Monday, December 27, 2010

12.25.10

Christmas eve the littles all opened one present (new PJs...just like half of America!  lol)  Kessa and Gabi got matching ones from American Girl that I snagged on e-bay...and the other two got jammies from Target.  Not gonna lie, I was disappointed in the jammie selection available this year...I looked at a lot of stores!  Oh well, they could have been old and holey and the kids would have loved them!  :)

Grace got a new shirt from DressMe that I think she looks FABULOUS in!  (but of course being the tightwad frugalista that I am I bought it used off of Recycled Upcycles)


Kessa recieved a beautiful, one of a kind, hand made Waldorf doll from Snicklefritz Friends (have I mentioned I LOVE to barter?!?  If you make something cool and have an itch for some cute clothes for your kids PM me and I bet we can work something out!  lol ;)

and THIS little dude...is becoming such a man.  He got REAL tools for Christmas and couldn't have been more pleased.  


(that cool bracelet Ezekiel has on is an ID bracelet from The Owl and The Firefly)
We did have some attitude issues that were discouraging to deal with on and around Christmas, but God is faithful and they seem to be on the mend...at least until next Christmas.  

Kessa also floored my husband's family when her Grandmother began reading the Christmas story from Luke 2 and she took over and quoted the entire thing. This wasn't something I sat down and made her memorize.  Last year at Christmas (when she was 3) we just read it every night before bed, and being the little sponge that all toddlers are, she memorized it.  That has been both an encouraging and convicting lesson to me about what I saturate her mind with...may it always be as beneficial as learning scripture!

I pray you and yours had a very merry Christmas and were reminded anew of the wonder and awe of God being made flesh...of Emmanuel....God WITH us.  

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

The Gingerbread House

Like most of you, we like to make a gingerbread house around Christmas.  I realized after the fact what I REALLY should have taken pictures of was me trying to get the silly thing to stand up!  lol.  That was a feat.  Last year I bought one that was already assembled.  I see more of those in our future.  

The first thing 'Zekiel wanted to know when I was putting the house together..."Where's the garage?!?!"  Yup, he's a man.

Kessa was very intentional with her side of the house.  We bought a Willy Wonka kit complete with Runts, Nerds, Sweet Tarts, and Bottle Caps.  She loved using all the Bottle Caps on the roof.  With much care and precision. 

Zeke put some candy on his side too...

but mostly he had to be reminded to not eat ALL of it before we finished the house.  

Kessa took pity on him and helped him finish his side so it didn't look so naked.  
We also got a nice little pebble (nerds) walkway up to the house.

And this is what it looked like by the next evening.


Cannibals.  

(and yes Jess, they're both wearing Narnia shirts!  ;)

Sunday, December 19, 2010

I Can Fight This Feeling...

Nope, that's not a typo, but it did get the old 80's song stuck in my head...and now it's probably in yours too!  Just consider it my little present to you.

ANYWAY...today we got up and thought it would be fun to make cookies (and we might have needed to so that the hubs would have something to take to a carry in at work tomorrow too...) but then discovered we were out of milk and flour.  Enter trip to the grocery store...in the freezing cold...with three kids.  Not my idea of fun.  I dreaded it the entire time we were getting ready (ok, so that probably wasn't the most God glorifying attitude I could have had, but it's the truth!)

After much ado I got all the car seats strapped back into the van (that's another story) and all the kids strapped into said seats and we were off!  We ran a few other errands and then hit the grocery store.  Which was crowded.  Ugh.  It was 10 in the morning on a Wednesday!  Why were all those people there?

The kids (please note in this post when I say "the kids" I am going to be referring strictly to the older two.  The two that were not sitting peacefully in the cart.)   So, the kids were crazy hyper being kids in a really good mood and a little bit too over the top for a grocery store full of elderly people.  (did I not mention that?  Yup, it was full and they were all older people...)

Remembering the reasons I wanted to teach them to behave in public I bent down and had a quite talk with them that went a little something like this, "Hey guys, I know you're excited but remember how we've talked about not everyone being used to kids and the nose they make?  And remember it's really not respectful to the other people around for you to be running around, getting in front of them, and being loud...especially for the people who aren't used to kids being around all the time.  How do you think you should act to show them God's love?"  silence  "You think maybe you should be a little calmer and stay close to the cart?" blank nodding (also interpreted as, just be done talking mom!)

We make it through the store and I have them go sit on a bench as I check out...and then I notice them using their feet to push each other across the bench...but this was NOT being done in fun.  They were getting mad.  One threw a punch.  Another picked up his or her little booted foot and stomped on his or her siblings hand as had as possible...which resulted in screaming and a mommy that just wanted to get out of there!

As I was struggling to not loose it I was reminded of some words I had read that morning.
Words that had discouraged me, rather than encouraging me.
Words that had driven me to my knees over my failure.
Words that caused me to cry out to Christ.
Words that now, in this moment, after the storm, that were quietly reminding me how to respond.  
Specifically, these words:

Today, I will pray to speak words that are only STRONG words, words that make these children feel strong. Grace words. Grace is the only non-toxic air. All other words I breathe are death words.

And because of those words, and all the other words in that post, I called upon my ever-present Savior for patience and help and I chose.  I chose to be thankful.  

Thankful that we went to the grocery store at all, because if we hadn't I wouldn't have seen the water bill that was due that day.

Thankful that my children being in the grocery store brightened the day of many of those aforementioned elderly people.

Thankful that despite the fight on the bench they were now playing happily together.

Thankful that the Holy Spirit alone is able to change my heart.

Thankful that God ordained I read those words that so discouraged me in the morning that I might gain strength from them later.  

Thankful for the struggle that I might better appreciate the peace.

Monday, December 13, 2010

A Little Bit o' School

So after this post with our schedule for our "away" day of school when we get together with our Classical Conversations group, I thought it might be fun to give you a better visual of some of the memory work we do.  I think I might try and post one piece of memory work from one subject every week.

This week, one of our history sentences!  (We've learned 12 so far this year, this one is from about the middle of the semester)


Saturday, December 11, 2010

Real Life Friday...

posted on Saturday (due to circumstance beyond my control, but completely in HIS control.)



12.10 - The birthday of my dear sweet hubby.  We've had big plans ever since we learned that This was being released on that very same day!  Wasn't it nice of them to plan such a big celebration for him?

So, our plan for the day,
    morning - relax, hang out at home, play
    noon - FIL picks up the littlest and takes her home with him  (Kessa and 'Zekiel were just as excited about the movie as we were!)
    noon-thirty - stop for lunch on the way to movie
    afternoon - watch The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
    evening - dinner out and maybe some fun shopping

God's plan for our day,
   morning - relax, hang out at home, play
    noon - FIL picks up the littlest and takes her home with him  (Kessa and 'Zekiel were just as excited about the movie as we were!)
    noon-thirty - stop for lunch on the way to movie - here's where it started changing a bit...we ate at Taco Bell and as we were eating I though I was starting to get indigestion
   afternoon - the kids and hubs watch The Voyage of the Dawn Treader - I alternate between sitting, walking, trying to stretch across the stadium seating and finally end up in the car because I'm in a lot of pain
   4:00 - call my OB to ask about said pain (this is something I NEVER do.  I've been pregnant three times before and basically anything weird that happens, I chalk up to pregnancy)
   4:05 - OB nurse tells me to try Priolsec and be on a clear liquid diet for 24 hours
   4:07 - OB nurse calls me back because she thinks I may have been crying because of the pain (not confessing to this one, but it *may* be possible)  asks more questions, tells me to have someone take me to the ER
  4:09 - I call my SIL who has JUST arrived back from her honeymoon at Disney World and ask if she can get the kids so they don't have to go to the hospital with us.
  4:15 - hubby and kids emerge from movie and I give them the scoop "Happy Birthday Honey!!!"
  4:30 - amazing SIL and new BIL show up and take our over tired children away
  4:55 - as we pull into the ER parking lot..."Tim...it doesn't really hurt anymore"  (this after FOUR HOURS of severe pain!!)
  4:57-5:05 - Do we go anyway?  We DO live an hour away.  The nurse DID say to go.  But it doesn't still hurt!  ARGH!
  5:06 - Go into ER and explain the situation (being VERY clear to blame our appearance there on the nurse who told me to go!  lol)
 5:07 - 7:45 This was fabulous actually, because I'm pregnant I got sent up to Labor and Delivery instead of having to stay in the ER...and...added blessing, my OB was the doctor on call!    Anyway...after much poking and prodding and ultrasounding and so on and so for it was decreed that the pain had been caused by my gall bladder, however I didn't have any stones or other visual problems so I will *hopefully* be good to go as long as I stay on  a low fat diet.  
8:00 - go out to dinner with the hubs and then go home and crash into bed and sleep like a log until morning.  

The END.

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

What I Wore Wednesday

No, I don't have pictures.  No, I'm not a fashion hound.  I am, in fact, posting this ONLY so that I will have some sort of accountability.  Accountability to actually GET DRESSED.

I was telling some of my girlfriends at our Mom's Group last week I have a hard time being even remotely "fashionable" all the time...but you bring on winter and cold weather and I'm just done.  DONE.  I just want to hunker down in some fleece pants and a big ol' hoodie and not come out again 'till spring...and I suppose if I were a spinster or lived alone that would be fine...but I'm not.

See...I tricked this fabulous guy into marrying me...I was all skinny and cute and pre-four children, and I actually did sometimes wear something besides jeans and t-shirt...so really...I guess you could call that false advertising.  Right?  He thinks he's getting THAT girl for his wife...and then one day he wakes up and realizes that he REALLY married old holey fleece and hoodie girl.  Not really fair to him is it?

SO...I'm posting this and tell you ALL (all 11 of you!  lol!!) that NEXT wedensday I'll be here with rings on my fingers and belts on hips and pictures to prove how much I love my man.  And that I want him to still find me attractive!  lol

But for now, if you need a little inspiration, go check out wiww at the Pleated Poppy and then...GET DRESSED!  lol (oh, wait, that was for me, not you! ;)

and just to give you a little visual...it's usually something like this...which reminds me.  The PONY TAIL.  The hubs likes my hair long...so that's another goal...if he likes it long I'm quite sure he would like to SEE it long...and not in a pony all the time.

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Water 4 Christmas

If you've been around blogland you know that all sorts of charities pop up during this time of year...and I've got another one for you!  lol.  Last year was the first time I think I had heard of Water4Christmas and for some reason God has really used this charity to touch my heart.  For one of our children's gifts last year we bought them shirts from the Water4Christmas etsy shop and explained to them how them getting those shirts instead of another toy helped a little girl and a little boy have clean water to drink that wouldn't make them sick.

This year the Water4Christmas etsy shop did things a big differently.  They didn't have a chance for a bunch of crafty ladies to get together and make stuff for a whole weekend so they reached out to the crafting world and ask for donations.   The call for help that I saw was very close to when they needed to donations by so a lot of the stuff isn't Africa related, it's just cute stuff people already had made.  BUT, everything was donated so 100% of what you spend (minus shipping) goes to providing clean water in Africa.

I bought these:


and this


and I'm thinking about buying these for myself:


So what about you?  What can you buy this year and help serve others at the same time?  

Well I think these are super cute!  If Grace were just a tiny bit smaller I'd be all over this set.  I just love it! And this would be sure to make some little girl happy.   There are probably 5 or 6 more pages of things for you to look through and new things are added almost daily, so, GO SHOP!!!!!!

Saturday, December 4, 2010

It.Is.Finished.

Or just beginning...depending on how you're looking at it.  But they're married. My sweet sister-in-love and her fiance are married.  (and if blogger will EVER stop flipping my photos maybe I can post pictures!) It was beautiful, and God-honoring, and full of sugar, and lots of hard work.

There were FIVE children (ages 4, 3, 2, 1 and 9 months!) all in the wedding...and all their mommies and daddies were in the wedding too.

And full of sugar.  And lots of hard work.
Did I already mention that?

I'm going to go pass out now...and pray I sleep till tomorrow, without getting up with a 1 year old.