Refresh. Regrow. Renew.

Today's video lesson will demonstrate the proper way to enter and operate a motor vehicle.

There is something about the first cold front of the season that fills me with indescribable joy and peace. I just want to skip through the daisies, run through the meadows and take a nap with a tree.

I had one of those sweet moments the other night that I will always remember. The children were already off to dreamland and I was working on bills when I heard this huge thump that sent me leaping out of my chair and over the dog. As I look to the source of the noise, my heart jumps for joy at the most beautiful moth that has ever visited me at my home. Her wingspan was almost as large as my hand with the prettiest color of yellow wings. So I did what any responsible parent would do and ran quickly to wake my oldest daughter who was a butterfly lover also. We watched the sweet moth as she flew frantically trying to find a dry spot to rest and we giggled every time she came near to us. After a few minutes, she found a place to land so we said good night and went back inside when there was another loud thump. We look expecting to see our yellow-winged friend only to see another moth the same size only with red wings. So again we venture out and giggle some more. They were both so pretty and fun to watch. My daughter named the yellow one, Butter Flutter and the red one, Apple Tapper. She went to bed that night with sweet dreams of moths fluttering through the night sky and I went back to my bills with a happy heart.

Butter Flutter

Apple Tapper

Its been a lousy month but it has also been wonderful. Lousy really isn't the best word to describe it though, crappy and shitty describe it better. It started with a very sweet woman who apparently forgot how navigate roads. She stopped in our own lane, for no reason I can ascertain, causing me to run into her. I take full responsibility for it but I do wonder what caused her to stop. A prancing pony perhaps. Or maybe she was making shapes out of the clouds. Thankfully, it was only a minor accident but my daughter was injured in the accident as well as my radiator. Both have healed but not the guilt that plagues me. It is hard to see her wound and know that it is my fault but I try to see beyond that because I know that it could happen to anyone.

So for the last month I have been without a car leaving me stuck at home with three very restless children. My sanity has wavered more than once but I am still holding strong. There have been other but more mild reasons for the crappy month that I have experienced. Since the accident, we have had five colds, 3 fevers, 2 broken doors, 3 leaks, an injured dog, one pair of broken glasses, a stomach virus that we all caught, an ear infection and other events that for obvious reasons I have blocked out. Not to mention that finances are still low, uncomfortably so.

All of these things taught me something very wonderful though. Life does not need my help to move faster and it is time to slow down. We have been playing games, finishing up with our school, making crafts, baking sweet treats and just having fun at home. I am actually getting caught up with many tasks I have been putting off. Writing is also coming back into my life, slowly but at least I can do it now. For all the struggles that we have been through this month, life is really good and we are happy.

Deepak Chopra said, "All great changes are preceded by chaos." I saw this on face book while writing this post and thought in fitting considering the chaos that has been my life. Great changes on the way.

Letters are amazing little things. They make such interesting sounds all alone or with a little company. Who knew that one day I would wish for some q, r, s and maybe some th, nb and a little tch. Without them books would have no meaning and pencils everywhere would cease to exist. Wonderful little letters . . . how I love you!

A true account of my journey into the wild of suburbia.

In between play dates today, I took the kids to a new park (new to us that is) and we spread out the blanket, had a picnic and read stories. It was a beautiful little park with a small meadow, a playground and a tiny pond. The kids asked if they could walk to the pond by themselves so I said sure. They waved sweetly from the other side of the pond as I watched my baby sleeping and the gentle clouds drifting by, taking on the shapes of various animals. On their way back, they were looking at the forested area when Benny decides to throw his favorite stuffed toy, Lizzie the Lizard, into the forest. I knew something was wrong by their urgent running, so after they explained what happened and where they thought it might be, I began the rescue mission. For an hour, I searched through branches, trees, spiderwebs and even came across two dead animals but no Lizzie. Lizzie quickly became the frightened lizard that I just had to find to that stupid toy I wanted to throw into the pond. I had hair sticking out everywhere, leaves and twigs were stuck in my ponytail and bugs were crawling down my back. In the end we had to say our goodbyes to Lizzie the lizard and I prayed that God would take good care of her by giving her to a small animal to rip apart and use for a warm nest. See you later, Lizzie!