We had a light, relaxed Sunday dinner outside on the patio tonight. And enjoyed our new patio furniture.
Monday, April 4, 2011
Atticus and I played "tickle" tonight at bedtime. He kept wanting "more!more!" His laughter was infectious. We just played and played on the floor. And had the best time making memories.
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Gotta love giant boxes for clubhouses. And for getting along.
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Today I had such a hard day with the kids. And I felt crummy, too. There was not much to smile about it seemed. But. I did manage to clean out my spice drawer. And it was so beautiful when I finished! As I told Paul when he got home, "Sadly, the clean spice drawer was the bright spot in my day." To which he replied, ever consistent with his character, "At least you had a bright spot."
Thursday, April 7, 2011
First, a little library fun.
Then I put the boys to work gathering more big rocks from the back yard FOR the front slope. And while they did that, I proceeded to trim the hedges in the front, which was a HUGE undertaking, let me tell ya.
I think Gabe and Atticus were mostly there for moral support.
Friday, April 8, 2011
Friends from ballet class graciously asked us to come to their house to have our lunch, since a realtor was going to be showing our house at that time. We ALL enjoyed our play time together.
Later this afternoon, Noah and I took our "school" outside on the patio, which was much more enjoyable and peaceful for ME, I have to admit. Hmm...
He's really not this jubilant over school work. I promise. (That would be the day!!) No, he was just feeling teased because I was taking his picture, and he hates that. And I always get my way (not really) and do whatever I can to make him laugh and smile for the camera. (It's loads of fun.)
Saturday, April 9, 2011
Saylor and I stood in the heat (with a high of "sweltering") to consign a handful of items at Rhea Lana today. I've donated so much stuff lately that when it came time to pick out some things to consign, I really had trouble coming up with enough suitable items. (I guess that's a GOOD thing!) I did convince Saylor to part with her lion cub so she could make some money of her own. It didn't take much convincing. :) She's been looking for a way to earn some money. And when you're six, the opportunities are few and far between. I love that she's not attached to her stuff. It helps.
And...I'm preparing for a birthday party. Working on the invitation... Can you guess the theme?
Lunch: Hot dogs (Big deal for me! We never, no NEVER, eat hot dogs. But I found some organic, all beef, uncured hot dogs with no nitrates or nitrites, and I felt a little better about it.), chips with guacamole, fruit
I've had this old, beat-up nightstand from Freecycle for a while, but I didn't know what I wanted to do with it until now. (It goes in the kids' bathroom.) I finally found some "inspiration fabric" (see towels below) and set about painting over all these pastel stripes. (I didn't get an AFTER pic, but if you look closely, you should see a red stripe. That's one of the colors I added today. It's now a whole new color scheme.)
Monday, March 28, 2011
Today I started working on this lovely mess left for me by my darling two-year-old son. That's dry erase marker, in case you're wondering. And..., in case you're wondering, only rubbing alcohol works on dry erase markers. Alcohol, a cloth, and lots of patience as you blot and blot and blot (and blot)!
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Appliqueing "birth order" towels today. I've been wanting to do it for sooooo long, but I just hadn't found the right fabric. Sometimes it takes a huge event hosted at YOUR house to get you motivated to finish these kinds of projects, huh?
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Saylor slept in the recliner last night because she kept coughing. The rest of us banged around in the kitchen, traipsed back-and-forth through the living room getting dressed and eating breakfast, and she just slept right through all of that. Bless her heart.
Then all four kiddos had check-ups at the pediatrician's office. Y'all, we hadn't been to see the doctor in a year and a half!!! And that was just for a well-baby check-up for Atticus. I thought we'd better show our faces and at least say "hi."
My parents were at the house when we got done. They came up to help do several things around the house. My awesome dad installed a new light above my kitchen sink, fixed the handle on the microwave, uncrated and put together patio furniture, and many other things. My mom helped me with a project in the kids' bathroom. I hated the mirror that was in there. It was too ornate and nothing like something that ought to be in a kids' bathroom.
So I bought more of the same fabric I used for the appliques on their hooded towels...
...and disguised the frame. I was thinking simply of covering it, but Mom had higher aspirations. :) And I love what she did with it!
AFTER
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Tonight about 24 women from my church were coming to my house for a fellowship. My parents took the kiddos back home with them this morning, so I spent all day today in high-gear cleaning mode. My friend and her two daughters came over to help me, and I don't know what I would have done without them. While they vacuumed and cleaned bathrooms and such, I hung a mirror someone had yanked down probably over a year ago, I put clean laundry and toys away, and I filled a planter that's never held flowers before. (It actually used to be a towel rack in my bathroom!)
After a very lovely time with the best ladies in town, my man and I (...at 9:25!!) up and decided to go to a late movie!! It was ever so spontaneous and out-of-character for us. But we were without children!! So we took advantage and scurried on over to the theater near our house to see The King's Speech at 9:40. You'll never believe this, though. When we got there, they told us they were no longer showing that movie because it was being broken down to send on to another theater. I was more than sad. Defeated was more like it. The guy at the window took pity on us, though, and told us we could watch anything else for FREE!! Gotta love that! And we were the only two in the theater. Perhaps even the WHOLE building. At least, that's how it felt when we left. Creeeeepy...
Friday, April 1, 2011
I took a few pictures of my very clean house today for house-selling purposes, but also so I can have proof that it IS possible. Ha!
And then Paul and I headed to my parents'. I finally got to bring my nephew's birthday gift down to him. But, unfortunately, he wasn't there. :( I miss that boy.
Saturday, April 2, 2011
Today we visited more with my parents. My grandmother even came over for a quick visit.
Gabriel enjoyed his time with the dogs, especially this one. Because she's so little. And so NOT a gigantic, rambunctious greyhound.
She is pretty cute, isn't she?
Noah had to get in a little climbing before we left.
He's been up this tree a time or two. In fact, I know I have another picture of him in this tree, but I can't seem to locate it. Oh, well. There's no time to be locating things right now. Let's face it, it's all I can do to keep my blog up these days. And sadly, I've become much less of a blog-reader, too. This time of year seems especially busy, doesn't it? With all the spring cleaning, spring breaking, spring yard work, spring testing, spring recitals, etc. And let's not forget spring birthdays!! Wow. So I apologize in advance to Sara and her regular linkers. Wish I could come visit y'all, but I'm not going to make any promises. Hope things are going well for you all!
Well, it's time again to celebrate this thing we I do called blogging. And how do we celebrate? Why--with a blog party, of course. Fun, huh? It certainly is when you realize that this particular party has prizes, contests, giveaways, and that sort of thing involved! Yeah, buddy!
Here's a little about what you can find here:
I'm a Christian homeschooling mommy to four precious blessings. Been married to my college sweetheart for almost twelve years now. I spend a lot of time trying to keep my life in some semblance of order, but I always come back to the fact that I can't. Hello??! Four kids under the age of eight may play a little part in that. Besides if I could, I wouldn't need to rely on God nearly as much as I do. His strength is perfect and His grace sees me through.
I post about all kinds of things. I guess you might say I'm one of those annoying bloggers who still hasn't found her "niche,"as they call it. Oh, well. What can I say? I have many interests. You know what I am? I'm eclectic. That's what. ;)
I document my year by taking at least one picture each day, I write updates about my kids (though I am WAY overdue on an update post), I read books and write responses as I go, I rant every now and then, I share "real food" recipes and tips for living more naturally, and sometimes I just make a list. You never know what you're gonna get!
Now. That said, I wanted to do a giveaway, too. So exciting!!
But first...some background.
My regular readers might remember several weeks ago when I mentioned that Saylor (and Atticus) got to sing with Jason Houser of Seeds Family Worship. 'Member that?
Well, besides telling you that we LOVE Seeds Family Worship, I could have told you LOTS more. Like their story. And like WHY we love Seeds Family Worship. And what beautiful fruit we've seen from having "SFW" CDs in our home. (...and car, of course. Isn't that where YOU do most of your singin'?) So, here's the rest:
First of all, these are Scripture verses set to music. What an easy way to memorize God's Word!
Second of all, and perhaps--quite honestly--most importantly, the songs...are...good. (Not annoying, hokey, or unmemorable.) Go here to hear some samples. There are a few full-length videos on YouTube as well.
Thirdly, (and this really relates to the last point) adults enjoy listening, too! :)
Also, they are sold in packs of two. As in--you get two of the same CD in each package. That way you can share (spread the "seeds") with someone else.
And lastly, people of all ages can learn these songs and, hence, the Scriptures.
See?
I can't tell you what a blessing it's been to learn these songs along with my children. To see how much they enjoy them. And to spend time in worship here at home as a family.
So.
I just wanted to share the love.
And it really is LOVE.
Love for FOUR different readers. How's that sound?? That's right. There will be FOUR winners!! Each winner will receive one two-pack CD from Seeds Family Worship.
Trust me. You WANT these. You NEED these.
So...you've gotta do one thing for me. You've gotta comment below. It's not that hard really. In fact, I'm making it as easy as possible this time. Because, man, giveaways can sometimes be a lot of work for the reader. (I admit it, I've taken part in the traditional giveaway setup.) But no more! Here's the deal I'll make with you. You leave ONE comment. (You read that right.) And in it, you list all your entries. I will then go back and assign points for each entry, etc. (You don't have to remind me how many extra entries you receive for each thing.) Less work for you. Not really much more for me. We all win. How's that sound??
Possible entries to list in your ONE comment:
1. Follow me on Google Friend Connect, Networked Blogs, or RSS Feed. (Required)
2. Follow me in more than one way. (1 extra entry)
3. LIKE this post on Facebook. (Click either just below the post title or at the end of the post--2 extra entries)
5. Share this post on Facebook, Twitter, or Google Reader. (See the heart-shaped buttons below the post--2 extra entries for each share.)
6. Tell me the Scripture reference (book, chapter, and verse) that Atticus and Gabriel sing about in the above video. (2 extra entries)
7. Since this is a blog-hopping party, you might be NEW here. (Hi!!) Any effort you take in getting to know me through my blog will be rewarded. For instance, you might want to read some posts in my archives to get an idea of what I post about here. (Or here's a little sampler: The Symphony, Surreptitious Baking, Clean, Doing Battle, Close, and Winter Health Linky Love.) Or maybe you'd like to browse through the photos on recent posts, or click on the "LinkWithin" suggestions at the end of this post. Or maybe you'd like to check out a link or two from my sidebar. Tell me in your comment what you did to get to know me better. (3 extra entries)
8. Put MY button (see sidebar for code) on YOUR blog. (3 extra entries)
9. Blog about this giveaway, providing your readers with a link to this post. (5 extra entries)
10. Follow my Kelly, a friend who has now moved with her family to Uganda, Africa, at www.suubifamily.blogspot.com. (5 extra entries)
(P.S.- If you already own one or more of these CDs, be sure and tell me in your comment so that if you win I can send you a CD you don't already have.)
This giveaway will run through the end of The Ultimate Blog Party at 5 Minutes for Mom, plus an extra couple of days for you fellow slow pokes out there. ;) So, get your comments rolling in. I will close comments on the evening of Sunday, April 10th at 11:59 p.m. Remember, only ONE comment, is necessary. Of course, if you do a few things now and then a few things later in the week, you are welcome to make separate comments to get all the entries in there.
Oh. And if you don't win, PLEASE consider purchasing a CD from Seeds Family Worship. You will not be sorry.
Alright. This is it. If YOU planned a menu for this week, we'd love to have you link up below!! Just post it at your site and put your link on the list below.
Monday
Breakfast: Scrambled eggs, fruit
Lunch: Peanut butter sandwiches, fruit
Dinner: Pancakes
To do: Soak lentils, make broth
Tuesday
Breakfast: French toast, bananas
To do: Bake sweet potatoes
Lunch: Bean burritos, baked sweet potatoes, fruit
Dinner: Lentil soup with carrots, made with bone broth
Wednesday
Breakfast: Bagels in the car (appointments early)
Lunch: Fruit salad, cheese and crackers, maybe tuna
Dinner: Spaghetti with kale, optional salad for grown-ups
Thursday
Breakfast: English muffins, kefir smoothies
Lunch: No plan (I'm on my own)
Dinner: Women's Fellowship for dinner at MY house (no cooking...just cleaning!)
Atticus was plumb tuckered after church today. This is what he looked like when I went to wake him up for Community Group. (He's in his sister's bed.)
Monday, March 21, 2011
Paul stayed home today (yay!) and we rested, did some things around the house, and then went for a ride out to "the land" that we may or may not ever actually get to purchase. The sale of our home has not happened yet. But we are about to step up our game.
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
We met friends at Jump!Zone and then had a picnic with them at a nearby park.
And THEN Daddy took Gabriel out for a special baseball game experience because the Razorbacks were in town!
Paul's comment on Facebook when he posted this picture was "What Mommy doesn't know..." :)
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Ran to Kroger today. (That's a big deal for me. Because grocery shopping + 4 small children = Not a lot of fun for Mommy) Atticus was crying about having to sit in the buggy from the moment we entered the store. Hooray for the kind Kroger worker who, probably mostly for his own sanity, brought Atticus and then the other three each a balloon. With nifty magnetic weights attached them, too! All that AND free cookie samples. I cringe letting them eat those hydrogenated fat-laden cookies they bake there, but man...I must admit how deeply thankful I am for the five minutes of pure silence I get out of them (while they're munching).
I say all that to say...they literally played with their Kroger balloons all day today. Even up until bedtime!
And then just to keep things lively and fun, we had lunch UNDER the table! The kids loved it. And I didn't have to clean the table afterwards!
Friday, March 25, 2011
A sweet friend from church came over tonight around dinner time and stayed with the kiddos while Paul and I did some necessary fix-up-your-home shopping and had dinner. I was most thankful for the quiet while I figured out what I was going to put on my front door. I'm not much of a wreath person--as in I've never had anything but Christmas ones. Nor am I good at envisioning what I like/want/should put on a wreath. It still took me forEVer to settle on something, but it was just nice to be ABLE to take forever. And I'm pretty pleased with how they turned out.
Saturday, March 26, 2011
We had breakfast out this morning. Because WE had to be out and about all morning. And because Paul had promised the kids. Which was just fine with me. I had smoked Gouda grits. And, y'all. Oh, my word. My description to Paul: "This is just a bowl full of amazingly delicious refined goodness." So bad, but so gooooood. (No pic. You can imagine why.)
And then it was to the Home Depot we went. To ride the lawn mowers, it seems. At one point, all four kids were on mowers right in a row! Missed that photo op.
We did quite a bit of looking around. And tried not to lose any children. Even though they sometimes make that difficult for us...
Well, like I said, we are getting the house really ready to sell this time, so this week is probably going to be pretty crazy as we run all over town getting this-and-that and then try to complete the projects. Somehow. Wonder when I'll ever get around to these taxes. Oh, dear...
The rest of Sara's peeps probably already have theirs done, just like they already have their weeks posted. I'm such a slacker.
at 9:40. You'll never believe this, though. When we got there, they told us they were no longer showing that movie because it was being broken down to send on to another theater. I was more than sad. Defeated was more like it. The guy at the window took pity on us, though, and told us we could watch anything else for FREE!! Gotta love that! And we were the only two in the theater. Perhaps even the WHOLE building. At least, that's how it felt when we left. Creeeeepy...
