Lent, My Days 25-27

We traveled to Arizona this past weekend, so my overall thankfulness is about the opportunity to do that!  But I will divvy up the days of Lent and recall some specifics for you here.

Day 25, Saturday

On Saturday, we drove the 6-1/2 hours to Tempe, where we stayed for the next two nights.  There was snow falling for a large portion of our journey and even some snow packed roads once we were up in the mountains.  But I'm thankful the Lord saw fit to keep our van on the road and to keep all of us safe on our trip!

Lent, My Days 23-24

I know my day 24 is not over yet, but here's the thing, I'm going away for the weekend(!) and so I'm posting my thankfulness now so I can be thankful I don't have more posts to make up when I get back.  We all know I'm already backlogged with so many things I want to write about here anyway.

Six-List: Lent, My Day 22 and Six Things I'm Thankful for Today

I have a lot to be thankful for today!

1.  This is my 500th Mama Flock post.  Hooray!

A Word About the Weather

I keep hearing about this drought of Biblical proportions around our country this year.  It's a scary thing!  Especially considering the outrageous numbers of wild fires recently.  My prayers go out for those who have lost homes or loved ones because of the fires.

I Survived a Day at the Beach (And So Did All Nine Children I Brought With Me)

Last summer, my sister and I spent time every week at a community pool.  We also did summer movie club ($1 movies) and park days and had a great time.  But this summer, she's back to work since she's no longer pregnant ... so it's up to me to arrange fun summer outings for our five kids, plus her four, so that they don't all rot their brains just watching television for hours (which as bad as it sounds, would be a lot easier for me sometimes).

So today, we drove up to Cochiti Lake Beach -- about an hour north of Albuquerque -- and spent time at the beach.  It was my first attempt at doing something like this on my own with all nine, where water and no lifeguards are involved (I remember when we just had our first three and I didn't even like to take them to the beach by myself ... but I got over it since I don't love sitting around the house all the time).  Before we left, though, I had a good talk with all the big kids and explained to them I needed their watchful eyes to help me keep track of the little kids.  They did a good job.

Earth, Wind & Fire

No, this is not a flashback to the 1970s.  This is a tribute to the lovely wind we've been having here in central New Mexico that stirs up a whole lot of earth (sand) and brings in pollution from forest fires happening all around us.  It's great.

Okay, so I'm being a little sarcastic.  I mean, who wants to be surrounded constantly by the scent of a campfire without the benefit of its warmth and s'mores ... or camping?  And then while inhaling the aromas of burning forests, we also get to be pelted with sand.  It's a whole lot of sneezing and eye-watering going on around here for the past two days.  A lot of indoor time happening here.

1st, 2nd, 3RD Snow of the Season

For those who don't know, yes, it does snow in New Mexico.  We live in what's called "high desert."  The climate is very dry and it does get pretty hot in the summertime, but in the winter, it gets really cold, too.  I'm typing this at 6:30am and it's 20-degrees Fahrenheit right now.  Tonight, the low is forecasted to be 6.  I don't know about you, but that's cold.

Back to Cool

The guy is here right now as I type, installing a replacement compressor in our air conditioning unit.  It's just in the nick of time, too.  We had our hottest two days yet, just yesterday and the day before.  If we weren't sleeping before, the last two nights have actually doubled our overall sleep debt.  Everyone in the house is edgy and rude.

P.S.

Still no word on where our compressor is for the A/C.  Temperatures are still pretty unbearable, especially when it comes time to sleep.  I'm still praying it all gets fixed soon!

It's Hot

Our air conditioner is busted.  Right when we need it most.  None of us can escape the heat inside our own home ... especially upstairs where we sleep.  We sweat more than we sleep.  Blehhhhh.

Okay, Lord, I've learned my lesson about taking comforts for granted, would you please deliver our new compressor soon?  Oh, and also, it would be great if you could provide a loophole in the warranty so that it'll all be covered for free.  Anything is possible, right?  Amen.

Anyway, it's been days like this and I'm nearing the end of my rope.  I hope this explains why I'm far from my blogging and stuff, too, because the computer is in one of the hottest rooms in the house. 

Though hot, we're all still alive and well.  I'll write more another day....

Brrrrrrr!

A quick post that has very little with being a mom except the extra effort it takes this time of year to get kids ready to go anywhere, but because my sister recommended that I post some pictures and make a short post for once - just to see if I can. Ha. So I get a little chatty! :)