All I could do was laugh...

Background: Mark and Linda brought down two reindeer that were originally intended to be made into Christmas decorations- picture cardboard paper-mache type deer. They didn't get around to making them, so they were passing the deer along to someone else who might want to be creative. But the girls fell in love with their new pets, and they came home with us. At co-op, Melia did some painting, and her paints came home as well. Paints + Deer. Fun at our house...

Melia: I am making this to be one of Daddy's deer.
Me: That's a great idea, hon.
Melia: That's why I put red on him. It's where Daddy shot him.

And laugh I did. :-) She will definitely be ready to go hunting with Daddy when she's old enough!

Tomorrow, Tomorrow....

It's only a day awaaayyy.....

Guess who comes home tomorrow!?!

And, for the record: the cardboard went out. And I vacuumed. And things are mostly picked up. But I do have 3+ loads of laundry to fold, which can wait until tomorrow, cause they're kids clothes... and the kids are in bed. Oh, and I did do three posts in Galatians, so only two left. Yea!

Tonight we went to dinner w/ Darc and Mom, and on the way home Kiera piped up...

K: Mommy, next time we should go to a great big restaurant. That one was little tiny restaurant. (don't forget to think "little tiny" in a singsong little tiny voice...)
Me: Which restaurant is a big one? (looking for a name here....)
K: BIG restaurants are big ones.

We are going here.

Great Wolf Lodge, Grand Mound, WA

I saw the ad in my new Family Fun magazine... we are SO going. Period. The reason I set up a vacation account was to provide for getaways like this :-) Well, that and someday I really want to go to Israel. Really really really. But maybe when our kids are older we can do a mission trip over there... Sorry, thinking out loud... or thinking with my fingers...

:-) I am excited. The only thing I wish they had was a childcare center... so I could make use of the spa...

Wrong

Picture this. I am shopping, with Isaac in his seat, in the top of the shopping cart. Both girls are in the main basket, munching on samples. A nice old man smiles at me as I round a corner and comments on what a full cart I have. I smile back and say something about not much room for groceries... The lady he's with glances at us, and without a smile, says "Oh, you poor thing." Her tone of voice is neither joking nor sarcastic. She means what she says. She is a woman without joy.

I disagree. I am not poor.

On the contrary, I am rich beyond measure.

Blessed with what I do not deserve, gifted to me by the Lord of all creation.

Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb is a reward. Psalms 127:3

Love it- Dave Ramsey quote

"The difference between men & boys is whether you put your family before your toys."
– Dave Ramsey

Let's say a little progress...

The Vitamixes did go away. But the cardboard is still there. The kitchen counter is now clean, sort of. Organized anyway! Plus 3 more load of clothes. And we did get to Albies and Costco. And dinner with Papa and Grandma, Darcy, and Gma&Gpa Elliott. Busy! All three of them were asleep when we arrived home; I was able to bring all the groceries in before getting them out of the car. (Some almost always sit there for a day or two- I have to prioritize what comes in when, cause someone always needs fed, put to bed, changed, what ever...)

Now, I want to go to bed, but Gabe reminded me on the phone that I need to do some more posts in our Galatians class. We are to the end, but I have 5 posts I still have to complete before I take the final. So my goal is to do at least one tonight. Maybe two, if I get on a roll...

Tomorrow: Get that cardboard cut up and out of here!

Because some of you did ask :-)

I cleaned the master bath yesterday. Not truly deep (that would have included organizing the shelves- yuck), but thorough anyway. Then I moved outward into our bedroom, cleaning up the real mess on HIS side of the bed :-). I've done 5 loads of laundry, and it took 4 to get through the pile! One more to finish up our laundry, then on to the girls'.

Plan is tomorrow to attack the counter in the kitchen, and maybe, just maybe, burn a bunch of cardboard in our burning barrel. Or does anybody I know with a wood burning fireplace want some cardboard? (We have a pellet stove.) OH- if nobody wants it, I'll take it out to the barn so he can burn it in the stove out there. WOOHOO- that is a huge pile in our main area! And tomorrow it will be GONE! And I'm moving those Vitamixes too. Ok, so kitchen and entry-family room. That is the PLAN! (plus costco and albies thrown in, after Isaac's always long morning nap...)

See. Progress. Yea me!

And by the way, if you haven't seen our mess, let me quote my dear friend Brooke when she saw it.... "It looks like a hunter walked in and exploded!" (I just loved that. It justified my frustrations!)

Plus, if you remember to include me in your prayers... I was pretty down yesterday. Tired, plus missing Gabe. A whole week is hard. And yes, I feel somewhat guilty verbalizing this considering Matt (bro-in-law) has to be gone for MUCH MUCH longer. But that doesn't make it less easy, it just makes me appreciate that hunting season is only a few weeks, not months. And helps me in how to pray for Darcy (and soon, Marissa).

Ugh.

I hate it when I start off so strong... and then falter. I was picking up like crazy yesterday after he left, but then had to go to work... and crashed. So tired. So tired this morning. CanNot get motivated... It's almost noon, and I can only list these done so far...

Ordered gifts online (actually took forever...)
Made waffles for breakfast
Fed Isaac... twice
Started cleaning the bathroom...

I just can't decide if I want to deep clean the bathroom, or surface clean it and then put more stuff away. I know, I'll do the bathroom really good, and that will motivate me, right? :-)
I'll give it a shot anyway...
But what I really wanted to do is deep clean the kitchen...

Will You Be My Accountablity Partner?

Not in the normal sense of the position, but without sharing details, I have a a specific amount of time which would be very useful in my attempt to clean/organize/tidy.

Would some of you be willing to email or comment with encouragement during this time? I know keeping busy will help with the missing part, but it's easy to keep busy doing other things, instead of being productive like I want to. I've been doing ok with the tidying part, but getting a hold of the organizing has been more difficult. He has so much stuff, all I can even do is put it in boxes so he can organize it. But at least right now, there won't be an "influx" of more clutter from his person.

My goal would be to have the main living part of the house de-cluttered by the time he returns. Unless of course... he gets something and I decide to haul the kids 6 hours away to celebrate with him. Which I very well might.

Anyway. Just a thought. And a goal. Motivate me, will you? I've done a bit this morning, but have to work today. Off we go...

And, more pics...

Some fun ones... And for those of you whom I told about the picture that I thought looked like my dad, it's this first one... Just evidence that Isaac did come from my side too, even though he looks so much like his daddy :-) Plus... that hair looks like it may still be on the orangy side of blond...

This one looks TONS like one we had of Melia making the same face!

Pretty girls...