Friday Gratitude

Just a few things that I am so thankful for this Friday.  As Spring approaches, it seems to be easier to find things.  Find myself smiling more and more as the weather warms. 

Lilac Buds!!



Daffodil Sprouts

My sparkles are back!  The river sparkles like this when the light is
just right in the afternoon.  Sometimes it even reflects on the dining room wall.

My reading nook on the screened porch is finally warm enough to enjoy again,
and enjoying it I am!

We have gone for several family walks this week.  The girls are actually old enough and strong enough to walk a longer distance with us at a nice pace so it actually feels like exercise.  We played at the park for about an hour this afternoon and Zion was so excited to be able to do so many more things than he could in the fall.  Hubby and I discussed last night whether it is better to watch the news daily and everything that is happening (what I tend to do) and get kind of stressed out and fearful, or to live in a bubble and not know or think about all the crazy stuff going on.  I think I need to be informed, but at the park this afternoon, decided that it is definitely essential to my sanity to completely enjoy the moments of beauty even if surrounded by ugly, nasty and crazy. 

Friday

A few moments of lovely from yesterday and today:

 Daddy was in Texas since Saturday and we got to pick him up from the airport and take him out to lunch and to Mitchell Park Domes.



Lunch at Red Lobster



I need a big bowl of rocks and moss.  Pretty sure...



In the Desert Dome with my amazing kiddos who impressed the heck out of the employee that we were chatting with.  They Rock! 

Mexican Redbud in the Desert Dome.  Just starting to bloom. 

Thanks to the super nice lady who snapped a family pic for us. 

Powder Puff tree and yes, this is the flower!

Abi in her new dress from Aunt Mandy.  I think she looks like she stepped out of  a Dick and Jane book.

90% of my Zion pictures look like this...

Birthing Kits all ready to send to Haiti through Craft Hope

A new spring wall hanging in the works.

Randomness

My children are not giants, this is how tall the snowbank is in front of our house.
New springy garland on the staircase. Thanks for the help Aunt Mando!

We attended our first ever doggy birthday party last weekend. The girls had so much fun. Brooklyn (our pup) was nervous, but was good and very tired out by the end.

Sunset behind our house. We first looked at this house 1 year ago last week and the night that we looked at it the sun was setting just like this. I was hooked. It has been a great year here and I feel quite blessed to be here and have a view like this out my kitchen window.
I was searching for signs of spring earlier this week even though the temp has only been above freezing once in the last month. This is the Golden Oregano in my herb Garden. It is tough evidently.
My lilac bush seems to know that Spring is coming... hopefully the weather will follow.

I tried posting earlier this week, but Blogger was not in the mood. This post is rather random and not even in chronological order, but here it is anyway. Happy almost spring!

Ice Storm Warning- The Day After

What we are up to around here

Short absense again. Sorry. It is kind of the story of my life, I can only be consistant for short bursts of time and then I fall off the wagon (which I guess means I am not so consistant after all). We have been trying to enjoy the remaining nice weather of fall. This has included a leaf raking party at friend's house (with 12 kiddos involved, so much fun).

2 weekends ago, Curt and I went to an adoption information meeting in Madison. I went into it with the expections that this would be just more info to add to my already confused and crowded mind and that we probably wouldn't come away with any answers. I guess sometimes it pays to set your expectations low, because sometimes when you least expect it, God will simply blow you away. We arrived at the open house style meeting an hour later than I wanted to ( I am a time person, I like to be on time). But this just happened to be 10 minutes before the next set of informational meetings was beginning. We had been going back and forth between whether to adopt Internationally or adopt through the foster system domestically. Well, we had to choose an information session to attend. It was good because it kind of forced us into a corner and made a choose. From the beginning, we had wanted to adopt Internationally, but in the recent past we had been questioning that decision. We picked the International information session. We were the only people in that session which meant that we had the Social Worker completely to ourselves. She asked a lot of questions and shared a lot of info. We shared with her that our heart is really to adopt Internationally but the $ is scary ($20,000 to $40,000 depending on the country) and that we were having a hard time choosing a country. So she asked what country, if any, we were leaning towards. We talked to her about Haiti. About the connections we have there. About the missionaries we have supported there and the prayers that we have prayed for that country and their orphanages. We just talked. She looked me in the eyes and said "I never tell my families what country to choose, they have to make that decision themselves, but I just know that your country is Haiti." Sometimes in life, you need an audible voice. She became that for us. So Haiti it is! What a relief to finally know what direction we want to go. We will be starting the long and expensive process in January. Yeah!!!! After the meeting we went out to lunch and then just walked by the lake a bit. I will always remember that day and these photos are so special to me because they somehow capture a bit of what it feels like to finally know a direction.

On a lighter note. There has been crafting going on (always, you just don't always get to see it). I put together a Fall Craft Day for the local homeschoolers. I loved it. I had put together 10 different projects that were just set up around stations for the kids to do at their own pace. I love how creative kids can be. I had made simple examples of each project but really wanted them to feel free to do their own thing, and they did. I made a simple boat out of a paper plate and a popsicle stick and some paper. They made SHIPS with the same materials. I made simple napkin ring holders out of beads and wire. They made bookmarks and rings and bracelets. I made a simple Thanksgiving card. They made 3D cards. I did a simple stitching card with an acorn and backstitching. They did cross hatching and added beads. Amazing.
Oh, and I volunteered to test out a pattern for Kathy at Pink Chalk Studio. So now I have a lovely new scarf too. Yeah!

Tuesday... again.

There must be something about Tuesday. I woke up feeling restless and just didn't want to stay home, so we rushed through the necessary for my guilty mommy conscience school work and then took off to go to Target, get some lunch and play at the park. We met Aunt Mando at the park and enjoyed lunch with her. It was one of those close to perfect fall days that reenergize me so greatly. We came home and rested and then went to the park down the street because we hadn't had enough park time yet. Abi rode her bike almost all the way there by herself (well, with training wheels) for the first time. The light was so wonderful and we had so much fun playing. Please indulge me, I took over a hundred photos today, I want to share my favorites. The river is MY river, in our back yard. It sparkles like that all the time and I like to think it is just for me. The leaf pile photos are from Sunday and were taken by my hubby, but I discovered them when I dumped today's photos onto the computer and they made me smile. Enjoy~

Friday Love List

(Emma took the leaf photo. She has a good eye, just needs to learn to hold still)


As per Lori's challenge, here is my Friday Love List:



What I love:


*My secret stash of chocolate in the cupboard that I get to sneak while the kids rest.


*Finding time to just sit and sew.


*A day with perfect light and time to run around and take interesting pictures.


*When my children have that "ah-ha" moment and actually get what I am teaching them.


*Organization and the brief moments when things are beautifully organized, before anyone touches them and destroys it all.


*Reading other people's beautifully written blogs and wishing someday I could write like that.


*A new magazine in the mail, waiting to be read.


*A family date to Culver's tonight.





Have a great weekend everyone!

Tuesday

I generally like Tuesdays. They don't hold the same expectations as Monday, in fact I don't really have any expectations for Tuesday. It is usually the day that I get a lot accomplished either home school wise, or house work wise. Well, my cold is kind of kicking me in the butt today, but we did get some stuff accomplished. My daddy (whom I am so thankful for) is helping me build shelves under the stairs in the great closet that is off the school room. We emptied everything out of it this morning. It was filled with all the board games and such and it had all pretty much avalanched (which my spell check says is not a word, but I beg to differ)upon itself. The girls were so helpful, which lately is a reason in itself to be thankful. I really enjoy decluttering more than I should, so I took great joy in this task. This afternoon I was able to bless a friend who needed a last minute babysitter for her 3 BOYS. The 2 older boys and my girls are great friends, so this was pretty exciting for them. Her youngest is my best, good buddy. He is so much fun. He will be 2 in February and is starting to talk a lot. So we all walked to the park that is just up the street and played and played. The big kids ran off their energy and pretended to be Super Heros and the little one and I just had fun together. It felt really good. So Yeah! Again no photos, blame blogger. :(

New Week

It is Monday, which I personally am usually not very thankful for. I always have expectations to start Monday all refreshed and with all of my ducks in a row, and that rarely happens. I am seriously sleep deprived and fighting a cold and so are the kiddos, so today was less than stellar. We did however have a very lovely weekend. So, I will write about/think about that and hope for a better Tuesday.

Saturday: I got to SLEEP IN, which is loveliness in and of itself. I went to the farmer's market in a nearby town with my sister and then we went to the fabric store and Target. It doesn't get much more lovely. Saturday afternoon/evening we had a family picnic at my in-laws' home. It was very nice. We ate way too much and then sat around the campfire talking and eating smores. So a wonderful day overall. :)

How about you? Are Mondays a bright spot or not? How was your weekend?

And blogger is not allowing Photos this evening, so sorry :(

Thankfulness... week at a glance format

Hmmm, life seems to have interfered with the blogging this week. So as to not make you think that I gave up on being thankful, I give you the week at a glance version of things I am thankful for.

Monday- I received an email from a lady I met the conference last weekend. She wanted to buy a purse like the one I made that I posted last week. I was so excited. I have wanted to sell some of the things I make for a while, but am kind of scared to, so this is a good start.

Tuesday-Curt coaches cross country. Every year, right before the conference meet, I make cookies for each of the team members (there are 36 runners this year). Tuesday night I cut and baked all the cookies while Curt and the girls did a little fishing and a lot of cuddling.


Wednesday- The weather was very cold, but we took off and went to a local apple orchard anyway. Much fun... pony rides, a play ground, a maze, warm apple donuts, fresh picked raspberries and a lovely fall day. I got all the cookies decorated too. MMMM frosting.



Thursday- I made extra cookies and frosting so that the girls could decorate some too. They loved it. Christmas cookies decorating will be a blast this year Mando. It was my mommy's birthday so the girls and I took her some cookies and some balloons and some pizza and had lunch with her at her office. I also got to go to the Conference CC meet by myself! No kiddos in tow. They are pretty sick of cross country by this point in the season. Curt's teams did as expected. One of his girls ended up the individual girls champ and has a good chance of making it on to the State meet. So that was exciting. I am so glad he has the opportunity to coach. He really enjoys it and his team has sooooo much fun together. They are like a big family.




Friday- Well, today has been more difficult. I am still feeling the sleep deprivation from last weekend and I am tired and cranky quite honestly and I have a little girl who has been melting down every time she doesn't get her way (and considering her way is things like, "let's go to Disney world...right now" and "I will only be nice if I can have the book my sister has" and "I don't want to sit on my bottom to eat, I would rather crouch on my heals and eat while bouncing" she hasn't gotten her way much today). She is also "BORED." But I am so thankful to be their mommy and Curt's wife, and that is enough. One of the biggest things that I took home with me from the Mommy conference last weekend is that I am the mom/wife that God chose for this family, several of the speakers said this and they really went out of their way to stress this point. I have struggled a lot with self loathing (if you haven't, I am surprised), but by the end of the conference, I really was feeling so much better after being told over and over again how important mom and wife is. I hope that someone says something to make you feel important today. And if no one else does, I will, because you are important. You wouldn't be on this earth if that weren't true! Thank you all for reading. Have a lovely weekend.

Monday

I am back from my weekend away and feeling wonderfully refreshed. Where did I go you ask? Well, I will tell you. I went to a Hearts At Home conference in Minnesota with a good friend. Another mom that we both know, and who I can now count among my friends rode with us and we all stayed with her sister, whom I also gained as a friend. The 4 of us had a wonderful time at the conference, stayed up way too late talking and laughing, ate wonderful food and just had an all around good time. I heard about this conference this summer. We were at the pool for swimming lessons, and I had been feeling pretty stressed. I was venting to another mommy friend, who told me I needed to do something for myself. Well, a little while later, a lady from our church came in and handed me this booklet and said she wasn't interested in this, but maybe I would be. It was for this conference. An answer to prayer and I almost immediately begged my husband to let me go. I told my friend about it and she was super interested too. So off we went and left the kiddos with the husbands and joined 2200 other mommies for a wonderfully refreshing weekend away. I will post more about what I learned tomorrow, but I just wanted to say I am back and more thankful than ever. Among the things I am thankful for today... Fall weather FINALLY arriving, giggles (the girls had a 20 minute long tickle fest today that was way too cute), making sugar cookies for the Cross Country team (I use my Great Grandma's recipe and it always reminds me of her and makes me smile), a sense of peace.

thankful for bread

I baked bread this morning and my house smells soooooo good right now. As with the last 2 posts, I realized while I was baking, that I did it because I wanted to not because I had to! I guess I am realizing that I am quite thankful for the little things that I get to do, that I love and bring joy to me and my family. Not everyone has that luxury and I don't want to take that lightly.

I am gone for the weekend at a mommy conference. I hope to come back refreshed and I also expect to hear what you all are thankful for.

Have a wonderful weekend. Enjoy the simple things.

(sorry no pics today... please don't hate me)

Thankful for my sewing machine

My sewing machine has been in the shop for 3 weeks and I got it back Tuesday. I was getting a little twitchy! So last night I was able to put in a couple of hours of sewing therapy. I finished up my project today and I present you with my new fall bag, just in time for my weekend away. Just like the garden thing, I am so thankful that I can sew because I want to, not because I have to (I have been reading a lot of pioneer time books lately and have a new appreciation for modern technology).




The fabric was a gift from Kira as a thank you for helping with her wedding. I don't usually like pink, but I really like this fabric. It was suppossed to be lined with a green cotton, but that didn't work out, so I lined it with green wool felt with purple felt pockets (you can kind of see them in the second photo). Very appropriate for fall and gives it a nice stiffness. I like the dimensions of it a lot. Did I write them down though, so I can make it again? Of course not!