Ten on Ten

For a while now, I've wanted to try Ten on Ten, where you take a picture every hour for ten hours on the 10th of the month.  I would have completely forgotten this month again, except that I happened to see a post on FB that my friend was doing it.  Thanks for the reminder!  :)

Normally, because I didn't do it "right" I would have just scraped the whole thing, but I'm trying to mend my ways and not sweat the small stuff that really does not matter. 

That being said, welcome to my perfectly "imperfect" January 10th :)...

11:00

Talking with the social worker during our home study (Amanda took this with my phone, I didn't even know she had...she reminds me of Oliver Twist because she's so good at being sneaky.  I find stuff in my pockets all the time that she put in there, while I was wearing the pants).  Now that we passed the home inspection part (yay and praise the Lord!) I feel free to share our journey...soon.  Promise!

 12:00

The sun is out, the kids will play

1:00

school time

 2:00

Since the house was quite clean after the home inspection, I went around and took video and pictures of the house for insurance purposes....one of those things that's been on my list for a while.  Doing it made me realize anew how little my material possessions really matter to me.  In case of a fire or natural disaster, the only "things" I would really and truly want to get out is my people.

 3:00

Waking up a sleeping angel to go pick up Big Sister from school

  4:00

Haircut for the boy.  He is very cooperative knowing he can watch Disney during and have a lollipop after.  :)

6:00

Picking Avery up from dance class

7:00

The two of us snuggled in bed, took her turn with Words with Friends and then read a couple chapters of The Secret Garden.  We get in nice and close then alternate reading paragraphs.

+1 For Momma

The first day of school I put a note in Avery's lunchbag.  It was so much fun I did it the next day and the next day.  After about a week, I figured I'd just start sending them periodically.  The day I missed, Avery asked me why there was no note so I started including them again.

After several more weeks I threw in a repeat from the first week and she called me on it.  Since then I've written original, personal notes to her about her day or how important she is or reminding her to be a blessing or the scripture verse we're working on, etc.

Yesterday, my note was simply a knock-knock joke.

When I picked her up from school, one of the very first things she talked about was the joke and how she showed it to everyone.

Later I was telling Shaun how I'd scored cool mom points because Avery had shared it with her whole (all 13 of them) class.  Overhearing me she said, "No Mom.  Just the girls, not the boys."

Oh right.  This is first grade, after all.

Please feel free to use the joke to score some cool mom points of your own!  :)

All the days of the afflicted are evil, But he who is of a merry heart has a continual feast.

Proverbs 15:15

Basketball!

Something new this year, not to our household, but to the girls is basketball!  Our town runs a little rec program and since it was cheap, at a convenient time and very close, I thought we'd give it a try though I went in with no expectations for either.  I was happy that they both had a lot of fun.

They are on two different "teams", separated by grade.  Amanda's practice was a little early for us at 9 am.  :)

Her adoring fans were not quite yet bright-eyed and bushy-tailed.  :)

 Shaun was able to sneak away from work for half of Amanda's and half of Avery's though this was probably the only one he'll be able to make.  I love that he's always involved, always teaching, even during a quick water break.

At the end they got in a huddle.  The coach was giving a final talk to the kids when someone raised their hand.  That someone's mom was on the sidelines thinking oh boy, what could this possibly be about?  That mom breathed a sign of relief when the question was just Are we almost done?

That same someone also offered an unsolicited suggestion about what the final cheer should be...so, Let's win! it was.

 After a two-hour break we were back for the big First grade team.  Avery was delighted that one of the girls on the team was her classmate from school.

 Same sneakers, different feet....hey, it works!

 Poor thing is so girly, just like me.  We'll give it a good effort, but I'm not sure how far her athletic career will go.

When you walk, your steps will not be hampered; when you run, you will not stumble.

Proverbs 4:12

Project 365, Week 1

Happy New Year!  I'm weird about many some things, and one of those is that I'm just giddy that this year started on a Sunday...the first day on the calendar.  SO much better than starting the 1st on a Tuesday for instance.  What can I say...these are the things that make me happy.

Such sweet comments about me continuing with Project 365 yet again.  Can't believe you are not completely bored with us yet.  Or, maybe you are bored but you are family and feel obligated to read.  :)  Truthfully, I hope this year is no more exciting than the last couple.

January 1 (on Sunday!)

Seeing this temperature is January, in Connecticut makes me very, very happy.  Very happy.

 We did our annual New Years afternoon at Shaun's grandfather's house.  At one point, Shaun and Tony got him talking about his time in the War.  Such a different life then.

 January 2
Avery was working very hard on the Christmas present she'd received the day before.  She was able to complete a little purse.

 Daddy took us out to dinner to mark the last day of Avery's school vacation.  We all really, REALLY enjoyed having her at home with us for 10 days.  Who are these big kids?!?

 January 3
Technically, this is when my day started.  I was up til way late talking at the kitchen table with my dear friend, who was home for Christmas.  I cherish the time we have together.

 January 4
After baths the girls put on a show in their room.

 January 5
I didn't end up with any pictures for the day, but I did get some video.  They're both short so I'll share them here.  They were taken just seconds apart and display the very different (ah-hem) personalities we have here.  :)

January 6

We are loving our final days of having Shaun around once in a while.

January 7
The girls both had basketball for the first time ever.  They had a great time!

Sorry...one more digital reading for the day, just because its SO EXCITING!  :)  61 degrees!  With as many utility bills as we pay with all the buildings, an above average January translates into a lot of dollars for us.  Not to mention comfort in our own house and morale.  The kids ate their lunch outside with no coat...that is a beautiful thing!

After church we ended the day with day with dinner and a movie, all five of us snuggled up on one couch under a blanket.  Letters to God.  Have you seen it?  Pretty family friendly, except for the bar scene and having to discuss a child having cancer.

Have a super week!!

Let It Be Something Good

A new year (and a birthday) inevitably cause me to be very reflective.  Its the time when I consistently take a step back and evaluate things, looking at my life and what I'm doing with it without any rose-colored glasses on.  Its a bit dramatic, but it happens every year, and I've just come to expect it.  This photo I took of my niece Madison kind of reflects the way I've been feeling.

I haven't fully processed all my goals for the new year yet others I've started right in on.  More than ever I just really want to be using my time well.  My time each day and my time here on earth.  

This is the beginning of a new day. 

You have been given this day to use as you will. 

You can waste it or use it for good. 

What you do today is important, 

because you are exchanging a day of your life for it. 

When tomorrow comes, this day will be gone forever. 

In its place is something that you have left behind. 

Let it be something good.

Project 365, Week 53??

Oh my!  What a wonderful week!!  A wonderfully quiet week with family for the first part and three, yes THREE different date nights with Shaun, courtesy of a team of grandparents.  We're trying to stockpile the deposits in each others love banks because very soon tax season will be in full swing and we'll be doing little else but making withdrawals.  BUT...we're not talking about that yet!

Hope your Christmas was grand!  We had a really wonderful time and I couldn't help but think of all the hard work and a ton of God's grace that has gotten us here.  He is so faithful!

December 24

One of my favorite days of the year and I love the candlelight service at church.

 When we got home the girls were able to open a present.  Bathrobes...how exciting!

 December 25
Christmas!

December 26
Still lots of family at our house.  Usually the girls hit the after-Christmas sale at a local boutique Christmas store, but no one went out at all.  Now THAT is a relaxing day.  :)

 December 27
Still a wonderful housefull of people.  The kids set up a beauty salon and massage stations.

 My brother and his kids came to join in the fun, too.

As my mom was leaving, the kids begged her for a sleepover, so...off they went!  Within 10 minutes of the last person leaving I was changed and out the door to the gym...the combination of overeating and inactivity left me feeling yuck.

Then Shaun and I went together to a couple showings of an apartment...date #1!

December 28
The next morning began operation clean-up.  I got on such a roll that I took all the Christmas stuff down, too.  The girls were a big help.

 That evening my sister's family came over and we watched Minnesota play hockey.  Colombo's brother got called up for a game.  It was fun to see Uncle Jonathan on TV!

 December 29
I took Aiden and Avery to the library, one of Avery's requests for school vacation.  The first thing they both did was head to the computers.  Sheesh.

 The girls went with me to give Trot some exercise.  It was a BRISK morning.

 Date #2...Shaun's mom came over to stay with the kids so we went to dinner and a movie....Sherlock Holmes...very good!  We sat in the very back row with the teenagers.  :)

December 30
SO much warmer this day for playing with Trot.  Much better!

December 31

My dad and Kiki took the kids for a party at their church, so...Date #3!  We both worked in the afternoon, then after church we came home and parked it on the couch.  Very nice!  We've rung in a lot of new years together and I'm so grateful.

Every year I spend some time thinking about my blog and what I want to do with it.  I took almost no time at all to decide to do Project 365 for the 4th straight year.  Its definitely a commitment, but when I scroll though a whole year of weeks pieced together by it, well...then its priceless.  And its not as if our lives are so interesting or exciting, its just that its us, doing life.  And my poor little memory would never be able to recall the things I can read here or in the blog books I create.

Someday I hope my children will enjoy pouring through the books and remembering, for the good and the bad, what life was like when they were little.

Once again, thank you for coming here each week and caring about what happens in our little family.  Your comments have been encouraging, humorous, insightful.

Happy New Year!!