Photo Challenge: Day 26

Monsoon Season has begun! Here in the Valley of the Sun we have monsoon season. It's when our humidity goes up from single digits to double digits (like today, it's 110 degrees and the humidity is at 15%) but the real factor is the DEW POINT. When the dew point gets up to 55 degrees for 3 days in a row. It usually starts just after the 4th of July - average start is July 7th. It lasts through about mid-September. There's usually about 56 days of the monsoon season, and it's when we get the most rain we've seen for months. We get over 2 1/2 inches of rain during monsoon season. I know many other places get that in just one rainy day, but we often go more than 2, 3, even 4 months without seeing rain here - so it's nice for us. Kids go out to play in the rain here and it's a welcomed event.

In addition to getting some rain - which cools off that evening by 25 degrees or more - I love the clouds. Usually we get a dust storm ahead of the rain clouds, everything turns a strange pinkish orange color. Often you can actually see the dust cloud as it approaches. It gets very windy, but only for a few minutes. If we're lucky, it'll be followed by rain, then the sun comes out again to set. Oddly enough, we always seem to have the dust storms & rain just before sunset, during the evening commute or just a little after. Most of the rain that eventually does happen here, happens at night, so a lot of times, we miss seeing it.

Photo Challenge: Day 25

Another advantage we get from our friends who are traveling is that we get to use their pool while they're away! They live just a bit too far to go there more than a couple times a week, but we're so thankful for the use of the pool. We miss having one right outside our front door like we had in our condo - but at least swimming is still an option for us. We really do love the water. My kids don't enjoy swimming in lakes - they say they're too dirty. My kids? Really?! I grew up swimming in everything from icy New England ocean, to green pre-season pools, to mucky ponds & lakes, to fast rivers with slippery rock bottoms. I think they got spoiled with the pool at the condo.

Photo Challenge: Day 24

This is Jordan's BLT lunch. The rest of us don't eat pork - just her & Tim these days. I posted this to remind me to tell you something funny I came across this week:

Did you realize that if you say "beer can" with a British accent, you're also saying "Bacon" with a Jamaican accent?

Try it...see?...isn't that so funny?!!!

Photo Challenge: Day 23

Summer Time Vegetarian...well, almost.

In the summer, it's hot in the Phoenix area. In fact, the past 2 weeks have been between 107 and 112, every day. When we get those couple of weeks of extreme heat, no one feels like cooking, nor eating a heavy meal. Summertime is when we (almost) become vegetarians. We eat lots of fresh fruits that are in season - the berries, peaches, and nectarines, the peppers, summer squash & zucchini, fennel, and more! Meat becomes something we still eat, but it's more of an ingredient in something else rather than a big hunk taking up 1/3 of the plate. Take this picture for example...

I made a great stir-fry the other day. I tried to get in every color of the food spectrum for the most nutrients. I had red peppers, carrots, yellow squash, bok choy, fennel, purple cabbage, celery, and zucchini. I made it with sesame oil, ginger, and Bragg's Liquid Aminos (like a healthier soy sauce). I did add chicken to it, but only very small cubes that had been marinaded in teriyaki sauce, fried til they were cooked, then broiled for that crisp edge. I made a huge wok full of this stir fry and it was so good! I enjoyed eating it for lunch for 2 days afterwards.

Other summer lighter ideas are tuna in cucumber boats or cups, salads topped with chicken, tuna or egg salad, salads with berries & nuts, and lots of fruit salads - with and without yogurt.

Once the heat is back under 100 degrees, we'll change our eating habits to what's in season then, but for the summer - we're (almost) vegetarians.

Photo Challenge: Day 22

This is Sammy. He belongs to our friends that are traveling east for a month. He's been babied and spoiled and now he's spending a month with us. Jordan's asked for a dog for the past 5 years, so I figured this would be the best way to see if the novelty of a dog wears off soon, and if she'll really be responsible for all it takes to have a dog. We've had Sammy for a full week as of today. He's been great. He doesn't bark a lot, never even thinks about making a mess in the house, he doesn't scratch doors or anything (he waits patiently by the door to go in or out), and he sleeps by my feet almost the entire day. I guess I really couldn't have asked for a better experience babysitting a dog. He's not a puppy, he's actually pretty old, so we knew he wouldn't be hyperactive or anything. The first night he jumped up at every unfamiliar noise, but now he's fine - even when Adam gets up for work from 2:30 to 3:30am. Not only does Jordan get to "have" a dog for most of her summer break, but our friends were generous enough to pay us for watching Sammy and guess what?...it was enough to purchase all of next year's curriculum for Logan & Jordan! Perfect timing. Great dog. Good experience.

Photo Challenge: Day 21

TARPING - the one thing that distinguishes between driving a flatbed or driving a box truck.

Tim chose driving a flatbed instead of a box truck because of a few reasons:
1. It pays a bonus of $11 - $22 to tarp/untarp loads he'd be transporting.
2. The per mile amount is higher overall if you drive a flatbed.
3. The best company that fit our needs doesn't have a box truck division in Phoenix yet.

So Tim has had to learn the art of tarping & untarping his loads. It's not something they really teach you in truck driving school. They give you guidelines based on general sizes, or weights, or materials the load consists of - but nothing too definitive. Most of what he's had to do comes from over-the-road experience and asking other drivers. He's had everything from hay bales, to steel tubes, to oversized-load fans, to spools of copper, bags of salt, and so much more. I had no idea there was so much to it. Between straps, bungee cords, and tarps, there's got to be hundreds of combinations!

Father's Day, Tim had to head back out on the road after church, so we went to take him to his truck where he had to put 2 tarps over his load before he could leave. Logan agreed to help him so it could be done in half the time. The biggest challenges: The tarps weight as much as Tim now that he's down to just 150 lbs, if the company forgot to put the tarps on the load with their forklift, he'd have to climb up a ladder dragging it, then on top of the load, dragging it. Also it was about 110 degrees that day and the trucks in a cement parking lot. Strapping dozens of cords & straps would take 2 hours or more by himself.

Logan did a great job, the company did remember to put the tarps on top for him, and they got done in only an hour. In heat like that, I was so glad Logan is such a hard worker and good helper.

Photo Challenge: Day 20

The Father's Day cake that Logan made...

Logan: "Mom, the cake came out uneven because the oven's on a hill. What do I do?"
Me: (assuming he used actual CAKE pans)..."Take it out of the pan and trim off the part that sticks up. Then flip it over and frost the smooth bottom of it."

Logan: "It fell apart and the entire middle of the cake is still in the pan, stuck."

I got up to see how bad it really was. He tried to flip the whole 9" x 11" cake out of the glass baking dish onto a paper towel, to make it easier to flip back into the dish later, he said. When it stuck, he put the stuck part in the hole on the paper towel. THEN he called me in. Too late to fix it now. He just covered the whole thing with the entire can of frosting, which was white but he added flavorings & color to it.

It was an honest try. It still tasted good, and was a nice gesture on his part for Tim on Father's Day. I didn't want to make him feel bad, so I simply said, "Logan, you and I cook. Jordan bakes."

Photo Challenge: Day 19

FREE! It's my favorite word, especially when it comes from smartly hunting out grocery bargains and matching them to coupons. In this picture, everything in it was free! The bath tissue, the deodorant, air fresheners, toothpaste, toothbrushes, all of it! And that's just from one week.
Other weeks, I've gotten free relish, yogurt, dish detergent, salad dressings, mints, and more!

I love seeing the savings to my family every week, and I really enjoy teaching others how to do the same. I'm so thankful for my new friend, Kara Rozendaal, who showed me how to maximize them. If you've ever said:

- I only buy store brands so they won't work for me.
- I don't have hours on end to cutting, gathering, and organizing a binder full of coupons.
- They're really only good on baby products & pet stuff, so we don't need them.
- I'm a good "by the unit price" shopper, so I save more than that 15 cents coupon on the name brand.

That's where I was. I said all those same things. Truth was, I shopped store brands, dollar stores, clearance racks, and I did save, but I also had to be willing to sacrifice quality. Most things were watered down or didn't perform as well as the national brands. All I looked at was that I saved more on the store brand than a coupon's face value on a non-sale item. There's so much more to it!

Now I buy $4 mayo for under $2. I never pay as much as $1 for cereal or pasta. I get coconut and almond milk for about the same price as store brand regular milk, yogurts are usually half price (off the sale price) or better when I get done. And I consistently pay a lot less for turkey sausage, kielbasa, and Lloyd's shredded beef & chicken than most people.

If you'd like to know how to save on everyday items, from snacks, to food, to personal care & paper items, let me know. I'd be happy to show you how.

Photo Challenge: Day 18

Okay, it's hard to write about me. I've spent years scrapbooking and journaling about others around me, always from behind the scenes. But I do realize that this photo challenge is to capture our world - and since I feel it's my job to tie it all together and make it work on a daily basis - I'll include a brief snapshot into ME.

I can't write about myself because I know me differently than how others see me (they aren't in my head hearing my thoughts, fears, and hopes). Instead, I'll just give a list of words that describe me, my likes, my habits, my world. Here goes:

Pink (the color, not the singer), denim, scrapbooking, 80's, Phantom of the Opera, Air 1 radio, my faith, open book, reading, cooking, "doing tea", coffee, vanilla not chocolate, sunshine, tanning, encourager, swimming, palm trees, no snow, hate the cold, family, building memories, couponing, homeschooling, Facebook, Zumba, Monavie, learning, friends, extended family, board games, loyal, helpful, teaching, bible studies, writing, blogging, motorcycle rides with Tim, dogs, bubble gum flavored anything, sneakers over heels, roller skating, ice skating, Chinese food, Greek anything, life is funny, humor over jokes, detailed planner, organization, the answer person, solution oriented, clean house, organics, non-GMO, conservative republican but respect others' rights to think differently, share my faith but not pushy or judgemental, lunch with Mom, and long phone conversations with Tim while he's on the road.

Photo Challenge: Day 17

Logan...if Jordan is a "mini me" in her appearance, then Logan is a "mini Tim" in his. They look so much alike, but they're so different in so many ways.

Tim: introvert, quick to judge, snap decisions, always running late or taking a long time to get things done, prefers to stay home and watch superhero cartoons & movies.

Logan: extrovert, accepts everyone where they're at, agonizes over decisions, ready to run out the door in a flash to be with friends, hates staying home, likes the latest, greatest, action movies.

They see people differently. They empathize with others (or not) differently. They have very different opinions on things. Their idea of fun varies quite a bit. But yet, they actually have so much in common. They share many of the same strengths:

Both: Are loyal to those they love most, are very hard-working, have very inventor/engineering minds, understand physics like no one else I've ever met, share the same hobbies (like shooting, camping, playing guitar, etc.), and come to the rescue when someone needs help. They are the last 2 boy scouts in my book. As Tim once put it, "I even change tires for UGLY women." They'll get the door for the elderly person behind them, they'll ask if someone needs help when they see them looking around confused. They're first to jump in at an event when they call for volunteers to help set up or tear down the room. They're both very, very smart about a wide variety of things. And in a survival situation - my money's on them.

I treasure my homeschooling years to really, intimately, know all the little details about each family member. I know their strengths, weaknesses, hopes, dreams, failures, lessons learned, points of views, and most of all...I know their hearts.

I see so much more when I look at this picture. I see a Father and Son, and all that goes into being who they are.

Photo Challenge: Day 16

Raising the First-Born...They say the oldest of the siblings grows up to be more driven, more responsible, and more independent. In my experience, I find that to be true. I'm the oldest, so is Tim, so you'd expect that we'd understand Adam, our own first-born better, right? Also, my personality is a Melancholy (the thinker, planner, list-maker & organizer). That's the same as Adam's main personality too, except that his can often border on OCD, but he's doing much better these days.

So why so many struggles as we were raising Adam? I think it's the being independent that really makes the difference. He's always been a hard worker and more responsible than anyone else his age (more than most adults, to be honest), but that independent streak is so strong in him! We have a great relationship because I've homeschooled him. I've been there for everything in his life. I've never missed a sporting practice, game, tournament, play, or anything else important to him. We've had thousands of hours to discuss life, politics, faith, dating, life skills, careers, personalities, academics, music, friends, plans for the future and disappointments. Tim, unfortunately, had to be gone for most of his childhood to provide a living so I was ABLE to do those things for our kids. That put them on very different sides of almost every issue for about 5 years.

Adam begged to work at an early age so he could be responsible and buy himself those things he wanted just weren't in our budget - brand name shoes, skinny jeans, video games, movies with friends - to his credit, he's never asked us for a penny for anything - not even once that I remember. If he wanted or needed it, he found a way to earn it. Anyway, being in a new environment where people were lazy, selfish, and had little if any character traits worth copying, changed Adam. He stopped appreciating what he had and instead, complained because his life wasn't as "easy" as he thought his friends had it. Granted they may have had parents buy them more stuff, or they took vacations to exotic places, but Adam failed to see that they lived in a home with an alcoholic, or drugs, or had been through rough divorces in their home, or never had either parent around - which led to life-altering poor choices in these kids' lives.

Then we had to move to the mountains. Although it was pretty traumatic for him to leave his friends, have to quit his job and be broke, live in a very isolated, rural area with nothing much for teenagers to do...it did do a lot of good as well. He learned to appreciate what he had. He began to see the poor choices of others for what they were, and how they led to bigger issues down the road. He learned to work hard again after thinking he could be lazy and "deserved" to make the salary of an experienced professional at the inexperienced age of 16 (I believe his words were, "I'm all done with physical labor and minimum wage jobs." - at 16!!!). Over those 2 years, he grew, matured, learned, and worked. When we returned to the Valley, he came back happy, out-going, willing to do physical work at odd hours for things he needed.

Over the last few years, Tim too has undergone changes. He's had time to rest from almost 15 years in high-stress sales jobs and working 60 - 70 hour work weeks. He had time to live where there's space, open sky, clean air and water, and to sleep in - a lot! He's also grown and matured. He let go of selfishness and trying to have so much control over others that he was micromanaging everyone and everything. Now he's in a job where he's gone a lot, and it gets lonely, but when he's home, he's really home and with us. He's not overly stressed, doesn't do a lot of physical (although he works hard in spurts, it's not a taxing job all the time). He gets plenty of sleep and rest. And when he's home, he wants to be with us, doing family things together, and he's learned to appreciate his children, and their individual personalities and strengths. He's more accepting of their weaknesses as he's learned to understand his own. He's become the husband and father I've always known he could be.

So here we are about 4 years later. Tim and Adam, his first-born, now on a new journey to discover each other all over again, through new perspectives. Each learning how valuable the other is, and both appreciating their time together.

I love this picture of them sharing a moment together and smiling. Although Logan looks more like Tim on the outside, I see lots of Tim in Adam, on the inside. And I love them both.

Photo Challenge: Day 15

Still Daddy's Girl - Jordan has always been very clingy with me, but she's always been Daddy's Girl, too. When she was an infant and a toddler, she was Punki-doo to him. She would race to the door to be the first to greet Tim when he got home from work. She would sneak into the room (with my permission first) to tickle his toes sticking out from the edge of the blanket to wake him up in the morning. She watched cartoons and movies from his lap instead of just on the sofa or floor.

Once she was starting school, she became "Monkey Duck" to Daddy. I'm not sure where it came from, I think I'd feel insulted being called a Monkey Duck but she always liked it. She even used it as a password for a game page she used to go to. Maybe it's just knowing she was special to her Daddy? That he picked her name just for her, and only to be used by him. She knew she "belonged" to him.

In the early teen years, Jordan's been more independent and moody, as expected. She's had lots of times when her own insecurities and Tim's stress levels caused them to drift apart a little, but her new name is "Chickie". Now I think I gave that to her, but maybe I got it from Tim, not sure - but it defines yet another season of her life.

Now that Tim's home time is special and he's changed so much that he's a joy to be around, she's once again, Daddy's Girl. She wants to talk to him on the phone when he calls. She wants to cook and bake things for him when he's home. She wants to go with me to pick him up. And I even notice how she dresses up for his arrivals and departures.

I don't know what her new nickname will be once she's an adult, done with school, but I'm sure they'll have a new pet name he'll call her, and she'll plan dates with him to have coffee, or lunch, or to feed the ducks in the park.

I aggressively protect my relationship with Tim, but with Jordan, I don't mind sharing him with her one bit.

Photo Challenge: Day 14

This photo challenge is to take time to enjoy the everyday moments around me. One of the highlights of our family's month is when Tim comes home for a few days. Things run pretty smooth while he's on the road for 2 to 3 weeks at a time, but when he's home, we change things up quite a bit.

We have a ton of errands to do when he first gets home so he can leave for his next trip fully stocked with things he needs to make his trip more successful. It means grocery store runs, Dollar stores, usually some kind of new tool to make his job easier, and a trip to American Discount Foods. They buy out other grocery stores' and restaurants' inventories and sell great stuff, brand names, high quality items - but at a fraction of the cost.

Anyway, after the initial errands are run, we stop having any type of schedule and just let Tim relax and play it by ear. We take time to eat a sit-down meal together as a family. We take time to watch movies on Netflix or from the library. We may go to the park, or walk around Ikea for ideas, or walk around some stores for exercise. We just let our days unfold while he's home, since it's only a day or two that he gets to rest and feel like he's been on vacation.

It's sad when he has to leave again, but this new schedule has made all 5 of us appreciate each other more. The kids have learned to follow my leadership, I've learned to give each of them individual attention where they're at, the kids miss Tim while he's gone and want to be around when he's home, and when Tim's here, he's actually "all here" with us. He's not stressing over not being at work like when he was in sales. He's calm, more understanding, less demanding, and enjoys doing things together as a family - as well as making time for just the two of us to be alone too.

We miss him, and someday he won't have to be gone so much, but for now, I think it's what we all needed to get where we are right now, and it's what's best for everyone. I appreciate Tim's sacrifices that he's made and continues to make to provide us with a wonderful home, in a great neighborhood, living where we want to live, with the resources we need. I pray that I never take it for granted.

Photo Challenge: Day 13

You know what I love about our new home? It's comfortable. I feel so relaxed when I'm at home. Maybe it's all the neutral colors? Maybe it's because everything is new and in great working order? Maybe because it's the nicest home we've had since Dover, NH back in 2003? I don't really know, but I love being at home.

I can nap or read on my bed and be at peace in my room. I can stay focused and clear-headed typing away at my kitchen table, I can feel God's peace as I read my bible in my chair on the back patio, I can relax completely sitting on the sofa watching a movie with one of the kids, I even feel contentment as I fold laundry in the new laundry room.

They say a man's home is his castle. I say for this woman, my home is my refuge, my place to ease into the mornings, rest and restore my soul during the night, and create great memories with my family and friends during the days.

Even Furlough has her favorite spots to relax and take a nap - like hiding in the dark corner of my room in the laundry basket.

Photo Challenge: Day 12

Reinventing or Rediscovering?

Logan is like many teens (and adults)...he's always in the process of reinventing himself - or is it just rediscovering?

Reinventing fits, because he tries new hairstyles, new clothes, with or without hats, new styles of music, new guitar techniques, new circle of friends, and more.

I also think rediscovering works because I've watched Logan through the years. He actually cycles through things. He's got habits, mannerisms, key phrases, interests, and more that he changes, but tends to return to a few years later.

Right now, he's broadening his guitar playing to include some classical, some jazzy-sounding riffs, and he's backing off some of the more modern metal-sounding songs. He's recently changed his hairstyle again to a more front-sweeping style instead of just having it hang straight down - I like it better now. He spent a long time wearing a hand-crocheted cap from his grandmother, but now he's wearing a fedora style hat wherever he goes. He always recycles his interests in 80s music and vintage games he played as a little boy.

I don't know how long it'll take him to find who he thinks he really is and feel comfortable with where he's at. Some people spend a lifetime trying to figure it out, but I think he's getting closer. I think once he does, he'll rediscover what I've known all along...who he is deep down is a wonderful, loving, caring, highly intelligent, engineering, helpful, hard-working, out-going, man of God who could change the world if he really wanted to.

Photo Challenge: Day 11

Finding the perfect pair of jeans fixes everything, doesn't it? We don't have the money right now to buy big name jeans, so we just keep an eye out for a pair that might fit better than sweatpants and don't cost a fortune.

Jordan found this pair while we were in the Goodwill at the corner. Where else can you find jeans in great shape (if you search carefully) for just $7.99?! (Or half that if it's got the right colored price tag). Jordan found a pair that made her legs look thinner and longer and when she put them on, something magical seemed to happen to her. She came out of her room with her head held high, feeling more confident, just KNOWING that she looked good in them. Now when she wants to look and feel her best, these are her go-to jeans.

Yes, the perfect pair of jeans fixes everything...well, almost. But that's close enough.

Photo Challenge: Day 10

Oh, how we love to swim! Maybe it's because we were born on the seacoast. Maybe it's the heat here. Either way, our family loves to swim. Especially me and my 2 youngest. We do miss having a pool right outside our front door like we did in the condo a few years ago, but there's so many pools here that finding a place to swim isn't a problem. We have several lakes that aren't too far away, public pools that are actually managed better and cleaned more often than those I grew up in back in Massachusetts. There's also lots of friends & neighbors here with pools that invite us over to swim now and then.

This particular pool is just about a mile and a half from our house. It's only $1 for Logan & Jordan and $2.75 for me - where else can you spend a day for just $4.75 of our entertainment budget?

Jordan likes to swim, Logan enjoys the 2 water slides there, and I love tanning - so this place, especially because it's only 5 minutes away, is perfect!

Photo Challenge: Day 9

There's always something new or different to see around here. Sometimes it's a plant or flower we've never seen. Other times, it's a home feature you'd never find in New England. Sometimes it's a bug or spider that you don't want to ever see again. On this particular day, the "strange scene of the day" was a guy up in a tree quite a few stories high, trimming off all the dead branches off a tree on the next street. You know how it is...you wake up to the sound of a chain saw, and something inside you has to go see where it's coming from. I'm not sure why, but it will stay in the forefront of my mind unless I make a point to see what's going on. Well, I found it - I'm glad Tim doesn't have to do THAT for a living!

Just popped in to say Hi

My camera's not working properly right now. I'm taking pictures but it's kind of a pain to download the new ones every day. I'll try to get all caught up by Monday night, that'll be Day 18.

Photo Challenge: Day 8

Ahh, the thermometer...

When we lived in Concho, it symbolized justification for me always being cold. Very often we had a hard time keeping our bedroom, kitchen, and living room above 60 degrees. Especially at night or first thing in the morning. Our main living area was at the back of the house where we went without the sun hitting our side of the walls for 6 months out of the year, so it never got a chance to warm up. We just spent half the year in the shade. I'd look at the thermometer to prove to myself I'm not crazy about being SO cold all the time.

Now in the Valley, it's a symbol of happiness for me. I don't care that I was born in New England where it's often very cold. My body "belongs" in the heat. I look at the thermometer when it says 100, or 108, or even 110 degrees - and it makes me happy. The heat really doesn't bother me. Thankfully, I don't have to work outside in it like so many people do, and for that, I'm truly appreciative. But there's something about the way my body feels when the heat hits my joints. The pain I experienced in the cold mountains is gone. My joints feel warm and pain-free here in the Valley of the Sun, even in spite of having rheumatoid arthritis in my neck and right hand.

Seeing so much red in that thermometer is a quick reminder to be thankful for days without pain, shivering, gloominess, and sadness. And this next winter, my body will be very thankful that we live here.

Photo Challenge: Day 7

Computers - What would our life be without them?

I've recently gotten to ask myself that very question. In November, our home computer died. Fortunately we could go to the library a mile from the house and use theirs for an hour at a time, but how different our lives have become without them. I know people use them for all kinds of things, but without ours, here's how our life was different:

1. I didn't have access to Google. I love information, reading, research, and being able to look up locations, recipes, and answers to my questions as they come up. I've become rather spoiled when it comes to getting answers right away.

2. No entertainment. We lived where cable didn't exist, and we didn't have money for satellite TV (not that we watch enough to warrant the cost anyway), but when our computer died, we lost ALL forms of entertainment. We lost browsing through websites like Pinterest.com, we lost communicating with our Facebook friends & family, we lost Netflix so we had hardly any movies we haven't already seen 100 times, and we lost the chance to play the games we used to fill our days while living in such a rural place with few attractions.

3. We lost the ability to Skype with my sister - something we rarely get the chance to do with her work & nursing school schedule plus a 2 to 3 hour time zone difference.

4. I lost the ability to blog. Sometimes I just HAVE to write. It has to come out through my fingers typing or I feel like I'll go crazy. Losing that was no fun. I spent too many hours losing sleep with no outlet to blog.

5. I couldn't print out photos to scrapbook. I love to scrapbook, and it helps me get out my creative urges - but without a computer to edit & print the pictures I had taken, I was a little wound up.

I didn't grow up with computers like my kids did. In fact, I think I was 30 when we got our first one and I barely knew what to do with it. In high school, it was so new that I had "keyboarding" the year after I took typing on an electric typewriter! We learned to cut & paste, edit & delete paragraphs, and not much else. Everything was still DOS back then, no such thing as Windows.

Fast forward to Christmas. I got a laptop from Tim for my gift. It was more expensive than anything we'd ever gotten each other before, but our desktop was barely alive and was dying any minute, holding on by just a temporary attempt to fix the problems. We got it to work long enough to transfer most of the stuff out we wanted - good thing, too - because it died again about 3 days after moving here in May. Had I not gotten my laptop, our home wouldn't have a computer right now. That makes it very hard to grow an internet-based business.

I'm sorry that we've become so dependent (and expectant) on our computers, but I'm also thankful that we have one that works.

What would you do without yours?

Photo Challenge: Day 6

A neighborhood, at last!

The last 2 years were spent living in a very rural area. It had many advantages and a lot of good things came from it, but for 3 teenagers, there wasn't much to do - especially for our "middle child" who needs new things, people to see, stuff to do, and a new adventure all the time. Boredom would have led him into trouble.

Before that, we were in a very congested condo complex in the city. Although there were lots of people and cars (and stray cats), it wasn't what I'd call a neighborhood. To me, that word conjures up images of houses, green lawns, private driveways, neighbors who spend time together on the weekends, kids that grow up together. We had that back in NH for 2 1/2 years before we decided to move permanently to Arizona. After 7 years in that complex and the 2 years in the mountains, we're finally in a neighborhood again.

We're still pretty new here, so most of our interaction with our neighbors is just waving for now, but we did get to talk to one family here in our cul-de-sac that were very friendly. I'd like to get to know them a little better. There's a few teens just a few doors down, but I don't think our kids have met them yet. It's summer here, and in the Phoenix area, it's hot. People leave for vacations and the teens try to get summer jobs, so I think we'll see more of our neighbors when the fall comes. Hopefully by winter, we'll be enjoying the beautiful weather outdoors with them.

To me, a neighborhood has a community feel to it, a sense of belonging, and we feel at-home here already. The palm trees, nearby park, birds of every type, quiet streets - it's a great place to live. Almost all the streets around us are cul-de-sacs and dead-end roads. That keeps us a little more protected from speeding cars, strangers that don't belong, and excessive road noise. I don't know how long we'll stay here, or if we'll end up buying a place in a new neighborhood in a year or two, hopefully if we do, it'll be our last move for a long time. But either way, we're thankful and happy to be in Carriage Lane, our neighborhood, our home.

Photo Challenge: Day 5

My quiet, early morning spot - I've had one for about 10 years now. It's been a chair on the patio, on back porch, and now on our new patio. There's something about those mornings when I can't sleep, and I wake up irritated or still tired but I can't get to sleep. I need to get re-centered. I take my bible, head outdoors, and spend about 15 to 30 minutes out there rebooting my day to start it right.

There's something very calming about reading God's Word in the cool morning air, seeing the hues of early morning sun on the treetops (especially on the palm trees, it's a pretty shade of golden pink), hearing the birds just waking up, and smelling the fresh flowers and grass. Even when we lived in a mostly cement, busy condo complex, watching the sky turn colors listening to the birds, it was enough to calm my spirit.

In those times, I've grown, learned, understood, appreciated, planned for, and looked forward to all the good in my world. In a world that's so fast-paced, time speeding by faster as the years go by, it's nice to have a small piece of space where it all stands still and waits for me to re-center my focus, my head, my heart, and my spirit - before starting the next day in this short breath we call life.

Photo Challenge: Day 4

I'd love to say this is about my son, but it's not. It's a given that my kids are a part of my everyday life...this is really about the Mexican blanket in the photo. No, I'm not kidding. Really. That particular blanket is a big part of my world. Even in the hot weather - but especially in the cold weather.

I found that Mexican blanket while shopping at Old Town Scottsdale a few years ago. There was a shop where they had these blankets for just $5! Best $5 item I ever bought. This blanket has been with me like a little kid's security blanket. It was there when I was watched movies snuggling with my husband or kids, there when I watched the kids' soccer and football games, there when I napped in the car on long drives with the family, and there when a nap could fix everything. The most amazing thing about that blanket is it magically senses what I need. No, not really, but hear me out. When I was in the mountains freezing in the winter with multiple layers of clothing, mittens, and shoes - I could get warm under that blanket. In the summer when I needed to rest, it would make me feel cozy but not too hot. And for some reason, every time I cover up with it lying down, I fall asleep almost instantly and awake refreshed.

Do you have that one item that acts like your "Linus Blanket"?

Photo Challenge: Day 3

Furlough - our cat

If I'm going to photograph our life, I can't really neglect putting in our cat. We're actually "dog" people, but no one left a dog out to die all those years ago, so we have a cat. Let me explain briefly. We bought our first real house, it was a duplex in NH. It was still very cold that fall. One day, I heard a strange scratching sound on the cellar door. I opened it, and in walked this cat. She must've found her way in through a broken basement window to keep warm. I put her outside after she walked around a bit, and she would repeat this for the next few days. The nights she didn't sneak into the cellar, she would spend them on our back porch meowing until you wished she'd lose her voice. She couldn't really be chased off, she'd just come back. We didn't feed her, but she begged anyway. I found out from the upstairs tenant that she was one of a neighbor's litter from St. Patrick's Day. She was only about 8 months old now, looked half-starved, and the family had moved and just left her behind. I hadn't seen any other cats that were from that litter, just her. When we let her in, she let the kids pet her, play with her, and since they were only 1, 3 and 5 - they were pretty rough sometimes, by accident. She never hissed, scratched them, or tried to bite them. She never hid under the furniture. She always sat with one of us, and was never any trouble, so Tim finally said, "Since she's good with the kids, why don't we just go ahead and keep her." I asked Adam what we should name her. Being only 5, I'm not sure where he came up with it, but he immediately said, "Furlough". I asked why and he told me it was because she was furry and low to the ground. 'Nuff Said.

Now it's time to move a few months later, and we didn't know that she was pregnant until just a few weeks before, she had been so starving we just figured she was "filling out". I think she had her kittens about a week before the move, maybe it was just a few days. We had Tim's grandmother watch her & her 3 kittens during the move, then brought her home. The kittens were given away but we kept her, had her fixed, but there was one drawback. The vet told us she was only about a year old, very young to have fixed, but we told him she'd already had kittens. To do this, he said because of her age, he'd have to cut the muscle that holds up her stomach for some reason, so she'd always look like her stomach was either dragging, or she'd look bigger than she really is under all the fur. I wasn't taking her bathing suit shopping, why would I care if she looked fat?

Over the years, almost everyone who's ever come to our house has either said, "Wow, you have a fat cat!" or "you're cat's pregnant?!". Ok, so the vet was right. You could feel that her hanging stomach was just empty skin, but unless you picked her up, yeah, she looked fatter than she was.

Today we still have her. It's odd now that she's older than Jordan. We never really gave it much thought until a few years ago. We've had her for 13 years this year. She still doesn't bite, or scratch people, or hiss, or hide. She's the quiet member of the family. I've never understood how people think of cats as members of the family, but she's always been more like a small dog. She sits on command, does tricks for her treats, chases off other animals from the property, licks Jordan's face when she gets up in the morning, and loves people.

We had a big realization how important she is to all of us when we almost lost her twice living in the mountains. The first time was after we first moved there. She got bit by a wind scorpion/sun spider (it's a spider that resembles a scorpion) in her water dish. It left a big, swollen lump on her neck, she couldn't eat for a week, and kept hiding under the woodpile. We though it was going to explode on her neck and she was hiding because she felt she was going to die and wanted to be alone. Well, we fed her Monavie juice from an eyedropper since she couldn't swallow much, and forced her to drink water, and maybe that helped. The mass did explode, she had almost no voice on the inside and was bleeding on the outside off and on for days. But she pulled through. That's when I realized how much we still wanted her around. She'd become Jordan's best friend.

The other time was just before this move away from the mountains. She couldn't keep anything down for days. We can only assume she ate something bad - maybe a mouse that had eaten d-con? or a bird that died of something other than old age? Not sure. We didn't think she'd pull through that - but again, we gave her Monavie for a few days on her food. She didn't keep much down, but she pulled through once we moved here and is doing just fine now.

She's old now, doesn't play much, has trouble jumping up or down from beds & the sofa, but she's still very loving to people. She licks you as you pat her - like a puppy.

I couldn't blog or photograph our life without including Furlough.

Photo Challenge: Day 2

Day 2: At the park on the next street over we've been watching both the turtles and the ducks, especially the baby ones. I got this photo because it seemed to carry the heading "But You're So Different". Every day we encounter people that are so different from us. Maybe they look different, or act culturally different, or have an opposite personality from us, or they dress different, or talk different, (you get the idea). We all have pre-conceived notions about those that are different, but do we ever stop and think how we appear to them? Maybe we seem too aggressive, or too loud, or too people-pleasing, or too old-fashioned, or too self-absorbed, etc. If we realize that WE'RE different to most people, maybe we can make a conscious effort to be more friendly, or to help out someone in need, or maybe just pass on a smile to someone who's hurting. Be encouraging to someone who needs it. You never know who's life you may touch for the better.

Photo Challenge: Day 1

Day 1: The tropical hibiscus flower that opened on the plant in my back yard. We've actually gotten about 5 of them since we moved here. They are so short lived. They bud with promise on one day, open fully by the next morning, then by the next day, they're purple and shriveled and fall off the plant. What a glimpse into life. We're here such a short time, too. It flies by before we know it. We have such a short window of time where we can bloom and be vibrant, then it's over. What will YOU do to be vibrant and come alive during your time here on earth? Don't waste it. Shine now while you can. Bring happiness to those around you and you'll be remembered fondly long after you're gone.

Reflecting on 20 years of marriage

Tim & I just celebrated being married 20 years. I spent a lot of the day reflecting on our struggles and our triumphs during that time. I thought of the lowest of lows, and the highest of highs. We've faced everything together and God has kept us protected and blessed just enough to keep us together and dependent on Him. Here's some of our high points in our marriage (for me, anyway):

Our wedding - the day was perfect, not too hot, not too cold, everything went smoothly.
Living in AZ the 1st time - our first 6 months we learned to live together w/o anyone around to tell us what to do.
Having a friend announce the coming of our first born in Canada during a function, from stage, surprising the new would-be grandparents.
The birth of our children - each was unique, Tim was wonderful in the delivery room.
Our first home - it was so inexpensive, the bank made us take out a personal loan rather than a mortgage.
Our first duplex - we lived free since the renters upstairs covered the cost of the mortgage.
Camping at Salisbury Beach, MA, watching the sun rise over the ocean and toasting marshmallows by campfire at night.
Moving to AZ the 2nd time w/our kids - it was like coming "home"
Tim breaking through some lifelong struggles to be free forever.
Utah trip through Zion national park - so beautiful!
Taking the stage together as we advanced in our business, and winning a free suite as the top winners of a contest in Las Vegas.
Tim changing careers to be a flatbed over the road driver. We miss him but it's the start of getting back on our feet, better than before.
Returning to the Valley after 2 years of living in the cold, snowy, too-windy climate of the high elevation, high desert area where everything hurt.
Starting our new adventure together, better than ever, looking forward to another 20+ years together.

Photo Challenge: 30 pictures in 30 days - June 2012

Hi Everyone! I've been thinking...the best way to start scrapbooking again is to make sure I have enough photos. To do that, I'm going to throw something out there. For the month of June, I'm going to take 30 pictures in 30 days. They'll be pictures that depict things in my world. Some may be big like Father's Day, or a special person's birthday. Other pictures will be my world around me...flowers, lizards, palm trees, the neighborhood park, elements of my new home that I love, etc.

If you've hit a rut in picture taking, this may be a good way to get you going again. You could take the challenge too. Maybe that's too aggressive for your schedule? Then agree to take 3 to 5 pictures on the weekends, or something like that.

What pictures should I capture? Any ideas?

Mother's Day Reflections

(Note: Sorry it reads like a big paragraph. I wrote it as bullet points and with spaces for quick reading, but the blog didn't format it the same way.) This Mother's Day is pulling out a whole range of emotions. Maybe it's because my kids are almost all grown, maybe because Tim's been gone for 3 weeks. Maybe because my mother and grandmother are thousands of miles away. Here's some random thoughts, good and bad, that I've been experiencing this week in regards to Mother's Day: The bad: - I wish he'd hurry up and move out, his selfishness is really bothering the other two. - Why is she so whiney! She's going into high school and still acts like she's 10. - What makes him think he knows everything when he's never attended public school, had a job, lived on his own, had a real relationship, or drove a car by himself yet? - It's so hard being a single parent while Tim's gone for so long - it was supposed to be 2 weeks and it'll actually be almost 4 full weeks! - I feel guilty when I know I'm doing or saying the right thing when disciplining my kids. The good: - I'm so proud of him. He's alcohol, smoke, and drug-free as a young man. He makes good decisions and recognizes the mistakes his peers are making. - I know she's almost in high school, but to see her swinging at the park makes me wish she were little all over again. - It's a good thing he's so smart and handy with Tim gone so much. I don't worry about what I'll do if the car breaks down, or I need computer help. - With Tim gone, it gives me a chance to establish a good routine for our family, and begin some new good habits before he gets back. - Stepping back and seeing how great my kids are, I'm glad I was more strict on them than they said their friends' parents have been. It's been a roller coaster of emotion. Mostly because we're all experiencing this move and changes differently. Part of us wants things to go back to how good they were before we moved from here 2 years ago. Part of us is excited to start a new life, with a new circle of friends, and happy that the bad things of the past are just that - in the past. So this Mother's Day, I have many mixed emotions going on, but I know one thing...I have great kids, it's not about flowers, candy, cards or gifts. It's about the relationships I have with each of my children. They're all unique, have their own strengths and weaknesses, are both so alike and so different from me in many ways, and no matter how much time I've spent with them, it still feels like it went too fast. To have one more day with Adam when he was about 5, one more with Logan when he was 3, and one more with Jordan when she was 2...those days are gone, I know, but at least I was there for them, and have great memories (and tons of scrapbooked pages) of those times. I am blessed. Happy Mother's Day.

It's all new and different...

Sometimes we have the opportunity to go back to where we came from, whether it's a town we lived in, a church or group we belonged to, a sport or activity we used to participate in, etc. Often we return expecting things to be like they used to be, but I've learned over the years, that rarely happens. Recently we moved back to the city where we lived 2 years ago. We even got to re-join the church where we'd been members for 7 years before we left. But I had no illusions that things would be the same as they were when we left. In fact, things changed so much just in the 6 months before we left that there's no way it could be "how it was". This economy has really changed the face of our country, even in the higher-end neighborhoods. Friends who were living above the normal standard have lost their homes, stay-at-home wives and moms have had to go to work, people have left the area to live less expensively, and with gas prices rising to almost $4 a gallon for so long, many have had to leave our church and groups because it became "just too far" of a commute. Now our family will be starting over in the city we came from, but it'll be all new. We did return to our church, even though it's 22 miles away. We'll cut expenses somewhere else to afford the 2 trips a week on Sundays and Tuesday morning (for my Ladies' Bible Study). We're in a new area of town, a much better neighborhood, but that means we'll need to make all new friends here. Also, the names on the stores are the same, but they're at different locations now so we'll meet new people that work there too. The church has lots of new faces (and unfortunately, many of the familiar ones are gone). The organizations we belonged to and places we used to frequent aren't going to be the same this time around. The kids are older. Adam's graduated (once he finishes Physics). Logan's 16, has his license, and Jordan's going into high school. I'm not sure the same field trips and homeschool groups would work now. We'll be finding new things we like to do, both individually and as a family. Even our household dynamic has changed. Adam's rarely home to eat dinner with us, both boys are looking for jobs, and Tim's on the road 2 weeks at a time with just 3 days off in-between. It's a new adventure but in familiar surroundings. It's a bit strange, I see the kids struggling to make things like they were, but they can't. Life changes, it goes on while we're doing other things. Two years has changed so much - and I think, so have we. I don't know exactly what's in store for us, but I know we're better prepared and have learned to appreciate what we have a lot more. It's a new adventure for sure. I'm looking forward to seeing what God's got in store for us with the new lessons we've learned.

The New Place is getting even better!!!

So here's a picture of our new place, but wait! Just when I couldn't think it could be any better, it does!

I got a call and a few messages from my friend who owns the house. Here's the gist of what we were told:

1. Since her husband and his regular contractors are all available to work for the next few weeks, they're going to totally remodel/renovate the home!

2. The master bath was pretty sad, so that's getting a total remodel.

3. The kitchen is in need of updating so it's all been ripped out, the ceilings raised, there'll be new, taller cabinets, new countertops, probably an L-shaped kitchen installed instead of the U-shape it was, and possibly even an island added!

4. Because the flooring is all mismatched and some looks bad from where carpets were ripped up, new tile is going in and all the cement floors (which we've always wanted) will stay, but be painted.

5. The funky island colors will all be painted a nice, neutral beige kind of color.

6. As if that's not enough - they even decided to bring in a landscaping company to clean the yard up before we get there.

7. Best news yet? - It's all scheduled to be completed, ready for us to move in, the Friday before the week we've rented our moving truck!

I'm just so grateful, thankful, and appreciative of such blessings. I consider it an honor to be trusted to care for their (now like-new) home for the next year or so. After that, we're hoping to buy and they're hoping to rent it for what it's worth, which will be so much more with all the work they're doing. I am truly blessed by God, through wonderful friends.

We found a home! An even BETTER home!

Normally, I keep my faith opinions & comments on my other blog, but I can't share this story without giving God full credit, so just bear with me, it's a great story!
I planned on checking out the apartment from my last post at 1 o'clock Tues. afternoon. Being in a hotel about an hour away, my plans were to leave the hotel no earlier than noontime, then run a few errands on the other side of town. That morning I couldn't stay put. I felt like I just had to get out of the hotel and head over towards the apartments. Maybe I'd stop into a few of the places on my list before the appointment instead of after? Anyway, I had to go.

That morning, my Facebook post was simple. Just that I was going to look at a place, wish me luck. I get a call from a friend I haven't talked to in 2 years. She's rarely on FB these days, but happen to be home recovering from surgery and was on there, and happened to see my post. She let me know she had a place for rent (since when did her family own rentals?) and it was becoming available in a matter of days. She called me during my drive but for some reason, I didn't hear my phone ring at that time. Instead, something made me take out my phone at a red light and see that I had a call from about 15 minutes earlier.

I called her and she mentioned a house, not a second floor, 1000 sf apartment, but a house for rent. I asked her where it was and she said it was off THE VERY STREET I WAS DRIVING BY!!! I couldn't missed her call. I could've called her back earlier or later. But the timing was absolutely perfect - that's how I know it had to be God's timing & plan and not my own. I've learned to pay attention to these things over the years.

Anyway, she and her husband were kind enough to allow us to move in for what we were going to pay for the apartment, which has to be anywhere from $200 - $600 below market value, depending on if they did work on it or not. In exchange, we'd move in with the understanding that it's "as is" and has some minor cosmetic issues - like funky paint colors, a few rugs that were removed but cement was never finished or painted, etc.

The house is perfect for us! It's only 2 to 3 blocks from everything and everywhere we need to be. It's got over 1600 sf. The Master has it's own bathroom, there's a good sized yard for entertaining and some beginning gardening space. It's at the end of a cul de sac. What more could we ask for?

Here's the best part - had I gone into the apartment interview without knowing about the house, I would've been devastated. It was the last place we could afford without being 30 miles from church in a very bad west-side neighborhood. I went in and within 5 minutes, they'd told me they had no 3 bedrooms in their mile-long complex and there was already a waiting list for them. We wouldn't have been able to move for another 6 to 12 months, if there at all. I would've spent the rest of the week compromising our family's safety and taking a place we hated, that was way too small, miserable. Instead, God gave me the confidence that it would all work out with the house, so when she said they had no vacancies, I smiled, got up, and left thinking, "it's okay because I don't want to live here anymore."

Life can be so good.

Finding a home

Here I am, bright and early on a Monday morning, ready to look for a new home for our family this week. Granted, the reason I'm up early is because I'm in the lobby of the hotel that messed up and I'm here waiting for their next available room to open up.

Anyway, on to better things...there's a place we hope to qualify for - it's a 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom apartment, in a complex that a lot nicer than where we used to be. It's got lots of grass, palm trees, 4 pools (2 heated), basketball courts, street hockey rinks, playgrounds, free bikes to borrow from the office, a fitness center, a beautiful clubhouse, and it's in a very convenient location for everything we could ever need.

So why am I still in the process of "finding" a home? Because we're not sure we'll qualify yet. My husband has just switched careers, he's in orientation & training for the next 3 1/2 weeks - then he'll be a solo truck driver. The pay is promising to be enough to qualify, but we had to declare bankruptcy and lost our home in a foreclosure 2 years ago. We're not sure if that will disqualify us or not. We also don't know if they'll need months of paystubs first, or accept the first few to see what a typical workweek pays.

Should we not get into this place, we have no real backup. That's why I'm here. By the time I leave in a few days, I'll know better where we stand, if I have to look for a new place or not, and I should have a better idea of when we should be able to plan our move.

We can also house-sit for friends here in mid-June for about a month at no cost - so if our move is delayed longer than we originally planned, that'll be okay because we'll still have a mini vacation to break up the tension.

Wish me luck this week!

Why I like the middle of the night...

5 Things I like about the middle of the night (when Tim's away):

1. I can get up, turn on my laptop, and have time to myself on the internet without interruptions. When Tim's home, I'd never dream of disturbing his sleep with the clicking away of the keyboard, but when I'm alone, every click sounds like a step forward, or an accomplishment. I'm actually getting things done without distractions.

2. The stars. I know in a few months I'll be moved back to the city (yeah!) and I won't be able to see anything but the brightest stars because of the light pollution, but you know what? In the two years we've lived here, it's almost always too cold or too windy to be out at night enjoying them anyway. With that said, there have been a few nights that I woke up between 2 and about 4 a.m. and was absolutely blown away at the number of stars in the sky here. I never gave any thought to the Old Testament when God tells Abraham that he'll have as many descendants as there are stars...until being out here. I saw literally millions of stars and though, "Wow. Seeing a sky like this, Abraham must've been totally blown away by that statement!"

3. The silence. I've never been big on noise. Maybe it's because I grew up in a loud house, with a loud family, and loud eventually led to an argument, then a fight. I also grew up as one of the older cousins and the oldest of my siblings, so I grew up treasuring peace and quiet. My happiest moments (before being married and having kids) were times when I was alone to enjoy the beach, a flower, a sunset, etc.

4. My head has a chance to clear up and "reboot". During the day, my head is constantly buzzing with things to do, things to plan, kids' demands, schedules, information to teach, and about a hundred other things. In the middle of the night, my head is clearer, fewer distractions, I can think out a complete thought, examine different possibilities, see new perspectives, and appreciate all I have to be thankful for.

5. Going back to sleep. I know that sounds strange, but there's something very satisfying knowing I'm going back to sleep with a problem solved, or after a relaxing time for just me, or with a song in my head, or even a prayer on my heart. It's a very peaceful, restful sleep once I fall back asleep. I wake up refreshed and relaxed and can ease into my day without things undone from the day before hanging over me. Those are the best mornings.

Zumba - the best addiction I've ever had!

I've had different addictions in the past, things I woke up thinking about, thought about all day, and obsessed over before bed - everything from drinking in my early 20s, to sugar in my 30s, to organics & coupons in the last few years - but this is the best one yet! Zumba Fitness! If you aren't familiar with Zumba, it's a dance & fitness program based on rhythms from all around the world (mostly Latino), combined with the mechanics of exercise. What you get is a fun, confidence-building, super-fat-burning workout that makes you want to do it again and again.

I started doing Zumba because I know it's huge all over the U.S., people love it, and those who I know that are involved have some of the healthiest, most sculpted body images, without crazy dieting, situps & pushups, nor heavy weight lifting. Not having the money right now to go out and buy a program, I started in my room with just my laptop and YouTube videos. I searched the basic and how-to videos to get started. I never felt so "white" and uncoordinated in all my life. I could sort of figure out what they were instructing me to do until they took it "to tempo". I watched in amazement thinking, "I don't think I'll ever be able to move as fast as they do, but if I do it half as quick, I'll still burn calories, right?"

After the first few times, I got the hang of it. I was moving more like they were, getting in 7 steps to their 8, quite an accomplishment for me. I was still awkward, but at least I was doing it, not hating it, and was starting to have fun.

After a couple of weeks, I was moving as fast as they were for most of it. I wasn't remembering to "keep my abs tight" through the whole workout, but my stalled weight loss was beginning to drop again. I was starting to believe I may have found something special in Zumba for me.

Now, it's been about a month since I started, but thanks to Tim's unusual schedule of CDL school 200 miles away, and working 3rd shift when he's home, I have our room to myself every single night to work on getting better (in private). Last night was the 12th night in a row and it's become an obsession...no, an addiction!

I wake up with the music in my head. Every time I walk or turn to do something in the house, I'm thinking about where my hips are, and if my core & abs are engaged. I keep moving my workout earlier and earlier by a few minutes because I can't wait to do it. I'm feeling that I'm using the right muscles as I work out. The steps are getting to where I don't have to think about it. I'm adding my own "flavor" as they call it in the videos. I'm dropping weight quickly. I'm happier, and eating less (since eating was very emotional for most of my life). I'm losing inches. I even have a renewed desire to learn to speak Spanish more than ever before.

The best part of Zumba for me is the mind transformation. I had so many doubts in the beginning, but now what I say in my head has changed. I'm twice as old as those on the video, doing this at 6300 feet elevation, and overweight to start - but I can do this! I really CAN move my body as fast as they do. My legs DO move as quick as theirs. I WILL hit every weight goal I set because I'm determined to keep at it.

I'm down 18 lbs in 60 days and have lost a few inches already! (Wish I measured those when I first got started). I'm healthy, happy, and love doing Zumba. Check out some of their online information and get started.

Hopefully, for my birthday, I'll get the first 4 DVD set until I can buy the newer 7 DVD program. Have fun!

10 Things I love about "the Valley of the Sun"

1. Palm trees (and other Phoenix area flowers)

I grew up in a family where everyone had gardens, fruit trees, and lots of flowers. I thought I knew more flowers than anyone else my age growing up, but when I moved to AZ in 2003, I saw hundreds of flowers & plants I'd never seen before. The colors, shapes, and oh, the palm trees I saw! I love lying by the pool on a hot day with a gently breeze blowing through the palm leaves making that distinct, crisp sound. There's nothing more soothing to me than watching palm trees blowing gently in the breeze.

2. Warm winters

After spending a lifetime hating the cold, days of rain, gray skies, and long, snowy winters of freezing temperatures - we finally moved to AZ. I enjoyed 7 years of warm winters. Almost 2 years ago, we were forced to live in the high desert, at high elevation, where it's cold and snowy and the winters are very long. I never realized how bad rheumatoid arthritis could hurt until I moved here. Now, I get to spend the next 4 winters in the Phoenix area again where it's warm. I know my time is limited there, so I'm going to take advantage of every single day there, appreciating it and being "one with my environment" until the very last day we're there. After that, we'll have to move back to the elevation & mountains & snowy, cold winters - but we'll at least be closer to town.

3. Swimming almost year-round

Last year for spring break we spent a week in the Valley in mid-March. My happiest memory was stepping into the pool and immediately being able to get right in because the water was so warm (and yes, it was unheated). Swimming from March until October/November is definitely something we miss.

4. Stores!

I'm not a shopper, really, but I know how to save money given the resources available. I've done a good job this year learning how to save as much as possible with only a handful of possible stores to shop from. I really look forward to using those skills when I have so many choices, Goodwill thrift stores, discount outlets, etc. I think I can double our standard of living for half what I'm spending now to live broke.

5. FRUIT

Up here, it's so cold and windy that no one can really grow fruit. The produce selection in the store is mainly apples, oranges & bananas. I can't wait to shop where local, organic fruits can be grown year-round. I miss the variety of tropical fruits available in Valley. It's no fun eating frozen fruit almost exclusively just to get a variety.

6. Organic vegetables

There's lots of people with gardens up here, but you find that if someone gives you some of what they've grown, it's usually the same thing you've got from your own garden - and you have more than you know what to do with already. Seriously, after you can the first 150 jars of pickles, how many more do you really need? I'm looking forward to the variety of INEXPENSIVE organic veggies I can buy for cheap money at places like Sprouts market.

7. Mountain Valley Church

I've gone to several churches in my lifetime, but MVC will always be "home" to me. When I come to the city, and walk through their front doors, I feel like I just walked through Grandma's house or something. I feel safe, loved, protected, and it's where people know the real me. That's the church where I truly had life-changing experiences with the one and only Holy God. It's where I learned to make my faith personal, and the center of everything I do. It's also home to my dearest and most-loved friends who have been through everything with me and my family.

8. My best friends

People are lucky to have 1 or 2 really close friends that you can trust, open up to, spend time with and "do life right" with. At MVC, I found dozens and dozens of friends for life. I can't wait to return to them. They've helped me learn, grow, be strong, let out a good cry, pray with and for our family, and so much more. I've missed them terribly and can't wait to come "home".

9. Activities for the kids

The Concho brochure (metaphorically) didn't tell the truth. I was told before moving here that it would be great: short winters, high temperatures in the 50s & 60s even in winter, sun almost every day, lots of space, pretty views, great wildlife all around, clean water, and friendly people. What I found was quite the opposite: long winters where the sun never hits the back of the house for 6 months a year, many days where the highs are in the 30s, lots of gray skies, so much space that you can't find friends for the kids because nothing is walking distance, lots of views...of dead, brown and yellow waist-high weeds all around and dead trees at least half the year, the wildlife here is snakes, huge beetles, rats & mice, and yes, there's deer or antelope but that's maybe 2 or 3 times a year you see that. Elk? sure, we have those, mostly when they come out near the road when you're driving at night for 30 miles to get home from town! And as for friendly people...most are retired or older, and the ONLY thing they talk about is the end of the world and how much they hate the city, and it's residents, and it's every man for himself when everything goes crazy. No one told us we were moving to the Meth capital and Polygamist capitol of the state! They left that out. When we move, our kids will have everything from sports, to art, to cultural events, to free events, classes for homeschoolers, lots of groups to join, church activities to do, and so much more. I can't count down the day fast enough.

10. Being near the airport & attractions

When we lived in the city, we were 7 minutes from the Southwest terminal. We had more friends & relatives visit from the east coast than I ever imagined we would. I even had visits from family I hadn't seen in 15 years! Once we moved to the middle of nowhere, not one friend or family member was willing to fly in to Phoenix, drive the 4 hours to here, just to sit at the house with nowhere to go and nothing to do. We don't even have television here. I've already been told some will come back when we're back in the city again.

So yeah, there's a lot of up-sides to moving back. I'll miss Tim's parents being close by, but other than that, I won't miss Concho one bit. We've met some wonderful, friendly people at our church in Show Low, and I'll stay in touch with them until we return in 4 years - but again, I won't miss anything else up here.

I'm so excited to move!

February Goals

Here's my list of 5 goals for February:

1. I've lost 14.9 pounds so far, I'm hoping to hit the 20 pound (loss) goal by the end of the month.

2. I'm hoping to find great deals on stuff for the boys' birthdays. Logan's was pretty inexpensive for what we got and he'll like them (can't share what they are just yet). Trying to find either a futon, a NICE tv stand/ent. center, or housewares for Adam (for when he gets his own place soon).

3. I really should get through the end of chapter 2 in my Genesis study, but I've struggled to find time to work on it. Between school, moving 200 miles away in a few months, hubby working nights and sleeping days, and in a few weeks, he'll be back in school for a month to change careers where he'll be gone for days at a time for a few months. Oh yeah, and I'm the Secretary for the Board of Directors for our local Farmer's Market so I've been busy rewriting contracts, applications, policy changes, procedures, and fee structures.

4. I hope to get Jan & Feb of 2011 scrapbooked, but I'm not sure about that one.

5. I'll continue to cook healthier meals for my family. I was very successful doing that in January, but the food costs more than cheaper, processed food choices, do our pantry, freezer, and cupboards are pretty bare right now. Hopefully I can build up a little here and there this month if I find great deals on frozen veggies, canned or dried beans, meats, etc.

What are you hoping to get done in February?

Top 10 Things to do in January

I find that the best way to get motivated to do something I don't really want to do, is to announce to the world I'm going to do it. With my integrity now on the line, I'll get it done no matter what. So here's my Top 10 Things to get done in January.

1. Finish scrapbooking all the pictures from the first half of 2010. I was doing great until I joined the local farmer's market. Then I was baking 2 days a week, selling one day a week, and shopping for ingredients 1 to 2 days a week. That plus homeschooling the kids left me with no time to scrapbook. I also ran out of supplies necessary to do it. I got some things for Christmas, and aside from needing photo paper and sticky squares, I should be able to finish the first half of 2010 by the end of this month.

2. Lose 10 pounds. I've lost 6 so far, but 10 was on my January 1st goals list. If I hit that before the end of the month, I'll re-adjust the goal at that time. I'm doing it eating no grains and no sugar for 4 weeks. More on where I'll go from there on my Top 10 February list.

3. I will write at least the 1st chapter of Genesis in the bible study ebook I'm trying to do this year. I know I'll have to do much more than a chapter a month to finish anytime in the near future, but the first is the hardest because it's setting the format - after that you just repeat the pattern with new information.

4. I will go on a date with Tim. When we renewed our vows in early October, we got good at having a weekly date. With the holidays, and his reduced hours at work, money's been tight and dates were put off for a while. We still don't have extra for a nice dinner out or a movie for two, but we can go for a motorcycle or 4-wheeler ride on the warmer days, or drive into town to check out what's new at the thrift store.

5. I will talk to people all month and try to set up either another class to teach on how to use coupons effectively and easily - or else find someone to sign up for Kara's site: . I'm trying to help others learn to save money on groceries. They need this information and I want to bring it to them as close to free as possible.

6. I will cook healthier versions of regular foods for my family this month. I will not be buying the cheaper, less-healthy foods with chemicals, artificial food colorings and flavorings, an abundance of sugars, nor unhealthy white, processed wheat. I'll be buying more fruits, vegetables, whole grains and organic items.

7. I will be sure to exercise 12 times this month. That's 3 times a week, although I may do less one week and more the next. It's more than I would've done without it being on my list of goals.

8. I will make the calls on weekends I've been too busy to make time for. I hate the phone, maybe it comes from telemarketing jobs I've had, but I hate talking on the phone. Maybe I just hate sitting still that long, or not being able to multitask (since I try to be a good listener when I am on the phone). Anyway, I'll make the calls I've been putting off - there's about 5 of them.

9. I will finish the bible study we started before Christmas. I will complete the Lineage of Grace Series before switching days and taking a break from Wed. nights. The boys both want to be involved in Feeding the Hungry at our church. That's on Tues. & Thurs. Bible study is on Wed. My bible study has prevented them from being able to serve, since we can't make another 65 mile trip each week, so I will finish the study I'm in, then switch our shopping/errand day to Tuesdays to allow them to volunteer. That also gives me 7 days instead of 1 to pull all my coupons together before shopping.

10. I will not be too busy to make time to do fun things with the kids. It may be simply watching something on Netflix online together, or taking a walk on a warm day, or playing a board game - but I will make time for it.

Optimism abounds

I feel great about 2012. It seems that everywhere I look, people are optimistic about what this year may hold. After the past 2 to 3 years of so much pessimism, heartbreak, and lost opportunities - it's time for some hope, courage, strength, optimism, and focus. Time to shed the past, forget the mistakes, learn from them, and make better decisions as we move forward. Just like there's Resolutions people make to do things, here's a brief list of a few Resolutions that we should all take to heart, but it's a list of things NOT to do:

1. Don't listen to the critical, negative talk in our own heads. Nothing good can possibly come from that. What we think on, we become. Instead, we need to think different if we want our lives to be different.

2. Quit eating things that we know are killing us. We know white sugar, white flour, artificial flavors and colors, high fructose corn syrup, and other chemicals are not good for us. There's enough research results out there to prove our usual foods are barely "food" at all. Instead, we should focus on trying to live longer and healthier lives by eating more natural, healthy and organic foods whenever we can. At the very least, we should add more fruits and vegetables to our diet and cut out the sugars and artificial sweeteners. Did you know they have more in common to pesticides than food? Time to make conscious changes.

3. Stop wasting our resources. I'm not talking about the whole green planet thing. I'm talking about learning from mistakes of the past. So many people in America got into debt over their heads from using credit cards unwisely, buying more home and/or car than they could truly afford, and other such errors. It's not wrong to have nice things - if you can pay for them. Going into debt just to keep up with others is just plain dumb, and too many of us fell into that trap. Some of us were wise with our money, but jobs were taken away, companies closed their doors, and we were taken by surprise. What can we do differently next time? SAVE! I've never heard a good financial planner who didn't suggest paying yourself first, put money into savings BEFORE you pay other bills. If you don't do it then, you never will. When another storm comes, you'll once again be caught without the resources to get through it.

4. Family and friends have to stop taking a back seat to everything else. The generation behind mine saw so many kids who's parents were so absorbed in TV that they neglected to properly raise hard-working, respectful children. Then there's the crowd of workaholics. They hide in their work because it's where they get their self-worth. Carving out one night a week, or a few hours on a weekend, will that really bring them to the brink of bankruptcy? They act like it. If it does, then they aren't very good at their job, are they? Time to prioritize. People are more important that we realize, especially our family - they won't be around forever. Once they're gone, it's too late for a do-over. Appreciate them now.

5. And finally, this year, let's not worry about things we can't change. Let's just focus on those things we CAN change.

May 2012 bring you wisdom, creativity, good health, wealth, fun, loving relationships, and peace.