It's March now....

My goodness, I sure fell off the blogging bandwagon didn't I? We were inundated with birthdays as usually happens each year ;) I'm sharing a few pictures of the adventures. Forgive the blurry one of Quin, but I couldn't resist the adorable smile.

Life has been full of late. Hannah has had several guard competitions. Their group is doing quite well this season taking 2nd place at most of their events. Hannah has signed on for fall guard which means she'll march with the band at football games and competitions as well. It seems early to be thinking of next school year already but we've had our "welcome to high school" meeting for 8th grade parents and the official marching band meetings as well. Hannah has to have her course requests in the computer by last week. It'll be here before we know it!

Quin is still getting into everything, but still cute as ever. He loves playing in the mud and I discovered paying full price for rain boots at Target was a worthy purchase. Washing off rubber boots is way easier than washing and drying sneakers several times a day. He and Kelly are destroying the backyard, but at least they're having fun right? He gets daily baths, occasionally several and goes through clothes like a teen-ager. He gives mess a whole new meaning. Talking is finally overtaking him too... he'll mimic most everything. His latest daily interaction with Faith is to say "-ock, -ock" to which Faith replies with the typical "Who's there?" and Quin just laughs himself silly with no reply. I think these Knock-Knock jokes are better than the ones that make no sense that we hear from Faith ;)

Jot just finished up "business day" at school where he made Grandma Alexander's hamburger cookies. He established his small business and kept records for expenses, etc. as well as creating his own marketing signs and posters. It was a fun project for him and he seemed to really understand the business concepts that were taught. He continues to do well in school even though he still pushes Emma and Faith around.

Emma is also doing fabulously at school and just loves Mrs. Miller's second grade class. She went to a slumber party for a classmate over the weekend and had a fun time at that brave mom's house. The girls were up most of the night and Emma ended up napping nearly all of Sunday. Too much birthday, as the Berenstein's would say. Her own birthday was a more subdued affair with grandparent's and family. After weeks of indecisiveness, she choose Max and Erma's carryout for her birthday dinner. I will admit that it had been a very long time since I'd had a Max and Erma's burger and it was yummy! She enjoyed her special day and now she is 8!

I began training for my summer part-time job at The Fraze. I'll be working in the box office selling tickets and handling the cash office duties for the pavilion. A few shows have already been announced with the first of those going on sale this Saturday. So far the biggest named event is Crosby, Stills and Nash. I imagine it'll sell out quite quickly. I think I'll enjoy the work and it will be some nice added income to help with expenses.

Tim and I will also both be working a concession stand at the Dayton Dragons games to raise money for the Band Boosters. We earn voucher credits for each game we work toward Hannah's guard fees. It will also be a great way for us to meet other families in the area. From what others say, it is an absolute blast working these games. I'll be available for more games that Tim, but we've signed up for several together so if you're in the area, stop by :)

If you are not local to me, you might have read in the news about our big snowstorm/possible blizzard that hit a couple weeks ago. I guess it has been decided that there wasn't enough wind to classify it as an official blizzard, but it was a lot of snow for here. Not much compared to the mountains, but good enough :) It was pretty, but didn't last hardly at all. I've included a picture of Kelly at the back fence to give you an idea of the depth. I think we topped out at 14 inches. It is gone now though and we're currently, as I type getting a ridiculous amount of rain. Over 4 inches in just over 24 hours.... thank God for our two sump pumps. They are both running about every 15 minutes now. Amazing!

Yes, I'm still alive.

The kids have not killed me yet I just continue to find myself incredibly busy with our new schedule. Well... Quin is giving a good effort at killing me. He is a mess looking for a place to destroy. Unfortunately for Kelly, she has been the recipient of much of the mess Quin creates. Knives, cheese, whipped cream, mud, syrup... the imaginative methods to create chaos are infinite in number for the little one.

Hannah's winter guard team has been doing quite well and took first place in their last competition. Jot has been annoying his sisters at a daily pace and Tim and I find ourselves befuddled in what to do to get his attention about the matter. TV restriction doesn't seem to affect him anymore (yes, we too are shocked). Emma has given up her dream of a life of cheerleading since she saw her first guard competition. She has decided 'THAT is what I want to do!" Miamisburg has elementary guard (thus their excellence at the high school level), but as for Springboro, she has several years to wait, so perhaps cheerleading will have to tide her over. Faith is ever eager to begin school and finds being at home boring...especially with Quin. Was I ever bored at her age? Seems to me I was rarely at a loss for stuff to do. Maybe that is where Quin gets it from....

Speaking of which, he has been awfully quiet for some time. I need to go find him.

It's January again

Here is the picture we sent out with our Christmas cards. I will post Tim's letter soon too. It is saved on his computer and I don't have access to it just now. I still have a couple cards that were sent to wrong addresses that need to be redirected... if you are one of them perhaps you'll have it by Easter ;)

Jot is now 11 and so far he seems to be enjoying being so. Last night we had pizza, cake and ice cream. I have to say that I took advantage of the Papa John's deal of three medium pizza's with unlimited topping for $7 each. I picked chicken, bacon, roma tomatoes and mushrooms and boy was it delicious! Anyhow... Dad and Sharon came for presents, cake and ice cream which was nice. I can't remember the last time another of our relatives was at our home for a birthday. Jot has a decisively Cars birthday getting several cars, two playsets (Flo's and Guito's) and a sheet/comforter set (from Mom and Ron). He also got Brother Bear (one and two), clothes and a new bike helmet. Fun was had by all.

I have been overwhelmed with unpacking boxes and trying to find places for things. Christmas/birthdays that seem to fall at the busyiest times of the year! One down and three more to go before the big summer break of birthdays. I began tackling the boys room yesterday trying to get stuff sorted and put away. We need to either thin out the toys or begin rotating them. Poor Quin's toys get pushed behind the Command Station, Fire Engine, TWO police cars, Space Ship and the zillions of big-footed nightmares aka Rescue Heroes. Kelly is finding various gourds, tomatoes and cucumbers in different costumes aka Veggie Tale playsets. The Cars avalanche of last night will only add to this mess so some order is in desperate need. We recently got an additional loft bed/desk/dresser for the room (Craigslist) that matched Jot's old bed so the room will be set for Quin leaving his crib at some point. Now that that furniture is set I can begin finding homes in there for all the stuff. We need to hang another rode in the closet and possible some shelves, but eventually there will be a place for everything (I hope). I'll tackle the little girls' room next. Pollies, Barbies and Doll clothes will be the foe in there.


Christmas was quite enjoyable. Mom and Ron were here a good portion of the time in between their hopping around to visit other folks (and gaining an appreciation for what we endured on trips to Ohio for years). It was wonderful to have them here as well as being able to visit family ourselves. We hosted Tim's family the day after Christmas which went fine for the first time doing that. I'd change a few things for next time, but all in all it went well. Christmas eve was spent at my Granny's with all my aunts/uncles/cousins from my dad's side of the family. It has been over 20 years since I've attended and it was a very fun night for us. Seeing everyone after such a long time was so nice. We were well received and left feeling quite loved and appreciated. A nice thing indeed.

We've continued to visit churches with not much in the way of a good fit. We seem plagued to walk into "if you're a visitor excuse us because this is not the normal service we'd be having".... ugh. I guess it is to be expected around the holidays but it does seem that many people go to a great effort to make church more difficult than it need be. We have intentions of heading up to Faircreek again this weekend. It is a drive and hard to manage with the little ones, but there are good friends there. The encouragement is a valuable thing at this point in time. We are looking forward to hearing the pastor there too (relatively new). We were married in that church (in a different location and different name), served for many years there and have a deep love for many that are still attending 2o-some years later. We continue to pray about when to begin the home study here. There is a desire among some we've talked to for some simple verse-by-verse teaching which is exactly the thing in which Tim excells.

I have rejoined Weight Watchers (actually did last month) and am enjoying my journey back to goal. I attained my Lifetime status back in Philly and then fell into old habits when we moved to the mountians. Without the meetings I tumbled down. I really need, I've discovered, the face to face encouragement of those at the meetings. The support and sharing of ideas cannot be done on my own. The leader I've found here is excellent and reminds me a great deal of two of my favorites from Philly. She is enthusiatic, knowledgable and fun. I think I'll do quite well with her. I've learned that the leaders are a really important part of a good meeting. I've always said if you don't click with your leader, find another one. I've been fortunate to find a leader that is close (a mile maybe) that I like. Go me!

Nearing the end of 2007

I can safely say I have not felt more exhausted on a daily basis ever in my entire life. My body is fighting tooth and nail to getting up early and going to bed early. My years of staying up late with Tim and enjoying the quiet of the house seem to be a thing of the past. I am confident that eventually I WILL adjust, but as of yet, I'm still groggy in the morning. My to-do list seems rather lenghty and while I really am trying to not be perfectionistic in everything I do, it is hard to go to bed knowing so much remains undone. There are still boxes... lots of boxes! Our routines are not yet established for things like paying bills and going to the grocery. Christmas seems to be coming at a very inconvienant time :) Honestly, I think being sick right after we moved threw a wrench into my ability to get stuff done early on and then Faith's birthday, Thanksgiving and now Christmas are upon us. All that said, I do love the house and the neighborhood. The schools are better than we could have hoped and things are really good in all that regard.

I hoped to share some pictures and will do so soon, but off-loading them from my camera is one of the things on my list that I haven't quite gotten to yet :) We got the Christmas card photo taken and back from the printers. The letter is written and waiting to print and the cards are sitting on my dresser ready to be addressed and mailed... I even have the stamps! I intend to focus on all that today in hopes we can get them out before Christmas. Most of our Christmas shopping is done and just a few items remain to be purchased. I know what they are, it is just a matter of going and getting them. Some of my baking is complete and if I can, I will do a bit more this week. Kelly begins "doggie day care/training" today with Mike. His "learn to obey while you stay" has gotten rave reviews from fellow dog owners, so this week is Kelly's induction into the realm of obedience training. We sat in on a class already and we beyond impress with Mike and his program. I expect it to be a fun time for us all. Anyhow, having Kelly out of the house during the day will making baking quite a bit easier, so hopefully I will accomplish great things this week. Wishful thinking anyhow....

The church hunts still continues. We visited two more churches since my last post. Nothing quite feels like home, but perhaps that is God designed. We met another couple looking for verse by verse teaching while visiting one church. Actually, it was someone I graduated with and her family who also just returned to the area. We are pretty certain we'll begin a home study in January... probably on Friday nights. We will continue to look for a place to fellowship and serve, but we need to move ahead with what the Lord seems to have put on our hearts. We'll have to see what becomes of it!

Well, I need to get the kids out the door for school this morning!

Sickness and the Humane Society

We have all been passing around a sore throat, cough and stuffy head mess but at this point I think we are nearing the end. (PTL!) There are still boxes everywhere and I feel like I'm running from the moment my sleepy head is out of bed. My body seems to be fighting tooth and nail to continue to be a night person. Life necessitates me being a morning person during this season and I'm beginning to wonder just how long it will be before my body and mind will cooperate with the alarm clock :)

Tim is settling in at work and all that seems to be going well. He has some certifications to get but they are providing the study materials so he picks away at that as he is able. The kids are settled into school as well. All three are enjoying their new schools and we are quite pleased with the entire situation. Communication between parents and teachers is amazingly good and so unlike what we had in the mountains. We really feel blessed to be here.

We visited at CCA again two Sundays ago and hit another special service so we have yet to hear the pastor teach. It was a bit discouraging. That Thursday we went to the Calvary in Dayton for their midweek study. It was good we went that week as that was the last midweek meeting before the New Year. Evidently they take a break over the holidays. The study was good and reminded me of Frank's Tuesday morning study. The kids were downstairs and enjoyed the evening as well. They have an old church building that reminds me a lot of Bill Faehl's place in Pottstown. It was refreshing to be among familiar teaching and welcoming people. Tim actually had lunch yesterday with a guy we met that night who also works on the base. Tim and the kids (sans Quin) went to their Sunday morning service last weekend. I stayed home with Quin and his runny nose. It is a bit farther to drive than we hoped but thus far seems to be the closest church teaching verse by verse. Tim and I went to a home fellowship in Kettering Sunday evening that was enjoyable as well. Since I missed services that morning, it was good to go to a study. We are praying about begining a study after the New Year. Stay tuned for more....

When we thought everyone was finally well last week, Tim, Quin and I visited the Humane Society to see what kind of dogs they had. It is a new facility and very nice. We looked at several dogs until they closed. I went back alone the next day (the kids were off school so Hannah watched the others while I went out). I looked at five more and found a sweet tempered young shepherd mix. I put a hold on her and brought the kids back to meet her. What a gentle dog. She rolled over and let everyone pet her belly and was friendly and very tolerant of all the hands and attention. So, Saturday we picked her up and now we have a dog :) She has just been great. Her previous owner released her (allergy evidently) and she has obviously had some training. She is house broken and seems to know "sit". She is a bit hesitant with her crate and I wonder if she spent a lot of time in one before. She definately likes to be near someone and follows us around where ever we go. Last night she seemed to finally relax some about following us from room to room. Going across the room to the kitchen didn't require her to actually get up... she just watched to make sure we'd be back. Her first vet appointment was last night and she got a clean bill of health and several comments of "you got a good dog"! We have a consulation appointment next week with the trainer to set up some obedience classes for her (and us). Anyhow, her is the blurry photo from her petfinder listing:

Landed

After much ado, we have arrived in Ohio. The closing in the Poconos went much longer than expected due to some issues with the buyer's bank. The drive was nearly more than I could bear and shortly after arriving I came down with laryngitis and Faith had croup BUT I love our house, the schools thus far are better than we could even hope for and the community is wonderful. I think we will be very happy here.

Tim had an interview the Friday after we moved in and was offerred a position, which he accepted. He is working at the air force base for a computer support contractor. The pay is less than we hoped for, but the benefits seem to be quite good and there is plenty of room for advancement. They have tuition reimbursement as well, so Tim plans to finish his degree while there.

Our first Sunday we visited Calvary Chapel Tri-State (in Cincinnati). It was a nice little congregation very much like we had in the Poconos and the teaching was good. They are a very mission/outreach focused church which was nice. The pastor was saved in prison, so there is an obvious love for that type of ministry. It would be a fine place to get plugged in however the distance and time is a bit prohibitive. Last Sunday we visited Clearcreek Assembly which is a larger group and much closer. It went well there also. The teaching isn't what we are used to at all, but seemed fine for what it was. They also have seem to have a lot going on, especially for the teens, which is nice. I miss the verse by verse teaching I've become accustomed to for the last 18 years. We are still praying about what the Lord would have us do in the church regard... where to attend and serve as well as if/when to start a home study. Not many churches have a Sunday evening service, so perhaps that would be a good time to have a home study. At this point, we'll wait until after the holidays.

School is going quite well. Emma and Hannah are both a bit behind where they should be which was expected. They seem to be working hard to get caught up though and I don't doubt that they will. Hannah and I attended a winter guard informational meeting and she has decided to join. I'm excited for her and hope she finds it as fun and challenging as I remember it. Practice starts after Thanksgiving and she can hardly wait.

Jot's resource room teacher and helpers are just what we hoped for and more. He is finally being challenged and pushed to work hard and learn. We are so thankful to have found a place where they are willing to put in the effort to get results from him. His main teacher doesn't buy his "it's too much/hard/confusing" line that other's before her have given in to. Jot is excited to be reading "real" books rather than photocopies of younger readers. The class just began Holes yesterday. I really appreciate that they are stretching him up to the materials/curriculum rather than simplifying everything to the point of not challenging him at all. Thus far we are quite pleased.

I still have not quite gotten my voice back but am trying to push on and get the boxes unpacked. It seems to take six times as long when Quin keeps getting into everything and requires my attention. My goal is to unpack five boxes a day at least. Eventually it will get done. (I hope.)

I have lots of pictures but haven't spent the time uploading them yet. Eventually it'll get done... :)

Totally forgot...

I began this Belle dress nearly four years ago for Emma. Then we moved and it got pushed aside. Well, I'm thrilled to report that I finally finished the Belle dress. Now it belongs to Faith because it's too small for Emma. My guilt over that is nearly unbearable, but I have already begun (with Hannah's help) a Cinderella dress for Emma. I think it is very appropriate that this dress' completion was interupted by a move and now has been finished before a move :) It isn't for Halloween, it is just for dress up. Faith has declared she will wear it for her birthday too. Maybe after it fits better, I'll consider letting her wear it out and about... maybe.

Update on the post below (wow, two posts in one day!)... Jot did get a cast put on. A nice bright red fiberglass cast... just the color of Lightening McQueen. I knew he'd pick red. Six more weeks.

Never a dull moment...

Not that we don't already have a lot going on this week, but Monday evening, Jot fell and broke his arm. If there is a blessing in this, it has to be that it was a week before we move rather than a day before and that it is his right arm rather than his left. His right side is the weaker side so he still has the use of his domant, left hand. It happened just before bed on Monday night. He was outside running around and I guess he slipped in the leaves... he doesn't completely explain much when asked "what happened". "I fell down." So we fill in the blanks. He was up a few times that night and Tim took him to the urgent care first thing Tuesday. They x-rayed it, put a temporary splint on it and sent us to an Orthopedic specialist. This seems to be the norm nowdays... they did the same thing when I broke my arm a few years ago. Evidently, gone are the days of them casting it at the hospital. Anyhow, Jot and Tim are, as of this writing, on their way to the specialist to see if a hard cast is needed or if an air splint will suffice. It is two hairline fractures across both the radius and the ulna (thank you Mr. Holderman for my knowledge of the bones that I still remember from Physiology... flash cards work!) Anyhow, if you look at the picture above, the fracture is at the little outside bump of the left bone (the radius) and goes straight across the bone. The ulna fracture is just a bit higher along the same line. X-rays are so cool. We have a whole bunch on a disc.

Soooo... Jot has a broken arm.

In other news, we are nearly packed entirely. Only the things we are still using remain out. Tim is getting the truck early Saturday and we'll pack over the weekend. The forecast calls for rain on Saturday which won't make loading a truck any fun, but it has to get done. We are going to leave town here on the 30th, stop over near State College and arrive at my dad's in Miamisburg on the 31st. We will really hit the ground running then because I register the kids for school at 9am on the 1st while Tim and the kids start unloading the truck. (If you are in town, feel free to meet us at the house to help!). That will likely take most of the day and then at 8am on Friday Tim has another interview. He has gotten four more calls in the last two days from people interested in him. He has several phone calls to make once we're in town. Everyone wants him to "give us a call when you are here". Yes, we are very thankful for that. He will still telecommute for Philadelphia as necessary, but having a "real" job would sure be handy ;) I've tried not to stress too much about it as I know the Lord will provide for our needs. My comfort level is much better though when all things are neatly in line weeks ahead of time. I think I've grown considerably in my obsession to have my ducks in a row, but I've learned this week that there will always be room for improvement.

Hannah and I are going to attempt to drive to Lancaster Friday to meet Beverly Lewis. I'm really psyched about it. I finished her newest book, The Parting which confirms that she is still my favorite author. Unexpected endings and amazing story lines. Love her. Her book's settings are in Lancaster County which will make her book signing in Lancaster extra special for me and what a great ending to our time here in Pennsylvania. I'm really looking forward to it.

It's Fall

We took the kids to Country Junction, or what is there during the rebuilding process, on Monday. If you recall from a previous post, there was a huge fire that destroyed then entire, amazingly fun building. The kids were off school due to the holiday and we wanted to find something to do out of the house. It was a fun trip even though the place is just a shadow of it's former greatness. They are rebuilding though, so eventually it will stand again. They have rebuilt the petting zoo area and the kids enjoyed playing with the goats, alpacas (a new addition), geese, ducks and various other barnyard fowl. There is also an enlarged play area in the midst of the petting zoo, so evidently they are making some nice improvements as they rebuild. Inside the enourmous tent that is being used as the "store" part of the place it is still just as confusing as ever to get around in. It must be their trademark to have isles and stock strewn everywhichway making it easy to get lost. Getting lost in this place is fun though, so perhaps it is a marketing plan. The primary stock seems to be the home decor and holiday decor items, which I assume was always their biggest sellers. I miss the zillions of stuffed animals (the elephant!) and the "themed" areas of furniture, decor and the like... but it is what it is and we still got our $3 pumpkins. We try to get pumpkins each year. We don't celebrate Halloween (various reasons why and a post for another time) but I do love fall and harvest time, so the pumpkins add to our enjoyment of the season.

Another traditional fall event: Hannah and I picked apples on Saturday. I only got about half of what I got last year since moving will interupt things for a time. I have already made several batches of applesauce and two rounds of dry apple pies (think Hostess pies). Hannah made a pie and I also made crisp. We still have a good amount left, but they are dwindling.

All seems in order for our move. The inspections, mortgage and appraisal are all fine so it is really down to just waiting for the closing. Less than three weeks to go. We began making the calls to have the utilities turned on and set up phone and internet services... no cable TV though. Except for the three free months we got when we set up internet (cable) service here, we have been TVfree for over 10 years. I don't miss it at all and I don't think we will ever have TV again. The only time there has even been an urge for it is during World Cup time when Tim wants to see the games. We decided that is a perfect time to visit friends though ;) We do own a television set, but we only watch DVDs on it. Have I talked about our TV Picks jar? The kids each pick ten movies they want to see (from our collection here), Hannah only picks five because she occasionally gets to watch her own choices after the other kids are in bed. So all the picks go into a jar. During the school year, the kids get to draw one pick to watch after school on Friday, two after lunch on Saturday and two after lunch on Sunday. During the summer, it was one on Tuesday, one on Thursday, and 2 each on Saturday and Sunday. This has seriously cut down on the arguments over who gets a pick and the continual nagging of "can we watch a movie?". Anything that cuts down on arguments is a great thing in my book. So... anyhow, we are getting utilities set up.

I've been packing at least a box a day for several weeks now. It has helped me slow down and not freak out over all there is to do. We are getting down to the bare bones of it all though in that most of the stuff that is still out is stuff we are still using. The last couple of days will surely create several "panic pack" boxes, but hopefully it will be kept to a minimum.

Here are some pictures from Monday at Country Junction and one of Quin's first time to feed the deer...

The Land of the Disenchanted; aka Boring Might be Better (warning: this is long!).

I began scrapbooking almost exactly seven years ago. I had always loved to take pictures and had several slip-in albums full, all in chronological order (a nesting project just before Jot was born). Often Tim and I, as well as others, would pull an album off the shelf and flip through it, enjoying the fun and seeing the changes in ourselves and the kids. I always ordered doubles and shared the seconds with family and friends. Never did I attend play group without my camera. As an aside, 13 years later, I’ve still had fellow playgroup moms thank me for all those pictures of their little ones. Fun days indeed! Well, anyhow, I attended a Creative Memories party as a substitute for someone who couldn’t go. I honestly never had really been into scrapbooking or even remotely interested because my system was working fine. Occasionally I would wander the isles of AC Moore but just never grasped the need to spend more money to display the photos that I already was displaying happily. SO… anyhow, I went to the CM party.

Backing up a bit for reference, I was just a few months into my light bulb moment of diagnosis of PPD from Emma’s birth. That is another story for another time, but I mention it here only to point out that I was very into getting breaks from the kids and finding things that “I” enjoyed to relax and help me cope. I had begun volunteering at the school and at church two days a week (and developed my theory that the best antidepressant is serving others) while Emma spent some time at the daycare for staff there. I was beginning to discover that after dealing so intensely with Jot’s medical concerns and then having a very surprising and difficult emergency c-section with Emma, I was hyper focused on everything and had forgotten to feed my soul, so-to-speak. Getting some time to remember that I had valuable skills to offer in other settings was very therapeutic and I really became better at all the things I was doing. In some ways I guess I remembered myself, in a non-selfish way if that makes sense. It was a group effort though and not something I did alone at all. I was encouraged greatly to find things that were purposely not about my “mom” role, especially in regards to Jot and his therapists and doctors and issues that I’d been juggling for over three years at that point. Seeing him go off to pre-school left me with a LOT of free time and the first revelation of how much time and energy had been involved in his full time care. I was ready to find something more enjoyable to do with some of my time. I was primed for the invitation to the party.

When the opportunity arose to go to the Creative Memories party, I decided that I would continue with this trend of trying new and different things. I went, knowing no one nor nothing about what would happen there. As it turned out I really enjoyed meeting new people and it was quite fun to actually work with my hands in a sort of arts and crafts type of way. I knew I had some creative abilities at one point in my life, but discovered they had become dormant after not really using them too much. In short, I really had a good time. I liked the project I came home with and proudly showed it off to Tim. “This is something I enjoy”, I remember telling him. He was very encouraging (still is :) ).

Basically, I was excited and I was hooked. I figured that even if I was relatively happy with how I had been storing and displaying my pictures (which I was), this would be a fun, relaxing way to continue the process that I had already been doing. Carolyn, the consultant who presented the party, and I soon became good friends and I was at her house about once a week for quite awhile just cropping and talking and having a great time. I continued to take pictures in the same ways I had and I enjoyed displaying them on the big pages with a bit of color here and there. I thought it was fun to sit and talk while working with my hands to create a nice album to look through. Then things began to get out of control.

I discovered a couple of scrap booking message boards and began seeing new and different ways to scrapbook. I saw unbelievably beautiful layouts. I saw pages without any photos at all but just journaling about thoughts and feelings. I saw gorgeous photos and amazing paper art projects. I had to get in on this! I could do that, I thought. And I did. I got major “product envy” and started straying from just displaying my photos in a relaxing and interesting way. I made that jump from putting photos in albums, to creating little pieces of art. Fine for awhile for sure, and I did do well. I began submitting my layouts to magazines (another big deal among many in the scrapping community) and was even published a few times. What a thrill. I joined a design team to promote a company’s products to the scrapbooking world! But it didn’t end. Soon more products were hitting this booming market and at an ever increasing rate (and price). There was no end to the embellishments and the papers and the styles. It was totally out of control, and in my opinion still is today.

Recently, I woke up to this stray path I found myself on. No one was looking at pictures in my house anymore. Piles and piles of layouts were lying around being enjoyed by no one. I considered that if I ever scrapped all my pictures the number of albums would be insane at the rate I was going. Lumpy pages with one or two pictures on the page took up an enormous amount of space. Where would I put all these albums? Would anyone even read any of the in-depth journaling? Would anyone even see the pictures in the middle of all the “art”? I hesitated even taking pictures anymore because I knew it would add to the pile of pictures I already had that weren’t in albums nor were likely to make it in albums anytime soon. And goodness, just how much money had I invested in all this stuff that was taking up enormous amounts of space? I missed just looking at pictures.

Attempting to find some meaning in all this madness I found myself in, I took a class (actually several) about the whole organizational process for storing pictures and how to scrapbook in meaningful ways to capture memories for all eternity… blah blah blah. I really thought it would work for me too. It did for a bit. I began to see a higher meaning behind scrapbooking. I believed that telling the stories of my life was important and that I could do away with the accepted rules of the industry. It seemed OK for awhile. I still wasn’t enjoying the process much and I really wasn’t getting much done though. I was still spending too much money on the tools and the stuff. I still wan’t happy with this “new” meaning.

That is until I had my scrapbook epiphany. That epiphany is this… I NEVER scrapbooked for the memories, not in the sense that those memories went beyond the pictures themselves. I began scrapbooking ONLY for the pictures. Now, yes, just the pictures do have memories attached to them, but I truly just wanted to display my pictures in a way that they could be enjoyed. For me, it has always been about the pictures. I understand others have different reasons for scrapbooking. For some it is a way to keep a family history journal and recording generations and generations of memories and life stories. That is fine, but that isn’t what I wanted to do or ever wanted to do. I keep journals, and those serve a purpose in my life. But this thing with pictures was something all together different. I discovered that the way I display pictures (or want to display pictures) doesn’t line up with the capturing memories and making art projects and recording life stories. Essentially, I became quite disenchanted with the entire scrapbooking industry. I was overwhelmed to the point of frustration and I have never been more thankful. I also felt a considerable amount of guilt for not seeing all this sooner and essentially for being so gullible as to fall for the whole “thing” in the first place. How could I be so out of touch with who I am and what I enjoy?

Well, I am happy to say, that after several months of this thinking (if not a year or more), I am on the path back to my picture displaying roots! I took (and am taking) all my “un” chronological photos and put them back into chronological order. My orderly, linear, detailed, perfectionist, self is so much more at ease now. I literally am less stressed over such a simple thing. Putting pictures in an album was supposed to be relaxing and enjoyable, yet it had become anxiety ridden and incredibly frustrating. Having my pictures in chronological order brings a great sense of peace and stability to my life and in the words of one of those scrapbook celebrities… it makes me happy. A bit odd that something so weird can bring joy to my life, but I have always liked order and do find a sense of peace in it. Remember, I once said that the dryer running was one of the most calming sounds I know. I freely admit, I might be a bit abnormal in that. But, I am old enough to do what makes me happy regardless of the association with weirdness (and assuming it is within the boundaries of Godliness, which I think this is probably OK in that regard ;) ). Loads of products, always newer and always more, doesn’t make me happy. Spending time agonizing over the ins and outs of design and style doesn’t make me happy. Rubbing elbows with people that irritate me for the sake of artistic expression really doesn’t make me happy either. Life really is too short to wear uncomfortable shoes and the scrapbooking industry is way too uncomfortable for me lately.

So where does this leave me? One place it leaves me is with a LOT more room for living… physically and figuratively. I have sold nearly every scrapbook embelisment that I don’t LOVE. That alone has freed up large amounts physical space. I’ve created boxes of doubles for the kid’s albums and am finishing up putting all my pictures and existing layouts back into chronological order. Aaaahh that feels good! I will still do the occasional theme album and have some planned already. Primarily though my albums will be about a LOT less “stuff” and a lot more pictures. Insanely boring? Perhaps. But it makes me happy.

I liked the creative outlet of making elaborate pages, but I’ve rediscovered a former creative outlet. I’m back to sewing and enjoying the feel of the fabric and the true utilitarian uses for creating with fabric. I am finishing some projects from long ago and planning some new ones. My picture taking will always be a joy of mine and I will display my photos in my home and in albums. The pictures will be preserved safely and with a few notes to help me remember the times and the places. But the days of spending hours and fortunes for something that doesn’t bring me joy but in fact brings me guilt from the wasted (?) time and money is over.

What a freeing feeling I have from finally typing out these thoughts that I’ve been cementing in my mind these last several months, rambling though they may be :)

More on the move and life with the kids coming soon. By the way… any ideas for a change to the blog title? After all, I won’t be telling it on the mountain much longer!

Sale Pending

Tim found a house for us and put together an offer yesterday late afternoon. By noon today we had gotten the call that our offer was accepted as written and we our on our way to buying a house. It has really been an exciting few months. Our house sold in record time and we found the perfect house for us and we are shooting for closing on the same day. Amazing! God really seems to be working in all this. We felt it was His leading that called us back to Ohio and it would sure seem that there is great confirmation of that. We are all eager to move and get settle in our new "old" town. I have just a couple of pictures to share. This one is obviously the front :) It backs up to the Community Park. There is a lot of landscaping and the home it super clean inside. I think we will do very well here. The space is a different than here in the mountains but the square footage might actually be a bit more. It is what is called a quad level. On the left side is the ground floor with a basement under it. The middle section is a split level up to the bedrooms and a split level down to a bonus room area (likely will end up as Tim and my's bedroom). The basement is reached through this bonus area. Then the two car garage is also reached through the bonus area and is actually six steps up from the bonus room to the garage. I really like the seperate spaces and we've found that this type of layout works really well for us. The kids will have the upstairs bedrooms. The back yard is fenced with a deck and several trees, shrubs and the like. It is a great "kid" yard, but I'm going to love it as well. There is already a little garden so I can once again grow some veggies and not worry that the deer will eat them all!! And here is one of the really wondeful aspects of the house....

Yes, I will never again have to drive to the post office to get my mail. I will never have to struggle filling out an online shipping address form because I don't have a street address. My PO Box will be obsolete and I will rejoice greatly. This wondeful mail box will only be shadowed by my great joy in never having to drive my trash to the dumpster again. Someone will bring me my mail and someone will take away my trash. Life doesn't get much better!!

Going on a House Hunt

Tim is currently driving to Ohio (nearly there as of this writing) and has an appointment tomorrow morning to walk through seven or so houses. Yes, he is going to buy a house without me :) With the wonderful invention of the internet however, I feel as though I already have a good idea of the houses he's going to see tomorrow. There are pictures galore available of these homes, so we've narrowed the choices together here. Growing up there, I am familiar with the area and though it has been 20 years or so, I have a general idea of the layout of the houses and the community. There are several good homes and any of them would meet our needs (assuming that upon walking through them Tim doesn't find a missing roof or anything horrid). I hope that by this time tomorrow night, I'll know which house we plan to write an offer for and that by the end of the week, we'll know what our new address will be. I can hardly believe we are already at this next step. It is very exciting. Tim also will be interviewing for work, which is the other reason he will be in town. We trust that God is the one who has led us here and He will continue to provide what we need or close a door... we're welcoming whatever He happens to have for us. Stay tuned :)

Sold

We accepted an offer on the house and are quite happy to have the house officially sold. We still have to get to settlement, but it would seem that there isn't anything that will stop that from happening. Overall the house sold is just about 1 month, which is wonderful in this market. We feel quite blessed by that.

Now things step up a notch in the "moving along" arena. Tim is planning a trip to Ohio (most likely a week from today) and will buy a house and hopefully find a job too. We've been watching several homes since May on some realty sites and have seven good possibilities. Tim has talked to a few mortgage companies and we are in good shape in that regard, so it will be a matter of actually looking at the houses and putting together an offer. Tim is a bit anxious about buying a house without me there (understandably so) but it really does seem best all around to have just him go. I can tell much from the pictures online and after 18 years of marriage, I trust him to make a fine choice. Each possibility has good and bad, so it is really just narrowing things down.

It is nice to not have to stress over keeping the house spotless for awhile. We can soon begin packing more things. We'd already packed several boxes in preparation to sell, so we are already down to bare necessities, but it will all have to get done. We close on October 30th which is about six weeks from now.

I'm home this morning from church with Emma who isn't feeling well. I kept Quin home as well to give the nursery volunteers a break. Emma and Hannah both got haircuts yesterday... Hannah got layers (that look really nice) and Emma got all hers cut off. She's been begging for month to go really short. Last haircut she went with bangs again and a short bob, but still not above her ears. She now has a definate pixie cut. It looks really cute and she loves it. I'm glad she doesn't hate it, 'cause it would take awhile to grow back out. I'll need to take some pictures and post them.

Well, since I'm home this morning, I guess I should do some laundry :)

Things are progressing...

First, I have to share some really great news! Last summer I began searching for a copy of The Big Tidy-Up by Norah Smaridge. I actually have this from my own childhood. It is one of my very favorite books about a girl named Jenny and her horribly messy room. In the end, she cleans her room and all is right with the world.... such a happy story that I can SO relate to! So anyway, my copy (a first edition I learned) had one page that was torn and the binding is very loose. I thought it worth the effort to replace this book as I had done with another favorite childhood book (Peter's Wagon). I found the other on ebay for about $3.00, so I thought surely I'd find some used book seller that had The Big Tidy-Up for a reasonable price. Oh my goodness was I in for a surprise. There were two listed on ebay and both were over $500.00! Evidently I had quite a rare and expensive book on my hands. I immediately removed it from the shelf and put it up for safe keeping. Now before you judge me for keeping good books from the kids, I do take it down and read it to them quite often, but we always read it together. After all, one page is already ripped! And until recently, I thought this was the last copy I'd ever see! Well, tonight I found this! In May of next year, the book is being re-released!! All for only $8.99! I can hardly wait. I will be on the pre-order list. In fact I would have ordered it tonight but since I have no idea where my address will be in May, I thought it best to wait a bit.

Next bit of good news is that we have an offer on the house. We knew it was coming last Friday as there was some verbal negotiations already (the offer is through another agent in the same office) but we actually have it in hand now. It is not the best offer in the world, but in this poor housing market, we have decided to accept it. In the end, it will give us what we need and enable us to get into another house. If all proceeds as planned, we will close the end of October. I'm hopeful that all will go through and we'll be on our way.

School for Jot has been difficult. The district isn't implementing his IEP as it is written and each night seems like another struggle to overcome. We are quite discouraged and even more eager to get out of this district and this state. He isn't getting the services and support that we spent so many hours on last spring trying to get straighten out. It is so frustrating. Hannah is doing quite well in her classes and Emma is progressing along as well, though neither situation is what we would like it to be. At least we have a plan to move on. I only pray that it is better elsewhere. We've tried to do our homework and have talked to several people, so I feel much more informed than when we came here. All that has to be good right? I haven't yet abandoned all hope that a good public school education still exists somewhere. I'm close to that giving up point, but haven't yet crossed that line. A return to homeschooling may yet be in our future. Only time will tell. If we do return to it, at least we'll be in a state that isn't considered the second worst homeschooling state in the nation!

Cool weather is here and the leaves are changing. I love this time of year!

September begins....

School started last week for the oldest three. Hannah is now in 8th grade, Jot is in 4th and Emma has begun 2nd. We managed to get everyone off for the new academic year without any major trouble. School supplies were purchased and thankfully, only two of the five kids needed boat loads of new clothes. Thank the Lord for hand-me-downs. Hannah and Jot, however, being at the top of the hand-me-down chain were in desperate need. I was able to outfit Jot completely for the year (I hope) at Target. Hannah and I spent a good part of last Saturday shopping for her. It went very well though. Five of the first six pairs of jeans she tried on actually fit. I was stunned and amazed! Early this year we went on a hunt for jeans and had to go to five different places before we found anything acceptable. We started on Saturday at Kohl's and found nearly everything she needed in less than an hour. Miracles do still happen. We made some rounds to JoAnns and Target (and Taco Bell) but were home in time for dinner with everything we went out to get. It is a rare thing indeed. Emma needs some new tights and Jot will soon need shoes, but for now we are all set in the clothing for kids department.



Although I haven't mentioned it here, most of you reading this know we are moving. The house has been for sale for a few weeks and even in the bad market, we've had a handful of showings. Today was a second showing and we are quite hopeful that we'll soon get an offer. Tim has made some very good contacts and had a couple of promising phone interviews as well. I'm praying that all the timing of sell the house/get a job/buy a house all works out. It seems unlikely for it all to come together perfectly but God is able I'm certain, so we'll just wait and see what unfolds. We are headed back home to Ohio. So many things have led to the decision and we are finally at a peace about where to go and what to do. Now we wait out the details.


I wanted to share this picture of dirty belly boy. Doesn't he look like a complete wreck in this picture? His milk gut is really getting the better of him. He also has a unique relationship with dirt. If it exists, he will find it and eat it and roll in it and cry when you wash it off. We find ourselves pulling his shirt down quite often throughout the day now. He still is cute though, even if a bit smelly :)

We are enjoying much cooler days here and the nights are getting down right cold. I absolutely love it. I adore the fall and especially here where the leaves are changing and the air is crisp. I'll miss the weather here that is for sure.

We had some friends from church here for Labor Day and enjoyed a beautiful day. It was fun to not have to clean the house because it is so clean already from showings. In fact it has honestly never looked better since we've lived here. Isn't that always the truth? Looks wonderful just in time to leave! We are trying to enjoy it and trying to maintain order throughout the day. I figure if we learn how to keep it spotless while selling it, perhaps we'll get used to it and keep our next house just as nice.

Big Black Bugs

No, I did NOT take this picture. And NO that is not anyone I know or am related to holding it. Read on to understand why not. In real life these Broad Neck Root Borer Beetles are 2-3" long and ugly as sin. Why am I telling you this?

Well I have a little story. It rained for quite awhile yesterday and as you can read in my previous post, Quinton enjoys playing in the mud. In a failed effort to keep him from totally covering himself in mud again, he found other ways to amuse himself. I was inside reading a book and Tim and the little girls were outside. I hear Emma shrieking that Quin has a bug... "DAD, HELP!! HE HAS A BIG BUG!!!" She was really yelling good, so I thought this had to be interesting. Silly me, thinking he had a Daddy Longleg or a stink bug, put down my book and casually went outside. Tim also must not have thought it was too much of an emergency as neither of us were really hurrying to see what the commotion was all about. We met outside the garage on our way out back toward Quinton. Faith and Emma, at this point, were literally jumping up and down. Quin walked around the corner of the house with his prize. Yes, as you might already have guessed, he had one of these big ugly nasty bugs. Tim picked up Quin and pried the bug out of his hand. Once in the grass it immediately tried to bury (bore?) down under the grass. Can you blame it? It was probably as freaked out as Emma and Faith (and me.). So what does Quin do next? He screamed and cried to be let down and then picked the ugly thing back up. I couldn't believe it. The bug was bigger than his hand. When he grasped it the thing looked like a guinea pig in an adult's hand. He was not the least bit scared of this thing and quite to the contrary, was rather mad that we took his new toy. Finally something that doesn't require batteries! We had to pick the ugly bug up (with a shovel) and carry it back into the woods so Quin wouldn't chase it down. Of course, as soon as he was back on the ground, Quinton headed for the woods on a bug hunt. Yuck, ick, ick. So, I do not have an actual picture of this thing because I was too grossed out to go get my camera. I'm still shocked the thing didn't pinch him. Ick. Ick. Ick. It was really big and really creepy. When I know that everything he touches he also tastes, my imagination runs wild and I feel a bit weak in the stomach. Can you imagine??? EEEwww.

Let's Talk About the Weather

So, it's been raining here.

Disclaimer: Emma was watching him, not me.

He was really mad when we took him in....

look at the compassionate dad face compared to the muddy mad face.

Aren't they both just too stinkin' cute?

Feeling Rather Thankful for Crocklings (Thanks Mom)

This cute little shoe is one of the pair that my Mom bought for Quinton. She also got a pair for all the other kids, but I am especially thankful for these. They are the real deal Crocs for toddlers, aka as Crocklings. Quin just adores them. He wears them all the time and when they are on his feet he instantly assumes that means we are either going somewhere in the car or going out to play in the yard. He has his little routine of bringing them to you and holding them up for you to take. Once you have them, he immediately flops down on his back side and waits for you to put them on. Once they are on, he toddles straight for the door and attempts to open it on his own. SO cute!

We had a brief time of distress when one went missing a few weeks ago. I think I was more upset than Quin was. I was quite afraid he had thrown it in the trash (which is where my long lost, but since replaced, mixer attachments ended up I fear). Well, there was great rejoicing when the lost shoe was discovered in the box of Barbies. I hear they like shoes, so they obviously were hording Quin's crocklings.

Crocs, I have discovered are the nearest thing to a perfect shoe for our family. All of our kids would go barefoot everywhere if it were acceptable. Crocs are close to going barefoot and they live in them. They don't need tying, so that saves time when we are all running out the door and are late. They are easily rinsed off when they get sandy or dirty. And they don't require socks so that cuts down on the laundry I have to do... definately a plus in my book.

Mom, thanks so much for the Crocs for the kids. They love them. I love them. I have less socks to fold. You are wonderful.

I may hit you up next year for another round for everyone :)

Mid July Checking In

Well it is nearing the end of July and work on the house continues. I am happy to announce that all the room painting is done!! We have some touch up work in the family room and three doors to paint but the complete end of painting is so close I can see it. In the last three years Tim and I have nearly perfected our painting skills. Every room in this house has been painted and some twice. We've spackled and painted more in the last three years than I ever thought possible. And do you know what? I STILL don't like to paint. I love the look of fresh color on the walls but I really have gotten to the place of not liking the process. But, it's nearly done and that makes me very happy.

We have the floors to put in the laundry room and the bathroom.... purchased and ready to go. The heaters need to be put back in and one light needs to be installed. Our punch list is getting shorter and it is a good thing.

Tim and I are continuing our journey through the DVDs at the library and are into the second season of All Creatures Great and Small. We are enjoying them and have found ourselves wrapped up in the stories. A nice break from all the craziness of life.

Everyone is well here and for that I am quite thankful. We've gotten to the pool a few times and seem to be managing the summer for the most part. The annual baptism and church picnic was last weekend. Only one person was dunked this year, but it was a celebration none-the-less. The weather threatened to ruin the day, but it held off until the festivities were over.

Sorry, no pictures this time... I haven't spent any time downloading them yet :)

Chasing Chipmunks and a new author....

Look carefully at the above photo. I have attempted to highlight the little chipmunk running under the step by leaving it in color and making everything else black and white. Now, see that blurry little boy on the right there? That is Quinton. He has discovered that chipmunks live under our front deck steps. All that white stuff spread by the step is corn. The corn is actually purchased to put in our deer feeder, but the girls felt bad that the chipmunks were missing out, so they feed them too. Well joy of joys these chipmunks are. I'll insert here that the little girls consistantly call them "chick"munks which just cracks me up. I'll always have a picture in my mind of a hooded, cloaked svelt cheerleader type woman... the really religous chick. Anyhow... Quin will sit on the step of the garage which is about 12 feet from the deck steps and wait and watch with great patience. Soon, a little chipmunk peeks out and begins to gather some corn (which really is hilarous to watch them fill their cheeks), then Quin hops up and toddles as fast as he can toward the chipmunk. The little animal really is pretty brave as he (or she... I can't really tell :) ) waits until Quin is nearly on top of it before it scoots back under the step. Sometimes it'll run into the downspout thing which totally delights Quin as he pounds on it until it runs out and across the driveway. Poor Quinton isn't quite quick enough! You would think Quin would tire of this game, but as of yet he hasn't. In fact, he followed this routine for over an hour the other day. He also has discovered the joy of sitting in puddles.

I go to the library all the time and I just love to read. Sadly, my reading does keep me from other important things like laundry and housework and other not-so-important things like scrapbooking and sewing. But, I enjoy it and find that relaxing in our fluffy chair with a book helps me make it through another day sometimes, so I do indulge occasionally. Well a few weeks back when browsing the new titles, I came across Jennifer Chiaverini's book, Circle of Quilters. Being a quilt lover, the cover caught me right away, so I grabbed it and thought I'd give it a try. Well let me tell you.... I couldn't put it down. What a wonderful story and what a fabulous writing style she has. Her books all have quilting and quilters intertwined in the storylines and let me warn you, you'll want to quilt if you don't already! On the inside covers of her newer books are the designs of the quilts mentioned in the story. On her website you can find the actual photographs of the quilts that she as made to go along with the stories. Beautiful quilts! I finished Circle of Quilters eager for more! I was a bit concerned that I had jumped into the middle of a series, however after looking at her website I found that evidently, the order of the books doesn't much matter. I went back to the library and got her first book, The Quilter's Apprentice. Fabulous!! It is rare to find a book that holds my attention but still is "G" rated. I can't stand reading filth. I am so afraid to read a book that I've not gotten a trusted review on so I began this new book with some caution. Cover to cover it was good wholesome reading. I can't wait to read them all. I have her second book on hold and in the meantime the library got in her newest release, The Quilter's Homecoming, so I picked up and enjoyed it just as much. So while I am attempting to read them in order, the two that were out of order really didn't seem to be problematic at all. At this point I think Jennifer Chiaverini has moved into the second spot as my favorite author. My all time favorite is still Beverly Lewis. I am impatiently waiting for her new series as I have already read everything she has written... even most of the children's titles :) I've gotten Hannah hooked on her too, so you know I trust her writing. Beverly Lewis is technically classified as a Christian author, but I believe her Amish based stories would be very attractive to many audiences. Therein ends my author reviews for tonight!

Now, if you take my advice and begin reading some of Jennifer Chiaverini's books and get inspire to quilt, let me leave you with this fabulous website I discovered, Quilt Blocks Galore. There are over 1000 quilt blocks with instructions for free! I spent over an hour just browsing and dreaming!