creativity and imagination

This is Kaleb, my creative, imaginative and artistic child. This Christmas we bought him an easel to help him express himself. Kaleb is very special, let me tell you why.

Kaleb "marches to the beat of his own drummer", something said about me when I was a child. He interprets things in his own unique way. One day, a few years ago, I was reading the

Bible to my kids at night. There was a verse about not fulfilling the "lust of the flesh" let me find it.....

Galatians 5:17For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish.

When he heard "flesh", he thought of "flush". His best interpretation of this verse was "only flush poop or pee down the toilet". I suppose a loose translation of this verse with Kaleb's translation could pertain for a child - imagine you are a child - you want to float a bar of soap in the toilet and see what will happen. Suddenly your mother is knocking suspiciously on the door wondering why you have been in there for so long. You flush the soap, along with a tube of toothpaste, some curlers and a bunch of your dads shaving cream. Had you resisted your lust of the flesh (in this case curiosity), you would not be getting in big trouble for the water all over the floor right now.

Anyway, Kaleb hears things a little differently. Last night, was his turn to do the dishes. When Kaleb does the dishes, sometimes it takes him the better part of the day. He is easily distracted, and his imagination is out of this world. I always groan when it is his turn. Mostly because I want him to play outside and have fun. I hate to think he will spend hours of daylight in there. Then, I realized that dishes really weren't as painful as I had thought. Late into the night, Kaleb emerged from the kitchen with a smile on his face. We had watched a movie as a family and I almost forgot he was in there. After washing them all (or during), he had constructed several canoes and boats from some left over aluminum foil that had covered the baking dinner. He had then floated most of them. He was quite proud of his work. To Kaleb, most every task is an opportunity for imagination. When I see him in the kitchen staring at the sink of dishes, and not many are done, he is actually going somewhere else more interesting in his mind. Its a place where little boats are made.

In the emergency room I use my imagination all the time. I imagine how a wound should be dressed. I imagine the right way to approach a drunk individual who is very angry. I imagine how to approach a doctor when I want a certain thing done for a patient. Much of my care requires my imagination - its what makes me a good nurse. I especially use my imagination with psych patients. The other nurses smile and sometimes shake their heads. They acknowledge that I have dealt with each problem in a very creative fashion.

I bet you use your imagination also. If your very good at what you do, you see a solution in your mind. Then you go about making it a reality. Its something God put in each one of us. In all reality IMAGINATION is a powerful tool. Its a gift from our Creator. How will you use your imagination today?

my mom

Recently my mother viewed my blog. This is what she had to say about it :

"Honey, your a great writer. Your just terrible at grammar and spelling."

Mordic Walking - Back in the Saddle Again

Yes, today I decided to take up my pilgrimage again..... After the terrible gluttony of my Christmas shifts, I have decided that i must get some exercise in before our big trip to Minnesota. Today i dawned Moonbeam in my pack, and trudged through snow that was 3/4 up my lower leg. It was a beautiful day, and i enjoyed the first 5 minutes of it. I saw a couple of slow moving deer. I imagine snow this hard for me to move through must affect them. I saw a squirrel running up the tree. The brilliant white snow resting upon the tree branches almost took my breath away. Then reality set in. Boy this pack is really hurting me. Wow this snow is deep. Oh, this is a lot of work!! When i broke out onto the road, i observed it had not yet been plowed. Snowmobiles in the distance looked to be having a lot more fun than me. Here is the imaginary dialogue that I imagined they may have said to me :

"What the heck are you doing lady?!" (snowmobile person)
"I am Mordic - I mean Nordic walking" (me)
"oh" (snowmobiler)
"That (snowmobiling) looks like a lot of fun" (me)
"it is" (snowmobiler)
"that looks really stupid" (snowmobiler)
"i have got to find a better way to burn calories" (me)

Even the guy plowing on his 4-wheeler looked like he was having a good time. Well, yesterday, I did enjoy myself. It was a lot less painful not packing the baby through that stuff. I followed the same route. I think tomorrow I will snowboard and shovel snow instead.

How We Spent Christmas (or The Working Mom Holiday Blues).

Unlike most of the world, we spent Christmas in a very unusual way. I had been offered 12 hour shifts on Christmas and Christmas Eve, (ugh day shift), and it is holiday pay. We had planned to go back home to Minnesota for Christmas. We thought about it and decided that working those two full days would pretty much pay for the trip back. We decided to wait and go back to see our family in January.
Nothing is ever normal with us. Difficulties present - the baby still has to eat those two days, meaning that Kevin will have to stay in town. Then another difficulty - what to do with the rest of the kids (it's too long to leave them alone). Then another difficulty - how to keep the house warm. Here's how it ended up (i guarantee no other family spent Christmas quite like this)..........


On Christmas Eve morning i swept into the hospital 5 Min's late. I wore a green with red scrub attire including ornament earrings. I brought home made whole grain (hope for the best) huckleberry muffins and mini loaves to share. Also in my arms were some hand made wreaths. Instantly i became ER nurse and Hospital Supervisor. I joked with the staff, and drank ground bean coffee.
Meanwhile, Kevin began a boring 48 hours with our youngest 4 kids and our Suburban. He began the trip with a Wal mart run.
As we chit chatted, I mentioned that my family would be staying in a motel in town. A co-worker mentioned she had a free coupon for a nice motel with a swimming pool expiring at the end of the month she wasn't planning to use. Another nurse insisted i should cancel my cheap motel and get them that one.
The report table began to fill with plates of cookies and my diet went out the window. Then i got busy with patients. Over the course of the day, it was worked out for us to switch motels. Kevin checked in, but they made the original owner of the coupon present them self. The co-workers boyfriend came to the motel to straighten it out. He was told by his girlfriend to "look for a short bald guy". We all found a lot of humor in that. Moonbeam nursed early in the day in between patients.
I stayed fairly busy all day and eventually exhausted went to the motel with Kevin, the kids and a pizza. Kevin III remained at home keeping the fire going, doing some odd chores, and working on his pre-college course on the computer.
That night i took the kids to an over crowded pool. We watched "Leave it to Beaver". I wore a path up and down the motel room walking a fussy baby into the night.
The next day the first 6 hours of my shift was pretty uneventful. I wore red with green scrubs, the report table overflowed with cookies and treats, we chit chatted around whole ground bean coffee. Kevin took the boys swimming and took a nap. The last 6 hours was very busy. I thought I would explode because I was too busy to nurse the baby. Moonbeam consumed her 2nd jar of baby food (waahhhh!). Kevin had to check out and the youngest 4 kids spent the majority of Christmas Day waiting in our Suburban. I was also thoroughly insulted by a patients family member because he told me "you've got grey in your hair, you look like you must be pushing 40". Kevin found quite a bit of humor in that and has continued to harass me about that statement!!!

Here is our family Christmas Survey :
A. "What was your favorite thing about Christmas this year?"

B. "What was your least favorite thing about Christmas this year?"

Kiana : A. "That its Christmas"
B. "That we spent Christmas in town."

Kaleb A. "I got to throw icicles from the motel balcony. I read a really funny "Captain Underpants" Book. I watched a funny episode of "Leave it to Beaver.""

B. "I had to stay in a Motel"

Karsten: A. "Get stuff free, off around Christmas there's all this free stuff" (Karsten liberally helped himself to the nurses cookie plates each time he visited). "I got a BB GUN" (no he did not shoot his eye out, and it wasn't a "Red Ryder".
B. "I got in trouble a lot"

Dad : A. My wife made holiday pay
B. "Having to spend Christmas in town sitting in a Suburban waiting."

Me : A. "I got to pray with somebody and encourage some others. I had fun working and keeping busy. I got some successful challenging IV starts.
B. "We weren't all together. Parts of my anatomy threatened to explode. I felt guilty about everyone sitting in the car waiting for me on Christmas!"

Kevin : A. "I got to do some target practice"
B."I had to do my school work"

The kids will have a nice holiday break starting shortly. I will have to work out quite a bit to burn off all that holiday food!!!!

Another Financial Miracle to be Thankful For

Recently, I decided to start writing about miracles God has done for our family........ We have so much to be grateful for and I want to give God the Glory for it. I believe that telling stories about things God has done for us will encourage others and renew our own faith. The Bible tells us that:





Romans 10:17 "So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God."





It also says that :





Revelation 12:11 "And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death."





I can testify of so many good things God has done for us and I bet you, the reader, can too. Remembering past victories in Jesus will strengthen our faith for current and future battles.








We bought a house a few years ago that I thought would be a blessing to us. It was big, with lots of land and even on a small, private lake. It was everything I thought I ever wanted. We had a lot of trouble getting the loan and I had focused a huge amount of faith and energy into getting it. Not long before the closing, Kevin said he didn't have any peace about buying the place. He felt that we shouldn't do it. I, on the other hand, had invested an incredible amount of work into getting it and I was determined that we were going to do it.





Any way, long story short, we weren't there long before we realized that the time we had to invest into working to pay for that nice big home, was a lot more than we'd bargained for. We were gone from the kids a lot more than we wanted to be. We fought a lot more, being under a tremendous financial strain. I began to realize that the dumpiest place anywhere would be better than having a nice place that we never got to enjoy. I realized that paying for that place was stealing time with my kids.


When we moved back into our old house, I thought that we could sell that place no problem. As the months went by, I realized that it was going to take a lot more faith and energy to sell than I thought. Bills continued to stack up........ A huge mortgage we couldn't afford, 2 electric bills, 2 phone bills, 2 places to heat, etc....etc..... By Gods grace I got a contract job working away from home to keep up on the payments. I was exhausted and overwhelmed. Other problems began to plague us and the whole situation seemed hopeless. To be honest, I was ready to default on all my loans and start over, but Kevin said "NO". After we went through some other terrible things, I hit an all time low in depression.


One day I was watching Joyce Meyer on TV and I felt really encouraged. I started writing Bible confessions - scriptures that could pertain to my life and situation. I said them out loud every day. I felt encouraged. Day after day, I kept having time with God. I read my Bible, prayed and continued confessing scriptures over my situation. One day the Spirit of God spoke to my heart to put an ad in a Big City Paper. I hadn't done that because the ad cost around $100 just for a few words and no pictures. It seemed like a waste when we were just scraping by. We had gone through 3 Realtors by then!!! I had also put up a lot of fliers on bulletin boards. We had had it for sale for at least a year and a half with not so much as an offer.


That one ad that God put on my heart to put up caused such peace to fall over me. I remember that day well because even though nothing in the situation changed, peace flooded my heart. I knew God had solved my problems. Around that time, my contract job came to an end. They had renewed me two times by then and they finally had full staff. God spoke to my heart and said "you don't need that job any more". I wrote that on top of my list of bills.


We had a few calls from that ad, and over a period of weeks to months, one of those original callers made a fair offer on our property and then bought it. The same week that our house closed, Krystiana was conceived.


God had shown Himself faithful again. During a horrible time in the housing market, we sold that house, and got what we needed to be free of the debt. There are so many people today locked into high interest loans, just like we were. I want to encourage them that there is hope in Jesus. He is the author and finisher of our faith. One name for Him literally means "provider". Trust in Him and remember how He has already provided for you. Stir up your faith with times He has come through and remember that time. Economy and circumstances are of no obstacle to Him.

Obsessive Wreathing and Krystiana Pics

Our Church Christmas Pagent

Kiana was Mary. She sang a solo "What Child is This?"

Kaleb was an angel. He was adorable (but don't tell him!)

Karsten was a shepherd. He was a gas!! He took off from the stage by accident. He fidgeted with his staff. He was sooo cute!!

Above is me, obsessively wreathing between church services.

Our Airplane Miracle.....

A few years ago, we owned a small older Cessna. I always felt a little uncomfortable in it... Maybe it was the time the door popped open during take off, landing and during turbulence (yes three times!) while i was holding a baby in my arms. Maybe it was because God was dealing with fear in my life. Who knows, but here's how God protected us that terrible day.....

I had planned on shopping at Cold Water Creek's awesome sale that day. I was really psyched up for it. God spoke to my heart about going with Kevin on his flight to Missoula. I didn't want to, and the thought of flying with him made me sick to my stomach. I really REALLY wanted to go to that sale, but i was plagued with conviction to go with him. Finally i said "OK!" to that convicting voice of the Holy Spirit. I didn't sleep well that night. I tossed and turned and felt a general sense of forboding. Finally i got up, not having slept well. I pulled on the only clean thing in my drawer - this crazy pair of black flared polyester pants. When Kevin saw me, he asked me to find something else to wear.... he doesn't like me doing the crazy pants thing with him. Since i didn't have any thing else clean at the time, he consented and we left.
I kept feeling this sense of doom as we drove to the airport. When we got in the plane my stomach churned and I covered my head as i tried to sleep during take off. Not an hour into our flight, something awakened me. I instantly felt the presence of God and I knew something was wrong. Suddenly the engine began to cut out. Kevin tried calmly adjusting something. It got worse. It kept choking....and choking..... and choking. Kevin radioed in an emergency landing to the nearest airport. I really didn't want to be "caught dead" in those crazy pants that day.
I'm far from a mechanic (really far), but I've never heard an engine sputter that many times without shutting off. I started praying and standing in faith (and I'm sure Kevin was too). I could feel the spiritual battle going on. Even though I knew that natural circumstances were going to cause our plane to stop running, I stood in faith, not backing down. I took authority over the situation and commanded the plane to fly in Jesus name. I know that God kept our airplane running miraculously. We were able to land.
I couldn't get off the floor in the airport. I was just sick. I thought about all my little kids at home without us. Then He spoke to my heart to do something inconceivable. To get back into the airplane and go home, telling me that there would be no further trouble. Kevin decided after looking at it that it was water in the gas tank. He drained out some and we went home. I didn't call the kids all panic stricken. I just called them and checked on them calmly. I got back into the plane and I flew home. True to His Word, we didn't have any further trouble.
Then Kevin let me go to Cold Water Creek and said "baby buy whatever you want". I was happy I wasn't "caught dead" in those crazy pants. I felt very glad to be alive and had a good time at the sale.

This is another testimony of God's protection I'm grateful for. I want to keep a record of these good things and remember them. This is why I decided to write about it on my blog.

What to do in Cold Weather......

snack on apple based products!!! Play in the snow with Kardelen and Bia's Extra Warm Snow Suit!!

Take a Nap.... On your brother.

Snowboard (take advantage of living up a mtn.)!

Super Cat man fighting a bad guy.

i got tagged

i got tagged, meaning i have to put up the 6th picture in my 6th file. And i'm supposed to tag 5 other people. Here it is. Kevin III posing on our fire fighting equipment. Meet Kevin III (much younger) and Dutchess our Skidgine.

Apples attacking OR my sister Heathers crockpot applesauce

I felt like the isrealites complaining in the wilderness - well it all started like this :

"How come everybody gets free apples and fruit but me!???" I was whining to my good friend, ok, to a few of my good friends who were bragging about how they got their spoils. Little did i know about the coming blessing!!!! i went to an orchard and the lady told me the apples froze the night before, so they were FREE! With the help of mother in law and grand mother in law, we picked 580 lbs of apples!!!!

I am still making lots of apple based foods. I canned, froze, dehydrated, gave away and ate apples apples and more apples.

Here is Heather's

Crock Pot Apple Sauce

1. Peel and cut apples (or leave peels on if you want).

2. sprinkle a little lemon juice

3. add a cup or so of water.

4. let it cook all night on low

5. blend in blender in the am

In my house it is usually gone within 24 hours.

*Heather uses cloves or cinnamon or nutmeg in it i think. Heather leaves the peels on.

My Domestic Abilities

I thought it only fair to make a recipe on todays blog entry after insulting my own domestic abilities in "How to Get Out of Debt" or whatever i called it. Today i will take you on a journey into my kitchen. Try not to be afraid......

Yesterday I made my typical muffins. This is what they had in them. I call them :

"Hope for the Best Apple Conglomeration Muffins"

Note : When I say "hit" i mean to say, i hit the container against the side of the cooking bowl and let however much fall in them. When I say "dump" I dump the container upside down for a short bit.

5 hits cloves

2 dumps vanilla (pure extract only that cheap stuff is yucky)

1 dump almond extract

1 dump pure maple syrup

1 cup virgin olive oil

3/4 cup honey

1/4 cup raw turbindo sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

2-4 hits cinnamon

5 broken eggs the kids dropped while hauling in groceries. They sat in a container for a while cuz i didn't want to waste them.

1 cup oats

1 cup white montana bread flour

1 cup 10 grain flour

1 cup brown rice flour

1 hit buttermilk powder

3 heaping tsps baking powder

2 cups diced apples

turn the kitchen aid on and let it mix till fluffy.

bake in buttered muffin tins till done. If you smell burning (which i did), you have cooked them too long.

On my cooking scale of 1-10 i give them a "5" since no one complained. I thought they tasted o.k.

Karsten learning to tell time

Karsten likes school - well sometimes. Mostly when he's all done with it.

How to Debt Free

Ok, so my first "blog experience" has been my incredible sister, Heather. She makes such beautiful, nice entries that people love to read!!!!! Her tips and projects are fun and nice and everything sweet. Unfortunately, I'm not that sweet type person, and most of my recipes include "dumping things together" and hoping the oven doesn't explode in the process (or my family in explosive anger because they have to eat the concoction.) Sometimes when we have "Holy Ghost Surprise", they inform me that I have missed God completely.

However, I've had lots of experience in getting out of debt and in supernatural financial miracles. So with all that in mind, I'm going to start adding entries every so often about how to have financial miracles in your life and on How to get out of debt. We celebrated a year this Dec. without mortgage, credit card debt or bank loans. We must be tapping into something right where God is concerned and I'm determined to teach it to others.


1. Stop believing that your situation is hopeless.

Because it's not!!!! Here's one of my first favorite stories to tell :



We had taken in a lot of people over the summer (a few years back) and I hadn't been able to work much. I had been putting groceries on my credit card to feed them at times and our mortgage along with another loan were 2+ months late. The bank demanded to know a day that they would be getting their money and I gave them one. I had expected money from two places by then a. the federal government was supposed to be paying us a claims check and b. we had an older landcruiser up for sale. The day came that I had promised the bank their money and through a comedy of horrors, neither money was available. The claims check was deposited in some one elses account and they wouldn't give it to us "until they got it back from them" (that's a fine how do you do!). The Landcruiser never sold and we drove to the city to pick it up. Still with writing on the window from the consignment lot, I drove it home feeling the drowning, sinking sensation that the bank had not gotten their funds and we were into our 3rd month of no payment.

When your faced with such situations, its very important to examine your part in this mess (and repent). In the case at hand, I really believed I had done the best I'd known to follow God, but many times I didn't. Many times, I've been in drowning debt because of my own foolish circumstances. It doesn't matter, God doesn't care. He still loves us and wants to help us overcome our circumstances. His goodness leads us to Him, and part of his Blessing is His Provision in our every circumstance. Every time we run to God, He has the answer to make things better if we will be obedient.

In the case at hand, I later drove that same Landcruiser to work that night. I felt crippled with the fear of what was going to happen. Not liking fear to have the upper hand in my life, I began thanking God for His provision. I didn't know how He was going to take care of the mess, but I KNEW HE would (some how). I just kept thanking Him, laughing (possibly from insanity), and fixing my heart on the fact that God was above this.

During my night at work, I felt many opportunities to be afraid of what was going to happen and every one of those times, I stood against that fear. Thats when it happened........

Somebody said "theres a man shining a flashlight into your car!!" It was pitch black out, and foolishly I ran out into the parking area with my hands on my hips thinking to face down a would be burgler. "Can I help you?" I said in the rudest voice I could muster. Out stepped a policeman (of all people!). He was on duty and noticed the writing on the window "Fully loaded, inquire with in". He said he used to have one like that and would really like to have another. At 3am when he got off from work, he got his wife and baby out of bed to test drive it and the next day, he bought that Landcruiser. The bank lady said "any body but you, and we'd have done things a lot differently".





Being out of debt in America (or any other country) is possible. Your first step is to believe that it is and to believe that God can get you out if you trust Him and are obedient to His voice. Hope is a powerful tool that you need to begin (or continue on) in your pilgrimage. Here's a good verse to start with :



Mark 10:27"And Jesus looking upon them saith, With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible."

The Proverbs 31 Woman

10A capable, intelligent, and [b]virtuous woman--who is he who can find her? She is far more precious than jewels and her value is far above rubies or pearls.(D)
11The heart of her husband trusts in her confidently and relies on and believes in her securely, so that he has no lack of [honest] gain or need of [dishonest] spoil.
12She comforts, encourages, and does him only good as long as there is life within her.
13She seeks out wool and flax and works with willing hands [to develop it].
14She is like the merchant ships loaded with foodstuffs; she brings her household's food from a far [country].
15She rises while it is yet night and gets [spiritual] food for her household and assigns her maids their tasks.(E)
16She considers a [new] field before she buys or accepts it [expanding prudently and not courting neglect of her present duties by assuming other duties]; with her savings [of time and strength] she plants fruitful vines in her vineyard. [S. of Sol. 8:12.]
17She girds herself with strength [spiritual, mental, and physical fitness for her God-given task] and makes her arms strong and firm.
18She tastes and sees that her gain from work [with and for God] is good; her lamp goes not out, but it burns on continually through the night [of trouble, privation, or sorrow, warning away fear, doubt, and distrust].
19She lays her hands to the spindle, and her hands hold the distaff.
20She opens her hand to the poor, yes, she reaches out her filled hands to the needy [whether in body, mind, or spirit].
21She fears not the snow for her family, for all her household are doubly clothed in scarlet.(F)
22She makes for herself coverlets, cushions, and rugs of tapestry. Her clothing is of linen, pure and fine, and of purple [such as that of which the clothing of the priests and the hallowed cloths of the temple were made].(G)
23Her husband is known in the [city's] gates, when he sits among the elders of the land.(H)
24She makes fine linen garments and leads others to buy them; she delivers to the merchants girdles [or sashes that free one up for service].
25Strength and dignity are her clothing and her position is strong and secure; she rejoices over the future [the latter day or time to come, knowing that she and her family are in readiness for it]!
26She opens her mouth in skillful and godly Wisdom, and on her tongue is the law of kindness [giving counsel and instruction].
27She looks well to how things go in her household, and the bread of idleness (gossip, discontent, and self-pity) she will not eat.(I)
28Her children rise up and call her blessed (happy, fortunate, and to be envied); and her husband boasts of and praises her, [saying],
29[c]Many daughters have done virtuously, nobly, and well [with the strength of character that is steadfast in goodness], but you excel them all.
30Charm and grace are deceptive, and beauty is vain [because it is not lasting], but a woman who reverently and worshipfully fears the Lord, she shall be praised!
31Give her of the fruit of her hands, and let her own works praise her in the gates [of the city]!

From Midwest Voting Mom's Blog :

A Canadian Columnist has called Palin Supporters the "White Trash Vote." So be it then - I would rather be considered that then to be among the Hollywood crowd. Sarah Palin is the "People's" candidate. She is our courageous "Deborah"; our emissary "Esther."

I love that!!!! I guess there's a lot of us "white trash" out there.

The Zolowear Silk Brocade Ring Sling OR The Working Mom Blues

I bet all of you in internet land wonder why I haven't published a post in a while.... well I'll tell you!! Its the working mom blues. It all started when I balanced the checkbook. I discovered that to do everything we wanted to do, somebody needed to come up with some cash. After avoiding the "w" word for quite some time, I finally decided it was time to take drastic measures. I called the hospital and asked if anybody wanted a day off. If only then, I had known what I know now........ Suddenly my life became a tornado of events. Not only was the entire weekend available to me, but as time went on, I got call after call after call. Of course its easy to say "no" (not). I always feel guilty to somebody. If I say "yes", I feel guilty to my kids. If I say "no" I feel guilty to my job. Its a "no" win paradox. There is "no" right answer, not EVER!!!! You always wind up disappointing somebody.

I got a little smarter and began demanding time and a half. Well, I thought it was wiser, and it is to an extent. It makes the 12 hour night more worth my while. Then if I say "no" most people think I'm horribly wasteful to have passed up all that money. Its very hard saying "no" to time and a half at experienced nurse wages. Especially since I don't work a normal regular job. But then the guilt comes and so does the housing disaster..........

Suddenly the garbage can explodes with anger. Trash is spewed all over the floor. The dishes also become angered. As an army of doom, they launch assaults of catastrophic proportion. The counters as their battlefield, they unearth the dirty horror to all who dare enter their rancid battleground. The laundry of the house follows suit. It tries to invade while it has the chance. Favorite skirmish places include any floor, the couch, bedrooms and especially the bathroom. Not even a horror movie can elicit such dreadful moans. Yes, my home revolts, though the kids are usually o.k.. They are thinking "moms gone, lets par te' !!!

Anyway, I wound up working several nights, and then was bribed with time and a half for a few more. I am truly thankful that I have a job. I know many people don't. It's been a challenge with moonbeam nursing. I don't know what i'd do with out my wonderful man :-) He was up from 3am on with her this last time. His regime of late has been as follows......

1. Prepare the car. 2. Haul wifes stuff out to the car. 3. Haul babies stuff out the the car. 4. Remind wife several times she will be late if she does not leave NOW. 5. Watch wife painfully as she tells her kids "good bye", kisses them, prays for them (again) and looks for her shoes (which she often cannot find). 6. Drive wife to work. 7. Wait in town with baby so she can nurse once. 8. Did I mention WAIT IN TOWN??!!! With nothing to do, walk the screaming baby up and down looking at the hospital from the parking area, i don't know, use your imagination, i'm at work. Then sit there waiting as she nurses and then wait as all her friends view the child. 8. Drive baby home. 9. Put baby to bed. 10. Stay up trying to care for a baby who does not like a bottle or baby food. 11. Still awake, put baby bag back into the car, with baby and head back for wife at work. 12. Drive the full hour and a half back to the hospital. 13. Purchase fuel 14. Intercept wife 15. Drive wife home. 16. Haul wife and babies stuff in. 17. Collapse in exhaustion as he must begin his daily routine doing whatever work or homeschool he hopes to accomplish.

Being the husband of a working mom is a job in itself!!!!!!

Ok, now for my promised sling review..... I had some baby gift money left over and i just couldn't resist this extra ordinary sling!!!! I know I should have gotten cotton, but the silk was just sooooo luxurious. True I am wearing it making spaghetti, but really, I took it off before the sauce began to bubble. Its a lovely thick material. I like being able to adjust it so she's safely in there. I love the colors. Its also a nice and deep fit for her. Moonbeam likes the material too. She looks at it and rubs it. I just got it a few days ago, but I already love it. I can't wait to wear it to church. I can tell it will be used alot. My biggest hope is it will wash well. It's a whopping 40% off at Sobee babies. It also got shipped real fast which impressed me.

More Commentary on "Mordic Walking" and other oddities

As you can see, my boyz made this lovely centerpiece (it was a good distraction). Its been such a fabulous week. The snow that is usually bathing Yaak this time of year has held herself back. The kids and I have been able to scour the woods for berries and things normally not available to add to our wreaths this time of year.

I started a weight loss support group (namely myself, my friend Kelly alias Silverbell, and another lady who just came to visit and really wasn't interested in weight loss). In Yaak, you gotta take your visiting opportunities where you can get 'em. Topics of discussion included life without sugar and white flour, encouraging scriptures, and thongs. Anyway, we had a good walk and decided to take a field trip to a shopping center for our next meeting. The subject of mordic walking was broached, but someone quickly changed the subject.

I have refrained from "mordic walking" due to wreathing, no snow, and my husbands comment that when Karsten thought "Nordic Walking" was "Mordic Walking", he said "I can think of a similar word that it looks like". Though he didn't come out and say it, "moronic" flashed in my mind. Despite this set back, i will regroup and set out on my mordick endeavors after the ice and snow have set in.

wreathing

Wreathing is another good way to get outdoors and exercise with the kids. We had fun picking evergreen boughs and berries. Then we made some wreaths. I love giving them away this time of year. Its fun having something nice to give away that didn't cost me any money. Just fresh air, fun and a giving spirit.

ijoy 130 robotic massage chair

Once in a blue moon, we each get some spending money. After carrying mine around for a year or so I finally decided that I was not going to be buying a sectional, a jacuzzi or taking a trip to Europe with my allotted amount. Once reality set in, I remembered an incredible experience i had..................

I had worked ALL NIGHT in the emergency room. My husband brought moonbeam in to nurse on my break. Between being er nurse and mom, at the end of my 12 hour shift, i was exhausted. Kevin had found a buy in the paper he was picking up afterward in another city. Long story short, i was found inside of Costco with a screaming child, tired body and time to kill. I have this issue with wearing socks polluted with bodily substances so i refused to wear mine, leaving me with tootsies begging to stop walking.

Then i saw it..... heavenly lights illuminated the chair and i heard an angels choir. The screaming baby wanted to eat NOW! I sat, and had a heavenly visitation. WoW! It was like nothing i had ever experienced before. Right there in the middle of the costco. Cloaked in a veil of blanket, Moonbeam happily slurped. I sat there stunned that such pleasure could exist in the middle of a busy store. It rolled, it kneaded, it did everything but make coffee. It was truly a memorable experience. Mainly because of the chair, partly because of the assorted looks from fellow shoppers. Getting a variety of responces often amuses me, this being the case, i enjoyed a good laugh.

It is a good step in my journey to fitness. Something enjoyable without calories ;-) Other than meeting the delivery guy in a back alley of another city (like i was buying some illegal substance), the delivery was decent. Nobody delivers up the remote mountain we live on anyway.

Since we've had it, I love it! Word to the wise : The 150 which costco has is bigger. The 130 fits me great, but i am pretty small framed. I wouldn't order one for a person with a larger caboose, i'd get them the 150. Right now Costco.com has a $150 rebate which made it affordable to me. Pictured here is Moonbeam in it (everything in my house i don't want c0vered in grubby child paw prints must be covered).

Fitness tip #102 tromp all over looking for, cutting down and dragging in a tree with your kids! I was glad i could revert to the chair many times that day!

Responces from my children about the ijoy 130 :

karsten : "it's going to change my life"

kaleb : "it reminds me of a monster coming out of the chair to get me". It also reminds me of a "crashing airplane."

Kevin III: "i can't believe you spent your money on THAT!"

kiana: "it gives you a sore back"

krystiana : "goo"

my husband: "whatever makes you happy dear"

me : EVERYBODY STAY OUT OF IT!!!! ITS MINE MINE MINE!!!!!! DON'T TOUCH IT!!! BLAH BLAH BLAH.........AAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!

The misadventure of my first Buck

This is my daughter Kiana. She's incredibly virtuous. She's an outstanding student, smart as can be. She's a great cook. She knows how to sew and embroider (which i don't). She's great with the smaller kids. This year, her first hunting year, she single handedly shot this bear and buck dropping them with a single bullet each. She then gutted her own deer and helped cut meat off and process both. Incredible girl. Not so with my hunting endeavors.......

Perhaps it's because I grew up in an anti hunting family. Maybe I can blame the ranting and raving I witnessed as a child each hunting season. Rude hunters trespassing, threatening to shoot our dogs, terrorizing the deer and our family. I grew up with my mom, my grandmother, and my aunt all of whom abhorred guns and hunters in general. Every year I asked for a toy gun and every year the answer was an emphatic "NO!". Finally one year, some one took pity on me and got me a silver toy cap gun with a single toy silver Lone Ranger Bullet. "No Caps!" I was told. "Their Dangerous".

Perhaps it was the first year of our marriage when my husband brought in a hacked off deer leg and told me to cut it up when he was gone at work. That fight eventually ended in some valium, a lecture to him from his mother and him cutting up his own awful deer corpse, which I might add, I did not eat!

Whatever the reason, hunting never came natural to me. I finally started shooting does, not far from the road, in the later years of our marriage, just to try and share in something that Kevin enjoyed. Bucks however always eluded me and it didn't bother me all that much.

This year though, I actually got one. It was shortly after I got my doe, which, by the way, my oldest son helped me get. He spotted it, he gutted it, he drug it out and loaded it up. He then skinned it and he cut the meat off it. He's incredible too.

It all started when they (my kids) insisted I go rattling. Though I was quite skeptical, I went along with it. In years past, I hated rattling because I got too cold. This time I wore many layers though, kind of reminding me of the marshmallow look. There was no impressing my husband in this get up. To add insult to injury, he told me my coat was "too noisy" and insisted I wear an ugly coat of his. Later, I crept through the woods in "too noisy" of a fashion.

Finally, we sat. He told me to quit fidgeting. I can't help being a multi-tasker and sitting waiting around for a deer is just to single tasked. I tried mini crunches and ab exercises. "Stop that fidgeting!!!". Finally I begged to go home. "Wait till dark" he said. Waiting till dark is just too scary, but he was already getting annoyed with me so I figured I'd just better sit. "Can we go home now?" "NO!" He said. "Can I take a nap?" "OK" he said, thinking it was the only way to get me to stop fidgeting. Watching him crash two antlers together a scrape his foot on the ground trying to act like a rutting buck was only entertaining for the first 15 minutes.

Suddenly I woke up to a horrid smell. "Did you fart?!" I said in an accusing whisper. "NO!" he whispered "SHHH". I was just sure it was a bear, because my neighbors told me once if I ever smelled a bad smell in the woods, a bear was sure to follow. "PLEASE can we go?!" "NO". Just then I heard a crashing sound not far away. It was a terrifying sound and I felt goosebumps appearing on me. I just knew it was a killer bear coming to get me. I was froze in a curled up bundle (since I had been taking a nap). Out of the trees appeared a huge mule buck doing the funny mule looking dance. I knew that this was my big chance. Laying there on my side, I took aim. It took forever to get him in my scope. Kevin blew a grunt with his grunt call. It looked straight at me and I shot. He dropped. Then I had a very happy husband. After being married to him for 17 years, his wife had finally shot a buck.

The part we don't tell anybody when he brags is that when I helped him drag it out, I tripped on a rut and fell down with his gun wrecking his $200 scope on a rock. He didn't say anything about that, but his face showed the pain (and maybe just a little pride).

Testimonies of God's Supernatural Protection this Hunting Season

For our Family, Hunting Season is important for several reasons 1. Because the men of my family enjoy the sport and look forward to it all year long. 2. Because we have a family of 7 and the spoils feed our family throughout the year. 3. Because its a season steeped in tradition, passed on from generations. Its a time when Parents and Grandparents pass on something of value to the upcoming generation, instilling self sufficiency and pride. A time where our little community overflows with excitement and lots of extra people. 4. Because I can escape and go shopping and no one will notice.

This year we've had some extra-ordinary encounters and I want to Give God Glory for His Protection.

On election day, Kevin, my husband was out with Kiana. While hiking, she passed up a 3x3 looking at something over the hill. As they looked up, they saw black. Thinking it was an elk, they charged up the hill only to find a mother grizzly and 2 grown cubs with her. The bears saw them, but didn't act aggressive and they separated from them safely.

This past week, my husband was charged by a forked horn buck while he was putting something in his pack. He heard it running and stood up, putting his pack in front to brace for the blow. At the last min., it skidded to a halt and jumped off into the woods.

Just the day before that encounter, our son was hiking in the forest by himself. Kevin had taken me to rattle up a buck - my first ever - a mule 3x3. It was late dragging him out and we were late to pick up our son from his designated location. When we got him on radio, he was staring down a lion. This cougar was waiting for him on the trail in the dark, crouched down ahead of him behind a log. Our son happened to shine a light that reflected it's eye. Seeing the eye saved his life. He shined a flashlight on it's face and yelled at it to leave, then it walked off.

Also this week, my husband was driving our daughter and son back from a hunting hike and the car flipped over on its side because of the ice. It avoided a drop because a large rock prevented it from rolling further down the side of the hill.

I just have to Thank God in all these instances that He was faithful to protect my family. I remember Psalm 91 and I thank God that we dwell in that secret place where we are fixed under His shadow. I hope this will build faith in the hearts of those who read it :-)

We also have had an awesome harvest thus far - I shot my first buck, and got my doe. Kiana got a doe, buck and bear. Kevin Jr. got a buck, bear and doe. Kevin III got a buck and doe. Our freezer is FULL!

Nordic Walking

Ok, I admit it!! When I first saw people Nordic walking I thought It looked wierd. I never even considered doing it until I read an article about it this month. Here are some things I like - now that I've tried it :
Its a good balance help - especially on icy surfaces
Its a full body workout
Its easier on my joints, especially when packing moonbeam.
I don't have to walk as far to get a good workout so it saves me time.
The neighbors and assorted family members give me strange looks ( I have an unusual sense of humor so that amuses me).
The poles can also be used as a primitive weapon to fend off attacking chipmunks.







Fitness tip 101 : Con Your Kids

This is Karsten's "Special Rock". He likes to ride his bike to it while I hike. I can usually con him into riding further if I ask him to go to "special rock".











Now that she's out of her pack, she can do her favorite passtime - play with and suck on her toes!!

Here I go Again......

Here I go again..... Its a dreary November day and I'm starting the second week of my new fitness program to try and get rid of those extra baby pounds.