Purge

We are in the process of cleaning things out and getting rid of things for a garage sale. It's amazing to me how much stuff you can get rid of every year (yes, I have a garage sale, every year. Some years I have more stuff than others, but it's a great way to just clear things out.) In the middle of going through closets and bedrooms, rearranging spaces and still doing the day-to-day stuff, Duffy and I are decided that we wanted to put our house on the market.

If you live where we do, please don't laugh - we know there are over 1100 (over 500 in Sequim alone!) properties on the market, but we have to start somewhere! We just don't fit in our house anymore. And we really want to do something different. And we can't do anything until we sell our house, so we have to put it on the market first. Which means renting a storage unit to put all the extra stuff we "need". And more cleaning and organizing.

I'll keep you posted...


Where to start...Guess what I'm doing tomorrow??

I'm so embarressed!

This is the longest stretch of not blogging that has happened in a long time. I'm sorry! I really do have soooo much to blog about but life is getting in the way!

Here is just a sampling of what's been going on:

• birthdays - Teagan, Mom, Aunt Kari, Duffy, Grandma June...
• a wedding - Congrats to my cousin Mallory and new hubby Jamie! Their wedding was beautiful and a lot of fun! Your wedding gift will be on the way soon. I promise.
• a memorial service - celebrating the wonderful life of my Great Uncle Dan.
• traveling to visit family - trips to Aberdeen and PORTLAND. Wish P-Town could have been a bit longer but still fun!!
• shopping with some of my favorite gals - enough said. 
• sunshine - no enough.
• garden planting - things are starting to grow!
• rain - way too much.
• ear infections - Zoe missed an entire week of school because she had an middle and outer ear infection. She missed the wedding and a week of swimming!
• flooding washing machine - yay. Luckily, it was just the drain hose coming out of the drain. So, didn't have to get a new machine (that will be a sad day, cause I LOVE my machine. As much as one can love a home appliance.)
• flu - uhm, other people throwing up grosses me out. It was not a good 2 days and I realized I don't get paid enough to do that job. Isn't it considered hazardous bodily material in some medical professions???
• allergies
• work - yeah.
• a baby shower - too cute.
• a house-full of fun for the long weekend - we had 6 kids and 6 adults at our house over Memorial Day weekend. It was also Duffy's and June's birthdays, so fun was had by everyone. I was a totally  lame mom and didn't take a single picture - what's wrong with me?!?!
• swimming - starting back up on Monday!
• lots of cooking - lots and lots and lots of cooking. and baking.
• beer brewing - uhm yeah, got Duffy a home brewing kit for his birthday. Our first batch is brewing and will be bottled soon.
• ....and sewing - not enough if I can be totally honest! I have a pile of stuff I need/want to work on.
• Oh yeah, and all the regular stuff like laundry and dishes!

I need up upload a bunch of pictures and get some posted.. Right now, I need some coffee.

Soooooooo...

...did I mention that I went back to work? Yup, after 2 years of being home full-time, I'm working a big whopping 12-15 hours a week and it is AWESOME!

Don't get me wrong, I love being a mom and wife and being home at the end of my 3rd pregnancy and for Harper's first years, has been amazing and such a blessing. BUT, there has been some major stress associated with that, and if I can be totally honest...I think I'm a better mom when I get to do something other than playing, cleaning, laundry, and cooking.

Being a mom is a 24/7 job that you don't get to go home from. You don't get to leave work at work, you don't ever really stop thinking about things - did I switch the laundry? What's for dinner? Do we need milk? Are my kids happy? Why is she so crabby today? Am I being too hard? Not hard enough? Crap, need to switch the laundry!

So, what am I doing?? I am working in the office at our church; I prefer office assistant but old-school folks call me the secretary.  We go to a smaller, low-key church and I've been working Mon-Wen. the past 2 weeks and I think the phone has rang 7 times - and 3 of those calls were my mom! Right now, I'm still settling in, answering the phone, organizing some of the office stuff, revamping some of the documents and such. I'll be sending out weekly emails of church happenings, coordinating nursery and children's church activities, ordering supplies, etc. I'm really excited about everything and the possibilities that lie ahead. I love that my family is still my first priority and that my job is secondary to the well-being of my family; my kids are always welcome - Zoe went in with me for a bit on Friday afternoon to finish up a project. Nothing like child labor!

Project 31, Day 24

What is Jesus teaching you presently?

Patience. Plain and simple.

Patience with my kids - it's been one of those weeks, months...

Patience with my husband.

Patience with others.

Patience with things I can't really control.

Patience with my life.

Patience, Patience, Patience.

It's been a rough week actually, and I've written this post about 10 times and nothing seems right. I'm feeling really tested/challenged and at the end of my rope. My kids look at me sort of weird when I start crying about reading a book - when what I'm really crying about is the fighting about who sits closer to me when I read and who is touching the other person and who can't see the pictures, etc. etc. I cry because what I really want to do is throw the book across the room and scream!

I'm tired from certain things in my life. I know that it's just a season and won't last forever. Things will change and get better, it's just a matter of being patient. Ahhhh, there is that word again. My girl-friend Kristi called this week and we talked about planning a girls get-away and all I wanted to do was say "Now? You wanna go right now? Great! Give me 10 minutes and I'm outta here!!" Again, patience. Patience, Patience, Patience.

Slacker

Wow, I have been slacking. Big time. I'm sorry. A lot is going on and I've had a lot on my mind. Trust me, I haven't even been doing much crafting. Here is what's been happening.

• Teething Harper - 4 molars at once. She has had a runny nose, drool, cough for the longest time. I'm also getting tired of all messy diapers, makes cloth diapering a headache. She's a trooper though and is sleeping great. She's just needier and crabbier.
• Swimming Lessons - Zoe and Teagan started lessons last week and are loving it. Zoe has always had a love/hate relationship with the water, so this is great. Their teacher is fun and they are starting at the very beginning and we'll go from there. Teagan keeps showing off and going under-water just because she can and like to show that she's not scared! Silly girls!!
• Wet, depressing weather. After a week of snow, unplanned days home from school, rain, rain and more rain, I'm SOOOOO ready for a break. Like a break from my life. Just some time to do something that has NOTHING to do with kids.
• Laundry, laundry and more laundry, It's never-ending and just when I think I'm caught up, there is another load to do!
• Dishes, dishes and more dishes. Today, alone, I unloaded the DW, reloaded, ran, unloaded and reloaded. I also had a bunch of stuff to do by hand!! How did that happen??
• Reading - If you haven't read Room, put it on your list. Right now. And read it!! It is amazing and a great story!
• Starting to think about birthdays. We don't do big, huge birthday bashes for the girls every year. Last year, Zoe and Harper had the big parties (Harper turned 1 and Zoe 6) so this year, we will do something simple and small with family. Teagan's birthday falls around the same weekend as my cousin's wedding! So, I'm starting to think about a Fairy-themed birthday for a soon-to-be 5 year old! Better get motivated.
• Thinking and browsing the internet for craft ideas. I have some projects in mind to start but life keeps happening and they get pushed to the back burner. And when I do have some quiet time, it's 8:30pm, the sewing machine is in Zoe's room (and I'm afraid to check it out. It's dying and I desperately need a new one, but that's not in the budget right now. Especially since I want a Bernina!)
• Thinking and planning for some upcoming changes in our family. Some of you know what I'm talking about and until I can say more, we'll have to leave it at that! Keep praying that things transition smoothly and for my continued patience and faith that God is in control. No matter what. And no, I'm not pregnant. No, no, no, no, no!!

Ok, enough for now. I'll get back to Project 31 this week. I promise!

Snow Day and Project 31, Day 21

Things have been a bit crazy around here. We have had snow days the last two days, so being cooped up with 3 kids is tiring. The big girls want to go and play outside so I spend 15 minutes getting them ready to go (remember to go potty!) then they stay outside for 10 minutes! I think they were out 3 different times and each time, they put on brand new outfit when they came back in! My laundry pile is growing out of control!!



Nothing like a blanket fort to keep kids occupied!



I haven't forgotten Project 31 - I've been thinking about it, just finding the motivation to write. And for some reason, I'm having a hard time writing out my words of encouragement. And I'm never at a loss for words.

Write a letter to your husband to encourage him (or if you are single- your future husband.)

Duffy -

You are more amazing than you think. You work hard everyday at a job that isn't what you dreamed about doing and that is hard to enjoy sometimes. You get up before everyone else (3am) and work HARD all day. But you go, and make a difference to the people you encounter. I'm sorry that people aren't always nice and friendly and thankful for what you do. But I notice and I'm thankful.

It's been a rough couple of months and through it all, I've been reminded how God picked YOU just for me. You are the perfect match for me and I appreciate you so much! You've kept me laughing and smiling, which is one of my most favorite things about you! Thank you for everything that you do and making our family complete!

Love you forever - me

Sales

I'm in between sales right now, so I'm a bit frazzled and blogging is taking a back burner! Last weekend, I was helping Duffy's parents with an estate/garage sale and this week, I'm getting ready for a garage sale with my parents. I keep thinking of things to get rid of and clean out, which is great but then life is still happening. Like getting a phone call at 5pm saying we had a closing appointment for our re-fi at 6pm - that same day! Nice that we didn't know about it. The great thing was she came to our house and we were finished in 45 minutes, but it still threw off the evening.

So, now, I'm back to cleaning/organizing everything and still doing everything else that needs to get done! I scored a few things from Duffy's grandma's (a whole post is coming on the great pans I found!) and I have found a few of my own things I'm going to re-purpose and move around.

Ok, back to work!!

About...

I liked this "About Me" because it was different - it isn't your standard "What do you like to drink/favorite color" style. If found it to be more reflective, so I figured I'd give it a try! I stole the format from my friend Gretchen's blog, who I think copied it from someone else!! Give it a try!!


{I am...} never going to be perfect, so why do I keep trying to be???

{I want...} my family to be happy.

{I have...} more than I need.

{I keep...} a lot of things for sentimental reasons.

{I wish I could...} go on a vacation somewhere hot. With a beach. And drinks with umbrellas.

{I hate...} spiders. Bugs. Snakes.

{I fear...} that one of my kids will get sick and I won't be able to make it better.

{I hear...} the sounds of little kids - Mr. P talking to Harper, music from multiple toys and little feet! (That was earlier! Now it is Zoe complaining about how much homework she has to do!)

{I don't think...} people realize how insecure I am.

{I regret...} things I have done that have hurt other people.

{I love...} good food.

{I can...} very seldomly keep a straight face.

{I dance...} when we have Dance Party at home.

{I sing...} only to my children.

{I never...} go without coffee. Never. Ever.

{I rarely...} give myself enough credit.

{I cry when I watch...} really sappy commercials.

{I know that...} I am loved.

{I hate that...} I live so far away from Darah and we can't just get together for coffee whenever we want! Bummer!

{I need...} something to drink.

{I should...} workout more consistently.

{I believe...} you can do anything, if you really want to.

A little rant

Ok, I don't rant about stuff very often on my blog, but I'm really frustrated. I try to buy 'green' products as often as possible. I'll tell you about the products I do like and would love to hear what you love to use. And what you don't!

I love Mrs. Meyer's (anything in the Basil scent, thank you!!)

7th Generations bathroom cleaner is great - it cleans well and smells great.

I use Baby-Ganics Stain, Stain Go Away on tough diaper stains and Country Save to wash diapers (it's a local, WA company too) and am in love with BioKleen's Bac-Out for tough odors -LOVE IT!

And I really like the Ecos laundry detergent and Kirkland Environmentally Friendly detergents for all our clothes. Everything comes out clean and smelling good (not perfumey at all!!)

But what I'm seriously annoyed about is dishwasher detergent. I had been using the Costco liquid and it cleans great but is full of who knows what. I was really excited when Costco started carrying the Ecos brand dishwasher detergent. I bought some and was excited to use it - why, I'm not really sure! I have been sooooo disappointed! My dishes, especially my silverware, come out of the DW looking dirty and with dried-on stuff, etc. on them! I swear I have to wash several things each time! It came in a 2 bottle pack and at first, I thought I could manage washing a few things once in awhile, if I was doing my part to help the environment. By the time I got into the 2nd bottle, I'm so irritated that I'm thinking of going back to the Costco brand! At least my dishes come out clean - EVERY TIME! Come on - I don't have time to do the dishes twice! It's not like I put them in dirty either - I'm one of those that rinses and scrubs things before they go in!!

I want to know what "green" products you love and hate - I'm on a quest!!

Friendships

We live in a small town. Not one that either Duffy or I grew up in and one that, frankly, I'm sort of surprised we ended up here. I spent a lot of time in Sequim in middle/high school and Darah will tell you, I said I'd never live here. Things change when you grow up, get married and start a family. My parents moved up here when I was in college and coming to visit them, there was so much to do outside and we liked that it didn't rain as much (11 inches compared to 40 in Olympia). So, being the adventurous types (we were all set to move to Boise, ID the year before!) we decided to move. It has been a great place to raise a family and we love the small town feel. I love the weather, being close to the beach and the mountains.

We have met amazing people and have great friends here, but, I'm grieving my long-standing friendships right now. Those relationships with the people you've known forever. The ones you can vacation with, show up at their house anytime, and you're still welcome. Where you can totally be yourself, all the time, and they still love you. The people you have history with.

That's the problem with moving, growing-up, having a family. Things change.

New

I'm sitting on my couch, watching the 5th season of House and blogging. What was that? Blogging while sitting in the living room? YES! We finally got a laptop and I am so happy. You can stop laughing now - we are probably the last people you know to get a laptop. I'm probably the last person I know without one! That is what happens when your husband spends WAY too much money on a desktop, 7 years ago, that is now showing signs of its age!

Now, maybe I'll be more productive in my posting!!

To do Today

I have so much to blog about and so little time! I WILL get some things posted today - I promise! With nice weather and a houseful of kids (2 extra 3 days a week and a 6th last Friday), it's been a bit tough. And I don't have a laptop -I know, I'm one of the very last not to have one, but our desktop is still doing great (barely, but I can't afford to replace it right now!!); the only problem is that it's in our bedroom and when I would take the time to blog, Duffy's gone to bed and the last things he wants to listen to is my typing away!!!

So, be patient. I will have posts and pictures today. Or, maybe tomorrow!

Why is it that when you start a project, it snowball's into about 15 other projects????


We decided to move Zoe into the guest/craft/sewing room 2 weeks ago. It's been a good move because all the girls seem to sleep better (not talking at night, waking each other up at the crack of dawn) and they are trying to keep their own stuff clean up. The problem is, there is still a bunch of my stuff in Zoe's new room. I go in to move something, realize that I need to clean out and reorganize the hall closet to accommodate what I'm moving and 2 hours, 10 interruptions later, I've moved one, rather small thing out of her room! At this rate, it will take me a year to get her some room in the closet!!

And of course, her room, the smallest of the two, is where everyone wants to play and hang out, making it that much harder for me to do anything! I'm too embarrassed to even post a picture so you'll just have to wait until it's totally finished. Check back next year!!

Ahhhh

I had a vision for how I wanted this morning to go. It went something like this:

• Sleep in until at least 7am since we've been up super early every morning this week (anywhere from 5:40am - 6:30am)
• Make yummy coffee and enjoy it in a leisurely fashion, maybe reading a bit while the girls watch cartoons, color, etc.
• Have all my children wake up happy, refreshed and ready for a good day that involves playing nicely, getting along, enjoying time inside and outside

So far, it isn't going like that at all. Harper woke up at 6:30am and the big girls shortly after. They started out in good moods but that quickly changed, and for what reason, I do not know! They are picking at each other and whatever one does, the other cry's/yells/tattles or stomps away! I've made coffee but never get to enjoy the entire cup while it is still hot!

We are heading outside because I'm going to mow the lawn and the lawn mower will drown out the sound of the fighting!

9 months

I told Duffy the other day that Harper, being 9 months old, has been alive as many months as I was pregnant. I remember thinking this with Zoe and Teagan, but for some reason, it seems so much more meaningful with Harper. I've been thinking about it a lot this last week and am in awe of how much she has changed in 9 months. Here are some of the things I've thought:

• Since she will probably be our last child, I'm trying to cherish every last baby moment. Unless God has other plans for us, this will be the last time I'm dealing with rolling over, crawling, first teeth, diapering, etc.


• I was laid off at 5 months pregnant and other than working at The Good Book a few hours a week, I was home full-time and able to really enjoy my pregnancy. I worked full-time with Zoe and part-time with Teagan and even though things went smoothly, I sometimes look back and don't even remember parts of their pregnancies. With Harper, I was able to play with my kids, garden, enjoy the great weather we had and enjoy being pregnant.


• Since we've decided that life at our house/life goes more smoothly with me being home more, I'm enjoying being home with Harper more as a baby. There are frustrations that come with this though: less money, being creative with EVERYTHING, Harper refusing to take a bottle! But the joys are so much more: Harper's love for daddy and sisters, being able to spend so much more quality time with the girls - I can NEVER get this time back! Being available to watch Mr. P (a entire post of it's own - a total blessing!!) and being available to spend time with family and friends.


• It's amazing to me how much a baby learns in 9 months. They go from sleeping, eating and pooping all the time to laughing, smiling, rolling over, crawling, grabbing everything, finding amusement in siblings, eating "real" food, being silly, pulling themselves up on things, playing with anything!

End

Well, my unemployment benefits have come to an end. I have reached the end of my benefit year and will not be re-applying for benefits. I am glad to be done with the job-searches, meeting with WorkSource as to why I haven't found a full-time job (hello, I haven't worked full time in over 5 years!) and feeling like I've always got someone checking up on me.



I'm excited/nervous/scared as to how things will work out financially, but am thankful for the hours at The Good Book (you know, my boss there can be a total slave driver!! Love you mom!!) and I'm going to be watching our friends little boy one day a week and fill-in when needed, so there will be a little income coming in. I'm getting really creative with all sorts of things around the house to save money and we are relocating our garden beds to hopefully have a more fruitful garden! And I'm loving the time at home - I can never get this time back, so to be able to be at home with them is amazing! Yes, things would be easier if I was working and bringing home a bigger paycheck, but what is more important for my family, right now??

My Favorite Things/Top 10 for 2009

Ok, so I'm inspired by a few of my friends to do a favorite things list, so......... here goes and in no particular order.

1. Bath and Body Works Lemongrass and Cardamom - I love it! I have everything from the body butter to shower gel and bubble bath.

2. TIGI Hair Products - I have thick, wavy, for the moment, short hair and TIGI makes my actually love my hair at times! This is my new favorite - spray pomade. And it smells KILLER!

3. I have an obsession with Mrs. Meyer's Basil scent ANYTHING! I love it all! The laundry detergent is a guilty pleasure for me - I only wash my clothes in it!

4. My new UGG slippers. So, yeah, I just got them but, oh how I love thee!

5. I heart Melissa & Doug! I love the creative toys they make and love that my kids have so much fun with them. We have everything from the train set and train table to the art easel and magnetic paper dolls (best invention EVER!!)

6. My Happy Lite. I'm sitting in front of it right now and I seriously feel better than when I woke up. If you live in the NW and don't have one, you should get one!

7. Ok, I feel a bit snobbish but I love my Coach bags. I've gotten them for my birthday the last couple of years (isn't my hubby rockin awesome??) and I love that I can fit everything I need to in them

(I hate carrying a diaper bag!!)

8. My Silpat - if you bake/cook at all, you must have one!

9. I've blogged about this bread before and I LOVE it! And no, not just because it comes from my hubby's company, but because it is REALLY good! The 15-Grain is the best!

10. Keen boots - comfortable, cute (I thinks so!), waterproof - enough for me!

Better Days

I have been so uninspired to blog lately. I don't know what it is - being sick, maybe??? We've had the 'crud' and I'm going on a full week of feeling crappy and am afraid I may have a sinus/ear infection. Whatever, I don't have time for this!!! All three girls have been sick in some way or another. Zoe has the cold and finally went to school on Friday. Teagan was throwing up all day Wednesday and now has the cold. Harper waited until Thursday night to start feeling crummy, thus, the last 3 nights have not been restful for either of us.

Let's hope next week has better days for us...

NO...

I have not given up on blogging. It's just hard to find the time sometimes! Zoe and Teagan both have school in the mornings, I work Tuesday afternoons (and starting this week, some Saturday afternoons), I'm overhauling our diet (which involves more cooking on my part) and I'm forcing myself to get back into the whole walking/running routine. Needless to say, I feel busy and am glad for the time at home because it is giving me great time with my kids and an opportunity to do work on some projects I enjoy (again, not that I find that much time to do some of them!) So, with that, I must go since I have cookies to make, art to paint, a craft desk to clean-up so I can create and some sewing to do. Oh yeah, and nurse a baby, put away the big girls summer clothes and do some laundry!

What I woke up to today

When I woke up this morning, this is the child that I found. At first I thought it was just a trim in spots......

















.....until I really looked at the back.....

....and side views! We called Katie, our stylist extraordinaire, and were lucky to get in at 10:30am!

And boy, did she make it look beautiful! Katie blended all the chopped up parts right in (even the bangs that I didn't notice until we were at the salon) and now, Teagan looks like a big kid!

I think she likes it! She asked if this meant she didn't have to wear ponytails anymore! She also told my mom she wanted to look like Zoe!

***Excuse the weird layout - Blogger is so frustrating sometimes with getting things to line up and look good!***