Our Magical Trip

How does one begin writing again when it has been so long?  Do I condense two months of fullness into one blog post?  Or perhaps, I re-start and introduce myself anew.  There have been so many times when I have wanted to sit down and record the amazing things that are happening around me. But life is moving so quickly right now that I have had to set my writing on the back burner.  Sometimes I wish I had a special camera that would turn our stories into writing for me.  You know, one that would sort of record life exactly as it was happening, on paper?  But I digress...

Now that Thanksgiving has gone by, (but thankfulness remains) I can put into motion preparations for Christmas.  My husband came home Tuesday and decided it was time to put up the tree.  It was a joy to watch him work with the kids to put it all together and decorate it.  (Yes, we have a fake tree.)  This weekend all I have to do is put out a few more decorations around the house and we'll be good to go!


Our Beautiful Tree

Speaking of decorations, I don't think I could forgive myself if I didn't at least record a little blurb about our trip to Disneyland this month.  We spent 7 wonderful days in beautiful CA the second week of November.  LR got to spend her 8th birthday at California Adventure. :)  We spent two days there, one day at Universal Studios, and two days at Disneyland.  (With one down day to rest and recoup in the middle.)  They start putting up Christmas decorations at all the parks there Nov. 1, and it is BEAUTIFUL!  They also have the Christmas parade at Disneyland every evening. Plus, they turn the Princess Castle into an ice castle at night and then it snows down Main Street! The kids LOVED that!


It really was a magical trip.  The kids' Nana, an Aunt, and an Uncle all came along for the ride and it was pure fun.  We've been saving up for this trip for three years now so that we could pay cash for everything.  I have to say, it was worth the wait!  Our kids were all at the perfect ages.  They range from 6-11 and they all had a blast.  Even our youngest only had a couple of rides he couldn't go on and he was a trooper to go on all the "big kid" rides with us.  It was worth the trip just to see their reactions to their first time flying. 

I could go on and on, but AMAZING pretty much sums it all up in a nutshell.

Well, I should be going for now.  I've got lots of things on my to-do list.  I hope I'll be able to get back to blogging more again, but I make no promises.  Funny, when my kids were small I used to think I'd have MORE time when they were all in school.  It doesn't seem to have worked out that way, but it sure is fun! 

Have a blessed weekend!
-Melissa 

A Priceless Gift

Sometimes I just need a little reminding to have a positive attitude.  Rachel Anne over at Home Sanctuary had perfect timing this morning with her post Glass Half Full. 

In her post she says "Learning to have a positive attitude is a gift we can give our children...and is a gift we can give ourselves."  A gift.  Encouraging words.  Understanding.  Grace.  All gifts that are priceless, wrapped in selfless love.  Gifts designed by the Master of giving. 

Mornings aren't always the most positive environment around here with 5 kids getting ready for school.  Take this morning, for example.  I was having a tough morning, being stretched to the limit.  One of my boys came to me and said he was sorry for making me mad.  I was only trying to teach him that he needs to be responsible for some things on his own in the morning because Mommy can't do it all.  I think all he heard was "I'm mad at you because you're making my life difficult."  I hugged him and told him I wasn't mad and that I was sorry for coming across that way. 

Am I sorry for trying to teach him to help himself in the morning?  No.  I am, however, sorry for the way I presented the lesson.  It must have been in my tone of voice.  Or maybe the words I used.  Perhaps it was just the frown on my face.  I am so thankful that he was brave enough to approach me.  My heart sinks to think that I could hurt one of my children with my words.  I'm so glad they are quick to forgive me.

I am going to try to have a more positive attitude in the morning.  Hopefully it will be contageous... a gift worth wrapping and unwrapping over and over again. 

"Let all that you do be done in love." -1Corinthians 16:14
 

Summer Moments

It seems my blog has turned into a once a month thing.  While I don't mind that it has taken a seat on the back burner this Summer, I do miss sitting down and writing once or twice a week.  When I started my blog it was to share the Small Things that I do on a daily basis to create Sancuary in my home.  I still partipate with Rachel Anne and other Company Girls over at Home Sanctuary.  I am encouraged on a regular basis by Rachel's posts and the comments that I read there.  Like today... I stopped in for Company Girl Coffee, and I was happy to be greeted by a photo of Flash, the Donkey, just hanging out enjoying life.

Sometimes, as I have witnessed this Summer, life just seems to move along at a pace so steady that you don't have time to stop and do the things you love the most.  Although this won't be the longest blog post ever, I'm taking a tip from good old Flash and Simply Live in the Moment.  Or, if you'll allow it, maybe several moments.  I want to share a few of my favorite pictures from this Summer so far. 

Thanks for stopping in for coffee.  Have a great weekend!

Watching the gang play "Peanuts" at the Larson Family Reunion...crazy!  We "camped" at Camp Kawanis for 4 days and spent time getting to know extended family members making great memories.

The kids with my mom in front of her house in Oak Harbor on Whidbey Island



Me with my 98yr old Grandma.  She still lives on her own...I just love her spirit!!!!

The kids climbing the stairs up to the top of the light house at Ft. Casey



On the beach at Deception Pass State Park. 
I was born and raised on Whidbey Island and have crossed that bridge too many times to count!

Climbing at West Beach

Playing in the water

JS's 10th birthday and MUD!

RL's 11th Birthday Breakfast

Swimming...LOTS of Swimming this Summer!!!

Just A Few Thoughts

Is it the end of June already?  My how time flies!  Too much has been going on to tell it all here.  How about a re-cap of the last week?  This past week I was...

Blessed... with a visit from my mom and sister.  We've lived here for a year now and this is the first time my mom has been able to come out and see our new home and the Dollar Plus store.  I was so excited to have both of them here and thankful that my sister would make the trip only a day after she finished up teaching for the year.  The visit ended all too quickly.

Encouraged... by a quote that I read in my "Praying God's Word Day by Day" devotional.  It read "Walking consistently does not mean walking perfectly.  It means we may stumble, but we will not fall."  When I lose my footing, the Lord is sure to come along and set my feet on solid ground again.

"I waited patiently for the LORD; and He inclined to me and heard my cry.
He brought me up out of the pit of destruction, out of the miry clay,
And He set my feet upon a rock making my footsteps firm."  (Psalm 40:1-2)

Frustrated... that my dog keeps digging out of our yard and I now have to keep him on a chain when he is alone.  Remember that story, the Pokey Little Puppy?  That's what my dog reminds me of.  He just has to get out into the wide wide world and see what's out there!

Joyful...  because my kids had so much fun at VBS this week.  They came home singing all kinds of fun songs and telling stories about what they learned.  It was a great experience for them.  They made lots of new friends and learned many good lessons from the Word.

Weary... from a long month of events, travelling, and excitement. I anticipate a busy July, where the fun will continue.  Many parents pack the Summer full with sports, swimming lessons, camping, and other events, but not me.  We plan one major trip (in August) and the rest of the Summer seems to fill itself up without my help.  We have company coming next week for the 4th of July and there are 3 birthdays and a family reunion plus our anniversary in July.  I try to take advantage of every moment of down time!

Reflective... because we have been here for almost exactly a year now.  It has been a good year.  The kids love their school and have made a lot of good friends.  I am so thankful for this house and for the family that lives here.  Over all, we are very blessed.

I guess that brings me full circle to blessed!  I hope that you also feel blessed by the Lord in this journey of life. 

~Melissa

^"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ." -Ephesians 1:3

10 Things I've Been Meaning to Write About...

There are some things that have been on my mind but I just haven't had the time to sit down and write about them.  I figured I'd better do a little catching up before I forget what a fun and busy Spring we've had this year!  Rather than put them in 10 separate posts, I've grouped them all together here.

3rd Grade Spelling Bee

1. The Spelling Bee - BC (my third grader) asked if he could compete in the city-wide spelling be this year.  We signed him up and he studied the list of words that they were given, anticipating the big day.  They divided the 3rd grade contestants into two groups, (of about 18 entries each) and the top two contestants from each group then had a "Spell-Off."  I am so proud to say that BC made it into the Spell-Off and then got 3rd place over all.  What an achievement!

Night Glow

2. Balloon Stampede - Every year Walla Walla has a weekend event called Balloon Stampede where several hot air balloons take off in the morning and land at night.  We went to the "Night Glow" portion of the weekend and watched 9 hot air balloons being blown up and then light their fires to show the beautiful colors/pictures on them in the dark.  So much fun!

3. My Happy Mother's Day - This year for Mother's Day all I wanted to do was NOTHING!  I slept in and the kids really stepped up and let me just relax.  I also received several precious gifts that they made for me at school, a giant Mother's Day card from all, and a special Mother's Day balloon.  (Which we sold over 200 of in our store this year.)

CD, Me, and Funny LR

4. Registering my baby for Kindergarten - If anyone knows me or you've read some of my other posts, I am the mother of 5.  Next year, my baby goes into kindergarten.  I have had the joy of having him at home with me during the school hours all to myself for 2 years now.  I sure am going to miss taking him to work and playing with him around the house during the day.  I can't believe he's all grown up and ready for school.  *Tear, Sniff*

5. Explorers - BC was tested and got into a program called "Explorers" next year. In grade school it is Math and Science based and he will be bused to another school twice a week to study some advanced topics.  We went and viewed some of this year's science projects and he is super excited for next year.  I just know he's going to love the program.

JS on Recorder (red shirt, black shorts)

6. Spring Assembly - I went to the 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade Spring concert.  RL had a guitar part with some of her peers in one of the songs.  She practiced so hard and really hard and loves playing the guitar.  We may have to further explore that passion!  JS had a recorder part in the 4th grade song with some of his other friends.  By the time the concert came around, he had that part perfected!  Each grade had a song where they did a little dance.  It was BC's first day back after being home sick with the flu all week, but he was a trooper and put on a good smile for "Lean on Me."  They do some really fun things at our grade school.  I have been impressed this year with the staff and the curriculum.

7. The Break-In - We suffered our first burglary to our store last week.  The crazy part is that it wasn't the first attempt.  No, just three days before someone had tried to break in the back door, but there is a bar on it.  I won't go into details here for obvious reasons but I will say that it could have been worse.  Thankfully, they didn't trash the store.  There were two break-ins in the same night.  The first one broke the window and the second took advantage of it.  It has been a long haul for my husband.  The aftermath is ongoing and he's taking care of it all.  I sure do love that man!

LR & CD Help the Plumber

8. The hole in our back yard - Adventures in home ownership!  Since we bought the house "as-is" we purchased a home warranty to fix any problems we might come across our first year here.  So far we've had a leaky pipe fixed, a toilet re-set, and a shower valve cleaned out.  We found a leak in our main pipe but it is OUTSIDE the house, thus, not covered by our home warranty.  Go figure.  So we took a plumbers advice and started to dig a 4 ft hole in the front yard to find the leak.  My generous husband dug through mostly rock (did I mention how much I love him?) until he thought he found the source.  Then this past weekend the kids came running in yelling "Daddy, Daddy, the hole is filling up with water!"  Yup.  He found it alright!  We ended up turning off the water at the main meter at the street and we went without water for 24 hours until we could get a plumber out to fix it.  What an adventure.  I'm glad we don't live in Pioneer days.  Just sayin'.

Max

9. Max, our quirky dog - So we have this little dog named Max.  For some reason he doesn't like to drink water out of his water bowl inside.  For that reason I keep one outside that I've trained the kids to put fresh water in every day.  Last weekend (before we had to shut the water off) we were running the sprinklers and I was outside on our deck reading.  One of the sprinklers sounded kind of funny so I went to investigate.  Well, to my amusement, Max was standing at the sprinkler, moving his head back and forth, lapping up the water.  I laughed so hard!  What a funny little dog!

Me and My Girl RL

10. My baby girl is going into middle school - RL is turning 11 this Summer.  I will officially have my first middle-schooler in the Fall.  Where has the time gone?  I remember holding her in my arms when she was a baby.  She has grown into such a delightful young lady.  Last night we went and explored Pioneer Middle School together.  (6th-8th grade)  She's excited and nervous all at the same time.  I can hardly believe we've arrived at middle school.

Speaking of school, we're done for the year on Thursday of next week.  We're kicking off our Summer with my Brother-in-Law's wedding.  Then we head into all the Summer activities, including 7 birthdays, our wedding anniversary, and a family reunion.  It's going to be a great Summer! 

Thanks for stopping by and have a great weekend everyone!
~Melissa

Company Girl Coffee 5.4.12

Today's Small Thing is to come up with "Creature Comfort" for each of the five senses.  Since I was already going to share about our guest room here on my blog today, I decided to take the idea of having company over and run with it. 

Before

After

Sight: Our guest room has a new, fresh coat of paint!  We went with two colors, both in the warm grey family.  I am going to finish one of my Grandmother's old dressers to place in there and my husband is bringing home a painting to bring it all together.  Just in time to have company over this weekend!  Yay!

Smell: Chili in the crockpot for dinner tonight!  I will be making corn bread to go with it.  This meal always fills my kitchen with irresistible aromas!

Taste: Hmm...maybe I should have saved the chili for this one! :)  I'm always up for a good chocolate and I have some Frangos hidden away for a rainy day.  Yum!

Touch: Hugs and more hugs for our friends that are coming to visit!  I haven't seen them since January so they are missed and I am really looking forward to their stay.

Sound: There will be lots of laughter going on this weekend as our children play with their children and the adults visit and play board games. 

I love to play hostess and make our guests feel at home.  We've known them for years and they are like family to us. 

Have a blessed weekend everyone!  Thanks for joining me for coffee today!
~Melissa  

Psalm 103 - Bless the Lord, O My Soul!

This psalm renewed my spirits this morning.  I hope you are encouraged by it too.

Bless the LORD, O my soul,
And all that is within me, bless His holy name.
Bless the LORD, O my soul,
And forget none of His benefits;
Who pardons all your iniquities,
Who heals all your diseases;
Who redeems your life from the pit,
Who crowns you with lovingkindness and compassion;
Who satisfies your years with good things,
So that your youth is renewed like the eagle.

The LORD performs righteous deeds
And judgments for all who are oppressed.
He made known His ways to Moses,
His acts to the sons of Israel.
The LORD is compassionate and gracious,
Slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness.
He will not always strive with us,
Nor will He keep His anger forever.
He has not dealt with us according to our sins,
Nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.
For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
So great is His lovingkindness toward those who fear Him.
As far as the east is from the west,
So far has He removed our transgressions from us.
Just as a father has compassion on his children,
So the LORD has compassion on those who fear Him.
For He Himself knows our frame;
He is mindful that we are but dust.

As for man, his days are like grass;
As a flower of the field, so he flourishes.
When the wind has passed over it, it is no more,
And its place acknowledges it no longer.
But the lovingkindness of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear Him,
And His righteousness to children’s children,
To those who keep His covenant
And remember His precepts to do them.

The LORD has established His throne in the heavens,
And His sovereignty rules over all.
Bless the LORD, you His angels,
Mighty in strength, who perform His word,
Obeying the voice of His word!
Bless the LORD, all you His hosts,
You who serve Him, doing His will.
Bless the LORD, all you works of His,
In all places of His dominion;
Bless the LORD, O my soul!