Pics from our little trip yesterday

I snapped a couple pics of Tom and the kids while we were waiting to sign all the paperwork on the new truck for the business. Fine looking bunch, aren't they? :-)

A new truck!

We picked up Tom's brand new work truck yesterday! I blurred out the phone# since this is on the web... not the best pic, but you can see it at least. He is quite proud and much more comfortable and it sure does look nice driving down the road. We will eventually get some permanent lettering instead of the magnets, one thing at a time though...

Editing

Well, I was doing some editing of the blog format and somehow messed things up, so I had to redo the template, which means that all my editing (like links to the kids pages) is gone. Grrrr....! I will have to see if I can even remember how to stick them in there again.

So for now, sorry! I'll get it back up soon I hope.

Some recent fav pics

I have a little time...

Thought I'd take a few moments to update on things here. I had a
quiet afternoon since Will fell asleep for quiet time for the first
time here at the store. It was so peaceful! I got a lot done and now
they are watching their 1 video for the day and I have some free time
until Tom gets back from his last job.

Let's see... we are adjusting well to life here at the store. It has
been not an easy adjustment, but a good one. We do chores and
playtime at home in the mornings and then come to the store from 2-6.
The children have some space of their own with books and toys and
games and pillows and snacks and videos. They have started to enjoy
their time up here. Right now, Heather and Rose are still trying to
finish up schoolwork from last year so they do a lesson or two here
when we arrive and then they have a bit of playtime (the trampoline
has been very handy) and then "quiet time" on their pillows with books
or quiet alone games. They then get a snack and video. Some nights
we are here way too late and that is hard, but I usually have dinner
in crock-pots at home (anyone have easy, healthy recipes they love?)
and we eat and head for bed. I must admit that I have been better
about keeping up at home, probably a combination of not having a
computer there and just not being there as much to
mess it up! It is strange having "two homes" now, to keep clean and
live in. It's also hard to find time to do grocery shopping and run
errands... Saturday all I want to do is stay home, and if I do it in
the AM I have to take it back home before coming to the shop (until we
can get a larger fridge anyway), in the PM it is just too late and I
am done for... so still figuring that out. So, thank you all for your
prayers in this, it has been wonderful to know that you are all
holding us up before the Lord.

Business has been good. We are getting more local business via
walk-ins and phone calls and we love that! We are catching up on
things after the expenses of setting up shop here. We did have to go
without a paycheck one week which was hard, but we've caught up now.
The amount of calls we got this week has been encouraging. Thank you
again for your prayers.

Last month, Rose turned 6! Her birthday was a bit rushed but we had
some family over and she had a fun day. My attempt at making roses
for her cake were pretty sad but she was happy with it anyway. We got
her a sewing kit and a big Bible since she is reading well now. She
also got some wonderful books and toys and much-needed play clothes
and jammies. She is a wonderful, kind, caring little gal.

Yesterday Will turned 4. It's amazing to me how much they are
growing. He is an energetic little guy who keeps me on my toes for sure. Also keeps me laughing and smiling. :-)

See the kids' blogs for more about their birthdays and fun stuff.

Sorry to be so lengthy! Thought I should take advantage of this
lazy evening. Better go close up shop now.

Grand Opening!

Here is our new store!

In the pics you can see the front of the store with the counter and desk behind it and behind that the partitions which give the kids a room of their very own. The counter was made by one of our own employees, he did a great job! We have a few displays of products we offer up there along with pics of our kids, business cards, etc...

Lots of room to fill up still. We'll be getting more to display soon.

Tenth Wedding Anniversary Get-Away!

For all who don't know, Tom and I celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary this Thursday, so this weekend I kidnapped him and arranged for my mom to watch the kids and rented a car and cabin up in beautiful WV for 2 nights. We had a lovely relaxing time.

Tom had his wisdom teeth pulled Thursday morning so I babied him all weekend. He was actually feeling pretty good. I just knew he wouldn't take work off again next week so scheduled this at a time that he was already planning to take off. It worked out well, he was pleasantly surprised which is hard to do for him.

We drove up to Cabins, WV and stayed 2 nights in a cabin up there with breath-taking scenery, a hot tub outdoors under the stars, a jacuzzi and fireplace indoors and I brought easy crockpot meals to cook in the fully equipped kitchen and had dishes for only 2 people which made clean-up so fast and easy it was hard to believe! It was very restful. We had lots of good discussion and evaluation and fun times getting to know eachother better all over again and without interruption.

There was a series of events that could have ruined it for us... but we kept our spirits high and were determined to enjoy everything anyway. Things like this would normally have put me in a very sour mood but the Lord helped me to have a peaceful time and just laugh about it.

Series of Comedic Events

1). Tom had to wait a lot longer at the oral surgeon's than he had expected and so was late getting done. (I was supposed to meet my mom around the same time he got out - 1.5hrs away, so she waited very patiently for us to arrive.)

2). I couldn't find the surgeon's office when it was time to pick him up and he couldn't talk on the phone to tell me where he was! (One of his employees had dropped him off). I eventually found him, poor guy - I have no sense of direction.

3). The dr. prescribed him penicillin and pain killers and he inisisted on taking them - bleck! I had brought White Willow Bark, Arnica, Pre-Post Surgetone, etc... but he didn't want to try them, he wanted to "just do what the dr. said". I wasn't upset, just a bit dissapointed, especially since I was praying for conception this weekend. I didn't make a big deal about it though, I know God has it all in His plan and He would work it out.

4). We finally got to where we were meeting my mom at a park (she brought a sporty rental car that I had set up and we gave her the kids and our van and drove the rental which was fun - especially since I did all the driving). Will gets out and starts running around excitedly and falls on his head receiving a small, deep gash that bled all down his face and all over my shirt! I gave him arnica and hypericum and cleaned it up with a band-aid and he was up running again a few minutes later. Today it looks healed up really well already, few people mentioned it at church - it barely even bruised! It was hard to leave him after that though... as if it wasn't anyway!!!

5). AF arrived right when we were leaving, then she left, then she returned, then she left... frustrating!

6). When we arrive at the cabin, I smell and find a dead mouse in a trap under the sink. Don't think they had checked it in a couple days. Bound to happen in that setting, but still would have been nice not to have to take care of that upon arrival (the office was closed). I left them a kind note regarding that.

7). There is a T.V. with satellite available and Tom was a bit too interested in that for my likes. It got better after a while, and I know he wasn't feeling the greatest that first evening, but still a bit dissapointing there... I wanted his full attention. Next time I'll ask them to remove it before we arrive! We only get 2 channels at home so it was a novelty for him.

8). Friday it rained all day... it was a pretty, soft mist with sunshine and a warm breeze, but still it was rain. It poured down rain on our honeymoon weekend too, but we barely noticed that time. ;)

9). Friday we went and walked through some caverns nearby. When we first got there, a couple buses of highschoolers were unloading so we went and had some lunch and then returned. The kids were all leaving, but we got to take the tour with three homosexual men who were a tad more physical than I was comfortable with. Uggh...

10). Friday night the hot tub wouldn't heat up. Thankfully we had been able to enjoy it the night before but we needed the heat Fri evening since it was still drizzling. So we go inside to the jacuzzi and start a fire...

11). I add some bubbles to the tub and apparently their water is treated and softer than ours at home and the bubbles keep rising and rising and rising until I had to let the water out and was left sitting in a tub of just bubbles! That was actually hilarious and I had fun piling them on top of my head and getting laughs out of Tom.

12). My camera was acting up and not registering the batteries which was very frustrating as the family who own the cabins were having a photo contest and I was looking forward to spending some time walking and shooting pictures to enter for a free night stay. Lots of times it just refused to turn on. I didn't get any pictures in the caverns which I would have loved to show the kids.

13). I drove the wrong way heading back to mom's and added an hour to our trip home.

All that said, we really were just laughing most of the time... we enjoyed the weekend. It was hard missing the kids, but they did great with mom. We'd like to take them up there some time for a family vacation.

Also, a verse in my Bible reading Friday (been going through Hebrews): Chapter 10 verse 28 (I think that's the right verse?) "You have need of patience, that when you have done the will of God, you may receive His promises".

Oh, and as we were almost home, turning onto our country roads, the Lord graced us with a gorgeous sunset. So pretty! :-)

A Night of the Arts

Saturday, May 6 at 6:30pm

The evening went wonderfully. Heather's play was on first and they did a great job. There were a few mistakes and humorous parts but overall I think everyone did beautifully. It was strange to see it over so soon, so much prep and in 1/2 hour it's all done. Heather was not at all nervous. She made a couple little errors but nothing too bad and she was SO pleased with herself. I think it was a great experience for her and a very good thing that she was able to do it herself. She needed something separate from her sister that she could do individually. This was great.

After a couple other little programs the music show was on next. It was a little program called "Caps For Sale". Heather and Rose both sang out and played their instruments well. Rose was a little too exuberant a couple times, wanting to continue singing when everyone else had stopped, but it was cute and she didn't get upset. They wore matching skirts and tops all white and lacy. Very sweet. Will sang too - from the audience - he had the whole thing memorized and is really looking forward to the fall when he can participate.

My mom and Oscar, my dad and Laura, and Amanda and Noah with their kids all came to see them. Our pastor also came to see them and another girl from our church. It was great fun for all!

Williamsburg update

Where has the time gone? I have not been updating as much as I planned. I've been trying to cut down my computer time a bit, but this is important for me to journal for my family... so I'll try to update here.

First, our Williamsburg trip. We had a great time! We spent 4 hours or so walking around investigating the buildings and shops. We ate a late lunch there under a grapevine ceiling and fed the little birds some cornbread crumbs. Tom's favorite was probably the court room. The man in there was very knowledgeable and interesting to listen to, he gave us lots of neat information and facts about the court systems then and now. My favorite was probably the gardens everywhere, just beautiful lawns and little cottage gardens. The gardens at the palace were really neat also. The kids loved the maze at the palace. They had seen it on the video tour as an "extra" on the Felicity movie and the whole time they were talking about finding it. When we did find it they took off yelling "Let's get lost!" LOL! Thankfully, it was pretty easy to find one another and there was a mount to climb where you could look down and see the whole maze pattern and anyone in it. It was a great day.

Sadly, my camera batteries died before we even got there so I have no pictures!!! We do plan to return though, in fact Tom bought a time-share there and so we'll be doing more traveling in the future. He is looking at it as a savings acct. that will force him to take time off and take the kids places. I hope it works out as he is planning and he doesn't regret it later. It was a very nice place and Tom did bargain with them and talk them down to a reasonable ammt., so it could be good!

Colonial Williamsburg!

We leave tomorrow afternoon for Colonial Williamsburg! The kids and I have been reading the American Girl's books and the "Felicity" series is set in Williamsburg on the verge of the Revolution. We read the books and then rented the movie and now we are going to go visit Williamsburg. :-) So excited! I'll share pics when we get home. :-)

Bathroom remodel - more pics

And here is the vanity, light, sink and I've primed the door but not painted it yet.

I got all the trim finished up last night and did some touch-up and the door also. I need to scrape paint off the edge of the shower and finish the door, touch up the grout a bit and then Tom can caulk around the tub.

We are going to remove our shower doors and try just hanging a curtain. I hate how dirty it gets and how easily mold grows there. I think I have enough material to make curtains to go around the tub and hang from the shower. The windows are blurred so I don't think I need them there. Still trying to figure out how to get the right shape out of the rod to go above the tub.

We still have 2 cabinets and a mirror to purchase, as we are able. Oh, the original vanity that we were planning to get? It was not deep enough, we got it home and realized the sink wouldn't fit. So... I got to get the more expensive one that I liked better anyway! :-)

It's getting close to being done! I can't wait to get all of the bathroom items out of our bedroom so we can walk through there again. It's been crazy and depressing to wake up with a messy room like that. Tom is already talking about painting and trimming our room now. Yikes! It won't be near as big a project as this bathroom has been. I am thinking maybe brown with the blue from the bathroom as accents??? Hoping we can get the same floor too.

Bathroom remodel - pics

Here are pictures of the tub surround, tile, the window frames and sills and the faucets and hand-held sprayer. They sent us the wrong handles for the tub faucet so those aren't in place yet but they'll just be bigger ones of the sink version which I'll post next. I am pretty pleased.

This is the town of Amherst, just north of us. It's a cute little old-fashioned town that reminds us of Paxton where Tom grew up and near where I lived when we met. The kids and I were sitting in the car waiting for Tom and I thought some of the things were interesting. The parking meter is particularly quaint, it takes pennies, nickels and dimes and is still in use! Also the traditional "Main Street" and the town hall.

Raw and Uncensored (and hormonal)

Will came to me this morning and said with the saddest face. "I don't have any boys to play with."

I feel so bad for him. I guess guilty too. I have to admit that I feel like it is my fault. It is my fault either because I am not a good enough wife, mother, homemaker that God sees fit to bless me again... or worse yet I am not close enough to God, don't spend enough time in His Word and praying. I also have very little self-discipline and am not eating right or exercising like I should which if I did do, then I would probably improve - it couldn't not help, my hormones would improve and so would my energy and weight.

I hate being overweight. I hate seeing myself in the mirror. I hate that people don't see me the way I am. I hate that my children are suffering, especially my little boy who deserves a brother to play with. He is almost FOUR! Even if I got pg now, it would be quite a while before he is able to play with the baby the way he wants to.

Adoption has been on my heart for a couple weeks now. I've been scrounging up information. I'd like to adopt a 2-3 year old boy. Tom is in agreement, but says I have to be healthy first and able to keep up with things better. The adoption process seems completely overwhelming. The home study invasive and the cost a bit prohibitive. It would have to be something that God worked out completely, which of course He would do if it was His will. A lot of things need to happen first.

And then it makes me so, so, so sad to think that I may not give birth and nurse a baby from my womb again. I love being pregnant and the whole birth process and getting to know that little person, it is all so precious to me. I can't imagine not doing it again, but I am losing hope a bit right now I guess.

I just feel so sad for my little man especially. I wish I could just wake up and have all the energy and resolve to do what I know I should. The guilt and sadness is overwhelming sometimes even though I've been doing better.

I've come so far from where I was. I AM a better wife and mommy, God has been teaching me lots. I am feeling better than I was... though still so far to go. My kidneys and thyroid are really much, much better and I know how to recognize the signs faster and what to do when I feel they need supported. Now to get my adrenals and hormones improved.

I've gotten more done on the house lately, cleaning out, only keeping what we need right now! I've been able to get up earlier, nap a bit and go to sleep earlier. The last week or two I have been calm and pretty happy. My 70 day cycle finally ended which I am thankful for.

I just need to keep chugging along and I do need to spend more time resting in the Lord and praying that I will be content in His good and perfect will for me.

Pray for me!

My misty morning

This morning the kids and I got up early and went to Amanda's to do a group yard sale. The night before we had some wonderful thunderstorms, and driving in at 7am we saw some beautiful misty fog and noticed the moon still in the clouds. I stopped the car and got out to take some pictures where it was particularly pretty. I snapped three pretty quickly with the landscape setting on my camera and just in time as the moon went behind a cloud and the lighting changed dramatically. It was so pretty!

Various moodiness...

So busy. Not feeling the best. Haven't worked on the bathroom in well over a week, sigh... Getting ready for a yardsale at my sisters this weekend. I feel like there is so much I could get rid of, but having a hard time figuring out WHAT to clear out. Have a feeling lots of it is Tom's and he isn't going to have time to consider and tell me what I can sell. Feeling so cramped here.

It's been lovely weather. Spent yesterday at the park with Amanda and her kiddos. Took my kids to see "Curious George" at the theatre which they were thrilled with! I need to get out and plant some of these flowers that I have in pots here. The beds have all been raked out which helped lots. I just have no idea what to do with the outdoors there, it's so untamed still.

Tom is playing airsoft tonight so I'll be on my own for a couple hours, maybe I can get something accomplished here. :-)

Tired...

Almost 5am here. I haven't made it to bed yet, and there is no point now.

I have Heather's dress almost done. I need her to try it on so I can make adjustments, but don't want to wake her up quite yet. They are supposed to take the costumes in to class today.

I've been working on business paperwork in the meantime. Payroll, getting a deposit ready, entering bills, prepping for taxes due the 15th. I really should file paperwork... but don't really feel like it.

We have a full day with co-op classes and I need to mail some things at the post office, also told the kids we could go to Goodwill and see about some summer clothes. Heather is pretty short on that this summer.

Once this costume is all finished, I can get back to work on the bathroom. Also need to start getting ready for a yard sale at Amanda's next weekend. Hope to get this house cleaned out!

Early morning brain-dead ramblings... 8D

Love my chickens!

Our chickens have started laying again and the other day I cracked one of their eggs on the skillet next to a store-bought egg. I was amazed at the difference. Just look at them! The color and substance is SO much better, not to mention the taste! Just had to share some pics... we have one Rhode Island Red and one Barred Rock, both hens. Hoping to get some more soon here.

Bathroom remodel - ceiling and toilet

Still working on the bathroom. Here is a pic of the ceiling, it is painted with a light shade of the wall, but it is rolled in lightly and looks like clouds with some white showing. I like it!

Also a pic of our new toilet. No idea why we needed a new one, but here it is. It's a toto one-piece with a seat and lid that close slowly and won't slam (that I do like). Didn't even know they made one-piece toilets, funny!

Bathroom project - tile!

Look what I did tonight!!! :-)

I am so proud of myself! I got another 1 1/2 walls painted AND did all the tile all by myself. I think it looks really good. Still not grouted just set in the adhesive on the cement board. It will be even better once the white grout is in there, but I can't do that for at least 24 hours. I cut the tiles and everything. I was really worried about the corners, but that worked out well too.

Tomorrow Noah should be able to finish up the trim work and window molding and then I can finish painting the walls and paint all the trim and the tub surround white. Then it will just be a matter of waiting for the sink to come in (we ordered a marble one) and buying the cabinets and vanity as we are able.

For now, I am glad to have a functioning toilet and shower again! :-)

Bathroom project - floor!

Noah got the floor all put down and a bunch of the trim and molding in. It is looking so pretty now! This is real wood floors that we found for 1/3 the price of the wood laminate that I wanted. I love the light color with the blue paint. This room is going to be so calm and pretty, I can't wait 'til it's done!

Bathroom project - paint in progress

The painting is going slowly but well. I am having to do two coats because of the pink primer, and I do think that it changed the color a bit. Instead of a more grey blue it has a greenish hue to it... BUT it matches well with the tile thankfully! So, all is well, just taking a little extra time. Here are a couple pics of my progress!

Bathroom project - pink walls???

Funny story. I go to Lowe's and ask for a gallon of drwyall primer. The lady hands it to me and I take it home. The next day I open it up and it's bright pink!!! So I get mad and start getting the kids ready to go take it back so that I can get some painting done. While they are getting ready, I call my sister and she says that she's seen on some of those decorating shows that they are using pink primer now under colors for better coverage and to make the topcoat stand out more. Really? Wierd!!! I am thinking, boy, I would have felt like a fool going in there demanding my money back. I called up a friend who also confirms that she has seen that done... well, okay, I didn't really want to go back in to town again anyway.

So I paint my bathroom... it looks like pepto-bismol. Tom comes home and I tease him saying that we decided that we liked the pink better, he says "okay"!!!! Wierdo. :-) I am not going to have a pink bathroom!

So I finish that and go in to Lowe's to get some ceiling paint and more rollers and the material for installing the tile. Out of curiousity I go grab a gallon of the primer that I used off the shelf and take it up to the counter and ask the lady if it is supposed to be pink. She gives me a wierd look. She opened the can and it was white! She said that probably someone had it tinted and then returned it but didn't tell them that it had been tinted. Her helpful advice? "Next time ask them to open it before you buy". (!)

So, moral of the story... don't count on Lowe's to make sure things are right, you have to do it yourself!

For what it's worth, they do suggest now that you tint your primer... but based on the color that you are ultimately painting with! LOL!!!

So what do you think of my lovely pink bathroom???

Bathroom project - tub surround

Here is the tub surround that Noah built with trim work on it. It will be painted white to match the cabinets. Doesn't he do great work?

Bathroom project - drywall up

Here is the bathroom after all the drywall is up and ready for primer.

Bathroom project - walls down

Here is the bathroom when the walls were all taken down and tub is sitting in the surround but not yet hooked up. Time for drywall!

Bathroom project - whirlpool frame

Here is the frame for the whirlpool to set in. Noah did this part for us. Noah is actually doing a lot of it. Noah and Amanda's water heater needed replaced when we were starting this project... so, gotta love bartering! :-)

MIA

Missing in action? LOL! That's how I feel. I have missed writing here. Things have been so extremely busy. Bathroom remodel is requiring lots of attention and now action on my part. We've had classes, piano, lunch with the new pastor's family, dentist appt., and a visit to WV all in the last week.

Tom's business has continued to grow and I am buried in paperwork also. We are hiring another helper full-time and hopefully that will help lower Tom's stress level and get him home more. The part-time helper should be able to get some of the extra things done also that Tom and I haven't gotten to... like revamping the price book, creating an inventory tracking program, and keeping the truck and storage shed organized, as well as making "happy calls" to customers to ensure that we are doing good work. Looking forward to getting all that in line!

I'll post pics soon from our trip to my mom's and the bathroom remodel in progress. So many things that I have wanted to record and now I am forgetting them. :-) Hopefully soon I'll have a bit more down time!

I'm back!

My computer decided to not let me access the web for a couple days there, that was frustrating!

Let's see... what is going on here. I'm not feeling the best, our bathroom remodel is taking it's toll on me. The drywall dust caused a major reaction last week when Tom tore out the old walls. This week Noah is putting up the new walls and I have had a migraine brewing but been able to keep it at bay by getting out of the house for a bit and taking charcoal and enviro-detox as needed.

I am excited about the bathroom getting done. Noah has almost all the drywall up. After he finished taping and spackling I can start on painting and tiling, hooray! Tom got the electric work done, added another light switch and a couple of outlets also moved the tub drain to fit the new tub. Today we went and picked out the marble counter and sink. I think we have chosen everything to go in there... tile, vanity, mirror, linen closet, sink, faucets, floor, storage cabinet above toilet, and curtains to go around tub, towel bars, etc... The only thing left is to decide on the paint! I think I know what I am going to try, but not sure how I'll like it. I have looked and looked and there are swatches all over the place here.

School has been going well, staying on schedule. Heather has started to realize that working quickly makes the day much more fun. That is great.

Tom is hiring another employee. He has been very busy and needs the help. I pray that the business keeps up and we are able to provide for our employees well and that this enables Tom to be home more.

I've been doing better with housework and juggling everything. Feeling pretty good about everything right now. Praying for peace and contentment! :-)

Better close for now and start getting kids ready for bed.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Yesterday was St. Patrick's Day. We don't usually celebrate a whole lot though Amanda and Noah have a party and we were hoping to drop by there this year. Tom ended up working another very late night (3rd night in a row of not getting home until almost 11pm!). The kids and I stayed home since we'd been out at co-op classes all day and we were pretty tired. I had put them down for naps around 4 and for the first time in a long time, they ALL fell asleep! I slept for an hour myself and then called Tom to see if I should start getting ready to go, but he knew by then that he'd be quite late so I just let the kids sleep. They didn't wake until 7:15! So then I let them make a tent in the living room and watch a couple short movies while eating popcorn and drinking strawberry smoothies by candlelight. They loved it and it made up for the dissapointment over missing the party.

My poor hubby is so tired. More about that in another post later. Off to bed now.

Tom put his grill together tonight!

Tonight Tom got home earlier than he has been (around 6pm) and so he brought the new grill (b'day present) into the living room and put it together. The kids enjoyed helping. It looks a lot bigger in our living room than it did at Lowe's! Tomorrow he will cook burgers and a veggie on the side burner... yeah! :-)

Beautiful weather

We've had such lovely weather the past few days. It's been in the 80's over the weekend. Today it has cooled off a bit and is windy, still haven't gotten the rain that they keep saying we are going to get.

I went out this morning and planted the pansies that I bought last week. I used my birthday money to get a bunch of pansies for either side of the side patio, and a new yellow rose bush, a very pretty heather plant and a couple of "dead nettles" (I find the foliage very pretty). I'll wait to put those outside until it is for sure staying warm. I looked over the flower and herb beds and it looks like most of the perennials are coming back up this year. That is very exciting! I think I'll throw some more wildflower seeds at the back of the house again also. They will probably do better now that more sun can reach them.

I wonder how the blackberry bushes will do this year? I don't think I will do much with vegetables this year. I didn't really feel like doing one anyway, and then I realized that this is the 7th summer we have lived here so I could take the guidelines that God gave the Israelites and let the land rest the 7th year. :)

So I will just enjoy the fruit of my previous years labors and work on the house this year.

PMS... grrrr!!!

Today I am just barely coping. The phone keeps ringing and ringing. We are booked up for the whole week already. Tom was hoping to come home and work on the bathroom this afternoon, but he has an emergency well pump after he installs the shower this morning. Oh well.

The kids and I have a very busy week planned also. Going to play with the neighbor boy at 4pm today. Tomorrow Mrs. Jamison wants us to come take a pic of a blooming skunk cabbage by her creek. Wednesday we have piano and lunch with the Cumbees. Thursday I have Dorcas Bible Study at 2pm. Friday we have co-op classes.

I hope I make it! :-)

Little Mommies

My girls just posted pictures of their dolls that they took. It reminded me of my days playing with dolls. I did so until I was in 8th grade I think! I remember people expressing surprise that I was "still playing with dolls" at the time. I wish now that I had continued even longer. I loved my babies and dreaming of being a mother one day. Reminded me of this wonderful song by Serene and Pearl on their first CD Peace All Over Me. I love this CD. If you would like more information or to purchase it, please visit their website Above Rubies. Browse around the site, it is a wonderful encouragement to mothers. The magazine and newsletter put out by Nancy and the staff at Above Rubies are so great and uplifting. Sign up to receive them for free!

ANNABELLE
Dedicated to our niece, Gabrielle Campbell

I cuddled my baby and whispered a sweet lullaby,
I swaddled her in a blanket I’d made by hand,
I kissed little Annabelle’s cheek as I held her tight,
She was the prettiest little baby doll in all the land.

For a girl of seven wanted nothing more,
It was more than just pretend, it was what I was made for.

CHORUS:

Only a childhood dream
But make it real, let me be
Like the mother in my childhood dream.

All the dolls and the teddies I lined in a row,
The more I could gather the more fun it was to play,
I read them a story and told how I loved them so,
I was happy and wistfully dreaming of the day.

For a girl of seven wanted nothing more,
It was more than just pretend, it was what I was made for.

CHORUS:

Only a childhood dream
But make it real and let me be
Like the mother in my childhood dream.

BRIDGE:

Grant me this little girl’s wish,
With arms full of heavenly treasures,
May I be as contented and joyful
And give me the sparkle of childlike pleasure.

CHORUS AGAIN.

Copyright 2001 ABOVE RUBIES PRODUCTIONS

It's Our Birthday!

Today Tom turns 30 and I am 29. I was born around 6am and he around 6pm on March 9.

We had a little party last night since Tom is working super late the next few nights.

Here are a few pics of the kids enjoying cake and ice cream. We put 30 candles on the cake (a spice with cream cheese frosting and homemade vanilla ice cream - yumm!). Pretty funny, we had just gotten all the candles lit and Heather asked if she could blow out the match so Tom said sure but she didn't wait for him to move it closer to her (and away from the cake), so she blew it out but also half the candles on the cake and when the other two kids saw what she did they both started blowing too! All the candles were blown out and we had to start all over again with lighting them. It was pretty funny.

I got Tom a 3-burner gas grill and a pair of casual brown shoes that he's been needing. Heather got Tom a balloon helicopter from the Dollar Store with her money. We got $ from Tom's parents, Tom wants to spend his on an air-soft gun and I am planning to save mine to help with the bathroom remodel. Tom's brother and family sent a new waffle maker that makes 4 waffles at once and will save me lots of time! I have had phone calls from my mom and both my sisters already today, and 2 e-mail happy birthdays and a card from my grandparents. Very special!

Thank you everyone!