Monday, June 29, 2009

Monday Musings

I sit here attempting to type one handed as baby A has recently decided that the only way to go to sleep and stay that way is in mommy's arms. I know that this is a habit I will come to regret, but they are only little once, and she looks so sweet sleeping!

I took my laptop today to see about getting it fixed. Baby A decided when she started walking that it was great fun to pull the power cord out of the laptop as I sat working on it. As a result the connector inside the computer is loose and you have to do this wonderful wiggle jiggle thing to get a good connection to get power now. I took it in to the local repair shop and the gentleman there said that "if" he could fix it, and "if" he didn't need to order anything it would cost about $60-$100 for labor. This seems a bit steep to me as I only paid about $400 for the laptop new 4 years ago. Needless to say I thanked him and took my computer home. Perhaps I can locate someone who can do the work for less. If not, it will be back to working on the dinosaur desktop computer!

I didn't spend much time crafting over the weekend as hubby came home! YEAH! He was home in time for dinner of Friday. We had a great number of plans for the weekend, such as cleaning the carpet, repairing the children's fort, cuddling together, etc. Somehow the weekend got away from us. Saturday we went pricing lumber for a storage building and plywood to put down so we can install bamboo flooring rather than laminate. I have become so frustrated with the flooring situation. It feels like everytime we get close to having enough to install, something else comes up. I told hubby that I just don't want to talk about the floor anymore until we can actually purchase the materials and install. So we decided to just clean the carpet again. Went grocery shopping and to rent the cleaner.

Just as I got ready to rent the cleaner I happened to notice the time. Thank goodness I did as if we had rented it then we would have had to either make a late trip out that night to return it, or attempt to return it before church the next day. Neither seemed a good option so we postponed. The rest of the day was spent cleaning, and then playing on the Wii together. While I am the champion at golfing, bowling, step aerobics, ski jumping, and hula hooping on the Wii, hubby kicks my hiney at tennis, pool, slalom, and baseball. It is a lot of fun though and I am really glad he bought it for us.

So that is my update. I want to start crocheting for God's Tiny Angels again. I started on a baby sweater. I am also preparing for my first ever consignment sale. I figure that I might as well try to sell some of baby A's outgrown clothes and use the proceeds to purchase new ones. Hopefully it is successful. Look for more info on the sale to come as it is next month.

And finally, this weeks scripture card. I came across this verse when another verse (for the righteous falls seven times and rises again ~proverbs 24:16a) appeared in a devotion I was reading. I liked it and considered using it for today's card, but when I went to read Proverbs 24 in it's entirety, this verse really called to my heart. Parenting is hard work. In my house it seems to be especially hard right now as we are having some problems with honesty from the girls. I pray for wisdom on how to approach this, and the understanding to do it with compassion and in a godly manner. Perhaps this verse has a different meaning for you, but I also pray that it touches your heart as well!


Photobucket
As always, feel free to click the above picture to download a higher resolution image suitable for printing


Love,

Thursday, June 25, 2009

Five Freebies Friday

It is the last day of the first week of Summer Academy for H and J. They seem to really be enjoying their classes. H is excited about some of the bead projects and comes home talking about Lewis and Clark and Sacajawea. J is loving having two pottery classes this year. He brought clay home last night to create a shark. He had to tell me all about how there could be no air bubbles in the clay or the piece will explode in the kiln and that there had to be a hollow in the center of the piece so that the moisture of the piece didn't cause it to explode either so there had to be a hole in the item so that as the air heats in the hollow part it can escape outside and not explode. It is great seeing things again through a child's eyes. I forgot about how much fun I had making necklaces out of macaroni or shapes out of clay.

I have also walked three days this week while they were in school. Not real strenuous walking, but exercise none the less. We are working up to the more difficult stuff. It is great being able to walk and talk with another adult again. I really missed the daily walks with my husband when he was out of work.

That brings us to this weeks freebies. I have been kind of lax about my posts recently, and I am trying to do better about getting them out on time. Hope that you enjoy some of these freebies!

Nourish hair products by Aveeno - I have never used this line, but you get to choose which of the shampoo/conditioner combos you would like to try

Pet Alert Window Cling - ADT is giving away a window cling so that you can let rescuers know about pets that need rescued should something happen, such as a fire

Quart of Glidden paint - You choose the color and they will mix it and send it to you in 3-4 weeks. I got a plain jane white to use for craft projects

Free Arby's sandwich - This Wednesday, if you purchase a soft drink you can get a regular beef and cheddar sandwich free, no coupon required. You can join their club to get more info and freebies

Sun Crystals - a new sugar substitute that is natural. Never tried it myself

Have a great weekend!
Love,

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Psalm 119:37 and discount bakery

Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things;
and give me life in your ways.
Psalm 119:37

I don't know about yours, but my local grocery store has a section for day old bakery items to be sold at a discount. Half of the display is bread, but the other half...ahh the other half! That side has cream cheese danishes, glazed doughnuts, decorated cupcakes, chocolate ganache covered cakes, and lots more yummy, tempting, succulent goodies.

It isn't like these items are at the front of the store and you have to walk past them. They are hidden away at the back of the store. How do I know? Every time I walk in the store that rack is my first stop. I can ignore the expensive junk foods, I can avoid the aisle with Little Debbie waving at me, beckoning me in for a taste. But this rack is cheap, this rack calls to me.

Problem is, this rack is worthless and actually robs me of life. The food has no nutritional value. It is full of items that can raise blood sugar and clog arteries. It creates a brief energy rush that ends with negative thoughts and a "crash" when the sugar wears off. I know this, and yet I return to it again and again. Proverbs 26:11 says, "Like a dog that returns to his vomit is a fool who repeats his folly." That puts it in a new perspective.

The way this verse was explained to me is, dogs like the taste of vomit. Think about it, they do. If a dog pukes it at least sniffs at it, if not eats it again. That is a pretty good analogy for me returning again and again to this discount pastry rack. I go back because I like the way it tastes. Like a dog and it's vomit, it can't be good for me.

So the next time I enter my grocery store and I find myself standing beside that discount pastry rack, I am going to picture it as vomit. I don't want to be the fool. Is this going to work? I sure hope so. I pray that God will turn my eyes from it, that He will remind me that it isn't good, and I will choose to not be a dog/fool.

So, what is your vomit?

Love,

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Introducing - Honey Heart

Not that I think that you have been anxiously awaiting this pattern, but I have been working on it for weeks trying to format it. It took longer to take pictures and get it designed and wrote up than it did to think of it, design it, and make it!
This is one of those projects that I said have been bouncing around in my head that I wanted to make and then share with everyone. Honey started out as a crochet project, but she just got to big for what I was picturing so I switched to plastic canvas. Honey looks a little cheesy to me, but her purpose is kind of cheesy so I guess that fits.

You see, my wonderful husband started leaving me little somethings when he left for work. Once it was some paper flowers that he made, another time it was a pictograph on our dry erase board. It turned into a game for us. I left him a note using a dry erase marker on the mirror to find when he woke up. He drew a picture of he and I sitting in a tree on the dry erase board etc. I wanted to create something that I could leave in an unexpected place for him to find so that he would know I was thinking about him. I wanted it to be able to "hold" things, either to hold onto something or to hold notes etc. Honey was born.
I am trying something new and have created the instructions as a PDF that will need to be downloaded. You can do so by clicking on the picture. It is my hope to one day sell some of my patterns on ETSY so I need to start getting used to creating patterns this way. You guys can be my testing group! Hope that you don't mind. If you chose to download the pattern, please leave some comments about the layout, clearness of instructions, etc. Just feedback that lets me know what you think of it so I can improve what needs improved and not mess with what works.


(Our Honey Heart was packed up in my hubby's suitcase for him to discover at the hotel when he arrived!)

Click the picture to download the zipped PDF file  
The file storage site I was using has deleted all of my files.  My previous computer crashed.  I am currently searching files attempting to recover this pattern.  When i do I will post the correcting link.  Hopefully Honey Heart isn't gone forever!


Love,

Monday, June 22, 2009

Monday Musings

I took the last week off of everything just about. I ran J to and from his soccer practices, but other than that I took a mini vacation. My wonderful husband has spent the weekend before smoking a LOT of meat on the smoker. That meant I haven't cooked a meal at all last week. I made a side dish or two, or prepared a salad, but I didn't have to think about what was for dinner. No prepping meat, no marinading, no nothing. My husband was home very early almost every day so we were able to spend a lot of time together as well. He had purchased a new Wii game system especially for me, including the Wii Fit game and board.

While he was at work I walked with the girls during soccer practice, then I would exercise on the Wii and then we would play games together as a family. It has been a wonderfully happy and relaxing week. But, all things have a balance. Ours is that we discovered about Thursday of last week that my husband was going to have to work out of town this week. I have a hard time adjusting to him not being here. He is such a help with everything. He comes home and usually entertains baby A for a while so I can take a break. He helps to prepare dinner if he gets home early enough. He leads our family Bible study every evening. He takes time to play with the other kids. And in addition to all of that, he still finds time to make me feel special to him. He really is a wonderful husband and I feel very blessed that God gave him to me. It is going to be an adjustment with him being out of town this week.


Despite how wonderful my own life has been, something dark has been hiding in my life that God brought to my attention. You see, I have developed a habit of thought that is destructive. It is one that many women stuggle with, but knowing that I am not alone does not make it right. My fault? I have been secrectly judging others. I don't talk about it. I don't condemn them out loud. Just little niggling thoughts that pop into my head that I don't push out. Things like "if that were my child I wouldn't let him/her behave that way" or "if she really cared about (fill in the blank) then she would be doing more about it". I assume that I know all of the details about what is going on and instantly decide that he or she isn't doing enough or doing it correctly. Do you know what I am talking about? Have you ever had thoughts like that?

The problem is, it isn't my place to judge the person. It isn't my place to think thoughts that tear the other person down. While I was justifying myself in that I didn't say them outloud, that doesn't change the fact that they were still hurtful thoughts. Those thoughts probably affected my actions and reactions to the person I was thinking about...and not in a positive way. Perhaps if I had reached out an understanding hand to the parent with a child that was misbehaving it might have been the hand that lifted her up. Instead I looked at her with eyes that condemned without saying a word. Maybe the child had been forced to awake from a nap early and that was why the child was behaving that way. Or maybe the parent needed someone to talk to because the stress of parenting is reaching critical and he/she just needs to know that he/she is not alone. Rather than offering a noncritical ear, I instead offered judgement in my eyes.

Life is to difficult trying to do the right thing without others judging us. To many times I have felt judged, outside of what others thought I should be, or how I should act, or what I should be doing. I know how it feels. Why then has it become so easy for me to judge others?

There are lots of possible answers to that. I haven't been studying my Bible like I probably should, or even like I had been. I have seen the progress that I have made in some areas of my life that I have begun to judge others in those areas. (Not looking at the vast number of areas that I am still weak, or lacking in that they may be excelling in.) It could be a sort of pride on my part. It could be many things. While it is important to me to search my heart and discover my own "why", it doesn't change the fact that I need to change the actions. That is why I have chosen this weeks verse. Are you also thinking "reckless words"? Or are you even saying them out loud? Take a moment and examine your own thoughts and actions. Maybe this verse will help you also.

As always, feel free to click above to download a higher resolution image for printing

Fortunately today two of the children, J and H, begin Summer Academy! That means free breakfast and lunch for all of the children, 4 hours of crafts and education in a fun environment for two of them, and hopefully some time to get my yucky fridge cleaned, perhaps some dry wall work done, and maybe some exercising in. A friend from church has agreed to start walking with me in the mornings. Hopefully with someone else to walk with I can get motivated again and jump on the exercise wagon consistently. J and H are looking forward to Summer Academy. J gets two pottery classes he wanted and H got a beading/jewelry making class that she wanted. Unfortunately with K moving on to high school next year she is now to old to attend Summer Academy. She performed solos the last two years at the conclusion of the program. This year she is stuck hanging out with mom. Almost makes you feel sorry for her doesn't it? Have a great week and don't forget to think about what you think and say. It isn't always easy examining ourselves, and for me it is especially difficult admitting a shortcoming. I only do so because I have learned that if I am struggling with something, more than likely someone else either is also struggling with it, has overcome it and can offer advice, or will probably struggle with it in the future. I hope that by being open and honest about it, it will help you to not feel alone. I hate to feel alone!

Have a great week!

Friday, June 12, 2009

Five Freebies Friday

Hi all! I pray that everyone has had a wonderful week. It has been great here. Baby A has let me sleep in until 8:30 most mornings. I was able to spend some time crafting, updating the church website, and playing with the children. My husband has been home almost every evening before 5 pm this week which means we were able to spend some time together also.

I had intended to post a new craft this week. I want to put the directions in PDF format so that I can get used to it. It is my hope to eventually sell some of my patterns on ETSY and that seems to be the preferred format. I wrote the post, but when I started putting the PDF together I got sidetracked and never got it completed. Perhaps I can work on it this weekend and get it up for everyone next week. It will be a freebie. Here is a sneak peak:

I named him "Honey Heart". At our house he tends to hide, holding notes for the love of my life to find before he goes to work in the mornings. So far Honey has deliverd two messages. For one he was hanging from the knob of my bathroom cabinet by one arm and was holding the note in the other. Honey Heart will be a freebie pattern and is very easy to complete and works up fast also.

So, on to this weeks 5 freebies. Freebies have been rather slim lately. However, here is what I was able to dig up for you:

Free GeoTrax DVD- Fisher price has a new line of preschool toys called GeoTrax, a train track building toy. Some of the kits come with a free DVD. But if you click the link you can visit a site and watch the videos online or you can order the DVD for free (including free shipping).

Free NicWax or SkitoStop - Okay, at first I wasn't sure about this one. You have to answer 4 questions correctly in order to recieve one of these offers. (Either a leather waterproofing wax or an after sun insect repellant) You can try as many times as you want until you get all the answers correct. Oh, and you have to register with them. Seems like a lot of work for a freebie, but if you want it - you can have it.

Family Records Organizer - This one is from T. Rowe Price and is a CD that allows you to organize and store your family records either on your computer, or you can print them out. The website says it is useful for esate planning.

Sundiwear Stickers - These are not your normal stickers! Put one on your child when you apply sunscreen and send them outside. When the sticker turns red it tells them and you that it is time to reapply sunscreen. I thought this was great and ordered a set for us and if it works like they say I may actually buy some!

Lowe's build and grow clinic - show up or click the link to register online and your child can build (for FREE) a putting green for dad for Father's Day. (Next month they build a pirate ship!) I haven't taken my children to the Lowe's workshops, but they love the workshops at Home Depot!

So that is this weeks 5 freebies. Just in time for me to throw on some clothes and get the kids out the door to a dentist appointment. I love that I was able to schedule 3 of them on the same day, but that makes for a long time to entertain baby A in a doctors office! This will be interesting. Have a great weekend!

Thursday, June 11, 2009

Answers from God

It still amazes me when God chooses to answer a prayer request. Last night at church one of the men shared one such answer with us. A woman at another church had been in pain for more than a year. She had no insurance and she couldn't afford to go to a doctor to see what was wrong. It finally got to be an unbearable pain so she was forced to get medical attention. An ovarian cyst was discovered and biopsied. It was determined to be cancerous. Where it had been left to grow and spread for so long the doctor told her there were only two outcomes a that time. First, she could not have the surgery and would not live very long, or second, she could have surgery and they would attempt to remove the cancer. Then she would undergo chemotherapy and would still probably not live out the year as they did not think they would be able to remove all of the cancer from her body as it was very advanced. She told them she had a third option still. She called her pastor who came and prayed with her at the hospital.

The doctors prepared her for surgery and told her family and pastor that it would be lengthy due to the spread of the cancer. They took the woman back and after a relatively short time the doctor came into the waiting room shaking his head. The cancer had not spread and they were able to get all of it. The invasion was not as bad as it should have been given her level of pain and how long she had experienced it. Our God is amazing!

On the heels of this very large answer, He also chose to answer my own prayer in another way. For more than a week now I have had a lot of pain in my heels every time I walk. In the mornings when I get up to get Baby A, I almost cry with the pain of attempting to walk across my room and up the stairs to get her. For the last two days, the pain has been moving up my legs. Tuesday my family and I went grocery shopping and I ended up having to leave and sit in the van while my family completed the shopping because I was in pain every time I took a step. It was like that at church last night also, so I prayed for relief.

No, I don't have a story of instant healing. But I did get an answer. It came, as many of my answered prayers seem to be coming lately, through a devotion from Proverbs 31 ministry that I get daily in my email. I know why my feet and legs hurt, I am severely overweight...again. I have tried losing weight again several times within the last 2 months. I seem to do well for a few days or weeks and then it all falls apart. In the devotion from Proverbs 31 titled Honestly, I got my answer from God. Like Lysa I struggle with food and am stuck in that wonderful cycle of eating, feeling bad for eating and gaining weight, eating to soothe the feel bad feeling, feeling bad for eating and gaining weight, eating more. I have listened to others say that food was a form of idol for them. I have even admitted that myself when I lost 40 lbs before baby A surprised us. Now though, I seem to be full of excuses.

I don't have time to exercise because baby A isn't napping well. It's easier to just grab something than it is to make something healthy. Eating junk is less expensive than eating healthy (Darn Little Debbie!). I am to tired to exercise today. My feet hurt. And there is my answer. My feet and legs hurt because I weight to much. Sure, God is definitely able to point at my feet and legs and heal them, but what purpose would that serve? I would still be turning to food rather than to Him for comfort. I would still be putting food first. Like Lysa, I don't want to spend the rest of my life in this cycle.

It's funny, this morning my feet didn't hurt nearly as much as I came up the stairs. Yeah, they still hurt, but I think they hurt so that I would be aware of them when I sat down to check my email. I think they hurt just enough that I would get His message to me today. It was like He was saying, "I don't want you to hurt, but you have to see what you are doing. If I take away all of your pain, I know you won't see it."

So thank you God, for the pain in my feet and legs. Thank you for the answers you give - from the miraculous healings to the small whispered answers. Thank you most of all for caring about each of us enough to take the time to answer.

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Wecipe Wednesday - Oatmeal Raisin Muffins

So, after trying to search and make sure that I had not already posted this recipe I realized what a pain it is. People have to look through the whole post to see if that is the recipe that they are looking for. While I really DO want you to read the posts, it does create a problem when you know which recipe you are looking for because you have seen it before and you are trying to find it. Therefore, I am posting the recipe in the title. Hopefully this will make searching a little easier for you.

I admit, I don't like oatmeal raisin cookies. Something about them just seems wrong to me. The texture doesn't work for me either. So it seems odd that these muffins are among my favorites. The recipe is from a Dannon yogurt lid. I was bored one day and decided I wanted something different and new. I had all of the ingredients on hand so I made them, and the rest is history. Without further ado, here is the recipe.

Oatmeal Raisin Yogurt Muffins

You will need:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons double-acting baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup raisins, plumped (soak in water for 1/2 hour)
1 cup Dannon® Light 'n Fit® Vanilla

1 large egg, beaten lightly
2 Tablespoons canola oil


Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 and lightly grease 12 muffin tins or spray with cooking spray or use cupcake liners. In one bowl mix the first 7 ingredients. In another bowl mix the last 3 ingredients. Stir the yogurt mixture into the dry ingredients just until combined. Evenly fill the 12 muffin tins. Bake for 22-25 minutes.


Nutritional Information
Amount Per Serving
Calories 149.6
Total Fat 3.3 g
Saturated Fat 0.5 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 1.1 g
Monounsaturated Fat 1.8 g
Cholesterol 17.7 mg
Sodium 174.1 mg
Potassium 168.8 mg
Total Carbohydrate 31.9 g
Dietary Fiber 2.0 g
Sugars 0.9 g
Protein 3.0 g

Monday, June 8, 2009

Monday Musings

It's Monday and I got to sleep in! Welcome summer! I love the beginning of summer break. The kids are still excited about having time off and have not yet started constantly repeating "I'm bored!". I get a chance to catch up on things because I feel revitalized with sleep.

My first projects are going to be the patterns I bought to make baby A some clothes. I bought material for them when I purchased the patterns and if I don't make them soon they won't fit her. To be honest, I actually have one pattern and material that I bought for H when she was little and never got around to making for her! Now it is going to be baby A's dress.

In addition I need to mud the half wall that my wonderful husband built to replace the wooden spindles that were all that separated baby A from falling from the living room into the entryway. (We have a mid-entry home). He builds, I finish. However I didn't think about how difficult it would be to mud with a baby in the house. I tried to work on it one day while the other kids were in school. I waited for baby A to nap and began to tape seams and mud the joints and screw holes. When baby A woke the first thing she did was wander over to the fresh mud, run her fingers through it and then try to eat it! Maybe the other children can run interferance so that I can get it done. I would like to finish mudding and painting the wall before we replace the carpet with laminate.

I also hope to get to spend some time outside this summer. I tend to get so sidetracked trying to get things done that I forget to take time and enjoy the beauty that God creates in spring and summer firsthand. Last summer I was VERY pregnant and the heat was awful. But this summer I hope to take the kids to the park at least once a week. Not sure how that will work with baby A, but that is the plan.

Finally, today's scripture card.

As always, please click the picture to download a better resolution for printing
I thought this verse was apropriate as I feel very peaceful today, and I know that it is a gift from God. Hope everyone finds that peace as well and is able to carry it with them throughout the week!

Friday, June 5, 2009

Five Freebies Friday

The end is near!!! Or at least it is near for a little while. Today is the last day of school for the kids, and hopefully the beginning of a relaxing summer, at least for a week. I just have to get through J's Upwards Soccer award ceremony tonight and the girls Girl Scout bridging/Court of Awards picnic on Sunday afternoon. After that I have 1 week with absolutely nothing to do. After that it all starts again. J begins middle school soccer practice for a week. After that H and J will be attending Summer Academy where they will be learning about Native Americans for two weeks. Then we have a month off until soccer practice begins again.

Please, someone remind me next year as school is coming to a close to go ahead and schedule an appointment with the pediatrician for athletic physicals! Last night I stood in line with the 4 kids for two hours to get J a physical so that he could participate in soccer practice week after next. It was nuts! The physical therapy center was offering physicals for $5 (can't beat the price!) but only for 1 1/2 hours and only for the first 400 students. I thought I was being smart to get there 20 minutes early, but apparently 300 other people thought ahead enough to get there early also. Still, we got the physical done and he is ready to play.

I also finished teacher gifts early this morning. (I know, I know, but that is the procrastinator in me coming out!) J's teacher is getting a jar mix for "Sweetie Bars in a Jar" with a label that says "Mrs. M_____ is a Sweetie" with graphics on it similiar to the one for the popcorn wrapper I posted yesterday, a popcorn box with popcorn and Blockbuster gift certificate, a flower pot pen, a birdhouse, and a framed print out of "The Creation of Teachers" all in a basket. Needless to say she has been a phenomenal teacher as I have never given a teacher this much stuff. She is only the second teacher that didn't prejudge J based upon his ADHD and that really saw him for what he is. She connected with him and he went from hating school to not being able to wait to get out the door and go. I truly believe that she was a gift from God for him and me this past year and that He placed her in his life to allow him to see that he truly is all the things his mommy and daddy keep telling him he is. His confidence has improved, he made several new friends this year, and he actually tutored other students in class. The change in him has been very positive and I give her the credit for it.

Anyway, now that I may get a little free time on my hands, I have a few pattern ideas floating around in my head so be on the lookout for new patterns this summer. Now that I have all of the rambling out of the way, on to this weeks 5 freebies. Let me begin by apologizing to those of you who live outside the U.S. Unfortunately I tend to search for freebies that will benefit my family which means that most of the offers that I post are only available to US residents. I didn't realize this until it was brought to my attention. Again, I apologize.

R.E.I. is offering children "binoculars that turn into other cool tools including a compass, signal mirror, magnifying glass and more" for participating in their passport to adventure program. Totally free and a great ay to inspire the family to get outside!

Burt's Bees is again giving away 1,000 lip balms today before noon. As of this posting the give away has not yet begun so you may still get lucky!

I admit, I'm not real big on car bumper stickers. That being said, I like this one that says, "Changing more than diapers!". Get yours here.

Today is national doughnut day. To celebrate, Krispy Kreme is giving away 1 free doughnut to everyone who walks in the door, no additional purchase necessary!

Starting June 9th, Seventeen magazine is giving away pairs of Havainas flip flops. Just enter the code "flipflops". They are only giving away 3,000 of them so get there early!

Also, check with your local national park as they are offering many free admission weekends this summer. That's it for today! Have a great weekend!

Thursday, June 4, 2009

End of the School Year

This school year is quickly coming to an end. Yesterday J's class finally got to launch the rockets that they have been building the last several weeks as part of their Moon, Mars and Beyond unit. It was great watching the excitement of the 5th graders as they placed their rockets on the launch pads, hooked up the ignitor, and then launched them. J's unfortunately got lost. We searched the entire playground looking for it. After the classes went back inside I searched along the roads outside of the fence line and found 3 lost rockets, none were his. Then after school we searched again and found 2 more, neither was his. I am glad that I went and was able to get pictures for him. The launch came close to being canceled due to rain. Fortunately they were able to move it up and all of the students were able to launch before the downpour hit. Here are a few pictures:








While I was at it I remembered that I promised a picture of the 60's dress I made for K in this post. So I got her to take a moment and model for me. Please ignore the fact that she was on the phone! You know how teenagers are. This dress almost got the best of me as I had never done such a fitted pattern before. She liked it though, even though you couldn't tell it was paisley from the audience!





And my final thought to leave you with today is to remember to say thank you to your child's teacher. It is often a thankless job. In most states they are very underpaid for what they do. To that end here is a microwave popcorn wrapper you can use. I am putting it, with a movie rental gift card, into a popcorn box from the Dollar Tree as part of the gift for my children's teachers.
Please click on the image to save a better quality image suitable for printing.

Monday, June 1, 2009

Monday Musings

I hope that everyone had a wonderful weekend. Our was great! J's graduation program at school was beautiful and the letter that his teacher wrote to her students made me cry. She is a phenomenal teacher that has made such a difference in J's schooling and life in a positive way. He was ticked to death that the graduation was "all about (them)". It is the first year that their school has had a graduation for 5th grade. (I heard all about how unfair it was from K who didn't have a graduation from that school when she was in 5th grade) J received an award for maintaining above a 3.5 GPA for the entire year. He also received the Presidential Award. This is an award that requires recipients to have scored 85% or better on their 4th grade proficiency tests, and maintain a 3.5 GPA or better for their 4th and 5th grade year.

Then on Saturday J had his last Upwards Soccer game of the year. They did really well and I have to say that Jason learned quite a bit this year about working as a team and he improved his footwork. After the game the team went out for a pizza party. The awards ceremony is this Friday. I really liked Upwards soccer much better than league soccer.

Sunday was another great day. Pastor Doug gave a great sermon directed to our teens that really touched me as well. The idea of it was to either stand up for God and be a Jesus Freak or quit playing games and just sit down if you aren't willing to stand up. While that was a great message for our teens, it applies to all of us. It also tied in really well with the sermon he gave that night at a revival in Ripley, WV that we attended entitled "are you desperate?". I have to say that I am so glad that God led us to this church and to Doug as it has helped my family to grow spiritually. Now we know why when we tried to move a year ago God didn't allow it.

That brings us to today. After school J has chorus try outs for middle school. Say a prayer for him if you think about it around 4 pm if you think about it. And of course it is the last week of school so the kids are excited and can see the light at the end of the tunnel. Next year I will have a toddler at home, one in elementary school, one in middle school, and one in high school!

Finally, this weeks scripture card comes from Jeremiah. The image is courtesy of Wing-Chi Poon who kindly took the picture and then released it into public domain.



As always, feel free to download and share this scripture card. Simply click the image to download a better resolution image more suited to printing