Wednesday, July 31, 2013

Audra's Room

   I finished Audra's room today!  That means the upstairs is complete.  I also went through her clothes, and Christian's clothes, and dug out all the size newborn to 3 months boy clothes.  A big job for one day, but we got it done.  So scratch that off my Before-The-Baby-Comes-To-Do-List.  :)  I also did a load of sheets, changed and packed away the comforter on our bed and put on a homemade quilt instead.  I like the country look better, I think.  Next on The List is changing our room around, and going through our closet.  Can't do much with my clothes because of the near transition from maternity back to regular clothes, but Andy's got some old things that need gotten rid of.  You know, I'm to the point where I can't stand hanging onto things if I don't use them.  If I haven't used something in 6 months, other than seasonal clothing and decor, I SIMPLY DON'T NEED IT!   I got rid of a lot when we moved to Indiana, but its amazing how much you still think you can't live without.  I can't stand JUNK!  Now, I'm not a neat freak by any stretch...I mean, one of those women who, (bless their hearts), clean their bathroom with a toothbrush every other day, or keep every thread off the floor.  I couldn't live like that...feeling like I couldn't sit down and kick up feet, or touch anything for fear of contaminating something.  No, our house is "lived in".  Oh, its clean, believe me, but not to the point of where my company feels awkward coming into my home.  I want them to feel comfortable and at home here.  I want that old fashioned, kick your shoes off, stay for awhile feel in my home so that people want to come back.  There is a happy medium between super, super clean, and absolute pig pen!  :)  I'm somewhere in the middle.  So, if I don't use it but twice a year, or forget I even have it, and I keep it buried in some dark corner of an unused closet.....Its going bye bye on the next trip to the dump or thrift store!  The more children I have, I'm realizing that I simply don't have room anymore for "junk".  I'd rather make room for more important things....like newborn clothing, or a rocking chair in the nursery, or an empty shelf for small sized shoes to be lined up on.  :)
   As I type, I'm watching Christian and Audra play on my king size bed.  I hear their squeals of delight as they tumble off the side into a pile of pillows on the floor.  I see toys scattered here and there, and half full sippy cups on the table waiting for a small passer by to grab them up for a quick drink before hurrying off on some playful mission.  I feel the unborn baby in my womb kicking as he stretches to make more room for himself.  I am happy.  So very happy.  And so very blessed! 
Audra's room.  Oh you should have seen me trying to get that canopy attached to the ceiling!!!  At 7+ months pregnant and precariously standing on the sides of that crib.....OH I HATE HEIGHTS!  Ok, its not REALLY that high, but it is for me!  I freeze on the third rung of a ladder!  BUT, where there's a will...and no husband readily available....there's always a way.  :)  I like the simple country touches, like the quilt and the little wooden rocker, but also the slightly elegant, girly feel to the room, as well.  Can you really mix the two???  :)

This and That...

   Well, things have finally slowed down a little, and I'm finally getting my blog caught up.  I spent the first part of this week putting up the leftover peaches from last week's farmers market that had bruises, or bug marks on them.  The ones we couldn't sell.  I put up another 10 quarts in the freezer and 3 gallons of juice for drinking.  I mixed my juice with fruit concentrates to sweeten the peach juice and dilute the syrupy texture a little, and it really turned out great!  I mixed apple juice with one batch, and cherry pomegranate with another.  I think I like the cherry concoction a little better than the apple.  The kids go through so much juice these days, so I'm going to start putting up lots of it instead of more jelly.  I've got enough jellies to last til the millennium! 
   Last night, Andy began cleaning out his garage.  I took a chair out and watched while the kids played and got terribly dirty.  Audra's clothes were so dirty, in fact, that even after a thorough washing, I still had to throw some of them in the trash!  Just couldn't get them clean!  But that's okay.  They were old play clothes and the kids had a great time.  A little dirt never hurt anyone.  They both got a good soak in the bathtub afterwards though!  :)
   Last week, I rearranged Christian's room.  Andy set up one of the twin beds from our bunk set for Christian, and I moved the crib to a new corner of the room to await Wesley's arrival.  I also went through all the children's books and toys and got rid of a bunch of them.  I've started working on Audra's room as well, but haven't gotten it completed yet.  I need to go through the kid's closets and dig out the next size clothes for each of them and also the baby boy clothes.  Then I'll start working on the downstairs.  I need to rearrange and clean the living room and our bedroom and go through closets there as well.  (Can you tell I've started nesting  :)  Its real bad this pregnancy.  I see dirt and junk where there IS none.  :) 
   We finally found a van!  We drove to KY to get it, but Andy got a great deal on it.  He researched hundreds of van makes and models, and finally found this one.  Its a 2009, black Dodge Grand Caravan.  Its got so many buttons and gadgets on the inside!  I love how you can open and close the side and back doors with a button, especially when you have your arms full.  :)  Its also got three DVD players, stow-n-go, and so many other neat little facts about it that I love but couldn't possibly name.  :)  The best part is that I don't bump my head anymore trying to get the kids in and out of a little car!  This van has already been a huge blessing and answer to prayer for our family.  Another step in getting ready for the new baby!  PTL!
   Sorry the pictures below are a little grainy.  I took them on my phone and the lighting was bad in most. 

Christian's new bed is a huge hit!  He only takes up about a third of it though.  All I see when I peek in on him at night is a little pile of blankets at one end of the bed.  :)

Wesley's corner.

Books and toys (inside the cabinet, OUT OF SIGHT!  yippee!)

I've been trying my hand at making balloon animals.  Andy knows a little, so I've been trying to learn some balloon art as well.  We were going to do balloons at VBS so I ordered some online, but we never used them.  So I've been practicing on my own children.  They love it!  That's a dog by the way, NOT a rabbit.  His ears wouldn't cooperate.  :)


She looks like Little Orphan Annie!

But a very happy one!




Christian playing with Andy's jack


Anything with wheels HAS to be ridden, right?

Andy demonstrating the REAL purpose of a jack, which REALLY fascinated Christian! 

So for the next several minutes, he tried every which way to get that frame jacked up so much as an inch!

He hung, he swung, he heaved, he pulled, he tugged, he jumped, he wiggled......but when you only weigh 27 and a half pounds, there's not much hope in success. 

I couldn't help giggle at his attempts though.  He worked so hard!

My "new" van!  Isn't it beautiful??


We stowed the back seat until we need it.  I love having all that space in the back for groceries, diaper changes, and even a "play area" when Andy's stuck in the store and I'm trying to entertain the kids in the parking lot. 

Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Our First VBS at Bible Believer's Baptist Church

   Our first Vacation Bible School went very well.  We had lots of volunteers to help out and had a small crowd of about 15 kids ranging from two year olds to teens.  Our theme was about Earthly Treasure verses Heavenly Treasure.  Andy told the kids how earthly treasure won't last, and that you can't take it with you when you die.  We did an underwater theme, and Andy told stories during the opening lesson about ships carrying treasure that wrecked and how people would go to great lengths to find that treasure.  The adults had never seen the "kid" side of Andy yet, only the Sunday morning pastor side.  So when he dressed up like a pirate, and sang "The Littlest Worm" or "The Klina Klina Feegal Fugal Bird" song (Ok you Cornerstone folks who might read this, YOU try to spell it!  :)))), well, it really threw them for a loop.  They saw a side of Andy that was perfectly cut out for working with children.  I think it really helped them.  Most are the type to sit in a chair and read a Bible story to the children.  That's fine, but lets just be honest.  You can get much more accomplished if you add a little more to it.  If you learn HOW to tell a story, if you move around and get into it, if you dress up like your character, add some props, etc.  Andy's a pro at all that, and the children adore him!  He's a different person with the children than he is with the adults.  You have to be.  :) I think it helped our regular teachers to see it, to learn how to better work with the children. 
   We had teachers for four different age groups, Andy was in charge of activities, and I did crafts, and made all the props and decor.   It was a VERY long week, but well worth it.  The kids had a blast, and hopefully they learned some things that will stick with them for the rest of their lives.  The volunteers were excited as well, and some were even wanting to start making plans for next year's VBS!  What a blessing!  I collected pictures from everyone involved and made a bulletin board to set up at church.  It made everyone feel involved a little bit.  Next on the calender is our Missions Conference the middle of September!  We're looking forward to it.  Andy is already beginning to prepare the people for it with his preaching.  I pray it too will be a success, most importantly in the hearts of our people.
  
Opening class

Two-four year old's activities

More two-four yr old activities

5-12 year old activities


Craft time.  The two girls in orange shirts and the one in black are sisters.  They and their three other siblings have really taken to Andy and I.  They've been to our house many time, even spent the night with us once, and absolutely love playing games.  :)  We love them to death!  They are really sweet children!

Relay time.

Christian riding the raft. :)

Guess how many pieces of candy are in the jars??? 

Andy "snorkeling"


Craft time.  Andy got involved too.  :)

My sunken ship

The jellyfish.  :)

More crafts.  Making personalized mugs.

Relays.  Go, Go, Go!!!

Audra being entertained

Hunting for pennies in a bucket full of ice.  See how many you can find in 30 sec!

OH THAT'S COLD!  Her face says it all!  The boys gave up.  :)


Our little crabs.

Having a great time

Andy's object lesson.  The sword was a huge hit.

You may look good on the outside, but God sees the heart.  Andy had cut a small opening in the bottom of the watermelon he's about to slice, and stuffed it full of potting soil.  You couldn't tell from the outside that it was any different from the other good watermelon.  It got the point across.


Talking about treasure.

He's a pirate today!  See all the pennies on the floor?


Sunday, July 28, 2013

Up to my elbows in peaches!

   I'm trying to catch up on my blogging.  Its been a very long and very busy three weeks!  Andy and I picked peaches the first of those three weeks.  I spent all week peeling, chopping, boiling, freezing, and canning peaches.  I love putting up produce and have really really missed having my own garden!  I miss my grape vines, and my huge black berry patch!  Maybe someday I'll plant again. 
   I put up pints of jelly, peach butter, canned peaches, and frozen peaches.  Now that the kids are getting bigger, we're going through jelly, etc. like you wouldn't believe!  The peach butter turned out amazing, so we're going through a lot of that as well.  I get one pan full of pulp for butter to three pans of juice for jelly so obviously, the jelly WAY outnumbers my pints of butter.  We took some peaches to the farmers market last Friday and sold most of our boxes we'd picked.  I also sold some cans of peach butter as well.  I set out samples of the peaches and the butter, and they were selling like hotcakes!  Mawma's peaches are literally the best in the world.  They are sweet as candy and so soft you can pop the seed out with your thumb!  They melt in your mouth.  I loved watching the looks of delighted surprise on the faces of everyone who tasted them at the farmers market.  Georgia got outvoted where peaches are concerned.  :)  Never ever tasted a peach as good as Mamaw's!