The Sweetness Of Family

Although I am close to my family, we're not the type that laments over long absences of each other. Of course I don't think I've ever gone over 6 months without seeing someone, and here I do have my older brother and his lovely family.

I remember soon after my marriage and immediate move to Hawaii I was a little surprised to find phone calls from my family a welcomed but rare occurrence. I was the first married of my siblings and had imagined myself to be a tragic loss for the family, even in the midst of their happiness for me. This was not the case however, and it seemed a pretty smooth transition all around.

Providence had the most difficulty with our move here, and though I think we're missed by my family a bit more this time around (something about the littles that pulls the at the heart) it's more or less the same thing. We miss each other but the real twinges are few and far between.

I'm having a bit of them now though, not too terribly, but I am most anxiously waiting for their visit in a month and to have the fun that all 5 of us together enjoy.

*Picture taken Christmas 2007*

A Late Start, But One None The Less

A ways back I decided to begin school with Providence this year, I thought I would just do this and that daily to start with. Well "this and that" was short lived...getting smaller and smaller till it faded completely away (shame on me, I know).

When talking with my sisters about my frustration they strongly encouraged getting a complete curriculum (more for me then Providence), that way I'd have lesson plans and such. I'm a lister, always have been and probably always will be so this sounded fantastic. Well today was our first day and may I just say Providence was soooo ready for this. She loved it and so did I, I felt like I was playing school in second grade and it was very satisfying.

For writing (since it still seems to be hard for Providence) we made letters out of play dough, I was really happy with how hers came out and so was she...then I had her spend 10 quiet minutes coloring in a book and wonder of wonders SHE STAYED IN THE LINES, for the most part anyhow, you can clearly see it's colored and not just scribbled over (which is how nearly all her "artwork" had been in up till now). Seriously one day of school and this, call me crazy but I could see marked improvement from the beginning of the picture to the end.

I love lesson plans, I love having a list, I love coloring in the lines.

Years Past: Part VII

In Hawaii when the time came for a baby shower a friend offered to hostess it, but since I knew a total of like 10 women and I wanted to include Joe in it and marines are always looking for some way to have a party our guest list ended up being primarily men. What does a baby shower composed chiefly of marines look like? Well to begin: 2 kegs of beer and some food, they'll figure out their own entertainment after that. Our unconventional shower ended up being really fun, and some of the guys even got us presents (like a lunch cooler wrapped in a beer case box with duct tape...I actually still use the cooler). This day is of particular special memory since this pictured was captured, nearly half of these guys were killed in the same helicopter crash Joe died in.

Baby Love Letters: Part V

Q: What makes you smile?

I smile at the silly things you say, like last night when you were "weighing" my head with a tape measure and told me it weighed 30 seconds.

I smile listening to you recite catechism to yourself and imaginary playmates.

I smile when you sing in church, quite your own words but glorifying the Lord none the less.

I smile when you tell me how much you love me, all the way to the top of the trees and under our bed, across the street and to the first star.

I smile at the questions you ask, the outfits you pick, your hair in the morning, the stories you tell....you make me smile.

And So It Ends

I have a {another} new niece! I've been bursting to say that all day but Kelsey wanted to present the news and first photos and I grudgingly conceded. Then she took all day to do it, using the excuse that she just gave birth or something.

So, I am now at liberty to say she's here! Everything went well, Kelsey did amazingly, third times a charm (not that she wasn't amazing with the other two). No name, so we're just calling her baby for now. Providence wants to spend every moment at their house, but is thankfully asleep at home now, she was going on no sleep since 4 something this morning.

To view more pictures check out Kelsey's blog.

What's Mine Is Yours

With the reviews I do over at Simple, we've been getting a fair share of packages in the mail, if they have a P on them Providence automatically thinks they are addressed to her.















She usually finds a "P" somewhere.

This Lord's Day

On the Lord's day Providence and I play a game and watch a movie together, this week was her pick and we played Candy Land and watched Duma (which was a pretty good movie).

Providence whooped me on the first game, I mean smashed. I think I was still back there with the candy cane man when she won. I am a poor loser...even to little kids, I don't like to lose and I don't like to let them win, I mean what's that going to teach them? I'll admit I've gotten a little softer, I'll even do a slow jog from time to time in a "race." But for the most part you play to win, right?

So into our second game it began to look up when Providence got stuck on some licorice not once but twice, I could taste sweet victory when low and behold she somehow made it to two squares behind me and then passed me it was a real nail biter but thankfully I recovered at the last minute and sailed in to win by like 5 squares. She then insisted we play another game so we went 2 of 3. She beat me again, badly again, but I consoled myself by realizing it's a game of complete chance, even so I'm still licking my wounds.

I still enjoy playing games, even when I lose so perhaps I'm not too much of a poor sport.

I want to go to an Eric Hutchingson concert for my birthday (it's around then) but don't really have anyone to go with. Is it completely pathetic to go to a concert by yourself? It doesn't sound too fun, anyone done it?

My FACE For The World

I joined facebook today, seriously. So I now have a blog, myspace, and facebook all about ME...is that vain?


I think it will get confusing, I've already nearly dropped myspace and only go on if someone's left a message or a comment...and I don't quite know how facebook works, but I guess one figures these things out if one wants too.

Beginning to End

When your day starts with finding cat vomit all over the floor of your bedroom, and then (before that's even properly cleaned up) discover your foster kittens, however cute they are, have defecated in the bathtub and tracked it all over the bathroom, it looks like bad beginnings, especially when you need to be out of the house by 10 which seems to be tricky for me even on a good day (boy how's that for a run-on sentence). And this right after I publicly announced my preference for these creatures.



The morning held no shadow over the rest of the day however, and we enjoyed overpriced pumpkin picking with some friends. The price included the hayride and any pumpkin you could carry out, with age based prices. I figured I could make up for my expensive "adult" pumpkin by encouraging Providence to pick a big "small child" priced pumpkin, the catch- she had to carry it herself, any help by an adult would result in an adult price. So her large could-barely-lift-it pumpkin got downsized on the way back to the wagon...twice.

The day finished up nicely, Kelsey was over all day doing laundry (since her machine was leaking), it encouraged me to get down to business about my pile, which though clean had been sitting around for weeks waiting to be folded and put away. I wish I had a picture to show you the monstrosity that was this pile, but you'll just have to imagine, if you can. And I finally put up the flag cases housing the flags I received at Joe's funeral. I didn't find a stud first (sorry dad) I hope they don't come crashing down on my head.

I'd say in the end the day was redeemed.

For The Second Time

For the second time in my blogging career I'm doing a tagged post and interestingly (or perhaps not so very) it's about the same thing as last time:

The Rules

Link to the person who tagged you, that'd be you Jaime

Post rules on your blog

Write six random things about yourself

Tag six people at the end of your post

Let each person know they've been tagged

Let the tagger know when you've posted your own randomness

1.) I can hock a loogie as good as any man I've met, seriously I've gotten compliments when I was younger. I try to stay more lady like now and keep it to walks and bike rides but I actually like to do it

2.) I file everything, like I still have pay stubs from 10 years ago...but they are filed.

3.) I like my lips, and am so grateful that God gave me my dad's and not my mom's rail thin ones (even though I love my mom and think she's beautiful)

4.) I love bangs, and want them everytime I cut my hair, but then I don't style them and have to clip them up all the time, I've done it too many times to count and I want to do it again

5.) I pick up my dogs poop on walks and am haunted from the few times that I haven't...I can still remember two instances from years ago

6.) I like cats better then dogs- there I said it, and if you want to call me crazy cat lady so be it


I tag:

Sweet sisters Ivanna and Osanna because I love them and would like to see if they can come up with anything I don't know

Andrea because she hasn't posted anything in forever

Sara because even though she's been on blogger longer then I have, she's fairly new to actually posting anything

Alison because I've known her nearly her whole life (since diapers baby) and I worry about her especially when I don't hear from her...ahem like now...so call...

The Scatterbrain because I don't know her personally and she was my first blogger stranger (someone that didn't know anyone I knew) at least that I'm aware of, even though she just posted a tag

So there you go, I will be extremely hurt if you refuse to participate and will take it personally, assuming that you just plain dislike me and don't care about me or my feelings at all.

{For those that don't know me, or don't know me well, that last part is sarcastic, very, very, very sarcastic}

So It Begins

I have a new little niece, hooray! Cadence Rane. Still waiting for the other baby.

Years Past: Part VI

In my teen years someone from my circle discovered how to make a tattoo gun with a walkman motor and guitar string, so most if not all of my friends sported at least one homemade tat from someone or other (I know my brother is responsible for some of those horrors). Basically it was like doodling something on a piece of paper only instead it's someones arm...think uneven mess. Think really, really smart.

As a silly 15 year old, one evening I thought it was high time I too had one of these beauty's and proceeded to use a safety pin and pen ink. Not my first run it with safety pins...I'd also used them to pierce my eyebrow on multiple occasions as well as my bellybutton and additional holes in my ears. However after a few rounds of my current safety pin project I decided it wasn't getting it done and I needed the "gun" (if you could call it that) since it was taking soooo long.

It ended up so small and hoopty that I've never really called it real, and until I actually got a tattoo (professionally) if anyone asked if I had one I'd say no, not wanting to show my quarter inch 7 and explain why it's there.

I must say I am grateful that I chose to make it so tiny since it hasn't faded at all and I was so sure it would. I've thought about doing something little to cover it up, and perhaps at some point I will. But for now when I see it I'm reminded of what I was and the work Christ has done in my life, and we all should have some kind of reminder for that.

Baby Love Letters: Part IV

It's been over a month since I've written a love letter to Providence, if what's in my heart can't get through to my head I'll just have to stumble along.

Q: How do you stay flexible when changes come into your life?

I have always greatly admired those flexible among us, ones that bend over backwards yet you wouldn't know they do. One particular woman and her family shines as an example to me of hospitality and flexibility, among other things.

When your father died, I was like the walking dead. It seemed like I was in a fog and couldn't see anything clearly, I couldn't even understand what people were saying sometimes. That first trip back to California for the funeral was hard, walking in my dreamlike state while all these strangers around me not knowing what I was going through. Wanting nothingness, quiet and nothingness. I didn't want to hear the everyday life of others, mine had ended and to see others go on was agony.

Knowing that my parents home would be a flurry of activity some friends offered their home as a base for me, a place to stay and keep quiet for me. At the time I just went where I was told and slept on the bed provided. Looking back I see how incredibly flexible this dear family was, having literally just moved into their home and experiencing two back to back miscarriages within months, they still saw a need and gave their own room and bed to fill it.

Those who can look outside themselves in the midst of their own pain and huge changes are truly selfless people and I cannot pretend to be in that class, but by and by, as the Lord works, I may one day.




Hua and Karl, you are a beautiful illustration of Christian love, thank you for being in our lives.

Last Chance

Today is the last day to sign up for our Simple Mom Search.

Creation Of The Mind

What do blankets, couch cushions, chairs, tables, and pillows say to you? To Providence they say FORT! (And there is usually some variation made every other day or so)

Breakfasting Observed

Last week I read CS Lewis' A Grief Observed, I was rather surprised to read so many feelings that I had. Surprised more so to find I no longer have many of the feelings I once did, and really how far away that rawness feels. Yes waves may still rush over from time to time, and they may always. But I'm no longer walking in a dreamlike state, waiting for nothing knowing it will never come back again, yet waiting and waiting. For life? To feel life. To want to feel it. I know that each persons grief is different, but reading words that my heart has felt was good, to see where it's been, and where it's at. I'm not as happy as I once was, but I think I can say that I may have more joy, and peace. That something is deeper, and that I love my Lord more and more.

And on to daily life: Providence wanted to have an indoor picnic for breakfast, she made us cereal and laid a blanket out for our eating pleasure, what a lovey.

Busy Like There's Something To Do

It's been raining off and on today, so besides the attending the regular storytime at the library this week we also went to a story/craft time today. Fancy Nancy was the theme and we made crowns after reading, singing, and dancing, yes even moms (sung and danced that is, unfortunately we didn't get to make crowns. How cool would mine have been...um really {in case you didn't pick that up} to get an idea I added the feather on Providence's crown, and that's just a small taste of what I can create, baby). They also had a dress up basket filled with fun. Providence insisted I be included. She likes us to match, but I don't mind it too much either. I'll even admit to getting dressed some days and somehow Providence ends up in something quite similar, I don't know how it happens sometimes, but my subconscious has to be working it out. So to end this bit we like the library, I think I've said it before...well the library likes us too.
And you can totally see my crows feet emerging in this pic, I feel so grown up!


When we got home our neighborly neighbor invited us over to check out their horses they just brought to their property, even Mary Scot was invited, so with a break in the rain (and a very beautiful one too) we walked over there and checked them out, Providence has even been invited to ride one of them next time they saddle them up. We couldn't very well come home before getting a few jumps in on the trampoline. What is with getting older? Everything fun turns dangerous, all I was thinking about was catapulting off the thing and getting severely injured.




While I was busy typing up our day thus far, Providence was busy teaching school (have I mentioned she wants to be a teacher when she grows up? No? Well that's another story). Those dogs may look well behaved but don't be fooled. Some of them are in BIG trouble for not looking forward, and you're supposed to pay attention to your teacher, you know. Mary Scot takes the cake for being the disruptive student however, she kept harassing the teacher, and I'm pretty sure that's frowned upon at school.

Brie And Crackers

Brie is an adored treat in our house, though usually only enjoyed at parties. As an extra special -but for no particular reason- evening I occasionally will make a fun "dinner" of brie and crackers. We even have a song we sing while we prepare:

Brie and crackers
Brie and crackers
So yummy
So yummy
I can't wait to have some
I can't wait to have some
So yummy
So yummy

sung to the tune of Frère Jacques

Are You Simple?

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The Waiting Game

I have two niece/nephews arriving any day now. I am just waiting, and waiting to get the call the one is preparing to make their appearance.

My brother-in-law's fiancee Ray was due September 27 with a baby girl, and brothers wife Kelsey is due October 6 with a surprise, though of course we know it to be a baby.

My wait may not be of the same magnitude as the mama's, but I do wait in great anticipation.