It Happened in Italy by Elizabeth Bettina

I saw this book when I was out with my friend. I was caught by the title and subtitle.  I love Italy...but then the subtitle read "the untold stories of how the people of Italy defied the horrors of the holocaust".  Now I've read a lot of stories about the holocaust. The last story I read was was called The Zookeeper's Wife. That's a great read! It's heart wrenching. The best and worst of what it means to be human shines through.  In the end I am so thankful I read it.  The last holocaust movie I saw was The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. Heart breaking!
This one was completely completely different from any other holocaust story I have ever read or heard about.  I didn't know this story and while it was not terribly well written the stories that came through were absolutely incredible! I am so thankful that my friend bought this for me.  Well well worth my time...and yours! 

Portia...a dichotomy in human form.

Portia has been driving me absolutely mental lately. It's like everything that is annoying...she does!!! Over and over and over and over and over again.   She's really cute and very charming but when I'm tired. Oye! And I've been tired a lot lately because she has been  coughing at night and I've been up 3 or 4 or 5 or 7 times a night.
 The banging on everything that she can because "I'm making a drum mama and I need the different sounds".  The screaming at the top of her lungs in the truck "because it's fun mama". Pulling down my wedding dress and ripping the bag because she just needed to see my dress and play with my vale.  Taking stuff out of the office over and over and over again and making her own office. Taking all the cutlery and plates outside to play with because she is "making a stew and I need something to serve it on". The other day she was trying to smell my armpits because "I needed to know what they smelled like mama!" of course you did Portia!
You have to give it to her. She is absolutely creative.  She is always creating new things to do and I love that.  It's just really really noisy and I can never find anything or when I do find it it's all used up or broken, or ripped. Like the brand new bottle of shampoo that I had bought the day before...she took a bath and used the entire bottle. I usually have another bottle on hand but because we have had one vehicle and Shaun had been working from sunrise to sunset getting to the store has not happened...so we were out!!! *sigh* good thing she's cute. I think she's been quite exhausted and I've been working A LOT! So that combo adding in me being tired makes for just a lot of ....ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!
She was up on stage this last weekend at church during the service and in the front row there was a rather heavy lady and Portia leaned over to her friend and pointed straight at the lady and whispered "look at the fat lady"...not once but 4 times.  I about DIED! Who taught her that? On another note she was wearing a shirt that was too big and she said, "I think I am losing weight mom...my shirt's too big." Shaun and I (in the midst of this diet) must be talking about that sort of stuff WAY TOO MUCH! We have stopped! NOW! I sat both the girls down and told them they have nothing to worry about, Daddy and I were just working on that for us and no kids need to worry about it.
Lying: dealt with that this week as well with little Miss P. I asked her a point blank question and she point blank lied 3 times.  Then she told the truth...after standing in the corner for 30 minutes we talked and she said very sweetly "But I've gotten away with lying before mom."  ACK! I was a bit speechless. And then I talked to Shaun and I then went back to her and said, "I will not always know when you are lying. God will know but I may not always.  But if you lie it will always be in the back of my brain and I won't be able to trust you. Do you understand what that means? Life will not be as fun because I won't be able to trust you."  "Ok Mama."
Today she took all her toys out and laid them on a blanket and priced them for a garage sale.  She then came and asked if she could go door to door in our cul-de-sac and invite people to her garage sale.  I love that! It's all kids toys so I let her knock on the neighbor's door who actually has kids.
She finds creative ways to get what she thinks up done...no matter how unhelpful us adults are.  And she has a VERY particular way in mind of doing whatever it is at the moment she has thought up.  There is not an easy way of swaying her from it...although Mercedes seems to have developed a knack for bringing her around to her way of thinking...and she is reasonable as long as she can see the reason.
She is a strong, independent, feisty, and smart little girl.  I admire all of those qualities.  I never want her to lose one of those.  I would, however, like to steer them in the correct direction. Needing wisdom. Pray for us if you think of it.
In the midst of all of that she is a very caring, loving, creative, leader, compassionate, laughter-filled little joy bundle. She is ever exploring EVERYTHING in her world and how it works.   I pretty much enjoy every second...even in the "driving me mental" moments.  I am pretty much always amazed by her.  She's quite tiny and kids often treat her as much younger than she is...but she quickly makes them realize who she is and what she stands for...someone to be reckoned with. She can definitely stand on her own two feet.  And then on the other-hand she has a fragile sensitive side.  She's a dichotomy..and I have to say I totally get it...she's a little spitting image of me on the inside...except I think she may just be quite a bit smarter.   

Excited! Update on the business.

This week darling husband and I have been organizing all the jobs that are on the dockets. It's exciting! There are enough jobs to keep up quite entertained in the organizational field.  We are excited! It is very fun!  It looks like we have hired 2 great guys and that is what we've been needing...one a Carpenter and one a carpenter's helper.  Wow, after so many months (and years) it's finally starting to come together.
We don't mind this type of work....the type where things are actually progressing...it's hard hard work still. I won't lie.  But it energized both of us because we enjoy it and it's actually going somewhere.  We're not working excessively hard only to go in circles. Now we get to go more in-depth in the management part of things and hone our skills there.
Owning your own business is like nothing else. They can't prepare you for it in school. The learning is done in the trenches.  It's long hours and non-stop for quite a long while.  But there are perks too.  You're time is more your own even though it is more taken up...if that makes sense.  While you work looooong hours, you choose when you work those hours.  We like it.  We would rather be building our own business than someone else's any day.  So we keep going. And for the first time we are beginning to see light at the end of the tunnel.
We're a bit giddy about that. And thankful. So. Very. Thankful...to Him who is able to do more than we can think or ask.  To Him be the glory, honour, and praise.

Goings Ons

• My Dad and Rosie came to visit us for 5 days. We had a great time! It was so lovely to see them! So happy they were able to come. 
• I bought our eldest her first training bra. She's 8! Now let me explain. She likely doesn't need one quite yet....getting there though. However, what propelled me into buying some is this...she has grown into a size that is not in the little girl's section anymore and that seems to mean that the material is more see- through. It REALLY irks me. My darling 8 year old being sexualized (see this blog for more thoughts on that)  Come on PEOPLE! So for modesty sake etc. we have training bras at 8 or tank tops underneath shirts. It was a bit traumatic for me, super exciting for her, jealousy inducing for her sister, and terrifying for her dad. Between that and not being sure if the shoes I am looking at at the front door are hers or mine...she's growing up waaaaaaay too fast...but she's so much fun. 
• The girls went to Vacation Bible School this last week. They loved! it. Loved it!  We left the house each morning at around 6:30 am took Shaun to work (as we have the one vehicle right now) and then we didn't get home until about 10 pm on most of the nights. It was an absolute blast of a week.  I got coffee dates with so many of my girls. My soul was completely filled with my friends' love and care.  We're tired this week but it was so worth it...and we have the luxury of time to recover.  
• The girls and I LOVED LOVED LOVED getting to see Shaun for many more hours a day last week.  We probably got up to 3 hours more a day with him than normal and it was when he wasn't unspeakably exhausted. It made us realize anew how much of a grind life has been lately and the little gifts, like that time,...make such a difference.
• Don't judge me: Portia is finally out of pull-ups!  Yes! I do know she is 6! I could give you may excuses but it comes down too Shaun and I were just too lazy to get her out of them. M got herself out of them...Portia not so much.  Anyway, it really wasn't much work once we did it.  It was the year of convincing that was hard. :D. She's really quite proud of herself though. 
• At VBS this last week Portia accepted Jesus as her forever friend, her leader, and her forgiver...she did it before. But this was meaningful to her so we marked it.  And mentally, I think this time she marked it.  I can't tell you what that means to me. I look forward to spending eternity with our daughters.  May she walk as a mighty warrior princess to the King of Kings always. 
• The business is hopping. Very thankful for that.  We are still playing catch-up but slowly we are getting there. It is encouraging!

Now if only I could find the cord I need to download pictures off of my camera so I could show you what I mean!  

We are blessed beyond measure.  I wake up every morning and pinch myself and thank God for all that He has given us...even the not so fun stuff.  In the end He sees the big picture while I see only a pixel at a time.