Moments: Everybody pretty?

It's that time again......

A visit to The Mouse's Kingdom!!!

We're at T-2 days till blast off, and our Grand Caravan will be weighted down with all manner of vacation paraphenalia. This year, all the kids....even my married son and his wife...will be joining us. My parents will drive up from Naples to join in the fun too!

Our family is sorely in need of some time away....away from deadlines, relationships, pressures, gloomy overcast skies, you name it. We're heading for a major shift in life this next year as daughter #1 prepares to fly the coop and feather her first nest at college. Daughter #3 will be starting high school in the fall (Yikes!), and I will probably go back to homeschooling the two little guys. I'm sure there will be more surprises ahead as we redefine our roles (again), rearrange bedrooms (again), and renew our values and commitments as a family (again). I hope this time away for our family will offer many opportunities for sharing hopes, dreams, encouragements, even disappointments.....

I am more thankful every year that we can make this trek to Disney World. Each year I remind myself "this might be the last time", and so I set about making happy memories as if we might never see Tinkerbell make her glowing flight from the tippy-top of Cindy's Castle. *sniff*

Peace.

Musings: Our Year in Review

Merry Holidays! Here’s a whirlwind tour of the highlights of 2007:

~January brought our 10th trip to Disney. K, G, and the boys joined us for one of our best trips ever. We’re heading back in 4 weeks!

~February we watched B and S play Upwards Basketball…B was voted the ‘White Star’ for the most Christ-like player….which brings much solace to his mother’s heart.

~In March, we became a house with 3 teenage girls (run for cover!) as G hit the big 13. Mom hit the BIG 4-0. Both celebrated with parties and friends.

~April was K’s high school dance show, where we discovered again what a gift she has!

~May gave Mom the first opportunity to show off her newest craft….handmade soap. She is frequently found donning goggles and gloves in her ‘secret lab’. Also, Dad, Mom and the boys joined their new church, Maplewood Mennonite where the boys had previously attended preschool.

~June started with a camping trip for Dad with some favorite friends, a trip with the kids to our city’s awesome children’s zoo, and Mom attended a couple for the birth of their first baby. Our oldest C and his wife A celebrated their second anniversary and moved to a new apartment.

~July….time at the lake with the H clan, skiing, tubing, eating, and enjoying the sunshine and relaxation. M began working at Brotherhood Mutual Insurance, bring the total to 3 Harveys gracing those hallowed halls. (C in Building and Grounds, Dad in IS).

~August saw Mom registering all but one child in public school. S started all-day Kindergarten, G’s an 8th grader at Lakeside Middle School, K and M are back at North Side High (10th and 12th). B (2nd) gets Mom all to himself….also, C celebrated his 21st birthday (as his dad celebrated his 41st!). M’s job at Botherhood Mutual became an official internship….

~September was a BUSY month….all three girls were cheering for football season, K enjoyed the traditional blow-out party for her sweet 16, the V's came for the fabulous Johnny Appleseed Festival, and Mom attended another couple for the birth of their second child. Oh, and Dad went on another fun-filled canoe/hiking/camping trips with his homies.

~October wished M a blessed 18th ( a year for big birthday celebrations, eh?). She spent her birthday with her Dad on a missions trip to a small bi-lingual congregation on the outskirts of Nashville TN. A great experience! S lost both front teeth just in time for his school picture….

~November allowed the boys a fantastic trip to the Ringling Bros Circus with H cousins. Mom and Dad went to Indy to hear Rob Bell. G joined the Step/Dance team and performed at the mall to ring in the holiday shopping season. K was awarded the peer-chosen ‘Spirit Award’ from her fall Cheer Squad. M began furiously filling out college applications to Purdue, Ball State, Huntington, and IPFW. (Handouts welcome)

And that brings us to December….which finds the H family winding down 2007 under a blanket of snow, with Johnny Mathis singing songs of the season, and lego men overtaking Mom’s Dicken’s Village (see post below). We’re taking a giant breath in preparation for 2008, which will bring new adventures (another kiddo flying the coop!), and new opportunities for learning more about how to serve others in the name of Christ.

May this Christmas bring you renewed peace, hope and love.

Misadventures: Dickens meets the 21st Century...

Our family awoke this morning to the horror of giant bionicles overtaking the Boarding School in our Dickens Village. It seems S. was up before the rest of us....

If you look closely, just below the monster's leg, a wee bit of yellow is sticking out. That would be B's contribution of miniture Lego men placed strategically in front of several of the homes and shops of the Village. *grin*

The Martha Stewart in me is experiencing cruel and unusual punishment, but methinks it's time to kill her off anyway, yeah?

Musings: The yearly Christmas Tree Ritual.

Misadventures: Craft Fair Bust.

Well, my set-up looked good.....but it seemed no one was too interested in handmade soap on Saturday, so I came home with boxes and boxes still loaded down with product. In light of this, I have set up my display at home so that any and all may stop by to shop for Christmas gifts or just for themselves at my wee Basement Boutique. If you bring a friend, you'll get a free bar of soap! I have all kinds of coolio things to choose from:

olive oil soaps
specialty/seasonal soaps
liquid soaps
bath sets
aromatic diffusers
perfume balms
lip balms
scented sachets
gift sets
kids soaps
bargain basket

I'm also spending the day updating the website, so feel free to check that out and email me what you'd like. I can ship anywhere as well.

I hate using this space for advertising, but it's convenient and free, so there ya go.

Simple Indulgence Handmade Artisan Soap

Moments: Don't Forget!

Tomorrow (Saturday the 17th) I'll be selling my wares at the North Side High School Craft Bazaar. It runs 9-3.

Come see me!

Moments: Spirit Award

K won the peer-chosen 'Spirit Award' for the cheer squad! It generally goes to a Senior, so we're really proud of her.

I don't know where she gets it from........

Musings: where we find ourselves.

We're eeking thru week 12 with school. It's about this time that I start counting the weeks till we're done. Stupid, I know. But we *are* a third of the way thru!

I'm fairly settled in our choices, finally. The driving schedule is still maniacal, but at least it's routine in its inconsistencies...(this is Thursday: K doesn't have cheer practice so pick up at regular time: G *does* have cheer and/or dance practice BUT not today because it's a half-day for parent/teacher conferences: S gets picked up an hour after G, then I turn around and go back to school for parent/teacher conferences: tonight is girls' cheer banquet at the high school) And the beat goes on....

B is plugging thru on schedule at home as well. We've pared down just a bit so I can spend time preparing for the Craft Bazaar (which is the beauty of homeschooling), but we'll ramp it up in a couple weeks again to end the semester.

M has a new beau, or 2, or 3. I like beau #1 best, and not just because he's the almost-step-son of a wonderful friend. He was over last night going thru the ritual Hazelwood Initiation Ceremony for all prospective boyfriends....a classic Bogart movie, Casablanca. He passed with flying colors. He even humored me early in the evening by watching snippets of my Joshy Groban DVD without vomitting. What a guy! He'll be taking M to his semi-formal in a couple weeks. So I'm rooting for #1. I'll keep ya posted *wink*

Tom Henry was chosen by over 60% of the city voters on Tuesday to be the newest Mayor. I'm stoked. Totally. I won't bother to list all the reasons why, but suffice it to say I love it when calm, cool, level-headed folks win the day.

As for me, I'm still crazy in love with my husband. Truly. He inspires me as no other in his persistency, kindness, logic, servant heart, and devotion to me and the kids. I know I have a gem, and every now and then I fear losing him. I just can't imagine life without him anchoring us and guiding us. Cliche', yes. But the longer we're married, the more that cliche' enters the realm of reality. I love him as I've loved no other, in my haphazard, incomplete way. I don't deserve him, and I'm thankful he's mine.

So, life putters along with a few backfires, the tank generally on empty, and the backseat full of kids and their adventures in Growing Up. We find ourselves on lots of detours, or lost in the wilderness, or driving at night without a map....but somehow we manage to get back on the main drag thru town along with the many others journeying thru.

Peace.

Moments: Hey. Go vote. I mean it.

If you don't, you can't complain about politicians....and then what fun would life be?

Do take the time and give an opinion at the polls. You'll like yourself better. I promise.

(Go Tom, Go!)

Misadventures: Life sucker-punches once again....

2.5 years ago, a dear friend of mine lost her husband rather suddenly to a rare form of leukemia just after moving to Australia to be involved in a church that cared for street folks. She was left alone with 3 young kids, moved back to the States, and started rebuilding her life.

Monday, her oldest son (11) was diagnosed with the same cancer. His survival rate is 60%. He needs a bone marrow transplant and has started aggressive chemotherapy. Because this cancer was not thought to be genetically passed, more tests are being done. Her other two kids will also have blood work done to determine if they are free of cancer and if they are a match for the bone marrow.

So what category does this freakish thing fit? In Anne Lamott terms, I believe it's called the LOTF (Land of the F*cked).

Please pray for them as they once again travel the emotional road of fear, pain, and darkness.

Edited to add: please see the link on the upper left under the picture to read about Alex and his family.