You guys, today is so...ODD.

This whole week I got up and eventually got dressed (which means, I got out of my sweatpants and put on my yoga pants/leggings) but today after my workout, I took a shower and actually put on real clothes (still just jeans and a sweatshirt, but you know - progress!). Three of my kids got all excited and thought we must be leaving the house. Sorry, kids - we're only on day 5 of 42. NOT GOING ANYWHERE.

Anyway, in addition to my pants-with-a-button, I painted my toenails and actually put on make-up. And took before and after pictures of my face I'm THAT bored.

You're welcome.

Then I made cinnamon rolls for the kids and decided to make an extra half-pan and have the kids deliver it to our elderly neighbor later this afternoon because they need a home school lesson in it's-not-all-about-me-and-my-boredom. So there's that. I also documented the whole thing through pictures because I guess that's what I do at this point. Maybe I'll be a food blogger now. (Ha. Haha. Hahahaha.)

I have also been incredibly busy googling puppies for sale in Oregon and texting the ads and pictures to my husband whom I'm sure appreciates being updated every 4 minutes on my findings accompanied with emojis of differing scales indicating how much I'm already in love with each dog because he probably isn't that busy at work anyway (side eye). At least when he gets home there will be cinnamon rolls as a peace offering. (We are actually in the market for a puppy, but with the kids being home for the next month and a half, my searching just got real serious.)

This weekend will bring more sunshine (YAY!) and we have lots of firewood to cut and stack before it starts raining again on Monday. (I fully appreciate how normal that sounds amid life that feels anything but normal lately.) Having Jefe home brings calm so even though our week days are a lot like lazy weekends as of late, we still cherish Saturday and Sunday and having him close too.

Do you have weekend plans or projects? Are you in survival mode and having a "plan" is just too stressful for you? Or are you, like us, somewhere in the middle?

Word is we're going to be out of school until at least the end of April. That's a minimum of 6 weeks. (THAT'S A LOT.)

We brought our kitchen nook table into the sitting room (by the fire) and bought new coloring books, crayons, colored pencils, and stickers. The younger 3 are loving it. The older two are loving books and YouTube and they're all loving having a patio with a basketball hoop. I'm honestly loving having them home, but granted it's the first week and we've had gorgeous weather so far. Next week it will be cold and rainy and staying home will be old news so it will be quite a bit more challenging for sure.

As of right now we have the lawns mowed, books have been being read, the kids are getting in some schoolwork online (nothing official, just different sites to keep their brains stretched for now) and daily walks off the property have been a fan favorite. The daily outing has been when the Talie drives all the kids up to the school each day at 11am for the free sack lunch (that's also my 7 minutes of quiet for the day).

Jeff is on the school board and has had meetings almost every evening this whole week. They're trying to figure out the schedule (assuming school will resume the end of April as planned) and also figure out how to navigate distance learning for the students in the mean time. I know our kids will feel better once an official plan is in place and it doesn't feel so much like no-man's-land like it does right now. Our calendar is literally EMPTY (and that never happens) so we're all just feeling off a little, but we're doing okay. Everyone always has someone to fight hang out with so that's good too.

I did get to leave the house yesterday with my buddy and we walked 6 1/2 miles in the fresh air and that felt like medicine. It was also wonderful to not hear, "MOM!!!" in that whiny-about-to-tattle tone too. I'll take what I can get this week.

I hope you are all staying sane and employed. I worry (a lot) about the economy and the aftermath (and actually the immediate-math too... is that a thing?) of this that our country will be feeling for a really long time after we're all seemingly back to "normal" but right now I really am concerned for people that have suddenly lost income.

Let me know how I can pray for you - I would love the honor of lifting you up and bringing what you're going through to the feet of the One who can help us all through it.

Hang in there, friends. We really are all in this together!

It's officially the first day of quarantine here in Oregon. Ironically I was up all night coughing so after Jeff went to work I went back to bed (the kids were all sleeping still). I woke up to a sweet little knock on my door followed by a "knock knock" from my favorite little three year old voice. Rory came in and crawled in bed with me and we started watching Frozen, which felt rather fitting as that's kind of what the world outside seems to be.

While we were tucked in bed snuggled up together, Carter (15) got up, made a fire, and emptied the dishwasher all on his own accord and essentially made my whole day before it even officially started. I've been stressing to the kids that this quarantine is what we make it. We can be annoyed (I am) about the craze and all the shut downs and cancelled plans or we can choose joy (I am doing that too) and make the most of this. We bought puzzles, we have lots of board games, we have online school activities we're doing, and we live on 42 acres. There's TONS to do here. We're privileged and need to appreciate it, I know this will have huge impacts on many many people. That is not lost on me. Hopefully we'll get lots done on the farm and lots of hang out time together and what they'll remember later about this is how we calmly just loved each other (and others!!) when the world outside our space was crazy.

Coro-NO-virus.

As in, Coro-nothankyou-virus.

March Monday

Yesterday was a much dreaded town day because I knew I wouldn't have time at all this week to do Costco or regular groceries (and Jeff was doing firewood at home with a couple of the boys and Talie/Carter were reffing basketball games so it was actually a good time for Rory and I to tackle our list). Anyway, Costco was a coronavirus frenzy and everyone had loads of toilet paper in their disinfectant-wipes wiped down carts. I grabbed some too because you know, "be prepared" and all. I don't want to be freaking out and cause unnecessary anxiety in my heart or my home, but might as well have the basics and be ready for anything, right?

So anyway, we had to go into Walmart (which I normally avoid like the coronavirus plague) and my whole stressful trip to town was made when I saw a woman trying on a bra over her shirt right the in the middle of the Sunday crowded store. I can't make this stuff up, you guys. I wish I had dared a picture but I didn't (mostly because there's no way she wouldn't have seen me taking one... not because I'm above doing it). 

Anyway, I hope your weekend was as care free as the bra lady was and that your week ahead is wonderful too. It's Monday and I'm fighting the blues (and the sun has disappeared again - I know that has a huge effect on my mood lately) but I'm forging ahead anyway (beacuse what other choice is there, right?). Happy March, friends - let's make it a great month!

d

Get Out Of Your Head

Today was one of those days.

Normally when I say that, it means it was a "Monday" kind of day.

Not today.

Today it meant it was GLORIOUS. And I don't say that lightly. I have had so many "Monday" days lately that I'm surprised my husband even asks me still how my day was when he gets home from work. I've been in a funk for quite some time - tired, down, anxious, allthethings, but today was glory.

I have started a new book (Get Out Of Your Head by Jennie Allen) and lemme tell you, it speaks to me. After diving into the first couple chapters, I honestly feel like the main reason the Lord must have put writing this book on her heart was because He knew I needed to read it. And today, TODAY, I got a full hour of sitting outside in the sunshine reading it.

YOU GUYS.

That is miracle beyond miracle these days. Literally, everything under heaven has to align for time alone outside in the sun to happen for me but today it did. My heart feels so light and full at the same time because of it.

Look, I know I sound dramatic. That's because I am. But it was just that fantastic and it needs to be written down somewhere. Maybe that is a little hint of how much I've been struggling lately and that's fine, I'm not trying to hide it. But today the sun shone on my face and I got the vitamin D I crave via the all natural SUNSHINE and it gently reminded me that eventually it will shine more often than it doesn't and my time outside will add up to more than I spend inside and that is giving my heart hope along with all the truth I was filled with as I read my new book.

{If you're struggling like I have been, I highly recommend it. So much so that I'll even link it on amazon here so you can buy it too. You're welcome.}



And as usual, a few pictures of life lately:

After my regular workout (that Rory does with me), she gets to have a half

hour watching Doc McStuffins while I walk on the treadmill.

And also: I MADE THIS BLANKET. YesIdid. 

The sunshine I've been raving about. (It's leaving tomorrow and making way for the rain. Boo.)

Talie's team finished second in league! So proud of them! 

First attempt at French braids. We love Black hair!

The washing machine funds my wine one dollar at a time.

Life Lately (February 2020)

Fischer has been in and out of being sick almost the whole month so far.

He had a fever for 3 days and even though that's gone, he's

just not fully been himself. I think he's coming out of it, but it's

still hit and miss each day. Poor me guy.

Rory got a new purse from a couple of our favorite people in Hawaii!

Needless to say, she loves it. 

When Talie's boyfriend (Carver) comes over it's a hit. He made airplanes and googly-eyed guys

with Rory using scissors and glue - I think Rory likes him as much as Talie does!

Pancakes with Daddy on Saturday mornings. THE BEST. 

Last night Talie's team played their first playoff game - it was a hard fought WIN for the Lakers!

They'll play Saturday for FIRST PLACE in league! So excited for the girls - and for their 

coaches (this guy is one of them). What an amazing season!

 This pretty much perfectly sums it up pefectly:

My three year old just called my husband on her play phone to complain about what I made her for breakfast.

I live a glamourous life. 

Hello? Is this thing on?

I'd like to say I'm excitedly dusting off my computer and cracking my knuckles before anxiously digging into writing here again, but the truth is my husband got me a new laptop for Christmas and has since essentially begged me to pick up blogging journaling in this space again, so I'm really here out of inadvertent obligation (no offense, friends).

The thing is though, I'm nervous. It's been just over 5 years since I've caved to the unique vulnerability that blogging brings and I often wonder if I even have anything to bring to the table anymore.

Except that I know I do.

I have our story.

That alone is enough for my husband me.

So, instead of making this incredibly awkward (as I seem to always do), I guess I'll just jump right in with a quick (extremely watered down) summary of what's happened the last few years.

Besides the usual things that happen over time (the kids getting older every day), the biggest thing is the completion of our adoption from Burundi (Africa). Rory (Aurora Celesta) is the light of all of our lives (even when she's being a total threenager). She's been home for a year and a few months and we can hardly remember the pain of the (4+ year) wait or even much of what life was like before she was in it. She is nothing short of incredible and she blesses pretty much everyone she comes in contact with (except for the dog - he's not impressed). More on our adoption timeline on this link.

We also bought my parent's house and 42 acres in May of 2016. We've been excitedly writing to-do lists for the farm and adding to them faster than we're ever checking things off but we're still stoked about the future here and have a bazillion plans that will eventually maybe? happen. So far we have one dog, two cats, and 5 chickens. Calves and another puppy are in the near future though!

Talie is now 17, Carter is 15, Jack is 12, Fischer is 7, and Rory is 3 (I know! I can't believe it either.). The older 4 are all currently playing basketball and Jeff is helping coach Tal's team. I'm captain of packing dinners to be eaten in the car and team manager of all schedules. This job does not pay well but wine helps it's worth it. Our lives are constant full-court-press chatter and we wouldn't have it any other way.

I've slowed my roll with social media (comparison was stealing my joy) so if you ever wonder what we're up to, I'll be updating life as we know it here in my own little corner. Welcome (back?), friends.


((Oh oh oh! I almost forgot to tell you - I also updated the name of the blog to Five Arrows Farm (formerly known as "Six in the Sticks"). During the time I was on my writing hiatus, I got a tattoo (gasp!) of 5 arrows - one for each of our kids. Psalms 127:4,5 "Children are a heritage from the Lord, offspring a reward from him. Like arrows in the hands of a warrior blessed is he whose quiver is full of them." That's the name of our land property and now our internet property too.))

Okay, I'm going now.