Potty Training the Puppy

Yes, we have a new member of the Blaske family. (call me crazy...Really call me crazy)

Her name is Juliet and she is an early Christmas present from Ashlie to our whole family.

She is a 3 pound wonder!

It is CRAZY how a puppy can bring kids/family together in great ways!

This a.m....due to the crate training I have chosen to do as the method of potty training, (notice I said "I have chosen"...yes the kids LOVE LOVE LOVE her...and I get to train, feed and be with her all day. Which really is kind of lovely as she sits on my lap most of the day while I work in the office)

Today, 6:00....like everyday (she does not understand weekends) she whimpers, whines and is ready to get OUT of her crate.

Stumbling around, coat for me, slip Daves shoes on, grab leash, treats and off we go to stand OUTSIDE to go potty.

On my way to get the coat etc...out the kitchen window I see a striking neon pink thin line over the mountains forming out of the dark morning..."wow, I bet this sunrise is going to be amazing God....THANK YOU" I say in my heart.

Outside....Jewls wont go(Sunrise is now turning pink to dark orange and getting taller....we stand, use cues, stand some more. She goes! Yeah...treat and inside we go. Go inside, Leash off, coat off, shoes off...strong desire for coffee...walk toward kitchen....see Jewels scooting around under kitchen table...she pauses, squats to poop...REALLY!

Swoop her up...shoes on, no coat, leash in hand, no treats...OUTSIDE again...and NO POOP...

walking, sniffing, use word cues, walking, playing with cat. I am getting CRANKY! Dave opens the door and smiles...seeing me in my jammies in front yard.

Mean time...sunrise has blown up in the entire sky to radiant pink, orange, yellows and very top clear blue dancing off the high clouds...AMAZING!

Jewls NEVER goes...15 mins of standing in the cold.

Bring her in, put her down, lean down to take off my shoes...she squats on the tile, poops and skips off into the kitchen...happy happy happy puppy!

Seriously! Not a good start to a Sunday!

Grumble grumble grumble...cranky cranky cranky...lots of unkind thoughts dancing through my head about my very cozy warm sleeping children at this point!

Coffee...ahhhh, ....Bible.....ahhh,....Holy Spirit, Tap tap tap on my heart....owww ohhh!

Word picture life lesson coming at me FULL tilt! (love it and year for it, but really feel like there is some correction coming...YEP it did!)

God says:

"Carrie, like standing in the yard today...you can SEE a whole big picture of your surroundings, like a 360 view from the place you stand. BIG telephoto lens! You see Me and my power, strength and beauty...just like the commanding sunrise I made for you this a.m.

You love and trust me and look at this view often....where you need to practice is the IN and OUT movement of your picture lens."

My Big Picture NEVER changes! I am UNCHANGING!

"Carrie, do not let the details and situations (ie: puppy frustrations, kid challenges, work loads, Adoption stretches and heart aches) cause you to forget that in the ZOOM in times of situations,

THE SUNRISE that is happening is in that SAME view...you just can not see it because of the close focus needed at that given time. It is STILL there!

"Like a muscle, you must get better at using the lens of your heart to move in and out of BIG PICTURE (where you rest and see me most) and ZOOM focus (where you tend to cry out ot me during times of trouble, but yearn for big pictures times of peace) and be ACTIVE in lens movement for sustainable PEACE in you....now matter what view you see.....move in and out of both views during the times of focus.

When you are cranky, frustrated, hurt or angry...pull back a bit on the view...my power has not changed, this will not change the situations I have put CLOSE by you....but it will cause a deep peace which will allow you to be in ZOOM in situations with my power not your own"

OKAY! Can I say that God uses word pictures to talk to my often...and today I wanted to share this on the blog because the reality of my aching heart for Gabriel to come home has been gaining some sadness as the weeks go by. I have had times in the last 12 weeks of ZOOM focus that has caused my sweet family to have to tip toe around a sometimes emotional, cranky mommy.

God used His Grand Sunrise, a tiny puppy and poop to express His heart for me today!

SUSTAINABLE PEACE using the lens of my heart! THANK you God!

Weekend update!

This last weekend I paused for a few seconds to look around our house. I decided to pick up my camera and do a 360 in our upstairs and capture ONE moment of BLASKE-ness.
Reason: In moments like this, it causes a great THANKFULNESS to rise up in me to the LORD and all HE is in our lives.
Imagine the noise, the laughter, the frustrations, the play....all going on at one time as life happens.
Ashlie: She is our resident Apple comp WIZ! She was hanging out with us and trying to get some CD music onto Daddy's I phone. Tanner is usually close by because he usually has added some "special feature" or up load to the computer that no one can work but him :O)

There is a BIG play area in John's room, downstairs, and even in the front room...but 99% of the time I find Johnny in the kitchen where I am. Just when I start to feel the frustration about kicking marbles, tripping on toys, stepping over train tracks...my heart stops and I OPEN my eyes to the AMAZING little boy who is MY boy playing in the kitchen to be close to me...and realize, some day the kitchen will be clear and quite and oh how sad that will be! For now...PLAY ON Johnny Man!

Lunches...each day the kids pack their lunches the night before school...or I should say, the idea would be that "each night" lunches get packed. (many a morning there are some mad dashes slathering peanut butter onto bread and shoving into a bag and into the back pack as some child forgot to do lunch the night before runs to catch the bus)

Over all...25 lunches get packed Mon-Friday.....and If Victoria had her choice she would pack every ones lunch. She is a great cook and a great lunch packer.

Reports: Oh I do remember the day of hand written reports....but I guess that dates me a bit. (I could even admit the papers I did in the "typewriter" hummmm!)

Tristan is here working on a Book report/short essay. He has a great Language Arts mind and I enjoy reading his papers.

Science project: 3D model of a plant cell....Tanner had this project in hand for a week...but being the "on top of it all momma" that I am, I did not make it to the craft store to get the supplies until two days before. Here he is with his almost complete project. (thankfully Ash was over hanging out and came up with the idea of "wires" to stick the labels on.

PLAY: Okay, I know John is in here 2 times..it is because he is 2 times as busy:O)

Dave and John have great games of UNO, Sorry, Zingo (thanks Kathy) and lots of building projects....like this one.

Overall, in the span of the few seconds it took me to take these few pictures, it is really good for me to STOP life in motion at times a TAKE in the ACTION frame by frame!

One Weekend, One moment, MANY BLESSINGS!

*no worries all you friends and family wondering about Gabriel:....more to come soon.

We are anxiously awaiting a court date....then we will be on a weekly update on time frame.

Soon that little man will be in our Weekends, Moments and YES we already count him as one of our BLESSINGS!