Packing for four days

photo taken in 2004

Now with a family of four we sure take the cake. Beloved and I were in a last minute cuddle of the dark night and we were covering the lists and remembering all the meds, pillows and such. I told him I'm glad we don't have to pack the kitchen sink , he said" well we just might want to encase the trailer sink breaks!" ;)
This has been the most relaxed lay back camping pack ever. I have just flowed without the stress of "I gotta do it right" stuff that used to go on in my head.
I am so excited!
Beloved said to me that he hoped that it will be everything that I expect it to be. I was amazed to respond that I actually had no expectations. I was just looking forward to the time together in the forest.
This trip I did not plan to the nth degree. I really have not planned much at all. Just to think through the meals and confirm we had them covered. I counted the clothing too, but not a pile for each day, rolled into nice little bundles, like I used too. The perfectionist in me is fading into a woman too worn to do such silliness (only if done of compulsion) anymore. I love having things just so and nice. I think that I am ready for a good rest.
Remember right where you are to take a rest today and just not do something so perfectly that you ware yourself out. I did it that way for so many years. I wore me out!
We matter so balance is a gift we must offer ourselves.
Enjoy your weekend!

Honor Your Husband Day #3,4,5,6

I am going to post this for the four days Ill be away from here (blog sphere)

Oh how I am humbled to have this man who loves God.
I just woke up from the most amazing dream.
In my dream there was a crowd of admirer's awaiting my husbands arrival at his big event. Sorta like a book signing for an author. I was standing back and watching all those admirer's. (the woman who lit my fragrance hotter)I hurried to his next stop where two women were selling incense, large long stalks of it. I checked my pocket and had money in it. In the dream, "he" was coming out of the facility I could here the crowds around him. I quickly bought two incense and the women lit them, but one was not burning hot enough and I quickly handed it to her to light it better. I stood incense in hand eagerly, excitedly awaiting his arrival. In my dream, "he" was inundated by his admirer's and I stood back and waved the incense. He worked his was politely through the crowd and then He was before me and we spoke and embraced. My heart was thrilled ! "He" was working his way to me. It was me who through all those admirer's, it was me, who he worked his way toward. I am humbled. He honored me.
"He shall be praised at the gates" Psalm 31
It is our lives that we are to burn as a living fragrance.
This weekend I shall burn strong and relight my flame if it gets dim. The children will crowd his time. Yet even through, it will be so,he will work his way toward me in this throng of life. I will patiently wave the fragrance of my life without jealousy, or envy or strife.
I will wave the fragrance of my love for him. That is my choice. I will patiently wait for my turn. When he does work his way to me I will not spoil the moment by complaining about the throng.

Honor Your Husband Day #2

Today I made my beloved his breakfast cookies. I make these for him weekly now for many , many years. I use pure, organic grains ground here in my mill. Free range eggs, raw sugar pure butter only the best.. This I do for He is my joy and I delight in his good health. He is so very grateful and almost possessive about his breakfast cookies they are prized and treasured. He'll share but you better not waste them. It is a joy to give my talents to him and to watch the enjoyment he finds in a little bit of home on the drive to work. He likes me being able to get a little more rest and quiet time once I have made his lunch and he leaves. The kids are a sleep and I keep the dogs quiet. I love my mornings. When he hugs me and smiles with such heart felt gratitude I am "real" like the Velvetine Rabbit.

POST SCRIPT: I'll do a post on the cookies when I return.

I GET TO GO TO TH FOREST! CAMPING ON THE Mogollon Rim!!

YE PEE!

Post Script
It is really going to happen! I am to finish packing in the cool of the evening. We will pull out the trailer again tonight. I'll work on it tonight and tomorrow A.M. Beloved gets home at 11:30 and I am off. JUST A MOM
Has agreed to watch the big dogs and keep them out of the heat , fed and relieved. It is such a gift to have generous long time friends that you can trust. J. has given most of her adult life to fostering over 30 babies and adopting three. Life can take a tole. This is a woman with a beautiful heart within her.
I can hardly believe it. I get to go camping!
The trailer was a gift to me several years ago after the health crisis slowed and life began to resume as a promise to my ever lovin' forest heart. It is my "cabin in the woods" I think I have gotten to use it no more than for times in the three years we have owned it. You see it weighs about half as much as the truck a 4 runner, so it is not a pleasure for beloved to tow up north. Frankly it is a frightening thing for him to do. He is going to gift me with the challenging of his fears. I do hope and trust all will go well and the 4 runner has no incidences. You see we live within a budget and we choose to not use debt to replace our old 4 runner. We think that that would not be wisdom for our family. We are parents of very young kids when all our peers are now grand parents. We have a mind for our financial future.
So within a shot string of a budget we extend our gratitude for all provision and get to go to the mountains. I'll take my easel and oils, some hand sewing and water paints for the kids. We'll have their bikes too.

linking

So Pam over at Kids Kitchen just gave me a tutorial.

She wrote;
The teacher in me would like to tell you how to make links in your post. When you type a post, highlight the words you would like readers to click on, and then click on the little green link icon. When it pops up, simply type the website you want to link to and click OK. I usually save time by opening the page I want to link to in a new window, copying it, and then pasting it in.

Wordless Wednesday

Island Review Giveaway

That beautiful woman over at Island Review Has set up another give away.

She asks to tell her why "Me Thinks" I might should win such a thing :)

Well with all the joyful glee around here my ears take a beating. Little girl screams and character voices that reach the scales of the hight of alto soprano. With Dash hawk playing Star War roles with the vigor of any six year old who refuses to ware his hearing aids because the sweat blows the batteries!
Well one might think to plug the ear with a little soft sound of music might just take the edge off this Mommas migraines.

A slice of "desert" cake

A new morning.
I awoke (the last time ) at 4:45 today and after we went a moth huntin' (It had been keeping us both awake all night). I went for a walk.
I tried to capture the photo of the sky and the camera was disabled. So I will try to give the image to you by word

Arizona, open horizon. Morning was lifting the vale of shadow into light. The sky is scattered with cloud the high clouds that seem as ocean wave foam here and there off to the distant south the tease of a monsoon. Off to the north and far east more open dispersed forms. Then the crest of the wave broke into the PINK, I mean the kind of pink every four year old little girl wants her mommy to paint her room, PINK. Contrasted by the deep plums in the south. Now the vibrancy of the white encompassing that pink would of made ya think that titanium itself had just been invented. Open horizon 360* worth of gee I'm glad I'm awake.
The air was around a mid 80*s and a soft balmy breeze had just begun to kiss my cheek. I had to turn my I POD off and just listen to those colors of the morning. They sang to me of a new day a, fresh start, better than ... better than a cup of coffee with the chocolate creamer in it! Better than... a laying in the hammock morning. This was wonder and beauty at its top folks.

These summer mornings come at a great cost. Willy Wonka Lab is an infant of a 70lb dog. Who if it were not for the fact that I'm 9 months out from knee surgery (because of him) he would be with me and not driving beloved out of his ever lovin' mind back home while I escaped. The sacrifices a friend will make just so that one might gain a little freedom. It was, too, as if I had escaped, a short prison break of the Mother type. Even though our walls are somewhat self imposed it is true that we moms have a challenge when it comes to time on our own. It is only now, that if it were not for Willy Wonka I would even get to pee on my own. So to go for an early morning desert walk was a real slice of cake with PINK frosting to boot.

My Indian Wedding

In 2004 during my 23rd year of marriage, after being in a terrible car accident just the winter before, we and our friends had been studying life and how important it was to live true to our hearts. Each gave gifts of the heart, Plays, Dance ,Word and Acts of Service.
Thus they thew me and Indian Wedding.
My Husband and I married a month after we had met. In a back yard ceremony that cost all of $500. including the simple beautiful gold bands.
My gratitude for our wedding day will always be vast. It left something empty however that we decided life was too short not to fill.
With the "talking stick" in hand we began our dedication.
So in the forest, as my heart had imagined my dream ceremony of dedication to each others hearts and for the hearts of our children commenced.

We celebrated imaginatively with the freedom of choice for our guest to be who and dress how they wanted to.
We were surrounded by this great crowd of witnesses who showed the sacrifice of a 6 hour drive and hearts to celebrate us. We all camped out and had a reception in the woods.
My Dream dress was created just for me. The woman who at 28 years of age had discovered through her elder siblings that she was not a Caucasian after all but, an Inuit/ Cherokee/White Woman with an unknown father save for the Abba Father I have in God.
My long time friend gave me a "Gift of dance" She is a professional choreographer/dancer/theatrical performer. She performed to my favorite song by Jewel "A Life Uncommon". Here that song and you will know who I am.
Father honored Son and Daughter with a blessing spoken over their heads and written as a blessing for their lives
I had a real wedding cake that I made and my friends gathered to assemble.
The Blessing spoken over them as in the ancient days gave a promise to them for life.
Now what beloved did was to give me this weeks before. He came to me and said it is about time I had my first diamond. This is what started the whole ceremony. I had lovely Sisters in Christ who insisted I fulfill the empty places in my heart and live life with no "I wishes"
This was the cake I created just for me! (well us) ;)
This day I owned my identity and though I may never know who my birth father was I know who my Abba Father Is!
For this is my beloved in his Civil War Reactors Uniform
Beautiful Little Dove longed to be a Princess of her own design. Handsome Dash Hawk was so cute as Indiana Jones.
His words spoken to me will ever keep me warm. One day I will post those texts.
A man that loves God, My two wonderful Children, Ceremony , dreams do come true .
God can and does re-store everything that the enemy of our hearts tries to steal away from us.Only NEVER let your heart be hardened.

Little Dove lost a tooth

It was in the night the child awoke. Freed from the torment of a tooth half out! The children found a cup and stowed that fine treasure for the beloved tooth fairy.
This morning Dash came in to great us. He declared the grand success of the night before. With detail as to where that fine little treasure may be. I went at once to see the tooth that had been set free.
Dash with Dad distracted , The skillful fairy slipped under said Little Doves pillow to place a prize and retrieve the "TOOTH". As fairy's fly swiftly away when brown dogs sit at a stay.
Off into my shower. A little tap came hence at my door, "Mommy, my tooth fell out!", came the sweet little chirp of my Dove. She knows full well the truth of my counter identity we play along our juvenile game. "I got a Yo-Yo , boy Mom that was weird" Let me see I said to her as I peaked out of the shower door.
OH how hollow the side of her grin! She smiled wide and let the freedom in. No more the pain she suffered night before last night. With bloodied pillow and sheet.
The loss of the joy of her family night Chinese food. Her feast was three yogurts soft and smooth. Movie time together was a comfort to her.
Today the croud cheers to see her with smile and the ease, no more a loose tooth!