5 minute friday: Wonder

1. Write for 5 minutes flat – no editing, no over thinking, no backtracking.

2. Link back here and invite others to join in.
3. And then absolutely, no ifs, ands or buts about it, you need to visit the person who linked up before you & encourage them in their comments. Seriously. That is, like, the rule. And the fun. And the heart of this community..

OK, are you ready? Please give us your best five minutes on:

Wonder:

        The due date for this coming baby is New Years; I wonder which month will prove to be his/her birth month, which year?  I wonder what kind of Christmas I will make for my other littles; currently feeling good but I know at some point the energy level will take a hit.  I also know that this time and place is so full of wonder and children if given just the smallest of nudges can find amazement and wonder everywhere.  I wonder who this little person is, and if a boy what we should name him.  Wonder and amazement at the wonderful things about to happen most of the time, anxiety only happens a night a little, praise God.

STOP

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Thankful Thursday: November 29th

30 days of gratitude continued:

23 ~ My 'married' family; warm, funny and hard-working!  
24 ~ My husband's computer saviness for when badness hits.
25 ~ Sunday dinners with family and friends. 
26 ~ My children's laughter! 
27 ~ Warm drinks on a cold and dreary day!
28 ~ God's everlasting love!
29 ~ Hope renewed each morning.
30 ~ My life with all its struggles and blessings!

Quick Takes #119 ~ Life and links

1. Thanksgiving: Have really enjoyed participating in 30 days of gratitude on Facebook.  And learning all about the Pilgrims and the first Thanksgiving from the Pre-K perspective.
2. Recently I've had the chance to read two wonderful posts on the question of choosing to stay home with small children despite having advance degrees; this is a question I find to be a work in progress in my life and so appreciate the input of others in the trenches: Elizabeth of That Married Couple and Lisa Jo of tales from a gypsy momma.
3. Preparations for Baby #3 continue at a leisurely pace; have pulled out the tote with newborn clothes but have yet to wash the clothes,  have looked a few infant car seat options on the web but still need to buy one ~ And the cradle, yup still full of random clothes and blankets.  I guess Advent preparations will include a few additional things this year.
4. This time around was the first time our announcement of a coming baby was greeted occasionally with something other than rejoicing by some friends and family.  Kinda wish this post by Erika had been around earlier.
5. Liam has become interested in drawing specific pictures of late (as oppose to simply scribbling) and the favorite picture of the moment is of lassos for his use as Cowboy Liam!
6. Favorite video of the week; one of those songs I keep coming back to during tough weeks.

7. Thanks to a lot of elbow grease and a small chainsaw we've been able to begin to return our backyard to some semblance of order, and availability for playing in.

Before (showing storm damage)

After chainsaw action

After (cuttings waiting for disposal)

Please visit Conversion Diary for the rest of this week's Quick Takes!

Thankful Thursday: November 22nd

30 days of gratitude continue: 

16: The lovely pre-school my kids attend; they seem to be thriving and I enjoy my couple hours free a week.

17: My 'little sister' who I have the privilege of mentoring since she was ten. She is now a high school senior and considering nursing (total coincident) as a career ~ such an honor to see what an amazing young women she is becoming.

18: My mom and her wonderful example of quiet yet devout faith.

19: My sisters; can always be depended upon for support and silliness! 

20: An autumn afternoon spent playing in the leaves.

21: Having a automatic dishwasher, and a husband who enjoys washing dishes!!

22: The chance to gather with family and friends and give thanks for our many blessings!

5 minute friday: Stay

1. Write for 5 minutes flat – no editing, no over thinking, no backtracking.

2. Link back here and invite others to join in.
3. And then absolutely, no ifs, ands or buts about it, you need to visit the person who linked up before you & encourage them in their comments. Seriously. That is, like, the rule. And the fun. And the heart of this community..

OK, are you ready? Please give us your best five minutes on:

Stay:

   Our first experience with summer camp this year, a morning program hosted at a local playground, involved a delicate waiting game as she would me to please stay as she got her bearings, scoped who was there, got her feet down; and then I was free to go.  Which was fine because her younger brother, too young for camp, was not going to let me bring him to a playground and not let him play a bit.  

  There will be many more of these in our lives together as we sort out how long she needs me to stay, how long its good for me to stay, when I should stay in her (their) face, and when I'm over staying my welcome.  

STOP

Please go and enjoy other 5 minute friday entries at Lisa Jo's

Thankful Thursday: November 15th

30 days of Gratitude continues:

9 ~ A husband who shares so generously of his talents with his church and    family.

10 ~ Coffee ice cream!

11 ~ To Veterans and those currently serving

12 ~ Beautiful weather and the chance to enjoy it!

13 ~ My parents for instilling a love of reading in me.

14 ~ Liam's speech therapist is warm, engaging and really seems interested in       helping him.

15 ~ My washing machine, loyal workhorse!

Wordless Wednesday: My Guys

5 minute friday: Quiet

1. Write for 5 minutes flat – no editing, no over thinking, no backtracking.

2. Link back here and invite others to join in.
3. And then absolutely, no ifs, ands or buts about it, you need to visit the person who linked up before you & encourage them in their comments. Seriously. That is, like, the rule. And the fun. And the heart of this community..

OK, are you ready? Please give us your best five minutes on:

Quiet:

    Quiet time is a work in progress in our house with the no longer napping preschooler in part to allow the still napping toddler to sleep, and in part to allow everyone a chance to take a deep breath and reset, and in those few minutes I find the space and respite I need to again be ready to listen to the story, watch the dance routine, answer the many 'why' questions that the late afternoon and evening will bring until tucked-in into their beds the quiet will return ~ except for the whispered conversation sharing our day between the parents as we too find the stillness amidst the craziness to rest.

STOP

Please go and enjoy other 5 minute friday entries at Lisa Jo's

Thankful Thursday: November 8th

Have been participating in 30 days of gratitude on Facebook and thought I would re-post here weekly:

1. Shelter and electricity
2. Sleeping children
3. My husband, a friend and great blessing to me
4. My faith, and the freedom to openly practice
5. Baby kicks, even when aimed repeatedly at my ribs
6. The 19th Amendment and all those who sacrificed much that my desire to vote is not questioned.
7. Elisabeth, my live wire firstborn filling my days with love and laughter
8. Liam, my smiley cuddly boy-cub 

Fall Drink Review

Completely non-sponsored post ~ just sharing some thoughts for the fun of it.

Tried and true:

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• Dunkin Donuts Vanilla Chai ~ a favorite for many years now having been introduced by my mom (who was introduced by my god-father and his late wife, great connection).  Warm, spicy but not too spicy and low enough caffeine  that I don't have to worry about the kids sneaking sips.  Have discovered ordering Chai's at other places, the vanilla is an important addition as otherwise I find it to be too cinnamon-y.
• Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte ~ expensive but very yummy.  Again I think what appeals to me is that it is more spicy than my usual mocha but not too.  Also I love the flavor of pumpkin; in muffins, pies, and lattes.

Tried out this year:

• Trader Joe's Pumpkin Chai ~ Good find, not too expensive, easy to make and when augmented with some pumpkin creamer very, very delish.  Am currently debating whether to stock-up or trust that when the leaves again change color next year I will be able to find it.
• Starbucks Salted Carmel Mocha ~ Meh,  not bad but didn't really add much to the experience of drinking a mocha and even may have detracted a little as it had a somewhat nutty flavor (think hazelnut) which I am not a fan of in my coffee.
• Dunkin Donuts Pumpkin Mocha ~ Also not bad but not good, I think the problem is that there was not enough pumpkin and so it just tasted like a mocha with something amiss.  Disclaimer I only had one so perhaps I just got a bad one, also I did have a pumpkin flavored ice coffee which was a bit sweet but overall tasty.

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Any fun new finds dear readers?

Favorite fall drinks??

5 minute friday: Roots

1. Write for 5 minutes flat – no editing, no over thinking, no backtracking.

2. Link back here and invite others to join in.
3. And then absolutely, no ifs, ands or buts about it, you need to visit the person who linked up before you & encourage them in their comments. Seriously. That is, like, the rule. And the fun. And the heart of this community..

OK, are you ready? Please give us your best five minutes on:

Roots:

    This September my mom brought me lily of the valley clippings to try and transplant, and I grow tomatoes in pots just like my dad did once we moved to a house with a yard too small to truly garden in.  These are part of my roots, as is the french title by which my kids refer to my mom, and I referred to hers.
   What little things, habits and everyday phrases are sending out tiny tendrils deep into the soil of my kids forever grounding them into who they are and will help them stand tall in the future.

Quick Takes #118

1. Sandy: We weathered the storm well, never lost power and sustained no damage to the house.  By the 2nd day cabin fever was definitely starting to show-up but compared to others ~ no complaints! The trees in our backyard had a tougher time, with four ultimately not able to withstand the wind and rain.

With two trees down

With four trees down

2. Seriously, thoughts and prayers to all for whom the clean-up will be much more extensive and difficult.

3. Seeking to be somewhat practical when Lisbeth was tiny I choice gender neutral options for Halloween costumes, pumpkin, bumble bee, monkey ~ despite this year being her choice; the trend continues as she chose to be a Rocket! LOL!

4. Halloween trick or treating went well (despite the lack of smiles in the picture) with older one leading the way and speaking for the group, but happily returning home to hand out candy when the younger one was done in.

5.  Happy November! Am excited to see what the month brings: Election Day, another peek at Baby #3, and one of my favorite holidays Thanksgiving.  What does November means to you?

6. Am enjoying the Read the Catechism, daily emails of a portion of the catechism over a year hosted by Flocknote.  I'm also about a week behind in reading them, will hopefully catch-up this weekend.

7. This weekend the clean-up for us starts in earnest along with some quality family time as Daddy has been away all week.  Have a good one!

Please visit Conversion Diary for the rest of this week's Quick Takes