Thanksgiving

We're thankful for so many thing in our lives. Here's a short list from the fam: our family, life, a yummy dinner altogether, the turkey, Jesus' blood, friends, that God made us, warm blankets, kisses.

This is the first Thanksgiving that I'll cook in five years! I had fun putting together this menu, and can't wait to dig in! Got to keep the dinner light so there is plenty of room for dessert!

Herb crusted Turkey Breast w/ Mushroom Leek Stuffing

Roasted Green Beans with Parmesan 

Great Harvest Dinner Rolls 

Twice Baked Potatoes 

Granzellas Sicilian Style Olives

Roasted Red Pepper Tapenade 

Pumpkin Apple Pie

Meyer Lemon Semifriddo with Homemade Blackberry Sauce

Sideboard Make-over

Alright, here it is, my first reveal using Annie Sloan's Chalk Paint! This piece was made by my great great cousin (or some male relative) and was given to my Nana who gave it to my mom who gave it to me! I loved its shape, and it comes in so handy for storage, but ugh, it really needed some love. It isn't completely finished (still deciding what I want to do with the knobs- wrapped jute?) but I was so tickled with how it turned out, I had to post. I made the number stencils myself, too! I think Jon was very unsure of them ("Hey, babe. Where did you get the idea to put numbers on it?") but once all the numbers were on and distressed, he thinks they look great. The chalk paint is pretty forgiving. I did not sand anything down, so we'll have to see how well it holds up without chipping off, as we use the furniture piece frequently. I finished the piece with Johnson's paste wax. It smelled like turpentine, pretty bad. The chalk paint had very very little odor (close to no VOC's). 

There are several things that really add to the splendor of this shot:

trash can, unicorn, tongs. Wagon wheel. 

So there you have it. It still looks old and on the rustic side, but it looks so much better than before. I used some of Jon's gutter spray paint for the knobs, and the color is great. The wax coat darkened the color and gives it a richer look.  The girls helped make the pinwheel garland for Christmas. I got the frame at the thrift store for a few dollars, and dad had the mirror cut to size for me. Quick and fun project! 

Happy Birthday Babe!

Dedicating this song to my amazing husband. I listened to this on repeat on the plane trip from France because I was so stoked to see you. Welcome to your thirties JJ! I'm so blessed to have you! Best hubby, best dad.
xo  K

Weezer's "Best Friend"

When everything is wrong I'll come talk to you
You make things alright when I'm feeling blue
You are such a blessing and I wont be messing
With the one thing that brings light to all of my darkness
There is no other one who can take your place
I feel happy inside when I see your face
I hope you believe me
Cause I speak sincerely
and I mean it when I tell you that I need you
You're my best friend
and I love you, and I love you
Yes I do
Yes I do...
Yes I do

Letters from Lindsey

Lindsey wrote the sweetest thank you cards to Jon and me.

daddy
thAku
fo
the Lam
the tyou
got my
LovE
LiNdsey

mommy
I LoVE
you.
eviNiF
you wit
to Fras it Wud
dee
WudeFL
LoVE
LiNdsey

Translations:
Daddy, Thank you for the lamb toy you got me.
Mommy, I love you even if you went to France it would be wonderful.

Precious.

Amazing Annie Sloan Chalk Paint!

You know how some girls scream and go crazy when they see their fav star? Like, Paul McCartney, Elvis, Beiber... well, that's mentally what I did when Jon bought me Chalk Paint. To each their own. :)

I have been drooling over Annie Sloan Chalk Paint and today as we were driving through Jacksonville I spied the store that I thought might be our local carrier. We went in, and bliss. First, the store is just darling, filled with goodies, and second... it sells A.S.C.P!! I have seen blog after blog where gals have transformed some downright ugly pieces of furniture into darling "I want that!" 's. I am all about natural wood, and one of my favorite looks is raw waxed wood. However, about 90% of our furniture was given to us (thanks!), so we have lots of styles and 'well loved' pieces. So hopefully we can unify and bring a little of Jon and my style into the house via chalk paint (yes, I am aware it's not my fairy god-mother).

I have already started a small project, so HOPEFULLY it turns out well and I'll put it on here! Fun!


Girls... there is NO prep involved with this paint. No sanding, no anything. Just paint it on. And it goes on virtually any surface. I know, it's amazing!

The Sky, a Poem by Natalie

On cold days the sky is cloudy.
On warm days the sky is blue.
I see in the sky a flock of Canada geese.
I love to go outside and look in the sky and see birds flying.
The sky is pretty.
God made the sky so we can see God's nature.

Pumpkin Place Holders

I love making decorations for the table and saw this kit online at Paper Source (great site). Mom had picked up different sheets of scrapbook paper for a funky turkey craft (check it out here). She also got the ribbon, isn't it adorable? I cut the paper into 1/2 inch strips that were four inches long. The girls taped (double-sided) the strips together at each end and then I added a felt leaf (you could use paper if you want to write in names) and ribbon. How cute did they turn out?! You could make these larger, but I love the mini-size.

Picking Pumpkins

Our friends Paul and Virigina had the kids over to pick out a pumpkin from her garden. She surprised them with darling pillowcases, too. I'm not quite sure why Natalie dressed as a bandit. :)

A Lesson in Frustration

We started a new art program in school this year, God and the History of Art. Our very first lesson was a Lesson in Frustration. We read about Joni Eareckson Tada, and how she use makes beautiful art by drawing and painting with her mouth. This actually sounds much easier than it was to do (and it doesn't sound easy). I think the kids walked away with a big appreciation of working arms and hands, I know I did. To learn more about Joni Eareckson Tada, click here. 

Britt Family Night

This was our first time attending the Britt Festival's Family Night. There were stations set up for the kids to explore the various elements of music. They made pipe flutes, felt the vibrations of different sized drums, watched sound waves on a computer, and played several instruments. Mom joined us for the evening. After the kids explored the different stations we listened to a world class orchestra. It was enchanting. They broke apart the orchestra and taught the kids what each section did. There was also an amazing eleven year old girl who played the trumpet beautifully. We all loved the evening and can't wait for next year, when Lindsey will join us!

France!

France was amazing. Our days were filled with exploring, discovering, fellowship, and amazing food! Each night at the hotel we had a six course dinner that took two hours to eat! We visited castles, meet cowboys (guardians), got to ride a horse, watched a round-up, shopped, visited a lavender museum, went to an olive grove, sampled wine, lounged in the sun, got blown over by the Mistral, explored the Allpies (foothills of the Alps), discovered a cave, walked along a Roman aqueduct, experienced driving in France (eek!), saw Roman ruins, explored a cemetery, shopped at open air markets, found centuries old treasures, had three picnics, dug in the Word, met new friends, survived a train strike, took a boat ride in the Seine River and saw Paris by night, watched the Eiffel Tower sparkle like diamonds, learned how to properly kiss hello/goodbye in Provence, saw ice chunks in the ocean, and made it through a grueling plane ride home! It was AMAZING. Did I mention the bread? Oh the bread! And the Cheese!! When I have more time I will post pictures, but for tonight I'm going to just post one of us on our last day in Provence at our hotel.

 L-R Aunt Julie, Nana, Mom, Me

Mini Room Make-over

We wanted Macy to know how much we missed her while she was at camp, so I decided to give her room a little face lift. She loves looking through the PBTeen catalog (Pottery Barn Teen). I got online, looked at several of their featured rooms, and then went to work. First, Jon got me some apple green spray paint. I actually wanted it to paint a $2 Goodwill lamp, but it wasn't QUITE the right green for the job, yet perfect for Macy's room. Jon assured me he bought apple green paint- it's the name of the color. Apparently their are different shades of apple green. :) I took some old white shadow boxes and ledge and painted them green. They really pop now on the wall. 

Then I spray painted these frames I got from my grandma white. Mom had picked up this adorable scrapbook paper for the girls a while back and I had made a little "MACY 9" banner for her birthday. I used coordinating paper for the backs and then glued on the M, A, C, Y. Eventually they'll be hung on the wall, but that's a professional Daddy job. I also gave the desk a fresh coat of white paint. 

Next we hung this over the bed. The daybed was given to us from Aunt Cath and Uncle Randy. The hanging thing was a present from Mom several years ago. The picture is a bad one, but you can get the gist of it. :)

Needless to say, Macy was thrilled. It's slowly in transition from little girl to young lady. SLOWLY.... :)

Summer Camp

Macy worked and saved and earned enough money for summer camp! She spent five days at the coast taking in God's word, playing games, swimming, eating sweets, and getting to know other campers. It was the longest she has been away from home and did a great job. She was able to borrow another camper's cell and called us several times. Here she is on one of the school buses getting ready to leave. It was quite the procession with four 12 passenger vans, two trailers, and two buses honking all the way out of the church parking lot!

Butterfly

Hey Lin, what type of butterfly is this?

I don't remember. It's gold.

How did you catch it?

I just found it on the ground and the wing was like that. And Web was trying to eat it and I was like, no Web.

Did you name it?

I named it Little Sweet.

A Walk

We took advantage of a break in the heat and used the Greenway several times. The girls on their scooters and me jogging along while pushing Hudson in the stroller. 

Willow Lake

We spent the day at Willow Lake with our home group. We had a great time! The kids got to fish and Lindsey even caught a little one!

Jon setting Natalie up to fish. 

Macy standing on a rock in the lake.

Lindsey and her fish. 

The peak of Mt. McLoughlin.

Hudson and Lindsey decide playing in the water is more fun than waiting for a fish to bite. 

Earlier in the day the kids swam. It was so relaxing to sit and watch. 

Dress Making

I love to sew. And when a favorite local fabric store was having a midsummer clearance sale I jumped on it. I asked Mom along for her advice and she ended up buying all the fabric! Thanks Mom!

There are some great blogs with full tutorials on whatever you want out there. I really love Me Sew Crazy (how great is that title?) (www.mesewcrazy.com). I set out to make a dress for each girl, but the dress for Natalie was small, so Lindsey got two: Spring Fever and Jackie-O. I have not made the pill-box hat to go along with the Jackie-O yet, but soon! It’s adorable! For Macy I made the Braided Dress because it was a little more ‘grown-up.’

I feel like I have to make a dress twice to really get it right. I will make this again (the Spring Fever) and know now where it needs more give and where it won’t. Having a dress form would be a dream!

Mom picked out this batik. Isn’t it cute?! I love the dots and stripes.

School Scheduling 95% Complete!!

Those words sound like a birdsong on a rainy day. School Scheduling 95% Complete. Can’t you just feel the way it rolls off your tongue? Wait. You can’t? Well, perhaps you haven’t spent uncountable hours pouring through texts and feverishly filling in a gird on Excel. You haven’t? Right, that must explain it.

This year I decided to do it a little differently and thus far (you know, not using it at all, but just sitting there with a glazed, loving smile admiring it) I really like it! :) The Porta-File holds three ring files for each week of our school year. I simply take out which week we are on, put it in my notebook, and voila. Done. Everything is contained therein. Yes, yes, I know, it sounds impossibly easy- BUT IT WAS A LOT OF WORK GETTING THERE! My sweet Man made endless copies and dealt with a very messy house (see my last entry) during this process. He must have the man’s version- Created to be HER Helpmeet! lol.

Things are sane once again. Only 5% more to go! And it’s just binder assembly, how hard can that be?! :) Speaking of, the kids were delighted to scrap covers for their binders. I started one, too, because everyone knows beauty enhances ease of use.

Scheduling Life

About four years ago I was in a bible study when a good friend said, “I clean my house once a week.” I stared at her, wide-eyed and thought, “Can it be possible?” That’s when we were living in an adorable but very tiny house, packed like peas in a pod. If two things were out of place it felt like the entire house was in an uproar. Now we’re living in a much larger house and I’m not vacuuming three times a day and doing all dishes by hand. Phew, that alone is wonderful! However, now I have hours in mowing and weed eating each week. In the time we’ve lived in our new home I have slacked with keeping with our ‘scheduled’ cleaning. Fridays are our ‘big clean-up days’ which involve our deep cleaning routine and it’s gotten us along well. As I’m looking into our future I see less and less ‘chunks’ of available time. That’s fine, what is filling those previous chunks are wonderful activities, but I can see that other areas of our life will have to change, too. I pulled out my old 3 ring binder with our chore schedule. Unfortunately, I tossed about half the papers I used to have, and will have to rebuild, but what’s there is good stuff.

A Virtuous Woman (www.avirtuouswoman.org) has some great printable sheets to get you started on your road to Home Cleanliness Freedom! lol. It’s under the At Home tab, Household Notebook. I haven’t visited the site in several years, but it looks like there is also a wealth of other great info, like teaching your kids how to pray, making memories, and even a home education link!

I’d love to hear how you manage your home! Happy Cleaning!

August Garden

Give me the splendid silent sun, with all its beams full-dazzling; give me the juicy fruit, ripe from the orchard…

-Walt Whitman

Our garden is going full steam and bringing us much delight. For the kids it’s a continual study of nature. From feeding striped grasshoppers to brightly colored spiders to catching a handful of frogs to simply watching the garden in it’s various stages we have all found felicity in it’s green depths. Other creatures enjoy it also; sweet tiny hummingbirds and scandalous little gophers who devour entire garlic heads. Our tomato plants are as tall or taller than I am and laden with plump green tomatoes. Our three varieties of basil are bursting, waiting on said tomatoes to ripen. Our corn has formed silken tassels. Yesterday I planted more seeds for a late fall harvest.

Bulls-eye!

When Donald was done several months ago, Dad took us up into the hills for a little target practice. Burglars beware the Worthingtons! The little bullet holes were from me! Donald had two, also. Dad hit the red first, and I’m sure would have completely shown me up but he let us do most of the shooting. Donald was a sharp shooter in the Army. Hooah, brosef! Dad took some snap shots of Donald and me and I’ll get those up later.