Water, wood and brass

Whoops!  I thought I hit post a couple of weeks ago.  But nope, it went into drafts.  My bad.

But anyhow, here it is.

As I was wrapping up my day, I found my heart overflowing with gratitude for the simple things as I walked through the going to bed process.  A running diffuser with RC and Thieves for two boys dangling on the edge of sickness.  Praying for a quick return to feeling 100%.  the same diffuser that ran all night and day providing relief to Daddy O.

A new wooden door, unfinished, but hung and offering long awaited privacy for two boys.  Offering relief to a Mom and two sisters who worry about intruding on Big brother, especially.  A door that took Daddy O a chunk of his day off to acquire and install.  Resulting in a relapse of illness and a missed night of work. Thankful for his efforts and acts of service to his family.

Brass..new door knob and sense of security.  The day before we left town Little Princess' door knob broke in bits and had to be removed because the door was "locked" shut and there was a kitty crying inside.  This door knob signifies the sanctuary from annoying little brothers on the other side. (Note all the marks around the door knob, I wonder how many were from pestering little brothers.). When Daddy O said he was on his way to get a door knob, "please one with a lock?!?!?!" she asked.  

I didn't join in on the count the things you are grateful for through the month of November, because it is a habit I try to maintain all year long.  From beautiful red sunsets to door knobs there is so much that God provides and we only need to recognize His provision.  I pray, I will always be seeking ways to give Him thanks and see His presence in my life working masterfully demonstrating His love for me. 

Favorite Things...Vinegar

Vinegar. 
I rediscovered vinegar when The Man was diagnosed with an egg allergy.
We had to start keeping vinegar on hand to make a substitution mixture for eggs when baking.
It works.
Then he grew out of the allergy, and now I forget about this little trick for egg substitutions.  If only there was a trick to remind me when I run out of eggs so I don't have to run to the neighbor's house to beg for eggs. 
Once vinegar was in the house, I started to experiment a bit with it. 
I love it in my laundry.
My Sis-in-law told me she used it as fabric softner.
It works.  Put it in the rinse cycle.
When I use vinegar as fabric softner I get a bonus out of the deal...my clothes don't fade.
If you ever do a dying project at home, they always recommend a run through the washer with vinegar at least once to set the colors. 
Well vinegar will do that for your clothes. 
My daughter was the first to notice.  Cause she gets those t-shirts for this or that and they have to been worn every week.  Well hers wasn't fading like her friends.  Vinegar. 
It is, also, a disinfectant.  Sick kids/family.  Colored sheets?  Colored towels? Colored PJs?  Want to disinfect all this and whatever else the germy family has drooled and snotted all over.  Bet you don't want to use bleach on all of it.  Well vinegar won't hurt the color or fabric.  If I am feeling real germ-a-phobic, I will put it in the wash cycle and the rinse cycle. 
There are lots of recipes out there for window cleaners, multipurpose cleaners... I haven't gone there yet. 
Maybe one day, I will take a moment and give some of the other possibilities a try. 

Home School High School Transcripts

The dreaded transcript. 
Talk about breathing fear and dread into the soul of a home school mom.
They make or break the college admission process for these kids.
Or so they seem.
All in all, the idea is not really complicated. 
The process in creating them, can be daunting.
The whole process started somewhere around seventh grade. 
Planning out course of study, dotting i's and crossing t's.
Then life happened and I started the stress all over again between sophomore and junior year. 
This past fall, I needed transcripts.  We were doing dual enrollment.
Once I discovered to shelve my anxiety, the process wasn't so daunting.  Especially, now that we have the internet.
Donna Young's website of free reproducibles has this awesome template available.
I just entered the information and did the math for GPA and voila all done.
Fast forward to November and College Applications and my life changed.
You see, now I need to record all these dual credit classes and the classes intended for next semester.
How do I fit in College name next to course study?
How do I explain GPA calculations?
Insert 3-4 hours of work on a Sunday afternoon.
I started with the intent to recreate my document.  Meaning no TEMPLATE.
Never having created a Word Document with tables before, I tried to follow the instructions in Transcriptions Made Easy, by Janice Campbell.  The whole process ended up with a grouchy momma.  I took a break, got something to eat and the light bulb went off.  I had made enough progress in creating a document from the blank new page, to discover I just needed to add some details to the comment section of the transcripts I already filled out earlier in the year.
At the bottom of my transcripts, along with GPA calculations and grade values, I noted abbreviations.  I did have to become a bit creative here, as my daughter is attending Friends University.  Just using initials did not look too appropriate next to course of study.  I indicated credits represented high school credit only, not college credit. 
All that I have left now is to buy the pretty paper in which I need for printing the transcripts. 

Thieves from Young Living

I am loving this Essential Oil for Young Living ~ Thieves!

Thanks to my diffuser, yesterday, my basement smelled like Thanksgiving, autumn, pumpkin pie.  Take your pick, everyone in the family has their own description of how Thieves smells.  Dad's Bud says it smells like Snickerdoodles and pasta. 

Little Brothers are Super Clever

I open my front door to see this....

 

What are you doing?

 

"Dad said we can't be outside with the IPad."

 

By all accounts, they are sitting in the doorway!!!

I gave them five more minutes and shut the door.

 

The creative problem solving in this house exceeds my creativity and expectations.  5 years ago, I might have been 3 steps ahead.  Not anymore, I am about 3 steps behind. 

 

Gotta love these boys.

When homeschooling gets to the youngest child....

The answers you get to questions are quite humorous. They have so many more varied experiences the older siblings didn't have, just because they get dragged around following the older siblings. :)
For instance the following questions in his Explode the Code workbooks:
Can a stitch be made in a dish? yes.  Really?  "But Mom it is plausible!" "If you want to use a dish when you knit you can stitch in a dish."   What really killed me, is he used plausible in a sentence and used it correctly!!  Probably from watching all those Myth Buster episodes!

Will you get rich if you sell trash?  yes.  Really?  Well if the trash has gold in it, you can....  He has been to way too many garage sales.  He, also, has a grandpa that likes to junk and strip items down to elements to be taken to the recycling center where he is paid by the weight.  If you are a kid, any money in the pocket amounts to being rich! 

Counting my birthday blessings

A little late, i have had to snag seconds here and there to compose this post. 

Getting older doesn't bother me, though the fact I can't remember my age half the time may be the reason. I do have children who are more than willing to remind me at any given memory lapse. They are so lovingly helpful.
To mark this milestone, I wanted to list 40 blessings.
1. My husband and children
2. A birthday card from my parents, with my Mom's signature..Mom isn't able to really talk anymore with me, and the last time I saw her attempt to write it was scribbles. So to see her signature on a card....well I did the ugly cry.
3. Late night chats with the kids.
4. Homeschooling, I love the random memories I have with my kids because they are with me all day... In spite of all the times, I think I am losing my mind or send them outside to run. :)
5. Slowly and steadily getting my brain back and being involved with my kids
6. Autumn colors and country drives, time to marvel at God's creation and chat with Him.
7. The ability to learn and explore new passions with my children as we discover the paths He has for each one.
8. Comfy and CUTE shoes. My feet hurt a lot, finding comfy shoes that are cute...BoNuS!
9. Facebook...in this season of busy children and being their Mom, I can still connect and get sneak peeks into the lives of the people I care about on a regular basis.
10. Texting!! It allows me to disconnect mentally and take mini brain vacations during the day and still be available. It also keeps this crazy family connected across the miles in noisy gyms, arenas and when we are out in the middle of no where!
11. Fresh garden tomatoes, still getting a few!
12. Friends near and far.
13. Unexpected times when God allows "Mom moments" for this Mom... Those random conversations in unexpected places, a laugh, smile.
14. Kitty snuggles
15. My dog herding and tripping me cause he can't get close enough to me as I try and enter the door, all because he missed me.
16. Late afternoons in the yard playing ball with the kids.
17. Trips to the lake just to look at the stars.
18. Swim meets, hockey and soccer games, volleyball matches, scouts and camping
19. Random conversations that reveal information about an interest a child has, answer to prayer. Conversation isn't so random as it is God orchestrated.
20. Pictures! They capture memories, otherwise easily forgotten, especially now with post-concussion syndrome.
21. Life lessons, in all that we experience. The good and bad. Embrace the lessons and grow, learning to not protect my children from them, but teaching them to embrace all of them, even the hard ones.
22. Sunday comics!!
23. Libraries and all the many many many books, I don't have to acquire bookshelves for in my home.
24. Quirky grandmothers and the memories they leave behind
25. Essential oils and the healing they can bring about in our lives, physically and emotionally. 

 26. Hope I have, all because of Jesus and being adopted by my Heavenly Father
27. "Hugs" from God, those moments He provides just as you discover the need.
28. Garage sales--they are just so much fun!!
29. Kiddos that love vegetables and fruit! Their favorite section in the grocery store: the produce department!
30. Chocolate!!!
31. Four seasons...I love them all for what each has to offer.
32. Rewards cards and coupons and Dillons fundraiser cards!! Creativity it takes to make the dollars work for our family!
33. Childhood memories to share with the nest generation!
34. My MeSSy home...it drives me nuts, but I wouldn't trade the messiness, my life would be so empty without the ones who make the messes.
35. Church-- a place to learn, grow and serve. And hopefully a place of acceptance, accountability and encouragement.
36. Children willing to serve and pitch in
37.  Yummy smells from the kitchen as 4 of 5 kids are now able to cook something. 

38.  Piano practice.  I love the sound!

39.  Church and the ability to worship wih so many other believers. 

40. Hugs, they are amazing! 

And one to grow on:

41.  Having a ten year spread between my children.  As one prepares to soar into adulthood and a couple in the teen years, snapping apron strings left and right, I still have a couple of younger ones that help keep me young doing things with them.  

A word well spoken

I love home schooling.  I love the mornings and listening to the various exchanges between my children as the day begins.  I never know what I will wake to, a hungry cat, a dog digging in the trash, a ball crashing through the house, the beep beep of a video game, or the serenades of my youngest favorite song of the morning.  Sometimes, I wake to find lots of school work being done.  However, I often wake up to some kind of ruckus, a skirmish of sorts filled with laughter or run and hide I have antagonized a sleepy bear like brother and he is going to get me kind of skirmish. 

This past week, I have been left pondering the exchange between two of my children.  Left in awe of the maturity and wisdom in the response of one child.  Pondering how do I respond and where did this child of mine learn a response such as this?  I am realizing my children are growing up and my role is changing.
You ask what did my child say?

As I was peeking out from the covers debating whether I wanted to leave their warmth, I hear pounding on a bathroom door.  "You have been in there 20-25 minutes, I need the shower."  I am prepared for bathroom drama.  Muffled noises, I can only imagine the response as I know the name of the child on the other side of the door.  And then the response, "The past doesn't matter (as when I showered last), I need to take a shower and I would appreciate you respecting that."  Not said with attitude.  Not said with sass or anger.  Said matter of fact and respectfully.

At that moment I was so proud of this child and relayed that information.  No arguing.  No hurt feelings.  Just to the point. 

Shortly after the door opened.  No bickering, drama, door slamming or hatefulness.  Just stepping aside and offering the respect and bathroom as requested.  A word well spoken, a soft word and where wrath could of reigned it was turned away.  Without knowing it, these 2 children have left their Momma pondering and reflecting on the choices they have made.  I am humbled by the maturity and growth they are both demonstrating.  As I remember the impatience and frustration I often exhibit, I am grateful to see they don't always follow their Momma's example. 

Reading Joys!!

One of the things I don't enjoy is teaching the kids to read! 
I homeschool.  What is wrong with me?  I hear moms say how wonderous the task is to cuddle up to their child and listen to them discover the mystery of the printed word.  Nope not here. 
KUUUU aaaaaaaaaaaaa TTT 
KUUUU aaaaaaaaaaaaa TTT
KUUUU aaaaaaaaaaaaa TTT
Cat already!!! let's move onto the next word please and it starts all over again. 
5 minutes to read one sentence.  Bring me the super glue and toothpicks to hold my eyes open.  We have read this mommy to sleep more than one afternoon and sometimes morning as we labor through the process. 
It is miraculous. It is wonderful when they learn to read.  But this miracle doesn't happen with the immediate task of sit down and open a book.  It is a process.  A long one in the midst of life. 

Much to my JOY my younger two have been really quick to take off. 
YEs!!! Smiley face does a happy dance.
The next hurdle to tackle is reading one's Bible and Awana workbooks, not to mention all the instructions on one's school work. 
The Man is hard at work.  Today he has discovered he can read the names of the Books of the Old Testament.  You see to finish last years book, one of the things he must do is recite all books of the Old Testament.  A fact I find humorous, some of the names can be difficult for an adult to say.  Take a tooth losing, lisping, & whistling first grader and have him say all the books of the Old Testament.  Absolutely adorable.  I must say, I have had a few chuckles over my kids mis-pronunciations over the years.  The Man had half of them memorized last spring.

 

 

You know what that means, he has to review and re-learn all of them this fall. 
Since he has to wait for me to sit down and work on his mom-led lessons today, I asked him to work on his memory work, handwriting and math. 
I had no idea he had crossed over and could read/recognize the incredibly long and difficult names of the Old Testament books.  But he has!!!!
He has followed me around EVERYWHERE reciting/reading the Books of the Bible. 
EVERYWHERE.  ALL DAY LONG. 
While I tried to teach Middle School Science, he was across the room, "Did you hear me?" 
"Did I get them right?" 
When we were discussing Romeo and Juliet there were murmurs of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus...
When we left the house, I was captive.
Joshua Judges Ruth.....Nahum, Obadiah 
When I go to the bathroom, there is a closed door, but I am still captive, until I flush and wash my hands. First and Second Chronicles
Then the sound of running waters drowns out all other noises.
All through lunch, all through Thursday activities, while I walk into the house, while I put things away, I hear...
First and Second Samuel, First and Second Kings.......Isaiah, Jeremiah....Zephaniah, Malachi. 
"How do you say this name again?"  Genesis.
"First and Second Psalms"  He knows it is not Psalms but for some reason Samuel and Psalms, well they go together like ham and cheese.
Don't forget Judges...
"I will start over;  Joshua, Ruth..."
"Can I borrow your phone so I can time myself?"  34.8 seconds later he has read/recited all the books.
He tries again.  30 seconds!  Best time yet. 
I asked for 3 minutes so I could type this, just 3 minutes of not being talked to and he humbled me so quickly.  In spite of all the humor and truth I kept reminding myself all day, he is the last one.  There are no more kids to follow you around like this.  This will pass all quickly.  This is awesome.  There was the me, that just wanted to not be talked to for just 10 minutes.  I have been juggling 5 conversations and sometimes more and half a million different tasks all day.  1o minutes of brain rest.
In his most endearing way, "Thank you Mom for listening me say the Books of the Bible"

The war of insanity inside me that just wanted a quiet closet for a minute, melted away. 

And now he is back, asking me, "Are the 3 minutes up?"  Sure are.
"Where is my book?"  Where you last put it. (LOL)
And it begins again....Genesis Exodus....

 

Why I don't blog....

My eldest has been giving me grief.  She likes to read my blog.  Which leaves me just a little bit puzzled.  I mean she lives here.  She knows what is going on.  So why does she need to catch up on our lives???
She reminds me gently I haven't posted in a while.  She tells me I need to finish posting about our vacation. 
I just look at her and wonder where she came from???
She even offers to paint my toes or do dishes so I will sit down and blog. 
I still don't get it.

Here is why I haven't blogged in no particular order:
Since July 1

We have had baseball
We have had summer volleyball
I have had memory therapy...yeah that went really well till I actually forgot an appointment.  That would have made a great post!
I had a child in Lego robotics...1/2 hour drive one way.
A child golfing weekly till mid July
summer dentist appointments
orthodontist appointments...put child #4 in braces
Throw in some physical therapy for the eldest cause she is a klutz when running late for work.
Church garage sale that ate up 30 hours of my life in one week...fun yes, but still that is a lot of hours for a crazed stay at home who rarely stays home.
My helpful eldest who shares driving responsibilities went away to Kids Camp the first week of July.  That really didn't help much.
Fall Volleyball started
Fall soccer started
College research started....
College enrollment worked on cause she is a senior and she can take 2 classes a semester this year.
Dog started having weird symptoms, talked to vet.  They think he is in the early stages of Doggie dementia.  Like I really needed that in my life. But he has these eyes and ears and well what are you going to do?
Cats that catch baby bunnies, birds, snakes, frogs and mice and create all sorts of a ruckus as a result. 
In other words, the animals can derail a day as much as the children can.
We started school last week.  What was I thinking????
I lost 2 sets of middle school curriculum.  Science and English.
Ordered replacements and found it all a week later.
But hey, the storage room is cleaned.
I cleaned Fun Girl's room for 6 hours and made $50.  Yep, I charged her for cleaning her room.
Also, accumulated a pile of clothes to put on EBay.
Sorted Boys clothes, another huge mountain of clothes for EBay. 
Sorted through Hockey gear and soccer gear...more EBay
Took about a thousand pictures for EBay.  It is easy to do.  Then I edited and deleted some.
Created High School transcripts.
Working on scheduling a college visit before sports have us out of town most of our fall/winter.
Planning a get away with Little Princess
First Aid on 2nd degree sunburns on kiddos this summer....4 times.  You would think we would get a handle on that.
And Memory therapy/Brain therapy is E x H a Us Ti NG !!! Like taking the ACT exhausting.  Requiring naps.  Anything that challenges my brain...that isn't saying much....almost requires an early bed time or nap.
I re-learned my Math Facts!!! 8s, 9s and up
Learning to work math faster.  Accepting I need to write most problems down now if I don't have a calculator.
Making lists everywhere cause well that is how my brain rolls these days.  Memory therapy helped a lot.  But I am "high functioning" so there isn't much they can do to help me.  Time and working on it and maybe I will get it all back, maybe not.  At least, I am high functioning...  I try to be grateful for that when the frustration builds about not being like I once was.
Trying to put the house back in some kind of order after this past winter and spring.
Sleep blessed sleep...which is where I am heading now. 
Life can be Hard.  Life is Full.  Life is Good. 
I am hoping soon, very soon, I can sit at the computer and do some more blogging.  Fun blogging. 
With pictures maybe.
But for you my dear Fun Girl, my latest update.  :)

Hospital Pictures

I have had my doubts as to whether I should post these pictures.  Each time I look at them, I can't help but smile.  My girls missed me.  They were a bit scared by their Mommy's stay in the hospital.  They can up to see me one evening.  We would learn later, they were well past visiting hours.  Oops.  They climbed in bed with me and we began the picture session.  Fun Girl even gave me a pedicure.  Such a bright spot to be able to look down at my toes.  I am so blessed to have these 2 for my daughters. 

Counting some more...

Counting is good, we all do it.  We count the number of heads, just to make sure we leave no one behind.  We count our money. We count to 10 to keep from losing our minds.  We count and count.  Sometimes we find it easier to keep track of the negatives, like in our checking accounts.  Life starts weighing us down.  I challenge you to take a moment and start counting the little blessings in your life and watch joy take over.  Maybe it is only 3 a day....that is okay.  Life isn't perfect.  It is messy.  It is hard and it is Good!  Even in the hard there are joys to count.  I am still counting....maybe just not the numbers.
Loving reminders the best good bye is the quickest one, not to drag them out.
 Camp goodbyes from a bus window
Grace for my late Hockey Player and allowed to play golf
 Squawking birds in the dark hours of a morning and a GOOD dog that puts it out of its misery
 Board games and my children
Water gun fights
Baseball coach husband who coaches practice with water balloons....Best Coach Ever!
Progress on projects
God appointments in Target
Vulnerability and openness
Camping in backyard tents
Being outside with no allergy restrictions for the first time in a year.
    and  Gardening
    and  Watching ball games
    and Going for walks
    and   Just sitting on the porch swing and laying out on the lawn watching the sky
 Hugs from my children
Rubbing, swishing cat tale on my leg with a purr
Little Princess playing volleyball

still counting.....1150

1126.  Teens that live and like to cook
1127.  New recipes
1128.  Antibiotics for strep
1129. Travel plans
1130. Beloved sister in laws
1131.  Hanging out with my kiddos
1132.  Walks with a buddy... Husband, a kid, a friend....wonderful one on one time
1133. Sunshine
1134.  Rain, snow, sleet ~ much needed moisture
1135.  Garden and a husband that builds it
1136.  One step at a time, getting my home back in order after months of neglect
1137.  Freshly mown grass
1138.  Memories of blowing dandelion clouds
1139.  Watching Awana clubbers receive their awards... All the hundreds of memory verses put in hearts and minds
1140.  Pain in my leg... Sensation is returning.
1141.  Less stuttering, and lots of naps ~ healing happening
1142.  Praying with my mom
1143.  Sharing memories with my sister
1144.  Laughter with cousins
1145.  New adventures and the joy that comes
1146.   Vacation days just me, my husband and kids
1147.  Friends taking care of the home front
1148.  Listening to my children enjoy God's creation and counting their new experiences
1149.  Family giggles and humor in the car
1150.  Beautiful weather for the trip.

Garden of the Gods ~ 2013

We were having a lazy day 3 of vacation. 

Spent some time at Rock Ledge Ranch with cousins. 

Then they needed to head home.

Daddy-O and I decided to take the kids to Garden of the Gods. 

Wow!  You would have thought we were going to torture the kids or something.

The thought they were going to miss some time with cousins

quickly turned us into vacation ruining parents!

 

Below: Kissing Camels

 

 

We bribed them with time in the gift shop!

And found photo opportunities on the balcony.



 

We made it through the gift shop, with minimal tears.

Mostly cause Daddy O threw some money out and let the kids buy a couple of things.
Plus, there was the purchase of fudge!

Then the promise, we would only drive through the Garden of the Gods, to make the torture go faster.

 

It didn't take long for them to begin to appreciate the beauty of the park.

 

By the time we arrived at Balance Rock, they were ready to get out and explore. 

 

Just the perfect amount of rock scrambling.

I think they quickly came to believe their parents weren't the wet blankets of vacation history.

Mueller State Park 2013

Day 2 of our vacation. 

We joined my sister and her daughters and grand-daughter and loaded up for Mueller State Park.

We didn't expect the elevation to have the effect it did on me. 

I ended up with a horrible "concussion" headaches. 

That is what I call them. 
Never have I had headaches like these till the accident.  They bring me to tears.

We stopped at a grocery store, bought some Ziploc baggies, so I could make ice packs.

I stayed with my grand-niece and her momma.

We had a great visit just the 3 of us, I settled in and relaxed. 

I listened to the trees and the wind.

I may even have dozed off a bit.

When we came home, Fun Girl had captured the best pictures and she shared them with me.

Makes my heart soar to see these cousins bond and enjoy their time together like they do.