thankful thursdays 9/9

* Today I am grateful to be a homeschooling mom. Grateful I get to spend my life mothering, learning with, and creating with my children. Right this minute Fisher is painting pictures of lizards from one of our gazillion animal books, Keziah is singing her heart out while she does her chores, Annesley is building with duplos, Blythe is at her Spanish class, and everyone got to study some Shakespeare this morning (everyone agrees that The Tempest is a very strange play). Everyone is happy and engaged in something they enjoy. Everyone is getting along. Everyone is smiling. I was able to spend my morning reading Mockingjay and my children all found things to study to give me time to curl up with a great book. This is the life, I tell you.

Here are some photos of our fun with pattern blocks and our recent Homeschool Day at Lava Hot Springs.

Blythe, Katherine, and Madison

Gathering pine cones for a small war

Pretending to aim at me…of course, they would never follow through with those throws because they know I would tackle them all!

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* I am grateful for good friends that love me, hug me, laugh with me, tell me my hair looks good in this new dark coppery shade, and share their lives with me. I am SO blessed to have wonderful friends.
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* Yesterday during my Math Alive! class, my friend Sherry, let Annesley sit on her lap and rub her arm, put her hand up her sleeve, and generally snuggle on her. Annesley LOVES to rub people’s skin, mine especially, but when she can’t have it, I am grateful someone allowed her to to rub them. Thanks Sherry!
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* I am grateful for sunshine! The last two days have been raining and I even heard a rumor that it snowed yesterday and dreary weather always reminds me how glorious the sun is. How good our Creator is who gives us sunshine to keep us warm inside and out.
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* I am grateful for yummy food cooked by someone else. Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays I get to have meals made for our family in trade for gymnastics lessons. Yippee! I don’t have to cook!

Life-changing…everyone should try it!
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* I am grateful for the birds I hear singing out my bedroom window almost every morning. They weren’t singing today because of the rain and I missed them. Isn’t it funny how we often don’t appreciate something until it is gone?

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* I love my Miss Annesley. She and I have this game we play when she wakes up. I ask her where she needs a kiss and she still pretends to be asleep by not moving and not opening her eyes while she sucks on her thumb. With a little move of her finger she points to somewhere on her face that she wants me to kiss her. We do this again and again until her whole face is kissed and she finally opens her eyes and admits she is ready to greet the day. Then we do it with her kissing me right where I tell her I need kisses. She is so precious….I want to eat her up!

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Off to pick up Blythe from Spanish!

thankful thursdays 8/26

* I am so thankful for Jane’s new home…her new life…which is going to have some of her burdens significantly lightened. I am thrilled at the love and generosity that has been shown to my dear friends.
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* I was able to have a good long conversation with my friend Delinda. She has been through three deaths, a long battle with a bacterial infection that caused her to lose over 40 lbs., and is now 17 weeks pregnant with a miracle baby…all in the past eight months. It was so good to hug her, to look in her eyes and see her joy and her faith that God has been with her as she has walked this long road. In February I will be attending her birth, just as I have her previous four births.

Twelve years ago today, I attended the birth of their first child. It was a long, intense hospital birth full of prayers, love, and ultimate triumph. It was my first hospital birth as a doula and completely changed my life and the life of my family. I am so blessed to know this family and to have been attending their births for the past twelve years.

Happy Birthday Amaya!
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* Tomorrow is H.O.P.E.! I get to sit with an amazing group of women and discuss how to make math come alive in our homes. I love these women! They bless me, teach me, and love me.
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* Quick UPS deliveries. It is a wonder, don’t you think, how quickly we can order something off the internet and in just a few short days have it brought right to our front door. I have decided to teach a living math class this year for home schoolers and needed some supplies fast. We got our magnets, pattern blocks, geoboards, mathematician books, and 1″ cubes today. Next week we will get our logic puzzles, pentominoes, Build-It cubes, and some more books! Classes start Wednesday!
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* My friend Jana. She is an amazing woman of vision, stability, faith, and love. She has created an exciting organization for home schoolers in our area and has spent HOURS doing it. I am grateful to know her and to be blessed by her. Her heart is huge! Last year she played a pivotal role in Blythe’s development as a Shakespearian and this year she will be mentoring Keziah in a hands-on learning adventure. What a woman!
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* My dear Richard. He is the rock of our family and works so hard for us. On Monday he will start working about 75 hours a week, six days a week. He comes home exhausted, but still willing to read a story to Annesley, help Fisher work on casting his fishing pole, or listen to Blythe and Keziah. He wakes up early in the morning, he drives a car that is MUCH louder than a motorcycle and is pretty much driving him insane, he calls and asks if there is anything I need him to do, he encourages me, and most of all, he loves.

He holds me in a way that reaches my inner soul and makes me feel safe and warm and protected and nurtured and completely at peace. He looks at me with a softness I didn’t know was possible. He does this funny thing with his eyebrows that lets me know he thinks I am the most beautiful thing he has ever laid eyes on. He is an excellent kisser…oh, yes, this man who has never kissed another woman in his life, knows just how to kiss me.

This weekend, he is taking all of the children fishing while I go down to Logan to visit my sister.

I love this man. He is the best thing that ever happened to me.

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Fisher is waiting for me to read Paddy the Beaver to him…see you later!

thankful thursdays 7/29

I have been gone from home for almost two weeks and my heart is full of lots of things I am grateful for.

* With eight people staying at my mom’s and seven of them girls, I am grateful for my hair. For those of you that don’t know, I have pretty amazing hair. I am not saying it is amazing-beautiful, just amazing-easy. When I wake up, it usually looks just like it did when I went to bed. I just run a comb through it and I am done getting it ready for the day. It also doesn’t get oily…even after days and days of not showering. This has been a huge blessing this week as we have had to be up every day by 5:00 a.m. (I am NOT a morning person!) and out the door to music camp by 7:00.
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* I am so grateful for my mom. She has let us stay here for two weeks and fed us, clothed us, laughed with us, saved many a child from tears, let me use her car to save on gas mileage, and been very patient with the fact that a small army has invaded her quiet, solitary life.

Thanks mom! This has been a wonderful blessing to be able to be here and participate in all the pioneer day activities and music camp.
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* Today I am especially grateful for a dependable vehicle. I have driven a TON these last couple of weeks and it does wonders for my peace of mind to know I am not about to break down, my car will start, and everything is in working order. It’s also fabulous to be able to carry so many people and all of their stuff.
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* Our new lil’ camper. My Aunt Carol gave us a camper that was given to her and after cleaning it, getting it inspected, fixing the lights, washing all the mattress covers, and learning how to drive it, I am taking it camping. It has held all of our stuff for the past two weeks and tomorrow it will make its maiden voyage as a our camping vehicle. It is 40 years old and certainly shows its age, but it has been a huge blessing to us already.
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* Have I mentioned the amazing Tami? This friend (and cousin) of mine brought my mom a 10 x 10 shelter from Colorado and dropped it off on her journey across I-80 AND she brought us a treat! Safeway makes an ice cream flavor that we have never seen out here in the land of Winco, Fred Meyer, and Albertson’s. Mint Moosetracks is heavenly…so delicious I’m sure I could eat it everyday and not get tired of it. Thick swirls of fudge, mint-filled chocolate cups, and creamy mint ice cream. So yummy!

Thanks Tam! You are a gem!
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Time for me to get all these girls a movin’! Music camp starts mighty early.

If I don’t get back on here before I leave for my mountains, toodle-loo. I will be back after days on end of gazing at my favorite peaks, swimming in glacier-fed waters, going on hikes with my little ones, and soaking up the wonder of nature, family, and friends.

thankful thursdays 7/15

* Today I am only going to write about one thing I am thankful for…life.

I am grateful to be alive.

I am grateful to be a wife to my Mr. Amazing. I am grateful to scratch his head, massage his aching back, listen to his dreams, and snuggle in his arms as we drift off to sleep. I am grateful to know him and to have the privilege of loving this man who is simply good. I am grateful to be able to bear his children and to stay home with them as their mama.

I am grateful to be able to watch my children growing up day after day. I am grateful to be able to do their laundry, wash their dishes, prepare their food, rub their feet, get slivers out of their toes, tickle their bellies, wipe away their tears, bathe their muddiness away, see the light of happiness in their eyes, listen to their padding feet, touch their soft cheeks, hear their words of apologies to one another, watch them zip up and down our road on their bikes, and hear their prayers each day.

I am grateful to have a body that can climb trees, wade streams, type letters, scrub floors, kill spiders, carry heavy loads, read books, give hugs, and smile at friends (and strangers!).

I am grateful to be on the earth with my family. To be here, growing and learning together.

I am grateful my body is not full of cancer or any other life-sucking disease that is taking the lives of so many dear people who are in the prime of their lives and have oodles of children depending on them.

Here is one family’s story of their wife and mother who just died of cancer on July 3rd as a 36-year-old mother of six.

Yes, I am thankful for life.
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thankful thursdays 7/8

Oh my goodness, my heart is full this week. So many things to be thankful for!

* First up is a recap of our Independence Day Weekend activities. My mom and sister arrived here on Thursday to watch Blythe, Keziah, Eve, and Fisher sing in the America’s Hope choir. We had a great time watching and listening to this great children’s choir sing with joy for liberty. We nearly laughed our heads off watching Fisher make hilarious facial expressions, play with his flag, and sing louder than everyone else so that Keziah felt the irrepressible need to SSHHHH! him during the performance. All of the children did a great job and I am so grateful for the women who came together to make it happen for our community.

Then about six families went to Dairy Queen and got dipped cones to take to the park and let the children run, slide, and swing till dark. By the way, I have never had a dipped cone before and it was much better than I imagined. I should have one of those more often!

Friday was full of fun, but it started out with my mom crashing on my awesome recumbent bike and has a row of bruises to show for it. I showed my short sightedness by asking how my bike was before I asked how my mom was…eeeeekkkk! Mistake!

Then we had a visit from a recent doula client and their adorable little boy!

Then we went to the lake and swam, played in the sand, went down the slide, ate gobs of food, got sunburned, and delighted in watching Annes go back and forth from the water to the towels, water to the towels over and over again. At dark we enjoyed the first of three nights of fireworks. The best part? Annes yelling after each explosion, “That freak me out!”

Saturday we went to a parade with temps way low and the wind briskly blowing. My mom was wrapped up in her blanket the entire time and tried using her umbrella as a wind break. Definitely not 4th of July weather! The kids got lots of candy with Eve teaching them how to step on two pieces while using both hands to gather everything else around her. Then we went to our favorite hill to set up our camp for the fireworks. We have been going to the same place since Blythe was three and LOVE it.

Then we went to the much anticipated Toy Story 3. Fisher and Grandma have been planning this outing for over a year and thankfully they let the rest of us join them. It was a great movie and I admit it, I cried at the end. It worked out for Buzz and Woody and was a perfect ending to the saga that started years ago.

After a stop at the grocery store to replenish our food supplies (a quick stop for turkey turned into a watermelon-toting, pie-laden adventure), we were back to our spot on the hill to play football, redneck golf, explore the river, and laugh ourselves silly.

The fireworks arrived amid hundreds of glow sticks wrapped around our children, cousins, and friends, and they were bigger than ever. Afterwards we stayed and watched a movie projected on to the pavillion wall until all the traffic was gone and we could drive home without the bumper-to-bumper ordeal that accompanies massive public events.

Sunday we attended church and then rushed out the door to attend The Tribute to the Constitution, which is a wonderful event put on by Celebration of Liberty. Blythe sang in two different choirs and did a fabulous job. She looked so grown-up up there on stage! Keziah and Fisher sang “The Hope of America” and Annesley sang right along with them from the jam-packed auditorium. Ted Stewart, the author of the book The Seven Miracles that Saved America, was the keynote speaker and received a standing ovation. I want to read the book, but am 21st on the list at the library.

Monday the children sang again with the America’s Hope Choir and I think it was their best performance yet…all the pressure was off and they just sang their hearts out. That night we went to a third night of fireworks, which were much better than we thought and had a great time visiting with friends and getting Frostys at Wendy’s.

We had a fabulous time with family and friends and are so grateful to have been able to have a wonderful four days with those we love while celebrating the miracle of America.
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* We spent Tuesday afternoon at the splash park with some friends and were grateful for sunshine, water, and good, clean fun.
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* My room is cleaner than it has been in years…I can actually walk without stepping on anything! I was able to clean out boxes and boxes of stuff to go to DI and part with loved clothing that hasn’t actually been worn in years. This was very hard for me because I can always come up with darn good reasons of why I need to hang on to things, but it was time for it to go. I will probably not be a size 6 again, right? Now, I just have to keep it clean!
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* Our new dog, Sadie, has already brought us so much JOY! She is a bajillion times fabulous. She is calm, obedient, full of love, gentle with babies, loves to snuggle, can go out in public with us, is a perfect passenger in the car, lets Annesley crawl all over her, sleeps with Keziah, goes everywhere with Fisher, and listens at family read-aloud time better than anyone else. I am so grateful we found her! She is the perfect addition to our family and although it has only been two weeks, we already can’t imagine life without her. Mikelle fell in love with her while she was visiting and understands why I drove over two hours to get her.
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* Reading. I love reading and always have. I learned to read long before kindergarten and have been seen with a book in my hand ever since. My life has been more than greatly enriched, it has been formed by my reading. Books change me. They teach me. They touch me in ways I can’t express. There was a period of time when I lost the ability to cry…for years. I could not cry about real people, real events, real crises, real joys. But I was able to immerse myself in a book and cry for the characters. I was numb to feeling the pains of the real world, but being able to feel the pains in an imaginary world gave me hope that I was still a functioning human being and that I would one day be able to feel real emotions again. I remember the first time I read The Hiding Place. Corrie ten Boom’s faith and determination to do good rubbed off on me and I yearned to be like Corrie. I remember reading To Kill a Mockingbird and how Scout’s story became my story and how my thirst for justice was tempered by a great desire for mercy. I remember reading The Little House series till my copies were torn and tattered and loving the simple stories of a family’s struggle to survive, cooperation, a father’s leadership, and a mother’s love and hard work. I love reading. I love learning of other lives, other cultures, other ways. I love learning who I am by discovering myself in books.
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* Family reunions. I have always loved reunions and the feeling of security they gave me as a child. They were a place full of love, fun, stability, and people who knew who they were and what they stood for. I can’t even tell you how much I yearned for a happy family as a little girl. I wanted a family that loved and served and laughed and worked and going to family reunions showed me it was possible. When I was little we would always sing “I Have a Family Here on Earth” and Camille and I would cry through the song because we both wanted to have a mom and dad that loved each other.

This weekend we have a Rollins Reunion, which is where I met my 2nd cousin Tami when we were 12 years old. Having her in my life has been one of God’s great gifts to me. She and my other cousin Camille, have been my best friends for nearly 25 years. We have been through EVERYTHING together and I am so grateful to have them as such an integral part of my life.

This reunion will be the second one we have had without my grandma and it is not getting any easier. I want to play Canasta with her. I want to get her food for her. I want to hear her giggle. I want to feel her lips on my cheek. I want to watch Fisher talk to her. I want Annesley to know her.

In spite of all of that, I think family reunions are one of the best things ever and am so grateful to have a family that keeps holding them year after year.

And tomorrow????? I get to see Tami and Camille and spend the whole weekend having fun with them!
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* Richard’s sister and family came over last night to light sparklers and let the cousins all play together. So fun! They filled up balloons with water and intended to have a water balloon fight (at 11:30 at night, no less!), but the balloons wouldn’t pop! They bounced around like playground balls, jiggling their water to and fro. The kids were throwing them hard at the cement, bouncing them across the deck, and sending them careening off the deck and still they didn’t pop! It was crazy and oh so fun!
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* Blythe was blessed to go make-up shopping with her grandma and auntie and her skin already looks a million times better! Thanks ladies – you are life savers for that young lady!
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What are you thankful for today?

thankful thursdays 6/24

* We have a new dog! Her name is Sadie and she is perfect for our family! She is a 6 year old black lab, she is calm, doesn’t jump or lick, has a gently personality, is soft with babies, is sleeping in our house in a pile with all my children…and the best part…she has been raised with chickens and doesn’t eat them!!!! We took her on a hike yesterday and she was delightful! Definitely a keeper!

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* The sun has been shining some this past week and I am starting to believe summer may really come!
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* My mom is home from Mexico! I tell you, a week without talking to her is like living in a desert without water. My poor Annesley has been beside herself without her grandma to talk to several times a day.
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* Fatherhood. I am grateful for the men in my life and the good they do in this world in being husbands, daddies, and grandpas. They are critical to the success of the family and our nation. I am especially grateful for the father of our home who plays with our children, takes them on dates, teaches them how to fish, builds projects with them, listens to their stories, reads to them, snuggles them, gets up with them at night, deals with their throw-up, and always wants more babies to come to our home.

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* Saturday is the Title of Liberty March!!! One of our favorite events of the year! Come and join us as we walk through Idaho Falls carrying 1,776 flags to post on Liberty Field. Line up is at 8 a.m. at Taylor Crossing.

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* Saturday is also the Children’s Parade in Rigby at 1:00. I love this parade because it is just kids riding their decorated bikes, wagons, horses, and dogs through town. Line up is at 12:30 at the Old County Courthouse. Tons of fun! Come and show your American Spirit!
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* I am grateful for our hike this week. It felt so good to be out in nature with my children and some friends. I am really grateful my friend, Anne, was up for a totally spontaneous excursion. I called her and said “I am on my way to Cress Creek, wanna come?” She said “I’ll be there in a just a few minutes” and she was! We had a great time with her and Cedar. She is my outdoor hero. She is an amazing hiker, runner, skier, everything girl. She is also a bird expert and has taught me much about noticing and appreciating the birds of our area.

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* The lovely Jessica gave me a belated birthday present…a super cute bag and an oven mitt (you know I burn myself every time I cook, right?). I have been loving my new bag, it is the perfect size to carry a book, my commonplace and a set of pens to make notes. Thanks Jess!

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My family will be here next week for Independence Day! I can’t wait to see them!!!

thankful thursdays 6/17

Whoa Nellie – I have been swamped lately and haven’t been keeping up on my Thankful Thursdays posts! Please know that I have had much to be thankful for and am just lacking on the time to sit down and share my thoughts.

* I am grateful Homeschool Swim Camp was a success…a cold, wet, and windy success, but a success none the less. Children had fun, friendships were made and strengthened, 90 people improved their swimming skills, outdoor cooking was enjoyed, and skit night was hilarious! I think those of us who stayed the whole week should get an award for outlasting the cloudy skies, near hurricane strength winds, and soaking wet tents.
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* We were blessed with the amazing opportunity to go to Lagoon! Most of my children have never been and so this was a huge deal for them. We were given six free tickets by a man who didn’t want to be found out (but I know where he works and I will be making him something yummy as a thank you even if I never find out his name) and we had a wonderful time. We were able to go with my brothers and sister and niece and mom so this was really a once in a lifetime experience! Keziah has been praying and working and scheming on a way to get us all to Lagoon – it was her dream for the summer and I am thrilled it came true for her…and for all of us. All of the children pitched in a paid for gas and food to make this an amazing day for our family.
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* I was able to help another little baby enter this world – and he is so stinkin’ cute with a head full of dark hair and cheeks that are round and kissable. This time a beautiful home birth with a family that has become dear to me in the short time I have known them.
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* Although I am longing for sunshine, all the rain of the past month has helped my grass stay nice and green.
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* I attended our Homeschool Used Curriculum Fair yesterday and walked out with some bargains! I picked up beautiful books about Sacagewea and Bach for 50 cents, some Busy Bugs to replace the set we have had for nearly 10 years for $5, a a few new books from Jean Fritz and Ruth Beechick for 25 cents each, The Way Things Work for $2, and a cool math game I can’t wait to play with my children for only 50 cents. What bargains! The amazing thing is that I sold my big box of Mortensen Math products that I have never used and so I wasn’t out a dime for all the treasures I found. It was a great morning to see old friends and meet some new ones.
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* We celebrated the 17th anniversary of the day we met and our first date on June 4th and June 7th. I am so grateful for my husband and our marriage. I am grateful for the lessons he teaches me, the love he surrounds me with, and the grounding he gives me. I am grateful for his long hours of work, his patience with my eccentricity, his delight in our children, his arms that comfort me, and his dedication to sticking with me through thick and thin. I shudder to think what my life would be like without him by my side.
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* My lil’ sis is having a baby this fall! I am excited for her to give birth and to begin the amazing journey of motherhood. Her little belly is so cute!!
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My heart is full this month with thoughts of America, freedom, and family. I am reading Rise to Rebellion by Jeff Shaara to celebrate this month and am enjoying it immensely. I am also helping to put on the Celebration of Liberty events and can’t wait to celebrate Independence Day with all of America.

thankful thursdays 5/20

*I have been waiting to post about our VERY exciting news until I had pictures, but I just can’t keep it inside any longer and I won’t have my camera back until next week (it is being used by the Shakespearians).

Drumroll Please : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : :

We have a new suburban…new to us, anyway!!!!

We are soooo excited to have something reliable with working doors and mirrors, without fear of the rear wheels locking up and causing us to flip, without a dent in the side, without an exhaust leak, and with non-squeaking brakes.

The children think it is the coolest thing ever and have been working hard on keeping it clean. I am so grateful to have the weight of vehicle worry removed from my life.

A big thank you to my mom for helping us get it and to the man who sold it for way under book that gave us a chance of getting it.

Hallelujah!
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* Our crippled dishwasher was fixed this morning. It was quite a humiliating experience to have the appliance repairman pulling corn, beans, chicken bones, toothpicks, and SCREWS (tell me, how did two screws get into the underneath section of our dishwasher????) out of our dishwasher, but he got it all cleaned up, replaced the broken chopper blade, fixed the hoses so it could drain properly, collected his check and went on his merry way. I am so hoping it really works now! We have been washing dishes by hand since December and we have had moments of great fun, conversations, singing, etc…but I really like having a dishwasher to save me time. These last few busy months of Shakespeare, births, and Green Canyon planning have left me with very little cleaning time and I really hate dishes piling up. I still need to run a long, hot cycle with vinegar to help clean it out all the way and then we will test it out.
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* Another birthday present came this week…a foot zone! Yippee!!!

Thanks to the Lamoreaux’s for such a fabulous gift!
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* An adorable little baby entered the world on Saturday morning and I was able to help his parents get him here. I love being a doula. I love helping families have births they treasure and feel nurtured throughout. Doula-hood is one of the greatest blessings of my life.
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* Blythe’s Shakespeare play, Much Ado About Nothing, is tonight at 7:30 and tomorrow at 2:00 and 7:30. The costumes are simply amazing, the actors are well prepared, and the whole thing is going to be fabulous! I am so grateful she has had this experience this year and I am thankful to her mentors who have given these students so much time, teaching, fun, love, and challenges for the last nine months. The moms who have come together to put on this show have my deepest gratitude. They have given my child an experience I could never have provided for her on my own. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
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* Sherry rescued us by bringing us food for our long day last Friday…thanks much!
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* Keziah got a typewriter…I have a whole post about it, but I still wanted to mention it because I am so happy for her and so grateful to the nice ladies who sold it to her.
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Come to the play!!! Blythe is Ursula tomorrow night, but both casts are fabuloso!

thankful thursdays 5/13

I have two weeks of things to be thankful for and there is so much that has happened in that time I just might run out of room!

* My cousin and dear friend came and visited me last week and we had such fun! We had a yummy dinner with friends, a sleepover for the moms, a skirt making day for the three little girlies, Teryn, Jane, and Annesley, a day at the park, ice cream birthday cake made by Tami and about six children as eager helpers, Thai food for birthday dinner, a massage, good conversations, and the wonderful peace that comes from having one of your bestest friends with you for days on end.

Yummy Birthday Cake…see the “T” and the “36″ made with the oreos?

At the park:

Holding my two cuties, Faith and Jace:

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* Birthday presents galore!
*Samara, one of my little gym students, made me a pouch. It is perfect to hold lip gloss and lotion in my purse!

*Tami gave me a new bobbin holder and the cutest pins ever. What new project should I start with my new, sharp pins? Oh yeah, maybe I should finish the bathroom curtains?

*My mom gave me two pin cushions made with wool felt and emery sand to keep the pins sharp. Can I just say they are adorable and I love, love, love them to pieces!

*Amy gave me a “Life is Good” bag! Have I mentioned my small obsession with all things “Life is Good?” I love their stuff and this bag is adorable! Bright pink and full of love. On the inside it has a secret message “The small things in life are the big things.” So true, isn’t it?

*Richard made me my favorite breakfast, Creamed Eggs…super yummy!!! Orange juice as well. What a fabulous way to start my birthday off right!

*Birthday cards from Becky and Grandma Bluemel
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* For Mother’s Day, Richard fed me some more Creamed Eggs, let me sleep in, and gave me a gift certificate for a massage at a local day spa…can’t wait to redeem it…maybe on the last day of gym?
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* I attended a birth this week and was again humbled to my core to be present when a new little soul entered this world. It is an honor to doula families through this process and to be invited into the sacred moments of their lives.
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* I received another belated Christmas present…a big jar of yummy granola! My children ate most of it, but I was able to get some handfuls before it was all gone. Now I need Debbie’s recipe so I can make some more!
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* Jennifer to the rescue again! She took care of my children while I was at the birth this week and even kept them extra long so I could come home and sleep after being up for nearly 36 hours.
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* Blythe has been blessed with a wonderful Shakespeare class this year and is getting ready for their performances of Much Ado About Nothing next week. I am so thankful for the parents that have worked hard and given greatly of their time and talents to make this possible for the youth in our area. It has been an incredible experience for her and has truly changed her life to study Shakespeare’s writings, stage production, improv, costuming, and stage makeup. I am so excited for the youth to put this play on!
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Hope your Thursday is wonderful!

thankful thursdays 4/29

* As I was driving home from our field trip to Hale Centre Theatre, I was filled to the brim with gratitude that I was able to create and share the experience with so many wonderful friends. I was grateful to have a huge community of fellow homeschoolers that are striving to educate their children, hold them close, and let them soar to greatness.

I am especially grateful to my dear Jennifer, who let me borrow her suburban when mine was declared unfit for the trip only 11 hours before take-off time. She was a huge life-saver and will be getting something fun for herself as a sign of my gratitude.
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* I received a belated Christmas present! Isn’t it fun to get a present in April when you are aren’t expecting it? Kari gave me a jar of popcorn kernels (you know I am addicted to popcorn, right?) and I have thoroughly enjoyed popping it the last week or so and enjoying huge bowlfuls every afternoon.
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* I was privileged to attend a beautiful birth on Sunday night. There are not words to express the joy I feel at a birth. The sweet grandma was able to see her grandchild born (the first time for her – out of thirteen previous grandchild births) and to watch the tears streaming down her face made this whole doula thing completely worth it. To watch the husband encourage his wife through each contraction and then cry as he caressed his baby girl was an experience I will always treasure. To hear him say “Honey, I am so proud of you, you are amazing. I love you.” is why I do this work. Creating stronger family units, stronger marriages where husbands and wives cherish one another is the reason I am a doula.

I am so grateful God called me to this sacred work of attending families during their births – my life is infinitely better because of it.
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* Through a mysterious series of events, I have air conditioning in the suburban again. Hallelujah! And a big thanks to the guy who made it happen!
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* I am grateful to live in a warm home with warm clothes and a wide variety of food. I have been reading a story of the Donner Party this week and let me just say the horrors of their journey to California are not something I can even imagine enduring. Rawhide soaked for days to make soup? Snow twenty feet deep? Human flesh? Toes falling off because of the cold? Not knowing you can trust your neighbors to help you?
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* Thanks to Jennifer and Jesse, the girls and I were able to attend the Dvorak symphony on Saturday night. The guest celloist was magnificent. His passion for his music was such a wonder to watch…to feel. It made me feel like I am not passionate in the slightest!
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* Annesley decided last Thursday that she was done with diapers and she has gone potty in the toilet ever since (except on Saturday she insisted on wearing a diaper all day long). She hasn’t had an accident yet and is so proud of herself. I am shocked…I didn’t see this coming at all!
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Have a lovely Thursday!