2009

Well...2009 is here...whether we want it to be or not.

I'm not going to wax poetic,not going to give and highs and lows list, not going to whine and cry about what SHOULD have been last year...and not going to make any New Years resolutions.

This what I AM going to do...I'm going to try to move ahead in 2009 with the knowledge that things ARE going to change. Why...because they just do. It all part of life. Kids grow up, jobs change, friends move on..and the world just keeps on spinning.

The trick it to plant your feet firmly on the ground, pick a spot to focus on...preferably the Lord...and try not to heave too much.

If there is anyone out there reading this....

HAPPY NEW YEARS!!

And now it is November 5th...

Well..it's the morning after the election...and I feel like yesterday was a holiday or something. I'm tired, a little let down and I woke up this morning wondering what the next big event was.

Anyway...what's done is done. If you are not committed to pray for our new leader, the leader of the greatest nation on earth,then you have not read the scriptures very closely. He needs our prayers. He is young,inexperienced and has young daughters who need to be protected from the CRAP that comes with being the child of a president. I am SLIGHTLY encouraged by the fact that he has already chosen Colin Powell to help guide his policy. That turncoat! ;)

I must admit to apologize for a couple of things. At work last night we were trying to find election results online and when we realized Pres. Elect Obama was winning I groaned very loudly. Then when Kaitlyn and I stopped by Starbucks on the way home Kirsten said, "We could move to Canada." and I said,"Why? They're ALREADY socialists." Then I told her I was going to build a bunker in the back yard, plant a garden,and raise chickens so that when the do-do hits the fan we can hide. These were not right responses. They were not comments encouraging to my children. They were a knee jerk reaction spoken in fear.

See that's the thing. Some of P.E.Obama's policies SCARE me. The biggest one is his stand on partial birth abortion. BUT..his OTHER policies..the ones that conservative/republicans have been so quick to label as "socialist"...are of our own making!

If we were doing what WE were supposed to do..If WE were caring for the widows and orphans..If WE were taking care of the homeless..If WE were feeding the hungry..If WE were concerned with our countries educational system..If we would stop arguing amongst ourselves, as believers..about so MANY issues..If we were putting our tithes and offering into PEOPLE and not buildings and programs..If the latest "celebrity" cause OUTSIDE of our country were slightly less important that the tired and huddled masses INSIDE of our own borders..If WE were turning off our TV's and computers long enough to CARE about others..or to even care about our own FAMILIES...then our government would not NEED to step in.

And please, don't freak out. I KNOW that there are issues outside OUR country that demand our attention. I seem to remember a couple of world wars fought for such issues. Genocide IS an important issue. Clean water IS an important issue. But I can not help but believe that a STRONG nation...a nation who takes care of it's own...could make an impact on this world that we can not EVEN begin to imagine. As a mother I can not serve my family or take care of my children when my body is not functioning correctly. Why do we feel that we can serve the rest of the world when our own internal structure is diseased? As strong as our weakest link and all that.

We do it to ourselves..or we allow it to be done to us. We are NOT victims. A "better world" takes sacrifice. Sacrifice, that we as a nation, as a world, are just not willing to make. Our forefathers sacrificed many things..from a creature comfort that became the Boston Tea Party...to their lives...so that we could have the freedoms that we enjoy today. Some of which we are QUICKLY loosing. I can't help but believe that they would be horribly ashamed to see what whiners we have become.

I heard on the news yesterday why we vote on Tuesdays. It is because MOST voters had to travel overnight to vote. The leaders of the time did not believe we should travel on the sabbath. So voters left on Monday, voted on Tuesday and then were able to return to their homes and their duties there before the next sabbath day.

Sacrifice people. It's what love is all about. Love of our Father for his children. Love of the blessed for those less fortunate. Love of those privileged to vote... for the future of their country.

And yes..as you well know..I work things through with words..LOTS of words. This rant is for my own benefit. I am speaking to myself. If YOU gain any insight from it... I'm sorry ;)

October...highs and lows

"I like spring, but it is too young. I like summer, but it is too proud. So I like best of all autumn, because its tone is mellower, its colours are richer, and it is tinged with a little sorrow. Its golden richness speaks not of the innocence of spring, nor the power of summer, but of the mellowness and kindly wisdom of approaching age. It knows the limitations of life and its content."|
- Lin Yutang



Well..the kids aren't here and Jeff's not home yet. And as I sit here watching election eve coverage I have about thirty minutes to myself. So I though I would AT LEAST post my highs and lows of October since I can't seem to find the time to REALLY write.

Things have a been a little crazy around here. Jeff has worked a lot of extra hours in recent weeks. I just last week asked to go full time at the library. Kirsten is still enjoying Starbucks. Kaitlyn works 3-4 days a week and Keaton is, at this moment, at his last performance of Dracula at the high school. We were really proud of him. They don't pick many freshmen for their productions but he got a small role! We went and saw it the other night and it was quite good for a high school production. It was a small audience RIGHT on the stage with the actors. We were less then five feet from a lot of the action!!

My mom came in from WA a couple of weeks ago and brought my nephew Jarod with him. J-Rod to his hip hop Uncle Jeff ;) We got to go for a long ride in the mountains and catch the last of the fall color. BUT...Mom spent much of her time here sewing Raggedy Ann and Andy Costumes for Jeff and I....because she's just that kind of mom. I wore mine to a costume contest at work and WON!! Jeff then joined me in wig and face paint at a birthday party for one of our very best friends Noah. He turned a WHOPPING 29 years old!

As the holidays seem to crash down upon us I will try VERY hard to be more diligent in my posts.

OH DANG....I just remembered I need to do something about Christmas cards!!!!

ANYWAY....here's me list of highs and lows...which always makes me think about my dear..and very pregnant friend Kath. For without her I would have never began the monthly lists. Love you Kath!

Highs :)
1)A week long visit from my mom and Jarod and a weekend with my dad.
2)The kids fall break.
3)Saturday Night Supper Club with the Barnetts and the Cremisinos.
4)Halloween Potluck and Costume Contest where I won 1st place!
5)Noah's Birthday party.
6)Attending Keaton's performance in Dracula...which was technically Nov.1st..but it's my blog so I can do whatever I want!

Lows :(
1)My mom had to go home.
2)I REALLY miss my nieces and nephews at this time of year.
3)Ongoing money woes.
4)CONTINUOUS rhetoric from BOTH parties and NEVER ENDING political coverage and ads leading up to tomorrows presidential election.

5)The last of the fall leaves are loosening their grip..leaving the trees quite bare. They live such a short life. It seems but yesterday they were mere buds bringing us the hope of a much needed break from the winter cold and long days spent lazing in the sun with friends. Now they are gone...and the cool fall nights drive us indoors. I pray you take time to build a fire in the fireplace, play games with friends,read a classic book,build a puzzle, make coco or cider, and bake things which fill your home with the cool weather scents of cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. For it is much easier to face the cruelties of winter..when huddled together with those you love.

Much love to you all!!!

Preparing for winter...

Change is a measure of time and, in the autumn, time seems speeded up. What was is not and never again will be; what is is change.
--Edwin Way Teale
For man, autumn is a time of harvest, of gathering together. For nature, it is a time of sowing, of scattering abroad.

The smile that flickers on baby's lips when he sleeps- does anybody know where it was borne? Yes, there is a rumor that a young pale beam of a crescent moon touched the edge of a vanishing autumn cloud, and there the smile was first born . . . .
--Rabindranath Tagore


When I write or cross stitch I like to sit on my bed. It's about comfort and putting my legs up...but it is also about the fact that our bed faces west..towards the mountains.

When I pull the blinds up I can look through a lovely frame of tree branches right out at the Sleeping Indian and Devils Dead. (Dang...I need to clean my windows!!)To my right I can see scrub oak on the hill behind us,one of our cherry trees and Kaitlyn's baby willow. I keep an eye him because he IS just a baby!!

I can also watch the birds...including couple of humming birds who like to stop and rest on the branches of our silver leaf maple...the dogs, a squirrel that runs up and down our fence,an occasional rabbit and right now small flocks of birds that use our back yard as a rest stop on their way south. I love it most when the mist hangs on the mountains and seems to muffle the chaos of everyday life. This will be the first winter Jeff and I have stayed in THIS room...so I am looking forward to our first snow. For years I have longed for a room where I could sit by the window and watch the snow fall quietly against the backdrop of the mountains.

The other day I am sitting here,on my bed,cross stitching and all of the sudden it sounds like there is some kinda crazy bird riot going on. The the dogs start barking. So I get up to look around and this is what I see....

There is about a hundred little black birds with iridescent heads blanketing the side and back yard. The "yelling" was coming from a pair of magpies that reside here. So..the magpies are tattling..the dogs are barking...the little birds are twittering at the magpies...the squirrel is running UP and DOWN the fence..and as I look at an angle towards the front...there are two rabbits running and jumping. One LITERALLY did a flip it was so angst ridden at the chaos these little blackbirds had caused in our usually very pleasant yard!! I tried to get a photo but as I opened the window the flock of birds flew away. :(

The whole scene was like something out of a wacked out Disney movie or something!!!

What was REALLY interesting is this.... As I started looking around, at work, in the neighborhood etc...it seems that EVERYONE is just a little bit busier!! I'm not talking about regular busy...I mean that frantic AUTUMN kind of busy where everyone is "gathering nuts" and making preparations for that first snow. (Which is rumored to be this first weekend BTW.)I also find it interesting that you can actually chart the weather by the amount of books turned in at the library!!

We have a bit of that fall activity going on in our own home. I am baking and crafting more. ;) The dogs seem to be hanging out on the deck soaking up as much sun as possible. I NEED to get my bulbs planted and winterize the front yard!! The guys are doing some maintenance around the house trimming branches and such. Everyone is thinking about dragging out their sweaters. Kirsten is looking into classes at ACC for the spring semester. Kaitlyn just checked out a bunch of books at the library and Jeff is just counting every nice day a blessing before he has to put the motorcycle away for the winter.

Perhaps,even if you do not live in a place were the seasons show such drastic change,you should consider what steps you might take to prepare for winter. Be it a physical,calendar season...or a season of life.

Change of seasons...

With three teenagers...two of them drivers...two of them in High School and one recently graduated....our house officially has a revolving door.

It seems that no sooner has one of our children come home...that they are kissing me goodbye!

Kirsten works full time at Starbucks...she opens many mornings...and closes many nights. She is a social butterfly with many friends and pretty regular trips to dollar bowling night and Karaoke at the local coffee shop.

Kaitlyn is a Jr who drives her and her brother to and from school. She is a member of a couple of groups at school, works three days a week after and joins her sister on her social outings whenever she can.

Keaton is a Freshman who is a reading buddy for a third grader at the library and has a part in his high school production of Dracula. He,of course, joins his sisters as they run all over town and loves to sing whatever classic rock song that strikes his fancy at Karaoke.

I am very happy that my children are happy, healthy, active, productive and enjoy each others company as well as the company of their friends.

AND...I am torn between this happiness and the surprise/loss I still feel ever time my girls grab their keys and head out the door with their own money and their brother in tow.

BUT....I am also surprised at the peace I have when they are all out together. I know that Kirsten will make wise choices as to the safety of her siblings and that Keaton's shear size will more than likely keep strange young men from making unwanted advances towards his very pretty sisters.

I don't know what any of this means. I am just rambling about the change in our lives I am not sure I am ready for.

I guess I need to get ready huh?

ANYWAY...here are some highs and lows of September 2008.

Highs...
Kirsten turned 19 on the 16th.
Kaitlyn turned 17 on the 25th.
My mom came to visit.
Jeff and I went on a nice picnic in the mountain with our friends Kate and Noah.
We had our first night of Saturday Night Supper club with our friends the Anguianos and the Barnetts. Looking forward to more.
The new season of CHUCK started.
FALL FINALLY GOT HERE!!!!

Lows...
My mom's visit was only two days long due to a snafu at work.
I can not seem to do the "crafty" things I would like to do for my friends and family and it is SERIOUSLY bumming me out.
Kaitlyn was in a minor fender bender which was not her fault...but it really upset her.
Paul Newman died.