The Importance of being...

So, in the midst of my unique mundane life, those things, memories and circumstances that fill up every minute of every hour, I have found the time to point and shoot a few practice shots today.  I can officially say that I love my new camera.  It's a beast!  But I will tame it yet.
Introducing. Completely un-edited. My most favorite things around the house... in no particular order. *wink

 My selfless husband, lover and friend.

Food of course. (my stellar gluten/yeast/sugar free fish tacos)

Story time... one of our faves.

Decor and the colors brown and red.

Okay, so I don't think of myself as my own favorite thing... but I HAD to have a picture of me in here, too!

Marriage to a wonderful Christian man... and my new wedding ring!

My second mommy in command. 

A sweetie pie.

My right hand woman.

Cheese!

(yes, he's playing with a My Little Pony... in the bathtub)

My fifth blessing.

Dear friends and time spent with them.

What's not to love about stilling the precious moments of our day and reliving them once again... brings a smile to my weary face.

Random Thoughts Thursday

I can't believe it's been a whole 2 weeks since I last posted on this blog!  Life has been very full.  I've had many many an idea pass through my head and heart of things, stories, photograph oldies, my kids' birth stories, prayers, praises that I wanted to blog about... {{sigh}}... Just didn't happen my friends. I've been literally in pain about not being able to put stories into photographs and snap cute pictures of my kids... {gritting teeth} Grrrrrrrr. I just remember that in light of eternity, it's just a thing, an earthly desire. I can certainly wait a few more days!
Fresh bread, supporting my husband, schooling my kids, starting a new season of WOW Bible studies(I just soak in our prayer time together, it's sweet!), living and loving life, buying skinny jeans(yeah, I know, scary)... God is so good!  I was able to be involved in a little of my husband's career aspirations lately.  It's tough to be intricately involved when you have 5 kids at home, but this last week I was so blessed to have tagged along with him to a BNI (business networking international) meeting, at 7:30 am in the morning... *yawn... SO FUN!  It was neat to meet a lot of his peers and colleagues and see how much they appreciate, respect and love my honey.  It was his day to do a presentation about his services, job, talents, etc. but he also did a lot of pictures and stories of us, his family-just to throw in a personal touch.  He wrote THE FUNNIEST song ever for the event as well and sang it while he played his guitar making everyone become a mess of laughter, smiles and appreciation... everyone feels bad for the person who has to follow up his ultimate prize-winning presentation this week. It was THAT great!
I am so excited to be ordering my camera!  Ordered it last night!  WOOHOO!!! A Canon EOS Rebel T1i EF-S 18-55mm IS Kit !  It should be here in the next week. I am beyond ecstatic!!! You'll be getting far more pictures on here again. Probably an annoyingly gross amount more...
This last week, I have been a healthy eating, daily exercise participating mama... got to kick those lazy no good holiday eating habits now!!  I want to look my red carpet best. Haha. It's ZUMBA day today! Whoot!
Getting excited to head east to New York in March, which is amazingly about the same distance away as flying to Japan from here... crazy.  I've been there once before during my highschool days, before the Twin Towers we're gone... We will be leaving on a Monday and getting back on Friday. Three whole days of wandering the streets of New York with my mom and sister... can't wait!  Although, it is hard for me to leave my family(and I hate flying), I know this is a wonderful opportunity! I will certainly enjoy spending time with my sissy and mother dear(and taking awesome pictures with my new camera and lens *wink*giddy giggle). We will be doing some high style New York shopping, show watching, delicious dining and historic sightseeing. Excited!!
My baby at 19 months is interested in potty training, we're taking it slow but I have a feeling she is going to be earlier than three of my other kids at becoming potty-trained. My second in command was 18 months old as well as she became trained at the same time as her older sister who is 12 months older... she's always had the drive to keep up and excel and my fifth blessing reminds me of her.
Starting to feel old these days. Crackly joints, sore muscles every morning... I am finding I can't home school my kids, workout and work all in the same day and feel okay. Darn it.
Last night while at work two teenage boys sauntered into Jolts and Juice and tried to bedazzle me into giving them a complimentary "brownie". "First of all..."I said facetiously" those aren't brownies. They're pumpkin bread. Secondly, your charm isn't going to work on me. Nice try though!"  So I walk off with a smile and a few moments later they motion for me to come back over and ask, "So, let me ask you something, why didn't our charm work on you?" I replied matter-of-factly,"Probably because I am twice your age."  As I rested my elbows on the counter and my chin in my hands, they we're like, "26?"~"27?"~"28" as I shook my head no in between each guess..."29." I said as I finished the guessing game for them. Yes, 29 years old even though I still intermittently interject the word "like" like quite too often in places where "like" doesn't necessarily need to be used... Okay, so I'm not twice as old as them but still... c'mon, give me a break boys. I'm almost old enough to be your mother... and you are old enough to know better than to be begging!  Get a job, and budget! Anyway, when they left, stomachs growling and pride delfated, they said thanks for the water and I said thanks for the charm. Heehee.

I adore Mary Jane's Farm magazine. My mom bought me a subscription and it is pleasingly chock full of delectable recipes, homey activities, healthy living tips and is just plain bound up quaintness in my hands. Love it!  I have also enjoyed using her whole wheat Budget Mix in recipes. It's a lot like Bisquick only healthier!  I used it to make cinnamon rolls of sort yesterday. Here is what I did(approximately, as I am always just throwing things into my dishes and baked goods, praying they turn out... and they usually do(fingers crossed).

Cinnamon roll dough:

2 Cups Mary Jane's Budget mix

2T. brown sugar

1/2 cup butter cold and cut into pieces

1 cup buttermilk

t. vanilla

Whole wheat flour for kneading and rolling dough out

Filling:

1/4 cup organic butter softened

brown sugar

honey

cinnamon

nutmeg

Frosting:

whipping cream

2 t. fresh lemon juice

powdered sugar

t. vanilla

Cut in butter with Budget mix and brown sugar until it resembles course meal. Add buttermilk and vanilla. Add whole wheat flour or more budget mix until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Knead and roll out into a 1/4 inch rectangle. Spread butter on top, then sprinkle on brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Top with squeezing desired amount of honey all over the sugar. Roll the dough and slice into about 1 inch pieces. Place in a greased pan and bake at 450 for 15 minutes or until desired brownness.

I then whipped up the frosting adding ingredients until desired consistency is reached.

Yesterday, I also had my two oldest girls walk a couple of these rolls down to a neighbor friend about 3 1/2 blocks walk away. I was slightly worried about letting them go on their own but they did great!  Went there and back with no problem. It's hard to let go of our kids but when we do it's amazing how they grow up and excel on their own!

My husband and I enjoyed a date this week. We try to get out every other week on our own. Just to enjoy each other's company, have fun and get to know each other better. We feel like kids again when we are out on the town... we almost don't know what to do with ourselves at times!  No diaper changes?  No emergency potty runs?  No tired fussy kids?  Although, we embrace all of that as parents, it is still a nice break from the norm to go on a date.  If we don't go to the movies, we usually go around town getting things done! Haha, it may come as a surprise, but we enjoy going to Home Depot to plan our attic remodel or stop by Walgreens and grab diapers... it's just fun to be together, holding hands and spending time together as a couple. I love my husband so much!

We watched the movie,"Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps" and we're enamored by it's drama and depiction of how greed rules and runs our country and how rumors/word of mouth play a big role in making or breaking large influential company's success. It sent our brains a reeling.  If you like powerful dramas and touching love stories that leave you with the sense of how much the world needs Jesus, I would definitely recommend this movie to you.

I will leave you with this photo of me sporting my new diaper purse... yep, I'm a mom and proud of it!
God bless, friends.

Snip-it

I love coffee. I work at a coffee shop. I really enjoy talking and relating with people. I'm around hoards of people at work. I am supposing my job fits me well.

I am still saving to purchase a new camera to replace my broken one.  I have about $500 saved up thus far but I'm shooting for $700... should have it in about a week. WOOHOO!! I am contemplating getting one of THESE Cannon cameras, within budget... not sure yet, though. Thinking I should get some advice from an expert before finalizing my decision! It's bound to be an upgrade no matter what I end up getting.

I really enjoy taking photographs. Especially of my children... who doesn't!  I also enjoy setting up for, taking and remembering pivotal points in life by snapping a "story" picture.  A picture says a thousand words, right?  I think so.  After buying a more "spendy" camera I may decide to invest in a better picture editing software... again I would have to do some research or seek out professional advice first, as well as take a class on how to best use it but as of now I frequently use the free version of Picnik to do minor editing and absolutely love it.

I am so in awe of the men and women who are our military and their families.  They are our heroes. We pray for you often and are thankful beyond measure for your sacrifice.  Only God knows your sorrows and sense of loss, lonliness and the destitution that you must face at times... we love you and are thankful to you for your service to our country. God bless you!!!

Homeschooling is going so awesome. My husband as always is a godsend and organized the rest of our school year by printing out daily/weekly workbook schedules for my girls AND putting them into handy dandy notebooks ta boot!  He rocks. We have been flying through school books and I feel my oldest is more than ready to do the mandatory state test this year. It's pretty much a no-brainer to pass those tests, but a timed test is still daunting for anyone, especially a 3rd grader. She'll do great!

I was home schooled 5th through 12th grade. I graduated a year early, though so essentially I only did 3 years of high school, then went and got my diploma and my GED.  Before homeschooling, I attended a Christian school for K-4th grade. I am still in touch with some of those students I went to grade school with in Montana!  Such awesome memories and it's completely sweet to still be in contact with them. Daily, we met in a 4 roomed square schoolhouse complete with bell steeple, built in the early 1900's. It was in the middle of a large field of long brown grass and felt like a little country schoolhouse.  It WAS a little country Christian schoolhouse! Great memories---Torn pants on the swing and trying to hide it the rest of the day by keeping my legs smooshed  together. Haha--- running a race with the boys, oh, and kicking them, too... playing four-square, jump rope contests, show and tell... ha!  My 3rd grade teacher with the most awesome-est name ever: Mr. Wolfshorndl... wow, not even sure I spelled that right.  But I sure do remember his name!! Do you remember making shapes with a string and your fingers?  A friend and I totally did that together for show and tell one time. We. We're. Awesome--- The downtown two story library and all of it's eerie-ness, along with doing an origami class there once... I also tried dried seaweed once from a classmate who was Asian and LOVED to snack on it. My friend and I walking on a frozen swamp and me falling through... Anyways, I could go on and on about fun and amazing memories from that time in my life. What are some childhood memories that YOU might have that just make you stop and smile when you think about them? I'd love to hear about them!!

Some online sites I love to visit are my friend Brooke's Sweet Bee blog for vintage fashion inspiration and Fabulessly Frugal for recipes, deals and coupons... in fact one of my most favorite childhood breakfasts were posted on Fabulessly Frugal recently!  German pancakes. Right here.  It's fabulously yummy!

One of my fave photographers Amber Fischer is having a Valentine's Photo Booth shoot this Saturday. I am excited to be able take my kiddos in for one of her brilliant photo creations!

So that's a snip-it of who I am, where I've been and some of what it is I like to do.
Now it's your turn to tell me a little about YOU!!

Random Conscious Thoughts

Some days, I empathize with a tattered out of date sweater that has been worn, enjoyed, and cherished but abandoned for a new more exciting in fashion one!  Silly, I know... I long for real closeness, dedicated love and the comforting endurance that goes along with knowing each other for many years in all of my friendships... but is it better to just move on in some cases?  Maybe.
On a lighter note, I am completely vanilla happy-go-lucky lately... Latte?  Add a little vanilla!  Cookies? Pour it in! Apple Turnovers? Give it a splash, please! Fruit salad? Of course, drench it in vanilla--->Yep. I'm in love with my organic Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla... and no it's not because of it's alcohol content. I don't think...
L-O-V-I-N-G the weather this week!  "Dear, Snow storms, you are more than welcome to stay here anytime."
My husband is working so hard to organize, make important profitable changes both at work and home, and like always attempts to share the gospel and glorify God in everything he does.  He's an inspiration to me, constantly. And speaking of my husband, he is the best daddy ever as well. I lean on him for everything, probably a bit too much. I'm sure the Lord is constantly waving His mighty hand at me saying,"Yoowhoo!  Remember me?  I'm here, too!" 
This past weekend, just in time before the cold weather and storms hit, he took our kids out and raked up and played in our yard of leaves. They had fun tricking me. They would call me outside so I'd come and be like,"Where's so and so!?"  And then I would see a pile of leaves shaking with quiet laughter and a bright green straw poking out the top of it (for the so and so to breathe of course!). They would then jump out of the pile with pure joy at their craftiness. It was hilarious and fun!
Oh my, I believe this is the first year where our leaves we're "raked"(jumped in, hid in, thrown in the air, trampled...), a hallmark Fall staple of course, AND our first snow day have both happened on the same weekend! CRAZY! Some years when winter hits, IT HITS.
So the other day, these two we're sitting there quietly eating(eggnog and cookies), snuggling, kissing and enjoying eachother.

It was so sweet!

Hm, it brings me right on back to the sweet moments of THIS day almost a year ago... they grow far too fast!

Or this precious video from over a year ago:

I can expect to get nothing else accomplished today (except for the fact that I do work at Jolts tonight ((Yippee, excited!)) so I'd better tear myself away from this treasure trove of days gone by) as I am in complete blissful contentment at the moment. Shuffling through our vintage photo collections, our hilarious home videos and memories.

Remembering.

Re-living.

My heart caught up in grateful song.

There are SO many photos and videos I would love to share with you all but I will leave you with this one from almost 2 years ago.

My fifth blessing was on her way but still in the oven.

Here I am adoring and giving thanks for the many years of gracious living that we have been afforded. As well as through the crazy mess-ups, not so lovely days, dark times and growing seasons...

God you have always been so good!

"So we, Your people and sheep of Your pasture,

Will give You thanks forever;

We will show forth Your praise

to all generations."

Psalm 79:13

   I have a full heart as I am in prayer this afternoon. A couple of years ago, some FRIENDS of ours had the most beautiful little twin girls.  They absolutely love them, cherish them and thank the Lord for them... even though they we're only able to hold them for minutes here on earth before they went home to the open arms of Heaven. It's good to remember...
  I have no idea the excruciating pain of losing a child. I can only imagine. I look upon my own children with a thankful heart, that God has determined their days here. It's not something I need to be fearful, fretful or in control of... as if worrying or planning could change what God has designed... but I enjoy, cherish and with awe, take-in every moment I do have with them. Let's not take anything or anyone for granted, friends!
  I weep watching  THIS video but I find comforting joy in the fact that our heavenly Father has those sweet babies in His arms as I write this, He's holding them, loving on them and cherishing them forevermore... and we will all see them again one day, in all of their glorious wholeness!
I admire these friends so much because they've demonstrated beautifully what it means to be completely surrendered to the plans of the Lord, grasp onto joy in the midst of sorrow and selflessly live out their lives for the glory of their God.

Random Thoughts... um... Saturday!

Wow! What a whirlwind of a November it has been around here. Something that never changes is my complete amazement at what CAN change in just days!
We have been busy with birthdays...

My second in command turned 8 years old this last October. She had a wonderful birthday slumber party. Her first ever! A definate highlight was the glow stick outdoor fun!

My oldest turned 9 this October and I am still in shock that I will have a double digit daughter next year! I am getting old... {er}.







Then, my last birthday in the 20's was this month!  I've totally savored it and the past decade and I am looking forward to the 30's... I believe I've had my fill of the "child-bearing" 20's thank you very much.  Ha!
It's November now. A beautiful month in our area. Cool crisp weather, damp days, and big bright blue skies. We are enjoying the weather, but with shorter days and the "finishing" up of our {Project Water Diversion} plans, we haven't had many moments of outdoor leisure this fall. We're taking the time we do have together with each other and purposing every minute of it.
We enjoyed a trunk-or-treat at my parents church and a harvest party directly after with our church family!  It was such a fun time... I am so thankful for our church and the beautiful people in it(and they are pretty good dancers, ta boot)!
Here are pictures of my kids in their scrounge-through-the-dress-up-bin-costumes and my mother as an M&M:

(Okay, so the big bad Darth Vador guy is not my kid... not that that was in question!)

My mom is absolutely awesome.

Along with homeschooling, Bible studies, housework and everything that goes along with being a wife and mother, my husband I have recently decided to add another task to our list of daily accomplishments: A part-time job...for me! 

Because, people who stay busy accomplish more... at least that is our theory.

We have been praying about whether I should take a class or two at our local community college or find a part-time job that I would enjoy.  The Lord orchestrated the whole thing and it worked out for me to start working in our local coffee shop.  It just about fell into my lap!
I have NEVER worked as a barista, so there is a lot to learn. I thrive under pressure!  So we should be good to go.  This week was my first week and so far, I love it.  Looking forward to next week!

My first-born has started Shotokan Karate at a neighboring town's church.  She absolutely LOVES it.  My second daughter is loving her gymnastics, my third is getting OH-so-close to reading well on her own.  She is reading simple things with my help now and for her, this is amazing progress!  This mommy is absolutely delighted and encouraged. Thank you, Jesus! 
My son is a dashing charmer. Last night we ALL went to Open gym night at my second-in-command's gymnastics place and he was so excited. I love how he said "Are we going to M-nastics now, mommy?" My littlest girlie is darling, saying many many words now, running around trying to keep up with her siblings and dearly loves food and music.
My grandpa Jim had a VERY bad four-wheeler accident which ended in him getting life-flighted to the hospital from the top of a mountain!  His pelvis was broken in 2 places and his hip joint completely shattered.  He is recovering well but will have a long long road ahead of him in the rehabilitation and limited mobility department. He is 72 years old and has always been a busy, tough, healthy, driven man so this will be hard on him.  We are praying the Lord will sustain him and keep his spirits up!

~

And then there is this one area I seem to keep struggling in lately...

Friend-to the end-ship

I am going to be completely honest for a moment...

Do you ever feel as though you are a ~used friend~? 

I do! I understand these are my feelings and that feelings lie so I give them to God.  I long for as Anne of Green Gables puts it: A kindred Spirit.  Someone you can't wait to see, tell every teeny little tiny thing to, who understands you, whose friendship is un-changing, who doesn't throw out your friendship when it isn't "useful" or "beneficial" to them anymore, selfless offerings of oneself as an instrument of blessing to eachother, seeks you out and goes out of their way to show their love.  Some days I know I fall short at this, but I do try, there are many times I feel Spirit lead to reach out to my friends, to be there when they call on me, pray for them often, forgive quickly, seek them out and bless them, even with just a smile and so I do it.  Isn't that friendship? 
It's true, sometimes I do try too hard or I am fueled by guilt(founded upon my own unreachable lofty expectations that I put on myself) and wind up coming across completely wrong.
Friendship.  Companionship. Selflessness... where can it be found?  What does it look like? Is true friendship easily dismissed, forsaken or ignored?

Jesus...

Proverbs 18:24 says, "A man who has friends must himself be friendly, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother."I believe that God fills that longing in our hearts as humans... we long for intimacy, closeness and a sense of belonging.

We long for...
Safety. 

But being human as well as spiritual beings, leaves us sadly separated from being physically with our Maker.  His touch is felt through the filter that is between the glory of Heaven and heaviness of earth... it's real but different than that earthly longing of being loved in the now.  I believe that leaves some walking in loneliness just a part of life here on earth.  No one can fill it, because a sense of perfectly belonging isn't, it just isn't until Heaven.  I'm such a deep person, therefore I long for deepness in relationships, not "gigglies", not "seasons" of love. Forever-ness.

Absolute abandon.

I've found that when I am fretting or hurt, one of the best things I can do is remember all that I have to be thankful for!  It lifts the spirits and changes perspective instantly.

I'm thankful for my so-near-perfect-husband-in-the-love-and-friendship-department-it-makes-me-mad-at-him life companion and his MALE, manly, husband-like, practical minded kindred spirit. I have found complete safety in him.  I am SO incredibly thankful for my Savior, Jesus, He's given meaning to my life. I am thankful for each day with my sweet, dear children.  What gifts of love! I am thankful for the ladies in my life who are reachable and real... they are treasures! 
What are YOU thankful for today?

Thank you my God for this time of growth here on earth... with out it I wouldn't understand just how much I completely need you... I love you.

love,
your sometimes insecure very fallible daughter

Wordless Wednesday

Pumpkins+a cool rainy day+Andrew's Seed=Glorious Fall

I love this place!
I'm sure most, if not ALL of you are familiar with this gem but Andrew's Seed Co. is a family owned and run local business and I absolutely love visiting their oasis. The overwhelming feeling of comfort, beauty, inspiration and tranquility is comforting as well as addicting... and the people and my friends who run it are pretty much completely awesome, too.
I don't get much opportunity to expand and utilize my knowledge of plants/gardening, agriculture and such but enjoy what time I do have to invest in my yard very much.

I went to one of their lovely monthly seminar/workshops on this cool rainy morning and as we sat comfortably amidst an array of plants, pumpkins, trees, gourds and squash nestled under the wet greenhouse roof, miss Susan versed us on pumpkins and gourds and the many uses, secrets, and tips on how to eat, decorate, grow and preserve them. As usual I was blown away by their creativity, expertise and the gross amount of selfless labor that they put into those seminars!  They bless me every time I walk through their beautiful doors gates. I walked away with full hands, tummy and mind... inspired and rejuvenated.
If you live in the treasure valley and can take a trip their way, and are in need of seed, plants, home or garden decor, trees, inspiration or just have questions regarding your houseplants, gardens or farm, they are the people to see.

Love them!

Give them a look see!

A simple gift

I visited the cutest consignment shop this week with a sweet friend and her mother. Children-less no less, which was divine! This shop is in a beautiful barn and chocked full of classy home decor, consignment furniture, books, jewelry, adorable holiday pretties and odds & ends household items! Both new and used. It is a treasure chest! It was a breath of fresh air type of afternoon. I may seem the type to handle stress, noise and busy-ness very well and that mothering and nurturing come easily for me but when it comes down to being comfortable-well, quietness and order call my name.  And as ALL of you fellow mothers know... that is not easy to come by in a household of seven!

My God sustains me... and thankfully, completely covers those places I am lacking in.

~

Books do not always shout out to me from the quiet of their shelves, but on this warm afternoon, this particular one did. 

~ 

A 4th grade Elson reader, copyright 1931. I think the color of it's facade caught my eye, but when I picked it up and flipped through some of the pages I was delighted with the bright pictures and stories of moral character and attitude that are a rare find these days. The book is magical, enchanting and captivating. A perfect gift for my 9 year old daughter who is a gifted reader. It was waiting by her birthday breakfast this morning along with a few cards from the mail and dollar store gifts from her many excited siblings.
~
Happy Birthday, my girl!
Go enjoy some adventures... Happy reading!

pals

Peace in the midst of chaos

As I sit here at my mother-in-law's sun drenched kitchen table this morning eating some breakfast, drinking coffee, and reading devotions with my kids, I am surprisingly feeling level non-dramatic emotions today.  I'm thankful for my loving hard-working husband, my beautiful kids, dear family and YES, even our wonderful leaky house.
For those of you who don't know, we had a major thunderstorm last Friday night around 9pm. Lightning was shooting across the sky for nearly minutes straight at a time. Hail the size of large marbles were falling like missiles in the darkness and the rain-THAT drenching torrential rain, came down for at least 15 minutes straight.  I believe we got 1 inch of rain in that 15 minute time period and for a dry desert town that only gets 11 inches a year at the most, that was some heavy duty rain people.
The kids and I sat praying and trusting in His plan as the rain and hail beat seemingly ruthlessly upon our house, knowing what would probably be coming.  Within 5 minutes of the rain subsiding , our fears were confirmed as water started shooting from the street drain right into our front lawn. We started seeing it flow into our basement from a couple of vulnerable spots down there minutes later. It's hard when you see something bad happening but there is nothing you can physically do to stop it.  You can only try to keep it bay, but with this small catastrophe, it really was futile to use towels.  My kids, bless there little hearts, got every towel in the house soaked trying to be of help, before my husband and I decided it would be best for me to get them out of there and over to my parents to settle in to dry beds for the night. Since then, we have moved to my husband's parent's home for a few days and then will settle into my grandparents basement for the remainder of our basement's restoration.
That fateful Friday night, many friends and family came over as soon as we called and started vacuuming, pumping, and moving.  We are so grateful to them. We would be cleaning up a larger mess today if it wasn't for them sacrificing their time and night of sleep, for us.
If you remember THIS post, you'll know we have been working on getting up the gumption and a worthy plan for correcting the ruthless storm drain's nasty effects on our basement.  Well, we hadn't quite gotten to remedying that situation yet, and Friday night, well, let's just way it has shown us just how bad it can really get!  This was by far the worst rain storm we've ever seen here personally. And I have heard many a neighbor, friend and family member reiterate that!
We we're surrounded by water. You couldn't see the grass on three sides of our house as there was at least a foot of water sitting on top of it. At one point, you couldn't even see where the curb of our yard met the road. It was just ALL under water.
A few of our basement windows had water up to the sills. At one point my husband and a friend over helping dug a patch of grass and put it in front of the window to keep the water from dripping through. Better a dirty window than  water in the basement I suppose.
It was a mess.
It still is a mess.
Just a cleaned up mess.
We ended up vacuuming, tearing carpet out and bringing furniture up just about all night until the water subsided early Saturday morning. There was still an inch or so of water on the floor of our entire basement needing to be shopvacced up but we look at the situation now as overall fortunate!  The water never got deeper than the depth of our carpet and pad. It made minuscule damage to sheet rock and furniture. We store most of our keepsakes, papers and possessions up in our dry attic, so besides a couple of books that had been left on the floor, there weren't a whole lot of things ruined. We will only need to replace the flooring, baseboards and do a little repair by the window where the water was worst.
Fans have been drying the place out for 2 days now, we had a disaster clean-up guy (not sure if there is a technical name?) come over and use his moisture meter to see if water had seeped into any of the walls or insulation. And.... nothing!  Only one little spot under a window was there a little moisture. I'm no expert or anything on how basements flood, but that must mean that the water stayed very close to the cement wall behind the interior wall, OR it came in at floor level, therefore minimizing contact with our interior walls.
We can see where the point of penetration was, and from there it just seeped into every room down there, soaking and traumatizing as it went.
We do not have flood insurance because technically we aren't in a flood plain. But when they design the city drains to handle 1 inch of water an hour at most, our yard, being the lowest on our block becomes a flood plain when we get 1 inch in 15 minutes.  I believe we will be getting flood insurance today, and keep it until we can get that outside barrier built and make sure it can withstand a similar storm and keep our basement dry!
Sometimes life has setbacks. I would call this one. Do you remember THIS post?  Some days I feel as though our house is a holey bucket, filled with water and as we are fixing the holes, new ones are being made, almost faster than we can fill the old ones.
I have been discouraged over the past 2 days, I won't lie. I've cried tears. It's been hard to smile. I've started to place blame and point fingers... but then I was reminded to take a step back and take in that broader perspective. As I look at our situation, like God does, and weigh it next to the world's reality, I realize that we aren't the most unfortunate people ever. I can easily compare our situation with that of the Pakistani people and come away shaking my head in complete disgust at my own doubts and fears, my anxieties and worries, knowing our basement is nothing, nothing compared to the tragedy that recently hit many families there.
We are going to recover from this. There is good that will come from this.  There already is!!  Like any sudden disastrous situation, it can bring my husband and I closer, or it can drive a wedge in between us. We've chosen to cling, whether in good or bad, so it is going to bring us closer together and give us new appreciation for the good times that life affords.
I'm so thankful for a loving church family, an embracing immediate family and our friends who so willingly lent their time and abilities.  We love you!!  Although, we would never wish this on you, we are just waiting for the time when we can help in return.
I know that many others have been hit with major flooding issues, or ruined crops as well, and know we are praying for you all, empathizing with you and are here to help in any way we can.
Our neighbor who gets flooded as well, when our street drain overflows, was hit with close to 2 feet of water in his basement. My husband was trying to help him as well as work on keeping water out of our own basement last Friday night.  What a fiasco!
Yes, God could have stopped the rain. But then we would have missed out on ALL of the blessing and comradeship, love and growth, the provisions from the Lord, that has and will continue to come to light through this small hiccup of a hardship. Plus, my husband, kids and I will actually have MORE time to spend together during this time, as we won't be at home, surrounded by the many daily "things" to do.
So with my new broader heavenly perspective, as I take my eyes off of picking out and dwelling on strictly the negatives, and instead seeing how ALL things work together to create a beautiful life experience, I can say with all honesty and a full to overflowing thankful heart- thank you, Lord!

All the time, God is good!

P.S. I will post pictures of our basement periodically during this transformation over the next few weeks. Looking on the bright side, I'm actually excited to pick out new flooring, baseboards and closet doors! And some of the things that just never got "finished" downstairs will finally get done!  Yippee!

Potato Bugs

There may be rocks turned over in my back yard, dirt smeared hands and faces in my bath tub, a bucket full of piles upon piles of treasured potato bugs right outside my door, and jars of those starchy tuberous labeled bugs(although some may prefer to call them "pill" bugs) on my kitchen counter...




But this I KNOW : there are 6 incredibly happy hunters under my roof, enjoying their newfound "pets"(until mommy orders them to put them back in their home... the dirty outdoors).

A family outing

Those pictures of a recent family outing were serenaded by a song that my husband wrote and we recorded together 9 years ago!

And speaking blogging of family outings; my family and I will be embarking on a much anticipated, much needed vacation!
We are hitting the road Memorial Day, 5 kids, 2 adults and a whole lot of stuff, and will be gone for 1 1/2 weeks driving, exploring, visiting, sightseeing, playing and just purely enjoying each other!

I am so excited friends. Really really excited. After long over due visits with our family out west, we are heading to the coast and renting out a condo right on the BEACH! That's right, the sand will be our front steps and the ocean will be our playground. FOR 5 NIGHTS AND 6 DAYS! I'm so excited I can hardly do anything else. Okay, not true. I have SO much to do to get us packed, organized and ready for our little jaunt to blissful paradise.

This trip is surprisingly because my husband and I are celebrating our 10th anniversary, June 3rd of this year, and we couldn't think of anything we'd rather do than a road trip with our beautiful children! Yes, we were married in the year 2000. Makes for easy calculation and minor mathematical skills needed in the remembrance department.
So, I will be happily taking a break from blogging until we return.
Happy Summer, my friends!

A weekend to remember-UPDATED

Okay seriously.

Take back everything I said about the ingenuity of the chip for the race and so on and so forth...

WHAT are they thinking?

Okay, I'll stop ranting and explain.

Little did I know they go by the gun time, NOT the chip time to determine race placement. This is fine, if you're in the front of the humongous mob I told you about. BUT if you are in the middle let's just say for synopsis' sake, you are totally screwed from the beginning because it takes you 30 seconds longer to reach the starting line! I looked here at the race results and realized I should have been in 2nd place, IF you go by the fastest run time. 2ND! I am overwhelmingly happy to know that I ran the race, not in 26 min. 45 seconds like I thought I had, but rather 26 min. 11 seconds, people!! Yippee!

{sigh} Ah, well. You live and you learn. I'll just have to save winning 2nd place for another day. {wink-wink}

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Original Post:

WE DID IT!

We recently had a weekend to remember. Memorable is much too weak a word. It was so incredibly special, uniting and along with dear friends, the memories and feelings are forever integrated into the fabric of my heart.

Fellowship, good food, games, friendly-{ahem}-competition, and most importantly our first RACE!

My husband and I, our friends David, Michael and Jenn all went over the evening before the race and enjoyed time away, visiting and eating! We also played 18 holes of miniature golf, which I played quite horridly on, but was glad to be out of the way of David and my husband's "competitiveness"(which was quite fun to be a spectator of I must admit).

We stopped by the park to pick up our race numbers the night before as well and walked around enjoying the beauty of it, as well as reveling in the anticipation of what the next day would bring!

We were up bright and early to get to our perspective races, and interestingly enough someone with quite the intelligent intuitiveness came up with calculating individual times by each race participant wearing a chip around their ankle. You all start in a messy mob and once you, personally pass the starting line, as you watch your step, dodging people, cones and strollers, your 'personal' time clock starts and doesn't stop until you, and your ankle chip, pass the finish line! Really ingenious. The start was really fun because you're in the middle of this excited mob of racers and when the gun goes off, it really is an adventure just getting through the first half-mile as the gobs of people begin to thin out and you break into a rhythm of your own. I totally started to veer off with the 10k runners at one point, but thankfully caught my mistake with only a minor 10 seconds of damage at the most. It was a scenic run on the greenbelt beside the river and in the shade of huge trees. At one point I grabbed a water cup as I passed through an aid station. As I continued to run, I was able to splash a gulp into my dry mouth. I felt quite like an official racer at this point. Heehee. Over the course of the race, a few people passed me, I passed quite a few more... even a few men, which I felt slightly bad for. Our reunions at the finish line were extremely emotional, filled with congratulatory exchanges and excited hugs and handshakes even as some of us were about ready to collapse!

If you remember this post, you'll already know a friend and I have been training for months to participate in our first running race, ever! I was SO glad that my husband and I had scoped the race terrain out prior to the race. There is something oddly comforting to know you've been there before and can envision yourself running and finishing the race. Both Jenn and I finished the 5k with flying-mommy- colors!



My husband and our friend, David were even more ambitious and participated in the half-marathon without having trained much at all. They finished, though, and not shabbily either.





We have yet to get the final results from this race but my good friend, despite feeling a bit fluish that race morning, was able to put one of her best times down in her race. And myself, well, adrenaline and insomnia... yeah, not a good combination the night before a race. I ran on 3 hours of restless sleep but still put down one of my best times as well! I was even able to sprint the last 20-30 yards to the finish line. As far as I can remember, as the quickly posted results at the finish line were being flocked with crowds of people much like vultures to fresh meat, I was 5th in my gender and age group out of approx. 35 ladies, 77th overall, men and women all ages out of approx. 500 participants and my overall time was 3.1 miles in 26 minutes and 45 seconds. I'm genuinely happy. I knew going into this race that to win, or at least be in the top 3, I would have to put in 8 to 8.25 minute miles, and because of sickness a couple weeks before the race and other priorities, along with being a tired mommy to many small children, I just couldn't get the speed work in that I needed to improve my time, well, in time. That's okay, though. I've only been running for 4 months, after a break of 10 years, so I can give myself a eensy teensy break. Really, this race was more about having something to work towards, something to look forward to at the end of ALL of the hard work and effort we've been putting into getting into running shape. It's all been well worth it, and the pay-off was spectacularly fulfilling.



We may be goofy runners, who wear the shirts we worked hard to get, that prove our participation in the grueling event but...

we're proud goofy runners.

And it feels GREAT!!

What's next you may ask?

Well, now, after a week or so of "rest", we will get back to it. Train our hearts out. Speed work, distance and endurance training. And next time, we're going for the 10k...

I can hardly wait!!!