snapshots

hope hope

Our public library has rotating poems on display outside, written by locals. This one cracks us up.

Cat Fancy

Because I thought you'd like to know:

Mady got a kitten for her birthday last July, Zack. Zack went missing this July. Mady was sad. Zack was a sweet cat.

Reagan got sick in August. I took Reagan to the vet, spent a fortune, and determined that she had low kidney function, and was down to 5 lbs. And she had flea. (Not fleas, just flea, they told me after I bought all the flea treatment stuff. One flea.) Mady and I nursed Reagan back to health-ish, and we'll give her an IV at home twice a week to keep her kidneys working for the rest of her life. I thought I was becoming a little nuts at that point.

Last week, Rosabelle turned up with a lump on her back. Another trip to the vet determined that she was bitten by another cat, it got infected, and she needed surgery. An even larger fortune, at over $300. She's home now, and I have the ever-pleasant task of giving meds., scab removal, and twisting the drain tube that sticks out of her naked-shaved back. And she wears a fashionable cone. It's a pathetic site all around. So I spent the week on scab removal duty. At that point, I knew for sure I was nuts. (Trust me, you don't want any photos of this one.)

Then, my sweetest friend (and next door neighbor) Jen, figured out there was a stray (we think) cat responsible for Rosabelle's bite, and for a ton of other cat fights occuring in our yards lately. Sweet Jen rented a cat trap from the Humane Society, and after three days, we caught the pesky Black Demon, as we call it.

The Demon is on his way to the Humane Society, Rosabelle is on her way to get the drain removed, and Reagan is awaiting her next injection.

So if any of you lovely readers should encounter a cat problem, I am available for: administering kitty IV's, removing scabs, giving antibiotics, or removing unwanted pests. Your choice.

PS- Aren't you glad to know all of this?

a conversation of 4 year olds

Overheard...

Keston: I am so drinky! I need some water.

Ashley: Ya! I am drinky too!

Keston: Hey! We're drinky buddies.

Ashley & Keston: We're Drinky Buddies (repeated 106 times, loudly in little girl's not-so-enunciated-voices, in a Lynden public park). Lynden, you caught that, right? Where alcohol isn't sold on Sundays.

4 year old Drinky Buddies. Nice.

A shout out from Kelly McCaleb?

Awesome! .....If you are just checking in from My Happy Little Life, nice to meet you. :)  I am a mom to three happy kids in the Pacific Northwest.... a believer, a square foot gardener, a picky eater with a ton of food sensitivities, a scrapbooker on occasion, a nature girl, a camper, and a hiker, a wife to a handsome guy, organized by nature (but not in practice), a beginning knitter and straight line sewer, a childhood cancer survivor, often a not-follow-through-er, a vegetarian, and newly a homeschooling mom trying to get it right.  I spent the morning watching my kids make chalk drawings while I read on the porch. I am blessed!

let's re-cap

Don't worry, it was snowing last year and summer still came eventually. Remember? What a nice March we had last year. :)

Today we have big plans for :

Keston) - cutting things that aren't her hair. I made her a giant pile of stuff that is  good for cutting.

Mady) - being sick, drinking tea, skipping school.

Jenson) - going to school and play in the snow

Frank) - going to work and continuing to be an awesome provider for us

Me) - eating Toll House Pie. And playing Wii Fit. And doing laundry.

What are you doing today?

So, ya. Added a whole photo album.

Go here to see my new life, seriously. (It has a tiny bit of bad language.)

Thanks Iman, cracked me up!

Let's just pretend it's Twitter!

Mady has 23 minutes to "mentally strengthen herself" for taking cakes out of the oven. As a mean/nice trick, I gave her a cake cookbook and oven mitt for the Valentine occasion. Because she is afraid of the oven, and because I don't want to be responsible for baking all of her kids' birthday cakes.

And all you people that asked for a little blogging from me are going to be sorry. As we say about prayer requests, be careful what you wish for. (Which is why we never pray for patience for our friends, for fear that God will provide too much opportunity for learning it. )

Ok, see you in an hour.

Are you enjoying my Christmas banner still?

Oh, and did I say "Coming Soon"? I meant, Coming Sooner or Later. And Happy Valentine's Day from your favorite lazy blogger.

For real updates on what's going on, check out my best friend's blog. (Scroll down.) She writes more about me than I have time for. Love her.

ADD & nonsense & a request to be a connoisseur

Wow - an offer for a Target card to fund a cushion and an offer for a whole new chair! :) Just so you can hear my nonsense ramblings? Funny people.

So, to keep it in line with non-sensical, here's the first email I opened this morning:

Hello,

I'd appreciate if you can give me some feedback on our site: www.regencyshop.com and our item hanging Eames Lounge Chair.

I realize that you are home decor-modern design connoisseur :) I'd like to hear your opinion/feedback on our products. Also, it'd be swell if you can place our link on your blog.

Thank you,

Sean

Huh. Oh yes, you nailed it on that one, Sean, I am indeed a decor-modern design connoisseur! But how did you know? Was it the ranting about my ugly red room? You should come over for coffee sometime, Sean, you'd be mildly surprised. (Oh, and my other emails included a couple requests for being a facebook friend.)

See, that was very non-sensical. I will chalk it up to my newly-found ADD condition. I spent one afternoon taking five or six quizzes to determine if I have ADD. Can you guess the outcome? Yep, Affirmative. That explains soooooo much. So much, really.  And interestingly, not one person I have mentioned it to has been the least bit surprised. In fact, half of them already knew. Nice. To compensate in the new year, I will make list after list after list, to keep myself focused. I am being serious here. You know the "If You Give a Pig a Pancake" series of books? That is totally my life. Really, you should watch me clean my kitchen - it takes a good two hours, because I get so distracted. True story. But not in '09. Oh no, because I will write lists!

Cheers to 2009 and an abundance of lists!

And to ring in the New Year, I started a few traditions for my family. Because traditions are good...

We started with a Red Velvet Cake.  This was fun, because my auntie Druann decided to do the same, so now we have an extended family tradition. My choice in cakes might have been a little off however, as the recipe called for a whole bottle of #40 red dye and a cup and a half of oil. Lucky for me, my resolutions only include list-making and cushion-buying!

Our other newly-developed traditions are to make a calendar together, and to have a tea party. Kind of random, but then again, I have ADD you know. :)

And alas, because my newly discovered ADD prevents me from reading long, boring manuals and things, I can't seem to get my photos out of my new camera and into my old computer. Just as soon as my smart husband or smart friend can help me, I'll add them. You'll be impressed with the cake for sure. And smart friend, you know who you are. Please help me?

Meal Plan Monday

Monday: Breakfast - plain cream of wheat. Lunch and Dinner - beans and rice.

Tuesday: Breakfast - plain cream of wheat. Lunch and Dinner - beans and rice.

Weds.: Breakfast - plain cream of wheat. Lunch and Dinner - beans and rice.

Thursday: Breakfast - plain cream of wheat. Lunch and Dinner - beans and rice.

Friday: Breakfast - plain cream of wheat. Lunch and Dinner - beans and rice.

Saturday: Breakfast - plain cream of wheat. Lunch and Dinner - beans and rice.

Our church is participating in The Micah Project. It's an effort to reach out, give, love, and gain empathy. (In my words). There are four parts to the Micah Project -

1.  Visit the World Vision Exhibit about life in Africa.
2. Endure the sustenance diet for 6 days.
3. Give to the food pantry at our church or elsewhere (local action)
4. Donate and assemble caregiver kits to be sent to Africa. (global action).

It is nice to have little faces to put to the hunger, pain, and poverty of the people in Africa. (Kody, a friend of a friend who was recently brought home from Ghana, and my friend Renee's three children from Liberia).  Can you imagine any of those sweet kids with nothing to eat? I am very excited to visit the exhibit and learn more about day to day life in poor Africa. I expect it will be so impactful! Particularly with our economy right now, and feeling like our own family has had a rough time - we have no idea what a rough time is!

I have been so abundantly blessed by God and the love of very good friends, lately in particular. I know this challenge of the Micah Project will be completely eye opening about what true need is. I think our American problems will seem insignificant and trivial.  Yet the theme is the same - love for one another, loving others as yourself, helping to carry others' burdens.

Go here to learn more about the "The Micah Project". After the challenge, I'll interview my friend Belsa who is also participating, and my daughter Mady. Check back to see our new, skinnier selves. :)

But we still have our humor.

We concede. We are loosers. Frank even attended the Republican Party - Party. I jokingly called it the Looser's Party.

Then when he got home after having enough of the loosers party, we watched some reports and coverage.

I turned to my handsome husband and asked if we were the Young or the Old that they kept referring to.

No matter, because apparently the Young and the Old have come together.

I did get my free coffee out of the debacle. And that is Hope I can believe in. Free coffee for everyone. (The rich people will just buy it for us from here on out.) 

VOTE and DRINK!

 

I think the fine print says "Free coffee only available if you vote Republican." Yep, that's what it says. 

To all my Dem friends, I still love you. I think you're kind of crazy, but I love you.

Nablopomo, expiallidocious.

Did you know it is National Blog Posting Month? It seems I am a day behind already. Perfect! Takes the pressure off right away...

So, for my inductee National Post, I am going to tell you about my driving experiences this weekend.

Remember this? The fun date car? Well, last week we sold our Jeep, the other family car. Now we are left with the fun date car, and the more sensible, seats seven, gas guzzling family car. (SUV, whatever.) Are you following? This means that when the weekend occassion arises, and Frank decides to take a couple children somwhere, the sensible-seats-seven auto is required. Leaving me at home with the fun date car.

Now, let me tell you what I think of this. As composed while driving said fun date car on Saturday.

Pros:

• Lots of people look your way, thinking to themselves, "Hmm, cute car."
• You get, like 50 miles to the gallon or something.
• You can very legitimately park in the COMPACT space.
• The 8 track stereo is awesome.
• You could, if needed, open the passenger door while driving.
• Also, you can reach anything else you might need within the car. (Without even stretching.)
• Your left leg will become very muscular, due to it being the clutch leg and all.
• And for symetry, your right arm will also become muscular while you try to shift and not ruin the clutch aparatus. Clutch stuff? Clutch system?
• It might be cute in a parade.
• Takes less time to wash. You just need a Kleenex or something.
• You don't need to lock it. If someone really needs that 8 track tape, they are welcome to it.
• It has three windshield wipers - super helpful here in Bellingham. 
• It will fit in the garage, no matter how much other crap you store in there.
• You are at one with the road. (Especially since you are a mere 4 inches and thin floorboard away from it.)

Cons:

• Left muscular leg is weird, and doesn't really match flabby right leg.
• You have to be very creative in parking, so as to not require shifting to reverse, which I swear is impossible to find.
• One false move on the highway, and you are pretty much dead.
• One false move on a quiet rural street, and also, pretty much dead.
• With the top on, it just smells like cancer inside. Exhaust systems of the 70's weren't what they are today.
• You need to shower upon arriving home, due to smelling like cancer.
• You need to think through every purchase at Cash & Carry (restaurant supply store, like Costco on steroids). You really just can't fit a 50 pound bag of flour in there. Plus, it would be all cancer-y.
• You need to brush up on  yoga in order to get in and out of it.

• The same people that look at the car and think it is cute, wonder why the girl inside couldn't be bothered to fix her hair.

• Putting on a seat belt, adjusting the seat position, etc., can take up to one hour, since it's all old and weird.

• You might break something engine related by going really fast. To my defense, I thought the RPM's gauge was the MPH gauge. Awesome. I was wondering why it was so hard to top 30. It's not my fault, the British people put the gauges in a weird spot.
• Even if you did die in it, it's ok, because the insurance on a '76 car is only $9 a month. I am serious about this one. Otherwise, don't you think we would have just kept the Jeep over the death trap? Uh- huh.

Happy NaBloPoMo. It can only get better.

Gaining new perspective.

 

Even if you didn't know of Nie, and haven't been following her story, you'll want to read this. It will make you a better person.

Such beauty amidst sadness.

And a new perspective on life, for me.

blustery

What to do on a windy Saturday afternoon? Make a kite out of a heart balloon.

crazy busy is the new norm.

So it seems. There are children to be driven everywhere... racquetball, school, kindergym, the library, the other school, youth group, and on and on. There are responsibilities to be taken seriously... mops, homeschooling, church, cooking, cleaning, feeding. Oh! And the art - lots and lots of art to be produced. I think the new normal will turn out just fine. Right after I quit napping at 5:30 each evening. Literally, dead on my feet. But taking care of these little people? Wouldn't have it any other way.

magic beans

a new favorite:

all-natural gourmet jelly beanies. my favorite is root beer.

Please, if you'd like, keep praying for Nie & fam, they could sure use it, this week especially.

New mercies. Or was it new day?

 

So today is a new day. I was going to post a clever verse, such as "His mercies are new every day. Be glad and rejoice in it."

But, it turns out that isn't really a verse, rahter something I made up or combined. No surprise there. :) But I like it anyway.

Today I will spend the free moments packing up a few things for scrapbooking tonight with friends. I am so looking forward to it! Perhaps I shall even make a snack to bring... any suggestions? Sweet or savory, hmmm.

Thank you for the loving emails, they meant al lot, although I was not trying to fish for the love I received. Thank you.

Starting tomorrow, more photos, less words. Promise!

(photo courtesy of stockxpert)

Tradition. Probably shouldn't be.

Summer is not complete without one (and only one) purchase from the creepy ice cream guy (who doesn't say 'thank-you' but speaks English well enough to say "that's five dollars") in the (very dirty) ice cream truck.

Spreading the love

A little something to keep you busy...

Jewels is back, at Eyes of Wonder. One of my favorite blogs!

The Toby Show has some collections of everything I love ... Organic on a Budget, Cheap & Easy Projects, and The Perfect Creamy Hummus. Can't go wrong with any of that, right?

Little Momma posts every day! Beautiful photos, funny girl.

Oh! And this was fun! An email to tell me I was sort-of featured on a little blog called Hello Cupcake. (By the way, my little shop will be fully stocked soon!)

Mady and I will be gone for a few days, but I have some scheduled posts, so check back. :) Bon Voyage!

a middle-of-the-night space odyssey

The big kids and I went to bed wearing warm sweats and socks, with sweatshirts lying nearby. I set the alarm for 3:45am, maximum viewing time. 

We got up, made some hot cocoa, and plugged the trusty Korean warming blanket, set to hot, into the outdoor socket.

Not a full minute into it, and we saw the beauty of the Perseid Showers.  Shooting stars!  Some were fast, leaving a stardust trail, and some slowly trailed across the dark sky.  A magical sight, and one that I am grateful they first shared with me, on our back deck. (Um, as opposed to Boulevard Park, with boys, like their mother).  :) 

The Perseids occur every year, usually right around August 12. You should check it out next year!

And it sort of fits into this week's Unplug Your Kids theme, too! I guess it is a stretch, since I actually used the word plugged, and we did in fact make a point to  plug something in. Oh well. Perfection is over-rated. For more HOT ideas, check here.

And, for the winners of the Imagination Kits, we have:

Heather (I have your address from Etsy I think!), Kari (I'll just give it to you soon), Explore Academy & Emily (addresses please girls, and I'll send them right out!) Yay! Have fun with them! Thank you everyone for the happiness on behalf of healthy-hearted Keston, too!

My new favorite phrase

Did you know it was called an Empty Baby House? I totally have a three bedroom fixer-upper, in that case.  I need an Empty Baby House support group. Why can't it be trendy? Like in ancient times (ancient?) when having a nice round tummy was considered a status symbol. Can we please bring that back? No? Perhaps if I hadn't just filled my EBH with an M&M cookie for breakfast, I would feel better about life.

I will not be posting an accompanying photo with this post, because I am positively sure you wouldn't want to see it. Don't even try to use your imagination, please.

A day with orangey toenails

Accountability, schmountability. I only got as far as those two projects finished last week. Why did you not call me with anger-filled voices to keep me in check? I thought I could rely on you. Maybe next week. In my defense (not that I apparently needed one), my husband was out of town again. I was responsible for things like going to the lake and inflating the kiddie pool.

Have you looked into the links from this post yet? I just found a couple of great recipes from the vegetarian grilling link. I think Mady and I will have these California Grilled Veggie Sandwiches this week while the boys are eating their bbq chicken and brats. Mmm, and these Black Bean Burgers, too.

Now I need some good summer reading. Any suggestions? I like easy-to-read stuff, not too many big words, not too boring. What do you think I should get? My last novels were the Secret Life of Bees and Veil of Roses. And that was, like last summer I think? See, I need help. Is Mermaid Chair any good? Please suggest, thank you very much.

Green Apple Snow Cone Syrup : Unnecessary

Is anyone else skeptical about the 75 degree weather we are going to get today, as forecasted for a week? Because these grey skies look like business as usual to me. And to think I bought snow-cone syrup in preparation. It is a travesty.

Coming Soon to the Mt. Baker Theater!

Don't miss this exciting event!

(And in case you don't know me, I'm not really into male-bashing. I like males. I think they are intellectual way more than two days a year. But this was too funny to pass up, admit it!).

Ten on Ten {photo::journal}

Ten photos on May 10th...

1. Up early to garage sale with Mady. Our goal - fun outdoor toys for summer.
2. We love deer! Spotted them on our travels.
3. Trying out the new edger, my 50 cent bargain!
4. A guy delivered these from his mother's estate sale. Turns out his mother, Lucille, worked for years and years at Ma Bell in our town as an operator. So did my grandmother! These lockers were out of the Ma Bell cafeteria, for the employees to store their things. Lucille's husband rescued them during a renovation, and took them home, where they have been in the basement for 35 years. I wonder if my grandma ever kept her purse in there? I hope to make them look something like this. (Scroll down a bit).
5. I have a thing about getting garage sale or thrifted stuff taken care of or put away right away, so as to not have it pile up. Keston took this photo of me pumping up the new-to-us ball. It needed some cleaning and TLC.
6. Putting away the Shiny Brites. A big bag of them for a quarter! They were also Lucille's. :)
7. The TLC paid off, the kids love the giant ball.
8. We call this a 'buns nap' - when a kid sleeps on my buns so that we can nap or cuddle on the couch together. Photo by Mady.
9. Frank is sweet to empty the dishwasher whenever he notices it needs done. When he forgets where stuff goes, he sets it on the counter for me to finish up. I thought the colors were pretty all together.
10. An easy dinner. The first time I went to Andi's house, she made these for us for lunch. Grilled cheese with avacado on sourdough.

To see more Ten on Ten, go here. 

Extreme Makeover: Naughty Edition

Before:

This is Payton, the 4 year old daughter of my sweet friend Jen.

While we were all out playing between our two backyards, Little Miss Naughty went into the house and took care of a bothersome annoyance. (Her gorgeous long wavy curls were "sweaty on her neck"). She was very efficient, and managed to do both sides fairly evenly, in about 2 minutes. Her daddy came home from work to discover her first. The evidence had been flushed, and she was quite proud of her new style.

Public apology: Dear Dion, I am very sorry for laughing my head off. Natural reaction, I couldn't help it. Please forgive me . ( I've been there about ten times, and must have been de-sensitized.)

But her makeover is sooooo darling!! I am sure, Jen and Dion, you'll be able to appreciate it when she is 26 and you re-tell the story over Thanksgiving dinner.

After:

Cancer, crafts, and my friend Carolina.

As most of you know, I had Hodgkin's lymphoma (a type of leukemia), when I was 14.  I had radiation treatments, surgery, chemotherapy, no hair, and weighed 70 pounds.  It wasn't very pretty, really!  It took almost two years to fight it, but after 22 years, I am now considered "cured". Awesome!

So, about five years ago, in my new neighborhood, a sweet older couple was telling me about their 25 year old daughter, Carolina, while we were at a neighborhood Christmas party. They were shaken and worried. She had just been diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma. She was diagnosed as the exact same stage that I was, 2A. (Meaning, it had spread, but was still fairly early).  Shortly after that, I met Carolina. She was newly married, and so pretty.  We sat on her parents couch and talked for a long time. She wanted kids, she wanted to live a life with her new husband. It was all so scary.  I told her my experiences with treatments, and tried to encourage her. (During my two years of treatment, I actually went into remission for less than two months, and had a quick recurrance, resulting in more, harsher treatments).

So as I got to know Carolina over the months, and followed how she was doing, it was incredible!! Her chemotherapy doses were much lighter than mine.  She had medicines to take for the nausea, and didn't become sickly-thin. She looked good. Healthy, almost. It was a hard road, and a fight, nonetheless, but it was a lot different than my experience.  I am happy to say, Carolina pulled through just fine, and now has two healthy children of her own.

Forgive me if this sounds cheesy or arrogant. But what I am most proud of in my life (aside from my children) is that I think I had a little part in Carolina's treatment and other's. My cancer was 17 years before hers.  Children's Hospital used my case (and many others) and my medical history and tissue and tumor samples (still frozen today...eew!) to do extensive research. I participate in all the studies they send my way, questionairre after questionairre, even still!  Doctors and researchers developed  ways to treat the cancer the first time,  less toxicly, and more effectively, so that it isn't as likely to come back a second time. So I feel a sense of pride in that - my experience directly resulted in my friend's experience being much better. (Still hard, I know Carolina!) It makes sense of why I had cancer. I love that my struggles had a purpose. I love that it helped a friend!

So when you hear the American Cancer Society raising funds continually,(through Relay For Life, etc.) this is what it is about! That research is crucial.

My friend Carolina is a warrior in raising money for the cause. She is participating in yet (another) marathon for the Leaukemia and Lymphoma Society.  And all you have to do, is come and craft! Make stuff all day, be fed, and give a little to help in research.  CRAFT FOR A CURE is May 17, Saturday, from 9am til 7pm at Christ the King Church, for $25. You can scrapbook, knit, sew, paint, bead, crochet, draw, build, design, collage, card-make, whatever!! Come hang out with me and help my friend Carolina run a marathon and increase research. Fun, right?! If you can come, let me know, I'll put you in touch with Carolina. :) You'll love her!

   

presents! {updated}

Snowing again today?! Just to make you feel a little more spring-y, I think I'll give away some presents!

I've figured out the present! It will include:

• a chocolate bunny, why did I buy so many at Easter?
• ten dollars to my new Etsy shop (opening Friday),
• and your choice of The Creative Family or a subscription to Everyday Foods.

  That's a good prize! I just got my Creative Family book, and can't wait to savor it tonight when it's quiet.

So, just leave a comment and I'll have a kid draw names randomly, on Friday. Happy Spring!

The morning blogs....

Newspapers are so tragic and boring.  I prefer to have my coffee with morning blogs.

They crack me up,  and make me want new spring pillows.

PS: The beer hunt went well. Except for the incident with my 'brother-in-law-ish' - in which I was nearly tackled to the ground. But well, other than that.