Doing the Next Thing

I'm trying to find some cute little art to brighten the nursing moms room at our church. So I headed to Good*will, hoping for a bargain and was not disappointed! I found 2 cute prints (cutesy might be the word, but they're better than blank walls!), three brand name shirts for my kids, a vase, and a homeschool book from Christian Liberty Press, one of my favorite publishers. Thanks to 50% off "red tag" items and framed art, Total bill: $5.60. Not bad.

Sweet little K, the baby of our family, turns 2 today. Happy Birthday, Little Dear!

I have not been very good about writing down quotes from all the kiddos lately, but every 5 minutes something funny comes out of A's mouth. The 3-year-old formerly known as the BLT (Busy Little Toddler) always has a busy mind, busy body, and - happy for you - a busy mouth! Since I'm worried I'll not remember the cute things he used to say, I thought I would first take a walk down memory lane. "Gulley, gulley, gulley" 12 mo. old - the sound A. would make, with paci in mouth, when we were tucking him in at night. We all loved the "gulley gulley." "ka wass, kie" tr. "car wash - cry" At 18 mo. he was deathly afraid of the carwash and would tell perfect strangers how he cried. Who knew that this phobia would become an obsession? "If you have a valid wash code, please enter wash code." The phrase uttered hundreds of times, at the peak of his car wash obsession, when he would act out the process with his cozy coupe under the...

I love Indelible Grace Music! They occupy more space on my iPod than even U2 - and that's saying something. Matthew Smith played an awesome concert at our church last fall and I'm hoping to catch them live in concert somewhere in Georgia this summer. If you want to know more or buy CDs, go to their site and check it out. Good stuff!

I love that I have kids old enough to do chores and actually be helpful. (Yes, chore post is in the works and coming shortly, I promise.) What a blessing that my son, S, can sort and start my laundry every day! But I learned the hard way that a 13 yo boy just doesn't "get" what can go into the dryer and what can't. (For that matter, even sweet husbands have a hard time discerning that.) Yesterday he asked about a pillowcase and dried my favorite chocolate-brown linen pants without a thought!! ugh! So -- I'm very proud of my boy for his mastery in the laundry room, but I think from now on, I'll govern the dryer!

Rules I made for myself. Rules I often ignore. Yet, when I follow these rules, life just works better around here. Rule No. 1: Stay home on Mondays . I made this rule about 10 years ago and when I abide by it, my whole week just goes better. Saturday's a work/prep for Sabbath day; Sunday's the Sabbath. A quiet Monday at home allows us to catch up without feeling pressured. It takes some discipline and learning to say, "no," but I will have margin in my week! Rule No. 2: Rest for 30 min each afternoon . Yeah, right! I have 5 kids and I homeschool! Despite that, if I carve out time to relax and refuel in the afternoon, I am a much nicer person in the evening. Without it, I'm a zombie by dinner and too exhausted to enjoy the sweetest time of the day - when the whole family is together. Even working furiously all day, I still don't get everything accomplished, so why not take a short break that will benefit everyone? What makes your life tick?

My heart is heavy as I listen to news of the earthquake in China - the more time passes, more devastation is uncovered. This, after the horrible cyclone in Myanmar last week. Join me in praying for the victims of these disasters.

A quote I just can't seem to get out of my head: "Love is an act of endless forgiveness." -- Jan Karon, in the book Light from Heaven (as quoted from the sign of the Wayside Pulpit, which Father Tim passes along the way)

Happiness is... ...a new baby cousin.

Mary at Not Before 7 is hosting a Design Inspiration Carnival this weekend. Home decorating is really not my strength. Many of my projects lie unfinished, victims of the tyranny of the urgent that is life as a homeschool mom. But I enjoy my boys' bedroom. Even though it is not very polished, lacking some finishing touches. But I like what it represents in our family: letting them grow up . When baby #5 was born, we knew that we'd eventually be bunking up all three of our boys in one room. We shopped extensively for just the right set of bunk beds and found a very flexible set with a trundle that could be placed in a number of configurations and still get 3 beds. They were gorgeous stained wood. They were also very expensive. We resigned ourselves to the cost, and I enjoyed the thought of creating a very traditional boys' room with plaid comfortors, stained wood, and antique toys as accents. But then... we went to Ikea. And the boys saw a really cool "room" on dis...