Still Here!

So life has been quite busy! I so want to blog more regularly. I have started working part time as an administrative assistant at my husband's CPA firm. Plus I have added another part time job...couponer! Of course I do that one at home, but it really does take a few hours a week. The good news is that I have saved a TON of money this year on groceries and household items.

Then there is that homeschooling thing. Yeah, that's another part time job.

Anyway, I haven't figured out what I want this blog to be about. I used to just throw up the occasional photo or story about the kids. But I no longer have a camera and I'm not sure I want to put too much on here about my kids anymore. Truth is, I don't know what to share.

But in the interest of keeping this blog pretty, here is a picture of my favorite animal lover!

What's Up?

Sorry I never seem to blog anymore. Since my camera died last summer and I joined Facebook, my poor blog has really been neglected. I've toyed with the idea of not blogging anymore at all, but I don't want to get rid of it just yet. This past fall was crazy with moving and then of course there were the holidays. There was also the matter of me spraining my ankle one week after we moved, which also happened to be 2 weeks before Disney World (and 3.5 weeks before Christmas).

So I have had plenty to blog about but I just haven't been in the mood! I keep meaning to put more house pictures up since we have actually unpacked and done a little decorating, but there is that camera issue I mentioned...and I take really blurry pictures with phones.

Just wanted to come here and say Happy New Year, I do still exist, we're all doing great, and you are more likely to find me on Facebook that my blog these days!

More soon I hope!

Please Enlighten Me

I feel like this might be a dumb question, but someone tell me anyway.

What does this mean in the internet world?

<3

I see it on facebook and blogs and all over the place and I am just clueless. Looks like less than 3 to me, but then I guess I am not as cool as I thought! LOL! (I do know what LOL means at least.)

Monday To Do List

Let's see how much actually gets done...

1. Change the sheets on Mary Evelyn's bed.
2. Have the girls clean all the junk out from under their bunk beds! (Gonna start that as soon as this post gets published.)
3. Help older girls pack for a night at Mimi and Papa Bill's house.
4. Go to meeting for new co-op and get pics made for the security system they have there.
5. Deposit check from Betsie's birthday.
6. Drive girls to my parent's house.
7. Usual daily maintenance of laundry, dishes, etc.

I'll let ya know!

Some Updates

There have been so many reasons to blog in the last week and a half. I wish I had not missed them all!

• House fever is not gone but it is not spiking either. We have decided to wait until after tax season next year before there is a "for sale" sign in our front yard. In the mean time, we have made an enormous to do list to get this house ready to sell. The previous owners put carpet over hardwood flooring down the hall and in the bedrooms. We have been rough on the carpet so it will need to be replaced. However, Jason is thinking of ripping up the carpet and refinishing the hardwoods instead. Crazy, crazy...but way nicer for showing the house.
• Mary Evelyn turned 8! Shame on me for not doing a birthday post for her. Sigh... We had a little mini celebration with my friend Hollie and her guys on her birthday. Then Hollie (being the servant kind of gal that she is) drove the big girls to the movie theater to meet my dad so they could see Prince Caspian. My dad says he still hasn't seen the movie because they sat on the front row and he kept his eyes closed. He says it sounded like a good movie though! Then the girls spent the night with my parents...including little Miss Betsie. The next night we celebrated with Jason's parents.
• The above mentioned night at Mom and Dad's was Betsie's first night away from us...she was not a good sleeper unfortunately. But she told my mom, "I yuv you, Mimi." so I think she was forgiven.
• While the girls were with my parents, Jason and I used a gift certificate to a lovely local Bed & Breakfast. So, so nice. Our 15th anniversary was the day before Mary Evelyn's birthday so it was a special getaway for us. Did I mention that about 2 months ago Jason surprised me with a new van (Odyssey...woo hoo!) for my early anniversary gift? Pretty cool. He got an ipod nano. So come the big day, we were broke and just had to be sweet and skip the gifts.
• I painted my master bathroom. It's lovely. I might have to start a new blog category showing before and after pictures with all the projects we have planned.
• I got excited when David Cook won American Idol.
• Then I was broken hearted just an hour later to learn that Maria Chapman, daughter of Steven Curtis Chapman, was killed in a terrible accident. I have been grieving for them since Wednesday night and praying for them constantly. I just received a prayer email asking for prayers for wisdom about when they should return home. They have been staying with friends since the accident. Please pray for the Chapmans.
• We are almost done with school for this year and excited about our short break until mid-July when we'll start back up.

MyPoints

Do you know about My Points? I have been a member for several years and have received quite a few gift cards to places like Starbucks, Target, Barnes and Noble, etc. Basically, you go to www.mypoints.com and sign up. They send you emails with little offers for special deals. You get 5 points for reading the offer and more for taking up the offer (which I pretty much never do). You can also get points when you shop online. They also have other ways to earn points on their website. After you accumulate enough points you can redeem them for gift cards. It really does work!

Anyway, if that sounds like something you'd be interested in, let me know. I'd like to go through their site and refer you so I can get more points. I could give them your email and not tell you but I wouldn't want you to be mad at me. So if you decide to sign up, please let me refer you first. You do get emails most every day but you don't have to spend any money unless you want to. You still can earn gift cards...just for clicking emails.

Just thought I'd share!

Jen

I'm Still Around

Well, I do still exist, but apparently just don't blog much anymore. I'll have to work on that. Now that tax season is over and Jason isn't working at night, I guess I'm hanging out with him and not spending as much time at the computer desk in the evenings!

Here's a little of what has been going on:

• We've been planning trips! Jason and I have a Family Life Marriage Conference coming up (Weekend to Remember). We are going out of town for that. Also, we received a gift certificate for a night at a local B&B so we will be spending a night there soon for our 15th wedding anniversary. In a few months we are planning a family vacation to the Creation Museum and lots of other attractions in the area. So nailing down details for all of that has been fun.
• Foster: He came to us with kennel cough so we have been dealing with that and just adjusting to a new pup in the house.
• Mother's Day! We only got to see Jason's mom very briefly but we had dinner with my mom and dad Saturday night. My sister and her family were there as well.
• School: About 3 more weeks to go. I am still very excited about our plans for next year.
• Betsie: potty training...good days and not so good days. Also, if you've read my blog for a while you know she was a climber and had a crib tent to keep her in. We took that off and lowered her crib rails so that it's sort of like a toddler bed. She is staying put so that is a good thing.

Not sure what else to tell you...we've been watching way too much TV for people who get no channels. Netflix is a good thing. Then there are the swimming lessons we have twice a week and the very cool lake with walking trails we found just a couple of miles from here. So we are enjoying the spring and being together. I am so thankful to have Jason around a little more at this time of year. I hope you are enjoying your spring time too.

Just What We Needed Two Days Before A Party

Did I mention we were having an outdoor party here in a few days? And did I mention we needed a plumber? Well, that call to the plumber has resulted in a bulldozer thingy in the front yard digging a huge hole today. The plumber couldn't get our line clear so he called the utility people and they ended up breaking a pipe...meaning they had to dig an enormous hole and replace the pipe. Oh the joy. The culprit in this whole thing is the big beautiful maple tree in our front yard. Its roots seem to be causing lots of problems and I think that, sadly, it will have to go in the next couple of years.

But for today, here are a few pictures to amuse you. By the way, Mary Evelyn is desperate to get out there and see if there are any worms in our lovely red mud pile. The first picture was taken from inside my bedroom window early this morning. It was a lovely way to wake up today.

Yesterday My House Was So Clean

You may remember that Jason gave me the gift of house cleaning service for Christmas. Well, the cleaning people came yesterday and the house looked really nice. I always pick up really well before they come so they can vacuum and dust and mop and do the big stuff. Well, this afternoon I have been in my bedroom planning upcoming birthday celebrations and when I came out, this is what I found.

Big.
Heavy.
Sigh.

The girls made a road out of MANY children's books. But that is only the beginning of this HUGE MESS! (Yes, I am yelling.) The road is also partially lined with all kind of buildings (farms, dollhouses, and other toys I now regret purchasing) and even GRASS from outside. Did I mention the cleaning people vacuumed yesterday? The town started in their bedroom, pictured above, and then went down the hall...

...and into the schoolroom...

...in front of the couch... (That black line is the dog's leash tied in a knot between two chairs. I have no idea why.)

...all the way around and then behind the couch. See that towel with the bowl and toy dolphin sticking out? There's water in there. That must be the zoo or Seaworld or something. At least they put down a towel.

Now, the lovely part is that I had these books somewhat organized on the shelves. Not perfectly, but I could find most any book I needed. Some go in our book basket for school time. Some are LIBRARY BOOKS (that will hopefully NOT be mixed in with the others or I know two girls who will be working hard to pay off some fines), some are books from their bedroom, etc. Fortunately Betsie is asleep so the books in her room are still there.

I know this is cute and creative. If this were your blog, I would be laughing. If this were 5 years ago, I would be laughing. But it's now and it's my house, and I have to be the bad guy at clean up time. And this is one job that I will definitely have to supervise closely to make sure the books end up in the proper place. Someone please tell me that this is a short season and I should enjoy it. And then tell me whether or not it's worth it to pay people to clean my house when it doesn't stay clean for even 24 hours.

Okay...there, I took out my frustration on you and my kids are still happy. At least they like books, right?

Hia for Lunch!

That title only make sense if you know that Betsie's word for ice cream is hia (pronounced hee-ah)...we don't know why. The first time I figured that out was thanks to her knowing a lot of sign language from the Signing Time DVDs. One day she kept asking for "hia" and this dull mom just wasn't figuring it out. Then she made the sign for ice cream! Now the bad thing is that we all call ice cream "hia!"

Often overheard around here:
Mary Evelyn: Betsie, say ice.
Betsie: Ice
Mary Evelyn: Say cream.
Betsie: Ceam (she leaves the "r" out)
Mary Evelyn: Say ice cream
Betsie: (With a note of triumph at once again messing with us...) HIA!!!!!!!!!

Anyway, today is pj day at Bruster's and I took the girls to get their free cones. And since Jason has been working his tail off and we see no end in sight for several more weeks, I feel no guilt for treating my girls in this way. (Okay, it's a treat for me...I don't have to fix lunch and everybody is happy. I admit it.) Snack will be apples or peanut butter or something that makes me feel like a better mother.

By the way, Betsie calls Mary Evelyn "Mia" and my brother Billy "Bia." And you know Spongebob's snail Gary? He is now called "Gia."

Thoughts of Spring

Did you know that Daylight Savings Time begins on March 9th this year? So we'll have that extra evening sunlight a little earlier. And Easter comes early too. For us, Spring brings three birthdays (Rachel, Mary Evelyn, and Jason) and maybe even a big end-of-tax-season party. That's only an idea right now, but our wheels are definitely spinning. This has been a hard tax season so far so we will definitely need to celebrate when it's over! This spring will also bring our 15th wedding anniversary. Fifteen years? Is that possible?

Spring also brings a bit of spring fever as far as school goes. I counted up how many days of school we have left and after today we have 56 days to go for this school year. (Our state requires 180 days total.) We'll finish up late May unless we need to take some some sick days or something else unexpected happens. School has gone well these last few weeks so I am praying we finish strong rather than just muddle through. I'm so excited about next year's plans that I am having to be extra disciplined just to teach these remaining weeks of THIS year!

Mary Evelyn is most excited about spring because she looks forward to ladybugs and caterpillars and bees on clover, etc. She tends to repress memories of mosquitoes and other pests. She found a couple of bugs yesterday and picked some of my very few flowers. Ugh...another sign of spring...Mary Evelyn picking the few flowers that we actually have.

One other sign of spring...my parents can't be still. This year they are going to Spain. But they'll be over there wishing they could make it to our big end-of-tax season party, I just know it.

PJ Day at Bruster's

If you have a Bruster's near by, you might want to check and see if they are participating in pajama day this weekend. If so, you can have a free single scoop waffle cone this weekend if you show up in your jammies. We've gone the last couple of years and the girls LOVE it! Check your local store because I can't tell from their website if it's Saturday, Sunday, or both.

Yum!

Betsie the Photographer

Yesterday I was taking pictures of Betsie sitting in her rocking chair. She kept getting up and wanting to see each picture as I took it. (Life is different with digital, isn't it?) Then, she decided she needed to take pictures of some of her stuffed animals. So I held the camera and she pressed the button. She thought this was great! Here are the results of our silly little photo shoot.

Read Aloud Time

I love the Little House books. We are almost done with These Happy Golden Years when Laura and Almonzo are engaged. But tonight Jason is reading to the girls. I can hear them giggling like crazy in their room. Jason keeps reading Almonzo's name as "Alfredo" instead of Almonzo. He's totally butchering a good love story. I fight back the tears at the shy, romantic ways of young Laura and Almonzo. Jason presents it in his silly way and has them in stitches.




And that is one difference between moms and dads.

Seven Things About Me

Jill has tagged me. I have to tell you seven things about myself and then I am supposed to tag seven others. I'm just going to do the list and you can consider yourself tagged if you want. Although, I'd love to tag my sister Laura.

Well...

1. My birthday is Valentine's Day. I'll be 35 this year.

2. I always thought I'd have sons. I couldn't be more thankful for my beautiful girls though. Maybe they will have boys and I can have grandsons.

3. In real life I am kind of quiet and shy. I have actually offended people unintentionally and made them think I didn't like them because of this. Clearly it's an area that I need to be mindful of because I don't want to hurt others, even if it is my nature to sit back and let Jason do the talking. Now I'm not unfriendly, just not all that outgoing. I am definitely an introvert.

4. I taught in a public school for three years before having children. I thought homeschoolers were, well, odd...and maybe a little misguided. Then I met a few joyful homeschoolers with smart, outgoing, and normal children. I am thankful for those families.

5. I won the first grade jump rope contest at my elementary school for jumping 126 times and had my picture in the paper. Very exciting for sure. I didn't even mess up; I just quit because I got tired.

6. I was a summer missionary between 11th and 12 th grade. I worked with other high school and college age missionaries in the inner city of Houston, TX. I was away from home for 10 weeks. Jason and I fell in love by letter writing that summer. Neither of us had email or cell phones of course (it was 1990). I think we had one real phone conversation the whole summer. And my dad wrote me every day I think...he definitely wrote me the most, even if the letters were brief. I remember a first class stamp was 25 cents.

7. I have no clue what I want to be when I grow up (meaning when my kids grow up!).

What's Your Travel IQ?

Sorry...haven't had time to blog this week. I've used my computer time to play this game. And by the way, I can find the continent of Africa but only a few countries there...otherwise I do okay. How 'bout you?

My Dancing Elves

This is fun. You can watch my little elves dance and then make your own elf fun.

Happy Birthday Rose!

That's right. The dog is five years old today. So have a piece of cake or chocolate or something in her honor. I probably will.

Still Here!

Gee...I guess I haven't been in a very bloggy mood lately. Oops. We've been busy with several appointments this month as well as our homeschool co-op and all of our regular responsibilities. I have been reading up on how to teach my girl according to her learning style, which definitely does not match my own. Jason and I are always praying that God would show us how to meet her needs. It's really hard, but very exciting as well. He's growing us!

*

In other news, Rachel and Betsie both have cute new haricuts. To save our relationship, Rachel and I both agreed that she needs short hair so that I don't have to get the tangles out for her. Actually, she was somewhat cooperative, but hated every minute of the detangling process. I think she looks great with this new style! We're going to let her bangs grow out, but keep it all chin length and let her wear some cool clips to keep it out of her eyes. With Betsie, we just had to shape it up. Mary Evelyn wants long hair, and since she soesn't mind me brushing her hair or styling it, she gets to keep long hair!

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Jason is busy with work as usual, but he is able to work at home more now. We've set up a little home office for him in the corner of our bedroom so that he doesn't have to be gone as much. While I miss the chair that used to occupy that corner, I'd rather see my husband than any chair!

*

Next week we have a week off from school but I plan to read a lot to the girls. I think this will be our first break this year that we won't be gone somewhere. Hopefully, I'll get a lot done!

Here's the new haircuts:

Rachel is getting so big! Sigh...

I don't know how to get good pictures of Betsie with that black hair. (This is still new for me...I'm used to light skin and redheads!) She looks adoreable though! Take my word for it! And it's a bonus that she likes getting her haircut...no tears and all smiles!

A Boring Garage Door Post

How ya like that title?

I have nothing deep and profound today. But I AM thankful to have a working garage door again. It's been a few years since we had one that would actually go up and down without the risk of serious injury. Our house is almost 40 years old and still had the original garage door until last night. We have been wanting to fix it for a while, but for months it was "wait until we get back from China." Adoption can do a number on your checkbook!

But we finally got it fixed. Betsie is in awe every time she sees that door move up or down. She had so much to get used to when she came home, but she missed out on this. This morning she couldn't quite figure out our cars being parked in there...up til now the garage has just been a big empty room that mommy goes to when she needs something out of the freezer!

Here are before and after pictures to go with this very exciting post.

Ooh....aahh......