Transition

Whoa! It's been a while since I wrote. Here's a quick catch up of the past three months. The end of February we moved from Florida back to our hometown in Wisconsin. It was a wonderful decision and we all instantly felt like we were home. Although we were not really. We moved in with my Mother-In-Law and spare me the jokes. She is a wonderful and kind woman and has made out transition back to the area a true blessing. Although it has been crowded and cramped and often looks like a tornado hit the place It has been nice to share in her company.

The first couple of weeks here were spent looking for a house. Since leaving Wisconsin three years ago we have been renting. First in the panhandle of FL then in an apartment near Clearwater. It was a hard transition. Besides leaving the only place i had ever called home, and ll my friends, and family I had left a beautiful century old home that my husband and I gutted and restored. I loved that house. I love the community we had in our neighborhood. I loved walking to downtown and all the shops. I really hated renting. I felt as though I had no roots and no community. The panhandle was hard because we were very isolated from town and had to drive everywhere. It felt so wasteful. The apartments were actually a little better but by nature they are transient. People come and go so quickly. We met and said goodbye to great and wonderful people. We were never meant to be at home there. It was a transition.

One night on a solo walk I broke down. Walking through the area with tears streaming down my face I cried out to God. "WHY would you do this? I've left my family, all my friends, all my kids friends, all my dreams and my beloved house!" The response I got was instant, crystal clear and cut right to my heart. Believe me this was NOT a common occurrence for me to "hear" from God so boldly and it struck me so strongly I almost fell over. It went something like this...

"Who's house was it that you lost?

You didn't own that house.

You made payments on that house but it was never yours.

Everything you have is mine. And I am loaning it to you."

Whoa.

Well that was a wake up call. And I needed it. Flash forward three years and now we are house shopping, again. My husband and I, however, have approached this new purchase entirely different. Instead of looking the biggest most impressive thing we could afford in the best neighborhood we want our new house to truly reflect who the real owner is. We want to set down roots on the only firm foundation. Of course a house is just a space it's the people in it that will reflect God's glory. But anyone who's been through a church building campaign knows that facility does help. So we had some specific things we wanted to achieve.

1. We wanted to have enough space to host people in our home and share the love of Christ.

2. A yard big enough to establish a garden and share the bounty of our provision.

3. A footprint small enough to not be wasteful with God's resources.

We began hunting right away but two weeks after arriving in WI I got a call that my grandmother in was dying and I drove, by myself with all three kids to Kansas to say good-bye (this should be a post in and of itself). When I returned my husband had found "THE HOUSE". I agreed to go look at it but honestly didn't even give it much of a thought. The space was larger that I had really envisioned and it was more than we had agreed to spend. The layout was good and although it was a large home it had all new windows and a brand new boiler for the radiant heat and no air conditioning (you don't really need it up here). All things that would be good for efficiency. The yard is large and sunny but with a large shade tree on half of it. There was a room that will function as a perfect play room right across the hall from the living area perfect for kids to play whole grown-up talk. it really was all the things we had been hoping for.

We decided to make them an offer. It was LOW. The house had only been on the market for 2 weeks and we knew our offer was low. We did not want to insult them but it was really all we could afford. Along with our offer we sent them a letter, telling them who we were and how much we liked the house and appreciated the great care they had taken in maintaining it. We told them about our kids and our plans for the place. To our surprise they accepted! They told their realtor that they knew the offer was low but that they loved our letter and wanted us to have the house!

God is so good. Although His plan is full of curve balls and adventure, I'm hoping that this will be our last move for a looooong while.

Of course this post does not even break the surface of what has been going on I'll post more soon but in the meantime here's a picture of our new "mission house". We are praying that we will continue to stay true to the vision God has planted in us. To live humbly and lightly, to share, give and love. To keep our doors and hearts and eyes and ears always open.

And if your ever in the neighborhood pop in!

Forgive me in advance

In less than 3 days we are off on another adventure. I am once again packing my household with less than 2 weeks notice to move our family across country. Even though it has been a whirlwind here I've have many moments to contemplate the three years we have been given here. Although I am happy to be headed back to my hometown there are many things that I will miss about Florida:

the constant sunshine

the sound of palm fronds in the breeze

the smell of salt air

swimming outside in February

The way the beach completely changes my outlook

the sound of quaker parrots and mocking birds

the smell of orange blossoms

sweet strawberries the size of my fist in March

fresh squeezed Valencia oranges

and most importantly the wonderful friends we have made.

It is an incredible blessing that in an area of the country where only 35% of the population consider themselves "religious" we have been surrounded by Christians who love the Lord and seek after Him. I love you and will miss you more than I can say please do not be offended if I do not say good-bye.

First of all, I'm not very good at it. And really, I don't believe it. It's so final, so sad, so lost. So rather than good-bye I will confidently say to my bothers and sisters, I will see you later. With the connectedness of the internet, telephone, skype, face book, blogger and who knows what else they will invent in the up coming years there is no reason for tears.

We have loved meeting you and knowing that if/when we need an escape some cold February we will have a friendly place to visit. Likewise, Casa de Pompa is open to all of you anytime you want to go skiing, sledding, snowboarding, snowshoeing, ice fishing, bike riding, hiking, picking wild flowers, pumpkins, cherries, apples or strawberries. If you have a thing for old red barns or spotted dairy cows I know just the place. I cannot offer you sandy beaches but and ocean of fall color and glacier carved hills, pock-marked with quaint fishing towns and lakes to kayak, canoe or water ski.

Hopefully we will meet again this side of Glory but if not then for sure again, and forever!

TTFN!

Alaina

one day...

I wanted to share with you the last look at my house
just before I shut down for the evening.

a pile of dirty socks rest on the arm of the couch...

A pile of little people in the hall...

A pile of dirty shoes by the door...

An assorted pile of ponies and stuffed lovey's on my couch...

A pile of dishes, toys and towels near my sink...

It's a mess and I'm leaving it.

Even though I know I will regret it in the morning.

I'm leaving it.

Partially because I am tired and partially because it overwhelms me.

But mostly because I realize that someday the mess will all be gone...

and I will miss it...

...very...


...very...

...very much.

I'm sorry...

Why would I ever go anywhere without you?

You're so much like me.

You're practical and thrifty, you hold extra weight well, you're eco-friendly and at times can be quite fashionable. You get me. I’m sorry that I sometimes take you for granted. If I were a better woman I would take you with me everywhere. But I’m not. I forget you all the time. I have relegated you to one part of my life. To one lonely purpose...hauling groceries.


I love my green bags. You know those fabric bag thingys they sell near the checkout for 99¢ (1.25 if you're fancy). Not only do they satisfy my inner treehugger and end the paper or plastic debate but those babies can haul. I’m pretty sure I could lug a small child around in one if need be. You don’t have to worry about them ripping half way up the steps or make 60+ trips to retrieve plastic bags containing 3 items each.

Oh fabric bag, oh fabric bag how could I ever forget you. Next time I go to Target or the library, the post office or the craft store, please come along. I think we would be good for each other.

Blessed by the mess.

So here I am.

Having a lovely conversation with a dear friend over a cup of coffee.

Our kids are quietly playing in their room.

Not so quiet as to cause concern but not so loud as to prepare me for what I was about to see.

Friend and I were discussing issues of faith and parenthood, questioning our purpose and finding our place in God's plan. I have to admit that I've been in a bit of a funk lately. I'm not sure how else to describe it. I feel like something is about to happen but hasn't happened yet. I feel like I want to start getting ready for it but I don't really know what it is. I was wishing that God would show me the road map or give me something to do in the meantime. While we were engrossed in this discussion, my children were doing this:








Oh yes they did! They were calmly and quietly emptying the contents of their room into little buckets and dumping them in the nursery. Notice that I said this was my children. Our lovely friends were quietly playing Polly pockets on the train table.


Question solved. It wasn't exactly the task I was looking for but when life gives you lemons...


After our guests left (no sense in stopping a great playdate), I got out some buckets, spread out the mess and directed the kids to start sorting and filling. Levi was to collect the potato head's and play food. Ruby the clothing, socks, swim suits and underwear-yes they even emptied the shelves/drawers from thier closet. I was getting the books and cars and music stuff. Finn was just supposed to look cute and not eat the minuscule bits and pieces of Ruby's play sets.

Seriously can we talk about this for a second? What is it with these things? I'm not sure if anyone out there has any pull in the toy industry but can somebody please do something about the million piece play sets that are marketed to little girls? Most of them I are even too small to see let alone play with.

They are so small that they are usually unnoticed until we hear the chunk-clink-clink as they are hurled into the canister of the vacuum. At which point tears are shed over such a loved item. Thus causing me to rifle through the filth and find the neglected treasure. In case you have all boys or no idea what I am talking about here is a visual:


I included a dime, you know the original choking hazard, in the picture so you could have a reference for how small these items really are. I love the reality of these sets.

Please notice the tiny hypodermic needles, they came with a mini vet set and are half the size of the doll's arm. How is a doll supposed to administer a shot when the needle is the same size as her arm? I am also in awe of the tiny tea cups. I love that they have handles. As if you could actually use them! You would need to use a tweezers just to hold them up for your tiny dolly to take a sip! Of course all of this logic is lost on my child. She love the stuff. The smaller the better.

Now back to the pile. I'm feeling as though the original picture did not accurately convey the height of the pile. As we began to sort through it, it became to look something like this:


The plus side is that I had been meaning to sort through the toys in their room but was overwhelmed at the thought of starting. I could have been mad. I could have been embarrassed that they did this with company. I could have lost my cool. Or I could just go with it.

This was just the push I needed. I may not have the road map for life I was hoping for but at least I have something to distract me for a couple of days. And the kids room will be organized just in time to make room for new Christmas additions! I'll consider this an unexpected answer to prayer.

Clearly...I've cossed a line.

As a stay-at-home mom I consider it part of my job to be a tightwad.

...uh I mean frugal.

...thrifty?


But some where along the way I crossed a line.

it was subtle...

it was sneeky...

but it was there and apparently, I crossed it.

That line my friend is

Zip-lock bags.


As CEO and CFO of this household I do what I can to make those hard earned dollars s-t-r-e-t-c-h. In order to help me with this task I read a few books by other self-proclaimed thriftsers. Particularly helpful to me were "America's Cheapest Family" and The Tightwad Gazette". Stories by families of 6 and 7 thriving on $35k per year. Thriving! Frugal living at it's finest. Inspirational and encouraging. Surely we should be able to make it with slightly more money and a few less people.

But it was a section in "The Tightwad Gazette" that I couldn't make peace with. An entire section about the care, cleaning and storage of ziplock bags. Gross! I mean they cost like 3¢ each. Can't we just buy more like normal people? I am sure there is a health code violation in there somewhere (even if she did wash them out and pat them dry after each use). Is zip lock bags going to be the end of us? Do we really use that many to make a difference?

I will reduce, reuse, recycle and re-purpose nearly everything in my home. I'm an environmentalist at heart but what got me started on this pursuit was not purely a love a nature. It was thrift. It's typically cheaper to make stuff than buy stuff. Turning off the lights and taking shorter showers saves money. Although I do not recommended showering in the dark. Eventually this lead to recycling and other eco-friendly actions. I'm all for saving the planet as long as it's cheap and easy or saves me money.

I made cookies this weekend. I make cookies a lot. If you are ever in a cookie craving please stop over. We don't have a cookie jar and bugs are rampant in Florida so whenever I make cookies these days, I store them in two (2) quart size zip lock bags. One for James to take to work and one for us at home. When I saw empty bags sitting on the counter top I used to just throw them away. (Because apparently I am the only one who knows where we keep the garbage can.)

This weekend however, as I grabbed the empty bag, I realized it wasn't really garbage. It wasn't really even dirty just a couple of crumbs collected at the bottom. So I shook out the crumbs folded it up and decided I would save it for the next time I make cookies. You know, like tomorrow. I opened the drawer and to my shock I discovered and entire pile of crumb shaken zip lock bags already lived there! How did this happen! Who have I turned into!

Has the economy gotten so bad that I can no longer throw away anything that might be of use someday? My grandmothers both lived through the great depression. I've noticed folded up bread bags and zip locks in both of their cabinets. Are things that bad? I may complain about the current economic downturn and how I can’t afford to go out to eat anymore, but sister this ain’t no depression.

Things have been tight this year and my thriftiness has been put to the test. My creativity has been utilized and simultaneously my sense of ecology has grown. So as horrified as I am, I'm choosing to embrace it. Because, when you grow up in an time where stuff does not come easily you have a hard time letting go of it. You become frugal. You become creative. You use what you have and make what you don’t. You conserve. You entertain easily.

Not such bad traits to pass on to my children.

Play Things

I like to think of myself as a pretty creative person. I can look at something ordinary like old baby food jars and see candle holders, a pickle jar becomes a vase a stack of old magazines, frequently turns it into something like this...




But it’s nothing compared to the creative minds of my children. While playing outside the other day they found this...

A stick. To me it was just a stick. I suppose it could have been a walking stick, or a sword. I suppose it could have been many things but to my children it was a horsey. They kept calling it horsey and took turns riding it around the parking lot that is our back yard.


While my kids were riding their “horsey” around I got to thinking about the upcoming Christmas season. I hadn’t even begun to think about what I was going to get the kids this year. With three weeks left it was probably about time.

Ruby will want anything small and plastic Littlest Pet shop, Ponyville, jungle in my pocket. If it’s small and has a thousand pieces to it she will love it.

Levi will like anything his sister has. In trying to figure out what he enjoys I realize all he does is play with Ruby’s things. Don’t get me wrong he is sweet but he is still a BOY. He pays with her ponies and stuffed animals and polly pockets, groovy girls and dress up clothes but instead of making them all go the dance or matching their shoes with their dresses be protects them from imaginary dragons and “bad guys”. Ruby lines them up Levi defends them. Still there must be something he would like...

Finn, will let’s face it Finn is still a baby. He doesn’t really get it. Finn will be getting the same gift that each od his siblings received on their first Christmas. Just so that I am clear I do not mean he will get the same kind of gift but that he will get the SAME gift. It’s a red rocking horse or I should say rocking moose that each of my other kids played with. I just pull it out of the closet, scrape off the mushed up crusty cheerios put a big red bow on it and present it to the youngest child. He’s little he won’t mind and it lets the other kids know that this gift now belongs to Finny and they are not to play with it.

I will also admit that sometimes I take rarely played with toys from my children and regift them to my children. It doesn't bother them- not yet anyway. We don’t go crazy with our kids at Christmas time. They are spoiled enough by their wonderful grandparents. I have friends who buy their kids each three gifts because that's how many gifts Jesus got (from the wise men). I like this idea. We get each of them one gift from us and a few little things for their stockings.

It's not a lot but when you are creative enough to play with a stick for an entire afternoon, what more to do you really need.