Carrie's Contemplations

2008-07-28T22:24:00.000-07:00

What a great day!

*It started the moment I woke up. Cameron, who has been sick, popped out of his room with his usual energy - he's well again. Yay!

*Katie thought I needed breakfast in bed, since "Daddy's out of town and you have to take care of us all by yourself." She fixed me oatmeal and yummy coffee with cream and almond flavored syrup in it. What a treat!

*After that, I picked my mom up from the local hotel and drove her to their property up the street from my house. Always fun to have a little time with my Ma. Got to hang out and listen in on some of their decision making for the house.

*The kids had some friends over for lunch and playtime. It's always fun to watch them interact with guests.

*Went shopping in McMinnville....bought Cam his football cletes, some stuff at WalMart and supplies to teach Katie how to embroider (will need Nana's input on that!).

*When we got home I played monopoly with Cameron while the girls played Barbies up in their room. Mom called and asked if we wanted to meet them for dinner before they headed back to Crescent Lake. Well, YEAH! So we drove to Wilsonville's Red Robin and had yummy dinner.

* On the way, Rosalie and Natalie played barbies. I love listening in on their play! I have to try real hard not to laugh. :) Tonight they were planning a wedding...make that a few weddings. Natalie says "Well, weddings always happen in the night so let's get married tonight." Rosalie puts on her best low man voice and says "OK. But I want to marry someone else." So Natalie says "Why don't you just email her and tell her you decided to marry a different girl." :)

* On the way home Rosalie makes up songs to sing to herself - the whole way. One of them starts off in a nice country twang (which I don't know where she got since we don't listen to much country. It must be her Texas roots!) Oh, I used to be pretty. But now I'm not pretty anymore. I wish I was pretty. (I think she was referring to her barbie, not herself. We could have some real issues here if not!)

*At swimming lessons Natalie swam several feet without help for the first time ever! Yay Natalie!

*And to finish it off, I played Wordtwist and Scrabulous with my out of town husband and also with a long ago friend on facebook.

*Now I think I'll go hop in bed with my book and stay up late reading. A perfect ending to a wonderful day! :)

2008-07-26T15:03:00.000-07:00

Here's a tasty treat for hot summer days! It tastes like a julius. Mmmmm........

6 oz. (1/2 a can) frozen juice concentrate - orange is best, but it's fun to try other flavors
1 cup milk
1 cup water
1/4 cup sugar (You really don't even need that much)
1/2 tsp. vanilla
10 large ice cubes

Put all ingredients in a blender and blend away until the consistency is like a julius. SO yummy! I just had an orange/peach/mango one.

I'd love to hear from anyone who tries it!

2007-11-26T10:54:00.001-08:00

I've come to a realization over the last week or so. It wasn't a sudden light bulb sort of realization, but more of a slow, warm, growing knowledge of something.

After years of missing my "home", only living in a house away from home, I am finally HOME. Over the last week I've come to realize that I feel settled, comfortable, happy in this somewhat new place we call home. We are in a community that feels like home, a church that feels like home, the kids are in a school that feels like home. I feel like I know my place in this community, who my friends are, who I am. It's amazing that now that I know this, I feel so much more able to serve the One who is truly my home. And the opportunities seem to be falling from the sky right into my lap.

On the way from Klamath Falls back to Dundee/Newberg after spending Thanksgiving with his family, I commented to Reid that Klamath Falls is finally no longer home, but home is here, in Dundee, in our house at the end of Ione St., next to the vineyard. Oh, KFalls will always be special to me...the place of my childhood, where I grew into a young woman, where I met and dated and married my wonderful husband, and where we take our children to spend time with our families. This sort of makes me sad, but at the same time, so at peace, to know that I know who I am apart from that place, and that I have a new home here, and that home is more about who I am than where I am, though I can't say that I would feel the same if I still lived in that far off land of Texas! I guess I was born and raised an Oregonian, and just as people who were born and raised in Texas can never imagine leaving because it's so much a part of them, so it is with me and my Oregon, no matter which part of it I live in. It's part of me, and I am finally part of it again. I am....home. Ahhhhh.

2007-10-01T16:16:00.000-07:00

Wash on Monday.....

Remember the old saying/poem? Wash on Monday, iron on Tuesday. something on Wednesday and so on? Well I have my own. It goes like this. At least last week.

Take Rosalie to tutoring on Monday.

Bible study and college class for company on Tuesday.

Fieldtrip to the library with Natalie on Wednesday.

Volunteer in Katie's class and take Rosalie to tutoring on Thursday.

Cheer for kids in the fund raiser run on Friday.

Soccer on Saturday (four games this week - only two kids).

Church on Sunday.

Groceries on Monday.

Bible study on Tuesday.

Picture day on Wednesday.

Volunteer in Cam's class on Thursday.

And so it continues. I must admit. I love it. But maybe I need a little wash on Monday, clean on Tuesday mentality. :)

2007-09-17T20:29:00.000-07:00

Chicken Feathers and Serving God....

Our pastor preached a great sermon yesterday. He challenged us to look at life "missionally", to ask ourselves how we can bring Jesus to the people we interact with on a day to day basis. To seek to serve our neighbor. I decided to take his message to heart, so this morning I asked the Lord to show me how I might serve him in the lives of those I would see today. Little did I know.....

I have this friend.
She lives on a farm.
She tutors Rosalie.
Her husband is out of town.
She is 8 and 1/2 months pregnant.
She has a dog.
A bad dog.
She has chickens.
Dumb chickens.
Bad dog killed 4 dumb chickens.
While I was at their house today.
Today, serving Jesus meant this...
I picked up two dead chickens.
I also hit one wounded chicken in the head.
With a fence post.
So it wouldn't have to suffer anymore.
(Sounds noble, but I didn't hit it hard enough, so Chris,
my friend had to hit it two more times to kill it.)
While I watched.
She was sad.
I was glad I was there for her,
but I hope God doesn't ask me to do dead chickens anymore.

2007-09-12T08:43:00.001-07:00

OK, so it's the middle of the second week of school, but here are the 1st day pictures.

2007-08-14T19:02:00.000-07:00

The first weekend of August, we went to our church family camp out. It was at this campground near Mt. Hood. On Saturday, our family took a picnic lunch, and went up the mountain on the ski lift. The view was spectacular! And there was snow up there! We even had a snowball fight....in August. It ws FUN! :)

2007-07-31T16:13:00.000-07:00

We went camping at our favorite camp spot last week. We played in the water, played in the sand. went out in the boat, had campfires every night, played Settlers, played Blokus, sat and talked, read books, got dirty.....what a blast!

Cameron getting a lesson on how to start the campfire from Grandpa and
Uncle Kevin

Three very dirty girls!

Building sand castles....

Playing in the water gave the kids hours of entertainment
and a nap or two. :)

Natalie and Rosalie washing dishes after breakfast

We camped with my parents.

2007-07-31T16:11:00.000-07:00

My 36th birthday...

2007-07-18T20:50:00.000-07:00

Never in a million years....

Would I have guessed that my parents would do what they just did last weekend. I can't believe this...they bought a lot up the hill from my house, .6 miles from my house to be exact. They met with the builder and designer this morning, the banker a few days ago, and they are on there way to building a new house just up the hill from us. God is SO awesome and amazing! Anyone who knows me, knows how I ached for my family all those years we lived in Texas, and now He has richly rewarded those waiting years with this amazing gift! Also if anyone has been paying attention to the housing market here, they would know that a large lot with the ability to have a custom home built on it is a rare find. WOW! I'm still in shock! And SO EXCITED!!!!

2007-07-12T15:35:00.000-07:00

What happens when you leave a 4 yr. old and a 6 yr. old in a tent with a camera......

2007-07-10T20:42:00.000-07:00

But I'm NOT in Texas anymore!!!

It was 105 degrees here today. ICK! It wouldn't have been too bad, except that our AC /heat pump is broken and will cost thousands of dollars to replace. So for now we grin and bear it. The good thing is that this will only last a couple of days. And my Aunt in Lake Oswego has a pool...think we'll head there tomorrow. I think Texas and Oregon traded weathers...rain for heat. Can I have some rain back?

2007-06-26T20:56:00.000-07:00

Cookies Anyone?
The 'Kisling Kids Kookie Kompany" is officially open for business! Cameron and Katie are baking cookies and selling them to earn money for church camp. They passed out flyers, have been baking for one week, and have earned a whopping $85.oo already! (Each dozen cookies or loaf of sweet bread costs $2.50, so they're not robbing people blind as you may have suspected.) They are having lots of fun with this, and my only role is to scrape the cookies off the tray. It's fun watching them team together on a project. They've laughed, made messes, made 2 mistakes (which were easily fixed thank goodness!), argued, worked on people skills, learned more about fractions and adding money, learned about the responsibility of having a "job", and lo and behold, they still want to do it again next year!

2007-06-24T19:27:00.000-07:00

Memorable Moments of Spring 2007

It's been quite awhile since I posted anything. I think I've given up on trying to be profound, or poetic, or eloquent,or cute or whatever else. From now on, you get what you get and you don't throw a fit, OK? So there!

Here are some pictures of our springtime....

Natalie's 4th birthday.....

Cameron's 10th birthday...(that's a 'swimming pool' cake in case you were wondering)

4 generations of Kisling men. Reid's 92 yr. old grandpa came to visit.

A visit to the Tulip fields.

Easter Sunday ..........................

Rosalie turns 6 (Did you notice? No more glasses!)

"Dr." Reid graduates!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Katie's 8th...

I wish I could master the art of posting pictures and captions where I want them! Argh! :)

2007-02-19T21:13:00.000-08:00

Our latest addition....Angel.....

2006-11-28T15:13:00.000-08:00

Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!

There is something almost magical about waking up early in the morning when it snows. There is that first knowing....when I open my eyes and notice what I call the snow glow, that glow reaching in through the windows that just isn't there unless it's snowed. A smile spreads as I glance out at the big lacy flakes slowly floating down to blanket the earth. There is a special silence that comes with the early morning snow. It's still dark as I tiptoe through the chilly house, turn up the heat and start the coffee. While I wait for the coffee to brew, I watch the flakes peacefully drift to the ground, and all is calm.

I sneak quietly into the girls' room to wake up Katie for school. All the girls are snuggled way down in their covers. I brush the hair back from Katie's face and whisper in her ear "It's snowing!" A smile spreads across her sleepy little face, her eyes still closed. Cameron does much the same, but with a little gasp and a giggle. After they come downstairs ready for the day, they bundle up....coats, hats, mittens, etc. and run out into the cold, scooping up the snow to make snowballs, and tasting the fresh, fluffy, pure white wonder.

Later, Rosalie and Natalie look at me with eyes round and faces bright, exclaiming "It's snowing!!!" Then they declare that it must be Christmas because there is snow on the ground.

After the kids are all at school, I drive to the town down the highway to do my grocery shopping. The roads are fine, but the view is breathtaking. The vineyards on the hills make a black and white striped quilt pattern, the trees are dusted with white, each branch outlined against the sky and dark fir trees in the background, and in the distance the mountains are crisp and white. The sky is blue with clouds in shades of gray. My heart can't help but rejoice in this magical wonder.....snow!!

2006-11-13T16:18:00.000-08:00

CUTE KISLING KID QUOTES:

Rosalie says....

"Mom, Nana bought me a pluto dog." When she showed it to me, I realized it was a poodle.

"Mom, we watched 'Little Red Robin Hood'."

Natalie says.....

As she twirls around to Christmas music in her Christmas dress, "Look, Mom! It TOTALLY twirls!!"

Referring to Grampa's teasing about sucking her thumb, "I'm afraid it's NOT going to turn into a pacifier!"

"I can't go to school today cuz I have the cough-ez."

Katie says.....

Anticipating her daddy's arrival from a week away at a conference, she asks when she'll see Daddy. I told her she'd see him in the morning. She says "I can't wait to see that big lump in your bed again!"

Explaining the reason she let Rosalie have her peppermint after lunch at a restaurant she says "I don't really care for them anyway. I just took one to be polite."

Cameron says........

As he's reading this post..."What about me, Mom?" I said I couldn't think of anything cute he's said lately. :) He says to tell you some of his jokes, so here goes....

"Which state has the most boats? OR-egon."
"Which state misses the most school days? MISS-issippi."

Cameron is growing up so much! He cleans his room and does his dishes without being told. He cleaned the bathroom the other day, and it sparkled! He carries on adult conversations easily and is lots of fun to be around. They all are!

2006-11-10T17:04:00.000-08:00

Was I really just there?

YES! Reid happened to have a conference to attend and we figured this was the chance of a lifetime...a trip to Hawaii half paid for. Just the two of us, the first time in our "married life with kids" we got a few days vacation without an agenda. We'd been away before, like to a funeral that Reid officiated, a Family Life Marriage conference when Cam was a baby, but nothing like this!

So we left the cold rain for tropical temperatures, tasty seafood, wonderful fruits and endless ocean. We shopped, ate out, spent time on the beach, played a game, read books, and watched a movie in our hotel room. I even polished my nails! :) (I don't usually bother to paint my fingernails because it looks tacky by the next day...too much water exposure. This time the polish lasted til I got home!) All this just steps from the palm tree lined beach. We also enjoyed the Polynesian Cultural Center.

Ahh, what bliss! And the kids had a blast too! Nana and Grampa stayed with them. They got to eat pizza, sleep in the motor home, go out to eat and go to an OSU football game. What more could a kid ask for?

All in all a wonderful time for all. Even Nana and Grampa said it was fun. :)

2006-10-19T11:43:00.000-07:00

Things I miss about Texas.......

Incredible thunder and lightning storms
Rain that falls in sheets
Good friends
Skillman Bible Church
Church potlucks and parties

Things I don't miss about Texas.........

Roaches
Grackles
Heat
Fire ants
locusts
The ever constant hum of air conditioners in the summer
Heat
Traffic
Being a "minnow" in an ocean of people
Heat
Being miles away from the wilderness
Being far away from my family

Things I love about Dundee/Newberg

Seasons!
Autumn
Seeing people I know wherever I go
Fred Meyer
Seeing our families lots more
The five minute commute to Reid's work
The five to ten minute drive to most places I need to go
The five minute drive to the country
Driving from Newberg to Klamath Falls in October
Milder summers
Our home
Our church
Etc., etc., etc.

Things I don't love about Dundee/Newberg

Hmm......

2006-10-09T18:33:00.000-07:00

A Perfect Fall Afternoon

Last Sunday afternoon we drove five miles from our house to a retreat center called Camp Tilikum. We were going to a birthday party for one of Rosalie's best little buddies. The whole family was invited.

What a perfect Fall day it was! The air was crisp, yet the sun was warm. The leaves on the distant hills were beginning to change color. The smell of a campfire, and the hazy campfire smoke settled around us as we hiked to the little pond for a canoe ride. We roasted marshmallows, hunted for bugs, and climbed up to a tree house. We painted rocks and ate birthday cake. We picked up a salamander in the pond, said hello to the ducks close by and raced canoes. Yes, it was a perfect Fall day, and what at first seemed an imposition to our family day turned into a wonderful family experience....only five miles from home.

2006-09-20T10:37:00.000-07:00

"Tea with Two"............

The most delightful young ladies came to my door the other day. They were out for a walk with their babies, strollers loaded. The doorbell rang, and there they were. "Hello" they said in their very grown up voices. "Can we come in for a visit?" So I invited them in, served some "tea" (aka Crystal Lite) and "bikini" bread (aka zuccini bread). We had a most wonderful visit about what we have been doing lately and about how school was going. Then the little ladies left through the back door to go fix dinner at their house on the back patio. :) I love those precious moments with my little ladies! :)

2006-09-15T16:31:00.000-07:00

Plums, Anyone?
One of the fun discoveries of our new house was the big plum tree in the back yard. And boy, was there a mother load of plums! We have canned two batches of plum butter, several jars of halved plums and 5 jars of plum sauce (like apple sauce), given lots of plums away, and there are still bunches of plums on the tree. It's fun to do canning, especially with the weather being cooler and cloudy. It makes me feel like a pioneer woman, putting up my fruit for the winter. :) I also enjoy the aroma of plums and mixed spices wafting through the house, and all the big pots and pans on the stove and in the sink. It makes me feel like I'm really accomplishing something grand. :) However, when it's all said and done, I'm sure I'll be "plum tuckered out"! Hee! Hee! :)

2006-09-07T09:58:00.000-07:00

Gone are the hazy, lazy days of summer...(or however that saying goes). I love the freedom of Summer, but I must say I was ready for the routine of the school year to begin.

Here are some of the highlights and stand outs of our summer............

Spending time with extended family.....

Trips to the beach.......

Our 13th wedding anniversary. Reid planned a wonderful date...dinner at a nice restaurant, a walk through the Portland Rose Gardens, and dessert at a yummy Italian dessert place.....
...

The sale of our Texas house!

The purchase of our Dundee home....

Packing, moving, painting, unpacking, etc.....

Our three wonderful, memory-making camping trips......

Nattie's severe allergic reaction to the sun......

Our trip to Klamath Falls.......

Making memories at "Next of Kiln"......

And others I don't have pictures for...

Cameron's big bike wreck. The girls and I were in KFalls, and there were no band aids in the house. Oops! :) Our neighbor came to the rescue with her first aid kit. No broken bones thank goodness!

Katie's 4th of July broken tooth. The jump rope handle hit her in the tooth and broke off a good sized chunk. The dentist said 1mm more tooth broken off and she would have needed a root canal. Phew!......

Attending the American Idol concert in Portland with the kids, my mom and dad, and my brother Mark's family. Of course my camera battery died right when I tried to take the proof of attendance photo!

And countless other milestones reached, memories made, quiet moments, fun times, and everything in between that I can't think of to write down.

So here we are on the first day of school...

My, how time does fly.

Ok, so this is week old news. Oh well.