~Memorial Weekend~

What a weekend! We have been specializing in fun lately!

Gregg got mulch as soon as he got home from work on Friday... I only got a little bit more of the flower bed cleaned out but it is good to mulch right away... and we actually used the whole trailer load! I'm so excited!!! The front of the house is just about done.

We were cleaning things up for the night when I remembered we had fireworks leftover from last summer. Everyone loved my idea;0)

I got up nice and early Saturday for my morning walk... I do enjoy starting my day that way! We really hadn't planned anything for sure... we talked about a lot of things. I am normally the work, work, work, person... but I really felt like we needed a bike ride instead of more garden work. The boys had worked well for me during the week... and we can't do bike trails that often... so biking it is!

We made loaded scrambled eggs for breakfast and I did a quick two hour clean up and pack up. Gregg and the boys gathered bikes, helmets, and bungees. I packed most of our lunch. We made a special stop at Chick fil a for sandwiches!

Some little fingers must have grabbed my camera because the color is off... but we had a great ride and the weather was just perfect. Nathan didn't even make it a mile... he hasn't gotten practice on hills without his training wheels. Eric made it the whole 9.5 miles!



We had another quick pit stop after our bike ride. I unpacked and repacked in about an hour! This time I made sandwiches and repacked snack foods and water bottles. Off to the races! I have not gone for many years... I don't mind staying home with my little people. This was a special weekend. This track was only a half hour from our house and we knew two of the guys driving. They raced quarter midgets last year with our boys.

I really enjoyed the racing after the sun went down. The sun is blaring hot right in your face the first hour or so. Gregg's brother and sister in law met us there for a few hours. We enjoyed going into the pits to meet up with our friends. Kiersten didn't do very well and Nathan just wanted to eat and go to the bathroom (this is why I stay home:-) but we all enjoyed our night. We actually drove separate so I got home with three sleeping children at 11:30 and got myself to bed just after 12... what a long day!



Sunday was our day of rest... and boy, did we need it! Our church recognized the veterans in the morning service. We have several men that served 20 or more years and some from WWII up until today.

A local town had their carnival this weekend and we went to enjoy the fireworks after our evening church service. We found a great spot to park! I really like fireworks and we don't always get to see them because they are so late at night (yes, 10 pm is late for me!) but we knew we could sleep in a little on Monday so we went for it!

Monday we headed to my parents for the day. I had a cousin visiting from out of state that I haven't seen for years so it was nice to see her and meet her husband. My grandparents, uncle and family, and brother and family all joined in. We wanted to be outside but at 90 degrees we all hid in the house... well, the kids braved the heat but the adults were too chicken!

My dad did the grilling and we all brought side dishes... there were plenty of lunch leftovers for us to stay and enjoy supper too! My mom made ice cream sandwiches for dessert!
I didn't even set the alarm this morning! We all slept until 8 am!

I am thankful for the freedoms we enjoy and the military around the world keeping us free. (I really need to take some time with my boys to explain Memorial Day... that is on my school list for next year!) Both of my grandfathers, my dad and some uncles served. Several friends have served. Some of my cousins are currently serving. It isn't an easy life for a family so THANK YOU to each of you that has sacrificed for your country!

~New Favorite Pizza~

Chicken Bacon Ranch!


It is so yummy, I made it two nights in a row!

~Peeps - One Week~

One week old! Look at those feathers coming in! Look at the dog in the background! LOL!Aren't they cute!
They are stinky too... hoping to move them outside soon!

~My Feelings Exactly~

Work hard, play hard...Looks like somebody is enjoying summer vacation!

~One Fine Day~

Wow! Yesterday was just lovely! The boys didn't race because the track was too wet from the rain all week. We don't get many Saturdays at home and my mind was reeling with ideas of what to do.

I took my early morning walk and thought I really needed to get the front gardens cleaned out before the summer heat sets in. Our front yard has full sun all day and I don't want to be mulching in the heat of summer! (it has been too many years since we mulched!)

When I got home from my walk we all ate breakfast and set to work on some projects. Kiersten took some time to hang out with me and then would go with a brother or with dad for awhile and come back to me. I got a lot done! I had some mighty fine helpers too! I did not ask them for any help because I figured the mulching would be enough work... but they surprised me and offered me drinks, ran to get tissues, offered to dump the weeds, and offered to keep Kiersten busy.

We managed to fit in some racing before lunch! I can fit in Jordan's new car so I was racing Jordan, Jared, and Eric. Fun! Bumpy! Dirty! Hot and loud!

I happened to have the fastest car... the engine was bigger. Here I am in the lead! Well, actually I am in the lead at the moment. It didn't take long for them all to pass me. Then they all lapped me. That happened a lot! They said I got faster and they were gracious enough to not be too hard on me since I had never driven a quarter midget before:0)

After a yummy lunch we headed out. Gregg and gang went to get mulch and I took a few to the greenhouse for some plants to fill in some holes.

Here is a before and after photo...
The bricks were all laying down two horizontal and then two vertical. It wasn't really helping to keep the grass out and the mulch in. I took the bricks out and laid them more like a wall. I think it will really help! We couldn't drive through the yard because of all the mud so the boys started carrying shovels full of mulch up the steps to the garden. I knew that wasn't going to last long! I grabbed some buckets and filled those for them to dump... much better! I still have a little work left on the front (out of control roses!) and the whole side of the house. Mulching the back gardens will be much easier!

As soon as the mulching was done the big guys cleaned up and headed out to go watch some racing. I took the younger set to the park!
We enjoyed a picnic supper and had a great time playing together. Kiersten was so funny. She tried everything the boys did. She loved it!

We all got sunburn... we all changed clothes because we were filthy... we all were exhausted by the end of the day. What a Great Day!

~Thinking Thoughts~

I was able to attend our home school convention last week. I did a lot of shopping and saved a lot of money by buying some used books! I also spent a lot of time in seminars. I think there were over 40 seminars just on Friday!

I have spent the week pondering some things.

* "It is not what you add to your life but what you abandon" - Wow! Mark Hamby shared that thought. I wish I knew who originally said it.

* Something practical - Use a visual timer for children that get easily distracted. The ticking sound of a normal timer can drive everyone crazy. This is a great idea!

* "Choose hard real relationships over easy virtual ones" - Todd Wilson was great! So funny and so true! It is so much easier to chat on facebook than to turn around and engage in my children. Choose the hard thing... the payoff is much greater in the end!

* Feed your children. Just like we make our kids eat veggies, we must teach them to be hungry for the good stuff... the right goals and appetites. If children get hungry enough they eat dirt. That is true for their brain growth too... if I am not feeding them good stuff they will find dirt to fill their mind with. Remember that sheep graze all day! Maxwell class

* Value your children more than you trust them - also from the Maxwells. Sometimes "trusting" your child is the worst thing you can do. If you say your child has a heart for God I remind you of David... but my child is wise, what about Solomon... my kids are strong, and Sampson. We all mess up. If we value our children we need to not even get to the part of trusting them. I trust my husband, but I value him more so we put up boundaries to protect our marriage. I hope this makes sense because it really was a great point!

* We don't know how liberal we really are - Doug Phillips. This one also made me think. If we could look through the eyes of someone from the past what would we see. We are so immersed in our own culture that we don't really see how far we have strayed. Makes me think of this movie (if you don't have it, get it!!!).

A great day! I still have to finalize some of our subjects and finish ordering... but I need to get this year done! ONE MORE DAY!!!!

~Choosing to See~

I finished this book almost two weeks ago. I could not put it down... I could not stop crying.

I love a good true story... I even love a sad true story. But I didn't realize how much this book was going to effect me. This post was in the midst of the book. I really struggled with keeping my emotions in check that week. This book and the devastating tornadoes didn't help my already exhausted emotional self.

I have always had a heart for adoption. I think it is one of the greatest things you could ever do. China has been a place of interest for me since My Love travels there often. I think the culture there is amazing! I also remember the day this story hit the news. All of these things combined made me sure I would love the book.

I seriously don't think I ever cried so much through any book... ever! It was very well written and very real. Mary Beth basically wrote about her life and all the things that happened the way she didn't plan them. She wrote about the way she coped or didn't cope. There were funny parts and sad parts. There were three small parts that I would have left unsaid (a little too personal for me).

I am sure the Chapmans and I don't see eye to eye on theology or music, but I was challenged
* by their faith
* the wise use of their finances
* their honest struggles
* I loved the way they wanted to protect their children. They knew the son that caused the tragic death would be facing a lot. Satan could use that to ruin his life and possible the family as well - they stayed on their knees praying for God to help him through
* Their friends made a hedge around them
* They used this bad situation for good... all the time fighting feelings of despair. They didn't "feel better" first... they acted first.

I am glad I read it, but if you decide to pick up a copy for yourself make sure you get a box of tissues!

~Peeps~

Look what came in the mail yesterday!!!!
We started out with 13 chickens two years ago and have dwindled down to 8. They didn't lay very good over the winter either. I thought it was time to get some new ones. They are a lot cheaper to buy as chicks and I thought it would be fun to raise them!They hatched and shipped on Tuesday. They arrived Wednesday. Everyone was interested... even the dogs! Right now, the chicks are in our living room. I'd like to get them to the garage within the week and then outside a week after that. I am hoping in warms up around here!

Our younger boys don't remember hatching ducks so this is really special for them.

I love hearing their little peep sounds behind me! Too cute! We didn't get much of anything done today... oh well!

The smallest order was 20... we wanted 12 and our neighbors want 4. That leaves 4 extra if anyone is interested:0) Unless, of course, Kiersten loves them a little too much...

~Half Eaten~

If the boys are still hungry after a meal... I usually offer an apple. Kiersten has gotten into the habit of following whatever brother happened to be extra hungry to the kitchen for her apple.

She eats about half of it. It is really cute and she does a great job... I'm just getting tired of eating half eaten apples so they aren't wasted:0)

~On Two Wheels~

I got home from the grocery store last Tuesday to find Nathan riding his bike... without training wheels!

He had asked me on Saturday to take his training wheels off. I knew I wouldn't have time that day to help him so I told him we would do it later. If I would have known how easy it would be to teach him, I wouldn't have put it off!


Well, he asked Dad to do it on Tuesday... and Dad did! Nathan basically got on his bike and took off! He has a hard time starting but he is totally balanced and can turn and stop without a problem!

Yay!

~Ouch~

If you don't think you would like to see a stick stuck in a foot... you better not scroll down too far!

I was having a very organized and profitable Monday...until...

Jared came outside to find me weeding in the front garden. I had just a little section left for the day before getting the little ones down for a nap and finishing school with the older boys. I pulled some more weeds and looked back up toward Jared and saw pain in his face.

"Mom, there is a stick stuck in my foot!" Yikes! He is too big to carry so I helped him hop over to the golf cart and I started shouting orders. "Everybody, shoes on." "Jordan, put the dogs away." "Be ready to leave in 5 minutes." I drove Jared around back and helped him into the Sprinter. I got inside with the littles and realized it was past nap time. Ugh! I asked Jordan to see if our neighbor can come over and sit while the littles sleep. Jordan volunteers to stay home. Wow, I guess that will work. The Dr is only a short drive away. If I end up at the ER I'll call a friend to stop by.

Long story short, Jared is fine. The stick was in his foot a little more than a half inch! He did great! The doctor couldn't believe Eric, Aaron and I were able to watch so intently. She had to cut a good bit of skin away from the wound to allow it to drain properly. It is really going to hurt tomorrow! I was so thankful to find my two nappers were still asleep when I got home!

I have a lot to be thankful for today! But lets start with where I left off last week...

337. Relaxing on Mother's day with a good meal and a nice walk

338. A computer that is almost up and running... the hard drive was fine!!!

339. One last trip to the "bread store." I buy my bread once a month for $.60 a loaf at a farm down the road. This was their last month... their supplier is done supplying. God will stretch the grocery budget in another way I guess:0)

340. The toy closet staying closed for days and days (that means everyone is outside!)

341. A free gun for Aaron. Aaron was saving for a new BB gun. He found one online but didn't have the money for shipping. Gregg searched Craigslist and found a used one for him. The man selling the gun was pleased it was a boy buying it. When they met for the purchase, he decided to just give it to Aaron.

342. Taking Jared to the bike shop to pick out his new saddle. Didn't turn out as easy as expected but I enjoyed the one on one time. He ended up only needing a new post (cheaper than a saddle!) so I got him a mirror too!

343. Picking out flowers for my mom

344. Two little babies to play with in the nursery

345. Safe travels, good deals, and great friends at the Home School Convention

346. Great thoughts to think on from the speakers

347. Eric finished his novice training

348. Everyone finished their heat before the rain fell

349. The features were cancelled allowing us to get home early!

350. Shoo-fly whoopie pies... a gift from a friend

351. A responsible young man to leave at home with nappers in an emergency

352. Medication that numbs

353. A maturing boy that can joke through the pain

354. Antibiotics to kill the bad germs

355. Chicken patty sandwiches for supper when I didn't have time to cook

356. Kiersten got up extra early this morning... God knew she needed a long nap in the afternoon while I was unavailable.

357. Our amazing bodies... created to heal themselves!


OUCH!

~The Book and List Together~

I finished this book a few weeks ago and thought it only fitting that I blog about it when I update my list!
My biggest thought reading this was... Make sure your list is growing in more ways than numbers.

I have found it extremely helpful to be daily finding ways to praise God for all He is doing... we must see that He is still working in our lives and still loving us in one thousand ways. I think we can easily live in the past... one great thing God did and we are stuck there... we must see Him continue to work.

So, counting the "small" things is good... but it is a growing process to count the unlovely things. Ann steps you through her process of realizing each step that she took to be able to see more clearly how thanks develops a deeper love for the One who loves us. Every one's journey will be different, but I believe Ann will give you a boost in the right direction if you take some time to read this book.

I plan on reading through it again this summer so I can take the time to write down the major points on a trusty little index card. It was a powerful book with a great message that, to be truthful, was hard to grasp. Ann is such a beautiful writer but I really have to think to follow along. Her form of writing mixed with a hard topic made it a little challenging. It is a book I would recommend... just take your time going through it!

Now to my list...

316. God giving a verse that cut to the heart and healed

317. My 2nd man child, now eleven

318. Everybody enjoying our favorite cake

319. The will power to eat only one small piece

320. Birthday gifts wrapped and unwrapped

321. Five quarter midgets tuned up, put back together with weights added, loaded up for the first time this season

322. The smell of cut grass

323. Little green feet from running in freshly cut grass

324. Raking cut grass with my three little helpers (it rained so much that we couldn't mow... and now the grass was really high!)

325. A whole date day to celebrate

326. Beautiful weather

327. Flowers designed for work and beauty

328. A good first day at the track

329. A bad crash with no damage

330. A beginner trying to find his way

331. Buying flowers with Nathan for the shed window boxes

332. Shopping with Kiersten & Nathan (everyone else was at the track)

333. Twizzler bites to keep a busy toddler happy

334. A new outfit

335. Everyone back together

336. A weepy week over, with lessons learned

~16th Anniversary Celebration~

Gregg took today off. We scurried around all morning trying to get the needed things accomplished... I was cleaning, he was finishing up cars and getting them loaded for the track tomorrow, the boys were mowing and helping Gregg. My parents came over around noon to watch over the kids...

With coupons and gift cards in hand, Gregg and I took off to celebrate our upcoming anniversary. I had gotten free tickets to Longwood Gardens that were good for today only. What a beautiful day it turned out to be! It is still early spring here in the North East, but there were blooms everywhere in the gardens!

Gregg and I came here several times when we were dating and newly married. It was fun to be back!

Here are some of my favorite photos...





After our stroll through the gardens, we went out for dinner with a gift card. The GPS took us to a private condo development. Gregg looked up the address again on his phone and it was taking us to that same place! We finally found the place by using "drive" instead of "crossing."

Our waitress was using a fake high pitched voice. Crazy. I had a hard time not laughing at her every time she talked to us!

It was a lovely day! I can't remember the last time we were alone for so long and we were not even in a rush:0) It was good to get home too. The kids had a great time with Grammy and Grandpa. I'm sure they will be telling us stories over the next few days of everything that happened... I should have given them a camera to record their day... I already heard something about Grandpa on the trampoline? shooting dandelions? and ice cream cones?