birthday bouquet...

my only-est girl turned 4 recently, and instead of doing a traditional cake, i decided to give her a flower pot filled with sugar cookies!  she was thrilled with them, and it was super easy!

i started off using a package of sugar cookies from betty crocker, and made the recipe off the back for the cut-out cookies. (cheating, i know, but i was short on time).  at Easter time, i found a wilton cookie pan mold with flowers on it.  i filled the cookie tin with the cookie dough, stuck in the wilton cookie sticks at varying lengths and baked.  it was super easy!  and they came out beautifully once they cooled a bit.

i enlisted the help of daddy to decorate her flower pot, which i got at wal-mart for $3.99.  he painted it with fireworks, flowers, fish, and a happy birthday sign along the top. i am glad he is artistic, because my painting would have been disastrous.

why the face?  because of this:

there wasn’t any way he could fix it!

next i mad rice krispie treats and molded them into the pot.  in retrospect, i should have used cocoa krispies to look more like dirt, but this worked.

i positioned some extra cookie sticks in the treats so that i wouldn’t have to force the actual cookies into hardened treats.  i am very glad i did this, because i probably would have broken a cookie or two trying to get them in.

i decorated the cookies with various brands of cookie icing.  quick drying proved to be the easiest to work with.  they didn’t turn out too badly, although i think my creativity lacked immensely.

stinkerbell loved the way they smelled!! (who doesn’t love the fragrance of sugar cookies?) she kept ‘sniffing’ her bouquet!

everyone enjoyed eating them.  they were HUGE, though.  way more sugar in one sitting than my kids are used to.  they had to go run it off outside for about 2 hours!

all in all, a success, i think!  if you decide to make these, would you link to my blog and let me see them?  i would love to have new ideas for the next time.

linking to Mingle Monday today with Robyn at addapinch.com

MOB introduction

hi! i am a wife, a nurse, and a mom. and for the purpose of this hop, i am a mom of BOYS. 3 of them. they have all contributed greatly to my need for sleep aids as well as mood stabilizers (just kidding, but not really!) i also have one little girl. i find it keeps things interesting.

like trying to nail jell-o to a tree, interesting.

i am a C. i am a C-H. (sing it with me, now...)

i am a C-H-R-I-S-T-I-A-N...

i will spare you the rest, but i bet you have it in your head now!

i have been since my senior year in college, 1994. i am 36, about to turn 37 next week (yikes!!). i have been married to my husband for 11+ years (12 in November). we live in the southeast corner of colorado. although we are both from a variety of places.

i don’t like using my shift key when i type, hence the poor capitalization.

my boys. ahhh, my boys.

the oldest is tictac, named so for his numerous vocal and physical tics. none so serious as to require medication, and we are really praying he outgrows them, but tics nonetheless. he is 8, a homeschooled child for the last 3 years. he loves all things detailed. he invents very elaborate tools and play structures and computers on paper. he HATES writing anything down on paper that has to do with school. with a passion. it is challenging to teach him and i have to try to get out of the box with him.

next is bonobo. you know. like a monkey. climbs all over everything. the first of the boys to get stitches. (that was such a fun day *smirk*). he just turned 6 and is an all or nothing kind of kid. and it is usually all angry. although, he has these moments, where i can see God working in him. and it is so gracious of God to allow me the privilege of seeing it and be encouraged in it. he is also schooling at home, “officially” in his first year, although i don’t technically have to start him til next year.

the third is a little girl, stinkerbell. although she isn’t a boy, she is just as much of a challenge (maybe more) than the boys. she turned four this month, and she has come into her whiney phase with gusto. more like a tornado. she and i often butt heads, she is very headstrong (nah, really? wonder where she got that from?) but also ridiculously adorable. makes it really hard to discipline her.

and last is the moose. i am pretty sure God saved him for last because if we had had him first, i would have sworn off children forever! he is the one that is going to break a limb. he is the one that is going to try to fly off the play structure in the backyard. this kid, he cannot be left alone for a second! he has already had one header down a flight of stairs. that one still makes my heart pound. he is quite adorable and has an easy disposition. although i am afraid he will be as stubborn as the rest as he grows into his fearlessness.

so, there you have it. my kids. my life. i work outside the home while my husband gets his business off the ground. i am a Hospice nurse 2 nights a week and an ER nurse one night a week. very diametrically opposed, don’t ya think? i homeschool on the days i am off. my husband just got an office space, so he no longer is at home during the day, which is a blessing and a curse. now i have to take all kids on all the errands. i shudder thinking about it.

i love my husband and my kids, and even my job. my problem is balance. i love to see what other people are doing in their homeschooling, but i have that awful gene in me where i compare myself to everyone else and find myself lacking horribly.

i know i am a daughter of the KING. and that it is HIS opinion, only, that counts. i know i am a work in progress. i know HE will one day make me whole. and while i long for that day, the sinful human side of me want to hang out here and watch my children grow, get married, and live.

we desire to love God and show our children that love. so that they, too, might come to know Him. i have absolutely no idea how to do that. i hope we figure it out before they all turn 18 and leave the nest.

it is a battle. one i have to be willing to fight. i can no longer be lazy and hang out on the sidelines and depend on others to guide my children. it has to be through my husband and me. led by the Holy Spirit. and i have to quit thinking that i can do it alone.

did you hang in there for this whole post?? WOW! i am impressed. let me know you stopped by, and i will be sure to visit you as well! blessings to you on this day.

join in the MOB blog hop here

turning 4...

our only girl turned 4!!  cannot believe it.  we relived the day of her births, the bedrest leading up to it, all the turmoil and family junk that transpired those last few months of my pregnancy with her. 

but now we have her!  and i couldn’t be more torn between happiness and sadness that my little girl is now 4.  she is still full of sweetness and sometimes vinegar.  she has a smile that lights up any room, and a selfless disposition (as long as it doesn’t involve her animals!) she loves all things pink and purple, and yet can play with the hot wheels like a pro.  i love her dearly and cannot imagine our home without her.

here are a few pics from her birth-day day! 

i made flower cookies on sticks. and put them into a clay pot filled with rice krispies treats to hold them.  these were a HUGE hit!  tic tac kept saying they smelled sooooo good !  (they tasted pretty yummy, too! i might post a tutorial if anyone is interested.)

we did a cupcake tree in lieu of a cake, since i did the cookie planter.  she loved the twisty candles.  it took several tries to get the last candle, though.

her big gift was a new Schwinn tricycle.  it looks like a pink harley!  she had some trouble getting it to go fast, though, so her big brother helped her along.

she loves the cool bell and the dangling cords from the handles.  she is sporting her new dora glasses, too (a gift from the boys).

everyone got to enjoy a cookie.  they were HUGE!

happy birthday, stinkerbell!!  we love you oodles!

Eternity doesn’t have plumbing problems!

Satan knows me well.

he knows my weaknesses and how to push my “worry now” button.

not that i have to let him get to me, but he knows exactly what will send me into tears and anxiety and worries.

this last week, he hit me in the finance department.

we have some plumbing issues.  $1400 worth. 

no biggie, right?

but as the plumbers fixed the issues, we discovered a much BIGGER problem. 

the two upstairs baths are leaking sewage into the basement where the pipes all meet up and head out of the house.  this happens to be in a small closet in my husband’s office. right next to the boys’ room.

drip. drip. drip.

ewwwwww.

haven’t been able to get an estimate yet.  apparently all the plumbing from the sinks, bathtub and 2 toilets have to be replaced.  it requires permits, and holes in the walls and floor. 

sigh. 

and this right on the heels of replacing our gas stove because it is really, really old and burns little hands if touched when the oven is on.

oh, yeah, and we went ahead and got the new dishwasher because we thought we were in a good place to do so and my husband really hates doing dishes by hand! (i love that man!!)

oh, and did i mention that my husband’s car needed new brakes?

and that i am making a trip out to north carolina to visit my uncle who has taken a significant turn for the worse with his ALS and is now on Hospice?

*sigh*

satan knows just how to push me over the edge.

thank goodness, my GOD is so much bigger than all of this.

it is only money.

this is only a temporary home.

eternity won’t have any plumbing issues!

i have a hope, a secure place in Heaven because i love my Savior and believe He died for me on the cross, and rose again!

the Holy Spirit can take this on for me and relieve me of my worries.

thank you, GOD!

Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the LORD.

Ps 31:24

getting back there...

lately, i have been sort of missing in action from family life.

i am here physically, but mentally and emotionally, and.. well, especially spiritually, i kind of checked out.

the last few months have been especially hard on all of us. 

we have had so many major stressors in the last year or so, and i think everything just tumbled down onto me at once. 

see, i am really good at pushing the worries and stress way down deep.  but then, as all good volcanoes do, i erupt and pour hot molten lava on everything (and everyone) in my path, leaving a trail of destruction.

i have done lots of damage these last few months in particular.  i had to return to work full time and that was a big adjustment.  the KISA has been working to get his business off the ground, but the only time he can work is when i am not working, so our marriage has taken a hit or two.

it feels like we are in crisis management mode and on auto pilot.

the groceries got so far down the other day, we were out of just about everything.

and i can’t figure out how to get back..

back to where i loved God and prayed to Him and depended on Him. 

back to where i liked my kids and my husband. 

back to where i wanted to do more than eat and lay around and do nothing but watch reruns of Grey’s Anatomy (i know, i am really laying it all out there for ya).

back to where my prayer journal had prayers in it. 

and my gratitude list was full of gifts.

back to where i looked forward to spending the evening with my husband.

back to where my smile was genuine, and lit up my face.

maybe i need to stop lamenting about what i left behind and look forward to what is ahead.  it is just that the path seems so gray.  not dark or light... just full of fog. 

God hasn’t left me.  i cannot blame Him.  but somehow, i have to find my way to Him. 

Daybook

Outside my window...it hasn’t decided whether or not it is going to rain.  it keeps getting cloudy and windy, but nothing happens.

i am thankful for... our neighbor, karen, who dropped off a coloring book for the kids this morning.  she is incredibly thoughtful and has left gifts at our door before for them, always biblically oriented.

from the learning room... i downloaded a bunch of worksheets and such for stinkerbell to do in school this week, focused on the letter B.  she loves working with dry erase markers and scissors.  i used almost a whole printer cartridge printing them out.  *sigh*

from the kitchen... crumb topped tilapia tonight with mashed potatoes (kids aren’t too thrilled with rice) and fruit

i am wearing... jeans and my eeyore sweatshirt.  it is cold in here today

i am creating... lesson plans in my head.  more grandiose ideas that probably won’t come to fruition because i am horrible at follow through

i am going... to take tic tac to the dentist, pick up my paperwork at HR and then try to clean stinkerbell’s closet!

i am reading... 31 days to clean.

i am hoping and praying... that this new job change is going to be all we hope from it.

i am hearing... children dancing in the living room to “Elijah” and the Singing Bible

around the house... are small piles of laundry, toys and dishes.  the norm.  the dining room table is covered in stinkerbell’s school supplies and the kitchen cupboards have children’s artwork all over them.  i think my father must have a heart attack when he comes over. 

one of my favorite things... when my dad drives up for a visit.  he always brings a dozen or so doughnuts and we sit down, have a doughnut and a cup of coffee before he runs his errands. 

a few plans for the rest of the week...i have new hire orientation wed-fri and then i work in the ER on sunday.  we will be able to go to church in the morning, though.  i am looking forward to going to church every week instead of every other. 

i am rejoicing... that God has allowed me to have a quieter voice this week.  i feel that i have managed to hold my tongue better than usual.  i did lose it a couple of times, but i was able to reign it in before i got too loud.  i am really trying to stop yelling at the kids.  it doesn’t do anyone any good.

here is a picture thought:

he has been climbing into any open box/basket... then getting stuck!

have a wonderful week!

linking up to simple woman’s daybook. 

simple woman’s daybook

how i wish life were simple.  things are just way too crazy for words most days, let alone thinking.  i cannot even seem to come up with an original thought these days.  conversations are constantly interrupted, children are always bickering, laundry is always mutiplying, messes are always being discovered (they are too sly to make them in front of me anymore), dishwashers are breaking, basements are backing up, and someone is always sick.

on the flip side, squeezy hugs from mommy are always in high demand, tickle practice is a must, the chaos means my children are still young enough for me to have some influence (please, God, let it be positive), our furniture and carpet aren’t new and can handle 4 kids and a dog, the 6-tooth wonder can melt me with his big magoo grin, jigsaw puzzles are more fun with several people, and there are plenty of opportunities to show my children how much i need Jesus as my Savior and to point them to the gospel so that they can see their need as well.

so, for today...

outside my window...

there is a gentle breeze making the swings move in time.  the yard in nicely shaded now that the trees have gotten their leaves in

i am thinking...

that i am grateful my husband cancelled small group tonight.  i don’t think i have enough energy to get the house up to ‘company’ level while battling this head cold

i am thankful for...

our ROKU player and Netflix account.  they are providing moments of peace and quiet, commercial free, so that i can rest

from the learning room...

not much the last few days.  this head cold has left me pretty useless.  i even have laryngitis so i cannot read anything aloud.  pretty much means school isn’t happening since our curriculum is driven mostly by going through read alouds

from the kitchen...

i need to cook tonight, so i will be making another e-mealz recipe.  so far we have really enjoyed the recipes from our subscription.  tonight it is a chicken pasta toss with pesto

i am wearing...

capris and a mickey mouse tee

i am going...

absolutely nowhere.  this upper respiratory thing is kicking my butt

i am reading...

 i just started ann voskamp’s book.  i have been counting my gifts for a while, but i think my lists are going to be changing after reading her book

i am praying...

for a little boy named isaac who had to be rushed to the ER on mother’s day for respiratory distress.  he is thankfully doing better today, but is still in the hospital.

i am hearing...

Life at the Pond on our HisKids radio while everyone eats their tuesday tortillas

around the house...

evidence of small children... a sinkful of dishes, toys scattered around the living room and on the stairs, a stray sippy cup with questionable contents, a dog under the table picking up the cheerios that the baby throws down for her.

one of my favorite things...

see above

a few plans for the rest of the week...

work tomorrow and then the weekend, get better (!) and get my voice back (like i have any say in this whatsoever), cook, clean and all the other household tasks that need done

here is a picture thought

slowly…

each week i tell myself that i am going to count up my gifts.  and each week it seems like i fail.  but, this week, thanks to illness, i have been on the computer a little more, and managed to get some down.  whew.

246.  turning one 

247.  turning 6

248.  daddy love

249.  a new job with a promise of less time away from home

250.  Lay’s stacks with french onion dip

251.  jellybeans at 50% off

252.  new crayons

253. newly sharpened pencils

254. vanilla ice cream with salted peanuts and Special Dark syrup

255. easy recipes that i can make ahead of time so that my family still eats a meal when i am at work

256. beautiful, handmade sentiments from my children on mother’s day… unprompted! 

257.  a gorgeous ring from my husband given on the eve of mother’s day

258.  my minivan

259.  gorgeous weather that allows me to open up the windows all day

260.  no need for air conditioner or heater for a time

261.  chocolate chunk cookies

262. bedtime clocks

263.  chore wheels

264.  dinner and games with friends

265. Little People

266. coffee freshly brewed

267. curly, blonde scalp fuzz (cannot really call it hair)

 

join in counting up your gifts with ann at a holy experience.  click the button below to join in, read about others and be blessed!

what a start!

the day before this handsome little boy turned one, we had a big scare!  it has been a few weeks since it happened, so i think my PTSD has resolved enough to write about it. 

we have 2 sets of stairs into the basement.  there is one leading from the upstairs living room into the family room below.  this one has been gated for a while as we spend a lot of time in this room, and i really don’t like the idea of a child going tumbling down them.

the other set leads down off the landing entrance to the garage.  our sunroom leads into this landing, and the kitchen and sunroom are adjoined with a step.  there is a gate leading blocking the entrance to the sunroom from the kitchen, but there wasn’t one blocking off the garage landing (or the stairs).

do you see where this is going? 

moose is rarely in the sunroom, and if he is, it is usually in my arms.  this particular day, however, i was printing some school pages for the day and i asked my oldest, tic tac, to keep an eye on moose while i was at the hutch. 

needless to say, tic tac got distracted.

the next thing i heard was the scream of my 8 yr old,

“Oh, NO, Moose!  No! No! No!”

mind you, i was only 3 feet from the landing.

i heard a sickening thump, followed by the sound of a large object (moose) rolling down the stairs at a progressive rate.

i came around the corner to see him go down the last two steps and land at the bottom.

my heart, i swear it stopped.  i swear the moments it took for him to cry were eternity.

but they weren’t.  he started to cry immediately and even got himself up.

my ER nursing skills kicked into high gear, and i imagined all sorts of dreadful outcomes.  should i call 911?  should i put him in c-spine? A-B-C-D-E-F-G-H-I (trauma nursing assessment) went through my head in a flash and he looked great.

but, mommy mode is way more powerful and that soon overrode my rational thinking.

i also had to keep it together because the 8 yr old was completely beside himself. 

and my husband left his cell phone at home and i couldn’t reach him.

i took moose in to the ER where i work and one of the MD’s graciously looked him over for me with lots of compassion.  i had to take all of the children with me, and i am so glad they were well behaved.

my adrenaline had worn off by the time i got to the ER, and my tears were flowing freely as i watched moose be examined. 

he fell down 12 stairs, all carpet, and didn’t have a scratch on him.  no blood behind his eardrums, no obvious signs of concussion or intracranial bleeding.  normal level of consciousness and interaction.

i was told i could take him home if i would be the one to watch him, so i had to call off from work.

the rest of the day, i just tried to keep it together.  i had many moments of tears that just overcame me as i thought about how bad it could have been. 

i had to comfort my eldest son numerous times through the day as we watched moose for signs of brain injury.

it was a scary day, one i really don’t want to repeat.

and, oh, by the way.   there is now a gate installed at the landing, too, just in case.

a rough way to finish up your first year of life, to be sure.  but we ushered in year number 2 with gusto :)

praise God for His mercy in sparing moose any severe injuries. 

tuesday’s torment

my heart is kinda heavy today as i think about my mom.

i have written about her before.  she and i have a somewhat strained relationship.  she doesn’t approve of our homeschooling, our religious convictions, our politics… so it is only strained if we talk with any sincerity about what is really going on in our lives. 

so we avoid those topics and talk about weather, how work is, you know.. nothing with any meaning.

but lately, we talk about her health.

for the last year she has had the most baffling illness that is involving atrophy of her muscles.  she is unable to hold her head upright for any length of time.  her muscles are wasting in her pelvis and thighs and making it difficult to walk. 

she has lost her smile.  but she can still whistle.

the doctors are baffled.  she has undergone test after test.  just this last week she had tests done in denver, 4+ hours from her home.  we have to wait two weeks for results.  but the neurologist there has little hope that they will find anything.

her symptoms are just too odd.  some of her symptoms match up with some diseases, but then other symptoms just confuse the diagnosis.

idiopathic..

no known reason or cause.

i have never liked that word much as a medical professional.  it means we cannot figure it out.

so right now they are calling it idiopathic dystrophy.

and meanwhile, my mom’s daily life is slowly ebbing away without any good reason.

she has aged more than i ever imagined in this past year.

it was shocking to see her for the first time last september when we moved back.  she looked so old.  and tired.

i am not sure what to do for her other than pray.

will you pray with me?

march winds…

we have had a pretty decent march.  last year at this time, i was on strict bedrest awaiting the birth of child #4, and encountering significant financial hardships as the KISA’s job situation hung in the balance.  this march, we are enjoying our new (old) home, getting reacquainted with our local attractions and exploring new territory.

a welcome change :)

as i count up my gifts from the Lord this week, i am glad that i can look back on our last year as a time of incredible challenges and lots of character development… both for myself as well as my family.  i am eagerly anticipating what He is going to do with us as we continue to trust in His plan for our lives.  although, sometimes i still try to manage things at my level (insert bashful grin here)…

229. we have a beautiful lake formed by a man made dam just 13 miles from the house.  we spent some time there after church to picnic.  i caught this great snapshot of daddy and daughter by the lake front. 

230. as we walked through the woods on the marked trail, we came across two mule deer just munching happily on the grass.  this isn’t even on zoom :)  i was pleased at how quiet the kids were as we stood watching.

231. felled trees make for excellent climbing adventures!

232. stinkerbell had to dress up her lamb… it still has on the diaper!

233. the moose is really enjoying music… he will even try to sing along!  i love watching him dance to daddy’s guitar.

234. this is the 4 kiddos watching daddy go.  moose is actually standing on the air register along the floorboard so that he can see out.  all you see from outside is from the ‘whites of his eyes’ up :)

more gifts…

235. green grass sprouting up in abundance

236. sun peeking through the clouds on an overcast day

237. the decreased use of the heater, and more open windows!

238. protective doggy barks

239. after dinner walks

240. getting off a few hours early from work

241. next door neighbor kids and talking through the fence

242. back yard play

243. fondant recipes that are easy

244. an upcoming birthday

245. glue dots and double stick tape

join in the blessings by counting up your gifts with other members of the gratitude community.  click the button below to bless others and be blessed :)

“SUPER MOM to the POTTY RESCUE!”

when bonobo was 3 and potty training, i used to say (in my most hero-like voice (you know, all booming and drawn out like the guy who announces a boxing match?)

“SUPER MOM… to the POTTY RESCUE!!!” (arms held out as i ‘fly’ into the bathroom…)

and then proceed to interview him about his tush cleaning procedures…

“and how’s your bum feeling now?” (imagine me standing over my son with a pretend microphone held up for interviewing purposes)

(giggle giggle)

“is your bum clean now?”

(guffaws)

anyway… i had just about forgotten that little ritual.  and just the other day, he yelled from the bathroom..

“MOM, I GO POOP!” and as i headed in to help, he told me to do my SUPER MOM bit.

never did i picture this scenario in my “dreams” of being a mom.  i never imagined discussions about poop, being summoned at all times of the day to clean up poop, nor being excited about poop.

but, there you have it. 

and i wouldn’t trade it for all the perfect mom ideals i concocted long before i was a mom. 

and so starts my (not-so-weekly) list of gifts

214. being “SUPER MOM” to my children :)

215. my daughter’s first REAL letters… B and P written without prompting (or tears, or screaming, or antics…)

216.  four little faces watching from the window as i leave the house for work

217.  saying good-bye to caviar (tic tac’s beloved stuffed cat)  whenever i leave the house

218.  silly stories and cuddles on the couch laughing together

219.  peek-a-boo at naptime

220. laundry piles folded…and put away!!

221. cheerios

222. butt paste (yep…we got issues with diaper rash…again!)

223. “Journey to the Cross” by Helen Haidle.  this is our devotional as we focus on Jesus’ life, death and resurrection.  i am learning so much as we read through this as a family

224.  science experiments that are successful!

225. a sermon about being in worship 24-7, not just on sunday mornings

226. a chance to sit through the sermon uninterrupted by the moose, who went to the nursery and didn’t scream the *whole* time (just a little bit of it)

227. as always, a God who is bigger than everything, who is in control of everything, and who holds the world in His hand. 

228.  and even though He is so BIG, He cares about all of the little things, like the number of hairs on my head and the sworls on my fingertips.

join in with ann and the other members of the gratitude community as we count our way to 1000!

on time!!

can you believe it??  i am posting my list of gifts on the day it is “due” so to speak.  i have to type quick, though… who knows when the next meltdown will occur.

186.  elephant and piggie books

187.  do a dot markers

188. vanilla ice cream with chocolate syrup and peanuts

189. my crock pot

190.  new meal plans… complete with shopping lists

191. DST… it actually worked in my favor this year as i got off work an hour early :)

192. a husband who is working his tail off to get new clients so i can cut back at work sooner rather than later

193.  my KISA’s new job teaching accounting for a local university. 

194. completing 4 weeks of our new curriculum (yep, i changed mid year!)

195. the return of “booger brain”

196. bonobo drawing a picture for his sister

197. bonobo’s sheer delight in exclaiming “Satan has been defeated!  He can’t touch me!!” with a fist pump for emphasis

198.  finding bonobo’s Message bible under his pillow… he sleeps with it every night

199.  tic tac’s very intricate drawings.  he loves to make them as full of details as possible

200. tic tac’s love of all things bug

201. audiobooks with accompanying bound books.  tic tac is devouring these and increasing his reading skills immensely

202. stinkerbell’s love of dress up and all things girlie

203.  stinkerbell hanging out in the bathroom with me while i shower so she and i can have (in her words) girl time

204.  a little girl’s desires to be like mommy… a lot of her statements lately start with “when i’m a mommy like you” or “when i’m taller than you”

205. the moose’s love of walking instead of crawling

206. the diaper rash that is FINALLY gone!!

207. normal poop (ok, weird, i know, but if you read this post you will understand why i write this!)

208. a gracious, loving compassionate God.  He loves me despite me.

209. miraculous shirts that stop bullets from entering a young man’s abdomen and killing him (i’ll fill you in on that one later)

210.  newly budding trees

211. plans for a greenhouse in my backyard!!!

212. the thought of fresh veggies, straight from the ground and my own hard work!

213.  the teaching opportunities that will arise from having our own greenhouse garden: patience, diligence, commitment to name a few

how about you?  are you counting up your gifts?  it is never too late to start! head on over to Ann’s and check it out :)

another use for books…

the boys had a little extra time on their hands while daddy was working in his office and i was sleeping after a long shift. 

stinkerbell became a casualty when her forehead got hit by the flying stepstool.

don’t ask.

the plus side?

all the books were nicely arranged in the shelves afterwards.

could have been bad…

as i went to work on monday afternoon, the snow was falling.  it was coming down pretty good, too.  i saw a few cars slipping, and was pretty cautious driving. 

by 6 pm, the snow was sticking and the roads were starting to freeze.

i left at 3 am (my normal shift).  there were 3 or so inches of snow on the car, and a thick layer of ice on all the windows.  i had forgotten to bring my gloves, so i had to scrape without them. 

needless to say, my fingers were pretty numb by the time i was done.

i got in and drove home, going about 40 mph on the interstate.

as i pulled into the drive, i went to undo my seatbelt.

my heart flew up into my throat as i realized

i had never fastened it.

in all my years of driving, i have never, and i do mean never, driven without my seat belt fastened.

never.

i immediately said a prayer of thanks as i realized just how bad my drive home could have been. 

just one patch of ice, just one other driver hitting a bad patch, i could have been gone. 

just like that.

i am so grateful for the crew of angels that drove home with me.

a long february

it has been a rough go for us this winter. i knew we would probably be sicker than normal since we just moved here. i knew our immune systems wouldn’t be up to the task of keeping us healthy the whole season.

but, i did have hope that we might come through it with grace and patience.

ha.

february has seen us blow through two bottles of children’s motrin, two bottles of infant tylenol, a box of mucinex for kids, countless albuterol treatments, one visit to the ER, two visits to the pediatrician, two prescriptions for prelone, one bottle of zithromax, one bottle of amoxicillin, triple the normal amount of hot showers (most of them in the middle of the night) and the purchase of a new humidifier.

and a partridge in a pear tree…

i thought that after influenza paid us a visit, we were in the clear.

not so much.

now we are on to the diaper rash direct from the depths of, well, H-E-double hockey sticks. moose has had a rash since he finished up his antibiotics. it was, of course, yeast like, so we had to get monistat to put on his tush. now he has had diarrhea for the last several days. he went on clears sunday.

walgreen’s and i are on a first name basis.

in the midst of this, well, i know i am supposed to look for and (here is the real trick) find gifts to count.

it has been hard.

but i managed a few.

*a husband who works from home so that we can tag team the kiddos. esp the moose, who wouldn’t let us put him down for anything in the midst of 104 fevers.

*an understanding charge nurse who had her son bring some of her albuterol so that i could get stinkerbell her breathing treatments without the added expense of an office visit.

*that same nurse letting me leave my shift early so that i could head home and nurse my 4 sickies and not leave the KISA high and dry.

*an illness that swept through the house, but left dad alone. and only hit me hard for 24 hours.

*soup

*the lack of vomiting, despite the ever-present diarrhea of the moose.

*moments of cuddling with each child as i checked fevers with forehead kisses.

*the accuracy of those kisses!!

*prayers lifted on our behalf.

*daddy playing “teddy bear” with stinkerbell

*the peace of a cough-less night… after too many nights of croup running rampant and attacking each child.

*the joy of kissing foreheads in the middle of the night and finding them blissfully cool.

*the healing power of momma’s milk!

*kisses on my forehead from the KISA

*getting this posted, even though it is two days late!!

*the encouragement i get when i read other lists of gifts. even though i don’t post too often anymore, i so enjoy stealing a moment here and there to see how God is blessing other women in their daily lives.

this post has been several days in the draft cycle. i started it on sunday, fully intending it to be completed in time for monday’s Multitude Monday post over at A Holy Experience. *sigh*

trying out live writer

well.  i am trying out the live writer i have heard so much about.  i am hoping that it will make posting a tad bit easier.  we shall see :)

 

 

wonder...ponder

how come those don't rhyme?

anyway :)

we are still here after the Christmas season. actually, the Christmas season is still with us since the tree and decorations are still up.

*sigh*

i asked the KISA to take things down for me because, well, i really really dislike putting away Christmas ornaments. too depressing.

but i am finding that leaving them up until the 9th of january is just as depressing.

so, today.. they are coming down!!

i think.

it is my only day off in a long stretch, so it has to happen today or they will probably be there another week.

so what is the purpose of this post? surely not to whine about seasonal decorations.

nope. more like, to share some gifts!

when i count my gifts, i am reminded of the goodness of God. a reminder i need way more often in my crazy life.

* ducky tubs and splashing water

* the first "real" bath of the little moose

* grandpa, aka my dad

* playdoh and fighting playdoh monsters

* strange icicle formations and on the spot learning opportunities

* standing, letting go and falling... and

* seeing my Heavenly Father pick me up when i fall and cannot get up on my own

* wrapping paper mounds

* snow laden trees

* libraries within walking distance

* a husband that lets me sleep in on my first day of work

* whispers of a 5 year old at bedtime. "jo-jo, what was the best thing about your day?"

"you tucking me in."