He Left On A Jet Plane

But I do know when he'll be back again.

Caleb left early yesterday morning with a group from our church for camp a whole lotta states away. And by early, I mean before the sun is up early. 4:30 am early. *yawn*

I was up from 1:30 am to about 3 am with butterflies and excitement mixed with a little nervousness about forgetting something, etc. I really felt like God told us to send Caleb, so I've been at peace with the decision, I just had the normal travel thing going on. I'd hate for my boy to get there and be without something important. Like clean underwear. Or his swimsuit. Or a pencil.

When I fell back asleep, I dreamt that we had missed the flight and no one had called to find out where we were. I began to try to figure out how to get Caleb to the airport in one hour (the airport they flew out of is two hours away). Then I noticed all the clocks in my house were totally different times.

That's when it turned into a nightmare because I realized someone had been in our house and deliberately changed all our clocks while we were sleeping just so we would know they had been there. I woke myself up as I was trying to decide how we could safely keep a loaded gun in our bedroom. But I digress, this is not about the inner workings of my mind.

I heard that sigh of relief...

Anyway, the man cub is whooping it up at this awesome camp very far from home and I am so excited for him. They've got horseback riding, water slides, a lake, arcades, go-karts, a carousel, and so much more! Not your everyday summer church camp.

He'll be back in a few days for a brief pit stop before he heads to Cub Scout camp. Brief as in less than 24 hours. Turning our home into a bed and breakfast. Oh well, I look forward to seeing his smile, hearing his stories, hugging his skinny body, and sniffing him as all good mothers do.

One of My Favorite Kitchen Gadgets

With all the onions we've been cutting up from our garden to dehydrate, I've fallen more and more in love with my stainless steel "soap" bar. The bar helps remove any bad odors on your hands from the kitchen. You wash your hands using cold water, soap, and the bar and voila - any lingering odors will be quickly removed.

Onions. Garlic. You name it. I am amazed almost every time I use it. It's almost a game for me to check my hands and see if any smell remains. I know, I know. I have serious entertainment issues...

I originally bought mine about 7 years ago through a fundraiser so I don't know the exact type I have, but this one is pretty similar. I think I purchased mine for around $5-7. It's gone from accessory to neccesity for me.

Just wanted to share something that Works For Me!

Them Bones, Them Bones, Them Broken Bones

On Sunday night we had a family first...and hopefully last. Our first broken bone. Our first trip to the emergency room for any of our children.

My sweet, sunshiney Samuel broke his arm. He was climbing up the slide of our swingset (something he has done at least a gazillion times), lost his balance, and fell about five feet to the ground. Richie and I were in the front yard (the swingset is on one side of the house), so we didn't see it happen.

And after hearing Caleb's description of the fall - which he also generously reenacted despite my discouragement - I am thankful I was not a witness to the actual event. Saying this boy keeps me on my toes (and knees!) may just be understatement of the year.

We prayed for Samuel and put some ice on his lower arm and wrist. There was very little swelling, no bruising, he could move his wrist and all his fingers with no ill effects, and he was crying off and on, but certainly not what I would have expected with a fracture. The people in the emergency room even looked a bit skeptical a few times. It's amazing to me and I know God was all over it.

After three hours at the hospital they wrapped it in an ace bandage, put a splint over it, and sent us on our way. And Monday morning he was climbing up the slide again! Unbelievable. Perhaps the real testimony is that I haven't gone into cardiac arrest. *grins*

Tuesday we went and had a hard cast put on, which I had never seen done before. The cast extends from his mid-upper arm to his hand. He will have it on for 3 weeks and then he will have it replaced with a shorter cast. I have a picture of him, but my computer is acting up again, so I'll have to try it later.

Overall, he is doing well. He's ready to get the cast off, but then again, so am I!

Face Value?

In the last several months, God has been peeling layers back in my life at an intense rate. I'm left feeling like an onion...exposed. Vulnerable. It's all good. Painful, but good because it's all about conforming to Him. Some of it, I haven't been able or even ready to share, but I've had one specific revelation about myself that's pretty in my face.

Most of my adult life, I have been pretty uncomfortable without wearing makeup. Especially when others around me have it on. I know that's insecure, etc., but the truth isn't very pretty. I'm not even sure when this thing got such a grip on me.

For the record: I am not saying make up is bad. But the reality for me is that I typically only feel good about my face when I am wearing some. And that's bad. For a number of reasons of which only one I'm going to get into.

What I've come to realize in the past two weeks is the impact that this issue of mine has or could have on my children. Enter the revelation. As the primary example of a wife and mother to my children, what exactly am I saying through this?

All I can say is...ouch. We were each wonderfully and fearfully created by Almighty God. Handcrafted by Him. I want my children to know that truth, to rest in that truth. And I have not been exhibiting this truth very well.

I want my boys to look so much deeper than beauty when contemplating marriage. And Abigail, my sweet Abigail. That she would be confident in God and who she is in Him and that she doesn't need anything else to make her beautiful. That my kids would know that the true beauty is His redeeming power and love in themselves.

Maybe this is a case of having head knowledge, but not having the full heart knowledge. I don't know, but here's to reestablishing my "image" in Him.

Spittin' Image

Literally. A spittin' image.

A few nights ago, Caleb asked Richie how far he could spit. Richie proceeded to show him. A little too close to me and where I walk barefoot.

In awe, Caleb then questioned the mechanics of throwing one's saliva for long distances . I encouraged them to take their lessons further away in the backyard.

We believe in introducing the fine arts in early education.