Riding Nana/Papa Horses

This is pretty typical of our family. Acting silly and laughing our heads off. This is the stuff I want to remember about Christmas (strange puns and all...)

Gingerbread Houses!

For the first time ever we made gingerbread houses. And better yet, we did so with our dear friends, the McCoy's. Rachelle and Jason made real gingerbread, totally impressive. I cheated and bought a $10 gingerbread house kit. No regrets! Here are Caedon, Adi and Djuna celebrating the completed sweet treats.

Front view:

Rear view:

I couldn't resist a sweet pic of little Piran (peer-en). I'm totally in love with this little guy, he's so amazing, sweet, and content. And when you make eye contact with him it's like the whole world lights up.And finally, a self-portrait of me and Finn. We used to joke around that I was Finn's mommy #2 because when he wouldn't let anyone else but mommy hold him, he would let me, which provided a much needed break for Rachelle and some cozy baby time for me. I kinda like the title.

Happy Friday?

Today has been quite a day already. First thing this morning after my shower, which is really the first thing so I suppose it would be more appropriate to say second thing this morning Cam calls me into the bedroom. What could follow might be fun and interesting, but instead I hear him say, "Ihry puked on the bed". Nice. I flipped on the light to find dog puke on the bed with two whole chunks of baby corn from last nights curry and rice dinner. Adi surely snuck Ihry a couple of "treats" and Ihry was now returning the favor. This pretty much set the tone for the morning.

After cleaning up dog puke, and inevitably cat pee and poop in the litter area (this is a broad term since lately Mojo does his thing wherever he feels like it, mostly within a few feet of the litter boxes but rarely in them - we're working with the vet on that) I finally got out the door. I needed to stop at Walgreens on the way to pick up our Christmas photos and some Cold-Eeze & Ricola for my weird slight chest congestion.

I drove the van because the tires are better and it's bigger so if I crash or some moron who doesn't know how to drive in the snow plows into me I'll have a better chance of survival than if I'm in the teeny Ford Escort. This choice meant that I accidentally left my badge in the car and couldn't get into the building without going to the guard station where they issued me a bright orange "loser" badge.

When I finally got inside and to my desk I opened my drawer to get my shoes, forgetting that I had taken them home with me the day before. Great, now I get to wear my big honkin snow boots all day long. Dragh. Then Cam called to make sure I got here OK and to remind me that I forgot my cell phone at home (if ever there is a time you should have your cell phone with you, it's while traveling in a snow storm!)

Finally I opened my envelope of photos and all 50 of them were chopped off! Only half of Cam's face showed and it said Merry Christma and Adilyn was cut off to Ad - we do occasionally call her that but that's not the point! Anyway, here's what it's supposed to look like:

I'm relieved to report that I'm not the only one having a crappy morning. My boss spent half an hour trying to figure out how to get logged onto one of the lab computers. A co-worker got stuck 3 times on her commute from Coralville and it took her 2 hours to get here. Yet another co-worker dropped her cell phone in the pee water in her toilet this morning. Another almost got run over by the crazy janitor lady who vacuums like a psycho near the main entrance at 8 am when most people are arriving to work and then scowls at people when they try to get by. Finally, another spilled her entire mug of coffee all over the passenger seat on her way to work. Those are just the stories I've heard. Surely there are more. Happy Friday!

Victoria's Sweet 16

Some photos of my niece's sweet 16 birthday party. We had lots of fun, and lots of sugar.

Saying Yes

It has been almost 2 years since I completed classes at Eastwind School of Holistic Healing. The "plan" was that I would quit my job at Pearson (which I had already done but continued working there as a temp in a different department to help pay the bills) and I would work from home doing therapeutic massage.

In the midst of the six month program I had my second miscarriage. Coping with the loss made it nearly impossible for me to do any more than the bare minimum. My studies were compromised and my desire to do anything career related fizzled. I put on the "I'm OK" face and plowed through, somehow (by the grace of God) managed to pass my board exams eight months after I completed my course work. That was one year ago.

Not long after I finished school I was offered a new permanent position at Pearson; between benefits and a considerable pay raise I simply could not turn it down. So the "plan" was adjusted so that I could work full-time and do massage therapy part-time. Within weeks of accepting the new position life's waves crashed over me once again and four months later another blast. Four lost pregnancies and the mere idea of giving anyone at all a massage felt exhausting, constricting. People don't just get over stuff like that. I'm still coming out of my "grief coma" - sometimes in leaps sometimes in creeps.

A few nights ago I woke up in the middle of the night. I didn't want to be awake. Not a surprise. But what was a surprise was what felt like God asking me to do something. It felt nagging, irritating, and I tried to brush it off. But I couldn't sleep. Finally I said, "Fine. If I can sleep now, I'll do it." Seconds later I was fast asleep. So now I have to do what I was told: the application for my Iowa Bodywork and Massage license is in the mail.

The bible is full of stories of God asking his people to do things they don't want to do. Again and again, those who say yes are blessed abundantly. I hope I heard right. I hope for God's blessing. I often ask God to bless me, "just because he loves me". It's time to return the favor.

Making Christmas Cookies

Oh, Christmas Tree

This year, decorating the Christmas tree for Adi meant that she had to dress up and be beautiful first. She has learned well from friend Djuna how to use what's around you to make an extraordinarily lovely gown.
When she heard that the tree had a skirt, she decided that the tree shouldn't wear it, but she should. So she found a ribbon in the decorations box, wrapped the tree skirt around her little body and asked for help tying her ribbon belt. I think it turned out beautifully.Now that Adi was well dressed for decorating a tree, she decided the tree could use a few pretty things too.
Under the tree is one of the cats favorite places to hang out, though that might change with Adi operating in "capture and hold" mode. Bella and Mojo aren't too excited about that so when Adi comes running, they go running ;)
This tree looks so much better in sepia! A couple of years ago I decided to buy plastic ornaments so Adi could play with them and I wouldn't have to worry about her getting hurt on broken glass. We're still using the plastic ornaments, but after seeing blogs from a couple friends and realizing that broken ornaments are part of the "tradition" I think I might pull out my real ornaments after all.
So now the tree has been relocated to the family room downstairs because I realized that on Christmas morning I can't think of anything more sweet than a new tradition of opening gifts next to a cozy fire in our new insert, which we totally love. So stayed tuned for new pictures of our tree with upgraded ornamentation.

Hillside Fellowship Church

When we were in Oregon I really wanted to visit a Vineyard Church while we were there. I did find one in Portland, but it would have been a 30-45 minute drive to get there from Aurora and after all the other driving we had already done we were feeling like another drive would suck and we wanted to go some where closer.

Shane's neighbors across the street have been doing a non-denominational church thing for a little while and they meet at the American Legion on Main Street in Aurora. I was reluctant because I knew it would be pretty small, we hadn't met his neighbors and we wouldn't be able to blend in. Everyone would know we were visiting. I know it's funny that I mention that, but as an introvert I really prefer that attention not be directed to me. In the end we decided we were both desperate for Jesus (not because the trip was bad but more because we hadn't been able to listen to Christian music or really talk about Jesus or faith, except with Adi when she brought him up, which was always a welcomed conversation from my perspective. I love talking about Jesus with Adi, and trust me, she likes to ask lots of questions about him. It's marvelous!

So off we go on our 3 block jaunt to church Sunday morning. When we got to Hillside Fellowship Church we were about 8 minutes early and no one else was there except Brian the worship leader, Zach the pastor (and neighbor) and a woman setting up who didn't tell us her name (shame on me for not asking --- I was nervous). We were so grateful that Zach greeted us as soon as he realized we were there. We chatted, met Brian and before long several others had arrived. I didn't do a head count but I'd say including children there were about 3o people there, give or take a few. It was teeny. But very homey.

They did things a bit different. We didn't worship until after the teaching which felt strange at first but it was totally amazing and well worth the wait. The teaching felt more like a bible study (which is how the church got it's roots) and it was fabulous. Zach acknowledged Cam and I during his teaching (and it felt OK - we were honored), he was animated, anointed and full of life. At the end while we were praying for the community they prayed for a safe return trip for us back to Iowa, again we were honored. We learned so much in such a short time. We took the super long way home so we could talk more about how God was stirring in us. Cam calls it the highlight of the trip. It was that good.

This experience gave me hope and inspired me. It showed me that a church doesn't have to be big to be alive (not that my church is that big at around 200). As I've gotten bits and pieces of feeling like I will one day be involved in a church plant, I felt like attending Hillside Fellowship was very much a part of God's plan to show me what a church in it's early phases can look like and I feel a lot less nervous about being a part of something like that some day when the time is right.

So I thank God for my trip to Oregon. I thank God for my family and for positioning Shane and his family exactly where they are. For connecting a few dots and leading Cam and I into an experience well worth telling about. I pray for God's favor on Hillside Fellowship Church, for more people to experience Jesus through them and blessing on their ministry, in Jesus' name.

Portland

Oregon Coast

When my brother Shane was making plans for us to come out for the holiday he asked what we wanted to do. The only thing I cared about was making sure Adi got her first chance to visit the ocean. So, the day after Thanksgiving we all piled into a vehicle and drove and hour and a half to the coastal town of Lincoln City, OR.
The weather was perfect for strolling about on the coast, taking in the enormity of the great Pacific Ocean.Surprisingly, Adi wasn't really interested in the seashells. The tide was super high when we first arrived so there weren't many to be found, aside from the occasional broken clam shell. Even though they were pretty and shiny inside, she preferred the smooth round pebbles instead.
Here's Papa and Adi. Nana and Papa took turns taking walks with her. Adi and I could have stayed forever, not everyone else was so convinced. Especially after...Nana and Papa were walking together with Adi when a huge wave came in above their knees before they could get out of it. Luckily Adi was held high and didn't get wet, unfortunately I didn't have the camera with me when it happened or I would have had a very funny video to post ;) Below you can see Nana and Papa have wet jeans. From left to right: Cam, Shane (my brother), Nana (my mom), Adi, Kris (Shane's wife), Papa (my dad).After the tidal incident, we all went to Bi-Mart so Nana and Papa could get some dry clothes. Adi and Nana also picked up some rain boots so they could wade in the water together. Adi was pretty excited about that!The ocean is such a fun subject to photograph. I love taking photos with sepia.A pretty picture of my little girl.On our walk back to the car Adi was a bit chilly so she climbed into my really large fleece jacket like a little papoose. It was very cozy.
And we couldn't resist taking photos of some of the flowers that were blooming at the coast. This splash of color was so wonderful!

First of Many Oregon Posts

First I have to say Happy Birthday to Grandma Marsha (12/1) and Uncle Travis. We thought of you on your birthday but completely failed to call... please forgive us!


So here Adi is on her first plane ride on our way to Oregon to visit my brother Shane and his family (wife Kris and step-daughter Maddy). We knew my parents were planning on being there for Thanksgiving and we didn't tell them we were coming... complete surprise for them! And woo hoo, somehow we pulled it off. They had no idea we were coming. It was hard to keep the secret so long!!

Adi's response to take off was, "wow, this is fun!" The trip on the airplane was so much more fun with Adi's excitement and enthusiasm.She didn't sleep on the first flight to Minneapolis but she finally gave up her fight against exhaustion on the 3 hour flight to Portland. We had all been up since 1:30 am Thanksgiving morning so we could get on the road to Des Moines where our flight left at 5:00 am. Sheesh, that was rough.
Adi spent a lot of time just watching the clouds and the view from her window seat. She's a big fan of flying, though she'll tell you that she didn't like the pressure part, gum didn't always help.
Boomer and Adi got along really well, it took a while for Adi to realize that not all dogs are crazy like our Ihry and she could actually pet and cuddle with Uncle Shane's dogs. Poor kid, it really made me wish we had done a better job training Ihry to behave better, especially with Adi. Maybe there's still time...Cousin Maddy's dad was in town so we only got to spend one day with her, but Adi really enjoyed the time she did have. She told me, "mommy, I really love Maddy". So sweet.

Advent Conspiracy

If you decide to spend less and give more but don't know where or how, here are a couple of my favorite organizations:

World Vision
Samaritans Purse

Giving and Ressurection

On Friday night Adi and I went out to dinner with my parents to a local restaurant. We traditionally have dinner with them on Friday nights, pretty much ever since Adi was a new born. As we left the restaurant, they had one of those cardboard boxes with lollipops sticking out and a quarter slot to donate to whatever cause it's representing. There was a couple there with an adorable little boy who so badly wanted one of those lollipops but his parents didn't have a quarter. If you are a parent or can recall being a child desiring candy you know what a big deal this can be. I wished I had a quarter to give them but I had no change, but my dad did. And he didn't even hesitate to give the child's mother the quarter just as his father went back into the restaurant to get change.

When I talk about the feeling I get when I have been so blessed that I have an opportunity to give, I don't even think about what that might look like from the outside. But Friday night I got to see it in my father. He absolutely glowed as he handed that quarter to this family, a small gift but so deeply appreciated. And my dad instantly became joyful! And as we left the entryway he looked back in time to see the father come out and wave to him in thanks. My dad glowed, and I felt proud to have him as my father, and to have him as Adi's Papa, leading by example. It was such a small event but it somehow felt like it was much bigger than it seemed. I saw this smile on my dads face, and witnessed a genuine connection between him and these strangers as he reached out to them in kindness. It was beautiful.

OK, so I was completely inspired and had Saturday all planned out to be a great family day full of giving cheer as we prepared the Operation Christmas Child shoe boxes together... as a family. Here's what really went down:

Cam was irritated that I didn't wrap the shoe boxes ahead of time, because to be honest wrapping the box and lid separately is kind of challenging and time consuming. Something a 3 1/2 year old doesn't readily engage in, unless you count bonking mommy on the head repeatedly with a wrapping paper roll while mommy wraps the boxes as engagement. It kept her from steeling the gifts that were divided into individual bags according to age group and hiding them under chairs while giggling hysterically. Kinda cute and funny but not when I'm trying to also keep scissors and tape away from her so she doesn't stab someone (Mojo) or waste what little tape we have on taping the boxes shut (not exactly the idea behind wrapping lids separately!)

So where was Cam during all of this? I told him to go away after acting grumpy which threatened to ruin my holiday cheer. His tolerance level was low and I can handle either grumpy hubby or wild and crazy child but not both at the same time.

Some time later, maybe around box three of six --- there's no magic in the number 6, there were 3 age groups to choose from and both boys and girls so I chose to bless all six --- so Cam comes upstairs to inform me that there's cat puke and poop on the rug downstairs. Great, thanks for telling me.

When I finally get done, all boxes wrapped and packed (this took at least a couple of hours) I decided I'd go clean up the rug. Wrong! Cam had thrown the area rug, poop and puke and all outside in our breezeway. I had no idea of knowing where poop was originally or puke for that matter so essentially the entire rug is ruined because I don't have a carpet steamer/cleaner to clean the entire thing. By now, I'm furious because Cam didn't just either clean the crap up himself and use spot cleaner to save our rug or just wait for me to take care of it. Instead, he spazzed out and virtually throws our rug away.I was so pissed I told Cam to call our friends whom we had plans with later that evening to tell them not to come. On top of that, I realized that part of the reason I was so upset and now bawling was because I had PMS, which meant that once again for yet another month I am not pregnant. This sets me off every month and often causes a downward spiral in my mind. Sheer crappiness.

So after Adi went to bed and I was downstairs enjoying a much deserved beer, I kept eying Adi's easel which we had set up earlier in the day for her to paint (she chose to paint a burning bush, yep, the Moses kind - ha ha). I'd take a look at the easel and then look back at the t.v. that I wasn't really paying attention to because I was too irritated to do much of anything. Finally I decided I would paint. A few days ago I found photographs of the last two pieces of art I did and I realized a lot of things about my 12 year artistic quiet period... then decided it was time to break the artistic silence.

I just started painting. On regular paper. Using washable acrylic red, orange, green and blue. I had nothing in mind, just started painting freely and it was like therapy that kept getting better and better as I went. Finally Cam says, "it looks like a peacock" and of course that irritated me and I snapped, "it's not a peacock!" because it wasn't anything. But as I stopped and looked at it I realized that we were both right in a way. It wasn't a peacock but it was a bird... in the end I had painted a phoenix. I couldn't believe it.

The phoenix is a mythical bird that represents rebirth and resurrection. After living hundreds of years it engulfs itself in flames and rises again from its ashes. It is immortal. For me, it is connected to who I am in so many ways. I'm sure I've mentioned before that my name Stacey comes from Anastasia which means "resurrection". Once I saw what I had painted, not setting out to paint anything in particular I realized how close God is right now. That He sees me and is guiding me and He knows me. God took my crappy day and redeemed it.

Good Stuff

Operation Christmas Child

A couple of years ago part of our Christmas celebration with Cam's family was to each choose a paper angel - I think it was for Salvation Army. Each angel represented a child in need in that community. We had so much fun wandering through the store searching for the right gift(s) for our 'angel'. It was so exciting, so invigorating, and so fun! For me, it was way better than receiving any gift. I felt so full of love and joy. I don't fully understand how giving can be such a blessing, but amazing life and light shines through this simple act. This is my favorite adult Christmas memory.

So this year I've been hearing about Operation Christmas Child on the radio and have longed to pack a shoe box to donate to the cause but have been held back by the incorrect belief that I would have to take the box to another city where the radio station is located! I don't know why I thought that. So this morning I had a eureka moment when the dj announced that by simply going to the website I could type in my zip code and find a convenient drop off location near me! Wooo hoooo! First thing I got online and found out that the drop off place is about 4 blocks from my house!! I can't believe it and I'm so freakin excited I can hardly stand it. I want to have a shoe box party or something :)

So the deadline to drop off shoe boxes is Monday and my plan is to spend some time on Saturday doing this as a family and teaching Adi about giving. We've already sent our sponsor child Nomsa a Christmas package and now we get to make shoe boxes full of love and gifts that a child somewhere would not have had otherwise! I can't think of a better way to teach Adi about giving. If you want more info about doing the same you can click on one of the links above or visit Samaritan's Purse website. May this be a season full of giving, life and love.

Thanks to Facebook

Thanks to Facebook I talked to my dear friend and Miami Beach roommate, Adela on the phone tonight. It's been about 10 years since we last saw or spoke with one another. Amazing! I'm so happy to have my spunky, wild, fun and artistic friend back in my life. So much has changed, but her captivating spirit remains. This post is a flashback from the past:

OK, first up is Halloween. Heather is Pocahontas, I'm a vampire and Adela is Snow White. Adela had to work at the pool hall that night so Heather and I went and hung out with her for a while. Other than that, we just wandered around the beach and probably partied at some point.
I'm holding my beloved kitty Abu with Adela's friend Dave (who looked just like John Lenon with his glasses on) and Adela. Most of our photos are self portraits much like this one!
Pre-party photo. We loved taking pics of our fun evenings as single women in South Beach.

You can barely see my Thing One and Thing Two Dr. Seuss t-shirt that I wore on a regular basis. Can you believe they let me into clubs wearing that? It was nice to be a local, unfortunately tourists wouldn't have gotten away with that.

Here we are with little Abu-bu again. Such a sweet kitty. I miss him!

So there you have it. A small flash into my history, before I met Cam. Here you witness a wild wild child!

All of Us are Stinkers

Adi had a fun play date with her friend Caedon... I never quite know what to expect. Sometimes one or the other will be grumpy and they won't play much and others they amaze me at how well they get along and how easily they share and respect one another. This time I was well entertained as they spent a good 30 minutes spinning, laughing and saying silly things. Hope you don't get too dizzy watching them ;)

Dancing

I can't resist posting Miss Adi dancing. She does some of the funniest things, but I know that this is her expression. This is her art. This is Adi.

Praise the Lord!

I get email forwards all the time but this is one that I received recently and I loved it so much that I'm posting it here:


There was a little old lady, who every morning stepped onto her front porch, raised her arms to the sky, and shouted, “PRAISE THE LORD!” One day an atheist moved into the house next door. He became irritated at the little old lady. Every morning he'd step onto his front porch after her and yell, “THERE IS NO LORD!”

Time passed with the two of them carrying on this way every day. One morning, in the middle of winter, the little old lady stepped onto her front porch and shouted, “PRAISE THE LORD! Please Lord, I have no food and I am starving, provide for me, oh Lord!”

The next morning she stepped out onto her porch and there were two huge bags of groceries sitting there. “PRAISE THE LORD!” she cried out. “HE HAS PROVIDED GROCERIES FOR ME!” The atheist neighbor jumped out of the hedges and shouted: “THERE IS NO LORD; I BOUGHT THOSE GROCERIES!!” The little old lady threw her arms into the air and shouted: “PRAISE THE LORD! HE HAS PROVIDED ME WITH GROCERIES AND MADE THE DEVIL PAY FOR THEM!”

I love this for a few reasons. First, I love the sweetness and openness of the little old lady shouting praise to the Lord from her porch every morning. It makes me wish I had the kind of unabashed faith to do the same thing. At the very least I can praise the Lord from my shower each morning as I silently pray.

Second, I love the way the little old lady doesn't let the atheist shouting back at her deter her from praising God. I find that when I am questioned or challenged I often "shut up" and as a follower of Christ, I want to respond like the old lady does, while remaining respectful of others, of course.

Third, I love the main lesson of this story. I love that it shows how God provides for us through other human beings!! And the other people aren't always Christians!!! Totally eye opening and wonderful. God uses all of us to do his work whether we know it and acknowledge it or not.

Last, how can I resist the defeat of the enemy in this story. The atheist thinks he's proving there is no Lord to the lady by buying her groceries and serving as the provider but she is showing him that by the same reasoning there actually is a Lord and the Lord used the atheist to bless her. I'm sure the atheist could go one of two ways, walking off thinking the little old lady has a couple screws loose or walking off thinking twice about whether or not there is a God.

We don't really know what happens to the atheist in the end of this story but how lovely to show that God is in the ordinary. God is in the every day and sometimes we just need a forwarded email to point that out again.

Fall Photos for Gramdma Marsha

These photos are especially for you Grandma Marsha (our most loyal blog follower :)
The weather has been so wonderful (thanks surely to global warming) and we've been doing our best to enjoy the warm temps while we can before the blustery winter descends upon us.
I love this next picture of Adi. She looks so contemplative. I think she was trying to figure out how to climb over the pile of branches Bella our kitty was snooping through so she could capture her. We let the cats out in the fenced yard with us on nice days so they can eat grass and cough up hairballs outside ;)

Happy Halloween!

So what does Super Woman do anyway? Fly, of course!

Here's Nana, Adi and I at the "dress rehearsal" of Halloween. We went to the Sycamore Mall Halloween event on Thursday night and though the hay rack ride was fun, I seriously doubt we will brave the massive crowd and slow moving lines. I don't think anyone really had much fun, it was too crazy to enjoy it.

The redeeming moment was finding Super Man and convincing him to have his photo taken with Super Woman. He wasn't too sure but his mommy was optimistic that the two Supers would "hook-up" in the future. Parents are funny.

On Halloween night we continued with our annual tradition of trick-or-treating with our beloved friends and neighbors, the McCoy's. It wouldn't have been the same without them.

As you can see Miss Adi was Super Woman for Halloween this year. We originally got an Ariel (The Little Mermaid) costume but once Adi laid eyes on this gem there was no turning back! Super Woman it is - officially Super Girl but you try as you might, Adi will have none of the "girl" stuff. She was Super "Woman"! I couldn't resist taking a picture of the loot. Ridiculous. The photo doesn't do it justice. If Cam and I don't eat it all first (big IF) Adi will have candy for months!

Carving Pumpkins!

Sunday evening was a perfect night for carving pumpkins! Adi, Cam and I went to Nana and Papa's house for dinner followed by a fun evening of messy pumpkin carving. Adi got to work straight away.
And this year she wasn't afraid to get dirty... or gooey.
And what's better than getting gooey on you-ey? Getting goop on Papa of course!
And thanks to Mama clearing up the myth that pumpkin can't be eaten raw (right in line with my raw food eating ways of late) Adi decided everyone should try some raw pumpkin. Maybe not exactly by will, but everyone must try some!
Here are the three ladies of the house, working away.And what would pumpkin carving be if we didn't have a pumpkin headed monster show up?
And for the grand finale, here is the fruit of our labor. Aren't they great?
The pumpkins were carved, from left to right, by Stacey, Papa and Nana. If you'd like to see the glowing version and the tasty roasted pumpkin seeds head on over to our Urban Homestead blog :)