tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-114473992024-03-23T12:46:25.525-05:00Life on a Back RoadOur adventures in the woods of New HampshireCarriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00159961811540152967noreply@blogger.comBlogger1288125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11447399.post-17898517264074660592020-06-09T14:00:00.000-05:002020-06-09T14:05:17.626-05:00Well, what do you know?!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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My word for the year WAS "grow!" I find this both funny and pretty cool, since this is the word that came to mind as I was thinking about summer (see my earlier post from Monday of last week). I was excited to find that I had indeed written it down somewhere, way back on January 1st! I guess God had kept it in the back of my mind all this time, after all, and six months later it came back to me.Carriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00159961811540152967noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11447399.post-67538538617102768502020-06-03T12:31:00.000-05:002020-06-03T13:24:21.749-05:00Wednesday Hodgepodge for June 3rd<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">I was happy to see that <a href="http://www.fromthissideofthepond.com/">Joyce of From This Side of the Pond</a> has started up the Wednesday Hodgepodge posts, at least for a while! I'm excited to join in as I have time...I feel like the question format helps get my blogging juices flowing again! Here are this week's questions and answers:</span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "georgia" , "utopia" , "palatino linotype" , "palatino" , serif; font-size: 13.2px;">1. What's something you could do today to feel more peaceful?</span><br />
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Pretty sure one of the best things I could do would be to stay off social media for a while! Even Instagram has been feeling "heavy" lately. <br />
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "georgia" , "utopia" , "palatino linotype" , "palatino" , serif; font-size: 13.2px;">2. June 2nd is National Rotisserie Chicken day. Who knew? Are you a fan of rotisserie chicken? You've purchased one at your local market for tonite's dinner. Will you serve as is or make something else using the chicken?</span><br />
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I do love rotisserie chicken, though I don't buy it very often. I think the last time we got one was not long before Ari was born, actually! At this point with my kids being older (eating more!) I would probably make something else using the chicken, because one chicken would not feed all of us, as-is. My family loves chicken-and-cheese sandwiches on homemade buns, so I would probably make those. Or use storebought buns if I was short on time.<br />
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "georgia" , "utopia" , "palatino linotype" , "palatino" , serif; font-size: 13.2px;">3. I read a list recently (</span><a href="https://www.jetsetter.com/magazine/most-beautiful-places-in-the-united-states/" style="color: #6e698f; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 13.2px; text-decoration-line: none;">go here to read more</a><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "georgia" , "utopia" , "palatino linotype" , "palatino" , serif; font-size: 13.2px;">) of 20 of the most beautiful places in America. How many of these have you seen up close and in person? Of the sites on this list that you</span><i style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 13.2px;"> haven't</i><span style="color: #666666; font-family: "georgia" , "utopia" , "palatino linotype" , "palatino" , serif; font-size: 13.2px;"> seen, which would you most like to see?</span><br />
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<i style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 13.2px;">Antelope Canyon Arizona, Kenai Fjords Alaska, White Mountains New Hampshire, Crater Lake Oregon, The Palouse Washington and Idaho, Grand Prismatic Spring Wyoming, Multnomah Falls and Columbia River Gorge Oregon, Horsehoe Bend Arizona, Na Pali Coast Kauai Hawaii, Antelope Valley California, Lake Tahoe California, The Berkshires Massachussets, Maroon Bells Colorado, Angel Oak South Carolina, Acadia National Park Maine, Grand Teton National Park Wyoming, Turnip Rock Michigan, Central Park New York City, Niagara Falls New York, and Skagit Valley Tulip Fields Washington</i><br />
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Let's see...I've been to the White Mountains multiple times because we live nearby. I agree they are one of the most beautiful places in America! Pretty sure I have been to or through the Berkshires area in Mass, too, although not for an extended vacation or anything. I visited Acadia National Park as a kid and hope to go back with my family in the not-too-distant future...and I've been to Niagara Falls. Four out of twenty isn't too shabby. Of the remaining sites on the list, Grand Teton National Park is probably top of my list, though I would also love to visit Crater Lake and some of the others.<br />
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "georgia" , "utopia" , "palatino linotype" , "palatino" , serif; font-size: 13.2px;">4. What's one pretty spot you'd add to the list in question #3? Are there travel plans of any kind on your calendar right now? Does that make you happy, anxious, excited, sad, or relieved?</span><br />
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I'd add Craters of the Moon National Monument in Idaho, simply because that's one place we visited that I thought was amazingly beautiful in its own unique way! These pictures are all from September 2018:<br />
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As far as travel plans for this summer...we don't have any at the moment. I had hoped to take a little camping trip to Acadia this summer for a few days, or even somewhere closer to home, but not sure that will happen. We have a lot to do around here with work on our house addition, so this summer will probably be a "staycation" for the most part! We may take a week to go to Ohio in the fall to visit family, but we haven't decided yet. I would say not having a trip planned makes me both a little happy and a little sad. I love to go places and really want to take a few trips as a family before Sam is grown and gone...so in that way I'm a bit sad if we don't go somewhere this year. On the other hand, planning a trip can be hard work and expensive, so it does make things simpler if we stay home.<br />
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "georgia" , "utopia" , "palatino linotype" , "palatino" , serif; font-size: 13.2px;">5. Tell us one un-COVID related thing you're looking forward to in the month of June.</span><br />
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Getting together with friends more often! We have missed them!<br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Speaking of beautiful scenery...here's a panoramic picture that I think Josiah took when we hiked Mt. Cardigan here in NH back in April or May. It was a beautiful day! Aren't we blessed to have beauty around us everywhere? We just have to look for it. And sometimes it's more obvious, like when we climb a mountain. 😊</span><br />
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: "georgia" , "utopia" , "palatino linotype" , "palatino" , serif; font-size: 13.2px;"><br /></span>Carriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00159961811540152967noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11447399.post-73762699622558130212020-06-01T21:47:00.000-05:002020-06-03T15:23:15.987-05:00Intentional Summer: GrowWell, well! Long time no post. 😄 I can't believe I haven't written anything here since September! It's so hard to find uninterrupted time at the computer..."uninterrupted" being the KEY word, of course!<br />
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Today is June 1st, and as I've been making some goals and plans for the summer, I thought it would be good to write about them here as a form of accountability and also so I could go back and remind myself of them.<br />
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To be honest, I've been feeling pretty scattered over the past few months as we navigate Covid-19 (oh how I hate that word!!!) stay-home orders and a feeling of uncertainty in our world. My hope is in Jesus, but that doesn't mean that upheaval doesn't affect us or cause us some anxious moments...though I do believe He has a good plan for us through it all! Now that we've finally reached the summer months and life is starting to feel a bit more normal, I realized it was time to begin again to focus on building good habits and getting into some better routines. A podcast I listened to on Saturday confirmed this to me and gave me the idea of focusing on being intentional with my time this summer...so, here we go!<br />
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This morning in the shower I was thinking about my word of the year, and...would you believe it...I have NO idea what my word of the year even is/was. I know I had picked one! A good one! But it completely escapes my brain at the moment. I might be able to figure it out from some journaling back in January, or if my mom remembers...hi, Mom? I think we talked about it?! That just shows you how much I've NOT been thinking about goals or words of the year over the past few months, ha! Anyhow. The shower is a good place for thinking, and even though I couldn't remember my word of the year, I decided that for the summer I would focus on the word "GROW" and use it as an acrostic. All of these are areas I desire growth in:<br />
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God<br />
Relationships<br />
Organization<br />
Work<br />
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For the "God" area...this includes my daily quiet time: Bible reading and prayer, and some journaling. Also hopefully reading a few books to help with my spiritual growth. More on what I'm hoping to read, later. For Bible reading I am once again following along with the <a href="https://biblereading.christkirk.com/women/">Same Page Summer</a> and reading through the New Testament.<br />
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Relationships includes my family and friends...I really want to enjoy my kids, spend time with my parents, carve out moments with just Jim, invite friends over for playdates and visits and meals, write notes and send texts to encourage others, etc. Basically just investing in people, the best I can...I've been thinking about how much I want to be a better encourager, and I hope to do that over the next few months.<br />
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Organization is a constant struggle for me...and while I don't expect to get my entire life organized in three months, my goal is to tackle some particular areas of my life/home and try to get a handle on them. One is meal planning. I go through phases of doing so well with that, and other times I'm totally flying by the seat of my pants! Meal prep goes so much smoother when I have a plan, so that's one area to organize. I'd also like to organize all of my kitchen cabinets so they're more functional, and bedroom drawers and closets could use a good sort-out too.<br />
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Work...I think overall this is going to be more of a "working" summer and less of a "playing" summer, though I certainly hope to find periods of rest every week. Jim is quite busy with carpentry, the kids and I planted a garden and more flowers, we hope to make great strides on our house addition, we'll be helping my parents as we have time, fixing up the cottage next door, plus there is the daily work of the home, and my own need for physical working-out! So, lots of work...but all good things!<br />
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Now...wouldn't it be funny if my word of the year was "grow?!" 😄Carriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00159961811540152967noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11447399.post-13687673329656726202019-09-04T10:40:00.000-05:002019-09-04T10:40:48.681-05:00Back to School: First day traditions<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Do you have first day of school traditions? Some years I have been way better about this than others. Last year was discombobulated because Sam was on a roof with Jim when the other two kids started school, then we took a 2 week trip to NV in the middle of September, and started in again when we got home. This year may be similar since we are currently on vacation and may not have all four kids there to start on the same day when we get back, depending on Jim’s work.<br />
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But at least for many years, I would take first day of school pictures, measure the kids’ height to see how much they’d grown in a year, make a special breakfast, etc. It didn’t always mean our first day got off to a good start, but at least I tried! 😉<br />
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<a name='more'></a>Somehow I inserted a page break here and can’t figure out (on the iPad) how to get rid of it. Oops. Anyway, back to the topic at hand...<br />
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I enjoy browsing Pinterest for ideas, but I try not to put much pressure on myself to make the first day of school super fancy. I know that can just lead to stress and even disappointment when my kiddos don’t get all excited about my efforts. But I enjoy seeing what other moms have done, and maybe incorporating an idea or two as I have time and resources.<br />
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One blog I love is Monica Wilkinson (formerly The Homespun Heart), who is amazingly gifted at making ordinary moments special and beautiful. Check out her first day of school ideas here: <a href="http://www.monicalwilkinson.com/2019/08/back-to-school-and-diy.html">http://www.monicalwilkinson.com/2019/08/back-to-school-and-diy.html</a><br />
And here are a couple of my own back to school posts, from back in 2013 and 2015.<br />
<a href="https://samsmommy.blogspot.com/2013/09/first-day-of-school.html">https://samsmommy.blogspot.com/2013/09/first-day-of-school.html</a><br />
<a href="https://samsmommy.blogspot.com/2015/09/first-day-of-school.html">https://samsmommy.blogspot.com/2015/09/first-day-of-school.html</a><br />
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Last year we completely missed doing the growth chart, so it will be fun to see how much they’ve grown in the past TWO years, this time. Sam in particular has had quite the growth spurt, and I have the feeling Josiah is going to shoot up pretty soon also. He’s been eating so much lately! 😲<br />
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{growth chart pic from two years ago}</div>
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Another idea I love, but haven’t implemented yet, is giving the kids some fun little gifts or new books to mark the start of the school year. One of my friends on Instagram gave her boys each a tiny Etch-a-Sketch this year, which I thought was so fun. Some people get their kids each a new mug for poetry teatime, or a new set of colored pencils or pens, etc. Some think of creative gifts to go along with their kids’ passions or interests. There are tons of great ideas out there, maybe too many because it’s not really practical to use all of the ones that catch my eye. 😉<br />
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Once we actually start back to school (hopefully next week we will be easing into a “soft start”), I will try to update with some pics of whatever we did to mark the day. I would love to hear from my readers with your first day of school ideas, too...if you do anything special. Or just how your first day of school (homeschool or otherwise) went! <br />
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<br />Carriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00159961811540152967noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11447399.post-5833668276880781732019-09-03T12:11:00.000-05:002019-09-03T12:11:03.131-05:00A Satisfying Summer<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We’re currently on vacation in Ohio, at the tail end of summer, trying to squeeze the last bit of fun out of it before we start back to school. I’ve decided September is pretty much the perfect time to take a vacation, and am thinking about suggesting to Jim that we plan a trip somewhere every year about this time. The weather has been great for the most part, not too hot and not too cool, comfortable for sleeping in the camper at night and playing outside during the days.<br />
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I wanted to write a bit about how satisfying this summer has been. Of course, it went by too fast as it always does. But for me personally I feel like it was just a really good summer, and I got a lot of things crossed off my list. Before I get to that, though, let’s talk about the things I did not get crossed off! </div>
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<li>I didn’t accomplish my goal of setting up a chores/cleaning system for our family.</li>
<li>We didn’t go out for ice cream or eat at the local food truck.</li>
<li>We didn’t (yet) go canoeing as a family.</li>
<li>We didn’t declutter/organize the storage bins in the garage. </li>
<li>We didn’t finish our camper remodel.</li>
<li>I didn’t menu plan very well and we often ate supper really late in the evening.</li>
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But here’s what I/we DID accomplish!</div>
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<li>I finished Josiah’s quilt, which had been a work in progress for years. That was one of my main summer goals, and I finished it on July 5!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<li>We may not have finished the camper remodel, but we did replace the canvas, I finished sewing the curtains, we gutted the cabinets and benches, installed new flooring, and were able to actually use it for camping. So I’m calling that a win!</li>
<li>We took an awesome family day at Story Land.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<li>We (well, some of us) climbed our little local mountain with friends.</li>
<li>We went to the beach three times and the science center twice (so far...we will go a couple more times this fall).<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<li>I deep cleaned some spaces in my house. </li>
<li>I made time to read and finished at least five or more fiction books over the summer.</li>
<li>I started blogging again.</li>
<li>I exercised 54 days in a row in July/August and have almost completed the C25K program again.</li>
<li>I am within three days of finishing reading through the New Testament with the Same Page Summer reading plan.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<li>Jim and I made time for a couple of dates, both planned and spontaneous.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<li>We hosted family and friends a number of times, which was so much fun! <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<li>We made it to Ohio to visit family! <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNqZEAFyQRqZRWDPaP5jS06C-ngmk7TqmEC21sOcGXymEIPuFizVuR-A7BzXIYRIVVETmk_vTeZHotYf4vfc2Ng1m_Dc0no6QNLODrqUh_D96xBNEwv2n2olu9dDuII8dsi1kEeA/s1600/99CB855A-B52B-47EE-B032-5DB25E436606.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1149" data-original-width="1440" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNqZEAFyQRqZRWDPaP5jS06C-ngmk7TqmEC21sOcGXymEIPuFizVuR-A7BzXIYRIVVETmk_vTeZHotYf4vfc2Ng1m_Dc0no6QNLODrqUh_D96xBNEwv2n2olu9dDuII8dsi1kEeA/s320/99CB855A-B52B-47EE-B032-5DB25E436606.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;">Yesterday I took a little time to plan out some school/life stuff for after we get back home. We have a pretty busy fall schedule coming up, particularly September, between starting school, work for Jim, a ladies’ retreat, revival meetings at church, etc. And Jim and I still hope to sneak away for a day or two to celebrate our 20th anniversary a little late. I still am behind on school planning and I really NEED to get back to a good menu planning habit so I can keep that part of life running smoothly. But I’m feeling energized and motivated as the weather cools and the fresh start of fall lies ahead...I have loved the somewhat lazy lack of schedule through the summer, but am looking forward to jumping into a good routine again soon. </span></div>
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Stay tuned...I hope to get a post or two written this week for our September back to school theme, also! I hope all of you are wrapping up a great summer as well. 😊</div>
Carriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00159961811540152967noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11447399.post-26502762693028772462019-08-16T12:21:00.000-05:002019-08-16T12:21:05.694-05:00Blogging Themes: thinking aheadYesterday as I was getting ready for my day and thinking about blogging, I had a brainwave. I'd been thinking about blogging schedules, and planning certain recurring topics for certain days...but obviously I often have trouble sticking with a definite blogging schedule. 😉 So the thought that occurred to me was that I could plan overarching themes by month. Not that all of my posts that month will necessarily relate to the theme (although they might), but it will give me something to think about and focus on...maybe help me as I look for inspiration here and there, too. <br />
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Being me, I'm not thinking super far ahead, but here's a rough idea of what I'm going to aim for over the next several months:<br />
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<li><b>September: Back to School</b></li>
<li><b>October: Let's Go Outside/Nature Study</b></li>
<li><b>November: Give Thanks</b></li>
<li><b>December: Christmas </b>(of course 😊)</li>
<li><b>January: Heart & Home</b> (focus on goals & habits for both)</li>
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Looking at this list, thinking about things I could write about...well, it has me pretty excited, actually! I also hope to link to some other bloggers along the way who inspire me in these areas. I hope you'll come along for the ride!</div>
Carriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00159961811540152967noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11447399.post-25375006495578115932019-08-15T12:02:00.000-05:002019-08-15T12:02:45.944-05:00From my bookshelf: Gone-Away Lake<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I decided one fun feature I want to include weekly (if possible) is a favorite-book post. This might be a children's book (picture book or chapter book), a non-fiction or spiritual growth book, an adult fiction book...pretty much anything that's one of my or my kids' favorites! I have a feeling that the hard part will be just choosing ONE book per week...as I am an avid bookworm, and so are some of my kids. 😉<br />
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My choice for this first bookish post is a children's novel: <a href="https://smile.amazon.com/Gone-Away-Lake-Books-Paperback/dp/0152022724/"><i>Gone-Away Lake</i>, by Elizabeth Enright</a>. I don't remember when I first discovered <i><a href="https://smile.amazon.com/Gone-Away-Lake-Books-Paperback/dp/0152022724/">Gone-Away</a></i>; it feels like this book has been a part of my life forever! I also don't remember if my mom read it aloud to us, or if I first read it on my own. What I DO know is that this is a fabulous summer read, and as a family we have read (or listened) to it at least three times over the past few years. The audio version read by Colleen Delany is beautifully done and we would all highly recommend it!<br />
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<b>Synopsis:</b> Portia Blake and her little brother Foster go to visit their uncle, aunt, and cousin Julian, as they do every summer. Only this summer, Julian's family has moved to a new house in the country, and there are lots more places to explore. One day while exploring in the nearby woods, Portia and Julian stumble upon an old colony of abandoned, dilapidated houses at the edge of a swamp. Only they aren't ALL abandoned...an elderly brother and sister returned years ago to live out their lives in the place they had loved as children, away from the hustle and bustle of modern life. <i><a href="https://smile.amazon.com/Gone-Away-Lake-Books-Paperback/dp/0152022724/">Gone-Away Lake</a></i> is the story of the friendship that blossoms between Portia and Julian and "Uncle Pin" and "Aunt Minnehaha." There is also adventure, a little danger, and lots of fun reminiscing and old stories shared from a childhood at Tarrigo Lake (which later became the swamp, now called Gone-Away Lake).<br />
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It's hard to sum up this book in a quick synopsis...it probably doesn't sound all that interesting. But Elizabeth Enright was a master at writing books about everyday life, taking a simple idea and making it come alive. This book makes the reader feel like you are right there at Gone-Away with Portia and Julian, like discovering an old summer colony is something that might really happen to you. It plops you right into the middle of a hot, buggy summer somewhere in New York state. It also highlights the beautiful friendship that sometimes springs up between children and elderly people, and how much we can learn from each other. I can't recommend this book highly enough...give it a try. You and your kids will love it! It is the perfect summer read. Even though it is more than sixty years old, it has a timeless quality and is just as enjoyable in 2019 as it would have been in the 1950s.<br />
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And...if you read <i>Gone-Away Lake</i>, you must also put <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Return-Gone-Away-Elizabeth-Enright/dp/0152022562/">Return to Gone-Away</a></i> on your list! It is equally enchanting and wonderful. You can often find copies of both books at thrift stores or used bookstores, but they are also available on Amazon or Thriftbooks pretty inexpensively. Happy reading!Carriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00159961811540152967noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11447399.post-16674068574908573552019-08-02T19:31:00.000-05:002019-08-02T19:31:34.046-05:00Friday Five: the summer decor edition<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I thought it would be fun to do a decor edition, since I *finally* (read: late June) changed out my early spring decorations for things that are patriotic and summery. Some of this stuff I already had on hand...other things came from Hobby Lobby and Marshalls! (Side note: it is super fun for me to "treasure hunt" at Hobby Lobby. I will admit that this is one store that can easily overwhelm my senses...it's been less than two years since we got one close-ish to us, and unless I have a plan of what I am looking for, I can wander the aisles and come out empty-handed, in spite of a 40% off coupon! The best shopping experiences there are when I have something specific to find, and even better if I find it in the clearance aisle!) Anyway, on to the post!</div>
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1. Table decor: I don't always keep flowers on my table, but when I do, I've been using this red checked cloth from Hobby Lobby to put them on. I also found the "milk glass" pitcher (not genuine) at Hobby Lobby last week (marked down to $3.48!) and it makes a nice vase! </div>
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2. Couch table: I enjoy changing things up in several areas of my house, and this is my living room focal point. The patriotic prints were free printables I found on Pinterest a few years ago. The plastic plate and towel/runner were from Hobby Lobby, also on deep discounts. <br />
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3. Kitchen cabinet display area: more free printables, a dishtowel from Joann Fabrics (gift from my mom), Hobby Lobby plate, blue lantern from my grandparents' house!<br />
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4. Hutch display: this blue striped towel/runner is my new favorite from Hobby Lobby. Also on clearance. 😉 The basket was my splurge for this year, I think it was under $10 from Marshalls. I thought it would be fun to fill it with vintage books in shades of red, white and blue. Two of these are vintage LM Montgomery books that I snagged at this year's library book sale!<br />
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5. Random, non-decor related (since I don't have any other areas of my house that are decorated for summer): today Julia and Josiah went on an outing with their Sunday school class. Here's a pic I "borrowed" from my friend Patty's FB page (she's their teacher, and an awesome one at that!). They had perfect weather and a wonderful time out in nature, in beautiful Franconia Notch. Thankful for our church family and all the love and time that is invested in these kids!<br />
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<br />Carriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00159961811540152967noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11447399.post-44797674643280884752019-07-30T10:00:00.000-05:002019-07-30T10:00:00.973-05:00Just a bowl of cherries<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I have been addicted to sweet cherries this summer! They've been on sale at the grocery store most of the summer ($2.99/lb or maybe less a few times) and I keep buying them. I about choked last week when I bought two bags and went through the self-checkout, and realized that I spent over $13 on cherries! Oops. $2.99/lb doesn't seem like much until you weigh it out! <br />
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Anyway, the cherries are delicious and we just eat them fresh. Last year we were given a bunch of sour cherries and I made a pie out of them, which was also yummy. In fact, I might still have some of those cherries in the freezer...I will have to check, as that would be a perfect summertime treat. <br />
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There's an old saying: "Life is just a bowl of cherries," basically meaning that life is pretty sweet. I have to agree that with all its ups and downs, this life we've been blessed with IS sweet. In just over a week, Jim and I will celebrate twenty years of marriage. We met when we were both 20 years old and were married at 22. This means that we have known each other/been part of one another's lives longer than we were alive before we met. (If that makes sense.) Sometimes I look around me and wonder where the last twenty years have gone! It's a little crazy thinking of all the living we've done in that time. All the memories, all the hardships, all the good things and bad things that have happened, all the day to day moments that make up a life. We've lost five of our grandparents in that time, but added four children to our home. We've been part of three different churches. We've lost touch with some old friends and made some new ones. We've fought, made up, cried together, prayed together, laughed together (a lot). And this wasn't really supposed to be an anniversary post, ha! Just some ramblings as I thought about cherries and the sweet life God has given our family. Right now I am at the point of trying to hang onto the moments and store up the memories. Our older kids are quickly closing the gap to adulthood, and while that too is a special thing to watch, soon our home won't be quite the same. I am excited for all the future holds but I also want to squeeze the most that I can out of all the time I have left with them! Already the changes have started, as Sam is old enough to work with Jim and frequently does...and he is outgrowing some of the things he used to enjoy. At the same time...he's also old enough to babysit for a few hours and that part is AWESOME. 😀<br />
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I guess I'll stop rambling for now, except to say...enjoy the cherries. Treasure the life you've been given!🍒 Carriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00159961811540152967noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11447399.post-48314942644369486292019-07-29T13:33:00.000-05:002019-07-29T13:33:02.753-05:00Monday Musing: Consuming vs. Producing<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">**this picture has nothing to do with the post, but my big hydrangea finally bloomed again this year, and it's so beautiful!**</span></div>
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I've been thinking of how I can really focus some intentional time in this space. It's been years since I've prioritized writing here (or anywhere, for that matter)... the quick little snippets of life are so much easier to quickly put up on other social media platforms with a picture, from my phone. (Blogging from my phone doesn't work, sadly!)<br />
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I've been mulling over how I used to be a lot more of a producer (writing content for my blog) and now I'm more of a consumer (scrolling everyone else's FB and IG posts, Pinterest, blogs, etc.) Part of it is lack of time to think and formulate worthwhile content. Part of it is that homeschooling takes much more of my time than it used to. Part of it, I suppose, is that blogs have begun to go the way of the dinosaur, and longer gaps between my posts equal fewer and fewer readers. Part of it (let's face it) is the fact that I consume...i.e. waste time...on other social media which I could be spending on the blog. Ouch. Yet I hesitate to come on here and claim that I'm going to post more, because my track record with that is less than stellar! There is lots of *good* content out there--content that helps me grow spiritually, as a person, as a mom, as a homeschooler...and sometimes I feel like I don't really have a lot to add to the conversation.<br />
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But, I still love to write. I enjoy putting my thoughts out there, and I most especially enjoy looking back on the little pieces of our life that I've shared here through the years. PLUS my sister-in-law (who just published her first novel!!) has started a blog to go along with her website, and I figured maybe I should start writing again so we could motivate each other along the way. 😉<br />
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So, we'll see how it goes. I hope to make a plan soon of a blogging schedule that I can follow weekly (themes for different days?), maybe planning to post three times a week. If I could plan a time to write all the posts at once and then schedule them to be published on different days, I think that would help. Sometimes I like to write on the fly, though... Anyhow, we'll see how it goes!Carriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00159961811540152967noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11447399.post-82962217785200647052019-06-14T20:25:00.000-05:002019-06-14T20:25:09.101-05:00Friday Five: Random June EditionPhew! It's been quite the couple of months since I blogged last. Lots of stuff has happened, some hard, some good...but here are five random things to help me get my feet wet in the bloggy world again. 😉<br />
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1. It's mid-June and it still doesn't quite feel like summer yet. We've had tons of rain and cooler days; I can count on one hand the number of humid days we've had so far. Probably July and August will make up for June's unseasonal weather, though. (I'm not complaining! I actually kind of like still being able to wear a sweatshirt in the mornings and evenings.)<br />
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<br />2. Tomorrow we're going to the wedding of one of our friends' daughters...whom we've known since she was a baby. She's been in our SS class for years. Nothing like watching one of these "kids" getting married to make you feel old!<br /><br />
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3. Jim and Sam just finished up (mostly) a big garage they have been building. It needed to be done before the wedding (it's for the family of the bride) and they barely squeaked it in, but it got done! Considering Jim's health scare back in April + the rain, rain, and more rain, we're super thankful they had the time to finish.<br />
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4. I didn't write about Jim's health issues here because we had a lot going on before and after, but he ended up in the hospital for 3 days with an unknown issue of some kind. Many things were tested and ruled out, and we still don't have answers, but I've realized anew just how grateful I am for him (and how much I tend to take our health for granted). Every night I get to snuggle up beside him is a blessing, and a reminder to be thankful. Over the past weeks, three people I follow or had known of online have died of cancer, or accidents, leaving their families without a husband/wife/father/mother. Life is a gift and none of us knows how long we have....it's so comforting to know that our times are in God's hands, and He numbers our days.<br />
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5. I did two things this week that I'd never done before...cut my own hair (just a trim) and snipped/pulled out stitches for my husband. I think this means I can add hairdresser and surgical assistant to my resume, right? 😀Carriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00159961811540152967noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11447399.post-10738736262816371242019-04-04T10:00:00.000-05:002019-04-04T13:22:53.079-05:00Master bathroom remodel...a year later!There are lots of things I’ve missed recording over the past few years, birthdays and family adventures in particular, but for today I thought I’d do a quick post about the bathroom remodel we did last March. Hard to believe it’s been a whole year! Jim had some time between jobs, so we decided to jump in and renovate. We really needed to reinsulate the walls and ceiling, and I was tired of the ripped and peeling border. We had most of the materials on hand already (the PVC ceiling boards were leftover from a job, I think. We didn’t have to put much money into the project, which was the best part! We spent $5 on discount paint, and I think almost everything else was "free." I did buy a new trash can for $1 at the Dollar Tree, too. 😉<br />
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Back in 2009 we had finally put up a wall border in our bathroom, and this is how it looked then: cream-colored walls, beige floor, lots of neutrals.<br />
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Fast-forward 9 years...the pretty border was all ripped up, there was some moisture damage in the walls, and we were ready for a change. Demolition began, and we completed the whole project in a week! (Using the term "we" very loosely, of course...most of the work was done by "HE!" 😉)</div>
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The new beadboard ceiling turned out so nice! We decided to go with a deep brown paint, named "Coffee Grounds," for the walls. With the white contrast, it ended up looking so nice. A year later, I still love this look.</div>
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Since these pics were taken, we also hung up my hair dryer holder, so the wall above the scale doesn't look quite so bare now.</div>
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The sink doesn't always look this uncluttered and tidy, either...still, I'm having a lot easier time keeping things neat now that we have more storage space.</div>
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Like this built-in shelf that Jim made from extra beadboard!</div>
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Even though this is a pretty small bathroom, and the slanted ceiling doesn't help, I feel like the changes we made helped improve the look and feel of this room a lot. We are thinking about expanding this bathroom at some point to include a garden tub (once the boys' new room is complete in our future addition), but for now this update makes me so happy!</div>
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Carriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00159961811540152967noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11447399.post-62196517799769973722019-04-03T14:19:00.001-05:002019-04-03T15:53:49.803-05:00Wednesday Medley: April 3Today is National Film Score Day! What a fun theme. Here are my answer for <a href="http://tdorsaneo.blogspot.com/2019/04/wednesday-medley-is-music-film.html">today's Wednesday Medley, hosted by Terri at Your Friend from Florida.</a><br />
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1. Let's talk about film scores/songs. What is the first one that you thought about when you saw today's subject? <span style="color: #666666;">The first one that popped into my mind was the Star Wars theme. I didn't "discover" Star Wars until I was a newlywed (thanks to Jim!), although I have an early memory of seeing a movie poster for Return of the Jedi at the grocery store, I think! Plus we went to an Ice Capades show that had Ewoks in it, but I had no idea they were from Star Wars till years later. Anyway, I digress...I love the Star Wars film scores, as well as many others!</span></div>
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2. Do you remember the first movie you ever saw on the "big screen"? Would you tell us about it? <span style="color: #666666;">Yes! Believe it or not, I never saw a movie in the theater till I was an adult (my family didn't go to movie theaters when I was growing up). The first movie Jim and I went to together was Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. (The LOTR movies also have fantastic scores!) We've seen a few movies in the theater since then, but don't go very often because it's pricey and there aren't usually many movies we really care to see.</span><br />
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3. Who is your favorite female movie
star? Who is your favorite male movie star? Go ahead and list more
than one if you must. <span style="color: #666666;">I definitely have to list more than one! Female faves: Audrey Hepburn, Grace Kelly, Maureen O'Hara, Julie Andrews, Meg Ryan. Male faves: Jimmy Stewart, Gregory Peck (I happen to share his birthday!), Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Tom Hanks, Tom Selleck, David Suchet... Hmmmm....I seem to have more male favorites than female! Also I prefer actors from a long time ago to most current actors, with a few exceptions.</span></div>
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4. How about those old black & white
movies! Which one do you always stop and watch, even just a little,
when channel surfing? <span style="color: #666666;">We don't have regular TV so I never actually channel surf, but if I did...my favorite old movie would have to be Roman Holiday. This is another one I didn't discover till I was an adult, and I absolutely love it. Except the ending...I find it rather dissatisfying after the rest of the movie! Still, I love it and have watched it over and over, thanks to owning it on DVD. I also love some of the old suspense movies such as Charade, and North by Northwest.</span><br />
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5. Is there a movie quote that makes you
laugh or one that you repeat often in life that you can share with us?
Will we know what movie it comes from without you telling us? <span style="color: #666666;"> "Life is pain, Highness. Anyone who says differently is selling something." "This is true love. You think this happens every day?" "Have fun storming the castle!" "Inconceivable!" These are all from what is possibly the most quotable movie of all time...probably some of you will know it!</span><br />
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6. Please share something random about your week with us. <span style="color: #666666;">My week hasn't gone as planned, due to sickness still lingering in our family. Josiah came down with it on Sunday, then Sam came down with it yesterday. Both boys have had throwing up and stomach issues as well as the cough and fever. 😞 So, we haven't had a normal school routine going, and everyone's been sleeping as much as possible. It's been a full week of sickness now, and I am so ready for everyone to be healthy again! On the plus side, the weather has been warming up slowly but surely, the snow is melting, and I think spring may really be around the corner! 😊 Happy Wednesday, everyone!</span></div>
Carriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00159961811540152967noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11447399.post-76052635461416610002019-04-02T12:12:00.002-05:002019-04-02T12:52:23.683-05:00Under Construction!Yes indeed, if you notice some changes in the layout & design of the blog, you can see that I'm working on a new look for spring/summer! Right now I need to get some work and school done around here, but hopefully later today I'll be able to get the blog header enlarged to the right size. In the meantime...this is the look I'm going for, but with all the red part covered up (eventually). 😊<br />
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EDIT: Ooooo, I think I just about have it how I want it now! May play around with the header more at some point, but for now it's passable. And I'm totally LOVING the new look! I love how I can change things up quickly with help from <a href="http://thecutestblogontheblock.com/">The Cutest Blog on the Block</a>. I was sad when the former blog design website I used was no longer available; I had my favorite background ever from them, but at least I have been able to find some other fun options for the seasons!Carriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00159961811540152967noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11447399.post-40926648803000715122019-03-29T16:25:00.001-05:002019-03-29T16:25:50.758-05:00Friday Five: the spring decor editionIt's probably a little "high-falutin'" to title this the "spring decor edition," but I've had fun tackling a few areas around the house to freshen things up for spring, and couldn't think of a better title. Last week I showed you my sugaring decorations, which will stay up till sometime in April, but since now I'm starting to get itchy for real spring weather and colors, plus the fact that we're gearing up for a busy April, I decided to change up a few other areas now.<br />
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<b>1. Easter hutch:</b> <br />
I really had fun coming up with this, with a little help and inspiration from Pinterest!<br />
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<b>2. Dry erase calendar:</b><br />
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I found this brand new (though slightly warped 😆) dry erase calendar/bulletin board at the dump this week. I decided to brighten it up with some washi tape and hung it up on our chalkboard wall in the office. I'm sure April's calendar will look more interesting, but I just wrote the March dates on for now. I hope to add some pictures and maybe some of Ari's artwork on the bulletin board part. Certainly it's nothing fancy, but kind of a fun addition to the office area. I'd been thinking about buying one of these sometime, so it's neat that I can try one out for free. We can always get a nicer one if we end up using it a lot.<br />
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<b>3. Spring chalk wall:</b><br />
Ever since we painted our office/hall area with black paint and let the kids use it for a chalkboard, we've had this note that Jim scrawled up there for fun (and Sam later added to...it originally just said "kiss the cook"😉):<br />
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Around Christmastime I thought about changing it up and having Sam draw a vintage truck with Christmas tree scene there, but we never got around to it. Today I decided to do something springy, and I totally copied this idea from <a href="https://theturquoisehome.com/spring-is-coming-chalkboard-art/">this link that I found on Pinterest</a>: </div>
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I really like how the darker chalk lines make the wall and the artwork stand out more! While I'm certainly no chalk lettering artist, I didn't think this was too bad for a first attempt. Now I'm looking forward to searching out more inspiration for future seasonal designs.<br />
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That's all for decor, so moving on to two random things to round things out:<br />
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<b>4. Girls are feeling better! </b><br />
There's still plenty of coughing and sneezing going on, but fevers are lower and Julia was even able to do a little bit of schoolwork today. Her appetite is coming back and I'm hopeful that a restful weekend will help them be back to full health again next week.<br />
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<b>5. A new book to read:</b><br />
Actually, I have PLENTY of books to read, but I got this one on sale from CBD last week, and it's kind of messing with me in a really good way. I'm only a chapter or two in, but I'm finding it's turning some of my preconceived ideas upside down and making me really stop and think about hospitality in a new light. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWVlYPnB-fb2es6pmlY2Xu9b5b1QHMPcRmC_dfFMs5a7IvlmsiyjKicjMzRKpRLtLukJZfvyZCRtlsUtE9gTt3G_cUj0MJnqt8OYrQkypEMIz0_fF20T57YeKOBhSbDB507d6geA/s1600/41CBPjVn%252BXL._SX321_BO1%252C204%252C203%252C200_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="499" data-original-width="323" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWVlYPnB-fb2es6pmlY2Xu9b5b1QHMPcRmC_dfFMs5a7IvlmsiyjKicjMzRKpRLtLukJZfvyZCRtlsUtE9gTt3G_cUj0MJnqt8OYrQkypEMIz0_fF20T57YeKOBhSbDB507d6geA/s320/41CBPjVn%252BXL._SX321_BO1%252C204%252C203%252C200_.jpg" width="207" /></a></div>
I have several other books on hospitality on my wishlist as well, and I'm thinking maybe this will be an area I can dive more deeply into over the next year or so. It's something that's been on my heart for a long time, but we aren't so good at actually practicing it as I would like!<br />
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And that's it for this week's Friday Five...thanks for reading!Carriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00159961811540152967noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11447399.post-65441343410835218992019-03-27T20:23:00.000-05:002019-03-27T20:23:13.883-05:00Wednesday Medley: March 27I'm joining in again with the Wednesday Medley, hosted by Terri at <a href="http://tdorsaneo.blogspot.com/2019/03/wednesday-medley-is-all-about-names.html">Your Friend from Florida</a>. Today is "National Joe Day" and all the questions this week have to do with names.<br />
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #666666;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #666666;">1. Who is your favorite "Joe/Jo" and what can you tell us about him or her? </span>My favorite "joe" is coffee...haha! Actually I have a number of "Joe/Jo's" in my family. My sweet sister is a Joanna (but I normally call her Jo), my sister-in-law, whom I consider a dear friend, is Joanne (I don't call her Jo, but she was called that by her family growing up, I believe), and my husband has a brother named Joe. But my favorite "Jo" of all is my Josiah. 😊 However...we never call him Jo or Joe; his nickname ended up being Siah!</span><br />
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #666666;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #666666;">2. Who were you named for and do you or did you know that person? </span>I was not named for any relative or friend, BUT there is a neat story about how I got my name. When my mom was pregnant with me, she was reading the Little House books to my older brother, and he asked if they could name me "Baby Carrie" if I was a girl. So, they did! I have always thought that was cool since those books are some of my all-time favorites, and it's special that my brother chose my name. Of course I didn't know my namesake in real life, but how I would have loved to meet the Ingalls family, even if the real-life family was somewhat different than the ficitional version.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #666666;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #666666;">3. Do you have a middle name and do you like it/use it? </span>Yes, my middle name is Elisabeth and I do like it. I actually wanted to name Ari that, kind of after me and kind of after Elisabeth Elliot, who is one of my heroes of the faith. I would have liked to use the nickname Betsy. Alas, Jim wasn't a fan and so we went with a different name for her, which I DO love, too. (Now it would be hard to picture her as a Betsy, for sure!)</span></span></span><br />
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #666666;"><br /></span></span></span></span>
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #666666;">4. Have you ever named your car? </span><span style="color: red;"> </span><span style="color: #666666;">Tell us about it, please! </span>When I was a kid, our cars were often named. Then when Jim and I got married he had an old red Ford truck (1977!) which we named "Fergie" because she was painted "Massey Ferguson Red." I also had a little car which we called "Bunny" for a while, but she didn't last long. After that we somehow never got around to naming our cars, and it isn't really a thing for us anymore. I would kind of like to name our camper, though!</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #666666;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span>
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #666666;">5. Tell us the name of a fictional character you have never forgotten and why you remember it so well. </span>I remember tons of fictional characters' names...I have a good memory for names, I guess. A favorite is Hercule Poirot, Agatha Christie's famous little Belgian detective. I have always loved those books and also the movies with David Suchet, who will always be Poirot in my mind! </span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #666666;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span>
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #666666;">6. Share something random with us about your week. </span>I have 2 sick girlies today...one sicker than the other. Julia started in with a fever last night and hasn't felt well at all today. In fact, she and Ari both took a 2 hour nap this afternoon. </span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMGxYPb6bRj_sIgAh9y2lVXJYTkRCg6SMXorHUTcwl_VB-fCtJK3dZBdpAoujKAZ-3CHn4uVmmoQPY6sjAn9EjzBM2Ivg6WhvnDswVe43vGBkv3xbV0fwj1CFCZKeivauPfb-e7A/s1600/IMG_5567.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMGxYPb6bRj_sIgAh9y2lVXJYTkRCg6SMXorHUTcwl_VB-fCtJK3dZBdpAoujKAZ-3CHn4uVmmoQPY6sjAn9EjzBM2Ivg6WhvnDswVe43vGBkv3xbV0fwj1CFCZKeivauPfb-e7A/s320/IMG_5567.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></span></span></div>
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; vertical-align: baseline;"> On the bright side, today was warm and springlike, even though we still have tons of snow in the yard. Our road is getting muddy (a sure sign of spring in NH!), and Josiah and I even spied tiny points of green in the flower bed in front of the library today when we stopped in for a few minutes. So happy that spring is on the way!</span></span></span>Carriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00159961811540152967noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11447399.post-23359394263589542802019-03-22T20:19:00.001-05:002019-03-22T20:19:39.682-05:00Friday Five: the rainy day editionJust a quick Friday Five before I head to bed!<br />
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1. It's been a rainy/snowy day here and really shows NH at its spring "worst." Lots of mud, lots of dirty snow still waiting to melt...and gloomy weather. In spite of that, we had a great day with lots of busyness...moms' group, and visiting with friends at their house in the afternoon. It's been a good day.<br />
<br />2. Phew! Helping a teenager with a writing assignment (essay) when said teen doesn't like to write, is not for the faint of heart. Just saying. I'm wondering if I need to outsource writing next year, too... seriously considering <a href="http://iew.com/">IEW</a> because while *I* think the Sonlight language assignments are quite doable, they are harder for my reluctant writer. On the flip side, he is an excellent writer when he's coming up with the ideas on his own, so there's that! <br />
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3. It's been a traumatic week around here as we lost all 18 of our chickens to 2 separate weasel attacks (we assume both were from the same weasel). Thankfully Jim was able to kill it the second time, but now we'll have to rebuild our entire flock. Very sad. On the plus side, the kids are kind of enjoying the break from daily chicken chores...<br />
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4. I'm still in the process of taking down my Christmas/winter decor and replacing it with early spring stuff, which for us equals sugaring season. Unfortunately Jim has no time for sugaring this year, so we are taking a break from that, too. But it's still fun to decorate with maple in mind! Here are the two areas I've changed so far:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSIg5dAp1CJKt-6YTi_igyzXmId_cRt52mOdk4TobS8Spn2hyp7Ff-NCO5l16L44TmyLh31hivlJt0YYjHlgpDkWNZ3dThhtwD-0sF-kHMUAxccj8mwhzgacnyCbsHIkqV-6ZQmw/s1600/IMG_5541.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSIg5dAp1CJKt-6YTi_igyzXmId_cRt52mOdk4TobS8Spn2hyp7Ff-NCO5l16L44TmyLh31hivlJt0YYjHlgpDkWNZ3dThhtwD-0sF-kHMUAxccj8mwhzgacnyCbsHIkqV-6ZQmw/s320/IMG_5541.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
It makes me happy to use the vintage syrup tin and the copies of signs from my great-grandfathers' sugaring businesses (one on each side of my family!). The blue lantern is from my grandparents' house, too.<br />
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5. I didn't do so well with my "one tiny thing" each day this week, so I have some catching up to do around the house tomorrow. Good thing I don't (currently) have any plans to go anywhere. It'll be nice to have a day to stay home and focus inward. Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!</div>
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Carriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00159961811540152967noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11447399.post-82715024967915390122019-03-18T20:36:00.000-05:002019-03-18T20:36:34.639-05:00My Word for 2019: Care<div style="text-align: center;">
Yes, I realize it's already mid-March of this year! But I never posted at all back at the beginning of the year, so I wanted to at least share what I chose for this year's word to focus on. I felt God put this word on my heart just before the beginning of the year, and while I have had some "doubts" along the way if I should have chosen this word, I decided to stick with it because I honestly felt that it came from Him! Let me explain...</div>
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The word I felt called to focus on for 2019 is "care." At the end of 2018 I was feeling pretty worn out and like I hadn't been doing a good job caring for myself spiritually or physically in many ways. It had been a GOOD, full year, but I was just tired! I knew I needed to make some changes in several areas. "Care" seemed to me to be a multi-faceted word that would remind me to take better care of myself, to care for my family and home and others, and most of all to remind me that God cares for me! At the same time, care can also mean worry. I thought of the verse "Casting all your anxieties (cares/worries) on Him, because He cares for you." I Peter 5:7. Over my entire life I have tended to be a worrier, and this word could be a good reminder to me in that way as well...to not worry because He's got my life all planned out and under his unchanging love and ultimate control. He sees the big picture! We had a few things coming up this year that I knew could bring out my tendency to worry: financial goals, some medical needs, work responsibilities, and still the question I'm pondering for myself about whether to apply for an online job that I could do to help provide for our family. Lots of things to think about, nothing super overwhelming or burdensome, but "cares" nonetheless. So anyway, I chose the word care and was excited about it. <br />
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Then...I kept seeing thoughts from other believers online on the topic of self-care and how some people (not all) use that terminology to really make it "all about them," (aka <i>selfishness</i>, not self-care). While that wasn't and isn't my intention at all, I wanted to take time to think through my word after that, and make sure I wasn't motivated by feelings of wanting to put myself first, to the detriment of others. I think perhaps a better word is what I've heard Sally Clarkson say, "soul-care." I truly believe there is nothing wrong with caring for and nourishing ourselves, but obviously the most important part of that is learning and growing in the Lord. (This is an area where I have much growing to do!) I also believe that it's not selfish to take time for caring for ourselves physically and mentally (i.e. taking a bath, reading a good book, exercising, etc.), as we are then refreshed to be able to pour into others more fully. I hope that makes sense! <br />
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Anyway...there's my word, and I'm excited to see how God works in me in the area of caring for others, myself, and seeing specific ways He cares for me over the course of this year. <br />
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Do you choose a word for each year? I'd love to hear if you do!Carriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00159961811540152967noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11447399.post-12360551884583485162019-03-15T17:40:00.002-05:002019-03-15T17:40:40.782-05:00Friday Five: the tired editionTime for another Friday Five! <br />
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1. Today I think a number of things caught up with me (including last weekend's time change) and I went from having lots of energy all week long to being exhausted. I randomly found out that today is World Sleep Day (who knew?!) which seemed like the perfect excuse to take a nap. So, I did! Still tired, but at least I caught up on a little sleep. 😴 Thankful that Friday is our light day of school for the week, so the kids did their stuff and we skipped the few books we do together.<br />
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2. Shout out to my awesome hubby for offering to get take-out for supper. This makes my evening so much less tiring!<br />
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3. I keep forgetting to take my Vitamin D3. I think this would make a huge difference and I really need to somehow remember to be consistent with taking vitamins. Any tips for me? I used to be so good about this, but have slacked in recent years. I have to say I am really looking forward to spring at this point, and a good dose of natural vitamin D from sunshine!!<br />
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4. Exercise has been one of the things helping to give me energy lately, and I still did my workout this morning even though I didn't feel like it. I'm so happy that I've been able to be more consistent in this area! I've been sticking with 5-6 days a week of either doing a workout video or walking, since the beginning of February. Starting to see some differences, so that's nice!<br />
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5. Just a cute pic from earlier this winter. I *think* maybe we will really be heading into spring soon! We shall see...<br />
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Carriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00159961811540152967noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11447399.post-81462260483710236792019-03-13T20:09:00.001-05:002019-03-13T20:09:44.551-05:00Summer project dreaming...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu0QJBsg3qLNPnLUzEiIeDrqaWCrYXoYb5QjhGZ4wrJFHi0GIoQm14wAnhFu2MX8sekfxKfZ-bCxOKb9-opYTQE9MXd22KNYDb0d6UIku9sDuEu5nVvGnQngvfGiIK-N-HzsKl1Q/s1600/IMG_7119.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1066" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu0QJBsg3qLNPnLUzEiIeDrqaWCrYXoYb5QjhGZ4wrJFHi0GIoQm14wAnhFu2MX8sekfxKfZ-bCxOKb9-opYTQE9MXd22KNYDb0d6UIku9sDuEu5nVvGnQngvfGiIK-N-HzsKl1Q/s320/IMG_7119.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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It's that time of year again...the time when I start daydreaming about fixing up our pop-up camper. A few years ago (okay, more like 7? maybe?) we purchased a used camper for $700. Aside from a few times that we camped out in the yard, we have taken it on one...yes, one...trip. A 2-night campout in Mass, when we went down for the free day at Plimoth Plantation over 6 years ago. While we have some great memories from that little jaunt, the camping isn't really part of the fun memory! 😬 This was back when Jim was working for the furniture store, and he got off later than planned from work that afternoon. This put us driving through Boston in heavy traffic, getting lost on the way to our campground, and having to park/situate the camper in the dark. It wasn't the best start to our weekend, unfortunately. Then Jim didn't sleep well and needless to say, if Daddy ain't happy/well-rested, it can kind of put a damper on things! So none of us have the best memory of that trip, and we haven't been camping since. (Although the camper did get used by my sister's family a few years ago when they visited for 3 weeks...so it has come in handy!)<br />
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BUT...I have a dream and I just keep persisting with it, in spite of the fact that none of the rest of my family is terribly enthusiastic about camping. A few years ago I discovered <a href="http://thepopupprincess.com/">The Pop Up Princess blog</a>, and I saw <a href="https://www.thepopupprincess.com/category/reader-features/">what people were doing with their campers</a>. There are some amazing remodels featured there! Things I had never thought about, like re-covering all the cushions, painting the cabinets, putting down nicer flooring, etc. Campers are honestly pretty "blah," with that boring 80s or 90s decor (ours is from 1993), but they can be made SO NICE inside with a little creativity and elbow grease! This is what ours looked like on the inside, although the pics are less than stellar...you can see the general "dusty rose" and "hunter green" color theme going on. 😉<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg09cfd7AsPx_NysxoeT4aWYD2P0lZ_pcSZPXB_8et427IZd78UUQlaRZNZndF1dQz-8VlCU2f0RlfJ6lXq652JCNvTFIdLHUIh1ZBUSTNahtQ7X9PCsT5eArYid1TCTXCZ1PjPNQ/s1600/IMG_7122.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1066" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg09cfd7AsPx_NysxoeT4aWYD2P0lZ_pcSZPXB_8et427IZd78UUQlaRZNZndF1dQz-8VlCU2f0RlfJ6lXq652JCNvTFIdLHUIh1ZBUSTNahtQ7X9PCsT5eArYid1TCTXCZ1PjPNQ/s320/IMG_7122.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">{Obviously these 2 pics are also several years old!}</span></div>
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I've been kicking around the idea of updating the camper for several years now, and last year I was able to make new covers for all 6 cushions, over the course of the summer. It was definitely time-consuming, but I had a lot of fun doing it, using some material I had on hand (plus some that I got on a good deal from Joann's). I also started making new curtains and got half of those finished. Here is what the cushions look like now, and the curtains will be made out of the green ladybug fabric. (We are currently storing the cushions in plastic, in our garage, to protect them from critters!)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd7E6K-xbHcGQYfTS-XV5fnnr_tNWuI3YyPa9wMRhY4JDVH8fBBy0qIBLU2Q6YEhbGXbVP4zp2HRZt0hajd1pyzksw2m_bCNiYfl3MpSVc4m8Cl4CU45Jjxcuc6G94mMWKvuSk-Q/s1600/IMG_2345.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd7E6K-xbHcGQYfTS-XV5fnnr_tNWuI3YyPa9wMRhY4JDVH8fBBy0qIBLU2Q6YEhbGXbVP4zp2HRZt0hajd1pyzksw2m_bCNiYfl3MpSVc4m8Cl4CU45Jjxcuc6G94mMWKvuSk-Q/s320/IMG_2345.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwuH6igh4G5TrT-3wnzx76SlxEijoHEbUNWibOerrrmtq9Mz7K50LOGXVWzxQrRnjnti8N0ND0JQiF-IquSCPDrpFqcCuYTbEWE9PCbBoNFxR2BanXGNFzMJstp2F-piPCfMy9Sw/s1600/IMG_2346.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwuH6igh4G5TrT-3wnzx76SlxEijoHEbUNWibOerrrmtq9Mz7K50LOGXVWzxQrRnjnti8N0ND0JQiF-IquSCPDrpFqcCuYTbEWE9PCbBoNFxR2BanXGNFzMJstp2F-piPCfMy9Sw/s320/IMG_2346.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw-3UnYxhKeqH4FID519UJLEjQl4cljvqIUIn-pCEhQGUewVdupYzSCd8BEvSuwm4X3dPQjJMDO2lNeCP8rZZZXry1J7UVOkUcx2ia9ao8JniD5Ec99TG2aNDRVKHWdv_TRy82Aw/s1600/IMG_2737.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw-3UnYxhKeqH4FID519UJLEjQl4cljvqIUIn-pCEhQGUewVdupYzSCd8BEvSuwm4X3dPQjJMDO2lNeCP8rZZZXry1J7UVOkUcx2ia9ao8JniD5Ec99TG2aNDRVKHWdv_TRy82Aw/s320/IMG_2737.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The big holdup for me was wondering if we were going to be able to replace our canvas. The bunk ends are in bad shape, as you can see in the picture at the top of the page (which is from early 2014). They are in much worse shape by this point, with a seam that's completely destroyed, lots of mildew/mold, plus mouse damage that happened last winter. I knew that if we were actually going to be able to use the camper, we would have to get new canvas, which is not cheap. I knew where I wanted to get it, how much it would cost, and began a fund to save up for it, but once I had the money set aside, hubby was still not completely on board with spending the money. Then a couple weeks ago he changed his mind and decided to go for it, and as of today we have the canvas ordered, and it should be here by next week. They just happened to have one for our model in stock! I am so excited! Of course, it'll probably be a few weeks or more before we can put it on, as the camper is still buried in snow in the yard at the moment. But once we can "pull her out and pop her up" we can make sure the canvas fits, and then I can go to work on the cabinets and the floor. I *think* Jim has some flooring left from a job that we will be able to use on the floor. And even though the cabinets are not anything special, I think they'll look a lot better when I get them painted. I also have plans of how to make the bed a lot more comfortable so hopefully Jim will sleep like a baby next time we go camping. 😴<br />
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This is my one of the makeovers I am getting inspiration from (photo from <a href="http://thepopupprincess.com/">The Pop Up Princess</a>):<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj95QALJCZJnZLf8Mh4uQIwY5Ys1R7jJZ0GWA8J2UrbW0qR6880vaJlEQfKsR2Fjp1ai7QTiorXYl7JvFUGXyJ_bepkgKyE5W9aKlwtYjiv4tACCZAorkFVEnuVjfJG2AGC55WtCA/s1600/popupcampermakeover1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="412" data-original-width="550" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj95QALJCZJnZLf8Mh4uQIwY5Ys1R7jJZ0GWA8J2UrbW0qR6880vaJlEQfKsR2Fjp1ai7QTiorXYl7JvFUGXyJ_bepkgKyE5W9aKlwtYjiv4tACCZAorkFVEnuVjfJG2AGC55WtCA/s320/popupcampermakeover1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.thepopupprincess.com/reader-features/danas-pop-up-camper-makeover/">Check out the before/after photos of this makeover on her blog</a>...I especially love the table and countertops, and hope to do something similar with ours. (There are tons of other makeovers I've gotten ideas from, as well, but I'm sharing this one simply because the color scheme is similar to what ours will be, and because of what they did with the counters and table.)</div>
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Anyway...this will hopefully be a summer project that will actually get checked off my list this year! I can't wait to see how it turns out. To be continued... 😊</div>
<br />Carriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00159961811540152967noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11447399.post-82612715572909523702019-03-13T19:27:00.000-05:002019-03-13T19:27:16.831-05:00Wednesday Medley<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVM4BYa0kBkk4E08aDkJ4C8U_MYaKbP0P-au3jsEPT9yy3O13TJo-UwxQ1nU6GTUEp8t3Ru3qNIeVoI6ZcEX2hMfcFBlgoCVh5ERIsES5CE76Xl9vTZ2G5kX4W9LgOBbkOD5XMYQ/s1600/IMG_3012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVM4BYa0kBkk4E08aDkJ4C8U_MYaKbP0P-au3jsEPT9yy3O13TJo-UwxQ1nU6GTUEp8t3Ru3qNIeVoI6ZcEX2hMfcFBlgoCVh5ERIsES5CE76Xl9vTZ2G5kX4W9LgOBbkOD5XMYQ/s320/IMG_3012.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">{cool pic by Sam}</span></div>
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This week I am jumping into the Wednesday Medley hosted by <a href="http://tdorsaneo.blogspot.com/">Terri at Your Friend from Florida</a>. I may not have the chance to participate every week, but I thought it would be fun to join in sometimes! Today's topic is partly about Good Samaritan Day (March 13), and partly about Pi Day (March 14).</div>
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<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></span></span></div>
<h3 align="justify" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 22px; font-weight: 500; line-height: 1em; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 10px; position: relative; text-size-adjust: 100%; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; vertical-align: baseline;">NATIONAL GOOD SAMARITAN DAY</span></span></h3>
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<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; vertical-align: baseline;">National
Good Samaritan Day is observed on March 13th. This day is also known
as Good Samaritan Involvement Day. This is a day for unselfish actions
to help those in need and to celebrate kindness.</span></div>
<div align="justify" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 1em; text-size-adjust: 100%; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; vertical-align: baseline;">The
term “good Samaritan” comes from the Bible parable where a Samaritan
helped a stranger who had been robbed and beaten and left to die by the
side of the road. The Samaritan not only cleaned the man’s wounds and
clothed him, but took him to an inn where he paid for the man’s care.</span></div>
<div align="justify" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 1em; text-size-adjust: 100%; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; vertical-align: baseline;">The term is used today to describe those who perform acts of kindness for those in need, especially those who are strangers.</span></div>
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<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; vertical-align: baseline;">HOW TO OBSERVE</span></span></div>
<div align="justify" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 1em; text-size-adjust: 100%; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; vertical-align: baseline;">Make an effort to help someone who is struggling or having a problem. Use #GoodSamaritanDay to post on social media.</span></div>
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<div align="justify" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 1em; text-size-adjust: 100%; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; vertical-align: baseline;">1. When did someone come to your rescue and can you tell us about it? <span style="color: #666666;">There have been a number of times over the years! One that came to mind quickly was the time that we got our truck stuck just down the road from our property when we were clearing the land to build our house. It was mud season, and we got a little too close to the ditch when we "got over" to make room for an oncoming car (our road is fairly narrow and we weren't used to it yet). A few minutes later, along came a kind older couple in a truck, who happily gave us a tow, along with the advice to "never get over to give someone room on THIS road!" 😁</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; vertical-align: baseline;">2. When did you help someone out of a jam and can you tell us about it? <span style="color: #666666;">We had the chance to pull someone else out of the ditch on our road a few years later! Then there was also the time that one of my dad's coworkers had a flat tire just down the road from our house. He made it into our driveway and when I realized what was going on, I sent Sam down to see if he could use a hand. I found out later he was really happy to have Sam's help. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; vertical-align: baseline;">3. What are your thoughts on being a good Samaritan? Some states (like Florida) have even passed <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Good_Samaritan_law" style="text-decoration-line: none;">Good Samaritan laws</a> so you don't get into trouble with the law for trying to help someone. <span style="color: #666666;">I am always happy to help someone, provided it's someone I know (if I am by myself). In cases that we stop to help a stranded motorist or whatever, I am a little leery and would never do that by myself, just knowing how things can be in this day and age. I do think it's important to be on the lookout for ways we can jump in and give someone a helping hand when we see a need, though...as long as we use wisdom at the same time.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; vertical-align: baseline;">4. Thursday is National Pi Day. It's a fun play on the date 3.14. Will you have some pie to celebrate? <span style="color: #666666;">I don't know that I'll have time to make a pie tomorrow (or ingredients?) as Thursdays are very busy for me. We'll see. Maybe a Tollhouse cookie pie? But tonight I made beef pot pie with leftover pot roast and veggies, and that is always so YUMMY!</span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIGQrkn1cV55u7gzr_4pOfN2mFYqRxAx-oBcz-4ZLXUQ3_55eUG5ywQTpp_xH9zGwozEn3ePRNS9ujJ13Beh982nEhCnjNSpPo9CpGMXPJ2PzS6Ta5kKiWVL7Xv2Ql25CXR0Vwuw/s1600/IMG_5508.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIGQrkn1cV55u7gzr_4pOfN2mFYqRxAx-oBcz-4ZLXUQ3_55eUG5ywQTpp_xH9zGwozEn3ePRNS9ujJ13Beh982nEhCnjNSpPo9CpGMXPJ2PzS6Ta5kKiWVL7Xv2Ql25CXR0Vwuw/s320/IMG_5508.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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5. Did you know that Pi is the most studied number in mathematics? Are you good with numbers? <span style="color: #666666;">I think I probably knew that...at least I know it is maybe the most famous/interesting number! I am fairly good with numbers, as long as it's what I call "everyday math." Balancing checkbooks, basic math, budgeting...stuff like that. Or even cooking math. But not so great with anything like algebra or above!</span></div>
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<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-size-adjust: 100%; vertical-align: baseline;">6. Tell us something random about your week. <span style="color: #666666;">We finished such a fun book for school this week. It's called </span><i style="color: #666666;"><a href="https://smile.amazon.com/Sherwood-Ring-Elizabeth-Marie-Pope/dp/0618150749/">The Sherwood Ring</a></i><span style="color: #666666;">, and while I originally thought it was going to be set in England (Sherwood Forest?), it was actually set in the United States, in the mid-20th century, and has these "ghosts" from the Revolutionary era who keep making appearances. It sounds weird but is a really great story. The kids and I all loved it and we read it twice as fast as it was supposed to be scheduled, just because no one could bear to stop in the middle of a chapter. I give this one 5 stars and highly recommend it!</span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #666666; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMkwvH_54Tw8i2nnEq5aMGIlXLC_NcdYbe_5klHHzzV2lVYN6JbR195bLOn2glSRSiIlSKKxuZrzctcKWr70mdHjpwd2umrUNCa3-Cy6K8MmVnHyClMOYhVsgNv8FJN2Afixna-g/s1600/51NXT0aJIlL._SX334_BO1%252C204%252C203%252C200_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="499" data-original-width="336" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMkwvH_54Tw8i2nnEq5aMGIlXLC_NcdYbe_5klHHzzV2lVYN6JbR195bLOn2glSRSiIlSKKxuZrzctcKWr70mdHjpwd2umrUNCa3-Cy6K8MmVnHyClMOYhVsgNv8FJN2Afixna-g/s320/51NXT0aJIlL._SX334_BO1%252C204%252C203%252C200_.jpg" width="215" /></a></div>
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And that wraps up my Wednesday medley for this week! Thanks for reading!</div>
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Carriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00159961811540152967noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11447399.post-51182589604506474992019-03-12T13:00:00.000-05:002019-03-12T13:00:05.963-05:00Sledding Party & Sam's Birthday<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
We had the most beautiful late winter day on Saturday! We had a bunch of kids from our Patch the Pirate Club at church here for a sledding party (and a few parents, too!). What a fun afternoon it was. We have a great driveway for sledding and everyone had a blast, and thankfully there were no injuries (which was amazing considering how many kids were going up and down at the same time). Here are a bunch of random pics from the day, and a couple of videos.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqIIXzjbelxJBrNgtaxXCgzoENtmGRbQZVn6ks2RjDSi4xXRL3rHWLW7a7saSDZcXvfswRYaSeUfmODxQgeI2d34GRVwSJ00YmWveeOQxjh0zf9sAo81e8GMnkmL2DKsID43I_OQ/s1600/IMG_5421+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqIIXzjbelxJBrNgtaxXCgzoENtmGRbQZVn6ks2RjDSi4xXRL3rHWLW7a7saSDZcXvfswRYaSeUfmODxQgeI2d34GRVwSJ00YmWveeOQxjh0zf9sAo81e8GMnkmL2DKsID43I_OQ/s320/IMG_5421+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLf1ScocOOTdOlTqJHRdI-YRPvR9yfS0-0qzm9rGXKC7sR5RPwjUBOM1H6eEzcp1uarTEgpRvN-zflPsaxhIfpVd1t6HEKYzeGsuT8xYrRVcvAXeS5Rgq669Preh1nahgaLtZAxQ/s1600/IMG_5428.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLf1ScocOOTdOlTqJHRdI-YRPvR9yfS0-0qzm9rGXKC7sR5RPwjUBOM1H6eEzcp1uarTEgpRvN-zflPsaxhIfpVd1t6HEKYzeGsuT8xYrRVcvAXeS5Rgq669Preh1nahgaLtZAxQ/s320/IMG_5428.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL_iiMC_6MVHwG1zqgkG_WlYlcIR7xZUE3VTOEe67O30GB_0y7FbY9m15MKGsgWT4udYcgd4G6pgf4DqqNZIykeN2EaotW4cvCm0fIM31MJC6ztMhc2KiSbVbX5NzJh4HNcGbTNA/s1600/IMG_5429+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL_iiMC_6MVHwG1zqgkG_WlYlcIR7xZUE3VTOEe67O30GB_0y7FbY9m15MKGsgWT4udYcgd4G6pgf4DqqNZIykeN2EaotW4cvCm0fIM31MJC6ztMhc2KiSbVbX5NzJh4HNcGbTNA/s320/IMG_5429+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Ari got right in there and kept up with the big kids. She played hard all afternoon, was bouncing off the walls by bedtime, and slept great that night!</div>
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I got a couple fun videos of some of the action...the snow was really perfect for all kinds of sleds!</div>
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<span style="text-align: center;">Hot chocolate and cookies were greatly enjoyed by all!</span></div>
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with my sweet friends Karla and Gail </div>
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After the sledding, we switched gears and finished getting ready for Sam's birthday party. He turned 15 last week! He got several new Lego sets, which made him very happy. Hasn't outgrown Legos yet!</div>
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He also got a few books, including this one about a Maine railroad. He's really enjoyed reading through them already.</div>
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Grampa and Ari regaled us with this rendition of "You Are My Sunshine" 😊</div>
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Words can't express what a blessing this guy is to us. He is a neat kid! </div>
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He and I combined our efforts and made a delicious dark chocolate cake with a brownie layer on the bottom. Yum!<span style="text-align: center;"> Happy birthday, Sam!</span></div>
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<br />Carriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00159961811540152967noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11447399.post-64675055288290622782019-03-11T19:02:00.000-05:002019-03-11T19:02:39.872-05:00One Tiny Thing<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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One of my goals in taking time off from social media is to tackle some of the little things around the house that have been bothering me (and of course some bigger things, too). As a busy homeschooling mom, I really don't have as much time as I'd like (even without wasting time online!) to accomplish some of those deep-cleaning and organizing projects, or even just areas where the piles of stuff have built up. Or even (being honest) some of the basic chores like cleaning the bathroom sinks! So last week I decided that as much as possible, I'm going to tackle one tiny thing each weekday...usually something I've been putting off that has started to bug me. Some days I might even be able to get more than one tiny thing done!<br />
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Last week I mended shirts for each of the boys, one of which got ripped LAST SPRING and has sat on the dryer of all places ever since. (While cleaning my laundry room last week I found it and remembered I needed to sew it up.) Neither mending job was perfect, but the shirts are now rip-free and in the boys' drawers, and removed from (strange) places like the dryer or the sewing box. Today I did two tiny things: clearing off the hope chest in my room, which too often becomes a catch-all instead of a pretty space, and also putting away books from my to-read pile, which had ended up in a big literal pile on the floor. I still have a few there, but over half have been put away on shelves. These two tiny things made a big difference in the overall tidiness of the room!<br />
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I think tomorrow's tiny thing will be wiping down the master bathroom sinks and mirror.<br />
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I have a specific reason for wanting to tackle some of these spaces before the end of April (which is a secret so I can't share it here yet!), and I'm excited to be making a little headway, even if it's in tiny steps. I feel encouraged that maybe I can tackle some even bigger projects (like sewing a quilt I started for Josiah last year) in tiny steps, too. Carriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00159961811540152967noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11447399.post-6951393648196613182019-03-08T16:05:00.000-05:002019-03-08T16:08:42.594-05:00Friday Five: March RamblesIt's March already, and I realized last week that in spite of my good intentions, I haven't written anything here in quite some time. I even updated the blog look for winter, then didn't finish any posts to go with the new theme (though I started two). I do miss writing and rambling here, but I'll admit that other forms of social media have become my go-to for quick snippets and pics of everyday life.<br />
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BUT...this year I decided to take the season of Lent mostly off from social media. I chose to make it not a *complete* fast (although I feel that sometime I should do that), because I am committed to participating in a faith study with my local moms' group on Facebook. So my plan is to allow myself a little time to check in there on the weekends, and maybe a quick peek at Instagram. In the meantime, I'm not including blogs or blogging in "social media," as that's not a place where I've struggled lately to maintain a balance. While my main goal for the Lenten weeks is to spend time focusing on my family, doing some neglected housekeeping projects, and spending more time with my local friends (and doing some much-needed spiritual introspection), I also decided to make a goal of posting something here at least a few times, to scratch the writing itch and perhaps fire up my love of blogging again. <br />
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So, since I never completed any New Year's posts, I decided to jump back in with a rambly, fun post instead. We'll call it the Friday Five: March Rambles edition.<br />
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<b>Ramble 1</b>: So far, March hasn't felt at all like spring. Although today...it's finally in the mid-30s with bright gorgeous sunshine!!! The past weeks have been cold (think January cold!) and snowy. We have ridiculous amounts of snow, and since we haven't had much warm weather to melt it, it just keeps piling up. I have most of my winter decorations still up, because, well, it still seems appropriate. But I'm feeling the urge to start putting out some springy stuff soon. The coming week is supposed to be warmer, and I'm definitely looking forward to that!<br />
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<b>Ramble 2</b>: In addition to being a cold and snowy winter, it's also been a good winter for wildlife. We've enjoyed watching a pileated woodpecker, numerous other birds at the feeder, a little white weasel with a black tip on its tail, a porcupine (which unfortunately died), and lots of deer. Also a fox, and a barred owl, which even found its way into the chicken coop at one point, and surprised Josiah by flying out over his head when he went to do the morning chores. (Amazingly it hadn't harmed any chickens...maybe it was just in there to catch mice?) The deer have been very active this week and we counted 13+ in the backyard both yesterday and today.<br />
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And we saw the fox yesterday too, at the same time as some of the deer.<br />
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<b>Ramble 3: </b>I've been mulling over the beauty of community lately. Ten years ago I was a stay-at-home mom of three little kids ages 5 and under, and I could count my local friends on one hand. And I didn't have the chance to get together with those few friends very often, either. We were commuting an hour away to church, and I hadn't had the chance to really build close friendships with many ladies there. So much has changed in the past ten years and I'm incredibly grateful. Seasons and friendships come and go, and some of the things that have changed have been hard, but in the process God has given me the gift of many more local friends. Not only do I have people pouring into me, but I get to (hopefully!) pour into others' lives, I have a local church now with a number of dear friends, I've been able to get to know other local moms through homeschooling, the library, moms' group, and even swim lessons. Truly I'm amazed at the ways God brings new friends into our lives! At the same time I'm also grateful for old friends, many of whom are not local to me, but still are a blessing to me as we're able to be connected in various ways across the miles.</div>
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<b>Ramble 4: </b>I am loving the preschool age with this little girl: </div>
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This video is from back in the fall, but I still love it!! Also, if you haven't checked out Mackenzie Koppa's podcast, <a href="http://boldturquoise.com/thesamepage/">The Same Page</a>, I highly recommend it! Ari memorized this scene from Romeo and Juliet just from listening the podcast every day for a few weeks.<br />
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I also love how she still says some words wrong. A current favorite is "smallow," which is her word for swallow! 😂<br />
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<b>Ramble 5: </b>I've recently embarked on yet another weight-loss journey (it's about time, seeing as my baby is 4 years old...incidentally, the last time I lost significant weight, Josiah was my "baby" at the time, and also 4, so maybe that is the magic age for me??), and I've lost a little over 4 lbs in the past month. I've been working out 5-6 days a week since the beginning of February, and another helpful tool for me has been the <a href="https://www.loseit.com/">Lose It! app</a> (free version). I'm not getting super consumed with making sure my calories for each day are accurate, but it's been helpful to see where I might be overdoing things here and there, and trying to come in somewhere in the ballpark of their recommendation. I also did a 40 day sugar fast back in Jan/Feb, and that helped a lot, as now I don't crave sugar quite so much and have been able to save it mostly for special occasions.<br />
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Okay, that wraps up today's post...we have a busy weekend ahead, but I hope to write more next week. Till then... have a good weekend!😊<br />
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<br />Carriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00159961811540152967noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11447399.post-70978988076219716152018-11-02T20:54:00.000-05:002018-11-02T20:54:19.818-05:00Friday Five: November 2ndDipping my toes in the "Friday Five" waters...maybe this is something I can keep up with? With my track record, no guarantees!😂 Anyway, I'm calling this week the "H" edition: homeschool, habits, health, and home. Here are 5 things that I'm loving this week!<br />
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<li><b>Homeschool: </b>Finding out that David Suchet has narrated the entire Bible and you can listen to it for free on Youtube. Suchet is one of my favorite British actors (actually probably one of my favorite actors, period!) and we listened to his narration of the book of Mark this month for school. It's so well-done. I should note that it's only in NIV, just a heads up. I prefer ESV, but we have really enjoyed listening to this and I've found it's not that much different. <iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="344" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Kt4rWLVAW5g" width="459"></iframe> </li>
<li><b>Habits: </b>One of my focuses this year was to be habits, but I haven't done as well with them as I would like. But I'm happy to say that since we got back from our trip out west, I've actually kept up with the dishes every night for the first time this year. It's been a whole month now, and I feel like this habit is slowly becoming...well, a habit! It's really given me more time in my days, and I feel so victorious every time I finish the day with a clean kitchen sink. Hurray!</li>
<li><b>Health: </b>I've been struggling in this area lately, after having a fairly good summer. I indulged a bit too much (or a lot too much) on our trip, so now it's time to buckle down again and work on healthy habits. One thing that I've embarked on is a 21 day THM challenge that a gal on FB has organized. So far I have finished 2 full days of eating on plan, and I am thankful for the accountability. Now to get back to regular exercise as well!</li>
<li><b>Home: </b>I just love being home at this time of year, and I especially love fall decorating. Our fall foliage wasn't the best this year because of so. much. rain, but at least I can make things pretty inside! Thankful for thrift store and dollar tree decor, and other odds and ends that I've been able to decorate with. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<li><b>Homeschool (part 2 😉): </b>Another great thing we've added into this year's morning time for school is <a href="http://boldturquoise.com/thesamepage/">The Same Page podcast</a>, hosted by Mackenzie Koppa. When we first started listening to the Core Edition (memory work) back in August, I will admit my kids were less than thrilled. I even heard, "Do we HAVE to listen to this?!" BUT, they did love the Literary Edition, where Mackenzie reads a chapter or so of a classic novel, 4 days a week. The first book she did was The Wizard of Oz, and even though we've listened to Anne Hathaway's recording of the same book on Audible, I believe they enjoyed Mackenzie's reading just as much. (The current book is Peter Pan, which they are also really enjoying!) And now they have even become fans of the weekly memory work, and have painlessly memorized selections from Scripture, Shakespeare, and other poems and facts. I love that Mackenzie gets her kids involved in the memory work, so there is variety in who is reading what pieces each week. Hearing her kids recite Romeo and Juliet was just so fun! So if you haven't checked this out, please do...it just might be a hit with your kids, too. </li>
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So ends my first (but hopefully not my last) Friday Five! </div>
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<b><br /></b>Carriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00159961811540152967noreply@blogger.com2