Jack's Busy Day

Today was a fun day for Jack. He was up before dawn and headed to set up 2 Turkey blinds for next weeks Youth Turkey opener. Our friend Rick was kind enough to take he and Scott...and 2 other friends too. 

Pretty exciting and pretty proud.  He loaned Jack a gun to use as well. 

Scott texted me this picture of the turkey hunters on the drive home. So cute. 

They went to the Big Blue Bash tonight after they were home. (I was at the shelter serving dinner with Drew). I received this note re: his cake walk. 

Too funny....

Seinfeld Date Night

I'm not sure what you all watched on TV in early marriage but our favorite show was Seinfeld.  We actually watched it while dating...and then we would talk about the episodes. I hadn't watched it prior to Scott in my life so he knows more episodes than I do. I worked at a card shop the summer we were dating and had more fun sending Scott funny Seinfeld cards. 

Tickets went on sale today to Jerry Seinfeld, he's coming to Des Moines in May. (Sorry boys it's your last day of school and one of you will be babysitting Max. :)). 

But I'm so excited to go and see him live.  And an actual "date night" planned ahead...that's even more rare. 

Annette

Today is my cousin Annette's birthday.  She's very special to me.  I love that she sent me notes and fb messages this week to remind me that her birthday was coming up. 

Happy birthday Annette!  My life would be so different without you in it. I'm so grateful for you. 

Love you!

Yenenesh

I sat down this morning to write a letter to our sweet Yenenesh whom we sponsor through Compassion…and when I signed into our account I found this new photo of her.

What a great way to start my day….she looks so healthy and strong!  She looks so much older than the last photo we had of her….

and can we look back at our very first photo we ever had of her…

We pray for this girl every single day.  Would love if God's plan is that we meet her someday…

Happy Hunter Boy

Monday our friend Marc mentioned to me he was going to look into Hunter's Safety Class for his son Josh and for Jack. They are buddies. (Marc is married to our beloved Mrs. Ruth who Max spends every Tuesday with and sometimes Monday mornings).

Long story short he texted me in the afternoon there were 2 options. 

1.  August 2014

2. This week Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. 

Sometimes last minute stuff works out better than long term planning. I was so appreciative that Marc did all of the leg work and was willing to do all of the driving too. Thank you Marc as Scott has been in St Louis all week. 

He came home tonight with his certificate. He had Josh take this picture for me with his instructor. (The boy knows his mama). And asked if we could frame the certificate. He passed the test 100 %. He told me he was the only kid that got a perfect score. 

Not surprised about that...he is passionate about it. 

Here's the cute picture.  

A Letter to a Younger Me….

I have been doing a lot of reflecting these past 2 months…and I have come to the following conclusion for now.  And in another 10 years I can probably write another letter to my 42 year old me.  But for now here it goes….I pray our boys will read this when they are in their early 20's and take some of my advice.

March 24, 2014

A Letter to a Younger 24 Year Old Me,

You are beautiful just the way you are, you are not fat, you do not need to workout every day.  You are perfect just the way God made you.

You don't need to go to the tanning booth 3 times a week, learn what color your skin naturally is and protect it.

Please don't wear baggy tee shirts, they look terrible on your cute body.  You don't need shoulder pads in every shirt you wear, they make you look like a football player.    And please don't wear Doc Marten black combat shoes, they don't go well with your Laura Ashley style.

Speaking of style. Less is more.  Less color, less pattern, less busy hair bows.  Continue not to wear a lot of make up, your Mom and Dad are right you really don't need it.

You don't need a brand new car.  Buy a used one, with low miles.  You will save a lot of money.

Scott cannot read your mind.  You need to tell him what you need, what you are upset about and what your dreams are.  Let him in.  Don't "think" he knows what you want.

You grew up in a bubble of Edina, MN.  Be grateful but also be cautious.  Not everyone goes away to the beach for Spring break.  Not everyone buys new clothes for school.  Not everyone buys spring break clothes.  Not everyone gets to buy whatever they want all the time.  It's okay to wear your clothes more than one season.  It's okay to have someone tell you no.

Back off the hunter green.  It will get old and you will grow tire of it.

Pay attention to what your Grandparents say, someday you won't remember it all and wish you could.  Video tape them talking, someday you will want to hear their voices again.

Keep the notes and letters your parents write to you.  Don't take it for granted that they praise you ALL the time, appreciate it and don't roll your eyes when they tell you how special you are and how loved you are.  Remember to do the same for your kids someday.

Save your money.  You will wish you had spent less when you are older.

Buy a house that is manageable in taking care of, and don't feel every time you move you need something bigger.  Someday it will be a LOT of work.

Enjoy the quietness of no children.  Don't wish those years away wanting to be a Mom.  Enjoy them.  Enjoy the time with your husband when you are first married, the spontaneity that goes along with it.  The simple meals, the errands together…walking through furniture stores and dreaming.  Enjoy dinners by the tv, and nothing on the calendar for weeks at a time.

Don't sleep in on Saturdays.  You are missing a beautiful part of the day and time with your husband.  Go for more walks, and talk.

Buy less stuff.  You have to manage the stuff, you don't need all of it.  Don't have so many collections, give more to others.  Save more for your future. Start college funds before you have kids.

Be grateful for your health, your body, your strength…your eyes, your smile…don't compare them to others all of the time.  Like what you see.

Call your parents as much as you want, you can never call them too often. You will never tire of hearing their voices.

Be grateful for your husbands family, they are not going to be like yours….but without them you would not have your husband the way he is.  Appreciate the differences. Learn how to love your husband more from them.

Enjoy the seasons and the change in them. Don't blink so often.  Take time to enjoy.

Write down more of your prayers and your answers to prayer.  Someday you will want to look back and see where God has taken you.  Keep track.

Write a letter every week to someone, to your Mom, your Dad, your Grandmas….it matters.

Enjoy fishing with your brother, you won't always have time alone together.  Enjoy the stillness of those moments.

Spend more time getting to know God, someday your quiet time will be limited.  Enjoy the hours you have when you have them.

Take more time to bless others.  Go serve others more.  Teach Sunday School before you have children of your own, make a meal for a friend for no reason, serve the homeless.  Don't wait until you are older to see the joy in these things.

Take a deep breath at the end of the wedding aisle…squeeze your Dad's arm a little bit longer, lock eyes with your Mom at the end of the aisle and look around at all of those there to love, pray and support you.  Soak that day in more.  Look into the eyes of your husband as you say your vows…don't be so nervous.  You will want to remember every moment of this day.

Plant a garden, learn to sew, go back to school to be an OB nurse if you really want to, don't be so scared, trust God more, love harder, love deeper, accept more….appreciate more, worry less,

God will be with you every step of the way,

with love,
A 42 year old me

Just beat

Tonight I'm just beat. This storage room clean out is exhausting.  Physically, mentally and even kind of emotional. The boys were actually, surprisingly helpful today. It's typically not their "thing". But most of them were on board.

I feel so strongly about paring down our excess right now. About changing our, well for sure my, mind shift on stuff. I just feel like God is really trying to hit me in the head with this. I'm a regular donator, it's not that I am a hoarder. But this time it's big. I mean this time it's with a different intention. I need things to be more simple.  I need to know where things are...I need not to feel so overwhelmed by our stuff.  

This is what our day has looked like...

Emptied storage room out. Everything out. 

Tommy's bug project 5th grade. Grasshopper. 

Found my fashion plates....

A sweet note from my Grandpa Twig who passed away when I was in junior high. In my autograph book. 

A softball my dad had written on. 

An old thank you note to my aunt. Lol. 

High school dance photos. 

Approximately 3600 notes mostly from my parents. Praising me. Praying for me. I have never doubted their love for me and certainly don't have to with all of these notes and cards. 

The storage room is slowly getting reloaded.  28 bins have been emptied so far... Donate. Trash. Share with intention. I think that's the most tiring part. The sharing with intention. Thinking through everything we give away. Who can we bless with it most?  Sometimes it's goodwill. But friends, Neighbors, Single moms, refugees, new moms, foster parents.... So many people. Feels so good to do it that way despite my exhaustion tonight. 

It's still a mess...but will be so much better. Going to bed now.  This will still be here tomorrow. 

Gods using this book "7" to mess me up...in a very good way. 

Home

We got home late last night. The drive home was LONG.

Left Columbus after we got Stuart off to school. 

Cannot make this stuff up

 When we got home we quickly unpacked and I started laundry.  2 loads in and done before bed last night.  Funny how I did laundry in a Ohio yet still had more. Yikes. 

This morning I continued my mission of purging, spring cleaning and letting go. My heart wants to bless others with our excess. 

Started the organizing with having another shelf put into our basement closet. Photo albums in one place. I'm really praying water never gets into this closet. It never has but I thought about it today. 

I had the boys haul a bunch of bins out of upstairs storage room. Yes we have 2 storage rooms...it seemed smart when we built the house now I'm not so sure. Easy to keep a lot.  The boys each had 2-5 bins of their own to sort through and keep what meant the most. The rest is going to those in need. 

The start of our donation piles...

...the empty bins feel good. 

I may have tried on a dress or 2 of mine from high school dances. :). Kept these 2.  Granddaughters dress up someday?  

A quote from the book I'm reading. Gulp. Convicting.  

Read this today too. Loved it. 

Snuck off for a quick date night. An hour alone was lovely.  

And my view right now.  In our bed. Snoring. I'm putting my feet up. It's amazing how tiring it is to sort through and purge stuff.  And to intentionally donate. Not just pile it all off to goodwill. But think of who would appreciate. Or who could use your extra.  I want to give intentionally. 

Tomorrow there is more to sort through.  Won't the boys be thrilled to know that?  

Wednesday: Farm to Buckeyes

We spent this morning packing it up.  I was busy Washing sheets, cleaning up, Scott was busy helping finish up yard work, I made a ham loaf lunch....Scott's mom wasn't feeling well. His Dad needed help with some projects.  

After we loaded it up we sat down with gma and gpa. Earlier this week Scott had the boys write down 10 questions they each wanted to know about their grandparents. We sat down and the boys asked their questions. Scott video taped it. Questions ranged from their favorite foods to the day they met. It was a special time.  Fun to see his parents share and open up. Such a great idea. 

After that time we snapped this picture and headed out towards Columbus. A 2 hour drive. We drove by Scott's gparents farm on the way...he has so many memories there. We don't know who lives there now. 

Then a quick stop at Shisler's cheese and we were off...

Always fun to see your name...

Then once in Columbus with a quick stop at the Lego store and the Buckeye store...

We landed at the Townsley's house...our Columbus home away from home.  Mike and Scott were best friends at Ohio State.  John was our ring bearer and Jackie a flower girl.  Stuart was yet to be born when we were married. 

This is with John before all of the boys headed to watch Stu play Lacrosse.  Max and I stayed home. It's cold and rainy here. 

Tomorrow we will head home...it's been a really good trip to Ohio. My heart is more grateful than usual after being here.  I think I am appreciating the farm more, family more and the fact that we have so much to be thankful for. We aren't perfect and certainly don't come from perfect families but we are blessed. So blessed...

Tuesday at the Farm

Spring break continues here at the farm in Ohio.  Woke up to French toast made...yummy.  I think most muscles ache on me today from all of the scraping and painting we did yesterday. Up and down the ladders etc....  We slept well and hard once again. 

The sun was shining so the boys were outside early playing. The Kubota was running.  There may even have been golf chip shots in the front yard. Scott raked and loaded it into the Kubota while Drew and/or Jack hauled the leaves away and dumped them way off in the corn fields. 

We all went to WG Dairy for their Spring open house which means FREE meal in farmer language.  I believe most of the county was there with us. ;). The boys loved it and loved the ice cream most of all. 

We spent the afternoon running around outside. Tommy played 9 holes again at the local course. I may have fallen asleep on the sofa for a bit as well. Scott's mom made her third pie of our trip.  This is not helping my project -50 weight loss. But it's so good. 

Tonight we went to the Dalton Dariette for dinner as it opened for the season today and....well so did 100 other people. So we opted forWendy's instead.  A little disappointed but we didn't have an hour to wait. The boys wanted to go to theAll  Star high school game.  Scott's friend had a son coaching. So he wanted to see them. I opted for home with Max and Jack.  Starting to get things packed up.  Tomorrow we leave for a day/night in Columbus before heading home Thursday morning.  

I feel like this week has been less hectic than usual.  It's been fun to watch the boys enjoy the farm so much.  

Golfing.  While Scott rakes...nope he doesn't "sit" well. 

Feeding the puppy "Cindy" treats. 

Jack loves the Kubota. 

Across the street from the farm they own this barn and a house they rent out.  I love the tile work on this barn.

Too bad it was so busy. I'm thinking tomorrow we may need a stop on our way out of town. 

One of my favorite barns to drive by...I love everything about it. 

Almost bought this ice cream today while in town getting some things for Scott's mom. But opted against it since we have 6 other kinds in the freezer here. 

Monday full day

So it rhymes. Monday long day. :). Today was a long, long day.  Good but long.

After another great night of rest we were off to Akron. Drew, Jack, Max and I to begin the prep work of our living room makeover project for Kathy

. So many helpers huh?  Scott had morning conference calls so he stayed back at the farm. 

We spackled holes, we removed outlets, we taped and we sprayed DIF on the lovely wallpaper border.  Then we began to scrape....and scrape...and scrape.  Let me tell you that if DIF called me today and said they'd pay me to do a commercial for their product I would NOT be able to say yes. The stuff is almost worthless. I ran back to Sherwin Williams for gloves and a "scorer" that was supposed to make the previously purchased DIF work better. Hmmm did nothing.  Oh well. We scraped some more. 

We opted for bagels on yet another trip to Sherwin Williams for something... 

Then Drew scraped. Jack, Max and I headed outside to take down Kathy's Christmas lights for her. And then came back inside and cleaned out her fridge for her. All this time she's at work, teaching at school.  She knew we were there of course.

We headed back to the farm to make lunch. Leftovers it was. Yummy. It was a beautiful sunny day too. 

The boys and Grandpa found this Cat house at the junkyard and brought it home for Kitty. She loves it. So funny 

After lunch Drew headed back to Kathy's to help. Scott was able to go as well.  More scraping and then finally painting. 

We quit around 5. ...in time To get home for dinner.  I made grilled cheese for everyone. Fancy I am. 

This afternoon jack and max went on Kubota rides. Tommy tried a different golf course. And Mr Jackson stopped by with a sweet gift for Scott.  He had blown up a picture of Scott and his 4H Grand Champion steer and gone to Goodwill for a frame and wrapped it up in newspaper as a gift. (Back story...the Jackson's live in what I would term a junk yard. Their yard is unbelievable. Stuff everywhere. They don't have much. Their house burned this fall so they've been living in the church parsonage). So for Mr. Jackson to take the time to find this photo. Blow it up. And purchase a frame.  I could have cried.  It shows that it matters how you treat others. It shows my that Mr Jackson thinks enough of my husband to do this. It shows me that how you treat those with less than you matters. And it reminds me Mr Jackson will leave this earth with the exact same stuff I will...nothing.  

After dinner...you guessed it.  Back to finish up. We took Max knowing he'd fall asleep.  Yet reassured that if he woke up he wouldn't be sad we were gone. 

And we left there at midnight with a job very well done I think. Not many before pics but some afters... 

Best before and after shot we have.