Quick, before I get Sidetrack'd

I asked each of the big kids to tell me five things for which they are thankful.

E
1. Daddy
2. M
3. Barney the armadillo (littlest pet shop toy)
4. My suitcase
5. Mommy

J
1. Mrs. Burks (BSF leader)
2. Dinosaurs
3. Flowers
4. Mommy
5. M

It seems only appropriate to post “thankful fors” on Thanksgiving.

I am thankful for…

46. the sweet heart of my biggest girl
47. laughs courtesy of my kiddos
48. literacy
49. the library
50. unexpected short work days
51. the funny ways little people speak
52. time to catch up with a good friend I hadn’t seen in way too long
53. my kids’ desire to learn
54. a healthy baby (even if she gets up earlier than I like)
55. Prevacid solutabs
56. a functioning washer and dryer
57. new sparkly polish to prettify my toes
58. laughing with Matt
59. my comfy, cozy bed
60. spending holidays with family

Since Thanksgiving is Thursday I thought maybe I should go ahead and write up our Halloween festivities.

Now, if you know me, you know I’m not one to go all out with the holiday thing (with the exception of Christmas where it becomes a month long celebration). And we’ve debated over the years whether to trick-or-treat, dress up, etc for Halloween. Now our children are getting older and asking to do things like trick-or-treat, so we decided to not totally ignore Halloween (like we have in the past).

And I thought that just because they aren’t in a conventional school setting doesn’t mean they should miss out on the “school party” experience. So, I made our own…

A couple of my students came to school in costume.

(she’s wearing a fairy dress, though it’s kind of hard to tell)

And this one came as her silly self.

We made spider web snacks.

And ate them.

We did a little digital pumpkin carving.

And some pumpkin science.

(does it sink or does it float?)

Then we had lunch.

(they did eat sandwiches, too)

After Daddy got home we carved our pumpkin.

And described it with our five senses.

(touch)

(taste)

And then we did a little trick-or-treating.

I think the kids enjoyed it. I know I did.

The first several years Matt and I were married we sent Christmas cards every year. Personalized, handwritten notes went to the people we cared about, were thankful for, and wanted to remember each year at the holidays.

Then E came along. Her first Christmas I sent cards, but instead of a lovingly composed note each card got a hastily written greeting and signature.

Then J came along. Christmas cards were purchased, but never composed and mailed. And that is how it has remained. In fact, I might still have those cards around here somewhere.

But this year Tiny Prints has generously offered me an opportunity to choose cards from their lovely holiday greetings collection. Tiny Prints has any type of card you could want; from contemporary to vintage, whimsical to traditional.

So, I will try to get my act together and send out something adorable like this:

(I love the ornament cards; such a cute idea!)

Too bad those children don’t look like my kids. Now I have to try to corral the four of them in one place long enough to get an in-focus picture; don’t expect everyone to be smiling. Or even looking the same direction!

I love to receive Christmas cards, and I love the idea of sending them. This opportunity and some super cute cards just might be the motivation I need.

Keep an eye on your mailboxes…

Tiny Prints provides simple, modern, and unique stationery from Christmas cards, New Years cards, party invitations, and address labels to thank you cards. Once the holidays have come and gone, Tiny Prints will still be here to fill your stationery needs with their exclusive designs from the nation’s top designers. All year round, you’ll find business cards, birth announcements, and even custom wedding invitations. Come try the easy card personalization, a powerful preview engine and top-notch customer service and paper quality for yourself. With Tiny Prints by your side commemorating every holiday and momentous occasion is a cinch!

**I received Christmas cards from Tiny Prints in return for this post. All stories and opinions expressed are purely my own. The italicized portion of this post is text provided by Tiny Prints.

I am thankful for…

32. beautiful Fall days.
33. blowing wind and swirling leaves.
34. healthy children (it seems I’m reminded constantly these days that children get sick/die due to the fall of man).
35. friends who are more like family.
36. in depth Bible studies.
37. God’s faithfulness.
38. the promise that although life is failing now (Fall/mortal bodies) it will be renewed (Spring/eternity).
39. days at home in my pajamas.
40. fun weekends with Nonnie and Pops.
41. the washer and dryer running in the background (we have plenty of clothes and the ability to clean them in our home).
42. cloth diapers.
43. the abundance God has blessed us with and the responsibility to share that with others.
44. warm days in November.
45. contentment in my soul.

(All of my “Thankfulness” posts can be viewed here.)

I’m currently back to menu planning on a weekly basis. I don’t like it! It is a lot more work than doing a monthly plan, as odd as that may seem. I really need to sit down and menu plan the rest of this month and December; we’ll see when it happens.

So, here’s our plan for the week.

Friday – order pizza
Saturday – lunch: picnic / dinner: barbecue, roasted red potatoes, baked beans, cheese biscuits
Sunday – lunch: leftover barbecue / dinner: small group – french toast, sausage, fruit
Monday – chicken pot pie
Tuesday – leftover pot pie
Wednesday – slow cooker potato soup
Thursday – leftover soup

My slow cooker bit the dust this weekend after cooking the barbecue, so I’m not sure about the potato soup. I guess I’ll try the same recipe but cooking it in the stockpot on the stove. We’ll see how it turns out.

Have a good week!

It is my intention to begin posting a picture of my four kiddos every month on the fourth (thanks for the inspiration, Steph!). I missed yesterday, but caught this shot this morning during our photo shoot with Bel Momento Photography (thank you, Amanda!).

I know it isn’t a great shot, but it is what I have.

I still need to put together our menu for the month of November, but I did come up with a few things for us to eat this week.

Friday – order pizza
Saturday – lunch: out / dinner: tortellini soup & homemade bread
Sunday – lunch: out / dinner: leftovers
Monday – leftover tortellini soup
Tuesday – pasta al forno
Wednesday – leftover pasta
Thursday – meatloaf, mashed potatoes, green peas (still on the menu from a couple of weeks ago)

Happy Monday!

Last week I posted 5 goals for the weekend. When I read the list to Matt he basically told me I was crazy. He was right.

Let’s take a look at where I stand…

1. Do the great clothing exchange – it has been a full week and there are still clothes all over the place. I am just about finished with the girls’ clothes, but I haven’t even started on J’s stuff. I wish I had taken pictures; this ordeal is a blog post in and of itself!

2. Make pumpkin applique shirts for the girls – yeah, not done. I’ll try again this weekend.

3. Catch up on laundry – well, it was caught up last weekend, but now there are about 6 loads of clean laundry on the couch that need to be folded and put away.

4. Clean the bathrooms – Matt finally gave up on me and cleaned them one night this week. I love that man!

5. Cook some muffins for breakfasts next week – didn’t get done over the weekend, but E and I baked 2 dozen on Monday morning. That counts as school, right?

Just trying to keep it real here.

And while we’re at it, this post is posting real time and I haven’t had a shower yet. We used the hour or so that M actually slept to get some school done. Now she won’t let me put her down. I’m going to miss this one day, right?

Part 1
Part 2

I am thankful for…

21. a beautiful day at the zoo with the kiddos.
22. chances to share with & get to know women who are new to my life.
23. medicine to treat headaches.
24. growing up with my grandparents in my life.
25. new visions of routine things.
26. the ability to cloth my children well (although sometimes the volume of clothing is overwhelming).
27. 7+ years that we didn’t think we would get to spend with Grandma.
28. opportunities to share our resources.
29. prayer.
30. a good day with the baby (minimal screaming so far) after a tough day yesterday.
31. leftover tacos for dinner tonight.