The Feitner Adventure

Poor Guy....

2010-11-01T11:58:00.000-04:00

It's November 1st, and he's working from home.

The thermostat is set at 67.

... And his fingers are in grave danger of freezing and falling off.

Honey - remember your childhood winters in Wisconsin ...

... with no electricity ...

... and an outhouse???

I think you'll be ok ... and perhaps you're over-reacting just a tad.

*wink*

Batman & Robin

2010-10-29T11:36:00.003-04:00

This was their first year trick-or-treating ...

(those are pjs sticking out around his wrist - we needed some way to keep him warmer last night!)

(with a group of neighbor kids)

(with the ones who live next door)

Harrison: MINE.

Little girl: (thinking) I'm not taking your chocolate, you silly boy. You should see the stash mommy has hidden in our kitchen - and I don't have a big brother I need to share with. I don't need your one little measly chocolate bar.

I sat at the end our our driveway, covered in blankets (it was FREEZING!), puffing away on my oxygen, handing out candy. Aaron went around with the boys ... until ... Alex ran ahead with the older kids (and two of their parents),

so Aaron took Harrison around.

Harrison (our resident sweets lover) REALLY got into the whole concept of ringing doorbells and being given lots of candy! He's been begging all morning today to "go trick-treat" again! He's actually wearing his costume right now. *grin*

That hill is so much easier going down than going back up!

The boys had a blast!

(And they'll never know that we raided the

stash last night while they were in bed!)

sssshhhhhhhhh!

All the moms ooh-ed and aah-ed over little Cinderella (who was maybe 2 years old) and Prince Charming (her daddy), and Beauty and the Beast (her daddy)! There were only a couple duplicates - 2 sets of Mario / Luigi (but their costumes were different), 2 hippies, and 2 policemen, and 2 groups of penguins (the hockey team, not the animal). I was very impressed at the variety of costumes we saw!

Aaron never went trick-or-treating as a child, and I think I only went twice. He was shocked to learn that the basketful of loot the kids brought home is expected to last about a week (of course we'll be helping to empty it when they're not looking). Doubting my guesstimation, he asked a couple kids how long theirs would last. The unanimous response - "a week"!

Dancing in the Rain

2010-10-28T15:07:00.000-04:00

Bye-bye tomatoes

2010-09-30T10:33:00.000-04:00

After checking the weather for the coming week, and realizing that I really don't have the energy these days to cover our tomato plants each night (and uncover them each morning) ... we came to a decision.

Bye-bye tomato plants.

So, last evening the four of us went out and picked all the green tomatoes. As we were looking through the 5 plants, I came across this ...

... a tomato horn worm. EEEEWWWWWW. Now we know what was eating the leaves, and nibbling at the fruit.

After about an hour's work, the plants were emptied and disposed of, and we were left with this ...

274 final little bundles of Vitamin C and Lycopene. This puts the grand total of our 5 tomato plants well over 1000 tomatoes! Not bad for our first year! *grin* The "tricks" to getting this bountiful harvest were taught to me by my girlfriend, Jess. Make sure it's a raised bed, and mix mushroom compost (that I purchased at Home Depot) in with the topsoil.

I've diced and frozen tons of tomatoes, and canned a bunch too! We ate sandwiches and salads to our hearts content this summer. Made soup and bruschetta. Yummy! I'm looking forward to our first chili of the season, and adding fresh (frozen) tomatoes to our spaghetti sauce all winter!

(Next week we're digging up the leeks, and making potato leek soup to eat and freeze with my sister - her recipe is KILLER!)

We'll see how long it takes me to use what we've stored, but I think that next year I'm gonna put in double the plants. I want to learn how to make canned salsa (which is much more particular than fresh salsa) and spaghetti sauce next summer.

So, now it's time to ripen these green beauties. I took off the stems - and separated out the ones that have "bug nibbles". They went into boxes (in a single layer) on newspaper.

They'll get covered with another layer of newspaper, and I'll put in an apple or banana (which will release gasses that will help to ripen them). Then I'll shut the boxes and put them in the garage. Every day or two I'll check on them, and take out any "yucky" ones, and any ripe ones too! I'm looking forward to canning / freezing / eating these final summer beauties!

Bye-bye tomatoes ... and hello PUMPKINS!

raspberry picking

2010-09-28T09:19:00.001-04:00

Last Saturday we went raspberry picking as a family. It was just about the end of the season for fall raspberries, but we still got 2 pints-worth in under an hour! We went to Reilly's Summer Seat Farm - a place recommended to me by a sweet friend - and it was WONDERFUL!

Aaron loves raspberries, probably more than any other fruit/berry. So, he was excited by the idea of eating fresh ones, and I was hoping to get just enough to make some jam, or at least put over vanilla ice cream.

... The boys, on the other hand, thought it was "cruel and unusual" punishment, and that they were way too young to be subjected to such tortuous practices. (I distinctly remember being 4 and spending all morning in the fields at my grandparent's farm with the other grandkids picking raspberries and strawberries and the like - so at 5 1/2, Alex is definitely NOT too young to help for 5 minutes. - MUCH discussion was held on the topic while were were there.) In Harrison's defense, the prickly thorns were just at his eye level, so I can at least understand some of his displeasure.

Alex "occupied" himself with tickling everyone ...

... and everyTHING in sight.

Eventually Harrison led the mutiny. He ran down the row, and "disappeared" into the parking lot. Alex wasn't too far behind, and Aaron went to "check on them."

Apparently "stone picking" really makes one thirsty.

And at least they could SEE where I was.... (You can see that since it's the end of the season, they stopped mowing in between rows, and the weeds were beginning to creep back in...) Alex and daddy had a nice conversation about camaflouge while they were in the parking lot.

Eventually, I put my foot down, and told Alex that we weren't leaving until he picked some. Begrudgingly (and quite vocally) he started helping. I think he picked five.

Daddy and Harrison (who were sooooo ready for dinner) finally got in the action so we could finish off the two pints.

Ahhh. These are the REALISTIC memories we all have of family outings. Next summer when we go back to pick more raspberries (and blueberries, blackberries and strawberries), hopefully it will be a more congenial trip. ... Or maybe I'll get a babysitter and leave the kids at home. We'll see. *grin*

Let's go fly a kite...

2010-09-28T08:27:00.001-04:00

When we woke up on Friday morning it was still summer (with a high in the 90s) here on Dogwood. By Saturday it was autumn (high of 63). So, per Alex's request, we took advantage of the "winds of change" on Friday evening and flew kites! We live on top of a mountain (at 1200 feet, it's a mountain, not a hill), and up behind our neighbor's house is an empty field (which is also known as the sledding hill). It was a perfect spot - got the wind at the top of the mountain, no nearby trees to tangle the string, and lots of running room! Our kids (and the neighbor kids) had a blast! (And I enjoyed sitting in a chair puffing away on oxygen, and taking lots of pictures.)

weekend plans

2010-09-27T18:50:00.000-04:00

Last weekend Aaron and Alex checked out ROBOTS at the Carnegie Science Center. We also flew kites, and went raspberry picking. And then there was a luncheon at my mom's house - that turned into dinner also (I absolutely love when that happens!) I've got lots of pics, but haven't cropped any yet.

This coming weekend we have two main things on the agenda.

Tackling the boys' bathroom! (which will get rid of the FINAL hideous murals)

And thanks to Ana White from Knock-Off Wood, building this (with a couple modifications) to use in the breakfast nook.
Planted herbs on top, cookbooks below.

Next week my sister and nephew fly in from Tahoe to spend 2 weeks with us. I'm getting more and more excited, and am scrambling to tackle all our "work" before she gets here! We're all looking forward to a couple weeks of FAMILY FUN!

Lunchbox Notes

2010-09-23T14:09:00.002-04:00

... here's a little background ...

I have a girlfriend (Beth) who has a really popular decorating blog - The Stories of A2Z. Before we relocated last year, Beth and I were at the same MOPS table, & attended the same ladies' Bible study. Beth (and her blog) are simply amazing! You really should check it out!

Beth has a younger sister (Christianne) who also has a fabulous blog - Little Page Turners (all about amazing kids' books and related crafts / activities). Several days ago she posted about cute little lunch notes she was putting in her daughter's kindergarten lunches. You can read her FABULOUS post HERE.

Christianne originally found the idea on the blog Cap Creations. You can read her original post HERE. She's the one who created the notes Christianne used - as well as "notes" and "Bible verse cards" to include in lunch boxes. Make sure you check her out!!!

... So ... now that I'm not plagiarizing ...

Alex began Kindergarten earlier this month, and TODAY was the first day of "extended day" where he stays till 3 pm! He's going to a Montessori school, so 2 days a week he'll be there just in the mornings, and 3 days a week he'll be staying all day with seven other 5 year olds for more "directed" learning.

... So, TODAY was his first time packing a lunch for school. He was thrilled that I finally caved and let him get a Thomas lunchbox (I'm not sure he'll EVER grow out of trains!), and excitedly held his lunchbox on his lap with BOTH hands the whole way to school this morning!

When he opened his lunch today, he was surprised to find a note from me tucked inside! The next couple weeks, I'll put a joke inside each day! (I might change up the "theme" of the notes in the future, we'll see.) Cap Creations has ones on her blog that you can print and cut apart, but I decided to just copy her idea and make my own. I googled "kids jokes" and went from there. (I can't figure out how to turn the document into a .jpeg - so I printed and took a picture. Sigh.) I created a document with the jokes, printed it on card stock, and cut them apart! Here's page one... (If you're having trouble reading it, click on the image to make it larger.)

I think he's gonna be thrilled!

... brothers ...

2010-09-23T14:01:00.000-04:00

Alex at 2 yrs and 7 months...

Harrison at 2 yrs and 6 months ...

The main difference in those faces (other than hair cut)

is that Alex was about 10 pounds heavier!

(which gave him bigger cheeks!)

THEY'RE DEFINITELY BROTHERS!

(And got ALL their "appearance" genes from their dad's side!)

Falling in love with FALL!

2010-09-23T13:25:00.000-04:00

Hello, Gorgeous!

Well, today it's officially AUTUMN!

Yeah, baby!

Today begins my most enjoyable couple months!

... sweaters, warm apple pie with cold ice cream, hot cocoa with whipped cream, pumpkin carving, leaf collecting and pressing in otherwise dusty dictionaries, apple picking, hay rides, blooming mums ...

Sigh.

Be still my happy heart!

Welcome back, Autumn!

(And PLEASE give Summer a kick in the rear!

Temps in the 90s on the first day of your arrival

is really just a slap in the face!)

muscles

2010-09-11T18:07:00.001-04:00

A girlfriend and her 3 kids came out for a week-long visit last month. Her daughter ("the girlfriend") impressed Alex with her 4 year-old sculpted arm muscles!

... He has been forever changed.

Fast forward to a few minutes ago. I think the conversation went something like this...

Alex: Daddy, my arm muscles are now getting bigger, but my leg muscles aren't yet.
Aaron: What do you want to do?
Alex: Make them bigger.
Aaron: Okay. Hang on a second. Now pull both of us instead of just Harrison.
Alex: Will that make my leg muscles bigger?
Aaron: Definitely.
Alex: Hehehe. Okay!
(my cell phone rings)
Aaron: Julia - grab the camera and get out here!

Ava ... sweetie ... if my Alex turns into THIS

or THIS

one day because of you ... well, I'm letting you know right now that I'm holding you personally responsible. *grin*

first day of school

2010-09-07T09:23:00.000-04:00

We're now the proud parents of a

kindergartner!

(he begged for a picture with his newest toy -

a "bubble gum blaster")

We pray you have an amazing first year at school - make lots of good friends - explore your growing independence a bit more each day - learn more about this amazing world God created - increase your self-confidence - and learn HOW to learn! We love you so much, Alex, and love who you're becoming!

Mum and Dad

"The object of education is to prepare the young

to educate themselves throughout their lives."

~ Robert Maynard Hutchins

one year

2010-09-01T16:22:00.000-04:00

It was one year ago - today - that Aaron started his new job in Pittsburgh.

It was one year ago - today - that I began the 2 months of being a single mom during the week - with health problems - while trying to sell our house - and then buy a house - and then packing our house to relocate.

It was one year ago - today - that God reminded me how special friends are - and how necessary - and how loving they can be when they step up and offer to be my support network and remind me that I'm never really alone.

It was one year ago - today - that God taught me that HE needed to be my main support - and that though my husband loves me with his whole being, he won't always be there - and that I'll still be okay.

It was one year ago - today - that our lives changed yet again - for the better (though they were undoubtably very stressful for a couple months).

Happy one year anniversary, darling!

the beginnings of autumn

2010-09-01T16:07:00.002-04:00

Today's September 1st ...

It's officially OK to have those glorious autumn decorations out!

(Even if it IS in the 90s today!)

... aaaaand I'm out of autumn decorations ......

Can't wait for those end-of-season sales to start!

The Big Reveal!

2010-09-01T16:03:00.000-04:00

Last week Aaron and the guys painted 5 rooms here on Dogwood - living room, dining room, hallway/stairs, master, and Harrison's room. (Yes, I'm counting the hall as a room - it's on 2 floors.) Aaron's now back at work, and I'm working on putting everything back. *grin* Three rooms are now "presentable" (and pretty much the rest of the house is still a disaster area!). Nine of the eleven lights I purchased have been installed (the other 2 are on back order.) I still need to buy curtains and replace the hunter green blinds (that came with the house) ... but one project at a time.

(Please excuse the random train and glove lying around.)

So ... for those of you who've seen the "before" ... this is SUCH an improvement, eh?

Thank you Quentin, Mark & Aaron for your hours and hours and hours of work! Thanks also Virginia & Emily for giving up your men to help!

This house is finally starting to feel like our HOME!

"chicken"

2010-08-25T22:19:00.001-04:00

i guess playing "chicken" is instinctual for boys ........

????????

Over and over...

... and over and over ...

H: I won! I won! You can't catch me!

A: Wanna bet!

(sigh)

the joys of having a sibling!

OOOOH .... KITTY!

(vroom - vroooooom)

A: Nooooooo!!!!!

the kitty has NO IDEA how close it was to a PERMANENT nap!!!

NO IDEA!

But I guess all's well that ends well ...

(sigh .... THIS is why I'm greying prematurely ...)

lesson #2

2010-08-25T22:02:00.002-04:00

Last week Alex asked me to teach him chess ... so I did. Unfortunately we only played 2 games before other responsibilities needed to be attended to.

Yesterday Alex got lesson #2 !

He loves chess!

(And is determined to beat me one of these days....)

sneak peak

2010-08-25T21:42:00.001-04:00

Monday evening the boys and I drove the 3 hours (round trip) from my mother's to Dogwood (and back again). Aaron and I attended Alex's kindergarten orientation, and the boys played with Grandpa for a couple hours. The fellas had a blast, and Aaron was glad for a sanctioned painting break! I was glad for a sneak peak at the massive painting job that's under way... (and yes, they DID paint the ceilings!)

The main area's now totally complete (just waiting for new lights to be installed)! It's even cleaned up! And tomorrow the fellas will finish painting the master bedroom and Harrison's bedroom! Less than 48 hours till we move back to Dogwood! I'm giddy excited! (just wish the colors in the pictures were more accurate so you could appreciate the transformation even more...)

Thank you, fellas, for all your exhausting, hard work!!!

Lighting Decision

2010-08-18T19:14:00.000-04:00

I'm sure that wondering what lights we chose hasn't kept most of you up at night. But I've gotten several emails asking, so I thought this would be the easiest way to answer those who have asked. I returned the "napkin ring" ones - you could "see up their skirts" from bellow, and that just didn't seem lady-like. A friend recommended I check out a local store, and sure enough, they came to the rescue! Everything has been ordered, and now we're just hoping they all arrive in time!

For the foyer (above the door when you enter through the living room):

For the 2 sconces in the 1st floor hallway & the two above the fireplace in the family room:

For the 3 sconces on the "second floor":

... Painting starts in 48 hours (and lasts for probably 10 days). Here's hoping I have the energy to have everything prepped before that, and that the guys are ultra-productive!!!

The "girlfriend"

2010-08-11T17:19:00.001-04:00

So ... Alex officially has a "girlfriend". They've been "going out" for almost 5 months now, and when you're 5 (and she's a respectable 4 1/2), that's an eternity! Well, she and her family came to spend most of last week with us on Dogwood. Alex was convinced that they came so she could see him (never mind that the MOM is one of my closest friends). He even asked if "his girlfriend could sleep in his room" (in a sleeping bag) ... ummmm ... innocent as the request was, I drew the line on that one!

Well, the 4 kids had a MARVELOUS time together - despite a few punches, pinches, pushes, screaming matches, and an impromptu water fight in the kitchen and family room while the grown-ups were tackling a project upstairs. But it's not every group of 2-5 year olds that can play together for 2 hours at a time without adults having to intervene!

Here are some highlights of the week, from Alex's point of view.

Inspirational Road Trip

2010-08-11T16:48:00.000-04:00

My girlfriend and her 3 kids spent last week here on Dogwood. While they were here, she and I decided to take a spur-of-the-moment road trip to ...

We left when almost everyone was napping (and the kiddos couldn't voice their opposition to the idea). It's only about a 45 minute drive and we spent a GLORIOUS 2 hours of drooling, sighing, and talking about decorating ideas. She stuck to her budget. I almost stuck to mine ... but phoned the hubby to discuss a higher priced purchase. So, I blew my budget (with his blessing) - but we're SO happy with the purchase. (more about that later)

Each time I go I always notice so many things I think would work so well in our house, or ideas of how to use what I do have in a different way. So, this time I was finally smart enough to bring my camera along.

Most of what I found was ideas for Harrison's room (which should be painted a nice blue before Christmas) - so I now FINALLY have some ideas of what to do with it. I haven't started it yet, because I lacked any inspiration. IKEA came to the rescue! Take a look at this wall art - and most of it I could replicate myself with scrapbook paper or art from the internet!

At some point I'm gonna shell out the (I think) $16 for these lights. Every time I see them I fall in love all over again. They'd go so well in our guest room. The photo's a bit deceiving - they're a glorious white.

And I can think of at least 5 places in my house that this mirror would fit perfectly!

And then ... there's the hubby-approved splurge.

I've had such a hard time decorating our bedroom - so it's not too girly or too masculine - too dark or too light. I bought a painting last winter (which will eventually move from its spot above the bed to just above the soaking tub). I selected a paint color (a soothing green) which might, just might go up on the walls by the end of the month. But it's sooooooo hard to decorate a bedroom (for me, anyway), without a bedspread since it takes up so much real estate in the room. And I FINALLY found it! Our douvet. The one thing that the whole room will be based upon - the colors, the textures, the whole enchilada.

... And THAT, my friends, is the green that we purchased for the walls during Home Depot's Memorial Day Paint Sale!

It's the perfect mix of masculine and feminine colors. It's even striped on the other side, so the print doesn't have to be overtly feminine. (Currently the stripe side's showing on our bed, but we've agreed to switch back and forth each time we change the sheets.) We bought the duvet cover and two floral shams.

My decorating block for TWO rooms has been broken through! I now can go on and create inspiring and relaxing rooms ... once I finish painting that built-in bookcase in Alex's room. (I'm getting there - it just needs a coat or two of wipe-on poly, and to do touch-ups where the white got on the yellow walls.)

The "real" reason I wanted to go to IKEA was to pick up one of these dignitet curtain wires for all the art I'm sure Alex will be bringing home from KINDERGARTEN. (how did he grow up so fast??!!?)

Aren't they absolutely FABULOUS!!??!! Sigh. I LOVE the IKEA kind of impromptu road-trips!

Lighting Option #2

2010-08-03T16:19:00.000-04:00

Oil Rubbed Bronze

and the chandelier won't let me save a pic - so here's a LINK TO IT

Lighting Predicament

2010-08-03T15:47:00.000-04:00

So - I've been facebooking (and emailing Aaron photos like crazy - he's on a business trip) about how I'm stuck with a lighting predicament.....

The main parts of our house are being painted in 17 days. This would be the BEST time to change out the lighting we hate. So, I have 17 days to get new lights here. We're painting the walls a "beige" (similar to the one we had on Melbourne). (The family room's not being painted right now - I haven't picked a color yet.) We're wanting to change THESE...

(dining room)

(there's also 2 on the opposite wall - and 2 more in the master bath)

(main floor hallway)

(family room)

(and eventually this - but probably not now)

Here's the best I can come up with so far

... staying in some sort of a budget .....

(i am replacing 9 or 11 lights all right now, after all!)

(and yes, I AM a "matchy-girl")

(for dining room)

(for all 4 sconces on the main floor)

(for the spots waaaaay up on the wall)

CAN SOMEONE OUT THERE, PLEASE EMAIL ME, OR PRIVATE MESSAGE ME YOUR OPINIONS. I FEEL LOST IN THE DARK RIGHT NOW........

Mrs. Feitner

2010-08-02T16:11:00.001-04:00

There are now officially THREE

(count them - 1-2-3)

Mrs. Feitners in the whole of America!

We're a very exclusive group. (hehe)

I'm in the process of downloading and cropping the 543 photos we took at our 2.5 days of family celebration. I'm sure I'll end up doing a couple posts over the next week or two sharing some of the pics - but I pinky-promise NOT to upload all of them!

In the meantime ... here's a couple of my favorites from Nos'trovia.

Welcome to the family, Shelley!

Hacky Sack

2010-07-27T20:06:00.000-04:00

Tonight a neighbor kid introduced Harrison to the

hacky sack

and it was love at first sight!

While Alex was happy "trimming the bushes"

with a broken golf club, Harrison got busy!

And - no - he doesn't always stand funny.

They're "action shots" - he was moving!

This kid of ours definitely LOVES anything

that's round and you can throw or kick!!!

Male Bonding

2010-07-27T19:54:00.001-04:00

First of the Harvest

2010-07-27T19:43:00.001-04:00

The lettuce has come and gone.

The japanese beetles finished off my basil.

The strawberries keep producing, and every day or two

Harrison goes out and helps himself to the ripe ones.

... And tonight on Dogwood ...

The beans are 8 inches long and so plump!

My grandma would have been SO proud!!!

And mushrooms like to spontaneously grow in mushroom soil.

Who knew?

Perfect Love

2010-07-26T14:28:00.002-04:00

Yes, my "love" is practically perfect. Just ask him and he'll tell you. (grin) But he's not what's on my mind right now.

Alex just brought in the mail, and a postcard in it made me smile. You know that smile, don't you? The warm, knowing smile, of being reminded of someone (or something) you have a personal, intimate relationship with.... (Sigh.) It really IS true love.

You see - I LOVE coffee, and I LOVE getting rewarded for spending money, and I LOVE learning how "the system" works to make it work the best. ... Combine all three and it's PERFECT LOVE!

I'm talking STARBUCKS people. And those of you who've hung out with me at all in the last 10 years can attest - this isn't a fling, this is love - the kind he can tell you about

"wuv, tru wuv, will fowow you foweva... "

So - I'm sure many of you already know all of this info. But for those of you who don't (and also are struggling with a Starbux addiction) - allow me to save you a little money.

STARBUCKS REWARDS.

What you do is buy a re-loadable gift card at Starbucks, and use it (and only it) for all of your purchases there. You can manage your card(s) online (we have one for Aaron's wallet and one for mine) - check your balances, add money, and see how close you are to getting FREE COFFEE! Oh yeah - you read that right! Let me say it again. FREE. COFFEE. (You can read all about it HERE.)

So - assuming you took the time to click on their website and read the link, you're probably thinking "one free drink after earning 15 stars, what a rip off!" Yeah, no. Let's look a bit closer. What it actually says is...

"With My Starbucks Rewards, you'll earn 1 Star every time you pay with your Card. And as you collect Stars, you move up to bigger benefits. ... ... ... ... you get a free beverage with every 15 Stars you collect."

(Here's where my English literature degree comes in handy.) "...every time you pay with your card." So - allow me to explain in a cold-hard-real-life example.

Aaron and I (and the boys) are making a run to Home Depot - to pick up potting soil. I'm going to decide which type I want - he's going so I can use his muscles - and the boys are going because they're our kids and go everywhere with us. On the way there I decide I'm tired, and the boys would probably behave a little better in the store if they had something to distract them (other than poking each other). So, I suggest we swing through the drive-in Starbucks on the way. My fabulous husband (who rarely says no to anything I suggest), pulls in. We order 2 tall skinny caramel mochas with whip, and 2 boxes of chocolate milk. When we pull up to pay, and hand the card to the friendly lady with the british accent, we ask her to please ring them all up separately. She grins, chuckles, and says "why certainly." FOUR STARS! Three more such trips and we get a FREE COFFEE - A FREE ANYTHING - ANY SIZE!

This is perfect love ... getting rewarded for something I'd buy anyway. And that postcard that came in today's mail ... FREE DRINK #5.

"Hello. My name is Julia and I'm a Starbucks addict."

The Ultimate Party

2010-07-26T13:35:00.000-04:00

Any guesses what's on our calendar later this week?????

I'll give you a hint or two ...

Aaron's brother is giving Aaron and me a new sister!

YAY!!!

I love parties!

Especially the wedding kind.

And especially, especially when we ~~like~~ love both people!

Congrats Field and Shelley!!!

Near Perfection

2010-07-26T12:53:00.005-04:00

Weekend guest = the girl who first introduced Aaron and me.

(How can we ever repay her!??!)

Accidentally plan the visit for the hottest weekend of the year!

Get out of bed before everyone else, and start the coffee.

Make a morning run to Soergels for some local, organic,

freshly-picked blueberries.

Decide to buy some local apples (first of the season), watermelon,

and corn on the cob that had been picked less than an hour earlier.

Take advantage of the toddler's extra long nap,

and the kindergartner playing with the neighbor kids,

and the other adults in the house for the weekend,

to make two batches of blueberry-lime jam.

(Using a pressure cooker for the first time!)

(And everyone burning themselves in the process.)

Decide to revamp the menu to eat the fresh corn,

instead of homemade stir fry.

('Cause there's nothing like summer corn!)

And then invite the neighbor kids to stay for dinner.

Decide that you're exhausted from the day's events,

and sit in the kitchen, watching everyone else clean up dinner.

Then, at dusk, head over to the neighbor's fire-pit for s'mores.

They provide the pit, and you provide the fixins.

Sit around watching the fire die down,

while the kids catch lightening bugs.

As dusk turns to dark, stare at the sky, and ponder

will those menacing clouds blow on by or let loose?

Make a mad dash for shelter when you learn the answer.

Arrive home drenched from the sudden torrential downpour.

Be so relieved that the temp dropped 20 degrees in 2 minutes

that you don't mind that you're dripping wet!

It was a good visit - even though I was too tired to socialize much. Think part of the problem was the heat, and part of it is that I need a medicine increase (which will happen tonight).

Thanks for coming to hang out!

(Note: the ONLY picture I took for this post is the very first one - all the rest were swiped off the net somewhere. I'm feeling lazy today.)

Summer S'mores

2010-07-25T20:01:00.003-04:00

Only the second this season.

And of course it was the hottest evening of the summer!

But the first for us on Dogwood

(at the neighbor's fire pit).

And Harrison's first EVER.

He absolutely LOVED swinging the stick at everyone...

and dragging the marshmallow thru the embers...

but he flat out refused to eat anything.

Alex, on the other hand, is an old pro.

And this year he'll finally eat a marshmallow.

(no s'more yet, tho.)

But at least it's a start!

And just after everyone had their fill of ooey-gooey goodness,

and it was nice and dark,

we were hit by a sudden torrential downpour.

It was a perfect evening!

And so I stand

2010-07-15T21:55:00.006-04:00

So - I'm taking a ladies' Bible study on the book of Ruth - Thursday evenings this summer at a local church. It's not the church we attend - and I only have one kind-of acquaintance at the church - and one acquaintance in the Bible Study (though she's not in my group). Tonight was the third week - and it was excellent discussion once again.

Each week on the way there and back I have Chris Tomlin playing on Pandora (on my Droid) as I drive. And, each evening on the way back, the song "In Christ Alone" has played - each time performed by a different artist - each time right about the same spot on my journey home. Coincidence? I think not.

This song always "hits me hard" - and I end up crying each Thursday night. So, tonight I decided to blog the lyrics. This blog isn't "for you." It's for ME. It's a reminder to me that I'm claiming it - all of it - especially the bolded parts.

In Christ alone my hope is found

He is my light, my strength, my song

This Cornerstone, this solid ground

Firm through the fiercest drought and storm

What heights of love, what depths of peace

When fears are stilled, when strivings cease

My Comforter, my All in All

Here in the love of Christ I stand

In Christ alone, who took on flesh

Fullness of God in helpless Babe

This gift of love and righteousness

Scorned by the ones He came to save

'Til on that cross as Jesus died

The wrath of God was satisfied

For every sin on Him was laid

Here in the death of Christ I live, I live

There in the ground His body lay

Light of the world by darkness slain

Then bursting forth in glorious Day

Up from the grave He rose again

And as He stands in victory

Sin's curse has lost its grip on me

For I am His and He is mine

Bought with the precious blood of Christ

No guilt in life, no fear in death

This is the power of Christ in me

From a life's first cry to final breath

Jesus commands my destiny

No power of hell, no scheme of man

Could ever pluck me from His hand

'Til He returns or calls me home

Here in the power of Christ I stand

I will stand, I will stand

All other ground is sinking sand

All other ground, all other ground

Is sinking sand, is sinking sand

So I stand

Mixed Berry Preserves

2010-07-15T17:55:00.001-04:00

If you remember, one of my goals for 2010 was to start a garden and can / freeze out of it. Well, so far the garden's going well (hope to start canning salsa and spaghetti sauce in a couple weeks). Later this fall I'll attempt apple butter and applesauce. But, this week I'm working on jams and preserves. So far I've made 2 batches of my girlfriend Beth's Strawberry Freezer Jam (you can get the directions HERE). I've also made 2 batches of CG's Mixed Berry Summer Preserves (which you can read all about HERE). However .... due to necessity I had to make a few alterations to the Mixed Berry Preserves - hence this post.

I bought everything necessary for making preserves - jars, pectin, fruit, sugar & a huge pot (for a water bath). But after I got home (and had started making the jam) is when I realized that the pot said "not for glass cooktop stoves". Oops. Well, rather than let the beautiful fruit go to waste, I decided to just modify the recipe a bit, and buy a different pot the following day. And it still turned out oh-so-delicious! (After I finished filling my jars, my hubby rushed to the pot, and started scraping - and licking! So, I knew I had to share the recipe with you!)

So ........ without much further ado - CG's Mixed Berry Summer Preserves (with my modifications thrown in).

Ingredients

6 baskets of strawberries (or 3 lbs.)

4 baskets of blueberries (24 oz.)

6 baskets of raspberries (36 oz.)

6 baskets of blackberries (36 oz.)

Juice from 2 lemons

Zest from 2 oranges

4 cups of sugar

Low or no sugar pectin (a thickening agent - NOT a preservative!)

12 pint sized canning jars

(this recipe makes 12 pint sized jars)

CG recommends splitting the ingredients into 2 pots for cooking them down. I only own one that's large enough, so I split the recipe in half, and made 2 batches 2 consecutive evenings. (Generally, when canning it's ok to cut a recipe in half, or to make several batches - but NEVER just double a recipe.) So, all directions from this point on are for a HALF-BATCH.

Wash your fruit, and take off any stems. You will end up with a large bowl / colander full of gorgeousness. Put it to the side.

Sterilize your jars. This can be done in the dishwasher (as long as they're still hot when you're ready to put the preserves into them), or by boiling them for 5 minutes. It can be helpful to use canning tongs to remove them from the water - they can be found at any store that sells canning supplies.

After all the jars are sterilized, mix ALL ingredients together (except the pectin) in a pot. Side note here: jam is made from mushed up fruit, and preserves is made from whole fruit. CG cooked her fruit whole (hence "preserves"). But, Aaron and I both prefer large chunks of fruit, but for most of it to be mushed up. So, I cut my fruit a bit before adding to the pot. The raspberries and blackberries broke down very well on their own, but I was glad that I cut the blueberries in half, and quartered the huge strawberries. But be careful doing this when changing a recipe - mashing fruit can release the natural pectin that's in it, and can interfere with the thickening process.

Bring your fruit to a boil (on high) and stir every minute. You'll see it begin to beak down like this. Now - here's where I modified the recipe (since I wasn't able to put the jars in a water bath to seal them the way CG recomments). I'll add that I DID speak with a former amish-lady (who's made hundreds of jars of jam in her life) about my predicament, and this is how she suggested I finish the canning sans-water bath. For the "correct" way to do this - please check out CG's post HERE.

It took my fruit only about 2 minutes to boil, and once it began to boil I started a timer.

Six minutes after the fruit started to boil, I added HALF of a box of No, or Low Sugar Pectin.

Boil for another FOUR minutes, and then turn the heat off. Ladle into your jars, leaving 1/3 inch headspace. Wipe the rim off with a damp cloth or paper towel (to ensure a good seal).

And add your lid and rim. (The lids should have been "simmering" but not boiling in a pot of hot water.) Tighten it as tight as your hands can get it, and then put it on the counter upside-down. You'll probably need to hold the hot jars with a towel so you don't burn your hands. The heat of the cooked fruit will be enough to seal the jars.

After all lids seal ("pop-down"), you can invert them the correct way. I generally make my jam / preserves after the boys are in bed at night, and just leave the jars upside-down until morning. All of my jars have sealed using this method. If one of yours doesn't, you can just use that one right away - it should be good in the fridge for up to 3 weeks.

Allow your jars to cool for 24 hours before storing. They should keep for up to one year.

If your lids don't seal, or if your preserves don't jell, follow directions on either package to remedy the problem. CG says that the recipe makes 12 pint sized (8 oz) jars - and the 1/2 recipe makes 6 jars. However, each time I've made it it makes 9 (or just over), so I guess my fruit's larger than hers? To make up for this, I added 3/4 box of pectin to my second batch rather than just 1/2 box. Both ways seemed to turn out well for me - one was just a bit firmer than the other. Both were totally yummy and very acceptable.

I'll add a little disclaimer here. Of course it's best to use fruit that was just picked! Nothing says "I love you" quite like a homemade (possibly even home-grown!) jar of jam with fruit you picked yourself. However ... I'll admit that this fruit came from the store (to my credit, it was marked "organic"). And it tastes SPECTACULARLY AMAZING! So, I really think that ANY fruit is fine for making this jam. It's just THAT good of a recipe!

All that's left is for me to make cute labels, and they're ready to go in a gift basket with some freshly baked bread as Christmas gifts. YUMMY! ... So far I've made Strawberry Freezer Jam (I'll post those directions later), and Mixed Berry Preserves. Next up is Strawberry (non-freezer) Jam, and Blueberry-Lime Jam! ... Then later this fall I'll attempt apple butter. ... Hmmm, I'm getting hungry after all this typing. I think it's time to go start making dinner. ENJOY!

of paint and lights

2010-07-14T15:20:00.002-04:00

The main part of our house is being painted in August.

For those of you who haven't been to Dogwood yet - (give me a call, and come visit!) - let me explain what that means. It has a 2-story entry, with a living room to the left just off of it (I guess it's a living room - there are only 2 walls, the rest of it's completely open to the rest of the house), and the stairs are off to the right of it. Then on the main floor, there's a hallway that goes around, and behind the stairs toward the family room, basement steps, powder room, laundry & garage. The living room also opens to the dining room (living room is 2 stories, dining room feels tiny because it's only 1 story. ... Oh my - that sounds very confusing. Let me see if I can find any pics from when we first looked at the house (last July).

Ahhh, that's better. Now you have a much better idea of what I'm talking about. ALL of that is being painted (including the ceiling and hallway I didn't photograph) in August. There's no way I can handle that amount of paint fumes (and no way a 2 year old would resist touching wet paint!), so the boys and I are moving out for a week while it's undergoing the make-over. This area contains some lights that we H-A-T-E ... so this is the perfect time to change them (since the ceiling's being painted anyway). What lights you ask? Well, let me remind you.

The over-grown plant in the dining room.

And the clam-shell sconces

(3 of them in the 2nd floor hallway)

(2 more of them in the master bathroom)

And the 2 other kind of sconces

(on the 1st floor at the bottom of the steps)

Well, the last ones aren't that bad, but we like things to match, and I can't find it anywhere to buy more. So, they're going too. I guess I'll see if I can craigslist the lights - since none of them are broken, we just aren't crazy about them.

ANYWAY ... now's the best time for us to put in new lights - since they'll have to be taken down to paint the walls & ceiling. So, I've spent a good bit of time today online looking for new lights. I've found some really good prices (and some painfully high ones too!). But this decision seems so difficult for me. God created ALL the stars, sun & moon in ONE DAY - but it sure is taking me a lot longer just to pick from the available choices. Goodness!

On a side note - if you're free August 20-26 - and actually LIKE painting (and do a good job) - and want to come help Aaron and the guys - let us know. We'll be happy to thank you "monetarily"......

In the meantime I'm back on the hunt.

Shingles

2010-07-09T13:40:00.006-04:00

A couple weeks ago I posted on Facebook that I've felt uber-impressed to pray for JULY. The more I prayed about it, the more it felt like I was supposed to pray for STRENGTH AND PEACE. Well, of course that made me ultra-nervous, but I prayed - and prayed - and prayed like crazy.

It's now been 2.5 years since I was diagnosed, and 7 years since I first started showing symptoms (gaining weight, less energy / stamina, getting out-of-breath easily, etc.). It's been 7 years of me "slacking" because I could only push myself so far - and 7 years of my husband stepping up to the plate and picking up where I left off. Whether it was laundry, cleaning, child-care, you name it, he did it willingly. Most days when he gets home from work I have a mental list ready to go of what I need his help with before we crash in bed, exhausted. He's given me - our family - and our house his 110%. ... And now it's time for me to care for him.

Today Aaron was diagnosed with

SHINGLES.

This morning I posted about it in Facebook - and called / texted several family members about his diagnosis - asking for prayer for him. Lots of people have asked me what shingles is. Here you go.

It can last from weeks - to months - even a year! (I remember all too well when my grandmother got shingles - life took a hiatus for a LONG time for lots of the family as they helped her out!) It's all around his midriff, so that makes most things unbearable for him - like bending, lifting, sitting, even sleeping. He said wearing a shirt's unbearable - feeling "wind" as he walks with no shirt is also unbearable. POOR GUY!!! I've spent the better part of the morning researching shingles online, and am going to drastically change our meals for the next while to help increase the specific vitamins that will aid in the healing of his nerves. Aaron could use LOTS of prayer right now - he's in agony - and the boys simply don't understand why they can't rough-house with their Daddy. They're not used to hearing that about Mommy - but not about Daddy.

(note - this picture is from the internet - and not actually of aaron - but it looks incredibly similar to his rash.)

So, it's now time for ME to step back up to the plate around the house, and within the family. I pulled my own weight when we were in the relocation process - when he was working in Pittsburgh Mon-Fri, while the boys and I were still in Mechanicsburg trying to sell the house. I know I can do it (though that house was 1/3 the size of this one) ... I also know how exhausted I was. So, sure enough ... I NEED STRENGTH AND PEACE IN JULY! I've got peace - but strength - well, that's a minute by minute issue. Please keep our family in your prayers! We need it - all FOUR of us do!

Under a tree

2010-07-06T21:18:00.002-04:00

Earlier today I mentioned how I'd love to host a dinner party under a tree. I've dreamed about the possibility for several years.

There would be lights hanging from the tree to illuminate our conversation as it continued well into the night. (And of course, there would be no bugs or birds dropping "presents" from the branches.)

Unfortunately there are no suitable trees on our property.

However.........

....... about 30 feet beyond the end of our property line is this beautiful cluster of maples ...... and the couple who own that property wants to sell some of it ......... and Aaron's been talking about wanting to buy it ever since we decided to buy the house ........

Tonight we went for a walk out to the maples (I hadn't visited them yet) ..... and (it doesn't look like it in the photo because of the out-of-control weeds but) the land is level just to the right of the trees. *deep sigh* I'm dreaming....

...... maybe next Spring.

July 5th

2010-07-06T14:12:00.002-04:00

We had a kinda-last minute holiday weekend party here yesterday (Monday). It was officially decided on Sunday (while I was at the grocery store) that we'd have it. At that point, the house was a wreck, and we weren't planning to tackle the house till the long weekend was finished. (Thank you, honey, for being so flexible!) I had done a med increase Friday night, and was still dealing with side effects, and Harrison's working on his 2 year molars, and wasn't the most pleasant person to be around. But we had an absolute blast (at least I did, and it looked like everyone else did too! ha!) Two families were invited, and they both came! Yay for "last minute!"

Happy Birthday, America!

in my mind's eye...

2010-07-06T13:18:00.004-04:00

I love parties. Let me say it again ...

I love parties!

My husband really enjoys hanging out with people, and my Alex asks me (usually once a week) when our next party will be. I'm so blessed by the men in my life! ... For the past 2 years my goal has been to work up to one party a month - each with a different theme / atmosphere. (I've also been sick the past 2 years so some of the "parties" have had to be dinner parties rather than elaborate-invite-the-whole-town events. (Right now I'm also trying to work into our schedules one overnight guest / family each month. We're doing pretty well on that goal - 4 of the next 5 weekends involve friends coming to visit, or us going to visit them!)

I grew up with parties - LOTS of parties - dinner parties, buffets, after-church dinner with random couples (or visitors) at church, picnics - lots and LOTS of parties. Recently my mother planned a party at her house, and got about 40 RSVPs - over 85 showed up. We were out-of-town (at a prior commitment), and didn't make it to the party - and I'm so sad that I missed that one! I think the love of parties was passed to me in utero. (Thank you, mom!)

I daydream about parties - I don't shop for clothes, I shop for things I can use (one way or another) for parties. When we were house-hunting I seriously considered each property in terms of party potential - parking, flow of the house, type and size of the deck, and any trees in the back yard I could hang lanterns / candles from and set a table underneath for a dinner party. We didn't know anyone in the area at that point, but I knew I'd want a "party house." Sigh. I. LOVE. PARTIES.

I know that a party is made (or NOT made) based on the people who are there, and what kind of frame of mind they're in - how well they mix with each other, etc. A lot of that is out of my control - so I love planning the environment and food. In my mind's eye, here's what my parties look like.

One day I'll throw a party on that scale. One day I'll have the energy for that kind of prep work! (My sister is AMAZING at party cooking - she inherited that gene from my dad who went to culinary school. If she and I ever got together, we'd throw a KILLER party!) But, until God heals my lungs - and gives me more energy - or makes us independently wealthy so I could hire someone to do the work for me ... those types of parties are gonna have to stay in my mind's eye.

I've come to decide that parties really DON'T have to be elaborate to be highly enjoyable. It's taken me years to come to terms with this concept. Of course all those special little touches mean so much to those who attend ... ~~everyone~~ women feel extra special when someone took the time to create a nice atmosphere just because they were coming over. And the parties I throw in my head are spectacular, over-the-top, talk-of-the-town events. But that's simply not reality (yet, anyway. ha!). Reality in the Feitner household doesn't have enough physical energy for that.

I've only thrown 2 parties (and 3 dinner parties) on Dogwood so far - and the same people were invited to both parties. We really need to get to get to know more people better! But, just like Frances (Diane Lane) in "Under the Tuscan Sun" - I've come to realize that I don't need lots of people to continue having parties - I can just involve the people I do know. As we get to know more people better, our group can enlarge. So - watch out Pittsburgh - Julia's parties are back!

Patriotic Sugar

2010-07-01T16:28:00.003-04:00

The wonderful thing about making sugar cookies, is that there are cookie cutters for ANY occasion! Alex and I took advantage of Harrison's nap time today to make some cookies.

There's nothing like PINK - white - and blue stars (and shooting stars) to get us in the mood for Independence Day festivities. We put TRIPLE the amount of red dye the box suggested, and they're still pink! Is it even possible to make red icing????

True to their nature, Alex requested to scrape off all the icing before he ate his ... and Harrison licked of all his icing, and left the cookie on the plate (he didn't want to get his fingers dirty).

There's lots left for Daddy when he gets home from work - or - rather - there's lots left right now - I guess it depends on how late he works tonight! Harrison keeps running into the kitchen whenever I'm distracted to put his fingers in icing. **wink**

It's not all bad

2010-07-01T13:04:00.001-04:00

I guess it's not ALL bad here on Dogwood. I'm a little less nervous about being outside (from the bugs). I think this little guy (photographed about 15 minutes ago) helps. He lives under the hosta that's just outside our garage - or maybe it's under the shrubs on the other side of the garage - or the ones just outside our front door. I've seen him (or members of his family) scurrying into holes all three places. Or maybe his 401k wasn't hurt by the recession, and he has several homes.

Looks like he found a couple goldfish dropped by a certain 2 yr old (and not picked up by a certain mother).

Alex asked if - since he obviously likes goldfish - we can train him to like people, and bring him inside as a pet. Ummmmmm - I'm guessing - no. But the boys do like watching him!

Then just as I was walking to the computer to download Chip's pictures, I glanced out the window and saw Bambi's mother having lunch.

Let's hope she stays out of my garden, or she'll be grazing in the meadow in the sky! That would make my boys sad, but I'm sure their dad wouldn't mind an excuse for some deer jerky.

So, I guess it can't all be bad here on Dogwood. We are the new neighbors, after all, and it looks like the long-term residents don't seem to mind being outside. Maybe I should give the outdoors another shot. I am bigger than the bugs, after all. ..... Hmmmmm. We'll see.

IT'S HALF OVER!

2010-07-01T10:04:00.003-04:00

2010 IS HALF OVER!!!!!

We need to get our act together here on Dogwood. We need a new water heater (hopefully tankless) .....

It may not be a "glamorous" way to spend a paycheck ... but it'll save us a ton of money in the long run. The one that came with the Dogwood house is almost on its last leg.

We also need to have insulation put in above our garage (below the boys' rooms). They're freezing in the winter, and "very warm" in the summer. The heating / cooling of this house doesn't work equally well on the main floor and the 2nd floor. Alex's room has a ceiling fan, and that seems to help a lot on these hot summer nights, but poor Harrison's room is a sauna. I just took advantage of Lowe's July 4th 20% off ceiling fans sale - and we got (a cheap) one for Harrison's room, and also for the guest room. Hopefully that'll help!

This is the last year (as far as has been announced) for a tax credit on the purchase of energy-efficient things for your house (like insulation and water heaters - storm doors, new windows, etc.). ...... I almost forgot about it, and the year's half over already! Time to figure out how we can juggle around some of our finances within the next several months! ... I am ALL about tax deductions!

Party Hiatus

2010-06-30T14:55:00.001-04:00

We've had a 4th of July party the past 2 years - it had almost become tradition. They weren't "super spectacular" - but I had a great time at them, and it seemed like everyone else did too - and that's what counts. It's been less than a year since we relocated, and I don't think we know enough people in the area to throw the same type of party, so it looks like we're gonna take a year hiatus. The 4th is coming up soon, though - less than a week, so I thought I'd at least reminisce a little. So, here are some pics from our patriotic parties the last two years.

July 2008

(my mother-in-law carrying Harrison, and my soon-to-be sister)

(yes - that IS a gingerbread house - long story...)

(Alex was 3 - don't you wanna just kiss those cheeks!)

(Karen brought the goodies for the kids to make-their-own-cookies!)

July 2009

(the ladies' table)

(the kids getting Alex wet - much to his chagrin)

(escaping while the guys were distracted)

(a very patriotic Harrison)

(sparkler fun)

(testosterone at its finest)

(the kiddos pooped-out before the parents!)

They were fun parties - mostly because I spent more time partying than photographing. This year's gonna be a quiet Independence Day for the Feitners. But, truth-be-told, I am starting to get a little antsy for a party. I'm sure Aaron can sense it beginning to stir in me. We'll see how long I can hold out before throwing one here on Dogwood. Hope you have a great (and safe!) July 4th!

Possibilities ......

2010-06-28T18:33:00.004-04:00

I'm a possibility girl. I like having options. Often times the fact that I have options can be more important to me than what the specific decision ends up being. I think it's that the thought process involved in weighing several possibilities stretches my brain in ways that I find exhilarating. (That probably stems from my mother teaching me HOW to think as a child....)

Several people have made a suggestion to me (not knowing that anyone else had that same discussion with me) - and I'm finally considering it ... a ladies' Bible study here on Dogwood. Today someone suggested a book to study - and it happens to be one I read recently - and found to be excellent on so many levels.

I'm not positive about it yet. ... But It seems to be a more and more likely possibility (and one that my husband agrees with).

... And I like possibilities.

geotrax

2010-06-28T17:03:00.000-04:00

.... after about 2 solid hours of CONTINUOUS play - using the SAME toys - and with NO fights. I'd say the train set was well-worth the money! (It was Alex's Christmas gift 2 years ago.)

(excuse the full diaper)

(Alex doesn't miss much!)

Beetles on the brain

2010-06-28T16:40:00.002-04:00

... not this kind ...

... not this kind either ...

... THIS kind ...

Sometime between Saturday afternoon and Sunday evening they emerged from the depths, and have invaded my yard! My blackberry bushes are under serious attack - and our garden is a mere 20 feet away! The birds ate all the berries - and the beetles are working on all the leaves. Just look what they did to my basil (on the deck) in less than a day! (In the background you can see the blackberry bushes to the left of the storage shed, and the garden just to the right.)

I've read that the best thing to do to get rid of them is to drown them in soapy water. Well, that's gonna be a start, but there's no way we can get all of them! So, we've purchased these....

There are 3 unused acres behind our house. Aaron's planning to put them up out there, and hope that it'll draw them away from our property. It'll draw them from other neighbors too, no doubt. But hopefully it'll be far enough away from anyone that it won't matter. From what I read, Aaron's gonna have to empty the traps in the early morning and/or late evening, when they're less active - and then dump them immediately into soapy water. We're soooooo hoping it works. I can't even begin to explain how disgusted I am by them.

Since moving into this wilderness I've battled stink bugs and asian beetles (which look like ladybugs) INSIDE the house - for well over a month I was vacuuming up about 200 each day! There are hundreds of wasps and various other types of bees. Earwigs just showed up around where the sliding door goes from the family room to the deck. We have flies and mosquitos, millions of ants (outside) - slugs, worms, gnats, spiders, millipedes ... you name it, we've got it (except bed bugs and lice, praise God!) ... and now JAPANESE BEETLES! ... and SUDDENLY all the birds are gone from our yard. Do they scare birds away? I'm beyond disgusted - I feel like I'm under attack! I HATE BUGS AND I'M SCARED OF BUGS! (I think it stems from when I was 7, in New Mexico, and woke up with red ants in my bed.)

I want to move. I want to pack up the whole house and just MOVE. I no longer find ANY enjoyment being outside. Every time the breeze moves my hair even just a little, my skin begins to crawl and I think it's a bug on me. I'm convinced that God didn't create bugs until Adam and Eve sinned - and they're part of mankind's punishment. I HATE THEM - and at the moment they're winning the battle on Dogwood. ... At least Aaron's home for the next two weeks (until his next business trip) - so HE will be the one fighting on behalf of the Feitners. Let's hope and pray he gets the upper hand REALLY soon!

Monday Morning

2010-06-22T11:51:00.004-04:00

Last week (for 10 days straight), we had 3 different "sets" of house guests - back to back for a total of 8 people - and the most time between one leaving and the next arriving was under 4 hours. It was WONDERFUL (a little chaotic at times) but WONDERFUL! The last family left Sunday evening just after dinner. So, I declared Monday "Jammie Day". The boys loved it just as much as I did.

( airplane )

( "count to 3 and i'll hide" )

( "oooh - he found me." )

( strawberries )

Morning Thunderstorm

2010-06-22T08:01:00.005-04:00

( jennisheckels ... I'm dedicating this post to YOU!)

Behind the house - just as the first edges of the storm are beginning to appear (at the tree line). These photos were taken by me within the past hour.

(PLEASE CLICK ON THE PICS TO MAKE THEM BIGGER - THESE SMALL IMAGES DON'T DO THEM JUSTICE!)

After I downloaded my pix / videos (full memory card) and moved to the front of the house.

In this last picture, that center part was actually spinning! Not like a tornado (which spins parallel to the earth) but from top to bottom. It was soooo cool!

(These pics don't do the sky justice. Think I need to read the camera's user manual and learn more about it.) The sky was simply amazing!!!

The Battle

2010-06-15T18:57:00.002-04:00

I hear and I forget.

I see and I remember.

I do and I understand.

(Joshua 5:13 - 6:27)

The City of Jericho.

One of the spies helped by Rahab.

Joshua and the Israelites led by the Priests.

Back at camp for the night - sleeping.

Repeated on days 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6.

(waiting for stragglers)

Then on day 7 - 7 times around the city in complete silence. Until the trumpet (recorder) call and everyone screams. God takes care of the rest!

... And the walls came tumbling down!

"... Shout! For the Lord has given you the city!" (Joshua 6:16b) Sometimes when we have a situation that seems to be more than we can handle, all we need to do is shout God's praises, and He'll fight our battles for us. The battle might not be won overnight (for Joshua it took 7 days), after all "... If God is for us, who can be against us?" (Romans 8:31b)

Summer Traditions

2010-06-15T17:22:00.001-04:00

1 - MAKE YOUR OWN PIZZA NIGHT

2 - POPSICLES ON THE DECK

3 - GAME NIGHT

Day Out with Thomas

2010-06-15T17:01:00.000-04:00

Alex has out-grown the magic of Thomas ... but he's still a die-hard train lover. That is, unless he's around other kids who make fun of him for it. Then he'll just not mention the whole topic to spare himself the ridicule. Since he's never seen Thomas at Strasburg, we finally took him this past weekend. Grandma, a girlfriend's daughter (who's visiting us for the week), and I were all there to be part of the memory. ... It was special.

(excuse any and all wind-swept hair in the following photos. it was 93 in the shade, and we were grateful for any and ALL breeze that came our way!)

First Day

2010-06-14T09:11:00.002-04:00

First day at Montessori (summer camp)!!! He'll be going there in the Fall, but we signed him up for three weeks of summer camp to help get him used to the Montessori concept.

Aaaaachoooooooo!

He was soooooooo excited! As we pulled out of our driveway, he rolled down his window to yell out to a neighbor to tell him all about his exciting first day today! My firstborn's growing up!

Wilderness Woman

2010-06-10T20:29:00.003-04:00

Even though I grew up in West Virginia, I'm a certified

CITY GIRL!

I like being down the street from the grocery store and around the corner from a bank. I hate bugs. I hate yard work. I hate wind blowing my hair into my face. ... We don't live in the country, per se. But it's a good 15 minute drive from the nearest Starbucks, gas station & atm machine. Having grown up on a farm, Aaron's thrilled. As for me - well, I'm adjusting. I'm adjusting much better now that Orkin got rid of the mice.

After living in the wilderness for 7 months, I'm trying to focus on the cute aspects of it (rather than the bugs, weeds, spiders, hundreds of tree seedlings growing in our mulch, and the mosquito sanctuary that's located somewhere in the vast beyond that's our backyard). So far, on Dogwood, we've seen (and have living under various bushes) ...chipmunks, squirrels, & rabbits.

We've also seen deer and groundhogs. (Yes, Aaron wants to shoot it. He just hasn't gotten a clean shot yet.)

Oh yeah - and turkeys too.

I haven't started taking pictures of other birds on the property. But I should, because I don't recognize all of them. So far I've identified: robins, morning doves, cardinals, blue jays, gold finches, crows, grackles, sparrows, hawks ... and bats. There are probably 10 more that I can't name. And we don't have any bird feeders - just lots of worms and bugs.

We've heard frogs singing in the evenings, and this evening Alex found polliwogs in an empty planter beside our garage doors that's filled with rainwater. (Excuse the bad photos - they're surprisingly hard to photograph!)

At this rate I'll be sewing our clothes out of flour sacks and buckskin, serving squirrel for dinner, and wearing one of these by the end of Summer. I'm turning into a Wilderness Woman.

*frown*

Blossoms on Dogwood

2010-06-10T19:52:00.001-04:00

(photos taken in April & May)

Growth

2010-06-10T19:00:00.003-04:00

From this ...

To this ...

(We had a tree cut down this week because half of the root ball was exposed ... BONUS POINTS if you can notice which one! Take a close look at those last two photos.)

From this ...

To this ...

With some of this yummy goodness starting to show up **grin**

From this ...

To this ...

So ..... Did you notice which tree we cut down? It was a trick question I guess. In the photo it looks like two trees, but technically they came out of the same root system. I like it better since it's gone - we have a much better view of that beautiful helicopter tree. The tree company left their mark in the stump. What a cool idea - talk about a calling card!

And now we're one step closer to that fire pit we both want. The guy said that if Aaron splits the wood, then some of it should be ready in about a month to use (if the fire's hot). (Excuse Harrison. One doesn't always look one's best while eating an ice cream cone.)

After looking at all that fresh fruit & veggie potential, I'm starting to get a little hungry. I guess it's time to go start dinner.

Organized Chaos - Highlights

2010-06-10T15:16:00.001-04:00

Sorry for "abandoning" you lately.... This has been a crazy last month or so, and the chaos isn't slowing down anytime soon. First of all, for those of you who've been calling and emailing me - I'm fine. I haven't had any health-related problems in several months now. Actually, it's been seven months since my last hospitalization - praise God!

We've been busy putting down roots here in the community. New friendships take work, new churches take involvement, new houses take cleaning and personalizing, and new yards take LOTS of weeding. (Speaking of weeding - there's LOTS more that needs to be done, so if any of you gardeners out there are wondering how to fill up an empty day on your calendar, give me a call! I'd LOVE the help!)

June is a CRAZY month for us. Aaron's traveling 12 days (almost all of them for work), I'm traveling 2 days, and we have two sets of house guests, for a total of 10 days. Alex is participating in 2 VBS programs and 1 week of Monetessori School Camp (he'll be attending kindergarten there in the Fall). I feel like Aaron and I are ships passing in the night right now. And though we both HATE living this way, we're both so grateful that God's giving me the strength to juggle everything - well, most things. My housework's suffering, but the dust will wait for me, right? *grin* Seriously though, life is crazy at the moment - a good crazy.

There have been soooooo many posts I've wanted to do the past several weeks, but they just haven't gotten done. At this point I'm not sure if they even will, so here are some highlights of our lives since mid-April.

Friends (and their 4 kids) came out for the weekend, and the husband (who's a carpenter), created a built-in for Alex's room. Aaron had a great time helping him. It's now finally primed, and has the first coat of white paint on it. I'm hoping to finish coat #2 before other friends come next weekend. (I'm hoping that husband will help install the doors that go on the bottom sections.) I can't find any pics at the moment of the built-ins once I started painting.

When that family (with the 4 kids) visited, everyone went to the Pittsburgh Zoo. (I stayed home since I can't handle that much walking. But Aaron saw scooters you can rent there, so next time I'll go too.)

Alex finished up three rounds of swim lessons, and now (if he's not just goofing off) can swim up to 15 feet unassisted. Since this summer's so busy, we decided to take the summer off, and he'll start lessons again in the Fall.

We visited Aaron's parents' farm, and the boys (all 3 of them) had LOTS of fun playing lacrosse with Grandpa!

We finally got our garden planted. This first photo was taken before the pole beans sprouted, and before the fence was finished.

(roma tomatoes, beefsteak tomatoes, leeks, broccoli, pole beans)

(lettuce, onions, green pepper, thyme, rosemary, cilantro, oregano, chives, basil, lavender)

(strawberries)

Oh, also 2 types of blueberries in pots that haven't gone in the ground yet. And apparently those were blackberry bushes in the yard, not raspberry. So, I'm gonna have to locate one of those press things to de-seed them before July so I can make jam! Yummy!

Ummmm. Well, that should at least get you up to date as far as the big things go in the Feitner Adventure. Aaron's flight gets in tonight around 11:30, and Alex and I are heading to Central Penna around 7 tomorrow morning. I should go tidy up the house and start packing. Catch ya later!

It's about time!

2010-05-23T08:02:00.002-04:00

Our last family photo was at Easter. But last weekend a cousin helped inspire me to take another one. And then her sister took it for us. Harrison was fussy, Alex was grouchy (he hates getting his photo taken). But it turned out okay anyway. Thank you, ladies!

Alex is now 5 - Harrison is 2 - Aaron has forgotten his age (seriously - just ask him! He'll have to do the math to figure it out!) - and I'm officially 30 ... for the rest of my LIFE! **grin**

Raspberries

2010-05-04T23:13:00.002-04:00

Several months ago I told Aaron that I'd like to plant a raspberry bush. I'd like to plant it in the back yard (outside the fence) next to a storage shed that's back there. He loves raspberries, and was excited by the possibility. I was excited by the possibility of making my own raspberry preserves (and saving us money at the grocery store).

Doesn't that just look scrumptious!??! I found that photo online somewhere, but I'd love to have the real thing in my back yard (provided the birds don't eat all the berries). So, tonight, while we were at Home Depot, I just happened to pass little pots of raspberry plants. Since the Good Lord gave me two hands, I picked up a plant in each one. I was sooo excited! Since I didn't want them to tip in my trunk, they rode home up front with me.

On the ride home, I got to spend some quality time looking at them, and dreaming of fresh raspberry preserves. ... But the more I looked at the plants, the more I began to wonder.... So, when we got home, I grabbed my camera and went for a walk. I walked out the back door, across the yard, opened the fence, and went to the storage shed. I looked at a wild-looking bush that's growing beside it - right where I told Aaron I want a raspberry bush to be planted.

And then I looked closer.....

I think that IS
a raspberry bush!!!!!

Of course I won't know for sure until those buds burst forth. But, isn't that what it looks like to you??? I'm not sure what to make of this. Either I subconsciously knew that's what it was, or, God has a sense of humor, or SOMETHING!

So, we have two perfect little raspberry plants free for the taking if anyone's interested! I'm gonna need to spend some time tomorrow researching how to trim wild-looking raspberry bushes. I'd like to tame it so it looks less like a psychotic weed with thorns, and more like a lovely plant that produces yummies for us to eat.

The Built-In

2010-05-03T12:28:00.001-04:00

This past weekend, friends from "back home" came to visit. One of the goals for the weekend, was that (since he's a carpenter - specializing in custom cabinetry) he would (with Aaron's assistance) create a built-in for Alex's room.

This was my inspiration photo.

This was what he had to work with (a wall with a HUGE bump-out).

I requested a desk area rather than a window seat. And after lots and lots of hard work (with some interruptions by the 6 kids that were in the house, lots of great conversations, a whole day of accidental DECAF coffee, and a couple meals thrown in there)..... Somehow - some power tools and two very experienced and extremely talented hands (along with a pair of "helping hands") were able to turn this pile of wood and supplies....

... slowly and steadily ...

... piece by piece ...

... step by step ...

... measurement by measurement ...

... into THIS!

I am simply ECSTATIC!!!!!

We're hoping to get it primed and painted in the next two weeks. I still need to pick hardware for the doors that are being ordered for the bottom parts. Then once all of that is done, we'll measure and order some tempered glass to go on the desk area. Then ... I get to decide curtains for the room, and Alex's room will be mostly finished. It'll be nice to have ONE room in this house done. I'll make sure to post pics once the whole thing is complete.

Aaron's said that working on this project over the weekend has motivated him to paint more of the house. (yippee!!!) It's amazing what a little money and a whole lot of grunt work can do to transform a room!

Thank you SOOOOO much for coming out and creating such beauty out of a pile of wood! I'm sooooo impressed with the talent God's given you! I'm already figuring out what I'd like the next project to be! **grin**

Echoes of a childhood lost

2010-05-03T02:15:00.002-04:00

(I wrote this in college.)

“Echoes of a Childhood Lost”

As a child of ten, I sit in the living room of my almost quiet house. I hear only the sounds of my red crayon as I color Mickey Mouse in my new Disney Coloring Book and the clock ticking on the wall. The echoing ring of a telephone shatters the near silence. As my mother answers the phone, I instinctively know that something is wrong. Reluctant, yet self-assured, I quietly go into the kitchen and begin to slip on my shoes. The thought crosses my mind, I’m not sure what’s happening, but I know this is going to be a long night.

About ten minutes later, I find myself walking into the Emergency Room of a nearby hospital, accompanied by my mother and sister (who is fourteen years old and just as disoriented). At this point, we have been told only that my father is sick. However, my insides cannot lie to me; I know that this night will change the rest of my life.

It seems like ages until I am spoken to, and even longer until I speak myself. I feel forgotten, lost in the commotion, but accept my role as child: to be seen and not heard. I realize that I am not capable to understand fully this situation, and patiently wait for some final word to confirm what I sense. An eternity passes, and the sound of bustling people fades into the background as the ticking clock on the stark wall drowns it out. It is just before seven p.m.

Reality finally dawns on me when Mr. _____ (a friend’s father) gives me a hug and tells me that everything will be all right. I finally have the confirmation I needed. If nothing were wrong, he wouldn’t try so anxiously to reassure me; I had never seen him show any emotions before. But now I’m not sure if I can handle the truth. The clock, now deafening, mimics the unbearable inner pain trapped somewhere in the pit of my stomach. At exactly 7:37:26 a nurse comes into the waiting room and announces that my father has indeed died. Time stops as the laughter of my childhood deserts me and accompanies my father into the vast unknown. I pull back from the beyond and search for security in the here and now. I notice that the room, which was bursting with people, has become empty of all except my mother, sister, and me. I look around, trying to soak in my surroundings, aware that I will later want to remember all of this. The room seems so big, and I so small. The three of us are in different parts of the room: my mother standing by the door rocking back and forth, my sister on the opposite side of the room – staring through a painting on the wall, and I sitting on a couch between the two of them. I note this and decide that only later will I understand why they were so far apart – is this what life will be like? I feel tired, very tired. Tears begin to flow silently down my desolate cheeks. Not of sorrow or remorse, these tears are present because they are expected of me.

Before I leave the hospital that evening I am permitted to see my father, or rather, the remains of him. The picture of his hard, unresponsive body lying on the cold metal table will stay with me forever. While in the room, I remember that when he dropped me off at school that morning, I failed to say my customary “Bye, Daddy. I love you.” I try to push this haunting fact out of my mind by reminding myself that I need to concentrate on more pertinent things. However, its persistence in being acknowledged amazes me. Before I leave the sterile room, leaving my mother there alone, I whisper the neglected words – my goodbye. The bitter silence of my soul has been broken at last. I have spoken, and in doing so have challenged death itself.

Though completely exhausted, I refuse the consolation of sleep that night. As I sit alone in the overwhelming darkness of my room, my first thought is that this is merely a dream. I keep looking out of the window, waiting for my father’s car to come up the street. I even count the cars as they pass on the nearby National Road; I reach ninety before quitting. Ninety. I suddenly speak aloud, breaking the silence of denial. “I’m wasting my time. This is real: this is my life. I need to just live it.”

I spend the remaining night hours sitting in the windowsill, thinking. My actions will be most beneficial if I figure out how everyone else will react, and assume my role accordingly. Before morning comes, I decide to go on with life, while picking up added responsibility at home. My sister will become bitter and use this as another justification for her rebellion. There are no sons, no adult children. It is up to me to be ‘the man of the house’.

My mother tries to cling to some sort of normalcy in the midst of all this chaos. I do my best to help her and try to become responsible for as much as I can at home. I attempt to take on the responsibility for much of the decision-making, even delineating the rules that my elder sister should obey since in her grief she seems determined not to follow the "house rules." This child has been self-elevated to a pseudo-adult trapped in the body of a child. The suffocating child within – screaming and longing for expression – is self-repressed for the survival of the ‘family’.

My transition into adulthood indeed proves arduous. It gradually becomes difficult, many times nearly impossible, for me to relate to my once close friends. I now know and have experienced so much, that it forms a chasm between us. People either see my outward child appearance and fail to see the near-adult within, or see the adult characteristics and overlook the child. It would be a full seven years before I once again genuinely laugh with friends.

How does this metamorphosis finally occur? I myself don’t even know entirely for sure. But I do know that I first noticed its completion upon attaining full independence. Perhaps utter exhaustion from the struggle forced the child to surrender to the competing adult. Maybe the how and why don’t matter. Adulthood has been achieved. I have dealt with the past, and am ready to go on with my life.

An adult of twenty sits on the floor in her almost quiet apartment. The only sounds heard are those of her pencil on paper as she writes, and the ticking clock on the desk.

May 3, 1990

2010-05-03T00:01:00.010-04:00

My life changed forever on the evening of May 3, 1990. I was ten years old. My father was playing racquetball. He went to return a serve, and collapsed on the floor. Dead. It was not a heart attack. It was not a stroke. He simply DIED. They say it was a "cardiac arrest" - his heart just stopped beating and he was dead. It was instantaneous. It was painless. There was no time for him to "contemplate his eternity." There was no time to "make his peace" with loved-ones. One minute he was living, and the next moment he was face-to-face with his Maker.

Grief, however, is NOT instantaneous. It's more like this ...

I've had to "deal with" my father's death several times during my life. ... I had to deal with it that first evening at the hospital, when I came to grips that HE really wasn't in that motionless body anymore. ... I had to deal with it the next morning, when I was in denial, and sneaked behind my mother's back and had a neighbor drive me to school. ... I had to deal with it a year or so later when a loving teacher took me aside and talked with me about how I needed to make a choice - either continue to use his death as an excuse (not to do well in school, not to participate in extra-curriculars, to just sit by and watch life pass me by) or to use it as a stepping stone and grow from the experience. ... I had to deal with it at family reunions when his presence was sorely missed. ... I had to deal with it when as a teenager my mother and I would disagree and in my anger I was convinced that HE would have let me do such-and-such (in all reality, he wouldn't have, though). ... I had to deal with it at my wedding, when he wasn't there to walk me down the aisle. ... I had to deal with it during my first pregnancy, when he wasn't there to tell me how excited he was - or to say what an adorable grandson he had - and that he was so proud.

I accepted his death years ago. I have no idea when, it just slowly happened, maybe 10-15 years ago? I don't know. I've accepted his death. But I still miss him, and think of him, and periodically wonder if he'd be proud of how I'm turning out. Of course, I'm glad he's not here to have gone through the pain of a daughter who's diagnosed with a terminal illness.

Today marks 20 years since his death. And today I remember him. Today I thank God for giving me a godly father, who wasn't perfect (by a long shot), but who sincerely TRIED. And because of my father, I have married a godly man, who isn't perfect (by a long shot), but who sincerely tries. Thank you, God, for my Daddy.

New Ways ... Progress Update

2010-04-23T10:15:00.001-04:00

Every winter (usually between Christmas and New Year) Aaron and I have "the talk" about what our goals are for the up coming year, next 5 and 10 years, and how we feel we did reaching the goals we had set for that current year. Sound familiar? If you remember, in January I did a post entitled New Ways for a New Year. It wasn't really a list of New Year Resolutions; rather, it was a composite of some changes I/we wanted to implement in our lives.

Well, it's now mid-April, and the year's almost 1/3 finished (amazing, isn't it!?!). I thought it was time for me to re-evaluate how I'm / we're doing. This way, I can feel good about any accomplishments, and know what areas still need some focus.

Goal #1 - We'd like to have the entire house painted by next January. Well, this goal is extremely slow moving. There are 15 rooms (plus hallways, stairs, and closets) to paint, and so far ONE has been painted. It's tricky painting with a 2 year old in the house, so we ended up taking a whole week to get it done - because we started after he went to bed at night. In order to finish this goal, we'll need to paint two rooms a month. I'm not seeing that happen. But, Aaron and I spoke earlier this week about painting, and hopefully we'll get started again in May. I think I have finally selected the colors for the three remaining bedrooms. That seems like a good start.

Goal #2 - I'd like to plant a vegetable garden. This one has finally begun. I posted earlier this week that we've broken ground, and that was soooo exciting for me! We were hoping to finish the garden prep by tonight, but have run into a snag. Last night I had to change my med site (the other site was developing 3 blisters), and so now I've begun another 12 days of pain. So, Aaron's shifted his focus on childcare, and helping around the house. We'll hope to get back to the garden by the end of next week. (It's sunny today, but supposed to rain the next 5 days.)

Goal #3 - I'd like to make one new recipe a week. Ummmm. I totally failed. I think I've made 4 or 5 new recipes so far this year. I guess that equates to one new recipe a MONTH. Hmmmmm. Gonna have to try harder. I DID however, finally organize my recipes (I've been wanting to do that since before we got married!). I'll do a post on that another time.

Goal #4 - I want to start reading again. A week or two ago, I was looking over my "New Ways" list, and feeling badly about how poorly I've done, so I added up the books I've read (cover-to-cover) since January 1.... FOURTEEN! That's averaging ONE EACH WEEK! It's been in spurts, but I guess I HAVE succeeded! (I doubt I've read 14 books in the whole six years we've been married - not counting since January, of course!) YAY - ONE "NEW WAY" has been successfully adopted! [Insert pat on back]

Goal #5 - I want to go deep. We've now lived on Dogwood for six months, and I'm slowly starting to make friends. Sometimes our conversations are about "things" and our personal histories, but they're beginning to get deeper. And THAT is exciting to me! I have a tendency to sound egotistical about some of my thoughts, and that's something I'm trying to change. But the more experience I get talking about my thoughts, the more practice I get, right? *grin* I've also done a better job of sharing some "thoughts" on facebook, and not only comments like "date night!". I think it really helps that I've started reading again - it's helping me start to think again. But maybe part of that is also because I tend to only read non-fiction.

Goal #6 - I want to spend money more wisely. Last year we instituted a severe spending freeze. That's the only way we could have afforded to relocate, and put down the deposit on this house. We're not in a strict spending freeze right now, because there's things we really feel we NEED to buy (like the lawn mower, etc.). But I'm doing a MUCH better job couponing, and not buying something at the store till it's on sale (and if it's sold out before then, I tell my self it wasn't meant to be). We keep praying about each purchase we make (or end up not making), so hopefully we're doing okay in this area. Though, (like most people) we wish we had more in our savings account than we currently do.

Goal #7 - I want to grow spiritually because I WANT TO, not because life forces me to. The last two years have been VERY difficult for me physically, emotionally, and spiritually. I grew by leaps and bounds because life forced me to (the alternative would have been to give up and die). Last year, alone I was hospitalized 4 times (each time in an ICU or Cardiac Monitoring Floor), that's an average of once every 3 months. And they weren't just overnight visits. My body has failed me time and time again, and though my family and friends do a fabulous job supporting me, they're fallible. I've HAD to reach out to God; there were times I didn't have strength to hold on any longer, and had to just let go and pray He'd catch me. And each time He was faithful, just as He promised! ... It's now been just over 5 months since my last hospitalization!

I haven't grown as much spiritually in these past 4 months as I have the past 2 years, but I'm definitely growing! God's teaching me that it's not necessary for me to depend on "books" and "Bible study teachers" to teach me - if I really spend time with Him (and my Bible), HE really WILL be my teacher! (Though it's awfully encouraging to me when I read something in a book and have already had that thought in my devotional time!)

I guess I'm doing OK on my "New Ways for the New Year" list. If you had asked me last week, I would have thought I was failing miserably. Guess some of the items really are becoming "part of me" rather than just a conscious effort. That excites me! Of course there's lots of room for growth and change. But the year's only 1/3 done! Now that I've re-evaluated where I am and where I want to go, I can get back on track again!