When it rains...it pours

This is how my first conversation of the work day went:

Hi Heather, how are you doing?

Me: Just fine....

Me: Now do you really want to know??? My power has been out for 5 days. I am living out of suitcases at my mother's house. My babysitter is sick today. And my husbands vehicle broke down this morning and is sitting in the middle of the driveway and won't budge. Now, how do you think I really am?

I know, I am pretty pathetic, but things just don't seem to be going our way this week. It always could be worse. So I shouldn't complain.

Things I am thankful for today...
1. my parent's warm house with power
2. my children that have adapted so well to the circumstances
3. my job and boss are so flexible that I got to go 'home' to stay with Creighton since the sitter is sick.
4. I got to go to Colby's school and read and eat lunch with her today
5. a dear friend will be picking up Greg's vehicle with his car hauler and taking it to get fixed.
6. the good ol' farm truck still runs so Greg has transportation to and from work so I don't have to wake the kids at 11pm to go get him.

All in all I guess I have nothing to complain about and I am grateful for this day that God has given me....

Not too bad....

We are still invaders in my mother's home. The kids think it's great and I like the convenience of being in town. I forgot what it was like to be about 5 minutes from anywhere I need to go. It is handy. I feel like I am getting spoiled. I even went 'home' on my lunch hour yesterday and cooked supper so we only had to heat it up when we got home from gymnastics.

No power yet and not sure when it might be repaired, so Greg decieded to go buy a generator. They are such expensive pieces of equipment and it may be a long time before we ever need it again. But, we are now prepared for the next long term power outage :)

Now as far as pictures....I am feeling really guilty for taking so few over the last couple of weeks. But, last night I finally got the camera out at gymnastics and took a few shots of the kids. However, my cable and my card reader are on my computer at home so I'll have to load them later.

Creighton's room is still sitting as it was when I was in the middle of painting last Saturday. I just wrapped my paint brushes in foil and left not thinking I would be gone for a week. We had to call off the contractor who was coming to finish the ceiling because he needed power and it probably needs to be warmer than 48 degrees for that stuff to dry. This project is taking longer than I anticipated. As they always do. Greg says I sit around and dream up projects and then expect them to be done the next day :)

So, we're just taking it one day at a time here and doing what we can to maintain at least some sense of normalcy. If there is such a thing....

NEXT WEEK?!?!?!?!?

Now apparently the prediction on our electricity returning is 'maybe by the end of the week', but it 'could possibly be next week'. It's going to be a long week. Thankful we have a warm place to stay, but I really just want to go home. This morning when I got the kids up to go to school and daycare Creighton started packing his stuff up. I asked him where he was going and he said 'home'. I had to explain that we won't be going home for a few days. He just unpacked his stuff, put his Lovey back in his bed and carried on. All that these kids have went through this weekend and they are doing just fine. They were pretty tired yesterday but got a good night's sleep last night. They are just rolling with the punches. What else can you do? Sure wish I had something better to blog about :)

Still waiting....

So last night me and the kids stayed at my brother Dave's house. We are very thankful for their very gracious hospitality. I feel like a homeless transient hopping from house to house with whoever agrees to take us in at the moment. Our power went out at about 1:30pm on Saturday afternoon and I finally got through to the power company Sunday morning. They said to expect that our power will be out for SEVERAL more DAYS! Ugh! Greg braved the house last night with no power, no heat and no water. It was about 50 degrees in the house this morning. Thankfully, my mom and dad are leaving for Mexico in about 12 hours so we'll be packing up some things and moving into their house. Glad we don't have to disrupt anyone else's household. The worst part of the deal is that we have a freezer full of several hundred pounds of beef. Pray that it keeps until the power comes back on! I should be counting my blessings though. There are millions of people throughout the world that live their lives without power. I am thankful that mine will be back on in just a few short days.

Powerless....

Our power went out at about 1pm this afternoon. I was in the middle of painting in Creighton's room. So that project was halted. Greg is working till at least 10:30pm tonight. So at about 3pm I had run of things to do without power and the kids hadn't had any lunch. They weren't interested in cold cereal and I had no way to cook. So I debated about driving, but then Greg called and said the roads weren't too bad. So I packed the kids up with all our stuff to stay overnight at mom's. On my way in, about 3 miles from town, mom called and said her power went out too. So we sat at her house until it got dark and the kids were bored. Greg's parents had power still so we moved on to the next warm place. All I wanted was a shower and I finally got one:) It is now after 7pm, we talked to our neighbor and still have no power. Now we're deciding what to do for the night. This stinks....

A new fund of moral energy...I like that....

Trials, temptations, disappointments—all these are helps instead of hindrances, if one uses them rightly. They not only test the fiber of a character, but strengthen it. Every conquered temptation represents a new fund of moral energy. Every trial endured and weathered in the right spirit makes a soul nobler and stronger than it was before.
James Buckham

To All The Girls I Love......

When I was little, I used to believe in the concept of one best friend, and then I started to become a woman.
And then I found out that if you allow your heart to open up, God would show you the best in many friends.
One friend is needed when you're going through things with your family. Another friend is needed when you're going through things with your mom. Another when you want to shop, share, heal, hurt, joke, or just be.
One friend will say, "Let's cry together," Another, "Let's fight together," Another, "Let's walk away together." One friend will meet your spiritual need, Another your shoe fetish, Another your love for movies, Another will be with you in your season of confusion, Another will be your clarifier, Another the wind beneath your wings.
But whatever their assignment in your life, On whatever the occasion, On whatever the day,
Or wherever you need them to meet you with their gym shoes on and hair pulled back, Or to hold you back from making a complete fool of yourself ..
Those are your best friends.
It may all be wrapped up in one woman, But for many, it's wrapped up in several...
One from 7th grade, One from high school, Several from the college years, A couple from old jobs, On some days your mother, On some days your neighbor, On others, your sisters, And on some days, your daughters.
So whether they've been your friend for 20 minutes or 20 years here's to all of the women that God has placed in your life to make a difference.

Thankful today for my friends, both near and afar, old and young, new and longtime--each of you are special!!

(Thanks Jamie :)

Gone Already?

Wow....this weekend was a whirlwind. It flew by. Not a lot to report on our end. Just the same old stuff going on. The kids are fine. We are fine. Not so happy with the Daytona turn out, but today was just the start of the season. A lot of time to make up for lost ground.

Work is progressing in Creighton's room. I can't wait to get to the fun stuff in his room. So far it's just been stripping wallpaper, drywalling, plastering, etc....the yucky, messy stuff. It won't be long and I will be arranging furniture and hanging curtains--the sooner the better! He is getting anxious too. But, it will get done as time and schedules allow. Just try explaining that to a four year old--he doesn't get it. When I was painting the trim for his room out in the garage tonight Creighton wondered why I wasn't painting trains on it. Sorry dear, you weren't born to an artist :) The trains will come, Mommy just won't be painting them!

So glad that I get the holiday off tomorrow. I get to spend it putting the rest of the coats of paint on the trim, sanding the plaster on the drywall AND doing laundry. Doesn't that sound like fun?

(And no Dan, my camera is not broke and no I did not take any pictures at all this weekend--just thought I would save you the trouble of having to ask! :)

Gentlemen, START YOUR ENGINES!!!!

It's Friday. It's Daytona weekend. It's the start of the racing season. Therefore, excitement is in the air at our house!!! GO JIMMIE!!!!!

And, by the way DAVE-- where is Jeff starting???? :) Oh yeah, 42nd :)

The Rush

Everybody today seems to be in such a terrible rush, anxious for greater developments and greater riches and so on, so that children have very little time for their parents. Parents have very little time for each other, and in the home begins the disruption of peace of the world. Mother Teresa

Came across this quote this morning and served as a great reminder that a conscious effort must be made to not overschedule, overplan, overinvolve ourselves and our children, and we must leave time to just love and BE.

Makes me sick when I think of our daily grind of the morning routine, daytime routine, evening routine, bedtime routine and then sleep and do it all over again. Thinking hard...."what can I do to break the cycle?" We have become robots in our routines, leaving little time for love.

Ohhh, NO!

I wasn't sure I wanted to share this story or not, but since Greg and I have had a few laughs about it, I decided what the heck. Saturday morning the kids were in the living room watching cartoons, Greg was making them eggs and I was waiting for Kathy so we could head out for a day of shopping. I was chatting with Greg in the kitchen and had just leaned over and whispered something to him that made us both giggle a little (and maybe blush a bit too) :) About that time Colby walked in the kitchen and noticed that her mom and dad were being a little silly. She squealed, "EEEEEWWWWW, SEX!" and ran back into the living room. My first thought was, "how does she even know that word" and my second thought was "hopefully this story doesn't get twisted and repeated". The phrase "sex in the kitchen" kept coming to mind and I just hoped that this innocent situation did not get taken out of context! So far, no calls from any parents or teachers wondering what kind of perverse parents we are :0 Keeping our fingers crossed on that one :)

Computerless....

I think my modem is shot. I have been computerless all weekend. And that's ok. I got a lot more reading done than I would have otherwise :) I had a shopping day on Saturday, 3 volleyball matches Sunday and some progress was made on the final plan for Creighton's room. Greg and I hit Menards for the chair rail and 4 gallons of paint--so I am hoping my computer will still be down for a few days and I can paint instead of blog :)

Not much else went on this weekend. More later when I can post some pictures!

Thankful again for the Village

Thankful again last night for the village. I could not do what I do without each and every one of my dearest friends, co-workers and family and all the help they provide to me and my family! With my mom sick, Mackenzie sick, Greg getting called in to work, and my evening meeting schedule, it took some fast and furious scheduling, changing and re-arranging to get life to work last night.

AND THANKS TO KATHY it was all pulled off without a hitch!!!!!!!

Happy Birthday Great Grampa!

Today would have been Grampa Kaalberg's 88th birthday. We miss him!!!

This is Colby and grampa at the Thanksgiving parade in Davenport, 2001. They were an inseperable pair.....

Just because....

they are cute, I haven't taken pictures in awhile, and I couldn't resist Colby's smile and Creighton's staticky hair :)

Forgiven.....

This morning at our small group after reading the second chapter of 1 John the question was posed, why should we try so hard to walk in the light, when we know that God's forgiveness and grace are infinite? We are given not only second chances, but many. We are told in 1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

Well, as I rushed out the door and had a 30 minute drive to my volleyball game, I thought about that for awhile. We all know what kind of life we should live, how we should be an example to those who don't know Jesus, a responsibility to expand the kingdom,etc. but why can't we just cruise through life, doing what we want and praying for forgiveness, still hanging on to the hope of heaven?

The goal here is not to just make it to the finish line. It's the way that we get there that is most important. This journey we are on is not to be taken lightly. We have a duty, a purpose, a responsibility, a great task before us. A responsibility to go to the ends of the earth so that all people can be touched by God's hand and feel the depth of His love for all mankind. We are to take this task at hand and cross all boundaries; cultural boundaries, economic boundaries, state, regional and continental boundaries.

And that my friends, does not allow us or give us the opportunity to just sit on our duffs and cruise through life hoping that someday we will cross through heaven's gates. As Rob Bell says, "God isn't just interested in the covering over of our sins. God wants to make us into the people we were originally created to be. It is not just the removal of what's being held against us; it is God pulling us into the people he originally had in mind when he made us......It is one thing to be forgiven; it is another thing to become more and more and more the person God made you to be. "

"If we only have a legal transaction understanding of salvation in which we are forgiven of our sins so we can go to heaven, then salvation essentially becomes a ticket to somewhere else. In this understanding eternity is something that kicks in when we die." Further explained, "The Bible paints a much larger picture of salvation. It describes all of creation being restored.....Salvation is the entire universe being brought back into harmony with its maker".

So even though that we know that there are great things waiting for us in eternity, we still must find our purpose on this journey through life and keep striving to be who God intended for us to be. And I pray that I can keep my eyes, ears and heart wide open so I can hear God's whisper and be able to faithfully, dutifully follow His direction for my life.

The Dogs

I haven't taken pictures since January 22nd. That has to be a record for me. Took these through the window today. They are no longer sweet little puppies, but they are still very good looking girls. We still miss Sweetie. That's for sure....

I'd choose wallpaper....

OK - last weekend I scraped wallpaper. Didn't really enjoy it. This weekend, I decided to tackle the ceiling. If I had to choose, I would rather strip wallpaper. This is awful.

I am one that doesn't like messes in my house. That's why I don't like to cook, it's messy :) Scraping down the textured ceiling is very messy. So about 1/4 of the ceiling is done and the mess cleaned up for the day. I couldn't stand it anymore. I had to quit and clean. This one I may leave for Greg. I think it's his turn to scrape anyway.

Better than I anticipated....

So far, nothing else has transpired around here in the way of sickness. I was patiently waiting throughout the night for someone to come wandering into my room throwing up, fever, etc. Of course, everyone slept through the night, except me :) That's just the way it works when you are the mom.

When I picked the kids up after work yesterday we got in the car and Colby said, "Oh yeah Mom, Mrs. Reynolds (school secretery) said you are supposed to watch me tonight". I said, "why? watch you for what?" Colby - "A fever". Hmmmm.....why would Mrs. Reynolds say that? Colby then went on to say that she had went to the office with a stomach ache that afternoon. Well, if you know Colby she is one that likes to stay busy and go where the action is. And, sometimes, if class is getting boring she may just head to the office with a 'stomach ache' just to see what is happening on that end of the building. She'll hang out with Mrs. Reynolds, chat for awhile with Mr. Williams (principal), or the nurse Ms. Sargent if she is there that day. She miraculously tends to get better after just a short time, a visit with staff, and some crackers :) Sometimes if she has a fingernail or piece of skin around her nail that is loose, she will go to the office to have it taken care of. Ugh....she is not a hypo-condriac at all. In fact, she usually won't even tell you she doesn't feel well until the signs are quite obvious, if you know what I mean:) She just likes a change of scenery every now and then.

So we hadn't pulled out of the driveway at daycare yet and as I looked at Colby she had a very grey hue to her face and really didn't look too good. I went back into daycare for a barf bag, just in case. By, the time we got home, she hadn't got sick, but her temp was about 102. Some motrin, a movie, some crackers and she crashed for the night. I went in at 3am to give her some more motrin just so she could rest through the night without the fever coming back up. So far, no more medicine and no more fever. Creighton is fine. I just wonder what the rest of the weekend might hold? That just seemed way too easy....

Our turn....

One down with a fever. Anxiously awaiting what might be on the horizon.......ugh.

I'm really not important :)

Yesterday, out of the blue, Colby said "I know what the most important job in the world is". I, of course, assumed she was going to say 'being a mom' :) Nope. She said, "a doctor, because they help people". Then she proceded to tell me (again) that she is going be a vet because they help animals and animals are important too. She is very persistant that she is going to be a vet and has been since about age 3.

I attempted to explain to her that every job has importance and each job has significance and is like a puzzle piece to a complicated world that requires a lot of people to do a lot of different things. She said, "but like your job, it's not important because all you do is sign people up for stuff". So, according to Colby, I am a pretty unimportant part of the workforce. Maybe it's true. However, it is my jobs outside of my workplace that I find to be very valuable. Someday she will understand.