Monday Tid-bits- typos

Have you ever noticed that as you are typing (that is if you know how to type the formal or proper way)  Usually your two index fingers are placed on J and F and each finger is assigned several letters.  With much practice this becomes second nature.  But have you ever in your haste or confusion misplaced your fingers by just one letter?

So something like this.....



For God so loved the world that he gave his only son....

Would look like this

Gpt Hpf dp ;pbrf yjr ept;f yjsy jr hsbr jod pm;u dpm/  ////

It doesn't take much to get it all wrong, just one misplaced finger.  That is how it is in life.  Measuring ourselves, self correcting ourselves should be measured to the standard of the word where is solid truth.  It (whatever it may be) could feel right and even seem right, until you look down and realize you have been wrong all along.  Truth is not subject it is solid and real.

God is our spell checker and when we look down and see everything in read misspelled just left click Jesus and he will make it right with his word.

Spider Chronicles

We were forced to clean the kids rooms as we found this in Abby's hair.

It is a cousin of the brown recluse, otherwise known as the Arizona Brown Spider.  It likes to hide in warm spots and soft covers and lives in undisturbed places, (ie the kids floors and closets, apparently Abby's  unkempt hair.)

The truth is she had a fever and bundled up in her very warm and soft blanket, where upon the spider, who hitched a ride in her blanket, went right to the warmest place it could find.  Her head.  So when I told her she had to take a tepid bath I found it crawling in her hair.  I quickly swiped it out, careful not to let her know, and killed it, and then identified it.  Much to my horror it was indeed the recluse.  Thankfully a non aggressive type.  It's bit doesn't hurt initially but is flesh eating just 6 hours later.  Nice. 

I am sure the thing didn't bite her, but it prompted us to tackle their disgusting rooms.  Then eat icecream.  Snickers, because I will start and blow my diet tomorrow, so I better have another.


Here are some facts on the bugger


Brown recluse spiders usually live in dense clusters. Usually where one is found, there will be more. (This does not set my mind at ease)

Like undisturbed places for their webs; hunt primarily at night and will take refuge in clothing and bedding; often found in unused closets and storerooms, behind furniture, and in baseboard cracks and crevices.

Definitely need more icecream. Did I mention it was Breyers Snickers?

Happy Birthday Mason

Mason you are my oldest son and a treasured addition to our family. This time 9 years ago I wander what kind of mom I would be and what kind of kid you would be. Even bigger yet I wandered what the world would be like for you as you were the size of a pea when the terrorist changed the history and how we felt forever in the country on September 11. I rocked back and forth in my old wooden rocker, clutching my growing belly and prayed and hoped for you to be strong in hard times. Time has been good to us giving us these 9 years together to learn about each other. I have learned you are the kind of kid that makes me laugh.

You are zany and wonderful and moody all rolled into one very handsome boy body. You are sweet and sour all at once. You are more like me that I want to admit. You are poetic, artistic and sensitive. You want to kill gophers but can't handle the fact that people use chinchillas as fur. You are full of surprises and energy and that keeps me on my toes. When I imagined life with a son I had my own ideas about how you and I would be.

Now I realize, as you are my first child that you are who you are and I am me. Dad and I are always practicing on you and I apologize for that. I will always be a new parent to you as I grow. You have shaped me and have given me confidence and joy unimaginable. My life would be hues of black and white without you. For my ever loyal son, happy birthday!!! Many Many more I pray.

Love

Mom

Sicko



Serenity is doing her part to water the plants, save the earth conserve water, have a baby.



the wild alfalfa is too much temptation



When she is 1 year old I am going to retake this picture next to this tree, think it is apricot



Her little hands are into everything





So sweet, this little photo shot gave her a sunburn.  We were literally in the sun for 10 minutes!!!  arrhhh the desert.



Grandpa Jo's aloes.  After he died over a year ago I can finally give his precious aloes roots.  Interesting enough it is in the same place he lived.  The farm.



I don't know who the Drakes are and they got hitched over 3 weeks ago, but any sign that says wedding and yee haw in the same sentence is going to be a good time.  Wish I could have crashed that one.

Tis the season.

Pink eye, respiratory infection, strep, and stomach bug.  fa la la la la.  (who wants to come to my house for tea?? anyone?) mmm .

I was chatting with a good friend who has 8 kids and she wanted to let the world know why she took hand sanitation to a new level.  It is true, with many kids in the house a simple virus could last a whole season.  I am glad that this has happened in the course of the week but I can see if we keep passing stuff around how this could really drag out.  I don't think though in my history of motherdom, that I have had this many virus's simultaneously. 

I am just posting some pictures now because I don't have time or energy to do anything else.  Did I mention that me and Gary are both sick too?  It defies all the laws of momdom.  Well that is what I get for eating 4 cup cakes at one time and not taking my vitamins and staying up late reading blogs.

Arrugula!  I almost forgot to mention that Nettie was chosen out of 1,000 girls to meet with an award winning photographer to represent girls scouts in Arizona.  They only chose 30 girls and out of those 30 they will pick just 4!!  Here's to wishing her luck on that winning smile.  This would really mean alot to her as she is very aware of ethnicity in advertising.  Plus it gives me the confirmation I needed to continue on with signing her with an agent for child modeling.  Go Nettie!!  I can't help but wander what would her birth parents think?  Baby she has come a long way!!!

Monday Devotional. Trees.

Exodus 15:2
The LORD is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation. He is my God, and I will praise him, my father's God, and I will exalt him.

This is the tree our pastor planted over 20 years ago in memory of my grandfather who also lived on this property.  I have watched it grow strong over the years and as a child could never imagine it would be so big.

Life Lesson from the garden.

Here in sunny AZ spring is somewhat a fading feeling or a veil that we look through and see summer, our most defining season. We never have weather that is too cold, the leaves do not change colors on most of our desert trees and then suddenly before you know it you find yourself baking in 102 degree temperatures, and that is just the beginning. (Which happened just the other day) Our signs of spring mostly include an increase number of baby birds and some cool breezes. Lately more defined as whipping wind. As the house is near the mountains it seems this wind is even more exaggerated on the "farm" as it swoops over desert ridges. (I will stop using quotes when the "farm" actually has some animals.) Since we are not fully moved in yet we visit regularly to take care of the fruit trees we planted and do needed repairs. I pray for each sapling and examine them carefully for new growth. I have noticed several of our apple trees look wilted and wind whipped. It is interesting to relate these little trees with the growth in our own lives, spiritually. In order to grow strong roots it is good for a tree to be planted in a place they will experience some "wind". Forest trees that are protected from the wind have weaker root systems.

Last night Nettie's birthday was less than ideal. Nothing worked out, she had a fever, Gary and I fought, the kids yelled. Thank God for my mommy who came to the rescue with an banana split party at her house. Even then Nettie couldn't eat it as she is sick (my guess, strep) I sat with her at bedtime and recalled the little saplings being pushed in the April wind and I told her Jesus could make her better but even if he didn't that he could make her stronger and help her through this.

It is hard when you adopt for the simple fact that nothing is simple. Birthdays are monumental and signal grief and loss. For me guilt. I can't fill the hole left in her from being abandoned. I didn't make her birthday the best ever. My prayer today is that in this wind, her and I dig down deep into the soil and find strength in the dirty part life so that we can reach up with limbs bearing much fruit to heaven.

Happy Birthday Nettie

Today is Netsanet's birthday.  We are getting ready to keep it simple this year.  With 5 kids we learned from a good friend who has 8 to alternate parties each year to save money so only 1 of my kids will have a party this year. 

She wants to go to breakfast, then movies and then my moms house for icecream.  We are going to bake a cake together and take pictures.  Yesterday at a yard sale I found a gymboree shirt that says birthday girl, with the purse and bows and icecream pants.  Perfect if you know my daughter who is all girl.  I also gave her a ton of Barbies and other clothes from the yard sale.  I try to go to garage sales when I can to shop for presents.  I see nothing wrong with that. 

About Nettie:
She is 7  years old today.  This will be her third birthday in the USA.  She was born in Ethiopia and became a part of our family two and half years ago.  What she wants??  A compact mirror so she can look at herself anytime.  When I gave her the bag of used Barbie clothes she found a little Barbie sized compact mirror and came running intto my room, breathless with excitment holding this tiny, plastic, gold treasure and told me "This is every girls dream!"  opening her hands to show the smaller than dime size mirror!!

She is love all bundled into curls and smiles.  We thank God for her daily!! 

Blasted Gophers

Warning if you are squeamish, mildly compassionate, under five or a vegan do not read this. The contents of this blog could possibly offend you. I even offend myself.


There is a happy ending though so please don't flame me and say how horrid I am.

Gophers. Pest. Varmints. Rodents. And.... mildly cute. Okay Okay, I think gophers are cute. I admit it. So it is with great disappointment in myself (a former devout animal activist and vegan ) that I turned my back on the hamster like creature, covered my daughters' eyes and let my husband whack one today as we walked the property (wearing my six month old in a Baby Bjorn and my two sons watching) Do you really want to know? Probably not..... With a shovel OKAY!!! (tears) a shovel for crying out loud!! I am ashamed. But if you must know the shame goes much deeper. I am actually secretly happy when he gets one. I have a sick tally running in my head. Gophers:9 thousand holes. Brains: 5 gophers. It is the real life version of Whack a Mole. Plus on the humorous side, when was the last time you saw a man wearing a baby in a Bjorn whacking gophers? Ummmmm funny. I don't care who you are.

This is the discovery of "said" "dead" gopher. Abby stepped in his hole and her foot sunk, the little bugger came out ready to take her down, when screams erupted from the peanut gallery Gary and I came to investigate. He (the gopher) went man to beast with my husband ( the G- Man) and tried to attack him. His squinty little eyes and yellow teeth bared flashing even the gopher was scared. hahahahah dadadumb.

Look what one gopher did to our house! Crimminey Justmas.

After irrigation, this is what one of those guys did. Really this is dangerous, if one of our kids crawled in this little cave it could collapse. Must I remind you of the Great Gopher Sink Hole of 1985, when dad slipped neck up in a gopher hole after irrigation? Or the Great Gopher Flood of 86" when a gopher flooded the basement of this same house? Something needs to be done.

Okay so I feel bad. I do. They are just trying to live ya know. So I made my husband swear we would do the catch and release next time. Which will require me to construct some king of gopher box and to use the shovel with more grace and gentleness and capture them somehow. Of course I will take pictures. (I used to capture wild birds for rescue, um how hard could this be after handling hawks and owls?) Please. I got this.

Here is another darling we found today living in the barn walls. I actually like snakes, especially this one because it eats gophers.

Abby and Mason handling the little gopher snake

Here are some more serene photos. Our little orchard is coming along nicely.

My grandpa Jo's favorite cart.  RIP

Not uncommon for a desert sunset

Blog Partay Peeps

To tired to actually fix the randomness of  this all, here are my kids in no particular age order.  Introduction to follow this nonsense. 

Mason my oldest 9

My  youngest Serenity 6 months

My middle Netsanet 7

My other middle Abby 7.5

My youngest boy, Judah 6

Well I am excited to try this for the first time.  I am still learning so much and getting back into blogging (FB took over) so I think I will be great to meet some fabulous people.

My name is Kim.  I am desert dweller and mother to 5 amazing (nutty) kids.  I journal our life as a way to keep history alive, but in the process I try to keep things funny and informative, hopefully slightly entertaining.  If you can't laugh at yourself then you are probably dead.  If you ever feel your life is unraveling, stop on by and sit a spell, mine is probably not only unraveling but the kids are probably running with the string and tieing each other up with it.


Our journey began with I DO, then 2 kids and 2 international adoptions and 1 more homegrown bun later we decided it was time for that farm we talked about for so long.  Our journey now is about self sufficiency and sustainability and of course the never ending gopher wars.  Of course the last garden we planted died.  I will not let stop me!!!  I will build a bigger one and reap much bounty!  TaDA.   (and of course photo journal it and write it all down, the good, bad and ugly.

My latest thing, it is keeping me up at night.

I created these tonight, one I gave away the other I am displaying in my new house.  My plan is to display verses all over to keep them in front of me so that I can remember God's promises.  It really is a great artistic outlet for me.  I just wish I could sleep. 

On a different note, it looked briefly like it would rain.  Sitting back from my suburbia state of mind, realizing my "farm" life is mostly theory.  The idea of rain jolted me back to realizing, some things will be changed forever.  Rain, wind and sun now mean good things or bad things for what we planted.  As I walked into Safeway (something I hope to stop doing in the foreseeable future) a young girl took a deep long drag off her cigarette, staring up at the smokey clouds obscuring the sun she questioned through squinted eyes to avoid the glare, "Is it going to rain today?" deep sigh.  "I hate the rain" she exclaimed to her co worker.  I thought for a long while about this.  How could anyone living where we live hate the rain?  I hope it pours, we haven't been out to water the plants plus tomorrow the grader is coming and it would really cut down on dust if it were to rain. 

The scriptures are coming alive to me because of this little farm. 

The Very Next Day

Abby wore her blue painter tape initial to school today.  (the one from yesterday) Yes with her holy camouflage tights that she refuses to take off with jean shorts and a hot pink tie die shirt and a big blue letter A covering her entire torso, just to finish the look off.  (What girl needs accessories when you have painters tape?)  I told her if the kids teased her to say that she was unique and that by wearing the A it made her original, and who knows maybe everyone would want to wear their initials in painters tape on their shirts to second grade.  Mason told her if the kids teased her she should just run for her life into the bathroom and rip the A off crumple it up and throw it in the trash.  (we are working on confidence)  Well about lunch time she did take it off, after what she described as everybody in the whole entire school staring at her and asking her why did she tape an A to her chest.  I think, what really ended the A was one girl who said "why do you have a giant A on your shirt?"  And Abby's reply was "A stands for Original" and the girl remarked back to Abby that Original started with an O.

Good concept.  Poor execution.  Or at least misunderstood.  She is only 7!

(Abby and I had our board meeting today.  We will not be getting a  mouse at this current time.  However we will reconvene in six months to reevaluate if having a mouse is conducive for her and make a decisions at that point.)