Hats, Gloves, Scarves

Today I made my bi-annual trek to get hats, gloves, and scarves. A few weekends ago when we went to the mountains I realized that everyone had grown bigger brains! I always go to Old Navy- they have nice performance fleece and usually good prices on that stuff. Everyone got to pick thier own- except Caleb who is on his way to Disneyland with Grandma, and Jonah who threw every hat on the ground after declaring, "I hate dat hat one, Mom!"


The girls, who hate to be called twins (because they're not), insist on dressing alike. Go figure. Jonah is almost too big for the baby sizes. And, horror upon horrors for the poor mother, Jesse had to choose from the MEN'S rack. For myself I will look when I am alone. I could use a nice hat, gloves, and scarf this year....

A Busy Week

Well, it's been about a week since I posted anything. I think that's a new record for me. Thanksgiving was fun. Our huge family got together for the day. From my parents down to our children there are 33 of us when we all get together. If you want to read all about Thanksgiving at my parent's house you can read Trish's blog.

On Friday we had our Rosebrook Family Quarterly Birthday Party. Since there are now 19 grandchildren we wised up about 5 years ago and started lumping the kids together according to which quarter of the year their birthday falls in and they all celebrate on the same day. The parents plan something fun together and split the cost. Only family is invited to come. This time it was Jonah's turn. He was turning three.

This quarter we rented out Jungle Playland. It was a lot of fun since our "Big Kids" who are from 13 to 17 years old are too old to play under normal circumstances. Also, since it was just our family there we didn't have to worry about our little kids too much. We sat around and talked and played cards while the kids played on the equipment.

By Saturday my husband was chomping at the bit for something to do so he started fixing various large holes in our plaster. About a year ago we had a large snowfall. We got more than a foot of snow in our yard- which is unheard of, since we live AT sea level, very close to the water. In the next week we developed an ice dam which started melting into our house. Oops. I had 3 foot long cones of paint hanging from my ceiling.

Sebastian broke into the ceiling to determine if it was an ice dam or a burst pipe. Ice. Well now I had a hole in the ceiling that stayed there until about February when we decided to have the plumber come and fix the plumbing that was up there. (A recent remodel made the bathtub and sink in that bathroom inoperable.) At that point we opened 2 other walls and the whole ceiling.

So now after a year I am finally getting my ceiling back. Yeah! Of course the whole dining room is being fixed so I guess I will have to paint the whole room. RATS! ;) (That is very sarcastic since I actually love to paint. I find it very gratifying.)

On Monday we had a party for Jonah's friends- since they didn't get to come to Jungle Playland. I had a Diego and Dora party for him. It turned out quite cute if I do say so my self! I downloaded coloring pages, we had an animal search, had Diego cake, Dora ice cream- Yes, Bryer's actually makes this- and I made rescue pack goody bags. Cute, huh?

A friend of mine likened our birthdays to Mardi Gras. We actually celebrate Birth Week. It just goes on and on. Always, there is the family birthday, and a friend party. We always have doughnuts for breakfast in honor of the birthday boy or girl. Since there are 7 of us , this is the only time we ever eat doughnuts, but it happens often enough! And, if one of the parties does not fall on their actual day, the child also gets to have a special dinner of their choice on that day.

I guess we get to breathe now.

The drywall guy should be showing up to finish mudding and taping Sebastian's drywall any time now so I guess that's all for now. But it's enough.

You Know Your Kid Is Over-Exposed When...

Just the other day Jonah was singing a goofy song to me.
He stopped mid-song, turned to me, and said,
"Mom, go get your cramra!"
Ha! Ha!

Here's A Funny Thanksgiving Story

PREGNANT TURKEY STORY
One year, at Thanksgiving, my mom went to my sister's house for the traditional holiday feast. Knowing how gullible my sister is, my mom decided to play a trick. She told my sister that she needed something from the store and asked if my sister wouldn't mind going out to get it. When my sister left the house, my mom took the turkey out of the oven, removed the mixed stuffing, stuffed a Cornish hen, and inserted it into the turkey...then re-stuffed the turkey She then placed the bird(s) back into the oven. When it was time for dinner, my sister pulled the turkey out of the oven and proceeded to remove the stuffing. When her serving spoon hit something, she reached in and pulled out the little bird. With a look of total shock on her face, my mother exclaimed, "Barbara, you've cooked a pregnant bird!" At the reality of this horrifying news, my sister started to cry hysterically. It took the entire family almost two hours to convince her that turkeys lay eggs! Yes, my sister is a BLONDE!

Praise God from whom all blessings flow;
Praise Him all creatures here below;
Praise Him above ye Heavenly hosts;
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost;
Amen!

Happy Thanksgiving

Also On Sunday

We figured there was just too much happening in our street for our young kids to be around on Sunday so we went for a drive. We stopped at Steven's Pass and played in the snow until our noses were numb and our socks were wet. Don't the kids look like they're having a good time?!

Big News In A Small Town

On Sunday we had something of a street party.
You see, nothing much ever happens here, so it doesnt take much to bring out the neighbors...
Like a controlled burn, for instance.

.

This was the view from my bedroom window when I woke up.



You can just barely see the smoke rolling out of the eaves in this picture.

This one is a good shot from my neighbor's front walk.



The fire men kept lighting the house on fire and then putting it out. They never did get it all the way out, though. Smoke kept roling out those attic windows. I don't know if I feel safer knowing that they have some practice or less safe knowing that the attic continued to burn the whole time....



About 2 hours into the drills the fire cheif finally smahed in the windows and every one backed out of the house. Within 5 minutes the flames shot out of the roof. From this point the firemen just controlled the fire and let it burn to the ground.




Notice the people on the street right in front of the house? Only in a small town...



At this point Jonah ran home yelling, "Marshmallows! Marshmallows! Daddy, marshmallows!"

All that is left now is a pile of ash!

Yummy, Yum, Yum

We are big soup folks. We just like it. In fact I had soup for lunch and dinner today.

For dinner I fixed Dump-A-Can soup. It's about the easiest thing there is to make. I thought maybe some of you would like it, so here's the recipe:

Dump-A-Can Soup
1lb ground beef, crumbled, browned, and drained
1/2 medium cabbage, finely chopped
2 cans kidney or chili beans
2 cans corn
2 cans green beans
2 cans tomato sauce
2 cans stewed tomatoes
2 cans water
In a large stock pot combine all ingredients, simmer until cabbage is tender.

**Do not drain the cans- just dump them into pot. Hence, the name.
**I usually do not salt this dish as the canned veggis are already salted.
**Because of the beans, this recipe can be made without the ground beef. It will, therefore, have only a couple of "Points" per serving.
**We like to eat this with a side of Mamaliga, which is Romanian for Polenta, which is Spanish for Corn Meal Mush. We like our mamaliga smothered in cheese. There went all those points!





P.S. Sebastian went to the doctor on Monday. They left the shunt in his face because it was still doing it's job. He has however gone back to work with some success. He did say that he kept breaking out into a cold sweat today. Obviously he has not fully recovered yet. Soon. He is on his way back. Keep praying for him. It makes me nervous that he is working construction with an open wound (He does keep it covered at work- but this is framing and such).

No News Is Not Always Good News

I have been meaning to write this post for a while, but I just wasn't sure what to say.
You see, Sebastian is sick from a freak accident.
On the 31st or the 1st he smacked himself on the cheek with a 2x4. He can't exactly remember the date because it really wasn't a big deal at the time. He was closer to a piece of lumber that was sticking out than he thought. When he turned around he smacked right into it. It was one of those, "Dang, that hurt!" things. Not an, "I need to go to the doctor!" thing.
Over the weekend he developed symptoms of TMJ. On Sunday night he met with the chiropractor (my dad) to try to get some relief. On Monday it hurt worse than before and it was a little swollen. Sebastian made an appointment to see the doctor who agreed that it was probably TMJ and gave him prednisone and muscle relaxers. Tuesday he was quite swollen- like he was holding a golf ball inside his cheek- and in a lot of pain. He went back to the doctor who did some x-rays on the off chance that he had cracked or broken the jaw bone. The doctor didn't see a break, but since he was so swollen he wasn't positive. He gave Sebastian some pain killers and sent him home with the instructions to call if he needed.
Wednesday Sebastian came home from work in such misery that I immediately picked up the phone and called the doctor. He said to give him as much pain medication as he needed to make it through the night and to call him first thing in the morning to schedule a CT scan. Thursday our doctor set up the scan and an appointment with an ENT. The scan showed for sure that there was no break so the ENT said that he thought it was Traumatic Perotitis. the gland that makes saliva lives in your cheek and apparently the blow to Sebastian's cheek was enough to make that gland swell and block the release of saliva, causing an infection. The doc put Seb on an antibiotic and sent him home with a follow-up the next week. By this time Sebastian's face was twice as wide on the right as it was on the left. he reminded me of an orangutan with his sunken eye, his wide, wide face, and the sad look in his eyes.
On Tuesday I could tell that he was feeling awful so I called the doctor's office and told them that he needed to be seen right away. Right away wasn't until the next day. We got to the doctor's office and he had to see the other doctor in the office. This doctor took one look at him and decided to cut a relief hole in Sebastian's face. He drained the wound and wrapped it up and said he had to go back the next day. The next day, Thursday, they put a stint into the hole,and redressed it, and said that he had to go back the next day. On the next day, Friday, the doctor drained the wound again, put a BIGGER stint into the wound. They wrapped him up and said to come back on Monday. We are waiting for Monday.
In the mean time he can't work because the infection has made him ill and weak. He tries, but he is always home in a couple of hours.
I would appreciate your prayers for Sebastian right now for quick healing. I hate to see him so miserable.
I would post a picture of the grossness, but it just doesn't seem right somehow to photograph his misery.

This is a contest that a friend of my sister Trish is having. She is the artist and creator of these super cute things. Go check out her blog and see how you can win all of this cuteness for yourself!

Too Much To Do, Too Little Time

This list is so long that Jonah had to get his reading specs for it!
Is it just me, or are there other people who would like to step off of the crazy carousel ride that we seem so eager to get onto at first?
I will say that my children do not join every club, team, or sport that comes down the pike. But there are 5 of them, so any little thing that they do is magnified 5-fold.
So here is what a typical week looks like at our house:
Sunday- Church. Always 5- 10 minutes late. I hate to be late especially to church. It seems irreverent.
Monday- 6am, get Jesse going
7am- kiss Jesse goodbye
kiss Sebastian goodbye
Read- preferably my Bible, though admittedly not often enough
7:30 shower, dress, drink coffee
8 am get Caleb, Libby, and Abby going
8:45 kiss Caleb, Libby, and Abby goodbye
get Jonah going
drink coffee
9 am talk to Andreena. This is a standing Mon. morning phone date.
9:30- 3 pm clean house.
This whole day is devoted to sort, wash, dry, fold laundry. When the kids get home they
must put it away.
drink coffee
3:30-4 self serve snack
4-5 pm Homework
5-6 pm Make dinner
6-6:10 devour dinner
6:10- 7 clean the kitchen
7-8 pm Baths and reading
8-8:30 prayers, kisses, much stalling
8:30- 11pm I hide in my office and blog or I watch a movie
11ish drop into bed exhausted.
Tuesday- Much the same until 8:45 am
8:45 am load Abby and Jonah up and go to Mops until about noon. If I am smart, I remember to pack them a
lunch to eat on the way home so Jonah can go straight to a nap and Abby can have quiet time with a movie.
3:30 see above
6:15 take middle 3 to AWANA
7pm- 8:10 catch up on any office work I have missed or any remaining house work.
8:10 leave to pick up middle 3 from AWANA
8:45 return with wired kids
8:50-9:00 eat a piece of fruit or some crackers and get your butts in bed! Oh yeah, I love you.
Wednesday- Same thing as Monday except school starts an hour and twenty minutes late every Wednesday so I skip
the kiss Sebastian goodbye thing.
9 am every other Wed- take Jonah to day care- time is important because that is what time they start their
academic day, and Wed is chapel. On the Wed that he is at daycare Abby goes to school. On the Wed that he
is home so is she. I work in my office the day that they are gone. All day. I emerge when it is time for the kids
to come home. On our "off" Wed we do something fun like go to the library, or every once in a while, treat
ourselves to Starbucks hot chocolate.
Same afternoon routine- except add in an extra child. I babysit for one of my teacher friends while she has a
weekly meeting. Not a big deal. Her son and my son entertain each other the whole time.
Thursday- Same as Monday am routine until 8:45
8:45 take JoJo to daycare- every Thurs. Work until the kids come home from school.
1st Thurs of month 9-12 MOPs leadership meeting
4:15 load every one up to go get JoJo.
Same evening routine
3rd Thursday of the month 5-9 MOPs leadership meeting
Friday- Same morning- except Abby doesn't go to school.
Some time during the day I go grocery shopping. I also strip and remake the beds (This is the only time
during the week that I make my kid's beds. The rest of the week it is up to them- or not. I don't care.) wash,
dry fold, put away bedding.
Same evening. Sometimes we go out on Fri night to play and stay up until really late. This is also the day
the video games come out and they get to stay out until Sun night- absolutely no video games before church.
Saturday- Do the "BIG" clean. AKA all the kids junk gets put away by the kids so that I can clean easier on Mon.
Then play all day. No schedule.

I feel like we are extremely busy all the time. I will admit, though, that unless I am in my office I am not very productive. Aside from all the time I spend chasing Jonah around making him clean things like all the soap he has pumped into the sink, or all the paper he has pulled out of my shredder bin, or all the cards he has spread all over the living room, or all the crayons that he has... I know I spend a lot of time puttering. Not really getting anything done- but busy none the less.

Does any one have a large family and tips for me- especially about how to change my time so that it is more productive and I can be more prepared for when the buzz of kids is all around me? Please let me know.

Parenting-vs-Babysitting

I get extremely irritated when moms say that their husbands, at home with the kids, are babysitting. They are not babysitting. They are parenting. A babysitter is someone you pay, who had nothing to do with the conception, when you need a break from your rotten little creations. A parent is one who, either by choice, or by default, or by both, is required to care for the child(ren) with no compensation except for their undying love and affection.

That being said, there are some exceptions....

Of course, who hasn't felt like doing this a time or two? Or, if you have actually done it, who is crazy enough to take pictures. I don't know this kid, by the way.

Post MOPs Letdown

Well, today was my second Special Tuesday. I feel like it went very well.
Today was The Bite of MOPs- much like The Bite of Seattle only on a much smaller scale. Our theme was the 50 States. Each of our small groups picked a state to represent, and decorated their area to match. They also made and served food from their state. Yum!
Because today was the first Tuesday following Veteran's Day, I gave the event a patriotic spin. I decorated all the tables with red, white and blue tablecloths. Each table had a flag standing in the middle of it. The podium was wrapped in a patriotic bunting and there was a display of flags in front of it.
We started our morning with 4 of the cutest boy scouts presenting the colors. After the morning business items were taken care of I gave a short history on Veteran's Day. I had a guest speaker today also. He is an area business man who is recently retired after 25 years of service in the Navy. He spoke about supporting the "Home front", wives and families left behind while the soldiers are on deployment, and how much it meant to him to know that his family was looked after while he was gone.
Then it was all food and a trivia game!
After all the preparation for these mornings and the buzz of activity, coming home to my (relatively) quite house makes me want to put on my jammies, drink some hot chocolate, and go to sleep until tomorrow! I wish.
What I actually do is: change my clothes, call my friend Kelly, drink more Coke or coffee, and start to clean my sadly neglected house.
I just called our self appointed official photographer and she assures me that I will have pictures for you soon. I will post those as soon as I get them so you will have a reference to all of my ramblings.
OK, gotta go. There's a stack of dirty dishes and a can of Coke calling my name....

The Diaper Pail

I was cleaning my boys' room today, looking for things I could get rid of and my eye fell on the diaper pail. Actually it has been a good solid month since I put anything into it. Then I realized that we dont even have any diapers in the house except for a few stray swim diapers (all new, by the way). I stood contemplating this a little while and my eyes wandered to the dresser top where a lonely and underutilized changing pad lays. I guess I have a couple of things to get rid of.

Do you think I would feel a little nostalgic that my baby's "baby days" are over?

Nah! This has been a 10 year journey for me since the birth of my first child. I have often had two in diapers, for a while there were three! Miss these days? Never!

I'm going to pack up these last vestiges of toddlerhood and send them the way of the crib, bottles, booties, creepers, and pacis. RIGHT OUT THE DOOR!

Then after everyone is asleep tonight I think I'll have a grown- up party all by myself!

Amazing Hammer Juggling Video! MUST WATCH!

OK, here it is right on my site!!! Yay, me!

Cool, Just Cool!

OK, so even if you don't work in the construction industry you might like this video.

For some reason I can't paste the video- probably not the right format- so just follow this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qF6hqN580b4

Kids, don't try this at home!

My Children Will Never... (Romanian Version)

According to my husband, fresh off the boat from Romania, his children will NEVER, EVER do the following:

• Whine for McDonald's every time they get into the car.
• Sit around getting fat playing video games (So far fat doesn't seem to be an issue).
• Complain about doing homework.
• Throw out ANY food.
• Drink their coffee any way but black.

Serious about that last one- he drinks it black and at least one of them follows suit. The rest of them like it full of cream and sugar.

My Children Will Never...

• Scream and throw themselves on the floor (or jump up and down- depending on age) in a store/ restaurant/ park/ at a birthday party.
• Roll their eyes at my inherent ignorance in front of their friends.
• Sass me and then TRY to walk away laughing with said friend.
• Pour whole boxes/ bags of flour/ cornstarch/cereal/ chips on the floor and then draw in/ jump on/ belly crawl through said item
• Stand to pee (especially, but not limited to, the boys).
• Pee on the fence that separates our yard from the elementary school.
• Pee from the window of the world's coolest fort in their very "in town" yard.
• Throw pine cones at the police man's car while he is parked outside our fence enforcing the school zone speed limit.
• Never, Ever plug the bathroom sink, fill it with water, stand in it fully clothed, and use their toothbrush to paint toothpaste murals on the bathroom mirror. (Last night)

Trish, Karen, what will your kids never do?

True Confessions

I feel..."narfy."
No, for those of you who know me well, "narfy" does not mean pregnant!
"Narfy" is a word that means you just don't feel like doing anything at all.
Says who?
I'm glad you asked.
Says Bethany.
OK. I admit it. I sit around at my desk writing out checks and listening to Adventures in Odyssey. You caught me.
But I still feel "narfy."

And In No Particular Order... (Part 2)

Elizabeth Iuliana
Yes, that's her up there.
That's my Libby-beth

Libby is our first girl. She's child 3 in the grand order.

Before Elizabeth was even born I had her name picked out. I never even considered any boy names. By the way, we're not peekers.

Elizabeth comes from the Old Testament. She is the mother of John the Baptist and the cousin of Mary. Elizabeth means "God is my oath." Her middle name, Iuliana, was picked by my mother in law. It translates to Julianna.

I had to think long and hard about the nickname, though, since I've never met a Liz or Beth I actually liked- Oh, wait there is one Beth. Sorry to the rest of you Liz's and Beth's I've never met . So Libby she is.

Libby is every one's favorite. All the kids beg her to play with them only- not the other brothers or sister. I guess that is good for her. She is the sweetest most lovable girl in the world. Libby is always looking out for other people. When we hike she has a tendency to be last- not because she couldn't be first, but just because she wants to make sure no one else gets left behind. That's just her nature. She will always stop what she is doing if her baby brother asks for something.

Libby is in second grade this year. She went to kindergarten at a local preschool when she was four because she missed the school district's secondary age cut off but was ready too go to school. She then went right into first grade where her brother was waiting for her.

That's an interesting story. When Libby was born, Caleb was 16 months old. He was walking but not talking, and not anywhere near being potty trained. He seemed to stop for a while. It was almost as if he was waiting for her to catch up. The potty trained together, started talking together- eventually I had to tell her to stop talking for him- and even learned to read together. When Libby was 16 months old Abby came along. They didn't bother to wait for her.

Libby is pure determination and spunk. If anyone can do anything, she an do it,too. And she'll prove it. Just look back at those pictures. She wasn't the first one to rope up that day, but by golly, she was the first one to reach the bolt at the end of the rope! Twice!

The school district does a cheer clinic twice a year where all the little girls get to cheer at a high school varsity game with the varsity cheer leaders. Libby absolutely loves doing that. She's pretty sure that she will be the captain of the varsity cheer squad as a freshman! I keep telling her that she is the one who will be on the top of every pyramid and the one to be thrown in the air for every basket toss because at 6 3/4 years old she weighs about 38 lbs. Her doc is not worried because somebody has to be on the bottom of the chart. And she does keep growing in the 10th percentile....

Libby is a pony tail, a pair of jeans and a skinned up elbow.

She is a cuddle on the couch whenever I am able.

She's a bed time prayer and a hug and a kiss.

She's a basketball thrown that will never miss.

She's a smile and a laugh, a pat on the back,

and a, "Go get 'em, girl!" because I know she is able.

And, In No Particular Order, Here They Are (Part 1)

Jesse Stefan

Jesse was chosen by his dad from the Old Testament. It is a Hebrew name meaning "gift". Stefan (Shte-fawn) is his Romanian grandfather's name which translates over to Stephen. We didn't realize it at the time, but our children are the only name-heirs in the family, and we scored big time points by naming our first son after the grandfather whose name he carried!

Jess is 10. He is in 6th grade. He is in middle school this year. Electives are a cool new thing for him. He decided to take Unified Arts so he could do the home-ec cooking unit. I did mention that he loves to cook, right.

Jesse has been making his own omelets since he was about 6. He likes them with Parmesan cheese and Herbs De Provence. If you just checked your spice drawer to see if you even had any of those- well, don't worry, you're not alone. We do tend to have an abnormal assortment of things he needs for his cooking.

About 3 weeks ago I twisted my foot and fell in our driveway. That put me on crutches for a week. It was a pretty good excuse to lay on the couch for a few days with my feet up. The bad news was that we already had dinner plans with some great friends that I really didn't want to reschedule. Not a problem, really.

Julie and Craig brought over salad and pumpkin pie, I made a batch of biscuits, and Jesse made Roasted Cod With Leeks and Cream. Impressive. I know. Actually, I hate fish. This was good enough that I tried it again this week. The sad thing is that it didn't turn out as well as Jesse's did.

Where did the kid get such a recipe? Well, Jesse decided he would go to study hall after school one day. When it got to be the end of the day he realized that he had all his homework done already. However, The big rule at our house is that if you tell mom and dad that you are going to be somewhere then THAT IS WHERE YOU WILL BE. Since he didn't have anything else to do, Jesse started reading cookbooks. Weird, I know.

The video is fresh off of his Cod success. I love it because it shows so much of his personality. He is either going to be a scientist or a chef. He's not sure yet. Maybe he could be both.

Jesse is the pot stirrer at our house. Calm drives him crazy. My mother always prayed I would have a daughter just like me someday- God answered her prayer in the male version of me.

Jesse is a "wordie" just like me. Before he could walk he was speaking in simple sentences. At 8 months he looked at me after bed time prayers and said, "Mom, yight off, peese." I'm not kidding. He didn't start walking until 11 months. I realized at about 1 1/2 that he had complete command over the English language when he started changing all the words to the songs he knew. Yes, they still rhymed.

One day at about 2 years old we were out for a drive and Sebastian and I were sharing a smoothie. Well of course, Jesse wanted some, too. We handed it back to him and he gulped away at it. All of the sudden, Jess smacked his forehead, screwed up his little face and said, "Ooh, this hates me!" and handed the smoothie back. Yep, you guessed it- brain freeze. Another day we were out shopping with my sister and she decided to drive through Taco Time. When Jess realized where we were he chirped up from the back seat, "Oh, lucky day! Lucky day!"

This is the big year for friends for Jess. He has never had to go looking for any because he has a built in set right here at home. This year, though he is at a different school- he left all of his siblings behind at the elementary school- and has had his horizons widened. Already he has brought home a bunch of phone numbers and1 party invitation. This is a tricky one for me since our kids don't go to people's houses unless I have met the parents and seen the house. Does any one have any advice on how to handle this one and still leave my middle schooler with a shred of dignity. The rule doesn't change, I'm just wondering how to do it without totally embarrassing him.

Jesse doesn't play team sports. Unless you count chess club. Actually we don't have a chess club, but he would be in it if we did. He is going to join the science club on Monday. It was a hard choice for him because both the science club and the library club meet on the same day. Go ahead and laugh. I am.

Obviously I could go on and on, but I will spare you the novel. He's cute and lively, and he may just be your son's boss one day- or President- who knows!

P.S. Sorry the video is sideways, I couldn't figure out how to turn it.

Huh, how'd that get there?

I find stuff in funny places.

I was just cleaning up after dinner and I found the paper wrapper to tonight's butter in the tupperware cabinet. It got me to thinking about all the stuff I have found in wierd places.

Like the piece of polyfill stuffing I found in my then 6 year old son's nose. When I say I found it, I really mean that the smell from the front of his face drove me to make a doctor's appointment for him. He didn't say one word about it until the very point in time that the doctor pulled the rotting mess from his nostril.

Like the time, barely a week later, I found a silver bead in the nostril of his little sister. Luckily, I fiddled with her nose long enough to make her sneeze.

Like the wet diaper I found in a toy bin.

Like the two Hershey's bars I found in the huge Costco box of garbage bags earlier today. Lucky me!

Like toys in my kitchen cabinets. Video games in my dry pasta. Cerial in my shoe. Car keys under the refridgerator, inside the heat registers, in the bin of exta T.P., just about anywhere you can think of.

Now, if I could just figure out where someone put my sanity. Maybe the kids might know.

A New Page

I just turned the page on my calendar, and guess what I saw?

Nothing.

A whole page of nothing. I quickly flipped back to October and reviewed the month and turned again to November. Nothing. I sighed. Part of that was a sigh of releif. Here was a full month with nothing messing it up. No blotches and smears of ink, no demands on my time, nobody needeing or wanting anything from me. Nothing. Another part of that sigh was the realization that I had better get out my ink pen and fill in those important dates that I have in my head but haven't written down yet. And lastly it was a sigh that this crazy, busy, hectic life may not have been what I would have chosen if I were Supreme Planner of the World, but it is exactly what the Lord has seen fit to give me and I know that he will give me the grace to endure and thrive each day.

Through the Lord's mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness. "The Lord is my portion," says my soul, "Therefore I hope in Him."
Lamentations 3:23