28 February 2012

Family

J and B are snuggled close on the couch coloring together. They're talking non-stop and swapping markers every 5-10 seconds. It's so sweet. While their continent of birth and shade of skin might be different, there is no denying that they are siblings.


On a different note, I met a guy today who asked me how old my kids are. When I said 6, 4, and 4, he got a puzzled look on his face. They're 7 months apart I exclaimed while watching his expression become increasingly more confused. Helping him understand, I said "my youngest is adopted".

Back to watching my little helpers color together... if you haven't read about my give-away, scroll down just a little bit more and check it out.

27 February 2012

Give-Away Plus

I have another blog, did you know that? It's where I keep track of the comings and goings of our journey to Ethiopia... and back. Have you checked it out before? If not, click on over to it: www.journey4hope.blogspot.com.



On that blog, I have a tab/page about necklaces. Last night I added over 15 new items to that page. It's not just necklaces. There are baskets and cards too. When I was in Ethiopia, I had the privelege of bringing home some items that the FOVC widows made. So, those are for sale on my blog too. The proceeds of the necklaces go towards my next trip to Ethiopia. I'm tentatively planning to go in June. It will cost approximately $2900 to go and off-setting the cost is so helpful. The sales from the items made by the FOVC widows go directly back to them in Shanto, Ethiopia. There's even a few items made by FOVC's in-house artist. The proceeds of those sells also benefit FOVC directly. So, in case you didn't catch that, not all of the sales benefit me directly. For those that do benefit me, they're also benefiting the crops widows in Ethiopia who I will be training and encouraging.


So, head on over to my blog and check it out. You can enter the give-away or go directly to the necklace page and buy something. Thanks friends.

26 February 2012

Give-Away Plus

I have another blog, did you know that? It's where I keep track of the comings and goings of our journey to Ethiopia... and back. Have you checked it out before? If not, click on over to it: www.journey4hope.blogspot.com.



On that blog, I have a tab/page about necklaces. Last night I added over 15 new items to that page. It's not just necklaces. There are baskets and cards too. When I was in Ethiopia, I had the privelege of bringing home some items that the FOVC widows made. So, those are for sale on my blog too. The proceeds of the necklaces go towards my next trip to Ethiopia. I'm tentatively planning to go in June. It will cost approximately $2900 to go and off-setting the cost is so helpful. The sales from the items made by the FOVC widows go directly back to them in Shanto, Ethiopia. There's even a few items made by FOVC's in-house artist. The proceeds of those sells also benefit FOVC directly. So, in case you didn't catch that, not all of the sales benefit me directly. For those that do benefit me, they're also benefiting the crops widows in Ethiopia who I will be training and encouraging.


So, head on over to my blog and check it out. You can enter the give-away or go directly to the necklace page and buy something. Thanks friends.

Fish Fry Fun

The fish fry fun continued from my birthday. Granted, this was a little different. Okay, a lot different.

One of our favorite annual outtings is the Clermont Fire Department Fish Fry Fundraiser. Say that 5 times fast. Anyway, we had plans to eat with my parents and our Donlon friends at the fish fry and then head back to our house to finish off the evening with card games.

Do things ever go as perfectly planned?

Forty-five minutes before meal time, my husband called. He was out getting a load of wood and the tire on the trailer popped off the bead. Not too far from the Donlon's, he decided to nurse the trailer to their house. Somewhere down the road, a tire on the opposite came off the bead. Doh! Now 15 minutes before supper time, Ryan called to give me a heads up - he wasn't going to make dinner and neither was one of our Donlon friends. The two guys were going to take care of the trailer that was now pulled part way off the road onto the tiny shoulder. Forty-five minutes after that, my folks, one of the Donlon's, the kids, and I headed to the fish fry without the guys. The guys had a 3rd muskateer who got suckered into helping, continued to work on the trailer tire issue. If I heard all of the story correctly, the first set of tires didn't fit. Then they headed to a different farm 20 minutes away where the Donlon knew there was a trailer sitting down in the timber with tires off of it. Maybe this one would work. I'm sure they were tired, cold, and desperate at this point.

Meanwhile I was irritated that my evening plans weren't working out and not feeling super sorry for my husband. Forgive me God, I am a sinner.

The second set of trailer tires worked. They got the tires changed on the side of the road and Ryan took the truck and trailer to the Donlon's. We met up with them there. Instead of seeing my hubby freshly showered and ready for an evening of hanging out, the guys were cold, tired, hungry, and exhausted. It was 745pm, over 2 hours after we were supposed to meet up for a favorite annual event. We brewed the guys some hot chocolate and fed them take-out fried fish. Thank you D and T for all of your help!

It wasn't the night we had planned. My kids weren't home to be put to bed at a decent time so they got to watch movies while the adults played cards. It was fun. Papa, who says he can't play cards, spanked us. Though usually up for a challenge in games, did horribly. Next year, I hope things go a little better cause you bet we'll be ready for the fish fry!

20 February 2012

He was Scheming

Today was a normal holiday where I'm thankful to be home with the kids. I went through some old clothes of Bethany's to give to a friend, then planned meals & wrote a grocery list and headed North. On my way, I called my mother in law and asked her if she would meet me and the kids for lunch and hang out with them while I shopped by myself in the grocery store. It worked out perfectly... the kids got to see their grandma two days in a row, I shopped in peace and kept my sanity and we all went home happy.

This afte

rnoon my friend Sarah was coming over. I knew that she didn't expect my house in perfect order so I put away my groceries and then sat down to visit with her while the toothpaste was left piled on the stairs, the box of dye was in the bathroom floor, and yesterday's birthday cake was still sitting on the dining room table. Shortly after Sarah and I began beading, Ryan came home. A little while after that, our friends Nick and Meg stopped by.
I love when Nick and Meg randomly stopped by.

With alcohol-free mojitos in hand we poured a few glasses, the ladies continued our beading discussion while the guys were getting all set up to fry some fish. The place I was sitting in the nook had a great view of the end of our driveway. As I looked up, I saw another car pull in. Hmm... that's odd. And since it is my birthday, I jokingly asked Ryan: "honey, are we having a party tonight that you didn't tell me about???" Without pause, he said yes and continued with fish frying duties. Well, then.

One by one cars rounded the driveway, and friends made their way into my house. The panic of having friends in my not perfectly cleaned house at a not perfectly organized party began to settle. It was fu
n. Low key, loud, kids running around, too much food, and perfect. How sweet is my husband??? You don't have to answer, I already knew he was pretty special.

There were no formal pictures, no formal cake, a hodge-podge of food and a whole lot of fellowship. I loved it. And I'm so thankful that my friends will come into my house, help my husband prepare food, all while not caring one bit if I had things laying around the house, hadn't washed my hair today, and wasn't perfectly prepared for a party. So, thank you to my family and friends for loving me on this day that I celebrate and thank God for creating me.


And now when the house is quiet and Ryan begins putting kids to bed so I can read the many
birthday wishes on facebook, he found this sweet little boy crashed out on the living room floor. I guess in the craziness of our evening, I didn't get a chance to tell Ryan that the kids had no nap and needed to hit the sack early tonight... oops, there's always tomorrow.

My birthday Wish


It's my birthday TODAY. I have one wish for my birthday today. For people to partner with us int he crops for widows program. I figured if everyone that wished me Happy Birthday on facebook would donate$5 each, we could really make a difference in the lives of women who are still getting hit HARD by drought. But it doesn't just have to be my facebook friends.

You can make a difference too!!!!!

Will you consider a $5 donation today for the crops programs? The fundraiser is already set up. You can give via paypal or credit card. It's super simple. It would be the best gift. Click here to give:

18 February 2012

It Is Possible

I was supposed to go to central Iowa for the weekend but did a poor job of planning and communicating. Now, that I'm home for a three-day weekend, I have a CRAZY to do list:

  1. Clean and organize pantry
  2. Clean and organize basement to create a kids game room - this could take 2 days.
  3. Play with my Kids
  4. Meal plan and get groceries
  5. Rest.
  6. Go for a run.
  7. Dig out baby clothes to give away.
  8. Clean the kitchen.
  9. Advertise hardly used nescafe coffee thing for sale.
  10. Design kitchen mini-remodel.
  11. Laundry.
  12. Clean bathroom.
Clearly, this list is crazy but a girl has to dream, right? With teh current state of my back, I may not get very far on this list... we shall see.

06 February 2012

Memories of Scott

Memories of Scott... where do I start???

As years pass and my mind gets clobbered with lots of other things, some memories fade... things like where did I take my watch off? Other things I can recall from pictures, like how ugly my haircut was in 6th grade. There are things which were never caught on film and aren't a part of my everyday life. It brings me to tears to think that some memories may fade, things like my precious friend, Scott. I hold tightly to those memories of a friend who impacted my life.

For Tony and Bonnie I've shared most of these stories. To write them down and share them again leaves me thinking “don’t you have any other stories to share?”. This is the heart wrenching part of losing a friend so young. Having only known each other a few short years, my memories of Scott are both extensive and limited. Extensive in that I can remember the details and limited in that there's not enough stories. And telling the same story again is admitting that my memories are limited and is the hard part for me.

While memories flood my mind, I continue to wonder where to start. As I wander down memory lane, the whole gamut of emotions overwhelm me once again.

Frustration

The most prominent memory of frustration is when I asked Scott for a ride home and he said no. I proceeded to walk home while he drove along side of me down Sierra Street in front of the park. I’m not sure how the story ended but I was clearly stubborn right along with my friend. Other frustrating moments occurred during the summer on the river when we’d fight over who could ride the jet ski next. While he may have learned manners from his parents and may have learned how to treat a girl, I was clearly treated like a sister many times.

Love

While Scott and I often had sibling rivalry, it wasn’t always that way. I’ve giggled about this memory lots of times. But moreso after this fall when I was home visiting and Bonnie introduced me to a visiting friend as one of Scott’s old girlfriends. Hee, hee. You’re absolutely right Bonnie, I was an old girlfriend. And I have no idea how long the junior-high “love” lasted but there are a hand full of memories from that time. One was when Amy drove us to the Selma Baskin Robins after youth group. I remember Scott stopping at the house and asked my parents if he could take me to ice-cream. It may have been junior-high but he was respectful and used his manners. On our way to Baskin Robins, he sat in the back of the car with me and we might have even held hands. During that time, Scott went to summer camp. I can’t remember the exact details, but like young kids, he took something of mine to camp and left me with something of his. While at camp, he called me almost daily during his free time to say hello. Sixteen years ago people didn’t have cell phones attached to their bodies so making those phone calls took some time, effort, and cash.

Laughter & Disgust

One of those phone calls from Scott was full of laughs and disgust. The boys were being boys. What I recall was them being made to pull lake weed by some camp dude named Dayn Mansfield who was soon to be our Youth Pastor. Other moments of laughter including when Scott “forked” and “riced” the Workman’s lawn and other minor mischief-filled moments.

Grateful

There was a serious side to Scott when it really mattered. This is what impacted me the most. Every time I get to share about Scott, this is the story I share. Over several months, Scott invested his time and shared the Gospel Truth with me. I remember him riding his bike over and sitting on the sidewalk and front porch sharing about the character of our Creator with me. I remember taking through the cyclone fence at the town pool about questions I had. I don’t remember the details of each conversation, but the end result was me making the most important decision and giving my life to Christ. I thank God every time I think of Scott.

Loss

The loss came in stages as I processed things. Shock, denial, more shock, and more denial. And here’s where it gets really difficult to put thoughts on paper.

Hope

Amidst the heartache were moments of healing. I remember Tony and Bonnie coming in and talking to the youth group opening their home even as they dealt with their own grief. Still not really knowing Tony and Bonnie, I went over there anyway. With no expectations except needing tissue, I was blown away by my time there. Find a special note in Scott’s “private” drawer was fun and made me wonder if he’d read it lately. With some smart comment from Tony, he gave me back the letter that day. While it said nothing lovey-dovey or incriminating, it was neat to have. Who knew that the smell of Scott on his pillow would be so emotional that day. And again tonight, sixteen years later.

While Scott was no longer physically with us, the memories continued to build. A little bit of letter writing with Amy, the barn taking Scott’s name, spreading Scott’s ashes and puking on the side of the trail while some old man passed me on the hill. I even dreamed about Scott. But my memories are far more than dreams. They are a reality of a boy who’s life and death impacted people like me.

Sixteen years later as I reflect back memories of my friend, I’m thankful that our lives crossed paths. I’m thankful that Scott had a family that loved him and taught him to love others. Yes, Scott impacted my life and yes, I named my oldest son after him because of it. But, Scott couldn’t have impacted my life without first knowing God. Scott wouldn’t know God without a family who taught him. Thank you Redfern family for loving me by loving your son! I love each of you!

05 February 2012

Happy 4th Birthday

One of my 3 kids shares my birthday month. Today is his birthday. He's 4.

When we arrived to Sunday School today, a certain proud big sister announced her brother's birthday. All the kids sang to him. Later when we got upstairs for church, they announced his birthday there too. This time when everyone sang to him, he became emotionless and limp. Wouldn't stand up or anything which is not my usual son. Either he was overwhelmed or mad... they get the same response.

Yesterday, we had a small family gathering to celebrate Judah's birthday. He had a super Judah cake designed my his 6 year old brother, Scott. With a nasty head cold, this momma didn't have a chance to make a super fun cake but I thought it was pretty sweet that Scott wanted to decorate it. Judah didn't seem to mind, as you can see by the picture below of him blowing out his candle:


We did our afternoon a little different than my "normal". Gifts first, then supper, then cake and ice-cream. What I really enjoyed about the night was when we went around the table and all shared the things we loved about Judah. There was plenty of love for a little boy who had a big smile on his face.


Happy Birthday son!

01 February 2012

Good and Bad

Today had it's good moments and it's bad ones too. They reflect my parenting... judge me if you want.

Good: On our way to Awana, Scott tells me that he has to apologize to a classmate for calling her a bad name. Thinking through a list of inappropriate words my son might have chosen, I asked him to tell me what he called her. He called her "bossy boots" because she was pushing on the bus. Phew, that could have been a lot worse. His classmate was at Awana and on his own, he apologized. She told him she'd forgotten about it. Apparently so, they were sitting next to each other during story time.

Now that I think about that one again, maybe its a bad mommy moment. Bethany gets called "bossy boots" a lot. If Scott thinks that's apology worthy, does he think I need to apologize to Bethany???

Bad: Last night I felt like crap. The headache clung on all day regardless of keeping on top of ibuprofen. When Ryan was gone for the evening, I thought I did well reading books with the kids, doing addition cards with Bethany (and facebooking about her description of Ariel), and being generally patient with the kids. At bed time, we pray with the kids, I snuggle them for a few moments and then go out. Being tired, I decided to snuggle an extended period and wouldn't mind falling asleep and let Ryan wake me when he got home. But when my antsy pants daughter couldn't keep still, and my son couldn't obey, my headache seemed to grow while my patience began to dissapear. When Bethany decided to get her body-sized shark pillow to lay on, it was the last straw. I arose from my warm spot, told the children I loved them and began to walk out. My drama queen immediately began to cry. No surprise there, she knew she was naughty and momma was done messing around.

You haven't read the bad part yet so stick with me.

Fast forward to tonight. We're following our nightly routine and when I go to lay next to Bethany to snuggle, with a sweet voice she says "momma, I have my shark ready so you can use it as a pillow tonight. Then it hit me... last night she noticed I didn't have a pillow. Tonight, she was prepared with a pillow for her momma. My heart sank with sadness. Asking my thoughtful little princess about it, she informed me that's why she was getting her shark last night. And I didn't even give her the chance to explain last night. Rightfully so, I apologized profusely, hugged her tight, and thanked her for thinking of me explaining a momma's view point to her. She replied with a tender "it's okay momma, I believe you". Well then... I had no words.

I was feeling like worst momma of the year. Now, I'll also say that she was in the wrong and was disobedient because I asked her to lay down. So, I wasn't out of line, but she was genuinely being thoughtful and I was so caught up on the "rule" of asking her to lay down that I missed a special moment. You better bet that I didn't miss it tonight. Thank you Bethany for loving others, even when those "others" are your grumpy momma!