Old Mother Hubbard

I do not have the same problem as Old Mother Hubbard. In fact, I have the opposite problem! Today I went to buy groceries. I hadn't been for a couple of weeks - at least nothing more than a quick trip to the local grocery store. Today I headed in to town and planned to stock up and stock up I did!

However, once I brought it all home, I realized that I had no room to put it away! Do you remember the book If You Give a Mouse a Cookie? My version today might look like this:

If you give a mom a grocery list,

She's going to add to it.

If she adds to it, 

She's not going to have any room to put it away.

Or something like that.

When I arrived home I had my boys haul everything inside and then I set to work. I can't remember the last time my fridge had been cleaned out but I tackled that today - while my groceries waited patiently to be put away.

Let's just say I not only did I tackle the fridge but some cupboards as well. And let's just say that quite a bit of what was in my cupboards and fridge was chucked due to vastly overdue expiration labels.

However, my little pantry cupboard will be taken on tomorrow. Why? I simply ran out of time. I spent the afternoon shopping and then cleaning and purging expired food. By the time I was ready to tackle the pantry so I could put all of what you see above away - because it certainly isn't going to fit in that pantry right now! - I had to leave to take my son to karate. And then teach kickboxing. And the come home to make dinner and spend time with my family. See, just like the story said...if you give a mom a grocery list...

Reading List

It's a new year full of possibilities. Did you make some resolutions? I'm determined to read more this year and I have started a list over at Goodreads to keep track. Some of the books will be hardcover/paperback books - you know - hard copies. Others, however, will be Kindle books.

Here is what is on my "to be read" list for 2016 so far.

• A Dangerous Fortune* by Ken Follett. I read his Pillars of the Earth years ago and loved it. I'm hoping I'll enjoy this one as much.
• The Gospel Truth by Caroline Pignat
• The Life Changing Magic of Tidying-Up by Marie Kondo Yes, I'm jumping on the band-wagon and going to give this book a try. I have far too much stuff and much of it needs to go.
• Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis This has been on my "to be read" list for far too long. 
• The Giver by Lois Lowry
• Twelve Years a Slave by Solomon Northup
• Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte This was my absolute favorite book when I was a teenager and it's been that long since I've read it. It's high time I read it again just to see if it's still as good as I remember. 
• The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerlad There are a number of "classics" I haven't read and this is one.
• Gods and Kings (Chronicles of the Kings #1) by Lynn Austin (this is the one I'm currently reading) And if I start a series, I usually read all the books so this is going to add to my list since this is the first of a five book series.

I'm going to be continuing to do book reviews throughout the year as well so those will be added in also. I have one I'm reading now called I Hope You Dance by Beth Moran. My review for that will be posted in a couple of weeks. 

What should I add? Any favorites out there?


*I do not use affiliate links. This is just to make it easier to find the books on Amazon for anyone who wishes to find out more.

Writing Scripture

My mornings start with this view. Starting last month I began doing a daily scripture writing plan I saw floating around Facebook. I managed to write most days and the days I missed, I made up so I still wrote out 30 scriptures in my little sketch book. 

The blog I found the plan also has a plan for January. You can find it by clicking HERE. She includes scripture for each day of the month and they all take about ten minutes to copy out. 

I like to use a sketch book since it has thicker paper. I use a calligraphy pen to write the reference at the top of the page. Then I use a simple Crayola black marker to write it out. I try to read the whole thing first and then copy it. I end up reading the scripture three to four times as I go through it looking for things to highlight with my crayons and markers. 

Today I was very behind. Due to a busy weekend, I had not copied any scripture yet this year, so I spent time today getting caught up. 

Sometimes the scripture is a bit longer and I can't fit it on one page. That also means I end up with white space. I will then look back over the verses and see if I can find something that will tie it all together that I can easily draw. 

I like to think I'm a fabulous artist and, perhaps with lots of practice, I could be. Right now I keep things pretty simple. I can envision amazing drawings in my mind. I just can't get my fingers to cooperate. 

I am enjoying this practice daily as part of my quiet time. In fact, I'm liking it so much, I'm going to be adding it to my boy's school day. How do you spend time daily in God's word?

Friendship

Since before my youngest son was born (almost 12 years ago), I've been getting together just about monthly with my sister and our friend, Tammy. We used to get together and scrapbook. We did that for a number of years. Now we usually get together and work on our computers, watch movies, and just enjoy visiting. 

Today was our get together for January. We also decided to exchange Christmas gifts today. It was so fun to see the themes that emerged from each gift exchanged with each person. 

Tammy loves the move Frozen. Actually, Tammy loves Disney. Beth gave the gifts she bought for Tammy first. She got her a talking Olaf doll. 

He gives warm hugs. 

Olaf socks

An Olaf bank.

And they all came in an Olaf bag.

And, unbeknownst to me, I had purchased some Olaf duct tape for her as well!

I gave my sister a painting of a lighthouse that I purchased locally. She has a lighthouse theme in her bathroom and we both really enjoy them. We once had our own little business selling photos of lighthouses. We spent quite some time traveling to various lighthouses all over the state to photograph them. It was a lot of fun. 

Okay, just to clarify - my sister is sniffing tissue paper, yes. However, a scented candle was wrapped up in it. 

I gave both Tammy & my sister a zipper pouch from Thirty-One. I really like this pattern.

My sister arrived with a new bag. I remarked that I really liked it. Then I opened my gift. 

My sister also gave me a set of doTerra essential oils. I've been getting in to using oils more and more. I'm pretty sure the ones I've been using on my ankle are definitely helping it to heal faster. 

Coloring books seemed to be my theme this year. My mother-in-law gifted me with one, my husband did as well (well, I picked it out and he wrapped it), another friend, and my sister. I have plenty to keep me busy for a bit.

Tammy gave me this great candle. The name meant I had to have it - Lush Berries. 

Beth gave Tammy and I and Tammy gave Beth and I (did  you follow that) gift certificates to a local spa. We've been doing that for a number of years - each of us taking turns to purchase. Then we plan a long weekend away to the hotel where the spa is located and enjoy a weekend of pampering. I can't wait until we get to use this year's gift certificates!

I'm blessed with good friends and it was a great way to start off 2016!

Happy New Year!

We had friends over on the 31st to ring in the New Year. One of them brought fireworks and set them off at midnight. That was really fun. Maine just changed the law a few years ago so that fireworks are legal to purchase now in Maine. 

I managed to make it to midnight but not long after. I'm pretty sure I was asleep by 12:10.

Project 365 - Day 32

These are two photos I had been meaning to take for some time. The first is of our state capitol building. I see it all the time while driving in the area & really have had no good place to stop & snap a quick photo. I took this one from the top of the parking garage while we were at the Maine State Museum.

The second photo is one of a steam engine near where my sister lives. Every time we go down to visit her my middle son asks to go see it. It's a tad bit out of the way & I will occasionally go by. We'll even pull in from time to time & get up close & personal. He loves it when we do that! This is also a working train yard & generally there are a lot of diesel engines & cars there. It's his favorite place to go.

93 Years Young

This is my Grandfather. This is my Mom's father. This is the only grandfather I ever had as a child (my dad's father died before I was born). I think he's pretty cool.

The weekend of the 20th found me driving south to Massachusetts with my Mom riding shotgun. Oy vay! I love my Mom, but she is a nervous rider. She'd prefer to drive, but I much prefer to do that so I won. We followed my older sister down. She brought her truck but had her son and her Great Dane in it so we opted to have our car to allow for more flexibility with driving around once we were there.

My Grandfather has been living on his own up until a few months ago. This was pretty remarkable given his age & that he lives in a split level home. It's an odd home too in that you have to climb a large flight of stairs to enter it & then only the living room & kitchen are on that floor. The bedrooms & bathrooms are another short flight up the stairs. I have one aunt who lives within 20 minutes of him & is retired. Grandpa soon became her "job." She went there every day & she helped him to appointments & did whatever necessary to help him out.

During the month of December he decided it was time & he wanted to move in to an assisted living facility. So that was accomplished in short order. He seemed to like it okay but actually seemed lonely. Most residents were mobile & moved around a lot during the day.

Right around Christmas he became very ill with a "flu" like illness & actually ended up in the hospital very dehydrated. Unfortunately, my aunt & uncle also got it & were very sick over New Year's. At this point it was decided that he should go to a rehab facility (i.e. nursing home floor) to recover & work more on his balance. He is able to walk but looses his balance easily & has to use a cane now. Once there, Grandpa decided he liked it & didn't want to leave. As he tells it, he's the only one who can walk around so he can come & go as he pleases - which he likes - but he is checked on daily & the nurses are all friendly - which he also likes!

For his birthday (which was actually the 22nd), we had a party for him at his facility. There is a room you can reserve for just such events. We had a pretty good turnout of relations & friends. Grandpa did tire easily & ended up foregoing opening his gifts. However, what can you really get a 93 year old man anyway? (I got him an insulated zip-up sweatshirt.) He loved having us all there though.

Here is a photo of my Mom & her siblings. It's been about six years (since my grandmother died) that they have all been together. My mom is seated to the far left, her older sister is in the middle, her younger sister is on the right & their brother is standing behind them. My uncle lives in upstate New York, my Mom in Maine, & my two aunts live in Massachusetts.

We weren't sure how many people were coming & where everyone was going to sleep, so my Mom & I opted to stay at a hotel. The Clarion is a new hotel & one of the only nice ones in the town we were in. This is the view from our room. We did have to pay an extra $20 to "upgrade" for the view (since Expedia doesn't allow for this room when doing reservations). We also had to kind of lean against the wall & look down the side of the building, but it was still nice to see & hear the ocean. Yes, that is a ship on the horizon. I'm pretty sure it was a large container ship. However, this was one of those VERY cold weekends. The parking was sort of across the street & it was COLD walking back & forth. But we had a gas fireplace in our room & a whirlpool tub....ahhhhhhhhhhhhh!

It was really great to see relatives I hadn't for a while. My sister & I are going back next month. My grandfather's house will either have to be sold to help pay for his expenses or his next door neighbor wants to rent it while they have a house built. Either way it will need to be cleaned out so we have volunteered to do it in hopes of saving as many memories as we can.

Day 24 - Project 365

Okay - I'm having a hard time keeping up with this & I'm really not sure why. I'm just going to keep plugging away though.

This was taken on Day 24 while we were out running errands. THIS is the very reason I so wanted a digital camera. We were sitting at the drive-through at the bank while they were processing my request. I looked back & saw J sound asleep with a little pout on his face. I had B, my 10 year old, grab the camera & he took one shot & then I took a couple more. Just too cute....

Homeschool Bowling Day

This day almost didn't happen as the weather people were predicting a lot of snow to occur. However, it thankfully didn't hit as hard as predicted. There were four families that showed up at the bowling alley. We did their "family bowl" special which meant we got the lane for 1-1/2 hours, a 12" one-topping pizza & a pitcher of soda for just $30. We had three lanes, but split four ways the price was slightly less per family.

The kids had such a great time! My guys had never been bowling. They were fun to watch. We had a bunch of six & eight pound balls for them to use. My N (the 5 year old) was being SO patient waiting for his turn. When I could finally hear him going, "Mommy! When will it be MY turn?" is when I realized I had forgotten to put him in the line-up! YIKES! It was electronic scoring so I just had him take J's place. At three years of age he didn't really care. He had fun running around. We got the correct line-up for the 2nd game.

We were able to play 1-1/2 games in the time we had. We had so much fun that we are discussing trying to do this every month. We'll see how it turns out.

Project 365 Day 18

Okay, so this is not the best photo in the world. Here's the story though...

We feed the deer in the winter. My hubby's grandfather actually does it. It's right out in front of our trailer & we usually have a front row seat. Today there were five deer - three does & two young deer. I wanted to sneak out & get a photo as they are very skittish. Even if the boys are yelling too loudly in the house, they will run off. I went out & got a shot but they were starting to wind down & head off. The noise put them on alert. Then I zoomed in to get this shot & off it went! I'll keep trying. Yesterday the two youngest boys spent about 15 minutes on the couch watching them eat & yelling "deer" every two seconds.

My Baby is Now 3 Years Old

Three years ago today I went in to the hospital to be induced in to labor with my third child & third son. Needless to say I wasn't expecting my labor to be 22 hours long - but it was. I also wasn't expecting my baby to end up in the NICU - but he did. I wasn't expecting to have a third boy - but I did. It's funny how no matter how well you plan for anything, God usually gets in that last laugh. Thankfully all ended well. Yes, my labor was long, but in retrospect I think it was due in fact to my OB not being very aggressive with my induction. Yes, my son spent a week in NICU, but he was full-term, big, & basically healthy (severe jaundice). He wasn't premature & struggling. Yes, I have three boys, but I wouldn't trade it for anything. My youngest son brings such a joy in to all of our lives. He has such a joy for life that just transcends us all. So, yes, while I wouldn't want to do a lot of it again (especially that 22 hours of labor!!!), I am so thankful for my youngest son.

Here are some photos from the party we did a day early since Daddy does not have off on Monday. The faces are just priceless!

My MIL is a cake-whiz - or at least I think so!
I was suppose to get a train cake pan from my sister on Wednesday,
but I forgot. I suggested this instead & my MIL made it happen.
It was perfect for the 3 year old who LOVES VeggieTales!

I just love this new smile I keep getting whenever J sees the camera.
Can't you hear him saying his big "Cheese!" for me??

The Thomas sheets were a huge hit with J. Over the last
few months he has decided to start sharing a bed with N - a twin bed,
so the sheets are working double duty right now.

I love all the surprised faces he kept giving me. Most were for
the Thomas trains he kept getting.



All my boys.

"Cheese!" and frosting. Do I see a little
"Larry Boy" on his teeth?

Project 365 Day 13

Another post-Christmas gift day - will it never end? LOL It seems my boys have gotten tons of presents over the last three weeks. My husband's uncle had sent a check for us to buy them gifts so we did that today. B picked out a portable CD player & a new Bioncle Lego creature. My MIL was shopping with us & had the other two boys with her so I went & picked out something for the two little boys - to save on time. :-) Since they both love trains, that is what they were given. I picked out a blue track expansion set for Nathan for Thomas trains. We have a few pieces of blue track since each of the engines does come with 2-3 pieces in each box, but check out the track they all made that night! Then J was given two of the engines that go on the track - Thomas & James. His two favorites. I'll need to get N some more in order to even things out a bit & cut down on the bickering on who gets what engine. :-)