Monday Mobile

PPPsssstttttt. Guess what? I got a new phone. I was in for an upgrade, and I got an iPhone. It's pretty. It pays to have your husband work for AT&T. :) So I'm going to tell you the best things about my iPhone. (what I know of it so far) First...it's called "Words with Friends." I love this game. It's like Scrabble. You play your friends, your enemies, your countrymen, anyone. I've been playing with strangers and family. It's addicting. I don't like that part of it, so I'm going to have to reign it in. Second...it has places for lists for the grocery, or reminders and what not. I like these lists, but there's an app I want that will be the ultimate list. I just have to wait for someone to get me an iTunes giftcard. (hint hint nudge nudge) :) Third...I don't have to get on the computer to check my email. I like that and hate that because now I feel like I'm on my phone all the time. I remember when I used to say I wouldn't be that person, and now I'm that person. I don't like it.
Other than that, it takes pretty decent pictures, so hopefully this here blog will get some more action. I was supposed to have a guest blogger tonight, but she got moved to tomorrow instead. Stay tuned!

For entertainment, here are some pics from my new phone.

He found the shirt!

Grateful

It's been a while for one of these. Where do I start?

-For all court matters being settled, done, and over
-For friends who pray for us
-And friends who cry with us
-Courage and grace
-Pumpkin candles
-Real movies
-Wiggle room in some clothes (this one is short lived since I just made cookies)
-Visiting with friends we haven't seen in a while
-Baby time with one I can give back :)
-Soul friends
-Awareness
-Words with friends

Flamingo Eating

We learned about flamingos this week. They are pretty interesting. We learned that their pink color comes from the food they eat. In our book it said that they drink only pink lemonade from the Ozark Islands. The next line said it was a joke, but while I read that, Rory's mouth was wide open in amazement. It was pretty funny. After we read about them, our book had us try to eat like flamingos, since they don't bend their legs or have arms. It was interesting...to say the least.


I gave them a break and let them get on their knees. They didn't understand it when I said they couldn't hinge at their waists. It was still funny to watch.
Rory laughed right when she looked up after getting her cracker. She all those cracker bits shooting through the air? I thought it was a pretty cool "straight out of the camera" shot. That's all the termage I know about camera stuff, so don't get used to it. :)

Weekend Wonders

I know this may be a shock to some of you, but sometimes I don't do what I say I'm going to do. :o I said in a blog last week, that I was going to get the basement situated since we brought the couch and big TV upstairs. Well, guess what? I got the basement situated Saturday morning. It had snowed the previous night and the kids were sick, so I skipped Zumba. I know, another shocker! It looks quite nice if I do say so myself. I set it up as a little town. There's a house, a store, a clothing store (dress-up) complete with a full length mirror. It almost looks like we could be having playdates here for a change. I would LOVE that. I've been wanting to get more hospitable, but then I keep getting all these plagues. Hopefully this last one is over with, and we can start inviting friends over. I can't wait.

While I would love to say that I have pictures of my masterpiece, I do not. Sorry! I still have some cabinets to clean up, so I'll show you in completion of it all. For now I'm just excited that when you look in the basement, it's airy...which is very important for a basement. Our old set up of little stations just wasn't working, and it made it look small. I still don't think we're going to paint or anything just because there's a part of us still not willing to commit to being here long enough for that. Wishful thinking considering that this was supposed to be our starter house, and we weren't going to be here for longer than 5 years. It'll be 6 this May in case you were wondering. C'est la vie!

Windy Wednesday Daybook

Outside my window...
It's windy, sunny, and cold. Today is recycling day, so of course, everything blew all over the yard last night. While Kaelyn was waiting for the bus, I went around the yard picking everything up. I didn't have my glasses on and it was still dark, but I managed. Then I picked up a plastic gallon milk container. (My thought: Hey, we don't drink milk out of a plastic gallon container) Then I came across a can. (My thought: Hey, we don't drink Budweiser) I don't know if people are throwing things in our yard or what, but I can tell you that the Budweiser was half full (or half empty), so it didn't just blow over from another recycling bin.

I am thankful for...
20 year long friendships that feed my soul, kids, and me time. :)

I am thinking about...
food.

Learning all the time...
We're doing good in school so far. No burn out yet. :) We're reading Once Upon A Saint stories and loving them! We've also turned our "Quote of the Day" in the kitchen into the weekly Bible verse. This week is "You must not steal." Exodus 20:15.

From the kitchen...
We had some steaks last night that were delicious. Tonight it's Hamburger Helper for the kids and Lean Cuisines for me and Kevin. We have a rule that if the kids don't like what's for dinner they can have a sandwich or cereal. We try to have at least one meal that we know they'll eat a week, so they get something other than those things.

I am creating...
little Catholics. My kids LOVE hearing Saint stories. I'm excited to help them love God.

I am working on...
Thirty-One. I'm trying to get back into the groove, but it's hard. I need to just let go and work hard. What will be will be.

I am going...
to Pilates. I think this might be my new Zumba. I'm still addicted to Zumba, but my body is so used to it that it's not shedding any poundage. Pilates is my something new, and I really liked it. Stay tuned.

I am hoping...
for a good outcome on this weekend's events and happenings.

I am reading...
still that book on St. Therese, the Little Flower. It's really interesting.

I am praying...
for Kevin, for peace, for forgiving hearts.

I am hearing...
Sons of Guns tv show. Kevin's watching it. Also, he and Kaelyn are discussing SOPA and PIPA which I know nothing about.

Around the house...
we are still doing our chores and housework. Next week we're going to tackle the downstairs since we don't have a tv down there anymore. :) We can't this week because Kevin is training at work. I don't know what I'm going to do downstairs yet, but it will NOT be all toys. Well, it might be, but organized, not all over the place, and a good layout. Can you separate thoughts like that with just a comma? I don't know if that's proper.

One of my favorite things...
at naptime, when the sunlight is streaming through the windows and Rory and Logan are fighting over who gets to lie on the carpet by the door in the sun.

A few plans for the rest of the week...
piano, the gym, working on the basement this weekend.

Here is a picture thought I'm sharing with you...

Weekend Activities

Here are some picture happenings from this weekend. It was a pretty lax weekend.

Kevin did some light reading...for Sky Rim.
Rory and I made cake pops, and then I forgot to bring them to my meeting. :(
And what would a weekend be without father/son video games? Sorry, Kevin. I originally took this picture to show Kevin what he looks like when he plays video games. :) Since he's the husband of a blogger, all bets are off regarding pictures used for the betterment of the blog.

Pics as Promised

Cast of characters...window crayons and Bonnie and Clyde (A.K.A Marley and Logan).

Happenings of Today

This happenings post is happening so you'll understand why I'm not blogging. :) Here are some things that happened today.

-I made beef stew (Yum!)
-Rory spilled hot chocolate ALL over the kitchen floor that Kaelyn mopped last night
-Marley and Logan got a hold of window crayons and markers and drew
1) on the floor I just cleaned the hot chocolate off of
2) on the chairs (it won't come off, so our chairs are pink and blue now)
3) on each other
(by the way...I was in the living room learning about birds)
-We're studying birds for the next 6 weeks. Rory LOVES birds. We have a birdfeeder, so she's journaling the date, time, and what birds are at our birdfeeder through the day
-Rory read 2 chapters from a book to me today (without me asking)
-I'm doing a Thirty-One challenge
-I'm going to Adoration tomorrow morning at 6a so...
-I'm going to bed now

This wasn't supposed to be a whole blog. It's late. Stay tuned for pictures tomorrow!

Logan and the Library Friend

At Marley's naptime today I took the other kids out to the library to pick up some books on hold. I was looking at the books I had held and heard Logan talking to another little boy. Here's how it went.

BOY: Oh, you like Mario Brothers? Me too! (Logan was wearing his Mario hat)
LOGAN: Do you like Kirby?
BOY: No, just Mario.
LOGAN: What's your name?
BOY: Jake
LOGAN (running over to Rory): Rory! Rory! His name is Jake! Another Jake! (Sam and Nik currently both have boyfriends named Jake)
LOGAN: Where do you live?
JAKE: I live in FREEDUURRICK (slowly sounding it out). Where do you live?
LOGAN: I live in Maryland.
JAKE: I think that's close to us!
LOGAN: Yeah!

Jake's mom and I were laughing, and I walked away. When we were checking out Logan said bye to Jake. It took us a while checking out because Rory wanted to check out separately from me. Jake and his mom were checking out too.

JAKE: I thought you guys were gone already.
LOGAN: We're leaving now.
JAKE: Give me a high five!
LOGAN: Remember! I live in Maryland and we have a van.
JAKE: Don't leave me hanging. (and they give high fives)

I don't know how old Jake was, but he seemed Logan's age. It was really funny to see, and I thought you all could use the laugh. :)

First Daybook of the Year

Outside my window...
It's dark and in the 30's. The temperature has been on the rise lately with more beautiful weather tomorrow. I hear in the 50's.

I am thankful for...
getting back to business. Christmas, New Years and Kevin's birthday is fun, but it's nice to get back into the swing of normal days. We're getting back to our education this week.

I am thinking about...
New Year's resolutions. How many I'm going to keep and how many will resurface next year.

Learning all the time...
I'm going to change things up a bit in our schooling. I worry about crossing all the t's and dotting the i's. I think I'm going to relax a bit and see what happens.

From the kitchen...
Planning on some nice comfort food this week. This includes stew, breakfast for dinner and the sorts. I'm craving "good" meals.

I am creating...
routines. Cleaning routines, schooling routines, bedtime routines, reading routines, free time routines...It makes me less stressed.

I am working on...
EVERYTHING! That's what it feels like sometimes. I am really focusing on trusting myself and my decisions rather than relying on other people to tell me they think my idea is good.

I am hoping...
to get back to work! I took a vacation from Thirty-One. My first party of the new year is this Friday. I'm hoping to get everything ready and prepared before then.

I am reading...
Real Learning: Education in the Heart of the Home by Elizabeth Foss. I can't remember the other book I'm reading, but it's about St. Therese, The Little Flower.

I am praying for...
Court cases and prego friends. I have three right now. All women who weren't getting pregnant when they wanted. All three are surprised by their blessing.

I am hearing...
Kaelyn talking on the phone. She's pretty loud, and the house is quiet because the rest of the kids are sleeping..except for Kevin. :)

Around the house...
I am still keeping up with the kid's chores and my own being done according to schedule first thing in the morning. I'm so excited!!!!

One of my favorite things...
bird watching. Kevin put Rory's bird feeder from Nana hanging from a tree over our deck. We watch the birds all day come and go. We have a bird book that I think needs updated. All of us have fun trying to identify them as they fight with each other and the squirrels.

A few plans for the rest of the week...
babysitting, Thirty-One, bookclub, and whatever else I can come up with.

Here is a picture thought I am sharing with you...

Speechless.

Cool Christmas Toys in Review

So we've had a chance to dive into some of our new Christmas things as you can see with Rory's Knifty Knitter. Here are some other things that we are doing.
Marley got this farm animal game from Discovery Toys. It's wonderful! It comes with little cards for activities. For instance...
I think it's awesome. Rory got a game called "Apples to Apples." I first played it at my friend Beckie's house with her kids. I thought Rory would love it, so she got it for Christmas. Our first game was Kaelyn, Rory, Logan, and me. Even Kaelyn got in on the action! Good times.
Have you seen these? They're called "Connectagons." They're really cool too. Logan got them. They're these little round discs that have four slits in them, so you can connect one disc to another. Sort of like legos, but you don't need to build a base. Here Kaelyn has built a bike. Yes, she liked playing with these too!
Something else that's been fun.

The Knifty Knitter

For New Year's we have a tradition of giving gifts as a way of starting the year out nice and fun. Each person normally gets one thing. It's just a little something that is usually a Christmas present that is put on hold. Grandma gave Rory a Knifty Knitter for her New Year's gift.

Have you seen these? I read about it on another blog. The blogger had gotten it for her 8yo daughter. Here's what Rory did when she broke out her Knifty Knitter yesterday.
Isn't that awesome?! And Marley looks so adorable in it. Rory is now taking orders and already has 5 hat requests! We'll be looking online for some different patterns. There's some for scarves and mittens. Thanks, Grandma!