365 Project | Week 47

As I'm sure was a common theme this last week, we thoroughly enjoyed having some extra time together at home.

 

Day 324. I am so thankful for Hannah's reading ability! She reads with great expression, and is nearly always cheerfully willing to oblige her brother(s) with a story. It's a blessing in so many ways!

 

Day 325. Hannah's been learning how to play the recorder, and Matthew decided to give it a try as well. He can actually get some pretty good volume out of that little piece of plastic. Of course, Mommy had to hold up the music for him so that he knew what notes to play. ;)

Day 326. I've determined that next year I'm going to plan a bit of a Thanksgiving unit for these few days of school, but we still incorporated something special into our regular studies. Each of the kids shared the 3 (or 5, if you're Matthew) things they're particularly thankful for this year. It was neat to see how such "simple" lists so clearly reflected their ages and personalities.

Hannah, age 7:

1. The chance to homeschool.
2. A church [where] I can learn to love and obey God.
3. Loving parents.

Peter, age 5:

1. Lincoln logs
2. Knex
3. Little Legos

Matthew, age 2:

1. Going to the library
2. Riding on Thomas
3. Riding on an airplane
4. Tractor rides on a big green bucket tractor
5. Going outside

Mommy, age 29ish:

1. The opportunity to homeschool my munchkins
2. The privilege of memorizing Scripture with my kids
3. My God's sovereignty

Day 327. We specifically kept things simple, and enjoyed Mommy's "Thanksgiving in a Crockpot" dinner--chicken, sweet potatoes, stuffing, and green beans ... all cooked in a single pot. Beautifully simple to prepare and to clean up. And then, since I realized I didn't have apples, we enjoyed brownies and ice cream instead of the apple cake I had planned. :)

 

Happy Thanksgiving!

Day 328. We began our day with a family photo shoot ... can hardly wait to get back the pictures! After that, along with painting some trim, cleaning up leaves in the yard, and various and sundry other projects spearheaded by Daddy, Mommy pulled out her sewing machine and tackled a BUNCH of projects over the next few days. #1 on the list ... Toby's bed cover. The sheet she had brought with her from her first family finally bit the dust. I was so excited when I found the perfect fabric ... in the perfect size ... in my fabric stash. I *think* Toby's forgiven me for disposing of her shredded Dalmation sheet ...

Day 329. Under the close supervision of either Hannah or Peter, depending on the hour, I sewed a valence for our remodeled bathroom ... again with material from my fabric stash. I also washed, starched, and ironed our bedroom curtains and used the fabric scraps from the quilt my Grandma made for us to sew new tie backs! :) One advantage of using pieces from the fabric stash ... the available fabric determines the final dimensions, and thus simplifies some of the decision making procress ... ;)

Day 330. And the sewing machine came back upstairs! When Hannah mentioned at lunch that her friend's birthday was today and she would like to give her a gift, we brainstormed and decided that a skirt for her doll would suit the bill nicely. First to the computer for a (free) pattern, and then back to the fabric stash. I was so pleased with how simple this skirt ended up being to make, and I suspect that a few more will be in order before Christmas ... ;) It's a reversible wrap-around skirt--so cute! (And I love that you get two skirts for your time investment!)

 

And I am thankful.

Thankful for my husband, for my munchkins, for my God.

Thankful for my fabric stash.

Thankful for my sewing machine, as finicky as it be.

Thankful for a home and family to sew for.

Thankful for a daughter who desires to give gifts.

Thankful for a bit of time to do the "extra" things.



365 Project | Weeks 45–46

The truth of James 4:14 was made very real to us these last few weeks:

 

You do not know what tomorrow will bring.
What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.

 

Saturday morning after they got home, my parents received a call from the nursing home that my Grandma (my Dad's mom) had taken an unexpected, serious turn for the worse. After a rather discouraging visit for my parents on Saturday, we were all encouraged when the nursing home called on Sunday saying that she was doing much better; in fact, she seemed back to her normal self. So late Monday night we were very surprised to receive a call that she had passed away. We are so thankful that she had a clear testimony of trusting Christ as her Savior. She is rejoicing in Heaven now, and for that we rejoice. And even though she no longer knew my Grandpa in this life, she followed him just seven months later in death. We rejoice that they are together once again--they know each other and are both healthy and whole. So thankful.

 

As you can imagine, my Grandma's Homegoing changed our week quite dramatically ...

 

Day 309. Both boys were home with colds on Sunday--Daddy captured this picture of Mommy enjoying some snuggle time with them. :) As a side note, I'm so thankful for the Lord's timing even in something as simple as drippy noses. Both boys were better before we began traveling, and my own bout with the bug was very brief, allowing me to also be feeling well for traveling.

Day 310. The coaster instructions have been put away, but the Knex creativity continues. :) The kids completed about 80% of the design for this ferris wheel, and Daddy tweaked it the necessary 20% to allow it to work. :)

Day 311. My Grandma and Hannah in 2005. We love you, Grandma!

Day 312. Let the travels begin ... a certain young man was quite excited to be sleeping in a hotel this night. :)

Day 313. Our crew making our way from long-term parking to the shuttle ...

 Riding the shuttle ...

Another certain young man was very excited to be riding a plane. Things weren't quite as smooth on the way home, but the trip up to NY could not have gone better.

And here's Hannah on the plane--she was about 18-months old for her last plane ride, so she was quite excited to be able to have a ride that she could remember. :)

Day 314. Riding the plane allowed our travel time to be cut about in half, which gave us a day to be able to visit with Great Grandma and Grandpa! What a wonderful visit we enjoyed! I'm so thankful that my kiddos are enjoying the privilege of knowing them like I do. :)

 Me and my Grandma! ♥

One of my sister's and my favorite memories from visits with Grandma and Grandpa were Grandpa's milkshakes ... another generation has now been hooked! :) Thanks, Grandpa!

Lunch time ... pretty rough to enjoy dessert right along with the carrots ... ;)

Yep, milkshakes are a sure winner ...

And they make just as much mess for this generation as they did for the previous one when the drinking thereof gets a bit too enthusiastic ... ;)

And guess who we discovered looks quite a lot like her Great Grandma did at that age?!? So special! :)

Of course, the cousins all enjoyed getting together--the adults were thankful that Richard Scarry's What Do People Do All Day? held the interest of all!

 Day 315. My family ♥

Day 316. I love being able to sing at the piano with my mom when we go to their home for visits!

Chris and I and my parents have a tradition of playing Euchre after the kids are tucked into bed ... the ladies were quite excited to finally win ... it's been too. long. :D

Day 317. It's a Grandpa Tackle! :)

We enjoyed a three-hour delay in Rochester, complete with The House on Pooh Corner, multiple rounds of Uno, most of a box of Girl Scouts' Thin Mint cookies, and front row vistas of arriving and departing planes. In Matthew's opinion, life could hardly be better! ;)

Day 318. Katy and the Big Snow is currently one of Matthew's favorite books. He definitely surprised me, however, when he proudly announced, "I match letters, Mommy!" I glanced at the fridge and thought he was matching them by color, something he does pretty regularly. I certainly wasn't expecting to see what I saw! :)

 

And you have to love self-taught Geography lessons! After putting together the puzzle, the big kids spent about 15-minutes "traveling" around the map together, naming the various places they wanted to visit and determining how they would travel there--whether by plane, train, boat, car, or camel caravan!

Day 319. Geography extends to the back yard these days. Our crew has an amazingly intricate system of pathways extending from one corner of the yard to the other--all swept neat and clean by their energetic brooms. :)

Day 320. This young man is definitely at home in a Carhartt coat. :)

Had to laugh when I saw this one ... yet one more benefit of homeschooling ...

Day 321. Thoroughly enjoyed a great afternoon of fellowship with our friends ... and you really can't beat leftovers from a school's Thanksgiving lunch as payment for the easiest. babysitting. job. ever. (The little guy was asleep when he arrived and sleeping still when his mom arrived with his big brothers for some playtime!)

Day 322. So thankful for my hubby's mechanical skills!

Day 323. Heaven has become so very precious to me this last year. This Sunday, one year ago, we first realized the Lord was taking our fourth little one Home. Even with the heartache, I am so thankful for the gift of their precious life. It's hard to imagine that one so tiny could change your life so profoundly, but I will never be the same, and I am so thankful. It is with great anticipation that I look forward to the day when I can hold him or her in my arms! I must say I'm a wee bit envious that my Grandma got first dibs! ♥

Overwhelmingly thankful for the truths of Psalm 23:

 

The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness for His name's sake.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil, for You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

Thankful that He is with me. Always. And forever.

 

365 Project | Week 43-44

Pschew! It's been a busy, fun couple of weeks. :) Hold on to your seatbelts ...

 

Day 295. Snail watching is a nice, quiet activity for that lull of time between "I'm in my pajamas" and "Popcorn's ready!" :)

Day 296. Yes, they were laughing and having just as much fun as it looks like they were! :)

However, when did my little girl start turning into a young lady? Sigh. Love you, Doodle-bug! So thankful for you!

Day 297. Our crew can manage a set of shovels pretty well. :)

Day 298. And here's our energetic, busy young man. He has been delighting in the yard work that fall brings to our household. :)

Day 299. Nothing's much better than waking up to a bag of new books from the library. :) We try to make it a family trip, but some weeks Mommy catches the library during an evening grocery run.

Day 300. Ahhh! What a wonderful evening of fellowship with good friends! (The mommies hung out in the kitchen with dinner preparations while the daddies watched the kiddos outside. Somehow dinner prep seemed to take a wee bit longer than was originally anticipated.) ;)

Day 301. Yay for new plants!!! :) While the big kids enjoyed a party with one of their children's church classes, Mommy, Daddy, and Matthew went to the nursery to buy plants. We came back with a loaded truck and a full afternoon and evening of work. But what fun to see the finished results! :)

 

Day 302. And here be the results of the previous day's labor. :) (Somehow pictures don't work out so well when you're finishing the job with flashlights ...)

 

Day 303. Woo-hoo! Grandma and Grandpa arrived! What a fun week! :) School continued as usual in the mornings, but the afternoons were filled with lots of fun with Grandma and Grandpa. Hannah and Grandma played lots of rounds of Uno. :) Grandma also read lots of Curious George with Matthew, introduced us all to the wonderfully delicious, delightfully simple "candy corn fudge," and helped Mommy keep up with Matthew's very runny nose. :)

Day 304. Grandpa and Peter did lots of coaster building with the K'Nex set. Grandpa also repaired my washing machine, helped repair the radiator leak on the van, and handled the minor flood in our basement when the main drain from the kitchen decided to call it quits. So thankful for the Lord's timing in all of those things! :)

Day 305. And we remembered to take a picture of the grandparents and grandkids! :) Thanks for coming to visit, Grandma and Grandpa!!! :)

We also enjoyed a fun hour or so outside. :) We had planned a bit of an outing, but decided the backyard was a good destination considering the runny state of noses.

Concentrating hard to hold on through Grandpa's BIG pushes! :)

Day 306. We enjoyed a fun last evening with Grandma and Grandpa with some rousing games of Dominos. :)

Of course, Dominos can be used in multiple ways ...

Day 307. Hannah was happy to oblige Matthew's request to cuddle on the couch. :)

Day 308. Our garden plot is (nearly) tilled! :) 600 sq. feet of planting coming up ... hmmm. Guess we better start figuring out what to plant ... Suggestions?

And such be our last few weeks.

Rejoicing in the blessings.
Thankful for His grace through the challenges.