The Low Down in Bullet points

I feel like I have been behind the 8 ball when it comes to keeping up with the stuff of life (like paperwork, blogging, laundry, making proper meals for my family) but here is the scoop....

• Potty training Riley (we had a relapse when dear Phineas came on the scene and are coming out of a long recovery mode. I think I was recovering as much as Riley. Thanks to my mom who was here for a week and determined to get her granddaughter back on her potty game.
• Dealing with broken down cars....we are in desperate need of a work truck. Ours leaks power steering fluid like a sieve, you have to push it to start it, etc. etc. etc.
• 2 Weeks of various "Inner Healing" type training.
• My sweet G is starting 1st grade....proud, concerned...will he be challenged enough? obedient enough? cool enough? uncool enough.....
• Having my kitchen overtaken by Kombucha mothers, Caspian Sea Yogurt and Kefir and some sort of KimChee veggie. Scott is all about the fermented stuff and I think he needs his own special little kitchen complete with sink, stove top and fridge.
  
• Lot's of yard work...new beds, bamboo, play area complete with huge sandbox and special kiddie mulch.
• Healing from a 2nd degree burn on the chest and tummy from a tea spill at Starbucks.
  
• Falling in love more and more with my children.
  
• Vigilantly protecting my date night with Scooter
• Thinking about old friends...the ones that got away because of time or offense.
  
• Sorting our garage - not an easy task with all those tools, etc.
  
• Dreaming of the ocean (always dreaming)
• Praying for those lost in my family with a new sense of urgency and grief over the ramifications of their choices thus far.
  
• Figuring out what I actually like to do in my spare time.
  
• Sorting kids clothes since they grow like weeds.
  
• Correcting my children for the umpteenth time
• Thankful for air conditioning and electricity.
• Had a garage sale with a friend.
• Went to Montana to visit one of my best friends and then met my mom there for a visit.
  
• Planning to exercise :)
  
• Off of coffee for 6 months.
  
• Craving ice cream
• Doing a lot of laundry.
  
• Cleaned my utility Room
  

The Storm & The Dream

A few days ago I had a dream...

My family was on the ground being covered up by a huge canopy/tent like thing. In the dream....I said...oh this is the Kabod of God.

Kabod (Hebrew) - the glory, "weight", or power of God.

I don't usually spout out Hebraic words, in dreams or awake, so it would not be normal for me to surmise, in the dream, that this was the Kabod of God . There were many bodies under the canopy and my family was on the outskirts watching the final portion of the tent being folded over us and being tucked under.


Last night there was a mother of a storm over our house. Full of the kind of thunder & lightning that rattles windows. The kind where it feels like the eye of the storm is directly above you. It makes you feel small and a bit powerless. When I awoke I immediately thought about the kabod being around us and I felt safe. I also was thinking about the earthquakes and thunderings Revelations refers to and how much more intense those shaking will be.

They are coming soon and those who are not living under the Kabod of God will be living in a volatile world.

The Basket.

We have a basket in our house full of rocks and shells. Stuff we have collected from various trips. It is our little stockpile of memories.

Some have names written on them like; Masada. We grabbed up at the top after a long walk up.
Some have nothing written on them, but have been given a name; such as a rock the size of my fist that looks a bit like a women's bodice. She is dubbed "Mother Love" because of her shape. We found that rock in the middle of a Wyoming field with our friends Nyla and Lynnea. The details are fuzzy, but I do remember walking single file through a dirt field because we were trying to get to an eagles nest and Scott got us to believe some sort of nonsense that if we walked in a single file line the eagles might not realize four people were encroaching on them? I still laugh about it.

There are shells and agates from the Oregon Coast, polished stones from a family member, a rock from our honeymoon in Hawaii, a smooth river stone which turns a turquoise color in water from some trip through Idaho.

The basket holds reminders of some of our best times together. The ones when we were able to slow down, listen and love easier. Times when we were quickly reminded of why we choose each other, why we choose a family, why we said yes to God.

Garage Sale

Garage Sales have been good to me over the years.....I love browsing and buying, but holding my own is akin to having bamboo shoots shoved into my nail beds. They just take a stinking lot of work. Sorting, pricing, setting up, breaking down, selling, bartering. UGH!

A friend of mine mentioned she was having a garage sale and I knew this was my golden moment. I politely asked if I could crash the party and join. Her place is a better locale, she is uber fun to hang with and there will be tasty snacks which always makes the day smoother.

Just think...I can make money on my junk so I can go and buy someone Else's junk!

If you need a good laugh...

Need to laugh? I double dog dare you to check out this site and see if you can get through a few pages without chuckling a bit.


http://awkwardfamilyphotos.com/

A little glimmer of Heaven

One of the many kisses of heaven will be relationship -

We have all run across people that are nothing short of great. There is that mutual spark indicating; hey...I might really like this person ...they are so ____________(fill in the blank)

creative
energetic
life-giving
courageous
honorable
unique
funny
though-provoking
all out brilliant

The reality of life is that there is little time to really foster multiple relationships at deep levels. After the hours subtracted for sleeping, eating, cleaning, working, family and present friends I find there is not a lot left over.

There will be no shortage of time in Heaven.

We will get to KNOW each other IN perfection for...eternity. We will get to experience our parents, siblings, friends or co-workers as they were created in the beginning. The levels will be astonishing because the depth will be longer and wider and there will be no fear in the midst of perfect love. Think of relationship without fear of rejection, fear of failure or mistrust.

It really is unfathomable to grasp with my fallen mind, but I feel the glimmer of hope that some day I will not only be fully known and loved, but be able to fully know and love.

This is good!

Something Old

Our sweet Phin. Makes one want to have another baby......egads - WHO just said that.

Riley - back when she was small enough to play in the sink. She still thinks she is. Many days I find her standing in the bathroom sink washing her feet. She loves soap.

One of my favorites of Gabriel and Daddy.

This is an old photo - pre-Phineas days. That was a great day at the park - although Riley does not look like she is having fun!