A decade of parenting

Today is all about her:

(so when she knocked over my entire cup of coffee on to my freshly cleaned carpet....I didn't even fuss. honest.)

Because ten years ago today at 11:41am our world was all about her!

How oh how has it been a decade?!

I don't know, but somehow it happened and now I have a "Double Digit Midget" oh how well I remember looking forward to claiming that title myself...

her bedroom door was waiting for the new 10 yr old to emerge

10 sets of balloons lined the stairs

The breakfast table was set and decorated just for her....

with 1o crepe paper flowers as the centerpiece

and there were 10 candles on her french toast!

Savings Tally:

I needed to get some toilet paper so had to spend more than I saved as I needed it....just can't live without toilet paper.

Spent: 2.76

Saved: 2.00

YTD spending: $167.87
YTD SAVING: $305.44
Weekly Average Grocery Spending: $41.97

(Started Sept 20)

I have had goal all year to make our own bread....which means I had to master bread making. The year is nearing an end (ack!) and I've still not mastered it....so the pressure is on. So after seeing a book mentioned a while back on my friend emily's site I kept meaning to order it and just never got around to it for one reason or another. Until a couple weeks ago. Now I'm pouring over it and PERHAPS I'll meet my goal before the year is out. I've made lots of bread this year, but have yet to be consistent with rising, looks, taste, etc. Plus it takes a lot of scheduling and time.
I kept telling my sweet hubby that I needed to learn the science of breadmaking so that I could figure out what I'm doing wrong. And I might have figured it out a bit...at least some...we'll see how I do when I make my first batch. I'm waiting on a new baking stone to arrive. BUT I might have to forego the stone and just go for it....because this cool air makes for the most perfect baking weather!!!

(after all how will I convince my sweet husband that I need to mill my own flour if I can't consistently make BREAD!!??)

Love it!!

"Make new friends but keep the old one is silver and the other gold"

I went to a private Christian high school my last 2 years of high school.

We had chapel every day.

as boring as it could be some days I really did like it! Song request days when you knew who was going to request what song and you'd roll your eyes at the person next to you...or giggle when someone requested a certain song for the express reason of hearing the accent the leader used to sing that particular song & everyone giggled....etc etc I just loved it!

half the time we were half asleep during chapel, but there was just something about it. I never hated it. Never once....

okay maybe once

but that's a crazy silly story about a note found by our principal and READ ALOUD by him IN CHAPEL in front of EVERYONE. he didn't read the names of who the note was from and to (WHEW!!!), although everyone was sure they knew who the note was to and from..................

they were wrong

but the 3-4 of us that knew never told...hee hee!!

So, this past Sunday I had a sort of deja vous (love spellcheck) moment. I felt liked I'd stepped back in time a bit. There was even the occasional embarrassing moments (thanks Laura...ha ha!!)

In worship Sunday I sat with a friend from high school on either side of me and one in front of me.

We sang together, prayed together, laughed together and some of us then had lunch together.

What a blessing....a real gift!!! Even better, their wonderful spouses!! Truly my friends married so so well!!

And the reality check moment...our children becoming friends and enjoying being together!

Where have the years gone?

Wasn't it just yesterday that Vangie requested again "God Put a Rainbow in the Cloud" before heading off to Calculus?

I had meant to get a picture with all the kiddos, but I just forgot.

oops....kind of like my homework!

Psalm 8

We've been working on memorization more lately. One of the things we've memorized is Psalm 8. The kids were practicing saying it today and John Mark all of a sudden started putting motions to the verse, MK decided she liked that and it stuck. They didn't discuss really doing any of it, just as they practiced saying it over and over they just sort of did stuff....which made it even more enjoyable to watch as their Mommy so I decided to video it and as soon as I did they said "Mommy will you put in on your blog or facebook?" ha ha ha....

So here you have my kiddos version of Psalm 8, MaryKyle adds some motions as she goes along, but that's exactly how this whole thing worked....John Mark started the motions, then MK would start doing it too, then she would do one and he would pick it up, no discussion really at all over what they would do then vice versa...so I just recorded along the way!

Savings Tally:

TODAY at Publix:

Spent: 49.93

SAVED: $94.94

Since Sept 20, 2009:

YTD Spending: $87.38

YTD Savings: $168.67

Average weekly grocery spending: $29.13

(includes toiletries, etc)

one of those days...

today is a day....

hmm.......a day that I don't really ever care to repeat.

But yet, today is a day I woke up to a note of prayers from a neighbor left on my porch, watched my son figure out wrench measurements to match up with bolts and take apart things and build things. I saw my daughter design and sew a cute little outfit for her doll. A day I watched my son play 2nd base for the first time and even though he was by no means a pro, he ASKED to stick with it and didn't give up! Today I sat on my front porch with our neighbors little - almost 2 yr old and rejoiced with her each time she heard a bird tweet or saw a bug fly by! Today the weather was amazing....a perfect fall day! A beautiful day! And at the end of it, after the baseball game that seemed to never end, when no one was left there. We, with another coach from our team stood at the baseball park and prayed together...

So even though we thought we'd get a new little addition to our family (sorry that's about all I feel safe saying) and that we might be by tonight parenting 3 children again, but yet we're not.... Today was a day FILLED with blessings.

So I'd repeat it...parts of it...over and over and over!

Today God is good...

just like yesterday and just like tomorrow -

just like EVERY day!!