Lots of Fun

We celebrated Clara's birthday survivor style with a plethora (you don't get to use that word often) of people. Here's a few pics. It was a night full of fun and COMPETITION!!

However, I must confess that almost a week later and I'm still in recovery mode.

God Provides

Many entries of this blog this past year have been devoted to saving money. While I do not aspire to become a blog dedicated to frugality, it is the reality of our life right now. The intent of this blog is to share our lives with family and friends. We really do have a rich life that includes a multitude of close friendships (Oh, the stories we could tell). With the busyness of life it is difficult to stay in touch, thus this blog. And, I really like to get things on paper...it helps me process.

Today's blog post is dedicated to my incredibly responsible, amazing and beautiful daughter Hannah. She and I have been on a journey the last two years. When she began sixth grade, we decided we wanted to homeschool her. Our decision to homeschool was born out of a desire to relationally connect with her. It has been fun to be a part of her world and see her developing into a godly young woman. I hope she looks back on this season with fondness!!!

One lesson Hannah has learned recently I wanted to share....God provides!! It is a lesson I need to remind myself. It seems that since we started trying to be careful with our money all powers of Hades have conspired against us (I will refrain from going into all of that right now). But I digress....

About six months ago we explained to Hannah that she would need to earn money to pay for any youth trips she wanted to take starting this summer. This girl loves her youth trips. She accepted this challenge quietly and courageously. After all for a thirteen-year old with little earning potential paying for anything over $10 seems a bit daunting.

She babysat here and there, but one day recently she expressed her concern that her babysitting opportunities were limited and she wondered how she would EVER save enough money. My heart went out to her. She was not complaining. She was being realistic and honest.

Then, literally out of the blue our neighbor approached Hannah and asked her to tutor her preschool son to help him get ready for Kindergarten. Of course Hannah jumped on this because it was a weekly job. (I admit I was a little nervous). But, the truth is she was prepared to do this job. She is a great teacher to her little brother. She also has volunteered in the preschool class where I work for a year.

But, let me say that Hannah has blown my expectations OUT OF THE WATER. She tutors three times a week for thirty minutes. She communicates with the mother via email. She plans the lessons. Recently I eavesdropped and she was teaching him all about a penny. Here is what I heard her student say in response to questions asked of him. "A penny equals one cent." "Abraham Lincoln is on the front of the penny." "He was the sixteenth president." "He lived in a cabin log (yes I typed that right...how cute)".

As of yesterday Hannah has earned (and truthfully she has worked hard) enough money to pay for her camp this summer ($250). How does a 13 year old do that? God provided her an opportunity. She worked hard and was faithful with that which was entrusted to her.

As she looks back on her homeschool experience, I hope she remembers the year when she was given an impossible task. I hope she remembers that God provides!!! I hope she remembers that with God nothing is impossible. I hope she remembers that hard work and diligence pay off.

Turtle Trauma

We have a new pet....Tina the Turtle. Our daughter Clara seems to attract stray animals. She wants to be a vet when she grows up. Tina the Turtle was found by Clara at the baseball field.

While I'm not a big fan of turtles, I must admit that Tina is growing on me. She's little and has a cool orange stripe down the sides of her neck. And, she runs really fast. Tina has been living in a picture box while we figure out what type of habitat she needs to survive (I tried to say she would be happier outside, but no one is buying that!!!).

Yesterday when Clara came home from school, she came running into the room frantic that her turtle box was tipped over and Tina was missing. (Did I mention we have a cat?) So a search and rescue mission was mounted. We looked for Tiny Tina over an hour in Clara's room. It seemed a turtle was roaming freely through my house much to my dismay.

We were about to head into another part of the house when I moved a small shag rug that was folded in the floor of Clara's room. When I picked it up, I was excited to see Tiny Tina. But then upon further inspection I noticed what seemed to be a strangely twisted turtle neck and a very still Tina. So, I explained to Clara that the turtle seemed to be dead and she needed to leave the room. The death of the turtle sent my sweet tender-hearted Clara into an emotional crisis. It really tore my heart apart to see her so sad.

I comforted her and asked if she wanted to see Tina (why do we name these animals) or if she just wanted me to put him in a box and wait for dad to come home. She opted out of seeing twisted-neck tiny Tina. Off I went with a heavy heart to pick up a dead turtle. You must know that I have never in my life picked up a turtle.

Imagine my dismay when I went into the room to see tiny Tina trucking around the room. Alas the seemingly broken-necked turtle was alive and kicking. There was much rejoicing!!!

Car Conversation

Last night we were on our way home from a soccer game and here was the conversation.

Clara- "Mom, when are you going to get me the Starbucks you owe me? (a reward for some well done venture)

Noah "Yeah, I want a Starbucks blended Cherry Lemonade" (FYI--no such drink exists)

Clara - "You can't have Starbucks....you are too young"

Noah "Mom, I want Starbucks"

Clara - "YOU CAN'T HAVE STARBUCKS...YOU ARE TOO YOUNG!!!"

Elijah (the 4yr old) - HEY, I WANT STARBUCKS. I WANT STARBUCKS. I WANT TO BUY ME SOME BOOKS. I WANT SOME BOOKS FROM STARBUCKS"

Life is Fragile!!

My previous post was about our daughter Clara's birthday. Today's post is more difficult to write, but I really want to do so. This past Thursday, April 30th, my grandmother, "Mama Clara" breathed her last breath here on earth. As you can guess our sweet Clara was named after her great-grandmother.

Our family went to visit Mama Clara the Friday before her death. I wish I could capture for you the way her dear face lit up when our family walked into the room. It was one of those priceless moments. She was a godly woman who loved to spend time with Jesus, she had a gift for creating beauty, and she loved her family fiercely. She lived for 88 years.

As I type this, I'm looking at a piece of embroidery in my kitchen that says "Life is Fragile, Handle it with Prayer". One summer when I was younger I went to visit my grandparents and I remember my grandmother creating that piece. When she moved from her home into an apartment a few years ago and was getting rid of some of her things, it was the one thing I requested. Why? Because it is a sentiment that I believe in strongly.

One of the greatest compliments I received at the funeral on Saturday was how much I favor Clara. You see I have her red hair. I'm really the only member of the family that has it (well my dad has her red hair...but he's mostly bald, so that doesn't really count and he's a guy). My desire is that in addition to favoring her looks, I would also favor her in character. She was a strong woman. She was committed to her family. She was diligent with her hands. She endured hardship with grace. She loved Jesus with her whole heart.

I'm thankful that she taught me at a young age that "Life is Fragile, we must handle it with Prayer". I'm thankful that she taught me how to love my family. I'm thankful that she taught me how to cook (I only wish I knew how to make her homemade fried pies). I'm thankful she taught me how to enjoy the moment.

Happy Birthday Clara!!

Yesterday we celebrated sweet Clara's birthday. (This is the only picture I have available of her right now...technical difficulties still abound around here). It amazes me how time marches on faster and faster and faster. She is growing up too quickly. I miss my little girl, but am enjoying the young woman that is emerging.

C - Creative
L - Lively
A - Always Right (in her mind anyway)
R - Relational
A - Athletic

Thorn in my flesh!!

So, I may have my school planned out for the next year, but here is a story that is a true reflection of me. It is the same song, 20 millionth verse in my life. For those of you who are ultra organized you might not want to read this....really you won't get it. But for others of you who suffer from the same disease I do, you might appreciate it!!

Yesterday morning I ran (well I didn't actually run, I drove my car) to Office Depot to purchase some binders that were on sale. My neighbor told me about the deal and said I probably wanted to buy them before the weekend. So, I headed out to the Depot at the crack of dawn to score a deal on binders.

Boy was it a deal. Binders were $2 and were buy 2, get 1 free. And, there were some nice ones that I needed for school. Our family was headed out of town so I had planned my trip to the minute and had just enough time to purchase binders and get home to leave town.

Of course Murphy's Law hit. I was in line to pay for the binders when I realized that I didn't have my teller card. Why? Because I had put it in my backpack when I served on jury duty earlier in the week. So, I'm standing there trying to figure out what to do. David was at the school with Clara getting her picture taken. I really didn't have time to drive home (and I hated to lose my binders)

Inspiration hit like a bolt of lightning. So, I called my neighbor who hooked me up on the deal because I knew she was driving to work. When I asked her where she was, she was right by the Depot and she sweetly agreed to come and pay for my purchase. It really was perfect timing....take that Murphy.

Now, please know I try not to live like this regularly. I try to behave responsibly. I try to be a grown-up. But there are days when it just doesn't come together. So, when my daughter brings home progress reports that say she needs to remember her papers, that she needs to be more responsible....I just smile.

She is so like me!!!

Discovery

Yesterday we drove as a family in the car to Jackson, MS to visit my grandmother in Hospice. It was a long day in the car. So, we packed some markers. I had recently bought some binders that have been recycled and basically look like grocery bags. The project was for the kids to decorate their binders which will be used as school binders next year. (Boy am I ahead of the game!! However, don't be too impressed. I'll explain why in another post)

To say that our oldest son likes to draw would be a gross understatement. The girls drew on their binders for about 15 minutes and then promptly fell asleep (that's my girls). Noah, meanwhile kept drawing and drawing and drawing.

After about two hours of drawing, He loudly proclaimed..."It's smells like markers....I LIKE THE SMELL OF MARKERS (said like I would say I like the smell of chocolate.) I suppose inhaling Sharpies for two hours might not have been the best choice, but amazingly he was quiet for a while.

Staycation

This year we have committed as a family to carefully watch our pennies. Fortunately thanks to www.moneysavingmom.com and friends who are on the same quest for deals, I have been able to score some excellent purchases at minimal cost. Most recently I found a deal on shampoo and let's just say I purchased over 30 bottles of shampoo and conditioner for around $7.00. And, I actually have a $6 register reward in my pocket that will spend like cash. So, I suppose I technically only spent $1.

That's all fine and good. But, I'm realizing that toiletries are pocket change compared to some of our other expenditures. So, here comes the hard reality. Our annual family vacation is up for discussion. Sigh!! Serious Sigh!!

For those of you who know me I am a vacation girl. I love vacation. I live for vacation. Researching for a vacation is one of my favorite activities. Really!! I cannot convey the joy I feel when I plan a vacation and when the plan comes together for relaxating family fun. We have so many incredible vacation memories.

So, when my hubby suggested that we should cut our vacation from our budget this year I confess I wanted to scratch his eyes out. Keeping it real people!!! David tried to keep it positive and say we can take a vacation at home. To me that ranks right up there with going to the dentist.

After much weeping and gnashing of teeth, I'm finally on board....well mostly. Little did I know when we made these decisions that there is actually a term for this. It's called a "Staycation". So I'm planning a family "staycation". Actually we are planning two staycations one in May and one in July. Both weeks we have close family friends coming to vacation with us.

Yippee!!

Technical Difficulties

This past month or so our family has been plagued with technical difficulties. Seriously!! Our home computer crashed. It is back up, but still not really usable yet. David's laptop crashed not once, but twice and of course the last time was in the middle of completing the taxes on April 14th. This has been going on for a while. It is about to drive me to the brink of insanity. Why? Because I feel so out of touch and I know my mother is about to bust a gut because I haven't been posting pictures on this blog. Thank goodness she was here a few weeks ago to see the kids.

This whole experience is teaching me to relax. Sometimes frustrating things happen. Sometimes things don't go my way and pitching a fit doesn't do any good. (If I had a dollar for every time I have used that expression with my youngest daughter...I could buy a new computer!!). Sometimes we have to wait. Oh, that is a hard one for me to accept.

Yesterday while sitting in the jury pool room ALL DAY long I was reading Hannah's history book. As an aside...her history textbooks are great...it's a series called "A History of US, by Joy Hakim" that I highly recommend.

I was reading about Franklin D. Roosevelt, a promising, wealthy, talented, athletic, father of 5, who had political ambitions. One night he went to bed and the next morning he woke up unable to walk. Polio had invaded his home. It amazes me that he did not just curl up and give up on his dreams. No, he pressed on and became president. Now that's fortitude in the face of difficulty.

My technical difficulties are merely pesky flies. But as sure as I am breathing, at some point in my life and in all our lives true difficulties will come. What will our response be?

Lesson Learned

Yesterday I was so pleased to see that my children took it upon themselves to make our bed. After all it was Saturday and I often forego making the bed because well it's Saturday. It was Heroes day on the Disney channel and my children asked if they could watch TV in our bedroom. "Sure", I said eager for a little peace and quiet.

When I checked on them, they were happily watching TV in my bedroom and coloring on my bed. I praised them and thanked them for making my bed. Really, it was one of those moments that warmed my soul. It made me feel so good to know that I had raised such thoughtful children who were willing to serve their parents.

Then, last night I went to bed!!

Let's just say my legs seemed to have suddenly grown longer as I tried to jam them into the bed. As I began to investigate I realized that my sweet, angelic children had gone and accomplished the classic camp prank. They short-sheeted our bed. They really did a good job!!! They fooled me 100%!!!

The lesson that I learned is to be suspicious of any unusual acts of kindness on the part of my children (I know it is jaded of me, but realistic). An investigation ensued. For those of you who know our family, I will give you one guess as to who the Culprit was...it's a she and her name begins with "C".

Continued Saga

When I went to publish the previous entry about technical difficulties....it came up with an error. Would not, could not publish. After muttering a few choice words under my breath (niceties of course mom), I threw my hands up and walked away from the computer. We have been using a different browser and it was not compatible with our blog. Nor was it compatible with Facebook. I was completely out of touch with my cyberworld.

Techno hubby to the rescue!!! Whew, what would I do without him. Now I can blog. Now I can feed my Facebook addiction. Although I must admit that the new layout is too busy and too much stuff for me. I miss just being able to log on and quickly view the status updates of my friends!!!

All this is revealing something about myself that I do not like!!! I am not adapting to change well. I used to live for change. I used to thrive on change. I used to eat change for breakfast. Goodness, am I becoming old and set in my ways? We must change that!!

Excuses, excuses!!

Okay so I am the most deliquent blogger out there. It seems that all has conspired against me. Really. Let me explain. The storage area for our pictures has changed, making it difficult to import edited pictures. It's probably easy to figure out how to use the updated program, but we have been a little busy around here.

And, we are currently using Clara's camera as a family camera. During the last snow day which was incredibly beautiful we pulled out her camera and realized the battery was dead. Simple problem to solve. Not for us. We could not find the charger for her battery. AAHHH. Yes, her battery charger does have a place it is supposed to be...it's not there.

No big deal we think, we'll take pictures of the amazing nine inch snow with Hannah's camera. Guess what? We couldn't find the download cord for her camera. Double AAAHH!! Yes, the download cord does have a place it is supposed to be...it's not there.

Blogging is a pleasure for me. I love to add the pictures. Because let's face it. This blog exists to provide my mother with pictures of her grandchildren!!! Without pictures I am lost...lost I tell you.

So there is my sob story. These minor inconveniences + the insane busyness of our schedule have come together to create the perfect storm that has shut down communication. I haven't had much to say...since I don't have pictures that go along with it (which reminds me of a story that I'll tell in another post....MAYBE!!)

Description of Hannah's Work Day

Hannah is studying poetry and is writing several different types of poetry over the next few weeks. I liked this one. It is a description of her day at work.

Work

door, lunch away, room assignment
lunch away, room assignment, kids
room assignment, kids, play
kids, play, clean-up
play, clean-up, snack
clean-up, snack, worksheet
snack, worksheet, carpet time
worksheet, carpet time, gym
carpet time, gym, lunch
gym, lunch, nap
lunch, nap, play
nap, play, home

Ham and Wild Rice Soup

Here's a recipe that is a family favorite and a great way to use leftover ham from Christmas or Easter....

Ham and Wild Rice Soup

INGREDIENTS
1 cup wild rice (You can use long grain and wild, but I LOVE the wild rice)
3 cups water (I use 6 cups water with 6 chicken bouillion cubes)
3 cups chicken broth (I do not use chicken broth)
4 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoon chopped onion
1/4 - 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1-2 cups chopped cooked ham
1/2 cup shredded carrots (or thinly sliced)
3 tablespoons slivered almonds (optional)
1 cup half-and-half (I used mostly skim milk w/ a splash of half & half)

DIRECTIONS
In a pot, bring the wild rice and water to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 45 minutes.

In a separate pot, melt the butter over medium heat, and saute the onion until tender. Blend in the flour until smooth, and gradually stir in the chicken broth. Stirring constantly, bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to low, and mix in the cooked rice, ham, carrots, and almonds. Continue to cook and stir about 5-10 minutes, until heated through and carrots are cooked. Thoroughly blend the half and half into the soup just before serving.

I have also sauteed fresh chopped mushrooms with the onion. And, I have also added corn (which David absolutely loves).

Enjoy!!

Lessons from a Sick Home (Not mentally mind you..well maybe a little)

Sickness...it's a reality that has hit our home in full force over the last couple of weeks. In my mind I strongly despise sickness. After all who really wants to be sick? Who wants to see the people they love sick?

And yet as I ponder this sickness I realize something. It has caused us as a family to SLOW DOWN.

In our culture it is unfortunate, but true, we move through life at warp speed. I'll give you an example...this morning as I was bleary-eyed, drinking my coffee I happened to look out the window to see the high school bus go down the street at 6:09 am. You read that right 6:09 AM. If I was in high school here, you would just have to hook me up with a perpetual caffeine IV.

Anyway, I digress. This sickness has caused us to slow down. All my youngest wants to do when he is sick is snuggle with mommy. While that makes it difficult to accomplish anything, it does make my heart smile.

So, we are enjoying this imposed slow down. We are enjoying playing games as a family. Last night the kids watched a movie upstairs and I sat by myself and watched two TV shows with quiet all around. Quiet in this house is RARE!!! (David did attend the financial peace class as our representative last night!!)

This bout of sickness has caused me to be reminded again of the importance of family time...I have an incredible family and we have fun together!!! My favorite memory of the last week is us all huddled in the living room playing apples to apples. Yes, all six of us played, even the four year old who cannot read. I can still picture him sitting in his daddy's lap, smiling and quite proud when his "green card" was picked.

We're headed into our busy season, but I plan to take the lessons from Sickville and apply them to Busyville. Even though we will be busy, it is imperative that we carve out time to be together as a family!!!

Snow Day

Snow days are rare in this neck of the woods. So, we have to seize the moment. My kids have learned to get out there EARLY because it melts by noon. They had a great day playing. I on the other hand stayed inside and watched TV. (Well I did walk outside long enough to take pictures).

I am a snow snob....I will only get dressed and go outside to play in the snow if there are at least 2-3 inches. However, I must admit that there is NOTHING in me that misses having to shovel snow.

Although I confess that I only shoveled snow once and my friend from Minnesota happened to drop by and see me shoveling snow. After laughing hysterically at my ineptitude, she promptly took the snow shovel and shoveled my driveway in a small fraction of the time it would have taken me.

Happy Birthday!!

We're excited that our little man turned a year older. He was excited to get "dollars" from his Nana. Unfortunately he was laying on the couch sick all day long.

He brings great joy into our lives. We look foward to what the next year will bring.

Blogger Block

It seems like a while since I've posted anything worth reading and that bothers me a bit. The truth is my brain seems to be taking a break.

Maybe it is hibernating for winter...I'm not sure. There are moments of clarity where I have a thought that seems blog worthy. Then, I sit down to blog and there's nothing there and I mean nothing.

Or, maybe it's the entrance of the Wii into our home. It has consumed quite a bit of my time. Last night I laughed so hard I almost peed (how in the world do you spell that?) in my pants on several occasions. Our friends Phil and Amber Wing and Mark Murdoch played carnival games, which by the way are almost as impossible to win as the real carnival games. David, bless his heart was comatose on the couch. He did entertain us with an occasional snore or loud groan. I think he has the flu, but boy did he miss out on the fun.

Or, maybe it's the wonderful time I've been able to spend with friends. Face to face time with people has taken precedence over technology during the month of January. Okay, so that's probably not such a bad thing!!!

Anyway, I'm hopeful that my brain will wake up soon and I will be able to write something worthwhile. So, for my three or four blog readers, please be patient. I'll be back!!!

Future Photographer!!

Recently I downloaded some pictures from Clara's new camera which has been kept in her room. Along with about a hundred videos of her, there were pictures that were a little different. I remember vaguely Elijah mentioning that he took pictures in Clara's room. He's so into pretend play that I didn't pay much attention. These pictures are proof that he WASN'T pretend playing, but actually DID take pictures.

Enjoy Elijah's first photo shoot!!! I really like the first pic.