Gotta have a play space!

The great thing about having a split level house is that in the summer, we hang out downstairs where it's nice and cool and in the winter, we keep warm upstairs. With the very hot summer weather upon us, this morning Chloe and I were busy setting up her new play area in the bottom level of our house. Tuesday a friend and I took the girls (the one pictured with C on the four wheeler in the pic below) to IKEA to purchase a table, chairs and a rug for the new space and later that day, I very easily put them together. This morning, I had the chance to dig through my closet of teacher supplies (yes, I have a whole closet for this stuff - and it's full) to find fun books, whiteboards, markers, and the laminated alphabet to include in C's new area. While it's still under construction as we have to get rid of some "junk" we don't use anymore, I am very pleased with C's area of the family room. Once we get rid of the other stuff in that room, I'll be able to expand her play area to include more toys and books (and I'm also in the market for a play kitchen). Let me know if you have suggestions for storage!


The alphabet which I used command strips to adhere to the wall:


A picture of her rug where she can drive her car and tractor:

Our Garden

As I mentioned before, I have started a garden! Now to realize how big of a deal this is to me, one must realize that I have had one or two (indoor) plants in my entire life and killed both of them in a matter of days. Let's hope my outdoor luck is a bit better :)
It all started with two little tomato plants last year that I attempted to grow in a grow bag. One plant sprouted a bunch of little cherry tomatoes and the other, well, I think we got about 3 worthy of eating tomatoes out of the whole plant. So this year, I have increased my probability of success by planting 11 tomato plants (so far, I still have nine more that I'm not sure what to do with): two romas and nine early growth. During our little outing to the Home Depot nursery, I also purchased a few gerber daisies and planted them in our yard along with a large hanging plant that I separated into two.

Here's a pic of my tomato garden on the south side of the house:

And one of the gerberas:

And, just for fun, one of my "helper" cleaning off her feet:

Play Time!

Chloe and I absolutely adore play dates! My friend has a daughter who is only 25 days younger than C and they are best friends already! C gets really excited when I say we get to play she'll talk about her the whole way to the play date. The girls are so cute with each other too. They love to give hugs to greet one another and then when it's time to leave, they embrace again. Seriously, it couldn't get cuter! I also have the chance to watch Chloe's friend occasionally while her mom is at work. Sometimes it makes me wish we had twins because it's almost easier with two the same age. They have the same schedule and they are also great play mates! This picture was taken at their house this evening while Will and I were out on a date (I took him on a date to see the new Star Trek movie). Aren't they just adorable?

Officially shorts season

With the 70 degree weather in full swing, I have made the decision that it's officially shorts season (at least for now, until it snows again in May). Chloe and I were gardening this morning and, after our flowers and one of our tomatoes was planted, went for a walk. This warm weather definitely calls for fewer clothing items so I decided to pull out my shorts. I don't know about you, but every time this season rolls around, I get a little anxious. Will my shorts still fit? Did I end up with a little extra "winter insulation"? What if they don't fit? Then I'll have to stop eating! Oh, please fit, please fit! Perhaps to avoid the mental torture session I endure every spring, I should just invest in shorts with the elastic waist band.

Why We Love IJM

"The trafficking of persons is the third largest criminal industry after drugs and weapons, and the fastest growing criminal activity in the world. According to UNICEF, there are nearly two million children in the commercial sex trade worldwide and, according to the U.S. Department of State, 80% of human trafficking victims are women and girls, as many as 50% are minors. “When it comes to fighting human trafficking a relatively small amount of money goes extremely far because authorities can leverage the impact of the law,” said Holly Burkhalter, Vice President for Government Relations at IJM. “This can change the entire calculation of crime in that community and trafficking numbers go down.”
Groups like IJM are seeing big improvements over short periods of time. In just under two years of collaboration with local authorities in Cebu, Philippines, IJM has seen the number of child prostitutes reduced by 70 percent."
-information copied from an IJM Press Release
Sara Groves sings this beautiful song called "I Saw what I Saw" as a reaction to her visit to post-genocide Rwanda. In that song she says, "your pain has changed me, your dreams inspire, your face a memory, your hope a fire. your courage asked me what I am afraid and what I know of love. and what I know of God." Sometimes it hurts to care but if we allow another person's story to touch our lives and if we live in the pain with someone, we too will be changed. This is why we give our resources to organizations such as International Justice Mission. This is why we pray for victims of human trafficking. This is why we love.

Giving away possessions

According to the dude who does our taxes, we give away 350% more of our income than the average American. Why do we do this and why don't other people?
First of all, we are compelled by compassion to improve the lives of other people, both here and around the world. We sponsor two different children right now; Fiona, a 9 year old Ugandan and a boy whom we call Eric who lives in Rwanda. We feel as if we live alongside Fiona, who is the oldest of five children, as we have sponsored her for 5 years. We write letters back and forth, send pictures of ourselves and our families, and have a good idea of how each other live. Through Compassion International, anyone can have the same experience. It costs $32/month. For us, $32 is practically the change we find in our cars, but for Fiona it means food for her and her family, a uniform so she can attend school, shoes and clothes and an education. The reason we sponsor children is because our dollar stretches so much further in another nation. The boy we sponsor lives in war-torn, poverty-stricken Rwanda. We don't know too much about him yet except that one or both of his parents were killed in the genocide that wiped out 800,000 - one million people (approximately 20% of the Rwandan population).
Giving money or possessions away, and even doing without things we want (like a brand new car!) create a different perspective on money and make me realize what I truly value. We have made the decision to forgo buying a brand new car and save ourselves about $5000. The money we could have spent on a shiny, nice-smelling new vehicle will now go to help victims of abuse, slavery, and crime through one of our favorite organizations called International Justice Mission. And I will be more than content driving a car that is 3 or 4 years old that is in perfect working condition.

Looking for a new car

I am seriously soooo annoyed at how long car shopping takes! Currently, I drive a supercute VW Beetle which suits my personality well (as my husband says, "It's cute and curvy, just like you!") but unfortunately, our family is growing out of this small vehicle. We have to position Chloe's carseat in the middle because her legs don't fit behind the driver or passenger seats. This is not really the safest thing considering the middle is not even a real seat! We use the latches from the other two seats to secure her in, but still, we really should just find a new option.
Saturday I went to a Pampered Chef party hosted by some friends and since C was with Daddy, I went car shopping. I was seriously there for two hours!!! I test drove a Ford Fusion, had them take my car for a drive and give me their trade-in price, filled out some paperwork for a loan approval and did lots of sitting around waiting for them to "let me know" about prices and loans and stuff. The salesman pursuaded me to take the car home for an extended test drive, talk prices over with Will and return on Monday (with a check in hand preferably). We decided that the price of the car was more than we wanted to spend (by about $5,000) so we'll just keep looking. I'm test driving this one today http://tinyurl.com/cuqqnx
This Fusion has almost 40K miles, which is a lot, but the price is really good, they'll take my car for a trade-in, and the best part is, it's PURPLE!

Hopefully I can find a quality car soon and use my time to have fun with my kid!