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What happened to hearing both sides of an issue?

Hope and Change.

Silenced No More!! I've taken a political hiatus for awhile, in hopes that I could calm myself down. And I think I found my answer. I discovered the one thing Obama could do for this country, are you ready for it?? A positive thing about B.O. coming from me??? (actually I'm not all that disappointed in his foriegn policy - except for the apologizing tour - he is doing o.k. in Afghanistan and Iraq) However, here's the big thing:

FINALLY, GRASS ROOTS AMERICANS ARE TAKING CHARGE. I love how average people are finally actively engaged in politics. I said long ago that Americans had been duped. The awesome thing is they've realized it, and are taking their country back. I'm not in favor of the angry crazies, but I'm all about vocalizing the problem with his agenda.

We got Hope and Change. We are now hoping B.O. has no idea what's after a trillion, and the change we needed; no more Apathetic Americans.



The squeeky wheel gets the grease, and there are finally some conservative wheels squeeking!

I'm in VA these days and I'm voting for the Republican Candidate Bob McDonnell, and going to be volunteering on his campaign. Have you done something political lately?

Do Your Best.

Our family's motto for the year. We stole some great ideas from Nie Nie for a back to school feast, and enjoyed a toast, made crowns for the back to school kiddos, and Colson and Hallie also received Back to school blessings.

Do your best, in all that you do.

I am greatful for Josh's contribution to this year's theme. and we hope to take it seriously.

What is my best? Not sure, but I'm going to set some goals to figure it out!

Looks Like I'm going to Holland

I guess denial might be where I've been?? I'm not sure. But I'm now officially worried about my little one.

We have been diagnosed with a "Profound Expressive Language Delay" perhaps connected with a suspected central motor problem.

We went to a developmental specialist about a week ago, and received her evaluation in the mail a few days later. There's something about seeing a "problem" in black and white that makes it real. We are being referred to a neurologist.

Laila is at or above normal intelligence, and perhaps I always just thought she was laid back and happy, which she is. But I am finally realizing there is something going on, we're just not sure what. It looks like I'm going to have to brush up on an old skill even more (sign language). It's really weird to try and teach her to communicate with us, knowing she understands exactly what we're saying.

My sister shared the following essay with me, she has a child with special needs, too.

WELCOME TO HOLLAND
by
Emily Perl Kingsley.

c1987 by Emily Perl Kingsley. All rights reserved

I am often asked to describe the experience of raising a child with a disability - to try to help people who have not shared that unique experience to understand it, to imagine how it would feel. It's like this......

When you're going to have a baby, it's like planning a fabulous vacation trip - to Italy. You buy a bunch of guide books and make your wonderful plans. The Coliseum. The Michelangelo David. The gondolas in Venice. You may learn some handy phrases in Italian. It's all very exciting.

After months of eager anticipation, the day finally arrives. You pack your bags and off you go. Several hours later, the plane lands. The stewardess comes in and says, "Welcome to Holland."

"Holland?!?" you say. "What do you mean Holland?? I signed up for Italy! I'm supposed to be in Italy. All my life I've dreamed of going to Italy."

But there's been a change in the flight plan. They've landed in Holland and there you must stay.

The important thing is that they haven't taken you to a horrible, disgusting, filthy place, full of pestilence, famine and disease. It's just a different place.

So you must go out and buy new guide books. And you must learn a whole new language. And you will meet a whole new group of people you would never have met.

It's just a different place. It's slower-paced than Italy, less flashy than Italy. But after you've been there for a while and you catch your breath, you look around.... and you begin to notice that Holland has windmills....and Holland has tulips. Holland even has Rembrandts.

But everyone you know is busy coming and going from Italy... and they're all bragging about what a wonderful time they had there. And for the rest of your life, you will say "Yes, that's where I was supposed to go. That's what I had planned."

And the pain of that will never, ever, ever, ever go away... because the loss of that dream is a very very significant loss.

But... if you spend your life mourning the fact that you didn't get to Italy, you may never be free to enjoy the very special, the very lovely things ... about Holland.

Sick kids.

Snot Noses galore at my house. Missing church.

My fam just left after a few days here. It was so nice for them to visit. I've been host to non-stop company, and it's been a great time! More to come this week. I guess it pays to live in cool places.

They took me to the amazing city market. How Yummy. Everything was so delicious, and cozy. and friendly. I love an abundance of fresh produce.

Thanks for the fun visit!

2 acres + Beautiful = an insane amount of work.

This we know. Why we can't buy a house with landscaping is BEYOND me. Josh and I don't mind yard work, be we find ourselves regularly in over our heads... Yesterday (MY IDEA) to clean out from under the cedar trees in the front yard in preparation for a truck load of mulch. Ridiculous. We don't have a chainsaw and so we just hacked away at the lower 3 feet of branches, with a hand saw.

We literally worked from 9 - 5 on the front yard, pulling, sawing, using the mower to haul the yard junk to the MASSIVE burn pit we have in the back yard.

FHE tomorrow - Bonfire, with smores...

Did I mention we haven't touched the backyard yet??

WE NEED SERVICE - any takers?? :) Oh wait, we have company coming in the next couple of weeks! I have just the project!

Hand and Foot

A long time ago, these two women were my partners in crime. We served together, and we had a few amazing experiences which bonded us forever.

We then began splitting up, only to be reunited once again in a small town.

Finally we all went our separate ways, scattered across the United States. Staying in touch via texting, phone calls, and emails. And then, for 24 hours, we found ourselves and our families together again for one late night game of cards. It felt great to see Viviane and Sonia, and their kiddos, again!!

Sonia who keeps our acts together wanted to say a prayer before everyone left, so there in my living room 16 people knelt down and thanked Heavenly Father for the blessing of friends.

Till we meet again, girls! I'll keep safe the card bowl and sorry I had to win TWICE!!

A Happy Place.

The other evening while sitting on my back porch with my husband watching the end of a thunderstorm, we saw a rainbow. It was beautiful - it seemed to start at the very edge of our yard - Josh said surely we can find the pot of gold there. And boy is he right. We've been here a month. And I'm in Heaven. I love the yard, the home, my family, and this great healthy place I've found for me as I've recovered from the craziest year of my life. I found my happy place.

After the storm, the Lord always comes through, with the blessings. Why me? Why would he bless me? I am not as good as I could be, I certainly am not a perfect being. But I'm trying, I really am. Have you felt the Love of the Lord in your life? I feel it abundantly in mine, even this "rebellious, proud" soul of mine.

The scoop. No not ice cream, dang it.

1. Yours truly, is successfully eating my way to a healthier me... I've lost around 7 lbs, in about 3 1/2 weeks, of carefully controlling what and how much I'm eating. So I guess you could say I'm using this exercise:

Place two hands on the table and push.

2. Hallie taught herself to ride a two-wheeler. No Joke. Neither Josh and I had anything to do with it. Colson helped a little, I think. One day, I looked out the window and she was riding up and down the drive way.

3. Laila is still not talking, for some reason I'm still not worried about her. But she continues to sign, and is now putting 2 to 3 signs together for sentences.

4. Scrapbooking is glorious. I've had so much fun getting my stuff out.

5. We're painting Hallie's room this weekend, My Idea: Semi-Gloss Stripes. Shoot me now.

6. I bought a bushel of peaches, I want to freeze them. However, I think my family can eat a bushel in a week. I told my sister, I am now in the category of shopping in Bulk for EVERYTHING. The amount of food we go through is alarming.

7. This is the first month of paying our mortgage on the new house, AND the old house. Life is good. Seriously.

8. I got a job. A temp for Anthropologie's store opening - 30 hours, and a one time discount coupon. So basically I'm working to spend. Does that make sense?? :)

9. This loaf was meant for a neighbor, note to self: don't leave the cooling bread too close to the counter's edge.



Cheers!

Back in the Saddle again!!

I have news. BIG news. Finally, after SIX WHOLE MONTHS, I've unpacked the scrapping supplies. I had worried the hobby might be getting stale, that I could be bored with paper, adhesive, and sticky gems. NOPE. It all came flooding back with an order from my favorite online STORE. I loved getting elbow deep in new product, as well as my old stuff. It's like an old friend came to visit. I have great memories of some super great girls, one group used to get together EVERY SINGLE thursday, probably for a year. How I miss those long nights. Then another group gets together EVERY YEAR for a weekend tradition of yummy food, memories, and girl chat, oh and some scrapbooking as well (By the way if you're one of these women please email me, I've got news) Not to mention my fun sisters that share an interest in this hobby as well... or the beautiful children that I'm taking pictures of. I'm back, and it feels great!

I made a card for my friend LINDS and her cutie pie, and a mobile for Charlie's crib, and I'm on a 30 day of projects, cards, and layouts stint to get me back into the mindset. Pictures of projects to come! As soon as I get the card in the mail! :)

Happy Scrapping!

WOW, who are their parents??

Yeah, they're mine.

Playing Hookie - Guilt Free

Our Mountain View:




Maybe not...

Saturday I received a couple emails regarding a bacterial infection spreading among the youth in our ward... we were only having Sacrament Meeting. Um... four little ones, we were not going to partake that day.

Instead we had CHURCH outside. We visited the Shenandoah Valley National Park. Sometimes I wonder why some don't believe there is a God. Proof.

Photos of Old Blue

Old Blue




From the Back:



From the Front Door:


Laila Went Missing:


Baby Poop Walls:


Family on Easter:

Sorta Back.

1. It costs more than you think to paint a house - let's just say Josh and I doing it ourselves saves almost enough to pay for a sewer grinder pump.

2. Frolic for the basement, was QUITE the choice... what a wild color.

3. My favorite room in the house that we've painted and "updated" is the dining room. No, we don't have a dining table and chairs...

4. The living room is Butternut. Josh's other name for it is baby poop. He's actually very close. Wish I would have thought of it before I purchased the "nonrefundable customized tinted paint". (I still think the color is great on the wall, I just get reminded of it every time I change Charlotte)

5. Closing was awesome. I showed up with a Cashier's Check, and walked out with the Cashier's check, and another check for $600. Somehow we had ZERO in closing costs, and came away with $600. AWESOME.

6. Our house although is not huge, is much bigger than we had before. I love that I "LOSE" the kids. (Well, Everyone except Laila, She's getting into something when she's missing)

7. I mowed my yard for the first time on my riding mower that we included in the contract, it was so fun!! Josh loves that chore - he said he especially enjoys the wind blowing through his hair.

8. We did forget to include the Refridgerator in the contract. So now I am the proud owner of TWO awesome refridgerators. I. Love. It.

9. Pictures are in the works... We are a bit busy, and I just know things will calm down in time for school to start and get more crazy!

10. Building a life together with the one you love, including adventures like unexpected moves and home purchases, is seriously a JOY.

Old Blue we're a coming...

Bloggers as you know... I haven't updated quite as regularly... and I'm buying a house on Friday, and a few days later I'm heading back to my old stomping grounds.

SO. Don't bother heading back this way - hopefully I'll be off taking pictures and painting, and enjoying our new found freedom.

Love you all!

And Happy 4th.

Sewer Grinder Update:

My bad... A sewer grinder pumpy thingy costs $1500 not the $800 I had previously reported. This does NOT include labor, to install it.

TOTAL BILL: $2240

On the bright side closing costs went from $293 to $52.

B.O. and National Defense.

Almost as awesome as B.O. and the Economy.

Only 1341 days till the next president. Who's counting??

True to my word - I'm focusing on what I can do, and strengthening families, which we know strengthens societies.

We believe that the family is the basic unit of society. You can’t have a strong community without strong families. You can’t have a strong nation without strong families—the father, the mother, the children as one unit working together. Now the family is falling apart all over America, all over the world. If we can just cultivate good, wholesome family life among our members, I don’t worry very much about the future of this Church” (interview with Ignacio Carrión, El País [Mexico], 7 Nov. 1997). - President Hinckley

Here's an organization you can help with.

With the death of the abortion doctor in Kansas, I can't help but think there's a better option - check it out here.

And finally, do you know YOUR CONGRESSMAN?? Be an educated voter, do your research. Hope this helps!

Ciao Bella - looking for something fun?

Give this a whirl:

Chocolate Jalepeno Ice Cream:

A chef inspired rendition of an amorous tradition comes to life in the seductive swirl of hand-crafted gelato.

Tingling sensations of Jalapeño Pepper mingle with bold and earthy flavors of West African Chocolate, a tantalizing harmony for the taste buds. Hot and sweet, made with all natural, pure ingredients.

Updates

1. In a stake conference with over 1000 people, I randomly bumped into one woman in the mother's lounge. A friend from Monterey over six years ago. It's a freakishly small world.

2. A grinder pump for a sewer costs $800. Ask me how I know this.

3. I've been training for a 4.5 mile race. I swear every time I run, that distance gets farther and farther away. If I crawl during the race, can I still say "I ran a race"?

4. Old Blue, I'm waiting for you. One question, are you infested with ants? Just curious.

5. If you missed my post about the DMV, I'm having some fun discussion with an anonymous soul about Government and Health Care - feel free to join the conversation, check the comments.

6. I recently purchased a label maker to "organize my files" I love that thing. I've been labeling everything. "Don't Touch", "Mine", "Get your hands off", "Not Yours", and one other label I put on my forehead, that one will remain between Josh and I.

7. Freecycle is my friend.

8. Craigslist is my friend.

9. "Frolic" is my paintchoice for the basement.

10. Pat the realtor, where or where did you put my front door key??

Joy in my Journey Today: No Empty Chairs

As parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents in Zion, it has been the shared hope of my wife and me that all of us will be together in the eternities—that all will be worthy,

without a single empty chair. - Ezra Taft Benson

1. A hubby that is funny, smart, and mine, all mine.

2. A son. Sweet, smart, and creative.

3. Girls. Yup, 3 girls. I'm the only one in my family to get 3 girls, just like I had 3 girls growing up. They're each unique, and lovely.

4. Sisters that rock. TWO amazing women, who are my BESTEST GIRLFRIENDS.

5. Sensing a theme?? Family is where it's at.

Our New Family Motto: No Empty Chairs.