You are currently browsing the monthly archive for August 2008.
Or didn’t you already know?
Me at 12-13 months
Yes, I am wearing a crocheted shrug in 100 degree weather… I was modeling it and decided to do the baby picture while I was at it. It actually looks cute with that outfit don’t you think?
Oh, you REALLY wanna know how far along I am? Let’s see… um… 23? 24? weeks? Who keeps count?
Now for the best news ever!
EMMA IS WALKING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Yes, Grandma, She took her first 5 steps today. Food, great motivation for the get-up and go girl. 
My husband recently asked me, “Why do you go through all the trouble of selling our junk? It would be so much easier to just take it all to the thrift store.”
I quite agree, it would be so much easier. But, I went through the process of taking pictures and listing the items for sale. I knew we would be happy for it by and by.
So, the other day when I was doing my walmart shopping I came across these sheets-
I knew we’d need sheets before the year was out. The ones I had purchased for my hopechest were on their last leg. I have mended them to the best of my abilities but they are about ready to give up the ghost. We have one other set of sheets that were given to us. They work so nicely and so well but I am not always able to get the sheets washed and put back on the bed before the day is out. It is nice to have 2 sets. The sheets were on sale. Marked down $20 from their original price. It would still mean forking out $45.00 for sheets and I had to swallow pride to do it. But I knew that it was a good deal for Egyption cotton and 400 thread count. And if these sheets last 10-20 years, it will be so worth it. Do you think they will last?
We had about $10.00 left over. So I went to the fabric dept… yes, that dreaded but wonderful place. I purchased enough fabric to make Euphemia a birthday dress as well as a new skirt for me.
Isn’t it wonderful how God provides for all our needs?
Just can’t do it. My idea. It was a cool beans one but I am a mom, a stay at home wife, and a seamstress… I love blogging but I just cannot keep up with the daily life and daily posting. So, I will still have a contest at the end of this month but I am going to continue writting like I was before.
The decluttering is done for now, Thank God for giving us patience, endurance, and perservance to do it all. There is still much to be cleaned out but until the bigger things are advertised and sold we are at a stand still. My house was once filled with boxes of stuff.. now it is filled with packing boxes. LOL.
It is the begining of the school year for most. Our time has not yet come. I know I shall look forward to the planning and schooling part but I cannot stand teaching. If we were all so easy that we could pick it up like that I would have no problem, however we are not all Einsteins. I would also miss the moments like this—
and this…
Deep in thought and play.
Hubby and I were talking the other day about schooling. I made it clear that I believe homeschooling will be the best thing for our children but I know that it is not what I want to do. It is the right thing to do. He pointed out a instance that Susanna Wesley went through;
” One day Susanna was teaching a difficult rule of grammar, and Kezzy could not understand it. Patiently. Susanna went over it again and again. Then noticing a shadow, she lifted her eyes and discovered that Samuel had been listening. Shaking his head he commented, ” I wonder at your patience, Sukey. You have told that child twenty times that same thing.” Susanna smiled. “If I had satisfied myself by mentioning it only 19 times, I should have lost all my labor. It was the twentieth time that crowned it!” (Taken from Mother of John and Charles, Susanna Wesley by Charles Ludwig)
How true it is! It not just area’s of schooling but in the daily teachings of life! THe most daunting and repentive thing we will teach will be the most useful to them later on in life.
This Maid has been very busy so today she stopped and reflected by she was so busy… and she stopped to smell the roses…
And admire God’s gift to the desert…
And the little things we take for granted…
In Hubby’s recent readings of Patrick O’Brian’s books (Master and Commander, Far side of the World, Etc) He stubbled across this quote which we thought to share with our readers.
Not far into the second book of the Aubrey/Maturin novels by Patrick O’Brian, Stephen Maturin becomes acquainted with a young widow named Diana Villiers, who lives with her aunt and three cousins in the vicinity of the residence that Captain Aubrey and Stephen Maturin occupy. At a ball given by Diana’s aunt, Mrs. Williams, Stephen and Diana are engaged in a conversation, a portion of which revolves around Diana’s forceful comments:
“…You must know that married men are the worst enemies women can have…They offer what they call friendship or some stuff of that kind – the name don’t matter – and all they want in return for this great favour is your heart, your life, your future, your – I will not be coarse, but you know very well what I mean. There is no friendship in men….Listen, Maturin, I speak openly to you, because I like you; I like you very much, and I believe you have a kindness for me – you are almost the only man I have met in England I can treat as a friend – trust as a friend.”
“You have my friendship, sure,” said Stephen heavily. After a long pause he said with a fair attempt at lightness, “You are not altogether just. You look as desirable as you can – that dress, particularly the bosom of that dress, would inflame Saint Anthony, as you know very well. It is unjust to provoke a man and then to complain he is a satyr if the provocation succeeds…”
“Do you tell me I am provocative?” cried Diana.
“Certainly I do. That is exactly what I am saying. But I do not suppose you know how much you make men suffer. In any case, you are arguing from the particular to the general: you have met some men who wish to take advantage of you, and you go too far. Not all French waiters have red hair.” ………
~Post Captain By Patrick O’Brian page 50-51 ~
Typed out by David.
Still decluttering… but for my Emma’s adoring fan’s…
It’s Tuesday! I am actually still just watering the garden away and plucking here and there. It would be foolish to plant anything right now so it’s been a lot of weeding going on around here. But yesterday I did spot this-
Our first Cantelope!!!!!!!!! But then this morning Emma brought me the darling thing… It’s only the size of a small baseball. Way to early to pick. I was terribly dissapointed but I couldn’t stay too upset for long because she gave the biggest grin like, “I helped you out Mommy! Its the size of a tomato! I know its the wrong color but hey aren’t they all suppose to be that big?”
Sniff. Smile. Children are such a blessing you know that?
So, this weeks gardening post is how you should teach your children the difference between a cantelope and a tomatoe… even when your cantelope (volunteer) is growing in your tomato pot. It’s still confusing for them.
So sorry I haven’t kept up. This weekend was our declutter sale. Also known as a yard sale. We were successful in the fact that we no longer have boxes and boxes of STUFF. But it mostly went to Goodwill. Seems as if everyone is out of town right now. But that’s ok. We are still decluttering (if you can believe that!) and I have hardly a chance to sit down and write this. The only reason I am on my computer is that I am listing some of the books and knicknacks. Golly, how does one accumilate SO much stuff in a matter of 2 years!!!!!!!!!!!!
All the more reason to go Amish.
I am actually going to combine Tuesday and Wednesday and do a gardening book. I have a yard sale planned for Friday so I have found this week rather hectic.
I would like to write about my most useful Gardening book called,
Extreme Gardening
We use this book for our gardening like we use the Bible. Although the Bible is perfect, I do say that this book is not quite perfect in regards to being able to plant the perfect garden but it’s the most useful book ever! David (the author) plants and has simular weather and soil conditions we do.
It is more like a dictionary with information on bugs, soil condition, planting conditions, weather condition and all that. Its MOSt useful for knowing what to plant together. For example he tells us what not to plant next to Leeks. “Protect it: Avoid putting Leeks with Broccoli and Broad Beans”.
We have had most sucess with using this book as our gardening guide. I would recommend the investment in the book. I know most reading this blog do not have such hard soil and weather that we do but it is also good for organic fertilizers, pestides (natural of course) and so on. It tells you how to harvest, how to work with the soil, etc. You may need to ajust the planting seasons but I would say that this book is still good for beginners.
Enjoy!
Today I am running late. Very late but I am managing to get a lot crossed off my list. Company tonight!
Laundry;
Washed
Hung
Dried (sheets in the dryer along with some t’s)
Folded
Hung
Put Away
Garden tended
Floor in LIving room vaccumed
Boxes tagged for yard sale Friday
Books cleaned out in bedroom. Condense by half.
Bedroom closet cleaned out.
Tiered skirts made and shipped
Friend over at 1
Jello made for dessert
Sewing area tidied
Sewing list started on
Sigh so much more but I shall make this list the priority for today. 
