Back To My Roots

I've noticed that the past few years I've strayed from things that were once important in my life.  Various interests and hobbies were nearly forgotten, for some reason.  This year I have decided to make a concerted effort to get back to those things that were once such a part of me.  It's time to remember who I am. 

The first thing I wanted to do was read some books from my youth that had an impact on me.  First book up was Julie of the Wolves.  I remember why it was my favorite and how it led me on a quest to learn more about wolves and dogs.  I remembering saving up my money to buy two very large wolf posters that I put up in my bedroom.  I was fascinated by wolves.  I remember loving how Miyax/Julie lived on her own in the Alaskan tundra.  I wanted to be like her - living simply and learning how to communicate with nature.  It fed my interest in Native American cultures.

The next area I wanted to focus on was baking.  I LOVED baking when I was a kid (one Christmas I got my very own pie plate, pastry cutter, pastry cloth and rolling pin).  Every Sunday I baked something and I was fearless at trying new recipes. But the past two years or so I've hardly baked at all.  So far in 2014 I've made baklava, apple strudel, monkey bread, gingerbread, apple leather and chocolate chip cookies.  Woo hoo! 

Lastly I want to focus on playing with clay.  I loved my pottery classes.  I loved making little pinch pots and getting my hands dirty.  So, soon enough I will be creating with my hands again.

These Days

The end of the school year brings a lot of busy-ness, but a lot of fun.

Jonathan's 1st grade celebration:

Colt's birthday:

Colt requested crab for his birthday dinner (we also had lobster claws and garlic shrimp over noodles)

I finally made a quilt for Colt

Minecraft cake

Carena's 6th grade promotion:

With her awesome 6th grade teacher, Mrs. Lang

Spring Break

This year we had the opportunity to go to Florida.  We had a marvelous time.  MARVELOUS.  We stayed with my aunts.  Love is too weak a word to describe how I feel about them! 

Where The Car Keys Are Not (If I had more time and energy I would totally make this a Dr. Seuss book)

1.  The living room.  Not behind the book shelf, not stuck in a book, not in the piano, nor behind the piano, not on a chair, not stuck in couch cushion, not left in a shoe.

2.  The kitchen.  Not behind nor under the refrigerator.  Not in the refrigerator.  Not in the freezer.  Not on the refrigerator.  Not in any drawer or cabinet.  Not in the sink.  Not on the windowsill, not in the garbage.  Not in a pot.  Not in a pan. Not in, under or on the stove.

3.  The computer desk.  Not in the tangle of wires.  Not in the junk drawer.  Not on the chair.

4.  The family room.  Not on the tv.  Not lost amid the dvds, not in the couch cushions, not under the couch.  Not in the desk, not in the lamp.

5.  The laundry room.  Not under, in, or on the washing machine.  Not in, under or on the dryer.  Not in the cabinets.  Not in that humongous pile of laundry that I went through TWICE checking each item of clothing closely.  Not in the litter box.  Yes, I checked.  Not in the dog food.  Not in the cat food.

6.  The guest room.  Not in the humongous pile of clean laundry that was waiting to be folded.  I folded it and while I did I checked each and every article of clothing.  Nope, not there.  Not on the bed.  Not in the drawers. Not in the linens.  Not under the bed.

7. The master bedroom closet.  Another humongous pile of laundry that I painstakingly went through twice - not there.  Not on any shelf, not on the floor, not in the scrapbooking bin, not in any pockets, not in any baskets, not caught on any clothing.

8.  The garbage bin.  Yes, yes, we looked through all the garbage.  There was a lot.  It smelled really bad.  There may have been maggots.  No keys.

9.  The bathrooms.  Not in the toilest.  Not behind the toilets.  Not under the sinks; not in the sinks.  Not in the medicine cabinets.  Not in the garbage.  Not in  the bathtubs.

10.  The pantry.  Not in the cereal boxes, not with the brown sugar.  Not on the floor with the sprouting potatoes.  Not with the spices.  Not with the plastic bags.

11.  Outside.  Not in the chicken coop, not on the trampoline, not under the trampoline. Not on the patio.

On the agenda for tomorrow: tearing apart the master bedroom, gutting the linen closet, clearing out the main medicine cabinet and then putting the house back together again.

How to Survive the Flu

Actually, maybe I should post this once we're all better from the flu - when we've truly survived it instead of being in the middle of it.

Let me preface this with the fact that we have no family near by to help us out.  We have to do this on our own.  And let me also say - it's not just one or two of us that has the flu - it is Chris, me, Carena, Colt and Jonathan.  We all have the flu.  And when I say "flu" I do not mean a nasty cold, I mean the FLU - fever, aches, chills, congestion, vomiting, sore throats, terrible headaches, the inability to function.  And for some of us, it's going on 6 days of this misery.

Perhaps it wouldn't have been so bad if there was one functioning adult - but how on earth do two very very sick parents take care of three very very sick children?  Here is what I have learned so far about having our entire family sick as dogs and unable to do anything.

• Throw any budget out the window. You are in survival mode.  If you can somehow get to the store or drug store, go to the closest one even if it's not the cheapest store.  And don't worry about ad matching or trying to figure out what juice is the better buy, just grab stuff and go.
• Use plastic forks, spoons, paper cups, paper plates.  Instead of having to run your dishwasher (and then unload the clean dishes) all the time and watching dishes pile up, use disposable tableware.  
• Let someone in the outside world know what's going on - and don't sugarcoat it.  Just a quick text will do.  They will most likely check up on you from time to time and may offer to run to the store for you.
• If you don't have a doggy door, crack open the back door so the dog can come and go as she pleases, saving you from getting up to let her in and out 1,256 times a day.
• Make a medical dosing chart for each person in the family.  Life saver.  It's as simple as writing down the person's name, time/date, type and dosage of medication and their temperature.  This is especially crucial when EVERYONE is sick - no accidentally overdosing someone or not remembering when so-and-so had their last dose or when their next dose is due.  It'll also come in handy in case you have to take someone to the doctor's.
• It's not ideal, but you may have to lean on the least sick - even if the least sick is a child.  They might have to step it up a bit to help meet everyone's needs.  They might need to help pour juice or grab someone's barf bucket.
• Everyone gets a barf bucket.  Barf buckets are nice for barf.  But, you can also toss used tissues in there too or if the bucket is unused it helps keep drinks/cups steady - especially if you're on a bed or on the couch.
• Make a sick room.  Our sick room is the family room.  Colt and Carena are sleeping in there.  Colt claimed the couch.  We dragged Carena's mattress in there.  It's nice having them contained to one space so that I'm not running from room to room to room.  
• Co-sleep with the sickest.  Jonathan is the sickest and so he sleeps with me.  I can tend to him easily and quickly at night, really without me having to get out of bed myself.
• Keep all medications super handy and keep them with the medical dosing charts.
• Pray a lot.
• If you need help, ask for it.  Take people up on their offers to help.
• Use technology.  Text, write emails, etc. to cancel appointments, activities, and responsibilities.  
• Don't care that the kids are watching TV 16 hours a day.  

I am sure there's more, but that's good for now.  

Happy Birthday Carrie

I love you and I miss you!  

I remember last year's birthday - I got you a head massager and gummy bears.  Who knew that a year from then you wouldn't be here on earth?  I hope you can feel the love that we all have for you.  You are treasured, adored and loved very deeply.  You touched lives.  You touched my life.  I thank you for being my sister.  I regret that we didn't get together more often as adults, but am so grateful for the times that we did.  Happy birthday sweet girl!  Until we meet again . . .

Carrie, My Sister

“I am standing upon the seashore.
A ship at my side spreads her white
sails to the morning breeze and starts
for the blue ocean.

She is an object of beauty and strength.
I stand and watch her until at length
she hangs like a speck of white cloud
just where the sea and sky come
to mingle with each other.

Then, someone at my side says;
"There, she is gone!"

"Gone where?"
Gone from my sight. That is all.
She is just as large in mast and hull
and spar as she was when she left my side
and she is just as able to bear her
load of living freight to her destined port.
Her diminished size is in me, not in her.

And just at the moment when someone
at my side says, "There, she is gone!"
There are other eyes watching her coming,
and other voices ready to take up the glad
shout;
"Here she comes!"
And that is dying.”