Our Peculiar Life

He is Risen

2011-07-02T06:52:00.000-05:00

I wrote this for some friends a few months ago. Found it again today and thought I'd post it here to remind MYSELF.

We've all been going through some rough times right now. Sometimes it even seems impossible that things will get better and it is easy to despair!

Just like the disciples did on Good Friday...... they were giving up...all was lost. They were distraught. They had no idea that people would someday refer to that day as "Good" Friday. To them, there was nothing good about it. Sounds like where we are.... there is nothing good about anything we all are going through. Jesus had said "It is finished." They believed it... all was finished. To them, they had lost the most precious and sacred person they had ever known. The amount of hurt and pain and betrayal was so much more than anything we all are going through....even though we are going through a lot.

Saturday had to be horrible. Looking back from this side, we know that all is not lost. We know that there was hope to be held on to. But imagine being there... your friend, your savior was just crucified on a cross in the most undignified and horrible of fashions. All that you have been living for is gone. All that you believed must be wrong. There is nothing left. Don't we feel like that? With financial worries, worries about our children, worries about jobs...doesn't it seem like there is nothing left? that what we believed must be wrong?

Imagine now, if you can, in the middle of this darkness and utter despair, you hear a voice saying, "He is risen." He. Is. Risen. Hope. Joy. Relief. He is risen. All of a sudden, in those three words, everything that happened the past three days is erased. Joy came that morning. Abundant, overwhelming joy encompassing all the pain and sorrow. There was hope. All was well.

We are almost there, guys. We may be in the midst of Good Friday or Holy Saturday... we may be believing all is finished or everything we believed must be wrong. But joy is coming. Hope is coming. Relief is coming. Don't give up and don't forget that He is Risen! Even in the midst of all that we are going through, those three words should give us joy.... it means that there is something else coming. Everything looks dark and bleak, just like it did on Good Friday. But when Jesus said, "It is finished" he meant that the prophecies had been fulfilled, our sins had been taken away, Jesus had paid our price, Jesus had done ALL. What might have sounded to some like it was the end, Jesus meant as the beginning.

And what might seem to be the end to us, Jesus is going to use as a beginning. We are on the crux of our breakthrough. We are awaiting the Good News... the News that He is Risen but remember, we have the blessing of hindsight! We KNOW that he is risen and we need to keep proclaiming it! Proclaim it and praise God for our savior! Our Savior... He has SAVED us!! Hallelujah and Amen!! I know that we are right on the brink of Easter morning. We will all be able to see the stone rolled away and the hope that came in the empty tomb. We will get the breakthroughs that we all need and we will all be able to run back to our friends and say, "He is risen" and hear each other say "He is risen indeed!"

Just a thought

2011-05-06T05:09:00.000-05:00

There came a time when the risk to remain tight in the bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.
Anais Nin

Jacob's Birthday

2011-05-06T05:05:00.002-05:00

Yesterday was Jacob's birthday. We made our annual trip to his gravesite and sang him "Happy Birthday" just as we always do. This year was very cute because Ethan did a dance for Jacob, as he was singing. Ethan and Kaedra are asking a lot more questions about Jacob: where he is, why he is there, when they will get to see him, etc.

Here is a picture of the kids.... while you might think it's a little odd to see their big smiles at their brother's grave - remember that they all know that he is in a much better place and that they will get to see him again!

photo.JPG, a photo by Kedlynn on Flickr.

Busy Week

2011-04-08T07:19:00.000-05:00

Well I haven't had a lot of time to work on house projects this week! It's been a busy busy week! Tuesday we had a doctor's appointment (Emily got her cast off!), we got pictures taken downtown and Michael and I went on a date. It was a wonderful date.....maybe my favorite ever. Since it was such a beautiful day, we started off by going for a drive. We had a wonderful time driving through Catoosa and seeing an area Michael had never seen (but I had discovered recently). After we were done, we were driving by the Hard Rock Casino and saw that there was a Toby Keith's I Love This Bar and Grill Restaurant. Having been there in OKC, we knew we liked it so we decided to go there. We finally found some parking in the crazy casino parking lot and we got inside. It was really cool! Since it is a Hard Rock establishment, there is a lot of rock history in there. I loved this wall full of quotes from rock songs

There were columns in the middle of the slot machines that had outfits, guitars, pictures, and other memorabilia from musicians and bands. Here are some of my favorites:

This is Prince's guitar. Not that I am a huge Prince fan, but I love his guitar. Reminds me of something Dr. Seuss.

The Eagles Guitar from Hotel California. Also some music and the album cover.

Billy Gibbons, ZZ Top.

Metallica

Stevie Ray Vaughn

Eric Clapton

The colors in the casino were gorgeous. They had lots of beautiful creations hanging from the ceiling that made the place very pretty.

They also had HUGE posters of different rock legends.

Well I have to get off of here and get ready for co-op. I will finish up later!

projects

2011-04-04T13:06:00.000-05:00

An Edelweiss

Admittedly, this is an odd looking flower, but I just love them.

I love the song from The Sound of Music, too. I sing it to my children almost nightly.

So I am feeling better. I had a really bad month or so. We were going to change my fibromyalgia/chronic fatigue meds over to another med. I weaned off the one medicine only to find out that I couldn't afford the other medication. I had to wean back on the first medicine and the whole thing took about a month for me to finally feel good again. I did learn something important..... I was thinking the medicine wasn't helping very much. After weaning off of it, I realized how much it really is helping me. Apparently my FM/CFS has gotten worse over the last year and I really do the medicine to function at this time. With the medicine, I feel a little better than I was, with occasional flare ups. Without the medicine, I feel like I'm in one big flare up all the time.

Not only did I have that going on, I also got sick. AND the kids weren't sleeping hardly at all. At least I got everything done and over with at once. Although I wish they didn't have to deal with it, it IS nice to have friends who have similar problems and really understand what I am going through. I read a lot about people who do not have a good support system. My friends at least understand me and sympathize.

Now that I am feeling better, I am "waking up" to realize everything is falling apart! Brittany has done a GREAT JOB at keeping things rolling as far as laundry and picking up. Michael has helped out a lot with meals. However, some of the littler stuff (cleaning out the frig, messy cabinets, piles of papers, etc) needs to be done.

Not only that, but I am waking up to some truths as well. After talking to my friend April on Friday, I realized that I really need to move in to my house. Yes, we are moved in enough to reside here.... but I haven't made it a home yet. We still have sheets up in the windows, boxes in our rooms, boxes in the garage, and from the outside you probably can't tell if we live here or not. The reasons are numerous but the crux is, I needed to change my ways.

Saturday morning I woke up feeling good and with a mission. I went straight to the garage (where we recently had our hot water heater flood) and started going through boxes. I opened and went through every box that was in there. I had to throw quite a bit away because of the flood... the rest I put in piles of whether to take inside, put in the attic or put away in the garage. By the end of Saturday, I had worked 5 hours in the garage and finished one side of it. Sunday morning I went back out and worked on the opposite side. I finished up the boxes and organized the workbench. I am not done yet, but mostly it is just bringing stuff inside and taking things to the attic. Once I am done with that, the garage will be nearly empty and I will be able to park inside again! :-) Not only that, but, if we had another flood, nothing would get ruined.

One of the benefits of going through all the boxes was finding "lost" treasures! I found all my fishing stuff and had such fun looking through it all. I also found many decorations. Now I am looking forward to getting things put up and put away and having our house really be homey again.

Today I realized that the inside was getting very messy while I was working on the outside. Since Michael and Brittany were both gone, I thought I would surprise them and clean the kitchen and my bedroom. Unfortunately the kitchen is taking a little more time than I thought. I got about half of it done and it's going to take another day. It is feeling great to get it done, though.

Now I am feeling a little worn out. I am hoping I just need a nap to get renewed and that I haven't overdone it. It is so hard not to try to get EVERYTHING done when I am feeling up to working. I KNOW I should take it easy...but it's hard to do.

Well that's what's going on here....

Robbie Seay Beautiful, Scandalous Night

2011-03-25T05:24:00.000-06:00

Paying the Ultimate Price

2011-03-18T06:18:00.002-06:00

There once was a man named George Thomas, pastor in a small New England town. One Easter Sunday morning he came to the Church carrying a rusty, bent, old bird cage, and set it by the pulpit. Eyebrows were raised and, as if in response, Pastor Thomas began to spe...ak....

"I was walking through town yesterday when I saw a young boy coming toward me swinging this bird cage. On the bottom of the cage were three little wild birds, shivering with cold and fright.

I stopped the lad and asked, "What do you have there, son?"

"Just some old birds," came the reply.

"What are you going to do with them?" I asked.

"Take 'em home and have fun with 'em," he answered. "I'm gonna tease 'em and pull out their

feathers to make 'em fight. I'm gonna have a real good time."

"But you'll get tired of those birds sooner or later. What will you do then?"

"Oh, I got some cats," said the little boy. "They like birds. I'll take 'em to them."

The pastor was silent for a moment. "How much do you want for those birds, son?"

"Huh?? !!! Why, you don't want them birds, mister.

They're just plain old field birds. They don't sing. They ain't even pretty!"

"How much?" the pastor asked again.

The boy sized up the pastor as if he were crazy and said, "$10?"

The pastor reached in his pocket and took out a ten dollar bill. He placed it in the boy's hand.

In a flash, the boy was gone. The pastor picked up the cage and gently carried it to the end of

the alley where there was a tree and a grassy spot. Setting the cage down, he opened the door, and by softly tapping the bars persuaded the birds out, setting them free. Well, that explained the empty bird cage on the pulpit, and then the pastor began to tell this story:

One day Satan and Jesus were having a conversation. Satan had just come from the Garden of Eden, and he was gloating and boasting. "Yes, sir, I just caught a world full of people down there. Set me a trap, used bait I knew they couldn't resist. Got 'em all!"

"What are you going to do with them?" Jesus asked.

Satan replied, "Oh, I'm gonna have fun! I'm gonna teach them how to marry and divorce each other, how to hate and abuse each other, how to drink and smoke and curse. I'm gonna teach them how to invent guns and bombs and kill each other.. I'm really gonna have fun!"

"And what will you do when you are done with them?"

Jesus asked. "Oh, I'll kill 'em," Satan glared proudly.

"How much do you want for them?" Jesus asked.

"Oh, you don't want those people. They ain't no good. Why, you'll take them and they'll just hate you. They'll spit on you, curse you and kill you. You don't want those people!!"

"How much? He asked again.

Satan looked at Jesus and sneered, "All your blood, tears and your life."

Jesus said, "DONE!" Then He paid the price.

anyone lived in a pretty how town

2011-03-09T16:00:00.000-06:00

used to have this poem memorized...one of my favorites.

anyone lived in a pretty how town by E. E. Cummings

anyone lived in a pretty how town
(with up so floating many bells down)
spring summer autumn winter
he sang his didn't he danced his did

Women and men(both little and small)
cared for anyone not at all
they sowed their isn't they reaped their same
sun moon stars rain

children guessed(but only a few
and down they forgot as up they grew
autumn winter spring summer)
that noone loved him more by more

when by now and tree by leaf
she laughed his joy she cried his grief
bird by snow and stir by still
anyone's any was all to her

someones married their everyones
laughed their cryings and did their dance
(sleep wake hope and then)they
said their nevers they slept their dream

stars rain sun moon
(and only the snow can begin to explain
how children are apt to forget to remember
with up so floating many bells down)

one day anyone died i guess
(and noone stooped to kiss his face)
busy folk buried them side by side
little by little and was by was

all by all and deep by deep
and more by more they dream their sleep
noone and anyone earth by april
wish by spirit and if by yes.

Women and men(both dong and ding)
summer autumn winter spring
reaped their sowing and went their came
sun moon stars rain

2011-02-28T20:30:00.000-06:00

Wrote this poem when I was in high school...
thought of it last night when talking to Brittany

No, she said, and then he was sad
No, once again, and then he was mad
Maybe, she whispered, afraid she would lose him
Please, he begged, not thinking of her
Yes, she said, crying, thinking only of him.

Underbelly

2011-02-25T04:20:00.000-06:00

it's the showing of my underbelly
that scares me
I like to keep it hidden
as it should be
away from light and eyes and probing

it's the under
belly
the soft place where all my faults
and all my vulnerabilities
are stitched together
crookedly, jaggedly
with no finesse
and unmatched thread

It's private
alone
and lonely
it has a mind of it's own
a terrible energy
that consumes when it is revealed
pulling all my thoughts
actions, emotions
into the awful vortex
spitting them out
mangled and torn
raw, open and weeping blood

you may think I hide this place from Jesus
protecting my underbelly from Him
or Him from my underbelly
but I don't
when it is unearthed
I hold on to Him
with frantic hands
silently screaming His name
a life grip on His robe
"If I just touch His clothes
I will be healed"
whole

and instead of giving up
letting the monster win
opening up the stitches
with a dull knife
pulling each one
until the skin pops
letting everything fall out
and heading into blessed oblivion

instead of that
I hang on
and ride out the storm
whipped around,
out of control
heading into ever darker places
but anchored to Jesus
holding His robe
knowing I WILL be healed
I WILL be whole

When God is for me,
even my Self
cannot stand a chance against me

Not Alone by Red

2011-02-25T03:27:00.002-06:00

And here's the answer to those feelings...

Lifehouse - Broken Live

2011-02-25T03:15:00.000-06:00

Here's how I've been feeling lately...

A New Baby to pray for

2011-02-13T22:29:00.001-06:00

I have met a family with a precious baby, just over one year old, named Ava Maddison. She was born at 23 weeks and is still in the hospital.

She had a really rough night last night and needs prayer. Please join me in praying for sweet Ava and her family. (click on her picture to go to her blog)

Todd Agnew about Sin

2011-01-28T00:37:00.000-06:00

The 23rd Psalm

2011-01-08T22:30:00.000-06:00

Happy New Year

2011-01-01T16:02:00.000-06:00

My day in retrospect

2010-11-12T22:26:00.004-06:00

Wow. I have the urge to blog. And it is about nothing. This makes me happy. :-) Now you know something new about me.

Tonight we had dirty rice. It was absolutely, positively, mouthwateringly delicious. I can't believe there is only one serving left. I ~~want~~ need to make this again as soon as possible. Tomorrow is looking possible.

Before eating dinner, we went to Walmart. Kaedra had received money for her birthday so besides the usual shopping (because we had nothing to make dinner), getting new toothbrushes in our quest to rid our house of germs and picking up a prescription for Emily, she wanted to buy something with her money. Luckily, being the smart mommy that I am, I knew that would be a long adventure, so I left Brittany and Emily in charge of that and Ethan and I took off to do shopping. Emily needed some shoes (she always does...she has the oddest feet I know. Well, I don't technically *know* her feet. If I did, it would be easier). We actually found her some today! YAY! They look like Dorothy's shoes from Oz, but they are black instead of red and they have no heel. Okay, something about them reminds me of Dorothy's shoes...use your imagination.

Before Walmart, we went to our friends house to drop off Season 1 of the X-Files. If you have been reading my blog for a long time, you know I love the X-Files. Always happy to share my love with others, I am trying to infilitrate my friends' minds with x-file trivia and quotes so I can enjoy it more through them. heeheehee. It is part of the conspiracy. (see, there is a reference.)

It is so much fun to be at my friend's house. I love her boys and I love her and they all have my exact sense of humor. I *try* to run in and out and I even leave the kids in the car, convincing myself I will only be a minute, but it never works. (don't worry, I leave Brittany in the car too....she can flag down someone for help if I never come out.) (Today the kids were in the car because both we and the Walenciaks are avoiding other families like the plague. Interesting word there. Plague. Yes, our families have both been hit by the stomach flu going around. We found out, the hard way, I might add, that you can get it twice. So, many of us are doing what we can to stay away from others to both not infect and not become infected. we are using lots of hand sanitizers, lysol and I'm about to step it up to face masks. jk. sort of) But they are too much fun. Today's topic was movies. We were discussing our favorites and I was getting pointers on what movies not to watch. I am also starting to watch Top Gear so I can have obscure Top Gear references to share with them.

Before the Walenciak's house, I was at home trying to deal with the doctor and nurse about Emily's medicine for a bladder infection. She started an antibiotic right before the stomach flu came sweeping through our house for the second time. She was unable to finish the medicine, so I had to explain to them why they needed to give us another bottle. You would think I was asking for CRACK the way they grilled me about why she needed more. It's Amoxicillin, folks!! I don't think we are making money selling it for street value here!!

Before that, I had about 5 moments to chat with Denise and catch up on her day. Hopefully I can catch up with her later. Did I mention she's a hoot? And another sweet friend and I got to catch up with a little bit of texting. I love being able to keep in touch with her through the week and even when I don't get to see her much.

Before that, the kids and I headed to the attic to find the winter clothes. We found the kids' clothes, but only found some of mine. With the way the movers labeled stuff, I am sure we will eventually find it in a box with "Auto Supplies" or some such tag on it.

Before that I took a nap.

Before that, I had a yummy yummy lunch of Indian (as in India) spiced Tilapia, polenta and peas. I know...weird combo. But it was sooo yummy. I made it up last night when I had some Tilapia and was craving some Indian flavors. It came out great and my made up recipe is definitely a keeper. (at least for the nights when Michael isn't eating...he doesn't like Indian food, Last night he wasn't eating because lucky man that he was, he got the stomach flu too)

Before that, I had a talk with Kaedra's speech therapist. Kaedra had not been very interested in working with her yesterday and wouldn't work on any of her "homework" with me at all. I discussed it with Kaedy this morning and she told me that she no longer wants to learn to eat. She doesn't even want to work on the non-eating activities like putting an empty spoon in her mouth. I called Kaedra's speech therapist this morning and told her the development. She is going to talk to a friend of hers that is a psychologist and see where to go from here. From what she had already learned, however, looks like Kaedra has a full blown phobia of eating (Phagophobia, I looked it up) and may need to see a psychologist as part of her therapy. Something I had never thought of. Ya learn something new every day.

Before that, Emily had a horrible bout of pain from her bladder infection and was unable to A. quit crying and B. get off the potty. It made the morning rather interesting.

Before that, I got up from just a few hours sleep and had some yummy gluten free chocolate chip muffins Brittany had made. I just love muffins. Muffins make me happy.

Before that, I was sleeping for a few hours.

Before that, I was up until 3 (and then Michael got up) with Ethan who awoke around midnight wide eyed and bushy tailed and ready to start his day. WHA??? noooooo....this is SLEEPING time. Singing, rocking, being quiet: nothing worked. Eventually I gave up and we came downstairs. I wish I could say I did something productive (like clean my house) during that time...but no, I just sat there and tried to stay awake so he didn't burn the house down. He did tell me a few times to quit snoring, so I don't think it was completely successful. However, in my semi-lucid awake moments, it did give me more time to pray. I have many friends who need prayers right now. And praying is ALWAYS a good thing. :-)

Quote on Family

2010-10-21T07:36:00.002-05:00

"A sentence from Psalm 101 has been both challenging and convicting for me: 'I will walk in my house with blameless heart' (Psalm 101-2, NIV). When God speaks to me about being more loving, this verse reminds me to make application in my family first—and then to others. It forces me to ask, 'Am I more spiritual, more loving, or more fun somewhere else? Who gets my best—my family or others?'"

-- Jean Fleming, A Mother’s Heart

Before the Morning

2010-10-12T01:06:00.001-05:00

Friendship

2010-10-11T21:34:00.000-05:00

In a contemplative mood tonight. Thinking about friends.

Good friends, old friends, past friends, new friends, bad friends, sad friends, moody friends, friends that bring me down, friends that lift me up, friends that keep their word, friends full of words but no action, friends I wish I was closer with and/or to, friends I wish I could separate myself from.

I learned a lot being gone for a year. It's been very enlightening. A lot can be learned from a friendship that is stretched to new boundaries for a year. Another thing I learned is that friendships that thrive on the phone aren't always the friendships that translate well to "real life." Friendships don't always survive the move away, or the move back. Friendships don't always survive illnesses either. I have found that not only do some people not understand Fibromyalgia, but now that I am learning to deal with it, I need to cut a lot out of my life. Just leave the essentials. And that includes friends.

I know very well that most people have very little extra time. People must take care of their families before their friends as well as schooling, church responsibilities, extended family, etc. However, in those few minutes left at the end of the day, who (or what) are you willing to give that time to? That is what matters most to you.

I know that I do not have enough time to do justice to my wonderful friends. I wish I could see them more, email them more, call them more and spend more time with and on them. I can't. But I pray that the time that I do have, I use wisely: cultivating the friendships that mean the most to me and the ones that God smiles down on, keeping watered the friendships that aren't to be let go and pruning the friendships that cause me anxiety and that God has released me from.

And I pray that I can bless my friends as much as they bless me.

Nature Blog Journal

2010-09-27T20:21:00.001-05:00

I love nature....love insects, spiders, animals, birds, trees, flowers, plants, pretty much everything nature related! The other day the kids and I saw a huge spider climbing up towards Brittany's room. It went really fast and I didn't get any pictures. Today the big girl came down to visit. In fact, she repeatedly went up and down her web. It was like she was coming down to have her picture taken. I got some good ones.

After researching, I think I have determined she is a Labyrinthe Orb Weaver Spider. She was about the size of a 50 cent piece. Yes, HUGE!! She was just in the beginning of making her web, so I wasn't able to check it out. Apparently they usually spin their web overnight. I think this is true because we have seen several of these critters early in the morning in elaborate webs. We used to have one right outside our back door.

Last week Emily came running to me to tell me that a bug was stuck in the screen of the back door. I asked her what kind and she asked for my phone to take a picture. Here is what she brought me:

Can you guess what it is? My favorite insect!! The praying mantis! Our screen on the back door already had a large hole in it so I used scissors and cut it off and got the poor mantis out of there. I took him over to a tree but he didn't want to get off on the first one. After I took him to another tree he jumped right onto it and then flew off. Yes, he flew. My mom didn't know Praying Mantis's could fly but I researched it and they do fly. This one was also brown, rather than green. I had never seen a brown praying mantis. Unfortunately, I didn't get a picture of him once he was free.

The day after we saw the praying mantis, we found a katydid while geocaching. Brittany got a picture of it and then we took it to a tree so it wasn't stuck in the middle of a business complex anymore.

Soon after that, on the same geocaching trip, we saw the smallest butterfly we had ever seen!

It was a pretty red and yellow!

In Tahlequah Ethan found a turtle on the ground. He loves turtles and was so much more interested in the turtle than the waterfall!

If I can figure out a way to keep a turtle away from Freckles, our dog, I would get Ethan one! My parents have a ton of turtles....they have been raising them for over 25 years. They are lots of fun and I would love to have one! (I think I would have a zoo if Michael would let me! Good thing God put us together)

The kids found this huge caterpillar outside our door one morning. We enjoyed checking him out and taking pictures of him before he went on his merry way.

As much as I love nature and creatures, it is amazing that we don't all have beautiful nature journals. Alas, I am not good on keeping up on them or getting the kids to keep on them. That is something I want to work on. A friend of mine just posted this link to the Handbook of Nature Study Blog which I will definitely be checking out! I have the Handbook of Nature Study along with several other wonderful Nature Journal books. I need to pull them all out and get inspired!

As a partially unrelated sidenote, but it's awfully funny, here is a Kaedra story for you:
We call Brittany "Bug" as one of her nicknames. The other day Kaedra told her "I will not call you Bug because that would make you a creature." Then she walked out of the room and said "goodbye." It cracked Brittany and I completely up!

Geocaching

2010-09-26T08:20:00.001-05:00

We have been geocaching a lot since we moved home. For one thing, I was teaching a class at our co-op to the teenagers about geocaching. It was a lot of fun seeing the kids get excited about geocaching, especially when I was worried they wouldn't enjoy it.

Here are the kids after the first cache they found. It was a "ghost cache" and was a piece of the 9-11 towers.

While I enjoy any kind of geocache, Brittany enjoys the ones inside the city a little more. One afternoon we went and searched for 5 in Broken Arrow. We found 4 out of the 5.

The second time we were out with the teens, we found a cache that was actually a bus in the woods! I think it was the coolest find we have made, even if it did have a bit of poison ivy involved.

I even got one of my friends really interested in geocaching and she has taken to geocaching without even having a gps! We plan to go together soon.

Looking forward to many more geocaching experiences to come!

If you are interested in knowing more about geocaching, check out geocaching.com.

The sweetest heart I have ever known

2010-09-26T07:56:00.000-05:00

I am blessed by all of my children. They are all unique and wonderful and a treasure to my heart. They each have such different traits and strengths. It is amazing to me to see how each of these little blessings has been created in a specific and wondrous way with a particular and peculiar plan, just for them.

My oldest, Brittany, has the sweetest heart I have ever known. She has such a heart for God and her family. She always thinks of others first and helps everyone she meets. She is such an inspiration to watch and to be with. I love being around her and learning from her. It is wonderful to see her growing up to be a beautiful young lady. I can't wait to see everything God has in store for her!

Going to a sweet 16 birthday of her friend

At Switch Youth Group with her friends

At a picnic with more friends

At the Illinois river in Tahlequah with Emily. Her siblings all adore her and fight to cuddle with her. She gets hugs and kisses and "I love yous" all day long.

Thank you, Lord, for such a precious gift!!

Michael news

2010-09-26T07:20:00.001-05:00

Since I've been sick all week, you would think we had an uneventful week. Well, we did as far as me and the kids. However, Michael decided to go and have some excitement. Wednesday night he called from work and said that he was having heart problems. He wasn't ready to go to the hospital, but wasn't really up to working either. He came home, took his nitro and went to bed. The next day he called his cardiologist in the morning and got in asap. Although his cardiologist was gone for a family emergency, his PA confirmed he was having some sort of heart problems, probably a blockage. He was already scheduled to have a stress test on the next Wednesday and the PA thought that Michael should wait for the cardiologist to come back to assist any surgery (if his body would cooperate and wait) so he gave Michael two meds to help him get through the week....a nitro to take on a regular basis and some medicine that helps infuse his blood with oxygen so it can travel better.

The plan right now is to have Michael take the stress test on Wednesday and have a heart cath either the same day or Thursday. Last time they went in for a heart cath, he ended up having a triple bypass. Obviously we are praying he doesn't have to have anything done this time! I ask for you all to join me in praying for Michael and his heart. Thank you!

Soups

2010-09-25T18:36:00.002-05:00

I've been sick for 6 days straight as of today. I haven't gotten out of the house and haven't felt like doing much either. I knew I needed to eat nutritious and vitamin-full foods. While talking to my mom, she suggested I make a carrot soup. Being the obedient daughter I am (haha) I talked the girls into chopping me up some carrots, onions and garlic and boiling them in chicken broth. When it was all soft, they blended it in our Vitamix with some milk. It was delicious, but I added some curry to make it even better. :-) Simple, quick, nutritious and cleared my sinuses!

Today I wanted to have soup again, but wanted to use some fresh spinach. I microwaved two potatoes until soft, cut them into chunks, threw them in the vitamix with broth, milk, onions, garlic and fresh spinach and pureed it all until smooth. Just added some salt and lots of pepper and it was delicious.

I have also made a very yummy mushroom soup in the vitamix, as well. I am really liking fresh soups lately. Very odd for me, who is not usually a big soup fan. Looks like I will be making lots of cream of "insert fresh vegetable here" soups this winter. :-)

Quick Overview

2010-09-21T19:45:00.000-05:00

Here is a quick overview of the last 6 weeks:

Moved back to Broken Arrow
Went back to Yukon to clean /repair the house
Unboxed the kitchen and bathroom with some friends
Went to a movie premiere for our homeschool group
Went to the doctor got diagnosed with Fibromyalgia
slowly unboxed
Took Emily to the dr where she got diagnosed with a bladder infection
started Prairie Primer co-op for the younger two girls (weekly on Friday afternoons)
started Biology co-op for Brittany (weekly on Friday afternoons)
started Kaedra having speech therapy appointments, to learn to eat, twice a week
Went to two homeschool parent meetings
Went on a nature hike to Oxley
Had our former nurse over to visit
Brittany started attending a youth group with her friends
tried out two churches, decided to stay with one of them (Connection Church)
started attending (and teaching) a co-op on Friday mornings
started abbreviated school with the kids
got my school room unpacked and organized
My niece got married
family had a week-long sickness
Went to a cook out at the new church
forgot grandparent's day
went to a cook out for our homeschool group
forgot my parent's anniversary
went on a date with Michael
had a week off with Michael
unboxed the play room and got is set up
went to Tahlequah with the family
went geocaching many, many times including every Friday, with my class
went to my niece's wedding reception
Started full time school with the kids
went to a Campfire USA club meeting for the family
I got a head cold again and another Fibromyalgia flare-up

For the rest of this week:

Campfire meeting tomorrow at Tulsa Historical Society
Brittany's youth group
Taking Emily back to the doctor because her bladder infection isn't gone
Kaedra's appt with speech therapist
two co-ops on Friday
Bunco on Saturday
church on Sunday
another campfire meeting on Monday
appointment with rheumatologist on Tuesday to deal with my Fibromyalgia

Is my head spinning around yet? Because I really feel like it is. I really do.

Photo of the Day

2010-09-20T17:02:00.001-05:00

Kaedra enjoying school!!
sent from my Project 365 app
http://bit.ly/5G0JwQ

Introducing Mr. And Mrs. Alberto Alfaro

2010-09-09T22:19:00.000-05:00

Yes, my beloved niece Sherria married her beloved Alberto last evening. They (so sweetly) waited for us to move back up here so we could be part of the festivities. After the wedding we all went to Olive Garden to have dinner. It was a lovely wedding and we loved being there! We are so happy to have Alberto as part of the family now and know that these two will have a blessed marriage!

Hipstamatic kids

2010-09-09T19:14:00.001-05:00

Turning disappointment into joy: SURFice dog Ricochet

2010-09-09T17:58:00.000-05:00

Kaedra showing her lapbook to Ethan

2010-09-09T00:01:00.001-05:00

I love this one too

2010-09-08T22:28:00.001-05:00

Guess where I was tonight?

2010-09-08T22:08:00.001-05:00

Today is the last day

2010-08-31T17:15:00.000-05:00

Can you help raise money to find a cure for Rett Syndrome? This is what my friend Tonya's daughter Sara has. All you have to do is send a text message TO: 73774 with the message being 100842 and go vote at http://www.refresheverything.com/search/?...q=rett Can you help find a cure to help this... little girl talk and use her hands again? Thank you!

It's finally here!!

2010-07-25T09:04:00.000-05:00

We are moving this week!! We finally have gotten everything settled with the moving company and they are coming tomorrow and Tuesday to pack us up. They are going to have to repack almost everything in the garage so they think that will take a whole day by itself. (Remember that we moved into a house half the size of our house in Broken Arrow, so we have about half of our stuff still boxed up in the garage) They said they can pack the inside of the house in another day (and I doubt it will take very long). We load up the moving truck on Wednesday and they drop things off on Thursday!! Hallelujah!!!

So excited! After waiting for months and months it seems like a dream that it is really here.

We are a little unsure what we need to do to get ready for the movers. The man that came and did the evaluation said there was nothing we needed to do, but that doesn't seem quite right. Today I am going to get things together for school and put them in a special place. That way, when the packers box things up, I can tell them to put "OPEN NOW" on the school books and I will know where they are. We have a few other things that we need to do the same kind of thing for, so we are going to be working on that today. We also need to get our clothes set aside for the next few days so they don't accidentally get packed! I am looking forward to getting this started so I will understand better what is going to be happening. We have never had people pack us up before!

Coming to you unabashedly

2010-07-25T07:14:00.003-05:00

I have a friend named Tonya who has a BEAUTIFUL daughter named Sara.

Sara, like Kaedra, has VEPTR rods to help her. However, unlike Kaedra, Sara has a horrible syndrome known as RETT Syndrome.

Here is one definition of RETT (from Wikipedia):

Rett syndrome is a neurodevelopmental disorder affecting grey matter.^[1] The clinical features include small hands and feet and a deceleration of the rate of head growth (including microcephaly in some). Repetitive hand movements such as mouthing or wringing are also noted. Girls with Rett syndrome are prone to gastrointestinal disorders and up to 80% have seizures.^[2] They typically have no verbal skills, and about 50% of females are not ambulatory. Scoliosis, growth failure, and constipation are very common and can be problematic.

Here is some more information: RETT Syndrome

Here is a little about Sara, in her mother's words:

Hi I'm Tonya, my daughter is Sara. She is eight years old and has Rett. Sara is on the severe end of the spectrum needing total care and can't do anything for her self. I take care of her myself 24 hours a day. I do not think of her as "less" because she has Rett. She has taught us so much in her eight years, brought so much joy and love to our lives, and the people around her. She hardly ever complains either. God has blessed us with a wonderful child. A child who I am sure would love to be able to hold a toy. When I see her frustration when she tries to hold a toy to play and drops it everytime, Everyday when I see her trying so very hard to talk to me, on the rare occaision that she does cry and we don't know what is bothering her, I'm sure she would want to be able to tell us, when she lays there and watches her brother run and jump and
reaches for him, when she looks at our food and drink so longingly but she can't eat it because she will choke or aspirate, these are the things that keep pushing me to vote for these "stupid" contests and keeps pushing me to do whatever I can to bring awareness to Rett, and possibly funding for a treatment or cure. Treatment and cures cost money the healthcare industry is about money. I believe the doctors and researchers working on Rett do truly care about our girls, but they aren't going to pull the money for a treatment or cure out of their own pockets. We shouldnt have to vote in these things we shouldn't have to raise awarness for Rett after everything else we do for our kids, but if we dont who will? Eery little bit of funding and awareness helps. After watching Sara die in front of me just last April, and seeing them start chest compressions and start bagging her for five minutes, seeing them with the help of God bring her back to us, waiting for days to see if she would live, you bet your behind I want a cure. It may be too late for a cure to help my child or any child with Rett currently alive. But maybe the next generation can be helped, the kids won't have to struggle. Sara is such a joy, so perfect and innocent. I feel that she is the best thing on earth (well her and her brother) lol and this is why we seek a cure.
To help her, not change her into what we want her to be. She is perfect the way she is, but if there is a way to help her have a better quality of life, to help her not have to struggle, then we are for it.
God bless you all, and take care, hug your angels extra tight
Tonya And Sara in SC

There is an easy, painless way you can help Sara and Tonya and all the other girls that have RETT Syndrome. Please go to this address and vote for RETT syndrome to get money from the Pepsi Refresh Project. Please go every day. (this contest ends at the end of July. If RETT doesn't win, they will also be in the running for August) Please tell all your friends. Please, please help this children get the money for the research they need. There have been advancements in the cure, but they need more money. This contest could give them the chance to save many, many lives.

Thank you so much!!

Kari Jobe: You Are For Me

2010-07-21T10:35:00.000-05:00

Another wonderful resource

2010-07-14T08:20:00.000-05:00

The other day when I posted about "my brain," I included resources that I use to help get my brain in order. However, I forgot about one wonderful resource I use all the time.... The Low Carb Diner ebook. This book has an amazing section in the beginning explaining how you can simplify your meal planning. Lisa takes you through the steps to get your kitchen preparation and messes down to the fewest amount of days possible, but with delicious dishes coming out of it every day. I love to cook once a month and use freezer meal planning quite a bit. Lisa includes some freezer recipes as well as including other quick meal ideas (like how to make 3 meals at once) and ways to plan for the whole thing. It is really a WONDERFUL resource I use so much that I forgot to include it...it is just such a natural part of what I do now!

Another wonderful thing about this ebook is, since it is Low Carb, most of the recipes are 100% safe for those of us that are Gluten-Free. I can't think of anything off the top of my head that may need a substitution, but she might have soy sauce in a recipe or two.

She has a blog that goes along with the ebook and expounds on it. She includes more recipes, explains how she makes things and has beautiful pictures.

Although I am doing this of my own volition and get no money out of the deal (I just want to share the great resource!), I feel it is only right that I let you know that Lisa is a wonderful friend of mine as well. :-) She is an exceptional lady with a great family. I have been privileged to know her for about 10 years now.

The Thorn

2010-07-14T07:38:00.001-05:00

I got this from a blog I read and she got it from a book I am going to check out soon. But this poem really, really spoke to me and I wanted to put it here to remember.

The Thorn
by Martha Snell Nicholson
I stood a mendicant [beggar] of God
before His royal throne
And begged Him for a priceless gift,
which I could call my own.
I took the gift from out His hand,
but as I would depart,
I cried, “But Lord, this is a thorn
and it has pierced my heart.
This is a strange, a hurtful gift
that Thou hast given me.
He said, “My child, I give good gifts
and give my best to thee.”
I took it home and though at first,
the cruel thorn hurt sore;
As long years passed I learned at last
to love it more and more.
I learned He never gives a thorn
without this added grace.
He takes the thorn to pin aside . . .
the veil which hides His face.

My Brain

2010-07-11T22:09:00.000-05:00

It's that time of year again.....Time to weed out my brains and create a new one. I realize you might be thinking I have lost my mind, rather than my brain. Actually my "brain" is a name I have for my home/school organization binder (the term is borrowed from my friend, Lisa, many, many years ago) I haven't really used one much since being here. I missed it this year and have decided I definitely need one for next year to keep everything in order: our larger home, three homeschoolers (doing two different tracks), several co-ops, a bible study, a few other outside activities, Michael working overnight and my mother in law needing care. I do almost everything on the computer and my iphone but there are things that I like to see on paper and be able to see the "big picture." I also like: being able to check things off, having things out to remind me constantly (it can get forgotten on my iphone), and being able to take long notes at meetings instead of having to either a) write it on my iphone quickly or b) typing it out after the meeting. This will be my first time attempting to integrate my home brain with my school brain. I am not sure if it will work or not....I'll let you know.

Here are some of my favorite resources I use for my "brains:"

Flylady
DonnaYoung.org
The Archived version of Large Family Logistics
Heart of Wisdom Printable Freebies
This article by A Wise Woman Builds Her Home
Keeping House ebook by A Virtuous Woman
Menu Planning ebook from Graham Family Ministries
ExecutiveHomemaker.com
Polestar's Family Calendar

I haven't yet started working on my brain, but I will be working on it this week in between packing. I am excited. This kind of stuff is my favorite kind of stuff to do. I love the planning. It's the implementing I need to work on! ;-)

The amorphous shape of my blog

2010-07-09T07:45:00.000-05:00

When I started my blog it was called "Our Miracle Baby" or something like that. It was a blog all about Kaedra and her successes. I started it while she was still in the hospital and it helped to keep people apprised of her happenings as well as a place to post pictures of her. Most people couldn't go up and see her in the PICU and so they kept up with her through my blog. I even blogged when we went down to San Antonio for her first surgery. It was a really great tool.

After Kaedra came home, and as she was integrated, gradually, into family life, the blog eventually morphed into a family blog. A name change was in order and it became "Our Peculiar Life." I loved blogging through our days, posting pictures, writing down funny things so as not to forget them, posting music I wanted to share and occasionally sharing poems or songs I have written.

I have started to realize that Facebook has ruined my blog. Basically, my blog is obsolete. I keep up with all my friends on Facebook; I write about the funny things on FB; I share songs and other things on FB. Furthermore, FB has gotten me in the habit of writing very short posts. Writing a whole blog post seems much more daunting now.

I took many poetry classes in college. In all the classes, we were advised to use as few words as necessary. "Cut, cut, cut!" was frequently heard from our professors. I wonder if 140 characters or less fits their concise requirements?

I don't want to give up my blog. I like it. It's pretty. I get to create on it. It's an extension of me. A place to make "all my own." But I need to give it a reason for being. Just doing daybooks doesn't seem reason enough. One reason to keep it is that the things I write on FB are eventually hard to find...hidden in myriads of posts. I can't easily look over the things that tickled me about my children or important things that I wanted to save. Although they are there, they are barely accessible (I wish FB had some kind of searchable archiving system on each person's page...sort of like tags) Another reason to keep it is that it reminds me that I need to keep writing. Not just short, pithy statements, but real writing.

So I am thinking on it. Trying to decide what to do with it. Trying to figure out a direction for it.
Giving it to God. Waiting to see what he has in mind for it. As always, when I give something to God, excited to see what He has in store for me. It is always SO much better than I could ever think up!

So I guess you could say this blog is under construction as of now. God's construction. I will be awaiting the results along with you.

PACKING!

2010-07-07T17:02:00.001-05:00

Yesterday we started packing our house up. I have to say this is the thing that has gotten me most excited....even more excited than hearing that we were going home. Going home seemed like such an illusive thing, especially since it concerns Sam's.....nuff said on that matter. But now that we've given the landlord our notice (we will be out of here by July 31st at the latest) and started packing, it is really getting real.

I don't want you to think I don't like it here. I love Oklahoma City: it is beautiful, we have done lots of exploring, our family has learned a lot about ourselves, and we met some wonderful friends. I will miss everything, especially our friends. I want to take them with me. (that's what prayer is for...haha) But it doesn't feel like home. God has spoken to us and shown us in so many ways where he wants us. That is why it's home.

so home again, home again, (not quite) lickety split. We are so ready.

Simple Woman's Daybook 7/6/10

2010-07-06T17:28:00.002-05:00

It's Tuesday, July 6, 2010

Outside my window..Pouring down rain. Thunder and lightning. Quite the gully washer.

I am thinking... of next year's school plans.

I am thankful for...my husband. He is my number one fan. What more could I want?

From the learning room....about to start packing it up!

From the kitchen....pork stir fry in an orange glaze over rice and with some sauteed veggies. Doesn't it sound good??

I am wearing...black shorts and Americana shirt. (WOOHOO!! I AM NOT WEARING JAMMIES OR SWEATS!!!)

I am creating.... a gluten free monthly menu

I am going...back to Broken Arrow!!!

I am currently reading... Heart of Wisdom by Robin Sampson (I read it about once a year, in the summer)

I am hoping...we hear our moving date soon (still would like the date!)

I am hearing....Third Day singing "Caught Up in Yourself"

Around the House.....boxes are starting to pop up everywhere!

One of my favorite things....having breakfast dates with my hubby.

A few plans for this week... none really. Michael is off the next two days...we will be packing and organizing. Hopefully we can get together with our friends on Friday.

from my picture journal...

Emily and Kaedra exploring space.

Check out The Simple Woman's blog if you would like to read more day posts or join in!

Simple Woman's Daybook 6/30/10

2010-06-30T08:23:00.002-05:00

It's Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Outside my window..Sun streaming through the windows. Birds chirping. Green everywhere.

I am thinking... of how cute my littles are when they are working together.

I am thankful for...mercy and new beginnings. again and again.

From the learning room....nothing yet, but will be hopping in a few hours.

From the kitchen....going to make a green smoothie for breakfast, leftovers for the family for dinner and I am getting to go out to eat with a friend! :-)

I am wearing...jammies still

I am creating....going to work on a my mom's mother's day present today. Yes, I know it's late. Hopefully it will come out wonderfully and I will post pictures. :-)

I am going...to clean up my house today, get school done, get my mom's present done and go out with my friend. Oh, stick a nap in there somewhere.

I am currently reading... Heart of Wisdom by Robin Sampson (I read it about once a year, in the summer)

I am hoping...we hear our moving date soon

I am hearing....the children (now fussing...yeah, that whole working together thing was very short-lived)

Around the House.....a bit discombobulated since we went to Tulsa yesterday.

One of my favorite things.....school planning. Can't wait to get unpacked and have all my books out and ready so I can get next year planned!

A few plans for this week...Looking forward to spending 4th of July with a wonderful family!

from my picture journal...

I miss my niece!!

Check out The Simple Woman's blog if you would like to read more day posts or join in!

Another personality test

2010-06-28T17:44:00.000-05:00

(This post is for you, Susan!!)

Found this one at StrongLifeTest.com
The quiz is almost all about work decisions, so I had to reword them to work with my life. However, I think the results came out really well, so I think it worked. :-)

Lead Role: Teacher

You begin by asking:
'What can she learn from this?'

Your focus is instinctively toward the other person. Not her feelings, necessarily, but her understanding, her performance, her skills.

Your best quality:
Your faith in the others’ potential

Always:
Tailor your style to each student

Be careful you:
Don’t come to believe that everyone is capable of everything

Your smartest career move:
Any job where you’re paid to facilitate the success of others.

Supporting Role: Motivator

You begin by asking:
'How can I raise the energy?'

You are acutely aware of the energy in the room, and you feel compelled to do what you can to elevate it. You do this with your outlook—you are an instinctively optimistic person.

Your best quality:
Your infectious energy

Always:
Step in and take responsibility for the group

Be careful you:
Don’t get sucked dry by emotional vampires

Your smartest career move:
Any job where you’re paid to keep a group of people excited.

Simple Woman's Daybook June 21, 2010

2010-06-21T18:03:00.000-05:00

Outside my window...Beauty! A green tree with sunlight glowing through the leaves. Shadows from the tree and leaves dancing around the yard!

I am thinking... about a June Bug!

I am thankful for...Michael talking to his store manager today about our move!

From the learning room....just finished up school with the kiddos. Books closed and put on the shelf.

From the kitchen....making a steak and green bean frittata tonight (last night's leftovers!)

I am wearing... jammy shorts and a tank top. I also have a kitten sticker adorning me, thanks to Emily. :-)

I am creating....a crochet purse. I am about halfway done with the crochet part and am SO excited about it! I think it is going to be beautiful. Look below for a sneak peak.

I am going... to put my leg/foot up soon and put some ice on it. This is the longest I have been without it up for 10 days and it is starting to ache. But it is definitely getting much better!

I am currently reading... So long Insecurity by Beth Moore

I am hoping...we hear our moving date soon

I am hearing....the dishwasher (which shouldn't be on...silly thing turns on if you bump into it), my windchime and little else. Kids are outside playing in the sprinkler.

Around the House.....picked up mostly and awaiting the day when it can all be boxed up.

One of my favorite things.....my hubby's smile.

A few plans for this week...Not exactly sure. Packing? Going to Tulsa to visit? Hanging out with friends? We will see what the week brings. All I am sure of is school!

from my picture journal...
a sneak peek of my purse

Check out The Simple Woman's blog if you would like to read more day posts or join in!

1958 Windjammer: Kari Waits For Me

2010-06-16T03:42:00.001-05:00

I am so excited! this is the song where my parents got my name! There was a song called "Kari Waits for Me" in a 1958 Movie called Windjammer. I haven't been able to find any old copies of the movie or the song. I looked it up on a lark tonight on Youtube and found it!

(technical note: my parents put an "h" in the name to make it "Kahri" hoping that Americans would pronounce it with the "ah" sound instead of the long "a" sound. It didn't work.)

12 Things

2010-06-11T17:27:00.000-05:00

12 Thoughts
Saw this over at Penless Writer's blog

1. I was so excited when I .... found out we would be moving back home!

2. If I had some "mad money" to spend right now, I'd buy..... curriculum for next year!

3. I really shouldn't have... stayed in my jammies all day

4. Anything sad that I read about..... makes me pray.

5. The antics of..... my children keep me in stitches.

6. Family is..... everything to me, next to Jesus.

7. I just cannot believe.... how many firsts Kaedra has had the last month.

8. I'm really looking forward to... moving home.

9. The weather right now has been.... muggy, hazy and hot.

10. My mood right now is... weary but prayerful.

11. I couldn't believe... how quickly this year has already gone.

12. And now I am going to... finish up school with Emily and get ready for dinner.

At The Foot of The Cross (Lyrics) Kathryn Scott

2010-06-11T17:15:00.000-05:00

Got this from my friend Kathy's blog.
I wanted to put it on here so I wouldn't lose it. Beautiful song, beautiful voice. Thank you for sharing Kathy!

Personality Test

2010-06-10T08:07:00.000-05:00

My friend Susan, Penless Writer, wrote about the Primary Colors Personality Test the she and her wonderful husband took. I thought it would be fun for Michael and I to take it. Here are our results:

I tied between yellow and green.
Yellow is described as:

Your Primary Personality is -- Yellow
These are the heart of our society. They are loyal and loving. They are dependable, prepared and punctual. They value relationships in their lives above everything else. They value home, family, and tradition.

They are emotional and supportive. They are pleasers who avoid confrontation at all costs. They are usually patient, great listeners and are warm and encouraging. They can have difficulty being assertive. They are usually easy-going.

They love peace and harmony and are the peacemakers within a group, family or work environment. They are sunshine on a dark day. They are faithful and stable when emotionally healthy, and they have a natural ability to create safety within a relationship. They are slow-paced, easy going people pleasers. They desire to serve and please with their only reward being one of appreciation.

Green is described as:

Your Primary Personality is -- Green
These are people that we might refer to as "Rocks of Gibraltar." They are fair and dependable. They are honest and stable. They are loving and reliable. They live their lives with a great deal of integrity.
They take a larger view of the world and see things from a reference of wholeness and completeness. They pride themselves in being able to see the "big" or "whole" picture. Their word has great value and they do not give it lightly. When they commit, their word is their bond. They are in a constant progression toward wholeness.
They love to categorize and view the world from a systems perspective. They enjoy consistency and like things that have a measure of predictability. They are empathetic but not overly sympathetic. They rebuke with without judgment, counsel with mild but strong hearts. They are temperate, modest and wise.

My secondary color was orange...described as:

These are our out-going, enthusiastic, center-stage people.
They act on a moments notice. They are witting, charming and spontaneous. They love to talk. They need variety, fun and stimulation. They are natural trouble-shooters and are good at flying by the seat of their pants.
They are great at motivating and inspiring others. They are great net-workers. They usually know a lot of people. They can be very loving and encouraging unless under pressure when they can use their verbal skills to attack. They have a strong desire to be liked and enjoy being the center of attention.
They are personable and are sensitive to the reactions of others, often taking things personally. They usually pay attention to style and trends (many times setting them). They can be the life of a party. They are great at inspiring and motivating others and thrive in an environment where they can have a voice in making major decisions.

Michael came out as a green with red as his secondary color.
Here is the description or red:

The color red represents what we most often think of as born leaders. From a young age red personality types like to take charge. As children they create the rules to the games they invite others to play. Extreme red personality types can be characterized by the saying Its my way or the highway.
They usually gravitate to positions of authority. They can be bossy and over bearing. Red personality types are dominant personalities that are not easily intimidated. They resist being controlled by anyone. As children they are often thought of as strong-willed, forceful and determined.
Red personality types believe that the ability to solve problems and take charge of any given situation defines whether one is competent or not. Most red personality types are forceful in their approach to life.

Very interesting stuff. For the most part, I agree with it all.

What do you come up with?

New use for our globe

2010-06-04T21:19:00.000-05:00

Another Ethan funny (he is full of funniness!)

After he saw Daddy mowing the lawn, he wanted in on the action. Pretty soon we saw him zooming around the house with this:

He was rather hard to catch! I guess he has a rocket propelled mower!

Little Chef in the making

2010-06-04T20:40:00.000-05:00

So Ethan has a way of not taking "no" for an answer. I told him he would have to wait until lunchtime for someone to make him a pb&j sandwich. Well, that wasn't good enough for him. A few minutes later I heard some things being moved around and saw this:

on closer inspection:

needs to work on his coverage a little, don't ya think?

and maybe his cutting....

Well, at least he can take care of himself! :-)

update on GF reviews

2010-05-30T19:40:00.000-05:00

We found the Betty Crocker Devil's Food Cake mix and Brittany made it for tonight. I just had my first bite and mmmmmmmmmmmmm. DELICIOUS! You would NEVER know it is Gluten Free!!

Kaedra's After 5/30/10

2010-05-30T18:44:00.001-05:00

Kaedra's before 5/30/10

2010-05-30T18:41:00.000-05:00

Gluten Free Reviews

2010-05-27T09:18:00.001-05:00

Betty Crocker has come out with some gluten free products. Usually we make things from scratch, but since going gluten free, it has been harder (and more expensive) to make things from scratch. Because of that and because it is always great to see more products that I can readily eat, I was very excited to see Betty Crocker's new dessert mixes on the shelf of ALL of my usual grocery stores. Not only are the mixes Gluten-Free they are also made in a gluten free processing facility. What a relief for those that are very sensitive to gluten.

So far the four mixes they have are: Brownie Mix, Cookie Mix, Devil's Food Cake Mix and Yellow Cake Mix. We have made the brownies several times now -- VERY YUMMY!! and made the Yellow Cake mix -- very good. We have not tried the cookies yet and we have been unable to find the Devil's Food Cake Mix.

On Betty Crocker's Gluten Free Page they have many recipes to make with the mixes as well, which will greatly increase my dessert repertoire! I have to say, you could not tell that these mixes were gluten free. They would definitely be able to be served to anyone who likes a yummy dessert!

On their box (and on their page) they also include the story of why they have added gluten free products to their line. I find it encouraging that they are branching into GF and hope that other companies will as well. It is also great that the mainstream stores are carrying the GF products now. It is very helpful to not have to shop at a specialty store to be able to buy things I can eat and enjoy. I am sure that Betty Crocker, by having a gluten free line, is helping to bring awareness to store buyers that GF consumers are willing and excited about buying GF products at the stores they regularly shop.

As a side note...it is important to know that the cake mix only makes ONE 8x8 cake. If you are wanting to make a double layer cake or a larger cake you will need to buy two boxes.

As a "newbie" celiac, I am still in the "trying things out" stage. I have tried Pamela's Baking and Pancake Mix and I really liked it. We have used it to bread Marsala Chicken (turned out okay but I think it needed more breading) and we made muffins. Yummy for the tummy muffins. They came out wonderfully! I can't wait to try out more recipes with the mix.

We also tried Pamela's Chocolate Cake Mix. Although I have heard RAVE reviews about it, I did not like it - it was very bitter to me. We had a small glitch while making it, which may have caused the problem, so we are going to try again. The problem being - the GF products are rather costly to keep trying them out.

Before becoming GF I frequently had pasta. Pasta was one of my favorite easy and quick lunches to make on school days. I had tried some low carb pasta a few years ago when I was on the Atkin's diet. I did not much like the pasta and have been happy not to try it again. However, being a pasta fanatic, I couldn't stay away. This time I bought some quinoa pasta. I tried it the other night and wasn't too impressed. It was rather tasteless. It did, however, have a good texture and wasn't bitter at all. I may try it again with a different sauce or in a dish with a lot of taste.

For the most part, I find it easiest (and cheapest) to just stay away from any bread-type products. It is nice, though, to be able to add a few items to our menu that are "bready." It is especially helpful to see that the grocery stores are starting to add more and more GF products.

Focus of prayer

2010-05-21T17:21:00.002-05:00

Reading a book by Joyce Meyer called The Power of Simple Prayer
I have been copying some quotes and this one really jumped out at me:

"I no longer focus primarily on prayers for my "outer life" (my circumstances, the activities I am involved in, the things that happen around me). I now pray for my inner life (the condition of my heart, my spiritual growth, my attitudes, and my motives). As God has taught me to pray, I have learned that my job is to pray to be strengthened internally and to ask Him to help me live out of a pure heart from the right motives; and His job is to take care of the externals."

May 20

2010-05-21T06:26:00.001-05:00

On her way to KCMO for surgery

Nichole Nordeman - Legacy

2010-05-20T14:27:00.000-05:00

May 16

2010-05-16T23:53:00.001-05:00

Songs written and sung by Emily

May 13

2010-05-14T03:08:00.000-05:00

Lunch with friends! Far-away friends just travelling through the area!

Photo of the Day

2010-05-12T20:52:00.001-05:00

Love books, love the library, love reading dates! :-)

May 10

2010-05-10T22:25:00.001-05:00

Blessed that we weren't hit by severe weather!

Happy Mother's Day!

2010-05-09T16:21:00.000-05:00

Francesca Battistelli - Beautiful, Beautiful (Video)

May 3

2010-05-09T11:50:00.001-05:00

Birthday Girl!!

May 8

2010-05-08T20:56:00.001-05:00

Nature park with my kiddos. I really love nature.

May 7th

2010-05-07T22:27:00.001-05:00

Bouquet of buds from hubby. Can't wait to see what they bloom into!

May 5

2010-05-05T23:25:00.001-05:00

Blessed that Jacob has gone before us. Blessed that he is awaiting us.

Jacob 2010

2010-05-05T10:41:00.001-05:00

From Evernote:

Jacob 2010

What are little boys made of?

        I am forgetting
        I can't remember what time he came
        Or holding him in my arms
        Or whispering his name.

This old man, He played seven....

          I don't remember how much he weighed
          Or how long he measured
          Or how I ever let them take him away
           From the only moments with him I would ever treasure

Frogs and snails and Puppy dog tails

           I do remember leaving the hospital empty handed
           I remember lying on his grave and yelling at God
           I remember the teeny tiny casket
           And wondering what I did to deserve the rod.

He played knick knack up to heaven.

            Hard to imagine it has been
             seven years that have passed
             It seems like a lifetime
             Or just the day before last

With a knick knack paddywhack
Give the dog a bone

             He is real and walks among us
             Daily on his siblings' lips
             How he looks, what he does
             Debated and decided
             Why my heart continually rips

This old man goes rolling home

              But unanimously he is perfect
               Unblemished and sin free
               My only blameless child
               Living with Christ for eternity.

That's what this little boy is made of.

May 4

2010-05-04T23:28:00.001-05:00

Leftover party hats

May 1

2010-05-04T06:28:00.001-05:00

Thankful for: Mommy Ears to catch 3 year olds trying to get to the
yummies on top of the frig (and their sister cheering them on!)

May 2

2010-05-04T06:25:00.001-05:00

Friends to share birthdays with!

April 30

2010-05-01T08:09:00.002-05:00

Sibling cuddles

Photo of the Day

2010-05-01T08:09:00.001-05:00

Tents in the living room.

Timeline

2010-04-30T22:10:00.001-05:00

Today is the first day of the OKC homeschool convention. It's a place full of books, wonderful fellow homeschoolers and lots and lots of knowledge I would love to glean. But not me. I don't go to convention as wonderful as it sounds and as much I would like to.

Seven years ago, I packed up a car with my friend and we came down from Tulsa for a weekend of girl talk, eating out, and books...lots of books. The convention sounded like heaven on earth to us and we were ready to experience it all. We had a fun drive down here and I rushed to the bathroom as soon as we got parked. My 9 month pregnant body had held it's bladder long enough. I remember laughing with my friend as we ran up the stairs that my baby boy was bouncing up and down on my bladder.

Saturday morning I woke up at the hotel and we hopped out of bed fairly quickly to get ready for the seminars and the perusing of the books. Halfway through the day I all of a sudden felt terrible. I apparently looked terrible too because my friend took me and we sat down for awhile while I tried to get my feet back under me. We did end up finishing up the convention and headed home.

Sunday morning I woke up and realized immediately that I hadn't felt Jacob move since the trip up the stairs on Friday. Usually I "played" with him every morning...poking and prodding my tummy while he poked and prodded back. Saturday morning we had been so busy, I hadn't taken the time to play with him. Now, Sunday morning, he wasn't playing with me. I poked, prodded, shook my stomach, drank orange juice, laid on my side and called the doctor. He told me to come into the hospital so they could do a quick check on Jacob and make me feel better.

Most of you know, I never "felt better."

I don't go to convention. It is too wrapped up in Jacob and his last days.

April 28

2010-04-28T21:36:00.001-05:00

My bed never looked so good!!

Life

2010-04-28T11:01:00.001-05:00

In the beginning
It is dark.
I'm stripped empty
No life
hovering in winter, even as spring is
Budding, blooming, pollinating
Growing.
Am I crippled by an early freeze?
Frost glittering on my bare branches
Sparkling beautiful but dead?
Or will I be warmed?

And then there was light
The Son warming me
Coaxing life
thawing my brilliance
stripping me of all but Him

Drawing from my roots
And the sky above
I reach for Him
Seeking the living water
To quench my parched limbs
Once tasted
the water now a necessity

Growing, blooming, budding
but needing more
the ground: unforgiving
until His blood
finally satisfies all

And then there is life
luminous from within
from Him
I am bearing seed
according to my kind
His kind
And God saw that it was good.

-Kahri Lynn 4/28/10

April 27

2010-04-28T05:33:00.001-05:00

A warm cozy place to call home, even temporarily

So long Gluten, I won't miss ya

2010-04-27T11:43:00.002-05:00

I have a story to tell you. It's kind of long... but then, I am long-winded. I like to tell stories from the beginning.

In the beginning, God... (oops, you probably know that part) let me skip ahead a little...

About 7 months after having Brittany, I started experiencing excruciating pain in my hips and extreme weakness in my hands and ankles. After some testing, the doctor diagnosed me with Rheumatoid Arthritis and put me on medicine to help me. After the medicine ate a hole in my stomach, doctors determined I shouldn't be on it anymore and were trying to figure out how to help me. Somewhere around this time, my mom said I should look into food allergies. I researched and decided to do an elimination diet to see if that was the issue. Soon I was able to figure out that wheat was the culprit. I had a test for celiac disease and came up with what they considered a borderline case of celiac. I stopped having gluten for a while and my symptoms all disappeared, including some bonus symptoms like eczema and acne.

At some point, my doctor thought it was okay to try gluten again so I added it back in and didn't experience symptoms. I thought I was home-free.

Fast forward a few years. Once again, I was having the same symptoms so I, again, cut out gluten. After a few months I started eating regularly again. I repeated this pattern one or two more times. I wasn't seeing the same doctor anymore because I had moved to a different state. I was not consulting with a new doctor about it because, honestly, I thought I had it all under control. I didn't do much research into it (which is unusual for me) but, as far as I could tell, my system was working....there wasn't anything to fix.

That is, besides a persistent pain in my left side. (I have a funny story about that. I will have to tell you later.) Anyway, I have been tested for thing after thing after thing and they even took my gall bladder out but the pain never went away.

Now we are up to the present. Since my fall off a ladder in June, I haven't quite been the same. I have had a whole myriad of lovely things happening: everything from horrendous headaches to muscle spasms to stomach problems. My doctor said it would take "quite a while" for my body to get back to "normal." Recently things having been going even more awry! Terrible acne, pain in my stomach so bad I haven't wanted to eat, problems with elimination (won't gross you out with THAT story), and I gained about 20 pounds in a month, all round my belly. Craziness. Couldn't figure out what was going wrong. Then, my darling husband said a magic word...."celiac?"

DUH!!! (Sorry for the "bad word" as my kids call it, but really...where WAS my brain??)

I went gluten free about 3 weeks ago. What an improvement! ALL of my symptoms have gotten better! ALL OF THEM! The headaches, muscles aches, stomach problems, acne, eczema, etc etc. Now I am not 100% cured. I understand it will take awhile. However, I am doing SO much better. And researching. Researching like crazy.

I WILL NOT add gluten back in. I can't even tell you how much I WANT to stay away from it now. I DO NOT want the pain and the symptoms. My darling oldest daughter made Michael a beautiful Pioneer Woman Chocolate Sheet Cake for his birthday yesterday and I was NOT EVEN TEMPTED to taste it! instead I had the (naturally gluten free) frosting over some sliced bananas and was happy as a lark. :-)

So I am beginning an old/new journey. Old because I have been on it before. New because I am not thinking about it as a small vacation from gluten but a "So long, goodbye, don't let the door hit you in the butt" absolute break-up.

And my tummy agrees. I have gotten trace elements of gluten a few times in the last 3 weeks and my tummy has IMMEDIATELY let me know. Brittany says I am now a human radar for gluten. I think my body finally had enough. It has gone into full out rebellion and I am finally listening.

I am sorry body.
Please forgive me.
I will treat you better.

I will feed you things like this:
Brownies
Polenta Vegetable Lasagna
Crepes

And we will be very happy.

Photo of the Day

2010-04-26T23:27:00.001-05:00

Mother's Day Necklace from Britty
Each of my Children's birth stones!

April 25

2010-04-25T23:25:00.001-05:00

Opening birthday presents a day early!

Friendship Award!

2010-04-24T23:15:00.006-05:00

I got an award!! I am so honored and blessed by it because it is from a Susan, wonderful woman who is a wonderful friend! :-)

Here are the rules for the award: - List 6 things you are a master in. - Pass it on to 6 bloggers you think are masters at friendship and make blogging awesome. Since I would never qualify in the karate, physical fitness category :o) I am going to focus on the aspects of friendship that I am good at.
However, as much as I love the award, I am not a master at friendship. I am still learning, as I go: making mistakes, making amends and hopefully growing in friendship. My heroes in this category are David and Johnathan.

1. I am quick to ask for forgiveness if I have done something wrong. Friendship is important to me. I am always eager to resolve and eager to mend bridges. Similarly, I am quick to forgive.

2. I have a great sense of humor. I love to laugh and love to make people laugh. It comes in handy in all sorts of situations -- everything from boredom to crises that need some levity.

3. I don't "kiss and tell.". What you tell me, stays with me. However, like Susan, I don't keep secrets from my hubby. If I know something, he probably knows it too. Now whether he will remember it or not is a different story....lol (Actually these days he is so busy, he probably doesn't know anything....but still...this is a disclaimer. :-)

4. I am the kind of friend you can call every day or once every three years and I will still be there for you. Once a friend, always a friend.

5. I don't play games. Don't like games either. I wouldn't say I am blunt, I definitely try to be tactful, but I won't lie either.

6. I am a great person to call in case of emergency or problems. I am very calm and ready to click into action.

Okay, I am tagging these 6 blogging friends who are masters at friendship and make blogging awesome (when they actually blog! haha):
Brandi (who I just realized was blogging again! YAY!),
Shirley,
Denise,
Melanie,
Heather, and
Sammi.

And thanks so much to Susan, who truly deserves it for her wonderful blog AND wonderful friendship! (even if she's not a karate master!!)

April 24

2010-04-24T22:14:00.001-05:00

Quiet evening on my computer while Britty plays wii and we hang out.

April 23

2010-04-24T21:54:00.000-05:00

Harn Homestead Field Trip

Photo of the Day

2010-04-23T00:18:00.000-05:00

Friends over for a "tea party"

April 21

2010-04-21T23:45:00.000-05:00

Ethan being distracted by water for a whole 15 minutes!! :-)

April 20

2010-04-21T11:54:00.002-05:00

Being able to watch church at home if we can't go!

April 19

2010-04-21T11:20:00.000-05:00

Able to homeschool!

Thunder

2010-04-21T11:19:00.001-05:00

Sometime last year, I found a book of poetry at Goodwill that immediately called out to me. I love poetry, but don't often read it (or write it) anymore. This book, though, was by Maggie Aldridge Smith who spent her life in Oklahoma and Arkansas. She was born in 1913 and there are many pictures of Oklahoma and Arkansas throughout the book, as well as many of her family photos. The back had Psalm 16:11 quoted and I immediately loved the book.

I haven't read the whole thing yet....

I am savoring it.

I don't want it to end.

I wanted to share the poem I read today:

Arkansas Pleasure -

Thunder

When Thunder happens

I feel this is God's pleasure,

To let me know

He is still in full control.

Though I cave in fear

And trembling, feel the earth move!

This is God's assurance

He is always, ever near.

So Lord, I pray

You will let me be

Likes James and John

Sons of Zebedee,

LOUD AS THUNDER

Of your love for me!

by Maggie Aldridge Smith

April 18

2010-04-18T20:44:00.002-05:00

New uses for old things...an old, stained table that I let the kids
use chalk on today, since it was raining and they couldn't go outside!
Decided I am going to refinish it with chalkboard paint soon. :-)
sent from my Project 365 app
http://bit.ly/5G0JwQ

April 17

2010-04-18T00:13:00.002-05:00

Time to crochet
sent from my Project 365 app
http://bit.ly/5G0JwQ

April 16

2010-04-17T03:46:00.002-05:00

Help in the kitchen
sent from my Project 365 app
http://bit.ly/5G0JwQ

April 15

2010-04-15T18:13:00.001-05:00

Yummy veggies and a hubby-made meal
sent from my Project 365 app
http://bit.ly/5G0JwQ

Happy Easter!

2010-04-03T22:44:00.002-06:00

My favorite Good Friday song.

2010-04-03T18:45:00.001-06:00

The Rosebud

2010-03-31T01:20:00.003-06:00

It is only a tiny rosebud, a flower of God’s design;

But I cannot unfold it with these clumsy hands of mine.

The secret of unfolding flowers is not known to such as I.

God opens this flower so easily, but in my hands they die.

If I cannot unfold a rosebud, this flower of God’s design…

Then how can I have the wisdom to unfold this life of mine?

So I’ll trust in God for leading each moment of my day.

I will look to God for guidance in each step of the way.

The path that lies before me, only my Lord knows.

I’ll trust God to unfold the moments, just as He unfolds the rose.

author:unknown

Simple Woman's Daybook March 15

2010-03-15T22:16:00.000-06:00

Outside my window... the neighbor's 5 globe light on a stand. Pretty neat looking.

I am thinking...I probably should go to bed before someone wakes me up. (does that even make sense?)

I am thankful for... my parents getting here safely and a good first night with them.

I am wearing...german flannel nightgown

I am remembering... that I have not posted my Project 365 pictures lately!!

I am going...to take my parents sight seeing this week.

I am currently reading... Yada Yada Prayer Group (love it!!) as well as various other books.

I am hoping... for good weather this week.

On my mind... prayer requests and friends

Noticing that... I feel very peaceful

Pondering these words.. "But when the darkness of dismay comes, endure until it is over, because out of it will come the ability to follow Jesus truly, which brings inexpressibly wonderful joy." from updated version of My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers

From the kitchen...quiet now. We had Thai Chicken Salad for dinner and it was delicious!

Around the house...everyone asleep.

One of my favorite things...quiet. :-)

From my picture journal...

Brittany and Emily dancing in 2003
It just came to my mind tonight and I had to go find the picture.

Check out The Simple Woman's blog if you would like to read more day posts or join in!

Thoughts gathered, hopefully

2010-03-07T10:15:00.000-06:00

I know a lot of people have been waiting to hear how our appointment in Kansas City went. I have had to gather my thoughts together and coalesce all the information before being able to spit it out and share it with y'all. I thank you so much for the prayers, they were answered in so many ways.

First we had our ENT appointment. The doctor remember us from 3 years ago when we got Kaedra's tubes put in. I thought that was pretty amazing! Or course, Kaedra is pretty amazing, so maybe that is why she is remembered. :-) The surgery to close her trach hole is a little more complicated than we thought. The doctor will be first stitching the trachea, then the muscle layer, then the skin layer. There are a few very bad side affects that can happen from the surgery, so she will be kept in the hospital a few days to watch her carefully.

Next we had our appointment with our surgeon, Dr. Nigel Price. The appointment went WONDERFULLY and really quelled all my fears and settled any problems I had with his program. We were able to talk a little about where Kaedra is headed in the next 10 or so years and what we can expect along the way. We also talked about our overall goals for Kaedra by being in the VEPTR program: to increase her lung space and give her rigidity in that chest wall. It does not look (at this time) like she will need any VEPTR rods to straighten her scoliosis. Her curvature is relatively minor (31%) and has not grown very much. If it was to grow, he thought it would be when she hits puberty. If so, we would discuss what to do at that time: ie VEPTR or spinal fusion. Plans were made for Kaedra to have an expansion on May 21st.

Our last appointment was with a plastic surgeon. Because of the lack of skin and muscle across her back, any further surgeries really have the potential for the titanium rods coming through. (like one did a few summers ago) The plastic surgeon is going to assist in the surgery, hopefully decreasing that potential. He will also put a layer of artificial skin in between the rod and her skin. He is hoping that one time will be enough to make the skin thicker but he said that if it wasn't he would continue to do the same thing at each surgery.

All in all, we got a lot of information and we were happy with all the appointments. Thank you so much for your prayers!

Yudi Yohana Arango Morales, the child we are sponsoring

2010-03-07T08:59:00.000-06:00

Compassion International

2010-03-06T19:33:00.003-06:00

Kahri suggests that you check out the Compassion International web
page below.

http://www.compassion.com/sponsor/default.htm?referer=33769

Personal Message From Kahri:

I am so excited about the child we sponsored! She is from Columbia and she has the same birthdate as Kaedra! I feel like we have a new adopted member of our family. The feeling is indescribable.

I have to be honest...I never ever ever watch the commercials when they come on TV. They were too sad and I just turned the channel. However, one of the blogs I regularly read, MckMama

, is in Kenya right now blogging for Compassion International. Through reading her blogs, I learned about the program and the children. I followed one of her links and fell in love with the children. I talked it over with Michael and the kids and we decided that we really wanted to sponsor a child. We want to eventually adopt, but since we are unable to at the moment, this is the next best thing. We can definitely eat out one time less a month and not buy some extras to help sponsor one of these innocent children. We didn't care where the child was from but we did decide to sponsor a child that had been waiting more than 6 months. That just broke our hearts to think they had been waiting so long.

We get our sponsorship packet sometime in the next 15 days. I can't wait. We can write to her as much as we want (I am sure Emily will be prolific!) and we get to send her presents a few times a year. We can also send a present to help her whole family. At least three times a year she will write back to us with the help of her teachers.

I read some stories of Compassion International children and their sponsors meeting. Wouldn't that be amazing?

Anyway, we are EXTREMELY excited and I will be sharing more with you as we learn more!

Here is an email from Compassion:

I just sponsored a child on Compassion's web site. Visit http://www.compassion.com/sponsor/default.htm?referer=33769 to learn more about how you can sponsor a child too.

-You can view photos of children who are waiting for a sponsor. You
can also search for a child by birthday, age, gender, country, and
more, or you can select the child who has waited the longest.

-Through Compassion, a Christian child development organization, you
can be personally linked with a child in a developing country who
needs your help.

-Your support will bring a complete package of benefits to a child in
need, including learning opportunities, health care, food and medicine as
needed, social development, and even job skills, through a local network
of caring Christian adults. Most important, the child will encounter the
gospel through regular Christian training.