Picture of the Week!

This week's Picture of the week is actually two, so that you get the full effect.

Caleb sewed a hat this week with the help of his teacher. He's really proud of it and has declared it his "nighty-night" hat just like Squidward. Lovely.





You should see his hair in the morning when that hat comes off!

He's lucky I love him.

(As of writing this post, we have 10 Comments for Cans this week! Today is the final day to participate this week! Thank you, thank you, thank you to all who participated! Look for another chance to participate starting Monday!)

It's 1:23am. And I'm blogging. Why?!? My dear husband, of course.

He is a night owl. He comes from a long line of night owls. I *used* to be a night owl.....till I had children. These days I'm lucky to still be awake to catch the 10 o'clock news.

But here's the problem with his hours as opposed to mine. I am a light sleeper (that's a change too) and anything he does has the potential of waking me. Sometimes just in him coming to bed, I end up awake. To the point where my brain is convinced that I just had a really quality nap and it's time to be up. Most of the time though, I am able to fall back asleep. Most of the time.

Tonight, I'm sure he had been in bed for a little while; it started with me realizing that he was hovering over me and saying something about "....the trap...". To which I reply, "Honey, go back to sleep, you're keeping people up." Obviously, I ooze charm and sympathy in the middle of the night.

Then wouldn't you know it but I find myself having to come all the way downstairs to the bathroom. (His idea of putting in a bathroom upstairs is starting to grow on me.) And when I'm back upstairs listening to him snore, all I want to do is smother him with his own pillow.

As soon as that thought occurs to me, I remember something about fibers from an old CSI episode and realize that I'm sure that will mean that our insurance company will refuse to pay out his death benefit.

Plus, orange is not a flattering color for me.

So, he's safe for tonight.
I'm going to see what's on TV.

Please....allow me.

As of the writing of this post, we have NINE comments in Cans for Comments week. Keep 'em coming!

I need to brag on M for a minute. Okay, maybe two. :)

This kid....just when I think that contacting a band of gypsies is the way to go...

He's always been a sweet, sensitive, smart kid. He was a lover of Sesame Street from day one, saying nothing of that being his only option every morning-- he impressed his Kindergarten teacher by being her only student that could count past 100 before the end of the first term. After that, she never tested him, she just marked "100+".

By second grade, he was still doing well, reading above grade level (he started reading Harry Potter at Christmas time) and such, but his work was getting a little sloppy and he was daydreaming a LOT. And since he was a very social kid as well, he talked a LOT too. (I have NO idea where he got that...*giggle*) His second grade teacher was concerned that if he didn't get organized and buckle down he was going to be overwhelmed by third grade.

He did just fine.

Between third and fourth grade, we moved. I think that was harder on him than he let on. He started expressing that he didn't want to go to school but didn't put up much of a fight when I told him that he didn't have any choice. He did find two teachers that he just adored, and then a best friend, E. He started to get into choir in fifth grade and even took a week long "camp".

All the while, his teachers only complaints were that his work is sloppy. I can't argue, of course, because I've seen the way he keeps his room.

Then at the start of sixth grade, he hit 12. Suddenly, my sweet, cooperative boy is sometimes replaced by this person who rolls his eyes at me. WHAT!?!? We start to butt heads over things like doing his chores when he's asked and he's getting huffy and slamming doors-- which his father took care of right away. But fortunately, this isn't how it is all the time; if we ride out that storm, calm will be sure to follow....for two or three days.

Now, if you've been following my blog for very long, you know that we just moved for the second time in five years. J was very adamant that he know the boys' positions on purchasing this house and moving again. I tried to tell him that they are children and we shouldn't let them think that they actually get a vote this time, but he wanted to hear their opinion anyway. Let's just say that the child that we were most concerned about didn't have an opinion and the first grader was FULL of "I don't wanna move!" And as you know, the house was a steal that we just couldn't pass up, so we moved anyway.

Changing schools again meant a bigger transition for M this time--from elementary school to middle school. I was concerned at first, but his former principal assured me that M would transition well. And he seems to have done just that.

And the purpose of all this, you ask? His term grades came in the mail yesterday. All A's and B's-- even a B- in his advanced math class! Yay! *And* he had other news for me as well; his band instructor is so impressed with his trumpeteering, as he called it, that she is going to promote him to first trumpet! He was pretty excited about that.

He's transitioned well, is working hard and it's paying off. So, no band of gypsies for this kid just yet.

I wonder if they take first graders........

Wordless Wednesday

We're up to 8 on Cans for Comments this week! Thanks and keep 'em comin'!


Now without further fanfare, I give you an oldie-but-a goodie.........

My pick for Wordless Wednesday,*sorry,dad!*

Thankful Tuesday!

In no particular order, because I don't feel at the moment that I need to be obsessive like that--here are my "thankful things" for today.

I'm thankful for ice cream. I *am* one of those people that can eat it no matter the time of year. My mom isn't.

I'm thankful that the amount we owe for state taxes is manageable.

I'm super thankful that we are getting a very sizeable federal refund.

I'm thankful for my boys, who count as deductions. :)

I'm thankful that school will be in session today.

I'm thankful for my Mom's chocolate chip cookie recipe.

This morning, I was thankful for my warm bed and hesitant to leave it.

I am thankful for friends.

I am thankful for my home. It has some quirks, but it's warm and safe and my family is here.

I am thankful that even if I had been the only one, Jesus would have still been willing to die to pay for my sin.


Don't forget to leave comments for my family's effort to help the hungry in our community! (To find out the info, click here.) Thanks to those who participated yesterday! Keep 'em coming!

Don't forget what you're worth!

(Thanks to my friend, Steph, who sent me this email last week. Enjoy!)

By the time the Lord made woman,
He was into his sixth day of working overtime.

An angel appeared and said,
'Why are you spending so much time on this one?'

And the Lord answered, 'Have you seen my spec sheet on her?
She has to be completely washable, but not plastic,
have over 200 movable parts, all replaceable
and be able to run on diet coke and leftovers,
have a lap that can hold four children at one time,
have a kiss that can cure anything from a scraped knee to a broken heart
-and she will do everything with only two hands.'

The angel was astounded at the requirements.
'Only two hands!? No way!
And that's just on the standard model?
That's too much work for one day.
Wait until tomorrow to finish.'

'But I won't, ' the Lord protested.
'I am so close to finishing this creation that is so close to my own heart.
She already heals herself when she is sick AND can work 18 hour days.'

The angel moved closer and touched the woman.
'But you have made her so soft, Lord.'

'She is soft,' the Lord agreed,
'but I have also made her tough.
You have no idea what she can endure or accomplish.'

'Will she be able to think?', asked the angel.

The Lord replied,
'Not only will she be able to think, she will be able to reason and negotiate.'

The angel then noticed something, and reaching out, touched the woman's cheek.
'Oops, it looks like you have a leak in this model.
I told you that you were trying to put too much into this one.'

'That's not a leak,'the Lord corrected,'that's a tear!'
'What's the tear for?' the angel asked.

The Lord said, 'The tear is her way of expressing her joy, her sorrow, her pain,
her disappointment, her love, her loneliness, her grief and her pride.'

The angel was impressed.
'You are a genius, Lord. You thought of everything! Woman is truly amazing.'

And she is!

Women have strengths that amaze men.
They bear hardships and they carry burdens,but they hold happiness, love and joy.
They smile when they want to scream.
They sing when they want to cry.
They cry when they are happy and laugh when they are nervous.
They fight for what they believe in.
They stand up to injustice.
They don't take 'no' for an answer when they believe there is a better solution.

They go without so their family can have.
They go to the doctor with a frightened friend.
They love unconditionally.
They cry when their children excel and cheer when their friends get awards.
They are happy when they hear about a birth or a wedding.

Their hearts break when a friend dies.
They grieve at the loss of a family member,yet they are strong when they think there is no strength left.
They know that a hug and a kiss can heal a broken heart.

Women come in all shapes, sizes and colors.
They'll drive, fly, walk, run or e-mail you to show how much they care about you.
The heart of a woman is what makes the world keep turning.
They bring joy, hope and love.
They have compassion and ideals.
They give moral support to their family and friends.
Women have vital things to say and everything to give.

In the hustle and bustle of every day life, don't forget to take time for YOU and remember how much you're worth!

Food For Thought

A fellow blogger, at Mom Revolution had a great idea last week that she suggested fellow bloggers implement.

For every comment that my blog receives this week, my family and I are going to donate one non-perishible food item to a local food bank.

Your comments will feed my ego and will more importantly help to feed the hungry in my community!

So, don't forget to make those comments!

My family and hungry families everywhere thank you.

Picture of the week.

"Mom, I'm boooorrreedd."

"Okay, just give me a minute."

"Mom, can I have this box??"

[so not looking over my shoulder] "Sure."

Ten minutes or so later, I realize that all is quiet around me so I go searching.
This is what I find!

More Patience.

I admit, I am one of the most impatient people in the world. When I want something, I want it now. When I tell my boys to do something, I want it done immediately. Jon will drag his heels on things intentionally, just to make me wait. That only succeeds in making me anxious and sometimes making me angry.

But then I think of my Heavenly Father.
Is He impatient? No way.
Do I deserve for Him to be impatient with me? I’m sure I do.
But that’s not His way.

He so desires for us to be in relationship with Him that He’ll even wait for us to come to Him. Sometimes He waits years and years; that’s a supreme example of patience if I ever knew one.

Here again, I admit that I need to work on this. I tend to be very impatient with the boys, especially C, who knows exactly how to push my buttons. And it seems that through some of what I’ve seen lately, all my impatience is doing is teaching him to be impatient with others. Yikes.

And so I bite my tongue, take a deep breath, count to ten—sometimes all at once. And it takes time to teach an old dog new tricks, so I’m not perfect in my quest to be more patient. But I’m working on it. To follow the example of Jesus.

Patient with my husband.
Patient with my boys.
Patient in line at the store.
Patient behind the wheel.
Patient wherever I find myself.

Because He is patient with me and I am so grateful.


“Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.”

Let's play!

Here are the rules. You have to come up with 25 things about yourself. Then tag the person who tagged you and 5 others. If I tag you, it's because I want to know more about you!

Here goes:

1. I never learned how to swim.

2. My favorite foods are quite easily pizza and chocolate.

3. I was born at 28 weeks in ’74 with a 30% chance of survival.

4. I played clarinet in 6th and 7th grade.

3. I have a September birthday as do 9 members of my extended family.

4. I started a blog last summer.

5. My husband and I never had a honeymoon.

6. My oldest child was 22 days old on my 22nd birthday.

7. I have a home made Cabbage Patch doll. Her name is Shelly.

8. I can’t rollerskate.

9. I’ve been 5’2” since I was 14 years old.

10. I never went to college beyond my freshman year.

11. I am an obsessive hand-washer.

12. I hate making my bed.

13. I have been on mission trips to San Francisco (’91) and NYC (’03).

14. I always wanted a daughter named Emily. I have a 4yo niece named Emily instead.

15. I am a Nazarene PK.

16. I had 3 roommates my freshman year of college.

17. I hate peas.

18. I also hate bananas.

19. Add applesauce to that list too.

20. I weighed 2 pounds 11 oz at birth and was 14” long.

21. I won my first trophy when I was 7 years old.

22. I sang “He’s Still Working On Me” at that competition, as did 95% of the other entrants.

23. I’m going to be an auntie again for the 4th time this summer.

24. I love Diet Coke.

25. This wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be.

I tag Helen, The Meanest Mom and Mom Blog.

Cute!

Christmas 2005

Christmas 2006


Christmas 2007


Christmas 2008

Book Review

Last week, I finished reading James Patterson's 'Sundays at Tiffany's'.

Here's the synopsis (what a fancy word!) off bn.com; then I'll tell you what I thought.......



As a little girl, Jane has no one. Her mother Vivienne Margaux, the powerful head of a major New York theater company has no time for her. But she does have one friend--Michael--and no one can see him but her. But Michael can't stay with Jane forever, and on her eighth birthday, her imaginary friend must leave her. When Jane is in her thirties, working for her mother's company, she is just as alone as she was as a child. Her boyfriend hardly knows she's there and is more interested in what Vivienne can do for his career. Her mother practically treats her as a slave in the office, despite the great success of Jane's first play, "Thank Heaven." Then she finds Michael--handsome, and just the same as she remembers him, only now he's not imaginary. For once in her life, Jane is happy--and has someone who loves her back. But not even Michael knows the reason behind why they've really been reunited.

I enjoyed this book. It was a really quick read that I just simply couldn't put down. And I didn't sob, which is more than I can say about reading Patterson's 'Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas'. Some of the reviews on the web complained that the plot was too obvious and far-fetched. I agree that the idea of an imaginary friend suddenly being real is far fetched, but that's why they call it *fiction*. And as a bonus, it kept my attention so well that I was able on more than one occasion to block out PS2gamefest'09. That gets loud, LOL.



If you've read it, let me know what you thought.

You Reign

You Reign- Mercy Me

I Solomnly Swear.

As I was glued to my television set yesterday for the inauguration of our new President, I had the feeling that it was the start of new things for our country. President Obama *knows* that there are challenges ahead and he embraces them head on. I will endeavor to do my part also and pray for our President, his family and his cabinet.

I've been avoiding making some changes in my own life. And so yesterday it became clear to me that NOW is the time. No more hoping for the best. No more expecting my husband or kids to shape up so that my life is better. No more "if I ignore it, it'll go away."

So let me give you a couple of things in my life that I vow to change during the new Presidency.

-My weight has been a struggle for me for years. I am an emotional eater, a lover of food and a hater of exercise. All of those things are terrible in combination. So during this presidency, I vow, in baby steps, to do what is best for me and get to a healthy weight. Eat healthier, cook healthier, and move more.

-I vow to read my Bible every day. I am terrible at this; I start out gung-ho and then life throws me a curve and I abandon one of the aspects of my life that I need to concentrate on most. No more. I have a great NIV study bible that will even tell me *what* to read each day. And can I tell you that I set my alarm 15 minutes early and for the last two days have gotten in that time before anyone else rises for the day. And it really starts my day off on a great note.

So help me God.

Needed: Date Night

Needed: Date Night

Requirements:
#1 Two or more hours of uninterrupted time with spouse.
#2 Must leave the primary residence.
#3 Must keep conversations about the children to a minimum.
#4 Must plan a fun activity to do together

Bonus: Babysitter not required as children are finally old enough to be home alone for said time.


We need a date night badly. I hate to admit this, but our last date night consisted of dinner at Dead Lobster and then a trip to J's office. We were home by 9pm. And the worst part; that was in OCTOBER!

I had been trying to get J to agree to go to lunch with me once a week. Just before school started in September, I suggested that he pick the day of the week since his schedule was more complex than mine; and as soon as I was free from my gig at the school, I could even meet him somewhere for lunch.

Never happened.

After a few weeks, I stopped suggesting it because it seemed to annoy him and then I just gave it up altogether.

But what is our excuse for not having a date night?

In the beginning, it was because we'd have to hire a babysitter. Then it just became that once our regular sitter was out of college, she was very busy and not always available. Fastforward several years and it took me several weeks after M's 12th birthday to convince J that M was old enough and responsible enough to watch C for short periods of time.

And yet, since our anniversary in October, we've had one time where we had a lunch to ourselves that I can think of. That was the day we closed on the house last month.

If I didn't know better, I'd think that J doesn't *want* to go out alone with me.

I'm going to persist and broach the subject with him again this evening.

We'll see what happens.

A twist on Thankful Tuesday.

Today is 'Thankful Tuesday' and I thought that we'd take a break from the traditional and try something new. Let me know how you like it.

Today, I am going to begin with FIVE of my all time favorite Bible verses. Maybe some of these are your favorites too.

#1. Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths. Proverbs 3:5-6

#2. How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! 1 John 3:1

#3. For you know that is was not with perishable things such as silver of gold that you were redeemed......but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. 1 Peter 1:18-19

#4. Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good. His love endures forever. Psalm 136:1

#5. It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. Galatians 5:1

More to come!

The "follower" feature.

The follower feature is one that I have seen on most blogs that I read, but I just added it to my own blog over the weekend.

Now, if you are a regular reader, and I know of a few, you have the option of "following" my blog. So, please do so.

Of course, you can follow publicly, and then I will know who you are OR you can follow anonomously and I will not be the wiser. Your choice.

And if you follow me and have a blog of your own, include that in the comments here, so that I can visit and perhaps follow your blog too!

An Award??? Really??

Helen at Three Times the Giggles gave out awards today. Guess who was on the list???? Little old me!

I've been reading her blog about her adventures with triplet boys for weeks now. Sometimes I even leave comments and I guess that she has been reading *my* blog too!

Anyway, since once you get an award, you're supposed to pass it on, here goes.


I hereby give the hug award to:

Missy at "Are You There, God? It's Me." is a longtime message board friend of mine. I just love reading about her adventures with her 5yo and 3yo.

I too have enjoyed reading The Meanest Mom. She makes me laugh about the everyday things that I never thought of.

And last but certainly not least to Jen. She is an inspiration!

Upward, Inward, Outward

When we *finally* made it to church yesterday (and the reasons for our absence are another subject entirely) it felt as if we hadn't missed a thing. Wait....no, it felt as if we *had* missed being in the corporate setting in the presence of God. How wonderful it was for me, personally, to sing praises and feel His presence!

The sermon yesterday was given by our senior pastor, Pastor Bill. In our short time at this church, we have heard several different pastors speak, and I have to say that PB is my favorite.

The text was Isaiah chapter six verses one through eight. Isaiah gets a completely fresh perspective on God and His holiness here thanks to some seraphs. Then he starts to see the enormity of his own sin compared to the holiness of God. But he receives cleansing, as we all can and his sins are forgiven and his guilt taken away.

So what is Isaiah's response to the gift he just received? He hears the Lord ask "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" His response is a rousing "Send ME!"

PB's point was this: if we take the time to newly discover every day who God is and what He has done for us, then we will want to, in His power, live the very best life we can. And as a grateful people, then our response should naturally be for us to do what we can so that we show Jesus to the people around us.

For some, that means packing up and moving to another country. For others, it may mean a trip to a soup kitchen or a homeless shelter. Still for others, it just may mean getting to know your neighbor or the grocery store clerk.

So that all should come to know Jesus.

"I'm so excited!"

Maybe C was a member of the Pointer Sisters in a former life. "I'm so excited!" is all I've heard this morning. He's always had a special place in his heart for his cousin S. And I admit, I have also. I love all my neices and nephews, but every little girl in this family is extra special to me, since I don't have my own.


We are having Jon's brother and his family over for dinner tonight. It's just gonna be homemade pizza and veggies and cupcakes, but they are our first dinner guests in our new home. So, I guess I agree with C that it is kinda exciting.

Jon's brother and his wife are among my favorite people in the universe. I have always loved Jason, (he's an easy guy to love) and I love Amy because she's Jason's perfect match. I really couldn't ask for better for my favorite brother-in-law.

We've been fortunate to live relatively close to them for several years now. But as I'm sure you know, life gets in the way. When we made the move before this one, I had the ridiculous notion that we'd finally be able to get together every week. HA! I did get to see them a bit more as I did some babysitting for their daughter last winter and spring, but we only were really able to get together a couple of times beyond that. We had a running joke that we'd only really see each other if my in-laws came to town. And that's true.

So we just wanted to be able to have them out to the house as soon as possible and I guess tonight works. Jason was here with Jon the week before we moved in, but that didn't count. :)

So we'll hope to see them this afternoon, have dinner around 5pm. I hope to get some pics of the kiddos especially and I'll try to post them next week.

"I'm so excited to see S, Mom."

"Do you know that today's the day, Mom??"
"Since it isn't snowing hard, they can still come, right Mom?"

Excitement is contagious. Especially from a six year old!

The (short) tale of the kitchen timer.

Moving from an apartment to this house has been interesting; it has meant some adjustments for everyone.

My adjustment, you ask?? I can't hear the oven timer.

Now in my defense, right now there is the humidifier running full-time and the sound of the furnace to contend with also. I always thought the computer was loud until we starting running the humidifer in the next room. Turns out I can't hear the computer at all either.

Tonight was almost a disaster. After placing dinner in the oven and setting the timer, I come to the den and sit at the computer. I get sucked into checking updates on facebook unaware, basically, of how much time has passed. I start to notice that I can smell what it is that's in the oven.

When I can pull myself away from facebook (around 3 or so minutes later), I get into the kitchen to hear the timer buzzing its little heart out. I pull the cookie sheet from the oven to discover that all is well. This time. Whew.

It's on my list to get one of the timers that I can set and bring with me to the den or wherever I happen to roam.

To prevent dinner disasters that I have no way of recovering.

Toothpaste in the sink and other stuff.

Last night before bed, I sent C downstairs to brush his teeth. After I put him to bed, I went into the bathroom and saw that it looked as though the toothpaste tube had exploded in the sink. I grumble under my breath a bit and walk into the kitchen to get a Clorox wipe. After several swipes with the wipe, it's clean, but my attitude is still dirty.

It started yesterday with the arrival of the mail. We got our new energy bill and it is much higher than we expected. That wouldn't be so bad if it wasn't for the fact that we weren't even here for the first 2 weeks of billing, so the heat was only set at 62.5 degrees. Since we moved in, the highest the heat has been is 70* and I'm still chilly. And those of you who know me personally know that I am NEVER cold, so that is a big deal.

That bill did force me to get online for instructions as to how to program the thermostat for certain times of day. That was a bit frustrating in itself since the instructions weren't entirely clear, but I persisted and figured it out.

And there's the whole matter of our new phone/Internet company. They start billing us on the 12Th of December and don't send a modem for the Internet until the fifth of January. Then they send us a bill that is outrageous and Jon just pays it without so much as a question.

Then about an hour ago something occurred to me. I haven't been into the Word in several days. I've had quite a bit of time and I haven't used it to the best of my ability. And in the meantime, I'm focusing on everything that isn't what I expected instead of focusing on God and what His plan is.

Even as I fell down the stairs this morning at 6am, I am sure that this is where He wants us to be. I just need to trust Him and more importantly pray for His grace and help to adjust my attitude.

Not our best idea.

I'm referring to having a second child when the first was already over 5 years old.

M was nearly five and a half when C was born. He pretty much loved on his brother from the minute C arrived home....for the first 5 minutes.

Lately, it seems that unless electronics are involved, they can't get along for more than ten minutes at a time.

And now that M is twelve, we have to constantly remind him that HE is NOT the parent, so he needs to back off.

This morning has had a number of it's own issues already. And I was in bed until almost 10am due to a bout of stomach virus yesterday.

So far today, I've heard the following:

"Mom, M won't let me........."

"Mom, C's not picking up." To which I reply, "did I ask you to lord over him? I don't think so."

"Mom, M called me a brat." My reply? "Probably because you're acting like one." (Not my most stellar parenting moment.)

While I know (okay, HOPE is a better word) that they will be friends someday, is it too much to ask for them to get along now?!?

There'd better be school tomorrow.

It isn't much, but it's ours.

As many of you know, Jon and I just purchased our first home last month. It really is a buyers market, as they say. We were able to get more than we hoped for quite a bit less than we imagined.

There is work to do, as you can imagine. Work that needed done for basic function and work that we want to do just to make it nicer. We have a couple of projects come spring/summer and I really need to decide what color(s) to paint the downstairs.

C has already decided that he wants his room painted red; now we're just into negotiations as to how many walls will go all red. I told Jon that I just hate for him to decide that he *hates* the color in a few years and have to paint over it. So, I'm thinking one red wall and of course C is thinking four. LOL

Anyway, the other day, I decided that it'd be fun to take pics of the "before", so I've started doing just that. I've been teasing Jon that every project so far should have been documented on film; he hasn't thought so.

Let me just give you a few pics of what the downstairs looks like so far:

This is the dining room. Who carpets a dining room anyway?? That will HAVE to go!


One kitchen view:

Another kitchen view:

Contrary to the pics, the living room walls are peach. Ick.




But then there's the feature of the house that I LOVE!


Stay tuned!

Random Musings for a Tuesday.

I hope that Jon and I don't get this bug that now each of the boys have had.

I'm really happy that I got a replacement tea kettle from the company. Mom was NOT happy that the kettle was broken on Christmas morning.

I need a cup of tea.

Hopefully our neighbors won't hate Jon for thinking that he needed to use the snowblower at 7am.

I really hope that we are all well for the weekend because as of right now, we have company coming both Saturday night and Sunday afternoon. I'd hate to have to cancel.

I'm sick of winter. More importantly sick of snow.

I keep dreaming that someone comes to our door and tells us that we don't live here and to go home.

Count your blessings!

"When upon life's billows you are tempest tossed.
When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,
Count your many blessings, name them one by one.
And it will surprise you what the Lord has done."

That's the first verse of a hymn that we grew up singing in church. As I was just reading a blog about how hard this economy has been for some, it made me remember that once again, I am very blessed.

To actually count my blessings would bore you to tears, I am sure; so we will go with my Top 10 for this morning.

#1. The house is quiet as I am home alone for the first time in four days.

#2. Jon has a job in this economic time; in fact, his boss says that right now things are busier than they have been for some time.

#3. We have two vehicles, and the one still has working heat, so no one HAS to go anywhere in the one without.

#4. We are relatively settled into our first home.

#5. Both boys have seemed to adjust to their new schools well.

#6. Both sets of parents are well. Our boys can still have relationships with the four of them.

#7. My siblings and I are fortunate enough to have grandparents still living. That's important to my boys too.

#8. That our furnace runs well with the bitterly cold temps that we are expecting starting tomorrow.

#9. The refrigerator is full.

#10. That my Jesus loves me!

An update.

So, we're as moved into our new home as we're gonna get for now.

The morning of moving day was really foggy; we had to drive around 40mph to get out here. Jon's BIL and some of his family came to help move furniture (thanks Virg, Susie, Olie and Rem!) and we had the apartment empty in just over 2 hours.

We'd been to the house for what seemed like 20 minutes when my in-laws arrived. Actually, they arrived just as we discovered that the couch wouldn't fit through the front door. LOL Jon took care of that in a flash by removing the couches back legs and all is well.

My MIL and Auntie prepared a great lunch for all, but I was too excited to eat. Then due to some impending nasty weather for all of our guests, everyone was out of the house by 2:30pm.

Jon started with C's bed since it is a bunk and would give both C and M some place to sleep, then he put together our bed. We had chosen the room at the top of the stairs thinking that it'd be best for us to be aware of all activity on the stairs in the middle of the night. Turns out, it's a small room. We have little room for more than the king sized bed, the dresser and a nightstand. It's fine, but going from a room that was 13x17 in the apartment to this was a bit of an adjustment.

The "projects" that we have had to complete in the last 11 days have been enlightening, sometimes frustrating, and fun. Project number 1 was to get a tub-drain system set up for the new washer delivery. Let's just say that it involves a 10 foot section of PVC pipe and Caleb's car window open for the ride from Fleet Farm to Jon's office. He brought it home the next night in the other vehicle. (The boys and I are in agreement that Jon needs to look into getting a truck. LOL) Needless to say, the project was completed and works great.

Project #2 was to get some electrical to said system and the washer. Whoever lived here before must have used adapters and extention cords to the ancient electrical in the ceiling. Bad idea. With some advice from the master electrician at Home Depot and some on the spot advice from my Dad, (thanks, Dad!!!) we were able to complete new electrical for the washer that works great, is grounded, and will be awhile before it has to be done again. And Jon learned an important lesson. When your father-in-law tells you to make sure to turn off the main, you need to listen. He took a shock before he followed that advice and has a LED flashlight that will now never be the same. LOL

Then there was the project to get the waterbed up and filled. M decided that he wasn't interested in sharing a room with C, so he'd taken his mattress to the floor of his room. So the child needed to get off the floor. Since we had taken the waterbed down almost 4 years ago and put it in storage, it took Jon a bit to remember exactly how it went together. Here, some more thanks go out to my Dad who had the foresight in 1995 when the bed left his home to mark the pieces for Jon. The red crayon marks (LOL) come in handy.

Filling the waterbed leads to the hot water heater taking a nosedive. We knew that the clock was ticking on that, considering that we knew it had a leak before we closed on the house last month. Jon had purchased a new waterheater that Virg moved from the garage to the basement on moving day. We are fortunate enough that Jon's immediate supervisor used to be a plumbing apprentice and he took Sunday afternoon away from his family to come out and teach Jon how to replace the waterheater. We had hot water about 45 minutes after L left the house; 24 hours with no hot water was quite enough.

On Sunday morning, we learned the all important lesson that we need to take a trip 40 minutes south to save $$ and time getting groceries. All that is in the town nearest to us is an Econofoods, and the town 15 miles away has a REGULAR Wal-Mart (who knew!!) and a Piggly Wiggly. I sent Jon into work yesterday with a list of things that I KNEW he could get cheaper in Appleton, even if he just went to the Wal-Mart Supercenter; which he did.

The boys had their first day at the schools yesterday. The bus arrives promptly at 7:15, so that means that they have to be up no later than 6:15. For the first 2 days, they have adjusted well to that. M is finding the adjustment to middle school to be a bit more than he bargained for, but when I asked him if he would go back, he responded with an enthusiastic "Yes!". C is in a classroom with dual teachers. I asked him how his day was and he said "good." The kid that he remembers is named Matthew, LOL.

I am on my second day of rattling around in this big house. Big to me, of course; maybe small to others. I can see myself being happy staying home until spring, and then I am gonna need a project, a new hobby or a part-time job. Just to keep what sanity I have left. LOL

Stay tuned.