A February Week in Review

I started a "picture of the day" idea in January.  I've done well remembering to take pictures. . .but haven't done anything with them since then -- oops.  The idea was to have the kids blog daily with the pics or make monthly picture books. . .neither of which I've started.  Thought today I would just take a shot from each day and journal here. . .as a reminder to me about how blessed we are.

Saturday -

Margaret was the top of the pyramid at the Upward half-time cheer!

Sunday -

The weather was so great on Sunday that Thomas wore shorts and sandals to church and later outside to shoot hoops :)

Marie baked these cupcakes for V-Day FROM SCRATCH all by herself!  Awesome!

Monday - 

 The kids were insistent that they wanted to take Valentine's Day "off" from school this year so they all of their schoolwork on Sunday afternoon.  We went to Wal-Mart and bought stuff to make V-Day treat bags for all the neighbors.  We included some of Marie's cupcakes as well as some turtle candy that Frederick & Margaret made from this inspiration.

 Leaving to go make the deliveries :)

Tuesday -

Frederick lost his 4th tooth -- yay!

Wednesday - 

Can you believe it?!?  Three of the four ended up getting wet up to their shoulders!!!  Crazy.  And since their Mom was there to take the pictures I guess it's not just the kids that are crazy. . .but it was a very nice day and the creek is only 1/2 mile away. . .we were home and dry within 45 minutes of this picture being taken.

Thursday - 

Frederick in the dumpster.

Marie forgot her retainer at church (CBS) on Thursday.  She didn't remember until 2:00 p.m., when everything had already been cleaned up.  We drove back to town and the leadership team was just leaving and they were kind enough to help us find it. . .we helped Frederick into the dumpster to go through the bags (luckily they were clear). . .the girls found the correct class trash bag and the retainer was in the second napkin that Marie unwrapped.  Praise the Lord for this happy ending!!!  (And Frederick for climbing into the smelly dumpster -- ha!)

Friday -

Nothing yet. . .the two older ones are already done with their schoolwork for the day and I'm helping the two younger ones while I'm typing this.  Later I'm hoping to play tennis -- OUTSIDE!!! -- with my girlfriend and Thomas is having a friend over to go to a dinner-and-movie-night at church tonight.  Our neighbors also invited us down for a little get-together they are having and we get to make a dessert!  I think I may try a mint brownie recipe from one of my new cookbooks :)

Wait!  I *do* have a picture to share today (from my phone):  

I was looking for something in my nightstand this morning and in the process decided to go through everything in there.  These are all the *empty* jewelry boxes and bags that I had in there.  CRAZY.  I only kept 2 (not pictured) -- the one from my engagement ring and then from the wedding ring we bought when I was pregnant the first time b/c I couldn't fit into any of my jewelry.  I "found" three different costume jewelry "pearl" necklaces also -- none of which I even knew/remembered that I had.  Hope the rest of the day is this productive!!!

I'm going to link up to Company Girl Coffee today!!!  It's been awhile. . .life gets in the way.  Excited to have some time to read other bloggers who link up -- you can head over and visit too!  This is supposed to be a "hop" this week but I'm having a hard time trying to concentrate long enough to figure that part out.  Sorry :(

39 things

So another birthday came and went this last week.  Since this is my last last year in my 30's I decided to go in the fashion of other popular bloggers (like Meg, who I first saw list something like this -- this link is a summer list but I'm pretty sure I saw one that she listed on her b'day too) and make a list.  I posted the idea on Facebook a couple of days before my birthday to get some ideas (39 ideas were kind of hard!) and I actually got quite a few!!!  So. . .in the interest of accountability, here are

39 Things to Do Before I'm 40

finish my Master's degree

move

pray for an send an encouraging note to every family who we received Christmas cards from this year

invite friends over at least 6 times for food and games

get my body back to 120 pounds

set an example for my children by working out with them

attend a tennis camp

teach someone to play tennis

get rid of clothes I have not worn in two years

visit our friends at the lake

go on a 4-day get-away with Tom somewhere neither of us has ever been 

start a cooking club

continue and FINISH my picture-of-the-day project for 2011

fully decorate a room from start-to-finish

get a new hairstyle

complete a Bible study

   teach the kids to type

learn a new card or board game 

eat a family meal outside

make candy with the kids

visit my brother in Florida

make Dad some new scrapbook pages

do a crafting class with Bonnie

make a meal for a family in need

come up with a family mission statement together then display it in our home 

go to the zoo as a family

plant flowers

make a table centerpiece

finish Margaret's dresser

find chairs for Margaret & Frederick's desks

make my own vanilla extract

make a gallery wall in our home

learn to use more setting on my camera

learn/try decorative painting

have a "fancy" dinner with friends

go bowling as a family "just because"

geocaching

do a zumba class

visit a dentist

So...there it is in all its ugliness/weirdness/simplicity.  Rather than making this a "to-do" list or a resolution-type thing, I wanted it to be more goal-oriented where I can measure results.  I either do/don't go to the dentist.  I have people over 1 time or 10. . .I just chose a number that wasn't too ambitious (once every-other-month) yet not too easy (for me).  Some are *almost* done (like my Master's Degree) or we've already decided on (move) or non-nonsensical like geocaching because we don't even have a GPS system (but someone on FB recently did it and it looked like something my kids would like so why not reach for the stars?).  I have noticed one thing:  by putting this list together, writing out GOALS, I am actually more conscious about what I'm doing!  Yea!  Already had friends over for dinner and games since I made this list!!!  And the meal for a family in need?  Had extra food the other day and sent it next door. . .I think because it was fresh on my mind to do.

The next list up?  40 things to do with the rest of my life  You won't be surprised to hear I already have that list going on in my head???

And a few pics of the "big day". . .we went to lunch at Red Lobster

I got a great new bag from my fabulous inlaws:

 The kids gave me a new book and pair of earrings. . .

My dad and stepmom sent some cookbooks that I had mentioned I would like to have 

and my mother always sends me money. . .and I usually use it for my annual FL vacation -- this year it will be for a pedicure and the other books that go in the series of books that the kids got me!  Tom was funny. . .he had me open my gift before he left for work at 6:30 a.m. -- it was an ipod nano -- so cool!  I'm always borrowing someone else's to use so that was a super-great gift.

Happy, happy day.  We ended up not having church that evening because of weather (which is why we went out to lunch instead of dinner -- another benefit of homeschooling!) so we had a nice evening at home.  Thomas made and decorated a cake for me:

 And we even got in a game of Sorry!

It's been a good week of reflection. . .and also of realization. . .look at this picture someone snapped of me Wednesday -- I am getting OLD!!!!

Unless, of course, those are laugh-lines, lines of a life well-lived and well-loved.  I'll take those :)

TTU basketball

We met some friends for the double-header basketball game at our local university Thursday night.  It was "Upward" night and "scholar" night so if you were wearing your Upward uniform or coach's shirt or you had a coupon from school saying you made the A-B honor roll you got in free.  Parents got in for $1.  So for three adults and 7 kids our entertainment for the evening was a grand total of $3 -- ha!
The youngest, our neighbor, was awed by the Awesome Eagle.  First chance he got he ran up to him for a picture.  He followed that Eagle around with his eyes all night long, constantly giving updates as to where he was.  He especially liked it when he was on the floor shooting baskets :)

 The girls won the first game. . .it was a good game. . .they never got too far ahead for it to be "boring" but eventually the win was inevitable.

 One of the kids from our Sunday School class ended up out on the floor doing a little race during one of the breaks. . .very cute.

He was supposed to dress like a Tech player, then get the ball and make a shot.  He was the winner!!!
And then there were the cheerleaders and dancers. . .that's why Margaret goes to a game, y'know. . .(not the boys -- YET)

These were some of the friends with us:

Thomas and his friend from school. . .it was fun to bring him because his friend had never been to a college game before!!!

Frederick with his BFF from down the street, Marie, Margaret, and that goofy Eagle-scouting kid at the end.  I was sitting between the two dads (you can see Tom's knee in this shot - ha!)

The boy's game was exciting, with Tech pulling out a win at the end!!!

Well, it was close until about the 4th quarter, then we just kind of took over.  Always fun to leave a winner :)

Margaret and Frederick found some other friends to sit with during the boy's game. . .other neighbors that we don't see nearly enough. 

 The sad truth is, these neighbors live just down the street and the only time we see them is if we're out-and-about, 10 miles away from home.  (Their little boy is sitting between my two.  He is sooooooo cute!)  Time for the warm temperatures to come around again and to open our doors for some neighborhood fellowship!

After the game we all wondered why we've never done this before?  The university is so close (and I'm a student there!) and ballgames are always a lot of fun (esp. in temperature-controlled climates -- ha!).  So. . .here's to finding new experiences in our small town.