The apple and the tree

You know the saying "The apple doesn't fall far from the tree." Well, it would seem, the older it get the closer and closer I roll back toward the tree from which I fell. Maybe I didn't fall to far in the first place, but I just keep getting closer and closer to the tree with each passing year.

I recently posted this picture on Facebook of my mom holding me as a newborn. I posted it because it is a picture that I love and happened upon that day and thought was worth sharing. The response that I got was one I didn't expect. People actually thought the picture was of me holding one of my newborns! People who know me well and know my mom and see me on a regular basis. Weird! I knew we looked similar, but I didn't realize we looked THAT similar. I have known for a while that I am like my mom in many ways (unfortunately not as it relates to prowess in the kitchen or classy style!), but am realizing more and more ways that I am like my dad too.

My dad often comes home with random things that he finds. A pair of shoes from the side of the road. An entire floor worth of cubical "walls" from the dumpster outside an office building (possibly still gracing the furnace/utility room at my parent's previous house). Way too many wallets to count (all of which he returned to their grateful owners). Cell phones, entire bathroom vanities on someone's curb following a remodel, winter hats . . . you name it and he has probably "found" it at some point in his life (and worn it, when applicable). When I was a kid, this drove me crazy. Why on earth would you dig around in a nasty dumpster? What could be in there that you would possibly want? (I also didn't appreciate garage sales or thrift store or hand-me-downs in my younger days!) Fast forward a few decades and I bet you'll never guess what I spent my afternoon doing yesterday . . . digging through the dumpster in my front yard! First I dug some stuff out of there that really should be recycled and not thrown in a dumpster. (Thankfully I didn't get injured on a 90-year-old rusty nail in the process!) It is a pet peeve of mine if something is put in the trash that belongs in the recycling! After pulling out some cardboard, pop cans and plastic beverage bottles and moving them to our family recycling bin, the real treasure hunt could begin! The company doing our remodel doesn't have a dumpster at every job site, so sometimes there is stuff in our dumpster that is from another job they are working on. I salvaged some new scrap wood that I can use for crafty endeavors, some fun architectural salvage from another job site, and some old boards from our front porch that I will have to save for a special project. I spent the following hour or so, pulling out old rusty nails and screws, sanding and cleaning up my finds. I never would have imagined, at 15, or even 20, that I would follow in my dad's footsteps by scooping up free stuff off the side of the road and digging through dumpsters for potential treasures.

This all makes me wonder what things drive my kids crazy right now that they will end up doing themselves a few decades down the road.

My parents are fabulous people! I'm so glad to have had the blessing of such wonderful trees from which to fall!

The Unexpected (and certainly unintended ) Sacrifice

So, I wrote earlier about the art exhibit of the "Stations of the Cross" that our church is doing, for which I was asked to create a piece. The one about which I was nervous, anxious and stressed out. I was in the company of some real, professional artists. Ones with crazy talent. Ones that I admire, respect and certainly wouldn't ever categorize myself with, as far as art goes! It was getting close to crunch time and the piece was due in the VERY near future. I had some ideas, but nothing firm or set in stone (actually, in my case, wood). I decided not to go to church with my family for Wednesday night activities and, instead, stay home and hope that some things came together and I could get a decent start, at least, on my submission. I was assigned the first station :: The Garden of Gethsemane. I read the associated passage from Luke in a few different versions, read a few commentaries on the passage and that night in the life of Jesus, and then started working with some ideas that had come to me -- some I had been thinking about since being given the assignment a few weeks ago and some that were fresh ideas to add to what was already percolating around in my mind.

All of a sudden things started to come together. Some of the ideas I had thought would work really well for my piece I threw out the window and some new ideas emerged. I had a basic idea laid out and was ready to put all the pieces together. I was close to being done -- my work is mainly a word collage with a couple visual aspects  as well. About half the words had been glued down and I was working on the rest of them. There is the aspect of time, that although not crucial, still can't be ignored. There is a limited time to work with things, you don't want things drying too quickly. So, when I noticed a speck of lint had found its way onto my piece, I blew it off -- clearly not thinking! The words that were yet to be glued down blew away (duh!). I wanted to pick them up quickly and keep working, so instead of moving my feet closer to where the pieces had landed, I kept planted where I was and stretched to reach them from the floor.

Here is where the unexpected sacrifice came into play :: I was wearing my favorite jeans. I bought them at a consignment store (where I buy most of my clothes) so I didn't pay too much for them. But, they fit great. They were long enough (tricky when you are long-legged). They were comfy. And, they looked good! I believe most of you understand how hard "that" pair of jeans is to find! So, some combination of my twisting and bending to get the blown-away words and I'm pretty sure you can guess what happened next . . . my very favorite jeans completely split up the back! No!

I knew taking this assignment would involve sacrifice. I would need to face my insecurities and step out of my cozy comfort zone. I would need to sacrifice time and mental energy to put my piece together. I would have to sacrifice a bit of money to buy the supplies. But I certainly did not intend to sacrifice my favorite pair of jeans! Believe me, had I seen this situation coming, I promise you I would have been wearing sweat pants, or an ill-fitting pair of jeans and NOT my favorites! Big bummer.

But, in the end, I really like the way my piece turned out, and I guess it was worth the sacrifice . . . all of them. Even the jeans (although I'm still mourning my loss). If you want to come and see the whole exhibit (I'm so excited to see how it comes together) that has a visual piece and a written piece for each station of the cross, it will be on display in the sanctuary of our church starting sometime next week. If you don't know where that is, I'd be happy to tell you, although I don't believe my audience is too vast and I'm pretty sure most of you are there most Sundays anyway (Hi Mom!).

Multitude Monday

Here's my continuing Multitude "Monday" post which is part of a series started years ago on Ann's blog, which is a favorite of mine. If you've never checked it out, do yourself a favor and click on over. She's an amazing, gifted writer, a wonderful friend and an inspiration to so many (not to mention a mother of 6)!

"One Thousand Gifts"::

3833. Melting :: the sights and sounds
3834. forgiveness
3835. a clean microwave
3836. temps in the 40's with sun!
3837. a visit from Brie
3838. fresh snow stuck on everything :: SO beautiful! (can you spot the cross in our yard? Joey built that -- with a little help -- it was all his idea.)

3839. a major snow storm and no need to leave the house (our first legitimate SNOW day after 5 days of no school due to extreme cold so far this winter)

3840. Kirby's hard work for our family
3841. the boys watching Olympic hockey at the Hansen's on their snow day
3842. safe driving on nasty roads
3843. crafting with Kaaren
3844. book club night :: can't wait!
3845. neighbor family that shovels out the entire block :: we have the most fabulous neighbors! who does that these days, anyway? not too many people, I imagine!

3846. time with friends
3847. Qwirkle and LOTS of laughter
3848. packing meals for people in Rwanda on a Saturday morning with my parents and the Newmans :: 3 generations volunteering together.
3849. going to Sam's basketball game (and as a bonus, they won!)
3850. going for a run, despite the cold :: I always feel better once I've been running, even if it isn't so fun to actually be doing it (the HAVE DONE feeling is good, even when the DOING is tough!)
3851. lunch at my Grandma's
3852. the funny things Sara says
3853. real mail :: going out and coming in
3854. the library
3855. thoughts of summer :: kids all registered for camp



 May you realize all the blessings the Lord brings your way and take the time to make note of them. (you'll be glad that you did!)

Multitude Monday

Here's my continuing Multitude Monday post which is part of a series started years ago on Ann's blog, which is a favorite of mine. If you've never checked it out, do yourself a favor and click on over. She's an amazing, gifted writer, a wonderful friend and an inspiration (not to mention a mother of 6)!

"One Thousand Gifts"::

3754. fun crafting
3755. date night
3756. fabulous production by Theater for the Thirsty at Art House North
3757. fun (and safe) weekend retreat for Jacob and Rebekah with our church youth group
3758. good night of fellowship with women from church
3759. much-needed 1 and 2 day breaks from the bitter cold
3760. flipping the calendar to a fresh, new (hopefully warmer!) month
3761. all the puke ending up in the toilet -- thank heavens for good aim!
3762. new holes in Rebekah's ears
3763. fun family day at MOA (except for the part where I fainted unexpectedly)
3764. finding another restaurant that Jacob can eat at
3765. nurse triage that calls to check on you . . . always handy to have a nurse as a friend!
3766. new pillows
3767. the hum of the washing machine (soundtrack of my life!)
3768. Sara's imagination (I love listening to the stories she makes up)

May you realize all the blessings the Lord brings your way and take the time to make note of them. (you'll be glad that you did!)

Here's my continuing Multitude Monday post which is part of a series started years ago on Ann's wonderful, amazing blog that is a favorite of mine. If you've never checked it out, do yourself a favor and click on over. She's an amazing, gifted writer, a wonderful friend and an inspiration (not to mention a mother of 6)!

"One Thousand Gifts"::

3174. free Starbucks :: I ordered at the drive thru and when I got to the window the guy informed me that their computers were down, so they couldn't ring me up. They could still make my latte, they just had no way of charging me for it. How great is that?
3175. a new babysitting job for Bekah
3176. 1/2 way through Kirb work trip and no major problems
3177. Kirb getting back home safely
3178. parenting with a partner again :: so much easier as a team!
3179. listening to my kiddos perform :: Bekah singing and Jake on the trumpet
3180. a super fun night with TONS of friends at a girlfriends annual gathering with probably close to 100 other ladies (my once-a-year night when I stay out WAY, WAY past my bedtime)
3181. having my parents over for lunch
3182. a nap on a cold, gloomy Sunday afternoon (following my late night)
3183. hearing from the mom who drives Jacob to jazz band 2 mornings a month what a nice boy she thinks he is (who doesn't love hearing good things about their kids?)
3184. friends who give our kids rides to stuff
3185. a hearty conversation with a girlfriend about running :: it amazes me that I would actually choose to carry on a conversation about that particular topic at all!
3186. waking up to NO fresh snow on the ground for the first time in a lot of days :: there's still plenty of the white stuff on the ground, but no new snow overnight for once!
3187. cross things off my to-do list
3188. taking time to make some cards :: it had been a LONG time since I had done that. I almost forgot how much I like it!

May you realize all the blessings the Lord brings your way and take the time to make note of them. (you'll be glad that you did!)

Multitude Monday

Here's my continuing Multitude Monday post which is part of a series started years ago on Ann's wonderful, amazing blog that is a favorite of mine. If you've never checked it out, do yourself a favor and click on over. She's an amazing, gifted writer and an inspiration (not to mention a mother of 6)!

"One Thousand Gifts"::

2965. No more cast for Rebekah
2966. a split chin for Jacob (and nothing worse)
2967. a great night at Art House North. Exactly what I needed :: time with Kirb, time for reflection, remembering, understanding myself even better! (thanks Brie for taking care of the troops at the last minute)
2968. the peacefulness of a sleeping child :: taking the time to be still and just stare
2969. sleeping in
2970. our Saturday morning wake up crew
2971. a safe, fun youth group retreat for Jacob
2972. Joe handling a disappointment so well
2973. a warm home on VERY cold winter days (and nights!)
2974. the return of ABOVE zero temps
2975. safe travels on nasty roads
2976. fresh, beautiful, powdery snow
2977. taxes filed! (federal anyway, the state isn't yet ready to accept our submission)
2978. encouraging news
2979. a good first week of the new "job"
2980. more creating (and the resulting happy customers are fabulous too)
2981. delivering my art to a friend who had a major role in the inspiration for the creation in the first place (I learned this week that artists can't help but create as a way to process through life :: I'd never heard it put that way before and it lined up so many things inside me. I love when that happens. Thank you, Sara, for pointing it out!)
2982. helping :: it is so true that giving is such a blessing (and the "little" things are usually bigger than the "big"things, it would seem to me!)
2983. a good section swim meet for Joe and Lydia
2984. tweeking my homemade deodorant recipe and coming up with just what I was hoping for! (even great through the workout test!)
2985. Rebekah getting back in the pool again
2986. Lydia's generous hair donation (11 inches) :: even more meaningful than Rebekah's donation earlier this fall, since we didn't yet know about my mom's cancer at that point.
2987. some good family time

May you realize all the blessings the Lord brings your way and take the time to make note of them. (you'll be glad that you did!)

multitude monday

Here's my continuing Multitude Monday post which is part of a series started years ago on Ann's wonderful, amazing blog that is a favorite of mine. If you've never checked it out, do yourself a favor and click on over. She's an amazing, gifted writer and an inspiration (not to mention a mother of 6)!

"One Thousand Gifts"::

2795. my Bible study girls
2796. lots of crafting
2797. Pandora
2798. mother-daughter time with my mom
2799. Beka's generous donation of 13 inches of gorgeous curls to make a wig for a cancer patient ::

 
 
2800. celebrating a life well-lived, although much too short
2801. coupons
2802. Anna practicing her piano lesson
2803. my bestie home safely from a 15-day work trip to Asia and back with her family
2804. a fresh-looking and less-shaggy 13-year-old after a much-needed haircut
2805. our thankful tree from my mom
2806. a winter-ready garage
2807. beautiful weather well into November :: not something to be taken for granted as a Minnesotan
2808. my husband's servant heart
2809. clean sheets
2810. hanging laundry on the line in late November without even getting numb fingers
2811. sunshine
2812. Jeff :: the girl's soccer coach
2813. a fun second-grade concert

Alrighty, that's it's for this week. Tune in next Monday for the next installment.

multitude monday

Here's my continuing Multitude Monday post which is part of a series started years ago on Ann's wonderful, amazing blog that is a favorite of mine. If you've never checked it out, do yourself a favor and click on over. She's an amazing, gifted writer and an inspiration (not to mention a mother of 6)!

"One Thousand Gifts"::

2760. starting the day off in the pool swimming laps {not so hard on the knees and hips}
2761. crafting success following a failed attempt
2762. the excitement and joy of cousins being reunited
2763. thrifting with my niece and sister-in-law
2764. getting into bed after a long day :: good and tired
2765. compliments from strangers
2766. morning in Buffalo with my mom and the little girls
2767. inspiration
2768. celebrating a friends 40th
2769. safe travels for a friend {now praying she gets home as smoothly and safely in a couple weeks}
2770. creating
2771. beautiful fall days
2772. the delicious dinner for 13 Kirb made the other night
2773. nap time
2774. the thrift store
2775. our church
2776. long, warm showers
2777. an extra hour {theoretically to be spent sleeping, but that doesn't usually work out so well when young kids are in the house -- but I'll take the extra hour, even if I can't enjoy any extra sleep}

Alrighty, that's it's for this week. Tune in next Monday for the next installment.

multitude monday { . . . or tuesday}

Here's my continuing Multitude Monday post -- albeit a day late -- which all started years ago on Ann's wonderful, amazing blog that is a favorite of mine. If you've never checked it out, do yourself a favor and click on over. She's an amazing, gifted writer and an inspiration (not to mention a mother of 6)!

"One Thousand Gifts"::

2735. Joe singing in church :: normally he doesn't sing, so it brought my heart a whole bunch of joy
2736. lunch time in an elementary school cafeteria
2737. bookstores :: stacks and stack of books!
2738. the library
2739. autumn :: my very, very favorite
2740. a 2-year-old with a fresh haircut :: being able to see her cute eyes again
2741. hand-me-down costumes
2742. Kirb bringing home a latte for me
2743. being home with no one but a napping 2-year-old when my book took a sorrowful turn and I was crying {dripping nose and all}. no need to explain my crazy weeping over a death that was fictitious.
2744. the funny things our kids say
2745. checking the online grade book and being pleasantly surprised
2746. friends
2747. chalkboard paint
2748. a fabulous {although painfully long} swim meet for our 3 swimmers

2749. brave kids overcoming fears
2750. backyard fires in fall
2751. book club night
2752. seeing a friend's new studio space
2753. my grandma
2754. protection for Sara :: a fall that could have been much worse than it was
2755. Joe on the couch engrossed in a book
2756. carpools
2757. my Bible app and quiet minutes in the morning
2758. a girl smiling, having fun and forgetting her struggles for a few hours while playing four-square {or three-square, as the case would be} with her friends :: being a little girl again for a while and forgetting her adult-size sadness
2759. Jacob picking up Anna from preschool :: the big brother and his little sister walking home down the block together

Alrighty, that's it's for this week. Tune in next Monday for the next installment.

multitude monday

Here's my continuing Multitude Monday post, which all started years ago on Ann's wonderful, amazing blog that is a favorite of mine. If you've never checked it out, do yourself a favor and click on over. She's an amazing, gifted writer and an inspiration (not to mention a mother of 6)!

"One Thousand Gifts"::

2685. 2 years of life for Sara
2686. a good nights sleep for all 6 kiddos
2687. easier nights for Rebekah
2688. the amazing blue of the late-afternoon sky
2689. good swim practice for Joe
2690. pink cups at Dunn Bros.
2691. football players in pink socks ::

2692. double coupon day at the gas station :: $6.25 saved
2693. Joe's new glasses ::

2694. clean laundry
2695. the library
2696. Sara's mispronunciations that I love
2697. a little bit of rain for the thirsty ground
2698. protection on the football field
2699. looking forward to some company from out of town
2700. a new baby born to a friend on 10.11.12 :: how fun is that?
2701. lots and lots of creating
2702. a good end to Jacob's 8th grade football season ::

2703. an attentive sister and divine protection for Sara when she choked on a pistachio shell while we were in the van :: thank you, God, that Rebekah noticed her choking and for Kirb's lightning quick response and throat sweep that took care of what could have been a completely different situation with a terrible, terrible outcome. Praise God! We are so very thankful!
2704. some much-needed rain
2705. the sound of rain on the roof :: it had been so long, I'd nearly forgotten
2706. enjoying a good movie with my love after the kids were in bed
2707. Jacob's fabulous football coach :: encouraging, positive and kind. Jacob loved him!


Alrighty, that's it's for this week. Tune in next Monday for the next installment.

multitude monday

Here's my continuing Multitude Monday post, which all started years ago on Ann's wonderful, amazing blog that is a favorite of mine. If you've never checked it out, do yourself a favor and click on over. She's an amazing, gifted writer and an inspiration (not to mention a mother of 6)!

"One Thousand Gifts"::

2642. folding Jacob's laundry and tucking in a little love note
2643. Sara napping with the covers pulled WAY up over her head and her adorable little toes sticking out the bottom
2644. the gurgle of the coffee pot
2645. the hum of the washer
2646. a productive crafting day
2647. a big win for Jacob's football team
2648. Rebekah's tender heart
2649. a good night at swimming for Joe
2650. goggles, swim cap and Minnie Mouse dress on Anna
2651. walking home from preschool :: Sara knee-deep in leaves at the curb, crunching with each step
2652. a good, productive PSC meeting for Kirb :: getting closer
2653. Paul Healy, Bethel University alumni of the year. I can't think of anyone better for the honor
2654. blazing reds, golden yellow, deep purples, glorious oranges :: the beauty of fall
2655. a night with all 6 kids at home
2656. Joe reading to his little sisters
2657. an idea in my head that turned out even cuter than how I imagined it
2658. lots of orders this week
2659. Lydia's smile
2660. a great -- although chilly -- 4th 5K
2661. my best time yet
2662. time with dear friends
2663. people willing to watch out kids so we can have time away without them
2664. a great football coach for Jacob
2665. another win for Jacob's team
2666. playing Qwirkle
2667. memories
2668. the 1980 Sears wishbook we had fun looking through and laughing
2669. 40 years of life for my favorite person ever born :: Happy Birthday Kirbs!
2670. REALLY hard laughter
2671. beautiful fall colors
2672. the continued blessing of our new basement space
2673. the blessing of hand-me-downs
2674. the fabulous "village" of people that help us raise our kids -- and who drive them places when there are more things to go to than our family has drivers
2675. quiet
2676. creativity
2677. no more crib in our house :: and me being ok with that
2678. sweaters and warm socks
2679. the faithfulness of God
2680. Lois doing so well. Seeing her back in church again
2681. PSC progress :: a light at the end of the tunnell
2682. Paul Healy's head towering above everyone else in church on Sunday morning :: always great to have him home
2683. making and creating things
2684. a beautiful sunset over downtown

Alrighty, that's it's for this week. Tune in next Monday for the next installment.

no. 4

So last Saturday morning I ran my 3rd 5K. With Rebekah, Lydia and Joe. I was Joe's "buddy" and our finish time was 46.48. Not my personal best! It was a beautiful day, though, and we had a fun time. It got into the 70's last Saturday, but was still a little cool in the morning. A perfect day for the run!

Fast forward 7 days.

This morning I ran my 4th 5K. It was Bethel's Homecoming 5K. A bunch of students and alumni met at the SRC at 9 o'clock for a 3.1 mile run around campus.When I got there, I think it was 36*. Brrrr. Much colder than last week. Also, I didn't bring any kids with me.

Here are a few of my post-race reflections ::

• I must hate the cold even more than I hate running, because I ran this one in 33.04. My best time ever by a long shot.
• If it wasn't the cold, maybe it was my competitive nature :: trying to keep up with all those young college pups or something.
• Or maybe it wasn't really 5 whole Ks. (which is the thought that kept going through my mind after I got my time)
• That campus is somehow WAY more hilly than it was when I was 18! Ouch!
• There's nothing like trail-running along a lake in the glorious beauty of fall. What a beautiful campus -- I also don't remember it being that beautiful when I was 18 either.
• I nearly tripped and biffed it on my face because I was so distracted by thoughts of all the projects I could make when the route took us by a HUGE stack of pallets back behind the football field. So glad I didn't biff, that would have been almost as embarrassing as when I slipped and fell while the ENTIRE football team was walking toward me, returning from practice, when I was a freshman!
• Freshman hill still brings back fun memories.
• The campus has changed a lot in 20 years -- heck, the name has even changed. I went to Bethel College, but the kids I was running with go to Bethel University.
• I'm never very glad to be running, but I'm always glad to have run -- I like to think of it as a bit like childbirth. Once I'm done and have caught my breath, I don't remember it being quite as terrible as it was in the moment and I decide I'm glad I did it, even though it was tough . . .and then I decide I might as well just do it again (that in no way indicates that I am having another baby. Just in case you thought it might.)
• I shouldn't have put the race shirt they gave me on over the 3 layers I was already wearing. By the end I was too hot!
• Tomorrow is the Twin Cities marathon. I have a couple friends running it. That's like almost 9 5Ks one right after the other. Honestly, I don't know how they do that! I always say I don't even like to drive that far (since I am the kind of person who prefers to stay within walking distance of her house 95% of the time -- sometimes I do feel the need to go to IKEA, you know.) Best wishes, marathoners. I'm proud of you!

mutltitude monday

Here's my continuing Multitude Monday post, which all started a while back, right here on Ann's wonderful, amazing blog that is a favorite of mine. If you've never checked it out, do yourself a favor and click on over. She's an amazing, gifted writer and an inspiration!

"One Thousand Gifts"::

2580. fresh sheets dried on the line
2581. a glorious late-summer day
2582. running with Joe
2583. safety when I got rear-ended {I was pretty shaken up, but neither me nor the vehicle were injured -- although I can't say as much for the car the guy who hit me was driving}
2584. the Sunday morning bird choir
2585. now these 3 remain :: faith, hope and love. but the greatest of these is love.
2586. hope!
2587. prayer
2588. climbing into bed at the end of the day
2589. shared tears
2590. successful transition to a big girl bed for Sara :: I'm AMAZED at how smoothly it went!
2591. re-arranging, cleaning and de-cluttering the girls' room
2592. a good sale on toilet paper right when I needed it!
2593. finished projects :: after months and months of having an idea in your head, it's nice to see it come to fruition
2594. my really, really, really hard-working husband
2595. perfect weather
2596. friends
2597. the fact that my husband loves me -- a fact I am especially thankful for during the times when I'm not very loveable {which, believe it or not, is quite often!}
2598. old pictures

Alrighty, that's it's for now. Tune in next Monday for the next installment.

multitude monday

Here's my continuing Multitude Monday post, which all started a while back, right here on Ann's wonderful, amazing blog that I read each day. If you've never checked it out, do yourself a favor and click on over. She's an amazing writer and an inspiration!

"One Thousand Gifts":

1815. silent, falling snow in moonlight
1816. Joe volunteering to read from Genesis during our Advent reading
1817. Joe's first time taking communion
1818. breathtakingly beautiful moon and that I was graced with the timing and awareness to notice it
1819. Rebekah's fabulous ringlettes {eat your heart out Nellie Olsen!}::1820. Joe sweeping up pine needles without being asked
1821. a wildly successful craft sale {especially wonderful since it was my very first attempt at such a thing}::1822. kids singing in church with the adult choir::

{I love that Joe, LJ, Rebekah and my Grandma are all in a line}

1823. LJ's Christmas program
1824. the warm, heavy weight of a babe sleeping on my chest in the early morning hours while the rest of the house was still asleep
1825. Bible study
1826. supportive, encouraging, enthusiastic friends
1827. supportive, encouraging, enthusiastic family

Alrighty, that's it's for now. Tune in next Monday for the next installment.

multitude monday

Here's my continuing Multitude Monday post, which all started a while back, right here on a wonderful, amazing blog that I read each day.

"One Thousand Gifts":

1674. sleepy superheros::1675. seeing my stuff in an actual shop where people who don't even know me actually buy it::
1676. llamas {and their fabulous teeth -- they only have teeth on the bottom. did you know that? i didn't until today.}::1677. kids celebrating their dad {a whole birthday "program" planned without adult intervention complete with skit, violin duet, gifts and treats}::

1678. laundry on the line::1679. fun crafting {LOTS of it!}
1680. a 2-birthday week
1681. seeing my aunt
1682. continued amazingly glorious weather {80's in October . . . in Minnesota! WOW!}
1683. music and how powerful it is in my life
1684. shopping with my mom, an introduction to a fabulous little occasional shop and some amazingly fun {and did I mention cheap?} "new" dining room chairs. so very exciting to me!
1685. learning a fun new skill::1686. fun Friday morning coffee with the moms
1687. Kirbs making it through his really busy {and stressful} week of work {he put in about 14 hours on his birthday . . . what a trooper!}
1688. a 4-generation spread around the dinner table::1689. our kiddos :: what a blessings they are. each and every one of them. that I've been entrusted with them is truly grace!::1690. the fun of being "boo"-ed
1691. crossing things off the list {LOVE that!}
1692. a wonderful sermon by a wonderful friend

Alrighty, that's it's for now. Tune in next Monday for the next installment.

multitude monday

Here's my continuing Multitude Monday post, which all started a while back, right here on a wonderful, amazing blog that I read each day.

"One Thousand Gifts":

1574. visits with friends
1575. authenticity
1576. trust
1577. safe travels
1578. a weekend filled with celebration
1579. lots of crafting and a first load of goods sent to the orchard
1580. being gifted 2 "extra" Twins tickets . . . and to see the Yankees play too :: it made the day year of a certain boy of mine!
1581. water parks

Alrighty, that's it's for now. Tune in next Monday for the next installment.

multitude monday

Here's my continuing Multitude Monday post, which all started a while back, right here on a wonderful, amazing blog that I read each day.

"One Thousand Gifts":

1557. glorious weather
1558. impromptu visit with friends
1559. LJ and Kir laughing and playing together in the pool
1560. a backyard fire
1561. being the hangout spot for Jacob's friends
1562. good books
1563. ice cream shops
1564. a wonderful family walk
1565. spending my life by the side of a fabulous man {it'll be 20 years this fall since we met and I've pretty much been by his side since then}
1566. the growing independence of the "bigs"
1567. a not-too-busy week
1568. a productive crafting day::1569. celebrating Amy
1570. kids on fire for God
1571. yummy Sunday dinner
1572. a perfect night to eat out on the patio with family {the cousins had fun together and didn't have to be quiet or stay in their seats!}
1573. my dads safe arrival home . . . and almost immediate departure again {I think he had 7 hours between flights. So glad I got to give him a hug and hear a little about his trip . . . even if it only lasted less then 10 minutes and was nearly midnight when it happened and we met in the dark outside on my driveway.}

Alrighty, that's it's for now. Tune in next Monday for the next installment.

multitude monday

Here's my continuing Multitude Monday post, which all started a while back, right here.

"One Thousand Gifts":

704. celebrating the beginning of a marriage with a wonderful couple!
705. central air!
706. how Anna asks me "Dat coo, Mom?" after nearly everything she tells me {if you need a translation, it is "Is that cool, Mom?" -- I must often say, "That's cool, Anna.", or something along those lines and she's picked it up}
707. fun crafting
708. the ever-increasing action going on in my belly
709. the bigger kids enjoying being able to feel and get excited about #708
710. less than 10 weeks to go {theoretically, at least} until we get to meet our newest little bundle
711. reading/hearing words that articulate deep feelings and thoughts that you've never had the words to express::for one example, spend the 5 minutes it takes to watch this video. I have wonderful girlfriends that I am so thankful for! I've read a couple books by Kelly Corrigan and love her honesty and realness. "Lift" articulated so well many, many feelings and thoughts I've had as a mother. {thanks Jennifer for turning me on to her in the first place!}
712. saturday morning trip to the farmer's market
713. yet another summer sleepover
714. sincere compliments
715. friends who listen to my complaints
716. generous people
717. water when you're thirsty
718. important reminders right when you need them
719. kid's eat free at IKEA
720. flip flops that still fit my extra-swollen pregnant feet
721. a few fun things to look forward to in the week ahead
722. a successful lemonade stand {completely with street musician . . . Jacob played the trumpet for customers and general passers-by}
723. crossing a few more things off our summer list

Alrighty, that's it's for now. Tune in next Monday for the next installment.

end-of-year teacher gifts

since school is now done for another year, a couple weeks ago i started thinking about what i should do for thank you gifts for our kids' fabulous teachers this year. since i am a procrastinator, i didn't really get started until just a couple days ago. so, just in the nick of time, i finished putting them together. another year behind us, the time sure flies by . . .

i usually like to make something unique, useful and personal for those people who invest so much in the lives of our precious kiddos and this year i came up with this::
handmade laundry soap in fun {upcycled . . . or is it just recycled? reused maybe? i really don't know!} etched glass containers that read either "clean" or "wash" {and in one case both!} that i did here and there throughout much of tuesday this week {i etched the containers and made the laundry powder myself} and also some handmade soaps from the local blue heron soap company which i picked up at the farmer's market {i love the farmers market!} -- our family soap of choice is goat milk soap {we LOVE it}, but i wanted something local for our teachers. i attached cute little tags to each gift that say "have some good, clean fun this summer". {i was pretty proud of myself for coming up with that one. creativity with words is not usually my strong suit.}

i love gifts that are useful and consumable. and, for me, if it's unique and handmade that is even better! most of us don't need one more "thing" in our homes to clutter things up. right? and i figured most of the teachers were probably full-up on apple printed "#1 teacher" coffee mugs. i'm quite confident that each of the recipients who will be got these both bathes and does laundry, so hopefully they will find it useful . . . and all the more in the summer when so much time is spent outside. especially if you are a teacher and have the summer off!

so, that's what i've been working on . . . along with some shower invitations and a big order of wedding invitations that i hope to finish over the weekend and a baby gift and another wedding gift that i helped my mom to make . . . there's so much creating to be done! i love it!

A little of this and a little of that

The Santa Baby in the picture from Friday's post was Joe. Most of you got it right; way to go! Congrats to Amanda, Rachel, Jenn, Mary, Melanie, Sandy, Tricia, Michelle & J who all guessed and/or answered correctly. We had a few other great guesses {those Stoll babies can be tricky, they all look so much alike at first . . . when I had Rebekah, I literally said to Kirby, "I already had this baby, I thought I was getting a different one this time." She looked, as a newborn, SO much like Jacob had it kinda freaked me out!} I'm not random-number-generator high tech or anything like that, but I asked Rebekah to pick a number between 1 and 9 {since there were 9 correct answers} -- I would have asked Joe since he was the subject of the whole contest, but I'm not completely confident in his ability to really know what numbers there are between 1 & 9 so I went with Rebekah since she is completely capable of counting correctly all the way to 9! She picked 6, so the lucky winner is Sandy. Way to go, my dear! I'll send you your super fantastic Shana-made prize ASAP . . . maybe it'll even arrive in time for you to re-gift it to someone you forgot to get something for. Don't hold your breath, it won't really be all that terrific, but I'm sure you are honored to even win, right?

In case there wasn't enough going on right now, we've also embarked on this project:
Actually my parents are doing all the work. Giving a facelift to Rebekah and Lydia's "new" room is my parents Christmas gift to them. {they redid the boys room for Christmas in 2007}. Don't tell, but tomorrow fun new bedding will be added to to the makeover! The room is not quite done yet, but the painting part is all completed. Now we just need to finish putting stuff back where it belongs, hang a few things on the walls and make up the new beds and it will be a very Merry Christmas indeed! Here are a few pictures as things are now:

Here's the color we went with. I don't know what it's officially called, but we call it orange:

The Sara Groves Christmas concert on Friday night was absolutely wonderful! I just love her music, her storytelling, her passion, her adorable kids {the oldest of which is named Kirby!}, her style and what her music has meant to me and in my life. In case you don't know her music {shame on you!} these are a few of my favorites: this one is so moving, this one is so very true and this one is like the story of my life {and it's Rebekah's favorite!} and every parent can relate to this {hilarious!} one. Her music resonates with me like nothin' else I've ever heard! Amazing stuff! The concert was wonderful, worshipful and long {3 hours!}. Worth every penny . . . and even more, but don't tell her that or she might up the prices next time around and I'm all about a good deal! But if, per chance, you know her well enough to actually tell her that anyway, next time you talk to her tell her I said "Hi" and that I think if we actually met {well, I guess technically we have met . . . twice . . . but standing in line the night of a concert when she met 80 zillion other people doesn't quite count, I don't think!} we could be quite wonderful pals!

Christmas is in 5 days and I still have quite a few gifts left that I need to finish making! Yikes! I had a huge chunk of time yesterday to work on making Christmas gifts. One project that I had never attempted before, but wanted to make for 4 or 5 people on my list was a total bust. I couldn't get it to work out at all and after a couple hours {ok, maybe it wasn't a couple hours, but it felt like it!} of success-less work I gave up and scratched that idea . . . but now I have to come up with something else for those people. They were gonna be so cool too . . . I'll try again when I have a little more time to experiment. I'm determined to get it to work! Then, the next thing I attempted was also something I had never made before, but I had made other very similar things so I knew I could pull it off. What I didn't calculate correctly was how very long it would take. It turned out amazing. Fun, cute and exactly how I wanted it to turn out, so that is great. Unfortunately, though, it took about 5 times longer to make than I expected it would. So, that shot my big chunk of time. I should actually be working on the rest of the stuff right now and not blogging, but alas . . .

Joey's preschool program is tomorrow. It's gonna be so cute. My grandma {the kid's GG -- you know, Great Grandma} is going to accompany the group and she is just as excited {if not more so} as Joe! I can't wait!

I can tell I've been spending lots of time downstairs working in my office {where my computer also is} because I just got an email from Pandora saying that I was close to approaching my 40-hour limit of free listening for the month of December. Since I don't want to pay the 99 cents for unlimited listening for the remainder of the month I'll just have to pace myself or actually listen to my own music or just work in silence or something.

For about the past 2 weeks or so Anna has reverted to not sleeping through the night. She's been waking up a time or two each night. The kicker is that when she wakes all up crying all she wants is Zho Zho {think Zha Zha Gabor . . . that's kinda how she says "Joe Joe"}. As it turns out {thanksfully} "Zho Zho" is usually sleeping at 2am, so we don't really indulge that desire! But, boy does she want him and she's all the more mad when I tell her he's sleeping . . . and, as it turns out, so is the entire rest of the family. Hopefully she'll cycle back to sleeping all night again real soon. But for now I find it sweet how enamored those 2 are with each other. None of our other kids have ever been quite so love-y with a sibling. It's pretty cute. What a pair!

Well, I think that's all the weekend updates that I've got. Kirb isn't feeling 100%, so I hope he doesn't get much worse and I really, really hope he doesn't get what I had. That would be terrible!

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!