I had lunch with the man of my dreams!

Today I had lunch with the man of my dreams.

I sat side by side with a man who absolutely sets my heart aflutter.

Let me see if I can begin to do him justice.

He is stocky yet athletic and tends to dress a bit grunge. Remember that? He has the most incredibly blue eyes you have ever seen.  Looking into them is a dream, I can hardly keep myself contained when I peer into those glassy blues  with such innocence and love.  Not to mention he has flawless skin with a smattering of freckles across his cheeks that only serve to add to his sunny countenance.

The two of us have a bit of a language barrier.  I have to listen hard to understand what he wants to portray to me but words do not have to pass between us for kindred hearts to speak.  He is an open book and a man after God’s own heart.  The humblest of the humble, a true member of the kingdom of Christ.

We ate the simplest of meals but my joy has rarely been so complete.  He requested pb&j and couldn’t be persuaded otherwise.  I ate the same and watched in wonder as he licked his fingers, finishing every morsel.  No meal with this man would be complete without a glass of juice and a swipe of the hands down the front of his recently clean-ish shirt.

Who is it?

Certainly not the ONLY man of my dreams.

None other than…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 My man, aka Bubba. 

No his eyes aren’t quite that blue but I had fun editing since I rarely have time for such extravagance!

What’s a Mom to DO?

I have a dilemma.  There is a neighbor with an eight year old son who is a whirlwind, to put it nicely.  Usually I tend to avoid allowing my boys to spend time with kids that I don’t want them picking up bad habits from, but this boys happens to be the son of our 4-H leader and a good friend of mine. Sigh!

Tonight is the kickoff bbq and I am terrified that my boys, being younger than he is, will come home after spending an hour or so with this kid and be saying things like “Oh god!” and acting maniacal.  Not to mention that for this family money is not an object and they have every toy known to man including all the video game systems and state of the art computer equipment. 

At our house, partly out of necessity ;), we emphasise non-monetary contentment and I struggle big time with Thing Two and his addictive nature toward video games.  That amounts to their dad’s old Nintendo on rare occasions and three days a week he is allowed to earn time at a free online game where a quad goes forward and backward on a two dimensional track.  So nothing fancy at all.

I guess what I’m wondering is how do I prepare them for time with this boy since it is not possible to keep them segregated from every ornery boy on the planet!  I’m sure mine can come up with lots of their own trouble too.

Do I sit them down and have a “talk” about not conforming to other’s standards?

Do I prepare them for the sorts of thing he might say (and that I’ve heard him say) and mention how his disrespect of his mother will not be tolerated by me?

I truly love this family and I dont’ want my boys going in saying, “My mom said….”  But I love my boys more and I want to prepare them in the most Godly but not condescending way. 

Did that make any sense at all?

What are your thoughts?

Don’t you think my “jail” pictures are appropriate?  Hee hee!

Portraits of Fun-Lookin Back on the Past Year

These are a few of my favorite things!

Here is Thing One and his look alike pumpkin…

Here is Thing One’s Portrait of his baby sister (now one year old-my how the time flies) and I on her 1 week birthday…

Here are three of my favorite things; leaves, the color green and my little buddy “Bubba”…

And here is one of my favorite pictures of Thing Two. He and his older brother got these headlamps for their birthday and while Grammy and Papa were visiting he disappeared. No one could find him anywhere, we were calling and looking, trying not to panic. Finally after a good half hour his Grammy found him asleep with the headlamp on under the guest bed! Gotta love the boy…

I’ve Graduated

So I’ve been a mom for almost eight years now.  I know, it’s more than some, less than others but this morning I had a turning point.  I do believe my mother would be proud. I have to say, I’ve graduated.

I’ve dealt with poo in every imaginable place and some NOT, I can handle throw up (as long as I’m not pregnant and nauseous myself) and I do pretty darn well with blood just ask Thing 2 aka “Roadrash King” and “Scar-funkle”!  My weakness has always been with sink ickies.  You know the stuff, the soggy cereal that is half stuck to the bottom of the sink, the random pieces of fruit that are barely recognizable and also very slimy, then there are often beans or pieces of meat swirling around and  around in the drain too big to slip through the slot and disappear forever. 

The worst is when mom’s been gone and there are stray dishes in the sink disguising the problem.  Mom comes home at midnight from a once in a blue moon girls night/baby shower falls into a fitful sleep and wakes up late (theoreticaly-;)) to find the lurking dinner goodies floating around under a couple plates and a handful of silverware.

You know what I did today?  Instead of my usual freak out; convulsing while fighting my gag reflex, shielding my eyes from the horror of it all then trying to fish out the invaders with a spoon and a paper towel (no I don’t have a disposal) while all the while holding my breath which if it takes too long puts me at further risk of passing out right then and there on the kitchen floor.  Instead of all that I reached my bare hand down into the sink drain and scooped that puppy right out of there.  It’s like a creature out of mad science and I TOUCHED it, grabbed it and threw the whole darn mess away WITHOUT gagging.

I tell ya, I’ve graduated!

Sometimes I Forget

Sometimes I forget to taste my food.

I’ve even forgotten what wheat tastes like.

Sometimes I forget that my children are all very young,

That the oldest is young enough to still fear the dark.

Sometimes I forget to hug my husband,

And that my best weapon is prayer, my shield is the God who sees!

Sometimes I forget that I do a good job,

That the children will not remember a swept floor, a well thought out meal.

Sometimes I forget my manners, my patience, my happy countenance

But my Jesus, my Joy

He is my witness

Sometimes I forget

He never forgets

Please visit the others by clicking the picture below!  There are so many great photographers that participate!

Not so FAST!

Do you know how much you can learn from observation.  “Be still and know that I am God” implores the Lord!

In our instant gratification, fast food, fast paced, speed dating, online chatting, thrill seeking society the noise never stops.  But those who take the time to STOP and look around will find knowledge in the simplest of places.

Did you know you could learn to garden without “Gardening for Dummies” or that you can track an animal without high tech gear?

I met a huge bull moose face to face the other day.  Twenty feet apart we stared at each other, me on my horse, he in his element.   No fear, no aggression he just caulked his velveted rack and stared. Quickly we departed.  But how did I track and sneak up on one of the largest specimen of four legged creatures in our mountains when hunters search for weeks with their ATV’s and GPS, their cell’s and scopes and tree perches? 

It’s because I listened and learned.  I’ve tracked numerous deer and found signs of bears and many other critters. I use my nose, my sight and the sounds that carry on the wind when you are silent.

That’s why I love the woods, they remind me to hear with ears that really listen, see with eyes that search, feel with my whole being and trust my God given senses.

Sometimes in the day to day I begin to feel like one of the machines I load to wash dishes, or type at to communicate with friends or watch to learn something new.  When did we become so one dimensional?

Today will you sit down and listen?  What can you hear beyond the honking cars, the whir of the fan or the droning of the local news anchor?

Summer Slackin’

See I’m silly, do you suspect my serious compulsion?  I have a compulsion for words and I love alliteration! 🙂 

That aside, I spent the time it takes to brew my morning coffee swatting flies!  Why flies you ask?  My darling Thinglets can not resist the great outdoors but since mom doesn’t cook during the summer they also can’t resist multiple trips indoors for a snack.  During the summer I slack in the eating and the cleaning department, I reserve most of my cleaning rampages for the dreary days of winter.  Please pay close attention to the word MOST as I am not good at practicing what I preach! 

The result is a summer slackin’ mamma, several snackin saps and a serious amount of smackin’ stinkin’ segmented sailing suckers!

Since I’ve been a regular participator in Linda’s weekly blog carnival, previously “What’s for Dinner Wednesday” I decided I couldn’t let down the troops so this week I don’t have a recipe but more of a slackers gluten free survival map!

Never fear though, I will be back soon with full tummy recipes since in the Northwest summer is but a passing fancy!  We have guests this week and I plan to bring you my brother in law’s (Lil Sis’ Hubby) “Famous Fish Taco” recipe.  So tune in next week!

In the mean time-

Gluten Free Goof’s Slacker’s Survival Map:

The first stop is my sock drawer!  No I don’t have any science experiments brewing in there just a “treasure map” of sorts that helps me get my head out of the clouds when it comes time to eat!  Food preparation is one area that I am somewhat of a procrastinator.  I am not confident, I am picky and yet I have grand ideas that often flop (unless my hubby is helping- he is an uninhibited cook)!  Sooo, it helps me to have a simple plan to fall back on and yet not be bound to! 

Sounds much too complicated for FOOD!  For crying out loud those six mouths are simply six pie holes!

After I have fished out my treasure map I wistfully make a paper airplane out of it and send it sailing off of the deck, past the pigs, the horses, and the vegetable garden where I am reminded there are numerous summertime treasures we don’t get to enjoy everyday!  Second stop, garden of weedin where we get our veggies fix’!

If there is extra time and I want to impress the rats I might stop by the BBQ on the way back to the house and create a dish for the critics!

When there is no extra time my map ends up as fuel for the barbecue and I whip up my go to summer meal complete with Sweet Baby Ray’s drizzly grin!

Occasionally I forget the whole thing and let my seven year old create his own masterpiece!

So in case there is any question, my treasures are featured all over this page!  No need for maps or compasses my husband and I have been thoroughly blessed with the four adorable children God has trusted us with!

Psalm 127:3-5
3Sons are a heritage from the LORD,
       children a reward from him.

 ⁴ Like arrows in the hands of a warrior
       are sons born in one’s youth.

 ⁵ Blessed is the man
       whose quiver is full of them.
       They will not be put to shame
       when they contend with their enemies in the gate.

Aaarg, I hope you’ve enjoyed this treasure hunt, come back next week for a seriously good installment of Linda’s new and improved “What Can I Eat That’s Gluten Free” and don’t forget to visit the others this week!

100

It seems so soon, but this is my 100th post!  Who knew I would get hooked on the blogging business! 🙂  I thought in celebration of my “100 post birthday” I would attempt to think of 100 tidbits about me.

Here goes!

100 random things about me!

1. I’ve been to Japan twice
2. I’m terrified of bees
3. I like zz-top
4. I play flute (haha)
5. I wanted to play trombone but the teacher said my arms were too short.
6. I always wanted to have 4boys
7. God gave us 3boys and 1 girl
8. My little girls real name is Davie.  Matt and I picked her name while we were dating NOT after our 3 boys.  She has the same initials as my best friend and mom which is a promise I made to my best friend in the 6th grade.
9. I love antiques
10. I used to say I would live CA over my dead body
11. Thankfully I’m alive after living in CA 4yrs
12. I learned to drive a horse and buggy in Chino CA
13. I designed and physically hand drew the  plans to the house we now live in.
14. I like sunflowers and stinky daisies (weeds really)
15. My husband and I met when I was on vacation- we lived 1700 mi apart.
16. My husband and I courted online (yikes!)
17. My first car was a “horse”- my grandpa’s Ford Pinto
18. My third car was also a “horse” a Ford Mustang (I still have it)
19. On that subject my Mustang “introduced” my husband and I.  More on that later.
20. I have lived in Alberta Canada
21. I like to collect rocks
22. I speak some Japanese
23. I understand some Spanish (my husband speaks Spanish)
24. I’m most happy when I’m busy
25. My love language is quality time
26. I am terrible at bowling
27. I hate pink
28. In highschool my nickname was “Nick” (don’t ask)
29. In highschool I played basketball (pretty funny for being only 4’11”)
30. I can play about 10 chords on the guitar (slowly)!
31. I play a little piano
32. I like to write songs on occasion
33. I was assistant band director for 1yr
34. I can’t play violin
35. I taught violin class
36. I’ve never been a bridesmaid only a “matron”
37. I was in a wedding in Tokyo Japan
38. We fit all our possessions and two vehicles in the moving semi when we left CA
39. My sis lived with us when she was 16, I only had one child of my own then.
40. I did Pampered Chef before going gluten free
41. My favorite item of clothing is jeans
42. I have had 4 home businesses since I’ve been married and made about $4! Hehe
43. I had my first son in a hospital, assisted
44. I had my middle two sons in birthing centers with midwives, unassisted
45. I had my daughter at home
46. I was homeschooled when I was a kid
47. I attended public school when I was a kid
48. I attended private school  when I was a kid
49. I only moved once as a kid (you do the math, haha)
50. I went to school to be a teacher
51. I went to school for music
52. I homeschool my kids
53. My kids attend public school (ask me if you care)
54. My husband teaches public school
55. As a kid I couldn’t wait to move away from “small town America”
56. As a grown kid I couldn’t wait to get back to “small town America”
57. I like trucks
58. I think buying a dog is dumb
59. I have a purebred illegitimate Coonhound
60. I’ve had pet rats- two “boys” we were told -they had babies!
61. I’ve had guinea pigs
62. I’ve had pet snakes
63. I’ve had a pet parakeet
64. I’ve had a pet tarantula (really my brothers) he escaped into the wall of our house, my dad had to remove the trim and wait for him to come out.
65. I’ve had a pet hedgehog (really my sisters)
66. Right now I have 18 pets
67. I sponsor a child in Guatemala
68. I worked at McDonald’s (4 different stores)
69. I like to run
70. I hate to ride bikes (my boys love it!)
71. I like motorcycles
72. I am the only one in my family with a motorcycle endorsement.
73. I am the only one in my family NOT to own a motorcycle of my own.
74. My favorite school subject is English
75.  My least fav subject was History (my Hubby’s fav- History)
76. If I hate a food it is probably the texture
77. I can’t help but touch different fabrics and textures when I’m shopping.
78. I don’t really like to shop much
79. I love yard saleing
80. I was going to be a vet when I grew up
81. I don’t consider myself grown up- I’m 30
82. My favorite color is green
83. My real name is Jessie – not Jessica
84. I’m named after Jessie Colter– though my dad recently discovered that her name appears to be spelled Jessi
85. I’ve been a lifeguard
86. I love  backpacking/ camping in the boon-docks!
87. I lived 11mo in a camping trailer with two/three kids
88. I lived one winter with no running water.
89. I lived through one winter with no working potty, pregnant!
90. My favorite time of the year is Autumn
91. I tried learning how to shoe my own horses (I can only do it when the ground is soft otherwise the hooves are too tough!)
92. I have had stitches in my head
93. I could get lost in a round room
94. I love to ride in the mountains alone – yeah that’s smart eh?
95. I used to compete and  jump horses
96. I grew up in the city
97. I don’t have any carpet in my house
98. My favorite wedding gift (besides my wonderful husband) was Fiestaware- thanks Grandma
99. I don’t jump on bandwagons- that’s why I “don’t blog”
100. Most importantly I am saved by grace through faith!

I love it when my husband is right, I hate it when my husband is right!

I mentioned in another post about a story I had told.  I decided I’d better get my kicks and share it here too and hopefully in less that half an hour, for your sake! 🙂

A couple months ago the big boys and I were at a friends birthday party and I got to talk horses with their grandpa.  He told me through teary eyes that his health was failing and despite his love for horses, haying and helping out his grandkids, he was going to have to neglect his hobby farming and move out of state for the summer to undergo cancer treatments. I was horrified since I had brought up a subject that he was obviously frightened about.  I mentinoned it to my friend, his daughter-in-law and we had a nice conversation about it. I told her I’d pray for their family and she began to tell me about her plight with the horses that had been his and she was now in care of.

To make a very long story somewhat shorter… she was having difficulty caring for and keeping weight on them and asked if  Iwould like to have one.

I of course was extatic.  I’ve got three horses of my own but it’s a strange motley crew.  One 16+ hand draft horse (tall and WIDE) a short mare (Mountain Mare) I’ve had since she was a baby and an even shorter pony/mare for my kids.  None of them are well suited to your average, everyday, friendly guest who might want to have a tour of our local mountians.  I love taking people for rides so I was excited about the chance to have a regular sized horse.

I told her I would “work on” talking to my husband about it and she should keep me informed on how things were going. 

Over the next couple of months I worked hard at trying to figure out a way to reduce our horse expenses so that I could justify feeding another large mouth, to my husband!  Also over the next couple of months my husbands job became less and less stable seeming and a raise became a  dream of the past.

Sooo, my friend called again this week to ask if she could bring the horse over for me, complete with hay and a round pen.

I asked Matt, thinking that after the conclusion of the pig incident I had this one in the bag! Not really, my husband is not a push over and I am not a horrible manipulator. I’m sure on occasion I’ve used my womanly charms to get my way but let me tell you I’m not proud of those moments and they usually come back to bite me.  We do, both want what is best for our family so it serves us well when we hear eachother out and submit to God’s authority on matters.

This time Matt wisely said “No!” Not in those words but still the answer was no and I had no rebuttal because I knew he was right. We really could (can) not afford another horse!  I was crushed.  I had really hoped I could make it work.

I hate it when my husband is right!

I reluctantly called my friend back and broke the news to her.  She understood but still tried to “sweeten” the deal with more hay and the use of a horse trailer they would no longer be needing.

Just before hanging up the phone I remembered something Matt had said, “I have no problem having another horse at the house it’s just not a wise money decision.” He had even told me I should ask her to board the horse at our place so we could ride together.  I offered this option to her and through a series of details and more phone calls her and her husband decided to give it a try.

The next day Sunny showed up at my house looking like this…

 

I had no idea she had fared so badly.  She is quite old, mind you (great for the kids) but her health and weight are far beyond what I had realized when we first talked.  Upon her arrival I tried to hide my shock.  Since my friend is aware of the problem and is now trying to do something about it there was no reason to rub it in and embarrass her but WOW!  This poor mare will have a long road to health and an expensive journey at that.  Thank the Lord and thank my Hubby she is not our financial burden.  It will be a blessing to be a part of helping nurse her back to fat and happy and help my friend learn how to avoid this in the future!

 I love it when my husband is right!

Wall of Promise

I just notice I’ve had double the “comments” via spam than I have from real caring people!  Ha what a bummer. I do SO appreciate and enjoy your real, honest and even challenging comments!  Thanks for getting me hooked on blogging. 

This is for those of you who are real living breathing people!  My wall of promise…

This is the wall in my living room/kitchen, a song and verse to remind me of God’s love. The Bible says to write God’s word on the doorpost of our homes and hide it in hearts.

Song for the day:
“Your love oh Lord, reaches to the Heavens, your faithfulness stretches to the sky! Your righteousness is like a mighty mountain, your justice flows like the oceans tide. I will lift my voice to worship you my King. I will find my strength in the shadow of your wing.”

Adapted from Psalm 36:5-6 by one of my all time favorite bands!

Listen here!

In order to do this in your own homes you do not need to be an artist or great with a paint brush, I promise!

I repeat, no paint! It is not permanent so go hog wild!

All it is is contact paper and a die cut stencil.  Woo hoo! Leave me your favorite verse and if you make your own wall of promise link back here so I can see your pictures.

Have a Christ filled day!