Picture day!

Today is Rachel's school picture day. I had forgotten what a big deal this is for girls. It's almost as dramatic as picking the First Day of School Outfit.

Somehow I managed to convince Rachel to let me put her hair in a ponytail this morning after much debate about what to do with it. Her hair is thick and heavy like mine, so blowing it dry and straightening it at 6 a.m. was not high on my list of things I wanted to do.

I think she looks like such a doll when she pulls her hair away from her face. What a cutie.

So I, of course, had to take her picture before she left.

She, of course, got all goofy like she does every time the camera comes out.

Sam's picture day was a couple of weeks ago. It was as drama-free as a day can be for Sam. All boy, that one.

In fact, he was pretty unimpressed with Rachel's excitement this morning. I took a picture of him, too, but he was hiding behind his hoodie and growling at me so I cut him some slack and put the camera away. I can sympathize. I'm not much of a morning person, either.

On to the next adventure.

So ... last Thursday I started writing this post about Steve going back to work, and then the phone rang and plans changed.

Seems like I'd be bracing for change every time the phone rings around here.

Steve had just left when he got the call that the job was pushed back a day; he had one more day to enjoy being home. So after saying goodbye, we said hello again. The kids were surprised to see his truck in the driveway when they got home from school. Good thing they're old enough to understand how quickly things can change or they'd never believe a thing we told them.  

Dad's leaving today. Oh wait! No he's not.

The dog needs to go out. No, really!

Your pants are on fire. YES they are!

And having your kids think you're an idiot and have no idea what you're talking about would be tragic now, wouldn't it?

Hey, wait a second.

Anyway. Steve ended up leaving for real on Friday and starting the new job on Saturday. So far, so good. The great part about this new gig is he is back in Michigan, in an area he is familiar with, and just a three-hour drive from home.

Three hours! Piece o' cake.

And just last night I went and stumped him with a parenting dilemma. Turns out parenting from three hours away isn't any easier than parenting from nine hours away. Hmph.

It's all about perspective, I guess.

Nothin' like a beautiful fall day.

There is nothing like a beautiful fall day to put me in a good mood and provide some motivation to get some work done around the house. I love being able to go about the day with a cozy-smelling candle burning and the windows cracked open just a little bit so I can hear the leaves rustling outside.

I love the smell of earth and leaves and crisp air. Cold nights and warm, sunny days. Squash with dinner and fresh apples for dessert. Turning the thermostat down and snuggling under an extra blanket when I go to bed.

And of course, the brightness of those hardy plants that hang on even after the first frost.

 

I hope you're finding as much beauty in these days as I am. Enjoy!

I hate Saturday morning cartoons.

How silly is that?

Of course I watched them as a child. And I used to enjoy cuddling with the kids on Saturday mornings and watching them. But somehow recently they have become the bane of my existence. (The cartoons, not the kids. Today anyway.)

We have to get up early every other day of the week and get ready to go; all I want on Saturday morning is to sleep in, wake up when my body decides it's ready, and enjoy the sound of the autumn breeze rustling through the trees outside, brew myself a strong cup of coffee, and have a nice, relaxing start to my day.

Remember how we hated it that there was no talking in the coyote and roadrunner cartoons? Just some dorky classical music playing while Wile E. Coyote opened his latest delivery from the Acme company?

Yeah. I'd love some classical music and a few "meep meep's!" right about now.

Clean Slate Sunday: 9.26.10 edition

Whew. Back in the school routine, back in the quiet Sunday night meditative routine, back to sitting down and making plans for the next few days and trying to get the calendar situated before the week begins.

Steve has been around all weekend and it feels great to have him here. He was able to take Sam out hunting yesterday and today for the special youth hunt weekend. I smiled to myself when Sam came in to kiss me goodbye before heading out to the woods with his daddy Saturday morning. That kid was on Cloud 9. Poor Steve, he can't even get up out of his chair without Sam asking him where he's going. Uhhh, to the bathroom, kid. Just out to the truck to get something. Over here to the kitchen for a beer. 

And Rachel. At church on Sunday mornings we're always asked if anyone has any good news to share during announcements. This morning when that request came Rachel looked up at me and whispered, "Yeah! Daddy's back in Michigan!"

Good news, indeed.

Steve is on standby now. He expects to get a call to go to work before the end of this week. He'll still be working a couple hours away from home, but two hours of driving versus 10 hours of driving to get home is a big difference. Plus, I think just being in the state of Michigan boosts his morale a bit. When he came home from safety orientation Friday he said he has a good feeling about this new job. I like to hear that. I feel ... I don't know ... safe when it's obvious to me that Steve is feeling confident.

So it's been a great weekend topped off by hearing a message at church that really touched my heart. There are Sundays when I feel like the sermon was written just for me, and today was one of them. Today we were reminded of how rich we are, that if we have food and clothing and a roof over our heads, we are rich beyond measure. We were also reminded that it is our duty as Christians to be good stewards of all God has given us, and to use our good fortune to touch the lives of the poor - poor in belongings, poor in health, poor in spirit. We must be willing to identify and acknowledge those people in our lives who need a boost and do something for them.

Amen.

That seems like a good note to end on tonight.

Have a great week.

The times they are a-changin'.

It never ceases to amaze me how life can turn on a dime.

Last week at this time I was happy to have Steve here at home providing some much-needed backup in the parenting department and taking care of some other business, but the recovering anxious control freak in me was a little concerned that we didn't know when he would leave.

That is, when he would go back to work.

And no workie = no money.

Ugh.

Not that he didn't have a plan. He did. There for a while, though, I thought the universe hadn't gotten the memo outlining the details of his plan.

And by "a while" I mean two or three days. Eternity.

But sometimes the memo getting stuck on the server turns out to be a good thing.

I suppose the details don't matter now, but I can tell you this: This pipelinin' thing? This lifestyle of constant change? This hurry-up-and-wait business? It's not for sissies. It's not for the faint of heart. Over the past week Steve kept reminding me of a Bible verse in 2 Corinthians chapter 5, "we walk by faith, not by sight." That particular passage is also mentioned in the movie The Book of Eli which Steve and I both watched recently, myself just Wednesday night. It's a great (albeit somewhat violent) story about having faith, pushing forward, following God's voice, and not allowing yourself to be overcome by worldly things along the way.

It was a timely reminder.

Today Steve is drug testing and attending safety training for a new job. Once again he is making the shift from the construction side of the pipeline to the inspection side, which is what he had been doing in 08'-09'. It will provide a nice boost in income, but the even better news is he will be back in Michigan. I can't even put into words how happy that makes me.

The Pipe Life is all about change and being flexible. It's not always easy for me to go with the flow, but with every change and every bend in the road and every dip from the hills to the valleys, I learn. It sometimes means riding a roller-coaster of emotions. It means never getting quite comfortable with how things are. It means making a point to enjoy every day because we just don't know what struggles tomorrow might bring.

And yes, it means walking by faith and learning to give up a little of that illusion of control. For a gal like me, sometimes that's the hardest part.

Quiet Monday.

Wow. I had big plans for the blog last week. Lots of pictures, updates on projects around the house, and perhaps a little waxing poetic about the change in seasons and the beautiful fall weather we've been having.

How quickly life gets in the way.

Tuesday morning I met a friend for coffee, met another friend for lunch, then made my fall trek to Sam's Club. Wednesday and Thursday mornings I had the pleasure of babysitting for my friends' 5-month-old baby boy. I had so much fun with him, but boy had I forgotten how exhausting it is to entertain, feed, rock, sing to, bounce, change diapers for, and ogle a baby for a few hours! So in the afternoons I chilled out at home and did pretty much nothing. Thursday night Steve came home, between jobs and waiting for A Phone Call.

Before I knew it the weekend was here and we had things to do. We visited with friends Friday night, Rachel walked in the annual Harvest Festival parade with her Brownie troop on Saturday, then Sunday we all went to church followed by an ice cream social, then we stopped by for a quick visit with my mom, and Rachel had her Girl Scout meeting Sunday afternoon. We finished up the day with dinner at my in-laws'.

Whew! I was so glad to fall into bed and get a good night of sleep last night, but sleep wasn't in the cards, apparently. I woke up at 3 a.m. sneezing and with so much pressure in my sinuses it made my teeth hurt. Stupid allergies! I never did get back to sleep after that.

So I was really happy to send the kids off to school this morning.

Check that. I was happy Steve was still here so he could wake them up and get them off to school this morning.

God bless that husband of mine.

Tonight Steve and the kids got to spend some fun time together making apple dumplings from scratch. I know Sam and Rachel enjoyed that time with their dad; they don't get to do that very often. And bonus - the dumplings tasted awesome! The perfect end to a quiet fall day.