Grove Family Homeschool

Merry Christmas 2010!

2010-12-25T06:22:00.000-08:00

The Grove Family, taken in 1960 :)

Merry Christmas 2010

My humans have so much stuff on their to-do list that they told me to write the letter this Christmas. They have no idea how hard it is to type without thumbs, but since they are in charge of the food and water around here I had no choice but to obey. What’s a dog gonna do?

First of all, my Master has been home much more this year since he started raising those things that swim around in the rectangular glass boxes. He pays a lot of attention to them, which kind of annoys me, but since I don’t have to share my doggie bed with them I don’t mind all that much.

The Master’s lady comes and goes; she is usually in quite a hurry it seems, especially when that black box beeps. She volunteers with the Hawley rescue squad. I heard her tell my fellow pack members that she only has a couple years left to go until she gets to be a nurse. She works some now with people who have special needs and she spends a lot of time with the Leader of my pack, teaching my fellow pack members stuff from these books and the computer. She pets me a lot and if I give her a high-five, she will give me a treat. In return I sit at her feet a lot and I am always faithful to bark when those annoying squirrels invade the yard. I know she really appreciates it when I do that because she’ll yell my name.

The oldest pack member, Alicia, is very busy with her last year of school. She’s following in her Mother’s paw prints and is studying to become an EMT. She went on her first ride-along last week with F-M ambulance and she was very excited when she came home. She still works at the grocery store and if I’m a good doggie she shares the stash of food she always keeps in her purse.

My boy Mitchell also works at the grocery store, and sometimes he gets to go on rides with the humans in uniform that work with my K-9 friend, Benny. He’s been on some exciting rides with both the police and sheriff departments. Someday Mitchell hopes to wear one of those uniforms. I just hope I will get to be his K-9 dog.

The middle pack member, Kaylee, still likes to write a lot in notebooks, watch Dora the Explorer, and play games on the Mama’s computer. She also sings and pretends she is a Disney Princess and she has imaginary friends. It doesn’t bother me – I’m used to the humans around here talking to themselves.

Jessica, pack member #4, has a lot of friends in the neighborhood and is always hosting tea parties. She’s becoming a terrific little babysitter and the neighborhood parents love her because she is great with small children. (Kinda like me!) She babysits at the local MOPS group with Alicia once a week, and she sometimes volunteers at Hawley Senior Living too. The Mama says that Jessica is her right-hand-man, and she would not know what to do without her help.

My youngest boy Justin sometimes annoys me but usually he shapes up when I growl at him. He’s gotten a lot taller this year and he follows my oldest boy around a lot. He is usually busy playing with legos, matchbox cars, playdough or making something out of the craft supplies the Mama always has to buy. Recently he used all her tinfoil to make different shaped animals and he even made the Mama a flower. It bugs her when he uses up all the tape, which is usually the same day that she buys it! Right now she can’t even finish wrapping all the Christmas presents!

Well, my humans and I would like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a happy 2011!

Love, Maggie

Isaiah 9:6 (King James Version)
6For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

Frankie

2010-10-08T05:56:00.000-07:00

I always get the blues around this time of year, and it wasn't until recently that I figured out why. Fall is my favorite time of year with the milder weather, fewer mosquitoes, turning leaves, comfort food, back-to-school, football and hoodies! So why did I end up, once again, feeling that familiar blue funk descend? Last year I decided instead of continuing to ignore this annual depression, I would embrace it - and try to figure it out.

Essentially what happens to me is I will frequently feel on the verge of tears at any given moment, and it usually happens when I am alone. I have freaked a few people out when I started crying while picking out cards at Walmart.

For those of you who are beginning to worry futher about my sanity as you read this post, please don't fret. I am not any more unstable than I was the last time you talked to me.

Well, it hit me again on Wednesday. I was at work, and was watching a show with my client that was a tear-jerker, and the tears began to flow. My client reached his hand over to me, and even their family dog came over and sat at my feet. I was crying about something random on tv and thought, "Here we go, again." I was rather annoyed at myself. Now I had even upset the dog!

Then I realized why the tears came so quickly. I miss my Frankie. My dearly beloved brother who died from pancreatic cancer - he was diagnosed with the devastating news ten years ago this week. The stress from that news sent me into early labor with our fourth baby (Jessica Evelyn) who was born two days after we got the diagnosis. In retrospect I realize God was sending our family new life during such a trying time of death and disease and pain. Wow, did we ever need that new little baby to pull us away from the difficulty of saying goodbye to Frankie and make us look to the future. The stress of it all even affected Jessica though - she screamed with colic from the day she was born until she was nine months old. But THAT is another post!

Frankie left us quickly, just five weeks after he received his diagnosis.

He was the middle child out of five siblings. The third born brother, then my sister and I came along. I think he was the family favorite. Everyone loved him - he was often called a big ol' teddy bear. His gruff, tough exterier revealed a heart of gold. I can't even tell you the good and sweet things he did for me and my family. I always knew I could call him if I needed anything. But THAT is another post too!

Sometimes I have questioned why God took him and not me, or one of my other siblings. He did not want to die. He fought it. Frankie was the "family bridge" for all of us. But then, after Mom died a couple of years later, something wonderful happened. The four of us that remained in our family (Dad died before Frankie) have begun to pull together in a really wonderful way. As we grow and mature and learn, we understand each other better, we accept each other more - we make a better effort to stay in contact and to get together on occasion. Sure, we still annoy each other, we don't always agree - but there is a love and a bond there. I know at any given time I can call either of my big brothers, or my MUCH older sister, and they will be there for me. That is a really good feeling.

The year before Frankie died he lived 15 minutes away from me. I saw him on at least a weekly basis, I would do his laundry for him and I cleaned his apartment. We talked on the phone almost every day. He would call me up and say, "Whatcha doin'?" and I would answer with whatever I was doing, then he would say, "Oh, okay."

And then he would hang up.

Poopface.

Back to School

2010-08-24T06:45:00.000-07:00

We officially started school again yesterday. I just love that fresh, new feeling at the beginning of the school year. New crayons, pencils, notebooks, glue, pens, scissors, rulers, pens, erasers, backpacks - it's all such fun!

This will also be Peachie's Senior year.

She will be 18 the end of October, and after graduation she plans to attend Master's Baptist College in Fargo, and she is also hoping to train as an EMT and possibly later on as a Paramedic.

My babies are all growing up. Sometimes I am thrilled with anticipation for their futures, other times I am sad there are no little ones in our home any more.

Which brings me to my next topic - we are applying to be a foster family. So much needs to go into the application that it's going to take awhile, but we continue to hear that call of the need for families who are willing to take in children, and possibly even adopt them. It is my hope that we will get a toddler boy and an infant girl. Does this sound crazy? If so, then that just confirms what you have always suspected of us...

I would ask that you pray for us as we head in this direction, that God will lead us to a child or children who needs our family.

Well, now...

2010-06-05T09:32:00.000-07:00

Hello kids. It's a fine Saturday and my blog has been terribly neglected these last several months. Sorry 'bout that. I've been wanting to write on one particular subject - so here I am!

We've been attending graduations - and it's been fun. One niece and one nephew have graduated, and so have a few homeschooling friends. It's a pleasure to see the hopes and dreams in the eyes of a graduate.

But that is not the topic I have been wanting to write about. Actually my topic is regarding homeschooling. Just when I thought I'd "heard it all" in regards to the misconceptions surrounding homeschooling, I had someone throw me a curve ball the other day. I'm still chuckling - here's what happened:

I was talking to an older woman in our community, and well, she's kind of a "busy-body". She was interrogating, I mean, questioning me about homeschooling, and then she asked, "Is it true that homeschoolers get $7,000 per year, per child?"

Is your mouth gaping open like mine was?

Then I started to laugh. I laughed and laughed. I said, "I've never heard that one before! If that were true, EVERYONE would be homeschooling!" And she went on to say she didn't think it was true and how she didn't think our family would "do" that and how she'd just heard that from someone else and told them it probably wasn't true...

Anyway, I went on to explain that the public schools get anywhere from $7,000 to $14,000 per child that lives in their district (whether or not they are homeschooled) - which is one of the reasons we have a census - and another reason we are required to report that we are homeschooling. It's simply a funding issue. This is one of the issues surrounding school choice vouchers as well. As far as I know, there is not a single state that would allow homeschoolers to pocket that money.

Chuckle.

Over the years we've answered a lot of questions about homeschooling, and I certainly don't mind. I was very curious about homeschooling myself at one time. I'd never heard that particular misconception before though, and it surprised me that anyone would think that was a possibility. Usually people ask questions about socialization, testing, special needs, our daily schedule, curriculum - stuff like that.

So, for those of you who have questions about homeschooling (if anyone is still checking this blog) ask away! I might not know the answer, but I can find it out! I'm curious what other questions might be lingering in people's minds - and now that I know I have not "heard it all" in our 12 years of homeschooling so far, I'd like to know if there is anything else I haven't been asked.

Changes

2010-01-30T09:50:00.000-08:00

It's been so long since I blogged - last September - that I almost forgot my login information! I actually did write a blog in December but never published it. It was our Christmas letter, so I might have to go and finish that one of these days! By the way, I didn't send out a single Christmas card this year. We never did get a family picture taken either - so if you are wondering if I skipped you this year, it wasn't just you! It was everyone!

There have been a lot of changes 'round these parts, so I thought I would update you on the happenin's here at the Almosta Ranch. First of all, we are all well, there's been a lot of snow and frigid temperatures, but we are doing our best to stay warm and keep a path shovelled. The kids and I have been busy with lots of schoolwork. I started online LPN classes earlier this month and so far things are going great. I'm taking 11 credits through the college (Northland Tech out of East Grand Forks) and I'll also be "testing out" for 3 additional credits in order to get my CNA certification. One thing I noticed that has been a big plus, is the more that I study, the more diligent the kids are in their own studies. There's been lotsa book-crackin' these last few weeks!

One other big change is my job situation. I decided to jump in full-time with school, so I gave notice at my job and my last day was on Monday. Right around the time I gave my notice, I saw a job advertised through CCRI and the hours were much more school-and-family-friendly, so I decided to apply. After an interview (I hate interviews - wow those are stressful! I could write another whole post on THAT) I was offered a position working with two clients with special needs in the Hawley area. My hours will be from 6 to 8 am Monday through Friday, and a few hours each Tuesday and Thursday afternoon - a total of 15 to 20 hours a week. This should work well with my school schedule, and Kyle and the kid's schedules as well. The best part - no weekends!!

I also started one other little hobby/job (jobby?). I inquired recently at Tony's Super Valu (where Things 1&2 both work) if they needed a cake decorator. I've dabbled a bit in cake decorating and I've always wanted to learn more. Tony told me if I wanted the job, it was mine, and he'd get me a professional class through Super Valu. So, I jumped in and started decorating and I've made three cakes so far. I'm looking forward to the class and learning more techniques as I can only do the basics right now. I can't wait to learn how to work with fondant! It's fun and relaxing to me and I enjoy the creative outlet. If any of you need a cake, you know who to call!!

So, there's a run-down on what's been happening with us lately. I'll try to keep my blog updated a little better in 2010!

All's Noisy on the Eastern Front

2009-09-17T15:45:00.000-07:00

I don't know where that blog title came from - it just popped into my head and so I decided to start writing and see where this post takes me. Hang on, it could be a wild ride! I've had a major lack of sleep due to needing to fill in on the night shift last night at work. I didn't get too tired during the night in spite of my inability to sleep much yesterday evening before work. But as soon as I got home, woah, did it ever hit me!! I couldn't keep my eyes open with toothpicks. So I had a couple hour's rest and I'm winding down this evening, trying to stay awake until I can get to bed early tonight. I'll be hitting the hay about the same time the sun goes down, methinks. *Disclaimer - I am not responsible for any grammar or spelling errors contained in this post. This is a Public Service Announcement. *

It's been a beautiful week here on the Almosta Ranch - the weather has been so nice I've been having the kids do a lot outside. They worked hard to get the garage all cleaned up before cold weather hits and they've also done some yard work with Kyle. I've been hanging laundry on the line and I'm happy to say we are all caught up right now - a major feat without a dryer. Ours decided to start on fire a couple months ago so it's been a challenge at times to keep everything clean and dry on the rainy and humid days. We're hoping to get a used one soon.

School work has been going well in spite of me needing to pick up some extra shifts at work due to some employees quitting and new ones being hired on. A couple of employees left for work or school and it was a bit sad to see them move on. I'm excited that I finished my Home Health Aide training and I'm now working in that capacity, with a little housekeeping on the side. It's very hard but rewarding work - and very challenging. I love working with the residents on this level and they are all becoming very dear to me. The kids have been enjoying volunteering their time and getting to know the residents better as well. They have a Wii so sometimes the kids will bowl or box with the residents, which they all really get a kick out of. And I must say that there is nothing quite as funny as the humor of a wise Senior Citizen. I crack up on a daily basis from their sayings and jokes. What a wonderful group of people I get to work with!

I'm also excited to report that I'm getting my application done to start online LPN classes in the spring. I'm hoping Peachie can take some of the classes with me through the Post-Secondary Education Option - and the college credit will be free for her. She can be my study partner in crime. My hope and dream is to someday work in OB - I'd love to help deliver babies and work with the newborns and new mamas. I don't suppose they'll let me bring the babies home though, bummer! New mamas are a bit possessive that way!

I hope this post finds you enjoying lovely fall weather, lovely autumn colors, yummy produce, and a good September all around. We've got lotsa tomatoes but probably not enough for salsa - plus we couldn't leave the onions alone this past month and have used most of them up. Were they ever tasty! Green onion reminds me of my Daddy - he'd make a snack of them, fresh out of the garden.

Hayfeverly yours ~ Beth~ (Tis' the season, to be sneezin'!)

Hello, Potato!

2009-07-10T07:53:00.000-07:00

There's a gentleman at the Senior Living facility where I work who will often approach another gentleman who lives there, and he greets him by saying, "Hello, Potato!". The first time I heard him say this, it was in an unfriendly tone, and the gentleman he was greeting was rather puzzled and could not quite understand what he was saying. I've heard him say, "Hello Potato" in many different tones, but the other day, he said it in a friendly manner. I can't yet figure out if he is just using a nickname, if he does not like the other gentleman, or if it simply a type of banter he uses. Either way it makes me smile a bit and I find both the men to be very endearing.

Speaking of endearing, I'm loving the residents that I am working with. As I get to know them better, I find my heart melting more and more. The elderly have such a unique quality about them - some are child-like, some are forgetful, some are typically happy, and some tend to be unhappy and even crabby. But they all have a wisdom and insight I am hoping to learn from. I love to ask them questions about almost any topic. And I find that they are eager to share about their lives and experiences. One gentleman said to me, "I have enjoyed visiting with you and your children. It's so nice to have someone to...you know, to....well, just to listen." Indeed.

I have also observed something very interesting. There are a handful of residents who are often in a less than happy mood. A couple of them can be intimidating to me. But I have found that even those with the sourest dispositions melt like butter when my children are around. It's as though someone flips a switch inside them when they see my kids - and their smiles come out and their tender sides emerge - and for awhile they forget they are growing older and that sometimes life is hard and bleak. So I have been bringing the kids as often as I can and I'm hoping and praying that somehow we can make a difference in the lives of these very dear people.

There is one lady who Peewee has taken a particular interest in. For some reason, she reminds us all of my own dear Mother, and I think that is why he is drawn to her. She started an impromptu card game with him the other day, and before we left, she had all the kids playing with her and showing them the game. I hated to leave, they were all having so much fun. The next day, when I was in her room, she was just waking up and was in obvious pain in her joints and muscles. I said, "My children sure enjoyed playing cards with you yesterday." She immediately cheered up and said, "Oh I almost forgot about that! Thank you for reminding me, and for bringing your kids in to see us. That was fun!" And for a moment, she seemed to forget her pain. I got a little choked up as I finished up in her room. She reminds me so much of Mom.

So my job is going very well, and it is helping to fill a void that I have had ever since my parents died - not only in my life, but in the lives of my kids. They have missed my parents very much, and they miss Kyle's parents too, who we don't get to see as often as we would like.

So, goodbye, Potato. I hope you have a good weekend. :)

How's it going?

2009-06-26T08:32:00.000-07:00

You know, I ask people that a lot. "How's it going?" So I thought I would update my blog today and inform all two readers (lol!) how it's going on the Grove Family Homestead.

We planted green peppers, onions, two kinds of tomatoes, (can anyone say "salsa"?) and lots of flowers. I was bit by the gardening bug and I will not look back. I enjoy checking on all my plants and seeing the progress. I swear I can sometimes see the onions growing, they are coming up so fast! And my tomatoes already have blooms. I'm tempted to eat the leaves, I'm so eager for a taste of garden-fresh tomatoes!! I did lose one pepper plant when the dog decided to park her rump on it one day. :( Rest in peace, little pepper plant. I shall always remember you.

The summer days have been flying by at a jet-fast pace since I started my job. I'm enjoying the work and I'm very thankful our whole family has been getting in step with our new schedule. I work for 2 to 3 days a week, and usually the kids are alone for just one day a week. I'm glad the manager was willing to schedule me on the days that Kyle is home, for the most part. The work itself is very hard, but very rewarding. I'm in housekeeping now, so I am responsible for lots of cleaning, some laundry and serving two meals per shift. Soon I hope to be training in as a Home Health Aide, and then I'll be working more directly with the residents. I'm also getting to help fill-in for the Activities Director, which means that basically I get paid to go to work to play games and do activities with the residents! When Kyle and Things 1 and 2 are gone in July I will be filling in while the Activities Director is on vacation - and I'll get to bring Things 3,4 and 5 with me to work! The kids have been helping with games and activities for a couple weeks now, and they love it. Our whole family has been volunteering some of our time as well. We put together a patriotic presentation for Flag Day and the residents loved it.

On a sad note, two years ago today my dear Mother passed away. I still miss her very much.

On a happy note, I got to see my darling niece Cherith last week when a friend graciously asked me to ride along with her when she went to the cities. And I have great news! Cherith will be coming home soon. Her progress has been so wonderful, we are thanking and praising God for how far she has come.

Well, I'm off to run some errands, head to Wal-Mart (Can I get an "Amen!"?) and then drop Things 1&2 off with Kyle so they can head to a CAP activity in Western ND tonight and tomorrow. I'll have to think of some fun stuff to keep Things 3,4&5 busy while they are gone.

I hope things are going well for you and yours!!

Elizabeth Ann

Don't Mess With A Mama Bear

2009-06-08T06:02:00.000-07:00

Last Thursday something happened that caused us to have some of the worst stress we have ever experienced. It was one of those days that seems like it was a long time ago, even though it was just last week. Let me 'splain.

I was on my way to Fargo in the morning with Pickles for an appointment when Peaches called me in a panic on my cell phone and said, "MOM - there is a policeman at the door and he asked to talk to Peanut! He's outside asking her questions right now!!" I told her to give the phone to the policeman and asked him what was going on. He proceeded to tell me that there was a claim of abuse against me towards Peanut and that I needed to come to the police station for questioning. Just writing about this is making me feel sick again. I asked him if he could give me any more information, but he would not tell me anything further on the phone.

At this point my arms were going numb and I told the officer that I was on my way into Fargo for an appointment but that I would immediately turn around and come home. He told me that wasn't necessary - but I knew there was no way I could keep driving and continue on with my day with such an accusation bouncing around my brain. After I hung up with the policeman I immediately called Kyle and told him what was going on, and he decided to come home from work. I was very relieved as I knew I needed his support and leadership to face this.

I tried to reach our Pastor but his cell phone connection was cutting out, so I spoke with our Assistant Pastor and told him what was going on. I can't remember a word he said, I was very stressed and crying by this time, but I do remember he gave me some good advice. After I spoke with him (I was home by this time) I called Home School Legal Defense and they said because this situation was likely not a homeschooling issue, that they could not get involved. So then I called Christian Law Association and spoke with a Paralegal. He (or was it a she?) told me to go ahead and go to the police station to see what was going on, but that if I became the least bit uncomfortable with any of the questions that I was to stop answering and tell the officer I wanted a lawyer. Yikes. Yikes and a half! It was beginning to dawn on me that I really had no clue what we could possibly be facing - and that (depending on what accusations might have been made) I could very well be going to get arrested. Gulp.

By this time I was bawling. The numbness from my arms was beginning to settle over the rest of me. Should we grab the kids and flee to Canada? Mexico? Glyndon? Wait a second here. Why was I panicking? I had not abused my child. I had nothing to fear. God was not going to wait outside the police station while I dealt with this on my own. Kyle was with me, the kids were healthy and safe, and we all got on our knees and asked God to intervene and help us on our behalf. Please help me Abba, Father, Papa, Daddy. I need you. Please help me to feel as though I am safely in your lap, in your arms, as I felt when I was a child on my earthly Daddy's knee.

We left for the police station, and on the way there our Pastor called and I filled him in on the situation. He was shocked when I told him that the Paralegal had told me it was legal for the officer to question Peanut without anyone else present, and without the parent's knowledge or consent. You are probably thinking, "WHAT?!?" I KNOW. This part of the whole ordeal has bothered me the most. Peanut has Down syndrome - and at times she is difficult to understand and she can be easily misled or misinterpret questions that she is asked. I had no idea what the officer could have asked her or what she might have said. And she was not able to communicate to me what their conversation was about.

When we got to the police station God gave me the strength to walk inside and face whatever was ahead. Was I going to find out what handcuffs actually felt like? I was as cold as the steel of a pair of handcuffs by this time. It was a good thing I hadn't eaten breakfast or it might have ended up on the floor of the policeman's office.

Knowing Godly friends were praying gave me just the support and encouragement I needed.

As soon as we sat down, we were surprised to hear the officer apologize to us. He went on to say that THIS WHOLE THING WAS BASICALLY A CASE OF MISTAKEN IDENTITY. At this time I don't have the liberty to write any more details about this situation other than to say that there is a child in our area whose name is similar to Peanut's who reported her own parent for abuse. The officer simply had the wrong house. You can imagine our relief. In fact, we were so relieved and so thankful that this turned out to be nothing, that we instantly forgot the turmoil this had put us through. In retrospect, I have learned several things.

1. Never answer your door when a policeman is knocking. Just kidding. No, seriously, our older children need to know that if a policeman or social worker should come to the door and ask to speak to another member of the household they should politely tell them, "I will call my parents and you can speak to them." If I had been home I would not have allowed the policeman to question Peanut without me present. I just think that was unacceptable, even though it was legal. If I had been home, and he had pushed the issue, I would have probably respectfully pushed right back for proof that it was legal, and insisted that she have someone represent her or that the conversation was recorded. I'm still shaking my head in disbelief that it actually happened. Unfortunately until the Lord returns, these types of things are probably going to become more and more commonplace, even in the United States of America.

2. Have the numbers for Home School Legal Defense and/or Christian Law Association or your family lawyer handy at all times. I had to wait until I got home to look these numbers up. And, shame on me, our membership with HSLDA is not current. This was a sharp reminder to quit procrastinating and renew our membership.

3. Know the people in your life who will pray for you in your time of need - and call them when you need them. This will bolster your faith and give you strength and encouragement.

4. Remember that these types of trials can come into our lives without any warning - and we need to be "always ready to give an answer" and stay in the Word and on our knees so we don't completely "lose it" when bad stuff happens. Just as God helped Paul and Silas in the jail, just as He helped the Israelites out of Egypt - just as He has upheld and sustained His people through all the ages, He will help you too, if you are His child.

5. If you do not know Christ as your Saviour, if you do not have God in your life, please contact me. It would be an honor to show you from God's word how you can have peace through the Cross.

6. Romans 8:28.

7. Thank you, God.

Working Mother

2009-05-14T09:37:00.000-07:00

I am one of those people who has always chuckled inwardly (sometimes I laugh outright) at the term "Working Mother". I've yet to find a Mom who doesn't work! I guess that is why they call the beginnings of physical motherhood "labor". From the moment that baby is brought into the world, there is always something to do. I could make a very long list here of all that mothers do, but I'd probably crash my computer, and maybe even bring down the whole worldwide internet. I really don't want to be responsible for all that. Suffice it to say that the words work and motherhood are synonymous.

That being said, work has a new meaning in the Grove household. Our finances have dictated that it will be necessary for me to work part-time outside of the home. I had an interview this morning and have been hired at Hawley Assisted Living, where I will be starting out in Housekeeping, then getting training and moving up to Home Health Aide. I'm excited and scared and happy and apprehensive, all at the same time!! It's been quite a few years since I've earned a paycheck, so this will be a leap for me. For so long, my focus has been husband, kids and home (and it will still be my first priority) but now that I'm "branching out" and adding more responsibility, I've had to switch gears in my mind.

Kyle and I have come to this decision with much prayer and contemplation. Thankfully the director who hired me is sensitive to my need to keep our home and homeschooling my first priority, and she is willing to schedule me on the days that Kyle will be home, for the most part. Things One and Two can handle the occasional times that both of us will be gone.

I'd appreciate your prayers as I find the balance with my new schedule, and that we'll all make a smooth transition to me working outside the home.

By the way, this is all D.M.'s fault, because she pursuaded me that there is better coffee out there than Folger's Black Silk. The real reason I need to work is to be able to afford my addiction to Dunkin' Donuts coffee.

So it's all her fault. ;)

A Russian Princess

2009-05-07T16:59:00.000-07:00

Ten years ago today, in Russia, there was a baby girl who was born. Her mother named her Ekaterina.

Half a world away, in the United States, lived a family of three. Two loving, dedicated parents and one son, born into the family through adoption. The couple was thrilled to have their son join their lives in 1994. He made their home even homier. Yet something was calling to the couple from afar - and as time went on they knew that somewhere out there was a little girl who belonged with them.

So the couple visited a Russian orphanage. They saw different babies - but one knit her way into her future Daddy's heart the very first time he held her. It was in those moments that little Ekaterina joined our family, although it would be a couple of months before she was able to come home.

The couple I speak of are my beloved sister and her husband - and the son they adopted is my dear nephew, now fourteen years of age. He is the same age as Pickles and it's been a joy to watch him grow up. He has the most beautiful blue eyes you have ever seen and is probably going to be even taller than his adoptive Daddy.

The sweet little Russian Princess was dubbed "Katy" by her late Grandmother - although her parents did formally change her name. We all call her by the nickname "Katya" that was given to her in the orphanage by her caregivers. Today is Katya's tenth birthday - or "double digits" as she has enjoyed saying.

Katya, I am so thankful that God wanted to have you join our family. Writing this has brought tears to my eyes. I remember when your Mama sent me the first pictures of you when you were still in the orphanage. I loved you before I had ever even met you!

Happy Birthday darling Katya. I hope your day is as special as you are!!

Singin' the Blues

2009-05-07T10:23:00.000-07:00

Hi kids. Have you ever had a day, week, month (year?!?) where you just felt blue and out of sorts? Well, I'm there. I know I seem incessantly sunshiny and all, at least my friends tell me that, but the truth is, I'm bummed.

Does it seem to you like the whole world is insane right now? Most newscasts have something depressing to ruin your day, so I've even been avoiding the news, for the most part. I can't get away from it completely, of course - I'd have to live in a cave. But the thing is, living in a cave is sounding better and better all the time.

There are moments I think to myself that we need to move to a remote area, off the grid, and start a farm where we can be totally self-sufficient. Raise or grow all our own food, put up a cabin, sew all our own clothes, just us and the critters and the land. Can you say, "Wilderness Family"? Remember that movie? I love that movie.

The thing is, that most days, I really like people. I NEED interaction with others, at least when I am well-watered and fed, and have plenty of coffee in my system. (You do not want to see me in the morning BC - before coffee.)

So, what am I trying to say? I don't know what I am trying to say. Actually I do know, but in this blog I don't reveal ALL. That is only in my other blog. Don't bother doing an internet search to find it, because the other blog only exists in my mind.

Neener, neener, neener. ;p

Blog Again, Blog Again, Jiggedy Jig

2009-04-30T20:38:00.000-07:00

Yesterday morning I woke up at 5:00am from a nightmare I had. It was a weird nightmare, and I find it is a recurring one that I have often. Or at least the "theme" of the dream is recurring.

I dreamed (dreamt?) that I was yelling at the top of my lungs at someone who had made me really upset about something. The theme that is recurring with this dream is that in real life, when someone has upset me greatly or caused me stress, I will dream that I am yelling at them. Weird huh? Well, if you have been reading this blog for any length of time, you should know I am weird.

I think that this form of dream is my mind's way of decompressing. Because sometimes, sometimes I really do want to yell at people. Be honest now, you probably do too. Have you ever had someone say or do something really offensive to you, and it stuns you so you don't know how to react? I had that happen the other day. Someone gave me a sideways comment (which I hate - it's so manipulative) and the more I thought about what that person said, the more it bothered me. I finally took it to the Lord and poured it out to Him. But it might have helped at the time if I had been able to do what I do in my dream - yelled at that person. :) Not really.

Speaking of nightmares, I am now the mother of three teenagers. Our little Peanut turned thirteen on Friday. I remember a time when I wondered if she would make it past age one, let alone turn thirteen. Prior to her heart surgery when she was a year old, her health was pretty precarious. (For those of you who might not know, Peanut has Down syndrome.) For the first year of her life I had a recurring nightmare of when my doctor came into the room and told us he thought she had Down syndrome. It was as though I would rewind that awful news in my mind every night. But that stopped when she had her heart surgery. I realized then that her health and her life were so much more important than a diagnosis - and I loved her so dearly that the thought of losing her overcame the fear I had of raising a child with a disability. Her surgery was so successful, and she recovered so beautifully and thrived so completely afterwards, that I finally allowed myself to focus on the fact that she would be able to grow up. And she has been a joy to raise. I am very thankful she is a part of our family, and I would not want her to be any different than she is.

This weekend the Hubs is working the night shift, so I might be back to blog again. Because I can never sleep when he is not home. Me no likee the night shift. Maybe the dog can sleep in Kyle's place. Except she snores and yips when she sleeps. Oh wait, Kyle does that too. ;) I like to tell the story of a dream he had once that he was eating a giant peanut M&M. He woke up with his pillow soaking wet. True story!

Sweet dreams!!

Blog Block

2009-04-11T11:23:00.000-07:00

I DID IT AGAIN. I thought of The Most Clever Blog Title Ever but did not write it down. I know now what I need to do - I need a Blackberry. Then I can blog whenever the inspiration hits me and these things won't flee from my brain faster than a...faster than a....faster than.......Huh. I forgot what I was going to say.

Anyway yesterday evening I had to take Thing 5 to the clinic - he'd been coughing and was starting to get "punkier" by the minute. I did not like the sound and look of his respirations and he had a low-grade temp. Wouldn't you know it, he's come down with pneumonia too. I'm not sure why these nasty bugs have decided to roost in our household this past month, but today I'm fighting back. Echinacea, garlic, vitamin C, lots of fluids, and lots of prayer. Thing 5 also had to start up nebulizer treatments again - his oxygen levels were low and he was laboring to breathe. I do not like the albuterol nebulizer treatments, as they make him quite hyper, but so far we have not had to start the steroids. The doctor did prescribe some in case he worsened but he is doing much better. I'm thankful for that because those steroids make him so miserable, he literally squirms uncontrollably - and his emotions are in super high gear for a couple days. Hopefully he'll be able to kick this bug on its hinder with some good rest and lots of TLC. Plus I'm disinfecting the house as much as I can. I am eager to be able to throw open the windows with some warmer weather and really give the house a good airing out. With breathing issues I have to be very careful what kind of cleaning products I use. Once it is warmer I'll send the kids to the park one of these days and really do some deep cleaning with the lysol and bleach.

Tomorrow we'll be celebrating the Risen Saviour and I plan to make a big ham dinner. I bought a huge ham, which I'll throw in the oven with my brother-in-law's favorite glaze - a can of cherry pie filling. Yum. I also plan to make cheesy green beans, a white cake with pink vanilla frosting and pastel sprinkles (very spring-like) and of course potatoes and my homemade bread. As Rachel Ray says, "Yum-O!"

'Scuse me while I go clean the drool off my keyboard...

H.N. - This Blog's For You

2009-04-07T14:45:00.000-07:00

I had a friend ask me yesterday when I was going to update my blog. I think that makes for 3 or 4 readers now. ;) But like I said before, I don't blog for the readers, I blog because I like to write. If someone gets some entertainment out of it, or laughter at my expense, then even better. I do worry about my friend though, if the only entertainment she is getting is from this blog. I'm going to need to take her out to dinner or something.

Yesterday I thought of the Most Clever Blog Title Ever but within a split-second it was gone from my mind! I absolutely hate when that happens. I will sometimes have a poem pop into my head, or the lyrics to a song - and if I don't immediately write it down I will forget it. Usually the poems come into my mind at night or when I wake up, so they usually don't get written down. I have a lot of unleashed poetry floating around my brain. I have a friend who can write these beautiful, thought-provoking poems that will just touch your soul. I can't do that with poetry though - if I think about the lines too much it never works for me.

Recently we've had lots of Adventures in Flood Fighting in the Fargo-Moorhead area. Kyle, along with Thing 1 and Thing 2, helped their fellow Civil Air Patrol volunteers to sandbag and build dikes in many needed areas. Thing 2 and I also went sandbagging a couple times in Dilworth and Moorhead. If you've never been sandbagging, you are missing out. I must admit though that my left shoulder is still recovering. I've bought a lot of Advil this past month!

One afternoon when Thing 2 and I were busily sandbagging at a site in Dilworth, they stopped all production and announced that Governor Pawlenty of Minnesota would be visiting the site. So they had us all gather into a group, and in the Governor walked with his entourage and a couple of security guards that looked like they could throw a really full sandbag a very long distance. The Governor (who I noticed smelled very nice in that dusty, cold and damp place that smelled like clay and wet sand - funny how you notice those things) stood just a few feet away from me and gave a short, inspiring little speech and pledged his help and support. And do you know what I did? I'm so embarrassed. I started to cry like a little girl. No, I'm not kidding. I was tired, sore and very concerned for many dear friends who were possibly in danger of losing their homes. After his little talk he of course, like any good politician, went around to shake hands. And do you know what he did? He shook my hand and asked me, "Are you okay?" Boy did I feel dumb. He probably thought my house was going under water as he spoke. (By the way, we were in no danger whatsoever of flooding where we live.) The poor Governor probably also thought I should be medicated in a locked room somewhere. His body guards were probably in high alert when he came over to shake my hand. Duh. Anyway, I told him I was just fine and went back to fill sandbags, but not before I sincerely thanked him for coming. It was an honor to meet him - but I wish I would have thought to have him autograph a sandbag or something!

So, that is all I have for now. H.N., if you are reading this, I'm sorry this isn't a better post. I'm a little tapped out now for writing. It's a mighty good thing I don't write for a living!!

Update Schlupdate

2009-03-17T08:29:00.000-07:00

Hello kids, I'm going to take a break from my courtship/engagement/wedding stories - I've tried really hard to continue to write on the topic but each time I do it winds up being lame and strained. Like I'm trying too hard. I need my writing to flow, or it just winds up being lame and strained, like I'm trying too hard. :)

It's been a tough couple of weeks here on the Almosta Ranch, as the kids and I have all been sick. It started two weeks ago, with the three little ones. I thought they were getting strep, so we took them to the doctor, and he diagnosed a virus that he said had affected hundreds of kids in the area. He told us it would be a tough one, and that the kids would be sick at least seven days. I prepared for a rough week, stocked up on OTC cold/cough medications - then proceeded to get sick myself along with our two oldest children. By the weekend we were all a coughing, hacking, feverish pile of misery.

Then came the blizzard.

Monday night Kyle stocked up on groceries and we hunkered down, preparing for what was predicted to be a nasty storm. We had plenty of PT, Tylenol and Kleenex. I even made a huge pot of chicken soup, which no one would eat. We had lots of beverages - different types of teas, Sprite, gatorade - and I encouraged the kids to drink whatever they wanted.

That night, during the first part of the blizzard, Thing Two spiked a 105 degree fever. Yes, you read that right. One Hundred and Five Degrees. I'm talking fever - not a minus wind chill, although it probably felt like that outside with that awful blizzard raging. Anyway, the only thing I could do with Thing Two was get him into the tub to bring his fever down, as by this point he was vomiting up anything that entered into his stomach. We got through the night, his fever came down a bit, but the next morning Thing Four came to me and said, "Mama, my legs are really big." I had only had a couple of restless hours of sleep at this point, and so I sat up in bed, checked her over, and then she said, "Mama, look at my fingers, they are really swollen." She was staring at her fingers with this dazed look, and I realized she felt like a little oven. Sure enough, she was sharing her brother's 105 degree fever. Thankfully she was able to keep some Advil down and so I put her back to bed. Even though she was very sick too, that was the highest her fever got and it did not go back up that high. I wonder now if her oxygen levels were low at that point - initially I thought she was dreaming but I suppose she was actually hallucinating, or at the very least, her vision was distorted.

Thing Two was holding his own, but was starting to get a little worse. Throughout the day, as the blizzard raged, I became quite anxious and was getting scared for him. When his fever would start to rise (It went up to 105 at least a half-dozen times) I would get a little panicky. I paced and prayed and prayed and paced. I gave our thermometer a workout - all the kids had fevers, coughs, and some were vomiting. I felt trapped, and I knew if Thing Two worsened I would need to get some help. I'm very thankful Kyle was home with us or I would have called in the National Guard. I'm not kidding either.

Throughout all this I was talking to an Angel in the form of a nurse on the nurse help line. She kept giving me guidelines and helpful suggestions to keep fluids in Thing Two and keep his fever down. She encouraged me that he was going to be okay and that I was doing all the right things.

The scary blizzard raged on as we entered another long night. At one point Thing Two asked me to just sit with him, as he was so very miserable. It's amazing how a big, strong teenage boy can still need his Mom when he's sick or hurting. By morning he was in pain, severe pain in his chest, and so I once again got him into the tub and waited out the morning until I could get him to the clinic. Kyle shoveled out the car and made a path through the highest drifts we'd ever had, and when the clinic here in town opened at 10:00 I showed up, I didn't even make an appointment.

I need to back up here a bit and say that I did seriously consider calling an ambulance throughout all this. I'd never seen fevers of 105 in any of my kids, and I'd never seen any of my kids so sick, especially all at one time. However, if I had called an ambulance, they would have sent the Emergency Response Team from town, but if Thing Two had needed to be transported they would have needed to send out another ambulance from Fargo, along with a snowplow. Highway Ten was treacherous and deadly during that storm and it would probably have been more dangerous to be out, especially considering how sick he was.

Anyway, the roads opened later that morning, but the clinics in Fargo weren't opening until noon. I knew that the ER would be packed - so the local clinic was our first course of action. It turned out to be the best course of action as well. The doc checked him over, took an X-Ray and sure enough - he had pneumonia. We talked seriously about taking him to the hospital for fluids but the doc thought that with some anti-nausea meds and a strong antibiotic, he would do okay at home. I was needed at home too, with the other children still so sick. Bless that doctor's heart - he even called me at home a couple times to check on us.

By that evening Thing Two was resting comfortably, he was responding to the medications, and was keeping down fluids. He even ate a couple bites later that evening. The rest of the kids were slowly improving - except for Thing Four. Her fever was gone but she was still very, for lack of a better term, "punky". She didn't want to eat, she was feeling miserable - so I took her to the Children's walk-in clinic. Sure enough, she has pneumonia too. She has responded well on antibiotics. All the kids are on the mend. So am I, thankfully.

God saw us through this terrible illness and the blizzard. He answered my prayer to take care of my children and gave me strength when I'd had no rest. Things Two and Four were dangerously ill - especially Thing Two - but God kept me from panicking and gave me help over the phone, and He kept the kids from getting any worse. I really did not want to venture out into that blizzard. I don't even know how an ambulance crew would have reached our door, the drifts were so high. I suppose they would have brought over a snowplow but I'm thankful I did not have to find out!

Yesterday I had an extra measure of thankfulness for kids who are gaining back their health, their appetites, and their spunk. It was so quiet in the house for so many days, that I rejoiced the first time I heard a couple of them giggling together over something. I was even (somewhat) glad when a couple of them started arguing over something. (Shhh - don't tell them I said that!) And I was especially thankful for the bright sunshine we had yesterday, and the melting snow. I'm thankful that Thing 3 (who has Down syndrome and is a little weaker than the other kids) and Thing 5, who is still so little, did not get as sick as Two and Four. Their bodies would not have handled this illness as well. I'm also very thankful I'm not a young, inexperienced mom - because this would have just been too scary for me to manage. I don't think I'd have known what to do.

I have a lot to be thankful for!

The Dress

2009-02-10T09:01:00.000-08:00

She was on a hanger, draped in plastic, the first time I saw her. A gorgeous concoction of shimmery organza, lace, sequins and beads, I knew almost the moment that I saw her that she needed to be mine.

I'd been shopping for The Dress with my dear friend Nadine, and we'd been to several stores and I could not find anything I liked. I was getting discouraged. Nadine had a good idea of what I wanted, and when we got to the last store, we both started looking at different ends of the dress racks. Nadine came up to me and said, "I think I found it." I went over to look at it and at first was not sure, but she pointed out the lovely features of the dress, and I began to get excited. It had a high lace collar, with pearlized beadwork hanging down at the neckline. Glorious puffed sleeves, the kind that would have made Anne of Green Gables swoon with delight. There was enough beadwork and sequins to satisfy even my deep love of sparkly things. She had long sleeves, which came to a point at the wrist, with an ornate arrangement of even more sequins and beadwork. The full, gathered skirt, complete with a cathedral-length train, was flounced at the bottom with swirls of gathered flounces of organza. The skirt had applique's of beaded lace, sequined throughout. Overall the material was a shiny organza that shimmered in the light.

I had found her. Or maybe I should say Nadine found her. The only bad part was it had a huge bow on the back. Nadine solved that though - "We'll just take it off!" she suggested. Very Good Idea. It reminded me of one of those reflective signs that are required on the back of Amish buggies.

It was love at first sight, my dress. I decided I would buy it, and since I was a college student making just over minimum wage, I put the dress on lay-away. My parents were paying for part of it, but I wanted to pay for as much of it as I was able. I could not wait to walk down the aisle in the dress of my dreams, to meet and marry the man of my dreams at the end of that aisle.

Next I needed a veil. Yikes, but that was going to be almost as hard as buying the dress, and they were expensive! Some veils cost almost as much as I paid for the dress! But a few months before the wedding I went to a Bridal Fair with a good friend of mine, and I won a gift certificate to a local bridal shop. It just so happened that week their veils were 50% off - so I took my gift certificate and found two veils that I really liked. Since my dress was so ornate, I decided to keep the veil a little more simple. The one I chose had a simple crown-type headband, and there were lacy flowers along the top that matched the type of flowers in the lace on my dress, and it had crystals and pearls decorating the top. The veil material was tulle, and ended in finger-tip length, edged in white. Lovely. The best part was I got the veil free because of the gift certificate I had won, in combination with the sale - I only had to pay the tax!

My outfit, for the most part, was complete. To me, this was one of the most important parts of the wedding. I knew everything else was going to fall into place after this. The flowers, invitations, decorations, food - it was all secondary to me, although important. The excitement I felt during the planning and preparations to marry the one I loved so much was almost overwhelming.

It was a good thing that I had school, we both had jobs and different ministries in the church to keep us busy. Or I might have just donned that dress and eloped with Kyle!

The Ring

2009-01-31T21:07:00.000-08:00

After I had accepted my beloved's proposal and he placed the ring on the third finger of my left hand, I sat and admired the fiery sparkliness of the 1/4 carat diamond. It was a round brilliant cut, nearly flawless, and perfectly lovely. We had decided to pair it with a matching simple gold wedding band we picked out at the jeweler's. However, a few months later my maternal Grandmother died, and as we were sorting through her belongings I found a simple, plain gold band in a tiny box inside of a drawer. It was 14k gold and I learned it was the second wedding ring my Grandma had owned. Her first ring wore through the band, she wore the second ring for many years, until her children bought Grandma and Grandpa a new wedding ring set in honor of their sixtieth wedding anniversary. So I approached my Uncle Mac, the patriarch of the family, and asked him if I could have Grandma's ring. I told him it was just like the one we were going to buy, but it would mean a great deal to me to have her ring soldered to my engagement ring. With an affectionate smile, he gave me Grandma's ring. Oh, how precious it was for me to have a little piece of family history on my hand. I cherish that ring to this day.

Kyle had initially wanted a fancier ring for me, one with rubies or other gems to compliment the larger center stone. But that was not really my style. I like classic things, simple and plain, nothing too showy. (Except for my wedding dress. There was not an inch on my dress that did not have beadwork or sequins or lace - the trademark of an 80's bride.)

So we decided to pair my lovely solitaire diamond engagement ring with the ring I'd inherited from my Grandmother. Later on, we decided we would add another ring to the other side of the wedding band. Maybe something with gemstones, we'd have to see. We'd planned to do something like that for our tenth anniversary, but quite frankly, we were broke and unable to afford gemstones and gold at the time. I was happy with my wedding ring, I didn't need anything fancy to make me feel more "married". But when we'd been married twelve years, we found another plain gold band with twelve channel-set diamonds that perfectly complimented the plain gold band on the opposite side. So, he bought it for me. It gave an added sparkle to my ring, and compliments the center diamond beautifully.

Now that we have been married almost 20 years we are thinking of changing the ring a bit again. I'll never alter the original setting, or remove Grandma's band - but if we take off the band with the 12 small channel-set diamonds and replace it with a wrap that has sapphires (Kyle's birthstone) and/or diamonds, that would dress up the ring and really show off the center stone. I need to get my ring repaired anyway. It needs new prongs for the center diamond, and one of the smaller diamonds in the channel-set band has a crack in it. No idea how that happened.

And I need to get it resized. It's getting too big after having lost over 80 pounds this past year. Woohoo!!

Anyway it's not the ring that is important - but what it symbolizes. And through thick and thin, bad and good, sweet and sour, we have stuck together like glue. We've weathered many storms together, and trials with our children and families and friends. Sometimes it has been a roller-coaster ride, but always I have had my steady rock. Kyle never wavers - he takes things as they come and he moves forward. I can depend on him. And he has challenged me to work a little harder, to grow a little stronger, to do a little more than I thought I was capable of. He doesn't like frilly, goofy, senseless, useless girls. He has much more appreciation for a woman who can cook a good meal, take care of a screaming baby, fold a load of laundry and give him a massage - ALL AT THE SAME TIME. I'm not the prettiest, or the smartest, I don't have many talents - but he thanks me for giving him five beautiful children. He is appreciative of clean sheets when he climbs into bed after a hard day's work. He gives a particularily thankful nod when I bake a great loaf of bread, or clean the garage, or buy his favorite tea. If I was a shopoholic who was addicted to manicures and regularily changing my hairstyle, he probably would not complain, but he wouldn't be pleased. He never lavishes praise on me - but I know when he notices a job well done. And I love when he notices. It makes me want to do even more for him. He is not the most romantic guy, once he gave me a set of pots and pans for Christmas. But I loved them. Sometimes he forgets birthdays or anniversaries. Sometimes he remembers but still doesn't do anything special. One of my favorite anniversaries was our tenth. After ten years you should probably do something really special, right? Nah. We took the kids to Fargo to the zoo. And had a blast!! Then stayed at a motel and went swimming. It was a great anniversary. One other time, I think it was our fifteen-year anniversary, we hadn't planned anything and he was feeling pretty bad about that. So I went to the store, got some good fruit and cheese and crackers and chocolate - and a bottle of sparkling grape juice. I set up a little tray and lit candles and got out my best crystal goblets - and we sat on our bed and feasted and talked and talked and talked. It was a very memorable anniversary for me. He would have liked to have gone to the Bahamas or Hawaii, or hey, even Medora or something. I was content at home, talking and spending time together, splurging on some goodies to share. What else could we do, with a nursing baby and four more kids at home?

I am blessed beyond what I deserve with a man who has continued to surge ahead alongside me, always thinking of the kids (today he brought home these tiny cans of juices the airlines give away - he knew the kids would enjoy them) and he prefers to be home with us than anywhere else. He could be a sports junkie or hunting fanatic or, God forbid, gambler or drinker. His idea of a good time is a boatload of hot, buttered salty popcorn, an iced tea, and all five kids snuggled up with him in the tv room, watching a movie together. Thank you, God. Oh, how I love the man you gave to me.

To Be Continued...

The Proposal

2009-01-31T11:56:00.000-08:00

He proposed to me in the parking lot of the Bonanza restaurant in Grand Forks, ND, on New Year's Eve in 1988. It wasn't a surprise - we'd picked out the ring together months before and he'd been making payments on it. When we went to Munn's Jewelry in Crookston, Minnesota and looked at all the diamonds through the glass, he spotted a gorgeous setting that he really liked, a large, round center diamond surrounded by smaller diamonds and rubies. It was terribly expensive though, and honestly not my style. It was more than I wanted or needed. Instead, I desired something simple, a round solitaire diamond with a simple gold band, and another plain gold band for the wedding ring. "Okay" he said, "But only if you are sure. You'll be wearing it the rest of your life." Sigh. Oh how I loved those words, "the rest of your life". I wanted to spend my life with this man, to grow old with him.

As we were sitting in my car the night of The Proposal, he asked me to turn and look at the huge pile of snow in the parking lot. "When I was a kid, my Dad would bring all of us boys here to eat, and while he would sit and have coffee after the meal, we'd always play on the snow pile." I turned to look at the snow, it was a huge pile made by the snow plow that cleared the parking lots around the restaurant and ajoining mall. There was a lot of snow that year - so much snow that later on that winter we got into an accident because the piles at the intersection were too high to see around. Anyway, when I turned back around from looking at the snow and imagining five little boys playing there, he had the ring in his hand. "Will you marry me?" he asked? I got really teary-eyed, blubbered out my "YES!" and he tried to put the ring on my right hand. I pulled it away. He tried again. I discretely tried to give him my left hand. He tried the right hand again and with concern said, "Don't you want the ring?" And I started to laugh. A nervous, goofy laugh, as the tears rolled down my cheeks. "Yes, I want the ring very much, but that's the wrong hand!!" And so we laughed together. Thus began our journey towards married life that had started a little more than two years earlier, when we'd met on September 4th, 1986, at the University of North Dakota. This summer we will celebrate our 20th Anniversary.

To Be Continued...

Blog Slog

2009-01-20T06:55:00.000-08:00

I love reading other people's blogs. And I love to write. Often, though, I don't know what to write about. Hence the title of this blog - because lately it's as though my mind is stuck in mud.

I thought I'd at least update you on our latest news. We are surviving this very cold winter, with lots and lots of snow. There have been days we have been stormed in, and days when it has been dangerously cold - too cold to venture out. In between those days the kids have been getting in lots of skating and some sledding.

Kyle's niece, Cherith, has been improving. Thank you to everyone who has been praying. This situation has weighed heavily on our hearts, but knowing we have friends and family who are spending time in prayer has made the burden lighter. You can read about Cherith's condition at www.caringbridge.org/visit/cherithgrove If the link doesn't work, cut and paste it into your browser.

Today I have a dentist appointment. I hate, repeat hate, going to the dentist. I don't like the sounds, the smells, and the pain. I've often said I'd rather have a baby, alone in the woods without any help, than go to the dentist. If they gave me a choice, such as, "Root Canal...or....the RACK" I'd say, "I'd like the rack,please." Or perhaps, "Cleaning and X-Rays...or....Waterboarding?" I'd say, of course, "Waterboarding". Hands down. Give me the torture, thank you very much.

I've cried in the dentist's chair before. Cried like a little girl. I can't remember why I cried, the trauma of it all has erased my memory of the event. My hazy memory recalls something about a root canal and searing, white-hot pain. But I DO remember thinking, "If the assistant that I know walks by right now I'm going to take Mr. Slurpy and stick it in my ear and suck my brains out." Because I would have died from embarrassment if he (the assistant, not Mr. Slurpy) had seen me crying. Having your mouth open for long periods of time, and drool and spit and the knowledge that they can see up your nostrils is bad enough. Crying in the dentist chair and having someone see my little meltdown would have sent me over the edge. I dangle precariously close to the edge on a regular basis, and it's not because I like the exhilaration!

So, soon I will be off to flirt with the edge again. I just have a cleaning and exam today but I'm bracing myself for bad news. Because, as much as I wish to deny it, I'm concerned about the left side of my face, where I have been having swelling in my jaw. (Actually I get concerned about my whole face, but that is just when looking in the mirror. :) It started out as a virus a couple weeks before Christmas, and my lymph glands have been swollen. But the swelling has continued in my jaw and it causes discomfort. If I have an abcess I think I might just cry in the chair again! There's something to be said for dentures, let me tell you!!

I'll update you on my Adventures with the Dentist once I get out of the psych ward. K? ;)

Cherith Janelle Grove

2009-01-06T08:59:00.000-08:00

Our niece, Cherith Janelle (age 14) was hospitalized with pneumonia at Meritcare in Fargo the day after Christmas. Her condition rapidly declined, and she was taken by Life-Flight to Children's Hospital in Minneapolis on Sunday afternoon. Currently she has a pretty dire prognosis. Right now the doctors are checking for possible cancer, damage to her spleen and possible brain damage. It has been an emotional rollercoaster of good news and bad news. Cherith is the daughter of Kyle's oldest brother, their fifth child in a family of seven. She has proven to be incredibly resilient, which has given all of us a great deal of hope. Please pray for her and her family. You can read more about her story at http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/cherithgrove

Merry Christmas 2008!

2008-12-24T08:37:00.000-08:00

12-17-2008
Merr-e-Christmas! I’ve been awake since 4:00am, so if the contents of this letter sound slightly delirious, it’s because I’m on my third cup of coffee. Sleep deprivation has a way of making me crazy! And no, I didn’t wake up at that early hour because I’m super-mom. One of the kids had the sniffly-sneezies in the night, and I was unable to go back to sleep! My Christmas list was going around in my head - only a week left – and I still have most of my shopping to do! But then my thoughts turned to our friends and family, and since it has been a couple years since I wrote a letter, I figured I’d update everyone.
We just came through the first blizzard of the season, and I must say we enjoyed it quite a bit. We stocked up on groceries, books and movies from the library, and bought a new shovel too! We spent the time (Saturday evening through Monday morning) cozy and warm by doing some extra baking, tackling a few odd jobs, and lounging around the house. I made a turkey dinner on Sunday and the little ones thought it must already be Christmas, with all the cooking and extra goodies in the house! But, come Monday morning the party was over, and the hard work of shoveling all that snow began!
Our family picture this year was taken at our Civil Air Patrol awards banquet. Kyle, Alicia and Mitchell are all CAP members. Kyle won the “Senior Member of the Year” award, which all the cadets vote on. It was quite an honor for him.
Kyle is still working for the Fargo Jet Center as a line technician and web content manager. He’s also keeps busy teaching an adult Sunday School and Children’s Church class, as well as classes at our church’s Bible college. For the most part, his activities keep him out of trouble. He still loves spending time at home the most, and can usually be found doing something with the kids. He’s their greatest teacher.
Alicia turned sixteen this year. Kyle and I are still recovering. Sometimes I look at her and think, “Who are you, and what have you done with my little girl?!?” She is a sophomore this year, and is still a voracious reader and enjoys knitting and quilting. She’s my right-hand-man, so to speak, and does a lot for our family by helping with all the stuff it takes to run a household. She’s much more capable than I was at that age! She is looking ahead to college – possibly nursing school, or perhaps even a career in cosmetology. She is leaning towards the latter at this time. We’ll find out in a couple years!
Mitchell is fourteen and we’ve all been enjoying the adventure of his voice changing. Even he pokes fun at himself! He is currently gainfully employed by a family friend who manages apartment buildings. He cleans the common areas – hallways, laundry rooms, entries, etc., once a week for a large 5-building complex. He also kept busy mowing lawns last summer for different neighbors here in town. He is currently in 8th grade and is still leaning towards a career with the military.
Kaylee informs everyone that she will be thirteen (!) on her next birthday. I’m resisting having three teenagers in the house! But time will march on, no matter how much I wish to slow it down. Her favorite things are purses, cell phones, and Dora the Explorer. She has graduated from Barney, although he still holds much fondness in her heart. Our darling girl is indeed growing up, and informs everyone who will listen of that fact!
Jessica is eight this year and is rapidly becoming a young lady. She loves to style her hair, Kaylee’s hair, the neighbor kids’ hair, my hair – anyone who will sit still long enough to get braids and pony tails and all sorts of other styles. Jess has been enjoying learning some cooking skills - she can make a mean hot dog! She also proudly knows how to operate the microwave (with supervision of course) and is becoming more and more helpful with household tasks. She still loves anything to do with Princesses – she’s our girly-girl.
Justin, our baby boy, was five in May. I’ll tell him, “I love you more!” and he says, “I love you the whole wide world, the whole wide sea and the whole wide space!” He loves to draw and color, create things with Lego’s and Magnetix, and anything else he can stack, arrange or put together. His little mind is constantly going and he keeps our whole family laughing with his little comments.
As for me, I hate to brag, but…I turned 4-0 this year. Impressive, ain’t it? For my birthday I got new wrinkles, gray hair, more aches and pains, and some memory loss. Oh, and one less tooth! Are you jealous yet? Actually, it has been a good year for me. I had weight-loss surgery in February (which went great) and since then I have lost almost 80 pounds. I’m feeling better than I have in years and I’m more than half-way to my goal weight. When I reach my goal I’m sure you’ll hear me shouting!
We are still homeschooling, active in our church with various ministries, and as you can see from our picture, as good-lookin’ as ever! ;)
Well, I hope this letter finds you healthy, safe and warm, and enjoying Christmas with the ones you love the most. We are still in Hawley (and loving it here!) so if you happen to be in our neck of the woods, stop by! We’ll put on a pot of coffee and if I don’t have anything baked the kids can run down the street to get some Carl’s Lefse!
To conclude our letter I leave you with this scripture verse: “For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.”
In His Care ~ Kyle, Beth, Alicia, Mitchell, Kaylee, Jessica and Justin

An Irritating Scam, and A Wonderful Blessing

2008-12-12T08:35:00.000-08:00

If you have read my blog for any length of time, you are aware that I tend to use writing as an outlet for my frustrations. During the first portion of this post I am going to "vent". It's soapbox time, kids!

Recently while perusing Craigslist I came across an incredible deal, one that I could hardly believe existed. (In hindsight, that thought alone should have been a red flag.) Someone was selling a baby grand piano that looked like it needed minor repair and cosmetic work for just $250! They said all the keys worked, and that the foot pedals would need to be re-attached. I spoke with the person who placed the ad, and we exchanged emails and more pictures. I informed them I was very interested, but I would not have the money until January or February, and that we would not be able to see the piano or possibly make the purchase until then. (The people supposedly live several hours away from here.) I also told them I would understand if they got a buyer before then. I set the whole idea on the "back burner" of my mind, but did make it a matter of prayer. I figured if the Lord wanted us to have this piano, He would make a way. Well...today I got an email, the buyer claims he has received several phone calls and emails informing him his piano is worth between $3,000 and $5,000 and he was going to "hang onto it", unless I was of course able to offer him substantially more money. Now, I wasn't born yesterday. As one of my friends likes to say, "I didn't just fall off the turnip truck!" I had done a little research on this piano, and if it was fully restored, repaired and tuned, it might fetch as much as he claims. But it's not worth that much money in the condition it is in. So, I sent him back an email, expressing my doubts and concerns. I guess the moral of this story is that if it seems too good to be true, then it probably is. The hard part is that this potential opportunity really tugged at my heartstrings. You see, my parents had promised to buy me a grand piano one day, if I continued to take piano lessons all through high school, but they were never able to afford one. Up until last year I had my childhood piano, but when we put our belongings into storage prior to moving here, I gave the piano to my sister. I could not bear putting the piano into storage - I knew it would damage it. It was a good thing I didn't too, because some of our belongings were water damaged, in spite of the storage facilities owner assuring me they'd "never had water problems". Anyway, I have really missed having my piano, and this seemed like such a good opportunity. I could envision my family gathered around the grand piano, singing together, giving my children piano lessons, enjoying the sound only a grand piano can make. *Sigh* Oh, well. It stinks to be scammed. I am very thankful that I didn't "fall" for this person's claims. The main reason I know it's a bogus situation is that he reposted his original offer (which I initially saw a month ago when I first contacted him) just this morning. I wonder what is missing in a person's life to cause them to scam someone else? I will need to remember to pray for this person.

On a more positive note, we received an incredible, awesome blessing this week. We have had a major need, something we have been praying about for quite some time now. God met that need this week, and I want to give Him praise and thanks for this abundant blesssing!

Our Christmas Cantata is this Sunday, provided we don't get the awful winter storm the weather service is predicting. If you are local, and we don't get snowed in, I hope to see you there! It's at the Fargo Baptist Church, at 6:00pm - and Kyle, Peachie, Pickles and I all have speaking parts. I'm nervous! There's something very nerve-wracking about having that tiny microphone attached to my ear. I wonder if I have a phobia? Please pray it will go well - and that we'll remember all our lines! I hope you have a safe and warm weekend!

In His Care ~ Beth ~

Update Shmupdate

2008-12-05T09:47:00.000-08:00

It's been awhile since I've posted so I thought I would write an update for y'all.

We had a lovely Thanksgiving. We drove "up north" to spend the day with Kyle's mom and his family. The meal was great, and it was fun to see his brothers and their families again. The kids had a grand time playing with their cousins!

We decorated for Christmas last weekend, and I love walking through the living room and seeing the lights. I don't do much - just a small tree, the manger scene, some lights on the banister, and a few "Christmasy" decorations around the living room. A couple of them (a bell-shaped candy dish and a candle-holder shaped like a yule log) were ceramic pieces made by my Mom. I remember sitting at the dining room table when she painted the yule log/candle holder, watching her skillfully wield the paint brush with green and red, brown and black. She loved to do ceramics and was very good at it.

I've been cleaning the house "FlyLady-Style" and plan to go through every drawer, closet, nook and cranny before I have family visiting the week after Christmas. I have a lot of bags of clothes to take to the thrift store for donation. I also plan to re-arrange and thoroughly clean the basement. We recently had drain tile and another sump pump put in - so basically everything we had stored down there got piled along the center of the basement. It will be a good opportunity to get rid of more stuff! I also hope to rent a steam cleaner for the carpets and some of the furniture. Nothing like a family gathering to prompt me to thoroughly clean and declutter!!

Not much else is new. It's getting cold up here in Minnesota and I told Peachie yesterday that I truly understand now why people head south in the winter! If I could, I might too!!

Stay warm! ~ Beth ~

An IKEA Break from the Norm

2008-11-19T13:12:00.000-08:00

On Monday evening I travelled with three friends to Minneapolis and spent the night in a hotel, then yesterday we went to the wonderful world of IKEA!! We spent hours shopping (mostly looking!), oohing and aahhing, and laughing and enjoying ourselves. We even had breakfast and lunch there. Breakfast was 99 cents and was a large plate full of eggs, bacon and hashbrowns, and lunch was only 1.99 and was a large plate of pasta and sauce. I could not finish either one, it was a lot of food!

I am still in awe over the hugeness of that one store, and the good prices and quality of most of their merchandise. I found a bed I would love to get, it was a metal-framed bed that had a vintage look to it, and it was only $149. Not bad for a bed! (Mattress not included, lol!) I also saw a couple of lovely light fixtures that I would really love to own. I walked around with my camera, gleefully snapping pictures, until an employee came up to me and said, "You cannot take pictures in THIS store!" I was quite surprised and a little embarrassed. I apologized, told her I didn't know, and she said there was a sign at the front of the store, which I didn't see. Oh well, live and learn.

After we were done at IKEA we went to the Mall of America. Oh, how I wish my kids could have been with us! We just walked around, looked at as much as we had time to see, and enjoyed ourselves. We went to the American Girl store and I wish my girls had been along, and we also went to the Lego store, and I wish my boys had been along! There were so many fun things to see, more than the eyes could take in. Plus the whole mall was beautifully decorated for Christmas. Fun!

Being in a big city made me realize once again how much I love and appreciate the rural life we live. Give me the tiny library, clinic, post office and grocery store any day! Visiting a city is fun but living in the city is definitely not for me!

I must also take a paragraph here and thank and praise the Lord for a much-needed break for me. My whole family pitched in and made this little trip possible. It's not easy for Mom to get away and it has been years since I have done something like this. I must confess that last week I was crying out to the Lord for a "calgon moment" because I was in dire need of a break. On Sunday a dear friend invited me along for this trip - and by Monday evening I was on my way! God is always so good to bear our yoke when we need it the most. Thank you, Lord!

Frank Edward Waslaski, Jr.

2008-11-13T12:07:00.000-08:00

Eight years ago this month one of my brothers (the third-born in our family) died from Pancreatic Cancer. I knew very little about this disease until I got the awful phone call of his diagnosis. At first I thought my sister was being too negative when she said he would probably not be here for Thanksgiving that year, he was diagnosed on October 9th. But as he rapidly declined I knew she was right. She says it can be hard to be a nurse sometimes, because she usually knows the worst-case scenario.

So, let me tell you about Frank. We called him Little Frank, and Dad was Big Frank, even though he was much larger than our Dad. There are five kids in my family - my two oldest brothers Richard and Robert, then Frank, next comes my sister Mary, and I am the baby of the family. I've often thought since Frank's death that our family lost its mediator, the bridge to everyone else. He was close to all of us, and I suppose some of that came from being the middle child. I really don't know if there was anyone who didn't love Frank, he was the kind of man I like to classify as a cross between a hell's angel biker dude and a marshmallow-teddy bear.

The last couple years of his life Frank lived just ten minutes from me, and we talked on the phone almost every day. He'd call me up and ask, "What are you doing?" and I'd tell him, then he'd say, "Okay, goodbye!" and we'd laugh. He often brought his laundry over for me to wash, I still have the laundry bag he used. It was usually only two or three loads but it was most of the clothing he owned. He was very generous towards me, once he even financed a trip I took with my oldest brother and Peaches when she was a baby. We travelled to South Dakota to a family reunion and Frank paid for the gas and food. We stopped at all these little cafes along the way and had such a pleasant time together.

One time in high school, when someone had broken my heart, he threatened to do them bodily harm. I knew he would probably do it, so I didn't actually "sic" him on that person -but just knowing I had his love and protection and concern helped me through that difficult time.

I never thought I would see my big, strong brother become as weak as he did, but the cancer spread so quickly it was almost as though it was eating him alive. He fought back until the very end. He had just turned 42. I still miss him very much.

Dad had died two years before Frank, and Frank's death was much harder on Mom than Dad's had been. Frankie took a piece of her with him when he died and she was never quite the same. I suppose it is that way with all mothers when they lose a child. I was thankful Dad did not have to watch his son suffer so much. I don't think Dad would have handled it well.

A day or so before he died I was spending time in his room, he was past the point of talking much but did respond to take pain medication and to voices. We knew the end was near. I reminded him that God's word makes it very clear that we can only have eternal life through His Son, Jesus Christ. I quoted a couple of my favorite verses, Ephesians 2:8&9 - "For by grace are ye saved through faith, and that not of yourselves. It is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast." I prayed with him and encouraged him to make sure that he was ready to meet the Saviour. I'm trusting God that one day I will get to see the ones I love and miss so much who have gone before me. What a family reunion that will be!!

Disappointments

2008-11-06T08:00:00.000-08:00

I have not wanted to post the last week or so. We've had some disappointments lately and quite frankly, I've been a little down. But sometimes it helps me to write, so, here goes...

First off, I'm disappointed in the election results. I'm concerned for our country. But I have been thinking of the song, "The Solid Rock" - "My hope is built on nothing less, than Jesus' Blood and Righteousness ~ I dare not trust the sweetest 'frain, but wholly lean on Jesus' Name ~ On Christ the Solid Rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand, all other ground is sinking sand." So, if you too are tending to worry about the future, sing with me! And let's all remember to pray for our country and future new President.

Disappointment # 2 ~ Last Friday Kyle found out (somewhat by default) that a manager has been hired for the Moorhead airport. *Sigh* Oh well. We are puzzled, because they so enthusiastically interviewed him - but then never let him know either way even though he called them to inquire. It was very unprofessional of them to leave him hanging like that. They had all his contact information - phone numbers, email, snail-mail - so at the very least it would have been better to get a rejection letter. However, we prayed that God's will be done in all this and we have to trust that He, for whatever reason, did not have this in His plan for Kyle. Our oldest son, Pickles, asked us if it seemed sometimes that God was "taunting" us. I was a little surprised he asked that, but at the same time I'd rather have the kids see us go through things like this, and still rely on the Lord for the outcome. So it was a good opportunity to explain to him that we'd prayed for God's will, this must not have been within His will, and although we are disappointed it would be wrong to allow ourselves to become angry or bitter. And there is always the possibility that God was preventing us from getting into a bad situation. So, we told our son that we will "count our blessings" and thank God that Kyle has a good job right now, he's not unemployed, we have a nice home in a lovely town, and our health, and a wonderful church, lots of friends and family...the list goes on.

And this brings me to the last thing, although in the end this is not really a disappointment, but a relief. Kyle decided we should not move at this time and when he told me that, a lot of stress rolled right off me. I was dreading packing and moving and all that entails. Gas prices are down, so that has been a huge help to our budget. In the long run, it might make financial sense to live closer to where he works - but in the short run, we simply cannot afford all the expenses of moving right now. Now let's all hope and pray that gas remains below $2 a gallon, like we saw last night!!

Happy 16th Birthday, Peachie!!

2008-10-29T09:01:00.000-07:00

Sixteen years ago today I became a Mother for the very first time. It was one of the most wonderful days of my life - ranking right up there with the day I became a child of God, and my wedding day.

Kyle and I were so excited, we could hardly stand it. Peachie was such a wee, tiny baby - a friend loaned me preemie clothes and they were still a bit big on her. She was about three weeks early and when we brought her home from the hospital she only weighed about 5 1/2 pounds. I jumped into motherhood with enthusiasm and a solemn resolve to refrain from complaining about the tough times adjusting to a newborn. Some dear friends of ours had lost their baby girl just two weeks before Peachie was born. I didn't want to take the moments we had been given for granted.

I loved holding our new baby, showing her off to friends and relatives, and playing with her, bathing her, nursing her and spending time as a trio with her Daddy. She quickly had him wrapped around her tiny pinkie finger and he has remained there to this day. Have you ever seen the movie "The Father of the Bride", where the parents are helping the bride pick out a "Keck" (Cake) and she falls in love with the most expensive one? Well - the look the bride gives her Dad that causes him to melt and give in to the outrageously priced cake is a look that Peachie has down to a "T" - and of course Kyle melts like he has never had a backbone!

I could share so many memories, so many moments that are frozen in my mind. The months and years have gone by so fast, too fast. Sometimes I tell Peachie that she is a Mother's dream come true in a daughter. She truly is a joy to me and blesses our whole family in so many ways. She's a hard worker, an avid crafter, and a voracious reader. She rarely has idle hands - usually because she is always carrying a book! She's like "Belle" in "Beauty and the Beast" - walking around and singing while she is reading. She'd rather read than eat! She's so much like my own Mom that way.

So, Happy, Happy Birthday my Darling Peachie! I love you so very much - thank you for making me a Mother sixteen years ago. The journey has been a very Sweet Sixteen years!

~ Mom ~

The Valley of Decision (or is it Indecision?)

2008-10-15T07:46:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I wish God would send an email, and tell us exactly what to do. When it comes to big decisions, I tend to want to freeze up and remain undecided. I can pick paper or plastic, I can choose between caramel or chocolate, I even know when to drink decaf vs. regular roast. Picking out a pair of shoes, or buying a new dress, is a little tougher for me, and when it comes to the BIG stuff, like whether or not we should move, I don't seem to even know my own mind.

Kyle is still waiting to hear on the job at the Moorhead Airport. We should know something within the next couple of weeks. So, by the end of this month, we'll have some major deciding to do. If we decide to move, we should give our notice here by November 1st, so we can move on December 1st. However, then there is the matter of coming up with the extra money for moving expenses - and December is Christmas, of course. Moving to Moorhead seems to make better financial sense in the long run, as we won't have the expensive commute any more. But in the short run...

As my sister would say, "I'm a teepee, I'm a wigwam, I'm a teepee, I'm a wigwam...I'm just two tents!! (Get it? Too tense? Read it out loud.)

Got it now? No? Okay, call me, and I'll 'splain it to you.

ACK.

On to more pleasant news. We are preparing for a visit from my dear Aunt and Uncle, who live in Roseau, MN. They'll be here tomorrow and will be spending the night. My Aunt is my Mom's youngest sister, and when I was a kid her youngest daughter was my Best Cousin. We used to have so much fun together, and I loved visiting them - we'd go to the pool, the roller-skating rink, and their town even had a movie theatre and a Dairy Queen! Then, by the time we were teenagers, they also had a Hardee's - can you believe it?!? Hey - I was raised in a small town in ND with a whopping population of 315 people. My graduating class was a big one - nineteen people in all. So a town like Roseau was huge to me. We would go to the fair with them in the summer, camping at Lake of the Woods, fishing on my Uncle's boat, shopping, visiting with other relatives and neighbors - it seemed the fun activities were endless. I'm excited to be able to return a bit of the hospitality they showed me in my growing-up years. I want to honor them here in our home. I've got a couple of special meals planned and need to do some house-cleaning and spruce up the bedroom they will be sleeping in. I hope they'll be comfortable here and that most of all, they will see Christ at the center of our home.

Well, Mr. OneMore will be here soon, so I need to get a few tasks done and make a couple lists for jobs for the kids. Do you do that? I'm a big list person. You'll find lists all over my house. Shopping lists, to-do lists, wish lists, prayer lists, the list goes on and on...ha! I even like the word, "list" - isn't that a cool word? Makes me want to say it out loud - "list". Go ahead, say it. I know you want to, too. Anyway, I was shopping the other day with a friend and she asked me, "Where's your shopping list?" and I said, "Up here" while I tapped on my forehead. I know, scary. But I have the aisles of Wal-Mart pretty much memorized and I was buying bulk items - flour, sugar, rice, baking stuff, etc. - and I knew in my head what I needed. But that's another post...

So dear reader(s), lol! Please pray for us, that we'd know God's mind on our upcoming important decisions, that we'd have a lovely visit with my relatives, that I'll get the stuff on my lists done in the next day or so - miracles do happen!!

New Appliances! Woohoo!!

2008-10-09T09:25:00.000-07:00

Earlier this week there was a knock on the door. It was our maintenance man, telling us to clear out our refrigerator, because our new one was about to be delivered. (Our property managers decided to buy new appliances for all their duplexes.) The kids were so excited - it was like Christmas around here! We flew into action, taking out the food (and throwing the "must-gos", as Kyle calls them) and cleaning off the top. We had a basketfull of stuff on the top of our fridge!! With barely enough time to clean out underneath and behind the old appliance (yuck - how does this stuff accumulate?!?) our sparkling new refrigerator had arrived. How nice it looks - and how clean!! :) Later that afternoon our very nice new stove was delivered. It felt so good to clean out behind the old stove, wash the walls, cupboards and floor, and put in a brand-spanking new appliance. We were all doing a happy dance! And the new appliances inspired me to deep-clean the rest of the kitchen and dining room and give the floor a very thorough scrubbing!

One of my kids in their excitement said, "It's going to seem so easy to keep the kitchen clean now. And I don't think we'll have a problem keeping the appliances clean!" Ah, but I know better. The newness of these appliances will wear off. One of these days I'll go into the kitchen and won't smile about how nice it looks. I'll forget the newness of it all. Soon they will be just a stove and a fridge. It's our human nature to want to go on to the "next thing" and it can be very hard to be content with what we have.

That is what I am struggling with these days. Kyle is on the verge of a potential job offer, and we are still not sure if we will stay here, rent the house in Moorhead, or possibly buy a house in the spring. I'm not fond of change, mainly because I don't like the "up in the air" feeling of not knowing what is going to happen. I can be so fickle!

After Kyle looked over the new appliances the other day, he said, "They are making it very hard to want to leave here!" Indeed. This place has become home to us more and more the longer we live here. We really do love it.

So we need to, once again, hurry up and...wait. I'm glad God is sovereign and knows the outcome. It can be hard to prayerfully wait on Him but that is exactly what we need to do.

I hope this lovely fall day finds you with a deep feeling of contentedness, resting in Christ for the outcome of all your decisions. Even if it is as mundane as buying the chicken or the beef.

In His Care ~ Beth ~

Things I Wish I Could Ask My Parents

2008-10-03T05:03:00.000-07:00

Most of you probably know that both my parents are gone now. It's a surreal, lonely feeling at times. I had my Dad until I was thirty, my Mom until I was 39. Often I wish I could call them on the phone and ask them questions or get their opinions. Even though there were issues that we disagreed upon, I'm going to miss having them a phonecall away as long as I live.

Recently I read that some are comparing our economy to the difficulties that were experienced in the Great Depression. I can't help but think that those who actually went through the Depression are probably offended at the comparison. I wish I could ask my parents what it was really like - Dad was born in 1928, Mom in 1933. Even if they don't remember their own experiences as young children, I recall them talking about what their parents went through, during the 30's and then WWII. Gas lines. Sugar Rationing. Small Blessings such as shared garden surplus or a box of hand-me-downs. My parents were the kind of people who knew exactly what "Needs versus Wants" meant.

I think that is one of the biggest problems we face in this fast-paced society. We want things to be quick and easy. I'm guilty too. Right now Kyle is possibly going to get a very good job offer. In my mind I'm already praying we won't run ahead of God and take a leap that could be detrimental to our family. We've hoped and dreamed for so long of a better job for him (although we have been very thankful for the stable job he currently has) that now when it is a very real possibility I find myself thinking of buying a house, wondering what is next. I've had to pull my own head out of the clouds and remind myself to be content with what we have. The way I do that is to think about all the things we love about where we are at. Counting our blessings, so to speak.

I can't count how many times in the last weeks I have wished I could give Mom a call, tell her our latest news, share the funny things the kids are saying and doing. She would be excited for us, proud of Kyle, she'd laugh at what the kids are up to. Better yet, I could visit her and make her coffee, maybe go shopping with her. She loved Wal-Mart almost as much as I did. Okay, maybe not. But she did love the JC Penney catalog!

I pray that today I'll be content with what God has provided, that I'll trust Him and wait on Him for our future. I was praying early this morning that I do not want us to get ahead of God and find ourselves floundering. We've been there before - we don't want to go there again. I'm so much like Peter it's scary. "Hey, I wanna walk on the water too!! Okay...maybe not - HELP!!!" Some days it seems like I don't even know my own mind.

Anyhoo, I hope you will have a great day today. I plan to enjoy to the fullest the fabulous weather we have been having. I don't remember weather being so ideal in the summer and fall as it has been this year. One more blessing to count...

In His Care ~ Beth ~

It's All In The "CO"

2008-09-30T06:09:00.000-07:00

Punkin', our fourth-born child, can be described in one word: Precocious. Not "precious" - although she is that too - but her own personal descriptive word is pre-CO-cious. Ah, the "CO" says so much about her! If you look up that word in the dictionary, her picture is next to it. Really.

Punkin' was born the week my dear brother was diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer. We found out his fatal diagnosis on a Monday. I was standing next to my washer and dryer while my sister told me the awful news on the phone. I called my doctor and asked him if he would consider an induction, because my brother's prognosis was dire and he had very little time to live. I needed to be with him and my family. My doctor agreed, but it turned out it would not be necessary. The stress I was under put me into labor the next day, and my baby girl, all 8 pounds of her, was born the following morning. I called my sister and she asked me, "What are you doing?" and I said, "Oh, having a baby!" Punkin's birth in the midst of all our family's devastation over my brother was a breath of fresh air.

Punkin' and I bonded so strongly the moment she was born, I practically grabbed her from the doctor and started to check her over myself. I asked him if she was going to have an extra chromosome like Peanut and he said "No, she's fine". I was so relieved I burst into tears. I don't think I realized until that moment how much I actually did worry about that possibility.

Our first night together, when I finally let the nurse take her to the nursery so I could get some much-needed rest, I was awakened to Punkin's loud cry as the nurse brought her down the hallway to me. She handed her to me, and the crying stopped instantly. My fourth baby and I still stand in awe of the strength of the mother-child bond. I will never forget that moment. The nurse said, "I've been trying to get her to stop crying for over an hour so you could get some rest!" I was torqued. What's up with that? This was the same nurse who gave Pickles a bottle of formula in spite of my explicit instruction that he was to have NO BOTTLES. It was written in his chart and I put a sign up in his bassinette. Perhaps this nurse could not read, and she must have also been deaf - because I told her when I agreed to let her take Punkin' to the nursery that if she cried at all I wanted her brought back to me. I know the nurse knew I was stressed, I know I needed my rest after having labored the night before - but who lets a newborn less than 24 hours old cry for over an hour?!?

Anyway, I'm getting irritated all over again just thinking about that, but those moments set the tone for the next nine months with our new little baby. She never wanted to be apart from me. And I was clinging to her for comfort as much as she needed me. I know that much of it was due to her feeling the stress I was under as my brother's health rapidly declined. He died just five weeks after she was born. I'm so thankful he got to see her and to hold her.

Peaches was one of the only other members of my family who could calm Punkin' when she was crying. She developed colic and it was very difficult at times. She had a very good set of lungs and could scream until I think even her angels must have been tempted to plug their ears. I tried very hard to be thankful for her cries - because Peanut almost never cried. She didn't cry after she was born, she didn't cry when they were digging around in her arms to find a vein, she didn't cry when she was hungry. Peanut was too content, if there is such a thing. I remember thinking, "I just want her to cry!" Well - I sure got what I wanted when Punkin' was born!

Speaking of Punkin's guardian angels, she has kept them very busy in her soon-to-be-8 years. One of my favorite stories to tell about her is the time she fell through the hole in the floor. When she was very little (about two or three) we were renting an old farmhouse and in the hallway there was a broom closet that she and Peanut loved to play in. They would go inside, shut the door, and giggle and giggle, thinking they were hiding from the family. One Wednesday night as we were getting ready for church they were playing inside the closet, and we heard a loud crash, then Punkin's scream. I dashed to the closet, but the only one standing there was Peanut, looking bewildered. I could hear Punkin' crying, but I couldn't see her. The broom closet was attached to our bedroom closet through the side, so I thought perhaps she had climbed inside our closet and something fell on top of her. I ran into my room, threw open my closet door, and started to pull boxes and clothes out as fast as I could. Punkin' was still screaming, and we could not find her!! WHERE WAS SHE?!?!?!? I began to grow more and more panicked, I considered calling 911, and then suddenly Kyle realized that THERE WAS A HOLE IN THE FLOOR. Right where my darling little girls had been standing. At this point I began to scream and cry, I thought perhaps she had fallen into the old cystern that was underneath the house. Talk about scared!! I think I was feeling the same desperation to reach her as she must have felt as a newborn, screaming for me in the nursery while some stranger attempted to comfort her.

Kyle ran for a flashlight while I stood there like a raving maniac and when he flashed it down the hole he could see her walking around in the basement. He ran to the basement door and down the steps, and instantly Punkin' stopped crying and said, "Oh, hi Daddy!"

The miracle of it all is that Punkin' did not have one single scratch, bruise or scrape on her. She had fallen eight feet onto solid concrete, through a hole that had been cut years prior for a stove pipe. Our landlord had just put an old thin metal sign over the hole - and the sign crumpled under her weight. It had sharp edges, so that if she had fallen onto it she could have been very seriously cut or punctured. Not only that, if Peanut had been the one to fall, she would likely have been seriously injured due to her low muscle tone. In my mind I can just see one of Punkin's angels softening her fall. She was just fine.

I was not. I was in hysterics, practically having a nervous breakdown. I gathered my children around me like hens gathering her chicks and blubbered something about never allowing them to leave my side as long as they lived. To this day I have a phobia about kids playing inside closets. You just never know when there might be a hole in the floor!!

So, that is a little bit about my Punkin'. She also has a sense of humor a mile long - very much like my Mother's. One of her comments when she was little was, "Mama! I hurt the elbow that's next to my foot!!" (She meant her ankle.) I'd write more about her hilarious "Punkin'-isms" but this post is already too long.

I hope God gives you something to smile about, and to be thankful for today. I woke up thinking about this - and just wanted to share it with you.

~ Beth ~

Happy Birthday Kyle

2008-09-27T15:16:00.000-07:00

Today is my Honey's birthday. He is 42 today. I remember when he turned 35, a (very young) friend of ours told him, "If you live until your 70, you are half dead already!" ACK.

I baked a lovely cake to have with supper (chocolate bundt, with chocolate frosting and marshmallow filling), I'm making one of Kyle's favorite meals, and the kids made him cards and pooled their pennies and bought him one of his favorite candy bars. PeeWee was counting out money and lining it all up, trying to decide how much he had and if it would be enough to get a present for Daddy. I thought that was pretty sweet.

Kyle has an interview at the Moorhead Airport for a manager position this coming Tuesday. He has always had a deep love for all things Aviation. When I met him in 1986 he was working on his Pilot's licensing, and over the years has worked his way up to Commercial Pilot. He talked to his Dad this afternoon and told him that ever since he was a little boy he has dreamed of a job like this. Will you pray with me that God will give him this position, if it is His will?

I can't think of a better birthday present for my sweetie. ~ Beth ~

Am I Becoming A Morning Person?!?

2008-09-25T05:10:00.000-07:00

Something is wrong with me. I have been waking up early - sometimes too early - and I've been able to get up and going long before the children wake up. I used to savor the time I had after they went to bed - in fact, I savored it so much I often ended up staying awake until the middle of the night. But something must have happened to me when I turned 40 because when I see 9 or 10 pm my body insists on going to bed. And if it reaches 11pm my body thinks it's exhaustified. Hmm - there must be a correllation between going to bed early and waking up early...

This morning I woke up and thought it was still the middle of the night. Nope - 6am. I thought I smelled coffee so I went to the kitchen to investigate - I figured Kyle had made some earlier when he left for his 5am shift at work. Nope, no hot coffee. Oh well, I just went ahead and made some and right now I am enjoying it (with flavored creamer - French Vanilla - I might add.)

I think perhaps one other reason I'm able to be so bright-eyed and bushy-tailed in the morning is that I am feeling so much better after having lost 75 pounds. I am off 2 of the 3 blood pressure medications I was on and I'm going off the third. I can take a walk or bike ride without needing oxygen, I don't get sluggishly tired every afternoon, and I am sleeping so much better (less snoring). The health benefits have been so wonderful. I do need to keep losing, still have a ways to go. Over the summer months my weight loss has slowed but that's to be expected. I'll get there - I've come too far to turn back now!

Besides Mr. OneMore, I have a friend coming over today so we need to get some housecleaning done this morning. Sometimes I feel woefully inadequate when I am having company over. Okay, most times I feel woefully inadequate. I often say that if you are coming to visit me, drop in anytime. (You might wanna call first, I am a tad busy with all these kids.) If you are coming to see my house, give me a 24 hour notice. And if you inspect the closets or under the furniture you'll find something, all right. If you have the audacity to bring a white-glove mentality, I'll bust your kneecaps, at least in my mind I will anyway. Because I've had a white-glove house - BC that is. Before Children. I can still clean like that, it just doesn't stay that way for more than, oh, an Olympic minute. I get my living room all nice and neat, dusted and vacuumed and decorated and lovely - and out come the Magentix and My Little Pony set and the Lincoln Logs. This is why I have home decorating magazines - I can see what those fancy living rooms are supposed to look like. But when I pine away for something like that, then I hear my Mom's voice saying, "You're gonna miss those smudgy fingerprints and sticky Koolaid splashes and toys on the floor sooner than you think!" My dear Mom was the epitome of the 50's housewife. Spotless, beautifully decorated house, incredible meals, able to sew or craft anything - yet when I visited her and Dad in their new Arizona home with my first baby when she was just 9-months old, Mom left the smudges from her pudgy fists on the floor-length bedroom mirror for a very long time. She could not bear to wash it off - she was so overjoyed to have my baby girl in her house!

Well, I reckon I need to waken the troops soon. We have a busy day ahead of us, today is Math, Spelling, Geography/Social Studies/History, and probably some Grammar. (I love diagramming sentences. Seriously.) Oh, and Homemaking 101. I might even bake a loaf of bread today - I found a recipe that my family loves. They can devour a loaf so quickly it's shocking. I wonder if there is an Olympic event for that?

Have a dandy day ~ Beth ~

Finding a Topic

2008-09-23T06:49:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I think, "Today I just wanna write." but I can't always find a topic. So I decided to just start writing and hope that a topic will find me.

I was kinda crabby yesterday. I've had extra kids this week (for a total of 8, make that 9, counting the Biggest Kid of All - my hubby) and so that meant extra cooking, extra laundry, and lots of extra noise. By suppertime my ears were ringing and I told them they could not talk to me unless they were bleeding from an artery or their pants were on fire! (This was a joke, of course. I think a couple of them took me seriously, though. :)

I had to laugh at snack time yesterday afternoon. I sent them all to the park after we got done with schoolwork (the little bit we managed to squeeze in anyway) and while they were gone I sliced up two cantalope and had it served up on plates on the table, ready for them to eat when they came in. They started to trickle back to the house, then it was like a shark feeding-frenzy! They were like little typewriters, snarfing from one side of the rind to the other. When they got done there were rinds scattered all over the table. I wish now I'd have taken pictures. Or video - they probably set a new world record for fastest disappearing cantalope. (How do you spell cantalope? Cantelope? Cantaloupe? Can't remember!)

Today is our last day with two extra boys, as their parents are coming home tonight. Even though it's been chaotic I know I'll miss them in the quiet after they are gone. I should say the "relative quiet" because I'll still have my own five plus one more for daycare. Mr. OneMore is quickly becoming part of the family though and finding his niche. It's not really like doing daycare. And the dog has certainly claimed him as part of her pack, especially considering the facewashes she gives him when his Mom brings him "home".

I'm thankful the weather has been so incredible lately, especially this week. The kids have played outside much of the time, and we've been walking to the park every day as well. Good, fresh air. And it gives me a chance to regroup and pick up the house a bit when everyone is outside. And check my email :).

Well, homemakey-type things are calling my name, and the kids all need breakfast. They slept in a bit this morning, as they were up late watching a movie with the Biggest Kid of All. Speaking of the Biggest Kid of All, I've yet to see a man who can get children more wound up than he can. He's a kid magnet. The Pied Piper on steroids. I told a friend the other day I'm going to get all the kids prescriptions for Ritalin and I'm going to get myself some Valium. I think I'll get a tranquilizer for the hubby too. You can imagine the noise level when he gets eight kids hyper and laughing, then the dog starts barking...

Anyway, I wish you a quiet, peaceful day. Add some chaos, and laughter, and maybe a few tears, and you'll have a family.

Soapbox Time

2008-09-19T06:17:00.001-07:00

I'm going to wax political for a moment. If you don't want to read a conservative opinion, then hit delete. Yes, these are my opinions. It's also my blog. ;p

First of all, take a moment to watch the following video. Watch it all the way to the end, it will make you cry.

That says an awful lot.

A couple of other things have happened in this election campaign that have gotten on my remaining nerve a bit. One is an article that was written last week entitled, "We Can't Afford McCain's Tax Cuts" - huh? Since when can we not afford having more money in our pockets?

The other is a quote from Joe Biden that I saw yesterday (which incidentally has mysteriously been buried amongst nasty articles about anyone even remotely conservative) where he stated, "Be Patriotic - Pay More Taxes". My response to that is, "Tell it to the members of the Boston Tea Party!!" Honestly, I can hardly believed the man dared to say such a thing to red-blooded Americans. It's kinda comical though - I think he just shot himself in the foot there, so to speak.

Okay, I'm getting off my soapbox now. Have a nice day.

Update from the Almosta Ranch Homestead

2008-09-19T06:17:00.000-07:00

Hi Kids,

It's a lovely morning here in the Red River Valley and the weather has been so gorgeous this week. Actually I think it is one of the nicest summers and falls we have had weather-wise in my memory. Seems the kids have been playing outside more than inside, which is always good.

We have extra kids right now. Some friends of ours went on a vacation so we have two of their boys for a week, and we are also having a little boy who is PeeWee's age join us full-time while his mom works. It's been a very busy household and I am constantly amazed how much food that children can consume. We had a tea party yesterday, with real tea, grapes, and cookies. You'd have thought I'd thrown a deer carcass to starving lions when I brought out the Nilla Wafers. And the grapes went down so fast I was certain I'd be performing the Heimlich on someone. I don't think they even chewed!

School has been going well. We are reading Laura Ingalls Wilder's "Farmer Boy" about Almanzo Wilder's childhood in NY state on a huge farm. That book makes me so hungry. You need to have a snack on hand if you are going to read it, otherwise you'll drool on the pages. I thought it would be a good book to read with extra boys in the house. Yesterday we read about Almanzo's favorite food, which is "Apples n' Onions" and so I googled it and found a recipe. Our neighbor had given us a big bucket of apples (which were almost gone!) so I fried up onions and apples in butter, threw in some brown sugar, and we all tried some. I thought it was pretty good, very different, but good. The younger kids didn't like it and the older kids were rather neutral. I probably won't make it again but it was fun to try something new. Next I plan to try "Bird's Nest Pudding" - another recipe from the book. It's baked apples in a merengue crust drizzled with real cream - google it and drool.

Well, I reckon I should get some tasks done, considering they are screaming at me from every room of the house. The tasks are screaming, not the children. I've yet to find a way to silence screaming tasks. Except to get on the computer. ;)

Have a dandy day!!

And WHY do I homeschool again??!?

2008-09-11T14:35:00.000-07:00

Two blogs in one day! No, I'm not feeling particularly creative today. Writing is an outlet for me, and right now I need to VENT. So, brace yourself. If you are having a Happy Homeschool The-World-Is-So-Wonderful-Day, I suggest you don't read any further. Because what I am about to say will pop your little homeschooling bubble.

Disclaimer for First-Time-Homeschoolers: Yes, these days do occur. If you think otherwise you probably should not be homeschooling. Yes, that is my opinion. It's also my blog. ;)

Let me 'splain.

Today has been one of those days where I can understand why some species eat their young. I even said that to my 15-year old today!! First of all, I woke up at 4:30 am (FOUR-THIRTY IN THE MORNING) and could not go back to sleep. Four, no five, make that six, antihistamine and a major allergy attack later, I was drinking my coffee, relishing the peace and quiet before I heard the pitter-patter of little feet, and the stomping of big feet. (Why do teenagers walk like elephants?) The first irritation of the day came when I realized the child responsible for bringing in the groceries last night neglected their duties and LEFT THEM IN THE CAR. Which meant (get ready now) I DID NOT HAVE FLAVORED CREAMER IN MY COFFEE. Just plain. (By the way, hubby took the car to work, so it was not a matter of simply going outside to get the groceries.) You coffee drinkers understand me here, especially you Moms out there who are addicted to, I mean drink coffee. It is one of the few pleasures I enjoy during my day. I drink my coffee, wake up, have my devotions, check my email, etc. and basically get ready for the day. Is a little flavored creamer too much to ask?

Then I made the mistake of waking up the children. I should have, repeat, should have let them sleep. Because as soon as they awakened, they needed to eat. And as soon as they needed to eat my carefully straightened kitchen and dining room was quickly in a state of disrepair. Sigh.

After breakfast I decided to tackle cleaning the stove and refrigerator. I know - why?? Well, our property manager was sending out someone to inspect the stove and fridge - and I wanted whoever was coming to look at them to think that I actually cleaned them once in awhile. Little do they actually know...

Anyway, I assigned one child the task of washing dishes. For whatever blessed reason that child got sidetracked not once, not twice...but three, make that four times. The first time they were mesmerized by something on the tv. The second time they decided it was time to check on the dog. The third time they went to change clothes. The fourth time they chose to CLEAN THEIR SHOES ON THE TABLE. No, I am not kidding. By this time, with no flavored creamer to sweeten me up, I was a tad frustrated. I gave this child THE LOOK and asked them, "WHAT are you DOING?" This child actually had the audacity to look surprised and then said, (and I am not kidding) "Well Mom, I decided that since you were using the scrubber on the stove that I would do this first, because I can't wash dishes without it." HUH?? My kids all think I was born yesterday. I'm not sure what planet this child is from but I proceeded to inform them that it is possible to wash dishes with a WASHCLOTH. What a novel idea!!

Later in the day while we were having school, I was doing our daily Bible reading, and I swear that every possible way to wiggle, act up, or be naughty possessed not just the little ones, but the big ones too. Actually my youngest was probably the best behaved of the lot. I try not to be a Nazi during Bible reading but in my opinion that is the most important part of our school day. I expect the kids to respectfully listen, although I do let them draw or color. I was not able to allow even that today, because drawing became "I wonder if I can color on my brother's skin with this marker" and "how far can I rip this paper" and "If I eat this paper will it taste good?" and a scrillion other little naughty things. So I took away the paper and tried to sound reasonably cheerful during the rest of Bible reading. It's hard to sound cheerful when reading Leviticus though.

After phonics with the Little Ones, I had them pick up the living room (all those bits of paper they didn't eat were on the floor) and an argument erupted over who owned what scissor. An argument also erupted down the hall with the Big Ones who were doing spelling. So I referreed the Big Ones, broke up the fight among the Little Ones, then retreated to my bedroom. If I can just make it to bed time...if I can just make it to bed time....

Shortly after sitting down to relax for a moment I heard the loudest slam I have ever, ever heard from the door downstairs. Turns out a visiting friend was mad about something. I had the sense to thank God no fingers were severed. And the dog wasn't in the way. She'd have been cut in half, I just know it. I reprimanded the offender...and sent the whole group to the park. Now it is quiet in the house. Ahhh...

I think I'm going to go lock the door!!

I Remember

2008-09-11T09:36:00.001-07:00

I remember on that day, 9-11, where I was when I first heard our country was under attack. The phone rang, and my friend Suzanne was on the line. "A plane just hit the World Trade Center!" she exclaimed. I scrambled in my mind to think of what and where the World Trade Center was, and might have even asked her. I vaguely remembered reading about the attack in '93. My next thought was that surely it was an accident, a small aircraft hitting a skyscraper. I briefly remember thinking it was too bad, surely a few people would lose their lives in an accident like this. Suzanne told me to turn on my television, and that she would call me later.

I went into the kitchen where I had a tiny tv/radio combination, the screen was black and white and just a few inches across. I turned on the news station just as the second plane slammed into the second tower. With horror I realized this was a huge catastrophe, and that it surely was no accident. Talk began to surface on the news about a "terrorist act" and further word came that the Pentagon had been hit, and another plane had gone down in a field in PA. I was so scared, and the horrible images on the tv screen terrified me. Would they hit the base in Grand Forks? How could I protect my children? Should Kyle come home from work? What was coming next?

We all remember seeing people falling or jumping to their death. Awful. Watching the first tower, then the second, come tumbling to the ground, knowing there were thousands who were dying. People dazedly walking through the streets, covered with soot, or blood, or both. Then the long days of rescue and recovery, hoping and praying for just one more survivor. There were only twenty people rescued alive from the rubble. They likened the falling buildings to a "washing machine filled with chunks of concrete". It sickens me that many people never even had a trace of their loved one left to bury. One rescuer said, "There were thousands of people in these buildings. Where ARE they?!?" I can only imagine their frustration.

Like the generation before us who witnessed the attack on Pearl Harbor, 9-11 is also a day which shall live in infamy. I still cry when I hear stories of people who lost their lives. Let's remember to pray that we will never forget, and pray for God's mercy and grace upon this great country of ours. God, please bless America!

Reflectively yours ~ Beth ~

Trig Palin

2008-09-04T13:16:00.000-07:00

I watched part of the speech Sarah Palin made last night. I must say that I was impressed. Typically I don't get too involved in politics, and I avoid political discussions like the plague. However, when I saw the Palin family join her on stage, and saw her take her baby boy Trig (who has Down syndrome) into her arms, my eyes filled with tears. I read that the Palin's knew Trig likely had Down syndrome before he was born. Typically babies with Down syndrome who are diagnosed before they are born (9 out of 10, to be specific) are aborted. That horrifies me. Nine out of ten babies with Down syndrome who are diagnosed before they are born are aborted! It makes me sick to fathom this.

If this was the only issue on the table in the upcoming election, McCain and Palin would get my vote. Of course I will base my voting on more than this one issue - but in my opinion human life is the biggest issue of all. Not oil, not the economy, not healthcare, not education - but the sanctity of human life. McCain is not as pro-life as I would like to see - but Palin has balanced that nicely and is living out her conviction with her own child.

Yes, this is my opinion. But it's also my blog. ;)

I hope Sarah Palin will tell the world about the awful statistics against pre-born babies with Down syndrome, and other special needs. Those of you who know Kaylee understand where I am coming from. Can you imagine us taking her life because she was created with an extra chromosome?

God's word says that we are "fearfully and wonderfully made". He formed us in our Mother's womb! We are His handiwork, created for His pleasure. I shudder to think there will be people who see baby Trig Palin and think he did not deserve a chance at life. I'm sure there have been those who have thought that when they have looked at Kaylee as well. People have said as much to us in person. Really.

I'll be watching Sarah Palin closely. So far, she has my vote. And in forty or fifty years, who knows? Maybe Trig Palin will be president!!

My Favorite Time of the Year

2008-08-22T21:20:00.000-07:00

This morning when I went outside I noticed many leaves had turned color and fallen to the ground. September and frosty nights are just around the corner. I'm loving the chill that has been in the air tonight after several hot days this week. I want to snuggle up in a cozy sweatshirt with a good book and a cup of hot cocoa.

This time of year, when thoughts turn to getting back to school, is my favorite time of year. We got new school supplies for the kids today - backpacks, pens, pencils, colored pencils, crayons, markers, highlighters, rulers, scissors, protractors, erasers, glue, folders, notebooks and paper. The little ones were so excited about their new supplies that they kept their backpacks on all evening - even when they went to the park!

We officially started school this week, after about a month off. I typically don't take a long summer break. I like our schedule to stay pretty much the same year-round. And then when we do take an impromptu day off for fun, or if someone is sick, I don't worry that we are not getting enough school time in. Today we studied Bible, math, spelling, and two new countries from our list of countries of the world, which encompasses geography, history and social studies. Peachie also worked with the little ones in their activity workbooks. Next week we'll continue to work on reading with Punkin' and Peanut. I'm hoping PeeWee will even pick up on some of the reading, even though he is only five.

I'm a little blown away by the thought that our oldest is already in tenth grade - a sophomore!! I've picked out a Higher Mathematics course I want her to take and I'm still looking for a good high-school level science program. I have a few ideas there. She is talking seriously about possibly going to beautician's school. Right now her plan is to live at home for at least a couple years after she graduates. She wants to get a part-time job her Senior Year to save up for a car. After she graduates she also intends to take some courses at our church's tuition-free Bible college. She has also tossed around the idea of going into the medical field. I think I need to have her take an aptitude test to see where her strengths and weaknesses are. It might help if she can do a little job-shadowing as well. It's hard to grasp the thought that the little girl who was bouncing around like Tigger not so long ago is quickly blossoming into a young woman. The rest of the kids are not far behind her either!

I hope you are looking forward to Fall like I am - brightly colored leaves, crisp fresh air, ripening apples on the trees, warm cider and cocoa, baked potatoes and squash, cozy soft sweatshirts, football games, harvest ending, the garden's bounty reaped and stored - then on to Thanksgiving, then Christmas...Oh, the seasons fly by so fast.

Reflectively yours ~ Beth ~

In Memory of Dad

2008-08-08T08:41:00.000-07:00

Ten years ago today I was standing in a hospital room with about ten or fifteen other relatives, watching my Dad take his last breaths. I was taking his pulse as I felt his very last heartbeat - and I was certain I knew the moment his spirit left his body. It was the first time I had ever seen anyone die.

Three weeks prior to Dad's death we were admitting my Mom to the hospital for knee replacement surgery. Dad had been suffering from a severe headache - we all thought it was the flu. My sister (an RN) noticed Dad was having weakness on one side, so immediately after seeing Mom off to surgery, she escorted Dad to the Emergency Room to get checked out. The doctors ran some tests and admitted Dad to the hospital. A couple of hours later I was visiting Dad in his hospital room, and I noticed he was very confused and did not know where he was, or what was going on. He thought he was still back in Arizona, and that my brother had just made him the best cheeseburger he'd ever had. I immediately alerted the nurses to Dad's confusion and told them he appeared to be experiencing some short-term memory loss. By the time test results came back, Dad's stroke had worsened, and that evening they took him off to surgery to put a shunt in his brain. The surgeon's predictions were dire - he said if Dad survived 24 hours, he would likely be a "vegetable". I was sitting in the ICU waiting room with my oldest brother when the surgeon gave us the news. It was all very surreal.

Amazingly, Dad survived the surgery and within a couple of days was alert and talking, although he still experienced some weakness on one side, as well as some confusion. Some of that could have been attributed to the medications he was on, but it looked like Dad was going to pull through this stroke and survive. However, infection began to set into his body, and he began to worsen. I can't remember all the details - one day seemed to blur into the next with all the stress of having Mom in Rehab for her knee, Dad in the ICU - and on top of all that, we were moving. I had three little children at home and was juggling them between friends who were generous enough to watch them.

Dad had to be in restraints in the ICU because he kept trying to pull out tubes and fiddle with lines and leads that went to the monitors. I noticed that if someone was in the room talking, he would relax and listen. If it got quiet in the room, he would pull against his restraints. Having the tv on made no difference - he wanted to hear someone talking. I think he must have felt alone and scared. So I started to read to him - the Bible and Reader's Digest. I went to the Bible book store and purchased the New Testament on tape - and even the nurses would play the tapes for him. As long as there was was someone talking or the tapes were playing, he would remain calm. Many times I encouraged Dad to be sure that he was ready to meet his Creator and I prayed with him many times.

Shortly before we had to make the decision to cease all treatment and move him out of the ICU I saw a friend of mine, who is a doctor, and told him about what was going on with Dad. He had just admitted a patient of his to ICU and he looked over Dad's chart - and he told me the infection was not survivable. I was shocked - no one had been so blunt to me up to that point about the seriousness of Dad's condition. The next morning we moved Dad to a regular hospital room and decided to cease the feeding tube but continue the IV fluids and pain medications as needed. One very rude and angry nurse chewed me out for "allowing" Dad to have IV fluids - she said it was time for him to die and the fluids could keep him alive for weeks. I was dismayed that someone who did not know our family and had not followed Dad's case could make such a harsh judgement call. We had made the decision to cease all "heroic" or invasive treatments (ventilators, further surgery, etc.) as a family - it was not my decision to make alone. The day we had to make that decision I looked the doctor in the eye and asked him if it was HIS Dad how he would handle the situation - and he gave us some very good advice. In the end it was my Mom's final decision anyway. I was only there for moral support. That nurse's harsh criticism made the situation even more painful and difficult.

The morning of Dad's death we decided to cease IV fluids. It was obvious death was imminent and we wanted all the tubes gone. I asked Dad if he could hear me, to squeeze my hand - and I felt a little squeeze. I told him he was not going to be with us much longer - and urged him once again to be sure he was ready to go. I prayed with him and asked him if he knew he was ready to squeeze my hand again. One little tug, one little movement of the fingers from his once very strong hand - and my heart was assurred. Daddy was ready to go Home. Sometimes, especially now that Mom is gone too, I miss him so much that I cry. I wish I could see him chuckle over a shared joke, or over the children's antics. I wish he could have seen our youngest two children, born after he was gone. Our youngest child is named after him. It makes me sad they will never know the man who worked so hard all his life, and had such strong, capable hands, and could fix anything he set out to fix. I'll have to settle with sharing my memories of him with my children, and living with the hope that I will get to see him again someday.

Shortly before Dad died I heard the words to this song on the radio - "Just think...of stepping on shore, and finding it heaven ~ of touching a hand, and finding it God's ~ of breathing new air, and finding it celestial! Of waking up in Glory ~ and finding it Home."

Grove Family Update

2008-08-06T08:51:00.000-07:00

It's a lovely summer day today and we are having a busy morning on the "Almosta Homestead Ranch". No, that is not a fancy name for a Spanish-style farmstead. You might need to read it a couple of times to get the pun. If you don't get the pun, you can chalk it up to my odd sense of humor!!

Last night I washed a load of stuffed animals. I know, that sounds kind of weird. But we've been having allergies galore lately so I thought that might help. Besides, the kids each got a new stuffed animal yesterday at the "National Night Out" that was held at the park, literally in our back yard. The local law enforcement, fire department and ambulance department were there, handing out T-shirts, whistles (which we confiscated when we got home! ACK!), stickers, bracelets, can wraps, and other goodies. There was also a pig roast (I haven't been to one of those in a long time - probably since one of the last weddings on my Dad's side, yup, a pig roast at a wedding!) and that pig's head was one of the ugliest things I have ever seen. Peachie got the apple from the pig's mouth - but didn't eat it when Kyle pointed out WHERE the apple had been! Besides the barbecue they had ice cream and root beer. Yum! The little ones thoroughly enjoyed the inflatable jumping thingy (you know, the jumping thingy they go inside and jump around in) and it had a slide down the side. PeeWee wore himself out with all the activity. It was a lot of fun and many people from our little community were there. Plus I didn't have to cook supper!!

Peaches and Pickles are heading to Bible camp next week with our church youth group. It is held in Chetek, WI - and they cannot wait. I'm excited for them and praying they will grow spiritually, along with all of our teens.

We are still praying about/waiting on the Lord concerning whether or not to move to Moorhead or stay put. We have not yet gone to the bank to see if we might qualify for a loan with decent terms/interest rate that would buy us a house in the country within our budget. It would be nice to be putting that money each month into home equity. But then again - it's convenient when something needs repairs to just call the landlord! Please keep praying God will show us which direction to take.

It seems the weather has been especially nice this summer - not too many unbearably hot days so far. The house stays pretty cool if I shut everything mid-morning on those days it is promising to be hot. I'm thankful for that since we don't have AC. (Well, we have a tiny window unit but don't use it because it can't keep up!)

I hope this note finds you enjoying your summer and doing something you truly love. I'm off to work now on the Almosta Homestead Ranch. Gotta feed the critters and muck out the stalls!! ;)

Recipe Time!

2008-08-05T10:28:00.000-07:00

Hey kids! It's recipe time!

On Sunday I made my (infamous? notorious?) Taco Chili for the Teen Singsperation. I often get asked for this recipe so I thought I would share it here with you. Keep in mind that we have a big family - so I make a huge batch of this. You might want to scale down or freeze the excess.

Taco Chili

3 lbs. hamburger
1 large onion
1 large can diced tomatoes
1 large can corn
1 small can black beans
1 huge can kidney beans (I like to use the gallon-sized can, but sometimes these are hard to find.)
4 packets taco seasoning - you might want to add more according to your taste

Brown the hamburger and onion, drain, add taco seasoning and water according to directions on seasoning packets. Put into large stock or soup pot, and dump in all the canned stuff (no draining necessary). Add extra water if desired - I usually don't because we like it thick. Heat it up, let it simmer, serve with sour cream, cheese, tortilla chips, black olives, flour or corn tortillas, hot sauce - whatever your little heart desires.

This recipe is what I call a "no-brainer" because it is almost fool-proof - and so easy! You can use ground turkey or shredded chicken in place of hamburger, you can add any kind of beans you like, or even rice. Throw it in the pot! Use up those leftovers! Enjoy!!

If you have a recipe to share, post it. Especially if it is as easy as this one!

Assumptions

2008-08-02T08:29:00.000-07:00

Many years ago when I was in college I had a roommate of mine tell me that I was "presumptuous" when she was angry with me for borrowing a sweater of hers without asking. I was eighteen years old, very naive, and honestly did not know what that word meant! I must admit though, that this has been a character flaw of mine. It is very easy for me to assume that I know stuff. God has worked on me in this area of my life but something happened yesterday that reminded me I have not "arrived" and still have some work to do. Let me 'splain.

When I woke up yesterday morning I was thinking about the house we might rent in North Moorhead. Although I have not seen inside, we did peek in the windows last summer when we had first applied for the rental when it was still empty. Since I know the general lay-out of the main floor I was arranging furniture in my head, thinking about where I would put things and setting up housekeeping in my mind. Then it dawned on me: What if God does not want us to move? What if He says, "Wait." I must confess that I had already assumed what God's will was going to be for us in this situation. The "Pros" list is longer than the "Cons" list and in my tiny brain I figured that was the obvious direction God was pointing us.

So, with conviction in my heart, I confessed my assumptions to God and asked Him to truly have His will in this. Yes, I had already asked for His will - but because I assumed that we'd be renting this new place I was setting myself up for disappointment and a feeling of failure. So while I prayed I asked God to help me relax in His will and to trust that He knows what is best. Maybe, by some miracle, God has a house in the country for us to buy instead. Maybe He wants us to stay here in this little town we have fallen in love with. Maybe He wants us to be missionaries in Outer Magnolia. (No, that's not a typo. Think "Monster's Inc." ;)

"Thank You, my Beloved Heavenly Father, for once again reigning me in and picking me up when I have fallen. Help me to rest in Your will, knowing that your thoughts are higher than my thoughts. Help my actions, words and thoughts to be pleasing to Thee. Please show us which direction to take in all areas of our lives."

In Jesus' Name ~ Amen ~

Vintage Blessings

2008-07-30T07:16:00.000-07:00

When I went to our local thrift store this past weekend for their monthly bag sale, I found a vintage chair with needle-point upholstery that I thought might match my vintage couch. How happy I was! But I noticed there were two springs under the cushion that were broken, so I decided to ask Kyle first if it could be fixed. He figured it probably could be fixed, or the springs replaced, so I went back to purchase it for a mere fifteen dollars. I brought one of my couch cushions to see if the colors would blend, and yep, they did. Now the sweet little chair is sitting right next to the antique table from Kyle's Grandma, with the matching antique doily on top, that is next to the vintage couch. I'm thrilled at how God has put together our living room. Let me 'splain.

Last summer I found my couch in a used furniture store. I was told it might be up to 70 years old but it's in such pristine condition, I doubt that is the case, because it has not been re-upholstered. I think it is probably from the 60's, and it has a miriad of colors - several shades of green, tan, cream and orange. The frame is a lovely carved oak and it has a coordinating glass-topped oak coffee table. I fell in love with it as soon as I saw it and was shocked they only wanted $150 for both pieces. I had them put my name on the couch and told them I would pick it up as soon as I was able. The store was a couple of hours away in the town we had moved my Mother to when she needed assisted living. Unfortunately though Mom's health rapidly declined and she died a couple weeks later - and with the expenses of travelling and moving and then costs associated with the funeral, I knew purchasing the couch was not going to be possible. I briefly prayed that if God wanted me to have the couch that it would be available when we could afford it. Then I put all thoughts of the couch out of my mind - no sense dwelling on something I probably could not have, and my mind was occupied with my family's needs at the time.

Fast-forward eight months later when we received our tax return. On a whim I called the furniture store to see if the couch was still available - and it was!! I told them I would come and pick it up and arranged a date, and very gleefully made the trip. While I was there I met up with a good friend and my sister-in-law for lunch. I was so happy!

When I got home Kyle and the kids had moved our old couch out of the living room (which I gave away on FreeCycle) and had everything vacuumed and dusted, ready to move the new couch in. I was so excited - this was one of the nicest pieces of furniture I had ever had the pleasure of owning!

Slowly, over many years, I have accumulated different pieces of furniture to put together our living room, and it has become one of my favorite rooms in my house. The needlepoint chair was a thrill for me to find and it coordinates beautifully with the couch. I also have a china hutch, a long and narrow glass-topped table I put pictures on (I inherited this table from my Mother, and I spray-painted it a cream color), my Mother's wooden rocking chair, an antique sewing machine a friend of mine gave to me, and one of my favorite pieces, an antique wooden school desk that I found several years ago in a little shop in a small town.

The funny thing is that the doily on the end table from Kyle's Grandma is the thing that ties it all together - and I have had it the longest of anything in the living room. It has most of the colors I have decorated with - cream, green, orange and brown. Who'd have thought that all those years ago when she crocheted that doily I'd be using it still in 2008.

These are my Vintage Blessings - and they are treasures to me. If I can ever figure out how to post pictures I will. I'm hoping to eventually find a large area rug for the living room. I wonder what God might have for me to put in there next?

A Vivid Memory

2008-07-28T18:54:00.000-07:00

Today I was in my favorite store (that would be Wal-Mart!) and I had the most vivid memory of my dear Mother, who died last summer. I was getting material for Peachie to sew culottes for herself for camp, and the woman who was measuring out the yardage deftly flipped the bolts of cloth to get the 2 yards I needed, sliding the material through her hands and laying it down against the measuring stick on the table. Suddenly I remembered standing next to my Mom as she purchased cloth, and it was as though I was watching the lady measure and cut through the eyes of a little girl. I could remember looking at patterns with Mom, picking out notions and buttons and thread and many other fascinating things at the local seamstress' shop. I could hear the shirr and click of the scissors as the material was cut. My Mom could literally sew anything - and she often did without a pattern. She would make matching outfits for herself, my sister and I. We'd pick out pretty material together and matching lace or rick-rack, and zippers or elastic. We must have gone on many shopping trips together because this memory was so vivid - I could even smell the yard goods and remember telling her just what kind of outfit I wanted her to sew. How talented she was with so many things! I got such a lump in my throat that I was glad there was a couple of ladies ahead of me in the line - because I got a little teary-eyed remembering.

Now my dear Peachie sews on the machine my Mother once used. Mom passed many things down to my daughter - her love of literature, history, quilting, crocheting and now, sewing. When Peaches is sitting at the machine sewing away I can almost see Mom sitting there. She would have been so proud to see her granddaughter using the machine.

I miss you, Mom. I wish we could have been shopping together today, or that I could have at least called you and told you about these precious memories.

Homestead In My Heart

2008-07-25T14:15:00.000-07:00

Recently I considered renaming my blog "Homestead In My Heart" because I was reading a favorite blog of mine by a woman who is living the things I hope to do some day - like owning a country home, and raising lots of critters. She has all sorts of wonderful pictures on her blog, and the best recipes - most of them made from scratch. In one of her entries she encouraged her readers to consider themselves "homesteaders" wherever they are - if it's on their own land, in town, or even in an apartment in the city. I liked that thought, and since that day I have been considering our little corner of the world to be our very own homestead - even though we are renting a duplex in a small town. It's all about attitude. I'm doing many of the things I would do if were in the country - homeschooling, gardening, baking, cooking, homemaking, etc. - and with all the conveniences of town living! ;)

Peachie and I polished up her vintage dresser today (I love vintage finds! and this was given to us, such a blessing!) and so now all she has to do is have Daddy move it to her room and attach the mirror. She was also recently given a Captain's bed with drawers underneath (another blessing! Thank you Lord!!) and so she has plans to re-arrange her room once we are able to pick up the bed.

Peachie and I also went to the thrift store in our little town today as they have a monthly bag sale - all the clothes, shoes, purses, and even toys you can fit into a bag for five bucks. Well, we found enough to stuff the bag full AND I found something that thrills me to my toes because I have been wanting one for a very long time - a KitchenAide mixer with dough attachment!! WOOHOO!!! When I first saw it I passed it by, as they wanted fifteen dollars for it. However, they were also having 50% off everything - so I snatched it up after making sure it worked. It has two glass bowls and two mixer attachments, not sure how old it is but it is in nice shape and works great. And guess what - my hand-held mixer just died so I'm sure I would have spent at least $7.50 to replace it. Isn't the Lord good to give us the little desires of our hearts? Actually that wasn't such a little desire for me - it was very specific. I've been wanting a KitchenAide mixer for a long time, with the dough attachment - but they are very expensive. So it went on my "wants" list and I would have been content with a hand-held mixer. I think things like this happen to remind us that God cares about every detail of our lives. Now I just need to believe that someday...in His timing....He'll give us a little plot of land with a house and maybe a barn too where I can raise those critters! And I'm not talking about the kids!! ;)

To Blog or Not to Blog

2008-07-24T09:23:00.000-07:00

This blog probably reaches a whopping grand total of 3 people, which is fine with me. I write because it is therapeutic for me and I love words. Just ask anyone who tries to talk to me on the phone! Or in person for that matter. You might find yourself fighting to get a word in edgewise when having a conversation with me! I think that is what happens to Moms when they spend the majority of their time with kids. We get with another adult and *poof* - we can't stop talking!

I often wonder with this blog, since I'm not actually conversing with someone, what topics are off-limits? I wrote in a previous blog that "I won't sugar-coat this blog" but unless you live with me 24/7 (I know, scary thought) you are not really going to know what I am truly like. It's funny when people meet me, and because we have a child with a disability, they automatically assume I am this wonderful mother. Hee, hee, hee,hee - I know the truth, neener, neener, neener!! I usually end up telling them that it's not me that is wonderful -it's our Peanut. She's the reason our family has anything unique or special about it.

So, how much can I reveal in a blog? I can tell you what I HOPE I am, what I ASPIRE to become. Or I can be REAL and tell you that we are having a very lazy morning, we all slept in after a late night last night, and I am still in my robe at 11:00 in the morning!!

This weekend we need to get a few projects done around the house, as always, but one additional thing is to work on a couple of dressers we have been given. I need to sand and spray-paint two of the dressers, and I also need to polish up a vintage vanity we were given this week. I'm so excited!! I plan to put it in Peachie's room - it has a large mirror and a small bench as well. I saw a show where they used an instant coffee-stain finish to darken the lighter spots that have worn down on the wood, so I plan to try that. I'll let you know how it turns out. Otherwise I might try a crackle-paint finish, the wood is a veneer so I'm not sure how that would work.

Well, I need to finish my coffee (the coffee pot died this morning, so we boiled coffee on the stove and filtered it - VERY STRONG STUFF!) and of course get dressed. All the daily duties are calling my name. I've been keeping a close eye on Peanut today, she is getting sick and has been in my room all morning. :( Hopefully it is just a cold - but she sounds pretty congested to me. And when she gets sick she is like Kyle - she never goes halfway. She goes down.

So, please say a prayer for Peanut to recover quickly, and I hope you have a good weekend spending time with the ones you love the most.

In His Care ~ Beth ~

Decisions, decisions...

2008-07-19T06:58:00.000-07:00

We are facing a couple of important decisions in the next few weeks. As you are all aware, a gallon of gas is a tad expensive these days. (Which makes the price of everything else creep steadily upward.) So, the commute for Kyle to get to work, and for us to go to church and other activities in the F-M area (which we keep to a minimum!) is very expensive. We've been trimming down our budget as much as we can, eating out is almost non-existent, and any "extras" that we don't absolutely need are scratched off our lists. But we are not making ends meet financially. Some months, our "ends" can't even see to wave to each other!!

Anyway, our rental agency recently contacted us and the house that we had hoped to rent last summer in North Moorhead is going to be for rent again this fall. We've been on a waiting list and our name has finally come up again. Our monthly rent would be the same as it is now for the duplex we are renting here in Hawley, so we are prayerfully and seriously considering moving to Moorhead. We are weighing the pros and cons. The biggest "pro" is that we would literally save hundreds a month on gasoline. The biggest "con" is of course that moving is stressful and can be expensive as well. We do love our place here, it really has been ideal for our family, and we love the town of Hawley. If it wasn't for the costly commute we had hoped to eventually buy a house here.

Actually we had not intended to move again until we were ready to buy a house, but that is not looking financially feasible for us at this point. Kyle and I might head to the bank just to discuss home loans and see what we might qualify for (to cover all our bases) but we are not getting our hopes up. I did take a homebuyer's class this spring, with budget counselling, and "on paper" our budget looks pretty good. But when things like car repairs or other expenses come along, we have little or no wiggle room - again, due to the high cost of the commute.

Someday, it's our heart's desire to buy a place in the country, and have a yard and barn full of critters and keep the kids busy from sunup to sundown. For now our homestead is in our hearts and we'll be content with just the dog! And I try my best to keep the kids busy from sunup to sundown, even without the barn full of critters!

We'd appreciate your prayers as we decide what to do. I look around and sigh at the thought of packing again. But there is one good thing about moving - it helps me to get rid of extra stuff! And Punkin already has a rummage sale planned!!

I hope you all are having a lovely weekend. ~ In His Care ~ Beth ~

Family News

2008-07-18T12:44:00.000-07:00

Well, it's almost the weekend and I'm sitting here taking a break and drinking an iced coffee I made in the blender. I'm waiting for Peachie to come back from CAP encampment this evening. I've missed her and it's going to be good to have her home again. Initially she was going to stay just through Tuesday but they decided to let her stay a few extra days.

I've got a venison roast in the crockpot for supper with onions, mushrooms, carrots and celery. I'm trying another recipe in the breadmaker, it's been hit and miss with my breadmaker venture. PeeWee seems to like the bread no matter how it turns out though! I'm fascinated with my bread machine. I love to watch it knead the dough, and I love the smell as it rises and bakes. Peaches said, "I love it when you make bread, Mom. It smells like home."

I have not heard from Pickles all week, so I'm assuming that no news is good news. He is probably loving every minute of encampment. He's been enamoured with the military since he was a toddler. He used to hyperventilate when he saw soldiers in uniform. After the flood of '97 when the National Guardsmen were deployed to our area, he looked at them as his heroes. It's his hope to join the Air Force - we'll see what God has in store for him. He needs to grow up first. And even when he grows up I tell him he'll always be his "Mama's a-baby boy!!" (said with an Italian accent, of course! and a pinch on his cheek, which usually elicits an "Oh, Moooommmm!!" from him.)

Well, I need to check on the three little ones who are playing outside and then get some laundry folded. Why do I hate folding laundry? I won't tell you how many loads I have to fold, but it's a lot. I can get them washed and dried - but folding, that is my downfall. So is washing cups and silverware!! I don't mind the pots, pans and dishes - so usually I just have one of the kids finish the cups and silverware! ;)

Have a fabulous weekend ~ Beth ~

Stuff and Nonsense

2008-07-15T07:19:00.000-07:00

Well, I tried the homemade laundry soap and I LOVE it. I can make it for pennies a load and it seems to work well. The clothes are getting clean, and they are fresh-smelling. I have read that when using this laundry soap over time your clothes can get dingy. So I'll watch for that and maybe add some Oxy-Clean to the mix, as one person suggested. I do bleach my whites, towels, and some bedding though, so hopefully with the bleach I can avoid the dingies. I also add vinegar to the rinse, to help deodorize and to rinse away any of the soap residue, since it is a powdered formula.

Things 1&2 are at Civil Air Patrol camp this week. It's strange to have them gone. I gotta admit though that I am saving a LOT on groceries this week! And the house has stayed cleaner - so when they come home I'm not going to let them blame all the messes on the little ones any more!! I'm sure after this week they are going to think Mom is a softy compared to their drill sargeants! Actually Alicia is not participating as a cadet - she is assisting a 22-year old Senior member of CAP who is blind. The young woman is quite determined to do all she can in CAP in spite of her disability. She is quite inspiring. I'm really glad our family is getting the opportunity to know her.

I'm still working on organizing and cleaning. Does it never end? One thing I do know, is that we have WAY too many clothes. I really need to go through the kid's wardrobes and get rid of what they don't use, or have outgrown. And that favorite T-shirt that should have been thrown away two months ago - Jessica and Justin are notorious for this. It's funny how we can get attached to things!

I'm hoping today is a productive day and that I'll see significant headway in the basement dungeon, I mean storage area. Most of it can probably be thrown away - considering we have not used it since we moved in here a year ago!! Maybe I should just take it to the landfill since I don't remember what is in most of the boxes anyway!

Breadmaker, breadmaker, make me a match...

2008-07-10T14:41:00.000-07:00

Hello My Pretties,

I've tried several bread recipes in my breadmaker and have yet to find a winner. I plan to try a friend's tried-and-true recipe (I have had her bread before, it is fabulous) but I need to get things like lecithin, gluten and wheat berries. Wow, I'm adding all sorts of words to my vocabulary! Actually I don't know if I'll start out with wheat berries, as the only grinder I have is my hand-crank coffee grinder. All I can think about is Laura Ingalls in "The Long Winter" grinding berries for their (literal) daily loaf of bread during that winter of blizzards and starvation. Next thing you know I'll be making sticks of hay to burn to bake the bread and keep us warm...

Anyhoo if you have a good bread recipe, let me know!! I'm looking for 1.5 to 2 pound loaves of whole wheat bread for the breadmaker.

I tried a really good Italian Pinto Bean recipe today. I like it, and Things 1&2 both like it. The real test will be if the little ones eat it and most of all, if Kyle likes it. We'll have it for supper, along with two loaves of bread that I'm not 100% pleased with, but they're not bad. There's magic to making bread - and I ain't got it, as my Mama would have said. SHE could have made bread, of that I am sure, and she often did in her lifetime. She had all the makings of a domestic goddess. It must have skipped my generation!

Today Thing 1 is mowing at the neighbor's, and Thing 2 is there weeding the garden we planted with them. I guess the lettuce is growing by leaps and bounds. Maybe we'll have some of that with supper too. It's funny but I was a little weirded out by the lettuce when we had our first batch of it. I guess I'm used to it coming in a bag from the produce aisle!! Isn't that terrible?

Things 1&2 are heading to Encampment with Civil Air Patrol this weekend. Thing 1 will be gone from Friday through Tuesday (she assists a Senior Member of CAP who is blind) and Thing 2 will be gone from Saturday through the following Sunday. They are both very excited. It will be an interesting time with the oldest two gone. My three youngest are such busy bees that sometimes I have a tough time keeping up with them. I'm sure I'll be good and tired by the time the oldest two come home!! And next month they have Bible camp!

Well, I'm off to check on the little ones and get some work done. Kyle works late tonight so I need to get a few projects worked on. Like continuing the onslaught of getting through the basement storage!! Where's my timer?!?!

Cutting Costs

2008-07-09T06:57:00.000-07:00

With prices as high as they are, I've been trying to find ways to trim our budget. I recently found recipes online for homemade laundry soap and fabric softener and I'm going to try those. It sounds like I can make my own for just a few cents a load, and the process is fairly easy. I'll let you know how that goes. I'm also baking our own bread (I have a breadmaker - don't think I've gone all Suzy Homemaker, now) but I need to find a whole-wheat recipe that is a hit with the whole family. Healthy bread is no good if nobody will eat it! My next attempt at cutting costs is to start using up some of the dried beans I have stockpiled. I've found some great-sounding recipes online that have my mouth watering.

Any suggestions, recipes or advice for trimming the budget would be greatly appreciated!

One other thing that our family is seriously praying about is possibly buying a house closer to Moorhead. Our heart's desire is to be in the country, Lord willing. Until that happens though we are in an ideal spot for our family. We have lots of room, live just off a park with a paved trail that goes right by our backyard, and we love the small town we live in. We have considered renting in Moorhead, but rents there are about double what we are paying now. Moving is not only stressful, but it is expensive as well. If it wasn't for the commute, we would not mind staying here indefinitely, or perhaps even buying a house here. I'm glad God knows the outcome of what we should do and where we should go. We'll just have to keep praying and let Him reveal His will to us. In the meantime I'm working on finally getting through those last several boxes we still have packed in the basement. I'm on an organizational streak! Let's hope it lasts!!

Fireworks

2008-07-05T08:19:00.000-07:00

I've been trying to think of something interesting, witty and clever to post, but my mind draws a blank. So I decided to just start writing an update on our family.

So far this summer has been good. We are living without air conditioning, which has been tough on a few days. We have a tiny window AC unit in our living room but it's not big enough to make much of a dent in the humidity.

We've gone to Buffalo Park a few times, to the sandy-bottomed pool for swimming. They divert the river water and filter and treat it, so it's great for swimming. The kids have so much fun (so do I!) and it's great exercise. We try to go on weekdays when it is not so busy. Justin starts grinning the moment he gets into the water and his smile is plastered on his face until we leave!

Two nights ago, on the 3rd, I was working on the computer a little after 10:00. The kids and Kyle were all asleep, and I planned to head to bed myself. I started to hear noises outside our window, and realized that someone was shooting off fireworks. Not a big deal, I thought, after all it is almost the fourth. However, in Minnesota any fireworks that leave the ground and explode are illegal. So, I checked outside and realized that our neighbors were deliberately shooting their fireworks AT our house and vehicles! They were exploding right under the windows - which woke up the kids - and I figured it would wake up Kyle next. This did not make me happy, considering he has to wake up in the middle of the night to go to work! So, over an hour later I decided to call the police. Enough was enough, and it was obvious they were trying to hit our windows and cars with their bottle rockets and other fireworks. One of them was the spinning kind, and it went right underneath Kyle's car. Real smart. I have no idea why they decided to aim at our house (and our duplex neighbor's) considering I have not even met them yet. They just moved in across the street a few months ago and other than waving at them a few times, I have not been introduced.

Anyway, the police showed up and he watched them himself for awhile, then walked up and arrested the teenage girl who was in possession of the lighter! I figured he would just give them a warning and take their fireworks away. I walked outside to speak to the officer myself and tell him what had been going on (later I realized this was a mistake - I should have stayed inside so they did not know I had called the police) and the girl let loose with profanity towards me, the policeman, and anyone else within earshot. The officer was not pleased with her language and I heard him tell her she was "going to juvvie" - little did I know this was not the first time this girl has been in trouble.

Afterwards I talked to the policeman, thanked him, and told him they were aiming right at our house and car, it had gone on over an hour, and that I would have tolerated a few fireworks if they had kept them in the vicinity of their own yard. (After all, it is Independence Day!) He said what they were doing was illegal and they were really out of line. Yikes, I felt sorry for him having to deal with the disrespect of that girl and her foul mouth. I almost ran home to get some soap for him to use...

Now I am a little concerned for retaliation on the part of this girl and her family. I guess if we have flat tires some morning I'll know who to thank! Hopefully this girl will go to a place where she can truly get some help and turn her life around. It's obvious she has some serious issues.

Other than that we are all well, we've been enjoying the sunshine and warmth and I'm trying to store some of it up to use this winter, lol!

The Life and Death of My Mother

2008-06-26T07:30:00.000-07:00

One year ago today I was planning my Mother's funeral with my siblings. It all happened so fast that even now it seems surreal. Sometimes I still can't believe she is gone.

Mom's health had been rapidly failing and she was diagnosed with lung cancer. Three days before her death we met with her doctors to discuss the best treatment options. She was in excruciating pain due to a vascular condition called Boerger's Syndrome that was cutting off circulation to her left hand. The tissue in her fingertips was literally dying. That day they gave her morphine to alleviate the pain, but it barely took the edge off. She had been suffering from this condition for several weeks by then. Her oncologist had the saddest look in his eyes and I could tell he was very concerned - not so much about her cancer, but about her hand. We discussed possible amputation, but that was problematic as it would be difficult to know how much tissue to remove. Mom's primary doctor reviewed her charts - then paused, took Mom's hand into her own, and suggested that we get hospice involved. But none of us were ready for that, least of all Mom. Little did we know that two days later, we would be doing exactly that.

Later that day it became obvious to my sister, who is an RN, that Mom was probably experiencing a stroke. She was having more and more difficulty walking, and her left side was becoming flaccid. But Mom was a mighty tough lady and she continued to fight. I don't know how she kept going, when I look back at all the obstacles she was facing with her health.

The day before she died I was in church with my family and I sensed a strong urgency to call my sister. She said I needed to come back as soon as possible, as she decided to call hospice. I remember feeling so numb, and walking in the hallway of the church as though I were dreaming. Someone stopped me to ask if I was okay - and I blurted out, "My Mother is dying." I could hardly believe the words that had just come out of my mouth. I wasn't ready for this!!

I headed to Mom's that afternoon and my sister and I met with the hospice nurse. How wonderful she was! I knew right away we had made the right decision. It was obvious Mom was having a stroke and that it was "extending" - a word I learned from my sister. We decided to let nature take its course. Mom had faced enough and she had made it clear to us that there were to be no major medical interventions during a situation like this. Wow, is that hard to actually follow through on, though! Part of me wanted to call an ambulance, treat the stroke, amputate her dying tissue - and give her a shot at fighting her cancer. The other part knew that Mom was tired and could not take any more. To have pursued any other medical help besides pain control would have just made her suffer even further.

I decided to stay with Mom that night, even though there was a hospice nurse there. I just needed to be near her. My sister was concerned that I would not sleep, as Mom had not been sleeping hardly at all. I didn't really care, I just could not leave. That evening Mom was up in her recliner, she was very chipper and upbeat - and surprisingly pain-free, for the most part. The hospice nurses were working very hard to stay on top of her pain. We had just moved Mom to her lovely new apartment (an assisted living facility) a couple of weeks before, and she began to look around and see things that needed to be done. She was disgusted with the arrangement on top of her entertainment center ("Who did THAT?" she asked me!) and had me get up on a step stool several times to re-arrange things to her liking. Did I tell you that she was a very particular homemaker? :) I laughingly complied with her requests. Then she said, "We need to clean the apartment really well for all the company that will be coming." I said, "What company, Mom?" And she looked at me rather puzzled, and didn't know what to say. My sister said she thinks Mom knew at that point that she was dying - and the company that would be coming would be her relatives. It was just like her to worry about how the house looked after she was gone!! :)

That night Mom slept through the night, the first good night's sleep she'd had in weeks. I was so happy for her to have finally gotten some rest. She was in a good mood that morning but the stroke was worsening. She could hardly walk any more so we decided to get a bedside bathroom stool for her - and we ordered a hospital bed. She did not like that idea but we were struggling to help her in and out of bed. At one point, I was helping her shift around in her bed and adjusting her pillows. I attempted to move her up on the bed and just could NOT do it. I'd watched my sister (the RN) move Mom around and she made it look easy! After my clumsy attempts, Mom laid back in frustration and dryly quipped, "Elizabeth, it is obvious to me that your calling is teaching." Oh, how my sister and I laughed! That was Mom's sense of humor - sassy and dry and out of nowhere. I loved it.

Her sense of humor remained intact up until she was dying. Throughout the day we had family visiting, two of her sisters in particular. We decided that evening to leave Mom in the care of the hospice nurse and go out to eat at a local chinese buffet. I think Mom was glad for a bit of a break from all the company - and she looked forward to a bit of quiet time. As we left she joked, "You go out and enjoy yourselves. I'll stay right here." So we left her place laughing, in spite of the heaviness that was over all of us.

While we were eating the thought went through my mind, "What if Mom dies while we are gone?" and just then my aunt said the same thing. I quickly dismissed the thought though - none of us fathomed that she could go so quickly. However, when we got back to her place the hospice nurse was deeply concerned. Mom had suddenly turned for the worse and it was obvious she was dying. And she was scared.

At one point I asked for a few moments alone with Mom. I needed to spend some time in prayer with her and I wanted her to be aware of what was going on. Her breathing was labored - and she was frightened. I told her that her time on earth was ending and that at any moment she could be meeting the Lord. I urged her to examine her heart, to be certain she was ready to meet Him. I reminded her that God's word makes it very clear that only through His mercy and grace can we get to heaven - not by our own good works or religion. Then I prayed with Mom, prompting her to accept Christ as her Saviour. I'm so thankful to God that I had that time with her, it was a very precious moment in the midst of a time of despair. I could tell that Mom's breathing and body began to visibly relax after we had prayed.

Within an hour or so the moment we had all been dreading was upon us. Just then her brother called - and as Mom took her last few breaths he said his goodbyes to her over the phone. Literally at that moment Mom's sister walked into the room - spoke a few words - and then Mom was gone. It was over. She spent her last moments alive on this earth with her two daughters, a daughter-in-law, and two of her sisters. I'm so thankful I was there.

Now, one year later, every room of my home reflects my Mother in some way. There is a picture from her, or a knick-knack, or a piece of furniture that we inherited. It is bitter-sweet to have these things.

Her funeral was bitter-sweet as well. But, in typical Mom-fashion, several funny things happened. First off, Mom had picked out an outfit she wanted to be buried in. It was a lovely dress and she even had matching undergarments, shoes and jewelry she wanted to wear. She said she was "Going out in style"! However we could not find her shoes!! Sometime during the confusion of moving her to her new apartment and going through her belongings she had accidentally given the matching shoes away to her sister! So - we buried her in a pair of her favorite slippers. One other thing that happened is we could not find her bottom dentures! I am convinced she hid them on us. The were always in her purse, she did not like wearing them unless she was eating, for some reason they were bothering her. I looked in her purse, my sister looked in her purse - every person who was there searched her apartment top to bottom. The teeth were nowhere to be found. So we had to bury her without her teeth.

Mom had the most beautiful casket, it was a work of art. We all agreed on the same one - it was very "Mom". After we said our final goodbyes to her, all four of us siblings gently lowered the casket lid. For whatever reason, we let go of the lid about an inch or so from shutting - and it snapped shut with a loud echo throughout the church. I was mortified!! We slammed our Mother's casket lid shut!!! Can we have a do-over??

On the way to my brother's house that evening after the funeral I mentioned how much it bothered me that we had slammed Mom's casket lid. My oldest brother said, "Well, the last thing Mom always said to us as we left the house was 'Don't slam the door!' " and we all had a good laugh. It helped to bring that moment into perspective for me.

But what about her teeth? As we packed up Mom's things we all kept an eye out for the missing teeth. It was so odd we could not find them. After all the things were cleared from her apartment, and we had cleaned it from top to bottom, I picked up her purse and looked inside, and (I am not kidding either) there were her missing teeth, in plain sight!! I can't count how many of us looked in her purse for those teeth - and I had looked in there several times myself.

You got the last laugh, Mom. Oh, how I miss you!

19th Wedding Anniversary

2008-06-23T07:50:00.001-07:00

Today is our 19th wedding anniversary. We were at the wedding of our Pastor's oldest son this past weekend, so that brought back a lot of good memories for both of us.

Nineteen years ago, at this very moment, I was at the hair salon getting my hair done for the day. When I woke up that morning it was pouring rain outside but I was so happy I did not even care! The sun did come out though, although later it got up into the 90's and was very humid. The church did not have air conditioning - and I wore long sleeves that day - but again, I was too happy to even care. Just before the reception it began to rain cats and dogs - and then it began to hail. (Someone told us later that if it rained at your wedding you would be rich, and if it hailed, you would have a lot of kids. Well...you can't have both, I say! So I guess we are rich...in children!!) When we got to the reception the power was out, so someone found a bunch of candles and lit them. My silly Dad jokingly said, "Let there be light!" and just then - the power came on!! He laughed about that for years.

Before we knew it, the reception was over and we were off on our wonderful honeymoon. What a terrific vacation we had together - we went to Fargo for the weekend and then went to Tom William's Christian ranch in the Ozark Mountains. It was beautiful but ugh - I got carsick. A girl from the plains is not used to all the ups and downs of mountain travel!! We spent a glorious week at the beautiful ranch and there was preaching every night. A great way to start a Christian marriage!

I remember all the planning, the excitement, and the decisions we had to make. I was so excited to be getting married and thinking of the "Happily Ever After" that it was almost impossible to fathom that we would ever face any obstacles. I had intentions of being the best wife ever and never having a disagreement with my beloved groom. I must say now that my notions of love and togetherness were very immature - but I suppose that is a good thing. If all married couples could look down the road they would probably run the other way! I do know this much - that all the triumphs and trials have bonded and strengthened Kyle and I. We have weathered many storms together and have become closer through each one. The love I have for my husband now is not the same as it was 19 years ago. It is deeper and stronger and more meaningful than it has ever been.

Someone gave us a card for our wedding where they wrote, "A wedding lasts one day. A marriage lasts a lifetime." I'm so thankful for a Godly husband. I'm so grateful to God that the day I looked into his eyes and made my vows to him that I know he meant his own vows to me with all his heart. When God brings a couple together there is such beauty and strength in it.

I love you honey - through sweet and sour. Happy 19 years together. ~ Your "Phyllis" ~ (As in Phyllis Diller. He called me that our first morning together because my hair was sticking out all over the place!!)

my gastric bypass story

2008-06-13T19:55:00.000-07:00

Four months ago today I underwent a laparoscopic gastric bypass surgery to aid in weight loss. This was a decision I had made more than a year prior, when I attended my first informational meeting in January of '07. It took several months of dietician meetings, going over my diet history and weight-loss attempts in the past, and meeting with the surgeon before our insurance finally approved the surgery eleven months later. At that point they were scheduling three months out so I was scheduled for February 6th. However I ended up with a whopping UTI (bladder infection) and got very sick, so the doctor decided to postpone the operation. I was disappointed but also very miserable - and to the point where I didn't care, I just wanted to go home and rest. Anyway, the surgery was scheduled for the following week and I was fine by then, after having gone on antibiotics. The prep for surgery included inserting an IV, which they had a tough time doing. They got one in a precarious spot, but taped it up and decided to leave it. They planned to give me just enough meds to knock me out, then they were going to go "digging" for a better vein. I was glad they decided to do that after I was asleep! When they wheeled me into the operating room and had me lay on the narrow table, with my arms out to the side, it was a little scary. I didn't like the smell of the room and I saw some scary-looking instruments on the tables. The nurses were good about trying to distract me from all that and they gave me something to "relax" me right away. Well, it knocked me out. The next thing I remember was the recovery room and a nurse sternly telling me to "slow down your breathing!". I think she had just removed my breathing tube and I was hyperventilating. Things are very foggy after that, I have brief glimpses of remembering the recovery room, and being wheeled to my hospital room. Kyle was there and I was glad to see him. My pain was under control with morphine and a pain-pump for me to give a little extra as needed. I slept a long time and then decided I needed to go to the bathroom and wanted my catheter out. The idea of this scared me a bit, I guess I thought it would hurt. But it didn't at all, and getting up to the bathroom was a slow process - and uncomfortable. I don't remember overwhelming pain, just discomfort. I spent two more nights in the hospital, gradually went from ice chips to water to broth, then jello and watery hot cereal. I slept the majority of the time I was in the hospital - that morphine wiped me right out. The first night they even had to give me oxygen because my sats kept dropping so low when I would sleep. I think I scared the nurses a couple of times. Hee hee.

All in all the surgery went beautifully and my recovery was so much better than I had anticipated. I did not have out-of-control pain, I did not have vomiting or other complications, but I did follow the protocol quite closely as to how I was supposed to eat post-surgery.

Since last November, when I first began to lose weight to prepare for surgery, up until now, I have lost 55 to 60 pounds. I'm exercising more than I have in years and I feel SO much better. I'm off two of the three blood pressure medications I had been on and I am very pleased with that. My energy levels are much higher too.

My goal with the surgery was to become healthy again, not necessarily get "skinny". I haven't been skinny since the fifth grade so I'm not going to kid myself with some unrealistic illusion of thinness. I come from tough polish, german, irish and french stock - the women in our family are built like barrells - so there is no thin waif that exists inside of my body. My body was meant to birth children, clear a field, milk a cow and churn butter. And my ancestors probably did all those things in one day!

So, if there is anyone out there who is considering this surgery, most of all I suggest you seek the Lord and ask Him to guide you. The weight loss battle is a very difficult one and it is different for everyone. I can only tell you of my own experience with it so far. This can be a very controversial subject with some people too. I had to do a lot of research and studying, and mostly praying, before I even considered going through this. But I don't have any regrets and I am looking forward to getting down to a healthier weight and getting off the final blood pressure medication I've been on. And I plan to be around a long time to continue to share my sad, strange sense of humor with whoever reads my blog!! :)

Failure

2008-06-12T07:27:00.000-07:00

I saw the following quote today and have been thinking on it quite a bit:

Henry Ford: "Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently."

I have failed many times. I've failed my husband, my children, my friends and family, and most of all, to my shame, I have failed my Saviour.

How thankful I am for grace and mercy and for a Heavenly Father that loves us in spite of our mistakes!

I guess I can honestly say that a day does not go by where I fail in some way. There are days when I am impatient with my kids, less than submissive to my husband, distant from the Lord - and that is really where it all starts. The closer I draw to Him, the less I fail those who are around me.

I recently started teaching a children's church class on Wednesday nights for ages 6-7.5. It's a big class and when things get boring for them, and I don't keep the lesson interesting and moving along, I can quickly lose control. That is what happened last week. The service went a little longer than usual in the auditorium, and the kids grew impatient - and I ran out of material. The noise began to escalate, the kids began an uprising - surely they were going to take me out!! I began to fear for my safety!! Oh, when would those parents get here to pick up their little demons, I mean children??? Well, the class finally ended, the last little person was claimed by their owner - and I went home and took a tranquilizer. But yesterday evening when it was time to teach again I was SO ready for them. I had my lesson all ready, had extra material to study in case the service went longer than usual - and here's the clincher: I bribed them. Yup, I resorted to good 'ol bribery to get them to behave. I told them if they as a whole behaved, that after class they would get an extra treat!! Well, things went much better and other than a few disturbances (which I quickly squashed) the little darlings did beautifully. And I didn't even need a tranquilizer this time!! LOL!

I guess you could say that I learned from my mistakes, as is quoted at the beginning of this post. One of my other favorite quotes is this:

"Tomorrow is always fresh, with no mistakes in it." Anne Shirley

So, even when we fail, even if our entire day is a disaster, we can go to a loving God, ask Him to forgive us and help us try again - and get up the next morning with another chance to make things right. I'm so thankful for that!!

In His Care ~ Beth ~

The Benefits of Schooling Year-Round

2008-06-07T08:35:00.000-07:00

During this time of the year we go to a lot of graduations and we hear a lot of homeschoolers say that they are done with school for the year. That is the norm, I guess, but the Grove family is anything BUT normal!!

In the past ten years of homeschooling we have only taken one summer break, and that was by default. Last summer was so chaotic - we were in the middle of moving when my Mother got sick and died - and out of necessity I packed up the books for most of the summer. The kids were not happy when I insisted on getting those boxes out of storage in June!

I decided the first year of "official" homeschooling that we would have school year-round. It immediately took the pressure off of me to be "done". We typically have school 4 days a week, on the days Daddy has to work, which is Tuesday through Saturday. Sunday is, of course, the Lord's Day, and Monday and Tuesday are Daddy Days. Interestingly enough the kids are often learning something new that day from their beloved Daddy as he is always in "teaching" mode. He's one of the best teachers I have ever known - so eager and ready to teach in any given moment. The kids love it. Anyway, that is another post!

The benefits for schooling year-round (for us) are that we can take off days as needed for errands, field trips, vacations, holidays, illness - or if we just "feel" like skipping school, LOL! I take advantage of days when the weather is poor because the kids obviously cannot be outside as much then. So we might have a little extra reading or writing those days, or art projects. (By the way, I don't "do" art - I just make the materials available, such as crayons, markers, colored pencils, glue, tape, construction paper, etc. - and the kids come up with their own projects. Sometimes Alicia will oversee projects she finds from books.) I'm amazed at what the kids come up with for art sometimes.

There are a lot of days in the summer that are just too hot to play outside, so often on those days you'll find us with our nose in a book. There's nothing better than reading away a hot, lazy summer day in front of a fan, with an icy cold beverage.

So, in a nutshell, that is why we homeschool year-round. It works for us!

Frugality and Common Sense

2008-06-03T10:17:00.000-07:00

I read an article today about people who routinely go dumpster-diving to find food and other things they need. The woman featured in the article was not poor or homeless or even down on her luck - she just chooses to do this for the sake of frugality. I don't know if I agree with her mentality but I do know this - people tend to throw away perfectly good stuff all the time. All one needs to do is drive around during "clean-up week" and see the evidence on the berms of every yard in town.

I think it's very easy to get an upside-down view of "needs" versus "wants" in America. I remember after our fourth child was born, our oldest daughter was mortified to see me resort to using cloth diapers during a difficult financial stretch we were going through. I laughed at her expression as I diapered our youngest and told her that when she was born, I almost always used cloth diapers. Her grimace only deepened!! Then I told her when I was a baby, disposable diapers were unheard of! It was a good moment to teach her about needs versus wants.

We live in a small town, so the grocery prices here are higher than they are at the larger stores in the larger town my husband works in. I almost always purchase items on sale, and once a month or so I go to Wal-Mart or one of the bigger stores (like Cash-Wise) and stock up on staples and bulk items. I recently got the largest sizes of rice, sugar, flour, pancake mix, syrup, boxed cereals, and a few other things that we always use. It's so easy to whip up a batch of pancakes for a quick meal around here. And the kids love them for breakfast!

I don't know if I'll ever resort to actual dumpster-diving, but I'm not opposed to utilizing the thrift stores (I LOVE going there!) or things like eBay, Craigslist, and FreeCycle. As a matter of fact, our dryer just died - and I am picking up a used one today from someone on my FreeCycle list! I'm so thankful!

I could write lots more about this but my hubby wants the computer. Or does he need the computer? Hmmm...

Our Own Personal Children's Miracle Network

2008-05-31T14:58:00.000-07:00

This afternoon I have the "Children's Miracle Network" on television - it is a telethon to support Children's Hospitals nationwide. Eleven years ago this weekend our Kaylee was in the hospital following open-heart surgery to correct a hole between the upper chambers of her heart - called an Atrial-Septal defect. We actually ended up on local tv that weekend for the telethon, which was kind of fun. Kaylee was SUCH a tough little trooper, we still look back on how well she did with amazement. My dear sister was there with Kyle and I, and when the nurse came to take Kaylee off to surgery, she looked over his shoulder as he carried her off and gave us this sweet little wave and a huge smile - she had NO idea what was coming. We will never forget that moment - her sweet little face looking back at us, and our fear and anxiety. All three of us broke down sobbing as he took her away. Yet we knew God was with her and many people were praying.

I remember being so exhausted. The night before her surgery she was admitted to the hospital so she could have fluids, as up until that point she was strictly breastfed. Thankfully the nurse got her IV in the first time - a miracle in and of itself - as Kaylee has extremely difficult veins to find. She was still nursing every two hours, round the clock, so I anticipated a difficult night of holding her off from nursing from midnight on. But we got another miracle as she actually slept through the night. She was hungry that morning but it was not as difficult to distract her as I thought it would be.

When she went off to surgery, Kyle and I went back to her room and my sister went to the waiting room. Kyle encouraged me to lay down, as I had started to pace, and he finally talked me into it. I fell asleep almost immediately, and the next thing we knew the surgeon was in our room, telling us that everything had gone beautifully and we would get to see her soon. I could not believe I had slept through the whole thing, but God does give rest to the weary.

They put her in the ICU but she only had a couple of tubes. I noticed immediately that her color was better than it had ever been - she had lost the bluish tinge to her skin and was pink and healthy looking for the first time. They took such good care of her, she had very little pain and I could tell the nurses loved her and treated her like she was one of their own.

Throughout that day I had to pump, as she was not able to nurse for at least 24 hours after surgery. I had never had success pumping before (not even with my first two babies) so I feared I would have an uncomfortable day ahead of me. But God provided yet again - and I had success with the pump the hospital provided for me. That first night I thought I would be up at her bedside, unable to sleep, but (almost embarrassingly) I slept through the entire night! (They let me stay at the hospital and even gave me meals.) I flew out of bed that next morning and down the hallway to the ICU. Kaylee did great through the night, however, and the nurse assurred me that she would have summoned me if there were any problems. I certainly needed the rest, so it was good to sleep.

That morning they transferred her to the regular room and she did have a little bit of pain that evening, which they treated right away. The next morning the doctor actually thought he could send her home!! I was shocked and rather scared though, and asked him to please let us stay one more night, for my sake. Initially we thought she would be in the hospital for a week, so I was amazed they wanted to send her home after only a couple days.

That evening we were interviewed on TV, and Kaylee was jabbering and smiling and playing - and kicking her legs! The TV crew could hardly believe she had major surgery the morning before. She was one little good PR person for the telethon, believe me!! The next morning they interviewed us again, as we were being discharged.

On the third morning, they discharged her. She went home with just Tylenol for pain control, which I can still hardly believe. I was so thankful to have my sister (who is an RN) come with us, as I was scared to take her home. Kaylee did so beautifully, though, that all I can say is - what a miracle!

She was discharged from the heart clinic when she was 4 1/2 years old and quite technically her heart is now considered normal. How thankful we have been for her example and good attitude through the medical issues she has had. She truly is our Own Personal Children's Miracle Network!

Frustrations

2008-05-29T08:43:00.000-07:00

I have a dear friend who recently was diagnosed with a brain aneurysm. She had surgery a few weeks ago and basically suffered the affects of a stroke afterwards. She is finally home, but is having trouble with her speech and has limited use of her right hand. Her and her family have been very much on my mind and in my prayers. I can only imagine her frustration and the anxiety through all of it. I do know she has trust in Christ her Saviour and that He has been with her through this trial. Please pray for her continued recovery.

I thought of my friend this morning, as I was trying to customize this blog and could not figure it out. I'll have to ask Kyle when he comes home, because this computer stuff eludes me. I was very frustrated with the whole thing - but then I realized, I have full use of my hands. It's no problem for me to talk, in fact I talk too much. I don't usually have problems walking (although now that I am 40 I have aches and pains that I never had before!) so what was I getting so frustrated for? My challenges with the computer are nothing compared to what my friend is going through. I too often "sweat the small stuff". When I see the bigger picture, when my experiences in this life expand outside my own little world, that is when I can gain perspective - but often that comes through a trial or suffering. And that is what our human nature does not like!

Now, I shall attempt again to add a video to this post, as I was trying to do this morning. Watch, and enjoy, and I hope it helps you to think outside your box, as it has helped me.

In His Care ~ Beth ~

Reflections

2008-05-27T07:15:00.000-07:00

I've been thinking this morning about when my older kids were little (Things 1&2) and how busy I always was with them. Waking up most mornings to a crying, hungry, wet baby (Thing 2) nursing him and changing him, all while keeping a toddler busy (Thing 1) and out of trouble, then corralling her and getting her ready for the day. She loved SHOES. Sometimes, in order to give me a few minutes to get myself ready in the mornings, I would give her a box of shoes to play with. She had been given SO MANY - more than I have ever had in my life. She would put them on and off, play with the buckles, take out the laces and put them back in, and sing and chatter happily. It seemed then that I was often going from task to task with little time in between. Then Thing 3 came along and woah, if I thought I was busy before, having one preschooler, one toddler and a newborn with special needs really put things into perspective for me. Our baby girl, Peanut as she was affectionately called from the very beginning by the doctors, nurses and everyone else who saw her, has Down syndrome. Oh how tiny she was, and how weak. She was like a little rag doll with no muscle tone - we called her marshmallow baby. I fought from the very beginning to get her to nurse. It would tire her out so quickly and she would fall asleep. It was frustrating but after a couple of weeks of waking her every two hours, round the clock (doctor's orders!) she finally got the hang of it and her hunger instinct and rooting reflexes kicked in. So I had two very busy and mischevious little people, besides a newborn to contend with. Laundry often piled up, a "clean" house took on a new meaning - and I was tired all the time. Peanut could not take a bottle, and as she grew it took her months before she was able to eat any other foods. She was over a year old before she could eat cereal without gagging - but then she discovered Cheerios. Oh how she loved them! Just the sight of the big yellow box would get her all happy and excited. Funny thing is that Cheerios, straight out of the box, are still her favorite food. I'm amazed at how much of the stuff she can eat!!

For nearly two years I continued to nurse her, round the clock, every two hours. She was like a little timer - she would not cry but would snuffle around and I could tell she was hungry. Two hours would go by, and she'd be hungry again. I was thankful for her little internal clock because in the beginning we had to watch every ounce she gained, and feeding her was such a struggle. She had a heart defect that needed to be surgically corrected at the age of one year, so that slowed her development even more.

It's funny how sometimes I can think I am so busy, but looking back in time my definition of "busy" has changed significantly through the years, as my perspective has changed. Because Things 1&2 are both teenagers now they share a good deal of the housework - so I probably have more "free time" than I ever had. I can run to the store by myself, I can go for lunch or coffee with friends or I can take some time to write a blog like this. I just need to make sure everyone stays on task or stuff piles up quickly around here!

Well, I'm off to babysit for a friend who is coming over today. She used to be a student of mine, and now has babies of her own! Her little guy is staying while she and her husband take their two oldest girls to the dentist. It will be fun to have a baby in the house again.

I gotta admit I don't miss diapers and diaper bags and portable car seats - but I do miss my babies from time to time.

In His Care ~ Beth ~

Memorial Day

2008-05-26T13:43:00.000-07:00

Today we attended a Memorial Day service, and our Pastor gave the address. He did an excellent job and it was a very poignant and moving service. I saw one man, I think he was a Vietnam Veteran, leaning against a crutch, barely able to limp along. It was very cold outside but I figured compared to him I had nothing to complain about. I'm very thankful to God for those who sacrifice for our country and for the freedoms we have!

Before we left the cemetary I visited the graveside of a friend's tiny baby. Her name is Allyson Hope - and after her death the Hope Foundation was formed at our church. We minister to families who are grieving the death of a child and take the opportunity to send them some encouraging materials, and present the gospel. I saw one young couple there, sobbing over a child's grave. I left with a lump in my throat and the determination to be a little more thankful for my own precious children.

As we were driving out of the cemetary, a man driving in front of us stepped out of his vehicle to hand a tract to another man who was walking among the graves. They chatted for a brief moment, then the man who had received the tract shook his head, and handed the tract back, then walked away. I'll never forget the sight of that - a man, surrounded by the reality of death, rejecting the gospel. How heart-breakingly sad. I wanted to run after him and beg him to change his mind. I pray God will use something in his life to get through to him.

I hope this Memorial Day finds you with a thankful heart, remembering loved ones and those who have served our country and gone on before. I have an Uncle on my Dad's side who died in WW2 just two weeks before the war ended. He was only nineteen years old. I hope and pray that someone in the trenches in Italy presented the Gospel to him and that I will get to meet him in heaven some day.

In His Care ~ Beth ~

A Beautiful Lord's Day

2008-05-25T12:07:00.000-07:00

It's a beautiful, sunny Sunday afternoon here in the Red River Valley. It's probably the nicest day we have had so far this Spring. Church was so good today - we are re-arranging our Sunday School hour to make for smaller class sizes and I am excited to see what is in store. Our church is growing by leaps and bounds and our Pastor is making every effort to ensure that things still remain personalized and people don't "fall through the cracks" with increased growth. We have such a wise Pastor. Our family is so blessed to be a small part of the wonderful church we are in.

All the way to church this morning our family laughed and joked and enjoyed each other's company. I must admit though that Sundays are not always like that, as satan loves to fight. My husband and I do make an effort though to have things pleasant on the way to church, to make an atmosphere of praise and thankfulness before we even drive into the church parking lot. I know the devil hates it though and that is why he fights so hard. He loves nothing more than to drive a wedge between family members and he shouts with glee when they bicker and fight on the way to church. What better way to get our minds off God's word?

I knew on the drive there that somehow this was going to be a special Sunday. We actually got there quite early, and I was able to spend some time in prayer prior to the Sunday School hour. Most times I think the majority of the battle is waged in our hearts long before we take our place in the pew. Our attitudes throughout the day can affect the sowing of the word of God in our hearts prior to a church service. When people enter smiling, with eager anticipation, and sing and pray and enter into the service whole-heartedly, that is when God will really work.

I hope and pray that anyone who might read this blog has a place of worship, and a church family that they love. I really don't know what we would do without ours.

In His Care ~ Beth ~

My 40th Birthday

2008-05-24T08:57:00.000-07:00

I celebrated my belated 40th birthday last night with another friend who also turned 40 - and many more friends who joined in the fun. I was a little mortified when the "Happy Birthday Song" people showed up on the scene - I had to shake a maraca - but I made my friend wear the obnoxious sombrero. After all it was her actual 40th - mine was about 3 weeks ago. On that day (April 26th) we had a BLIZZARD and I did not make it into town. I didn't know it, but friends had planned a surprise party for me. Oh well - we made up for it last night. It was a lot of fun and I enjoyed visiting with Godly friends and laughing - and of course eating. I ordered a seafood burrito, much to my husband's dismay. He does not think seafood belongs in Mexican food, but I think it is good. I am happy today because I have the other half of the burrito for lunch, woohoo!!

One of my dear friends gave me a bag with all these candies/sodas that were popular when I was a little girl. Remember Pop Rocks? Those were my favorite. We all got a chuckle out of remembering all the goodies - chicklets gum, slo-pokes, bottle caps, snaps, bit-o-honey, lemonheads, fruit stripe gum, Nesbitt's soda - and much more. I felt like a little kid again on a summer day heading to the little grocery store on main street with money from my piggy bank - and loading my pockets with treats! Now I know why I had so many trips to the dentist as a child...

Even though today is a Saturday we will have school this afternoon as usual. Kyle works a 4-day week, Wednesday through Saturday, and he has Sunday, Monday and Tuesday off. So when Daddy is at work we typically have school...unless we have some other activity or the beautiful weather beckons us to play outside!!

Last Saturday we planted a garden with our neighbor and I think we'll walk over there and see if any plants are daring to poke up out of the ground. It's still been so cold I think perhaps the seeds might be afraid to germinate yet! I'm sure the weeds are making progress though so I'll take the kids and we can pluck weeds. I sure did enjoy planting that garden - I have not done that since I was a little kid. And we'll enjoy the fresh vegetables even more, I am sure!

Yesterday we drove by a house and the garage door was open - and inside it was stuffed to the max with STUFF. I thought it looked a little like the "storage" side of our basement. I need to get through the many boxes and rubbermaid containers we have down there and get it organized. I still have some pictures and decorations I need to put up that are stored too - and we have lived here a year! So this afternoon I think I will put on my favorite movie - Little Women (with Winona Ryder) and sort through some boxes. Once I get going it probably won't take that long. I just hope there are no spiders lurking down there!!

I hope you are having a fantastic weekend!

In His Care ~ Beth ~

I'm Not a Morning Person

2008-05-23T08:56:00.000-07:00

Today I think I shall write about our daily routines. First of all, I am NOT a morning person - I prefer to sleep in until I awaken rather than hear the irritating sound of the alarm in the morning. Actually what I end up doing is getting up when the kids do. Kyle has to be to work by 5:00am and I'm not the Becky-Homecky type that makes him breakfast before he leaves. (Sorry honey. I did have a dream last night though that I made him steak and eggs!) Anyway...when the kids get up (which usually depends on when they go to bed - if it is my typical standard bedtime of 9:00, then they will wake by 7 or 8) my oldest son Pickles (age 13) will make me coffee. He knows exactly how I like the creamer. And in my opinion coffee without some sort of flavoring like creamer is almost sinful. If you don't like that last statement, too bad. It's my blog and I'll write what I want to! So, once I have some coffee in me I will usually sit down at the computer and check my email and the daily news. I like to know what is going on in the world. We have an online devotional that we get, and depending on how much the kids interrupt me, I'll have some quiet time with the Lord. (Why is it that when we bow our heads to pray the first thing we often hear is, "Mom?") The kids are in and out of my room at this point, I'm reminding them to get dressed, brush their teeth and hair, straighten up their rooms - and eat breakfast. Except this morning PeeWee, age 5, told me he was "full" as soon as he woke up. That was because he wanted to go outside, though. Usually our oldest daughter Peaches, age 15, handles breakfast for everyone. After breakfast we work on household chores and I make sure that each one of the kids has their "zone" in shape. Peaches is in charge of the kitchen/dining areas and laundry, Pickles takes care of the family room/living room and bathroom. The little ones pitch in when asked and need to put away their toys and keep their rooms in shape. That sounds better when I write it than in actual real life. The truth is I am Domestically Challenged. When I was a child I didn't even have to keep my own room clean. I must confess that sometimes I find it very difficult to keep up with 5 children, one husband, one dog, four bedrooms and two bathrooms. Some homemakers might find that horrifying but I am a REAL person and won't sugar-coat this blog. It will just make someone out there in cyberspace feel bad anyway! Don't get me wrong - I love being organized, I love a sparkling clean house, I just am not always there. Okay, getting back to our schedule - after lunch, we usually have Bible reading time and prayer together in the living room. Then I will read (usually) some fiction to the kids. Recently we studied the pioneers and I am currently reading a series on the settling of the Dakota territories in the late 1800's. (Lauraine Snelling - Red River of the North series - needs to be edited a bit for the little ones as there is a bit of romance in the content.) After Reading, Things 1 and 2 work on their math, and Things 3, 4 and 5 (Think Dr. Seuss) work in their workbooks and on their reading skills. Then Things 1 & 2 will do Spelling together, and often I will give them a writing assignment for "homework". I typically have Things 1&2 also do science, history, social studies and geography together - and sometimes we even study it all together as a family. If you haven't guessed, we do a lot of reading. Typical trips to the library involve checking out at least 40 or 50 books. I'm a big believer of learning versus teaching. I use a curriculum for Math, Reading, Spelling and Writing/Grammar. I supplement for science, history, social studies and geography and we have a lot of books on hand to help with that. My philosophy is that kids are learning all the time - I just need to fuel their desire to learn and provide them with good resources. I fancy myself to almost lean towards "unschooling" but for my own peace of mind I do "teach" the first four subjects in the list above. I have used some curriculum for the other four subjects but prefer that the kids learn these things from good books and lessons along the way, especially with Daddy. He loves impromptu science experiments. Once he even did a science experiment in the middle of the night with our oldest two children. I woke up to giggling and talking - and found them in the kitchen with a big mess. I can't even remember what they were studying but they sure do!

Now, back to my schedule. Once schoolwork is finished we'll have playtime (which usually means heading outside or in the case of my oldest child, curling up with a good book) and I'll tidy up the house and start planning for supper. This can be tricky for me as Kyle gets home at about 4:00pm and sometimes he has eaten already, other times he comes home famished. Yesterday he had a snack and went to take a nap. The kids and I ran some errands, checked on Pickles, who was fishing at the river (didn't catch anything) and then came home and made cheeseburgers for supper. We woke Daddy up about 7:00pm, ate supper, and he watched a movie with the kids. I was able to have some time to myself - woohoo!! Then the little ones went to bed about 10:00, the oldest two cleaned up from supper, stayed up a little longer (we tend to be night owls!) and by 11:00 we were all asleep in our cozy beds.

So that is a typical day. Some days the schedule is thrown out the window - sick days, errand days, "Daddy" days - we take each day as it comes and most importantly, we try to learn something new every day. Homeschooling for us is a way of life and never stops after the book-learning is done. In my opinion, that is when true learning actually begins!

In His Care ~ Beth ~

My First Blog

2008-05-22T11:34:00.000-07:00

Hello,

This is my first blog. I love to write and plan to blog on topics about homeschooling, motherhood, my hobbies, and being a wife and Christian. Not necessarily in that order!! Today is May 22nd, 2008 - it is a beautiful, sunshiny day here in West Central Minnesota. There is no snow on the ground, woohoo! That is something to celebrate - considering it snowed on the 10th and that earlier this week it was below freezing one night!! As my Dad used to say, "The cold weather keeps the riff-raff out."

For those of you who don't know me, I have been happily married almost nineteen years, and my husband and I have five children - three girls and two boys. Peaches is 15, Pickles is 13, Peanut is 12, Pumpkin is 7 and PeeWee is 5. We have been homeschooling since the very beginning of our parenthood. Sometimes it is a bit more of a challenge with Peanut, our middle child - because she has Down syndrome. I use a variety of curriculum and try to adapt what we have to fit her needs. I hope this blog can encourage other homeschoolers, especially those who are homeschooling children with special needs. It can be done!

Since we homeschool year-round, we won't be having a long summer break. I don't like to have to review or re-teach things in the fall, and I prefer to keep our schedule basically the same all year long. We have "official" school days 3 to 4 days a week, and we usually take off any days Daddy has off, as well as additional days for holidays, field trips, or necessary breaks in order for me to keep my sanity! I learned a long time ago that what is learned from books is not as important as what we learn from life. Our kids are like sponges and they are learning 24/7 - and the thing that concerns us the most is the molding and shaping of their character.

Now I plan to send this blog out into the world - I hope there is someone out there who can find some encouragement from what I write.

In His Care ~ Beth ~