Today Christine and I tackled her room. It is once again a haven for her, a place she can enjoy. We’ve been trying to tackle this project for weeks – but we just couldn’t ever quite make it. Today we conquered!

This is the view as you walk into her room. The bathroom door is immediately on the left, that green dress is hanging on the outside. The bed is to the right and the rest of her room is further in. #1 is a large, double, porcelain sink that will be moving to the cabin. It has been the utility sink in this corner for 15 years though and it’s huge & heavy…so until the cabin is ready, the sink stays. #2 is the replacement sink, when #1 goes. We thought this would happen this summer – but it didn’t :-D. After today, it is holding all her empty backpacks/wallets/bags.  #3 is full of notebooks, drawing, miscellaneous stuff she doesn’t want to get rid of, but doesn’t know where to put and doesn’t want to look at.

Looking the rest of the way to the right. See the pretty sparkles over the window? Because there is so much darkness in the winter and the position of the window in the house – there is never direct sun into her room and the day light isn’t much to speak of in the winter….so, I have two tension rods up – the inside one is a white alternative down blanket to block cold (folded in half, then over the rod – so it’s four thicknesses of blanket) and the front one has the white sheer with sparkles (again folded over length wise since the window is short. She never has to feel as if someone can see in & it helps keep her room warmer. Because it’s not a window with darkness outside it helps her room be brighter too. In the spring/summer/early fall months it is just the sheer with sparkles in front of the glass.

The shelves are holding all her paper craft stuff, painting, sewing, clay, legos, Only Hearts Dolls, American Girl dolls/clothes, and a ton of books.

A darker view, but the lights glare so much it’s hard to get a picture. The closet is behind the wall you see on the left. It is so hard for me to imagine how all of this used to fit into my room! She doesn’t have more stuff (except toilet & sink) CRAZY!!!

She finally has a “vanity table”. We have tried many different configurations – but this is the one I came up with today. The other two tries have flopped, third time’s the charm – right? 😀 When all the lights are on it’s very bright, so she’s going to try to put make up on down there. You can see her scarves and all the elastic headbands hanging on the wall. I think this set up might actually work for her. As much as she & I are alike…. when it comes to everything having a place and everything in it’s place – we are extreme opposites. I’m hoping this isn’t “so” organized she shuts down, but instead she’ll actually follow through with putting stuff where it belongs. Time will tell :-).

When you turn around from the vanity area. Isn’t it cozy? (Please excuse the sheet hanging down.) I got the fun duvet cover from IKEA, when I got to go there this summer.

And again with lights on and seeing the bedroom door shut.

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Five Minute Friday’s word: In between.

We are home.

Home from the Philippines. After two months in another country.

It is good to be back. It is weird to be back. Everything is so ‘normal’, as if we never left. Yet, we have grown and experienced a once-in-a-lifetime event.

I have unpacked, but not put stuff away.

When in the Philippines we lived in a 3 bedroom house, it was the first time Christine and I haven’t shared a room in her life (unless you count the 7 months we lived in WI and she shared a room with Vince). Why am I talking about bedrooms? Because we are making a room for Christine. Christine is going to have her own room for the first time in her life!

When we came home, within 72 hours we had six dentist/doctor appointments (& multiple friend connections), re-packed and headed to the cabin for a week.

Then we came home and unpacked again.

Still not putting stuff away.

We’ve been picking paint, cleaning out, sorting, planning. As many of you know, NONE of those activities promotes clean, organized bliss.

As with any building project – there is mess. lots of mess.

Unpacking, sorting, staging. waiting.

Waiting for A [bedroom stuff] to move to new location, so B [office/homeschool stuff] can move into A’s space, so C [numerous resulting piles] can move into B’s new home in A’s original space – so I can finish putting away what I unpacked.

Because of living in this in between state I haven’t been posting here. It has not been an intentional break. First I was locked out, but then I just couldn’t get to the computer [because of above mentioned piles]. Not just physical piles, but mental piles I can’t quite seem to sort through to make any kind of sense. I am ready to be fully moved back in and put away. I am ready for our routine. Even though I don’t have any idea what the routine for the new year will look like yet.

What I do know: my home will feel new. Again.

To have a new space means: a like new office; moving my sewing stuff around; cleaning out the closet.

Once I have my office space set means: I can plan the next year of school. and get income coming in.

It also means: once school does start we won’t be sitting on top of each other all. day. long. every. day.

I had NO idea how nice it is for each child to do some school work on their own, in their own room, each with their own music on. [remember my children are older and we’re on 10+ years of homeschool – they do a lot on their own, not needing my help. I still want us to all work together on some things, and computers aren’t allowed in rooms.]

While I anticipate having my own room (for the first time in almost 20 years!); it does make me kind of sad. There was comfort in not ‘going to check’ on her; I knew by her breathing how she was sleeping. However, she is a month from turning 13 [HOW is this possible?!]. It is time. She needs her space. It has been a bit awkward for her to have friends over – I’ve slept on the couch so they could have the room, but that always made her feel weird. As if she was ‘kicking’ me out of my bed by having a sleepover. It has worked, and it could still work. But my dad was willing to build a temporary wall and she will have her own space. Painted with BRIGHT paints.

This month has brought lots of transition, lots of in between, a bit of uncertainty.

I’m also going to take this opportunity to note some things I have learned in June. I am planning to link up with Emily Freeman at Chatting at the Sky.

What have I learned in June?

• It’s hard to transition from another country to being home. (we are superficial in many things, but I appreciate more too)
• Life has continued as ‘normal’ for everyone else, while I feel as if we’ve had HUGE changes. (It feels a bit time-warpy.)
• It takes a l.o.n.g. time to process what you learn when traveling to a 3rd world country. (I wonder if we really went & we’ve been home less than 3 weeks!)
• I do like my home – my dark paints, the coziness of being small. (I’m so thankful for the white walls to see the lizards I was sharing a room with though, my walls here would creep me out there for sure!)
• It is bittersweet to loose my “roommate” after 13 years. (tell me this is normal, please)
• 80s colors [neon] are still appealing to middle schoolers. We are painting Christine’s room Secret Passage, with Hang Ten; Lime Passion; and Scrumptious. (better known as: really light gray; good ‘ol turquoise; uh. glowing green; and “coral”)
• It is hard to get a good coral paint. On the small card it looks good, on the wall – it’s HOT pink! (Yep, repainted those shelves to be turquoise.)
• It takes A LOT of ‘lime passion’ to cover – even over white primer. It still looks like a yellow/green glow stick. (so very glad I don’t have to use that bathroom, she probably won’t need the light)
• It is GOOD to take time out to just be. Even in your ‘normal’ environment. (With no job it can be hard to rest. still daily working on this.)

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This is better – her table decorations & a pretty smile.

A glittery card from a glittery Bumma to a glittery girl.

Can you say ‘Fancy Nancy’? This is a saying in our family, those of us who aren’t ‘fancy’ say it frequently. As far as mom & CJ are concerned there are many things that can’t be too fancy. We don’t even like tinkerbell – but look at her grin because ‘it’s glittery’!

I think the gift Christine will remember for all of her life….Bumpa gave her her own fishing pole, a good pole. But wait – it’s HOT PINK?! and there’s more – it LIGHTS UP when you reel it!!!!!!!!!! Vince considers this a disgrace to fishing, but CJ could not have been happier. (Can you say, seriously ‘fancy nancy’?!) 🙂

For Christine’s birthday last year dad gave her a ‘fairytale cottage’ cake mold… He apologized to me last year because he knew it would involve me. Yes, I made it last year. The non-frosted gingerbread house version shown on the picture. I cleaned it well & tucked it away – hoping, hoping, hoping she’d forget about it or for sure at least not want the same cake 2 years in row. Not so, last week she asked where the mold was & said she wanted a pink and purple cake. My only thought was “Yuck – the house again and it had to be pink & purple?” I put it off & avoided making it until today, hoping she’d change her mind at the last minute. Nothing doing, so here is the ‘Shabby Chic’ ugly-not-so-fairy-tale’ish cottage, and it’s pink with purple trim (the green things are 4 large trees on each corner of the house). By the time I got done with frosting this thing my thoughts were running along the lines of “What a horrible, mean person to think up this idea of 3D molds? Why didn’t they have any thought or consideration for the poor mothers who’d get stuck frosting these things! … or, Ugghhh, the Bumpa’s that fall for the gimmick and buy these horribly-cute-in-the-picture-only things?!…”

(yes, you are seeing 3 different outfits. yes, all these pictures are today. these are just the ones when I took pictures, there were a couple others-besides the 3 sets of jammies in all worn today. it was her day, so I said nothing — to her…)

I can not believe my baby is 9! It is weird to think I have 2 school age children, (not just school age but 1/2 way thru elementary school!) they are no longer preschoolers. Yes, I know they haven’t been preschoolers for a long time, but my mind still has them there. I want to keep them there. I wanted them to grow up with a daddy, not with just me as their parent. I have had a lot of thoughts about my kids not growing up with a dad in their early formative years and what repercussions the 3 of us will have the opportunity to live through as a result. I can’t control the outcome & I have to work at not letting these thoughts overwhelm me. I’m not to live with a spirit of fear, but I also want to go forward with my eyes open, with some idea of what to do. I like a specific list of what to do. There is a verse I read a couple weeks ago & it has stuck with me.

Psalm 138:8 “The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me; your love, O LORD, endures forever – do not abandon the works of your hands.” This has been very confirming & comforting to me – He will fulfill his purpose for me. It goes well with a passage I’ve been hanging onto for 9 years now. “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you.” (Jeremiah 29:11-14)

• He will fulfill His purpose for me. (Each of us.)
• He has a plan for me. (He has a plan & He will fulfill.)
• A plan to give me hope and a future. (Is there any better hope than knowing our future includes spending eternity with Him?)
• Then I will call upon Him, pray to Him and he will listen to me. (He listens & hears me!)
• I will seek Him with all my heart and He promises I will find Him. (He promises I’ll find Him when I seek Him)

WOW! The God of all creation, the ruler of the universe, my Heavenly Father, my Saviour has promised He has a plan for me & He will fulfill His purpose with me. My part, seek Him first.

This is huge – I don’t need to ‘do something’ to make certain things in my life happen. I seek Christ first and all else will fall into place. This doesn’t mean I don’t act responsibly or do my best- but it isn’t up to me! Thank you, Heavenly Father for this provision. A provision I’ve taken for granted, not fully understood, still don’t fully understand. You have a plan & You will fulfill your purpose. Use me. I want my actions & words to glorify You & You alone. Thank you for being the father to the fatherless. Thank you I do have my dad & brothers in my kids’ lives. Thank you they are men who desire to live for You. Help me to teach the children You have entrusted to me to walk in Your paths, to seek You first, to rest in You.

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For the most part you really were a happy baby.

At 2 you loved to be the center and dance. In this photo I can still hear you saying “Me?!” You were so pleased to be noticed. (this is at Matt & Samantha’s wedding, ignore the bad lighting – it’s a photo of a photo in a frame)

At 3 – you have a wonderful smile and bright eyes.

You really are a joy to have around.

This was the summer you turned 5.

You have always wanted to do what your brother was doing. He was fishing and you wanted to fish so badly too. He found wire, made the shape of a hook & put licorice on the “hook” – you fished for hours by his side and you were so proud.

At 7 – I love this photo of you! You needed to be wearing pants and rubber boots for life – but those didn’t twirl, so you wore a dress too…and a sweatshirt and vest – even though it was not cold. But this is you, in your mind it made sense and there was no changing. I was just happy it looked cute on you!

When you do something, it is usually very thorough and with your whole heart.

This is one of my favorite photos of you. You didn’t want your face in the water – but you needed goggles on. It took you a while to get all of this situated, but once you did you were so content!

You can enjoy the most simple of activities as well. This is you just watching the bubbles float into the sunset and the surfers on the beach.

You are not too proud to love your baby doll, express yourself, or enjoy what is going on at any moment. I was at a moment of heightened stress traveling from Arizona to Alaska (you can read about the day here.), but when I turned around I could find you at a glance and I so appreciate the memory of your laid back, positiveness.

At 8 and a half.

You are beautiful my girl! You still love everything girl, but will go play in the mud in your dress up clothes with no hesitation too.

At 9 and a half…and then there are the times you know you know exactly what you want, and you don’t want to back down or give it up. It took forever to actually track down this pink cowboy hat – but you did come home with it. Our first trip home from Arizona was with the pink tiara, second trip home from Arizona you wore the pink cowboy hat and security still seems to stop us every time! As if they really take me as a serious threat?! These are 10 of my favorite photos of you that each have special memories attached and so thoroughly show who you are.

 

 

(more updates later, but this is just too sweet to not put here tonight)

10:30pm tonight….You were a girly, girl all day, then added the camo face paint after 9pm – you are such a goof – a total dork and we love you just the way you are.

You want to serve, you work hard, you are thorough, and truly helpful.

 I believe today is a day you will never forget. You will never go back to single digits, you received so much love I believe your heart was filled to the brim.

 

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