A random catch up for Friday

The fact that you all still come to visit my blog despite my frequent neglect astounds me ... and blesses my heart! I'm sorry that I took an unexpected blogging break - thank you to those who were concerned and e-mailed me just to check in! Sweet kind friends - you are wonderful!

I thought it was about time I catch up up on things around here - I'll try to hit the highlights and cover a lot of ground quickly.

Storyteller's daily summer baseball clinic went right to the end of June - it was killing me to have all these super nice days interrupted by baseball, but of course he loved it!  I did some cleaning and a few smaller painting projects and of course some gardening - but very little else. By the time baseball was really over it got really really hot - for days on end and my motivation to do anything on the project list quickly melted away!

All but one of my June classes at our local cultural center were cancelled for a lack of attendance. There were a number of women who signed up and then had to change plans at the last minute.  I am going to offer the classes again in the fall and hope they are better attended. I'm all ready for them - I just need students!

July 1st the regular baseball season ended for Storyteller with the All-Star game. It was so so hot - unbelievably hot. He got to pitch, but only for a short while since his shoulder was hurting.  Thankfully that's healed now. His All-Star team was soundly beaten - sad but true. I was kind of glad since it meant we got to go home! So long ball field!

I decided to make a sign for our porch and this is what I came up with.  I have painted the porch ceiling, posts and floor and am just looking for the right fabric to make new cushion covers. When I'm done sewing I hope to follow my own advice and take some naps out there! I have been doing tons of reading - discovering some inspirational fiction writers that I am really enjoying!  I love to read outside too, so I hope to use the porch for that more as well.

In between baseball games and general life stuff we had Bach - lots and lots of Bach.  Dreamer practiced faithfully and finally the date was set for her adjudication. I could tell she was really stressed about it because she was a bit short with her brother and not sleeping well at all.  I tried to keep him out of her hair as much as possible, and he learned a bit about extending grace.

Somewhere in all of that our churches Man Camp was scheduled and the guys were really excited about all that the men of the church were planning to share.  Again though it was a terribly hot day and the Historian had to wrap it up and head home a bit early because he was on the verge of some heat exhaustion.  It so hard to adjust from days in the A/C to a full day out in 102 degrees. They took in framing basics, replacing a switch, brake repair and a few other manly skills.

Dreamer's Early Bach adjudication was July 10th and it went really really well  - it is so helpful to know that this is something that most piano students don't even try to achieve. It was really hard - 15 Bach pieces memorized with their scales, chords and inversions two hands two octaves. Hearing from 5 well seasoned piano teachers that they had not had a student achieve this award ever was mind blowing.  It put all of the effort, frustration and stress into perspective - our darling girl set a goal and achieved it with wonderful results! She will be presented with the Early Bach Award plaque sometime this fall during an informal recital. It is quite an honor for our Dreamer and for her amazing piano teacher as well. We can't wait to see what God has in store as Dreamer uses this gift she's been given to glorify Him.

Right after the Bach adjudication we scrambled like crazy to get ready to go to visit Poppa and Grammy in North Bay!  Yes!  First - I had some sewing to do - a special padded case for Dreamer's Yamaha piano needed to be made. It was a fun project - lots of calculations and measurements and then two long zippers to figure out.  Dreamer loves it and it protected her piano well. I love the black and white fabric she selected ... and making it saved us about $50 so that was a blessing too! Poppa came all the way down to get us since the Historian was not able to get away and I was not up to that long drive alone with the children.  While we were away our Historian ended up at the ER twice because of a sudden case of cellulitis in his leg.  I felt badly that I wasn't home to take care of him, but he managed pretty well without us here - except for the loneliness.

So where do we head first at Poppa and Grammy's - why, the beach of course! I definitely have two water lovers!  They enjoy the lakes as much as I do!  We're so thankful for our time in North Bay with Mum and Dad - it's just not summer without the smell of the water, the sound of laughter as the children swim and play, and of course more pretty rocks for our collection! I made two big batches of jam while in North Bay - Dad and the children picked the very last of the strawberries and than some super ripe raspberries a week later!

A strange thing happened while we where in North Bay - our boy turned 12! How is that possible? Sister followed our tradition of making an acrostic of his name and adding positive words that describe our boy, which he loved.  we had fun decorating the dining room and making he day special - and he especially loved the money cake we enjoyed at dinner.

Looks like they are having a great talk in the water while they keep cool! 

Lots of swimming time for the kids - and I went in too and remembered how much I like swimming in the lake and cooling down that way! My sister sent her youngest boy T. to join us at Poppa and Grammy's house and they had good times together.  Poppa bought an airsoft gun for them to target shoot with and that was a big hit with all three children.  My Mum's brother Uncle Larry and Aunt Joan came for a one day visit which was really nice and I spent another pleasant afternoon eating ice cream with a childhood friend. Of course there was lots of cooking alongside Mum, cleaning up a bit and endless amounts of laundry to do ... and wouldn't you know it - the washer died! Grrr.  Timing is always bad for a washer's death, but with 6 people in the house instead of 2, it was especially poor.  We used a neighbour's washer for a few loads but then Poppa and Grammy had to go out an buy a new one.

 I also bossed my Dad into making  helped Dad make a pretty corner garden for Mum to gaze at from the kitchen window - it's a bit of a shady spot, but I hope everything with thrive and bring lots of color and texture to the yard. Dad financed the operation and did all the grunt work - I was the just design coordinator and slave driver implementer. Uncle Larry and Aunt Joan contributed four lovely plants and the solar lights to the project - I am praying that everything will survive the winter and the dry sandy soil. There are two spots with annuals that will need to be tended and replanted each year, but everything else should just fill in and flourish. Dad took this picture - I took some better ones on Mums' camera but she hasn't sent them to me yet - hopefully Dreamer will help her with that soon!

Two men drove 12 hours to get Storyteller and I home in time for him to take part in the first ever Cincinnati Reds Baseball Camp. Poppa drove us part way and the Historian picked us up and took us the rest of the way home - it was a terribly long day for all four of us, and we were thankful for safety and strength to do it. Reds camp was amazing for our boy - he learned so much and enjoyed every minute.  I made lunches each day and struggled to keep those white uniform pants clean, but other than that just I stayed at home chipping away at the project list.  I didn't have any wheels all week since we were waiting for parts!  It was hard, but we made do!

I did lots of weeding and trimming back - getting some areas cleaned out to buy some new perennials in the fall. I did some painting and cleaned through the house though you'd never know it now! I've also been working on small sewing projects - pillows and a giant purse for Mum {before we left} and new pillows and a table runner for our home.  I made a skirt that fit well but visually put 20 pounds on me, so it's in the donation box. So sad - it just wasn't flattering.

Dreamer stayed in North Bay with Mum and Dad and we are missing her terribly - her sad Daddy has not seen her in 4 weeks and I haven't seen her in two weeks and she is greatly missed.  She's having such a good time in North Bay though, and I am looking at it as a reward for all of her hard work on her Bach program, as well as good bonding time with her Poppa and Grammy.  I know she'll be right ready to buckle down to school work when she gets back.

There have been a number of deep sorrows in the past couple of weeks that have really broken our hearts for those who have lost so much. My dear friend Laura's eldest daughter was in a terrible horsebacking riding accident which left her battered and bruised but not broken.  We're so thankful because it could have been so much worse, but it really made us sad to think she has to go through all this pain and prolonged time of healing. God certainly had His hand of protection upon her in many miraculous ways. Since we have always wondered just how God will use this very gifted girl for His glory, it's a joy to know He continues to be at work in her life even in this accident.

Sadly another lovely girl, a 19 year old homeschool graduate - a friend through soccer and co-op was killed in a senseless car accident along with a 19 year old boy.  Storyteller and I attended her homegoing celebration yesterday - because she loved the Lord and had accepted God's free gift of salvation through faith in the death, burial and resurrection of His Son Jesus Christ, we know without a doubt that the Scriptures say she is in heaven right now, but or sorrow for the family is great. We're also sorrowing for another local family - and mom and three sweet girls that we know a little bit through ballet and the AWANA our children used to be a part of.  The husband died after a terrible hiking accident - his funeral is tomorrow, but again, he had put his faith in Jesus Christ and his life was a shining testimony to that vibrant relationship with God through Christ so we know He is with his Saviour.

The air is crisp and clear tonight and I can really believe that we are turning the corner into fall when I smell the wonderful freshness of the line dried laundry.  I've been struggling with back issues for almost a week and am so very thankful to be better - much less pain and much more mobility!  I have so much to catch up on - and the good news is that this cool clear air is a great motivator. Our school year is going to begin in just two short weeks and I have much to do before we plunge headlong into the schedule.

Thanks for catching up with me.  I hope to get back to blogging on a more regular basis soon - and I have a fun giveaway coming up too! I just have to work out the details! 

25 Things for a Monday in June

 It's been forever since I posted anything.  It's not that there aren't any posts waiting to be edited and published - there are!  There are even a few posts floating around in my head. The problem is that they are all half done - like everything else these days!  Oh well - I'll get back to them when I have time.  In the meantime I thought I'd catch up with another installment of 25 Things. Completely random things ...

1.  Yesterday our family took an important step following the Lord's leading - we became members of Grace Baptist Church in Sidney, Ohio. Storyteller was baptized for the first time and the rest of us were re-baptized to show our commitment to the Lord and affirm our support of Grace Baptist Church.  We are all so glad to take this step after almost 3 years of attending regularly.

{source}

2. Dreamer played all 15 of her Bach pieces with her eyes closed this morning.  I am pretty sure she is ready for her audition.  I'm hoping we can arrange that for this week since I am really really ready for her to start on her next goal - the Sonatina Award. All Bach all of the time is great, but a little variety never hurt.

2. I am a baseball mom. I have been to all but one game this year.  My backside is spreading proportionally. We have three games left unless the team really picks things up in tournament. Is it wrong to hope they don't?

3. Last week I had my hair cut and I was scalped. I have learned that I don't speak 'hair stylist' very well at all. I asked for a 'trim' and parted with 6". Oh well - I guess it will grow.  The good news it that it drys fast and now that I am used to flipping it up it doesn't look as much like a brown football helmet.

4. After three weeks of serious neglect, our home is quite a mess. I cleaned the kitchen to do some baking on Saturday and than just paused for a minute to enjoy the dog hair and dust free floors.  I plan to get this house whipped back into shape by Friday at the latest. Notice I didn't say which Friday ...

5. I am teaching a flower making class at Troy-Hayner Cultural Center tomorrow - I hope I have enough students to make it worth while.  It should be a lot of fun even if we have just a small group.

6. I am a very messy baker - after making the breakfast for our HomeBuilder's class on Saturday I had 14 tea towels and several dish cloths in the wash.  I always feel like I have to be extra clean when I am baking for others so I keep grabbing clean linens to tidy up with.

7. Making danish in a hot kitchen doesn't work well - they were puffy instead of tender. They tasted great, but the texture was just not danish-y enough. For the record, I did not go overboard baking.  I made 1/2 as many items as last time.

8. We loved having our homeschool evaluation this year. We got our profiles put together at the last minute, made cupcakes and headed to our first Profile Party.  It was fun and encouraging to see other veteran homeschoolers. Both children did very well this year, and with our first year of High School out of the way I am more confident that if the Lord leads we will be able to homeschool High School.

9.  Our favorite field trip of the whole entire year was to a one room schoolhouse.  It was so much fun! Both children are not keen on acting/drama but both love reenacting and dressing up for a day in the life of a child in 1887 was so much fun! I sewed like a mad woman the day before to make their somewhat authentic outfits, and Dreamer made moccasins for both of them. The petticoat and pantaloons where fun! That is their lunch packed into a lard pail!

10. That same day Dreamer had her ballet performance and, of course, Storyteller had a baseball game. I had so much fun doing Dreamer's hair - it is thick and long and incredibly straight, so getting it all up in a cute style that wouldn't give her a headache is always a challenge, but it turned out well! She has gained so much confidence through ballet and it is great exercise. She wears a more modest ballet outfit than the rest of her class, but her class has accepted that quite graciously and made her feel welcome. This year she also helped with a younger class, so performance night was a bit crazy, but she loved it!

11. I hate being forced out of a rut, but forced I will be.  My favorite lipstick color was discontinued about a year ago and I bought 2 or 3 tubes on clearance.  I am scraping out the last bit of my last tube. How will I find a barely there color that compliments my face without saying 'hey look at my lips'?  They all seem so bright or dark or shimmery. Back to trial and error I suppose.

 12. I'm reading Brokenness, Surrender, Holiness: A Revive Our Hearts Trilogy by Nancy Lee DeMoss for our ladies Bible Study at church. I am really being challenged and looking forward to actually getting to the study to hear what the other women are gleaning from the book. I've missed the first two studies but plan to be there this week!


13. I am so thankful for breezes.  Even on the hottest days a breeze just somehow makes it more bare-able.


14. Eating late at night after ballgames is getting on my nerves. And my hips.


15. I need to start making notes in my cookbooks because if our darling girl is making something while I am not here, she won't know the ways I've changed the recipe to make it easier/healthier/faster. Keeping it all in my head isn't helpful to her at all. And since I've got a mind like a sieve, it's not helpful to me either!

16. The fact that baseball clinic is going into a third week is just killing my hopes to get any one of  those half done projects completed.


17. Into every day over 80 degrees some really good ice cream must fall ...


18. Lately every pin I try to follow on Pinterest leads to a dead link. Why is that?


19. It is incredible how urgent it becomes to clean out the fridge and re-stock with good things to eat when you're expecting an overnight guest. It's a good thing!


20. It is lovely to receive compliments, but I never quite know how to respond.  A Kroger employee asked where my children were today.  I explained that I had given our son a list of chores he was to have done by the time I got home, and that our girl was finishing up her room.  She was amazed that I could trust them to do those things while I was out shopping, but than she said that she guessed since they were incredibly polite they were probably also very obedient. She told me I was 'lucky' to have such good 'easy' kids (if only she knew). Luck has nothing to do with it - it is the grace of God and consistent training. We are blessed, not lucky.


21. Why do scabs on knees take so long to heal? I am putting vitamin E on Storyteller's knee every day (and sneaking in to do it at night too) but he's got a huge ugly scab. Every time he plays ball he re-opens it.  I guess one day soon it will be covered with man hair, so I shouldn't worry.


22. 11 year old boys are smelly. When did this happen?  I used to nuzzle on his toes and now if he puts his foot within a yard of my face I almost pass out.  He showers often, but I suspect he could be more diligent with his use of the soap.

23. I love the sound of giggling girls ... even when they are laughing at me!


24. This post actually took two days, but I am too lazy to change to title and add Tuesday ... that's just the way things are rolling these days.


25. You are a trouper - if you read this far you either have way too much time on your hands, you speed read, or you really are interested in my quiet, simple, blessed little life. Thank you!

{grace and peace}

  My mind is whirling as I look over the calendar for the weeks ahead.

 Just the reminders penciled in for tomorrow alone are enough

 to sink me far below the crashing waves of busyness. 

Just one day, but it's filled to the brim with activity.

Some routine, many extras.

I know that when I awaken, in those moments before full awareness,
 before it all comes crashing in,

I must seek Him first.

I must.

The first prayer of my day is thanksgiving.

{always}

Even when pain or nausea assails.

Even when stress pulls and strains.
Even when the night is insufficient to regain my strength.
I will take the time to breath.

{thanksgiving}

Lamentations 3:22-24

It is of the LORD's mercies that we are not consumed, 

because his compassions fail not.

 They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.

 The LORD is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him.

Remembering the LORD, His unchanging character, His faithfulness, His love for me.

Remembering the hope I have because He is my portion.

Then spilling out come words of joy.

All my blessings line up to be remembered and there are so very many.

•  the privilege to pray 
• The Word
• husband, children, father, mother, sister
• crazy family love
•  friends who build into my life so richly
• forgiveness
•  grace given and received
• enough and more
• living, breathing, moving - even slowly
• another day

 Before I swing my legs over the side of the bed and greet the day,

 stumbling with sleep filled eyes to make the fresh start before me.

I will reach out for grace and peace.

Inseparable blessings.

{grace and peace}

*repetition is God's volume control*

Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Grace be to you and peace from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Grace be to you and peace from God the Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ,
Grace be to you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Grace unto you, and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

{Romans 1:7; 1 Corinthians 1:3; 2 Corinthians 1:2; Galatians 1:3; Ephesians 1:2;
 Philippians1:2; Colossians1:2; 1 Thessalonians1:1; 2 Thessalonians 1:2}

{grace and peace} 


Matthew 6:33-34
But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness;
and all these things shall be added unto you.
Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.


{grace and peace} 

What robs you of your peace most often?

A jam packed schedule, lack of time spent with God, a cluttered home,

 discordant relationships, unmet expectations, discontent,

filling up longings with things that don't satisfy?

Let's seek Him first together.

blessings,

Juggling

Fall Ball 2011

I've never been good at juggling.  

 

I never put the time in to learn the skill proficiently enough to enjoy doing it.

If the truth be told, I could probably practice for 1000 hours and still not get it

 - I am just not coordinated!

 

This morning in my prayer time I was thinking about all of the 'balls' I have in the air right now.

I was asking the Lord for the strength to handle them all, and for wisdom to know which ones to drop.

 

 

 Baseball season begins on Monday.

I'm totally unprepared.

 

I thought since I started so early, my spring cleaning would be complete ... but it isn't.

 

I hoped to have a dozen or more meals in the freezer ready for the crazy nights ... but I don't.

 

I wanted to have a start on some spring painting projects ... but I haven't.

 

I was praying that a strained friendship would be on the way to healing ... but it's far from it.

 

A big giant 'ball' is hurling our way and I just have a feeling that my juggling skills 

will either vastly improve,

or I'll drop every last ball! 

Watch out below!

I never thought I'd be a 'baseball mom' - but here we are.

Our boy thrives on sports of all sorts, but particularly baseball.

 

Success in baseball has translated into success in school in ways I never imagined possible.

There are a lot of life lessons learned out there on the field.

Many opportunities for character refinement.

What he lacks in skill, he makes up for with hard work and enthusiasm.

They see.

Coaches comment.

The dugout is a tiny mission field for a boy who loves the Lord and the Word.

The bench is a place to exercise compassion 

and learn to extend words of encouragement.

 

We're praying for Storyteller's coach and for our testimony to be a solid witness of 

a Christian family walking circumspectly in this world.

March 

has been

some pain and discomfort, 

a grand surprise at the door,

intense school work for Storyteller,

too many sniffles and colds,

a great lack of energy, 

far warmer than usual,

basketball weekends,

the AWANA Grand Prix,

a lingering infection for Dreamer,

and all just a little better now.

I have so very much to be thankful for - even baseball season!

eleven

Happy Birthday 

Storyteller!

Today our Storyteller is eleven years old. 

I'm not sure where the time went, but it is quite possible that we were so busy
keeping him out of trouble that we missed a few days here and there!
What a blessing it is to see him maturing and growing up to be a godly young man.

It's so relaxing to be able to trust him to play on his own in the backyard, or to take him somewhere and not have to worry so much about him wandering off or endangering his life. 

 {we've waited a long time for these sweet days}

He is learning to control his wild impulses and make better decisions,
and he's finding that the consequences of not doing so are often  painful.

Yesterday the Historian took him to Game Stop to spend his hard earned money on a Wii Game!

Can you guess what game he chose? 

MLB 2K11

Baseball

Of course.
Worth every penny of his 'garbage duty' days for Mr. Neighbour.

He played a game with Daddy first thing this morning before he let for work.
In his baseball p.j.'s of course!

He seems to think that because it's far too hot to play outside, and because it's his birthday
he gets 'unlimited screen time' today, but that's not the case!

He started the day with a short stack of chocolate chip pancakes

- not as good as Daddy's but they passed.

My brain was in a fog last night as I tried to come up with some character traits 

to go along with the letters for 'birthday'.

Sister thought 'T' should stand for something quite true but uncomplimentary, so we left it!

After breakfast he got dressed in a t-shirt I made him recently and some shorts 

- and then went right back to Wii! 

What a boy!

I'm not sure what we're doing with the rest of the day.

Trying to keep cool, keep hydrated and have a little fun.

I'm so thankful he asked for an ice cream cake for his birthday 

- so easy to make and perfect for such a hot day!

Storyteller just came to sit beside me to see what I'm up to on the computer!
I think it's time to roll up our sleeves and get working on that ice cream cake! Yum!

So many blessings!

Welcome back - I know it's been a long time since I posted anything about our quiet life here in the Midwest!  I decided to use my free time this morning to share a few of the blessings we've been enjoying in the last few weeks!

On Saturday The Storyteller and I made a trip to Joann's to find just the right fabric for upholstering the giant piece of foam that will make his new 'dugout' a cozy place to sit and read or dream about baseball! We  found some heavy red duck canvas that was on sale for $5 a yard and it's perfect for this project!  I am so excited to finally be moving forward again toward getting his room back in shape! It's been a mess for so long that any progress is such a blessing! We've done everything but the 1/4 round trim and and the final painting, and of course the sewing for new valances and the upholstery of the 80"x24"x6" piece of heavy foam!  I bought a super long zipper to make this a 'zip off for washing' cover and I'm excited to get going on it this week!

I have been blessed to have some time in my sewing room lately working on a wild and crazy quilt for the Storyteller - it is just made up of cotton quilting scraps in various shades of red, tan and blues - so many fabrics from my stash that it kind of makes your head spin to look at, but he LOVES it!  I have to piece the backing together and take it to the quilt shop to have it quilted like Dreamers.  

The quilt is a 'pattern' I found in Creating Vintage Style and it was way more work than I thought it would be, but it's so perfect for our energetic boy! Some of the fabric is baseball prints from various past projects and the backing is all baseballs, so he is over the moon happy.  I guess it is only fair that since Sister sleeps beneath a 'made by Mama' quilt, Brother should too!

While at Joann's we bumped into a sweet friend Anne who reads my blog and she let me know that she's been  thinking about me and my sore hands!  That was such an encouragement to me! I let her know that they are much better - and I thought is was time to let you know too!  I so appreciate all of your kind comments and e-mails.  My hands are still not pain free, but the swelling and stiffness is all but gone - until I over do things and I start the painful cycle all over!  I'm looking forward to talking these issues over with my doctor next week and hopefully we'll find some answers! I felt so blessed on Wednesday when I was finally able to put on my wedding and engagement rings again.

Despite the struggles, I've been keeping busy as always!  Does it seem like spring is the season when homeschooling is the hardest?  We worked right through the public school's spring break and enjoyed the change in routine - we didn't have ballet, art, home school gym or AWANA that week so we were really able to get caught up in some school work!  We are planning on taking our spring break at Easter - because Poppa and Grammy will be here!!!!! Yeah!!!!  We are so very excited about their visit - it just seems like forever since we saw them!  It's been a long long winter!  We are looking forward to celebrating Resurrection Sunday together!

Spring is slowly unfolding with color and beauty!  Last week we enjoyed the last of the crocus' for one day! The rains came pouring down and flattened their blooms completely and they were gone! 

Many of the plants I started under the grow lights in early March are taking off and will soon be ready to harden off and transplant in the garden.  I planted more over the weekend since my tomato plants didn't do as well as I'd hoped. I love this time of year, but it can be a little overwhelming!  I am trying to stay ahead of the weeds in my garden until we can get our mulch delivery.  We use about 3 yards of mulch every other year and it helps so much to keep the weeds down, but it is a lot of work to move it about the yard.

The dandelions are just thriving! Since I was suffering with tendinitis last fall, I didn't get the garden 'put to bed' completely and I am regretting that terribly this spring. We've got carrots, radishes, lettuce and peas planted in our raised beds and hopefully the rain we are enjoying today will water everything nicely. I divided and transplanted a few 'Deer Salad' plants, known to most gardeners as Hosta - the deer munched our Hosta down a few times last summer and they returned nicely, so hopefully they will like the new varieties to choose from!

I'm working on a two week schedule for my spring cleaning this year.  I remember when I could do it about three full days, but this is a more reasonable goal and I am happy that I am even up it! I have 14 areas that need to be tackled and the worst is the Grammy flat.  No surprise there! We moved my sewing area out there and it has really made our bedroom a much more pleasant place to rest, but I need to organize the stuff we moved and make room for Poppa and Grammy again!!!

The goal is to have it done before Opening Day which is April 30th.  Poppa and Grammy will be here for that's special day as well, so that's huge for our Storyteller - he is so excited!  Many of his practices have been cancelled because of rainy weather or extreme cold, so he is anxious for the season to begin, but feels a bit rusty after a long winter of not playing ball.  We are so happy to have an organized coach this year - it's just such a blessing!  We've already gone through the schedule and realized that there are only two games that's he'll need to miss because of church activities, so he's pleased about that.  We always put church before sports and he understands that - hopefully his coach will too.  He'll need to tell his teammates why he will be missing those games, so hopefully he will be able to be a witness to them.  I know many parents don't feel the same way, but for our family, our children's grounding in the Word of God will always come before sports or other activities.  We know that God will honor putting Him first in our home.

Dreamer is diligently practicing for her very first Guild Piano Auditions at the end of this month - she has 9 classical pieces memorized - one more to go!  With each piece she has to know the key signature and play the scales for that key, both hands two octaves, along with the chords for that key.  It's a lot of work, but she is really loving it!  She really wants to to it!  

Two days after her audition she has her Spring Piano Recital and she is very happy that Poppa and Grammy will be here to hear her play.  

Yeah!  Another blessing to count!

 I made a Spring Wreath last week also - it is a total copycat inspired by the beauty of Emily Jones design - you can find here lovely wreath  at  Jones Design Company. 

Her whole blog is just lovely and she shares her talents sweetly so do take some time to 'look around' if you're looking for some creative inspiration!

My wreath is mostly  'up-cycled' - the linen was a beautiful designer skirt in it's former life, and I thrifted it for less than $1! I simply hated cutting it up but it didn't fit anyone I knew and was very stiff and heavy so I thought to make it into a purse, but I love it as a wreath.  The wreath form is a straw wreath that was used before.  The branches are from our yard and the nest was part of my spring mantle display last year.  The wool felt scraps were once a sweater!  Too fun!

It's time to get back to work and direct some home schooling and lunch preparation.  We are low on leftovers and fresh fruits and veggies - tomorrow is Happy Box Day and we are looking forward to the wonderful fresh food we receive each week! Last weeks mustard greens were not a big hit, but everything else was wonderful  The children enjoyed exploring a new taste  - eggplant.  It's not something I've ever bought, so it was fun.  We've had many fresh salads and lots of lovely organic fruit, though we are a bit tired of bananas.  If we get them again this week I've promised to make Plantanos Fritos for something new - apparently you can get tired of banana bread and muffins! I have lots of banana's in the freezer, so we are trying to be creative!I have a feeling some smoothies might be a good choice too.

Goodbye for now sweet friends 

- thanks for stopping by to visit. 

As always, I love your kind comments and all of the things you share! 

Happy Spring!

A Boy's Dilemma

What do you do when Mama says it is just too muddy to play baseball in the yard?

 Why you find yourself in the middle of a true boy's dilemma - and if you have any imagination, you quickly figure out there is only one way to solve the problem!

Read about baseball, of course!

After all of the years of struggle we have had with reading with our Storyteller, it is pure joy to see him absorbed in reading something his is passionate about.

I'm praising my Heavenly Father for this reminder of His faithfulness today.

I am so thrilled to see my boy reading that I didn't even bawl him out for parking his wet and muddy self on the couch.  You'll notice it is navy blue and very patterned. For those of you with white duck slipcovers on your couches, I applaud your decorating savvy and bravery, and I envy you just a little bit.  I, however am not ready to follow your lead quite yet - I have clay soil and an almost 10 year old boy, and there isn't enough stain remover in the world to entice me to slipcover in white! Yet!

Birthday, ballet, & baseball - minus the spray paint!

Happy Birthday!

 Today is my dear Historian's birthday - I won't tell you exactly how historical he is now, but let's just say he's crowding sail on the big 5-0!  He does look rather distinguished with the touch of silver in his light brown hair, and he sure doesn't feel as old as he is - unless he tries to help out and play catcher for 14 innings when a few girls were missing from Sandlot Softball!!!  The next day he felt older than dirt, but for the most part we just can't believe the numbers, even if they are simple mathematics!

I am working on a special birthday supper - roasted chicken with chalet sauce, homemade yeast rolls, tiny jello salads, crash hot potatoes and corn on the cob - with French Silk pie for dessert!  Everything is done but the chicken is still roasting, so I have a minute to sit and be still!  I put two chickens in the oven because they were on sale and I'll have the Historian de-bone the second one for other purposes - maybe a casserole or two for the freezer if I'm feeling ambitious!  Dreamer has the house all decorated with balloons and ribbons, so as soon as the boys get home, it's time to celebrate!

Can you guess where our boys are - three guesses and the first two don't count!  Another baseball practice tonight!  Storyteller played his second tournament game last night and it was a hummer!  I'll tell you, I was sprouting white hairs left and right!  Storyteller has never pitched, he has been given a few pointers, and practiced with his Daddy in the back yard, but he has been catcher and outfielder for the whole season.  He asked Coach if he could pitch, and Coach warmed him up, reminded him of the fundamentals and told him he might pitch, but not this game.  So, I could have swallowed my teeth when my son was lead to the mound to pitch - with the bases loaded and not many runs on the score board!  His face was a mixture of terror and joy - my heart was skipping beats and his balls were all over the map!  Than, they put a batter in the box, and he actually pulled it together - my baby struck out 5 batters. 
His eyes danced and my heart settled down!  What a surprise!

They still lost, but hey - what a memory!

In other sports news, our Dreamer has an upcoming Ballet Performance - and this past Monday night, her instructor finished writing their third dance for the performance!!!!!!  Can you feel the mad panic?  Thankfully, she scheduled extra practice for the girls who didn't get it memorized first run through - that would be our Dreamer!  She has had an extra practice every afternoon this week!

Today we enjoyed such wonderful sunshine - it was dazzling!  I was itching to get out my spray paint and get to work on the long list of project for Dreamer's room make over that haunts me in my dreams I have compiled.  However, along with the beautiful sun came fluffers - millions of white puff balls floating in the air.  We're way past dandelion season, so I suspect a tree is the culprit this time!!!!  My only day for spray painting in over a week!!!!  We have two more days of rain in the forecast.   

I'll just keep on enjoying these beauties until we get some more real sunshine!

and ...

After supper I am going to get my plants in the ground, even if I have to do it by flashlight!

Tournamant Triumph & Buyer's Remorse

Tournament Triumph - at last!  Storyteller's junior baseball team won their first game today during the Mid Season Tournament!  My oh my ... and I missed it!  I still have not figured out how to be three places at once! After 6 straight losses in the regular season so far, this was quite a nice way to begin a week of double elimination tournament games.  The boys are learning something and gaining skill and confidence with each game experience. You can bet that our Storyteller was very very excited - he had to call Grammy and report the great news!  Coach said he was so proud of the boys that he couldn't stop smiling!  Storyteller will never forget this day!

Buyer's Remorse - and where was I during all this excitement???  I was at the best used Home School Curriculum ever!  Our Co-op coordinator and her trusty crew put together a huge sale venue for those who had things to sell - it was huge!  Unbelievable quantities of materials!  I had hoped to go the the seller's pre-sale last night, but we were enjoying a lovely evening at the ballpark instead - a make-up game because Wednesday's game was rained out. I hoped to get up early and head to the sale before my 'shift' as a bag lady, but that didn't work out either!  I am all but over my sinus issues, but still a bit tired from the whole thing.  I actually saw the boys off to the game and went back to bed! I rested a bit longer, got up and scrubbed the 3 bathrooms, and than we got ready and headed to the sale just in time for my shift! 

I gave my 'wish list' to Dreamer, but she didn't find anything on it - she found a few other small things that we will use, but she got her eye on a Latin words curriculum and brought it over with the pile.  I was busy bagging and only glanced at the stuff she chose, but I thought the tag said $8 and I was fine with that.  When we got home I realized I paid $18 for something we could have gotten for $14 new - and we can't even use it because it is second in a series that needs the first books as a foundation!  Not a stellar day for frugality!  I should not have been so careless, but at least it wasn't a major mistake!  Maybe we'll find a way  to make it work for us, but I do have a small case of buyer's remorse.  I wish I had taken time to really look through the sale items, but just getting there seemed to be a big energy drain.  
After the sale and clean up, we had a bite to eat at Panera Bread with my sweet friend Mrs. S.  She had worked the whole sale, and was pretty tired, but she took the time to visit a bit and we enjoyed catching up, so that was a blessing!
It is so good to be home and enjoying a quiet evening together.   I am going to finish the dishes and head to bed soon.  I am really looking forward to worship tomorrow, and tomorrow night our Storyteller will receive his Second Book Award at the AWANA awards night!  He worked so hard to earn this, so we are really glad for him. 
 I am still working away at Dreamer's room.  Her crazy slipper chair slipcover is done, and so is her lamp base and shade.  I have her bulletin boards painted and up - though I am really regretting not priming them!!!  They are chipping already - so I don't know if I can sand them a bit and prime and paint them again, but I think I'll have to do something.  She picked apple green and it is really pretty, but I should have primed!  Live and learn!  We have her rods painted and ready to got back up, and the valances are cut out and ready for sewing!  
My to-do list is never ending, but I am just grateful to feel like I can get back to work on it, since I have be stalled this week with illness.  Three more weeks of school and we are ready for summer break!  Yeah!

A Wildly Windy Saturday

Yesterday a warm and sunny day gave way to a wild and windy night.  Thankfully, the ball game was not canceled or postponed again, and Storyteller had a great time with the Historian.  It was the fourth loss for his team - in four games! He took it very well saying that it really was the best game his team had played so far, so he was just happy to see improvement.  He is such an encourager, and he takes his games so seriously!  We just about smiled our silly heads off on Thursday night when our Storyteller asked for a time out and went out to the pitcher's mound to 'talk' with the pitcher!  We asked him later what he had said, and he told us that he just was telling him what a great job he was doing, and not to give up, the game was not over yet! He encouraged him with 'we can stop the bleeding'!  The game ended 18-1.  Thank heavens for the mercy rule and the school night rule!

Dreamer and I risked tornado warnings to go see some friends from our home school co-op in a Drama Class play of their own making!  It was really well done and very enjoyable.  We got home just as the sky was erupting in lightening.  It wasn't a fun drive home - there was more than one vehicle blown off the road by the 60 mile an hour gusts of wind last night. I still love the nice heavy feeling feeling of our Honda van, but I especially appreciate it in the bad weather.  Thankfully, we avoided the hail damage than many neighboring counties sustained. I was praying for my hosta!  One year we got 1" hail and the hosta looked like tattered lace all season long, and much of it died.


We awakened to more wind and a 40 degree drop in temperature, but thankfully no more rain or hail, so the kids happily got ready for sandlot softball, while I started dreaming about going back to bed for a while! I'm struggling with a super sore throat and major sinus headache, so the peace and quite was going to be quite a luxury and a blessing!

I made pancakes and sausage for breakfast and the kids were running out of time, so things were a bit rushed!  They still had time for silly faces and goofy grins of course!

I guess breakfast was a bit too rushed for our tired out Storyteller.  After jamming feet into cleats and grabbing water bottles and hats, they ran out the door to the van where our Historian was waiting.  They drove out the driveway with cheery goodbyes and one 'my tummy feels funny' and I started to tidy the kitchen before heading back to bed!  Not 5 minutes later the van pulled in and a very green little guy ran in the house and to the bathroom, loosing his breakfast.  Poor fellow!

Dreamer and Daddy headed to Sandlot softball without our Storyteller, and I installed him on the couch with gingerale and warm blankets, and a baseball video! He was right as rain in no time, enjoyed the extra cuddle time, and was quickly out the door dressed warmly for playing.  I never did get my extra sleep in!

I did make a loaf of bread - I have been really enjoying the Artisan Bread in Five Minutes A Day recipe that I got from their website!  The book is on my wish list! Actually, the new book Healthy Artisan Bread in Five Minutes A Day would be even better!  I love having the dough in the fridge ready to pull out, shape and throw in the oven - and it is soooo good! I also made a batch of Chicken Noodle Soup, and thawed some homemade vegetable soup for Dreamer since she isn't a noodle fan.  It was a nice lunch for such a chilly day, and now they are all back at another ball field for Storyteller's baseball game - well bundled up against the chilly winds.  Today is our day for team snacks, so we made some giant cookies and packed juice boxes for the boys! Storyteller will no doubt have fun handing out his 'Chipper Mix' cookies to his teammates!

Now for my nap, but first ... the kitchen needs to be cleaned up ... again! 

and the wild wind is still blowing ...

I am thankful for Saturdays, even wild windy Saturdays that don't go as planned.  I am especially thankful for our Historian who is cheerfully making it all happen for the children!