Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Errand day

Yesterday was errand running day. We started off first at Les Schwab. The car has been making this awful noise from the front end and we need it fixed. (Not so easy unemployed, however.) Les Schwab had a 2 hour wait!!! With two toddlers...forget it! However, the guy just said without even looking at it "well, it's the rack and pinion from the sounds of it." Les Schwab has told me my last 3 cars all needed a new rack and pinion, so needless to say I didn't put too much faith in the opinion. We ended up finding a different place to have them look at it. They said we need new ball joints and lower control arms. Woohoo!!! $850 we dont' have! However, there is a guy in Lenny's class who is helping with the brakes so the two of them may just tackle the ball joints and what not. Who knows. :) It will get fixed when it gets fixed.

The car shop did happen to be across the street from a Tuesday Morning, however, so while we were waiting we went over there. Such cute stuff!!!!! We did splurge and get the children two awesome books and I even got some scrapbooking stuff. (All for a grand total of $12. I love saving money!!) I even did a paper page last night. (I have to since Lenny doesn't give me enough time on computer to do a digital page!-- Sheesh!)

After they were done with the car we headed off to grocery shop. All four of us usually go. (It's our "compromise", though I would love the time alone.) To make sure to keep our grocery bill under control I plan out a week or so worth of meals to help me create my list. I am excited that I have so many new dinners on the list this next week and a half. Oh, and 3 of them are crockpot recipes, so I don't have to spend hours in the afternoon cooking. I'll definitely have to share how it goes!

Saturday, March 21, 2009

Beach and more

Life has just been a little crazy right now. I feel like I never have enough time on the computer to actually sit down and type. I will do an "update" on life right now, then I am committing to keeping up on the blog to help my sanity again! :)

On the homefront Lenny still isn't working, but we are managing to get by without my going back to work. That is a blessing I am definitely grateful to the Lord for every single day! I am also thankful that I haven't wanted to strangle him very often! ;) Although he still does hog the computer AND the remote!!

The children are awesome. I just can not get over how "grown up" my Jazzie Mae is. I was watching her sleep last night and started crying. Tears of joy because she is so wonderful, but also tears of sadness that she is growing up so fast. She is just the most wonderful blessing ever. She has the biggest, purest heart, and is so polite and has such awesome manners. She loves everything and everybody, and gets her feelings hurt so very easily. And I can't even put into words how smart she is. I am so very proud of her!! She already talks about going to school everyday. And she has such a love of dancing. Everyday she puts on her ballet slippers and dances for me. I am doing everything I can to save money to enroll her in lessons when the studio takes in new toddlers at the summer session.

Isaac is just as wonderful. Thankfully the tantrums are slowly going away. And when he does have them they are shorter each time. He, too, is so very smart. Although he tends to surprise me. Jazmine was always counting, saying ABC's, pointing out colors and shapes, etc... But Isaac is just rough and tumble boy all the way and always acts like he isn't paying attention when I am trying to teach him. Then suddenly he starts singing ABC's or his states and I am just in awe. I guess because he doesn't do it very often, so when he shows off what he knows I am surprised he was actually listening. He is also so very polite with great manners. We were walking through WalMart the other day and he cut somebody off in the aisle, and looked up and said "excuse me, I'm sorry." The person was in complete shock! So cute hearing such politeness out of such a little guy! The other thing he is always doing is trying to be just as "grown up" as Sissy. The highchair has been gone for months, and he is already working on getting out of diapers. He also is always looking after Jazmine. He gets juice, and asks for some for her. Daddy hides something from her playing around, and he goes and finds it and gives it back to her. He may be the little brother, but I have a feeling he will be the protector in the very near future!

As for other things, we just got back from the Coast. This time we drove to the Southern Coastline. We spent time in Bandon, and Port Orford. The area is now officially my new favorite place to go here in Oregon. We spent hours and literally walked miles of coastline looking for stones and sealife. I found agates, opal, jade, coral, fossils, and gorgeous pieces of driftwood. We stumbled upon a family of stellar sealions just off shore, saw a whale spout, and searched through tidepools of sea anemones and starfish. It truly was refreshing for my soul.

My favorite little beach we found by accident in Port Orford had some sand, then a huge gravel bar. And the water dropped off so fast, that there were the biggest waves I had ever seen on the Oregon Coast. HUGE! You could literally sit down on the gravel bar and find precious stones and rocks right in your same spot for a good half hour or more before moving. It was so much fun! I have never "hunted" for some of natures treasures like that before and am hooked! I can't wait to go back. And I also can't wait to do some fun things with the goodies I got this trip! Here is a pic of my fav shells and driftwood I grabbed. The pics of the stones are proving a little difficult. I'll keep trying to get them in focus.
I am determined to get back to that stretch of Coast as soon as I can!!

Sunday, March 1, 2009

Song Lyrics

I have spent the last hour browsing a blog of an amazing family. (Thanks for the post about it, Helen.) Their little girl has just had a relapse of leukemia, yet they never lose their Faith in the Lord and His Plan. Please check it out and add them to your prayer list.

While I was there, I found these song lyrics that the mother had posted a while back and they just really said something to me, as I have been worrying more daily about protecting my children, so I thought I'd share....

Your baby blues
So full of wonder
Your curly cues
Your contagious smile
And as I watch
You start to grow up
All I can do is hold you tight

Knowing clouds will rage
And storms will race in
But you will be safe in my arms
Rains will pour down
Waves will crash all around
But you will be safe in my arms

Story books full of fairy tales
Of kings and queens and the bluest skies
My heart is torn just in knowing
You'll someday see the truth from lies

Knowing clouds will rage
And storms will race in
But you will be safe in my arms
Rains will pour down
Waves will crash all around
But you will be safe in my arms

Castles they might crumble
Dreams may not come true
But you are never all alone
Because I will always
Always love you

Clouds will rage
And storms will race in
But you will be safe in my arms
Rains will pour down
Waves will crash all around
But you will be safe in my arms



~ Plumb