The Zoesphere

To blog or not to blog? That is the question

2010-06-15T11:37:00.000-07:00

I had to quit this blog for a while because of some personal issues I was going through. In a nut shell, I just found it more helpful to turn to personal journaling for a while to work through some things and avoid the public platform for a while. But I miss blogging, and I'm thinking about getting started again. Thinking ...

Little A turns 7

2010-02-03T09:16:00.000-08:00

Once there was a girl named Little A,
Who was celebrating her 7th birthday.
She got up early and woke her mom and her dad,
It was the most exciting day she ever had.
Her parents and sister gave her a Nintendo DS,
And her Daddy made her a special breakfast.
They dressed her up in special clothes,
And wondered at how fast their baby grows.
Happy Birthday to our baby girl, now seven,
We're so glad you were sent to us from Heaven.

Weekend pictures

2010-01-31T17:33:00.000-08:00

Here's an "after" shot of the shelves!" You can see we have hung World War II photos of our grandfathers and great uncles next to the shelves, and we have filled the curio cabinet to the right full of mementos from B's grandfathers' careers in the federal prison system (which were a great part of B's heritage). The office is finally starting to take shape.

Here's a photo of our "Snow Angel" that Big A took out during the big snow storm last Friday. Don't you love how she's sticking out her tongue to catch snow flakes?

Birthday photos

2010-01-26T08:58:00.000-08:00

This is my birthday present from B and my inlaws -- a bookcase for the office. It is from WoodYou Furniture. It's pine, and you get a deal because you stain the wood yourself. We had it in the house for about a minute before Riley claimed it as her new home.

Birthday celebration number one: Best friends from college S and J came over with their kids and brought Olive Garden for lunch!

We all grew up and multiplied!

B gets to work on staining bookcase. Birthday weekend project that is not yet complete. (Quite a job with all those coats of polywhateveryoucallit required.)

Sunday evening birthday party at inlaws involves tirimisu, eclairs and pecan tassies. LOVE!

The bookcase is coming right along!

My 37th birthday ... and the 37th anniversary of Roe v. Wade

2010-01-24T08:22:00.000-08:00

Today is my 37th birthday. It is also the 37th anniversary week of Roe v. Wade (January 22, 1973). It's always been sad for me that my birthday came just hours after this baby-slaughtering legislation became law in America.

For today, I'd just like to ask that if you honor the sanctity of human life, and if you would like to honor my birthday, please do something in the name of LIFE this week.

This Sunday is Sanctity of Human Life in the Assemblies of God. Here are two great articles from the Pentecostal Evangel (the weekly A/G magazine). One is on the abortion deception, the other is on a great organization that is doing something to make a difference in the lives of women who are suffering with the difficult dilemma of an unexpected or unwanted pregnancy.

Abortion Deception

Promoting Life One Woman at a Time

There is something else I would like to say. There may be people I know, friends, maybe even family members, who made the difficult choice of abortion and are living with the scars today. Please don't think that because I feel so strongly in my pro-life stance that I believe there is not forgiveness for those who have made this choice. The Lord has much grace for every sin, and so do I. I don't think less of anyone who has sin in their past -- Lord knows I have sin in my past, and I have it in my life every day. We are all a work in progress.

The Bible teaches that all sin is sin (whether it is gossip, slander, theft, murder, etc). God does not grade it on a scale. The most important tenet of Christianity is forgiveness and restoration for all those who ask Jesus for it. I hope dearly that my zeal to save the lives of babies does not come across as judgment against those who have already made the choice. For those who have had abortions, what I wish for you is healing in the name of Jesus. And for those who might find themselves considering it, please walk into a Pregnancy Care Center and learn that there are options -- your baby can be saved. People will help you. And you can go on with your life.

I guess I just felt compelled to say all that this morning. I'm not speaking to anyone in particular. I don't know anyone personally who's ever come to me and said, "I had an abortion." But if they did, I would say, "Have you asked God to forgive you and heal your scars? Let's get you some help. Because I love you, and God loves you."

Let's heal women and save babies. That's my passion, and it is reignited every time my birthday rolls around.

Mr. Brown goes to Washington

2010-01-20T09:57:00.000-08:00

What an encouraging night in American politics. What an irony that the Senate seat which would undo the super majority in Congress would be that of Ted Kennedy's. Obama went to Washington on a high, thinking he could do anything he wanted,started printing money left and right in late-night secret meetings that he promised would never happen ... And even ultra-liberal Massachusetts said, "No way. We will not have this in America."

Brown was a real class act during his interview with Meredith Viera on the Today Show this morning.

Analysis by CNN: Brown's win changes political narrative for 2010

Having fun during the snow break

2010-01-09T08:04:00.000-08:00

The girls have had five days off of school due to the snow and extreme, dangerously cold weather. Because of said weather, they can't even get outside to play in the snow, so they've been cooped up all week. The babysitter and the girls have been creative in finding fun inside activities. Here's some fun photos of the Spa Day that Big A and Big K put on for the little girls:

Narnia commeth

2010-01-08T06:46:00.000-08:00

Apparently we live in Narnia now. I should have known it when we moved in to a house with this lamp post:

The high in Narnia today should reach 8. But don't let that fool you, as the wind chill will only get to -20. That's MINUS rhymes with LINUS.

Skip, our horse in the barn, is starting to look an awful lot like Tumnus, and I believe he spoke last night, asking to be let into the house. I'm pretty sure I just saw the White Witch in the front yard, or was that a snow-covered ever green?

On writing

2010-01-06T10:29:00.000-08:00

"Writing gives you the illusion of control, and then you realize it's just an illusion, that people are going to bring their own stuff into it."

---David Sedaris, interview in Louisville Courier-Journal, June 5, 2005

American writer

I get these "daily quotes" on my gmail homepage every day. I love this one from today. I think it describes bloggers in particular. I think it describes ME in particular. Blogs give wanna-be-writers a platform to say what we think and feel about something, and it makes absolute sense to us when we say it. So much so that it's incredulous, disappointing, even sometimes hurtful when we realize that a reader has taken what we said and filtered it through their own views and experience and suddenly what seems like brilliance to us turns out to be something we wish we hadn't written at all.

I don't know if that's what David Sedaris meant by his quote. I don't even know who David Sedaris is. But it spoke to me. Writers aren't different from other people in the sense that they have the same experiences, the same thoughts, the same relationships that all people have. What makes writers different is that we dare to share them and even have the audacity to try to teach somebody something, or make them laugh, or make them think, by sharing these experiences, thoughts and feelings.

But words can be dangerous. It doesn't always work out the way we mean it to. Sometimes that makes me think I shouldn't write at all. Then I sleep it off and try again the next day ...

Winter wonderland

2010-01-05T08:04:00.000-08:00

Here's a photo of campus taken yesterday. We've had about 5 inches of snow and this morning it was a whopping ZERO degrees with a wind chill of who knows what. It's beautiful but fffffrrrrreeeeeeeeeeezzzzzing here in Middle America right now!

The kids were supposed to go back to school today, but it was canceled due to "inclement weather." Around here, 5 inches of snow will cancel school (heck, 2 inches of snow will cancel school) unlike Utah where I grew up. There we had regular 12-plus-inch snowfalls regularly and I had not a day of canceled school in 12 years! Out here snow is rare and they don't have near the equipment or resources to deal with it (we also generally get ice with snow -- not something Utah gets). We also live in a very rural district, and though they eventually get main roads scraped off, it's impossible to make all the bus routes safe.

So Big A and Little A and Angel the puppy are having a play day with the sitter again today. And here I sit at work, amid this beautiful winter wonderland.

I resolve

2010-01-04T10:08:00.000-08:00

Some years I make New Year's Resolutions. Some years I don't bother. But when I make them, I really do try to keep them. My friend S and I like to come up with a theme for each year. The one I remember best was 2006: "Extreme Makeover Ashli Edition." At the end of that year I lamented to S that I didn't feel I'd lived up to my theme. S reminded me that I had actually started my own business and quit my day job that year. So yeah, I lived up to it.

I do have many failed resolutions, but I like to think of the successful ones. Like in 2007 when I resolved to lose 15 pounds. I lost 30. (OK, so maybe I've gained 10ish back over the last year, but still ...)

Last year, I didn't have a resolution. But I did have a prayer: We prayed (and asked friends to pray with us) that the flood house situation would be resolved by March 18 (the one-year anniversary of the flood). God answers prayer! Just a couple weeks after we started praying that way, the county contacted us with a new plan. We had their buy out offer by the end of February. As I said, God answers prayer! It turned out to be a pretty big year.

So this year, I really have some important resolutions. Goals I am serious about. For accountability's sake (both personal accountability and public accounability) I'll share them here:

I resolve to lose those 10 pounds again.
I resolve to make a budget every single month and work with all my might to stick to it.
I resolve to use a kinder tone of voice with my family when I am stressed.
I resolve to blog. Regularly. All three blogs.
I resolve to plan a less-busy schedule for my family.
I resolve to plan a family vacation and to visit my extended family in Utah this year (two trips).
I resolve to stop resolving and start doing.

This year's theme: "Resolutions. And I mean it."

Defining moments of 2009

2010-01-02T13:02:00.000-08:00

I know I am a few days late for this post, but I've been trying for that long to figure what I wanted to say. What were the best moments of 2009 (thankfully there were many)? What were the worst moments of 2009 (thankfully there were few)?

I finally decided that there really were two defining moments of the past year -- events that literally changed my year and altered my history.

Unbelievably, they happened on the same day.

It was a Sunday in late February. Strangely I do not remember the exact date. I could figure it out if I did a little searching through last year's calendar, but I don't think the exact date really matters.

Defining moment #1:
As I said it was a Sunday. It was just after midnight, so it was VERY early on that Sunday. B and I had just arrived home with Big A from a JBQ Tournament in St. Louis. It had been a very long trip, as the weather was treacherous and a bad accident had shut down the highway for hours. We were exhausted. Still, we flipped through the mail to see what had come in over the few days we were gone.

And there it was. A package from the county. We knew it would contain an offer for them to buy out the flood property that had plagued us for almost a year. We were all nervous as we opened it, because the number they offered would mean everything to us. Would it be enough to pay off the mortgage? Would it be enough to make it worthwhile to sell the property, or would we have to rebuild? Would the contents of that package signal an end to our nightmare?

The answer was incredible. The amount was more than we hoped and prayed for. Enough to pay off the mortgage and good chunk of the rest of our debt ... and still more for a down payment on a new house. The county had been more than fair, offering us fair-market PRE-flood value. The value before the housing market tanked. The deal would also allow us to keep our insurance money, which had been another unknown piece of the puzzle.

Even though it would be a few months before the deal was done and we had the money in hand, that was definitely THE defining moment of the year. We were able to stop living in the unknown and start making actual decisions about our future. Our financial issues were solved at that point. It was our proof that even terrible stories have happy endings.

So we had our moment and then we went to bed. And later than morning, we woke up and soon faced what would be ...

Defining Moment #2
Later that morning I took a home pregnancy test. Even though I was on the pill, I had reason to suspect I might be pregnant. B and I had discussed the possibility for a day or two. I decided it was time to find out.

It was positive. For a few minutes I was upset. This hadn't been in the plans at all. B wasn't upset; he was only excited. It took a few minutes for me to catch up, but I did. It doesn't take a mother very long to fall in love with her baby.

That was a defining moment because it changed our view of the make-up of our family. I realized I had room in my heart for another child. We realized that something we thought we didn't want was actually something we wanted very much.

That moment changed me instantly forever. And it set me up for the greatest sadness so far of my life: miscarrying at 11 weeks and having a D&C. Until that point, I didn't know I could be so sad. Upset? Yes, I knew upset. Stress? Yes, I knew stress. Anger? Yes, I knew anger. But I didn't really know sadness until this happened to me.

These are the two moments that defined my 2009. Now it's onward and upward to 2010.

Uncle Eddie the Ed's Guitar Lessons

2009-12-30T07:42:00.000-08:00

I have another Christmas story for you. This one illustrates how much my brothers understand, love and care for my girls -- even though they live so far apart and only see them once a year. You might think the distance would mean the girls don't know their far away uncles and aunts. Why, the aunts (my bother's way cool wives) have only even seen the girls a handful of times. But physical distance has not hampered their relationships with the girls. It does a mother's heart good.

So last summer my Little A wrote a letter to her Uncle Eddie. In the letter, written and spelled ever so adorably as only a 5-year-old could do), she asked him to come to our house and teach her to play the guitar (she calls it a "kitar.") It was so darn cute, I knew it would just kill Uncle Eddie to get the letter and have to tell her no, he couldn't come right now.

What he did was call her and promise her that he would find a way to teach her the kitar ... and he made good on his promise. And my other brother got involved as well.

First, Uncle Craig and Aunt Beckah gave her a kitar for Christmas. Just the kind my Little A would love -- all pink and sparkly and just her size.

Then she had a present from Uncle Eddie. He recorded her his own DVD teaching how to play. He even had a full-size pink kitar to teach her with!!! I'm told my father found that pink kitar, so the whole family got involved in the project.

The video is so cute and funny, and it just melts my heart. I have the best family in the whole world!!! Thank you all for granting Little A's wish and caring for us so much.

Here she is after opening the DVD. The look on her face says it all.

Christmas in review

2009-12-28T21:15:00.000-08:00

There is so much to remember about this Christmas. For all of us, I think the most special part was simply being in our new home for the holidays. This Christmas gave new meaning to the phrase, "I'll be home for Christmas." What a blessing it was. I recently went back and read last year's Christmas letter where I wrote about the uncertainty we were facing. A year ago we had no idea how ... or even if ... the flood situation would resolve. We didn't know if we'd have a home by Christmas 2009. And we certainly didn't expect things to end as wonderfully as they did. We never would have guessed that we'd spend Christmas in this house. We are truly thankful. We enjoyed the decorating (OK, we still had some of the traditional fighting involved in getting a house decorated for Christmas, but we still enjoyed it!)

We invited guests over several times during the season, trying to make the most out of enjoying our home for Christmas. We started with our "adopted students" from EU -- we all enjoyed a traditional Christmas dinner one Sunday afternoon before they wrapped up the semester and headed home for the holidays.

We also had some younger guests -- my friend J and her little ones dropped by with goodies one afternoon.

Of course we attended the annual Christmas party at Daddy's work -- where we ate very well and saw Santa! This is one of the girls' favorite parts of Christmas. For Big A it is the fried chicken they always serve. For Little A it's the Barbie doll that Santa gives to each little girl.

We also attended a Christmas banquet at my work, followed by a wonderful Christmas concert. But somehow I failed to get photos of that event.

The biggest Christmas shindig we hosted was our LifeGroup Christmas party. What a fun night! Rather than exchange gifts with each other, we had each child pick out a new pair of pajamas for children at Isabel's House, a local crisis nursery. We also collected a variety of other toiletry items to donate. During the party, the kids all made cards for residents at Isabel's House. My kids and I drove out there on the 23rd to deliver our gifts, and we were able to talk to employees for a while and learn all about Isabel's House. It was very interesting, and it was a great opportunity for Big A and Little A to understand the need that exists for so many children in our world -- even so close to home.

In addition to working on the Isabel's House project, our LifeGroup party included lots of eating and laughing, and playing Catchphrase (the BEST party game!) Here are some photos from that evening:

Of course it wouldn't be Christmas without our annual cookie decorating party on the 23rd -- those are the girls' best friends, Big K and Little N :-)

Finally Christmas Eve arrived. And Big A and Little A were in for a VERY BIG surprise! Around 10 a.m., Santa made a surprise stop at our house to deliver a gift so special it could not be left over night. The girls must have been very good this year ... because their gift was a SHIH TZU PUPPY!

We named her Angel Noel, in honor of Christmas. We call her Angel. And isn't this baby just the most angelic little creature you ever did see?

On Christmas Eve we packed up Angel and piled in the car with all of our gifts for B's family and headed over the river and through the woods to grandmother's house. We had a wonderful dinner and time with the family, and we were all spoiled rotten by Grandma and Papa. They got us a fire pit for our rock porch (YAY!) and lots of other great stuff. The girls were delighted with their gifts. Little A says her favorite was a Madame Alexander doll named Gracie and her clothes (specifically: "The pony shirt and fancy jeans!") Big A's favorite was a big art kit with drawing paper and a new Nintendo DS game.

Here's a picture of Grandma and Papa with the grandkids.

Late on Christmas Eve, we gathered back in our living room by the tree as we always do to read the Christmas story from the Bible and pray together as a family. Before we nestled the little ones all snug in their beds, there was another surprise in store for us. My mom and dad had sent us a card with instructions to open it on Christmas Eve. We opened the card and I began to read a letter that made me blubber and cry so much that I couldn't possibly have thought to take a photo of the moment. The news was that my parents are going to pay for both of my brothers and their wives, and our niece London, to come out to see us this year.

Christmas could have stopped at that moment and it would have been perfect. I can't thank my parents enough for this incredible gift. And I can't wait to show the gang our new home. We live far too many miles apart, and the distance is agonizing.

You can't top the Christmas gift of our Savior being born 2,000 years ago and the promise that we'll live with Him in the future, but a close second-best gift is the gift of family for today.

So as I said, Christmas *could have* stopped right there ... but it didn't. We woke up to many delights on Christmas morning.

That's the end of this year's Christmas review. See ya in 2010!

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-22T10:36:00.001-08:00

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Getting political again

2009-12-19T14:29:00.000-08:00

I remember in college when I was a freshman, I made a comment in an American government class about party politics. I said that I believed in "voting for the man" and not "the party."

The way my professor responded changed my view of politics entirely. He explained that despite a man's (legislator's/woman's) best intentions, that in our political system the party controls the man (legislator/woman). You can vote for "the man" every time, but in the end, his party will control his vote. This plays out time and time again in American politics. Though it sounds very altruistic to believe that "the man" will vote his conscious, It doesn't happen that way. What's altruistic is not realistic.

What happened with Sen. Ben Nelson of Nebraska is a perfect example of my professor's lesson that day.

I wonder how much he was threatened.

Christmas is a Christian holiday -- U.N. liberals say so

2009-12-07T07:17:00.000-08:00

There's always a paradox in the way non-religious liberals attack Christianity. (NOTE: I am not calling all liberals non-religious. I am clarifying which liberals I am talking about.)

Contradictions can be found in most of their arguments. This one hit me today -- Bah Humbug, Christmas Trees not allowed at Climate Conference. The U.N. has banned Christmas trees from the world's largest climate conference, citing the fact that a religious holiday should not be acknowledged at a U.N. event, basing the argument on the fact that Christmas is, in face, a religious holiday.

I have very often read articles and quotes from non-religious types, who blame Christians for "taking over" a secular holiday. They claim the celebration of the winter solstice was stolen by Christians who are just trying to take every holiday away from them and make it religious.

So I wonder why these liberal types who say Christmas isn't even Christian would ban the Christmas tree. After all, the Christmas tree is really a secular symbol. They are not, say, banning nativity scenes from the conference.

I know Christmas, CHRISTmas, is a sacred, religious Christian holiday. But many non-religious types (I dare say who are all at the helm of this conference) say it's not. It's a celebration of the winter solstice. So if that's true, why ban the Christmas tree?

I think I will hold on to this article for the next time I read about how Christmas was never supposed to be Christian. Because now they've acknowledged that in fact it is.

Just thinkin...

$55 car repair? Just kidding

2009-11-18T06:42:00.001-08:00

You didn't really think they would fix my car for $55 did you?

First quote: $55
Final bill: $214
Working from home the day they fixed it: Priceless

Fall fun

2009-11-17T06:49:00.000-08:00

Over the weekend we had two beautiful 70-degree days. The kids played their little hearts out in the great outdoors, enjoying the yard -- climbing trees, playing with the dog, riding their bikes and scooter. I enjoyed it from my front porch swing and felt incredibly happy and blessed.

The beautiful weekend quickly morphed into a 40-degree, rainy and drizzly Monday, which morphed into an even yuckier Tuesday. And wouldn't ya know it ... the heater quit working on my car over the weekend! Thank the Lord it's just a $55 fix (switch). All in all, life is good. The weather now has me feeling Christmas crazy. They announced our Christmas bonuses (and a whopping 2 percent raise) yesterday (but hey, in an economy where so many are getting no raises and one out of ten workers have no job at all, I'm quite thankful for a bonus and a raise.) So bring on the winter weather and the Christmas shopping! Until then, here's a picture of the little monkeys playing in the yard.

Fun with EU students

2009-11-13T07:13:00.000-08:00

Last weekend we had six EU students over for a big dinner and game night. I remember my college days when it felt so good to spend an evening out of the dorms -- in a real home with a home-cooked meal and enjoying some family time. College kids are great fun to hang out with. And Big A and Little A just love having the "big kids" pay attention to them.

The girls helped me prepare a nice meal. On the menu: brisket, Texas potatoes, corn casserole, green beans, Jell-O salad, rolls and Big A's famous pumpkin cake. We even had cider brewing in the crock put. YUM! We then played a Cranium. It was a fun night. More fun because my team won. (To be fair, I should admit that I had a secret weapon on my team: Big A!)

Little A and CATS

2009-11-12T08:27:00.000-08:00

Little A started her adventure in CATS yesterday. CATS stands for Curriculum for Academically Talented Students. It is the "gifted" program in our school district. The program takes her out of the regular classroom one day a week. She is one of seven students in her CATS class. There are two first-graders (one is Little A) and five second-graders. Aside from a rather traumatic lunch period -- because she did not like eating with "big kids" -- she loved it. They are studying "great thinkers" right now in CATS. Yesterday they learned about the Wright Brothers and learned all about airplanes and flight. They made several different airplane models, did experiments, etc. It sounds like it will be a lot of fun for her. (Even though she currently says she's not going back due to the little lunch issue ... I think we can get past that.)

Little House on the Prairie ... The Musical!

2009-11-09T06:49:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, thanks to Grandma D, we were able to go see the Broadway production of Little House on the Prairie the Musical, starring Melissa Gilbert as "Ma." It was fantastic. It was such a treat, and it was a wonderful gift from Grandma. Our family just loves Little House. B and I begin reading the books to Big A when she was about 4 and a half. It was when Little A was born, and I was looking for something quiet I could do with Big A to keep her occupied while I was rocking and nursing the new baby. I had been looking forward to reading the books with her since the day she was born, but I wasn't sure if, at age 4, she would have the patience or comprehension skills for chapter books yet.

Well, she did! We read through all seven of the books right in a row. One day she asked me to make her a calico dress. Being that I can't even sew on a button (I'm no Ma!), I wasn't sure what to do. But Papa P saved the day when he paid a friend's mother to make her two. She has been wearing those dresses now for six years. They just used to be almost floor length and now they are knee length. She says she has worn them as long as Mary and Laura had to wear their calico dresses! In fact the dress she is wearing in the Halloween post below is one of those dresses.

The farm where Laura and Almanzo raised Rose is about an hour from our house. We've taken Big A there a couple of time. We also own most of the Little House on the Prairie TV shows on DVD and watch them regularly.

We are, in every sense of the word, a "Little House" family. So, yesterday was really special for us. If Little House the musical comes to your town, go see it ... it's well worth the ticket price! Thanks again, Grandma!

Job advice from Big A

2009-11-07T13:37:00.000-08:00

My 11-year-old just said to me,

"Mom, if you ever want to be an inventor or a saleswoman, here is what you must know. The job of an inventor or a saleswoman is not to meet needs, but to create needs." Woah. I always knew she would write a book some day. But I think she may be ready now.

The perfect fall weekend

2009-11-06T12:30:00.000-08:00

Halloween weekend was perfect. B and I had a little (belated) anniversary getaway, and the girls spent the night with Grandma and Papa. We picked them up just in time to take them to the big "10-31" party at church. Big A dressed up as Mary Ingalls and Little A was Pocahontas. They got plenty of candy at church, so we bypassed trick-or-treating. Since we live out in the country, we really don't have a good place to go anyway. Little A played her first game of Scrabble that evening. The only trouble spot of the night was when Big A BEAT Mom and Dad at Scrabble. We were not trying to let her win. It was not pretty. This is war kid! Here are some pictures.

Taurus trouble no more

2009-11-05T06:49:00.000-08:00

I have very nice co-workers who wanted to make sure that I don't have any more trouble finding my car in the parking lot at work ... this is what I found when I got to my car yesterday afternoon. Obviously, by the lighting, this photo was taken this morning. Sadly, I didn't have the camera yesterday.

Too many brown Tauruses

2009-11-04T07:21:00.000-08:00

Yesterday when I left work, I got into the wrong brown Taurus. I sat in the driver’s seat and thought that it was suspiciously clean. So I looked in the back for the booster seat and ballet bag, and at that point I realized I was in the wrong car. But I forgave myself when I realized there were two brown Tauruses (Taurasi) parked next to each other. And so I got into the next one. But it wasn’t mine either.

I had to walk south about 10 more cars until I found my brown Taurus. It was locked, and messy, and the booster seat and ballet bag were in the back seat, and so I knew I was finally home. Sometimes B feels it is not safe to send me out into the world on my own, and I feel that he may be right.

Our little pumpkins

2009-10-30T08:22:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween from our little pumpkins to yours! Big A and Little A are headed to Grandma and Papa's house this evening while B and I take a belated anniversary getaway to a bed and breakfast tonight. We'll get back tomorrow afternoon and take them to our church's big "10/31" party. Little A plans to dress as Pocahontas and Big A has been back and forth on whether or not she's too big to dress up! That's about it for our weekend plans.

We're missing the big family reunion on my mom's side in Reno this week, and I'm really bummed. Thinking of everyone there and wishing we could be with you.

Monkey Bug

2009-10-27T12:09:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Big A

2009-10-24T18:45:00.001-07:00

Big A made my blog cute. Whatcha think? If you are a reader of her blog, she has updated it ...

Pick me! Pick me!

2009-10-09T11:40:00.000-07:00

I'm announcing my campaign for the Nobel Peace Prize. I would like to suggest you nominate me, based on the fact that I haven't accomplished anything. I do, on the other hand, have a nice tone. And if I only had to do it for 11 days, I think I could generate a lot of good will and warm fuzzies without the added pressure of, you know, doing anything.

So send in those nomiations. Ashli for the Nobel Peace Prize.

PS: Maybe it was the beer summit? I mean, that was a rather radical approach to generating peace... Oh wait, that didn't happen in the first 11 days of the presidency, so it couldn't been that. We're back to nothing.

A world turned upside down

2009-10-02T09:39:00.000-07:00

Is it upside down day?

Jon Gosselin suddenly cares about the welfare of his children, and now Oprah and Obama have both heard the word NO from the international community. Wow ... it must be a weird feeling for all of them.

SOS! My camera is lost!

2009-10-01T06:58:00.000-07:00

I have lost my camera. And it seems I don't know how to update this blog with out it. If a picture is worth a thousand words, then I owe you THOUSANDS of words right now because there have been so many Kodak moments that have passed me by. Since I don't think I have thousands of words in me right now, I'll just leave you with this short update:

My parents have been in town for the last week. we had a blast showing off the new house, taking in some fun sites and sharing lots of bonding moments.

Meanwhile, the girls continue their dance and violin lessons, and we have been very busy with JBQ. Also, a little anniversary for a certain couple -- otherwise known as the parents of Big A and Little A -- came and went ... 13 years.

We are happy, healthy and busy. I just don't have any pictures to prove it.

And ... she's 11!

2009-09-14T10:29:00.001-07:00

Where were you when the world stopped turning that September day?

2009-09-11T08:16:00.000-07:00

(Apologies to Alan Jackson for stealing his song title.)

I was sitting in a chapel service at work -- we had weekly Tuesday chapel services. Our superintendent left the service at some point, having been informed of what was going on. He returned and announced to us all the details he knew. In stunned silence, we returned to our offices and huddled around radios. You couldn't even get online the Internet was so jammed. Next we were all calling family members everywhere. Before long, an announcement was made sending us all home.

I watched the the news all day, holding tightly to my Big A, who was then my Little A -- just about to turn 3.

Where were you? What do you remember?

I adore the song lyrics by Alan Jackson:

"Where Were You (When The World Stopped Turning)"

Where were you when the world stopped turning that September day
Out in the yard with your wife and children
Working on some stage in LA
Did you stand there in shock at the site of
That black smoke rising against that blue sky
Did you shout out in anger
In fear for your neighbor
Or did you just sit down and cry

Did you weep for the children
Who lost their dear loved ones
And pray for the ones who don't know
Did you rejoice for the people who walked from the rubble
And sob for the ones left below

Did you burst out in pride
For the red white and blue
The heroes who died just doing what they do
Did you look up to heaven for some kind of answer
And look at yourself to what really matters

I'm just a singer of simple songs
I'm not a real political man
I watch CNN but I'm not sure I can tell you
The difference in Iraq and Iran
But I know Jesus and I talk to God
And I remember this from when I was young
Faith hope and love are some good things he gave us
And the greatest is love

Where were you when the world stopped turning that September day
Teaching a class full of innocent children
Driving down some cold interstate
Did you feel guilty cause you're a survivor
In a crowded room did you feel alone
Did you call up your mother and tell her you love her
Did you dust off that Bible at home
Did you open your eyes and hope it never happened
Close your eyes and not go to sleep
Did you notice the sunset the first time in ages
Speak with some stranger on the street
Did you lay down at night and think of tomorrow
Go out and buy you a gun
Did you turn off that violent old movie you're watching
And turn on "I Love Lucy" reruns
Did you go to a church and hold hands with some stranger
Stand in line and give your own blood
Did you just stay home and cling tight to your family
Thank God you had somebody to love

I'm just a singer of simple songs
I'm not a real political man
I watch CNN but I'm not sure I can tell you
The difference in Iraq and Iran
But I know Jesus and I talk to God
And I remember this from when I was young
Faith hope and love are some good things he gave us
And the greatest is love

I'm just a singer of simple songs
I'm not a real political man
I watch CNN but I'm not sure I can tell you
The difference in Iraq and Iran
But I know Jesus and I talk to God
And I remember this from when I was young
Faith hope and love are some good things he gave us
And the greatest is love

The greatest is love
The greatest is love

Where were you when the world stopped turning that September day

A new blog

2009-09-10T07:11:00.000-07:00

I so love blogging. I love reading them. I love writing them. In fact, I have a history of serial blog creation and abandonment because I've had a hard time figuring out what I should be blogging about. A good blogger needs a topic. Last year during the election season I was blogging madly about politics and news events. It worked for a while, but the truth is that I'm just not an expert about politics and news events. There are way too many people who do it better. So I've been thinking for months, what can I really blog about and be ME?

And then it came to me.

The Bible says that where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. My treasure is my family. That's where my heart is all the time. I am a mom. That's who I am and what I do. But I also have a career. I love it, but I struggle every day of my life to figure out the balance between the two. For years, I had no peace about the situation. But I found it in the last year or so. I finally accepted that being a working mother is who I am and what I do. I need to stop feeling guilty about that, embrace the path God has given me, and figure out how to do it victoriously.

So a year or so I gave up the fight that I would someday be a stay-at-home mom. I know that I will always be a working mom. And I am finally Ok with that.

And so my blog idea was finally born: Momma Works

The Zoesphere blog will continue as a more personal blog for sharing photos of the kids and updates on family stuff -- for people who know us and love us and actually want so much detail. But my "writing outlet" that I've been longing for will be the Momma Works blog. Check it out if you're interested ...

Lemonade anyone?

2009-09-04T07:21:00.000-07:00

During last weekend's garage sale, the girls had a lemonade stand. They raked in $9 -- and some of those quarters came from "donations" from people who didn't want lemonade, but thought they were cute. My problem is that NO ONE came up and gave me a donation for just being cute. What's up with that?

The last hoorah at the old duplex! It is ... finished.

Summer dance recital

2009-09-04T07:15:00.000-07:00

Both girls took dance this summer (Little A is now in Ballet 2, and Big A took her first dance class, Lyrical 1). They had their recital last Friday night, during a very busy weekend, with a crazy week to follow ... so I am late posting pics.

The story of the little girl who couldn't see

2009-09-02T09:46:00.000-07:00

Once upon a time there was a little girl who couldn't read the board the day she started fifth grade ...

And so her mother took her to the eye doctor...

And, lo, the doctor said, "She needs glasses."

The little girl picked out some new specs and learned how to use them, and then anxiously awaited for her new accessories to arrive ...

And the day did indeed come. Here is the little girl before ...

And after!!!

And so the little girl goes forth into the world, where she says she can now see individual blades of grass, cows that don't look like specks in the field, and horses that don't look like hot dogs. And she'll even be able to read that board at school too!

Little violin player

2009-08-28T09:36:00.000-07:00

Little A has now had four violin lessons. So far she has just learned how to hold the violin and bow correctly, and she gets to start learning a song next week!

Musical cousins

2009-08-27T09:29:00.000-07:00

We had B's family over for dinner on Sunday night, and Little A and Cousin E turned into rock stars:

Loving on Riley the cat.

Cousins on the front porch: Sweet and silly!

Happenings at the house

2009-08-25T07:07:00.001-07:00

Last weekend it was time to bring home the rest of the family. Zippy and Harmony (Quarter Horses) and Skip (Paint Horse), along with Molly, our Lab, all joined us thanks to some hard work by B and his dad. B's dad has worked very hard to help make things nice in the barn for B. He even gave B the panels to build a corral in the field. I think father and son are enjoying working together on "their" barn! It is fun to see them enjoying it so much.

Big A loves to help her Daddy in the barn. Here she is helping to prepare Skip's stall.

Unloading the horses!

Big A is finally reunited with her dog. She has visited Molly frequently over the last year and a half, but with the horses and dog living over on the flood property, it hasn't been the same. She is ecstatic about having her dog home.

Oh, and let's not forget that the weekend's activities also included hanging my Heartwood Creek shelf. Now, it REALLY feels like my kitchen.

B is really home now ...

Turning a house into a home -- "Before" and "After" photos part 2

2009-08-20T13:33:00.000-07:00

Welcome to a tour of the downstairs. Here in the entry way we have a lovely bull skull. A nice touch by the seller, but not exactly the look we were going for. So, we replaced it with the ever popular "big clock" look. I think this space still needs something, but I'm not sure what.

Now we have a few shots of the living room and kitchen "before" the Zoefamily added its touch:

And "after." ... The window still needs something. We definitely want to get wood blinds eventually. Not sure what to do in the meantime. Drapes? A valance? Nothing?

And now we have the living room "accessories" we like to call Little A and Big A (on their second day of school 2009.)

The kitchen is coming together.

I leave you today with a photo of the "office" before we moved in, followed by a shot of its current status (lest you think we have everything done at this time.)

Moving day photos

2009-08-19T18:44:00.000-07:00

Moving OUT of the duplex! Our LifeGroup friends were there to move us out, just like they moved us in a year and a half ago.

Our friend S brought these housewarming gifts for the girls.

I'm going to just share pictures of the girls' rooms today because I was so determined to get these finished before school started (today). At first we weren't going to attempt to paint before moving in, but some girls from LifeGroup talked me into it when I expressed concern about the difficulty for the kids to adjust to a new school year and a new home all in one week. I think they were correct that finishing their rooms would go a long way to giving them the sense of security they have needed. It was hard, but we pulled it off ... and they are SO proud of their new rooms.

Big A's new room. She loves it!

Little A's room. Perfect for the little pink princess.

"Before" in Little A's room:

And "before" in Big A's room.

Check back later for more before-and-after photos.

First day of school!

2009-08-19T06:59:00.000-07:00

Well we made it -- we got moved in by the first day of school (my self-imposed deadline). Here's our new fifth grader and first grader, all ready for school and posing on the front porch of their new house.

So excited for first grade. Watch out world, here I come!

Fifth grade and almost 11 years old. How did she get so grown up?

Boarding the bus!

Swine flu? Nope ...

2009-08-18T15:14:00.000-07:00

So I went to the doctor today after five days of this crud. I couldn't shake the fever, which has been as high as 102.5, and I could tell the bronchitis was settling in ... so I went to the doctor. What I didn't anticipate is that they would assume I could have the swine flu. I guess the nurse told the receptionist to be expecting me, because she asked if I was Ashli when I walked into the office.

As soon as I said yes, she handed me a mask. Yes, the mask of shame. I had to sit there in the waiting room wearing it (hiding behind a magazine). But I wasn't there long. I guess they didn't want me getting my swine fluness all over the waiting room, so they shuttled me back quickly (note to self: describe swine flulike symptoms in the future for shorter waiting time.)

The nurse explained that because all my symptoms were characteristic of the dreaded HINI, they had to assume I had it until they could rule it out. So I had to get swabbed (OUCH ... and my mommy wasn't there to hold me and promise me an ice cream cone the way I do my kids when they must endure such trials. So sad.) Then I had to wait half an hour for the results, which were negative.

After that the doctor made quick work of diagnosing bronchitis and sinusitis, which is what I could have told him when I walked in the door. Oh well, at least I left with a Z-Pack.

Getting settled

2009-08-17T05:29:00.000-07:00

The Zoefamily is settling in at our new home. Things have been somewhat complicated by me getting sick the day before the big move (this is what I get for not sleeping for a week straight getting ready for moving day I suppose). Yesterday morning I had a fever of 102.5, which let me tell you if you haven't had one like that in a while, it feels like DEATH.

But we are getting settled in amazingly well under the circumstances ... as evidenced by Internet restoration. YAY! We still don't have gas here (thankfully the hot water heater is electric; unfortunately the stove and dryer are not.) And B hasn't hung my Jim Shore/Heartwood Creek shelf yet, which means it's not really looking like my house yet. But, I have to say that overall things are going very well. We are simply ecstatic about this house.

Photos of the progress coming tomorrow. And the next day is the first day of school for Big A and Little A!

One day closer

2009-08-14T08:54:00.000-07:00

B and I spent last night working at the new place while the girls stayed home with their favorite babysitter (you know who you are!). There are no exciting photos to recount last night's events. Mostly we cleaned. B also hung a curtain rod or two and did some fix-it jobs like that.

Not the stuff of great photos, BUT ... it's all getting us ready for TOMORROW, which is officially moving day!

Living room furniture arrives!

2009-08-13T07:07:00.001-07:00

Bringing in the new couch.

This is the love seat in the room that is currently without a name. I am calling "the office," but I'm not sure that quite fits. It is really just a second living area. Will have this love seat, the computer desk and eventually shelves. (It is technically a formal dining room, but that's not how we want to use it now.)

Trying out the new recliner.

Painting progress

2009-08-12T08:41:00.001-07:00

Warning: If you don't care so much about seeing the decorating process of my house, you're gonna get tired of this blog .... I plan to chronicle every step of making this place our home. It's a great journal for me to go back and see all the "before and after" photos to mark this exciting time for us. So it's much as to create history for me as it is to share the process with friends and family. So, welcome to the "Decorating La Case Zoesphere blog!"

Worked last night on adding another coat of yellow in Big A's room and pink in Little A's room. I am frustrated that we ran out of pink paint, so we weren't able to finish in there last night. We are mostly done in Big A's room, but need to finish up the trim and corners (where lime meets yellow.)

BUT ... I was able to sort of finish one aspect of Big A's room. The window seat. Got three coats of yellow in the little wall spot and added the curtains and pillows to give us a sense of completion. We'll still need to add blinds. But here is the before and after.

Here you can see the window seat before:

Here are the throw pillows I bought to spruce up this spot, plus I've placed one of her pillow shams there so you can see how the bedding will match the color scheme. As you can see, there are lots of bright colors going on!

Highlights of closing day

2009-08-11T10:38:00.000-07:00

Monday was so exciting; it’s hard to pick just one “best moment” from the day. But here are my top five:

1. Hugging my Realtor after the closing, with the house keys in hand.

2. When B, my friend M (there to help paint) and I were having a “picnic” on the hardwood floors during a painting break and I tried to say the blessing for the food. I couldn’t get out the words, “Thank you Lord …” before my tears of joy started to flow. B had to do the prayer.

3. Sitting on the new porch swing with my friend M, after we had come to a stopping point in our painting. Just relaxing after a hard — but fun — day’s work and viewing all the pretty land and scenery around us. No duplex 10 feet away!

4. The moment when B and I were alone painting in Big A’s new room and we looked out her window and saw 23 wild turkeys in our yard. Amazing!

5. When my girls came home from violin, dance class and dinner with their grandparents and got to help paint their own new rooms. They were so excited!

Here is the story in pictures:

Big A and Daddy discuss whether we should go with green or yellow paint for her room. Big A makes a convincing case for both, and that's what we got!

"BEFORE" in Big A's room.

"BEFORE" in Little A's room.

Let's get this party started!

Taping done, primer going on. Daddy working in Little A's room.

How awesome is it to have a friend who not only loves to paint, but knows what she's doing and is willing to help you for a day??? M, you rock! Yes, that's looking like some fluorescent yellow (yikes!), but really is a lovely lime green (weirdly called "Yellow Lettuce") when it's all said and done.

Little A applies "Celebration Pink" to her walls.

Big A starts the "Chickadee" yellow wall.

"Honey! Look ... turkeys!" View from Big A's window seat.

Clean slates down stairs. They need no painting -- they just need to be moved into!

Another surprise! We have four tomato plants. These came off of them.

We worked until 10 p.m., but didn't leave without a shot on the porch swing with two painted, happy little girls! Of course once we got back to the duplex we had to scrub all that paint off them, so suffice it to say that it was a VERY LATE night for the kids.

Final walk through tonight

2009-08-07T07:57:00.000-07:00

This evening we do the final walk through on the house! We'll then celebrate with a dinner out (can't celebrate after the closing Monday because we have too much work to do there). After dinner we'll go pick out paint for the girls' rooms (the aforementioned work is the painting on Monday) and hopefully an area rug for the living room.

We close at 9 a.m. on Monday. We'll be over there painting all day, and the new living room furniture will be delivered that day! We also hope to find time next week to buy the panels B needs for the horses. (OK, doesn't "need," but wants!) His parents and sister got him gift certificates for his birthday to go toward these ... and we should be able to get them all in place soon.

YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! Can you tell how happy I am?

Family Portraits

2009-08-03T05:25:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we got family portraits taken to hang in the new living room. I wanted a "brown" theme that fit the new furniture (when having pictures made, it's all about matching the furniture, right?), and I wanted photos of how we looked when we moved in. I thought the photo session went very well, but I got overwhelmed and rushed when it was time to order, so I'm going to have to go back today and order more that I've had to time to review them. I'm pretty pleased with how they turned out!

Countdown to home ownership

2009-08-01T06:20:00.000-07:00

T minus 9 days until we take possession of the house (see handy dandy countdown widget to the left!) Remind me if I ever buy a home again not to let the "under contract" period go on longer than 30 days. Initially we asked for a closing date of July 31, which was actually longer than the traditional 30 days from the day we made the offer. But B was travelling for much of July, so it would have been a difficult month to move.

The seller counter-offered with a closing date of August 14. Wanting to appear as accommodating as possible (given that we were offering much less than the initial asking price), we agreed to whatever would work for the seller.

So we immediately took care of everything we needed to do on our end -- inspections, appraisal, finalizing financing, etc., and it's just been a waiting game ever since. I do appreciate having extra time to pack because it has given me the chance to really go through stuff, organize and purge. The move-in will be much easier because of all the time I've had to organize for it. But I'm ready now. I just want to move already. And all the extra waiting just serves to make me nervous that things could fall through. My Realtor said to me, when I confessed my fears, "Where's my mighty woman of faith?" She is right. God has certainly had His hand of blessing on this, and I do know everything will be fine. But I must confess that worry has gotten the better of me a time or two.

Since the contract was signed, we've juggled around closing dates a bit (for several reasons regarding the Realtor and seller -- not us.) It was the 14th. It was the 7th. It was the 14th again. AND NOW IT'S THE 10th. For real. So excited. Let these nine days pass quickly, Lord!

Fun in the sun

2009-07-28T18:27:00.000-07:00

Here's how we spent the last couple of days on our mini vacation!

Lake of the Ozarks getaway

2009-07-25T19:01:00.000-07:00

B is attending a conference at Lake of the Ozarks, so us girls are hangin` with him for a couple of days. Tonight we enjoyed kicking back at the hotel while he had a meeting (tomorrow we play!) Here we we are enjoying room service, cable and wifi while just hanging out. Check back here for photos. I`ll just add them to this post throughout the weekend.

The Zoefamily blues

2009-07-22T13:30:00.001-07:00

We're now going on Day 8 without the Daddy around here, and we no like it. The kids are sad, the cat is sad, the dog is sad ... the mom is sad. The novelty of having some girl time and getting some extra work done has worn off. We did that; we're over it. We want the dad back home.

When the cat's away, the mice will ... work

2009-07-20T06:30:00.000-07:00

With B away for the better part of July for work-related stuff, the girls and I are getting ready for the big M-O-V-E! I don't believe I have ever worked as hard as I have this weekend. I'm cleaning. I'm packing. I'm organizing. I'm preparing for a garage sale. (Plus taking care of B's horses!) I'm just in the zone here. And my little soldiers are ready and willing to help. We took Little A's room and turned it into the staging room for the move (Little A moved in with Big A). Here's Little A's room before this weekend and after:

Before:

And After:

Yup, Daddy ... we are working HARD! Big A and Little A have cleaned toys and helped in pretty much any manner asked of them, so they've been rewarded as well. On Saturday we went to see "Up." And on Sunday we managed to fit in lunch at the Olive Garden (of course ... all work and no lunch at the Olive Garden would just be wrong.)

Today they are spending the day with Grandma and Papa, so I am working alone. Gotta get going and get working!

Happy Birthday Brother C

2009-07-17T07:16:00.000-07:00

I woke up with you on my mind and just wanted you to know how proud I am of the person, husband and father you have become (even if you do have the goofiest Facebook posts!) I love you and miss you so much today!

Furnishing La Casa Zoesphere

2009-07-16T08:26:00.000-07:00

Found a brand-new, never-been-out-of-the-packaging Ashley living room set being sold for half price because it is discontinued. I did my homework to verify that various retailers were selling it for twice what I got it for! I found it via Craig's List from a family that has a furniture wholesaling business. Yippee!

It's just so very exciting to finally be replacing everything we lost and watching my new home come together.

Cool Web sites I've found

2009-07-13T19:22:00.001-07:00

I think I may have found the greatest thing since sliced bread ... it's called SwapTree.com (www.swaptree.com), and it is a free service for trading books.

If you are done with some of your books and willing to part with them, you can just list them on Swap Tree. All you have to do to list them is enter the ISBN number, and tell the condition of your book.

Then ... you also create a list of books you would like to read.

And Swap Tree sets up trades for you. There are thousands upon thousands of books to choose from -- and they are not all two-way trades. The site has an algorithm set up that figures out three-way trades, etc ... but all you do is mail your book to the person the site tells you to. And then you'll get your book in the mail as well.

There is a feedback system like eBay, so you can be sure you are trading with a reliable person.

I didn't find this myself -- the idea comes by way of my good friend S. Thanks S! I am so excited. Why sell books in a garage sale or to a used book store for $2 when you could just trade them for books you want to read?

The second new Web site that I am excited about was found by Big A. Leave it to my 10-year-old to find great Internet opportunities! It's called MyShape.com. The site creates a shape profile for you (takes about 20 minutes to enter your measurements and answer questions about clothing/style preferences). And then it suggests clothes from all kind of retailers that will best fit your shape and size.

You can order straight through the site, and it's free shipping. Way cool.

Musical Mania camp

2009-07-10T16:58:00.000-07:00

Big A has spent this last week at Music Mania camp -- learning to sing and dance Broadway-style! She had a blast. Here`s a big shout out to my mom, who heard that this was something Big A wanted to do, and so she paid not just for Big A, but also her best friend K to go. I was so blessed that my mom would offer to do such a thing. She is a wonderful Grandma!!!

Big A with her teacher and the other campers.

A little peek at their final performance.

Big A and K -- best friends since age 3!!!

Conversations with Big A and Little A

2009-07-09T13:09:00.001-07:00

Two recent conversations with my enlightening children (Big A is 10, and Little A is 6):

----------------------------------------------------
Big A: Mom, I don't think I'm going to be able to be a writer when I grow up after all.

Mom: Why on earth not? That's your dream. Of course you can be a writer, or anything that you want to be.

Big A: Well, with the economy the way it is, I figure I'll have to take any job I can get.
-----------------------------------------------------

Scenario: Big A and Little A are looking at a place mat with all the American presidents, and Big A says to Little A, "Did you know not all countries have presidents?'

Little A: [shocked] Mommy, is it true that all countries don't have presidents?

Mom: Yes, that is true.

Little A: [still shocked and now upset] Well, what do they do about the TV weather?

Mom: [confused] What do you mean?

Little A: Well, you have to have presidents to have the news, and you have to have the news to know the weather. So what do they do?

--------------------------------------------------------
Much conversation ensued to conclude these conversations appropriately, but those are the cute parts!

Change at Evangel University

2009-07-09T08:48:00.000-07:00

If you know and love Evangel University like I do, I think you'll be interested in my latest project at work.

Last Friday, EU's final WWII-era barrack was razed, completing a project that has been ongoing for more than 10 years. EU has a rich 55-year history, and the story of how Evangel purchased the old World War II O'Reilly Army Hospital is a fascinating one. Generations of EU students took classes in those old, sprawling barracks that gave our campus so much character. The earliest generation of EU students even lived in those barracks.

Many of us are so sad to see the barracks all gone -- but we also know that the state-of-the-art campus that Evangel students enjoy today is worth the change. Those old barracks were only built to be temporary structures during the war. But the memories we will always have.

Go check out the Photo Blog and feature that I wrote, which also includes memories from alumni. I'm really proud of this one!

I Love America

2009-07-07T13:31:00.000-07:00

An Amazing ILA weekend

I'd like to encourage everyone to read this blog post by my pastor, John Lindell, about "I Love America," which is my church's annual Fourth of July event.

ILA started 10 years ago as a simple idea to get the choir together to sing some patriotic songs and show a few fireworks. The church had just bought new property for our current building but had not started building, so the land was available. A few plans were made, and they hoped that 5,000 people would show up.

B and I were among the 13,000 who came that first year (I was pregnant with Big A!). The attendance shattered the goal then. But this year ... we had 120,000 people at ILA. The event is totally free for families. We have a midway, air show, Christian music artists, politicians (this year the Governor of Missouri and a U.S. Congressman spoke) and the like to entertain families throughout the day. The highlight, of course, is the fireworks show in the evening, which is choreographed to our choir (which is singing in the "living flag.")

The goal is to share the gospel as well as provide a great day of fun and fireworks to celebrate America.

ILA is an amazing, indescribable event. Our girls wouldn't even know how to do the Fourth of July without it. It's all they've ever known for celebrating the holiday.

I posted all my pictures on Facebook the day after ILA, but here are a few for those that didn't see them. But, seriously, read Pastor John's blog about the day. God is doing amazing things through ILA.

The choir members are standing inside that flag -- in this shot the choir, along with about 120,000 people are singing "God Bless America." Talk about goosebumps!

Updates on La Casa Zoesphere

2009-07-06T05:31:00.000-07:00

So the inspections were done last week, and we are rolling right along! The well and septic were declared to be a "fabulous" system. There are no termites, and the other inspection only turned up some pidly things that are consistent of a home that age. We are asking to have some plumbing related things fixed, but really they are rather minor.

In light of these positive developments, I had to start buying some new things for the new place. I`m excited about redecorating bedrooms. Here`s what we found at Overstock.com (which has some amazing deals, by the way.)

We got this canopy for Little A`s room. The bedding pictured just happens to be what she already has.

For Mom and Dad`s room.

This is the new set for Big A. The next picture shows the best feature of Big A`s room -- a whole wall built in with bookshelves and a desk. Even a window seat. I have always dreamed of her having something like this. She has a million books, so the shelves are ideal. And of course at her age she is ready for a nice desk in her room. And if you know Big A, can`t you just picture her sitting at the window seat, looking out at the peaceful view, and reading or writing in her journal? Just perfect!

The shelving continues on the other side of the window seat. Clearly new curtains will be in order!

Jon and Kate

2009-07-01T08:03:00.000-07:00

So, I’ve been trying not to blog about the mess that is “Jon and Kate Plus Eight.” Hoping, I suppose, that it all would just go away. I imagine Kate Gosselin has been hoping the same thing. This ugly tale affects us in a difficult way because Big A has been a complete fanatic over the show. The day I had to tell her that Jon and Kate were getting divorced was really difficult.

We don’t have cable, so Big A didn’t start watching it at home. She got hooked at the babysitter’s last summer. And both the sitter and I thought this was a sweet, wholesome show for her to watch—and it appealed to her love of kids, babysitting, etc. We eventually got the first three seasons on DVD and have watched the episodes over and over. Fortunately, we (she) have not seen a bit of season four or five.

Big A has read Kate Gosselin’s books. She makes posters and Powerpoint presentations with pictures of the family. She adores the show and all the kids. She's even e-mailed the family and sent e-cards on the childrens' birthdays (not that she's received a response back.)

So it makes us very sad to watch this story implode through the eyes of our little girl.

I have been questioning my own judgment in allowing her to watch the show. Should I have seen this coming? I’m old enough to know that reality television is just a sugar-coated version of whatever truth the producers want to us to believe. Did I set my daughter up for this disappointment? I guess I am angry that I fell for it … I thought it was a safe show for her to watch, and it wasn’t. I should have known better – sticking to the usual fare of Little House and Disney movies for the kids. Letting the kids (particularly Big A) put a reality show family up on a pedestal and setting her up for this disillusionment, that’s a failure on my part I think … I am really struggling with that.

What I do all day

2009-06-26T14:01:00.000-07:00

Today we launched the new Evangel University Web site. Check it out!

More pics of the house

2009-06-24T04:07:00.000-07:00

Street view w/ the yard and fence. The property is 5 acres

Entry way/dining room. We plan to use dining room as an office.

Living room w/ log fireplace.

From living room into kitchen.

Utility room w/ half bath. The washer & dryer are part of the deal ... actually we get all appliances.

Back yard and deck. Jacuzzi!

The kind of barn that B has dreamed of!

We got the house!

2009-06-23T15:10:00.001-07:00

The closing date is August 14!!!

God's faithfulness

2009-06-22T08:35:00.000-07:00

It's important for me to write this before I know how things are going to turn out ...

Today we are placing an offer on a home. And if the offer is accepted, this will at the same time mark the end of the most painful chapter of our lives, and -- I believe -- the beginning of a new, exciting chapter full of hope and excitement.

But even if the deal falls through, I want to acknowledge how faithful God has been to bring us to this place in our lives. I want the world to know how grateful I am for the hope I have for our future, regardless of how this turns out.

On March 18, 2008 when the flood forced us out of our home, it seemed we had lost everything. The home, certainly. The home we loved for nine years. Our car. Many possessions, etc. But mostly we lost our security that day. We no longer had a place to belong. Our financial future was in serious jeopardy. We had no place to live. No car to drive. No idea how we'd ever have those things again. And for the next 13 months we lived without that security. During that time we nearly lost everything financially. Very few people know just how close it came -- or how hard it really was.

See, prior to the flood we had been a sort of financial nightmare waiting to happen. We had the worst-case scenario: high debt, no savings, and then a disaster. When the flood came, we were in the worst possible situation to deal with it. While up until that point we had been juggling everything OK, that tipped everything over the edge.

With everything that ensued, we learned some really tough lessons. I think God had to teach us some lessons the hard way. But He also rewarded our faithfulness through the trial, and He used what was the most painful situation of our lives to bless us immeasurably.

When the deal was finally done and the county bought out that flood property, we walked away with a MIRACLE. No, it did not come easily ... the 13 months waiting for resolution nearly did us in. However, we walked away with enough money to PAY OFF OUR DEBT and have a down payment on a home much nicer than what we had.

God has taken care of our every need. We have made it to this point and I think we can both say we are stronger now for the lessons we've learned. We are also in the best financial position of our lives. Good enough to be making this offer today -- and for that I give all the glory to God. I just wanted to say that publicly now because it doesn't matter how this deal turns out .... don't get me wrong: I desperately want this to work out. But I believe that God has us in His hands and that we can trust His will to be done in our lives. So we are making this offer with much thankfulness that we are able to make it -- and also must peace that things will work out just as they should.

Thank you to everyone who has been there for us, cared for us, prayed for us, etc. God has used you all more incredibly than you could ever know.

Mother-daughter trip!

2009-06-09T11:32:00.000-07:00

Big A and I take off tonight for a mother-daughter adventure. The destination is Rockford, Illinois. The reason is the National Junior Bible Quiz Tournament. But we are planning on some good mother-daughter bonding as well. Since B and Little A will not be able to come, we are riding with another family from the church. We plan to drive to St. Louis tonight and then stop tomorrow in Springfield, Illinois and spend a couple of hours and the Abraham Lincoln National Historic Home. She and I are both very excited about that.

Most of Thursday is a free day and (opening ceremonies for the tournament are Thursday evening). So, the team has plans to go the Discovery Center Museum in Rockford. However, if we can figure out how to Chicago to go the American Girl Store then we will do that!

We'll be home on Sunday.

Busy, busy, busy Memorial Day Weekend

2009-05-26T12:44:00.000-07:00

I wonder what it would be like to have a three-day weekend and spend them all resting. I wonder what it would be like to be bored. Wouldn't it be awesome to reach the point of boredom just once again? Just to have nothing to do for long enough that I actually got sick of it? Yeah ... I don't really see that happening. But a girl can dream. Let me recap our Memorial Day weekend for you. I'm not gonna post a bunch of photos here, as I am putting them all on Facebook anyway (and they are SO MUCH easier to but on Facebook). So the blog is for word pictures mostly. Want photos? Get a Facebook and friend me. It's fun!

Friday evening
Haircuts for the girls. Shopping and preparing food for Saturday. Last-minute preparations for a crazy weekend, and emergency tick removal for Little A. I am very proud to say that I handled this all by myself while B was gone, and both Little A and I handled it without panicking. This is good, as I generally panic whenever I find a tick on one of the girls. I am certain that every one of them is infecting my child with Lyme disease and removing them is just a race against time. Seriously, I have a big-time tick phobia.

Saturday
Big A had a Junior Bible Quiz tournament (where, I should add, her team took first place for the first time all season). This tournament also marked my debut as a Quiz Master. This went mostly well until the very end of the day when one of the coaches who had apparently forgotten to check his ego at the door decided to engage me in a theological debate after his kid got a question wrong and two judges and I had the audacity to over-rule the coaches' appeal. It was one of those rare occasions when Junior Bible Quiz is a little bit like Little League and an overly aggressive parent has to be put in his place. His team won with 220 points, so this was not a matter of him losing, he just couldn't stand winning by 30 less points than he did. Whatever. It was only a small moment of the day, but one worth mentioning because it happened the first time I got up the courage to Quiz Master. Overall it was a very fun experience.

Also on Saturday, Little A was rehearsing for her Sunday evening dance at church -- so thanks to Grandma for handling that for us so we could be at the tournament.

Saturday Evening
LifeGroup cookout. Fun!

Sunday
Little A got the opportunity to dance in front of the entire congregation at church. The Kids' Chorale was singing, and they decided to have some dancers during the second song. She was asked to participate because she has been taking dance from the person doing the choreography. She did an amazing job, and she was just precious up there. I cannot believe she can even remember all the steps, let alone have the courage to march out there on stage like that. I was one proud mama!

Monday
Madly getting ready for Grandma and Papa who will be here tomorrow. You know -- shopping, laundry, cleaning, etc. I did manage to fit in some laying around and reading too!

How bikini girl stole my American Idol joy

2009-05-21T14:38:00.000-07:00

Since season 2, I have been an American Idol fan. Heck, at the end of that season I drove with my SIL and MIL to St. Louis to see the American Idol tour. Those were the days of Clay and Ruben. Ah Clay. A voice of an angel he has. That was back when we were still in denial about the …ahem … lifestyle choices of Clay. I could listen to him sing all day.

American Idol has been for eight (or is it nine?) years just a modernized version of the good-old-fashioned variety show. I love it because it’s good clean fun that the family can watch together. It gets more fun as the competition heats up toward the end, and we enjoy it every year. It is, in fact, the last network TV show that we watch at my house.

We never exactly made the decision to quit watching TV. It just sort of happened.

One by one our favorite shows were canceled (RIP “Everybody Loves Raymond” and “Homicide” and “Seinfield.” And the rest of them … well we let them go one by one as the girls got older and we became painfully aware of the crap that each show offered. Foul language, sexual innuendos, women who make the poorest role models for girls, and men who treat them like garbage. And “funny” turned into to “sex.”

Today’s television writers don’t know how to be funny unless it’s a sex joke. I’m not exposing my kids to it, and frankly B and I don’t enjoy that junk any way.

There may be a series or two out there that we would enjoy today, but as we got used to having the TV off, we just filled up our lives with other things. We just became a family who doesn’t really watch TV. We do a lot of DVD’s when we need the downtime. (We all love “Little House on the Prairie.” We’re on Season 8 right now!)
But Idol was the one show we still watched. I’ve always told people, “it’s just good clean family fun.”

Well, it was until last night.

The bikini girl stunt with her newly enhanced “features” barely covered by her bikini, strutting her obnoxious self all over the stage while Ryan salivated and make crude jokes. Then they let her sing, making a bigger mockery out of the entire thing. And then, as if that wasn’t bad enough – to have Kara, one of the judges, come out and rip her dress off and reveal her own barely-there bikini ….. UGH. It was just disgusting.

I was mortified to have my children in the room. I was appalled at how long it went on. I realized that American Idol does not care about being what it started out to be any more – they are going to fight their ratings slide by appealing to a new audience and sex it up like everything else on TV.

There was so much else about the show last night that was disgusting – who knows what happened during the time they bleeped out Fergie, or was it the Black Eyed Peas? It any case … American Idol has decided to become what the rest of television has: TRASH.

No thanks. Now, where are those “Little House” DVD’s?

London's Luau

2009-05-21T06:46:00.000-07:00

Later I will be climbing on my soap box to talk about American Idol. For now I just want to point you to the most adorable pictures in the whole wide world: my niece London's first birthday party.

A prediction: Kris is your next American Idol

2009-05-19T11:17:00.000-07:00

Yeah, yeah ... I know. Adam can sing and all that. I know he's been the favorite all along.

Nevermind that I think he's too creepy for words, and I really couldn't care less that he can sing. (I could never forgive the man for what he did to Johnny Cash.)

In any case, my personal bias has nothing to do with why I think Kris will win it. Here's why:

Last week Ryan said that the top two vote getters only had 1 million votes separating them. He was talking about Adam and Kris. That means they were incredibly close. And who do you think the Danny voters will go for?

My prediction is they'll be going for the male version of Carrie Underwood (ie: Kris). Not Adam. What do you think?

The flower dancer

2009-05-19T10:00:00.000-07:00

Little A was recently a flower girl in her ballet teacher's wedding. She adores her teacher, Miss Lindsey, so she was so excited to be a part of it. All of the little "flower dancers" were students of Lindsey's. They skipped down they aisle as they tossed out their petals. Cutest thing you ever did see. My Little A is the little blondie front and center.

Welcome to The Zoesphere

2009-05-19T08:08:00.000-07:00

It was time for a new blog. The old blog represented many things that I am ready to put behind me. Things that I don't wish to be defined by any more. Things that have beaten me down and taken away my voice. For a long time the old blog was an escape from my troubles, and writing there was therapeutic. And then at some point I lost my voice. And I couldn't write anymore. I want to be able to write again. I need to start fresh. Zoe means life and vitality. I am ready for that. Welcome to the Zoesphere.