Packing, Packing, and More Packing

Another busy day of packing around here. My friend Hannah came this morning to help me get some things done. We packed all of the kitchen decoratives, another set of dishes, miscellaneous things from the laundry room, yet another box of craft supplies, and family pictures. It is unbelievable how much "stuff" there is in this house.

My goal is to get most of the packing done in the next two weeks so that I can rest a few days before the move. That way I will have good energy for unpacking.

This morning, while we were packing in the kitchen, I noticed that Frannie (the cat) was looking very defensive with her back arched and hair standing on end. I figured the must be a dog out there so I was about to go and scare if off when I realized that it was not a dog. I turned to my friend Hannah and asked her if there are bob cats here in Missouri and she said yes but they are rare where we are and you never see them. I told her, "Well there is one on our porch!" It stayed around long enough for us to get a good look at it. We just could not believe it came up that close to our house! It was right on the other side of the window!

We got enough accomplished this morning that I can take some time this afternoon to rest.

Blessings Dear Sisters,

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Snakes and Packing

Today will be another busy day. We are showing the house again this evening, which means I need to get everything looking nice. I plan on packing our china and extra set of dishes, and I have a few loads of laundry that need to be folded and put away.

Sunday we attended a bonfire at a friend's house. The boys roasted marshmallows (well really Daddy roasted them and they ate them, lol). There was another family there that has four daughters, so the boys enjoyed playing with them. There children are older than ours, and our boys always love playing with older girls. I was exhausted and not feeling well by the time we left, I think I had just been on my feet too much that day.

Yesterday I spent most of the day resting. I do dislike having to take it easy, but I knew there was still so much for me to do this week, and I can't really afford to be out of commission, lol. I am feeling better today, and ready to get back to packing.

This weekend we were working in the garage when suddenly my husband pushed me towards the door and told me to get inside. I had no idea what was going on, but apparently there had been a snake just a foot away from me. It was likely just a rat snake, but it was still rather scary! I remember having dreams (or rather, nightmares,lol) about snakes as I was falling asleep last night. Yuck, yuck and more yuck!

I gave Jacob a haircut this weekend, but wasn't able to get to the other two, so I am going to try to cut at least Joshua's today.

Oh, something cute~ Jacob's big task around the house is to use the sweeper, especially after meals. He was having a bit of trouble with the handle being so long, so Rick figured out that he could take a link out and make the handle just his height. Oh Jacob was so excited! I will have to get a picture because it is just too cute. We are thinking we will just buy a second one that I can use, and that will be just his. He loves to help and I think it makes him feel important, especially when he has things he can help with that are just his size. :)

Only three weeks until moving day!

Pax Christi,

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It Should Be an Interesting Day

Julia is coming today. Usually she helps with the housework. I am not sure what I am going to have her do today since I cleaned the entire house on Wednesday and with the packing and such everything is just different right now. But I do enjoy having her company around the house and that is something I will really miss once we move.

Adam is coming by later this morning to borrow our tiller. I need to pack but I will have to move all of the boxes in the school room in order to get down stairs to bring up boxes. Sigh. Oh, maybe I should get Julia to help with that. I don't know why I hadn't thought of that until just now.

I made a Baby Ticker for my blog. People are always asking me how far along we are now and I am the worst at keeping track of that, lol. So, now I can be reminded just by looking at my blog :).

Jacob will be thrilled to see Julia today. He has quite the crush on her. It is rather adorable because she is very fond of him also. I love hearing them banter back and forth. Julia seems to be one of very few who is witty enough to keep up with him.

I noticed yesterday that Joshua is suddenly sprouting up. He has nearly caught up with Jacob in height. Yesterday I had them both in the same size pants (apparently we have two pairs of the same pants in the same size) and they fit the both of them! He has gotten so slender with all ths sprouting up. It is amusing because he has been so stocky for quite some time. He is suddenly starting to look like a "big kid" though, and losing some of that baby fat. I don't know why but it feels especially hard to see him leave babyhood behind. I know he isn't the "baby" of the family, but for some reason it seemed like he would stay my little bear for a long time. I don't know why but I always feel the need to baby him, and he seems to appreciate that, lol. But, he's not a baby anymore, he is becoming my big boy. Sigh....

A.M.D.G.

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Whole Wheat Banana Pancakes

Ingredients~
2 small bananas, mashed
1 large egg
1 c. milk
1 c. wheat flour
1 1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt

Directions~
Mash bananas in a large bowl. Whisk in egg and milk. Beat mixture until bananas are as smooth as you can get it. Measure in flour, baking powder, and salt. Whisk until batter is smooth. Drop by ladel onto hot skillet. Cook till brown underneath and dry on top with tiny bubbles. Flip and brown second side.

Happy Baking,

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Showing the House and This and That

Yesterday evening a family came out to look at the house. I spent most of my day yesterday trying to get the house in order so that we could show it. It is so hard to keep things looking nice in the midst of packing! I took the boys out to dinner while Rick stayed behind to show the house.

Later in the evening we sat around listening to music and I danced with my boys. They thought that was just ever so much fun. It was great to just relax and not feel like we had to be accomplishing anything for a little while. A good way to end a long day of hard work. :)

I think today will be an easier day. I need to work on the laundry, and I think I will work on adding more pictures and moving over old posts to this blog. I have a mountain of laundry to fold and put away.

We may be getting together with friends of ours this evening. I am not sure yet what the plan is. I know this Sunday we are getting together with the Takoc's for a few hours. They are thinking of doing a bonfire. Their son offered to help us move, which I thought was very kind of him.

Ok, I am off to tackle the laundry!

With Love,

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Inspiration for My Next Craft Room...

I came across this picture the other day and just fell in love. I have always liked the combination of pink, green and white, and I thought this room was just full of feminine charm. I showed the room to Rick, and he agreed that it was just wonderful. So I think I am going to attempt to recreate the feel of this room in our new house.

Happy Homemaking,

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We are Moving!

We have found a new house and have a moving date. What a blessing!

The new house is wonderful. It has a pool and a gazebo with a wet bar. The house is similar in size to our current house, although I like the use of space better in the new house, especially the master suite's sitting room and separate closets :). It is located in a lovely neighborhood, and all of the homes are on about 2 acres, so it is not crowded at all.

There is much to do in order to get ready to move. We have a moving company coming today to give us an estimate.

May God's Blessings Be Upon You!

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Little Joe

Joseph seems to be at that age where he is either making us laugh or making us want to pull all of our hair out! He is at the point of really wanting to be able to do all that his brothers are doing, but can't quite seem to do it yet. So he is frequently frustrated, but then he seems to find humor in nearly everything, so it works out alright after all, lol. I have a feeling the next few months are going to be interesting...

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Mama's Hands

Mama's hands are beautiful, but perhaps not in the ways one might expect. Her nails may not be manicured or polished, in fact, they may be cut short and functional. They may not be perfectly moisturized, or be delicate show pieces for fine jewelery, but mama's hands are beautiful.

What makes mama's hands so beautiful? She may not use expensive creams for moisturizing, but they are are soft nonetheless. Perhaps it is from wiping away little children's tears, or some special ingredient in baby wipes. Somehow mama's hands always have just the right touch when there is a little owie that needs tending, or a small toy that needs fixing.

Her nails may not be polished or manicured, but you may just find them covered in bread dough. Mama's hands knead and shape the dough into loaves to feed her family. Mama's hands prepare meals with love that fill her family with more than just nutrition. They see the meal before them on the table and know she cares so much for them.

Mama's hands may get rough during gardening season, but somehow they are still so gentle and kind.

Mama's hands may be barren of jewelry, but are so full when she holds the hands of her little ones. When baby plays with her fingers, or uses them for a teething biscuit, they are beautiful to him! Her hands may not be full of riches, but they are full of the treasures little boys bring to her. Who needs diamonds when your two year old brings you rocks from the church parking lot?

Mama's hands are the ones that are trusted to wash special blankets, to repair a favorite toy, or to carefully pull off a bandaid. Mama's hands are strong enough to show little ones right from wrong, and gentle enough to comfort the hurting.

Mama's hands symbolize so many things. There are so many "little" works she does with these hands that make such a difference in the lives around her.

Mama's hands are simply beautiful!

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