Multitudes on Mondays {11 - 25}

I am just loving every page of Ann Voskamp's book ... loving these words - God is always good and I am always loved. Even on days when things are not going well I am working hard on finding the gifts God has given me right where I am.

11. a break in our school day for errands and a fun stop along the way

12. cupcakes

13. listening to Devin and Lexi talking at bedtime and the laughter from Lexi's bedroom

14. the smell of pasta, sauce and garlic bread from the kitchen

15. our golden retriever's smile

16. Ava Mae's hair in ringlets

17. rain coats and umbrellas

18. sleeping in on a grey rainy morning

19. sunshine

20. paper dolls

21. long conversation with a good friend

22. sweet kids I am teaching in my history class

23. 69 degrees on a winter day - lots of playtime outside

24. Valentine heart candies in glass jars

25. a fun dinner out with my sister

Art and Crafting ...

My Mom's birthday is tomorrow and though we had purchased her a gift online and had it delivered to her we still wanted to send cards and in my girls' case, paintings too.

I love both prima flowers and buttons and used both on the card I created for my Mom. I also got to play around with my new tag die from Papertrey.
Lexi's painting was entitled "God's Angel".
Ava Mae is my abstract painter ... she named this painting "Valley of the Sun".

Multitudes on Mondays {1 - 10}

My journey begins ... chronicling my one thousand gifts -

1. A Monday holiday with my husband at home.
2. Warm sunlight streaming through our sliding glass door on a cold morning - warming our kitchen.
3. Sweet note from my daughter, Lexi.
4. The smell of warm brownies baking in the oven.
5. Field Trips!
6. Chick-Fil-A after our field trip - conversations with good friends.
7. A clear answer from God on an issue my husband and I had both been praying about for the last week.
8. A husband who values our family time over a new job offer paying more money.
9. An amazing worship service yesterday at church which spoke to my heart.
10. Lexi's and my new bible study with dear friends - Secret Keeper Girls.

End of the Week {Ramblings}

With Snowpocalypse 2011 behind us it was back to normal for us this week ...

We are getting back into our normal groove with school after the holidays ... much less grumbling this week and it was so nice to have a field trip - especially one that pertains to what we have been studying!

Lexi had her first pottery class on Wednesday and absolutely loved it. I knew she would - she has been playing around with her small pottery wheel she received for Christmas. Plus, she has still not stopped talking about the artist's studio we visited in Asheville last Spring where several potter's were throwing clay.

Today all three kids headed back to Timothy.

This semester our course load looks like this:

Devin
Exploring Creation with Astronomy
KNEX with Simple Machines
Guitar
Georgia State History
Speed and Agility Training

Lexi
Exploring Creation with Astronomy
Paint Like a Renaissance Artist Part 2
Inventions
Georgia State History
Irish Dance

Ava Mae
Kindergarten (3.5 hour block)
PE

The exciting news is that I am teaching this semester at Timothy - Georgia State History. I love the curriculum I am using and have some fun things planned.

In other news, this past Monday I received an exciting package in the mail ... a new pair of BearPaw boots. I had won them in a giveaway and I think I have been wearing them non-stop ever since. They are so comfy and warm ... exactly what I needed!

Also, this week I received my copy of "One Thousand Gifts" Ann Voskamp's new book. All I can say is amazing! Her words are just what I needed to hear. My blog is named "Joy in the Everyday" and I need to start taking notice of that "joy" in every small detail. Our God is so good and though he can give us the big stuff we need - finding true joy is seeing all God is in the small stuff. We don't need a bigger house, a fancier car, a big vacation or a bucket list to find joy in God - he is right here every day! He is in the smell of a pan of brownies baking in the oven, warm sunlight streaming through our sliding doors at the kitchen table on a cold morning, in our big fluffy grey cat's purr. Every week I will be posting my list of gifts ... all the way until I reach 1,000! I hope some of you will join me on this journey. Head on over to Ann's blog to read more about her.

January Field Trip

This month our field trip was right in line with what we are studying in science, astronomy. We had a wonderful speaker (a former science teacher) who taught the kids all about the sun.

If we were to dissect the sun and take a look at its layers this is what it would be composed of ...
Sometimes I feel I am learning just as much as the kids when we study subjects like this. Devin and Lexi each got a chance to make up a layer of the sun. Devin was able to play the part of a radiator - representing the radiative layer. Lexi was the hula hooping girl - representing the convective zone.

Afterward, we joined a bunch of our friends at Chick-Fil-A, my children's fast food restaurant of choice after any field trip. I look forward to these lunches almost as much as my kids ... so nice to hang out with other homeschool moms and chat for an hour or two.
And, as always, when it is time to go home there are tears ... (couldn't help but include this adorable photograph of my friend's "too cute for words" daughter)

Ice Skating Fun

Lexi had so much fun at the ice skating party she attended yesterday ... she can not wait to go back and, now, Ava Mae wants in on the fun. I am thinking this would be a great activity during the heat of the summer!

{Crafting} Birthday Card for a Skating Party

Lexi is attending an ice skating birthday party tomorrow for her friends who are identical twins ... I thought it would the the perfect occasion to pull out my new Sizzix Die of a skating snowman!

After coloring in the snowman I added Dazzling Diamonds glitter over the whole snowman and flocked the "snow" on the bottom. We decided it would be fun to give one snowman a present and the other a cake so the cards would be a little different.

Snowpocalypse 2011 {Day 4}

It is now Day 4 of Snowpocalypse 2011 here in Atlanta ... the public schools will be closed again tomorrow making it officially a full week off of school for them. So thankful we homeschool and can continue on - we would much prefer to have time off when it is sunny and warm outside! Though we did enjoy again some playtime out in the snow - I think my kids are becoming less enthralled with the whole idea as more of the snow turns into thick chunks of ice.

(These pictures were taken today ... not much melting going on.)

Today it was all about the ice ... we knocked down some of the icicles hanging from our gutters to take a closer look,

then we created a snow village with icicles and ice sheets - complete with a lit candle (thanks to our friend Robyn for this great idea),
and while an out and about for lunch we even took time to look at a fountain near our home which was now an ice fountain.

So thankful my husband had the ability to work from home this week ... the roads are so icy. Even roads that have been "de-iced" and plowed are icy again from the melting and then refreezing that occurs each night.

Snowed In!

The kids are enjoying all the fun that snow brings with it! For the last two days we have enjoyed sledding, snow ball fights, and just playing in the snow. We even managed to get all of our school work done! Six inches of snow up North may not sound like much but, here in the South it brings everything to a stand still. I must remember in the future when preparing for a "snowpocalypse" to buy food for several more days than what the weather man predicts we will be snowed in for. I am thankful for great neighbors ... one neighbor with 4 wheel drive bought us milk when she braved our street and headed out to the store, another neighbor brought us homemade soup and pasta, while another neighbor helped us shovel our driveway and the hill in front of our home so that tomorrow we should be able to get out and get some groceries. (Our driveway sits in a precarious spot - when the road in front of our house ices over and we back out we just slide down the hill sideways - we have been lucky in the past to avoid the neighbor's mailbox but, only by inches. This year I was prepared and actually bought an ice melt product but, to get the product to work you must clear as much snow and ice as possible from the road.)

What a Difference a Day {Night} Makes!

"The first fall of snow is not only an event. You go to bed in one kind of world and wake up in another quiet different, and if this is not enchantment then where is it to be found?" ~ JB Priestly

End of the Week {Ramblings}

We made it through our first week back in school after the holidays! This is always one of the hardest weeks of the year. We are coming off of a busy holiday season - full of excitement and always fun things to look forward to. We then jump into a month which is always a struggle - nothing fun to look forward to and cold weather that keeps us stuck inside our home.

Thankfully, after the first day grumblings school flowed pretty easy. I changed up our schedule a little bit - placing Science, History and Art on Mondays. I have found that placing these later in the week on our lesson plans means that many times we just do not get to them - especially if we are behind on our other subjects. I would not worry so much about it but, the kids really enjoy these subjects and I need to make them more of a priority.

I am so happy to have finally made it into the doctor today ... after suffering for three weeks from a horrible sore throat. I am glad it was not strep - just a sinus infection which was the cause. Hopeful that a weekend on meds will have me feeling better by Monday. Though Monday is beginning to look like a snow day!

So, this week, what did we find joy in? Hot Chocolate and Tea and finding fun things to do inside - pictured above Devin with his Star Wars Lego ship he designed.

Blissful Holiday!

Today it is back to our normal routine ... schooling, ballet, tutoring, Wednesday Night church and soon, baseball.

I have to say the last 12 days have been blissful! It was so nice having my husband home the whole time and enjoying family night - every night.

(pictured above my husband and the kids making homemade rootbeer)

We loved having a snow day with no where to go and nothing to do but, play outside. Days like these make me yearn to live out in the middle of no where but, I know that a love for that type of life would be short - we would miss being minutes from ballet, church and, our friends!

So, for now, it is back to our crazy life! Already looking forward to winter break!

Welcome 2011!

Last night we welcomed the New Year with some friends ... we decided it would be fun to let the kids celebrate Midnight at 8pm. We enjoyed snack foods and the kids played until the designated hour when we had a balloon drop and wished everyone a Happy New Year!

After our guests left our kids still wanted to try and make it to Midnight ... Devin was the only one who succeeded. I have to say ... I barely made it to Midnight and even at that did not even finish my glass of champagne. I think I might need that 8PM celebration more than the kids.
Today we began the "fun" task of packing away Christmas. As I pack away each item it always gets me thinking ... "what does God have planned for us this year - when I unpack these items next Christmas what will our year have been like". As I carefully put away all the precious ornaments the kids have made this year - many with their picture on it - I think how each child will be a year older next Christmas. I will have a ten year old and my youngest will be seven ... I just can not even believe that.

Happy New Year!! May God bless each of you in 2011!