for the crafty ladies...

go on over and check out sew, mama, sew! they are hosting a bunch of giveaways that close tomorrow. (i signed up for a ton of fabric ones, of course.) good luck!

http://www.sewmamasew.com/blog2/

we remembered!

we finally remembered to put out our american flag today! yay us! we were able to teach a small lesson on memorial day earlier when we went on a walk with the kids. hopefully, they'll remember that today is about more than barbecues and "freedom from school" (kalei's take on memorial day). we hope they'll remember to honor the people who sacrifice so much so that we can live in peace in this great country. happy memorial day!

safety first?

kawelo has discovered kalei's bike helmet. he totally loves it and wants to wear it each time the kids go out to ride bikes. unfortunately, there's no way on earth to tighten the helmet enough to actually fit snugly on his little head. (have i mentioned his little head before? it's so small! average, actually, but after his siblings' giant noggins, it looks a little petite. james says i have to stop mentioning it.) so, the helmet is kinda loose and he likes to run after kalei on her bike and the helmet bounces around and he's just adorable. i do find it hilarious that he loves this helmet, but is the personification of fearlessness. seriously, if there's a way to climb up onto something and then hurl himself off of it, this child will do it. he might have a future in the x-games! (or a concussion unit.)

creative koa

yesterday, at koa's request, he & james created the four seasons with play dough. can you tell where we're going this summer? (koa can't wait!)

out of sight, out of mind?

do you see what i see? (or am trying not to see?)

super-dad & aussie-kalei

this past week was pretty eventful for us. on monday, dad installed our new (used) door in our new (new) shed! (we got a great deal on the shed! the only snag: it didn't come with a door, and the opening was a bit too wide for a standard-sized door. no biggie - dad came and added some 1x4's here and some trim there and voila! awesome shed! thanks, dad!!) also on monday, dad and james ripped out the old back door to install a brand spanking new door complete with blinds inside the glass - fancy! (don't judge the picture by the absence of trim - we get to add that ourselves - dad ran out of time because he also hooked up our dishwasher - the one that had been sitting there, looking pretty for almost a year. now it has to earn its' keep! did i mention that i LOVE having a working dishwasher? we still mostly handwash, but it's nice to have an alternative.)

on tuesday, i went with kalei and the rest of the first-graders to kentucky down under. i know - exotic in kentucky - who knew?! anyhoo, kalei had a great time and petted an emu, a red kangaroo, a snake, and fed some adorable lories (birds). she refused to pet the lizards, and i don't blame her - especially after the guy holding the lizards told the kids to not touch their faces after touching the lizards because they carry salmonella. does anyone else get the instant NEED to scratch their face somewhere when someone tells them not to? i didn't touch the lizards - it was for the greater good. also, we went through a small cave. i'm really glad i don't live in a cave. oh, yeah, kalei also got to play a didgeridoo. she was fearless in her playing, but i don't think she has a future in it.

the rest of the week was pretty tame. i got ready for and had a garage sale yesterday. it was totally raining, but we still had a steady flow of people. thankfully, we didn't have too many folks who offered 20% of an item's asking price. (it cracks me up, though, cause every time someone does something like that, it never fails that they will pay with a $20 bill.) now we're settling in for a relaxing week - james is finished with the regular semester, kalei has 1 1/2 weeks left, the garden's sprouting, and the rain has finally dried up (for now). looks like we'll have a restful week full of..... yard work. oh, well - it goes along with not living in a cave.

perspective adjustment

you know how sometimes you have moments of pure clarity? where something pops your self-made bubble and you see, really see, the reality of those around you - people who aren't insulated by subdivisions and shopping lists and all that. yesterday, i had such a moment. after seeing dad off at the nashville airport, i realized that i was actually out and about during steak'n'shake's happy hour. how often does that happen? never. so, i stopped and got a shake (of course), and a meal that i didn't really need, but went ahead with ordering. then, not three blocks down the road, i look over and see her: a mother, and her daughter (about 8 or 9), with a homemade sign. she'd been laid off, and they would appreciate anything. how could i pass that by? i stopped and gave them the food and some bottled water and the few dollars i actually had on me. she was crying and so was i. i cried all the way home. i was wishing i had more to give, and praying that they would find what they need.

i'm so thankful for this experience - heavenly father's children are hurting right here and right now and this opened my eyes to that. i didn't just read about it and it touched me. i saw it with my own eyes, felt my heart break inside, and hugged this woman with these arms. so, i'll be looking for ways i can help, things i can do.

i wanted to start with saying "thank you" to our loving family and friends. even if we found ourselves in a position where we lost everything, i have such comfort in knowing that we have somewhere we can go while getting back on our feet. i can't imagine not having that underlying feeling of confidence and security that, no matter what, things really will be okay. you have made our world a better place, and we appreciate you.

thank you.