Year: 2009

I am so serious when I tell you that I was ECSTATIC when I woke up to the sound of pouring rain.  I jumped out of bed, fixed cereal and strawberries for the girls, thanked the Lord that Mack was still sleeping, grabbed some coffee, my Bible and new study, and a little jacket and went straight out to the porch.  Heaven.

The new Bible study is by Priscilla Shirer, and I hope I will be able to share some stuff I am learning on here.  I am only on Day 2, but it is amazing how it is speaking to exactly where I am right now.  Good stuff.

Our Saturday has also consisted of more cooking.  We are making a new Potato Soup recipe that, so far, is very yummy.  It includes lots of BACON, so how could it not be delicious?!  And butter.  And cheese.  And potatoes, too.

Mack woke up from his nap in a very good mood.  If he wakes up crying, I dread the afternoon.  If he wakes up talking, all is well.  He rounded the corner with football in hand.  I handed him some bacon, and he was even happier!  This picture cracks me up.  Just like a little man…..

In his underwear, football in hand, bacon in the other, and a fruit punch mustache….what could be better?

I hope everyone is having as much fun as we are on their Saturday!

My parents were going to come see us this weekend, but decided to wait until next weekend, so we didn’t have any plans for tonight….which was really nice.  I mean, unless we had planned a romantic, quiet, relaxing night away–that would have been REALLY nice.  Anyway, we did have a fun Friday night.  I started with some nagging about how I really wanted to finish the girl’s headboards.  Nagging is so ridiculous.  I wish I wouldn’t do it.  And I did stop nagging, but only after he started working on them.  I think I hear a dripping faucet somewhere.  OK…so my sweet, loving, patient husband worked on the headboards.  We only got one finished because we need another piece of trim, but they are starting to look really good.  I “need” to find a stencil that I like if I want to do the “R” and the “M”  OR I should ask my sweet friend Coleen if she wants to take a stab at it.  And I also “need”  a cute doorknob for the doors.  There was one at Hobby Lobby, but it was $30.  I will keep looking.

Above you see the paint chip we chose to go with the bedding.

The painted doors and now Josh adding some trim.  They are looking good, and I can’t wait to see the finished product.

The kids played and acted silly outside.

This is a picture of part of the back porch.  I love to sit in one of these chairs while it is raining.  So nice!

After we got the kids in bed, which was actually very easy since they were exhausted from a full day, Josh and I started making an apple cake from a recipe we found on thepioneerwoman.com.  It looked so good, so we thought we’d try it out.  And I am so glad we did….except that I want to eat the whole thing now, and we all know that is just not a good idea.

There were apples everywhere….peeled, cored, slices and diced, and very yummy!

Then, there was butter.  Lots of butter and sugar and butter, oh my.

This picture above is the batter….oh my heavens.  I could have taken this bowl with me to the living room and just eaten the whole thing.  I didn’t.

These are the poor apples that didn’t get a chance to be a part of something spectacular.   Poor, poor Granny Smiths.

We had to taste it with a little ice cream…to make sure it was worth serving to our friends tomorrow.  I mean, we can’t just serve something that we have no idea how it tastes…right?  Right.

It was good.  Really good.

Worth the time, effort, calories and fun conversation Josh and I shared.  I think we’ll do it again next Friday night.

I wasn’t home last night, so I am not sure what basis this story has, but Mack has been telling me this:  “Daddy scared monkeys.  They come out.  Daddy cry.”  I asked him several questions trying to figure out what in the world he was saying.  It all boils down to these facts—Josh is scared of monkeys and if they come out at night he will cry and hide from them.

I guess if they come out in the daytime he won’t be scared?  Who knows.

Hilarious.

About a year ago I went into Thomasville Framing store and asked if they would give me a price for putting a baby dress of the girls into a shadow box.  The dress is precious.  They each wore it on their first day of Sunday School, which is when they were 6 weeks old.  My mom always told me to do this, but I had been putting it off.  The lady helping me pulled out a gorgeous frame and the prettiest green fabric background you have ever seen.  It set off the pink and green smocking perfectly.  Then, after we had both “ooh-ed and ahhh-ed” about it, she told me it would cost about $325.  “Really?  Ok, well, let me ask my husband, and I will get back to you.  Thank you.  C’mon, kids, let’s go……,”  I said in a very sweet, calm voice.  Then, I got in the car and called Josh, “Can you believe they expect me to pay over $300 to have a dress put in a frame?!”  Josh said, “You didn’t do it, did you?”  “Of course I didn’t do it!….It did look really good though.”  Silence.

Fast forward to today when I was going into Michael’s because a friend sent me a 60% off custom framing coupon.  As I walked to the back, no one was around to help me, so I wandered over to the frames section, and I found a shadow box that was about the right size.  The frame was very simple, borderline boring.  The backing was just plain felt black.  HOWEVER, it was $19.99 with 50% off.  $9.99 was going to be the price.  It was mine.

Is it beautiful?  No.  Is the backing just perfect for the dress?  No.

But, I don’t look at the frame when I look at this.  I see the sweet little dress that my girls wore when they were itsy bitsy.  And they aren’t itsy bitsy any more!  For now, it will do.  For forever, it will probably do….unless we become trillionares that just need something to do with all the extra money.

We have been in school for about a month now.  Things are going quite well.  We have done all of our assignments, and I have only forgotten to send in Ruby’s phonics pages one time.  The reason being that my brain cells were completely fried after working with her on this poster:

This is a poster all about Ruby.  She is the “Student of the Week” and has to make a poster that will tell her class members more about herself than they already know.  We included her full name, her birthday, her favorite colors, songs, food, dessert, game, and pictures of her grandparents, fun things she has done, friends and pictures of her as she became a big sister to Molly and then to Mack.  It turned out really cute, but it was exhausting.  First of all, Ruby isn’t in to crafty things.  She’d rather be running outside or watching a movie….give your scissors and glue to Molly.  Anyway, she did well on this project.  At the end, when it was all over and looking good, she said, “Oh, and I like to color.”  I said, “Yeah, you do like to color.  Do you want to write that as your favorite hobby?” (in the section of “favorites,” of course).  Her reply was, “Hobby?  No.  I want to write ‘I like coloring.’  You just tell me the letters.”  And she picked up her marker, waiting on me to tell her how to write it out.  “UM, Ruby, where are you going to write it?  Are you sure you want that on here?  There doesn’t seem to be any room for…”  She interrupted me.  “Mama, just tell me the letters.  I will write, ‘I like coloring.’  right here.”  “I-L-I-K-E-…Ruby, your letters are getting bigger ann bigger…C-O-L-O-R-I-N-G…..Great, Ruby, great.”  Then, I took it away from her and hanged it up so she couldn’t do anything else to it so that it could dry and not get messed up in the kitchen.

I am glad it is over.  I think it turned out just perfect, too.  I wish I could be a fly on the wall in her classroom on Friday while she tells the class about herself and her family.

I found these pictures when I finally decided to transfer the pictures from my camera to i-photo.  This was from last weekend when we had the jumpy thing at our house.  Their daddy was helping them get comfortable with it.

Once the weekend was winding down, the jumpy thing was losing its appeal a bit, so we watched the kids just play all around it instead of jumping in it.

Molly decides to use the jumpy thing as her pretend house, and she pulls up a rocking chair to relax and read a book.

Then, Mack, recognizing that someone is enjoying themselves, goes over to wreak havoc…after all, that is HIS book.

As you can see, the older sister, Ruby, is quick to recognize turmoil and runs to exercise her authority and get things resolved.

This is serious business.  I am sure the conversation was something like, “Mack, you get away from her right now.  That is not your book.  You have to share.  Leave Molly alone.  I mean it, Mack.”  Macks reply is something like, “My book.  No, Ruby, NO!”

Ruby waits patiently for SOMEONE, ANYONE to listen to her and obey.

Then, Molly, the peacemaking middle child decides to just give in to her brother.  She can’t stand all the arguing.

“Being the middle child is not easy,” Molly thinks to herself.  Ruby is thinking, “If you would just stick with me, you’d be fine and you’d still have your book.”  Mack is thinking, “Yep.  It works every time.  I can dig this ‘baby’ thing.”

He comes back to Molly–just to make sure things are ok between them.  She is his closest bud at this point.  Ruby reads his ploys all too well.

And while Molly isn’t paying much attention to him, she still gives in to his ways…….

Stinker.

The house is so quiet right now.  Ruby is at school.  Mack is upstairs in his bed sleeping.  Molly is in my room, on my bed, sleeping.  AH.  Nice.  My kitchen is clean…as clean as a kitchen can be serving three meals a day to hungry little people who still can’t bring their utensil to their mouths without spilling a little here and there.  We’re working on that though.  Laundry is caught up…as much as laundry can be caught up in a home with five people who change into new clothes each day (sometimes more if you are Ruby or Molly).  Clean bathrooms…as clean as ……ok, you get the point.  Things are in order and nothing is screaming at me, “GET UP AND DO THIS RIGHT NOW.”  I like that.

We have been busy this week.  I could post pictures, but I don’t want to right now.  Ruby had school on Tuesday, as did Molly.  We did school at home on Wednesday and went to church that night.  Thursday was low-key with schooling at home and going on a field trip to the local Fire Station, and now it is Friday!  It is rainy, cool and I am going to make chili tonight.  Josh bought a couple of doors that we are going to TRY to paint and fix into headboards for the girl’s beds.  I will take pictures and post them IF  it all turns out as wonderful as I think it will.

So, here’s to a fun, laid-back September weekend with the family.  And Happy Birthday to Vance!  Sorry we aren’t there to eat up some cake and ice cream with you.

Ruby and I did some school today while Josh was home and could watch the other two.  We were singing the “H” song.  She does so well with singing her phonics words and making the sounds of the letters.  There was a picture of a hamster that looked suspiciously like a guinea pig in another book we have here at the house.  I never can tell the difference myself…they are both under ther category of “gross rat” in my mind.  Well, Ruby thought this was a guinea pig, but knew it was supposed to start with the “H” sound…so she sang, “Hear the huh sound in the H words, huh in “henee pig” and in hat….”  It was hilarious.

A long time ago Molly and Ruby were having an argument over who was going to be first at something.  All you could hear was, “I’M first!”  “NO, I’M FIRST!!!”  “NO, I am FIRST.”  “ME!” and on and on.  I interrupted them and said, “Girls, the Bible says that whoever is first will be last and whoever is last will be first.”  Molly looked and me and said in a solemn voice, “I will be last.”  After a few seconds of silence, she looked at me and said, very seriously, “Does that mean I’m first?”  Again, a hilarious moment.

Molly asked approximately 547, 349 times for a popsicle today.  I have decided not to ever buy a popsicle again.  When they aren’t here, she doesn’t ask.  If they are here, that is all she asks.  It will make a woman crazy.

We have had a great Labor Day weekend and have enjoyed good food and fun family time, as well as wonderful times with friends.  We are blessed, that is for sure!  If I get around to it, I will post some pictures later.

Molly and I were sitting at the computer looking at old pictures together.  She likes to do that.  I asked her, “Molly, do you remember when Mack was like this?”

There was silence, then she asked, “Was he scared?”  I can see that.  I can also see that response after looking at this picture, too.

It does look like he is either scared or just so fat that he cannot even move his eyes!  Oh my goodness.  He was so chubby!!!!

And then I saw this picture of Ruby:

Awwww…..how sweet of a face is that?!  She hadn’t even started getting her freckles yet.  It reminded me that I haven’t told the story from when I picked her up from school on Friday.  She had four tootsie rolls, two packs of sweet tarts, and a lollipop and Laffy Taffy in her bag.  She said she got all that candy from answering questions right this week.  Mack was hollering out for the tootsie rolls, as was Molly.  I handed them some candy and told Ruby I noticed that she didn’t like any of that candy.  I asked her if there was any candy in the teacher’s drawer that she liked, and she said no.  Then, she said something soooo sweet.  She said, “I just look in there and pick out the ones that my family would like.”  Sweet girl–thinking of Molly and Mack while she picks out the candy she is rewarded with.  I wanted to stop the car and give her a big bear hug for being so thoughtful.  She is definitely growing up.

And this picture above is a sweet picture of Molly smiling at Ruby.  She was probably 2 years old.  She thought it was funny when we saw a picture of her in a diaper.  Thank goodness we only have one kid in diapers.  He even tells me when he wants to go poop in the potty!  And then he does it.  Maybe by Christmas we can be out of diapers…probably wishful thinking, but a girl can dream, can’t she?

OK, now off to greet some folks who are making their way to our house for a LOVELOUD meeting.  I will take some pictures and share them later.  Should be a fun evening!

Today I went to my friend, Mary’s, house to get some medicine that she says will help with a potential UTI.  We’ll see…I sure hope it does help.  BUT, while I was there, I found a cute bike in her garage!!!  It is a hot wheels bike with flames and a race car number and all.  She is having a huge yard sale next weekend to raise money for her 3-Day Breast Cancer Walk.  I did give her some money for the bike, but she probably could have made more if I had left it in her sale.  I also found a cute, cute rocking chair.  I want to paint it black to match some other porch chairs we have.  Here is what Mack wanted to do as soon as I unloaded the car,

He is so funny.  I guess he might need the helmet on if he decided to get crazy with the rocking chair on the porch.  You never know with him.  What were the girls doing, you ask?  They fell asleep in the car, so I left their doors open and the garage door open and let them finish their nap.  It was all for the best.  

Now, off I go to clean toilets.  Fun, huh?