Camping in 2010

First cast of the year

back in the kayak again

Old enough to learn

What are we catching again?

Getting the big one..

Catch and release

Tent sweet tent

spearing pole

Standing guard

Terrace view

pretty posies

8 foot sunflower growing out of my compost

white gladiola

Dahlia

Morning Glory

I planted this flower as a blub and I have no clue what it is.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It only blooms for a day.

Red Gladiola

Nastursium

Pink Lily

Score ten for the American team

So my littlest one is in training phase...he knows exactly where that porcelain throne is and does a neat trick... 

His hips are exactly the height of the toilet, he throws his leg up over the back edge of the toilet seat like he's about to ride a gluttonous grandfather buffalo and sits there like he's sitting on a balance beam. 

I almost think one of these times he's going to throw his hands up and arch his back and declare himself gold metal winner of the toilet straddling event.   

His reward?  Being able to wear his brother's superhero underoos over his training pants.  Small victories... but for who?

May we remember...

I have 80 acres of woods through inheritance.  I have 5 acres of river property.  I have a house with a corner lot which contains gardens, a play structure, sidewalks, and the chance to fly any type of flag I want. 


I have chosen to fly the American flag.  I don't agree with most of the issues of our president.  However, I am grateful we can vote again for another president to clean up his messes like every other president before him. 

We have a military who is dispersed to protect our rights as Americans and for that I am able to forget 363 days of the year what it is like not to be an American. 

I thank my cousins


I thank my nephews


I thank my friends


I thank my uncles


I thank countless others who have served, lived, lost, sacrificed both their lives and time from their family to protect me.

GOD BLESS THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA!!!!

an ongoing birthday present

SUCKER!!

5 times.  And it's my bunny Thing 3 who has had a culmination combination of all of the the bad -isms Thing 1 and Thing 2 never had.  I'll just stick with one of them:

Thing 1 never had a problem with staying in her bed.

Thing 2 stayed in his bed after he woke up; his naps usually lasted 3-4 hours!

Thing 3 doesn't have time to sleep.  It's an inconvenience and completely unnecessary.  Then he has a very inconvenient blow out that would shatter Mike Tyson's worst day into the next decade. 

Then my little bear decides he needs loving.  Bats his ribbon long eyelashes, puts his perfect little head on my lap and says, "mama, uppy?"

We crumple on the floor together while he kisses my nose, cheek and eyelids and I giggle.  

"Thank you Lord for giving me the cutest kids in the world.  I'll talk to you in 10 minutes when this starts all over again."

Riddle me this?

Mountain Man and I are looking for a more kid friendly vehicle.  The one we have was bought for delivering exercise equipment only.  I'm using it because the day after we got it... the gas prices went through the roof. 

The two good things about it is you feel like you can run over B52 bomber and it's red.  

That's it.

Bad Gas guzzler, and you can watch how fast it guzzles too!  In pretty green florescent digital numbers!

A Kid Torture Chamber with Thing 3 being the torturer.  He's still pretty flexible so he does the splits and gets both Thing 1 and Thing 2 with a "WhupaH!!"  I get to hear the "MOOOOOOoooooOOOOMM!!"  He loves his shit-kickers, so on colder days I put Thing 1 in the front seat with the seat waaaaaay back.  She loves it.  Thing 2 still is in the back seat, but now he's the police.  "Mom!  He's throwing something out the window!"   "Mom, he's taking his shoes off!"  "Mom, he's throwing his shoes out the window!"  "Mom, he's doing SOMETHING!"   

*SIGH*

Bad thing is I can't get the new beautiful kid friendly vehicle until next tax season because... IT'S SO NICE NOT HAVING CAR PAYMENTS!!!

Life is such a riddle  or  lesson in patience.   I may just become the runner up for the Mother Theresa award.

yes... but....

So... one of my best friends live in Kazakhstan, my other best friend recently went to Aruba, my mother-in-law spent a month in Florida, my sister-in-law saw New Mexico, Mountain Man's best friend is in Florida and I'M THE ONE STUCK WITH TRAVELER'S SICKNESS!! 

WHAT . THE  .  HELL!

The good news is I am fitting into a cute little red t-shirt that I didn't think I was going to ever fit into.  

Would I rather be 15 lbs overweight and in a small villa south of France?  or would I rather be here sucking down yogurt and gallon jugs of water, 15 lbs skinnier?   

Ever had one of those days where you just want to stick your tongue out at the world, wrap up in a soft white, knitted blanket and stare out into space for the whole day?

Yeah, me too.

But I only get an hour into it after the kids have gone down for their naps

and then the phone rings, 

or the dog starts barking 

or I have to go to the bathroom.

Oh well, at least that hour told me there was more than just that cloud in the sky. 

Hello life.  Whatcha got for me today.

como park

Out of all the beautiful flowers, palms, ferns and tropical plants and fish... this magnificent creature was the best.  

A woman walked past me looking at him and said to her partner, "Let's go, this is depressing."  

Yes, but you are still walking past looking at him.  What were you expecting?  Como park takes only donations.  Enough said.

learn about the Minneapolis Como Zoo

Well now, upon a time...

Little Orley stories

After scouring the internet for down-loadable children audio books, 

I came upon this little doozy.  

My mom used to tell us these stories verbatim, 

voice inflection, accents and everything.  

Now I can pass down these priceless works of art to Thing 1 

to make her forget the awful dreams... 

which have helped by the way.  

My brave little one. 

See what????

Thing 3 was looking at something across the water.  He loves anything with a motor.  First he was looking for the plane.  

 Then he was looking for a boat... We didn't know it would be a car.

ah..... pleasures!

It's like I've been camping for the last 4 years...

We just installed a new water heater and brought the water pipes up to code.  (I don't think a rubber hose connected to the old water heater was good.)

Yesterday we were all able to take showers, run the dishwasher and I didn't have to choose which one of three light and white loads I was going run with warm water.  I could do all three!!  ... and then finish the dirty pans with hot... really hot water!!!  The plummer guys even fixed the toilet, my kitchen faucet and shined up my copper wind chime!!  And I couldn't even give them any baked goods!

Little by little, this house is starting to shine.

Rock a by baby....

Thing 1 came to bed last night and bumped Mountain Man out onto the couch.  Good thing he did because she had a HORRIFIC nightmare that she could not get out of her head.  

So I got the MP3 player with a bunch of downloaded Hans Christian Anderson stories and she listened to not one, but THREE of them.  

She's been doing so GOOD with not having nightmares or dealing with them.  I want to WRING the neck of the thing that is doing this to her.  VAMPIRES for pete's sake!  Where the heck did she find out about VAMPIRES!!!   She says school. 

That's ok.  I learned a lot of things that wasn't in the standardized curriculum.  She will also learn she has the ability to find the truth.  It may not be from me, or her dad or the teachers at her school or college.  

But like me, she WILL find the truth and she will swim in it and grow and develop and when she's 35, she will have a child like herself that she will comfort and download Hans Christian Andersen or Runyard Kipling or A.A Milne stories which her child will listen to and be comforted by.

too big for your britches...

Thing 2 was trying to stretch his wings at age 5 and testing the waters....

"Mom, when I'm 19, and I'm taller than you, I'm going to be the boss of you."

( this is coming from a 5 yr old BOY... who just told me 2 days ago, TWICE, that I'm beautiful.)  Just giving you the context of where this is coming from.

"Baby, even if you were 7 feet tall. I'd still be the boss of YOU."

Thing 2: "But, I'd be taller than you and bigger!"

"Baby, even if you were Dad's size, 7 and a half feet tall, AND the president of the United States, I'd still be the boss of you."    (At that moment, I needed to go to the kitchen to grab more milk)  

I heard as I was walking away...*sigh* "Boy, I didn't see that one coming."



I'll remember that when I think I can plan and handle my day without any help.

Have a Happy Easter!!!

http://www.uulyrics.com/music/michael-card/song-gods-own-fool/


Michael Card's "God's Own Fool" 


Seems I've imagined Him all of my life
As the wisest of all of mankind
But if God's Holy wisdom is foolish to men
He must have seemed out of His mind

For even His family said He was mad
And the priests said a demon's to blame
But God in the form of this angry young man
Could not have seemed perfectly sane

Chorus
When we in our foolishness thought we were wise
He played the fool and He opened our eyes
When we in our weakness believed we were strong
He became helpless to show we were wrong
And so we follow God's own fool
For only the foolish can tell-
Believe the unbelievable
And come be a fool as well

So come lose your life for a carpenter's son
For a madman who died for a dream
And you'll have the faith His first followers had
And you'll feel the weight of the beam
So surrender the hunger to say you must know
Have the courage to say I believe
For the power of paradox opens your eyes
And blinds those who say they can see

Chorus

So we follow God's own Fool
For only the foolish can tell
Believe the unbelievable,
And come be a fool as well

the light bulb flickers...

While I was waiting in the wings with Thing 3 at church because he thinks he can sing and talk all the time, I was making up my own sermon.  

It was Maunday Thursday and the pastor was talking about the Last Supper and how it was supposed to be a festive time.. a celebration from slavery.  I could recite the story verbatim, however, that's how close it has always come... a good story.  

Here's mine:

What if George Washington is still living or Thomas Jefferson; depending on who you believe was most influential in the making of the U.S.A.  They've been close family friends for as long as you've lived.  Helping others remain free and living well.

On the 4th of July, you decide to invite them for a picnic.  At this picnic, they tell you they will die the next day.  Not only will they die, but they will by the hand of one of the family members. 

That's as far as I got.... Thing 3 started writing on me.  Then another thought struck me... why aren't more moms Christians?  Talk about a connection with Christ... loving your children no matter what because they are yours.  Constantly helping them instructing, and disciplining them because you only want what is the best for them. 

yeah, but.... ok.

So the shots saga ended with 3 in the thigh and increased screaming with each one.  Ended abruptly when Mountain Man told him his bravery was rewarded with legos.  

sudden quiet; "Star Wars Legos?" (sniff, sniff)

Two days later I was admiring his Speeder and his braveness, he said, "Mom, I really wasn't that brave."  

I hope this honesty continues.... he'll still get rewards for having shots.

wait a minute....

Thing 2 completely FREAKED when I told him we were going to the Dr. in one hour.   

"NO!!  I'M NOT GOING!   I'M NOT GOING TO THE DR'S!  NO   NO  NO  NO  NO  NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"  (about 10  minutes of that)

Found out he wanted his sister to go with him.  The little scheisen told him that he was getting shots.  "Yeah, you're probably going to get shots.  I cried really hard when I got them and then I couldn't walk and my legs hurt for 2, no 3 days."

So after he calmed down to a whimper, I adamantly told him NOT to have Dr. W. put another nose on his face.  Also, if they needed to switch anything,  an ear on the forehead may work better because the two on the sides of his head were probably broken.  He actually looked at me as if I wasn't kidding. 


Mountain Man is going with him...there are no brave fronts in this house.

Dear Lord...

I pray for my children they find the talent 
not to exclude friends 
but to bring out the best 
in each person they meet. 

I also pray they find angels that help them soar.

Ewww......wait.. cool!!

Thing 2 started turning over my border bricks to see what was underneath.  I usually worked in my garden along side him and did an occasional, "Ohhh cool."  or "What it THAT?"  or  "Wow... don't bring that inside."   

Thing 3 has taken up that hobby.  I have to watch him a little more closely.  He tends to eat things.  Therefore, I'm catching the "Finding things under a rock" hobby. 

I found myself face in the dirt to see what insects can flatten themselves to live under the rocks, watching other "things" upclose, also what kind of eggs and tunnels they make.  Then little fingers push between my nose and the dirt to mess things around a bit to get things moving.  We did this for about half an hour before I realized we had turned up the entire side of the house.   

I used to admonish the kids for doing this because it just didn't look nice and made the blocks crooked.  

Wow... talk about a buzz kill.  I'm going to put myself in time-out.

here it goes....

I've started planning my Mom's 70th birthday party and it's a secret.  I'm thinking.. no, hoping no one in her family has her gift of gab and slips up.  That includes me.  I'm no gabber, I'm a thinker and I think out loud especially concrete things.  

It's 2 months out and I'm pretty much doing everything.  Only because I'm a control freak on my own ideas.  I've had this in my head since her last birthday.  Now I finally have a chance to act it out.   

I'm completely psyched on this whole situation because it doesn't include diapers, homework or Legos.  And...

I'M IN CONTROL OF THE SITUATION. 

Now, that may be all in my head.  However, even after 3 kids, I still am baffled by what my children say and do.  I'm ok if the shelter isn't available, or someone doesn't have tables, or doesn't bring in enough drinks.  That situation can be remedied.  I'm NOT ok with Thing 3 puking, while a very able Thing 1 pushes Thing 2 out into the front lines at that very moment to ask for a snack with chocolate milk.

Did I mention the party is 4 hours away with no Mountain Man help?  Just give me my ipod and some chocolate and a little cocktail if you have it.....

get me out of here!!!

A grandfather took his grandson, William, to a Civil War Re-enactment one afternoon.  Being 5 years old, the re-enactment seemed so real to Will that he didn't want anything to do with being up close and personal with the actors.  So the grandfather took William to a hill overlooking the battle all the while reassuring him these were just actors with fake guns and no one was dying.  William was starting to calm down and watch the action when a general close to them yelled, "Alright boys!  Fire at Will!  Fire at Will!!"

I'll show you mine....

The best thing about spring is that you get all dirty.  It's been around 50-65 all week for Thing 1 and Thing 2's spring break.  For Minnesota, that's amazing. The best thing.... the kids' boogers are a whole different colour.  That's how I can tell they had a good day.

.

Whatever - Part II

There's just some people you hope do well after you're through with them... 

http://shop.kindredmarket.com/collections/all-tees

.....and there is people that you hope their 6th business goes under..... again.   Yes, a woman scorned.  I'll get over it..... after my therapy session.

Have a great day.

Whatever...

Why is it I never have my camera when eagles are around or within shooting distance?

Why is it when I turn my back at the park, that's the moment Mogli decides to see if he can fly?

Why is it I find the exact right words minutes before or after a conversation or a fight?

Why can I find the right clothes to wear any other day but when I need to show off, I look like a hooker going to church?

Why do I have my most profound thoughts right before falling asleep?

just shoot the damn thing....

I'm trying new things with my camera.  I'm shooting with my Tv settings and finding it sharper.  However, shooting in the sun and finding the perfect setting is difficult.  Overexposure has been my problem.  But when I get it right... well, duh.

There was so much spray coming off the falls...I tried to capture it.

  Then I changed the settings... still not happy with it though...

 Just makes it look overexposed... any ideas?

This was my super macro setting...

  I played with the light with this shot... at least 10 different ways.. all with the same setting...

Then it was just finding cool things to take pictures of... 

 I thought it looked like an aerial photograph of an Arizona red rock formation.

peal with me

The earth has a rhythm.  If you are out in nature for a time, you find yourself walking in time with it.  It's not a march, or a tiptoe.  It's how water runs through a stream or how a bird's calls come with it's own cadence. 

After being out on one of the warmest days in March I can ever remember, the morning after had me gasping for breath.  I felt like I was pregnant and completely zapped of energy. 

I sat out in the sun in the early afternoon and apart from feeling the sun soak into my soul, I could not take a deep breath.  Until I heard a robin peal out in the tree above me.  Everything let go and I laughed.  A bubbling laugh that exploded...kind of like milk shooting through your nose at a unexpected joke. 

I have felt my "wings" have been clipped.  Not by anyone in the house or by the seasons.  It is because of the proximity of the streets, houses, people, cars, the amplified gas station attendant a block down saying "PUMP 3, YOU ARE READY", etc.

I pray that robins include me in their bewitchment more often until I can find 5 acres or more all to myself where I can spread my wings.

our endeavor

This was halfway done.  We had painted the trim on the windows and found it to be a huge mistake.

Harley was very patient with all his regular sleeping spots taken. 

See the mistake... Mountain Man kept saying "They shouldn't sell poop to people... it's just not nice."

another way of learning an old habit

embrace life

tell me you love me.....

I made these when I had an intestinal bug....weird, I know.  I was hungry, but I wasn't knowing it was going to get me in the end.  (hehehehehe)

My husband calls them snowshoes.

peanut butter

butter for smoothness

powdered sugar

whip this until it's oh so creamy and dreamy

melt any kind of chocolate you prefer... dark, milk chocolate, or just chocolate bits.

place waffle butter pretzle chips down over waxed or parchment paper
squeeze some of that creamy pb on the chips and then DRENCH them in the chocolate.

I let my kids do the chocolate.  I HIGHLY suggest you do that.

I'm not doing pictures for your sake. 

soft gooey insides

I watched "Chocolat" and I realized I see myself as Judy Dench. 

Don't pity who I am.  Don't you dare pity who I have made into myself just because I am actually living my life as how I see fit.  Also making sure the one I love have fun with me as they see fit. 

Seen as a grumpy woman, only because she can't love the people around her hard enough.

smells like rain, must be rain

I had the windows flung wide open yesterday with fans going at full blast.  Granted it was only 37 degrees, but the sun was shining and I was getting laundry done.  I only hung a blanket out on the lines all day.  It was a wonderful smell of the outdoors... however, this morning it smelled like dirt. 

It rained last night and now it smells like wet snow and dirt outside.  Not necessarily a bad thing... just different from a winter smell.  Spring is coming. 

get a room....

 

My right hand ring from 

Right Hand Man.

My Mountain Man.  

The one who fights to love me 

and loves to fight me.

The rock and the water beating at each other 

to find they are more beautiful after the storm.

Call me Grace

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9YU0aNAHXP0

pushing up daisies

My father died 10 years ago.  Before he died, he wanted his body donated how ever it could.  His arms, legs and eyes were able to be donated to whomever needed them. I met a man today whose wife was having surgery tomorrow to correct her cataracts.  Even though it was 10 years ago, somehow, I was able to connect part of Dad to the present.  Dad was and is like that.  He finds himself in my life here and there.  Through my children, through little "isms" of my husband, through memories and dreams I live.  I heard a quote, "God is in the dirt."  When I thought about Dad, he was always working in the fields or with the animals, or somehow with his hands.   He had pride in what he did, even though he was only a farmer.  Lived, breathed a farmer, and died a farmer.  When you live and love your life... you find you live forever through someone else's eyes.

snow and superheros

Why is it such a age difference between 4 years old to 5 years old?  

He grew up overnight.

  

 

You can always apologize later.....

I love this!!!

if .....then what?

Last thought before I fell asleep....


What if the Packers played the Dodgers in a double header of Baseball then Football?  


- I don't think the basemen, especially the catcher would be able to play in the football game.
- I think the Dodgers would win.
- The pitcher would play the quarterback and vise versa.
- It would be played in April.
- It would be played in LA.
- No coaches and no refs.
- Softball rules.
- Tickets would cost $1.

Ups and Downs

I've been skating for most of my life, but I'm still a clutz. Somehow, I think I do ok. Maybe I would really know if someone would summon the balls to tell me I look like a drunken ibis. When my family and I went skating, the kids were playing tag with me. Of course my youngest can only stand and watch us since he pouts throughout the winter season due to the several layers of clothes he is forced to wear.
So every once in a while I would grab him on the fly under his arms and have him barely touch the ice like he would be running on water. Unfortunately, I lost my footing and we both went face first into the ice. My hands caught the ice as I heard some part of my son's face hit the ice. In my head, I'm thinking, "not the nose, not the teeth, not the nose, not the teeth." When I looked at him, I'm not seeing any blood. Then I see the streak on his jacket and I look at his chin. A 2 inch long bright red gash had opened and was dripping, no gushing all over his jacket.

I was about to run him all the way home on my ice skates and drive him to the ER when my husband laughed and told me after my son would stop crying, he would thank me for the start of his scars he would accumulate over the length of his life.

Then he took the tissue away from my son's chin and it was only a 1/2 inch little red V and it had stopped bleeding, thanks to the 20 degree with a wind chill of 5. After 5 minutes of gauze and rainbow band-aids, my son had a little colourful chin guard and bragging rights.

Being part Canadian, I am partial to ANYTHING Canadian.  Saying that, I thought the opening ceremonies were the best ever!!!  I tried to find a video of it, but all I found was more hype on the different achievements of David, the producer than on the actual performance.

anyways, the following 16 days are my "mardi gras" so to speak.. Enjoy!!!!  It is history!

No matter what.... it's still American!

 I love the Muppets....

cravings

The package of frozen blueberries were burning a hole in my freezer... so to speak.  So I dumped them in a glass dish and put my mother-in-law's recipe for Almond Lace cookies on top... only made it more diet-like.
1c oatmeal
1/4c. flour
1t. baking soda
1/2c slice almonds
 1/2 - 1 c. honey (depending on sweetness)
1/2t cardamom
1 egg white
1/4c melted butter
1 pkg of frozen blueberries

 

My 1 year old son ate a 1/4 of it 15 minutes after it was finished... and then I tried it.  It came out better than expected... a little less sweet but tasting very fresh.

And then I made Rosemary Italian bread.... That was a mistake.. I don't mind doing 50 more sit-ups and 30 extra minutes on the elliptical.  

Like a dummy, I feel guilty for going out and leaving the kids with anyone else besides me.   Controlling, maybe.  Thinking my kids are a little too much for someone else, maybe.  I know my place, I know my responsibilities and I know the kids are mine.  My husband secretly agrees with this.  He denies it wholeheartedly, but I know what he's thinking.  I know what everyone thinks.  I can read minds.... and this is why I need to get away!!!!!

So...One night, I'm laying awake thinking about the next "date" (a work banquet) my husband and I are going on.  I am wracking my brain wondering why I think this way.  I finally fall asleep.

hurry up and wait

I ordered my seeds from Jung's catalog while it was snowing. It's tradition. The picture in my head is always larger than life. I'll have to figure out how to keep my dog from peeing on my plants outside of the white fence so I don't get the runs again. I've decided to make a pole bean arbor on either side of the sidewalk that runs from the house to the garage. We might not be able to eat one side of the beans as they will be "outside the white fence". I'm also thinking planting in my landscaped area in the front of the house with cabbages, lettuce and some tomatoes. However, since that is the runway to the squirrel tree, it's not going to be a good idea. I may have to rent some lawn space from my neighbor. Or I'll just pay the kids to run interference for a $1.

give a man a fish....teach a man to fish..

So.... A man saw a beggar and decided to give him one of the fish out of his creel as he had enough to feed his own family for that day. The beggar was happy and thanked him again and again. The next day, the man saw the same beggar in the same place waiting for him and for another fish. So the man took the beggar down to the river and showed him the fine arts of fishing. After catching enough fish for the man and his family and for the beggar, the man took the beggar home and showed him how to cook the fish. The beggar looked as if he had tasted heaven's food itself. The beggar thanked the man and his family profusely and left. The man didn't see him for a long time. One day, the man and his wife went to a Five Star restaurant and had a wonderful meal. The man wanted to compliment the chef and was told the chef was already on his way out to meet him. The chef sat down and asked how was the fishing these days. The man was confused. He then looked closer and saw it was the beggar. The beggar went into how that meal at the man's home inspired him to show other's the wonderous display of taste buds to something made well and eaten. The beggar/chef went into how he went to school on government grants, graduated culinary school, started working for a uncle's friend at a local diner until he had enough altered recipes to break out on his own. He then fell into better luck as to his grandmother died and in her elation of her grandson "getting back on his feet" left him all her money. He took that money and bought this restaurant and now pays others to work for him and he sits back and watches the dough rake in. The man and his wife were happy for him and wished him well. When the bill came it showed the full amount. The man and his wife were taken aback but paid it anyway and left. The next month the man read in the newspaper that restaurant was closed and the chef was sentenced for filing false income tax returns. The chef was sentenced to 12 months and a day in prison. The chef also admitted that he underpaid employment taxes by $250,000. The man folded the newspaper and asked his son to finish all his chores so that he would earn his full allowance.

chapter one towards my mini grape arbor

I finally have twigs from a real-honest-to-goodness grape farmer/winery. Because of my selective hearing, I can't tell you the name. 4 twigs from my Mom on my baptism birthday. I think she's the only one who celebrates baptisms anymore... I think it's pretty cool.... and that I got grapes... you know the thing about "I am the vine, you are the branches..." a very humbling verse, but also very staggering in the fact you are very much connected to the King. Anyways... so as I'm planting the branch twigs, I found I only have two of them. I found them in the bushes by the deck two days later. They are in the ICU and hopefully if I nick them, they will be green and I will plant them. I still need to find an umbrella of sorts while they "get their legs" for about 2 weeks. They look like baby cows which were just dropped, very unstable and fragile. I've been crossing my fingers hoping for some growth or a show of green or buds or something. I'm a very impatient gardener, checking on my plants everyday... it also forces me to pounce on the weeds sucking up what my plants need. Now that I think of it... am I the same way with my kids? Jumping on every bully that comes their way? Yikes!!

Finally, sweet and BIG!!!

After 3 years of growing strawberries and watching them creep their way into neighboring plants, I have moved half of them under my pine trees. They are much happier. Even though they are not in a sunny place for half the day, the leaves are bigger. The fruits are slower producing so we will see which are sweeter. So far, I have picked a quart from my central garden and have won smiles from the kids.

Focus!!

I have forgotten events in my life and as the kids grow and form their own memories, I remember some of mine. Although I don't remember Track and Field Day as a kindergartener, I remember it as a welcome end to the school year. Kya asked when her last day would be. After she found out it was still 2 weeks away, she focused her sights on a vacation she and I would be taking in a month. I thought that to be very smart of her to do that. Focusing on a much needed vacation for herself after a long year of school. I am proud of my daughter. She is growing up but not too fast for me. It's just right. Am I slowing down to smell the flowers, finally?

time out

It's been so crazy... I hardly get time to sit down.. but at the end of the day, it has never felt so good to lay down in bed and know what you have accomplished during the day..... even if it's taking a nap.

Take my life....

My husband asks me what I want for Christmas, my birthday, what to do today, tomorrow. I ask myself what I want to do with my life. The thing is, I'm a simple person. I don't need expensive things. I was raised simply and it suits me still. However, now as a mother I sacrifice many things. My time, emotions, quiet time, hobbies - all for my family. I don't know what I want. But maybe, that's the point. Like a child learning what foods are good or what to see, where to go is all up to their parents who have the experience. There are endless possibilities and not enough time to do it. If it was up to the child, they would find the first thing they thought was great and stay with it. Take for example foods. If my children had the run of the menu, it would be McDonald's chicken nuggets and french fries and candy corn or sugar sticks and M&Ms with copious amounts of juice and soda. The outcome would be lethargy and death at a very early age. Older adults are like children. They like the good stuff and it's usually bad, which are called vices. I've been trying to learn what I want and have finally found it's not up to me what I want. It's what I need. And who better to know than my Creator. I need to think less and listen and read what He wants me to be and do more. "Now to HIM who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine according to HIS power that is at work within us, to HIM be glory in the church and in CHRIST JESUS - throughout all generations, forever and ever! Amen" Eph. 3:20-21

yep, yep

I'm going to be turning 35 soon. Eeesh. I have just recently been using eye cream for those wonderful aging atributes. It has helped... I don't look so tired anymore and my eyes aren't so wrinkly. Or maybe it's that Cooper has gone to one feeding per night. The point is, I think at times, with horror, would insurance cover a tummy tuck and lipo? My husband constanly tells me I am the most beautiful thing in the world. Which I reply that he is biased. I see that this hurts him, that his opinion doesn't count. His opinion counts very much. He married me. And as much as I can deny it... he did marry me, somewhat, on my looks. I have other points on which he married me for, but face it. Men are visual animals. I look and act like I should to be with who I am with now. I have children because of who I married. I am beautiful to the ones who love me most and I am fine with that.

Nip/Tuck????

There was an artist who drew beautiful real-life portraits. People he thought of, dreamed of, created. They were all different showing various personalities. He labeled them with human names. He was very fond of all his portraits, thinking them as people he may have seen on the street that day. One night, the portraits came to life. They all exclaimed how wonderful it was to live, to talk, to breathe, to think. The next several nights they sat around discussing the joys in life and decided to leave a note for the artist telling him how wonderful his job was and how well he did it. The next morning, the artist saw the note and was pleased the portraits loved who they were. He continued making different people of different shapes and sizes. He continued naming them as their personality arose with every stroke of his brush. While he slept, he dreamed of the next portrait he would draw and name. Then that morning he would painstakingly paint the face getting every aspect of his dream right. It would always take a day but every portrait was finished with the utmost care, love and perfection. The artist loved his work and the portraits he created. One morning he saw a note. It said,

"Thank you for creating me.

However, could you redo my mouth?

I think it is a little too small. And since your

palette would be wet, would you mind

touching up my eyes, I would like them to

look like Sharline's.

Yours Truly,

Veronica

The artist was angry and very disappointed. Something he had created, he had dreamed about, he had thought had the perfect features for the perfect personality was telling him she wasn't good enough. He didn't do a good enough work. His dream, his creation, his complete work was flawed. He was crushed. If Veronica thought that, did Mark and the others think that too?

The artist was so angry, he took all the portraits who left notes of thanks to another studio. He went back to the old studio and burned it down.

perspectives

i saw this tree and wondered what i'd get out of it... three of many pictures taken at various positions.

symphony

When I go for a drive and watch the cars go past or while I'm shopping or whenever I'm in the midst of many people, I stop and think just how many lives are being lived. It's a pleasant buzz of thinking, talking, doing. The details are inconsequential; it's the living I'm amazed at. The spheres of life moving through, past, bumping into one another almost need it's own symphony. The music it would make would be a syncronized mess of sound... almost like the horns of a downtown bustling city with the quiet woodwind busy-ness of a small town and then the quiet strings of the rural countryside. Not to forget the undergrowing tympany of the earth.

baking soda recipes

I love a good smelling home...my dog doesn't care. I found out that dogs do have a smell if they roll in something, but the smell actually comes from their feet pads. Found out my dog is the champion of sweaty feet. By the time November came around and the doors and windows were shut for a good month and a half, my house started smelling like stale corn chips. So...I went online and found many things.. febreeze, different dog shampoos, and paying someone to shampoo my carpet.. none of them up my alley..... then I found a guy who said he put down baking soda overnight and put a heavy plastic over it. In the morning he vaccumed it up and BINGO! No more smell. So... I found different types of good smelling baking soda mixes, my favorite being a box of baking soda with a tablespoon of cinnamon and a teaspoon of cloves. It also said vanilla but that made the mix clumpy. Now, everytime I vaccum, the house smells so good. I use the mixture at the beginning of a fresh bag and it smells good throughout that bag. I used to use it every other time I vaccumed and found the baking soda didn't vaccum up very good and had to change the bag more often. Also, now my carpet shampooer is all gunked up. Part of that is also of my brilliant idea of putting baking soda on the carpet and adding vinegar to the clean water to get that "oxy" clean... I found not following directions cost me $200 dollars. This is why they tell you not to use anything other than the prescribed shampoo. I also found 1/4 c. of your laundry softener, 1t. of baking soda with a regular sized squirt bottle makes your own Febreeze. or if you run out of laundry softener, you can use full-strength vinegar in the place of the softener and the vinegar smell will come out in the dryer.

You Dummy.

What is it with me and sending out packages? I had a package all planned out for my best friend for a whole month.. Her birthday was today and I JUST sent it out. One of my really good friends moved to Texas in January... ON HIS BIRTHDAY.. Do you think I was able to pinpoint the day? Nope. I'm finalizing his package tomorrow. March 3rd. Dummy. The next thing I have to send out...my mother-in-law's get well package.... she has had really bad hip problems for 3 months. it's the thought... right? And if I add in an extra bag of ghiardelli's chocolates? And Antonio Banderas' picture? Nope. You're still a dummy.

peek a boo

Cooper was playing this with Barrett even before Barrett even knew what was going on.

mini recorder

A conversation between my kids... Kya: Ethan, Stop It! Ethan continues to do what she doesn't want him to do. Kya: Ethan STOP IT! Ethan still continues to bug her. Kya: ETHAN STOP IT! Do you think I like yelling at you? Ethan: Yeah. Kya: Well, you're right.

Step ladder please.

I have to apologize for my comment on democrats not being Christians... they're very well intentioned Christians... I guess I was thinking of Barack.. he just seems all over the map as far as beliefs. I understand he has many well intentioned ideas of how to bring America back around and I hope God blesses those ideas. I'm horrible with politics but I do know what works for me. I don't want to sound judgemental. That's what makes America great.. all these people working, living, and loving all in the same country.

poverty check, please!

eternal utopia.... no, it's not going to be in the next 4 years with our new president. Actually, I am very interested in knowing what in Obama's name he's going to do. What do I expect from a president who's name is Barak Hussain Obama? Yikes. I'm still cringing. Seriously, those of you who are reading this and have supported Obama, who are happy he's our first black president and that's the only reason why...O.K. That's all I'm going to say because he is now our president and I can't do anything about it. I'm praying he will do what our country needs. That's all I expect from a president. I'm not very happy with some of the things I've heard about him... Actions speak louder than words for me and he hasn't done much. I am a republican. I grew up on a 40-head dairy farm, enough to give us clothes and food. We never expected a hand out and never wondered why we didn't have more. As I'm sitting in my small town urban house, I LONG for a farm, animals and an acre garden of my own. I feel sorry for others who don't know this life. It was all about action. If you didn't get something, it was your fault or God was letting you know who is really in charge. I have a hard time believing Democrats are Christians. The bottom line is helping others and sharing the wealth. (If I'm wrong, PLEASE correct me.. But PLEASE keep it to two sentenses) It sounds absolutely wonderful at first breath. However, if you look at it down the road, people start to depend on hand outs. Look at the animal kingdom. What is the cardinal rule at zoos and wildlife preserves? DON'T FEED THE ANIMALS Why? Bears mauling people and their backpacks. Elk stampedes. The animals become used to being fed and forget to find their own food. Or get sick from preservatives in human food. Humans are a little more intelligent than animals, but they are just as lazy. To put my belief in simple terms... to become strong, a body needs to exercise. To build muscle and bone, the muscle needs to pull at the bone and tear a little to build the muscle and strengthen the bone. I will gladly go through many pulls and tears to become the best I can be. I have said generosity is wonderful. We have been given so much. We have also given much which is paying it forward. It is given to people and has been given to us without knowledge. Therein lies the difference. I will gladly take a mediocre salary to the lottery as it will always keep my priorities in check.

Coolest house in the neighborhood

Check this out... new and improved from last year... a sledding ramp from our deck. We were told we have envious neighbors...cars have stopped to check it out. However, we need to be careful not to push the kids too hard at the top otherwise they'll speed down the ramp and jump the 1foot snow shoveled barrier to run into or go underneath the neighbor's car... like what Ethan did today... where is the video camera when you need it.

Live on, 2009!!!

Happy New Year!!! We've got new fitness equipment (found the floor useful for sit-ups, my husband made push up bars out of pipe conduit and black velco, the fuzzy side; and my 8 month old son who looks like a 19month old is a great added weight for doing squats... feel the burn.) And since my husband works for a fitness company, he won a great elliptical!! In 5 days, I've used it 2 times... that's actually great!! I have found I can almost do an 8 minute mile (we'll see what it's like in real pavement time) My cousin has reminded me of Buffalo, MN soft triathalon in June... I think I'll have to make up my mind by April. On the other side of fitness, my kids and I have started a new New Year's Day tradition... making ravioli! It was so much fun. We started at 10am and the kitchen was finally cleaned by 4pm. Boy, was it good... I made the traditional spaghetti sauce for the kids and mine was butternut squash with sage... It was supposed to have browned sage butter drizzled over it... It really didn't need it. I used the rest of the butternut squash filling as a soup... just as good and healthier. I wish I had pictures of the ravioli and the process of eating it... my 8 month old included. He was head to navel red with chunks. I made the dough in my bread maker. I hate kneading dough and it came out perfect... very stretchy... my 6 year old filled as my 3 year old rolled out the dough and made circles. My kids actually stayed through until it was time to boil them. I froze the other half of the dough and used it a few days later in chicken soup... can't get anymore rustic than that. I was proud to give it to a new mom... welcome to the world, Caleb Dallas born New Year's Eve at 10:38pm. Now that I think of it... I've come a long way... I never would have dreamed about making ravioli with my kids. It wasn't even a second thought. Is this how my year is going to be? It'd be great. Suprising myself with what I can accomplish without analyzing things before I do it...more of trusting my instincts because I'm better than what I think. Hmmm. I'll leave it at that... It'll take the suprise out of everything. Anyways, I'm not alone in this. I'm only who I am because God made me this way. Live on.

potato beer soup

I just made this today and it came out ok... Makes 4 cup servings 1 sweet onion 3 stalks of celery Saute this with 4 slices of cut up bacon. I use turkey bacon. Add: 1t garlic 1/2t allspice 1/2 t nutmeg 1t salt cracked pepper to taste 4 red potatoes cut in small cubes Saute this until it starts sticking to the sauce pan Pour in 3/4 of beer. (I used Stella Artois which was left over from my brother in law. Just like wine, if it tastes good straight, it'll taste good cooked. I don't drink beer, but I found myself sampling it as I cooked.) Add 1 c. chicken broth and bring to boil. Cover and let simmer for 20 mins. Mash potatoes until there are no more big chunks and enjoy with a good piece of country bread.

backwards glance?

I remember as one of my first blogs I had started a workout regimine and a year and a half later I had reached my goal of 131.. Yipee. However, the day I found out I had gone in for my initial checkup when I found out I was pregnant very unexpectedly. It was a day of conflicting feelings. I was very happy to find out another one was on the way even though the chance was .01...(beware of IUDs, ladies) I was also very disappointed, that all my hard work was for naught. But now as I think of it and as I hold my 6 month old who is 17lbs and 28 inches long, maybe all that hard work wasn't all that bad. I ate better than my other two and I was COMPLETELY exhausted the whole time. But he was stronger as soon as he came out. NOW.... I have to get into the groove again. Recently I climbed the stairs at the WI Concordia bluffs from Lake Michigan to the summit on a vacation and I was NOT pleased with myself. I gained 40lbs and I now only have to lose 25. Not only am I doing this for myself, I'm doing this for my kids.. I have heart disease on both sides of my family. I have to do this. I found weights are one thing... but cardio makes you feel invincible. We'll see... I'm pinning down my exercise physiologist husband to make me a chart again... Now to pin down a start date......(to be cont.)

humble living

it's awesome giving stuff away... but when it's turned on you.. why do I feel so.... humbled, shocked.. even embarrassed. On Thursday, we gave away a good queen mattress because it didn't work for us and also a gas fireplace from the 70s but it still worked well. Both recipients were glad for the items and we were glad to get them out of our hair. On Friday, our grocery budget didn't include a Spiderman costume for our 3 year old. He didn't agree with us. We then were given the costume buy the lady behind us and said, "Pay it forward." I was shocked. Then on Saturday, my sister-in-law gave us a Casio keyboard.... the BIG one. With the works. I'm still shaking my head at the gifts given to us. I'm not sure if it was a balance thing, because then where did my youngest son come from? We didn't expect him but he's for sure the greatest present of my life along with my other two, of course. I'm sure he's our lottery and we should spend our dollar a week on better things. Well, I know we're not in charge and that's a relief as I wouldn't trust anyone with that job.

growing up

Kya wanted to help me feed Cooper. I was amazed at how gentle and observant she was with him with what he needed. She is such a little lady.

Thumbprints and Impossibilities

I once had a question of my importance and position in the world and then I saw this.

Here's a cunundrum...

why is the Bible said to be made of stories and read when times are tight? Why do people read the Enquirer, People Magazine, or the newspaper possibly everyday and talk as if it's the truth? Consider the source and the audience of each and the reason why it is published.