Bless this House

Today's list of thanks givings are related to our home.  This time of year the magnitude of all the things that need to be done to this house are a little more overwhelming than normal.  The cold weather magnifies all the issues that don't seem that bad in the warmer months.  So, in order to combat my temptation to whine and nag my husband to death, I'm going to list all the things I am thankful for in this home.

50.  Wood floors--no worries about stains!  In our previous house we had white carpet.  Never again!!

51.  A large, spacious bathroom. 

52.  An acre of land with a lot of room for the girls to play and lots of potential.

53.  Lots of windows--now I hate this during storms, but we have seen some amazing sunsets.

54.  Old wood doors, knobs and trim.

55.  Our proximity to Indy.  Not too close, not too far.

56.  Our proximity to Goodwill. LOL!  I love it when I find some of the same things there that I see for double or triple the price at the antique mall.

57.  Primer and fresh white trim in little girls rooms.  I'm not finished yet, but getting started is the biggest battle.

Now, those of you who I will probably be whining to in the near future, feel free to remind me of how blessed we are to have a home. Blessed to have a husband who works hard and loves him family.  Blessed to be safe and (sort of) warm when there are many who have nothing.

{Lots of Moments}

 We've had a full week full of friends, ballet and ended it with a favorite field trip destination.  Conner Prairie.  The first time we took Callie to Conner Prairie she was around five years old.  We were there for hours and hours and when it was time to leave she was bawling.  I'll never forget, she said, "I don't want to pretend to be a pioneer girl, I want to be one for real".  While there was certainly no bawling today, she still didn't want to leave.  Even though she likes to play on the computer and watch movies, I think she may have been born in the wrong era.  Today she said she wished that regular clothes were not allowed to be worn by visitors so it would feel more authentic. LOL

We even got to go up in a hot air balloon today.  I think technically they said it was helium and it was tethered to the ground, but Callie and Kate and our friend Katie were very excited to be 350 feet up in the air.

this picture was taken by Kate

Sophia

Thank you for praying for Sophia.  The surgery went better than expected and she is doing well.  Please continue to pray for her recovery and protection from infection and illness.  And click on her name to see the latest updates from her mom.

Pray for Sophia

Our sweet little friend, Sophia, is having major surgery today.  Sophia is six years old and is a twin.  She was born with only one lung and a condition which makes her esophagus softer than it should be.  This surgery is to correct some ongoing issues. You can read more details at her family's blog if you click on her name and see some adorable pictures.

Please join us in praying for Sophia, the doctors, her family and last but not least.....the ones caring for the other children at their home. :)

Thank you!

Fall Thanksgivings

42.  Cameron got to go see his favorite team play and they won!!  It hasn't been a good year for Georgia.  We were a little concerned that a road trip to Lexington would not have a happy ending, but it did.  For us anyway. :)

43.  Cameron arrived home safe and sound at 4:45 AM. 

44.  Sunday afternoon naps! 

45.  Fun Saturdays with cousins and my sister.  We missed you Alyson!

46.  Cleaning out and organizing and rearranging.  It feels good!  It's still not perfect, but it's better.

47.  Parents, on both sides, who have persevered in their marriage, and life in general, to give us and our children a heritage of faithfulness.

48.  Forgiveness.  It's an amazing thing to give and receive. I get frustrated at all the opportunities I have to practice this with my children, then sometimes I stop to think how God must feel towards me.  Talk about patience!!

49.  Mondays.  Seriously.  They are usually our best homeschooling days.  We are (mostly) rested and refreshed and there is nothing going on in the evenings.  Usually, a good and productive day.

{This Moment}

taken by Callie

taken by Callie

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.  If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments at Soulemama for all to find and see.

Where Did We Go Wrong?

Our grill has not been in use most of the year until a few weeks ago when Cameron was able to fix it.  A couple of nights ago we had grilled hamburgers.  Everyone thought they were yummy and even Callie liked them.  She is a little picky when it comes to meat, so we were glad she was enjoying hers.  Then she says, "Daddy, these are delicious!  They are almost as good as McDonald's!".  If the Amish farmer who raised this beef had heard that, he would have died!

Gifts I Don't Deserve

23.  Wonderful in-laws.  Truly, they are.  They are very loving and supportive of everything we do--except living in Indiana. :)

24.  Beautiful fall weather.  I could live with this kind of weather all year long.  Cold nights for snuggling and nice days for being outside.

25.  Indian food.  Yummy!!

26.  Warm winter clothes when needed.

27.  Geography with Callie.  We are enjoying the books we are reading about Africa so much and hoping that we will be able to interview someone we know who lived there for many years.

28.  Living in a place where we have the freedom to teach our children the way we do.

29.  A husband who knew what he was talking about 12 years ago when he said, "I think we should home school".  Even though I told him he was crazy and we didn't even have children yet.

30.  God's sense of humor!  I know there are times we break His heart, but there must be times He sits up in heaven laughing at us.

40.  God's provision.  Food, money, clothes, and on and on and on.

41.  Cousins.  I wish there would be more and more! :)

Visit Ann for more.

{This Moment}

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments at Soulemama for all to find and see.

More Gifts

15.  Sunday afternoon naps.

16.  A husband who is always willing to help others.

17.  An eleven year old who (oh my, eleven!!) who loves to read and be read to.

18.  A strong, healthy daughter who has made it to eleven!

19.  A healthy four year old who likes to pretend like she's reading and turns a fairly short book into a really long one.

20.  A wonderful church family who I miss when we aren't there.

21.  Our church--that could be a post all it's own.  Even when we pray for contentment, God doesn't always give it right away.  I'm so thankful to be able to honestly give thanks for the place where we attend now.

22. A husband that listens to God instead of me. (sometimes) :)

Visit Ann for more.

Geography--Callie Style

Last year, a big focus for our school was U.S. Geography.  We had a lot of fun learning about the states using all of the state books published by Sleeping Bear Press. 

This year it just seemed natural to go "visit" the rest of the world.  Thanks to some wonderful (free) lesson plans found here, we are having a great trip.  We started out learning about the earth itself and now we are going to Africa.  We have tweaked the plans a bit for our family and that is one of the many things I love about home schooling!  I'm so grateful for creative people who freely share their ideas for others to use.

As you can see below, this is just pure drudgery for Callie.  I'm not sure how much Kate is officially learning, but she is happy to oblige her older sister in dressing up like African women and playing with the animals (which we already had) while Callie and I read.

Thanks to my thrifty sisters who found these outfits a while back.  They were right in assuming Callie would put them to use!

The headdresses were made from play silks and pillow cases with a peace sign headband assisting.  Cameron had the cloth from when he went to South Africa on a mission trip about eight years ago.  I'm not sure if we will be able to top all of the hands on materials for the other continents, but we'll see what we can come up with. 

{This Moment}

unprompted hugs for Callie on her birthday

Cameron hiking at Turkey Run

Inspired by Soulemama --{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments at Soulemama for all to find and see.

Happy Birthday Callie!

Happy Birthday!!

10/7/2010

Today Callie turns 11.  ELEVEN!!  I can hardly stand to think about how fast the rest of her childhood is going to go.  This first half has gone so quickly.  I'm tearing up now, so...let's move on!

2/17/2007

Birthdays around here are as much about the food as they are the presents.  Per Callie's request we had Chocolate Chip Cappuccino muffins (from an old Taste of Home magazine) for breakfast and we will be having Chicken Tikka Masala* with rice and green beans for supper.  This isn't the first birthday meal that she has requested Indian food.  It makes her father proud!! :)  For dessert we will be having Red Velvet Cake Truffles.  Yes, you read that right.  Oh my!  Callie and I had these at a new little cafe that has opened up here and she was hooked.  I think we almost had a fight over them. ;)  Her previous request of a chocolate pumpkin cake with chocolate glaze, went right out the window.  I came home and searched Google and sure enough, there was the recipe.  So right now, I have a red velvet cake cooling on the counter and chicken waiting to marinate.

9th birthday cake

It will be a light school day, with only her favorite subjects and her art class with the local home school group and then a surprise movie tonight. She got her birthday call from Poppy and Granny and opened her presents at breakfast.  Her father's patience is not something she inherited and Lord knows there isn't any to inherit from me!!

2006

*We aren't Catholic, but this is an excellent recipe!  I do it in the oven instead of the grill.

Not In Order of Importance!

This ongoing list of blessings is in NO particular order.  They are just whatever pops into my head at the time.  So here is what I'm thinking of tonight...

9.  My sisters--I am the oldest of three girls.  There are almost 7 years between myself and the next sister and then the youngest one was born 18 mos. later.  You might think that we wouldn't be that close considering the age gap, but it's actually the opposite.  When we were young, I loved to pretend to be the 'mom' and they were my children.  That also included bossing them around and them bribing them with candy to not tell on me. LOL   But it also included buying them things when I was older.  I wasn't all bossy and bad!  My sisters have seen me at my worst and know all my deep, dark secrets and they still love me!  And I love them very much!!

10.  Camping--OK, some of you can stop laughing now.  It's true.  The teenager/young adult who never had nails that were not painted and never went out the door with out a full face of make up and fixed hair, has grown up and loves to camp with her family.  And no, I don't take my curling iron!  It's a lot of work and maybe not the best night's rest ever, but it's a lot of fun spending time outdoors hiking and making pudgy pies. 

11.  Early bed times--Yes, it's 9:25 and the girls have been in bed for an hour!  This almost never happens.  See number 10.

12.  My parents--I don't know what to write without getting all mushy.  I have wonderful, loving, godly parents and it's a wonder they didn't lock me away and throw away the key when I was younger.  Now that I have a daughter who is just like I was, I really wonder! :)  They never did though, and I am grateful.  They have always loved me and prayed for me for which I am most grateful!

13.  New, warm sleeping bags.  See number 10 and number 12.  Thanks again Daddy, for Cameron's birthday present.

14.  A nice, warm, comfy bed.