De-Clutter Part 1

SO...the fastest way for a home schooling mom to de-clutter a house...send out a message that I am having a book sale!

I knew I needed to get rid of books but it was a crazy day of phone calls and knocks at the door.

I decided to sell cheap and give all proceeds to my favorite non-profit...our local pregnancy help center.  I sold over 100 books today and I already have more people coming tomorrow...and yes...I have plenty more books to sell.  I guess if I were ever considered a hoarder it would because of the books we own.  These are just the ones I am willing to part with before we move...we still have an entire library of books we will take with us!  We LOVE books!

I also started taking items to the local thrift store.  I need to move things out of the garage to move the boxes we pack out of the house.  And I have started packing things that we can live without (that is always so funny to say...or type in this case...if we can live with out it...why are we packing it?).

It is really hard to convince our children to pack.  The worst is hearing little Brendan...so confused...but fully understands that we are leaving the only home he knows.  He came to me yesterday and said, "I don't want to move to San Antonio...they don't let you clean or live there!"  It made no sense but in his mind he was not going to like the move.  I feel for him...he has only known Lufkin...he does not realize that there is an adventure out there waiting for us!

So...we take baby steps and will introduce him to the fun we can have...heading that way some time in the near future to see a sneak peak.

But for now...it is back to the grind of packing.

Well...It Is Official

With tears of sadness and joy, I write this post...we officially spoke to a realtor today about putting our property on the market.  I have put off the idea for a long time and only told a few close friends to pray for us to make the right decision.  After many doors closing and many more opening, I think it is finally clear to us that it is time to start packing boxes and deciding what we really need to move to a new home.

Michael accepted a job in San Antonio.  It has been a long time since we have been together as a family under one roof and Michael coming home each night to be with us.  I am happy that the light at the end of the tunnel is finally her, but I am sad that it takes away from all the friends we have met here.

It is hard to believe that this is the longest we have lived in one area...almost ten years....half of our married life and birth place of two of our children.  Most of our children only remember details about our life in this area.

I could tell about how many friends have helped us along this journey but I would fear forgetting someone.  Besides...I still have to sell our house before we can move, so I am not going to get too sentimental just yet!

I still have a lot of work to get everything in order.  Thankfully, we have already done so much to the house that there are just a few tweaks here and there that need to be done.  I need to paint one last room...we call it the blue room because ...well...it is just so darn blue....always has been and I wish I could walk away without painting it now!  But a quick coat of paint would be helpful.  I also need to find the closet doors we took off from the start....I think they are in the garage so please pray I can find them.  And finally....the big job of the lot...the YARD...dun dun dun!  I am seriously thinking about calling some one to come do this...I just do not have the time to mess with it and I am not always a yard person...let's just say...I have to be in the mood...and July summer heat is far from my kind of yard work weather.  So...that is the worst of the job for me!

Of course...Michael had to go to training for Army and then starts his job immediately...so that really does leave it to me to get this done.  Please pray for me to have patience during this time...and also for trust...I need to trust that God has the plan and I just have to be open to it.

Mid-week Break?

We took a break from day camp today, but we still had a lot to do...we had a busy morning and then it all came to a halt when I got stung by another bee on the ankle.  I learned that it is not fun to get stung there as you really need an ankle for walking!  LOL!  More later on this fun day!

Wiggly Worms and New Horizons

A lot happened yesterday...I just do not seem to have the time to write about it!  Maybe this weekend...

Honey Harvest Gone Wrong

After a fun day of day camp for Edward's age group, we went about completing some much needed errands...this included our annual honey harvest...but things went terrible wrong along the way.  Forgive me for not giving more details now.  I am just marking the time stamp for now...as i only can see with one eye!

Surprise Renewal!

This seems to be the month...the year...to remember back when!  SO...let me go back and tell you a story about a young boy and girl...just starting out...it just goes to show that some hurts can go on for years and heal at a moments notice!

So...this morning...all the children quickly dressed and were out the door for church....even our elusive older girls!  I was surprised...as I heard them prepping upstairs.  They did take a little longer than I wanted as everyone else was outside in the van.  So...I went to hurry them along and I heard them talking to each other around the corner..."Just hurry past her and she won't notice!"  Of course, that made me wonder what they were doing...were they wearing something that I would not like...what were they hiding?  But, when they came downstairs...they looked very nice!  So, I asked what they were hiding and they said...nothing as they hurried past and out tee door!

Michael and I had the joy of reading from Scripture today for Mass.  I always love this experience...every time!  It is such a joy to speak the Word to others and hope that it some how reaches those who need to hear it most as the Spirit moves through us.  Today I read from Colossians 1:24-28...one of my favorite verses..."Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ on behalf of his body, which is the church,
of which I am a minister..."

Then the priest read from the story of Martha and Mary (Luke 10:38-42) which was about discerning the difference between stewardship and adoration.  I will tell you that I struggle with this when I hear it...every time!  So, I was glad to hear the deacon speak about how Martha...not because she was over working but because she was to balance both aspects.  I think it really is good for me to remember that there needs to be balance...one is not better but there is a place for both in time.  Why is it so hard?  It seems to me when it is presented in this light...whenever in doubt...always go for the adoration!  But what about the idea of loving our neighbor...being the hands and feet of God?...there are times when stewardship...hospitality...does show love of neighbor.  More to think about as I always say when this passage comes to mind!

So...after that amazing and needed message...Mass was so special and I felt so blessed to have my family there.  I thought...wow...I would love to have a picture of this moment in time.  I asked one of the boys if we had the camera...and wouldn't you know he had the camera!  AND...the children were all there waiting in the pew...as if they knew I was going to ask for a picture!  hmmmmm...


After the picture was taken...I started to head outside...I wanted to talk to Deacon Billy and his wife, Dianna...BUT...Michael turned to me and says..."Remember what I asked you under the tree last week?"..."Yes...?"  "Well...I am asking again right now!"  Awww...he was asking me to marry him again!

Of course...I said yes and I looked up and there were the children...the priest...Deacon Billy and Dianna...ready for us at the altar!  Good thing I said yes...<<WINK...WINK>>

SO...we renewed our wedding vows...and this is where the renewal comes into the story...not just renewing the vows...although very important...but there was more...

You see...twenty years ago...I bought our wedding bands.  Now in today's world...many would say that is not a big deal...but to me that is something that the groom does...and it bothered me that it was not a big deal to him.  It has come up many times over the years...I tried not to make a big deal about it but it was a big deal.

Then about ten years ago, we began to talk about buying new rings.  I would hint at this and he would talk about wanting to do it.  BUT....he never did anything about it.  SO...I had pretty much given up on this possibility.  However, it was getting harder not to notice...even for others...as I was no longer able to wear the old ring...it was bent and worn...it was not the most expensive ring out there...and he actually told me that his ring (he had been placing it on his dog tags) was lost.

We had this conversation the day before...it was something I brought up...we were going somewhere...I tried on my ring...and once again I was not able to wear it.  I mentioned this to him...I wish he had bought us rings....I turned to the girls and told them why it was so important to me that Michael find the rings this time.  They all listened and said nothing...even though Michael had purchased our renewal rings several days before.  The girls were the ones to hold on to the rings (the reason they were hiding something earlier in the morning!) and passed the rings to the priest during the ceremony.

In fact, everyone knew about the plan EXCEPT me!  I was so surprised!  He bought the rings...he set p a plan of action...and kept the surprise!  Pretty amazing!

Thank you, Michael!  I love you!  And although the rings do not make our marriage...the rings are the icing on the cake for this renewal!  And it was pretty special even without them!  I feel truly blessed!

Finally! But...

OK...after the bathroom remodel taking much longer than it was supposed to take...we are FINALLY done!

We would have had it all done last night....but those amazing mirrors that I fell in love with at the mall were too long!  GRRRR...so Michael took them back and found the oval ones.  That was this morning...so thankful that we were able to get those hung this afternoon.


By the way... Brendan and Zaira must have been convinced we would finish last not also because they stayed up late into the night.  Brendan fell asleep on the floor while watching Michael.  Zaira fell asleep in the bed after putting up a good fight!


BUT...before we came home from buying the mirrors...we took a side trip to the ZOO!  YAY!!!  This was Zaira's first trip to the zoo...unless you count the brief one made last fall for a hamburger dinner (She was only two months old...so I am guessing that trip does not count!).

She was able to walk into the zoo.  And she spent most of the time walking from one exhibit to the next.

Zaira also got to ride on the zoo train for the first time.  She really enjoyed this.  We told her to wave and she took this job very seriously...she waved her best at everyone we passed.  She was so cute!  I am so glad we chose to do this first because I do not think she would have been awake by the time we finished the walk around the zoo.

Michael and the children had a blast!  The animals were somewhat lethargic in the humid summer heat.  This was disappointing for the older ones but made it a great experience for her.  She especially loved the tiger (She said TIGER!) and the macaws (thanks to Michael's regular antics).

She was definitely worn out by the time we came to the last exhibit...I really thought she would love the flamingos...being so pink!...but she was wiped out by this time.  She almost fell asleep on Michael's shoulder and was fast asleep by the time we got her buckled in the van.



We also got several pictures of Christina for her senior pictures.  We also got several family pictures.  It is hard to believe that we might not make it back to this zoo as a family.  Of course, we are not sure about this but I just could not resist taking as many pics as I could just in case!  We really love this zoo but there are other zoos to visit...we will always find fun in other ways also....and maybe we will make a trip back here again before we move.


Back home...we did get those mirrors hung.  There were a little bit of a pain but it all worked out in the end.  AND...we finally finished our bathroom!

BUT...we are not finished with bathrooms.  Watching us work on ours...the girls began work on theirs (mentioned in a post a couple of days back)...they are just going to take out the old linoleum counter to replace with tile and paint...and finally get a mirror that fits the wall space.

We also have a small guest bath that looks great except for the fact that it does not have paint on one wall and it needs a different faucet and mirror.  Those are both easy fixes and we already have what we need to fix it.

SO...we are almost there but will probably be working through the weekend to get it done.  I am pretty excited because the original intent to remodel our master bath has led to these others and it ended up costing about what I planned for the master bath to complete all the projects!  Not bad...it makes me feel like I walked into a store and got a "three-for-one"deal!  YAY!

More pictures will come when the other baths are done...looking forward to having things completed soon.

Praise God for LIFE!!

I started out this day...tired...not really wanting to make a trip with Michael, Amanda and Christina to look at cars AGAIN!!!  SO...I sent them on their way and tried to work on registering graded papers to our home school program.  Not a fun job but somebody's got to do it!

In between entering papers...I was back and forth in phone calls with Michael.  Mainly this was because Christina was supposed to take her driver's test today...or so we thought...until they arrived at the DPS office and found out that not only do you need an appointment but they were booked up until the END of August!!!  You can imagine...Christina was very upset.  So...trying to help her...I contacted as many DPS offices in the area (especially those along their route to the car dealership...it was two hours away) trying to find one who would have an opening.  No luck!  The only one that took walk-ins refused to give the test today or allow her to make an appointment.  Very frustrating!

They continued on to the dealer...I continued to try to find a solution to the driver test.  I think we might have a solution...only time will tell.

Then the calls started coming in from Michael about cars that were available.  After this back and forth...that even included a 3-way call with my brother....I was getting tired of answering the phone!

SO...when the phone rang again early in the afternoon...imagine my surprise when it was my good friend David Bereit!  I thought he was calling me about our next pro-life campaign for the fall...and I teased him about missing the fun at the Capitol last week (he now lives in Virginia).  He said..."I guess that means you have not heard the news!"  I was a little taken aback...what news?!  Had something gone wrong?

And then...I heard the sweetest words I could have heard..."Michelle, the Planned Parenthood in your town has closed its doors for good!" ...adding to that two other clinics in our area!  I was shaking with excitement!  This was an answered prayer that has been heavy on my heart for almost TEN YEARS!!!!  I could hardly believe it!  He assured me it was true and I could send out the announcement to others soon.

I immediately called Michael...who was still at a car dealership...and had found a car for Amanda by the way!...and he thought something terrible had happened as I was shouting and obviously crying and he could barely understand my gibberish...but I was just so excited!  Then I sent out a message that I had big news....followed by praises to God for this big change in our community.

I did get a few negative responses but for the most part I was enjoying the moment when so many of us were able to come together via the internet to praise God for this victory over the culture of death.  Then I got a message from our local paper asking if they could quote me in a breaking news article about the situation...I agreed to give a statement.  I look forward to seeing this news story in print...a real keeper for my journal!

All I can say at this point is...I am still in shock.  As I said in an email announcing to the numerous prayer warriors in our community...

Many hours of prayer and sacrifice...but in the end God has the victory...we are His prayer warriors and He answered our prayers!

In thanksgiving, I will be going to the clinic tomorrow to sing out my joy to the Lord where I spent so many hours weeping for our community.  I also plan to take a HUGE leap of faith and ask that God provide another miracle for our community.  I will be praying for the building...that is now supporting the culture of death...may one day be used for LIFE!  Jesus said, "Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done." (Matthew 21:21)

I say God moved a huge mountain from our community today (as well as the clinic that took the lives of many East Texas babies) and I pray He will move the mountains that stand in the way of true choice for the women of East Texas.  We are so blessed to have the Pregnancy Help Center in our community.  I pray that one day that building can be used for this purpose.

May God's will be done...in His time...and may we continue to be patient and prayerful.  We have definitely won a battle today in our community, but the war continues through our state, our nation, and the world.  May we not stop our fight against the principalities and powers of darkness (Ephesians 6:12).

But for now...I hope that you will join me in thanksgiving on this momentous occasion.

God bless to all...and praise God for LIFE!!!!

OH...and Amanda did find a car...purchased it...and was on her way home when the radiator blew!  Such is life...the ups and downs we must all face!  So glad it happened as it did...with Michael there to help and the dealership willing to fix sense it happened so quickly after the sale.  If all goes well, she will be driving it again by next week.  

What a Day!

Where to begin?...

Let's start at the very beginning!  A very good place to start!

We woke up bright and early once again...this time to drop off Christina at the local community college.  She was taking an important test today....that would hopefully change her life FOREVER!!!!!  More on this later...

But...because of this...Amanda, Zaira and I were left with "nothing" to do for the majority of the day....not a good plan on a hot, humid summer day.

Now...if you remember...a few weeks back...Amanda wrecked her car.  Well...she has not found a replacement car.  So...we decided to take a look around town at used car lots.  I am not typically one to enjoy used car lots but we did not have anything else to do!  After going to several locations and being offered over-priced vehicles or PT Cruisers, we gave up the hunt.

So...that took all of an hour and many more to go!  So...we headed indoors and out of the heat.  I am not much of a shopper (especially clothes) but Amanda loves clothes shopping, so we tried on clothes and even bought a couple of blouses.

Still had time on out hands...so we did the worst thing I can imagine...we went to the mall!  I am NOT a mall person...I just have never had a good experience at a mall.  So...the idea of going to the mall did not thrill me.  But once again...what else was I to do?

But you know?  It was actually fun...in an odd bonding kind of way!  I enjoyed being with my daughters...watching their reaction to different stores and displays.  We had such a good time!  We also determined the birthday gifts for Zaira so we really did get a lot accomplished.

I even <<SHUTTER>> bought things at the mall!  I found the perfect mirrors for the bathroom in a store just as we were about to leave.  And the best part...it was for almost half the price I planned on spending.  SO...I bought a large cross collage that I spotted as we were first going into the store.  I almost never splurge like this but it was so perfect for me...I just could not resist.

Now...throughout this adventure....Zaira continued to repeat the same 'word' as we went into stores.  Amanda and I could not figure out what she was trying to say but she remained consistent so we knew it was important to her.  Our last store of the day was a little boutique that Amanda said was 'special.'  And it was a cute store.  As we were walking through, Amanda picked up a little trinket made of ceramic and Zaira repeated her 'word'...it suddenly became clear...that she was saying "touch" as in..."Can I touch it?"

I was so surprised that I did not notice that she was INDEED touching the breakable item until it was too late!!!  It fell to the floor and shattered!  The nice lady refused to let us pay for the item, which made me feel even worse than I already felt...so I had Amanda look for another item that we could buy...of course it did not take long for her to find something.  Thankfully it was on the clearance rack (and a little more than the cost of the trinket that was not expensive).  It was a dress with biggest flowing sleeves I have ever seen!  LOL...Amanda fell in love...I bought it for her cringing but knowing it was perfect for her.  We left the store with dignity...LOL.  And then left the mall!

This just in time to pick up Christina from her test.  The test that made her an official HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATE!!!!!  She can now way she is part of the Class of 2013!!!!  I am so proud of her...and a little annoyed!  LOL!  Can you believe she fell asleep in the test...and still passed with flying colors!!!????!!!!  How crazy is that?  It just goes to show you that she is one smart cookie!  I could not be happier for her!  She is actually close to having an associate's degree thanks to the charter school's program...so I am not surprised she did well on her test.  We will be celebrating and having our own little ceremony for her soon!

We got home in time to work on the bathroom some more...we seem to be slowing down but really only have a little left to finish.  We need to grout the counter tile and replace the sinks...and of course add those new mirrors.  Still hoping to get done before the weekend...we will see!  Please Lord!!!!

Family Meeting

After another fun day of bath remodel, we ended the day with a family meeting.  We used to do these meetings weekly but somehow they dwindled down to...well...none!  I knew we needed to get back on track so just decided with all the many changes that will be taking place in the next few weeks we should do it!

But first...an update on the ongoing bathroom remodel!  Michael and I woke up early this morning...to the sound of the phone ringing...the A/C man wanted to know the problem we were having so he could plan his day.  After last night...I was worn out and not fully coherent at the time.  I am not sure if I made sense but he scheduled a time to come out to the house.  It did get me out of bed and we began the fun of cutting and laying tile for the counter.  We spent most of the morning with this and will probably have tomorrow also.

Really this job should not take so long but Michael is taking a class to get a certification, so I was winging it alone, with the occasional help when Michael got a break.  Oh...and of course my little helper on my hip!

I did manage to get a few small details crossed off the list, so it was a productive day in the end.  We also have all the tiles cut so tomorrow should go quickly.  If all goes well, we will have the tile grouted by the evening and Wednesday morning we can finish it up.  It is amazing how this counter continues to evolve into a unique yet fitting space.  I look forward to seeing the completion (in more ways than one!)

And, the A/C guy did come...odd that both units have gone out at the same time.  The upstairs unit was an easy fix.  However, the downstairs is going to take a little more effort.  Thankfully, we have a warranty that covers the cost.  AND...the downstairs unit is only used to reduce the humidity as the area downstairs stays at an even temperature for the most part even without the A/C.

As for the family meeting...this time we discussed such amazing things as...

• Respect
• Authority
• Manners
• Patience 

and

• Flexibility

All of these being the important aspects in life that will help us as we make it through these next few weeks.  As the main thing that we ended the conversation with was the need for family unity and assistance from everyone to make it all work!

And, as always...a family that prays together...stays together...so we began and ended with family prayer.

The boys were sent upstairs as the girls and I discussed the car/truck hunting options and then they were off to bed as well.  We have a momentous day tomorrow that I will post about by the end of the day as I can.

AND...the big moment came tonight when we were least expecting it!  Zaira heard that Michael was going upstairs to sing a lullaby and she walked (or was it a run?) into Michael's arms!  And to make it even sweeter, she then walked back to me!  Of course this got us all excited and everyone was begging her to walk to them.  She did take a few more walks to each of us and it wore her out but she had a smile on her face throughout the experience.  I think we might soon have a toddler in our home!  Watch out world!

Four Hour Tour

"Just sit right back and you'll hear a tale..."

That is what I thought of when this day was all done and we had made it home.  We were just going to go to our friend's house...pick up a car...and head home.  But what a day it has been!  Thankfully we were not stranded on a deserted island making our way home on coconuts!  LOL!

So...we had been looking for a car Michael could use for the summer.  We knew it would not be his "forever" car...just a simple nothing fancy jalopy!  It just so happens...a good friend of ours had the car for us!

SO...we thought we would make a day of it and go back to our old stompin' grounds.  It seemed fitting that we would load up all the children early in the morning to go to Mass at the church where we were married those twenty years ago!

Thankfully, it worked out well and we were off right on time to make it to Mass.  We even found that two of our closest friends were leading the music, so we were feeling pretty special.  We arrived early enough to tell the children some of our wedding day fun and then enjoy the energy of the college students in worship!

After Mass, we took some new pictures at the church....spoke to our friends...and determined we needed to make two more stops before heading to our friend for the car.

The first stop was at the place Michael proposed to me...under a 100+ year old tree that is known for its marriage proposals.  We told the children the story of Michael's proposal and they tried to replicate the experience for us and took pictures.  It was a great time for everyone and we even got a passerby to take a family picture for us.  It reminded me of the photography group that just happened to be walking by when Michael proposed 20 years ago!

Then we headed to the hospital!  YEP!...but not for an emergency.  A second couple we have known for many years was welcoming their new addition into the world...so we made a surprise visit at the hospital.  Little Ruth is such a precious joy for all...especially her family.  Turns out she was born on her sister's third birthday...pretty awesome birthday present!  Michael and I had the privilege of arriving just as the baby arrived AND when the deacon chose to pray a special blessing over the baby and parents.  We were overjoyed to have been a part of this special moment.

Then we returned to the car in time to hear the pangs of our stomachs growling!  So we enjoyed a family meal at a nice restaurant.

Finally arriving at our friends house around 3pm....to find that no one was home!  After many phone calls...we found out that there was some communication issues between the men in the bunch...and we would need to wait until 7pm to meet with him.  In the mean time, Amanda had found her vehicle of choice across the street.  The girls and Michael test drove this vehicle (later to test the car Michael would buy) and liked it but I had questions and had to be the mean mom.  Not sure what will happen with that deal...need to pray that the right decision is made.

We did finally meet up with our friend...paid for the car...and began the drive home...just as the sky split open!  It rained most of the way home...the girls were driving the quirky new car (I call it this because it is an almost 20 year old car and it does not have many of the modern conveniences....just what we wanted!).

We eventually made it home...all exhausted...except Zaira who had way too much energy...and rightly so since she slept in the vehicle coming and going to get the vehicle.


Fun...FUN!

More on the Bathroom and More

We have been working hard to get the bathroom completed...as most of you know.  Last night...in between listening to the Texas Senate debate on the bill that has been so important to us...we spent our time hoping to prep for the final weekend of remodeling.

We even got the older girls involved...they wanted money for gas!...as they were able to scrub the old tile grout clean and remove any remaining grout residue from the new tile work.  With this clean up completed we were able to put a sealant on all the tile.

The night was not over...still listening to the final reading  of the bill just before midnight...Michael was also finishing up the tile and the last bit of painting on the walls.  Much to our relief the bill finally was given its chance at a vote and passed!  Much praising to God for this amazing effort in Texas to allow women...who do make the ultimate sacrifice of baby...the opportunity for at least safe procedure.  It is not for me...abortion will never be an option in our life...but I will always stand for protecting women....and all people...from the dangers of bad doctors and procedures.

Speaking of which...for those of you praying for my friend...I got word last night...he had swelling on the brain...had it drained to reduce swelling and is doing better.  He will most likely need further medical care and rehabilitation but he is on the right track for recovery.  Please continue to pray for him!

So...late night and early morning...we started out this morning with Steve ready to have his portion of the bathroom completed.  He and Michael spent most of the morning replacing light fixtures, toilets, and faucets.  Steve also built our center cabinet with drawers, which took most of the afternoon.

Mid-afternoon, I also was blessed with a visit from my dear friend and her daughter...Angel and Karma.  I am always so excited to hear have her visit as we have known each other for almost 30 years and know matter how long the parting, we can always enjoy talking to each other.

I do not think we hardly had time to breathe as there was so much to discuss.  Of course...no pictures...grrr...as we truly spent every moment talking about everything under the sun!  Karma and Edward really hit it off...enjoying the play time inside and out!  Brendan was their little tag-a-long!  At one point Karma tried to hide from him...stating "I just need a 5 minute break!"...LOL..so cute!

As we reluctantly parted ways, we vowed to get together more often.  I hope we can make that happen.


Steve left just before Angel and offered to return if any other work needed to be done.  But...no slowing down...I went back to helping Michael.  We thought we would be able to tile after the cabinet was placed but realized that it really needed to be painted first...and with the humid heat (Did I mention our A/C has gone out as of Thursday evening?!) it took a while to dry.  So, we did not tile as planned...a slight set back but it might of been to our benefit.  When looking over the tile set out on the counter...something just did not seem right.  Our original idea was not working and after many different designs, we came up with one that I think will tie all the bathroom together.  The counter top has definitely been our hold up throughout this adventure.

Of course, our friendly home improvement store was closed...so we will need to make a trip tomorrow for our supplies.  However, we are already seeing that this is going to be an adventure.  I will save this portion of the story for tomorrow...suspense intended...and of course even I do not want to predict how it will all turn out!

SIDE NOTE:  In all of this remodel, we knew we had another project looming in the curtains!  Amanda and Christina have become excited about their own bathroom that needs an update.  We began gathering supplies for them to get started next week.  This adventure should be interesting to watch unfold.  I am sure I will be posting more on this as the days pass as well.  Pictures of before they begin the process soon to come.

Camouflage in the Museum and Golfing in the Library!

Our last day of camp and we talked about animals disguising themselves!

It was a lot of fun but I think every one was tired.  Here are a few pictures of the last day and our closing program...

After we left we had our grocery shopping day.  This excursion also included what I hope to be our last trip to the store for bath supplies...we are so close to being done!

And another trip to the library....this time for putt-putt golf!  All the boys got to play and came home with passes to play again at a real facility in town.  So, here are a few pictures of this event also...

The Ants Go Marching

I was sick through the night, and still not feeling great this morning so chose to avoid passing any germs on to the children at day camp.  Amanda and Christina took Brendan and Henry, as well as my replacement...Sean (handy helper who happens to be our family insect expert) so they could enjoy camp.  Meanwhile they went off to run errands.

Today's camp was all about ants, which was why I thought it such an amazing coincidence that Sean would need to go in my place.  All things worked out as they should for the day...and I got some much needed rest!

Here are the pictures from the day...

After the girls picked up the boys, they surprised them by taking them all out to lunch...mainly to celebrate Sean's birthday.  Then they met with our favorite forester...Tamberly...at the US Forestry Service to obtain give away items for the next year.  I am so excited to have a great start to our Nature Club that we will offer to the home school group this fall.

To end this day of nature, Michael took Sean and Henry to the beekeeper's meeting.  They discussed honey harvest.

Brendan adding the picture of his worm to his trail art.

The book of the day was Hey Mr. Ant!

Sean explaining the life cycle of an ant

Marching out in the their ant hats!

The search for ants!

Brendan has gone bug-eyed

After setting out the food trap...look what they found!

Awesome group picture!

Brendan setting up his ant colony 

Twenty Years!

What can I say?  All the cliche remarks that we could not have done it without each other...that I married my soul mate...that we began our happily ever after twenty years ago today.

HMMMM...that would be very Hollywood movie material...but maybe I will stick to the truth a little more than that...besides the story is so much better anyway!

There were many who told us that it would never work...that we were too young and starting out our married lives for all the wrong reasons.  It reminds me of the song..."Like Two Sparrows in a Hurricane" (even though we were a little older than the couple in the song).  And then there was the more fitting song that someone played at our wedding reception..."My Blue Heaven."

Yeah...we did things a little backwards...welcoming a little bundle of joy into our lives before the wedding, but we were given the wise advice of our pastor...Fr. Mike...to embrace our marriage with baby and he spoke at our wedding about the importance of family...even announcing us to the wedding guests as "The Reynolds Family" at the end of the ceremony.  We never really could imagine our lives any different.

Now in spite of what people like to think about our big family...many have said a baby after every deployment...in actuality we have spaced our additional blessings out every three or more years.  And we truly do feel blessed.  However, it was not the eight babies that make our marriage...these children are the fruits of our bond with our Creator and are true blessings.

Our marriage vows that have lasted these twenty years and will continue throughout our lives are a bond united by God's love.  That bond that began twenty years ago has been tested but with God's grace, we have persevered.  I have told this story many times to people along the way...our marriage is like the ivy that grows in our home.

You see when we planned our wedding, I did not want cut flowers that would die after a couple of days.  It always seemed so horrible to justify killing flowers for an hour long ceremony.  Not against it for those who like flowers but Michael learned long ago that buying me cut flowers is a wasted effort on me!  So in order to decorate the church that had several beautiful windows with large edges...I decided to place small potted ivy.  Then...as the centerpiece...my mother made a special pitcher in a bowl (handcrafted and fired by her own hands!) in which we planted a large ivy...she actually had a similar ivy that she kept in our home all the years we were growing up ...the ivy planted for this occasion came from a clipping of her ivy.  We also placed Scripture verses at each of these ivy related to love and vines (many beautiful verses that we have cherished throughout our marriage).

As for the ivy...well those who know me...know that I do not have a green thumb!  Yet the ivy in our home has continued to grow for these twenty years.  So...the message is clear to me...it is not through our effort but through that grace that our marriage continues.  We have had years that resembled the desert and years when we were overflowing with abundance.  Through good times and bad we have had the grace of God in our lives...it is through His love that we continued to share our love with each other even when we did not feel like it...even when we did not think we could go on.  Just as our ivy continues to grow...knowing that I forget to water it for days (even weeks at a time!) and hardly give it a second thought...so also our marriage continues to grow....even when we forget that we need that extra nourishment...or when we are apart...God continues to be there giving us what we need as the tremendous third party in our marriage bond.

God is so good!  All the time God is good!  Our marriage is proof of that...we are a witness to love and compassion...to forgiveness and mercy...but none of this would have been possible without seeing it through God's eyes and not our own.

So...it really is more like the song..."Forever and Ever Amen."  No fairy tale...just real life and real love twenty years later and many more to come..God willing!  Our very own happily ever after story!

And a big thank you to all you who offered well wishes and prayers twenty years ago...today...and all the years in between!  We need all the blessings we can get!

SIDE NOTE:  I spent the morning with a dear friend I have known since grade school.  Michael and I joked that I went off to see my boyfriend to celebrate our 20th anniversary!  Good thing we are secure in our marriage to know that is so far from the truth.

However, all joking aside...my friend is in serious need of prayer.  He is in the hospital after having a series of grand mal seizures.  The doctors have not been able to determine the effects it has had on him or why they have occurred.  I ask that you please pray for him (KC) and his dear girlfriend (Johna) who has been there with him through this trial, as well as the doctors as they search for answers.

We're Not Through Yet

SO...once again, our day did not end with summer day camp.  I rushed home grabbed up lunch and the other half of the family and got to the library in time for a relaxing afternoon (Leave it to me to have a little chaos to get a leisurely afternoon!).  You see with only one vehicle we have to learn how to be creative.  It's like a roller coaster ride sometimes...and it makes life so much fun!

Michael is taking an online certification class this week and is pretty much tied to his computer, except a few breaks including a one hour lunch.  There was a library event at 3pm and then we needed to meet with Sean's mentors at 4pm.  Since Michael wanted to be at this meeting and his class lasted until 4pm (meeting being 30 minutes away and library only 5 minutes), the only option was to take his lunch break  to drive to the library where he could continue his class...we could enjoy the library and the program...and still get to the parent meeting for Sean!


Woo hoo...plan in action...it went smoothly and we got to enjoy two uninterrupted hours at the library looking at books!



It really was great...we had heard about a treasure hunt at the library earlier in the summer, but have not had a chance to do it...so the older boys and I (along with Michael's brain being picked as needed) we were off on the treasure hunt.  It was so much fun reading the clues and finding the answers.  Here are a few of the pictures when we solved the clues...

Zaira spent her time playing with puzzles.  She really concentrated hard on the task at hand!  The only other thing she enjoyed was the puppets of Ernie and Bert, as well as a monkey.

And Edward an Brendan met two boys who like Transformers and LEGOS as much as they do...they read books on this subject most of the afternoon.  Can you believe this HUGE monkey they used as a bean bag chair?  I sat on it myself and it was quite comfortable!  We might need to reconsider our ban on stuffed animals in our house!  If only it was washable!

Then we had the amazing physics show put on by two professors from the university.  They did such a great job of explaining sound waves!  They included many of the children in the audience.  Our crew was not afraid to join the show.

We did get to the parent meeting and had a good wrap up session with the mentors.  We are so thankful for all they do for Sean.  They really helped us look at Sean's future with college and life.  I hope we are able to work with them again in the fall.

And we got home in time to make dinner, put boys to bed and Michael painted the first coat of paint on the walls he textured this morning!  YAY!!!!