Thursday, December 19, 2013
ANNUAL PICTURES OF THE LITTLE
I posted annual pictures of the bigs a few months ago, but the littlest W had a recent birthday, which meant it was time for his pictures. I love his eyelashes, he loves his pockets.
12/19/13 THANKFUL THURSDAY
I'm thankful for early mornings in a dark house with the Christmas lights on the tree turned on.
What's something that you're thankful for?
What's something that you're thankful for?
Monday, December 16, 2013
FEELING PRETTY LOVED
12/3 - Remember the love from the SL Sisterhood that showed up on 11/26, the gift that allowed us to buy Christmas gifts for the little Ws and to send Granny a birthday calendar? Well, a week later our mailbox held another round of love from the same circle of friends. It was a gift that allowed the little Ws to go Christmas shopping for their family members, which they thoroughly love to do. These ladies are so awesome!
12/9 - A friend called, but I didn't get the message until that evening.
12/10 - I called my friend back. She said she'd gotten a box ready to ship to me last Christmas, but never actually sent it off. It's been sitting in her closet for a year and she'd finally mailed it. Of course, being a year old, she couldn't remember what exactly was in it or what the card said. Ha! She just wanted to warn me that a mystery box was arriving soon.
12/11 - The mystery box arrived and it had two Ws in it! There was a canvas bag with a W on it and a huge (probably 13-14" tall and maybe 18" wide) Christmas W. So fun!
12/12 - A friend, the same one who delivered all the love from the SL Sisterhood a couple weeks earlier, said she had another delivery.
12/13, part one - My friend stops by with the newest delivery, the third from that group of friends! I couldn't believe it!!
I got my very first poinsettia and swag.
And there were a couple Ws in the bag. You know I have to show you every W that enters my house, so here they are - a notepad and a wooden letter.
There were also a bunch of gifts for the kids, some gifts for me (more than the ones I've shown pictures of, though I'm sure pictures of the other things will come eventually), and a couple more gift cards. Some of those gift cards gave us more than enough to buy a new blender. We probably used our blender five days a week, but it died quite unexpectedly two or three weeks ago and we've just been making do without it. It's not truly a need, but it was something we made very good use of ... and now there's a new one headed our way. So thankful!
12/13, part two - The mail carrier delivered two boxes to our house in the morning. There was no name on the return address and I had no idea who they were from. Tim and I opened them that evening and found a ton of hand-me-downs for our kids. We love giving and receiving hand-me-downs, so we'd have been happy going through those boxes anyway. However, there were two things I'd recently mentioned wanting. One was solid color, long-sleeved tees for Naomi to layer under her short-sleeved shirts, the other was gloves for Naomi. Guess what was included in all those clothes? You got it! A few solid color, long-sleeved tees and three pairs of gloves for Naomi. Just another incident of God's provision being perfect, even when it's not at all what we had in mind.
12/13, part three - We were able to deliver cookies to four different groups of people, had fun at a winter/Christmas event with our homeschool group, and got to bless someone else with an item they desperately needed and which we had sitting in the back of our closet.
As we were opening the boxes we discovered the sender's name on the original labels, which had been covered up with paper when they sent everything to us. Who was it? A stranger. A friend's relative. They had mentioned something on Facebook about getting rid of the clothes and our friend mentioned our names, gave our address, and suddenly we had two boxes of clothes at our door. How cool is that?!
12/14 - Silas had his way paid for a church event and had a blast.
12/15 - One of Tim's friends gave him a container of homemade toffee, which made him very happy, and we got to continue our tradition of attending Portland Christian Center's amazing Christmas concert.
12/15 & 12/16 - We were given and loaned the snow pants we need for a church event that Silas and Devon will be attending soon, an event where Devon's way was paid and Silas gets to help.
I'm always afraid I'm going to forget someone/something, but those are the things I can remember right now.
We are blessed, indeed.
12/9 - A friend called, but I didn't get the message until that evening.
12/10 - I called my friend back. She said she'd gotten a box ready to ship to me last Christmas, but never actually sent it off. It's been sitting in her closet for a year and she'd finally mailed it. Of course, being a year old, she couldn't remember what exactly was in it or what the card said. Ha! She just wanted to warn me that a mystery box was arriving soon.
12/11 - The mystery box arrived and it had two Ws in it! There was a canvas bag with a W on it and a huge (probably 13-14" tall and maybe 18" wide) Christmas W. So fun!
12/12 - A friend, the same one who delivered all the love from the SL Sisterhood a couple weeks earlier, said she had another delivery.
12/13, part one - My friend stops by with the newest delivery, the third from that group of friends! I couldn't believe it!!
I got my very first poinsettia and swag.
And there were a couple Ws in the bag. You know I have to show you every W that enters my house, so here they are - a notepad and a wooden letter.
There were also a bunch of gifts for the kids, some gifts for me (more than the ones I've shown pictures of, though I'm sure pictures of the other things will come eventually), and a couple more gift cards. Some of those gift cards gave us more than enough to buy a new blender. We probably used our blender five days a week, but it died quite unexpectedly two or three weeks ago and we've just been making do without it. It's not truly a need, but it was something we made very good use of ... and now there's a new one headed our way. So thankful!
12/13, part two - The mail carrier delivered two boxes to our house in the morning. There was no name on the return address and I had no idea who they were from. Tim and I opened them that evening and found a ton of hand-me-downs for our kids. We love giving and receiving hand-me-downs, so we'd have been happy going through those boxes anyway. However, there were two things I'd recently mentioned wanting. One was solid color, long-sleeved tees for Naomi to layer under her short-sleeved shirts, the other was gloves for Naomi. Guess what was included in all those clothes? You got it! A few solid color, long-sleeved tees and three pairs of gloves for Naomi. Just another incident of God's provision being perfect, even when it's not at all what we had in mind.
12/13, part three - We were able to deliver cookies to four different groups of people, had fun at a winter/Christmas event with our homeschool group, and got to bless someone else with an item they desperately needed and which we had sitting in the back of our closet.
As we were opening the boxes we discovered the sender's name on the original labels, which had been covered up with paper when they sent everything to us. Who was it? A stranger. A friend's relative. They had mentioned something on Facebook about getting rid of the clothes and our friend mentioned our names, gave our address, and suddenly we had two boxes of clothes at our door. How cool is that?!
12/14 - Silas had his way paid for a church event and had a blast.
12/15 - One of Tim's friends gave him a container of homemade toffee, which made him very happy, and we got to continue our tradition of attending Portland Christian Center's amazing Christmas concert.
12/15 & 12/16 - We were given and loaned the snow pants we need for a church event that Silas and Devon will be attending soon, an event where Devon's way was paid and Silas gets to help.
I'm always afraid I'm going to forget someone/something, but those are the things I can remember right now.
We are blessed, indeed.
Sunday, December 15, 2013
MENU - SECOND HALF OF DECEMBER 2013
Here are a couple things we've tried and liked recently.
* Beaver mash - Mashed up squash. Orange squash. Beaver orange.
* sweet potato, carrot, apple, and red lentil soup - This is a random combination of ingredients, but it tastes good.
And here's what's coming up.
* Rebecca's granola/yogurt
* a bunch of cookies, though we haven't decided which kinds yet, some that will be for us and some to give away
* Beaver mash - Mashed up squash. Orange squash. Beaver orange.
* sweet potato, carrot, apple, and red lentil soup - This is a random combination of ingredients, but it tastes good.
And here's what's coming up.
BREAKFASTS
* doughnuts x3
* oatmeal with brown sugar, cinnamon, milk, raisins, fruit, huh-koe-pee milk, and energy mix as optional toppings
- with cottage cheese and fruit x3
- with yogurt and fruit x2
* egg & potato scramble (ours are always made with a ton of chopped spinach, often some chopped tomatoes, and always a sprinkling of some type of cheese)/toast x4
* poppyseed banana muffins/fruit* doughnuts x3
* oatmeal with brown sugar, cinnamon, milk, raisins, fruit, huh-koe-pee milk, and energy mix as optional toppings
- with cottage cheese and fruit x3
- with yogurt and fruit x2
* egg & potato scramble (ours are always made with a ton of chopped spinach, often some chopped tomatoes, and always a sprinkling of some type of cheese)/toast x4
* Rebecca's granola/yogurt
* scrambled eggs/bacon/fruit
WEEKDAY LUNCHES (only four full days of school)
* meat & cheese sandwich/peas/apples
* peanut butter & jelly sandwich on oatmeal pancakes/applesauce/peas
* crackers/cheddar/cukes/olives
* meat & cheese sandwich/peas/apples
* peanut butter & jelly sandwich on oatmeal pancakes/applesauce/peas
* crackers/cheddar/cukes/olives
* black bean dip/crackers/carrots/red bell peppers
DINNERS
DINNERS
* leftovers x3
* tacos (meat and crockpot beans from the freezer) x3
* tacos (meat and crockpot beans from the freezer) x3
* hoagies/apples
* pasta Athena/green beans
* sweet potato, carrot, apple, and red lentil soup (leftovers from the freezer)/carrot soup (leftovers from the freezer)
SNACKS & DESSERTS
* produce
* hummus for veggies
* nuts - pistachios & roasted almonds
* popcorn
* marionberry pie from Willamette Valley Pie Company/vanilla ice cream* a bunch of cookies, though we haven't decided which kinds yet, some that will be for us and some to give away
Friday, December 13, 2013
12/13/13 WORTH REPEATING
Do not regret growing older. It is a privilege denied to many.
~ Kama Derksen (This may actually be attributed to someone else, but Kama is the one I heard it from first.)
********
It is clear that this flower has "lived a little". It is vibrant and colorful, yet it's rumpled petals belie the life it has lived, and while far from perfect, it is still beautiful...just like life. Just... like us.
One might see such a flower and immediately disregard it because it is neither crisp nor fresh. But, I see beauty, much like the beauty in well used skin...beauty which has a lifetime of stories behind it . Beauty that perseveres.
Is this flower perfect? No. In fact, I rather like it that way.
There is beauty all around, one just has to look for it and be open to appreciate it. In my mind, beauty does not equal perfect.
What imperfect thing will you choose to find beauty in today?
~ Pamela Reynoso, shared with a picture of a flower that was past its prime and starting to droop
********
I think one of the unexpected consequences of legalism is how it drives one to yearn for freedom. Yet in freedom one finds oneself applying a structure reminiscent of that which so recently shackled.(Just thinking on Paul's letter to the Galatians today and lamenting the human condition: Praying for balance.)
~ Debbie Wescott
********
The grace filter is lifted when accountability is absent.
~ Faith Hayes
~ Kama Derksen (This may actually be attributed to someone else, but Kama is the one I heard it from first.)
********
It is clear that this flower has "lived a little". It is vibrant and colorful, yet it's rumpled petals belie the life it has lived, and while far from perfect, it is still beautiful...just like life. Just... like us.
One might see such a flower and immediately disregard it because it is neither crisp nor fresh. But, I see beauty, much like the beauty in well used skin...beauty which has a lifetime of stories behind it . Beauty that perseveres.
Is this flower perfect? No. In fact, I rather like it that way.
There is beauty all around, one just has to look for it and be open to appreciate it. In my mind, beauty does not equal perfect.
What imperfect thing will you choose to find beauty in today?
~ Pamela Reynoso, shared with a picture of a flower that was past its prime and starting to droop
********
I think one of the unexpected consequences of legalism is how it drives one to yearn for freedom. Yet in freedom one finds oneself applying a structure reminiscent of that which so recently shackled.(Just thinking on Paul's letter to the Galatians today and lamenting the human condition: Praying for balance.)
~ Debbie Wescott
********
The grace filter is lifted when accountability is absent.
~ Faith Hayes
Thursday, December 12, 2013
12/12/13 THANKFUL THURSDAY
I'm thankful that Tim will have worked an entire week by the time tomorrow is over. He's had several four day weeks, but he had five days of work offered to him this week.
What is one thing that you're thankful for?
What is one thing that you're thankful for?
Monday, December 9, 2013
PINK SMILES
I discovered this on my closet door a couple weeks ago, just after a smirking kid left my room and headed to the bathroom.
The culprit was Devon.
I decided to play along.
In case it's too small for you to read, each piece of paper pays Devon a compliment. He never said anything about it, but I heard him chuckling the next time he went into the bathroom.
Sometimes pink paper and a sneaky son are just the things a tomboy mom needs on a hard day.
A short time later I went to get something out of the bathroom and found this on the mirror.
I decided to play along.
In case it's too small for you to read, each piece of paper pays Devon a compliment. He never said anything about it, but I heard him chuckling the next time he went into the bathroom.
Sometimes pink paper and a sneaky son are just the things a tomboy mom needs on a hard day.
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