I'm Ready for a New Month

January has been full. It's January 31st, and yet it feels like March. Here's why...

I suppose the mayhem started in late December when Synnove contracted Molluscum. Thankfully, Soren had gotten a very mild case over the summer (at the time I had no idea what it was) and when I took him to the dermatologist for his forehead scarring from the accident I asked the Dr. about it. By that time, Soren's immune system had fought it off, but after a brief description, the Dr. knew exactly what it was. I had never heard of it, but learned it was very common. I'll skip the details. ANYway, I started noticing bumps on Synnove in early December, but didn't pay much attention because I knew what it was, and it was mild and harmless. It wasn't until about New Year's Eve that her few bumps exploded to hundreds and hundreds! Plus, they were creeping to her face, hands, and the bottoms of her feet. Frantic, I Googled treatment options. I already knew that there wasn't much for treatment other that cutting them off...but I researched for options. Molluscum is a virus that can attack the body for months to years! I was desperate for find a solution. I found a homeopathic treatment that was kinda spendy, but readily available at Walgreens. That night my mom picked up a bottle for me, and I started treatment right away. It was a long process and had to be done morning and night. Synnove was supposed to go back to school in just a couple of days and I had to get it under control because it's contagious.

In a couple of days, the bumps had slightly faded....enough for me to feel comfortable to send her to school. I told her not to scratch and to wash her hands often. She did. Synnove's case was on the verge of extreme...and the treatment we had was meant to be put on individual bumps without touching other skin, but we had to put it all over her body because the bumps were infinite! I went back to the internet for more answers. I happened upon some product reviews and a specific post where a gal talked about another natural remedy that worked for her son. I when to the natural foods store in town to see if I could find what she was talking about. I found one thing, but not the other. I started with Synnove right away (little sublingual pills called Thuja) and her bumps started vanishing within a few short days. It was miraculous! I was thanking God! Now she only has a few of the larger bumps and we continue to manage them with both medicines.

In the second week of January I started attending TWO Bible studies. One is a study though our church that meets 1/2 a mile up the road, and the other is a woman's study that meets on Tuesdays around lunchtime. I'm so excited to be a part of them! Not only are they a great way to delve deeper into the Bible and into spirituality, but they help me get connected with other Christians in my little community.

I attended the annual MK Seattle Sizzle Conference with Star Consultant perks. I also had the pleasure of cheering on my friend Andrea as she won Queen of Sales, Queen of recruiting, and Queen of Seattle Sizzle! It was the first time in the conference's history that there had ever been a triple queen! She is an incredible inspiration to all, a dear soul, and dear friend. She also earned directorship and her car! Believe-it-or-not, she only signed up 1 1/2 months before me! Mary Kay has been keeping me busy this month...especially with my latest "New Years Trade-In Sale." I actually made quite an impression with my fellow MK ladies with all the stuff I collected from my customers!

I was wrangled in to volunteer for the Knappa Schools Foundation annual auction fundraiser. I've been calling local businesses asking for donations and running all over town picking them all up. It's fantastic fun...ha ha. I finished most of my work last Friday...that's a big load off!

I started attending a new monthly scrapbooking group. I haven't scrapped since I was pregnant with Soren, and I've only scrapped up to Synnove's birth. Saying that I'm behind is a gross understatement.

Synnove turned 6 last week! I hosted TWO parties for her. I made tacos and cupcakes for 40 two weekends ago, and yesterday I had 4 of Synnove's friends over for a "glorified playdate." 5 6-year old girls together is quite the handful! Pics to come...

My Great Grandma Backe died last Thursday. It was just a few posts ago that I wrote about her 100th birthday! And it was only two short weeks ago that she finally asked Jesus to be her Savior. She is proof that it's never too late...what a miracle! The last handful of days have been spent driving back and forth to Warrenton for dinner and family time. It's a blessing, really...but the late nights are taking their toll...especially since everyone in my little family is....

...SICK! Fevers, coughing, stuffy noses, vomit, pinkeye, earaches. We are finally on the mend, but the last 2-3 weeks have been misery. Soren has been the worst as he's been sick for most of January. Adam hasn't had this bad of a cold in as long as I've known him. Synnove, despite her molluscum and a mild case of pinkeye, has been blowing her nose the least. However, she did get the croup the same night Soren was throwing up with a 103 degree fever. I've been keeping the cold at bay for most of the last couple of weeks, but it caught up with me a few days ago. Yeah, it's a bad cold...but not NEARLY as bad as what Soren and Adam have been battling. We have gone through at LEAST 5 boxes of tissue (doesn't include all the toilet paper we've used) to blow our ever-stuffy noses.

Adam left for his annual conference in Georgia yesterday. I'm just praying that we continue to feel better, and life can return to a less-busy normal. We've got Bible study at my house, a funeral, a field trip, and snack duty.

I love my life!

Christmas Sillies

I know...Christmas was a month ago, but I've got to document it sometime! So, instead of boring you with the traditional family poses, I thought I'd pick a few sillies...

I kept asking him to smile, but he kept giving me faces...I think this was the second face I caught.

At Camp 18 for our traditional pre-Christmas family dinner...
Synnove and I both got robes for from my parents, and in the middle of posing, Soren decided to come and scare me with his new "Toothless" toy (from "How to Train Your Dragon").

Elise bought her husband a Wii for Chrismas...the kids are just learning how to box...Synnove beat Soren virtually every time. It was pretty funny to watch them.

We got home late Christmas day to find gifts from Santa. Soren got the BIGGEST kick out of his new wind-up toy...as you can tell...

Synnove watched one of her cousins open this gift earlier in the day and was really excited to get one herself!

Pre-Christmas December

My sister had been planning a surprise 30th birthday party for her husband, Chris, for quite some time. His birthday is the day after Christmas, so birthdays for him have been (I'm sure) less than exciting. Elise thought it was PERFECT to surprise him by throwing him a party on her birthday (the 10th). We were supposed to meet her and Chris for "dinner at the Shilo for Elise's birthday." Somehow we lured him downstairs to the banquet rooms for the big reveal. He was surprised...and I'm pretty sure he enjoyed himself :)

Auntie Piggy gives a shocked Chris a hug...

Soren's Christmas program was the next week. He was a Christmas Star along with all the other 3-4 year olds. He did everything he was supposed to do...except he didn't smile or sing. Maybe next year?

A rare photo of myself...and my little bruiser. He had a goose-egg on his head (ran into the corner of a wall), a swollen and bruised jaw (tripped and hit a barstool). A few days later, he fell and split his chin open!

He was the HIGHest star!

A couple of days later we had a big storm. Really...the wind was blowing hard, but not harder than a typical coastal storm. But, because the wind was blowing in an easterly direction, branches were falling like raindrops! I didn't sleep well that night because there were constant thuds on the roof...I was afraid one of our skylights was gonna shatter! The next morning, we woke up to this....

Frankly, this picture doesn't fully illustrate the magnitude of the mess. Adam was busy fixing his Mitsubishi (AS USUAL!) and I worked non-stop for 5 hours cleaning up the property. I could have done more, but I was soaked to the bone and a bit chilly. Except for our "hurricane" 3 years ago, I've never seen a storm create such a mess! Fortunately, the larger branches managed to land in perfect places!

Milestones of Marriage

I think this week is going by too slowly. Surprisingly, my days haven't been filled to the brim with endless things to do. Correction: there is ALWAYS endless things to do! I suppose there's nothing pressing for me to do...so I've been sitting around...procrastinating. You know that feeling you get when life slows down a bit? Instead of doing the things that you've been meaning to do, you do nothing? Well, that's me this week. Synnove and Soren are out of school. Adam, though he was scheduled to take the entire week off, had to go to work yesterday and today. He will also be gone for most of tomorrow and the next day as well...doing things away from us. It all depresses me a bit.

My dear Adam...he's been so busy. Hunting, trapping, fixing, working, traveling, sleeping. *sigh*...I've been sitting here for the last 15 minutes thinking on what I want to say next. All I can come up with is this: Life is constant compromise. Adam is forever being pulled, and he does the best he can to balance the tugs.

Adam and I both reached 30 this year, and next month we will have been "together" for 11 years. We have established a rhythm...a cycle of give and take. It works for us. But, in the last year, our lives have changed dramatically. Maybe Adam doesn't feel it as much as I do, but it is undeniably different. Both of us have started new adventures. In the last year, Adam has started his own trapping business and has become a "rookie" Honda/Mitsubishi mechanic. And I have successfully established my business, and become the busy mom of a preschooler and kindergartner. As a result, dad, mom, husband, and wife duties have become exponentially more challenging. And, when posed with a choice of who comes first...the answer is always the same: the kids.

Weekends are full. They have been full since last March. We don't get a break. Adam and I tried to go on a date over the summer...lol! It never happened. Last Saturday we had a relatively plan-free day and sleeping in sounded divine. The kids got up at 7:00 and "snuggle time" was completely eliminated...let alone sleeping in. I know that there will come a day when I will miss the kids barging into our room screaming that one is chasing the other and that they need our help to save them. Today is not that day.

The last time Adam and I had some alone time together was the night before we picked up our "new" car in October. We arranged for the kids to stay at my parent's house because we had to get up early the next morning. I remember thinking it would be fun to go out that night, but we were both so pooped that we decided to pick up some groceries and spend the evening at home. We turned in early so that we could get up at 5AM to make the long drive to Salem. Fortunately, we made a fun day of it before rushing home to pick up the kids.

Heh...we take what we can get!

Marriage is a perfectly planned-out journey. If you do it the right way,after you get married, you spend all of your free time together and build a trust. You live together and learn that life can be blissful and challenging. Then, you have kids. You fall in love again and discover the balance between spouse and child. As your kids mature, the marriage should mature. You learn sacrifice, compromise, and the importance of communication. Your lives begin to separate and trials seem endless, but your marriage grows stronger because of the strong foundation you have established. You realize that your spouse is your constant and the love you have for them flourishes into a realm that no other person could fully understand. You grow old...you've found your soul mate...one of the greatest, if not the greatest, gifts you could ever receive.

Quite honestly, I love my life. I love my husband. I love my kids. And though I wish that Adam and I could spend more time together, I know that our relationship continues to grow. We get on each other's nerves, we wish things that aren't possible, we pursue, we pull away, and we doubt. But without those things, the moments of laughter, appreciation, love, and forgiveness wouldn't be as wonderful.

Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance. I Corinthians 13:7

Only 9 Days Left!

I couldn't believe it when Thanksgiving came and went, and I only had two Christmas gifts purchased. I didn't have a plan either. I was at a loss as to what to get for everyone and I was starting to panic! Fortunately, I got the Christmas card ordered before Thanksgiving! Last year we didn't send one out, so I had to get one out this year. By the time I paid for all the postage, I was wishing I had skipped this year as well! I started looking for blocks of time where I could get out without the kids. The weekends were full, Adam was busy, and I was starting to brainstorm other options. My Mom was in a bit of a panic as well, as she often relies on me to help her figure out gifts. Somehow we found a block of time to run to Longview for a quick trip. But, before we left, I had to take the kids over to the local church to meet Santa. Synnove had been begging to go! It ended up being a bust because neither of the kids wanted to get within 6 feet of Santa...

In about a weeks time, I finished my Christmas shopping. Online shopping is great!! I could finally breathe a bit...but the house still wasn't decorated. Synnove was soooo excited to decorate, and asked me several times a day..."when are we going to get the decorations out!?", and my response was always.."not until we get our tree." Getting the tree was proving to be difficult. We were busy...constantly busy. And when we weren't busy, it was either dark or raining. We were looking forward to cutting our own tree out at the dairy, but I was beginning to wonder if we were going to have to pay an arm and a leg to the boy scouts down the road for one of theirs. BUT, the weather cleared one day after Synnove got out of school, and we raced to Brownsmead just in time to be home by dusk.

The kids took a bath before dinner (they were filthy and wet) and I made homemade pizza. When dinner was over, I turned on the Christmas music and the decorating began. The kids had such a great time. I think this is the first year that I felt the kids could handle decorating the tree on their own (less the lights and garland)...and they did. Adam helped, while I decorated elsewhere. It really was a fun, no-stress, Christmassy time!

Soren loved all the ornaments...and was constantly coming up to me saying "look at this one!"

Synnove was my grown-up helper girl...she's got this whole Christmas tree thing down pat.

That night I was exhausted, but determined to wrap a few gifts. I ended up wrapping every single one! I still had a few that hadn't come in the mail yet, but, for the most part, I was done! I went to bed well after midnight and was dragging the next day. The kids were surprised to see all the gifts under the tree the next morning and started checking the tags for their names. Synnove was pretty disappointed that there was only one gift with her name on it...ha ha.

We still haven't put any lights outside, and I haven't done any baking...but it feels good to be almost ready for Christmas!

Lucy Lately

We've had our Lucy-girl for a little over three months now (7 1/2 months old)...and, like all puppies, she's a ball of mischief. We've tried our best to stick to the no-hitting plan, and so far it's been alright. Although, there have been a couple of recent situations that warranted a good scolding. She's very lovable and sweet (in her own puppy way) and has adjusted well to her new home. After only a couple of weeks of having her, we decided to let her loose. After doing more research, we realized that she would stay in "her" territory as long as she knew her bounds. In the first couple of weeks we walked her every morning around the perimeter of the property with a leash so she would understand where she lived. Yes, she does her fair share of exploration to the neighbors. Two of our three neighbors don't have any animals, and I haven't heard any complaints yet. She has gotten into the neighbor's garbage a few times...but we have done our best to catch it and clean it up ourselves. Our other neighbor has no reason to complain if our dog ends up on her property...lol (see blog on that)!



As she has gotten older and into the "teenage years" she has discovered her bark. She rarely barks during the day...but she can be quite a nuisance at night. There is no doubt...she's barking at something, but she won't quit until the "threat" is gone. I say "threat" because I swear that sometimes she barks at falling leaves! Scolding her does no good, and we have become more creative in finding ways to contain her on such loud nights. The previous owners of our house already set up a fantastic kennel, but we have to put her in the garage when she barks. There is a sectioned off area in the garage that has a doggie door to the outer kennel, but there is no way to seal her inside...so we've been screwing plywood on the door. It's a temporary solution until Adam makes her a lockable doggie door (hopefully in the next week!) She's started to figure it out though...when we come outside to get her, she won't come to us, and trying to get her through the doggie door can be quite difficult. She fights it!

She really is true to her breed. She guards her territory, only comes to you on HER terms (she can be very difficult to catch!), loves her family, is highly intelligent, very independent, and is a good judge of character.

Here are a few Lucy antics we've come to love and hate:

• It took her about a month to stop chewing on the house every chance she got. Fortunately, the house is in need of a new paint job next summer! She has also destroyed the back-up lights on the truck, pulled wires and insulation off the heat pump, gotten in the truck (kids' fault) and chewed up the registrations for both the truck and the trailer, chewed up several bike helmets and two bike seats, and, of course, has done a number on the fencing in the kennel.

• She rarely comes to you if you call her, but when she does come to you, her excitement towards Adam and I comes in the form of a sort-of submission. She puts her head down and to the side for you to pet her. Once you pet her, she's a ball of excitement and she jumps on you. She's getting better at not jumping...but not good enough. Once she calms a bit, she's a joy to love. She gets down on her back and wants you to rub her belly...if you stop, she gently paws you till you do. She also loves to be hugged close and doesn't pull away.

• She loves garbage. I've cleaned up entire trashcans full at least 4 times.

• Lucy and Charlie are hilarious to watch! Lucy chases Charlie at every opportunity. She's not aggressive...but playful. Charlie mostly hates Lucy...but he has become a LOT more tolerant. Adam has even watched them touch noses...twice!

• She likes to steal Adam's tools and hide them...among other things. Our neighbor likes to burn all the stuff he wants to get rid of and often leaves it outside to pile up. Lucy has brought home many many interesting items to play with. She has also found the spine of an elk to chew on. It's currently sitting in the back yard along with the elk leg bones that Adam brought home from this years elk harvest. It's a regular smorgasbord for Lucy!

• Synnove and Soren are Lucy's "sheep." She paws and mouths them (herding instinct) and is waaay too playful. There are times when Lucy plays nice, but about 70% of the time, I've got to put her in the kennel if the kids are outside.

We didn't get much snow the week of Thanksgiving, but the kids loved playing in it anyway. I can't help but laugh at these pictures I caught of Lucy "loving on" the kids...

Synnove's face is priceless in this picture.

Soren has just gotten the thrill of sliding down the slide, and Lucy is right on his tail.

Again, Soren has just gone down the slide, and Lucy is making sure he gets up ok?? LOL! Soren...the live dog bone :)

A couple of minutes after that last picture, I had to put Lucy away...go figure.

The Miracle of "Caromal Colours"

A few of you may know that I've been talking about re-doing a table that I "inherited" a couple of years ago. This table has been in the family for quite some time. I don't know for sure, but I imagine it was purchased by my grandparents (my Dad's parents) sometime in the '60's. I should find out, but I imagine it was new? Later, my Dad inherited it and it was our family's dining room table until my parents built a new house in '96. I'm sure my Grandma loved it at one time, but the love died...and I don't think my mother ever loved it. She was happy to get a new table and the rickety "picnic table" was retired to the basement. It was occasionally used during Christmas...but that's about it. I think my mom tried to get rid of it...even tried to give it to me...but I didn't want it (at the time). It wasn't until we moved here that the table became more appealing to me. Our current house only has one dining area, and though I love my hand-me-down farm table and chairs (thanks Uncle Steve and Aunt Kathi), it isn't very big and only seats 6. The infamous picnic table has the ability to scrunch 8 kids and 2 adults (if chairs are added on the ends). NO, I don't plan on having 8 kids...it's just a visual. Plus, it's not akward and oversized, takes up little space, and leaves room for people to walk around it even though it's bigger than the other table. So, I agreed to take it off of Mom's hands.

Since then, I've spent many hours researching a solution to it's ugliness. From tole paint, stencils, and crackle paint, I was NOT finding anything I could get excited about. I wanted it to look authentically old...not look like a 1960's thrift-store find. I went so far as to purchase some crackle paint on MEGA sale (thank goodness), but was not happy with the results. I like crackle, but it doesn't make furniture look authentically old...it looks like the faux finish that it is. I was stuck. I wasn't going to proceed with the project if I wasn't going to be completely happy with the results.

Last June my parents took the kids and I fishing on the islands for Father's Day. To help relieve the boredom, Mom brought several magazines...one being Country Living. I love Country Living. Anyway, I found a tiny little ad on one of the pages for a faux finish technique called "Barnworn" from Caromal Colours. I was over-the-top excited, looked up the website on my phone, and was obsessed with finding out more about it for the next few weeks. In my research, I came upon Patty Henning's "Fabulous Finishes" blog. If you're into any kind of faux finishing, Patty is your gal! She's got lots of pictures and how-to's, and though I never contacted her, she's available for all your questions and concerns. She doesn't know it, but her website helped me a TON when it came to choosing my paint and attacking my project.

The purchase of the paint was going to be a tad spendy, so I spent lots of time deciding my colors. In fact, I ended up spending more than needed because I just couldn't decide! Btw, Patty's blog has a section where you can actually SEE and order sample finishes...it's great! Anyway, because of lack of time, I didn't get around to starting the project until a couple of weeks ago. Here it is...

I never understood why the table had two drop-leaves. They served little to no purpose. I showed my Grandma Barbara the table last Christmas and she said that she thought it was a "bench-table." It can be used as a picnic table (obviously), or the leaves can be dropped so that folks can sit the opposite way like a bench! Who knew?

I reluctantly did the entire project in the basement. It was freezing and rainy outside and I wanted to be where it was warm where the paint could dry properly. We didn't run the woodstove for a few days so that the paint wouldn't dry too fast. Below shows the benches painted with two coats of the "Putty" color Textured Basecoat. The paint is thick, like peanut butter and can be applied to ANY surface without prep! Plus, you're meant to smoosh it on or paint it smooth depending on the effect you want. Sloppy is better for a more worn finish.
After applying the first color, the next step is to apply a layer of "Chipping Creme." Chipping Creme allows the bond between the first color and the final color to be weak so that the final paint color can easily be chipped or sanded off to make the furniture look worn. Once that is dry, you paint on the final color of Textured Basecoat (I used Wisteria). AS SOON as that's dry you sand and distress it however you like. I used my mouse sander as well as various screwdrivers, toys and other tools to create dents and scrapes. Once you're done with that you can choose to apply the Toner (like a glaze) for added depth and antiquing. The next two pictures are a comparison of the benches...one toned, one not.

Once I was done with the toning, I was so, SO pleased! The table looked better than I imagined it would. Then, at Patty's suggestion, I used Minwax Wipe-On Poly in Satin to seal it. And oh. my. GOODNESS. I wish I would have discovered this product years ago! The wipe-on was so easy to apply! If you've ever painted on polyurethane, you know how stressful and complicated it can be.

The table was in it's place the next day. Even Adam was impressed...because he wasn't so sure mid-way through the project. Now that I have my wall and my table, I have some SERIOUS re-decorating to do. Maybe an area rug, new wall-hangings, and new drapes. But, that probably won't happen till after the holidays ;)