A Day with the Amish

Pulling up to the Amish farm it appears as any other beautiful farm, with a distinct "farm smell" and all.

The house looks like another charming farm house.

There is a large barn full of horses and cows and even a mother dog with a new litter of puppies nursing.

A large chicken house that contains over 3,000 laying hens.

A pond in the pasture beyond the garden area. Mother horses and baby colts frolicking nearby.

Very picturesque.

The difference is the people. (Here they are butchering chickens for those who were buying...)

Their kitchen is HUGE! This family has 13 children. So the kitchen/eating area must be able to accommodate 15 for meals... and many many more when company comes or they host a meal for the youth or house church service. They have no electricity but you can't hardely tell. Much of it is ran off of gas. There is no TV, no radio, no kitchen aid mixer or toaster...

This is set up in their front yard...

Christian playing with their baby kitten...

Beautiful.

Elle is getting a buggy ride. The oldest son (20 years old) trains horses, he was working with this one. We also went on a large wagon that they use for hauling hay. The horses are MASSIVE and so beautiful! They took us on a ride through the field, around to the grandparents field and to the Amish school and back. It was such a beautiful ride.

The girls cooled their feet in the water from the Artisian well that they have set up to pump out and stream down through their yard. There is a cup there for the kids (or anyone else for that matter) to drink from it at any time, and it is so refreshing for cleaning your hands or dipping your feet in as you needed.

And here are the boys cooling off in the big tub that was originally bought to raise fish in, but the Amish boys have made it their own! It is filled from that same Artisian well.

The day with this Amish family was life changing. They were such an incredible family. All that you see here (and I didn't take many photo's because the Amish do not like having their faces in photo's) is ran JUST by this family. They do not have hired hands, no employees. Really try and grasp this.... a family of 15... with the oldest child being 23 and the youngest just turned a year old a week ago.... they milk 50 cows (each of which they know by name- they are trained to go to their specific stall when they come in from the pasture. They are just called and they come in and go to their stall.) They clean around 500 DOZEN eggs A DAY! They take care of over 30 horses, 3000  laying chickens, 50 meat chickens, 50 cows, make their meals from scratch, train dozens of horses, and care for all of the young kids, on top of regular daily life stuff, selling all those eggs, tending a HUGE garden.....etc...etc... WOW! And all of this while the sun is shineing... they can't work in the dark. =) It is truly an incredible example of what can be done with a family that works together. (not to mention the lack of a TV or computer! ha!)

Even with all of this, the thing that really effected me the most was the dad, Harry is his name. He is the happiest man I have ever seen. I mean actually, really, truly happy- overflowing with pure joy. I didn't exchange many words with him, but I saw his face, and I saw him smile. It is hard to find a man with real joy these days. Even through their smiles, their jokes and their laugher if one looks close enough, they'll see the weight they carry, the burdens of their job, struggles within their family, poor choices coming back to haunt them, financial responsibilities, pressures of temptations etc... But not this man...this man was free. He was weightless and solid at the same time. The kids too. I spent a good deal of time with the oldest daughters (they helped at the "camp" for the first couple days). They were so geniune, so joyful and I really can't think of a better word than "free". They weren't nieve, quiet and "robotic" like some may think of Amish women. They had excellent sense of humors, were smart, but not above learning a new way of doing something, they were kind and EXTREMELY hard workers. The oldest son, who was just 20 years old had the confidence and sureity of a "successful" man twice his age, and yet the humility and kindness of a girl half his age. He too had that same freedom about him as the father did. They all did. Let me tell you, you really can not believe the depths of it unless you see it- and look.

 They are FREE. It was without question that if something tragic were to happen in their lives they would be unchanged in their joy and peace. They have a solidness about them I have never experianced. Their eyes hold what "freedom" looks like. They do not carry the burdens of this world, only the joy of hard work and real love for others. I want that same freedom, now more than ever... I can no longer convince myself that it doesn't exist. It does. I saw it, undeniably so, with my own eyes.

Tantrums, Tears and Growth

Okay... So I am not sure if I am going to be able to articulate all of this the way I hope to, but I am going to give it a shot because if it can help any other parent or person in anyway, it'll be worth stumbling over to try and explain my latest revelation (which surely many have already had...).

(Thank you for the ADORABLE outfits Grammie!)

The last 2 weeks have been extremely difficult as a mom. Christian has been a complete wreck. We had our fair number of struggles with our stubborn little Elle, but we only briefly touched down on the tantrum phase- we rid her of that quickly and swiftly. She spoke like an adult from before she was even 1 year old. Christian however is a whole new ball game. He still only can say a hand full of words clearly. He can non-verbally communicate quite a bit, but it is still extremely frustrating for him a lot of the time when he has so much more to say or ask for that he can't get across accurately. This is what sets off screaming, flailing, kicking, back arching hysterics.... OFTEN.
All of this to say that since I have to be the one with him all day long, every day, this is extremely exhausting for me and I want to make every effort to help him and the rest of us from the insanity. To keep this post to the point, I just want to explain that I began trying everything to figure this out. We have made leaps and bounds in his attitude and self control in just a couple weeks of trying everything from no TV, no juice or other sugars, calm down exercises, etc...
Seeing him smile, watching him start to "lose it" and then be able to real in his emotions and get control of himself now is so over-joying. It makes me so happy for him that he doesn't have to feel so helpless in his frustrations now. I got to thinking about all of this and thought about how parents who go to work and leave their kids with someone else-whether daycare, school or grandma/grandpa- for part of the day get a "break" from being hung on, being at becon call every moment, hearing constant noise all day, let's get real- you don't ever even get to pee or shower by yourself. (I am not for a moment saying that being a working parent is easier, just different struggles. Please don't take this post the wrong way or be offended if you are a working parent. Please read it for what I am saying, not as an argument against anyone's choices of how to provide for their families.) My point is that if I were not so utterly exhausted and at my wits end, I may not put in the same efforts to "fix" my kids. Maybe I would be able to bare them being little brats if I only had to "deal with them" a few hours a day. Maybe I could bare them whining and fussing and begging for things I already told them they couldn't have. Maybe I could over look them back talking to me, or being rude to each other. Maybe I could be okay to prevent their bad attitudes a little longer by giving them toys and candies or taking them somewhere fun where I don't really have to interact with them. But I can't. I am faced with them ALL day long (and often all night long too)- so it is imperative to my own sanity that they not be allowed to ask me 3 times for something I already gave an answer to, that they listen and do what I asked them to the first time, that they not fuss and whine when I tell them no, that they enjoy playing with one another, that they enjoy helping me, and that the enjoy life in general!
On top of all that, I get to thinking about how much I learn as I try and teach them. It is truly humbling to always have a mirror in front of my face as I try and teach them about self control, being happy with what they have, no fussing and whining when things don't go the way you wanted/hoped... The lessons are so clear. The truth is so clear when I see the transformation of their little hearts and spirits when they choose to be happy doing what mama told them to do, or when they discover that they CAN stop fussing about something, or they CAN do that thing they thought was too hard and frustrating to do by themselves. The confidence that grows in their little character and the joy they experience better prepares them for the next thing that will be even tougher to handle with joy- but seeing them know they are equipped is worth every moment of the agony it took to be by their side helping them figure out what to do with their emotions and their frustrations. I think it would do A LOT of adults some real good to re-visit the "basics" of life... what better way than to teach it. It is hard to have the maturity of a 5 year old when you're trying to teach your 5 year old not to.
5-6 years ago I worked briefly at the same elementary school I went to as a child. This was known as the elementary school with the least behavior issues in the county. When I went there as a child there were a hand full of kids in the whole school (K-5) that were "problem kids". They were the constant trouble makers, the ones that were more than just talking in class, or being rude and disrespectful every once in a while- they were real troubled and obviously had rough home lives. When I worked there- just 10 or so years later- it was a complete different story. Each CLASS had a handful of kids like that. Even as young as 2nd grade, there were kids with an incredible ability to be defiant and seemingly proud of their capabilities to spread horrid things through the school- everything from sexual comments to 1st graders, to strangling kids who annoyed them, to cussing and making threatening remarks to the "un-cool" kids, to throwing fits when things didn't go their way, to lieing and cheating and more. It was shocking to say the least. And sad. Terribly sad. These kids were practicing what they were taught...or never taught... And how disabled they are for a future of joy...
I begin to wonder if a large part of what is happening with America right now, is due to both parents working and there being a lack of genuine fighting for the very best for children. I realize all situations are different, and I would never begin to think I could know what is best for anyone, let alone everyone. I am of course speaking in general terms and simply ask that you just THINK, think for a moment about the real heart of what I am saying. What is it costing for both parents to be working away from home? Are you missing your opportunity to really discover your kids and what they individually need to succeed in themselves? Are you missing the opportunity to grow and mature yourself into realizing what you really wish you were like. (I often see what is important to me by what I find so important to teach the kids.)
Ashamedly-I have spent many hours in tears, in agony and defeat over my kids not acting in a way that will enable them to experience true joy. It is my deepest desire for them to be happy and joyful loving people. THAT is a contribution to society. Joyful love. Having realized what all my tears and days of wanting to pull all my hair out really amount to... how deeply I care about the attitudes of my kids... I will not face them the same. I am so happy to be able to be with them and teach them how to take things head on and stronger than I ever did.  I am sure I will still shed tears and have moments of throwing my hands up in defeat, but hopefully fewer, and less and less dwelling each time... Because again... that is what I am trying to teach them right? Get over it! Life is hard, quit crying- figure out how to enjoy it just as it is.  THAT is freedom.

I planted something!

I have really had a hard time living here in a condo in Miami. I miss working in the dirt, growing things, going out to harvest fruits, flowers, vegetables etc. We do have two verandas off our condo. The one off the living room gets NO sunlight and the one off the master bedroom gets a few hours in the morning- however, there is a huge (6"?) drain in the center that they have not put a screen over even after 3 requests (starting back well before Thanksgiving) and I have been sort of waiting to do anything out there until they put that in since I want the kids to be a part of it and either one of them (although I am most concerned about the 16 month old) could step in there and their leg would disappear all the way to their hip...not good... anyway, I just couldn't wait any longer and since strawberry season is beginning I set out to find some strawberry plants yesturday. Even though it doesn't get enough sunlight to really do well, even if we just got a few berries the kids (and I) would love it.

On sort of an additional note... it is so odd shopping down here... the stores (that I have been to anyway) aren't like what I can so easily find back home. The grocery stores only sell groceries, no plants, flowers, hardely any choices for things like body soap, diapers, etc. I went to home depot (mainly because I knew where one was and thought for sure they would have plants) and they had a small rack out in front of the store with literally less than 60 plants on it (maybe 6-8 different choices is all). I went in thinking there would be more in the garden center.... NO garden center! I chose two off the rack (Sage and Stevia) bought them and decided to find the "Gardeners Market" store I had seen in passing a few times in the same neighborhood as Home Depot...Thinking I would have more success there... I found it. There was a gal sitting out front at a little bistro style table. I didn't see any flowers/plants set out by the entrance or anything and through the windows it looked like baskets and candels. I didn't want to haul the kids out of their car seats again without knowing that I was going to find a plant selection. I stepped out of the van and polietly asked the lady sitting there (now realizing she was eating soup) if this was a plant store. She looked at me shocked I would speak to her (people just don't talk to people they don't know down here- even to say "hello"- it catches people off gaurd when you acknowledge anyone but yourself) let alone ask her a question... she didn't say anything for a moment and I thought maybe she was trying to finish her bite of soup or didn't speak english, there was no one else around so I knew that she knew I was speaking to her. I asked her again, slower, in case she didn't speak english (although she was white- but that tends not to always mean english speaking) well and needed me to speak slower (I tend to be a fast talker and sometimes mumble) She took another bite of soup barely looking at me, shaking her head like I was an idiot for asking if the building with the huge sign reading "Gardeners Market" sold plants. She then said, (in perfect english) "why don't you go to Home Depot?" pointing in the direction of the store. It was obvious she would be no help to me and had probably never even looked to buy plants before. I stepped closer to the windows and saw it was a cafe/gift shop type place and left.

So anyway, that is my failed story of trying to find strawberry plants... I had googled for plant nursery's the day before (and a few other times) and there wasn't anything within about 45 minutes of where we were at and I couldn't even be certain by the info if they sold plants, let alone strawberry plants... they all seem to sell palm trees and bushes and not much else. It is so funny what you CAN'T find down here.... even on Craigslist for all of South Florida. Mason Jars for canning? Nope! Strawberry plants or other vegetable/flower plants? Nope! Vegetable starts? Nope! There are plastic surgery offices on every corner, every other add on the radio is for lawyers who will "get you money even if the car accident was your fault", stores with $300 jeans are a plenty... but Mason Jars? Strawberry plants? Not even Wal Mart has those here. It is a shocking revelation to me that there is simply no demand for them here...

So anyway, I went "home" and planted my two little herbs from Home Depot in some great colored pots and put them out on the veranda. I'm not sure if they'll really get enough sun to really thrive, but it still relaxes me knowing there's something planted there and I enjoyed planting them...never realized how much I needed to feel dirt on my hands... if nothing else this city living has made me REALLY appreciate (although I feel I already did quite dearly) country living. I will never forget how deeply I long to get out of this city and how apparent my (and my kids) need for dirt, land, space, friendly people and animals is.

In order to save a little on soil, and recycle a paper bag from the grocery store, I tore up a bag and put it in the bottom of the pot to take up that extra space. It will just compost into the soil eventually. This is a great way to save money on soil if you are ever potting a bunch of plants it can make a definate impact on how much soil to buy/use. If I had a paper shredder I would shred all scrap paper and use it for this purpose (or throw it on the compost pile like back home). THAT would take care of identity theft from disgaurded mail! ha! =) 

There they are! Yey!

Read a Good Book Lately? A little peice of my heart...

I don't put very much weight into statistics- I think they are easy to make up, easy to control and easy to come up with to support anything. I recently read one to the effect that more than 70% of Americans do not read an entire book cover to cover after graduating from HIGH SCHOOL! As tainted as this statistic might be, it was still shocking to me as I am inclined to believe that whether that percentage is correct, the truth seems likely to be that there is a vast majority of people who do not read books when they are not required to for school purposes. (whether high school or college or..)

I feel like I have gone back to school since being in Miami. I don't have animals to take care of, (other than my own little ones...and husband...=) ) no yard to tend, no property to maintain, no house to finish painting/building, no family or friends to visit with or go see and on top of all that I have an awful hard time falling asleep. Soooo I read... A LOT. I probably read about 1000 (one thousand) pages a week down here. This is not normal for me by any means. I often go months without finishing a single book. I usually need something to come HIGHLY reccomended before even attempting to get "into it", and even then if I wasn't "grabbed" in the first 15 pages or so- I was done with it.

But reading the way I have been down here reminds me why I love it so much (and nearly got a double major in college in English). When I read, I tend to read books that I can learn from.- Not to say that there aren't many fictional books that I can learn from, many that I read are fictional but most are not.
Reading these books reminds me how small I am.
The more I learn, the more I realize I don't know... And I like that.... It is exciting to me to think of all that is out there still to be figured out and experimented with. It gives birth to hope for new things to be discovered, it reminds me that THIS is not all there is to life and that ideas and opportunities are endless. I can't help but wonder if this "excitement" is lost on a lot of people these days. I'm not big on imposing my "stand" on anyone, I often feel I am too easily misunderstood or don't represent where I am really coming from well enough, but tonight I just feel like sharing my thoughts on this, so if you are still reading this post- here they are... Majority of people are selling their "excitement" for watching television shows that don't pertain to real life at all, don't give any sort of wisdom, no experiance and simply burn time in a day. And for no better term... it is a CRY'N shame! What a waste of life...not just those that do this, but everyone that comes in contact with them (and many that don't).

I will be the first to admit that sometimes an hour spent zoning out watching a show that requires no thinking what-so-ever is well worth the hour spent in order to just get a chance to "shut off" my brain. But I am finding myself more and more impacted by how many people spend 3+ hours a day "shutting off" infront of a tv or game system of some sort and then expecting "someone else" to pick up the slack on what they don't have enough time for. (finding a job, CREATING a job, making real meals, playing with or teaching their kids, learning how to fix things rather than just throw them away and get another for $50, etc...) 24 hours in a day is A LOT.
A LOT, A LOT, A LOT can be done in 24 hours. If you work a typical 8 hour day and sleep a refreshing 8 hours at night that gives you 8 (EIGHT) hours left in your day...(These figures vary for everyone, but please try and just focus on the point)... what do YOU do with it? Seriously. I am curious if you would be suprised to watch yourself on camera for a typical 24 hour day what you would think. Or even just seen documented time slots of how your time was spent for 24 hours.... are you impressed with what you accomplished? If you are, good for you. Really.
 I fear that many, if looking with an honest eye and open heart, may have a life changing experiance by such an observation. 8 hours is A LOT. Even 5 hours if your above numbers differ... I'm just saying... really think about it... THIS is IT. This- right now- is what you get. Are you keeping "it" for yourself or sharing it with others? Using "it" to grow or just to survive?
In under 2 weeks it will be a new year. Many use this to start new goals, new dreams and new ambitions. Why do so many peoples (my own included) "resolutions" fail? I could easily throw in some statistic here about how many people actually keep their "resolutions" for the whole year.. but you know for yourself... have you ever kept yours for the whole year? Know anyone who has kept theirs? Heard of anyone? (point made.) If someones heart isn't changed-their actions will not change. If your heart is changed it is changed-PERIOD. Not "changed" in 2 weeks, not "changed" tomorrow, not "changed" when my circumstances change... CHANGED. Do what you believe you ought to be doing RIGHT NOW. If you really believe (here's where the heart is involved) you ought to (or ought not to) be doing something, isn't that truth for TODAY? Not 2 weeks from now? Won't you be better off with a 2 week "headstart"? I encourage you to be who you ought to be RIGHT NOW. Everyone will be better for it.
I may be more impacted by this post than anyone reading it.

Illegal to grow own food!?

WOW! Interesting video. Scarey.
Be informed.

Family Friendly Farming, Joel Salatin

Finished Family Friendly Farming by Joel Salatin (Poly Face Farm owner) the other day. An interesting tidbit from it...
Thomas Jefferson, when penning the words "the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness", actually didn't write "pursuit of happiness". He wrote "pursuit of property".
"The founders viewed the freedome to own and utilize property as an inalienable right, a right, in fact uniquely American. That was a critical aspect that separated the American experiment from other governments of the day. Land in Europe belonged to the various kings, and was doled out according  to despotic whim. The idea of any commoner actually being able to own land was a new idea, and the fouonders so equated it with being able to persue dreams that they just edited it to "happiness", never dreaming that anyone would interpret that fundamental right as anything except property." (Page 131)

Interesting....

My beautiful daughter

We just got back from the park. There was another family there with two kids playing on the toys. They mostly spoke Spanish to each other, but spoke to me as well in English a bit. They were very friendly and after a couple minutes of the kids playing the gentleman told me how beautiful Elle is.. "Your daughter is so beautiful. We (his wife and him...in Spanish) were just talking about how incredible looking she is." They had the slightest question in their voice, something about the statement.... at the word "daughter"... I understood that they questioned if she was mine. I responded, "Oh, thank you so much.... my husband is really good looking." and smiled. With out missing a beat, they looked at eachother and he let out a breath of understanding and said, "Ooooohhh... I see." about 3 seconds passed (quite a long time really...try counting it out) and he said, "must be good combination."  with a nod of his head. What a save! HA! =) Nice try... I know she doesn't look like me...and when I meet new people when with Michael I often just want to say... "I know, I know....but I have a GREAT personality!" =D

History of Thanksgiving

Elle and I took this rainy day without or van (they towed it! accidentally...) to start to learn about the history of Thanksgiving. Maybe it's just me but I have a real void of that knowledge other than the photo images that are marketed of Indians sitting with pilgrims at a big table loaded with food with a boat in the background that says "Mayflower" on the side.
I thought I would share what we learned and if anyone else has anything to add please do! I have a new found passion to learn about the holidays our family celebrates and to educate our children on the real heart of what they stand for.
I got this information from about 5 different websites and then sort of put in my own words... http://www.history.com/ was the main site used.

After 66 days on a boat 102 passengers came over from Plymouth, England in September 1620. They first landed in Cape Cod-far north of their intended target, the mouth of the Hudson River. They mainly stayed on the boat (the Mayflower) all winter and were quite exposed to the elements and come spring, only half of them were still alive.
Upon moving ashore in the early spring they were greeted by and Abenaki Indian who spoke English. He came back days later with another Native American, Squanto, a member of the Pawtuxet tribe who had been kidnapped by an English sea captain and sold into slavery before escaping to London and returning to his homeland on an exploratory expedition. Squanto taught the pilgrims (who were desperately weakened by illness and malnutrition and lack of knowledge of the new territory) how to cultivate corn, extract sap from maple trees, catch fish and avoid poisonous plants and insects. He also assisted them with an alliance with the local Wampanoag tribe.
In the fall of 1621 Governor William Bradford organized a celebratory harvest, including the Wampanoag Indians. The event lasted 3 days. Turkey may or may not have been served. It is more likely that lobster, seal and swans were on the menu... certainly no pies with the depletion of the pilgrims supplies since the earlier fall season.
During the American Revolution Continental Congress designated one or more Thanksgiving days/year. In 1789 George Washington issued the first Thanksgiving proclamation by the national government of the United States. In it he called Americans to express their gratitude for the happy conclusion to the country's war of Independence and successful ratification of the US Constitution.
John Adams and James Madison did similar during their presidencies.
Other facts:
In 1817 New York was the first state to officially celebrate the holiday.
Sarah Josepha Hale- author of "Mary had a Little Lamb"- was credited as one of the most individuals responsible for making Thanksgiving a national holiday.
Ben Franklin wrote in a letter to his daughter that he was disappointed that the national bird was not chosen to be a turkey- as he had hoped- and was to be a bald eagle. He wrote of the eagles "bad moral character".
Thanksgiving is celebrated on the 2nd Monday in October in Canada.
And lastly... the heaviest turkey ever raised was 86 pounds!!! Jeepers! =)

Have a wonderful November. May it be full of thanksgivings and shared times with family and friends. I encourage you all to create a new tradition this year for yourself/your family.

Where are the Florida oranges?!

First Africa, now Austrailia..... no grocery stores have oranges from...ahem... FLORIDA! Someone educate me... do oranges not grow at this time of year? They don't store well, what? What possible reason is there that no grocery stores down here sell FLORIDA oranges? There are at least a dozen billboard signs as you drive into the state with pictures of lucious oranges and statements of encouragement to purchase these juicey delites...my mouth has been watering for them since....but where are they?!

PRIDE

Pride has completely changed my daughter. We go to the pool daily and every day she pushes herself to do more and more things learning how to swim. Other than the one day on Sunday when Michael watched Christian while it was just her and I at the pool, I basically just watch Christian and keep my eye on her. I am not involved with what she is pushing herself to do- the ideas are hers and the execution is done out of my reach. (although I am ready at every moment to pounce if she ever did go under.)
The last 3-4 days have totally changed her. She is so proud of herself. I consider myself to be a positive mom. I give positive reinforcement to her regulary during the day (even hourly)... you know, "way to listen first time", "oooo, nice letters you are writing", "wow! I didn't know you could..."...but this is so different. She would be just as proud of herself if I wasn't even commending her for her bravery and skills in the water. This is a pride that no one would be able to take from her if they tried. It is a true experiance for her. I can see her process her fear before she jumps, her focus, her concentration with how far she is from the wall or the steps in relation to how far she was the last time, I can even hear her talk herself through it at times...and she triumphantly does it! She jumps, her face goes under water and she keeps it under water intentionally (to push herself as this is a new skill) and kicks and paddles to the step before bringing her face up with a conquering smile.

It absoluetly affects our entire day. That hour in the pool changes her. She is obediant, doesn't argue or try and debate me, she isn't just happy, she's joyful. Her confidance gained carries her through things that otherwise would be difficult for her or "worth the battle". The way she is able to CONTROL her fear while jumping and going under water, makes controling everything else (where we are going, what she is eating, what tone of voice she should use, how she is dressed, etc...) no longer as important to her. It is a truly remarkable transformation.

So...therefore, I am sold. Children need this kind of pride and confidence. They need to be given the opportunity to become successful at something difficult (even if it's just difficult in their minds) and feel like they did it themselves.  I'm not saying I 'had' a bratty child, or even a disobediant one, or anything like that. I actually think we have always had her trained well (certainly with failing moments...but overall...) and she's always been a very happy girl (except for maybe the hours between 8pm and 8am for the first 3 years of her life)...but it is just different now.  So FIND IT, find what your child wants to learn (something that would be challengeing) and figure out how to enable them to learn it on their own or with you "behind the scenes" as much as possible.
 I can't express how much easier my day is because of this transformation. There are no longer those petty battles with her, or "control" battles, she doesn't get jealous of attention given to Christian anymore and is just all around a more confident person, happy to do what we have taught her is right.

Also, I know this is the "right" kind of pride because she immediately wants to share the joy of it with others. She anxiously tries to teach Christian to do it too "come on, it is so much fun", or "you can do it!" and tells me that she can now give me "swim lessons" if I want, because "she is ready". =) She wants to help others to be good at what she is good at and that's how I know it is a pride/confidance that I want to encourage.
On a lighter note, she did tell me this evening that maybe she still needed swim lessons so she could "learn how to breath underwater"...  ;)

The trash commitment

I have never used a trash shoot before. It is unbelieveably stressful! You take the bag full of garbage down the hall, open the door, pull the metal handle back and drop in the trash bag... it should be simple... but once you drop it...it's GONE! I just can't seem to get over it... What if something was in there I will realize later that I need? What if the kids dropped something in there I didn't see? A bill? My cell phone? A phone number on scrap of paper? A sentimental toy? ...I am not a material person, we don't have very many nice things let alone anything that I would be really upset if I lost (basically just the ring on my finger, a couple of stuffed animals of the kids and some furniture that I didn't even bring with us) but it still never fails me to hesitate before dropping the bag and then standing there for a moment after waiting for that "moment after memory" to occur that never fails to kick in when it is already too late, and then all the way back to the room I go over in my mind what "might have been in there"...
My conclussion on the trash shoot is that the stress far out weighs the convienance... I miss having haul my garbage to the can off the back deck and then 700' down the driveway to the curb... at least then I had a whole week to rummage through and get anything that accidently found it's way there or caused too much remorse to get rid of... this being said... I cannot think of a SINGLE time that I have EVER gone and "retrieved" ANYTHING from the trash...humm... maybe the garbage shoot isn't so bad.
This city living is making me crazy... a post about garbage?! What am I thinking....

Seeing the world more clear

UNBELIEVEABLE the differnce clean windows in a house makes!!! We have not cleaned our windows in and out since we moved in (a year ago) and WOW what a difference! It really does let in so much more light, makes the view all the more incredible and just makes the house look cleaner (which in the disarray that my home is in right now, says A LOT). I also finally got glasses today. My vision is just bad enough to not quite notice and allow a decade to go by without taking care of it. The real "kicker" for me was Elle's 3 year check up where they tested her eyes. I stood at the line, helping make sure she stood at it, as she covered one eye and read the shapes off the chart... I stood there, leaned in as far as I could, squinting BOTH eyes, questioning, "did she get it!?" =) Between that and never being able to read road signs until they are being passed... I knew it was time. They came in today...I was happy to see that I did sort of like them... when I went in for the appt. the dc put the drops in my eyes to diolate them and then said to go out and pick what frames I wanted right then before my eyes got blurry. I was finding NOTHING that I liked...until about 8-10 minutes in...the same time my eyes started getting blurry...so I wasn't sure if it was the fact that I couldn't see myself in the mirror, or if the frames were really the right size and shape for my long chubby face... I don't hate them, so that's good... and it'll be nice to be able to read road signs....you know...for 3400 miles...

Let me tell ya... I had NO idea how beautiful it is outside! I can see leaves on trees, needles on pine trees and fur trees, even the marina that I drive by EVERY day to get to and from home is incredible... each mast on the sailboats SEPARATE from the other.. amazing... I only have the glasses for driving...but wow, I am so glad I got them before driving accross country... now I will be able to see all the beauty...

Sunflowers

I love sunflowers. Easy to grow, low maintaince, long lasting flowers, simple yet beautiful.

Not sure if you "had to be there"...

Funny Elle story... not sure if it's a "you had to be there" but I'm going to post it anyway if nothing else as a documentation for her for later.. =)
Last night Michael and I were talking about having his Granny over sometime soon for dinner and to stay the night as she really gets lonely on her own and really enjoys our kids and stuff... however, she does get REALLY disoriented at times and we recently heard a story of her staying at Michael's parents house and waking up thinking she was at her place and started yelling at everyone to"get out of her house" and was quite upset and forceful. And on top of it all, this is a Granny that has always had a gun... and was always proud of it, waved it around, took it with her everywhere....
Anyway...so Michael and I are discussing this and my concern was just if it'd be a safe situation for the kids. (you know, what is she going to do if she wakes up to a baby crying in the room over?!) and I ask him "does she still have her g-u-n?" (I spelled it since Elle was in the room- not really exactly sure why, but just trying to sort of disguise the conversation we were having about whether or not she should stay the night) and Michael was saying "no, no, I don't think so" and then Elle chimmed in with this new found (maybe not so new, but more frequently used...) forcefull, teenager, everything you say is rediculous, attitude, "mom, it's okay if granny has her e-b-i-l, she can still come over." HA! She just picked some letters she knows and spelled something for an "accurate" dispute to what I had spelled and said! Oh, she cracks me up! AND while I was typing this story... I am at the dinning room table and she is playing with play doh at the same table. She is trying to ask me to get it out of the containers for her and I am not listening to her since I have already given her a spoon and told her to "get it out herself", and then I hear her... "mom... you're not listening to me. If you don't listen to me, I am going to call nana (my mom) and tell her she can't come over (she is due to be here in about an hour) because you are being reeeediiiiculous." Oh my.... what am I going to do with that girl!?

ask and you shall receive...

I called Comcast this morning. I actually got someone super helpful and nice. I didn't have to put my "bulldog" voice on or anything. I just simply asked how we could lower out monthly payment on our phone and internet. I questioned each charge on our bill and without too much prodding (sp?) he offered us a "loyal customer" discount which is essentially $5 off each service for 6 months. We have internet and phone service for both our house and the rental, so it was a savings of $20/month! It was that simple. I just thought I would share so you could try too if you wanted. I also have come to realize how many people don't know that they can just ask for fees etc to be removed and companies WILL. We had a tenant give us a bad check (on accident, they are actually great tenants and usually pay on time) and thinking that money was in there...we got overdrawn too... I checked our account online that night and it was good, the next morning that check had been rejected and 3 other small checks had gone through- each one over drawing our account and a $30 charge... I called and explained and they removed all the fees... $90! We still paid for the NSF check that was deposited but that was taken care of by the tenant.
I hope this helps someone save a little money! It seems to be tight for everyone these days! Just know that companies now more than ever want your business and want you to be a happy customer. I love my Comcast service and my Key Bank service...

Jen's Farm

WOW! Her garden is incredible. I was laughing so hard inside when I offered to help with a project and she stated she'd love help with getting the garden in shape. I think I recall her even apologizing for how "bad" it was... HA! She's coming my way next week... then she'll see a garden with weeds! Her's was PERFECT! She does have a husband who is home full time to help with it all though, and no baby to look after, but still.... it was comical... I wish I had taken a better photo really showing how weed free hers was and then I could have posted it next to one of my garden and then we all could have had a good laugh! =) I have since spent about 8 hours weeding in my garden... but it will still be an embarrassment. =)

Here's one of her son's climbing in the barn. Here's Christian in the grass (obviously) but it makes me think of a funny realization... I put shoes on Christian for the FIRST TIME IN HIS LIFE (no exageration) about a week ago (so he's eleven months old) and he just looked at them, then at me, then back at them... fussed a bit and then tried to walk... HA! It was like frankenstine in quick sand! It was like he didn't want to step on them...but they were on his feet! He wouldn't have it... about about 3 steps he just sat down and started ripping them off! It reminded me of a story I hear about a little boy who was 18 months (so 9 months OLDER than C) and felt GRASS on his feet for the FIRST time and walked in the same mannor! I can't even imagine...not having my kid walk barefoot until 18 months old... but hey, I am sure many can't imagine an 11 month old who has never had shoes on his feet! =)

I love my daughter...

..... So I make her work... it is always fun... therefore she LOVES to help! She now takes it upon herself to sweep and mop the floor almost every morning, she BEGGED me to clean the toilets (which I hate to do!)yesturday morning, she got into the tub hands and knees to offer some serious elbow grease working on that soap gunk, then she helped me load things up into the attic storage spot...we seriously worked cleaning/organizing the house for about 4 hours straight and she NEVER complained, always asked for what was next and happily worked beside me.
What she does is never perfect and some things take twice the time to do it with her than it would without- but the cleaniness is not my goal- it is the love for "pulling her weight" that I am looking to instill. She now makes her own bed-picks up her own room and her own toys. She ENJOYS cleaning up any spills that occur during the day and always asks to help when I am working. She is learning that she is valuable to the family, that she is capable and this makes her proud of herself.
Some gauk that my house is not always (okay-it NEVER is) spotless. We don't have fancy things. And this is just perfect... it makes it so easy to never "lose it" when something breaks or when spills occur. I can wait for a 3 year old (and even the 11 month old when he spills) to clean it up because I am not in a mad rush to "save" whatever something was spilled on... It keeps the stress level real low and because I am not freaking out it can be made fun to clean it up. All of this to say.... I love my kids.... so I make them work.

An Incredible Read

Child of Steens Mountain, by Eileen O'Keefe McVicker (found on Amazon for $13.22 here or search in the Amazon search box on this blog). What an INCREDIBLE book! A series of stories of a girl growing up in Eastern Oregon. A great book for anyone who loves "Little House on the Prairie" type days, or stories of hard working people and the matter of fact type up bringing. Remarkable stories, very well told.

It really strengthens my desires to chose to live a simpler, therefore often 'harder' way of life. I want my kids to have THESE kinds of memories. I want the "drama" in their life to be natural drama (like the chickens getting killed by a raccoon...) not the fabricated kind (like who Miley Cirus is dating...), when you have more of the natural, the other matters less and less until it is just ridiculous! I didn't mean this to be a "soap box" post, but I am just continually amazed at the things children are and aren't being exposed to these days and it makes it all the more clear how DELIBERATE I want to be with my parenting.

Everyone LOVES the shirts!

Two days into the fair... an interesting experiance to be sure. I don't think I have sat as much as I have in the last two days in the last two years combined! It has been beautiful weather and the kids all seem to be having a good time. Everyone who comes by really likes and smiles at the shirts. The people who buy them are really in love with them and buy more than one as they are "perfect" for many people in their life. It is definately a niche group of people... I fear that my booth location (maybe due to my late entry) is not really ideal to reach the right people for my product, but many seem pleasently suprised to stumble accross my booth. I have had many take my information "to give to a friend in Missouri" or "my dad will LOVE these- he's in Alabama"... so that is of course exciting and encourageing. Those are good things to hear when I miss my kids so much and am putting in long days without them. I am hoping the foot traffic picks up tomorrow and through the weekend.

New Blog

I have started a new blog with an effort to make purchase of the shirts immediately available for all of those who have interest and do not live near me to just handle it in person. =) Or who know someone I don't that has interest. I am NOT computer savy AT ALL... so any feedback you have on how to make this easier, would be excellent. I realize that there are better "purchasing" type sites out there, but they cost a lot of money and are super complex to set up and I am just not there yet. So if you are a blog expert and know how I can better link for purchases or shopping cart ideas...feel free to chime in, I'd really appreciate it! This is just so in the beginning stages, I am almost embarrassed to even put it out there, but hey, that's what THIS blog is about... what I am learning/experiancing! So maybe someone else could learn along the way too! =) Thanks you guys! Here's the site http://www.willowfarmstore.blogspot.com/ . There'll be a lot more pictures and info up soon...