Where do I start?

Last week was a whirlwind. A good whirlwind, but a whirlwind nonetheless. I like that word. Nonetheless.

Anyway. Starting last September, I think, I started taking Addie to a music class every other Tuesday. She loved it. At first she was extremely nervous as it was her very first time to be away from Mom without having Daddy, Grandma, or Aunt Ais nearby. The first time I sat in her room with her, but after that? She would creep into her classroom all by herself while glancing over her shoulder every few seconds to see if I was still standing there. After class she would join the crowd in the 'big room', and I would sit back and watch her little eyes dart around trying to find me.

She did great. Of course, she missed about as many classes as she attended due to our rather lengthy trip to Russia but she still made a few new friends and learned a few new songs, and learned a few of the 'do, re, mi' notes. Not all of them as she wasn't there enough, so I guess that's something we'll have to work on at home.

She also learned to appreciate a couple of the boys in her class. I, thinking how not ready I am for that, asked her if she thought those two boys were cute. Her response? "I'm sure some people would think they are cute, but I don't. I just like that they never got in trouble by the teacher." Uh-huh. Guess I should be thankful that the character in the boys was catching her eye rather than the looks!

Anyway. Tuesday afternoon we headed off to music.

Wednesday evening I took off to meet a few of my girlfriends for supper. Addie and Will stayed home with Jason (much to their dismay) and Jack got to go with me. It was a great evening, but the news reports on my way home made me slightly nervous. "Severe thunderstorm with damaging winds just ready to cross the Indiana/Ohio line." We live just a few miles from that line. I plotted my escape all the way home. "Let's see. If the storm hits while I'm here, I'll just dart into their house. If it hits while going through town, I'll just go to Ivan's. If it hits between town and home, I'll knock on whatever door is closest and pray that the folks who live there are decent."

I shouldn't have worried. The storm went north of us. :)

However, the forecast for the night still wasn't too favorable, so we moved our children to the living room floor. We're paranoid like that. For some reason when I know that a thunderstorm is coming I like to know that my children are close by. That way if we have to make a run for the basement we only have to detour through the living room rather than dashing up and back down the stairs. Plus, if they are downstairs they typically sleep right through it. Their bedroom windows are far from windproof and the slightest breeze has them scared stiff due to the constant rattling of the window panes.

The forecast was right. At 2:02 we awoke with a start. The wind was howling. Our power went out. The house was creaking and shaking. We were nervous. But. Did we go to the basement? Nope. We stood by the window and discussed heading down there several times, but never made it down the steps. The floor down there was wet. Where would we put the children? Duh. If you think your house is going to cave in at any moment, probably you shouldn't stand at the window worrying about the wet floor in the basement.

About two hours later, the children having slept soundly through the fierce wind, we headed back to bed. The wind had died down considerably by then, and frankly? We couldn't keep our eyes open any longer.

No damage was done on our property to speak of. A fact that I am ever so thankful for. My heart goes out to those who lost their homes and family members that day down south. I can't even imagine the grief.

Thursday was another music day, but my mom kindly volunteered to take Addie for me. I didn't argue too much. A day to stay at home suited me just fine.

Friday night was Addie's spring program. She was not the slightest bit nervous when we left home at 4:45 and never did get overly nervous. I was shocked.

We tried to explain to her just how many eyes would be watching them sing, and she just shrugged her shoulders and grinned. She marched up front with the rest of her class and just stood there. Sure, she looked minorly terrified, but at least she stood there.

And she sang. Not just the songs she was supposed to sing, but everyone else's songs too. Go Addie. She swayed in time to the music. She picked her fingernails. She streeeetttttcccchhhheeeeedddd after every song. She turned around frequently to peer at her classmates. She kept a pretty close eye on her family. And she sang.

I was amazed and I must admit, a little proud of her. Had you told me two years ago that she would be standing in front of a crowd of 400 people singing, I would have laughed in your face. Addie? Singing in front of people? Never.

Two years ago, we were just finishing up with 'pouch time'. She was spending her days sitting on a blanket, learning how to obey simple commands like "Keep your toy on the blanket". She was learning to trust Jason and I. She was learning that there are consequences for disobedience...."You threw your toy off the blanket so you no longer have a toy to play with". She was trying to learn her colors with absolutely no success. She was finally getting past her mommy hunting phase. The months where she would go up to any random stranger and plop on their lap. The phase where she really didn't want anything to do with me, her mommy and primary caregiver. Anyone and anything would do.

Yes, I was amazed to see her, the shortest little girl up there, just standing there like she was any other little girl. I truly didn't believe that this day would ever come.

Oh me of little faith.

Mean Ol' Mom

That would be me. The mean old mom thing. Just ask my children.

Or don't. I don't really want to know the truth on this one.

This week our responsibility charts are back in use!!! I'm excited. They? Not so much.

For a couple months now those responsibility charts created by Melissa & Doug have been hanging in their spots just waiting for some use. I've been 'too busy' to implement them into our daily lives.

However, I've been growing increasingly tired of just handing out random jobs. They know what jobs are a given.

Every day they make their beds, get dressed, brush teeth, feed animals, pick up toys and get ready for bed. Addie also washes dishes every day after lunch and Will cleans up the puppy piles every afternoon. Can't say that they really enjoy doing their jobs, but I believe whole-heartedly that jobs at this age are vital for teaching responsibility.

We want them to learn now, at 4 1/2 and 6 years old, that they can contribute to keeping the home running smoothly. For a while I tried to do it all myself. It was easier than asking the children to do it and then dealing with the complaining and whining.

Now? I've decided that I only stress myself out when I try to do it all myself. One person can only do so much.

For several mornings now they have been checking their charts to see what their jobs for the day are going to entail. They love to put up the smiley face magnets declaring that the job is finished. They love to be praised for doing a job well done. They love it.

That is not to say that they love doing the jobs themselves. The whining is still abundant, but we're working on that!!

Every day they have a 'help with indoor chores' job. I didn't like that one. That means that every day I have to come up with something for them to do. I get stuck in ruts.

Sunday night while I was rocking JN to sleep I was skimming through a book that I have read many times before and it finally hit me. Like a brick.

The book is called "Cleaning up the Clutter" (Ironically, the flood clean-up crew, who cleaned up our mess of a house while we were in Russia, found the book shoved under the couch in a water logged mess. How's that for some clutter?!) by Emilie Barnes. One chapter she has is called 'jobs for kids'. That drew me in.

I flipped there quickly...as quickly as you can flip the pages of a book that has been water logged...and proceeded to read the job lists that are age appropriate.

Three-year-old
1. Get dressed, put pajamas away
2. Brush hair
3. Brush teeth
4. Make bed
5. Fold clothes and small items
6. Empty dishwasher
7. Clear meal dishes
8. Empty wastebaskets
9. Pick up toys before bed

Five-year-old
1. Set table
2. Clean bathroom sink
3. Help clean and straighten drawers and closets
4. Clean up after pet
5. Walk dog
6. Dust furniture in room
7. Vacuum room
8. Help put groceries away

Seven-year-old
1. Empty garbage
2. Sweep walks
3. Help in kitchen after dinner
4. Do schoolwork
5. Help make lunch for school
6. Clean out car
7. Iron flat items

Eight-year-old
1. Wash bathroom mirrors
2. Wash windows
3. Wash floors in small area
4. Polish shoes

(All lists taken from book, pages 79-81)

Those lists made me think of the 'help with indoor chores' job. Which made me think of the bowl of jobs that my mom always had when I was a little girl. Which made me think that maybe something like that could work at our house.

Duh.

I frequently get in a stew on Saturdays because there is so much to do. Clean the house, pick up our milk in town (we drink raw milk straight from a farm), iron clothes for Sunday, fix breakfast/lunch/supper, help Jason outside if he needs it. Busy day. Til bedtime on Saturdays I am typically whipped.

So the job bowl has been born at our house. Monday morning first thing I got busy. Every day the children and I will each draw one job from the bowl. In this way, the whole house will be cleaned every week. Not the whole thing all at once as I like, but at least at some point every thing will be clean.

I really am excited! To think that perhaps this little job bowl will help on the busy Saturday schedule is beyond releiving for me. I have resigned myself to the fact that the jobs may not be completed exactly as I would like. However, with me also drawing a job daily I should be able to hit every spot of the house every few weeks!!

There are a total of 21 jobs I believe. We will only draw jobs on Monday-Friday which means that there are six things that may not get done each week.

However, they just may get done. We have also implemented a new rule in our home. If whining/complaining is done when a job is to be completed, that child will have to draw another job to do as well. Whatever jobs are not completed by Friday night, I plan to do sometime Saturday.

I really am so excited!!! Why didn't I think of this months ago? The children seem to be so much happier and so much less bored when they have a purpose. Think about it. Wouldn't it be a tad boring to play with the same old toys day after day after day?! :)

Just helping them out here.

And lest you think that I am a horrid mom who makes my children slave all day long, I want you to know that there are two 'jobs' in the bowl that really aren't jobs at all.

One reads "Read a book with Mommy" and the other reads "Free time!! GO PLAY!!"

And one more thing. The jobs only take them about 20 minutes max. They should have plenty of time to play.

Don't ask them. They would likely disagree with that last statement.

Resurrection Day

The day finally arrived and not a moment too soon. We got up bright and early after getting to bed ridiculously late.

It showed in the children. Addie finally stumbled down the steps 15 minutes after the first time she was awakened...but still the first thing out of her mouth was, "Can we roll away the stone now?"

I had to smile. Her eyes were squinting, her hair was disastrous, her mouth was frowning. But still she wanted to see that the tomb is empty.

We didn't roll the stone right then. We had approximately 15 minutes til we needed to be sitting in the car heading to Sonrise services.

We were only a couple minutes late.

Sonrise service was well worth the effort of creeping out of bed a mere five and a half hours after we collapsed into it. Well worth it.

The power of the Resurrection is simply amazing. What hope we have in knowing that Jesus died on the cross so we don't have to.....but what a greater hope in knowing that HE ROSE AGAIN!!! He defeated the power of death and arose from the grave. He is victorious!!!!!!!

We left Sonrise service about 9:30 and headed off to church. Sadly, our children were nearly churched out by then and their little bottoms really struggled to sit still. :) Can't say that I blamed them.

After church we headed home to eat our lunch. Jason's family is often together for Easter, but this year it didn't work out. Uncle Ivan (Jason's brother) joined us.

It was delicious, if I must say so myself. All but the dessert. This year I got ambitious and made the traditional Russian Easter cake, Kulich. It tasted great if you like the combination of brandy, orange zest, orange juice, yeast, flour, cardamom, beans from a vanilla bean, nutmeg, and raisins.

I don't. Like that combination, that is. I think maybe it was the smell. Only two little tablespoons of brandy and the whole cake smelled rotten.

Jason, Ivan, and Will liked it. Either that or they wanted to make me feel good.

Not only did it taste odd, it looked odd. The recipe said to bake it in a coffee can. You can imagine the odd look it had about it. You don't need to imagine it though. I took a picture.

After lunch was complete and we all felt like rolly polly pigs the men and children (minus Jack) headed out the door to do chores. Nearly three whole hours to myself. Jack was napping.

So what did I do, you ask? I caught up on corresponding with friends. No, I didn't get out my stationary (I sold that at the garage sale), I got out the computer and composed some e-mails. None were long. None were overly newsy.

It felt so good. Marked it off my list. How sad is it that I had "send notes to adoptive friends" on my list. How does life get so busy that we (or maybe it's just me) no longer have the time to contact our friends.

Is that how it is with my best friend of all? Jesus?

Sometimes, yes. Sad but true. Some days I get to the end of the day, about 11:00PM and wonder how it can possibly be that late. How did I possibly get to this hour of the day without cracking open my Bible one single time? How do I plan on the relationship growing without taking the time to learn to know Him? How do I plan to maintain the friendship if I don't take the time to sit down for a few minutes with His Word open before me?

I could give you all kinds of excuses. You know. I'm busy. I fix three meals a day. I take care of the needs of three children every day. I am on call for my husband every day. I...... Notice how they all start with "I"?

Could it be that I simply need to straighten out my priorities a tad? Could it be that I need to put that on my daily list? That sounds odd, but it does seem that if it's not on my 'list' it doesn't get accomplished. Could it be that I need to head to bed a little earlier so I can get up a little earlier for my quiet time with the Lord?

I think so. Yesterday, Resurrection Day, made me stop and think.

While I was diligently composing e-mails, I had to take a gander at my Bible sitting right beside the computer.

Starting today, I'm gonna plant my acorn. I'm gonna let my old habit of not picking up my Bible die. I'm gonna make it a point to spend time getting to know the One who makes life worth living.

The rest of yesterday went pretty quickly. The men and children came back. We popped popcorn, ate ice cream, and drank grape juice.

Jason sat down with the children and discussed with them again what the true meaning of Easter really is. It isn't about getting together with family. It isn't about eating a big, gigantic meal. It isn't about just going to church for four hours.

It is about the empty tomb!!!

Praise the Lord!

A Week to Remember

*Note....This was typed on Friday, but I didn't have time to add pictures until Saturday. Sorry 'bout that.

Today is the day that we've been talking about at our house for several weeks. The day that we remember that Jesus died on the cross for our sins. Of course, we try to remember that every day, but this week we've been building toward this day through reading and activities.

We started off with dyeing eggs. I know. I had to do a little research to figure out what the reason is that folks dye eggs for Easter. To me, it's always been a hype, but this year we thought it would just be something fun to do. After all, it's a big thing in Russia, and we did promise the judge that we would keep some Russian traditions alive in our home.

So. The research. I found on a website detailing Russian traditions that Russians hold eggs pretty highly at Easter time. Why? They see an egg as 'new life'. You know. Eggs house baby chicks which = a new little life.

How did we tie in the whole tradition with the whole reason for remembering? Jesus died on the cross and offered NEW LIFE!!! just as an egg has new life. Did they get it? I don't know. When we finished the dyeing, Will asks, "So, Mom. When will the little chickens come out?"

(And just a note....brown eggs do not dye well.)

Another day we took a little walk back by the creek. Our walk was more than just a walk. We were a little search party....though I was the only one doing the searching as they weren't sure what moss was.

The search was cold. All were bundled up in winter parkas, okay, make that snowsuits. We trekked through the mud, posed by large trees, and slid down muddy hills trying to find the perfect moss....the perfect rock...the perfect sticks....the perfect thorny twigs.

We found what we were after and stumbled back to the house to warm up our frigid bodies.

The outcome of our little trek was well worth it. We now have a little 'tomb' topped with three crosses. Hanging above our creation is a little 'crown of thorns'.

Honestly? I'm not a mom who does lots of projects with her children. I don't particularly enjoy it. I don't like trying to explain things in little people terms.

But this time? It's been worth it. The children are understanding what Easter is all about.

They loved dyeing our simple eggs, but they love reading the story of Jesus more.

Today when we stopped reading after they lay Jesus in the tomb, both children sat quietly for long moments (which is a slight miracle in itself) soaking it all in. Finally, Addie says, "That's why the rock is still in front of the hole that we made in the dirt. Jesus is still there. Will He ever come out?" Will sat even longer. His face was long, his eyes were actually filled with tears. "Why Mommy? Why did those mean people do that stuff to Jesus? Why did He die on the cross?"

The projects made it worth the time. They have the visual to relate the story with. They touched the 'crown of thorns' and were alarmed that someone would actually shove that on Jesus' head. They have been soaking it all in.

I thought it was awesome that the only 'safe' thorns we found came with new life budding on them. How perfect is that?!

Both are sad that we stopped the story there. Neither one can wait til Sunday morning when we finish up the story...the part where it really gets good.

Jesus arose from the grave!!!! They can't wait.

And really? That's what Easter is all about. Not the death on the cross, though it had to happen before Jesus could rise from the dead. Not the easter eggs, though they do relay the message of new life in Jesus. Not the many things that we tend to 'do' to help us remember, though those are good in helping teach our children.

Easter is all about the celebration that JESUS IS ALIVE TODAY!!! He came, He lived, He died, and He lives again. All for us. You and me.

Not just for this weekend, but for every day of our lives. Jesus is alive! Jesus died for me!

What a thing worth celebrating.

Repeat Offenders

The above term, repeat offenders, was stolen off another blog. The other blog is one that I read when I can...A Place Called Simplicity. An amazing family in my opinion. The have 11 children, I think, 8 of whom have been adopted. Wow. Repeat Offenders.

I never in my life thought that I would ever be considered a 'repeat offender'. However, I guess we are.

Repeat offenders.

Not a bad thing in this case. We haven't been arrested. We haven't been doing anything illegal.

In this case our repeat offense is that we have adopted. Not once, but three times.

And we love it!!

Truthfully? Seven and a half years ago adoption wasn't an option in our minds. We were like the majority of other couples. Get married, wait a little while, have children. Sounds simple in theory.

However, it wasn't that simple for us. We got married, I used birth control pills which made me very sick for several months, and we decided that having children wouldn't be as bad as being sick all the time. A year later, I started having tests done.

The tests were non-conclusive. We had a choice to make. Either we could continue on with no children or we could pursue the medical route with no way of knowing if it would actually work or not or we could adopt. If we chose to not have children, we couldn't imagine how boring our lives would be in five years.

So. The choice really lay between adopting or medical stuff. Obviously, we opted to adopt. And really? It really wasn't even a hard choice to make. Neither of us felt comfortable pursuing the medical route. More testing meant that we would probably find out for sure what was wrong. Maybe not, but probably. Finding out for sure meant that one or the other of us would possibly blame the other for not being able to build our family in the 'normal' way. That didn't sound fun.

We did what we felt God was leading us to do. We signed the contract to adopt.

That first step was by far not the hardest step. It was new. It was exciting! After all, in just 9-12 months we would be parents!

Only God knew what all was actually zipping in our direction. Thankfully, only God knew.

Had you asked me four years ago if we would become 'repeat offenders', you likely would have heard a resounding NO. Many times it just didn't seem worth it. Many times Jason would be all depressed about the financial end of the adoption process and I would talk him out of it. Or I would be depressed about the latest batch of paperwork and he would drag me up by my nose and remind me that it was going to be worth it in the end.

It wasn't exactly a bed of roses. Not that any method of building a family is, I hear. :)

And then we met our children for the first time. Then we walked through the door of those orphanages...and I knew. We would likely become 'repeat offenders'. I didn't know when, I didn't know how, I just knew that I would never be able to rest comfortably in my warm, cozy home knowing that there are literally millions of children wishing for families.

The 'when' just kind of happened. We didn't have the finances to start the process again. It was stressful. But we knew that God was asking us to simply trust Him.

And you know what? It has worked out. :)

It hasn't been comfortable. It hasn't been ideal. But it has worked out. It has been a faith builder.

One thing we have learned while being 'repeat offenders' is that there are choices to make. If we follow what we believe God is asking us to do, we may have to give up a few things that we think are 'necessary'.

Such as a new car. Our car is little. Just a four door thing that worked great while it was just Jason & I. Then along came Addie & Will. It still worked great. Full, but workable. Then along came Jack. Hmmm. Three carseats in the backseat of a car just isn't handy. But you know what? It works. We had to buy specially made carseats for it to work, but it's been worth it.

Don't feel bad for us. It's a choice that we have made. We have chosen to spend every extra dime (plus some :) ) we have on bringing more children into our family. We have chosen to change our lifestyle a little so we can afford to bring more children into our home.

While many people are choosing to get loans to remodel, or build a new house, or purchase a new car, we are taking out loans to add one more child to our family. It's all in what you are called to do.

(Will, the first day we ever met him face to face.)

Not everyone in this world is called to adopt a child. Not everyone is called to be a missionary to a foreign country. Not everyone is called to operate a day care in their home. Not everyone is called to stand on the street corner in a big city preaching the Gospel.

And aren't we thankful that we aren't all called to do the same thing. What a boring world this would be if every last one of us was in the same place doing the same thing.

What we are all called to do is obey God's Word. We are all called to spread the Gospel, but that can be done without heading downtown. We are all called to care for the orphans, but that can be done without bringing them into your home. We are all called to be missionary's, but that can be done with your next door neighbors.

For us? We have been called to care for children in a way that we didn't see when we first married. Our life has taken a twist that we didn't expect.

(Addie in the first picture we ever saw of her....one month before we were able to meet her face to face.)

Will we continue to be 'repeat offenders'? Only God knows the faces that will be in our final family picture. While we would love to add some more precious little souls into that picture, we don't know if and when it will happen.

Will we go back to Russia if we do feel led to bring home more children? Likely. Three-fifths of our little family is Russian. It'd be safe to say that our hearts are in that country. Make that, our hearts are in that region....Primorsky Region. While we know that there are children around this globe that need homes, our hearts can't keep from straying back to the land of our childrens' births.

(Jack in one of the first pictures we received of him)

And we will never forget what it's like to walk through a door of an orphanage. The smells, the sounds (or lack thereof....I am still amazed that in a building with 75+ children under the age of three, there is not one single sound to be heard. Our three children make more noise than what we heard in any of the three baby homes we've been in.), the caregivers, the poverty, the lack of hope, the sad little faces, the empty eyes. The need for Jesus.

If it were possible, we would return back for another child every two years or so. Will it be possible? I don't know.

Addie's already praying that next time we go back to Russia, we'll bring home a little girl. :)

Nothing to Say

Seriously. My words are all gone. The past week has been a whirlwind, but still, I have nothing to say.

Last week made me tired. I tend to be a homebody, and I was gone from home four out of seven days. Not my idea of fun.

Wednesday morning I met my sister, Ais, at Grandma's to set up for our garage sale. By noon I was home again.

Thursday and Friday were spent tending to customers. We had tons of junk for sale. Tons. Greg & Ais moved in December and we 'moved' while we were in Russia. Packing and unpacking boxes yields lots of stuff that needs to be disposed of.

The garage sale went well. I think the grand total of sales would be a little over $700 if I figured correctly. That was spread out over six participants with some netting $20 and some netting $300. Good sale, don't ya think?

The children (and their grandma :) ) really enjoyed the garage sale. Addie got to hold a baby.....

Grandma taught them the joys of riding a wagon down a hill....

And the boys took over....time after time after time. No accidents.

Saturday I was up and out of the house with two of the children by 6:45. It was supposed to be by 6:30, but I was late. Bible study was well under way til I showed up, but it was great to be there!!!

Saturday afternoon the children and I cleaned up the house. It's amazing how much stuff can be littered around even when you aren't home for several days. By Saturday night the place was picked up and we were all good and ready for Sunday, the day of rest.

Sunday we went to Bethel for church, came home and ate lunch (which Dad & Mom attended as well), took naps, and went with Jason to tend our latest addition to our little farm.

This latest addition is not actually at our house as our pasture isn't currently producing enough grass to feed them all.

Maybe that should read 'latest additions'.

And, boy, are the latest additions cute.

Ten momma cows...seven now have calves at their side and three are waiting to calve. Actually, only five of the cows are ours. The others are Jason's brothers.

Aren't they cute? The calves that is?

I told Jason that before too long we'll be able to open a petting zoo. Sheep, cows, calves, pony, puppies, dogs, cats, soon-to-be-kitties, soon-to-be-lambs, soon-to-be-chicks.

He wasn't impressed with the idea. So don't plan on purchasing tickets anytime soon.

Didn't I say I had nothing to say? How, then, did this end up so lengthy?

Busy

This week is a busier week than many of my weeks are. Really busy.

I typically try to be gone only one day a week at the most. For my own sanity, it just isn't worth it.

This week? I had plans four out of five days. Make that five out of seven, to be exact.

Monday I had the whole entire day to be at home. I worked. Wow, did I work. The list (that was in my head rather than on paper, so I really don't know if it's all marked out at all) diminished rapidly. The bedroom that was looking like it should have been deemed un-inhabitable? Cleaned up and rearranged.

The bathroom? Still a wreck....the garage sale items are now gone, but for some reason there is still stuff sitting in there.

Doncha love that black floor? After 'the flood' they ripped out the lovely gold linoleum that was in there and it hasn't had a new floor put in yet.

The boxes with the china? Now unloaded and the contents are all in their proper places in the recently re-finished china hutch that was delivered to our house Saturday night.

Til I went to bed Monday night I was thoroughly exhausted.

Tuesday I was to have the morning at home and then head off to music class in the afternoon. As it turned out, Will spent the morning on the couch with a bucket beside him. He used it multiple times.

We skipped going to music class.

However, we could have gone as by noon Will was up bouncing around and wanted a huge lunch. He got a piece of dry toast instead.

That afternoon we spent in the great outdoors. Picked up sticks, mowed the yard, re-planted the onions, cleaned up flower beds.

Speaking of picking up sticks. Why is it that the children are thrilled to help, but when the monstrous ones are hauled off they think they are done and Mom is stuck with only hauling off little things that you could almost mow over? Interesting.

Wednesday, today, we headed to Grandma's to set up for a garage sale that will be taking place tomorrow and Friday. It's gonna be a doozy. Hoping for large crowds. The weather is supposed to be nice tomorrow, but a 70% chance of rain for Friday.

So. If there are no posts in the next couple days, now you know why. I'm off selling our junk.