Hooooo Are You Tuesdays 6.0

I guess it's time for me to get back in the groove of blogging. I will blog more later about stuff that's been happening around here to make me disappear...

 

1. Do you plant a garden or flowers, or neither?

 I am supposed to landscape...I will get it done this year, but we'll just see how it looks. I do have one big planter that D & I will fill with pretty flowers. I was just admiring all the colors they have at good ol' Wally World the other day. I, one day, want a garden. Sadly, though, this is not the year due to most of our backyard being dug up for sewer installation. Next year...(maybe)

2. Does it bother you to have your blinds or curtains open after dark so people can see in your house?

 It does(ish). It REALLY bothers the Mr, though, which is kind of cute. And he grumps about having panel curtains instead of the pull blinds. He doesn't like climbing all over the couches to shut the curtains. It really is cute. ;-)

3. Do you like to go camping?

I love (love) love to camp! Not when it's hot though...seriously. So we do Spring/Fall camping. And that work for us. One day, we'll have a pop-up with an air conditioner, and I would camp any time of the year. One time my family went to Orlando, FL in June and camped for 10 days. {I actually thought I was going to die....and we even had a pop-up!}

4. Do you have a laptop or a desk top computer?

Both. Our laptop is slower than the 7 year itch. It is used only for checking the occasional email or looking up weather. We also let D play his games on it. We travel with it as needed. We got a new desktop last fall, and I {heart} it.

5. What time during the day do you have your most energy?

Is it weird to answer this question with time? 10-2 is when I'm good. I'm so tired in the mornings. And I'm worn out in the evenings. Depending on what has gone on, I occasionally get a sudden burst of energy after supper, and get lots of stuff done. But...most of the time, I'm productive between 10-2. Agh.

He is Risen Indeed!

Hey y'all! I promise I'm not done blogging (nor have I forgotten about my little giveaway - with only 3 entries!). It's been a rough couple-a weeks around here. I did want to share this video I saw on Better Life Blog's Easter video. {She's awesome, by the way...you should totally check her blogs and bags out!}

Make sure you watch this video all the way to the end...GOD-BUMP time!



He is Risen, Indeed! Happy Easter, friends! My love to you all...I hope you are living with the promise of the empty tomb!

Note to Self...

We're in the middle of a big (year long) project here...painting D's room! We promised it the first week he came (1 year ago), thought we'd do it over the summer, bought the paint at the beginning of the summer (killer deal, y'all!), got the first wall painted at the end of the summer, leaving THREE other walls to do.

My genious Mr decided if it "inconvienienced us," then we would be quicker about finishing the walls. In other words, we put D's toys, furniture, and did I mention TOYS all over the house (simply because there is not one single space that would hold all this stuff). Got wall #2 done on Thursday of last week (7 days ago), wall #3 done yesterday (with much ado - more to come in a bit), and today, I'm GOING to get wall #4 done (maybe even all by myself).

I am a perfectionist. It's a known fact, and though I think it's okay to be a perfectionist, I HATE IT. {On that note, if any of you have a remedy for this, please advise...}

I was teasing/getting on to the Mr for accidentally dripping our blue paint on our beige carpet...then I go to fix a "problem issue" at the top of the room, come off the ladder and STEP into a butter tub FULL of paint.

Yes, there was a HUGE blue glopping spot in the middle of the floor. {not to mention my foot and super cute toe ring were also drenched in smurf blue}

Three reasons for this post:
1) Do NOT {under any circumstances} tease the Mr about spilling a few drops of paint...that are really quite easy to clean up.
2) Always look where you're going when coming down from a ladder. Why do I not know this? I'm going to chalk it up to my fear of heights, causing me to not be on ladders very often...(there's the perfectionist in me just justifying away...) Okay - it's because I'm stupid! Good grief, I think I might have even KNOWN that paint was there...
3) In case {God forbid} anything like this ever happens to you. Here's how to clean it up:

Stockphoto from Google. Sadly, my paint wasn't this lightly colored.

• Dob as much of it up as you can. We now have no rags here. I threw them all away. Then we used up 2 rolls of paper towels. {It was a lot of paint.}
• Use cold water. Repeat dobbing process. Now it will be MUCH lighter blue, but blue nonetheless.
• Put a SMALL amount of "Joy" or dishwashing soap on it. The reason I say small is b/c we used a large amount and...had a LOT of suds and rinsing to do.
• Rinse & scrub. Use cold water always...a scrub brush helps, too. And lots of fresh buckets of water.
• We ended up (b/c of all the suds) using the carpet cleaner (which got full and SPLATTERED DIRTY WATER ON MY FRESHLY PAINTED WALL)...so if you have one of those, you could do that at the end of the process, too. We didn't clean it with that, just used the rinse cycle b/c it pulls water (and suds) out of the carpet.
• Ugh. Don't beat yourself up over it. It happens to people all the time {does it?}.

Anyway - hope someone finds this helpful, even if it is is humorous. I will think it's funny when D's room is put back together, and I don't have to walk around his toys at night and during the day. The only place where his stuff isn't is the bathroom....my refuge.

The Day God Gave Me a New Name

It's been one year. ONE YEAR. It's hard to believe, but true. Time really does fly. A year literally seems like just a few instants and sleepless nights.

In May 2010

And yet, here I am, a year later.

My favorite shot of him. Feb 2010. He was the lion for our class circus.

April 10, 2010 was (probably) the best day in my life up to this point. We were told 4 days earlier that our soon-to-be-adopted-son would be moving in on 4/10. I remember every little moment about this day. I will spare you the details, but I won't ever forget the anticipation. I wondered how he would be. I wondered if he would come willingly or with tears. He, in fact, came willingly, excitedly, and actually called me "Momma" as we pulled away. {He was ready...}

His first night with us. Superman jammies and all.

We had been waiting since October, when we first learned he would be up for adoption. Those 5 months were some rough months, but we did learn a lot about God's timing, worshiping while we waited, and enjoyed many "kidless moments" as we awaited our sweet brown-eyed boy.

D with his favorite person - Daddy

Before that special day, I was Joslyn. I have mild OCD which annoys everyone I know (sorry!). I was a teacher, referred to as "Mrs. K" by 80+ previous students, the families, and other students in the school where I taught. {In fact, I was "Mrs. K" to my brown-eyed boy the day before I became Momma.} I would sleep until noon if I could. I would go to sleep at 10 p.m. if I could. {I love sleep!} I crafted on weekends while watching chick-flicks when Aaron worked {out of sheer boredom}.

Swinging...seems we go to parks to do this more than anything else.

Now, I'm still mildly OCD. I can't help myself. I am only "Momma." It's rare to hear my old name anymore, and since I'm staying home with him, there are no "Mrs. K" references. I am still a teacher...most moments are "teachable moments" with a 5 year old. I rarely go to bed before midnight, and I usually am up before the 8 o'clock hour. The latest I've slept in this year is 9 a.m. {and that was the one and only night we have been away from him in this year!}. I craft now because I love it (and because I'm cheap), but I have to fit it in 15 minute segments or when he's napping (which is rare).

Family Night downtown. Fall 2010

His laughter and silliness fills my days now. His mischievousness (if that's a word) now keeps me alert and on my toes at all times. His "energy" (aka hyper-activeness) helps us stay active and busy. There is literally never a dull moment around here. His snuggles warm me all the way to my toes, and when he touches my face and says, "I love you, Momma," there is no greater feeling. Sneaking kisses and tricking him into the next time I can kiss him (he is 5 now, you know...he's starting to like them less :-( ) is the next thing on my to-do list always.

My boy does like his ice cream. Cooling off on a hot day over the summer 2010.

I'm a Mom now. It's exhausting and fulfilling. It's purposeful and draining. It's rewarding & meaningful always. And I wouldn't trade it for anything in the whole world. Seriously...the BEST.JOB.EVER.

Can't get enough sleeping shots of him. He falls asleep all the time in the car now that we don't take naps!

God, thank you for the gift that my sweet brown-eyed boy is. Thank you for your timing, and the way you had this worked out long before I did.

29 Followers

I just saw that I have 29 followers.

I'm not gonna lie...I gasped OUT LOUD.

Mostly b/c last time I checked, I had...I don't know...4.

I will be having my very first giveaway at my 30th. (yay! a giveaway!)

(yes, that's a bingo peg thingy-majig)

Since I'm 30 and will have 30 followers soon...maybe it's my new lucky number! 

{Did I just tell you my age ~ another big GASP}

Missing Benjamin

I'm going to warn you now, friends. This post is sad. I'm struggling to sort through some stuff, and needed to put this down. I don't know if it'll actually be posted, or just sent to a few friends as an email, but here goes.

The story starts glad: Once upon a time, there were 2 friends. I will save our crazy, mud-filled, belly-laughter-inducing, silly-nickname-calling, game-playing-fun for another post. But let's just say we're the bestest of friends. There are actually three of us. You've seen us before. But in case you forgot their pretty faces, here they are:

Belle (Laurie), Me (Jos), &  Bethany

I love these girls like sisters. They have been through valleys and mountaintops with me. We were all in each other's weddings, we keep in touch, we scrap together, and my brown-eyed boy calls these girls "auntie." They pray for me, they lift me up, they give me advice, and they laugh {& cry} with me. They are the best. That's why I call them my besties.

Okay - so now that the ground has been set...

{More ramblings}
In this life, sometimes things happen that just don't make sense. As we wander through this journey, we have great celebrations and terrible tragedies. We have pitfalls and great climbs.

Bethany & Ryan were anxiously awaiting the arrival of Benjamin Ryan Edgecombe, due February 21, 2011. We were all very excited {as we would be}, planning, crafting, and preparing for him. No one was preparing quite like Beth & Ry, though. Man, were they excited to be first-time parents! It was so fun to watch them in their excitement, to be excited with them, and see & hear of dreams and aspirations they had for him.

Then came January 3rd. A dreary day, to say the least, though I don't quite actually remember if it was dreary in a literal sense or not. In a sequence of events, we heard the news: Ben was gone. We didn't know what; we didn't know how; we didn't know why. One thing I did know: I had to get there. I had to be next to my sweet bestie and hold her on what was sure to be the hardest day of her life.

I don't remember very many details of that day, even though it's only been 3 months {94 days, to be exact}.
I remember how quiet the halls were in the maternity ward.
I remember the solemn faces of everyone {family, nurses, doctors, friends}.
I remember the leaf with the teardrop on the door.
I remember the look of fear on Ryan's face {as I'm sure he struggled with fears of losing both his loves}.
I remember Bethany's look in her eyes during some of those contractions - how I wanted to take the pain away...how I wanted {more than anything} to somehow avoid the inevitable.
I remember crying {a lot...}.
I remember the anesthesiologist {who was a jerk}.
I remember a lot of waiting in the hallway after the delivery.
I remember whispers and hugs from people I now consider family.

And then, as Ryan & Bethany wanted it, the Mr. & I got to go meet Ben. I already loved him; I was practically his auntie. But seeing his perfect feet and sweet face will forever change me. He was perfect. He was sweet and whole. And he was already gone.

Seeing two people I love very much having to say "goodbye" before it was even time for "hello" will forever have an impact on me.

At first, as a by-stander, I walked around in a fog. I wanted to be with her all the time. I wanted to hug her. I wanted to shelter her. I wanted to fix the hurt. We moved through the hours and days to the funeral, one of the sweetest hours of my life. Everything about the graveside ceremony was perfect, from the weather {cold & cloudy} to the words spoken and baby's breath passed out.

Then it was finding a "new normal." And even though I am just a by-stander in this situation, there's a new normal for me, too. Situations in life shape us. And this is one that will forever be etched in my mind, heart, and life.

I was privileged to spend many hours with Beth. She spent every Friday for 6 weeks with me. We scrap-booked, cried, talked, prayed, and glued. We asked the questions Christians are afraid to ask of each other. We spoke, cried, & listened. Sometimes we didn't talk at all {aren't true friendships cool like that?}.

And now, we're supposed to "go on" with our lives....wait for God's best and His blessings to come. We are sharing laughs every now and again. We remember Benjamin always, and we are sad that he's not here with us, even though we are comforted that He's with Jesus. Today, as we remember him and the impact he will forever have, I hope he knows how much we love him. I hope he knows how much we miss him.

And I hope he's dancing with Jesus.

We miss you, Ben!

Organized Chaos: Why I'm here

In linking up with the Ultimate Blog Party 2011, I decided to do a link for those of you who don't know me.

PS - If you're a blogger and don't know what UBP is, you HAVE to check out the site! I can't wait to have a couple of "down time" hours to look at all these amazing mom blogs!

I'm Jos! :-) I'm a wife. I'm a mom (for 11 months now - almost a year! More on that in a moment!). I am a crafter. I am a "deal chaser" extraordinaire. I am passionate & opinionated. I am a singer. I am a photographer (with a really crappy camera). I am a book-worm (you'll find reviews of most books I read on here). I am emotional (overly). I am a friend, sister, daughter, & auntie (one of my favorite roles!). I'm zany, creative, organized, and live in the midst of chaos at all moments (note the title of my blog).

 This is the Mr. I also call him "A" sometimes. He's funny, sarcastic, very smart, and the hardest worker I know. We love to hang out, and we love to disagree (and sometimes we even agree to disagree...isn't that something?). He's my best friend {and I get to live with him!}. He has the sweetest blue eyeballs I have ever seen, and I get lost in them when he looks at me. I love him more each day, and am so blessed to be walking this path with him...

{Enough with the sappiness...I know, I know.}

This is my 5 year old. We're adopting "D" also known as "brown-eyed boy". He's the light of my life, and I honestly can't remember much before I was a momma. It's all-consuming and wonderful; stressful and fun; tiring and exhilarating...must I go on? No, because I'm sure you get it. He's funny, sweet, cuddly, energetic, stubborn, and very bright. I enjoy most of my moments with him, and look forward to all the memories we get to make in our lives together.

This is Gilbert, aka "the pup." He's not a pup anymore. He is officially almost 70 lbs and almost 3 years old. I never knew I was a dog person. See my post on that for more details...but I gotta tell ya, I love love love having a dog. I am definitely a dog person. You won't see my home without one (probably ever). :-) I understand those of you grossed out by that (because that's my family's response). It's okay. I get it.

Organized Chaos is all about many things: crafting, crafting on a budget, a few tutorials, friendships, God and life with Him, organizing, projects, gifts on a budget, devotional thoughts, challenges, book thoughts,  Mommy-ness, Wife-ness, Family-ish stuff. Things to come on my blog: Thirty-One tidbits, learning activities you can do at home (because after all, we are our children's best teachers), how to teach your children about Jesus, resources for families and parents, and more tutorials.

I'd love to get to know you all, too, so make sure to leave a comment with your blog! :-)

{Linked Up with Inspiring You To Save's Meet Me Monday. :-)}