4/25/13 THANKFUL THURSDAY

I'm thankful that all four kids are playing outside this morning and that I'm going to have some quiet time of productivity.

What's something that you're thankful for?

THINGS THAT HAVE MADE ME SMILE RECENTLY

* seeing Devon at the top of trees and playground equipment
* the variety of birds that come into our yard every day
* watching Naomi's eyes light up when she walked into Sally's Beauty Supply for the first time
* flowers and trees blooming in our yard
* Silas checking his bean seeds and Devon checking his basil seeds every morning
* the enthusiasm with which Tyler knocks over his stacking boxes
* kitchen counters made from bowling alley lanes at Becky's house
* the bigs taking care of and playing with Tyler
* having church, blogs or Facebook posts from other people, Bible study homework, and church all tie together
* finding out that Tim got an A and a B during his first term of school
* Devon teaching Naomi how to draw, do math, and sound out tricky words
* friends who are thoughtful
* hearing Naomi call peanuts "elephant nuts" and realizing she didn't recognize them in the shell
* Silas surprising me by nailing the slats back on the repaired section of fence
* a Yankee lemon cupcake candle on the dining table
* belly laughs from each of the little Ws about various things
* Devon's excitement when his Boy's Life magazine comes in the mail
* being able to use the table saw that we were given to help someone who needed a board cut
* Silas doing school in the branches of a tree at 8:00 in the morning
* mowing the lawn
* Tyler jabbering in bed when he wakes up from a nap
* talking to Granny on the phone
* time with the kids at a park
* Naomi contentedly playing in the bath long after the water's gone cold
* board or card games being played by various combinations of Ws

MENU - SECOND HALF OF APRIL 2013

I have not been good about trying new recipes lately, but I'm getting back in the habit with two new recipes on this menu.  I'm also making dump cake, per the request of one of the little Ws, who realized we hadn't made that family favorite in a very. long. time.  Maybe years.  

BREAKFASTS
* doughnuts x2
* oatmeal with brown sugar, cinnamon, milk, raisins, fruit, huh-koe-pee milk, and energy mix as optional toppings 8
* sausage balls/banana crumb muffins/fruit salad
* cottage cheese with blueberries and honey
* Rebecca's granola
* baked oatmeal

DINNERS
* leftovers x2
* tacos x2
* beef eldorado (base from the freezer)/roasted broccoli
* Hawaiian chicken (bbq)/tropical salad
* rice cooker mac & cheese/carrots & celery sticks
* pork apple burgers (bbq)/potato wedges/corn on the cob (bbq)
* Thai quinoa salad with ginger peanut dressing, with the option of being served over spinach
* cheesy green beans/rice
* orange lentil soup/cheesy muffins
* crockpot sesame honey chicken/rice/asparagus with lemon cheese sauce (bbq)
* artichoke & spinach lasagna/garlic roasted cauliflower
* broccoli & cheddar quiche with brown rice crust/carrots & celery sticks

SNACKS & DESSERTS
* produce
* nuts - pistachios & roasted almonds
* popcorn
* zucchini cookies (some for us, some to take to an event)
* dump cake 
* black bean dip & carrots (taking to an event)

4/18/13 THANKFUL THURSDAY

I'm thankful that we were able to get rid of a bunch of stuff we didn't need yesterday and that we made a whole bunch of people happy by spreading it all around the corner of our yard with a "free" sign in plain view.

What's something that you're thankful for?

4/11/13 THANKFUL THURSDAY

I'm thankful that my dad and his wife make it a priority to spend time with and attention on their grandkids.

What's something that you're thankful for?

4/8/13 MEMORIES ON MONDAY

This picture was taken during the fall of my third grade year.  Do I look like Devon (who is currently in third grade) or what?!  It was my first year of public school (I happily shuffled between home, private, and public), the year I won a local coloring contest (my only claim to artistic fame), and the year we started attending the church I grew up in (ten years, lots of memories).

FUN WITH FRIENDS ON FRIDAY

A friend of mine mentioned early last week that she was going to IKEA later in the week and wondered if some of our group of friends would like to join her.  I didn't want to take the kids, Tim's at his practicum full-time, and it wasn't going to be worth paying for a sitter to go.  So, I declined.

Then I got a message mid-week from another friend.  She wanted to know if she and her husband could take our bigs to the drive-in for a movie on Friday night.  We agreed to let them go, then she said to drop them off at 1:00 in the afternoon.  She was going to have the kids help with some work on their property, hang out the rest of the afternoon, and then head to the movies.  We agreed to the plan.

Suddenly it occurred to me that I would only have one kid on Friday.   IKEA day.   Splendid!

I ended up spending Friday afternoon and evening with three friends that were able to make it out that day.  We browsed IKEA for people who needed things there, went on clothing hunt so that they could help me pull together a non-tomboy outfit, ate at Red Robin, and spent a bunch of time talking. 

Of course, I had to take Teebs with me, which is not how things usually go.  He wasn't bad ... but he's busy (no one's fault) ... and he missed his nap (my fault).  By the end of the visit I was a little tired of parenting a toddler and remembering why I like hanging out with friends sans kids from time to time.  But, that's ok.  It was still fun to have some girl time!

Here's Teebs with Charlotte, a friend's daughter who also had to be brought along this time.  The two of them met last year, so it was fun to see them together as toddlers.

Meanwhile, the bigs pulled on their rainboots and got to work at Dave and Sheri's.  Then they just hung out, watched a movie, ate "the best hot dogs ever" as part of their dinner, and headed out to the drive-in to watch The Croods from the back of a truck and eat goodies from Taco Bell.  They didn't home until after 10:30 and had so much fun!!



Tim didn't get to do anything fun that day, but he was able to be home alone for a couple hours between his practicum and me getting home.  Quiet time at home is just as nice, and sometimes even nicer, than galavanting around with friends in this season of our lives, so it's all good. 

EASTER - 2013

Brace yourself.  This post has ..... pictures!!!!!  First time in three months!!!

We used a little of our tax refund to replace the camera that broke mid-January.  Unfortunately, we don't like it and just got the paperwork for a return, but we used it for a few days before accepting that it just wasn't going to work for us.   Which means I have some pictures for this post.  Woohoo!!

Our day started out with Resurrection Sunday - studying the Bible, worshiping Jesus through singing, and taking communion at our church as we celebrated the resurrection of Jesus.  

Then we shifted into Easter mode - Tim and I hiding eggs the bigs had dyed the previous night, giving the kids baskets (Dollar Tree buckets, actually, because I prefer things that can be used the rest of the year, rather than stored in a closet) filled with treats, then watching the kids enjoy the egg hunt and candy.

Before the festivities commenced, however, we busted out the camera.   First the little Ws bunched together with smiles on their faces.  

Then Tim and I struck a pose while a little W worked the camera.  

Then we let them loose to find eggs.  Outside.  For the second year in a row.  Such a gorgeous day outside!

Last year Tyler was itty bitty and konked out during the hunt, but this year he joined in the fun.  We put a few eggs in easy spots for him, but he didn't fully grasp the concept of what was going on.  You see, he evidently thinks that all round-ish things that fit nicely in his hand are balls.  So he'd find an egg, we'd try to snap a picture of him looking at us with it in his hand, then he'd chuck it across the lawn with a huge smile on his face.  Four kids and he's the first to think Easter eggs are balls.  Stinker.  After repeatedly banging our head against that proverbial brick wall, we gave up on having a cute "egg in the hand and smile on the face" picture.  Such is life.

We didn't get a good close-up of his face either, as he was too busy shoving treats into it and couldn't be bothered to look at the camera for ten seconds.  Again, he's a stinker.  At least he's a cute one!

We did, however, get shots of Devon, Naomi, and Silas.  

They look so grown up, don't they?! 

4/4/13 THANKFUL THURSDAY

I'm thankful that the early-rising little W who always bounces right out of bed was able to sleep until 8:30 this morning, as their body apparently needed the rest, and that two little Ws quietly watched a movie while  another little W and I slept until almost 8:00.

What is something that you are thankful for?

STARS, CAMERAS, ENTREPRENEURS, AND NEIGHBORS

You'd think I hung the moon - One of the little Ws was given a package of glow-in-the-dark stars by their loving parents, but that little W didn't love the stars nearly as much as their parents loved them.  So their mother, yours truly, snagged them and hung them in Naomi and Tyler's room.  Tyler giggled when he saw them glowing and Naomi was absolutely giddy.  I may not be able to hang the moon, but hanging stars definitely earned me some major "cool mom" points!

Point and shoot ... Or point, then say "shoot" - We've been without a camera since mid-January and decided to use a portion of our tax refund to get a new one.  I asked on Facebook for recommendations, purchased one online ... and we hate it.  The LCD screen is grainy and it's just not going to work.  I was so disappointed!!  We're waiting for the paperwork to return it, then will shop locally for another one after we get our money back.  I don't know when it will happen, but I can't wait to take picture of the little Ws again!

Raking in the bucks - Silas recently saw something at the store that he wanted to buy.  As you know, the kids aren't getting paid by us until Tim starts working again, which means they have no spending budget right now.  So, as he did several months ago, he figured out a way to earn some cash.  He went through his stuff and filled a large bag with things he no longer needed or wanted, slapped price tags on them, then set up a yard sale.  We live on a corner, so he set up shop on the corner for the most visibility and did it right before school got out, as he knew there would be a lot of foot traffic.  He sold almost everything and earned about $30.00, which gave him enough to buy what he wanted after he budgeted the cash out.

Sweet treats to eat - There was a knock on our door Saturday afternoon and I opened it to find one of our neighbors standing there.  She's a teenager who I've seen around, but never met.  She handed me a bag filled with Easter candy and said, "My mom asked me to bring this over for your kids."  I thanked her and we introduced ourselves, then she went home.  We try to take baked goods to our three closest neighbors every month-ish, but this is the second time a neighbor has brought an edible gift to us. Another neighbor sent their kids over with a huge tin of popcorn and some fruit snacks at Christmas.  Both times the neighbor kids have brought the gifts over, as there's a language barrier between us and the parents, and both gifts have come from people who work very long hours to provide for their own families.  The treats themselves are sweet, but the generosity behind them is even sweeter.

MENU - FIRST HALF OF APRIL 2013

BREAKFASTS
* doughnuts x2
* oatmeal with brown sugar, cinnamon, milk, raisins, fruit, huh-koe-pee milk, and energy mix as optional toppings 9
* lemony sour cream muffins (never made them last time)
* pumpkin pancakes
* cranberry granola
* scrambled eggs & homemade hashbrowns

DINNERS
* leftovers x2
* tacos x2
* crockpot ziti/winter fruit salad
* turkey pot pie/winter fruit salad
* egg salad sandwiches/fruit
* tomato, barley, feta salad over spinach
* honey curried chickpeas (crockpot)/rice/roasted broccoli
* six layer casserole (crockpot)/roasted broccoli
* taco soup (crockpot)/cornbread (double & freeze one)
* garlic chicken with more garlic (crockpot)/rice/asparagus with lemon cheese sauce (bbq)
* meatball sandwiches/raw veggies/chips
* steak salad (we'll use pork)/buttermilk biscuits with chives and black pepper
* rice/veggie stir fry

SNACKS & DESSERTS
* produce
* nuts - pistachios & roasted almonds
* popcorn
* pumpkin chocolate chip cookies
* apple bars & vanilla ice cream

4/1/13 WORTH REPEATING

If you compare yourself to others you will either become proud or bitter.

~ Toni Blair


********


Remember, you are not managing an inconvenience; you are raising a human being.

~ Kittie Frantz


********


I still sin.
Therefore, I still need my Savior.
I still hurt.
Therefore, I still need a Comforter.
I still struggle.
Therefore, I still need God's help.
I still fail.
Therefore, I still need Forgiveness.
I still feel Loneliness.
Therefore, I still need Others.

~ Belinda Moffit at The Moffits


********


How you react to not getting your way is a measure of your maturity.

~ Donna von Rosenburg


********


A groove is nothing more than a glorified rut.

~ Merry Marinello