Simple Woman's Daybook

For today March 30

Outside my window.....the sun is shining, the skies are blue, and I think the temp. may have reached 60 today!

I am thinking....about a family who lost a special loved one this week.

I am thankful.....for Easter traditions the kids always look forward to celebrating.

I am wearing.....black pants, white turtleneck and a brown fleece vest.

I am hearing.....the kids playing outside.

I am creating.....thank you notes with pictures from Mr. A's birthday.

I am going.....to need a boost of energy to finish this day strong.

I am reading.....the book of John.

I am praying.....for friends who just left for a cross country road trip out west.

I am remembering.....shopping for that special new Easter dress when I was young.

I am hoping.....this warmer weather keeps a comin'.

On my mind.....the frustration of our yahoo e-mail being eliminated and the new transition not going smoothly.  Grrrrr!

From the learning rooms....State capitals, place value, a 2nd grader learning division, and the end of our Caddie Woodlawn story.

Noticing that....the snow is gone and the kids come in the house covered in dead grass as they play football and baseball on our yet to be, green lawn.

Pondering these words....."There is no duty we so much underrate as the duty of being happy.  By being happy we sow anonymous benefits upon the world."  Robert Louis Stevenson

From the kitchen.....Spaghetti for dinner and a messy kitchen to clean up after 11 kids ate 7 pizzas and a batch of cookies for lunch!

Around the house....two Christmas wreaths still hang in my kitchen windows.  Time to take them down, don'tcha think?

One of my favorite things.....oatmeal cookies and a glass of milk.  Yes, I did indulge so the numbers on the scale did not decrease this week.

A few plans for the rest of the week.....basketball league has started for 3 boys, Good Friday church service, Easter breakfast at church, washing winter gear (do I dare?).

Here is a picture thought I am sharing with you....

H-man playing on one of the last remaining snow piles.

Thank you for stopping and visiting my daybook. If you'd like to visit others who are participating or write a journal yourself, please stop over at Peggy's at Simple Woman's Daybook.

Happy Tuesday!

Heather

Friday favorites

This week went by in a blink of the eye!

A few favorites which come to my mind immediately. . .

• A warm smile from a complete stranger as I was running errands in the car.

"Every time you smile at someone, it is an action of love, a gift to that person, a beautiful thing."

-Mother Teresa of Calcutta

• A  welcome full night's sleep from a daughter who has been sooo uncomfortable from the chicken pox.  I think the brown malt vinegar baths (1/2 c to lukewarm bathwater), which I read would lessen the irritation and help heal the lesions, did help her.

 

• The warmth of the sunshine and the kids playing on the swings.

 

• Reconnecting with an old friend and knowing now how to pray for her family and the challenges they are currently facing.

 

• A new geography website the kids have loved this week.  The fourth graders are learning their states and capitals.  They love the competition and even my second grader scored 100% by the end of the week.  Check it out HERE.

 

• A new quick lunch favorite everyone enjoyed and the older ones can make themselves:   Whole wheat English muffin (toasted), topped with pizza sauce, pepperoni, mozzarella cheese and mushrooms.  Bake at 425 until cheese is melted.

 

Hope you had a few favorites this week too!

Happy Friday,

Heather

bumps

So this morning I change Little A's diaper and, oh dear! what do I see?

Lots of little bumps on her bum and tummy!

Last week we said good-bye to Lucy-cat as she'd (temporarily) gone mad. . .

Now this week the chicken pox have descended upon our family pad!

So far a low grade fever and a little itching on the head,

I wonder what I'll see in the morning when she calls me from her bed?

We're rollin' with the punches as we say hello to spring,

Thankful for the sunshine and playin' on the swing.

Happy Tuesday!

Heather

 

Simple Woman's Daybook

For today March 19

Outside my window.....The skies are dark as it's just before 8:00 pm.

I am thinking....I'm behind on blogging this week due to a few unforeseen happenings this week.

I am thankful.....that it's Friday!

I am wearing.....black sport pants, pumpkin colored t-shirt and a taupe sweater.

I am hearing.....NCAA basketball playing on the television.

I am creating.....a logo and letterhead for a small company we are establishing.

I am going.....to box up clothes the little ones have grown out of and simplify those closets.

I am reading.....Caddie Woodlawn to the kids.

I am praying.....for peace and direction concerning family decisions.

I am remembering.....the fun I had with the home school mom's basketball team playing against the kids on Thursday.  The kids were even surprised how well the moms did!  It was great exercise, and my teammates kindly encouraged this out of shape player with very limited knowledge of the sport.

I am hoping.....Lucy, our cat, continues to recuperate from a week which included a two night stay at the animal hospital after hallucinations, fear, and extreme aggressiveness forced us to "commit her".  It is assumed that the bizarre behavior occurred after she ate "fish bait" used for trapping.  I even brought the kids to the vet to "say good-bye" to Lucy when it was looking as if she'd be "put down". . .  thankfully God had other plans for her.

On my mind.....my comment to Mr. E. last night, "We've come a long way baby!  You're fixin' toilets and I'm playin' basketball!! It really is funny considering our lack of talent in those areas!

Noticing that....most of the snow is gone!  In March?  We'll probably get dumped on again but we're heading into spring!

Pondering these words....."We are to hate sin in ourselves and in all men, but never undervalue the man in whom the sin is found."  A.W. Tozer

From the kitchen.....Crepes for dinner tonight.  A family favorite.

Around the house....Piles of clean and dirty laundry to be dealt with tomorrow.

One of my favorite things.....A happy, purring cat in my arms.

A few plans for the rest of the week.....The week is almost done and the weekend plans are few which feels wonderful to me.

Here is a picture thought I am sharing with you....

We're glad to have you back home Lucy!

Thank you for stopping and visiting my daybook. If you'd like to visit others who are participating or write a journal yourself, please stop over at Peggy's at Simple Woman's Daybook.

Happy Friday!

And may you sleep as well as Lucy on this end-of-a-long-week night.

Heather

 

Laughter

We watched a movie this weekend which had us all giggling.

What makes me laugh even more is watching the kids laugh!

H-man is the one who expresses his laughter in a most contagious way.

And it always brings a smile to my face.

Laughter is an instant vacation.
-- Milton Berle

After a day of pondering difficult family decisions, watching a movie which caused me to laugh till I cried was without a doubt, an instant vacation!

May this Monday bring moments of laughter your way!

Heather

Friday Favorites

It's Friday afternoon and I'm just coming up for air after a week which left little time for blogging.

• We now have a six year old in the family!  Yesterday we celebrated Mr. A's birthday.  Everything from making his cake, eating his cake, opening his presents, and playing Yahtzee was a moment of celebrating for him. 

• Did you know?

  Court says 'under God' constitutional (OneNewsNow.com)

  SAN FRANCISCO – A federal appeals court in San Francisco upheld the use of the words "under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance and "In God We Trust" on U.S. currency, rejecting arguments on Thursday that the phrases violate the separation of church and state.

  It's hard to believe this was appealed in our country.  May this victory always be upheld.

   

• And how about this news?  I've joined the mom's basketball team for our homeschool group.  Yep. . . Never played basketball, ever.  Why not start in my overweight, out of shape, 40's huh?  This has been a source of wonderment and laughter for my family.  But hey, I'm gettin' some exercise and I even enjoyed our first practice last night.  Mr. E. claims he'll be taking off of work to come watch the game next Thursday and take video.  Maybe I'll post a few pictures, depending upon how good, or bad, I look.

Enjoy the weekend and don't forget to turn your clocks BACK, oops I mean AHEAD, Saturday night.

Heather

I Heart Faces

JUMP!

 

GO HERE to I Heart Faces and view lots of other JUMP! photos this week.

These sisters can jump, huh??

Happy Monday,

Heather

 

hiccups

I love my daily routine.

I love the predictable.

I love the assumed "eb and flow" of our full family life.

But then invariably there are the daily "hiccups" which present themselves.

Moments when I think to myself, "Lord, I'm being tested here.  Help me to not disobey you during this little hiccup."

Hiccups for this week?

Thursday morning. . .I've taken my morning shower, dressed, combed the wet hair and trying to find my glasses.

Glasses, where are you???

I always put them on the vanity before entering the shower.

Finally, after five unsuccessful minutes of blurry searching (I honestly can only see a foot in front of me without my glasses) I yell for "the troops" to rally and find mommy's glasses.  I have only walked from the bed to the bathroom this morning! Where could they be?

The boys put me through a battery of questions in hopes that I really didn't need my glasses . . .

"Can you see me here Mom?"

"How about now?" 

"Wow, she really can't see!" 

"She won't be able to drive!"

My reading glasses were found three times over and I needed to convince each excited rescuer that the reading glasses won't work and it was the glasses for seeing far away which were lost. 

Hiccup.

Definite hiccup and time of testing.

Finally, after fifteen minutes of searching, Z-man FOUND my glasses behind the bathroom door on a stack of towels.  Why I put them there I have NO idea.

What was left was a disastrous mound of books and papers on my bed as my nightstand had been cleared out during the reckless search and rescue.

I guess the long overdue project of organizing my messy side of the bed would take place, TODAY.

Other hiccups?  The home school sports club shirt to be worn each Thursday still has not been found. And a pile of clothes which still needs to be folded and organized on the shelves in this son's closet from the chaotic search and no recovery mission.

Another?  Making quiche tonight only to realize I only have 1 cup of milk and need 4 1/2 cups.  Fortunately, Mr. E. was able to pick up a gallon on his way home and we'll be eating dinner at 7:30 instead of 6:30.

Such is life.

All the daily hiccups are inevitable.

The only constant is my faith. My Lord, He will lead me through these daily challenges.

I like this quote from Beth Moore:  "God's mercies have existed through all of eternity, yet Scripture tells us they are new every morning. A new day with all its fresh challenges gives an old practice of faith new life."

Yes, my faith has new life each day!

"Because of the Lord's faithful love we do not perish, for His mercies never end.  They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness!  I say:  The Lord is my portion, therefore I will put my hope in Him."  Lamentations 3:22-24

May you rest well this Friday night. . .

So you'll be ready for tomorrow's hiccups and

for your old practice of faith to be given NEW LIFE.

And just because everything's more interesting with a picture. . .

Guess Little A needs a hair cut, huh?

Happy Friday night,

Heather

 

The view from here. . .

So I caught a winter bug last week.

By Sunday my bedside view was mostly this. . .

Although I did have the beautiful morning sunrise each day to view from the bedroom window.

We've had such unseasonably warm sunshiny weather this first week in March.

   

The children, you wonder?

Oh yes, my six children.

They pretty much ran wild while I tried to tune them out.

Just kidding.

Mostly. ::grin::

They did more of this than usual. . .

On the couch watching something educational I'm sure.

Yes, they do have knives in their hands.

Just cutting up their mangos, I promise.

But today dawned a new beginning.

Momma was even out of her pajamas, made salads for lunch, and tromped outside to capture the winter fun on this beautiful March day with temperatures reaching 40.

Yes, that's Little A without her coat or hat. 

I can assure you that she was not barefoot.

I guess this mom is not fully functioning quite yet.

But I'm close.  Real close.

Hope this month brings spring-like weather and good health your way.

Happy Wednesday,

Heather

 

Simple Woman's Daybook

For today March 1

Outside my window.....the sun is shining brightly and the skies are blue!

I am thinking.....it's hard to believe today is March 1.  We're heading into spring folks!

I am thankful.....for another 2 lbs. lost last week.  That's a total of 5. Yippee!

I am wearing.....My husband's army green fleece shirt and my black sport pants.

I am hearing.....the boys wrestling on my bed.  "Out of my room boys!!"

I am creating.....a "Simply Grand Photography" logo, just for the fun of it!

I am going.....to bring C-man to Tai-Kwan-Do, run to the grocery store, come home, make dinner, do Little A's laundry, tidy up the kitchen, make Mr. E's lunch for tomorrow, and head to bed!(in a nutshell)

I am reading.....the popular Children's Book of Virtues  by William Bennett to the kids this week.

I am praying.....for my dad who came down with shingles this week.

I am remembering.....I guess my memory has left me--I cannot "remember" anything at the moment.

I am hoping.....that this cold virus will leave and I'll have more energy by the end of the week.

On my mind.....I'd like to attend a photography workshop this year.

From the learning rooms....Alexander Graham Bell today. Did you know that his greatest enjoyment in life was teaching the deaf and blind?

Noticing that....when the sun is shining at the temps are in the 30's, the boys spend LOTS of time outside.

Pondering these words....."Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old, he will not depart from it." (Prov. 22:6) 

I hope my kids choose to walk in His ways when they are on the younger side of "old".  I would delight in seeing them walk closely with Him.  But I'm sure we have some interesting challenging days ahead.  I'll start praying now.

From the kitchen.....Spaghetti for dinner tonight and quiche tomorrow.

Around the house....we're all glad to have daddy in town this week.

One of my favorite things.....a warm shower.

A few plans for the rest of the week.....the usual weekly routine plus a wedding on Saturday.

Here is a picture thought I am sharing with you....

I need a smile about now. . .and this picture does it for me.

Thank you for stopping and visiting my daybook on this day. If you'd like to visit others who are participating or write a journal yourself, please stop over at Peggy's at Simple Woman's Daybook

Happy first day of March!

Heather