Katrina

I've been reading the news stories and watching the videos on the damage from Katrina. What is left I guess, is just prayer. I have been thinking a lot about how I would protect and care for my family, what I would do, what steps I would take in foresight and perhaps mostly how I need to act now. Gas prices hit $3.09 tonight, I noticed as I drove by the pumps in Chino. Wish I still had Lydia's cryo tank that didn't use electricity...just in case. Katrina's damage is very sobering. Take some time tonight to pray, meditate, send energy- whatever you do... for the people left behind.

Quotes of the day

From Lydia (as she is petting Thayne's head, a little too hard) I like him, I like Thayne, I like boys, He is a boy.


From Chaiya (after my comment about all our junk)No Junk mom, we just have a lot of other people's treasures

YES!! to the 100th power

The doctor's office called and.......Maliea does NOT have skin cancer!!! All the moles they chopped out of my oldest baby girl were normal! I can start breathing well again.

tea

The teapots are set! This one is a favorite of mine because of the matching cup on the bottom. Headed out to finish the last of the mess at the old place but need my cup of herbal tea first. Not cold enough yet for hot chocolatey mornings.

long days

I am wondering if it is possible to get in bed before 11:30 each night. Right now, not even consideration. I am up waiting for a batch of shirts to finish spinning in the laundry, the same thing I was doing when I started this blogging several weeks ago. I have a huge list of things to do for the next rental, namely iron and fold 80 chair covers and lots and lots of tablecloths. Need to get the brochure made within the next two weeks. Michael's mom is arriving on the 14th and we haven't even started getting things unpacked. The office is coming together, thanks to my fantastic husband! The desk is in place with the computer hooked up, both bookshelves and my chair are all in place. Have a new camera that I haven't had time to even play with yet. There will be new pics once I get a chance to explore the possibilities. On to another week!

disappointment

Took Chaiya , Maliea and Quayde to a Point of Grace concert last night. Not as much energy as expected, no one really sang along, wasn't as cool as I expected at all. The girls had a good time, Quayde, I think, was bored but he wasn't a problem. New mantra... I GET ALL THE SLEEP I NEED. I am trying to create it in my life.

not funny

Today I turned 38. For my birthday I have a giant pimple on the inside of my left nostril that has deformed my nose and is making me miserable. Oh joy! Nothing to reflect upon right now because I'm quite exhausted and in pain. Thanks to everyone who tried to make my day really special. My husband is the best!

more advice

Misty once told me " Always make your bed each morning, its the only thing you can control" I like my bed made! :)

advice

If any one has even half as much stuff as I and are planning to move in the next year; start now! That's the best advice there is I can give today.
I can't believe how much we have accumulated. The end is in sight.
Got my room, the bathroom, kids room and closet plus the upstairs finished. Just the rest of the T-room, living room and kitchen woo-hoo! What a mess! I am sure my stress levels will be less once everything is done and we are completely moved in to the new house.
My friend Lynn came by today and painted the bathroom. She just saved me a couple hours work and she did a great job. Thanks so very much Lynn!!!!
Quayde and I have been reading a version of Beowulf each night before bed. Well, we decided that maybe it is not a good idea to read about Grendel and his mother before heading off to dreamland each evening. Have to finish during daylight hours and maybe next time I will chose a more appropriate bedtime book.
Headed to bed for a couple hours sleep, definitely need more but its just not going to happen.

On the Laundromat wall

Posted on a bulletin board at the Laundromat wall, surrounded by hundreds of little 3x5 cards and posters in Spanish.
"To awaken your unique strengths, visualize yourself in your full confidence and power throughout the day and in your dreams. Trust that your actions and experiences will guide you to enable your fullest potential"
Went to throw tablecloths in a dryer there and got enlightenment for the day. Nice reminder of what I already know. God works in interesting paths

new toy

Here is my new toy. Traxon mood light. It changes color and you can switch modes for it to stay a certain color. We justified the purchase by saying we needed to try it out for the business.

magical sunset

Tonight there was a great sunset as Michael and I were coming down the hill. It was really magical seeing both lakes, the Dells, and Granite Mountain bathed in the streams of remaining sunlight. I really needed it. Maliea and I traveled to Phoenix today for another dr visit. She is so brave! They cut out three moles and are sending them to the lab. We will have results the middle of next week. Sometimes I have to rely on the 'heavy' grace, that I don't have the whole picture. It is really hard sometimes just to trust that it is all for the best.
I love love love my new office! It is really relaxing even though I am still surrounded by boxes. How did I ever get all of this in the other house? I got my new business cards today. They are perfect and I love the look. Things are falling into place and it feels good. I've got to iron chair covers and tablecloths for the rental next week. It is another pink wedding so I already have most of the tulle done.
It has been a long day.

Pioneer stock?

I checked out the Frontier House videos from the library. It was a "reality" type show that PBS did a few years back. I had heard about it from a friend and was interested in it. Since we don't do real t.v. at all, had to wait until videos came. This program took 3 families and gave them a little training then had them all live and build homesteads similar to ones in 1883. So far we have watched two of the videos.... they never had to grind wheat! Pretty sure that I am no where near be knowledgeable enough, to do as well. My parents gave us a good background in being self sufficient but we all are "American" spoiled now. At least my family eats beans and wheat so I think we might do alright on that type of diet. The way gas prices keep escalating, we may need to work harder at being more self sufficient. It is really fun living in this log cabin, it would have been hard to make this magnificent house back then. I have homemade bread down and some other good skills. This could inspire me to work on a new project. In my spare time.

HRT & dancing

Hormone replace therapy in a 17 yo girl is filled with lots of conflict. 17 yo girls generally don't like their mothers in the first place, so this is a brand new road we are journeying on. The one thing I really admire in Maliea is that she is so unaware of proper social "etiquette" that she can go out on a dance floor and fully enjoy herself and not care what people think. Wouldn't it be fun if we could all just relax and dance with wild abandon. Lydia cried when we left the ward party tonight because she was having so much fun. This move has been hard on Lyd. She loves running around the new house and has been having fun here but she cries when we take a load and drive out the driveway from the old place. I think that she has started really experiencing different emotions in the last several months and is not sure about it all.
I love the yard around this house. Here is a picture from out the window in the living room. Our nurse Cindy said that if she lived here she might like AZ. This really is nice, to have the space and the green all around. I need to figure out how to make peace with Maliea. I don't know how much is the hrt , how much is just being a teenager or how much is that my mothering skills need some drastic improvement when it comes to meeting her needs.

my love

I am incredibly in love! Every part of him from his bald head right down to his toes! His little belly button makes a swirl, he has the cutest smile and loves it when I say the word, "yes" to him. Even though he is number 5; the fresh brand new , I wish I could spend hours just holding him and looking at him, feeling is there. Life is very very good!
At two months, he is already 15 lbs quite the boy. I should be unpacking, cleaning or at the other house but I am having too much fun playing with my baby!

The hunt

our backyard!

The problem with moving is the hunt. Tonight it has been trying to find the new baby monitor or the cord to the old one. After an hour of 4 of us looking, it has been concluded that they still must be at the old house. Of course we did not search every box... I now understand how Carrie has lost things in all the moves she has made.

I miss Carrie! Living in the middle of nowhere, 52 miles from the nearest grocery store, must drive her crazy. It would me! At least with everyone else I can email, IM, call etc....but not her. Well, I can call if she positions herself with one foot on the tailgate, to the right , facing north so her cell phone gets reception. Oh and only between the hours of 9pm and 6 am or something like that. Which means, come winter I'll never get to talk to her unless she parks her rear end in a snow bank.

I'm totally jealous that Michael gets as much sleep as he does. How in the world does he sleep through the many many times I get up in the middle of the night with Lydia's medical stuff and nursing the baby. Someday when I am old, I'll be able to get as much sleep as I want.....then I won't need it :)

Tomorrow resumes the hunt for places to put everything and enough time to get it all finished and maybe just maybe I'll find the baby monitor.

a.m.

Its morning! Michael took the girls to seminary class so I have a few minutes in between suctioning Lyd and nursing Thayne to post. The sunlight on the trees in our backyard here is incredible! The morning dew is sparkling and makes it all look a little magical. Wish I could be a morning person :) The riparian preserve is our backyard! You can hear Granite Creek running and the frogs croaking. Our first week here we spotted a deer just across the way. Once we are all settled in, this will be a wonderful retreat.

breathing

Sometimes I wish breathing were a little less important here. I was up all night with Lydia who is on about 2 .5 liters of oxygen right now. It looks like it is going to be another long night. By the way, just so everyone knows this, soy yoghurt is not nice when thrown up. On the other up side, Maliea read a whole book about mathematicians, Quayde did 70 math problems and Chaiya aced her paper on negative numbers today. Slowly getting the office in order, so I can work on business stuff. Need to make a brochure and a rental list. I miss traveling and letterboxing since both have been put on hold, I long a little for the open road and a really good audio book. Off to get some sleep and dream while I can. Going to try for an aquamarine brain wave to catch.

flashing light district

There is something always happening around here.
We are settling down to enjoy our first night in our new home, and all of a sudden bright as the sun, beams of light come through the window. Next we notice the flashing of orange and red lights. Apparently for the next year the stretch of highway in front of our perfect home is under going construction. The workers were nice enough to redirect the very very large lights away from our window, but the flashing lights will be an interesting addition to our so "restful" nights. On the positive side, perhaps the traffic will be less.
My very sweet husband needs new glasses I believe. This evening he told me he was going out to shut the windows of the truck. Next thing I hear is what sounds like half the house falling down. Guess large logs don't hold up to being hit with Dodge Ram pickup trucks. Okay it wasn't the house, just the support logs to the carport. We then spent a little bit of time placing the logs back into their proper positions. I think for his birthday we will consider back-up beepers or maybe instructions on how to roll up windows on the truck.
Never a dull moment!

Random Acts

It is those random acts of kindness that take one by surprise and mean the most. Tonight it came in the form of fish. Yes, fish! The most delectable Mahi-Mahi that I have tasted in years. Every bite was truely a pleasure. Thank you Marissa, I really appreciate you!

Lesson Learned

One of the most interesting lessons I learned from my Lydia experience, is that no matter what the day has entailed, people here still want dinner! Is it not amazing that food is always a priority even if partial death has existed in that day? Okay, so today wasn't a partial death day but dinner still needed to be accomplished. I actually cooked MEAT. Which I have been doing more since Michael has lived here. Which creates that question....what does Lydia eat? Stir Fry with Beef was on the menu and a very green leafy delicious salad.
Quayde actually ate leafy greens , okay just a couple of leaves but it is a huge step for him. He has been known to stand in the grocery store chanting "no leafy greens, no leafy greens", so this is major progression. I enjoyed a very unique raspberry-hazelnut vinaigrette on my salad. Quite supreme.

Now that I have a man living here, I feel a greater obligation to create meals. The whole routine of 'fend for yourself' nights or the favorite 'we're eating cereal' has now gone by the wayside. Since we are a family that has to be flexible, I hate planning menus that tell you what you HAVE to eat for that day. I think I have come up with a solution of maybe having theme days. Perhaps Monday is Mexican, Tuesday is Italian etc... then having several different choices to make. So what is the routine in your home, got any tips on serving your family each night? In other words, what the heck is for dinner at your house?

Insanity

Moving sweet Moving! Oh my heck, how in the world did we accumulate so much stuff? There was a plan, I know originally there was a plan to make this move efficient and non stressful. Somewhere the plan got lost. Random boxes, randomly finding odd places to be. What was in that box marked dishes..... First we had to evict the mice that had moved in between tenets, at least our current landlord didn't use the same technique on us. The very large and colorful king snake that was creeping down the wall was given a much nicer exit. Michael has watched way too much "extreme animal" type shows and knew just how to wrap the tape measure around it. We spent an hour trying to figure out how to get two little ones, medical equipment, our bed and a dresser into our new room. Right now I am going to probably end up sleeping in the bathtub. Thayne is not going to fit in the bassinet much longer. No solution yet at least not one that is Feng Shui correct. The teapots have found a nice place in my new office, can't wait to have it all in place and sit down to a nice warm cup. So for right now we are still sleeping at the old house, with no phone service which has its advantages! My vision of how it will all work will come to pass, but I might need to reschedule my nervous breakdown again.

Simple Things

"Full Tummys are happy tummys" quoted from Maliea Sometimes what we need is the little simple things that fill our soul. A bowl of steamed brown rice and a glass of water, the scent of pink flowers in the early morn when the dew is still on the leaves or sitting laughing with a friend over nothing really important at all. What simple thing fills you?

Why am I up? Creating a blog thing...listening to the laundry whirl around in the spin cycle... knowing that in 6 hours and 45 minutes I have to be on the road again to another doctor's appointment for Maliea. I need something to get all the thoughts out of my head. Need a pensieve like Dumbledore, so maybe the blogging outlet will work.