The last few weeks have been busy, busy... We have finished the majority of the big stuff on the remodel, leaving lots of small details, like unpacking a few boxes, putting up trim, and hanging wall pictures, etc... It will take a while to finish that stuff, but we'll eventually get it done. In the meantime, we have had lots of visitors and lots of fun. We are working now on getting organized for the next school year, finding a new normal for how to balance our daily lives, and... getting ready for our vacation! We are so looking forward to our week away in the Smoky Mtns.
I have made some updates on the gardens, kid's pages, and my health page, so you can read more there if desired.
Showing posts with label Plans. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Plans. Show all posts
Monday, August 10, 2009
Monday, May 11, 2009
Long update
A friend asked for an update, so I am posting what I replied to her as an update here too.
-------------------------------------------------------
Not sure where to begin on how we are... I am frankly surprised that God is asking this of me again, LOL! The office work and phones are keeping me very busy.
The kids seem to be adjusting well. I am so thankful that we are home, makes it a lot easier! Heather has started to take over most of the cooking - at least 2 meals a day. She really enjoys it and it is a big help to me. She still loves reading and doing her little crafts and projects. Rose plays with Will much of the time, she is reading more too and has been really enjoying drawing lately and has shown some talent there. Will is just full of energy and I am so thankful for our land and that I can give him the freedom to run and play and catch critters to his heart's content. We have had some attitude issues with the additional chores and garden work, but are working through it.
We are doing basic math and grammar and reading books on history as much as we can, but school is definitely slowed down lately. I decided to give the kids CAT tests this year so I would know what we need to work on next year. I've never done that, so interested to see how it goes. My goal is to somehow get 1-on-1 time with each of them, do the testing in the morning and then something fun with them in the afternoon. Haven't quite figured out the logistics yet though.
I am enjoying the outdoors and the chickens and gardens very much. All is well so far out there, but so many projects to still be done! I planted using the square foot gardening method in raised lasagna beds... it's not a huge garden but there are a massive amount of plants in there! We are all anxious to see how it goes. The rains have been a blessing and things are growing like crazy.
The house is my downfall right now. I just cannot keep up, when I am indoors I am at the computer working or on the phone - so things have just fallen apart. I am planning a yard sale with my sister and friends the first Sat in June (just set yesterday), so hope to really clean out some extra clutter. We are replacing the carpets in the living room and hallway with laminate and I am so happy to be getting that done! I am also planning to paint the walls and eventually get new trim. We will be replacing the 10 year old furniture, which I am very excited about. Tom and I are going to work together on getting this done gradually, so hopefully I don't go insane with the state of things as a work-in-progress! :-).
My health is definitely suffering from the stress and being so very busy. I am not making good choices with eating and so have gained back 20lbs :( I am itchy and tired and bloated and my cycles are getting crazier. I am sleeping a bit better though, that's a bonus.
God has blessed our efforts with the business. It has worked out well, better than I could have hoped for. The men that we had to lay off have found good jobs within a couple weeks of us giving them notice and are happy and at the same pay level - amazing! That has helped Tom feel a lot better and taken away the depression and worry. We have moved everything out of the shop, painted, cleaned carpets and got our deposit back on the building, the landlords were understanding and kind. We are using 2 storage sheds as a place to store extra stock and machinery. I am doing the phones/dispatch/bookkeeping and Tom and 1 other man are running 2 trucks and we are staying busy and enough money is coming in that we are recovering nicely. We anticipate being caught up on bills by the end of this month and then will start saving for a storage shed at our house where we can put a small office and move the things from the rental sheds into so we don't have that monthly cost. It is exciting to see things turning and Tom's outlook on things has changed dramatically - as in his expectations and ideas about money and growth have become much more in line with God's. That is so wonderful and has carried over into our personal finances too.
I had a pretty good Mother's Day. Tom and the kids took me out for a late dinner Saturday night after we worked outdoors all day. It was yummy! Sunday we had church, a fellowship dinner and afternoon service (love that!). We came home and I took a 3-hour nap which was so nice and obviously much needed. I meant to have Tom get a pic of me with the kids and forgot, will have to do that soon. I hope that you all enjoyed your day as well <3
Thank you as always for your prayers and support.
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Simple Joys
We have had a great time the last couple days planting the garden. It has been relaxing, but hard work all at once. I have really enjoyed getting lots done outside, with all sorts of projects (see here for details). Wish housework was as energizing and enjoyable!
We have been doing basic stuff for school daily and then going outside to work and play. The kids have been happy to be able to play with the water hose a few times already this year. We will be doing some testing soon to see where we are with their learning and what we should work on over the summer and/or in the fall.
Tom and I (with Heather's help) have cleaned up our screen room outside and started enjoying sitting outside for our coffee in the mornings before he leaves. This always motivates me to read my Bible more regularly, having that quiet and peace in the mornings. My spirits are being lifted and my soul is at peace, I am sure the Vit D from the sunshine is really helping with that too! I have quite the tan going now. :-)
Tom recently found replacement parts for his grill and has it working quite well again. We LOVE to grill out in the warmer weather, use it almost daily - best Father's Day gift ever! We have also been enjoying hanging our clothes on the line to dry. Our washing machine is having problems remembering to spin out the loads, thankfully we have a back-up at the shop and will bring that home tonight and get this one repaired. We are also considering a new refrigerator, ours is 10 years old now and a fire hazard, doesn't seal real well and we really would like an ice-maker. Another thing we have been discussing is replacing our living room carpet with laminate... it really is time to get rid of that, blech!
The chicks are growing and ready to take over their whole house and have some new straw laid. We need to build their outside run very soon also. Carl and Molly are best buds now and Carl is growing up really fast. Cats and bunnies are doing well. Rose found a tiny turtle the other day and has adopted it for the time being. Liz, Will's lizard escaped on Saturday morning when Rose opened her tank - but was found again Sunday afternoon. We were v
ery glad to find her, she is such a fun pet.
ery glad to find her, she is such a fun pet.Our business is doing well right now. There is plenty of work for the 1-2 trucks that we are running now and bills are getting caught up on. Things seem to be stabilizing and I am growing accustomed to the added responsibilities.
That's really about it in our world right now - work and play, dirt and bugs, clouds and sunshine, animals and plants, rain and wind. Finding joy in it all.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Getting better at juggling
I can't believe it is Tuesday again and a whole week has flown by! Today is my day for updating here on general life at our house.
Here is the schedule that I am hoping to work with for my blogs, in case
you are interested...
Monday - Health page
Tuesday - here!
Wednesday - Frugal Fun deals
Thursday - Nourishing Gardens
Friday - Homeschool page
Saturday - the kid's pages
I am working with the chore/duties schedule I made last week and things are going okay. I think that it is a workable plan and we are adjusting to it and for the most part getting things accomplished. Today I feel like I have all the balls in the air and am juggling fairly proficiently, but the slightest thing could easily throw off my rhythm!
For now, we are done with school and kids are finishing chores so we are going to head outside to the beautiful day. :-)
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Settling in...
Wanted to take some time to update tonight. We had a great visit with my sis Angela and her sweet boys. We really enjoyed it and it helped us to have the extra laughs, extra hugs, and extra hands around during that time. We got almost everything done on my large checklist during the week, and still managed to get out and enjoy ourselves a few evenings.
We are working hard at readjusting to life as it changes. I sat down and made a list of all my duties, divided it into days and tried to make it manageable. I think I have a workable schedule, but we will see how it goes. Hard to plan when there are so many variables in a day. I redid the chore lists also and planned time for school, office, home duties and garden time. It will take some tweaking and flexibility but I felt a bit less overwhelmed getting it on paper. I even divided my blogging into certain days... I have to laugh at myself - such a "list maker"! :-)
Right now, besides the office being moved into the kitchen and all the duties surrounding that, we have 27 baby chickens in the living room, 3 shelves of seedlings under lights in the dining room, and a very energetic puppy demanding love and training running through the house. We are having lots of fun, and going a little more insane each day!
Tonight, Tom and I got the plastic put on the hoop greenhouse that we have been slowly building. We have big plans for the garden, just have to find the time to carry them out now!
The kids are doing well. They have all gotten to a point of realizing that school can be done quickly if they apply themselves and they can have a lot more fun in a day if they just get it done. They have all been spending a lot of time outside lately, Will with his various bugs and critters... Rose running around with the animals... Heather usually with a book. The girls have been building mud cakes lately too which are getting more and more elaborate. I need to get some pics off the camera and post some soon.
Business is staying busy enough to run the two trucks. It has been an answer to prayer. Tom is feeling much better and adjusting well to the changes at work and home. We have been taking turns feeling down and overwhelmed, thankfully not at the same time so that we can support each other.
While Angela was here, my brother Justin and my dad and his family all came up to the shop and helped get some things moved out and into the storage bldgs. My dad then came and painted the front office area for us this week. I will be going up to clean the carpets and then we will hopefully have it all done! The back area has a lot of little things left to clean up and move out but most of the big stuff is done.
I guess that is about it. My brain is turning off for the night. So, that is the Tuesday update for this week! We are thankful for your prayers and for our Father who gives us strength.
We are working hard at readjusting to life as it changes. I sat down and made a list of all my duties, divided it into days and tried to make it manageable. I think I have a workable schedule, but we will see how it goes. Hard to plan when there are so many variables in a day. I redid the chore lists also and planned time for school, office, home duties and garden time. It will take some tweaking and flexibility but I felt a bit less overwhelmed getting it on paper. I even divided my blogging into certain days... I have to laugh at myself - such a "list maker"! :-)
Right now, besides the office being moved into the kitchen and all the duties surrounding that, we have 27 baby chickens in the living room, 3 shelves of seedlings under lights in the dining room, and a very energetic puppy demanding love and training running through the house. We are having lots of fun, and going a little more insane each day!
Tonight, Tom and I got the plastic put on the hoop greenhouse that we have been slowly building. We have big plans for the garden, just have to find the time to carry them out now!
The kids are doing well. They have all gotten to a point of realizing that school can be done quickly if they apply themselves and they can have a lot more fun in a day if they just get it done. They have all been spending a lot of time outside lately, Will with his various bugs and critters... Rose running around with the animals... Heather usually with a book. The girls have been building mud cakes lately too which are getting more and more elaborate. I need to get some pics off the camera and post some soon.
Business is staying busy enough to run the two trucks. It has been an answer to prayer. Tom is feeling much better and adjusting well to the changes at work and home. We have been taking turns feeling down and overwhelmed, thankfully not at the same time so that we can support each other.
While Angela was here, my brother Justin and my dad and his family all came up to the shop and helped get some things moved out and into the storage bldgs. My dad then came and painted the front office area for us this week. I will be going up to clean the carpets and then we will hopefully have it all done! The back area has a lot of little things left to clean up and move out but most of the big stuff is done.
I guess that is about it. My brain is turning off for the night. So, that is the Tuesday update for this week! We are thankful for your prayers and for our Father who gives us strength.
Sunday, March 08, 2009
Calm in the Storm...
"Then he arose, and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water:
and they ceased, and there was a calm."
Luke 8:24b
and they ceased, and there was a calm."
Luke 8:24b
I sit here this Sunday morning - home from church due to Rose's fever (though she is feeling much better today) - windows open, I can hear the birds singing and actually hear Rose too... she is out on a stump in the middle of our woods "having nature time" which involves singing with the birds apparently. :-) Things are peaceful at the moment.
It has been a very difficult week for us. Tom made the decision to downscale his business as things had slowed down lots and there was not enough income to support the salaries of all the men and make payments. It was a very hard and emotional decision for him. We have been blessed to have friends working with us and it has been wonderful as we could trust them and work through things, but it also makes it a LOT harder when we have to let them go. Things are strained, Tom is very sad and depressed and feeling like a failure. It is hard to see him like that, and hard to know how to help when he so rarely gets this way. In all honesty, I have NEVER in our almost 16 years of dating/marriage known him to be like this. Please pray for his spirits to be lifted as he worships in church today, that friends and brethren in Christ would give him the support that he needs.
Yesterday, we moved the office to our kitchen. I will be taking over the office work and job dispatching again... yes, along with being a wife and mommy, homeschooling, housework, gardening, and caring for our animals. It will not be easy, but it is the best thing. We will close our office location, but still operate as usual - just with Tom and 1 other tech. It is a lot of change to process at once, but I know God will give us strength.
At this moment, I am waiting for my sweet little sister to arrive. She drove from MN with her 3 little boys to come be a help to me as I readjust. If she can keep the daily things running while I catch up on some big stuff and get into the groove of office work it will be a HUGE help. However, even if she only entertains the children and boosts my spirits, it will be the BEST thing ever! THANK YOU Joe for sending your family in my time of need. We love you all!
We'll see how it all goes... but for today, enjoying the calm in the midst of the storm.
It has been a very difficult week for us. Tom made the decision to downscale his business as things had slowed down lots and there was not enough income to support the salaries of all the men and make payments. It was a very hard and emotional decision for him. We have been blessed to have friends working with us and it has been wonderful as we could trust them and work through things, but it also makes it a LOT harder when we have to let them go. Things are strained, Tom is very sad and depressed and feeling like a failure. It is hard to see him like that, and hard to know how to help when he so rarely gets this way. In all honesty, I have NEVER in our almost 16 years of dating/marriage known him to be like this. Please pray for his spirits to be lifted as he worships in church today, that friends and brethren in Christ would give him the support that he needs.
Yesterday, we moved the office to our kitchen. I will be taking over the office work and job dispatching again... yes, along with being a wife and mommy, homeschooling, housework, gardening, and caring for our animals. It will not be easy, but it is the best thing. We will close our office location, but still operate as usual - just with Tom and 1 other tech. It is a lot of change to process at once, but I know God will give us strength.
At this moment, I am waiting for my sweet little sister to arrive. She drove from MN with her 3 little boys to come be a help to me as I readjust. If she can keep the daily things running while I catch up on some big stuff and get into the groove of office work it will be a HUGE help. However, even if she only entertains the children and boosts my spirits, it will be the BEST thing ever! THANK YOU Joe for sending your family in my time of need. We love you all!
We'll see how it all goes... but for today, enjoying the calm in the midst of the storm.
Monday, September 29, 2008
Wonderful working weekend
We got SO much work done this weekend. It was wonderful! :D
Sorting closets, vacuuming, dusting, re-arranging, making piles and piles of things for yard sale, listing lots of items on e-bay, others on Amazon. It's great to see the piles of things that will be LEAVING the house soon and creating more order and less clutter. So very exciting!
Tom was home all weekend, so he was able to help us get lots done - it's great to have him around. He may be able to be here Tuesday morning, so I hope for us to be able to price items and start loading them on the box van.
Here is a list of my priorities for this week:
Sorting closets, vacuuming, dusting, re-arranging, making piles and piles of things for yard sale, listing lots of items on e-bay, others on Amazon. It's great to see the piles of things that will be LEAVING the house soon and creating more order and less clutter. So very exciting!
Tom was home all weekend, so he was able to help us get lots done - it's great to have him around. He may be able to be here Tuesday morning, so I hope for us to be able to price items and start loading them on the box van.
Here is a list of my priorities for this week:
- Advertise yard sale on Craig's list, La Niche, etc...
- Sort through Tom's dresser-top and my jewelry for items to sell, throw out trash
- Sort through our bathroom cabinet
- Sort through kitchen cabinets for things to get rid of
- Go through the schoolroom/Heather's room and clear out some things, organize shelves
- Go through Rose's toys, clothes and books
- Go through Will's toys, clothes and books
- Sort through TV cabinet shelves for movies to sell / organize
- Look through hall closet and bathroom for things we no longer need
- List books on Amazon
- Help Heather list T-Tapp DVDs on Amazon or E-bay
- Price yard sale items
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Another great day!
We got a lot done today and the children continued to work more quickly and we had an enjoyable afternoon. We are saving our fresco painting for tomorrow, didn't want to push it and had other things to get done. Tom is working late so we went ahead with dinner and actually ate at a normal time! The children got out their winter clothes this afternoon and the girls have actually done well with sorting through things and finding what would fit, what needed stored longer, and what summer things to put away - hooray! :-)
I am busily putting books up on Amazon to sell right now. (TOGbooksandmore if anyone wants to see). I made spaghetti with spaghetti squash for dinner, it was quite yummy. I also started bread and cooked a whole chicken for deboning and using in several meals. The kitchen is still clean! Last night I worked on clearing off my bedside table, tonight I will do one dresser too. I have also been sorting through things for a yard sale, and have planned our spending for the month of October.
Tomorrow I need to take inventory of the kitchen food supplies and wipe out the upper cabinets. I am going to try to make groceries last another week! We have our regular milk and produce pick up tomorrow, but other than that I think I can creatively make do with what we have.
Oh, check the kid's blogs and homeschool blog for some pics from today!
That's it from here, back to work for me now. Good evening!
I am busily putting books up on Amazon to sell right now. (TOGbooksandmore if anyone wants to see). I made spaghetti with spaghetti squash for dinner, it was quite yummy. I also started bread and cooked a whole chicken for deboning and using in several meals. The kitchen is still clean! Last night I worked on clearing off my bedside table, tonight I will do one dresser too. I have also been sorting through things for a yard sale, and have planned our spending for the month of October.
Tomorrow I need to take inventory of the kitchen food supplies and wipe out the upper cabinets. I am going to try to make groceries last another week! We have our regular milk and produce pick up tomorrow, but other than that I think I can creatively make do with what we have.
Oh, check the kid's blogs and homeschool blog for some pics from today!
That's it from here, back to work for me now. Good evening!
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Revealing, Refining, Challenges and Blessings (an update)
I haven't really done an update here for a bit, so here goes...
Business has been S-L-O-W. It is hard when you planned for growth based on the last couple years and then the economy throws you for a loop. As of this week, I am fired... :-) I had been getting a small salary to answer the phones from home and be available for questions and to go in and help at the office when needed (pretty much oversee, but not do day-to-day), now that is gone. I only pray that we can afford to continue to pay Tom each week, though that would be next to go, our employees come first. So... please pray for us in that!
The good thing is that we are FINALLY seriously setting a budget and a plan for getting out of the financial mess we created when we were first married and that snowballed from there. We had very little if any idea of how to handle money when we got married and we created debt and allowed payments to slip and interest rates to rise, etc... SO this has been a wake up call (been getting a lot of those lately!), that we are not prepared for emergencies or lack of work! I've been reading Dave Ramsey, and finally ordered a CD and put it on where Tom could hear. So we sat down and are working through getting some financial peace!!! Which means lots of sacrifices... but is totally do-able, as long as Tom gets paid. :-)
We have been blessed already in our efforts. Less strain, more a feeling of control - having a direction feels good. We dropped the kid's Friday Arts and Fun classes, though we hated to do it. We got e-mails today from teachers who want to offer the classes for free!!! What an unexpected blessing! God is so good.
We sold one car, and have continued to repair the van rather than get a loan for another. The van has been paid off for a year and we don't want another loan. Lord-willing, we can keep it running until we have enough saved to buy something with cash. Another blessing there, we took it in for some repairs and were going to be scraping the bottom of the barrel... but the repair man offered to curve the cost way down and swap for plumbing work! That was a HUGE help!
We are doing some e-bay, yard sales, and selling some larger things to get some extra cash in the bank. All good things we've been needing to do for a while. Has felt good to clean out and organize a bit and see some profit for that too.
This year has been full of refining/refreshing/renewing, fun but hard too!!! The kids and I read in Proverbs 17 this morning about how gold and silver are heated to refine them, remove impurities and make them beautiful... and God does that to our hearts too sometimes. That's what this year has been about for us. Also a lot of *uncovering/revealing* what needs dealt with and learning to rely on God for strength to do what He asks of us! :-)
Let's see, what else? We are feeling a little more each day like our new school routine is normal. It is a full day of learning, hopefully they will get faster as we go through the routine daily. We have been having fun and I am seeing benefits in the behavior of the children, as they have my full attention for much of the day for the first time in a few years. We are enjoying one another and our activities with school.
I have been struggling with my health a little again, I have let my eating slip, am not exercising or taking my vitamins and am getting back into my patterns of not sleeping normal hours and being tired and achey all day. It is SO hard to deal with stress, focus on the children like I should, try to maintain the house, and take care of my "special needs" too... just so overwhelming. I am in pretty good spirits though, and I think I can get it back - one thing at a time, with God's help.
I guess that's it... more on the homeschool page, and kid's pages of my blog if you want to read them. I am still enjoying my photography, though not as much time to pursue. I signed up for some daily photo prompts at HerSpace:MySpace, and a weekly Thematic Photographic challenge, those are great fun when I have time to do them!
Love to all! Tom is on his way home now, so better close.
Business has been S-L-O-W. It is hard when you planned for growth based on the last couple years and then the economy throws you for a loop. As of this week, I am fired... :-) I had been getting a small salary to answer the phones from home and be available for questions and to go in and help at the office when needed (pretty much oversee, but not do day-to-day), now that is gone. I only pray that we can afford to continue to pay Tom each week, though that would be next to go, our employees come first. So... please pray for us in that!
The good thing is that we are FINALLY seriously setting a budget and a plan for getting out of the financial mess we created when we were first married and that snowballed from there. We had very little if any idea of how to handle money when we got married and we created debt and allowed payments to slip and interest rates to rise, etc... SO this has been a wake up call (been getting a lot of those lately!), that we are not prepared for emergencies or lack of work! I've been reading Dave Ramsey, and finally ordered a CD and put it on where Tom could hear. So we sat down and are working through getting some financial peace!!! Which means lots of sacrifices... but is totally do-able, as long as Tom gets paid. :-)
We have been blessed already in our efforts. Less strain, more a feeling of control - having a direction feels good. We dropped the kid's Friday Arts and Fun classes, though we hated to do it. We got e-mails today from teachers who want to offer the classes for free!!! What an unexpected blessing! God is so good.
We sold one car, and have continued to repair the van rather than get a loan for another. The van has been paid off for a year and we don't want another loan. Lord-willing, we can keep it running until we have enough saved to buy something with cash. Another blessing there, we took it in for some repairs and were going to be scraping the bottom of the barrel... but the repair man offered to curve the cost way down and swap for plumbing work! That was a HUGE help!
We are doing some e-bay, yard sales, and selling some larger things to get some extra cash in the bank. All good things we've been needing to do for a while. Has felt good to clean out and organize a bit and see some profit for that too.
This year has been full of refining/refreshing/renewing, fun but hard too!!! The kids and I read in Proverbs 17 this morning about how gold and silver are heated to refine them, remove impurities and make them beautiful... and God does that to our hearts too sometimes. That's what this year has been about for us. Also a lot of *uncovering/revealing* what needs dealt with and learning to rely on God for strength to do what He asks of us! :-)
Let's see, what else? We are feeling a little more each day like our new school routine is normal. It is a full day of learning, hopefully they will get faster as we go through the routine daily. We have been having fun and I am seeing benefits in the behavior of the children, as they have my full attention for much of the day for the first time in a few years. We are enjoying one another and our activities with school.
I have been struggling with my health a little again, I have let my eating slip, am not exercising or taking my vitamins and am getting back into my patterns of not sleeping normal hours and being tired and achey all day. It is SO hard to deal with stress, focus on the children like I should, try to maintain the house, and take care of my "special needs" too... just so overwhelming. I am in pretty good spirits though, and I think I can get it back - one thing at a time, with God's help.
I guess that's it... more on the homeschool page, and kid's pages of my blog if you want to read them. I am still enjoying my photography, though not as much time to pursue. I signed up for some daily photo prompts at HerSpace:MySpace, and a weekly Thematic Photographic challenge, those are great fun when I have time to do them!
Love to all! Tom is on his way home now, so better close.
Thursday, May 22, 2008
A long update
Hello dear friends. I have been wanting/needing to do an update for a while now. Thought I would take a few minutes and see how far I get... may have to do a few sessions before I can send.
Work has picked up considerably! We are keeping quite busy and considering putting a 3rd truck on the road. We are hiring another guy starting June 9 and looking for more office help once again. Tom is considering backing himself down to managing/doing estimates and selling jobs, though he hates the idea of not being in the field. It would be only for a while and then he hopes to go back out in the field when he can train a manager/estimator. He just can't stand to not be in the middle of all the work! :-) I am still in the office for 2-3 days a week and answering the phones pretty much every day. Our goal is to have someone trained to take over the basic office stuff by the end of June and all of it by the fall. The whole family is looking forward to mommy being "fired" and home more! :D We are thankful for God's provision in all things.
Tom has a few weeks here between his last helper and the next guy starting, so he decided to take the children with him one at a time for a week's worth of being daddy's helper. It has been wonderful for all of us. Heather just finished up her week and Rose had her first day today. It has been neat to see the way a missing child changes the dynamics of us at home/office and the way the child who is with daddy changes in that week's time. Heather came home saying "Oh, dude!" which cracked me up. I found out how much I relied on Heather to be my helper through the day, she is so good at following instructions and pulling together loose ends for me. With Rose gone today, I found that I really rely on her to keep Will occupied. They play together so well most of the time, and Heather and Will really don't interact nearly as much. Will really missed Rose and was happy to see her come home today. It was sweet. I can't imagine how Will is going to do on his week. I am praying that it goes smoothly for he and Tom - and trying to prepare myself for the quieter/slower pace for the girls and I!
We have started a summer break of sorts with school. I wasn't really planning to, we've had plenty of breaks through the year. We will do a bit of grammar here and there to keep it fresh and of course lots of reading, summer reading program, etc... I hope to squeeze in some history/geography studies also. We'll see. :) The kids are doing great overall.
Heather is growing so fast, and maturing physically way faster than I was prepared for. She is still such a little girl in spirit most of the time though. Heather still loves to read best of all, it's her one passion. She also likes to sew and knit. She is working on making jewelry that she wants to sell for kids. She is designing her business cards and is going to ask daddy if she can put them on the front counter at the shop.
Rose is still my sweet, gentle beauty. She has become something of a tom-boy too though. She's tons of fun, but hard to harness sometimes. She still has a great imagination that can sometimes get her into trouble since she doesn't stay focused very well. She is reading more now and finally found some chapter books that she likes... Junie B series. Rose loves to ride bikes and dress up as a cowgirl or even dress in camo and run through the woods with our friend Dante. She has lots of fun and has become a bit less emotional and less sensitive to things that used to bother her (like being cold or hot, scratchy things, etc...). Rose does a great job with playing cars with her brother and helping keep him occupied.
Will is growing and changing too. More of a big boy everyday. He adores his daddy and has picked up quite a few of daddy's "slogans" which can be quite humorous. His arm is healing pretty well and he has been amazing to me in how he just takes things as they come, doesn't complain about what he can't do / is missing out on. He will go out with the rest of the kids and run alongside the bikes (doesn't quite have the mobility that I trust him to steer yet), or sit and contentedly watch everyone else jumping on the trampoline (though he wants to get back on there and has snuck up a couple times!). He will be back to normal soon I trust. I've been so proud of him. He still loves bugs and creepy crawly things, and his cars. He is reading simple words finally!!! It's been a combination of him being reluctant/resistant and me being busy... but he finally is doing it. :-) He doesn't like to read the beginning readers very much. He would much rather grab a library book of whatever level and I will read parts and point to words for him to read on each page. It works!
Tom is planning to build the children a play fort in the yard this summer. Will is most excited about the sand box. Elijah has one that they will sit in for hours and hours building things and digging out "sheds" for their cars. I look forward to having something more substantial for them to play on outside.
Let's see... my burns on my fingers have healed pretty nicely. I think there is very minimal scarring, though the fingers are still quite red but not at all painful. I assume that the redness will go away as the skin regenerates however many layers it needs to. We'll see.
I have been participating in the Acupuncture study for PCOS at the UVA Medical Center. It has been neat. I have actually enjoyed the drive there and back twice a week, the treatments have been simple and enjoyable - the Dr is nice and her office comfortable - I generally get a 20 minute nap in. :-) I have taken each of the children with me for some one-on-one time during the hour long drives and that has been very nice. I am not sure if I am getting the real acupuncture or the placebo, but I did have a very nice, painless, normal cycle a few weeks ago after 3 months without one!
I am feeling lots better in general. I finished the 4 month yeast-free diet and have moved on to low carb to see how I do. I have lost a total of 45 pounds and almost 6 sizes! I have been T-Tapping so am losing the inches and sizes faster than I thought despite only being about half way through the pounds I want to lose. It is incredible how much better I feel, more energy, feeling stronger, getting some new clothes, it's been a great confidence booster!
We planted a small garden this spring, each of the kids picked out an heirloom tomato plant, Heather and Will planted a bush bean each, Rose planted three bush cucumber plants, I planted 12 pea plants and 2 pepper plants for Tom, we also have some surprise volunteer sqash plants growing strong. I have weeded, transplanted lots and edged new flower beds. I planted some new morning glories and 4 o'clocks and today Heather and Will worked together to plant some sunflower seeds too. The kids got me 2 new rose bushes for Mother's Day (after much hinting) and those will look nice once they've grown and filled in. The flower beds also have lots of iris, lilies, peonies, hostas, black-eyed susan, purple coneflower, ledum, tulips, daffodils, lilac and violets. Mostly perennials. My herb bed this year has chives, feverfew, bee balm, lavender, and comfrey. The yard is looking better and better gradually, and I am learning lots about how to care for things and how to be patient as things mature. Ack! Just heard a deer munching away right outside my bedroom window - so there may be less of all that there in the morning! :( My outside dog died several weeks ago so I am sure we will have more problems with that this year.
The weather this spring has been exceptionally mild and much more spring-like than we usually get in this area. We have been really, really enjoying having the windows open and fans blowing occasionally - haven't even thought about turning the a/c on yet this year and it's almost June! I LOVE the 70 degree weather and am thrilled it has lasted this long. We have also had some lovely rains and even a scattered thunderstorm or two which we don't get very often because of the mountains.
God has given our family some wonderful friends locally. It is so hard to find a family that has the same values/beliefs and the wives AND husbands get along, not to mention the children. Amy is a wonderful, encouraging friend and Rich and Tom get along quite well. The children can play together for literally hours and even days in a row without bickering and fighting, it is really amazing. The best part is that Will has a best bud in their 5yo Elijah. I am so happy for that! Amy teaches the girls piano lessons, we've been doing a Nancy Campbell Bible study together, and we take turns watching children and grocery shopping each Friday. We also swap monthly date nights which is fabulous. It has been a blessing! Amy is due with their 5th child in the next couple weeks and this will be her second homebirth with the local midwife... and she has asked me to be there! I am very excited. She wants me to take pictures and help with her children and be another voice/perspective for advice if asked.
I also plan to leave the very end of June to go to MN for a few weeks. Angela and Joe will be having their third baby then and would like me to be there with the midwife also. I am SO looking forward to getting away for a bit and spending some time with their family and meeting the next member. They have lots going on right now so I am hoping I can help out some there too. We are praying about finding plane tickets since gas is so high and our vehicles aren't super reliable. The kids would LOVE to fly!
Well, I guess that is it. I'm sorry that I haven't kept up better and had to unload all at once, but thanks for reading! Love you all and appreciate your friendships and prayers more than you know.
Work has picked up considerably! We are keeping quite busy and considering putting a 3rd truck on the road. We are hiring another guy starting June 9 and looking for more office help once again. Tom is considering backing himself down to managing/doing estimates and selling jobs, though he hates the idea of not being in the field. It would be only for a while and then he hopes to go back out in the field when he can train a manager/estimator. He just can't stand to not be in the middle of all the work! :-) I am still in the office for 2-3 days a week and answering the phones pretty much every day. Our goal is to have someone trained to take over the basic office stuff by the end of June and all of it by the fall. The whole family is looking forward to mommy being "fired" and home more! :D We are thankful for God's provision in all things.
Tom has a few weeks here between his last helper and the next guy starting, so he decided to take the children with him one at a time for a week's worth of being daddy's helper. It has been wonderful for all of us. Heather just finished up her week and Rose had her first day today. It has been neat to see the way a missing child changes the dynamics of us at home/office and the way the child who is with daddy changes in that week's time. Heather came home saying "Oh, dude!" which cracked me up. I found out how much I relied on Heather to be my helper through the day, she is so good at following instructions and pulling together loose ends for me. With Rose gone today, I found that I really rely on her to keep Will occupied. They play together so well most of the time, and Heather and Will really don't interact nearly as much. Will really missed Rose and was happy to see her come home today. It was sweet. I can't imagine how Will is going to do on his week. I am praying that it goes smoothly for he and Tom - and trying to prepare myself for the quieter/slower pace for the girls and I!
We have started a summer break of sorts with school. I wasn't really planning to, we've had plenty of breaks through the year. We will do a bit of grammar here and there to keep it fresh and of course lots of reading, summer reading program, etc... I hope to squeeze in some history/geography studies also. We'll see. :) The kids are doing great overall.
Heather is growing so fast, and maturing physically way faster than I was prepared for. She is still such a little girl in spirit most of the time though. Heather still loves to read best of all, it's her one passion. She also likes to sew and knit. She is working on making jewelry that she wants to sell for kids. She is designing her business cards and is going to ask daddy if she can put them on the front counter at the shop.
Rose is still my sweet, gentle beauty. She has become something of a tom-boy too though. She's tons of fun, but hard to harness sometimes. She still has a great imagination that can sometimes get her into trouble since she doesn't stay focused very well. She is reading more now and finally found some chapter books that she likes... Junie B series. Rose loves to ride bikes and dress up as a cowgirl or even dress in camo and run through the woods with our friend Dante. She has lots of fun and has become a bit less emotional and less sensitive to things that used to bother her (like being cold or hot, scratchy things, etc...). Rose does a great job with playing cars with her brother and helping keep him occupied.
Will is growing and changing too. More of a big boy everyday. He adores his daddy and has picked up quite a few of daddy's "slogans" which can be quite humorous. His arm is healing pretty well and he has been amazing to me in how he just takes things as they come, doesn't complain about what he can't do / is missing out on. He will go out with the rest of the kids and run alongside the bikes (doesn't quite have the mobility that I trust him to steer yet), or sit and contentedly watch everyone else jumping on the trampoline (though he wants to get back on there and has snuck up a couple times!). He will be back to normal soon I trust. I've been so proud of him. He still loves bugs and creepy crawly things, and his cars. He is reading simple words finally!!! It's been a combination of him being reluctant/resistant and me being busy... but he finally is doing it. :-) He doesn't like to read the beginning readers very much. He would much rather grab a library book of whatever level and I will read parts and point to words for him to read on each page. It works!
Tom is planning to build the children a play fort in the yard this summer. Will is most excited about the sand box. Elijah has one that they will sit in for hours and hours building things and digging out "sheds" for their cars. I look forward to having something more substantial for them to play on outside.
Let's see... my burns on my fingers have healed pretty nicely. I think there is very minimal scarring, though the fingers are still quite red but not at all painful. I assume that the redness will go away as the skin regenerates however many layers it needs to. We'll see.
I have been participating in the Acupuncture study for PCOS at the UVA Medical Center. It has been neat. I have actually enjoyed the drive there and back twice a week, the treatments have been simple and enjoyable - the Dr is nice and her office comfortable - I generally get a 20 minute nap in. :-) I have taken each of the children with me for some one-on-one time during the hour long drives and that has been very nice. I am not sure if I am getting the real acupuncture or the placebo, but I did have a very nice, painless, normal cycle a few weeks ago after 3 months without one!
I am feeling lots better in general. I finished the 4 month yeast-free diet and have moved on to low carb to see how I do. I have lost a total of 45 pounds and almost 6 sizes! I have been T-Tapping so am losing the inches and sizes faster than I thought despite only being about half way through the pounds I want to lose. It is incredible how much better I feel, more energy, feeling stronger, getting some new clothes, it's been a great confidence booster!
We planted a small garden this spring, each of the kids picked out an heirloom tomato plant, Heather and Will planted a bush bean each, Rose planted three bush cucumber plants, I planted 12 pea plants and 2 pepper plants for Tom, we also have some surprise volunteer sqash plants growing strong. I have weeded, transplanted lots and edged new flower beds. I planted some new morning glories and 4 o'clocks and today Heather and Will worked together to plant some sunflower seeds too. The kids got me 2 new rose bushes for Mother's Day (after much hinting) and those will look nice once they've grown and filled in. The flower beds also have lots of iris, lilies, peonies, hostas, black-eyed susan, purple coneflower, ledum, tulips, daffodils, lilac and violets. Mostly perennials. My herb bed this year has chives, feverfew, bee balm, lavender, and comfrey. The yard is looking better and better gradually, and I am learning lots about how to care for things and how to be patient as things mature. Ack! Just heard a deer munching away right outside my bedroom window - so there may be less of all that there in the morning! :( My outside dog died several weeks ago so I am sure we will have more problems with that this year.
The weather this spring has been exceptionally mild and much more spring-like than we usually get in this area. We have been really, really enjoying having the windows open and fans blowing occasionally - haven't even thought about turning the a/c on yet this year and it's almost June! I LOVE the 70 degree weather and am thrilled it has lasted this long. We have also had some lovely rains and even a scattered thunderstorm or two which we don't get very often because of the mountains.
God has given our family some wonderful friends locally. It is so hard to find a family that has the same values/beliefs and the wives AND husbands get along, not to mention the children. Amy is a wonderful, encouraging friend and Rich and Tom get along quite well. The children can play together for literally hours and even days in a row without bickering and fighting, it is really amazing. The best part is that Will has a best bud in their 5yo Elijah. I am so happy for that! Amy teaches the girls piano lessons, we've been doing a Nancy Campbell Bible study together, and we take turns watching children and grocery shopping each Friday. We also swap monthly date nights which is fabulous. It has been a blessing! Amy is due with their 5th child in the next couple weeks and this will be her second homebirth with the local midwife... and she has asked me to be there! I am very excited. She wants me to take pictures and help with her children and be another voice/perspective for advice if asked.
I also plan to leave the very end of June to go to MN for a few weeks. Angela and Joe will be having their third baby then and would like me to be there with the midwife also. I am SO looking forward to getting away for a bit and spending some time with their family and meeting the next member. They have lots going on right now so I am hoping I can help out some there too. We are praying about finding plane tickets since gas is so high and our vehicles aren't super reliable. The kids would LOVE to fly!
Well, I guess that is it. I'm sorry that I haven't kept up better and had to unload all at once, but thanks for reading! Love you all and appreciate your friendships and prayers more than you know.
Sunday, November 11, 2007
Organizing Plans for House
Things I need to gradually get / do to fix up house...
Kitchen
Colors to eventually be pale yellow and blue.... hmmm, or orange and brown?
Towels
Dishcloths
Stainless steel 13x9 or larger baking pan - got a nice 13x9 with a monogrammed lid from Cindy!
Stainless steel or glass cake pan
Wooden spoons
Rubber spatula
Dish set (2 16-piece) - I got one for Christmas! Thank you Mom S. :-)
Glassware
wine glasses
Silverware
Food processor - 10 cup, good motor
Tortilla press
Tablecloth
Paint
Backsplash
Living Area
Colors to eventually be some combo of taupe and green in dining room and living room
Houseplants
Picture frames - all kinds!
Stackable storage bins with lids
Bedroom
Colors to be brown with blue accents, dark wood.
Sturdy brown and blue comforter set - got one!
Paint
Flooring
Wall decor
Girl's Room
Pink with stick figure ballerinas theme. (what else? :)
Bed sets - got sheet sets and curtains for Christmas, need comforter still.
Toy hammock
Large clear stackable bins with lids
Large toy chest
Ceiling fan
Paint
Will's Room
Colors to be green with bug theme.
Toy hammock
Tall narrow shelves or dresser
Paint
Laminate floor
Curtain
School Room
Colors are primary.
Ceiling fan
Bean bag(s) in primary colors
Extra large bins
Trim
Kitchen
Colors to eventually be pale yellow and blue.... hmmm, or orange and brown?
Towels
Dishcloths
Stainless steel 13x9 or larger baking pan - got a nice 13x9 with a monogrammed lid from Cindy!
Stainless steel or glass cake pan
Wooden spoons
Rubber spatula
Dish set (2 16-piece) - I got one for Christmas! Thank you Mom S. :-)
Glassware
wine glasses
Silverware
Food processor - 10 cup, good motor
Tortilla press
Tablecloth
Paint
Backsplash
Living Area
Colors to eventually be some combo of taupe and green in dining room and living room
Houseplants
Picture frames - all kinds!
Stackable storage bins with lids
Bedroom
Colors to be brown with blue accents, dark wood.
Sturdy brown and blue comforter set - got one!
Paint
Flooring
Wall decor
Girl's Room
Pink with stick figure ballerinas theme. (what else? :)
Bed sets - got sheet sets and curtains for Christmas, need comforter still.
Toy hammock
Large clear stackable bins with lids
Large toy chest
Ceiling fan
Paint
Will's Room
Colors to be green with bug theme.
Toy hammock
Tall narrow shelves or dresser
Paint
Laminate floor
Curtain
School Room
Colors are primary.
Ceiling fan
Bean bag(s) in primary colors
Extra large bins
Trim
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