New Graphics

I just had to change up my blog a bit. Still not sure if I like it, but I think I'll leave it for a bit. What do you think? Love it? Hate it? Don't Care?

New Bike for Josiah???

Since last fall, I have had a picture of an adaptive bicycle that we would like to buy for Josiah on the sidebar of this blog. Its the one up at the top of this post if you haven't seen it before. Because its for special needs kiddos and adults there isn't as much demand for it as for regular bikes, so the price is quite a bit higher than a bike off the rack of the local "shopmart". And out of the price range for our cash strapped, starving student family. But ever since I found this bike on the internet, I have been dreaming of family bike rides on the Boise greenbelt this spring and summer.

I have been brainstorming for months on how I can get my hands on this bike for Josiah. Not being much into fundraising, or begging on the street corner, Josiah's service coordinator and I came up with the idea of applying for it thru a special group here in Idaho called the Family Support Fund. This fund is for families who have special needs kiddos to help them with things that will help their kiddos in life, whether it be respite, adapted equipment, or whatever.

So tomorrow I am taking my paperwork over to the agency and handing it in. Hoping and praying that they give the "ok" and the funds, to purchase this bike for #1 son. And why, do you ask, am I sharing all this with you, my treasured reader? Because I have a request. Yes, I'm not above begging for favors from my readers. If, and only if, you believe in praying to the God Almighty and Jesus Christ, His son, would you send up a prayer that the people who approve or deny these requests, would decide to approve this application for a bike for Josiah? See, that wasn't too much to ask, was it? If it was, just go along your way, I don't want to hear about it. I can only handle so much rejection in one day. And I think I've reached my quota for today.

But if you do pray, leave me a comment. And Josiah and I thank you from the bottom of our little, thumping hearts. I'll let you all know whether he's getting the bike or not, when I find out.

Taken: The Movie

Hubby and I had some alone time on Presidents Day, so we went out for coffee and then saw the movie "Taken". Wow! We knew it was going to be fast paced action flick from the previews. And I had read another bloggers take on it, so I knew that it deals with the sex slave trafficking business. But I wasn't prepared for the singular, no holds barred devotion and love of a father, his raging wrath for those who have taken his daughter.

After a career in gov't service, being a "preventer of bad things", and being away from home more often than not,the father, Bryan is trying to reestablish his relationship with his 17 yr old daughter Kimmie. Kimmie, on the other hand, is all about fun and travel with her friend Amanda. They have cooked up a plan to visit Paris, but Bryan knows the dark side of Europe and isn't too excited about the idea. Since she's a minor, his daughter needs his permission to go. He finally agrees with conditions. A phone call every night, and he gets to drive her to the airport.

The trouble starts when Kimmie's friend, Amanda, decides a guy they meet is cute, they share a ride in a taxi (letting him know where they live), telling him they are there all alone in the apt, and generally being too free with information.

That afternoon, the thugs arrive, break in and the girls are "taken". Coincidentally, Kimmie is on her international cell phone with dad when the thugs break in. He gets important info through the cell phone, that helps him start tracking the girls in efforts to bring his daughter back home.

The rest of the movie is how Bryan uses his set of skills he learned in his gov't job in tracking down and defeating the bad guys. There is lots of fighting and lots of bad guys get killed. It shows women drugged and enslaved in the sex trafficking arena. Very heartbreaking to know that this really does go on in our world. But I appreciate this movie for being willing to shed some light on an injustice that needs to be addressed, and dealt with.

Towards the end of the movie, when Bryan is zeroing in where Kimmie is at, Bryan breaks into a lavish mansion where a prominent Parissean business man auctions off women. He finds the auction, but before he can find Kimmie, he gets caught. After an ingenious escape, Bryan comes face to face with the business man. During the fight, which Bryan is obviously winning, the man pleads with Bryan telling him, "Man, it was just business, it wasn't personal!" to which Bryan replies, "to me, it was all personal!"

That phrase, resonnated with me throughout the rest of the movie. In the end, Bryan saves Kimmie and they go home together. It has a happy ending, to a horrifying experience. But for me, I kept thinking about Bryan's love for his daughter. His ruthless drive to find his daughter and protect her from the thugs of the world who would do her harm. Tho I doubt the movie makers intended to draw this conclusion, I came away from the movie thinking about our Father's love for us, His children, His creation. I thought of how He must have felt when the serpent, Satan, enticed Adam and Eve to eat the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. I thought of how our Lord loved us so much, that He pursued us with a righteous love to save us from ultimate destruction. And how He is pursuing the enemy with righteous wrath until the day when Satan is thrown into the lake of fire.

I've always enjoyed good guys vs bad guys movies, and good vs evil. Seeing a father portrayed like Bryan, gives me a broader picture of what love looks like. Our Father God isn't just a lovey-dovey, mushy God. No, there is a side to Him that is righteous anger, wrath and venegence. Not against me, not against His children, but against the enemy who would rob Him of relationship with us. And that, in a weird way, comforts me. Knowing that God is willing to fight for my soul, willing to sacrifice His son for a restored relationship with me brings me to my knees.

If you would like to know more about what Christians are doing to combat the slave trafficking and sex slave business, my blogger friend tracey has info and links on her blog. Whether or not, you choose to get involved, please pray for the victims, and pray that the perpetrators of this awful, inhumane act will be stopped and brought to justice.

Thanks for Praying

Thanks for praying for me this weekend. I started feeling better yesterday, and today feel like I'm back to my ol' self. Except for the fact that we didn't get much sleep. Everyone went to bed on time, but the hubster woke up at 2:30am and got up. Then #1 son woke up shortly before 4am. He kept stirring, so I got him up, changed him and tried to snuggle him back to sleep. Didn't work. So we watched 'toons for awhile. I think I finally decided I was up for good around 5:30am.

We went to church which was good. And I didn't even fall asleep during the message. Once we got home tho, the hubster and I hit the napzone. We turned on some cartoons for #1 son, sandwiched him in between us in our king size bed, and while he watched spongebob squarepants and other mindnumbing visual treats, the hubster and I napped.

So I'm ready for a new week. As promised I have a post almost ready to go. And several others swirling in my head, just waiting for my fingers to have some time to flit over the keys.

Til then, have a wonderful day, peeps!

I'm Sick of Being Sick

I'm so sick of being sick. It started out with a tickle in my throat and a cough and has now grown into alternating chills and fever, aches, and headache along with the afore mentioned symptoms. On top of that, my #1 son started throwing up last night. After a couple hours of that, and several changes of clothes and linens he was able to sleep.

The bummer is that I have a great post that I want to finish and share with you, but it is going to have to wait til I feel better. There are no creative thoughts in my brain at the moment. I'm headed back to bed.

Any prayers would be appreciated. See ya on the other side, peeps!

Psalms 5 for Word Filled Wednesday

If you're a frequent reader of Challenges and Adventures, you know I have a love affair going with WFW. So today here is another of my creations. This little kitty showed up at our house last year. We saw her off and on for a few days and then nothing. It was kind of fun to have her around, even for a short time.



I love this verse. It is an encouragement to me to be more intentional in my prayer life. And I love how it says that the psalmist waits expectantly for an answer. I want to be like that too.

Amy Deanne hosts WFW each Wednesday. If you like what I do here, go visit Amy Deanne to find more bloggers who participate in WFW.

Did you know ....

... that February is National Low-Vision Awareness Month? I didn't know either until I stumbled upon that little tidbit on a disability site I visit. When I saw that, my antenae immedietely perked up. You see, Michael has low-vision, partial blindness, legally blind, whatever you want to call it. Since he hasn't always been this way, there has been a huge learning curve for me, and for him these past 6 years.

Just this past week, I again, left open a cupboard door in the kitchen and he smacked his face right into it--ouch! I still say "here!" and poor guy, he has no idea what I'm talking about. I use gestures he can't see, I glare at him--which is probably a good thing he can't see, most of the time. It has taken me a long time to really realize how much he doesn't see.

Michael has done remarkedly well, considering. He has learned to take his time and slowly scan an area when he needs to. He has learned to be content being driven around by his wife and others. His backseat driving has even lessened over the last 6 years. When we walk into a darkened movie theatre, he holds onto my shoulder as his eyes adjust to the darkness. Dark rooms of any type are a real bane to his life.

We tend to avoid crowds now. State fairs, malls, even the church lobby can cause havoc with people rushing hither and thither. We, sighted ones, can be so assuming that others see just like us. Expecting everyone to have peripheral vision and see what's coming up on the side of them, or the toddler who is right underneath our feet. Unfortunately, that is not always the case. I have tried to convince Michael to wear a patch over his bad eye or to use his white cane in those instances, but to no avail. Don't ya think he'd be ruggedly handsome with a black eye patch? aka one those pirates from the movie Pirates of the Caribbean? ya, I thought so too.

We are thankful that he still has some sight left and is able to read, watch tv, see Josiah grow up and see my smiles. I am proud of his determination in school, even tho he reads so much slower than before.

That's just a little glimpse into our lives, living with a member who has low-vision.

Happy Valentine's Day

Happy

Valentine's

Day

to you and your loved ones.

Night or Nite? Thru or Through?

Well, it has come to my attention that if I want to be a serious blogger, I need to clean up my spelling and grammar. I do know how to spell. I was an English major after all. But all these years, I have written using no capitals unless I was referencing the Lord God. It was a unique identifier that I enjoyed, along with mispelling a few chosen words. But now, I must act like the professional writer I hope to become. Sigh ....

Now, maybe my husband, mother and brother will be able to read my blog without cringing. My husband recently told me he was boycotting my blog as it just hurt too much to read it. The trials, we creative types, have to put up with!

If I slip back into my old habits, don't hate me for it. Just know I'm a recovering individualist who likes to be unusual. Guess I'll have to find some other unique identifier now. Maybe I could create a brand new language??? No, too taxing and time consuming. If you think of anything creative, let me know. Maybe we'll start a brand new trend together.

Word Filled Wednesday

today is wednesday and you know what that means! its time for another word filled wed pic and verse. i just love wed, don't you?




todays verse is from colossians--one of my fav books of the bible. "Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart" Col 4:2. isn't that great? i think it sums it up nicely. have a thankful heart as you pray, that'll keep the grumbling and complaining at bay, and also have an alert mind--be mindful of what you pray for, be conscious of what's going on around in the world and in your life and others so we can pray for them as well.

i know i want to be more purposeful in my prayerlife. starting today.

if you like photos and scripture, head on over to amy deanne's place, the 160 acre woods and check out all the other bloggers who are sharing a photo and a scripture today. you'll be blessed.

does that early bird really catch any worms? or is he just faking it?

today is the first day of the new scheduled wake up time. i need to preface this post by saying: I AM NOT A MORNING PERSON!!! did you get that? if i could i'd sleep in late and stay up late, but unfortunately, the world is run by those crazy types like my husband who don't need an alarm clock and bound out of bed anywhere between 4-6 am!!! crazy, i tell ya!

but i digress. on the plane ride over to seattle i had an hour and a half to myself. to read, to think, to doodle .... it was wonderful. so i set about planning what priorities i need to adjust. after writing down all that i want to accomplish as my roles of wife, mother, and Christ follower, it was clear to me that my days of sleeping in and lounging in bed were numbered. so i told hubs when i got home, that i was going to start setting the alarm clock for 6:30am! its not even light out then, but a girls gotta make some sacrifices in life, ya know?

so last nite as i was getting ready for bed, i headed over to the alarm clock. but i just couldn't do it. 6:30 just seemed too ... too ... EARLY! so i cheated and set it for 6:42am. i figure i'll get used to that for a few days and then set it for that unseemly hour of 6:30. sigh ....

well, the alarm went off and after hubby reminding me to get up 5 minutes later, i struggled to put my feet on the ground. i stumbled out to the cold kitchen floor to start my espresso machine (yes, i'm from seattle! i must have my espresso!) thankfully, it takes awahile to make my coffee so i had a chance to rest my eyes and slowly wake up. slow is good at 6:53am.

so all this to say: i am making it a priority and a goal to wake up early each week day. weekends will be a whole 'nuther matter. but i need help. will you keep me accountable? will you check in and ask me how i'm doing? will you pray for me to fight the urge to crawl back in bed once the boys are gone? i know i'm not strong enough to do this on my own. but with God's help, and your prayers i can conquer this lifelong habit of sleep!

home again

i'm back home! and how lovely that is. i spent 6 hours traveling to the airport, waiting at the airport, in the airplane, and traveling away from the airport. but it was better than driving 9 hours by myself. and, that time could have been cut down by an hour or more as the flight was delayed 30 minutes as we sat on the tarmack, and traffic wasn't bad from my mom's to the airport so the extra time we alloted wasn't really necessary.

my son got home an hour after i got home so when i went out to greet him he was overjoyed to see mom was already home! he must have gave me 10 hugs in the first 5 minutes alone. he squealed and squeaked with delight. i could tell he was happy to see me, and i was happy to see him too.

since hubby and son were not home when i arrived home, i was able to unpack my bags, throw in a load of laundry in the washing machine, and clean up all the papers, markers, toys and other misc items strewn around the house. my hubby is a good dad, but good housekeeper he is not! he gets a pass tho, cuz he probably didn't even see it anyway. one of the benefits of limited vision. he's not expected to do much around the house.

i'll share more later about my time with my mom, but for now i just wanted to check in and let my readers know that i am back. and i am happy to be home again. its a good thing!

WFW Ps93

The Lord reigns!

isn't that a wonderful, reassuring statement? the verse goes on to say that the Lord is clothed with majesty and strength. what a beautiful image. i can't wait to see the Lord in all His glory. i know i will be hitting the deck face first, bowing down to worship Him. the verse ends with telling us that His throne has been established from of old, and He is from everlasting! what a solid foundation, what a secure empire, what an established kingdom He has invited us to share in.

i hope you are blessed this wed. amy deanne hosts our wfw over at 160 acre woods
and i'm having a lovely time with my mum this week.

Leavin' on a Jet Plane ....

i'm flying to Seattle to visit my mum for a few days. i am SO EXCITED!!! you see, not only do i get to go. but i'm going without my boys. i am leaving my "troubles" behind for a few days! (tho i would never say my boys are trouble!) and i get to have some girl-y time with my mum and maybe see my sisters to boot.

when i approached hubby about doing this he was easy going and said sure! now i'm feeling a bit guilty cuz i know what a handful our #1 son can be for michael. yes, joe will be in school and also has his afternoon therapy program, but its still alot to ask of michael. hence, feeling guilty. but on the other hand, i know this is what i need. some alone time with my mum. some time to be around another adult talking about adult things and not having the responsibilities of being wife and mom.

my mum and i are going to work on blogging and website kind of stuff, maybe do some photoshooting, reading, chatting and enjoy our time together. i'm going to help her with a few computer glitches she has, not that i have all the answers, but i think i can help.

i'll be taking some good books along to read, some knitting to work on, and maybe a craft project or two. we'll have to see ... i always think i'm going to have more down time than i really end up having.

i don't know how much blogging i'll do while i'm away. i do have my WFW pic ready to go, so hopefully i'll remember to post that. so if you don't see any new posts in the next week, just think of me cavorting around in drizzly Seattle with my mum. when i get back i'm sure i'll have lots to share and pics to show off. and i appreciate any prayer--i really don't like take offs and landings, but everything in between is usually fine.

so here i go, humming that tune "leavin' on a jet plane, don't know when i'll be back again!"

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.