First Friday

Getting back into the swing of things after Christmas break is always a bit of a trial.  Kids don't want to get up, students don't want to think...the school in general is moving a bit sluggishly.  I had considered skipping the First Friday back sale this month, since I too was feeling a bit lazy...but I'm so glad we didn't!  We had many donations and lots of delectable goodies and I really believe it was something for the kids to look forward to.  They are always so very enthusiastic when they come to peruse the bake sale tables.  It also provides me several guinea pigs for any new dessert recipes I want to try.  Come to think of it, I think this will be I great "outlet" for all those yummy recipes I've pinned to my "All the Sweet Stuff" Pinterest board.  Kevin is always telling me not to try new things when we have company over or are contributing to a potluck, but when else will I try them?  This is my chance!

Spring Fever

Is it too early for spring fever?  Maybe it's the bright sunshine outside today but I sure have had an urge to plant some stuff and watch it grow!  I follow several blogs (mostly for gardening and craft) and I think it was Mavis at One Hundred Dollars a Month that most recently got me thinking about seeds (she started some onions today) and winter growth.  Well, she and my friend Denise, who is always showing me super-cool seed catalogs and making me dream of possibilities!  It's amazing the many things you can get a head start on during the winter and I'm thinking maybe...just maybe I'll try it this year.

 

 Anyway, obviously I have gardening on the brain, so at lunch today, I hopped in the truck and headed down to the local library to peruse its selection of gardening books.  There are many.

I think I did well, limiting myself to just 3, since there is a WHOLE stack of books dedicated to gardening genius.  It's still very cold outside, but the thought of spring planting and summer mornings admiring my garden at the very least, warm my heart.  Now to thaw out my very cold feet and get back to work...the actual reading and inevitable planning (and dreaming) will have to wait until I get home.

 

Happy New Year!

Welcome 2013!  My brother Freeman noted via Facebook that this is the first year without a repeated digit since 1987.  It is true, you can learn something new each and every day.  We had a very relaxing, low-key day at home with the family...played some games, did some laundry and spent way too much time on Pintrest looking at still more ways to spend my free time!  I also successfully uploaded my first picture to Project 365 and would love for you to follow and comment if you are interested.  I'm excited at all the prospects this new year will bring.  One of my favorite OCD tasks of the new year is to fill in all our pertinent dates on a calendar so I took the time to do that, as well.  I have been using the calendar on my phone a lot, but there is still something gratifying about writing out birthdays and anniversaries on the crisp, clean pages of a brand-spanking-new 2013 calendar.

Tomorrow, we are back to our regular school schedule and looking forward to all that this new year will bring!  Stay tuned

New Years Resolutions

I'm not normally one for making New Years Resolutions, mostly because they are so hard to keep.  But this year, I am going to give it a try.  I have some specific areas in my life I'd like to improve on and some others that I am simply interested in pursuing.  Perhaps if I share them, I'll be more likely to keep them?  Having said that, here's the plan.
1. I've decided on a bible reading schedule that I think I can manage.  Check out You Vision if you are interested in finding one of your own.
2. I am committing to exercise, in some respect 3 days a week for 30 minutes (and I am relying on a few friends for accountability here).  I like the 8 minutes in the Morning workout and plan to add something more to it in the afternoon/evening.
3.  I am going to attempt the Project 365 again.  I have tried this in the past, but with my renewed interest in and pursuit of photography, I think this will be more fun than effort.

There are also a few housekeeping ideas I am going to try.  Not so much a resolution as an on-going experiment until I find something that works.  I'll have to keep you posted on what we are trying and what is or isn't working.  Usually I feel inclined to wait until the summer to get all those extra projects done, but this year, I really want to try and get them done BEFORE summer.  Wish me luck!

Be a help

I don't know how many times I've instructed my kids to "be a help". You know, when we are somewhere and there is work to be done, I want them to seek out whomever is in charge and offer their help.  This is not always an agreeable task to any of my children.  Raymond is somewhat reserved so his hesitation is not in the work, but in the inquiry.  Zachary is so easily distracted, he doesn't usually get to the right place at the right time and Addison is usually more interested in the other kids that are surely there.  I've thought long and hard about how to facilitate this particular behaviour and have even occasionally thought they'd probably just figure it out, since they KNOW it is the right thing...right?  Apparently not.  Something happened recently that really made this particular thought resonate.  I was with several of our teen girls, just hanging out and playing games and when the time came to "clean up", all but one vanished.  It really made my blood boil and
I wasn't quite sure what to do about it. 

After I felt I had regained some measure of composure, I started by telling that sweet girl that stayed to vacuum and clean up how very much I appreciated her help.  I wanted her to know that it was not at all lost on me that she (as was her usual MO) was the only one working.  I even got a little choked up when I was talking to her, so gave her a hug and wished her a Merry Christmas and went back to what I was doing.  I was still pretty irritated by the other girls so I decided to call them on it...sought each one out and let them know that I "noticed" their disappearing act and was a little disappointed.  I got a variety of responses but none made me feel any better.  It got me thinking...how do these girls, young women by all accounts, simply choose not to help.  I know their parents and I know they live in good homes and are most probably being taught the same values that we teach our kids.  So what is going on?  How do I better instruct my own children so they won't let me down when I'm not there to push them in the right direction?  *sigh* A question for the ages, no doubt. 

So on the home front, I took my daughter to a senior saints activity the other night and wanted to encourage her to "be a help".  She did such a great job and really enjoyed asking the older folks what beverage she could get them.  She was sweet and very polite and she made her momma proud!  Best of all and what really filled my heart with joy was that she had fun doing it.  I know, it wasn't cleaning but it was helping.  I want my children to obtain joy through service so I guess the best thing I can to  is encourage them to serve and let them see how much it can be appreciated, how good it feels to help others.  That's it, that's the best I can do....teach our children the best I can, point them in the right direction and pray God will guide them the rest of the way.

Another year...

There is something about this time of year that gets me thinking about blogging...maybe it's all the holiday and family stuff going on or the new year and new resolutions rattling around in my brain.  Either way, I finally logged on to my blog after...YES...over A YEAR! and, what do you know, it's still here :)  At any rate, I feel like I need to "relearn" anything I thought I might have already known about blogger.  Gotta love technology!  I have so much a want to share about my kids, the funny things they say and do and so many other random thoughts that I'd like to log somewhere.  In addition, my brother Freeman has again sparked my interest in photography and has become my "go to" guy for all things camera related.  I just wish I had more money!  On the upside, I have found a pretty user friendly spot on the world wide web that I can rent lenses from.  Check out www.rentglass.com if you are interested.  I did some research, and their rates, return policy, etc. are all reasonable.  I just rented my first lens and hope to use it to shoot some indoor sports shots.  I've also added several lenses to my Christmas list, if anyone is looking to get me something! 

Fall at heart

 Home Made Simple

     So many fantastically simple ideas to liven up the holidays!  I am really looking forward to Thanksgiving and Christmas this year and can't wait to try out some of these recipes and decorating ideas.  I get to bring dessert for Thanksgiving dinner and I'm still mulling over my options.  I know pumpkin pie is essential and I've had a request for my apple-cider pie.  I'm sure Raymond would love a chocolate cream pie (and I'm planning on that, too), but I'm still looking for that one, something-extra-special kind of dessert!  Any suggestions?  I spend a little bit of time each day bouncing around various cooking and recipe websites and have recently subscribed to daily emails from Home Made Simple as well as Better Homes and Gardens (more on that later!)  In fact, I'm gonna try out some of those recipes on some friends this weekend!  Wish me luck :)