Mom's a Case of Baskets

It's been a Call-Your-Mom-And-Have-A-Good-Cry kind of day, but I was not on friendly terms with the phone.

Instead I cried over everything, and at any time, in the presence of all, for the glory of none.
And do I even feel better for it?
Not yet. I think there's a pretty good supply of tears left in there still, and it's not even 6:00 pm!

"Why?" You ask.
Because I'm a hormonal basket case, that's why. No, I'm not pregnant, and yes, I have a small list of things that would make anyone cry today, but none of them tragic thankfully.

For all the tissue that was used up, there were some *"God Wink" moments:

At several opportune moments Olivia came over and stroked my hair "You're a good momma, Momma." she said to me.

And Zachary took it upon himself to clean the kitchen - wiping table, sweeping the floor, and washing dishes included! After that, I discovered both boys straitening the downstairs - Clayton even made my bed:-)

So here's how I know it was a hormonal day... I responded to these acts of loving kindness how?

By blindly searching for the Kleenex box through the blurred vision of yet more tears.
That's okay, tomorrow's a new day:-)

Thank you children o' mine!


*{A "God Wink" moment is courtesy of my friend Diane, who understands my tears, I think, and still we look for the Blessings that our Lord is faithful to pour out on us anyways.}

Thanks Lord;-)

The Tip of a Lifetime: Blood Removal From White Carpet!

We have been sick.
All of us.
Which equals severe sleep deprivation (mostly for mom).
On top of that, we just arrived home to the Mile High City, which means we have to acclimate again to the dry air. I don't know why, but when you first get here, you will be shocked by everything you touch - even the water, and I'm not kidding! In fact your fingers can get sore from all the shocks... but that's a rabbit trail. Sorry!

The dry air caused Clayton's nose to bleed last night. I believe it had been running down his throat for a while before he woke up (gross!), but I had taken NyQuil before bed so I would sleep like a rock, and that's precisely what I did!
I could not gt even one eyelid open when he tried to wake me, so I resorted to the the unthinkable - I woke dad.

Dad took care of everything. Did I mention that He's my hero?

However... morning's light revealed about sixty drops of blood all over the white carpet in our bedroom.
Now there are two things I want to say here:

1) The color of the carpet may be Taupe, it may be Grey, you can call it what you want, but when there's blood on it, it's WHITE.

And...
2) I did not choose the carpet in this house!

To carry on with my story, I Googled "how to remove blood from carpet" this morning, and this is the first thing that came up:

get gasoline and pour on stain. Leave to set for 30min. Add half a teaspoon of gunpowder Stir slow and firm. Light match, drop match onto spot. run

Very funny.

I laughed a lot, but I was scared after reading this. I figured I was in for a doozy of a workout!
I read on though, and it turns out that there are as many different ways to clean blood out of a carpet as there are people.
So... I know you are dying to know what worked (this will be a keeper for you Mrs. Smith and Faith!)

Here it is:

Hydrogen peroxide.

I t was the first item I tried because I had it handy in my home.
I poured a small amount onto the blood, and it foams up where the blood is (as if you couldn't see it already).
After that, use a cloth (cold damp, or dry) to blot (so it says ) I actually resorted to rubbing because there were 60 DROPS OF IT PEOPLE - I would have been there for hours!
And because it worked on the first one I tried:-)

So there you have it. I think this tip is a keeper - no matter how many children you have, but especially if any of them are boys! ;-)

Under the Weather... Even Though it's Sunny Outside!

Definitely got the bug the children have.
It's not a nice one, but thankfully it's not a stomach flu!

In the interest of your goodwill in coming to visit me (even when I'm sick), I'm going to refer you to my new girlfriend in Tasmania: Jess.

About Me

TasJess

I am a homemaker here in sunny Tasmania! I have three children, Erin born August 2004 and William (Billy) born June 2006 and Christopher born October 2007. I have one husband who is fantastic and have decided to keep forever.

Some of you know her already, but if you've never met, go read this post she wrote the other day.
Jess has a good word for we ladies who are caring for our little ones while attempting to captivate the hearts of our husbands. I was blessed and I know you will be too!

Thanks Jess! I'm glad to have you for friend and Sister:-)

Birthday Boy!

Six years ago this morning (the 28th of December), I was holding my second born son who had been kind enough to wait until after Christmas to make his debut!

I was nine centimeters dilated when we arrived at the hospital late at night, and he came so fast that when Grama and Uncle Char got to the hospital to wait... the action was already over, and I was serenely tucked into bed with my new baby.

Enough about me tho'! ;-)

A patient fella who waited until after nine o clock this morning to open his gifts because his ol' folks were sleeping in.


























































Unfortunately, everyone is fairly ill with some kind of respiratory flu. I did not insist that anyone pose (or smile) for pictures. I thought it better not to press my luck!

However by God's mercy, Clayton has been the least sick and was able to really enjoy his birthday cards from Granny and Aunt Darlene, his new artists set, a game of Stratigo, and Kung Fu Panda movie!

































The day was a happy one while rather uneventful, and I think my little boy (who is sunshine!) was satisfied and content.

Other things of note:

*We ate hot dogs for lunch per Clays request, and I suspect that it's possibly the birthday meal requests of six-year-old boys who keep the hot dog industry succesful!

*Clayton shared his Stratigo game with me, and I actually won! This was very exciting for me, though probably not so much for the birthday boy, because that guy uses strategy, and I am not a strategy person.
His consolation (so I overheard him telling Uncle Charlie) was that I won because I had been taking notes on his "stragedy" :-)

*Dad made the birthday cake!

*I made the frosting:-)

*We had Pizza for dinner, again per Clay's request.
Dad was kind enough to go buy take-out since we were all sick and I didn't know who would eat it once all the work had gone into making it. So thanks Dear One!
(And I know what you are thinking... Chicken soup would have been a better idea, but if YOU looked into the big blue eyes I had to confront, you'd have done the same thing!)

*I was right.
...About the pizza - it was picked at by all the sick ones.
However it did not stop them from tasting a teensy-weensy piece of cake!!!

I love you dearest Clayton Praise!

Christmas Ponderings

It has been getting increasingly more difficult to answer people when they ask where we are from.

Our beloved family and all the cherished memories of our child-hood and growing up, are in California.

Our most recent place of abode (not counting the numerous hotels, and the homes of hospitable friends) is Colorado.

And our hearts have recently been planted and are quickly taking root in Idaho!

This Thanksgiving was the first we have not spent with family, yet we felt right at home in North Carolina; and at Christmas we again missed our parents and siblings, but were welcomed warmly by our friends in Missouri.

While it would be very hard to top some of the sweet holidays I enjoyed growing up, this season was especially unique. We discovered fellowship with people who don't share our blood, but we are family because we are all adopted by God!
I wish I could pull all those I love close to me at will - that's a pipe dream I suppose, and unrealistic unfortunately.

But here's the good news: enjoying rich times of fellowship with those I love is like a little piece of Heaven here on earth. And even though I can't make those times or people last forever... Heaven is near!
We'll have that perfect pleasure soon.

Until that time, let the bitter distances cause you to long for Jesus and the promise of an amazing eternity with your loved ones,
and make sure you cherish the little glimpse of heaven that you have!

----------------------------------------------------------------------

At the home of our friends the Tjaden's, their Christmas tree was enjoyed for the holiday season, but then removed on Christmas Eve to make room for the celebration of Jesus birth!

















All the evening before dinner on Christmas Eve, the children took it upon themselves to create a Christmas pageant. There was snipping and tucking, tying and pinning, as the older girls designed costumes for all the participants.





























Mary and the shepherd were seen enjoying a few secrets, while Joseph waited patiently for his attire, and a little angel beamed from ear to ear.


















All Christmas day I had an urge to gather the children and play games, but what I heard from around the corner, was the piano softly caroling while the Christmas story was read over and over again. At intervals there were instructions on where to stand:

















There was the prompting of lines, and an occasional concession for one or another of the angels who preferred to sit on the couch rather than wait for their cue behind the kitchen wall.

When the rubber met the road, there was no way I could (or wanted to) interrupt the little brigade. They were so intent on getting things just so, and I'm sure I couldn't have captivated their attention that long! It was truly amazing.


































































































The production went off mercifully well, despite one angel who got stage fright at the last minute, and a shy Mary who had to be bossed around by Joseph - careful husband that he was.





























I was so blessed.
What a special way to spend Christmas!

"Happy Birthday to YOU Jesus!"

























I hope you were able to get a little taste of Heaven this Christmas too:-)




Love,
Momma Bug

Strange Way to Spend the Day

Apparently a full day of traveling two days ago took the starch out of me, because this is what I've had to resort to while I catch up on some rest:


















A very good way to increase motherly guilt - especially during the school year.
One of my best friend's reminded me that it's silly to try and do the normal tasks as I continue to recover from that surgery.
I think I'm especially lagging because of the blood loss. Other than that, and still being a little sore, I am feeling great!

Despite the setback of my laziness, I DID manage to bathe three little girls who needed their hair washed.
Seeing Carolina in the mirror offered a temptation I could not resist. Eventually the camera revolted and told me there was no room left on the memory card. O' well. I got a couple... at least!















































































We joined Daddy Bug for a company Christmas dinner tonight.
It was held at a Japanese steakhouse, and ended up being quite fun actually!
We sat at a bar counter around a grill, and watched the chef cook our dinner in front of us.
It was rather like a show, with him tossing an egg (still in the shell) and catching it in his hat after throwing it in the air a few times; setting the olive oil on fire, and juggling the cooking utensils!
Carolina was especially preoccupied and completely forgot to wiggle and complain in between bites:-)

Tomorrow off to spend some time with our friends in Missouri... can't wait to see them!

What's Next?

Have you been following along with our travels this far?
Idaho in September, to Colorado, to Kentucky, to North Carolina for and emergency blood transfusion and surgery, Thanksgiving and beyond...

Tomorrow we leave our four week stay with the Smith family to head back to Kentucky, and then to Missouri (for Christmas? Maybe).
Thee children are ready to move on, but I absolutely cannot believe that after four weeks of living together, all the children are still enjoying each other and getting along with each other BETTER than ever - if you can believe that!

As for me...
I am very melancholy about leaving. Mrs. Smith is a friend that has born with me living in her home (along with my husband and children, and myself being less than 100 %) with such amazing grace!
She has taken care of me, and my family as I have been recovering. She has made meals, cleaned up after us, loved on my children, washed laundry, filled and refilled the hand-soap bottle:-), the toilet paper, and paper plates, and ran the dishwasher non stop.
All while keeping a lovely and serene countenance, making the days fun for all, and being able to laugh at the rice on the floor, the crayon markings on the kitchen table, and the babies having meet their months poop allotment!

Dearest Friend, you bless and inspire me. It will be too long until I see you again!

Thank you.
For everything.

So here's a few more pictures tonight (somewhat out of order) of another of our Christmas adventures: assembling a Gingerbread House kit!