It's that time again....

Some may call me crazy. Some may want to pelt me with loads of fruitcake and ice-filled snow balls.....but none-the-less, I have to say it....there are less than 100 days left until CHRISTMAS! Yep, you have found the online home of a self-proclaimed Christmas FREAK. Don't get me wrong, I'm going to enjoy every minute I can of Autumn......But Christmas truly is the most wonderful time of the year.......

Babysteps and The Simple Woman's Daybook

I'm starting Flylady's Babysteps today. I've started Flylady many times in the past few years, but have never stuck to it....because I don't follow the rules. She tells us to use babysteps so we establish habits, routines. It takes 28 days or so to turn something into a habit. So doing things bit by bit gets them in your head...they become routine. But when you go from no routine at all to a full-fledged shedule all at once...you crashand burn...And that is exactly what I've done, many times before. I know flylady's routines will work, and I want things done NOW. So I go all out...until I fizzle out...within a day or two. So I'm doing it right this time...although I do have so much catching up to do. So I'm adding just a little extra to my daily babysteps. Flylady says that you can do anything for 15 minutes. So I will clean for 15 minutes every hour.....besides the babysteps... So slowly, things will get in order and eventually, after I get all my babysteps gone through, they will become routines....and things will finally be in order around here. I'm so excited!!!

Today's Babystep or Babystep #1: Go Shine Your Sink! Gotta get it good and cleaned out....and keep it shiny, so every morning I have a shiny kitchen sink smiling at me!

If you haven't heard of Flylady before, you should definitely go check her out!!!

And now it's time for....

FOR TODAY September 14, 2009...

Outside my window... It's cloudy. The trees are gently swaying with the breeze. I'm wondering if it's going to rain

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

I am thankful for... my husband, he is so loving, hard-working and handsome. My children, who can be, at once, both nerve-wracking and awe-inspiring. How could God have seen me fit to be entrusted with their love and care? My home, so beautiful, so very "homey". I am so immensely blessed!!!

From the learning rooms... still working on our ABC's and 123's

From the kitchen.... tonight I will be making a skillet dish of potatoes, smoked sausage, rice, onions and eggs, with green beans and biscuits on the side. Usually, my best meals are the ones where I just throw stuff together and "wing it."

I am wearing... stretchy denim capris and an orange t-shirt with a rainbow and butterflies on it.

I am creating.... a home. Where my children can grow into wonderful and strong members of God's kingdom...a home full of love and learning. A place where God is welcome, where He can come and dwell with us.

I am going... to continue working towards my goal of having my son out of public school by Christmas....it is not an option. God didn't give him to me so I could send him off for the government raise...

I am reading... nothing at the moment...but I am getting ready to go through our books and start making a reading list. We should be forever learning new things and what better way to do that than by reading and doing?

I am hoping... for the best holiday season yet!

I am hearing... Anya babbling, me shushing her because the baby is asleep. :)

A few plans for the rest of the week... just working on this house, plus church tonight and Wednesday. And our friends' house for some awesome fellowship on Thursday!

Here is picture thought I am sharing:

My sweet babies on the swings!

The Simple Woman's Daybook

Give-Away @ Ponder & Stitch!!

My friend Amy is a very gifted crafter. She makes fabulous jewelry out of vintage found items and out of fabric.

She has two etsy shops but this one is closing so you better check it out while you can. Her new shop, Ponder & Stitch, is amazing! So creative! I would've never thought about making textile jewelry! You HAVE to check her out! And while you're at it, go check out her blog and enter her contest for one of her textile cuffs. You won't be sorry!

Thoughts on a Rainy Day...

I just love a rainy day! The soft gentle sound of the raindrops hitting the ground, the roof. The smell of wet earth and trees. It's so relaxing and refreshing. The only thing that would make it better is if my boys were here with us. But I do have my girls here and we're going to make the most of our day. A little ABC's and 123's. Some coloring. Some bottles and burping.

I'm also going to be starting my flylady rountines on Monday so I want to do a bit of catch-up cleaning to give that an easier start. I've gotten pretty behind on my housework this summer. So my goal today is to work on the house for 15 minutes each and every hour until hubby comes home. Starting now, that would give me 2 hours of cleaning, total. I think I could get alot done in those two hours! I can only do one load of laundry today though. Our septic can't handle much more than that when it rains like this. So a single load of must have it is. I'm behind on my laundry too. So, once the rain is over (supposed to rain all week), I will be doing at about 3 loads a day until I get caught up. Then I will be going through all the clothes to weed out what we don't need anymore. We have far too many clothes!

But, as I've said before, I have to be ready to take Noah out of public school by Christmas! And I WILL get it done! I've been researching different resources online and I'm getting excited! I'm going to be taking a more eclectic approach this year. Last year we just did the straight forward textbook/worksheet curriculum and we both got bored fast. I plan on using some of that too. But, I'm leaning more towards unit studies and unschooling. It will be like a structured unschooling. I have too many people that would protest if I did complete unschooling...my husband included. Plus, my son isn't the most motivated kid on the block. It's my fault. I'm not very motivated myself. It's something I've been praying about, and God is bringing me out of it. But I hope, as he gets older, I can turn it more over to him. Although he is a very inquisitive young man, so that is a good start!

Another thing we're behind on is our business. We were hoping to have our shop reopened by the end of this month and we haven't made any progress yet. Pat hasn't been able to do much because of being sick. Plus we have church 3 nights a week. But we have to get it ready. Plus the local gem and mineral show is also at the end of the month and we're not even close to ready for it. We paid for a whole booth this year instead of our usual half-space. This will be our 7th year there! I just now added that up. I hadn't realized it had been that long! It's always so much fun! And there are some great people there!

Another thing on the back burner is our etsy shop. We are getting ready to restock and reopen that too. We LOVE making stuff! Not only are we going to be making our beaded jewelry, but I'm going to be making more artist trading cards and some altered art. Hubby is going to try his hand at book making. He's done it before but he hasn't done it in a while. He also makes chain maille jewelry. And come spring, he'll have his lapidary equipment up and running. He also wants to learn faceting and silversmithing. And I want to try my hand at photography. So many hobbies, so little time!

Well, I guess I better get to work. Take care and God bless!!!

The Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY September 2, 2009...

Outside my window... It's raining. It's pouring. It's awesome! I love a good thunderstorm when there's no strong winds! There's some fierce but gorgeous lightening every now and then. The clouds are thick and the forecast is calling for this through the weekend. Just God giving the earth a good drink.

I am thinking... about how much I love fall and about how much I have to do before she gets here.

I am thankful for... a home that I love, the best family a girl could ask for and a God who's love, mercy and power have no limits! (not in that order)

From the learning rooms... need to get back to school for Anya, we've taken a break while my husband has been having his medical problem. Thankfully, the worst of that is over and it's about to be completely over.

From the kitchen... coffee's in the pot, red beans, soaked and ready to go into the crockpot for tonight's beans and rice with sausage.

I am wearing... jeans and a striped shirt

I am creating.... nothing specific at the moment, although I am getting ready to get back into scrapbooking. I haven't scrapbooked since Anya was born, and she's turning 4 this month!

I am going... to church tonight! Get to learn more about my Lord and His Word! What could be better than that?

I am reading... Sink Reflections by the Flylady....gotta get a routine going!

I am hoping... the rain will calm down by the time I have to pick Noah up from school. I hate getting the baby out in it.

I am hearing... spongebob on the tv, the baby starting to fuss, and Anya telling me that the baby is starting to fuss..hehehehe...

A few plans for the rest of the week... not much of anything outside of getting this house in order

Here is picture thought I am sharing...

my honey and his girls!

The Simple Woman's Daybook

Welcoming Autumn.....

It's September first, the final days of summer are upon us. Autumn is showing herself, bit by bit. A cool breeze here, an orange leaf there. Before we know it, she will be here in all her glory. What do you do to welcome her in?
Autumn is my favorite season. By the time we're done celebrating Independence Day, I'm chomping at the bit to get my fall on! I love everything about it! (with the exception of the occasional allergy) It's time to break out everything comfy and cozy. It's getting cool enough to get out all your sweaters and blankets. The softer, the better! Soon it's going to be cool enough to start drinking cocoa and spiced tea. We've already started burning a harvest spice candle. The smell makes me smile.
I've got alot to do to get ready for her this year. After being large with child and then having to attend to a newborn, my housework has fallen behind. So the very first thing I have to do is get the house in order. The next thing is to go through our clothes. Pack up all our shorts and tanktops. I have to get out all our cool weather clothes. Not to mention, weed out all the clothes that don't fit anymore, and the ones we just don't wear. We have far too many clothes. Then I want to rearrange our living room and start decorating. And, soon enough, I'll have to clean out the fireplace, get the chimney swept and start stocking up on the firewood. I LOVE having a fireplace!!! I also need to stock up on supplies for the kitchen. Everything I need to make spiced tea and maybe a little pumpkin spice coffee. I have to get my baking supplies bought. And start perusing recipes for soups. Buy some pumpkins and mums for outdoor decorations. (Walmart has their mums out already. I'm so excited!!!)
I want to be totally ready by September 22nd (the official first day of fall) so I can just sit back and enjoy the season. This time next month, I'll be sitting on my front steps, wrapped in a blanket, enjoying a steaming cup of spiced tea, a cool breeze and the beauty of the Ozarks in Autumn. What do you do to get ready for fall?

A Fresh New Day!

It's a beautiful, sunny day! The sun is warm and the air is cool. My big girl is working on her schoolwork and singing about Jesus. My baby girl is napping. My little man is at school. I'm looking forward to the day when I can take him out of there for good.

I had an encounter with God last night at church. It wasn't as powerful as I had hoped. But God's power isn't what I needed. What I needed was His love...and that's what I got. He wrapped His big strong arms around me. It wasn't the "Wham! I'm God and I'm here!" that I thought I needed. It was Him telling me "Be still and know that I am God...I'm your Daddy and I love you." I feel like just the past few weeks I've been really seeing Him as Abba, Father. I've always know He was my King and even my Friend. But never totally felt the Father in Him. I just want to crawl up in His lap and feel the love and peace He brings. And that's what happened last night. I feel new today....I was feeling so overwhelmed...new baby, cantankerous 3 year old, a house that won't clean itself when I can't find the time. But He brought me a peace and a restfulness that I haven't felt in a long time. I feel like He's bringing me into a new stage of my life. I feel like I may be growing up a little. Learning to appreciate the little things in life. Learning to rest in His love and truly see the beauty in all that He's created. Learning that, even though things don't look clear, He is in control. He knows what He's doing. And He knows the end result. He will take my hand and bring me safely to the other side of every situation, good or bad. I just have to trust Him and obey Him, and let Him take the lead. It's not my life anymore. It never really was. I just liked pretending it was. Holding onto it for dear life. I let Him have some of it. But some is not enough. He has to have every bit of it to really do a work in me. So I'm giving it to Him. Some things are harder to let go of than others...but my grip is getting looser. He's helping me to be strong. The work on me will never be done until I am in Heaven with Him. But He can do alot more work on me when I cooperate. So that's what I'm doing! I can't wait to see what He's got in store for tonight's service!

Okay, I know I've rambled on and on...but that's just what's on my mind and my heart right now.

Take care! And may our Father in Heaven be with you!