Notes to Self

Note #1: Self, do not take it personally when your many small children point out the "jiggly" parts of your anatomy as you are exercising.

Note #2: exercise when many small children are in bed and asleep and all the blinds are closed and wear large loose fitting articles of clothing

Note #3:  when you allow Little Munchkin to go potty "all by herself" please be aware that clogging and overflows WILL result due to over usage of toilet paper

Note #4: the purpose of skyping is so that other people can actually SEE you while you are conversing...keep this mind and be sure that you are actually "presentable" before allowing video contact.

Note #5: pouring milk will result in spill-age...expect this...embrace it...

Note #6: quit buying cutesy socks for the girls...the basket of unmatched socks out numbers the socks that are actually in their drawers...purchase all white, all the time, one size fits all...it will solve the sock dilemma (and make mornings much more bearable)

Note #7: staying up too late the night before will result in over-tired and crabby rhetoric by yours truly...attempt going to bed before midnight, at least once a week...your family will thank you.

Note #8: "treasures" in your basement will never be found WHEN you need them...therefore, although it is not wildly accepted by your hubby, it's best to just leave stuff out and spread all over and then you'll be able to find what you are searching for:) 

Note #9: if you actually carry forth with note #8, it will not go well for you in winning your husband over to your "need" for treasures in the basement...learn a new tactic!

Note #10: In case you are prone to forget...on the nights that sleep doesn't come...on the days that whining and arguing seem to plague your household...in the moments of getting everything ready for dinner only to realize that you are out of your key ingredient...THIS is a good life...THIS is a gift...Self, remember to be thankful...even when it hurts to be thankful...be thankful...scoop them up, savor it all and thank Jesus for all he's given you...

Take the Time

I can't write it more eloquently...please read this post, if you missed it earlier this week from Ann Voskamp. 

We're adding to the family:)

Did I totally scare some of you into thinking that I'm pregnant? 

NOPE...it's not that...but, don't get me started about it b/c my youngest is almost 4 and I'm on the upswing headed to 40 and I've got to be honest that it's a little unsettling to realize that I'm ending an "era"...

but, I digress...and get way too weepy and nervous and indecisive...so let's just skip that whole talk and get to the good stuff:)

I want to share with you something our family is doing...

I hesitate to share b/c, as my husband has gently expressed to me his desire to "take our prayer shawl to the closet where no one else can see" (Matt. 6:6) And therefore, I do not boast nor want to bring attention, whether good or bad, to our new endeavor...

but, rather, I was opened up to a new perspective and some parenting holes that I possess with this decision and I thought I'd write it down to commit to prayer and memory...

First off, my husband is a quiet man...and a very generous man...and someone that I admire greatly.  I wish I COULD boast about all his "behind the scenes" work and the ways he gives both with time and in many monetary ways...but, as I have said before...he's NOT going to go for that...so you're just going to have to trust me on this...

Because he works so very hard and thinks about things, sometimes much more deeply than I, I have just followed his lead with regards to giving...where moneys need to be directed, where time needs to be spent, sacrificing one thing for something else, etc...

For about year now, however, I have had a real desire to sponsor a child (and do a whole lot more in a completely different way than where we have in the past...) the problem is that 1) money 2) we'd have to pair down some more 3) my husband would have to see this "need", b/c we weren't going to stop doing all the other things as well...

Short and sweet:  God just saw fit to do it all..BAM...just like that...

And so began our "Family board meeting"...where we decided to sponsor a child in Honduras...

This is where the parenting got a bit hard...to make your own children, who have never known a "want", who've had all their needs met, who get "extras" all the time, who are only cold b/c the car hasn't warmed up yet, who help themselves to 3 and 4 pieces of pizza....

to get them to grasp the poverty in other countries...it's mind-blowing...extremely difficult...they can't imagine or fathom it at all...

For Peanut, it was a logical decision..."this little girl doesn't have something, okay...she can have mine"..."can I have another piece of pizza now?"

For Sweetpea, it was a whole 'nother thing...her mind was reeling and her heart was aching...and yet, she didn't quite know where to go with all this information...she had an easier time giving all her money to go and BUY something rather than give something of hers away...

and THIS is where I saw my flaw...my intense desire to "hang onto things"...in my quest for savoring moments and memories and treasures...I forgot to instill the simple fact that things are just things...

This is where she and I struggle...the letting go, the sacrifice of things that are dear...

but, we're learning...we're revamping...and we're striving in a new way...

Our pastor is down in Honduras right now, with video camera and point and shoot in hand...handpicking a little girl just for our family...and we are on pins and needles waiting to hear back!

My mother in law who speaks fluent Spanish, was a huge help to us in this endeavor...as yesterday, I posted this picture:

I wrote a little book about our family to share with this little girl...


Each page has a different person from our family giving a little introduction and asking questions of her..

I wrote it all out on one sheet and sent it to my mother in law, who in turn, translated everything into Spanish...that way, someone, hopefully will be able to read it to her when Pastor Terry hands it over to her.

The booklet was put into a backpack that Peanut worked hard to earn one summer through reading books at the library. Pastor Terry told us he didn't have much room left, and so we couldn't go with a big package...he wanted it in a small bag...so we thought a backpack would work best, as she will be able to now attend school with a sponsorship.

We put as much stuff as was "scrunchable" into the backpack for her...we don't know her age, family life, grade level...only that we love her already.

I know that many people sponsor children...and I don't post all this to say, "yay, for us, we are so great cuz we're sponsoring a child"...there are a gazillion prayer warriors out there (this is an area where I lack and I am incredibly envious)...there are many others who do so much in other ways...there are many ways that even in our family, that Italian Stallion has led the way...but, as I said, although those things are tremendous...I selfishly wanted to make it more personal, if not just for me, for my girls...

and in just the decision, we saw where we need to work even more on our 'outward focus'...

I am excited about all this, but I will be completely and utterly vulnerable by saying that I know that even this great thing, can have a tendency to become a 'sin' thing if I allow my actions to be boasted to the world...I think there is a reason why Jesus asks us to come to Him privately...He knows that we can get prideful, even in doing the "right" things...

I find myself doing it all the time, "Oh, you read that book?  It's awesome, I've read this and this and this...and oh the wonders that God has taught me..."

Umm, excuse me there Mamarazzi...I believe you need to take a big piece of humble pie.

I have to tread that fine line between thankfulness/excitement/joy AND boasting/pride/look at ME!

Believe me...I'm a "look at me" kind of person too!  YIKES!

So, there you have it...that was my little "story" for the day...I will let you know when we find out her name once we receive it.  Although, I probably won't tell you about anything else that our "family board meeting" discussed...b/c we're sorta meeting in a "closet":)

Does anyone else find it odd???

...that just a few short days ago, kids were outside playing in the sunshine?  that you could open the windows in your house to actually air out the stale air from the frigid temperatures of the week prior?  that the apple juice was able to thaw in the garage after it froze 3 days before?

Okay..so maybe noone else leaves their apple juice in the garage...but the point is that it was gorgeous outside...about 3 days ago....

It was this little teaser of spring...

and now we're back to whippin' wind, horizontal sleet and ice pellets that bang on the windows like a rampant snare drum!

But, I'm learning to be thankful for the small things...the incidentals...and so, with my camera at my hip...I joined my elder daughters outside on their excursion into the wild unknown, aka our backyard that they haven't seen for about 3 months due to what I just mentioned above...

I found them doing this:

Do you need a better view?

What is it you ask?

They informed me that it was a home for animals...complete with soft cat's tail and small twigs for a bed.  Sweetpea even came inside for bread pieces to lay out as crumbs...

Here's the finished product:

My sweet girls...it's like they knew the spring weather wasn't going to last...so they made a "provisions" for others...

It reminds me of something else that's goin' on in our family...that idea of seeing beyond...

I'll be posting about that alittle bit later...but we had a fun weekend putting together a little something....:)

1000 Gifts

I finally received THE long-awaited BOOK in the mail last week.  I made myself put it on a shelf and wait...

I knew that if I started it, I wouldn't want to put it down and then I'd have more piles of laundry to deal with...(you'd think we have a gazillion clothes the way I discuss laundry, but really, it's a lack of me keeping things folded and put away and trying to teach that jeans CAN be worn at least 2 times if you haven't played outside in them)

Anyway...when I received a moment to myself (around 11:30 at night) I began my journey...

I discovered early on that this book is not one to be gulped down...but rather, needs to be sipped...or taken in very small bites...

...and then you have to take some time to chew...

I am amazed at Ann's ability to put into poetic words, the emotion and vulnerability that she has endured.  I marveled at the way she was able to weave words together...sometimes, having to reread paragraphs over and over just to allow the meaning to sink deep. 

Does is sound silly to talk about a book like you would food?  This isn't a book to be devoured...it isn't even a book to be sweetly eaten with a carefree laugh...but, neither is it painfully difficult...

Rather, it is a soul-searching journey...I don't know Ann personally...she seems like a quiet, gentle spirited woman...one who works hard, feels deeply and strives to do what is right.  She has a calmness about her that is inspiring...whereas, I am one who dives headlong into the craziness of life...often looking back and wishing I could take it back and try again...I sometimes act first and think later...

Therefore, I love to watch her journey, but am struck by the reality that I must try to find this "peace" or in her words, this "eucharisteo" or thankfulness in my own life...I must find a way to apply it in a way that fits with the way that I am wired...
Principles are true though...they are solid and foundational...and if I can but grasp those, and then seek to apply them, I think I will have begun my "training", as she calls it. 

There are times that her words stun me...not in a shocking, awful way, but in a way that shoots straight to the heart and makes you realize what you have missed...

"Do no not disdain the small.  The whole of life--even the hard--is made up of the minute parts, and if I miss the infinitesimals, I miss the whole."

"Is the height of my joy dependent on the depths of my thanks?"

There are countless more quotes, but I can't do them justice in a simple blog post...I must encourage anyone else to read for themselves...I have long struggled with "giving up resentment for gratitude, gnawing anger for spilling joy, self-focus for God-communion"  But, she has discovered a way to fully live-to live full of grace and joy and all that is beauty eternal...

it is possible!

WANTED: Patience???

So many times I must pray for patience...

and yet, I know deep in my heart, that I'm not really wanting patience, but rather, circumstances that don't require patience at all...

I'd rather that a trip to the toilet be JUST a trip to the toilet and NOT a trip to the bath TUB as well...

I'd rather that a full sippy cup, potty stop, teeth brushed, prayers said, reading together and a kiss & hug would be enough to lull sleepy ones to dreamland and not 10 more climbs up and down the stairs to answer "one more question" and "could you fix the nightlight"

I'd rather that recipes just cook themselves and work out regardless of whether I've followed them to the "T" or not.

I'd rather the electricity never go out, lines never be long, snow always to melt quickly and coupons to be in my mailbox the day I actually need them.

The reality is...I can't control the circumstances...and no matter how much I WANT them to be just so, more times than not, it's not going to be that way...

Prov. 14:29 says, "A patient man has great understanding..." I guess that clues me in that patience isn't just a matter of behavior or taking a deep breath...it almost carries a "timeless" factor...meaning that it is able to put into perspective this "speck" of time, in the midst of the countless moments in earthly measurement of life...

A dictionary definition for patience is "hopeful forebearance"

To be patient is to not lose hope.
To be patient is to understand and see beyond the circumstance.
To be patient is to see reality for what it is and discern how my heart will react.

THIS is what I need...this is what I pray for...

I will continue to encounter the mishaps, the accidents, the occasional nasty driver...I can't control them...

but, I can pray that the time it takes for me to recognize and get my heart under control will be quicker than my selfish desire to lash out and react in annoyance...

Here's to hopeful forebearance!!!

Silly Old Fox, doesn't he know? There's no such thing as a Gruffalo...

To see life through their eyes...

eyes I once had...a longggggg time ago...

there is such joy in the little things

Such satisfaction in the seemingly insignificant..

such laughter and acceptance of lessons learned.

We were recently introduced to the story of The Gruffalo by my brother...his boys LOVE (and that's putting it mildly) this story...the repetition and rhyme...it makes it so much fun...

I couldn't resist sharing the whole story.  I do understand that it does take up over 6 minutes of your time...but, she's my baby...and I think it's adorable...so please enjoy...and if you don't, just tell me that you did anyway:)

A Valentine De-brief

Communication is key...

Yes, there must be love, and forgiveness, and sacrifice, and the list goes on...

these are all tools and attitudes that not only keep a marriage grounded, but keep it climbing and growing at the same time...

My Stallion and I only ever "dated" long distance...yes, we were best friends through college...dating other people, sifting through the sea of people, only to come back and "discuss" the pros and cons with each other...

It wasn't until I graduated that the realization that the "best friend Love" has now transitioned into something more...and NOW, we're nearly 9 hours away from each other...

And let's just put it out there...I'm needy and clingy and feel most loved in times of repetitive affirmation...

And another thing: this was during the time of NO cell phones...back in the stone ages when long distance cost extra!!

And so...we talked

and talked and talked and talked

and sent letters and notes and journals

We learned to "hear" body language through a tone of voice...I could tell when a smirk was rising up across his lips just by the lilt of his voice in the phone receiver...

Little did we know that all those years of practice would lead us to present day...when he has to be away from us all for work...

We have new ways to communicate: texting, email, facebook...but, he knows me best...I like to hear him...

And so, after sending a picture text of this beautiful gift that arrived at my back door...(knowing that he was probably chomping at the bit, wondering when it would arrive and not wanting to call before hand lest he give it away)

I got that call...

I could "see" him smiling...so big that your eyes almost get squinty...and then the nonchalant, "OH...so you got that huh?"

He only had 2 minutes, in between meetings...

He gives me all 120 seconds...I love that I can "hear" and "see" that he wants to give me more...

It was sad to not be together...but, at the same time, it's been fun to fall back on old lessons learned...like getting on a bike after a long winter...only to find that you still know how to ride and you still love the feel of the wind in your face.

The girls and I made it special with a homemade dinner and place settings...

I discovered my NEW FAVORITE STORE: Hobby Lobby...it's a treasure trove of craftiness...and sea of indecision but, so worth it to ride the waves!

Sweetpea sooo wanted Susan of Narnia arrows to finish off her outfit...and Peanut needed Lucy's dagger...my dad came to my rescue with the dagger...he and I...yup, we're the treasure keepers...he was able to locate a rubbery dagger in the midst of his "collection" and gave me a couple to work with...Along with some brown foam, some gold plastic-y twine stuff and a few wooden rods...we ahd some great Valentine Gifts for the older girls:)  Little Munchkin got a new Cd with a book AND she got to hang out with Mommy all day...that's a plus in my book:)

It's worth celebrating Valentine's Day...just another reminder...in case it's been a long winter for you:)

((if you are friends on facebook, you can see the whole album of pictures there:))

Love is more than a choice

He won't like this...

Not because he doesn't enjoy words...for he chooses them carefully.

Rather, he doesn't want the spotlight...almost polar opposite he is from his wife...

He is reserved, quiet, watchful as I tend to run headlong into the craziness and/or create it myself!

It isn't as I planned...and yet, I wouldn't change that decision if I could go back...

My PLAN was to find my future mate while on a singing team in college...we would marry, he would play guitar and I would sing and I suppose we'd make millions off of our love...

OH MY!

My plan started to unravel the moment I stepped onto the college campus, because you can hardly find the vocalist love of your life when you are placed on a puppet team instead of the traveling singers group!

I tried hard though...I fell fast for the leader of my team and tried to revamp my "vision"...could we still make millions if he did puppets and I sang behind the stage for the voice overs???? I should have realized then, that something might be amiss...but, I so wanted things to go along a certain pathway...

Enter a high school senior...

One guy amidst a sea of children at a Bible club...laughing, praying, teaching...just being...sacrificing his time...

I thought he was cute and that I could "mother" him as he came onto the college scene that following fall...ME, being the OLDER WOMAN...

Thus began phone calls, the lunch meetings, the saved seats, the gumball runs, the becoming my best friend.

It wasn't in my plan and therefore, I wasn't aware of what was happening...but, I was being challenged, loved, accepted and morphing into the person that I was meant to be...

He did this for me...It's what happens when someone chooses not just to love you, but to accept you, see the best in you, put your needs before his own...

Through my idiosyncricies, through my past, through my present...he hung on...

Rather, HE held ME through it...

I am reminded of the times that I beat on his chest and pushed him away from me...angry with the world, angry with my then-present situations, angry with my God...

I remember giving him every reason to give up on me...to run the other way...to find a better match...a more suitable helpmate for him...

But, he chose me...I wasn't something to be fixed in his eyes...I was someone to love...

I am forever in awe of who God allowed me to marry...

We are not perfect...but we are a perfect match.  He often sees in me things I can't see myself...both good and bad...He helps me chip away the bad and cheers me on with the good...

I celebrate today not only his choice, but his sacrifice, his friendship, his "I'm sorry"s, his thinking of me (and my starbucks) before his need to just get out of the workclothes...and just so much more...

As I said...

He probably won't like this...a post about HIM...

but, he knows my need to express...to sometimes let out every thought that passes in my head...and he loves me regardless...and though it may not be his preference, he encourages and spurs me on...

Happy Valentine's Day my Love!

I am My Father's Daughter

While washing my face yesterday morning, my dear Little Munchkin expressed to me a similarity that she had noticed...

"Mommy, you look JUST like Grandpa"

Now, this comment can be taken in a number of ways...I've always known that I tend to resemble my paternal side of the family and the fact that my youngest has the recollection and thoughtfulness to notice is to be commended...

On the other hand, I believe she was referring to the large wrinkles that have taken up residence on my forehead...

"Oh," I replied, "Do I look a little bit like him sweety?"

She then said, "Ooooo and you have a moustache too!"

And there you have it folks...out of the mouth of babes...

If you will excuse me, apparantly I need to make an appointment with a beautician who specialilzes in waxing and anti-aging remedies!!

have a good day!

Clap, Clap, Stomp...oh forget it!

Never before have I been SO struck with the reality that I have absolutely no rhythm or coordination than I was the other night as I participated in a Hip Hop class with my "Peep". 

As I watched the dreadlocked instructor "whip his hair back and forth" and shimmy his bootie in all directions across the floor, I was dumbfounded as to how to respond. 

"Wait, can you go back to that one step forward?"
"Why are your arms flailing off to that side?"
" Hold on a sec, you want me to clap where?"
"Freestyle?  FREE STYLE?  That would insist that you believe I actually HAVE a style?"
"Are you seriously jiggling? I don't WANT to jiggle, THAT's why I'm exercising in the first place!"

I laughed hard, made fun of myself muchly and hopefully burned a few calories...

At least I hope so, because after running as much as I have this past month, compounded with my jumping around in p90x and now that hip hop class...my stress fracture seems to have weakened a bit from last year...not sure where that leaves me now, but I took yesterday off completely...

Thanks Anne for asking me along...I had a fun time and though it may not be my thing, I enjoyed hanging out for the evening making fools of ourselves:)

Savor the Moments

Yesterday it was fairly "warm" outside...now that is comparitively speaking, as there was still a ton of snow on the ground, the wind was blowing and the precipiation was still falling in forms of small white flakes around us...

However, 34 degrees definitely beats the regular temp of 17, and so my girls took advantage of the opportunity when they returned home from school. 

It hit me at this point, that my "on my way to 40" body doesn't necessarily CRAVE the outdoor  fun like it used to.  I can remember jumping at opportunities to play in the snow with Sweetpea when she as a toddler.  When Peanut came around, it was even more fun...I loved making igloos and snow angels...

Add a few years onto that, more housework and things to unclutter, and my unquenchable desire to start projects in my home...and my outside activity level drops drastically. 

And yet, I knew I would regret it if I didn't make the most of the opportunities there...

So, I bundled up all the girls, got dinner all chopped and ready to cook when we came back in...and we stomped out into the snow...

We had quite a time with that snowman...the snow was icy, wet and HEAVY!  We ended up using  lessons learned from my experience in Redneck Snowman building 101  hauled over the picnic table

bench to create a makeshift plank onto which we rolled the snowball...then all the girls jumped on the high end of the bench like a teeter totter and we hoisted the Muffin Middle of that snowman up onto the bottom.

It was my lesson in science for the day to say the least.

Little Munchkin thought it would be fun to then pelt mommy with snow...

and then the other girls got to making some snowballs for themselves...

realizing that my efforts may NOT have been that appreciated as they were about to slam their mother with snow, I took the opportunity to get out of there FAST!

But, I couldn't resist one more picture, with our creation in the background...I love the story it tells:)

Enjoy your day and stay warm! I'm heading for my coffee right now...just looking at that white stuff makes me chilly!

Restless February

I've come to realize something...

February is my PROJECT month...It has been for awhile now...

Take a peek back at 2009 here with my Narnia craze...and here where I went into "oh my goodness, how many things can I cram into this week???"

Or, let's look back at 2010 here where I got a little hyped up on Valentine's Day...ended up turning those pictures into wall art for my home...

Which now brings us to 2011...and once again, it's February and it's like I get this cabin fever and my fingers get itchy for something crafty to do! 

I think I have some entrepreneural blood in me, directly inherited from my father, that has in me to come up with ideas for things...my problem has always been following through...whether it be lack of confidence or just not the right opportune time...or, it just plain busts...but, the photography thing has stuck.

Now, I wouldn't cast myself into the realm of ubber-professional photographers...I would dub myself someone who cares deeply, researches and practices the craft, but keeps the "business" in line with other priorities so that it really comes in about 3/4 of the way down the list.  This is not because it's not a passion or a fun thing to pursue...quite the contrary...it is actually something I enjoy...immensely...but, I also have a preschooler at home still and girls that like to play Monopoly in the evenings and a husband who works his tail off and deserves some quality family time...and my personality is one in which I go FULL FORCE if I'm not careful...and so I have to be careful...

Why am I telling you all this...good grief, get to the point already...

Yes, well...so photography comes in waves...fall is CRAZY and then  *crickets* in the winter months...and I have this TIME...and it usually comes around February...and so, more ideas have bombarded my brain once again and I'm powerless to ignore them...

I've had a few moms ask me lately how to USE their camera and these photoshop programs that they've purchased and the "teacher" in me is screaming, 'LET ME TEACH YOU!"  So, I've been conjuring up this plan to develop a workshop for people seeking to figure out their camera and how to get those images to pop in their computer program...

But, with me...(and I can say this on my "family" blog, not the CTPhoto one:) I get all "oh my goodness, who wants to learn from me...I have to offer something besides just me b/c I mean, what a let down right?"

I don't say this for you to pity me...I'm just giving you a peek into what goes on in this crazy head of mine...

Therefore, I have spent the past 2 days choosing colors and fabrics and watching online tutorials to sew camera straps...Each attendee to my workshop will receive a handmade one of these:

I had such a blast at Joanns today choosing pretty fabrics for these reversible things...they are so much fun...and I gotta tell ya, a few of the straps will have those cute little fabric flowers on them, because OMgoodness they were so fun to make!

In between the sewing and the brainstorming and coming up with a lesson plan of sorts, I have recently discovered the world of the LOOM!

I whipped up about 6 inches of new "scarf" during the Super Bowl...I know, pathetic...but, Peanut was working on her knitted baby cap for her pregnant teacher, Little Munchkin was going to the potty every 10 minutes and Sweetpea was working on knitting her tube scarf...there might have been a bit too much estrogen for my darling Italian Stallion...he had to go out and get himself some wings and head upstairs for just awhile:) 

So, that's what's goin' on here...I'm hoping for a good turn out with the photography/photoshop class...if all goes well, I can plan one a month and what fun would that be?  I'd get to do something I LOVE combined with something else I love & am trained to do...Teaching Photography..who woulda thunk it???

have a great day!

MOMENTS

I have these seven simple letters hanging on my wall in my "home office".

I decided on that word because it signified what I wanted to remember in my LIFE.  Our pastor once brought to my attention a verse in the Bible about numbering out days, and making them count...in other words, to savor the moments...it's all we have...and they are fleeting...

My youngest is now out of diapers (well, except at nighttime...didn't want to rush it:) and I think, when did I blink and she grew up?  How many times did I just grumble through the soiled panties and miss the singing on the toilet?  How many times did not savor the kiss on the cheek because I had to get dinner ready, so, "sweetie, good job, go get your gummy bear for going potty!"

How many times, do I rush through my day and forget to see the ways that my Heavenly Father loves me...

I stumbled upon this video, and being a photographer, a mom and a lover of Jesus...well, I was just blown away...And then, I went to the website and read the first chapter of the book...and I was entranced...this woman, this author lost her little sister and the heart-wrenching, soul-hurting way she is able to construct words to bring about the moment and the emotion...

she gets it...

and I ordered the book...

I won't get it for awhile, and I know nothing about it other than that first chapter and that beautiful video...but, to be reminded that moments are holy and ordinary and to learn to stop and recognize the ways He loves me too...I am thirsty for it!

It made me remember to savor the fact that my girls and I listened to all the Clementine books during the snow days and power outage...as we hooked up to the generator and sat bundled in the kitchen or around the vents when they finally started wafting heat...

Moments are holy and ordinary!

Lord, let me never forget!

Hello? Electricity...are you coming back?

Well..according to AEP, we should have power restored sometime before SPRING!  UGH...

We've been without electricity (and hot water for that matter) since midnight on Monday.  It's been a few days to say the least.  But, before i start complaining about the cold and the bit a of stink that can accumulate after keeping kids bundled and cuddled close for days on end...I want to be sure to share the things I am thankful for...it's amazing how putting scripture to memory (and heart) can force you to see things in a different light IF, if and only IF, you choose to direct your thoughts that way...

Things I am thankful for:
1. Neighbors who know how to jimmy-rig a generator to a furnace.  The amount of electrical tape and raw wires sticking out in our basement is a "bit" scary to look at, I must admit...but when that heat came blasting through the vents after the house bottomed out at 57 degrees AND after 4 hours of TRYING to get it working...oh, the JOY...My behind has never been more thankful than when each of us girls chose a different vent and SAT there  until the house reach about 63:)  I am happy to report that when the generator is whoopin' it up, we keep the house at a roaring 70 degrees:)

2.Sunshine to melt the ice.  Although it is not completely gone...this fact known b/c Peanut slipped at fell in our driveway on the way to the bus stop this morning...it is melting.  And because of this, we do not have ice damns on our roof causing water to seep into the drywall...and for THIS I AM THANKFUL!

3. Our sump pump works...it makes weird noises, YES...but it works and THAT, my friends, is what counts.  My "treasures" in boxes are safe for the time being...and being the "treasure saver" that I am, my heart is glad.

4. An incredible husband who works tirelessly to keep our family safe, warm and fully stocked on peanut M-n-Ms, Starbucks and Narnia movies!

5. The fact that even though we hadn't showered since Monday...nor used any hot water...by some miracle, the water in the tank stayed warm enough so that this morning ALL FIVE OF US got showers...this all took place in the matter of about 15 minutes, but CLEAN WE ARE! I've never scrubbed heads and little bodies as fast as I did this morning, but I'm happy to report that we smell of pomegranate and soap...and it is a good thing!

6. A gas stove top...on which we can make yummy pancakes, scrambled eggs, warm up chocolate milk and boil water so we can wash our faces...even admist a power outage!

There are many things more, but I've been gone from the house for over an hour now here at the library and I've got to get home as the temperature drops about 10 degrees in a matter of 3 hours...so I need to head back (after a quick stop to Panera for lunch...just cuz:)

Happy Winter folks..I'll be back to regular updating once we get some power and internet access at our house...