Snowy Pictures

Although our neighborhood is green and slightly muddy, there was definitely some snow out on the property where we went to celebrate Grandpa’s birthday. Nothing like a little snow to bring out the kid in, uh, the kids.

That’s just brilliant. It’s obviously past my bedtime.

David and Daniel did some sledding on the deck while Sarah watched from inside. Who needs a hill when you can sled on the porch?

sarah watchesdavid's ready to throw!daniel's gonna sleddavid too

I managed to stay inside, cozy on the couch, and visit with Tim’s mom. She prepared a delicious birthday dinner for us – pork roast with vegetables, twice baked potatoes, green salad with avocados and hard boiled eggs, acorn squash, and rolls.

How does she make it all look so effortless?

Eventually the screams of the children drew me outside, with my camera of course. Because if there’s going to be a traumatic accident involving little kids and a not-so-frozen-pond, I want to catch it on film.

let's crack the iceand fall in

The screams turned out to be cries of joy. Daniel and Rachel had discovered a new game called Break the Ice. They would walk across the frozen pond, find a weak spot in the ice, smash it with their boots, and then laugh uproariously as they crashed down into the cold water.

Doesn’t that sound like fun?

Thinking back to my warm, cozy spot on the couch, I couldn’t quite understand the charm of the game. I did, however, manage to sneak in a few pictures. Sarah and David stayed on the edges and watched.

sarah watches

Later the big kids played a long game of Guesstures. Joshua had a CIT (counselors in training) meeting in the afternoon so he was busy until dinner. We brought three friends from “the big city” with us to join the collection of counselors. Grandma and Grandpa were gracious to include some extra teenagers in the birthday celebrations.

joshua takes a turn

taking a break from the game

There was a delicious cake for dessert.

acupuncture and cake

Nothing like a little Pick Up Stix acupuncture to go with Black Forest cake.

It was a whirlwind visit – yummy food, games, snowball fights, laughter, and birthday wishes.

Kathy

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Happy Birthday, Grandpa!

Today we celebrated Tim’s father’s birthday. What a precious gift it is to have such a godly man as my father-in-law and the grandfather of my children.

Happy Birthday, Dad!!

happy birthday!

More pictures tomorrow – I took a few while we were enjoying our day.

Okay, more than a few, something close to 300. What can I say, I spent the afternoon playing with my camera. I’ve lost my user’s guide and am a frustrated novice, randomly shooting pictures and pushing buttons on the camera. :)

Kathy
Project 366 – Day 34

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Lost that Bloggin’ Feeling

This has been a great day!

Why, then, do I feel sort of depressed and vaguely discouraged? How can I be downcast? I didn’t blog last night and I nearly skipped it again today.

Gasp! What is wrong?

I got a decent night’s sleep, woke up fairly refreshed and started right in on my day. I used my wonderful white board and made a HUGE Mama’s To Do’s. It was rather impressive and grouped into three categories:

Priority
Maybe
and
Yeah, Right, I’m dreaming!

I had 12 things on my Priority list.

I completed every single one of them. The last one I did at 11 pm. I was bound and determined to cross it off. So it was to put away the children’s Christmas ornaments, don’t judge me! I’m doing the best I can.

The Maybe list had 7 items on it. Two of which technically should have been moved over to priority.

I did NONE of them.

Nothing, zip, zero.

Don’t even get me started on the last category.

Maybe that’s why I’m feeling a bit blue. It seems like there is so much to do but not quite enough time. As I was working in one of the children’s bedrooms, I happened to see a nice mess in two other rooms (one of which was mine). I am out of some key grocery items. I am tired and need sleep. I have two big organizational projects that need my attention but didn’t make it to the Priority list. I have some major planning I need to begin for our spring Women’s Retreat.

STOP!!!!

This is NOT helping. I need to focus on the positives and stop dwelling on the negatives. Okay, here’s just a few of the wonderful things I managed to squeeze into my day:

- I did my Bible study lesson
- I fixed a delicious French toast breakfast for my family
- I took Joshua to the Y to to see a gymnastics tournament
- I met a friend and got in an HOUR work out on the elliptical machines
- I made good choices with my eating all day
- I made Tim a healthy lunch
- I worked for over an hour in Rachel/Sarah’s room, organizing and sorting their mess
- I sent a card to a friend who had her baby yesterday
- I watched a comedy show with my family and laughed and laughed
- I hugged my kids
- I made the younger children laugh uproariously by chasing Joshua around the house (we mothers will do anything for a kiss)
- I cut Daniel’s hair
- I washed clothes, fixed meals, and swept floor
- I read my book
- I worked on finances and the budget
- I hugged my husband (twice)

Now, in a move that shows I am wise even if I am a bit melancholy, I will end this blog and get to bed before too late. I will NOT list all of the things I failed to accomplish today. I will NOT spend another hour trying to find the perfect pictures to accompany this post or 20 minutes editing. I will NOT spend another 30 minutes reading some of my favorite blogs and catching up on email.

I WILL rejoice because this is the day the Lord has made. I will be glad in it and eager to enjoy tomorrow.

I WILL feel loved and cared for by friends who are praying for me.

Because, really, blogging is a CHOICE and not a FEELING. :)

Kathy

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Where Angels Fear to Jog

In the late Summer of 2004, we moved to the suburbs; immediately Kathy signed us all up with a family membership to the local YMCA. I knew right away that we should have stayed in the country.

“It’ll be great,” Kathy enthused. “We’ll meet you at the Y on your way home from work, and we can all exercise as a family. What a good example to the children, to see us both taking our physical fitness so seriously.”

Trekking the Track
Who wouldn’t want to run, with such good company?

She painted a rosy picture. Healthy, smiling children and their thin (but muscular) parents, running effortlessly in single-file around the brightly-lit indoor track, or smoothly operating the gleaming exercise machines, to the envy and admiration of dozens of onlookers. Tired but laughing, we would drive home together, united as a family in this common goal.

After stalling for some months, I finally agreed to actually go to the YMCA and get my membership card. Inside, the rank smell of sweating bodies and the sensation of universal despair struck me like a blow to the face. Nervously, I let them take my picture, and immediately fled, before I was inadvertently sucked into this gloomy vortex of fitness. My worst fears were confirmed: joining the Y was like joining the Army, or at least it included many of the same odors.

Each week, my children go to the YMCA for Homeschool Physical Education, a program offered free to members, and the major reason we joined. They have taken classes in gymnastics, swimming, and a variety of sports and physical activities. Most of the time they really enjoy it, although they tend to dread the annual focus on Presidential Fitness testing. Cleverly remembering lessons from my Army days, I held aloof from such things, although I did unbend enough to drop the kids off at the Y when Kathy was at Bible Study Fellowship.

After more than eighteen months, Kathy convinced me to play Wally-Ball with the family after work, and I actually darkened the door of the YMCA for several weeks, trying to teach my children (and a few passing urchins) how to play this interesting game. It didn’t take, though, and I soon happily returned to my sedentary ways.

Today was a big day. After more than three long years of YMCA membership and not-so-subtle hints on the part of my wife, I finally went to the Y and actually used an exercise machine. Sadly, the paparazzi were not permitted inside, and there were no pictures taken of this momentous event. You’ll have to take my word for the fact that I logged a good 35 minutes in on a fiendish device my wife calls an ‘elliptical’.

Junior Joggers
We did, however, capture David and Sarah’s running-while-holding-hands act.

A man of my years and girth tends to take a philosophical view of life; hopefully this will prove to have been a passing phase, like many before it. As Mr. Bennett said in Pride and Prejudice, “Don’t worry, it will pass more quickly than it ought.”

Tim
Project 366, Day 31

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Not How I Want to Spend My Evening

On the way home from church this evening, I was in a car accident.

Miraculously, this is the extent of the damage to our car.

that's it?

We lost our hub cap (it was subsequently run over and destroyed) and have a small gash in the side.

I was passing through an intersection near home when the driver, waiting in the left turn lane, decided (misguidedly) that she had the right of way and turned directly into the back corner of my van. It was rather traumatic in a slow-motion sort of way. I was not speeding or rushing through the light. I could see the other car was making the turn and I swerved as far away from her, over to the right as I could.

Poor Daniel, who was with me in the van. He thought we were going to “… hit the lamp post, explode, and that would be the end of us.” A car accident lawyer can assist people in filing complaints against insurance companies for car accidents. They also represent people in car, as well as other vehicle, accident claims. It is very essential for an individual who becomes the victim of a car accident that they contact a skilled accident lawyer as early as they can after the accident happens. It is important to get the highest recompense that the victims deserve for their injury and harm due to the accident.

When a victim of any car accident is going to search for a lawyer, they should take into consideration certain points about the lawyer. For instance, the lawyer should be knowledgeable as well as experienced in car accident and relevant cases. The key issue is the lawyer must be endowed with a thorough knowledge about injury law. They should know the rights of any victim, the severity of the accident, as well as, achievable recompense for that and also other necessary relevant factors. Besides, the car injury lawyer should be experienced in dealing with car accident cases and related cases. Experienced car injury lawyers know best how to defend victims against insurance companies – they can ensure the victim gets the best possible recompense. So, if the lawyer has a good record of defending and winning related cases, it will be beneficial for the victim. You can also visit https://www.norrisinjurylawyers.com/auto-accident/ for more information.

A good and experienced car injury lawyer usually provides some idea to the client about how to claim and take further legal steps against the insurance company in order to protect the victim’s rights properly. The car injury lawyers aid the victims in doing all the necessary things – they help the clients to arrange medical assistance, to contact the insurance companies, along with other important steps. They are generally experienced in evaluating necessary things like medical or police reports; they also conduct interviews of the witnesses. After gathering all the necessary information related to the accident, they try to find out how and why the accident actually happened and who was responsible for it. The lawyers know best how to construct cases according to what really happened – they will obviously do their best so that the victim can receive a just settlement.

A knowledgeable and experienced lawyer may become very useful in related cases wherever discussions may be necessary to make sure that the injured victim gets the best settlement for the pain they have encountered. A superior car accident lawyer always considers the legal rights of the victim and takes steps in such a way so that the injured victim gets the best result.

Explode? Makes you wonder just what kind of movies he has been watching.

Unfortunately, the other driver received a harsher blow.

ouch!

I can easily think of over 100 things I would rather be doing on a Wednesday evening than stand in a parking lot, surveying damage to vehicles that have collided on the road.

Praise God we were safe and no one was hurt!!

Kathy
Project 366 – Day 30

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The musings and ravings of a bloggart family