Back to where I started...

I hate to brag, but I am very excited that I finally finished my Bible in a year program.  By no means have I done this perfectly and I was only able to do it with God's grace.  Now, my goal is to continue with the daily reading program and hopefully read some commentary along with it so that I have a better understanding of what I am actually reading.  Obviously some parts are much easier to understand than others.

So I will leave you with the picture above.  Fall color from our neighborhood.  God's paintbrush is stunning, isn't it.

House showing this evening so the kids and I are headed to McD's before swim classes.  What can you do?  I am grateful for the showing though.  It is my agent, actually.  They were going to see a house down the street and she wanted to show ours as well since we are a block down.  We are priced a little higher than they wanted to pay, but you never know I guess.  I will trust Him that He will bring us our buyer when He is ready.  I am believing and trusting in Him.  Trust is key for me this week and always.

Call me crazy...

but this little munchkin is going to make a nice addition to our household.  I will post more about how we came to be cat owners once again tomorrow.  For now, meet Scamper, Scamp for short.  Bask in all her cuteness!

It is not late, but I am done for the day.  Off to bed, leaving all my mess for another day.  That is at least until my house showing on Thursday evening.  Dinner at McD's before swim class it will have to be.  More later as I am to pooped to pop!

A little closing thought and my ah-ha moment from my bible study homework this past week.  God knows all your details, from Beth Moore's Daniel.  I just love that.  When you get so busy in your own "stuff", it is easy to forget.

Painting...

I have been painting this week!  Not changing colors, just touching up outside paint on the porches and handrails that were going to need it before this winter.  It is amazing how much I can get done given a good chunk of time during the day.  Needless to say though, I have been killing myself again.  I need to stop.  I feel guilty when I do things that are fun for me during the day.  Wrong thinking on my part as usual.  I have to finish up a small bit of painting today for the open house tomorrow and then I think I will be done for a while.   I am going to go back to allowing myself a bit of sewing time during the day.  Friday I actually allowed myself time for a nap if you can believe that!  I have been so exhausted!

Well, Aidan has a full blown cold officially.  He has been complaining of a sore throat for a day or so but had no fever.  Yesterday he came home from school with a runny nose.  We went to dinner at the restaurant of some friends of my hubby's that is closing this weekend and the kids and I had to leave early because Aidan was just miserable.  We came home and I put them straight to bed.  Both were asleep by 8pm.  He is a bit better this morning but we are going to take the weekend by ear and see how he does.

We have yet another open house tomorrow hosted by another real estate agent in the office.  The economy is terrible around here and yet they still can't believe this house hasn't sold.  People looking in our price range are just not buying, and no one seems to be doing much hiring so not as many people are relocating to the area.  In the 4 months that our house has been on the market only one home in our price range has sold.  That says a lot I think.  Bad bad times.  We will keep praying and keep trying and I will probably keep painting...after a small break though.  Posting got away from me again this week but I will do better (I am always saying that).  I have pictures as well as we are starting to see some pretty fall color as well as Aidan football pictures and Ainsley's Kindergarten artwork.  Have a good weekend all!

A food weekend...

My husband came up with this wonderful creation for the kids this weekend.  Not only were the pancakes chocolate chocolate chip, but he also added powdered sugar, cool whip and chocolate chips on top!  Sugar overload!

Sunday was the first Dallas game of the 2010 football season.  For the first game, my hubby likes to have his snacks.  He outdid himself this year.  Grilled chicken wings, cinnamon apples, fresh mango, ants on a log, fresh salsa, and the one unhealthy item...cheesy taco dip with baked tortilla chips of course.


So above were the pictures of our weekend eats as they were a bit more fun that our normal day to day.  This week has been so busy so I am sorry that I have once again fallen off the map.  Let me see what has gone on...Aidan started flag football, bible study started, swim classes started.  I also have gotten it into my head to work on some painting on the house.  Not making changes just touching up existing painting that really the work.  I was able to get to the porch this week.  I will have to brag that it looks really good!  I will try to get to more this weekend as the weather does not seem to be cooperating too much this week.  I also had to get my house ready for a photo shoot for my real estate agent.  Her new idea is to make a "photo story" to be posted on you tube.  I will post a link when I have it.  So to get ready for that I had to depersonalize my home even further.  It looks so bare!  It was so much work as well.  I have everything stored in my basement and brought out only essentials that I use day to day.  I am tired of all the working this week and am going to take the rest of the day off once I get the load of laundry I have in the dryer put away.  Have a great weekend all I am planning a little fun for myself as I have had a long busy week.  As I sit here I am getting so sleepy so I am off to take a nap...shhhh, don't tell my hubby!  Just kidding!

My parents...

are officially retiring at the end of the month!  My Dad took an early retirement a while back but eventually went back to work.  First, he worked as a substitute teacher in the school district where I attended.  Then he eventually moved on to do contract work for the manufacturing company for whom my Mom does Accounts Receivable.  My Mom being quite a bit younger than my Dad was not able to retire when he did.  This past weekend she turned 60 and apparently the week before they turned in their letters of retirement effective at the end of September.  Even with the hit their retirement accounts took with this economy, they have been doing quite well financially.  My parents are quite frugal...my Dad almost annoyingly so.  I honestly never thought they would do it, but here they are officially retiring.  My selfishness about this situation is that I hope that it means that they will visit more often or for an extended time.  Now they won't have to worry about attaching their trip to a holiday so that my Mom would get an extra day or two in without eating too much into her depressingly small amount of paid vacation.  I told them I do not want to hear the excuse that they are too busy to come see us as I have heard from others who shall remain nameless.  Well, so that is the news.  I am tired as I did not sleep well last night...allergies bugging me something fierce yesterday and today.  I am off and everyone have a restful, relaxing and in my case football filled weekend!

Last Fling of Summer...

So I guess I finally have to accept it...summer is over.  Our last fling of summer was this weekend.  My parents were visiting and we attended the annual Kites over Lake Michigan Festival.  Lots of wind this weekend as we had a cold front come through on Friday.  Temperatures were anything but summer-like as on Friday I dressed the kids for school in long pants and hoodies.  So here we are fully into the beginning of fall and I am once again sad as usual.  I never did like the oppressive summer time temperatures in Texas, and I don't mind fall typically.  This year has me sad though.  Is it the move and that I had my illusions that we would be in Ohio by now or does it have more to do with the fact that my baby is in Kindergarten this year.  I have time during the day to do what I want and I should be thrilled, but I am sad.  Does that make me weird?  Most Moms I know are excited about back to school time.  I am not one of those Moms.  Ah, so is the life of the wishing-she-was-a-homeschool-family.  

My parents visit was great besides the bumps with some Aidan behavior issues.  Not sure what was going on with him besides exhaustion.  We tried something new with his sleeping arrangements while my parents were here this time that I think was the real problem.  Usually, guests bunk in his room, as he has a big bed, and he will sleep in our room in a sleeping bag.  This time, I offered to let him sleep on the air mattress in the play room.  The problem with the playroom is that there are no black out shades.  All the bedrooms have them because daybreak is so early here.  Needless to say he and Ainsley were both up with the sun all weekend!  Ainsley decided that she also wanted to sleep in the playroom this weekend with her brother.  He could not be the only one to have the fun of sleeping on the air mattress!  My mistake and it won't happen again.  I enjoyed my parents visit.  I missed them.  Plus I was first to hear some of their big news.  I can't say as my sister is a reader of this blog but I am very excited for them.  Selfishly though, I am also hoping this will benefit our family in some was as well.  When I actually get to talk about it I am sure you will understand why.  M is that enough of a teaser for you?

Well I hope everyone had a nice relaxing Labor Day weekend.  We are having our family football party on Sunday so hopefully I will have my act together enough to take pictures of our smorgasbord.  

The Rest of My Creation...

Double Irish Chain using a variety of Pooh fabrics that I bought as part of another project a few years back.  I ended up going a different direction on a gift so I have had these around for a while with this plan in mind.  I have never used anything other than a variety of white as a background fabric, but I am really liking the blue.  It just kind of pops as it goes so well with the other fabrics.  I also tried a new brand of batting that I just love and am going to have to continue using.  Just a basic brand from Wal-mart believe it or not, but it is much more dense than the Mountain Mist I have used in the past.  I just loved the weight of it.

Have a happy Labor Day all!  My parents are visiting and I will give you the full update later this week.

A Teaser of Things to Come...

With my children in school full time, I have found myself with an abundance of time during the day the likes of which I have not had since I was put on bed rest for 6 weeks at the end of my pregnancy with my first child.  When the kids were in VBS this summer I started working on a project as a gift for a friend, now I have finally found the time to finish it.  I will post more pictures once this one has been delivered.  I can't totally blow the surprise, now can I.  Seriously, working on my sewing once again has been therapeutic.

The kids have had a wonderful time at school getting to know their teachers and meeting new friends.  I expect both of them with have great years.

Well, my house is ready for guests as my parents are actually coming to visit!  They haven't been to our house in over a year and a half, so it is about time.  My kids have been missing them, but I just could not make the trip this summer...too much stress and anxiety.  Still working on that as we are still working on the sale of our house.  Have an excellent holiday weekend everyone and hopefully soon I will post pictures of my completed project.

First Day of School

So off they went this morning happy as clams.  My children are very well adjusted where school is concerned.  It should make me happy but I am left a bit sad.  This is the first time Ainsley is in school all day and I am a little concerned how she will be this afternoon.  When Aidan was in K, he was exhausted at the end of the day.  Yesterday was meet the teacher at both schools.  Aidan's teacher was not present though as he is apparently also an alderman on our city council.  I had wondered if he was the same individual, but was not sure.  Now I know.  It should be an exciting year regardless of how long we will continue to be in this area.  Happy day.  Now I am off to take care of some things around the house.  Hope all of those who are starting school today have a wonderful day.

Ainsley at Meet the Teacher 

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Aidan and Ainsley Breakfast of Champions

All set to go Kindergarten and 3rd grade