I just sat down at my computer. It’s the first time today and I’d just spent an hour shoveling snow. As I settle in to enjoy a few minutes of “me” time I find my 9 year old son at my side saying, “Mom can we make some of those cookies?”

How do they know? I’m not just talking about pinpointing possibly the least convenient moment, I’m talking about the little boost you didn’t know you needed when you take those precious moments to do something with your child.

So the lesson for the day is that love really is spelled T-I-M-E. And if you’re up for a great recipe, that’s included too!

These are the best peanut butter kisses cookies!

1/2 C (1 stick) Butter
1 C Sugar
1 Egg
1/2 tsp Vanilla
1/2 tsp Salt
1 tsp Baking Powder
2 C Flour
1/2 C Peanut Butter
3 Dozen Unwrapped Hershey Kisses

Roll into 1 1/2″ balls and coat with sugar. Press thumb imprint, bake 5 minutes at 375 degrees. Remove from oven, gently press hershey kiss into the impression. Return to the oven and bake 3 more minutes.

Yesterday, I started sorting through some photos for a Christmas project. It was fun to reminisce.

I miss this little man:

And this little girl:

They grow too fast.

My thoughts this morning are centered around the time of year. The leaves are turning colors, getting ready for a winter sleep. This process of change, of preparing for a period of dormancy is a pattern in our lives too. A new baby makes me think of spring, a walk in the autumn air with an aged loved one makes me think of fall.

There is something about this turning I can’t quite explain. I think it is because it feels like something of a paradox to me. There is sadness in the knowledge of expiration, of a season’s growth and lifespan being completed and spent. Perhaps even a hint of dread for the quiet that is waiting around the corner. Yet, at the same time there is great joy and satisfaction in the results of a productive and full lifespan; a reminder that after the sleep will come a new season of renewal and new beginnings. It is odd that there can be both conflict and peace within the concept of turning. And yet, these are the thoughts tumbling around simultaneously in my head this morning.

There’s also the concept of clean up of that happens in the fall. The time when you’ve reaped your harvest and it’s time to clear the expired corn stalks and other plants away. This past weekend, I helped work on clearing the corn patch at my parent’s, I also took on getting some of the dead branches out of an old choke cherry bush. As I looked at the results of the work, I was struck with how often I should be doing this in my own life. How, I need to be looking for habits, choices, etc. that are in need of being cleaned out. This process is painful. I came home with many scratches from branches not wanting to be disturbed, and sore muscles from roots desperately trying to hold their ground. And as I look at this picture, I am filled with satisfaction and hope of what the results will bring next spring.

So it is with me. Old habits die hard, but the promise of better ones to replace them are worth the pain and effort. I don’t want to look back on my life and regret time wasted. Perhaps a little less time spent playing games or socializing on the computer and a little more reading, reflecting and writing. Perhaps a little less time worrying about others and more worrying about myself. I’m feeling a sense that I need to follow nature’s lead this season.

I’d be lying if I said these thoughts don’t also cause a slight pang in my heart when I think of loved ones. This picture describes the very visuals and precious memories that I’m trying to describe.

This is my husband walking and talking with his grandpa in his garden. Grandpa Melvin turned 90 this year. How we love this sweet man. This picture sums up his amazing life of farming, teaching, loving and sharing. How can I help but want to keep him with us? Yet, knowing the joy that is waiting for him when he crosses this life’s veil, when he will be reunited with his sweetheart and loved ones on the other side causes me to also want for him to be able to go. I am back at my paradox. Turning is hard. Turning is necessary. Turning is progress. Turning is good.

Transition seems to have become a way of life for us lately. One year ago we were in the process of moving from our AZ home to a condo in the San Francisco Bay. The move was a wonderful one for Blake’s career, and it provided us the opportunity for the next job that would allow us to live anywhere. What we thought would be a couple years turned out to be only nine months. We were moving again, this time back to Idaho to be with our families and to get our kids into an education program we wanted. I’m happy to report that this has been everything we’d hoped.

The summer was full of projects and family time as we mapped out the next steps. We lived out of a few boxes with most of our stuff kept in storage. This past week we have moved into a home only three minutes away from my parents. We feel it a miracle to have found it when we did and are so grateful for it. The only real downsides include the place remaining on the market so if it were to sell we’d have to move again, and it has as much grass to mow as there is at my mom’s. From earlier posts, you can read and see that mowing job is a three hour process. If I were Giligan, I’d be stranded every time I get on the mower! We borrowed my brother’s lawnmower to mow the lawn here Saturday and it took just over two and a half hours. Can you say lawn service?!

Last week at this time I was drowning in boxes and mess. There were times I wanted to just sit and cry. But true to the adage “it came to pass not to stay” I’ve finally gotten everything unpacked and put away, minus those few nasty office boxes that just seem to remain no matter how many moves and attempts to get through them come to pass. Things feels like home more every day. I’m really hoping our transition stage can come to a pause for at least the next year or two. I don’t love moving, and I’m truly tired of it. I’m in awe that even though we got rid of easily half our “stuff” when we moved from AZ to CA, we still have too much. While everything fits nicely in the new place with lots of room to spare, I look forward to a continued lifestyle of removing, simplifying and streamlining.

I took a few pictures for a friend this morning of the new place and thought I’d just post them here. It makes it easier to share with others later.



Dexter enjoys the sunroom at the front, where he can look out the windows. We enjoy the under the ground wire fence in the large yard so we can let him out without worrying. The kids are feeling like ‘the hot tub room’ is a good tradeoff for their pool in AZ.

Enjoying holding my newest nephew and caffeine free Mountain Dew confirm I really am back in Rexburg.

I’m home, and you want to know how I’m certain?

And….





That’s how.

The ‘Reader’s Digest Condensed Version’ of the past ten weeks is 20+ hours on the mower, 60 quarts of raspberries, 20 quarts of apple preserves (so far). Yup, I’m home alright. *wink*

Apparently, I missed a month.

Things have been slightly crazy. That’s silly, there is no ’slightly’ there is or is not. It IS definitely crazy!

We’ve now been back in Idaho for six weeks. We’ve already fit in two birthday celebrations, one family reunion, one wedding, one business trip for Blake to Boston, two rounds of girl’s camp and a full calendar of fun with family and cousins in between. We’ve got a few more birthdays and school registration coming up in the next two weeks and I’m still looking for my white flag for calendaring. This past week we also had some extended family experience some real hardships. Blake’s cousin lost her 15 year old son to a drowning accident and another cousin has experienced complications with an early labor and delivery. Our hearts and prayers go out to them during this trying time.

Sanity checks are finding themselves in quiet moments spent outside. Picking raspberries, mowing the lawn, watching the kids play in the water and the dog run off energy in a huge yard. Maybe this month I’ll get more than one post up on my blog.

I couldn’t think of a better title because this one words sums up so much. Since we arrived a week ago tomorrow, I’ve had heavy breathing from full days, lots of work and peaceful evenings with deep breathing as I soak up the peace and calm I’ve only ever found here at home.

As I have many friends that have no reference for the pictures and status updates I’ve been sharing on Facebook about yard work and mowing, I thought I’d share pictures of my mom’s beautiful and LARGE yard to help explain that out of breath breathing.

That makes up nearly two acres of lawn. And if that mowing and tree maintenance weren’t enough, let’s not forget the garden!

And the weeding in the awesome and plentiful flowerbeds!

In the past six days we’ve also had a family outside BBQ, hotdog and smores night at the fire pit, a trip up to the dry farm to visit the old homestead, a few soaks in the hot tub, fun with firework poppers, girl’s camp, to say nothing of the cleaning, unpacking and even some haircuts and pedicures today!

It feels wonderful to be home.

Taylor’s home with a bad cold today, so he took part in some of Cidnie’s school fun. They had fun making their model volcanos. Now, they’re only wishing they could speed the drying process so we can make them erupt!

Taylor also had a fun weekend babysitting his classroom’s silk worms. Mom was a little less enthusiastic about them, but she’s glad he had fun!

Saturday, we took a trip to Muir Woods where the kids got to learn about birds as a bonus to visiting the park. I think hearing what an Owl hears was one of the top day’s events.

I’m sitting here trying to compile a few thoughts and I find they keep shifting. Hmmm, that’s a clear representation of my life at the moment. Ironically, I now live in earthquake territory so maybe my sub conscience is trying to adapt?

Perhaps, this is in part to blame for my lack of blogging lately. I keep thinking I’ll be able to get a few thoughts in order and then get back into the swing of posting more of them, but they remain ever elusive. In hindsight, some of the best posts come when I’m just able to spit (well type) it all out as it’s hitting me. But lately, I’ve had less time to ramble with my keyboard when my mind is racing.

My daily schedule has shifted in the past month. Between plans and efforts to get our ducks lined up to move back home to be closer to family and enjoy better schooling for my children, I’ve thrown in some homeschooling of my 13 year old. All the projects I’ve been doing in my mind (yes most haven’t yet formed into the tangible, physical sort yet), have been put back on hold. On the upside, other benefits have been present. Like helping my daughter with her memoir book of our recent family trip, not only did she stretch some academic muscles we also have now a nice completed book of pictures and journaling. That makes one project started and completed!

Speaking of projects, I find myself daydreaming about them a lot. In fact, I’ve become quite adept at creating things in my head. For example, my blog is updated with all my file sharing neatly organized. Additionally, the boxes of paper and photos waiting to be digitized are empty and recycled with the contents neatly organized on my portable hard drive. For that matter, all my computer files are neatly organized and updated. I’ve mastered the art of making sushi rolls and pastries. My body reflects hours of careful toning and exercising, my mind filled with hours of educational reading. See how fun it is?! Now, if I could just figure out how to transfer all those wonderful thoughts into physical actions.

It’s hard not to feel distracted when another big change is looming on the horizon. I laugh at myself remembering the thoughts I had a few years ago when everything was going so smoothly and I wondered what might be coming. If I’d only known! It’s funny how comfortable you can get busying yourself with daily grind efforts and how things that are taking all of your precious time and resources can be so quickly redefined. This is all good, the new definitions and directions are both freeing and educational in nature. Now if I could just get everything to sit still for a moment.

In a matter of eight weeks life will shift again. I’ll be in Idaho taking all the next steps toward securing new stability for my family. It will be an event that factors in extended family on both sides which brings more facets into play than one mind can rightly think about without exploding. So I attempt to push it all aside, telling myself that things will be easier when I can be doing things instead of thinking only. I shift. Again.

Perhaps it’s not so bad, this shifting. Perhaps the shifting is what enables me to maintain my balance? Yes, this is a good way to view things. Embrace the shifting.

Braces are off!

Dad says she’s getting too cute and we may have to find some ways to ugly her up a little! Mom thinks he may be right! ~wink~

Mastered his fear of heights!

Wouldn’t you know after we’d prepped the family for his anxiety over heights and thrill rides/attractions he’d show us up?

How did they get this big? And when did that happen?