Just another day in paradise.

Flood, Flu, and A Week In Review

2012-01-25T09:57:00.000-08:00

This last Sunday I took a long, long nap. I needed some recovery after the previous week's craziness. It wasn't just "stuff" going on, it was emotions, plus a spiritual awakening and complete physical body depletion. Am I sounding a bit melodramatic? Probably, but let me explain.

I started the week on a high note with a date night with my husband. Man, I love that guy. I love driving around with him in our rockin' minivan, holding hands across the ultra practical, multi-compartmented center console and talking about whatever without any interruptions. We ate Chinese food and then I found some 90% off Christmas sales at Joann Fabrics. Awesome! It's the stuff romantic movies are made of.

At the beginning of the week I also started and finished a novel called, The Lost Wife, by Alyson Richman. This was a library book that, in typical fashion, I did not have time to read the description of before I checked it out. I liked the cover and I thought anything written by a near "Alysun" twin couldn't be all that bad. The book was completely compelling and deep and nothing like the light-hearted drivel I thought I was in for when I started it.

The Holocaust. Enough said. The story was riveting, beautiful, tragic, tear-jerking, sad, joyful, and lovely. I was spell-bound by the love story. My normal life has me thinking nothing about the millions who were tortured and killed during that terrible time in history, so bringing it to light in this book was startling and I couldn't help but view my peaceful, easy life in a more blessed light.

With the backdrop of that book's story in my mind, I watched my beautiful kids play in our snow. I am SO absolutely, crazily blessed! I thought to myself a zillion times during the first half of the week.

It snowed a little (about 2" total) and then it rained. It rained and it rained and rained some more on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. We didn't realize how much it was really raining (it is Oregon -- it rains here) until Wednesday morning when we woke up to flooding in our basement. Before we did the big remodel downstairs last spring, we did quite a lot of waterproofing. In the past, our basement has "seeped" a little when it rains a lot. But this was actually flowing like a river across the cement and under the new carpet. I used every absorbent thing in our house to get the water to flow away from the carpet and toward the drain, the shop-vac also came in handy and I was exhausted by the end of the day when my knight in shining armor came in to save the day.

If I had the time, I would have posted to Facebook,

"A River Runs Through It," now playing in our basement theater.

At least I amuse myself.

We received somewhere between 9-10" of rain in two days. The river by our house crested at 34.23 feet, just short of the record of 34.52 set in 1964. The endless river banks covered the road and all the fields around us were giant lakes. A story in nearby Albany caught my attention when a car accidently drove into a culvert out of a flooded parking lot. The car was sucked under almost immediately, a father and 5 year old son made it out, miraculously spared, while a mother and her 20-month old son were killed.

Again, I couldn't help but think of how crazy blessed we are. We have our health, we have our children, we have a house that is warm and the resources to keep it *mostly* dry. The stories of those who are/were so traumatized (the news stories of thousands of families displaced, the deaths in accidents, and the book on the Holocaust) were my silent partners as I cleaned up our minor mess and irritation in the basement. A little thought-of passage in Habakkuk kept running through my mind,

"I will wait patiently for the day of calamity to come.

Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines,

though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food,

though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls,

yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior.

The Sovereign LORD is my strength;

he makes my feet like the feet of a deer,

he enables me to tread on the heights."

Hab 3:16-19

Thursday to Friday brought flu. When my kids are sick, it is gross and tiring. When me and my kids are sick, it is gross, tiring, and exhausting. When me, husband, and children are sick, well it is just nasty. I wrote some love-songs to my washer and dryer during those days. Those die-hard machines ran continuously through mountains of flood-drenched laundry and then puke piled clothes and rags. Friday morning we woke to standing puke messes in the girls' room and Rem's room. The smell had me tossing my chips instead of cleaning. Jeff was THE MAN and championed through the nastiness, from laundry to baths, he did it all, even while being sick himself.

Allowing the sickness to run its course, I had to cancel three different events we were looking forward to. Bah! I quickly lost ground on my "still I will rejoice in the the Lord" attitude while I suffered physically. "Woe is me" was more like it. God knew what I needed. In a moment of calm I checked my email and got an message from a friend, Ashley. She's a new contributor to Drops and her writing has been a blessing to supplement our daily devotionals. Even better, she sent a contribution from her friend, Mindi, which I posted for Friday.

It could have been written for me. For. Me.

Read the whole article here, but the gist of it was this:

"For right now, He has me where He wants me, and He's teaching me. He's refining me.... How many times do we feel like we have to have amazing amounts of strength to accomplish our tasks at work, at home, in motherhood? That is not the correct way of thinking. God calls us to endure. That's it! For when we endure, then God gives us the strength we need."

" 'My grace is sufficient for you,

for my power is made perfect in weakness.'

Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses,

for Christ's power may rest on me."

2 Corinthians 12:9

Health restored, laundry *mostly* washed, dried, folded, and put away, my perspective is light years away from how I started that long and tiring week. The bumps in my road, which were major at the time were not surprises to God. He led me through them, He gave me strength when needed, He provided amazing helpers when I couldn't go on.

HIS power was made perfect in my weakness. Whether the trial is a complete devastation like the stories that are still haunting me from that book and the tragic deaths due to flooding, or a slight irritation, God knows. He knows and He cares deeply. There isn't anything too big for God.

Beautiful Lengths, Emma's story...

2012-01-23T15:49:00.000-08:00

For awhile now, Emma has wanted to donate her hair to "kids with cancer." Her aunt Kelly did it a few months ago and also Emma's friend Heidi has cut her hair to donate in the past.

We ended up participating in Pantene's Beautiful Lengths, same concepts as Locks of Love, but a shorter donation length is required (only 8" instead of 10" for LoL). Both organizations put together human hair into fashionable wigs for women going through cancer treatments. They partner with the American Cancer Society to make it a free service.

Love the concept, and also love that Emma was so willing to help others.

People often ask where my triple-threat blond kids came from.

Since both Jeff and I have darker hair now, most don't realize (or remember) that we were toe-heads in our childhoods.

My hair started turning dark about ages 10-11 and Jeff is still *dark* blond... or at least that's what his license says.

Jeff is the white-haired boy in blue stripes in the picture on the left. He's with his cousins. His little sister Jayne is standing right in front of him.

The picture on the right is dear little me, I think this is my 8th birthday. Blond hair w/ a perm was SO awesome mid eighties. I love my sister in this photo, I'm sure she'll love me even more for posting this -- the glasses, the bow, so rad.

That's just a side note. Back to Emma and cutting off her lovely blond locks.....

She was REALLY excited about doing this. She wanted an appointment before Christmas, but the salon was closed. She wanted an appointment after Christmas and I kept forgetting to call. Then I made an appointment and we had to cancel because of the flooding -- that's a story for another day.

Finally, today was the day and we went to Big Funky Hair Salon to my gall Trisha. She has a way with kids and Emma was in seventh heaven being pampered.

Emma held perfectly still and I asked her why she was so good? Usually she freaks out about the tiny pieces of hair on her face when I cut it. She said, "Because I like Trisha cutting my hair better." Oh dear, this is going to be an expensive habit unless we wait 5 years for it to grow out again to donate for another free hair-cut.

Have I mentioned how awesome I think this little girl is?

Very generous, very thoughtful, very beautiful inside and out, and very hilarious.

Love her like crazy!

And here she is with her short and sassy hair......

Proud Mom,

Five 5 star reviews

2012-01-14T09:59:00.000-08:00

If this was a Oprah, you would all win one of everything I mention in this post. Lucky for you! But this isn't that awesome.

These are five things I'm loving these days and highly recommend with my 5 star reviews...

***** Tortillas, from Tortilla Land

I LOVE a good tortilla for everything from burritos to huevo rancheros. I discovered these at Costco this last summer after I went off everything processed due to some awful symptoms (I'll spare you the details).

The norm in store-bought (and even restaurant) tortillas is an ingredient list that makes me shutter. Preservatives out the wazzoo and sulfates. Tortilla Land has un-cooked, refrigerated tortillas that are made from 5 whole ingredients like I would make them at home, but without the fuss -- plus, my homemade ones always turn out WAY too thick and are about 4" across.

Love Tortilla Land for their beautiful, easy, and healthy tortillas!

***** Gap maternity pants

Another one of my favorites is Gap maternity pants. I couldn't live without them. Or I guess I could live without them, but my ankles would be mighty cold. Gap is one of the few retailers who has figured out that tall women have babies too and they offer long lengths in most of their styles.

Thank you GAP! Their sales and coupons make their clothes pretty affordable and I have been happy with the quality, even accidentally drying my good, long length jeans in the dryer and they didn't shrink.

***** Free building plans at Ana-white.com

Ana is a self-taught builder extraordinaire who offers building plans of beautiful furniture for free on her blog. If you haven't visited her site before, travel over there with care because she will have you quickly thinking you can build Pottery Barn style and quality furniture for pennies. But the best part is, YOU CAN!

I built the 5' bench pictured for $8, not including the top. The legs are seconds from Home Depot and the top is a Black Walnut board we had from sawing down a fallen tree at Grandma's farm.

The directions are SO easy to follow and are written for how women think, even with pictures! I needed some help from my trusty handy-man because our wood-working tools aren't always user ~~female~~ friendly. Jeff and I worked together on this fun project and it took less than 2 hours. He also went back and made a second bench for another Christmas gift and it took less time still.

My only regret about this bench is that I didn't get to keep one!

***** Apple Cider Vinegar

ACV and I have a love-hate relationship. I love it because of all its fabulous uses, but I hate the taste and smell of it. I am including it in my favorites list because I use it constantly for everything -- curing a stomach ache, hair conditioner, and curing a yeast infection (weird, but true). This crazy stuff aids the digestive system and many swear by it to help lose weight -- just a tablespoon a couple times a day. I drink it almost every day (gagging every time) and I swear by the benefits.

My friend Ashley told me about using ACV as hair conditioner and now I rinse my hair with it about once a week. The smell goes away after my hair is dry and leaves my tresses glossy, yet very clean feeling. If you are freaked out by chemicals in your cosmetic products or are allergic to them like me, try washing your hair with baking soda, rinsing with ACV.

***** Bioplasma Cell Salts, by homeland

This is a new product for me, but I'm already giving it 5 stars. It is a homeopathic remedy used for colds and immune deficiency.

Here is a brief description of what cell salts are:

"Cell salts are vital mineral constituents present in human cells. They were first identified by a very renowned German physiological chemist and physicist of the early nineteenth century by the name of Dr. W. H. Schuessler. He discovered twelve different ‘tissue salts’ and observed their presence in all healthy human cells.

He went on further to state that if an imbalance of these salts were to occur within the cells, illness could be expected to result. The type of illness would depend on which cell salt was deficient and once the balance had been restored and the cells had once more retained their correct function, the body could be expected to heal itself of any ill health." (source, organic pharmacy)

With the stuffy noses we've all had since before Christmas, I was anxious to try it (about a week ago). The pills worked almost immediately (dissolve and taste like nothing really) at clearing up a runny nose. These tiny pills are also safe for children. I am happy to report I've done less chasing down of my children because of green snot running down their faces. Less blowing our noses, more breathing easily -- I'm a believer.

Thanks for reading through my fav 5! I'm not offering anything free, except recommendations, for what their worth. :)

A few things I can offer:

If you come over to my house, I'll let you eat one of my delicious tortillas.

And if you need maternity pants and are crazy tall like me, you can have mine in about 6 months.

You are sorry our of luck in the bench department, I'm not giving one of those away. Although Ana's free plans can help you make one of your own (as I need to do for myself!).

Pick up some Apple Cider Vinegar for yourself for super cheap at the grocery store. Any brand will work, but the true naturalist (which I am not) will recommend raw and organic is best.

Here's a free offer! If you want a $10 off coupon for the Bioplasma (it is $11.64 for 1,000 pills), leave your email address in a comment and I'll send it to you. Gratis, thanks to Vitacost.

Changing of the Guards, Perspective.

2012-01-05T12:06:00.000-08:00

I found myself at the chiropractor's office yesterday. My back it tricky under normal circumstances, but while pregnant, it is downright ridiculous. Shouldn't I be able to carry a squirming toddler into the house while holding 2 gallons of milk?

I thought so. My back did not.

Great visual. Right?

So I loaded the kids in the car, thankful my chiropractor could make time for me. When I got there, I realized a lapse in my mommy-logic. I put the Little Man in the car without his socks and shoes. Since he always takes them off anyway, I planned to put them on when we got to the destination. Only I forgot his shoes. They were at home, 20 minutes away, waiting with the other 14 pairs of his functional footwear.

I could barely walk I was in so much pain, but I had to carry Rem in, the girls following. Everyone was very good during the appointment. Good training, snacks, and nasty consequences are the key to well behaved children during doctor visits.

The chiropractor confirmed what I knew to be true, "Your back will continue to go out of alignment as your stomach gets bigger." He recommended shoes with a negative heel (Kelso Earth technology) to help my back stay in better posture. I have one pair already, so I know they are great, but they are giant walking shoes. Giant, I tell you. Roughly making my feet look like life-rafts built for the whole fam.

That's it! I was stopping at the shoe store on the way home, spending my Christmas money on shoes so I could walk without pain while looking somewhat fashionable.

The shoe store was just down a few blocks and I was in luck, a parking spot right in front. I lugged Rem from his carseat again, probably undoing the chiropractor's manipulations of my poor spine. I waited a few minutes to be helped, hoping no one noticed my shoe-less child. After explaining what I wanted and yes, we had 14 pairs of perfectly functional pairs of shoes for the toddler, the salesman said,

"I'm sorry, we don't carry that brand. But the shoe store on 2nd has a nice selection."

I waddled out with my load of children. I was faced with a decision. Walk the 3 blocks to the other shoe store. Drive the three blocks to the store and try to find a parking spot even though I hate parallel parking. Or get into the car and drive home, wear the life-raft shoes for a few days and order a cute pair online.

You know my decision. This pregnant mother of 3. I chose to get in the car, throw more snacks at the kids and go home.

What I marveled at on the way home is perspective. How different life situations skew, for better or worse, our outlook on life. My back, my shoe-less Wonder of a 30 pound independent toddler, my ineptitude at city parking, my pregnancy, my kids, my desire to be home sweet home...

they all played into my choice to NOT to walk or even drive 3 blocks.

On my way to London, England.
3 blocks was nothing to this chubby-cheeked, long haired girl.

11 years ago I was Europe bound. For nearly 2 months, I walked and walked and walked around Western Europe with a rail pass, a backpack with just essentials, and a best friend. I remember many times that we had to walk a few klicks out of our way because of missed directions. What's a few more miles? Nothing really when you are young, strong, carefree, and independent.

That was my perspective pre-motherhood.

Hyde Park in London is over 5 miles long.
We walked it after flying all night, jet-lagged, hungry, and with backpacks.

I'm glad that life changes. Circumstance, life, all of it. It has made me wiser, if not stronger physically. It has made me accept reality instead of unrealistic ideas (like shoe shopping after a chiropractor visit). It has made me happy with memories, thankful for today's blessings, and
so, so, very grateful for online shopping.

Christmas Letter

2011-12-23T14:44:00.000-08:00

If you didn't get a Christmas card and letter from me this year,

it isn't because I don't love you.

It is because I was too lazy to send them out.

The few and fortunate got these puppies:

And this letter:

This is a year in the life of our family, the quick(ish) version.

From youngest to oldest… Remington crazily sped from babyhood to all-boyhood this year, turning 2 in October. Cars, trucks, tractors, and everything outside are his favorites. Rem left most of his easy-going nature behind in favor of independence. He loves to play with other kids and especially grandparents. “Papa” was his first word and he says it whenever he sees a tractor (Papa Jim) or red car (Papa Tom). We enjoy his friendly, exuberant and loving personality.

Mandy turned 4 this year and is all girly-girl. She loves to make up stories, play house, “read”, and play with her siblings and friends (she had 28 friends over for her birthday in September). Mandy learns Bible verses for Awana, is doing preschool, writes her first name, and counts to 9 with ease. Her Sunday School teacher describes her as a “fire cracker.” With such a bright personality, we look forward to how God will use her as she chooses to love Him more. Mandy is constantly entertaining, such a joy to be around.

Emma just turned 7 and is in 1st grade. Her generosity and thoughtfulness amaze and humble us. She spent her birthday money entirely on others this year! The tenacious traits that challenged us in her 2’s now show themselves in determination for learning school work, memorizing Scripture, riding her bike, and doing chores. She is a passionate crafter and learned to sew this year – good thing mommy has tons of scraps to use. Emma is such a helpful, awesome girl!

On to the parents of this tribe (from youngest to oldest): Alysun stayed busy teaching the girls school, keeping Rem from dismantling the house, singing on the worship team at church, attending Bible study, writing for various blogs, gardening, and taking pictures including 2 weddings (one in San Diego), although she skipped “get a fantastic portrait of her own family”, sorry folks, casual is what you get around here.

Jeff’s year was full of the usual, farming and more farming, teaching Cubbies at Awana, teaching Sunday School (Jr. High, bless his heart), house projects (he completed our basement remodel), and spending as much time as possible with the family.

We took a few short trips this year including visiting Olympia, central Oregon, the Coast, and week long trip to southern California in February. On the road trip we saw a lot of fun things from here to there including friends in the Bay area, the beach (81 degree day to play), awesome Disneyland, and Palm Springs where we visited Alysun’s Grandma Bonnie and Bill. The kids did really well with all the hours in the car, they are always up for an adventure!

As another year wraps up, we are again so grateful for the blessings that surround us. God is good! We are eagerly anticipating the birth of a baby boy in May – the girls enjoy coming up with name ideas… Angus, Toucan, or Rudolph?

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

(for the rest of the Peters clan :)

Christmas Cabaret

2011-12-19T09:41:00.000-08:00

Christmas programs can be rather excruciating if you have nothing invested in the event.

Now that I have little children, dressing them up and watching their fantastic talents unfold on stage is actually tons of fun.

Rem is sporting a suit passed down from a family friend (circa 1979), then worn by his uncle John, then John's 4 sons.

Is it my imagination or did my baby suddenly grow up?

Mandy loves getting dressed up for any reason.

Her "performance" was extremely exciting for her.

My grandparents were able to come ~~endure~~ watch.

And of course we roped the local grandparents into coming as well.

Love that we have so much kind and generous family in the area to share special events like this.

Fancy desserts and drinks were served.

It was really a fun idea.

I made a cheesecake and tried a new recipe to share with the attendees.

I made Paula Deen's Cheesecake Bars (you can find the recipe here).

I figured with all 5 star reviews, it had to be fantastic. It was very good, but I would give it 4 stars because the cheesecake part wasn't thick enough for me. I think Paul Deen groupies can't help but give her 5 stars on whatever she makes. Or maybe they were giving the butter 5 stars...

The crust was really yummy (ode to butter) and was pretty much all I could taste. There are 5 left-over pieces in my fridge right now and I may need to continue taste-testing before I make a final analysis.

Rem's 2 and 3's class, Mandy's 4 and 5's class, and Emma's first and second grade class did two songs together. Many in their groups couldn't be there, but they sang with gusto. Even Remington, who appeared to have stage fright for about 2 seconds and then was quite the show off.

In case you are wondering about their costumes, Rem is Joseph and Mandy is Mary -- it was a low budget affair.

I'm sure Joseph wore sheik garb over his polyester leisure suit. Probably. Maybe.

Jeff has been teaching the Jr. High class for quite a few years now. I am his loyal sidekick.

In the summer, our small class decided to add puppet shows to their list of talents. Once a month, they perform a Bible story script for the younger classes. You can imagine the kids Rem, Mandy, and Emma's age enjoy it a lot.

Our class did a puppet show for the Cabaret and did a fantastic job.

I am so impressed with their diligence at learning the scripts, holding up heavy puppets, and their willingness to serve (they did 4 performances of this script on Sunday for the Sunday School classes and then the Cabaret).

The evening came to a close.

After the fun filled night, I realized did not take a picture of my own kids together.

This is what you get at 9pm.....

A bit of their luster had worn off, but they still make a cute trio.

Dear Skinny Jeans,

2011-12-10T07:33:00.001-08:00

Jeans, shoes, and stomach pictured
are meant to represent,
not actually portray the author's
pre-pregnancy look.

I had to do it. I had to send you away today.

It may sound cliche, but it isn't you, it's me. I'm just not comfortable with you any more.

For awhile now I've felt us growing apart. When I couldn't stand to be near you for even 5 minutes, well, it was time for a change.

Although I put you out of my sight, I worked hard to find a safe place for you. You are with others who are like-minded.... you deserve to be together since you all laughed in the face (butt and belly, actually) of my changing figure.

I've moved on... onward and outward. I know this hurts, but it had to be done. I've found some jeans that are more accommodating. They are giving and I need that right now. I feel at ease with their capacity to change and grow. That was missing in our relationship. We were busting at the seams. You felt the strain too I know. t is such a relief not to be confined to your unforgiving, structured ways.

I look forward to see you again. This season too shall pass, yet more changes are in my future. My hope is that I will say goodbye to stretchy, hello to you again. It will be a struggle. And there will be interim pants that come between us. I promise to try to get to a place where you and I can be happy together again.

My memories of you are so fond. Cling (because you do that best) to that while I'm gone.

Best wishes,

A Happy Marriage Post

2011-12-04T19:20:00.001-08:00

There are times when the whirling thoughts in my head spill out rather effortlessly on clattering keyboard letters and onto my glowing computer screen. I would call this inspiration. Whether my thoughts are more cohesive at that point or God is simply choosing to direct my message, I do not know.

There are other times when my whirling thoughts just spin like a blender stuck on high with the lid off. Some stuff spills out, but it looks like more of a mess than anything of value.

For a few weeks now I've been pondering and "whirling" about marriage.... how to have a happy marriage in particular. What is the one thing I could share that would encourage other couples to strive for a happy marriage?

I am blessed that my marriage is a very happy, safe, and loving place to be. Man, oh man, I'm in love with my man! I want to be able to share some deep thoughts about what I've learned over the years... but nothing of value is spilling out onto the page.

I've gone through many seasons in my marriage to my husband of nearly 10 years. You hear people say "it hasn't always been easy," and I would be in the camp to use those exact words. In fact, I've even said through tears to my husband, "Are we going to make it?" Obviously we made it through the those hardest seasons and every day we keep working hard to make our relationship even stronger.

So many stress factors come into play in marriage. From personalities, past relationships, location, vocations, extended family, children, how many children and in how many years, genders of children, health, and money (or lack there of). My messy thoughts lead me to wonder, "How could I have any advice that would apply when marriages are SO different?"

I tried to write drivel on what should be such an inspiring and applicable topic, even skipping my assigned post for last week on Drops (they didn't fire me thankfully). I remained stumped. It was in my days upon days of hesitation that I saw a link to an article. It was written by a widow of a soldier killed last year in Afghanistan. I never knew him, but he grew up in my hometown and I saw many references to him and his wife on facebook after his tragic death. Out of curiosity I followed the link and read.... and cried.... and read.... and cried.

She wrote near the end, "Sometimes I get so sad looking at couples wondering if they know how much they should relish every day together? Wondering if they know that it doesn’t matter if the house is clean... you should just sit down and enjoy each other's company. Wondering if they know if he forgets to take the trash out or doesn’t hear what you say it’s not the end of the world?"

Those words struck me and made my whirling messy thoughts settle. A happy marriage is so much about being grateful. This one thing applies to the variables in every relationship. When we approach marriage with a grateful heart, the little things that seem to be frustrating, irritating, or not working, are in the shadows compared to the good. Seeing the good is about keeping selfishness squelched, saying the kind thing, encouraging, thanking, holding, hoping, talking.

The woman's story really touched me. I am so very saddened by her loss -- she had such an obviously deep and fulfilling relationship with her husband. Her message stays with me, as I hope it does with you today too... Do you know what you have in the man you married and are you grateful for the small moments?

Love must be sincere.

Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.

Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.

Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.

Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.

Romans 12:9-12

Read the story in its entirety here. But grab your tissues first.

How Ya Feeling? A Pregnancy Update

2011-11-17T05:00:00.000-08:00

I sure loved all the "congrats" we received on the blog and facebook when we announced my pregnancy. Each kind word was a gift. I had a couple unfavorable reactions from folks I told in person, so I was nervous.

A fourth baby is kind of a shock in our culture. We've definitely entered a land of "weird."

Just incase you are wondering, here are a couple things to avoid saying about a new pregnancy whether it is a woman's first, fourth, or fourteen baby:

"I thought you were done."

"Was this planned?"

"Your hands will be full."

"I supposed obligatory congrats are in order?"

and, "Wow. Um. Wow. Um. Wow. That will be FOUR? Wow."

And yes, we're excited. The girls are so, so thrilled as we knew they would be. We didn't tell them about the baby until I was 12 weeks and heard a strong heartbeat. Once they knew the news, everyone in the greater Oregon region knew too -- Mandy is great at proclaiming information.

I planned to take a video when we heard the heartbeat for the first time at 12 weeks. I took the camera, and pushed record. But it didn't record. If it had captured the moment, you would have seen their confused faces... it really didn't sink in until a few hours later with lots and lots of conversation.

At the appointment the midwife explained that mommy's heartbeat is up there, so whose heartbeat is down here in her belly? Mandy gave a great Sunday School answer with, "It is God in her belly!" Ya, they totally didn't get it.

And since inquiring minds want to know....

How many weeks? 17! Time is flying by thankfully. I'm due May 1-ish. My actual due date is the end of April, but since my three pregnancies went late, I'm thinking May to save myself additional mental stress.

How ya feeling? The first 10 weeks were rough. Not as bad as pregnancy #1, but in typical fashion for me, I threw up a lot, felt nauseous all the time, and was super tired. At this point I feel blessedly very good. I have moments of not-so-good. But it is just awesome to be able to function as I continue through life with the other three kiddos.

Remington @ 4 weeks with his midwives.

You know there are hospitals for that sort of thing? Yes, we will hopefully be doing another home birth for this baby. I love my midwives, they are so thorough. I appreciate how they address every angle of my pregnancy. My main midwife is Lisa and she has delivered over 800 babies! Her children are grown and I love her experience and expertise. The second midwife, Rachel, finished her midwife schooling a few years ago and was at Remington's birth. She is about my age, very fun and trendy, a mom to 3 young kids, and is calm and sweet.

Baby bump? A little bit -- I can tell. I'm definitely still at the "thick" looking stage when no one dares ask. It will be a few more months before I look pregnant and not just a contestant for "The Biggest Gainer." I remember taking a "bump picture" when I was 16 weeks pregnant with Emmaleigh and a friend said it looked like I had just had a few too many burritos. True, true. My regular pants aren't fitting and I bought two new pairs of maternity jeans, but they don't really fit either. It's funny the stuff about pregnancy that I forgot until it happens again. Oh the clothes hassles! I'll try to keep my tall-pregnant-girl tirades to myself.

Baby's development: No matter how many times I live through this process, I am humbled and amazed at the creation of new life. Baby weighs about 5 ounces now (about as much as a turnip), and he or she is around 5 inches long from head to bottom. Baby can move his or her joints, and even suck his or her thumb.

Are you going to find out the gender? For sure, I have an ultrasound in December and hope to find out if we will have another girl or another boy and also make sure development is on track. I am so thankful God has all this figured out, He is creating our family and I trust he know what we (and the children) can handle. Remington with three sisters? God knows if we can handle that too!

Baby names: The girls are constantly suggesting names for baby boy or baby girl. Mandy's favorites are "Jake" for a boy and "Dora" for a girl. Emma likes "Elizabeth" for a girl and "Zachariah" for a boy. These suggestions change daily, so who knows! Emma told me she invented a name this morning for a girl, "Playa." It will be fun to hear ideas from my blog audience too as time gets closer!

Runny Peach Pie and Family Photos

2011-11-14T09:26:00.001-08:00

Photography is an art that I will continue learning the rest of my life.

When I look back at how much I've already learned, I am amazed and a bit humbled (man, I used to take some super awful photos and thought they were good).

I pretty much know at this point when my camera has captured a great image. Some time in the split second between pushing the shutter and registering my subject is cooperating, I just know that I know that I know. This is it, the "money shot." I trust my equipment, that I have my settings correct, and that I was quick enough to catch the fleeting nice look of one or more of my subjects.

It's a peaceful and fun place to be.

But, and there is always a "but",

I also know when I have not managed to get ANY "money shots." No okay shots. No "so-so" shots. No "that will work" shots.

It's rare and happens only with my own family.

It is as though my charms have worn off. Strangers, I have no problem -- they think I'm charming and they smile for me every time. I don't have trouble working my magic.

Family, well, they are trouble.

My sister really wanted a family picture and we went outside to get one "real quick."

It was windy and really, really cold.

My younger nephew, Nathaniel, was in no mood to cooperate.

Had we more time, less wind, less freezing temperatures, more warm temperatures, maybe time for a quiet nap, a nutritious meal, then things could have turned out differently.

But they didn't.

When Andrea asked, "Did you get any?" she didn't mean, did the camera perform adequately.

She was asking, "Did you manage a miracle?"

No miracles were available on set that day.

We gave up after about 10 minutes and decided the torture was over.

At home I looked for a miracle of the Photoshop kind.

I don't actually like photoshop. People (especially my family who is forever asking me to remove wrinkles, change hairstyles, clothes ect.) think I love the technical marvel. But really I would much rather take a perfect picture in camera that requires no editing. Call me lazy! Good color, sharpness, and perfect expressions are possible in camera.

Why waste time later staring at a computer screen trying to mesh the imperfect into close-to-perfect as we can get?

Because I love my sister. Because I know she doesn't want to make another attempt at family pictures. Because there really were parts of several pictures that worked. Because I love my sister.

Did I say that already?

I worked some photoshop magic.....

Family life is a bit like a runny peach pie

- not perfect but who's complaining?

~Robert Brault

Big Changes Ahead

2011-11-05T18:42:00.000-07:00

Blog love around here has been a little low.

It's my fault really. Inconsistent bloggers who don't have time to type, let alone say anything entertaining shouldn't really expect 20 comments per post. I'm happy with 1 these days.

Looking back, my most trafficked posts have been related to big decisions. I think the record was 29 comments for "what color should we paint our house." Awesome stuff.

There are a couple big things coming up in Paradise. Firstly, we are planning a kitchen revamp... not remodel, so don't get too excited. I got a bid for custom cabinets, I dreamed and schemed, then joined reality again, cried a little in disappointment, and came up with a way to make what we have more functional for the few years. It will still involve a lot of changes, so stay tuned. Before and after pictures rock.

Then there is the basement that still needs some final touches before "the big reveal." It might be just a touch, just a touch, anti-climactic, but a REVEAL all the same.

Another big news is coming in the late Spring. Exciting from our standpoint, but as blog readers, it means even less frequent posts in our already busy lives.

Here's a video I made to share with you all:

Around the World and Back

2011-10-31T17:00:00.000-07:00

Friday started a whirlwind weekend that had me reeling from just too much fun.

I love an adventure, but my real life has me grocery shopping with three kids at bedtime as the craziest thing I ever do.

This was crazier.

Friday I left bright and early, leaving my kids in the capable hands of grandma. What, mom is leaving for three days? No one cared at that point because g-ma is the bomb. I heard a rumor she served Mac and Cheese for lunch. Just amazing.

I drove the 90 minutes to Vancouver and met up with my dear friend Laura. She, husband, and son (cutest little toddler on the planet) were in town visiting family. I was excited to see them since Nashville is way too far away to stop by and say "hi." I realized I had been driving the road to Laura's parent's house for 15 years. How I love friendships that stand the test of time.... and stand me getting lost 999,999 of the 1,000,000 times I've driven there. On Friday, I drove straight there, I must be finally getting it.

Laura asked me to take pictures of their little family at the Fort. It was Laura and Kris' 5th anniversary and their wedding pictures were done on a gorgeous Fall day on Officer's Row. I was a bridesmaid, along with our friend Hillary, and I loved participating in their day 5 years ago and helping them celebrate now too.

I quickly went through my bazzilion images from this weekend and picked out some of my favorites.

I'll have the normal preview up on my photography site in a few days (AlysunPetersPhoto.com).

Didn't I tell you he is the cutest toddler on the planet?

Jack has such a nice personality and was sweet and delightful for the session.

Funny story here.... after Jack got back in the car with his grandma to warm up, I did some pictures of just Laura and Kris. We've had such a late Fall in the great NW and the colors weren't as fantastic as we were hoping. I placed the two lovebirds in a flowerbed against a light-post and I crawled into a bush (with lovely Fall colors :). I asked them to kiss and then immediately Kris jumped back, started yelling, and thrashing is arms through the air. Laura and I were laughing, but didn't know what in the world his problem was. Turns out a bee came and buzzed in his ear. Anniversary kiss or not, he reacted. I was able to get a cute pose of them laughing -- I much prefer this type to the posed ones that are most common. The bee was just what we needed to liven up the mood.

We quickly finished up our photos and Laura and fam rushed us through Burgerville's drive-thru and then me to the airport.

*I'm willing to work for Burgerville's delicious food as payment any time :).

At the airport I stood dutifully in security and was happy that neither I nor my baggage was suspicious. I was struck by how easy it is to go through the song and dance of airport security WITHOUT child/children in tow. It's been 8 years since I flew solo and it was weird and wonderful all at the same time.

I quickly boarded a plane that stopped in Oakland before continuing on to San Diego. Strangely enough, every row of passengers had at least two people in it except for mine. No one chose to sit by me. Since my airline doesn't assign seats, I could only assume I looked like a crazy person or had some manure from the farm on my shoe. No matter, I was able to fly the whole flight stretched out in comfort.

Besides being comfortable, I also had a good book and barely glanced out the window before seeing a lovely sunset over San Diego's shores. Reading a book without interruption is just about unheard of in my line of work, so I soaked up the author's good story in relaxed pleasure (The Mountain's Bow Down, Sibella Giorello).

Once I landed in San Diego, I got a ride to my hotel from the photographer who would be helping me shoot the wedding in the morning. We had talked several times on the phone and exchanged about 100 emails and it was so good to meet in person and get our last minute details ironed out before the big day.

I may be getting ahead of myself. Didn't you know I was going to San Diego to shoot a friend's wedding? It's been a busy Fall with lots of photo sessions including a wedding in September, about 20 family birthdays, teaching the kids' school, and trying to keep the dishwasher loaded with dirty dishes and unloaded of clean ones. I didn't have time to have the proper excitement for this very special weekend.

I've known about this trip since the Spring when my friend April asked me to do the pictures for her wedding. April and her Navy-guy fiance reside in San Diego. I met April back in 2003 through my dear friend Hillary. I had gone to visit Hillary in San Diego when her navy-guy husband was deployed and I was able to meet April and start a friendship that survived time and distance with the help of blogging and facebook.

I was completely blown-away and honored that she asked me!

This is April (left) and Hillary. Two gorgeous and Godly women and I was overjoyed to spend the weekend with them. What fun!

All my built up excitement didn't stop me from having anxious nightmares for months before the wedding. I had dreams that I was struck blind but tried to take pictures anyway by holding the camera up and clicking away with the auto setting on. That I forgot to take pictures at the wedding because I was holding a baby the whole time. That my camera's memory cards were erased in airport security. That I had a runny nose and had to blow my nose on my camera strap while taking pictures at the front of the sanctuary.

All these dreams occurred with different scenarios each time, all completely ridiculous, but I would wake up worried every time. Once awake, it was a marvelous excuse to pray in the middle of the night! I prayed for my camera equipment and my creativity and for the details, but especially for April and Adam that their special day would be an awesome way to start the rest of their lives together.

Still a bit nervous before I left, I said to my kind and caring husband, "What if I'm actually struck blind and can't take pictures at the wedding?"

He responded, "A photographer struck blind while shooting a destination wedding. It's so unlikely I bet you could get your own 20/20 special."

That's something to look forward to. Reassured, I left for the wedding.

And praise God, I was completely calm on the actual day. Nothing I dreamed or worried about actually happened. I made good preparations, had a back-up plan, a schedule for the day, and second-shooter who blessedly knew the area and helped out a ton.

The wedding day went by in a blink. We started with the wedding party getting ready at 9am and did shots of the girls and guys separately until 1pm when the wedding started. After that, the wedding party rushed to a nearby marina for a hurried shoot.

It was a gorgeous location, the sun was warm and bright. I love San Diego and it was the perfect day.

This one in the trees is one of my favorites.

Again, I'll have a whole lot more pictures up on my photography site soon.

At the close of the day I was exhausted. But a good exhausted. The whole wedding party, including parents, family, and friends, were outstanding to work with. Everyone was so kind and considerate, the day was truly about celebrating April and Adam. Ultimately I was most impressed by how they invited God into every aspect of the day. Through beautiful prayers of thanksgiving for God's goodness, there were a couple of times that I had to blindly hold my camera up and click the shutter because of tears in my eyes.

Photographer temporarily blinded by happy tears at San Diego wedding.

Sunday morning was a day of rest!

Hillary and I did a bit of sightseeing in San Deigo around Coronado Island. When I worked at Palomar Mountain in my teens, San Diego was always a rare treat to visit for the day and it was so fun to be back there.

It was a treat to get to talk to my friend without interruptions from either of our sets of kids. Our normal phone conversations are so stilted because minor emergencies are normal while moms try to chat.

Our lives have changed so much from the care-free teenagers we were when we met. Now both married for nearly a decade each, to wonderful men who were home watching our wonderful children, hers in San Jose, and mine back on the farm. It was just great to catch up, swap parenting hilarities, share God's amazing grace, and talk about hopes and dreams (Hillary is expecting baby #3 in a few months). We are both blessed beyond measure.

As we walked to the car to get back to the airport and on to our respective homes, we saw this amazing site. A mobile elliptical. It made me laugh with how crazy it looked. We see a lot of bicycles on our country road and I wonder how long it will take for the mobile eliptical to make it's way to the sticks.

I was eager to get home, although the three days away was just the perfect amount of time. Long enough to be relaxing, short enough not to go crazy without my most precious people.

It's good to be home. Emma is begging to go on my "next trip" (not that there is one on the calendar), Rem didn't seem to miss me, and Mandy said, "Why did you leave me in the first place?" Apparently a day with grandma, another day with the other grandma and cousins, and fun with Daddy, not to mention Mac and Cheese, were not enough to make up with the awesome fun of normal days with Mommy.

In Silhouette

2011-10-25T14:02:00.000-07:00

I was recently inspired by a friend's creativity. It's a good thing Jill doesn't have a blog because I would probably become an obsessive fan *stalker*. This girl's craft projects make Martha look tame.

The silhouettes on the left were created by Jill and she told me they were "really easy." In layman's terms, it might take a few hours, your religion, and give you a few emergency room worthy paper cuts, but it's really easy.

Silhouettes are so classy, so aristocratic. Just like my kids (in my imagination). I visualized a similar display in my home. I just had to try it!

I haven't gotten around to taking purposeful silhouette images of my kids, but this one of Rem just happened so I figured I would give it a go.

First I printed out the picture of Sir Remington and then taped it onto a piece of black construction paper. Jill's only advice was to make sure to cut the details like hair and eye lashes crisp. My sewing scissors weren't cutting it, so I switched to nose-hair trimming scissors.

Who says we aren't classy and aristocratic around here?

The whole project actually took about 10 minutes. It was easier than I expected and so darn fun to watch my little man transform into a regal work of art.

My husband actually burst out laughing when he saw it, saying, "It doesn't quite suit his personality." Sir Remington, our beloved toilet plunger playing, toy throwing, dirt wallowing son.

It's good for a classy decor statement.... or a good laugh (audience subjective).

Now to make silhouettes of the girls.

I might hang them all together someplace like Jill's or I might leave this the way it is.

The girls have a wall of fame/shame of their own on the other side of the window.

I just need 10 minutes and time to get over the fear of a few more paper cuts.

Beautiful Boy

2011-10-24T10:42:00.000-07:00

Botanical Anomalies

2011-10-19T13:26:00.000-07:00

We had a lovely garden this year.

Full of wild flowers, sunflowers, corn, tomatoes, potatoes, herbs, squash, carrots (of short stature), and zucchini (of unusual size).

I love gardening with my kids.

We'll continue our crazy garden attempts next year.

Here I caught a zucchini before it got too big.

Emma was CZP, cheif zucchini picker, for our 5 plants.

A few got away from her.

The vertically challenged carrots,

Zucchini of unusual size?

I don't believe they exist.

Until next year's botanical anomalies surprise us,

Simply Simplifying

2011-10-12T10:17:00.000-07:00

One of the blogs I check-out frequently when I am avoiding household tasks is called

Small Notebook for a simple home.

In a recent article, the author said "It is so much easier to simplify than to organize."

I love the sentiment, the idea, the peace and calmness of simplifying.

I am a chronic organizer, hanging on to things I may need someday, all the while grumbling because I can't find anything.

With this idea in mind, I set about to tackle a project that causes me constant, daily, post-meal angst.

I organized my leftover container drawer about 6 months ago.

Can't you tell?

The problem is, I organized, I didn't simplify.

So I grumbled and shoved and grumbled and scrambled and looked for a container with a matching lid.

All I wanted was a matching lid!

Out of all this, shouldn't there be some matches?

With some simplifying, I discovered a disproportionate amount of lids to containers.

Where are those missing containers? I don't know.

Probably with the missing socks, safety pins, the other half of the Easter eggs from '07, and pens with flowing ink.

With my birthday money I bought a new set of beautiful left-over containers.

With "easy find lids," I see my life getting simpler already.

I sorted out all the lids, as beautiful and nice looking as they may be, that didn't fit a container. I am going to toss them. I know, I know. I'm sure there is some craft project where I could use all those lids.

How about merry Christmas lid tree ornaments?

What's left is an easy to see, easy to find assortment of containers that will happily hold leftover food.

Without grumbling.

I feel at peace. Quite simply.

Celebrating Remington

2011-10-08T09:49:00.000-07:00

Our Remington turned 2 years old on Thursday.

It sounds cliche to say, "where did the time go?" But it is so true!

He ran right from snuggling babyhood into this boyland that is pretty wild and crazy at times.

As you would expect, he is very active and runs everywhere.

His favorite place to be is outside, outside, and outside. Now that he can open doors, we have to extra vigilant as he has no problem exploring the world solo.... and without shoes.

He can transport dirt from one place to another for hours. This is such a boy thing!

Every time I look at our little man he is growing up.

Also, showing his growing independence.... ie "mine!", throwing fits, being aggressive when he doesn't get his way, and being frustrated when he can't do things. Most of the time he would rather "do the crime and pay the fine," but with discipline he softens and says sorry -- eventually.

The look above is one he gives often when he's done something wrong. It says, "What? I wasn't aware that was unacceptable behavior." He is really smart though, and I have to remind myself that even though he doesn't talk much and gives me this innocent face, he knows exactly what he is doing.

His latest amazing trick is taking off his clothes, especially at nap time. One day last week I got him up from his nap to find him completely naked, his crib sheet off, and holes torn in his crib mattress. Perhaps we've been watching too many McGuyver reruns because I think Rem was trying to tunnel out. Not sure why he needed to take off his clothes, but the thought process doesn't need to be very deep for a 2 year old.

I've finally found a combination of onesies and backwards cloth diapers that he can't get out of. And a tighter crib sheet. Unless he takes a Swiss Army tool to bed, we're safe for awhile.

His vocabulary is still slowly coming along.

We get a kick out of his excited exclamations about every truck ("truck"), tractor ("truck" or "papa"), train ("truck"), and air plane ("plane") that he sees.

"What's that?" and "I un know," are his only phrases.

"Daddy" is the word I hear most all day long as Remington sees things that remind him of Daddy from white pick-ups, the sound of diesel engines, tractors driving by the house, to dirt and lawn mowers. He is such a Daddy's boy. I like to get him up in the morning because it is the only time I'll get a hug from the little mover. Even then, he snuggles for about 3 seconds and then pops his head up and says, "Daddy?"

Our growing boy is now 34 1/2 inches tall, 6 inches in height in 6 months.

He is tall and skinny, making clothes hard to fit. His 2T one piece jammies are stretched to capacity, and I bought him 3T for his birthday -- they fit perfectly. Crazy!

All his 2T pants are also too short (suddenly). I'm still so thankful for the abundance of hand-me downs from my sister's boys, my cousin's son, and a few friends who also gave generously. I sort through the clothes often trying to find things that fit and are the right season. We keep him looking pretty handsome. :)

We celebrated Remington's birthday with a quick trip away as a family and I did a lot of staring at our funny boy and reflecting on how precious he is. How did we live without this addition to our family? His entertainment at the table, dancing with the girls, easy giggles, and excited zeal for life are just amazing to us. We are so, so, thankful for our Remington James.

Trusting God With My Most Precious

2011-10-03T08:54:00.000-07:00

Posted on Drops (Monday)

Like the scary part of a city, there are topics my brain avoids thinking about. Or maybe it is my heart avoiding things. Too scary, too many unwanted emotions.

Losing a child is one of those topics.As a devout Christian I know my children are a gift from the Lord. They belong to Him and are treasures to care for, but not to own. I can neither control the breaths that pass from their lungs or the beating of their hearts, God numbers our days (Job 14:5).

Since I do everything I can to not think about trusting God with the lives of my children, it took a sweet lady picking blueberries next to me to bring up the subject. I knew this woman from my former church. A decade had passed since I talked with her last, but she talked with ease and grace. Jesus' peace emanated from her and I found myself smiling as she chatted about her life and asking about mine. She delighted in my children and remembered fondly the days when her 5 children were young.

As we talked, she mentioned 3 children, not 5.

"Where are your other 2 children?" I asked naively.

"With the Lord dear. Our God is so good. He allowed us to have them for a time and those moments were so precious." She told me that one of her daughters died at age 17 from a terrible illness and another daughter died in middle-age from a painful disease.

I left the blueberry patch, the scary topic I avoided was swirling relentlessly through my mind.

Could I trust God's goodness like that? Did I want to? I felt as though my vigilant worry over my children belonged to me -- the right of a mother. My heart argued with this new idea. How to trust God with my children's lives.

I shared lunch with my husband the same day and I told him about my ~~revelations~~, more like struggling thoughts. "I want to trust Him, but I just can't." I saw his eyes mist too. He shared my sentiments. These children, OUR children, were too dear to let go of. Even into the arms of an all-knowing, all-powerful, loving God.

I got ready to leave and go to our home about 4 miles away from the main farm. I gathered the precious children who consumed my thoughts. One, two..... where is three? I searched the farm yard yelling my oldest, Emma's, name for a few minutes. My father-in-law joined the search, then I made frantic calls on my cell phone to everyone else working in the area. "Have you seen her? Where is she?"

Absolute panic mounted as the minutes passed. Did she go on the road? Is she hurt? Did someone take her? The prayers whirled franticly. "Jesus no! Don't take her. Let us find her safe. I can't live without her. Jesus no. Jesus no. Jesus no." There were no thoughts about trust. No peace that passes understanding (Philippians 4:7). Just carnal fear that I was completely out of control and needed my little girl.

It was less than 15 minutes until we found her. She was standing in our driveway, 4 miles away from where we last saw her, next to a stranger's car. A 6 year-old's impetuous decision to walk home led a mother of 2 girls to stop on the side of the road and offer Emma a ride.... just as the woman saw a man in a pick-up stopping from the other direction. The understanding woman said it just didn't seem right and she was frightened for my little girl's safety.

God was watching over my most precious.

My hysteria took quite awhile to calm. My girl in my arms, our angel stranger thanked and hugged, I finally realized I was a million miles away from trusting God with the lives of my children.

"How do I trust you?" I asked a benevolent Heavenly Father. Where was the peace and trust the older woman spoke of while picking blueberries? I didn't have it. I knew that for sure.

Probably 40 or 50 decades older than me, this woman had not come to her resolutions in an instant. She probably had moments of doubt and panic and desperation as she saw not only one, but two of her children suffer and then die. Her doubts were comforted by the loving arms of a Savior. In her long life, God taught her, molded her, and guided.

I realized many things on the day when my daughter was lost. First, that I am not in control, even when I've taken every step to lectured ad naseum about stranger-danger, given my children swimming lessons, bubble-wrapped the coffee table corners, provided carseats, and driven under the speed limit since they were born. My vigilance is useful, but not omniscient. And my endless worry is useless.

And secondly, trusting in God for my children is a daily decision.

I no longer avoid the tumulus topic of trusting God my most precious little ones. When my thoughts wander there, when my heart threatens to seize up in its normal controlling nature, I thank God for His goodness. I thank God for the treasured blessings He has given me to raise. I also pray for my lack of faith. I need help learning to trust. This is daily, moment to moment. Trust and growth, "Help me Lord. Help my unbelief" (Mark 9:24).

A friend just gave me Mary Beth Chapman's book, Choosing To See. On my journey to embracing God's goodness and trusting Him with everything, including the lives of my children, I know this book will be inspirational -- I'm on page 5!

Just Another Day in Paradise

2011-09-28T11:23:00.000-07:00

A day in pictures.

A Birthday Girl

2011-09-15T21:25:00.000-07:00

Dear Mandy,

Happy birthday sweet girl.

From the moment I felt the first bump from inside my belly, I knew you would add exuberance to our family. You never stopped moving, a crazy birth story, a demanding baby, crawling at 5 months, talking at 8 months. A whirlwind of absolute delight.

Active, enthusiastic, and expressive, we haven't caught our breath with how amazing you are!

As you grow in outward beauty every day,

I pray that out of his glorious riches God may strengthen you with power

through his Spirit in your inner being,

so that Christ may dwell in your heart through faith.

And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love,

may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people,

to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ,

and to know this love that surpasses knowledge

—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

(Ephesians 3:16-19)

So sweet girl,

I cherish your love of all things girly and pink,

your need for touch, hugs, and affirmation.

I adore your dimples on your sunshiny face.

I love your faded-favorite-blue-jean-colored eyes that crinkle closed for your ever-present smile.

You are so excited for your birthday and I hope it is just an awesome day for you.

On order for your special day on the 16th, friends (25 of them!) and pink cupcakes.

I told you there wouldn't be any presents, but just maybe there will be.

We are celebrating you.

You are so absolutely, fantastically precious to me.

I love you Mandy Rose.

Love, Mommy

Doing Things Right

2011-09-12T10:23:00.000-07:00

I don't know anyone harder on herself than a mom. I can't go a day without feeling like I failed at something. Even the devotions meant to encourage can lead me to one more conviction that I am doing something wrong.

Complaining too much, a bad attitude, anger, fatigue, fear, loneliness, self- control, temptations, impatience with God's timing, insecurities, and doubt.....

Is there anything I'm doing right in this long list?

We have high standards for ourselves. Those ideals were set long before we got the glorious gift of a first child. And then they came crashing down at the first mistake. It is sometimes an every day defeat.

We knew what we would never do as moms and then we watch those lofty goals come falling off the knight's horse onto a dirty kitchen floor.

Mothering is the hardest job in the world, it's relentless. I remember night after night collapsing beside my daughter's bed in tears when she finally slept. She was two and I used the word "terrible" to describe her. She tried me at every turn. And every day I felt like I lost. In my defeated heart I used the same word to describe myself. Terrible.

Does the sun really come out tomorrow? It is easy to doubt that tomorrow is a new day. Will it be the same as yesterday? A failure?

I have to tell you something you are probably not telling yourself:

You are doing so many things right.

A favorite author of mine, Julie Ann Barnhill, says this in her book, "She's Gonna Blow, Real Help For Moms Dealing with Anger". The book confronts a tough subject, anger in moms (raise your hand if you've experienced this one!), yet there is good happening in our homes too.

"I think it's quite extraordinary that all my children are not only alive,

but toilet trained, up-to-date on their vaccines, adequately clothed,

and able to tie their shoes. Since that amazing day when Kristen

[daughter] arrived, I've messed up, goofed up, and flat out done

things wrong, but boy, have I done some things right. Like holding

my babies when most everyone said, "Let them cry themselves to

sleep." Or like playing big-band swing music way too loud, far too

late in the evening, and dancing with my nine-year-old son while

his four-year-old brother fell over laughing."

We can take a break from our long lists of regrets and think of the good. The smiles, laughter, "I love you Mommy," peaceful sleeps or mid-night snuggles, and sticky hugs. The good list goes on. We are doing so many things right.

Perfect mothering doesn't exist. For our failures, there is God's grace. "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23), "Though we were spiritually dead because of the things we did against God, he gave us new life with Christ. You have been saved by God's grace" (Ephesians 2:5, NCV).

We could go on being hard on ourselves, unforgiving of mistakes. Our lofty goals trampled like a lego tower in a room full of toddlers. Or we could be encouraged by successes. The things done right are blessings that should be counted.

Our daily devotions do not need to be a list of "things I'm doing wrong and need to change," but to help us grow and see God's grace in our lives. Time brings perspective, maybe the good isn't so hard to see after all.

Be encouraged today. You are doing so many things right.

This was posted on Drops today, minus the personal (unedited) pictures. Just doing double duty today!

The busy post you've been waiting for...

2011-08-28T20:52:00.000-07:00

You'll be happy to know I've done some self analysis.

A few months ago I made the broad statement that I don't like reading other people's blog posts about being busy.

I had no idea the public outcry would be so deafening.

Okay, I mildly offended two loyal followers (also frequent blog posters about being busy).

My self analysis uncovered some deep-seeded issues about my own lameness. You see, when I am reading someone's blog about how busy she is, I feel lame because 1) I haven't done nearly as many bloggable, cool, rad, things, 2) I haven't taken any pictures of lately, and 3) I am sitting there reading the blog, so I must not be busy and, i.e, lame.

Self doubt isn't a pretty attribute, especially when God's given me a purpose.

Feeling lame about what I lack, whether in coolness, radness, style, poeticism (thank you spell-check), and funniness, isn't productive.... or grateful. God's so good to me and my blessings abound.

My life is full, busy or not, with blessings.

Check out these two. A hoot and completely uncooperative during a recent photoshoot.

Mandy isn't thrilled with Emma's breath. I'm sure her own was fresh and perky.

The days fly by and these kids keep me hopping, laughing, doing laundry, preparing snacks and meals, running the dishwasher, and sweeping up endless crazy messes.

We spend a lot of time outside, tending the garden, watching zucchini grow before our very eyes. Last year our garden did poorly so I went a little crazy this year and planted way too much of everything. We have tomatoes, corn, potatoes, zucchini, crookneck, butternut squash, spaghetti squash, lettuce, cucumber, and herbs. Keep your door locked, I'm coming over with my surplus.

We planted about 40 feet of wildflowers from a seed packet.

It was a great idea because the girls ask me every day if they can make a bouquet.

They pick flowers and create to their hearts content and I don't worry about them wrecking any of my plants -- there are plenty to choose from!

When I get a few minutes here and there,

I haven't been blogging. You might have noticed.

[Tap, tap, tap] Is this thing on?

It has fallen to the bottom of my priorities. Priorities being:

1) kids, house, finding hungry farmers (one in particular) to have meals with every day.

2) preparing for a wedding I am shooting in a few weeks and another one at the end of October. I recently bought a flash, stand, and umbrella and am setting up a home studio. Also, taking training courses from KelbyTraining.com, awesome fun stuff!

3) getting ready for homeschooling. The catch-all office needs some major reorganizing to make it functional for a first grader, preschooler, and mischievous toddler... oh, and me too. I got a bunch of the books I ordered in the mail and am excitedly planning the school year. We'll be doing a co-op once a week and have tons and tons to help us learn and have fun with My Father's World curriculum.

4) canning is in full swing. I'm currently working on jams. Along with a bunch of successful jars, I managed to scorch a batch and ruin it while multi-tasking. The plus side is that I completed the curtains for the basement in the process. Down side, 9 cups of berries on the compost pile. Next up are tomatoes, pears, and apple sauce. I really want to make salsa this year too.

5) Drops. I am constantly amazed at how having the accountability of writing for Drops is growing my faith. When it would be so easy to forget time with God, I'm prompted by this responsibility. Sharing my journey with other moms is convicting, compelling, encouraging, and frightfully humbling.

Andrea and I are coming up on a year of writing for our Drops of Living Water blog. We have a loyal group of readers and God's goodness constantly amazes us. We are hoping to bring on regular contributors this year and are excited about where God will take this effort.

This is life as we know it. What a "busy" post, right? Thanks for baring with me through sporadic posting. I'll be back when I catch another few minutes of free time. :)

Successful Adventures [with kids]

2011-08-12T13:28:00.000-07:00

I used to think I knew a thing or two about adventure.

Europe beckoned with just a backpack full of supplies and my passport.

A solo road trip half way across Canada with a van seat that folded into a bed.

Plane rides to California for a tiny paycheck and a fantastic suntan in return.

Then I had children and the word "adventure" took on a whole new meaning.

I had so many occasions when my highest hopes for a good outing turned into a tearful, messy, cranky disaster.

Whether it is a trip to Disneyland, a simple errand to the mall, or picking blackberries on the back forty,

is it possible to have a successful adventure with children?

After a successful adventure recently, I pondered what worked.

Why did this trip get 5 stars while others rated "WORST EVER"?

1. Realistic expectations. This doesn't mean "low" expectations, just that we as parents know our children. I imagine realistically the potential outing/adventure, not the glossy catalog version where birds always chirp, sun always shines, children never get dirty, and heaven forbid they never throw fits!

What are the worst possible scenarios and the best possible? Somewhere in between is where life will probably land. I give my best guess to the children's reactions and plan accordingly. For example, my toddler doesn't do the library very well. Hoping to spend a few hours there calmly looking at books is completely unrealistic. In a few years, yes, but for now our library trips are short.

2. Wise planning. How many times have I had a horrible experience just to think back and realize it was all my fault? We left too late, I didn't have enough supplies, a toddler missed a nap, everyone's hungry.... Good planning covers a lot of "what ifs." Times, locations, protein-filled snacks, changes of clothes, Costco size box of diaper wipes, the list goes on. Spontaneous adventures are still completely doable, the planning just has to go faster.

This might be the time to tell the story about last year's hiking adventure where both me and my child's father forgot Mandy's shoes. She had to be carried 3 miles. Poor planning.

3. Communication. I talk a lot to my kids about the upcoming outing. I try not to tell them too far in advance if it something that could fall through or is weather dependent. But just before and as we are going on our adventure, I talk about what it will be like, how I expect them to behave, consequences if they misbehave, and things to look forward to during the day. Toddler or school age, they are all in on the conversation. I learned this parenting tool from a book called Raising Your Spirited Child. I was trying to deal with my firstborn's horrible tantrums every time we transitioned from one activity to the next. The author pointed out that children freak out at the unknown. Spelling out what is going on and what is expected of them helps calm.

I try not to use bribes. Do they ever work very well anyway? If you promise something like ice cream if everyone is good today, what happens when one acts good, but the others do not? Or best yet, the bribes for things you really don't want to take away... "If you don't start acting better, we aren't going to Enchanted Forest." Ya, right. It's better to communicate expectations and reward appropriately. Never underestimate the power of praise!

4. A good attitude. If mama 'aint happy, 'aint nobody happy. My mood has a powerful impact on my family, especially on an adventure. My children LOVE going on outings with me. You should hear their excitement when I announce we are going to Gilbert House, OMSI, a day at the beach, or simply picking blackberries at the barn. All that fun quickly fades when I start acting grouchy, snapping at them, and getting irritated over little things. When I start acting like everything is an emergency.

I heard a quote that went something like this, "Children should know joy today, anticipate joy tomorrow, and remember joy from yesterday." As a parent, it is fully in my hands how my children view life. Is it negative or positive?

Do I sweat the small stuff and get angry or count blessings and praise God for His goodness?

We had a good adventure picking blackberries. I kept it short and didn't try to do too much (I was tempted).

I had to carry Rem back home because he was tired and cranky.

I thought about this post that was already written in my mind.... this was poor planning, I thought and longed for a stroller or backpack.

We all live and learn, don't we!

How I wish there was some kind of graduate program to earn degrees in parenting.

"Yes, I'm working on my Masters in Adventures with Children. Yes, it is challenging, but I get lot of practice"

It was blackberry ice cream when we got home

(4 cups ice, 1 cups milk, 1/2 cup sugar, vanilla, and berries in the blender for a minute).

When I think back on all the adventures I've had with my kids, the successful ones required realistic expectations, good planning, lots of communication, and fantastic attitudes (this isn't an emergency!).

What are your greatest memories of adventures with kids?

I love reading your comments.

Summer is when laziness finds respectability.

2011-08-08T16:22:00.000-07:00

"Deep summer is when laziness finds respectability."

(Sam Keen)

"Lazy" isn't a word used to describe a farm family's summer, usually.

My hardworking man is currently combining and

just finished harvesting grass seed, now on to wheat.

The work keeps him out late and we catch moments of time with him for

lunches and dinners when we find him in the fields.

There are so many pluses to farm life, that I put a piece of duct-tape over my mouth

when I want to utter a complaint about the long hours.

Even with the duct-tape, the solo parenting still gets to my normally stellar attitude

and I was in need of a break!

The kids and I took off for a week to glimpse laziness at the camp where my parents work.

With a pool, lake, dining hall, and grandparents with flexible working schedules,

it proved to be the perfect place to relax.

My sister also spent the week at camp, actually camping in a tent trailer

while I stayed at my parents.

The older kids (Emma and Benton, along with 2 of Ben's friends)

went to daycamp during the week.

Mandy and Nano and Rem had a great time playing together.

There isn't too much laziness allowed with active children around.

Should we play at the pool, lake, or one of the playgrounds? became the biggest question of the day.

My children don't have the "fear of water" gene, so Rem wore a life jacket for 90% of our visit.

Occationally he would pull on that horrible leg strap with a look of disdain (wouldn't you?).

Then he would go on playing.

Along with Rem's cheerful play, here is a portion of my leg

so you can see I am making an effort to tan.

I'm so thankful for my parents who took time off to hang out with us.

They are as busy as farmers in the summer, but were around enough for us to get thoroughly spoiled.

My baby decided to choose this week to shed any traces of baby-hood.

He learned how to crawl out of the pack n' play the first day and rebelled against naps after that.

He also learned how to drink from a big cup, jump, walk backwards,

and say "cheese".... just not all at the same time -- he has his limits.

I've never, ever told my kids to say "cheese" to get a smile.

Yet Rem was still going around with this strange smile saying the never-ending version of "cheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeze."

So cute. I admit it.

Emma and Ben had such a good time at camp.

I was curious to see how Emma would like it since she has never been away from me for that long.

She found some hidden extrovert gene I didn't know she had and participated

with the other kids like a pro. She did swim lessons, crafts, Bible stories,

and went on a field trip to Northwest Trek.

Probably helps to have a cousin like this to hang out with!

Rem's favorite person is Daddy, but without him around,

Grandpa became a reasonable substitute

The vacation was a great idea.

We are refreshed and ready to enjoy the rest of the summer.

The farmer-man missed us too, working even longer hours.

He's happy to have happy people to come home to!

Plain Sight Answers

2011-07-24T21:17:00.000-07:00

Sometimes the best answers are hiding in plain sight.

It had been one of those days where irritations piled up like derailed train cars. When finally the children were asleep in their beds and exhaustion oozed from my every pore, I collapsed in front of the computer. To be consumed with distractions and just to relax. Jeff's farming hours are long and this was one of those times I had just "had it."

I saw a friend was online and we began chatting back and forth through instant messaging. Her words always encourage me, her home filed with many children and a husband who works evenings too. I knew she would understand, so I began unloading my day's irritations.

Something annoying happened. [Enter]

And something worse. [Enter]

And then it was something else. [Enter]

You wouldn't believe this, but it was even worse. [Enter]

It was one thing after another and I lost it. [Enter]

I acted like I said I wouldn't. [Enter]

I failed so badly today. I feel so defeated. [Enter]

This day just sucked. [Enter]

And silence from the other end of the chat. My words stared back at me and my mind raced. Why was this day so horrible? Yesterday wasn't any better. There wasn't much hope.

Finally a popping sound signaled my friend's reply.

Have you been reading your Bible? She asked.

Insensitive? Preachy? Holy-er than thou? I wanted to cling to those feelings as I read her question again. But I knew the answer. No, I had not been reading my Bible. My rushed prayers (if any) led to unpleasant, impulsive actions and it all ended in a day that "just sucked."

No, I haven't had time, I replied.

You can't do this job on your own. Let God feed your soul. When you read your Bible every day, you have strength to act in obedience, she said.

As I was thinking, "I know all this... I just haven't done it," her next sentence arrived saying, "You know it is true. We all just need reminders sometimes."

Part of me still longed to hear "Oh, that's okay. Life is out to get you... you poor dear," but I needed that kick in the seat of my pants. I left the chat to go find my Bible.

Ironically (or maybe not), my Bible was sitting on the hutch in the dining room and a fruit basket sat on top. One lone pear in the basket had rotted and left stinky juice to run through the basket and on to the leather cover of my Bible.

How long does it take fruit to rot? Maybe about as long as it takes my weary soul to realize I can't do this on my own.

The difficulties of this life are inescapable, but God provides the answer.... in plain sight.

"In this world you will have trouble.

But take heart! I have overcome the world."

[John 16:33]

My pastor is preaching through the book of Mark and a verse leapt off the page while I read the passage during the sermon. ..."The whole crowd was amazed at his teaching" (Mark 11:28). This isn't talking about awe-inspiring miracles. Just "teaching." Yet, the people were AMAZED by the simple truths they heard from Jesus. The pastor expounded on that verse by saying, "Open your Bibles and read. God has amazing things to show you. When you are reading and seeking, you will be encouraged."

You. Will. Be. Encouraged.

We serve a God who has all the power. His strength is perfect, when ours is gone (II Cor. 12:9). But we can't just wear around power-ranger suits and expect no effort on our parts. This "easy" answer will take some work (I had to clean rotten pear juice off my Bible first). Open the pages. We need to learn and practice by reading the Bible and we will be encouraged. And as my friend said, we'll have the strength to act in obedience when those sucky days come.

This post is featured on Drops Of Living Water today (Monday). :)

Treasures in the Bathroom

2011-07-23T10:37:00.000-07:00

Please, let me show you my dream bathroom...

Truth be told, I googled "spa-like bathrooms" and came up with this.

If this was in my house, it would take up half of the main floor's square footage.

Even though it looks like you could eat off the floor of this bathroom,

it might be a touch awkward when guest came over for a meal.

"Welcome to our home! [said with Martha enthusiasm]

We juts remodeled and added a 700 square foot spa bathroom.

The living room, dining room, and kitchen had to go... but isn't it beautiful?"

I'm temped, but will keep our modest accommodations (all 28 square feet of them) in the washroom.

Especially when my house's bathroom is perfectly adequate.

Toilet.

Tub.

Sink.

What more could a girl want?

There is a lot of danger in letting my mind dream of "what if...?" in the terms of remodeling my adequate, functional, quaint farmhouse into a chic spa.

Because reality is....

I live in a farmhouse.

With a farmer.

And three farm kids.

Today I found a plastic bug in the tub and I thought it was real.

[Thank you Jr. Master Gardener Camp for providing my daughter with such a "fun" toy]

I also saw turkey lunch meat on top of the toilet lid and I screamed.

*I'm not sure what my brain went to first as it tried to process the site... a pile of fleshy skin maybe?!!

That isn't realistic at all.

Lunch meat makes a whole lot more sense.

And then there are the dirty hand prints. Dirty foot prints.

We LIVE in this space. I clean it, get freaked out by what I find and move on.

And what more could you want out of a bathroom?

My Emergency Reactions

2011-07-17T22:09:00.000-07:00

I live in a land where emergencies happen moment to moment.

The kids woke up too early and now everyone is cranky. Emergency.

Baby played in the toilet that wasn’t flushed. Emergency.

A ‘helper’ dusted valuable breakables onto the floor. Goodbye travel souvenirs. Emergency.

A mole dug up my freshly planted flower beds. Emergency.

Burned cornbread. Emergency.

These things are BIG in my life.
I want to pout and scream and call someone to get some sympathy. Isn’t that what we do in an emergency? My reaction is physical and I feel my chest tighten, breathing accelerates.

A few months ago I printed out a Parenting Manifesto from Ann Voscamp’s blog. I love every line written, but one stuck out to me:

Today, I will not have any emergencies. There are no emergencies. Only amateurs hurry.

But…. I want to argue (and maybe stomp my foot!), situations happen all day long that make me crazy! In my land, they are emergencies. This Manifesto implies I have a choice about how I react to them. Could great calamities be handled with grace?

We all know the craziness of my reaction isn’t productive.

Read the rest on Drops Of Living Water...

Bitten By Busyness

2011-07-10T21:31:00.000-07:00

As an avid blog reader, I don't usually appreciate the "I've been too busy to blog" posts on other people's blogs.

Why have a blog if you are too busy to update it?

That's what I think. Judgmental soul that I am.

And here I am, too busy to blog.

Passing judgement usually has a way of coming around and biting me in the butt.

I'll watch that next time.

Summer's goodness is throwing a lot at us.

We've been busy pulling socks up to knees and fastening shoes on the wrong feet.

And finally getting to a pool to try a new toy.

Oh, how this inflatable mammal has taunted us from the garage shelf since it was given to Mandy as a birthday gift in September.

Being cute and crazy.

Going swimming when all the grown-ups say "it is too cold."

Falling off inflatable mammals and waiting until later to learn how to swim.

And being rescued by Grandma.

Warming up.

And soaking up the sun.

Hope you are having a blessed summer,

I've Got Your Heart In My Hands Baby

2011-06-28T22:18:00.000-07:00

I hold my little child's heart in the palm of my hand. God designed me as a parent to have the unique privilege of molding and shaping my child. The spiritual, emotional, moral, and intellectual core of my child belongs to me. No small matter!

"My child, give me your heart and let your eyes delight in my ways."

Proverbs 23:26

When a child is small, it is easy to assume the concept in that verse is normal and will always come naturally. My little baby made eye contact with me, as her mother, first after birth. I am LIFE to her. Her smiles and giggles, cuddles, and love are all mine. I take for granted that she runs to me for help, comfort, excitement, and love. Woohoo! Mission accomplishes, she delights in my ways!

My job isn't done (and it isn't easy!). "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy" (John 10:10). A child grows and matures and his/her heart is fragile. My husband and I strive to bring up Godly children and we are in competition with the enemy for our child's spiritual, emotional, moral, and intellectual core.

I can easily lose my child's heart. If her heart doesn't belong to me and my husband, it belongs to someone else. Is there anyone worthy of possessing my child's heart? A friend, neighbor, teacher, Sponge Bob Square Pants? No, God gave the responsibility of molding a child's heart directly to his/her parents.

Jeff and I attended the OCEAN conference on Saturday. It was great and the first time Jeff and I have spent a sunny, summer, Saturday together in about 9 years! Our friend Jenni watched the kids in Portland and we were able to hear encouraging speakers all day about family values and home discipleship.

One of the sessions was titled "Winning and Keeping the Heart of Your Child." I enjoyed it because it reinforced the same thing as my favorite (all time!) parenting book, Shepherding a Child's Heart. I love practical parenting advice, something I can take home and do, or NOT do as the case may be. The following list is from my notes.

How can we lose the heart of a child?

Discipline out of anger. A child's heart hardens against a parent who can't be trusted to discipline in love. "Do not aggravate your children or they will become discouraged." (Colossians 3:21) (James 1:20).

Require a child to do more than they are capable or you have trained them for. I'm guilty of this when I expect my child to do things "perfectly" and give her a job too big for her maturity and skill.

Talking down to him/her. A sigh of displeasure, rolling eyes, shake of the head in disgust, all count as "talking down" -- anything that makes a child feel less significant than he/she is as created by God ("fearfully and wonderfully made", Psalm 139:14).

Criticize instead of encourage. The person who praises a child, holds a child's heart. "A happy heart makes the face cheerful, but heartache crushes the spirit." (Proverbs 15:13)

Rules for the sake of rules. All rules should be enforced with love and for a child's health and safety (and for the well-being of the family). Don't we want God to give the same respect to us as his children? (Matthew 7:8)

"My child, do not forget my teaching, but keep my commands in your heart," this parent says in Proverbs, 3:1. I long for that as I raise my children. That my amazing parenting won't be lost to angry words, false expectations, sighs of displeasure, criticism, and rules that exasperate. There is hope in parenting. The book I mentioned above is full of godly advice and I highly recommend it (invite me to your baby shower and I'll give it to you as a gift!). The Bible is absolutely our best source of counsel and encouragement. We can keep our children's hearts right where they belong!

"Know that wisdom is sweet to your soul.

If you find it, there is a future hope for you,

and your hope will not be cut off."

(Proverbs 24:14)

Meet Beaver and Dora (i.e. Cletus)

2011-06-22T16:57:00.001-07:00

If I had a dollar for every post I did about "new cats," I would be a semi-rich woman.

We go through cats! I tell ya, it's just not a safe environment around here.

Max was run over by a passing police car.

Buddy was abducted by the neighbors

(they fed him gourmet cat food, pet him 14 hours a day, and never tried to carry him by his neck --

it was no mystery why he left our family. He lives happily retired with them to this day).

Lucy was killed by an angry skunk.

Scratchy road to town in Jeff's pick-up and hasn't been seen again,

although the girls still scour the Bi-Mart parking lot every time we are there.

So we got some new kittens.....

We got two Calico kittens from friends and they are just as cute as can be (the friends and the cats).

I can't honestly tell the kittens apart, but the girls can.

Emma named her kitten Beaver because it is orange and black.

Mandy named hers Dora.... she decided she likes to name the cat, so it goes through an identity crisis every few days. The latest name is "Cletus." I have no idea where she got that name. I'm hoping this phase passes quickly because all I can think of is this song and it gets stuck in my head for hours at a time:

Back to the cats...

Does that look like a Cletus to you?

No, Dora. Definitely.

The kids carry the cats around constantly and it has pacified Emma's constant pestering about wanting a d.o.g.

I am personally not an animal lover. Don't hate me.

But cats have some winning attributes.

They catch mice.

They bury their poo (in a private place for outdoor cats).

They don't bark.

... And they catch mice.

Why kids whine.

2011-06-17T14:19:00.000-07:00

Why do my kids whine? I've spent quite a lot of time thinking about this... especially yesterday when all three of my kids were going strong in whine mode. I would have rather sat in my car with its alarm going off for 12 hours.

In my experience, kids whine for 3 reason:

1) hungry. Amazing what a little protein from a nutritious snack will do for an attitude.

2) tired. Interrupted sleep patterns, short nights, skipped naps, make for cranky, cranky kids.

3) want attention or bored. I've seen this in itty-bitty 6 months olds up to 6 years olds. "I'm bored, I want you to read to me, I want you to play with me....". Spoken or grunted, the words are the same. Give me your undivided attention. Now!

Oh, I just thought of a fourth reason...

4) habit. Babies are born wanting to be the center of attention and their worlds fall off axis when everything doesn't revolve around them. That whiny voice says, "I'm important and I think you forgot for a second that I. Have. Needs." A parent continues to give in to the whining (just make it stop!) and the kid has a fabulous habit of whining. All. The. Time. I say to my kids, "I can't understand your voice because you are whining. Try again and speak with respect." It works like a charm and nearly immediately, a little one's tone changes. But I have to say that sentence roughly 546 times a day. I think they are catching on. Maybe.

Yesterday, my three kids were suffering from all four major causes of whin-o-topia. I was tired of hearing whining, so I gave them an un-nutritious snack of fruit gummy things. My #1 child was acting really tired and I told her to take a nap, but she didn't and instead got #3 up from a nap early and while I was reprimanding #1 for waking #3, #3 woke up #2. Then everyone was bored with nothing to do except play outside on a beautiful day while I tried to get work done outside. I wasn't giving them attention. I know! The travesty. Then, the habit of whining that I've been trying to kick to the curb (not literally), came rearing its ugly head in all three of my children.

The problem is, once all three (and sometimes four) whine-inducing scenarios are breeched, there is little than can be done to salvage the day. I could have handled things better yesterday. I should have addressed the trifecta of whine-causes first instead of hoping and praying that this one day would be different from any other day and my kids could live through a sugary snack, no nap, and receiving none of my attention. I should have put my to-do list on hold and gave them real food, forced rest, and then had a wonderful time playing with them.

The fantastic thing is, tomorrow is another day. Er, actually today is another day. And it is going fantastic with my new resolves....

And.... my husband felt such sympathy after hearing my whining about all their whining and he took the two oldest to work with him today. Love him!

:)

Self-tanning Ganache

2011-06-11T10:16:00.000-07:00

My husband was humming, "It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas."

His merry tune was less to do with the cool June weather and more to do with the snowy white complexion of my legs.

I am white as a sheet these days. I look around and see tan people, I envy them, but I know they did one of three things to become bronze instead of sheet-like. (Or they aren't causation, having darker skinned ethnicity would really help).

1) Fake and bake, ya, they tell us it is horrible for you, but it gives the glo and what is more fun than laying na-ked in a spaceship-like thing?

2) Real sun, zero days over 80 degrees in 9 months in the NW, I know they must have been on an exotic vacation.

3) Tan in a tube, it stinks but gives the elution of darker skin, what's not to love? Oh ya, the smell and the nasty chemicals.

I've participated in the above three bronze-achieving activities in the past. I'm not ashamed to admit it. I love the look of tanned skin. I'm with my husband on this one -- I think the color white should be reserved for wedding dresses, snow, and refrigerators.

My recent lotion making adventure had me wondering if I could make a chemical-free self-tanner in a tube. With dreams of deep, dark, skin, I turned to Google for advice. They came up with the reoccurring suggestion to use cocoa powder.

What did I have to lose?

Well, maybe my pride.

I mixed equal parts cocoa powder and vanilla spice lotion (homemade).

It was way too thick, so I added twice as much lotion.

I ended up with a ganache-like consistency that smelled delicious.

And I was very hungry and repulsed at the same time.

I smeared it on my pasty-white leg.

I think the results are quite natural looking.

I was hoping to perform this experiment in private and then Mandy got up from her nap.

Her running dialog went something like this:

"What are you doing?

Is that frosting?

Why are you putting frosting on yer-self?

Can I put frosting on my-self?

Can I lick your leg?"

I decided the "bronze cocoa" tan was a bit much.

Just a bit.

So I wiped it all off.

I tried and tried and tried to take a non-creepy picture of my legs. Really I did. It is impossible.

The leg on the left is cocoa-ed. The leg on the right is white as snow. Do you see a subtle difference?

"It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas....."

The chemicals are nasty in regular self-tanners and they stink.

Yet, they work.

My review of the cocoa powder lotion?

The all-natural formula didn't actually work, took about half an hour to apply and then wipe off, and I had to shower before I went to bed because other reviewers said the un-tinted residual left on my skin would come off on my bed sheets and stain then. How ironic.

Looks like the only solution is an exotic vacation to the sun with plenty of time to lay around and eat ganache.

Exotic vacation to Mexico in November of 2009.

My skin color matches a newborn. I guess all that sun didn't help.

Because I was looking at Mexico pictures and found this.....

And suddenly I don't care any more that I'm not tan....

Or that I have Christmas songs running through my head in June....

Or that I just posted creepy pictures of my legs on the internet.

Have a beautifully pale day,

Kids Say the Funniest Things - Mandy Edition

2011-06-07T16:49:00.000-07:00

Mandy just came into the room holding a seam ripper and two packages of sewing needles.

I asked, "Why do you have my sewing stuff?"

She responded, "This is sewing stuff? Oh, well your kids aren't geniuses."

The child is 3.

Going on 16, or so she tells me.

The other day I was applying eye shadow in the bathroom mirror and Mandy said she wanted some too. I told her not until she was 16 and without missing a beat she said, "But I am 16." She had this incredulous look on her face and her hands were flipped palms up. Of course, how could I forget.

Maybe it is the fact you are three feet tall.

Or maybe it is because I remember your birthday. 3. Years. Ago.

Mandy is constantly talking.

Constantly.

If she isn't talking, she is either sound asleep or ill.

Actually, even when she is ill she is telling us all about what ails her.

No one does sick quite as dramatically as Mandy.

God has a sense of humor because we spent the first 3 years of Emma's life in virtual silence.

Emma never tried to talk, didn't want to talk and it was at this same age (3 and a half)

that I took her in to be evaluated for delayed speech.

Emma, who has no speech delay now, but prefers to be quiet, recently told me that Mandy talks enough for the both of them.

It's true.

Mandy's imaginary world is a crazy place and listening in always gives me pause to chuckle.

"My husband is pregnant and his parents just died. I just don't know what I am going to do!!

[insert flailing hand motions and dramatic sighs]

This is terrible. Just terrible. Oh, just come with me while I find the princesses."

And she was off to put on a princess dress. Then take off a princess dress 2 minutes later when she was no longer pretending to be a princess.

Even as I type, Mandy is twisting a headband around my arm telling me this is my "creature power suit."

I do feel a little quicker in the fingers. Thanks Mandy.

Homemade Lotion

2011-06-06T10:54:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I learned how to make lotion! This is a whole new level of Granola Mama. It was a tremendous amount of fun and I found yet another thing want to do the "natural way."

Last month my Secret Sister at church gave me a sampling of four lotions. She told me later that her (real) sister made the lotions. What surprised me the most about the homemade cosmetics was that they weren't a lesser quality than something I would buy in the store. Rather, this lotion was much better! The texture is perfectly smooth, absorbs quickly, not greesy, the scents are light, compelling, and delicious, and the benefits I see with my skin are the most fantastic. I've suffered with psoriasis (chronic skin condition) on my hands for 8 years and there are a lot of things that make it worse, but nothing that makes it better... Until now. Also, the normal itchiness I always get on my legs after I shave doesn't occur when I use this all natural lotion.

I'm a believer! I asked my friend if her sister would be interested in teaching me how to make the lotion and she agreed. I was so excited and a friend and I learned yesterday what goes into making an all-natural quality lotion.

I posted a quick sentence about my lotion making experience on fb and was surprised at the number of people who were interesteed in the process. I'll post here what I learned yesterday.

While making lotion is not labor intensive, it takes a lot of odd ingredients (definitely special purchases) and quite a bit of time. It is science and art, a combo I love. The amounts of ingredients need to be exact in their ratios so the texture comes out right, but the scents are all art. Combining the essential oils, which have healing properties of their own, was tons of fun. I made a lavender oil blend that smells earthy sweet and a mint medley that is fresh clean smelling and my husband doesn't mind using it.

The basic recipe for 2 cups of lotion:

27g solid, like Shea butter, cocoa butter, or kokum
85g oil, you can really go crazy with all the veggie, fruit and plant oils
8.7g stearic acid
19g emulsifying wax

330g water
2g citric acid (preservative)

Use a food scale to measure ingredients, tare after each addition and it is easy! Heat oils and butters in short bursts in the microwave until hot and melted, stiring with a wooden spoon. Heat water and citric acid to the same temperature. Use a hand mixer in the oil with one beater and slowly pour the water in while the mixure is going. Combine for about a minute. Then stir the mixture every few mintues as it cools when it begins to separate. It takes about an hour to cool down to room temperature. It starts to thicken up, but won't be the final thickness until the next day.

The essential oils and herb extracts are added next. In my lavender mix, I used things that are specifically mentioned for treating psoriasis like tea tree and ylang ylang. The possibilities are just endless and you mix a few drops of this and that in a tiny container until it smells pleasant. Then you add that to the lotion, it is less than a quarter of a tsp. -- the amounts are SO small to infuse a small amount of lotion.

I also learned yesterday that you can make the lotion into a sun block by adding two more ingredients after the essential oils. They are 1 TBS powdered zinc oxide (a natural mineral that block sun -- it's the main ingredient in diaper rash creams) and 1 TBS powdered titanium dioxide (a chemical compound made from a mineral).

The fun thing about doing this project at a pros house is that she had TONS of stuff to work with. She had about 8 different oils to choose from, 4 butters, and about 25 essential oils to mix and match. She spends $100s on her online orders, but it is her passion and she blesses her friends and family with salves, lotions, and bath salts that are healthy and healing.

I came home pumped up and excited about doing this project myself and went to the websites recommended at the class. The oils and butters are not terribly expensive and I could buy enough to make about a gallon of lotion (plain) for less than $50. The essential oils and getting a variety of them are the expensive part. For example, sandalwood is $100 an ounce. There are so many recipes online to choose from and many just add one or two essential oils to make a pleasant scent, so you can do it affordably.

www.thesage.com, their blog is really fun: www.blog.thesage.com

www.fromnaturewithlove.com

www.libertynatural.com

www.organic-creations.com

www.mountainroseherbs.com

I'm really excited about this idea of making lotion. I didn't rush out and make a huge order, but I am definitely give it some more thought and research.

What do you think? Would you ever try to make it yourself?

PS This week I plan to try an all-natural self-tanner on my pasty white legs. Stay tuned for before and after pictures. :)

"Some Scratches" An Update

2011-06-01T09:57:00.000-07:00

Last week I told you the story of a Craig's list find.

A leather couch and loveseat with "some scratches."

It was a great deal mainly because the corners were ripped to shreds by a cat with some emotional issues.

The silent conversation Jeff and I had over the seller's head went something like this:

J: Are you serious? The corners look terrible.

Me: I can fix it. Trust me! It is perfect for our space. It is the best deal of the century.

J: I adore you and don't want to hear you whine about the 'deal of the century your mean husband wouldn't let you buy.' So okay, but I reserve the right to say I was right.

Me: You won't be sorry! I love you most fantastic wonderful husband!

I fixed it with a patch of faux leather and hotglue.

After deciding the couch was PERFECT, but the loveseat didn't really fit in our space,

I advertised just the loveseat on Craigslist.

I said things like "classy mahogany brown leather" and "professional looking patch that does not detract from the beauty of this quality piece of furniture."

I sold it in 5 hours for the same price as we paid for both the couch and loveseat.

I said before that God gave me this deal! He is a good God who takes care to clothe the lillies of the field and find the perfect deal for my basement furniture. (Matthew 6:28)

I am so fantastically blessed to have a beautiful couch that was essentially FREE!

Before basement remodel.

After new windows, paint, baseboard, subfloor, carpet and pad, and new lighting. Before dreamy leather couch.

After!

Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life,

what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear.

Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?

Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.

Are you not much more valuable than they?

Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? And why do you worry about clothes?

See how the lilies of the field grow.

They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.

If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will He not much more clothe you,

O you of little faith?

So do not worry, saying, `What shall we eat?' or `What shall we drink?' or `What shall we wear?'

For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.

But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.

Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Matthew 6:28-35

Memorial Monday

2011-05-29T22:37:00.000-07:00

I'm so thankful for the freedoms we enjoy because of those who faught.

Check out an inspirational story from a war veteran.

Drops of Living Water.com

Know When To Skip the Housework

2011-05-29T22:35:00.000-07:00

I've heard a lot of advice recently about not cleaning my house.

* the dishes can wait, the babies can't *

* a clean house is the sign of a boring person *

* Don't cook. Don't clean.

No man will ever make love to a woman because she waxed the linoleum.*

~ Joan Rivers

* Cleaning your house while your kids are still growing is like

shoveling the walk before it stops snowing. *

I was contemplating all this cleaning vs. enjoying life while drinking my coffee one morning this week.

I was definitely on the "enjoying life" side of things instead of "cleaning up after life."

Watching my young son toddle about rewarded and warmed my heart.

The girls were occupied cleaning their room. Usually I'm doing morning chores too.

But this morning, I heartily agreed that chores could wait.

What could be more important than soaking up this moment?

But then I realized it was because of "chores" that this moment existed.

Without housework, the same scene would be impossible.

If the kitchen wasn't cleaned, my french press would be too dirty for my morning cup of coffee.

And my mug would be dirty too.

If the 7 loads of laundry weren't folded the night before, I wouldn't be sitting in this chair. It would be piled high with a mound of clothes instead.

If the girls didn't know how to clean their room and didn't expect the morning ritual, they wouldn't be occupied so I could read stories to just one quick-sitting boy.

If it the room hadn't been dusted and vacuumed in the last week, I would be annoyed at how dirty everything was instead of how the sunlight peered through Rem's light locks.

Chores are needed.

I think the idea is not to get obsessed with keeping a perfect house,

but some regular cleaning and upkeep is absolutely necessary.

I like the quote, "My house is clean enough to be healthy, and dirty enough to be happy."

Yes, there were chores waiting while I relaxed in the joy of these moments. It's never done if you have children and/or eating going on in the house.

I follow a daily cleaning list called the Motivated Moms Chore Chart (see the link in the sidebar). I didn't come up with it, but think it is brilliantly compiled. Chores are divided into small tasks that I can complete in little bits of time throughout my day.

Everything eventually gets done and everyone is at peace. Even my dust bunnies.

Home should be welcoming and we should never be a slave to needing things perfect. Its the "Mary vs. Martha" scenario all the time. Serve/cook/clean or soak up a precious moment?

Remington started finding prizes to show me.

His grunted "words" crack us up in their complex simplicity.

Ba - bottle

Ma - Mom

Ma- more

Sha - shoe

K - kitty

Da - Dad

Th - this, what's this, hey look at that

Do you do Motivated Moms or a similar idea?

Maybe you can just get things done without a list.

What's your method for keeping caught up so you can enjoy the moments?

I Heart Faces "Yellow" Challenge.

2011-05-23T11:30:00.001-07:00

Sweet Emmaleigh.

Yellow" challenge.

"Some scratches." A Craig's List Find.

2011-05-20T17:07:00.001-07:00

Furniture for the basement.

I tossed around quite a few ideas for what furniture should complete the basement remodel. Reality (budget) verses my imagination (no budget) is a tough battle at times.

From a daybed with a regular mattress, inflatable couches, bean bag chairs, a $10 from the second-hand store couch that would cost $300 to recover.... I was just stumped.

I did not want to spend much money, but I wanted the furniture to be comfortable and durable (well there goes the inflatable bean bags), suitable for the younger crowd, but also nice enough for grandma and grandpa to want to sit in too.

Oh, and I wanted it to look classy. Too much to ask?

Last week I was reading through recent Craiglist postings and came across an ad that sounded too good to be true.

"Nice leather couch and loveseat in good condition. Some scratches on the corner. Must sell immediately, moving."

By the time I showed the ad to Jeff, I had convinced myself that this is what I wanted. Leather. It's perfect. Durable, comfortable and the best part... CHEAP! The price was really, really good! My amazing husband was excited to check it out.

I don't want to make the all-powerful God sounds small to say that He provided my seating selection. But He did. He is a good, good God.

How else can you explain this awesome deal? Leather. Beautiful. A deal....

And a potential craft project for a craft-a-holic like myself......

Some "minor scratches" turned out to be actually really, really bed tattered corners on two sides of the couch and one on the loveseat. While the seller wasn't creapy, he was pretty delusional saying "Ya, it's not that noticeable." He was a graduating college student, so I cut him some slack.

We ended up buying the set because I sent my husband a "I can fix this, don't worry!" look across the room while we talked with the seller.

Someone probably should have had Fluffy declawed. That's all I'm saying.

The furniture is very comfortable and good quality from what we can tell. It was worth a salvage attempt!

I went to Jo Ann's and found some closely matching faux-leather-esque material for $7.

This strange fabric took well to hotglue [my hero] on the edges I turned under and Tacky glue for the larger fields.

I pried out the nail-heads and covered the whole thing in glue to the natural seam in the side of the couch.

Hotglue held the edges down while the Tacky dried.

This much fun shouldn't be legal.

The vengeance of Fluffy

After my leather-esque makeover

I'm really happy with the results.