schickHouse

Unplugging

I've been thinking about it off and on for a long time. Read something tonight to push me to do it. I'm unplugging from the majority of my time-sucker. No facebook, eBay, or email for at least one week. Maybe I'll check in next Thursday. Maybe I won't. I have waaaay better things to be doing. Like hugging little angels, snuggling my blessings, kissing boo-boos, being impressed by a daredevil, cheering on my emerging swimmers, and a million other things I too often neglect and feel disgusted about neglecting. Time to take action. Time to live my priorities. Status of the blog hangs in the balance. But... the blog doesn't really care either.

The New Place

Just wanted to get some great summer pics up before all you see are baby photos. :) These were all from the past week, mostly one day, but I forget which one. LOL. Thanks for lookin'.

Loved how well this one turned out.

Cyrus helping Daddy change the oil. He is SO just like Steve.

Elle Mae & Angela under the canopy of the weeping cherry tree, being sweethearts.

Elle Mae & Angela in the old corn crib. The children only recently discovered what a fun place this can be.

Cyrus got the privilege of driving the mower while Steve collected weeds. Too adorable. He loved his new responsibility.

Of course, Shelby wanted to try, too. Such fun we have!

Shelby Screams... Shrieks... Squeals

Shelby let out a long yelp this past Saturday. I'm not sure what exactly you'd call that sound. But it brought us all running. Below is what she was so excited about. It was so low, we could hear the people laughing at the children's screaming and running wild across the lawn!

Icon Gone, Road Open

Last week a local architectural icon was demolished. Today the road is reopened. I'll miss it, even though before we moved here several weeks ago, I rarely used it. I still need to get the complete "after" photo.

Happy 12th Anniversary

Steve & I celebrated our anniversary today with a scrumptious lunch at Carraba's and a fun 3-D movie (Up by Pixar). Overall, a truly wonderful day, that started out with these cuties.

Needed: Flowing Water

Yesterday God gave us a big answer to prayer. The plumber came, followed by the roto-rooter man. They fixed a backed up waterfall that had been happening in the basement of our new house. We had been avoiding laundry and children's baths since we first discovered the challenge on moving day.

That was wonderful to get fixed. For all the things it could've been, it was one of the most affordable problems. 

Unfortunately, hours after that was fixed, we realized we have some other sort of water challenge. The pump is a jet pump, not a submersible pump. Don't ask me to elaborate much on that (cuz I am challenged there), but it turns out that our water is not what you'd call abundant. The toilet got stuck running, and we had to wait at least a half hour to get any water after that. So, prayers are appreciated as we work to understand our water, balance water for gardening, bathing, & laundry, and consider options to remedy the situation.

We were so blessed yesterday also by family helping out. Jonny & Jenna came down and spent hours helping outside... weeding, uncovering the pool, weeding, pruning, weeding, helping dig up the septic, and more weeding. Grammy S brought down dinner, which was providential since Steve was occupied outside and I was at an appointment for insulin education. (Just waiting for my prescription now.) Day by day. Learning. Growing. Trusting.

Home

We're home. We had wonderful friends and family help us pack the truck Friday evening and then unpack Saturday morning and afternoon. God blessed us both days with great weather, holding off the rain, but also holding off the heat. Boxes are strewn everywhere. Two garages at family members' houses are still waiting for us to relieve them. We have a serious plumbing issue in the basement. But, all is well. The pool is ready for chemicals. The pond is de-winterized. The abundant and amazing flowers make it feel like we've moved to the Garden of Eden. The garden is tilled (a big thank you to the sellers for that!) and ready to be planted. We currently are without internet in the new place, so my online time is sparse. And even when the internet arrives, I think my time there will still be sparse. I've been thanking God more than normal for the over-abundant blessings He has poured into our lives.

This Week

Four days til settlement! Five days til we're living in the new place! Can not wait.

I should find out today a bit about the future of my pregnancy. My numbers have not been so hot in the past week. Once in a while it's due to me not eating right, but more and more it seems that what I used to eat is just not working correctly with my body anymore. I've been frustrated with it all. It seems so consuming. It doesn't seem practical to take a half-hour walk after every meal with four children. Last night I ate ONLY a cheeseburger (with a bun) for supper. That's about 25 grams of carb. I'm supposed to aim for 30-45 grams per meal. So, that should have been a great number. But when I pricked (accidentally 15 minutes late) my number was 116. The goal of each after-meal prick is 120 or less. So had I remembered on time, my number would've been too high. Not that anyone cares to read about all that technicality, but it feels good to write it down. I think I'm up for insulin. I hope they think so, too.

Packing Up & Looking Back

Haven't posted for a while. Been busy packing, packing, packing. Not sure what to write, but I wanted to let you know I'm still alive. We (incredibly) will be finishing packing up the house today. It took just 10 days. I think it helped that we did a van-full a few months ago to take away the clutter. I've made at least half a dozen boxes for a post-moving yard sale. I have a feeling I will need to move more to the sell pile. The new house is smaller than this one, but we will have an attic, basement, and barn. We are all quite excited for the move. I'm hoping to crash course enough gardening info to be able to get a quick flower and veggie garden started before it's too late in the season. We'll be moving two weeks before Memorial Day, so that's just right for getting the pool figured out.

Swinging two mortgages should be challenging, but I know BB's and garage saling will help a lot, plus my gas bill will be near zero. I can barely imagine being within two minutes' drive to the library, grocery store, discount store, convenience store, pizza place (not THE pizza place though), ice cream shop (again, not THE ice cream shop), and family restaurant. What a different feeling that will be. I had actually gotten used to driving a minimum of 30 minutes to get anywhere. Up here on the mountain, our very closest shop to go to is a little independent convenience store/deli/fast food joint called "Pine Wood Deli." If you know the roads, you can drive there in 10 minutes, pick up over-priced groceries and a yummy cheese steak. Other than that, all civilization lies beyond 30 minutes. Not that I minded terribly. Just takes some planning ahead. The children have become re-accustomed to Lancaster's drive times already. When we go somewhere up here, they notice how long it takes.

This whole journey atop the mountain seems somewhat surreal. I had thought about making a list of my lessons learned here (or started here, not yet fully learned). But there seem to be so many, and they're sometimes so tangled in with each other. Maybe I'll try the list later, after the move. At any rate, I realize that one big reason God brought us here was to gel us as a family, our family. Being in the boonies, with time to read, time to listen, time to ponder. He has spoken to our hearts and allowed us to focus on becoming a family with clearer goals and traditions than we had before. And the one lesson I've learned that is easy to remember is this: following is NOT the same as pushing from behind. May sound silly. But I think this choleric understands better how to follow now. 

As our journey down the mountain to the little farmette begins, I am excited to be in a place that feels more "me." Both the homestead and the area in which it sets. But I do not want to be so comfortable there that I forget to grow. I look forward to the new lessons that await, even though I already have learned that they will probably not be easy or quick or pain-free. But they are good. And they are needed.

Fifteen Minutes

fifteen minutes until it is tomorrow, friday, the day my love comes home. today shelby could be heard making up a song sung by her dolly about her daddy coming home tomorrow. i have tried to be patient (and NOT wish away) this trying time in our lives. i am so glad that children are more resilient than adults. but i am really, so ready to be together in a somewhat normal fashion again. i've been on the computer for a couple hours tonite, waiting to get sleepy enough to sleep. (i get excited and sleep leaves when i have an exciting day ahead, plus i took a nap today.) i guess i am finally sleepy because complete sappiness has set in. my babies are already growing too fast. but i know it is good. shelby has lost her first tooth and is ecstatic that two more are wiggling. i asked her if she wasn't going to slow down her growing. she said simply, "no. i want to have babies." even though i wish i could slow it down, i'm so blessed to hear her already in touch with the heartbeat God has given her. i want to be able to foster each individually different rhythm in my children, put there special from their Creator. time for bed now. i get to snuggle next to my elle mae. what a privilege! g'nite.