So Long Ordinary

Well, we successfully moved out of our house and cleaned it with plenty of time to spare. It was a whirlwind couple of days. I'm exhausted. It wouldn't have happened without the help of our families who watched kids, loaned us vehicles, helped us load and unload the trailer, brought us boxes, and, generally, just offered to do anything we might possibly need. Thanks to each one of you! We're now comfortably settling into my parents' house. They've been so gracious in giving us their entire second floor for the next 5 months or so. This is a tough transitional stage...but I think we've got it just about as good as it could possibly be. We're feeling very blessed, and quite comfy. The girls are all doing excellent. They don't mind this in the least. We've been prepping them for all the upcoming moves for a long time - I'm sure that's helped - but honestly, these are just flexible, adventurous little girls who are not bothered in the lea...

I smell burning rubber.... As in "the rubber is meeting the road." Here. We. Go. I have pictures from last week but no time to upload them...that will have to wait until.... I'll get back to you on that. In the meantime PLEASE PRAY! God has been blessing our socks off. I can't really go into all the details right now (no time), but to suffice it to say I'm falling flat on my face in praise to Jehovah Jireh! For so many big and small reasons. Thank you, Lord! Must get moving! Thanks for your prayers and support and love - it's really happening!

So, God has provided a renter for our house. Totally a God thing. Totally. We're praising God! We have to be out by Feb. 27. Are we panicking? Um....actually, no. You see, Sean and I have moved so stinkin' much that this is such a non-event. I mean, we're not even moving internationally (yet)...just 10 minutes down the road. No building crates (yet). No shipping lists (yet). No careful packing of breakables with the knowledge that more than likely it will be broken or stolen no matter what you do (yet). No midnight shopping trips for Rubbermaid tubs (yet). No writing out shipping addresses on 4 sides of 15 tubs and 4 crates (yet) only to find out that the address will change before they are sent our way (yet). Anyway, this is relatively easy. Not gonna lie - it will be a crazy, hectic week and a half. But doable. The hardest part about all of it will be leaving this wonderful home. We will still own it, but it will be much different. It will be weird to have some...

It's Tuesday. Time to watch some Lost . Time to eat cake, too. So...since Becky asked for it, I'll share my recipe for 5 minute cake in a mug. I've seen many different variations of this. My mother-in-law emailed me this recipe a long time ago. I think it was labeled as "the most dangerous recipe in the world!" Yeah, it kinda is. It isn't quite as good as a real, gooey chocolate cake but it's so stinkin' easy. I love it for a quick treat. Sean and I split one of these and, if we have any around, put a little vanilla ice cream on top. 4 T. flour 4 T. sugar 2 T. cocoa 1 egg 3 T milk 3 T oil (I think I'll try melted butter next time in place of the oil) 3 T chocolate chips (optional, but definitely a must in my book) A small splash of vanilla extract 1 large coffee mug Add dry ingredients to mug and mix well. Add the egg and mix thoroughly. Pour in the milk and oil (butter) and mix well. Add the chocolate chips and vanilla extract and mix a...

Do you ever wish for a do-over? A second opportunity to do things differently than you did the first time? Well, I do. I have lots of things in my past that I'd love the chance to rectify. A chance to make the better choice or say something different. What I wouldn't give for an opportunity to re-do some things now that I have a little more maturity and some hindsight 20/20 under my belt. I wish I could fly back in time and do things over now that I see a little more clearly the ramifications of actions made in the heat of the moment. Sigh..... I know that in most situations a do-over just can't happen. Truthfully, I'm mourning for those lost moments. Wishing there was some way to set things right again myself. But I can't. That's the whole point. I made the mistakes...but I can't fix them. Ever heard that saying, "You've made your bed, now you're going to have to lay in it?" That may be true on some level, but it's also not the...

Tuesday Feb. 9 : "Lost" night. I am so addicted to that show. It dates back to our time in Mexico when we bought the first three seasons and watched it just about every night. I was so sick with morning sickness (all day) during that time and it was such a treat to just sit and unwind and get lost in a show! Now, I just have to keep following it to find out what the heck is going on! Tonight, I fixed us some chocolate cake in a mug as a treat while we watched pretty much the only TV series we watch faithfully. My mother-in-law shared this recipe with me quite a while ago and I re-discovered it when I was going through my recipes. Minimal time and mess, maximum chocolatey goodness. Wednesday Feb. 10 : Maddie wanted to put her "cowhat" on first thing today. Then she wanted her picture taken. Thursday Feb. 11 : Sean caught Madison with my camera in her mess of a room. She was taking random pictures of books on the floor, her toy kitchen, and the wall. This...

A whole week is gone! That's okay, 'cause it was a good one. We were out of town for a few days last week. It's always fun to go on a road trip...and to see lots of friends and family we don't normally get to see :-) Monday, Feb. 1 : We woke up to a frosty, gorgeous morning. I don't know if I've ever seen so much frost weighing down branches here. Sean and Maddie went out and took some pictures. Tuesday, Feb. 2 : Okay, so this picture is from Monday. In all the chaos of getting ready for our trip, I forgot to take a picture on Tuesday, so I'm borrowing the one below. Sean and I presented to the local Rotary Club on Monday as well. Sean does an awesome job of using slides and our movie to give people an idea of what missionary aviation looks like. We love answering questions and sharing our passion! Wednesday, Feb. 3 : My parents are originally from Eastern Kansas. My dad and uncle have always been HUGE KU (University of Kansas) fans - actually pre...