Field Trip Friday!

Days like today confirm our home school decision.  We went to the Grotto of Lourdes, Mass on the Mount, and St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Shrine.  There were only a few families, so it was perfect.  Two of Rory's friends were there too!  We wanted to go while the leaves were still changed.  It was beautiful!

Wordless Wednesday

Baby Joy Steps

What a weekend!  We started out with Logan's last football game.  It was his "Bowl" game.  They were playing the whole field and by real rules with refs.  Logan's team won, and Logan sacked their quarterback, which got his name called out over the loud speaker.  "And that tackle was by number 11, Logan Bucy!"  (and the crowd went wild!)  It was an awesome moment for Logan, and if there was ever a doubt that we would be playing football next year, it was erased in that moment.  

Kevin left to help a friend cut wood for the second day in a row after the game.  We're trading work.  Kevin helps cut and stack wood, and the other guy helps build Rory's room in the basement.  We're hoping it'll be done by Christmas.  It's a lot of work as far as moving everything and around and painting...there might be painting involved.  Other than that, Saturday night we baked cupcakes.  We had nothing to do.  Cupcake Wars was blaring on TV, as we made homemade caramel sauce and cupcakes.  They were good even though I'm not a big fan of caramel.  Kevin is though, and he said he liked them, duh.  It was nice not having anything to do.  So.nice.

Sunday we tried out a new church.  It wasn't our first time, but it was our first time scoping out the possibility of changing parishes.  We have loved where we are, and we ended up there because of the home school group we were in, but we're not really with that group anymore.  This other church is closer, which means friends made would be around the corner rather than a half hour away.  It'll be sad, but we're praying and discerning, so there's nothing set in stone.

After Mass, we AGAIN had nothing we had to do.  We ended up checking out a Good Will out by school.  I wasn't impressed.  It was the most expensive Good Will I've seen, and that just seemed like an oxymoron to me.  Rory made some bad purchases (red hula,fringed-skirt,dancing girl) that we had to return.  I tell ya...I need to supervise that child at all times!  We got back in the afternoon and had a family dinner.  It was the first time everyone (including Kaelyn) had gathered around our kitchen table in a long time.  Dinner was great.  We had some outside playing time, bubble baths, and then we finished up the story we were reading aloud.  The kids, Kevin, and I got into it.  It was The Sign of the Beaver by Elizabeth George Speare.  I even caught Kevin trying to read ahead one time.  That's what a good book it was.  I even read ahead.  We finished it tonight, and I'm looking into her other book The Witch of Blackbird Pond, but the kids are worried it sounds scary.

Here are particular times of joy:

-Snuggling up with the kids and watching Cupcake Wars
-All of us laughing at something that happened in the book and talking about it
-Family dinner with easy and funny conversation
-Hearing, "I thought for sure that when I asked to make cupcakes, you would say, 'Oh Rory, we don't have time for that this weekend.  Maybe later.'  But instead you went to the store and bought the stuff."  
-Being able to wear Kevin's my WVU sweatshirt in the crisp fall morning air
-Not having anything to do

I'm also discovering that when you're a negative person (which I am) it's harder to see joy.  You have to look for it.  It doesn't just happen to you.  It's kind of like a choice.  And when I say I'm a negative person, I mean that negativity of a situation is easier for me to see than the positive.  I'm the exact opposite of Pollyanna.  I can spot negative in the speed of light.  I do think this is possible to change, and maybe that's what will happen on my joy search.  I hope so.

7 Quick Take Pictures

1.

My fall bulletin board in my classroom.

2.

Contraction surgery.  Logan's cutting out the letters and taping an apostrophe to make the contraction.

3.

4.

5.

The Montessori School we share the space with was giving away plants.  I tried to steer Rory away from taking one, and she took two!  I told her that plants come to our house to die.  She's determined.  She does have a green thumb, but it doesn't last through everyone else's black thumbs.  

6.

Marley got attacked by a thorn bush.  :(

7.

Our friends got a new cat.  She likes hanging out in this bucket, and Marley is more than happy to carry her around in it.

Happy Birthday, Daddy!

My dad turned 79 today.  I don't know if you've noticed, but this blogging thing has been lacking lately.  This is the busiest time of our year, and when you add Logan's football on top of all that already, you get a frantic pace.  I apologize to those that didn't get birthday blogs.  I'm not doing it on purpose.
Anywho, my dad turned 79.  We celebrated his birthday this weekend.  I made a cake he actually liked, which is no small feat.  Everyone was able to make it from my family and my sister's.  The only one missing was our Canadian.  :(
Everyone in the family is convinced that my dad will outlive us all.  He's stubborn, strong, and foreign.  That really makes a difference, you know.  
Happy birthday, daddy!

I was trying to load a video, but blogger is not having it tonight.  :(

Thursday Thoughts

I missed the wordless wednesday, so I'm introducing Thursday Thoughts for when I mess up.  :)  Here are some tidbits from the conference this past weekend.  

-The Holy Spirit dwells within me.  Why am I trying to find answers in outside things?  I just need to look within and listen.  

-Our deepest desires are God's desires for us.  We're not talking cars and money because if those are your deepest desires, you might need to check how shallow you are.  I don't know what my "deepest" desire is right now, but I know that I want to find my joy, and I believe God wants me to find it too.  Inherently, I know that I will find my joy in a deeper relationship with God, but I think there's more to it than that.  I'm being sucked in to this joy thing, and if my relationship with God were the only answer, why am I left pondering it still?

-If something does not enhance my friendship with God, do I really need it?  MIND.BLOWN.  I have never thought of life that way.  There are so many avenues to venture with this, but alas, I will get to it after I find my joy.  Should I shorten that to FMJ?  I feel like it's getting redundant.  

-Romans 12:2  Read it.  Do not conform.

-You come into this life with a bag packed by someone else.  I love this line.  So true, isn't it?  Our parents/caregivers packed this bag that we spend a good majority of our adult life trying to unpack and deal with.  Stubbornness?  Procrastinating?  Foot loose and fancy free?

-We need to be discerning not dependent.  This line spoke a lot to me too because I have a hard time trusting my decisions.  I look for validation from other people telling me that they agree or disagree with my words/actions and then why.  If I am talking to someone in my close circle, and they present a different view point that makes a lot of sense to me, 9 times out of 10, I do what they say.  Even though it doesn't feel right for me in my situation at the time, if the other opinion makes sense, I don't trust that I could possibly know what I'm talking about.  I think some people know this about me and use it to bully me.  I don't think they do this intentionally, but what's that saying?  People will take advantage of you if you let them.  This has been a major issue in the home school realm of my life.  I think I'm getting it figured out, but darn it if I don't still entertain thoughts from others that don't live MY life.  

-We all have a holy power.  It is the power of our story.  I love hearing people's stories.  No two are the same.  And I really don't know anyone who doesn't like telling their story.  Maybe we should all start asking one another and really listen?  I wonder what would happen.

Finding My Joy

I made it to my conference this weekend.  I only went Saturday because today there wasn't much to it.  I say that, but I'll probably hear different from the others that went.  Anyway, we had a key speaker, lunch, and then breakout sessions.  My session was titled Finding Your Joy.  I sat there waiting with my pen and blank paper for a numerical list of steps to happiness.  
Here's what she offered.  She told us to remember what we enjoyed doing and playing when we were kids.  Then she said to find our gifts.  To find gifts, you are supposed to pay attention to what people ask of you and what they come to you for.  It was at this point when I turned to a friend on my left and told her I was screwed.  I liked making mud pies in my neighbor's backyard.  Pizza maker?  As far as my gifts...(insert crickets).  
My friends and I sat there talking about what a let down it was that she didn't give specific, helpful instructions to our seeking.  One of them said, "What does it mean that everyone comes to me to ask where the toilet paper is?"  It was pretty funny, and I assured her of what I thought her gifts were and what I come to her for.  I hope I made her feel better.  
This morning it took me three hours to completely lose any thoughts of joy whatsoever.  I found myself snarling to my son in the middle of Mass that I should have gone back to the retreat this morning instead of stay home with him and his sisters.  I think something is wrong with me.  I guess it's time to visit the counselor again.  If I were to guess, it's because I haven't had my gym outlet for two weeks now.  That's a long time to not have an outlet.  Hopefully, I can get back this week.

Momma Mary looking down from her mountain.  

Seven Quick Takes Friday

1.

It's been a while.  We've had two weeks of hell-o.  Kevin has been working late almost every night, which has put me and the girls on Logan's four day a week football schedule.  Normally I wouldn't blink at that except everyone decided to get sick that week too.  That.was.not.fun.  Marley, Kevin, and I are still sick.  Hoping it's done soon.

2.

We went to a new Orthodontist yesterday for Logan.  We're shopping, and I think we might stick with this one.  He made a reference to Logan being the real name of Wolverine, and Logan was sold.  Here's the plan.  We're waiting on Logan's incisors to come in.  Then we're going to pull out his two top and maybe one bottom baby tooth (the ones that cost us hundreds to fix two years ago by the way) to help move his adult teeth to coming in.  Once they're in, we're pulling those, and then braces all around.  Yeah!  (Does the sarcasm come through?)  Logan's excited because the colored braces do not cost more like I thought.  When I thought they did, I told him I would sharpie them for him.  

3.

Every force imaginable is trying to get me from going to the retreat this weekend.  It looks like Kevin's work is going to hold enough for me to make it.  I'm breaking out in a small group titled "Finding your joy."  I'm totally excited about it, because I didn't realize I had lost my joy until I had the option to take this class.

4.

My cousin is coming in from the Philippines tomorrow, and we're going out to dinner with him.  This is worth mentioning because I get out of school early.  Yay!  I got a sub and everything.  It's only letters and history, and I have a great sub.  I made it as easy as possible, and really they're kinders.  They can play.

5.

We had some really good nights with Rory's sleeping.  We thought it was this new app called Sleep Genius.  It plays music and gradually slows the beats to slow heart rates and put babies to sleep better.  We play it a half hour before her bedtime, and sometimes Logan's, and they actually sleep better.

6.

Guess what?!  I made applesauce.  I mean I cooked the apples, strained them, filled jars, and canned them.  Boo-yah!  It was awesome.  I was going to do more, but I just need to let go of something right now...or a lot of things.  I'll post some video I took of the whole process, but I don't have it uploaded yet.  I'm still pretty darn proud of myself, and the kids like it too!  The best part is that it's just apples, no sugar or anything else. :)

7.

This is the tooth that they want to pull on Logan.  This and the one on the other side.  Save the canine teeth at all costs!  That's what the orthodontist said.  Rory lost this when she was ripping paper with her teeth.  it came flying out, and we looked forever for it, and couldn't find it.  She went to bed that night, and the tooth fairy gave her a stuffed animal kitten, and around it in a ziploc bag was her tooth!  Crazy!

Wordless Wednesday - A Little Late and with Words

Monday was the first field trip of the year with our co-op.  It was to one of those places where you climb trees and do obstacle courses and such.  Considering that it involves heights, I volunteered KJ to take Rory.  :)  I figured Logan and Marley would hinder the fun these two could have on their own...both being dare devils and what not.  So here are some clips.  No Rory's or KJ's were severely injured in the making of these clips.  I should've had KJ write this post.  He has LOTS of stories about their time there, but I'm just going to give you pictures.