Spring Break 2014

Today marked the end of Spring Break for our camp and I have to say I'm a tad bit bummed.  I gotta tell ya, it has been so nice to have the extra time with my Fab 4.  We actually got two weeks for Spring Break this year. Can't I get a Whoop Whoop!! I enjoy hanging out with my Fab 4 so much. Sometimes I wonder why I share them with the rest of the world, ever?  I suppose it wouldn't be healthy if I did keep them all to myself, like the mom in Tangled. "Mother knows best listen to your Mumzy!"  Ha ha, that song just popped into my head right now.  Scurry.  (Insert emoticon with a straight face and eyes wide open) 00 - Before you go calling CPS know that I have in FACT, been sharing my kiddos and plan to continue sharing them, it's just sometimes when I look at them I think that mom in the Disney movie Tangled might have been on to something. I digress. For the first part of our Spring Break we traveled to Paradise, CA. where my Aunt Linda and Uncle Gene live.

The above pic was taken from their front porch. I haven't been there in years because it was a bit too far to travel from WA. but from NV it's only about a 3 hour drive and I plan on making it lots more in the future. It was a wonderful time with family and my eldest Spawn even did some recording with her band called  In Between Simple. If I knew how to share the songs here believe me, I would but alas... I am just not that tech savy. I need to figure that out, because I am their biggest fan.  Gotta promote ya know !

While I was there, I drank out of that mug up there. It belongs to my Aunt Linda and it was my favorite mug in her cupboard because of the saying on it. I prayed that prayer the entire time I was there and hope to pray it the rest of my life.  "Lord help me to see thing through Your eyes!" I really do wish it was possible to keep that perspective all the time. So often I get caught up in things that don't really matter.  Things that in comparison to eternity, the bigger picture, just won't even register on my radar. Oh, to be always seeing things through the eyes of Jesus. Speaking of seeing things through Jesus eyes, the tail end of our Spring Break I had the immense pleasure of taking my girls to a Joyce Meyer Conference in Sacramento. (More on this later)

As long as I live on this planet there will never, ever be a better place for me than in the House of God with all His thousands of kids praising him. I love, love, love to hear the people of God come together and give glory to the King of Kings. 

There truly is nothing greater, except maybe seeing your children praise the King with all their hearts, souls, and minds.

I can't get over how my girls have grown and right before my eyes turned into two of my most favorite young women to hang out with. I love to hear how they think and what their dreams are. My cup overflows with joy for the memories we were able to make over the past two weeks.  And as they headed back out into the world today, I thought of how fast the time is flying by. They only have 59 more days of this school year. That's just nutts!!  Why do I torture myself with thoughts like this.  It's a snowball, one finished Spring Break turns into their Graduation which then turns into a Wedding Day, and so on and so forth. When they all stepped out of the car this morning... I might have shed a tear like the day when they first went off to Kindergarden.  I'm not gonna lie, I think I did. But, hey I warned you... I'm a sentimental heart. I can't help myself.  The important thing to remember is that I didn't lock them in a tower ;)

Spring is Sprung

Every year around this time I start to get so excited to see signs of Spring popping up all over.  I sometimes feel like Buddy the Elf with my enthusiasm about Spring because all I need to see is the tiniest bit of color, a yellow something or other and I'm giddy. My kids know after all these years that I'm going to be pointing and shouting like a mad woman until all of Spring has Sprung. I suppose there are worst things to be, other than overly enthusiastic about nature. I know I have blogged several times over about my love of the seasons and how important I feel every season is. I come by this way of thinking naturally as my heart is beyond sentimental. And a sentimental heart can't help but LOVE the seasons of life and at the same time dread how fast they come and go. Today however, I don't want to talk about my love for seasons.  I want to talk about what I think Spring signifies not only in nature but somehow in my soul this year. To truly enjoy Spring I feel, you have to embrace Winter in all it's darkness. There are dark shadows that brush across all of our lives and we have to fully accept those moments as part of this life. We have to grieve, retreat, and lay dormant for a while, in order that our hearts can heal. Kind of like what the seed does under the snow. But, often times we try to hurry up the winters in our lives.  We don't do pain, darkness, uncomfortableness, and sorrow well.

“It is a very beautiful day. The woman looks around and thinks: 'there cannot ever have been a spring more beautiful than this. I did not know until now that clouds could be like this. I did not know that the sky is the sea and that clouds are the souls of happy ships, sunk long ago. I did not know that the wind could be tender, like hands as they caress - what did I know - until now? Unika Zürn Although, Winters in nature might seem like a time that nothing is really happening we all know that what happens during this season is just as important for the outcomes of the Spring and Summer to come into full bloom. How we process the winters in our souls affects the outcomes of Spring in our hearts.
In a sense I feel like I have circled around a winter in my soul that has lasted longer than just one natural season.  I'm trying to process exactly what that very long winter accomplished, but I think it has something to do with contentment, forgiveness, and moving forward.

For a very long time I have been holding onto a promise that God gave me several years ago when financially we as a family had lost everything and we retreated to the woods of Washington. To say we were on survival mode that first year would be an understatement, but by the second year we were starting to get the hang of living in an 800 sq ft cabin with only one bathroom and we were learning contentment.  Somewhere in that second year God spoke something to my heart that I will never forget, and somehow all these years later I see with my very own eyes HIS promises coming true. It is as though I'm experiencing Spring for the first time in a very long time.
And like the songbirds that wake us on a beautiful Spring morning, I just want to sing out ...

"Then sings my soul,  My Savior God to thee How Great thou art. How Great thou art." If today you find yourself still in the season of winter in your soul and it has been a long hard winter, with no sun in sight, please remember that HE who causes the Sun to rise and the Moon to glow(or reflect the suns light for you scientific types out there)  HE IS FAITHFUL!! "The soul should always stand ajar,  ready to welcome the ecstatic experience." Emily Dickinson
I hope your soul is ajar ready and waiting for the Spring to enter in. The turning of the corner to the road that was never ending will turn. The light at the end of the tunnel is there, it might seem dim but it's there.  The ever approaching season of a Spring like no other that  your heart and soul has ever known will come.   It is because of the Lord's mercy and loving-kindness that we are not consumed, because His [tender] compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great and abundant is Your stability and faithfulness.Lamentations 3: 22-23
Wait for it. Hope for it. Believe in it.

God Is Good

Good Evening to YOU Beloved Reader. I'm not sure what to begin with. What a strange course this post has taken. I started it this morning when I read the quote below, and then came back to it this afternoon after the Boston bombings. And now here I sit this evening with this post that in a matter of 8 hours has taken on a whole new meaning. If you want the bullet point version of this post here it is; -God is good. In every season. -God is still good. - When bad things happen,God is still on the throne. -In the Winter and in the Spring,  one thing remains; God and His faithfulness.
Here's the quote that got this train of though rolling;
"The joyful birds prolong the strain,  their song with every spring renewed; the air we breathe, and the falling rain, each softly whispers: GOD IS GOOD." John Hampden Gurney

The above quote reminds me of two things; 1.)Seasons are important,  and B.)The present moment is a gift. Whether it is in the Winter or the Spring. Present aka Gift.
Oh and  D.) Am I listening long enough, well enough to always be hearing the soft whisper that indeed says, God Is Good?
There is a renewal process that happens every Spring that gives birth to new life. But, what we want so desperately to forget in the Spring is what caused this life to come to pass.  The Cold, Dark Winter.
We even whine and complain if Spring starts to change it's mind and head back into those symptoms of Winter we are trying to forget! Can I get a witness those of you who live in Minnesota terrain?
With the cold dark days of December behind us now, it's easy to shout the praise from the mountain tops. We get a spring in our step, A spring in our song,  Heck even a spring in our cleaning!! And that's great.  It's the way it should be. I'm just reminded by this quote to think a little deeper. Because although, its easy to say God is Good when things are coming back to life, it is a very hard position to take when death is on the line. ("Never mess with a Cecilian when DEATH is ON THE LINE!!" You're welcome Princess Bride fans)
So I ask myself what was      my song,  my step,  and even the cleaning of my own heart like this winter? I can honestly say that this Winter was a lot better than those that have gone before it. Still, there was some lag in my step. But as my kids went on Spring break this past week I had the thought that I could hardly believe it was over.  The Winter is over. Spring is here. It didn't seem like some Winters that have gone before it to be so long that I wondered if there would ever be a Sunrise AGAIN!! Ya know what I'm saying?  I guess that's a good sign. I bet by now you are gathering that Winter is not my favorite?! Yer, A smart one young whipper snapper !!

This past week has been filled from top to bottom with nothing but goodness for me and mine.  A much needed visit from Momma Nash has been the main reason, as well as having some much needed time with my Fab 4 while they have all been on Spring break.
Do you ever have weeks like this? Where everyone is healthy, everyone is happy, and all is right with the world?
I can't help but sing God's praise in the midst of such goodness. So that's what I'm gonna do here for a minute. Listen real close. This is me,  singing God's praise.
As we are in full swing into this Spring season(say that five times fast for fun) I start to think about what lies ahead. The flowers are blooming. The birds are chirping. My kids will soon be wrapping up this school year and in less than 1 month I will have two teenage girls in my house. 1 in High School, 2 in Middle School and only 1 left in Elementary school. I'm coming up on a new season of life(BIG KID SEASON)
This Spring break provided such a wonderful time to take the pulse of this lil family we call MoNoSco and the pulse was strong. It was good. Because God is good. I give thanks for this.

*Now, as I sit here and type the news of the Boston Marathon bombing has just hit the airwaves and I'm praying for all those on the east coast that may have been affected by this. I have family on the East coast who thankfully are all okay, but I'm thankful with pause now. No longer a Spring in my step. Pause. Selah. It is a crazy thought that someone this morning got up, laced their shoes for a race they have been training for months, maybe even all year, and now finds themselves either injured, or worse gone forever.
Although it is Spring for all of us, someone over there has just headed back into Winter. The darkest one they will have ever faced. And I hope and pray for them even in the midst of this they are able to say  God is STILL Good!
It's hard to make sense of such senseless acts of violence. Try as we might, that is why they are appropriately named. So, I am not even going to attempt to make sense of the difference a day made in my heart. It started out with a spring and not a care in the world and has ended now here with extreme sadness for those in Boston. But one thing has remained; God in His Goodness. At the Foursquare Church youth camps that my husband and I used to frequent,there was a saying that would get said A LOT! The speaker would say,(or shout depending on how The Spirit was moving) GOD IS GOOD  and the people would say in return ALL THE TIME
And even though I don't understand days like today, somehow, by the grace of God, I do understand this.


It reminds me that life, the air we breathe when we wake each day is so very precious. The present really is a gift, not to be taken for granted.

Dandelions the Flower (not a weed) that keeps on giving

A few weeks back I posted a blog here; My favorite flower it's about how Isaiah thinks my favorite flower is a dandelion. It's really a sunflower. I have since stumbled upon several other dandelion post. The most useful one was found on a Homesteading website. You have got to read this post. It's has recipes for Dandelion Jelly, Greens, and even Wine. I want to try them all. It also tells you all the nutritional values that Dandelions possess. It's titled ;8 ways to eat and enjoy Dandelions.

Well, and then the boys on Saturday decided to cover our table with Dandelions and when I posted it on Instagram people went nutts. So I thought I would share it here. Needless to say, another post about Dandelions was a calling out to me and here you have it. Short and sweet. Some might say, Just like me.

I'm off to pick me some dandelions for dinner... hee hee hee wait til my Fab 4 sit down to eat tonight. Can't hardly wait to hear their reactions!

Earth Day

Did you know it was Earth Day yesterday, April 22nd? Before moving to Washington I will admit to you that Earth Day was just kind of a throw away holiday in my book. Ya know the kind like boss day, or secretary day. The kind of day that comes and goes and you wouldn't know it was a special "day" unless Hallmark told you so. But recently, me and mine have been blessed with a pretty big spot of land to live on. 5 acres to be exact. SO my eyes and ears have been awakened to how much it takes to care for it. It takes ALOT.

Our celebration started a little early last weekend when we as a family (our 6+1 cousin Derek), attacked the Earth we live on. We are making up for lost time, because in the past we haven't really been Earth Day celebrators.

We are working hard to do our part in taking care of this beautiful planet that God has given us, but let me tell you yardwork, gardening, landscaping is not for cowards.
My hands, legs and even arms got all scratched up by the blackberry bushes. And by the end of the day I was limping into the house. I felt old and tired. Tired and old.

I wish I had some before and after pics to show you, but alas, I was out there doing the back breaking work and couldn't be caught with a camera in my hands. There was a "no hands in your pocket" policy on our property that day. Meaning, don't be caught standing idle, too much work to do.

Did I already mention how my old body was in pain after all the hard work? Well it was for sure back-breaking work that I put into this earth. There were projects or pockets here that I started to clean and knew full well while I was doing it that I wouldn't finish that area of earth for some time to come, because there was just too much for little ole' me to do in a day.
My theory is that if we all took care of our spot on planet earth on Earth Day then it would start to look a lot better. And then as our spot is looking greener and cleaner(ha ha ha that rhymed) we might begin to think about what else we could do to contribute to the rest of the spots on planet earth. But the end product is glorious.

Do you, or have you celebrated Earth Day in the past? If yes, what do you do? If no why not?

Happy Earth Day ya'll!

Isaiah and my Favorite Flower

Since Isaiah has been a little itty bitty boy he has mistaken my favorite flower, Sunflowers, for the yellow weed flower Dandelions.

I don't have the heart to tell him otherwise.

It's easy to see how he could get the two confused.

And this brings me to the question. Who is it that ever said that Dandelions should be a weed flower anyways?

I mean, I think Isaiah is on to something here. Why do we pull up, and then throw away these bright lil yellow flowers every year? Just because some guy somewhere who wanted his grass to be perfect with no spots of sunny yellow, said that they were a weed?

Maybe that guy just didn't like the color yellow on his green grass. Maybe he was a scrooge about the Spring season and was like "Bah-hum-bug" to all the new flowers popping up everywhere.

Well, I'm not listening to that guy who says Dandelions are a weed flower.

Nope.

I think I am going to listen to this guy and embrace the Dandelions this year.

Easter Weekend

My Sister Bean aka Gina, came to see me last weekend. She brought with her; her hubby Izzy,her two girls Savanah and Sophia, my brother Jeremy, and My mom and dad. And...She brought her beloved camera.

Did I mention she also brought the movie star child above, my niece Savanah, who can sing the whole Adele song, Rolling in the Deep? Start to finish she doesn't miss a beat or a lyric. Amazing. This little movie star child is going places, mark my words! I might be a bit partial because I am her Auntie, but this lil one can sing!

We went to the tulip festival here in Washington and it once again confirmed my love for this beautiful spot on planet earth where I get to live.

Did I mention, her little peanut, my new niece Sophia, aka Last Minute Biscuit is the cutest baby ever? I mean I hope my kids don't get jealous, but she is so CUTE! I had to fight off my Fab 4 all weekend to keep that lil peanut in my arms. I treasured every, single second and I took in a good long wiff of that baby smell. Not the stinky diaper kind, but the new born baby lotion scent that just reminds us that the world is a beautiful place and that everything is going to be okay, You know that one?

Also, I now want one.
Psshh.. don't be silly,
NOT a last minute biscuit, but a Nikon D40 camera. Although, I did ask her to leave her last minute biscuit too, but she politely refused. I told her I would give her back around the time she starts learning the word "NO!" Still, she refused.
Her camera is really so great. I have a new item to put on my long list of "want". The things I could accomplish with this camera, I mean maybe I really "need" this camera.

We got so many amazing pictures that I can hardly contain myself when it comes to sharing them all with you. They will be treasured for years to come.
These pictures are amazing. And so is this little peanut.

I bought the lil biscuit that outfit she is wearing and it is mandatory that you speak French to her when she is wearing it. She will smile if you do. Actually, she will smile either way cause she is just that happy.

What kind of camera do you use?
I am in the market for a new one because the flash on my old one is broken. I won't be buying anytime soon but I am doing some research.
Gina's camera really helped in this process because it was so newbie friendly.
Is your camera newbie friendly?

Happy Easter 2012

Life.

Is.

Beautiful.

Spring Break

We are on Spring Break here in the MoNoSco household. Woot, Woot!!

Here are some things we've got planned for our Spring Break this year.

This cake is a must try because, for one I LOVE sunflowers, and for two I love sunflowers :)
You can find the recipe here;Peeps Sunflower Cake.

Then we plan to finally get over to the zoo. I am already so excited for the pics that will come from this outing. I wonder if there is something wrong when I am more excited about the pictures that will come from an outing that the outing itself? Hmm.... Does anyone else think like this?

Come on picture taking people, help me feel normal again.

In between outings we have many at home projects,and fun activities planned because let's face it there are just as many fun things to do at home as there are when you are out and about. Especially when you have Pinterest as your new bestie.

Here is a must try idea, that we found on Pinterest. Big surprise there, right?Marbled Cracked Eggs

This is something that I wouldn't dare try when my kids were younger. I'm gonna be really honest for a minute here and just say that the whole dying eggs activity, even as a preschool teacher always scares the shit out of me.

Maybe I am alone here, but the constant thought in the back of my mind, no matter how many precautionary measure I have taken to keep those cups full of bright dyes from falling all over the place is something that looms in my psyche each and every time I hand that wand over.

Come on, keep it real. Am I alone in this?

Also on the list of activities is the event we have been waiting for, for quite some time.
The arrival of our beloved family. Grandam Ellen, Grandpa Greg, Uncle Jeremy, Auntie Gina, Uncle Izzy, and cousins Savy and brand new Sophie.

They are coming to see us, but also my sister Bean, aka Gina, her favorite flowers are tulips and so ...

We are planning to take the family to this event this weekend;Tulip Festival

Again another event that I am really just giddy over the potential pictures that are to be.
Crazy, but true.

Of all the events that I am most excited about this Spring Break, none will compare to this...

Meeting my last minute biscuit.
AKA my new niece Sophia Adelle.
Sigh...
Is she not the cutest lil last minute biscuit you have ever seen?
Are you wondering why I keep calling her last minute biscuit?
Well, I am glad you asked.
She was born on New Years Eve.

I haven't met her officially yet, only via skype, and pictures so more than all the potential awesome pictures in the world, my heart is swelling in anticipation with the thought of holding this beautiful baby girl.


What are your plans for Spring Break?

Spring has Sprung

It smelled so sweet when I walked out my front door this morning.

The smell almost knocked me over, and again I was hit with another surge of gratitude for what a safe haven this place has become to me.

I keep having these moments where I cry tears of joy.

It reminds me of when my children were babies and I would look at something on them like the dimples in their fingers, or their chubby little leg, or their fuzzy head of hair and my eyes would well up with tears of joy. I was thankful for their health and the miracle that was their brand new life. That's what I am talking about that keeps happening here. That's what I mean by a surge of gratitude. Do you ever get those surges?

Around every corner I am pleasantly surprised with a new flower, plant, or explosion of color, and I am thankful for the new life.
It has been a HARD winter. Probably one of the hardest I have ever experienced. Of course I know it was hard because of our big move, but more than that there was so much that happened this winter in my soul. I had a kind of a reckoning in a way. I realized some things in my life that I had let die, or I had buried and those things needed to be brought back to life. NO one could do that but the Creator of my soul. At the same time, there were some things, habits in my life that I realized needed to die.
I went around taking pictures of all the new life that is exploding all around me. As I was leisurely walking around I prayed some quiet prayers to my Creator and went on my merry way.



Then, in reading Psalm 23 today (twice) once in my daily readings, and again in a journal that a good friend gave me, and then with Green is The Now- by Chris Heifner, coming on my IPOD while I was driving, well needless to say I got the message. HE has led me beside quiet waters. HE is restoring my soul here. I Shall NOT and am NOT in want of anything more than this.

Books, Pictures, Gardens, and More Books

I do believe I am having withdrawals from not being enrolled in classes right now.

Hurry Quick, read that last sentence before it disappears forever never to be mentioned again.

The absence of involuntary reading that is imposed on one when they are in school has left me wanting. So I have been reading everything I can get my hands on. I even picked up a copy of my daughters series of the Twilight books (Eclipse) and read it in a day. Those of you that know me, know that was a desperate cry for help. Here is the list of the other books I have read in the past few weeks and my own book review of them;

The Guernsey Literary Potato Peel Pie Club (*****)

The 13th Tale (****)

Eclipse (**)

Wuthering Heights (*****)

Persuasion (***)

Irresistible Revolution (****)

Those are the books I have devoured recently. And now our newest (friends/neighbors (for 2 weeks)/first members of our community up here) Erston and Blue gave Moses and I gift cards to our wonderful used book store here. We went yesterday on a nice little date while waiting for the kids to get out of school and here is what we picked up;

The Pillars of The Earth

Everything Must Change

A New Earth

Till We Have Faces

Learning Italian



More guilty pleasures. Just for fun here is the list that Moses picked up;


Far Out (101 Strange Tales From Science's Outer Edge)

Choosing and Keeping Chickens

A Diet for A Dead Planet




The picture at top is of Erston and Blue (as promised to Allie)

Middle Picture is my starter plants for my garden that are coming right along. I already have about 8 sprouts. This gardening thing is so exciting. I will be in awe if those tiny seeds actually end up being food we can eat. It's just SO COOL!!

Last pics are of my garden in it's current state and just some of the signs of spring around here.




This flower bush hangs over the garden and the pictures hardly do it justice because the color is just so beautiful. Funny thing about living here is that because of the back drop being gray clouds and mist a lot of the time, colors just seem to be that much brighter.


I hope the colors are getting brighter where you live too. Can't wait for Spring to fully explode.