I'm beat. I can't seem to get everything crossed off my to do list and tomorrow is the beginning of "The Wedding" event.

Kiley's has her best friend over for a couple days as she is in from Mexico for just a few days. I just finished up making them chocolate covered strawberries, bananas and apples. They are watching a movie, one of the Harry Potter ones I think (Kiley got the first 4 for her birthday).

Cameron went to Wal*art with me. We picked up a few groceries and the extra air mattress I needed for our next wave of company. Couldn't find a white oxford though for Cam. I'll probably check a couple places tomorrow. We did find pants and shoes yesterday at least.

Danielle will go home tomorrow at 7:30am as my sister and her family will be arriving just about same time or shortly before after driving overnight from NC with 3 teens and a toddler.

Rehearsal is tomorrow evening followed by dinner so at least I don't have to cook!

We are having a Mommy and Daughter/Daughter in law morning tomorrow as we go to breakfast and then to get our nails done. So at least an hour to just sit and do nothing. woo-hoo. My legs are aching tonight after being on the go all day today.

Haven't gotten the promised e-mail about going to pick up Emory's tux yet so tomorrow I will just have to swing by the mall with him and hope for the best.

My brother has been thru gallbladder surgery and was not able to have the procedure done laproscopically so his recovery will be a bit longer. I am still hoping he is able to be discharged and feels up to stopping in as we have not been together (all 5 of the siblings) since Emory was born five years ago. We are so scattered across the nation it is hard to do it very often.

Hair appointments for the girls Saturday morning and then the wedding that evening. I am really looking forward to it!

And here it is, 1am again. Hopefully I will have some good pictures to post next time I can sit and recap!

Feeling Grateful for my Home

This is the image that is burned into my mind tonight as I think of what could have been.

Last night I had a guest in my home until 11pm. I drove her home and returned at almost exactly midnight. All was calm and quiet in my neighborhood on a Tuesday evening at that hour. I needed some time to decompress after a particularly busy day and night. I sat down at my kitchen counter on this comuputer next to my kitchen window. I had watched the lightening flashing for nearly an hour before the actual rain began. And it was a loud, earth shaking violent rain storm. But short lived. I prepared for bed and was ready to lie down by 1:15am or so. I had taken some medication is the only thing I can come up with as to why I didn't hear the goings on just a short time later. Even my heavy sleeper of a husband said he heard more violent thunderstorms moving through and sirens nearby. I never heard a thing.

Today when I had only been up a little while, Mark called home to see if I had been out and about yet today and I said no, why? he proceeded to tell me about a neighbors home that was no longer. I popped Emory and the girls into the car and drove around the block to the sight you see above. I slowed as I approached the driveway to find a middle aged lady speaking with another young mom and kids (neighbors I believe). I rolled my window down and asked if everyone was safe? yes, she said in a dazed sort of way, so I said I would be praying for them and drove on. I felt the tears stinging my eyes at the loss.

Why did lightening choose that home? Why did it burn so quickly? Why had I seen absolutely nothing out of the ordinary as I drove at 20 miles per hour right by the front yard of this home less then 90 minutes before 911 was called?

I do believe the house was basically empty as it was on the market and from frequently driving by (every single time I leave my home I have to drive by)it appeared to be unoccupied altho the lawn was beautifully maintained all the time. The gentleman in the driveway was going through a few boxes in the garage.

It is so sad. And yet, it is such a relief to know it is only a material thing. If you look closely at the photo you can see that the neighboring house's siding is almost completely melted away on the one side. Scary hot heat to do something like that. And that house is fully occupied.

So tonight, as I reflect on that image, I am thankful for my house. My home. Which is so often a huge effort for me to maintain to any standard of decency. I love to have people in. I love to offer hospitality. But often do not because I feel my home is not put together enough or clean enough. This week and next I have had/will have house company nearly non stop. What if that home were mine?

Tonight I am grateful for my home. Dirt, mess and not perfectness and all. Each object within it's walls seem more perfect tonight. Each member of my household, including the one "overnight guest" of the evening seem more important. Why does it take such stark tragedy for us to stop and see the blessings right in our path?

Tonight, I see them and am grateful.

So tonight is Peanut Butter Pie, made with heavy whipping cream and cream cheese. oh my word. Nothing should be this easy to make and this good to eat! I am obviously on a dessert streak or something. And I'm cooking a bit more too. Perhaps I'm looking for the way to my husbands heart again? Nah! Already figured that one out, a clean house! Which I accomplished today with a little help and boy does it feel good to have it clean for a day or so or at least an hour or two!

Now it is off to bath, bedtime book and bed for the little two.

Kiley's 13 B day party tommorrow!

It's always good to hang out at Daddy's office every now and then. It helps Daddy's creative processes we think!

Siesta Key, FL for 4 nights with no kiddos, so peaceful and relaxing.
Then home again, home again to our grown up kids. Jillies hair up on her head for first time at Grandma's house showing off her new do and then back home to disassemble her "nursery" Where does the time go?

Time Marches On

Did you ever find yourself in the middle of something that you had been plannning to do for a while but had continually put off for some reason? Tonight my perspective changed and I realized why I had been putting this "chore" off. It was yet another milestone being reached. And I'm not so sure I was fully ready for it to happen.

Call me crazy as anyone who has spent anytime with me in the last 5 years will tell you, I have been crazy at times, but I was not ready to admit time indeed is marching on. All my bellyaching about two more toddlers and haven't I already done this four times already and will diapers and babies never end. . .well , tonight before I knew what hit me, Mark was finally ready to help me out and take the crib down. For the very last time. For one of our children. Ever. Five of our six have slept in this crib, it is no treasure but it is our crib. Our babies each slept there. But our last baby is three years old however that happened.

Not only did we take the crib down, but we took all of her nursery stuff down/out as well, crib quilt off the wall, matching valences down, changing table removed from room, dust ruffle folded up and every receiving blanket neatly stacked and removed from the room. Call me crazy but I was getting choked up! Then we moved across the hall and "borrowed/relocated" a five shelf bookcase from Emory's room and moved it in. The room is far from done but we sure made a big mess and it will be done soon as company is a coming and that is what initiated this change it up~switcharoo now as I may have continued to put it off forever otherwise!

Now don't be too concerned as this last little one doesn't quite know how to "sleep alone" and still spends most nights someplace in her Mommy and Daddy's bedroom still. I have never had this before with any of the others and I try to be upset by it but it's hard to be too upset ya know?

When I tired of working on that end of the hall, I moved into the teenage daughters room and set to work helping her clean. Yet another bin full of "Mom, I just don't want/need/have room for this stuff anymore, can I get rid of it?" Why would my 13 year old not want her Snow White costume any longer or her very last golden books or the canvas craft project from a 4 year old birthday party I ask! What is my life coming to?

Maybe some of this. If blogger would let me post my pictures you would see a picture of a gorgeous sunset the DH and I watched on the beach 1000 miles away without the kids a few weeks back. Maybe the whole growing up/time marching on thing is okay after all.

A quickie post before I am off to bed! ha! me, quick!

Today I put chicken breast frozen, a clump actually, in the crockpot before church with a jar of salsa. That's it. on low from around 8am to 1pm. Came home, put 4 cups of white rice in microwave and had Kiley snap the last of the sugar snap peas to cook up on stove top. Then one can of crosiant rolls and there you go, dinner in just a few minutes after church. Mark said it was a definite "make again". Jillie and Kiley ate it. Emory had a tough time but once he tasted it ate it up and Cameron ate his usual 3 bites, commented, yes, it taste like chicken and salsa and asked to be excused. The chicken was very moist and I liked it a lot.

I then made a chocolate sheet cake from"scratch" whcih was way to rich for me (which is a good thing, I will not be so tempted to eat it!) but every one else seemed to like it. Mark added whippped topping from the can and that made it a bit more doable. I am not a chocolate fiend at all.

This past week I made 2- 5 flavor pound cakes from "scratch" and they were delicious! Also sugared up some strawberries to go with one of them altho I prefer this cake plain jane actually.

Busy week coming up. kiley big birthday bash, wedding shower for me and girls, house cleaning for up coming company and party and then a graduation party on Sunday. And then the wedding in 2 short weeks followed by Bible school. Best not to look to far ahead I think! Tomorrow we have haircuts on the schedule. oh! Jillie wore her hair up to church today and it was adorable. I put it up to visit Mark's parents tonight as well. soooo stinkin' cute! Will have to dowload some pics soon. She is sooo big!

Also spent one hour in backyard with Emory and Jillie with water and sun today. nice. Mark joined us for a few minutes.

Backing up a day, Cameron went bowling with a couple neighbor boys Saturday afternoon, came home and played basketball with them. Kiley spent the night with neighbor girl and came home early for church next morning. Mom and Dad stopped by for little bit but only saw Emory as everyone else was off or asleep. Friday night we had family from church down for dinner (burgers/dogs on grill) and I ruined perfectly good corn on cob by over cooking in crock pot. ugh. Thursday Cam, Ki and I attended a VBS meeting at BVBC. Talked to Karen and shopped at BJ's on way home. Looks like house company for the wedding.

Adn that's my later part of the week in review.

I am off to bed. 12:45am.

so I should really be in bed but I'm just needing to mull over a few things before I get there.

The DH (that would be Dear Hubby, Darling Hubby or Danged Hubby or even could be Dirty Hubby as in tonight's post) Oh anyway! The DH spent the better part of the evening looking at our broken dishwasher. He had the whole built in thing pulled out, 2 cabinets emptied, and every hose and drain removed. He found broken glass and various other pieces of debris (i'd been wondering where spoon #8 had run off to). Once we cleaned it all out(me & the DH), cleaned it all up(me and my Magic Eraser) and put it back together again (DH only!) I ran it through a cycle with a light load of dishes. Dang it all! It still won't drain properly. DH went to bed before this revelation thankfully. He was so certain this was gonna fix it. And to be honest, we've been down this road before and it did fix it for several months when it wouldn't drain before. Now just never mind both racks are broken and require very gentle caressing to even slide in and out of the washer and hold dishes or that the thing has a recall on it to replace a part that has never given us a lick of trouble, IT IS THE ONLY ONE I HAVE! And since we won't even have been in this house 7 years until the fall, I am not happy. Who ever heard of an appliance (heavy duty top of the line that I paid extra for)only having a 7 year life? UGH! But it is not just me who is unhappy. oh no, I happen to have assigned dish washing to my pre teens and teenagers many moons ago and it seems to work out to be a good chore for them usually. Not so much right now. I am helping but it is just a lot to keep up with in a family of 6 who are here pretty much 3 meals a day every day. not even what's keeping me up tonight. Well, maybe the thought of giving up a vacation time to pay for a new one is (sticker shock I'm telling you!)

No, lots of stuff is just floating around in my brain and I can't seem to settle enough to focus on one or two things.

Zach, the college boy, finally retuned my call tonight. I mean, what? he had to go to classes and work all day or something? well, okay, he's a good boy and actually calls home quite regularly without prompting and he did give me 5min today when I called thinking it was lunch hour but he was still in class. I digress. It sounds more then fairly certain now, he's coming home after graduation and not staying on campus to mentor. He may still go back in a year to do a mentorship in Eastern Europe but for now, he's coming home. Heaven help me. 5 children under my roof. Technically, he is not a child as he celebrates "21" in a few weeks and has been living independant of us for 3 years (oh I kid! we have been footin'the majority of the bills!) but still, 7 people in my home. oh.my.word.

DIL and I had a shopping trip planned today to look for dresses to wear to "THE WEDDING", have I mentioned the event? Yes, well. We both have husbands who say that looks fine, that's good without a morsel or twinge of guilt much less a look in our direction when we ask opinion on clothing issues. so. we could not go. DIL got the flu and actually had to leave work early. I was sad as I so enjoy her company and know we would have laughed our heads off trying on zillions of dresses and not finding a one we could be happy with. Our time is running short. A garden wedding in DE July heat. Maybe we should be looking for beach coverups instead!

I've been in a mood lately. Can't really pin it down but it is effecting me in strange ways. Overwhelmed by the amount of housework staring me in the face? Then clean out an entire huge 42 inch three door corner wall cabinet in your kitchen that holds everything you never really found a good place for otherwise (spices,jello, tea bags, hot choc, choc chips, birthday cake decorations, food coloring, extract). follow that up with scrubbing down the entire pantry after removing every item from it and reorganizing it. Or perhaps tonights adventure. Move on to two more wall cabinets and scour the daylights out of them and clean out the medicine bin and recipe one too while you are at it. Did I mention the piles of toys in the middle of the floor? The family room that is an inch thick with dust and a carpet that needs vacuuming? Or the office that has papers not only on each and every surface of the desk, credenza, computer but also a miriad of misc. items that need sorted and returned to their home. I informed the kids at dinner tonight,all 4 of them,we would be cleaning the basment playroom this evening. It never happened! I just can't face it, it's that bad. I baked cookies instead and watched tv! I only got through 2 loads of laundry today and that's not really fair to say as neither are folded yet. Can. not. complete. a. task. I am an inside out cleaner. But still, any plans I make seem to overwhlem me and then I focus on some obscure task, albeit one that does need doing, for hours!

Okay, I'm going to bed now to dream about making a fresh start with lofty plans and goals for tomorrow. I may end up sorting papers in the office for 4 hours though. You just never know how it will roll with me these days.

Start Time 11:30am
Question:

Seriously! How long can it take to get 2 small children out the back door and into a one foot pool? I just want to soak up some sun for 30-60 minutes or less! Yikes! First we had to potty, then we had to find a swimsuit (never mind they each own at leat a half dozen) then we had to put them on, then we had to go back into the house no less then 4x for the special toy we forgot, then we had to rearrange all the toys and chairs to suit or sunning pleasure (it's hot out here for crying out loud!) and then we had to put new water in the pool and then we had to adjust the garden hose three times or thirty. uumm, why did I ask them if they wanted to play in the pool? oh yes, nice even tan lines. not happening today. after all that and 30 minutes of Play time in their little pool, they were ready to come back in. My fancy internet capable phone still sat untouched on the chair, my book unread, and my towel still dry. Wonder what other fun things we can do this afternoon? Maybe I should just stick to switching the laundry repeatedly, eating herr's BBQ chips for lunch, and fixing said children oatmeal and yogurt (I know! don't ask!) for lunch.

Answer:
It is now 1:30pm.

So today is Sunday, last day of a 3 day weekend. We were up and out the door to church at a nice leasurely 9:30am, a welcome change from the 8am door call of the past 20 years or so. Our church is undergoing a huge construction project and our Sunday School and service times have all been rearranged as well as how the campus and off campus buildings are being used.

Change is good. Not easy usually but oh so good. Just a thought!

Came home and made dinner, not my favorite Sunday activity for sure but I tried a new meatloaf recipe (which no one seemed to like very much) and am now making a 5 flavor pound cake which seemed to go together quickly and looks so good going in the oven. We shall see.

Also met our new neighbor today as I had to go outside to make sure Jillie and Emory were not making a pest of themselves next door with their little guy. I am definitely one who likes my personal space and have had "issues" with other children helping themselves to our play equipment and garage toys uninvited. So. thought it best to at least be proactive and meet the new family before I scared their little guy off. hehe. She is very nice and friendly. Seems they have bought a house and are planning a wedding all at the same time. wow. If they survive all that, they should be good to go!

Speaking of weddings, Jenna's is coming up. Lots of loose ends to tie up. Finish huge bow for Jillie's dress, fix shoulders of Kiley's dress. Pick up Emory's tux. Attend shower. Get everyone haircuts. seems endless right now. I keep thinking it is good practice for when my girls tie the knot! We shall see. Hopefully I make it through the next decade before I worry about that!

So that's the Sunday happenings around here. Just a thought on church today. It was uplifting to be in the house of the Lord. More so for the fellowship of believers and the reminder to love and worship with all of my life then a powerful sermon or moving communion meditation (altho they were good too!).

Jeremy, 25, at Mom Mom and PopPops house.

Zach, 20, home for just a few days of jet lag between Cambodia and returning to BCOM campus in Minnesota. Unbelieving of how big his youngest two siblings got to be in a year and a half!

Lilo trying to flirt with Cameron, Age 15, at the POLY at 'Ohanas our last day for breakfast in Disney before we flew home. I think I see a smile. Disney really is magic!

Kiley, age 12, in the cell phone store explaining my phone to me!

Emory, age five, waiting for his dinner at Chili's after church one day.

Jillie on her 3rd birthday enjoying an afternoon at the beach. It was cold but the sand was still fun.

I wonder if I even remember how to do this? I will have to give myself a refresher course soon, especially in uploading photos as those are the memories I would like to preserve.

Just thought I'd check in and say wow! A lot has gone on in the Andress family since March of 2007 (my last post)! Where does the time go?

I still read several blogs faithfully each day and yearn to blog regularly but I also yearn to be a better wife, Mom and housekeeper. There seems to be a collision of efforts there!

The encouragement I receive from reading fellow Moms, Christians, etc. is amazing.

The suggestions and ideas, recipes, decorating tips, books, etc. is above and beyond.

As for my clan, they are ever growing. Perhaps I will just try to list names, ages and a small detail for each for now.

Mark, my man. and oh such a man. 100% man. The one I love completely, will never in a hundred years understand completely, and is who God gave me to complete me. He's still here, still going to the office each day of the week, still providing all he can for the kids and me, and walking through middle age with a contentment that I envy.

Me, yes, well, I have been struggling to define myself for years now and more so of late. Who I want to be, who I am, who I really am, blah, blah, blah. Perhaps I am not meant to fully understand or accept the answers I come up with our I would quit striving, planning, allowing God to shape and form me.

Jeremy, hard to believe our oldest has been married almost 8 years already. He is currently a stay at home Dad who loves his wife, our dear daughter in law, Jineen, and our precious Grandson, Dominic to pieces and keeps the home fires burning. He also takes care of the home, home schools Dom, and take care of Dom's many special needs along with supporting his wife's Nursing career. He may be going back to school soon too. Stay tuned.

Zachary has been around the world and is back again. Now that is hard to believe! He is turning 21 this summer and graduating from college (college!) all in the same month. A BA in Cross Cultural Communications earned from Bethany College of Missions (4 year degree in 3 years, no summers off!) has given him a broad look at Missions around the world through professors from the same and a 16 month Internship living in Cambodia. Short trips to Thailand, and Eastern Europe have rounded out his desire to share his Faith in a church planting ministry in the long run. In the short run he is coming home to live in our basement (as his younger brother likes to say when asked what he thinks Zach will do/ where he will go next) and find employment as he prepares for his next step of Faith and obedience to His God.

Cameron, our 3rd born son has enjoyed the last year and a half as the oldest child at home. It is a role he earned and is enjoying after middle child status for so long! He enjoys the computer, reading, his pet turtle, and often his solitude away from the craziness that is our large family. Cameron will be 16 this year. Man, how did that come up so fast?

Kiley our first and oldest girl, is still her Mommies little girl. Just don't tell her I said so! She has been waiting to get taller for 4 years now and thinks it just may never happen. Her sweet spirit and quick willingness to apologize is so much a part of who she is. She is growing up though as her interest grow beyond our home and it is a fun to watch her relating to others and building friendships. She has just turned 13 this summer. I often refer to her as God's gift to me. And she certainly is.

Emory is 5! He has such expressive ways with his eyes, his words and his thoughts that every day is an adventure waiting to take place for him. He is as curious about the world around him as he is about relationships and ideas others have. So we go along for the adventure reigning him in as need be and letting him loose as circumstances allow and it is indeed a grand time.

Jillian (Jillie) is three. Did you read that? 3!! My precious little unplanned, unexpected, unfixable little piece of girl. She is still as feisty as ever, sassy as we let her be, all feminine as she practices her wiles, and all about keeping up with her brother. She's our me-too girl. If someone else has one, did it, wants to go, then Jillie is all about me-too! Her health fails her everytime a germ is near her but she is happy in spite of the 3 and 4 week colds, the constant flu bugs and general infections. Perhaps as the Doctors tell us, she will yet grow out of this. Starting life 2 months early with no warning to her family at all that she was coming has been the cornerstone of who she is. She demands her place in our family, in our hearts, and generally any place she thinks the rest of us are (like our bedroom every night?!). She needs us to be with her 100%. No down time with this one.

Aren't they a fun bunch? I can tell you this. They are a tiring bunch for this Mama on the slippery slope to 50!

So there we are. Maybe I can even find a picture or 10 so you can see their adorable-ness!

and so maybe, just maybe I'm back!