Thursday Thirteen for 2/19/09

At this point in my life, the things I'm thankful for are many. Each day, I find so many more things to thank God for. Here are thirteen things that come to mind today, in no particular order.

1. Faith ~ This is the single most important thing in my life. Without it, it's hard to say where I would have ended up.
2. Family ~ Starting with my hubby and girls but spreading to all of our extended family. I cannot express how wonderful these people are. The majority of our family members are Christians and to have that common bond is amazing.
3. Church Family ~ Whether it be friends from our former church or friends from the church we are currently part of, there are so many amazing people I call friends. I love many of them so much that I wish they could just move in with us :-)
4. Our Home ~ This has always been a safe haven. Home is my favorite place to be.
5. Animals ~ Ok, some may think this is a little crazy. Let me just say that without our pets, life would been a little less fun. They comfort when I need comfort. They give love when I need it. They are great stress busters. They love you unconditionally and are the most loyal creatures. And let's face it, it's nice to have them all gathered around in bed with you when it's cold!
6. Music ~ I think this is one of the most beautiful ways to express yourself. It can bring cheerfulness, it can help you through grief, and I'm convinced there is a song for every situation in life!
7. The Ability to Read ~ I cannot imagine not being able to pick up a book and read it any time I want.
8. Being A Mom ~ What greater joy is there?
9. Homeschooling ~ Our family has grown in ways I never imagined possible and a lot of that is due to homeschooling. It keeps us together every minute of the day, it teaches respect, love, patience, and compassion. It's one of the most important decisions we made for our family. And my kids aren't even "weird homeschool kids." LOL!
10. The Lives of the Saints ~ Lately, we've been doing a lot of reading concerning the Saints. What amazing people! They have been a real inspiration to our family as of late. I pray we learn much from them.
11. Those In Authority Over Us ~ Whether it be our dear priest Father Kevin, an employer, or our President, we thank God for each of them daily.
12. Technology ~ What an amazing thing. We are able to stay in touch with people we may never have spoken to again because of technology. Not to mention all of the things we read and learn!
13. Creation ~ When I look around me every day, I am in awe of this. Every single detail is so specific and orderly. What a great God we serve!

Leg Warmers, Converse, and Life

Well, it's official. Our teenage daughter has discovered fashion. I had hoped that the whole fashion scene would pass right by her. For awhile, it worked. Being homeschooled, she doesn't really have to get up each morning and wonder what she's wearing to school. She usually just wears her pajamas and that's perfectly normal around here :-) However, once a week she attends co-op classes and in doing so, has made other teenage friends who are fashion conscious. Great....woo hoo.

Actually, I have to admit, I'm glad she's found her sense of fashion (to some degree). The problem is, it's very scattered. I am drawn to a very classic style. Our teenager......not so much. We hardly ever agree on anything she wants to buy....unless it comes to 80s fashion. I was a teenager in the late 80s and remember leg warmers, big ear rings, big hair, things like these Nooka watches, and parachute paints. The latest thing with her is her desire for a pair of Converse high tops. You remember, the ones that Kareem Abdul-Jabbar wore when he played basketball. I think they're cute. The man of the house hates them.

I am very thankful that so far, these are the hardest issues we've had to deal with as far as parenting goes. Our girls have always been pretty easy to discipline.We never had to deal with back talk or attitude issues. Now that I think about it, that is a HUGE blessing. If fashion is the biggest issue we have, then I can handle that! Now, if I can just convince the hubby that Converse, leg warmers, big hair, and hoop earrings really are cool....... :-)

Happy Birthday Big D

Big D,

Just a line to say Happy Birthday. I hope you've had a good day. In honor of your special day, here are a couple of pictures of your favorite things.You're getting old so you might think of checking out life insurance quotes :-)

Seriously, I'm thankful for the twenty years I've known you and look forward to many more years of your friendship. Thank you for always being such a wonderful friend. I hope that I learn to be half the friend you've always been. You're one of a kind :-)

Love you,

Red

Women At Home

Two Christmases ago, we bought the girls matching books, Verses of Virtue: The Poetry and Prose of Christian Womanhood. Periodically, Caroline will come to me and want to read a poem she has come across that she really likes. A few nights ago, while I was making supper, she came and wanted to read one to me and I absolutely fell in love with it. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Women At Home by Rev. T. DeWitt Talmage, D.D.

Thank God, O women, for the quietude of your home, and that you are queen in it. Men come at eventide to the home; but all day long you are there, beautifying it, sanctifying it, adorning it, blessing it. Better be there than wear a queen's coronet. Better be there than carry the purse of a princess. It may be a very humble home. There may be no carpet on the floor. There may be no pictures on the wall. There may be no silks in the wardrobe; but, by your faith in God, and your cheerful demeanor, you may garniture that place with more splendor than the upholsterer's hand ever kindled.

 

 

Blog Tour: Green Works Cleaning Wipes

Recently, thanks to Mom Central, I was able to try out a new product called Green Works Cleaning Wipes. I'm a sucker for a good, fresh, clean smell and these wipes had just that! In fact, they smell better than any other cleaning wipes I've ever used. I quickly put them to use in my laundry room and bathrooms.

Green Works cleaning wipes are made with natural ingredients, including essential oils and coconut-based cleaners. They are safe to use on multiple surfaces and I love the way my bathrooms smelled when I was finished. Another neat thing about the wipes is that they are biodegradable so they are environmentally friendly. Just throw the used wipes in your compost pile and you're done!

As one who is trying to purchase things that are more environmentally friendly, I definitely give these wipes a thumbs up and look forward to trying more Green Works products in the future!

Snow, Movies, and Upchuck

We finally got a few inches of snow this evening. It's cold as whiz and when we noticed the snow was coming down pretty heavy, we decided to make a movie store run. After picking up a couple of good prospects, and Jeff doing some doughnuts in the grocery store parking lot, we made it home and settled in for the night. I'm not sure what I'm gonna do with that man!

After reading a little bit, I decided to catch up on my DVR recordings of House and ER from the past couple of weeks. When they were finished, we decided to start one of the movies. By this time, it was already a little after 1AM. We should have said no but we love to punish ourselves by not getting nearly enough sleep! We were watching The Mirrors, which is a little creepy to begin with. With about fifteen minutes left to go in the movie, sweet little Caroline came strolling in with this horrific look on her face. She's scared of her own shadow so I figured the movie had awakened her and the creepy music had scared her socks off. She attempted to screech out a few words and the only ones I heard were "my stomach." I immediately jumped up because this kid never mentions her tummy unless something is REALLY wrong. Five minutes later, I'm peeling the sheets and comforter off her bed. As usual, her "my tummy" turned in to throw up everywhere at 3AM. Why oh why?

Thirty minutes later, all is right with the world again. Throw up is cleaned up. Nasty bedding is tucked into the hamper. Baby girl is asleep on the floor with her trash can by her side. I scurried back downstairs to watch the ending of the movie, which disappointed me. Now, here I sit....at 4AM....with visions of throw up in my head....it was a horrific sight....it was a chocolate cake/spaghetti noodle combo. How in the world am I supposed to sleep on that?

Gross....just gross!

Homeschool Masquerade Ball 1/2009

Logan attended a homeschool masquerade ball this weekend. This was her first formal event, complete with her first formal dress, high heels, jazzed up hair, and make up. She was thrilled and looked beautfiul! I think we finally realize that our baby girl is growing up! My niece, Hannah, helped with hair and make up and did a great job. I know who to call if I ever find myself in need of a good stylist :-)

One last glance in the mirror......

 

Fully dressed and ready to go......

 

Close up.....

Hannah (my niece), Logan, hubby, and Caroline