Random Thoughts

A view of the Boston Harbor

• It's 8:30 in the morning here and it's 73 degrees out. I'm sitting outside on the back steps, watching my children "paint" the side of our duplex. There's a lot on my mind today, lots to do. Tonight we are hosting a party for our church community. New students coming, some going, celebrating the fall season that is quickly upon us. In my opinion, I don't think we always need a reason to celebrate. Life is reason enough.
• I'm planning on making Gluten-Free Lemon cupcakes with lemon frosting. Oh, and they will be dairy free as well. There are a few people with lactose intolerance so, I try to make things safe for all to eat, although at times it can be tricky.
• The house needs tidying a bit. Balls of dust have gathered in the corners of the dining room and are begging to be set free. Housework has not been on the top of my list lately. We have people coming and going all of the time so, most of the time I'm just upkeeping. Not much deep cleaning has happened in...well, a while.
• The weather has been in the 90's here the last couple of days. On Tuesday I took the kids to the nearby park to play in the spray. I joined them. It was fun.
• Next Thursday will be our official back-to-school day! It seems that lots of other homeschooling families have already started but, I like to start in September. It seems more official to me. :) I'm also finishing up a small stack of paperwork for the school district. It's not a lot but, it needs to be done. This is the first year I have to report to the district.
• Tomorrow, we take a trip to Salem, NH to visit the Super Walmart. It's 45 minutes away, so we only go every couple of months or so. We are in need of school supplies and basic necessities that we can get at better prices there than anywhere here in the city. It's worth the trip.
• In the process of planning for the class I will teach this year in our Homeschool Co-op. Another woman and I are teaching arts and crafts to 4th and 5th grade girls. It should be fun. The other night we planned and picked out the projects we are going to do. Lots of fun is in store.

Do you have any plans to end out your summer?

Life Update...

Where shall I start? I guess back at the beginning...

12 years ago, before my husband and I were married we were leaders in our church youth ministry. At that time we were leading the worship (music) together. I love to worship, it's just a huge part of who I am. Eventually, after leading the youth worship for a while, I transitioned into leading it for the church. I loved it. I was very green at it but, loved it. It wasn't long after that transition that one day I noticed my voice getting very hoarse and after several days, actually losing my voice. It was very strange. Eventually I noticed that I couldn't sing anymore. This brought up some major concern and I scheduled an appointment with an Ear Nose and Throat specialist in my town.

After examining me thoroughly, he noticed a bump on my left vocal fold which is called a nodule. It is basically caused by vocal overuse and abuse, basically not always using my voice correctly and/or using it too much. So, long story short I ended up going to get a second opinion and sure enough that is what I had. I went through a period of voice therapy and voice rest (not talking). Needless to say, I stopped singing. This was a rough time for me. Really rough. I remember at one point I was at church and began to get frustrated that I couldn't sing out the way I wanted to. I remember saying to God "Why can't I just worship you?" and I distinctly remember Him saying back "You don't have to sing to worship me." That started me on a journey of discovering that the way I live my life is an offering of worship to God.

After months of the voice rest and voice therapy, the nodule eventually dissolved. But it was a lengthy process, getting my voice to where I could sing for long periods of time or even singing period. It's very much like exercise, when you stop exercising for a while and then start back up again, it can be difficult. That's how it was for me. I struggled for awhile.

Fast Forward 10 years to the present. We moved to the city to start this church and I am the worship leader, and I find myself in a similar situation to the one I just described. My voice is very hoarse, very tired-sounding and sometimes not even there at all. I have been to a specialist who indeed found a cyst on my left vocal chord. That darn left vocal chord. A cyst is slightly different from a nodule in that a nodule form on the outside of the vocal chord and can usually be dissolved by voice rest and voice therapy. A cyst forms from the inside out and does not go away very easily, if at all according to the doctor. A second opinion by another doctor in the practice stated that I need to have it surgically removed. ugh. Not what I wanted to hear. In fact, for a split second I was annoyed that he was so quick to suggest it.

After a little pleading with him, we agreed to a round a voice therapy and then a follow-up in 6 weeks to see where I'm at. To be honest, surgery frightens me a little. I'm not so keen on someone using a knife anywhere near my throat...or anywhere for that matter. Apparently, this type of surgery has mixed results. Some end up having success and others not so much.

My prayer is that over the next 6 weeks, a change will take place. I'd appreciate any prayers in that direction. :)

Thanks for letting me share a little piece of my life with you.

Ugh.

(this is not me..it's someone else who is sick, or pretending to be for this photo.)

I am sitting here clutching my 150th mug of herbal tea (with lemon and honey) for the week. I am tired of herbal tea. I am also tired of lemon and honey. I am also sick. Yes. I'm sick. No fun at all.

What started out as a scratchy throat has now become a yucky chest thingy.

Being more in favor of natural remedies than prescriptions, I decided to go the route of grapefruit seed extract, probiotics and good old apple cider vinegar...to no avail. Well, a week has gone by and I have decided I need professional help. I just got off of the phone with my Doctor who has called in an antibiotic for me. This is really a last resort for me. I abhor antibiotics. I can't even remember the last time I took one, or had my kids on one but, when my body is in dire need of something...I'd rather do that than end up with pneumonia...seriously. At least I have probiotics to take with it.

The rest of my family seems to be in good health with the exception of my husband with slight stuffiness, who asked me to get extra antibiotics for him (just in case). I laughed and said "you can't do that." "really?" he said. "Think about it, if you could just get extras for whomever you wanted or whoever asked you, everyone would be "hopped up" on someone else's drugs. Not a good thing." It was actually quite humorous.

So, here I sit. My mile-long to do list on my mind, my kids watching a movie, and everything else on hold, and it's OK. Getting better is the most important thing on the list at the moment.

Times with friends...

Yesterday was a special day. A day of tradition with extra special people mixed in. Friends from New York came to visit over the Holiday and we had an exceptional time. Yesterday we ventured out to Marlborough Massachusetts to do our annual tree hunting. It was great to have them along. We found a small, simple farm with lovely trees. It was not raining or snowing, but boy was it windy. We trampled through the forest of trees to find the "perfect one." not too big, not too small, not too fat. Perfect for the corner near the fireplace. Alas, we found it. After much discussion and going back and forth, we had decided on one. Kent and the kids helped cut the tree down and loaded it onto a pull sled. Hot chocolate and candy canes satisfied our chills, and our sweet tooth. For a split second, I felt as though we were back in New York. In our small town, picking out our tree like always. I quickly remembered where we were as we arrived back in the city. We all decorated our tree while listening to Christmas carols and sipping hot spiced cider. I wouldn't have changed a thing. It was the perfect ending to a great week. Now, Kent is heading back to NY for a meeting and the kids and I are very tired from the weeks festivities and a little crabby I might add. (Me, mostly). I would love a nap. We'll see. Our table will be graced with leftovers once again and our hearts will be full of memories with special friends. I am now listening to banging and screaming from the upstairs bedroom...needless to say, time for me to close. :)

Pictures to come.

A Time To Give Thanks...

If I were to make a list of absolutely everything I am thankful for...the list would go on forever and you would get bored of reading so, I will make it simple:

Today I am Thankful For...

My family, of which every member is an absolute gift in my life.

My healthy, active, and vibrant children.

A place to call home.

A Husband who loves me- and I love him back.

Full bellies for me and my family.

A warm bed.

Warm coats for the cold weather.

My loving parents.

Friends.

A God who provides for all of my needs according to His riches in Glory by Christ Jesus...

Yeah. That's what I'm Thankful for today. How about you?

I'm back with some late night randomness...

I miss blogging. I used to blog a lot, and I really liked it. I've been looking through some of my older blog posts and thinking of how many memories and special moments I've captured on here. It really is very special, like a virtual scrapbook. It's obviously been a long time since I've blogged regularly, and I'm a little sad about it actually. My life is a bit different now than it used to be. Not better or worse, just different. But, thinking back on all of the wonderful moments that I have captured here, it seems a shame to stop now. There are so many more moments to freeze in time. So, I am saying all of that to say, I want to be a regular blogger again. I want to have weekly recipe posts and fun pictures of the kids, and polls, and all of the other fun stuff I used to do. I feel like I need it. Funny, but true. If there are still any readers out there, I know there is at least one of you; please continue reading because I don't plan on going anywhere. :)

So...City living. I have spent most of my life in small towns but, always dreaming of what it would be like to live in a big city. In my early twenties I would think about city life and being where all of the action is but, thought I could never raise a family in the city, it just wouldn't be practical. I enjoyed visits to New York City but, enjoyed my small town life, where everybody knows your name....and they're always glad you came. (sorry, I had to throw that one in there.) I think people who grew up in the city must have daydreams of living in the country. The peace, quiet...and cows. Now, I am living proof that you can have a family and live in the city. Easy? Not always. Fun? Yes. Backyard? No. My son said the other day, I miss our yard but, I really like going to the playground. The playground and every other park in the city is our backyard, and there are some great ones. To be honest, I have no complaints. This is where The Lord has called us, and he is moving greatly here. I will say that it does get a bit lonely at times being away from family and friends. Attempting to form new relationships is not easy, but I know in time it will happen. One of my favorite things about the city is the diversity and every imaginable culture at your fingertips, it's really amazing. There are hundreds of ethnic restaurants right up the street from us, and we live across the street from a building where bands play at all hours of the night, could it get any better than that? Just kidding. The bands aren't that bad. :)

Anyway, city life is great and there are 1000's of people here that need to know God and his tremendous love for them and I'm so excited that he chose us to carry His light to this city.

Hey, I have an idea! If anyone is interested in asking any questions, like why we moved, what we're doing here, etc...feel free to comment, and maybe I'll make a blog post out of it or something.

Disappointed.

Yes, I am a bit disappointed. Why? You ask. Well, I have been searching online to find a Walmart Supercenter near where we are going to live. Do you think I could find one? Of course not. It would've been too easy to find a grocery store within decent driving distance with affordable groceries. I have mixed feelings about Walmart stores but, continue to shop there because they save me a lot of money. Call me a hypocrite, but I will be a frugal hypocrite. The part I dislike is when the huge stores move into small areas and pretty much drive the locally owned stores out of business. That I do not like but, like I said before it doesn't stop me enough to boycott. It looks as though I will have to adjust where I shop which will be a fun little adventure. At least they have a Trader Joe's on just about every block. :) Honestly, where I will shop is the absolute least of my worries but, I have been thinking about it. Maybe I'll just stock up on my usuals here before we leave.
While I'm thinking out loud (or on screen) I've often been wondering, how does one live in a city with small children? I mean, I've been living in NY state for about 20 years, in small towns. I'm a lover of the city I've just never lived there. I've been having daydreams of how I will ride the train with a stroller and little tykes in tow. How will I meet friends? Will people like me? Will I want to leave as soon as I get there? Will it feel like home? You know, those crazy, worrisome, and sometimes irrational fears that often pop up. I am excited though. I feel like I am embarking on a new adventure and there are so many wonderful things awaiting us. We almost have our apartment. I say almost because we took the weekend to make a decision whether or not we would commit to a certain place. I will keep you updated. I continue to try and pack and get ready to go. It's not long now about 1 1/2 months. I think it will go fast.
Hmmm...Maybe I should learn to make a Boston Creme Pie. Yeah. That sounds like a great idea.

Midnight Blogging.

It is 12am and I cannot sleep. Nothing new, really. These kinds of evenings are very normal. You know, the kind where your mind just will not shut off, no matter how much you try to force it. Thus resulting in midnight blogging. Honestly, this is really the first chance in a while that I have actually been able to sit and type anything. We were in Boston for 10 days and since then, I think I've only checked my email twice. Things are crazy. Really crazy. Good...but, crazy. We have something going on literally every, single, day. This weekend we just decided to chill. In fact, we ended up cancelling something we had planned for last night so we could just relax.
We were also invited to a cookout tonight but, opted to stay home and have a much-needed and very important family night. We had our own cookout and a bonfire, complete with s'more-making. Have you ever spread peanut butter onto the graham cracker before adding your chocolate and marshmallow? You must try it. Kent even brought out his guitar and we sang around the fire. We even sang Kumbaya. Yes...we did. The kids requested it, and I played it on the guitar. Not well, but I played it nonetheless. Kent laughed (to himself). We also told "homemade" stories, as the kids call them. After we tucked the little ones into bed, Kent and I watched a very predictable and slighlty less than entertaining movie* but, it was just nice to hang out together. Tomorrow, we will be having guests for the next few days, and then I will prepare for vacation! I cannot wait. I'm ready for the sand, sun and saltwater! The kids have been talking about it for weeks. It will be a fun break for us! Not sure the next time you'll hear from me. Thank you to all who are still keeping up!

*By the way...just in case you were wondering, the movie we watched was Bride Wars. Not as great as I expected, way too predictable like most romantic comedies. I didn't really think it was that creative. Anyway, I do love Anne Hathaway. (just my opinion...in case you wanted to know.)

In The Wee Morning Hours Part 2!

My husband is out of town until Thursday, and when that happens I often stay up late and fall asleep on the sofa. Last night was one of those nights when suddenly, I woke up to a strange noise coming from back in one of the kid's rooms. I looked at the clock on the microwave and it read "2:14am". I started to wonder what it was so, I got up and started to walk back to the rooms. I looked down and there was "A" sitting on the floor in the hallway reading books. I stooped down, looked at her and said...honey, what are you doing up? It's still night time. Her reply was "I had a good night sleep and dreams, mommy." I said to her "you need to go back to bed honey, you're not done sleeping yet." yeah right. In her mind, she was done sleeping. So, I did a brave deed...I let her sleep with me. Remember what happened last time? Well, it was nearly repeated but, not quite as cute. :) I thought this time would be different but, it was not. I haven't been sleeping well as it is but, it was late (or early) and I didn't want to put her back in her bed and deal with her crying and waking her brother up. In other words I did it out of desperation. Needless to say, I will not be having her sleep with me again anytime soon. Unless of course, I'm up for involuntary slaps on my head and feet on my stomach! :)

Some Useful Information...

I just received some great information by email about organic fruits and veggies. It's definitely worth a read. It is 20 fruits/veggies to buy organic and 20 that aren't necessary to buy organic. I'm always confused so this was helpful. It would make it even more helpful if it didn't cost and arm and a leg to purchase products that are better for us than those that aren't. Wouldn't you think it would cost more to do more to something than it does to just leave it in its natural state? You'd think. Anyway, that's another soapbox for another day! If you want to check out those articles CLICK HERE!

My Little Nature Lovers

Rev 4:11 "Our Lord and God! You are worthy to receive glory, honor, and power. For you created all things, and by your will they were given existence and life."

Yesterday was a rainy and chilly day here in Central New York. The rain and cold unfortunately kept us indoors which usually equals frustrated, crabby, and disobedient kids. Which in turn equals a frustrated and crabby mommy. Although we did a ton of crafts and played games and listened to music and everything else I could think of; nothing compared to being outside. They love it out there, as do I. So, today was a different story. We woke up to a beautiful, fall-like day, the sun was shining and the air was brisk...a perfect day to go outside. The kids had on long pants and their little hoodies and out we went. K and I were playing catch with the football in the yard and A was playing on the swings. I looked over to check on A and I saw her hugging a tree. I kept watching her to see what she was doing and I heard her say in a sweet little voice to the tree..."I love you." I walked over and asked her what she was doing and she just looked up at me with her sweet little face and smiled. She must have wanted the tree to know she loved it. You wouldn't have known by the way she was picking the bark off of it before that. :)
Later, We had a snack at the picnic table and when K was through, he went down into the yard. A minute later I looked down and he was lying on the ground. I called down and asked him if he was OK. He said "I'm Ok, I'm just laying down looking at the sky and the clouds...Look, that one looks like a giant." I'm so thankful that my children can enjoy all that God has created. It's like pulling teeth to get them to come inside. Let's hope the snow holds off until at least November, this year. I'm not getting my hopes up. :)



*NOTE: I've added a new feature to my blog that I think is really cool (Thanks, Glam Housewife) If you follow my blog, it would be cool to know who you are so I can follow yours as well. So, all you have to do is go to my sidebar and click where it says follow this blog and I'll have links to your blogs. Cool, right? It's a great way for me to know who's reading. Thanks.

I'm Still here!

I know, I've been gone for awhile. I think its been like 8 days or something. To be honest, I've been really busy and haven't quite felt like blogging. *GASP* did I just say that? I now deserve a place in the blogger's Hall of Shame. It's Ok, I deserve it. I really shouldn't be blogging if I don't intend on doing so at least once a week, right?
I thought about filling you in on everything I've been doing for the past week but, then I got tired thinking of how my hands would hurt from typing everything. So, I decided to sum it all up in small, to the point sentences. Not many details but, you'll at least get a small feel for what I've been up to. So...here goes.

Got on a plane to Texas. Arrived in Texas. Ate in Texas. Spent time with my brother in Texas. Laughed, cried, ate some more. Saw Fort Hood. Visited San Antonio. Shopped. Said a brief hello to the Alamo. Danced my little heart out. Listened to the Dueling pianos. Missed my family. Ate some great "Tex-Mex". Swam in a rooftop pool. Sweat alot. Celebrated. Ate some good ol' Texas BBQ. Drank alot of water. Went to bed late. Said goodbye. Shed a few tears. Got back on a plane. flight got cancelled. Spent 15 hours total in airports and planes. (stinkin' Continental Airlines). Got home at 1am. Catching up on sleep. Keeping up with the kiddos.... I could go on but, I will not bore you.
The next morning after I got home, I walked into A's room to get her out of bed. She took a good look at me, smiled and said "There You Are!" like we had been playing hide and seek and she finally found me. It was so sweet.

So, that's what I've been up to. Basically, I went to Texas with my mom to said good-bye to my little brother who will be leaving for Afghanistan on Monday. Our time spent was bitter-sweet but, I'm trusting that he will be back with us soon!