All Things 'Mom'

Ok, I don't have a ton of time to blog today but I've got some great things to tell you, so, pay attention!! Haha! I'm feeling like all things 'mom' are swirling around me today! Bethany is officially 22 months old! She's two months away from being two! I can't believe it! Sometimes I feel melancholy about them growing up and sometimes, like today, I am thrilled for each milestone reached, each bit of time passing. Let's face it, Bethany's 'babyhood' was a bit of a trial! She tried what she could to get away with anything, she tried (and succeeded) many new things, she tried to be like her big sister, she tried (and usually succeeded) to pull the wool over her daddy's eyes, and she tried her mommy's patience! Oh, and just this morning she tried to get out of her car seat (and almost succeeded) coming home from taking Sissy to school. She calls Savannah Sissy. Savannah wanted her to. Savannah wanted to be a sister for so long that when Bethany came along all she wanted to hear was 'Sissy'. The 'trial' has been worth it!

My mother-in-law sent me some great 'mom' quotes today that she thought I could relate to... oh, yeah, I can relate! She'll get to relate in a few months when we fly back there for vacation and she gets her granddaughters all to herself!

Real mothers know that their kitchen utensils are probably in the sand box

Real mothers often have sticky floors, filthy ovens and happy kids

Real mothers know that dried play-dough doesn't come out of carpet

Real mothers don't want to know what the vacuum just sucked up

Real mothers know to panic when the house is quiet

Yep, that about sums it up! My favorite is the one about the sticky floors and filthy ovens! I cook constantly. My kitchen is always in use. My floors and oven show it. But my family is happy and always wants to know, "What's for dinner?"

The last 'mom' thing to share with you is about an owl. Her name is Molly and she is a barn owl. Her husband (because they can't have babies without being married, duh) is McGee. They just became parents to Max and are awaiting four more owlettes to hatch any day now. A man named Carlos provided an 'owl box' fifteen feet in the air for them and then he put a web cam in too! Children all over the US have been watching and learning all about owls! Ok, you caught me, not just children. When Max was born you would've thought he was my baby. I cried. I can't help but to check in on them every once in a while to see what they're up to. Sometimes Molly stands up to stretch and you can see baby Max! Oh, squeals of delight! McGee brings them food and visits at night. Otherwise, he parks himself in a tree nearby to keep watch. I told you he was her husband. That's what my husband does, anyways. He provides food, protects us in our nest and visits at night.

You can go watch all about Molly, McGee and baby Max (who is soon to be a big brother) at

http://www.ustream.tv/theowlbox it's addicting, your floors will stay sticky and your oven a mess, don't say I didn't warn you.

Good 'Ol Floyd

I was driving home from taking Savannah to school, usually Bethany and I are contemplating the day ahead but this morning I was itching to just listen to some music. Turn on the radio and start surfing... usual stations just not cutting it. I went to a station I don't usually listen to... it's a soft jazz station I only put on when 1) Bethany is screaming in the back seat or 2) the girls are fighting because Savannah is antagonizing her sister and Bethany has lost her temper or 3) I just don't want to know they are back there (come on, admit it... you've done it too).

So, on went the soft jazz station and it was so nice, soft, pleasant. A song came on that just transported me away to another time, another place. It was a song by Floyd Kramer (I waited to hear who it was) all instruments, no vocals. In one moment I was 'mama' heading home to do mundane chores, change diapers, clean, do laundry and the next I was fourteen years old, in a Honda Accord with my parents and my little brother (who would've been eleven) as we drove to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon on vacation. I believe my parents loved Floyd Kramer because they listened to it during the entire drive. No Michael Jackson, Madonna or even Hall and Oats (it was the '80s). Just Floyd Kramer. In the small car with their kids killing each other in the back. We were at the height of our sibling rivalry. He just drove me nuts as I'm sure my teenage self did to him.

I remember the weather was cool and overcast (the North Rim is like being in the mountains, trees and all) and I had on a Members Only jacket (why in Heaven's name would I remember this?) and we stopped to see some deer. Then we headed to the North Rim 'resort' we stayed at. We stayed in an adorable cabin, there were many. I met a friend who was staying there also. She was sweet, we vowed to keep in touch but never did. I think that was also the year we headed to Durango, Colorado. We rode the Durango to Silverton railroad (a three hour train trip up the mountain in open cars being pulled by a coal locomotive). Many years later Hubby and I found a painting of the exact same railroad going up the mountain and it's in our bedroom.

So, I drove home, not quite sure of how I got here because the entire time Floyd Kramer played I was fourteen and fighting with my brother in the Honda. Music is transporting and magical. Thanks Floyd.

So, What's Your Story?

I have been getting to know my bible study group of ladies lately. They're very sweet, Christian sisters who come from all walks of life. One's a former business owner who once had lots of money till this economy took hold, one is mostly deaf but is a practiced lip reader, one is a mom to four and in severe dire straights financially speaking, one is in very poor health with diabetes and has to go to dialysis a few times a week. They all have one thing in common, though. They love the Lord, they trust Him no matter their circumstances and they see the brighter side of their lives because Jesus is their savior.

We all got together at my home last week to just get to know one another better. After I got to ask them all kinds of questions to find out about them they then all wanted to know my 'story'. Well, I filled them in on the, "I'm a mama, a wife, we moved here in August of '08, my Hubby is in law enforcement" stuff. They didn't want to know that stuff. "We already know all of that!" Oh. They want to know me. I'm sometimes not great at telling that. I'm not proud of a lot of it. Yes, it's what brought me to the Lord in the first place but, ugh... it's not pretty. I hesitate to even think about it all, let alone tell it! But then, what if it helps someone? What if my story helps turn someone to the Lord? Isn't it worth it? Yes. It. Is.

I asked Jesus into my life as my Lord and savior when I was 16 and had dealt with teenage 'stuff'. I was in a youth group through church and knew I needed to be saved from myself and needed a savior. My Hubby and I met in our senior year in high school. A year after graduation we were married. He was in the Marine Corps and we moved a lot but amazingly, we always stayed in California! We went to church. He was constantly gone in training and in schools. After 8 years in active duty he decided to leave the corps and join the police department. More training, more schools. We tried for 4 years to have our oldest, Savannah. One of the sweetest moments I ever had with the Lord was when I found out I was pregnant! I was on my knees thanking Him and praising Him. I was crying wonderful tears of joy. Savannah was born and we became parents finally, 8 years into our marriage. A year after her birth our marriage hit the skids. We separated and came very close to divorce. In the midst of our marital strife Hubby was called back to active duty with the Marine Corps due to the war in Iraq looming on the horizon. By then, Savannah was 2 and a half and we had moved back to 'home', the small town I grew up in. On February 23rd, 2003 Hubby left for Iraq. We had done what we could to strengthen our marriage and to have him leave under the best circumstances we could. We were together as a family as Hubby left for war in Iraq. Savannah and I stayed as busy as we could, writing Daddy and being with family as often as we could. She was my little trooper. On April 9th, 2003, coincidentally the same day Saddam Hussein's statue was pulled down in Baghdad, Hubby was shot at the UN building in Baghdad. God uses all kinds of things for His good. Even horrible, bad things, the Lord can use those as His tools, for His good, for His purposes. He doesn't cause the awful things in our lives but He allows them and hopefully those things will cause His children (all of us) to turn to Him in our need. This is exactly what happened with Hubby and I. After Hubby came home (sent home as a casualty of the war; this just means he could no longer fight, not that he was dead!) we made a commitment to one another to put our marriage back together, to not even consider divorce as an option. We made a commitment to God too. My relationship with the Lord became so much closer, so much more intense. I promised to seek His will for my life in everything and only do what His will for me was! Hubby made a full recovery and our marriage began to as well. This is when I really began to have a relationship with God. Our marriage became what it never had been before.

In March of 2008 we were still living in my small hometown when my brother-in-law, a pastor in Colorado called to tell us a family up there was looking for a home for their baby. They knew they could not take care of her, she was the second child they were due to have in a year. She was due in May (two months from then!!), they knew it was a girl and had we ever thought about adoption? Huh? No. We. Never. Thought about adoption. Never. Why? It just never went through our minds. We had Savannah and had hoped for another baby but it just never happened. I had gotten pregnant in '05 but lost that baby. I surprisingly had an easy time getting over that loss. I didn't know why. I had really wanted that baby but it was like God put a heavenly salve over my heart and I grieved quickly. And here we were being asked to consider adoption. We prayed about it but knew that this was our baby. God created her with us in mind. On May 22nd, 2008 our Bethany was born!

That's my story. Believe it or not, it was the short version! There are so many times in my life that I could tell you God used something bad for His good. Learn the lesson quickly, turn your face heavenward and maybe it won't be so bad.

Keep this in mind during your next trial and tribulation.

A Winner!! And she's so deserving!

Congratulations are in order for Myra Lewis who won the HGTV dream home in Santa Fe NM!

I just watched her win and cried for her, tears of joy! Her story is amazing! She had a home in New Orleans that was destroyed in Hurricane Katrina! Just goes to show that God knows exactly what He's doing! I really wanted to win but knew I would be thrilled for the real winner, especially to hear how deserving they would be. The Lord didn't disappoint! I am just as pleased as pie that the new owner of that amazing home, new car and $500,000. is someone so deserving! I will just try next time! You can't win if you don't enter...

We have been busy as a family! Yesterday we went to the Pasadena Rose Bowl Swap meet. I had never been and we went to see Hubby's grandparents. Bethany and Savannah would much rather have been doing something different than walking around looking at "old stuff" (antiques!) with their parents! But they both did have a blast at the park we went to after the swap meet. The weather was beautiful... 75F and not a cloud in the sky! We all had lunch and the girls played with their Uncle Bradley and visited with their great-grandparents. If you live in SoCal and have never been to the Rose Bowl Swap Meet like me, I highly recommend going!

The entire parking lot is filled with dozens and dozens of vendors of antiques. The place is huge! It almost requires 2 days! Bring sunscreen, water and plenty of cash!

One Man's Trash is Another Woman's Treasure

Have you seen it yet? I just found (hey, it's not 'found' unless you know it's there, right?) a great show called American Pickers on the History Channel Monday nights at 9/8c. It features 2 men who go picking (a new word for antique hunting... ok, sometimes it's junk but then it becomes treasure!) all over America finding great antiques to rehab. It's great! Fascinating! I have, myself, been known to tell Hubby on a Saturday afternoon that I need to get away for a bit and head to my favorite antique/junk store in town or even to Goodwill. Many things in my home that people comment on are from these stores! Sometimes I leave things as I find them, sometimes I spray-paint the heck out of them! So, go to American Pickers and get motivated!

I found the White House print at such a store in Solvang (our last name is White) and the small America the Beautiful box next to the cup is actually a music box I found in a shop in Pennsylvania!

When I go looking, I look for my favorite color (red) and for the scale I may need to fill a space.

I don't worry about something not being quite right if I can paint it or change it somehow to make it work! I have different things I love... Americana, cherries, roosters, and polka dots. If I find anything with these elements on it I am likely to make a purchase! Keep these ideas in mind when you go searching and you can't go wrong! And check out American Pickers!

Pictures: top, many things in our downstairs bath are from an antique shop in town like the towl hooks, small lamp and large glass container filled with travel toiletries for guests.

bottom, the White House print and America the Beautiful music box

The Mother of All Tantrums

We had Uncle Bradley over for the weekend and he and Hubby had just worked a few long hours cleaning out the garage after Tahoe and just winter life. You know, you come in from picking up a child at school, it's pouring rain, you shut the garage door and empty the contents of the car onto the bin in the garage with every intention to bring the bin in and put everything away. Then the baby cries, the nine-year-old needs help with homework and Hubby just called on his way home form work and he's starving... what's for dinner Love? So, after many times of this happening the bin had overflowed, coats, gloves, bags, books, toys, socks and shoes (Bethany takes her shoes and socks off in the car; drives me nuts) everywhere. When those boys said they were gettin' to the garage yesterday I just about whooped with joy!

The cleaning was done, it rained the entire day and was cold. Bradley is a die-hard vegetarian. We decided to head to Soup Plantation for dinner. Plus I had a coupon! Now, I love a good coupon but if you join Soup Plantation's Club Veg they email you the best coupons! I used two buy-one-get-one-free coupons! Now, if you're at all excited as I am about saving something then you'll know that most places only let you use one coupon ("this offer may not be combined with any other offers" blah blah blah) and it is rarely for 50% off people! But I got to use two!!!

Dinner for 3 adults, one nine-year-old and a free baby (ok, that sounds funny 'cause she was anything but free!) was $30! I love a good deal!

We had to run to Walmart because we are putting together our disaster preparedness kit (yep, Haiti and then other earthquakes and tsunamis and weird weather pushed Hubby over the edge and we are now planning for our own world to come to an end) and needed bottles of water and various other items. By this point Bethany had hit her wall. We were in Walmart maybe 10 minutes before she began to melt down. It was slow and easy at first. A fuss here, a bit of a scream there, till she just couldn't handle it anymore. She blew like Mount St. Helen's. We were almost done by that point and just needed to head to the front to pay. By that point she was screaming at the top of her lungs and squirming to get out of whoever's arms she was in. She didn't stop. People started looking. Not nice looking either. We got downright dirty looks. And this was in Walmart! It's not like we were in a fancy department store with a piano playing... this was Walmart! As we walking towards the checkout (ok, we were practically running) I was ahead of the rest of the group sort of leading the pack while Hubby held/restrained Bethany. This lady walking near me must've thought I was there by myself because she looked at Bethany and Hubby then at me and smirked and rolled her eyes. I had just had someone near me in the food section hear Bethany scream from an aisle over say, "that's loud, oh brother". I said to that person that yes, we are proud of her lungs. But by the time the other lady rolled her eyes at me I had had enough. I just looked over at her, smiled and said, "she's mine". I could tell she was mortified. Enough said.

Folks, what kind of world are we in that judges parents of a screaming toddler like they have any real control over the situation? These same people would then judge the same parents if they saw the child get the spanking she needed! Well, what would you like us to do? As soon as I could I took Bethany out to the car and "took care of the problem". But that wasn't before a lot of people judged us. We need to remember that we are all humans together! I'm sure all those people who gave dirty looks have never had a child act out in public. See? No judging allowed! PS, the above picture is the calm before the storm

Goodbye, Tahoe

Just when it's hopeless that I will ever get inspired to write again, life hands me inspiration.

My doorbell rang (no it wasn't HGTV telling me I'd won my house, that happens on March 14th, you can watch us on TV! I just know I am the winner...) and I had three very nice, humble hispanic ladies at my door. The one in the front said, "I think you have my little lost dog in your backyard." Yep, Tahoe the Terror Terrier had a home before he 'found' us and it seems that his family has found him. Hubby and I are thrilled (Tahoe is still here with us, we are waiting to see papers and for Hubby to be home Wednesday night). Savannah and Bethany will be a different story, I'm afraid. In our defense, we always told Savannah that we would keep him until his owners came forward. I believe they have. I do believe my house needs a break, though. He has 'christened' every room in his little doggie-boy way, he chews up anything and everything, my garage (his sleeping quarters, yes, with a dog bed) stinks to high heaven and he has driven our baby (a female golden retriever named Sadie with the most gentle personality and sweetest brown eyes) completely crazy.

That all being said, I think I will miss the little Terror just a little. Bethany says his name in such a cute way and I will miss that. I will not want to see Savannah's heart broken, but she will understand... there are 2 little boys who miss their dog. And don't worry, I already lectured the original owner, "He needs to have a secure backyard 'cause he jumps high, if he gets out he will run back here, you must put a tag on his collar because when we found him there wasn't one, he must be inside when it's cold (he's just a baby and he shakes when he's cold) or when it's windy or rainy or even too hot. The garage will be fine. You can't breed him 'cause we fixed him. Besides there are too many dogs at the pounds that need homes. We also got all his shots and the tags to prove it." My lecture went on and on until I could be certain she got the point. I think she did. Responsible pet-ownership takes work. They didn't do their job because we ended up with him even after we put fliers up and drove the neighborhoods. Hubby installed a very high gate enclosure so Tahoe couldn't get out. This lady said her husband was "very busy". So what did I say? I told her once we see papers and my husband is home to help with our daughters' tears then she may, of course, have their dog back. Plus I told her it would give her time to get their backyard secure and to get her house and garage ready. I will be sad to see him go, relieved to be a one-dog family again and praying for his best and his happiness. I'm glad we found him and took care of him. Someone else may have just called the pound.

Here's to Tahoe the Terror Terrier! Whose real name is something in Spanish I can't pronounce but he'll always be 'Tahoe' to us! photo, Tahoe with Uncle Brad watching the Super Bowl