A Tourney Journey

The House After A Little (Okay A Lot) of Elbow Grease

2011-10-20T13:32:00.000-06:00

House Before and During Pics

2011-10-20T12:56:00.000-06:00

Every room was a different color!

Mice had eaten through the bottom of these cabinets!

Non-working Toilet

The gutted kitchen

Some extra help - scrapping off the popcorn ceiling

The start of the bathroom renovation

One room popcorn free

Master bath - with spray-painted shower tile!

At least we have a view

The hallway/closet of many colors (A.K.A. Joseph's Coat Closet)

Painted brick fireplace

Terrible Mother

2011-04-07T14:25:00.001-06:00

I’m a terrible mother.

She hadn’t had a nap, and I’d dragged her to another afternoon play rehearsal. She was cranky, tired, and just plain OVER IT! She fussed, she whined, she cried, she screamed. It wasn’t pretty. In fact – it was down right humiliating. The principal tried to cheer her up with his usually effective antics – the play director tried distracting her – we gave her a 30 gallon plastic tub of Legos to swim in. Nothing worked. She refused to be cajoled out of her tantrum.

I’m a terrible mother.

Earlier we had walked up and down the halls of the school finishing a few pre-rehearsal errands. Another teacher grabbed me to discuss some scheduling issues. As we stood there in deep conversation, I suddenly realized Juliette had disappeared. I called her name. She didn’t answer. I looked into a couple of the adjacent rooms. Nowhere. Suddenly she appeared from across the hall carrying a new found treasure – a bright blue plastic pail with the words “BARF BUCKET” boldly printed on the side.

I’m a terrible mother.

Later as the rehearsal was wrapping up, I took a few minutes to start cleaning out some of our activity storage space. Jewel had finally settled down, so I let her run around the cafeteria for a few minutes – anything to buy some peace. As I turned around to empty out a few bins, I didn’t notice that the drama club students had opened the outside doors. Two minutes later as I scanned the room, Juliette was nowhere to be found – again. But this time when I found her, she wasn’t carrying a puke receptacle; instead she was running down the school sidewalk, just feet away from oncoming traffic.

I’m a terrible mother.

It has taken quite a few days for the scene of imaginary tragedy to stop running through my head. Thank goodness my legs move faster than hers. Thank goodness she didn’t make the split second decision to bolt in front of the two cars. Thank Goodness for His guardian angels!

Yes, I definitely feel like a terrible mother!

Let’s face it, there are certainly times when we can (and probably should!) make better choices as mothers. There are times when we ask too much of ourselves or our children. There are times when we mess up – and it is ugly, gross, and terrifying.

When I think about the person I want to be, the mom I want to be, I’m realizing more and more that I just don’t measure up. I’m human. And as much as I’d love to be a perfect mom, with a perfect child, it just isn’t possible. Darn it!

But who I want to be is someone who is able to accept those human frailties in the light of God’s mercy. I want to be the type of person that doesn’t waste time beating myself up, but a person who can say, “Thank goodness God’s not finished with me yet.” I want to be able to say, “Well, I really botched that one – thank you Jesus for protecting my daughter today.” When all is said and done, I want Juliette to say, “My mother may not have been perfect, but she continually pointed me to the One Who Is.”

So yes, at times I am a terrible mother – but I am always a terribly undeserving mother who is covered by God’s beautiful, extravagant grace! And for that truth I couldn't be any more grateful.

No Fooling

2011-04-01T07:00:00.003-06:00

Yesterday two of my dear friends and I snuck off for a Mom's Only Day of Skiing. Yippee! I wanted to make a special treat to share with my partners in ~~crime~~ fun. But these ladies are also my exercising, healthy eating, wheatgrass juicing friends.

But I found this recipe - tweaked it a bit, and I have to say they are DELICIOUS. I never thought that no eggs, no oil/butter, and no white sugar would be so tasty. With no cholestoral and only about a 1/2 a gram of fat per cookie, they are pretty much a guilt-free, no-fooling, feel-good treat.

So with out further ado, here is the recipe:

Apricot Oatmeal Yummies

1 tsp. chia seeds (or 2 tsp. flax seeds) soaked in 2 Tbsps. water
1 cup. oats
1 cup. whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 cup. raisins
1/2 cup fresh apricots, coarsely chopped
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup agave nectar syrup
1/2 banana mashed
1/2 tsp. lime juice

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix chia seeds with water and set aside. Mix dry ingredients. Mix wet ingredients and fruit. Add chia/water mixture. Combine wet and dry ingredients and spoon onto cookie sheet. Cook 10 mins our until firm. Makes 18. Enjoy!

Hard To Be Blue Around Her

2011-03-31T07:00:00.003-06:00

A few days ago, Juliette staggered into my bedroom in the dusky morning light, with droopy, barely open eyes, whining for "blue strawberries". She curled up with me under the comforter and fell fast asleep again. I wrote off her comment as sleepy jibber-jabber, and returned to dreaming myself. In what seemed like a blink of an eye, but what was probably about 45 minutes later, she woke me again asking for "blue strawberries". I rubbed my eyes and processed as fast as my pre-breakfast brain could. Blue strawberries . . . blue strawberries . . . blue strawberries. Aha! Blue strawberries = blueberries. Of course. Breakfast is always better with some "blue strawberries"! That girl sure has taste.

Ogunquit

2011-03-30T07:00:00.004-06:00

On the hour and half drive from Boston, we had quite a discussion on how to pronounce the name.

I made the bed and breakfast owner say it several times.

I'm still not sure I have it right.

But they served a yummy wild blueberry bandana, and Seth got his Maine lobster.

I guess I'll just have to go back to Ogunquit again someday - a person's got to learn how to pronounce the places they've been.

Boston and My Beloved

2011-03-29T07:00:00.001-06:00

Seth had a conference in Boston at the beginning of March, so we decided that I would go with him. With his crazy work/school schedule we needed a little time away together. Our in-laws were kind enough to agree to take Juliette for the week, so we took a few extra days to enjoy the town - and of course hang out with my sweet sister Courtney. It was a real treat, because last time I had been there was to help her move. Now that she has been at school there for a year and a half, she was able to show us around. I even got to sit in on one of her classes. It was fun to play college student again - at least until the professor gave out the assignments!

Seth surprised me, and bought us tickets to the Boston Symphony Orchestra. The symphony hall was so beautiful - and the music was just as lovely!

The one thing Seth said he REALLY wanted to do while we were in Boston was visit MIT and Harvard. Here is a picture of one of the Harvard dorms. A little bit nicer than CSU. Just a little bit. Haha!

I did manage to coerce Seth into visiting a few historical sites that were not institutes of higher learning.

We had a great time - even though I had worried and worried about how Juliette would do with being apart for that long (and me too, for that matter!). I even asked my friends to specifically pray for us. Well, Jewel didn't even blink an eye when we dropped her off with Grandpa and Grandma. And whenever we'd call to check in, she'd talk for about all of thirty seconds and then merrifly head off to play. The big hug I got on our return made me think that she might have missed me a little however.

Of course when Grandpa and Grandma left she cried and cried, asking over and over to go "in grandpa's car". Which just goes to show you should never waste time worrying - it doesn't help, and even if you do worry, it probably isn't even about the right things.

Seasons

2011-03-28T21:03:00.000-06:00

It's snowing again . . . sigh. It's times like these that I have to remind myself of God's promise that there is "a season for everything".

It will be spring again.

Someday.

The past three months have been snowy, but they have also been a season of busyness for us. There have been passing moments when I have felt guilty for not taking a few moments to record the 'going ons' - but they have been - as I said - passing. More and more, I'm coming to peace with the fact that just like the natural rhythm of spring and fall, summer and winter, our lives have seasons too. Seasons of busyness and servanthood, reflection and rest. The secret of course, if making sure you don't get stuck in any one of them. No one of us wants to be caught wearing a Christmas sweater to a spring graduation party! And I certainly don't want to be accused of being ruled by a tyrannically overcrammed schedule. But I'm confident that the dust will settle eventually.

Life is such a balancing act . . . sigh (again).

~~~

January was very full - mostly with shows like 'Cat in the Hat' and 'Super Why'. Juliette's mysterious lumps, that confounded all of the doctors and specialists we visited in December, decided to abscess. So at the beginning of January, we took her to the local clinic to have the first one lanced.

We are so grateful for our little clinic here, but I'm not going to lie - it was a traumatic experience for everyone. Unfortunately, they couldn't sedate her, so it required four adults to hold her down, while the Dr. sliced it open. Before we went in for "the procedure," I was giving Seth a hard time about dreading it so. But when it actually came down to it, I was the one that nearly fainted when they opened it up (No really, the nurse made me lie down, put my feet up, and gave me a cool wash cloth for my head. Pathetic, I know!).  When the doctor opened her festering abcess, the smell was ghastly, and the amount of curdled puss that came out of my little baby's neck was horrifying. To this day, I sort of throw up a little bit when I think about it.

They don't know why it abscessed - especially since she had been on several rounds of antibiotics. She developed a second abscess further up on her neck later that month.

So we spend most of January and February in front of the TV with hot-packs on Juliette's face/neck - usually for an half-an-hour, three times a day or more. We had to keep her wounds open and cleaned, which meant ripping off the scabs and squeezing out the puss multiple times a day. There were a lot of tears in our house - mostly hers, but sometimes mine too. I felt like I was practically abusing my child. She'd cry as soon as I turned on the bathroom faucet to warm up the washclothes. Poor Seth couldn't hardly take it. And when my dad visited, he had to leave the house until we were done.  Yuck, yuck, yuck!

But, there were some really good things that came out of it too. We got a lot of cuddle time in.  I developed an even greater respect for those in the medical field. I got really good at wrestling a squirming two-year-old. And the whole experience has made me so much more appreciative of life, health, and family in general!

The good news is - the mysterious hard lumps are gone. She still has the lance wounds on her face, but gratefully they are getting better and better each day. I'm praying that they don't scar, but even if they do, I'm just so thankful that she didn't have cancer or some other terrible, terrible disease. God is so good!

~~~

Seth has been super busy with "the hardest class of his master's degree". He also was promoted to project manager over all of the projects in the largest town in our county, plus another town that is over an hour away. This means long commutes and late nights at the office. That being said, we are so thankful for the plentiful work, especially because at the beginning of the year his boss warned him that they might be cutting hours across the board.

Note to self - be more specific when you pray. I should have not asked for more hours for Seth before they had even cut his regular hours. That will teach me!

~~~

My season of busyness has been obviously taking extra care of Jewel, trying to be supportive to my hardworking man, and putting together my big grant project at the elementary school. We had our World Fair last week - and it was terrific. If you want to see some of the things that the kids did, check it out here: http://www.fridayenrichment.blogspot.com/

My next big project: potty training. Truly there is a season for everything.

A Love Poem

2011-02-14T21:43:00.000-07:00

To Juliette - Valentine's Day 2011

When she still smelled brand new
And curled her fingers tightly around mine
And the downy hair on her head swirled perfectly
I thought to myself- I love this age.

When she began to belly laugh
And did her best to squirm away from me
As I planted raspberry kisses on her newly washed tummy
I thought to myself- I love this age.

When she learned to titter and totter
And discovered how to take the books off the shelf
And how to de-organize cabinets in the blink of an eye
I thought to myself- I may not love this age, but I’ll certainly miss it someday.

Tonight as we read bedtime stories
And I ran my fingers through her curls
And I tucked her into her ‘big-girl’ bed for the second night ever
I thought to myself- I love this age.

Parenthood holds so many gifts.
Each stage unwraps even more to be enjoyed.
I want to savor each moment,
Letting the magic of this journey forever write itself upon my memory.

Soon she’ll be reading, driving, making a life of her own.
The reality of the inevitable seldom lets itself be forgotten.
But if I could just bottle up these moments,
I most certainly would.
For with all my heart- I love this age.

Saturday Afternoon Thoughts

2010-12-04T20:07:00.000-07:00

We've enjoyed a laid-back Saturday. Juliette had a little birthday party to go to this morning, and is now enjoying a much needed nap. Our town is having their holiday parade and festival this evening, so all of us have just been enjoying a couple of hours of rest and relaxation before the big shin-dig.

I've used this time to catch up on a few of my friend's blogs. I came across this great entry from some friends of ours who have a daughter that was born with special needs. It is such a precious testimony of God's faithfulness to them during their journey. If you have a moment, read it. You'll be glad you did!

So many dear friends and family members have called, text, e-mailed or messaged us over the past few days. What a blessing to be surround by so many people who are faithfully lifting us up in prayer. It is making a difference - we certainly feel buoyed!

My aunt and I were talking yesterday about how easy it is to get wrapped up in our own sagas. I've certainly been guilty of that the past few weeks! As we were waiting in the pre-op waiting room and my mind was consumed with keeping Juliette content (and contained!), there was a little boy who caught my eye. He looked a little bit younger than Juliette, but was pale and listless. For more than an hour he lay nearly motionless on his mother's lap - clearly quite ill.  The only time I saw him move was to vomit. His parents were very young looking, and the fear that I felt in my heart for my child looked like it was a hundred times more intense for them. They were eventually whisked away by the nurses, but the vision of that little boy has not left me.  I am so thankful for the reminder that there are so many others who are in much worse situations than ours. It certainly makes me realize how much we have to be thankful for! If you say a prayer for us tonight, please say one for that little boy too.

For years now I've had a book on my shelf by Elisabeth Elliot called, "A Path Through Suffering - Discovering the Relationship Between God's Mercy and Our Pain".   I think I originally bought it to give to someone else, but it has sat unread and ungifted upon my shelf for about 10 years now! I've been reading it in small, digestible snippets the past few weeks. It is certainly not light, easy reading. If you don't know Elisabeth Elliot's first husband was a missionary who was murdered by the people he was ministering to. She also lost her second husband (to cancer, I believe). She knows what suffering is all about - and she also knows the unfathomable depths of God's mercy and grace.

I'll be honest, like most people, I'm not too fond of talking about the "minor key" of life. As Christians we are called to joy and hope and peace - and I'd rather forget about the suffering Jesus also promised (John 16:33). We aren't supposed to be surprised when life on this earth doesn't always go like we expected - in fact we can expect difficulties, trials, and pain. But under Christ's perfect orchestration those minor chords can create a glorious melody of triumph, victory, and glory.

Here is a paragraph that has resonated with me today: "He wants to transform every form of human suffering into something glorious. He can redeem it. He can bring life out of death. Every event of our lives provides opportunity to learn the deepest lesson anyone can learn on earth, 'My present life is not that of the old "I", but the living Christ in me' (Gala 2:20). When our souls lie barren in a winter which seems hopeless and endless, God has not abandoned us. His work goes on.   He asks our acceptance of the painful process and our trust . . ."

Whatever we face next week, whether it is major or minor, that is my prayer - that God will use even this to His glory. May we be willing to embrace all that God has to teach us during this part of our journey. No matter how long winter is, in Christ, springtime is guaranteed!

Juliette Update

2010-12-02T21:37:00.000-07:00

Seth is on the phone right now, and he just said what I've been thinking for days now: "It's been a long month!" And today was definitely a long day too. We have a lot to be thankful for - and a lot to pray about.

We kept Juliette up late last night, and decided to go ahead and drive down to The Big City and get a hotel. She slept in (just like we hoped), so she only had thirty minutes to wait with no food or water before we checked into the hospital. She asked for a "nack" (snack) a few times, but it really was a non-issue. Praise God! I was dreading an I-want-breakfast breakdown.

We did have a breakdown, but it was over not getting to play with a toy car in the pre-op room. I guess that sort of thing should be expected from a sleep-deprived two-year-old. Otherwise, she did great through the procedures today. They put her under general anesthesia for both the biopsy and the CT scan. The only issue she had was waking up - particularly because she was so sleep deprived. Not that I can say that I blame her. At one point both Seth and I wanted to just crawl in bed with her and join in the napping bliss. Like I said, it has been a long month!

With that said, we are very thankful that everything went so well with the procedures today. In fact, she was bouncing around and happy as a lark this evening. God is good!

But we still need a lot of prayers. The radiologist that did the biopsy said that the "mass" has definitely grown in just the two weeks since we had the ultrasound. What previously looked like two inflamed lymph nodes has now "morphed" into one giant lump. He said that it could still be a viral infection of some sort (with atypical symptoms) or it could be something much more serious. We will just have to wait for the pathologist's report - which we should have hopefully sometime next week.

So we wait again. Down on our knees, expectantly hoping for the best, surrendering ourselves to God's perfect will.

It's hard. It doesn't seem fair. I've cried more this month than I have for probably the past 12 months combined. But I also believe that God is using this whole experience to bring about a new season in my faith walk. If nothing else, it has certainly been a great exercise for my soul.

"Therefore we do not lose heart. . . .For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." - 2 Cor. 4:16-18

Thanks for all of your prayers, love, and support. We are truly thankful to be surround by such a supportive group of friends and family!

Fall Fun

2010-11-01T07:12:00.000-06:00

Today is the first of November. Seriously? Now that is spooky. It seemed like it was just the first week of October a few days ago. At the rate time is flying by I should have finished my holiday shopping two weeks ago, because Christmas will be in a half-an-hour.

Besides some minor miscommunications (haha!) - this fall has been quite fun. I've really enjoyed my part-time job at the school. We've gone on several fun field trips, and had some great learning experience days - everything from learning about the legislative process to making our own scratch plate prints to playing chemists. I started a little blog for all of the parents/students to follow: fridayenrichment.blogspot.com

We've also had a great time with our MOPS group. Here are some pictures from our meeting this week - got to love the kiddos in their costumes:

And look as this cutey-patootie!

Last weekend we took a road trip and met up with Seth's parents. They took Juliette to the children's musuem while we met up with a dear friend of ours and went to our first ever pro-football game.

Our team played atrosiously - but we had a great time and enjoyed some good laughs.

It's been a fun fall, and with the glorious weather we've had I'm pretty sure it's my favorite time of year!

Better Than A Not-Me-Monday

2010-10-18T20:23:00.000-06:00

This weekend Seth and I had a communication mix-up to beat all. We have had plenty of these before - but this one definitely takes the cake.

Hunting season started on Labor day, and seeing that it has two more weeks until it's over, a lot of wives on the High Arid Plains are feeling a little stir crazy these days - myself being no exception. Seth also agreed to help hang gutter at the church building on Saturday, so his weekend was very full. So while he stayed up late Friday night loading his gear, and left the house early Saturday morning to squeeze in as much elk hunting as he could before hanging gutters, I stayed home to try and recover from the stomach bug that has been haunting our town for several weeks now. Besides being sick and a bit stir crazy, Juliette and I also had an off-week. She had more temper tantrums and defiant moments over the week than she has had in her entire life- it's like someone told her she was two or something - and being sick I had little patience for it.

So after a day of feeling puny and trying to corral a very active, stubborn, and whiny child - I called Seth and told him that I needed him home NOW! He said that they needed to finish, and I didn't bother telling him why I was so upset, but just hung up the phone in a huff. At that point I decided to try and feed Juliette dinner. She didn't like what I offered her, and she was upset that we didn't have any milk, so I decided to put MYSELF in a time-out and went into my room and shut the door for a few minutes. Realizing that she still wasn't getting what she wanted, Juliette proceeded to bang on the door and cry even louder - resulting in her knocking a picture off the wall.

At the sound of the crashing glass, I rushed out of my room, scooped her up, and decided we both needed to get out of the house for awhile. I'd clean the mess up later - when I had regained my patience.

We hopped in the car, grabbed a snack from the convenience store, and proceed to drive. There was a road that I'd always wanted to explore, and I had heard rumors that it went to a neighboring town, so we took off down the dirt. At one point I realized that I'd left my phone behind in my hurry - but I didn't think much about it. The whir of the wheels and the Veggie Tales Sunday School Songs soundtrack soothed Juliette into contentment, and I drank in the breathtaking vistas punctuated with the last of the fall foliage. Finally - a little peace!

In the meantime . . .

Seth decided that my desperate phone call, accentuated with Juliette's screams in the background, might mean that something was seriously wrong - so he left the church building and headed home. On the way he tried to call me a few times, but couldn't get through.

When he got to the house, he noticed that my car was gone, that Juliette's food was on the table, and that there was a huge pile of glass shards in the hallway. Instantly he thought that one of us must have gotten hurt. He looked for a note - but of course there wasn't one. He tried calling my phone, only to discover that I'd left it behind. Clearly, her injuries must have been so bad that she's left everything behind in her hurry to get to medical care - he thought.

He drove down to the clinic, but didn't find us there. He noticed the ambulance was out of the station - so that worried him even more. He called our friends, our doctor, the emergency room in the neighboring town, the police dispatch, everyone he could think of. And of course, they hadn't seen or heard anything about me or the accident.

Finally, he decided that we must be in route to the emergency room, so he took off to the nearest one (45 miles one way!). When he got there, we were no where to be found. I'd disappeared. He worried that maybe I went to the next biggest town's emergency room, but he admitted that it just didn't make a whole lot of sense. He decided to head back to the house to regroup.

In the meantime . . .

Even though we had such a nice, peaceful drive, I was quite perturbed when I drove into our driveway and noticed that Seth was not home. It had been several hours since my initial SOS call, and he still wasn't back. Humph - I thought to myself - I better get a big apology out of this one!

I unloaded Juliette from the car, settled her in the living room, and started cleaning up the broken glass when I heard Seth come through the door. Honey, is that you? Are you all right? Where have you been? I thought something was really wrong. I thought you or Juliette were really hurt! The words poured from his lips, as the look of concern melted from his eyes. As he relayed the story - I couldn't help but stop rehearsing the You-Owe-Me-Big-Time-Buddy-Speech I'd been playing through my head for the past few hours.

You what? I asked him. You did what? He had to start his whole story over again. But why did you think we were hurt? I asked, putting slivers of glass into the black plastic bag. He explained it yet again, and as I looked at the circumstances from his eyes, I couldn't help but giggle. Oh honey - what a mix-up!

He had to call our friends and tell them Juliette and I were okay. I had to explain to the police officer that visited us a few minutes later that not only were we okay, but we'd never been hurt in the first place. Seth had to admit that he sort of went a little overboard. I had to apologize for being so rude, for forgetting my phone, and for scaring him so unnecessarily. We both had to laugh.

Seth preached the next day in a neighboring town. As we were driving along, I asked him what his topic was, and he looked at me and grinned. How about 'Communication,' he teased.

Humor Me

2010-10-12T21:54:00.000-06:00

Humor me a minute . . . but I need to vent.

Tonight Seth and I attended the open forum our town was holding for all candidates who were running for state and local office. The good news was that the attendance was up - compared to the forum that was held prior to the primary elections. And our town is small, and our county pretty sparsely populated, and there were a lot of other events going on tonight - BUT SERIOUSLY PEOPLE, WHERE WERE YOU?

I get that politics isn't everybody's forte. I understand that people are disillusioned and frustrated by what they've seen and continue to see in Washington - or even at a state level. But candidates don't just get their jobs magically - they get there because of voters just like you and me. And if we blindly go to vote and have no idea who we are voting for, or recognize the names on the ballot, or have a face for that name, or any clue about what ideas might be rolling around in the brain behind that face - aren't we just as guilty for the state of the nation as those who make the decisions?

And to my generation who was woefully underrepresented tonight - SERIOUSLY, WHERE WERE YOU? I know we are busy with our careers, and raising children, and watching the Biggest Loser but we are adults now - it's time we started acting like it. It's time we stood up and accepted our civic responsibilities.

I don't watch CSPAN on a regular basis - I've never contributed to a campaign - and when I turned eighteen I didn't register to vote in time for the election that year. But seriously, I do believe there is value in being an informed voter - and when the candidates come to our backyard, surely we all should jump at the opportunity to get to know them a little better. SO, WHERE WERE YOU?

I hope I don't have to complain about the attendance at tomorrow night's local candidates forum. I'd certainly hate to ask you to humor me again.

Sometimes We Just Need To

2010-10-03T15:16:00.000-06:00

Juliette lightly bumped her foot against the sideboard, and she ran to me with huge tears welling in her eyes, as her voice reached an all-time record on the whiny scale. She is generally pretty tough when it comes to things like this, but she was having an off day, on top of being hungry and tired. I was feeling exhausted, and I was tempted to briskly tell her that she was okay, and that she needed to stop her blubbering. And then the thought occurred to me, "I'm the one she runs to".

What a thought . . . what an honor! When she is hurting she wants me to hold her, she wants me to rock her, she wants me to kiss her boo-boos and stroke her back. She wants me to tell her that everything is all right. She wants to know that I care, that I love her, and that I'll be there the next time she needs comforting.

As I scooped her up in my arms, and lavished as much love as I could on that stubbed toe, I suddenly caught a glimpse of how our Heavenly Father must feel when we come to him with our bumps, scrapes, and emotional wounds. He, being the Perfect Parent, actually can heal our life-owies, and I don't think He every runs short on patience or tenderness. He wants to be the One we run to - and He is waiting with open arms. Oh to be childlike enough to run to Him without a moment's hesitation, with complete and wild abandon - confident of His comfort, secure in His love.

Sweet little Jewel, you teach me more and more about Jesus everyday. I sure am lucky to me your mama!

~~~

"As a mother comforts her child, so I will comfort you . . . " - Isaiah 66:13

~~~

Before we got married, a very wise, married man pulled Seth aside for some words of advice. This man is a salt-of-the-earth, quiet-mannered car mechanic. He is unassuming in every way, and yet he is one of the most gentle, caring servants I've ever known. He is not the type to spout out opinions, so when he pulled Seth aside, Seth listened carefully.

Since I wasn't there, I don't know exactly how the conversation went or the exact words that were said, but Seth told me later that our friend said something like this: "Sometimes girls just need to cry. They don't need a reason and you don't need to try and make them stop or fix' anything. Just hold them and let them cry. Sometimes they just need to do that."

EVERY man needs to hear those words. Because I'm pretty sure EVERY girl has moments like that. At least they do around this house. And EVERY time those moments come, I'm so thankful for an unassuming, salt-of-the-earth mechanic who took a few moments to share his wisdom, and for a husband willing to listen to sage advice.

Words of Wisdom

2010-09-29T07:00:00.002-06:00

"Life is too short to refrain from eating jam out of the jar."

- The Mountain Goats, "Jam Eater Blues"

Cake Know-How

2010-09-28T12:55:00.000-06:00

So in researching how to make an Elmo Cake I came across this great website: http://www.coolest-birthday-cakes.com/

This site is an open forum for individuals to post pictures and how-to steps for cakes that they've created. Everything from animal and animated cakes to vehicle cakes and sport themed cakes. They had over 7 pages of Elmo cakes alone! It was very helpful to browse through other people's ideas and suggestions, and I definitely think I'll be checking out their site next time a novelty cake is requested.

But if the amount of times Juliette has asked for Elmo cake since her birthday is any indication, I may be making the same cake for years to come.

Not-Me-Monday: Parenting Adventures

2010-09-27T20:53:00.000-06:00

This week Juliette did not decide to expand her artistic repertoire to include such mediums as our beige ottomans. And espying our beige furniture "decorated" with dark ball-point pen, I did not throw a fit that would make any two-year-old jealous. I did not act like they were expensive, irreplaceable items that had been in the family for centuries instead of cheap, poorly made footrests that were already championing some stains from Seth's late night snacking. Nope, not me!

At Juliette's preschool's open house, she did not try to eat the plastic cheese. I did not try to discreetly smuggle the pretend food away from her and into the back where I rinsed it off either. Not me!

I did not let Juliette "help" can peaches by merely giving her a bowl full of pits and peels. She did not then proceed to eat the peels and suck on the pits. That's just cruel.

Later I did not find that she had managed to get her hands on a "real" peach, only to apparently find it rather boring. Certainly not.

Juliette is not obsessed with rocks. I do not find them littered about my house, nor do we have to stop every fifteen feet whenever we are outside in order to let her pick up and closely inspect a "better" rock. They are not stacked up on our porch, nor did I actually find one this week, the size of a orange, rolled up in her sheets. I did not add "check bed for rocks" to my mental list for her bedtime routine. Nope not me!

Parenting is most definitely not full of adventures!

Birthday Celebrations Cont.

2010-09-23T07:00:00.000-06:00

No matter how many different options I gave her, no matter how I posed the question, Juliette's answer to what type of cake she wanted was always, "Elmo Cake". So here it is:

After all, this may be the only year she wants a furry, orange, big-nosed smiley face for dessert.

Birthday Celebrations

2010-09-22T07:00:00.000-06:00

Before I was a mom I had all of these ideas of how I was going to do things. I know that this probably won't come as a complete shock to all who knew me before I was a mom. And it probably won't come as a complete shock to all who met me after I was a mom. But there is a part of me that wants, wishes, okay REALLY, REALLY HOPES that becoming a mom has made me a better person - a more relaxed person, a more flexible person, and do I dare say it . . . a more fun person.

The "before I was a mom" person had certain ideas about motherhood and parenting. Including some very specific ideas about birthdays. Don't laugh . . . I'm totally serious here. In my previous personhood mind I felt like it was wrong (yes, wrong!) to always through large parties, buy elaborate presents, and make a big to-do over a child's birthday. I felt strongly that this only encouraged materialism and taught the child that it was okay to buy into our commercialized society.

But that was before I saw this . . .

. . . my little girl full of anticipation over opening her birthday gift. Don't get me wrong, I still want her to learn to appreciate the simple things. I still want her to learn the value of having a content heart. I want her to recycle, reuse, and repurpose. But honestly, right now I'm just enjoying watching her rip the paper.

Like I said, motherhood has changed me.

Guess Who?

2010-09-21T07:00:00.000-06:00

Guess who . . .
. . . turned . . .

two!!!!

Not-Me-Monday: Pony Tricks

2010-09-20T07:00:00.001-06:00

This week I did not drive past the following site:

Nor did I turn my car around so that I could get another look at the dog perched contentedly on the horse's back.

And the best part was not the dog. . .

. . . but the cowboy giving his horse a beer. Get a kick out of life on the high, arid plains? Nope. Not me.

Why was Seth Wearing a Swim Cap?

2010-09-16T07:00:00.004-06:00

Why was Seth wearing a swim cap? Because he is a good husband.

Why was Seth wearing a swim cap? Because he was testing it out.

Why was Seth wearing a swim cap? Because he loves me.

Why was Seth wearing a swim cap? Because he is willing to look like a dork for my sake.

Why was Seth wearing a swim cap? Because he was willing to spend our anniversary doing something I wanted to do.

Why was Seth wearing a swim cap? Because he wanted to practice swimming with it for the triathlon we competed in as a couple for our anniversary this year.

Yep that's my man- that handsome hunk trying to squeeze his head into a not-very-attractive, nor very comfortable swim cap. Boy do I love him!

Swimming Fun

2010-09-15T07:00:00.002-06:00

This summer our little Jewel-bug turned into quite the water bug.

But before we swim, Seth has to get his swim cap on.

Keep trying babe!

Yeah - success!

I think that deserves a kiss!

Now it's time to practice! Kick, kick, kick . . .

Let's quit taking pictures and swim mom!

Alright, we can go home now.

First Day of School

2010-09-14T11:00:00.000-06:00

Juliette's off to school - well, actually it is just a toddler play group at the local preschool - but I couldn't resist the opportunity to take a few pictures of her with her new backpack.

Have fun precious little Jewel!

Summer Camp

2010-09-13T07:00:00.000-06:00

This summer Jewel and I were blessed to attend NCCC. This is a Bible camp for preteens and junior highers, and it is something that I've been privileged to be a part of for many years now. Four of my siblings were campers this year, so we had a great time together worshiping and learning of God together. Juliette had the time of her life being doted on by a whole camp of kids.

Here we go - we're on our way!

Wake Up Everyone! Mornings at the Outdoor Chapel

Seeing a large bear walk through the middle of camp was a first. Sorry no pics on that one! But we of course enjoyed great singing, hilarious skits, a few pranks, and a lot of Jesus.

Camp means even more to me now, as a parent. It is so valuable to have a week full of fun, faith, and fellowship - a week that allows young people the opportunity to interact with each other and with their Creator.

The thing that made this year so special was that many of the counselors were young adults who had been campers the first couple of years I worked at NCCC. What a blessing to see them serving the Lord and ministering to a new crop of campers. God is good!

"For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations." - Psalms 100:5

Juliette Swinging with Aunt Hannah

Goodbye Summer - Hello Posts

2010-09-12T21:25:00.002-06:00

Obviously it has been a quiet summer on the post front. But as soon as I figure out how to download pictures from my new(ish) camera, I'll have lots to say. With gloriously warm(ish) days behind us, I'm determined to get back in the habit of writing posts on a more regular(ish) basis. So stay tuned!

Not-Me-Monday: Exhibitionism and Sharp Objects

2010-06-21T07:00:00.000-06:00

This week, while visiting with a friend at a restaurant, I did not turn around and find my daughter topless. She did not figure out how to take off her shirt - and she certainly didn't feel comfortable doing such a thing in public. Not my daughter!

I did not pick out a light tan color to paint the interior of our rental house that is probably more pink than tan. I did not spend all weekend trying to talk myself into the believing that it looked tan. I do not make terrible paint choices. And I have not made an I'm-sure-this-will-look-good-on-the-walls but it ends-up-looking-peachy-pink paint choice before. Not me!

I did not talk my husband into competing in a sprint triathlon for our anniversary. Especially since the race is three weeks away, and I've only half-heartedly been training, and he hasn't been training at all. Nope, not me!

Seth didn't give me a lengthy justification for why he "needed" a fillet board so that he wouldn't cut himself when cleaning fish, only to stab himself in the hand not more than 10 minutes later. Oh the irony! We did not panic either,and proceed to driving our truck to the ER without strapping down the bed full of boxes, groceries, that had a bike and a playhouse precariously perched on top of it all. Seth was not more worried about me turning the corner too fast and losing our Clampit-like load, then he was about the blood spurting all over him, his clothes, and me too! No way!

I did not finally take away Juliette's beloved pacifier. I do not think it was probably harder on me than it was on her. But after a few fussy bedtimes and a road trip without it, I do not think ~~I've~~ she's finally kicked the habit. While cleaning out the truck this weekend, I did not find another "bip" (pacifier) and actually contemplate for a few minutes giving it to her. I wouldn't think about sabotaging a week's worth of self-control. Not me! Definitely not me.

More Seattle Wedding Pics

2010-06-18T07:00:00.002-06:00

Some of my cute cousins and me

Stealing Daddy's ~~Heart~~ Hat

Seattle Adventures Part 2

2010-06-17T07:00:00.002-06:00

Did you guess that the pictures in the post before last were atop the Seattle Space Needle? This one was taken there too.

We were only in Seattle for the weekend, but we invested in CityPasses while we were there - basically you pay one affordable price for entrance into 6 different tourist attractions. The passes are good for nine days, and they are definitely the way to go, because you don't have to wait in line at the ticket offices - but can go right to the entrance gates. Apparently there are CityPasses for most major cities, so Seth and I are going to check them out next time we go traveling. It's a great way to see the sites for a lot less!

So besides the Space Needle, we also enjoyed visiting the Sience Fiction Musuem and the Music Project. There was an amazing sculpture there -

I of course had to take some pictures of it to show my students. Before we headed off to the other attractions, we took some time to enjoy the pier . . .

. . . and daddy's, uh . . . I mean Juliette's favorite food.

Words of Wisdom Wednesday

2010-06-16T07:00:00.005-06:00

"When you love someone, you do not love them all the time, in exactly the same way, from moment to moment. It is an impossibility. It is even a lie to pretend to. And yet, this is exactly what most of us demand. We have so little faith in the ebb and flow of life, of love, of relationships."

- Anne Morrow Lindburgh from Gifts From the Sea

(Juliette playing in Key West - January 2010)

Do You See What I See?

2010-06-15T07:00:00.000-06:00

Seattle Adventures Part One

2010-06-14T07:00:00.002-06:00

We went to Seattle over Memorial Day for my cousin's wedding.

The last time I was in Seattle I was about ten years old, so needless to say it was quite fun exploring it again.

My cousin's wedding was on a lovely yacht.

With a lovely view of Seattle's skyline.

They had it decorated so lovely and elegant.

The flowers were amazing! We were joking that they must put steriods in the Seattle soil.

The wedding was so beautiful and so much fun. Danielle and Tyler, we wish you the very best!

Momma Mia!

2010-06-01T12:57:00.003-06:00

Four generations - Me, Juliette, my grandmother, and my mother on Mother's Day.

(P.S. They are standing on a hill which makes me look a lot shorter than they are. I'm just a little shorter than they are. Honest!)

Mindful on Memorial Day

2010-05-31T07:00:00.009-06:00

Living in America, we have so many freedoms to be thankful for - the freedom to get an education, the freedom to travel, the freedom to live in a place of our choice, the freedom of speech, and so many more. Freedom is so dear - and to all those who have sacrificed so greatly to preserve it - thank you today and always. May we always be mindful of what you've given.

Memorial Day by Theodosia Pickering Garrison

A handful of old men walking down the village street
In worn, brushed uniforms, their gray heads high;
A faded flag above them, one drum to lift their feet-
Look again, O heart of mine, and see what passes by!

There's a vast crowd swaying, there's a wild band playing,
The streets are full of marching men, or tramping cavalry.
Alive and young and straight again, they ride to greet a mate again-
The gallant souls, the great souls that live eternally!

A handful of old men walking down the highways?
Nay, we look on heroes that march among their peers,
The great, glad Companions have swung from heaven's byways
And come to join their own again across the dusty years.

There are strong hands meeting, there are staunch hearts greeting-
A crying of remembered names, of deeds that shall not die.
A handful of old men?-
Nay, my heart, look well again; The spirit of America today is marching by!

Nothing Like Slave Labor

2010-05-28T07:00:00.001-06:00

Or a new vacuum. It's a good thing too. In a I'm-not-going-to-use-my-brain moment, I gave Juliette a slice of bread for a snack, and didn't insist on making her eat it at the table.

I'd recommend not doing that. Especially if your vacuum is broken!

May Flowers

2010-05-27T09:57:00.003-06:00

We've had a frigid spring. Yesterday was the first time this year that it hit seventy degrees. And we had a blizzard on Tuesday. Snow, hail, fog. Yep, nothing like spring on the High Arid Plains. At least these beauties have been around to brighten things up!

More Please

2010-05-26T07:00:00.000-06:00

Juliette is an okay vegetable eater - she'll usually eat peas, green beans, yams, avocados, corn, and broccoli. Usually. But forget about cauliflower, carrots, celery, or lettuce. And the only way she'll touch spinach is if it is baked in something or put into a smoothie (that recipe is here). But there is one thing she will always eat - macaroni and cheese. So tonight, I made a "healthy" version of macaroni and cheese, and she couldn't get enough. I gave her three heaping servings of it, and she practically licked the plate. Little did she know, she was eating one of the vegetables on her "do not touch" list. Poor girl, she doesn't know who she's up against.

I have to say, that I enjoyed a generous helping of this stuff too. If I hadn't made it myself, I don't think I would have been able to tell it wasn't a real alfredo sauce. So enjoy. We sure did!

Macaroni with White Cheese Sauce*

1/2 lb cooked whole wheat pasta shells

1/2 a head of cauliflower, cut into small florets

2 tbsp olive oil

4 cloves of garlic

3/4 cup chicken stock (I cheated and just used a left over ramen noodle chicken flavoring packet dissolved in water - chicken bouillon works too)

1 cup parmesan cheese

Directions: Steam the cauliflower for 20 minutes. Cool. Cook the garlic in the olive oil over med. heat until brown. Add the chicken stock and heat thoroughly. Put the garlic mixture and cauliflower in a blender and puree until entirely smooth. Pour back into a sauce pan and heat until steaming. Pour the sauce over the pasta shells and stir in the parmesan cheese. Add a pinch of salt if necessary. Eat up, those veggies are good for you!

*This was based off a Fettuccine Alfredo Recipe you can find here.

Momma's Little Helper

2010-05-25T07:00:00.002-06:00

As I mentioned, Jewel figured out how to move a chair to the kitchen counter in April. Here she is "helping" wash dishes.

Now if she could just figure out that soap bubbles aren't for eating. . .

Not-Me-Monday: Sunburn and Snow

2010-05-24T07:00:00.003-06:00

This week I did not decide to make ramen noodles, nor did I accidentally pour all of the noodles into a sink of dirty dishes while trying to do the "fancy straining" technique my husband does with just a plate over the sauce pan. I did not decide to salvage as much as I could, by picking out tiny pieces of noodles from around the pile of dirty dishes. That is totally disgusting. Not me.

I did not forget that it is much, much, much warmer in The Big City, nor did decide to mow the lawn without sunscreen - thinking "what's a little sun" on my white (hello practically albino!) shoulders. I have not been refusing all hugs and cuddles from everyone for the past two days because my skin is on fire, either. Not me!

My husband did not confess that a few weeks ago he got into Juliette's crib just to see if he could fit. He is definitely not over the weight limit. I did not laugh and laugh over the mental image of my husband curled up in Juliette's crib, with his big face smooshed against the bars. The thought also did not go through my mind that he is the wackiest guy I know! How does he come up with these things?

I also did not accuse him of lying when he told me that it was snowing here at the house, while I was enjoying 87 degree weather in The Big City. Not me! And then I did not proceed to wear my shorts and flip-flops home, sporting my sunburned shoulders and all, only to find that he wasn't lying and that the weather looked like this:

And after spending a weekend in this weather -

I was not even a little bit bummed about living in a place with only two seasons: Winter and July. Nope. Not me!

~~~

Want to join the confessional Not-Me-Monday fun? Go to:

They Get Me Every Time

2010-05-21T07:22:00.005-06:00

"It is in families we are broken and it is in families that we are healed." - Carl Whittaker

I've shared, in very vague terms, that this past year has been quite a struggle for my extended family. There may be a time to go into more details, but I'm not sure that the details are necessary in order to share with you how God has used this time of pain for a greater good in my life. As I type this, I admit that my eyes are getting teary - I'm overwhelmed by the ways in which God loves us, the ways in which He redeems us, the ways in which He can cause "all things to work together for good for those who love Him, who are called according to His purpose" - Romans 8:28.

Over the course of this past year, I've certainly learned how helpless I am. I can't change people, and I can't change situations. And for a control freak like me, that is not an easy lesson to learn. But God has also proved Himself entirely faithful - He listens, and even when if felt like the doors of heaven were completely bolted shut, He was still listening. I wish I could say that I never despaired, never doubted, never gave up - I did. But God, in His faithfulness never gave up on me, the situation, or anyone else in the situation. In moments of great pain and desperation, when all hope seemed lost, Jesus revealed Himself as the only true hope, and oh what a hope He is!

There were so many Scriptures that came to have new meaning during this time, but there was one passage that I just can't help but share:

"For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps, who committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in His mouth; and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threat, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously; and He himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed. For you were continually straying like sheep, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls." - 1 Peter 2:21-25

Those words get me every time - right in the pit of my stomach. There is nothing airy and light about the fact that we are called "for this purpose" - to suffer as Christ suffered. It is not easy, might I say sometimes seemingly impossible, to not revile, to not sin, to not utter threats when faced with pain, mistreatment, and persecution. But it is what we are called to do - to follow Christ's example. Man oh man, do I have a long way to go.

These words don't promise that all will be fixed the way we want it either. But rather, it says that we are to follow Christ's example and keep entrusting ourselves to the Righteous Judge. It means keeping our mouths shut and believing that that God will judge, heal, and restore to righteousness. It means believing that the Great Healer can use even the wounds of our lives to bring about healing and righteousness to others. It means believing that the Shepherd and Guardian of our soul will be faithful to do His job - taking good care of His sheep.

I'm not a quick learner. In fact, I'm sorry to say that throughout this year there were so many times I did not follow Christ's example. But I guess I wanted to share all this because the Lord has been so sweet to me - and I just can't help talking about it. He has brought and continues to bring me hope, healing, and vision for the ways in which He can turn pain and suffering into a beautiful witness. He has taught me that He can make even the bitterest of waters sweet. That He is not only a God of hopeless causes, but a God of all comfort. He is tender even to the most tortured of souls.

Maybe you're there - maybe you're in a place where your heart hurts so much that it feels like your chest might just rip in two. Maybe you're standing at that dead end, realizing you can't go any further, you can't change your circumstances, you can't change your loved one, or you can't even change yourself. Maybe you've been completely broken by pain and suffering. Maybe all you can do is stare helplessly at your wounds. My friend - entrust, entrust, entrust.

Entrust yourself to the Righteous Judge. Entrust yourself to the Shepherd and Guardian of your Souls. Entrust yourself to the Great and Mighty Healer. He listens. He knows. He's been there. After all, it is only by His wounds that we ourselves are healed.

Take heart. This is our calling. This is our purpose. This is our hope.

"He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds." - Psalms 147:3

April in 200 Words or Less

2010-05-20T07:00:00.001-06:00

We started the month off with an ending – the last performance of the 5th and 6th grade drama club. The students did a great job and I was more than pleased with their efforts! Then it was off to Oklahoma to visit Seth’s best friend and his precious family. We celebrated Easter with them and enjoyed touring the military post where they are stationed, and taking our boat out for its first spin of the season. Once we got home, Juliette and I went to visit Seth’s parents and grandparents for spring break. Construction on Seth’s project had begun, which meant that he was working 12-16 hour days and couldn’t join us. But we had plenty of fun anyways (don’t worry, he was missed)! Later in the month we celebrated my step-grandfather’s 80th birthday, which included a sushi-making party. Unfortunately, a snow storm made us late, but thankfully we didn’t miss the eating part. The month ended with my violin students performing a concert for the residents of our local nursing home. And Juliette started saying sentences, and learned how to push a chair to the kitchen counter. That’s basically it in a nutshell - in exactly two hundred words.

Rushing By . . .

2010-05-19T12:06:00.005-06:00

For the past seven weeks we've been a one camera family. Well, we've pretty much always been a one camera family, but Seth's construction season has started and he has needed the family camera for job documentation. So that leaves me virtually camera-less - except for the weekends when Seth remembers to bring it home from the office. I'm not complaining, I'm simply explaining why my blog has been MIA. Honestly, for me, blogging without pictures is pretty much like peanut butter without jelly - sticky, dry, and possibly gag-reflux-inducing if you have too much of it. But time certainly hasn't stopped since we've been a one camera family.

So I'm resolving to try and catch up as best as I can and post what precious few pictures I have. For now I will share this picture my friend took at our spring music recital last weekend. Please indulge me a second here, but isn't she grand? Bye bye little baby, hello little girl.

Is it just me, or is time rushing by?

Not-Me-Monday: Are There Blueberries On My Teeth?

2010-03-29T12:21:00.004-06:00

This week, my child's missing toothbrush was not found hiding out inside my husband's guitar. I did not previously search the house from top to bottom looking for that missing toothbrush. Of course, I didn't even think to check inside all of the musical instruments. Silly me. And I certainly did not find the toothbrush after I had driven 45 miles one-way to buy a replacement. Nope, not me!

I did not stick my BIG FAT foot into my BIG FAT mouth this week by ranting to a room full of ladies about how I needed to throw a bunch of pictures away so my children would not have to filter through them someday and throw them away themselves. Especially, since the reason we were together was because it was a Creative Memories sales presentation. And I definitely did not say such rash words after one of the dear souls had just finished telling everyone how she has a closet full of albums that she has carefully created to preserve her memories. Yeah, that was real classy. Not me.

I have not been guilty of nagging my husband about his eating habits this week either. In fact, when we were doing some homework for a marriage class that we are participating in, and we had to write a list of things that our spouses do to make us feel loved, my husband did not write "I feel loved when my wife doesn't say a word about me eating ice cream after 9:00 o'clock". Oh dear. Who is he talking about? Certainly not me!

There have been a lot of others not-so-glorious, do-tell moments this week, but the treadmill is calling my name rather loudly at the moment. So I am going to cut this short. Why? Probably because then I'd have to confess that somebody ate half a blueberry-rhubarb pie this weekend. Wonder who that was? Um, yeah . . . not me. Gotta run. Literally.

~~~

Want to join the confessional Not-Me-Monday fun? Go to:

Not-Me-Monday: Easter Bunnies & Scrabble

2010-03-15T09:48:00.005-06:00

This week I did not devour my child's chocolate bunny that she received from her aunt. It's not even close to Easter, I'm trying to watch my calorie intake, and I'd never steal candy from a baby. Nope, not me!

This week I did not exploit the fact that my husband was on spring-break from his online master's classes, and asked him to help me with several enormous projects that took up nearly every second of his spare time. I realize he works incredibly hard, and I respect his down-time. Not me!

When my in-laws were here I did not sit back and let them wash dishes, cook dinner, change my daughter's diaper, and even get up with her in the middle of the night. Not a chance. (Have I mentioned that I have the most amazing in-laws!!!!)

And when we played Scrabble, I did not keep rearranging everyone's letters to "help" them get more points. Nope, I'm never that crazy about word games. Definitely not me!

~~~

Want to join the confessional Not-Me-Monday fun? Go to:

Duck . . . duck . . . duck . . .

2010-03-12T07:00:00.001-07:00

. . . alas, no goose.

First Picture

2010-03-11T07:00:00.002-07:00

Forget the mother-of-the-year award. I don't have a scrapbook or even a photo album put together of all of Juliette's cute first food, first bath, first fingernail clipping photos. And I admit, I feel a bit inferior and guilty about this.

Until I remember that I don't even have our wedding photos in an album. Then I feel a whole lot more guilty about that, and it sort of out-weighs the I'm-not-a-good-mother-because-I-haven't-documented-your-every-move guilt.

I do have a free calendar from the hardware store that I hung on my fridge and when she took her first step and when she threw her first fit I jotted down the dates. And I've taken a ton of pictures. So the reality of it is, when she graduates and heads of to college, she's probably going to get a food-stained calendar and a shoe box filled with Cd's of digital pictures in no apparent order. Not quite the beautiful scrapbook filled with beautifully positioned photographs and lovingly scripted entries. But it will have to do.

~~~

On the flip side, here is Juliette's first photograph. She held the camera, aimed, and took her very first picture by herself. Yep - it's my foot. And yep - it's a very dirty sock on my foot.

Laundry? Scrapbooking? Eh . . . who needs that mother-of-the-year award anyways?

Things That Seem Strange To Me

2010-03-10T09:50:00.003-07:00

* How it can be snowing cereal-sized flakes and the sun can still be shining.

* How even if you didn't pay any tax, and you don't owe any tax, you still have to file a non-resident tax return to a certain state, should you be renting out a house that you own there.

* Daylight Savings Time starts on Sunday.

* Our President is a smoker.

* Why it is so difficult to come up with ideas for dinner. We eat dinner every day. You'd think by now I'd be an expert at it.

Yes - strange. Very strange indeed.

Not-Me-Monday: Playing-n-Pajamas

2010-03-08T07:00:00.001-07:00

This week I did not get a babysitter to watch Juliette so that I could visit our neighbor and hold her newborn baby undistracted. Not me!

This week we did not drive 10+ hours to pick-up a deal that we found on Craig's list.

I also did not agree to a family trip of 13+ hours in the car (one way!) to visit friends later this month. After our Craig's list adventure you'd think I'd realize that my backside might not be able to handle that many hours in the car. Not me!

I did not pinch my husband's arm right in the middle of a prayer at church, because I was mad at him about something he had said shortly before. No way! I'd never be that childish or trivial. Not me!

And I did not let my child play at an indoor jungle-gym while she was still wearing her pajamas that were covered in syrup from her morning pancakes. Nope, definitely not me!

~~~

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Spring Fever

2010-03-05T15:03:00.002-07:00

The weather has been glorious lately. I've traded in the heavy down jacket for mud boots. I no longer have to start the car a half hour before I plan to go some where, just so the stiff leather seats have a chance to thaw out a little. I've even been comfortable leaving a sippy cup in the backseat for a couple of hours, because I knew it wouldn't freeze and explode.

Of course, March is supposedly our snowiest month here on the High Arid Plains, and I know that the weather man is probably not lying when he says that we have snow in our near future. But I can't help but let my spirit soar when I hear the sound of robins, or take in the intoxicating smell of damp, fertile soil. Spring may not be here, but it is coming.

And just because I might see a few (okay probably a lot more than a few) snowflakes before spring is truly here, I'm not going to stop enjoying the signs that spring is on its way. So if you see me smiling a little more brightly, wearing short sleeves, and walking with a little more pep in my get-up, please don't worry. I'm completely aware spring isn't here. But that doesn't mean I can't enjoy a little spring fever, right?

Playing Dress-Up

2010-03-04T07:00:00.001-07:00

Last week when we had some friends over, we were visited by a couple of princesses. (I knew those $5.00 after-Halloween costume purchases would be a hit, even if Juliette is a little young yet).

But they weren't the only one's playing dress up around here. Let's just say, that when Seth watched Olympic hockey, he really got into it.

He lives out this verse more than anyone I know: "Whatever you hand finds to do, do it with all your might. . ." Ecc. 9:10.

Love you babe!

Words of Wisdom

2010-03-03T12:12:00.000-07:00

Don't ever doubt that the little things are important.

"Today's ripple is tomorrow's wave, which is next year's flood." - Max Lucado

nOt ToO sTiR cRaZy

2010-03-02T07:00:00.006-07:00

This little dress is called a Two-Summer Sundress and you can get the pattern for free here.

You do have to have a Ravelry account to access the pattern, but if you don't have a Ravelry account already, you should get one. It is completely free and completely worth it. This sight has a searchable database of hundreds of free knitting and crocheting patterns.

And since winter usually seems quite long right about now, it's nice to have a plethora of projects to keep one inspired (a.k.a. busy enough to not get too stir crazy). Happy creating!

Not-Me-Monday: On the Road

2010-03-01T07:00:00.002-07:00

Two weeks ago we did a lot of traveling in the car. And I definitely did not use some "coping methods" to keep Juliette content. I would never resort to giving her a lollipop to preserve the peace. Nor would I quickly unwrap a second lollipop when the first one had disappeared. Not me!

I did not hide out in the hotel bathroom during Juliette's nap time, because I had a hunch that she might fall asleep quicker if she couldn't see me. And I did not post a status update on Facebook confessing that I was using the internet from our hotel bathroom. Not me!

While we were eating out, Juliette did not get to taste the whipped cream on Daddy's hot chocolate. Nor did I seriously contemplate not pulling out my camera, because the people at the next table over kept saying, "I bet they wish they had a camera right about now". I mean, I'm never embarrassed to admit that I am a doting mother that enjoys taking countless pictures of her child. Nope, not me.

I did not use lotion on my hair instead of conditioner. Nope, I always read the tiny print on the hotel-provided toiletries very carefully.

And on our way home, I did not give Juliette her own piece of pizza and allow her to make a complete mess in her car seat. That would be a ridiculous thing for a neat freak like me to do. Definitely, not me!

I didn't give her a napkin after the fact either. Why bother? Seriously.

~~~

Want to join the confessional Not-Me-Monday fun? Go to:

Playing Favorites

2010-02-27T06:00:00.005-07:00

Her favorite song is "This Little Light of Mine"

Her favorite snack is string cheese

Her favorite toy is my old cell phone

Her favorite game is peek-a-boo

And she is my favorite thing in the cabinet!

Soundtrack of My Soul

2010-02-26T11:49:00.002-07:00

I'll never forget sitting in my driveway that dark autumn night. It was late, I was returning home from some evening activity, and my heart was trudging through all the trouble that comes with teenage angst. I don't really remember exactly what I was so upset about, but I remember a certain song come on the radio just as I was parking my car, and as my fingers slowly loosened their grip from the steering wheel, the pent-up tears gently weaved their way down my cheeks and into my lap. I sat in the darkness and listened. It was as if God Himself was whispering those lyrics of healing straight to my battered heart. And as the song continued, I hung on every word, and let the message soak into my soul.

Zephaniah 3:17 says that God sings over us. Just like a mother stands over her child's crib and sings songs of comfort and love, God the Father tenderly stands over His children, singing words that speak to their hearts.

Lately, the song "Your Hands" by JJ Heller, seems to be the soundtrack of my soul. Of course, if you've turned on Christian radio at all during the last 6 months, you've probably heard it at least 4 dozen times. But even though I've heard it at least that much, it still touches me in much the way that other special song did in my driveway so many years ago. It's the message that I need to hear right now. It is the melody that resonates with my heart. It is the gentle voice of love. It is my Father singing over me.

A Snowy Thursday Afternoon

2010-02-25T12:22:00.007-07:00

It's quiet around my house . . . at least for the moment. Juliette is taking her nap, and I'm fighting off the urge to sneak in a few Zzzz myself. It snowy and overcast, and just one of those sleepy afternoons. Ahhh.

Honestly, I am thankful for the peace and respite of this afternoon. We were traveling all last week, Seth had a work training session in a large city a few hours away, and Juliette and I jumped at the opportunity to accompany him. These days, I always jump at the chance to visit Wal-mart. Haha!

Besides the training session, we also tagged along on a retreat with the Christian college group from our alma mater last weekend. The same campus minister and his wife are still serving the students there, so it was great to catch up with them and to meet all of the fresh faces of students that are actively involved in that ministry. I have to confess, I must be getting old - I mean "more mature". Freshmen are looking younger and younger to me.

There was plenty of snow on the retreat too, so we took Juliette tubing. I wasn't sure how she would handle it, but she is a trooper. She wasn't scared one bit, and never complained about the wind or the cold.

But when I finally asked her if she would like to go inside and take a nap with daddy, she didn't hesitate to say yes.

It was so refreshing to get to pray and worship with old and new friends alike. I'm so thankful for the ministerings of the body of Christ!

~~~

My latest adventure has been coaching the 5th and 6th grade drama club at the elementary school here on the High Arid Plains. I had just been praying that God would open up some more doors of ministry for me, particularly involving young people, when a mom asked me if I'd be interested in coordinating this venture. Not completely what I was expecting, but I've sort of come to expect the unexpected from God.

Honestly, I don't really know what I'm doing, but thankfully a friend is helping me and we are just trying to string it together as best we can. I'm hoping that the kids have a good time and don't catch on that we are just sort of making things up as we go along.

I have to confess, I have been using my dvr to record old episodes of Whose Line Is It Anyways? for inspiration. Again, I must be getting "more mature". I don't remember that show being so cheesy!

~~~

Spiritually, I've been wrestling with some pretty heavy questions regarding my response to the sin in other's lives. How does one make room for repentance, healing, and restoration without making room for sin itself? What does forgiveness and love look like? How can I be Christlike towards those who aren't?

I've been reading several books, and steeping myself in God's word, and trusting that He'll help me unravel some these mysteries, or at least guide my next steps. Honestly, that's all I ask. Direction for each new day. My "more mature" mind can't really wrap itself around much more than that anyways. Let's just say, it's good to know one's limits.

A Beautiful Testimony

2010-02-15T07:00:00.001-07:00

Recently I received the following testimony from a dear friend (my former employer's wife). They and their six children recently moved to Fiji last year to be work with a medical mission group. It is long, but definitely worth the read.

I have been asked by several people how we ever ended up in Fiji in the first place. So, please bear with me as I share with you the ‘long version’ of the beginning our of our new life. I have prayed for years that God would use me as a missionary,to serve him wherever he might call me. First, in my home, and then to the endless frontier of Africa (in my dreams)!! I have dedicated my children to the Lord, and asked that he use them all as his ministers of the gospel to a lost and dying world. I have asked him to use them to reach people that have never heard the good news of Jesus before. Because of the fact that my husband loved the creature comforts of America, I was content to take 'short term' mission trips, and prayed that my children would be the next Hudson Taylors and Amy Carmicheals of the world.

The Lord, however had a different plan. During the year, 2007, life as we knew it began to unravel. Mike has always done well in business, and although he has never been a workaholic, success seemed to chase his every step. After acquiring all that he had dreamed of... a loving family, a 35 acre ranch in Colorado, a ski condo in Granby Ranch, and his most cherished Range Rover... an unpredicted chain of events threatened to change everything.

Without going in to every detail, circumstances outside of our control began to ebb away at the secure life Mike had worked so hard for. Fear and panic moved in, and nothing in his power could fix the mountain of challenges and hardships that appeared imminent.

As I watched this apparent disaster of our lives unfold, I held fast to my Saviour. I believe the promises that God has made, and asked that he would use all of the trials we were going through for good in our lives. I prayed that God would draw Mike close to him, and give him the strength to get through each day. There were certain peoplewho had chosen to attack Mike's company, and spread malicious lies about him and his partner. Others who had made promises and signed contracts, but failed to follow through. One who stole over a million dollars, and left the country, leaving Mike's company to shoulder the blame and loss. Many enemies had arisen, along with the turbulent economy. I prayed that Mike would trust God to be his provider, and that he would be able to forgive those who had intentionally hurt him.

The Lord was faithful to do much more than this! He gave Mike a challenge which would ultimately change his life and send us to Fiji!! What kind of challenge, you ask? This journey began in our hot tub! A certain friend of ours used to enjoy long soaks in the hot tub with Mike, as they would discuss life's joys and sorrows. During this time of intense stress, their hot tub conversation turned serious. As Mike shared the struggles of holding it together, and his concerns for the future, our friend encouraged him to listen to a series of lectures by a man named Herb Larsen. Mike had the mp3's sitting on his desk for weeks without picking them up. At our friend's insistence, and God's divine timing, we were able to listen to about 6 of the sessions on a trip to the mountains. Mike was captivated by Herb's story, and drawn to the challenge that Herb gives to everyone he meets. Herb's story was one of deliverance from the onslaught of the pressures of thisworld, by pursuing the most important thing first.

When Herb shared his similar struggles with business stress, anxiety,and a lack of peace in his life, Mike's heart was engaged. He knew that he needed something in his life that was desperately missing. Hehad always been in control of things. He always planned everythingout to the last detail, and could manage problems with his own intelligence and resources. All of a sudden, when he realized thatthe new issues that had come up were beyond human fixing, he was at a point in need of supernatural help. This help was what Herb'schallenge offered.

The challenge was this. Simple, but not easy. Give the first hour of your day to God, through prayer and Bible study, and do it for 60 days. God promises that if we seek him first, and seek his kingdom and his righteousness that he will give us all that we need. Mike decided to take the 60 day challenge. God had always been an important part of his life, but he had never been the object of Mikes'pursuit. He realized he spent many hours a day working just to survive. Why not give God a try? After 60 days, not much had happened. Mike was still pretty miserable, and wondering why God seemed so far off. After 90 days, things started to improve. Not on the outside, where circumstances continued to spiral out of control. The change was internal. Mike started to internalize God's word and his promises. He realized that God did answer prayer, because the word of God became alive to him.

As God's Spirit was being invited in, the stress and worry started to fade. Mike could handle the stress with greater peace, and gave each new ordeal to God, as they came. He could sleep better, and regained confidence for the future. As God started to work miracles in helping resolve the business issues that had come up, Mike realized that even when everything was resolved that his heart was no longer in the business world. He no longer had the desire to make a lot of money, and acquire a more luxurious life. Instead, the commands of Jesus seemed to resonate with him. The charge to care for the poor and the needy, and the orphan and the widow seemed to fill his thoughts more than buying the next gadget. He told God that he had lived the first half of his life for himself, but that he wanted to give the rest of his days to serving Him. For possibly the first time in his life, he offered a prayer of true surrender to the Lord. Mike told God that he was willing to do whatever he wanted, and go wherever he wanted him to go. He prayed for direction and guidance for the future.

About this time, we had some friends over and we were discussing this whole situation. Mike shared his heart to do something with his 9-5hours that would make a significant difference for eternity. Our friend suggested we look into a particular ministry in Fiji. He followed up by sending Mike a link to the website for this ministry. From the time Mike looked at the website, he could not stop thinking about Fiji. The ministry is called the Dream Machine foundation, and Mike was so interested in their work, that he told me we may be called to go to Fiji as missionaries! I actually laughed at the idea! Fiji? None of the missionary books I have read were about Fiji! And I also reminded him that we were not going anywhere as missionaries, because we had a lot of problems to deal with here in the states! My initial thought was that he just wanted to run away from everything and hide in Fiji. Nice, huh?

Well, God set me straight in his gentle and patient way. When I realized that Mike was not kidding, and he really didn't want to runaway from things, I opened my heart to the idea of Fiji. I prayerfully looked over the website wondering if God truly had a plan for us to serve him in Fiji. I saw that Fiji truly is a very poor country, in great need of help. Much of the population has no access to decent, if any, medical care. Only a couple of generations away from extreme cannibalism, the people of Fiji are in definite need of Jesus' love and truth. Religion is mixed in Fiji between a form ofChristianity, Islam, Hindu, and occult. Many residents take on the religion of their chiefs, and are regular church goers, but they never hear or see the way of salvation that they need more than anything.

As I came to the conclusion that God may be leading Mike in this new obsession with Fiji, I called him, and told him that the possibilityof going to Fiji was looking more appealing to me. I told him that I understood that there are true needs there, and that perhaps, someday, we could do something down there. It was just a brief conversation, but seemed to be pivotal. A little while later, Mike called me and told me that his business partner and friend, Jon Thompson wanted to get together to pray with us about the possibility of going to serve in Fiji. He made it sound urgent, and they wanted to meet that night at a coffee shop to seek the Lord's direction in the matter. I was somewhat amused as I consented to meet them. Surely, they were pushing this thing a little faster than necessary!

When we sat down, with our chai teas and coffee in hand, Jon opened up by saying he felt this was a crossroads in our lives. He felt that this could be the beginning of a whole new chapter in our lives. Mike was somewhat quiet, probably wondering how Jon had attached himself to this calling to Fiji. Jon's wife, Monique was definitely guarded about the idea, having first heard about it, possibly an hour before our meeting. She had the same objections that I had expressed, including, 'how can we consider missions with all of our issues goingon right now?' All that being said, we each prayed a prayer of surrender, offering up our lives to the Lord, opening ourselves up to his leading.

A few days later, Monique called me with a request. She had been praying about this whole idea of Fiji, and really felt convinced that we shouldn't be considering going anywhere with the guys' business in the state it was in. They had an abundance of houses for sale at this point, none of which had been selling. The dead market was a source of grief for many builders, at this time, and Mike's company was suffering greatly. Monique felt impressed to make an audacious request of God. She wanted us to pray in agreement with her that they would sell 5 houses within 30 days. I agreed to pray in agreement with her, and shared this request with our children. My son, Ben,asked me this question. “Mom, if we sell 5 houses in 30 days, does that mean that we are going to Fiji?” I remember my reply as if it was yesterday. “Well, Ben, its not like we are telling God that if he sells 5 houses for us, then we will go to Fiji, but if we do sell 5 houses in 30 days, that would be an absolute miracle, and could very well mean we are going to Fiji!”

I never told Mike about our little prayer agreement. So, about 10 days later when he called me with excitement in his voice, he had no idea what we had been praying. “Guess what happened today!” What? I asked. “We got 5 contracts on houses to build!” Yes, in one day, Mike’s company received 5 contracts. This was the first of many miracles, and direct answers to prayer.

From that point, we continued to pray that if Fiji was Mike’s idea, and not God’s idea, that he would shut the door. The last thing we wanted to do was to pack up our family, and move across the world on a whim. However, as we prayed, it seemed like God continued to open doors wide. As this letter is already getting too long, I will summarize some of the highlights.

*After an opportunity to meet with the founder of the Dream Machine Foundation, he told us we had his blessing to go to Fiji, and work with his ministry and their sister foundation, the Mission at Natuvu Creek.

*After meeting with the founders of the Mission at Natuvu, we also received an invitation to come and serve full time in Fiji. They had both turned many people away from coming down to serve, but felt we were the ones they had been praying for to help them further the ministry.

*After returning home from our initial visit to Fiji, we told God thatwe were willing to go to Fiji, but that he had many ‘giants’ that had to be slain before we could go.

*The hardest thing to do was to share this new direction in life with our friends and family. To my surprise, no one tried to talk us out of going, and even my precious Mom, who it was the hardest to leave, gave me her full support and blessing.

*Mike and Jon’s business partner gave them full permission to leave the business in his hands, and was also selflessly supportive in our decision to go.

*Our 35 acre ranch, which easily could have taken a year to sell in the current market, went under contract within 30 days for the price we were hoping for. Actually, I have to give you more details on that answer to prayer. As soon as we returned home to America from Fiji in February of 2009, we felt certain that we should prepare our home to sell, so that we would be ready to go to Fiji, whenever God opened the door. We thought maybe it would be a year, before we could put things in order for us to go. So, when we put our home on the market after a couple months of fixing things up, we were patient for things to move slowly.

However, after showing the house several times within the first week or two on the market, I realized that this was going to be no easy endeavor. It is a lot of work to make a home for 6 children look good enough for a showing, and then clear everyone out of the house for 2 hours. So, as I closed the door one day after a showing, I silently cried out a prayer to God, “Lord, please let the next showing be theperson who buys this house. I really don’t want to go thru this process over and over again, so please don’t let us get any more calls until the it is the right buyer!”

We had just attended a church service, where the speaker had reminded us to make our prayers specific. This prayer was specific, and perhaps a bit selfish, but it was a cry from my heart. Well, as a result, the telephone stopped ringing. Uh oh. Mike did not like the lack of interest we had in the house for the next couple weeks. Should we drop the price? What is happening, he wondered? Finally,the phone rang again with another showing! Could this be the one? I told Mike about my prayer request, so we were hopeful that we would have a buyer.

To cut the story short, I will just give God all the glory in telling you, that he did answer this prayer with a YES! I never had to show the house again, and this showing resulted in the sale of our home. To make the story even better, I will tell you that God provided the perfect closing date, and the perfect place to live, while we waited for our move to Fiji to solidify. To him be all the praise!

*The sale of our home was not without consequence. It meant that we had to find homes for our donkey, 5 horses, 1 colt, 3 dogs, 2 goats, 4 chickens and one barn cat. This was no small feat to conquer in a short period of time, especially considering that each pet was more like a member of the family. I will keep this praise simple in telling you that every single animal went to a home that we felt good about, and each one has a great story to go with it! For lack oftime, just be confident that God cares about every detail of your life. From where you live, to what you wear, to what happens to your dairy goats when you sell your ranch☺

*Acquiring our visas was a daunting task, as well. We were given the run around from people in Fiji many times, and were not sure how to proceed with getting to stay in Fiji for more than 4 months at a time. At a point, when we didn’t know how to proceed, the name of a Fijian contact here in the states was given to us. After a long and fruitful conversation with Mike, this contact was able to secure us 3 year visas within about 2 weeks time! One more giant slain, and miraclesecured☺

*How does one go about moving to Fiji from the middle of the US anyways? We know we had to take a good amount of our belongings with us, and that packing a container would be the best way to go. But where do you get one of these, and how do you pack it and then ship itto Fiji? This was one more of the many answers to prayer. God connected us to a ministry in our very own hometown of Loveland, CO,that had been praying for a way to help the people of Fiji! When they heard our story, they not only opened up their warehouse to us to use to pack, and store our belongings, and to load our container at, but they also donated another container full of donations to bless the people of Fiji. This whole situation blew us away, as without thepeople of H.E.L.P. International in Loveland, we may still be in Loveland, ourselves☺

*One of my biggest prayers during this time of transition was that my family would be unified in our decision to move to Fiji. With 2 teenage girls, and 4 other children who loved their comfortable life in Colorado, this was not a simple desire. Everyone who talked to us about our decision to move our family across the world especially wondered about our oldest daughter’s plans. She was almost 18 and could have chosen to stay in America with friends. My heart was delighted that the Lord spoke to Jessi individually and showed her his plan was for her to go to Fiji. This did not mean it was easy.

All of the children experienced pain and loss, as we prepared to leave. Buckets of tears were shed, as we said goodbye to SO many loved ones. Jessi and Mike especially mourned the loss of our ranch and their precious animals, but we all clung to the promise of Jesus,which says that whoever gives up houses, or fields, or family for his sake will receive a hundred fold in this lifetime. After the first few weeks of being here, we have seen the promise being fulfilled. Truly, in giving up all we had in America, we have received much. I already feel like we have gained more than we have given.

*The stories are endless about how God led us to Fiji. When there were so many distinct answers to prayer, we were convinced that God was paving the way so clearly, so that when we found ourselves on a lonely island in Fiji, and we wondered how we ever got here, we would not wonder if we had made a huge mistake.

So, now here we are. And this question has sometimes threatened to enter our minds. Especially as we saw Mike’s health declining rapidly. Mike has struggled with back and neck pain in the states,but he was confident that if God was leading him to Fiji, that God would provide the strength for him to serve. Building a house from scratch was going to be quite a challenge! So when his body seemed to be weakening, discouragement was trying to conquer Mike’s mind.

However, I saw God prevail even in the trials. Mike would not allow himself to lose heart. The anxiety that was common to him in the states, before, was absent in this trial. Even though things looked bleak, he was confident in the God who had sent him to Fiji. He chose to look at the good, instead of the bad. And now, I can tell you that he is getting stronger again, and feels the worse has passed. Mike’s team that is working with on the house has been so amazing and such a source of encouragement to him. Peals of laughter and praise music trickle away from the jobsite regularly. This home that we are building is an offering to the Lord, and he is already being lifted up in the process.

We laugh when the locals talk to us about the size of our house. At about 1900 square feet, they think we are building a palace! Just over half the size of our ranch in America, we thought it would make quite a humble home. Compared to the Fijian’s homes, though, it does look like a mansion. And we have to ask, should we have chosen to live more simply? Should we learn to wash our clothes by hand, and cook over an open fire? Should we eat more cassava, and less potatoes? One of our friends commented that we are living in ‘little America’ in the middle of Fiji. This is true, in a sense. And this is another reason I praise God.

You see, God has a mission for all of us. He birthed us, and wired us all with a genetic makeup that is meant to worship him, and serve him. And he has planned out all of the steps we are to take, and the places we should live. He has chosen people to live for his glory in all walks of life. From Laguna Beach, California to the ghettoes of Newark, New Jersey. From the desert plains of Namibia, Africa, to the earthquake shaken island of Haiti. He has his people everyone, and he uses his people to be his hands and feet on this earth.

He knows us and knows how we will thrive and what we can handle. He knows that a slightly pampered, rural family with 6 children from America may struggle more than they can handle if they are thrown out on to the streets of India, and forced to live like the natives. He knows how he wants to use us, and how much we can adjust, and he designs the plans for us accordingly. Which is the beauty of this Mission in Fiji.

Designed by Americans who are used to the comforts of home, but who have been changed by serving the people of Fiji, the Mission at Natuvu Creek allows people to come and serve without completely leaving the comforts of home. We have been able to give up many things, but not all things, and for this, we praise HIM!

While I haven’t driven a car for 5 months now, and we have grown used to riding on a dirty, bumpy bus, I can still take a hot shower and cook in an American style kitchen. While we haven’t watched TV in about 5 months (no loss there:), we can still show movies on our projector, operated by a generator on the outdoor walls of our cafeteria. While I haven’t been able to run to Walmart to pick up a loaf of bread when we run out, I have been able to mountain bike 15 minutes down a muddy, potholed filled road to pick up most things that we can’t live with out. We have no complaints here.

When people ask us how we chose to come to Fiji, the answer is simple. God chose Fiji for us. Never in my wildest dreams did I think Iwould serve God is such a remote, hidden paradise. Never did I dream that I would have 4 Fijian students in my homeschool that call me“Madam”. Never did I imagine the kindness of my 16 year old student,who just peeked in my window to make sure I was alright. (Yep, the fever seems to have backed off as I am still typing away!!)

Never have I experienced the pain that comes to the surface, as a song or event triggers a memory or sensation from ‘home’, and I realize that I can not just go back to the states on a whim. Never have I experienced the joy that has come from seeing God work here in such tangible ways.

When we spoke to one of the missionaries who lived here about 10 yearsago, she reflected on her year in Fiji. She told us that her year here was the best year of her life, and the hardest year of her life. I can relate to those feelings. When God takes us out of our comfort zone and our normal routine, it is then that he can become the most real to us.

How about you? Is God calling you to take a risk for him? To visit the widow down the road from you? To invite the noisy children next door over for some cookies? To give a hug in Jesus’ name? To turnoff the TV, and go serve dinner at a homeless shelter? Wherever you are, God has a purpose for you.

I would encourage you all as I close what is probably my longest update ever. Take the challenge. Seek God first. Pick up that dusty Bible off your shelf, and see what God has to say to you. I promise that it will be the most rewarding decision you ever make.

My Precious Valentines

2010-02-14T07:00:00.002-07:00

Seth and Juliette - Key West, Jan. 2010

Popping for Less

2010-02-13T20:49:00.002-07:00

Juliette is going to see her "Pop" next week. That is how she says Grandpa. It is also how she asks for a lollipop and one of her more favorite snacks - popcorn.

The good news is that I recently learned a cheaper way to make her happy. Instead of buying the regular microwave popcorn, or using a lot of butter/oil to pop the corn on the stove top, I have just been putting a single layer of popcorn in a glass dish and popping it for around 5-6 minutes. An entire bag of regular popcorn is about the same price as a package of microwave popcorn packets, but I bet it makes 30 times more popcorn.

A warning though. You need to cover your dish with a plate. Otherwise, you end up with this:

Oh well. Lesson learned.

Annoying People

2010-02-04T18:47:00.002-07:00

Sometimes I find people annoying. It's terrible. But I do.

And I'm annoyed over little things too. Like the way they say the word "good", or the way they talk about their husband/child, or even the way they eat.

It's pathetic. How could I be so annoyed over such trivial things? It totally isn't Jesus-like one bit. I mean, could you imagine Jesus glaring at Peter when he talked with his mouth full?

Certainly Jesus was a bit more full of grace. But boy could I use some of that grace right now.

My fuse has seemed extra short the past few weeks. It would probably do me a whole lot of good to put myself in a time-out for awhile. At least long enough for me to have an attitude adjustment.

Something has got to change. That's for sure. I mean this finding-people-annoying-thing is getting really, really annoying.

My Birthday Wish

2010-01-13T13:26:00.007-07:00

This morning when I woke up and thought about how I wanted to spend my birthday, the second thought that came to my mind was that I wanted to get a chance to blog. My first thought was that I'd like to stay in bed all day, but after Seth reminded me that it might get a little awkward when my daycare kids started arriving, I decided that maybe I could come up with a better wish. And honestly, I think I'd get a little board just sitting in bed all day anyhow.

So my second wish was to do a little blogging. It has been ages since I've written a post. Last year, actually. Of course last year was just a few weeks ago, but sometimes I like to sound dramatic. I can't figure out why I've struggled to find the time to blog lately. Nothing has changed, my daily routines and responsibilities are pretty much the same, but somehow I just haven't managed to make it happen. I'm a believer in the idea that we all find time to do the things that are important to us, no matter how "busy" we are. Our daily agendas reflect our priorities. Good or not, blogging has lately fallen off my list of Top Ten Things To-Do Today (a.k.a. The T5 List). But today, I'm taking the time to catch up and chronicle our lives a bit. I like it when my birthday wishes come true.

~~~

CHRISTMAS

Our holidays were wonderful. We were blessed to get to attend the Christmas Eve Candle Light service at our old church in The Big City. We thoroughly enjoyed getting to worship with manyof our dear friends. Christmas morning we celebrated with my siblings. I hardly took any decent pictures, but here is one of my sister Rachel sporting some of her presents. Isn't she cute?

We spent Christmas afternoon with my Dad and his side of the family, including my grandparents, some aunts and uncles, and quite a few cousins. There was lots of food, the annual white elephant exchange, and good times all around. We had brunch the day after Christmas was some friends (who are really dear role models and mentors to Seth and I), and then that evening we had a better-late-than-never Christmas celebration with my other grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. Whew!

Honestly though, the older and older I get the more precious and dear these family celebrations become to me. What a gift to gather with the ones you love!

~~~

This picture really deserves a clever caption. Wish I had one.

~~~

THE VISIT

The highlight by far, of our holidays, was the few days when most of my brothers and sisters came to visit. Our house, which a realtor might call "cozy", was positively crammed full with ten extra people. And it was wonderful!

The shoe pile alone was picture worthy!

We blew up air mattresses in the living room and in Juliette's room, we set up army cots, we had people sleeping on the couch, and we still had three people to a bed in both our guestroom and our master bedroom!

We spent the days cooking, eating, playing games, watching movies, soaking in the hot springs, playing Wii, and of course there was a little music playing going on too.

Here Juliette is having her first jam session with her aunt Rachel. Shake those bells girl!

~~~

NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTIONS

The visit extended over New Year's Eve, so one of my sisters suggested we make dream boards. Essentially, dream boards are collages of what you hope to do/be/accomplish/experience/etc. over the course of the next year. All of us girls had a great time making a big mess and cutting out lots of magazine pictures.

Some of my sisters were really creative and made complex dream boards that bordered on full scrapbooks.

Mine on the other hand was not so intricate. Of course, even as the "simplest one" my oldest brother kept laughing at "all the things" I wanted to focus on this year. He's probably right. It is a lot - but hey, why not?

I've hung it on my fridge, and I hope to work towards those goals. The way I see it, if I make progress towards even half of them, 2010 will be a good year!

~~~

I have a lot more on my heart to write about, but I think this is going to have to be enough to make me content for now. Gotta run, there's birthday cake to eat!

Not-Me-Monday: The Christmas Tree

2009-12-21T12:41:00.006-07:00

I have not been so sporadic with writing Not-Me-Monday posts that I have actually resolved to start jotting down applicable situations (a.k.a. embarrassing scrapes and scrambles) as they happen. Of course, I have not completely failed to do so. Not me!

I did not suggest to my husband that he cut down one of the few Christmas trees growing in the a desolate mountain valley because I liked the color and shape better than the plethora of trees that were further up the side of the hill. I would never be that shallow. And I would not continue to pester him about that particular tree, even when we both agreed that it was about 8 feet larger than what we needed. Not me! And while we did go with a more "appropriate tree," I am not keeping that other tree in mind for next year.

The other day I was not in such a hurry to use the restroom before taking one of my daycare children to preschool, that I failed to check the position of the toilet seat. As I was sitting down, I did not proceed to urinate all over a closed seat. Not me! That would be totally disgusting!

The star on our tree is not crooked. Nor has it been imitating the tower of pisa pretty much from day one.

When Juliette is eating a particularly messy snack, and I do not have a towel nearby, I have not been known to just put her entire hand in my mouth so that I can get a majority of the mess off. Sucking on your child's hand is taking the whole "mother's spit is clean idea" WAY too far. I would never do that. Not me!

I did not start to wish we hadn't put up a Christmas tree, after spending about two days trying to keep Juliette from demolishing not only the tree but the ornaments too. Not me! I would never get frustrated with training her, but instead would embrace it as a wonderful opportunity to teach my child self-restraint.

Queen Anne's Cordial Cherries are disgusting. But I would not proceed to forget that fact EVERY single year. I would not have to be half-way through a bite to remember that they sting my throat, they taste waxy, and that they are definitely not worth the calories. Of course, I did not find a brand of chocolate covered cherries this year, that are worth the calories. Not me. That would just be plain dangerous!

~~~

Want to join the confessional Not-Me-Monday fun? Go to:

Update on Seth

2009-12-18T13:24:00.004-07:00

I've been woefully remiss in updating everyone on Seth's tests. There is good news and bad news. The good news is that the numbers on Seth's liver panel are down. The bad news is, they are still abnormally high. So he has an appointment scheduled for the first week of January with a specialist, and we will go from there.

God is good. After venting here on this blog, I was blessed with a new sense of peace. So much so, in fact, that posting an update completely slipped my mind (We got the results pre-Thanksgiving!). Anyhow, thanks for praying for me and our family, and thanks for continuing to pray for Seth's health.

God is good - all the time!

Getting a Christmas Tree

2009-12-17T13:15:00.005-07:00

Heading out to cut a Christmas tree last weekend

Chillin'

Really Chillin'

Should daddy put that saw at my feet?

Winter Wonderland

Just some options

The one I love (the tree and the man)

Back in the car, warm and cozy

A Little Young

2009-12-10T07:00:00.003-07:00

In my opinion, one year of age is a little young for lip piercing. Just saying.

Words of Wisdom Wednesdays

2009-12-09T19:53:00.003-07:00

"For years psychologists have postulated that anger is not a primary emotion. Anger is actually a secondary feeling or response to a more primary emotion. If you are feeling angry there are typically four deeper primary emotions underneath it. These are Guilt, Inferiority, Fear, and Trauma (or hurt and pain).

"In order for you to remember the deeper emotions, we developed an acronym to help you . . . GIFT. . . . This acronym can help family members discover their root emotions, and this can actually be a gift to them. . . .Identifying these deeper emotions helps familes deal with what is really going on within their souls."

- Drs. Beverly and Tom Rodgers (Taken From: Becoming a Family that Heals)

Santa's Coming . . .

2009-12-08T07:00:00.001-07:00

This weekend my aunt and uncle hosted a special holiday party for our extended family and a few other special guests.

I think Juliette was pretty excited that Santa shops at Target.

But she wasn't so sure about Santa himself.

However, being the great guy that he is, he knows how to bribe people into a better mood.

Even though she liked her gift, she made sure she kept her eye on him.

She just wasn't sure if she could trust a guy with a beard longer than daddy's.

Honestly, can you blame the girl? (Thanks Kent & Susan for a wonderful party!)

Not-Me-Monday: It's the Holidays

2009-12-07T19:55:00.007-07:00

It must be the Holidays! I have not been so busy with other things that I'm woefully behind on blogging. Nope, not me! I always stay on top of documenting our eventful lives.

We have had plenty of snow and cold. Of course, I never track any of that snow in the house. Not me! And Juliette never plays with the snow that I bring inside. Nor has she ever tried to eat that snow either. Definitely not!

And when it is freezing outside, I never leave the door open, nor has Juliette snuck through that door to get a handful of the white stuff. Certainly not.

And that dirt in the door track? That doesn't belong to me. No way! I always have a clean house.

I did not let me child have cookies and ice cream over the past couple of weeks. Not me! I try to make sure that she eats as healthy as possible!

And Juliette doesn't like ice cream either! See how much she left in the bowl?

On a recent visit to my family, I did not idly sit by as my siblings decorated Seth while he was taking a nap. I did not take more pictures of him than I did of the Christmas tree either. Nope, not me!

I have not spent the past two weekends shopping, shopping, shopping. I did not get up at 1:00 am on Black Friday to stand in line at Old Navy. And I did not shop for nine hours that Saturday. And I did not enjoy it all.

Of course, I have not been just piling the shopping bags on our guest room bed, nor am I bit daunted by the mountain of gifts I have to wrap now. Nope, not me.

Yep, it's the holidays. I love this time of year!

~~~

Want to join the confessional Not-Me-Monday fun? Go to:

What Happened In The Shower

2009-11-20T09:35:00.005-07:00

I do my best thinking/praying in the shower. I don't know if it is the extended period of silence, the relaxation of the warm water, or the chance to just be alone, but most of my epiphanies happen over wet tile. This morning was no exception. I'll explain in a minute.

Also this morning, Seth went to get his blood redrawn for his liver panel test. We should have the results on Monday, and then it will be decided whether or not he needs a liver biopsy. The past two months that we've been waiting for this next set of tests, we've both sort of put the whole thing out of mind, rested in God's peace, and just gone on with the business of living life. But as the test loomed over us this week, I've found myself giving into the temptation to worry a little bit. And once I give into to anxiety, then I start coming up with all sorts of worst case scenarios. Not pretty, not good, and definitely not productive.

I also have to confess that my prayers the past week have really been just sort of a blanket appeal: "Come on God, please just give me a break". After all that has transpired this year, I just feel incapable of being able to handle having a husband with a major illness/disease. Frankly, I still am not that confident in how I'll be able to cope. I feel like it has been all I can do to just hold on lately- and "another thing" might just be the tipping point.

So this week I have come to God with my requests, confident that He hears them, confident that He is able to do something about them, but not really confident in His care. I know that He is trustworthy, and tender, and loving, but I haven't really felt that He is all of those things. But then I had the aha-moment in the shower.

You see, this year those whom I should have been able to trust let me down. Let me down in a big, destructive way. And I'm hurt. And I'm wary. And I'm weary.

And, while lathering my hair with coconut shampoo this morning, I came to the realization that in the midst of all of this turmoil, pain and betrayal have silently been polluting my image of God. I've been letting the rejection and heartache I've been experiencing form a frame around who I think God is and what I think He is capable/willing to do in our lives. And let me tell you that it is one ugly frame.

God should not be made to fit into man-sized proportions. Instead of seeing God as the so-far-beyond-what-I-can-comprehend Being that He is, I've been squeezing Him into a finite construct so I can then try and wrap my teensy little brain around who He is and what He's up to. But there is a lot of trouble when we stop seeing humankind through God's eyes and mistakenly try and understand God through our experience with humankind. And that's exactly what I've been doing.

Though it wasn't conscious, I'd been letting my pain define my God, instead of letting my God define my pain.

So this morning, I'm praying for a clean slate - a new perspective of hope, renewed trust in His love for me, and a fresh ability to rest in that love. I'm praying for a heart that is not hardened by scars, but one that is softened by the continuously healing hand of Christ. I'm praying that no matter what the test results reveal, what life throws at me, or what "other thing" each new day brings, I will be able to bless the Lord's name with full assurance in His tender care, and His ability to work all things together for good for those that love Him and are called according to His purpose.

And that's what happened in the shower.

Popeye's Secret Ally

2009-11-18T17:40:00.004-07:00

During our recent hunting trip/vacation our friend made this shake for us. I was skeptical at first about the "secret ingredient", but is true - you cannot taste the spinach. It is a new favorite of Seth's and Juliette's. Give it a try - it's a great way to sneak in an extra serving of veggies.

Blueberry Smoothie

1 cup blueberries
1 cup yogurt
1 1/2 - 2 cups spinach
1/2 - 1 cup juice ( I've been using blueberry pomegranate this week)

Mix in a blender until smooth. Makes about three cups and a messy toddler.

Keepin' It Clean

2009-11-14T10:56:00.004-07:00

My husband has often accused me of being a neat-freak. The fact that I take that as a compliment might lend credence to his accusation, but the fact that I've had dirt on my bathroom floor for nearly a week now clearly proves otherwise.

I am not going to deny that I like things neat and tidy, and I might possibly even be persuaded to confess that when the house is a total pigsty I start to shut down internally, but when it comes to dusting or scrubbing toilets - well frankly, I can think of a thousand other things I'd rather do.

Housecleaning is important to me, but I confess that the self-discipline required to actually do the cleaning isn't an inherent trait for me. I have to work at getting motivated to clean - especially if we aren't having any company. (Someone once said that having company is God's gift of motivation towards cleaning your house. Amen!) And seeing that we are in the middle of a dry spell (three weeks with no company) my motivation is waning.

Over the years, I've tried all sorts of cleaning regiments to try and stay on top of things. Before I was a mom, and I was working full time, Saturday morning was cleaning time. Of course my favorite regiment was when I hired someone to come in and clean the house for me, but those days are long gone. Right now, I've found that if I do a little bit each day, keeping the house clean is a lot easier.

Here is my current regime:

Monday -Laundry/Wash & Change Bed Linens

Tuesday - Vacuum/Clean Mirrors & Glass

Wednesday - Wipe Down Kitchen / Sweep & Mop

Thursday - Dust / Water Plants

Friday - Clean Bathrooms

Saturday - Vacuum

I have to confess though, that often times these things don't get done on the days allotted for them. If my kitchen is fairly clean, but the bathrooms are gross, I might switch it up. I like to keep life exciting like that.

And, of course, there is always the old adage, "It is easier to keep up than it is to catch up". If I notice the sink needs wiped out, I try to do it right then and there. If there are a lot of crumbs on the floor, I'll sweep them up before they get tracked all through the house - generally. But then again, there is that week-old dirt on my bathroom floor. I really should go wipe that up. But then again, I wouldn't want anyone to think I was a neat-freak or anything like that.

Happy cleaning!

The Big 3-0!!!

2009-11-12T10:57:00.002-07:00

Happy 30th birthday Seth!

You're definitely my favorite thirty-year-old.

Thanks for all you are and all you do for our family.

I love you more!!!

Words of Wisdom Wednesday

2009-11-11T07:00:00.002-07:00

"The health club is a modern temple, complete with initiation rites and elaborate rituals, its objects of worship on constant and glorious display. I [detect] a trace of theology there, for such devotion to the human form gives evidence of the genius of a Creator who designed with aesthetic flair. The human person is worth preserving. And yet, in the end, the health club stands as a pagan temple. Its members strive to preserve only one part of the person: the body, the least enduring part of all. . . .

"Physical training is of some value, the apostle Paul advised his protege Timothy, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come. . . . I have to ask myself . . . how much time and energy do I devote to each?"

- Philip Yancey Finding God in Unexpected Places

The Dish

2009-11-10T07:00:00.003-07:00

Not-Me-Monday: Lambs, Bunnies, and Beards

2009-11-09T19:23:00.008-07:00

November cannot be nearly a third of the way over. I haven't even put up pictures of Juliette in her costume.

Of course, I certainly did not sew her a costume that was supposed to be a sheep but might have been mistaken for a rabbit nearly 1/2 of the time. Nope, not me. I like to create costumes that are clearly identifiable.

I certainly did not take Juliette trick-or-treating either. Not me! She can't walk and she doesn't eat candy, so I would never dress her up, lug her around in one arm and a plastic yellow jack-o-lantern in the other collecting sugar and corn syrup wrapped in bright packages. Nope, not me. And Seth and I didn't eat any of that candy either. No way!

One of the highlights of our vacation/hunting trip was not the fact that Seth shaved his beard. I confess that I am not a little perplexed why his beard should grow faster than the hair on his head. How can one man grow this much facial hair in four weeks?

I certainly did not suggest that since it was Halloween, my husband should shave a crazy partial shave. No way. I'm not silly like that.

Of course, when he came out of the bathroom looking like a total redneck I did not laugh so hard I nearly split my side. Nor, after an hour, did I decide that I just couldn't stand it anymore and order him back into the bathroom to finish off the beard. No, not me. I'm not that shallow.

We had a wonderful time on our trip. Of course, it has not taken me over a week to catch up on laundry, groceries, bills, etc. The fact that Juliette has cut 5 teeth in the past 5 days hasn't had anything to do with the fact that I have been so far behind on everything. And of course, I'd never be glad to use my daughter as an excuse when it comes to not being on top of my chores. Nope, not me. Definitely, not me.

~~~

Join in the Not-Me-Monday style of cathartic confession:

An Apple A Day . . .

2009-10-28T07:00:00.001-06:00

My in-laws blessed us with a whole box of delicious, ripe, organic apples from their apple tree, during their recent visit. Juliette couldn't be happier.

Not-Me-Monday: Sound Asleep

2009-10-26T14:35:00.006-06:00

This afternoon I did not sneak into my daughter's room to check on her, only to find her soundly snoring away in this unique pose.

I definitely didn't hurry out of the room to grab my camera, nor did I take a handful of pictures as stealthily as possible, in order to preserve the moment but not awaken my little sleeping beauty. Nope, not me!

I also did not complain several times this week that kissing my husband with a full beard pretty much feels like kissing the carpet. No, I'm always a supportive wife. I'd never make a fuss about my husband's hunting-season grooming style (or lack there of). Not me!

And when my husband came home with a tupperware dish from work that contained moldy lasagna (I can't EVEN remember the last time I made lasagna!!!), I most certainly did not refuse to clean it out. I definitely didn't leave it on the counter for two days until he finally got around to throwing it away. I'm not that stubborn. Nope, not me!

Happy Monday everyone!

~~~

For more Not-Me-Monday fun, check out this link:

Catch-Up

2009-10-23T19:38:00.007-06:00

Wow, I haven't posted anything in over a week - it is definitely time to catch-up.

Last week I was down with the flu. It's possible that it was the swine flu, but we don't know for sure. Nearly half of our little town has had it, so there probably is a good chance that is what I had, but frankly I just didn't feel the need to pay for a test to tell me that I was sick. I already knew that I didn't feel well, so I didn't really feel the need to know what it was that made me feel so yucky.

By the grace of God, I was feeling somewhat better by Saturday. It was a good thing too, because we had quite a weekend planned. First we had a chance to attend a college soccer game. One of the interns that worked at Seth's company over the summer is the captain of the team, and she got us free tickets. It was beautiful weather, the game was intense, and we had a fabulous time. Juliette got a little antsy after about an hour or so, so we just let her crawl around in the grass at the base of the stands. She quickly worked her magic with the security guard, and made a new friend.

After the game we hurried down to the neighboring state capital, where my friend and I were going to run a 1/2 marathon the next morning. I was still feeling pretty lousy, but God was gracious, and by the time the race started I felt better. Here is a picture my friend and I at the race start - with the capital building in the background.

Of course the early race start meant that Seth and Juliette had to also get up early to drop me off. Here we are leaving the hotel room. I'm not totally sure Seth is awake.

Do you like Seth's beard? He is growing it for hunting season- but hopefully it will be gone next week after he shoots his deer. I can't wait!

So my friend was gracious enough to run most of the race with me. I'm not sure if I could have finished it without her, but together we enjoyed a lot of good talking and fellowship as the miles passed by. I can't believe how resilient God makes our bodies. Every time I finish a race I am amazed at how adaptable our bodies are - truly we are wonderfully and fearfully made! Here we are at the race finish.

We also were able to meet up with my dad in The Big City, and he was kind enough to do a photo shoot for us. Of course, he was giving me a hard time for wanting to get our Christmas photos done so early, but being the cheap skate that I am, I was itching to take advantage of Shutterfly's early bird specials. Though this isn't the photo I chose for our card, particularly because Jewel's hand is in her face, here is a little sample of the shoot.

Jewel, poor girl, was pretty wiped from the busy weekend and getting up so early to drop me off at the race, so she wasn't that thrilled about posing for pictures. See?

Speaking of Jewel, she has started taking steps on her own. I wouldn't say that she is walking yet, but from time to time she'll take a step or two - or four. She is also really into climbing things. She keeps attempting to climb up the couch, climb on any available boxes or baskets, or even climb into the fridge. Yikes!

I guess that is what happens when you have a mountain-climbing, all-Colorado-14er-conquering, practically half-mountain-goat man for a grandpa. I'm talking about Seth's dad of course. Seth's parents are actually coming tomorrow for a visit. We're looking forward to having them here, of course. And I'm excited for them to see Juliette's new-found skills.

Juliette's sheep costume is finished. Anticipate pics soon!

Last but not least (at least not in Seth's book), we finally broke down and got Dish TV this week. Seth just couldn't stand the fact that his football team has won 6 games in a row, and he hasn't seen a single one of them. So we now have television, after not having it for a year. I have mixed feelings about it, but I have to confess that it will be nice to get to watch something without being constricted to waiting for it to download.

So I guess that pretty much catches us up. Just in time for the weekend - whew!

The Hat is Finished

2009-10-13T11:24:00.001-06:00

Now, to get some other things done around here!

Not-Me-Monday: Weekend at Home

2009-10-12T17:28:00.006-06:00

This weekend it did not snow - again. Even though the trees' leaves are changing, it certainly isn't more like winter than fall around here. And therefore I did not use the "bad-weather" excuse to stay indoors and practically do nothing all weekend long.

Seth however, had a very productive weekend. He cleaned the guest room, organized the storage unit, and sorted through a couple of closets. And even though I loved the fact that he was cleaning, I did not get frustrated with him one bit when he was turning the house topsy-turvy when I wanted to sleep in. Nope, not me!

Seth even did a bit of reloading. Of course, Juliette didn't want to help. Not my child.

Juliette doesn't like to do anything that her daddy does.

And I would never let my child pretend to play video games. Nope, not me! She's definitely too young to be driving anyways.

We also did not make home-made ice-cream on a cold, wintry Saturday night. That would be silly. We also did not use our ice-cream maker for the very first time, even though it was a wedding present. Nope, not us. We always like to put good gifts to use right away.

I did not spend Friday lamenting about how much I hate Halloween, and then nearly spend the entire day today making a costume for Juliette. Nope, not me! I'm never in conflict with myself.

I also did not eat cherry cheesecake for breakfast. Nope, definitely not me. Of course it does contain eggs and cheese and fruit (a balanced breakfast, right?), but I would never do anything like that anyways. Good thing that was not me!

~~~

For more Not-Me-Monday fun, check out this link:

Hats, Halloween, and Other H Words

2009-10-09T10:39:00.006-06:00

So this is a picture of my latest project. It's a hat for Juliette. Hopefully I'll be finishing it soon, as it is snowing again, and even though I've gone through her entire closet, I can't seem to find a warm hat for my darling child. I hate that!

You can actually get a free copy of the pattern yourself here. I adjusted the pattern to fit her head by using a size 6 needle and only casting on 70 stitches. This works for a child with a 18 1/2 inch head. Hope that helps!

Okay, now I'm going to rant a moment. I completely understand if you want to hurry away now, or even head to the hills, but I'm still going to have my say. Hold on to your hats. Don't say I didn't warn you.

I officially hate Halloween. I know that a few of my relatives are probably going to disown me right about now, and I have (or should I say had?) some friends that might too, but I have to confess that Halloween is horrid to me. I mean, the dressing up is sort of fun, all the costumes and make-up. But there is something just not right about a holiday where it is acceptable to decorate your house by staging a hanging in your front yard. And the ghoulish creatures and freaky characters are just gross - not fun, gross. I hate that our grocery store has a shriveled up, scary looking goblin hitched to the checkout lane. What am I supposed to say to Juliette, "Look honey, there's a terrifying spook that is probably going to give you nightmares"?

Of course the candy is always a nice perk, but serious, who really needs another 5 lbs. on their hips? And then there is always the dilemma that Christians face - how do we participate in a holiday that celebrates demons, witches, and goblins (or at least sort of does)? There is always the Harvest festival idea - which is basically Halloween sold under a different name so we feel less bad about it. But let's be honest - it is just Halloween re-mix style. Still sort of counts as participating in my book.

I don't have the answer here. Some years we've dressed up - some years we've gone out to dinner to avoid having to participate in festivities we really didn't want to participate in. And now having a child, I really don't know what we should do. Do we get a costume for her? Do we take her trick-or-treating, even if it means that I'll be the one eating all the candy? What do we tell her? What is right for our family? I don't know. I just don't know.

Yeah, I really hate Halloween.

Words of Wisdom Wednesday

2009-10-07T07:00:00.002-06:00

"Even without all the answers to my questions, [Jesus] is the answer to my life."

- Beth Moore

Daddy, Turn Me Around Please

2009-10-06T13:17:00.005-06:00

Sunday Juliette started using her birthday bike as a walker. She's a true Arid High Plains sort of girl - she knows how to improvise and make-do with what's at hand. She sure is proud of her new found toddling skills though, even if she isn't quite ready to try them out minus the bike.

So Sunday night, after Seth took down the tent from our dining room, he helped Juliette cruise. She would push the bike from one end of the living room to the other. When she finally bumped it up against a wall or a couch, she would stop, look straight at her daddy and whimper. Now I'm sure she was saying, "Daddy, turn me around please." Although I have to admit that her tone of voice indicated a bit more forceful request like, "Hurry up old man. Can't you see I'm waiting" sort of thing.

But this morning, as I was contemplating how big she is getting, I was suddenly touched by her example. When Jewel hit a road block, she didn't get mad at what was in her way and she didn't get mad at herself for being in that situation. Instead, she looked straight at the one who could help her out of the whole predicament, and said (I'm sure of it!), "Daddy, turn me around please".

Though I'm loathe to admit it, there's definitely a life lesson for me here. So next time I find myself butted up against wall, instead of getting frustrated with myself, or whatever is in the way, I'm going to say, "Daddy, turn me around please". And even if it does come out all garbled and whiny, I'm confident that He'll know what I really am trying to say.

Not-Me-Monday: Crayola Crumbs

2009-10-05T17:32:00.004-06:00

This week I did not feed my child a casserole that contained chipolte peppers. And even though I did my very best to pick all of them out, I did not miss a few. Nor did I watch my sweet little girl's eyes well up with tears as she attempted to eat her spicy dinner. I'd never be that cruel. Nope, not me.

After leaving Juliette home alone with Seth for an entire day, so that I could attend a ladies' day retreat, I did not come home to find this set-up in our dining room:

Juliette did not have any fun with her daddy while her mommy was away.

This week we did not invite several of Seth's coworkers over for dinner, and then just serve them pre-made pizza. I'd never invite people over for a yummy dinner and then only offer them something they easily could have heated up themselves. Nope, not me. I'm practically Betty Crocker, remember?

This week I also did not let Juliette color, only to find multicolored Crayola crumbs in her teeth. My child does not think that colored wax tastes yummy. No way!

I also did not see our doctor riding his four-wheeler home from his clinic this afternoon, instead of driving his car. Nor did my husband leave for work this morning dressed in his camouflage jacket and beanie. And when I asked him if other people at his professional office dressed that way, he did not answer that his outfit "definitely wasn't considered out of place". I don't live in a laid-back, anything goes town. Nope, not me!

~~~

More Not-Me-Monday Fun:

Juliette's Favorite Toy

2009-10-01T09:20:00.000-06:00

Juliette got some wonderful gifts for her birthday. New clothes, a book bag, a new bike, some ABC flashcards, and on and on. But her favorite toy of late is this:

No joking. This container has afforded her loads of fun. See?

Put them in, dump them out. Put them in, dump them out. Hours of babytainment.

Forget Christmas presents. Come December, I think I'll just take her "shopping" in our recycling bin.

Words of Wisdom Wednesday

2009-09-30T09:35:00.005-06:00

"Childhood is that wonderful time of life when all you need to do to lose weight is take a bath." - Richard Zera

"I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven." - Jesus

My Cousin Alex

2009-09-29T07:45:00.002-06:00

Just a . . .

. . . boy and . . .

. . . his . . .

. . . umbella . . .

. . . on one sunny day.

Not-Me-Monday: Play Time

2009-09-28T08:21:00.005-06:00

This week I did not decide to clean out my cabinets only to find some packaged pasta that expired in 2003. I also did not, in utter disbelief, take a closer look at the package to make sure that the number three was not just an eight that had been sort of "rubbed off". Nope, not me! Since 2003 I've graduated from college, gotten married, had a baby, and moved multiple times - I most certainly would not haul around the same package of pasta for that long. Good grief!

This week I also did not sleep in past my normal shower time, and then just decide to take a shower with Juliette awake later on that morning. I did not let her play on the bathroom floor, while I lathered up. Nor did she decide that the whole basket of toys I had lugged into the bathroom on her account was not nearly as exciting as plain old toilet paper.

And I didn't manage to get my freshly cleaned foot in any of the pictures either.

Nor did I continue to take pictures while the steam started to fog up the camera lens.

Nope, not me!

My daughter has not started grinding her teeth (does anyone have ANY advice on this?), nor have I resorted to letting her have her pacifier in order to keep her from doing this.

Seth and I also did not drive around town last night looking at various houses for sell. That would be silly, since we still own our house in The Big City, and we're not even sure if God wants us to buy a house here. Spend time shopping when you're not even going to buy? Nosirree. Not me!

We did not enjoy a community wide picnic this weekend either. Nor did I tie a balloon to Juliette's wrist and let her crawl around the park with it. Balloons are too dangerous for little children. Not me!

Nor did I have impeccable timing when it came to this shot. Let's just say my child does not get her big head, full of hot air, from me. No way. Definitely not me!

~~~

More Not-Me-Monday Fun:

Lasting Fruit

2009-09-26T10:17:00.003-06:00

Now that our lives are settling down a bit, we haven't been making multiple trips to The Big City, which means that I'm back to my once-a-month-shopping routine. While limiting our grocery-getting definitely saves us time and money, it is always a challenge to find ways to keep fresh fruits and vegetables edible for an ENTIRE month.

There is always the option of eating canned or frozen versions, but frankly doing it yourself is a lot of work, and store bought or not, processing limits the nutritional value. Besides my husband has been caught eating an entire jar of peaches in one sitting (without sharing, I might add!), so there is NO WAY that I could can/freeze enough to keep up with his appetite.

So what's a girl to do? Well, I am learning that there are certain fruits and vegetables that last better than others. We eat the ones that will spoil more quickly at the beginning of the month, and towards the end of the month we eat more cabbage, yams, potatoes, zucchini, squash, etc. I also have discovered that if uncut and refrigerated, a watermelon will easily last at least a month. So guess what we've been eating this week?

She clearly doesn't want to share her piece with anyone. So don't even think about it!

Of course there is some fruit that will never go bad - the fruit that is produced in Christ. I'm praying that we'll have a bountiful supply of that fruit around here. Here's hoping that your home will have an abundant harvest of lasting fruit too.

"You didn't choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit . . ." - John 15:16

Words of Wisdom Wednesday

2009-09-23T09:36:00.008-06:00

"Mothering is not the ultimate goal of being a mom, revealing Christ to the children is."

- Priscilla Shirer

Olio

2009-09-22T07:00:00.000-06:00

My new year's resolution this year was to become better at crossword puzzles. Because, frankly, I stink at them. And having an English degree, people pretty much assume that you know a thing or two about words. But when it comes to crossword puzzles, well . . . let's just say that it has been a flaw that I've tried to keep secret and hidden for many years - or at least the many years I sat through literature lectures. But I am improving. Okay, okay - improving might be considered a very generous word, but I am trying.

Anyhow, from time to time there is a clue about an "anything goes stew" or "hodge-podge" and the answer is olio. This is not to be confused with the word oleo which is the answer for another clue reading "margarine-like", and the word by which my grandmother still refers to Country-Crock Butter. Does anybody else's grandmother use that term for margarine? I've seriously never heard it used by anyone else but her, which is but one of the many reasons why she is so special to me.

Anyhow, in case you couldn't tell, I'm sort of in an olio mood. So the following is a hodge-podge of stuff that has been rolling around in my head. Beware, you might just wish that I had stuck to practicing my crossword puzzle skills!

I've decided that one of the most wonderful things about having a child is that you get to be reintroduced to some of life's greatest little joys: like PB&Js, crayons, and the Rubber Ducky song.

You can pretty much expect to never find anyone who says that their life turned out exactly like they expected it to. Hard, but true.

Seth has been working on a beard for nearly 5 days now, and he definitely has a serious scruff going on. I used to think that the hair on my legs grew fast, but that is nothing compared to him. He is the fastest hair grower I know. Can they use facial hair to make wigs? Just think of all the bikers that could donate to Locks of Love.

Isn't it fantastic that young children get as much enjoyment out of the gift wrapping as they do the actual gift?

I grew up with the tradition that every birthday each member of the family had to say either a blessing and/or list some of the reasons why the birthday boy/girl was so special to them. That's a tradition I definitely want to keep. What are some of your favorite family traditions?

If the producers of the Biggest Loser really wanted to help the world, they would strike a deal with the candy makers limiting the displaying of Halloween candy to October only. Seriously, does anyone need to start preparing for Halloween by buying their candy in August?

My daughter is now turning everything in sight into a pretend phone. Blocks, stuffed animals, weeble people . . . even her hand will do in a pinch. I'm thinking that maybe I've been on the phone a little too frequently lately.

Isn't ironic that the definition for olio also includes something about a style of beard? I'm not making it up - truly!

Enough of the olio - but since I'm sure you're wondering, here is my favorite crossword puzzle site: http://www.webcrosswords.com/

Not Me Monday: Boating, Partying . . . and Snow?

2009-09-21T12:23:00.011-06:00

Seeing that today is the first day of fall, we most certainly did not wake up to winter weather. And I definitely would not be unprepared and leave lots of things outside that really shouldn't get wet.

In a warmer time and place we most certainly did not enjoy my husband's big new purchase with both his family and mine.

I have never made Juliette go out on the boat when she was sleepy. Nope, not me!

I always make sure my child takes naps in ideal sleeping environments.

During that same visit with my in-laws, Seth's father most definitely did not decide to participate in a local restaurant's eating contest.

He did not have to sign a liability waiver before eating one of the world's spiciest burritos in thirty minutes or less. And he absolutely didn't finish it with time to spare.

The manager of the restaurant didn't present him with a t-shirt, and we weren't proud of him one bit. His also didn't just have a fruit slush for dinner either, because his stomach wasn't a little off after all that.

Seth did not inform me that he thought this shirt was a little skimpy for a daughter of his to be wearing, and I totally didn't think to myself that he might say that before I even put it on her. Nope, not me! And I definitely didn't just leave the shirt on her, even after I realized that it was a bit small. Never!

Of course, it was Juliette's birthday this week, and Seth did not have to work a little late that night. I did not just put our bench across the porch opening, so that Juliette could wait for "Dada" outside. Nope, I'd never resort to such measures to just try and pacify my child for "a little bit longer". Not me!

I also did not manage to get pictures of Juliette eating her birthday breakfast . . .

. . . and her birthday dinner . . .

. . . while totally neglecting to get any pictures of her eating her birthday cake! Nope, not me! I always record the most important moments of my child's life. Speaking of birthday cake, I definitely didn't just take the crumbs and leftover frosting from Juliette's birthday party cake . . .

. . . and form them into a little personal cake for her actual birthday. Nope, not me! I'd certainly make sure that my daughter had something a little nicer for her very first taste of sugar.

Did I say sugar? Whoops, I absolutely didn't make the cake with sugar, because I'd never let my child eat such stuff at such a young age! What sort of mother do you think I am? Definitely not me!

~~~

Go here for more Not-Me-Monday fun::

What A Difference A Year Makes

2009-09-17T21:08:00.004-06:00

Happy Birthday Precious Baby Girl!

Beach Baby

2009-09-16T07:00:00.000-06:00

Juliette's First Time Playing the Sand

First Freeze

2009-09-15T14:19:00.004-06:00

We had our first freeze this weekend. It never truly seems to me that summer is over until there is no longer a point to watering the garden. There are still some peas and spinach that need tending to, but for the most part it is time to say goodbye to summer and hello to other s-words . . . like sweaters, soups, and snow boots, of course. What sort of s-words did you think I meant, silly?

Some of the greatest things about this time of year are all the wonderful harvest vegetables that are ripe and ready for eating. I did a little experimenting a few weeks ago, and came up with a yummy Harvest Veggie Curry recipe, that Seth just can't get enough of. Here it is sans pictures, but I hope you enjoy it anyways!

Harvest Veggie Curry

Fill a roasting pan with all your favorite harvest vegetables, cut into chunks. I used:

Red Onions

Red Potatoes

Eggplant

Zucchini

Drizzle with olive oil and roast at 350 degrees until tender.

Take 2 chicken breasts and cut into bite-sized pieces.

Cook in a skillet until just done.

Add vegetables and 1/2 cup coconut milk and 1 Tblsp. curry (add more to taste, if desired). Heat thoroughly and serve. Note, if the sauce is too thick, add water to reach your desired consistency.

~~~

On a different note, it is my sister's birthday today. Juliette's been working on a little something special for her:

Rememberance

2009-09-11T10:45:00.005-06:00

This was a memorial that I came across in Boston. Each one of the dog tags represents a life that has been lost in the Afghanistan and Iraqi wars. Today is a day for remembrance - for their lives, the lives lost in the attacks on 9/11, and for all of those who have made sacrifices on our behalf.

No matter which side you stand on when it comes to these wars, military action, or national defense, I think we can all agree that a great price has been paid. Let us not forget to honor that sacrifice.

Lord, let us live lives that are worthy of those that have given up theirs.

The Future Is Bright

2009-09-10T07:37:00.004-06:00

Froggy Fiddling Fun

2009-09-09T08:18:00.003-06:00

Chicago O'Hare Airport has a great children's musuem. On our recent trip to Boston, Juliette enjoyed fiddling with the frogs.

Speaking of fiddling, I started teaching violin lessons last week. I taught throughout college (so yes, it has been a few years), but am excited to get back to it. As far as I know, I'm the only teacher in our county, so I'm hoping that means I'll get enough students for a decent sized studio. We'll see!

Seeking Your Prayers

2009-09-08T16:16:00.002-06:00

This year has been a whirlwind for us, as many of you know. Don't get me wrong, we have been abundantly blessed by God's faithfulness over the past 12 months, but now we are again faced with another "giant". And for the record - I'm kind of tired of "giants"!

Without giving away the details of my extended family's private lives, I beseech you to keep them in your prayers. They are in a seemingly "hopeless" situation, involving much heartache, ensnaring sin, and years of built up bitterness and relational dysfunction.

Though we are several hours away, I have to confess that the situation is constantly on my mind. In so many ways it feels almost as if I am watching them slowly die an agonizing, self-inflicted death. And in many ways, that pretty much hits the nail on the head. And, yet even as Seth and I continue to implore heaven, I confess that I feel helpless and hopeless.

But feelings lie. They are not always the truth. And so today I am clinging to the TRUTH that we serve a God who is in the business of resurrection. And even when all hope has died, I believe that God can still bring about restoration and revival. He just does things like that.

"We do not want you to be uninformed . . . about the hardships we suffered . . . We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life. Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us, as you help us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many." - 2 Cor 1:8-10

Please pray - for us, for them, for restoration, for gracious favor, for truth, for resurrection, and for hope.