Fall Days

These pumpkins were $2.50 each at a local grocery store, so hubby got the biggest ones...I'll be carving until next Halloween, not sure even if our knife will go through these!! The kids love them though and they are great for sitting on!

Today and yesterday have been cold and rainy, this is our view out back. We are sick of being inside!!

But the 2 days before, it was beautiful outside. We walked up our hill in our backyard, casting long shadows at the top...

Seeing spectacular views...

ran (I walked slowly) down the hill through the woods...

To a giant open field, where the kids ran and ran and ran!

And had many, many rolling races down another hill.

Woo-Hoo!! Doesn't that bring back memories of childhood? We are enjoying our last days of fall, as soon, winter will be here and the ground will be covered with deep snow, too deep for walks up hills and through woods to big open fields! (Sweetie Pie was in the front pouch, sleeping)

We have a busy, busy weekend ahead, as I'm sure you all do too! Halloween party Friday, birthday party Saturday (after soccer and Kung Fu), All Saints Party Sunday, then All Souls day Monday! We are so blessed to live next to a graveyard, all those souls to pray for and visit!

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!!

More Fall Crafts

I meant to post these last week, but forgot, or ran out of time!

All you need for this one is a cut out black tree, paper and water paints, and glue to glue the tree to the paper once it is dry.

These turned out so beautiful!

These are line leaves. I think I saw it on an art blog, Art Projects for Kids. There were even some trees there a little different than ours. Even Jedi loved this craft, which is rare, he does not care for art much.

Wordless Wednesday

Cell Phones Only

This is how I feel when trying to use a cell phone, they're so darn little.

Well, for years now, my husband has been trying to talk me into only having cell phones. He finally got his way. He finally got fed up enough with our current (or now past) phone company, who kept raising the bills. I've had a cell phone for about 2 years now and I literally know just as much about using it now, as I did the day before I got it! I'm terrible with new tech stuff. I like things the way they are right now. I literally only know how to answer it (by opening it up) and make calls. I've only used it for calling home to say "Honey, I'm on my way home." Oh, I did use it when I broke my leg! I guess I'll have to learn how to get messages off that dang little thing now. It feels weird not having a base home phone. But my husband is right, why pay 2 bills? What do you do? Do you have only cells? Do you have both a land line and a cell? Do you only have a land line?

Lots of Stuff!

A woman in my book club gave the kiddos a free art lesson (she's an art teacher) as a gift to me, after having Sweetie Pie. I think this picture perfectly shows the difference between boys and girls! (good thing Louise has 3 boys of her own and knows how boys are)
They each made their Saint that they've picked for All Saints Day!
St John Neumann, the Blessed Virgin, St Ursala and St Zita.

We do have some Fall color, not as vibrant as usual, but we have some!

Christine brought me over a swing for Sweetie Pie, she likes it (sometimes, for a little bit)

Thank you Christine for taking good care of your goddaughter and her mama!

Sweetie Pie does sleep sometimes, especially during Mass! Isn't she darling? That silly hat kept falling in her eyes, but mama had to get a few pictures anyway!

Ballerina Rosie painted her tiger shirt for Halloween. Cheap, easy costume. I made those headband ears. I'll give my on the fence opinion about Halloween in another post...maybe.

Look at these littles!! Peeling a whole big Sam's Club bag of carrots! They did such a great job and those real carrots are so much better than those little baby carrots I usually get!

They giggled and laughed for an hour, it was so cute!

Interesting Movie!

I watched this movie last week. I found it interesting, good and sad at the same time. It takes place during the Holocaust and is about a man, who, when he and his family are taken away, turns the whole thing into a game for his son. It is a foreign film so there are subtitles, but I'd say it's worth it, parts are very unrealistic, but a good movie.

My Other Front Carrier

This is the Comfy Joey sling I got last week. I just don't like it. It feels like she's falling out.
I keep tightening it and tightening it, and it still feels like she's falling out, I end up holding her head with my hand. Oh, well, maybe it's personality, maybe my personality likes the more restrained carrier, the more organized, detailed one? Anyway, just wanted to show you all

You Mean This?

Yes, I got a front pack. It's not a..., Oh, heck can't remember what Christine called hers, but it's a cheaper version of one, got mine for around $27 at Wal-mart. (yes, that's my boob, and look how her head is outgrowing her hair!)
Oh, my goodness, Jamie, suck it in....Oh, I can't after 5 C-sections...I do hope it's a little smaller though, this picture is a few weeks old!
This is fine for a few things, but folding my husband's XXXLT's shirts, well, my arms just don't stretch that far out there, and carrying that laundry basket, well, it can't be done while holding a front pack. I can kick the basket and slide it across the floor though.
Cooking, I can do some things, but I don't want to burn her!!! And dishes? I must have short arms or something, it's too hard to do much with a baby in the front, at least for me. I can teach school though with it!
AND
My baby is smart. She knows right where Mama's left shoulder is, and that is right where she wants to be.
The kiddos are amazed at this, how she will be screaming, and as soon as I pick her up and put her on my left shoulder, she is wide eyed, and happy as can be!
I did break down and buy (because it was on sale for $27) a hot pink Comfy Joey, but I cannot figure out that thing for the life of me! I brought it to Mass so I could ask a friend after Mass how to use it, as she has one similar. Well, I am SUCH a visual learner, that she showed me on her, so when I got home, I couldn't do it. It Has to be shown on ME. Anyway, the darn thing feels like Sweetie Pie is going to fall out, it's just not as secure as this Snugli. This Snugli works great for walks, because my hands are free to hold other little hands!
There you have it.
It's just a phase, in a few months, this time will be gone.

"Oh, No! Mama put me down!"

I'm sorry, I've been busy. The first thing to go is computer time! This Sweetie Pie seems to not want to sleep unless Mama is holding her. I already had a baby just like this, so I understand it's personality. Maybe this is the patience that I prayed for a long time ago?

Picture her looking just like this, while I fold the laundry every night. Yep, this is exactly what she looks like!

What's For Lunch?

Today is the feast day of St Teresa of Avila, so we will have St Teresa's Bread, Here's the recipe!

Yum!

Are You an Introvert?

If so, Mathilda wrote a great post today and linked to a great article.


My husband is an introvert. He is a counselor and is with men all day who have major problems and tries to help each of them. He goes above and beyond his job and is sometimes a sponsor for some of these men and meets with them outside of work. Being an introvert, he cannot pack his weeknights and weekends full of "stuff" especially social events. He can't do more than one big thing on the weekend, like if we have plans for Saturday and Sunday. It's either one or the other or neither. He needs his "down time", his home time. When he comes home from work, that's what he wants, home.


I'm not going to say it's always easy, but I accept him, just the way he is. I know this about him, and love him. Some things I won't go to without him, like the homeschool family Christmas party, because it's for families. That's ok, it's just something we don't go to, he does go to the Easter party. I wish other people understood. I get the "Where's Tom?" at every event I go to without him, especially family! I get the looks afterward of judgement of people thinking he doesn't treat me right or is not a good husband or father because he is not there socializing.
My family is made up of all extroverts, so it's especially hard when I go to my family without him, they just don't get it. It makes me want to break out in "People are People" by Depech Mode!


He is a wonderful man. He's a wonderful husband. He's a wonderful father. He spends time with each of the children and notices their wonderful qualities. He lets me be me, the social me, he has never made me feel guilty for going to anything I've wanted to go to. He lets me be me. I remember when we first met, this is one of the greatest things I loved about him, he let me be me. Other men I had dated (or married) made me feel guilty if I went anywhere without them. They did not let me be me.


I hope I do the same for him. I hope I accept him and make him feel loved, just the way he is.


What about you? Do you know any introverts? Are you an introvert? I'd like to think I'm in the middle. I love people, but also love my "down time". I don't have to go to everything, but like to go to some things. I think he creates this balance for me.

The Proposal

Another Netflix rental. I thought it was a great movie! I laughed so hard during that scene that they always showed promoting the movie, it was much funnier than the preview! There is no sex, (although, when they go home to his family, his parents are all for them sleeping together) it was just plain cute and funny! Betty White plays the "Gammy" and is a little cooky, but that is expected of Betty White, right? I would watch this one again, in fact I am going to tonight, my husband didn't watch it last night!

Handiwipes, anyone?

This is what I found the other day! Hey, at least I found them before they all dried up! I just folded them all up and put them back in, no problem!

Green Leaves and Ham

OK, there's no ham, but maybe the ham is that we do still have color, it's just that there's snow on top of the color.

And, to hear that the leaves will not turn color now that it has snowed, well, pictures will paint a better picture of this, green leafed trees, completely lost their leaves on Saturday morning. All over our neighborhood there were trees like this! I've never seen anything like it!

It was funny to see kids out in winter coats and gear, raking up these piles of green leaves.

I'm just glad that I took some fall pictures last week.

60 degrees is in our forecast though for the weekend!

Faith Like Potatoes

My husband rented this from Netflix. We watched it last night and it was great! I will not give away what the title means, because it's such an "aha" moment when it comes out towards the end. This is a true story and the DVD comes with a documentary featuring the real life people in the story. The movie reminded me somewhat of "Fireproof" only with good actors and not cheesy at all. Probably too long for kiddos, but a great, faith filled, movie for you and your hubby!
Trust me, go rent this one!

Stampin' Up!

Years ago, before my children came, I used to do "Stampin' Up" stamping stuff. I made a ton of cards for every possible birthday or holiday or just "Thinking of You" thing. I also scrapbooked all my daycare children a book of the years in my care, and one for Jedi. Then, I had another child and well, the stamps went into these boxes.
And there they have been waiting for "someday" when I have time and space to get it all out and start stamping again.

As you can see, I have a ton!! I finally took it all out and went through it, got rid of all the junk that no one will ever use and this is what's left, it's still a table full and more! I am letting Ballerina Rosie make her own cards and stamp whatever she wants. Mary Hannah and Babycakes stamp for usually, oh, maybe 10 minutes and they are done, but Ballerina Rosie can sit here for hours just making one card. It was hard to give up my "perfect" collection, but she's loving it and I've done a few with her, and it's a fun thing to do together. It's also hard to let her do her own kind of cards, as they are not exactly the way I'd make them, (I'm kind of a perfectionist) but she just likes it so much, it's pretty fun to see what she does with it!

These couple extra weeks off of school have let me take out some "new" things and relax and just enjoy the kiddos a little better, or at least try to, between feedings and diaper changes and just fussy baby times!

I'm planning on schooling again next week, but this time with no expectations, if we start at 11am instead of 9am, that's ok. I have the goal of getting up the last feeding during the night, but sometimes that is around 4:30am...hmmm....a little early for my shower. I might have to change my showers to evenings and just put my hair up every day in order to start school earlier. On shower days, I feed the baby, then shower and the whole process is an hour, so we don't get downstairs until 10am! (on a good day)

The Plan:

Lower my expectations

Plan to school all day if necessary!

Relax!
Easier to say than do!

Lite-Bright!

I always take out our Lite-Bright in the fall. It gets dark earlier and we seem to have lots of dreary days, so this seems to brighten it up a little! Since we only have it out in the fall, it is always a "new" toy!

Edible Rosaries

Even my dear hubby agreed that we will have to start praying a family rosary on Sundays, using Kristina's idea of the M&M rosary! The kids loved it and the rosary went really well! By the time it is divided all up after each prayer is prayed, each child actually does not get that much candy.
This was our afternoon hot cocoa marshmallow rosary!

If...

If a certain 4 year old (now 5 year old) puts this many rocks into...
your outside heating vent, your pressure switch will need to be replaced on your heater and your heater guy will take a really long time to figure out why he had to go through 3 pressure switches before realizing there might be these special rocks in this outside vent that is actually breaking the pressure switch. But a couple hundred (at least) bucks later your heater will be working fine!

Fall Crafts!

Collect leaves!

Place them between 2 sheets of wax paper

Place towel on counter, unless you want a waxy counter, and iron. The wax does not stick to the iron.

Cut paper into whatever shape you want. We decided to be square this year!

Draw a tree, get paint and Q-tips

Paint your fall trees!

I hope these simple ideas help give some ideas out there for easy fall crafts!