back in bed. HA!

One of our big toys, is this wonderful tree-house! We got it {FREE} and later found out it's a $140 Melissa and Doug toy! Waahooo! I love stuff like this-wooden instead of tacky bright colors and we use it for all sorts of imaginative play.

And as you can see, Forest loves it too! The closets in this room are great- Shan's is the one on the left and the one on the right contains all Jer's mountain gear, books, etc. Dirty clothes are in the basket inbetween.

If you stand by Shan's bed and look at the opposite corner, this is the view - the kitchen and mirror, where the rest of our time is spent!

So there you have it! I adore this precious room and we have so much fun playing with the "stuff" but also dancing and wrestling in the middle of the room!

What I love about this room . . . most of the things (I would say 90% + ) were gifts, thrifted or free! The kitchen was made from pieces of a kitchen that my friend Janet had for her daughter, in Malaysia. The bed- Craigslist, the shelf from my brother. The framed prints I had done way back in Malaysia from a calendar. Bedding was new (surprise!) from Ikea and I made the curtain. The few things we did buy were Shannon's gifts- the table for her 2nd birthday and the cupboard under her sink for her 1st. Waahoo for free & cheap!

New Things

2010-09-08T09:42:00.002-04:00

Remember this barren wasteland? This sad little space being used for nothing?

Look at it now!!!!! We've come a long way and still have a long way to go, but it's slowly filling up with wonderful hopes of wonderful things to eat! I love this time of year in Florida, we're starting so many new plants and yet it's warm enough that they are growing super fast.

And speaking of the garden, F is asleep which means it's time for Shannon and I go to check on the garden. Pull some weeds. Check to see if we need to water. Enjoy seeing what new things are poking out of the ground. Kill giant grasshoppers if necessary. Oh you don't think that's very nice? Well if you find a guy like this:

in your garden, getting fat on YOUR plants, you'd kill him too.

I did take the pictures of Shannon's room for her room post and hopefully later today or tomorrow I can get them up. Today is our family day, so we're off to Joann Fabrics for crafty stuff for me (I have a whole post on that saved, too!) and the bookstore for Jer & Shannon!

Sharing Time

2010-09-05T14:59:00.004-04:00

Okay, sharing time. I've kept track of some of my favorite "finds" this week (online) to share with you. Really, these are some great treasures, check them out! (Oh and each photo is taken from that particular website, they aren't mine).

Rhythm of the Home - this is actually a great collection of various articles, crafty ideas and such. There are some things that don't jive with what I believe {mostly spiritually} but some of the nature and household ideas for kids are AMAZING. You want to click on the different tabs (warmth, play, celebration, etc.) to see the different collections of ideas.

Ruffled Skirts Tutorial- Oh my, if you have a daughter of any age, you NEED this tutorial to make a wonderfully ruffled skirt! I think this is even do-able for the most basic of semstresses. I'm super excited to make one of these for Shannon and may even go buy new fabric to do it (instead of using the scraps around my house). I'm thinking browns and greens for a fall skirt?

Twirly Skirt Tutorial- Okay, so sewing has been on my mind this week. But seriously, look at how adorable this skirt is!!!!! And wait until you see what fabric I'm using to make one for Shannon (it's recycled).

Homemade Yogurt- Okay, hear me out on this one. Ever have a surplus of milk? Powdered milk? We are getting a lot of extra milk right now for free (story for another day) and I think I might give this a try. We love yogurt and what would be better than essentially free?

What should a 4 year old know? - I have a lot to say on this topic, but I'll keep it brief. Comparing children to other children is not healthy for the kids! I find moms of my generation and younger are really good at worrying about everything . . . especially that their kid is going to be "behind." Behind who I may ask? Anyway, here is a good article on the subject.

EDIT: OOps! I deleted an important paragraph here- I am not talking about legit situations where you know or strongly suspect for good reasons that a child is behind. For sure it's important to understand basic milestones to make sure kids are okay!

The Case for Memorization- Another excellent article about the importance of memory work in young kids. Again, our generation (and younger) hates any hard work, but I think this is something we're going to really work to encourage in our family. More on what we're working on later.

On This Day

2010-08-31T21:02:00.007-04:00

I can't do any more house pictures because I need to TAKE the pictures.

I wanted to do an update on my various projects, but I need to get enough pictures.

So I got to thinking about time . . . and decided to do a walk down memory lane. I looked through my files for pictures as close to September 1st as I could find. Here they are.

2003- Newly arrived in Malaysia, struggling to be dorm parents in a school with no concrete or set in stone rules and a dorm staff in chaos. Hard, hard days that I would never want to live over again, no matter how much I got paid!

2004- LOVING life as a dorm mom this year! Our dorm was amazing and we are figuring out how to parent all these different personalities and survive at this crazy school

2005- My dear friend Julia had her baby the month before. I practiced my photo skills on her and Story (and yes, what pathetic skills!). Here they are in their "one month" shot! I was hoping that I would soon be pregnant too, as we had just moved back from Malaysia and decided it was time to start our own family. I had no idea it would take two more years before I would be pregnant but God gave me Julia and Story to enjoy this time of life with.

2006- My brother (in his fitness kick), playing soccer on a lovely night with the boys.

2007- My 18 week picture, pregnant with Shannon. I thought I was positively HUGE! What an exciting time of life- full of joy and anticipation of this precious baby girl who would soon be joining us.

2008- And look at this little chubster of a girl! What a darling girl, filled my days with laughter and love. We are just having fun living life!

2009- Just a month away from Forest joining us, I spend all my extra energy with this little ball of joy and life. What a character she is turning out to be! I'm excited to meet this little boy but nervous about having time for my little girl. What will our family be like as four?

2010- We've come a long way baby!

Keeping Busy

2010-08-27T14:30:00.003-04:00

We've had a pretty good week and I can't believe it's Friday already! I've been trying to come up with some kind of daily "schedule" or routine for us . . . it's hard because Mondays we have staff meeting, Tuesdays a meeting with our caseworker (all at 8:30 when the boys go to school), Thursday mornings we're off. But I think I finally have a "rough" start for us and we'll see how it goes. It's pretty flexible with big chunks of time open, but gives us something to guide our days with.

Kind of like . . .
8:30-10 is meetings, breakfast (if necessary depending on when kids wake up), cleaning, starting our day.

10-11 is Forest napping, Shannon and I either spend the hour gardening or doing "projects"

11-12:30ish- lunch, clean up from lunch, clean up from gardening, etc.

12:30-1:30- play outside or inside

1:30- clean up kids rooms and read books for naps

2-4 kids nap & mommy does "stuff" like scrapbooking, website checking, bill paying, etc.

And then our boys come home! We're working with Daddy to add in things like trips to Borders & the library, grocery shopping and Wednesdays are "family days." I like the idea of having something to keep us on track!

This is what we did today (well this picture isn't from today but this is what Shan looks like after an hour of gardening).

Books, books, books!

2010-08-20T14:02:00.002-04:00

We love reading in our house. I especially enjoy books that have great stories but also have good pictures. I hate when we get a book to read and the pictures are of a poor quality! Here are a couple favorites of ours right now.

Anna and the Bagpiper - a wonderful story about a little girl who meets a mysterious man playing the bagpipes. Pictures are of twilight and sunset, beautifully colored. A perfect gift for a little girl.

You can get it used here.

Water Dance- HA! I just realized these two books were by the same author as I was doing this post. Boy I'm brilliant. Anyway! This book could actually be used as a science textbook about the cycles of water. That aside, the pictures again are beautifully done, talking about all the cycles water goes through. It's almost a poem. Perfect gift for a boy or girl, also anyone who is doing homeschooling!

You can get it used here.

All Things Bright and Beautiful- Amazing pictures and words to this precious song. In fact I've often thought about framing some of the pictures!

You can get it used here.

I have a few other favorites that we'll do another post on, at another time. In the interest of helping spur on the love for reading & writing, we are going to be giving book-writing related gifts this year. A few ideas . . .

Buy a book from Blurb . . . a self-publishing website. A cookbook, a photo-book or even a children's book! You have to wade through random "private" books but I've found several I thought would be super fun to try out as gifts.

What Am I? - ABC book with fun colors

Backyard letters - A book using things all around us to show letters.

Or make a book yourself! Okay, gotta run! Hope you enjoyed this :)

Bedroom

2010-08-18T14:57:00.002-04:00

Sorry for the delay, we suddenly lost internet on Saturday and didn't get it back until Tuesday (good old Bellsouth again!).

Anyway, here is the next set of house pictures- our bedroom. I LOVE this room, since this is the first time that we have a cozy bedroom (since having kids) that isn't also a storage area!

Here is the view when you walk in the door from the hallway. The curtains are basic Ikea ones, just something to add texture and softness without blocking light. The view out the big window is into my garden area. The frame over the bed is waiting for the perfect 12x12 photo (or more likely scrapbook page). I'd love to have someone take a family picture of us to put there.

Looking back toward the door into the hallway, is my computer area. Carefully hidden behind more of the Ikea curtains! They are open most of the time, but when I have company I can pull them closed or if I need a peaceful setting I can close them and not see all the papers!

Looking at the foot of the bed. The white door that is closed is my closet. The picture on the left is a framed watercolor that a little girl in Taiwan did for me about 11 years ago. The huge mirror (which has great wood detail actually) was a gift from my friend Janet, when she moved to Indonesia. We have our basket of library books underneath and my nursing chair on the left.

From the far side of the bed- the bathroom door and our dresser full of junk.

This is a peek into the bathroom. It's very hard to photograph because it's so small. But before there was an "antique rose" border at the top with matching shower curtain and accessories. Very 80's.

That's it for now, I have a bunch of projects I want to get some work done on this morning!