being real

i want to thank all of you who responded to my question about the focus of my blog. the concensus seems to be to include more of what life is like with josiah and michael, the challenges, the good, bad and ugly. not one of you were scared off, for which i am thankful. at least none that commented ...

i have not intentionally painted a rosy picture, i'm just a private person, and conscious of what i put on this blog is (potentially) out there for all the world to see. i will still be conscious of how i portray our life, cuz i don't want to dishonor michael, nor embarrass my family. but you will probably hear more of the quirks that we deal with as a family with 2 members who have very different disabilities and one crazy woman who tries to hold the family together. with God's strength, we live this life of challenges and adventures.

Great Quote from Virginia

did i ever tell you that i'm a fiction writer wannabe? yes, its true. i have a tweens fantasy about dragons swirling thru my mind. so when i found this quote i couldn't keep it to myself. its just too good. it has to be shared.


not an actual pic of my own room

A woman must have money and a room of her own if she is to write fiction.

Virginia Woolf

(and a cat doesn't hurt either)



not an actual pic of my cat

A Special Day

today is a special day. no, not becuz i'm posting twice! but becuz its my mum's b-day.



i love my mum. and we are great friends. i enjoy her company and when we get together we like to go photo shooting. my mum has had a camera in hand to capture pics for as long as i can remember. i can remember suffering thru slide shows as a child, tho now as an adult i want to inherit all those slides and pics she has captured over that last several decades. she has an eye for color, design and form that hopefully has been passed on to me.



my mum is also a published author and continues to write even in her retirement years. i hope she's passed on some of her talent in this venue too. she is disciplined (i am not) and focused. i admire her and have seen her accomplish things others only dream of.



my mum taught for many years before she retired and with her teaching and writing has been able to travel the world. she has gone to china, taiwan, jamaica, germany, belgium, england and other far away places. i hope someday to travel and love seeing the pictures that she took in her travels.



my mum has also been a rock for me during times of trial and grief. she was the first one i called when michael fell and she drove me up to the hospital and helped me find my way. she listened to me vent and complain when i lost a baby girl at 19 weeks pregnant a month before michael's accident. she didn't judge me cuz i was mad at God for not preventing the still birth. she has hugged me and held me when my world was rocked beyond my comprehension. and i love her for that.

so today, on her birthday, i want to let the world know, i want to honor her on her special day, and i want to yell at the top of my lungs HAPPY BIRTHDAY MUM!!!

yippee its wed!

hello bloggy friends,
today is wed---yippee! that means its time for word filled wed where i share a scripture and a photo. i love doing this every week, and i love sharing what i create with you. todays verse is from matt 7:7 "Ask and it shall be given to you, seek and you shall find, knock and it shall be opened to you. For every one who asks receives and he who seeks finds and to him who knocks it shall be opened."



i love this promise that the Lord gives us. our part is to pray: to seek, ask and knock, and He delivers. i am feeling the need to expand my prayer life and this is a good reminder that my prayers don't fall on deaf ears. what am i not recieving becuz i'm not asking? peace? self control? joy? love? for we know that if we ask according to His will, He will give it to us. (i'm not talking about selfish desires here that He may not want for my life).

thanks to amydeanne over at 160 acre woods for hosting our WFW every wed.

question for my faithful readers???

i know i have a couple of you that pop in here to read whats been going on at challenges and adventures on a regular basis. and i am so thankful for that, otherwise i'd feel like the old, homeless man in the grocery store talking out loud to myself and the soup can. but that's besides the point ...

for those of you who do come by this part of bloggyland, i'd like some input. as most of you know we have a special son who has Angelman Syndrome or AS, tho not to be confused with AS/Aspergers/Autism. and most of you know that my hubby had an accident and is now legally blind/visually impaired and more cranky than he used to be---ooops! maybe you didn't know that last part.

i don't delve into alot of details about living with 2 males with disabilites, and i don't share alot of my own personal grief/emotions/ and issues, but i have noticed that i do enjoy reading others who have blogs that do share more about the disabilities that they experience with family members. so .... would you, as a reader, be more interested/less interesterd/doesn't matter if i included more about our issues. i guess i've hesitated cuz i didn't want to come across as a downer or use this blog as my venting space. leave me a comment, and tell me why if you choose the more or less interested option, please!

thanks peeps! i appreciate all who read and esp all those that comment. we bloggers LOVE comments!!!

catching up ...

did you know that getting on facebook can really put a dent into your blogging time? i feel like i've been neglecting my blog(s) and don't like that one bit! not one bit!!! so i'm resolved to spend a little less time playing around on facebook and a bit more time writing the intelligent, deep, humorous, suspenseful posts that i'm SO well known for--HA! well, maybe just some random ramblings will sufice.

how was your weekend? ours was good. we spent a minimal amount of time at circuit city, you know the store that has announced its going out of biz. we saw overpriced merchandise marked down 10%. what's up with that? i thot when you went out of biz you wanted to get rid of the stuff. you know, marked down say 50% or more! sigh ...

then we went to costco and looked around. we were actually there to get our son his pizza fix for the weekend. didn't find anything we couldn't live without, but did note a couple items for future purchases. and we ran into a friend from our former town--so fun! she was demonstrating a product so we chatted for a bit, til a customer came and claimed her attention.

church was good as usual. one interesting tidbit pastor shared was that the average attender comes 3 weeks out of every 5. i'm sure that average includes times when families are sick, on vacation, snowed in, the elderly who are recooperating from surgery or something. but still, that really suprised me. i guess cuz i live with a husband who insists on going every week, come h*ll or highwater!

yesterday afternoon, the hubster took #1 son to see the new kevin james movie: mall cop. both he and joe enjoyed it. and i enjoyed having the house to myself and working on valentine cards. crafting is my therapy. i absolutely love it. and tho its not nec cheap, its probably cheaper than seeing a therapist every week at $90 a pop. so thank you hubby! for giving me a gift of time to dabble in my crafts. he's a good man.

now today is the beginning of a new week. things on the to-do list beckoning me, laundry piles needing to be washed, dried and folded, food to be made, dishes to be washed, and people to be loved on.

have a wonderful week, peeps. i will be posting so come back soon.

National Pie Day ... A Day Late

how did i miss it? did you know that yesterday was nat'l pie day? neither did i, til just now. waaaaaaaaaah, waaaaaaaaaaaaaaah, waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah! now that i got that out of my system guess i'll just have to make up for it by baking a pie tonite. i'm sure i have some ingredients that would make a good pie of some sort. tho i'm not sure what flavor it will be ...

let's try to remember to celebrate next year ,,,, on TIME .... k? ok. deal.

WFW another rerun ...

Ps 39:7 and so Lord, where do i put my hope? my only hope is in you.

i love this verse, in fact i love any verse that talks about putting my trust and hope in the Lord. it makes me feel so secure, cuz He is worthy of my hope and trust. and He alone is the only one who can DO anything about my situation that i'm hoping will change.

sorry this is a rerun verse and pic, but i'm lame. i was so tired when i was sitting down to do a new one that i chucked that idea and went to bed instead. so enjoy this one instead.

3 weeks into the year ...

2 . 0 . 0 . 9 (revisited)

as i wrote 3 weeks ago, i like to set resolutions and goals. i'm into writing down stuff, but i lack in the follow thru department. can i hear an "amen" from the gallery?? and this year is no exception. here are my 4 goals i put down on paper (and this blog). i thot by keeping it to 4 it would be more doable ...

this year as i look ahead, i am resolved to eat better. eat healthy. carve out some healthy b'fast's and lunches for myself.

i'm resolved to workout at the Y. to try a yoga class. to try a pilates class. and to get moving on the treadmill or in the pool: 4x a week.

i'm resolving to continue to declutter. i have been decluttering for 2 years now. a slow process, but a good one. and one i have seen success with.

and i'm resolving to get into the Word. DAILY. a hard one for me, but a necessary one. and i know that God will help me succeed.

i am disappointed to say that i'm not doing well in any of the 4 categories. i blame it on still having hubby around. today was his first day back to school. can we all sigh a huge sigh of relief in unison? so i feel like the last 3 weeks we have still been on vacation. and i haven't been in my regular routine. but even if he had gone to school earlier,like everyone else did, i probably would still be limping around not getting much done on my goals.

so blogging friends, help me out here. how do you keep your goals in front of you? how do you make headway on whatever you have set out to do? and how do you make those things a habit, a way of life when you finally decide to change?

i'm not giving up, i'm not even starting over. i am plowing ahead focused on my resolutions and praying the Lord gives me strength to succeed.

Fondue & Cards

sat night we dropped the #1 son off at the babysitters and headed over to our friends for some fondue---yum! yum! and a friendly game of pinnochle. we started off the evening with shrimp cocktail and a glass of wine spritzer, then moved onto the cheese fondue with yummy bread and apples. after the eating was over and the bellies stuffed, the girls wiped out the competion by helping the men go set and dig themselves into a big hole. we took pity on them later on in the game and let them catch up a little.

no pics of the fun night, not becuz i didn't have my camera, which i did. but it never saw the light of the party cuz i was having so much fun, i didn't even think of it! how's that for a lame blogger? we could have partied farther into the night, but we had curfew and there is this thing called church on sunday morning.

all in all tho, it was a great time of good conversation, good food and joyful noise. i think i could get used to doing this more often.

how bout you? when was the last time you dropped off the kiddos at the babysitters and went out with your honey? do tell!

oh give thanks to the Lord

i love this verse for thankful thursday. "oh give thanks to the Lord, call upon His name; make known His deeds among the peoples" ps 105:1 not only the part about giving thanks, but making known what He has done. spread it around! and thats exactly what we do here on thankful thursday--we share what we're thankful for--what God has done in our lives. isn't that great?

for me, i'm so thankful for my family. my son is funny, giggly these days and so fun to be around. he comes home happy and even if we're not having his fav, pizza, he still laughs and smiles. my husband and i are best friends, we enjoy one anothers company. we have great talks and pray together and spur one another on to love and good deeds. and i'm thankful i can be a stay at home mom. i'm a homebody. i love being here, whether blogging, reading, crafting or in the kitchen. i also love getting out and shopping for my family, taking walks, meeting with friends and going to bible study. all this the Lord has allowed me to do and i am thankful.

i'm thankful for my extended family, my mom, sisters and brother and their spouses and kids. i love having a tightknit family who keeps in touch, visits as time and money allow and are pursuing their faith in Christ. i'm thankful that they have taken our son with all his idioscincrisies and needs, into their hearts and lives.

and i am thankful for our church and church family who have embraced us. our pastor who preaches the Word. for our worship that adores the Lord. for all these things i am thankful to the Lord Jesus Christ who has made all these things possible in my life.

how bout you? what are you thankful for? want to join us thankful bloggers over at grace alone ... you'll be blest

another dog???

when we had to find daisy, our jack russell terrier, a new home cuz we were moving, i thot that we were done with dogs. since the loss of my beloved spunkie who we had had for 16 years when we were first married and who was simply the BEST. DOG. EVER. we have tried to replace her. not a great idea. and none of the dogs ever measured up, tho daisy was a great dog and probably the closest to her supreme forerunner, spunky.

not only did i finally realize that we were never going to find another "spunky", but our family just really didn't have time for another dog. and it was just too painful to find these dogs a new home.

but my thinking has slowly been changing this christmas season. each time we see a cute commercial with a dog in it (and there are plenty), josiah signs dog. i usually talk to him about dogs when he signs, which his speech therapist has told me is great to do with non-verbal children. and then earlier this fall i had a picture of daisy on the blog and whenever josiah saw her picture he would sign dog.

one day last week when josiah saw a dog and signed, i asked him if he wanted another dog. he nodded his head emphatically. i was actually suprised that he was so sure. he and daisy had a love/hate relationship. he had a hard time learning to be gentle with her, and she would nip at him to get him to back off. there were no permanent wounds and i always stepped in to break them up.

so i continued to ask joe at different moments whether he wanted a dog. each time he said yes, i knew this wasn't a passing fancy. why i was suprised was riduculous, as its a well know fact that kids with Angelman Syndrome LOVE dogs.

so i talked to hubby and told him that i thot we might have to consider getting a dog after he graduates and we get into a real house again. he agreed with my reasoning, which also suprised me.

then hubby took joe to see marley & me to give me a break on sat. hubby came home raving about the movie. he wished i had gone along to watch it, but since i knew how it ended i didn't really want to. and i know if we get another dog at some point, i know there will be an ending to the dog that i don't really want to go there either. sigh ...

i love dogs, but i just don't know if i'm emotionally ready to get another one, knowing that they only live so long ... thankfully, we dont' have to make a decision til hubby graduates and we move out of these "no dogs allowed" apts. maybe by then, i'll know~~~

Monday @ the simple woman's daybook

good morning all my lovely readers!

its a new week and i'm ready to jump into the fray. weekends are hard for me cuz i have both boys home and if we're not just hanging out, we're going somewhere. therefore i don't have alot of time cleaning up, doing extra projects or computer time. but come monday morning all that changes. this is the last full week of hubby's school break so we'll be doing some fun things, but i'm also getting into my new year routine.



FOR TODAY January 12, 09 ...

Outside my window... its a cold, winter morning. 90% of the snow is gone, tho there is still snow on the foothills around the city. looking forward to a fresh snowfall sometime soon.

I am thinking... about how to best accomplish those projects i want to tackle this week.

I am thankful for ... our pastor at church, who preaches the Word, even when it is a hard thing to hear. and that he doesn't apologize for the message, but instead steers the flock to responding to the Lord in humility.

From the kitchen... remnants of brownies made over the weekend, a new recipe of bread to be made this week, and dirty dishes that show we are well fed.

I am wearing... my fav jeans, plum short sleeve shirt and my wonderful pink and charcoal felted slippers my friend created for me for my b-day---oo la la! they are the best.

I am creating... i'm mulling over how to create a visual reminder for my word for the year which is contentment and which i wrote about here and here. i have the picture frame i want to use, just not sure how i'm going to put it all together. i also finished up 7 crafted paper cards for my sis's belated Christmas gift. i really like how they turned out.

I am going... with hubby back to our town where we moved from, 2 hours away on wed. to visit friends. i miss my friends!

I am reading... lots of blogs! and blogs on how to make a really good blog for others to read. i'm also reading crafting and sewing books (more like skimming). have so many projects i want to tackle!

I am hoping... for energy! for good sleep this week. for hope! for contentment! for joy!

I am hearing... #1 son watching dvd with cute songs on it.

Around the house... a mess! gotta clean up the fun left over from the weekend.

One of my favorite things... hearing my son laugh and "get it" when he's watching a video/dvd/show. he has such a great, laugh out loud, chuckle.

A few plans for the rest of the week: besides our day trip, date nite on sat (already lined up the babysitter), trip to library, haircut--long overdue! get back to the Y and workout, knitting, reading, cleaning house, bread making, experiment with a few recipes.

Here is picture thought I am sharing ...



this is a pic i found on the web that i used on my post about contentment. this kitty just evokes being content to me. isn't she just sweet?

peggy over at the simple woman daybook hosts these daybook entries every week. come on over and see what the fun is all about!

Games People Play

hubby and i have always been game players. we enjoy group games as well as games just for the two of us. we've recently resurrected our habit of playing backgammon. early in our marriage, before #1 son came along, we played a game or two of backgammon every evening after dinner. this year, hubby comes home midday from school, we eat lunch and we play our game. we stick with one a day. and we don't actually play backgammon, but a variation of the game called acey-deucey. there's a bit more luck involved which is either great (if you're winning) or awful (if you're losing) and can change the winds of the game at any moment!



when we're with other couples we enjoy playing pinnocle, a great card game. we've also played hearts, and spades. one couple that we know always seems to have a new card game to show us how to play. which means they know how to play and we don't. guess who wins? every time???



if we're visiting hubby's family we'll play sequence, mexican train, or pinocchle if its just the inlaws and us. can't really play pinocchle with more than 4 people. my mother-in-law and i make a great team and win over the guys alot.

how bout you? i noticed around the blogosphere that lots of folks play games over Christmas and New Years. i even saw some games that i had never heard of before. i'm feeling the urge to learn some new games to play. so, what do you and your spouse like to play? what games do you play when you're with a big group?

Nat'l Delurking Week

did you know that there is a nat'l delurking week for us bloggers and commenters? well there is. and this week is it!

so lurkers, this is your opportunity! delurk today!!

i know i have a few lurkers who come every so often. and i know i have some one time visitors who flit thru, either way, take a moment and leave a comment. and you will no longer be labeled as a lurker by me.

think i'll get any comments with this lame post? maybe not ...

great quote

i gotta remember this! in fact, i needed to hear this last month, last year, and last century!!! i've been trying to be gen mgr for WAY too long ... sigh

For peace of mind, resign as general manager of the universe.

— Anonymous

Word Filled Wednesday

Word Filled Wednesday is here again. thanks to amydeanne who hosts this wonderful event every week. but today i was not prepared with a new pic and verse so i'm bringing you one from my archives. an oldie, but goodie. enjoy!

Blogs: How Many Do You Read?

how many blogs do you read regularly? 3? 8? 10? 20? how many is too many? do you read all the blogs you highlight on your blogroll?

these were the questions flitting thru my brain tonite, as i scanned my blogroll for new content and realized that some blogs i skip and should really take off my blogroll. these aren't the only blogs i read. i also have blogs in my favorites folder. i also have bloglines, but don't check in there very often. i like actually going to the blogs and seeing the photos, colors, widgets, etc

so if i spend a couple hours reading 20+ blogs on the weekend, is that too much? anyone know someone who reads 30 or more blogs on a regular basis?

and how do you choose which blogs to read? what if you find a really great blog--do you add it to your blogrolls? what does a blog have to have to make the cut for you?

i'd love to know. leave me some comment love. i'll come visit your blog, if you do.

My Word for 2009

last week i was thinking of what word to choose for 2009. a couple came to mind that were wonderful. but they didn't quite fit right. i would have loved to have chosen them, cuz they were upbeat, fun kind of words. like hope, or joy. and tho, i do want those attributes in my life. i knew the word for this year would be a more challenging word, a stretching kind of word. cuz that's the kind of person i am.

and so as i continued to contemplate what word to pick, it came to me. for me, for this year, for this season in my life, the word contentment came to me. i want to be content. i want to live with more contentment. i want to purposefully be content with where i am. as opposed to being discontent and whiny and grumpy. i want to embrace this year. hubby is in school, #1 son is in 4th grade special needs class, we are living in a small college apt in boise. we don't have alot of extra money. but you know, we do have alot of good things in our lives. i want to dwell on the good and not the bad. what we do have, not what we don't have. and even as i set goals for myself and strive to do better, be better, i want to be content.

here are some pics i found on the web that speak contentment to me. enjoy!

Happy Anniversary Honey

no, its not our wedding anniversary. that comes in June. its another kind of anniversary. its the 6th year anniversary of when hubby decided to "fly". it was an ordinary day, like any other. hubby had been climbing trees for a living for over a decade. he knew what he was doing. but somehow, someway, that day his belt didnt click into the thing-y (ya, i'm quite the writer!) and he fell backwards, down, down, down about 35 feet. landing on his back and side he tore his aorta and tore up his lung on the right (i think?) side. he flatlined on the way to the trauma center. he was in a coma for about 10 days and when he woke up he was 90% blind.

but its a happy anniversary, cuz he was knocking on heaven's gates and God said "no, boy, your time isn't yet." and i'm so thankful to have my honey still in the land of the living. for me, yes, i'm selfish that way. for our son, who loves his daddy so much! and for everyone who sees what a miracle my hubby is. he is my walking miracle.

several docs who saw him 2 months after the accident said they were pleased, but terrifically suprised that he had actually made it. and when he asked the eye doc why you don't hear about the kind of blindness he has, the doc relied: becuz most people who have the kind of blood loss that hubby sustained, die!

and so today we celebrate michael, my husband, my partner, my friend. we celebrate that his life continues. that God had a hand on his life 6 years ago while he was lying in the ICU in Seattle. with many hundreds of believers praying for him. God gave him a second chance.


michael--we celebrate YOU! i'm so glad God didn't take you to heaven on that day.

The steps of a man are established by the Lord; and He delights in his way. When he falls, he shall not be hurled headlong; because the Lord is the One who holds his hand. Ps 37:23-24

New Years Meme

i found this meme on nicole's blog 60 piggies. i like how she introduced her use of the meme. so being a shameless stealer of memes here's what she said: "it (08) was a good one. so good, in fact, that i'm going to meme it, 'cause there's nothing like a vapid meme to round out an otherwise decent year."

1. What did you do in 2008 that you'd never done before?
nothing comes to mind. oh boy, this might be a rather boring meme!

2. Did you keep your New Years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
sort of, and yes! i always make resolutions.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
one of my nieces had a baby boy this month! cutie pie!

4. Did anyone close to you die?
no, for which i'm thankful

5. What countries did you visit?
none, unless you count the one i live in???

6. What would you like to have in 2009 that you lacked in 2008?
more contentment with where i am in life. this season of life. and a svelte, fit body would be great too.

7. What date from 2008 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
my memory doesn't have any etchings on it. maybe the day we moved to boise???

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
staying sane, in the midst of insane moments.

9. What was your biggest failure?
not being in the Word more. and praying diligently.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
YES ... i got a bout of virtigo that landed me in the ER. i couldn't stand up without throwing up for 3 days. and even after getting meds and fluids it didn't go away for 6 months. that was something else.

11. What was the best thing you bought?
we had to replace my wedding band. we found a wonderful silver band that suits me. i love it.

(i skipped some dumb questions)

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
the political season, dumb as that may seem. i just got caught up in the hype.

16. What song(s) will always remind you of 2008?
none come to mind. they all run together in my mind.


18. What do you wish you'd done more of?
played with my son, reading, situps

19. What do you wish you'd done less of?
sleeping, moaning, running down rabbit trails ...

21. Where did you begin the year; and where will you end it?
began it in our little house in twin, wondering what 08 would hold, and ended it in boise, continuing on with this student life season we are in.

22. Did you fall in love in 2008?
i assume the writer of this meme was thinking of her single friends. i for one, am married to my love. i think the falling part is over, and we are in the remaining, working on being in love part. being in love is much harder than falling in love. but its a good thing. being in love, being comfortable, being honest and open. showing love. being romantic. not taking one another for granted.

24. What was your favorite TV program?
chuck (monday nites!), burn notice and a new one leverage.

26. What was the best book you read?
none, i'm lame! i didn't read anything or rather i didn't finish reading any books. i did read a few mysteries, but nothing i'd say was the best.

27. What was your greatest musical discovery?
again, i'm lame! i do like casting crowns. and my hubby brought home some brazillian music that we are really enjoying.

28. What did you want and get?
a happy family, a good place in boise, a new car to replace our poor van that got crunched, a good home for daisy.

29. What did you want and not get?
peace on earth, end to world hunger, an electric car, a clone of myself, the 27 hour day ... oh, and a 6 mo cruise around the world.

30. What was your favorite film of this year?
hmmm, that's a hard one. but i really like quantum solace. yea, lets go with that.

31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
well, let's see. hubby took me out for coffee. then we went shopping, then out for a quick lunch, then home to recover. then we took the boy with us and met my brother and sis in law for pizza. came home and hubby had made me a choc cake. it's all about the food on my b-day! and i don't divulge my age anymore. lets just say i haven't seen my 20's for a long while now!

32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
being less of a control freak. being more prepared for the move.

33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2008?
what fashion concept? jeans, barefoot, t-shirts. that's about it. shoes when i have to go outside.

34. What kept you sane?
i had a great counselor in twin, who i miss very much. walking on the treadmill, sunshine, good friends who listen, my sister cindi, and the Lord God Almighty.

35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
sarah palin--love her! still do!

36. What political issue stirred you the most?
unfortunately its not on the front pages, but the slavery problem we have in the world. we have more slaves now than ever in the history of the world. and these are not volunteery slaves. they have been tricked, captured, dragged into slavery.

38. Who was the best new person you met?
we've met so many new people here in boise, i couldn't pick. looking forward to making some new long life friends.

39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2008:
if you don't have health insurance, don't get sick.

40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:
"wake me up before you go, go" (from an old 80's song)

thanks for being a part of my life. happy 2009, folks.