Anybody else feel like this sometimes?

Plate spinning - anyone?

A Matched Set!

Jesse got his braces off last week, and as soon as I saw him smile, I realized that I had seen that smile before; it is part of a "Matched Set!"

Look at these smiles - worth every penny and all those trips to Milwaukee! Dang, we got ourselves some good lookin' boys! Josh gets his braces off in two weeks. Grandma, you'll have to remind me to upload those photos for you too. :)

For our Cross Country Team (Candy Box Covers)

Today...

Today I sent Jacob to pick up Joshua from his Driver's Ed driving lesson while I watched HGTV. Change is in the wind... :)

Track

Gosh, how I love to watch my boys run at the track meets. Who knew that I would become such a fan, but I love every minute of it. I understand track. It's easier than soccer. Participants run until they cross the finish line. There is no one to thwart your efforts like there is in soccer. It's just the runner and his determination to run. I regularly get "misty" watching a meet; it typifies the strength of the human spirit. I'm a cheering mom; that's my role. I jump up and down and yell for them to keep pushing every time they pass by. I celebrate with them when the race is over and encourage them even if they don't get first or don't get a better time than they did at the last meet. I learn who the other runners are on the team, and I cheer for them too. I love the determination that I see on their faces and the guts that they show as they press on in spite of the fact that every muscle in their bodies are crying out for them to stop. I never see my boys break their stride even though quitting would be easier. They push themselves to their physical limits and then push further, and it makes me so proud of them - so in awe of them.
This week has been a banner week for the Harp runners.

Josh ran his personal best 800-meters at today's relay meet. He ran the 800-meter leg of the 1600-meter medley relay. He had a strategy for how to beat BJ (a runner from a neighboring town that he's been running against for years), and he went out there and did it. He ran his persoanl best time at 2:05 and beat BJ by one second. Oh, how fun it was to see that unfold - to watch him push himself beyond what he thought he was capable of - and succeed. He hugged me; I hugged him and kissed him on the forehead and told him how proud I was of him.

On Thursday, Jesse ran his personal best in both the 1600-meter (5:28) and 800-meter (2:31) runs. He was hoping to skip the 1600-meter run at this meet so that he could see what kind of time he'd get in the 800-meter run if he was fresh (the 1600-meter run always comes before the 800-meter run). But, his coach wanted him to run both anyway, and even though he was disappointed, he pushed through the disappointment and ran both. He ended up running his best times yet in both races. I hugged him and kissed him on the forehead and told him how proud I was of him.

My life in four words...

I COOK A LOT! Quite literally, much of my time is spent feeding my boys. Between planning for meals, shopping for food, preparing food, cleaning up food, and occasionally re-purposing food, I cook a lot! For this one all-consuming task, all of my boys (big and small) depend on me. Jesse now considers it an especially good day if he knows that he's NOT "on his own for dinner." In fact, he no longer cares what we are having as long as he doesn't have to prepare his own meal. And NO, he doesn't have to fend for himself often, but even having to warm up his own leftovers or make himself a sandwich constitutes being on his own for dinner to Jesse. You can hear the "Yes!" under his breath when I answer his almost daily question with, "Yes, I'm fixing something for supper."

All of the boys - including Chris - just generally feel loved and cared for and well, happier, when I prepare their food for them. I make their lunches and they feel spoiled. I cook a pot roast and they're grateful. I bake a dessert and I'm the best mom on the planet. I do these things fairly regularly, and yet they continue to be happy and grateful with almost every new feeding opportunity. Shoot, I can make grilled cheese sandwiches, and as long as I make them and serve them up to them on a plate, they're thrilled!

Just knowing I have a plan for their dinner quite literally makes them feel more secure. If someone asks me, "What's for dinner? and I reply with "I have no idea," I can actually see them deflate right before my eyes. Their shoulders drop and they start to look sad and confused and sort of betrayed. It kind of cracks me up - how easy it is to make a man (of any age, apparently) feel loved and relatively content - just feed him. I am going to try to embrace this role of "cook" for the blessings that it allows me to bring to my boys instead of resenting the endless time and effort it takes.

Jesse's Frame-by-Frame Lego Rubik's Cube Video

I have to share Jesse's latest frame-by-frame Lego video. Of course, it took him a few days to complete all of the filming. He figured out how to edit it all together and post it to youtube. I don't know how to do any of that. Josh figured out how to add the music, which makes the video even more fun. :)



Okay, I'll admit that my favorite part is toward the end when the Lego men finally solve one puzzle only to find another puzzle and the one little lego guy shoots himself in the head as a result. Haven't we all felt like that from time to time? :)

YEE-HAW!

I discovered a wonderful little-turned-big blog on the internet a year or so ago. Maybe you've heard of The Pioneer Woman. :) I got hooked on her chapter-by-chapter retelling of the story of how she met and fell in love with her husband (Marlboro Man). She aptly titled the story, "Black Heels to Tractor Wheels." I found her writing to be interesting and funny, and I was a little bit sad when the story ended with their wedding ceremony.

She has a delightful blog full of raw stories from her country life and her recipes are out-of-this-world yummy (full of real butter and ingredients that I might actually have in my kitchen). She had her first cookbook published this past fall, and I have just informed my husband that this is what I want for Mother's Day. I just discovered (although I'm sure this is old news) that her "Black Heels to Tractor Wheels" story will be out in book-form next Valentine's Day, and I also just informed my husband that I would like to receive that book next Valentine's Day. (So, if he's paying attention, then he has TWO gift-giving occasions covered without having to think about it.)

But, the big news of the day - just announced on her blog - is that Sony Pictures has just acquired the rights to turn "Black Heels to Tractor Wheels" into a movie. How fun is that! I also just informed my husband that we will be going to that when it comes out. He is beside himself with excitement. ;) You can read all of the details HERE, including the tidbit that Reese Witherspoon is being strongly considered as the one to play the Pioneer Woman.

Ah, I just love something fun to look forward to, don't you? :)

Jealousy

While reading Matthew 19 & 20 this morning, I came across the parable of the workers in the vineyard. This one has always bothered me (surprise, surprise). In this parable, the vineyard owner hires workers in the morning and agrees to pay them a denarius for the day's work. They agree. Then again, at the 3rd hour and the 6th hour and the 9th hour and finally at the 11th hour, he hires more workers and agrees to pay them a denarius for their day's work (or in these cases - partial day's work). When the workers are lining up at the end of the day to get their pay, the owner pays those who only worked 1 hour the same amount as those who had worked all day long. He doesn't distinguish between those who have worked hard all day and those who only just got there. So, the all-day guys - they start complaining that the landowner was unfair by not giving them more because they had done more work.

(And, I'll admit, my dander is getting a little bit raised by this time too. Why on earth would the owner not have paid the ones who served longer more money - or better yet, why wouldn't the owner have negotiated a lower wage with the ones who came on later - like 1/12 of a denarius for those who only worked one hour? Surely they would have worked for less, and it wouldn't have had to cost the owner as much as it did. It's not fair to those who had been there all day that the owner pays those who just got there the same amount as those who had put in a full day's work.) Being a first-born, I'm kind of a justice-girl - and this whole scenario just does not play well for me.

And then the owner makes the kicker statement in verses 13-15 that makes me frustrated and convicted at the same time... "Friend, I am not being unfair to you. Didn't you agree to work for a denarius? Take your pay and go. I want to give the man who was hired last the same as I gave you. Don't I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or, are you envious because I am generous?"

I guess I would have to be honest and answer, "Yes, I guess I must be envious of your generosity, Lord, when I feel like that generousity has caused me to be overlooked." When put that bluntly, the question and answer seem to demand that I make a shift in my thinking. Who am I to question or be envious of the generousity of God? After all, I am also a recipient of God's generousity. It is His alone to determine to what extent that He gives grace and abundance.

My first thought is that Jesus is referring to salvation in this parable (which I think He is), but I think the same principle applies to life here on earth as well. With regard to money, to talents, to faith, to ease, to health... some have more than I have and some have less than I have, but it is not mine to be envious of what God has been generous with. Good reminder...

The Library

I love the library. It's even better than a bookstore except that it doesn't have a Starbucks inside. Today was shipping day, so I was out running errands early this morning and found myself at the library 10 minutes before it even opened. I ended up sitting on the bench in front of the building while I waited for them to open up. It was just a wee bit embarressing - like who actually waits on the porch for the library doors to open? Well, me!

I went straight for the audio books section - another "loser-like" tell, I fear. But never mind... I chose two audio books to listen to while I work this week, and I was truly almost giddy with excitement as I checked them out. I planned to work in the basement while listening to one of my newly borrowed books today, but I ended up having to be on the computer all day long.

However, tomorrow is a new day, and I plan on working in my basement all day long while listening to a brand new story. What a wonderful way to spend a day - productivity while being entertained. :)

New Perspective

It's been a rough week - no, a rough month really. I have actually started to feel like we're being tested to see how many "one-more-things" can be loaded onto our lives during a one-month time period. Our breaking points have been a little closer to the surface the past few weeks. However, Chris came home from work last night with a new attitude. He was smiling and laughing and hugging and didn't look exhausted and frazzled, which I was kind of expecting because I knew he was going to have a hard day at work. He performed a funeral for a family that he didn't know, whose 25 year-old son had died. The circumstances were a little different here because this boy had been diagnosed with encephilitis when he was six months old and had hardly any brain function. He had never spoken a word or laughed or smiled or done anything at all. I think that he was basically in a vegetative state for 25 years. As Chris perfomed his funeral, he was reminded of how blessed we are with our 5 healthy and active boys.

Among many other things, we've been stressing out about what decision to make regarding club soccer for Jacob. The price tag to be involved is pretty high, both financially and with the time and effort required to get him to all of the practices and games - and Jake is just 1 of 5 kids who are involved in sports. We want to do what we can to help him pursue his dreams, but at some point the question always comes up, "Does the end justify the means?"

When Chris came home yesterday, it was like he had a burden lifted off of his shoulders. He told me that he had been thinking about how small our problems and decisions are in light of what is really important. He said, "We've been stressed about deciding if and where Jacob will play soccer this spring when what is really important is that he is healthy and able to play soccer at all." I thought that was very insightful, and I'm so grateful for a new perspective today. Lots to do today; I'd better get after it!

My brand new cell phone fell in the toilet

Literally. I've been trying to dry it out for three days. Most of the buttons still work, but the Power Off/Send button does something wonky every time it is pressed. I have it in a sealed container of rice and under a lamp in an effort to dry up the moisture.

I think my "Technology Queen" status in our home is in jeapordy. My subjects just don't respect my title as much now that I've dropped my new superior technology in the toilet. That seems to have tainted things...

Between the crashed computer, the iTunes fiasco, and now this, it's been a bad week...

Another computer crashed...

Keeping our many technology devices all up and running has turned into another part-time job for me. I worked for over 4 hours trying to get iTunes operating correctly yesterday. (GRRRR...) And, today the laptop that I just bought for the boys in August seems to have crashed - black screen - nothing. Joe was just sitting there playing some game on it and then came the menacing black screen. I went to the acer website and typed in the problem, and I was directed to just send it in for repair - no attempt to troubleshoot. Thankfully, it is still under warranty, and we don't store photos or important stuff on that computer. I've been thrilled with that little machine until now. We've never had a problem with it until it just crashed out of nowhere. It reminds me of what my laptop did when the motherboard was fried a couple of years ago (shudder...).

That reminds me that it would probably be a good idea to back up my laptop tonight. I have a jazzy back-up drive that I employ fairly regularly - and the crash of the boys' laptop is a good motivator to take the time to go ahead and back up again.

So here's my public service reminder for the weekend: "Have you backed up lately?"

In closing, I leave you with a couple of recent 8"x8" pages. These will go into my Snapshots Albums from 2008/2009. Both pages were made using The ScrapRoom's February Kits. :)

Jacob and his buddies before their Freshman Homecoming (10/08)


Josiah is "one cool dude!"

Momma's moving up!

I'm not particularly a big music gal. I like music, but with the constant chaos and noise that comes with living in a full house, I will often choose quiet over music when given the choice. However, I do love my ipod with all of my favorite songs organized into perfectly proportioned playlists just for me. Here is "Mom's Ipod," as we affectionately refer to her in iTunes and among her ipod friends.

Yes, Mom's ipod is an ancient version of the ipod mini. They don't even make em' like her anymore. She's a music-only player - no video, no phone, no extra cool features, but in her heyday, she could shuffle songs and play them with the best of them! I bought her used, but she has served me well for several years. We have good memories. However, lately "Mom's ipod" is just getting worn out. She's just not holding a charge like she used to, and even though I'll charge her for hours, she'll only give me just a few minutes of music. It's time to let her rest and bring on the next generation of ipod to carry on the music-playing torch.

I have three boys who are also ipod-lovers, and we have a few different members of the ipod family that have joined our family. Jeremiah has this cute little guy - the ipod nano; he plays videos.


And Jake and Josh have the larger ipod classics cause they're men and they needed more gigs for all of ther teenage music. These were the ipod of choice when they bought them a couple of years ago.


I considered all of these options. The nano would have been big enough for my rather narrow and no-longer-expanding music tastes. But, I've watched enough TV to know that "There's an app for everything," so I started asking questions about the iTouch. All I had to hear was that I could surf the internet and wouldn't have to purchase a monthly data package and I knew my search was over. I went out that very day and purchased this little beauty. We affectionately refer to her as "Mom's iTouch."

We got her all set up last night, and we even found some cool new "apps" to download. The boys are just as smitten with "Mom's iTouch" as I am. My teenage boys have even recognized me as the new "Queen of Technology" in our house, and since they won't be upgrading anytime soon, I expect to retain my throne for many years.

A little 8x8 layout

I'm getting ready for the website's February updates, and I felt like we needed one more layout in the Sketch Gallery. Julie Bonner designs an exclusive sketch for us each month, and she does such a fabulous job. I just love, love, love sketches as a starting point for my scrapbook pages - and Julie's sketches are so easy to work with. Here is Julie's February sketch:

Here is my interpretation of her sketch. It's pretty straightforward, but my page is 8x8 in size instead of the standard 12x12, so the photo takes up a lot more of the page. I love it!

I used the upcoming February kit - the Little Yellow Bicycle Generation Z line - so great for boys!

Evaluate - Sort - Purge

I've been spending some time this week reorganizing my scrapspace. A big purge was long overdue, and with CHA coming up next week, I have to make room for some new good stuff by getting rid of some old stuff. So, I forced myself to make some honest decisions about what was worth keeping and what I should let go of. (Evaluate - Sort - Purge) The whole process was energizing, and all of the sorting and purging made me think about how much of our lives are spent organizing and sorting and reorganizing and how occasionally choosing to throw out the junk instead of simply moving it to another shelf is good for the home and good for the soul.

When dealing with the material things of our lives like our kitchens and our closets and our garages, it is always a good thing to get rid of the stuff that we're not using so that we can access the good stuff that we need and love. This same rule applies to the immaterial things of our lives as well - things like our priorities and our attitudes. It is a good thing to take time to evaluate who we are and who we want to be - to sort the truth of our lives from the excuses that we hide behind - and to take steps to get rid of some of the junk so that we can access the good stuff. (Evaluate - Sort - Purge) Just a few thoughts I've been having as I wind the corner on another year...

And, just because a blog post without a photo is boring (words of wisdom from my friend, Chrissy), I leave you with a parting shot, our 2009 Christmas card photo, which many of you will be receiving later this spring. :)

Personal Day

I just added a new blog header and updated all of my favorite links on the sidebar, and I'm going to take a "Personal Day" tomorrow. I've been working non-stop for weeks, and I'm looking forward to a day of cleaning and organizing my scrapspace - completely non-work-related. Ah, the bliss...

On a work note (because I can't stop myself)... the sneak peeks of the new CHA-Winter product releases are starting to pop up, and so far I am not overly excited, which is a little unnerving. I'm hoping for some fun new products for our spring and summer kits, so I'm hanging on to hope that the manufacturers are saving their best stuff for the show. The one line that I'm jazzed about so far is this new line from Jillibean Soup. Can't wait for this one!

OLD WORLD CABBAGE SOUP: