Some Really Good Things:

• We seem to have a "done deal" on the house. The house passed inspection on Saturday with a few minor repairs showing up, but nothing that doesn't fall into the allowance we had already given. Our realtor was there to represent us and met the couple moving in. She said they have a baby due any day, so they were anxious to get things settled. They also have 3 other kids and we were told they loved our kids' rooms. This is such a relief to me! I know it's silly, but it was hard for me to think someone would come in and paint all of that!
• We have been blessed by our growing relationships around us. I really connected with another homeschooling mom the other day when she invited me and the kids over for a play day. The kids had a blast and we seemed to have a close connection from the beginning! At church on Sunday, we met another family who was visiting. In our small talk, we quickly learned that they had also moved to Olathe about a month ago to begin a new church!! We know God orchestrated this meeting and we are excited to see what this means! Our backdoor neighbors have blessed us as well, coming to our first 33 Home Bible Study last week, and then coming to the rescue the next day when I was stranded at the grocery store with dead battery and 3 empty carseats (i.e.--Ryan couldn't get to me).
• It was sunny today! The kids and I took advantage and got out with the bikes and stroller and dog, and didn't even regret any of it! :) We did find out we don't live on a "block" so the walk was a bit longer than I had planned, and I should have brought water!
• We have had some real blessed moments during school lately! I happened upon tying Bible story time to snack time, and we don't miss it anymore! It has really opened up some good question and answer times and teachable moments. Beyond this, we have made some good academic strides lately. I have been pleased with how easily things have been absorbed!
• We officially enrolled our kids in AWANA tonight. We had visited last week and they kept asking, can we go back next time? While we are excited about how they will be learning about God there, we are REALLY excited about how Ryan and I will have some time with only one kid!! Tonight we went on a date (isn't it funny that with 3, having only one constitutes a date?), but in the future I can see us doing something like shopping together (clothes, Sam's, birthday, Christmas, etc.)--something we enjoy doing together, but is nearly impossible and most certainly unenjoyable with the other two in tow!
• God is not finished with me yet. And my family hasn't given up on me either.

A sign I'm Getting Through...

Since flu season is upon us, and we are not the flu shot kind, I did a brief reminder lesson on the necessities of clean hands the other day. I told the kids we needed to be careful, especially when we're around a bunch of kids, to not touch our eyes, noses, or mouths, and make sure we wash or Purell as soon as we can.

On the way home from a gathering of kids the other day, Reed proudly proclaimed from the backseat, "Mom, I didn't pick my nose the whole time we were there!"

Blogging--UGH!

This has been my attitude about blogging as of late.  I'm not sure why, but I have a couple hunches:  1.) blogging is meant to update and I have had no substantial update as of late, 2.) blogging is meant to share deep thoughts and I have had a combination of a lot of incomplete deep thoughts and a whole lot of shallow ones.  

So, here are some bullets to help us all catch up.

• We are moving to Olathe.  Like tomorrow.  Well, that is a bit of a characteristic exaggeration.  But after waiting so long to get things moving (no pun intended), we will be making the trip to Albuquerque and back (I am in Kansas as I write this) within a week.  And in between we will finish packing up our house, do a concert for FCCabq, and load the trucks (yes, plural).  I would appreciate your prayers for sanity in the coming days!
• We have a house!! To rent, that is.  We have still had no offers on our Abq house and we have been given a peace about renting for a time.  The house we have found is for sale, so we will have the option to buy when our house sells and if it will meet our needs as we think it might.  It will be nice to have some time to really test it out!!  Some stats on it: 4 bedrooms, 2 full baths, 2 half baths, 3 living areas (1 in the basement), 2 car garage, laundry on the bedroom floor (yay!), good closets, some very dated wall paper boarders and lighting fixtures (Too bad those can't come down right away!) but all the right bones to a great house.  We are very excited!
• We have stayed this week with a host family from another church in the area.  We have been so blessed by Bill and Marilyn's hospitality!!  And the house? Oh. My. Word.  Seriously!!  Huge!  We have the top floor with three bedrooms, two baths, the loft in between, and a phone booth!!  Yep, a phone booth!  Almost every closet I have found is a walk-in (even the hall closets!).  The 60" TV in the basement with surround sound and leather couch has spoiled us too!  Some of Reed's quotes that help to illustrate the luxury: 1. (While sitting in their built-in diner booth with wall-mounted flat screen) "It's just like Fuddruckers!"  2. "Dad, look!  They have a path to their neighbor's house!"  "Son, that's not the neighbor's.  That's the garage!"  3. (Watching cartoons in the media room) "If we turn off all the lights, it's just like a movie theater!"  4. "They have their own personal river!!"
• So while we have enjoyed the great luxury, we have felt at home, too.  They have 9 grandchildren who stop by regularly (we met 4 of them) so they do not expect things to get put away perfectly.  They have let our kids be kids, which has enabled us to relax while we were here.  Also, they made sure that we would help ourselves to anything and everything we could find to eat, and told us not to replace what we used.  We have had great discussions on faith, and parenting, and life, etc.  I just cannot tell you how much we have enjoyed being here.
• We are excited about what God has in store for us in Olathe.  We have already met a homeschooling family with 4 kids--3 of whose ages align with ours.  We met our 3 immediate neighbors in one night and are excited about the possibilities in our new neighborhood.  I have even gone to the grocery store and liked it pretty well, at least at first sight.  The long transition has helped my heart move here.  The people I know I will desperately miss in Abq will still be a part of our lives, I know!  Hooray for facebook!
• On a total side note, I am the least excited about football season as I have been in quite some time.  I am not very excited about cheering for Brett Farve's former or current teams.  I am VERY hesitant to cheer for the Chief's since I have tried to stay away from that all my life.  I am not a huge Mizzou fan, but the Missouri part of me cannot just switch to KU loyalty either.  And I cannot get excited about my fantasy football team because it is against league rules to do so (Joe Milan!!!)!!!  So, in answer to "Are you ready for some football?" I would have to sadly say, "No." 

One blog in over two months.  More to come.  Possibly way into the future!

Product Endorsements

So I don't get any money from any of these products, (If you know how I could, please share!) but I thought I might share with you some of my favorite products as of late.  In all our work to fix up the house to get it market ready, we have used quite a few.

• The Bathtub Scrubber from Scotch Brite (I think)--Ok, I don't think that's its real name.  I actually bought it a few months ago for the kids to use to scrub the floor in their bathroom.  (Because I am a terrible enough mom that their disgust and whining in the process brings me great entertainment and delight!!)  It has a mid-size adjustable handle and a green scrubby pad on the bottom.  It is a perfect size for them to do the floors, but I have found it is really great for doing showers and tubs, it's original intent, I believe.  My only possible complaint is that the handle doesn't lock into position very well, so it sometimes collapses as you're working.
• Greased Lightning Professional Strength Hard Water Stain Remover--This one is for toilets bowls, but I have used it in various places.  The hard water ring in all my toilets was SOO bad!  And I have tried many things to no avail.  But this worked!!  First, the toilet water had to be drained, at least away from the line, because otherwise it is too diluted to work.  (You can do this easily by quickly pouring a small bucket of water into the bowl.  I don't know why this works, but it does!)  Second, a traditional toilet brush didn't do it.  We had to go with one of those green scrubby pads.  And a little elbow grease.  Voila!  Two important things: Rubber Gloves and Ventilation!!  I also used this product full strength on the hard water stains on the shower doors and the french door windows.  The stains are still a bit noticeable but so much improved!
• Old English Scratch Cover--We did our doors and baseboards to clean them up, and they look so good!  Supposedly it soaks in over time, so the fix is temporary, but it looks great for a few months.  I also used it on a cheap coffee table we have, and it dressed it up so much!
• Sol-U-Mel--This is an all-purpose cleaner from the company Melaleuca.  I use it for many things, namely grease stains and odor problems.  It works wonders on carpet stains, and it is not a soap, so it doesn't leave as much residue that collects more dirt.  (Spray it on, let it set for a few moments, then blot and rub with a rag.)  It also cleaned up our white grout in the entryway very nicely.  (Spray it on, let set for a few moments, and scrub with a grout brush.  Some places needed to be done twice.) I use it diluted, but some stains need it full strength.  One time I got a tablespoon of red paint almost completely out of our off-white carpet.  Only a faint pink spot remains.  If you're not familiar with Melaleuca, my sister Terrie can hook you up!!
• Hoover Steam Vac Dual V Carpet Cleaner--We've had this for a few years and really love it.  We cannot afford to have the carpets professionally cleaned on a regular basis, so we bought this to use as needed.  We are always amazed at what it picks up!  And this one really sucks the water out, so it dries relatively quickly.  ( I know the climate here helps...) The best thing we've learned is to not use any soap in it--we simply use it on rinse.  Since our carpets were cleaned before we bought the house, there is still soap in the carpets that comes out.  Used in conjunction with the Sol-U-Mel, I would put it up against some of the professionals!
• Shark Steam Mop--This one is new for us and we also love it!  It is a steam mop that cleans only with water.  The microfiber pads it comes with are washable, so there is no need to buy replacements all the time.
• Dyson Vacuum--Since we're on the on the subject....  I love that it's bagless and it really gets results.  When I empty it in the dumpster outside I hear the refrain in my mind, "Ashes to ashes, dust to dust..."
  
• Pampered Chef Stone Scraper--Not just for the kitchen!!  We have used this for so many of our jobs, from caulk to soap scum.  Very handy!
• Windex Outdoor Window Scrubbers--We weren't convinced these would work, but since Ryan's dad invested in them [:)!], we found they work great!  You really can clean the windows with just this kit and a hose!  And one pad cleans approximately 10 windows, so you don't blow through a pack of refills before your done.

There might be more, but I can't think of them right now.  If you have a product that you would recommend, add it to the comments!

Swimming & Swooning

The kids finished up swim lessons on Friday.  I'll have to admit that I am a little sad they are over.  Yes, it will be nice to not have to slather sunscreen on them every morning and say, "Why is your wet swimsuit on the floor?" everyday.  But I loved seeing them thrive in the environment created by the teachers there!!

Let's just get this out of the way right now:  I had a bit of a crush on Ashton's teacher.  Oh, and also this:  My husband knows and is completely okay with this!!  :)  

I didn't even see his eyes until this last Thursday, so I would have to say it had more to do with his leadership ability and how he connected with the kids.  He was caring and loving as needed (on a one on one basis), but also had the ability to put kids into situations they wouldn't put themselves into.  

For example:

• If the kids didn't get in when they were supposed to, he would jump right in front of them and splash them.
• More than once he would take a screaming child from their mother and hold them in the water, reassuring them the whole time, but pouring handfuls of water on their head.
• When the kids jumped to him in the big pool, they went all the way under as he held them.  (As opposed to the other teacher, who barely got their chests wet.)
• If a usually cooperative child got out of the pool, he would firmly say "Get in the pool!!" until they would comply.  We saw him have this conversation with one girl in particular many times. Her response was usually, "I can't do it!!"  But she always got back in the pool and usually did what she just said she couldn't.

While Ashton liked him, she was just enough scared of him to respect him, and excel at what she was learning in class.  She got all her bubbles filled in!!  While his tactics might have bothered some parents these days, I appreciated his tough love (with 3 and 4 year olds, no less!) approach to teaching.  I wonder what his future holds, or even how old he is!

Reed's teacher was also good, but not nearly as dynamic.  However, he was very patient and persistent in his teaching, and Reed filled in all but one bubble.  If it didn't tie us down so much, I would definitely sign them up for another session.  If only for myself...!

Happy Father's Day to Two of the Greatest Dads

I love my Dad.

He taught me about loving God.  His life is an example of faith, but he also took time in the moment to share God's truths.  One of my earliest distinct memories is of him singing "God is so Good" with me.  He baptized me 25 years ago.

He taught me my amazing family heritage and to hold family in high regard.  He has always made an effort to be with family near and far.  "Your family will always be there!" he says.

He has given me some amazing opportunities: church camps, CIYs, plane trips on my own (to see family!), camping, 5-star hotel stays, fancy restaurants, roadside picnics, road trips to almost every state in the US, school trips (abroad, even!), college, dream wedding, etc., etc., etc.

He taught me how to work hard (much to my dismay, usually)!  His girls were not above mowing the lawn!!  However, he taught by example that hard work does not always require a change of clothes!  :)

He set the bar high for how a husband should treat a wife.  And he always made sure I knew that he and Mom would be together for life.

He didn't disown me when I wasn't the daughter he envisioned (aka--the teenage years)!!!

I have such a good Dad, he checks my blog almost every day.  That's commitment!!

I love my husband.

He is such a great spiritual leader for our family.  He spurs me on toward love and good deeds.  And he teaches the kids simple truths with deep implications and childlike clarity.  

He loves his family and mine.  He has committed to being at nearly every family gathering, no matter how many hours we have had to log in the van.

He is taking me on an adventure.  From the early days of ministry in SmallTown, Arkansas, to the lean and exciting days of Plumbline; from the stability and opportunities of ministry in the desert, to the unknown adventures of piecing together a church, I am honored to be at his side.

He has been able to climb over the bar set by my dad about how a husband should treat a wife! He takes every opportunity to tell me he loves me and how he appreciates my beauty (even when I KNOW he must be lying)!

He doesn't make me work hard!  He really will not ever let me mow the lawn.  Not because he thinks I can't, but because he wants to honor me!  And I hardly ever need to put gas in my car.  He's like my own full service gas station attendant.

And he still loves me even though I am not the woman he married.  Ew.  Some days... ew!

Happy Father's Day to two of the greatest dads I know!

A Happy Anniversary

God has blessed me with such an amazing husband!   I am proud to be the wife of such a well-respected man!  One thing that blesses me is how he strives to be himself no matter who he's with--me or you.  I am excited to spend many more years with him, trusting God with our lives.

So I have decided that I needed to write down all the things we have done to celebrate our anniversaries over the years.  There are FAR too many that I do not remember, so if you remember something I have left out, please help me out!

• 1995--Wedded Bliss!!  We married on Friday night, drove to the Mansion at Elfindale in Springfield, then flew out the next day to the Smokey Mountains in North Carolina (via Nashville) for the week.  We were too young to rent a car from most companies!  Luckily, Enterprise accommodated us! 
  
• 1996--High School Church Camp, at Camp Joshua, Siloam Spring, AR.  No, we didn't wait long to dive into ministry.  :)
• 1997-1999--Drawing a blank here..... Surely we did something!!
• 2000--This was our first year doing Plumbline Ministres, so surely we were in a camp somewhere!!
• 2001--This is the year that we began sharing our anniversary with Jeff and Stephanie Rickert!  (Right, Steph?  Do I have the right year?)  We attended their wedding in TX, and then ate THE BEST FAJITAS ever!!  Really, we talk about them still from time to time.  
• 2002--Blank
• 2003--I was 8 months pregnant with Reed.  I think we went a steak house in Fayetteville, and I ate a lot and probably got heartburn later (or maybe even right away)!
• 2004--We had just moved to Albuquerque at the beginning of the year, at the same time as Jeff and Stephanie (see above), so it was obvious that we would celebrate together!!  We went to Japanese Kitchen, where they cook right at your table, and that night they shared their exciting news of a baby on the way!!  
• 2005--10 years!  Wow!  We had plans to go to a Bed & Breakfast that night, but when we woke up, we had 1000's of ants swarming our bedroom.  Really.  Walking and flying.  Really.  It was not how I had envisioned my 10th anniversary!  But after we dealt with that, we were able to enjoy an evening at the Lazy K (or some other letter?) Ranch in the mountains east of Albuquerque.  This was also Reed's first night away from us.  Oh, and I was pregnant with Ashton.
• 2006--Ashton was 6 months old, so I know there was no overnight stay.  But I don't remember the celebration at all.
• 2007--Spent the entire weekend performing in the Patriotic Musical at church.  I sang in the choir, Ryan played guitar.  I don't know that we even had dinner together!
• 2008--We splurged and spent TWO nights at the Route 66 Casino west of Albuquerque.  We ate at all of the restaurants on site and enjoyed the great accommodations.  We felt as thought we should gamble a bit, so I played a dollar in the nickel slots and won $10!  Then I played some more... and finally cashed out a $4.90, I think!  Oh, well!  Still ahead of the game!
• 2009--We celebrated a day early, took the kids to Miss Jacqui's (Landis too!) and got a room at the Hyatt Regency Downtown.  Then we ate at a WONDERFUL restaurant in Old Town called Antiquity.  The Green Chile Chicken Stew was incredible and the veal I had was amazing!!  And then, today, we found out the GREAT NEWS that we will be planting a church in Olathe, KS!!  We could not have asked for a better anniversary gift than the affirmation of our future!!

Thank you, Ryan, for 14 great years!  I am blessed beyond measure to be married to you!  Thank you for treating me like a queen and showing me what it means to live by faith!  I love you!