AN ORDINARY MORNING

Naomi crawled back into bed to read a school book.

Devon is working on math and Teebs is coloring.

Silas asked if he could make breakfast sandwiches.

There's nothing special about this morning, but that's just the way I like it.

11/12/15 - THANKFUL THURSDAY

I'm thankful God loves me in spite of my shortcomings.

What's something that you're thankful for?

A QUICK ROAD TRIP

I've known Janice online for a gazillion years and she was visiting family in this part of the country, so several local gals who have also known her online got together in Seattle-ish last night. Getting to meet an old friend (and her mom) for the first time and hanging out with other friends I see on a regular basis made for a really fun evening! We had a taco potluck, ate an awesome trifle, talked about all sorts of things, laughed a lot ... and made sure to get a group picture, of course.

The larger group of friends we're part of is often referred to as the Sisterhood, which means we're also sorta like aunts to everyone's kids. That sister/aunt combo means I came home with a board game for the fam that someone was getting rid of, a package of dark chocolate-covered peppermint Joe Joe's, an envelope of trumpet vine seeds to plant in our yard, two pairs of sparkly heels for Naomi that someone purged from their closet, and four cookies shaped and decorated like pumpkins that the little Ws are eating for dessert tonight.

Not only did I get several hours of girl time and come home with goodies, but I ended up driving up and back alone. I love carpooling with the Portland-ish gals on these trips, but none of them were able to get away and I think I probably needed the down time more than I realized. With the exception of 5-10 minutes of rain in each direction, I had perfect weather, easy traffic, and enjoyed several hours of silence in the car and a couple hours listening to a wide variety of music. I also got a couple hours to myself in the home of the friend I stayed with on Monday, time to look at the trees out her window, read my Bible and the book Beep and I are going through for our Skyble study. This morning I killed a little time browsing the fun shops in downtown Edmonds by myself, then had lunch with a friend before heading home.

It was a quick trip, late night, and included lots of driving, but it was also a fun break from regular life and the perfect mix of time spent alone and with other people. I came back feeling recharged and thankful it worked out for me to make the trip.

MY NEW KITCHEN GADGET

Years and years ago I used an apple peeler, corer, & slicer in the home of the family I worked for through high school and for the last several years I've wished we had one every time I make a big bunch of applesauce. Something really has to earn the space it keeps in our home for me to want it, I'm not a big fan of having lots of gadgets, and I'm super frugal by nature, so my ongoing desire for one combined with our family's first apple-picking trip prompted me to get one this year. I asked for recommendations on Facebook, Tim and I looked them over, and we decided to buy one from Pampered Chef. Faith is a friend and PC consultant, so I connected with her and placed our order. 

Here's 100+ pounds of apples from Beilke Family Farm and my new kitchen gadget.

Devon took a shot of me putting me new peeler, corer, & slicer to use.

So far we've made three crockpots of applesauce for the freezer, dehydrated three batches of apples, and this weekend I'm going to make my first attempt at canning when I make more applesauce. I never peel apples for sauce or drying (you can disengage the peeler), but the peeler, corer, & slicer makes the sauce prep go quickly. I can't slice apples thinly and evenly for drying to save my life, so it's also saving Tim and Devon lots of time by not requiring them to do it for me. Speaking of Tim, I suspect that guy will be using it for scalloped potatoes sooner than later. I'm not sure why we waited so long to buy this thing, but I'm glad we finally got around to it!

11/5/15 - THANKFUL THURSDAY

I'm thankful for the convenience of having two vehicles.

What is something that you're thankful for?

11/4/15 - WORTH REPEATING

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You should NEVER be out in public and say: "We've been up all night vomiting."

You may text that. You may email that. You may say it over the phone. Send it by tracking pigeon if you must, but you needn't utter it in person. Stay home. You are not needed that badly. The world will not stop without you. Dare I say, you're not that great.

~ Jami Amerine in For the Love of All That's Holy, If You're Vomiting, STAY HOME! at For Every Mom


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In prayer it is better to have heart without words, than words without heart.

~ John Bunyan


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But along the way, I discovered something even better than owning less: Wanting less.

~ Joshua Becker in Owning Less is Great. Wanting Less is Better. at Becoming Minimalist


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When one door closes another opens; but we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door that we do not see the ones which open for us.

~ Alexander Graham Bell


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The Best Friends Are Those Who Cheerlead AND Challenge You

This past year, I've come to really appreciate the beauty of life-giving relationships - the kind where it's a two way street and there's abundant give and take. I've intentionally worked at investing in relationships with people who not only love me for exactly who I am, but who challenge me to be the best version of myself that I can be.

~ Crystal Paine in 3 Important Things I Learned When I Was 33 (+ a special birthday request) at Money Saving Mom


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HIDE & SEEK

Tim and the little Ws play what we call "W-style hide and seek". They dress in black, turn out all the lights, shut the blinds, and play in total darkness. Naomi got to join the big boys for the first time six years ago. Teebs played briefly once before, sometime last winter, but he hated it. Tonight was a different story. I suggested he partner up with Tim and see if he liked it. If not, he could bail, but he had to give it one more chance. He was giddy when they were done. Success!

Devon played, even though he didn't dress the part this time, and they all had fun. Yesterday was the first night of our return to standard time and the first round of hide and seek for the season, but I strongly suspect there will be more games happening over the next few months.