A visit to the teacher...

I got to see Kobe's teacher today for Parent-Teacher conferences. I'm pleased to say that he is doing great in all academic areas!! He's had a little issue this winter with talking to his neighbors (mainly about Star Wars and Video Games) and that seems to have resolved itself with some rules that she has setup in the classroom.

You know, sometimes we don't know if what we're doing at home is working - but his teacher told me something today. She said, "one of Kobe's best qualities is that he takes responsibility for his actions". In other words, when she calls him on something he has done or said in the classroom, he never tries to say that he didn't do it, he will always own up to it and never try to pass the blame. He'll also work hard to not do it again. She thinks this is a great quality to have and I do too. I wish he'd exhibit a little more of this quality at home with his brother (:


I just have to say that some of the things they are learning in elementary school just blow my mind.

For example:

• Story leads
• Writing Prompts
• Conflict and Resolution
• Math Strategies
• Inferring
• Schemas
• Economics

I could go on....and on....things I never learned about in 2nd grade and probably not even until Jr. High. When I asked her about this today, she said that she has found that the kids can handle this stuff and she doesn't bring it down to their level necessarily and they run with it. Kobe certainly has! Honestly, sometimes he will come home and tell me something that he has learned and I don't have any idea what the term means. I have to look it up. This is okay!!

I admire the folks who homeschool their children and I wish that I could do that, BUT, when I hear the things that he is learning and how his teachers go about teaching the subjects, I know for a fact that he would be getting the short end of the stick at home. Granted, we have a great school district and our school in particular has great teachers and I'm thankful for that!!

Anyway, this is a little brag post about Kobe - but I really want to give a shout out to the elementary school teachers who have to teach a huge amount of information to these kids. They have to be generalists in many areas and that would be hard! They don't always get the credit they deserve for all they do. Thank You!!

Windows Movie Maker...

I took a Windows Movie Maker class today. It's super easy to do!! I took the class because I'm going to be filming, editing and posting movies on our website for my job. You know what? That is cool and all, but I'm most excited about making movies from the hundreds of pictures that I've taken of the boys.

I can see the movie now...

Set to music. ..

Cute anecdotes that I add in - because I'm witty like that, you know? (-:

Cool transitions between scenes...

AND

DVD's would be great gifts for the Grandparents...

I've already started one for Kyler's 3rd birthday. My brain is buzzing with song ideas and themes for all the movies I want to make. Stay Tuned....

Be still and listen...

Good morning. I want to share with you the verse I'm meditating on today.

Isaiah 28:23
Listen and hear my voice; pay attention and hear what I say.

It's sometimes hard to hear God in the noisiness of our lives, isn't it? For me I've had to learn how to be still and listen and it's taken a long time to learn that skill. This is another reason my morning quiet time is so important to me!! It's a time to pray, listen for Gods words, organize my day and basically get it together before the craziness of the day starts.


An area of my prayer life that needs work, however, is praying for other people. It's so easy to say, "I'll pray for you" or "you're in my prayers". Honestly, sometimes it just slips my mind. I try to write down the people I want to pray for when something comes up, but it doesn't always happen. I read recently about prayer beads. This may be the answer for me. I guess these wouldn't be much different than rosaries that are used in the Catholic faith except you string your own beads and each bead is for someone or something specific. There are so many types of beads out there that I'm sure I could find one for any person or situation. It's a good visual reminder of who needs prayer. I'm a visual person so this will probably work AND it's also something I can carry with me. I'd be interested to know if any of you use prayer beads!


Okay, on another note, one of my goals this year is to get the paper in our household under control. I'm implementing several strategies but one of the things I wanted was a nice looking cork board or something similar to post the papers that we need to see (so we don't forget). In my surfing around on blogs I found several people who had made french memo boards. I thought, this can't be too hard, so I'm going to give it a try. It was really easy!! It's a great no-sew project (except for the buttons). I would have liked to have matching buttons but I decided to recycle and use the buttons that I already had in the button jar. I think it makes it look a little more primitive anyway...which is right up my alley.


Below, I've posted the before and after. I hope you all have a great day!

Before: The Big Mess!!

After: Ahhhh....Organization!!! Note the cute calendar above with the heart on it. My 8 year old made that for me for Christmas and each month has a different picture that he created. This has not gone away...it's just to the right of the new board and you can't see it in this picture.

On church...

Hebrews 10:25 (New International Version)

Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

Let's talk about going to church.

For many years I have been doing bible studies, reading devotionals and having a morning prayer time. For something like 10 years probably. I have always wanted to go to church and have visited a few but never found one I really liked for a variety of reasons....too big...not friendly...too old fashioned...too contemporary....etc... I never felt like I really needed to go to have my relationship with God. I actually still feel that I don't have to go to have a relationship with Him. However, for the last few months I have found that I'm not content just doing my solitary activities. My morning prayer time is very important to me!! But now, I want to talk about my faith with other people. I want to study the bible with others and I want to get support and encouragement and in turn do the same for other people.

So, tomorrow, I'm going to visit a small church in my neighborhood. I'm keeping an open mind and keeping in mind what I really am looking for....community. I'll keep you posted on my endeavor.

Outdoor Wednesday...

I'm participating in Outdoor Wednesday for the first time this week. Check out Susan's blog at A Southern Daydreamer for more information. She has a great blog.


Since it's really cold and not all that pretty out today I decided to post a picture of the outside of the beautiful old home that I get to work in everyday. It is approximately 160 years old and was built from a kit that came from the Sears and Roebuck catalog. It is supposedly haunted by a mean old Aunt named Sally and she comes out when the attic door is left open. Descendants of the family that owned the home come in and look at the house a few times a year and they tell us that she was buried in the walls when they built the house. Well, I've been here for approximately 3 years and haven't seen Aunt Sally yet. The most exciting thing that happens is that we smell incense in the dining room sometimes. Very interesting. We're nice to the "ghosties" (as we call them) and hope they're nice to us too! So far they have been. The house is Italianate in style and has a beautiful parlor, dining room, library and staircase. There are family heirlooms around the home and original oil paintings of the family members.

The house when the family lived in it (ca. 1890).

The house, as it looks today, in the springtime.

One of these days I'll take some photos of the inside of the house and post them here. Have a great day.

Tuesday Ramblings...

Happy Tuesday!

I wanted to just share a couple of things with you today. I hope you all have a wonderful day.

Here is a picture of the old milk box that I found at Randolph's Mercantile a couple of weeks ago. I filled it with a pretty silk hydrangea bush and a crocheted doily that my Grandma made for me a few years ago. Turned out cute. I'll probably put the milk box outside this summer and plant impatience in it, but it brightens up my dining room a bit for now.

I found this fabric at Hobby Lobby the other day. I was there to find flowers for the milk box above and fabric for another project but I couldn't pass this up. I kept going back to it! I'm not sure what I'm going to do with it. If you have ideas...let me know. It is so cute and "retro".

Finally, I had to post a picture of my boys snuggling together. They are watching a movie. They seem to fight a lot lately, but there are rare moments like this when I see that they really do love each other. Note that Kobe has the remote in his hand...he is NOT going to let his little brother have it even when snuggling! Yes, that is the famous "puppy bank-eek (blanket)" that they are covered with.

Our new puppy!!

Yes, that's right, we have a new puppy in the house. What kind of puppy did we get? First, let me tell you about him. He is cute and cuddly and almost 3 years old. He is very smart! He speaks well (likes to say "NO" a lot), likes to go on walks, will fetch a t.v. remote every so often, likes to take baths, eats dog food as well as goldfish, graham crackers and ice cream. He isn't potty trained but we're getting ready to work on it. I haven't had to use a leash yet...but that's a thought since he likes to be chased and I can't run as fast as I used to. Our other puppy, Gracie, loves him and likes to lick his face whenever she can. I'm glad they're friends.

Down below are some pictures of our new puppy. We named him Kyler!

What?

Yes, you got it, Kyler thinks he's a puppy. His fuzzy "Toy Story" blanket, is now the "puppy bank-eek (blanket)". He takes the blanket with him everywhere around the house now and whenever the mood strikes, he's down on all fours barking, panting and asking us to pet him. It's cute, but I may have to draw the line at letting him eat dog food out of the dog bowl.

Gracie checking out the new puppy...

The new puppy can even say "cheese"!

He even pants on command...we're so proud!

Valentine's Weekend Fun For The Family...

Another busy and fun-filled weekend in the Thomas household. I love Valentine's Day and our Wedding Anniversary is on February 15th- so it's usually a fun couple of days.

We went to Kobe Japanese Steakhouse on Saturday. This was a lot of fun and very special because of the name. My Kobe has been so excited about this restaurant coming to town since we heard about it over a year ago.

Our chef at Kobe. Note the name on his jacket. My Kobe LOVED seeing his name everywhere in the restaurant.

Kobe is VERY excited about being there!

Valentines Day Morning. A sleepy Kobe opening his gift. Yes, it's a "cha-cha-Chia!" Our first Chia AND a Kung-Fu Panda Chia, no less! How about that?

Kyler opening his Valentine gift. Gotta love the Winnie-the-Pooh Marshmallow goo on a stick...YUK!

Kobe at his Valentine party at school. Making a personalized keychain...that is one crafty mom who brought each kid a personalized little bead kit. It wasn't me in case you're wondering - LOL! My job was to bring the drinks. I went all out and brought drink boxes - they were RED anyway - fruit punch!!

Our annual heart shaped pizza from Papa Murphy's...Kids love it! $7.99 well spent!

My first award!!

Heather at Vintage Girl made my day and gave me my first Blog Award. Thanks, Heather! I love reading your blog and I hope others will check it out too.

Here are the rules: Put the logo on your blog or post. Nominate at least 10 blogs, which show great attitude and/or gratitude! Be sure to link to your nominees within your post. Let them know that they have received this award by commenting on their blog. Share the love and link to this post, and to the person from whom you received your award. I would love to give this award to:

Kim at Lilacs and Daffodils: A Midlife Journey

Cathy at Cobblestone Farms



I think that these three ladies already have the Lemonade Award but I would like to give each of them another one for the great inspiration they provide!

Darlene at Darlene's Days

Terri at Lakewood Manor

Janene at Primitive Lifestyle


Thanks again, Heather!!

What about this blogging thing anyway?

Over a year ago I started my first blog. I barely knew what a blog was, but the blogs that I had seen at that point looked really interesting to me because many of them looked like journals. Well, I've been journaling for more than 10 years. I've done all kinds of journals and I continue to write in one almost daily and sometimes more than once a day. Journaling has really helped me to find my relationship with God, prioritize my life, find out things about myself and make decisions. Journaling has also been a way for me to express joy, anger, sorrow, grief, sadness, happiness...you name the feeling and it has probably been in one of my journals! Basically, journaling is how I ground myself every morning and if I miss a day, the whole day just feels "off" somehow.

Anyway, back to blogging. What started as basically an online photo album to share with family and friends has turned into something else entirely.

What is funny and interesting about my blogging experience is that, with the exception of my sister (Hi Chrissy), I don't think anyone from my family or any close friends really read this blog, even though the intention was for them to keep up with our life. That's okay, I call and tell them what is going on whether they want to hear it or not...I think they do.

What is AMAZING though, is that people who I have never met in person are, at least, somewhat interested in what I have to say. I'm still shocked when people comment on a post or send me an email.

What makes this story even better is that through this community of bloggers I have found people who have the same interests as I do. This is something I have never completely found in my "in-person" friends. Most of my friends don't journal and don't understand why I do it. Many of them would never go to a flea market and most of them decorate their homes much differently (read expensive and contemporary here) than I do. Over the years I have heard myself say things like, " I only paid $5.00 for that" or " I got the best deal at the flea market on this old thing". Some of them totally understand that I love that kind of thing and others don't get it. That's okay! Opposites attract, right?

However, I am thrilled to find these bloggers who feel the same way I do about so many things! I am getting so many ideas from you in many different areas and it's really exciting. I'm learning from you everyday. I'm reading about your joys and your pain. I've cried a few times when I've read what you're going through, I've laughed at some things you write because I identify with it, you have helped me to revive my love for crafting (something I have let go over the years) and I'm finding women who are struggling with balancing full-time work and family life just like I am. Although this online community won't replace my "in-person" community, it's still community nonetheless, right?

The reason for this post? Someone asked me why I blog and I didn't have a good, concise answer. I had to write in my journal to figure it out (of course!) and now I know why and so do you!

Thanks for reading!!

3 Things I Love...

For some reason this is a dry week for my journaling and blogging. Since I don't seem to have a lot to say this week, I thought I'd do one of these lists that seem so popular right now...

Three Things I Love about My Husband (wife, boyfriend/girlfriend):

1. His sense of humor
2. His Loyalty
   
3. He is a good provider

Three Things I Love in a Friend:

1. Honesty
2. Encouragement
   
3. Sense of Humor
   

Three Things I Love in a Book:

1. Inspiration
2. A little romance
3. So good I can't stop reading it...
   
   
   

Three Things I Love in a Movie:

1. Romance
2. Comedy
3. A Good Message

Three Things I Love to Eat:

1. Fajitas
2. Wedding Cake
   
3. Baked Mac and Cheese
   
   
   

Three Things I Love to Do:

1. Hanging out with my Boys
   
2. Blog/Write
3. Gardening/Decorating

Three Things I Love to Watch:

1. My 2 year old pretending
   
2. My 8 year old reading (and enjoying it)
   
3. Old Movies and Gardening Shows
   

Three Things I'd Love to Happen:

1. To be debt-free
2. Travel around the U.S.
   
3. To get new floors in our house
   
   
   

A weekend of dancing, basketball and brunch...

Mom was here this weekend and we had a really nice time. The kids LOVE having their Me-Me here and so do I!

We started the weekend with a sock-hop at Kyler's preschool. Yes, I said preschool. There was a live band, pizza and even poodle skirts and monogrammed sweaters were seen. Our little "life of the party - Kyler", wasn't too sure about the band and the big crowd on the dance-floor so he spent most of the evening wandering around looking at everyone and trying to snag a balloon. It wasn't quite what I expected, but I'm glad we went. Oh, and YES, he is wearing shorts. It was a balmy 72 degrees on Friday.

On Saturday morning, we went to Kobe's basketball game. He did great! He and the other kids are still learning the concepts of the game and some of the plays are really interesting, to say the least. The best part is when one of the kids makes an error and the referee stops the game and tells him what he did wrong and how he could have done it differently. It's a great way for the kids to learn the game in a non-competitive environment. However, even though the officials don't keep score, the kids DO! Kobe is sure that his team won...ummmm...I'm not so sure about that! (-:

On Saturday afternoon we headed to Moberly to go to Randolph's Mercantile. This is the best store anywhere! Really! I have never found a place that I like better. It is the perfect mix of flea market finds, primitive items and reproductions. The prices and the quality of the items are fantastic. I ended up getting a distressed primitive ladder, an old milk box and a cute reproduction easter egg dye box. I plan to put the milk box outside and plant flowers in it. A few years ago I found a small pig feeder there and I plant impatience and vinca in that every year (see my previous post). If you're in the area, I highly recommend it. I have also posted a picture of the clock I picked up at a local consignment store earlier this week.

Today, we had brunch at Bleu. This is a unique and upscale restaurant in town. Not our usual dining experience!! The food is good and the atmosphere is great! My brother is a bartender there, so after we ate we got to take a tour of the attached old Tiger Hotel. It was built in 1928 and is in remarkable condition. It's not in use much right now except for weddings and receptions and other events. I think the plan is to open it back up as a hotel sometime. It would be a shame if they didn't do that. Unfortunately, my camera was in the car and I didn't get any photos of the hotel. The lobby is beautiful with original Tiffany chandeliers and other neat details. The best part is the view from the 9th floor parlor(?). You can see clear across town in 3 directions. After doing some research, I also found out that Rose Wilder Lane (Laura Ingalls' daughter) lived in the hotel at one point. I hope to go back one of these days with camera in hand. Can't believe I've lived here 20 years and have never been in there.

A good weekend but I'm tired and, as usual, there is LOTS of laundry to do today!

Ready to Garden...

I am SO ready to get into the garden! I LOVE to be out in the fresh air digging, planting and re-arranging my garden. I've posted some pictures here of the garden in the early stages from last May. A lot of the plants will be in their 3rd or 4th year this year so I expect some beautiful flowers this season. I also planted, which you can't see, a couple of peonies. I hope they bloom this year! I have great memories of the peony at my Grandma West's old 2-story house. It was so beautiful every year and smelled wonderful. I miss that old house!! Grandma and Grandpa are still with us (in their 80's) and I am thankful for that!

I have, what I call, a cottage garden. It doesn't look exactly like what I see in the gardening magazines with the white picket fences and all but I still like the look of it. I usually have tomatoes, zucchini and herbs planted right in with the flowers. This year though, I am going to build a raised bed for vegetables. I'm really excited about this and can't wait to get started.

Halfway to Spring...

When February Sun Shines Cold,

There Comes a Day When In The Air,

The Wings of Winter Slow Unfold,

And Show the Golden Summer There.

Philip Savage, American Poet (1868-99)

According the Farmers Almanac we are halfway there. We have reached the point between Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox. I feel that we are more than halfway there because once we reach March 1st, I know that Spring is just around the corner. I'm ready to smell the fresh air, do some spring cleaning, paint some rooms in my house and, of course, plant flowers and veggies. It's about this time of the year that I just feel that everything is really shabby at my house and not all that clean either. My house is in need of some serious spring-cleaning. I'm tempted to go back to the fly-lady schedule that I did (or tried to do) when I was a SAHM, but it just doesn't seem realistic with young children and a full-time job. I need to figure out some sort of cleaning schedule to get it under control and I'll take any suggestions....

Our Nature Friends...

If you've been reading my blog (and thank you if you have) you know that I put up bird-feeders this winter. We have had so much fun watching all the action since we put up the feeders. We have at least two squirrels who come to visit on a regular basis and many birds that I can't identify except for the Cardinals and bully Blue-Jays. Unfortunately, taking pictures through two layers of glass (the atrium door) doesn't produce the best quality photo, but here is what we've been watching the last couple of months:

The Valentine Tree...

We've had the Valentine Tree up for a couple of weeks but I'm just now getting around to posting pictures of it. The boys and I made decorations. They actually only had the patience to make one ornament each, but I had a great time with all the glitter, glue and faux-jewels. It has a feather boa at the top and light pink tulle wrapped all around the tree. My goal was to make it as girlie as possible since there aren't many of us in this house (only me and Gracie, our dog)! I'm still looking for vintage valentines to add to the tree and that will be a fun thing for me to hunt for at flea-markets in the coming weeks.

In honor of Valentines Day..

I saw this story on The Pickled Pepper Patch today and I wanted to share it with you.

The Shoe Box

A man and woman had been married for more than 60 years.They had shared everything. They had talked about everything.They had kept no secrets from each other except that the little old woman had a shoe box in the top of her closet that she had cautioned her husband never to open or ask her about.

For all of these years, he had never thought about the box, but one day the little old woman got very sick and the doctor said She would not recover. In trying to sort out their affairs, the little old man took down the shoe box and took it to his wife's bedside. She agreed that it was time that he should know what was in the box. When he opened it, he found two crocheted dolls and a stack of money totaling $95,000.

He asked her about the contents. 'When we were to be married,' she said, 'my grandmother told me the secret of a happy marriage was to never argue. She told me that if I ever got angry with you, I should just keep quiet and crochet a doll. 'The little old man was so moved; he had to fight back tears. Only two precious dolls were in the box. She had only been angry with him two times in all those years of living and loving. He almost burst with happiness.'

'Honey,' he said, 'that explains the doll, but what about all of this money? Where did it come from?''Oh,' she said, 'that's the money I made from selling the dolls!

MY PRAYER
Dear Lord, I pray for Wisdom to understand my man;
Love to forgive him, and Patience for his moods.
Because Lord, if I pray for Strength,
I'll beat him to death, because I don't have time to crochet!!!