Merry Christmas

We wish you a Merry Christmas!

We have had a lovely day. It was a small and quiet gathering. Due to my lingering illness I couldn't gather the energy to do much. Thanks for all the help from my sister, mom and my grandmother and dear husband we pulled off a nice Christmas celebration.

Grammy and the chidren gave us a presentation of the Christmas story - J has brought humor to us this season. He keeps saying "Mary and Moses" instead of "Mary and Joseph" when he sees Nativity scenes. He insisted loudly that he wanted to be Moses this morning but was pleased to instead be Gabriel and deliver the message to Mary. It was a delightful reminder of CHRISTmas this morning. The children were exceptionally happy with their gifts and were truly thankful as they expressed their gratitude to each gift giver.

We even crammed in a fast game of Monopoly this afternoon. Though unfortunately we discovered this afternoon that the dishwasher is not draining so Aaron has been battling with it. Not our Christmas wish, but these things do happen at inconvenient times.

I did get my jammies on shortly after 4 and tucked myself under blankets. I believe I will be off to the doctor in the morning - it seems to be the 2nd bout with bronchitis in less than 6 weeks so we need to do something much different. I am also scaling back our life and creating more home time for my rest and healing (not to mention the home management, unpacking, schooling, baby preparations, etc). Sometimes life forces decisions that must be made for the good of all.

A Father's Job

I love my job.  No, not the one I get paid for.  (ok, that one's fun too)

No, I'm talking about the one where I get to teach the kids that life is difficult.  But to keep on keepin' on.

By buying them scooters.

(stick with me here...)

Yes, I did.  boise.craigslist.com listing...the guy had 2 used ones at a price I just couldn't pass up.

15mph, electric, and an absolute hoot and a hollar.  (Janey's translation: "potential kid dismembering death traps")

Now how, do you rightly ask, could I possibly be in my right mind by saying "this teaches the kids that life is hard." 

I'm getting to that.  Be patient.  (that's another thing I get to teach my kids. Patience.)

So we bought those two electric mini bikes.  (and helmets)  And 15mph is pretty fast.  But it's not, generally speaking, life threatening.  (see the aforementioned helmets)

But it - very likely - hurts.  Skinned knees.  Bonked noggins.  Wipeout/rolls along the ground. 

Now while Janey maintains that my job is to try to maim the kids and her job is to keep me from maiming them too severely I look at it differently.  Life skins you up sometimes.  Tosses you higglety-pigglety and skids you along for a while.  It hurts.  Knocks the wind out of you.  Gives you some bruises and blood.

Does that mean you give up?  Absolutly not.  If we had horses,  I could draw the appropriate "if the horse bucks you off..." analogy...but we don't have horses.  (let me repeat that...we *don't* have horses.)  But we now have these.

So, you see, in my own fatherly way I'm grooming these kids to ride life to the fullest, deal with the inevitable crash and burn, and keep going.

It was hard.  But sometimes love must be tough.

Warning: Sleepwalking boys are dangerous!

Well, potentially.

So C (being 7) is working on "waking up to go potty".  Sometimes it works.  Sometimes not.

Sometimes it works half-way.

Like last night.  About 11pm, he goes tripping past my door.  Walking purposely.  Quickly.  

"Uh...son?  Are you ok?"

Mumbled reply.

Now I'm all cozy warm in bed.  Really don't want to get up.  Maybe he just needed a stuffed animal that's downstairs.  Yeah.  That's it.

Or not.

Wait.  Listen.  Wait...nothing.

I finally peel myself out of bed to go check on him.  And not a second too soon.  

He's standing in the living room. 

Eyes 3/4 closed.

Facing straight into the coat closet.

Jammie bottoms around his ankles.

"WHOA boy...!" sez I.  I steer him quickly back into the bathroom and get him seated.  Check back at the potential zone 'o danger.  No moisture.  Whew.  

That was close.

Our new addition...

drum roll please.......

I had my ultrasound and midwife check up today!

First news: the ultrasound this time confirmed that MY due date was more accurate (rather than what the little wheel says), looks like May 20th. So that means that we were trying to ultrasound too soon and the diagnostics/measurements couldn't really be done. We will ultrasound again next month.

Second news:
But we did get the BIG news that we are having a GIRL! Another little daughter and we are excited!!!

Another Step Forward and Misc

Hello!

I have been checking other blogs and thinking "why aren't there new updates? I want to know what is going on !?!?"

Then I realized that maybe I should update my own little space with some snippets, even though they seem trivial.

Okay, I have the sunroom mostly arranged and the boxes unpacked. It is the most "peaceful" room in the house in that chaos isn't the majority of the space.

Next is the kitchen, I believe that I have unpacked all of the kitchen boxes and that I have 98% of it put away. There are lots of homeless things that are landing in the kitchen that don't belong there, so it is still chaotic and I avoid it. However I do have all of my cooking equipment accessible and I can cook - if only the homeless clutter would leave the counters and congregate somewhere else less crucial. And I have everything nicely arranged the shelves aren't bulging. I feel good about the purging that I did.

The garden - I feel like I am running out of time on my garden prep. I still have about 30 minutes of weed whacking to do - but it is COLD! Then I have my newspapers to lay out and then cover over with the leaves. I am hoping that I will get out there tomorrow morning and tackle it. Then it is ready for the snow and will be bedded down to work into the soil.

Okay the more enjoyable of all this is some baby prep. I snatched up some Black Friday on-line sales and free shipping and got some good deals on maternity clothes and cloth diapers. In fact I even feel motivated to try my hand at sewing some diapers. I am a bit selfish in that I like to do all this baby stuff myself - call it quality control but really I just thoroughly ENJOY it and love to delve into it!

We do have our ultrasound on Monday and are excitedly waiting to get peeks at the baby and know who this little person is. Then I can get some flannel fabric to make up for this special person. I have been feeling baby Backer off and on the past month. The off days have honestly made me very nervous and prayerful. But I am feeling more confidence with more movements.

We had our homeschool co-op class today. I am amazed at how much I have enjoyed prepping for the class and seeing it all come together. The wonderful part is how many other moms are helping and that I can stand back and watch during the class. I am looking forward to next semester and what we will plan for those classes. On Saturday our homeschool group will have our Christmas party - I love these families and the privilege of spending time with such great families. It will be a very fun time!

And on Friday Aaron and I get to have another adult night out. Monday we got to attend the KOTH couples dinner. And on Friday we will go to his company Christmas party - it will be nice to go out together and get to know more people.
Stay warm and smile!
=-) Janey

Life is delightful!

More info than you wanted to know...but here's some selected bits of an email exchange between the wife and I.

From:Janey

I don't want to shock you..... with my new hobby!

GP298 Redworm Composting System (includes 1,000 live worms) . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Kit . . . . . . . . . NEW!! 39.55

...Redworms can consume ½ their body weight in organic matter a day, converting it to  castings which are higher in plant available nutrients than traditional composts or manures. Plant directly in castings, mix with soils, or make tea for watering . Castings increase water retention, plant growth and production.

Redworms can reduce feed costs for your flock of chickens/ pets/fishing bait. Redworms are composting worms that live in organic matter, eating and reproducing. Each mature redworm can lay 1 cocoon per week. In three weeks 1-5 baby redworms emerge, maturing in 60-90 days. The population increases exponentially as they match the feed available to them (making redworms a viable feed option for chickens- being 80% protein).

The system contains:

1000 redworms (~1 lb.)


****************************

That's right baby.  We're WORM RANCHERS now!!

This is awesome!

Think of it...sitting around the campfire. Worm-range songs... "oh give me a home...where the worms cast in loam...where the coffee grounds are 'et all day..."

Worm roundups.  Worm drives.

"Yee ha!  Get along little slimey!"  

"Uh-oh...the horse just stepped in... there goes ol' bessy.."

Wonder how hard it'll be to brand those puppies...

Etiquette conundrum

A couple interesting bits from the last few days (months..)

Saturday I was sitting with the kids, eating dinner.  The 8 year old daughter rips one.  (for the more delicate among you, she "passed flattice"  But to be perfectly accurate there was really nothing delicate about this particular flattice.)

Silence.

Dad: "What do you say?"

I look over at here with the patented arched-daddy-eyebrow.

Silence....wait...wait...she knows what to say, why isn't she saying it?  

I start to get a little annoyed.

"Daughter?!"

"Dad...I had FOOD in my mouth?!  I was waiting to finish chewing!"

Oh.  Of course.

Note to Miss Manners: If you pass gas with a bite of food mid-chew...what to do?

********************

C (age 7) :  "How long did that take?  An hour and a half!"

J (age 5.  Condescending tone.) :  "No....it was only 90 minutes".

Dad (age 35) "?!!?"

********************

G: (looking at her new 3-d human anatomy book from Nana Ruth)

"Dad ~ Look!  Look!  A bladder! "

"Umm...dad, what's a sphincter?"

(ok, I thought it was funny)

********************

Standard bedtime rule with the boys - no talking, no noises, or there are consequences.

Last night I gave the standard admonition.  "Lay still and lay quiet.  Goodnight."

Less than 30 seconds later "Bang! Bang!"

I walk back in.  "Son!"

"Dad, I didn't do anything!"

"Uhh...I just heard you shoot your capgun?!"

"It was an accident!"

I'm still here

It has been awhile.... But I too have survived the move.

What a huge ordeal to not repeat again for a very long time. One should not be sick, pregnant and move at all the same time!

Why am I always pregnant when we move? I can tell that the two seem to coorespond, well we moved with Jonathon, Joshua and this baby. But it hasn't been with every pregnancy.

1st
I clearly have a lot of work to do to pare down what I/we own. It just isn't going to fit, and I clearly don't need it all. And the toys - oh my goodness there is enough for a toy store!

2nd
I am not sure how to store what I do have - I miss my built-in cabinets from the old house! I am praying for wisdom and creativity and ruthlessness to part with clutter and not hoard.

3rd
I just don't have energy and I need peace to be patient with my limitations and chaotic home. This is going to take some time and I will have to just take one day and one step at a time.

4th
We have been so blessed by family and friends that have provided child care, food, muscles for packing and loading or unloading. Thank you so much!!!!!

5th
I am really enjoying the spaciousness of the backyard and pasture. It is very serene to see the open space and the beautiful sunlight. I also like how the sun pours through all the windows in this house - it is bright and cheerful.

Cheers! Janey

What I'm thankful for (a day late..)

That the folks @ Lowes were able to find a couple extra boxes of the tool kits I found for the kids new workbenches.

Today Janey's sister Becky, her husband Jon, Janey's grandma, her mom, her aunt, and our brother-in-law Ron all descended upon our house and attacked the portable storage unit like an army of rabid beavers.

No, no, no...they didn't chew through the sides.  But they did manage to get it unloaded in about 2 hours flat.  THANK YOU GUYS!!

I'm thankful we have a warm home.  With a hot water heater that didn't need replacing.

I'm very thankful for a totally rockin' tree in the back yard that's just *begging* for a tree fort/tire swing/zip line.  (Janey's not so thankful for that one..)

I'm thankful for a shop twice as big as as my old one.  With lots of room to expand.

I'm thankful C finally pulled the front tooth he's had dangling for the last week.  (I think my tales of dead teeth rotting in the mouth convinced him...dad's have a strange power, that way)

I'm thankful for my wonderful/creative/compassionate wife who is dedicated to the training and teaching of our children.  And loves me even though she holds strong reservations when I talk about teaching the kids chemistry.

I'm thankful for 3.2 awesome kids that keep me laughing, challenge my pretensiousness, and graciously allow me to live vicariously through them.

cheers!

-Aaron

Moved in ~ Day 4

Day four in the new house.  

We have hot water - hurrah!

The boxes in the house are about 75% unpacked.  The garage is still about 75% full.  But it's slowly coming together.

We haven't seen a single spider since re-bombing (with the appropriate spray!) and doing the spider-spray stuff.  That's a happy thing.

The weather has been kind ~ some rain yesterday, but it's cleared up now and the kids have had fun exploring.  J is so cute..."I want to go OUTSIDE!!"  And then he just wanders...

There's still a long list of things to get done ~ fences to be extended and patched so Gracie (the dog) can come home.  The storage unit in our driveway remains untouched. (got to clear out the garage to have someplace to unload it *to*...) And the 1001 other little things (where to keep the toothbrushes?  Where should we put the crib?  The boys need shelves!) that inevitably need to be addressed.

But that's just life.  And, you know, I found my coffee grinder this morning.  So I was able to make the morning cuppa.

Life is good.

We're moved.

Our movers estimated 3 hours to load the truck. It took closer to 7. About 3 hours to unload the truck.

The 26' u-haul was packed, tetris-like, to the gills. The movers did an AWESOME job carefully packing everything. I think this is a first...a move where we didn't have anything scratched or gouged. (of course, I didn't do any of the furniture wrapping/packing/stacking. So that may have something to do with it)

For all that, we still toted 5 pickup loads *and* one additional (poorly loaded "throw everything left in") 26' u-haul full. And (blessing of blessings) 4 teenaged sons of friends showed up to pitch in and helped load and unload 3 of those truckloads (including the swingset, exercise machines, swing set, and 300lb jointer!) as well as helping to unload the last 1/4 of the uhaul AND move the 80,000 tonne* player piano into the house.

(*not really. But it felt like it)

Our 20' "portable" storage container remains on our driveway. Untouched.

The next day, we discovered that our beloved hobo spiders are also in full residence at our new residence. (not surprising as the house was vacant throughout the "spider migrating inside" season..) So we:

1.) turned off the pilot light to the furnace & water heater downstairs.
2.) bombed the shop and the downstairs.
3.) discovered live spiders that night. (WHAT?!!)
4.) re-read the bomb "kill list" and...surprise...it kills everything EXCEPT spiders.
5.) spent an hour trying to re-light the hot water heater's pilot light...unsuccessfully. (bad thermocouple. What's a thermocouple?!)
6.) Zealously sprayed around every baseboard and window sill with "Super Mojo Spider Kill Perimeter Spray." Great stuff. Spray it 'round the corners and baseboards and it keeps on killing for 4-6 months!! Doubtless I'll probably grow a third ear and an auxilliary couple of toes from it, but man...it does those spiders in!

Janey packed the kids off to grandma's this morning for baths/showers. My "shower" was a pot o' stove-warmed water. (Good excuse not to shave. Felt a bit like Pa in "Little House on the Prairie"...)

The boys actually have beds. G is sleeping on her mattress on the floor. Janey's sleeping on a twin bed in the (otherwise full of boxes) to-be craft/office/sewing room. Aaron's camping in the "master" bedroom...and discovering that 2 king-sized memory foam mattresses folded into 4 layers of twin-sized foamy goodness makes for a deliciously comfortable night's sleep. (then again, after the work we've done over the last 4-5 days, I could probably sleep on leaves...)

Other things of note:

• This house has a LOT of leaf dropping trees on the property. Thank the good Lord (and Grandma Phyllis) for leaf blowers.
  
• Windstorms pretty much negate efforts to corral leaves.
  
• My shop is nice and big. 24' x 12' = 288sqft. The old one was 9' x 16' = 144sqft. So I'm *double* the size AND the roof is 8.5 - 9'...which means I can swing an 8' 2x4 overhead without bashing the roof. Woot!
  
• Children in "the back 40" have a pretty good excuse when they claim they can't hear you.

More on the drama as it unfolds. Unpacks. Whatever.

Can I go to sleep now? =^)

Friday spent tearin' down the walls...

Two years ago it went up. Now it's coming down to travel to a new, far away (not really) land.

Soundtrack provided by Coldplay.

Enjoy the frentic tearing down of the castle!


Deconstructing the fort from Aaron Backer on Vimeo

The Female Perspective - And our loan is done!

First, our loan is done, two days early, thank you for your prayers!!! We are ready for our closing date.

Okay, so here is my perspective on the house.

The colors are totally different from what we currently have. They are the muted colors that Martha Stewart is famous for, very peaceful and relaxing. It is a welcome change that I hadn't realized I was ready for!

I sketched out the kitchen cabinet configuration. And then I assigned each of our current cabinets a location on that cofiguration. So there will be some shifting but that planning is done.

I made a spreadsheet of the rooms and the furniture assigned to each room. Then a list of items that don't have a location so far.

None of the bedrooms have curtains and only one has any rods. So we will be doing a little thrift shopping to get some window coverings and determine some curtains rods. I have some on hand that might fit just fine.

The living spaces are going to suite us so nicely, we will have some changes, but I think that we will fit well into the house.

Anyway, it will be a refreshing and exciting new change! God has been adundantly good, He has been faithful, He has rewarded our labor, He has honored our patience and diligence, God has required faith stretching in each step, but the reward is rich!

It is a grateful heart that pours forth praise, adoration, and thankfulness for God's goodness:

Praise God from whom all blessings flow,

His mercies are new everyday,

great is His faithfulness,

our God is an awesome God,

all praise and glory are His alone,

my soul doth magnify my mighty Lord!

New house summary

I just realized we haven't actually posted much about the house itself.

It's a 1961 house, all brick, about 2100 sqft. 3bd 1.75 bath.

Well maintained, move-in ready. (don't have to do a thing to it!) It's got those lovely, original 1961 kitchen cabinets (oh well, they'll work) yet almost all the windows are new, low E white vinyl! New can lights in the kitchen and family room. Family room has a fireplace.

Bedrooms, hall, and sunroom are all original hardwood. (refinished, but with plenty of "patina)

Below is the satellite view with "our" property outlined. Oh yeah, it's 1.34 acres. LOTS of room for mini bikes, buggies, and go-karts. The shop is a separate building that's "only" 12x22. (a single car shop size.) It's bigger than I have now, and I've got plenty of room to build larger or extend it as time (and $$) allow.

In addition to the "Mr. Rodgers" walkthroughs, here are some individual snaps:
http://picasaweb.google.com/aaron.backer/CotterellHouse#

Change was Promised

Our president-elect has marked his campaign with promises of change. Mostly the changes have not been spelled out or defined. People so desperately believed they needed change that they jumped on the band-wagon without scrutinizing where the wagon is going.

I am leery, fearful and grieved for what those changes will be. Innocent lives lost due to more promotion and access to abortion to widened legalized assisted- suicide such as the state of Oregon?

His voting record is so foreign and baffling to my values, I shed tears of grief today. What will he change in this country, will my children recognize the world that I believed America to be?

I don't deny that there was surge of freedom that an African-American was elected - that is a sweet affirmation for humanity. But this wasn't suppose to be an election based on race. It is about democracy, freedom, constitutional rights, honoring our forefathers and the legacy of our nation's freedom.

I pray that our country is preserved and that God will show mercy and hope for such an arrogant and lost people that call themselves Americans. And I pray for this new president to be ever close to our Lord and to be wisely counseled as our leader.

Walk'in 'round the farm (new house walkthrough part deux)

Warning: farm-ish jokes, folksy anecdotes, and lots of down-home fun! (not really)

But there are a LOT of leaves! And grass. And spiders. (doggone spiders..)


New house ~ walk'in round the land from Aaron Backer on Vimeo.

New House walkthrough

Warning: The following video is 10 minutes long. It contains rambling sentances, meandering anecdotes, jerky videowork, and other stuff.

Viewer discretion is advised.

(oh, it also happens to contain a full walkthrough of the new house)

Untitled from Aaron Backer on Vimeo.

Diapers

Well, I am seriously considering cloth diapers. And the vision that you are pondering is just not your 1970's diapers. Yes, there is still the standard old folded cloth diapers. And they are improved, no pins anymore. And they have great covers that are far better than the old rubber pants. But that just doesn't tempt me to leave the convenience of disposables.

However, once you start your education on the topic, it is a vast culture of awesome mammas!

This is what I am looking at, "Bum Genius 3.0" is expandable for many size needs:

So the diapers is used for about 6 weeks - 18 months. That makes the investment seem much more cost effective.

This one is made by "Happy Heineys" and it too will be used from 6 weeks - 18 months of growth.

Oh, the choices are amazing. Then there are all the color options - who knew?!?!

I am thankful for all the friends that have helpfully guided me through the maze of diaper culture. Here are my most favorite sites (so far):

http://www.jilliansdrawers.com/store/bumGeniusV3.html

http://www.weebunzdiapers.com/cgi-bin/product.cgi?pg=110#main

http://www.katieskisses.com/proddetail.php?prod=23d

Yes, I know that the sticker shock is amazing at first glance. But I can cloth diaper for about the first 18-24 months for around $300 and I can disposable diaper for about $450 the first year alone.

Aaron is not so convinced. He is still deeply traumatized and offended by diapers in the toilet that he saw in his childhood. Too gross he says. So I will have to keep disposables on hand for his sensibilities.

A Baby Update

Here is the little weekly update that I get on the baby's development. I get it to help the kids understand that things are happening, even though we can't see the baby. And it has helped them realize how important it is for each stage of development to happen and for mom to get her rest!

Today is my first OB check-up so it will be wonderful to hear the heartbeat.

From Web MD:
Welcome to the Pregnancy Week-by-Week NewsletterWeek 11
Congratulations Janey! You're 11 Weeks Pregnant. Your fetus, about the size of a large lime, measures about 1.75 to 2.4 inches from crown to rump and weighs about three-tenths of an ounce. About now the rapid "swooshing" noises of the heartbeat may be heard using an electronic Doppler device. Fingernails and external genitalia are showing distinguishing characteristics, and the baby is swallowing and kicking, although you still won't feel it. Your uterus is almost big enough to fill your pelvis and may be felt in your lower abdomen. You may also be seeing changes in your hair, skin, fingernails or toenails.

God is so good!
-Janey

So what are those crazy Backers looking at anyway?

For the many of you that are following our trials and travails as we look for our future pad-to-be, here are the two current top contenders.

IN THIS CORNER:
Tarrega. 1 acre. 3000sq feet. 5br (3 in the basement), 2 bath.
Mouse poop. (lots of it)
Will require a strong stomach and lots of work before it's livable. As in, the main bath rebuilt, the kitchen rebuilt, all the ceiling sheetrock in the basement torn out and redone..many other "minor" pieces...

BUT...it's already got a shop. Surrounded by fields and pasture. At the end of a private road and well away from any main roads. And once it's done it'll be quite comfortable.

Check out the birds-eye view. (VERY cool!) You can even rotate around to see it from different angles. Zoom out to see the neighborhood and nearby roads..!

http://maps.live.com/default.aspx?v=2&FORM=LMLTCC&cp=r7r8f45912v7&style=b&lvl=2&tilt=-90&dir=0&alt=-1000&scene=20888834&phx=0&phy=0&phscl=1&encType=1


IN THE OTHER CORNER:
Greenacres. (no kidding...that's the street name)

We just found this one on Saturday. It's a full acre, but the house is *TINY*!! (like, 1250 sq ft!) But it's been nicely redone, all new windows and carpet. Livable immediately. 3 bedroom, 1.5 bath. Single car garage. (Did I mention it's small?) Lovely, park-like backyard. The lot is an acre as well, but it just "feels" larger. RV electrical hookup in the field. No shop, but lots of room for one.

Beautiful 100' oaks behind the property. And about 20 trees on the property.

Oh, and it's tiny. Tiny kitchen. One family/living room. Carpet...WHITE carpet in the dining room. (what do these people THINK?!) No ac or furnace. (it uses radiant ceiling heat and a wood stove)

http://maps.live.com/default.aspx?v=2&FORM=LMLTCC&cp=r7nwgn5953wr&style=b&lvl=2&tilt=-90&dir=0&alt=-1000&scene=20889471&phx=0&phy=0&phscl=1&encType=1

Decisions, fear and faith: Chapter 1

Waiting....

It has been a long process since May. We saw a property that began the dream of hope for a new season of home ownership. The property fizzled away but the dream was rooted and grew.

So we spent 3 long, sometimes tedious and sometimes arduous months of working on our home.

Goal #1 was pack up everything that we could live without for a few months. In that process I also weeded out all the things that I could give away or donate and even sold a few items.

Goal #2 was to polish up our home as much as we could, new paint, completing unfinished projects, learning new skills to upgrade areas that we could such as painting the kitchen cabinets and new enamel on the wrought iron railing.

Goal #3 was to price and list our home as competitively as possible and see what would happen.

We have daily followed new listings - watching for the perfect property. We liked some that sold really fast and some that were out of our price range drop down into our price range.

Well, we have been on the market for about 7-8 weeks and we got an offer!

The property that we like will take much faith and patience. We will have a few months of negotiations that will be just SLOW. Then if that all works out we will have a few months of much work - toil, labor, stamina and disgusting filth.

All this to hopefully realize the dream and hope of a lovely renewed home interior on a spacious and restful piece of land that will be all ours.

We have discussed and fretted over "where will we live" once our house closes. We had settled on an apartment, perhaps buying an older RV to live in at a trailer park then on the property while we work on the house, then we contemplated on renting a house. All these had significant drawbacks that we couldn't remedy. Fears of being in such small space that our family would unravel. Or of being locked into contracts that would consume so much money.

God does have a plan. And I kept praying that God would reveal His plan in His time. I have had peace much of the time and joy that there was a beautiful gift waiting at the end of the process. That God was leading us.

I will admit that I am getting weary and so that is when the fear finds weakness of faith to creep in. Pregnancy has brought on emotional upheavels and doubts of my strength. Then I recall that this is about His Strength and not mine.

So we recieved an offer on our house, which is still in negotiation but looks favorable. This brought on panic of "WHERE WILL WE LIVE?!?!"

But the next day we were offered an opportunity to rent an adequate 2bed/2bath home on half an acre for as long as we need. It was not real, it was too easy and too convenient and REALLY? God you had this planned and I just had to be patient for the right day and the right timing?!?!?

Well, this should have bolstered my faith, instead I started to fear that we wouldn't be able to negotiate the next house, the budget will be too big, the house will be a money pit, we will disolve into chaos and desperation. Which would make us the next foreclosure family....

No, that is not the God that leads, protects and provides for me. This is a long journey of faith, and I must endure in faithfullness. He is not leading us to failure but to fulfillment.

So we viewed more properties yesterday, but our list is back with the same property at the top.

God has made the process clearer, but there is still much faith and patience to be applied as we walk through the next chapters of the journey. There are so many questions and I joyfully look forward to each answer that God will provide at the right time and in the right way.

I look forward to posting the chapters as they unfold, one step at a time.

Wandering hairlines...

So this morning I'm brushing my hair. And ruminating that, despite it looking full and lustrous from the front, my vaguely ridiculous looking thinning top is completely hidden from view.

And so I call out to Janey: "I know why pattern baldness tends to start from the crown of the head and move out."

Janey: "Oh really?"

Me: "Yeah. Natural selection. Those of us who don't see it happening are in denial longer, so we're happier. Hence we live longer. Ipso facto conclusio."

Janey: "I see..."

[silence for a few minutes]

Janey: "I have an alternate theory."

Me: "Oh yeah? What's that?"

Janey: "You know how men hate to ask for directions...?"

Me: "Uhh....yeah..."

Janey: "Apparently male hair hates to ask for directions too. So as you get older it wanders off your head to sprout from your nostrils, ears, nose..."

The Slow Life

Being pregnant has slowed me down. I was adamantly not going to let this happen. No way was I going to be a wimp or be a pansy that demanded attention and special rights. I did kind of wallow in such behaviors with past pregnancies, thinking that I had better enjoy it while it lasted.

However, I have been so amazingly more tired with this pregnancy than I ever dreamed to expect. It could be my memory is sketchy, it has been 5 years since I have done this. Or it could be that since it has been 5 years since I did this that I am a bit older and therefore it is a bit more strenuous.

Whatever it is it is, now the rule of my life, momma must have rest. That means a daily rest time each afternoon - so glad that I already had this as a habit from the past 18 months. I have gone to bed at 9:30 many nights and even 8:30 a few nights. Tonight is a rare late night - Aaron isn't home and I feel restless until he does get home.

I am very careful to say "no, thank you" to many invitations and offers. I just can't spare the energy. Even field trips during the day are receiving more scrutiny and declined albeit with some guilt. For instance, going to the apple orchard tomorrow with our friends would be so fun. But it would be a long drive and really spend every ounce of energy. I do feel some relief that it was never verbalized as a possibility - the weather went wet and cold and I so happy that I mentally decided to committ to myself to stay home.

I have felt frustrated that if we are home more that more chores would be done and our house would do better at being staged and ready to show. Instead the house looks more lived in and that creates more feelings of overwhelming weariness at the housework load. But I really don't dwell long on these thoughts.

I am an optimist and have great hopes for "what comes next tomorrow - it is a new day" is my philosophy. So instead of dwelling on the shortcomings of today. I reassure myself that really this is temporary and in a few short weeks I will enter a new tri-mester and will be infused with more energy and ability to cope and work through many tasks.

Meanwhile my kitchen is a mess and odors send me reeling. Squeamish is the word, over things that I never noticed before. But tomorrow is a new day and the morning will be better.

The Little Man

Is now a year older....

Enjoying his free dinner from the Old Spaghetti Factory Birthday Club

Yes, spumoni is fun and yummy!

The family party on the Sunday before his birthday

on the joy of finding money!

A very fun cake from the store... Winnie the Pooh, we have been reading the collection of stories the past month. What a sweet and innocent time in life.

He knew and planned, about all year, which cake he wanted.

And this year we obliged and made it one of his gifts, those are toys on top of that cake!

5 candles carefully blown out.

BUNCO

Sweet time with Fun Friends

Bunco with my friends is a highlight on the calendar each month

Our common bond is that we are all homeschool moms,

teaching our kids each and every day in our homes

Protecting the identites of the innocent,

maybe she is in the witness protection program,

or was it a technical challenge for someone helping?

The lower tables at play, or were we just chatting....?

Our hostess for the evening

hmmm, guess this is me concentrating on my strategy

time to switch tables

well, I didn't switch tables, losers stay until they can win and move toward the "head table"

Great friends, new and old

The friendly cat, caught sneaking to join us.

We laugh a lot!

We ate every bite of the pomegranate chipolte brought by the lady in pink

Good friends

Did she have enough of the camera? Are you pointing at me?

Busy talking... so much to catch up on and get to know new friends!

The littlest member, just a month old - the only man we allow!

It was a great evening, one of the most fun Bunco nights!

Economic Reality

Mary Hunt has been one of my favorite finance advisors. She has walked the talk and didn't take any short cuts to end her debt. She is so wise and knowledgable about how the markets work and how to view the recent issues. Please check out her blog entry below, it was a good reality check:

http://www.moneyrulesdebtstinks.com/?p=392#more-392

Air rockets ROCK!

I bought all the pieces for the newest daddy-obsess...err, "educational project" last thurs and assembled the air rocket launcher this weekend. I followed the pieces/plans in my handy-dandy much loved latest issue of Make Magazine.

(you can see a video of their rocket assembly/launch here: http://www.makezine.com/15/airrocket )

Oh. My. Goodness.

Four pumps - FOUR - probably around 20psi - and the rocket went higher than any of the water-rocket launched soda bottles. (albiet without the satisfying soaking of the launcher person..) Ten-12 pumps and the rocket was almost out of sight. The recommended max of 18 pumps (70psi) and the rocket WAS out of sight.

Fortunately, it was paper, and without any recovery system it just nose dives straight back down. Usually to within about a 30' radius of the launcher.

Even after repeated nose dives into the asphalt, it straightened back up and flew real nice.

On our first launch, we completely lost (couldn't see) the rocket with it being a light sky and a masking-tape colored rocket. So we wrapped it in blue painters tape. I figured next time we'll do that, spray paint it, magic markers work well. (I plan on having the kids decorate the next template with crayons/markers and then using clear packing tape to wrap it so their deco's show through)

I didn't take any assembly pictures (sorry...too excited) but here are some shots of the finished thing.

http://picasaweb.google.com/aaron.backer/DasMakeMagazineAirRocketLauncher#

Action shots, coming up!

Let's just sweep this one under the rug...

(note: Today - Sept 19th - is national "Talk like a pirate day". You have been warned.)


So the other day, C (the 6-year-old male, remember that. The 6 year old bit. It's important later on.) Anyway C is cleaning/tidying the bathroom. Which is his usual chore.

It bein' a Saturday and all, he was also instructed to sweep and "wet swiffer" (aka mop) it.

So out comes the broom and he sidles in there. Shortly afterwords he calls "done dad, ready for inspection!"

I come in and, lo and behold, it looks swept.

"Great!" says I, "you've swabbed the head most proper. You're released to shore leave."

He makes to walk off. "Avast and ahoy me son!" I suddenly cry. "Where be the dustpan?!"

(for I notice'es he's twirrlin the broom like god's own walkin' stick dontcha know..)

"it's out in the garage..."

At this point, me nose begins to twitch.

"So..." I put it to him slowly, "where be the grub and dirt ye swabbed..?"

(can you see it coming?)

Caleb slowly...slowly...points to...

the heating register.

Oh. My.

"So you just lifted it out and swept the dirt in there...?"

"Uh-huh".

I can tell the ... inappropriate destination that this is, is suddenly dawning in his 6 year old male brain.

"And how _long_ have you been doing this for...?"

"A couple weeks..."


We got it straightened out. He mucked out the bilge with the vacuum. And was sternly told to use the dustpan from here on out, or risk keel hauling.

Twins at 60

Happy Birthday Dad and Uncle!!!

My dad is an identical twin, see the resemblance?

Dad is on the left my, so my uncle is on the right.

Their birthday is actually on Sept 8th, we celebrated a day early.

Each making a wish and blowing out those two big candles on their own corners.

My husband uses the large yard to provide ooodles of entertainment.

What is it that makes my youngest boy grin so big?

Ohhh, that is the water rocket being rapid filled with the air compressor.

Whatever happened to the bicycle pump that it was desinged with?

And here is Miss J, all sweetness, she fills the water bottles and keeps the boys in rockets.

And here is Mr. C getting into his own action, how high will this rocket go?

My mom and aunt P.

ahhh, I love to snuggle this one, Mr N. is a cuddly bud.

And here is my girl, thrilled with her homemade tart and a piece of birthday cake.

The newlyweds, my sis, and my newest little brother, they're so cute!

Happy 81st Birthday Grandma

Grandma and her children, except an uncle out of state

My mom and dad - silly or what?

Grammy just heard the new baby news!

Four generations: grandma, my mom, me and my daughter

My sis and her hubby

Grandma and some of her great - grandchildren

A beloved hug as we ended a fun party.

Celebrating our New Baby

We are so happy that we are expecting a new baby,

so we had a family celebration!!!

Here is dad mixing the drinks

Brew of choice for the evening

Quite pleased with her fizzy drink

TOTALLY thrilled with his, see the foam growing in the cup?

Cute Smiles

How many babies are there?!?!?

Just lovin that root beer float.

Dad is sloshin up too.

It is a happy toast, 5 cheers for our new baby - May 16th?