Spring is coming...

I've been struggling to stay updated with the pages, but did do some pretty intensive updates on most of them a couple months ago.  Right now, there is exciting news on the "Four-legged Friends" page!  Also check in on the children's pages here and there.  Spring is coming, so the garden page will be getting active soon too.  :-)

Brief update

The last few weeks have been busy, busy... We have finished the majority of the big stuff on the remodel, leaving lots of small details, like unpacking a few boxes, putting up trim, and hanging wall pictures, etc... It will take a while to finish that stuff, but we'll eventually get it done. In the meantime, we have had lots of visitors and lots of fun. We are working now on getting organized for the next school year, finding a new normal for how to balance our daily lives, and... getting ready for our vacation! We are so looking forward to our week away in the Smoky Mtns.

I have made some updates on the gardens, kid's pages, and my health page, so you can read more there if desired.

Making pickles

Using cucumbers and dill from our garden. These turned out super sweet, we will try them with half the sugar next time! So fun for the kids to be able to eat the fruits of their labor. :-)

Trees, carpets and fences

Our big news this week is that last weekend, Tom ripped up all the carpeting from our living room and hallway. We are now living with a huge mess and plywood floors through almost half the house. It is a good thing we are outdoors much of our days! We are going to be spackling and painting the walls, putting up new trim and hardwood flooring throughout - hooray! It will be wonderful when it is done, but until then things are even more chaotic.

The picture here is of the kids up in their new climbing tree. When we first moved on this property, there were no good climbing trees - they were all tall and skinny with branches way up high from being so close together. Now we have cleared and thinned more and some branches are filling out. This ones branches are low enough, though still a little thin for too much weight. They do have fun though! All three children are in the tree in this picture.

In other news, while Tom was ripping out our carpeting, the kids and I visited my mom. We had to pick up some supplies for Tom in Roanoke which is half way there anyway. It was nice to go relax there and my littlest brother was able to hang out with us both evenings, he can always make me laugh which felt good. :-) Here are some more pics of the kids playing outdoors at my mom and Oscar's. They found a bird's nest and picked lots of wildflowers from the field behind her house.

The gardens are doing well. I found a baby broccoli on one plant a couple days ago and the lettuce from the first planting is about to harvest, I also found a flower on one of the pea plants! It will be great to get some things harvested already. :-) There are more updates and pics on the gardens page. Oh, also pics of the newly completed chicken run!

I think that is about all for this week. Business is going well. We are looking forward to this weekend being a long 3-day break and our 13th anniversary. We don't have any big plans other than enjoying working together here at the house.

Long update

A friend asked for an update, so I am posting what I replied to her as an update here too.

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Not sure where to begin on how we are... I am frankly surprised that God is asking this of me again, LOL!  The office work and phones are keeping me very busy.

The kids seem to be adjusting well.  I am so thankful that we are home, makes it a lot easier!  Heather has started to take over most of the cooking - at least 2 meals a day.  She really enjoys it and it is a big help to me.  She still loves reading and doing her little crafts and projects.  Rose plays with Will much of the time, she is reading more too and has been really enjoying drawing lately and has shown some talent there.  Will is just full of energy and I am so thankful for our land and that I can give him the freedom to run and play and catch critters to his heart's content.  We have had some attitude issues with the additional chores and garden work, but are working through it.

We are doing basic math and grammar and reading books on history as much as we can, but school is definitely slowed down lately.  I decided to give the kids CAT tests this year so I would know what we need to work on next year.  I've never done that, so interested to see how it goes.  My goal is to somehow get 1-on-1 time with each of them, do the testing in the morning and then something fun with them in the afternoon.  Haven't quite figured out the logistics yet though.

I am enjoying the outdoors and the chickens and gardens very much.  All is well so far out there, but so many projects to still be done!  I planted using the square foot gardening method in raised lasagna beds... it's not a huge garden but there are a massive amount of plants in there!  We are all anxious to see how it goes.  The rains have been a blessing and things are growing like crazy.

The house is my downfall right now.  I just cannot keep up, when I am indoors I am at the computer working or on the phone - so things have just fallen apart.  I am planning a yard sale with my sister and friends the first Sat in June (just set yesterday), so hope to really clean out some extra clutter.  We are replacing the carpets in the living room and hallway with laminate and I am so happy to be getting that done!  I am also planning to paint the walls and eventually get new trim.  We will be replacing the 10 year old furniture, which I am very excited about.  Tom and I are going to work together on getting this done gradually, so hopefully I don't go insane with the state of things as a work-in-progress! :-).

My health is definitely suffering from the stress and being so very busy.  I am not making good choices with eating and so have gained back 20lbs :(  I am itchy and tired and bloated and my cycles are getting crazier.  I am sleeping a bit better though, that's a bonus.

God has blessed our efforts with the business.  It has worked out well, better than I could have hoped for. The men that we had to lay off have found good jobs within a couple weeks of us giving them notice and are happy and at the same pay level - amazing!  That has helped Tom feel a lot better and taken away the depression and worry.  We have moved everything out of the shop, painted, cleaned carpets and got our deposit back on the building, the landlords were understanding and kind.  We are using 2 storage sheds as a place to store extra stock and machinery.  I am doing the phones/dispatch/bookkeeping and Tom and 1 other man are running 2 trucks and we are staying busy and enough money is coming in that we are recovering nicely.  We anticipate being caught up on bills by the end of this month and then will start saving for a storage shed at our house where we can put a small office and move the things from the rental sheds into so we don't have that monthly cost.  It is exciting to see things turning and Tom's outlook on things has changed dramatically - as in his expectations and ideas about money and growth have become much more in line with God's.  That is so wonderful and has carried over into our personal finances too.

I had a pretty good Mother's Day.  Tom and the kids took me out for a late dinner Saturday night after we worked outdoors all day.  It was yummy!  Sunday we had church, a fellowship dinner and afternoon service (love that!).  We came home and I took a 3-hour nap which was so nice and obviously much needed.  I meant to have Tom get a pic of me with the kids and forgot, will have to do that soon.  I hope that you all enjoyed your day as well <3

Thank you as always for your prayers and support.

Simple Joys

We have had a great time the last couple days planting the garden. It has been relaxing, but hard work all at once. I have really enjoyed getting lots done outside, with all sorts of projects (see here for details). Wish housework was as energizing and enjoyable!

We have been doing basic stuff for school daily and then going outside to work and play. The kids have been happy to be able to play with the water hose a few times already this year. We will be doing some testing soon to see where we are with their learning and what we should work on over the summer and/or in the fall.

Tom and I (with Heather's help) have cleaned up our screen room outside and started enjoying sitting outside for our coffee in the mornings before he leaves. This always motivates me to read my Bible more regularly, having that quiet and peace in the mornings. My spirits are being lifted and my soul is at peace, I am sure the Vit D from the sunshine is really helping with that too! I have quite the tan going now. :-)

Tom recently found replacement parts for his grill and has it working quite well again. We LOVE to grill out in the warmer weather, use it almost daily - best Father's Day gift ever! We have also been enjoying hanging our clothes on the line to dry. Our washing machine is having problems remembering to spin out the loads, thankfully we have a back-up at the shop and will bring that home tonight and get this one repaired. We are also considering a new refrigerator, ours is 10 years old now and a fire hazard, doesn't seal real well and we really would like an ice-maker. Another thing we have been discussing is replacing our living room carpet with laminate... it really is time to get rid of that, blech!

The chicks are growing and ready to take over their whole house and have some new straw laid. We need to build their outside run very soon also. Carl and Molly are best buds now and Carl is growing up really fast. Cats and bunnies are doing well. Rose found a tiny turtle the other day and has adopted it for the time being. Liz, Will's lizard escaped on Saturday morning when Rose opened her tank - but was found again Sunday afternoon. We were very glad to find her, she is such a fun pet.

Our business is doing well right now. There is plenty of work for the 1-2 trucks that we are running now and bills are getting caught up on. Things seem to be stabilizing and I am growing accustomed to the added responsibilities.

That's really about it in our world right now - work and play, dirt and bugs, clouds and sunshine, animals and plants, rain and wind. Finding joy in it all.

Refreshment

It was very nice to get a break this past weekend and en joy some time with extended family. The kids and I drove down to Georgia and enjoyed camping i n the yard at my brother's for his 30th birthday party. There were 11 adults and 10 children there, we had a nice time catching up and the weather was perfect.

It was good to get a break from the grind here and it has improved my outlook, allowing me to regroup in a sense. We have accomplished quite a bit this week with school, house and gardens. Tom stayed home due to a dentist appt, and he did some housework for me, took care of the animals and put up some new backsplash in our kitchen to surprise me. :-) It is better than the icky walls, and nice to have a fresh look in there. Such a sweet hubby I have!

Things are finally starting to warm up here - this weekend should be perfect for yardwork. I am determined to get the fence around the big gardens so that I can plant them, the beds are all ready to go. Such fun and so invigorating to be accomplishing so much.

New life

Not a lot new to report on this week, I am learning where the new schedule is and is not working. General idea is fine, but need to switch office work to AM hours with school and then get outside, so a bit of re-arranging to do. It is helping me to remember what needs done, and helps to know that if I see that something in particular needs done... there is a day that week I will get to it and I don't have to stress over it. So that is where we are with that.

We have gotten lots done outside, today is too cold to do much so we are staying inside. I don't have much energy when there is no sunshine! I am pleased with all the green beginning to show up around the yard. Everything is budding and sprouting. We need to get the garden fence up soon so that I can put the seedlings in the ground and not fear the deer. Things are really shaping up outside. It is a bit depressing to come inside and see the mess waiting there, but can only do so much - this is a season.

Spring brings all sorts of analogies of new life and fresh starts. I have been having a fairly inactive day (more desk work, phone calls, less power tools and running around)... and looking out my window enjoying the little green things poking up all around has me contemplating much. I was musing today on how often the things that take the most attention and care and are the most "difficult" to grow are the most rewarding. I pray that is synonymous with our life right now. I know that no matter how difficult/slow/weedy/rotten things look to us, God will keep working with us and bring about something beautiful in His eyes. I need to remember this when training and loving our children too, it will be worth it one day! It is humbling to see these little reminders in the world and life God has given us. I am thankful for the new life He gave to me when He gave His Son new life. I seek to live for Him even when I feel like screaming that it's all too much. His strength is sufficient.

Settling in...

Wanted to take some time to update tonight. We had a great visit with my sis Angela and her sweet boys. We really enjoyed it and it helped us to have the extra laughs, extra hugs, and extra hands around during that time. We got almost everything done on my large checklist during the week, and still managed to get out and enjoy ourselves a few evenings.

We are working hard at readjusting to life as it changes. I sat down and made a list of all my duties, divided it into days and tried to make it manageable. I think I have a workable schedule, but we will see how it goes. Hard to plan when there are so many variables in a day. I redid the chore lists also and planned time for school, office, home duties and garden time. It will take some tweaking and flexibility but I felt a bit less overwhelmed getting it on paper. I even divided my blogging into certain days... I have to laugh at myself - such a "list maker"! :-)

Right now, besides the office being moved into the kitchen and all the duties surrounding that, we have 27 baby chickens in the living room, 3 shelves of seedlings under lights in the dining room, and a very energetic puppy demanding love and training running through the house. We are having lots of fun, and going a little more insane each day!

Tonight, Tom and I got the plastic put on the hoop greenhouse that we have been slowly building. We have big plans for the garden, just have to find the time to carry them out now!

The kids are doing well. They have all gotten to a point of realizing that school can be done quickly if they apply themselves and they can have a lot more fun in a day if they just get it done. They have all been spending a lot of time outside lately, Will with his various bugs and critters... Rose running around with the animals... Heather usually with a book. The girls have been building mud cakes lately too which are getting more and more elaborate. I need to get some pics off the camera and post some soon.

Business is staying busy enough to run the two trucks. It has been an answer to prayer. Tom is feeling much better and adjusting well to the changes at work and home. We have been taking turns feeling down and overwhelmed, thankfully not at the same time so that we can support each other.

While Angela was here, my brother Justin and my dad and his family all came up to the shop and helped get some things moved out and into the storage bldgs. My dad then came and painted the front office area for us this week. I will be going up to clean the carpets and then we will hopefully have it all done! The back area has a lot of little things left to clean up and move out but most of the big stuff is done.

I guess that is about it. My brain is turning off for the night. So, that is the Tuesday update for this week! We are thankful for your prayers and for our Father who gives us strength.

Calm in the Storm...

"Then he arose, and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water:
and they ceased, and there was a calm."
Luke 8:24b

I sit here this Sunday morning - home from church due to Rose's fever (though she is feeling much better today) - windows open, I can hear the birds singing and actually hear Rose too... she is out on a stump in the middle of our woods "having nature time" which involves singing with the birds apparently. :-) Things are peaceful at the moment.

It has been a very difficult week for us. Tom made the decision to downscale his business as things had slowed down lots and there was not enough income to support the salaries of all the men and make payments. It was a very hard and emotional decision for him. We have been blessed to have friends working with us and it has been wonderful as we could trust them and work through things, but it also makes it a LOT harder when we have to let them go. Things are strained, Tom is very sad and depressed and feeling like a failure. It is hard to see him like that, and hard to know how to help when he so rarely gets this way. In all honesty, I have NEVER in our almost 16 years of dating/marriage known him to be like this. Please pray for his spirits to be lifted as he worships in church today, that friends and brethren in Christ would give him the support that he needs.

Yesterday, we moved the office to our kitchen. I will be taking over the office work and job dispatching again... yes, along with being a wife and mommy, homeschooling, housework, gardening, and caring for our animals. It will not be easy, but it is the best thing. We will close our office location, but still operate as usual - just with Tom and 1 other tech. It is a lot of change to process at once, but I know God will give us strength.

At this moment, I am waiting for my sweet little sister to arrive. She drove from MN with her 3 little boys to come be a help to me as I readjust. If she can keep the daily things running while I catch up on some big stuff and get into the groove of office work it will be a HUGE help. However, even if she only entertains the children and boosts my spirits, it will be the BEST thing ever! THANK YOU Joe for sending your family in my time of need. We love you all!

We'll see how it all goes... but for today, enjoying the calm in the midst of the storm.

Sick - again? still?

I am home from church this morning - the 3rd Sunday in a row. After dealing with the congestion, sinus pain, coughing, and then bronchitis - now I have strep! I feel fine, which is the wierd part. I am a little worn down and still have a bit of congestion and in the mornings my throat hurts - but otherwise I don't have all the usual strep symptoms - except when I look at my throat, which is really quite nasty. So... home again, this morning by myself so going to go soak in a very hot bath with some peppermint oil while listening to my audio Bible.

Yesterday, I managed to accomplish quite a bit. Tom took the two youngest with him on a trip past Roanoke to get a great deal on chain link fence ($50 for 300'+!) from craigslist. Heather and I stayed home and spent the morning grocery shopping - got some good deals! Then we came home and spent the rest of the day cleaning her room. Hooray! It was disaster zone. I threw out 2 huge black trash bags full of stuff, and put away some things for her to "earn" back. I culled down her clothes and toys tremendously. It feels great to have that done.

We've also been working on the gardens and are excited about our new puppy coming this week.
That's about it for now!

A productive day

Today, I am feeling almost 100% better. :-) I got lots more done. Cleaned up a bit, got the kitchen completely clean before bedtime tonight - hooray! Also made laundry soap, started a batch of kombucha tea, got all our chores done, played out in the snow flurries, got my shopping list and coupons together for tomorrow. I was very excited when I posted a few "wanted" ads on Craig's List and got responses from people willing to do some bartering... for fence material, a shed (will be a chicken house), and a bunny! So, a good day and now I am off to watch a movie with Tom and go to sleep. Hopefully tomorrow will be just as good.

Here are pics of the laundry soap. After setting 24 hours it thickened up and I am impressed with the consistency, I added some lavender so like the smell so far... the price is great! We'll see how it goes when we use it.

Update: I have used the laundry soap for several loads now, and I like it so far... I am still not completely sure, but don't have any complaints at the moment. The price breakdown: Arm & Hammer Wash Booster $3, Borax $3, bar of ivory soap (cheap, believe we got it free on a deal). We used only 1 cup of each and 1 bar of soap... so the boxes we bought will go a long way. It made a huge amount of detergent as you can see! I will update again if we decide we don't like it, but so far so good...

Updates

Been kinda quiet here, besides being sick our life has been school, gardening and bargain shopping. Check out the pages by clicking the links here or in the sidebar if you want to see more.

A stinky situation...

This spring when I was cleaning out the flower beds, I raked out a bunch of leaves from under the big rose bush... and was shocked to find 2 chicken eggs!!! We have not had chickens for at least 2 years, so this was quite the surprise. I gingerly picked them up and set them into this pot. They felt pretty light and I was curious what would be inside at this point - but not brave enough to crack them. Well, as you can see... there is only one there now... when our friends were over for dinner Saturday, their oldest son picked one up and was surprised at how easily it broke - and how bad it smelled, LOL!!! To satisfy my curiousity, I looked inside and there was a black yolk and that was about it, but oooooweeeee did it smell.

A few pics from the gardens...

... we are in a drought now, so there is not much left that isn't completely brown and dried up - but here are a few things. The pumpkin came from the mysterious "volunteer" plant near the front porch. Between the deer and the drought, things are pretty sad out there. :(

Early summer blooms

A few more pics from our yard... blooming now!

Lamium (Dead Nettles)
Calla Lilies with Purple Basil
Coral Rose
Evening Primrose
Peonies from the bush to the table

I have a new bud on the red rose bush that I got for Mother's Day and some new growth on the pink one, so they seem to be happy. The Black-eyed Susan and Purple Coneflower are getting tall and ready to bloom. The Daylilies have put up shoots and are preparing to bloom - even all the ones I transplanted! :-) I also noticed that the hostas are getting ready to put up their shoots of blooms. There will be some pretty boquets on my table soon!

Our outside room

Here are pictures of our screened room that we set up.

I made candle lights out of small jelly jars, wire and chain.











I also got 2 strings of white lights and put them up, I bought a few stems of silk flowers and took the flower part off and then slipped them over every other bulb. It gives a nice, soft glow. I like the green and orange together.









I love the potted flowers in there, makes it cozy. Tom found the adirondack chairs for $11.00. We love to sit in our outside room and drink our coffee in the morning and also enjoy the evening coolness, sometimes with a glass of wine.

It's great fun for entertaining too!

Planted today

In the big area where the trees were piled, Tom pushed over and worked the earth again. We planted a Wildflower Shade seed mix there today - just in time for some lovely rain.

The mix contains:
- Snapdragon
- Canterbury Bells
- Wallflower
- Chinese Houses
- Gilia
- Baby Snapdragon
- Blue Flax
- Lupine
- Baby Blue Eyes
- Five Star
- Love-In-A-Mist
- Flanders
- Shirley Poppy

Hope it comes up and fills in beautifully. Will really liven up the back yard!

Our 12th Wedding Anniversary!

Tom and I were married 12 years ago today! Last night we went out for our every other month date night. Our dear friends watched the kids and we went to the Outback Steakhouse for an early dinner. I totally broke my diet, even had a couple slices of bread and a sprite... and a bloomin' onion - yummmy!!!

There was nobody around to take our picture together, and I didn't think to ask Amy and Rich to do it but we got these while we were walking. We walked on the Blackwater Creek Trail. I am proud to say that we walked almost 2 miles and I was not winded nor did I break a sweat. Tom was impressed! I got some pics of the scenery there, it started to get a little dark under the trees, so some of the pics are dark (until I remembered the "nightime scenery" setting on my camera!). We enjoyed the gentle breeze, the gardens, the smell of wild rose and honeysuckle, the sound of the trickling creek. It was very nice.

After our walk, we went to Lowe's and I picked out some flowers. I picked up some pretty orange Dahlia's and a gorgeous, tall, elegant potted lavender Foxglove. I spotted the Foxglove as soon as we walked in and it was just so pretty, we walked around a while and before we left Tom encouraged me to go ahead and get them. He really likes them too and loves that they are perennials. I am glad he told me to go ahead and spend the money on them, we will enjoy them for many years in our flower garden.

I had surprised Tom that morning with a tent/screenroom to put up outside. We have been enjoying our coffee outside together in the mornings and often eat or just sit outside in the evenings, so I got that in order to continue enjoying those times even when the heat and bugs get worse with summer. We put it up at the end of the driveway that morning and have really been enjoying it. When we arrived home that night, we got the kids to bed and opened a bottle of wine we have been saving. I made up a tray of fruit and cream cheese dip and chocolate dip and we sat outside with our wine and fruit and enjoyed a lovely evening. :-)

I am so thankful for my husband and the years we have had together. I am thrilled to say that each year is truly better than the last! :-)

A long update

Hello dear friends. I have been wanting/needing to do an update for a while now. Thought I would take a few minutes and see how far I get... may have to do a few sessions before I can send.

Work has picked up considerably! We are keeping quite busy and considering putting a 3rd truck on the road. We are hiring another guy starting June 9 and looking for more office help once again. Tom is considering backing himself down to managing/doing estimates and selling jobs, though he hates the idea of not being in the field. It would be only for a while and then he hopes to go back out in the field when he can train a manager/estimator. He just can't stand to not be in the middle of all the work! :-) I am still in the office for 2-3 days a week and answering the phones pretty much every day. Our goal is to have someone trained to take over the basic office stuff by the end of June and all of it by the fall. The whole family is looking forward to mommy being "fired" and home more! :D We are thankful for God's provision in all things.

Tom has a few weeks here between his last helper and the next guy starting, so he decided to take the children with him one at a time for a week's worth of being daddy's helper. It has been wonderful for all of us. Heather just finished up her week and Rose had her first day today. It has been neat to see the way a missing child changes the dynamics of us at home/office and the way the child who is with daddy changes in that week's time. Heather came home saying "Oh, dude!" which cracked me up. I found out how much I relied on Heather to be my helper through the day, she is so good at following instructions and pulling together loose ends for me. With Rose gone today, I found that I really rely on her to keep Will occupied. They play together so well most of the time, and Heather and Will really don't interact nearly as much. Will really missed Rose and was happy to see her come home today. It was sweet. I can't imagine how Will is going to do on his week. I am praying that it goes smoothly for he and Tom - and trying to prepare myself for the quieter/slower pace for the girls and I!

We have started a summer break of sorts with school. I wasn't really planning to, we've had plenty of breaks through the year. We will do a bit of grammar here and there to keep it fresh and of course lots of reading, summer reading program, etc... I hope to squeeze in some history/geography studies also. We'll see. :) The kids are doing great overall.

Heather is growing so fast, and maturing physically way faster than I was prepared for. She is still such a little girl in spirit most of the time though. Heather still loves to read best of all, it's her one passion. She also likes to sew and knit. She is working on making jewelry that she wants to sell for kids. She is designing her business cards and is going to ask daddy if she can put them on the front counter at the shop.

Rose is still my sweet, gentle beauty. She has become something of a tom-boy too though. She's tons of fun, but hard to harness sometimes. She still has a great imagination that can sometimes get her into trouble since she doesn't stay focused very well. She is reading more now and finally found some chapter books that she likes... Junie B series. Rose loves to ride bikes and dress up as a cowgirl or even dress in camo and run through the woods with our friend Dante. She has lots of fun and has become a bit less emotional and less sensitive to things that used to bother her (like being cold or hot, scratchy things, etc...). Rose does a great job with playing cars with her brother and helping keep him occupied.

Will is growing and changing too. More of a big boy everyday. He adores his daddy and has picked up quite a few of daddy's "slogans" which can be quite humorous. His arm is healing pretty well and he has been amazing to me in how he just takes things as they come, doesn't complain about what he can't do / is missing out on. He will go out with the rest of the kids and run alongside the bikes (doesn't quite have the mobility that I trust him to steer yet), or sit and contentedly watch everyone else jumping on the trampoline (though he wants to get back on there and has snuck up a couple times!). He will be back to normal soon I trust. I've been so proud of him. He still loves bugs and creepy crawly things, and his cars. He is reading simple words finally!!! It's been a combination of him being reluctant/resistant and me being busy... but he finally is doing it. :-) He doesn't like to read the beginning readers very much. He would much rather grab a library book of whatever level and I will read parts and point to words for him to read on each page. It works!

Tom is planning to build the children a play fort in the yard this summer. Will is most excited about the sand box. Elijah has one that they will sit in for hours and hours building things and digging out "sheds" for their cars. I look forward to having something more substantial for them to play on outside.

Let's see... my burns on my fingers have healed pretty nicely. I think there is very minimal scarring, though the fingers are still quite red but not at all painful. I assume that the redness will go away as the skin regenerates however many layers it needs to. We'll see.

I have been participating in the Acupuncture study for PCOS at the UVA Medical Center. It has been neat. I have actually enjoyed the drive there and back twice a week, the treatments have been simple and enjoyable - the Dr is nice and her office comfortable - I generally get a 20 minute nap in. :-) I have taken each of the children with me for some one-on-one time during the hour long drives and that has been very nice. I am not sure if I am getting the real acupuncture or the placebo, but I did have a very nice, painless, normal cycle a few weeks ago after 3 months without one!

I am feeling lots better in general. I finished the 4 month yeast-free diet and have moved on to low carb to see how I do. I have lost a total of 45 pounds and almost 6 sizes! I have been T-Tapping so am losing the inches and sizes faster than I thought despite only being about half way through the pounds I want to lose. It is incredible how much better I feel, more energy, feeling stronger, getting some new clothes, it's been a great confidence booster!

We planted a small garden this spring, each of the kids picked out an heirloom tomato plant, Heather and Will planted a bush bean each, Rose planted three bush cucumber plants, I planted 12 pea plants and 2 pepper plants for Tom, we also have some surprise volunteer sqash plants growing strong. I have weeded, transplanted lots and edged new flower beds. I planted some new morning glories and 4 o'clocks and today Heather and Will worked together to plant some sunflower seeds too. The kids got me 2 new rose bushes for Mother's Day (after much hinting) and those will look nice once they've grown and filled in. The flower beds also have lots of iris, lilies, peonies, hostas, black-eyed susan, purple coneflower, ledum, tulips, daffodils, lilac and violets. Mostly perennials. My herb bed this year has chives, feverfew, bee balm, lavender, and comfrey. The yard is looking better and better gradually, and I am learning lots about how to care for things and how to be patient as things mature. Ack! Just heard a deer munching away right outside my bedroom window - so there may be less of all that there in the morning! :( My outside dog died several weeks ago so I am sure we will have more problems with that this year.

The weather this spring has been exceptionally mild and much more spring-like than we usually get in this area. We have been really, really enjoying having the windows open and fans blowing occasionally - haven't even thought about turning the a/c on yet this year and it's almost June! I LOVE the 70 degree weather and am thrilled it has lasted this long. We have also had some lovely rains and even a scattered thunderstorm or two which we don't get very often because of the mountains.

God has given our family some wonderful friends locally. It is so hard to find a family that has the same values/beliefs and the wives AND husbands get along, not to mention the children. Amy is a wonderful, encouraging friend and Rich and Tom get along quite well. The children can play together for literally hours and even days in a row without bickering and fighting, it is really amazing. The best part is that Will has a best bud in their 5yo Elijah. I am so happy for that! Amy teaches the girls piano lessons, we've been doing a Nancy Campbell Bible study together, and we take turns watching children and grocery shopping each Friday. We also swap monthly date nights which is fabulous. It has been a blessing! Amy is due with their 5th child in the next couple weeks and this will be her second homebirth with the local midwife... and she has asked me to be there! I am very excited. She wants me to take pictures and help with her children and be another voice/perspective for advice if asked.

I also plan to leave the very end of June to go to MN for a few weeks. Angela and Joe will be having their third baby then and would like me to be there with the midwife also. I am SO looking forward to getting away for a bit and spending some time with their family and meeting the next member. They have lots going on right now so I am hoping I can help out some there too. We are praying about finding plane tickets since gas is so high and our vehicles aren't super reliable. The kids would LOVE to fly!

Well, I guess that is it. I'm sorry that I haven't kept up better and had to unload all at once, but thanks for reading! Love you all and appreciate your friendships and prayers more than you know.