Owlhaven

30 Subscribers?

2007-01-21T21:51:00.000-07:00

Hey, y'all. Just looked over here at blogspot and saw there are still 30 subscribers to this blog. My NEW blog is over at http://owlhaven.wordpress.com I'd love it if you'd come subscribe there instead, if you haven't already. Also, if you were kind enough to link to me in your sidebar, will you please, pretty please update your link? Thanks so much!

Redirecting to the new Owlhaven

2006-08-13T12:55:00.000-06:00

http://owlhaven.wordpress.com/ Please, pretty please, update your bookmarks and bloglines? I'd love to see you there!

People!!

2006-07-24T23:19:00.000-06:00

OK, people! You will not believe this. Wordpress has ONE-click comment delete. (Instead of blogger's dumb 8-click or whatever it is.) So even IF I get a bunch of spam over there, it would take, like, a minute, to delete 10 comments. Instead of 15. OK, I am so going to try this out. Here I am-- Owlhaven. I am still working on my blogroll, my look, etc, so be patient.

Add me to your bloglines OK? If I utterly despise it, I can always come back to blogger. But the more I figure Wordpress out, the more I love it. It even let me import my entire archives from blogspot. How cool is that? Come see me. And just to relieve my mind, cvomment over there and tell me if you've bookmarked my new site. I REALLY don't want to lose a bunch of readers in this move. COME ON OVER!

And, oh, one final incentive. I'm announcing my VIP award OVER THERE!

Rambling...

2006-07-24T18:01:00.000-06:00

I've been having a rotten time posting comments on other blogs today, so I am assuming that is why my comments are so quiet today too. Dumb blogger. I am seriously thinking of switching to another blog provider. I have been playing with a template over on Wordpress, and I may give it a trial run soon here, and see how it works. More on that later this week.

The highlight (lowlight?) of this afternoon, however, was sitting down on the living room floor this afternoon preparing to peel off my one year old's swimsuit and discovering odd looking slime down her legs.

Yeah, she'd pooped her suit.

Stood her there, VERY gingerly peeling the suit off, and as soon as I got it off, she ran off. When I screeched at her to get back here, she obediently ran to me and plopped her dirty little bum right on the carpet. I just wasn't moving fast enough this afternoon, that's all.

Getting the feeling I may not be moving fast enough all week. While the kids were playing in the pool this afternoon, I made a list of all the things I MUST do this week, and it is insane. Wish me luck. For starters I must go cook something to toss to the masses or a revolt will happen here.

And, if I DO switch over to another blog service, y'all WILL come with me, won't you?

Meme, Baby

2006-07-24T08:31:00.000-06:00

Shannon at Rocks In My Dryer's one year old tagged MY one year old for a meme!

3 Things That Scare Me
When my brothers ROAR & chase me across the room ( I love it!)
The lawn mower roaring nearby
When someone I don't know well asks to hold me

3 People That Make Me Laugh
My 4 year old sister
My 12 year old brother
My daddy

3 Things I Love
Pulling things out of the fridge when anyone opens the door.
Getting raw potatoes out of the pantry and chewing them.
Clicking on mommy's computer keyboard

3 Things I Hate
When someone leaves and I don't get to go along.
When mom won't let me stand up in my high chair.
When mom takes the phone away from me.

3 Things I Don't Understand
Why I have to sit while eating.
Why I can't talk on the phone.
Why mom only gives me ONE teeny piece of gum, even after I swallow mine and holler for more.

3 Things On My Floor
My PJ's
My sister's Little People house
The fluffy duster thing I pulled out of the pantry

3 Things I'm Doing Right Now
Playing Little People with 3 siblings.
Screaming at my sister because she won't give me her Little People.
Trying to make my Little People lady ride a giraffe.

3 Things I Want to Do Someday
Talk on the phone all day.
Eat a whole pack of gum.
Stand up in my high chair the whole meal.

3 Things I Can Do
Count to 10 if someone else says the 'odd' numbers.
Point to 10 body parts.
Say "I don't want that" crystal clear.

3 Ways to Describe My Personality
Happy
Busy
Happy

3 Things I Cannot Do
Sleep all night, ever
Sleep without touching mom
Go all night without my bottle (hey, nobody's perfect!)

3 Things I Think You Should Listen To
Me counting to 10
Me singing bits of the ABC's with my sister.
My family singing "Amen" with me (I dance and sing. I know ALL the words!)

3 Things I Think You Should Never Listen To
"no"
"come here"
"sit down"

3 Absolute Favorite Foods
hot dogs
pancakes
yogurt

3 Things I'd Like to Learn
How to call daddy on the phone.
How to ride a bike.
How to walk down the stairs standing upright instead of crawling (but every time I try, mommy screams, "SIT!")

3 Beverages I Drink Regularly
Milk
orange juice
Any other drink someone leaves in my reach.

3 Shows I Watch
Clifford
Dora
Backyardigans

3 Babies I Tag
Butterfly Mama's little guy
One Woman’s World's Bean
Daring Young Mom's Magoo

take THAT, you nasty spammers

2006-07-23T20:03:00.000-06:00

After 152 spams in the last 3 days (thanks in part to Blogger malfunctioning and sending me multiple email notifications of the same spam) I am now turning on word verification. Sorry, peeps. I held off as long as I could.

Sunday

2006-07-23T07:00:00.000-06:00

Matthew 6:19-20;

Opinion Saturday

2006-07-22T00:02:00.000-06:00

A topic for Opinion Saturday...hmm...what shall we talk about? Why don't you tell me something you've done in your adult life that as a kid you NEVERinyourwildestdreams thought you would do.

My personal 'thing' is that I now have 8 kids. When I was a kid I swore I'd never have more than 4. But here I am. Who'd a thunk it? Not me, for sure.

So, tell me something about the adult-you that would surprise the kid-you. You have until Monday evening. Seems like we haven't done a Very Interesting Person lately. So let's make this one for the VIP Award, OK? I'll announce a winner on Tuesday morning.

Have fun!

"Coffee. Make it strong!"

2006-07-21T17:32:00.000-06:00

Doesn't anyone remember what movie this line is from? Am I the only person who loves this movie?

Need it or want it?

2006-07-21T08:47:00.000-06:00

My latest post is up at Larger Families Need it or want it. And if you're not sick of me by then, go read Unphotographable on my adoption blog. And feedback? It's always good.

How one night can feel like a week...

2006-07-21T00:12:00.000-06:00

Lest you accuse me of painting too rosy a picture of camping with 8 children in a 26 foot travel trailer, let me share one particular night last weekend.

8:15 pm--Lie down in trailer bed with 1 year old, who's had 45 minutes of nap all day and should be utterly exhausted. Think optimistically of joining my teenagers for a game of cards in 10 minutes or so. Hold 1 year old in gentle headlock while feeding her a bottle and singing for 40 minutes straight. During this time she flails around, sticks her finger up my nose, thumps the wall between herself and 4 year old sister who's also 'trying' to go to sleep, cries, throws her bottle across the bed/room, and generally resists sleep as long as possible.

8:55- Tiptoe out of room, baby finally asleep. Peek at 4 year old, also asleep. While I've been wrestling the baby, dad has already read stories to the 8 year old boys in the screen tent -- good man. All I have to do is kiss them, warn them sternly about being quiet in the trailer, and send them in to bed.

9:00-11:30-- Play cards with big kids-- they are so much fun! They teach me to play poker. I discover I have a huge propensity for betting big, when it's red, white and blue poker chips anyway. Lose many chips, and make my 12 year old very 'rich'. Make mental note to self to stay far from Vegas.

11:30-- Head for bed where baby is currently crashed and hubby is surveying the bed wondering if we 3 will all fit. All other beds (and floor space) are taken. In this photo you see our predicament-- obviously this 24 pound child is a colossal bed hog. Please note that her heel is touching the wall on the left. This is a standard double bed with a 12 inch 'sidecar' added on the left. We usually sleep in a king. Hmm...

11:40-12:00- After getting ready for bed, I gingerly scoot baby over. Just as I scooch in, she flops over into 'my' space again and I almost sit on her. I scoot her over again which causes her to wail and start to waken. Hastily gesturing for hubby to kill the light, I grab her bottle out of the cooler bag and settle in next to her. She quickly dozes off and after a couple minutes I attempt to scoot away from her into a comfy position. She wails and flops until her entire body once again is cradled under my arm against my side. I decide I'm too tired to argue, and go to sleep myself.

1:50-2:05-- She's flipping and flopping and fussing again. Teething, maybe? Once again I offer the bottle, hoping she'll hush before she wakes the whole family. She refuses, fussing around for what feels like a really long time before deciding that only lying on my chest will do, preferably with her head cradled on my shoulder and her puff of curly hair in my face. In moments I'm sweating and tossing covers off-- gingerly, though, so as not to wake her. I think of getting up to give her some Advil (or maybe some Benadryl?) but I'm too tired, and doze back off.

2:17-2:50- She rolls off me, towards dad. I feel her wiggling around trying to get comfy against dad, and think of pulling her back against me so she won't disturb him. But he has been sleeping so darned well through all of this that I'm a bit irritated. So I let her be and doze as she thrashes and worms her hand between the mattress and his side and says dada sleepily. But when he growls and flops away and cracks his elbow on the wall, a teeny bit of remorse creeps in. I pull her back against me and pat her on the bum and whisper-sing into her ear until she settles back to sleep. Again I doze.

3:30-3:40 She's awake AGAIN. It's gotta be the teeth. I head into the bathroom with her and yank open the medicine cupboard, trying to decide between Advil and Benadryl. Advil might help the teething, if that is it. But Benadryl will make her sleep, and sleep is what we gotta have right now. Benadryl it is. Then back to bed where thankfully she falls back asleep quickly.

6:10 AM- 4 year old climbs in with us. I hiss at hubby to stick her back in her bed quick before she wakes the 1 year old. He does, and we all doze back off, not waking until after 8.

The first words out of my mouth at that point, I believe, were, "Coffee-- make it strong." (Name that movie?!)

Vow to myself that if she's that restless the next night, she's getting Benadryl much sooner!

Cake, pie, whatever...

2006-07-20T07:48:00.000-06:00

My 20 month old loves to sing. Her favorite song of all is "Happy Birthday", which she sings something like, "Happy Boodoo to doo". This rendition of the song seemed particularly appropriate last weekend when she -- twice! -- approached me singing her favorite song, carefully holding her 'cake' between two hands, the 'cake' actually being a very large, very dry cow pie.

Walking The Mom

2006-07-19T18:57:00.000-06:00

I've been trying to get more regular at walking, but have been feeling like I need someone to physically pick me up and shove me out the door to accomplish this. (I'm so mature like that.) I realized after some thought that I have 7 kids able AND willing to nag me. Assign each of them one day a week to take mom for a walk, and hey, we have ourselves a walking program. And a chance to talk to each one individually, which is a precious thing in a busy house like ours.

First walk was last night. Got a mile in at a slow amble, it being 89 degrees and all. But, hey, my 8 year old and I we were moving. And chatting. And having fun. Tonight is the almost 12-year-old's turn. I think we'll walk a little later in the evening in hopes it will be a bit cooler. This has the feel of something that just might work.

Golden Keyboard (& Works For Me!)

2006-07-18T22:26:00.000-06:00

I finally got around to reading all the great comments on my Opinon Saturday question about appropriate reading for young teens. Thanks, everyone! This week's Golden Keyboard goes to Pieces of wisdom has two parts: Teen Reading. Great thoughtful post!!

In case you're wondering, here's how we handle kids and reading at my house (oh, here's my Works For Me Wednesday too!) At our house my teenagers scan the library on their own. I do recommend books at times and try to help them vary their reading so that they are not only reading 'fluff'. I have been known to pay a teenager a buck or two to read a classic that I think is particularly worthwhile but that I know is a more challenging read.

We also talk about what goes into their heads. I think young teens don't need their heads filled with romance years before they are old enough to marry, so I encouraged my girls to wait on these types of books, though I don't outright forbid romances nor do I check every book they read.

I do keep track of their current interests by now and then choosing a book off their stack to read myself-- partly just because I love to read! I will sometimes also ask which book they enjoyed most this week and why. I think it is valuable to be familiar with what our kids read.

Once when my oldest was 10 or so, my sister Sophie, bored while babysitting my kids, picked up one of my daughter's Babysitter's Club books to read. I had not ever read one of these books-- just assumed they were fine. So I was surprised when Sophie told me that one scene in the book was of a seance. This was not something I had ever discussed with my daughter and not something I expected to be in this book geared towards 9-12 year olds. So I appreciated the heads-up from my sister and the chance it gave me to talk with my daughter about it.

One final thing we do to encourage a love for the good stuff is to read to everyone. My hubby always has a novel in progress with our big kids. This weekend around the campfire my SIL, whose kids are a little younger than ours, was asking our kids about good read-alouds.

It was very gratifying to hear all four (ages 18, 16, 14, and 12) reel off title after title. Many my husband had read to them over the years. Some they read on their own. But all were worthwhile books that I felt confident had added to the good stuff inside their heads.

Our reading strategy works for us!

Camping: The Place

2006-07-18T17:15:00.000-06:00

We have a place in the mountains. Well, actually it belongs to my husband's mother, and before that it belonged to his grandparents. They always called it 'The Place.' It is 13 acres of forest along the edge of a tiny, windy river. There's a little cabin, built by my father in law when my husband was a child. There are RV spaces, complete with a power pole, which makes possible both air conditioning and microwave popcorn.

There are fir trees and Ponderosa pines and aspens and knee-high weeds thick with mosquitos. An ancient wrecked car forever rests on the riverbank. There are sheds which house motorbikes and newspapers that date back to the 1980's. And bats. There are outhouses and cow pies and miles of barbed wire fencing. There are flowers and firepits and fish. There are deer. The Place is quiet much of the year. But for half a dozen weekends each summer the woods and river ring with the calls of children. With the sound of splashing feet and skipping stones. With laughter around campfires. With the intermittant roar of chain saws chopping trees that had the audacity to fall across paths. With the quiet zing of fishing line reeling out and then back in, sometimes with a silvery fish on the line. At the end of the noisy weekends we visitors leave The Place quiet again, taking back with us mosquito bites and mountains of laundry and dirty feet and fish and photographs.

And memories, golden memories, to line the hallways of our minds for the rest of our lives.

Instead of blogging last night

2006-07-18T15:05:00.000-06:00

Sunday

2006-07-16T07:24:00.000-06:00

Don't Leave It On The Desk

There was a certain Professor of Religion named Dr Christianson, a studious man who taught at a small college in the western United States. Dr. Christianson taught the required survey course in Christianity at this particular institution. Every student was required to take this course his or her freshman year, regardless of his or her major.

Although Dr Christianson tried hard to communicate the essence of the Gospel in his class, he found that most of his students looked upon the course as nothing but required drudgery. Despite his best efforts, most students refused to take Christianity seriously.

This year, Dr. Christianson had a special student named Steve. Steve was only a freshman, but was studying with the intent of going onto Seminary for the ministry. Steve was popular, he was well liked, and he was an imposing physical specimen. He was now the starting center on the school football team, and was the best student in the professor's class.

One day, Dr. Christianson asked Steve to stay after class so he could talk with him. "How many push-ups can you do?"

Steve said, "I do about 200 every night."

"200? That's pretty good, Steve," Dr. Christianson said. "Do you think you could do 300?"

Steve replied, "I don't know.... I've never done 300 at a time."

"Do you think you could?" again asked Dr. Christianson.

"Well, I can try," said Steve.

"Can you do 300 in sets of 10? I have a class project in mind and I need you to do about 300 push-ups in sets of ten for this to work. Can you do it? I need you to tell me you can do it," said the professor.

Steve said, "Well... I think I can...yeah, I can do it"

Dr. Christianson said, "Good! I need you to do this on Friday. Let me explain what I have in mind."

Friday came and Steve got to class early and sat in the front of the room. When class started, the professor pulled out a big box of donuts. No, these weren't the normal kinds of donuts, they were the extra fancy BIG kind, with cream centers and frosting swirls. Everyone was pretty excited it was Friday, the last class of the day, and they were going to get an early start on the weekend with a party in Dr. Christianson's class.

Dr. Christianson went to the first girl in the first row and asked, "Cynthia, do you want to have one of these donuts?"

Cynthia said, "Yes."

Dr. Christianson then turned to Steve and asked, "Steve, would you do ten push-ups so that Cynthia can have a donut?"

"Sure." Steve jumped down from his desk to do a quick ten. Then Steve again sat in his desk. Dr. Christianson put a donut on Cynthia's desk.

Dr. Christianson then went to Joe, the next person, and asked, "Joe, Do you want a donut?"

Joe said, "Yes." Dr. Christianson asked, "Steve would you do ten push-ups so Joe can have a donut?"

Steve did ten push-ups, Joe got a donut. And so it went, down the first aisle, Steve did ten pushups for every person before they got their donut.

Walking down the second aisle, Dr. Christianson came to Scott. Scott was on the basketball team, and in as good condition as Steve. He was very popular and never lacking for female companionship.

When the professor asked, "Scott do you want a donut?"

Scott's reply was, "Well, can I do my own pushups?"

Dr. Christianson said, "No, Steve has to do them."

Then Scott said, "Well, I don't want one then."

Dr. Christianson shrugged and then turned to Steve and asked, "Steve, would you do ten pushups so Scott can have a donut he doesn't want?"

With perfect obedience Steve started to do ten pushups.

Scott said, "HEY! I said I didn' t want one!"

Dr. Christianson said, "Look!, this is my classroom, my class, my desks, and these are my donuts. Just leave it on the desk if you don't want it." And he put a donut on Scott's desk.

Now by this time, Steve had begun to slow down a little. He just stayed on the floor between sets because it took too much effort to be getting up and down. You could start to see a little perspiration coming out around his brow.

Dr. Christianson started down the third row. Now the students were beginning to get a little angry. Dr. Christianson asked Jenny, "Jenny, do you want a donut?"

Sternly, Jenny said, "No."

Then Dr. Christianson asked Steve, "Steve, would you do ten more push-ups so Jenny can have a donut that she doesn't want?"

Steve did ten....Jenny got a donut.

By now, a growing sense of uneasiness filled the room. The students were beginning to say "No" and there were all these uneaten donuts on the desks.

Steve also had to really put forth a lot of extra effort to get these pushups done for each donut. There began to be a small pool of sweat on the floor beneath his face, his arms and brow were beginning to get red because of the physical effort involved.

Dr. Christianson asked Robert, who was the most vocal unbeliever in the class, to watch Steve do each push up to make sure he did the full ten pushups in a set because he couldn't bear to watch all of Steve's work for all of those uneaten donuts. He sent Robert over to where Steve was so Robert could count the set and watch Steve closely.

Dr. Christianson started down the fourth row. During his class, however, some students from other classes had wandered in and sat down on the steps along the radiators that ran down the sides of the room. When the professor realized this, he did a quick count and saw that now there were 34 students in the ro om. He started to worry if Steve would be able to make it.

Dr. Christianson went on to the next person and the next and the next. Near the end of that row, Steve was really having a rough time. He was taking a lot more time to complete each set.

Steve asked Dr Christianson, "Do I have to make my nose touch on each one?"

Dr. Christianson thought for a moment, "Well, they're your pushups. You are in charge now. You can do them any way that you want." And Dr. Christianson went on.

A few moments later, Jason, a recent transfer student, came to the room and was about to come in when all the students yelled in one voice, "NO! Don't come in! Stay out!"

Jason didn't know what was going on. Steve picked up his head and said, "No, let him come."

Professor Christianson said, "You realize that if Jason comes in you will have to do ten pushups for him?"

Steve said, "Yes, let him come in. Give him a donut"

Dr. Christianson said, "Okay, Steve, I'll let you get Jason's out of the way right now. Jason, do you want a donut?"

Jason, new to the room, hardly knew what was going on. "Yes," he said, "give me a donut."

"Steve, will you do ten push-ups so that Jason can have a donut?"

Steve did ten pushups very slowly and with great effort. Jason, bewildered, was handed a donut and sat down.

Dr. Christianson finished the fourth row, and then started on those visitors seated by the heaters. Steve's arms were now shaking with each push-up in a struggle to lift himself against the force of gravity. By this time sweat was profusely dropping off of his face, there was no sound except his heavy breathing; there was not a dry eye in the room.

The very last two students in the room were two young women. Dr. Christianson went to Linda, the second to last, and asked, "Linda, do you want a doughnut?"

Linda said, very sadly, "No, thank you."

Professor Christianson quietly asked, "Steve, would you do ten push-ups so that Linda can have a donut she doesn't want?"

Grunting from the effort, Steve did ten very slow pushups for Linda.

Then Dr Christianson turned to the last girl, Susan. "Susan, do you want a donut?"

Susan, with tears flowing down her face, began to cry. "Dr. Christianson, why can't I help him?"

Dr. Christianson, with tears of his own, said, "No, Steve has to do it alone, I have given him this task and he is in charge of seeing that everyone has an opportunity for a donut whether they want it or not. When I decided to have a party this last day of class, I looked at my grade book. Steve here is the only student with a perfect grade. Everyone else has failed a test, skipped class, or offered me inferior work. Steve told me that in football practice, when a player messes up he must do push-ups. I told Steve that none of you could come to my party unless he paid
the price by doing your push ups. He and I made a deal for your sakes."

"Steve, would you do ten push-ups so Susan can have a donut?"

As Steve very slowly finished his last pushup, with the understanding that he had accomplished all that was required of him, having done 350 pushups, his arms buckled beneath him and he fell to the floor.

Dr. Christianson turned to the room and said. "And so it was, that our Savior, Jesus Christ, on the cross, plead to the Father, 'into thy hands I commend my spirit.' With the understanding that He had done everything that was required of Him, He yielded up His life. And like some of those in this room, many of us leave the gift on the desk, uneaten."

Two students helped Steve up off the floor and to a seat, physically exhausted, but wearing a thin smile.

"Well done, good and faithful servant," said the professor, adding "Not all
sermons are preached in words."

Turning to his class, the professor said, "My wish is that you might understand and fully comprehend all the riches of grace and mercy that have been given to you through the sacrifice of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He spared not only His Begotten Son, but gave Him up for us all, for the whole Church, now and forever. Whether or not we choose to accept His gift to us, the price has been paid."

"Wouldn't you be foolish and ungrateful to leave it lying on the desk?"

Opinon Saturday

2006-07-15T07:00:00.000-06:00

An interesting post by here in korea: Gossip Girls got me wondering about something this week. I thought it would make an interesting Opinion Saturday question. Do you think it is appropriate or necessary to help young teens (ages 12-15) select reading material, or should you just give them free run of the library? Tell me what you think, and why. You have until Monday evening to comment on my blog or link to a post on your own blog. Tuesday I will award the Golden Keyboard to the person who makes the most convincing argument.

I am so bad...

2006-07-14T11:56:00.000-06:00

...at losing weight -- OK, this is pitiful--that a fond memory in my past is when I was fresh home from Africa, had giardia, and managed to lose 9 lbs in one month. Now, granted, I did not have a rip-roaring case of it. Mostly I was just nauseated and had no appetite and threw up once a week or so. Nothing really awful. But that was the easiest weight loss I'd ever had.

I am on a quest at the moment to lose 9 whole pounds. I actually want to lose 16 but I'm starting moderate. I began 7 weeks ago and since then have actually managed to lose 4. This is about as good as I ever do with weight loss, barring the occasional Africa-induced bout of giardia. So I am pretty pleased with myself at this moment.

But I am afraid my self-control will slip and so that is why I have been mulling over taking Mel up on her challenge Join The Diet Naked Team. I think if I did, I'd get much more serious about this and feel more accountable in those moments when (just for an example) I have just eaten 4 chocolate chip cookies in a row and am contemplating a 5th. (Not that I've ever actually had a moment like that..weak smile...)

I don't know if I can bear to be that 'out-there'. But, boy am I tempted... I'd really love to be down to a healthier weight by next summer, when I turn 40. So I'm wondering, is anyone else thinking of taking Mel up on her challenge?

The most recent example....

2006-07-13T13:43:00.000-06:00

...why you should always investigate when a kid gets way too quiet

Thankfully it was only a small bottle of lotion. And, boy, did she smell yummy for the rest of the day!

On to the next project!

2006-07-12T17:28:00.000-06:00

Now that we've got my 4 year old's room all Pretty in Pink, my two 8 year olds have been hounding me to do something about theirs. They have some blue 'gingham' checked paint and a train wallpaper border that's been up since they were babies and is now looking a little tired. Translation: they've peeled away great chunks with clever bored fingers at bedtime. (The moral of the story : NEVER put a wallpaper border in a kid's room where he/she can reach it! ) The cute train quilts also have given up after years of washing and are trailing stuffing out their ripped edges.

Time for a redo.

My starting point is this cute reversible bed-in-a-bag set for their bunk beds. I'm going to paint the walls green, probably darker camo green below and light camo green above an orange stripe like the one shown in the picture. And since their request was for a Star Wars room, we checked out allposters.com and found some fun 8x10 Star Wars posters that we are going to mat and frame. (no more curling posters for me!)

I'm going to make them new curtains out of one of the dust ruffles that came in the bed-in-the bag, since the upper bunk of the bed doesn't need a dust ruffle. It will all probably take me a week or two, since I haven't even bought the paint yet. But I'll show you the finished project when I get it done.

Works For Me

2006-07-11T23:49:00.000-06:00

Playing Works For Me Wednesday with Shannon at Rocks In My Dryer again. This week's idea is a simple thing. For the longest time I have hated my colanders. It seemed they were always either tipping over, letting all the spaghetti slop into the sink. Or I would have that dreaded drain backup problem-- you know, when the disposal hasn't been run and the water backs up into the sink....and into your pasta. Yech.... (Please tell me it's not only me who has this problem!)

Anyway, I finally got fed up a few months ago and went on a colander hunt. I found this beauty for $15 at Walmart. The colander is huge--a plus for my family! It is suspended at the top edge of the sink with sturdy arms. The arms are adjustable to fit varying sizes of sinks, and the whole thing is very stable. You don't even have to totally empty the sink of dishes because it sits so high. Works for me!!

Woohoo!!

2006-07-11T13:19:00.000-06:00

After many months of waiting, my friend Anne finally got baby news-- Adoption Journal: the most joyful news! Go help congratulate her!

Also, the 2006 Blogs of Beauty Awards - Nominees and Finalists list came out today. Though I'm not a finalist, I was so honored to see I'd been nominated in 4 categories. Thanks, y'all! Go check out the finalists!

Golden Keyboard This Week And A New Contest!

2006-07-11T08:00:00.000-06:00

On Saturday I asked for ideas to celebrate my anniversary. You all shared lots of fun ideas, but I am giving the Golden Keyboard to Brianna this week for the sheer humor of her response. Now that's what NOT to do! Thanks for sharing, Brianna!

And in more contest news, today I launched a contest over on my Ethiopia Adoption Blog for adoptive parents. Go check it out-- there's a prize and everything! Spread the word-- the more the merrier!

Garden in July

2006-07-10T20:01:00.000-06:00

Our garden has been growing like crazy since I showed it to you 5 weeks ago. You should be able to click on any of these pictures to enlarge them. The first one shows most of the garden. Left to right, we have corn, tomatoes, cukes (on wire) pumpkins, peppers, and cabbage. In the background you can see more corn. Our orchard is on the far right. Next we have grapes and cabbage. My daughters are standing next to the corn to show you how tall it has grown. You can see it is starting to tassel.

The yellow flowers are squash blossoms on a volunteer squash that decided to come up in the raspberry patch, 40 feet from the actual garden. We decided to let it do its thing, and it will probably give us our first squash of the season. My daughter is standing alongside the tomatoes-- we have lots of green ones, but not a speck of red yet..
I pointed out the apples to the one year old, who promptly picked one and started gnawing on it-- very, very green still, of course. And here are some of the raspberries. I made raspberry apricot jam this afternoon that I would show you if I wasn't so tired of uploading pictures at the moment!

Tech. Sgt. Walter M. Moss Jr

2006-07-10T08:43:00.000-06:00

On March 31, 2006 the Department of Defense announced the death of an airman who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. Tech. Sgt. Walter M. Moss Jr., 37, of Houston, Texas, was killed in the explosion of an improvised explosive device while conducting safing operations in the vicinity of Baghdad, Iraq on March 29.

As an American citizen I thank you, Tech. Sgt. Walter M. Moss Jr, for your courage and your sacrifice. I thank your family for all they have given for the cause of freedom. We are forever in your debt.

*****************

If you would like to leave a message for his family, please visit his Guest Book - Tech Sgt. Walter M. Moss. If you would like to remember a fallen soldier on your website, please visit some-gave-all.com

Don't miss...

2006-07-09T16:41:00.000-06:00

...the Carnival of blogging chicks today!

Q-Tips, maybe?

2006-07-09T13:01:00.000-06:00

The other day the 4 year old was singing a song she made up. The 18 year old was amused and asked her about it.

The 4 year old explained: "I just had that song stuck in my ear."

Sunday

2006-07-09T07:41:00.000-06:00

Genesis 1:22

Opinion Saturday

2006-07-08T23:01:00.000-06:00

Busy day today! My family had a huge anniversary bash to celebrate my husband's and my 20th anniversary, as well as the 5th, 10th, and 15th anniversaries of several other couples in our family. Thankfully the party was at my sister's. So much more relaxing for me-- and their place was great for a big bash. There was a jump house, volleyball net, swim pool, monster golf, and lots of shady places to sit and chat. A great party, and great fun to have everyone in the family so happily occupied.

Our anniversary is actually next month, and we are trying to decide what to do. So, here's my Opinion Saturday question. What's the best anniversary celebration you and your spouse ever had, and why? A date? An outing....? Suggestions?? You have till Monday evening to answer, and I'll pick the idea that sounds most inspiring-- and possible-- for us! (G-rated, of course...smile)

Affording the good stuff....

2006-07-08T00:02:00.000-06:00

I've got a new post up at Larger Families: Affording the Good Stuff. Commenting over there, as always, is strongly encouraged! (grin)

For Shannon...and Mel

2006-07-07T12:03:00.000-06:00

Shannon at Rocks in My Dryer is asking for Laundry Drama. This may not be actual drama, but here's what my 14 year old found at the bottom of the washer after ONE load yesterday.

I also wanted to mention Mel's great blog The Amazing Shrinking Mom. I've been getting a lot of encouragement from her. Even though I've only lost 2 lbs in the past month or so, every day she encourages me to keep at it, and I appreciate that. Stop by and visit her if you haven't already.

My Woodworker

2006-07-07T08:36:00.000-06:00

Mir over at Want Not (I love this blog!) is talking about bookcases today. My advice about the bookshelves? Marry a woodworker. My hubby built an awesome floor to ceiling built-in bookcase in my boys’ bedroom behind their bedroom door. The top shelf goes above the closet and spans the entire wall. It is built entirely out of walnut, and is L-bracketed to the wall. Basically indestructible.

My kids this evening...

2006-07-06T20:50:00.000-06:00

How To Get A 'Cheap' Kirby

2006-07-06T14:04:00.000-06:00

An errand to buy vacuum bags reminded me of the story of our Kirby vacuum cleaner. I thought you might like to hear how a tightwad like me ended up with such an expensive vacuum cleaner.

Our first vacuum was a thrift store find, $20 if I remember correctly. It lasted through 3 apartments and one house. By the time we moved into our second brand-new house, it was belching more dust than it slurched. Only our preoccupation with getting moved in saved it from going in the dumpster.

Back then we only had three kids and I got away with vacuuming only every week or so. Between times I kept forgetting how awful the thing was. Then I'd use it, find myself in a cloud of dust again, and put it away saying we HAD to replace it. If only we weren't so new-house broke.

Sensing the dust in the air, along came Mr. Kirby salesman. My first mistake was letting him in. Due to the trauma of this experience(AND the unfortunate meat-salesman incident, which I will spare you) we have since instituted a firm no-saleman-inside rule at our house.

But back then we did not fully understand the power of a saleman in your living room, especially the power of salesman selling something you desperately NEED. And so we let him in.

All I was thinking at the time was that the living room desperately needed a vacuum, and if I could get it for free, all the better. (Ah the innocence of youth!)

Mr. Salesman, accompanied by Mr. Trainee, came in and proceeded to give us a demonstration involving a coffee filter showing just how much awful dirt lurked in my lovely new (expensive!) carpet. I'd get years more use out of this rug if I just took care of it, he claimed. I stared at that coffee filter, appalled, imagining the ravages of having half a sandbox lurking in my carpet at any given moment. He had me in the palm of his hand.

And then he told me this vacuum had a shampooer. I felt myself salivating. Just think how much money we could save by never having to rent a shampooer! Then he shared with my husband the finer points of the automatic transmission. (Yes, this puppy is so heavy it needs a transmission.) Now my husband was drooling too. Sensing his moment, Mr. Salesman lowered the boom. For only $1600.00 we could have this wonderful tool. And --they took credit cards.

We. were. shocked. $1600-- for a vacuum? No way. We were ready to show him out right there. But then he said he could maybe go down a little on the price. How about $1400? No? Well, then, $1300, and he would throw in some extra vacuum bags. By this point we were feeling his eagerness, and we did need that vacuum. How about $1200, we said. He was more than happy to take our offer. With some trepidation, we signed ~~all disposable income for the next year~~ $1200 away.

The carpet would last much better, we told ourselves as we waved him off. The kids would be healthier. And we'd gotten such a good price. But soon after he left, guilt began to nibble at us. It just didn't feel right.

That night we both tossed and turned, unable to feel peace about our purchase. The next morning we reluctantly called him and told him we'd changed our minds and that he needed to come get the vacuum. He sounded downright cranky. But our resolve was firm. We had to get the thing out.

By the time he got to our house, still trailed by Mr. Trainee, his voice was chipper again. We realized as soon as he opened his mouth that he was still trying to sell the thing to us. "No," we said, "it's just too expensive."

Oh, he wanted to sell it. He offered to sell it to us for $1100, but we were unswayed. He seemed very eager to impress Mr. Trainee with his stellar sales techniques. Finally, looking nervous, he asked Mr. Trainee to go wait for him in the car. Then, voice lowered, eyes darting nervously, he said, "$700. I can sell it to you for $700. But you can't tell anyone."

John and I looked at each other. We went into the other room to talk. What had seemed way too expensive at $1200 suddenly looked much more appealing at $700. And there was the shampooer. And the attachments. And the micron filter. And the transmission. By the time we came out of our room we had sold the thing to ourself again.

For the second time in 24 hours, we signed on the dotted line. Mr. Salesman went and triumphantly let Mr. Trainee out of the car. "It was just a little payment plan issue," he told him. No way was he going to admit to the guy he'd just sold us a vacuum at cost.

We have gotten 13 years of hard use out of that vacuum cleaner. Daily use for most of those years. We've sucked up a million rocks, scrubbed away the evidence of dozens of puke-fests. I heart my Kirby. I don't think we would buy one again, even for 'only' $700. But it has stood the test of time. We have rode that baby hard. And it's still going strong.

Every once in a while I think about Mr. Salesman and wonder if the same can be said for him.

You know you're raising country kids...

2006-07-05T13:52:00.000-06:00

... when you're in a 'big city' parking lot where the rows of parking are marked out with multi-strand wire cable strung between posts-- and just as you're reaching out to lift the cable so the kids can scootch under, your 8 year old calls out warningly, "Is that a hot wire?"

Oh, google...

2006-07-04T21:55:00.000-06:00

Just so you know, I am ranked:

#5 on Google offering solutions when the seatbelt wrinkles your shirt ,
#3 on Yahoo for Time Saving Tips,
#2 on Google's list of unfortunate souls troubled by Fruit--Butts, and
#1 (!) when you conduct a Google search for Witty dialogue.

Who knew you could get such useful stuff all in one place? Now aren't you glad you read me?

Golden Keyboard, holiday edition

2006-07-04T00:01:00.000-06:00

I appreciated your comments on Opinion Saturday. They were very thoughtful. The Golden Keyboard this week goes to A Voice for the comment that she posted on her blog Being a Friend to someone struggling with Infertility. Thanks for your insight, Voice! Email me for the award to put on your blog.

In other news, Happy 4th of July! What are you doing today? My hubby is working during the day, raking in the big bucks with time-and-a-half pay. The rest of us will be going to a BBQ at my sister's this afternoon. We'll end the evening watching a large public fireworks display right from our own front porch. There will most likely be ice cream. The little kids will be running around the driveway in their PJ's, giddy with delight at staying up so late. Where we live may be a far drive to the grocery store. But fireworks- now those we can enjoy from our front step!

One mile from home

2006-07-03T12:25:00.000-06:00

Through a series of clicks that I don't now remember, I happened across this interesting post: Cascadia Scorecard Weblog: One Mile from Home. The author talks about going without a car in Seattle, and exploring the number of businesses available to him within a one mile of walking distance. He called the number he got--248 businesses-- his 'walkshed'. If you find this type of thing interesting, be sure to read the comments on this post too.

Now I am not a rabid environmentalist. I'm interested in this more as it relates to frugality than the environment. But I was fascinated with the idea. It was ridiculously easy for me to calculate my walkshed. I live out in the boondocks and there are exactly two businesses within a mile of me: a dairy and a VW repair shop. That's it.

There's lots of stuff farther out. I can get to Walmart in 10 minutes, and within 40 minutes we can access almost any chain store known to man. But my walkshed is '2'. Yikes. Add that to the fact that I drive a 15 passenger van half the time..well, we consume a fair bit 'o' gas! However, I almost always drive with at least half a dozen people in the car, something not everyone can say!

I'm wondering if anyone else would be interested in calculating their 'walkshed'? If you live out in the sticks like I do, you'll find it very simple. Just look around and count 'em up.

But people in bigger cities might prefer to use an internet tool to assist them. If you live in the 14 state range of Qwest you can go DexOnline.com:Yellow Pages - Online Phone Book here and search for your address. If you live in Canada, you'll find Canada411 helpful. And people in other areas of the US may be able to use SuperPages: Yellow Pages & White Pages.

If you find this interesting like I do, and decide to figure out your walkshed, tell me your score in comments, OK?

Am I the only one...?

2006-07-02T18:42:00.000-06:00

Am I the only one who feels outraged that we dump millions every year into the space program while people in Africa die daily of malaria for the lack of a $5 mosquito net?

Sources:
Budget of the United States Government, FY 2007
Af rica's Malaria Death Toll Still "Outrageously High"
Efforts to cut global malaria deaths slowed -

Sunday

2006-07-02T00:07:00.000-06:00

Psalm 118:23-24

Pretty in Pink

2006-07-01T20:26:00.000-06:00

Here, finally, is the little girls' room. The 4 year old loves it!

Opinion Saturday

2006-07-01T07:26:00.000-06:00

Infertility. Tough topic. Several times I've had friends or relatives coping with the challenge. Sometimes I fear that I'm the last person my friends in pain might want around-- a happy mother of many. I fear that the sight of my precious little ones might be like a knife in their heart. Or they will assume that I have no understanding of what they're going through.

Truth is, my heart is very tender towards people in this struggle. I remember the misery I felt when I wanted to adopt and my husband didn't. But I don't want to brashly assume my experience is equivalent, and so I fumble for words. I know it's probably not the best etiquette to give them my adoption agency's phone number and scream, 'adopt!' But adoption has been such a blessing to us that often at the sight of their pain, that is what my brain is screaming.

What I'd like today is your insight. How can I be a good friend to someone longing for a child? You have until Monday evening to respond. I'll be giving the Golden Keyboard to the person who offers the most insight.

Oh, and don't forget to visit Larger Families and read my latest post Of Clutter And Cottage Cheese. And comment over there, OK? I'll love ya for it!

His wife better own a chicken farm

2006-06-30T12:42:00.000-06:00

This morning I've been painting (and painting and painting). My arms are noodles as I type, that's how tired they are. Around noon my 8 year old came in and said, "You're still painting?"

"Yes,"I said, "and I'm getting tired." I'm a results girl, after all. Instant gratification, y'know? Tedious edge-painting be hanged.

"Don't you like to paint?" he asked.

"Yes," I admitted. "Just not for a really long time."

"I like doing things I like for a really long time," he said. "Like, I like to eat chicken for a really long time!"

June Perfect Post Award!

2006-06-30T07:47:00.000-06:00

I'm participating once again in the Perfect Post Awards sponsored by Petroville and Suburban Turmoil. The object of the game is to spotlight some great posts each month. You can check out the above blogs for the complete list of awards for June.

My Award this month goes to Antique Mommy: Ode To Mary Tyler Moore. I actually found out that someone else nominated her as well, but I decided to keep it as my pick as well because it is just that hilarious!

The extravagance of it....

2006-06-29T20:58:00.000-06:00

Three brand new swimsuits for ONE little girl this summer. All bought in one day, no less. I'd feel guilty about it except, you see, I found them at the dollar store. Yup, $3 for all three!

Sophie

2006-06-29T10:24:00.000-06:00

*updated*

Go visit Steppin' Heavenward to read about my sister Sophie and her work in Ethiopia. The infant in the very first picture is my daughter over a year ago. The tiny baby you see in the pictures was a very premature baby boy that she took care of while there. He weighed only 2 pounds and they did not expect him to live. But if you go here you can see that baby now! What a miracle!

PS-- If you want to read about another of my sisters who just got back from Ethiopia, visit Ethiopia: Surprising Beauty Yet another sister of mine is adopting from Ethiopia and hopes to get a child assigned to their family sometime this year! I'm really proud of my sisters!

Think Pink

2006-06-28T17:48:00.000-06:00

Months ago my (then) 3 year old told me she wanted her room painted pink. She has mentioned it every week or two since then. In May I promised to paint it after her birthday. That was three weeks ago.

Last night it hit me that at the rate I was (not) going, she'd outgrow the longing for a pink room before I ever got around to fulfilling it. And somehow, in 18 years of parenting, I've never painted a room pink. I realized that if we missed this window of opportunity, I'd be as sad as she.

So this morning we went to Walmart and picked pink paint. I showed her 5 paint chips that were in the range I had in mind and she instantly zeroed in on Watermelon. Happily, that was the one I liked best too, and within a minute we were on the way to the paint counter.

I spent the afternoon painting. I got a first coat on half the room. It glows. My husband is going to gulp when he sees it. But I love it. And most importantly she loves it.

My girl is getting her pink room.

What are you putting off doing with your child? Is there a good reason not to do it? Time flies--don't let the opportunity pass you by.

Pictures coming...

Works For Me

2006-06-28T07:10:00.000-06:00

Joining Shannon at Rocks In My Dryer playing Works For Me Wednesday today. Lately I happened across a few moms dealing with switching a toddler to a 'big kid bed', and I wanted to share how I've handled this challenge.

Usually what happens when you first switch a two year old over is the dreaded Jack-In-The-Box phenomenon. You get them into bed, head out to the living room for some hubby time, and within 5 minutes you hear the padding of little jammy-clad feet in the hall. Around the corner comes the two year old, doing his best to look winsome --or pitiful --depending on his bent.

Now what?

Here's what I do: I stick the kid back in bed. Then I grab a book and a comfy pillow and camp myself outside the child's bedroom door. I will be parked there until the kid gives up and goes to sleep. When he pops up, I'll stick him back quietly and firmly. Over and over and over until he gets the idea that bed is the only option.

For a kid who is truly fearful of being alone (use your mom instinct), I will make sure I am within eyesight of the child, though I won't participate in attempts at conversation. Once he seems relaxed, though still awake, I will often tell him I need to go run a load of laundry or make a quick trip to the bathroom. "I'll be right back," I'll say.

I'll keep my first trip away brief, coming back quickly to reassure him. Then in a few minutes I'll leave for a little longer. Always I stay fairly close. If he gets up I will replace him firmly and quietly back in bed. Gradually over a week or so, I will increase my time away, so that he will eventually get used to falling asleep with me out of the room.

This tactic has worked for me!

Church camp

2006-06-27T09:50:00.000-06:00

Our camp is up in the mountains near a lake a few hours drive from our home. One of the things that I love most about it is that it is a family camp. Sunday school classes are divided by age, and there are bunkhouses where bigger kids stay with counselors. But most times you see people of all ages hanging out together.

One of the things the little kids like to do most is ring the bell at mealtime. Tetherball is a favorite for bigger kids. In the background you can see the A-frame cabins that dot the camp.

Here are my big girls hanging out with one of their best friends.
And here is my littlest, delighted because she has just conquered the heights of the play structure. She was fearless on the slide, and went down over and over and over. Hard to believe one year ago she had just gotten home from Ethiopia and couldn't even sit up!

Most evenings the bigger people stayed up late in the dining hall playing games such as Dutch Blitz, dominoes, poker, Apples to Apples, and Phase 10.

And then, of course, there was the lake. Here I am with my youngest. She wasn't so sure about this cold water. A big hit every year is the inflatable rafts we always bring. We toss life jackets on the younger ones, and then tie the boat to a big rock with a long rope. Then the kids can row to their hearts content without anyone ever having to retrieve them from the deep, or tell them they've gone out too far. It is great fun.

While the little kids splashed in the swimming hole, the big kids went wakeboarding and tubing out on my uncle's powerboat. And my hubby also got to take the 8 year olds fishing on the lake in our pastor's little boat. They even caught some fish! All in all, a great weekend. So glad I got to share it with my family!

Cooked

2006-06-27T09:17:00.000-06:00

Viewing this photo, you might logically assume I acquired this nasty burn while camping at the lake this weekend. No. The entire weekend I was a mature adult. Not only did I use cups and cups of sunscreen liberally on my many children, I also slathered sunscreen all over myself. Over the weekend I didn't even get pink.

No, this sunburn happened at home yesterday, as I spent 40 minutes in the pool with my little kids. Apparently I forgot that the sun here is just as potent as at the lake. Dumb, dum, dum, dumb. Grrr...

A Moment From Camp

2006-06-26T20:17:00.000-06:00

I've been going through my photos today deciding which ones I'll post and what to tell you about. I may get it all together tonight, maybe tomorrow. But I wanted to start by sharing one moment that was especially meaningful to me.

It is a family camp we attend. During chapel we all take turns randomly choosing songs to sing. There are lots of familiar favorites in the book we use. But at least once or twice during the weekend, someone, usually a little child randomly shouting out a number, will choose some obscure song that we all do our best to learn on the spot. This time the song came bearing a memory for me.

It was three years ago. Winter was ending, and my grandmother was dying. Various relatives were taking turns sitting with her in the hospital so she wouldn't be alone, even at night. One night I stayed with her.

There had been the usual commotion early in the night, with the next shift of nurses coming in to administer medicine and record vital signs. Then there was the careful arranging of pillows around my grandmother's tiny bent body, and finally, quiet came as she drifted off to sleep. I got settled in the pullout bed next to her, dozing lightly and waking often to listen to her breath and think of times we'd shared in the past.

In the dead of the night I heard her faint voice. I opened my mouth to ask her what she'd said. But she continued without waiting for my response, and suddenly I realized she was singing.

Singing praises. At 2 am. In a dark hospital room. I went to her, and added my voice to hers, feeling the warmth of her wrinkled hand, my heart full with the privilege of that moment.

"I will offer You praise when the sun meets the dew
And I will offer You praise at the noon's brightest hue.
I will offer You praise when the starlight is due
And when I wake in the night, Lord, I'll still be praising You."

I'm baaaack.....!

2006-06-25T18:37:00.000-06:00

Camp was great! I'll share some pictures and tell you more about our weekend tomorrow. Only one other kid got sick. But the first one was better by Tuesday evening and the second wasn't sick till early Sunday morning, so basically we were healthy all weekend. A big blessing! We drove home this afternoon, sighing that camp was already over for another year and my 14 year old said, "How many days till next camp?"

Once we got the van and trailer unpacked, a load of laundry tossed in, and supper in the oven, I made a beeline for my computer. (Marvelous restraint I showed, don't ya think?) I had a lovely time reading all your fab comments and guesses, etc.

Avery had me laughing-- go here and scroll down to his comment if ya missed it. It was great to hear from so many people, including many who've never commented before. I'll try and come visiting tonight after kids are off to bed.

Now for the winners:

My VIP person this week is Amanda from following an unknown path. She lives in Taiwan, and says there are over 6,000 people per square mile living where she does. I have a hard time even imagining that! I'm so glad she shared that little tidbit.

And my yard sale winner this week is Radical One from Favorite Sister's Thoughts. Her guess of $18 was exactly right.

Here's the breakdown of what I paid.

Top photo (left to right)
-4 long sleeved little girls shirts--3 @ $0.25 each, 1 @ $0.50
-Pink tank (Children's Place) --$0.75
-turquoise tee (Children's Place)--$0.75
-denim shorts--$0.25
-3 big-boy shirts (2 Old Navy, 1 Gap)--2 @ $1.00 each, 1 @ $0.75

Bottom photo (left to right)

-Tan shorts outfit (being worn by my daughter)-$2.75
-aqua winter PJ's--$1.00
-lavender princess dress--$2.50
-pink 2 pc toddler outfit--$2.00
-4 pair big-boy jeans -- 2 Rustlers, $0.50 each, 2 Old Navy's, $1 each
-Big boy polo (Old Navy)--$1.00
Shoes in front:
--Black flip-flops (well worn)-- $0.25
--Blue and white shoes-- $0.75
--Tan Adidas--$0.50

All the lowball guesses y'all tossed my way made me think I should have shopped better, but after looking at the pictures again, I think I did ok for my $18.

One final thing-- if you haven't gone there already, don't forget to visit Larger Families to read my post “Open Your Mouth And Close Your Eyes…"

Game Two--Yard Sale Bargains # 2

2006-06-21T21:13:00.000-06:00

The yard sale game last week was so much fun that I decided I'd do it again this week. Here are pictures of the bargains I found while yard saling on Saturday. Click on pictures to enlarge

Top photo (left to right)
-4 long sleeved little girls shirts
-Pink tank (Children's Place)
-turquoise tee (Children's place)
-denim shorts
-3 big-boy shirts (2 Old Navy, 1 Gap)

Bottom photo (left to right)

-Tan shorts outfit (being worn by my daughter
-aqua winter PJ's
-lavender princess dress
-pink 2 pc toddler outfit
-4 pair big-boy jeans (like-new, 2 Rustler, 2 Old Navy),
-Big boy polo (Old Navy)
Shoes in front:
--Black flip-flops (well worn),
--Blue and white shoes (excellent shape),
--Tan Adidas (excellent shape)

So what do you think I paid?? One guess per person. On Sunday evening I'll tell you who guessed the closest.

Have fun!

And on Saturday don't forget to visit Larger Families to read a new post from me titled "Open You Mouth and Close Your Eyes," talking about sibling relationships and revealing what a scoundrel I was as a kid.

Game One--VIP ABC's

2006-06-21T10:30:00.000-06:00

OK-- this week I have a new game to play. I'm fascinated with where my readers live. I know I'm getting visits from all over, but l'd love to hear from more people.

So here's the plan -- I'd like to see if I can get 2 comments representing each letter of the alphabet, with one commenter being from inside the USA and one commenter being from a foreign country for each letter. People can go by the name of their city, their state or their country.

If you go by your city, please tell me what country or state you are from too. I'd like to be able to look at the map with my kids afterwards and point generally to where people are from.

So, for example, for the letter A we could hear from Australia and Arkansas, B could be Belgium and Boston, etc. Make sense? You DON'T have to go by alphabetical order, but do BEGIN YOUR COMMENT with the letter of the alphabet you are claiming so that people can quickly scan through comments and see if 'their' letter is used up yet.

I have no idea if this will even work, but we'll give it a whirl. I'm going to leave this at the top of my of my blog for a few days to give you a chance to comment on this. On Sunday, I'll choose one Very Interesting Person to win my VIP award. Sound fun? Let's give it a whirl...

So who's going first?

Fingers crossed

2006-06-20T20:32:00.000-06:00

Well, the 4 year old is back to her perky self and so far no one else seems affected. We're hoping to head off to church camp in the morning. We've got the next door neighbors house-sitting, the garden is watered, the trailer is packed, the cookies are baked, the duffel bags are loaded with more clothes than any ten people could possibly wear in 4 days... I even have TWO, count'em, TWO games for y'all to play while I'm away. Stay tuned..I'll post them in the morning!

Don't read while eating. I warned you.

2006-06-20T08:36:00.000-06:00

So, theoretically speaking, if you live in a home with nine other people and your day begins with the four year old waking you saying, "Mommy, there's food all over my pillow" is it remotely possible for the day to get better after that point?

And should the theoretical person hold out any hope for her birthday the following day? What about the family plans to attend church camp that very weekend?

Let's see... 10 people. Flu bug. 26 foot travel trailer. Sleeping bags. No washer and dryer.

Miraculous healing and germ extermination, that's what I need. Might take a little more than a few squirts of Clorox® Anywhere

And the Golden Keyboard goes to....

2006-06-20T08:03:00.000-06:00

I posted my Opinion Saturday question this week in reference this quote:

~If you want to build a ship, don't drum up people to collect wood and don't assign them tasks and work, but rather teach them to long for the endless immensity of the sea.~

I'm a natural task assigner. So when I read the quote, I had the feeling it might hold an insight about parenting that I might miss if I'm not careful. But, like Avery (see all comments here) I was having a hard time finding a way to apply the thought in a practical way to parenting....

In your comments, you all shared dreams for your children which resonated deeply with me. But how to instill these values? Is it even possible? That is the practical application point I was missing-- until I read the comment from this week's winner. His answer cleared the haze in my brain, steered my thoughts in a more productive direction, and left me with a new understanding.

The winner? Pastor Mac. You may also enjoy visiting his wife's blog It's Always a Production to learn an bit more about his interesting family. Congrats, Pastor Mac, and thanks for your insight!

I Am From (Revisited)

2006-06-19T15:42:00.000-06:00

Loni over at Joy in the Morning is having a writing contest (with prizes) and the deadline is the 21st. Here's my entry. Join in the fun!

* * *
Owlhaven: I Am From

I am from thunderstorms and muggy nights and green-sky tornado warnings. From Cream of Wheat on school mornings, and White Castle burgers on Sundays and Dreft sitting on the washer when another new baby was on the way.

I am from the white parsonage next to the brick church surrounded by oak trees rustling in the breeze. I am from June bugs and fireflies on summer evenings. From oak tree whose acorns pelted unsuspecting friends from the leafy heights, from Four’O’Clocks that looked divine tucked in little girls’ hair.

I am from churchgoers and readers and baby-lovers, from Leonard and Marie and Hazel and Dale and Marvin and Julia. I am from inquisitive minds, and skillful hands, and loving hearts.From “all things work together for good” and “ don’t wear those shorts-- they’re indecent.”

I am from forever-Lutherans who believe you work hard and trust God for the rest of it. I'm from Nebraska farmers who survived a tornado and put baby chicks in the bathtub for safekeeping when the chicken house blew away. From Swedes and Norwegians and Germans.

From mom’s homemade pizza and granola and whole wheat bread. From "Aunt Edie" pancakes slathered with butter and powdered sugar. From whole milk straight from the farm where we petted the calves and they sucked our fingers with sandpaper tongues. From apples we got by riding a ferry boat and visiting an orchard ourselves.

From the grandmother who got kittens for me to dress and trundle in baby carriages when I visited each summer, from the grandfather who called me Emsie, and the other grandfather who farmed so full-bore that when he stopped he could fall asleep in the midst of the noisiest gatherings.

I am from Polaroids and Kodak Instamatics whose flash cubes blinded your eyes then were tossed in the trash. From black-paged photo albums where precious pictures were placed with loving hands, and family and faith were valued above all the rust-gathering trinkets that any amount of money could buy.

Guess I Oughta Share Next Time...

2006-06-19T06:33:00.000-06:00

When my babies get old enough to stick junk off the floor in their mouths, I train them to spit things out into my hand when I say, "Spit it out!" It works great, and has saved my toddlers from swallowing all manner of disgusting stuff.

Yesterday I got a chocolate craving and grabbed a handful of chocolate chips to nibble on. My one year old had just eaten her lunch and was playing near me in the living room. Since I didn't really want to ~~share my chocolate~~ bother with the bib, the high chair, and the washing up afterwards, I opted to stealth-nibble.

I thought I was being very discreet. But pretty soon my toddler walked over to me, nose twitching like a bunny. Looking at me suspiciously, she leaned towards me and inhaled deeply. Sensing trouble, I tried to hold my breath so as not to share the aroma and give myself away.

That's when she put her hand under my mouth and said, "Spit."

Lazy day...

2006-06-18T16:23:00.000-06:00

We're having a nice mellow Sunday here. We barbecued after church. Dad and the kids swam for awhile this afternoon. I took some pictures of them splashing. Then I did some photo editing while listening to this (which I read about at Amy’s Humble Musings and at Enjoy the journey.) Wow...thought provoking.

I wanted to show you this adorable little bag made by my 16 year old. She made it from scraps left from cutting a pair of jeans down for shorts. She wove the strap herself, and stitched the word 'Aloha' on the front of the bag, and added a couple of beads for button fasteners. Fun when a kid can get an idea and come up with a neat project like this without paying a cent.

Sunday

2006-06-18T07:18:00.000-06:00

John 15:9-11

The Father's Love

Watermelon, Coffee and Waikiki

2006-06-17T00:39:00.000-06:00

I've got a new post over at LargerFamilies.com Watermelon, Coffee and Waikiki.
Go comment, OK?

Opinion Saturday

2006-06-17T00:01:00.000-06:00

If you want to build a ship, don't drum up people to collect wood and don't assign them tasks and work, but rather teach them to long for the endless immensity of the sea.~Antoine de Saint-Exupery

-------------

I saw this quote on a friend's blog last week, and it got me thinking how that quote may relate to parenthood and the guidance we give our children. In the end, of course, their decisions are their own to make. But parents do have a powerful influence. In what direction do you hope to inspire your children? And how might the thought in this quote be put into action to encourage your children to long for that goal?

Hit me with your best thought. I'll take comments until Monday evening, and award the Golden Keyboard on Tuesday morning.

Everyday Tomatoes

2006-06-16T13:45:00.000-06:00

Today I'm joining Everyday Mommy in sharing an everyday thing that I am thankful for. My thing is silly, maybe, but I am thankful for chess-- specifically that my 8 year olds come and ask me to play chess with them. Chess, you see, is one of the games that I actually enjoy, so I am glad we have something fun and brain-stretching that we can enjoy together!

Witty dialogue...

2006-06-16T08:53:00.000-06:00

...from our house this morning around 8:30 as I was attempting to wade thru the last of my bloglines before the entire mob of children started chanting 'breakfast, breakfast...'

"Mommy, it's Friday!' said by 8 year old #1 with raised eyebrows and a look that purported great significance.

"Um, yeah...what's happening today?" I say as, while still speed reading blogs, I frantically try to remember what thrilling thing I may have forgotten.

'Yard-saling day! Can we go, please, please,please?'

Concurrent with this conversation is one from the other 8 year old who is asking me what we are getting daddy for Father's Day.

I start to panic about this until my 16 year old reminds me we already have a nice thick how-to-type book and a cool cast iron (wood-stove-top) teapot to give him. (Trust me, he'll love it. Not quite as much as a $200 Home Depot gift card, but he will love it.)

8 year old #1 is still saying 'please, please, please, yardsaling' while 8 year old #2 then (don't ask me why) moves on to Mother's Day questions, "Then what are we giving Mom for Mother's Day?"

"Nothing!" says 8 yr old #1. He's aggravated that I just asked him to stop nagging me about yard-saling since I am not sure I even want to do that and wish he would stop talking about it before 2 or 3 other children start talking about it as if it is a 'Happening' this morning.

8 year old #2 senses my aggravation about the nagging and suggests helpfully, "How about don't nag your mother?"

8 yr old #1 resents this 'parenting' from his brother and shows it by raising his fist and saying, 'How about punch your brother?"

Um. Yeah. Life at our house this morning. Now I really must do breakfast before blood sugars plummet any further..

Twenty years ago... eek!

2006-06-15T16:31:00.000-06:00

My sisters are planning a bash this summer to celebrate some big anniversaries in our family, including John's and my 20th. My sister asked me to scan one of our wedding pictures for the invitations. I thought y'all might like to see it too. Click on it if you want the big version. Can you believe how young we were? Our parents must have been terrified for us!

My Favorite Yard Sale Story

2006-06-15T08:09:00.000-06:00

While visiting blogs this morning, I came across Sarah's post He is in the Little Things. I love that God cares about the small stuff.

One of my favorite small-stuff stories involves yard saling. One time my daughter decided we should have chopsticks. This was when we were waiting for our first child from Korea to arrive. I am a cheapskate and said, well, if we find them while yard-saling today, I'll buy them. Fat chance, right?

Well, the very first yard sale we visited had 6 pair of chopsticks for a couple bucks.

What a lesson for my daughter-- and for me-- that God DOES care about the little stuff.

Since then, whenever we have a specific need, I try to remember to pray about it before we walk out the door to a yard sale. Often we find just what we need. Recent examples? That $5 fridge we found for my college-bound daughter last weekend and the $1 bucket of beads that made perfect party favors for my 4 year old's princess party.

They were to me just more examples of the way God cares about and provides for even the small needs in our lives. What small good things have happened in your life lately?

The Price is Definitely Right

2006-06-14T08:33:00.000-06:00

--Bucket of beads $1.00
-- Black Nikes $2.00
-- Athletic jacket .75
-- Water shoes .50
--Microwave $5.00
--Yukon Hiker shoes $2.00
--Candyland .50
-- Apples To Apples .25
------------------------------
Grand total= $12.00

The winner of my game= SuperMom of What Makes A Housewife Desperate?

Works For Me Wednesday

2006-06-14T07:15:00.000-06:00

About 5 years ago, I presented each of my older daughters with a journal. The idea was for this to be a shared diary, to be passed between my daughter and myself. We talk about recent happenings, hash out solutions for things that have been frustrating lately in our household, and share plans for things we're looking forward to. I try to keep my contributions to the journal upbeat and encouraging-- no lectures. I praise admirable character traits, and encourage each girl along in her endeavors and interests.

There are times when one of the journals gets stalled in my bedroom or theirs, and we go for months without writing. But somehow the journal is all the fresher for the little break. When the journal is resurrected we look back over our writing and remember where were were a few months or years ago. My daughters are 16 and 18 now. It is fun to see how the girls' handwriting has changed over the years. The concerns and the interests change as well. I'm really glad we started this project. Years from now I think these journals will be a great reminder of our shared past and will probably be even more of a treasure than they are right now.

Now, just who had those things last, anyway? I need to do some writing...

For more Works For Me Wednesday participants, visit Rocks In My Dryer

The wires are GONE!

2006-06-13T15:56:00.000-06:00

Just wanted to let y'all know that my 14 year old's surgery to get the wires off yesterday went great. Surgery was at 1:00, and we were heading home around 3:30. He still has to avoid really crunchy stuff for a few weeks, but is delighted to have REAL food back! I may never get him to eat ice cream again, though! Oh, and his weight at surgery on the hospital scales? Half a pound more than it was 6 weeks ago! Not bad for 6 weeks of liquid diet...

Bargain Hunting

2006-06-13T09:03:00.000-06:00

Yard sale season has begun. I love the thrill of the hunt. I thought it'd be fun now and then to share what I've found and have you guess what I paid for my booty. This batch of goodies is from a total of 8 yard sales on two different mornings--about 3 hours of time. We hit half these sales AFTER noon --you do not have to rise at dawn to be successful at yard saling!

We found:

--A bucket of beads (about 5x as much as is shown)-we made 35 necklaces for party favors
--A pair of almost-new black Nikes (for my 11 yo)
-- One zip-front athletic jacket to fit my 16 year old
--A pair of water shoes to fit me
--A small microwave for my daughter's dorm room this fall
--A pair of almost new Yukon hiker-type shoes (for my 18 yo). Original price tag said $45 and they are brand new looking.
--A complete game of Candyland
--A complete game of Apples To Apples Junior

Soo-- give me your best guess. How much did I spend? Click on the picture for a larger view. I'll tell you tomorrow morning whose guess is closest to right.

VIP Award

2006-06-13T00:51:00.000-06:00

I had a blast reading about the fun (and not-so-fun) birthday memories you all shared. Highlights for me included Michelle's clown birthday, and Ann's Disneyland birthday. But today the Very Interesting Person Award is going to Carol of She Lives. She wrote an awesome post about her 13th birthday. I felt like I was really there. Thanks, everyone, for your comments! And congrats to Carol for that awesome bit of writing!

Why YOU need another baby

2006-06-12T07:21:00.000-06:00

Heading off to the hospital this morning-- my son is having surgery to have his jaw unwired-- hooray! Hoping all goes well and that he doesn't have to stay overnight like last time.

Remember to comment on my Opinion Saturday question if you haven't already. I'll be announcing the VIP award winner tomorrow morning.

Got some cute pix of my baby this weekend and thought I'd offer them as a definitive proof to anyone wondering if their household would benefit from the addition of another baby. She's been home exactly one year this week. We are so blessed to have her. (subliminal text: adopt from Ethiopia, adopt from Ethiopia, adopt from....)

Sunday

2006-06-11T08:01:00.000-06:00

Psalm 68:6a

-------------------------

My post is up at Larger Families: Never Alone. Go comment, OK?

My Stars!

2006-06-10T17:59:00.000-06:00

Today we threw a princess party for my new 4 year old! Crowns, jewels, and star sunglasses all around because, as my 4 year old put it, "I want everyone to be stars!" Fun was had by all, as you can tell by the picture below of the guests all wearing their cool shades. The pretty lady in the hat is my momma.

In honor of my daughter's birthday this week, my Opinion Saturday contest this week is about birthdays. Tell me about your most memorable birthday as a child!! Which birthday first comes to your mind, and why? I'll be giving out my Very Interesting Person Award for this one (see my sidebar) and you have until Monday evening to respond.

A terrible blogging accident

2006-06-09T17:21:00.000-06:00

This afternoon the one year old would not nap, and feeling in need of some 'puter time, I set her and my preschooler up at a little table in the corner of the living room with colored pencils, crayons and paper. They played happily at the table for quite a few minutes. Until the one year old came over to me holding this:

And when my eyes finally made sense of what I was seeing (please pay special note to the top center portion of the photo-- just TRY plugging that puppy in again), I shouted out at the horror of it. My shouting brought preschooler running over to see why her mom was suddenly sounding deranged, and she just happened to be carrying these:

Sigh.

Calling All Blogging Chicks

2006-06-09T11:02:00.000-06:00

There's a carnival planned.Visit Blogging Chicks to be part of it!

Blogging Questions

2006-06-09T08:41:00.000-06:00

Carol over at She Lives posted some questions about blogging I thought I'd like to answer.

-----------------------

How do find the blogs you read regularly?

I've found some of my blogs by clicking on recommendations from others, or by clicking on the blogrolls of people I have a lot in common with. I also will occasionally randomly click on commenters in blogs that I enjoy, and go check them out. I almost always also visit the blogs of people who comment on mine. So comment, peeps! I'd love to come visit you!
------------------------

-- When you leave a comment, do you frequently return to that post to check for the author's response?

Sometimes, if the topic is extremely interesting to me. but mostly I don't remember to check... so if you have something that you want me to read for-sure, come comment on my blog, K?

--------------------------

-- What types of situations might cause you to stop reading a blog that you once enjoyed?

Sometimes if a person gets SUPER infrequent with their posting, or if EVERY single post is whining or cussing a blue streak. I can handle both in moderation, but not overdone...

-- How much personal privacy do you try to maintain when posting on your own blog? Everything that might identify you to a friend or neighbor? Only demographic data? Only children's information? Something else?

No full names, no exact birthdates, no location...but I don't mind if friends or neighbors happen across my blog.

-- What are your thoughts about encouraging offline friends to read your blog?

The more the merrier. I write assuming anyone in my life could happen across this.

-- What criteria do you look for in the blogs you enjoy reading? Or perhaps I should ask, what factors do your favorite blogs all have in common?

There is no one factor that 100% of my blogs share, though most are parents. But I especially love humor, exotic locations, humor, thoughtful outlooks, humor, and interesting points of view.

-- Are there any blogs you read on a regular basis in which the author frequently expresses beliefs or opinions that completely contradict your own?

Yup. More than a handful.

-- If you disagree with a blogger do you usually voice your perspective so they can see things from a different angle, or just ignore theirs and click away?

I am very interested in points of view that differ from my own. I like to figure things out, figure people out, and blogging often is very illuminating. Usually if it is major issue that I don't agree about and I sense that the person is very entrenched in their view, I just let it be. If they seem to be seeking or if it is just some minor like or dislike I will make a comment using humor or sharing my differing experience with the issue...

-- Do you read and/or post on Saturdays and Sundays? Or are you predominantly at M-F blogger?

I read/post 7 days a week. (Ah, the sacrilege..)

So, in summary, comment, comment, comment! I love to hear from you!

...well, of course...!

2006-06-08T16:09:00.000-06:00

The other day my preschooler came to me, upset, and said, "I hurt my nickel!"

"Your nickel?" I asked, puzzled as to why she was concerned about an injury to the contents of her piggy bank.

"Yeah, I got an owie on my nickel," she said, and then pointed to the back of her hand.

At that point I laughed so heartily that she was embarrassed and almost refused to let me take this picture for you.

Poor little nickels. They got kissed as soon as I figured out what they were.

Owlhaven Tour, Part Three

2006-06-08T08:18:00.000-06:00

OK, I confess, you're getting the sanitized version after all. I really truly had every intention of letting you tour my house just as it is, but I just.can't. And my husband agrees with me. When I told him about the house tour, the first thing he said was, "Don't take pictures of it messy!"

And really, you've all seen a messy kitchen (two or three times a day, right?) So just imagine this one with both sinks full of dishes, crumbs on the counter and floor, a random sock or two (why do boys shed socks everywhere like snakeskin?) and you'll see how it looks 75% of the time.

My two favorite things about my kitchen are my pantry (in the hall behind my stove) and my appliances. The appliances are almost new and were a gift from extended family. We have been continually amazed at the way God has provided for our needs since we've begun this adoption journey.

We're not rich people. Each time we have decided to adopt, there have been other needs in our life as well, other places where we could have spent the money. And each time, God has seen those needs and met them.

More than met them. We could have lived without a flat-top stove. But you know what? I've always wanted one, and seeing it every day is just a reminder of how much God cares even for the small details in our lives.

My New Writing Gig!

2006-06-07T13:50:00.000-06:00

I'm so excited to tell you all about a new writing venture I have become a part of! Today is the launch of a brand new blog called Larger Families. This is a collaborative blog with a dozen or so moms, all of whom have four or more children.

Different moms will post every day. I will be posting there every weekend. I'll give ya a holler here when something new of mine goes up over there. But the first post there is already up, plus you can read the bios of all the moms who will be contributing to this venture. Even people who don't have a bunch of kids will hopefully find some helpful tips and some interesting writing to make a visit worthwhile. Go see!

Works For Me-- My Deep Dark Secret

2006-06-07T08:05:00.000-06:00

When I was a kid, growing up the oldest of 8, my mom had a laundry room the size of a bedroom. There she kept her piles-- laundry to be washed carefully sorted by color. When you brought down another basketful, you were expected to carefully sort your offerings into its proper piles: whites, lights, mediums, darks, or towels.

Early on in my laundry career, intent on being Suzy Homemaker, I emulated my mother, conscientiously sorting each offering to the washer gods. Somewhere along about kid #3 I became lax about this, instead opting for the 'grab any heap and huck it in the washer' approach. To my suprise, the laundry didn't look much different.

Sure, there was the occasional new-red-shirt day when my hubby ended up wearing pink underwear to work. But hey, he shouldn't -- and doesn't-- go around showing his underwear to anyone anyway. And the whole ugly underwear/accident theory? Well, first of all, the odds against it are astronomical. Even with my level of laundry sloth-itude, red-shirt accidents don't happen all that often. And knowledgeable sources (my hubby) have assured me that ER workers have more important things to do than critique people's laundry abilities anyway.

Timersaver #2--I avoid the dry cleaners. I have literally been to the dry cleaners twice in 20 years. I buy what I want at the store, and throw it all in the wash. Either it lives or it dies. My teen daughters and I do avoid tossing sweaters and snug shirts in the dryer, but the majority of our clothes survive machine wash/tumble dry.

Timesaver #3-- NO ironing. Very little, anyway. I iron maybe 4 times a year. Most stuff that 'requires' an iron looks just fine when tossed in the dryer for 15 minutes, then hung up. Even a crisply ironed shirt develops wrinkles as soon as you buckle into a seatbelt in the car anyway, so its fine with me if my blouses start smooth but not crisp. I do iron the ocasional badly-lying collar, but usually careful hanging avoids the need even for that little dab of ironing. And knits rule!

So there ya have it-- my shameful lazy-laundry secret. I know that some women get tremendous satisfaction from laundry, and would be desperately unhappy with my methods. I totally respect that. But being casual about laundry has not impacted my family's life in any measurable way except to give me time to do things I enjoy more. Works for me!

Other "Works For Me" participants can be found at Rocks In My Dryer: Works For Me:Shannon's place.

Owlhaven Tour, Part Two

2006-06-06T17:24:00.000-06:00

Here's our living room. When we built the house, we opted not to use up some of our precious square footage on formal living and dining areas which we knew we'd rarely use.
Instead we have a 'great room', with our living, dining, and kitchen areas are all joined to each other.

At the back right corner behind the TV cabinet, you can see a teeny bit of the front door. To the right of the front door beyond the edge of the picture is the stairway to the upstairs. When we first moved into this house, only the main level was finished. The upstairs was bare studs. Over several years my husband finished 2 bedrooms, a bathroom, and the family room upstairs. We have a lot of sweat equity in this place-- he still jokes about carrying all that sheetrock up those stairs!

The front left corner in the photo is the dining area. Back left is my computer corner, (right in the middle of the action!) At the front right corner of the photo, you can see the kitchen counter. You walk through the kitchen to go back to the bedrooms on the main level of the house. Tomorrow I'll show you my kitchen.

Share a link in comments if you're doing a tour of your house too.

Golden Keyboard

2006-06-05T23:16:00.000-06:00

The question I asked Saturday was, "How do we know how much we are supposed to do in this world?" If you haven't gone back and read the comments on this one, you gotta do it, peeps! Outstanding stuff there. Thanks to each of you.

This week the Golden Keyboard Award is going to Avery. His comment challenged me...humbled me...inspired me. Thanks to him I gotta figure out how to tell the hubby that I think we need to either:

a.) sell the house and move to Africa to give medical care to orphans

- or

b.) win the lottery, add on a wing, hire a housekeeper, and adopt a bunch more kids.

Kidding. Kind of. But even though I'm (kind of) kidding, please don't tell me a million reasons I can't or shouldn't do these things. Because somebody has to do something, and we don't do it by focusing on 'can't'.

Seriously, did anyone see Songs For The Children on 'Nightline' tonight? We can't forget these people. (Now there's a good place for 'can't')

Recipe For Family Fun

2006-06-05T22:19:00.000-06:00

Ingredients:
Take one family of 10
Add 'Ice Age 2' showing at the $2 theater
Include a baby who naps during 3/4 of the movie.
Finish with 79 cent ice cream cones all around.
Impact on budget: $28
Satisfaction: Guaranteed
Times like these: Precious

Owlhaven House Tour, Part One

2006-06-05T11:42:00.000-06:00

After seeing our garden yesterday, Shannon asked for a house tour. Since I also love seeing other people's houses, I thought it might be fun to devote a few posts to my house. I want to give you the day-to-day normal view, not the cleaned-up-for-company-spotless view.

People were asking about the garden and wondering how we do everything. Our secret is, we don't do everything. Usually our furniture is dusty, our flowerbeds are weedy, the beds are unmade, and my bathroom counter is cluttered.

And the little kids' rooms.... oh, my... I may force them to clean before I snap pictures so as not to utterly humiliate myself! But we get the important stuff done most days, and that's what counts.

So here's my first stop on the tour-- the view of our house from the road. I love my house! If you feel envious of our little corner of Paradise, please note the knee-high, snake-sheltering weeds in the bottom right corner. Gotta whack those down one of these days. My 18 year old planted most of the perennials in front of the house. We have poppies, coreopsis, daisies, iris and daylilies.

If you'd like to give a house tour on your site, leave a link in comments so I can come visit your place too. Tomorrow I'll give you a peek at my living room!

Never underestimate...

2006-06-05T08:27:00.000-06:00

..the power of a well-placed complaint.

(Oh, and don't forget that this week's Golden Keyboard contest ends tonight.)

Garden

2006-06-04T15:38:00.000-06:00

I wanted to share part of the secret of our low grocery bills: our garden. Our main garden patch is about 50 x 100 feet, and produces cabbage, peppers, corn, cukes, squash, pumpkins, and tomatoes, tomatoes, tomatoes. This year we have 95 tomato plants (left, under a black plastic shade).

Last year our garden had a banner year. It produced 150 quarts of canned tomatoes, plus all the fresh ones we could eat from August till November. We grew about 3 dozen cabbages, a bunch of peppers (mostly hot), cukes enough for several dozen pints of pickles, and over 400 ears of corn. (left, cabbage, tied together with string to encourage better heads.)

In other areas of our property we have:

-- 2 mature apple trees-- we got about 3 bushels last year, which made MANY quarts of applesauce and were good eating fresh all the way till Christmas. (Right, baby apples)

-- a plum tree and an apricot tree that are young and just getting started producing but have lots of fruit this year (below, young apricots).

--A 20 foot long row of raspberries-- they've died off some and we planted some new this year. The little kids love to browse in the raspberries in the summer.

-- 5 grape vines --1 Concord for grape juice (we got about 7 gallons last fall) and 4 Red Flame grapes (the kind most grocery stores sell). Below you can see our grape arbor.

--10 new strawberry plants that we're getting in today or tomorrow-- we haven't had strawberries for at least 5 years, so they should be nice.

--John also built us a really cool greenhouse (left & below) which has supplied us with all the lettuce (below) we can eat for the past several months.

Hope you enjoy the pictures!

Sunday

2006-06-04T08:17:00.000-06:00

Isaiah 49:15-16;

More Opinions

2006-06-03T14:33:00.000-06:00

Hey, since it's Saturday and all, I thought I'd toss another opinion out there. This one is actually a book review I promised to do quite a few weeks ago of the book Supper Swapping by Susan Thacker.

This is a book of recipes by famous chefs that can be used to trade dinners with a friend. I love this concept. If you could find a regular dinner-trading partner, it would mean fewer days cooking for everyone.

For my big crew it would be tough to find a willing partner or an equitable trade. Most big families I know, mine included, already share cooking chores. We just do so with our teenagers instead of our friends. (At this very moment, my 16 year old is making cookies.)

Despite the fact that trading dinners with a friend would not be practical for my family, I have been enjoying the book. I enjoyed reading the snippets about the various chefs and restaurants. Many of the recipes sound yummy and are on my to-try list. However, I noticed that some include more-expensive meat than what I usually buy for my family: salmon, shrimp, steak, etc....

Salmon may not seem out of this world expensive if you are feeding a couple toddlers and a couple adults. But at the moment there are 6 'adult' eaters in my house, and my 8 year old boys are getting close to eating adult portions. A meal's worth of salmon for us costs $20. Splurges like that would eat up my $600/month grocery budget in no time!

However, there are affordable recipes in this book too. Here are the ones we've tried so far.

--Chicken Curry Suzanne is a dish that my family really enjoyed. I added broccoli to the curry sauce, since we all enjoy broccoli.

--Sweet Broccoli Salad with raisins and bacon. This was easy, used ingredients I always have on hand, and was a big hit with my entire family. That bowl went round and round the table till every speck was gone.

--Thai Soong- Ground chicken (I substitued beef) and finely chopped carrots in a sweet ginger-garlic sauce wrapped in fresh lettuce leaves. Oh, my! We just had this recipe for lunch today with our own homegrown lettuce and everyone raved about it. Yum, yum! I have never seen this family put away this much lettuce in one meal. My son with the broken jaw made me promise to make this when his jaw in healed. We will most definitely be making this again.

Others that fit our budget and that I intend to try include:
--Sopa Mexicana- a Mexican-spiced chicken soup.
--Steak, Mandarin Orange, and Pecan Salad--that will use more garden lettuce!
--Pasta With Artichokes, Mushrooms and Tomatoes--I love artichokes and my kids love fun pasta shapes!

I think that if you enjoy trying new recipes, you will most likely enjoy this cookbook, whether or not you end up supper-swapping with a friend!

Opinion Saturday

2006-06-03T07:41:00.000-06:00

I've decided to make the latest Opinion question about something I've been thinking a lot about lately. For starters, let me say that I believe no one was born to live for him or herself. I believe we each have a purpose-- an obligation to reach out to each other. But here's my question. Assuming we are here to help each other, how do we know HOW MUCH we are supposed to do?

Let me be clear: I am not talking about 'earning' my ticket to heaven through sheer saccharin sweetness. (I don't believe that ANY human, no matter how well intentioned, can be perfect all the time, and because of that I am so grateful for God's grace to cover my faults.)

What I am talking about not really even about religion. It is about recognizing the common humanity of those around us, seeing needs and sharing our blessings. Most of us probably have a pet project or two that we help. Maybe we contribute the the food pantry every year, or donate old clothes to Goodwill, or whatever. But at what point do we say, 'I've done enough-- the rest of what I have, I'm keeping for myself. '

Say a person tithes to their church. Is that enough?

Or supports a kid or two from Compassion International?

Or volunteers at the soup kitchen on Christmas Day?

Or volunteers at an orphanage for 3 months?

Given the staggering need of people around the world, is there ever a point at which we can say, 'my duty to others is done'?

I'll take comments on this till Monday evening, and announce a winner Tuesday morning. Hit me with your best thought.

Outfit Of The Day

2006-06-02T20:26:00.000-06:00

Today my almost 4 year old came out with these 4 items in her hands:

--a red polka dot purse
--a black doctor kit
--a white fur muff
--a mesh-sided bug-catching box

She arranged them along her arms with obvious satisfaction and declared, "I'm the person with the purses!"

Some insurance lady...

2006-06-02T13:28:00.000-06:00

...is probably very uncomfortable right now.

We are swimming in medical bills right now. $25,000 so far this year. The usual ones for my son's prosthetic leg ($10,000), plus a bunch of other stuff, (2 broken bones, 5 x-rays, 2 CT scans, and on and on.) Mr. Broken-Jaw's medical bills are already over $10,000, and he hasn't yet even had the surgery to take the bars OFF his mouth.

God was really watching out for us, though. My husband's boss switched everyone over to new insurance in January, and it turns out it is EXCELLENT insurance-- it pays 90%, with a max out-of-pocket for the family of $2,000. We just got an $8,000 bill in the mail today, of which we need to pay $50. It's incredible.

But there's a snag: our flexible spending account.

When they sent us a debit card to use to pay medical bills, I was delighted. In the past, we've paid things out of pocket, then filled out a claim form and got reimbursed months later. How nice, I thought, to just pay with a card.

Not nice. You see, every time you use the card, they ask for a ton of documentation. The documentation I sent on my son's leg was apparently lost. I sent it again via mail AND I faxed the info. Issue resolved? No. We got a second notice, threatening to freeze our account unless we provided an explanation of benefits form.

Now let me explain the moronic stupidity of this. The flexible spending account and the insurance is THE. SAME. COMPANY. All they had to do was look in their computers to get our EOB forms. And now they are saying they will suspend our card if we don't send an EOB.

Nevermind that we'd tried to give them what they'd asked 3 different times. Nevermind that THEY generated the EOB form in the first place!!

I called and tried to talk some logic into some lady this morning, pleading with her to look up the EOB, or to make some note on our file till I could send our copy of the EOB. She stonewalled me repeatedly, saying she wasn't authorized to stop our account from being frozen, and on and on. It was so stupid. I suggested several different ways she could resolve this. But at every turn she was spouting some company line about how she really was trying to help me but that policy was... blah, blah, blah.

And here I am with all these medical bills that I'm planning to pay very soon, because insurance has finally paid their portion and I finally know exactly what we owe. This is NOT the time to have a frozen card!

The conversation ended with me being very impolite and hanging up in tears, which is a reflection on her, not me, thank-you-very-much. I cry like 3 times a year, maybe, and I get mad at strangers even less often. She was just NASTY, even implying we may be trying to wrongfully spend the money in our flexible spending account.

Anyway, I called FearlessHubby at work, spouting the whole sad tale, and gave him NastyLady's name and number. He was righteously offended, and believe you me, he is not a man you want to have angry at you. I am certain NastyLady is having a difficult time as I write this, which fact is causing me immense satisfaction.
---------------------
Update: FearlessHubby called and talked to NastyLady's boss, who informed him that the issue has been resolved and that the account is no longer in danger of being frozen.

As long as we can substantiate the next round of bills within 42 days, that is.

Proving that you end up paying one way or another....

Welcome home!!

2006-06-02T08:12:00.000-06:00

A few weeks ago I asked for prayer for MomRN2's little girl who was very ill in the hospital. Well, she came home!! Welcome home to her, and praise God for His healing. You can see other welcome home cards over at She Lives: She Celebrates!!

The Poor Misguided Souls...

2006-06-01T17:42:00.000-06:00

...who googled 'washboard abs' and got this... Doubtless they were disappointed to find that I, of all people, come up on this particular google search. My hubby, however, was highly amused.

Mom-On-The-Box

2006-06-01T11:24:00.000-06:00

The other day while setting up the pool my daughter said: "Mommy, are you going to swim with us?"

Noooo, I think, there's no way any portion of my body is entering the icy coldness that is this half-filled pool. But since I don't want to disappoint my child, I give a pleasantly non-committal answer. "Oh, I don't know...why?"

Then comes the plaintive reply, which stabs knives of guilt into my deck-chair, iced-tea, and book-craving self. "But the lady on the box is swimming with her kids! See?"

I glance over at the box, and sure enough, there is the advertiser's approximation of a family-- 3 kids in the range of 6-12 years, a well-muscled guy of maybe 26 or so, and a girl who can't be a day older than 22. Yeah, sure, this chick is their mom. Hah. I ask you--if she was the mom, would she be a perky uplifted stretch-mark-free size 2? Not likely.

(Now, I realize that I may have a reader or two that is both a mom and a perky size 2. Good for you, I say sincerely. I'd like your secrets. The ones that don't involve jogging and plastic surgery and living the rest of my life without chocolate, anyway. I know my limitations. Which doubtless is why I am not a size 2.)

But the 'mom' on that box does not truly represent most moms. And I have to confess to a smidge of irritation here.

I mean, here we real moms are, hair tucked back in a ragged ponytail, getting grass stains on the butts of our already-worn-2-days capris, deciphering pump-priming instructions that seem to have been written by a drunken Martian, trying to keep the one year old from running off into the tall grass with crucial parts, all the while doing our darndest not to snarl at three other kids who every 7 seconds or so foolishly ask just one more time if the pool is ready yet.

Do we really also need to be taunted by some skinny chick posing in a bikini in our pool? I think not. You can bet she didn't prime her own pump!

And even further irritating, because of the winsome example of good ol' fake mom-on-the-box, my kid is going to guilt me into putting on that most dreaded of items, the swimsuit. It's inevitable, you know. I'm caving to the pressure even as I write this.

Because even though I can't be the size 2 mom-on-the-box, and even though I'd rather be sitting in the deck chair, sipping tea and reading a book, comfortably away from the splashing and hoopla, I know in my heart that I CAN go sit in that pool for at least a few minutes sometime soon and delight me little daughter's heart.

I still want more truth in advertising. But I doubt if I'll be getting it any time soon.

Because a bedraggled mom in grass-stained capris would probably sell a lot fewer pools than Mom-on-the-Box in her bikini...

May Perfect Post Award

2006-06-01T00:01:00.000-06:00

Once again I am participating in the Perfect Post Awards. Go visit Petroville if you'd like to know more about this award. My selection this month is from Heather at One Woman's World. Here it is: It’s Midnight, And I’m Awake. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

Blur

2006-05-31T12:01:00.000-06:00

Tracey at Picture This was talking yesterday about the 'blurries' that sometimes happen when trying to get a nice photo with the flash turned off. She asked readers to share a photo they think 'worked' even with some blur. I immediately thought of this photo I took a few months ago and liked in spite of the blur factor. I like the feeling of joy and of motion. What do you think?

Works For Me Wednesday

2006-05-31T09:24:00.000-06:00

(Update: picture added)
Playing Rocks In My Dryer: Works For Me Wednesday along with Shannon today. My tip for the day has to do with organizing photos.

Of course my ideal scenario would be to get all those lovely photos quickly and artistically placed into archoval quality albums. (yeah, right-- I have an album for EACH of my kids, but I am like 2 years behind on everyone except the two youngest.)

Anyway, I happened upon an easy way to organize those photos so I can easily find what I need when (and if) I do get around to getting them into albums. When I pick up my developed photos, I write the month the pictures were taken right on the outside of the envelope.

I keep all the envelopes arranged in chronological order in plastic storage bins, about the size of two shoeboxes stuck together. This size of box usually fits about a year's worth of photos, and writing on the outside of each photo packet makes it a snap to locate, say, Sept 2004 photos.

Oh, and now that I recently switched to digital, I still basically do it this way, but now with picture files named by month and year. At the moment my hard drive is big and empty, so they are all there. but it is on my to-do list to move the pictures onto CD's, with a year (half a year? two months) on a CD at a time, depending on how many photos will actually fit on CD's.

Works for me!