Monday, November 30, 2009

The Simple Woman's Daybook



FOR TODAY November 30...

Outside my window... It is very gray and rainy and in the upper 30's.

I am thinking... "Wow! I haven't blogged in a week!"

I am thankful for... The coziness of the woodstove, although it is a little "too" cozy right now! LOL

From the learning rooms... Starting a Christmas lap book today with a little study of the history and science of pointsettias, and starting practicing piano/flute/violin/guitar Christmas hymns for music.

From the kitchen... Nothing interesting just now but menu planning and cleaning up being done.

I am wearing... my pj's and bathrobe. I'm going to start skipping this entry if Isaac doesn't stop sleeping in Monday mornings! LOL

I am creating... that wonderful mood for this time of year... Christmas time!

I am going... to be sewing and knitting like a mad fool until Christmas so don't expect to see much of me! That and a trip to the Library to get out a few books for school and return an overdue book (oops!)

I am reading... Book of Exodus, and Jack and Jill by Louisa May Alcott (still! Ugh!)

I am hoping... to be a good steward of my time this week!

I am hearing... Josiah sweeping in the kitchen and all the other children are dispersed hither, thither and yon, so it is quiet here in the living room at the moment.

Around the house... General picking up, laundry, schoolwork, etc.

One of my favorite things... Putting wood in the wood stove. Seriously. It's like an addiction to me.

A few plans for the rest of the week: Decorate the house and church for the holidays, and hopefully seeing a friend over the weekend whom I haven't seen in a long time!

Here is picture for thought I am sharing...



For guidelines to participate in the Simple Woman's Daybook go to: http://thesimplewomansdaybook.blogspot.com/

Have a blessed day!

Monday, November 23, 2009

The Simple Woman's Daybook



FOR TODAY November 23rd....

Outside my window... It is very "Novemberish" looking. Gray skies, leaves fallen leaving barren, brown, dead looking branches, and a definite chill in the air!

I am thinking... I need more time before Christmas!

I am thankful for... Restful Sunday afternoons.

From the learning rooms... The usual today... plus a new science unit study.

From the kitchen... There is squash baking in the oven, whole wheat bread and dinner rolls dough raising. As in many households, it will be a busy week in the kitchen!

I am wearing... Autumn colored broom skirt, matching sage t-shirt, and my fall apron.

I am creating... A little bit of everything! LOL

I am going... No where this week except a Fibers of Faith meeting tonight, but went to a FABULOUS quilt show over the weekend!

I am reading... Exodus, and "Jack and Jill" by Louisa May Alcott

I am hoping... not to be overwhelmed by my to do list today! LOL

I am praying... for a family in our church that just found out one of their sons has an inoperable brain tumor, and for a nasty issue regarding the little town cemetery to be resolved quickly.

I am hearing... Isaac chattering, the washer and dryer running, and the general hubbub of a busy household.

Around the house... Getting ready for Thanksgiving and time for family!

One of my favorite things... Napping with Isaac, all snuggled up.

Words to think about... "Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God." 1 Cor. 10:31
"Beware of allowing yourself to think that the shallow concerns of life are not ordained of God; they are as much of God as the profound. It is not your devotion to God that makes you refuse to be shallow, but your wish to impress other people with the fact that you are not shallow, which is a sure sign that you are a spiritual prig." ~ Oswald Chambers (Don't you just love how he cuts to the chase?)

A few plans for the rest of the week: making pies, getting as much done ahead of time for Thanksgiving, doing some cleaning, hopefully some sewing/knitting, and looking forward BIG TIME to my oldest returning home!

Here is picture for thought I am sharing...(add your picture here)



For guidelines in participating in the Simple Woman's Daybook, visit Peggy on her blog here: http://thesimplewomansdaybook.blogspot.com/

Saturday, November 21, 2009

Happy Birthday Dale!




Dale's birthday is actually today, but we decided to celebrate last night since I will be going to a quilt show this afternoon and who knows what time I will get back! LOL

It is tradition for the birthday boy/girl to pick what to have for their supper that night. Dale usually picks lasagna, and this year was no different. I made a sausage and veggie lasagna, garlic bread, and salad. The birthday boy/girl also gets to pick what flavor cake they want, and Dale decided on chocolate with vanilla frosting. Yummy!



We also had some entertainment as Dale just couldn't resist the temptation to have Isaac try some ice cream.






After we stuffed ourselves, Dale opened cards and gifts. The kids had made their cards earlier in the day making use of our craft bin. I was lame and bought one. LOL!



Ooooh, from LLBean! You know this one is going to be good!

Thank you Memere!



Hey, if he is a good boy, he can get the other slipper for Christmas. :P

Just kidding, they were both in there. The LLBean box served a dual purpose. The obvious was to package the gift, the other was to entertain the baby!



Every year the kids like to get Daddy something indulgent.




Memere's idea for slippers was fantastic. Too fantastic. That was what I was going to get him! So the kids and I came up with another idea.



His "everyday" watch bought the farm quite some time ago, so this was a great idea by one of the kids.

Happy birthday to the love of my life!

Friday, November 20, 2009

The Rest of the Story.... Vacation, Part 2!

Grab some tea or coffee and be ready for a long post. I'm going try to finish off all about our vacation in one post. This is going to be pic heavy and wordy, so be warned.

We had some "new" and "first" type of things on our vacation. Dale decided this would be a fun pic for some reason. It was at our first rest stop.



Not sure how well you can see it, but there were two people, totally zonked out.

Something new and a first for me was getting my hair straightened. I have been wanting to try this for some time, and it is definately not something I would do on a regular basis as the process is long, and would be damaging to hair if done a lot, but it was fun for a change! My normally curly hair looks like this freshly trimmed and straightened!



The hairdresser assured me it would stay that way for a week if I applied some spendy smoothing/straightening gel. I made it last several days. It got a real work out that very afternoon as we went to the Old North Bridge in Concord, and it was quite windy. It stayed straight!

Isaac had some "firsts" as well. He started on some solids.. cereal and applesauce or pureed peaches. I tried a bit of banana with him too. He LOVES the peaches, I have to say! I tried him on a sippy cup, but he doesn't seem to get it. I still nurse on demand, so he is getting plenty of fluids, and he can "kind of" drink from a cup. Also, he had his first experience in a swing on the playground.



He LOVED it! He would coo and chatter at me, and look up at what few leaves were left on the branches overhead. It was so cute!

Also a "first", was a finished Baby surprise jacket! I had it almost done before we left, but just couldn't quite find the time to complete it. So I brought it along and was able to finish it on a cool day just in time for church the next day.. but it was 70 out! LOL



He actually ended up not wearing it again until after we got home, so here is my adorable little model:



I managed to finish our new jumpers before we left, but not our blouses. I ran out of the right color thread for the blouses and by the time I got more there wasn't enough remaining time before our trip to finish them. Here is a pic of our family with us gals in our new jumpers:



While in Massachusetts, we attended New England Baptist Church in Medford. We were a little late getting in for morning service, and found out there was a guest speaker from Reformers Unanimous! It was good preaching and I was thinking at the end of service that the Pastor didn't do his usual calling us out in front of everybody (and and my dh go way back) and was breathing a sigh of relief. Then right before the closing prayer it happened. He announced our family and had us ALL go up there before the entire church and greeted us formally and had Dale close the services in prayer. So much for being safe! We were able to minister that evening by singing for the church. I love to hear my children sing praises to the Lord!

Our children had their first sledding experience for this year while we were gone. I know I just mentioned about 70 degree weather, but that doesn't stop a New Englander. Around my mother's house there are a ton of pine trees. This time of year there are a ton of pine needles on the ground. It is thick and heavy, and on the hill behind Mom's house you can actually sled on them!









We took our children for the first time to the Old North Bridge. My mom came along too, and we had an excellent family outting!

My mom and I had this ongoing debate about the name. I kept saying it was called the "Old North Bridge" and my mom held out for the "North Bridge". When we got there, it was settled, at least in my mind.



See that? It is even etched in stone! :P

If you ever are in New England take time to hit some of the historical sights! If you ever need a study to do for history, you could take a peek at the Revolutionary War. Just studying New England could take you all the way through High School!

Here are some more pics from that outting:

The OLD North Bridge:


Minuteman Monument with a poem from the Concord Hymn by Emerson:



On the path going up to the old Butterick House:



The Butterick House:



All of us in front of the Butterick House:



We visited the Butterick house and watched the video about the cannon that was stolen and found later... very interesting!

After our wonderful stay in Massachusetts, we travelled up to Maine. The good weather followed us, as our first day at the beach and playground was like spring! The water was frigid, but that didn't stop us from getting a little wet.



At the Short Sands beach there is a nice playground that we like to visit. They upgraded it in the last year and part of the new stuff was this funky seesaw.



And who can resist a pic of a cutie-patootie? Isaac seemed to enjoy the beach too!



We only had one day of that warm weather, then the temperature plummeted and the wind picked up. A couple days into our visit a storm was making our way towards the coast, and the waves were impressive! It was almost too cold to play on the playground. Between the high winds and the dry sand flying, you couldn't smile or talk for fear of the enamel being scoured off your teeth!

This was the first time we came home with one person missing. Our oldest got to stay with Grandma and Grandpa for an extended visit. They drove from Maine to Florida and he is spending time with them down south. He has gone to the Kennedy Space Center and absolutely loved it! He is enjoying the extra time with grandparents, of course. Oh, and today, they are going to Sea World! He and Grandma and Grandpa will be back here in time for Thanksgiving.



We are celebrating Dale's birthday tonight, though it isn't until tomorrow. I will be attending a quilt show with a friend of mine in the afternoon, and figured it would be more relaxing to do the festivities tonight!

In the kitchen right now I have a chocolate cake baking, cheese thawing for lasagna, and I'm cooking up a ham bone to make split pea soup for supper tomorrow. It smells very good in here!

So, back to work for me... laundry, school, cooking....

Blessings!

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Peekaboo!

We're back!

The break here in posting was due to a family vacation. Dale took a couple weeks off work so we could get away for a bit.

Our vacation started off Monday the 2nd... well, for Dale it started. I felt like I was still "on duty", if that makes any sense! We went to my mother in laws for the day and played hide and seek with Walmarts and tag with the deer.

What happened was we planned the day out so that we could do a couple errands while travelling up to my MIL's, who is a little under 2 hours from us. One stop was a mennonite owned bulk food store where I like to get my flour, split peas, brown rice, and lots of other goodies. After that we planned on stopping for lunch, and feeding the baby. We got some of those $1 burgers for everyone. Then we went to where we knew a Walmart was, and I was going to stay in the van with the kids, feed the baby, and have them eat lunch while Dale ran in for a couple things. My SIL (the one who's expecting) needed diapers for her toddler and called that morning to see if we could pick some up on our way in. She just wasn't feeling up to a trip out to the store. No problem! We were glad to be able to do something for her.

Anyway, we pulled into the Walmart parking lot... and it was boarded up! I was surprised we didn't see tumbleweed rolling across the parking lot.

A Walmart closed? Wow! This recession must be worse than I thought. So, we parked near the main drag, and prepared to just eat really quickly while I nursed Isaac, and talked about where we could stop for what we needed.

Just as we were getting Isaac out of his carseat for a diaper change, a little sedan pulled up next to us and an older man called to us and said we couldn't park there, that the owner's didn't want any trespassing. He was nice enough about it, so I asked if I could just feed the baby quick and then be on our way. He said "no". I had a few choice words that I swallowed since he was using a respectful tone of voice (although showing no compassion for a mama wanting to feed her baby) so we packaged Isaac back up and went back to the McDonald's (aka... "greasy spoon") parking lot and ate there. We figured we were safe since we were actual customers.

Turns out Isaac wasn't as interested in eating as he was looking around and playing with the dashboard, but he at least got a little snack in. Dale and I again discussed options and finally decided we could take a little detour to a different Walmart we knew of in the general area.

Everyone ate, cleaned up, buckled back up, and off we went, prepared for another 45 minutes or so in the van. Just up about two blocks Josiah called out: "Hey, look! A Walmart! It's really big!"

Sure enough, there it was... Stuffmart, um... Walmart. Apparently the old one was closed so they could build a new, fancy, SuperWalmart just a couple blocks away, which the older gentleman in the sedan neglected to tell us. At any rate, after much eye rolling on my part, our mission was accomplished.

Our visit with my MIL was very nice, and as usual, we left later than we had planned. On the way home, we had 5 close encounters with deer. Not just one at a time, mind you, herds at a time. What is with the deer this year? They are out in droves, it seems. In our little game of tag, our van must have been "it", because thankfully, the deer kept running away from us. A couple times I could have almost reached out the window and slapped them on the back sides.

Tuesday (November 3rd), was spent in packing, running errands, packing, doing odds and ends, packing... Oh, did I mention packing?

Then Wednesday, we were off! Of course, most of you already know we are off. ;)

The rest of the story will have to wait until later!

Blessings!

Monday, November 2, 2009

The Simple Woman's Daybook



FOR TODAY... November 2nd!

Outside my window...Hmmm... What is that bright light out there?

I am thinking... How nice a break from our usual routine will be.

I am thankful for...Sunshine and the expectations of a fun day.

I am wearing... Ahem... pj's again while waiting to feed Isaac.

I am remembering... The feel and smell of crisp, fresh, salty ocean air.

I am going... to be all over the place this week. Today we are going up north to visit my MIL and SIL who is due with their second child in a few weeks. She look all beautiful and very preggers!

I am reading... Genesis and inbetween books right right.

I am hoping... to make it through the rest of this blog post without too many more interruptions! LOL That's what I get for sleeping in this morning.

On my mind... Sewing and knitting! I hope to get lots of knitting today while travelling in the van and visiting family. I also need to pick up some thread so I can hopefully finish our matching blouses for our matching jumpers tomorrow.

From the kitchen... Nothing today! We are bringing ham and dinner rolls and potatoes to my MIL's for supper tonight.

Around the house... We have dishes done and some laundry done and getting ready to leave soon. Tomorrow, however will be a flurry of activity as we prepare for vacation!


One of my favorite things... Time chatting about nothing and everything with Dale.

From the learning rooms... Nothing today!

Here is a picture thought I am sharing:



For guidelines for the Simple Woman's Daybook, please visit here!