Good Fences Make Good Neighbors

Milo is a country boy. He climbed this good fence that Grandma and Grandpa Phillips have around their yard and asked...

"What do people have fences for?"

Funny...

Fences are not for spying on neighbors with Milo... not for spying.

Cutest Blog on the Block

For those of you using readers -- I updated my blog. Now I've got the cutest blog on the block. ;)

Thanks to those over at Cutest Blog on the Block for the free stuff!

What are Grandmothers Good For?

Snuggling!! Exactly.

Look at Danielle's face... pure happiness!

Thanks Mom for loving the kiddos!

5 Words

My on-line friend Melissa -- not to be confused with Melissa who needs to update her blog -- sent out a TAKE 5 challenge.

Since I am getting back into the blogging swing of things, I thought perhaps this would be a good challenge to accept.

Here we go.

The rules:

Melissa got 5 words from another blogger and she did a post about the words she was given. She then offered to give 5 words to someone else. I thought it would be fun, so now I'm going to post on the five words she gave me. If you want to join in, tell me in the comments and I'll send you your own five words! (I am the cut and paste queen... just so you know, I did NOT make up those rules.)

1. Friends

I LOVE friends. I have recently decided that having friends into my home and my life is important to my well being. I asked my dear husband if we could practice hospitality once a month this year. So far we have done that by having friends over from church after our morning servcie, for lunch. A few months we opened our house up to the ProTeens group from church. This summer I used the pool as an excuse to have friends over. Often on Fridays friends came to swim.

Oh... another FUN friends thing is that 2 of our kids got to have a FRIENDS party this year. Our policy is that the kiddos get to have a "friends" party when they turn 6, 10, and 16. Well -- Dani turned 6, and Mansel turned 10 this year. Friends parties are fun... every once in a while.

I want to find a different way to focus on friends this year. We will be getting to see MORE of our home school friends this year since we have re-joined their co-op. 2 times a month and more if we do any extra activities with them.

Oh AND!! How can I forget? I get to go to ladies Bible Study this year. Third Thursday of the month. I went to the first one already. My friends gathered there... I think I wore out my welcome. It was 10:00 p.m. when I left. I stepped off the porch laughing and chatting -- at the same time -- really loudly... and someone poked me and reminded me that I was NOT in the boonies... some one may be sleeping. That's what friends are for -- a poke in the side every once in a while!

2. Bargain

Oh for crying out loud... what do I know about bargains? I do know that if you clothes shop the season ahead for you kids, you should do so in January and July. Isn't that crazy? In the middle of winter the clothes go on sale and they start putting the summer clothes out. I LOVE the Monster sales at The Children's Place in January and July. It's a great place to get matching clothes for the younger kids. Tori has out grown that store now. It seems they are having a 25% off sale right now... but just hold out a bit longer. It gets better in January.

Other bargains?

My husband seems to be the bargain hunter in this household. He bought a swimming pool off of Craig's List for $500 this spring -- a bunch of stuff included... then he sold the heater for $250. Not a bad deal. Who knew we would need the heater in the 25th coldest summer in the last 115 years? Live and learn. One friend came over and swam this summer and the pool was only warm once. The rest of the time we sat and chatted while the kids did the polar plunge. They didn't seem to mind. It was still a bargain... no matter how you look at it.

3. School

Hmm... I wonder if Melissa remembers that we home educate our children? So -- school is going well here. We are still on track. I made up a chart on Excel -- I'm loving highlighted the things that are DONE! I'm such a list maker! Milo in particular is my favorite this year. I get to read aloud a lot of his books to him. We are reading Understood Betsy right now. We were to read to page 36. I finally stopped on page 47, because it was the end of a chapter and we were in the car and it was getting too dark to read. Poor guy... it was funny watching him try to narrate back all that I had just read. I was getting carried away. I love doing school this way! We are using Ambleside On-line for the boys. Tori is REALLY doing well with her Narnia Unit Study. Dani is flying through 100 EZ lessons. We skip days because she'll do 3 lessons in one day. I knew that would happen. She'll be reading before long. :sigh: I don't really want her to grow up!

4. Faith

Faith -- it is encouraging that I'm still learning. Bible study Thursday night was about grace. Something I don't have much of. BUT... if I'm to exhale grace (to others), I need to be inhaling grace(from God!). Did I get that right Tara? Seems that just when I need this -- God delivers. Another area that I'm working on is memorizing scripture. I've decided that not only are my children going to learn their Bible verses each week -- they are going to REVIEW them each week. It really irritates me that they learn them for Sunday School, then forget them for Monday school. Blah... that's so wrong. So I'm putting them on 3x5 cards. You know I love me some 3x5 cards! Use them all the time -- run them through my printer... I punched holes in these and put rings through them... so they have little Bible Verse packets. We are going to LEARN them... write them on our hearts! While my kids are doing this -- I hope to catch a few here and there.

I'm also getting nudged in Sunday School by my pastor to KNOW the gospel so I can be able to TELL it when called upon. I really want to be able to do this. And he asked us Sunday -- were there any divine appointments in our lives this week? I sort of shrugged on the inside... then he said, "Was your husband a divine appointment?" Oh bother! There is that conviction again.

5. Kids

Oh -- look it there... she saved the best for last! I love talking about my kids. Perhaps I should have broken this up into 5 different posts. KIDDING!!

Wayne is the biggest baby 4 year old I've ever meet. OK -- that's not true. Just wait... I'm going to blog about him helping me in a few days. Oh... he is so cute... especially when he calls me "mama". I'd give him the moon if he said, "Please Mama, the moon?" Today I decided he needed a little discipline. We did some "yes ma'am training". Good grief... I only had to remind him twice and he just spit out that response for every little thing. He is the hardest for me to train -- all he has to do is look at me... with those eyes! WHY did God make the babies so cute. He KNOWS they need training. If it were me I'd make the youngest the ugly ones... so we wouldn't SPOIL them so much. You know I'm kidding.

Tori is a fun girl. I got to cut her hair this week. She is so brave. Be quiet -- I'll post pics later. LOL she is running cross country right now.. Doing fine... better then me. I saw the last place guy come running/shuffling in tonight. Tori was already in the Suburban by then. I said, "Oh -- I'm so proud of him... he comes in last every time, but still keeps on running." Tori just looked at me. DING... "Oh yeah... that's why I'm so proud of him... I can relate really well with him and that last place thing." Ü yes she never said a word. Isn't she a good girl?

Mansel is growing up. I can see peeks of him manhood every once in a while. Oh me... that makes me afeerd. Very afeerd! I've had no brothers... just one husband. I hope he knows what he is doing in the raising boys department.

Milo is growing too. I OFTEN stop him and give him a "middle child" hug. I would never want him to have that as an excuse for anything! He is precious to me. So different than I am... I love him so.

Danielle is playing soccer now. First season for this -- oh me... she is not a quitter. Her team has only 5 players. The minimum you need on the field at her level. She played a team with 8 players Saturday. That means they get no rests. Or if one of you team mates gets :nicked on the arm and he thinks he is choking" (the coaches words... not mine), you only have 4 team members on the field. She was running and running and running... and just wouldn't quit! I was so proud of her. Her coach said she is a good listener. She gets that from me. LOL KIDDING!!

Wayne... Wayne, Wayne... wait -- I started with him didn't I? Well -- you all know... he's cute. Plus I love'em.

How did i do Melissa?

Anyone else want to play? Leave a comment or two -- I think of some good words for you to blog about! Oh YES I will. Come on and play along!!

Croquet Anyone?

The kiddos learned how to play croquet while vacationing at Grandpa and Grandma's house in Loveland CO.

I'm not sure how many of the rules they will remember, or how good their skills will ever be.

I do know for sure -- they will REMEBER playing croquet at the Grandparent's house! Great memories!

AND... I got some photos I will treasure the rest of my life!

Colorado Wildlife

Up close and personal we got to see a Mother moose and her babe.

Mommy Moose and her Baby from Jennifer J. on Vimeo.

Gather the kiddos around and enjoy!

Bicycle Built for Two

Grandpa Phillips has a tandem bicycle.

Some of the kiddos really enjoy riding it with him.

Others not so much... this ride with Dani didn't last long.

But this ride... could have have gone on and on and on...

I'm so glad the kids love spending time with the grandparents!

Thanks so much grandparents!

Bicycle Built for 2 from Jennifer J. on Vimeo.

Kitties for FREE!!

Did you know you can't give away kitties on Craig's List for free? You can re-home them for a fee. What ever that means. So I put them on Craig's List -- for $.50. LOL Some fee.

I'm GIVING THESE AWAY FOR FREE HERE!!

First come first serve... don't every body rush at me at once! Hurry, hurry, hurry! You'll miss your chance if you wait any longer!

Any one want one? They are CUTE!!

Actually -- I think you need both... they need a brother to play with at your house.

Here is the photo -- they are the 2 light colored ones. They need a home.

Their MOM is a great mouser! That trait may be genetic... but don't hold me to it. I see them pouncing on things already -- I think they will be mousers... but who knows?

They are MALES... but the tamest outdoor males I've ever seen. My 5 kiddos hold them, and play with them, and put them in slings, and carry them around in their bags, and they've even been held upside down by guests. (I don't let my kids hold animals upside down). :giggle:

Oh -- another thought... if you took both of these... I just about can guarantee you wouldn't have more baby kitties for a long, long time. ;-)

So -- if you want them give my dear husband a call... he really, really wants to talk to you.

641.745.9264

Wordless Wednesday

Get a Load of This

My dear husband sent me a link to a news story yesterday. Something he thought perhaps I could do from home. Supliment the income.

Cool!

I followed the link... click here... you can follow it too.

So this morning -- I'm reading a news story -- I started a yahoo... then went to WHO TV and read about a mom with ALS, then noticed a link... looked sort of familiar, but a little bit different.

Clicked on it...(you can too) hmm... HEY!! Didn't take ME long to notice... something FISHY!

SAME story - SAME photo -- SAME name -- different town. Amazing... this lady has a twin, doing the same job, in MY TOWN!

Who do they think we are??? She twins don't have the SAME name. :duh:

Proof

Proof that Tori CAN smile for pictures. °Ü° She had been saving her $$ for an iPod touch. Our birthday $$ to her was going to put her over the top. So -- instead of making her wait... I went ahead and bought one and surprised her with it for her birthday. Woo Hoo!!! She was excited. How could I tell? Well just look at that smile!

She is a very subdued girl. It took me a while to figure that out. But that million dollar smile... if you get to glimpse that, then you know exactly how she is feeling!

She had fun with that using Grandpa's wireless internet while we were on vacation. She's cheap (like her mother) and downloaded a bunch of free stuff. LOL Funny.

Anyone else have an iPod touch? Do you ever use it for anything useful? Got any hints?

Colorado Skies

These are a few pics I snapped on our way to Loveland CO this summer.

It seemed to me that from day to day the mountains changed. One could live there a lifetime and not be weary of seeing the mountians and the sky that frame them.

These photos were all taken on the drive westward in a span of 30 minutes. God's creation is BEAUTIFUL!

It would be even better if we hadn't strung those wires on poles all along the way.

Just LOOK at those skies... Amazing!

I'm ready to go back.

Why must everything be underlined? I don't even have that option while I'm blogging... what am I doing wrong?

Rule of 10

I got challenged today. Here is a post about the Rule of 10. I'm going to try this for 1 week.

Anyone else doing this?

Um...

Monday I'll be back on-line. Woo Hoo!!! I can SMELL a new blog coming on...

So... I was running at the track today

Oh alright already -- I wasn't really running. It just sounds so much better to say running instead of shuffling. Be kind to the old lady.

I was running at the track today and a man stopped me and said, "You don't know me from Adam, but did you know there was an attempted child abduction in the park this week here in town."

Ahhhh!!! My kids were scattered all around me... 2 in the bleachers... one by the gate... 1 running behind... well in front of me really.

Yeah right... what are you? Some kind of weirdo? Grow up -- this is Knoxville... teeny weeny Knoxville. I come here all the time -- who would want attempt to abduct my child anyway? Well -- now that you think about it -- they are kind of cute from far away. Sometimes they stink up close...

So I hollar at my kiddos and say, "Keep up with me if you can." GROAN!! Oh... stop yer moanin'. I'm trying to save your hide from an abduction you loons. OK, OK... you can go sit in the middle of the football field while I run around you. Mansel said, "How is that better... they are still very far away?"

Who knows? But I could probably identify the abductors if they ran all the way across the football field while attempting to abduct my child from me.... then I could chase them down as they were trying to flee with said child... since I would be running childless -- I could probably catch them. Maybe.

The kind man had in the mean time lapped me. (Sigh) That happens often while I'm running at the track. So you see... I'm not really running am I? I really am shuffling -- but, oh never mind. Anyway... the kind man said, "Well -- I'm done for the day. I'm Steve Funk, b.t.w. Blah, blah, blah... we chatted some more, but I don't remember it word for word." He did mention that he was a police man from Indianola. I thought as he left... either he is really nice, or really weird. I think I'll google him. Guess what? He really is Deputy Steve Funk from Indianola. Go figure. AND... there really was an attempted child abduction in Knoxville this week -- per this news article on the KNIA/KRLS web-site.

Scary times we live in... bummer... I was living in my never never land... never happen in Knoxville. Now I have to join the parnoids out there. Sigh.

I was really encouraged that a police lapped me actually. I would feel safe if I lived in Indianola. Thank You Steve Funk!