tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-163691852024-02-06T22:21:11.479-08:00Barefoot MamaElizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12104059730266081936noreply@blogger.comBlogger389125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16369185.post-16532882661802418722022-03-07T20:37:00.000-08:002022-03-07T20:37:05.584-08:00Rosie the Raptor's Renovation part 2<p>This is how the main living area turned out. 😍 <span style="text-align: center;">The couch and ottoman are from Home Reserve (and we love it!), which means it has storage underneath each piece. I would totally buy another or get a few more pieces for this one to use in a house someday. The dining table is my old craft table that Chris modified for use in the RV. It has a leaf that folds out so we can seat all 6 of us (seating for 6 was a must). The dining bench is our old shoe bench that we painted and put the peel and stick paper on. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi9NOtsqpFbteIZs5GtNSEEUs37lSn4GTKOrscfPC3fsww3Eeluk3KgJmQyMXcgNECuRhM8cgF8bXdJgL-ocnViA5TVINRb2eSnk0vIWzRpskaOrxvgwxxYb0qItq7ShqTVZgyj5rpJnJ3do-XXtecWIAuDisPmQXzUOWo5WrQ78eNzJQIAnw=s4032" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi9NOtsqpFbteIZs5GtNSEEUs37lSn4GTKOrscfPC3fsww3Eeluk3KgJmQyMXcgNECuRhM8cgF8bXdJgL-ocnViA5TVINRb2eSnk0vIWzRpskaOrxvgwxxYb0qItq7ShqTVZgyj5rpJnJ3do-XXtecWIAuDisPmQXzUOWo5WrQ78eNzJQIAnw=s320" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The letterboard has our current location and next stop on it, hence the coloring over it</td></tr></tbody></table></div><p>At the last moment (aka after we had painted), we decided to put in an electric fireplace/space heater and we are SO glad. It adds a great ambiance to the room and was totally worth losing the shelf space it took up.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgSkU6jPDl7g_1VCdtEoDW9gy9rngT4XjWaoLFbmD4KDg-KBJm74XIysLjqCR15Tyfs8E0snCM8-rFVomQjWV3DBqVWB8Sk_tRy3qRetc73y4KkqrBf6hm5A_1TCgD9vIWWGcRNj-38QNP3lVL4WKSOep1hu9YDhSwUgDIo1Aj2JjAvTq6zFw=s1204" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="903" data-original-width="1204" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgSkU6jPDl7g_1VCdtEoDW9gy9rngT4XjWaoLFbmD4KDg-KBJm74XIysLjqCR15Tyfs8E0snCM8-rFVomQjWV3DBqVWB8Sk_tRy3qRetc73y4KkqrBf6hm5A_1TCgD9vIWWGcRNj-38QNP3lVL4WKSOep1hu9YDhSwUgDIo1Aj2JjAvTq6zFw=s320" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is before we installed it and put the shelf back above the fireplace. Because heat doesn't come out the top, it's perfect to store books that we use on a daily basis.</td><td style="text-align: center;"><br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="text-align: center;">Chris built this shelf above the front door for our books, and let me tell you, choosing which ones to bring was HARD. But thankfully I bought a Kindle last summer which has been more than worth it, and we were still able to bring some print books.</span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhWfSBsDJ5F0AqDSLSlEVENQdGx116bwj8LVYKeb5h5oypfI29VZ2Ckhmvk_b69CBESlEPvYcIuJ4WjJzPWxq0T2NUs0cDFJH1tGlPTqfY8Bb2-Sd-F8AympUfeXXDGDJYI18uIea-rI3qEkkCrFdlqWsh172fHpAw8OwzPZJIVsIgb_k3Acg=s830" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="830" data-original-width="622" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhWfSBsDJ5F0AqDSLSlEVENQdGx116bwj8LVYKeb5h5oypfI29VZ2Ckhmvk_b69CBESlEPvYcIuJ4WjJzPWxq0T2NUs0cDFJH1tGlPTqfY8Bb2-Sd-F8AympUfeXXDGDJYI18uIea-rI3qEkkCrFdlqWsh172fHpAw8OwzPZJIVsIgb_k3Acg=s320" width="240" /></a></div><p></p><p>The loft is essentially the kids' playroom, so I made a fun acrostic with their names on my Silhouette (most of which is hidden behind the pillows in this photo) and a friend sewed pillows for it. The cabinet houses their toys, except for the Legos (because they needed a giant tote of their own) and a few that are kept in their room.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEizbMy_QX9mYQX4tqu_LACbpOFRmzQ4-KB_fckOB7d-nLa5gckSduSnxixOOTrBZUDfhbvFsX8Y7THJA1zNjQhZIANOHVHS8YGVYuPuRiXel9DNlMpZfjwgx8_RXqh4ett-GOc22Kc2kjcLsK3b3CqvzE1Xj4P-2IsTIxxZvW9xbOVhM5HP8A=s4032" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEizbMy_QX9mYQX4tqu_LACbpOFRmzQ4-KB_fckOB7d-nLa5gckSduSnxixOOTrBZUDfhbvFsX8Y7THJA1zNjQhZIANOHVHS8YGVYuPuRiXel9DNlMpZfjwgx8_RXqh4ett-GOc22Kc2kjcLsK3b3CqvzE1Xj4P-2IsTIxxZvW9xbOVhM5HP8A=s320" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p>For our room, Chris built a <i>beautiful</i> mountain headboard (see first photo) that we both loved. And then we weighed the RV and needed to get rid of a bunch of weight, so we took it out. 😭 We sold it on FB, and I am already hoping he'll make another for our next house. We ended up just doing peel and stick wallpaper on foam board, which is fine, but I still miss those mountains.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgQEIQyIxOVs2qbrCOY8msWsb6buY3O_YgG_3XGXwO6pQ7ifm_MZMPRm7E4cYbE3OjeeKFeL4XJ60UinPAjHuEmT4o8jua0AwJAUEa5s5Lj-2oys4blHlG1YSxxpyUpHNnpFUOY8MuOmgRzHRQd94TEh82P0_6X_BgI2bTLjY1PEjGocXApBA=s1107" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="830" data-original-width="1107" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgQEIQyIxOVs2qbrCOY8msWsb6buY3O_YgG_3XGXwO6pQ7ifm_MZMPRm7E4cYbE3OjeeKFeL4XJ60UinPAjHuEmT4o8jua0AwJAUEa5s5Lj-2oys4blHlG1YSxxpyUpHNnpFUOY8MuOmgRzHRQd94TEh82P0_6X_BgI2bTLjY1PEjGocXApBA=s320" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Goodbye, beautiful headboard we never got to enjoy<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjAA2g5m9UBbmo0lEJH3uoZz8tgr5gWQn9wFn6tP-_jlXZ-1OBbpj7YjfJzlxlwy9TkknislSTSLHYKd_VxBBXrPnkrMmQzEIUXzXgOgWCYZDbF1sinL_u-MNDoIcx0MUD_QOOcpUdyXCjttNKLZvbLrZ5vrMvnZzcar-3zyncdxxMX6xclBw=s1107" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="830" data-original-width="1107" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjAA2g5m9UBbmo0lEJH3uoZz8tgr5gWQn9wFn6tP-_jlXZ-1OBbpj7YjfJzlxlwy9TkknislSTSLHYKd_VxBBXrPnkrMmQzEIUXzXgOgWCYZDbF1sinL_u-MNDoIcx0MUD_QOOcpUdyXCjttNKLZvbLrZ5vrMvnZzcar-3zyncdxxMX6xclBw=s320" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The bedding and throw pillows were what we were already using, minus the blue pillows that my mom recovered with fabric from our family room curtains, because the old ones were the wrong color.</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The counter in our room also got the paint and peel/stick treatment and we replaced the mirrored doors with curtains we had in our old house.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And now for the room that underwent the biggest transition. When we started, it was a garage for quads/dirt bikes, etc. (And if you ask Isaac, he'll tell you it's not right that we aren't hauling those types of toys in it). I wish I could take credit for this room, but it was all Chris...he designed everything, built it and made sure it was safe. I painted, haha. The desk is to the right as you enter the room; Chris made it from a slab we got from our neighbor. The shelf (which holds kids books and our school items) was one we had in our old family room and the map is from Amazon. It hung in our dining room for the year before we left, and we would mark on it places we wanted to go. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiAkb9IgTVt_LbUoB3WWWsY11vLDzwYpMGyK5OoTAiELHUJaNSktDEjN_F6128HTJWeUBQe18ITSWiFUI8idlPYAjAWrtaDCpU7sv_qLIpH5MzpXOSZLWHnPUANg1qsEaxp3UgfXQWUE4UEGSLWT0-Km2Uu0zHAktn_AvBrrk7bvfi7HkjxYQ=s4032" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiAkb9IgTVt_LbUoB3WWWsY11vLDzwYpMGyK5OoTAiELHUJaNSktDEjN_F6128HTJWeUBQe18ITSWiFUI8idlPYAjAWrtaDCpU7sv_qLIpH5MzpXOSZLWHnPUANg1qsEaxp3UgfXQWUE4UEGSLWT0-Km2Uu0zHAktn_AvBrrk7bvfi7HkjxYQ=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhwPQGcslAdeWw4u4Mkx75GN2f72QrOEVY5KpMjVuhrBOwKnUqEnffk3VpaazT3XPPKIKK0rdmooOU0M2tWTanfNAiMQIGRqnMPGLElXXO4s7FUdxGi3suFGsh6AQt7cEZSciSF9PxldgZI_NwvmyriIL-aqYi6iQE5xM2os_asushDJtg7wQ=s4032" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhwPQGcslAdeWw4u4Mkx75GN2f72QrOEVY5KpMjVuhrBOwKnUqEnffk3VpaazT3XPPKIKK0rdmooOU0M2tWTanfNAiMQIGRqnMPGLElXXO4s7FUdxGi3suFGsh6AQt7cEZSciSF9PxldgZI_NwvmyriIL-aqYi6iQE5xM2os_asushDJtg7wQ=s320" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After too many travel day spills, we upgraded from tension rods to thick dowels and they are working MUCH better.</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh7aHMIoEGKVlnRkYdm8GVQMhB5aiu5QBNrZhRHhUDADi4SoRSFcrSJyowwLaBUDkjAUBLSN8n_gvrpUJEbTjlOrsGlcbEV4UIHIqjf69sdzMVvXkuKCqseYm9Qw3wWmtwboKnrvYaBvW3Y3oMPovp24v8uluKUN0C6G9tMuLT9kR1v4_iDMQ=s4032" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh7aHMIoEGKVlnRkYdm8GVQMhB5aiu5QBNrZhRHhUDADi4SoRSFcrSJyowwLaBUDkjAUBLSN8n_gvrpUJEbTjlOrsGlcbEV4UIHIqjf69sdzMVvXkuKCqseYm9Qw3wWmtwboKnrvYaBvW3Y3oMPovp24v8uluKUN0C6G9tMuLT9kR1v4_iDMQ=s320" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The map flips up to show a whiteboard</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">To the left is Benji's bed. For his mattress, we took a foam mattress topper (left in the RV by the sellers) and cut it to fit a toddler sized Beddy that I got on FB Marketplace. It wraps around the foam on a board, which sits on top of our old Ikea TV stand. We took the legs off for stability and it holds his clothes and a few toys. When our kids were younger, a friend cut their first initial out of a book, so each kid has theirs by their bed. <br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhwPQGcslAdeWw4u4Mkx75GN2f72QrOEVY5KpMjVuhrBOwKnUqEnffk3VpaazT3XPPKIKK0rdmooOU0M2tWTanfNAiMQIGRqnMPGLElXXO4s7FUdxGi3suFGsh6AQt7cEZSciSF9PxldgZI_NwvmyriIL-aqYi6iQE5xM2os_asushDJtg7wQ=s4032" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgolLTyhRguWXstotswXL53S62X1tHJECQMhbxf-gvBk0y2MqGbaUyibBMI4v3Qr_BQ_3EzEiE9DaYzn_rOgHbz_EaXPrWpOVzd5581iRqDLyOf0cmVKBQpxD2-1MEPhz-oE0JhM68_VC_JEZREPbMElgza9pvJl7wQZGcaZaFfBGlolPqDAQ=s4032" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgolLTyhRguWXstotswXL53S62X1tHJECQMhbxf-gvBk0y2MqGbaUyibBMI4v3Qr_BQ_3EzEiE9DaYzn_rOgHbz_EaXPrWpOVzd5581iRqDLyOf0cmVKBQpxD2-1MEPhz-oE0JhM68_VC_JEZREPbMElgza9pvJl7wQZGcaZaFfBGlolPqDAQ=s320" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This is probably the feature we get the most comments on, and again, I can't take credit for it. After trying several different ideas (ladders, climbing nets, etc) for access to Isaac and Lydia's beds (those are the wooden slats you see in the top of the photos), Chris found these rock wall grips on Amazon that have worked really well. For added fun, they can fold up Timothy's bed and jump onto cushions from a foot or so up. Isaac and Lydia's beds are also cut from the mattress topper foam and I upcycled bedsheets to fit them a bit better.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgEbytO55ydYVU2FPi7OQ2BeSDQDoXFbRMjuVANRCrZO9qkDD66hRYZaph_ghjocUYixPpqMOGMPKQ9KjBSukRnWzq7DMbj5r7a2mMIQTJ-o61D01lBJdbxvy3B0c-nvDtyNhUCQkNKvAtWipXl0RD7iD_dwkrDQ_1RPsvsr5h2peJ71BGTqg=s4032" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgEbytO55ydYVU2FPi7OQ2BeSDQDoXFbRMjuVANRCrZO9qkDD66hRYZaph_ghjocUYixPpqMOGMPKQ9KjBSukRnWzq7DMbj5r7a2mMIQTJ-o61D01lBJdbxvy3B0c-nvDtyNhUCQkNKvAtWipXl0RD7iD_dwkrDQ_1RPsvsr5h2peJ71BGTqg=s320" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It's not in this photo because we hadn't put it on the wall when I took these, but our keyboard is attached to the wall on the left. As I mentioned earlier, Timothy's bed folds up which gives the kids a bunch more floor space, and is really nice on rainy days.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">In the bathroom, we painted, replaced the towel hooks, and I moved over these pictures from our old house. They're all taken from <i><a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/218446/everything-i-need-to-know-i-learned-from-a-little-golden-book-by-diane-muldrow/">Everything I Need to Know I Learned From a Little Golden Book</a> </i>and I super love them. They had been framed in white, but I wanted black for this wall, however, I discovered I bought the wrong size from Ikea, so black cardstock it was!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj9wIZdTWrU3UB3s1gMdOkyzW_18wuTzyFYvM5a3uN095LDH2Isvnk3XcQRHgH4xQnRFEao_pfNaAr12lvayEUZmD7ktDq9AZUvPSfATXAF6GndpBTSAwzjK7hQ1nqz9Cbm8o6Ta_-ywK6ldThvAoepD__UH34X_EtFc5ZXcl1fpiDCzjT7cw=s4032" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj9wIZdTWrU3UB3s1gMdOkyzW_18wuTzyFYvM5a3uN095LDH2Isvnk3XcQRHgH4xQnRFEao_pfNaAr12lvayEUZmD7ktDq9AZUvPSfATXAF6GndpBTSAwzjK7hQ1nqz9Cbm8o6Ta_-ywK6ldThvAoepD__UH34X_EtFc5ZXcl1fpiDCzjT7cw=s320" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">And last but certainly not least is one of my favorite décor items in the RV is our corkboard map that we're using to keep track of our trip. Each place we spend the night gets a pin, and then each month we string them together, using a different color for each month (in rainbow order). I'm going to hang it in our future houses as a fun visual reminder of this trip. It's not up to date in this photo, so sorry, you can't stalk us. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgMR6iR6bPH_OWj_QvO7y4d1gvf6GsKKEce9R7-Wa2L1QA1lLiepOUKWuQTILBlt2StV108lU_gsRZ-KBhZ6EmMDkg__E2Qs-fC0lbNItfeTP9g8UMGY-Ttd1L3SEO89SUX6vwackVgAXgGf8nwxF04ocEINHtHefqRZ6UcpfoyXMC3ipVczA=s2592" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1944" data-original-width="2592" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgMR6iR6bPH_OWj_QvO7y4d1gvf6GsKKEce9R7-Wa2L1QA1lLiepOUKWuQTILBlt2StV108lU_gsRZ-KBhZ6EmMDkg__E2Qs-fC0lbNItfeTP9g8UMGY-Ttd1L3SEO89SUX6vwackVgAXgGf8nwxF04ocEINHtHefqRZ6UcpfoyXMC3ipVczA=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Whew! I think that covers all the renovations we did. There's a few wall hangings that didn't make it into this post, but hopefully it gives you a good idea of what our little home on wheels looks like!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><br /></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p></p>Elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12104059730266081936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16369185.post-89732431396078796882022-01-03T21:50:00.000-08:002022-01-03T21:50:08.308-08:00Rosie the Raptor's Renovation part 1We knew when we bought our RV that we wanted to make it our own, just as you do when you move into a house. For the first few months of renovations (when Chris was still working full time) he spent his spare time on the unseen but important tasks like wheel bearings, dump tank valves, brakes, etc. About the time his leave of absence started in September, we really started focusing on the inside. Here's what we started with:<div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="830" data-original-width="1107" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiSp7jjkNcccUss1helMqGQ7o4OqfMfFMQHnLyVLqQMGd4SIBjF-cmCgV-EillYnSjkEw5yiiymEegBOujg_Gn2pYAQRH_9xsqa_VfdkvCo4m3uPKLKZeXdr2SLII44Iz2mZiu5iaJKxH6p6QsKuOC92su3wfZmurfm2okPuvFi6KUYTz6EPA=s320" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Living room/dining area (looking from the front door)</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhJ6_zBuUVW6sbZvHiAj-EIrvTfSa7NLovQFsrGe-p-sc2TeetHob_G5-HzmbL95OgTtf6ypqJTwhF0Xm20nQGInANHD-2kr-7VJmD3pbvAuRr316YVhAPkieSnm8_7H7fyQRVJiMGv02Ic4_hjBOEt2t_XKeJNlwKu2AWWLhVncV-vgjhW5w=s1107" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="830" data-original-width="1107" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhJ6_zBuUVW6sbZvHiAj-EIrvTfSa7NLovQFsrGe-p-sc2TeetHob_G5-HzmbL95OgTtf6ypqJTwhF0Xm20nQGInANHD-2kr-7VJmD3pbvAuRr316YVhAPkieSnm8_7H7fyQRVJiMGv02Ic4_hjBOEt2t_XKeJNlwKu2AWWLhVncV-vgjhW5w=s320" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Main living area<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="830" data-original-width="1107" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi6akFYws7hsQWKu5LZhrygVRUf-VbdJlQ-ayMxa6prSP2vID0efOQCCD4z3dhgxk5D52_lOaPcHcmb0FecCs5qDJE3f8RyntJet_ubPkTUC-8ROQdrn04L_rVkYmu_TpQiqzXVXXA_AzUkShp2eFou3r6bwD3Qf9sDan6iyNQr_cBHanEFVw=s320" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looing into the garage area and the loft</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhihRMBXtxZZiXYTEAmeYXx_F_PsVRna1XopQyLyooHzOkDGZKJ39vObj8zjzqv5v2rEHS0UoMPQc1mwHl4oZuQ4Zwd_A-1F7IPFQQfMesoXCXbEu-i9JzKD8pJVLMvMrMpD9DBDkX7l95x18bv91f1eMZPG38jjnLQKVxB3cOv51D5ZOm8Uw=s830" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="830" data-original-width="622" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhihRMBXtxZZiXYTEAmeYXx_F_PsVRna1XopQyLyooHzOkDGZKJ39vObj8zjzqv5v2rEHS0UoMPQc1mwHl4oZuQ4Zwd_A-1F7IPFQQfMesoXCXbEu-i9JzKD8pJVLMvMrMpD9DBDkX7l95x18bv91f1eMZPG38jjnLQKVxB3cOv51D5ZOm8Uw=s320" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kitchen</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg4gWVQ0fuMPG1ElDTzzmfy4cJfEWEKM9FpCjVU45Xjl0S50J-Jt62t5JRkoweefHie3GeviqUI65cHS5Y-9M5L5NAslx4kiDp-19A9U6wRz4AvJCq06xDyejRWlDdEd-gcpRQieXhOvliT6Gzz4lKkyIDSNWELRCBaUB81Uo7lFxQ_iKivIQ=s1107" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="830" data-original-width="1107" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg4gWVQ0fuMPG1ElDTzzmfy4cJfEWEKM9FpCjVU45Xjl0S50J-Jt62t5JRkoweefHie3GeviqUI65cHS5Y-9M5L5NAslx4kiDp-19A9U6wRz4AvJCq06xDyejRWlDdEd-gcpRQieXhOvliT6Gzz4lKkyIDSNWELRCBaUB81Uo7lFxQ_iKivIQ=s320" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sink/our room</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhRWL5RHEDs0vrXEQ6XYHsABTg6hnY0cl1GbffYDfG-NSvcV2a6opx9tkT6ndRKLFP5lUKY8y-ZLlYsmo-qG8NocON1pXUis8z8x_slwSMopV5EGqTSuJQKNIU5RVdABbCVPpFGpXddV-y-LBXTP7rDUHMAFWRbuhuBA9PqWEmqEABQAlfw-Q=s1107" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="830" data-original-width="1107" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhRWL5RHEDs0vrXEQ6XYHsABTg6hnY0cl1GbffYDfG-NSvcV2a6opx9tkT6ndRKLFP5lUKY8y-ZLlYsmo-qG8NocON1pXUis8z8x_slwSMopV5EGqTSuJQKNIU5RVdABbCVPpFGpXddV-y-LBXTP7rDUHMAFWRbuhuBA9PqWEmqEABQAlfw-Q=s320" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our bed</td></tr></tbody></table><br />I could just show you the after photos, but that is way too simple. We started the interior renovations by removing the couch and dinette (which we sold on FB!), replacing the lights (the black ones are from Amazon and I love them), taking down the vinyl slide headers and the wallpaper border. We wiped everything down with Simple Green and then we sanded. Oh, did we sand. Every spot of wood was sanded by hand (since we didn't want to take off too much of the finish), except for the cabinet doors and drawers, which we did with an electric sander (that decided it was tired of sanding and refused to turn on the day we were finishing new slide headers).<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhYJXZ7OY2TReYOYjIdsQNc49etaUQJGlWPcsdfrGfFfu9KSp4a_KD1jxzBA5GRwg_6TvV3-9nmUYb7zPtXcIRI9ad2UEk4HmaSs8q6PCgCPUTNAEcRVbfnMkLVGRA4jt8oNkFT2rg9Tz9nYwMb-pM5Oh_hacHxLKIYk0W95SMOJbX1atBqYw=s1107" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="830" data-original-width="1107" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhYJXZ7OY2TReYOYjIdsQNc49etaUQJGlWPcsdfrGfFfu9KSp4a_KD1jxzBA5GRwg_6TvV3-9nmUYb7zPtXcIRI9ad2UEk4HmaSs8q6PCgCPUTNAEcRVbfnMkLVGRA4jt8oNkFT2rg9Tz9nYwMb-pM5Oh_hacHxLKIYk0W95SMOJbX1atBqYw=s320" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hot, tired and anxious to see the whole thing come together</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi6bwsdDkPCyVZKbHpS0wL0XUs1mFBzlBLq5NUVM339MRR4krhVySO1qySzUj2NRDOt_by8fYEKzlOFqy6JqjYjnVYyL59JCho2JRZaVjjFe2vgspRnqpTuK8y6JrqFDhBEcEqwLUkATEXbcB2vN0WPP-bfhN7znTokcT2EZG1WGe2N4mpnPQ=s830" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="830" data-original-width="622" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi6bwsdDkPCyVZKbHpS0wL0XUs1mFBzlBLq5NUVM339MRR4krhVySO1qySzUj2NRDOt_by8fYEKzlOFqy6JqjYjnVYyL59JCho2JRZaVjjFe2vgspRnqpTuK8y6JrqFDhBEcEqwLUkATEXbcB2vN0WPP-bfhN7znTokcT2EZG1WGe2N4mpnPQ=s320" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This kid LOVES himself a spray bottle and microfiber rag</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjHL5NDrIO_EJDmFwCugVpO2vM2tw6kVcNmICZLMtYzfjgomOUVwFtP8kxQgsJp5HkewFpt61U6x4ax1WGiH1fDAcOtnS2Mvc7SHudiR5nY_JR5jHtNueCBIjHYeGAWRum6so9R4u8HCKSscWuEnQhHli3TVZza9EyjMUQtK3oGm0igXcnnBw=s1107" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="830" data-original-width="1107" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjHL5NDrIO_EJDmFwCugVpO2vM2tw6kVcNmICZLMtYzfjgomOUVwFtP8kxQgsJp5HkewFpt61U6x4ax1WGiH1fDAcOtnS2Mvc7SHudiR5nY_JR5jHtNueCBIjHYeGAWRum6so9R4u8HCKSscWuEnQhHli3TVZza9EyjMUQtK3oGm0igXcnnBw=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">After sanding, we wiped everything down with TSP and rinsed with water. After TSPing and taping, it was time for primer! We used Dunn Edwards primer and paint, and on the recommendation of the paint store, used exterior paint for the cabinets. It's only been about 6 weeks since we moved in, but so far I've been very pleased with how it's held up and how easily it cleans (which was not the case in our first house when we painted the cabinets). We used a medium gloss (I want to say satin?) for the walls and high-gloss for the cabinets.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjD5pK8hDv4I-YdUPMptKO2M5msCikD2GGydoBAD9M2NBvYCVzoBDW84oXAF9sy865WHRVSNGW0bFt7uFE7ut83-XyKhAY0E_icgQyw1XvKM2_hX8NtkzuEsyZlFVKyxfs7o1pthkeqN-5_x0Nv0lZ9qFdPDwkdMylmNQA67QKEYd6wzM_14w=s1107" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="830" data-original-width="1107" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjD5pK8hDv4I-YdUPMptKO2M5msCikD2GGydoBAD9M2NBvYCVzoBDW84oXAF9sy865WHRVSNGW0bFt7uFE7ut83-XyKhAY0E_icgQyw1XvKM2_hX8NtkzuEsyZlFVKyxfs7o1pthkeqN-5_x0Nv0lZ9qFdPDwkdMylmNQA67QKEYd6wzM_14w=s320" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An important part of this step was having a good friend around whose kids were gone with grandparents the weekend we painted</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi9YXhY5aUoqbQDO3cE07L2L29T-nSDyJ-olMdvs-CMIs6C9D6H5bdigKAFcsK9Ms3DXZzIOeNPSaVyh0GxI_rDLblYMJavtF_9p4vQVbe-_skQ_vIrO2TJmzhqlBQCqHtIJxn-RBP5G4sEcwQmwryYIDK3LvCHmRbtCwFv76XY5v8HDHYyYA=s830" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="830" data-original-width="622" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi9YXhY5aUoqbQDO3cE07L2L29T-nSDyJ-olMdvs-CMIs6C9D6H5bdigKAFcsK9Ms3DXZzIOeNPSaVyh0GxI_rDLblYMJavtF_9p4vQVbe-_skQ_vIrO2TJmzhqlBQCqHtIJxn-RBP5G4sEcwQmwryYIDK3LvCHmRbtCwFv76XY5v8HDHYyYA=s320" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiqtaIVhUZkgmJ2YSL0SYiQvVXowPK7A3np-Sx0e9pJAy_bh18-8etjIcC8JhywYlMXOd_K8-klSmUxVaoBQaLwA5vQGTjyogaW7YHHH6sq-ej6v3fp7goc5eMumP9Ey2KxiwNBG5b8pk1D_NvAwY_C_d6s1Z3cxP3A_DRNq6sE4vBI_MiDXQ=s1107" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="830" data-original-width="1107" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiqtaIVhUZkgmJ2YSL0SYiQvVXowPK7A3np-Sx0e9pJAy_bh18-8etjIcC8JhywYlMXOd_K8-klSmUxVaoBQaLwA5vQGTjyogaW7YHHH6sq-ej6v3fp7goc5eMumP9Ey2KxiwNBG5b8pk1D_NvAwY_C_d6s1Z3cxP3A_DRNq6sE4vBI_MiDXQ=s320" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi-tjCLltK13GqMFPqBcAS57kFhblim1Zuhull4OpMn7te3bq34NsH9jtV2m70aagJh7tNdY5dCBaOYA7dTMmAICyq78euK3WD9DWPVW3FJzJRtzCQInfCoCm9ih4TvqjpBrbd8Un4syspN2HFsUN2Lec3nVIAdvJ9NtvOalg9vpSBEhNZDtQ=s830" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="830" data-original-width="622" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi-tjCLltK13GqMFPqBcAS57kFhblim1Zuhull4OpMn7te3bq34NsH9jtV2m70aagJh7tNdY5dCBaOYA7dTMmAICyq78euK3WD9DWPVW3FJzJRtzCQInfCoCm9ih4TvqjpBrbd8Un4syspN2HFsUN2Lec3nVIAdvJ9NtvOalg9vpSBEhNZDtQ=s320" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Also essential for any summer project</td></tr></tbody></table></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The walls and upper cabinets are color matched to Behr's Spun Cotton (my favorite white), but like I mentioned earlier, we used different glosses to give a bit of contrast (thanks to our neighbor for the idea!). The lower cabinets and the base of our bed are Dunn Edwards Black River Falls, which is very much dark blue, not black. We hired a friend of Chris' with a paint sprayer to help us with the paint and primer and we are SO glad. I can't imagine how long rolling/brushing would have taken, plus there would have been roller bubbles and brush marks to contend with on such smooth walls.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> </div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhjQaW65JJlJATbSHw6wOfAnJthQpr7-SFK3DoZ6CQK8GPCyMMgXc4252FtOAajWb5Dwdi40T_US_NoRcGqOs528eB771uzycdKk-y9qagYsokZY-mRwCrQBWolvtuts6TAhQLhmaVxNvuZ5avTP_vzY-oUUqP3pBZdX0PPsDHCxU-HA-EVdQ=s1107" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="830" data-original-width="1107" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhjQaW65JJlJATbSHw6wOfAnJthQpr7-SFK3DoZ6CQK8GPCyMMgXc4252FtOAajWb5Dwdi40T_US_NoRcGqOs528eB771uzycdKk-y9qagYsokZY-mRwCrQBWolvtuts6TAhQLhmaVxNvuZ5avTP_vzY-oUUqP3pBZdX0PPsDHCxU-HA-EVdQ=s320" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">😍</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We also put peel and stick butcher block on the countertops, because time, money and weight wouldn't allow us to replace them with actual butcher block. The backsplash is peel and stick that so far hasn't fallen down. And yes, we painted the fridge (the big cabinet doors on the right). </div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Coming up in part 2--details on the finishing touches, furniture and the kids' room (spoiler alert: there's a rock wall).</div>Elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12104059730266081936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16369185.post-37404688276722576172022-01-02T22:31:00.000-08:002022-01-02T22:31:15.518-08:00What I Read: 2021 edition<p> I somehow managed to read or listen to 36 books this year (beating my goal of 30!), in the midst of the decluttering/purging/remodeling/packing. This number probably would have been higher had it not been for some podcasts that were as long as books (#riseandfallofMarsHill), haha.</p><p>I also had a goal that half the books I read would be ones we owned. Did I mention that I did a great job meeting my first goal? 😅 Anyway, here's what I read this year, along with thoughts on some of them.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjiVI1Locfo28el5pH4Cuujyf6LNY1q9APwqP_lIycNbmu4EX17nLm1u08FR_iFW3-y4e1IARF_X78hsYaCEw1WaWIfWKtDeKC1pl5DoUgC0WsWrVs8i4EJLMF06Hd82CipvDr_mZ6c_tdPiabQY8qowtNWW2hlqNqb-8wTJm3QNvQfU3NcoA=s4032" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjiVI1Locfo28el5pH4Cuujyf6LNY1q9APwqP_lIycNbmu4EX17nLm1u08FR_iFW3-y4e1IARF_X78hsYaCEw1WaWIfWKtDeKC1pl5DoUgC0WsWrVs8i4EJLMF06Hd82CipvDr_mZ6c_tdPiabQY8qowtNWW2hlqNqb-8wTJm3QNvQfU3NcoA=s320" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p>1. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Adventuring-Together-Connections-Lasting-Memories/dp/0785231366/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3M934DQWR25C1&keywords=Adventuring+Together%3A+How+to+Create+Connections+and+Make+Lasting+Memories+with+Your+Kids&qid=1641188391&sprefix=adventuring+together+how+to+create+connections+and+make+lasting+memories+with+your+kids%2Caps%2C172&sr=8-1">Adventuring Together</a> </p><p>Loved it. We hadn't fully committed to our trip around the country yet when I read this, but I'm now realizing I should probably read it again, except that I don't think I brought it with me.</p><p>2. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Pride-Prejudice-Jane-Austen/dp/0141439513/ref=sr_1_6?crid=1DTW5P7OHED1D&keywords=Pride+and+Prejudice&qid=1641188530&sprefix=%2Caps%2C284&sr=8-6">Pride and Prejudice</a></p><p>After several failed attempts, I finally managed to complete this book. I'm not sure why I never finished it in the past, but I feel like I'm finally a real reader now that I've read it.</p><p>3. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Great-Alone-Novel-Kristin-Hannah/dp/1250229537/ref=sr_1_1?crid=FXXYZM43DG5R&keywords=The+Great+Alone&qid=1641188614&sprefix=the+great+alone%2Caps%2C184&sr=8-1">The Great Alone</a><br /></p><p>Another excellent Kristin Hannah book.</p><p>4. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Sun-Does-Shine-Freedom-Selection/dp/1250309476/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3TFGU4TP6CDC1&keywords=the+sun+does+shine&qid=1641188731&sprefix=The+sun+does%2Caps%2C194&sr=8-1">The Sun Does Shine</a></p><p>Thought provoking and challenging. Definitely recommend. </p><p>5. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Just-Mercy-Story-Justice-Redemption/dp/081298496X/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1T8AQ9M896KJ9&keywords=Just+Mercy%3A+A+Story+of+Justice+and+Redemption&qid=1641188800&sprefix=just+mercy+a+story+of+justice+and+redemption%2Caps%2C185&sr=8-1">Just Mercy</a></p><p>Read this one, too.</p><p>6. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Chasing-Fireflies-Discovery-Charles-Martin-ebook/dp/B006IEFUNE/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1GI3IU9LEURQ&keywords=Chasing+Fireflies&qid=1641188839&sprefix=just+mercy+a+story+of+justice+and+redemption%2Caps%2C283&sr=8-1">Chasing Fireflies</a></p><p>Probably my favorite Charles Martin book thus far.</p><p>7. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Life-Intercepted-Novel-Charles-Martin/dp/1455554642/ref=sr_1_1?crid=IS6KF0UOJXK6&keywords=A+Life+Intercepted&qid=1641188914&sprefix=chasing+fireflies%2Caps%2C191&sr=8-1">A Life Intercepted</a></p><p>8. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Love-Centered-Parenting-No-Fail-Guide-Launching/dp/0764237225/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1BAF7AWPDLZAH&keywords=Love-Centered+Parenting%3A+The+No-Fail+Guide+to+Launching+Your+Kids&qid=1641188950&sprefix=love-centered+parenting+the+no-fail+guide+to+launching+your+kids%2Caps%2C152&sr=8-1">Love Centered Parenting</a></p><p>Excellent book that has been instrumental at helping me try and parent my kids' hearts.</p><p>9. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Four-Winds-Novel-Kristin-Hannah/dp/1250178606/ref=sr_1_1?crid=XV71FJ0REA9M&keywords=The+Four+Winds&qid=1641189029&sprefix=the+four+winds%2Caps%2C205&sr=8-1">The Four Winds</a></p><p>The ending fell really flat for me (and I've heard the same from other friends), but it was still very well written.</p><p>10. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Harry-Potter-Sorcerers-Stone-Rowling-ebook/dp/B0192CTMYG/ref=sr_1_1?crid=PWN4D436D9N2&keywords=Harry+Potter+and+the+Sorcerer%27s+Stone+%28Harry+Potter%2C+%231%29&qid=1641189131&sprefix=harry+potter+and+the+sorcerer%27s+stone+harry+potter%2C+1+%2Caps%2C529&sr=8-1">Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone</a></p><p>Finally saw what all the fuss was about.</p><p>11. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Hannah-Coulter-Wendell-Berry/dp/1593760787/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1M36K1YYB6YH1&keywords=Hannah+Coulter&qid=1641189173&sprefix=harry+potter+and+the+sorcerer%27s+stone+harry+potter%2C+1+%2Caps%2C704&sr=8-1">Hannah Coulter</a></p><p>Re-read it to see if I still loved it as much as I thought, and yep, I do.</p><p>12. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Before-We-Were-Yours-Novel/dp/0425284700/ref=sr_1_1?crid=29XU8VJ366NVR&keywords=Before+We+Were+Yours&qid=1641189261&sprefix=before+we+were+yours%2Caps%2C215&sr=8-1">Before We Were Yours</a></p><p>13. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/More-Less-Finding-Under-Everything/dp/1601427972/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2CS6VOM60WQY&keywords=The+More+of+Less%3A+Finding+the+Life+You+Want+Under+Everything+You+Own&qid=1641189289&sprefix=the+more+of+less+finding+the+life+you+want+under+everything+you+own%2Caps%2C199&sr=8-1">The More of Less</a></p><p>Had some helpful tips, but was a little heavy on the "minimalism will change your life" mantra.</p><p>14. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Harry-Potter-Chamber-Secrets-Rowling-ebook/dp/B0192CTMW8/ref=sr_1_1?crid=397NMOV5WB4GH&keywords=Harry+Potter+and+the+Chamber+of+Secrets+%28Harry+Potter%2C+%232%29&qid=1641189391&sprefix=harry+potter+and+the+chamber+of+secrets+harry+potter%2C+2+%2Caps%2C305&sr=8-1">Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets</a></p><p>15. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Hungry-Road-bestselling-author-Hawthorn-ebook/dp/B081YLGWN1/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3A9ETQGZCEFC9&keywords=The+Hungry+Road&qid=1641189419&sprefix=the+hungry+road%2Caps%2C190&sr=8-1">The Hungry Road</a></p><p>Finally...historical fiction that isn't about WWII! I was glad to learn about a time in history I didn't know a ton about. The book itself was fine, not great or anything like that.</p><p>16. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Dyslexia-101-Truths-Myths-Really/dp/1518749917/ref=sr_1_1?crid=32BSUJY7ANLYS&keywords=Dyslexia+101%3A+Truths%2C+Myths+and+What+Really+Works&qid=1641189509&sprefix=dyslexia+101+truths%2C+myths+and+what+really+works%2Caps%2C216&sr=8-1">Dyslexia 101</a></p><p>17. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Kitchens-Great-Midwest-Ryan-Stradal/dp/0143109413/ref=sr_1_1?crid=28R96JYSOR6UZ&keywords=Kitchens+of+the+Great+Midwest&qid=1641189582&sprefix=kitchens+of+the+great+midwest%2Caps%2C206&sr=8-1">Kitchens of the Great Midwest</a><br /></p><p>18. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Harry-Potter-Prisoner-Azkaban-Rowling/dp/0439136369/ref=sr_1_2?crid=2DRQ7UTL1QO92&keywords=Harry+Potter+and+the+Prisoner+of+Azkaban&qid=1641189626&sprefix=harry+potter+and+the+prisoner+of+azkaban+%2Caps%2C179&sr=8-2">Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban</a></p><p>19. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Before-After-Incredible-Real-Life-Tennessee/dp/0593156706/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3CHE774A55TR0&keywords=Before+and+After%3A+The+Incredible+Real-Life+Stories+of+Orphans+Who+Survived+the+Tennessee+Children%27s+Home+Society&qid=1641189664&sprefix=before+and+after+the+incredible+real-life+stories+of+orphans+who+survived+the+tennessee+children%27s+home+society%2Caps%2C218&sr=8-1">Before and After</a></p><p>20. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Flight-Girls-Noelle-Salazar/dp/0778369226/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2GTOJI42VJJ8&keywords=The+Flight+Girls&qid=1641189705&sprefix=the+flight+girls%2Caps%2C326&sr=8-1">The Flight Girls</a></p><p>21. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Peace-Like-River-Leif-Enger/dp/0802139256/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3GXEY3S445ASD&keywords=peace+like+a+river+by+leif+enger&qid=1641189735&sprefix=peace+lik%2Caps%2C204&sr=8-1">Peace Like a River</a></p><p>Quite possibly the most poetically written novel I've read. Beautiful...highly recommend. </p><p>22. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Ten-Words-Live-Delighting-Commands/dp/1433566346/ref=sr_1_1?crid=J08WTQH224XJ&keywords=Ten+Words+to+Live+by%3A+Delighting+in+and+Doing+What+God+Commands&qid=1641189794&sprefix=ten+words+to+live+by+delighting+in+and+doing+what+god+commands%2Caps%2C166&sr=8-1">Ten Words to Live By</a></p><p>If Jen Wilkin writes a book, I'm going to read it. And if I read it, I'm going to love it.</p><p>23. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Irenas-Children-Extraordinary-Warsaw-Ghetto/dp/1476778515/ref=sr_1_1?crid=32S0ZOBZ63ZFK&keywords=Irena%27s+Children%3A+The+Extraordinary+Story+of+the+Woman+Who+Saved+2%2C500+Children+from+the+Warsaw+Ghetto&qid=1641189860&sprefix=irena%27s+children+the+extraordinary+story+of+the+woman+who+saved+2%2C500+children+from+the+warsaw+ghetto%2Caps%2C151&sr=8-1">Irena's Children: The Extraordinary Story of the Woman Who Saved 2,500 Children from the Warsaw Ghetto</a></p><p>24. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Being-Known-Novel-Haven-Makers/dp/0735290776/ref=sr_1_1?crid=MYL7PAJZFLKL&keywords=Being+Known&qid=1641189964&sprefix=being+known%2Caps%2C473&sr=8-1">Being Known</a></p><p>25. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Dont-Overthink-Easier-Decisions-Second-Guessing/dp/0801094461/ref=sr_1_1?crid=K8CLGUE8G0Z9&keywords=Don%27t+Overthink+It%3A+Make+Easier+Decisions%2C+Stop+Second-Guessing%2C+and+Bring+More+Joy+to+Your+Life&qid=1641189991&sprefix=don%27t+overthink+it+make+easier+decisions%2C+stop+second-guessing%2C+and+bring+more+joy+to+your+life%2Caps%2C206&sr=8-1">Don't Overthink It</a></p><p>I still overthink things sometimes (okay, maybe a lot of the time), but there were some good tidbits in this book.</p><p>26. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Mama-Bear-Apologetics-Empowering-Challenge/dp/0736976159/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1VUJMTRYHYODP&keywords=Mama+Bear+Apologetics%E2%84%A2%3A+Empowering+Your+Kids+to+Challenge+Cultural+Lies&qid=1641190053&sprefix=mama+bear+apologetics+empowering+your+kids+to+challenge+cultural+lies%2Caps%2C372&sr=8-1">Mama Bear Apologetics</a></p><p>Excellent.</p><p>27. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/You-Me-Forever-Marriage-Eternity/dp/0990351408/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3D674N4SVINWU&keywords=You+and+Me+Forever%3A+Marriage+in+Light+of+Eternity&qid=1641190087&sprefix=you+and+me+forever+marriage+in+light+of+eternity%2Caps%2C375&sr=8-1">You and Me Forever</a></p><p>Recommended to me awhile back by a wise lady, and I should have listened to her and read it sooner. </p><p>28. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Catch-Me-If-You-Can/dp/0767905385/ref=sr_1_1?crid=284QC2B9S70L2&keywords=Catch+Me+If+You+Can%3A+The+True+Story+of+a+Real+Fake&qid=1641190195&sprefix=catch+me+if+you+can+the+true+story+of+a+real+fake%2Caps%2C173&sr=8-1">Catch Me If You Can</a></p><p>Entertaining and rather unbelievable in parts. Although according to what I googled later, he apparently made up or at the very least embellished some of his escapades?? </p><p>29. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Lazy-Genius-Way-Embrace-Matters/dp/0525653937/ref=sr_1_5?crid=XUWQ8XJ4JZF3&keywords=The+Lazy+Genius+Way%3A+Embrace+What+Matters%2C+Ditch+What+Doesn%27t%2C+and+Get+Stuff+Done&qid=1641190277&sprefix=the+lazy+genius+way+embrace+what+matters%2C+ditch+what+doesn%27t%2C+and+get+stuff+done%2Caps%2C181&sr=8-5">The Lazy Genius Way</a></p><p>30. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Unbroken-World-Survival-Resilience-Redemption/dp/1400064163/ref=sr_1_1?crid=QRZJ9Z9C83LM&keywords=Unbroken%3A+A+World+War+II+Story+of+Survival%2C+Resilience+and+Redemption&qid=1641190345&sprefix=unbroken+a+world+war+ii+story+of+survival%2C+resilience+and+redemption%2Caps%2C258&sr=8-1">Unbroken</a></p><p>Read for the second time, and I'm still just as amazed at Louie's life as I was the first time.</p><p>31. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Bomber-Mafia-Temptation-Longest-Second/dp/0316296619/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2GTFTRZCOCKIN&keywords=The+Bomber+Mafia%3A+A+Dream%2C+a+Temptation%2C+and+the+Longest+Night+of+the+Second+World+War&qid=1641190399&sprefix=the+bomber+mafia+a+dream%2C+a+temptation%2C+and+the+longest+night+of+the+second+world+war%2Caps%2C327&sr=8-1">The Bomber Mafia</a></p><p>32. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Water-Keeper-Murphy-Shepherd-Novel/dp/0785230947/ref=sr_1_1?crid=LW882W98AETN&keywords=the+water+keeper&qid=1641190431&sprefix=the+water+keep%2Caps%2C328&sr=8-1">The Water Keeper</a></p><p>Listened to this while sanding cabinets in the RV. The only problem is that I now associate the cabinets in our room with some seedy people in the book...</p><p>33. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Vanderbeekers-Make-Wish-Karina-Glaser/dp/0358256208/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1VYPFIYO56QOF&keywords=the+vanderbeekers+make+a+wish&qid=1641190535&sprefix=the+vanderbeekers+make%2Caps%2C180&sr=8-1">The VanderBeekers Make a Wish</a></p><p>So good. This entire series has been the unanimous favorite of my kids.</p><p>34. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/God-Garden-Thoughts-Creation-Culture/dp/1087736951/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2O2R33KNT3HFT&keywords=the+god+of+the+garden+andrew+peterson&qid=1641190613&sprefix=the+god+of+the+%2Caps%2C192&sr=8-1">The God of the Garden</a></p><p> Rambling at times, but wonderful book. And now I'm wishing our trip included some English footpaths.</p><p>35. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Full-Time-RVing-Kids-Insiders-Guide/dp/B08Z33R154/ref=sr_1_1?crid=519K6MC19P9Y&keywords=Full-Time+RVing+With+Kids%3A+An+Insider%27s+Guide+To+Life+On+The+Road&qid=1641190715&sprefix=full-time+rving+with+kids+an+insider%27s+guide+to+life+on+the+road%2Caps%2C236&sr=8-1">Full-Time RVing with Kids</a></p><p>Had to resist the urge to take a red pen to my Kindle and correct some grammatical errors. Most of what was in this book I had either read online or figured out from living in an RV the last month. So maybe if you're at the beginning of thinking about RVing it could be helpful, but I didn't get much out of it. I only read it because Chris suggested we read it together.</p><p>36. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Behold-Lamb-God-Advent-Narrative/dp/0982621469/ref=sr_1_2?crid=250025YEP673Z&keywords=Behold+the+Lamb+of+God&qid=1641190857&sprefix=behold+the+lamb+of+god+the+true+tall+tale+of+the+coming+of+christ%2Caps%2C268&sr=8-2">Behold the Lamb of God: An Advent Narrative</a></p><p>Read it every year during Advent, and love it every year during Advent.</p><p>So there you have it! My goal for 2022 is to read 40 books or 10,000 pages, because a couple that I have on my list are long, but I'm looking forward to them. I'm also attempting to track our family read alouds (and maybe picture books) on Goodreads, just out of curiosity.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>. </p>Elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12104059730266081936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16369185.post-56547598796366659352021-06-21T07:49:00.000-07:002021-06-21T07:49:08.217-07:00Have You Lost Your Minds? (and other things you're probably wondering)<p> I know people most likely have lots of questions about our pending year-around-the-country trip, so I thought I'd put together a quick blog post with answers to some of the most common ones. If I didn't answer it, feel free to ask. 😀</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUkM-lo1DLWtEgXAKcawY0tABXMe06pzL4wiQmysoXvFRHBY-A8Alsqrn5I_P-8_qfzS5W2pYOE3uXqYzmSc3mgKXqtWJacBFvotbYdudvC1dSnA2G5D4gP4i97JhFzuKLHHfh/s320/PXL_20210523_023759752.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cannot WAIT to show after pictures...she's got so much potential!</td></tr></tbody></table><p><b><br />Are you and Chris crazy?</b><br />Quite possibly, yes. But I'm pretty sure a decent amount of insanity is necessary to do this.</p><p><b>Where are you going?</b><br />Everywhere! Or nearly. Our general itinerary is the southwest from January to March-ish. Then we'll hit the south before it gets too hot, head to the East coast in the summer and then finally the midwest before winter sets in.</p><p><b>Why?</b><br />The answer is multifaceted, but our main reasons for doing this are to broaden our horizons and experience the different cultures of the US. While traveling the world would be the ultimate horizon expanding trip, that isn't very feasible, so we're going to see this country. We're excited to see and get the chance to live life in different parts of the US. We're also looking forward to spending more time as a family. Chris' job has had times when it is VERY demanding, time wise, and we want to be able to do things like eat dinner together every night and have weekends with him.</p><p><b>What kind of RV did you buy?</b><br />We spent months discussing, researching and talking with friends who are also crazy enough to live in an RV full time with four kids and after much thought, we ended up purchasing a 2005 Keystone Raptor (fifth wheel). It's got a fantastic layout, and we've got big plans to make it look like a house and not an RV. Her name is Rosie, and she's going to be pulled by Howard, the Dodge Ram we also recently bought.</p><p><b>So you're taking a year long vacation?</b><br />While our trip might seem like a vacation at first glance, it's not. We'll still be doing school during the school year (if this was purely a vacation, we wouldn't be taking math books, haha) and living our normal lives, just in a variety of locations. </p><p><b>How are you affording all this?<br /></b>No joke, the YNAB (YouNeedABudget) app is a large portion of how we've been able to save enough for this trip. It's also a combination of selling large items (cars, plane, etc) and some inheritance money. Our current plan is that Chris will be taking a leave of absence from work, but if he needs to work part time on the road or find some seasonal work, we'll make that happen.</p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5KvnNH6Cpl9zDYCnOhANFgrF4ghZXuTZjNj48fuuVfiGrWyeD8sE5D-ShNywd6hjZtVzCc-nqKzuehUrb7IVzHw0RazuL_2HBXpxNbB25CwuAGzowCKgUWLhvxIOffiIL7UaA/s4032/PXL_20210523_023814221.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5KvnNH6Cpl9zDYCnOhANFgrF4ghZXuTZjNj48fuuVfiGrWyeD8sE5D-ShNywd6hjZtVzCc-nqKzuehUrb7IVzHw0RazuL_2HBXpxNbB25CwuAGzowCKgUWLhvxIOffiIL7UaA/s320/PXL_20210523_023814221.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The future kids' room<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p><b>What are you doing with your house?</b><br />We're taking advantage of the real estate market and selling. So if you're local and interested in a house on nearly an acre that's close to town (but feels more secluded) and has the best neighbors let me know. 😉</p><p><b>How do your kids feel about the trip?</b><br />They're a mix of excited to see all the places and sad to leave their friends. Which, not surprisingly, is exactly the way Chris and I feel. I'm thankful for technology that will let us keep in touch with our people. We've also been working on convincing friends to meet us in various locations, and are excited to see friends and extended family who don't live nearby.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4Uj29eoQf48H7AkqAVaj627jDCUZcWeRkR_Q4Mtv2DP4jYx4SFthcedSgebUlmhnJ9uBPuifyfKPaVyAWGou1l-Wfy3fGkUdoX2EBk_n8BMQBjq1FRUOJef7yE553n1fmpLcc/s4032/PXL_20210523_023824549.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4Uj29eoQf48H7AkqAVaj627jDCUZcWeRkR_Q4Mtv2DP4jYx4SFthcedSgebUlmhnJ9uBPuifyfKPaVyAWGou1l-Wfy3fGkUdoX2EBk_n8BMQBjq1FRUOJef7yE553n1fmpLcc/s320/PXL_20210523_023824549.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Imagine those lower cabinets in dark teal 😍</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p><b>Will you go back to T-town when you're done traveling?</b><br />We can't say no for sure, but it's very likely we'll end up somewhere else. We don't yet know where that might be. It's possible (but highly unlikely) that we'll fall in love with someplace like Northern Michigan or South Carolina and want to settle down there, but most likely we see ourselves landing someplace in the Idaho/Montana/Wyoming/not California region.</p><p><b>Will you visit us?<br /></b>Probably! We certainly want to see as many family and friends as we can, and we'll figure out a way to keep everyone updated on where we are and what our next stop is.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>Elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12104059730266081936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16369185.post-51652664622096213552021-02-11T22:01:00.001-08:002021-02-11T22:01:25.620-08:00What We Read: Early Native Americans to the Civil War<p>One of my favorite ways to learn history--both for myself and my kids--is to read. We are studying American history with Classical Conversations this year, so last summer I spent a bunch of time compiling a book list for us to read through. We're reading mostly picture books, but I'll list our chapter books at the end, too. I did not come up with all the titles myself--I used Jessica Telian's <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/LivingBookLists?ref=simple-shop-header-name&listing_id=637557111">Whole Story History</a> for some and another friend kindly sent me her list, too. We've also read some books that go along with our weekly geography memory work. My aim was to give my kids a well rounded view of history, focusing on those whose stories have largely been untold. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOlMbSvaDTgSfppZ-0PNXMA5ZCqhD85hdcrFZClwDP72rVKmGOXkjrn3oUFCLf8ftfJKsvIEqD2wcAPCpPeSkjISJk6o3LKFQX89GXk_xM0NhRAQL8mkTFNAjigVi9PIJCg7zb/s4032/PXL_20201210_012351030.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOlMbSvaDTgSfppZ-0PNXMA5ZCqhD85hdcrFZClwDP72rVKmGOXkjrn3oUFCLf8ftfJKsvIEqD2wcAPCpPeSkjISJk6o3LKFQX89GXk_xM0NhRAQL8mkTFNAjigVi9PIJCg7zb/s320/PXL_20201210_012351030.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>I told the kids that once we reached 100 picture books we would celebrate with an ice cream party. We are currently at 69 and another batch arrived this week so we are well our way to our goal. </p><p> One of my children claims to not like all this reading, but when someone recently asked what their favorite part of school was, this child said reading history books so I'm chalking that up as a win, haha.</p><p>Several friends have asked for our book list, so here's what we have read thus far, complete with Amazon links, loosely sorted in chronological order. Any book marked with an asterisk is one we skimmed instead of reading in its entirety and I also noted the ones we've read multiple times.</p><p>1. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Samuel-Eatons-Day-Life-Pilgrim/dp/0590480537/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=Samuel+Morton%27s+Day&qid=1613106629&sr=8-2">Samuel Eaton's Day</a></p><p>2. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Sarah-Mortons-Day-Scholastic-Bookshelf/dp/0439812208/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Samuel+Morton%27s+Day&qid=1613106663&sr=8-1">Sarah Morton's Day</a></p><p>3. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Very-First-Americans-Aboard-Books/dp/0448401681/ref=sr_1_1?crid=26HROHJYMCD1W&dchild=1&keywords=the+very+first+americans&qid=1613106694&sprefix=the+very+first%2Caps%2C351&sr=8-1">The Very First Americans</a></p><p>4. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Into-Great-Explorers-Found-Their/dp/076366992X/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=into+the+great+unknown&qid=1613106724&sr=8-2">Into the Great Unknown*</a></p><p>5. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/First-Strawberries-Picture-Puffins/dp/0140564098/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=the+first+strawberries&qid=1613106749&sr=8-1">The First Strawberries</a></p><p>6. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Discovery-Americas-American-Story-Maestro/dp/0688115128/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=The+Discovery+of+the+Americas&qid=1613106784&sr=8-1">The Discovery of the Americas</a></p><p>7. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Encounter-Voyager-Books-Jane-Yolen/dp/015201389X/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=encounter&qid=1613106998&sr=8-3">Encounter</a></p><p>8. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Follow-Dream-Story-Christopher-Columbus/dp/0679806288/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Follow+the+Dream&qid=1613107027&sr=8-1">Follow the Dream</a></p><p>9. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Surrounded-Sea-England-Fishing-Island/dp/0823420213/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Surrounded+by+the+Sea&qid=1613107055&sr=8-1">Surrounded by the Sea</a></p><p>10. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/One-Morning-Maine-Robert-McCloskey/dp/0670526274/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=One+Morning+in+Maine&qid=1613107078&sr=8-1">One Morning in Maine</a></p><p>11. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/N-C-Wyeths-Pilgrims-Robert-Souci/dp/0811814866/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=NC+Wyeth%27s+Pilgrims&qid=1613107127&sr=8-1">NC Wyeth's Pilgrims</a></p><p>12. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Mayflower-1620-Look-Pilgrim-Voyage/dp/079226276X/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=Mayflower+1620&qid=1613107168&sr=8-3">Mayflower 1620</a></p><p>13. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Saint-Brendan-Voyage-Before-Columbus/dp/0809167050/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=St.+Brendan+and+the+Voyage+Before+Columbus&qid=1613107199&sr=8-1">St. Brendan and the Voyage Before Columbus</a></p><p>14. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Rachel-Obadiah-Brinton-Turkle/dp/1893103722/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=rachel+and+obadiah&qid=1613107219&sr=8-2">Rachael and Obadiah</a></p><p>15. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Miss-Rumphius-Barbara-Cooney/dp/0140505393/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Miss+Rumphius&qid=1613107242&sr=8-1">Miss Rumphius</a></p><p>16. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/People-Breaking-Aladdin-Picture-Books/dp/0689816847/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=People+of+the+Breaking+Day&qid=1613107266&sr=8-1">People of the Breaking Day</a></p><p>17. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Fell-Mayflower-John-Howlands-Fortune/dp/1536202967/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=The+Boy+Who+Fell+Off+the+Mayflower&qid=1613107293&sr=8-1">The Boy Who Fell Off the Mayflower</a></p><p>18. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Now-Ben-Inventions-Benjamin-Franklin/dp/0312535694/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Now+and+Ben&qid=1613107313&sr=8-1">Now and Ben</a></p><p>19. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/John-Paul-George-Lane-Smith/dp/0786848936/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=John%2C+Paul%2C+George+and+Ben&qid=1613107334&sr=8-1">John, Paul, George and Ben</a> (twice)</p><p>20. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Three-Young-Pilgrims-Cheryl-Harness/dp/0689802080/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Three+Young+Pilgrims&qid=1613107365&sr=8-1">Three Young Pilgrims</a></p><p>21. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Sleds-Boston-Common-American-Revolution/dp/0689828128/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Sleds+on+the+Boston+Common&qid=1613107390&sr=8-1">Sleds on the Boston Common</a></p><p>22. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/How-Ben-Franklin-Stole-Lightning/dp/0688169937/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=How+Ben+Franklin+Stole+the+Lightning&qid=1613107417&sr=8-1">How Ben Franklin Stole the Lightning</a></p><p>23. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Noah-Webster-Words-Chase-Ferris/dp/054458242X/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Noah+Webster+and+His+Words&qid=1613107436&sr=8-1">Noah Webster and His Words</a></p><p>24. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Jamestown-Adventure-Adventures-Colonial-America/dp/089375725X/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Jamestown%3A+New+World+Adventures&qid=1613107464&sr=8-1">Jamestown: New World Adventures</a></p><p>25. The Pioneers<br /><span> I couldn't find the Amazon link but it's an old book that I randomly found on our shelf at home.</span><br /></p><p>26. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Katies-Trunk-Ann-Turner/dp/0689810547/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Katie%27s+Trunk&qid=1613107551&sr=8-1">Katie's Trunk</a></p><p>27. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Obadiah-Bold-Brinton-TURKLE/dp/B000FZ1UYU/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=Obadiah+the+Bold&qid=1613107577&sr=8-2">Obadiah the Bold</a><br /><span> Please note I did not pay $970 for the hardcover 😂 We got it from the library.</span><br /></p><p>28. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Redcoats-Petticoats-Katherine-Kirkpatrick/dp/171808921X/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Redcoats+and+Petticoats&qid=1613107640&sr=8-1">Redcoats and Petticoats</a></p><p>29. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Winter-Valley-Forge-Graphic-History/dp/0736862129/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=Winter+at+Valley+Forge&qid=1613107662&sr=8-2">Winter at Valley Forge</a></p><p>30. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Phoebe-Spy-Judith-Griffin/dp/0698119568/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Phoebe+the+Spy&qid=1613107684&sr=8-1">Phoebe the Spy</a></p><p>31. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Samuels-Choice-Richard-Berleth/dp/0807572195/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Samuel%27s+Choice&qid=1613107738&sr=8-1">Samuel's Choice</a></p><p>32. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/When-Washington-Crossed-Delaware-Wintertime/dp/1442444231/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=When+Washington+Crossed+the+Delaware&qid=1613107757&sr=8-1">When Washington Crossed the Delaware</a></p><p>33. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Expanding-Nation-Effects-Louisiana-Purchase/dp/1476534020/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Expanding+a+Nation&qid=1613107778&sr=8-1">Expanding a Nation</a> (twice)</p><p>34. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Picture-Book-Sacagawea-Biography/dp/0823416658/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=A+Picture+Book+of+Sacagawea&qid=1613107797&sr=8-1">A Picture Book of Sacagawea</a></p><p>35. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Fourth-July-Story-Alice-Dalgliesh/dp/0689718764/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=The+Fourth+of+July+Story&qid=1613107817&sr=8-1">The Fourth of July Story</a></p><p>36. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Ox-Cart-Man-Donald-Hall/dp/0140504419/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Ox+Cart+Man&qid=1613107843&sr=8-1">Ox Cart Man</a></p><p>37. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Aunt-Minnie-Twister-Skillings-Prigger/dp/0618111360/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Aunt+Minnie+and+the+Twister&qid=1613107866&sr=8-1">Aunt Minnie and the Twister</a></p><p>38. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/How-We-Crossed-West-Adventures/dp/0792267265/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=How+We+Crossed+the+West&qid=1613107886&sr=8-1">How We Crossed the West</a></p><p>39. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Flag-Maker-Susan-Campbell-Bartoletti/dp/0618809112/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=The+Flag+Maker&qid=1613107909&sr=8-1">The Flag Maker</a></p><p>40. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/George-Washingtons-Breakfast-Jean-Fritz/dp/0698116119/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=George+Washington%27s+Breakfast&qid=1613107938&sr=8-1">George Washington's Breakfast</a></p><p>41. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/They-Called-Her-Molly-Pitcher/dp/0553112538/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=They+Called+Her+Molly+Pitcher&qid=1613107959&sr=8-1">They Called Her Molly Pitcher</a></p><p>42. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Colonial-Voices-Outbreak-Points-View/dp/0147511623/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Colonial+Voices%3A+Hear+Them+Speak&qid=1613107980&sr=8-1">Colonial Voices: Hear Them Speak</a></p><p>43. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Rebel-Cause-Adventure-Revolution-Nonfiction/dp/1491465581/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=Rebel+With+a+Cause&qid=1613108004&sr=8-2">Rebel With a Cause</a> (twice)</p><p>44. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Laura-Secords-Connie-Brummel-2000-01-01/dp/B01FKTQYVO/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Laura+Secord%27s+Brave+Walk&qid=1613108035&sr=8-1">Laura Secord's Brave Walk</a> (twice)</p><p>45. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Town-that-Fooled-British-Americans/dp/1585364843/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=The+Town+that+Fooled+the+British&qid=1613108059&sr=8-1">The Town that Fooled the British</a></p><p>46. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Louisa-Mays-Battle-Civil-Little/dp/0802796680/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Louisa+May%27s+Battle&qid=1613108080&sr=8-1">Louisa May's Battle</a></p><p>47. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Abe-Lincoln-Remembers-Ann-Turner/dp/0060511079/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Abe+Lincoln+Remembers&qid=1613108112&sr=8-1">Abe Lincoln Remembers</a></p><p>48. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Henrys-Freedom-Box-Underground-Railroad/dp/043977733X/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Henry%27s+Freedom+Box&qid=1613108139&sr=8-1">Henry's Freedom Box</a></p><p>49. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Abe-Lincoln-Boy-Loved-Books/dp/1416912681/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=Abe+Lincoln&qid=1613108281&sr=8-3">Abe Lincoln</a></p><p>50. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Voices-Underground-Railroad-Kay-Winters/dp/0803740921/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=Voices+From+the+Underground+Railroad&qid=1613108304&sr=8-2">Voices From the Underground Railroad</a></p><p>51. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Netties-South-Aladdin-Picture-Books/dp/0689801173/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Nettie%27s+Trip+South&qid=1613108327&sr=8-1">Nettie's Trip South</a></p><p>52. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Liberty-Revolutionary-Began-Landmark-Books/dp/0375822003">Liberty! How the Revolutionary War Began</a></p><p>53. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Pink-Say-Patricia-Polacco/dp/0399226710/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Pink+and+Say&qid=1613108394&s=books&sr=1-1">Pink and Say</a></p><p>54. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Virgie-Goes-School-Us-Boys/dp/0689877935/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Virgie+Goes+to+School+With+Us+Boys&qid=1613108418&s=books&sr=1-1">Virgie Goes to School With Us Boys</a></p><p>55. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Minty-Harriet-Tubman-Picture-Puffin/dp/014056196X/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Minty&qid=1613108454&s=books&sr=1-1">Minty</a></p><p>56. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Worst-Friends-Thomas-Jefferson-American/dp/0525479031/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Worst+of+Friends&qid=1613108474&s=books&sr=1-1">Worst of Friends</a></p><p>57. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Locomotive-Caldecott-Medal-Brian-Floca/dp/1416994157/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Locomotive&qid=1613108492&s=books&sr=1-1">Locomotive</a></p><p>58. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Moses-Harriet-Tubman-Freedom-Caldecott/dp/0786851759/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=Moses&qid=1613108517&s=books&sr=1-2">Moses</a></p><p>59. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Follow-Drinking-Gourd-Jeanette-Winter/dp/0679819975/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Follow+the+Drinking+Gourd&qid=1613108540&s=books&sr=1-1">Follow the Drinking Gourd</a></p><p>60. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Black-Eyed-Susan-Tales-Young-Americans/dp/1585364630/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=A+Book+for+Black+Eyed+Susan&qid=1613108591&s=books&sr=1-2">A Book for Black Eyed Susan</a></p><p>61. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Who-Says-Women-Cant-Doctors/dp/1250183391/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Who+Says+Women+Can%27t+Be+Doctors%3F&qid=1613108610&s=books&sr=1-1">Who Says Women Can't Be Doctors?</a> (twice)</p><p>62. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Christmas-Trenches-John-McCutcheon/dp/1561453749/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Christmas+in+the+Trenches&qid=1613108628&s=books&sr=1-1">Christmas in the Trenches</a></p><p>63. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Silent-Witness-Robin-Friedman/dp/0547014368/ref=sr_1_4?dchild=1&keywords=The+Silent+Witness&qid=1613108647&s=books&sr=1-4">The Silent Witness</a></p><p>64. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Picture-Book-Robert-Lee-Biography/dp/0823411117/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=A+Picture+Book+of+Robert+E.+Lee&qid=1613108675&s=books&sr=1-1">A Picture Book of Robert E. Lee</a></p><p>65. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Hopes-Gift-Kelly-Starling-Lyons/dp/0399160019/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Hope%27s+Gift&qid=1613108708&s=books&sr=1-1">Hope's Gift</a></p><p>66. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/When-Jessie-Came-Across-Sea/dp/076361274X/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=When+Jessie+Came+Across+the+Sea&qid=1613108730&s=books&sr=1-1">When Jessie Came Across the Sea</a></p><p>67. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Finding-Winnie-Story-Worlds-Famous/dp/0316324906/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Finding+Winnie&qid=1613108756&s=books&sr=1-1">Finding Winnie</a> (twice)</p><p>68. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/New-World-Family-Two-Centuries/dp/1580896308/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1AOH04ZQBVD1I&dchild=1&keywords=in+the+new+world+a+family+in+two+centuries&qid=1613108797&sprefix=In+the+New+World+a+fa%2Cstripbooks%2C290&sr=8-1">In the New World</a></p><p>69. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Train-Somewhere-Eve-Bunting/dp/0618040315/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Train+to+Somewhere&qid=1613108821&sr=8-1">Train to Somewhere</a></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b>Chapter Books</b></p><p style="text-align: left;">We are (slowly) working our way through some historical chapter books as well. First up was <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Black-Heroes-American-Revolution-Odyssey/dp/0152085610/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3BG7YFUQKL0DB&dchild=1&keywords=black+heroes+of+the+american+revolution&qid=1613109114&sprefix=black+hereos+of+the%2Caps%2C231&sr=8-1">Black Heroes of the American Revolution</a>. The writing style was a bit dry, but it's packed with historical figures most of us never learned about in school. I knew it was important to push through, and I'm glad we did. Next, we read <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Were-There-Boston-Tea-Party/dp/0486492605/ref=sr_1_1?crid=TXA4LK2UYMRQ&dchild=1&keywords=we+were+there+at+the+boston+tea+party&qid=1613109235&sprefix=we+were+there+at+teh+bo%2Caps%2C304&sr=8-1">We Were There at the Boston Tea Party</a>. The two main characters in this one are kids, and we really enjoyed it. We're currently reading <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Soft-Rain-Story-Cherokee-Trail/dp/0440412420/ref=sr_1_1?crid=19Y2RPWG381GR&dchild=1&keywords=soft+rain+book&qid=1613109291&sprefix=soft+rain%2Caps%2C232&sr=8-1">Soft Rain</a>. It's pretty brutal and heartbreaking, but those words accurately describe the Trail of Tears.</p>Elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12104059730266081936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16369185.post-77624425990792055122021-01-07T06:44:00.003-08:002021-01-07T06:44:34.313-08:00What I Read: the 2020 Edition<p> I opened up Blogger to write this post...and found the draft of my 2019 books that I never published. Good blogger I am not. 😂</p><p>Anyway, I read or listened to 31 books last year, not counting any that I read aloud to the kids or we read as a family. I suppose I could count those, but I'm too lazy to dig up that list.</p><p>I know many people read 31 books in 6 months (or even less), but taking into account the season of life I'm in right now, I'm happy with this. Though I will say that my goal for 2021 is to read more than 30 (half of which we own).</p><p>Without further adieu, here's the list, with commentary on some of the books. Mostly those that I read most recently, because I'm writing this over a year after finishing the first few titles.</p><p>1. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Risen-Motherhood-Gospel-Everyday-Moments/dp/0736976221/ref=sr_1_1?crid=311SPEMKONAGR&dchild=1&keywords=risen+motherhood&qid=1609946874&sprefix=risen+mother%2Caps%2C233&sr=8-1" target="_blank">Risen Motherhood</a></p><p>2. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Masterpiece-Francine-Rivers/dp/1496407911/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=the+masterpiece&qid=1609946913&sr=8-1" target="_blank">The Masterpiece</a><br /><span> This was a good book, though I felt the ending was a bit of a stretch and the main character made some decisions that I didn't think were consistent with who she was.</span><br /></p><p>3. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/What-Girl-Worth-Breaking-Gymnastics/dp/1496441338/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1RS7Z0TLWX50&dchild=1&keywords=what+is+a+girl+worth&qid=1609946940&sprefix=what+is+a+g%2Caps%2C241&sr=8-1" target="_blank">What is a Girl Worth?</a></p><p>4. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Educated-Memoir-Tara-Westover/dp/0399590501/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=educated&qid=1609946965&sr=8-1" target="_blank">Educated</a></p><p>5. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Sold-Monday-Novel-Kristina-McMorris/dp/1492663999/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=sold+on+a+monday&qid=1609946992&sr=8-1" target="_blank">Sold on a Monday</a><br /><span> I picked this one up on a whim and it was entertaining (took an unexpected turn at the end) but when I was done with it I sneaked it onto my brother's bookshelf without telling him.</span><br /></p><p>6. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Am-Hutterite-Fascinating-Heritage-2011-08-17/dp/B01FIVXZYS/ref=sr_1_3?crid=34BR7H9KKP9HJ&dchild=1&keywords=i+am+hutterite&qid=1609947110&sprefix=i+am+hutt%2Caps%2C224&sr=8-3" target="_blank">I am Hutterite</a><br /><span> Picked this one up on a whim at the library because the other cult read I wanted wasn't available. Lots of people involved so it was a bit hard to keep them all straight, but I am fascinated by cults and this book was very informative about a group I didn't know much about. </span><br /></p><p>7. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Sound-Gravel-Memoir-Ruth-Wariner/dp/1250077702/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3ED2S94FXGZG8&dchild=1&keywords=the+sound+of+gravel&qid=1609947210&sprefix=the+sound+of+gra%2Caps%2C235&sr=8-1" target="_blank">The Sound of Gravel</a></p><p>8. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Sandy-Toes-Christy-Todd-Years/dp/1942704070/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=sandy+toes&qid=1609947241&sr=8-2" target="_blank">Sandy Toes</a><br /><span> I was laid up in bed one weekend and needed something light to read, which explains the sudden Robin Jones Gunn kick.</span><br /></p><p>9. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Salty-Kisses-Christy-Todd-Years/dp/1942704089/ref=pd_bxgy_2/136-9797977-1830250?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=1942704089&pd_rd_r=bd4f5ac0-8efc-4c09-8846-76e57044914d&pd_rd_w=xTImf&pd_rd_wg=Pq22r&pf_rd_p=f325d01c-4658-4593-be83-3e12ca663f0e&pf_rd_r=V8YW82HEW05PYR8E2A22&psc=1&refRID=V8YW82HEW05PYR8E2A22" target="_blank">Salty Kisses</a></p><p>10. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Sunset-Lullaby-Christy-Todd-Years/dp/1942704097/ref=pd_bxgy_3/136-9797977-1830250?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=1942704097&pd_rd_r=cd04b349-7852-48bb-8a2a-a36cec8d485f&pd_rd_w=njXEu&pd_rd_wg=BjA74&pf_rd_p=f325d01c-4658-4593-be83-3e12ca663f0e&pf_rd_r=0EEHM5CKFV3TTRH4AJX7&psc=1&refRID=0EEHM5CKFV3TTRH4AJX7" target="_blank">Sunset Lullaby</a></p><p>11. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/One-More-Wish-Christy-Todd/dp/0982877277/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=one+more+wish&qid=1609947369&s=books&sr=1-1" target="_blank">One More Wish</a> (re-read from waaaaaay back when)</p><p>12. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Rainbow-Valley-Anne-Green-Gables/dp/0553269216/ref=sr_1_3?crid=21TV55T2ESJYF&dchild=1&keywords=rainbow+valley+by+l.m.+montgomery&qid=1609947409&s=books&sprefix=rainbow+va%2Cstripbooks%2C222&sr=1-3" target="_blank">Rainbow Valley</a></p><p>13. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Becoming-Us-Novel-Haven-Makers/dp/073529075X/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=becoming+us&qid=1609947683&s=books&sr=1-3" target="_blank">Becoming Us</a></p><p>14. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Into-Thin-Air-Personal-Disaster/dp/0385494785/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1B8Q08EBJIFHJ&dchild=1&keywords=into+thin+air&qid=1609947707&s=books&sprefix=into+%2Cstripbooks%2C250&sr=1-1" target="_blank">Into Thin Air</a><br /><span> The entire time I read this, I kept thinking "why would anyone willingly do this??" I'm sure the feat of climbing the highest mountain in the world is a feeling that can't be put into words, but between the risk of death, hypothermia and a million other challenges I couldn't fathom why someone would attempt Everest. Not to mention the whole disaster the book recounts...</span><br /></p><p>15. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/When-Crickets-Cry-Charles-Martin-ebook/dp/B004S7XCTW/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2DA82EP5V6YU6&dchild=1&keywords=when+crickets+cry&qid=1609947888&s=books&sprefix=when+crick%2Cstripbooks%2C221&sr=1-1" target="_blank">When Crickets Cry</a></p><p>16. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Walk-Across-America-Peter-Jenkins/dp/006095955X/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1WQG0WWPJHGUB&dchild=1&keywords=walk+across+america+peter+jenkins&qid=1609947947&s=books&sprefix=walk+ac%2Cstripbooks%2C220&sr=1-1" target="_blank">Walk Across America</a> (re-read)<br /><span> Still one of my all-time favorites.</span><br /></p><p>17. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Where-Crawdads-Sing-Delia-Owens/dp/0735219095/ref=sr_1_1?crid=173Y0M843LGT1&dchild=1&keywords=where+the+crawdads+sing&qid=1609947916&s=books&sprefix=where+the+cr%2Cstripbooks%2C236&sr=1-1" target="_blank">Where the Crawdads Sing</a></p><p>18.<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Day-World-Came-Town-Author/dp/B00Y2USVA0/ref=sr_1_2?crid=37ZYX6G52ULVG&dchild=1&keywords=the+day+the+world+came+to+town&qid=1609947979&s=books&sprefix=the+day+the+worl%2Cstripbooks%2C235&sr=1-2" target="_blank"> The Day the World Came to Town </a><br /><span> Highly enjoyed this book!</span><br /></p><p>19. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Kill-Mockingbird-Harper-Lee/dp/0060935464/ref=sr_1_1?crid=27MATWPBEFZ92&dchild=1&keywords=to+kill+a+mockingbird&qid=1609948023&s=books&sprefix=to+kill%2Cstripbooks%2C235&sr=1-1" target="_blank">To Kill a Mockingbird</a> (re-read)<br /><span> I read this in highschool and decided to read it again because I couldn't remember why everyone loved it. And now I do. SUCH a good book. I want to read Go Set a Watchman next (which my brother told me many people didn't like "and I know why they didn't but I'm not going to tell you.")</span><br /></p><p>20. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Windy-Poplars-Official-Green-Gables/dp/1402289065/ref=sr_1_1?crid=269FNL3J59GE&dchild=1&keywords=anne+of+windy+poplars&qid=1609948051&s=books&sprefix=anne+of+win%2Cstripbooks%2C235&sr=1-1" target="_blank">Anne of Windy Poplars</a></p><p>21. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Annes-House-Dreams-Green-Gables/dp/0553213180/ref=sr_1_1?crid=5O2MUIM3NL2Z&dchild=1&keywords=anne%27s+house+of+dreams&qid=1609948076&s=books&sprefix=anne%27s%2Cstripbooks%2C221&sr=1-1" target="_blank">Anne's House of Dreams</a></p><p>22. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Anne-Ingleside-Green-Gables-No/dp/0553213156/ref=sr_1_2?crid=1BRIZEOPB5IXH&dchild=1&keywords=anne+of+ingleside&qid=1610030168&sprefix=anne++of+ingle%2Caps%2C216&sr=8-2" target="_blank">Anne of Ingleside</a></p><p>23. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Home-World-Reflections-Belonging-Wandering-ebook/dp/B01HAK36DK/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=at+home+in+the+world&qid=1610030191&sr=8-2" target="_blank">At Home in the World</a><br /><span> Possibly not the best book to read during a global pandemic as traveling isn't exactly a thing right now. But I really enjoyed it and hope to be able to do more traveling as a family when we're able to do such things.</span><br /></p><p>24. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Radium-Girls-Story-Americas-Shining/dp/1492650951/ref=sr_1_3?crid=1YWAT38MW6FFY&dchild=1&keywords=radium+girls&qid=1610030268&sprefix=raduim%2Caps%2C238&sr=8-3" target="_blank">The Radium Girls</a><br /><span> Fascinating book, but also longer than it needed to be, I felt.</span><br /></p><p>25. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Leotas-Garden-Francine-Rivers/dp/1414370652/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1LIE8BKZHS6EH&dchild=1&keywords=leota%27s+garden+by+francine+rivers&qid=1610030291&sprefix=leota%27s%2Caps%2C223&sr=8-1" target="_blank">Leota's Garden</a> (re-read)</p><p>26. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Vanderbeekers-Lost-Found-Karina-Glaser/dp/0358256194/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1MPOMI4Z6CD0W&dchild=1&keywords=the+vanderbeekers+lost+and+found&qid=1610030315&sprefix=the+vander%2Caps%2C219&sr=8-1" target="_blank">The Vanderbeekers Lost and Found</a><br /><span> The Vanderbeekers books are so great. I need to read them to my family.</span><br /></p><p>27. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Jane-Lantern-Virago-Modern-Classics/dp/0349004447/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1YEAK1B6VYS68&dchild=1&keywords=jane+of+lantern+hill&qid=1610030353&sprefix=jane+of%2Caps%2C216&sr=8-1" target="_blank">Jane of Lantern Hill</a><br /><span> Randomly chose this one on Hoopla and it was so good!</span><br /></p><p>28. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Behold-Lamb-God-Advent-Narrative/dp/0982621469/ref=sr_1_2?crid=2FKSIC528IH4K&dchild=1&keywords=behold+the+lamb+of+god+russ+ramsey&qid=1610030388&sprefix=behold+the+lamb%2Caps%2C212&sr=8-2" target="_blank">Behold the Lamb of God</a> (re-read)<br /><span> I couldn't decide which of my two Advent books to read, so I read both.</span><br /></p><p>29. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Come-Thou-Long-Expected-Jesus-Redesign/dp/1433573113/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3H4HGA4WWNPKL&dchild=1&keywords=come+thou+long+expected+jesus+guthrie&qid=1610030411&sprefix=come+thou+long+e%2Caps%2C246&sr=8-1" target="_blank">Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus</a> (re-read)</p><p>30. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Handmaids-Tale-Margaret-Atwood/dp/038549081X/ref=sr_1_1?crid=327S9394ZZ2H&dchild=1&keywords=the+handmaid%27s+tale&qid=1610030438&sprefix=the+handma%2Caps%2C223&sr=8-1" target="_blank">The Handmaid's Tale</a></p><p>31. <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Hillbilly-Elegy-Memoir-Family-Culture/dp/0062300555/ref=sr_1_1?crid=30MOYYO6I141O&dchild=1&keywords=hillbilly+elegy&qid=1610030461&sprefix=hillbill%2Caps%2C250&sr=8-1" target="_blank">Hillbilly Elegy</a><br /><span> This was an interesting read. I don't agree with the author on everything, and I felt it rather presumptuous that seemed to make so many conclusions about his people and speak for them, but I did appreciate that he didn't think government programs weren't the solution to everything.</span><br /></p>Elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12104059730266081936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16369185.post-44527613836973985622019-07-17T21:00:00.002-07:002019-07-17T21:05:38.729-07:00Saving our Sunday Mornings<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Like many (most?) church going families with young children, Sunday mornings can be a less than peaceful time as you try to get everyone out the door looking presentable* and not too late. Until the last year and a half ish, we had done cereal or toast for breakfast, but it was always slightly chaotic (and cereal doesn't keep them full), so one week I decided to give baked oatmeal a try.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfCUUPeT_PC_nrUUfDMR1SuyQ3LMOSF2a9rQ-nlf3gJDW_k7Ma3jkuRFtUtLbfTPICnQ39YDzdZo7_nT8Xo43DaUleP4592sxAbAleglPL5jrM-LZKbykBc4kGYEawxKH8WCWd/s1600/IMG_20190714_081503.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfCUUPeT_PC_nrUUfDMR1SuyQ3LMOSF2a9rQ-nlf3gJDW_k7Ma3jkuRFtUtLbfTPICnQ39YDzdZo7_nT8Xo43DaUleP4592sxAbAleglPL5jrM-LZKbykBc4kGYEawxKH8WCWd/s320/IMG_20190714_081503.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A taste of heaven in a bowl</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
People, it was magic. It's easy, relatively healthy, everyone loves it and can eat at the same time and we were a few minutes early to church.<br />
<br />
Here's how we do it...<br />
<br />
The night before, I prep the dry ingredients in a bowl (sometimes I'll be really on top of it and pre-make a few weeks' worth in Mason jars).<br />
3 c oats<br />
1/2 c sugar (this is half of what the recipe called for--I slowly decreased it from the full amount)<br />
2 t baking powder<br />
1 t salt<br />
1 t cinnamon<br />
<br />
Chris is an early riser (which, admittedly, is why this works so well--if you don't have a husband who gets up before everyone else I'm not sure what to tell you, other than you can't have mine) so in the mornings he adds:<br />
2 eggs<br />
1 c milk<br />
1/2 c oil<br />
<br />
And then puts it in a 9x13 pan and bakes it at 350 for 25 minutes. It's ready by the time the kids get up and everyone can eat together. It lends itself well to toppings--a few of my people like brown sugar or chocolate chips, but my absolute favorite is fresh blueberries.<br />
<br />
And that's how we make Sunday mornings run a little more smoothly around here. I'm not making any promises that it'll work magic for your families, but a few months ago we didn't have oatmeal on a Sunday morning (I forget why) and were late to church. The next week we were back to our regularly scheduled oatmeal and pulled in the church parking lot approximately 5 minutes before the service started. YMMV.<br />
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*as my boys' jeans have increased in holes, so have my standards lowered. </div>
Elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12104059730266081936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16369185.post-70408793101402409012019-07-16T22:49:00.000-07:002019-07-16T22:49:41.811-07:00Empowering Them to Slay Dragons<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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(I opened up Blogger for the first time in months and found this unpublished post. We've since finished reading aloud Narnia and moved on to the Green Ember series, and even though our kids have grown and matured I still wanted to post this.)<br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>"Fairy tales are more than true: not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten."</i>--G.K. Chesterton...<a href="https://www.shmoop.com/quotes/fairy-tales-are-more-than-true.html">ish</a></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>"Since it is so likely that they will meet cruel enemies, let them at least have heard of brave knights and heroic courage."</i>--C.S. Lewis</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="background-color: white;">It's no secret to those who know our kids that they're all pretty sensitive when it comes to 'scary' moments in books and movies. This is particularly true for one child, whose identity shall remain nameless. This child cried at "The Little Prince" and in <i>On the Banks of Plumb Creek </i> when Laura almost drown in the river, s/he had to leave the room.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="background-color: white;">On one hand, I'm glad. I don't want my kids to become numb to this world by the time they're five. I want their hearts to be tender. On the other hand...they will eventually come face to face with the evil in this world. Also, family movie nights are more enjoyable when no one cries or complains of being scared. (The only two movies to achieve that status thus far? <i>Piglet's Big Movie</i> and <i>The Boxcar Children</i>.) </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="background-color: white;">Until, that is, we began reading Narnia to the kids. We were unsure of how it would go, but someone (me) had been dreaming of reading the series together as a family since before we were married, so we dove in. We're about done with <i>The Voyage of the Dawn Treader</i>, and the change in the kids, particularly the aforementioned child, has been incredible. I'm pretty sure <i>The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe</i> has been their favorite thus far (it's mine, too); it's still mentioned frequently and we find drawings of Aslan in sketch books and they fashion Peter's sword out of K'nex. Narnia is popular suggestion for Halloween costumes this year. </span></span><i style="color: #333333;"><u>(</u>Update: Timmy was Peter, Benji was Reepicheep and it was awesome.) </i><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">We made it through the movie with no tears and only a few requests to turn it off (we powered through. And I gotta say--the movie was made way more dramatic than necessary.) </span><br />
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<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="background-color: white;">Were they scared the White Witch would hurt Edmond? Yes. Did Aslan's death make them sad? Of course. But throughout the book we kept reminding them that evil doesn't win. Aslan wins. Aslan always wins. Just like God always wins. I've seen my kids (mostly the older boys) embrace lions and swords, yes, but more importantly, I hope they've gained courage to fight for what is right and to remember that in the end, truth will win.</span></span></div>
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Elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12104059730266081936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16369185.post-11130722342088573642017-11-14T21:42:00.002-08:002017-11-14T21:42:45.040-08:00Benjamin's Birth Story<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<i>This is (obviously) a birth story...if words like 'dilated' and 'cervix' make you squirm then stop reading now. ;)</i><br />
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I knew the moment I found out my due date that I'd go late, and sure enough, September 5th came and went with no sign of labor. Even though I was expecting to still be pregnant then, I was really, really wanting this baby to come. As much as I love being pregnant, I was exhausted, swollen, dealing with pregnancy carpal tunnel and did I mention exhausted? My doctor's appointment on Friday the 8th showed that I was about 2 cm dilated and 50% effaced. Baby was head down, and if I recall correctly, anterior (facing my back). All there was to do was wait to go into labor. The doctor wanted to do a non-stress test and talk about induction the beginning or middle of the following week, but wouldn't you know, the next Friday was the only day they could do all those tests? ;) I was miserable, but I absolutely wanted to go into labor on my own.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">40 weeks</td></tr>
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<span style="text-align: left;">After my appointment, I stopped by Costco and WinCo and sometime at WinCo declared to myself that I wasn't going to a grocery store again while pregnant. Walking was so difficult, I don't think I would have made it if I hadn't had a cart to lean on. When I got home I told Chris that we needed to do something fun to take my mind off the fact that I was still pregnant, so we had pizza, homemade ice cream and a family move night that evening.</span></div>
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Sometime Friday night I woke up to pee and noticed an awful lot of painful pressure going on inside me. I didn't think anything of it, until it happened a few more times between 10 pm and midnight. Unbeknownst to me (because I hadn't turned on the light) I had some bloody show, which I realized around 1 a.m.<br />
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At first I didn't think I was in labor, because the pain was definitely not like my contractions with Timmy and Isaac. This pain was more intense and deeper, coming from inside me, not my uterus. Around 1:30 I finally realize that these pains were coming regularly--every 6-7 minutes--and that it might actually be labor. My water hadn't broken, which I sort of assumed would be my first indication of going into labor since that's what happened with Timmy and Isaac. Chris woke up and some point and asked if I was ok, and I told him I thought I was in labor.<br />
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He offered to pour me a bath and that was probably the most relaxing part of the next 14 hours. Sitting in the tub (in our recently finished master bathroom!) with a few candles lit, my birth playlist in the background and Chris holding my hands during contractions...I see why people want to have babies at home. :) After a couple hours in the tub the contractions spaced out a bit so I got out of the tub and we both tried to sleep some more. Around 5:30 they picked up again, both in speed and intensity. At this point I was moaning through the contractions and needed to focus on them. Chris texted our friend Abbi who was going to watch the big kids and let her know what was going on. She got to the house around 6:30 or 7 and loaded up everyone. We took off for the hospital not long after they left.<br />
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Side note: if you can't find your birth plan and ask your husband to grab the childbirth book, he may accidentally think you mean for him to grab the emergency-having-a-baby-on-the-side-of-the-road instructions and slightly panic. ;)<br />
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On the hour long drive to the hospital I sneaked a quick snack since I knew they wouldn't let me eat at the hospital and alternated between trying to rest and silently cursing a) Eve b) Cal Trans for the bumpy roads and c) the city planners every time we hit a red light (which was every.single.intersection in town). I told myself that I had to be dilated to at least a 3.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEAly1D8tm-n-6DqtTf_qCEG6gdhx8NOLHvhVRQd5t7O_0XBl20g8zNmHinA3ZyHUNgkpCTtTRLwtpg7PyNVmxU2-QDrByuRSFBgkBCx4YxKf4l8aTsHIOX2qM0tswjdIxrVPH/s1600/IMG_20170909_204352.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEAly1D8tm-n-6DqtTf_qCEG6gdhx8NOLHvhVRQd5t7O_0XBl20g8zNmHinA3ZyHUNgkpCTtTRLwtpg7PyNVmxU2-QDrByuRSFBgkBCx4YxKf4l8aTsHIOX2qM0tswjdIxrVPH/s320/IMG_20170909_204352.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px; padding-top: 4px; text-align: center;">Better than photos of me in labor, of which there are none,</td></tr>
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We got to the hospital around 8:30, parked and made our way inside. A lady walking out asked if I needed a wheelchair (at first I thought she was a hospital employee) but I told her I thought I could walk. She said she was dilated to a 4 and they were sending her home. I told Chris if they tried to send me home I was going to cry.<br />
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The person working the front desk asked if we were there visiting someone, to which Chris responded "No...we're here to have a baby..." Apparently the pregnant woman wearing pajamas and unable to walk through contractions wasn't very obvious.<br />
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We made it to the maternity floor where a kind nurse asked a few questions and admitted us. She checked me and I was 6 1/2-7 cm dilated. Considering that I'd only been in labor for about 7 hours, I was thrilled and everyone hoped we would have a baby by noon. The nurses had their shift change, and our new nurse was equally wonderful. She had been an L&D nurse for 43 years, taught childbirth classes, attended lots of natural births and had delivered over 300 babies the doctors didn't arrive in time to catch.<br />
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The next several hours passed with me laboring on the bed with the 'peanut ball' as she called it. (<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Isokinetics-Inc-Peanut-Ball-Available/dp/B0026N2JWG">Here's</a> a visual). The theory is that it opens up the pelvis and in her words "helps that baby just swim right now.") Apparently Benji didn't feel much like swimming, because noon came and went and still no baby. Progress was slow, and the pain excruciating, nothing like my labors with the first two boys. At some point they realized he was posterior, which explained the intense pain and the fact the he wasn't dropping. My water was still mostly in tact (may have been leaking earlier, and there was concern that there was meconium present). At this point I was done. I told Chris that at the end I knew I'd be glad I'd done this naturally, but right now I was really, really wishing I'd opted for a repeat c-section. I begged for an epidural or anything to make the pain go away. The nurse told me that an epidural would make my body relax <i>too</i> much and Benji wouldn't be able to get out, so if I wanted to avoid the operating room I needed to do this naturally. She reminded me that my body was made for this and that I could do it--in fact I <i>was </i>doing it.<br />
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Around 3 the nurse did ask if I would be open to a dose of fentanyl to "take the edge off the pain" and help me relax. I knew I needed to relax so this baby would come out, but relaxing when you're in the worst pain of your life isn't easy. We agreed and she started the medicine. Honestly, I barely noticed a difference. The details are a bit fuzzy, but the doctor broke my water sometime around then as well in an effort to help Benji descend. I definitely noticed the contractions becoming more intense and closer together after that happened.<br />
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The fentanyl lasted for about an hour, wearing off around 4 p.m. Pretty soon I had a slight urge to push, even though I wasn't fully dilated. Before long I couldn't not push, despite being told not to. There was still a lip of cervix in the way, so the doctor held it out of the way (that was...unpleasant ← understatement of the year) and I pushed. After 2 pushes I asked if he was here yet--only pushing 3 times with Isaac spoiled me, haha. After a few more pushes it was discovered that Benji's cord was around his neck and it was tight. I had to deliver his head, wait for the doctor to cut the cord and then finish delivering his body. Let's just say that was a few but very, very intense and painful moments. Because of the cord issue and the suspicion of meconium, they brought Benji to the warming table right away. He needed a little bit of oxygen but his Apgars were good. I'm not sure if there was meconium before he was born, but he definitely pooped on the way out, hitting the floor and narrowly missing the doctor's shoe.<br />
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We hadn't totally settled on a first name, knowing that we wanted to see this little boy before deciding for sure. Benjamin had been one of our top choices, along with Joshua and Nathan. Once I finally got to see and hold him, we decided for sure that he was Benjamin Lowell, named after Benjamin in the Bible and my maternal grandpa.<br />
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The Lord was gracious and sustained us through what was by far the hardest and most painful labor and delivery. Remember how I said I couldn't find my birth plan? I never ended up figuring out where it was, which worried me because I was trying for a VBAC and was concerned the nurses or doctor on call wouldn't listen to me unless I had that magic piece of paper with my doctor's signature, but praise the Lord I never once felt pressured for a c-section. We had a nurse who was incredibly pro natural birth (even when I was begging for drugs--ha!) and never felt like we had to fight to get what we wanted.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Family of six!</td></tr>
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We've adjusted well to being a family of six, Benji is a perfect blend of all his big siblings, which is a remarkable feat since they don't look very much alike. He is relaxed, a good nurser, sleeps through noise and doted on by everyone. We are so thankful for our Benji Bear!</div>
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Elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12104059730266081936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16369185.post-88928709906351478232017-09-14T14:04:00.000-07:002017-09-14T14:04:23.262-07:00Baby Flip Flop is Here!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
We welcomed Benjamin Lowell into our family on September 9th at 4:42 p.m. He was 8 lbs even and 21 1/4 inches. He is a very chill baby and we are all in love! Birth story coming hopefully soon...<br />
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Elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12104059730266081936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16369185.post-20582637198647241942017-08-11T20:23:00.001-07:002017-08-11T20:23:22.157-07:00Here We Go Again! (2017-18 Homeschool year)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I'm probably less nervous than I should be about having a fourth baby. I guess I figure that if the first three babies are weaned, potty trained and sleeping through the night I'll somehow manage to get there with the fourth as well. However, I am nervous about having a baby in the fall. Baby Flip Flop is due right around the time that Classical Conversations, Awana and Bible Study all start, so jumping back to our regular school year routine with a newborn is going to be a piece of cake, right? ;)<br />
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We started Math and Phonics last week so that we can take some time off once baby's born but not have to do school until the middle of next summer. We'll somehow make it to CC (I'm hoping) which will cover History, Geography, Art, Science and Public Speaking. For Awana, I'll be thrilled if all three kids finish their books this year. They'll all be in different books, and none of them can read, so having them all learn their verses each week is going to be a challenge. Timmy's well on his way to reading, though, and Isaac already knows most of his verses after hearing Timmy learn them last year, so that helps.<br />
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Here's what I have planned for each kid. Subject to change, of course.<br />
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<u>Timmy (1st grade)</u><br />
<b>Math</b>: Continuing with Math U See, he'll be doing Alpha this year.<br />
<b>Phonics</b>: Last April we switched to Logic of English and we love it. He ended the year about halfway through Foundations A, so we'll back up a few lessons for review and keep plugging away.<br />
<b>Handwriting</b>: We started Handwriting Without Tears last year and he is currently in the yellow book. I think he'll finish that and make good progress in the blue book this year.<br />
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<u>Isaac (Kindergarten)</u><br />
<b>Math</b>: He'll be starting Math U See Primer and is very excited to use the manipulative blocks.<br />
<b>Phonics</b>: I bought him a copy of the LOE workbook last year, though he wasn't super consistent in sitting in on Timmy's lessons, so we're going to start again from the beginning.<br />
<b>Handwriting</b>: I decided to have Isaac start LOE's handwriting since it's included in the phonics book. He's doing well, for a 5 year old perfectionist. ;)<br />
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<u>Both boys</u><br />
<b>History</b>: We're focusing on American History in CC this year, and I have some fun stuff ordered, like State Capital Sequence, a puzzle of the presidents and of course, lots of books.<br />
<b>Science</b>: Anatomy and Chemistry are the focus, so lots of hands on models and activities will supplement our CC memory work.<br />
<b>Geography</b>: We're going to work on drawing the US, and that includes me learning, so wish us luck.<br />
<b>Fine Arts</b>: Included in CC this year. We may start the boys on piano lessons after Christmas, depending on how that whole 'life with a fourth kid' thing is going.<br />
<b>Read Alouds</b>: I haven't planned them for the entire year yet, but so far we're reading <i>Runaway Ralph, </i>which will be followed by <i>Stuart Little, Johnny Tremain</i> (after I read it to make sure it won't be too far above their heads), <i>The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe</i> and <i>Ralph S. Mouse. </i>I'm hoping they'll fall in love with Narnia, and if they do we'll read more of those. If they're too scared (very possible) we'll shelve them for awhile. My guess is that much of the time I'm nursing the new baby will also be spent reading aloud, and I am looking forward to it.<br />
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<u>Lydia (age 3)</u><br />
I firmly believe that three year olds don't need formal schooling, but she was in tears this summer because she doesn't know all her phonics, so...we'll see. Maybe she'll teach herself to read or something like that.</div>
Elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12104059730266081936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16369185.post-37628737211753190432017-07-26T21:25:00.001-07:002017-07-26T21:25:17.678-07:00DIY Dry Erase Boards<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Also known as How to Be Disproportionately Excited About Finishing a Project.<br />
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We do most of our homeschooling at the dining room table (or, let's be honest, the couch if it involves reading). We've got a good sized eating space and a dedicated school shelf so it works out well.<br />
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Awhile ago, we bought a world map from Amazon and Chris built a simple pallet for it to hang on. We really like it, and I always knew I wanted to add something to display our CC memory work on the walls as well. I wasn't in a huge rush since the kids can't read, but it's been on my mind for awhile, and I think it'll be a neat way for Chris to see what we're learning.<br />
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I toyed around with dry erase paint, but all my online research concluded that it was a) pricey and b) tricky. Apparently a lot of stores sell expired material which doesn't work well, so I kept hunting. I found <a href="http://www.hobbylobby.com/Party-Baking/Stationery-Office-Decor/Office-Decor/Dry-Erase-Self-Adhesive-Removable-Paper/p/80641231">dry erase vinyl</a> at Hobby Lobby and decided to try that. So without further delay, here are my 6 steps to DIY dry erase boards.<br />
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1. Purchase small wooden plaques at Hobby Lobby in October. Occasionally see them on your craft shelf and think <i>you know, I should really finish that project</i>. Leave said plaques alone until July when you're trying to finish everything on your pre-baby list.<br />
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2. Sand the plaques and paint the edges. Here's where I messed up: I should have painted the entire thing. I mixed the paint color from a couple samples I had and probably wouldn't have had enough, but had I done so, it would have saved me a step.<br />
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3. Realize the adhesive dry erase surface is more see through than you thought. Also cut cardstock to fit each plaque, attach that to the dry erase surface and use glue dots to put it on the plaques.<br />
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4. Use Silhouette to cut out the subject names from vinyl and attach to each plaque. Mine are very obviously not perfectly straight, but we just hope people don't point that out. ;)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEtOpupy0wT9t-E0stzS6puOLQQd2Ka6KvgbGdSLnBDpbqm__SaMnMIPEI3G0BWkCif8LlUjv-GWDqyOMSTRdTyzBdv0DOiEgA1OLGKLjn5ezJCEF6lHqw6nV-_SDBfoTAkcin/s1600/IMG_20170725_094627.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEtOpupy0wT9t-E0stzS6puOLQQd2Ka6KvgbGdSLnBDpbqm__SaMnMIPEI3G0BWkCif8LlUjv-GWDqyOMSTRdTyzBdv0DOiEgA1OLGKLjn5ezJCEF6lHqw6nV-_SDBfoTAkcin/s320/IMG_20170725_094627.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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5. Hang with command strips.<br />
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6. Show everyone who cares (and even some who don't) because you are so thrilled to finally be done with said project.<br />
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The project ended up being fairly reasonably priced, which was nice. The plaques were $18 total and I used leftover paint and cardstock. The vinyl dry erase was $13, but I had a 40% coupon and didn't use all of the material.<br />
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Hopefully they hold up well. I can tell I need to add more glue dots, but I was running low and Hobby Lobby is an hour away (#smalltownproblems). Now to make sure I update the memory work each week!</div>
Elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12104059730266081936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16369185.post-33223605126609355302017-07-18T21:16:00.000-07:002017-07-18T21:16:01.409-07:00Road Trip Activities 2.0 <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
(Also known as The Trip For Which I May Have Slightly Over-Prepared.)<br />
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We just got back from an epic road trip (5,388 miles, to be precise) in which we saw much of the Western US and much of our families. We hadn't done a long road trip since <a href="http://mywanderingramblings.blogspot.com/2016/02/3-kids-3100-miles-and-0-screens-what.html">Christmas of 2015</a> and I was a little worried about keeping the kids busy for that many miles When we first planned the trip, we knew we'd be caravaning with my parents for the second leg, but thought the kids would be with us for the first and third legs, so I maaaaay have over prepared. Maybe. (Pretty sure that when Chris reads this post, he'll roll his eyes and say "yes, yes you did,") Plans changed and Chris and I ended up driving the last leg kid free (which, yes, was as wonderful as it sounds). Don't worry, we didn't abandon our children; they spent a week with grandparents and great grandparents, going to the library, the pool and various parks and they arrived home safely yesterday afternoon.<br />
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<span style="text-align: center;">Due to a last minute vehicle change we ended up taking Chris' Jetta station wagon, and I'm happy to report that it went much, much better than expected and we all still like each other. ;) It did make things a little cramped (all three kids in one row), so a few activities got left behind (roll of aluminium foil, extra sketch books and some construction magnets) but most of what we brought was well used</span><br />
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Last our last trip, I made road trip binders, which they asked for before we'd pulled out of the driveway (sorry, kids, I don't hand out activities until at least an hour into a trip). In the binders I put colored pencils (no crayons on a summer road trip!), a coloring page for each state went to, color by number, blank paper, dry erase markers, dot to dots, a map of our trip, etc. Restaurant bingo was a huge hit. It was pretty cute to hear "that's on my list!" from the backseat multiple times when they spotted one.<br />
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I also made travel trays and had some fun customizing them.<br />
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Pipe cleaners, strategically picked books (<i>Where's Waldo?</i>, a children's treasury, etc.), stickers and glow sticks (which, by the way, aren't really necessary on a summer road trip when you're not driving late at night) were all repeats from our previous trip. New this time were...</div>
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<b>Finger puppets: </b>The homemade Veggie Tales puppets from our last trip didn't hold up well, and I was lazy so I bought some from <a href="http://due%20to%20a%20last%20minute%20vehicle%20change%20we%20ended%20up%20taking%20chris%27%20jetta%20station%20wagon%2C%20and%20i%27m%20happy%20to%20report%20that%20it%20went%20much%2C%20much%20better%20than%20we%20expected%20and%20we%20all%20still%20like%20each%20other.%20%3B%29%20it%20did%20make%20things%20a%20little%20cramped%2C%20so%20a%20few%20activities%20got%20left%20behind%20%28roll%20of%20aluminium%20foil%2C%20extra%20sketch%20books%20and%20some%20construction%20magnets%29%20but%20most%20of%20what%20we%20brought%20was%20well%20used/">Amazon </a>this time. They're super cute and are now in the game closet to be used for quiet time or future road trips.</div>
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<b>Tic Tac Toe: </b>I bought some colorful round magnets from Hobby Lobby, drew Xs and Os on them and then drew a tic tac toe board which I put into a page protector. Isaac and his Lovey played a bunch, which was adorable.</div>
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<b>Plastic animals:</b> I got some from Amazon and then printed off <a href="http://picklebums.com/printable-imaginative-play-mats/">these </a>landscapes, put them in page protectors and added magnets to the back so they'd stick to the travel trays. The kids ended up using them mostly without the pages, but the animals were definitely a hit. I found some road pages, too, for cars and airplanes.</div>
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<b>Magnetic puzzles: </b>I took a couple of jigsaw puzzles from the Dollar Tree and put a magnetic strip on the back of each piece. It would have worked really well if I'd measured and realized before we left that the finished puzzles were too big for the trays. Mom fail.</div>
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<b>Target Dollar Spot Treasures: </b>Several weeks before our trip (when we thought we were going to be in a van/have extra room), a friend and I went to Target in search of car activities. I left with a memory game, Old Maid and checkers (which we didn't end up playing), some sketch books, pirate magnets and some weird light up ball/Koosh hybrid things. </div>
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<b>Read alouds:</b> I was <i>thrilled</i> that kids liked reading chapter books more this time around. We listened to <i>Little Town on the Prairie</i>, and I read aloud two Boxcar Children books (which I'd gotten on Kindle for a steal. I'm not a huge fan of eReaders, but I can't deny they're quite wonderful when traveling).</div>
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<b>Would You Rather?: </b>I printed <a href="http://www.themeasuredmom.com/would-you-rather-for-kids/">these</a> cards and put them on a ring, which was a fun thing we all could participate in.</div>
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<b>Ice Cream Parlor: </b>I cut cones, ice cream scoops and toppings out of felt. Nothing very exciting, but Lydia enjoyed playing with them.</div>
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<b>Misc: </b>The kids were each in charge of packing some toys in their backpacks (Timmy brought the necessary race cars, Isaac the airplanes and Lydia the dolls/stuffed animals). We also borrowed a couple Boogie Boards (LCD writing tablets) from a friend, though we only brought one due to space.</div>
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Also, kids are pretty content to just look out the window...who'd have thunk? ;) When your boys love building/construction and airplanes and your daughter loves animals, there's quite a bit out there for them to see. Isaac and I were excited to count the number of crop dusters we saw, and ended up with a whopping one. </div>
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There are probably a few more that I forgot about. I'm not kidding when I say that I literally wrote down every activity so I wouldn't forget what all I'd brought, because pregnancy brain. </div>
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Next time we epic road trip it will be with four kids. Not that we have one planned anytime in the near (or distant) future, but this baby is coming sooner than we think!</div>
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Elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12104059730266081936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16369185.post-67874035645778261472017-05-17T20:16:00.003-07:002017-05-17T20:19:03.961-07:00Lydia's Third Birthday Interview<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="text-align: center;">
1. What is your favorite color?<br />
"pink and purple"</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
2. What is your favorite toy?</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
"Cash register" [she got a toy one for her birthday]</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
3. What is your favorite fruit?<br />
"pineapple"*</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
4. What is your favorite TV show?<br />
"Angelina Ballerina"</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
5. What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch?<br />
"ham sandwich and pineapple"</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
6. What is your favorite Bible story?</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
"Jesus died on the cross."</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
7. What is your favorite game?</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
[don't think she has one]</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
8. What is your favorite snack?<br />
"I don't know"</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
9. What is your favorite animal?<br />
"Elephant"</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
10. What is your favorite song?</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
"Alphabet"</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
11. What is your favorite book?<br />
"Ballet dancers"</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
12. Who is your best friend?<br />
"Hailey. I just love Hailey."</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
13. What is your favorite cereal?<br />
"Honey Bunches of Oats"</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
14. What is your favorite thing to do outside?<br />
"Take the dirt off the ground"</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
15 What is your favorite drink?</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
"Orange juice"</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
16. What is your favorite holiday?<br />
"Ballet-ers."</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
17. Who do you take to bed with you at night?<br />
"Dolly"</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
18. What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast?<br />
"I already told you!"</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
19. What do you want for dinner on your birthday?<br />
"cake" [we had that...along with a BBQ]</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
20. What do you want to be when you grow up?<br />
"A butterfly"<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW_567e4ZdRx7Pg4mCHw7jfHwSfswbkJHYAtEvEHk6qBNJYxjaX9GTODvzL90_CEM3Wo9xgm_VjS-HvKhRgumqgAyUnBh4auaNeVdRHV9dUyN8RtMTrUeRpnVHXCjfTpXl-XkL/s1600/IMAG4072.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW_567e4ZdRx7Pg4mCHw7jfHwSfswbkJHYAtEvEHk6qBNJYxjaX9GTODvzL90_CEM3Wo9xgm_VjS-HvKhRgumqgAyUnBh4auaNeVdRHV9dUyN8RtMTrUeRpnVHXCjfTpXl-XkL/s320/IMAG4072.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
*later that day we had leftover pizza with pineapple on it, which she declared she didn't like. I don't understand three year olds, but I am highly amused by them.</div>
</div>
Elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12104059730266081936noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16369185.post-60058996537129407452017-04-21T20:56:00.000-07:002017-04-21T20:56:27.032-07:00Our Latest Volume<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I put this on IG and FB but somehow forgot to announce it on my blog...<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEYLSsLGHiE9KdaFY-X0RN4IFx1wE0rA9wvwbVPP5Ii4dWt1h_A-bFegdQboXftdqjnegF4l1uBdtWfSRoA668RDEbCJchQuNPCwedxqERDPfmsgq0zMrhVtUiaDRlPqMtW8De/s1600/Higbaby4_2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="135" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEYLSsLGHiE9KdaFY-X0RN4IFx1wE0rA9wvwbVPP5Ii4dWt1h_A-bFegdQboXftdqjnegF4l1uBdtWfSRoA668RDEbCJchQuNPCwedxqERDPfmsgq0zMrhVtUiaDRlPqMtW8De/s320/Higbaby4_2.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
And we found out this week that it's a boy!<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjms0G-ZMhe1bRZsIFN5b34JFj3YP3tem2OwN56Tp65AwQXRAFIrf5vZB-BP8qkGdvNmu8xnK1fFtlNbCb-Ioe5GTpKcmw8S3P56Tox9qSIUr87tjLiRzx5Fa1SYvjsENWd601S/s1600/IMG_20170420_071512_161.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjms0G-ZMhe1bRZsIFN5b34JFj3YP3tem2OwN56Tp65AwQXRAFIrf5vZB-BP8qkGdvNmu8xnK1fFtlNbCb-Ioe5GTpKcmw8S3P56Tox9qSIUr87tjLiRzx5Fa1SYvjsENWd601S/s320/IMG_20170420_071512_161.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
We're very excited to welcome this little man to our family. I'm also looking forward to seeing what name we finally agree on. ;) Thankfully the pregnancy is going well so far. The first trimester was far from pleasant, but by the grace of God we survived. I'm 20 weeks now and other than being exhausted at the end of each day, I feel pretty normal. The tiredness might also be due to having three other children. Maybe. Those three children are pretty great, though, and are looking forward to Baby Flip Flop joining our family.</div>
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Elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12104059730266081936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16369185.post-14013557709983011462016-10-15T10:12:00.001-07:002016-10-15T10:12:16.622-07:00Farmer Lydia, Cropduster Isaac and Builder Timmy<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Awhile back I blogged a couple of the boys' favorite original <a href="http://mywanderingramblings.blogspot.com/2014/08/larry-boy-and-soccer-ball.html">bedtime stories</a>. While on a camping trip a couple weeks ago, I came up with a new tale in an effort to get Lydia to sleep. Here it is, transcribed for all the world to see.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzjF4r9B9xaOq_hEK6EJn-SrBcp1LobK1y0N0m0O12LqtAl6EuabEQ0vjAa6TyVqSz8kRWdo5v5vu7KspjuVHgPZVawgDgq3xKwXp-nnej9Z1236q9ygXfm2AA75NoJONdMabP/s1600/IMAG2354.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzjF4r9B9xaOq_hEK6EJn-SrBcp1LobK1y0N0m0O12LqtAl6EuabEQ0vjAa6TyVqSz8kRWdo5v5vu7KspjuVHgPZVawgDgq3xKwXp-nnej9Z1236q9ygXfm2AA75NoJONdMabP/s320/IMAG2354.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Resting from all that farming</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Once upon a time there was a farmer named Lydia. She had a pink tractor and grew corn, potatoes, peppers, broccoli, apples, oranges and strawberries. One day, Farmer Lydia discovered that bugs had been eating her crops. She knew that she had to do something, or else there wouldn't be any fruit or vegetables left for other kids to eat. So Farmer Lydia called up Cropduster Isaac.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Cropduster Isaac got into his plane right away and sprayed the crops to get rid of the bugs.* He did such a good job that Farmer Lydia's crops started growing so fast she ran out of room her in barns. So Farmer Lydia called up Builder Timmy, who built her some big, new barns to hold all the things she was growing until she could send them to kids who needed the food.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
*Essential oil based/organic/non-GMO bug killer. Obviously. ;)</div>
</div>
Elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12104059730266081936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16369185.post-13364201994948686872016-04-27T13:30:00.000-07:002016-04-27T13:30:05.613-07:00Isaac's 4th Birthday Interview<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Our future pilot turned four yesterday--<i>four</i>! I asked him the traditional birthday interview questions as he ate his birthday breakfast...<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; text-indent: -0.25in;">1.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; text-indent: -0.25in;">What is your favorite
color?</span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; text-indent: -0.25in;">"red"</span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">2. What is your favorite toy? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">"airplanes"</span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">3. What is your favorite fruit? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">"grapes and bananas"</span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">4. What is your favorite tv show? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">"Daniel Tiger"</span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">5. What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">"mac and cheese"</span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">6. What is your favorite Bible story? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">"Jesus goes to Heaven"</span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">7. What is your favorite game? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">"airplane game" [Busy, Busy Airport]</span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">8. What is your favorite snack? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">"grapes"</span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">9. What is your favorite animal? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">"puppies"</span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">10. What is your favorite song?</span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">"Old McDonald"</span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">11. What is your favorite book? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">"airplanes" </span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">12. Who is your best friend? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">"Bri and Logo and Bek" [the first two exist </span>solely<span style="font-family: inherit;"> in his imagination]</span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">13. What is your favorite cereal? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">"Honey Bunches of Oats"</span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">14. What is your favorite thing to do outside? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">"lawnmower"</span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">15. What is your favorite drink? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">"milk"</span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">16. What is your favorite holiday? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">"Easter"</span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">17. What do you like to take to bed with you at night? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">"Shadow [dog], Lamby, Chocolate [bear], Lovey...all my animals"</span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">18. What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">"sausage, eggs and toast"</span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">19. What do you want for dinner on your birthday? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">"hot dogs, baked beans and chips and salsa"</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">20. What do you want to be when you grow up? </span><span style="font-family: AR CHRISTY;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">"a pilot"</span></div>
</div>
Elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12104059730266081936noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16369185.post-88555890228584423372016-02-08T20:29:00.000-08:002016-02-08T20:29:08.148-08:00Simple DIY Animal Canvases<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; line-height: 1.2; white-space: pre-wrap;">I wanted to add some more color and some personality to Lydia's room, but wasn't quite sure what I wanted to do. After playing around with the layout of the room and finally being satisfied with how things were, I was left with a large empty wall that needed some attention. Lydia's room is tiny, so when we painted it I chose a very light purple. Sometimes it's hard to tell that it's not white, but overall I'm happy with the color. However, I wanted to incorporate some more colors.</span><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Since Lydia loves animals, I thought those would be a fun addition. I finally decided on very simple animal silhouettes with colorful backgrounds. The hardest part was deciding which animals to use. Had I used all of her favorites, the wall would have been fully covered.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Because the wall is so big, I knew I wanted large canvases to help fill the space. I bought 16x20 canvases at Hobby Lobby and used acrylic paint to paint each one a solid color (except for the purple--I didn't realize until I opened it and saw really thick paint that I'd actually bought enamel for glass and ceramic. This is what happens when you're shopping at Hobby Lobby with three kids).</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr7zO-SmbwM-uadUAo9zd30rs_ysJc8rgVpMw0nOgOtVswt30Vk6C2HcFDSTjFo5PSbWb1xaxMI_wz4VnHbhxaeroW3QvVnQ3dmCP9rDC02a2yHTbv1RLpMHa3CFaq23yDFeZl/s1600/IMG_20160202_161603.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr7zO-SmbwM-uadUAo9zd30rs_ysJc8rgVpMw0nOgOtVswt30Vk6C2HcFDSTjFo5PSbWb1xaxMI_wz4VnHbhxaeroW3QvVnQ3dmCP9rDC02a2yHTbv1RLpMHa3CFaq23yDFeZl/s320/IMG_20160202_161603.jpg" width="240" /></span></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I also had to tone down the green and yellow, but unfortunately I went a little too light on the green and didn't have any more. I added a tiny bit of dark green and called it good.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">For the animals, my initial idea was to cut stencils with my Silhouette, trace them onto the canvas and then paint (I would have done the solid colors last had I gone this route). However, I realized that it probably wouldn't come out very crisp and even, and I really wanted the finished product to look nice.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Option two (which almost worked) was white contact paper. I tested it first with the pig, which came out great and stuck beautifully. Unfortunately, the next two (the dog and cat) were super wrinkled and wouldn't stick. I suspect it's because the contact paper was from when we lined the shelves in our old kitchen...4 years ago. Fresh contact paper would probably have worked fine.</span></div>
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<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihJh0h2UgF_H0Ph_tKPc4Vz526oLQ7ob3wh1NUtWe1Dsdz3pwRDgGr_PgPLiY_eOWJpZAXoQ6uJ-850RYC66X9uL-PX1Dm-IdJ4mQ1UUH6F3NRdVGSC7GMhyeKb4MfBOU4isul/s1600/IMG_20160203_155602.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihJh0h2UgF_H0Ph_tKPc4Vz526oLQ7ob3wh1NUtWe1Dsdz3pwRDgGr_PgPLiY_eOWJpZAXoQ6uJ-850RYC66X9uL-PX1Dm-IdJ4mQ1UUH6F3NRdVGSC7GMhyeKb4MfBOU4isul/s320/IMG_20160203_155602.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Finally, I decided just to use cardstock. A few cuts on my Silhouette, some glue and they were ready to hang. Lydia is quite thrilled, and I'm pleased with how they turned out.</span></div>
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Elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12104059730266081936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16369185.post-68834917653527023462016-02-04T09:00:00.000-08:002016-02-04T13:14:17.744-08:003 Kids, 3100 Miles and 0 Screens: What Worked and What Didn't<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<i>I left this in my drafts for awhile to make sure I hadn't forgotten to add anything. The only thing I forgot was to hit 'publish.'</i><br />
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The suitcases are empty, the laundry is (nearly) done and we've breathed a huge sigh of relief. We survived our Christmas road trip--and dare I say, it went much, much better than we ever expected. (Or maybe our expectations were too low to begin with?) We drove nearly 1200 miles (each way) plus another 600ish miles during our 10 day stay for a total of 3100 miles in 13 days. We also decided when our kids were younger that we weren't going to be using electronic devices on road trips, so that added a (good) challenge. (No judgement if your family does use them in the car--this is just what works for us.)<br />
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Before hitting the road, I did a bunch of Pinteresting (that's a verb, right?) and planned activities, most of which I'm happy to say were very well received. I wanted to document what worked for us and our kiddos (nearly 5 year old boy, 3 1/2 year old boy and 19 month old girl).<br />
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<b>What Worked</b><br />
<b>Binders: </b>I channeled my inner Leslie Knope and made the kids road trip binders. They loved them and used them many times. They were mostly coloring pages and printables (found on Pinterest). I put the printables in plastic sleeves and gave the kids dry erase markers so they would be reusable. The pages included handwriting sheets with their name, numbers, alphabet, etc, as well as road sign bingo, draw your own road sign, etc. Lydia's binder contained some pictures of her favorite animals and coloring pages, some in page protectors and some not. I used yarn to attach a piece of felt to each of their binders so they could erase the reusable pages.<br />
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The boys each had a binder pouch (from Amazon) for markers and crayons. I just handed Lydia a marker (which she basically used on the entire binder) or crayon as necessary. In the binder pockets I put stickers, which they enjoyed more than I expected. Since we have plenty of stickers at home they weren't anything new or super special, but hey, whatever works, right?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnjOJ15fnvCdb4Uslpx7uZ49Z8s4mbLzeBgluq8SIOk_2_vVsTO1W1MGCEn8v1NPtVQC5gOywJAnPTyKYXAQKLGxQ00Cv538PldDbzm4XZefvTfaQFtFlj1yspmmp8VVGAbynE/s1600/20151211_114626%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnjOJ15fnvCdb4Uslpx7uZ49Z8s4mbLzeBgluq8SIOk_2_vVsTO1W1MGCEn8v1NPtVQC5gOywJAnPTyKYXAQKLGxQ00Cv538PldDbzm4XZefvTfaQFtFlj1yspmmp8VVGAbynE/s320/20151211_114626%255B1%255D.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>Glow Sticks: </b>We were on the road by 5:30 a.m. most of the four days we drove, hoping the kids would go back to sleep in the van. It didn't quite work (something about Christmas AND heading to Grandpa and Grandma's made for lots of excitement), but they were actually pretty happy considering they got woken up so early. And when they weren't happy, glow sticks did the trick. I bought some at the dollar store for the trip up and got a "fancy" pack at Target for the trip home (it even contain pieces to make the glow sticks into glasses).<br />
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<a href="https://photos.google.com/photo/AF1QipOpYN4845XNXPZzEbAv8nQsYrsuoArntY6yjhBI"></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrbEyXAdqJhyphenhyphenRJkYRJt6LUbkPoj2BPbpVpBk0dkhv8k6_uu1eN_VVXRKrbTOiM_3-NWDM4x1UM2VZqjHGLZ5xRqt4AjsmlE60wcy6yKXR2FeOx-Tb0mLTYLQhZGvMvlT84gZXc/s1600/20151231_070727.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrbEyXAdqJhyphenhyphenRJkYRJt6LUbkPoj2BPbpVpBk0dkhv8k6_uu1eN_VVXRKrbTOiM_3-NWDM4x1UM2VZqjHGLZ5xRqt4AjsmlE60wcy6yKXR2FeOx-Tb0mLTYLQhZGvMvlT84gZXc/s320/20151231_070727.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<a href="https://photos.google.com/photo/AF1QipOpYN4845XNXPZzEbAv8nQsYrsuoArntY6yjhBI"></a><br />
<b>Sticker Pads: </b>I bought <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Melissa-Doug-Reusable-Sticker-Bundle/dp/B00W84WCVG/ref=pd_sim_21_4?ie=UTF8&dpID=51XxNQRgu8L&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR160%2C160_&refRID=0971XS040YWQ2VACJ6MD">these</a> reusable sticker pads from Amazon and the kids really enjoyed them. They come with a TON of stickers--in retrospect, one or two pads probably would have been enough. I also wish I'd taken the time to remove the stickers from the pages and put them in Ziplocs before leaving. It would have made it easier in the van, especially since Isaac needed help getting them off the page. That being said, they provided lots of entertainment and as a bonus, the stickers work on the window which was fun, too.<br />
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<b>Books:</b> I tried to be strategic in the books that I packed, choosing ones like I Spy or Richard Scarry with lots of detail to look at. I also brought a few chapter books to read aloud to them, but they didn't really go for that (not gonna lie, that bummed me out a little..I had visions of LOTS of read aloud time), though we did read plenty of picture books. We also brought along some audio books, but they wanted to listen to music more than stories. Some old Clubhouse Jr magazines were also great to have on hand, especially because I didn't worry if Lydia ripped them.<br />
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<b>Music: </b>Slugs and Bugs and Songs for Saplings provided much enjoyment. Chris and I actually like the music, too, and we all had fun listening to it. Lydia was greatly entertained by the Isty Bitsy Spider as well as the up-and-coming finger play titled Two Little Puppies, starring Lydia and her best friend, Maddie. ;)<br />
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<b>Pipe Cleaners: </b>I don't know why, but they love pipe cleaners. We made them into shapes, airplanes, rainbows and strung Cheerios on them for snacks. I had planned to make snack necklaces with Fruit Loops (a road trip treat), pretzels and gummy Lifesavers (another treat), but we tried them at home and the boys weren't fans, though like I said, they did like Cheerios on the pipe cleaners.<br />
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<b>Finger Puppets: </b>Lydia got a couple animal ones for Christmas, and I made four Veggie Tale puppets they enjoyed. The puppets weren't the most durable (I glued them instead of sewing because it was late and I was tired), but I'd definitely make nicer ones for another road trip.<br />
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<b>What Didn't Work</b><br />
<b>I Spy Bags: </b>I made I Spy bags with paper cutouts and rice (glued shut and double bagged) buuuut...the elevation change sucked all the air out so you couldn't shake the rice to see anything inside. Mom fail.<br />
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<b>Silly Putty: </b>I don't know if I'd call this a fail, but they didn't play with it a ton. Timmy liked his more than Isaac, but I think the boys would have done better with it if they'd played with it before.<br />
<a href="https://photos.google.com/photo/AF1QipPXHPURrO6qaDyH4lyoeldvX3TOuqkw4xIcgjTD"></a><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGnsKuoqqnXqKLs0FFhjdhIeuQzbrIYPCs6lkcZY_th1zol6YdEOiZAJ_0VtMhN2Y6MnfQp8oSonc4ob0XpnUTCV2koxRfVchLdjHbeZlEbA-chddpugXI5svYj8fbCHNfTHXY/s1600/20151218_123201%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGnsKuoqqnXqKLs0FFhjdhIeuQzbrIYPCs6lkcZY_th1zol6YdEOiZAJ_0VtMhN2Y6MnfQp8oSonc4ob0XpnUTCV2koxRfVchLdjHbeZlEbA-chddpugXI5svYj8fbCHNfTHXY/s320/20151218_123201%255B1%255D.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mittens just off the needles and a cat...why not?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<a href="https://photos.google.com/photo/AF1QipPXHPURrO6qaDyH4lyoeldvX3TOuqkw4xIcgjTD"></a><a href="https://photos.google.com/photo/AF1QipPeigl47l1eKnXxxUWdl-B603zQaOw-znGtH3ln"></a><b>Other random stuff that helped: </b>I sat in the middle next to Lydia, with Isaac and Timmy in the back. I know some people would say I should have sat in the front because I'm a wife before I'm a mom (which is true), but I knew that if I sat in the middle, the trip would go smoother. And a smoother trip meant that Chris and I would be less stressed. It was definitely a good decision. I could hand things to the boys (Timmy always sits in the back and giving him snacks, books, etc. isn't easy from the front) and help keep the peace.<br />
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We also had plenty of snacks, some very rare treats (Fruit Loops) and some more standard fare (Cheerios, lunchmeat). We kept our Costco cold bag in between the front seats so we could easily access the cheese, ham, etc. Also, at every stop we insisted the boys go to the bathroom. Definitely resorted to bribery with M&Ms a few times, but I didn't care. It worked, because I think we only had to stop once so one of the boys could go to the bathroom.<br />
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We packed an overnight bag that we could easily access to bring into the hotel instead of having to lug in our huge suitcase. We also didn't change the kids into their clothes until our first stop each day. That definitely made leaving early easier.<br />
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Traveling that far with three little kids wasn't easy, but with lots of prayer, planning and (let's be honest) chocolate, it was doable and, at times, even enjoyable.</div>
Elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12104059730266081936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16369185.post-64311356949771997872016-02-02T16:32:00.000-08:002016-02-02T16:32:14.030-08:00Timmy's 5th Birthday Interview<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Somehow Timmy turned five last week. Not quite sure who let him get that old. Anyway, as per tradition, here is his birthday interview.<br />
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<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">1.<span style="font-stretch: normal;">
</span></span><span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">What is your favorite
color?</span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">"green"</span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">2. What is your favorite toy? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"Dusty, Magna Tiles"</span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">3. What is your favorite fruit? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"grapes, strawberries, bananas"</span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">4. What is your favorite tv show? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"Curious George and Veggie Tales"</span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">5. What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"apples, bananas, snacky lunch"</span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">6. What is your favorite Bible story? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"Abraham had Isaac"</span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">7. What is your favorite game? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"Goldbug" [Richard Scarry's Busytown game]</span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">8. What is your favorite snack? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"grapes"</span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">9. What is your favorite animal? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"rats*, horses, camels, all the animals, giraffes"</span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">10. What is your favorite song? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"Chingle Bells"</span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">11. What is your favorite book? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"Curious George"</span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">12. Who is your best friend? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"Judah, Hannah, Bek, Lydia, Isaac"</span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">13. What is your favorite cereal? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"Cheerios"</span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">14. What is your favorite thing to do outside? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"ride bikes"</span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">15. What is your favorite drink? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"milk, water"</span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">16. What is your favorite holiday? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"Valentine's Day"</span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">17. What do you like to take to bed with you at night? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"Bunny, Lamby, Kirby [lion]"</span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">18. What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"toast"</span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">19. What do you want for dinner on your birthday? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"nachos and fruit"</span></div>
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">20. What do you want to be when you grow up? </span><span style="font-family: AR CHRISTY;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"a robot"</span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">*You can thank E.B. White for Timmy's love of rats. He thinks Templeton is great.</span></div>
</div>
Elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12104059730266081936noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16369185.post-29783429487091492592015-08-28T21:54:00.000-07:002015-08-28T21:54:14.333-07:00Recent Happenings<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
We've been...<br />
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starting the adventure of homeschooling,</div>
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going for family walks,</div>
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snuggling baby dolls,</div>
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coloring,</div>
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falling asleep in random places</div>
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sporting adorable hairstyles,<span style="text-align: left;"> </span></div>
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making super hero capes,</div>
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flying with Daddy and</div>
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enjoying all the cuteness.</div>
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Elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12104059730266081936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16369185.post-19767193737643672462015-01-31T21:24:00.001-08:002015-01-31T21:24:38.193-08:00Timmy's Birthday Interview<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Not sure if I blogged Timmy's birthday interview from last year, but here are his answers from this year along with a few clarifications.<br />
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<span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Timmy’s Birthday Interview<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: inherit;">1.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->What is your favorite
color? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">"green"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">2. What is your favorite toy? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">"Veggie Tales" </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">3. What is your favorite fruit? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">"grapes"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">4. What is your favorite tv show? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">"Dusty" [<i>Planes</i> to the rest of us]</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">5. What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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"peanut butter and jam"</div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">6. What is your favorite Bible story? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">"Jonah"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">7. What is your favorite game? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">"George" [Curious George's Discovery Beach]</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">8. What is your favorite snack? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">"pretzels"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">9. What is your favorite animal? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">"elephant"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">10. What is your favorite song? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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"Cubbies song"</div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">11. What is your favorite book? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">"Cubbies book, Small books" [Policeman Small, Cowboy Small, etc. by Lois Lenski]</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">12. Who is your best friend? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">"Judah. I love Judah."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">13. What is your favorite place to go? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">"park"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">14. What is your favorite thing to do outside? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">"soccer"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">15. What is your favorite drink? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">"milk"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">16. What is your favorite holiday? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">"Christmas"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">17. What do you like to take to bed with you at night? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">"Bunny [original Fuzzy Lamb], Teddy Bear [bear named Peanut Butter] and blanket"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">18. What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">"Toast with peanut butter"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">19. What do you want for dinner on your birthday? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">[We had Sloppy Joes, corn, fruit salad, Doritos and Veggie Tales Cake]</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">20. What do you want to be when you grow up? </span><span style="color: #4f6228; font-family: AR CHRISTY;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">"O the Owl" [from Daniel Tiger] and the "white building" [where Chris works]</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-9QbVGhRNt5yHpMN88aM11PKoCEovynYEBT5pD5B5IlLsllycH_SPxy3k3d5WNuzEALetMBib8iBZ02-ygaBSijjLIoW8Din0suSplNeGaLQxeyzx5W26b4fRUGFLT9ZFFyAF/s1600/20150126_191948.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-9QbVGhRNt5yHpMN88aM11PKoCEovynYEBT5pD5B5IlLsllycH_SPxy3k3d5WNuzEALetMBib8iBZ02-ygaBSijjLIoW8Din0suSplNeGaLQxeyzx5W26b4fRUGFLT9ZFFyAF/s1600/20150126_191948.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Our big FOUR year old and his birthday cake!</span></div>
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Elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12104059730266081936noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16369185.post-34930758518285720322014-09-12T08:00:00.000-07:002014-09-12T08:00:06.884-07:00Half a Decade<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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5 years</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsH9rAuseLMjiiCMLl0RjQ9BUQe8XmcncwhAkJ8AVI3g7jXJZZBu2AayMOkt0nHF_vALhubi0DDCExRqJQKW0vUnrZ52PFLWWXW1ceGlEohqjK7dvuBukmYT4LBAIeSmGL7vLf/s1600/C+++E-337.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsH9rAuseLMjiiCMLl0RjQ9BUQe8XmcncwhAkJ8AVI3g7jXJZZBu2AayMOkt0nHF_vALhubi0DDCExRqJQKW0vUnrZ52PFLWWXW1ceGlEohqjK7dvuBukmYT4LBAIeSmGL7vLf/s1600/C+++E-337.jpg" height="320" width="214" /></a></div>
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4 houses (almost)</div>
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<span style="text-align: center;">3 kids</span></div>
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2 states</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil6lVQomlG-gEOy-0qRigE7NL-0JEhmaezvsqILMErm1SA1A5PGlLYnCXhMhY5GuxH8MbgPgRC2V2cWV25iqbdsp2GMjcuRFHiy63iPNjeEONiwOrS_TOUPFX9AetU6QpIkH-D/s1600/67703_528785508065_211782_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil6lVQomlG-gEOy-0qRigE7NL-0JEhmaezvsqILMErm1SA1A5PGlLYnCXhMhY5GuxH8MbgPgRC2V2cWV25iqbdsp2GMjcuRFHiy63iPNjeEONiwOrS_TOUPFX9AetU6QpIkH-D/s1600/67703_528785508065_211782_n.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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1 man I'd marry again in a heartbeat<span style="text-align: left;"> </span></div>
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Five years since we said "I do" and the rest of our lives to go...I can't wait to see what forever holds ♥</div>
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Elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12104059730266081936noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16369185.post-53942641854532164942014-08-31T17:06:00.001-07:002014-08-31T17:06:36.726-07:00Larry Boy and the Soccer Ball<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<i>Transcribing this for posterity's sake. I made it up on the fly one night a month or so ago, and my children apparently think its literary genius, because Timmy asks for it at least 5 nights a week before bed. And when he repeated it to me last night, he did a pretty good job getting the plot right!</i><div>
<i></i><br /><i></i></div>
<div>
<i>So here, word for word (hence some run-on sentences), is the tale of Larry Boy and the Soccer Ball.</i></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd1J6Ewfx0c25Yp7PTdcArG7QqcCnQkOFtEBD-0qT5Ba2GjU8or9a35ceIRH6LMy94_MroUygfBUP3hN0B2rGpsQtKrBLjhKcBVd0b-52c_VQEkPvLA1P2fjr3WIzOaf4ZU8X_/s1600/20140826_095132.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd1J6Ewfx0c25Yp7PTdcArG7QqcCnQkOFtEBD-0qT5Ba2GjU8or9a35ceIRH6LMy94_MroUygfBUP3hN0B2rGpsQtKrBLjhKcBVd0b-52c_VQEkPvLA1P2fjr3WIzOaf4ZU8X_/s1600/20140826_095132.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gratuitous photo of said Higboys</td></tr>
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<div>
Once upon a time there were two little boys named Timmy and Isaac. They lived with their Mommy and Daddy and their baby sister, Lydia. One day, Timmy and Isaac were playing soccer when Timmy/Isaac (I switch it up) kicked the ball so high it landed on top of the apple tree! Timmy said "oh no, what are we going to do?" Isaac replied "I know, Timmy, let's ask Larry Boy to help us." So they looked up at the sky and said, "Larry Boy, we need you!" and who should come flying down to earth but Larry Boy in his Larry-mobile. He hopped out and said "I am that hero! I'll find your soccer ball, Higboys." Larry Boy walked over to the apple tree, hopped to the top and stuck his super suction ear on the ball. Then he hopped back down and gave the ball to Timmy and Isaac. They were so thankful, they gave him a big hug and said "thank you, Larry Boy, thank you SO much!" Larry Boy said "you're welcome, Higboys! Now I'm off to help someone else!" And he got into the Larry Mobile and flew away.</div>
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Elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12104059730266081936noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16369185.post-9394073942806790892014-08-05T21:08:00.000-07:002014-08-05T21:08:53.047-07:00A Big Step<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
It's where we brought both Isaac and Lydia home from the hospital and where we've hosted game nights, BBQs, birthday parties, Waffle Wednesdays and a multitude of other events. Countless evenings have been spent on the patio talking under the white lights and enjoying the cool summer air. I painted the bathroom bright green and Pinterested a good many projects throughout the house. Chris has made a workbench, bookshelves, clock and countless other projects in the garage turned shop. It was our first time paying a mortgage instead of rent and it truly became home.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjft6eFaypjQW4cEX65H5sh318OCw29LzbmzK9HONJZhuNX80M4KKt-6j28WDmflOGKSTuxe8mbiyxgQW3-SJ4gl1MfAeemRgyYlvecWhaC5G9L8klCQMj0O9zTj7Nza3SEtpGP/s1600/20140802_114138.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjft6eFaypjQW4cEX65H5sh318OCw29LzbmzK9HONJZhuNX80M4KKt-6j28WDmflOGKSTuxe8mbiyxgQW3-SJ4gl1MfAeemRgyYlvecWhaC5G9L8klCQMj0O9zTj7Nza3SEtpGP/s1600/20140802_114138.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bookshelves Chris built</td></tr>
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But...we added two kids to our family here and are starting to feel the squeeze of five people in a two bedroom house. We'd also like some more land and a better guest room situation than having our guests choose between sleeping on the couch or sleeping on an air mattress in Timmy and Isaac's room (sorry, Mom and Dad). So even though we don't really know what we're doing, after praying and talking and talking and praying, we've decided to put our house on the market. Our motivation comes from several different reasons, but we believe this to be the right decision for our family. We've spent the last few weeks cleaning, painting, fixing, cleaning, purging and cleaning, and as of yesterday we are officially for sale.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9KZsA7wDxsOTUESk4Z4wQJSPrF2Ts4EG4Qx0YqlB_2XHW0ZhaEKfc2xOCUvfRq0jav2yc1U9dbfU6DCGJCHzvSguVcaUWW9QAvXfEBLWr1lvLEmseCQziAR0lo-K3iig5lJof/s1600/20140802_165334.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9KZsA7wDxsOTUESk4Z4wQJSPrF2Ts4EG4Qx0YqlB_2XHW0ZhaEKfc2xOCUvfRq0jav2yc1U9dbfU6DCGJCHzvSguVcaUWW9QAvXfEBLWr1lvLEmseCQziAR0lo-K3iig5lJof/s1600/20140802_165334.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The kitchen has never been this clean</td></tr>
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No, we don't have another house lined up yet (though we're faithfully searching online), but that hasn't stopped me from doing a lot of Pinteresting for that house when we do find it.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiysyVkcJljDWSIifLrYkaqqYO4_wnT9CemHC72L738iUrrzf0MobdUq2bVjWLjTq3m9X2GXFW8JgCcQxUKY_mh_BmJV1Buxh7Sm5kQBDpizdMRUhOHcr0ruP-zraakJXEaPBGh/s1600/20140803_160851.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiysyVkcJljDWSIifLrYkaqqYO4_wnT9CemHC72L738iUrrzf0MobdUq2bVjWLjTq3m9X2GXFW8JgCcQxUKY_mh_BmJV1Buxh7Sm5kQBDpizdMRUhOHcr0ruP-zraakJXEaPBGh/s1600/20140803_160851.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzubfRGIDHhP9jzO_rvNY7A1jE_KyPwQs1SuhBNmbYo_o0m4yXYbTfytSxZrjRW6H2txqYFPpCtGa5TWk930qw_-Qj8ZT4k-UukPW6r0h1UbK2IMoHVl1jSPpjDA52w-FKJ1oz/s1600/20140803_165209.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzubfRGIDHhP9jzO_rvNY7A1jE_KyPwQs1SuhBNmbYo_o0m4yXYbTfytSxZrjRW6H2txqYFPpCtGa5TWk930qw_-Qj8ZT4k-UukPW6r0h1UbK2IMoHVl1jSPpjDA52w-FKJ1oz/s1600/20140803_165209.jpg" /></a></div>
And if you're interested in a cute, 2 bedroom starter home, let me know... ;)</div>
Elizabethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12104059730266081936noreply@blogger.com1