witchy

Tonight my kids will once again put on their Halloween costumes.  Scott and Bethany already did so once for school but I didn't get to see them.  Tonight, I will get pictures of my Star Wars boys and my witchy girl.  This morning while chatting with Bethany, she asked me what I was dressed up as for halloween when I was a kid.  When I told her I'd been a witch once, she was so excited.  She's going to rock the witch costume tonight for sure.

 

In other news, while I was gone for 10 days to Ethiopia, my husband put a new faucet in my bathroom.  And I didn't even have to ask.  He's amazing like that.  He even baked a bunch while I was gone.  He said he did lots of dishes while I was gone.  I thought it was a great lesson for him.

 

If you're interested in reading what I was up to when I was gone for 10 days, I'll continue to post for the next week or so about it on my Journey 4 Hope blog.  Click on over and check it out www.journey4hope.blogspot.com.   

Beyond Prejudice

For months I have looked forward to reading this book titled Beyond Prejudice. Author, Raschelle Wurzer, writes beautifully as she intertwines history, faith, and politics with a love story. I started out reading a chapter each night of this ~200 page novel. Within several weeks I'd have the book finished. But it's one of those books that once you pick it up, you can put it down. I'd find myself literally holding my eyelids open so I could finish another chapter.

I love how the story portrays the prejudices that people faced during the Pearl Harbor era in the early 1940's. As a woman who's loved someone, I could put myself right into the main character's shoes. Ms. Tyler, a causcasian woman, is in love with David, a Japanese-American who is being evacuated to an internment camp following the bombing on Pearl Harbor.

I could tell you all about the book because I enjoyed it immensely. In fact, today, while riding 3 hours one-way for a 15 minute appointment, I started on chapter 7 and finished reading the book before we got back home. It was that good. I would recommend this book to all of my friends to read. It's a short and easy read. It will grab your attention right away. I loved it.

I also happen to know the author. She's an amazing woman! She did not ask me to read her book or write this post. I share because I know that reading this won't be a waste of time. If your local library doesn't carry it yet (it just came out in July), then ask them to order it. I give this book a thumbs up for sure and can't wait until she writes another one!!! Maybe next time I can sweet talk Raschelle into letting me proof read it first :)

Pumpkin Patch, Parade and Park fun

Today while dirty dishes sat on my counter, and laundry needed folded, we were out having fun. First stop, Kahler's Pumpkin Patch where we checked out the roosters and then picked out our pumpkins with Nikki and her kiddos.

From there, we headed to to the Brick City Days Parade. We stopped at our favorite parade spot to buy a few cookies and then grabbed a spot to sit and watch the parade with Kari and her family.

After the parade where my kids collected way too many tootsie rolls, we headed to the park, walking off a few of the calories I consumed while eating cookies. We appreciated that all the fun was free to participate in. The kids rode in the smiley-face cars, got baloon art, participated in the vegetable derby, played on the toys and had a meal before we left. I'm glad I stayed down there longer than we had planned. It was fun!

What a great day in rural Iowa! With my family and friends.

Great Night

Tonight wasn't anything special. But at the same time, it totally was. We were just living life together. The boys were helping Ryan "recycle" cardboard - each boy taking their turn recycling. Bethany and I dealt with the rest of the recycles. She was such a big girl carrying big cardboard boxes creatively in her arms. After the 'ol wood truck was loaded up with recycles, Bethany was super excited to be able to ride in the Ford with her momma. She even learned how to roll down a window the old school way - manually. While I emptied the big bins, Bethany "shot" plastic bottles into the bin. She had a blast. I had a blast watching her. As we left the recycle lot and headed to take trash, she hung her head out the window like a puppy dog, and was as excited as one too, letting the wind blow in her face. A.dor.a.ble. We made a quick stop at mom's where she showed off her talented scooter-riding skills and then headed over to grab pizza before going back home.

We got home to the boys living life together too. Guess how. Yes, playing the wii. It was cute. Everybody had pizza and fruit before heading upstairs to practice awana sections and get ready for bed.

And then it all fell apart.

One child pee'd in the floor. Cause apparently peeing in bed wasn't bad enough this morning. When questioned about it, said child informed me that said child dropped their pants and pee'd. Just six feet from the toilet. Are you kidding me?!?!? When I told said child to go upstairs and pee, I didn't realize I had to clarify to urinate in the toilet. And cause it can't be that simple, another child had an accident in their undies. Second pair of pooped in undies for that child tonight. In 2 1/2 hours of being at home. And while pee child had been tucked in and Ryan was dealing with double-poop child, I went to tuck in the remaining child. Only I got a wif of poop on that child too. Seriously. This child had an issue earlier in the night too. So, I grabbed child out of bed and rushed child to the bathroom to go poop. And I was smart enough to clarify this time that it should be IN THE TOILET! Ryan looked like he was ready to bang his head into the wall so I kindly offerred to finish up with our three little lovelies.

What was their deal??? All I know is I'm glad they're in bed.

And while I sit quietly downstairs, we hear a child talking. Bethany was reading her Dora book. Apparently, her "night light" is a little too bright. I walked up the stairs, stood in her door way and watched her. When she finished with that book and grabbed the next one, I quietly interrupted her by calling her name. She, with much surprise, tossed her book to the side, closed her eyes and pretended to be sleeping. I about died of laughter. Managing to hold in my laughter, I called her name again. Still as a statue, she ignored me. I gently reminded her that it was bed time and not reading time. She asked "what if I can't sleep?" I replied telling her that she was welcome to sing to God if she couldn't sleep. As I came downstairs and sat down we could hear her over the noise of the TV. Unlike the previous half hour, this was music to my ears!!!

Oh how I love parenting!!!!

Hanging out in Central Iowa

This has been a great weekend to be with Ryan's family in Central Iowa. Not only are we here to speak at Ryan's home church about our Ethiopia trip, we're also celebrating Uncle Mike, Kevin and Grandpa's birthdays (even if they're not here).

We've had a great weekend so far. It's always great to hang out with Tera and the kids, Uncle Mike and Aunt Betty. We played outside in the yard, made a run to Strbks coffee, and bought Halloween outfits.

A certain little girl really wants to be a witch for Halloween:

We made home-made pizza, and ate too much food while we watched the Hawkeyes and Cyclones battle it out on the football field. The kids napped, played in the jacuzzi tub and got spiffied up for a night out on the town.

We all headed to Prairie City where Ryan's family was born and raised. Ate at the Cider House which is across the street from the old DX station that Ryan's great grandfather owned before selling it to Ryan's grandpa. This old place holds lots of memories for the B family. So, we snapped a few pictures of our time hanging out in a small town in rural Iowa.

Grandma and the guys cross Main St in serious discussion:
Who couldn't take this cuties picture. Yes, he's mine:
Cousins having fun hanging out in front of the old DX station:

A cute little boy and his Grandpa:

Another cute Cyclone fan:

Grandma and her boys at the old station:

And as the kids continued to run up and down the sidewalk playing tag and giggling, the sun continued to set over this small central Iowa town that the B's have considered home for over a century.

I'm just thankful that I get to see a little of it these days and bring my own B's back to this small town to celebrate with family.

Alright kiddos, it's time to head back to Uncle Mike and Aunt Betty's. We'll be back here again tomorrow to share with the Reformed Church about all that God is doing in Ethiopia through FOVC and then we'll celebrate with family once again before hitting the road to the place our little family calls home.

Thank you God for our family... those who are near and far!

ISU vs. Iowa

Raising money today for FOVC's Feed Hope Relief Project.  These two necklaces are themed ever so slightly for each of the teams playing this weekend.  They both utilize paper beads made in Ethiopia mixed in with some beads from Kenya.  Necklaces made by yours truly.
 
Will you buy one?  Can we sell it to the highest bidder, starting at $20 each?  What are you willing to pay? 

Getting a new kitten

When we went on our horseback riding adventure, the kids fell in love with the kittens. We agreed to let them have one. But because we were headed other places after we left the Glenn Farm, we couldn't take a kitten with us. Today, our generous friend, Allan, offerred to grab the grey tiger striped kitten that Ryan wanted and bring it to the clinic.

When the kids saw him pull up, they were EXCITED!!!

Farmer Allan brought 3 for the kids to choose from:

They test drove all 3:

Guess which one we came home with.

That's right, all 3:

Farmer Allan, that was a smart move on your part.

Thank you for bringing the kitten and 2 more to us.

Next up: naming the kittens...

Off to Preschool

It's been a long time waiting for this little girl but today she's headed off to pre-school. She'll have a great day with Mrs. W, Mrs. D and the her classmates! I love you precious girl!

Proud to be an Iowan

I've been wanting to blog about a cool Iowa story for over a week now.  But finding the time to do so has been tough.  When I saw it again on the news tonight, I thought I had to do a brief post of why I'm proud to be an Iowan.

 

First off, I must say that I'm in counseling now that I finally admitted that I'm an Iowan and not a Californian.  But anyway.

 

A few weeks back I heard of a local pastor doing a good deed.  He'd heard of cattle ranchers in Texas having to sell their herds because a drought has meant a lack of hay crop.  If you can't feed your animals, you have to get rid of them.  This Pastor and a few other Iowa farmers are helping the drought-stricken farmers in Texas.  The project which they called the "Hay Lift" is taking donated hay from MY (previous work) county where they had a good hay crop and donating it to those in need in Texas.  Now, how about that.  Why?  Because we should pay it forward.  And because the locals that I'm proud of remember the '88 drought where their yields were bad.

 

I'm not going to re-write the article found here http://www.kwwl.com/story/15354809/iowa-farmers-helping-drought-ridden-texas-farmers but I will say one thing.  Way to go guys (and ladies).  I'm proud of you!!!

I am thankful. And have a full tummy.

Good Grief

With change comes grief.  But not a bad kind of grief.  It's a good kind.  Today is my last day in the office I've worked in for 9+ years.  This office is like home to me.  After all, I spend 9 hours a day here.  This morning will be my last drive to work.  Will I meet the Donlon's on the road?  Will deer run across in front of me?  Will the recycle truck be at Gunder?  Will I get all my stuff packed up and loaded into Ryan's vet truck?  I thank God for the 9 years I've had in this quiet office on a river town in Northeast Iowa.  So here's 9 things I love about this office/job:
 
1.  My boss.  I started this job with a boss who was very kick-back but became like a father figure.  He retired Jan 2010.  I was blessed to eventually get a new boss who was also kick-back.  Just a few years my senior, I also enjoy and appreciate my "new" boss.
2. My coworkers. They are wonderfully hard working people.  This is more than a paycheck for each person here.  It truly is a means of serving and educating those around us.  My coworkers have changed over the years but I've learned from each one of them. 
3. My clients.  Most the time they're farmers.  Some times, they're landowners who rent ground.  Sometimes they're landowners with no crop land.  Sometimes they're super friendly.  And sometimes they hate the government so they're jerks.  But, there's a hand full of favorites.  The ones I wish I could take with me.  The ones I would sit around a camp fire with.  The ones who use this building for assistance and education, not just for rules and money.
4. The landscape.  This is one of the prettiest and diverse counties in the state.  I'm not biased at all either.  It has rock out-crops along the Mississippi River bluffs.  It has acres and acres of timber and wildlife.  It has the rolling hills of cropland.  And a few prairie pot holes can be found in some areas of the county.  With the might Mississippi bordering the East side of the county, and the Volga and Turkey rivers running through the county, there's plenty of spots along the river to fish and protect.
5. My corner office.  I'll admit it.  I'm kind of spoiled.  I have a back corner office.  Not really an office, more of a cubicle.  But it's still in the corner so I have a little space to myself back here.
6. The partners I work with.  Some of them I would consider my coworkers.  Our building has 3 agencies.  The staff in those other agencies are also my friends.  I'm going to miss the [not just] girls over at FSA for sure.  I'm going to miss the DNR partners that I've come to know around here and my Extension buddy downtown.  Clayton County has some great partners and I appreciate them.
7. The challenging work load.  Well, this won't change in my new county.  It will still be a challenge.  But, I like the diverse workload here.  I'm swamped almost all of the time.  And working with participants with all kinds of backgrounds and interests creates it's own fun challenges. 
8. The interest in conservation and wildlife.  What more can I say about that?  People like to improve their land around here and I love working with them.
9. Educating open-minded people.  Not everyone has to do things they way their grandfather did it.  I like when people come to us open-minded about how to pursue or deal with something.  To prevent a problem before it arises.  That is definitely one of my favorites about the job.
 
 
I'm looking forward to today.  Although it will be a little akward saying goodbye.  I love my co-workers but I hate "goodbyes".  With that said, I'm looking forward to my next adventure in another field office.  A closer drive to work.  A new staff that I already know a bit.  A similar but different work load. 

Today is the Day

I hope you enjoy your first day of first grade son!

Great Grandma

I miss my grandma's. A lot. They're both alive. But they live where I grew up in California and I live in Iowa. I don't get to see them much. Haven't seen my one Grandma since 2008 and my other for over a year. I'm long over due. In the mean time, I'm blessed to have a third Grandma. She's Ryan's Grandma but she loves me like her own. While we were in Des Moines Monday, we made a point to head home a little different route so we could stop and see the kids' Great Grandma B. She's a sweet and loving lady. And she LOVES her great grandchildren.

Here's a few pictures back at Grandma's apartment with Scott reading to her:

It is Finished

I'm glad today is done.  Granted, I would have loved to been in bed 2 hours ago.  As it is, I'm sitting here blogging with no glasses/contacts in and I'm tired and my eyes are blurry.  I'm brilliant, I know.  I thought about sharing with you about the chaos of my day and maybe I still will tomorrrow.  But I couldn't find anything positive to share.  Yikes, I gues it was a bit chaotic.  But as I sat here and thought about it, I have lots of positives from today.  It's all a matter of perspective.  I share these to encourage you to look on the bright side and to thank God for the many blessings we have:
 

1. Roof over my head.  Warm bed.  3 meals today.
2. Starbucks coffee.  Shared with two kids.
3. A day off of work.
4. Being EARLY to an appointment.
5. Time with Great Grandma today.
6. Ryan's family who loves me like their own family.
7. Kids who are, for the most part, perfectly healthy.
8. A hug from Judah (those are rare sometimes)
9. Money to buy groceries and other things.
10. Air conditioned vehcile.
11. Seeing Scott's bones on x-ray today.
12. An encouraging word from a friend.
13. Funny kids.
14. Excited kids.
15. A husband who puts groceries away so I can veg on the couch.

 
And there's lots more where that came from.  Those good memories are good considering our wild day!  Thank you Jesus for rest.  I'm looking forward to getting some now.

shutterfly... a love hate relationship

I love shutterfly.  They sent me a 50% off books coupon.  I ordered 3 of the "faces of Ethiopia" books.  Cha-ching on the savings there.
I love shutterfly.  Last time they jacked my order, they gave me a $10 off coupon which I also used.  I hear another cha-ching on the savings.
I love shutterfly.  They had a free shipping on orders over $50.  More savings. 
I don't love that I couldn't get free shipping to send books to two different places.  Only one destination got free shipping.
I don't love that I couldn't also use the 30% off of prints coupon from their site.
      (now, I'm not trying to sound like a total jerk about not getting 30% off, I just didn't see until I read the small print that I couldn't use the free shipping and the 30% off at the same time)
I don't love that after I ordered, the free shipping somehow mysteriously dissapeared.
I love that you can cancel your order within 30 minutes.
I don't love that I had to spend another half-hour adding all the photos and books back to my cart to "fix" the order.
I love that in the end, my total was $46.83 and I saved $74.37.  Cha-ching for savings... not so much for cash flow :)
I don't love that somehow my first cancelled order was only $44 and change and I'm too tired to figure out the difference.
 
Overall, I really like shutterfly.  And of course I will use them again and encourage each of you to try them.  I love my photo books... even if I'm 3 or so behind.
 
P.S. The picture is one I ordered - one for his daddy and one for his momma in Ethiopia.  I hope to check on her when I'm in Ethiopia at the end of October.

Hat Day

It's a hat day today.  In light of that, I found a couple of hat pics from the archives...

did I really

- Did I really feed my kids popcorn and smoothies for supper?
- Did I really just stay up past 10 when I desperately need sleep?
- Did I really have the chance to see the President and not give a rip?
- Did I really buy hair dye to cover the "silver lining"?
 
The next few days are busy.  Granted, my days are always busy.  But in a week's time, I will be in DesMoines for doc appointments for kids, have a going away party at work, send my son back to school and Bethany for the first time, have a home visit for the pre-school and send my husband off for a week of continuing ed.  Well, I guess we'll have a busy week.  But I find joy in those things.  And if you see me that I don't look so joyful, please remind me.
 
By the way, the Jay Leno jokes are hilarious tonight!

Horseback Riding

One of the benefits of working with farmers (both Ryan and I do so), is knowing who to call when you want to take the kids out to the farm. With our little cousin, Isaac, here this week, we wanted to take him out for some fun in the country.

When we got there, the horses were being saddled by Lyneen. Unfortunately the kids quickly looked past the horses when they saw baby kitty's in the tack room:

We did manage to give the baby kitty's, and their momma, while we distracted them with baby calves and a 2-week old foal.

And then it was time to start riding. Thank you Taurus and Sunny for being cooperative and easy-going for the kids' first experience on a horse.

Isaac did perfect. He caught on super quickly.

A certain little girl loved every moment on the horse. Imagine that.

Scott, my least adventurous child, well, he thought Sunny walked too fast. That was super funny compared to his little brother who wanted to go faster.

The boys weren't so fond of being in the saddle together. Are you serious boys? I thought you'd have fun with it.

So I made them share for a bit and then took Judah off so a pouty little boy could ride by himself. Judah and Bethany weren't too find of sharing either. What is with these kids? At least they look cute in pictures.
And here's Alan, the farmer behind the fun. These horses aren't "hay burners". They're working horses. Alan uses them to check his beef cattle herd. I like this picture; it shows you how nice Alan is.

The kids weren't the only ones who enjoyed a little time on the back of a horse. This momma loves to ride horses. The last time I'd done so, I was working with this farmer on a grazing project.

And when it was time to put the horses away so farmer Alan could get to work, the kids continued to play on the farm... and eat out of Lyneen's hand as she managed to give away multiple packages of graham crackers to 4 cute little faces.

Thank you, thank you, thank you to Alan and Lyneen. Thanks for taking time out of your day, for saddling up horses, for leading little kids around, feeding them graham crackers and genuinely enjoying life on the farm. Lyneen, maybe next time Alan will have talked you into getting some goats or pigs :) We appreciate you both: