The Big trip ~Days 11 and 12

Sorry this has taken me so long...truly! If I remember correctly, I left off right as we were gearing up for the wedding, right? Catch up back here if you have forgotten, as I did...LOL~OK, now that we are all caught up..let's move forward!

Thursday was Rehearsal day...and I mostly spent the day in the kitchen making goodies for the rehearsal dinner. Then we headed out to the rehearsal and had a wonderful time. Everyone was laughing and teasing...we walked through the ceremony a few times, answered the last minute questions and then got to the good stuff...THE FOOD!! Lauren's god-mother Deanne and I prepared the food and OH my, did we have some tasty treats!! Fun was had by all and we departed excited about and anticipating the coming wedding!

Friday found me out to lunch with Brother John, at my all time favorite restaurant called Papadeaux..YUM~O! If you like great seafood...this is the place. If you love a charming dinner companion, I can give you Brother John's number *winks* We talked of old times, good times, bad times, the in-between times, the Bible, the demise of the American family structure, told silly stories and ate and ate and ATE! Can I say YUM~O again?? I think I was full for 2 days ; )

He dropped me off for an afternoon of decorating the reception hall which just happened to be at Dad and Mom's church. Lauren, Josh and most of the bridal party worked hard all afternoon getting everything JUST RIGHT for the big day. Tables were set, centerpieces were adjusted one more time, flowers were placed just so, name cards were made and put in the right spot, the DJs table was arranged, the cake table was ready for the lovely confectionery delight, and all was well with the world. And then we all went home and collapsed so we could get ready for the BIG DAY!! More about that in the NEXT post!!

Thanks for taking the journey with me,

Kristy

Simple Woman's Daybook

For Today... December 28, 2009 (last one of the year)
Outside my window...it is still and cold, Dan is gone to work and it's so early, not even the neighbor's rooster is crowing. The sky is clear and full of stars...so beautiful!

I am thinking...that life sure is full of change...and here comes some more changes.

I am thankful for...holidays spent with family and friends, time off of work to rest and relax and the fun of 4 year olds on Christmas morning...and my new cricut machine...yeah!
I am wearing...my nightgown as it is barely 5 am and I'm heading back to bed soon.

I am remembering... that I have much to do today...I better get some more sleep and then hit the ground running.
I am currently reading...Robinson Crusoe (I give up...it's just plain old boring!!) Slightly Bad Girls of the Bible, my Bible (wrapping up Proverbs again) and Hero Tales

I am hoping...that I can do a better job of prioritizing in the coming months. Time to dig out my 'Managers of their Homes' book and rework my schedule...and then start USING it again

On my Mind... 2010

Noticing that...it's true that as you age, time goes by more quickly...why IS that?

Pondering these words..."Proper Planning Prevents Poor Performance" Thank you, Brother in law, Mike
From the kitchen... many tasty treats still linger, but it's time to wrap up the year end baking and get back to healthy (ish) eating...LOL

• Monday~ Sloppy joes with salad and veggie sticks
• Tuesday~Split pea soup with the leftover Christmas Ham, plus fresh bread
• Wednesday~Mac and Cheese with smoked sausage
• Thursday~Chicken and rice casserole (then munchies for New Year's Eve)
• Friday~Pizza with chips, veggies and ranch dip
• Saturday~Pat has been pushing for a return of freezer food night...we shall see
• Sunday~Roast chicken, garlic mashed potatoes and broccoli with cheese sauce

From the learning rooms...time to hit the books again! We took off all of Christmas week and most of the week before (which I did NOT plan for) so we need to get as much work done this week as we can so that we start 2010 on track. So today, the library for new book basket books, some serious ABeka time and much quiet reading. Rest of the week...ABeka in the AM, and My Father's World in the PM. Jodi and family are moving out this week, so it will be hit or miss with James, but we will do the best we can until a proper schedule can be worked out.
Around the house...it's still looking a lot like Christmas exploded all over the house...time to clean up the last of the boxes, find new homes for the new things and clean out some of the old. The boys need to be 'packing' as well since we will be in possession of two more bedrooms by the weekend and D and P are moving into 'the wing' and Derek is moving upstairs...they are quite excited! The pantry/Fridges/freezer must be cleaned out and taken stock of...they are all full, but I can never seem to find what I'm looking for...LOL!
One of my favorite things...Being able to find what I'm looking for...especially when it's my mind that I'm searching for...hee hee!

From my picture journal... Our 3 boys getting ready for the annual tradition of opening ONE gift on Christmas eve.


If you enjoy the simple life, are looking to begin the simple life or just want to read more of these wonderful posts...head on over to the delightful site of Miss Peggy at http://www.thesimplewomansdaybook.blogspot.com/ or click on the photo at the top.

Kristy's Tooting Her Own Horn

Just a shout out to me and my ad set co-workers! I am Kohl's superstar of the month!! I get the fancy parking spot, the admiration of my peers, a small bonus in my paycheck...and most importantly, the knowledge that the management team at Kohl's knows that I bring my very best to work, each and every time I arrive to be in their service. The ad set team takes turns nominating each other, so it was my turn...LOL, but I appreciate the nod just the same. It's just something that for some unknown reason, I'm ridiculously pleased about, so here I am, tooting my own horn....toot toot tooty toot toot!

Blessings to you from a VERY humble (ahem) SUPERSTAR!! : )

Kristy

Simple Woman's Daybook~Early Morning Edition

"Would you like to linger on the simple things?? Then join me and many others in taking a little look into the day plans and thoughts of those who are focusing on simplicity...beauty of the 'everyday moments'." ~Miss Peggy~ If you would like to read other daybooks, check out this site.

For Today...December 21, 2009 (last SWD post before Christmas)
Outside my window...a clear sky twinkles with stars, a cool breeze blows and the world still sleeps.
I am thinking...that Christmas snuck right up on me this year...how did I let that happen??

I am thankful for...being prepared for Christmas, having a new CD to enjoy as I go about my day (thanks, Monkey) and a few more days to get the Christmas letter out....running so late on that part this year.

I am wearing...my jammies as it's barely 5 am and I am heading right back to bed when this is done...LOL

I am remembering...my birthday yesterday and all the sweet things that happened. all the wonderful people that called, dropped by or sent messages of well wishes, time spent with family and a restful, relaxing day. It's not so bad being 36, I guess ; )

I am going...nowhere until work tonight, hurray! Unless out of my mind counts as a trip...hee hee! And that means one more day to let my back heal after Friday night's half-Gainer onto my kitchen floor. I so wish I had caught that on video!

I am reading...Robinson Crusoe (will I EVER finish that book??) Slightly Bad Girls of the Bible (a new birthday gift) and the Advent Book with the Boys each night.

I am hoping...that I can complete my to do list today and be ready to greet hubby with a hot dinner, a clean house and a warm hug when he arrives home tonight.

I am hearing....just the fish tank filter burbling away. It's been forever since I heard that. Gosh, it really IS early and quiet here right now! I miss early morning quiet since work has forced me to alter my sleeping schedule. I am by nature, a morning person...but 'life' insists that I become a night owl, and so I miss quiet sleepy mornings with a cup of tea warming my hands while my Bible warms my heart. I can still do that at night, but it's just not the same...*sigh*

On my mind...many things, as usual~ but primarily being glad that Hubby and I for once did not overspend on gifts and we can start the new year NOT struggling to keep up in January. Maybe getting older does have some benefits...LOL!

Noticing that...God has placed some WONDERFUL people in my life...those that love me, despite me...ones that encourage me...ones that inspire me...ones that hold me accountable...ones that make me laugh. Ain't God GOOD??

Pondering these words..."You're a Blessing in our Life" My those are humbling words...how I long for them to be true~

From the kitchen...Oh my, I don't even know yet...TERRIBLE! I know I need to bake bread today and then make some meal plans. I'll try to get back to you on that one.

From the learning room...a week off, but since we skipped a few days last week, we may squeeze in a paper or two if we have time. Mostly just reading, crafting and baking this week. PRACTICAL learning, right? Next week, back to the books.

Around the house...I have GOT to fold the clothes in my room! I need to do some general tidying, clean the kitchen yet again and try to keep it that way....Muahahahah~ I also need to help Jodi pack if she needs it. They plan to move sometime next week, so it's crunch time.

One of my favorite things...Family and Friends that take time to make my birthday special, even though it's the busiest time of year.

A picture thought I am sharing with you...Dan with the handmade calendar with pictures of the sweet Miss Izzi all dressed up...so precious!

The Reading of the Advent Book

Here are the boys reading our Advent book. Each night, they take turns being the first to read and then putting up their special piece of the book. As we read the book each night, we are creating a lovely nativity scene...and some precious memories as well. This video is for the grandparents who miss the boys and for you who might be considering buying this book from Usborne at http://www.myubam.com/ecommerce/details.asp?sid=NEW&gid=91071489&title=Advent+Nativity+Book&sqlwhere=submit%3Dsearch%26search%3Dnativity No, I don't sell for them, but I DO love their books and this one in particular is one of my favorites by them. Grandparents, enjoy the video~

Long time, No Bloggy! LOTS of pictures ; )

Oops, life got in the way again...as often happens around the holidays (err, holi-DAZE) so for today, just some pics of recent happenings and I'll post another catch up post soon. Love to all, and hope you are enjoying the busy-ness of the season as much as we are!

Christmas Blessings,

Kristy and the Man Crew

Happy birthday to me, I'm the most blessed of all, I had TWO birthday cakes, one courtesy of 'Shua and Lauren, and one courtesy of my dear Sister-Girl, Karen!! Yeah for wonderful family!!

Christmas party+birthday party+game night= F~U~N!!

Awww, Karen gets into the spirit of Christmas as she counts the days until she heads to Cali for the holidays.

Oh...look at the pretty ornament Tracy made me for my birthday...Oooo, Ahhhh!

Lauren and Rusty are feeling festive...poor dog! Love this pic, though!!

Decorating the tree...what a bunch of handsome boys!! Not that I'm prejudiced, at all! ; )

Coffee and Doughnuts with Auntie Karen on a sleepy Saturday morning

Kelly and her sweetie-pie, Jared

Ty and Pat get into the spirit of "Peace on Earth" ..well, sorta!

I spent 3 happy days in this little hotel room scrapping, reading, sleeping in and spending time with Dan....more about that in another post

Titus gets INTO his food...LOL

Merry Christmas to all and a Great Holiday where we remember the reason behind the season! May God richly bless you this coming year!!

Catchin' Up with Us MeYeR's

Hello from wintry, SNOWY Las Cruces! That was a treat to say! ; ) For those who missed my last post, it snowed not once, but TWICE last week....and we even had enough to stick to the ground. Hurray~ anywho....let's catch up, shall we??

For once, I don't have much to report...so all the more reason to get caught up before all the news is old and this post is 10 miles long...LOL! Here we go!

This week was actually rather uneventful as weeks go around here. Everything ran rather smoothly...*sigh* School got done, err...mostly without interruption, I got to work and back safely and without too much hassle, David went to gymnastics and practiced hard with the other boys, Dan went to Hurley and managed another week without losing his temper or his mind and it's now a lovely Saturday and once I'm done catching you up, I've got big plans to read a whole book this afternoon *yeah* Last night, we had 'new' company at game night. Dan's friends Doug and Amy that invited us to their fish fry a few weeks back, came over and enjoyed game night with us...and if they had half as much fun as we did, we will see them again soon on a Friday night. 'Shua and Lauren's puppy, Rusty is back home and on the mend from his nasty bout of parvo virus, so that is good news. Dan and I are busy making Christmas plans and we will probably put up the tree tomorrow with the boys and then we are going out for a date...I'm so excited! The boys have been enjoying the Advent book and putting up the nativity one piece at a time. Tonight is movie night and we are going to watch "White Christmas" (it's my FAVE Christmas movie) and "Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian" (and since I'm such a homeschool dork mom, I found a mini-lapbook/unit study so we can even count watching the movie as school....hahahahahahah!) Anywho, for now, that's all the news that is news. Have a great week and know that to all who live far away from us, you are never far from our heart and our thoughts. Much love as we head into the most blessed of all seasons~

Kristy and the Man Crew

Tyler takes a break from bananagrams to snuggle the pretty Miss Izzi and play with Rusty, who is getting bigger by the minute!

Lauren is our very own snow angel...doesn't she look happy??

Look, it's Black Eyed Bob, with his self-inflicted injury during an experiment with levers...LOL!

Patrick helped Titus write his name. Both the littles like to be up to the table while the big boys are doing school.

Global Warming, eh?

Well then, explain this! In a town where the avg daily temp in December is in the upper 50s...and we rarely get an actual freezing temp....this was a wonderful treat this week. They shut down the schools, some places of employment and even the highways...all for less than 2 inches of snow...LOL! The boys were so excited...and so were 'Shua and Lauren! *grins* ~K~





LET IT SNOW!!!

Lauren and 'Shua look so cute in the snow together!

November Catch up Post

Hello Turkey! I can't wait to gobble you up, no pun intended!

Oh my gravy...is it the end of November ALREADY? When did that happen? Sorry about the pitiful state of my blog this month, we've just been busy, busier, and busiest around here. School is in full swing,,,4 days a week with Fridays being 'life lesson' day...grocery shopping, house cleaning, cooking, baby chasing lessons, etc. ABeka for Arithmetic and Language Arts and then My Father's World for Bible, Art, History, Science, Music and Geography. We studied an overview of the world, maps and globes in the early part of the month, and have started our study on North America that will last until the new year. David is still doing gymnastics thanks to Jodi's generosity and is at the gym on T, TH and F from 4:30 to 7:30, and 8-9 on Sat AM. Phew...that's a LOT of gymnastics. Happily, it coordinates nicely with Jodi's tutoring job at the gym and she does almost all of the ferrying back and forth. We work on getting all of school done before he has to leave, which helps Mama with her accountability with school not dragging on all day. Pat is looking forward to joining a karate class soon after the new year and is doing well in school...settles in and gets it done. He's finally caught on to the concept of just working instead of fussing about it and then you can get back to the playing. (Thank you Jesus!) He really enjoys his tent room and spends many happy hours there, making little forts, reading to himself or the littles and entertaining Titus in there. Dan has introduced him to the idea of working out and set him up a little workout routine which he follows religiously...and even 'coaches' the other kids when they want to play, too. David is hoping for his own room soon, but that depends on what size house we can find when we move from here. Derek is catching on to his letters, colors and numbers quite well, considering I only sit and do 'formal' school with him about one day a week. Other days is just reading to him, singing songs and educational videos. He LOVES to get up to the table with the big boys and 'help' do project with them...and I'm fine with that. It's the busy season for me at work right now and I'm not ashamed to admit that working until 2-3 AM 4 nights a week is kicking my behind. I keep telling myself that it's only for the next few weeks...but at 7 AM the next morning, I don't really care, I just want to sleep more. I find myself discouraged that I haven't even BEGUN my Christmas prep yet. There's been no money to buy gifts and no time to craft gifts, so maybe I'll steal Jodi's idea and promise everyone a date. We shall see how that goes. I'm having trouble even finding my Christmas spirit this year yet, so I ordered White Christmas from Netflix and put it at the top of my Que...LOL! That should help. Dan is still working, still in Hurley and still hating it. He actually said the other day that he had considered walking off the job (Dear God in Heaven...NNNNoooooooo!) The one co-worker just refuses to behave like a grown up and is driving him to distraction. Same guy actually threatened Dan the other day (he MUST be crazy) Anywho, I'm just praying that he can manage to deal until his job switches to somewhere else. I just keep saying to myself that the Lord will provide...and He will, just not necessarily in my timing or the way I want. And that's the hard part. But that's ok too, because the hard stuff brings growth in my life, and I need that.

Moving on...Thanksgiving was great, Karen and Ty, plus 'Shua and Lauren came for dinner with us. Everyone pitched in to get dinner on the table and it was delish! Dan helped me with the Turkey and I think Julia Child would have been proud. No turkey has ever been so lovingly prepared for the oven...Muahahahah! We sat around the table and chatted a while, then Dan put away food and Karen did the dishes....can it be Thanksgiving EVERY day?? : ) We went and had pie at Mama Lou's house and chatted with everyone there. Friday we spent the day at home doing absolutely nothing...and doing it well! Saturday was our pie and coffee get together and was essentially a game night without pizza. We ate pie and guzzled coffee until we were on a sugar high and had bloated tummies, then sat and played games for hours. It was AWESOME...really enjoyed it. So here it is, the last day of November: Dan is at work in Hurley, the boys are in bed and all I am hearing is the dryer tumbling our last load of clothes for the day and myself typing, I'm headed out for work in 30 minutes and life is full. And good. And God is blessing us... in SPITE of us. A few prayer requests and then some pictures to get you up to date.

• Dan could use some prayer to calm his pressure at work, he's about to be at the breaking point.


• I need to get the house back to being a safe haven for him so that he can rest and refresh while he is at home.


• While we are making great strides in our schooling adventures, there is always room for improvement. Jodi and I were talking today that I always say that this is the best year EVER for homeschooling...and it is, but as I look back, I always see what I could have done better, or not done at all, or differently, and sometimes I get frustrated that it isn't going as well as it could, or I'm not keeping up with with homeschooling Jones' so prayer for me to remember that I'm doing the best I can, or if I'm not, to use that discouragement as EN~couragement to change directions and make THIS the best year ever....PERIOD.
  
• Jodi and Aaron are going through some changes and are struggling a bit...pray for them, their marriage and their children. Help Dan and I to be better examples of not only forgiveness, determination, and making it work, but of love.
  
• Karen and Ty are going to Cali for Christmas to see Dolli and family. Travelling mercies and to have a wonderful time together!


• Dan and I need to get back to having regular time together, away from the kids and the house. Prayers for not only the TIME to do that, but the opportunity to do that without sacrificing what little family time we have at this point.
  

My goodness...this post seems a bit dark. Sorry about that...negativity is rearing it's head today. I am really frustrated about several things over which I have no control, and that frustrates me too...LOL! On the upside...Advent starts tomorrow, Dan will be home in 3 days and we have NEW friends coming for game night...all is well! OK, a few pics and I'm done...this is MUCH longer than I anticipated. Hugs all around!
~K~

Pat is hard at work...he's a champ!


David LOVES his long hair!

A place for plans to keep me on track

Oooo, look at Daddy's new fish!

'Shua and James enjoy some time with Rusty...he's so cute!

Jared and Kelly have made a masterpiece...man, we need to get a life if that is considered entertainment...LOL~

Devin turned 15 this week...he's getting so grown up!

Simple Woman's Daybook

For Today... November 30, 2009

Outside my window... It is rainy and cool....making me want to just sit and read with a cup of tea.

I am thinking... that any day that I can use an educational video for school instead of worksheets is a wonderful thing!

I am thankful for... So, so, SOOOO many things, but today on the top of my mind is my relationship with 'Shua and Lauren. I treasure the times we spend together. They bring their triumphs, heartaches, questions, and little things to me and I am honored, humbled and OH so grateful to be such a part of their lives.

I am wearing... Ack...ugly brown capris and a worn out Curves t shirt. My cleaning clothes

I am remembering... that Dan hates clutter and I need to do a better job of keeping it contained...oops!

I am Going... for today, just work. The rest of the week...well, mostly the same...LOL! Maybe a trip to the library, some small errands and a grocery trip.

I am Reading... Robinson Crusoe, Hero Tales and Going to Green

I am Hoping... to wake up looking like Angelina Jolie someday....Muahahah! Just kidding! I'm really hoping to get the house clean this week...and I mean REALLY clean!

On my Mind... Christmas, and how unprepared we are this year. Last year at this time, we were pretty much done, and this year we haven't even started. Haven't even talked about what we are done. Haven't even figured out where the money is coming from. I'm a bit concerned, but I'm trusting that between crafting and Dan's vacation money, we will do just fine.

From the learning rooms... the boys are watching an educational geography video about the US. We are on week 4 of MFW and are starting a unit on North America. We are still playing catch up with ABeka, but are making good progress.

Noticing that... those old fogies from my youth were right...time DOES go by faster as we get older...where HAS this year gone?!?
Pondering these words...

From the kitchen... there's a man in my kitchen making turkey soup...I love that! This week, the kitchen is getting a DEEP cleaning, so we are eating a less 'exciting' menu, less prep, less mess, less time spent in there so I have time to clean in...LOL

• Monday~Tacos
  
• Tuesday~Turkey soup
  
• Wednesday~Leftovers
  
• Thursday~Mac and cheese with hot dogs
  
• Friday~Pizza
  
• Saturday~Freezer Food
  
• Sunday~Chicken Parmesan

Around the house... I am only halfway done with my to do list for the day, but I still have time to finish. So onto the kitchen....each day has it's own DEEP clean day this week. The bathroom is done, thanks to Dan and horrible toxic chemicals. The kitchen is today, DR is tomorrow and LR is Wednesday. Then on Thursday, a quick touch up on all public rooms, a full Home Blessing and some extra dusting. Friday, game night prep. Saturday...NOTHING! ; )

One of my favorite things... new friends to invite to game night. YEAH! And also, a cool rainy day to just sit and read.... it will happen someday!

From my picture journal... Shouldn't everyone be this happy and this relaxed at some point during their life??

If you are living the simple life, pondering the simple life or just want to read more thoughts of those who are living the simple life, join us over at the delightful Miss Peggy's Site www.thesimplewomansdaybook.blogspot.com or click on the picture at the top. Thanks for joining me today!

Simple Woman's Daybook

The Simple Woman's Daybook...are you content to linger on the simple things? Then join me and many others in taking a look into the day plans and thoughts of those who are focusing on simplicity...Beauty of 'everyday' moments. JOIN US here or click on the picture above.

For today... that LAST few days before Thanksgiving, November 23, 2009

Outside my window...The sun shines furiously while birds sit on telephone wires and clouds float lazily past.

I am thinking...That an early morning workout is a wonderful thing...once you get past the injustice of rising so early...LOL!

I am thankful...The threat of impending unemployment, which reminds me of this point...How we need to be mindful at ALL times that it's GOD that provides the job and the money, not hubby, even though he is a hard worker. (At least, I'm TRYING to be grateful...LOL!)

I am wearing...the aforementioned workout attire

I am remembering...that muscles that haven't worked in 6 days, like to keep it that way, I'm feeling sore already.

I am going...nowhere else today. Ready to be home cleaning, baking and teaching today.

I am reading...Hero Tales, Robinson Crusoe and Thy Brother's Wife

I am hoping...to get a FULL week of school in this week, despite the break for Thanksgiving and Dan being home. Although I do intend to let the boys spend some time with Dan learning how to fix things...life lessons day to the rescue ; )

On my mind...That I should be working instead of blogging, there is MUCH to do today!

Noticing that...This year needs to S~L~O~W down, I'm not ready to head into 2010

From the learning rooms...Week 4 of My Father's World, and lessons 30-35 for Abeka Arithmetic and Language arts...OH, and some new book basket books (so a trip to the library is in short order)

Pondering these words...Cast your cares on Him, for He cares for you! AND Be anxious for nothing...that part is hard!

From the kitchen...Many tasty things this week, but to start with, baking day today. 3 loaves of wheat, and maybe a loaf of white for french toast. For the rest of the week...

• Monday~Fish Stix, Fries and Cauliflower


• Tuesday~Chicken Freid Rice and Chicken patties


• Wednesday~Steak Fajitas


• Thursday~Thanksgiving, HURRAY!


• Friday~Pizza but no game night, Just us this week


• Saturday~Breakfast for dinner~ Eggs, bacon, sausage, hash brown patties


• Sunday~Lasagna and Broccoli

Around the house...well, it's a Monday morning, there is a BUNCH to be done...starting with making tea and bread and ending with a hopefully clean house full of baked goodies by tonight before I go to bed.

One of my favorite things...The satisfaction that comes from knowing I gave my level best to that day...in everything~ being a Godly wife and Mother, teacher/leader, homemaking, a good daughter and sister, friend and companion.

From my picture journal...ahh, is there anything that smells better than fresh bread?? I take quite a bit of pride in my mad bread baking skillz...LOL! It's been an amazing journey this past year. I haven't bought a loaf of bread in almost a year...wheee!

Simple Woman's Daybook

Would you like to linger on the simple things...then join me and many others in taking a little look into the day plans and thoughts of those who are focusing on simplicity...beauty of everyday moments. 'Simple Woman'
For Today... November 16, 2009

Outside my window... the calm cool day awaits

I am thinking... that blogging is one of the best inventions EVER...and that being able to make it into a 'real' book is a delightful option.

I am thankful for... time spent with family, just being together, whether hiking, playing board games or just lounging around...family time is happy time

I am wearing... my pjs since I just got up...but as soon as I wrap this up, I'll be changing into my 'let's clean this house' clothes...LOL

I am remembering... a well spent day yesterday hiking and climbing at City of Rocks State Park

I am going... to the library, and to work, that's all for today.

I am reading... Mad Mary by Liz Higgs Curtis (a re-read, but decidedly worth it) Kingdom Tales and Life Made From Scratch

I am hoping... to squeeze in some more reading time before working tonight, I have been missing time to read

On my mind... many things, but finance/housing issues and trusting God are at the top of the list. My goodness, trusting is HARD sometimes!

From the learning rooms... looking forward to another great week like last week! We are really getting into our MFW curriculum, and the ABeka 'core' subjects are humming along nicely, too! Time to start hunting for new book basket books

I am noticing that... a few minutes of tidying each evening makes waking up a much nicer thing.

I am pondering... what growing older in spirit while growing younger in body must feel like (watched 'The Curious Case of Benjamin Buttons' last night) Hmmm...

Around the kitchen... dishes are waiting to be washed, dried and used again, bread has already been baked for the week, including a fancy braided loaf (mmmm) and it's time to head to the grocery store again, glad it's not my turn..LOL~ Here are the meal plans for the week...

• Monday~ Chicken and pepper skillet
• Tuesday~ Spaghetti and Garlic bread with Salad
• Wednesday~ BLT's with carrot sticks and dip
• Thursday~ Pork Chops, stuffing and Salad
• Friday~Pizza
• Saturday~Tacos
• Sunday~ Stuffed peppers

Around the house... boys are playing nicely together right now, laundry is caught up, a stinky project awaits in my room (sigh) and it's time to get to DOING instead of sitting here thinking...LOL

One of my favorite things... Oh the choices! A sleepy Sunday evening spent after a day of much activity.

A picture thought I am sharing with you... Here is my oldest with the youngest. 'Shua is holding Derek and had the puppy on the other side of his lap. Derek just clibed up there and went to sleep on Fiday night. 'Shua is going to be such a great day someday!

Catchin' Up with Us MeYeR's

Greetings from sunny and warm-ish New Mexico! I say warm-ish, because while it's 55 during the day and to those in the Northern US, this seems really warm, but to us that don't have our heaters on yet...it gets a bit chilly overnight...so glad for my heated water bed~HA! It's been an eventful few weeks around here, so let's get to it! How about some bullet journalling? (Warning: Goofy pictures ahead!)

• Dan is STILL in Hurley and is quickly growing weary of it. The few guys that are left on the job are the ones that expect someone else (namely Dan) to carry their dead weight and cover their tracks to the boss. Plus, since 'Shua isn't working with him anymore, I think he is lonely, sitting up in a hotel room all by himself. So when he gets home, he is tired and grumpy. He's also been either doing side work on the weekends to start earning Christmas money, or been working on someone's car....poor guy can't catch a break : ( I bought him tickets to the Speedway for next weekend, (shh, don't tell!) so hopefully I can get him to rest a bit and enjoy himself for 5 whole minutes.


• 'Shua and Lauren have both acquired seasonal jobs with my beloved Kohl's and start in a few weeks. Hurray, that's answered prayer! Plus, unemployment has come through for 'Shua and he has also been working weekends with Dan. Josh celebrated his 21st birthday last week and got a new PS2 and a fishtank, both things that he has been wanting. So, they have a roof over their heads and food on the table. God is good, all the time!










• David has been invited to join the boys gymnastics team at the local gym, tested all the way into level 5 (WOW) and has been training with the level 4 kids waiting for his upper body strength and flexibility to improve...but the coach said a few days ago that David is too good for this group and he needs to move up. David is nervous since those kids are a bit older and have been doing gymnastics for longer, plus their practice schedule will interfere with Game Night...so he hasn't decided yet, but he is really enjoying working out at the gym.









• Pat has been working hard at school these past few weeks and I am really proud of him! He sits right down and gets to work with a minimum of fuss or muss...it's really great! His attention span has improved greatly over the past year and he is maturing in other areas as well. He is glad to be home, although he does miss his PaPa and Grma and speaks of them often





• Derek is enjoying pre-school and likes to do his coloring pages, work in his lapbook and read books with Mama. He is the resident clown and keeps us laughing everyday with his silly antics and ridiculous statements. He has declared himself a BIGGIE boy and wants to go along to gymnastics, to 'Shua's house or wherever he thinks he's being left out of going...LOL!








• Me, I'm still working at Kohl's of course, teaching school and digging into our new curriculum that we are starting on Monday plus trying desperately to keep up with the laundry...HA! Pat has had hives this week and in trying to get everything as clean as possible to rule out allergens, I've broken my previous record of over 30 loads of laundry in 1 week: YIKES! I've enjoyed a week of not cooking since Jodi has planned all the meals this week and cooked them all, hurray! I've gained 5 pounds, *dang it* but it was totally worth it! ; )






• In other news, James AND Titus have been diagnosed with the swine flu in the past 10 days and so we had swine flu day and ate all piggy meals...LOL! Pork roast for lunch and white beans and ham WITH bacon bits for dinner. We're so silly! Both are doing well again, although I'm starting to wonder if Aaron has it, as he doesn't seem to feel that great.




• In the exciting news department, Lauren and I had quite an adventure while trying to run errands today. The transmission linkage (I'm guessing) went out in 'Shua's car, leaving us stuck at the top of a hill, rolling backwards and INTO traffic! Whee! Anywho, 2 men jumped out and helped the boys and I push it around the corner so it would coast down the hill and then David got his first time behind the wheel as Lauren and I pushed it into a subdivision. Another gentleman came along and offered his help as we stood there pondering what to do...have I mentioned I LOVE Las Cruces? The people are so friendly...not one person honked at us while we were blocking traffic, no one flipped us off and no one hollered out their window...it's SO not Chicago! : ) On a side note, isn't she pretty?? Gosh I love having them here by us!


• I guess that's about it for catching up for this week or two...thanks for listening! Have a great week!
  

Blessings from our family to yours,

Kristy and the Man Crew
PS. This video is for the Grandma's...it's a video of Titus, who has learned to say CHEESE!