thoughts from the deep recesses

I'm starting to see a light at the end of the tunnel in terms of my busy-ness. Not that I'm anywhere near the end of the tunnel - but I know it's out there... I'm actually beginning to soak in the knowledge that in less than two months, I'm going to have an unusual amount of free time and may actually get to apply some creative energy to my own personal projects . Can you even imagine? Tejan always used to say "Can you imagine, Auntie Cathy?" I totally got my tendency to say that from him. I cannot find my passport. I have been looking for it for weeks in anticipation of a trip to visit Corey next month. I know I had it when I got back from Sierra Leone, because they let me enter the country in Houston. But I can honestly say that was the last time I remember seeing it - or the purple document envelope in which I stored all my important papers for the trip... I really really want to find it. If you believe in prayer, would you toss one up for me that I ...

So yesterday marked the anniversary of the day we said goodbye to Tejan. I've been pondering this milestone for the past month or so... it's an especially hard occasion for me to write about. I struggle with putting my heart down on the page. A friend asked the other day how I was doing with missing T. - did I still miss him each day or had I settled into his absence in a way that it was only an occasional thought - a sort of passing sadness ? I struggled with answering that. Because yes - some days, I'm just fine. And I can even go a whole day without thinking of him as the busy-ness of life takes over and I find myself on auto pilot. But then I remember. Something makes me think of him and I feel horrible guilt over forgetting. I don't want to forget! I want to remember him each and every day and make good on my promise to keep him in my daily prayers... And yes - some days I miss him still so much that I have to steal away to my bedroom and shut the door and just let...

In April of 2003, I was featured in a newspaper article in our local paper in an article about scrapbooking. As a result of that article, I received a phone call from the owner of a small rubber stamp and paper arts store called Apropos. Kathy, the owner, wondered if I would be interested in teaching classes for her. She was wanting to expand her business to include scrapbooking supplies, and needed someone who knew the industry and could teach from a scrapbooker's perspective. Two days before that phone call, I had been talking to my mother on the phone and told her I thought maybe I'd go into a cute little store called Apropos and talk to the owner about maybe teaching for her. The rest, as they say, is history. For five and a half years, I've had the privilege of working for and with Kathy - not only teaching classes, but helping to choose product, make samples, and help gazillions of customers with their paper projects. It's been a dream of a job. I tell people all ...

Woke up to snow this morning. On April 14th. Silly Spokane weather. (Note to self: Change blog banner - it's April 14th, dummy!) BUT - it's supposed to be 70 degrees this weekend. Break out the flip-flops! Been gettin' the urge to spring clean... my closet is a horrible mess and desperately needs purging. One of these days - soon - I've got to get in there and clear it out. Gracie's leg is still bothering her. I'm a-feared we're going to have to have surgery. $800 surgery to be exact. Ugh. The vet thinks it's a torn ACL. And it's not healing. Ugh again. Getting excited about the Farm Chicks show in June... anyone want to join me for a fun girl's day out? Making a date with myself for Monday... it's the one year anniversary since T. left. Going to take myself down to the river for a nice long walk... time to reflect and pray and ponder and celebrate the ways God has changed me in the past year. More on this later... Just finished reading An E...

If you have a half hour, this is a heartbreaking and eye-opening documentary about the plight of the capital of Sierra Leone, Freetown. It certainly helps direct my prayers...

Oh, people - if I could transport you all here and take you back in time, I'd love to bring you back to yesterday. It was so sunny and glorious, Gracie and I spent the day going in and out the slider to the back deck. Inside the house to do some chores but then back out as soon as possible to sit on the deck and drink in the sunshine. It was actually WARM out there. Amazing what a little sunshine can do for one's soul. I even got to hang the clothes out on the clothesline. What bliss! Of course, this happens every spring in Spokane - an early warm day or two and we're all excited and thinking it's summer. But there's more cold in the forecast and I wouldn't be surprised at ALL to see more snow falling here and there. It's just WAY too early to get out the summer skirts and shorts. I know that. But it was SUCH a lovely day and I'll take whatever I can get. I took Gracie for her first walk in three weeks last night. She has a torn ACL in her back left ...

We woke up to four new inches of snow this morning... this chart is from Monday - so now I imagine our total for this year will be close to 97 or 98 inches. They measure it at the airport, which is at a lower elevation than our house, so it's always less out there... I say we should just go ahead and get 100 inches. Why not? At this point, we might as well try. And THEN spring can come.

I really cannot stand mispronunciation. Like when someone calls Mod Podge 'modge podge'. It makes me cringe and want to scream. I never correct strangers who make mispronunciation mistakes, but I really want to. Or when people add an 's' to something - like "I need to go to Safeways because they're having a good sale on bananas this week." Yikes. I hate that. We woke up to 2 inches of snow on the ground this morning. Seriously. Could someone just tell the weather that it's Spring? So it's Spring Break here this week. Usually the kids and I head over to Astoria for Spring Break... but not this year. I'm already missing it. I have to be at Weight Watcher's training on Thursday and it was just too much to try to fit in a quick trip. I had to say no to our annual trek. Boo-hoo. That said, I am going to take the kids across the border to beautiful Coeur D'Alene tomorrow - where we'll stay in a hotel and see a movie and go out to din...

I'm just swamped, people. Between training for Weight Watchers, class samples, blogging for Memory Box and trying to stay on top of housework and feeding my brood, there just isn't any time to write. I'm sorry. Life is SO crazy. I miss it. And I miss the community I've had here. So if you're stopping by to see if I've updated, would you just say hello? I'd love to hear it. Smooches, friends.

Early spring in Spokane isn't really very spring-ish. There are no flowers blooming. The grass is brown, where you can see it beneath the snow. Yes, there is still snow out there. But today, I'm celebrating. Because the spring will come. The flowers will bloom. My dogwood will recover from being buried up to it's neck all winter and flush out in the most brilliant pink. The daffodils will push up through the frozen ground and be bright and yellow next to my garage. The sun will eventually be paired again with it's companion, warmth . I will walk through these last grey days Spokane - and while winter tries to assert itself past it's expiration date, I defy it. Today, it is spring.

Last week Savannah and Ethan were both cast in their school's Missoula Children's Theater production of Red Riding Hood. Savannah was cast as Mother Hood and the Grandmother, and Ethan was Robin Hood - the Hood family's cousin from England. After five days of intense rehearsing, (four and a half hours every day after school) they were ready for two shows on Saturday afternoon. It was so fun for them. And fun for me, as I was one of two parent volunteers with the privilege of being at every rehearsal. I come from my own childhood experience of many opportunities with theater and musicals, so watching them experience the thrill of performing was awesome. It was an amazing week. I'm so glad they had the chance to do it. I loved that instead of having to commit to weeks and weeks of rehearsals, they just had to do this one really intense week. A full scale musical production without a month of rehearsing and I didn't have to sew any costumes! That's my kind of pla...

We have been looking for a new table since we finished remodeling our kitchen. Over three years ago. We finally found one. I love it. It feels really grown up. I was SO over the oak table we bought when the kids were little. It was so thrashed. We found this one at World Market. It's makin' me happy today.

If you're a scrapbooker, you should head over to my Memory Box blog and check out the contest I've got going over there. It's a doozie! Paper Amour Better yet, join in the fun and maybe you'll win $100 worth of Memory Box products!

This adorable little boy registered for high school this week. I know it's so cliche, but if you're surrounded by diapers and have toys all over your floor and are still trying to figure out what to do with yourself during those couple of precious hours called nap time, HOLD ON! Savor every moment. Because, I promise you, you are going to blink and then open your eyes and realize you are down to the last four years... Four years to instill every last bit of information and instruction and encouragement and love - and in those four years they'll be out the door more than in. The first slide of the presentation at 'Parent's Welcome to Highschool night' said "Welcome, class of 2013!" Four years. I just can't believe it.

"C.O.T.N. Sierra Leone Upper Banta Mokelleh N-Golala, Moyamba Chiefdom January 8, 2009 Dear Auntie Cathy, How are you? I hope you are doing fine and well. May God continue to bless you so much and give you a life worthy. Thank you for sending the Christmas gifts for me, I really appreciate it and I thank you so much. Also I want to thank you so much for the wonderful book you sent for me "Diary of a Wimpy Kid". I love that book so much and I have read the book! You bought the first one when I was there with you and you also send me the 2 - that was great and I also appreciate it. Please, I really really want you to give a big hug to Uncle Asia, Kyler, Savannah, Ethan and Gracie. I just want to give them a Merry Christmas, although Christmas time is past. Oh - how is Gracie? I hope she is doing fine without me. Auntie Cathy, I am always praying for all of you - for God's success to flow upon you all. I saw the pictures you sent for me. I hope you are having a fun time...

My new blog at Memory Box is up and running... Go here and click on Paper Amour. That's me! Yay for getting paid to make stuff and blog about it!

You know those expensive little packets of dried onion soup mix that are such a great addition to so many recipes? Here. You can now make your own! Homemade Onion Soup Mix Ingredients: 3/4 cup dried minced onion 1/3 cup beef bouillon (powdered) 4 tsp onion powder 1/4 tsp crushed celery seed 1/4 tsp sugar Directions: Mix ingredients together then store in an airtight container. Use 2 TBS per 1 cup boiling water. Recipe makes approximately 1 cup dried onion soup mix. 5 Tablespoons is equivalent to 1 package store bought mix. I'm so ALL over this.

Like Quiznos subs? Go here for a coupon for a free one! Like Jack in the Box tacos? Go here ! (Two free tacos Tuesday, February 24th only.) (I used to live on Jack in the Box tacos.) Speaking of Quiznos and Jack in the Box, I got hired by Weight Watcher's last week - first to be a receptionist, then 24 hours later, to be a leader! I've got oodles of paper work to fill out and a training in Portland in early April. Come May, I'll be leading my own meeting! Savannah's been fighting laryngitis this week - she was home from school yesterday and has been running a low fever for a few days. Hope none of the rest of us catch it. We've been so healthy so far this winter. ***knock on wood*** Watch here for the addition of 'Paper Amour'. It's my new gig designing and blogging for Memory Box - a wonderful rubber stamp and paper company out of Seattle. My blog should be up and running in the next couple of days. So yes, when you add Weight Watchers and Memory Box ...

So in Spokane, everyone starts feeling a little crazy come mid-February. It's still really cold outside. And in most cases, there's still tons of snow on the ground. And everyone gets a little stir crazy. So yesterday, in an effort to get out of the house and have some family time, we went on a taste testing extravaganza of local Spokane cheeseburgers. First we went to Dairy Queen. Single cheeseburger - mustard and ketchup only please. Then Sonic. Dicks, Jack in the Box, and D'Lish. We ended at D'Lish because it's in the downtown mall and there would be someplace warm to sit and eat. I cut the burgers into five equal pieces. Then we tasted. And commented. And discussed the subtle nuances of hamburger preparation and condiment distribution. The verdict? The best cheeseburger in Spokane can be found at Sonic. (By a long shot.) The worst? Dairy Queen. Can you say cardboard? (Then we came home and spent the afternoon playing with Wii fit, which we had bought before we ...