moving update

Last night I thought I was going to lose it and either I called Peggy or Peggy called me... and she asked if I would like her to pick up pizza for dinner. TOTALLY!

Today she passed by twice and the last time gave me the hug I badly needed. Earlier she dropped off clothes for Cecilia who is rapidly growing out of hers. She then took away laundry with her. 'Peggy you totally ROCK!' (I promise not to give away your email address as I am sure many of my readers are thinking 'I need a Peggy in my life!')

Somehow, between God's graces (thank you to all of you who are praying) and Peggy's cheerful smile as she looks at the towering mess and assures me that we are making progress, I am holding it together.

Sad to say - the piano is still safely tucked away .... in the OLD HOUSE! We simply did not have enough man power to try and move it and we absolutely don't want anyone getting hurt in the process. I tell you though - it was the but of many a joke throughout the day as we all pondered how to haul it over here. My washer and dryer are taking a well deserved vacation - also in the old house... and even once they are moved over here... they might still be in hiatus for a while as, GASP, there does not appear to be a washer and dryer hook up. This might be easily remedied and then again - it might not. Feel free to pray... please!

In addition to these important members of our household... there are all kinds of odds and ends still tucked away that must be dug out, boxed and brought... home. That has a nice ring to it. It is starting to feel like home.

And now I must toddle away to bed where I will say a few prayers, thanking God for the graces received, the friends He has brought our way, the lovely home He has provided and then I will ask for safety for all who are helping tomorrow as well as inspiration as how to move that dang pianer!


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About half way there

Today we make possibly the last push to our move... a number of people are coming today with trucks to help us move the larger items. We hope to move the washer, dryer fridge and GASP the P I A N O ! Please add your prayers to mine. The idea of moving the piano is frightening!

Pray for safety for all involved as we load, drive it 30 minutes to the new location and then unload it again. Anyone know a good piano tuner - I think we are going to need a tune up after this!

I think we will move Sam today, so please keep him in your prayers as well. Moving is very stressful to him! (Ha - who isn't stressed by a move, eh? Ask Cecilia about moving stress and she will tell you how its waking her up at 2 am and causing her to cry for half an hour before falling back to sleep in her parents' exhausted arms!)

As always - thank you in advance for your prayers. Look for pictures to come... eventually. I'm just a little disorganized right now.

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When someone else has ...

...said it so well - why say it all over again. Take heed mamas and maybe papas too. When you don't get sufficent beauty rest - suffice to say it is not just one's beauty that suffers but your mood can get kinda ugly too. Thanks Jennie for the link to this post by Dawn.

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Day dreaming...

Cecilia recently celebrated her 1/2 birthday and I am thinking of splurging on a gift for her and I to share. We are still using her boppy pillow and in fact if she is fussing for me and we tell her to get her boppy pillow she instantly starts smiling because then she knows she is going to get to sit with mummy and nurse. The cover on our current boppy is well... faded and becoming stained.

Tell me what you think of this lovely cover? While it only has three reviews they are very positive! I thought about making one - but by the time you pay for the pattern, buy the material and then actually find the time to make one - you really are no further ahead than if you just plopped down your 19.95 plus S&H, don't you think? And it seems I'm not the only blogging mama who likes her boppy to be pretty and comfortable. When I look at that tiny baby sleeping in his boppy pillow I have to wonder was Cecilia ever really that little that she was once able to do that too?
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A stroll down memroy's lane...

Enjoy a post I wrote - was it really four years ago? Where has the time gone? The child who was the baby of the family at the time is now four and is an aunt, as well as a big sister. In fact she is enjoying being a big sister so much she is hoping maybe we will have another baby - this time a boy. I made no promises but told her that before she knows it - she will have another niece or nephew. As much as she loves her little niece - she wasn't going for it.

Ah well - here is a post you might enjoy again - or for a first time - originally written way back in August of 2005.
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Freedom

"Freedom is not just something with which we are born; it is something we achieve. America did not receive a perpetual endowment of freedom; it has had to struggle and fight to preserve it. Freedom is not an heirloom or an antique; it is a life that must fight against the corrosive powers of death and nourish itself on the daily bread of goodness and virtue.",
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A must read ...

...for those of us who live in hurricane highway, tornado alley and anywhere else severe weather could leave you high and dry - sans food, drinking water, electricity etc. Jenni experienced something of the sort last winter just before the birth of her baby - and we were without electricity for five days when Emma was 2 months old - in the dead of winter after a severe ice storm. SO without further adieu I send you over to Jenni's so you can see what she has to say on the matter.
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Happy Independence Day

We ask the Patron Saint of the America's to pray for the U.S.A on its day of Independence.




Here are some of my favorite spots that we have visited over the past seven years while traveling for business.






Saint Augustine, Florida
(picture from here)

Columbus, Ohio - during the Christmas Season as we loved the block long nativity scene they put up every year!
(Picture from here)

Charleston, South Carolina
(Picture from Charleston Visitor Bureau)

And finally one of our most favorite spots is almost in our own back yard, about an hour and half away in the mountains.

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Small Successes

1) Hugo and I taught a successful seminar on the 30th (Tuesday of this week)

2) I finished my CD for the seminar and we successfully labeled and burned 30 copies of it.

3) Successfully packed ONE whole book shelf so that I have at least one that is completely empty. We have packed about 10 boxes of books, but so far only one bookshelf is completely empty. It is so restful to glance at one that is totally empty and know eventually they all will be empty.

4) And last, but not least, plugging on despite a ranging headache that just makes me want to cry. It is very tempting to give in and give up! But several boxes of clothes have joined the boxes of books... Like someone afraid of heights trying to climb a ladder or tree - I just simply must not look down, but look ahead! And PRAY! I must pray - quietly in my head all day "Lord - Help me, Mary - please pray for me!"

ignore that blamed darn read more that I can't figure out to get rid of.

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learning to sit

Sometimes we leaned too far back... with predictible results!

Ooops! This time we leaned too far forward!

This time we got it just right!

And sometimes when we got it just right we were able to enjoy such delights as a flower with our sister, Bethany!






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three good kids for sale...

I picked up an excellent bargain while in the mountains last week and, NO, I will not resell them for they are too priceless!





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Now we begin to pack....

This morning we begin to do some serious packing with me actually involved. I have tried not to stress out over the number of boxes being packed the past week with who knows what and stacked here and there through out the house. The plan is to begin moving a little into the house each day. Its going to be hot, hectic and hopefully fun too. We are all excited about moving to this new house. It needs some work but we are not afraid of work. This house is owned by our parish and they want to sell it to help add to the new building fund campaign so every little repair we make we will see as a gift to our parish.

Fellow parishioners will be helping us to move as well and everyone so far has been excited to hear we are moving to the same city as the church. I have not yet arranged for Internet at the new house and sadly the company we have been with for the past three years is not yet available in the area. So I am not sure what we will be doing for Internet. I might be blogging from the local library so in anticipation of that I will post some scheduled postings which due to time constraints will mostly be pictures from our recent trip to the mountains.

Stay tuned for Internet details....
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Happy Canada Day

We have often enjoyed watching the change of the guard as we lived in Ottawa for years.

One of my favorite views - from my dad and step mums back yard! They have a bread and breakfast in New Brunswick and it is a beautiful place to visit.

And here are a few links you can visit to see some pretty places I have either lived in or visited with Hugo, when we lived in Canada.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CANADA

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Today...

... is the day! Counting down hours now instead of weeks and days! Hugo and I will pack up the van with the equipment (projectors, computer, screen etc) this afternoon, have an early dinner with the kids and then head off to set up around 5 pm.

Again... prayers please! And thank you in advance!

News Flash...Update..... News Flash...Update.....News Flash...Update.....News Flash...

Twenty Two CDs burnt, labeled and in their sleeves, 8 more already burned waiting to be labeled with our new lightscribe. Will provide a photo of the CD when I remember where I placed my camera for safe keeping. (Excuse me... Saint Anthony - I have a rather urgent request! Could you please pray with me that I find this camera SOON!)

This accomplishment is due to not just a little thanks to my good friend Peggy who has come to my rescue more than once when it was time to print something for our seminars. After playing email tag for a while yesterday afternoon as we emailed the document back and forth until I was happy with the resulting pdf file. Then she graciously offered to keep a pot of decaf coffee in the offing in case my burner did not work and I needed to go to her house to burn the 30 CDs. This, despite two sleepless nights in a row due to a teething toddler! Thank you Peg!

Tonight S.I.T , in a near by town, hosts our seminar. Continue to pray please! Again - thank you in advance!


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Tomorrow...

drum roll please.... Tomorrow is our first English Seminar. I have heard a rumor circulating that a local tv news team has been invited to view our seminar. No pressure there.... I'm totally cool with that! Not a problem... really!

Okay so I'm a liar - any volunteers to take my place? I'm a good coach & I could have you ready by 5 pm tomorrow night - Honest! Oops forgot I just admitted that I'm a liar!

Prayers PLEASE!

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chillin'

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An award!

for little old me! Now I have to share 7 things about myself you are not likely to know and then I'm to pick 7 other creative blogs! Hmmmm.... I have some work cut out for me. But as I am still swamped with trying to burn and label 35 cds for our seminar this will have to wait but I was so tickled about being give an award that I just had to share the surprising news. Thank you Squelly and if you have not met her yet - pop on over and check her out!

Stay tuned for 7 unknown facts about me and 7 nominations for this fun award!
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our babies are growing....

Enjoying a leg of lamb in May

Cooling off in Daddy's arms with a little water sprinkled on her by her oldest brother, Jonathan on Father's Day

Time for bed. Baby boys need their beauty rest if they are to grow in strength and size.
Night Night Blaze!

There is only one month, almost to the day, between Cecilia and Blaze who are now 5.5 months and 4.5 months. (In the picture of Blaze he is about 3.5 months)
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Basketball a la cuatro

This father's day we had all five boys at home and the four oldest decided to play a quick game of basketball. When I saw them out there in the parking lot next door, I quickly grabbed the camera. With Miguel shipping out for bootcamp in early August to train as a calvary scout (and then airborne training) we don't know how many more opportunities there will be for this brotherly comradeship with the four of them and I needed to make sure I got this 'on tape'. We are hoping for at least one more chance for some fun like this before Miguel leaves, if everyone's work schedules allow for it.














Finale! Noah accidentally shot the final basket into the goal when it belonged to the other team - giving them the winning ball. Benjamin and Jonathan are celebrating while Miguel is grasping his head in disbelief and Noah looks as if he is celebrating but is actually laughing/groaning at himself for the stupid mistake he made!

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We are...

...moving! We get the keys to our new home July 10th and moving day is set for the 11th so mark your calendars. I expect you all out front with dollies, working gloves and I'll provide the water and snacks while you all help us load up and move out.

Seriously though, we are very excited about this new home. It is in the town where my husband will be employed this coming August. Living in the same town will be invaluable for him as there is much for him to do to help prepare the technology classroom before the school's doors opening in August.

Look for pictures of our new home to come. While I have been there several times the past week - I have forgotten every time to bring my camera.

In the meantime I will be extremely busy... reviewing and preparing for our first English 'Parenting Kids Online' seminars. Some of you may remember that at the end of May early June we did our first Spanish seminars. Please keep this seminar in mind when you do your prayers and also, if you don't mind, please also pray for our success in continuing to procure funding for this important mission we have undertaken. We are also trying to create a professional looking website where one can learn more about what we are trying to do with these seminars. (informing Spanish & English speaking parents of the inherent dangers of the internet as well as some of the dangers of unsupervised use of camera enable cell phones and internet capable wireless mp3 players. )

In addition to this we will be packing up a five bedroom home to move to another 5 bedroom home - in under 20 days. Oy! Prayers, prayers, prayers please! Please also pray for our eBay business as at this time (until August) it is our only source of income but Hugo does not have much time to dedicate to it while he is preparing for his new job. We also have a vehicle up for sale and if it sold - the money would go a long way to help us meet some of our upcoming bills. We are only asking 800 for this classic vehicle so hopefully it will move soon.

God Bless you all and thank you in advance for your prayers.
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