More Pondering One Week Later

I reflect with much emotion and heart overwhelmed with gratitude, on the mercies of The Lord in the surreal circumstances of last weeks emergency.

Click here:

"Because of HIS Blood"

at: Plunged Into The Deep

In Case You Wondered...

This is "Mastuh Seafood" (on the bottom)
courtesy of Olivia.

And will only be truly appreciated if you know that Master Seafood is actually Kung Fu Panda's own "Master Chifu"

Clothes In Heaven?

A round little girl face peered over the edge of the bed today.
A face that has two distinct dimples at the corners of its smile.

"Mom" she asks,
"Will we have clothes in heaven?"

"Susanna..." I reply "...God is the King. And YOU are the daughter of the King so that makes you a PRINCESS!
I am certain that God has very beautiful princess clothes ready just.. for... you."

Dimples appear in all their glory, and an eager voice asks "Momma?"

"Momma will I get to wear a crown too?"

me imagining lots of delicate pink jewels:
"Yes Susanna. God has a special crown for you too."

And that's the thing about the innocence of my children, it often causes me to see God (and heaven) in a light I never had before. And it's probably more accurate than the picture that I have somehow settled on.

I love it!

I Am Thankful, Yes I Am!

I am out of the hospital!
And just in time for a delicious Thanksgiving dinner made by Mrs. Smith:-)

Speaking of delicious...
How delicious to be so loved by my little bugs. I curled up on the couch and when I arrived to the Smith's home, and after I collected as many hugs as I could get, I promptly fell asleep!

During my nap, I remember noticing two things - even while I slept:

1) I kept realizing that my mouth was hanging wide open, and promptly closed it!

2) I also kept feeling various sizes of , little arms wrap around my neck and sweet kisses planted on my cheek. That was the most delicious of all!!
Opening one eye I saw Olivia, and Zachary; and Susanna sat at the other end of the couch playing quietly and blessing me with her presence.
Clayton had "droon" another picture (he had brought one to the hospital for me already which had taken him THREE hours to complete, it was so detailed!) and it was waiting on the couch with my pillows when I arrived.

I think I can say that I feel generally worse today. I suspect that to be normal since I have jostled around quite a lot since being discharged from the hospital.
Then there is the emotional load of reconnecting with my dear children, and humbly receiving the hospitality of the Smith family (who even moved their guest bed downstairs for me!).

One thing that feels especially hard tonight, is Carolina's displeasure with me for not nursing her. She has been very flexible for Mrs. Smith, eating lots of food and even drinking out of a cup.
However, as soon as she saw me, she wanted back into the usual program.
She has been throwing royal tantrums when I attempt to help her drink from a cup.

I can't hold her too much when she insists on arching her back and kicking, but she really needs
a ton of loving from momma.
Pray for me with her as you think of me. I know you will:-)

I do want to say how all your comments have brought tears to my eyes. I feel very loved.
If you haven't already read my account of the last four days, you will find it here at Plunged Into The Deep.

I look forward to sharing some of the lighter side of our adventures, for there have surely been a few!
The Lord is good.
He truly is!

Want The SCOOP?

Here I sit in my comfy hospital bed, treated like a queen.
Analene the queen!
I know these gals get paid for changing my linens, and cleaning my toilet, but C'mon!
That is SERVANTHOOD folks, and I'm getting a lot of it here at the hospital!

Thank you each one, for praying for me. My body seems to be healing quite well, but mostly I am so grateful for the peace that passes all understanding, and comes only from the Lord!
He has been sustaining me in compassion and mercy, kindness and love.

I started a new blog recently, in which I hope to dive into deeper thoughts now and then.
I have taken time tonight to write out the events of the last few days, which I would love to share with you there.
Please click here at Plunged Into The Deep.

Love you!
~Analene the Queen~
(Most beloved, and cherished of the Lord's!)

Unexpected Excitement and Great Blessings

Dear Readers,

Momma Bug has been unable to post the last few days and I wanted to take a minute to bring everyone up to speed with some exciting news.

There is a new baby bug on the way!!!

But... Sunday night Momma Bug was unexpectedly ill and was rushed to the hospital for emergency surgery very early Monday morning. She is now in stable condition here in North Carolina but still a little weak. The condition of new baby bug is still unknown and we ask that you all pray for the health of Momma and baby, and that you pray for the Lord's will to be done.

I would tell you all about the incredible mercy and provision God has shown through this time, but Momma Bug has a way with words that Daddy Bug cannot compete with.

Thank you all for your love and support!

- Daddy Bug

Some Numbers to Think About

I am not a happy camper as far as my little blogging world is concerned.

I burned up my camera battery (before I got to take any pictures of the children), and discovered that I left both my charger, AND replacement battery in Colorado.

I'm not happy Bob. NOT HAPPY.

As consolation, I am telling myself that I left the house on rather short notice, so in that case my forgetfulness might be forgivable!

On the upside, not having my camera has not stopped me from living life (I'm sure you are relieved to know I can survive without that thing!), and I have bee keeping very very busy with lots and lots of fun.
And children...
...lots and LOTS of children! :-)


Here's a riddle for you:

What would you do if you were...

2 friends

with 10 children

and 0 husbands

in 1 house

functioning on 4 hours sleep

stepping on 500 (or so) toys

changing 430,000,000 diapers (or so it seems!)

dodging 5 Kung Fu warriors

using 1 and 1/2 loaves of bread for lunch...

...for people that are under 4 feet tall

and fixing 16 corn dogs and about 1,000 tater tots for dinner.


Answer:

You'd paint the kitchen red.

Insane I know, but there wouldn't be a list like you read above, if it weren't already true.
Being insane is the only way to get things done; but we like it that way!

You have to admit... We are pretty fun! ;-)

Minus 2

Those two would be Titus and Carolina, but the rest of this crew was intently watching the Wall.e movie together.













Theses guys (the boys especially) were worn out tonight from jumping on the trampoline in the cold out of doors, and then following that up with an impressive Kung Fu battle!
It was a sight you would have enjoyed, so if I witness such another event (as I surely will with five boys and a load of energy), I will capture it on video for your viewing pleasure! ;-)

Catching Up

Well it looks like I wasn't successful in linking from Ship Full of Pirates to my new blog post for Help For Growing Families.
If you see this post again next week, it's because I will re-attempt to post it.

Thanks all you gals, for leaving comments. We've been busy traveling again - I'm doing more of the driving these days so AJ can work.
Tonight the children and I are comfortably planted in North Carolina with the Smith family, while AJ flew to Portland Oregon for a couple days.
It feels surreal to be this far from home, I must say!

I will post some pictures as soon as I can, but today I drove AJ to the airport, did some errands, tried to sort through some of the mess collecting in the van, and spent time enjoying our friends.
What a treat to be here!!

Look forward to catching up,
-Momma Bug

Traveling With a Passel of Chiluns (Part 2)

Last week I disclosed some of my favorite travel entertainment. Did any of you watch the Kent Hovind videos I linked to?
What did you think?

This week I want to share some things we keep in the van, and take with us that have made life much easier in our travels.

1) First on my list for long trips with small children is a Hassock. Everybody should have a Hassock if they have room in their vehicle!

A bucket with seat and lid, to use as a potty-on-the-go.
We keep ours filled with kitty litter, trash bags, a scoop, toilet paper, and hand sanitizer.
When we want to keep from trooping all the toddlers through a truck stop bathroom, we remove the lid, put two or three scoops kitty litter into a bag, place the seat over that, and when they're done, chuck the bag into the nearest trash can. Viola!

2) A Cup Tote.
This is a very nifty tote I found that has a handle and four compartments perfect for holding cups or water bottles.
I found mine at a hobby/craft store.
This tote holds cups designated to the sole purpose of travel and outings. It goes with us everywhere, and back into the house when we get home so we can refill the cups before we leave again.
I also love my tote because it doubles as a diaper bag in a pinch.
It has a middle compartment perfect for holding four diapers and the wipe box, PLUS some little pockets on the side perfect for the car keys, or lip balm!

3) A couple "one size fits several" pair of emergency clothing.
I keep a basket (duffel or Rubbermaid bin) in the car with a first aid kit, a box of wipes, diapers in several sizes, and two pair of cheap sweats for an emergency leak-through or mud wipe-out.
You can usually find sweat pants and shirts sold individually at Target or Wally World for under 4 dollars apiece.
I bought two pants and two shirts that are sizes any of the children could fin into if need be.
The nice thing about sweats is that the elastic in the cuffs keep them up on a tiny person, so buy big.
I've only needed these a couple times in the last few years, but I had to learn this lesson the hard way, and it's been worth the 12 bucks I spent to haul them around in the car everywhere we go - and if you have a little spitter, you may want to put in a clean shirt for yourself:-)
Bless my husband for this life-saving idea!

4) I found some great seat protectors at Target which are for underneath car seats and boosters.
Besides the 5 stars I give them for practicality, I think they look nice too.

5) In the car also stays:

• One receiving blanket (which I frequently use for nursing, and has a dozen other uses)
• A couple towels on the seats to protect them (and because they too, have multiple uses).
• A water bottle or two - depending on their size and how much space you have for extra things. You know how lovely it is to have children wailing because they are about to die of thirst! NO THANKS!
• A head lamp for finding things or buckling an elusive seat belt in the dark. You can find headlamps (flashlights on an elastic headband) everywhere these days, but our favorites are from REI.

6) Other things I like to take on a long trip - though not necessary:

• Hot Wheels. (I think Faith suggested this too!)
• Note pad and clicker pencil for (more trustworthy children:-))
• Board books
• Everyone likes to have their own pillow. My sister in law Hannah, made "car pillows" for her children which were quite a bit smaller than the standard bed pillow, and she used fun novelty fabric unique to each child. I thought that was a brilliant idea!

7) FOOD
We only eat in the car of there is a blizzard outside or something worse. We made a "no eating in the car" rule to preserve our sanity.
I'm thankful we did too, because I've found lots of trash under seats and I'm unspeakably glad it didn't include moldy food, and sticky stuff attached to the upholstery!

However we DO eat on the road, and here's what I often pack:
Mini cinnamon bagels, hard boiled eggs, banana's, grapes, and granola bars.
String cheese, salami, Ritz crackers, carrot sticks, and sometimes a gallon zip lock with other cut veggies or fruit. Whatever of those things that are easy to hold, and not terrible to clean off of little hands - I don't think cut melon and juicy peach slices qualify!
Raw Almonds and dried cranberries are a hit with all (add chocolate chips to that for the eh-hem... adults.)

Oh. And Daddy Bug loves Tim's Jalapeno Potato Chips. (Can't buy them out here though, so stock up while you're on the West Coast!)

8) As a last note, each of our children have their own back pack to keep their "stuff" in when we travel.
I require that they make sure it's all put back in there (where I can't see it) when we stop for breaks.
I can't tell you how to enforce this one.
I haven't figured that part out yet.
I usually don't find out if someone was lazy until two or three days later when I'm cleaning out the car.
I also haven't done a bag check before trips the last few times, and I can tell you that I shudder and look away when I see children entering the van with a backpack about to burst at the seams - only do that at your own risk and possibly to your own later chagrin! ;-)


Turning the subject away from what-to-pack-int- your-car in addition to the million-other-things-a-growing-family-would-be-traveling -with...


I was asked how to travel with an infant and would like to comment on that.
Traveling with a baby brings it's own set of puzzles. You have to be really flexible since you have to stop more often (and I know I'm preaching to choir), but there are a few things I've learned from experience.

1) The first baby is the hardest, but after you get that one to travel, he/she sets the tone for all the rest of the children. REALLY!

2) Meet all the baby's foreseeable needs before buckling him into his car seat.
After that (unless you can tell it's the un-faked "I'm about to die" cry - and I hope you are good at determining this, because all the babies I know try the fake version of this cry at least once, and if they are successful at getting your attention and sympathy, you'll have a doozy of a time on the next stretch of road. And the stretch after that... and so on!)...
As I was saying; After that, let baby cry some.
Unfortunately, car seats are awfully uncomfortable - have you ever sat in a five point harness for ten hours? - but he has to sit in is, so he might as well resign himself to the reality of the fact.

I have found that baby adjusts when he figures out the program.

Please, please, PLEASE heed my advice to stop the car every so often BEFORE everyone is at their wits end!
You will gain some friends, and their confidence that you don't wait to pull over until they have driven you crazy!

Either you train them, or they train you.

We attempt to make rest stops occasionally at places like a Bass Pro, or mall, where we can all get out and stretch our legs while looking at something the children can enjoy.
I don't bribe the children, but I keep Tic-Tacs in my purse as morale boosters, and thanks for good attitudes:-)

AJ (my husband) works quite a bit when we drive, and has to be on the phone quite a bit sometimes.
This is probably the HARDEST time of all, because it is necessary and required of the children not to talk at all during that time.
Like anything else it's hit and miss in regards to our success, but over all, we have a lot of fun traveling together - yes FUN!













We are all stuck in the car together, and it's a great chance to behave our best when we feel like it the least. We enjoy a lot of laughs together - made possible not by all our "secret weapons" and tools, but most of all by good attitudes.
And we know where those good attitudes start, don't we mom?!

I hope after wading through this lengthy post, you have some new tools to add to your bag of tricks:-)

An Enlightening Conversation

I was visiting with my husband the other night, and we had a conversation that went something like this:

ME: "So... I think that all my friends who are big fans of Pride and prejudice, have husbands who really like it too.
I think that's funny since it really IS a chick flick!

(AJ looks at me with raised eyebrows and says nothing)

I continue: "I guess it has Virtue, and integrity... and honor..."

Here AJ interjects: "Nooooo...

...it has HORSES.

And it has DOGS....

it has HUNTING, annnnnd....

it has a POOL TABLE!"

And all this time I thought he liked the dialogue!

I laughed SO HARD! What a guy:-)

You can't fool ME, AJ! I know it's the happy ending you're a sucker for! ;-)

Thirsty, thirsty People.

There is a serious drought in our nation for families who exhibit the peace and joy of the Lord Jesus.

We went to dinner at Olive Garden tonight, where a woman with a beaming smile came to our table and told us how much she and her husband had enjoyed watching our family.
With great animation, she exclaimed how she got such a kick out of the "little conversations" we were having with the kiddos, and was amazed by their good behavior:-)
She mentioned that she has two nephews that are difficult to take to McDonalds!

AJ and I had a good chuckle in private, as we had endured a difficult shopping trip to Costco earlier in the day. The kind of experience most parents have on occasion (some more often than others).

This woman was so genuinely delighted, and so determined to convey her appreciation of our family, that AJ and I were truly taken aback!
After the couple left, our evening blessing was topped off when we discovered that they had paid for our dinner!
One of the waitresses nearby, told us that in her 36 years of waiting tables, she'd NEVER seen that.
We stopped eating to pray for these two people who were so generous, and all the rest of this evening AJ and I have been shaking our heads.
What we have been chewing on, is the fact that seeing a family enjoy each other - as ours was tonight - is so uncommon.
And not only uncommon, but desired! People WANT to see what they can't believe exsists.
The Love of God live out in practicality.
Not the words of an evangelist, but action in lives they are "spying" on - like ours tonight! We weren't trying to impress anyone, we were just dong what we do. Loving Jesus, and loving each other.

People in this culture are in a drought. A spiritual drought.
They are walking around parched for the Living Water, and they don't even realize it until they witness The Holy Spirit at work in the lives of those who love and serve God.
All of the sudden they see water and are hopeful.

Isn't that why people flocked around Jesus wherever he went?
He offered Living Water.
He IS the Living Water!
There is great hope in the Truth, and people know it - even if they don't understand why.

Oh how humbled I am tonight. I didnt''t get to thank these kind folks, and I didn't tell them that our hope is in Jesus Christ. The Lord knows, and we are praying that He makes Himself known to them.

It is sobering to realize how often we are watched. Especially as a larger-than-average family. People scrutinize us closely trying to fit us into a box. (that, and we are pretty entertaining!)
I'm think we confuse a lot of those people, but as long as they figure out that we are in the "Saved by the blood of Jesus, and living for Him" box, I guess that's all right:-)
I'm asking the Lord to help me do a better job of speaking the reason for my hope, and I also want to be more sensitive to those watching us.
They are thirsty.
Not for water,
not for "a nice Christian family"...
But thirsty for Jesus Christ, the Living Water, and people are thirsty for the hope of salvation.

For the glory of God, I want a piece of the action!

Lucky Me!

I love, love, LOVE being in the Eastern time zone!

When I crawl into bed late at night, I can say it is early.

Because it is.

In Colorado.
Or better yet... California.

When (like this morning) I don't crawl OUT of bed until 1:00 in the afternoon, I can say it is still morning.

In Idaho.

Okay. That might be a slight abuse of the terms and circumstances, but it works AWESOMELY to my advantage when I want the children to go to bed, and I can say "Oh boy! It is SOOOO late children!"
Because it is.

Here. In Kentucky.

In Idaho, it may still be6:30 in the evening, but here? That's the great thing about Eastern time! And that's what I love about it.

Add to that; here I am done with all my blogging while the night is still young out on the West Coast. It gets even better because there's still action out there, and often someone else's amazing new blog post to be read when I wake up in the morning!
Wah-hoo!

See what I'm talking about?
Globe Trotting (even if only for the sake of work, and confined to the lower 48) definitely has it's advantages!

I love it!

What In The WORLD Child?!!!

I know it's a new rule and everything, but you're old enough to remember
(and maybe even think of on your own!)


KEEP SMALL INEDIBLE OBJECTS OUT OF YOUR MOUTH!!!!!

I made this discovery upon hearing my name called from the back seat of the van. My first reaction was either the "doggone-it-child-you earned-it" spanking, "or quick grab the camera".
I opted for the latter, and with a good laugh to boot!

I mean, really. What was he thinking?!
Clearly there was very little thinking going on in this case.
After giving this empty .22 casing one good tug, I reconsidered the spanking idea. It appeared likely that the tooth might come out with it.
I. Do not like to be responsible for those kind of things.
Period.
Neither the tooth-pulling, nor inventing a plausible explanation for the dentist.
Thankfully neither were necessary, so I indulged in a couple pictures to commemorate the occasion (and for posterity and blackmail purposes if needed), and followed that up with some more laughing!

Truthfully, this was a new one for me - a bullet casing stuck on a tooth (it probably would have been for the dentist too, I bet). But I'm guessing that you could share some of your own "inedible object in the mouth" stories with me to make me feel better. (And as evidence for the dentist that my child isn't the only one out there lacking common sense).

So tell me! pretty please?

Lovely, Just Lovely! (and no i didn't make them)

But YOU can enter here and join me for the chance to win one of these three quilts, or click the button on my sidebar.



I am just recently acquainting myself with Dana and her Old Red Barn Co.
And OH how inspired I get just drooling over the picture!
(Well done Dana!!)

I would certainly love to win one of these lovely quilts, but if I don't YOU should!
And if neither of those things transpire, someone will have to get creative and start sewing this winter!!
(Actually, I have a few quilt projects that need to be completed before the next one starts - see, that's just how I justify the hobby!)


Hmm. I'm just so thankful for the beautiful handiwork of others!
Aren't you?

A Limerick by: Momma Bug

I Found another gray hair today

I think it's from Idaho.

But whether it is, I really can't say

For the truth is I really don't know!

(And this really IS a true story! It's not the first I have found, rather the first I have LEFT THERE! ha ha! I'm ready for my crown... so BRING IT ON!)

Excuses, Appologies,and A Name

I apologize.
I was supposed to tell you the name for our lovely hill in Idaho.

Two days ago.

Directly after I posted Sunday nights blog, my beloved husband announced that he had to head back to KY. for work, and invited me to join him with the children.

So between 9:30 pm on Sunday, and 10:00 Monday morning, we scrambled to get our van unloaded from Idaho, the house cleaned up from out weekend mess, and the clothes unpacked, washed and packed into bags again. Amazingly, we managed to slip in a few hours sleep to boot!

And now, sitting in my Kentucky hotel after a 16 hour drive, I can breath a long sigh of relief.
Sigh----------

Okay. Since I'm done with excuses (and I DO feel better, so thank you) (and for those wanting to know what this is all about, read my post Contendedresthavenhurst.)

Drum roll please................................................................................................

Introducing our beautiful and most beloved:

MARVEL HILL

The acquisition of this mountain retreat was truly a marvel.

The confirmation that we are indeed where the Lord has planted us, is also a marvel.

And we marvel hourly at the incredible beauty of God's handiwork in this place! (see "Idaho" under labels)

While in Idaho this last time, we listened to The Last Battle - C.S. Lewis' allegory of the end times.
And per Zachary's request we've listened to the last half of the story a good 4 or 5 times!
We have fallen in love with the character Emeth, and here is the quote which inspired the naming of our hill.

"...And this is the marvel of marvels, that he called me Beloved..."

Doesn't that just say it all?

We marvel.

Traveling With a Passel of Chiluns

It wasn't long ago that we took our first reallyreallyreallysuperduper long 27 hour car trip with our five children (ages 6 down to newborn).

We asked around, and searched the Internet for ideas, thinking that we had to entertain our children with a zillion creative projects throughout the journey. I remember stocking the van with toys, books, snacks, drawing stuff, puzzles and the like.
Mostly we filled the car with more than the usual mess, and for all the effort, those things weren't as well received as I had anticipated.

We now have driven over 25,000 miles in less than a years time, and I believe I am qualified to offer advice on this subject:-)
If you can believe it, I am sitting in Louisville Kentucky AGAIN, (coming from Denver Colorado last week, and northern Idaho the week before)!

Anyway, I'd like to share the few things that have helped make us all more comfortable for the many hours of travel!

1) We have found that books on audio are our favorite diversion. Listening to a good story makes the miles pass faster.
some of our favorites are:

*The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis, dramatized by the Focus on the Family Radio Theatre.
If you haven't heard these I highly recommend them. As a disclaimer, we "edit" them for our children as they are probably a bit heavy for six-year-old listening.
*The Jane Austin books
*Alexander Scourby reading the King James version of the Bible


2) We have a DVD player which we use sparingly, and only have a few DVDs we watch, but which are a hit over and over again.



*We like the original Tom and Jerry cartoons which you can purchase at Target, and are about five or six hours worth of short cartoons.

*The Leap Frog videos (The Letter Factory, and The Talking Words Factory).
Target sells these also, and my disclaimer for this one is that I am not fond of "learning" videos, but have only good things to say about Leap Frog. The siblings in the movies are kind to one another, and honestly my two youngest children have learned their alphabet watching the Letter Factory just a few times!

*We Love love LOVE the Dr. Dino creation videos! AJ and I stumbled upon these videos about three years ago and have been hooked ever since.
Dr. Dino (Kent Hovind) is an amazing speaker keeping the attention of all ages. His seminars are full of scripture, humor, and many colored graphics. I've never heard anyone speak who gave me such an excitement for God's creation, and for our future with Jesus in the new earth!
You can order his videos HERE, and I recommend them ALL! Our favorites are the seven DVD set which are each about two hours long.



(And yep, I have a disclaimer for this suggestion too) You will find lots of anti Kent Hovind sites when you Google him. Evolution is a cherished religion in our culture.
I encourage you to let these videos speak for themselves.

Preview them out HERE or HERE, and beware... you'll be hooked!


These are a few of our favorite road trip helpers. If we spend a full 10 hour day on the road, we may only watch movies for 2-3 hours sprinkled over the whole trip.
Changing things up and offering some variety seems to help the children.

I'll let this be enough for now, but for more "Traveling with a Passel..." watch for another Help For Growing Families post.
I have LOTS more where this came from!

Ugh! How To Catch Up?!!

Yes, too much to tell of, and not enough time to catch up.
Where to start?
I am going to humor you girls and reveal the name of our place in Idaho.

Tomorrow.

:-)

But first, let me show you what we did this evening to take away our "Gramsie-and-Pops-left-for -the-airport" Blues.














My Daredevils!



























Zachary














Clay














Sue














Olivia














These guys are crazy! I'm sure it didn't make them forget their missing you Grams and Pops...
But it helped.

Just a little:-)

A "Thanks Lord" Day

Thanks Lord.
You really outdid yourself today.


Church was awesome!



I mean, You were there. I felt your presence! I worshiped with your people, and remembered once again that You are for us!



You know it's a little funny but as far as services go, this one was not impressive (forgive me dear Elders and church family!).
I won't elaborate, but anyone who is alive and truthful knows what I am talking about here! :-)


All that to say, I know it's a heart condition that colors my glasses and tints my perspective.

When my heart is willing to be instructed;


when I am quiet before the Lord;


when Truth is spoken...


it doesn't matter how the preaching, singing, or fellowship plays out.


The Holy Spirit is not bound to circumstance.


I'm glad!


Thanks Lord.

MUST. ..POST... BLOG!!!

Ooooh! I want to blog so badly!
We arrived back to our Colorado home last night, and during the drive I thought up half a dozen posts, and today I added another half dozen to that!
Why aren't I writing those NOW? you ask.

Quite obviously I was being responsible and doing load after load of laundry amongst other things thank-you-very-much.

In less than an hour some beloved grandparents are arriving for a weekend visit.
I didn't clean the toilet, but I did get them some fresh towels, and clean sheets - after all, it's not like we've been using that toilet for the last five weeks!

Sooo... all that to say, I won't be a'blogging over the next few days (unless I get a snippet of alone -time - HA!) but I will be feeling very much like the man in the desert crawling over the hot sand toward the ever-evasive mirage.
How I WANT to type, and type, and type. It seems like feast or famine in the realm of creativity, but alas, I cannot seem to coordinate inspiration with free time.
Such is life.

So until then, look forward to hearing about:

*the wasp that I discovered a moment too late,
*what I found in the dryer,
*clever ideas for moms of little ones,
*where to find good cents.
*the last dish-washing episode

And many more! (assuming that is, that I still feel inspired at which point I finally have the time available!)
As I said...

such is life. :-)

We've Nailed It Down...

We've decided on the name for our new place in Idaho!

Here are three clues:

1) It's not any of the ideas I suggested in the previous post,
AND, it isn't any of the great suggestions in the comments either (which I feel is rather unfair after all the time and effort you gave me - I feel like I should reward you all for your hard work!).

2) It does end in Hill...

3) The name we chose is somewhat inspired by C.S. Lewis character Emmith, in The Last Battle, and NO it's not Stable Hill!

Can you guess it?
Stay Tuned!

Contentedresthavenhurst?...

One day left to get our act together!














(Some of us have our priorities straight - never too busy to stop for a pomogranite!)

What that means is:

The yard needs to be cleaned up of scrap wood and trash,
Winter clothes pulled out for Winter wearing,
Things packed up for the trip back to Colorado,
Direct vent heater installed,
Pantry finished,
Tools put away,
Upstairs cleaned up and prepared for our arrival back next Spring.
and much, MUCH more! (TOO MUCH!)

One thing I'd like to do is name our place.
Being a romantic, I want to refer to our beloved cabin in the woods as something other than "our Idaho place"
Not that there's anything wrong with that... if you are the kind of person who likes to live in a "place".
I've lived lots of "places" lately and I like the ring of anything that sounds warm and homey.
Remember "HOMEY."

We have some ideas but nothing concrete yet. Want to offer some input?
You've seen pictures in previous posts. One theme that pops up quite a bit is hill, as we are living on a hill here. Have I showed you any pictures of the children flying down this hill full tilt on their wheels?
Scooters, tricycles, dump trucks, wagon... ALL have been seen ripping down this hill.
In fact Clayton told me just today that he was traveling at speeds "1000 miles per hour" or more!
That is just WOW!

Here's some of our ideas:

Hovel Hill (this is AJ's contribution, but it does not have that "warm homey" ring I am looking for!)
Hope Hill
Praise Hill
Songhill
Humble Hill
Hiddenhill
Still Hill (not that kind of still!)
Sweet Rest Cabin
WecomeRest Cabin
Cominghome Hill
Hearts-home Hill
I'll tell ya if there are more that come to mind, but this list should give you an idea.

This place feels like rest to me. It is so quiet! (when the children aren't screaming down the hill at 1000 mph, that is)
It is beautiful beautiful home. So sweet, so lovely, daily I breath a sigh of contentment.
The children laugh.
They play all day out of doors daring to show their faces only in quest for food!
The landscape is an explosion of color half the year, and a silent and serene white for the rest of it.
My husband is at home with us. We work all day, then fall asleep sitting upright in front of the fire. We are worn out from trecking up and down the stairs, the hill. From dreaming. From just enjoying today!
Contentment. blissful contentment.
The Lord's gracious gift to our family!

So help me out here;
What is YOUR vote, and if you don't like MY ideas, please leave a comment with an orriginal!
I look forward to your input:-)
Thanks all!