Oh Man.

A month and a day. Sheesh. So, I could go all into all the pathetic excuses about being busy, but the truth is I have thought of blogging several times and it just didn't materialize. So, now I am sitting in bed with my laptop, yes on my lap. (Whoever named these is downright a genius.) I am not feeling well. I am not sick, but I am not well. No fever, so not the "f" word. Just feel crappy.

Soooo, a lot has been happening in this joint over the past couple of weeks. Real estate is great. Right now working with some friends, doing the buying drill. Each deal is like a fingerprint, so different and intricate. One must love the real estate transaction to be able to do this job and thank you Jesus, I do love it. Ministry is of course, a blessing. We have the Hillside Canyon Twilight Hayride at our house tomorrow night. So, needless to say, the whole sick thing does not fit into my schedule for these next 72 hours. I am going to have to re-schedule being sick! JW did, however, get hurt at work on October 14th. This day will live on in infamy. He hit a sprocket (the gigantic gear that turns the tracks on a bull dozer) with a sledge hammer. A shard of steel broke off the sledge hammer and injected into his left leg just above his knee. It went straight through his quadricep, nicked his great sapheneous vein and was stopped by his femur bone. Yes, ouch. I have been on my face thanking Jesus much lately that A. he was in the shop so someone was there to call 911 as he held his thumb over the hole in his leg that was spurting blood, not out at some random feedyard after all the hands had gone home B. not 72 miles from pavement on some ranch in the northeast Panhandle C. had on all his safety equipment on (Cat is fanatical about this) and the faulty hammer belongs to the shop (so he isn't responsible for using tools that are old and not functioning properly) D. the shard did not puncture his femoral artery (he would have bled to death in a matter of minutes.) It is so stinking important not to whine about what did happen and praise Jesus for what didn't happen. So many doctors, nurses, and random folks have told us we are lucky. It had not a thing to do with luck, we believe in an all knowing, all loving, merciful, protective savior who is with my husband every second. He kept him safe and has healed him well.
We have laughed looking back at that evening. We have marveled at how God's presence is reflected in every second.

Typical Fall evening at Deer Ridge.

Well, my posting is getting a little more consistent. I have discovered that blogging is therapeutic in a way. I want to tell stories about life, get up on a soapbox, and share cool recipes that help other moms save money. I want to share exciting events and discoveries with whoever wants to look and listen. In July, we planted two native gardens on either side of our driveway. They are doing great and require very little water or maintenance. We tend to them about twice a month. Soooo, last night was a fairly typical evening at our house. JW got home at a decent hour. Things always just seem to go better when he gets home early. Chase's behavior is better and he is in a better mood when Daddy is home. So, we let Daddy decompress and then we do something together. I wanted to post some pics of what this looks like for us. Of course, Dixie has to be right in the middle of everyone. She's casing the scene, making sure everyone is safe, no strange dogs are going to get her family!! Sunday, we went to Lowes to get some mulch for these beds. We are contemplating using river pebbles. I will keep you posted on that. Anyway, we didn't leave with mulch, we left with mums, kale, pansies, and russian sage for the native beds. So, I did some fall containers, and I loooove them. I really like having a light colored house, totally different bedding plants and containers than I have planted for the last several years. I am looking for the perfect white pumpkin to set between these two. Also, I am happy to report, got my fall decorations up!! I just love fall decorations. They are so festive! They also signify the end of HOT, HOT, HEAT. Oh yah, that's a band, well anyway, you get the point. I love fall and I love decorating for fall. I like a little scary and a lot of pumpkins! I love black and what goes better with black than Halloween???

OK, here goes.

Today is the day. I have gathered the necessary equipment and will be making my very own, homemade laundry soap. To me, questionable economic times aren't a bad thing. It has encouraged us to save more money and be creative. God has always taken care of us financially, so it is not out of worry, but rather preparation that I try this out. Maybe a little morbid curiosity and a lot of tightwad. If I can make a month's worth of laundry soap for $2.50 that smells fresh and clean AND works well, I am all over it!! I must give my friend, Lindsey, credit for this recipe. I used a different kind of soap and tweaked it a little, but it is basically her recipe.
So, it goes like this:
Boil 4 cups of water.
While waiting for water to boil, grate 1/2 of a bar of Zote pink laundry soap bar. Grate all the way to the "T." When you unwrap the bar, you will see what I mean.
Drop by handfuls into the boiling water. Reduce heat to med/high and stir. The soap will sort of ball up, mash balls with a spoon. It took right at 20 minutes for it to dissolve completely. The fragrance is clean and fresh. My whole house smells clean today.
While the Zote is melting, get a lidded container that will hold at least 4 gallons of liquid.
Put 3 gallons of hot water in the container. I used a small tote. Put 3/4 of a cup of "20 Mule Team Borax" in the warm water in the tote.(Now, I must confess, I keep Borax on hand and use to for many cleaning purposes. I will list them after the recipe.)
Next, put one cup of Arm & Hammer washing soda. I am anxious to do some research and see what other uses this stuff has. Some of the suggestions on the box were awesome! BTW, I got this at United in Canyon. Apparently, it can be tough to find.
Get a big spoon and stir the mixture in tote until the Borax and soda have dissolved.
Once the Zote has completely dissolved, pour it into the tote as well. Stir well, cover and let sit for 24 hours before using.
Some notes, I did a little research on the different types of bar soap to use and found several tips against heavily fragranced soap. Fels Naptha was also suggested along with Zote as good choices. I would have never bought this Zote, so it was an exciting little adventure. I will post my thoughts soon on how well it works. I almost doubled the recipe, but decided to be cautious just in case I want to tweak it a little more.
Borax Uses:
We recently used Borax to scrub garage floor. It is a wonderful scrubbing paste to use on delicate surfaces instead of Comet. It will get grime off of white fridge handles (learned this several years ago, still amazed by it, I had tried EVERYTHING to get those things clean.) I also put 1/2 cup in with a hot water load of whites, along with Clorox, it smells wonderful and gets the clothes whiter. It is also a great grout scrub. It will get grout white like it is brand new. I have had a few clients do this to get their houses ready to sell. Not that I am green obsessed, but not only are these ideas frugal, but they really cut down on waste. I actually had saved some old laundry soap bottles and am going to pour the detergent into them once it cures. Now you go try it! Happy washing!

Blogging Mood

So, I've noticed that the mood to post is kind of like creativity. When it is here, it is here. When it is gone, it's gone. Nothing exciting to report. Hectic week. Working with a first time home buyer, which I really enjoy doing. Got an offer on one of my listings, God is so in control. Ministry is awesome. Small groups have kicked off for Hillside Canyon and new friends are abundant! I must say, a few times this last week I thought, OK, this is it, I am getting sick. I would just cast it out in the name of Jesus, go on with my business and by dang, I would feel better. Well, it happened again today! Came home, took and nap and healed in the name!! So, will try to post again soon. Ta ta for now.

Sunday Sunday la la, la la la

I think the song was actually Monday Monday, but you get the point. Today was a really great day. With being the Preschool and Nursery Coordinator (man, that's long) for Hillside Canyon, we have to be there at 7:00 a.m. We usually don't get out until 1:00 or so. That may make it sound like Sundays are long, hard days, but actually, it goes by so fast. Every Sunday, we say, man it feels like we just got here. We absolutely love it. We had to walk through a little fire to get here, but we are really thankful to be on the other side. We have met so many great people right here in the town that we have lived in for a long time. Never would have known they existed. We both miss our old friends, but are grateful for new ones. Small group has taken on a whole new meaning for the Steelmans this past week. Thank you Jesus.

So, more house pics. This is actually the first dresser I painted. The doors are actually wrapping paper I got on clearance at Old Navy, of all places, for like .99. Couldn't believe it when I found if. I have several sheets left, but already have plans in my mind for them. I painted everything else on it. I am still not completely happy with the top, I am going to sand it at little. Anywho, there it is. There pics are, clearly, of our living room. It has taken me two years to get to this point and I still have big plans. I saw a color today that I considered for the entry hall, it was a deep orange, like pumpkin. I quickly thought, am I just liking this color because I am thrilled about fall, or do I really want an orange entry hall? Last week I was liking a shade of blue. So, clearly, little more consideration in order there. I painted the front bathroom and guestroom blue, so I was thinking, better layoff the blue. Don't want to blue myself into a corner. When I decorate, or make a color choice, I usually ponder it for quite some time. I really try to visualize what the color will look like on the walls. I also consider what color I am pondering for the adjacent rooms and how they will all coordinate. I have bought the paint for the hall and JW just hung a "new" chandelier in there on Friday. My mom had taken it down out of her house they just sold on Stromberg and it was an antiqued white, not my color, but I was glad to have it and knew I could spray paint it black. Satin finish, black spray paint is a decorating "cure all" for us. The color is "Mustard Gold," and is a deep, drama shade of yellow. (Deep and dramatic, me?? Noooo.) It could almost qualify for gold, but is hanging on by its fingernails to yellow. I will post pics when I get it finished. No time frame on that one. I like to have the paint ready when the mood hits. I also am an early morning painter. I need to have every thing ready to go, first thing in the morning. I get more done.

Favorite, are you kidinnnnggg?

So, yesterday we take Grandma to Amarillo with us. JW was casually informed by his employer that there is no work and he will be blessed with the day off. As the Lord has commanded us to be prepared and stock our warehouses, we make great effort to do that. So, we were able to enjoy a random day off instead of be angry or fret about the bills. We decided to take Grandma to lunch at Chili's (for which she had a free dessert coupon and the molten chocolate cake ought to be illegal.) Sinnfully good is an understatement, Let me be clear, I do believe in indulging from time to time, just not everyday. So, went to her house, looked at all her little stuff, gave her a TV and a light fixture we took down, and headed to Chili's. We chatted the afternoon away. After Chili's, we went to Lowe's, got some fantastic purple pansies, paint for the hall, and some other random stuff. Then MRL, I did find a few things I am pondering, may go back. So, as we are heading back to Canyon, Grandma tells me that our house is her favorite. THEN she tells me it is Kim and Kaci and everybody's favorite. I felt a tear emerging. US? OUR house? I really have worked hard on it lately and now that I know it is world famous, I am going to post some pics. Comment, if you like. I am going to randomly post pics of different rooms. This particular room is our guest room and my crafty room, it is full of heirloom and hand me down furniture. The mirror over the bed was my Granaw's, my Dad's mother. She was the neatest person and paramount in my spiritual walk. She used to tell me about the Lord when I was very little. The bed is her mother's, who was known as Me Me. She would have been my great grandmother, but she passed before I was born. She may be where I get my shortness. The little end table was one that Mom found in a repo and she re-finished it in the 90's and when she got tired of it, she gave it to me. The busy little hand painted dresser was my little sister's. It actually has doors that go over the drawers, but at the advice of others, after I finished it, I left them off. I actually hung them on the wall improperly and they keep falling, so I will hopefully remember to post pics of them once they are secured. Now, let me clairify, these pieces did not look the way they do now when I was given them. One of my passions/hobbies is re-purposing and creativly painting unwanted things to make them new and cute. Stayed tuned.

OK, so this is really just O.C.D.

This is what I do. Late last night, then first thing this morning, then next month. Sheeesh. Just trying to perfect this blogging business. I really like the fact that I can just pour my thoughts out through my finger tips. Social networking sites, not a good idea to do this. All though we have all seen folks, mostly woman, do this. I have often wanted to say, "Listen, you are making a fool of yourself and it is clear to all your fb friends that you are emotionally unstable and need to get a life." Little harsh, I know. I can be harsh sometimes. To me, it is kind of like spanking your child. Of course, controlled consistence is absolutely a must, but swift action, a couple of harsh swats, get the message across loud and clear. Mom ain't goin' for that business. Harshness. There is a fine art to knowing when and how much and what degree of pressure. Sometimes I nail it, sometimes, too harsh, sometimes too passive. I have found that the element of regret is as present with being too passive as with being too harsh.

Anywho, working on house today. JW has been cleaning on the garage for sometime now. He started last night and got about half way through and now he is on it again this morning. He went to Lowe's and bought an awesome, chrome shelf for all my gardening garb and a rack to hang up all the rakes and what such. Yay. We have had quite a struggle since we have lived in this house about that garage. First of all, he informed me that it was his and I was not to touch it. So, I informed him that the kitchen was mine and he was not to touch it. So, he got the point that both things are OURS. ....And the two shall become one flesh. ONE FLESH. No grey area there. If we are one flesh, how can that garage belong to only you??? He is painfully meticulous about some things and so am I. We compliment eachother in these differences, just took us a couple of years to perfect the communication part. He likes the garage clean, I could care less. I like the trash taken out, he would pile it for days, until it stinks, of course. He notices foreign smells immediately. He likes the yard perfectly mowed to a certain height and direction (we alternate directions.) I want it to look decent, but beyond that........ Anyway, he has been commenting that I need to clean out that garage b/c it is ALL my stuff. Well, now we all know that's not true, only about 90% of that is mine. Yes, I have a lot of stuff in the garage and I collect old furniture and what such that I have big plans of giving a face lift to. But it isn't ALL mine. It is a family medley. I have come to the conclusion, however, that I don't clean garages. I don't take out trash, and I don't mow. Until the men folk around here start cooking, cleaning, doing laundry, painting, and scrubbing toliets, I will not be mowing or garage or barn cleaning. It is a Biblical concept really. God made men to accomplish certain tasks and women to accomplish certain tasks. That is why we are "help mates." Men do not rule the home, rather they partner with a woman. Now, I know that Ephesians 5:22-24 is arguably the most mis-interpreted verse in the whole book. Yes, submit spiritually, but this puts a HUGE responsibility on the husband. HUGE. This means if you have someone go off the deep end, who was responsible for their salvation, that's right, Daddy-o. Not that mom doesn't play a role, of course she does. But Daddy will have to answer to the big boss about that. Not a job I am going to knock any man down for, I assure you. So, as for harmony in the home, decorating, dining decisions, candle fragrances, MY GIFT BUDDY, back off. I don't go out to your garage/barn telling you where and how things are going to go, don't even come in here and tell me. You may make suggestions and I will consider them. Let me tell you a little more of what that verse doesn't say. It doesn't say, Dad is the boss and mom's opinion doesn't matter. It doesn't say, Dad can run around and practice questionable morals and values and mom has to stay at home and wash his dirty underwear. It doesn't say that Dad can verbally or physically abuse mom or kids. Most importantly, it does not say that Dad and his desires and opinions are the only ones that matter in the home, like what we watch on TV, who we hang around with, what color anything is going to be (in my opinion) and especially where we will attend church. C'mon girls, be a woman. God blessed you with precious gifts, use them. I understand that we must find our common ground with our men. We must figure out where he is gifted and and where we are gifted. Our gifting balance is unique to our marriage and yours will be to yours. Don't be a mushball, spineless, pantie waste. Set a strong example of the powerhouse that mom can be, while submitting to Dad spiritually. Also, keep Dad accountable to Biblical principle on marriage and family and he you.

BUT, it does say, when he is being your helpmate and doing daunting tasks like garage cleaning, be sweet, make lunch, thank him, tell him you love him, and stay out of his way!!! Wow. (OK, I admit, I did help at the end.)

Daaaaaannnnnnnnnnggggggg!!

Ok, this one is bad. A month and a daaaaaaaaay???? Determination is the key here. I am having a love hate relationship with Facebook. I love how I can stay connected with friends and family and see their pictures and know from day to day what is going on in their lives. However, I have it set to send me emails when someone sends me a message or writes on my wall, or comments on a post of mine or after me. So, when I am meticulously trying to get some work done, I go to check email, see that someone did something and then I look up and it's 38 minutes later. Ugh. I really like it and hate it at the same time. I have got to get some self control going here. JW told me the other day on Bob and Tom (a really vulgar radio show he likes that is so geared toward men) they were talking about people being treated for Facebook addiction. I think I may be friends with some of them. Anyway, I definitely thought that was a little over the top, however, it can be a problem.

Aside from that, the Fair started today. The neighborhood is dark. I may be mistaken, but I am certain that we are the only family in the TX Panhandle tonight who are not at the Fair. Ya know, JW and I like to consider ourselves cool parents, but I must state that the Tri State Fair pushes my cool parentism to the absolute limit. I truly despise that thing. We take Chase every year. We always wait until they are running a special b/c that place could officially qualify as highway robbery. $5 for a ride that sounds like a manual can opener and is clearly filthy? $6 for a corndog, are you kidding me? That's like .78 worth of heart disease on a stick and you are trying to charge me $6? I won't even comment on the poor carnies, God love those pitiful people. I could really get on a soapbox about this, but you get my point. Not a Fair fan, but will grace it with our presence as we do every year at the begging ramblings of our precious little boy.

So, it's fall. I know, technically we have 3 days left of summer, but here, it's fall. The weather is cool, thank you Jesus, apple cinnamon candles smell good, starting to see pumpkins popping up everywhere, turkey black bean chili, spaghetti, Hawaiian haystacks, homemade ckn noodle soup, all are becoming our diets staples, once again. Now, I have something embarrassing to admit. I still don't have my Halloween and Fall decorations out yet. I KNOW, I KNOW, I am so laying down on the job. All I am asking for is a little grace here. OK, list of excuses, new ministry job (loving it!) little sister's baby shower, (got so much done with my house, and had an amazing turn out) real estate, (haven't closed anything in a while, but takes plenty of time none the less. I have some wonderful clients right now, so really enjoying it!) PTA exec. board/directory committee, (same thing, fun, made several new friends, time taker). So, I hope you will sympathize with my lateness. I mean, every year, I put the stuff up Labor Day weekend....and EVERY YEAR, JW walks in and says Halloween? I know, it is a bit early, but like the next day, all of the sudden, BAM, FALL. Anywho, better get to work. Just thought I would let you see the "tubs," I know, a little crazy, but my fall stuff is so stinkin' cute, I am telling you!!!

Pretty in Pink

Movies from the '80's. Absolutely love them. AMC, Directv channel 254 is playing these old movies and they stir memories from childhood that are just delicious! I must say, watching them from an adult's perspective has been very enlightening. I caught humor in Ferris Bueller's Day Off that I never knew was there. I recommend to all you mature folks, watch them again. Very entertaining.

So, haven't posted in a few weeks. Read on to learn why. The virus is gone. Cat Man Du in Canyon was awesome! Loved them. They did a fabulous job and their office is super cool. Speaking of offices, Hillside Canyon took possession of the new office on the square today! Lots of work to be done in renovations, but what a great office it is going to be. I, yes I, will share this office with some annointed individuals that I have the privledge of calling ministry partners and friends. Through some tough moments over the past few months, God has brought us to a place where he will be using mine and JW's gifts to build his kingdom. I am so humble in this, it is even a little hard for me to write. So, I will just say it, I have been blessed with the job of Preschool and Nursery Coordinator for Hillside Canyon Campus. Wow, that is a lengthy title, but true none the less. This has been an exciting adventure. It has taken a great deal of energy, which I know ministry does, so I was prepared when I accepted the job. It has been such a great adventure.

Virus, anyone???

Yep. It happened. Facebook. Clicked on a video that a friend had allegedly posted titled, "Cute pics of my kids!" Then, in order to watch it, I needed to download the updated version of Adobe Flashplayer. Seems logical, right??? The virus is lovingly titled Adobe Faker. I finally fell for it. Literally, about 15 years of DAILY computer experience and I finally got a virus. Sheesh. Anywho, enough whining. So, from the latop I communicate. Laptops, or at least this one, are harder to type on.
Next point, EXCITING day at the Steelman house! Chase has his first belt test today. He is getting tested today to see if he has what it takes to advance from a white belt to an orange belt. He has been going to a karate school in Canyon called Kaniwa Dojo for a few months. He really likes it. Over the last year, we have realized (only took 10 years, not too bad, ay?) that Chase isn't really into team sports. He is kind of a "one man show." He does want to play basketball this year, and so we are going to give that a whirl. No promises made on that subject. Then, after the belt test, I am going to show some good properties. Good b/c they would bring a nice harvest. I have been emailing and communicating with these folks for about 8 months and they have decided they want to start looking and possibly list their house. Real estate takes a GREAT deal of patience and perserverance. Then, someone like this calls me, seemingly out of the blue and the momentum just carries me. I really do love it. It is a fun, exciting business that never gets boring.
Next point, we finally took the Saturday night church plunge. It really felt no different than being there on Sunday morning. JW sheepishly admitted that he had, possibly spoken onto him by his Dad, but we aren't accusing anyone, some unfounded strongholds about the way church is supposed to be. God never really describes the atmosphere of the church in the Bible. He refers often to the people in it, but nothing about the building, worship, parking, bookstores, coffee shops. Satan uses ridiculous, trivial things to try to keep people away from the church. Like, church must be this or that. OR church can't have this or that, or those. Those people really aren't worshipping God, b/c that ain't the song my Grandmaw sang or that ain't the kind of chairs my Aunt Nelly sat in. Unfortunately, a lot of the time, it works. JW always said, I would never go to church on Saturday night, NOPE, ain't gonna do it. Well, last night, last minute, it fit our schedule better, SOOOOOOOOOOO, we did it. Took the plunge. Risked our salvation, went to Trinity on SATURDAY NIGHT. It was great. Kind of a date night. Chase is at the ranch with mom, so we had the night to ourselves. Jimmy Evans is doing an amazing series on Love and Commitment in marriage. He is as good live as he is on his C.D.'s. We are really loving it AND Chase loves The Extreme room. For the first time in a while, he has liked and looked forward to going to kid's church. God has lit the fire in our weary souls, once again.

I can do a blog, I have thoughts! Right?

OK, so I saw that on a movie trailor and had to ponder it for a second. Then suddenly felt like a moron, then thought, oh well, what the heck! I have no idea if anyone has ever looked at this blog, and quite frankly I am still honing my blogging skills, so not really sure if I want anyone studying it quite yet. BECAUSE I have an interesting life, dang it!! I really wish I would think of heading to the computer to make a post when funny things happen. I finally get here and am a little tired, maybe a little brain fried and don't post all I could have. So, re-cap of the day and then some CO pics!! Yay. It's summer time. Good 'ol summer time. I had a light bulb moment this morning at 10:13 a.m. when I finally decided to get up. The light bulb said, girlfriend, you are taking the summer sleep in a bit far. I really hate to sleep in THAT late. I mean 8:30 or so should be plenty, considering we must rise and shine at 6:40 sharp everyday of the year. That gives JW exactly 9.2 minutes to get from sound asleep to out the door. We have it perfected to an art. I fix his lunch, YES I fix his lunch everyday. This amazes many folks, but I couldn't imagine telling him, I know you are going out to risk your life to work on heavy equipment at oil rigs, feedyards, and landfills to give us this fabulous life, so I can sell real estate strictly as a hobby, I know you are doing that, but I can't spare 4 minutes to make you a peanut butter and jelly sandwhich because I have some serious sleeping to do? Are you kidding me? I would never, not get up and do it. So that aside, I went back to bed today. I have a crucial decision to make at approximately 6:53, back to bed or not back to bed. I do have Gevalia Blueberry Creme flavored coffee and it is absolutely fab. It did get me in the kitchen for several days after I got it, but even the newness of bb creme has worn off a bit. So, back to bed I went and so groggy I felt all day. Being that I started this post and am now back to finish it, not really sure where I was going with all that, but hoping it was an interesting place. Since then, I have successfully infected our desktop computer with a nasty virus and now have to take it to Cat Man Du, drop about $200, and return home to download pics so I can post some from our CO trip. So, wipe away the tears. I am going to try to get the pics posted from the laptop.

Crunch Time.

Well, leaving for Fun Valley approximately 39 hours. Which would not be any huge deal except for the fact that I decided to COMPLETELY re-do the inside of my little camper. The whole deal, painted cabinets, put on new hardware, painted some old hardware, painted the table, made new curtains, and now all I have left is painting walls. The flooring people are coming Thursday morning, so I 've got until then to get it done. On top of all this, I picked up two new real estate clients at my open house Sunday! Exciting, busy times!

OK, so has anyone had to clean up poop on a little girl with tummy bug at 2:32 a.m.? Taylor had an upset tummy and didn't quite make it, BUT we have it all under control at this point. Nothing a hotwater load in the wash and a little clorox spray won't fix! I needed to do laundry for our outing this weekend anyway, right?? Besides all thought, caught a great episode of "It's Me or the Dog" and "How Clean is your House?" in the wee hours of the morning.
Peyton and Taylor spent the night last night and are spending the day with us today, woo hoo! They are all playing like little angels in the living room while watching Sponge Bob. Chase has outgrown Sponge Bob, so it has been nice to see him again. I forgot how dumb and funny he is at the same time. I will try to post while in the mountains if I can manage to get logged in from JW's laptop. Also going to post some pics of my newly updated 1972 Twinkle travel trailer. We had not hauled except for one time early last summer, so it was so dirty. I have had to pull everthing out and wash everything. Also had a lot of stuff I had put in when we first got it, thinking I would need and havent' touched. Now, you must understand, this is a 14 foot camper. It is little. We love it and it is perfect for us. When both of the beds are made out, you have nowhere to set anything, other than the kitchen counter top, which isn't much, and of course there is a little closet. I learned very quickly that you take the essentials and nothing else. Sunscreen, bugspray, flashlight, t.p., it is similar to tent camping, except about 10,000 times better. All the fun stuff of tent camping and then a little house to crawl into when you need to potty, wash hands, take a nap, or make a sandwich. I love to sit at the little table in the morning, brew some coffee in my tiny coffee pot, and THEN go out by the campfire. I am really looking forward to this trip because Rene and Shannon, Nicole, Tracy and Chris, and Carter, Grandma, Kim, Penny, Betsi and Kemp, I think, and of course JW, Chase and I are all going! Nothing like a good 'ol family campout. We tell many funny stories from Fun Valley, family campouts from the past. These also happen to be my favorite vacations to do a scrap layout on! We haven't taken a vacay with JW's fam in years and this will be the first ever with Tracy and Chris! More to come on the Steelman's Southeastern Colorado Excursion!!

Eavesdropping on little boys.

I mean, it is completely impossible to resist the urge to listen to their little conversations. Little men, finding their place, exploring their desires and passions and instincts, of course. Josh, Tanner, and Chase are explaining to eachother the definition of a lie. OK, mamas, this is where it shows if you dropped the ball or knocked it out of the park. I love it being the kool aid mom!

I am trying to get motivated to do another section of painting the camper cabinets black and then distressing them. It is hot today. I have a very nice barn, for which I am very thankful, so it makes it much better. I will post pics in a bit.

Woooohoooo!!

A new post in just a little over a week, can it be??? OK, pics. South TX, water skiing and lakein' it. Lake Bastrop and Lake Somerville are hot like coffee, just in case anyone is wondering. Very murky, green, but fun! What lake isn't fun?? We had such a great time with MeMe and Pepaw, who are my dad and stepmom, neice Abbie and neice Bryley. JW got to water ski for the first time. He was a natural! I got to ski for the first time in about 7 years. Just like riding a bike. Nothing to it. (Yah right, we were sore for 3 days, but we did it!!)

Man, I wish I remembered to post more often.

OK, I am determined to do this. I will post here more often. I am speaking it out now. Been busy, lots 'o drama. I tend to "withdraw" when the drama train comes steaming through. I don't like it. I don't like drama. I know it is part of being a human being here on planet Earth, but I don't have to like it.

Abbie (neice) and Caiden (nephew) spent some time with us for the past couple of weeks and it has been fun. Lots of swimming, playing, chatting, just genuine summer fun.

We are getting ready to head back down South to see Dad and Allison, Tiff, and all the cousins. We are leaving Saturday and returning July 3rd. Canyon has the greatest 4th of July party in the park. Hillside Canyon is doing something awesome this year. They are renting a bunch of jumpers for all the little children to rough house in. Can't wait. I began asking the Lord to connect us with other Christians in our community, and man, I am overwhelmed.

For those of you who don't know, after much thought, prayer, and council John Wayne and I decided to break away from Living Truth Ministries. It has been tough and exciting at the same time. We have many friends there that we will always love. We had gone to Plum Creek Fellowship for a little over 5 years. After much drama and a split, rather a fracture, a new body was formed and planted a church in Amarillo called Living Truth Ministries. What a great little church it is. I have high hopes and pray often for their success in this world. We had never been through anything like this and let me just tell you a church split is sort of like living a bad dream. We had about 3 days to consider where we fell. I was determined to support a very precious friend who was hurting and fragile. My man (who is so awesome) just went with the flow, for the most part. He voiced his thoughts with his gentle spirit, he has wisdom beyond his years. He wanted to spend some more time in prayer before any decisions were made about where we would attend church and I simply told him I could not do that. I had to be with my friends. He said, OK, I love you and want you happy, BUT, this may create a difficult situation later. I'm just sayin'.

As the new church was born, so was a new chapter to many lives that were affected, especially ours. Before the Plum Creek split, God had begin to gently reveal new ideas about where He wanted to use us in His kingdom, to both of us, separately and together. We were comfortable a PCF, but were aware of some leadership tension. The leaders tried to keep the congregation in the dark about the issues, but needless to say, people are perceptive, we are perceptive. We knew that things weren't "right." As this became evident, we started discussing the possiblity of worshipping somewhere besides Plum Creek, somewhere closer to home. We both laughed at the idea of having to tell our friends that we were going to leave the church. We never wanted to have to do that, I am sure no one ever wants to do that. Probably why folks tend to simply disappear from churches. Besides all that, how arrogant to think that what we do and where we are in our faith journeys would affect others greatly. I mean, we know we are loved and would be missed. We know that the flesh desires to keep familiar surroundings and friends, brothers and sisters in Christ close, but the fact is that God does not promise us that. "Enter through the narrow gate....." Matt. 7:13 His way is not always the easy way.

So, we began to pray for guidance. We asked Him for His will. As LTM was well on its way, we were praying, asking, desiring to know God's plans for our family. We were involved at LTM, serving, teaching, and fellowshipping. I always ask God to show me His face, Holy Spirit, speak to me in such a way that I understand you, that your desires for me are unmistakeable. Jesus, lead us, guide us, talk to us with your signs and wonders. He is faithful. There have been times in my faith journey that I could not discern the voice of God very well. It was jumbled and confusing. This was not one of those times. The signs came clearly and quickly that we were not to sell our house. Naturally, JW's work, precious friends, and our church were all in Amarillo, the North side of Amarillo. We contemplated selling our house to be closer to what seemed at the time to be our whole life. God, almost audibly, said no. I have you where I have placed you because that is where I want you. We both heard it and were in aggreement about it. He is our life.

So now what??? We began asking if LTM was the right place for us. He began to reveal His answer. So, when all else fails, go to the word. I want to share a verse that He gave me, "You are the salt of the Earth. [why thank you Lord, I love you too!] BUT, if the salt looses is saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men." Matt. 5:13 My saltiness was waining and my husband's was too. But why? Not sure. Never got that answer. We didn't want to be trampled by men.

As we dug deeper and talked and talked and talked, (we have two little chairs in our kitchen where we sit and talk almost every night when he gets home from work. Priceless time and communication happens sitting in those chairs.) We both, again, were in aggreement that our lives where at a crossroads. Stay at LTM with our friends, or listen to God. I must admit, it was an extremely hard decision. As crazy as it sounds, our flesh is very powerful and it can skew what God is clearly saying. We continued to pray, but began seeking the council of other Christians. People we respected, trusted, and knew had been through this struggle. We asked them to pray and they did. We asked for their wisdom and they shared it. We asked for their honesty, they were honest. Both together and apart, we sought Him and those He used and found our answer. And so it goes, we knew that our time as a part of the LTM body was drawing to a close.

I had a trip planned to South TX to see family and pick up kids. We aggreed before I left that it was time to tell our friends that we were going to be taking a break from LTM. We decided how we thought was the best way to handle it and that is what we did. We have begun the exciting adventure of visiting churches. I say adventure because it is a little scary, but exciting at the same time. We want so badly to find a place to worship and serve in Canyon, but are open to where God wants us and will follow His commands. We are also open to going back to LTM. We have dilligently sought Him through this time in our lives and He has been faithful, He isn't going to leave us now.

Left wing reporters, AT LEAST ADMIT YOU ARE!!

This disclaimer should be at the top of every internet news post, with the exception of about 2 sites, Drudge and Politico, oh an Fox, of course, God's news.
WARNING, I am a left winger, please don't take what I say as truth b/c clearly, it is distorted.

Can you say, TAMI STOP POSTING ON POLITICAL BLOGS???? MAN! I get so stinking frustrated. I mean, could please at least PLAY like you aren't an obsessed, do what feels good at the moment, who cares about the ramifications of immorality, satan's tool, let's get as many ignorant teenagers on our side as possible b/c mom and dad are too busy making payments, left slanted, truth distorting, hate machine, disguised as a news reporting website???????? YAHOO????? PLEASE??!?!? I mean, at least ADMIT who you really are. Stop deceiving innocent people. There is a super special place in Hell for these reporters. It is a little hotter where they will be!

Whew. Had to get that off my sunburned chest. Just thought I would dig back into my blog and put up a post. I mean, it's only been a year, a month, and 1 day. I am so on top of this! Right? Actually, I have been thinking a lot about the 'ol blog lately. I have always wanted to be a good blogger, just didn't want to take the plunge b/c it is such a commitment. However, as I begin a couple of new adventures, I thought this would be a good time to dive in. Take the plunge. You can do it!! I am planning (word used loosely) to have a "blog makeover" soon. Hopefully very soon. Must organize priorities. Have to get rent house dealt with, run down a title to a reefer (refridgerated semi trailer) that is titled in OK, get Chase started in Karate (we are all so excited about this venture, may have finally discovered a PASSION in the child), get ready to go to Houston and pick up Abby and Caden and spend the night w/ Meme and Pepaw in Lexington (woooohooooo), help Daddy get dirtbike sold, find Kassie a house, help Kate sell her house and find another one, get garage straightened up (barn finished, Mama OWNS garage, going to make it into a little boy's haven/garden room, challenging, I know, but I will prevail, pics to come), start homeschooling Chase (doing a summertime, 3 day a week trial run, then will decide if he is going to get to be homeschooled for 4th grade and beyond), and all these joyous things are in no particular order. We tend to go on the squeaky wheel principal. We don't desire that method, it just is the way it works on the SW corner of Hunter's Run and Mallard Cove (our house). So, must get up from computer (even though I love it so, FYI, just read an article, computer work stimulates the brain almost as much as reading, emphasis on almost), get ready and head to Crestview for the year end, 3rd grade recorder recital. What fun??? Chase has one line in the production and we were in anxiety induced knots last night for about 20 minutes over it. He is so stinking social, but when it comes to this kind of thing, he panics. In the name of Jesus, settle my baby boy today, he will do awesome. TTFN