Tea and Sweatpants...

Alright, I've had some time to perfect this one and I'm pretty pleased with the results. The recipes can be found HERE.

Some lessons learned:

1. I like having liquid soap to help with stains. When spots need a bit of extra help I dab the liquid soap directly onto the spot and it helps in a big way going through the wash load.

2. The liquid soap recipe requires a large bucket and a place to store that.

3. The sugested Fels-Naptha soap is a MUST for good cleaning.

4. For hard water (like we have here) add 1/2 c. of baking soda to any of the recipes.

5. My FAVORITE recipe is #4 from the link above with an added 1/2 c. of baking soda. This one was the easiest and worked the best for me. Also, it only takes up a tiny bit of space in the laundry room because it's super concentrated.

Now that I've found a perfect recipe that is super quick and easy I'll never go back:)

What a fun day I had today. I LOVE dreaming and planning! It is what moves me, it's what keeps me sane, it propels me to do more and be better.

Started the day with a 2 hour meeting collaborating about Thanksgiving food boxes, a Christmas tea, a large community Christmas event, and other things along the way. I had this meeting with two women who continue to inspire me. The boys ran around terrorizing the office but because these two are experienced mothers they continued talking around, over and through it like only mother can:)

I came home and cooked up a warm soup like lunch.

I spent the boys nap time writing all that I could about anything that needed done in November and December to make ministry happen through Koinonia and Bridgetown.

I then planned and started another creative Birch dinner. Tonight it was a whole baked chicken, frozen cooked potatoes (thawed partially by microwave and broiler), a can of peas, and more gravy! The chicken and peas were good but the taters were nasty mush. We ended up having chicken sandwiches.

Nick and I spend the majority of the evening talking about the morning meeting and planning our next major community project!

Oh how I love the planning, dreaming, listing, tweaking, detailing day I had.

I took the boys to The Art Park at the community center:

Little feet
Wet paint
Sticky stamps
Tiny fingers
Slimy glue
Salty dough

Squeaky voices
Pounding stamps
Splattering paint
Crinkling paper
Affirming mothers
Giggling children

Dinner was creative tonight:

We get our food from Birch and are blessed to have a full kitchen. All be it random, it's full! In my search for things to make spaghetti I found everything but what I needed for any kind of sauce. The dinner I pulled together seemed really weird to me, Nick didn't seem to mind (or so he faked) and the boys had 3 bowls.

Boiled pasta and frozen corn
Made peppered white gravy according to the package
Added what I had left of jack cheese (about a cup)
Put the gravy/sauce over the pasta and corn
Sprinkled dried parsley and bread crumbs on the top.

Haha, and that was it! Not so bad for my family but wouldn't be serving it to a guest unless they were under the age of 6!

Love your enemies. I've read the passage many times and as scripture happens to do, it took on new meaning yesterday.

I was reading Half the Sky and was thinking about doing something "great" for God. I spent some time chatting with God about what we are doing here in NoPo. I began glamorizing missionary life and praying that God would send us far away for a period of time to "refresh." Now, missionary friends, forgive me. Forgive me for spending any amount of time romanticizing your life or saying that it is easy or refreshing in any way, shape, or form. In that moment I was reminded that God called us HERE. He called us to this place and I must search for His love and my call to love in this place.

Later, at church, we were talking about this passage in Matthew. In something that Nick was sharing with us it stood out to me that God is asking us to take the supernatural and make it natural. Hmmm, sounds like what I had been praying about earlier. Later, in prayer/praise time us women were talking about how God blessed us. Our praises were simple. Thank you God for a peaceful morning, another said praise for connecting with an old friend, and another for some days without morning sickness. Simple love. A deep love for the ordinary. This is my God, one who loves the ordinary and cares deeply about our need for divine love in our ordinary daily living. This is my call, to show attention and care to the ordinary and simple in others the same way God does in my life.

I think this is what the passage is about but even more importantly it's all of these things for all people even our "enemies." To me this is a long list of people in my life who aren't necessarily enemies but people who aren't just naturally my friends. This includes people who stress me out, make me nervous, eat our food, call late at night, don't show up to commitments, walk away from our ministry after committing, have kids who teach our kids naughty things,and those who uninvitedly tell us how to parent. With the love of God calling me to pay attention and care to them and the ordinary in their lives I find such beautiful things in these people. These same people are the ones that (in the same order) bring our trash from the curb, stop by to learn some manhood from my husband, is learning healthy eating habits on a budget, desires to be in community, is vulnerable when here, developing a missions heart, learning to parent with love, and sharing Somali parenting techniques.

My prayer is that I would find such love and passion in loving better in all ways and in all things.

The disinfectant wipes are still going strong!

I made dish soap: http://www.diylife.com/2009/08/03/how-to-make-your-own-dish-soap/ Using method 3

Another frugal switch I've made is using bar soap instead of liquid. You get the exact same foam on the luffa that you do with liquid and if everyone is using luffas and wash cloths you don't have to think about where the bar has been! It is MUCH cheaper to use bar soap.

I've decided that for all my cleaning supplies that require a bar of soap it is a MUST to use a different scent than what's in the shower. I don't like washing pots and pans and smelling the Dove soap I just bathed in:O)

Nick and I have been cleaning the garage in preparation for finishing it and we found MOUNTAINS of napkins! This makes me proud because it is evidence of our use of the cloth napkins.

The only thing that's been difficult is the comfort and familiarity of the smells of the store bought cleaners. I know the evidence shows that the cleaning power is the same but my nose makes me doubt. Several times I consider running to dollar tree and getting a small thing of laundry soap just so I can have a few loads smell like the old days. Then, I remember my little boys and how I'm protecting them.

Anyway, that's the update!

This is one that I have been using for about as long as the laundry soap. The results aren't outstanding but it does the job. Instead of the costly powder soap for the dishwasher I use a mix of 1 cup borax and 1 cup baking soda. If I completely fill the dishwasher compartment it comes out cloudy so better to use just a few tablespoons. Also, I keep vinegar or jet dry stuff in the rinse dispenser to help keep it shiny.

This entails a bit more effort but saves SO much money. I have been doing this for almost a year now and have been pleased with the results.

Here is the recipe I use:
http://finance.yahoo.com/family-home/article/109349/do-it-yourself-laundry-detergent

This has been my favorite switch of all! I love passing out and using the cloth napkins I made and am so excited to make more. I use them with pride knowing I'm saving our garbage bill, trees and our budget. All I did was take an old sheet, cut it into squares, fold the edge and sew. I recommend this one to EVERYONE. If you aren't a seamstress at all I bet you could do some great deal hunting for end of season discounts, garage sales, Goodwill, and antique stores.

As you know I have lately been exploring non-toxic ways to keep my home clean and fresh. I decided I would allow the toxic ones I currently own to run themselves out and as each ran out I would look for a non-toxic and cheap alternative. Yesterday I ran out of Clorox wipes. I am a huge fan of the convenience and ease at which I could grab one of these wipes for a mid week surface cleaning. I was sure there wasn't an alternative to this and I would have to get out the sponge and spray every time. Today I found and made the alternative and it works great!

I used the same container that the wipes were in and I filled it with the following disinfectant solution:
3.5 cups water
1/4 c. of Vinegar
1 t. of borax

I cut a paper towel roll in half (this was the hardest part of the whole thing) and unrolled (into another roll) until it would fit in the container. I put them in the container and allowed it to soak.

The true test will be to see how the roll holds up after hours and days of soaking. I am not convinced it will work but I guess I'm putting paper towels to the test! I'm sure there is a way to take this a step further and use cloth instead of paper towels. We shall see!

A few years ago I was curious about soy products. My research and learning propelled me into a quest of learning all about nutrition and healthy food. I became slightly obsessed with "hmm, I wonder what is actually in this."

Around the same time I was teaching an environmental unit to my 4th graders and was learning with them the effects of plastic bottles and garbage bags. This also propelled me into a learning adventure and another slight obsession with knowing how all that I throw away effects the environment.

A few weeks ago someone told me "you shouldn't use drier sheets, ever, they are extremely toxic." I wanted to cry...not my drier sheets! So I started researching the effects of using them and was seeking a cheap alternative. This lead to my new understanding of all the chemicals I use daily (lotion, shampoo, air freshener, dish soap, etc.) and I became concerned with the use of all of them and overwhelmed at finding alternatives that would be less toxic.

Here have been the results of all that I've learned about these three and my final reflections about all of them.

1. I believe it is impossible on our family budget to be completely organic and nitrate free with our food.

2. It seems near impossible to avoid plastic pop and water bottles at all cost. It is fairly easy to remember the shopping bag and avoid the plastic ones. It would be MUCH better for our family to use cloth diapers but I'm not about to be scraping poo from them and washing them...sorry just can't do it!

3. The toxins in our home are overwhelming. This is the one that I am most empowered to change. I already make our own laundry soap and dish soap but the rest of it is just going to have to wait a few years until we are debt free.

4. Our country as a whole is becoming more aware and educated in all of these areas so there are plenty of alternatives out there but generally for a cost.

I just get so passionate about changing these things because they are so within our control. It seems spiritually responsible to be more environmental friendly and conscious about what goes in and through our bodies. I often feel as if I have to be all about the change or ignore the need for the change but I've come to realize that the small attempts and efforts I make are worth it. Every time I come up with an alternative at the same cost I feel so proud of myself and the way I'm protecting my family. All of that to say, I'm proud to report that as of recent we've become more aware and careful as a family about the toxins in our home and ways to eliminate them.

Manna Truck is a ministry I've blogged about at different times. It is one that God has used to shape me as a woman, a mother, and a friend.

It's been about a year now since we first started Manna Truck in New Columbia Villa. I visit them monthly and every other month we bring bags of clothing for the kids. Almost every month we are able to also supply the family with basic hygiene products and cleaning supplies. It began with making some calls and asking if we could come visit. The first few meetings were akward and full of expectations. Several of these mother were excited to find another organization to meet their needs. Most of them seemed to have hopes to minipulate us into doing work for them and supplying needs. It started with a relationship like that but Nick and I were determined that God would allow it to be more than that if we were obedient.

The first few months Nick had to nearly push me out the door to go visit these women. I always enjoyed time with them when conversation actually got going but it seemed like pulling teeth to get them to talk even like an acquaintance. Now, a year later, I am excited to see them and find ways to engage in love beyond those monthly "need" visits. Wanted to share some stories about how the Holy Spirit has allowed his Love to reign.

I wrote a while back about two of these moms here . The update is that the relationships DID continue to grow. Mom 1 welcomes me into her home at just about any time day or night. She still has many walls up but I'm proud of her for allowing me to get this close. Mom 2 has become a good friend. Still hard to get ahold of but she's more and more honest with every interaction I have with her. She came to church once, has been to a summer BBQ at our home, and constantly reminds me through texting that she's praying for us!

Another mom came into the picture about February and it's been a wild ride since. Her two children have so much joy and express that every time I see them. She has come to several summer BBQs at our home and we talk on an almost weekly basis. This is HUGE as she has a tendency to withdrawal from the world and seep into depression.

I just recently wrote about another mom here and what a wild ride it has been with this family. On Sunday she brought me traditional head scarfs that had just been sent to her from her family in Saudi Arabia as a thank you gift.

I am so proud of these women, their children, and the one husband in the picture. They've allowed me enough into their lives to love on them. They teach me daily about who God is calling me to be. I desire to have strength and love like they have. In the next month we'll be adding more families to our visitation list and I'm excited for another year of growing with these new moms. Please keep praying for us. As we go deeper we find greater needs. So many needs we cannot meet but just trust the Lord for.

I don't even know where to begin with this post. I am actually part of an incredible experience that breaks all cultural boundaries.

There's this child, we'll call her Tasaline, she is 12. Nick first met her volunteering in her class at Rosa Parks. They spent lots of time together as she had a knack for getting into trouble. So, she was sent out of the room to study math with Mr. Mucci. One saturday two years ago I met Tasaline and she was so kind and polite. I couldn't believe she was one to cause any trouble.

The following summer B Town kids began and I saw Tasaline show up with her 3 younger siblings every Saturday. Again, a sweet girl whom I enjoyed being around.

A year ago in September I began to show up at her home to supply the family with clothing and cleaning supplies though our Manna Truck ministry. For almost 9 months my relationship with her mother (we'll call her Amina) was void of emotion and discussion. Her language is very limited (they've only been in the states 5 years) and withholding emotion is a cultural expectation.

In June we saw Amina with the 3 youngest kids and Tasaline was nowhere to be found. Through Amina's broken English, the help of her 6 year old daughter, and reading hand motions we found out Tasaline was in the hospital.

A few weeks ago though teary eyes I talked, empathized, and tried to communicate my sorrow for Amina and her experience through this as a mother. She asked me to visit Tasaline with her the next day in the hospital.

The cultural barriers that came down in that moment alone was amazing. For her to show emotion, share that with me, and invite me to accompany her to visit her daughter was HUGE!

We pulled up to the hospital and I realized in that moment that her daughter was in the mental ward. I had a new understanding of the whole situation. Tasaline was thrilled to see me and to know she was missed. I simply sat and witnessed the love shared between Amina and Tasline and saw how much they missed each other.

Since that moment Tasline's been transfered to a transitional mental institution, her mother has invited me along several visits, and Tasline is yearning to come home.

Just yesterday another cultural boundary was crossed, Amina hugged me when she saw me! It is not custom for Somali to touch another unless they are very good friends or family so I've withheld my temptations to greet with hugs and handshakes but yesterday she initiated the hug and I embraced her with a silent thankful prayer for how the Holy Spirit is moving.

What a month you have been! You took me on a wild journey and showed me I had strength and support I never knew I had. If it weren't for so many supportive people in my life I wouldn't have made it through. You took me to some beautiful emotional/spiritual mountain tops and some scary dark valleys. I am thankful for you my month of June but please don't be offended if I act a bit excited that August is upon us.

I plan to blog about the following reflections as time permits:
1. Somali friend, her daughter, a mental institution and a beautiful mother-daughter bond.
2. Manna Truck mothers and the lasting effects of committing a year to these women.
3. Thoughts about adoption and how the boys are doing
4. The "internal darkness" that even Mother Teresa experienced.

One woman is a dedicated nurse in Oregon. Her heart is devoted to her husband and his ministry as a children's pastor and her one year old sweet baby boy. Her ability to overcome substantial life glitches and to support others through theirs astounds me. My favorite thing about her is her wisdom and knowledge.

One woman is a dedicated school teacher in Idaho that is currently finding her place in understanding and serving those victimized by modern day slavery. She is an amazing teacher because she loves learning herself! Her recent topic of study is modern day slavery and her recent prayer is finding her roll in that. My favorite thing about her is her ability to find joy and life in the tiniest of things.

One woman is a student. She is currently working on her masters in Public Health (or maybe it's public nursing or something like that). Her studies take her to a far away land where her faith is put on the line. She spends her evenings and weekends with sexually exploited women and teaching them basic sex ed. My favorite thing about her is her deep passion. She is deeply passionate and prays life into all that she sees and hears and touches.

One woman is a school teacher in Idaho and is living the nomadic life. Her commitment as a mother and wife infuse her creativity. She and her husband have been gifted with a talent to make all things beautiful. They are currently homeless (staying with friends/family) for the time while they search for the perfect home to restore into something wonderful. My favorite thing about her is the way she makes ordinary events or objects into something extraordinary.

One woman is a bilingual teacher in Washington specializing in math. She is also a dedicated mother and wife with a huge heart. She is small in size but has enough love in her for all the children she's ever met who have had a disadvantage in life because of the language they spoke. Her undying devotion for equal educational opportunities for children of all cultures and languages is inspiring. My favorite thing about her is her beautiful ability to listen and truly hear others when they speak.

These women inspire me and love me in ways that only God could have known when He brought me to them. I just spent a day and night with these women and my heart is full. I am able to come home and love my husband better and my children better and be inspired in who I am a as child of God. Thank you dear friends for being so wonderful. Life would be so strange and boring without you.

I met billy at a BBQ in our back yard about a year ago. Big kid, big hair, big tender personality. I was drawn to him, curious about him, and excited to get to know him. I was thrilled to see a young black male teen with such a kind heart and so willing to be verbal about his joy. I saw him a few times after that but haven't seen him since.

His neighbors brought him. Gabe, Jackie and their 5 children. They are a glowing example of the love of God and have befriended Billy like family. Nick and I have known Gabe since the first week we moved here and have gradually gotten to know the rest of the family including Billy.

Here is what I know about Billy's death. He stood up for what was right. He rose against the street rules and walked away from a heated conversation with a fellow 17 year old. He was shot in the back. He ran (that's pure strength) to Gabe's arms and collapsed and met the Lord in a few short moments.

I miss you Billy. I wish I could have talked with you more. I am proud of you and who you became and how you served the Lord.

The kids. There were several kids outside while this happened including 2 of Gabe's children ages 3 and 6. These babies are scared. We had them over on Wednesday night so Gabe and Jackie could catch up on some sleep and attend a few things in honor of Billy. While they were here it hurt my heart to see their innocence lost. To see terror wash over them every time someone walked by in a white T Shirt or a loud noise let out in the air. All 5 of them are processing their grief and trauma in a different way.

If Billy were here he'd hug them and say "don't worry big brother's taking care of you." But their Billy is gone.

In honor of Billy around 200 people gathered in the Villa to pray for peace. God does wonderful things in the midst of darkness. On Thursday night several hundred people gathered to speak with the Mayor about stopping violence in North Portland. Again, God brings beauty from ashes.

Billy's amazing life will not be forgotten. A strong young teen turning into a man and he achieved manhood as a son of God.

My brother turns 21 today! Yay happy birthday bud. That what we used to call him and it still slips out every now and then. What an amazing man you've become! Here are some thought about him:

I have memories of:

Watching him jump out of trees like a bungee jumper which was an early display of his adventuresome spirit.

Running away from him as he would catch bees for his hive that he so desperately wanted which showed his ambition. This kid will do what it takes to get what he wants!

Reading food labels at age 7 so he could protest onions or mushrooms. Wouldn't be surprised if this was his motive for reading labels these days but he also reads out of curiosity and a desire to be healthy.

Selling pop to constructions workers to make big summer bucks. This is the trait that most of us know about him, an entrepreneur.

These are just a few that came to mind this morning as I thought about him but I'm sure the list could go on and on!

I remember him as a child to be very ambitious, lively, spirited, curious, experimental, and creative. These are all traits I see in my eldest son and I pray that he will turn out much like his uncle Bryan.

Thanks bud for loving our family as you still venture out and find who you are. You are a wonderful brother, a good friend, and an awesome uncle.

Love you! Happy Birthday!

My run today was different. I've been running with the boys in the jogger now for the last few weeks since the sun's been out. Nick was home so I went out alone. It was a really different experience for me but I kinda liked it! When the boys are with me I am able to focus on them, the flying snack cup, the strong left pull on the stroller, the shoes being taken off and thrown down, the crappy sidewalkes without a ramp, so many things to distract my thinking. Today, I ran with those distractions at home. Here is a bit of what it was like:

I ran to the other side of the street to head out on a familiar loop, stopped on the sidewalk and felt akward about how to start. Okay. Go. I thought,just get on with it!. Feet pouding on the pavement I remind myself this is a stress relief time, me time, time that is valuable and to be treasured. Don't waist it complaining the whole time!. This part of the loop is on the "hood" side of our community. I am not even 5 blocks into the run and the black car with hydraulics is giving me cat calls from the window, oh how I'd like him to get out so I could teach him a lesson. I find that this bothers me MUCH more now that I have boys, young babies soon to be men and they don't need to hear them yelling derogative things out the window at me. Yeah, I wish they'd pull over so I could tell them a thing or two.

The first 2 miles of this loop has a gradual incline making them a bit harder than the last few. Feet still pounding on the pavement a bit harder now that my blood is pumping about the cat call. I find myself counting my breathing in cadence to my feet. One, two, three in...one, two, three, out...this is how I know I keep my pace. Some people say you should be able to carry a conversation and that's how you are at the right pace. I think that is so funny...who want to talk when they are running? It's not even worth attempting talking out loud to myself to check my pace.

I am now reaching the peak of my run, rounding the corner, and entering into the "nice" part of the community. I love looking at these houses, so much character, beautiful, charming, and landscaping that is stunning! My right rib reminds me that it exists with a pinched feeling that doesn't seem like it will go away. I wonder, does this happen to me every time and I just don't notice? At this point I'm chasing my shadow and it feel so good to have the sun at my back. This side of the block has a unique smell and feel. The flowers overwhelm the wind with a beautiful scent that is guarenteed to be followed by a gust of car exhaust. The unquiqe smell of Portland, a city that wants to pretend it was never built. It wants nature to win over what man has created. It is a city full of people running from God that I believe will someday meet him in their very love for nature.

I'm rounding the corner now and approaching my third mile. My shadow is now chasing me! That nagging at my rib is still there and my feet can be heard pouding on the pavement. I'm approaching my side of the community again, "the hood" and wonder what will greet me there. Not to my suprise a kind old man stops to greet me as I run past his yard. He sees me with gentle eyes and a warm spirit. This I seem to only find on my side of the block. The other side...too busy, too occupied, too mentally far away.

I'm on the home stech now, about half a mile to go and I'm ready to quit. Keeping motivated without my boys, it's hard. I don't have them there to convince me I should keep going. I have my head saying just walk for a while, you've worked hard enough, relax. Then I hear my heart saying I can do all things through Christ who stenghtens me. My breathing has gotten much harder now, it doesn't match the cadence of my feet anymore and that frustrates me. A battle begins in my mind. I can either keep running or walk and be proud of what I've done.

I see my street now and realize the nagging at my rib has faded, my feet are still pounding the pavement and I am almost there! How dare I stop now, keep going, keep going, focus on something else. My mind instantly goes to Dom and Eli and how so many days can feel like this last block. I decide to do it for them. I decide to show myself that on my own I can run the last segment just like at home I can maintain endurance through the pain.

Whew...

Joy,pure joy! I am walking my street now, I did it! I even did it without the boys. God, thank you for showing me my ability to endure. Walked through the door and the boys came running to me and my husband stopped to admire me and what I accomplished today. Ah yes, what a good run this was! Thanks God for my lessons through it.

This is a web page I found that is genius! For anyone who wants to watch what they consume or is just curious about the nutritional stats of the food they eat, this is the page for you! I have a profile set with caloric intake goals to loose one pound a week. Nick as a profile set with goals to loose a pound and a half a week. I am going to make a profile for our boys so that I can watch the sugar intake. I am always amazed at all the hidden sugar in our food! It also has great recipes and tips about the nutritional value of food. Seriously, any of you who are working on eating healthier or managing your weight (by gain, loss, or maintaining it) this is the page for you! I used one similar in the past but I would get frustrated trying to find the foods that I ate that day to get the stats and I haven't had that problem yet! I am also excited to use the exercise options as the weather gets better...definitely worth checking out!

Yesterday when I was talking to nick about what I planned on doing when the boys were napping, I said "I feel like nothing but tea and sweatpants, I think that should be my motto!" Don't worry, I do have more in my wardrobe than sweatpants (my dear friends wouldn't allow me to wear them every day) and I drink more than tea(thank goodness for not having brown teeth). I do however love to wear sweatpants after a warm shower, a long day, church clothes, and in cold weather. I LOVE tea when I'm with friends, an hour before bed, on a "coffee date" with Nick, and when reading a book.

I decided that all of my life should fit into this motto in some way. Some pieces of the way I choose to parent are a bit old fashioned (like tea) and some are relaxed and comfortable (like sweatpants). My love and friendships are in perfect harmony when I treat them with the delicacy of tea and the comfort of sweatpants. Well, you get the picture, tea and sweatpants it is! I know I make Grandma Eyvone proud with the tea part and my sons proud with the sweatpants part!

This is my new weakness. It take 5 min. to make chocolate cake now!

Last saturday I went with the girls to get my nails done...yay! I loved this birthday treat. Then my parents paid for my hair to get done by my favorite stylist...yay again! I had her whack away at it and I love it. Then, to top it off I changed my blogger background. Of anything that was the hardest to do. I felt as if I was shopping for a new identity. Geeze....I might even be changing it again, not sure I love it. I would like to be able to say that I've felt selfish for all the new around here and it revolving around me but I'll be honest I've been loving every minute of it:)

My friend Lauren recommended a wonderful book called Made from Scratch (sorry teachers, couldn't find the underline key) by Jenna Woginrich.  I read this book in about two days and LOVED it!  I told her that I started gardening last year and she wanted to know how it went.  I thought all of you would get a good laugh from my hard work last year.  

First of all I must say that I am not very good at seeing projects through to the end.  I love starting them and seeing them begin but I tend to loose passion about half way through.  This even included books, I only recently have been finishing them all the way to the end.  

My hubby helped with the hard stuff like tilling the dirt and building a box.  I have a beautiful slightly raised bed that measures about 2x16 ft.  I got out graph paper and did my research and planned how many plants would fit and in what order they should go.  I didn't however do enough research and here was the result:

1. I planted my tomato plants on the south end instead of the north thus causing them to cast shadows over all my peppers.  

2.  Not one single pepper fully ripened and each plant only produced about one.

3. All the labels for the starts I bought on sale had been mixed up and it resulted in 3 of the same plant instead of a variety of 4 kinds of tomato like I had hoped and one of them turned out to be a watermelon plant. 

4. Spinach is the absolute easiest thing to grow here in Oregon.  Just threw those seeds in the ground and watched it grow!

5. Grew lots of flat leaf parsley but only used a tinge of it...didn't really think that one through, turned out to be a waste of ground space.

6. Don't look at corn starts mid summer on sale and assume they will just grow!  I did that and non of them produced anything, just grew really tall.

7. I plan on growing my own starts from seed this year to save tons of money.

8. Oh yeah, strawberry plants don't really produce strawberries the first year.

9.  Nick is much better about watering my plants than I am.  Nearly fried half of them to death, surely would have lost the whole garden if Nick hadn't watered it for me.

10. Oh yeah, that watermelon plant, didn't get a single watermelon from it!

Needless to say I learned a lot last year and have high hopes for this summer.  I have a neighbor who is a wonderful gardener and she was a huge help last year. I think I need to be asking her more questions though:) 

My plans for this year are to again only garden in my one bed.  Also, I am going to try really hard to start from seeds.  I do plan on falling back on professionals if I need to buy starts though.  I am going to be really smart about what I plant so that I can care more deeply for my crop so it will actually be worth my time and money.  I really am excited about having my boys help where they can and watch them learn about the Earth in a new way.

I shared in my previous post how God used a few of us simple folk to witness his mighty works. God has called this wonderful experience a step further. Remember house two? Yeah, this mom and I have developed a very new, refreshing and loving relationship. Out of that split second of a moment that Celina encouraged me to knock a new friendship was born. Our friend has been to our gatherings with us and we talk about every other day. I often see her because the playground that I take my boys to is about 30 steps from her front door and her little ones come out to play! Yesterday her 3 year old son was teaching my 2 year old how to play catch with the football:) Oh how the love was flowing in that park.

This is what I moved here for.

This is what I believed God called us to.

Missional Living!

This is what I prayed for.

It's been happening on our own street for the last year or two but not like this. I know part of it is due to being a mom and having that as common ground. Part of it is maybe I'm more willing to share me. Anyway all I can do now is be faithful, continue to pray for this friendship, and be willing to choose others before myself even more.

I want to share with the world how God used my body and my words today but I want to protect her privacy so I'll do my best to share my story without sharing her soul.

Nick scheduled home visits for me today and I wasn't too excited. We visit our Manna Truck families once a month to build a relationship and see how we could meet some of their most basic needs. Usually it's tough to break the ice, things are a bit awkward, and we leave still just being a "service" and not a friend. I've been discourage by this because some families we've seen several times and much more frequently than once a month and still there was such a wall.

Today, my prayer was that conversation would deviate from meeting needs for more than just 5 minutes and we would find at least one thing to talk about.

The first house started as usual, "how was the order last month, what can we find for you this month, how are things going in general?" Then I started to make lame jokes about my life being sucked dry by my two sweet boys and how that's quite a change. She relaxed a bit more, a few more awkward pauses, and some conversation. It was tough, but she relaxed even more and felt free to begin sharing some of the things that are really bringing her down and some things that are really bringing her joy. It was lovely, I really enjoyed our time there and actually felt welcome in her home!

House two. This mom is really hard to get a hold of, it's usually by chance that we catch her. Walked up to the house and heard loud music and lots of laughing. I told Celina maybe we should just come back another time or call first. She suggested we knock and ask when another time would be. So...we knocked:0)

The door opened a crack and I said "hello" all nervous but chipper. The door closed and I heard, "turn that down, you got two white chicks at the door" "oh yeah, let them in!" As soon as the door flung open the mom smiled almost with relief to see us. She invited us in as usual and we sat down to chat. Within minutes she became very vulnerable and very real. For the next hour she shared her heart with us, let us hold her and cry, and we read scripture together. The power of the Holy Spirit was upon us. It was so amazing.

I am so blessed to have been an avanue to God's hands at work. So many things could have kept us from seeing her today and from her sharing. But, as usual, God made it happen.

All of you who have been praying for our ministry and our family, please say a prayer for these two moms. Pray that I would follow through as a friend to see how they are doing. Pray that I would be obedient to the leading of the Spirit so these friendships can grow.

Thanks.

I offically quit the Y this week! Talk about new beginnings. It was hard to take this leap of faith and say goodbye to a secure job in such tough economic times. As I truly assessed how I was doing as a mom, wife, and as a disciple and thought about adding even just 12 hours to my week...it didn't quite add up. Our sons are doing amazing, however two toddlers of any kind are far beyond a full time job. So, after crunching numbers a million times and praying a lot we decided to take the leap. The first 3 weeks with the boys were almost entirely without income from our regular jobs and yet all bills were paid plus we were blessed with so many gifts and food to keep us going through strong! I fully trust and believe that if the time comes and I MUST work that God will provide the job that will be just right for our family. So...to all of you who have blessed us with gifts or prayers, THANKS!