Just about settled.

It's been seven days now since we've arrived at the new house. The kids and I left SW Kansas on Saturday morning and by the time we arrived the moving van was gone. And it was time to unpack. It was a bit hairy and stressful for a bit but practically everything is in it's place except for all my photos and paintings. The garage is a bit of a mess too but that's not my department. 

The last few weeks have left me feeling anxious and nervous but those feelings have quickly subsided. DR and I have meshed together fairly well this week after six months of living apart. I sure am sleeping better now that my bed isn't empty! 

The biggest adjustment we've probably all had to make is the change in climate. Of the seven days we've been here it's rained every day but one. Everything is so very green and there are flowers everywhere....it's a bit of an assault on the senses after 5 years in SW Kansas. Even the wet smells of grass and earth seem almost intoxicating. 

It's been so wet in fact that we had to go buy rain boots for the kids so they had something to play in the woods with. (More on that later.) In SW Kansas I never even had to buy them winter boots. A SW Kansas winter is a dry winter. You always hear about the dry heat but a dry winter is different too. It may get cold in SW Kansas but it's the humidity in winter that will drive that cold to your bones like here in the east. I've felt like I've gone through three seasons in one day just because the way humidity effects my body. I didn't think I'd ever have to get used to humidity again!! 

Across the street from our house is a lake that the kids have thoroughly enjoyed playing in. Wading and skipping rocks and tromping through mud. I haven't done this much laundry in ages. Yip, Yap and Yahoo are constantly stripping off wet clothes. I won't complain though because they are outside!! 

This little lake is a gem where you can fish and has a 1 1/3 mile walking path around the lake. On Mother's Day evening we all went for a walk here and ended up getting thoroughly soaked by the rain. The boys, who were almost 6 years old when we moved away from Illinois, were happy as clams that they were in the rain. Yahoo however was not impressed. She was only 1 1/2 years old when we moved to SW Kansas so she know nothing but a climate of severe drought. She HATED walking in the rain. It was almost comical how much she complained!! 

Besides the house I think we have made a good start into settling into the community. We signed up for the summer reading program at the town library. Yip and Yahoo are in baseball this summer and Yap is signed up for golf camp. I'm trying to spread the word about The Roving Brush and hoping to get a couple painting parties scheduled for summer time. We've met a few of the neighbors and have become a familiar face already at the local Orscheln Farm Store. 

I'm excited for the summer. I think it will be a good one but I am a little bit homesick for SW Kansas. 

I miss you Sue, Connie, Angie, Cassandra. Montezuma will always hold a special place in my heart! 

The Joys of MUD!

We started off our visit home to my husband's family in southern Indiana. My brother in law farms down there so I was really looking forward to tromping around with the kids. 

Indiana wheat looks awesome. The color of the photo above is off; it was much greener. 

My sister Officer came down with me because there are times that she really likes to get away from the hustle and bustle of Indianapolis. I can't really blame her. We were raised on a farm and spent lots of our childhood outside romping through trees and fields. Coming to the country is a tonic for our souls I think. 

My mom had told me how swamped with rain Indiana had been. They'd gotten four inches of rain just three days before we arrived so I was expecting muddy puddles. Our first stop, before we even got to the farm, was to buy three pairs of rubber boots. What a good buy! The kids stomped all over the place and I didn't have to worry about ruined shoes :) 

The first time Yahoo saw a muddy puddle she seemed so surprised! And she even asked if it was okay to play in. I'm not sure if she thought there was something in the mud, or if I'd be mad, or what but she didn't have that impulsive instinct to jump right into the mud like the boys did. Of course the boys lived around wet and mud until they were 5 1/2. Yahoo's lived in dry Kansas since she was 16 months old. Quite a different childhood between them. 

I love my brother in law's farm. So peaceful and just a wonderful place to romp around. 

Olympic Fever and Memories of Horse Dancing

Are you sucked in to the Olympics yet? 
We sure are! It's been a lot of fun explaining to my almost 8 year old boys what the Olympics are all about. Every evening we've been sitting down on the computer and hitting the highlight videos here. My boys enjoy picking which sports they want to watch and mostly they've either chosen shooting (rifle, archery, skeet) or gymnastics. Who can blame them? Guns, bows and arrows and some really impressive feats of strength and agility in those gymnasts!! 



DR though has been getting pretty tired of watching endless gymnastics. "Gymnastics again??" he asked just the other night. 
"Well" I replied, "at least it's better than horse dancing!" 

Didn't you know that horse dancing is an Olympic sport?? It IS!!! 

Granted it's not one of those sports that get's a lot of television coverage, in fact, NBC this event at 3am in the morning. And 8 years ago I watched A LOT of horse dancing! (I just learned they call it Dressage) 

Yes, 8 summers ago my twin boys were born right in the middle of the Olympics. Honestly, that summer I wasn't following the Olympics at all. I was doing everything I could to get two babies born! I had grown out of practically all my maternity clothes and I was miserable from being pregnant all summer. Praise the Lord when my two boys decided to finally arrive at the end of August! 

As you mothers out there surely know giving birth isn't a 9 to 5 job. My sister, mom and I were up in the wee hours of the morning, bored and waiting for my husband (that's a whole other story) so I flipped on the television at 3 am and yes, there was Olympic Horse Dancing on. At this point in my hospital stay I needed any diversion I could find to help me from stressing out more than I already was. Horse dancing...now that wasn't something I saw everyday! 

The horse and rider has a large rectangular arena where they would perform a routine to music. Horse Dancing didn't have any obstacles to jump, no...the horses just dance to the music. The horses even seemed to enjoy dancing, but what do I know I'm not a horse whisperer or anything. 

Check out this video where the horse dances to hip hop!! 

I wouldn't say Horse Dancing, okay Dressage, is my favorite Olympic event but it's kind of interesting to watch once or twice. 

What's your favorite Olympic event? 

Me, My Shoes and My Major Pains in the....

Feet! Pains in the feet...what were you thinking? 

You know the stereotype about women? That we just love to shop, especially for shoes? That's not me. And never has been. Shopping for shoes or clothes has never been enjoyable to me. I just want to get what I need and get out. Imagine my despair when I had to throw out all my shoes and replace them. Oh no!!! 

Let me explain..I've suffered from foot pain for at least ten years. It had been on and off and, up until a year and a half ago, I could always do something to ease the pain. Put arch supports in my shoes, stop running for a while or just buy a new pair of shoes. I had to completely give up wearing flip flops about 5 years ago because they hurt my feet so badly. But about a year and half ago I was having serious and consistent foot pain for months that wouldn't go away no matter what I did. Many days I was on the verge of tears because the pain was so bad. I was to the point where I was running on my treadmill barefoot and I had a pair of flimsy canvas shoes I wore all the time because that was the closest to being barefoot. I didn't own one pair of shoes that didn't hurt and going barefoot was the only thing that could ease the pain. 

I finally went to a podiatrist who measured my feet and, lo and behold, I was wearing the wrong size shoes. I had been wearing size 9 since high school and the doctor said I needed a 8 1/2 wide shoe AND I had high rigid arches. I was wearing shoes that were too small, squeezing my feet and didn't have enough support. 

Great (insert sarcasm). I had to buy new shoes. 

I've went through a lot of shoes in the past year. Some worked (I bought men's cowboy boots because they are wider than women's and they feel great), some failed miserably (I still have to put arch supports in most of my shoes). But I just have to share the VERY BEST SHOES OF ALL TIME!!! 

Okabashi Shoes.

4 Reasons this company is awesome! 

1. Made in the USA

2. These shoes are completely recyclable. 

When your shoes wear out, send them back to Okabashi and they'll make them into a new pair. 

3. My feet have NEVER hurt in Okabashi shoes. (They're endorsed by the American Chiropractic Society.)

4. VERY affordable. Prices range from $13 - $20 dollars a pair. 

I just received two new pairs last week. These are Clogs. 

The Okabashi shoes are rubber like, not soft and foamy like Crocs but sturdier. 

Each pair of Okabashi shoes have a built in arch support. I've been wearing these brown ones all over the house and I've forgotten that I'm even wearing them. They are that comfortable. 

Please ignore my ugly toes. 

I also got a new pair of Classic Flip Flops this week! 

Last summer I wore a green pair of Okabashi flip flops everyday. No joke. I wore them to church, in the garden, EVERY WHERE! They felt so very good on my feet. I hadn't been able to wear flip flops for 5 years! Okabashi has been a blessing for my feet. 

My green ones aren't worn out either; they really do last. 

I just wanted a second pair for the summer. (Guilty pleasure)

My favorite part of these Okabashi shoes are the little bumps. It's like getting a foot massage all day long! That's my idea of heaven right there. 

GREAT SHOE #2 -Vibram 

I run a lot; 20+ miles a week. I did end up getting new running shoes after I remeasured my feet but I enjoyed running barefoot so much that I kept doing it a few days a week on my treadmill for the past year. Although running barefoot feels good, with my high arches I can't do it everyday or my feet start really hurting again. I have found that my feet feel much stronger than they did a year ago. 

DR bought me a pair of Vibram FiveFinger shoes for Christmas!

I admit, I over did in these shoes the first week I had them and ran in them 4 days in a row and my feet hurt for a week. I'm smarter now; a couple days on and a couple days off. 

Basically the philosophy is that our bodies were never made to shoes and the shoes we do wear make the muscles in our feet and legs weak and throws off our alignment. Naturally, our feet are designed to work best barefoot but after decades of wearing shoes (on concrete, not natural), it takes time to adjust to wearing or running in these shoes on a daily basis. 

So even though my feet should be able to go barefoot, I've spent too much time in other shoes and I don't have the strength in my arches (yet) to wear these shoes everyday. 

Despite not being able to wear them everyday I do love these shoes. They are comfortable to run in and much warmer than I anticipated. I don't wear socks with them though you can buy toe socks off the Vibram website. There's plenty of traction so I don't have to worry about slipping in them. The bottom of these shoes are strong enough too that I don't have to worry about anything poking into my feet as I run. It's kind of difficult getting used to putting them on, I'm still working on getting the right toes in the right holes! And when you run in these you almost have to relearn your stride. I don't take as long of steps and my feet land more on the ball of my feet rather than the heel. I have found myself lately running at a faster pace in these shoes than traditional running shoes and that's encouraging! Vibram's aren't cheap though; $100+ per pair. However if they strengthen my feet I think the price is worth it. 

My feet problems are probably totally different than yours but if you are looking for a new pair of shoes I definitely recommend that you check out Okabashi and Vibram FiveFingers! That may have something just for you. 

Photo of the Day - The Camera Lover and the Camera Hater

Yip always looks away but Yap is always ready to pose.

Call me crazy but sometimes

I really like taking pictures when they aren't smiling!

Photo of the Day - Yahoo loves it outside.

Photo of the Day - Yip and his Stick

Yip in his element...outdoors. I really love this photo but I can't put my finger on just what it is that I love so much. Texture? The hat? The stick?

Wild Monkeys Loose in the Midwest!

What are you two? Monkeys or Boys? Oh, right....they are the same!

90 degrees, 85% Humidity

90 degrees...85 % humidity...no air conditioning...way out in the country....

Yeah, this is appropriate summer attire. (Once again, leaves added for our modest audience!)

I'm starting a Nudist Colony

Yesterday's weather was in the upper 80's, hot and sticky. Not surprisingly at one point in the day two of my kids were naked. Curiously the third was wearing a sweatshirt and sweatpants....odd kid.

I'm thinking of starting a nudist colony. Here's my first member.

Not ashamed a bit are you Yahoo?

Here take a leaf for our more modest readers.

Well...at least she's comfortable!