Monday, January 30, 2012

Monday Musings

Some sights from around my world this past Saturday:


A Jedi Temple meeting 


So pretty! 

My Saturday lunch date 
In order to get my Asian food fix, I took Jeff out to lunch and used the money I earned taking the survey this past week!  I was going to go for coffee, but this was way better.

We also found some small plates at Goodwill and a couple sweater vests for the boys.

I love Saturdays!  Unfortunately, Jeff will be working Saturdays starting very soon.  Thankfully, that is just a short season and we will get through it.  Tax season is good, too, for it reminds me how wonderful non-tax season is!

~Jenn

Thursday, January 26, 2012

This Week At Home, 2012, Week 4

The snow melted. 

Monday became a "Plan B" day, by that I do mean plan "better".  Not so much school happened, but for a sleepy Monday, I'd say it was a good day.  Sleepy because we stayed up watching "the game" go into over time.  Then storms woke us at 1:30AM.  And the alarm went off at 5:30 as well, announcing the end of our short night of sleep. *yawn* 

So how did we spend our Monday?  First, we had the pleasure of spending time with Grandpa, who was in town.  He had breakfast with us and then stayed home with Ryan while I took the other two to gym class.  It was nice that he could even stay for lunch.

At lunch, the door bell rang and a lady told me I'd been chosen to do a survey for Chicago University about child care.  Me?  Well, I could not pass up $20 for an hour's work so I agreed.  Now I have a little mad money to spend this week.  :-)  I hear Starbucks calling me! 

After Grandpa left and since our school day was not going to happen, we watched Downton Abbey 2, episode 3.  Grace and I are a bit hooked on that show.  I am thinking of trying to get the DVDs so I can get this misery over with.  Maybe my library? 


Trying on Mommy's new reading glasses. 


Tuesday is here!  The kids and I get down to business with our lessons in the morning.  We start another book, Otto of the Silver Hand.  I think we are going to like this book. We read an extra chapter!

After lunch, I baked pumpkin muffins for our snack and the kids entertain our little friend.  It's a lot of fun having a 5 year old around.

Grace gets to go to art class this evening.  She is working on a ballerina in pastels.  I had to sneak a peek last week as she is so secretive!

My knee continues to improve every day.  I have almost normal range of motion today.  Yippee!  It still hurts, but it is so much better.

Trevor is also healing.  I think the dietary changes and medicines have worked.  He remains on the bland diet until Friday.

Play dough time. 

Wednesday comes and we make more progress! Repair men come to fix some problems like replace the big back door and fix the drywall in the downstairs bathroom. (This is when renting is a nice thing!)

I love Wednesday days (the evenings give me anxiety.)  We are in the groove and get so much done with our lessons.  This week I had to order more books.  Ryan is starting his high school Algebra!  Trevor needed his next grammar book.  Grace needed her next math book.  I also decided to order a test booklet for Ryan to make sure he is learning all that he can learn on his own in history.  We recently allowed him to branch off on his own in that area.  He's using Streams of Civilization book 1 and reading Famous Men of the Middle Ages, as well. 

You did your math, right??? 

Thursday brings a repeat of Tuesday.  Lessons in the morning.  Our dear little friend in the afternoon.  Have I told you lately how much I am enjoying our lessons?  The younger two and I are a lean, mean, learning machine!  They love being read to.  They love maps.  They love hands on.  And, now that Ryan is mostly on his own, he is very happy, too.  He is free to do his online programing course after his independent studies are completed.  It's win-win at this point.

Pretty beadboard! 

Such an improvement! 

Friday is here again.  The guys are going to try to install the new sliding glass door, if the weather cooperates.  We have a little schoolwork to finish up. We also need to get groceries.   Then, we are all pitching in to tidy the house for small group. Last week, we rescheduled because of an ice storm. 


This weekend we are happily at home doing a little bit of this and some of that. Grace gets to go spend the night with grandparents,too.

So, that has been our week.  I hope to catch up on my reader some time.  Life has been a little busier lately.
~Jenn

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Wordless Wednesday: Kitty Love


Update:
Thank you for all your care and concern.  My leg is healing well.  I am not exercising this week.  Next week I will start rehab.  Trevor is doing well on his bland diet.  I hope to reintroduce fiber foods next week.  We will hold off on spicy foods for another week or so.  We are very thankful that things are not worse for either of us! 

Friday, January 20, 2012

This Week At Home, 2012, No. 3

Hard to believe another week of January has passed.

On Monday we were motivated to get our lessons done efficiently, as we had friends coming to play in the afternoon. ( Yay for homeschool friends who live .5 miles away!)   But the joy of the afternoon turned to worry as Trevor started having pain in his back when he swallowed.  No other symptoms, so we decided to keep a watch on him and go on with our busy life. 
Abbey likes us most in the winter! 
Tuesday, Trevor is not feeling well and is in more pain when he swallows.  He lays around most of the day with his little furry friend.  We have our lessons and our little preschool friend comes.  This is the day that Ryan plays with her all afternoon.  So sweet!  (And thank you for the encouraging comments.  I am grateful.) 
A warm spot for Abbey. 
Wednesday brings  little change for Trevor.  He is enjoying Wendy's Frostys though.  We have a quiet day.  Trevor and I stay home from AWANA.


Thursday brings a little snow and a big fall for me. I landed on my left knee when I hit a snow covered patch of ice at the park today. My leg is swollen, stiff and blue. Thankfully, I can get home and no bones are broken! It could be a lot worse. I manage to read aloud while in pain and then the kids watch our friend while I have my leg propped most of the afternoon. Trevor is a bit better, eating soft food, but I still make him an appointment for tomorrow.
A little snow comes our way.




Friday morning is Trevor's doctor appointment. It's bitterly cold this morning, in the single digits. This is the coldest it has been I think so far. My knee is slightly less painful so I think I can manage. We cancelled our small group meeting as freezing rain and ice is expected this evening. Grace has a sleep over at church tonight. Oh, and today is Jeff's birthday! So much has been going on that I keep forgetting! Happy birthday, Darling! I wish it could be more grand, but at least he had a cake last Sunday.


Happy Birthday to my best friend and darling husband! 

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Wordless Wednesday: Friends



I will add a few words here.  Ryan "played" with Faith for 3 hours yesterday.  He played Princess Monopoly (he was the mermaid), endless Hullabaloo, play-doh, and Wii.  I love his compassion for younger children.  If only it extended to HIS own sister!  Nonetheless,I am proud of him.

Monday, January 16, 2012

Saturday, January 14, 2012

Weekending


This is a procrastination post.  See what we've been doing instead of the nice long list I wrote?  On the one hand, you might think this is a much more valuable way to spend a Saturday morning.  On the other, you might think we are not too serious about taking advantage of the time!  Perhaps there is a time to play and a time to clean and room for both.  I'm off to get that list done! 

Happy Weekend!
~Jenn

Thursday, January 12, 2012

This Week At Home, 2012, Week 2

Monday...
It's sunny and warmer, in the upper 40's!  We are back to our lessons full force.  We started a new book, another good one called The Great and Terrible Quest.  I witnessed pure joy today.  I peeped out of my kitchen window to see Trevor and Grace bouncing on the trampoline in the warm sunshine.  I got my eyes examined this afternoon.  I spent three hours waiting for my eyes to return to working order.

Clock tower at nearby park on Saturday. 

Tuesday...
Enjoyed my morning walk, during which the kids did their independent work.  After lunch, we prepared for our new Tuesday/Thursday job, baby sitting our dear little friend while her mommy takes a couple college classes.  Today it was 50 degrees!  Just awesome.  Grace went to her art class and below is the fruit of her first two lessons. 

Love my girl's work! 
Wednesday...
The beautiful weather is changing.  We're sad to see the beautiful weather end.  Thankfully the wet stuff is only rain for now. Poor Jeff had to work right up to the time to go to AWANA, so he missed dinner with us. And looks like he'll be working on Saturday, too.  Tis the season for CPA's to be busy. 

Math with Abbey is fun! 

Thursday...
Big bad winter weather is coming and there is no place to hide!  I can see it on the radar, slowly engulfing the map.  Just hope to walk before it hits.  One last walk!  This afternoon, we watch our dear little friend again.  This evening I am wondering if karate will still happen.

More from Saturday's walk. 

Friday... 
Groceries must be secured today.  Invited the neighbor friends over, too.  The evening will be a quiet one spent watching Biggest Loser, as we missed it Tuesday on purpose so we could watch it later without commercials.  I love that show, but the commercials are not what I call family friendly.

From Thursday's walk before the snow. 

Saturday...
Jeff will work.  The kids and I will clean the house.  I also need another walk! 

Pretty berries. 

Sunday...
Hope to go up north to visit family and celebrate Jeff's birthday, a week early. It depends on the weather, of course.

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Wordless Wednesday: Our Kitty

18 years old next month and still going strong! 


Abbey Cat


And one for the funny bone... Ryan sent this to me this week. 


Monday, January 9, 2012

Unexpected Blessings

If someone would have told me that (for no money involved) my satisfaction level with my home would be on the rise this weekend, I would have thought it impossible.  I am completely content with my home sweet home.  Or so I thought!


On Friday, we were given a lovely small end table from Bombay & Co. and some lamps!  We put the table in the living room with a lamp we already had.  Now when our small group comes, we will have a spot to put glasses and there will be proper lighting.  Just amazing!

One lamp is on the gaudy side, probably from the 50's, but it works and is helping a great deal in the family room as that room had only one lamp as well.
 

Another of the lamps, we put into Trevor's room.  I had forgotten that when we moved in, we only got him a small low watt lamp from Good Will and that is the only light the poor boy has read by for almost two years, as there are no overhead lights in the bedrooms!  But that is all changed now.  He has a regular sized lamp next to his bed.  


Now onto the big ticket item, the hutch!  Remember that lovely table I had in the kitchen?  The one that seemed to have a sign on it indicating it as a spot in which to dump things and run?  Remember how I wanted a hutch?  Well, it has been provided and it was also FREE!




I can now even display a few of my Grandma's dishes and have a spot to put some other things we need handy.  Until now, I've been stashing extra food way up high in the hall closet as our kitchen is very cabinet challenged.  It was so in convenient!  (See, I did not know how unhappy I really was, until I had something better!) 

Now, I am on the look-out for a small kitchen cart with a counter so that I can use it as another work station.  As I have lost a little "counter" space.   Although it really did not function as counter space very well.

Something like this...





Saturday, January 7, 2012

Epiphany 2012

We are doing something a little new to us this year.  We are attempting to celebrate more of the church calendar.  I may go into the whys another time, but for now, here are some pictures from our Epiphany.








Friday, January 6, 2012

This Week At Home, 2012 Edition, No. 1

Monday...
Jeff was off, so it was a lighter start back to school work for us. He did the honors of reading to us. It was like old times when we first started out and he was able to do more. Speaking of doing more, he is holding math classes on Saturdays during breakfast until tax season is in full force. After that he will probably have to move it to Sunday afternoons.

Grace shielding her art at class. 
Tuesday...
After lessons we indulged in a new guilty pleasure... Oh how I want to live on an Edwardian farm, just for a year! 



Tuesday's biggest joy was for Grace.  For Christmas, she received 2 months of tuition to a local art school.  I was very anxious to see how she would like the class.  She can be a bit shy and self-aware.  I am glad to report that she enjoyed the class and I will show her first efforts next week when she brings it home. 


My lads. 

Wednesday was back to AWANA.  It took some praying to get myself back into the grove.  AWANA is excellent, however, my flesh would rather stay home where it is warm and more quiet!

Boy and Cat. 
Thursday...
We worked hard to finish our week's lessons. I need to order the next grammar book for Trevor and the next math for Ryan.  I tell them they are never ahead, just doing what comes next.  If I said they were ahead, then they would want to take this semester off.  Not gonna happen!   

The weather warmed up and we all felt the call of the outside world.  40's and sunshine today.  50's and sunshine tomorrow!  I may have to walk an extra day at the park, just because I can.  Glorious sunshine is my best friend right now. 

Thursday brought us a date night, too!  Yes, a date and a chance to get some shopping done without children!  These are quickly coming to an end with tax season starting next month. 

Friday...

Lots to do today.  We're hosting small group and I decided to serve dinner in order to welcome a new family considering our group.  The kids will finish up their independent school work and I will get us ready for our company.  One good thing about hosting a small group is that I have plenty of chances to practice hospitality every other week! 

Sunday, January 1, 2012

2011 Review

January 2011
2011 began with a trip to the beach, the frozen, cold beach at Indiana Dunes State Park for Jeff's birthday.  Who says you can't go to the beach for your winter birthday? 

February 2011
February we were back to the dunes area to attend a special wedding. 

March 2011
In March, a teenager was born!  I have to say he is not your typical teenager.  He is a fine young man who has plans to use his giftedness in big ways!   (Watch out Microsoft.) 

April 2011
The last day of April, we headed out on our first camping trip in our new-to-us camper! 

May 2011
In May, we were back to the beach.  This time we could stay awhile. 

June 2011
In June, for Father's Day we camped near my father's home.  It rained, but we kept dry in the camper.  Thankfully, we were able to swim one day in the fun pool. 


July 2011
In July, we celebrated Grace's 12th birthday in Chicago! 

August 2011
August found us beginning 4th, 6th, and 8th grades.  Surprisingly, we did not go camping in August. 

September 2011
But, oh in September, we were back and enjoying spectacular views! 

October 2011
Trevor turned 10 in October.  Jeff and I also celebrated our 17th wedding anniversary.  I also had a birthday in October. 

November 2011
There was much to be thankful for in November. 

December 2011
And much to be celebrated in December!  2011 was a great year and I thank the Lord for His faithfulness to us. 

Happy New Year! 
~Jenn 

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