Saturday, May 5, 2007
Off to Grandma's Houae
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Since we moved closer, my mother-in-law has been picking up the children, one or two at a time, and taking them to her house for a week. This has generally worked well, but there have been problems. What's working well:
What's not working so well:
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Thursday, May 3, 2007
Ketchup
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I've had a nice, long break and now it's time for a little catch up! This will take several days of short entries. Our wonderful guinea pig, Chutt Chutt (now called Lady Chutterly most of the time) has a friend! Her name is Ginger (after Ginger Rogers) and her birthdatish is November 6, 2006. Ginger is so sweet, never bites, doesn't shed and talks incessantly. She also "goes" everywhere she goes! Not only did she not potty train the way we had hoped, but she un-trained Lady Chutterly! OH NO! We are also now the proud owners of three hermit crabs, Obi Wan Crabobi, Yoda and Anakin Sandwalker. I would love to take some photos of our new additions, and all the old residents, but my camera broke! So, you will just have to wait. But at least I'm blogging, right? |
Wednesday, November 8, 2006
What's My Gift, Mommy?
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My friend, OreoSouza (sorry, but the link thingy isn't working today) posted an incident on her blog with her children asking what their gifts are. I have seen this in my own family. My children will ask what their gifts are and sometimes it's easier to answer than others. This week it's easy. Blair makes clothing out of old sheets and pillowcases. Interesting, creative stuff, not just a head hole and two armholes, but capes with pockets and hoods, medieval gowns that lace up the back, amazing things. Jonathan is quite a leader. He can round up a group of neighbors and get them going on a game of freeze tag before you can say, "Time to come in and do chores!" Even teenagers and adults want to play when he's organizing it! Kate can do just about anything physically. She can teach herself how to do a backflip on the trampoline without even getting hurt! She does sit ups hanging upside down just for fun, and walks on her hands around the house, even up and down the stairs. Christy is the most amazing servant. She looks for ways to help others and bless them. She takes a lot of heat around here for doing it, too. But, she shows us how to love like Jesus. Rose has this amazing three-dimensional brain. She can make a flower out of construction paper and a stapler, that when you turn it on its side becomes an elephant's head complete with ears and trunk. I have NO idea where she gets that, but it's not from me! I know I've touched on some of these things before, but it bears repeating. And reminding myself that each one of my children is distinctly blessed with unique gifts and talents. When I was growing up, no one ever talked about my gifts or talents, it wasn't part of our vocabulary. Mom says she didn't want me to get conceited, so she never brought up that I did anything particularly well. But I still feel that urge to know what my gifts are, where do I shine? How am I special? I guess that's what my heart is yearning for when I watch Phil Mickelson play golf, or Michelle Kwan skate, or Billy Joel play piano. Just once in my life, I'd like to do something - anything - that well. What's my gift, Mommy? |
Wednesday, November 8, 2006
The Things We Do for Love
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Poor Chutterly. I tried so hard to be a nice mommy and clip her nails when she needed it. But she's been held a little too often lately and just wanted to hide in her pigloo. So I enticed her out with a seedhead of Timothy Hay. Oh how she loves the seedheads. But when I got my hands gently but firmly around her she squealed like I'd shaved her bald! I got her nails clipped, but she really struggled and fought. Blair cleaned out her cage and extended cage and made her Casa Cavy all pretty and nice again. I wrapped baby up in a towel and sang to her until she settled down. Hm, music really doth have charms to soothe the savage beast (yes, I know that's not the quote, but this is a family site.) She was so warm and cuddly, purring away, and I guess both of us fell asleep because the next thing I know, I'm nose to nose with a guinea pig who is licking me on the cheek. I kind of wish the kids had gotten a photo of sweet baby trying to wake me up, but the children know that approaching me with a loaded camera is taking one's life in their hands, so you'll have to imagine. She's still a little skittish, but I feel better! |
Monday, November 6, 2006
Waiting for Wii
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Can't wait for Wii!! |
Saturday, September 16, 2006
Not recent, but interesting clouds...
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Today while cleaning, I ran across this photo. I took it a couple years ago in the high desert of Oregon. Mind you, that is not a place where interesting cloud formations can keep your imagination occupied for any length of time at all. But this one fascinated me. I called the kids out, took a picture, and we discussed it. It looked like cinnamon rolls in the clouds! I'd never seen anything like it! Now, if I were in Oklahoma, I'd probably head as underground as I could get upon seeing these strange formations. But since tornadoes (other than dust devils) are few and far between, I felt safe enough to snap a few photos. This is the one that came out best, with a few close-ups of the two most prominent swirls. I never did find out how they formed, but would love to if any of your budding meteorologists know...    |
Sunday, July 9, 2006
Can He DO that??
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I just received the most distressing news. The company Dearest Beloved worked for (before this terrible move) has been sold. The employees (some, anyway) will be relocated to Colorado. In one fell swoop, the Lord has knocked me off my feet and burned my bridge back "home." Can He DO that? I feel like a child of divorce who has just discovered that Daddy is remarrying. There's no more hope of reconciliation. There's no way back home. Kinda started the whole mourning thing again. Before this news, I was already ~this~ close to non-functional. I can't even cry. Thank the Lord for Game Boy - at least I have a world to disappear into. But it's okay - they know me and love me in that little giga-world. |
Wednesday, June 7, 2006
Aliens took my daughter
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My sweet, helpful, kind, God-hearted, fun, 16-year-old Blair has disappeared. In her place, is some child who is identical in physical appearance only. I know, you're thinking, "She's a teenager! That's normal and to be expected!" But it totally took me by surprise, and my children are not strangers to me. The transformation happened overnight. She's been depressed about the move for several months. We've been working through it, including allowing her to express her feelings of anger and frustration toward us and God as long as she allowed us to help her deal with the feelings and not withdraw. We have tried to involve her in local community activities to help her get a sense of "home."We have encouraged her to continue communicating (always monitored communication) with her online friends and found a phone service with a flat fee for long distance calls so she wouldn't lose touch with her friends on the other end of her known world. In the last 24 hours she has done three separate things, totally unrelated, that just aren't like her. Cruelty, dishonesty and physical aggression just aren't the Blair I knew. I've planned a day with her today - a girl's day out. I'm hoping and praying that some additional time away from the pressures of home along with some relaxing conversation will bring her back. In the meantime, if you are contacted by the aliens who did this, can you let me know? I miss my daughter. |
Friday, June 2, 2006
Getting Control
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I plan to spend the next few days regaining control of our finances. It is important for a family to have a handle on their budget. Doubly so for a large family. I admit, it's entirely my fault. I've been distracted lately and not paying as close attention to those things that require it. I found some recipes I just adore, but they aren't big-family-friendly, and making them has been depleting our cash in a big way. Oh, I have enjoyed making Black Cherry Lamb and Chicken Sopresseta. But paying $12 for a wedge of cheese just isn't gonna fly. Summer is the perfect time to cut back. It's too hot to cook, too hot to eat, really. Some fresh fruits, raw veggies and lots and lots of salads will be our summer fare, I'm thinking. We don't have a grill, so that's out. Another problem I've been having since moving to the south is how quickly food spoils. Up north I'd shop once a week and my fresh stuff would always last a week, sometimes longer. Here I've been shopping twice a week and my fresh stuff doesn't last three days. It's so frustrating to pay for a cantaloupe, bring it home and have it moldy and mushy 36 hours later. I don't have a car, so shopping more than twice a week isn't possible. I've studied and practice good food storage, and I'm just beside myself. It will help once we get a new upright freezer for the garage to replace the one that broke in the move. My kitchen freezer is stuffed too full to even make ice. And that's another thing while I'm ranting about the south. The water that comes out of my tap is mouth-temperature on hot days. Ew. I've been putting water bottles in the fridge, but at the rate I drink water, it will soon come down to a decision between water and milk. There's no room for a pitcher, and even if there was, it would take longer to cool than a water bottle. I'm totally befuddled. |
Tuesday, May 16, 2006
Bye-bye my baby, bye-bye
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We've had an online friend staying with us for the last four days. She brought her adorable (any tiny) fourteen-month-old son, Andersson. He is so amazing and precious. He had a blast with the kids, and got really attached to me. When I walked in the room, he'd hold out his arms for me, even if he was with his mom. He'd climb up on my lap when he was tired and I'd hum, rock and kiss him to sleep. I thought it was going to be really hard to put them on a plane today, after all the midlife crisis-ing I've been doing these past two years. It wasn't. That acute twinge when I see a baby is gone. The feeling of emptiness in my arms has left me. I can hold, cuddle and enjoy a baby without feeling an ache when I hand him back over to his mother. I thought for sure I'd shrivel up and die if I never had another baby. I won't. Thank you, Andersson, thank you Lord. |
Tuesday, May 9, 2006
Places in the Heart
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My irregular heartbeat is acting up again these days, so I might not be blogging a lot. I'm sleeping 14 hours a day, behaving like a lump of broccoli on the sofa and just generally praying without ceasing. It's been 6 years. I really thought this was over and done with. Well, at least we're getting some serious "school" work done when I'm awake! We've started a video Spanish course which is a load of fun. Everyone has a computerized math course this year which will be wonderful. We are all reading together again, something our fast-paced (yes, that is supposed to be a joke) life had squeezed out. The kids are also cooking a lot in my absence. Blair made the most delicious red snapper fillets tonight with a roasted garlic sauce, pine nuts, zucchini and raisins. MAN! I have eaten in real-live restaurants with tablecloths and everything where the food wasn't this good. Rachel Ray is my HERO! http://www.rachaelraymag.com/ is her site. |
Friday, May 5, 2006
Superchic[k] Concert
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For an early birthday present, we gave Blair two tickets to a concert by a Christian rock group called "Superchic[k]". The concert was last night and she let me come with her! We had front row seats, which was wonderful and amazing. The music was way too loud, which was terrific! Only once or twice did my hair actually blow back from the bass amp, but most of the time I could feel it thrumbing my innards. This concert never would have happened in Oregon. We lived in a tiny place, and would have had to travel to Portland, not something we could have done just the two of us. I guess it was kinda nice to be close enough to a big city to reap this particular benefit just this once. Superchic[k]'s mission, in case you are unfamiliar with them, is to bring a message of purity and modesty to combat the world's love affair with sex. Their music rocks, for sure, and all but a few of their songs just aren't for the calming moments of communion with the Lord. For someone who grew up and cut her teeth on acid rock, metal rock, psychodelic rock and hard rock, it's a real blessing. I know it's controversial and some will say "the rhythms themselves are unhealthy," but I wish I had positive messages growing up about my worth NOT being dependent upon my body size, who I date and how much skin I can show. Although I was probably the only grey-haired adult who rushed the stage (okay, I didn't have far to go, I just stood up) and jumped (well, as much as I could) and waved my arms, there were teens my size and shape who were right there with me, having a great time and not being concerned about their jiggly underarms. It was contagious. Pretty soon I was waving, hooting and singing along and NOT thinking about how silly I must look. What a wonderful vacation from the hatred I feel every day toward my body. And then looking over at my daughter and seeing that smile... After the concert we met the band (!) and they signed our t-shirt and hat. It was an amazing night! But the very best part of the night happened before the music began. Blair and I went to dinner at a restaurant - the kind with Cloth Napkins. We had an amazing time just the two of us, laughing and crying and spending time together. She is such a great girl, and is becoming such a wonderful woman of God. I'm so glad I know her! |
Sunday, April 16, 2006
Can I be honest?
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I haven't been here in a while. I haven't been anywhere. I got my hands on a Gamecube game called "Harvest Moon: Magical Melodies" to evaluate as a learning tool and got hooked. This game is the new crack. It does have some educational value, although I prefer "Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life" (or "Another Wonderful Life" the girl version) for gamish realism. But it is addicting to the point of obsession for me. Of course, seeing my doppleganger run, jump, ride horses, and just generally do all the things I can't is very satisfying, albeit vicariously. "Living" in a town that isn't overpopulated with angry people, smog and tornadoes is peaceful. Watering and harvesting crops, something I've longed to do since childhood, is fulfilling. I might have to go cold turkey. |
Sunday, April 2, 2006
My family is like a doughnut...
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...because it has a hole in the middle. Kate, my middle child, has gone to visit Grandma for a week in Indiana. It's only two states away, but feels like continents. I have no idea how I will manage without her hugs and sweetness. If I didn't trust so completely in the Lord, I would never let any of my lambs out of my sight. How do worldly moms do it!? |
Tuesday, March 28, 2006
An auscpicious anniversary
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It's been two years since Blair broke her arm. It wasn't just a broken arm, it was a very badly broken arm. The ER nurse said they just don't see bones that demolished outside car accidents. It was about halfway through Tae Kwon Do class. There was a (10 year old black belt) student teacher leading the students through kicks. Blair was practicing her spinning round kick - one of those jump in the air, spin, kick and land things - when she landed wrong. Her right arm went down to catch her and both bones broke. Moms across the room heard it snap and ran to tell me. We laid the pieces of her arm (still enclosed by skin, thankfully) on a board and surrounded them with a magazine. Heavy mailing tape kept the makeshift splint together for the drive to the ER. Everyone helped out. The teacher carried Blair to the car and stayed right in her face to remind her to breathe. One mom gathered up the other children from gymnastics class for me, helped them find their street clothes and bundled them all in the car. Another mom grabbed my purse and the kids' backpacks and bags and took them out. The desk clerk at the gym called the ER to tell them we were coming. The Christian moms gathered in a corner to pray for us all. I grabbed the student teacher and hugged her and reassured her it wasn't her fault. The emergency room was not busy that day. They got Blair hooked up with an IV and pain meds first thing. She went right to sleep. There was a 20 minute wait for the x-ray machine, so I took the kids through a nearby drive through so they could eat. I went with Blair while they wheeled her bed to x-ray and shot films. She was very out of it and chatted about all kinds of things, none of which made much sense. After the x-ray, Dearest finally arrived to take care of the other kids while I stayed with Blair. We are a one-car family and have been almost all the years of our marriage. This was one of the very few times I regretted it. In order for the kids to attend classes, we had to get up and drive Dearest to work so we could have the car. He was more than a half hour away when I called him with this newsflash, and had to find someone to drive him to the hospital. The ER doctor paged an orthopedic surgeon to set the bones. I stayed in the room while they put Blair under and repaired the damage. The surgeon was Christian and noticed my cross. We even attended the same church (different services, so I didn't know him personally) and it was wonderful having his calm and peace around. We spent 10 hours in the ER that day. I managed to keep my cool until three days later when it just kind of hit all at once. All in all, Blair was in a hard cast for six weeks, a splint for another six and in physical therapy for more than four months. Two years later, she still feels achy when it's going to rain, and her bones are curved. She can't turn her wrist all the way over, but it doesn't keep her from doing whatever she wants. The doctor has offered surgery to straighten the bone if she feels she needs it, but she's not wanting to go down that road. I don't blame her! It was an amazing learning experience for all of us, and even though it was terrifying, painful and difficult, God brought us through with many blessings and graces. |
Wednesday, March 15, 2006
Pass the kleenex, please
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Every so often, someone will say just exactly the wrong thing to me. They don't know it, but one innocent comment and I'm a teary mess for days. Right now I'm nearing the end (I hope and pray) of a midlife crisis. I wasn't ready to be done having babies. I wasn't ready to start going gray and soft in the middle. I wasn't ready to see a son married. It has all kind of come to the forefront of my mind this week with Rose's sixth birthday. We made a trip to the grocery store, to buy her cake and special meal items. She was very excited and was telling everyone she saw about her special day. The checkout clerk (who knows us but somehow doesn't hide when she sees us coming) said to me, "Well, I'll bet you're relieved to be done with the 'kid' part of your life!" I immediately recognized the anti-child bias. "Diapers? Eww! Teething and potty training? Yuck! Get them to first grade and out of my hair!" is the unspoken meaning. No surprise. Sad, but common. But for some reason it really hit me. If we participated in public schooling, this birthday would mark the end of my interrupted days. I could go back to work part time, I could have a hobby, a pet, a life. But are children an interruption? No, they are so much of my life that the thought of life without them is painful. And painful is the thought of this transition. Rose - my baby - my very last baby - isn't my baby anymore, but a little girl. The temptation to keep her a baby is real and strong. But, to every purpose there is a season and holding on to summer doesn't keep the leaves from falling. The past 12 months have held so many changes and transitions. Many have been painful and begrudging. I know I would be handling them much better if I could let go of what was and trust God for what will be. But I'm not ready. Lord, make me ready. |
Monday, March 6, 2006
Rich Aunt, Poor Mom
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Katherine and I were remembering the precious time we spent with my sister over the Christmas holiday. We had just arrived at our new home. As the movers pulled out so did we. We drove six hours that night and arrived at my sister's house at midnight - just in time to see Christmas Day in. Kay has a beautiful house. It's huge, in a lovely neighborhood, and on a large parcel of land. She had the whole house decorated for Christmas down to the handtowels and paper plates! We oohed and aahed over the china in the cabinet and its Bible verses. We marvelled at her spotless bathrooms, little guest-sized soaps and perfectly made beds. Her kitchen was the cleanest room I've been in since my gallbladder surgery. "Mom, Aunt Kay is really rich, isn't she?" Katherine asked me yesterday. "Well, honey, she and her husband are both lawyers, the both have a second jobs and no children, so I guess they do have more money than a lot of people." I was gearing up for the "rich in love" discussion just in case this was a question motivated by envy. "I can tell. Her house is so CLEAN." Well, that wasn't what I was expecting! Turns out Katherine had been noticing rooms on HGTV and magazine covers and all those houses looked just like my sister's. Perfectly decorated, gleaming glass, fresh flowers replaced daily, no dirty clothes or dishes to be found. By the time we had packed up to leave Kay's house (after only 3 days) she had lots of little fingerprints on the glass. There were threads and little pieces of cut paper on the carpet, her bookshelves were no longer alphabetical, and the yard had definite footpaths from the constant use. I asked Kay how long she thought it would take to get it all back to normal. "Oh, not long. The girl comes to clean tomorrow, but I was thinking of cancelling this week. I'm not sure I'm ready to have the memory of our time together washed off yet." She always knows just what to say. |
Sunday, February 26, 2006
Goodbye Ten!
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It's a birthday weekend in our house. Katherine will go to bed a ten-year-old and wake up eleven! We tend to celebrate birthdays for a whole weekend at our house because there's more to do than can be accomplished in one short day. Saturday we went to the mall and bought Katherine a cowboy hat. She looks so great in hats, and here in cowboy country it just seemed appropriate. Plus it goes well with her BIG present. She was there and tried it on so we know we got the right size and shape. We went to see "Eight Below" at the theatre in the mall and really enjoyed it. A couple of Katherine's best friends are "snow" dogs. Ah, if we weren't allergic, I just know we'd have at least one dog. We didn't get home until almost 10PM, a very rare event for us indeed! Sunday morning we all slept in and enjoyed a quiet morning together. Rose made hot dogs for lunch with very little help and assisted Blair in making burritos for dinner. After dinner, Katherine made sundaes for everyone. See, none of us are particularly cake eaters. And we have eight birthdays to celebrate from January to June, which makes for a LOT of cake! So instead of doing the cake thing, we each choose what we want for our treat. We've had a great time feasting on birthday sundaes, birthday pies, birthday cookies, birthday chocolate fondue, even birthday toasted marshmallows - all sporting the appropriate candles. The plan for Sunday night includes a call to Katherine's best friend who lives 2500 miles away. During the call she will open the present the friend sent so they can share the moment. Monday, Katherine's true birthday, she will choose her breakfast, lunch and dinner, be excused from all chores, and just generally be treated like the princess she is! After dinner we will have a special time as a family to tell her birth story and go through the photo album we keep for her. We'll sing many happy birthday songs to her and she'll open her gifts. Gifts? This year they include a DVD of a recent Wallace and Gromit movie, a new My Little Pony for her collection, and the BIGGIE: a fiddle and lessons. |