Weekend at Whidbey Island

We have had Grandpa and Grandma Idaho here with us for a little while and about as soon as they got here we packed up and headed to Whidbey Island for the weekend. Tadd's friend at work owns a cabin there and he has let us use it for the weekend a few times now. It is soooo relaxing and wonderful. It's right on Useless Bay (useless because it is not deep enough for big ships). There are lots of bedrooms with bunk beds and toys to entertain the kids. There is a living area filled with windows looking out to the water to entertain the adults. And of course lots of sand and drift wood outside--great for playing, daydreaming and strolling.

Getting to Whidbey Island involves a ferry ride, a big hit with the kids.

There are even two huge tubs of sand toys at the house. Our kids know just where to find them and love to spend time playing in the sand.



Nora loved feeling the wind on her face.
It was not a warm weekend. In fact, the first big storm of the season hit that weekend. The waves rolled in big enough to make us feel like we were at an ocean beach.
Saturday the water was calm and the tide was low, perfect for taking a walk.

Look out for jellyfish!
That evening Grandpa and Grandma taught the kids to play Chutes and Ladders.




Sunday afternoon there were dozens upon dozens of kite boarders taking advantage of the strong winds.

Tadd had to go back Sunday night so that he could make it to work Monday morning. But Grandpa, Grandma, the kids and I stuck it out one more night and left Monday afternoon. What a fun time we had on Whidbey. Thanks, Steve!

Project Central

Life is comprised of many, many small and large projects for us right now. They all fall under the major headings of "homeownership" and "parenting" really though. First for the "home" projects.
These curtains in the living and dining just had to go. Tried Craigslist to get some money out of them--but had no takers.
On to The Wallpaper. This house was and is covered in Wallpaper. All over. Layers of wallpaper, as you can see from the above photo. We peel off one layer, and there is an even more hideous one and so on and so forth. They have even painted over wallpaper in one room and textured over it in another. The two kid's rooms are where we started peeling. We were eager to get the paper off, paint the rooms the colors we like and finally move in all the kids' stuff.
We first tried chemicals and hot water to peel it off. That was beyond painful. Next, Tadd's boss loaned us a steamer--MUCH easier. Peeling the wallpaper has revealed another problem unfortunately...no texture on the walls beneath the wall paper. They even wrote "no texture" on the wall to make sure the contractors didn't put any there 25 years ago when they built the house. Now we are faced with a.) trying to dig up the money to pay someone to texture for us, b.) attempting to texture ourselves, c.) leaving the walls bare and ugly and just moving on with life until a much later date.

And furniture refinishing. This delightful china hutch that I found on Craigslist is in the middle of its transformation. Not shown are a child's dresser that will be painted for either Ezra or Caroline to use and a set of bunk bed frames that my parents gave me. There are still many boxes to be unpacked, organized and put away. Many of these boxes can't be put away until other projects are finished....like the kids' rooms renovations and the hutch refinishing.
I figured that the easiest way to pretty up the yard was to put in some bulbs. We aren't able to focus on the landscaping the way we'd like to yet, so this will prettify things come spring, at least.
So--any of you who love projects and are out of your own--feel free to come work on ours! Haha, just kidding. I suppose that taking on one thing at a time would be a lot easier and more fun. But where's the challenge in that????
On to the parenting projects.
Project number one and his "Gun Show":
Project One and Project Two:
Project Three:
Airing our dirty laundry.

If you don't hear from me for a while, I might be buried under one or more of these projects...

Fall's Purty Round These Parts

We sure moved into a pretty neighborhood right in time for the show to start. The cul-de-sac is lined with these trees and they started on fire about a week after we moved in. When the sun shines directly on them in the late afternoon it truly looks like flames. I love to walk around and around the cul de sac with Nora and just listen to the crunching, breathe in the musty smell and look at the beauty. There is a view of the Cascade Mountain Range on a clear day from our street. And if you cross to the neighborhood across the main road, there is a view of the Olympics. Oh My!

Hey, there's a cute little boy pushing a darling baby boy in a stroller. Wait, I know that little boy. And that baby's not a boy...it's a girl wearing her brother's hand-me-down jacket!
Pictures really don't do it justice.
Ezra loves to be Nora's babysitter. And she adores him.
The leaves have almost all fallen by now and they are a couple inches thick on the sidewalk. The kids love to go barrelling through on their bikes and send them scattering to the four winds. The best part is...they start in front of the next door neighbor's house...so we can look and not have to rake up the mess.



I think that this little view is kinda cute too : )
May you experience the beauty falling all around you as well!

Are YOU Washed In the Blood of the Lamb?

It's more than just a song. It's the most important question you'll ever answer. Perhaps it's because of my children, but lately I've been feeling very convicted to give the gospel. You see, these blessed little ones have been washed in the blood of the Lamb. In pure child like faith they asked the Lord Jesus, Creator of the World, to wash away their sins and make them His very own. And every day (multiple times a day) they ask "when is Jesus coming back for us??" and say things like "I want to go to heaven NOW!" and "mom, did you hear that noise, was it the trumpet sound maybe????"
They frequently ask why the Lord has not returned to take us home yet. I told them that the Lord, in patience and grace, is waiting for that last sinner to ask for salvation. And I keep thinking about that. It's my job as a sinner saved by grace to tell others about salvation. How often do I do that? Not very.
Maybe you have heard the Gospel and thought that it's not for you. Maybe you don't care to think about eternity. Maybe you've never heard the story of how Christ came into this world, became a man, died on the cross for your sins and rose again. John 3:16 in the Bible says "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." Another verse in Acts 16:31 says, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved." That simple word believe. Believe that Jesus can save you from your sins and believe that you will spend eternity with Him in Glory (heaven). Saved. Saved from what? From an eternity of suffering in hell. Hell is more than a curse word. It's a place, a very real place. Maybe you don't believe in hell. I'm afraid that "not believing in it" will not save you from going there if you are not washed in the blood of the Lamb. Jesus is waiting to save you, friend. You can read about it in the Book He wrote for you, The Holy Bible. Don't wait any longer. All you need to do is confess to Jesus that you are a sinner and ask him to wash you clean and come live in your heart as your Lord and Saviour. If you have any questions about salvation please feel free to leave me a comment with your contact information or email me at brookegiesbrecht at yahoo dot com.
"But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God." Acts 20:24

Did the Puyallup

I wanted to show these canning pictures because of the cool old jars my mom has. She brought peaches back from eastern Washington a couple weeks before we moved and she and I canned them. Look at that square jar and the blue one next to it. Those are from her Grandma, I believe.
So if I keep waiting until I upload and edit the video of the kids mutton busting, this post will never happen. If I ever get the video onto the computer I'll post it. But for now, I'll just go ahead and show the still pictures of our 2010 visit to the Puyallup Fair. Grandma and I headed out for the opening day "Free day Friday". You pay the price by waiting in traffic.
We finally made it in and wandered around looking at exhibits and eating the most delicious chocolate milk shakes from the Dairy Gold Milk Barn. Then it was off to sign up for Mutton Busin'--the whole reason we were at the fair. This year both Ezra and Caroline were amped for the event.

This was their "game face". Need to work on that a little Kine!

Mutton bustin' is pretty safe with a protective vest and a cage-face helmet.Hard to get the vest fitted properly with all those curls.
Oh Boy! If only I could convey the excitement level at this point : )
They thought maybe they should climb into the sheep pen and get to know them before taking a ride.
My cowgirl was all suited up in safety gear and waiting for her turn.
The sheep waiting anxiously in their pen.
This nice (looking) young cowboy kept getting in the way of all my pictures. He has the hard job of getting the kids all situated on the sheep and making sure sheep and kid are safe. There goes Caroline...
She tumbled to the ground about halfway down the arena.
And waved to the crowd as the cowboy carried her back.
I missed Ezra's release, but there he is falling off.
And being dusted off and set on his feet. Good job cowboy and cowgirl!
After that I gave in to the kids' requests and let them go on a few way over-priced kiddie rides.

Later in the day we went to the catch and release fishing pond.
Ezra was beyond excited to go fishing for the first time. Caroline's poor fish got dropped on the deck when it was supposed to be "released". I felt sorry for those worn out fish, getting caught over and over again for several hours.

We stopped by the fire station exhibit to try on some fire coats and pretend to shoot the hose.

By the time we had experienced the fair for six or so hours we were exhausted. So we bought the kids some corn dogs and cotton candy outside the gate where things cost half price and headed to the car. Whew. Check The Fair off our list of things to do this fall!
Nory-Boo was at the fair with us...she just didn't make an appearance in any photos since she couldn't Mutton Bust, go on rides or go fishing. She was in my front pack while the kids were riding sheep, so she got a real up close and personal view.