Tim and Mandie's Little Flock

Christmas Construction

2011-12-21T15:26:00.002-07:00

(I'll turn the pictures around and add some actual words soon. We're out the door for now, but I'll be back later to tell you all about how I bite off WAY more than I can chew and then impose impossible deadlines on myself!)

Oh, yeah. It's our new floor.

Meet Oliver

2011-11-29T16:40:00.001-07:00

I'll explain soon...

Snow Day in October

2011-11-03T08:42:00.003-06:00

Bundled up brothers and best playmates.

Dressed and ready for play.

Look at what I caught Josh doing~ eating snow.

At least it wasn't yellow.

Warming up in the kitchen, waiting for hot chocolate.

For Grandma

2011-10-18T17:39:00.001-06:00

Dabney and her good friend, Ella.

After!

2011-10-07T17:36:00.001-06:00

Just in time to watch my Phillies!

(Please ignore the cables~ I'm currently devising a scheme to conceal them.)

Before

2011-10-05T10:51:00.005-06:00

Do you like my tv console? In a past life, it was a nasty, nasty beaten up dresser with carvings and stickers all over the outside and one of the top drawers was missing. The hardware and finish was hideous.

It was perfect.

It was listed on Craigslist for $15.

I emailed the owner and asked if I could take it for $10 if we picked it up in an hour. She said yes. Yeehaw!

I sanded and sanded and sanded, bought beautiful new hardware (for an incredible price on eBay) and hauled out my trusty can of black paint. After I moved my piece de resistance to the living room, I removed the other top drawer and drawer tracks and placed in my satellite receiver and dvd player. I went to HomeGoods that night and found a small wooden tray just big enough to fit next to the dvd player to hold those ever-missing remotes. The drawers are now lined and hold my Snuggie (yep, I said it) and blankets (see the red popping out of that drawer up there?) and cds and dvds and those other things that you'd rather keep out of view.

See that fancy, high quality, large, state of the art tv up there?

Stay tuned....

Saturday at the Park

2011-10-05T10:09:00.005-06:00

We took a few hours after Saturday errand last week and headed over to one of our favorite parks to let our kids release their energy. They dug hole in the volleyball area, played on the equipment and ran races.

The colors of the foliage were just starting to turn the beautiful hues of autumn.

David on the ground after running 3 races: "Alright, WHO took my energy?!"

Even Aaron had a great time.

So they say there's a pumpkin shortage, but in the last 2 weeks, I have bought an enormous carver, and 5 good size sugar pie baking pumpkins, and various small decorative pumpkins, just in case. I think it's a hoax and a scam to make me buy more than I normally would. Did you know that pumpkins will last 3 months if stored properly? After baking them, I'll be making soup and pies and freezing the rest.

August Recap

2011-09-20T11:27:00.016-06:00

So, here it is, mid-September (yay!) and I'm only now getting around to posting pictures from August. Sorry!
We began school a few weeks ago and the kids are doing very well. Dabney is a big 2nd grader, David is in 1st grade and Josh is very excited to be in Kindergarten this year. We finished out the summer with lots of bike riding and park trips and general playfulness. The kids were a little shocked when I pulled out the school books again and expected a small level of actual schoolwork top be done. Now we are getting back in our groove and accomplishing things.

Hey Mom and Dad, (the rest of you can skip this part if you want)

We were walking through our neighborhood a few weeks ago and I got a good look at our Dabney and I realized she was 7 years old and I thought about where I was when I was 7 and instantaneously I had a flashback. I was sitting on one of Grandpa's stools at that red laminate countertop, down at the farm and getting a phone call from you guys while I was staying with Grandma and Grandpa that summer. Mom told me that you both had visited with the people at Wilmington Christian School and that I had been accepted and I was going to a new school on the fall. Mom told me about how hard Dad was working so that we could go to a good and safe school. So, as I was reminiscing walking down the street as I watched my own kids on their bikes and scooters, I started to tear up remembering my faithful parents and their hard work and sacrifices on my behalf.

Anyway.

David is doing well learning to ride his big bike. While David was getting his latest lesson and Dabney was riding her bike, Joshua and Adam were poking around and Josh comes to me and says, "Hey mom? Can I do tricks in the grass?" The following resulted:

It's gotten pretty cold here in the past few nights so we hauled out the fuzzy warm 3-6 month

baby pajamas and now little Aaron is even more snuggly (if that's possible).

I'm going to try to get my kids' school pictures done pretty soon so stay tuned..... but don't hold your breath.

Hey Aaron!

2011-08-23T11:49:00.005-06:00

How about you leave some cuteness for the other babies? Some might think that it's not fair that you got it all.

Back to Joshua's Birthday

2011-08-16T11:17:00.003-06:00

Boy, does our Joshua love police cars! He goes nuts in the car when we see real ones on the road. (We live near a police station.) This one Grandma sent is his constant companion.

o"Dad, they're bases for baseball!"

I forgot to post pictures! Most of the night was a blur~ I was trying to get everyone ready to camp out before their bedtime and set up the tent with Tim and make dinner, etc, so I'm sorry I didn't get too many pictures taken. I'll do better next time!

August Ramblings

2011-08-16T10:58:00.002-06:00

Ooops! Double Post

2011-07-25T16:45:00.003-06:00

Whoops! Can you tell I'm still a little sleep deprived?
I posted the same group of pictures twice!
I meant to post these...

Grandma Giedd, Aaron really likes his Bumbo!

In the Wee Hours of the Morning

2011-07-25T16:04:00.002-06:00

Tim and I read together every morning.

Since he's been born, Aaron has joined us as well. He usually just hangs out on his Boppy. On this particular morning, Aaron completely made our day just by being happy to see us.

Happy 4th Birthday, Josh!

2011-07-22T21:44:00.003-06:00

Mini Vacation

2011-07-11T12:40:00.005-06:00

Last weekend, our little family went up north to have a little extra fun during the 3 day weekend. We stayed the night in an inexpensive hotel in a town we'd never been to, and it was loads of fun. We made sure the hotel had a pool so the kids could cool off and play around, then Tim drove us around and showed us a neighboring town where he lived almost 20 years ago.

I couldn't go swimming this time because I was much occupied with this fella...

Little Adam just loved the pool, but came to me shivering and uttered two words: "Cooold! Waaarm!"

4th of July pictures are up next!

Baby Payday

2011-07-10T22:29:00.004-06:00

It was one of those moments that completely satisfies your heart.

A Good Reason for Being Absent

2011-07-10T20:41:00.005-06:00

Yep, you guessed it~ another Grandma came to visit us! We were so glad to have Grandma Giedd come to stay with us for a while. We had a wonderful time with her and we also got to visit with more cousins and aunts and uncles while Grandma was in the state. Cousin M had a gymnastics birthday party and Dabney was so thrilled that she got to go and participate.

Aaron @ 8 Weeks

2011-06-29T13:22:00.005-06:00

"Giedds Get a Cat", Take 2

2011-06-18T09:33:00.001-06:00

A few weeks after Aaron was born, Shasta was ready for his new home with us. The kids adore him and he's a great cat.

He loves the kids' Zhu-Zhu pets! He bats them around as if they are real hamsters.

He fits in pretty well around here.

Getting a Hold on my Grocery Budget

2011-06-17T07:07:00.002-06:00

I've been wanting to share this with you all for a little while now and I'm excited that I finally get to do it now!

Something that has extremely beneficial to me in the last few months is a little audio series and PDF book combination called Grocery University. You might have noticed that one of the blogs that I follow is called Springs Bargains, and I've been reading that particular blog for quite a few years, thanks to my good friend, Michelle. Well, last year Carrie Isaac who writes the blog, published Grocery University~ an 2+ hours audio series in Mp3 format that you can listen to on your iPod or your computer and a 40 page pdf book all detailing how to get coupons and then organize them, how to use coupons, when to use coupons, where to use coupons and how to get the absolutely best deal on your groceries. It teaches you how to stockpile groceries at their rock bottom prices and never pay retail again. I printed out the book and I listened to the audio files as I walked on my treadmill. Ok, I must humbly add that I've been successfully using coupons for many years and I learned a boatload of new information.

This series gave me a new perspective on couponing, a better system of organizing my shopping trips and a huge shot in the arm regarding saving money and extending our resources. Let me mention something else. The amount of money that you spend buying the course will be saved in the first month of your grocery shopping, I guarantee it. Did I mention that it's written by a Christian lady who understands godly stewardship and encourages tithing? Grocery University is a fabulous investment and I highly recommend it if you are serious at all about saving money.

Party Weekend

2011-06-16T09:01:00.003-06:00

This past Saturday, we had a great time at a park celebrating 2 good friends' graduations from high school. Both of those girls are wonderful friends and also 2 of our babysitters and tremendous blessings to us. Congrats Rachel and Morgan!

And Lindy, it was so great to see you and your crew again!

Look how dirty this guy gets after an hour of 'treasure hunting' with friends.

Here's Dabney and her sweet friend, Noel.

About 30 seconds after got into the car to go home, they all looked like David, below.

On Sunday after church, we had some of Adam's favorite people over for a little party celebrating our little 2 year old.

(insert Rachel's picture of the inside of the watermelon cake here)

Rachel, I think you take more pictures of my family than I do!

2 Year Old Boy!

2011-06-11T08:48:00.007-06:00

Long Time Gone

2011-06-09T10:30:00.006-06:00

I know, I know~ I'm very delinquent. It's been more than 3 weeks since my last post. My apologies. Consider that my maternity leave. Since then, Tim had a wonderful week off and I got to sleep to ridiculous hours of the morning, my wonderful mother came to visit and we've been reorganizing our house and our school and our lives. I came up with a fabulous new schedule and wrote it out on a big white board. Adam was kind enough to erase it with his foot within 24 hours. (Good thing I had it copied elsewhere...)

I feel like I've been in a time warp! Aaron is growing by leaps and bounds, the big kids are finishing up their school year, and tomorrow our Adam will turn 2 years old.

Some days I feel like I'm just holding on to sanity by a thread. It turns out, having 5 kids (7 and under) is a bigger project than I thought. There's a lot to do, many little people are talking to me at the same time and at least 3 of them need something from me at the same moment.

However, there is so much joy around here! We all adore Aaron, I get hand-drawn cards and love letters everyday, and when Daddy comes home, there's a spontaneous party in the foyer.

I've begun exercising again. I've been doing it at naptime for the youngest 4. Dabney stays awake and "babysits" Aaron while I'm in the basement. That 45 minutes everyday gets me sweating and brainstorming and relaxing and I come upstairs afterwards a few hundred calories lighter and more prepared to face the remainder of the afternoon. It's a huge blessing.

I love my job more and more although the challenges abound. I love buying huge amounts of food and cooking it for my kids and husband and filling our freezers and pantry. There's something very satisfying about hauling out a huge cart-full of groceries from Costco and then having Tim bring up the rear with his huge cart-full of kids. (I've been trying harder to receive those 'helpful' comments from strangers with more grace.)

So, there we are. We're still alive and still adjusting and still learning and really enjoying Aaron's company. I'll be back again soon~ I promise! I wanted to share some things that have helped me be a better manager of this crazy household that might help you too.

Enjoy the somewhat random pictures (courtesy of my mom) below!

This picture here is for you all who say I never post pictures of myself.

Happy Due Date, Aaron!

2011-05-12T13:56:00.001-06:00

I've taken this week off from blogging since my husband is home all week with the kids and me. It's been just a lovely vacation at home~ sleeping in (past 7am), breakfast with the whole crew, completing long overdue home projects, neighborhood walks, lengthy hot showers (my favorite) and plenty of baby-staring. See you all on Monday!

Happy Mother's Day!

2011-05-08T22:17:00.005-06:00

Hi everyone! I hope your Mother's Day was wonderful!

My day was just beautiful~ we baptized Aaron this morning and had a great dinner out with friends. Here are a few shots of the baptism and a few extra just because I've been so delinquent this week with the lack of posts. Enjoy!

And to my own mom, I love you so much and I miss you like crazy and I'm so grateful for the love and support you've never stopped giving. I can't wait to see you soon! XOXOXO

Meet Aaron

2011-05-02T12:16:00.005-06:00

Aaron Jacob Giedd
7lbs, 11oz
6:14am
May 2, 2011

I. AM. EUPHORIC. and exhausted.

So, I've Been a Little Quiet

2011-04-30T17:45:00.014-06:00

Yes, I'm still here. I guess it's time for an update.

I'm still pregnant. 38w 3d to be exact. I guess I'll confess that I had been hoping that our little bundle would have arrived by now, but I'm trying to be patient. Actually I'm more than happy that it looks like he truly will be a May baby; I'm not impatient to hold him. The truth is, I've been having contractions (some easy and some debilitating) every 25-45 minutes since Wednesday at 7am. I am in pain. My muscles are very sore. And on top of that, it's a little frustrating that the contractions aren't exactly speeding up yet either. Let's change the subject.

On a doleful note, Tim's dad passed away early on April 17th. Tim and his brothers had had the opportunity to visit him just last month as he exited the hospital for the last time and we're so thankful that Tim was able to be there to visit that last time. Although his passing wasn't sudden, it was definitely shocking and terribly sad. Tim drove up a few days later with 3 of our kids to be with his mom and brothers for the funeral. (I wanted to write about last week, but I think it would have been terribly unwise to tell the internet that I was home alone and my husband was very far away.) My husband and big kids returned from their long journey on Easter Sunday night. Adam and I were anxiously awaiting them with a good Easter dinner and Easter treats for everyone. I wished I had been able to go, but in my condition, it really was pretty unwise to travel by car so far away. Adam stayed with me and we rested and relaxed for the days the rest of the family was away. It was really quiet around here with just the two of us~ I was so happy to be able to finally squeeze my little joyful noisemakers when they returned.

While my family was away, I had a doctor's appointment and the ladies at church threw a sweet baby shower for me and Aaron and for another friend and her little pink bundle of joy. We had a great time and afterward my friends took me along on an expansive tour of all of the formal dresses throughout the nearest mall. I was super exhausted, but we really did have a great time together.

Oh, I also made new curtains while Tim was gone.

This time that I have on my hands have been filled with little last minute things for baby's arrival. The infant car seat is in the car, the bassinet is set up about 4 feet from my side of the bed, pacifiers have been ordered and delivered. And since Adam has all but adopted his baby brother's blanket, I ran out today to JoAnn's 1 day sale to buy more fabric for another blanket... or two.

Did I mention that we converted Adam's crib to a toddler bed a few weeks ago and he loves it? And I love it because I can tell him that it's time to get in bed and he goes and does it.

(Ok, he's on the couch in this picture, but you get the idea...)

And lest you forget, I actually did get the labels done for Adam's little bookshelf drawers. I didn't make them from fabric like I had planned, but I printed out the tags on paper and then laminated them and attached them to the handles of the drawers with some kitchen twine.

Baby Ducks, Baby Chicks, Baby Cats

2011-04-18T15:48:00.009-06:00

Ok, everyone. I've got to keep it real. I'd love everyone to believe that I live an always happy, sinless, organized life with an adoring husband and clean obedient children. But you've read this blog before and you know that's not the whole truth. Life is not always very beautiful or exciting. And I have a confession.

Our cat, Buster, ran away.
Last January.
I didn't want to tell you because that's not very flattering.

Anyway, we have all been sad that Buster left that fateful Monday night, never to return. The kids have cried and cried and asked about him and prayed for him, but we never saw him again.

Tim told the children that if we ever heard of any other free kittens being born to friends from church that we could adopt another kitty. Well, the email came on April 5th (which happened to be our 8th wedding anniversary). Our friends who live in Elizabeth, CO, had a litter of 4 kittens, 1 female and 3 males. (Tim laid the ground rule that we'd have to get another boy cat~ I guess he doesn't want to start our own kitten factory.) Well, this past Sunday we were able to stop by our friends' house and claim a kitty.

It must truly be spring because they also had baby ducks and baby chicks, all ready to explore outside in the beautiful weather.

Once the box with the kittens was brought out, one by one, the baby cats began to emerge...

The first two were practically identical.

Then this guy popped his head out, and we knew there was something special about him.

Adam was more interested in studying the ducks and baby chicks.

We finally decided that kitty #3, with his beautiful blue eyes and tan coat with black stripes, was the one for us.

It was love at first sight.

We'd been tossing some cat names around for a few days and Dabney and Josh had their favorites (Josh was set on re-naming our new cat Buster) but as soon as we looked at that adorable fella, we knew one of them was perfect.

We've named him Shasta.

This midnight kitty was the sister. She was very shy.

This is the mama kitty. We weren't too popular with her and she did not pose for the camera.
Maybe because we keep talking about taking away one of her babies.

Monday's "to do" List

2011-04-11T11:31:00.010-06:00

Whew! Monday is here again and the list of work keeps growing! I don't know about you, but my life would be absolute chaos without a daily and weekly to do list. Usually I begin with the daily list and add things that I'd like to have done by the end of the week.

LAUNDRY [x]
inventory kids summer clothes [x]
pack hospital bag [x]

clip, sort and file coupons from yesterday's paper [x]
gather papers for pre-admission this week [x]
dinner plan for the week[x]
hospitality menu for Saturday [x]
begin to pack away freezer meals for baby week
find an out of the way place for 3 extra mattresses (details to come) [x]
finish trimming the laminated Latin/English flashcards [x]

remove diaper hook and loop tabs from remaining unconverted diapers
iron Tim's shirts before they begin to multiply [x]
finish new baby wipes

(Um, how long did it take me to figure out that brown wipes are the way to go?)

order shorts for David using Gymbucks (poor kid has 1 pair in size 5!) [x]
hem Tim's pants [x] (Hooray!)
purge and de-clutter linen closet
make fabric labels for Adam's new clothes bins

So many books in a room with 3 boys trying to nap was too much temptation. Now Adam has a perfectly accessible place for his clothes. Much better.

Oh, and some of this...

And all the while, I must keep this crazy, dirt attracting child out of trouble.

What does Monday look like at your house?

Overdue Pictures

2011-04-07T22:30:00.004-06:00

We had a fabulous weekend last week when my Dad and his pastor from Hawaii came to visit us.
It was a gift to get to have Dad for the weekend and it was an instant family connection with Pastor Vander Meulen. Dad, Pastor VM, thank you so much for visiting us!

These pictures have been overdue since Monday morning~ sorry Mom~ and they still aren't in order. I might be able to re-arrange them tomorrow.

There's no significant reason for this picture~ I just thought Aunt Cait might like to see that her niece is following in her Marguerite Henry footsteps.

The guys and their "important meeting".

See who's nestled in and snoozing next to Pastor Vander Meulen?

PopPop's girl

Saying goodbye, David style

Baby Fluff Stash

2011-03-29T10:06:00.006-06:00

Here's my stash of diapers for Baby Aaron! (I really like typing his name. Aaron! Aaron! Aaron!)
You want to know how I paid for most of these diapers? Swagbucks. Yep. You see my 'swidget' to the right? I've been working pretty hard to accumulate those $5 Amazon gift cards at 450 SB a piece. Though they aren't the only prize you can cash in for, I think they're the most valuable. I'm a member of Amazon Mom Prime so I get free shipping on all 'prime eligible' items, and, guess what. Bumgenius diapers are eligible. A fast way to start earning a lot of Swagbucks is to install their toolbar. It's fast, free, easy and you get 1 SB every day you turn on your browser. Besides the obvious search and win, I'd also recommend doing the daily poll and the "no obligation special offer" (NOSO) on their homepage. Money Saving Mom recently did a series of articles on how to maximize your Swagbucks and there's also Swagbucks for Dummies to explain things further. Last week, I had to order flowers and found a deal through their special offers and gained 645 SB for going through them. Last Friday I checked my credit score through them (over 800, baby!) and gained 945 Sb!

Sorry I didn't get to crop this picture (busy day today) but here are our Babylegs for Baby Aaron. Usually these are about $12 each online (plus shipping), but before you buy, look for them on eBay! I bought all of these from China for about $2 each, including shipping! The only downside to this method is waiting for the crazy slow shipping from China~ they may take a month or longer to arrive. But if you're waiting for your baby at the same time, it's no loss. (FYI, I have to hide these from Adam because he thinks all of the "sockies" are for him.)

Ok, last thing for today. I ran by JoAnns the other day to pick up some soft fabric for a little blanket for our little bundle and this is what I came up with~ minky dots on one side and that adorable flannel pirate print on the other. Since a few of his little outfits have a pirate theme going on, I saw this print and knew it was perfect. I even had a bit left over and added some more softness to some new burp cloths.

Happy Tuesday, everyone!

Mini Babymoon!

2011-03-23T07:33:00.009-06:00

(A "babymoon" is a last getaway for mom and dad before their new baby arrives. Honeymoon, babymoon. Get it?)

We went away! For the first time ever, Tim and I escaped together with NO children! (Well, except the unborn one.) Our church has an annual marriage retreat at an old castle here in Southern Colorado and we were really blessed that it worked out for us to attend this year. We also went last year, but we brought along little Adam since he was still nursing. I can't even tell you how wonderful our little getaway was! The food was wonderful, the fellowship was delightful, and the accommodations were beautiful. Oh, and did I mention the material? We studied "What Did You Expect?" by Paul David Tripp. We watched the seminar on dvd and it is absolutely excellent, I recommend it highly! It's a very real look at marriage between two sinners with flawed hearts. I can't say enough about it. Tim and I are thinking of getting the audiobook.

Our room even had a balcony! Tim was out there early Saturday morning reading his Bible before he started the day. I was still snoozing.

Love this window seat.

We were so tired coming in the night before, I didn't have time to take a picture of the beautiful 4 poster before we crashed, but it looked something like this.

The colors of the room's decor was so peaceful and tranquil.

Most rooms had wardrobes~ there were not many closets.

My favorite thing about the bathroom was the big, eastern exposure window.

A better shot of the fireplace.

This is the exterior of the room we stayed in~ the arched window on the left was our window seat.

The weather was gorgeous and the retreat had some free time scheduled in so we could walk and explore as we liked.

And because I haven't posted pictures of the kids lately...

A good friend at church (who happens to be a reading tutor) recommended that we start David with some cursive handwriting to solidify good habits for him. Since he's left handed, sometimes he forgets that in English, letters and words are written and read from left to right. We've seen good success with this approach and now he and Dabney do their cursive handwriting work together.

One of the Smarter Things I've Done

2011-03-18T09:35:00.000-06:00

This is the cabinet closest to my dishwasher. I used to have things in there like my crockpot and cast iron skillets, but then one day I had a great idea. I went to the Goodwill down the street and bought plain white 11" plates. They aren't all from the same manufacturer, but they're basically the same design and they stack pretty well. I bought them for $0.35- $0.69 a piece. I added our unbreakable cereal bowls and plastic cups to the plates on the slide drawer.

Now my kids can reach everything they need when they unload the dishwasher! And if one of my Goodwill plates breaks, I won't cry. And not only that, but now they can reach their own cups for getting their own drinks and they can even make breakfast for themselves without any help from me!

I heard a quote once that said something like, "If your kids aren't doing chores, you have not yet accepted your promotion". I agree 100%.

Baby Stash Part 1

2011-03-17T09:31:00.006-06:00

Happy St. Patrick's Day!
(You are making soda bread today, right?)

Ok, so I'm having a boy. Yes, boy #4. The good news is that I really don't need a whole lot for this little guy. The bad news is that this tends to downplay how special our new son is to our family. Also, I'm getting to the point where my body is cooperating with him more than it is with me. It is so good for me to remember that at the end of all of the pain and sleepless nights and muscle cramps and heartburn and non-functioning hips there is a beautiful baby at the end of this tunnel. And thankfully, he's only about 6-7 weeks from making his grand debut. I'm getting off subject, I think. Anyway, the best way I know how to be encouraged these days is preparing for our little sweetie. And that means...

TINY CLOTHES!

Come back next week and I'll show you the (cloth) diapers I have prepped for the little fella!

Monday, Monday

2011-03-15T08:46:00.000-06:00

We had a wonderful weekend here at our little cozy hole. Tim and I got to sleep in on Saturday (very rare) and were able to start our weekend slowly with a nice cup of coffee. I dropped off a few garbage bags of stuff for Goodwill on the way as I headed off to Lowes to get the supplies I needed to finish off my really big laundry shelf.

(As you can see, I still need to sand the first coat of paint and apply the second.)

I also relisted the old washer and dryer on Craigslist and they sold within hours! Praise the Lord! There is nothing like selling things that you don't need and clearing out clutter at the same time. Seriously love it. After the man came to claim the washer and dryer, we made a nice trip to south Denver to The Container Store and a few other places. We really enjoy our trips to Park Meadows. It's far enough to be a treat when we get to go, but close enough to not take up our entire day.

A few months ago, we switched exclusively to rechargeable batteries. We are very much in the thick of "the little years" with our kids and that means toys with batteries, baby swings with batteries, even puzzles with batteries. This little investment cost a bit upfront (though I got a great deal from Amazon.com) but we are already reaping the benefits. To keep all of our rechargeables organized and put away, I bought this battery organizer at The Container Store. I'm not one to spend money on "uni-taskers", but I searched high and low for a battery organizer and this one just takes the cake. Did you notice the battery tester on the top?

And, Voila! My "new" laundry room!

How Babylegs are Supposed to Look

2011-03-11T20:21:00.006-07:00

(Ok, I know my finger was over part of the flash for the above picture, but I had to include it~ look at that face!)

So I posted this the other week~ Adam wearing my knee socks. I still have every intention on making those socks into homemade babylegs (by cutting the feet of the socks off and hemming the new end) but I ordered this proper pair from eBay and Adam just loves them. He calls them 'sockies'. Adam's very much an accessory baby. He loves socks and shoes and hats and gloves. Our other babies haven't been crazy about wearing extra clothes so this makes Adam a little bit of extra fun.

Josh was in the room, too and he wanted his picture taken with his big new Jeep.

I think he's pretty adorable, too.

Homemade Window Cleaner

2011-03-09T09:50:00.007-07:00

Good morning! (or afternoon. Whatever.)

We're still plugging away over here on school, chores, cooking, nothing too exciting.
This morning I mailed off 6 of my beloved cloth diapers to be converted from hook and loop closures to snaps by this lady. I sent her the very worst looking ones (after 4 years of use) and I'm so excited to see them transformed.

Anyway, I wanted to share a tip today that I've been using for quite a few months now. With 4 kids running around here, I do a lot of cleaning. A lot. Sticky fingers are at epidemic level right now, and something that gets its share of use in our home is window cleaner~ a.k.a. mirror, floor, trim, door, doorknob, cabinet, etc, cleaner. For a long time I used the blue stuff. (Ok, to be accurate, I bought the pink kind. It smelled better.)

Something that always bothered me, though, is having this little collection of curious, very smart, explorer babies and the idea that they could find my cleaning stash and get into big trouble.

Last year, I did a bit of Google research and found that I could make my own non-toxic homemade cleaner with ingredients that I had laying around the house and the potion wouldn't kill my kids if they got brave enough to take a swig. (Yeah, but not that my kids would ever do that.)

Without further ado, here's the recipe:

1 c. rubbing alcohol

1 c. water

1 Tbsp vinegar

Yep, it's that easy. I bought an empty spray bottle for $0.99 from the Walmart cleaning aisle and filled it with 2 batches. You could just as easily reuse an empty spray bottle. I like to put the recipe on the side so I don't have to look it up again when it's time to refill.

Did I mention that it costs about $0.15 per bottle?

I keep the bottle close to my stash of microfiber towels so I only have one stop on the way to the mess.

I love this method of cleaning. It's easy, natural and has virtually no waste. The contribution of alcohol to the cleaner means there are no streaks left on glass and even if there were, the microfiber would take care of that. When you're done, pop that towel into the washer and you're ready to go for the next time. Which, in my case, means tomorrow.

Breaking News!

2011-03-06T17:48:00.006-07:00

Tooth #3 bit the dust early this afternoon!

(Her gums are still a little red and swollen, but that new tooth emerging is so happy to have room to move in!)

Upgrade!

2011-03-04T07:25:00.001-07:00

Hello world. We've been sick. Our days this week have looked exactly like the above picture with me sprawled out on the other couch. And this week has really knocked me for a loop. You can definitely tell that my immune system is compromised. Thankfully, yesterday I had an ob appointment (30 weeks, baby!) and I was diagnosed with a sinus infection. I can barely breathe and when I can breathe, I cough. :(
Anyway, I am now plugging away on my new prescription and seriously loving Tylenol cold for nighttime. Our baby is doing great meanwhile. Dr. Skiles put the doppler up to my tummy to catch his heartbeat and within a half second, he kicked the doppler really hard. Another strong little Giedd on the way. Also, I have to make an appointment within the next week to pre-register at the hospital. Isn't that crazy? Where did this pregnancy go? And, I'll be seeing the doctor in another 2 weeks, then for the weekly appointments! Wow!

The highlight of my week came yesterday though when our new washer and dryer (and 15.5" pedestals!) were delivered and installed.

I cleared out the old machines (we're selling them on Craigslist) , deep cleaned the floor and touched up the paint. I had big plans for the new machines! I bought 2 - 10' inlet hoses and an extra large discharge hose because...

See what I did there? Since the doors open out I didn't want them facing the other wall the way the old machines did.

Did I mention that my husband also bought me the pedestals too?! I love them! They raise the machines to the perfect height and they hold all of my laundry things~ my iron, detergent, starch, dryer sheets and so much more!

So, dear blog readers, I need your help. How would you advise me to maximize the remaining space in my laundry area? Personally, I'm thinking I should add 1 very large shelf the width and depth of the new machines for more storage. Dad, feel free to weigh in! (I would mount a frame of 1x2's around the perimeter where I want the shelf, maybe 2" above the washer and dryer, and then screw down the big piece of particle board.) Whaddya think?

P.S. Nancy! It was so good to hear from you! I'm sorry I never got back to you! Yep, it's boy #4 in a row for us! (You can pray for me~ and I'm not being funny. These boys are wonderful but they wear me our very quickly.) I can't wait for Baby Aaron to arrive and for me to reclaim my body! I would like to feel like myself again. I can chase kids a lot better without a child stretching and kicking from within me.
How are you coming along? Did you peek at your ultrasound? Are your other kids excited? When is your due date? My technical date is 5/13, but I'm placing my bets on the first weekend in May.

I'm Going to Show This one at His Wedding Reception

2011-03-03T20:59:00.003-07:00

And yes, there was a good reason he was naked. Tim brought a brand new potty seat home for Adam last week and Adam used it all by himself the very next morning! On this particular day, he hopped off his seat when he saw the unoccupied computer. Who knew email was so fascinating?

Hi, Mom!

2011-02-22T12:29:00.003-07:00

Hello everyone!

(I'll edit this and write something when the kids are napping...)

Glimpses of our Life

2011-02-18T00:09:00.003-07:00

Daily (or nightly) math work.

Have you ever seen a cuter mismatched baby?

Handsome, busy, creative David

Have you ever wondered what Dabney looks like when you're talking to her on the phone, Grandma and Pop Pop?

The two younger boys really do love each other a lot. They had a great time playing with the doctor kit yesterday.

Valentine's Day 2011 -- and 500 posts!

2011-02-17T20:42:00.008-07:00

Ah, Valentine's Day.

However, you might notice it is after 10:30 pm, three days after the 14th. I really wanted to have a post on Valentine's Day, all lovey and sentimental. This year, Valentine's Day really didn't feel all sentimental, to be honest. It felt like the Monday to a very busy week, which it was.

My husband brought me roses and a card and chocolate and a dinner reservation (for the 6 of us), though we didn't actually make it to a restaurant. Tim saw the way that the day was proceeding, so we opted for take out lo mein instead. We love lo mein.

Valentine's for me really didn't come until last night.

Last night, we put the kids to bed and Tim snuck out to Sonic and brought back a Peanut Butter Cup Blast for us to share while we watched one of our favorite tv shows that we had on the dvr. And that's it. We sat together with a blanket and held hands and chatted. He kept my feet warm. It was delightful. Perfect. Exactly what we needed. After a long day (or two or three) with the kids, being alone with my husband absolutely refreshes me. I find myself becoming more dependent upon him for my sanity and direction in these crazy days. His hugs can take a lot of stress from my shoulders. His presence encourages me. He's my partner, my leader, my best friend and the man I love. I'm so grateful for him.

Best $3 date ever.

This votive holder was one of the things that Tim gave me for our very first Valentine's Day ever. We were about 6 weeks away from our wedding day.

Something else that has blessed our marriage immensely in the last few months has been our early morning coffee dates. Normally, Tim leaves for work while I'm still snoozing, but now, 4- 5 times a week, I wake up early with him and we enjoy a wonderful cup of coffee, read the Bible and pray together. It's also been a wonderful time to synchronize our days together.

Whether it's 10 minutes together or 30, this time together has been a huge blessing with great benefits to our marriage. A time to read your Bible is absolutely necessary, but if you can do it together with your husband, I would highly recommend it. This time has brought Tim and me much closer together and it is so worth the tiny bit of extra effort.

Hope your Valentine's Day (whenever it was) was as great as mine.

Speaking of Creativity...

2011-02-11T08:02:00.003-07:00

My precious David decided on a whim the other day to draw a portrait of his mom and unborn brother. Forget the fact that I have no legs in said illustration and that my hair looks like Moe from The Three Stooges, my big boy drew a picture of me and his little stick figure brother. I love it. He could have drawn a dinosaur or a fire engine, like usual. He even captioned it with his brother's name next to it. (The "R" and the "O" ran together a bit, but hey, give the kids a break, he just turned 5.)

David's heart is one of my most prized possessions.

Flowers Pins

2011-02-10T06:54:00.001-07:00

These wintery snow days can be pretty dreary, especially when the puny amount of snow doesn't warrant a snow day for Daddy or the kids. Flower pins to the rescue! I saw this tutorial first from here, but the original source was here. These sweet pins really are perfect for crafting through the slow days in winter.

The girls I mentioned above, who made these before me, made them from felt, and I did too, but I think you could be creative with what you have on hand. I think felt is such a great, wintry, warm choice. And guys, this is so easy! Just cut the templates (or make your own), trace, cut and glue together! I had some acrylic felt in the basement but while we were out the other day Dabney and I picked up a few 9x12" sheets of a few more colors for $0.29 each at JoAnns.

Dabney chose hot pink and baby blue. I think the baby blue ones sort of look like sweet little hydrangeas.

If you trace and cut carefully, you can make at least 3 flower pins per sheet of felt! Not counting the hot glue and the pin base (look for them in the jewelry making section) that's less than $0.10 per flower! Quick, cute and cheap~ my kind of craft.

Guess What I Got for Christmas?

2011-02-08T07:18:00.002-07:00

(*hint*)

(closer...)

A really big griddle. Why? Because I feed an army. Or a rugby team. Maybe both. And I will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. My new gigantic griddle has taken pancakes and french toast (and many other things) to a whole new level! I can make a dozen at a time and actually eat at the same time as the rest of my family. This is huge.

I have always loved making breakfast for my family, but now it's heaven! Seriously.
Thank you so much, Mom and Dad!

Did you see that girl?

It was her birthday morning.

Dabney Turned 7

2011-02-06T22:44:00.008-07:00

My dear girl is 7 now. I just can't believe it~ it seems so unreal. SEVEN. She was my first baby, born on a snowy Friday, eight days before her due date. Six pounds, 14 ounces. It was the day I became a mom.

I'm so grateful for Dabney because even at such a young age, she has a great servant's heart. She helps me and helps her brothers all the time. She is such a joy to me. She encourages me with hugs and brings me glasses of ice water "because you're pregnant". She can't wait for the new baby. She writes notes to her daddy and me just to say that she loves us. God is working mightily in her life and it's a great privilege to witness this as her mother. I can see her mortifying her sin, even though it is such hard work. She has a compassionate heart and a very tender conscience. I can see Jesus in her already doing His great work.

We love to have "girls' nights" together~ we stay up late together and paint our nails and watch a movie or be crafty together or make cookies or just read. We girls must band together in this house.

I know it sounds so cliche, but she is truly one of my greatest friends.
I love you so much, Dabney. I pray God's many, many blessings on you in your 7th year!

Ok, ok. Now to the family party pictures.

Did I also mention how beautiful she is?

Dabney asked for chocolate ice cream cupcakes, so that's what I gave her. Chocolate cupcake + scoop of chocolate ice cream + hard chocolate top. I think they were well liked.

One little Giedd wasn't feeling so great and observed from the couch.

Dabney has really enjoyed the shoe book series from Noel Streatfeild. I also gave her copies of the books in audio format since they're over 200 pages each.

Adventures in Odyssey at Whit's End

2011-02-06T14:25:00.007-07:00

My baby girl is 7. Well, today is her birthday but I'll be posting about that tomorrow. It's always tricky when birthdays fall upon the Lord's Day. We still celebrate it, but we can't always fit in everything the birthday boy or girl wishes. As you may have noticed, Dabney is a big fan of Adventures in Odyssey. We were the happy recipients of a large amount of cds of Odyssey adventures for Christmas and our kids, Dabney especially, just eats them like candy. We've seen good fruit from this~ their stories are poignant and she's even memorized Scripture from a few episodes. Anyway, we happen to live in Colorado Springs, home of Focus on the Family, which produces AIO. They have a little play area at the Focus welcome center devoted to AIO and the soda shoppe, Whit's End. We took the kids yesterday as part of an early birthday celebration for Dabney.

The boys' favorite activity is coloring pictures of Odyssey Adventures on a touch screen.

The elevators are magic in Odyssey.

Harlow Doyle is the main character in one of Dabney's favorite stories.

Yes, he was quite gentle with the puppets.

Tim was changing A's diaper when when the big kids decided to pose with Whit.

On our way out, we came across a big cut out of Whit, and the preceding moment was completely unscripted. I'm just glad my camera was ready.

You Know Your Kids Have Listened to Too Many Adventures in Odyssey When:

2011-02-05T13:27:00.003-07:00

You get notes from your daughter that look like this.

(BTW, this message is a few months old and must be read from bottom to top.)

Catching Up

2011-02-04T10:32:00.002-07:00

Pajama Days: the beauty of homeschooling!

It's Been Too Long, I know.

2011-02-03T20:31:00.004-07:00

Christmas Highlights

2010-12-29T08:18:00.004-07:00

Does your cat climb the Christmas tree?

Everybody got a piggy bank this year.

Adam just loves his red train from Grandma!

We really surprised Dabney with a new doll she had been wanting~ it was a group gift from many people.

It wouldn't be Christmas day without a nap or two for Mom and Dad. Tim and I had been up most of Christmas Eve night assembling a big basketball hoop as a gift for all of the kids. They really love it, though somehow I didn't manage to get any pictures. :( I got a nap in, myself, after I put the turkey in the oven and Tim and Adam woke up.

We really did have a wonderful, simple Christmas, which is just the just the way we like it.

David's Birthday / Christmas Eve

2010-12-28T07:54:00.003-07:00

Mid-November

2010-11-12T09:23:00.003-07:00

So much has been happening around here! I should have been updating all the way through but it just didn't happen. A few weeks ago we went to visit Tim's parents in Bismarck but when we came back our phones and internet were out. Qwest had to come out a few days later to fix the problem. Then, last week, my laptop got a virus and we're still waiting for the needed software to arrive. (I'm blogging on Tim's computer.) Meanwhile, school has been plugging along well and for the most part things are smooth sailing. The biggest adjustment is exhibited in the picture of Adam below:

Yes, a new arrival in our home will make Adam a big brother next May! We're very excited, and I'm almost 15 weeks along now, so anticipate a gender announcement coming in the next month or so! In the meantime, I posted some pictures so you can see how nicely the rest of the flock is growing...

Who Can Appease Eternal Wrath?

2010-10-24T06:39:00.000-06:00

Question 13. Can we pay this debt ourselves?
Answer. Certainly not. Actually, we increase our debt every day.

Question 14. Can another creature any at all pay this debt for us?
Answer. No. God will not punish any other creature for what a human being has committed. Besides, no mere creature can bear the weight of God's eternal wrath against sin and release others from it.

Merciful, Righteous Judgement

2010-10-17T06:36:00.001-06:00

Question 11. But isn't God merciful?
Answer. God is indeed merciful but also just. Divine justice demands that sin, committed against God's supreme majesty, be punished with the supreme penalty eternal punishment of body and soul.

Question 12. According to God's righteous judgement we deserve punishment both in this world and forever after: how then can we escape this punishment and return to God's favor?
Answer. God requires that divine justice be satisfied. Therefore the claims of this justice must be paid in full, either by ourselves or by another.

King Tut

2010-10-12T19:38:00.002-06:00

Ok, they wouldn't let me take pictures at the museum so I had to bring a few non-artifact items home so we could have some record of the event on our blog. If I have more time soon, I'll share more later.

I think they're trying to be very serious and authentic.

Keeping the Law

2010-10-10T06:35:00.000-06:00

Question 9. But doesn't God do us an injustice by requiring in the law what we are unable to do?
Answer. No. God created human beings with the ability to keep the law. They, however, tempted by the devil, in deliberate disobedience, robbed themselves and all their descendants of these gifts.

Question 10. Will God permit such disobedience and rebellion to go unpunished?
Answer. Certainly not. God is terribly angry about the sin we are born with as well as the sins we personally commit. As a just judge God punishes them now and in eternity. God has declared: "Cursed is everyone who does not observe and obey all the things written in the book of the law."

Pumpkin Time

2010-10-08T11:27:00.007-06:00

This is a project that I wanted to complete last year, but never got around to it. These are designed to be just like Pottery Barn's Build-A-Pumpkin Kits, but for all 4 of mine for less than half of the price of 1 kit! I think the project cost us $3. Anyway, find instructions over here. We didn't make the skeleton (he's pretty ugly) so we made our 4th pumpkin (last one on the left) an homage to King Tut, whom we will meet next week!

Funny, I see 5 pumpkins in the picture. Hmmmm.

What We Did on Our Summer Vacation - Family Camp

2010-10-05T07:36:00.004-06:00

This past August, we attended our church's family camp! For the last few summers, we'd added a couple little boys to our family, so we had been unable to participate with our family camp for quite a while. This year, however, seemed wide open to the possibility! We gathered our food and supplies, tents and sleeping bags and headed out into the "wilderness".

We camped at a state park so there were pavilions available to our group for meetings and devotions and bathhouses not too far from our campsite.

And there was a great field for the annual family olympic competitions.

We also visited a park nearby that had a wonderful volleyball area, playground for little kids and a fantastic water feature, which was the biggest hit for our kids.

Dabney is checking out the new space in her mouth.

We were so privileged to have Auntie Cait with us for our camping trip!

Wrestling with friends~ I LOVE this!

Tim, James, Josh, Adam, Cait, and I all slept in one really big tent (which I didn't manage to get a picture of) while Dabney and David slept in a tent David received for his last birthday.

And, boy, did we all sleep well at night!

Dabney the Nurturer

2010-10-04T09:29:00.001-06:00

Poisoned Natures

2010-10-03T17:48:00.000-06:00

Question 7. What is the source of this corruption of human nature?
Answer. The fall and disobedience of our first parents, Adam and Eve, in Paradise. This fall has so poisoned our nature that we are all conceived and born in a sinful condition.

Question 8. But are we so corrupt that we are totally unable to do any good and inclined toward all evil?
Answer. Yes, unless we are born again by the Spirit of God.

Our Theological Heritage

2010-09-28T10:14:00.004-06:00

(This post has been on my heart for months now. I'm only sorry that it has taken me so long to post it.)

I am an historical girl. I just love history. I love my family history, American history, world history, church history.

Maybe I love history because I live in Colorado which has practically no history; it only became a U.S. territory 149 years ago. I grew up in a small town in the rolling Pennsylvania farmland that is older than the American revolution. My parents used to drive half an hour away and show us where our nation was born- I wish I could do the same for my children. I miss learning about the old history that used to surround me. History is important because it tells us where we've come from and who we are.

Maybe I love history because I grew up learning from a dear pastor who taught us to value our theological heritage. I draw great comfort from learning about the Scottish Covenanters who were persecuted for their faith. They died not just for believing in Jesus, but for doctrinal truths from Scripture, like justification by faith alone, the solas of the reformation, bringing children into the covenant by baptism, and practices such as family worship and psalm singing. I would encourage you to read a few of these books to get you started learning about these great saints.

I believe that historic Biblical creeds, confessions, catechisms are very important as we grow in our faith and can meditate on weightier doctrines. The simple doctrines (like the Apostle's Creed) are crucial to know and understand and love, but after a while, theological meat is necessary to grow strong. Do we delve any deeper than pop culture Christianity? We have hundreds of years of Presbyterian history that we benefit from everyday. Are we taking advantage of this history? These ancient godly men searched the scriptures night and day and summarized biblical thoughts and doctrines for their children and congregants. This is our spiritual heritage. These men were persecuted for shaking up the status quo and doing and preaching what was biblical. Ministerial delegates in 1647 labored heavily and prayerfully as they drafted the Westminster Confession of Faith and Catechism, a thorough exposition of Scripture heavily laden throughout with full proof texts for every word written. John Calvin after having fled to Basel, Switzerland in 1536, wrote his Institutes of the Christian Religion, a veritable handbook for reformed, newly protestant Christianity. Study for yourself and adopt the Canons of Dort in 1619 which defend the faith against the delinquent doctrine of Arminianism. Don't forget the puritan preachers and authors too, like Jeremiah Burroughs, Thomas Watson, Jonathan Edwards and Richard Baxter who thoroughly studied the Bible and wrote beautiful volumes about God's attributes and instructions on how to live a godly life. (I'd heartily recommend this one.) We must study these documents and learn about our church fathers. All of this is very important. There is a wealth that we cannot squander. These are the shoulders that we stand upon. We need to be mature enough in our faith to know why we believe what we believe.

A note to those who know me from church:
Do you ever wonder what exactly is a sacrament? Why do we baptize our babies? Who should partake of the Lord's Table? Why do we worship in the order we do? I would encourage you to take a look at The Westminister Confession and the OPC Book of Church Order ~ also known as The Westminster Standards. This organized way of worship is important because order reflects the order of our good God.

Created in True Righteousness and Holiness

2010-09-26T08:59:00.000-06:00

Question 5. Can you live up to all this perfectly?
Answer. No. I have a natural tendency to hate God and my neighbor.

Question 6. Did God create people so wicked and perverse?
Answer. No. God created them good and in God's own image, that is, in true righteousness and holiness, so that they might truly know God their creator, love God with all their heart, and live with God in eternal happiness for God's praise and glory.

Fall Co-op 2010

2010-09-24T07:26:00.000-06:00

This fall we're headed back to our friends' house in the country to learn about bugs and insects! You may remember that last May we participated in a co-op where we learned about trees, and my good friend Andie was brave enough to invite us back to their home so our group of kids could learn together again.

These jars are holding a couple homemade ant farms~ an experiment in what ants like to eat.

Everyone got to catch bugs and show them to each other.

Mostly, everyone caught giant grasshoppers, with a few caterpillars and ladybugs thrown into the mix.

My kids just loved it!

They're also creating another lapbook this time so there will be something tangible to put in their binders for the year. They'll be finished with them soon and I'll be sure to show you all of their hard work.

More Cat Pictures

2010-09-21T14:42:00.003-06:00

...which is ironic since I've never considered myself a cat person.

(Look at his cool stripes!)

I guess he was just too photogenic this morning as he took one of his multitudinous naps on Dabney's bed.

Buster Love

2010-09-20T13:56:00.005-06:00

Isn't that the cutest cat you've ever seen?

A family at church recently had a few litters of kittens and were looking to give them to good homes. Imagine my shock when Tim actually said we could take one! Dabney literally shed tears of joy. And that is not an exaggeration. This is our family's first pet.

We brought the little guy home yesterday and I think things are going very, very well. We call him Buster. He finds his newspaper when he needs it (Tim's bringing home a proper litter box tonight) and has taken to eating and drinking just fine. My only job with him is managing his crowd control. My pet-starved kids just can't get enough of him, although he handles them well.

"Nice to meet you!"

God's Law Summarized

2010-09-19T08:58:00.000-06:00

Question 3. How do you come to know your miserable condition?
Answer. The law of God tells me.

Question 4. What does God's law require of us?
Answer. Christ teaches us this in summary in Matthew 22: "'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your minds [and with all your strength].' This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets." 1

My $25 Dining Room Light Make-Over

2010-09-15T16:09:00.005-06:00

Alright, here is our "before" picture. I hate "before" pictures. There is a story to this light fixture, but in a nutshell, suffice it to say that it had cost less than $3 and was always viewed as a temporary solution. That is, until I found this sweet thing for $15 on Craigslist last week... (scroll down!)

Of course, this was her "before" shot. However, a can of black spray paint does work wonders.

I strung her up on the inside of my trusty ladder and sprayed away!

Isn't that much better? She was meant to be painted black!

And, yep, I got paint on my ladder. Good thing that I don't really care. As far as I'm concerned, paint belongs on your ladder.

A cute helper is of course, completely optional.

Here she is hung, but before I swagged her.

I definitely needed a few chandelier shades for our new light fixture. I love the ones at Lowe's but they range from $6-$9 each and I needed 5. Paying that much is just not in my blood. I found these at Hobby Lobby. Did you notice the price? $3.99! And guess what? They were half off! That's right people~ $2 each! That's a price I can pay.

Now it seems as though our entire dining room is transformed. She gives out plenty of light, she's swagged high enough so the entire space is illuminated, and we all think it's a vast improvement. I am beyond ecstatic with the $25 we invested!

What We Did on Our Summer Vacation- Josh Turned 3

2010-09-13T09:21:00.006-06:00

On July 22nd, our Josh turned 3 years old! How on earth did "Baby Josh" get so big so fast?

I made these cupcakes from a set of books (Hello, Cupcake and What's New, Cupcake) that I bought a few months ago. I let Josh thumb through the books and choose the kind that he wanted for his birthday. For a while he couldn't decide between the sharks and the pandas, but ultimately he settled on the pandas.

"Thank you, Aunt Rannah!"

Set Free from Misery

2010-09-12T18:55:00.000-06:00

Question 2. What must you know to live and die in the joy of this comfort?
Answer. Three things: first, how great my sin and misery are; second, how I am set free from all my sins and misery; third, how I am to thank God for such redemption.

First Sewing Lessons

2010-09-07T08:34:00.005-06:00

As you may remember, Dabney bought an American Girl doll last spring with her own money. Naturally, we've been on the look out for more clothes for Kit, but boy, can they be expensive! In our case, necessity really is the mother of invention so Dabney and I took inventory of the house. Providentially, we had just gathered a large garbage bag of clothes from the closets, destined for the Goodwill.

We found some free patterns online and got to work. We loved the patterns so much that we even bought a few, which is almost out of character for me.

Dabney and I printed, cut and laminated the pattern pieces, then got to work on cutting and marking the fabric. I did the sewing this time, but Dabney is not far from doing those steps herself.

Happy Customer!

Fitting for a Sunday Evening

2010-09-05T19:35:00.004-06:00

The Heidelberg Catechism

Question 1. What is your only comfort in life and in death?
Answer. That I am not my own, but belong body and soul, in life and in death to my faithful Savior, Jesus Christ. Christ has fully paid for all my sins with his precious blood, and has set me free from all the power of the devil. He also watches over me in such a way that not a hair can fall from my head without the will of my Father in heaven; in fact, all things must work together for my salvation. Because I belong to him, Christ, by his Holy Spirit assures me of eternal life and makes me wholeheartedly willing and ready from now on to live for him.

My New Whiteboard

2010-09-03T08:30:00.007-06:00

Ok, This one was really easy, guys.

My mailbox is down the street from my house. I hate that. What happened to the days when you can keep your cute mailbox on it's post at the end of your driveway? Seriously, is crime so bad that you have to keep your mail locked away in a cold, ugly, metal, communal box?. Ugh, sin. Anyway, I walk to my mailbox down the street everyday. On the upside, I also get to say hello to my neighbors and remove myself from our property everyday, too.

A few weeks ago, walking towards said mailbox, I noticed a house nearby whose occupants were obviously booted from the premises. The house had been for sale for a while, and the outside had been trashed. Literally. A crazy mountain of stuff was out by the curb. I scanned it but saw only one remotely salvageable item. This large frame. It's made of MDF and very heavy. It had originally been used as a mirror ~ I know this because there was still a shard lodged inside. It is almost 4 feet tall and as soon as I saw it I had an epiphany. I knew exactly how I could use it. A whiteboard! A huge, substantial, practically free whiteboard for our home school, that wouldn't look half bad! Look at those ledges! They are perfect for holding dry erase pens and erasers! I lugged it back to my house with my car. There were two ugly metal geometric medallions flanking the sides, which I promptly removed, then filled the holes with wood filler.

A few days later I went to Home Depot with my right hand girl. We bought a 4' by 8' enormous piece of tile board/panel board (mention that it will be used for dry-erase purposes and they'll know exactly what you need) and had the nice man at the store cut it with the giant wall saw into a 29x30"piece. That cost us $12, but I used less than half of that giant board and I have huge pieces left over in my basement now. So I estimate that the exact piece of tile board/ shower board set me back about 5 bucks. I pryed open the top of the back of the frame and slipped in my new whiteboard and voila. Couldn't be easier! And now look at what we have~ a substantial piece for our schoolroom that cost almost nothing. I love free stuff. And I'm not ashamed.

Homemade Bulletin Boards for the Kids

2010-09-02T08:10:00.000-06:00

[Ahhhh! I really wanted to show you how to make these bulletin boards but I can't find the how-to pictures that I took. :( I might have to settle for written instructions because I just don't feel like taking them apart to show you how to put them together.]

First off, find a nice frame. I was aiming for a frame with pretty detail and more than 1" wide, but you can use your preference. The frame I used for Dabney's was brown wood (I gave it a quick spray with white paint) from Hobby Lobby and the original price was $59.99. Isn't that crazy? I mean, I really liked it, but who would pay $60 for 1 frame? I bought it because it was marked down to $6. Also, grab yourself some foamcore board ($1.50) and some poly batting. I used batting that I already had in the basement. Oh, and some fabric (the size of the frame opening plus about 5" around the sides) and coordinating ribbon. Dabney's board used clearance fabric also from Hobby Lobby ~ $2/yd. The boys' board used a remnant.

Layer the batting and the fabric on the foamcore. Flip the whole deal upside down, pull the fabric taut and then staple it all to the foamcore. Strategically place the ribbons to wherever you want them. I did all horizontal ribbons, but you could do the crisscross design that is so popular or whatever you like. Pull them very taut and staple them in place also. Place the whole deal in your frame and secure. I used my staplegun to keep the board in place, but you could also use clear packing tape on the back.

Hang it up and admire your work!

Welcome to Command Central!

2010-09-01T09:17:00.005-06:00

Welcome to command central! This is my new (to me) desk! I was getting pretty harried managing our homeschool, finances, house stuff, mail, coupons, etc from our dining room table, so a few weeks ago, we found this great desk from Pottery Barn Kids for really cheap on Craigslist. I was so excited to snatch such a great find! Look at those little cubbies! I have one for coupons, one for our whiteboard stuff, one for drawings and letters from the kids, and more to spare! And drawers! I have art paper for the kids to use in that inbox in that 3rd space and my master curriculum guide lives (for now) on the bottom. The furniture is all solid wood~ hutch, desk and chair. Although the desk and hutch have been discontinued, you can still buy the chair from pottery barn on sale for only $99. I bought the entire 3 piece set for $59. Total steal. And, I am completely in love with it.

The only thing is this...

and this...
It was definitely used as a school desk. By children who were fidgity and expressed their boredom on this desk. The pictures don't show it well, but there are shallow carving all over the front right side of the desk. My dilemma is this: I want to use this desk forever and restore her back to her original beauty. I'm thinking a light sanding with my sanding mouse and then a coat or two of white paint. However, the ante is upped (in my mind, at least) because the furniture is from Pottery Barn. I'm nervous that I'll ruin it forever. Maybe it's because I know I can't just run out and get another one. Not that I do a bad job at these things, remember the $15 dresser?
Anyway, I'm thinking paint. White or black. Although I already have two large black bookshelves in the room where my desk lives. Would that be too much black? I need your opinion! I'm putting a poll in the left sidebar so you can help me. PLEASE VOTE! And thanks in advance for your wonderful ideas!

Summer Vacation pt. 2- Memorial Day

2010-08-31T09:55:00.004-06:00

I'm embarrassed that I haven't posted these before now, but better late than never I guess. In May our church had our annual Memorial Day picnic at a local park. I suppose that marks the 8th anniversary of my first (albeit very short) conversation. The kids had a great time playing on the jungle gym and running around with their friends and Tim and I had a great time fellowshipping with our friends and playing volleyball.

(Nathan and Megan were so patient when a large group of kids lined up to balance on the giant ball.) More summer pictures coming tomorrow!

* Breaking News! *

2010-08-30T10:57:00.002-06:00

Dabney lost her first tooth ever at Family Camp last week!
We were all so excited that it finally happened, but no one more so than Dabney herself!
Seriously, isn't she the very cutest thing ever?

(This picture was mere moments after it happened! It all happened so quickly, I didn't grab my big camera in time and had to ask Aunt Cait to snap a few of the big moment with hers. Definitely more to follow!)

What We Did on Our Summer Vacation

2010-08-24T00:03:00.000-06:00

Ok, I'm compiling a few posts of what our family has been up to in these last few months. I know I've been a bad blogger lately so I'm going to try to make it up to you. I guess it all begins in May. Tim had a few days off so we really kind of did another "stay-cation" close to home, relaxing, taking day trips and really enjoying one another. We visited a few of my favorite-in-the-world shopping places, had lots of backyard playtime with the kids. Sometimes life is so busy, it's easy to forget that the most meaningful things are so simple and (most of the time) free.

Scenes from a Vacation Pt. 2

2010-07-26T09:38:00.010-06:00

WARNING: This post is extremely picture heavy! Here are more pictures from our vacation to North Carolina 2 weeks ago. We had an amazing time and returned very relaxed and refreshed.
I took hundreds of pictures. Of course, I'm not going to post them all but here are a few of my favorites. Unfortunately, these are in very random order. If I had an extra hour, I'd put them in order, but it is Monday morning, and I have laundry going and I haven't eaten breakfast yet and I have 4 kids who are looking for direction, and I still need to exercise before noon, etc. Anyhow, I hope you enjoy!

2010-07-11T22:06:00.006-06:00

And what's a vacation picture post without ancient pictures of relatives thrown in?

Best Friends

2010-06-16T13:41:00.001-06:00

Happy Birthday to our Adam

2010-06-15T10:48:00.002-06:00

Brace yourselves: this video involves singing.

Adam's 1st Birthday

2010-06-15T10:13:00.005-06:00

"Hey, Adam! Guess what we have for you..."

"It's a birthday watermelon!"

"Ok, and a few cupcakes"

Happy 1st Birthday, Big Guy.

Adam's Apple

2010-06-09T15:12:00.005-06:00

(See! He does have teeth!)

Fridays in May

2010-06-08T15:23:00.003-06:00

On the Fridays in May we took part in a co-op that was organized by a friend from church. While older kids and teens were in a writing workshop, the little kids learned all about trees from my good friend, Andie. Andie is a wonderful gardener and she has beautiful trees and different plants all around their property. She showed all of the kiddos her seedlings and as we came back every week we could see the progress they were making.

Strawberries

Learning all about conifer trees vs. broadleaf deciduous.

Making their tree lapbooks.

Since we were in the vicinity, the kids and I decided to get a few errands done in the Denver area. On the first Friday, the kids and I braved the American Girl Store at Park Meadows. As I pushed the double stroller through the aisles of dolls and girly clothes and the vast landscape of accessories, I kept getting remarks like, "Wow! Three boys!" and "Three boys and one girl!" Someone even asked Dabney how many brothers she had. I guess boys are scarce around those parts.

In the end, we emerged victorious. The only thing we were after was a hair brush for Dabney's new doll and constant companion~ Kit.

On the last Friday, the children completed their lapbooks and then all of the families caravaned down the street to a little creek where the kids had a fabulous time splashing in the water.

(Dabney was running from what she thought was a snake.)