I introduced my kids to the Blackadder a few days ago. This has led to much singing of the theme song, with one minor change, around my house: "Black bla-a-a-der, Black bla-a-a-der, mumble mumble mumble la da da-a-a!"
While talking about King Solomon requesting wisdom from God, we asked the primary kids what *they* would ask for, if they could have anything at all. Some of the answers were expected- more wishes, to be rich, to have a self-cleaning house (I really liked that last wish myself). One of the kids blurted out, "I want a pretty pony!" which made me laugh so hard I couldn't write it on the chalkboard!
I used the yarn of doom and started knitting socks today. I left everything in a neat pile by the couch, and took a nap. While I was napping, Jared took the kids to the park, leaving me alone in the house, asleep. Somebody (we don't know who) apparently snuck into the house and made a spider-web with the sock yarn. If we had cats, there would be no mystery. But we have dogs, and they are unable to open doors as of yet. The yarn was wound all around the piano legs, kitchen chairs, and table, which forced me to frog *another* pair of socks. This creeped Jared out a bit, but it made me laugh. He thinks it was a person. I know that it's the yarn. Cursed yarn!
Gratitude List:
* Funny random things to make me laugh.
* I had to speak in church today, and I survived!
* My family.
* Yarn. Even if it *is* cursed yarn
* A violin duet played by 2 14-year-olds that was beautiful enough to bring tears to my eyes.
* God.
* home-made chocolate chip cookies.
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Looking
We are now looking, officially and with money in our hands, for a house. We spent most of today driving around with our realtor, and discussing the pros and cons of each house/property we viewed. I completely fell in love with an older (1930's era) home on 2 acres, but the floor plan was absolutely not workable for our family. *sniffs sadly* It would be the perfect home for a grandma, though. The upstairs bedroom has closets built under the attic eaves, and they are perfect playing places for kids! Anyway, after spending about 5 hours walking through multiple houses and properties, we think we've narrowed it down to 3 very different houses. 2 are move-in ready, with about 1/4 acre lots. 1 is a huge fixer-upper with 2 acres of property. And we really want the larger property, but we'll have to see.
Oh, and the dishwasher needs another vacation. It's given up removing anything from our dishes. *sigh* So it's back to hand-washing dishes again.
Gratitude List:
* all puppies are healthy and reasonably well-behaved.
* all kids are also healthy and reasonably well-behaved. ;)
* There is a nice, cool breeze blowing through my house, and I'm pretty sure I'm done with the A/C until next summer.
* Gorgeous mountain views outside my windows.
* We are financially able to look at purchasing a house.
* My house is reasonably clean.
* My kitchen sinks are shiny clean.
* I'm caught up on laundry again (this is a direct result of having kids in school all day).
* I had a delicious dinner last night, cooked by my oldest son, with a little supervision from me.
* God is good, and I am blessed to have a life that I enjoy.
Oh, and the dishwasher needs another vacation. It's given up removing anything from our dishes. *sigh* So it's back to hand-washing dishes again.
Gratitude List:
* all puppies are healthy and reasonably well-behaved.
* all kids are also healthy and reasonably well-behaved. ;)
* There is a nice, cool breeze blowing through my house, and I'm pretty sure I'm done with the A/C until next summer.
* Gorgeous mountain views outside my windows.
* We are financially able to look at purchasing a house.
* My house is reasonably clean.
* My kitchen sinks are shiny clean.
* I'm caught up on laundry again (this is a direct result of having kids in school all day).
* I had a delicious dinner last night, cooked by my oldest son, with a little supervision from me.
* God is good, and I am blessed to have a life that I enjoy.
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Out of hiding
Summer hasn't been the best time for blogging this year. We have been away from home, and altogether too busy when at home. And, not that the hustling will disappear, but it will be structured differently once school begins. I have a 7th grader. This year will be full of new experiences: our first time with multiple teachers (one per class), and different lunch schedules, and this year he'll be leaving almost an hour before his siblings, and be back an hour earlier as well. Oh, and he'll be wearing his snazzy new glasses. Yes, my oldest child needs glasses. *sigh* And he's up to my height now.
Morgen has yet to find out who her 5th grade teacher is. I don't have her user name or password (and the ones she remembers aren't working), and this is incredibly frustrating to her. All of her friends know their teachers. Plus she got sunburned at the lake on Friday, and is grumpy about that as well.
Hyrum's teacher sent us a nice letter, along with information to fill out for their VIP week. He's all set, and excited to be seeing his friends again.
I am a bit nervous. I've been teaching the 9-10 year olds at church, with Jared. We team teach, and take turns attending the adult class. Last week, I was asked to accept a different calling. I am now the 'person in charge' of the 12-13 year old girls. This is intimidating and a bit scary for me. I know this is what I'm supposed to be doing; I felt God's spirit approving this. But the last time I was in this program was when I was one of the 12-year-old girls! I very vaguely remember that age, and I am overwhelmed. Thank goodness that my Heavenly Father has promised me the support and strength I am going to need!
Okay, family stuff: we had our last Family Reunion of the year. This one is for my maternal grandfather's parents and all their descendants. We had a wonderful visit, and I saw some cousins I haven't seen in awhile. My great-uncle Calvin shared some of the mischief that he and Glen got into as children, and told some funny stories about the family. I am so glad to have that connection to my ancestors.
Saturday, Jared and I spent a few hours driving around and looking at houses. We looked at the houses that are currently available, and came up with two different game plans. We found some lovely houses at the bottom of our budget, and they are all between 1/4 and 1/3 of an acre. We also found a few houses that come with 2-10 acres of land. Those are right at the top of our budget, or slightly over it, which would make it harder for us to meet our other financial goals. So right now we're debating what would be the best decision for our family. But *squealing for joy* we are finally looking for a house to BUY!!! Hooray!
**this is in no way a solicitation for anything; just a way to let y'all know that you are welcome to participate in any way you feel is appropriate. Myles' birthday is Sept 29th. He would be 4 years old. We're planning to take some new clothing to the LDS Church's Humanitarian Aid Center in Salt Lake City, Utah as a way to honor and remember our angel boy.**
Gratitude List:
* School begins on Thursday. I am beyond thrilled to have a reliable and safe school environment for my kids.
* My new calling in the Young Women's organization.
* The overwhelming love I have felt today from my Lord, Jesus Christ and my Heavenly Father.
* A husband who loves and supports me. He is truly a gift in my life.
* I know I will see my son Myles again in heaven.
* I have 3 beautiful children to raise.
* My family isn't perfect, but I have no doubts that they love me and support me.
* Cooler temps here, and not as much need for the A/C. This is balanced by the fact that we will soon need the heater on.
* Lots of lovely food to eat.
* Paper! I love that we have so much paper to draw on, take notes on, make awesome paper airplanes with, wad up and throw at our siblings in church... Okay, maybe not that last one.
* Books. I love books.
* All the music that is free, or that I can purchase. Sometimes I feel spoiled by how much is available.
Morgen has yet to find out who her 5th grade teacher is. I don't have her user name or password (and the ones she remembers aren't working), and this is incredibly frustrating to her. All of her friends know their teachers. Plus she got sunburned at the lake on Friday, and is grumpy about that as well.
Hyrum's teacher sent us a nice letter, along with information to fill out for their VIP week. He's all set, and excited to be seeing his friends again.
I am a bit nervous. I've been teaching the 9-10 year olds at church, with Jared. We team teach, and take turns attending the adult class. Last week, I was asked to accept a different calling. I am now the 'person in charge' of the 12-13 year old girls. This is intimidating and a bit scary for me. I know this is what I'm supposed to be doing; I felt God's spirit approving this. But the last time I was in this program was when I was one of the 12-year-old girls! I very vaguely remember that age, and I am overwhelmed. Thank goodness that my Heavenly Father has promised me the support and strength I am going to need!
Okay, family stuff: we had our last Family Reunion of the year. This one is for my maternal grandfather's parents and all their descendants. We had a wonderful visit, and I saw some cousins I haven't seen in awhile. My great-uncle Calvin shared some of the mischief that he and Glen got into as children, and told some funny stories about the family. I am so glad to have that connection to my ancestors.
Saturday, Jared and I spent a few hours driving around and looking at houses. We looked at the houses that are currently available, and came up with two different game plans. We found some lovely houses at the bottom of our budget, and they are all between 1/4 and 1/3 of an acre. We also found a few houses that come with 2-10 acres of land. Those are right at the top of our budget, or slightly over it, which would make it harder for us to meet our other financial goals. So right now we're debating what would be the best decision for our family. But *squealing for joy* we are finally looking for a house to BUY!!! Hooray!
**this is in no way a solicitation for anything; just a way to let y'all know that you are welcome to participate in any way you feel is appropriate. Myles' birthday is Sept 29th. He would be 4 years old. We're planning to take some new clothing to the LDS Church's Humanitarian Aid Center in Salt Lake City, Utah as a way to honor and remember our angel boy.**
Gratitude List:
* School begins on Thursday. I am beyond thrilled to have a reliable and safe school environment for my kids.
* My new calling in the Young Women's organization.
* The overwhelming love I have felt today from my Lord, Jesus Christ and my Heavenly Father.
* A husband who loves and supports me. He is truly a gift in my life.
* I know I will see my son Myles again in heaven.
* I have 3 beautiful children to raise.
* My family isn't perfect, but I have no doubts that they love me and support me.
* Cooler temps here, and not as much need for the A/C. This is balanced by the fact that we will soon need the heater on.
* Lots of lovely food to eat.
* Paper! I love that we have so much paper to draw on, take notes on, make awesome paper airplanes with, wad up and throw at our siblings in church... Okay, maybe not that last one.
* Books. I love books.
* All the music that is free, or that I can purchase. Sometimes I feel spoiled by how much is available.
Wednesday, August 04, 2010
Thankful
Just a quick post, because we've had a lot of rain (for our area) today, and I am grateful for the water. I miss those sudden rainstorms that we had all the time in Iowa. I love the smell of the air right after a rainstorm.
Puppies are all vaccinated, and *sniff sniff* ready to head out to their new homes this weekend. They're also in the garage right now, as it is a bit chilly outside, and I could see them shivering when I went out earlier. With all the rain today, it was actually too cold to have the A/C on! But the storm is over, for now, and the sun is shining, and life is pretty good.
Gratitude List:
* Rain! We can always use rain here :)
* Puppies who are cute and cuddly, and who are also learning how to climb stairs and dig holes and get into the neighbors' yards ... (this age is where I am reminded why we don't keep all the puppies ourselves)
* A reliable car.
* Allergy shots. I've been taking them for almost 2 years now, and I am much less prone to allergy attacks. Now if I could only do something about those mosquitoes...
* Good music on my ipod.
* lots of kids to play with mine.
* Good friends and neighbors.
* Audiobooks. They make car trips almost fun!
* A loving and supportive extended family.
* I have 3 healthy, relatively happy, children.
* I am still taller than Walker (barely)!
* God is good.
Puppies are all vaccinated, and *sniff sniff* ready to head out to their new homes this weekend. They're also in the garage right now, as it is a bit chilly outside, and I could see them shivering when I went out earlier. With all the rain today, it was actually too cold to have the A/C on! But the storm is over, for now, and the sun is shining, and life is pretty good.
Gratitude List:
* Rain! We can always use rain here :)
* Puppies who are cute and cuddly, and who are also learning how to climb stairs and dig holes and get into the neighbors' yards ... (this age is where I am reminded why we don't keep all the puppies ourselves)
* A reliable car.
* Allergy shots. I've been taking them for almost 2 years now, and I am much less prone to allergy attacks. Now if I could only do something about those mosquitoes...
* Good music on my ipod.
* lots of kids to play with mine.
* Good friends and neighbors.
* Audiobooks. They make car trips almost fun!
* A loving and supportive extended family.
* I have 3 healthy, relatively happy, children.
* I am still taller than Walker (barely)!
* God is good.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)