Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY
Outside my window...cloudy and gray. The trees still have lots of color though and some of them are so bright yellow it looks like sunshine. :)
I am thinking... about what else needs to be done today. Mondays are always very busy.
I am thankful... for the grocery store and being able to buy food to prepare for my family.
From the learning rooms... this week we are learning about the letter I. Maybe we'll make some homemade ice cream and take a field trip to IKEA to do some Christmas shopping. And who knows what other fun we'll have!

In the kitchen... I have both my crockpots going today. One with soup for dinner and the other one making yogurt. So blessed that we got two crockpots for wedding gifts!
I am wearing... Green cargo pants, black turtleneck sweater and black striped socks
I am creating... had fun making a baby gift this past week for my friend Theresa's baby shower. Now onto Christmas gifts. Working tonight on a scarf for my grandma. Also, need to finish up the little "mailboxes" for the fridge so we can leave each other notes.
I am going... to pick up James from wrestling practice in a few minutes. Football is now over, so it will be good to have something else to keep him fit and active and busy so he's not moping around the house bored. :)
I am wondering... if I'll ever get more organized in the kitchen with my cooking. Even though I plan my meals and stick to my list with shopping it seems like I always forget stuff, and get stuff that I don't really need.
I am reading... the Bible, and Cranford
I am hoping... to get a lot done and organized this week while hubby is out of town for work.
I am looking forward to... Thanksgiving
I am hearing... the girls chattering away, the washer going, and classical music.
Around the house... some friends from church brought us a kid size table and chairs today that they got from their neighbors...for free! The girls are loving it! Now to organize the furniture just right so if fits in their room.
I am pondering... an article I read on imperfection the other day. It was very encouraging.
One of my favorite things... pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving with lots of whipped cream! :)
A few plans for the rest of the week: a trip to the library tomorrow, dropping off Christmas boxes with our friend for Operation Christmas Child, lots of fun with the letter I, playdate with friends, and whatever else happens to come along.
Here is picture for thought I am sharing...

The girls enjoying a beautiful Fall day!!

Rieska

 Today I thought I'd share a fun, quick recipe with you. One that originates in the country of my ancestors, Finland. We sampled this delicious bread at the Mill City Museum's Test Kitchen in Minneapolis, MN when the girls and I were back in the Land of 10,00 Lakes visiting my mom in March. This stuff made the whole museum smell amazing! And it tasted just as amazing! One of those samples you just want to keep eating...you know, the sneaking-back-a-few-minutes-later-hoping-no-one-notices kind of sample. Anyway, they were super nice and let us copy down the recipe so we could make our own. (It is from the King Arthur Flour Whole Grain Baking cookbook).

I am just sad I didn't pull out the recipe until today to try it at home. It is so super fast and easy to make and it makes a great snack with a little butter on top. And I think it would be quite fabulous with soup instead of biscuits for a change. (We eat a lot of biscuits because my hubby likes bread and I don't usually have time to make anything other than biscuits.)

Rieska

1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats

2 cups whole rye flour (pumpernickel) *I used light rye flour and it seemed to work fine

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

1/4 cup sugar

4 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons salt

1/2 cup butter

3 cups buttermilk *I didn't have buttermilk on hand so used part plain yogurt and part milk with lemon juice

Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Lightly grease a 13x18x1 inch half sheet pan.

Whisk together oats, and flours with sugar and baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Cut the butter into the dry ingredients until thoroughly distributed. Stir in buttermilk; the mixture will be kind of goopy, that's okay.

Transfer the dough to the sheet pan, and spread dough out until it is about 1/4 inch thick and covers the bottom of the pan completely.

Bake until the top is light golden brown and springs back to the touch. 17-20 minutes. *Mine baked about 15 minutes*. Remove from the oven and cool on rack before slicing.

Enjoy!

Frugal Friday: Headband Storage

Happy Friday! This week I wanted to share a recent quick project I made for all of the girls' headbands. But first, I just have to share my exciting news! I got my own computer this week!!! My very own pretty, white MacBook! Our friend who just moved in as a roommate of our other friends right next door was talking with my hubby the other night about computers and such. My hubby was telling him how we were considering either getting an iPad or some other computer so I could have something to use now that he will be traveling out of town with his new job. Our friend said that he had a MacBook that he didn't use anymore that he would sell to us. (He was pretty much just going to give it to us, but we wanted to give him something for it). We just had to add a new operating system to it. God is so good at providing what we need, when we need it. I am soooo excited! And hopefully, I will be able to write more on my blog too since I don't have to wait for my hubby to be off of his computer.

Okay, on to the headband storage. I wish I could say this was my own idea, but I found it once upon a time on some other more creative person's blog. So long ago, that I can't remember what blog, otherwise I would totally give credit for this awesome idea.

It is super easy to make. All you need is an empty oatmeal container (the bigger size), some pretty paper or fabric and some mod podge (I used homemade. You can find a recipe for that here.)

Measure and cut your paper to wrap around the oatmeal container and then simply mod podge it on, spreading mod podge on the container and sticking your paper on and then mod podging over the top of your paper.

When it is dry, you simply slip your headbands around the container and there you have it! We keep our other hair accessories inside of the container so now we have everything all together.

Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY

Outside my window...some blue sky peeking out from the fluffy white clouds. Sun was shining just a few minutes ago. A beautiful October day here in the Northwest...no rain! :)

I am thinking...about so much...blogging, homeschooling plans, how to find time to sew more, what I still need to get done today...my mind is overflowing right now!

I am thankful...for the fun that I have been having with my girls. I love to be with them!

From the learning rooms...This week we are taking a break from our weekly letter studies and learning about pumpkins! We made a pumpkin life cycle chart this morning, drew pumpkins of all shapes on our chalk board door, and they decorated their pumpkins with paint. We also read lots of library books, took a walk after lunch and played outside. I love homeschooling!

In the kitchen...need to go get my chicken stock strained and put away in the freezer. But I don't have to make dinner tonight! James has taken over dinner on Monday nights. He loves to cook and since he doesn't have football on Monday nights, we thought it would be a good way for him to learn more about cooking. Our friend and next door neighbor who is a chef came over last week and helped him cook.

I am wearing...jeans, plum colored t-shirt (my favorite!) and a black cardigan sweater.

I am creating...still working on Ellie's quilt. only have 6 more squares to sew together before starting on sewing everything together. Also am making some little boxes to put on the side of the fridge to have as little "mailboxes" for each family member so we can leave each other notes of encouragement and stuff.

I am going...nowhere today. So nice to have a day to stay home. Tomorrow we go to the library for story time and to get new books. And excited for Wednesday when I get to go out with hubby for my birthday!

I am wondering...why time has to go by so quickly. I can never seem to find enough time in the day to get everything done.

I am reading...the Bible and Created to be His Helpmeet by Michael and Debi Pearl. Such a wonderful book! I am only as far as chapter 3 but it has already helped me so much!

I am hoping...to get some knitting in tonight. Haven't done any in awhile and kinda miss it. I'm also hoping to write in my blog more this week. Haven't done that in awhile either and miss that too. It's a little hard to blog when my hubby takes the computer with him to work though. :)

I am looking forward to...what the future holds with my husbands new job. God is so good!

I am hearing...classical music on the radio.

Around the house...everyone is quiet, but I am sure it won't last too much longer. :)

I am pondering...what I read about contentment in my book last night. I want to have a joy full heart no matter my circumstances. Sometimes I get caught up in the "if only" mode. "If only" we lived in the country, "if only" we did this, "if only" we could go there, etc...I have so many wonderful, beautiful blessings in my life right now, and God has me right where I am for a reason. I have so much to be thankful for! Life is such a beautiful thing when you are content and bask in HIS love!

One of my favorite things...the smell of wood smoke on a cool fall day, and all of the beautiful colors of fall.

A few plans for the rest of the week: library day, more pumpkin fun, my birthday, skyping with my mom, and who knows what else! :)

Here is picture for thought I am sharing...

Sunrise from a couple weeks ago.

Join Simple Woman's Daybook here and share your day. :)

Wednesday Walk: Audubon Society of Portland

Ellie was a good little hiker :)

This week for our walk we went out to the nature trails at the Audubon Society of Portland. Our friend and neighbor was telling us about it since we were studying birds this week for our continuation of the letter B. I can't believe we've missed out on this beautiful place until now! It is absolutely gorgeous out there!

This is what I get when I ask for a smile.

The first initial trail is rather steep going down and not very wide. Ellie wanted to be "holded" and Hannah was holding my hand for dear life! But they did great, and we really enjoyed the rest of the trails. Once you get to the bottom there is a short trail that takes you down to the creek that runs through the bottom of this canyonish area. It was really lovely down there. We played around for a little bit by the water and hoped to see some wildlife. About the only thing we saw was a cool and creepy banana slug. We had not seen one like that before so we looked it up in our field guide and learned what it was. I am so proud that Hannah likes to use our book so much and was wanting to discover other things.

Banana Slug

We didn't see any other wildlife except for a little bird in the stream and a few water skaters, but we did see some neat mushrooms growing off the side of a tree. So we looked those up in the mushroom section of our book (on a side note: I am soooo happy I picked this book up at a garage sale. It is the "Audubon Society Field Guide for the Pacific Northwest" so it covers everything for our specific region of the country. Plants, animals, birds, etc. VERY awesome!) and discovered that it is called artist's fungus.

Enjoying nature

Artist's Fungus

Little bird enjoying the water.

So beautiful!

Hannah loves to sit and look at our field guide.

After hanging out at the water for a bit we got back on the trail and found some more water. A pond! They had a nice shelter with a bunch of big steps that we could sit on right at the edge of the pond. Hannah stopped and prayed that we would see a turtle and a frog in the pond because she really wanted to see some. We didn't, but ended up seeing something way better. A very large owl flew through the trees right across the pond from where we were and sat in the trees for a few minutes before moving on.  Hannah was super excited that we got to see an owl, especially since it was daytime and owls usually sleep during the day.

Pond where we sat for a bit watching for frogs or turtles. Didn't see any, but an owl flew through the trees across the pond!

My little nature lovers. :)

LOVE!

The icing on the cake was getting to see an owl up close as we were hiking back up the hill. This owl lives at the Wildlife Care Center that is part of the Audubon Society and one of the handlers had her out and was showing her to some people, so we got to have a look. She made some really funny noises and the girls thought that was great along with the fact that she could turn her head so far around. The guy holding her told us that owls have 14 bones in their neck that allows them to be able to do that.

We had a great time and are definitely going to go back there...many times. It will be especially fun as the girls keep growing up and are able to hike farther. There is so much to explore!

Next week I think we are going to go on a turtle hunt because they still really want to see some turtles. :)

The sweet owl that lives at the Wildlife Care Center. The girls loved getting to see her!

Frugal Friday: Foam Bath Toys

The girls enjoying their new bath toys

The girls have been needing some new toys for bath time, and I was thinking about buying some of those fun foam shapes for them to play with. I just hated to spend that much money. Then it dawned on me one day that I could make my own!

I have a big stack of craft foam pieces left from other projects, and even had a bunch of little scraps. So one night when they were in the tub, I brought the foam and my scissors into the bathroom and started cutting out shapes and throwing them into the tub. The girls were delighted! They have so much fun creating wonderful things in the bath. 

And now we've been adding letter shapes for the letters we are studying each week. So much fun! And it didn't cost anything! :)

Bunkbed project: Complete!

The finished product! Hooray! I of course couldn't resist getting a few accessories at IKEA. :)

The girls checking out their new bed. :)

I'm not sure if Hannah likes it....hahahaha!

Ellie is so excited to be in a big girl bed!

Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY

Outside my window...the sun is shining, burning off the clouds that were around this morning. Going to be around 85 for the high...perfect summer weather!

I am thinking...about all that needs to get done this week. I just picked a basket full of tomatoes this morning that need to be made into spaghetti sauce and canned. And this afternoon we picked apples at the neighbors house, so will need to do something with those. And of course there is the usual things that need to be done...laundry, cleaning, cooking, more cleaning, school time with the girls and more! There's just not enough hours in a day! :)

I am thankful...that school is going well with the girls so far, and for James in public school. He was in a split 5th/6th grade class last year for 5th grade and he got his same teacher again this year! We were so excited about that as she is a great teacher!

From the learning rooms...learning about the letter Bb this week. Woke the girls up this morning blowing little bubbles in their room, we did bubble painting for art, visited a bakery for a treat, and have been reading lots of books with bears and other B words.

In the kitchen...Hannah helped me make banana bread this afternoon (more B's!). It smells sooooo yummy!

I am wearing...my sage green skirt and a cute black top that I got at a garage sale this weekend. Hooray for good deals!

I am creating...some baby wash cloths for a friend who is having a baby soon. Also need to get cracking on Ellie's quilt since we have the bunk bed done now. (Oh, yes! I need to write a post about that!!! It turned out great! Maybe tomorrow!)

I am going...crazy! No, not really. I am so blessed and have so much to be thankful for. Somedays it just feels like I can't keep up with things.

I am wondering...once again how these other women do all that they do in a day...someday maybe I'll learn the secret. Maybe they have super powers like not needing to sleep or something like that. :)

I am reading...still trying to get through Lark Rise to Candleford, but it's hard to find time for reading lately. Also, today started reading "Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World" for part of my quiet time.

I am hoping...to get our photo appointment set up for this week. I bought a Groupon last year for a photo studio out here to have a family photo shoot and get some prints, but forgot about it and now it is about to expire AND my hubby is going to be out of town the last two weeks of this month. Hopefully they'll have an opening for this week. Argh!

I am looking forward to...eating some of that banana bread. I heart banana bread!!! Our house smells so good right now!

I am hearing...the dishwasher working away, and Hannah "reading" her library books for rest time.

Around the house...laundry is almost done for today. Ellie is napping, Hannah is resting and James is doing homework. I should get busy and figure out what to do with those tomatoes.

I am pondering...I wish I had time for pondering today. :)

One of my favorite things...spending time out in the garden early in the morning. It's so beautiful and peaceful. Ahhhh............

A few plans for the rest of the week: school, start potty training Ellie????, a trip to the zoo to look at the bears, maybe a trip to the wetlands to watch some birds, and who knows what else.

Here is picture for thought I am sharing...

The girls rolling down a grassy hill on our walk the other day. The joys of childhood!

 Hope you all have a blessed week! If you'd like to join in and share about your day please go over to Simple Woman's Daybook.

First Week of School

Our letter for the week- Aa

This week, on Tuesday, we started our first week of school. Hannah was super excited! She went to bed Monday night telling me how she was so happy to be able to learn stuff. I love that girl!

Since Hannah is only 4 and Ellie is 2, we are doing lots of fun, hands-on activities and basing most of our learning off of the letters of the alphabet. We will focus on one letter per week.

This week we started with the letter A and learned lots about apples, airplanes, alligators, ants and more! I still don't have too much planned out as of yet, so I am sort of "flying by the seat of my pants". As the weeks go on I am hoping to get a little more organized. But we are having tons of fun so far!

"Milking" the cow.

I came across a very neat blog this past week that will really help us with our alphabet studies. We found our cute apple craft there, and an alligator craft (which I don't have a picture of, but it was pretty cute...an alligator made out of the letter A) and a coloring page to print out with the letter A and an airplane. They have ideas for almost every letter of the alphabet!

I am also using National Geographic Kids website for videos and info of animals that correspond to the letter for each week. The girls love watching those!

A is for apple

Along with our letter studies, we are using Before Five in a Row and Slow & Steady Get Me Ready. BFIAR is a super great book that has 23 classic children's books to read with your kids and activities to do/discuss that go along with each story. And I am super excited because a friend of mine told me today about a website that has a bunch of lapbooking resources, many of which go right along with the stories in BFIAR! This week we read "Angus Lost" by Marjorie Flack. The science discussion to go along with is was about where milk comes from. As we were reading that and talking about it, I had a super great idea to blow up a latex glove and tape it under our piano bench so the girls could sort of get an idea of what it's like to milk a cow. Cheesy I know, but the girls had so much fun and played with our "cow" for a long time. I even had some old milk bottles that I showed them. Fun, fun, fun! This week with BFIAR we are going to read "We're Going on a Bear Hunt" which will be perfect to go along with the letter B.

Slow & Steady Get Me Ready is a great book too that has lots of motor skill and other activities to do each week to help your child grow and develop, all the way up to 5 years old. This week I am hoping to start on the first week for each girl for their age category. 

Oh, and we are also starting back up with our sign language. We get a Signing Time dvd from the library each week and watch it in the afternoons. The girls have learned so much from those, and it is very enjoyable for them.

I think that about covers most of what we did this week for school.

Stone mill wheel at Bob's Red Mill

And last, but not least, we went to Bob's Red Mill this week to get flour and oatmeal and such and we got to take a tour of the mill! The tour got a little bit long and wordy for the girls, but we did get to see them making cornmeal and packaging stuff up and watch the fork lifts. We also got to see one of the old stone mill wheels, and some other old mill machinery.

Old milling machine...Hannah took this picture

But I think the best part for the girls was the grain table, where there were buckets and bowls of lots of different grains and flours that you could stick your hands in. I think the girls would have played there all day. Maybe we'll have to do something like that at home sometime. :)

Another pic by Hannah...art on a milling machine

Oh, we even got to meet Bob Moore himself. Hannah was excited when she saw him walk in the room where we were having our tour..."Mommy! That's the guy on the packages!"

Outside the Bob's Red Mill store

I'd say we had a pretty amazing first week of school and can't wait for this coming week!

Blessings!

Wednesday Walk: Dawson Creek Park

 This week we headed over to one of our favorite walking places, Dawson Creek Park. It was perfect since we started school this week and are learning about the letter A. We went hunting for acorns and walked over by the airport and watched the airplanes for a little bit.

 Before heading home we stopped and played in the lush, green grass in the shade.

 The girls had fun rolling down a hill and singing and dancing together. We hated to go home we were having so much fun. But our tummies began to rumble for lunch.

Next week maybe we'll take our walk at the zoo and check out the bears for B week!

Happy Birthday, Ellie!!

 This is a few days late, but I had to share. My baby is now 2!!! 

Yes, little Elissa Faith made her debut into our lives 2 years ago on September 1, and our lives have been so blessed ever since. She is such a happy, loving, sweet, ray of sunshine in our family. We thank the Lord for her everyday!

We love you soooooooooo much Ellie!!! And we look forward to watching you continue to grow and learn over the next year!  

xoxoxoxoxo

Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY

Outside my window...the sun was shining so nicely when I first got up this morning. It is now turning cloudy...might even rain later. Hopefully I can get the laundry hung and dry before that.

I am thinking...about everything that needs to get done today....cleaning, laundry, packages that need mailing, and more.

I am thankful...for a good night sleep. I actually made it to bed by 10 and read till 10:30. Made it a little bit easier to get up at 6. :)

From the learning rooms...GOTTA get planning this week! Can't believe August is almost over! Yikes!

In the kitchen...eggs and toast and watermelon for breakfast. Maybe the girls and I will do some baking this week. Might have to try making some more vanilla wafers with this recipe. They are sooo yummy!

I am wearing...a denim skirt and plum colored t-shirt

I am creating...potholders for my mom and working on putting together a housewarming basket for when our friends move next door in September. So excited for that!

I am going...to the post office today.

I am wondering...how much I can get done before the girls wake up. They went to bed late so hopefully they'll sleep a little later.

I am reading...From my Bible I read some Psalms this morning. LOVE Psalms! And still reading Lark Rise to Candleford. Also on my ipod I am reading through 31 Days to Clean.

I am hoping...that I can finish the bunk bed this week. I am so excited to get it in the house and set up for the girls!

I am looking forward to...a date with my hubby before the month runs out. We try to go out once a month for a date night, but also try to have date nights at home too.

I am hearing...the washer, a typical Monday morning sound. :)

Around the house...everyone is still sleeping. I am just puttering around getting some things done before everyone gets up.

I am pondering...what I read in my devotions this morning from Psalm 139, about how we are fearfully and wonderfully made! God has a unique plan and purpose for each of us and we should not compare ourselves to worldly standards.

One of my favorite things...getting up early to go running. I never thought I would enjoy it that much, and I am not a serious runner or anything, but it is so refreshing and gets me going for the day.

A few plans for the rest of the week: working on the bunk bed, a trip to the library, Tuesday dinner with friends.

Here is picture for thought I am sharing...

Ellie is so happy about the new bed!

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Bunk Bed Project: Phase 1

I am sooooo excited!!! We got the bunk bed put together today! Hooray! It was a long couple of days and we had a bit of a set back at one point because we forgot to figure a dimension into some of our measuring, but we got it built! And for a little under $100!

The plan we used was quite simple and with my dad's handy pocket hole tool, it made it even better! (You can find the plan here at this AMAZING website! Just search for "Classic Bunk Bed")
I think the worst part was probably sanding ALL that wood! My had is still vibrating from using the sander. LOL!

It was fun to hang out with my dad for a couple days and build something together. We both love to create and make things, and this was more fun than putting together something from IKEA. (Although that DEFINITELY has it's place too! Our house wouldn't be the same without IKEA. LOL!)
Anyway, now all that's left to do is some finish sanding, priming it, painting it, putting the slats in and bringing it in for the little princesses to enjoy. It will probably be another week or more before it is completely done, but I had to share the progress we've made. :)

Wednesday

Well, as you probably noticed, the title to this post is missing the "walk" part. My dad is here visiting for the week, and we are going to be building a bunk bed for the girls. So that has been our focus today. Going over the plans, making modifications, pricing it out, buying supplies and all that fun stuff.
Hannah, my Dad and I did go for a short walk over to Home Depot to check things out, so I guess technically we did have a "Wednesday Walk". Just nothing exciting like checking out a new park. And no neat pictures to go with it. :)
I will keep you updated with bunk bed progress. Hopefully we can get most of it done before he has to head home. I had thought when I first found these plans that I could easily do this myself, but now that we've been looking at it more and figuring things out, I am glad to have help.
Hope you had a wonderful Wednesday!

Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY

Outside my window...It is still light out this week! Well, sort of. The sun has gone down, and the sky has a lovely rose hue around the edges. Beautiful!

I am thinking...about how blessed I am!

I am thankful...For the wonderful weekend we had. Saturday the girls and I had an opportunity to serve others by baking some cookies and bringing water to a group that was doing yard work for a disabled lady. Those people worked so hard, I wish I could have brought them more than cookies! Saturday night hubby and I got to go out with our close friends who are going to be our neighbors next month. We had a great evening with desserts and drinks and a few games of pool. Then Sunday we went and checked out a new church as we are still kind of searching around. It was AMAZING!! These people were so warm and welcoming and so on fire for the Lord! We are definitely going to check it out again.

From the learning rooms...Just more reading. I should be making plans for Hannah's preschool, but haven't found time yet. At least we are not planning on doing anything too structured since it is just preschool. I mean I guess when you think about it, I've been homeschooling since the girls were born, so it will just be a continuation of all that we have been doing.

In the kitchen...Making yogurt again. Freezing blueberries we picked the other day. Menus all planned and grocery shopping done for the rest of the month.

I am wearing...My comfy knit black skirt, and a red t shirt.

I am creating...Still knitting dishcloths. Need to spend some time sewing...have to finish my mom's birthday present, and work on Ellie's quilt. My dad will be here this week and he is going to help me build the bunk bed for the girls. Yay!

I am going...To try to get to bed at a good time tonight. I've been staying up way too late this past week or so and it is impacting my ability to get up and get going in the morning like I should. I have a hard enough time getting up in the morning when I go to bed on time.

I am wondering...How other women get so much done in a day. I read some of these blogs and I feel so inadequate sometimes. These women craft, teach their kids, making all their food from scratch, have time for blogging daily, etc.......................

I am reading...Lark Rise to Candleford Trilogy by Flora Thompson...the book that one of my favorite shows was based on.

I am hoping...To wake up on time tomorrow and get more done. Most of all to have more time to play with my girls.

I am looking forward to...having my hubby around again all day tomorrow. He works so much that sometimes it feels like we don't get to see him all that often. So thankful he has a few down days this week!

I am hearing...The washing machine doing it's job, and the traffic rushing by outside.

Around the house...Feeling like going through everything again and getting rid of more stuff. Ever since we moved into this small house we have gotten rid of so much, and yet it seems like we still have so much. Thankfully, we don't have too much clutter, but some days it still feels overwhelming. Maybe someday we shall be completely organized. LOL!

I am pondering...The sermon from yesterday...

One of my favorite things...Laying my head down on my pillow after a long day. Nothing feels better!

A few plans for the rest of the week: playdate tomorrow, my Dad arriving, a teddy bear picnic in the park, hopefully a Wednesday walk, and who knows what else.

Here is picture for thought I am sharing...

The girls have figured out how to share the tricycle. :)

Share your day over at Simple Woman's Daybook.

Sunday Thoughts...

Some things I am thankful for this week:

191. Fresh blueberries
192. Some of our very closest friends will be our next door neighbors in less than a month!
193. Lazy mornings in bed snuggling my hubby and my girls.
194. Listening to stories "read" by our 4 year old.
195. Vivid imaginations.
196. Sweet songs sung by our little one.
197. Fresh herbs on pizza.
198. Homemade vanilla wafers.
199. Evenings spent knitting and watching one of my favorite BBC shows.
200. Green beans fresh from the garden for dinner.
201. For phones to be able to talk with family.
202. Scent of roses on the breeze.
203. Squeals of laughter as the girls run through the spray from the hose as I water the garden.
204. The joy on their little faces.
205. Hearing little ones learn scripture verses.
206. Baking cookies with my girls.
207. Having opportunities to serve others.
208. A fun evening out with my hubby and friends.
209. A "new" freezer for being able to stock up.
210. Hubby's embrace.
211. A visit to an amazing new church.
212. A convicting message.
213. Warmth of strangers welcoming us into their church.
214. Fellowship with friends over lunch.
215. Warm tea before bed.

"Give thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ."
Ephesians 5:20

Frugal Friday: Gift Idea

Looking for a quick, simple gift idea? Pick some flowers from your yard and put them in an old jar or bottle. Voila! You have a gift that will be sure to brighten someone's day.
If you don't have an abundance of flowers that you can pick, you can always find some flowers at the farmer's market (that's what we did since we don't really have many flowers in our yard) or a road side stand. Trader Joe's also has beautiful flowers all the time for reasonable prices.
And for our vase we used an old plastic snack container that I had Hannah decorate with Sharpies (under close supervision of course).
The main thing is to have fun and remember that your gift doesn't have to be fancy to be a blessing to someone.

Wednesday Walk: Turner Creek Park

For today's walk we headed over to a nearby park that we've only been to one other time. Turner Creek Park is about a 5 minute drive away. In fact, we probably could walk there just as easily. (Maybe next time!)

I didn't really plan very well for this week, so at the last minute this morning I was searching the Hillsboro Parks website to find a good park with trails for walking. I didn't realize it last time we were at Turner Creek, but they have a fairly nice loop of trails down behind the playground and ball fields. So we figured we'd go check it out and then have some play time.

The trail led down into a wooded area surrounding a little creek, which I am assuming must be Turner Creek. :) There was a little bridge over the creek and some more trails heading off on the other side of the creek. We watched some water skaters for a few minutes and hoped to see a frog or something. But no other wild life this time except for some birds up in the trees that we could only hear.

After we finished walking the loop we headed back to the playground for some more fun. The girls had fun swinging and sliding and climbing around and James busied himself on the monkey bars. He didn't climb around too much because he is pretty sore from football practice last night.

It's always fun to discover new places, and I am thinking we might go back sometime to spend more time exploring down by the creek. Maybe with our magnifying glasses.

Happy Wednesday! :)