I've died and gone to Coffe and Chocolate heaven....

Today was the first annual woman's show at the Alerus Center in Grand Forks. It was fabulous! I spent about 2 hours walking around the booths and loved every minute of it.

First off, as you walked in the door, you were handed these neato burgundy cloth bags to put all your "stuff" in. Then of course you get a map of all the concessions and vendors to get you going on your way.

My first stop was at the first table...free COFFEE :) I can't pass up a good cup of java and this wasn't just any cup...it was excellent....and made just for me...by me :) I have seen the single serving coffee dispensers in places like Target and Kohls and passed them up without another thought...but this was free sample day so I thought "what the heck" so I tried it and...oh my goodness...I'm sooooo hooked! I would have brought one home with me but my hands were kinda full as I was leaving and the guy at the booth said that his store delivered...so I got home and called...but they had closed!!! oh no!!! I am getting the shakes...I need a fix! It could be the overload of caffeine in my system...I had one cup of Butter Toffe coffee...and on the way out I had a cup of Pomegranate Berry Fusion Tea...and a lot of chocolate from vendor candy dishes = a sugar overload??? I haven't eaten much except for coffee and chocolate today...I guess that also could explain the shakes. hmmmm....guess I should find something healthier to eat since it is close to dinner time...but a cup of Cinnamon Mocha would really be good right now...I have been perusing the Keurig website and researching all the awesome flavors that you can buy....oh the drinks that I could drink :) Check it out at http://www.keurig.com/

Care to join me for a cup? What is YOUR favorite flavor?

I've got the power :)

Location possibility #1

Tulips in their packages - shows different colors

Location option #2 - corner garden? This will all be a big flower bed from the gate to the end of the house...eventually

Daffodil bulb - doesn't look like much now does it?

My power auger came in the mail yesterday!!! Watch out Mamma's got POWER TOOLS baby! Wooo Hoo! The drill battery was dead and I was pretty exhausted from a full day at work at the open house we had so I didn't get started on them yesterday, in spite of the GORGEOUS day that it turned out to be. It was 40s in the morning...my ticket booth was in the shade so I wore not only two layers but a heavy jacket and a scarf. But by noon the sun was above me and I was able to take off the jacket and scarf. The fall colors are starting to come, leaves have been changing the past couple of days to a bright sunny yellow and some mottled yellows.

This will be my start to finish tulip bed post...so link here for a progress check. I have a vision of constructing an all pink bed which (hopefully) will be in full bloom around May timeframe (Breast Cancer Awareness Month) and I would like to dedicate it to my Mom. She has been such an inspiration to me, throughout my life, but I am just now realizing how wonderful she truly is. Just this Friday, she attended a concert at her tiny little church in podunk Arkansas. The church men constructed the stage and the church ladies did all the fixings. There were over 1500 people in attendance!!! That is like WOW. I think we had maybe 150-200 at our open house yesterday and our building is twice the size of that church. I can't imagine the amount of work that must have gone into making all that possible. And here's my Mom, 74 years old, who lives in the middle of nowhere, in the middle of it all. She is so amazing!

Anyway, back to the garden. I would like to put it close to the road...thinking on the opposite side of the driveway of the mailbox...or should I tuck it into the corner more? I would like to make the bed kinda heart shaped...so the angle of the driveway and road would help here. So far I have 3 different colors of pink tulips and some pink hycynths. Any other suggestions of pink blooming flowers that bloom throughout May...and beyond would be great.

I will post random photos of the progress here as the work progresses. So check back for an update on occasion :)

Our Song...

A faded wedding photograph
You and me in our first dance
Our eyes are closed
We're lost in one sweet embrace
Since those days the world has changed
Our love remains the same
God knows we've had our share of saving grace

And I'm proud of all the blessings
You have given me
The mountains we have climbed to get this far
You learn to take the laughter with the tears
After all these years

You make it feel brand new
After the fires that we walked thru
Against the odds we never lost our faith

In a house we've made our own
Where our children all have grown
Precious moments time can not erase

Make a livin' up and down the gypsy highway
Seasons that we've beared to share apart
Somehow in my heart I always keep you near
After all these years

After all these years
You stood by me
The days and nights that I was gone
After all these years
You sacrificed, believed in me
And you stood strong
Cause with our love there's nothing left to fear
After all these years

After all these years
You stood by me
The days and nights that I was gone
After all these years
You sacrificed, believed in me
And you stood strong
Cause with our love there's nothing left to fear
After all these years

Scott has always love Journey, when I first heard this song it nearly took my breath away...its so us. One of the first gifts I gave him when we started dating was Journey's Greatest Hits, I know his call because my phone sings out "I'm forever yours...faithfully"

Jaiden putting together a puzzle

Jaiden loves her Winnie the Pooh puzzle. She has put it together dozens of times and as you can see, she is getting pretty quick with it. She has only had it for a couple of weeks. This is a reality check that she is growing up way too fast!

Not sure where this is going....

This photo was taken on Saturday...even when she is trying not to be, she is still a cutie pie!


Its been a frustrating Monday. One of those days when I just wish I could have stayed in bed....things went ok, no complaints to speak of...it was just one of those days. I feel myself slipping into a funk and not sure why.

I ordered a garden ruter today...the kind you can attach to a cordless drill...after planting about two dozen tulip and daffodil bulbs with a bulb planter...I've decided that what this woman needs is POWER TOOLS...(insert Tool Time Tim rrooorroorooo) No, I don't intend to dig to China to bring back a sister for Jaiden (sigh) if it were so easy I would try. I do intend to make the best darn tulip bed on the Point though...I need a HOBBY to take my mind off the winter that is sneaking up on us. I need something to look forward to in the spring...so my mind is clickin making plans to hint to hubs that he too needs another project....he loves to build things...so he will get the task of digging and putting the blocks in...I get to fill with plants :) The tomato plants that I grew from seeds...well they burst (literally) the tomatoes are bursting at the seams...and the plants are crazy wild and growing enormous. I pulled one plant up yesterday and pulled DOZENS of roma tomatoes off of it...green ones, orange ones, the red ones were not good cuz they had been pecked on by something so I threw them out. In a few days the green ones will be red...I have some that were orange when I brought them inside and are now red and they are very tasty. It amazes me that something could grow from such a teenie tiny seed....and make such a tremendous harvest of fruit. There are several other plants that are still in the "green" stages. I think I planted a big boy and lots of different cherrie tomatoes and grape tomatoes too. The only ones I've seen ripen so far are the pear (yellow) grape tomatoes...I'd never eaten a yellow tomato before and I must say that while it is not my favorite, its not too bad. It has a flavor that I can't quite figure out. Very mild and lightly sweet. With all the rain we've had the growth rate has been stupendous and I really need to go weed the garden because it has become a jungle. Things grow here like you would not believe...just stick it in the ground and it flourishes. So I am looking forward to seeing what comes up next spring...I will try to keep thing in moderation this time and not plant so many tomatos. They totally outgrew their cages...they need something MUCH stronger and taller than the flimsy tomato cages at the hardware store.

So why am I in such a funky mood? I picked Jared up from bowling and took him to swimming, which turned out to be a joke. He splashed around in the water for half an hour and dunked his head in once. He has been to swim lessons before so he should be well past this stage by now...but he has no water confidence and the instructors had about 10 kids per group so they were not able to give him much "instruction" during this time. I left very frustrated and he was disappointed because he really wants to learn to swim...swim....not just flop around in the water. I am going to try to cancel the classes tommorrow, hopefully get a refund on the very expensive chlorine bath. and then take a few days to take him to a pool and teach him myself. I learned by just getting in the water and doing it....but I am part fish (crab) and he doesn't like water in the face so this could be quite the challenge. He loves to be in the water...he just doesn't like the water to be in his face.



Jared's in the blue trunks in the middle...you can see the instructors have his full attention...

So I am an itty bitty bit crabby tonight. I apologize...my posts will get less whak (I hope) Thanks for listening. Good Night! Evening! Morning! Afternoon! (whatever it may be to you)

A Love Like None Other

For the past two Sundays we have been attending church service...yes I know this shouldn't be a big deal but since we have not been attending church services in over 3 years I thought this was something to write about...especially since I feel I am being moved to do so.

There isn't much reason why we have not been attending services other than we stopped during the turmulous days of our pre-adoptive paperwork submission...Aug 2005 to be more exact. Facing our "friends" each week and being assaulted with "how are you's" and "how's the adoption process" were just too much after the first year and coming to face dozens of friends that were expecting babies and hadn't even begun trying until after we had started our adoption process...well it was a bit of a pill to swallow. So its been a while. I have not lost my faith, but I would say in the past few years it has been tested beyond measure. Friends that we thought loved us have turned against us, or became distant. We took it all in stride, keeping contact with those that were truly interested in what we were going through, even trying to keep in touch with those that weren't. Life becomes a routine very quickly and weeks go by fast. Years have flown by in mere moments.

I've missed the fellowship of friends like nothing I can ever describe. When we moved here we thought it was a temporary move. Little did we know that God has other plans in store...I am still trying to figure them out...You know the saying "We make plans, God laughs" well that pretty much describes my life. I am a perpetual planner. Its been hard to let go of the reins. I want to be in control of my life, although I know I would probably just muss it up. I have learned one thing in the past 3 years and its that I am helpless to make anything happen the way I see fit. My dreams do not belong to me. I need to give them up in order to make them a reality. I cannot make them happen. I often wonder if I am dreaming the wrong dreams and that I may be just following my own selfish desires instead of following God's master plan.

So where on earth am I going with this...well it bothers the heck out of me that churches are so divided in their beliefs. I grew up going to a Southern Baptist church...refusing to be baptized just to become a Baptist...I wanted to be a Christian...but how? Once you get saved then what? I did the accept Christ speech thing at a young age at some bible day camp that I attended just to make sure the "say it out loud" box was checked. But something seemed like it was missing. There has to be more to being a Christian than that. My favorite verse since toddler days has always been John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son that WHOMSOEVER shall believeth in HIM shall not perish, but have everlasting life" This has been the root of my faith since before I can remember. I don't know who taught me this verse or what age I learned it but it has always been my rock in times of confusion.

So while we have missed the fellowship that a church offers, I have not really missed the political stuff that goes along with it. I miss learning new things from fellow Christians and those that are struggling with lifes burdens. I feel we need to share the tough times to help others that are facing similar situations. I think that is why we have struggles, to help others in need. To have that edge of compassion that only experience can bring. I also think that the body of Christ extends far beyond the walls of a church as we know it. It is in the kind act of a stranger, the loving words of a child, the many acts we see every day and somehow take for granted. It is a love that lives within us, whether we attend a church service or not. I am not saying that you shouldn't attend church but maybe if the church would love the way that Christ loves us then we wouldn't be so hesistant to enter its doors. Acceptance is one of the best gifts a person can give.

Acceptance is often hard, sometimes even within the family unit. We tend to judge based on what we feel is important. Whether a person is dressed differently than we would like, whether they talk in a strange way, or walk in an odd fashion...doesn't matter what it is...everyone has something that we must accept. Acceptance is love. True Love is Unconditional. Unconditional Love comes from God...its a good thing and its a GOD thing. We need more acceptance and more unconditional love in our families and our lives.

I am being tested again to make a move that will forever change our family. Will my family accept this dream? What will they say when I bring it up? They know what has been placed on my heart for a while but time has gone by and I have put it on the back burner to simmer....but the pot is heating up and starting to boil. What will become of it? Will I open it up and allow its sweet fragrance to billow about in the hearts of those I love or will it bubble out unrestrained only to scorch and burn wasted and useless? I'm praying for the answers to come...and my patience to be at peace until they do.

Followers??? I have followers!!!

Oh how exciting! I just noticed on my dashboard that it said that I have 3 followers for my blog :) I am so HONORED! Thank you loyal followers...I feel like a princess with a royal court :)

Now how do I get to be a follower too???

I've joined the ranks of those Moms who have signed up for just too much to do...Jared now has bowling, swimming and scouts all starting next Monday. Scouts is actually the Monday after next but bowling and swimming are on the same day. Swimming lessons is only 8 lessons for two weeks...bowling is the same so it won't be that bad, just a busy two weeks. Then it will leave just scouts, which I hope goes better than last year. I signed him up last year but found out that he would be joining a pack of ONE so that sorta defeated the purpose of joining...to meet friendS so we didn't ever do anything with that. I am hoping we will be able to stick with it this year.