Thursday, October 28, 2010

Sabbatical

In case anyone is wondering, my laptop is on the brink o' death and Brian hasn't had time to fix it. I'll be back once it's back in working condition!

Sunday, October 17, 2010

For Today


Outside my window: It's dark and somewhat warm for a fall night. I know I'll regret saying this later, but I'm ready for some real fall weather.

I Am Thinking: About my sweet hubby. He works so hard, has such a stressful job and then it seems like there are so many things around here that need to be done. He worked all weekend trying to finish up our bathroom. I'll be so glad when we are done with remodeling and can start getting out and about again.

I Am Thankful For: My family. I fuss at all of them from time to time, but I enjoy them so much. Each personality so different and so enjoyable in their own way. I watched the three kiddos out the window off an on all afternoon yesterday as they made up their own little game with sand pails and hickory nuts. Not quite sure what all they were doing but they picked up a bunch & then played and played with them.

From The Kitchen: Made fajitas yesterday which were yummy! Last week I was really in a cooking mood and made a meatloaf, some yummy pecan pie muffins (that are DELICIOUS!).

I Am Wearing: Blue & white shorts, yellow t-shirt ... not so sure they match :-(

On the 'Go Organize' Front: Cleaned out Ryan's closet - that child has hit a big growth spurt and nothing from last winter fits. Also went through the girls clothes and made a goodwill pile and a friend pile. Saved a few summer things for next summer but can tell that 5T's will not be fitting next summer. Makes me a little sad that we're completely out of the toddler sizes now :-(

I Am Going: To bed soon. Busy weekend wore me out.

I Am Reading: Just finished a rather odd book that my mom sent. She warned me ahead of time that the title and subject was not something I would typically read but encouraged me to give it a try. She said it was really good, not so sure I agree, but for some reason couldn't put it down either. The book is called "Imperfect Endings: A Daughter's Tale of Life and Death". It was basically about rights to die - which is weird to me, but the book was well written. Unsettling, but well written. Now I need something new to read!

I Am Hoping: That Brian can get some relief from the stress of his job.

I Am Praying For: A family we know who was in the process of adopting, they were there for the child's birth - no red flags from their agency, all seemed like it was going well but the birthmother changed her mind. The family is crushed to say the least.

I Am Hearing: Football on the tv ... sigh.

Around The House: Clean! Brian was busy with remodeling things, the kids played all afternoon in the yard and so I was able to get the whole house cleaned! Well, except the dining room - but that's another story.

One Of My Favorite Things: FALL!!! Beautiful gold and orange trees. Cool air. Opening the house up. The fresh smell in the air!!! I was going to take the kids to the park and take pictures but just didn't make it this weekend. I did take Rebecca on a test shoot last Wednesday & found the perfect foliage. I would upload my favorite ... but my laptop went kaput.

A Few Plans For The Rest of The Week: Baseball is over. Fall break is over. So it's back to a somewhat normal schedule with no sports for a few weeks. Gymnastics for Emma on Wednesday, Dance for the girls on Thursday. Ryan is leaving for a class trip to Chicago on Friday. A church 'senior social' on Saturday that we're really looking forward to. We will be helping another Sunday school class host this and the theme is HeeHaw - we did this last year and it was a blast!!! The class we are helping has a room full of talented people who are just natural at these skits. Funny, funny stuff!

Have a great week everyone!

Monday, October 11, 2010

Autumn Moon Festival

Summarized from wikipedia ... The Mid Autumn Moon Festival is a popular harvest festival celebrated in China. It dates backs over 3,000 years. It is one of the few most important holidays in the Chinese calendar. Farmers celebrate the end of the summer harvesting season on this date. Traditionally on this day, Chinese family members and friends will gather to admire the bright mid-autumn harvest moon and eat moon cakes.

In China, the Mid-Autumn Festival is held on the 15th day of the eighth month in the Chinese calendar, which is in September or early October in the Gregorian calendar. It is a date that parallels the autumnal equinox of the solar calendar, when the moon is at its fullest and roundest. The traditional food of this festival is the mooncake, of which there are many different varieties.

Our local FCC chapter has a celebration every fall but several years ago we started celebrating with other adoptive families that we are friends with and a new Shelby county version has emerged! Our friends the Bailey's have hosted this fun party and we have had a blast, this year being no different. It's a laid back affair, and not necessarily scheduled with the full moon - but that's really irrelevant to all the fun we have together. Watching the girls play together is more fun than any parent should be able to have!

Here's a few pictures from the fun & festivities!











Wednesday, October 6, 2010

A New Take On Playing In The Yard







The girls were out playing not too long ago and Brian came in and told me I needed to bring my camera and come out. I protested, too much to do ... yada yada - house too messy - laundry to do. He persisted and so I finally went out - and found this! They crack me up!!!




Monday, October 4, 2010

Of Blogs and Time

Goodness, has it really been over two weeks since I blogged! That's pretty bad when you get emails from friends wondering if you've dropped off the face of the earth or not.

Random thoughts by me in no particular order. The last two weeks have consisted of:

  • Homework
  • Ballgames
  • Homework
  • Gymnastics
  • Dance
  • A birthday party where both girls were invited (such a treat for me - I didn't have to hear "that's not fair" a single time).
  • Ballgames
  • Homework
  • Gymnastics
  • Dance
  • A new remodeling project start (the basement)
  • Some progress made on an existing remodeling project. A dear friend brought an electrician over to finish up some things in our bathroom. This is the project that started in March 2009 and will end by ______. Not that I'm counting or anything. On a side note, even though that was the first one that kicked things off, even though it got put on hold - we did get lots of other things done - just haven't gotten that one completed.
  • A sick husband
  • The ushering in of cold weather and a mad dash of a shopping trip to buy jeans for Emma as she only had two pair that fit. I think she would wear shorts 12 months out of the year if we'd let her.
  • An attempt to sort pictures that turned my only organized room into a chaotic mess with pictures all over the floor and me without the heart or gumption to even step back in there.
  • A concussion for Emma. That was fun. Not. Scared the bejabbers out of me - she was talking NONSENSE and wasn't remembering much from a short term perspective. She's back to hand stands, cart wheels and constant pestering so she must be on the mend.
  • A husband who has the knack of making me laugh even when I'm in a really testy mood.
  • "Survivor Weekend" for the youth - beautiful day for it, the kids had a blast as did the grownups. The big kids let my little kids join in the fun. We are blessed to go to church with what's got to be the nicest people on the face of the planet. It really is amazing, and I oh how I enjoy watching people being so kind to my babies.
  • Busy, busy time at work - which is a blessing.
  • Two lunch outings with friends. Another blessing. I love my friends :-)
  • Lots of laughter at both lunches - I love laughing with my friends!
  • Allergy doctor visit for Ryan with a side trip to Starbucks afterwards to partake of a vanilla bean frappachino - quite the treat for us! And even more of a treat to surprise him.
  • Nursery duty this past Sunday - not sure what was going on but we only had one baby, he's a snuggler and I got to hold him the entire time. Not sure who enjoyed it more, me or him.
  • The opportunity to catch up with another friend during our nursery hour - she called it our 'therapy hour'. Another hour filled with fun and laughter.

So, I guess other than remodeling, a sick husband and a child with a concussion - I've gotten to laugh a lot these past two weeks. Laughter is good for the soul isn't it?