New table!

I sold the table we had when we moved to the duplex. I knew I'd like to have a new one when we moved anyway so I thought I'd list it on Craigslist. It sold quickly. While we were at the duplex, Caleb and I would mostly eat supper at a little table made of boxes on the kitchen floor. He liked to stack them and make a little chair and table top. I remember one night when my husband was home for supper (this was the time he was traveling and training) and it was such a blessing to be able to sit and eat supper together, even without a table!

Since we have moved to our new house, we've been eating on the couch with tray tables. On Friday we went to buy a new table. We'd gone to some furniture stores to look a few weekends ago. I wanted one that could fold out to be bigger, it's called a butterfly leaf table. My Mom has one of those and I like it so I hoped we could find one similar.

Since we had already looked I already had an idea of what we'd want and the price. Before we left, I looked in my box to see what extra money I had. I knew that over the past few months I had cashed some checks (like when we got a refund from the dentist's office and one from insurance when we stopped the policy on our first house and other random things like that plus some I'd saved back) and put the money there, but I didn't know how much it was. I took it to the bank and was surprised at the amount.

We chose the table and went to pay. It was $4 less than the amount I'd counted out in my cash stash! I was excited about that. Now I just need to find another stash for the new couch I saw there....May have to use some savings for that one cause I don't know of any more stashes that I have anywhere!

Here is a picture of the table. This is the folded in size. I like how it is tall and the colors of it.

Have a day of blessings!

Looking for a "Temporary Home"

When we found out we sold our house, we began looking for a new place to live. In the last month or so we have found several places that we thought would work. Then it felt like all the doors we thought were opened ended up closed.

First my husband remembered some new duplexes being built in our little town. We looked at those, but they were really pricey and wanted a year lease. So we kept it as an option but not very high on our list.

We talked to one of our elders at church who handles some real estate. He told us on a Wednesday he had a house that would be available about the time we'd need it. Then Sunday he said he found out it was going to take longer for him to get that he thought originally. So cross that one off the list.

Next we saw a "for rent" sign in the yard of a house right around our block. I called several times and couldn't get an answer. Then finally a couple days later I talked to the guy, and we went to look at the house. He gave us an application. We had some "red flags" go off on this one, so my husband emailed him about our questions. He didn't respond so I called him. No, he wouldn't give us a 3 month lease even if we paid him extra and paid him up front. Okay, next.....

A lady at church is a leasing agent so she knew of an apartment in our neighboring town (where my husband works and is a bigger place that where we live) that does three month leases. This was exciting because we had not even thought of being able to get something for 3 months, even though we knew we wanted something short because we don't know how long we'll be here. So we talked to the lady at that complex and it would possibly work but was farther away from Caleb's school than I wanted.

This got me to thinking maybe other apartments would give us a three month lease. I found one last week. It was closer, and when Caleb and I went to look at it, we liked it. I felt good about it and understood the guy to say they would have some available at the beginning of August. The next day I called to find out when one would be available and was told not till the end of August. Talking with the guy again I had one of those "funny feelings" that made me think this was a no too.

In between all this we had been watching ads in the paper and contacting realtors trying to find something. It seemed everything was either too far away or wanting a year lease.

Last week at the library I picked up one of the apartment advertisement magazines. Friday afternoon I thought I'd call a few more. I found one and we met to look at it Friday evening. It had so many positives..... it was already ready to move in, downstairs (the others were upstairs), location (closer to drive Caleb to school although he still will have to transfer), AND they would let us do a month-to-month lease! After weeks of hearing no after no after no when I'd ask for a 6 month lease, I was so excited to hear this wonderful news!

We filled out the application online (another plus was they waived the application fee for doing it online) on Friday night. Sunday afternoon we went to see if we could look at the particular apartment that was available. We went back to the office to get some more information. As I sat down I noticed a song coming on the radio. I looked up at my husband and smiled. It was this song....



If you have not heard Carrie Underwood's song "Temporary Home" I encourage you to listen to it. I had seen it posted on a few blogs recently, so I went to YouTube and listened to it. I loved it because it is how I feel about our home. I know I'll be sad to leave here, but at the same time I know that things on earth are only temporary anyway. When I sat down at the apartment office desk, it made me smile to hear this song. It felt like a little reminder that the apartment is just a temporary home too. While it isn't what we planned or expected to live in an apartment again, it has all worked out in God's timing. We go to sign the papers on Thursday. Continue to pray for us as we get the rest of our stuff moved.

Have a day of blessings!

Countdown: 19 days

I have recently asked for prayers for my family here on my blog. I thought I would tell you what was going on.

We sold our house! We put it on the market on June 1 and on June 10 we had an offer. We close on July 26.

When we signed the papers for the contract, I walked out of the realtor's office with such peace. In the months leading up to putting it on the market I had mixed feelings about the whole thing. I was excited but scared of the unknown too.

My husband said he felt we had chosen the right realtor and I agree. Having never done this before, we didn't know even how to choose one! I got some tips from my former high school senior English teacher who is now in real estate (and someone I trust and respect). She did give me some tips and said I would just know...she was right. I knew he was the right one too when I got this email back from him one day after I told him I guess we were ready to put the house on the market but was nervous about it:

Putting a house on the market can be a little scary, but I trust that it won't be overwhelming. As we follow where we see God leading, He will work it all out!

We are looking for something temporary until we get a definite answer on my husband's job. It is a good possibility he will be changing to a different office within the state. We are very excited about this!

I am excited to share the whole story with you, but it is a story that God is still writing. There are so many little details that have shown me this is totally in God's hands. I have thought so many times of how great a story it is going to be too and can't wait to see how it all ends up. We give all the glory to Him because we cannot do this on our own.

I do have my days when I feel like I can't wait one more possible day without knowing where we will be. But then I get a little word of encouragement from someone and am able to keep going and keep believing it is all going to work out.

If you've noticed the theme of trust, faith, and waiting on many of my verses and songs, this is why! Thank you for your prayers as we wait expectantly for how God will answer our prayers.
Have a day of blessings!

Columbus Day holiday

Today we've been at home, and it's been so very nice! It's wonderful to have both my boys home from work and school. I've been doing laundry and picking up while they've worked on the camper and in the garage. I can tell Caleb has enjoyed a "do nothing day" and having time to lay on the floor and play with his toys. While I was folding a load of clothes I enjoyed listening to him play and talk, a sound I've missed lately with him in school. After that I caught him putting up the towels for me, which made me smile. He's had fun helping Daddy clean out the camper too. The day has passed quickly.

What did you do on Columbus Day?

Have a day of blessings!

Unexpected delays

I'm sitting in traffic as I type. I have been here over an hour now, trying to get the few hundred yards to my exit to get home. I wonder what those in the vehicles around me are thinking and feeling. Are they mad? Are they late for an important meeting? Is anyone sick and needing to get home to rest? Probably someone was going to have lunch with a friend and they won't make it. I'm so glad I didn't tell Caleb I'd eat lunch with him today as I'd considered.

I have talked to my husband. He found out there was an accident claiming the lives of three people, plus others with injuries.

Why am I sitting here? I had the thought as I headed towards home that I'd be home by 11 today. It's now 12:37. I made a stop at the grocery store for my husband. I'd gone to the store yesterday, but I'd missed Grapenuts that he'd written on my list. Since I was in town I stopped by to pick them up for him. I can't help but think maybe I didn't see it on my list yesterday so I wouldn't be involved in the accident today. (Later I found out it was up the interstate a bit more than I would have traveled. Still I know God had a reason for me to be sitting there. That hasn't happened to me in a long time and I don't think ever when I've been by myself.)

What attitude do you have when you face unexpected delays in life? This goes back to the idea that we have a choice about our attitudes. So I sit and wait. I've listened to my audio CD of Karen Kingsbury's Take One, balanced the checkbook, and read some from another book.

Join me in saying a prayer for the families of those who lost their lives.

PS: I got home and it's 12:55. I did get home by 1. Thank you God.

Have a day of blessings!

We're home

It is good to be home. Thank you to all of you for stopping by while I was away. I have a long list of things to do....laundry (I sorted the clothes last night in the garage and am going to keep track of how many loads I have done! I was thinking I really wash this many clothes every week when I saw all the piles.), work on Father's Day cards/boxes with Caleb, get groceries, upload pictures, post reviews of books I finished while traveling, catch up on blogs, etc. Just wanted to come and say thanks for your prayers while we were traveling. I'll be writing a post about our trip...sometime.

Have a great week!
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"Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth." Psalm 100:1

Christmas decorations

I thought I'd share some of our Christmas decorations.

First our tree. You can see the section in the bottom front where Caleb found to put several of his ornaments. The large circle is one he made in class recently on Sunday.



This is a new ornament we got this year when we went to the ACU game in November. I love it. I told hubby if I lived in a giant house with a bunch of rooms and trees in all the rooms that I'd like to have one tree with all purple and white ornaments. (I'd have another tree of Precious Moments ornaments since I have a lot of those too and another tree of our family, sentimental ornaments.)
This is my Precious Moment's Nativity set. Caleb helped me set it out. It sits on our bar. I had to put a box behind it so there would be a solid background.

Meemaw made these little crocheted candles. Many years ago she made them for a contest and won a prize for them.

Finally, this is the gingerbread house we made at the library party earlier this month.

I've enjoyed seeing the pictures of trees and decorations that everyone is sharing on their blogs. Have a great day! Hope you're staying warm....it's cold here!
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"Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God. " Psalm 20:7

Facebook and our week

Are any of you, my readers, on Facebook? I have an account there and have enjoyed finding new friends there. It is amazing all the people you can find from high school or college! It's a fun way to connect with old friends I think. Email me your name if you have an account and I can find you!

Hope you are having a good week. Monday night we went shopping. The boys went Christmas shopping and I just went out by myself. I went to a couple stores, got a shake at Sonic (I was sad they don't have banana pudding anymore!), and picked up a gift at the mall for my Mom. Caleb was so cute when they got home and he was being secretive and telling me not to come in the garage. After he had gone to bed I saw in the garage a new ironing board hanging in place of my old one. My husband took me and showed me and said it wasn't part of my Christmas and he just wanted to give it to me. He knew I needed a new one! Tuesday morning I said something to Caleb about it and he had to call and tell Daddy I had found it. We spent a couple hours Tuesday morning making Christmas treats....chocolate covered pretzels, peanuts, and peanut butter crackers. Caleb was so excited to show Daddy what we made when he got home. Tuesday night "we" (but mostly my husband while I fixed bags of the other stuff) made "puppy chow." We fixed gift sacks to take to various people and a tray for Daddy to take to work. It has been sleeting here also. Caleb thinks it is going to turn into snow by morning.

I'm still working on my Christmas cards. They are addressed and written. I need to print the Christmas letter to go inside now.

Have a good rest of the week!
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"The LORD is the strength of his people, a fortress of salvation for his anointed one." Psalm 28:8

Our long weekend

It was a nice three day weekend for us! On Saturday morning we went to get the truck's inspection sticker. Then we went to some garage sales. I found some very nice shirts for a quarter a piece. In the evening we went to a program hosted by our library. They have it each year. It gives you a chance to see what it is like to be visually impaired. I must say it was a very interesting and challenging experience. They had blindfolds and various booths set up to try different activities of normal daily life. I first walked down the hall using a stick and then did it again with the guide dog. I also wrote on a piece of paper and addressed an envelope. I was given a plastic overlay guide to keep the lines straight and write the address in the correct spot. Caleb also did the walking with the stick and guide dog. He put toothpaste on a toothbrush, buttoned a shirt, and made a peanut butter sandwich. He would peek out of the mask to see what he was doing. I think it was a very good experience for him. They were giving out door prizes as well. My husband got a free haircut coupon. I got a free pizza buffet. Caleb got a treat bag with a free ice cream cone and fries from Chick-fil-a. After this program we went to a block party for one of the local hospital's birthday. It was a nice evening. We enjoyed being out and saw some old friends too. They had bags of kettle corn. I had never had real kettle corn before (only from a microwave bag). It was a delicious treat!


Sunday we went to church and in the evening was the fall BBQ at the lake. We do this twice a year. It is a nice time to worship and fellowship. This year Caleb loved watching the birds soaring above the water. We saw a gorgeous sunset and deer resting under the trees as we left the park.



Monday my husband was off since he is a government employee. He used to work 9 hour days so he got off every other Monday. When he was having trouble sleeping at night, he switched back to 8 hour days and no Monday's off. He's been doing this a couple years now, but we both still miss his Monday's at home. We really enjoyed having him home with us today. We did some chores this morning. It is nice to have a clean house and things picked up. He is so sweet to help with it too! I feel like I got a lot of little things marked off my to do list too. I got some clothes folded and put up. I did an online order from a catalog for some Christmas gifts. I printed a poem of fall paper for Caleb to mail out this week with his picture from the pumpkin patch. I submitted my Avon order. This afternoon I called the credit card company to see if the payment was processed. It was on the 10th. I asked if they'd take off the late fee. That is all I said first. He told me he would check and came back and said he could take half of it off. I asked if that was all since I had been a customer since 2000, we pay off the full balance each month, and have not been late. Then he came back and said yes we will give you a courtesy removal. I was elated!! It was a $29.00 fee! I know I will carefully double-check all my due dates now after this lesson. After Caleb got up from nap we went to get my husband's allergy shots. Then I ran in Walgreens to get their sale items for this week. I can't pass up a sale on toilet paper! We ate supper and then went to do our grocery shopping. It is always crazy to me how many more shoppers are out in the evenings that when we normally go in the mornings. I actually spent less with my husband along so that was a good thing too. I don't know if it was because we didn't need as much or because I was trying to hurry and get out of there more than I do in the mornings!


I hope you had a nice weekend and the week ahead is blessed!
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"My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him." Psalm 62:1

Our trip

We had a wonderful trip last week! Thank you to all those who prayed for us while we were away.

We left Thursday, June 5 and went to my Mom's house. We wanted to break the trip up into sections so we wouldn't have so much driving in one day. Friday morning we left and stopped for lunch in Abilene. We stopped by ACU too. This is called "Jacob's Dream" and is fascinating to see in person.

The bookstore was open and had CD's on sale for $5 so we got three of those. (More about that later!) and went to Lubbock to stay the night with my Dad. We went to the park to feed the ducks, and Caleb got to play also.

We left Lubbock about 10 Saturday morning (after my stop at the post office to get some stamps). We stopped when we got to New Mexico at the Visitor's Center. Then we had lunch in Clovis. As we were leaving we saw the church van in the parking lot. We went back in and found the other part of our group in line ordering! We thought it was neat we both stopped at the same place for lunch on our separate journeys. Caleb napped and we stopped in Santa Rosa at a rest stop. We were surprised to find two more couples from our church group stopped there as well. They were pulling their own campers and had come from Palo Duro Canyon.

I enjoyed watching the changing scenery.

Caleb loved the trains. We should have counted the trains we passed on the trip.

We arrived at the children's home at probably 8:30. I don't really know! Plus we went into a different time zone so I'm really not sure what time it was. Our group stayed in one of the cottage's of the children's home. We unpacked and got settled in our room. The hall was so cold with the blowing air conditioner, and the guys told us they didn't think the a/c was working in our room.

Sunday morning we went to church and in the afternoon most of the group went to pass out flyers about VBS. I stayed in the room with Caleb for his nap. We worked a little bit on our classroom too. We all went out to eat together Sunday evening after church.

Monday morning some of the group went on a little hike out near the home. Then we went up to the church building to work on our classroom again. Monday afternoon we were invited by one of the church members to come over to his skating rink. It was Caleb's first time at a rink! He was excited to put on the skates. He couldn't believe these kind of skates he could wear without shoes on (unlike his skates he got for Christmas that go over his shoes). We had a lot of fun helping him skate (I didn't put on skates, just helped him. Daddy skated though).

Tuesday morning we went on a hike over to Red Rock Park. Most of the group went all the way to the top. We stopped and went back down after we'd gone up part-way along with another couple and their son.

Wednesday morning we worked around the home doing various projects for them. Our family worked in the playground. Caleb woke up at 7 that morning because he knew it was painting day! He had so much fun painting the teeter totter green. Wednesday evening we had a hot dog supper at the church with members of the church and children's home.

Thursday morning we went on another outing with the group to El Morro National Monument. We walked through the path of the Inscription Trail. This is one of the inscriptions. We were amazed at all the different writing styles we saw in the rock. Some were just block letters and some looked like calligraphy.

These are some pictures Daddy took from the top. This is one of the pueblos on top of the mountain.

Thursday night after VBS we got everything ready and loaded as much as we could. We finished up loading and cleaning up the cottage Friday morning. We stopped at another tourist shop before heading out to Lubbock. We were going to stay there through Sunday but decided we really wanted to get home. So we left for my Mom's Saturday morning and then came home Sunday.

It was a blessing to us to all be able to participate in this trip as a family. The children we worked with each night in VBS were so sweet, and our prayer is that we did make a difference in their lives. We are thankful for our safe travel. Everyone asks how Caleb did on the trip. He did great! He read his books, played with some things in his bag, and watched the mountains and trains. As we were coming back he asked if we were in Lubbock. I said no we're still in New Mexico. He said no we're not, I don't see any more mountains. The weather was fabulous and quite different from the heat we were used to here! It was not humid at all. The day temps were in the 80s and the nights were cool. One night they said it got down to 35. We didn't even notice that our room's a/c vent wasn't working. We're thankful to my Mom for letting us use her car for the trip to get better gas mileage. That really did help on the gas bill!

As we were leaving New Mexico on Friday, I fell asleep for a short nap. I was waking up and sat there with my eyes closed and listened to the song that was playing. It was one of the new CD's I'd picked up at ACU. We'd listened to it before, but I hadn't paid attention to the words of the song and it was a song I didn't know. It's called "How Great You Are." I listened for a minute and then opened my eyes and saw a tall mountain before us. As I sat there I felt so emotional that this song matched perfectly how I felt about the trip but couldn't put into words. I saw God's greatness all around me and my heart was full of thankfulness.

I found it on You Tube sung by Phillips Craig & Dean. I hope you are blessed when you listen to it. This particular video has the lyrics too.

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"Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
The LORD is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
and his understanding no one can fathom." Isaiah 40:28

Carpet update!

On Monday the carpet guy came. He sprayed some anti-bacterial stuff, put down new padding, restretched the carpet, and cleaned the room plus out into the hall and living room.

When he walked in Caleb told him, "I like your tool box." I was glad the carpet guy answered and talked to Caleb and all his observations and questions! Caleb had to be the helper. He carried out the rolled up pieces of padding as well as any scraps the guy might have made. He told the guy,"My Dad told me I was in charge." Daddy had told Caleb that the previous night since he wasn't going to be home when the carpet guy was here and to give Caleb something to look forward to Monday morning. When he'd go outside Caleb would tell me, "I'm gonna see if he wants to eat lunch with us." (He did forget to ask this though!) As he was leaving Caleb told him he was going to give him a hug. It was so cute how he befriended the guy in the short time he was here. That night he had all sorts of stories for Daddy. He told him about the "knee kicker" the guy used on the carpet.

The room is back in order now and is much emptier than it was before. When we get back from our trip, I'll decide if I want the scrapbooking table left up or not. I kinda like the openness of the room now.
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"The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land...You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail." Isaiah 58:11

Wet carpet

Friday morning I noticed the carpet in our computer/storage room was damp to my feet. I didn't think much of it and thought maybe it was from off of my husband's shoes when he went to get the paper or something. Later in the morning I felt it was still damp and saw a big wet spot on some clothes that were laying there. I felt some areas were more wet. My cousin was visiting us for the day so she helped me take my trinkets and Precious Moments off the shelf. It was still too heavy for us with the books in the bottom, but I saw water damage on the bottom of the shelf. Chel and Caleb unscrewed the panel under the air conditioner unit. We found the source of the problem! I called my husband, and he decided to come home from work early. He cleaned out the line, which was apparently clogged. I unloaded the books from the bottom half of the shelf, and we moved it outside. It was such a mess underneath and already growing mold. I've had that book case since my college apartment days. Meemaw had let me use it back then. We'll just have to get a new one I guess.

We have not been using the a/c for that long this year and it was off for several days last week when we were out of town. The carpet is really wet though and with that slow dripping, who knows how long it's been building up and leaking like that. Since everything is off the shelf now I've sorted through the books and started a pile for our garage sale. It makes me want to clean out the rest of the house too. I didn't know what we were doing for Memorial Day weekend but now it looks like cleaning!
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"Say only what is good and helpful...and what will give...a blessing." Ephesians 4:29 TLB

We made it home!

It's so nice to be home! We are unpacked and two loads of clothes are washed and hanging out to dry. My sweet husband helped hang them this afternoon. We had a nice trip. When we got home, he said we had gone 795 miles. Whew!!

We left home Wednesday afternoon and stopped for the night at my Mom's house. We left Thursday morning in time to stop for lunch in Abilene and then continued on our way to Lubbock. We visited with my BIL for a while and then went to my Dad's, where we were staying. Friday morning we attended a convocation and lunch reception. Then Saturday morning we attended the actual graduation ceremony. Both ceremonies seemed to just go on and on (they were about 2 hours a piece I think). We were glad we were there though to support my BIL at this great achievement in his life. He still has some clinical work to do but then he'll be an occupational therapist. He has worked hard to achieve this goal and we're proud of him! Saturday after nap we went back to help my BIL and SIL load their moving van. Sunday morning we went to church with my Dad and headed back towards home after lunch. We stayed another night at my Mom's and came home this morning.

Caleb did great on the trip. He is still not caught up on his sleep, but we can work on that this week.

The temperatures were cooler than I had expected when I packed. I'd put in mostly shorts for Caleb and myself. My Dad said he'd throw a pair of Caleb's jeans in the wash with his clothes in case he needed a clean pair. Saturday when we got back from graduation, he'd done our whole sack of dirty clothes. It was a very nice surprise and saved us time of doing them today!

I had a couple of funny observations about graduation ceremonies too. First, why do women wear high heels to events that will require lots of walking? I have never understood this! I am not a very fashion conscious person so I go for comfortable more than cute. Looking cute is fine, but I cannot stand it to hear complaints about how you're feet are hurting! I did not pick the shoes, you did! Another thing is the lack of modesty. I don't know how many strapless and/or low cut dresses I saw. I have never understood why women choose to wear revealing clothing. I saw a lot of that this weekend; it always bugs me. I guess because I wonder why they wear what they wear....is it because they like it and it's cute (which many of the dresses do have cute designs/patterns/colors)? is it because they are seeking attention of males? is it because they want to show off their bodies?

Caleb told Daddy Saturday night that when he graduates there will only be two "graduaters." I asked him if that was so it wouldn't take so long! Pretty good logic there to cut down on the time of the ceremony. I told him probably the next time we attend graduations will be in a couple years when we see Chel at college, Cody at high school, and Caleb from Kindergarten.

We're all happy to be home. My husband will be back to work tomorrow and we'll be back on our regular routine here. We'll also be getting ready for our mission trip that is coming up in a few weeks. I'll write more about that another day. Hope you have a wonderful week!
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"I will praise you, O Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonders. I will be glad and rejoice in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High." Psalm 9:1-2

Saturday

Caleb is better. Thank you to those of you who prayed for him! Yesterday he spent most of the day in his bed and was totally not his normal happy, busy self. We read a lot of books in bed together. He moved to the couch to eat lunch and then wanted to play blocks for a while. He ran a little fever but it wasn't as high as in the night. By the time Daddy got home he was up. He asked to go to Gatti's. He said he wanted to eat the little meats there. They have little ham cubes on their salad bar that he likes to eat. Today he has been totally normal and active. We're so thankful!

This morning we went to the donut shop as Caleb calls it and then to the library. I've done some laundry and got to hang it outside. It is such a gorgeous, sunny day here; I was excited to be able to hang clothes outside. We are also packing up to go on a trip with JMP this week. We'll be leaving Monday. We're going to San Antonio again. Hopefully we all stay well this trip to SA. (In the summer when we went for vacation I got strep.)

Also today I need to make the Valentine for JMP, finish packing, get the directions we need for the trip, and do the budget for this month.
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"How precious is your unfailing love, O God! All humanity finds shelter in the shadow of your wings." Psalm 36:7, NLT

Hooray for staying home!

We needed a stay home day! I was really looking forward to today because I knew we could stay home and do whatever. The unfortunate part is I got sick in the night about 4:20 a.m. I assume it is something I ate; I still don't feel totally normal just yet.

It's been a nice day overall though. I felt extra tired this morning after being up in the night I guess. Caleb told me let's get up and eat some breakfast. We had breakfast (I only felt up to having some crackers.) We did our lesson together on the letter S. We were supposed to do this letter last week but didn't because of our full schedule. We did start our lessons on numbers last week, and today we continued that with measuring. Caleb knows all about tape measures so I showed him a ruler and how to use it. Caleb also played post office. He had some paper he cut into rectangles and then used one of his stamps on it. He was making his own checks I think. This reminded me of playing "officer" with Chel. Caleb played with his fire trucks, and I folded some clothes and wrote checks to pay bills and fixed lunch.Before his nap we read books. Lately we've been taking turns choosing a different place to read. Today was under the couch leg rest.

That's about all we've done. It's been nice.
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"May the Lord continually bless you with heaven's blessings as well as with human joys." Psalm 128:5 TLB

My sweet boys

Last night after supper I was feeling tired and somewhat had a headache. It was that nagging feeling that is just enough pain to be a little bothersome. I knew I hadn't eaten enough at lunch and attribute my pain to this. The boys were "playing puzzles" as Caleb says on the living room floor. I got down on the floor and put my head on Caleb's pillow. Then he snuggles up beside me and also covers me up with my robe and a blanket. JMP turned off the lights and rubbed my shoulders and head a bit. It was nice to just stop and do nothing for a while. They were so sweet to help me feel better. Caleb kept giving me kisses. When he talked to Gramma he told her we were laying on the floor because Mommy's head was hurting because she ate too much food. He also told her that he wanted to make a princess cake for me for my birthday. We'd had this conversation last week. I asked him what sort of birthday cake he could have and then I said what about a princess cake. He thought I was silly because princesses are for "grirls." I think it's cute he wants to make me a princess cake with pink and purple!
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As we grow in our capacities to see and enjoy the joys that God has placed in our lives, life becomes a glorious experience of discovering His endless wonders.

Monday at home

Today has been a stay home day. We went up to the post office to get some stamps and stopped by the bank too. I told Caleb to put on his shoes so we could run up to the bank. He said, "We're running there?"


I've been working on getting addresses on Christmas cards. I need to work on our Christmas letter. I have done one the past several years. I want to get the cards addressed and ready to mail by the weekend I think. I have family pictures to include with them. However, I left the pictures at my Mom's at Thanksgiving. I'll see her this weekend and get the pictures then (if I remember to remind her to bring them or she remembers!!). This week I also want to get some more wrapping done. I will need to do some at nap time so Caleb won't see. I need to decide on gifts for certain people too. We usually make treats and give them out to the mail lady and trash men. Looks like there is plenty on the to do list this week!
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"Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast." Psalm 139:7--10

A weekend at home

I've looked forward to the weekend all week I think. First, we didn't have anywhere to be. Second, JMP is off Monday for Veteran's Day. Two reasons to smile!

Today has been lazy but productive. Caleb woke us up about 7:45. The boys put together a book shelf. Caleb was so thrilled when he saw Daddy bringing it in the living room and went right to work getting his tools and toolbox. We've had this shelf for months and just haven't put it together. Now that I got our extra room cleaned out there was a spot for the shelf. JMP decided to rearrange our extra room too during nap time. So after that I put the stuff back on the one book shelf we already had. I started putting things on the new shelf as well. I think I'm really going to like it. I have a ton of note cards and stationary. They are in decorative boxes and one plastic tub. I like having it all in one place now even if it doesn't really match!

I also worked a little bit in Caleb's room as he was helping put the shelf together. This boy has so many books! I sorted through his puzzles that are too easy for him now and will pass them on to someone else. I took some things out of his closet too. It is hard for me to get rid of things I know he still enjoys, but I keep reminding myself we can't keep everything. With Christmas coming I know he'll receive more things. I want to teach him to be a cheerful giver and share with others. This is a great time of year to do that.

One more thing today was that our doorbell rang two times. This is rare for us! The first time was some Boy Scouts collecting canned food. The second time was a man trying to sell something.

We also finally hung up a picture (and I do mean finally!!). JMP bought me a picture of a lighthouse one time years ago when he was on a trip (I think before we were married), and I always had set it on a shelf and left it in the plastic. I never had a frame the right size and never thought to buy one! As we were cleaning we saw one of the picture frames we'd gotten from Peepaw's things and it is perfect for the lighthouse picture. It has a blue matting too that matches the picture perfectly. Now it is hanging above the computer desk.

It is nice to get done with some small steps of cleaning and organizing. I feel like I've accomplished a lot this week in this area: the closet where I stash Christmas presents as I buy them through the year and our pantry earlier in the week plus what we did today. What's next?
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"A quiet morning with a loving God puts the events of the upcoming day into proper prospective." Janette Oke

Trying a new layout!

I was playing with the templates on Blogger last night and decided to go for a change. Hope you like it. I may change some more as I have time! Who knows!

The plan for today is a stay home day. Before bed last night I asked Caleb what fun thing we could do today. He said CHORES! I did most of them though already for this week so he said make cookies. The plan is to make some cookies together, play, read books, and work on Christmas ornaments.

I'm looking forward to the weekend. JMP has three days off! It's been a while since we've had a Monday off. Hope you all have a great weekend! Thanks for reading.
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"For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, And do not return there without watering the earth...So shall My word be which goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to me empty, Without accomplishing what I desire." Isaiah 55:10-11

Change of Pace

In the night Caleb had a fever. He wasn't sleeping very soundly for a while, so I laid by him in his bed. Later in the night I felt him, and he felt cooler to the touch. I debated waking him up this morning to go to the food pantry but figured it would be best to let him sleep. He woke up after Daddy left and wanted some water, which is what I'd given him in the night when he woke up. We snuggled in bed a long time. He's been his normal self most of the day but sometimes will come and want to sit in my lap for a bit. He hasn't seemed to have fever, maybe a little bit earlier. He hasn't complained of anything hurting except in the night and first thing he told me his mouth hurt in the night.

It's a blessing that we can change our plans and just stay home if needed. It's felt a bit odd to be at home on a Wednesday when we're usually going and going all morning! It has been a nice change of pace though. I feel like I've been given an extra day or something. :) I've done laundry and was able to hang it out so now I feel "ahead" for tomorrow's chores.
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"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. " Ephesians 6:10, 11