Steve Irwin's biggest littlest fan

Check out her shirt!

Praise report!

My feet are soooo much better. I am actually walking without pain for the first time in probably 2 or 3 years. The chiropractor put me on a bunch of supplements and I am going once a week for adjustments and that's it. Why did I not do this long ago??? I really had no idea I would see results this fast. Yeah Chiropractor!!!!

Joe and IzzyB

Joe was all about IzzyB this morning. He really loved her hat and even consented to having his picture taken with her. He was a little distracted that her diaper might be touching him though. Aren't they cute??

Merry Quiltmas Part 2!

Well, I finished most of my blocks. I have two more to do. I had to get new fabric and I love it! I just love the cardinals on it. So, these are my blocks. There are mistakes. I didn't get the measuring thing down pat until my last few. Those mistakes will give it character. :0)

Night Walk

Here are some pictures from our nightly walk.
At least it used to be our nightly walk. We haven't
gone out for a couple of months but we were back out tonight. The kids love jumping off these
pilings and we usually have to spend at least 15 minutes here. I got some fun action shots of
the girls. Joe will not let me take his picture.
This is getting really annoying. I am a scrap-
booker and want to get some preschool pictures
and so far I have none! I am going to try to sneak a few this week. Anyway, no pictures of
Joe but he was doing his share of jumping. We ended our walk with a visit with some neighbors to see there new pup. It was fun catching up and playing with the puppy. There's nothing much else to tell about our day. Just the normal! Enjoy the pictures.

The Hair Brushing Maniac

Grace told me last night that she was a hair brushing maniac. She said she brushes her hair all the time and if she feels a tangle even if she just brushed it she goes and finds a brush and brushes it again. She can't help it she says, she's just a hair brushing maniac.

A Chapel Singer!

So when I pick up Joe today he has the telltale ladybug sticker. I asked what job he had today and he said "chapel singer." Just last week he told me he would never want to be a chapel singer. Today he was so proud! The chapel singers stand up in front of all the other kids and lead the songs and motions to the songs. I so wish I could be a fly on the wall there and watch him. One of his teachers mentioned that he was quite smitten with Ms. Tonya and I asked him about it and he said, "Yeah, she's so funny!" I tried to grill him with questions like I have everyday and today he told me that I was"srustrating" him and to just "sorget about it." So, I got no more info for today. Oh well, I'm just happy to know he had a great day. He did say that he would rather Miss Heather (our neighbor) pick him up tomorrow so I think I'll see if she can do just that! I would love to be saved a trip out.
Today we had a light school morning and then cleaned the house so some people can come clean it. Whenever my aunt and uncle are out of town on their every other Tuesday housecleaning day I get their housecleaner. Woo-hoo!!! I can't wait to have a clean kitchen, bathrooms, floors! I had to de-clutter this morning so that they could see to clean. I was also so efficient that I managed to get dinner in the crock pot as well. Maybe I'll even get a short nap this afternoon!

Need some advice--

For those of you reading this blog who have (or try to, or plan to, or have in the past) a daily quiet time--I need to find something to guide my time. I am really trying to get back into having a consistent quiet time. I failed on the consistent exercise. But the quiet time is a must! I've read through the Bible and I don't really want to do that now. I just end up mindlessly reading. I want something to really grow me and help me dig into the Word. I just finished an Elizabeth George study that I really enjoyed. I am thinking about getting another one but just not sure. So, I am taking suggestions. Any book you've read, method you've followed, Bible study you've done? Thanks!

Great Day!

For those of you following the "Joe going to preschool drama" I am happy to report that you no longer have to worry about him! He begged to leave the house early this morning from preschool and marched right in like he owned the place. This week they are learning about being a good friend and made friendship necklaces that they then exchanged with a friend. He exchanged his with his "new best friend who had on a red shirt today but I don't know his name". I am so happy he is loving it so much. It's a great place for him.
The girls and I had a good school day as well. Grace observed ants eating honey on a piece of bread (among other things) and Hannah learned about Christopher Columbus. Grace had her second week of theatre and is really loving it.
Izzy B. (our new nickname for Bella) had a great day as well. Sleeping, eating, and smiling her sweet smile.
So, we are off to the store for eggs so I can make tapioca pudding tonight. Yum!

Snails anyone?

We went over to some friend's house last night. Ollie helped fix the computer, M and I sewed and sewed and cut and cut. I even got a blister, that's some serious quilting! The kids played in and out. It poured down rain and when it stopped they headed outside for some real fun. First they caught snails. I wasn't surprised to see Grace holding a snail but I couldn't believe Hannah would let it crawl on her! They really were cute. They ended the evening by getting totally soaking wet from the hose. It was fun night and productive. I am about an hour away from having all my quilt blocks done. I even have an extra one because I miscounted. I bought new fabric and I love it! Whenever I get that hour to finish I will post pictures. Who knows when that will happen. Not today I don't think.

Merry Quiltmas!

I have 7 of these squares. Thank you to M for the instruction and help cutting. I am supposed to have 12 but I ran out of fabric. So, I get to go buy more. The big question is do I get the same or jazz it up a little with something different??? The day went great. It was so fun sewing and talking with friends. Everyone's blocks are turning out so great and so different. This will be a really fun quilt. After seeing what M has done with her Americana blocks and quilting it makes me want to really quilt this one well. I quilted my Americana one but only around the actual block. She quilted around everything and it looks wonderful. So today went great.
I put the kids to work when I got home and the house is pretty picked up and vacuumed. I've done more sewing, watched Little House on the Prairie (the one with the wild dogs), and now it's raining and I'm going to bed to read for a bit. All in all, it's been a great, relaxing day.

I'll have a cafe mocha valium vodka latte with whipped cream please..

I saw a sign that said that in a friend's kitchen and have been waiting to use it as a blog title. I would say that this week earns that title. It was a very crazy, busy week. At times quite stressful but when I look at it on the whole it went great. There were a lot of different things going on this week so I would like to expound and reflect on each one--
First and Foremost--Joe and preschool
A friend mentioned last night that she had been so worried about Joe going to day care. I so appreciate your concern and knowing you those concerns were translated into some powerful prayers for my little boy. I have to say though that this preschool is so far from a day care they are just not in the same league. I know that many day cares call themselves preschool so that your 1 year old can be going to "preschool" instead of day care. This place is truly a preschool. It is only half day. All of the kids there have stay at home moms. At least I think they do. It is in a little brick house with an awesome playground. The teacher greets each child at the door with a hug and chats a little if needed. Yes, the line is long but that's okay because I want my child to get whatever attention he needs. They don't have snack, they have "tea party" everyday with real dishes and a couple of the children are tea party servers. They pass out the food and serve their fellow students. On Monday one of the things they rotate through is cooking where they get to prepare the snack that they will eat that day. This snack is fresh fruit and vegetables that the parents help provide. They go to chapel everyday and there some children are chapel singers and help lead the songs. They rotate through math, science, and I don't know what else. They have circle time everyday where they see who is there and who isn't. They get to talk, sing, and learn. It is a wonderful place and I've known dozens of children who have gone there over the years and thrived. They all love the teachers and love going. This decision to put Joe in preschool was not done lightly. I prayed a lot about it and talked at length with Ms. Shawnee and called around to many preschools. There are lots of free preschools around here but I had no peace about sending him to any of those and we couldn't afford the one he is going to. So, when I called to ask that he be taken off the list I also asked if they had scholarships available. The answer was no but that she would get back with me. She called the next day and offered Joe a full scholarship to the preschool. I had just spent time praying for wisdom about the preschool thing that morning. That was my answer and I have felt total peace about it. It has been hard to take him every morning but I knew in my heart that this was the right thing for him. I felt like there were some social skills he needed to learn without me there and this was his only year to do it. I have no intention of putting him in school probably ever. He would hate it and probably wouldn't do very well. My confirmation that he was doing totally fine came Friday when he didn't want to quit playing to go home. He is truly happy there. Believe me, Joe is so strong that if he wasn't happy there he absolutely wouldn't go. So, keep praying for Joe but don't worry about him. He is doing great! On Friday, I picked him up and he had a ladybug sticker on his shirt. This means that he was given a job for today so I said, "What's that ladybug on your shirt?" and he said, "I don't know, maybe tea party server." Then he tried to hide his grin. It was cute.
About Bella
Bella is the other new thing going on in our house. Of course, she is not a thing but a sweet baby. It has been an adjustment getting used to having her here but I have to say that I've totally enjoyed having a baby in the house. Yes, it does get stressful sometimes but that's okay. I love having a little one around and my girls are learning how to help me take care of her. They are doing a great job and loving receiving those sweet smiles. I figured that having a baby here all day everyday would help me remember that I don't want or need another child but actually it's shown me that I would still love another baby. For now though I am getting my baby fix and I am thankful that her mommy can have peace of mind that not only is her baby being cared for but totally loved as well!
Homeschooling
Homeschooling has gone wonderfully!!! For the first time we are doing a complete, full curriculum. I wasn't sure if I was going to like it or if we would have time to do it. Well, we love it and have plenty of time to get it all done while Joe is at school. The girls each have independent work and then things they do with me. They have worked great and we are really enjoying the curriculum.

I am thankful for the weekend and the slower pace but have confidence that next week will go smoother and the next week smoother and so on until this all doesn't feel so crazy. I'm off to an all day sewing event. Stay tuned for lots of pictures!

Happy Birthday Aunt Lane!

Nifty, nifty, Lane is 50! This is my absolutely hysterical Aunt Lane and it's her birthday tomorrow (Friday)! Some favorite memories of Aunt Lane--

• She used to let me brush her long, luxurious hair. Now that I am an adult, have long hair, and children who want to brush it--I know how unpleasant this probably was!
• When she babysat us one summer she listened to countless hours of me (who has a terrible singing voice!) singing songs from "Annie."
• That same summer whenever I would tell her something that I found just hilarious she would say, "That's so funny, just give me a minute and I'm really going to laugh" then she would roll around on the floor laughing hysterically.
• I spent a lot of time with her one summer years before the summer mentioned above and she and I loved singing, "Nobody" Remember--"Your nobody called today, she hung up when I asked her name..."
• She helped me kick the habit of opening my mouth so wide a bird could fly into it. For some reason I liked to really stretch the corners of my lips.
• She can make me laugh like nobody else except maybe my sister.
  
• She coined the phrase "half bulimic" She can binge, she just can't purge.

There are so many more but right now I'm too tired to type anymore. I don't know why I'm so tired, I had a nap today!

This is what I did this afternoon.

I started out reading and then fell asleep and woke up and realized I had been joined by Joe. I can't believe he braved getting that close to Bella's diaper. Ollie snapped the picture at some point.

Like Joe's outfit???

I used to care so much about my kids clothes and how they looked when we went out. Times change. How do you like Joe's outfit? He wore it to preschool, backwards. Not only does it totally not match but it was backwards. And I should mention that he slept in it. He dressed himself last night after getting totally soaked outside and was so proud of himself. He didn't want to put on pjs and still didn't want to change this morning. With the stress of getting him to preschool in the morning I wasn't up for rocking his boat by insisting that he change clothes. I meant to mention to the teacher that he had dressed himself but forgot to do that. So, this is how he went to preschool. Oh well, I have bigger fish to fry. Joe woke up not wanting to go to preschool but eventually warmed to the idea and hopped out of the van and walked right in like it was nothing. Tomorrow is Fun Friday and they get popcorn and m&m's and get to watch a movie so it should be easy to get him to go. Then we will have one whole week under our belt. As I pulled out of the preschool driveway today I wasn't crying but my heart was pounding. I had been so nervous that he would freak out. I wonder how long it will take me to quit being nervous.

I went to the Chiropractor today

I saw the chiropractor today. The best news for me was that my toe is not broken. He actually said it was arthritic. I don't know if that's any better but it was deeply disturbing to me that I could have broken my toe just by walking. He took x-rays and said that my back is a little out of kilter and that my pelvis is not how it's supposed to be whatever that is. He also noticed the psoriasis and said that he thinks my main problem in inflammation in my body. He is starting my on some anti-inflammatory supplements and will be doing adjustments twice a week for a few weeks. My feet already feel better. We'll see how they are tomorrow morning though. So, I go back Friday morning for another test and adjustment.

Sweet Picture

Hannah was helpful to me this morning with Bella. She held her and rocked her and put her to sleep. Thank you Hannah!

Joe's third day

Today went beautifully!!! We started the day watching PBS kids. I thought maybe this would distract him from the fact that he had to go to preschool and then maybe he would have less anxiety. He watched tv until 8:30 and ate breakfast during that time. We turned the tube off at 8:30, got dressed, and loaded up. No whining, no freaking out, no nothing! He colored in the car while we waited in line and his only concern was whether he would get his whole dinosaur colored before it was our turn. He did and then was ready to hop out when it was our turn. He walked right in, gave Ms. Shawnee a hug, and off he went to put away his backpack. As I was about to leave Ms. Shawnee motioned for me to roll down my window and said, "That was so sweet, I think I may cry." I felt the same way but crying while pulling out of the driveway is what I've done the past two days so it's normal to me. Maybe tomorrow I can leave dry eyed! When I picked Joe up he was running around the playground. The past two days he has been waiting at the fence. He gave Ms. Shawnee a HUGE hug, (like a Mommy hug) and headed to the car. As he's getting in, his little friend Sara was standing on the picnic table yelling, "Bye, Joe!!" He didn't say much about his day today but he did ask if he was five yet and when I said no, not yet he said "Well, I'm doing math already. And it's so easy, I did it all!" Funny that as we decided to put him in preschool and have been anticipating this and then doing it the last three days I hadn't given one thought to the fact that they would be teaching him something! We are in it for the social skills he will learn but math, reading, and science will be a big bonus!

Happy New Year!

I finally did our timeline yesterday. I have planned to do this for two years and could never get it right in my head. With MFW we are supposed to have a timeline and we mostly need only about 1400-present AD and BC. So, one half is BC, Grace has some really cute timeline figures to put on it that go with her Bible curriculum. The other half is AD and Hannah also has timeline figures to go with her curriculum. If you notice on the first picture it says 2008--we started My Father's World and there is a picture of the White House also labeled 2008. Yes, I thought it was the year 2008. I don't know what my problem was. I was happy to see in my prayer journal that yesterday at 6:30 am I knew it was still 2007. Just somewhere around mid-morning I guess I celebrated Happy New Year. Can you tell I'm a lot distracted???

Joe's second day

Well, Joe woke up saying he did not want to go to preschool. Ugh! I knew this was coming but had hoped and prayed that it wouldn't. He ended up getting pretty upset and no amount of talking about it or bribing him would settle him down. Finally he got distracted, ate breakfast, and spent some time playing with his sisters. As 8:45 approached I just asked him to come get dressed and he did and we left. He was asking me to pick him up early and I said, "We'll see." Amazingly that answer was okay with him. While we waited in line he helped me drive and we watched all the other kids getting out. So far, so good. Once it was our turn he got out of the van, got his backpack on, then had a moment of panic but went in. I cried again and drove straight home, went straight to the phone, and called to see how he was (who is this harder for, me or him????). He was great! At least that was what they said. I could take Bella out of her seat now since we didn't have to turn around and go get him. She had her morning bottle, and sacked out. The girls and I did school and I made a timeline finally. I've been thinking about doing this for two years. More on the timeline later...
We picked Joe up at 12:30 and Ms. Shawnee gave me a note saying that he did great, even sang during the dreaded "Circle Time" and really seems to trust her. She even thanked me for letting him come to preschool. Where is the sign up sheet for the fan club? I immediately started in grilling Joe about his day, I mean asking him questions rapid fire. He had a ladybug sticker on his shirt and I asked why, he said, "Because I was the bell ringer. Only problem was I didn't ring the bell." Not sure what that as about, maybe he got scared to ring the bell or maybe they didn't do it. Then he told me about tea party servers. Then he told me that at tea party he finished his juice and asked for more and they gave him water--"that really distracted me getting water, it was like a kick in the butt!" Where does he learn this stuff???? When asked that he later told Ollie that he has some new words he's trying to use. I'm wondering where he got those new words. It was funny though and used correctly as far as slang goes! So, today is another day. He is up and watching Clifford now. Maybe the tv will distract him and shorten his anxiety time this morning. I'm also making banana chocolate chip muffins so that should also make it a good morning for him. We'll see. I'll update later when and if I get a chance!

Started back to school today

We started back to school today after a summer break. I had planned to do some school over the summer but it just never happened so today was the day to start back up. It went great. I love the curriculum we are using. Hannah and Grace both did great and seemed to enjoy what they were learning. Grace is very eager to learn to read. She has a Bible reader that she is dying to read but she's not quite there yet. She learned about scrolls today and how the Bible was copied word for word onto scrolls. Tomorrow we have an art project--we are making a small pottery jar to hold our alphabet scroll that we are working on. Hannah learned a little about the Pledge of Allegiance. Her curriculum focuses on the United States--it's history and the states. She will also be learning about the names of God. I think I will be learning a lot myself. We easily got all their school done while Joe was at preschool. I even had extra time to read about three chapters of "The Long Winter," a Little House book. I am trying to finish it this week. We have other books we will be reading aloud with our curriculum. I love reading to the girls and to Joe. After reading about yet another blizzard Grace said that she wanted to be in a storm like that and see what it was like. Unfortunately that will never happen in Florida. We may get a good hurricane though. Today was a very busy day with Joe starting school, starting homeschool again, having Bella and all the kids, and Grace starting theatre but it was a good day. Bella was wonderful all day, she always is. The girls really loved having a little baby in the house. At times they were a little too helpful but it will be fun to teach them how to help take care of her. Joe really likes her too but he does not want to touch her diaper at all. In fact, he's almost scared of accidentally brushing up against her diaper. Pretty funny! Tomorrow is another day, I will get up early and start the day in prayer and dive in!

Things heard at my house today...

"This is like etiquette, letter etiquette. They have to be perfect!" said by Grace while printing letters for what will eventually be a scroll with the alphabet on it.

"Hurry and pull my underwear up! My butt itches and I don't want my fingers to smell." said by Joe when he had an itchy butt after going potty.

"Don't hold her like that! Her head is jiggling." said by my daughter Hannah who seems to think she knows much more about babies than I do.

"If I could name the colors I would call brown Ashley." said by Grace while discussing the name of her new stuffed dog. The final decision for a name was Ashley Cinnamon Flower.

"If I could name the colors I would call gray: smoke, and red: strawberry rose, and brown: chocolate daisy." said by Joe while H and G were discussing names for their stuffed dogs. Hannah was going through a wildflower field guide looking for names. Her dog is still not named.

"I'm not sure what to say when I get there." said by Grace before going to her first theatre class.

"How about starting with 'Hi Amanda'" said by Hannah in response to Grace's uncertainty.

"You'll have to walk me to school when you are here because my mom sweats too much." said by Joe while talking to Grammy about her upcoming visit in a couple of weeks.

If there is a Ms. Shawnee fan club, sign me up!

Joe had his first day of preschool. The short version is that it started out good, went terribly bad, ended good. The long version is that last night Joe said, "I already know my letters so I don't really need to go to preschool." That should have been my first sign. He did fine until we started walking up the hill. Preschool is only a couple of blocks away so I thought we'd walk. We could talk along the way and I could pray for him and with him. I had H and B come and stay with the other kids so I could focus on Joe. He quickly tired of carrying his backpack and lunch bag. We walked past a dead snake and he was sure he had stepped on it and was concerned that snake guts were on his shoe. We stopped and thoroughly checked out the bottom of his shoes and even cleaned a small dirty place. Then we were on our way again. By this point I am sweating buckets, I know supposedly southern women don't sweat, they glisten. Well, I'm here to tell you, I was sweating! It was sooooo hot! So, I am trying to prepare Joe for what to expect and I tell him that they will have "Circle Time." I am not sure what Circle Time is but I assure him it will be fun. He gets all freaked out about Circle Time. He's sure he will hate it and it will be embarrasing. He doesn't want to sing, he flat out doesn't want to go if he has to do Circle Time. After about 15 minutes of talking to him and holding him he's ready to go in but insists that I pick him up before Circle Time. One small glitch--Circle Time is first. So, we go to talk to Ms. Shawnee. Thankfully today the parents could come in and stay for awhile. I saw all sorts of people I knew. That was a little embarassing. I was soaked in sweat, red faced, and with a very stressed child. It seemed like every other child was merrily playing and not at all worried. We found Ms. Shawnee told her our concerns and she was so sweet. She asked him if he knew what Circle Time was and he didn't so she told him. She told him that he could sit with her or that he didn't even have to come in at all. He didn't have to talk or sing and that other children would be not singing as well. He felt well enough at that point to wriggle out of my arms. Then, this is the tear jerker part--She knelt down and took both his little hands and said so gently that "he was going to be okay, that he could trust them to take care of him, that they loved him and that it was a safe place, he didn't have to do anything he didn't want to do." His little face was precious, looking at her and trusting her. I got all torn up and tears started down my face. I quickly said goodbye and headed back down the street. I was so proud of him and so thankful for Ms. Shawnee's gentle, sweet voice that set my little boy at ease. She probably thinks I am a nutcase for crying when my child makes it into preschool but that's okay. I picked him up a few hours later and one of the first things he said was, "Circle Time is only listening." No big deal, only listening. We got all worked up for nothing. He said he had fun and wants to go back tomorrow. Let's hope he feels the same way come morning. I can assure you we will NOT be walking. It's way too hot and my feet were dying by the time I got home. Maybe when it gets cooler and my feet are feeling better.

I really am happy to have my kiddos home :0)

I realized last night after I had turned my computer off and was laying (or was it lying, I can never remember) in bed that the tone of my post--"Misery" wasn't very positive and didn't reflect that even in the bickering and meltdowns I am thrilled to have my children home again. When I went to bed Saturday night it was with a feeling of such contentment knowing we were all under the same roof again. I adore my children, they are each so different and unique and give me such joy in their own way. Hannah is much like me in that she is always talking and asking questions about what we are doing, who said what, why he/she did what she did, etc. So often my answer is a frustrated, "I don't know, why don't you go ask them." Like when we are driving down the road and there is someone watering their lawn in their bathrobe. "Why is she in her yard in her bathrobe, doesn't she know people are driving by, and why did she plant that color of flowers anyway?" Sometimes I enjoy her questions though and enjoy the conversations that start as a result. Gracie is often keeping me laughing with her observations and big words. In New Jersey there were lightning bugs or fireflies or whatever they are everywhere and I told Grace that I could get her a jar and she could catch some and she said, "No, they don't live well in captivity." Well, okay then. So much for making your own night light with a jar full of fireflies. Then when we were on the porch at Uncle Johnny's and Aunt Lisa was having some issues with the number of spiders there and commented how she just really doesn't like bugs. Grace pointed at the "Actually they are not bugs because they have 8 legs instead of 6." She also told me the other day that she could freely do something and the use of the word "freely" sounded so grown up coming out of her 6 year old mouth. And then there's Joe. That little guy can melt my heart and fire up my anger like noone else. Sometimes succeeding in both in the span of about 3 minutes or less. He has such a sweet heart and is very affectionate. He has been especially sweet since being home from his trip. Of course, at this early hour I can't think of any of the sweet things he has said but there have been many. He starts preschool today. It will not be easy for him but he is being brave. He has already told me, "I'm going to do this, I'm going to go to preschool and you are not going to be there and I'm not going to have any fun but I'm going to go." I'm sure there will be lots of worries in his little head this morning but I know he will have fun once he is there. Pray for him if you think about it! Okay, I'm feeling less guilty now about my previous post. I can start my day!

Chiropractor vs. Doctor

Ollie and I had this talk today. We've agreed that it's time for me to get some professional advice and help with my foot and leg problems. I want to see a chiro because I already know what is wrong with my feet and the podiatrist will just tell me to wear good shoes and stay off my feet. I would have to see a separate doctor to deal with my leg problem which stems from a back injury and I doubt anything can be done about that either. It seems a waste of money to pay for the office visits and all the tests they would probably run. A chiro can at least work on and adjust my back and has helped me with my feet before. Ollie is skeptical but we decided to start with the chiro route. I am really excited to hopefully get some help. Keep praying!

Misery

I couldn't have been more happy to have my children back under my wing when I picked them up on Saturday. I got the biggest smiles and the best hugs as we met up at the Starbucks in Tifton, GA. I left my house at 6 am and got to Valdosta about 9 am. I wasn't supposed to meet my mom until 10 so I had an hour to spend at the outlet mall--this was my plan :0). I found some good (not great) deals at a few stores and had fun shopping. Called my mom and she was still 100 miles away so I decided to drive another 45 minutes north and meet her in Tifton. I got my kiddos and off we went flying down the highway back to Florida. They were all talking at once about all the fun they had and I of course was asking a million questions. We got home at about 4 and I don't think I've slowed down since. I immediately had to go to the grocery store so we could eat that night. I had been super lazy this week and there was very little food in the house. Got home, put the groceries away, unloaded the car, ate dinner--Ollie cooked, then I had to go take a nap. I got up and started referreeing arguments. And honestly things went downhill from there. I won't bore anyone with the details but let's just say I had some tired kids and a tired momma. We got up and went to church today and Joe (and I) had a meltdown before we left the house. We got home and Ollie and I had a "discussion" about whether I should go to a doctor or chiropractor and then we had lunch. While I was making lunch Gracie got all emotional and said how she had just gotten home and everybody had been tired and grumpy and she ended with, "It's just been misery." At which point I was oh so empathetic and completely cracked up. I did. I'm sorry Grace, I couldn't help it. "Misery?" It was such a funny word to come out of her mouth. I think she's feeling better now. We've had a great evening. I know she was disappointed that the "honeymoon" period of being home was so short, to be honest so was I. I think we all need to get back to normal life, whatever that is!

My kids come home tomorrow!

I pick up the kids tomorrow. They have had a wonderful week with their grandparents and I am thankful they could do this. Ollie and I have enjoyed our evenings but now it's time to have us all back together. I just talked to the kids on the phone. They are excited about their big day. Hannah is going with my aunt to have her nails done, go shopping at Target to use her gift cards, and then out to lunch. The big decision she is dealing with this morning is pink or red? I voted for pink, we'll see. Hannah is so excited about this, she told my mom last night that she will probably wake up at 4 in the morning out of sheer excitement because she's never had her nails done. The other two are going to the Game Ranch and my brother's son, Samuel, is going with them. The Game Ranch is kind of like a zoo, Grace is thrilled--she loves anything that has to do with animals. Samuel and Joe are only a month apart and apparently there has been lots of arguing according to Hannah. They have argued over who is the tallest, who is the strongest, who gets what transformer, etc., etc.. My mom said in between arguments they have played together and had a blast together. I can't wait to have them all back under my wing!

If you are a praying person...

I have had chronic problems with my feet. I was first diagnosed with plantar fascitis about 6 years ago. It eventually went away after seeing a chiropractor. I got it again two years later and again it went away. Well, in the last year or two, I've gained about 20 pounds adding weight to my feet and have had problems with both feet. I am pretty sure I have plantar fascitis in both feet, recently one of my toes has become hugely swollen (I'm assuming a stress fracture because I've had that before), and it is just really painful to walk. I also hurt my back 3 years ago and have had problems with my left thigh muscle since then. I'm sure all of these things contribute to my feet problems. So far the main steps I have taken towards getting better have been just to wear shoes with good arch support all the time and stretch my foot really well before walking. I haven't done more because I don't have insurance and just the tests alone will probably be costly and I'm not sure that much can be done. Plantar fascitis is not really treatable except by doing the stretches and wearing good shoes. You can't do anything for a broken toe. So, I am asking for prayer from anyone who prays. I would like prayer for total healing and wisdom about seeing a chiropractor. I know this would help but the problem with seeing a chiropractor is that it's not just a one time thing. You usually have to go multiple times a week for weeks on end to see results. This can get expensive. At this point I'm willing to do whatever though. I am also trying to exercise and lose some weight because I know ultimately that will help my feet as well. Thank you!

Thankful Thursday

I am stealing this title from someone in my homeschool group but I like it and I don't think she will mind. Today I am thankful for--

a special time with God this morning, He's opening my eyes to His love for me and His hand in my daily life
a quiet week to think, plan, sew, rest
the fun my kids are having at Grammy and Pop's, I know they are making wonderful memories and building lasting relationships
my husband
iced coffee
blogs! I am spending too much time reading them but they are so fun

No more excuses

I have never been a disciplined person. Whenever I talk about why I can't adhere to a schedule or consistently keep up with something I just say, "I'm not a disciplined person" and move on. It struck me this morning that this is not okay or a valid excuse. What if the alcoholic just said, "Well, I'm just an alcoholic and that's how it is." I now see this lack of discipline as a problem that I need to work on and persevere in. Personally I need to be disciplined to exercise, eat right, and have a daily time to read the Bible and pray. All three of these areas of my life have been inconsistent and at times nonexistent and I'm reaping the consequences. With my kids, I need to be disciplined to follow through with teaching them to help around the house, cook, and consistently do school. So--I'm putting myself in discipline boot camp. Not easy when the drill sargeant is me and I'm undisciplined. But maybe that can all change. With God's help I can do this and follow through. I would like to exercise every day. At least for 20 minutes. Surely I can find 20 minutes to do something. Even if it's just walking Joe to school and back. I've been riding Ollie's bike the last two days and aside from a sore butt--that seat is not made for a butt the size of mine--it's gone great. I want one of those cruiser bikes with the extra big seat for my extra big seat. Either that or a big pillow.
In my quiet time this morning--I came across this verse, "My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth." If God can make heaven and earth he can surely lead me into a disciplined life.

Got a question for ya--

In case you can't read the onesie it says, "Does this diaper make my butt look big?" I love the expression on Bella's face.

Lofty Ambitions

So, the above pictures are all the projects in the sewing lineup. Who knows when and if they will all get done. I didn't include a picture of the quilt I worked on today but that needs a binding. The other really obnoxiously loud quilt you see is one I pieced together when I was pregnant with Hannah and it turned out so awful I just shoved it in a closet. I've been encouraged by a friend to get it out and finish it so I am going to! The jeans and corduroy fabric are for "patch pants." The jeans no longer fit me, I've expanded a little over the last two years. So, I am going to cut the sides and insert a line of patches. My sweet sil taught me this method and I can't wait to try it out. We'll see how it goes. Hers are oh so cute and so shabby chic (my style :0)). Then there's my Christmas fabric. Our quilting group is doing a Christmas star block swap next. I have some ideas and I'm eager to try them out. And finally, the American Girl pattern. I bougjt this forHannah for her birthday and we are going to try to make the nightgown and the dress in the middle of the bottom row. I'm not so sure about that pinafore though, we may have to settle for an apron. M, I may be calling you! Unfortunately, I have to take a break from my sewing projects and prepare to start school next week. The top picture is what my desk looks like right now. Pretty scary. So, the sewing stops until I can get planned for next week. I'm going to be disciplined and I'm going to do it!!!

Check!

I can check one thing off my list--I finished the sandwich part of my quilt. Now I just have to do the binding and I will be done. Of course, the binding is the most time consuming so that will have to wait. I am happy to have gotten this much done though. Bella took a couple of really good naps, maybe the whir of the sewing machine lulled her to sleep. She looked so cute sleeping with her little hiny in the air that I had to take a picture!

Baby Isabella

This is Bella the baby I am keeping during the week. She was 12 weeks old today! She's very sweet and happy and I am enjoying her. I took her out today to Joann's and could hardly get any shopping done for all the comments about her. "Oh, look at all that hair!" "How old is she?" "What's her name?" and then quite a few of the sweet old ladies had stories about their grandchildren and great grandchildren. I had forgotten how much attention you get when you shop with a baby in tow. I managed to get my fabric bought for the Christmas quilt despite the interruptions. I got about a quarter of my Americana quilt top done today, I might be able to finish the top tomorrow. Then I start my Christmas squares. I'm eager to decide on a pattern and give it a shot.
The kids seem to be doing well in Georgia. I've talked to them everyday. Gracie says she doesn't miss me as much if she can talk to me everyday. Isn't she soooo sweet???? I just adore her and her sister and her brother. They just say the sweetest, funniest things. They are so fun to be around, they never drive me crazy, I just love hearing them say "Mommy" about two hundred gazillion times a day. The way they get whiny when they are frustrated, it's just so endearing. The way they can't hardly eat without dumping it all on the floor and spilling at least one big drink a day. Oh and the way they fight with each other, it's just precious. It's all cute and wonderful when they are 500 miles away. I'm counting the days until Saturday but I'm glad they are having fun. They've been to the park and swimming and made a QT run for freezonis everyday I think.
I'll post some pictures of my quilting progress tomorrow!

A few more pictures from our trip..

Here are the last of the pictures from our trip. We had a great time in IL with the family there. We have four little nieces and one big niece and it is just so fun to get to spend time with them and get to know them a little more. The little ones are at such cute ages and constantly remind me of my girls at those ages. I miss the days when they were so little but at the same time I am so enjoying see them grow and become their own little person.
We had a party for Hannah while we were there, a hawaiian party complete with limbo and a small band playing "hawaiian" music. It was a great time!

Happy Birthday Hannah!

Hannah turned 8 years old on Thursday! Hannah is a joy to have in our family. She is full of energy, creativity, and opinions and always has lots to say about just about everything. She loves art and theatre, her dolls, reading (I don't know if she loves it yet but maybe someday!), and playing with and picking on her siblings. Happy Birthday Hannah!

Finally Home (two of us at least!)

Well, Ollie and I are home after our two week vacation. We had had enough family time so we decided to leave the kids in Georgia. We said good night to them last night and sneaked out at 5 am! Weren't they surprised when they woke up and we were gone! I'm just kidding, we did leave the kids in Georgia but it had been prearranged months ago. It was actually really hard to leave them. You would think that we would be ready for a break from them after two weeks of traveling but really I feel like I've hardly spent any time with them. We spent our vacation visiting family and the kids were occupied with friends and cousins. So, I do miss them and it's hard to be separated by such a far distance but I will take advantage of this quiet time at home. I start keeping baby Bella tomorrow so the house won't be totally empty. It will be nice to have a week to get acquainted with her and maybe even establish a little routine ??:0) Fat chance but we'll try nonetheless.
Ollie starts back to work tomorrow. Our summer is winding up. Next week Joe starts preschool and we will get back into homeschooling. We are doing a "real" curriculum this year and I am looking forward to getting started with it. It's called My Father's World and incorporates Bible, History, Geography, and Science and then I add in Math and Language Arts. Gracie will be doing first grade and Hannah will be doing 3rd grade and focusing on American History. I will start trying to plan a little this week for the first two weeks. That's after I quilt! I am so eager to start putting together my quilt top from the quilt block exchange. Our goal is to have our quilts done by September 16. We are also supposed to bring our completed Christmas blocks then too. We'll see about that...

They Start Young

Okay, before I start I have to say that I was raised in the South and grew up assuming that all northerners were rude and fairly unfriendly. We thought they were like that because it was always so cold and nobody likes to be all chatty when it's cold so they just never developed those people skills. Well, I have since met many yankees that are perfectly nice and friendly and easy to talk to. So, I will concede--not all yankees are rude but some of them are and I've met a few on this trip. The first was this little 9 year old girl who insisted to Hannah that she was a teenager. We were at a park and Hannah was talking to this group of girls. So, Hannah being the friendly southern girl strikes up a conversation and is telling these other little girls that she is from Florida and she is here visiting New Jersey. So the teenage nine year old says, "Well, listen to this--who cares??" Poor Hannah, she didn't know what to do with this rude yankee girl. It didn't take her long to come back and hang out with me instead.
Later, we were still in New Jersey walking through Haddonfield and this woman walks by with a big, black poodle who had glittery blue toenail polish. I lost myself in my friendly southernness and oohed and aahed over her dog and it's great toenails. She slowed down just enough to give me a totally snide look before marching her and her diva dog down the sidewalk. I always forget that I can't just talk to anybody on the streets and please received kindly. Ollie reminds me of this when we are in Chicago and I work to keep my mouth shut. I can't keep from at least saying hi though.
I have a few other examples but I am running short on time for writing. Until later...

The Wedding in West Virginia

We made it to Wheeling, West Virginia just in time for the rehearsal. While there we found out that Joe was supposed to be the ring bearer. Somehow I had missed this important piece of info! Once Joe laid eyes on the cute little flower girl who was also 4 1/2 he said he definitely wanted to be the ring bearer. For those of you who know Joe, you know how shocking this is! I really expected him to change his mind but he did it. We left the rehearsal and had about an hour to go find a hotel and meet at the rehearsal dinner. This would have been plenty of time except that coming back across the Ohio River we got caught in a huge traffic jam. The tunnel ahead was closed. We finally got off the highway and then found ourselves in the middle of a road race. It was really comical at this point. We were about 45 minutes late already. We finally stopped the car and parked and walked the last 8 blocks. We got to the restaurant but it was across the street and we actually had to run between the race runners to get to it. It was pretty funny! We finally made it to the dinner and enjoyed it very much. We had a good night's rest and woke up to rain, rain, and more rain. The wedding wasn't until 4:30 and we had planned to spend the day at the resort where the wedding was going to be. They had a great zoo that we were eager to see. But, it wasn't to be. We went out for a late breakfast, shopped in a huge store called Cabela's that is like a Bass Pro Shop, and then went to the wedding and took a rest in the van before changing in the van and heading in to the wedding.

The wedding went beautifully, David and Margaret were both so happy. Joe did a great job as the ring bearer. He marched down that aisle with the rings held out in front of him. It was really cute! We left the wedding and changed in the van again and we were off to Chicago! We drove all night and arrived here at about 6:45 am yesterday. We are having a great time here with all the cousins. I'll blog more about that later!

Some pictures from our time in New Jersey

Philadelphia

After leaving Aunt Sylvia's we went out for Philly Cheesesteaks on our way to Uncle Dan's. They were wonderful and we finished our meal with a really huge, really melty frozen custard. We could not eat it fast enough. It was really funny, there was chocolate everywhere! We made it to Uncle Dan's early in the afternoon and took a ride over to Haddonfield where Ollie's grandparents used to live. It was nice to walk around the town and we got to try water ice. I guess water ice is the northern name for what we in Georgia called Hawaiian ice. It's like a snow cone but with finer ice shavings. On Friday we went to Philadelphia for a few hours. We first toured Betsy Ross' house. They had some live actors there and we learned some history. They had a sword fight that Joe was convinced was real. He wouldn't believe us when we told him they were just acting. He was certain someone was going to be stabbed right there before his very eyes! You can see the picture above of him in Ollie's lap. We also saw the Liberty Bell, Christ Church, and Independence Hall. It was great and I wish we had had longer. Hannah and I will be studying American History this year and I would have loved to see more and hear more of the stories. They had storytellers all over the place but we only had time to hear one.

We enjoyed our time with Uncle Dan, he cooked for us, played the piano for us, and really entertained the kids with his antics. Saturday morning it was on to West Virginia!

Words of Wisdom from Joe

Walking through Arlington National Cemetery Joe came up to me and said, "Some womens have long boobies." He paused a minute and then said, "Usually womens that have long boobies also have big butts."

Country Living in New Jersey

As I type this, Sylvia and Bob (Ollie's aunt and uncle) are cooking a big dinner for us. We are having fresh Jersey corn, lima beans straight from the garden, fried okra (okra straight from the garden), and grilled steaks. For dessert we are having blackberry-peach cobbler with blackberries that we picked the other day and peaches from the fruit stand. We have been totally spoiled here with this fresh from the garden food. Sylvia and Bob have a huge garden and an herb farm. There are also chickens and a cat that have completely kept Grace occupied. On Tuesday we went blackberry picking and raspberry picking. The raspberries were so sweet, we ate almost everything we picked right when we got home! Today we went canoeing on a nearby lake and then had a picnic at Wheaton Arts Center. They do glass blowing there and we got to watch a demonstration. It was really neat. Then we did a little shopping and the kids got some marbles and some little glass trinket thingys. Once we got home the kids and Sylvia and their cousin Bella spent hours in the sand box making a marble track. Their knees were so dirty that even scrubbing in the bath didn't fully take off all the dirt. Jersey dirt is immune to soap I guess.
Our trip from North Carolina to Virginia went well. We left NC around 1 and drove to Shenandoah National Park. We drove beautiful mountain roads for hours getting to the campground. By nightfall it was pouring rain and we could only see about 20 feet in front of us, it was slow going and we made it to the campground at about 9:30 in pouring rain. We bedded down for the night in the van. Thankfully there is enough room to sleep all of us comfortably. No bike riding though. We got up early and went to a couple of spots to do some hiking and rock climbing. We hiked a small portion of the Appalachian trail and that was neat imagining all the hikers that had been through there. From there we drove to DC and did a driving tour past the main attractions. We parked and walked around at Arlington National Cemetery. There we saw the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and also my cousin Eddie's grave. He died in 1972 when my uncle was in the army and was buried there. That was special to see his grave and have a moment to reflect on him. We left Washington, DC and 3 hours later made it here to Sylvia and Bob's.
Today we go another 45 minutes or so north to Uncle Dan's. He will be giving us a tour of Philadelphia and we will stay with him tonight and maybe tomorrow night. From there we go to WV on Saturday for David's wedding. We have had a great trip and made so many wonderful memories. I have some more pictures to post but cannot do it from here. Maybe when we get to Chicago.