blessed

Oh my Carrots...

I am your biggest skeptic of most things "natural" and "organic." I thought at first that it was all hype and paranoia when my mom would scour ingredients on her deodorant, shampoo and toothpaste (to know a few) when i was a small child... her "plan" in all of that was to avoid Alzheimer's and cancers...etc. I'd do a not to subtle eye roll, and skip to the "normal" aisle to grab my toothpaste that did not taste that cattails and barley :) In my young and realist mindset i had at the time, we were all going to die, and it would more then likely be of some sort of cancer, why hate my hygiene in vain when i cant change or alter due process?

(Now is the time that all my tree-hugger greenie friends are going to scoff at me, look the other way, or possibly throw rocks at me.) Well, i still feel that way (sort of). I'm still the biggest skeptic you will meet for several reasons, but the more i allow myself to "try" new things, research the cause and effect of certain ingredients, and look at my children and wonder what i'm exposing them to, the more open minded i am becoming.

The change to cloth diapering.. EASY. The chemicals in disposables and the effects long term that research is showing they have is disgusting and astonishing, it also saved us an insane amount of money. Switching to Method hand soap.. i just liked the simplicity of it, and how the bottles looked, and how the refill for it came in a bog unscrewable bag. I didn't find out till later that it was "Green." Our Organic food selection is kind of hit and miss. I dont go out looking for only organic stuff, but if the two options are presented next to one another and the price is not so bad, i'll try to get the obviously healthier option. I do buy those little organic baby food packets with the screw on tops that you can basically DRINK the food out of. I buy these for my 2 yr old as he barely eats anything. He will literally take 2 bites of every meal. But he downs these packets because he thinks they are fun. *garden greens and pear? *Macaroni, white beans and butternut squash? *sweet potato, apple, beats and vanilla risotto? Yes please! His Pediatrician says to just let him go hungry and he will eat when he feels he needs to, but after 4 days of him eating less then his baby sis eats in one sitting, my mommy heart said, no way. If i have to let him drink his food out of packets to get nutrition into his 22 pound 28 month old body, i will stoop to that level. I also love my Rockin Green laundry detergent that i mostly just used for our dipes. I'd use it for all our clothes if we'd ever run out of the detergent we bought at the case lot sale 2 years ago :/

Now sure, i have scoured my kitchen and bathrooms with baking soda and vinegar (laundry too), and polished all my faucets with a lemon wedge.. I've clean stains with hydrogen peroxide, and i do from time use coconut oil for many various things. But (sorry greenies) to me, nothing beats KNOWING that the germs are gone. I love the smell of chemicals. i love bleach, pine sol, lysol.. i love knowing my house is so clean that my baby can eat a cheerio off my bathroom floor (before her brothers destroy it in two minutes) and not get some funky virus. I have tried "green" cleaners, and i think they smell goofy and pale in comparison in getting the cleaning job done, at least the ones i have tried.

All of this brings me to Carrots. Oh. My. Word. As i browsed the self care section with a best friend of mine on a mission to save her dry and brittle (she claims) hair, i stumbled across a few things i really wanted, but didnt really need... and then, wait.. AND THEN (insert music from dumb and dumber when Lloyd sees Merry for the first time "love is in the air, flowers everywhere.." and imagine two big doors blowing open and the man of my dreams walking in) I saw it. Perfectly cylindrical bottles with various fruits and vegetables on the labels. By the make-up. ???? But the bottles were fitting in nicely with my OCD and i do like produce, so i went for the closer look. I was reading all about carrots and melons and cucumbers and blueberries and tomatoes.. After smelling them to make sure they did not smell like tomatoes and carrots I was intrigued..thoroughly. BUT THEY SAID USDA ORGANIC. suddenly i didn't want them. Not if they would treat my hair and body the way the cleaner took care of my toilet. BUT i knew this store's policy on returning used and opened products, and if they didn't work phenomenally, they'd go right back on this shelf. My only true fear after reading the entirety on the label was that it would turn my hair orange, afterall, it was made with carrots. Without allowing myself the pep talk to convince myself to return it to its home, i rushed far far away from that section with 4 new products in my cart :) I wanted to shower right there, and then, the suspense of a garden shower was a little too much excitement to handle.

THE SHOWER~ The first product i used was my new Facial cleanser, Yes to Blueberries. [This milk-based gentle facial cleanser will make you say YES to a fresh face. A gentle start to your skincare regimen, this cleanser is formulated with apple, rich in powerful anti-oxidants and natural alpha-hydroxy acids to help refresh and brighten skin; and lemon peel, a naturally derived cleanser to help sweep away dirt and grime and brighten the skin. Follow with a layer of Intensive Skin Repair Serum and your skin will thank you! Blueberries

Rich in Anti-oxidants such as Vitamin C and Anthocyanins to help fight the formation of free radicals that can damage the skin's microstructure.

Apple
Rich in powerful Polyphenol Anti-Oxidants and natural Alpha Hydroxy Acids, which help to refresh and brighten skin's surface.

Lemon Peel
Naturally derived cleanser to help sweep away dirt and grime while smoothing and brightening skin's surface.

Coconut Oil

All-natural moisturizer to leave skin feeling soft and smooth after cleansing.

:

Rich in anti-oxidants such as Vitamin C and Anthocyanins to help fight the formation of free radicals that can damage the skin's microstructure.

Clinically proven to promote skin repair in 7 days by hydrating age damaged skin and helping boost natural collagen.

Clinically proven to restore and smooth skin and reduce fine lines in 28 days; firms and rehydrates the delicate skin around the eye to help reduce the appearance of fine lines and crow's feet.]

First i sniffed it. Eyebrow raise. slight smile. still thinking it is going to play a trick on me.. Right? If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is?? I put about a dime size amount on my fingers and began to massage.. No foaming.. no bubbles. No soapy feel. None. In fact i re-checked the label mid scrub to make sure i didn't accidentally buy the lotion. I would so do that, use a lotion in the shower (dork) Fab, i got a dud. Wait... something incredible is happening to my face. It feels... hmm, not tingly, but similar... awake. YES, it feels awake, i had forgotten what that feels like. After rinsing my face felt magically smooth and moist (shush your mouth, i know it's moist, i'm in a shower..but read between my lines) it felt "lotion moist"... oiled but not a greasy oiled.. a CLEAN oiled. i really cant describe it (if you couldn't tell). By the way, day 4 of not using face lotion anymore.. and i have the driest skin on the planet on parts of my face.

Next up, shampooooooo. Yes to Carrots. [We know you'll be singing in the shower with Yes To Carrots Nourishing Shampoo. It cleanses, nourishes and moisturizes your hair and scalp with Dead Sea Minerals, revitalizing and protecting it and leaving you with luminous, luscious locks. Go ahead, grab the shampoo bottle and use it for your microphone, this is definitely something to sing about!*

Organic Carrots are brimming with Beta-Carotene, an essential vitamin that keeps your lovely locks happy, healthy, and hydrated.

Dead Sea minerals sourced from the world's most ancient spa, naturally exfoliate, detoxify and rejuvenate. These minerals lock in the vitamins and minerals from the delicious fruits and vegetables.

Also includes: Carrot Juice, Carrot Seed Oil, Chamomilla Recutita Flower Oil, Olive Oil, Sweet Almond Oil, Jojoba Seed Oil, Pumpkin Extract, Melon Extract, Wheat Germ Oil, Orange Fruit Extract, Honey Extract.]

I didn't use a whole lot of shampoo. I suppose in retrospect, i was trying to challenge its amazingness based on my results with the Yes to Blueberries face wash. It won the challenge.

Let me just lay a base by saying that my hair was in serious distress. I had butchered it a few months back with some homemade shampoo concoction that stripped it of all things shiney and colorful and beautiful (I'm taking a personal moment....okay, I'm okay) And then shortly after that my handsome husband desired It shorter and darker. So it was first murdered by yours truly, and then maimed at the salon with toners and color and glosses, and bleach (from the first crazy women who touched it before i had it redone on their dime).. It was sad sad hair. It was all i could do every shower to coax moisture into it with coconut oil and cholesterol and then heat treat it with a blow dryer followed by hot rollers or a straightener.. That was my routine i got cornered into. There was little hope.

I used probably a quarter size dollup and went right to my roots.. within literally 5 seconds, i had so much foam on top of my head that i felt like marge simpson. It was amazing. Well, it was more fun at this point. None of my other shampoo's (expensive salon ones or otherwise) ever did that. i had to get quite the massage going with a larger quantity of shampoo to achieve this effect! Rinsing it out was pretty uneventful. It felt like hair :)

Next I used Yes to Carrots conditioner. Ingredients are very similar to the shampoo, so i wont list them. The bottle told me to start at the roots. I never do this because my hair gets greasy so quickly after my shower if i do, so i'll usually just condition my ends. However, the "yes to's" haven't led me astray so far, and i decided to do it by the book. I lathered it all up from roots to tip and continued to read the label... It told me to take a moment to ponder life. I did. I pondered my kids. I pondered my long shower and cole downstairs alone with three kids. I pondered that i should probably hurry and wash my body while this conditioner hung out in my hair so i could get fabulous in double time.

On to Yes to Carrots hydrating shower gel- [We know you love your luxuriously long showers - so do we! What better way to let the feeling of a hot, relaxing shower linger than to carry it with you in your skin! Yes To Carrots Carrot Hydrating Shower Gel gently cleanses, nourishes and rivitalizes your skin, leaving you feeling clean, fresh, moisturized throughout the day. So clean and with so much hydration, it's like you've never even left the shower! You'll feel amazingly refreshed, revived, and radiating a natural, healthy glow!*

Organic Carrots are brimming with Beta-Carotene, a natural antioxidant that protects skin from damaging free radicals. Melons are rich in Beta-Carotene and also Vitamin A and Vitamin C, which naturally exfoliates and hydrate to leave your skin feeling soft and refreshed. Also includes: Matricaria Flower Oil, Olive Fruit Oil, Sweet Almond Oil, Jojoba Seed Oil, Pumpkin Fruit Extract, Orange Extract, Honey Extract.]

Oh my goodness. I've used this stuff both just with my bare hands, and on a sponge. It is like nothing i have ever showered with before. My skin after was so unbelievably soft. I told Cole i had never felt so clean from a shower. That was weird to say, because that is the sole purpose of showers... to clean you. But its true.

Rinsing out the conditioner it felt a lot like how you hair would feel after a deep conditioning treatment. I have yet to blow dry it since using these products, so i cant tell you about that. But i can tell you that never in my life have i been able to go to bed with wet hair and not re wet and heat treat it in the morning. I would wake up looking like a cross between Kurt Cobain and a Hanson brother, no kidding. But the first night i showered with this stuff, i went to bed with wet hair. It was not my intention, i just ran out of time, and then energy to do anything about it. I was sad knowing that i waisted a good shower on "testing" out a product to get limp flimsy result which would be my fault. Much to my surprise, i awoke with shiney brilliance upon my head.. Lose soft curls and lots of body. I loved my hair so much in fact, that i didn't even brush it, and i wore it down all day long... running my hands through it (and moving my head to feel it swoosh when no one was around..well, no big people). That was a thursday night, that shower.. I didn't wash my hair again until saturday night, but not because it needed it, it look honestly just as fabulous at friday morning.. but because i just cant go that long working out and not washing my hair. its gross. no matter how much you bathe the rest of your body...your head sweats too.

I truly and deeply an enamored by this product and i will sing it praises loudly. I'm usually a product bailer... i cant handle the commitment. When it starts to "do me wrong" it is quickly replaced.. But i think that even i, have met my match. We were made for one another. In fact i think it was made for everyone. They even have an entire sensitive skin line, and acne line, and hair products that protect colored hair as well. I think everyone needs to go check it out here, and give it a try. If you hate it, return it. Their website says they sell it nearly everywhere. I'm excited to try their babyline.

Fear and surrendering :/

For those of you who have not been aware via my gazillion status updates, this has been a rough-ish few days for us. One of the small hurdles has been a serious bout of conjunctivitis (which is just a more friendly, less "ewe" way of saying we have a pink eye outbreak) with our two year old Mr. Cautious.

Today only marks day two of his well over dramatic saga. I suppose i shouldn't judge. i have never had it, maybe his reactions to how he is feeling are legitimate.. for one who is so independent and self-sustained and mild mannered he has sure been clingy and whiney and pulling out all the "whoa is me" bells and whistles with this one. His face today looks like Rocky Balboa on a bad day, and FORGET trying to put his eye drops in. That's a fun exercise 3 times a day. How scary is it to have someone play with your hair as you lay in their lap, put one drop in each corner and say "blink blink blink sweetie?" He lays there, eyes pursed shut, not blinking, just crying as if i were sawing off his arm. I gave myself a drop, to make sure i was lying to him when i told him they felt good. they did feel quite refreshing, but maybe not to a raw eye? once he finally DOES blink, he's good and gets down. No crying, no ouch. so i think I'm fair in calling him a scardy cat :)

This morning he awoke and was calling out for me. His poor eyes were glued shut, much like i remember our baby kittens eyes growing up. There was no goop on the outside, so not much i could do as far as cleaning. We read Miss Spiders Tea Party together, I'd stop every so often, as we do, and he'd fill in the next line :) He eventually began rubbing his eyes, which he is not supposed to do, so we went and got a warm wet rag, and a dry one and tried to calmly tag team his eyes, me with the wet one, him following me and drying it up. No luck... so i told him we were going downstairs.. i lied. He must know the twists and turns of our house because as soon as i walked into my bedroom he began saying "Eh-E sweeping??" (Elsie sleeping?) and i said yes and then we walked into my bathroom.

Now would be a good time to tell you how completely TERRIFIED he is of showers. the sight of the shower head even brings him to quivers and tears.. the sound of it running, and despite him showing with me since he was a newborn, if you take him in there with you, you will emerge with battlewounds. We are not sure why, or how to explain this fear, other then to encompass it under the umbrella we put everything else under.. he's afraid, at least at first, of nearly everything except the things kids should be afraid of...cars, dogs..strangers.

He knew i had entered my bathroom, i felt his little kitten claws sink in for dear life. i tried to remove my clothes and his while we were still very attached to one another. As i'm trying to explain that this is the only thing that will help him see and i wont let go of him and he will be okay, i can feel his little body shaking, just trembling...and my heart breaks. He cant see. THat must be terrifying alone, not a day has gone by in his little two years when this security has been removed from him.. but today he cant see. And now, his mommy, the one he trusts the most, is taking him blindly into the place he terrifies the most, and she is telling him, "Just trust me."

A revelation awoke within me. How many time when we are in a point in our lives where we cant "see" and our Heavenly Father picks us us and carries us blindly into the places that terrify us the most? Do we listen when he says " Just Trust Me," Or are we 20% trusting and 80% ready to bolt? Do we trust that there is only one way for us to "get better" and to see, and only he knows that way? So the whole time from here on out, Im clinging to my baby, and seeing me. What a sweet sweet moment that was. my heart needed to break like that. After several minutes of letting the warm water splash down on his back, he finally found a peace in his body and rested his head onto my shoulder. He surrendered. He trusted me. Whatever fear lies within that shower, was not overcome (yet) but he knew i would protect him from it, that i was not going to let go of him, and slowly he began to see.

At this point Brother woke up and peeked his head in, Corban saw him through weepy goopy cracks and called for him, and invited him in. Not something generally allowed here since he's a big boy now. so i had him grab my swim suit for him and threw that on real quick. After moments of having his brother in there, and having the drain plugged so they had some splash water, the shower was not so scary, and i actually got to wash myself while they sat together below me :) and before i dried them off he even let me wipe the green boogers off of those ridiculously long lashes of his. He is now sitting peacefully in his high chair eating Ovaltine French Toast! He can watch his cartoon all because he surrendered to his fear. and he's having a relatively peaceful morning.

My nugget for the day... Oh to be more like a child when it comes to just resting my head in God's shoulder, even when i'm scared, because in reflection of all my life.. i KNOW that trusting him will get me exactly where i am meant to be.. and being scared and trusting myself and refusing to go where I'm frightened gets me no where but hanging out with my own goopy eyes listing to others reading books that i cant see. <3

Um, i just won us A THOUSAND dollars :)

Here is the "Green" essay i wrote to the Marine Corps Exchange:

I know that the "Essay" is supposed to be 250 words or less... but this is near impossible for me! I'm trying :/ but that fact is whenever i try, it just sound like a list instead of an essay. My solution is to send you both, one to be entered and the other i suppose just to get a full picture of our family. 250 words just pales in what i feel i need to say, i'm sorry!

Seven years ago when our family first began we would not have considered ourselves the type of people to actively pursue a simple and natural lifestyle, omitting most comforts we had grown accustomed to, opening our minds, and in doing so freeing our souls. As our family began to grow, baby by baby, and we built our little nest up twig by twig; the significance of a natural life for our children became so profoundly evident. A native proverb that speaks high measures to us, "We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children." We knew that the beauty we were surrounded with was a gift from God, and we needed to not only be diligent in taking care of it, but teach our little ones how to cultivate it and take care of it the same.

Our gradual introduction (accidental still at this time) began with home remedy herbal teas, such as Rooibos Tea for sore throats and coughs. We also began to be quite creatively accomplished recyclers filling 3 recycle bins to one trash can every week! Purchasing all of our clothes and household material needs from consignment, goodwill or garage sales, and even rescuing curbside "trash" and fixing it up. Most of our furniture was refurbished this way, some of our most treasured and beautiful pieces were nearly destroyed by those trash trucks. I also sold these reclaimed treasure online making an astonishing $300/week one summer! Yay for trash hunting!! That first year we also began our veggie, berry and herb gardens which is always a fun family activity when Spring approaches.

Shortly after, we built our own home making sure to use energy saving and efficient materials and appliances, we also sold our vehicles and invested in fuel efficient cars, one still an SUV, which i was excited about. My darling husband hung me a long laundry line outback and built me a purple martin house to avoid needing summer insect repellent, it worked magically. I dabbled a bit in natural cleaning involving vinegar, lemons and baking soda and was so amazed how the simplest of things could produce such drastic results!

Upon our move to Virginia we had discovered baby #3 was soon on its way, which meant two in diapers. We researched the benefits and positive feedbacks of modern cloth diapering children, we on a whim ordered it and haven't turned back. It is agreeably the best green decision we have made. The health benefits, long term and short term for the children are so heart jolting; cancers, reproductive problems, skin disorders, hormone imbalances... Along with our diapers, we chose to cloth wipe, using cut up receiving blankets and a simple spray bottle solution. We have currently influenced at least 12 other families to switch to cloth, not much talking needed on our part, it mostly has spoken for itself. We use Virgin coconut oil On their bums for diaper rash and yeast infections which clear up in a day!

The move to Virginia also was followed with terrible teething in our one year old, so we purchased a Baltic Amber teething necklace, which is a resin containing sucinic acid that is absorbed through the skin that greatly reduces pain, inflammation, swelling, and aid your general overall immunity. All of our children (and many of our friends children) now wear them.

We recently purchased an old entertainment center that we are in the process of converting into a very mod play kitchen for the kids, we drink out of old condiment jars (mason jar style) and have recently switched over to glass"to go" water bottles rather then reusing our plastic ones full of chemicals, and our children also get excited to bring in their "rain buckets" from outside to water out indoor plants that we have, filtering our the germs and pathogens in our house. I think there are always more way you can discover little ways here and there to be more grateful for living in such a lush and beautiful place. It doesn't happen over night, but babysteps will begin to open new doors for your family and give you such a resounding peace.

SHORT VERSION ( no small feat for me! haha)

When our family first began we wouldn't have considered ourselves to be green seekers, omitting most comforts we had grown accustomed to, opening our minds, and in doing so freeing our souls. The significance of a natural life for our children became so profoundly evident as our family grew. A native proverb that speaks high measures to us, "We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children." We knew that the beauty we were surrounded with was a gift from God, and we needed not only be diligent in taking care of it, but teach our little ones how to cultivate it and take care of it the same.

We are active in cloth diapering and wipes, natural medicine including: teas, teething necklaces, vitamins, and coconut oil which is great for a thousand things, truly. Using glass over plastic, reusing containers rather then recycling them, reclaiming abandoned furniture, cleaning with natural everyday substances, shopping second hand, mending your own things rather then buying replacements, using appliances and water only when needed, grow what you eat, and run multiple errands with one trip, just to name a very few!

I think there are always more way you can discover little ways here and there to be more grateful for living in such a lush and beautiful place. It doesn't happen over night, but babysteps will begin to open new doors for your family and give you such a resounding peace.

SSgt. Cole and Mary Nason and family

Their Response!

SSgt. Cole & Mary Nason,

Thanks so much for your submission to the Green Marine Challenge! Your conscientious efforts to make a positive difference on our planet earth were deemed as outstanding and therefore it is with great pleasure that we would like to inform you that you are our grand prize winner of a $1,000.00 Marine Corps Exchange Gift Card.

Simply reply to this notification with your mailing address and telephone number. Your gift card will be sent out to you via FedEx within 7 days of receiving this information. (Sorry, P.O. boxes are not acceptable in this particular situation due to proof of delivery.)

Again, SSgt. and Mary, we’re so excited for you. Thanks for your support of the MCX and, especially, thanks for caring for the generations that follow you!

Respectfully,

The MCX Corporate Advertising Team

Gary Miller

Cathy Watts

Vanessa Rodriguez

Mary Pugliese

AHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WOOOOO HOOO

Just a peek

Blogging.... it's one of those things i "aspired" to doing..well, when i had time (grin). It's right up there on the list of photography, finishing my 6 half finished or barely started sewing projects.. writing down all the cute things my kids have said, that i have saved, but not collectively...rather sporadically in my archives of facebook status.

The truth is, no one is going to make me accomplish the things i aspire to, besides me. And once these ordinary everyday "time consumers" grow and evolve into longer naps (Elsie), preschool attendee (Brooks) and more independent (Corban), those "free-times" in my life will be filled with other space fillers, and i, once-again, will be at a loss for "me."

I'm a simple gal, with simple taste, and simple things in life keep me completely smitten. I dont require lavish shopping trips, hair and nail salons, or even vacations. When i dream about "me" time, it's not, per say, what i envision other moms dream of. My "me" time consists of a warm cup of something (cider, hot tea, cocoa, coffee....simple girl=not picky), a blanket, my feet cozied up under my hunnie's bum (sorry cole, secret's out!) and either a book (what's that again?) or catching up on my loved ones lives via social networking while i invite them into a very small glimpse of my day. That's my perfect me time.

Today i decided with My love away in school, and my children more needy and consuming with the new change..that my me time has hit a desperate climax. When they go to bed, i am always faced with the same dilemma: I either shower, do "chores," work out or have me time. And lately i have been letting wayyyyyyyyy too much of the social networking vortex suck me in. I'm a girl who seems to always have a soapbox, and it's quite a comfy seat for me to rest upon. I feel when i'm there that I'm being known to people who do not live in my nest, and perhaps letting them peek into a life different then theirs, a life less ordinary...

So, do i search for importance? to be heard? To churn the hearts and very gears inside of my friends and inside of mothers? Love to talk about my adorable little hatchlings? desperately miss myself some mom and dad? the answer to all of those is a whopping yes, and facebook just is not cutting it for me. I cannot live within the realm of a 420 character max. :) Not for as much as it was handi-capping me. I have so much insight to share, and so much love to instill and affirm, and a place i crave for me..... enter the Blog :)

I always thought i would name it the "Nason Nest" The name just always has been clear in my mind. However this past week as i really cranked down and focused on "will i?....or maybe not...[start a blog]" the alliteration of it just sounded cheesy..

But, we are a nest. The building of it has been a collaboration.. a collection of our best, and sometimes our not-so-stable, built instinctively with wisdom only our Father could bestow, we both feather it and sit on our eggs in the keeping them safe and helping them grow aspect. Our babies are curious little chickies, always peering, and peeping, and skwawking aggressively when they see food, they are born with big eyes and mostly hairless, but watching them grow they are oh so cute. Brooks is our daring one that will likely leap out way too soon, and I'm trusting in the Hands of our Creator to place him continually back where he is safe... Mr. daring, taking chances.. with his fearless zest and joy for adventure. Corban is our timid careful one.. requiring gentle urges for nearly everything. He needs a good dose of convincing coupled with reassuring hands of assistance before he will venture into anything for the first time. He is our quiet and content little birdie, who's self expression surpasses none, who's meek and mild spirit creates a perfect blend and balance for his brother to rest on. Our Chickadee, Elsie is an exuberant sassy little thing. She already has every man in our family (ok, I'll admit, me too) wrapped endlessly around her sweet laughter and smiles. Just looking at her causes her to envelope into a smile that melts her into a little puddle of the brightest thing you ever saw (if you cant create this image in your heart, you'll just have to meet her, i cant describe it any other way).

We are, however, not alone in this nest. We are not a family of 5. We are a family of 6. We have one more member of our Nest who is constantly changing it, constantly redeeming and renewing it, and making it a brand new creation. Every season He has something new for us in store as we lay it all down at His feet and let Him. We are altered all the time, at the Altar.. A Nest more Altared. Yes, a play on words but one i find much less cheesy. It is here you will find all of our adventures as we learn to live and grow together. It wont always be happy and sunshines and rainbows, though you are sure to find those in abundance. I will promise you it will always be real, and a place of raw honest reflection. A place where i profess why i have faith, and re-afirm it over and over through our struggles. A place where the ups and downs dont change our lives, they enrich them, and a place where i hope you can grab a cup of something hot, snuggle up with your feet under someone's bum, climb a ladder up the tree and peek into our Nest.