Complete!

It is finished.  I am so glad.  I think I've done about 40 loads of laundry this week.  That's just for the cleaning.  I've mostly neglected my own daily laundry.  Once my curtains are finished, I will start on those 6 loads.  Yikes.

But I'm content with the house.  It looks good.  Not as good as I wish it did.  Because well, it's been a week and a half since I started.  And I have 4 kids and husband.  But it looks pretty darn nice overall.  It's clean and organized.

What a beautifully organized bookcase!  Things like that make a home feel good.

Living Room - (Curtains are still in the process of being washed)

Dining Room/Kitchen
(you can click on them to make them bigger)

Did you see all those windows I had to clean? (I confess, I didn't do the upper windows, I only attempt to tackle those once a year)

Sadly for us, we still have to sell it before we can move to Alaska.  Built just a year and half ago on our beautiful piece of property...details slaved over, time spent contracting it ourselves, planning to retire in this house...and we need to sell.  How time can change things.  But I will rest in the fact that God has a purpose for everything and he has big plans for us.  I don't know what they are, but I will rest in His Love.

A perfect Northwest day.  The view is off our back deck.  I will miss this.

An Anomaly

I've been thinking a lot about my posting the political stuff yesterday.  I question whether or not it's something that belongs on this particular blog.  Is there somewhere else it would be more applicable?  I mean, I started this blog as a journal of my life particularly for myself, but also being aware that a small number of people read what I write.  And a small portion of those may be offended or even bored by my thoughts or observations.  Well, such is life.

The more I think about it, the more I don't want to change the way I've been doing things.  This blog is about as random or even deliberate as I am in my own life.  Sometimes I look at myself and try to think of a specific word that would describe me.  But there really isn't a good word.  Except for maybe this one:

Anomaly
1. Deviation or departure from the normal or common order, form, or rule.
2. One that is peculiar, irregular, abnormal, or difficult to classify

I am complex.  I am:
Wife
Mother
Daughter of God.  A believer in the Jesus of the Bible
Keeper of my home
Teacher to my children
Friend
Sister
Daughter
Auntie
Political activist
American Patriot

I have many interests that often don't intersect....babywearing, homebirthing, cloth diapering, knitting, sewing, farming, homekeeping, homeschooling, decorating, reading, singing, football, soccer, fitness (even though I'm not in great shape), fashion, shopping, researching, politics...and more that I'm not thinking of.  I like my daily life to be calm and quiet, but also find that I spend an enormous amount of time talking on the phone or hanging out on reading and chatting online.  As much as I like listening to music, the pull of talk radio calls to me more.  In the car, I'm usually listening to Rush Limbaugh, Dr. Laura, ACLJ on Christian Radio or Dave Ramsey.  At home we watch The O'Reilly Factor, Hannity, Greta and Glenn Beck.  But I also love stupid Hallmark movies, People magazine and my soap operas.  I like current events, celebrities and am fascinated with history.  I read political books, and am just getting into books on the economy, but when I read in bed at night, it's usually Nora Roberts novels that win out.

This is who I am.  Why would I change it?  My posts may seem random.  They may not relate.  But in the end, my blog is a reflection of me, complex and simple, all at the same time.  I think there's some beauty in that.

My first post

Ahhh, my own blog! This is kind of a scary feeling. Like I'm putting myself out there too far and maybe other people will think that my thoughts are weird or not worth hearing. But, I've committed to do this for myself and my family, so here goes.

I had my bi-monthly Mom's group book study today. We're just starting the book "A Mom just like you" by Vickie Ferris. I'm excited about it. She's a homeschooling Mom of 10 kids. There should be a lot of wisdom there. One of the things I'm noticing about many of the experienced homeschooling Moms is the advice to just RELAX. You cannot do it all. You cannot be everything to everyone and still be able to be a good mom. I am coming to that realization myself. Why do I homeschool? Is it to get my kids a good education? Yes, that's a given. But my main goal for homeschooling is so that I can control the things that my children take into their little minds every day. I know what they're learning. I know how they're behaving. I know who they're spending time with.

As much as I hope to have the smartest kid(s) in the world, my primary goal is to raise kind, loving and Godly children. Book smarts can always be learned, at any age. But you can not easily change the heart and spirit once a child has grown. I will nurture and love, pray for and guide my children EVERY day, until they become the people that God would have them to be. I have been feeling convicted lately to make a concerted effort to talk to my kids about the Lord. I tend to get going with our days, and don't spend time really teaching them about God. It's easy to let Sunday School do that, you know?

This verse was laid on my heart recently and I'm planning to print it and hang it up to remind me when I get lax: Deuteronomy 6:6-9 (NIV) ⁶ These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. ⁷ Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. ⁸ Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. ⁹ Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.

These thoughts swirl in my head mainly when I lay down at night. I think it will be good for me to be able to "get it all out". I did not expect this post to be this long, but I suppose that's what I started a blog for. My musings. In the next couple of days, I hope to get my kids introduced here. They're the main focus after all. :)