Our Families Newest Addition.

So my fridge started dieing pretty much the day we bought our house. I have nursed it, taped it, laid hands on it, prayed over it, and that seemed to help. Every other time you opened the door the condiment shelves would pop off and they would proceed to roll over the floor because this old fabulous house is anything but level. And although that provided endless entertainment, we figured before it completely went kaput we would put it out of its misery and get a replacement.

(Insert a Hallelujah Chorus HERE)

Anyway, one of Brian's accounts happens to be at Best Buy and he has a connection in the appliance dept. who told him that we could get a sweet deal if we bought our appliances there so that's what we did. I had a few requirements, no water dispenser (I really do not like fridge water, had to have a inside the freezer ice maker, white was my preference (I am old school like that), and it had to be big and when I say big I mean the biggest possible:) What can I say I know what I want. So long story short he found me what I was looking for at an AMAZING price and 6 days later I have 29 cubic ft of cold happiness.

So back tracking a bit into the story, a few days after the purchase I realized that since I bought a new fridge that had a much larger capacity then my current fridge we may have space issues while we wait for the kitchen remodel to take place. And after some handy internet searching for exact dimensions of the new lovely appliance we found that yes indeed it was about 10 inches deeper than the current fridge. And this is where the praying began for the new fridge. From my measurements that meant I wouldn't be able to open my oven for the next 4 months......hmmmmmmmmmmmmm....worry worry worry. Well Wednesday came...delivery day. Nice little free delivery man came to the door and said he had my fridge. He looked at my kitchen giggled and said okay:) I giggled told him to set the fridge in the dining room and my husband would take it from there. He laughed again and said you see from my measurements the fridge isn't going to fit through your door. (As I mentioned before our house is old and nothing about it is typical and things never can be done easily.) The the persistent little Best Buy guys said don't panic. After removing the doors, the freezer drawer, the bottom of the fridge, my front door, and the hinges from the trim. They barely fit the fridge through the front door. He laughed again and said congratulations. Basically it took them 1 hour to get it into the house because of all the fanagaling, but whats done is done.

And guess what else it fits where it needed to fit the one door can not swing all the way open but most of the way;)

And now I have the biggest fridge I have ever seen and boy am I spoiled and happy:)

Without further ado here are some pics. I do have a few bottles of champagne at the moment, we are having some friends over tonight to ring in the new year so don't worry we aren't drinking all that ourselves;)


The freezer two layers...what, what:)


Look it all the space it makes it look like I need to go grocery shopping however I just did:)


Isn't it shiny!?

Sarah said she wants to marry it.........

I love it and I am so glad it fits, I never can do anything the easy way its seems like!

Happy New Year to all of. I hope this year was a good one and I hope next year is even better!!

A Post for Lea....The new shelves, bookcases, desk, and what do I see in the Jager house Storage....

First of all I must say, I generally do not post about things that we acquire, and to save the long explanation of what I believe....I will just sum it up by saying I just don't. However today and tomorrow I will be, 1st time because Lea asked me two and the 2nd time because I have made a decision on an appliance that will create some kitchen oddities until our remodel projects are finished (more on that later).

So without further ado, we had Bob Matter with Heirloom Cabinets create some beautiful built ins for our old dining space and into our new dining room. He did an amazing job and will do some more work for us in the near future. I must say that you would never know he had an old crooked house to work with when looking at the project. I would recommend him a thousand times over.

So here goes. I still have some space to fill but I really have a hard time committing to thoughtless doo dads so that means it can't go on if it doesn't hold some meaning or purpose. So those are the rules.

Here are the pics...my flash wasn't cooperating so what you get is what you get.



I have wanted a desk built around that window for a long time and its for real. We chose the butcher block because this room is attached to our kitchen and that is the counter surfacing we have chosen for the kitchen project.


We now have some cupboards in our house and proper space to store coats and shoes. We have zero storage in this house because back 107 yrs ago they had less stuff so closets and such were not necessary. This makes storage a huge need and desire in this house now:) But now we have some yeah!!


Speaking of shoe storage...WooHoo!


A few of my favorite things...Some free nature books I got from the second chance free bin (yes I browse through there from time to time, don't judge), a shell from that belonged to my husbands great grandma (my MIL gave it to me for one of my bridal showers with a sweet little note that I still keep inside it), some of my favorite cookbooks, and my rarest piece of Fiesta. Its been nice to have a safe place to store some of my specials:) Things are really just that things, however I know where each thing came from and like I said before, to me each one holds something special for me.

So there you go I posted some pics of my lovely built ins. And remember call up Bob if you need something built ...He Rocks!

Sometimes Having Christmas Cheer Is A Choice

Today was the day I was going to finish most everything I had left to finish before the joyful weekend to come, and I did finish most everything. But today was probably one of the worst days in the universe to try and shop anywhere.

However, when I left this morning I told myself I was going to approach the day with Christmas Cheer and attempt to bless those around me with a smile and great attitude. And that is what I did. It took a lot of effort i am not going to lie and I will give you a brief synopsis of the things I encountered.

So when I nearly got nailed driving through the round about I refrained from tossing out mean words or obscene gestures, instead I waved and mouthed Merry Christmas. When the lady rushing to get green beans for 1.98 a pound barged in front me back and forth from the beans to the scale, I waited patiently for my brussel sprouts and when she was finished I said enjoy your beans Merry Christmas. When another woman rammed her cart into mine while rushing to get a pound of butter I pulled my cart back and said with a giggle they have some really good deals today don't they. And when I finished my shopping at Target and realized I missed paying for something in my cart I took it back and waited patiently making small talk with others that were obviously more crazed than I was:) And last but not least when I saw another woman push an older lady (someones grandmother mind you) out of the way, physically nudge her and tell her to go to the back of the line I held back from giving the offender a stern talking to on how to treat the elderly.

You see Brian would tell you that I have extreme intolerance for others impatience and lack of manners and this is probably true. So I am trying not to be a walking contradiction, while at the same time enjoying this Christmas Season.

So may this be an encouragement to you if I can do it so can you. Don't barge in front of little old ladies.... thats rude, say Merry Christmas to the checkers at the stores they don't want to deal with anyone of these crazy people anymore than you do, say please and thank you and take your time to enjoy the season. And remember to be kind, kindness goes a long way.

Once again I am not perfect....just a girl trying to make it in the world without being mean herself:)

Merry Christmas to all!!

My Child May Be A Monkey.?

I am sure my child is part monkey, she is truly the most flexible human being I know.

This is how she sits at our new desk while she draws.
The Dr. actually bent her into a pretzel for fun at her last well care check. I guess if nothing else works out she can always join the circus.
As you can tell the interesting, yet always flamboyant and fashionable jammie choices keep coming.

P.S. if your name is Lea and you want to see pictures of the new cabinets/bookshelves/desk I will do a full post soon I promise:) And I miss you!

Tuesdays and Sundays.....

Starting last and continuing for the next 2 weeks Tuesdays and Sundays are my only days off. It has been exhausting thus far. I love my job, but even more so I love my life.

At work i daydream whenever I can which isn't much. I daydream about my kids and have dreams of a perma vacation to a super warm place that only has sand for surfaces. Where we could make sandcastles and eat sandy potato chips all day. And then I find myself jolted back into reality with the sensation of super hot cranberry compote springing forth from the blender all over my hands and body and realize that these days will come but not in the month of December during holiday party season. I secretly call all Holiday Parties, Christmas Parties..But don't tell anyone I am pretty sure our Jewish clients would not approve. But every time I hear the word holiday I want to puke:) As my boy Elliot says to everyone who has ears, Jesus is the reason for the season you know. Back to my daydreaming though...I am not sure if you other moms have experienced this but lately I can not get enough of my little peoples faces. I find myself clicking away on the camera as if I am putting out a wildfire, or staring at them as they sit next to me on the couch. I so badly don't want to forget what there little faces looked like at this very moment in time. I so can not get enough time to look at them, its weird and its a bit intoxicating.

Well its been crazy, as I know it has been for a lot of you so far this Christmas season. I have been working, formulating a Children's Christmas Service, A Blacklight Puppet show, and again working incredibly to much, tying up all loose ends for a wreath and bake sale for school and trying to rest whenever possible which is really only Sunday afternoons if I can hide from the world and not answer my phone (this proved to be successful this Sunday). I love this life no matter how crazy it may be, it is mine and every thing I am involved in seems necessary and I feel like God is really in each piece. Although my husband has threatened to duct tape my arms to the sides of my body if I volunteer or agree to be a part of anything else right not and rightfully so I might add. So I will comply and not take anything else on for the rest of the month..I have agreed to add nothing more to the calendar at this point, if I am able to comply my sanity and my husbands may hold on, by a thread but holding on is holding on at this point.

However, from the looks of my house a housekeeper may be in my future? One can daydream right?

Well here's to daydreaming, cleaning, Beautiful little faces and a truly yummy Christmas Season.

Favorite Pics that should have had seperate posts:(

So I should have written posts about all of these events but I am feeling quite lazy so I will just post some of the pics and give elaborate and exciting captions:)


My nephew and Grace sledding on Thanksgiving. It was so much fun!! ANd these two were fearless.

Our little family of four in a very rare photo experience...judging from the cooperation level I now know why:)

Me and my love sledding down the big hill. It was fun.

My little Eskimo and her two missing teeth..yet another thing I haven't blogged about.

The kids having a safety meeting with my dad before there trips down the hill. My dads sled run goes between two ponds making the trip a bit scary. He told them in the event of you heading straight for the pond,"bail out". Thanks dad you are forever clear with instruction. So on the many journeys down small children could be heard screaming bail out bail out:)

Elliot took me on a date to see the wind symphony perform at Western. His drum teacher is in the symphony so he got VIP access to the Tympany and Big Bass Drum. This was a highlight.

A picture of us before we left...of course my son had a very clear vision of what a date is. This being said when he asked me he instructed me to wear a dress and he then told me he would wear a tie. He opened my door for me all night and took control of ordering dinner for me:) He also told me before the date that there was only one problem he had just checked his wallet and it was empty so I would need to pay, also he can't drive so would it be o.k if I drove:) Of course. These are the kind of memories I will remember forever...I absolutely love this little guy:)

We got a new game for our kids...it is called Head Bands. The funny thing is we haven't played it with our kids at all but it is becoming a Sunday Night Game night favorite.

And last but not least the newest edition to our family Layla Mae!! I am in love she is so, so sweet and her hair has a reddish tone...I think she got it from me:) In more family growing news my sister is having her first baby in April and we found out it is going to be a boy. Oh babies everywhere I am sure glad others are still having them it helps with my unhelpable( i know this is not a word but whatever) baby bug.

I am thankful beyond belief......maybe not the exact post you were expecting?

I love Thanksgiving(not as much as my mother but I love it just the same). So much so that we have three every year.

First we celebrate Friendsgiving, all the usual blokes and lovlies around my table enjoying each others company and me being incredibly thankful that we have these people in our lives....you know I hope you all have friends like these and if you don't you need to go out quick and find some because at times they are what God gives me to make my world go 'round. I can't explain my love for them but they are the type of people that are always there right when you need a pick me up, they call you out when you are being a jerk, and make you feel like a million bucks over any little accomplishment....they are not anything short of Fabulous. They are Family really.

Next up is The Units Thanksgiving...the unit being Beej's parents. This was a great day around the table. Much yummy food to be had. Little boy voices gathered behind us around the bar giggling about what not and shenanigans....little lovely ladies giggling simply because they are girls and they are growing up in a family that not only supports that but is so chalk full of strong women it bursts at the seems leaving them no choice but to feel entitled just for the simple reason that they are girls. I am so thankful for this it is beyond. This year was special because Bill and Savannah were celebrating birthdays so our Thanksgiving also included a birthday cake. I bet you are jealous now;) I must say my favorite part of that Thanksgiving this year is just the opportunity to be an Auntie.....this is one of the greatest gifts and one of the jobs or roles that I am most thankful for. I love them like my own, yet I have no need to discipline them, I just get to love and mildly spoil. Its Fabulous!

Next up is today Thanksgiving Day. My mom is over the moon in love with Thanksgiving. She loves every bit of it! If there is a stronger word than love feel free to insert it you would probably be reaching a closer replication of her emotion for this day. She always has the kids stay the night the night before so they can help with all of the preparations. She has been doing this since Elliot was the size of a Thanksgiving turkey himself. It is fun to watch them take ownership over parts of the meal. This year has been a rough one for our family but I think we have pulled through stronger than before. And I am thankful that we will be gathering around the table with an extra little baby girl and another baby growing within my sister's womb. Our family is still growing, much like some of yours and it is exciting to watch.

With all the excitement comes a bit of sadness for me but Thankfulness as well. My Grandpa died a year ago this month and it has been rough for me, I won't lie. I have thought a lot about him the last month in reflection to this day and the fact that he will be missing from the table once again. I miss him like crazy and their was no one in this world that appreciated and enjoyed holiday shenanigans around the kids as much as he did, he would always appeal for lighter discipline and always always slip them more sugar if they were told no from a parental. Something I noticed but let slip with him, because once you are a great grandpa I think you get to do what you want...no questions asked. Plus he helped raise me and I turned out ok so I figure he must be enlightened to some parenting techniques that I haven't figured out yet.? So he won't be their this year and I know you all are probably missing someone as well that holds their own piece of your heart. But the part about this that I am thankful for is that I had him at all, we all have had someone who loves you unconditionally, that holds close always and looks at you as if you set the moon in the sky...that was my Grandpa. So I miss him but I know that no matter how long I am on this earth no one can take that love from me. And this I am thankful for!

So this year as you gather with your own friends and family I encourage you to look at each person and be thankful for each of them for who they are to you. Friends and family are a beautiful thing!!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

I am a mother of four.......

I am a mother of four for 3 more days:) I am thankfully going to say that the two stow aways are very well behaved, sweet children and things could be going about a million times rougher:) But I have to tell you that being a mother of four does not leave much time to dilly dally, in the mornings. This has been a learning curve however I think that not having the option to waste time at all does help me stay on task. I think I have actually stayed quite enjoyable through it all as well...surprise surprise:)

It has also made me appreciate my husband so much more like this morning I found that he had actually remembered to pick up sandwich baggies for me...making my lunch making for four oh so much more easy and fun. I may have even sent him a lovey dovey text to thank him.

Well double thankfully all four are at school and preschool today so yeah for me:) I think I will kick my feet up for awhile and then catch up with a friend that has been gone for awhile.

Later today you can look forward to a post on Movember....Grace and well love probably.

I need to write today.......

I have been teaching my sunday school kids about their light lately. It is something that has been on my mind personally and whenever I feel like God is resting something on me I try to let trickle into every corner of life to in way I guess try the certain theme or idea on for size. Sort of like when you buy a new sweater that you are not sure fits quite right, you know the one that you don't even really wear for awhile you simply try it on and place it back on the shelf waiting for when it feels right (ok this might just be me). Anyway that is kind of what this idea has been like trying it on taking it off trying it on taking it off again and finally it fits it feels like a sweater I have had for years you know the one with a hole that you try to creatively hide because it is so comfortable in your opinion the tiny hole or snag only makes it better. Not sure where the reference of the sweater keeps coming from but its workin' for me(must be fall).

Anyway, with this specific theme I wanted to know so badly why it was pressing tighter and tighter, so every time I teach we sing the famous tune, this little light of mine and I talk to the kids about their light, What their light looks like, what it feels like, how we can use it to glorify God. I am not sure how much of it they have caught but sometimes you are teaching for the future. Sometimes you have to teach and hope their is nugget of truth that sticks for later down the road. And all I know is that God is using it.

You see not coming from a Christian background with strong Christian School roots all I have learned about the Bible and God has come in the last 15 years really. I learned a bit in Awana as a kid and I knew John 3:16 frontwards and back before I even knew what it really meant. But most of my walk has been real, has been more out of need than tradition, more out of surviving than existing and I am finally really coming to appreciate that. I remember being terrified to start teaching Sunday school 7 years ago because I thought these kids know this stuff better than me. But now I know that to be true in most all areas having two of my own kids. And what I know more now is that God uses everything He has given me, not everything he has given everyone else. My walk is not just personal to me it is personal to Him because it was what He created! That being said I can tell you the rest of this story.

Well I think my lessons of light have finally spoke to me as well. I think God was not so much trying to show me what my light was or what brings it to full capacity. Although I did learn about that too. I think he was trying to show me more what gets in the way of it shining as brightly as it can. I think that while God is busy clothing you with blessings Satan is trying to tell you that you need another sweater. That you don't have enough that you need more. I think I have struggled with that lately in my business actually I know this. I know while God was blessing me with the light only He can supply when I am elbow deep in butter in flour, Satan was busy trying to tell me well if you would do A or B this could be bigger, money could be more, your name would be spread, your blessings will be multiplied. And I can tell you that this wanting these desires, were not of God and they were starting to dim my light. The stress and anxiety that came with these thoughts and ideas and "dreams" was suffocating me.

So after much prayer and soul searching I realized what this journey of "light" was all about. It was about being content, about realization, about thankfulness and living in the moment. As soon as I dropped the idea it was as if 50,000 pounds were lifted from my shoulders and a wonderful person reminded me that was the feeling that only God can give PEACE.

My light shines in doing for others not doing for myself. And in doing for others I can serve God and Acts of Service is where my light lies, where it shines really.

And so I realize we really all are Children of God and that never really doesn't ever stopping being true. And that is why I love that when I am teaching all of those cute little faces on Sunday mornings God sneaks some lessons in for me as well. He is not into Waste Management is what Beth Moore says and i think she is right!

Family, Friends and Fall

We had a fabulous day yesterday! It was filled with the three F's Family, Friends and Fall. The 4th F would be feathers I suppose but we will get to that later. I couldn't help but feel fall in the air yesterday, the crisp coolness of the air is truly dreamy to me. The colors and the smells and overall freshness that Fall brings is quite intoxicating at times.

The morning started with a family breakfast. I didn't take any pictures but I can assure you that I have the cutest niece and nephew and kids in the world......


Next up was the pumpkin patch and guess who we brought along for the first time......


Our Daddy-Man!

Its tradition for everyone to pick their own pumpkin the only rule being you have to put it in the wagon yourself. Elliot is always determined to find the biggest one he can possibly lift and this year his weighed 26lbs.



I also think this is the first year Grace didn't pick a green pumpkin.

The next part of our day was equally fun. My friend Lea invited our little family over to butcher some roosters and hens that were ready to pass on:)

There is alot involved in the process and I was so happy she asked me to come and be part of the day. I have been very interested in sustainable and organic living over the last couple of years and in knowing that she graciously offered to teach me how to do this.


This is a freshly captured rooster. You hang them upside down to calm them before...well you know.


After some examination we discovered that this particular rooster was a "keeper" so we released him to live another day on the chicken farm and went back for one of his brothers.


Lea told me to wave to the camera. This is the finished product after plucking, de-gutting and cleaning.

I must say I made soup out of them today and it was the most beautiful, velvety stock I have ever had. Thanks so much Lea and family for inviting us over. The hot-dogs and PB smores were a perfect end to the day!! Can't wait for more chicken adventures.

Where I have been and where I am going to be...

I haven't been blogging much....this I know. I guess I just lost some of my gusto over the last couple of weeks. My mind is full, my plate is full, my house is full, my heart is HEAVY. I have had many decisions to make and I can tell you honestly I haven't wanted to make them because of one very big thing. This past few months have been full of blessings and honestly I have not forgotten where those blessings come from for one moment. I know in my heart that Gods name is signed on the top and bottom of each page in my life and I never forget to be thankful for that but I have forgotten that there is more to my walk then thankfulness. However I have allowed myself to became consumed with the blessings of life instead of being consumed by the blesser of it.

I am on a 5 day stretch of a somewhat "vacation." Not a planned vacation but a much needed lull in the food industry. Don't worry it will all pick up again on Friday and stay for some time after that. The vacation however has been nice. Monday was nothing less than a picture of what heaven is in my daily life. I had the whole day to love my kids, indulge them in playdates, clean my house, bake, cook a beautiful dinner, not only wash some laundry but fold it as well (huge), relax and reflect on what this life is. I can not in full detail explain the decisions I have on my plate right now but I will tell you in a recent conversation with my husband I confided in him in saying I can not possibly make this decision until God speaks to me about it. You see I have been talking with God about this situation for the last 4 months, and I have not heard his voice once. Not even once. And I have been perplexed because I can assure you it is not because He did not give me the opportunity in the first place. This has made me realize there is some distance between Him and I and it has been a painful distance for me because I have been truly convinced that something I have done has made me unworthy of the sound of His voice. Now before I get 20 emails telling me otherwise, I know better, I truly do.

So back to Monday.....I had this day of "rest." I reveled in it, I basked in it, I enjoyed every moment of it, it was the best day I have had in awhile and I thanked God continuously for it all day long. But when I went to bed that night all I could think about was this distance. And I started talking to God, I starting pleading to Him to speak to me and telling Him I was just waiting for Him to "lead me" and then for the first time in long while I felt His presence and almost immediately I realized he was waiting for me to be consumed with Him. To need Him, to give him my time wholeheartedly, to really plead for Him. The strange thing is I never felt as if He left me because He didn't. I think He was just waiting for me to miss His companionship, His Voice. Oh and how I cried when the reality hit me that it was me in the way of Him.

This morning I sat down with my Bible for 2 hours. I must ashamedly say it has been months since I have given myself the time to sit down with my Bible. Months since I have given Him a chance to speak to me. And I reveled in it, basked in it, and enjoyed every moment of it, it was the best morning I have had in a long while. And as I sat in the sunshinyness of my dining room feeling the warmth of His sun on my back I remembered so vividly what His voice sounds like and I never want to be without it again.

So now you know where I have been and where I am going to be....with Him!

Mean People

AS side note that has nothing to do with the post.
This pic was taken October 2006 the first fall we lived in our house. It was on Pumpkin Patch day a tradition the kids and I have. Brian actually doesn't usually go with us....I think he likes it this way. If he doesn't come he doesn't have to fight with us over the size of our pumpkins. So it is a mommy day and I love it. And with October quickly approaching I can't wait to get pumpkins!

I am still exhausted however my exhaustion has turned to irritation and I am going to tell you why. First of all I have had it up to my eyeballs with mean people!!! Especially mean women. I have been dealing with the quote unquote mean girl since about 6th grade and its funny how as an adult you would think they have gotten over whatever kink they have however I think they just get meaner. And they are everywhere, and I have decided they should be shipped to an island where they can be mean to each other and leave the rest of us alone. Well that feels great to get off of my chest.

I look at my children play with other children at the park or school, I watch them interact with all types of kids from what seems to be all different backgrounds and all they care about is that they are both kids. The innocence is beautiful and refreshing and something to behold and treasure. When Elliot was about 2 he would introduce himself as Elliot William. So whenever we went to play somewhere he would pick the first kid he get a hold of and state very quickly, "Hi my name is Elliot William Jager. Will you be my friend?" It was precious! I am not sure when we loose this, but it stinks! Why can't we approach people like this as adults? Why can't we still give people the benefit doubt and/or realize that we are all made with different physical traits and gifts and abilities. This being for good reason so that we can all work together for God. I am not sure where this gets lost but it does. You know I have heard it it time and time again and I have said this same thing to my own kids, "Ignore them, shrug it off, find someone else to play with....." This advice is not really all that bad however I am not sure it is the solution either. And since I am tired and cranky and a bit sassy right now I am not rolling with punches all that well. So beware all those mean people out there I am no longer taking your stuff, I just simply will not stand for and it and in the next paragraph I will tell you what I am going to do. And when I do it you will be the irritated ones I am sure:)

I am going to BE KIND. You know the Jager's have had a motto since Elliot was able to steal toys from others and that is "Be Kind!" I think it is one that we can all use. I recently went to a Beth Moore Simulcast and she really took this home for me. She laid the idea of kindness out pretty clearly. I try to take this idea in my pocket everywhere I go and you know its pretty empowering. IT feels really good to be assertive and kind at the same time. It feels really good to to return peoples mean comments with truths and that is what I am going to keep on doing. I recently had a conversation with someone who was extremely rude to me right in my face and I ended the conversation by saying, "you know I am not sure we will ever agree but I can love you because we are both human." She turned around and walked away. This is what I will keep doing so brace yourself.

Oh and one more thing....Gossiping is a waste of your time if you are a gossiper because the person that is willing to listen to you is going to tell the person you are talking about what you say. And when the person that you are talking about hears what you have been saying about them they won't be happy. And then in turn you have created a giant mess that you will have to dig yourself out of because if they are like me they will make you very uncomfortable and ask you about why you felt that way in the first place and why you couldn't just confront them. I know this is a refresher for most of us from school however experiencing this in adulthood makes life seem like one big expensive high school and I am over it!

This being said I know longer want to hear whos brother is marrying who, or who was seen doing whatever they were doing, or who told whoever whatever they told them. If I need to know I will find out on my own. So please leave me out of any of these so called conversations they are a waste of not only my time but yours as well!!! And if you catch me doing this please confront me because I am trying very hard not to be a talker or a listener of gossip or heresay. Because being categorized among the mean girls is not something I have ever wanted to be!

There you go I have said what I needed to say....hopefully the next post will be light and fluffy because I am sure people are going to stop reading if all I do is make public service announcements:(

Quick Word On Something Gross

Statement.......Compostable Toilets are GROSS! I am all pro-hippie and pro-world and pro-sustainable living however if you live in the free world and have access and the ability to flush your stuff...do it! If you need to recycle to the umpteenth degree more power too you make a plastic wrap ball or something....but draw the line at your toilet.....do not get rid of your toilet.

I was at an event this week and needed to use the facilities. I opened the door to the compostable toilet with the lid open.....gross. I will not go on any further...but gross!

And by the way toilet lid closing is a pet peeve of mine feel free to practice this as well. No one wants to be welcomed by the toilet!

Consider this a public service announcement.......................

I have deemed this specific toilet the Compostable Crapper.....sorry for the PG 13 post but I couldn't resist. Obviously I am still scarred.

The Great Catering Take-Over

These last two weeks of September will be the death of me I am sure of it. And in case you don't want to read a bit of complaining about this fact feel free to skip this post because I am beyond exhausted and in need of a space where I can vent.

It started with Monday. I have agreed to work Mondays because....well both kids are at school and if I work my bum off I can do Monday and Tuesdays work on Monday which means we just need to find someone to deliver the food on Tuesday which is much easier than finding someone who can actually cook:)

So I did that this week...then we cooked for a"harvest party" on Wednesday...it was for a certain denominational group that I find intriguing. My mind is still reeling over this particular job, however it was a drop and go meal so peace be with them....I dropped the food and ran as quickly as possible to the safety of my volvo wagon and drove as quickly as I could go home:)

Thursday was a small intimate dinner for 30 at the Purple Space in Bellingham. The Purple Space is actually a wine "club" so to speak...it is a bit exclusive and you can only have parties their if you are a member. So that being said the party went amazing the party theme was the NW meets Paris so naturally they wanted French food. I made coq au vin....this is my kind of food and it was beautiful, lovely, and delicious. However in the process I slit open my pinky without realizing and bled allover $20 a pound mushrooms...once again I am not sure my hands will survive this job and bleeding all over expensive fungus is not fun. But back to the party Thursday gets "better". The decorations were orange gerbs and wait for it......metallic orca balloons. I have learned the more money you have the stranger your taste in decorations are. The end of the evening went perfectly we got the box truck loaded up and all the staff had left (this is where things get interesting). So its very dark in fact barely any lights and although I had pulled in just fine, pulling out of that driveway was difficult to say the least with a huge box truck. So I think I have cleared the fence when I hear it rattle a bit. Oh man................... So I decide it is probably best for me to find a parking lot somewhere to pull my enormous box truck into to check out the damage. I am expecting scrapes yet what I find is a hole in the side of our truck....a hole people at the end of a 14 hour day. Really, your kidding right.....nope.......there is a hole and at that moment I feel as if I might throw up. Turns out upon returning to the scene of the crime I did not actually hit the fence. There was a large bolt sticking out from the fence that no one would have seen and it skinned my truck in one area like a tuna can:) Oh happy day. And I should put emphasis on the word was because when I found the bolt, it was laying on the ground with the piece of my truck still wrapped around it. So after freaking out I went to Walgreens and patched the hole with some white duct tape and went on my way. Still not sure about the fixing of the hole, but my dad has a guy of course;)

As if this week has not been enough I have to go into work this morning and prep my heart out for a crazy job we are doing on Sunday. It is for the Elders of the tribal community. Not sure how all of these wonderful people find us but they do. And on Sunday we will be riding done in our newly air conditioned big box truck to serve 200 of them:) The menu is heavy appetizers..which means they want a meal without having to sit. So today we made 210 deviled eggs ( not your run of the mill potluck style ones, they are filled with salmon 3 variations actually), salmon skewers and expensive mushroom crostini, we also made 200+ crab cakes. IT should be an easy event (can't believe I said this out loud.

Next week is a ball park themed party for people that want artisan hot dog buns ( we actually know a guy that makes these believe it or not he also make pretzels), and Dino Rossi is coming to town on Thursday I will be making him truffles. And on Saturday we will be catering a wedding in our neck of the woods Angry Blueberry style.

Grace and I went for Pedicures tonight to celebrate some girly time, and I loved every stinkin minute of it. I let her choose which color I needed for my toes.....I am happy to report they are a neon shade of purple. She also decided we should have Subway for dinner afterwards. During diner she said, don't you just love girly time, with tears in my eyes I replied, more than you know my love!

So tomorrow I am taking a day of rest and running a food booth for school. I will also be loving up on my little family and hopefully sharing pot roast because it is pot roast kind of weather outside.

So heres the official Angry Blueberry sign out hoping you have a weekend full of Good Food, Good Friends, and Good Times!

Apple Sauce Making With That Grace

Once again my cute pics can not be uploaded. But I will tell you what Grace and I did today. Our daddy left this morning to go to Portland for two days, we are sad:( However this mama and her best girl, that Grace, love to make applesauce. Our daddy panics a bit by the time the 4th box of apples comes through the front door, so we decided to take advantage of his absence and sneak the first 25 pounds in. It was a fabulous day, that Grace used a peeler for the first time. Which means her domesticness was used and so was mine and this makes us both very happy. You see my girl is a domestic goddess in the making. I love this, she loves this. The truth is I needed a Grace day and that is what I got it was fabulous. Her being in kindergarten is not all fun and games you know because I miss That Grace!

Well back to the applesauce....I love making applesauce, I love the smell, I love the monotony of the peeling, I even love the way my hands get sticky and I especially loved how mine and That Graces hair smelled like apples at the end of the day. I love wearing my apron (I collect them you know) I love that That Grace wore one as well and told me even though it was baggyish on her it looked very gorgeous.....I love this girl...did I say this yet? So we made an abundance of applesauce, delivered some to the neighbors, made a pie and even made dinner with homemadeish (I doctored some jarred organic sauce that I love) spaghetti sauce, which increased the wonderful aroma in my house ten fold.

Now I will go to bed and probably not sleep to well because when the hubs is gone I sleep fairly terrible. But I will go to bed feeling wonderful because I got to do all of the things I love today. All the things I feel I was made for.

Oh and Bible Study starts tomorrow. Can't wait, it will be wonderful!

Cuts Like a Knife

Before you think I am going to give my rendition of a popular late 80's song...think again.

In my line of work one (this one being me) tends to cut themselves quite a bit, burning one's arms and fingers also seems to be a common pastime. And commonly with the finger cutting it cuts pretty deep and when this happens it actually hurts. Once this summer I ran my pointer finger down the side of a freshly (meaning that day, and our knife guys name is Elmer, just a side note) sharpened cleaver, it practically went down to the bone. It was horrible and scarring in more ways then one. It took me a few weeks to be able to look at this knife without gagging and a few weeks more to even touch it, and I need this knife people it chops herbs like butter and cuts through big hunks of meat in no time at all. I know what you are thinking what an interesting blog post. Wait though I promise there is good thought built in here somewhere. So I was thinking about this I was standing at my station chopping away the other day gazing at my knife magnet, glaring at the cleaver (who did nothing to me). I was pondering why this is...why I can't just go over pick up that knife and pledge to remember that it is sharp, that in all reality I will get cut again but I will be fine.

As soon as that thought came, I thought about how this can be applied to my life all around. Now I must admit I am a wall builder....people rarely hurt me twice. It is not a quality that I love about myself, it is one that I have been working on for some time but it is also a trait that has probably developed over the last 28 years of my life. Once I get hurt I it takes a while for me to get over it, as you all know I am a thinker, a ponderer and wonderer. It takes me a long time to process bad situations, conflict and what not. And some times during the processing I actually make things harder, more difficult, more awkward for those around me. Just like avoiding the cleaver, it would be much better to grab that cleaver again so that my basil can be perfectly chiffed in a timely manner instead of being bruised and battered by my chefs knife. The basil stands as a perfect example of mine or the person I am in conflict with heart. And that time I take to process builds up as a scar and sometimes festers. Its gross. I need to change this.

I would normally say I am a quick forgiver however I am reluctant to trust again right away. But maybe the two really go hand in hand. I think this a way that God is working in me right now, I know he gave me the knife illustration because I know He is with me everywhere I go.

Regardless I am going to be working on this trust bit, I am going to be praying for the trust bit. And I am totally using that cleaver again tomorrow!

The story of a kindergartener and a second grader.

That's right I am a mature mom now...what? Oh man I can't believe I am the mother of two school aged children. I have worked so hard for the last seven years to prepare them for the great big world of school and social awareness:) and the day has come that they are both in the great big world of school. Now I guess I can't be so dramatic...no one has ever described Ebenezer as big, it is smaller by design after all:)

So the morning was interesting. I got up at early...and I might add for those of you who don't know I am not a morning person...however school mornings are important. I like everyone to be able to leave the house in the morning with happy hearts and full bellies with a healthy lunch in hand and this is no job for weenies. Now Grace has always been along for the ride on school mornings but she does not need to be ready for the day by any means, basically food has been her only requirement in the past. Well this does not ring true anymore and let me tell you she went through three outfits this morning before she found the perfect one. This is hilarious to me. People say I am in for trouble with this one...believe me I know. She has always been opinionated and thats ok with me as long as she is polite and respectful about it:) So back to the morning...we had a warm breakfast...in the new dining room...I made lunches we had showers, got dressed, put our shoes on and we were out the door with 6 dozen cookies and 2 dozen muffins because I remembered that as Eagle Booster president you provide refreshments for convocation. This whole time it actually seemed fairly natural to get two ready and out the door. Until we got to the Green Barn. When Elliot started kindergarten we made it tradition to pray for him from the Green Barn until the parking lot at school. It has been a fabulous tradition and I encourage anyone who drives their little ones to school to do it. It makes any stressful morning better..I have used as a time to ask God for forgiveness for me for being impatient with my kids- which was so humbling the first time but Elliot actually thanked me for asking for forgiveness which made me cry...I will blog more about this topic later- I also pray for each kid and bless their day. So here we are in the car, I thanked God for our morning for our good nights rest and the sun in the sky and then I prayed for Elliot thanking God for him and his school and praying for his teacher as well and then naturally it was Grace's turn because, well I was dropping her off too. What I am dropping her off too? Insert big lump in my throat, wavering voice and tears flowing down my cheeks here. But we got through it and Grace received her blessing and God received His glory. And the tears subsided and we rolled into school like rock stars with Jesus in our hearts and God on the brain. Because, as I have said before, Ebenezer Christian School is the happiest place on earth!

So enough of the sap....I am sure a lot of you have skipped ahead to see my beautiful children. This year I let them pick out their own first day of school outfits, it saved on drama and increased the cheerfulness. So here it is ENJOY!

Pictures Finally...Summer Wrap Up

My card reader is the one with the attitude and Brian says I need a new one. At least I know what the problem is now. So my handy dandy tech savvy hubby uploaded all my photos onto his fancy droid and put them unto my computer....amazing is all I have to say.

Anyway here is the summer wrap up. Enjoy.


Grace and her favorite Daddy...thats what she tells him, I think its sweet!


My two crazy monkeys.


We call her brother the frog whisperer because he can tame frogs. He has been trying to train her to do the same for the last couple of summers but she shrieked everytime she touched them. This was the summer I guess...she even kissed it. I guess she had to test the prince theory. Can't blame a girl for trying.


My hard working little man. He is going to make a some girl really happy someday. Someday a long time from now that is.

Well thats it now you have seen it...was it exciting? Whats that you asked? Oh is the new room done? Why yes it is and two days before Brians self set deadline. You want to see it?


These are my favorite decoration in my entire house right now. I know some awful person donated them to the second chance after their lovely grandmother made them for them. Shame on you. But lucky me I love them and the best part was they were...wait for it...49 cents each. Yep thats right I decorated a wall for $3 smackers.


Window view.


Wall view. That picture did not cast .49 cents but I really fell in love with it so..well that's that.


I pretty much love my new room and am also pretty much sure that my fiestaware has ever felt more at home. It has a room that it matches and that is just fabulous.

So there you have it for real. My husband and many others have worked a tireless amount hours on our house projects this summer. And I will be having each and every one of you over for a big "the house is finally done...for now" party.

Why not make this a double post night.

I found this a this blog ... I found it beautiful....and I thought I would share it because I know that I am not the only one with one of these boys. One of these beautifully and perfectly made boys!

Psalm 139:13-16
For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb.
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful,I know that full well.
My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place.When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book
before one of them came to be.

Sometimes it can be the most active children that get ignored. Oh, not completely ignored, they get talked about, or dealt with… What I’m saying is that they rarely get talked to. They aren’t always, but usually they are boys. These boys are sometimes good boys with lots and lots of energy. Sometimes they become trouble makers…sometimes they just get ignored by adults, hoping that their attention getting tactics will just go away if they are ignored.
These boys need us. They need their parents; they need the other adults in their lives, relatives, school teachers, Sunday school teachers, to pay attention. Yes, they may need more attention than their brothers and sisters and friends. They may need extra effort from the teachers and parents that are around them. Hear this…God, our God, our one and only powerful Lord of All…He made those hyperactive, trouble making, just can’t sit still boys. He made them perfectly and wonderfully and He put them in your life!
He didn’t put that child, or children in your life so that you could pass him off to the next person, the next teacher, the next volunteer… no, He put that child right where He needed him to be and that’s right where you are.
If you are the parent of an ‘energetic’ kid, you know how hard it can be. You know that sometimes they get so excited about the world around them, that shoes and socks keep escaping their minds…and that sometimes you have to remind that child ten times to put them on!! Even though it’s a school day and you’ve been reminding him to do that for the last 3 years! Not that I know anything about that….
You also probably have noticed that these active children have amazing minds… Minds that keep going and going and you don’t know how they keep going and going! These kids have had amazing thoughts… once in a while you can even get them to share a complete one! These kids are perfectly and wonderfully made….
It does take extra energy to teach them. They may need extra help from a teacher. They may need someone to help them organize their things every day before…and after school. They take extra effort, but our God knows they’re worth it. You might have to watch this child and wait and wait and wait for that teaching moment. You may need to teach this child while actively doing something. This child will learn eventually if you sit him in a desk and repeat, repeat, repeat, but he’ll catch on much faster and actually enjoy learning if you take the time to build something with him, or cook with him, or plant with him, or ….
I want you to remind yourself. God doesn’t make mistakes, he put this child in your arms, in your class, in your path for a reason. This child like all the others is AMAZING and WONDERFUL and BEAUTIFUL. He sometimes takes extra effort, but he’s worth it!

No pictures...I know.

So my camera and my computer are not communicating properly and I am not sure why but is something I am totally working on. I actually think I may need a new memory card holder thing and since I am taking two days off to be selfish (not really) I will try and find a new one of those thingy mabobs. That being said we have had a lot of fun on our days together lately and I have lots of pictures to share.

So what have we been up to you ask?

We have been to the fair, enjoyed a week at my moms laying by the pool and playing in the sun and made a lot of progress on the new room.

I also catered a wedding on Saturday that will be featured in Martha Stewart Wedding magazine next year. The bride thought it was important to call me nearly every day to remind that every detail would be photographed so every detail needed to be perfect...fabulous! I may have spent 3 of the most stressful days ever preparing for it but now I can tell you that it went off without a hitch and Martha ain't got nothin' on me:) I can't believe how much time I spent thinking about that woman last week when finally on Friday night I broke down from exhaustion and prayed about it....imagine that. During my prayer God reminded me that I needed to remember to ask Him for the strength to get through each day. So first thing Saturday morning it was Him I was thinking of not that crazy Martha lady. And in addition to this I felt at complete peace:)

Now we are in the final days of summer vacation and I have done absolutely no shopping for school. Thankfully the days I have been waiting for since mid-July are here. I am taking two days for me and will be hanging around Seattle with Sarah shopping for school and maybe a bit for myself. The trip is really for rest but I might as well get the shopping done at the same time....right?

Grace got her letter from her teacher Saturday in the mail. It described all of the wonderful things Kindergarten would hold and one of them was experiments. Not sure why, however Grace thinks this sounds like the best part:) Can't believe my tiny little bundle is now 5 and ready to school...she informed me the other day that she was very sorry but Mommy's don't get to go to kindergarten with their kids. Does it sound like she will miss me? Yeah..nope! I am sure I will cry as soon as I drop her off no more babies, no more preschoolers....I guess this will be the start of the new chapter titled School Aged Children.

Oh and next up on the crazy catering clients is a man I like to call Dino but probably not to his face....I am actually not sure what I am supposed to call him to his face...well maybe Mr. Rossi...someone should fill me in on the appropriate title because in 10 days I get to meet him.

What do you want?

I was able to sum up what I wanted in life in a hour the evening I had my first pseudo unintentional re-date with BJ. After dinner with Kristin he somehow invited himself over to my apartment, asked me what I wanted out of life, what my ten year plan was and if I wanted to date him again. I gave him long answers to the first two questions and a simple no to the last one. It is funny now but I thought it was odd in the beginning.

What I told him is what really makes me happy, because over the last few days I realize what I wanted has been given to me by the grace of God, and all I want to do now is say Thank You.

When he asked what I wanted out of life I answered with....I want to find my best friend get married make an agreement to never even mention the "d" word, and make another agreement to raise kids that can be happy because their world is happy and at the end of the night go to bed thanking God for everything I have because he is the one who has given all of those things to me.....and that was that. My answer to the 10 year plan is the same answer I would give today...whats a ten year plan...doesn't a ten minute plan sound much better?

We have been part of a Sunday School class over the summer titled Love and Respect. It addresses the whole battle of the sexes topic from a christian perspective, talking about our differences being just that differences and not as positives or negatives. The pastor talks a lot about how women need love and men need respect and how the two things react to each other in a unique cycle. That is all the explaining I will do on the subject, however I will say if you haven't had the joy of being a part of one of these classes you should do it, it has been life changing. Anywho...last weeks session I found very intriguing in a few different ways...he spent a lot of time talking about heaven and our salvation in relationship to our marriages and I suppose it could apply to most any relationship in your life actually, well I am a daydreamer...and I immediately started thinking about heaven. I must admit that heaven has become much more real to me in the past few years. I have actually experienced death in our family in many ways especially in the last year which has led me to think of it on a personal level. Not that I haven't done this before. But I have been more worried about being ready and what that entails and what it doesn't. Well the pastor from the video series asked what would you say to God? And immediately I thought, Thank You. And then not right at that moment but later I thought about why that phrase popped into my head and then I cried and then I thought of the following list.

Thank You for giving me all my hearts desires and then some. Thank You for hand delivering to me my best friend who is my greatest companion on this earth. Thank you for being ever so present that I can see you moving throughout my every waking moment. Thank You for lending me two beautiful kids that I can watch grow and see learning to love and trust you, children who are happy because we are truly happy. Thank You that I am able to be happy. Thank You that I can go to bed every night praising you for all that you do. Thank you for all that I am sure you have planned for me yet to experience. Thank you for your grace so I can continue to move forward and not look behind.

Thank You.

I don't know how it will actually be when I get there or when any of us get there but if I do get to say something, Thank You will be it!

What I want out of life now is much the same....happiness is a common theme, I could write a whole post on that topic alone. Its what I grew up wanting and its what I have........

This is my 400th Post and I plan on talking about food!

Food.Food.Food.

My typical work morning starts with rolling out of bed with pain in my hands and wrists and usually my left hip it is interesting. I, however, choose to ignore it and make my children some breakfast. Breakfast is followed by finding my grubbiest work jeans and a random t-shirt that I probably bought at the Second Chance (this is the best place to find weird kitchen t-shirts). I throw my hair in braids or a pony and on top of that goes a bandana...the purple one is my favorite but sometimes I settle on red and pray that I don't come in contact with gang members. And this is it, if I forgot to mention before that cooking all day is one of the least glamorous job in the world, you are being told now. Because by the end of the day you smell like a meatball and probably resemble one as well. Now this sounds really awful at this point I am sure but picking up the most beautiful produce in the world that still has dirt on it and does not look manufactured does not take glamor it takes love. Foodies are weird and foodies that work in kitchens are even weirder..because you can't be normal if you enjoy being in a 120 degree kitchen cooking for a couple hundred people at a time. Or if someone asks if you can cater corporate events for 500 and you actually get excited because not only is that a challenge but if you nailed it and made it happen you would have done the impossible.

Now I had someone make a comment about caterers being ultimate rockstars. Now I am not sure that the whole world sees it this way. A lot of clients treat us as hired help and a lot of their guests are the same way. But again its not about that. Its about doing what you love and food is what I love.

Recently I worked out of a clients home to cater a family party and when I arrived at their newly renovated (gutted) home I was greeted by my very own caterers kitchen (butlers pantry) who has this.??? I didn't even know they existed anymore. So there I was working in my little box making beautiful food for people who ended up being rather nice in the end. But back to my little box it even had a garbage disposal and more cupboards and drawers then I have in my entire house, it was nuts. And in that moment I felt as if I had arrived, making very good beautiful not frozen food in a pantry that was filled with everything boxed and processed. Woohoo....1 point for team healthy food awareness.

So this summer has been long it has been a challenge and its almost over. Not sure what my overall opinion is but I know that my kitchen skills and my tastes and abilities have grown immeasurable and there is a lot of excitement in store.

So that's that. I have a couple of days off this week woohoo. We are going to hang around and ride bikes and work on the new room and be thankful for all that we have....because that's what Jager's do.

Grandpa.....

BJ has a grandpa and he is mine too. I am so lucky to have him.....we are so lucky to have along with the rest of our family.

He is a man with much wisdom, strength, confidence, and most of all love. You don't get to greet Grandpa without a hug and you don't usually leave him without one either. He is everyone of his grandkids biggest fans and this includes me and anyone else who is lucky enough to be married in.

We have a history you know, he is the one behind Brian and I dating again and the one who told us we might as well just get married its inevitable. He tells me all the time how lucky BJ is to have me and then finishes with and you are awful lucky to have BJ as well. I know this, beyond reason. I also know that with BJ came a whole slew of family, family that sticks together through the good and bad, family that is always there when you need them, I can name a number of occasions when we felt so alone and had a knock on the door or a kind word from an aunt, uncle or grandpa himself.

Now next to Grandpa you can almost be guaranteed to see Grandma and behind them and in front of them is a legacy....one that can be seen, one that can be attested to, one to be proud of and thankful to God for. No we are not perfect, and I am pretty sure none of us would claim to be but we have one thing in common and one thing you will hear Grandpa and Grandma claim for each of us and that is a love for Jesus our Saviour and God our Father in Heaven.

I got to watch Grandpa be a part of something tonight along with much of his family...the musical review in celebration of Lynden Christians 100th year celebration. You see it is pretty much tradition to be involved in the musical program at LC if you have VanderPol in your blood. And it is pretty much tradition to sing at every large family gathering especially Christmas if you are part of the VanderPol Family. So to see so many members of the family on the stage with Grandpa was not a huge surprise. What a gift to be able to watch him do something he loves surrounded by the people he loves. What a gift to see his children look at him with love and admiration and I am sure many memories in their eyes. It left tears in mine. I am glad I got to see it, I am glad my children got to see it. I am glad my husband was able to be a part of it alongside one of the people he loves and looks up to the most...his Grandpa.

I could go on and on...but mostly I just want to say thank you Grandpa for being you and caring on so many traditions that will be carried on for many years to come. We blessed far beyond these words!

We had a day...

Better get used to my sappy posts because for some reason I am in an overly sappy mood lately and I could not be more in love and overwhelmed with life right now.

Life is speeding past lately it feels like a whirlwind....we are always going here or there with not much time to sit and watch.

Being a working mom is different it is the hardest combined title I have ever held. It is a decision I made on my own, one I take complete responsibility for and I really believe that it was all in God's plan to happen right now. I love my job outside of the house...I am not one that can do anything unless I absolutely love it, I have to be passionate about everything I do or I will drop it, its just who I am... An all or nothing type of girl. My job came about at a time when I needed a distraction from reality and a time where my current chapter is closing and new one is about to begin. If I were in charge the chapter would have taken more time. I would have started the new one on September 2nd precisely after school started, but sometimes God opens a window and when you don't go through on your own he pushes you through it and I believe that is what happened to me.

A working mom (first of all let me say I believe we are all working moms, being a stay at home mom is the hardest job in the entire world not one I take or look at lightly) takes a lot of guff from a lot of people. People look at you differently, they make odd comments for example, are you sure this is working out instead of saying what they really feel you should be at home with the family. And speaking for every working mother out their or at least most of them, I think of my kids all the time when I am away and I miss them terribly. But I know they are in good hands and as long as they seem happy and healthy we can keep it this way. The good news is Brian and I have always made it our goal to not strap ourselves financially in a way that makes it so that I have to work, so I can quit any old time I please. But I am not pleased yet and I am happy and so are my kids and my husband as well. We are all happy!

Today though I had a business meeting, now I could of gotten a babysitter, however I risked my life and my reputation on hauling my beautiful children with me. I was nervous and prayed most of the way to Lake Samish for them and their behavior. And I am happy to report that they were complete angels. They were quiet and pleasant and amazing. The client who is a fancy client (blogpost about fancy clients later)and one that I knew wouldn't be happy with disobedience, praised me over my sweet angelic children, thanked me for the meeting handed over her prized recipes of jello salad and a chocolate rendition of poke cake and sent me on my way. I cried on the way to the freeway and not because I was upset because I was so proud of my kids. So I in turn praised them and told them how proud I was and Elliots reply was classic,"Mom it sounds like you are going to make some delicious food, will you please bring home some jello salad for me?" Oh great now I have to explain that mommy does not get paid to make jello salad unless its for fancy clients. Sounds like an oxymoron right.? Like I said more about fancy clients later.

I guess the answer to the age old question....Can a woman really have it all? Can she be a mom, a wife and be successful in a work environment all at the same time. Can she juggle it all? I am juggling most of time and sometimes a ball gets dropped but we just pick up the ball and keep juggling. I am pretty sure I have it all right now and God is at the reigns steering me left or right. Where the next stop is I have no idea but I am holding on for the ride.

Theres this wonderful place....

its called home.

After a 70 hour work week i was ready to back in this place called home. It is where I wanted to be nearly all week. I missed my kids I missed my hubby I missed my dog.

Home is a wonderful place. Its warm, its smells like its supposed to, there is always plenty to do and plenty to ignore in order to pay attention to things that really matter, there are always kids that need hugs and if my kids get tired of it there are always neighbor kids finding their way into my back yard and they are always game for hugs, there are flowers, there are projects, I love this place.

On Sunday we enjoyed each other we enjoyed our home. We rode bikes and went down trails that had jumps and I forgot for a second that I was 28 and instead went back to being 12 for an hour as I flew over dirt mounds and peeled out in the bark....it was fun, my son was impressed we laughed and giggled and enjoyed being a family of four. We spent the evening watering flower beds and then took turns throwing each other in the pool fully clothed I may add. It was heaven. I went to bed that night with a smile on my face and happiness in my heart it was a wonderful day spent in a wonderful place called home.

Its My Birthday.....Tomorrow.

So I am turning another year older. I am not really a freak out because I am turning a year older type of girl, so its no big thing. I really feel like getting older is a blessing, I mean I would never want to be 15 again and for more than one reason. Age brings wisdom and experience and perspective which are all extremely beautiful things. Growing older also bring wrinkles and recognition of gravity and bits of gray here and there which in my opinion are also very beautiful. If I could choose to be 28 forever and everything would stay the way it is right now or choose to grow older and take all of the signs of aging with it just to be able to see what else God has in store for me I would choose the latter no questions asked.

I have much to be thankful for over the last year much has changed, blessings have been continually poured out and God continues to surprise me daily. I have had a happy, healthy, successful and very full year. I think this past year I have grown more individually in reflection of me through Gods doing than any year in the recent past. He has taken time to work on the root of ME which has been challenging but also very satisfying and wonderful.

So here's to another year. I will spend it catering a 15 hour day and then enjoy a late dinner with my friends and my wonderful husband. I will also spend it being thankful for all that I have and be anxious to see what the next year has in store.

Underwear.....If you are a man you need not read any further.

First off I will let you know that you can consider this a public service announcement. And much of the post that follows stems from the fact that I spend much time catering weddings and other swanky parties that require women to dress up in outfits that they wouldn't wear elsewhere which means they most likely do not have the proper undergarments to go with the outfit which leads to some very unfortunate event.

I think these events are caused by 1 or all of the following things, either they are totally clueless, forgot to consult their wingman (spouse, friend, sister, or the like) before leaving their home, or they were taking a risk in wearing the outfit in the first place and were ditched by their wingman and left to fend for themselves. This all seems confusing but I will clear it up.

UNDERWEAR IS NOT OPTIONAL IT IS A REQUIREMENT. Whoever may have told you that going without from time to time is acceptable was crazy. The next offense having to do with your undergarments are underwear that is constantly showing because you chose the wrong pair....this is tacky and sometimes offensive. I can't take seeing another thong hanging out of the back of someones pants when they go to pick up something they dropped or worse yet to pick up their toddler.

So here are some guidelines and maybe some tips on making sure you do not offend someone with sight of your unmentionables.

#1 - Make sure when you risk wearing that ultra short dress to attend a wedding with your husband or date, that you do the reach up in the air test. This involves a mirror and your arms. Put the dress on, stand in front of a mirror and reach yours arms up in the air. If you can see your panties or anything else that you don't want to show off you are golden go for it just act like a lady please in your ultra short dress...cross your legs or ankles at least and remember to handle yourself as if your grandmother was sitting next to you.

#2 - Thongs - Now we live in a time period where the fashion world has come up with all sorts of styles and fads that require all sorts of undergarments. Thongs I suppose are one of them and they do have their place and need at certain times. However no one wants to see yours either hanging out of the back of your pants or through your see through nearly sheer white pants that you were trying to avoid having a panty line with. To address the thong first, if you feel the need to wear a thong please do the squat test....get dressed and squat down...reach your hand to the small of your back if you can feel your thong before your pants that is bad news..choose a different pair...if you feel your bum before your waistband that is a totally different problem that would take a totally different post to solve. Next see through pants or skirts with thongs. Now we all have our favorite pair of white pants possible even a skirt. To go along with this I know many of you have worked in the medical field and one of the first things you learn is to wear nude panties with white scrubs. This is an easy tip that can stretch to all areas of your closet. Nude panties are a great thing to have and can save you from the rest of the world noticing your underpants or worse yet your bum. So invest in a nice pair of seamless nude shaded panties and you will be oh so happy.

#3 - Slips- Now many of you may think slips left us in the 80's but in my opinion they are a much needed piece of your wardrobe that probably has disappeared. The fact of the matter is in certain outdoor circumstances dresses that were completely fine indoors are now suddenly see through, however if you were wearing a slip all your problems would be solved.

#4 - Choose one- Now I on occasion want to wear a dress usually on a date that is something I would never wear when caring for my children. It could be so for a number of reasons, maybe its a bit short, maybe its a bit low cut making any type of bending over scandalous. This is all fine in the right environment however I have found that choosing either the short or low cut not both or you will be tuggin at both ends all night which starts to look like a circus act after awhile.

#5 - Don't drink to much.........this is just a guideline and a great little tip. Most all unfortunate events can be avoided if you avoid making constant trips back and forth to the open bar.

I am truly not obsessed with this topic but as I stated above because of my work environment I am constantly being bombarded with these offenses on a nearly daily basis. I could share tons of horror stores pertaining to this topic alone. So bottom line I don't really care about your undergarments however no one wants to see them.

We're Back.............

On Sunday we came home from our summer vacation. We love to camp and this year we did that very thing at the Winthrop KOA. Let me tell you at first I was very negative Nellie about staying at the KOA...I somewhat like roughing I grew up tent camping in state parks that are clean but leave a lot to be desired, however that is what camping is all about. However, I left the KOA with a new appreciation for the place, there is something to be said for warm clean showers, a clean pool and nice gravel paths for my kids to ride their bikes on free of weirdos and the like.

So thats right we just came back from camping where blocks of ice are worth their weight in gold, walking to the pool or riding your bike to the office for an otter pop are you forms of exercise and you can pass an hour or so trying to patch your air mattress in the afternoons. It was a fabulous time of doing nothing all together fabulous but everything fun. We made a trip to town everyday for a sno-cone or ice cream in the middle of the afternoon to escape the hottest part of the day, this was the highlight.

On Friday Sarah and Justin came for the weekend and they came with new toys and excitement to get us through the weekend which was much appreciated and anticipated. With them we shared the norm with good friends, good food and good times.

By Thursday I was getting antsy to cook something so I went to the store and bought a small roast and a local fruit stand for some peaches. I marinated the beer over night with a bottle of beer and some dried italian seasoning and the following day I cooked it with some roast fixings in our fire pit. For dessert I made a biscuit topped peach cobbler that cooked over the fire pit in a heavy frying pan. We ate well that night and the cooking bug went away:) I will totally come up with some more of these ideas for next time we go because it took little effort and the outcome was delicious:)


This was pretty much our favorite hang out every afternoon. ice cream or sno-cone? Whats your pleasure?

So you will get tired of seeing me in this hat by the end of the picture series. I have made a pledge to quit continually burning my nose in the sun every summer all summer long, After 28 years I think it needs a break and sunscreen doesn't do the trick anymore but a hat sure does.

My water baby..all she needs is a swimsuit, a snack and some sand and the girl is happy all afternoon. Thats my kind of girl:)

Pretty sure this butterfly was dying on the beach..don't tell Elliot he thought it wanted to be friends.

Marshmallows in daylight because betimes are still important when camping...I wish someone would have given our neighbors the memo.

Our beautiful campsite with an amazing willow right in the middle. Providing amazing shade in the hot afternoon.

Another friend a caterpillar. I think they were calling him Slinky.

He melts me.

This balloon went over us two mornings in a row.

Sno Cones again....

Uncle Justin being a good sport during the kids impromptu photo session that included I am not kidding 27 pictures of them tormenting him. Another reason why I am convinced that Justin will make an amazing dad someday.

Auntie Sarah brought lots of fun finger paints with her and gave Grace a manicure. Lots of neon brights.

The kids shared their own tent for the first time this year. They had a lot of fun and played cards in the mornings before coming out for breakfast. They now have secret plans and tricks up their sleeves...watch out world!

We rented recumbant bikes one afternoon.

Both the kids had fun...although I think Graces legs needed to be just bit longer for full enjoyment.

THe most cooperative picture I have of them in a long time.

And as close as we are going to get to a nice family photo.

We had lots of fun, made lots of memories, and are thankful that God made us a little family. I can't wait until our next vacation but will remember this one forever!