Living the High Life

So, what's Nutmeg up to these days?

-about 9,000 ft.

(ha ha I kill me)

No seriously, it is quite an adventure, this living waayyy above sea level thing.

Take that Christmas picture down there... yes! I do! wear glasses! And here, in the dry-as-a-desert state of Colorado, I wear them almost all the time. When I do manage to force my contacts into my eyes, I have about 6 hours until I absolutely need to take them out. Otherwise, my eyes become so dry, I have to literally pry and peel them off. No fun.

Speaking of dry, there is a different sort of dry here. Not the Bible Belt kind... as in, the grocery stores don't sell beer because this town is drah darlin'. No, not that kind. This is a new kind of dry... as in, one must drink a quart of water an hour or else one runs the risk of severely depleting the H2O quota of 80% that is absolutely necessary for human survival.... Yes, that kind. In fact, there is a real danger in not taking proper care of yourself in these conditions. There are a few names for it: AMS, HACE, HAPE... otherwise known as, drink! more! water! (or kahlua, take your pick) Actually, kahlua will only make it worse, so I guess you should stick with the water.

Did I mention it was dry? Oh right, I think I did. My nostrils know it, too. My wonderfully sympathetic mother has purchased two humidifiers for our bedrooms to help re-create the steam that is North Texas... year round. It has certainly been helpful. I can't imagine what it would be like to breathe through my nose without my daily dose of humidity and saline nose spray.

If you read that bit up there about AMS, you noticed that fatigue is a symptom. And it's true! I do laundry and cook dinner and call it a day. It's like I just ran a marathon, or climbed Everest... or the stairs, as the case may be. If you hear someone huffing and puffing up the stairs? yep, that'd be me.

But I love the mountains, and I'll get this altitude thing down yet. I have high hopes of scaling my parents' road in an upright position by the end of our visit.

Just call me Mountain Mama.

:)

Merry Christmas!

Here we all are, minus our dear sister, Sephora, whom we miss so much! Love you, my dear!

















:)

Excitement!

That's what it's all about today.

That, and attempting to get the kids to bed early so Santa's elves can do their duty.

We have a full day planned, with haircuts for the boys (and maybe my sister.... can't believe she trusts me) baths, and then the vigil mass at 4pm. Upon arriving home, we will sit down to a 7 course feast prepared by my proudly Polish mom.

It is the Christmas Vigilia dinner! My personal favorite is the borscht. It's a creamy soup which you load up with rye bread, boiled eggs, hash browns and kielbasa. The warmth of it and the comfort of the cream make it so homey to me. It's just not Christmas without it. Sounds trite, but it has become such a tradition.

And that's the best part about these days. Feeling the warmth of Family and Tradition.

Merry Christmas y'all!

:)

Advent Reflections

Vacationing for the holidays has it's ups and downs, as Michelle has pointed out. Those of us in the throes of hustle and bustle can almost envy her the quiet serenity of a simple family Christmas at home.

We've done those types of holidays, and I'm sure we'll be doing them again, every now and then. They are nice.

But this year, we are homeless. Seems weird to say, since our situation is much more desirable than any other homeless family's could be. I mean, who else can boast of a beautiful home in the Rockies with plenty of snow and extended family to round out a perfect holiday?

Not many.

When we were at our friends' home, I thought a lot about this time of year, and how saturated the season becomes with buying and obtaining, and wanting and wanting. I looked around at the few belongings we had, and wondered at the amount of "stuff" we had accumulated... all of it in storage. I admit, in pondering the job ahead of me, of unpacking our new home, I was despairing... How in the world would I manage it? And what else could we possibly need?

I also had a new appreciation for those who simply don't have. If my family was truly poor, and could not afford furniture or maybe even housing, I couldn't imagine trying to tame the commercial beast of Christmas. It would be difficult for me not to feel saddened by our lack.

Of course, I know what Christmas is truly about, but it is so easy to celebrate the birth of the newborn king in a cold stable in Bethlehem when you are sitting around a toasty fire in a beautiful home surrounded by loving faces. I started looking around at the people in the stores. I started noticing the strain and the tension in their eyes. And I understood why, for some people, this can be the worst time of year. I started praying for them, for humanity fallen. This is the reason Christ came, these people are grief and sorrow incarnate, and their plight brings us closer to the reason for redemption. The reason for the cross.

This year, it's hustle and bustle galore. But I have promised myself that I will remember those less fortunate.

And I am so very grateful for my blessings...

:)

Rocky Mountain High

The sign greets me as I maneuver our vehicle around the final bends before reaching my parents' driveway in the mountains. It reads:

CAUTION:
NARROW ROAD
BLIND CURVES AHEAD

Also keep in mind that said curves are snow covered, and the beast I am driving is not snow savvy in any way, shape or form.

So, what's a gal to do, after a 13-hour grueling drive? (well, DH drove most of it, except the very last hour or so...)

Step on the gas, and pray that the van doesn't bounce off the side of the mountain and over the cliff.

Of course.

And after a side-of-the-mountain rescue, compliments of my Dad and my brother.... (sorry, no dramatic story... we just decided that one lucky turn was pushing things far enough and asked them to drive down to retrieve wife and kids and help hubby with chains) DH is off to purchase the very last pair of blizzaks snow tires in the whole state for our sorry southern van. Just in time, too, since it seems my children's pleas for snow have not fallen on deaf ears.

It's in the forecast for tomorrow.

Seems we may have a white Christmas after all.

For me, personally? I can't wait to blow by all those natives on the pass!

Yeeee-haw!

:)

Checking In...

To say howdy, and how's your advent?

We have been getting in touch with our inner "squatters" while living in a house still owned by our friends. They have moved on to larger (and better insulated) living quarters. And we benefited greatly from their abandoned home.

After settling in as much as possible for two days, we took the remaining 4 days to box everything up again in order to journey with the ginormous little amount of belongings still in our immediate possession, to our refuge in the mountains.

And here we are! Fully caffeinated, rested, oxygenated, and wired... or wire-lessed, I should say.

More on our Advent adventures another time.

For now, it's just lovely to be here.

:)

So Long... Farewell!

I will be *choke*gasp* internet-less for the next week.

(swooning)

It will probably be the most productive week I've had in 2 and 1/2 years.

:)


And so, I leave you with a few last pictures of our (soon-to-be) former Nut House:






































































We are all set to go!

:)

Happy Feast Day!

:)

Where I'm At

I am at a certain season of my life.

It's an Advent of a different sort.

Part of it has to do with this upcoming move. The anticipation of moving into a new house can be joy-filled, but along with that goes the agony of the preparation: the endless packing and labeling, the feeling of limbo, the unsettledness of it all.

The other part has to do with our personal family journey. There are many aspects to this journey. The most difficult one is that God has decided for some reason that our home will not be blessed with a new life just yet... if ever. This is difficult for us and for our children to understand. Another kind of limbo sets in. Do we give away our baby things? The crib? The high chair? What about that darling Mary Engelbreit print car seat? My de-cluttering second self paces in circles, wondering what to do with all of this.... stuff.

But, there is never an end to Advent. At least, not down here on earth. It continues throughout our entire lives, as we prepare for milestone after milestone. Through it all, we must remember that there is ultimately only one "event" in our lives that carries the weight, the significance of that First Christmas. And we should, we must, spend our entire lives preparing for it.

To meet our Heavenly Saviour face to face.

Introducing...

The New Nut-House!!


















And here is the area of the house that makes me do the "Happy Dance" whenever I think of it...















The rest of the photos are on Flickr.

:)

Nailed: An Exchange

Mama Nutmeg: Sports Fan, did you do your Spelling Test today?

Sports Fan (laughing): Yes.

Mama Nutmeg: Really?

Sports Fan (looking at me as if I accidentally packed my brain**): Yes!!!! Remember?
(goes into a perfect re-enactment of the scene): "You're!" (contorts face) "What TWO WORDS make up the word 'You're?!?'" (throws hands in air) "As in, You're not understanding me!?!"(falls to the ground in defeat)

Mama Nutmeg (sighing amidst the giggle of siblings): Yes. I remember.

Which is why, incidentally, I am reading Elizabeth's book ...

I. need. help!

:)

**totally believable, in a box marked: STORAGE /ATTIC

Because if Nothing Else...

...y'all can rest assured that at least we have our priorities straight.

Or, maybe we're just in the state of denial... packing? what packing?

:)

At Least Someone in This House...

... is ready to move.

Or be moved, as the case may be.

:)

The Really Nutty Part...

... about this upcoming move is the timing.

We close on our old house on December 12th.

We close on our new house on December 28th with a move-in date of sometime that first week of January.

Once again, thank the heavens above for friends!

Since I can't imagine imposing on my parents' home and sanity for an entire month, we will be moving out of our house on December 8th into the vacant house of our very good friends who just moved a month ago, and have not put their old house on the market yet. We will stay there for a week, and then pack up the ol' family van and journey to the Rockies for yet another beautiful Christmas in the mountains.

The kids are praying for snow.

Yikes.

Then, we journey back.... either to close on the new digs and spend another week or two in our temporary housing, or we close "remotely", stretch my parents' sanity, and zoom home in time to move.

Depends on the supply of kahlua up north.

:)

Sure, it would be super sweet if we could move into our new home right away, dumping our boxes and furniture and then heading out to a picturesque Christmas elsewhere. But that's not how it's going to be. That's not in God's plan this time around.

And since He's done a fantastic job on this whole transaction thus far, I think I should trust 'em on these little details.

And keep the Pinot stocked.

The New Nut-House

So, God is good. He found us a home. And He did it in an oh-so-obvious HELLO NUTMEG kind of way... while teaching me an important lesson.

It makes for a great story.

To start off, I have to explain: I am a private sort of person. I know, I blog, but there's blogging to write and blogging to reveal. I blog to write. It's a fine line, but there is a difference. And through the years I think I have that line nailed down pretty well and can trot on it with my eyes closed. There is plenty to write about around here without ostracizing family and friends. Besides, I have nothing to complain about in those departments, as you shall soon see.

Since our extended families do not reside locally, DH and I have surrounded ourselves with about a zillion friends who do a wonderful job as stand-ins for family. They have been called upon for many an ER trip (some happening at midnight), overnight stays while mom had a baby, carpools, doctor appointments, or the standard cup of flour or sugar. We have an awesome support system, and I am so grateful for it.

Lately, I had not been as appreciative as I should be, simply because sometimes my privacy feels a tad bit invaded when well-meaning friends ask me well-intentioned questions about the state of.... (whatever is going on in our lives...) and in this case, about our housing situation. I was becoming claustrophobic, and kept up my evasive answers for quite a long time, while panicking on the inside about our prospects.

There. were. no. houses. out. there.

No joke. DH and I scoured the suburbs looking for something that came remotely close to what we were looking for.

Nada.

So DH and I decided that I/we needed to go looking. Physically get into the car and drive around looking for "For Sale By Owner" signs in the neighborhoods that we were interested in.

And then, I was hit with Divine Inspiration.

Why not ASK MY FRIENDS who live and drive in all of these neighborhoods? Ask them if they've seen anything and could pass along ANY information?

So, I swallowed my pride and did. It was tough to admit that we needed help, that we didn't have a plan, that time was running out. But I begged God for humility and e-mailed everyone.

That day, I got an answer.

A friend of mine heard of an older couple in her neighborhood that wanted to sell their gorgeous 3000 sq. ft. home quickly, and since the market is so bad right now, were willing to sell it at an unbelievable price. DH and I went to see it the next day, and put a contract on it.

It's beautiful. It's big. It has a lovely home school/play room, a huge kitchen, and all four bedrooms are upstairs. The neighborhood is close-knit, with everyone looking out for everyone else, and the street is one big loop, so only those that live there drive on it. The backyard is smaller than we had hoped for, but big enough for a pool and play set. And the wrap-around patio is gorgeous.

All of these things are so important to me, and God knew it.

Of course He did.

:)

My House is a Mess...

... but Flickr has been updated.

Enjoy while I crawl out from underneath the mountain of laundry, throw together yet another what-do-we-do-with-all-of-this-turkey dinner, and buy more packing tape and sharpies.

I have some great house news to share... God is so good!

But, it will have to wait.

:)

Is This Thing On?

Hope you all have been enjoying Family, Friends, Faith, and having a royally Fun time!

We have.

Pictures soon.

:)

This Little Angel...

... is one big trooper.

Go read about this miraculous little one, RoseMary Teresa, who is beating the odds at one month of age after having been diagnosed with Trisomy 18.


And add her to your list of prayer intentions...

Left To Forgive

Yet another story about a survivor of the Rwandan Holocaust who is spreading the message of forgiveness...



h/t: my mom

:)

Perfect Present

Yesterday was Action Man's birthday.

His awesome Dad purchased a very cool laser tag set, and a Lego Star Wars computer game. Both were received well enough, but we soon found out what our Bear Grylls enthusiast really wanted:















A "safe" place to practice his fire-building survivor skills. (since his parents did not appreciate the "behind the shed" location)

And, of course, we will be roasting marshmallows tonight.

:)

Bloggy Bookclub

Sorry sorry!

I know I said I would post "the next day" about the book club schedule... but, life got away from me. More details on the latest distractions in my life later. Like, next month when I get around to it.

:)

OK, lots of great suggestions for the next book, so here goes.

First of all, the date. I propose we wait until mid-January. This may seem extreme, but holidays are always crazy, and this year promises to be a doozy for me, with a huge house move thrown into the mix.

Since we will have about two months to read, we have the freedom to choose whatever book we want. If we have to buy it, just throw it into your cart at Amazon while buying your other gifts. Don't worry, if you close your eyes when pressing the "place order" button, your husband won't see it, promise.

:)

Here are our choices:

The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver
Kristin Lavransdatter by Sigrid Undset
A Memory for Wonders by Veronica Namoyo Le Goulard (is this the right one, Anon?)
The Edge of Sadness by Edwin O'Connor
In This House of Brede by Rumer Godden
The Christmas Box by Richard Paul Evans
The Secret Cardinal by Tom Grace

Both Emily and Mom of Boys offered to host. (Erin, you have a big move ahead of you, so I thought you'd want to wait...)

So, lets have at it. Emily and Mom of boys, you guys take January and February and pick a book. (doesn't have to be on the above list) Everyone else, feel free to pick a later month and do the same. I'd like to have at least 4-5 months hammered out.

Oh, and invite your friends, the more the merrier!

:)

Priorities

What, oh what could possibly be so important to this homeschooling-mother-of-five fighting perfectly well-behaved children, with a cr*p-load of dishes to do, that finds her crawling under the computer desk, searching?

One of these dropped.


















Yep.

And I am so *crunch* proud *munch* to be supporting my local cub scouts in such a *burp* prodigious manner.

:)

Please Pray (updated)

... for a 17 year old homeschooled girl who went missing Saturday afternoon in Independence, MO.

Here is the website dedicated to searching for her.

She looks so innocent and police suspect foul play.

Lord have mercy.

**She has been found, alive and well.

Praise God!**

:)

A Pictoral Display....

... of a typical day in the Nut House.



















A sweet snack from a lofty height.

















An explanation by Sports Fan.

















The end result of Little Dear's tantrum
(as in, a ~relatively~ clean room)






















Mama's main chore.

Happy Weekend Y'all!

:)

Back to Business

So, who is up for hosting the next Blogger Bookclub?

If y'all don't volunteer, I'll be appointing asking politely, then I'll be threatening.

And, book ideas?

Let's start compiling a list, shall we?

Thanks to all who are participating... it's so much more fun to read books together!

:)

A Happy House*

About 5 years ago, I was sitting in my Aunt's cozy Long Island home chatting about housing choices. Since she hadn't seen our current house yet (the family room pictured above), I described the openness, and the abundance of natural light that the many windows afford the main living areas. The aura seemed to be that of a refuge- a sweet, airy, comfortable home.

"A happy house," she remarked.

Yes, I said. That's exactly it.

And now that our current house has sold, we are back on the road, searching for our next Happy House.

It has been an extremely frustrating time for me.

We have gone three times with our realtor to look at homes in four different suburbs. He's such a good sport about it, knowing that he's in this for the long haul. But after viewing approximately 20 homes, I'm starting to panic, and the what ifs and unknowns are dragging me down. I won't go into all of it here, but just try to imagine not knowing where you will be living at Christmastime. Yes, a bit of panic there, eh?

Now, we have "contingency plans" of living with family if we don't find something before we move. So, no, we won't be homeless or anything drastic like that.

But, I am a Mama. And I want to know where my next hearth will be. And I want to know that my children will be happy there and it will be as wonderful as I hope.

And of course, I know God is in charge, and I really want to give it all to Him. Because, He does really know what is best for us. I'm confident that I will look back on all of this and see how He lead us through it, every step of the way.

Right now, though, I am stuck on the path, navigating the boulders, and straining to see the "promised land"...



*For those "in real life" friends (who know our family name), you can appreciate the play on words here*

:)

Obligatory Halloween Photos...

... coming soon to the flickr badge nearest your cursor.

*I know... the suspense is overwhelming.*

:)

Because my brain feels like mush...

... I feel the need for a little bit of affirmation.

Get a Cash Advance

:)

A Valid Excuse

And I am relieved to finally figure out who the real trouble-maker is around here.

:)

Pretty Ugly

Just had one of those "moments".

You know, the moment of truth, looking in the mirror for the first time since getting dressed this morning.

I call this the "moment of truth" because there is no glitz here. I have been about the business of organizing the house, feeding the kids, wiping bottoms, teaching school, and sucking down my coffee somewhere in between. My "personal care" time, two or five minutes of pulling on jeans and a sweater, washing my face, and slapping on some make-up, has long gone.

So now I am back in the bathroom to brush my teeth, and I glance in the mirror.

Yesterday, I grimaced. The salmon-colored sweatshirt was not working for me, my face looked old and worn, and my hair was out of control. I made a face at myself, pulled my hair back, and hoped no unexpected visitors would appear on my doorstep.

Today, I was pleasantly surprised.

Miraculously, my hair was smooth and shiny. The olive sweater accented my eyes, and somehow my face looked younger. This definitely is a boost, albeit a somewhat superficial one, to my confidence.

I walk out of the bathroom with a spring in my step, and run smack into World War III. As I sorted the axis from the allies, it hit me.

These kids don't care whether I am having a good hair day or not. They could care less about my outfit, my clothes, or that red bump on my nose. To them, I am the same... day in, and day out.

I am their Mama.

And that is beauty enough for me.

:)

The Haircut

And this time, it's legit, since Mama was the perpetrator.

I've gotten tired of Little Love's do. This has been completely her own fault, as she tries out the various cutting implements around the house, using her own hair as the testing site. And since she cannot reach around the back of her head to cut, she ends up cutting the front and sides, resulting in that horrifying eighties, hockey-hair, mullet. (although Matt gets mega-points for the awesome outfit)

This short, "stacked" cut is the only one I can do well on girls. Little Dear had her own back when she was 3. I think Little Boo did as well. I'll have to go back and check the pictures. But anyway, I think it looks awfully cute.















:)