Heartbroken

I have tried to write this post so many times since yesterday, but I just couldn't seem to finish it. Can you all pray for my dear friends Jimmy and Beth? They were expecting their first child in October, but Beth went into pre-term labor on Friday, and precious Caitlin Faith did not survive.

Please, please pray for peace and healing for this precious family...

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

It has been an absolutely gorgeous spring day today! We were up to Lexington and back by a little after noon, so we all headed outside to enjoy the weather:

I had just remarked to Ben that he stuck his tongue out just like his daddy did when he was concentrating. Kate decided that she'd try to...not exactly the idea, but cute just the same.

Daddy came out and played "monkey in the middle" with us after a few minutes. Ben really gave his mama a scare! He was the "monkey," and we went for the ball at the same time and ended up on a heap in the ground. I landed on his arm, and he let out the worst sound I'd ever heard...I just knew that I had broken his arm. I jumped up quickly to see if he was okay, and he grabbed the ball and took off running! What a stinker!!!

Jonathan caught this shot of Kate losing a battle with the swing:



After we played a while in the yard, we started off for a walk. There is a memorial forest directly across the road from us, and we are always surprised by what we find there!


Most of the bullfrogs jumped away when they heard us talking, but one brave little fella stuck it out:

They are in the process of installing these features by the wetland habitat. They're not functional yet, but I know we'll enjoy them!

Our walk didn't last long today...we thought it was going to shower about five minutes into it, so we headed back to the house. Of course, after we were inside, the sun came back out! There's always tomorrow, though. I've found a neat nature walk challenge that I'm getting ready to start with the children, so I will be posting that soon!

"Ducky" Projects

As promised, here are some "before" pictures of the ducky projects I'm working on...

The first is the dining room table. I'm still working through our attic closet, gathering clothes to give away. Almost everything on this table is going to another family or to Goodwill! I started stacking it on the table because that's where I've been folding it, and I wasn't sure where else to put it until I was finished.

From now on, though, laundry will be folded on our made-up bed. That way I will only need to make one trip upstairs on the days that I do laundry, rather than continuously cleaning off the table. (Or spreading out a tablecloth on the floor for a picnic!)

That, my friends, is the definition of an avalanche waiting to happen! We had several days of company last week, and it seems that nothing was put back in its place. (And Mom, if you're reading this, those are corn dogs in my freezer, but I can guarantee that they're better for us than doughnuts! Haha...)

As well as organizing, I need to give the fridge a good cleaning. I also need to make a list of what we have so that I can plan some meals to use it up!

I should be back tomorrow with some after pictures, as well as some great links regarding meal planning that I've found this week.

Acquiring Linear Waterfowl Status...

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In case you couldn't guess from the picture, that would also be known as getting your ducks in a row.

We have had a crazy day around the house today. Jonathan worked overnight last night, so the task fell to me to keep the kids quiet this morning. Usually that's not an insurmountable task, but we had workmen coming this morning to replace part of our sewer pipe.

Have y'all ever tried to homeschool when someone is coming to fix something? Or better yet, when the view from your dining room table includes a backhoe? Yeah...I may not have learned much, but I know that just wouldn't work.

So I spent the morning literally entertaining my children. We did have fun, but I am exhausted! And tomorrow will be another long day, traveling up to Lexington for Ben's appointment at Shriner's.

Umm...where was I? Oh yes, back to the ducks! Looking around my house, I am going to have quite a few projects to get done this weekend. The two most urgent are cleaning off laundry from the table and cleaning out the refrigerator. I will post some pictures of the "before" shots Friday morning.

What "ducky" projects do you have going on this week?

I'm Not Your Mother (Or I Ain't Here to Tell All Y'all What to Do)

You know, I've struggled a bit with this blog and its purpose. There's so much that I want to share that it becomes difficult to pinpoint a direction. But after thinking a great deal on transparency this week, things have become clearer.

I'm just here to be me. To share with you all the things that we're learning- the mistakes that we make, our daily struggles, and our victories, no matter how small.

I don't have it all together. I know that some of you can identify with that. My hope is that we can appreciate that in each other and accept each other unconditionally, but at the same time unwaveringly encourage each other to become more Christlike every day.

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Ecc. 4:9 Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. (NLT)