Happy Mail from Wendy

Thank you, Wendy!

My sweet friend recently surprised me with some happy mail. I was so excited to find a large envelope from her in the mail! She shocked the pants off of me when I discovered it was full of pre-cut cardstock and instructions for making some cards. This was just the little kick-in-the-pants I needed to create something! Thank  you, sweet friend.

I messed this one up and forgot to round the left-most corners of the sentiment panel before attaching it with dimensionals. :(

Wendy is a fabulous Stampin' Up Demonstrator! If you're looking for a demonstrator to purchase supplies or have a party, she's your gal. She's wonderful at demonstrating SU! products, thinking creatively, hosting parties, and making sure you have a ball in the process! Thank you, kind friend!

A dream

Freed Farm is an oasis! Although we were on only a few acres and completely surrounded by the hustle and bustle of city life, I drifted off into dreamland and didn't want to wake up.

As I was galloping through the meadows on my adventurous steed, I happened upon the quaintest little gazebo near a pond. I couldn't physically pass it. It was as if it was beckoning me. My horse grazed on the soft lush grass as its blades tickled my body. My skin warmed as the sun smiled down upon me and my eyelids curtsied as I searched for recognizable shapes in the clouds.

And then I woke up and I was standing there with digital camera in hand, wishing I was in a different century.

Olive Crest

The past two days have been paperwork days, but today begins an entirely new set of paperwork. Our foster care application came in the mail today! For the next couple of months we'll be treading through licensing paperwork and making our house safe and kid-friendly. Please pray for us during this process; we're both to love on some children!

Alki Beach

  Alki Beach in West Seattle is one my favorite places here! My niece and nephew and I went with some of my friends for a fun day on the beach. It turned out that this day was the hottest day we have had this year and I got the sunburn to prove it!

Alki Beach, July 2010

Jumping rope with bull kelp

Puget Sound is freezing!

Lily the dolphin

That was a fun day at the beach! The water was freezing, but B stayed in it most of the 4 hours we were there. I'm convinced he's a polar bear! The girls played on the beach most of the time; apparently they don't have any polar bear DNA.

Hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Work, not just a 4-letter word

What's a camp without chores? In most vocabularies, "work" is a bad, 4-letter word, but not at the Bell house!

Work is good and it has nice rewards!

Like getting to go on the roof...

Gathering nails and trash

Or finding a baby slug (that you just studied about)!

With the adoption paperwork complete, Mountain Man and I have been reading a few parenting books. One of my favorites has been Created for Work: Practical Insights for Young Men by Bob Schultz. It's not just for young men; in fact, it has impacted my life! I've always had a very negative view of work, which has resulted in laziness! This book has changed my perception of work, which has given me a new attitude and hopefully a brand new work ethic. Parenting is more about modeling than speaking, so it's important that I change now! I've really been convicted of this sin in my life, and praise God He has been kind to show it to me so I can repent and change. Bookworms: add this to your book list - you won't regret it!

Now, I'm off to work! {Smile}

Forts

Construction of a fort
dining room chairs + blankets + sofa pillows + books = a large, comfy indoor fort

Purpose of a fort

What's a fort without friends?

Camp NW

Our 10-year-old niece and 8-year-old nephew spent a month with us this summer. We entitled this great adventure "Camp Northwest." My MIL flew out here with the kids and stayed for the first few days. We had countless adventures during their month here, so I'll attempt to highlight them for the next few days.

We wanted this to be a time of learning and growth as well as pure fun! The first week, we began reading 100 Cupboards by ND Wilson. We enjoyed as much as (or possibly more than) the kids. We intended to make this a nightly routine, but Rock Band and Apples to Apples prevailed and we still haven't finished it.

Science experiments by the Mythbusters team was also a well-intentioned expectation but we only did one from the entire box! I'm thinking Amanda will have to come over and do the rest with me. This experiment taught us what hot water vs. cold water and hot air vs. cold air. It was a little messy and the kids got a little wet, but it was fun!

A favorite activity was working on the fort and whittling sticks into defense weapons. They spent hours doing this and preparing for battle! 

Fort BMBX

Never without their trusty 4-pawed warrior

Their imaginations are fantastic! Madison is very creative and likes to be the leader and in charge. Braydon is a hard worker and great protector of his sister. It was neat to see their character and get to know who they are and what they enjoy doing.