Snap Out of It!

I really have a lot I NEED to be doing, but I'm procrastinating. School hasn't even started and already I'm in lazy mode! I need to snap out of it. Swimming lessons end on Thursday, then we're off to Silverwood. Monday's attempt at Silverwood got rained out and everything that could go wrong did, so we're going to try again on Thursday. Friday we leave for my sister's for our last summer hoorah-vacation before we get back into the swing of things. I need to get organized and figure out a daily school schedule because we're starting up on Tuesday the 2nd! Group class begins on the 18th and even though I'm teaching a class that I need to prepare for, I'd like to go into co-op announcing that we're on schedule and making progress! So my personal To Do list includes: 1) Planning a year long schedule for the girls' schooling 2) Preparing my teacher's lessons for co-op group class 3) Organizing and studying my TeamKid lessons for Wednesday nights at church. ------------------------------- I've been reading other blogs and feeling a tad guilty that I'm about the only person who doesn't plan meals for the week. The problem is, (it's not an excuse, it's a problem) that I can decide on meals, but by the time the evening rolls around and it's time to start cooking, I may not be in the mood to prepare the meal I've got planned. And I don't see this happening once or twice a month, I see it happening every other day, so it almost seems impossible for me to put it into action. There's also another problem.......I don't love to cook. In fact, most of the time I see cooking as a chore. I'd seriously rather clean the bathroom. There are people in my extended family who love to spend time in the kitchen whipping up elaborate menus, and trying new recipes, but I have a family of fairly plain eaters, and time consuming, exotic things probably wouldn't impress them anyhow. So how does one go about developing a love of cooking? If you have any thoughts or suggestions, I'm completely open!

Back to Basics

I love fall. It's by far my favorite season. It's not only about the changing colors of the leaves and the crisp afternoon air, it's the kick off for the holiday season. It starts just before Halloween and goes straight through Easter, and while I love fall, I REALLY love holidays. All of them! Anyhow, I digress. Even though I home school my children, I still get excited for the start of the school year. I love to go shopping for pencils, crayons, notebooks and brightly colored, washable markers! I also love to go shopping for new school clothes. (Basically, I just love to shop). So this brings me to the point of this whole post, that I recently began filtering through my kids' drawers and closets preparing them for the changing of the seasons. I discovered they have a ton of items that sit in their drawers and never get worn, as well as items they have outgrown. I used to be a minimalist. The girls would have several of each item they needed, and once it was ruined, faded or outgrown, I'd buy more. But lately I've gotten into this shopping habit where I can't pass up a good buy. Even if the girls have a dozen pink shirts, if I see one for a steal, I buy it. But not anymore. It's time to get back to basics. Drawers, closets and shoe organizers are going to be thoroughly scoured for items that do not meet my criteria. Anything worth saving will get put in the Goodwill box and anything else will get round filed! I'm tired of washing all the laundry and then being aggravated that it won't fit in the drawers. Yes, I'm grateful for plenty of clothing, but it's ridiculous to try to cram in the few items they DO wear with the dozens of items they won't touch! So, let the cleaning commence........right after we get back from Silverwood!

Antique Shopping

One of my favorite things to do is go antique shopping. Well, any type of shopping works, but I especially love to peruse items that others no longer have a need for. It's true one man's junk is another man's treasure. I especially love vintage linens. I don't own many, but I thoroughly enjoy pouring over hand stitched initials, delicate lacework and intricate details that have long since been replaced by simplicity, and straight tailored lines. I am going to make such a great old lady. My house will be filled with lacy linens and doilies, bowls of hard candies on my wicker coffee table, faded, framed collages of my great grand children lining my walls and a year's supply of Aspercreme safely ensconced in my medicine cabinet. I'll sip decaf coffee from pretty little tea cups and talk with my other blue-haired friends about the 'good old days' when gas was only $4.00 a gallon. And just in case anybody needs it, I'll still be sprightly enough to reach into my 'pocketbook' and produce a 'hankie'. Probably one with sombody else's initials that I found at an antique shop when I was still in my 30's, that I've been carrying around since the War on Iraq! Just off the Garland District here in Spokane there's an old, run down shopping area on Monroe that's filled with antiques and second hand shops. It's been a long time since I've been there, but I drive past it every day on the way to the YMCA where the girls are having a blast taking swimming lessons. Maybe one day next week I can convince them to let me stop and look around, even if it's just for a minute!

Revival?

As with most churches, there's always some growing pains, or just pains that must be endured. Right now I think we're suffering from apathy. People are not worshipping through tithes and offerings, they're not allowing themselves to grow spiritually and be blessed by leading sessions, teaching classes and just plain getting involved! It's so very sad to watch talent swirl the drain and get sucked down because we're just 'too busy' to serve God. I'll be the first to admit that teaching classes is a lot of work. Having just finished two years teaching Sunday school, and joining the leaders for "Team Kid" on Wednesday nights, I'll attest to the fact that it's not difficult, but it's work. Especially mental work. I don't love the idea of going in and dealing with behavior problems, or discipline issues, but I DO love the idea of getting to share Christ with the children. And that's why I do it. Sure I'd rather warm a nice metal chair in a cushy, adult Sunday school class while sipping coffee and taking random notes, but I honestly think I would be missing out on blessings that God has for me. In the last two years I know I have grown spiritually and it's not something I would trade for anything. God has really laid it on my heart that I may be the only opportunity some children have to hear about Him, and there is nothing more rewarding than seeing the lights come on in a child's eyes when they truly grasp what Jesus did for him/her. He came to die, be buried and rise again that we may have new life in Him! When I get to see that light come on, it makes it all very worth it. Here's the lyrics to my new favorite song. Wouldn't it be amazing if it actually happened? "Revival" by Robin mark As sure as gold is precious and the honey sweet, So you love this city and you love these streets. Every child out playing by their own front door Every baby laying on their bedroom floor. Every dreamer dreaming in her dead end job Every driver driving through the rush hour mob I feel it in my spirit, feel it in my bones You're going to send revival, bring them all back home. Chorus: I can hear that thunder in the distance Like a train on the edge of town I can feel the brooding of your Spirit "Lay your burdens down, Lay your burdens down." From the preacher preaching when the well is dry, To the lost soul reaching for a higher high From the young man working through his hopes and fears To the widow walking through the veil of tears Every man and woman, every old and young Every father's daughter, every mother's son. I feel it in my spirit, feel it in my bones You're going to send revival, bring them all back home. Chorus Revive us, revive us Revive us with Your fire! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VDQ1bfG2SWo You can watch the video here, with pictures of downtown Spokane!

Acid Reflux

For the past several months I've really been suffering from acid reflux. I think it started when we were in the process of buying our house (March '08), and it mostly happens when I get stressed out, or if I eat sugary foods on an empty stomach. I have to eat sugar with meals. I guess I could omit it from my diet entirely, but that's absurd. I mean, if you know me at all you know that simply is not going to happen. So last night we were at my in-laws playing baseball with them and the girls and it was like a million degrees, so they came up with this idea to have sundaes. And not just any sundae either. These were served in authentic, old-fashioned ice cream parlor, glass dishes (yes, it makes them taste better). Blissful Dreyer's vanilla bean ice cream was laden with homemade chocolate syrup and caramel sauce, then smothered in whip cream. And since I hadn't eaten ice cream yet that day (because you know I eat it every day) I decided to have one. I totally didn't think about my reflux, until nearly 15 minutes after it was devoured! OUCH! If you've ever suffered from reflux you completely know what I'm talking about when I say it's like you swallowed a golf ball and it's stuck at the bottom of your esophagus, with little flames shooting up around it. If you're one of the fortunate ones who's never dealt with it, let me assure you, it's that bad. I mean it doesn't rank up there with gall bladder disease (which I've also had), but it's pretty miserable. I have to practically live on Prilosec to combat it. I took one last night, and another one tonight. You'd think I'd just give up sugar, but it's not always sugar that causes it, remember I mentioned stress too?! I'd love to give up stress, but with two rambunctious kids and a mortgage, it's pretty much here to stay! Alas, tonight the golf ball has shrunk to a modest gum ball and the flames have subsided, but hopefully tomorrow I won't have to deal with it at all. I need to remind myself of Philippians 2:14 "Do ALL things without complaining or disputing."

The Barn

So, my husband woke up this morning at 7am (that's really sleeping in for him) and masked off the windows and got busy spraying the house with 'barn red' paint and it looks great (at least I think it does). On a side note here, I was telling my sister how I wasn't sure about the red/white combination because I didn't want it to look like a barn. So she said, "well, your last house was the latte stand, so this can be the barn." I decided I actually like it, so, behold "The Barn". This picture is the front of the house and while we still have to paint the trim (white) and get the shutters on (they'll be black), I just can't get over how much it improved the overall look of the house! Also, when we get the back deck put together we'll snap a few pictures of the back of the house. For those of you who have seen it, you'll probably agree it makes a huge difference. If you notice in the mustard-colored 'before' picture, we've done a lot of additional work like removing sloping rain gutters, tearing out rotted wrought iron, and removing that hideous carpet from the stairs. Whoever came up with the idea to put carpet outdoors should have their head examined!

Tomorrow he's painting the garage, and then we'll be able to start on the trim work. I can't wait for the whole thing to be finished, complete with my American flag and new house numbers. It's going to look soooo country. See, I told you he was amazing!

Loving Summer

Today was one of those great days that makes summer quite possibly the best season of all. Oh who am I kidding, fall is still my favorite. Anyhow, our neighbor and her two girls invited us to go to the movies with them. They had tickets so it didn't cost us a thing! We saw "Speed Racer" which was actually a pretty cute flick with a good moral. A few unnecessary words for a kids movie, but all in all it was fun and FREE!!! The girls of course had to have popcorn and soda, but the theater has these kids packs with a small soda and just the right amount of popcorn and they're only $2.50. Can't beat that, so I bought them each one!

After our movie we ate lunch at Wendy's before running some errands. My favorite part about Wendy's is the Frosty!!! I basically go there and choke down a semi tolerable hamburger just so I can have the ice cream. They've added a new Frosty too.....vanilla. I don't get into all those other new Frosty's with the mix-ins, I prefer the traditional flavor, and the new vanilla. I bought the girls one and while Cayla ate all of hers, chocolate of course, Autumn only had a few bites. I'm always trying to convince her that she and I should share since we both love the vanilla but she can be pretty indignant when she wants to be. I posted a couple pics of the girls enjoying their ice cream. Are they not the cutest little things?? After coming home I talked to my mother in law who wanted to pick up the girls after work and take them home for dinner, while Cory and I had a few hours together. I readily agreed! Now most people would love an evening with their spouse, sans kids, but we're so practical that it's hard to come up with something inventive. So our dinner consisted of leftovers from two different meals this week (romantic, I know), and then we headed out the door to buy exterior paint! Ah, paint! I cannot wait to transform our house from mustard yellow, to well, anything else really, but we picked a great color called 'barn red'. It's a nice country/brick red (we hope) and it's so popular they sell it in 5 gallon buckets for a GREAT price! Hopefully in the next few days or so I can post some pics of the house with it's new paint! My grandmother used to say, "any old barn looks better with a new coat of paint" and while she was talking about women who should wear make-up, I figure it aptly applies to our new house!

About That 'To Do List'

Today is one of those days where I literally have a list with a dozen things on it that I need to accomplish ASAP! And they're not even fun things, they're little ridiculous things like calling the Dr. to confirm an appointment, setting up church related meetings, paying a bill, etc. etc. In fact, there's so many little things that it's hard to get my normal housework done. So I think, 'I'll just fluff these clothes in the dryer one more time while I sort the mail, and then I'll fold them' But while sorting mail the phone rings three times with people adding things to my 'to do' list, the kids need lunch, I pass the kitchen and decide to quickly tidy up, the dryer buzzes so I re-set the timer AGAIN for more fluffing, one of the girls needs a band-aid, the dog needs to be let out (and we don't even HAVE a dog :) Anyhow, the saga continues... In fact, the only reason I'm adding to my blog is because I was already sitting down here at the computer getting my bill straightened out with the dentists office, so I figured 'might as well kill two birds with one stone. Add to my blog and pay the bill.' Did you see what I did there? I'm so capable of multi tasking (no, not really). Anyhow, the basket of clean laundry that has been fluffed a million times is beckoning me to be folded. Off I go......... p.s.....did I mention the bills I was sorting are still sitting on the kitchen counter, half sorted? But of course I don't have time for that now, I have to fold laundry!!!

Vacation?

I'm not sure I would call VBS a vacation, but we did have to go out of town to attend it, so I guess it's a semi vacation. Anyhow, do you ever need a vacation after vacation? I have just been so tired, but have precious little time to get things done. There's still laundry to do, errands to run, a trip to Silverwood to plan, swimming lessons for the girls, Dr.'s appointments, not to mention church activities we're involved in. Did I mention I STILL have not unpacked from our trip? Basically it's just clean clothes to put away because I did laundry at my mom's before we left, but they won't put themselves away! I also really need to get together with my group class teaching partner and get our class prepared for September when home school co-op starts up again! This has honestly been the busiest (and most rewarding) summer of my life. It's really been a relief to have a million other activities to occupy my mind besides how I look or how clean my house is (or isn't :) ------------- In other news, I am sick of all the election coverage. Specifically, the Obama coverage! I'm already 'done' with him, and I think it's only the beginning. I've never seen a candidate get so much celebrity hype! Also, what's with the press on the John Edward's related scandal? Can you say "WHO CARES?" I knew you could! I have GOT to stop watching FoxNews! I love it, but it does have a lot of election news (who knew?!) ------------ One final rant here.... I told you I like to blab! Has anybody been keeping up with that lady in the news that had her DOG cloned? Apparently her dog Booger (nice name) died and she was so distraught she shelled out $50,000 to have him cloned. If you watch the live feed it's hilarious because she says while holding one of 5 cloned puppies, "God has sent me 5 more mini Boogers."

Home Renovations

For those of you who have seen my new house and know what the 'before' pics looked like, I thought I'd post the 'after' pics of the pantry, master bathroom, and laundry room. It's exciting to watch our house transform from an ugly duckling into a swan!

It's been so fun for me because I've never had a home with a dedicated laundry room or a walk-in pantry. Not to mention, we've never had a private bathroom in our bedroom. This has been such a fun house. Sure it needed a lot of work, but the potential was just amazing, and exactly what we were looking for! I'm so grateful for Cory's carpentry skills (the bathroom was the down to the studs, and the laundry room had concrete floors/walls).

Painted Nails

This is the type of afternoon I love. The weather is mild. A bit overcast, but only in the low 70's. We enjoyed a long nap, and then got a few things done around the house.

I decided it was the perfect time to paint my toenails (gotta look pretty for summer ya know?!). And don't mock me, that does count as getting things done around the house :) As soon as the girls saw me heading to the table with my basket of pedicure supplies they immediately wanted their toenails painted. As we scanned through the perfect shades of rosy brown and pale pink, the girls decided on their colors......bright orang-y red for Autumn and an illustrious purple for Cayla (that color was given to me, I did NOT buy it). Not being in the mood to argue, I set about painting their itty bitty toenails. It wasn't an easy task as some of their nails are smaller than the tip of the brush. As it turns out, kids don't stay still while you paint. They wiggled around so much it kind of looks like I had an epileptic attack while painting. Ultimately I was able to camouflage it with a clear top coat, but it took a long time (oh like 10 minutes), which might as well be 10 hours in the world of kid dom!

Anyhow, check it out above. Should we be foot models or what?!

Home Sweet Home

I just got in from the Tri-Cities about an hour ago. It is so good to be home. I'm kind of a home body as anybody who knows me can attest. I spent an hour and a half on the phone with Juli and we had a great chat. That's one of the things I love about her. No matter how long we go between conversations, we can always pick up as if we've been chatting every day! Cory surprised me by having my pantry re-shelved, and my laundry room walled in, complete with linoleum, new shelves and an updated electrical panel (yea - no more blown circuits). I should go away more often because each time I come home he's done so much to the house that it's not even recognizable. Too bad we're not rich because at the rate he's going he'd have this whole house re done from top to bottom in less than a year! Well, I'm off to pick up some items for Autumn's 5th birthday party. It's 1:30, the party's at 5:00 and I have not done a single thing to get ready. No gifts are wrapped, and I haven't even unpacked my car from my trip!

Bittersweet

Well, today was the last day of VBS at my mom's church in Richland. It was a wonderful week and I loved getting to catch up with old friends, and see familiar faces that I haven't seen in years. It's so amazing to see everyone's spouses and children and take note of how much all the kids have grown. When VBS is over it's always a little bittersweet for me. I'm relieved that it's over, yet at the same time I'm a little sad that half a year's worth of effort, collecting decor, thinking over the theme and planning have come to an end. We put a lot of work into the week and it's incredibly tiring but also very rewarding.

S L O W

Ummmm.....still learning exactly how this works!

New!!!

OK so I just created this new blog and while I have no idea who may or may not read it that's not the point. I love to write, so this will be a great venue for me to get my thoughts out of my head and onto paper, well sort of like paper!