Random Tidbits

* If you are a part of our family, almost all of your pants, shorts, and capris will be denim, navy or khaki. It's not that I have no imagination, it just works out that way and it's easy to match stuff. Sometimes I have to laugh when I hang out the laundry. Okay, maybe I don't have much imagination. But at least our shirts are all different colors!

* Logan - now 5 years old - still takes naps a lot of the time. If he doesn't, he sometimes falls asleep at the supper table - which is what he did at his birthday supper before he even opened his presents.

* I have 10 gallons of blueberries in my freezers! Thank you, Jesus! And thank-you Twila and my in-laws for giving us some of them!

* If I pick any more berries, I can sell them for $35/gallon. Anyone want some?

* I've entered that stage of pregnancy called "really nice hair"!! I really enjoy it because I know it will fall out like crazy when "Little Herman" is about 5 months old. :-(

* The baby's name (until it's born) is Herman. Like it?

* In desperation, we came up with a new child-training technique. Boys who fight will eat oatmeal for the next meal. We are seeing results, and I just pray I can keep being consistent with it. There was a day or two when they had oatmeal for two meals!

* Josiah says lots of words now: airplane, truck, please, thank-you, bread, bottle, to name a few. He often mimics words which is so cute.

* Josiah is also getting to the "so you really think You're the boss, eh?" stage. Lord, give me strength!

* In the past three weeks plus a bit, we have: sent Keith and Caleb to a reserve up north for three days, left the kids with sitters and gone to Winnipeg for a 2.5 day conference, planned and executed a "big" birthday party for Logan's fifth, gone to Church camp-out for the weekend, had company for 3 nights, and picked a pile of blueberries. Maybe that's why I haven't blogged much!!

* After months of fatigue and sporadic exercise I'm trying to get back into a regular exercise routine.

* Life has slowed down a bit and I'm actually getting caught up around here. I have this week to get my act together (hahahaha) and then we start school.

* This coming Friday we have a baby-sitter lined up and some of us ladies get to have a whole day of kid-free scrap-booking. Yippee!

* Even though I'm almost 20 weeks pregnant, I still need a nap almost every day. Is it because I'm older or is something else going on??

* Caleb got out the Monopoly game this morning and we started a game before church. It was the first time he played and the first time for me in years and years. It was kinda fun. Especially since I smoked him. :-) (And I wonder why he's so competitive?!?)

* After what seemed like weeks (probably wasn't though) of various kids waking up during the night for various reasons, the last 4 nights have been blissfully quiet and Keith and I have been sleeping like absolute rocks for the most part. It's so wonderful to wake up feeling rested!

* My garden has been woefully neglected this summer. Why do I even try to garden?

* The porch renovation that was started in May is not completed yet, but the end might be in sight. Although Keith informed me that it won't get stained this year. I suspected as much.

* Me to Keith yesterday: "One thing I've learned in the last seven years is that I'm NOT superwoman!"

* I'm going to bed now!

I Don't Get No Respect Around Here

Here's a rough reconstruction of a recent conversation around here...

Caleb: "Mom, what does it feel like to be an old lady?"

Me: "I don't know. You'd have to ask one!"

Caleb (with a mischevious grin): "I just did."

Me: "I don't mind because I'm so much smarter than the young people." (I figured that would get his goat!)

Caleb: "Well when you're so old that you forget everything, I'll know more than you."


I can't win!


Well, just so you all know, I'm still alive and well. The summer madness around here is starting to slow down and I've been able to catch my breath a little. It's bedtime now, but soon I will post more details and pictures of what's been going on around here. I know you just can't wait - right, Lisa?? :-)

Because I'm Crazy

I shouldn't be doing this, but here's just a little post to let you know what's up. Keith and I are leaving in 4 hours to go to Winnipeg for the Leadership Summit. We've been planning to go for a long time, but it kinda snuck up on me. :-/ Anyway, my "not caring" last weekend is catching up with me. Oh well, some stuff just won't get done. I'm looking forward to the time alone with Keith and hopefully relaxing some, although the Summit schedule is fairly intense. So, now I need to finish packing, orchestrate lunch, run some errands, take a nap and get out the door to deliver the boys to sitters by 3:00. Hahahahahaha. Talk to you later!

A Little Of This, A Little Of That

Sing with me now... "Our Bible School is over and we are going home. Good-bye. Good-bye. Be always kind and good!" Remember that song? No, we didn't sing it. But, VBS is history for another year and it was good. We had a team of two girls from CEF (Child Evangelism Fellowship) who did the teaching and games. We were responsible for snacks, crafts, and taking care of the kids. It wasn't a big crowd (27 at the most) but the kids seemed to really enjoy it. I was amazed how they sat and just drank in the Bible stories and teaching. They heard the gospel very clearly. We have a few little boys who want to start coming to Sunday School which is exciting. One is a neighbor just down the road.

The team's supervisor was here for a few days and stayed at our house. It was good to have her here and get to know her. Last night she and the team were here for supper. Afterwards, the girls played and played with Logan. He thought he had the world by the tail!!

This week Keith decided to go up north to a reserve and help our friends, Arthur and Iris, build their house. They left yesterday morning and will come back some time Monday. John M., a carpenter from here also went along. Leonard H. (IA) went in there for the week. We decided to send Caleb along too, which of course, is very exciting for him! Two plane rides and he gets to play with his friends! And of course, Logan was very sad that he couldn't go! How do you decide whose turn it is??? We promised him fun stuff here and maybe chicken hunting with Daddy in the fall.

This morning we tried Iris' 3-grain pancake recipe. I thought this was a good time since I'm pretty sure Keith wouldn't be into trying a new recipe (he's the Sat. morning pancake maker around here.) It was pretty good, but I don't think Keith will be convinced to switch from his whole wheat buttermilk recipe.

The next fun thing we did was have a nice long visit with Twila (formerly from here, now living in IA). That was so nice!!! We ended our visit with lunch at the Chip Van (and Josiah wouldn't eat fries!?!?!) and plans to maybe pick blueberries on Monday.

After our naps, we went out for ice cream (one of Logan's bribes). :-) I found out that when it's 80 degrees and sunny, it's impossible for me to eat an ice cream cone faster than it melts! Logan was an absolute mess! It was pretty funny. I put them in the tub as soon as we got home - and then Josiah pooped in the tub. Sigh. That's life, eh? We're going to have tomato soup from a can for supper! Yeah!

I decided that this weekend I'm going to ignore the list of things I "should" do and just do what I want to do. :-) Well, I will change diapers, feed the kids something, and get ready for leading worship tomorrow. If I list all the things I'm not caring about it will make me feel good, so here goes: fold a load of laundry, clean anything, cook real meals, cut the boys' hair, work on the budget, put stuff away from VBS, assorted paperwork, weed the garden and thin the carrots and beets, sign up for DSL internet (well, that one actually sounds like fun so I might do it! Yay, we're getting DSL!!!). Instead, I think I might pick blueberries, finish a swag I started 3 years ago, and put some old black & white pics in frames and on the wall - another project I started almost 3 years ago. Why does it take so long to get some things done?? Anyway, I think it would be really fun to get those two projects done tomorrow afternoon/evening. We'll see. It would also be fun to watch a movie. I bought "Anna and the King" somewhere for really cheap and haven't watched it yet. Anyone wanna come watch it with me tomorrow night? We could make peanut butter popcorn! I think I'll call my sisters-in-law... (The ones who live here. Sorry, Rhonda and Darla) :-(

Are you bored to tears yet?? I need to go make that can of soup since it's 6:40! I'm sitting on the patio with the lap-top while the kids play outside. How cool is that? And I just looked up at our apple tree and I see apples on it that look almost ripe! Neat! Okay, that's really all for now.

The Stuff That Rattles Around In My Head

Here’s proof that I’ve lost it, I mean relaxed!! Many of you know that I’ve been really picky about what my kids eat. Yes, I’ve been relaxing over the years. But this year’s Norseman Days was sort of a culmination as it were. (Maybe I’m being over-dramatic??) The boys had some money to spend and the first thing they bought? Whoopie pies. I really didn’t mind, but I knew they also had their hearts set on cotton candy. (They’ve never had the stuff before.) So, they had both in the space of an hour or so. Then we had burgers and fries for supper. Boy, have I arrived or what! :-) Oh, and I let Josiah have a sucker too.

Anyway, we had fun at Norseman Days. It really only takes me about 30 minutes to be done if it’s hot – which it was – but the boys had fun. We were going to go back on Sunday afternoon but we were too tired, hot, and lazy. Keith worked a night shift at the ambulance on Sat. so he couldn’t watch the fireworks with us. We discovered last year that we can see them pretty well from the patio. So I put the boys to bed a bit early, putzed around and then made hot chocolate. I woke them up when the fun started – with great difficulty. Caleb ended up being too scared to stay out and watch them. He laid on my bed and watched through the window. I think if Keith had been there to hold him he would’ve watched – but I can only hold one kid at a time! Amazingly, they were very good fireworks for our little village!

Did I mention that I’m in charge of VBS this year? It’s been quite an, um, adventure! I’ve been blessed by all the people that are willing to help. So, tonight was our first night. It went really well, except that there were only 18 kids there. That was really disappointing. Now I’m asking all of you to PRAY for more kids. We’ve advertised a lot so the word is out there, everyone just needs motivation and to remember about it. Please join us in praying!

I’m reading “Hind’s Feet On High Places” right now. What a good book! I can’t believe I haven’t read it before!! I feel like the author must know me and my heart. In case you haven’t read it, it’s an allegory about Much-Afraid and her journey from the Valley of Humiliation to the High Places and the Kingdom of Love. Part of the reason I can relate so well is because fear is one of the major strongholds that God has been freeing me from. I really recommend the book!!

The other day I got really fed up (no pun intended!) with the way I eat. I’ve known for a long time that chronic over-eating is a big problem for me. But it’s always something I’ll deal with “next time” – which never comes! And it’s pretty much a given that if you chronically over-eat, you will be chronically over-weight. Sigh. That’s me! So, the other day I decided to see how many days I can go without over-eating. I’m not sure what to think about tonight. I wasn’t really hungry at snack time at VBS but I munched anyway. I didn’t feel over-full afterwards and now I feel hungry… Anyway, if I don’t count that, I think I can say it’s been three days now, with just a few questionable times in there. Maybe I should say no over-eating and no eating when I don’t feel hungry. I don’t know if you want to hear about any of this, but I need to say it. Let’s just pretend this is Over-Eaters Anonymous. “Hello, my name is Jenni and I’m an Over-Eater.” But, by the grace of God – and ONLY by His grace, that is going to change!

Okay, that’s enough for now! It’s time to head for bed. It’s another hot night. And Josiah is working on his eyeteeth and was awake a bunch last night. I hope he sleeps better tonight!! Night-night!

Pretty Flowers

Sick Flowers!

The purple petunias started blooming in a lavender color. I thought that was odd. Soon after, the plants started to wilt and eventually they died, and took along with them a butterfly weed and a sunflower. The rest of the purple petunias seemed fine, but now some of them are turning lavendar... Any ideas?

Little Morsels of News

*Recent discoveries:
1) My boys can break things faster than Keith can fix them (i.e. cupboard door and toilet seat).
2) If a roll of toilet paper gets wet and then dries, it reminds me a lot of the t.p. I encountered in Russia!

*We’re over the flu virus. Yay.

*Caleb and Logan were able to enjoy three of the four days of VBS at the Lutheran Church.

*Most of my flowers are blooming quite nicely and I’m really enjoying them. Sadly, the weeds in my garden are doing just as well. I find I’m much more motivated to weed the flowerbeds than the garden. :-) My big flowerbed beside the patio is really pretty – mostly. There’s now a patch about 2’ x 2’ that just died. For no apparent reason. Three different kinds of flowers died. Maybe I’ll post pictures and let you diagnose it.

*Yesterday I was looking through the Sonlight catalogue and I felt my first twinges of anticipation for the coming school year. If you know Sonlight at all, we’re going to go “backwards” and put Caleb and Logan both in Core C (Caleb did Core 1 last year). Caleb will have his own readers and language arts. There was just no way Logan would be ready for Core 2 and I really want to get them going on the same core. I’ll just have to supplement more reading, etc. for Caleb. I don’t know what Math to do for Logan. Abeka, Horizons, Math-it??? Does anyone know, is Math-it a complete program, or is it just a supplement??

*A question I’m contemplating: When will my “pride” in not wearing maternity tops yet give way to my humiliation of looking more fat than pregnant?? I’m guessing I have a week to go – max.

*My hubby had his 35th birthday this week. We had cake and ice cream at the beach with our cell group. He grilled his own steak for supper. I did manage to make the rest of the meal.

*This week I finally balanced the checkbook and the budget for the first time in months. Sigh. It feels so good to have it caught up again. And sorta frustrating to see how much it costs to live.

*Caleb has been in book-worm mode lately and I sometimes have to tell him to put the book away and go play!

*At the supper table last night: Me, explaining the food to Logan, “They’re dumplins’, just like you’re my little dumplin.” Logan: No I’m not, I’m a monkey!

*Josiah is getting into repeating lots of words. He’s becoming quite a little talker, one word at a time.

*This weekend is Nsmn Days (street festival with an airplane theme, for those of you not from here). We started the fun by taking in the “free” hot dogs and pop tonight. (Free with the purchase of an expensive week-end pass.) Of course, I made the kids eat something healthy before we went. :-) Keith is working nights at the ambulance tomorrow night so he probably can’t watch the fireworks with us. But, we discovered last year that we can see them quite well from our patio. So, I’ll just take the boys out there to watch them. Wanna come? I can make popcorn.

Why?

...do my little guys have trouble sharing toys, but no problem sharing viruses? Oddly, we have the flu going around our house in the midle of the summer. Logan had it on Friday, Josiah got it yesterday, and today Caleb is laying on the couch sleeping (a SURE sign that something isn't right!!) Thankfully, it doesn't seem to last long and there's no puking involved. Mostly just a fever and tiredness. Oops, Logan just said his throat still hurts. :-( So, now we're all headed for bed. Should be a quiet afternoon...

Family Camp-out

I hardly took any pictures at camp-out. I think I was burned out. Anyway, I'll get some of Helen's for my scrapbook. She and Erica took a couple hundred, I think. :-) So, do you think these little guys are too old for bottles? :-) The picture of the sunset over Blue Lake is for Rhonda. Sigh.

The Beautiful North Shore

Strawberries and Sandals from Heaven

On our way out of Duluth, we saw a van selling fresh strawberries. Keith was in a real "take it easy" mode so he whipped around and went back. We bought a gallon of the best strawberries we've ever had. (Keep in mind that we don't get very good berries here in the store.) The five of us polished off the whole gallon in two days. :-)

Less than an hour later, Keith stopped at a "tourist trap" place. I was being grumpy and didn't want to be there. It was some kind of logging camp museum. We didn't go through the museum, just looked around the store. The boys begged for cheap toys and I just looked around and wished I wasn't there. Then I found these sandals that were exactly what I've been wishing for for a very long time. It took me a bit to adjust to the idea of buying shoes right then and there. I take a purchase like that very seriously! :-) Anyway, I got them and I love them! They are comfortable, cute and can be both casual and dressy. I'm sure glad we stopped at that dumb tourist trap!

Fun at Michael and Connies

Connie and me. Logan helping feed the baby goat. Caleb and Caitlyn being monkeys. They played and played together.

Family Reunion

From the top: Grandma and Uncle Del. Grandma turned 90 in March and still flew to the reunion! All of the aunts and uncles with Grandma. Logan and his new cousin/friend, Brendan. They were two peas in a pod! Sheldon, Alicia, Brent and me doing our best Gaither rendition. Or whatever. The infamous Mafia game.

A Week (Or Two) In Review

Okay people, brace yourselves. Here comes the report from our trip! It really was a good time. I was so excited about the S. reunion. I hadn’t seen Grandma since 2001 and also some cousins that were there I hadn’t seen for many years. There are 25 grandkids in the family and 18 of us were there. At least 3 of those who didn’t come had good excuses such as living 10,000 miles away, or being a farmer with cows to milk or hay to make… There were a whole pile of little second cousins from age 8 on down – and the majority were boys it seemed. Someone commented that had Matthews been there it would have evened things out quite a bit!! We missed you guys!

We had a really great weekend together. There was lots of sitting around and talking, looking at pictures, playing games, keeping track of all the kiddos, swimming, volleyball, softball… On Sunday night we had a “talent show”. I was surprised by all the musical talent in the family. I guess it had escaped my notice before that a lot of us enjoy music and singing. It was neat to see some of the teenagers and little kids sing and play instruments. Afterwards, some of us (mostly older ones!) sat around and sang old hymns for a while.

On Sunday night a game of Mafia got started and it got pretty rowdy and crazy. I was dumb and stayed up until 2:00 a.m., just so we could all lie to each other. If you don’t know how to play, I can’t explain it here, but it’s a game of bluffing, lying, intrigue etc. And it’s really fun. It’s funny to see who’s really good at lying, uh, I mean bluffing and who’s not.

After the reunion, we drove over to Michael and Connie’s near Grand Rapids. We stayed there for the night and the kids had great fun. Logan got to help feed a baby goat. It was so good to connect with them again and get to know their kids a bit more.

From there we headed over to the North Shore. At Duluth, the weather went from hot to chilly in about 20 minutes. As we were getting close to our campground, it was raining. I wasn’t too thrilled about the idea of setting up camp and cooking in the rain!! But, it stopped for the most part while we set up camp and we put up a tarp right away too. We were at Gooseberry Falls State Park for two nights and we had a great relaxing day there. We walked and walked and saw Lake Superior and a bunch of waterfalls. You could walk right up to and around them if you wanted to which was neat.

The second night there we made our best ever campfire meal, I think. I took Iris’ idea of making pizza pockets with bannock dough, and took the filling ideas from a frozen pizza we had on Father’s Day. So, it was bannock pizza pockets filled with: pizza sauce, cheese, diced chicken breast, and sautéed onions, mushrooms, and spinach. It was so good (but a lot of work)! One night last week I made a pizza with those toppings and everyone loved it.

The next day we headed up the North Shore. We stopped just a few places to look at cool stuff and then just motored for Canada. We were going to camp at Kakabeka Falls, but the closer we got, the more I didn’t feel like camping for just one night. So, we went to the Falls and cooked our supper at a picnic table, looked at the Falls (pretty amazing) and then got a motel for the night. It was your basic low-budget room, but the bed was so comfortable and I slept great. And, there was a laundrymat (that’s how they spelled it!) close by so I did some laundry in the morning, which was great!

Next stop, Blue Lake. My whole family was there except Matthews, Sam, and Tyler. :-( We missed you!!! The weather was pretty nice until Sunday when it rained, but once again, the Mother Of All Tarps came to the rescue. Sheldon said it was luck that they put it up right on the edge of the fire pit so we could sit under the tarp, but still be beside the fire.

On Sat. night some of us went to "town" and went mini-golfing. I have to mention that I beat my hubby by one point – mostly because he was being careless at the end. I also should acknowledge that Mervin beat me by one point (but he was in the other group.) On Sunday Rachel and I had to go into town for groceries (this was during the “rainy season”) and she needed poutine so we had a nice little respite at the restaurant. I splurged and got gravy with my fries. Unfortunately, I think I'm wearing that gravy (and a bunch of other vacation food) on my heinie now!

Sheldon’s, Rachel, Dad and Dru and us stayed until Monday. I was wondering why we were staying when it was raining and I was tired, but then we stayed up late by the fire and reminisced and sang goofy songs. (I’m sorry, Matthew, that we had to sing the MooMoo song without you. It made me miss you! But I was pretty impressed that Rachel and I remembered it all.)

So, it was a good trip, but I was Exhausted by the end – well, long before the end. We decided on the way home that camping vacations will be at a minimum for a few years until our kids are a bit older. It was a relief to think I might not have to do that for maybe three years (except for weekends with family and church).

Last week, the party just continued for us. Keith’s Mom’s brothers and sister and spouses all came up for a visit. That was memorable. We had fun going out on the lake, having brunch on the patio with the ladies, etc. They were staying in a “cabin” at a camp down the road from us, which had a hot tub. So I went over one night and sat in the hot tub with two of Keith’s aunts (Esther and Lorna for those of you who would know them). We had a hoot. For awhile it rained on us which was really funny. I, being rather sheltered, had never been in such a luxury hot tub before. It felt so good!

And, to top off a busy and fun week, Iris and I got to go out for breakfast on Sat. morning before she headed back home. That was refreshing!!

Now, it’s back to “normal” life – whatever that is! I feel like summer is just now beginning for me. Before our trip there was the busyness of finishing school, spring yard and garden work, and getting ready for the trip. Now I feel like we can slow down a little and enjoy summer. We’re going to try to get to the beach at least once this week. I still have some catching up to do in the garden and on the computer, but I’m trying not to stress about it and just plug away at it a little at a time. Oh, and tomorrow I have my first prenatal appointment. Yay, I get to hear the heartbeat! Oh, and (how many of those do I get?), since we’re home, I can tell that I’m starting to feel better! I can get really hungry sometimes without feeling queasy. The nausea is not totally gone, but mostly. Whew! I’m still tired, but not as totally exhausted as I was. Man, is it ever a relief! Okay, congratulations to any of you who are still reading! I’ll try to post pictures of our trip in the next day or two.

Gratefulness

We’re back!!! Is it ever good to be home. Traveling and first trimester trials don’t go together very well. But it was a good trip and we made a lot of good memories. But… I’m not writing about our trip just yet. I just want to share a story of God’s faithfulness and goodness to us yesterday!

Yesterday afternoon, Josiah was running down the hall, tripped, and fell down the stairs. I heard him crying and then Logan hollering, “Come, Josiah fell down the steps!” By the time I got there, Keith had already got to him. He was lying on his tummy with his head turned kinda funny. Keith picked him up carefully and Josiah did move his head and was crying hard. I can’t remember very well – it all happened so fast – but I think he was doing that really hard cry where you don’t breathe for awhile. We both sat down on the coffee table and Keith was holding him. All of a sudden, he stopped crying and his eyes went totally blank, not responding at all. Keith kept calling his name and he didn’t respond. It seemed like forever but was probably only 10 or 15 seconds – who knows. I finally pulled myself out of my stunned panic long enough to squeak out, “Jesus touch him!” or something like that. Immediately, his eyes focused and he started crying. I was never so relieved in my life!!!!!!!!!!!!!! He cried for a little bit and sat on my lap awhile, and then got down to play! Then I lost it! :-/ It took awhile for it all to soak in and we finally realized that he came out of it as soon as I called on Jesus. After a bit I asked Keith, “What do we do now?” and I sensed God say to me, “Give me the glory.”

So, that’s what I’m doing! We don’t know if it was a small seizure, or something else much worse, but I’m so thankful to my Jesus for intervening in Josiah’s little body! I don’t know how many times today I’ve looked at him or held him close and thanked God that he’s fine and unhurt!! What a mighty and good God we serve!

Ramblings

Hello Friends! I’m still alive, believe it or not! Thanks for all of your congratulations. J It was fun to “break it to you” that way. Thanks, Rhonda for the meme that inspired me! I’ll try to update you on our lives a little bit…

Now that you know I’m pregnant, I can use that as an excuse for not updating much lately. J It’s crazy how with every pregnancy, the fatigue and nausea hit at basically the same time – 6 weeks. So, I have been just barely maintaining stuff around here. I’m a fairly hard-working, goal-oriented person, but it’s been really freeing to just not care about all the stuff that isn’t getting done around here! J That philosophy works pretty well most of the time, except that now…

We’re getting ready to go on a little trip – our holidays for the summer. Why does this “always” happen during my first trimester?? Anyway, there are certain things (laundry, packing, etc.) that must be done by Friday noon, so now I’m feeling some pressure.

We’re heading out Friday and stopping in the “big city” so Keith can take a driving test. I’m going to get Caleb’s picture taken at Wal-Mart and we want to stop in and see Debby and her addition that’s underway. Then we’re headed down to Sheldon’s for the night. The next day we’re going to a reunion on my first Dad’s side of the family. Yay! We haven’t had one for 15 – 17 years, or something like that. I haven’t seen Grandma since 2001! So, it should be a lot of fun. It sounds like there’s going to be a good turn-out.

After that, we’re headed over to the other side of MN to camp up the North Shore of Lake Superior. I’ve wanted to do that for a long time, so now is our chance. I hope I’m not too tired to really enjoy it! We might get to see our friends Mike and Connie on the way across MN too. J Then by Friday we will be at Blue Lake (a wonderful place!) where my family will be camping for the weekend. Then home again on Monday (a holiday for us Canadians.)

So, in “honor” of our up-coming trip, my dear hubby is outside working on putting a roof-rack on our van. Why does every mini-van in the world have a roof-rack except ours? Frugal Toyota?? Anyway, he got one off of a van at the junk yard, and today he and his Dad put it on ours. It looks pretty spiffy! Right now he’s putting the ceiling liner back up. What a job! Of course there are a few glitches… Have you ever thought about how much stuff you have to take off to take down the ceiling liner? Just take a look at your van ceiling some day! Anyway, now we can borrow a car-top-carrier from some friends and actually take all the stuff we need for camping and maybe even the boys’ bikes.

We finally finished school last week. We had really slowed down with spring here and me not feeling well, but we managed to finally finish – except for some science activities which I hope they can continue through the summer.

Well, it’s now a couple days later and we’re on the road. It’s fun to have a lap-top so I can do computer stuff while we drive. Then I wonder, is this what I really want to be doing?? J Anyway, we did manage to leave almost on time and so far I haven’t discovered anything that I’ve forgotten except my fingernail polish. So I bought some at Wal-Mart.

I feel sorry for little Josiah right now. Yesterday morning I had a “dumb moment” and turned on my curling iron where he could reach it. He got a dandy little burn on his thumb, and had a terrible fit when I put a band-aid with aloe vera on it. Now today he’s rubbed some of the skin off and has a patch of raw skin. L I’m concerned that it’s going to get infected. Tonight I’m putting a band-aid and polysporin on it and hopefully he’ll keep it on all night. Also, last night he was outside and got tons of bug bites. Some of them get so big and red! He got one on his finger or hand – can’t tell where the actual bite is – and today his finger and a bunch of his hand is all swollen. It looks nasty. L Poor little guy!! And, he doesn’t seem to like traveling very much. He only slept 30 or 45 minutes in the van today.

I guess that’s enough rambling for this time. I’ll try to post soon after we home. Hahahahaha. Well, I’ll try!

A Meme - you figure out the theme!

I AM: very tired.

I WANT: to sleep for a very long time.

I WISH: that I had the energy to exercise right now.

I HATE: being nauseated all the time.

I MISS: having energy.

I FEAR: gaining too much weight.

I HEAR: my biological clock ticking – but it doesn’t matter anymore. :-)

I WONDER: if it could really be pink this time?

I REGRET: not losing another 15 pounds.

I AM NOT: going to gain more than 30 pounds in the next 6 months!

I DANCE: when I see two blue lines.

I SING: “One little, two little, three little Grabers. Four little, five…” no, wait, just four!

I TRY: to cook something even when I don’t feel like it.

I CRY: whenever I feel like it. I’m hormonal, okay?

I LAUGH: when I think how I blatantly lied to and/or deliberately mis-led some of you recently.

I AM NOT ALWAYS: on top of things around the house. Who am I kidding? I’m never on top of things right now!!

I MAKE WITH MY HANDS: baby afghans.

I WRITE: the weeks on the calendar. Currently we’re at 9.

I CONFUSE: lots of things right now.

I NEED: a maid, clothes that fit and flatter (hahaha) my odd figure!

I (am)FINISH(ed): keeping secrets!!!

I START: wondering what day in January our lives will change forever!

I TAG: Wendy!!

"Anything Worth Doing Is Worth Over-doing!" and other nuggets from my week

Yes, that's my life motto it seems! My sister-in-law, Wendy, and I have been talking about doing work days together. So yesterday we had a baking day. We both wanted to get some stuff in the freezer. And it seemed like a good time because my niece, Sara, is here so she could help with the kids. I wish I would've taken my camera, but I didn't, so I don't have pictures of the amazing results. But we made: 28 loaves of bread, almost 11 doz. cinnamon rolls, and 10 doz. muffins. (Let's hear it for Bosch mixers!!) Sara helped too and it went pretty well, except for none of the kids taking good naps with all the excitement going on.

My friend, Phyllis (wonder-woman seamstress) did another sewing project for me (chair cushion and a pillow) and I'm paying her with baking. So, I got a good start on that yesterday, plus I have a bunch of stuff in the freezer.

The sun is now shining after weeks of mostly rain. So, I really hope we can get some planting done today. I don't know if the garden is still too wet, but I can for sure work on flowerbeds and containers. Yay! Forget the housework until the planting's done!

My friend, Mary-Jane, has been staying here this week. It's nice to have her around again. She's here because her Mom passed away one year ago yesterday and the Native tradition is to have a memorial then. So she was here for that and we went last night to be with her. There was a meal with lots of her Mom's favorite foods and then a program after. I think it's a really great tradition. Since I've lost both of my parents, I can see the value in having a time like that to remember and honor a person and acknowledge the on-going grief and healing.

I should post a picture of our lawn - or not! As I've complained about before, it's been raining off and on for two weeks. Not good for lawn care!! And then when Keith did try to mow, our mower had a broken part. So he borrowed his Dad's mower and did about half of the lawn, and then his mower wasn't working right either! So, it's just getting longer and longer, and the dandelions have gone to seed and look hideous! Sigh. He's planning to do something about it today! "Please, Lord, let it come to pass!"

It's 7:30 am and Keith and the boys have gone out for breakfast with some guys from Iowa that come up every year to fish. So, I'm going for a walk (Sara and Josiah are sleeping) and then I'm going to make waffles with raspberries and whipped cream! I wish you could all (all? I don't even know who all is reading this!) come for breakfast!!!