Lookin' Back~ 2012

It's been 3 years since I've done a recap on our year around Hosmerville. With so many changes and the kids growing so quickly, I figured I gotta save the memories while I can.  2012, what a year of change and growth! 

1. What did you do in 2012 that you’d never done before? Umm, we moved 1,040 miles away from everything and everyone we have ever known and loved. No biggie.

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year? I don't do resolutions, but I do like the idea of a new year and a fresh start, a brand new calendar full of unmarked pages. When I think about 2013 there are definite things I would like to accomplish, definite areas where I'd like to grow as a wife and mom, and in my walk with Christ.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth? Yes! It is killing me that one of my besties, Shannon, gave birth to beautiful baby Chase and I have yet to hold him, smell him, and indulge in all things baby. I'm afraid he's going to be a little man before I get my hands on him.

4. Did anyone close to you die? Thank goodness, no! There is such a grieving process with the death of a loved one. 2011 was filled with an overwhelming sadness in saying my earthly goodbye to my grandpa. In 2012, the process continued. I still think about my grandpa all the time and miss him so much. Some days are easy, some days are hard.

5. What states/countries did you visit? Well, we traveled through Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Arkansas, and into Louisiana 3 times. One crazy, whirlwind round trip that I did with the kids and dog in an attempt to find school and housing before our big move and then once more from Michigan to Louisiana as we moved Hosmerville south. And, being so close to the western edge of Louisiana, one cannot live in Shreveport and not go to Texas every once in awhile;)

6. What would you like to have in 2013 that you lacked in 2012? Trust in God. Not that I didn't have any last year, but I want this year to be the year where trusting Him is an automatic response in all situations. I want it to become natural and I want it to go deep.

7. What dates from 2012 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? July 1st~ Tom said goodbye to us and headed to Dallas to start his new career with Chrysler. For the next 5 weeks, I played single parent while wrapping up our life in Michigan and preparing for our big move south. August 11th~ M day, as in Moving Day!!! August 13th~ arriving in Shreveport and having 24 hours to somewhat settle in before the kids started their school year.

8. What was your biggest achievement? Living my dream of being a SAHM!!! I *love* that I am so blessed!!!

9. What was your biggest failure? Trying to do it all in my own strength.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury? worst.flu.bug.ever.

11. What was the best thing you bought? I'm taking this from 2009~ my children's education. We may be at a different school, but nothing compares to knowing that my kids are getting  solid education while being surrounded by people who live God's love in their lives and in their classrooms. 

12. Whose behavior merited celebration? I think our whole family deserves this recognition. We moved cross~country and not only have we survived, we have thrived!

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? Everyone makes mistakes, right?

14. Where did most of your money go? Moving from Michigan to Louisiana is expensive business!

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? Starting our life in Louisiana. I mean, if you're gonna have a completely fresh start in a brand new city and state, you might as well have a positive attitude about it, right?

16. What song will always remind you of 2012? "Blessed Be Your Name" by Matt Redman. No matter what, God remains constant. Bless His name!

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
 a) happier or sadder? I'm pretty happy and content. So sad to be missing my Michigan family and friends! b) thinner or fatter? I'd better start being a bit more careful with my eating habits or else I'm not going to be able to be comfortable in my clothes. c) richer or poorer?  Blessed beyond what we deserve!

18. What do you wish you’d done more of? Coffee and playdates with friends while I still had the opportunity.

19. What do you wish you’d done less of? Worrying. Don't regret the past, find joy in today, and anticipate the future.

20. How did you spend Christmas?
 Just the 6 of us (we can't forget Ed;) Austin playing Madden 13 all day, while Lexi serenaded us to music from her new guitar and Audrey adjusted to riding her new "big kid" mountain bike.

21. Did you fall in love in 2012? An old love with God being slowly rediscovered and made new.

22. What was your favorite TV program? We cut out TV completely to save money but we do have Netflix. Lately we've been catching up on past episodes of "Cake Boss". I want to be Italian and eat lots of cake!!!

23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year? Nope, hate makes your heart heavy and your life miserable.

24. What was the best book you read? I'm discovering the book of Esther through Beth Moore's "Esther" study. It has been absolutely fabulous to be so reaffirmed as all my lady friends know that "it's tough being a woman!"

25. What was your greatest musical discovery? Lexi's guitar playing. I look forward to her developing her talent.

26. What did you want and get? My new "job"~ being a SAHM! (Although Audrey claims the only one with a job is Tom;)

27. What did you want and not get? A trip back to Michigan to spend Christmas with our families an friends.

28. What was your favorite film of this year? This is so lame but I really looked forward to "Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days". Austin loves the books and Lexi picked going to the theater for her birthday celebration.

29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? I don't even remember, 32 must not be the age to celebrate;) I did get to go shopping with Lindsey to the outlet malls and scrapbooking with her the following weekend, both for my birthday. And Shannon and I and our guys had dinner at Olive Garden to celebrate our birthdays.

30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? Selling our Michigan house and not having to deal with the whole renting business~ ugh!

31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2012? If my pinterest boards were a true~to~life reflection of what is hanging in my closet, I'd be one hot mama! 

32. What kept you sane? Facebook~ it's my way to stay connected to all my faraway fam and friends and pinterest is my little "escape".

33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? eh, no one really.

34. What political issue stirred you the most? I don't "do" politics. The presidential election sure did stir everyone up!

35. Who did you miss? EVERYONE!!!

36. Who was the best new person you met? How can I pick just one best new person after meeting so many great people!?!? The Bagleys~ Leon and Doris, Bill, Maty, and Will, Erin Curren (my best Louisiana friend;), our great new church family at Grand Cane Baptist, the list goes on...

37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2012~ God's plan for my life is perfect. If I can trust Him in perfect obedience to follow His path for me, He will bless me beyond measure.

38. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year~ "Spendin' my life out in the desert, been gone so long feels like forever. I just want to be closer to you, I just want to be even closer. I am yours, you can have all of me, anything, everything, I just want to be closer"~ Shawn McDonald, Closer

Simply Christmas

When we lived in Michigan I had one of those vinyl wall sayings on my dining room wall that said, "Live Simply". It was a good reminder to slow down and take time to enjoy the little things in life. Little did I know that moving to Louisiana would SO simplify things that this Christmas found Hosmerville celebrating Christ's birth, just the five of us. All week long. Live Simply.

No trip to Michigan to celebrate the season with family and friends. No running here and there. No baking for this party, no cooking for that. No endless shopping trips for last~minute gifts before the next get~together. No keeping one eye on the party around me while keeping the other on the clock, lest lingering too long would throw the rest of the day's schedule helter~skelter. And I have to admit, it was really nice. A very simple Christmas season. Live Simply.

This year we had to make a very "grown~up" decision. (Grrr, I hate having to be responsible.) In doing so, Tom and I had to follow what our heads were saying and not what our hearts were feeling. And while we most definitely missed being a part of all the familiar activity of those established family traditions back in Michigan, perhaps the "isolation" of our family helped us to better keep the focus on God's gift to us, His Son Jesus Christ, the true meaning of Christmas. Live Simply. 

Never before has the Christmas story and God's great display of His love for us been so personally meaningful. To see my kids perform in the Christmas play (Austin as Caesar Augustus & King Herod, Audrey as Mary, and Lexi as a lamb), to see them and their classes spread Christmas cheer to the elderly and sick, and to celebrate with them in a very special candlelit Communion/Christmas Eve eve service; to see them "get" the real reason why we celebrate the season. That was the best gift of all. And perhaps had we traveled to Michigan we may have lost out on all these experiences that made the significance of Christ's birth 2000+ years ago so real to us this Christmas. So a very simple Louisiana Christmas. And I'm okay with that. Live Simply.

P.S. Maybe next year we will be able to celebrate with our Michigan family and friends and experience the true joy that comes with keeping our focus on Christ. You know, have our "Happy~Birthday~Baby~Jesus" cake and eat it, too;)

Just Randomness

I was going through some drawers in the kitchen today and found some papers I had tucked away. Notes I had jotted down and a card I had received. The notes are almost 3 years old. I came across them a couple of weeks ago when I was picking up in the girls' room (not sure how they ended up there) but the memories of my 5 year old Miss Audrey made me smile. The first was a quote from her on the morning of her fifth birthday. She woke up, we sang, and then she declared, "I don't feel like I'm 5". I love how little minds work, but I was slightly disappointed at her disappointment of not waking up and magically feeling older, bigger, and more grown up. 

The second Audrey~ism I stumbled upon took me back to a time when our morning routine anytime we were trying to get ready to go out the door and mommy was pretty stressed was a battle of wills and lack of patience. My girl is all about comfort and jeans don't exactly meet the criteria in her book. One particularly rough morning (where I'm sure we had already had multiple wardrobe changes) I finally managed to wrestle her into a pair of jeans. Boy, was she mad! Out of complete frustration and anger she exclaimed, "But I can't even toot in these!" (Did I mention her comfort criteria also includes the ability to pass gas while dressed?) God knows we all need a little humor in our lives with the frantic mommy times being when I need it most. He gave me that moment when Audrey threw that little tidbit out and it did just the trick. I calmed down, I even laughed, and then I took the time to jot it down.

Know what else God is good at? Loving His children. Even though the Bible is full of promises for His children to claim and He has never failed on making good on His promises, I still sometimes need to be reminded of this. The doubts and worries of every day life tend to creep in and before I know it my thoughts are consumed by them. The card I came across in the drawer was sent at exactly the right time by an anonymous someone who was used by God to be an encouragement to me. It was a reminder of His faithfulness during an unusually unsettled time in my life. Just like a quiet whisper from God Himself saying, "Hey, I've got you. I'm going to get you through this. Just trust me". 

Ok, that's it for now. Today has just flown by and it's pick up time for the kiddos. But I thought they could wait a few more minutes while I shared my heart with you;) If none of my ramblings make sense to you, blame it on my rush to get out the door and lack of time to sit and compose a thoroughly thought out post. Whew, what a day!!!  Sonic Happy Hour is calling my name. The Hosmers love Fridays!:)

Pinterest Insanity

This is the picture I posted on Facebook at 1:30 this morning with a caption that read, "1st grade snack time was so boring before Pinterest". Yes, perhaps boring but also a LOT less complicated. Did you notice I said I posted this in the wee hours of the morning? That's because this snack (the one that would be devoured by 18 hungry 1st graders in less than 2 minutes leaving nothing but a few crumbs with no trace of its former glory) took this insane mama over 2 hours to make. Grrr! How do I get myself into these projects!?!?

I'll tell you one reason why these 18 tiny reindeer and 36 frosty snowmen kept me up so late was because I knew that this project wasn't going to be exactly easy. As I made up the kids' "guinea pig" batch of donuts Monday evening, the black icing wouldn't stick to the powdered sugar and make cute little dots. I tried. And tried again. I gave up. I rummaged around my baking drawer and came up with a half a tube of black decorator's gel. I somehow managed to produce 9 Frostys that actually looked like snowmen. I carefully covered them with plastic wrap and hoped they'd still look like Frosty the next morning.

In a throwback to all of those "Not Me Mondays", I most certainly did not write "A Frosty Breakfast" on a slip of paper and tuck it into the kids' advent sock for Tuesday morning. Upon the kids reading their clue, it definitely wasn't me who produced a plate of sugary goodness, a plate of mini Frosty the Snowman faces (9 to be exact) and served it up for the kiddos' breakfast. All of the Christmas tinsel and glitter and bows would have definitely gotten to me if I had let them wash it all down with glasses of egg nog. So I didn't do that either. 

I reanalyzed and reprocessed and rethought the icing that defined Frosty's facial features ALL. TUESDAY. LONG. I knew I couldn't use the gel (it wouldn't dry and I risked smearing everything into a big black mess) and I had come to the conclusion that the icing I had mixed was too thick and therefore too dry to stick to the powdered sugar coating. So I decided that when whipping up the next batch of icing for the snack day Frostys, I would just make it not quite so thick and hope for the best. All of this to say I knew it wasn't going to be a simple assembly. So I procrastinated. For several hours. And despite "powdered sugar icing and how to get it to stick to a powdered sugar donut" being the focus of my day's thoughts and my attempted trouble shooting of the problem, I still ran into difficulties during the actual making of the snack day donuts.  Thus my insanely late night. Thus my late night of insanity. All in the pursuit of the ever~elusive title of "Wonder Mom". 

Let me save you some time and frustration by offering you my tried and true good~enough~for~who~it's~for "Reindeer and Snowmen Donut Assembly" instructions for you to follow. Or don't and come up with an easier and better method. But share it with me! (The reindeer were a last minute snack menu addition and assembled relatively easily.)

You will need:

2 bags of powdered sugar mini donuts, 1 bag of chocolate minis, a bag of pretzels, red hots, candy corn, powdered sugar, and black food dye. 

For the reindeer:

1. Mix up some powdered sugar with a few drops of warm water for the icing (sorry, no exact measurements but don't make it too runny) put it in a ziplock baggie and snip off a small hole in the corner.
2. Pipe out eyes onto donuts, let them dry for 10 minutes or so.
3. Add some black food dye to the remainder of your white icing and use this for the pupils (ziplock baggie again, but with a smaller hole). 
4. The reindeer noses are red hots, I wasn't sure if they'd stay by themselves in the donut hole so I secured them with a bit of the white icing. 
5. Antlers are just broken bits of pretzels (you can stick them right into the top of the donut). 

For the snowmen:

1. Finally, after lots of trial and error, I ended up taking a fork, dipping the tines into black water (water mixed with black food dye) and lightly poking the donut (to make a line of 4 dots for the mouth).
2. Take a tooth pick, dip the point into the black water and poke it through the individual donuts for the eyes and 1 or 2 more mouth dots to even out the smile. 
3. The nose is just candy corn. I cut the white tips off at an angle so it would look more like a carrot and stuck the yellow end into the donut hole. 

3 bags of holes made snacks for 18 with each child getting 2 snowmen and 1 reindeer. Snack time might be more fun now, but it's also a LOT more complicated;);)

Manic Monday

I'm not complaining. Really, I'm not. Mama said there'd be days like this. There'd be days where it seems like everything goes wrong. Like:

• an early morning wake~up by the dog who just had to go outside. Right. Now.
• a second early morning wake~up by a child with wet jammies and wet sheets.
• a very unrestful rest of the nite morning because I chose to share my bed with said bedwetter (in addition to the dog that claimed his spot right where my legs should have gone) instead of dealing with wet sheets in the dark.
• a too-cold house this morning because we didn't check the programmable thermostat when we turned on the furnace for the first time last nite.
• a completely dead van battery discovered 15 minutes before the start of school.
• a backed up kitchen drain (I guess the garbage disposal couldn't handle the fridge cleanout).
• an MIA library book that is due today. Paging Captain Underpants, where aaaarrrreeee you?
• kids stuck after school because said battery is still dead and husband is working 2 hours away today.

So, now instead of fetching my kids from school, I'm baking cupcakes, making a mega grocery list, gearing up for my Beth Moore study tonite, and opening the windows. A pumpkin spice candle is burning and the sun is shining in. Monday, you sure are giving me a run for my money today. But I've had a whole pot of coffee, so you better watch out!. You won't win that easily;)

It's A Southern Thing, Honey

Well, we're riding a learning curve of new southern traditions, experiences, and just the every day little things of Louisiana life. We knew this was to be expected but sometimes the differences between living "up North" in Michigan and "down south" in Louisiana crack me up. 

For instance, most people we talk to about Michigan know where Detroit is and that's their overall assumption of the whole state. Our neighbors know about "Michigan" from watching Hard Core Pawn. They totally had us pegged as gangstas from Michigan;) We assured them all of Michigan is not like the one TV show. (Although when I first heard about Louisiana I couldn't help bring to mind Billy the Exterminator or Duck Dynasty.) Funny how media can have so much control over your perception... Other observations:

• We've learned football is big down here. And I think BIG might be an understatement. Um, go LSU!
• Southerners love Sonic and God. There is a Sonic and a church on every corner. Or so it seems...
• Gumbo, po'boys, bbq, alligator meat.... I love to eat, but I like things mild and not~so~adventurous.
• It's hot down here! We're enjoying our 4th day of mild weather (mild= temps below the 80*'s). And I'm not complaining, either. I never did have a serious love affair with snow. Although a warm, balmy Christmas may not quite be the same.
• Milk is expensive ($3.99/gal.) but gas is cheap ($3.48/gal for my fill up yesterday). I'll take the cheap gas and just make my kids drink more water;)
• There are tiny green lizards everywhere. One was stuck in the mail box the other day, it's little head poking out. I now flinch every time I go get the mail. There's also lots of ants (they bite!), ginormous spiders, and lots of bugs in general. 
• The kids' school is full of unmarried Southern belles. Or so I thought (because the headmaster, yes, headmaster {whatever happened to principal!?!?!} was introducing all of the teachers at the parent orientation as Ms. So&So). It took me awhile to catch on. I was seriously thinking, "they're all not married!!! Even the "old" ones;) And then I realized... it's a southern thing. All the ladies are Miz... Ha Ha! If there was ever a "duh" moment...
• And the big bow thing, crack me up! I was wondering the other day if the size of the bow is in direct proportion to the size of the little girl's head. I have seen some seriously BIG bows. I met a new friend and when she found out I had not 1, but 2 girls, she remarked, "you must have alot of bows!" And then I burst her bubble and said, "Nope, we're from Michigan, we've only been in Louisiana for a month". Crack me up! My girls are now acclimating nicely thanks to my MIL's generosity. I took her to The Bow Shop and she purchased fall/Halloween bows and ones to match the girls' school uniforms. Audrey has to go bow~less tomorrow as she is going on a field trip to Safety Town and the permission slip specifically asked for the girls to not wear bows because they'll be wearing safety helmets:)

Welcome to the South, Hosmer family!!!:)

Storm's A Comin'

Well, hello there, Issac. Not even a month into our new adventure and we're hunkered down waiting out this storm called Issac. Hunkered down because we have lots of new movies and books from the library down the road; and well, no one else is out so maybe they know something about hurricanes tropical storms that I, as a newbie, don't. If there's 2 things I've learned it's that hurricanes are somewhat unpredictable (making the weather forecast often changing) and that Louisiana~ins take no chances. So here we are starting our 5 day weekend on a dreary day~ lots of wind with a constant, light rain. A 5 day weekend because school was called off in light of the approaching storm for the next 2 days and then we have Labor Day to cap off our extended break. Oh, one more thing I've learned is the definition of "squalls". Yes, I had to google it after it appeared in yesterday's forecast of today's weather. Of course today's weather forecast for today includes nothing exciting like squalls just some wind and rain. Which is exactly what it's doing. For now.

Birthday Girl

How can it be that my baby is ALREADY turning 6? In the crazy chaos of the move, I was afraid this milestone would be undercelebrated and not quite so special. With Tom in Dallas for the week, there's a whole other twist to Lexi's day. But we're making the best of it. Her birthday decoration is hanging from the breakfast nook chandelier; the kids had donut holes with funky birthday candles this morning; there are cupcakes cooling for her afternoon birthday treat at school; and there's some as~of~yet unplanned fun for this evening.

        (Austin's view of my belly, 2006)

On top of the 6 year celebration, our family is also rejoicing in Lexi's decision to ask Jesus into her heart. Two nights ago after family devotions she prayed this simple prayer all on her own~ "dear Jesus, please come into my heart and change my heart from black into white because I love you and I believe in you~ Amen". So simple. So sincere. So very, very precious. Mommy and Daddy's prayer for you, Lexi, as you are becoming a sweet, sensitive, silly 6 year old is to always remember how much you are loved. We love you more! God loves you most! You are so special to us, Miss J. Sparkle today and every day!

Busy

Remember that summer bucket list post I did a few weeks back? God was definitely having a chuckle over my ambitious plans because less than a day after writing it, it became clearly obvious to me that there probably wouldn't be a whole lot achieved from that list this summer. Because I've been busy. The call~in~the~plumber~call~in~the~electrician~call~in~the~carpet~cleaners~get~the~house~cleaned~up~ call~in~the~Realtor~start~packing~start~researching~Shreveport~because~Tom~accepted~a~position~ with~Chrysler~and~we're~moving~to~Louisiana kind of busy.

Dear Grandpa,

One year ago today we were eating yummy leftovers from Micah and Lindsey's rehearsal dinner party. We were looking through all of the pictures from the gorgeous wedding the nite before. One year ago today, I was sincerely thanking God that you had been in attendance with Grandma and was able to share in Micah and Lindsey's special day. Thanking God that we were able to have family pictures taken with the bride and groom and everyone else in their wedding finery. The pictures from the nite before were the last we'd ever take together. 

One year ago today, I stood in your kitchen and you told me you were ready to go to your heavenly home. I tried to laugh it off and told you that we weren't done having you make pancakes for us yet. But you weren't joking. You were tired and in pain and the reality of your sickness scared me. One year ago today was the last time my kids saw you on this side of glory. I'm sure they didn't even really say goodbye because no one knew how quickly you were going to leave us. 

If I could go back one year ago today, I wouldn't change much of anything. Just that my kids would have said a proper goodbye with a great big hug. Maybe you could have mustered enough strength to play a round of "chase with Papa". And maybe another picture or two.

Love, Maria 

Bits & Pieces

One of my facebook friends quoted a few verses from Psalm 37 today. {There are several in this passage that I love!} So I decided I'd revisit the psalmist's words tonite. I had several lines already underlined with my notes penned into the margins. It's funny how the same passage of Scripture can mean different things during different seasons of life. These words stood out to me and seemed so very relevant to some things God's bringing us through right now:

           Trust in the LORD and do good.

                Then you will live safely in the land and prosper. {vs. 3}      

           Take delight in the LORD,

                and he will give you your heart's desires. {vs. 4}

           Commit everything you do to the LORD.

                Trust him, and he will help you. {vs. 5}

           Be still in the presence of the LORD,

                and wait patiently for him to act. {vs. 7}

               (not one of my strong points;)

           .... but the LORD takes care of the godly. {vs. 17}

           .... He delights in every detail of their lives. {vs. 23}

           .... for the LORD holds them by the hand. {vs. 24}

Promises to claim!!!

Great {Summer} Expectations

Summer is in full swing here in Hosmerville. Two weeks in and counting. And I am determined that we Hosmers are gonna live it up this summer!:) Last year was pretty much "The Summer That Wasn't" and I definitely do NOT want a repeat.

First there was my brother's wedding. (Ok, maybe I do want a repeat of that;) For the first month of the kids' summer their vacation revolved around mommy's preoccupation and busyness with all of the wedding preparations. They'd ask to do something fun and my standard reply was, "we've gotta do such~and~such (for the wedding). Just wait till after the wedding and we'll do it." On top of the whole fam being in the wedding party, I helped plan, prepare, and serve a rehearsal dinner for 30+ family and friends. But it was all good. I woke up the day after the wedding and thought, "now that was fun! Let's do it again next weekend":)

Except the next weekend my grandpa died. (More on this later. It's still hard for me to even think about it, so we'll see if I can get some words down eventually.) After his death I spent the rest of the summer trying to help my kids cope with their grief of losing their papa and being available to help and support my grandma, from settling her into her new retirement community to doing an estate sale for her, all while functioning through a fog of the deepest, rawest emotions I have ever experienced.

So yeah, this summer HAS to be different! We've settled into a laid back routine of sorts already. Most mornings, the kids head to grandma's while I clean. I'm usually there by lunch time to pick them up so we have the afternoons with each other. Here's our summer bucket list:

1. sign kids up for the summer reading program through the library
2. send kids to basketball camp at Columbia Central (Yes, although basketball is Austin's "thing" I wanted the girls to get in on some ball action, too. This is what the kids are doing this week and so far they are all having a ball:)
3. send Austin to basketball camp at SAU. This camp is an all~day camp for 4 days with a more structured and focused program. He goes every year and loves it! 
4. send Austin to camp. 5 nites away. First time ever. 
5. send the kids to VBS thru our church. This year vacation Bible school runs Sunday nite thru Thursday nite. The staff always does a super job and Tom and I get 5 date nites in a row!
6. this Friday the local pools open for the summer. The kids can't wait to swim! Austin is ready to take the swim test and conquer the "big kid" slide that goes super fast and dumps you out into 9 feet of water. I would love to go at least once a week. We'll see how the weather cooperates.
7. I'm really hoping we get lots of invites to beach it up with my girlfriends and their kids {*hint, hint*}. We did this several times last summer and it felt like my only escape from reality. Looking forward to soaking up the sun with my bestest girlies.
8. take the kids to Lake Michigan. We usually do an end~of~summer mini vacay and take the kids to Grand Haven for a couple of days. We spend the entire time on the beach and in the pool. We will probably have to condense it down to a day trip this year because of our busy August calendar (see #'s 9 & 10). But some way, some how we'll go to Grand or South Haven.
9. Thomas Family Reunion. Tom's mom's dad's family. Got that?;) First weekend in August, somewhere in Southern Illinois.
10. Hosmer/Stafford wedding. Tom's middle brother and his fiance:) Second weekend in August, somewhere in the gardens of Southern Herb Farm.
11. if we can sneak in a trip to the zoo, I would love to take the kids to GR and visit John Ball. Their penguin exhibit is my absolute favorite!
12. finish the kids' school workbooks. Last year the kids brought home their unused pages from their spelling, math, Bible, and handwriting workbooks. I had high ambitions of having them work through the rest of their work throughout the summer.. We didn't pull the books out once. This year, same thing: spelling, math, Bible, and handwriting. So far, we've done 2 pages. There may be hope. (On a side note, I am not doing this because we are overachievers here in Hosmerville. I just explained to the kids that this is a way to keep their brains working and it keeps them occupied while I'm making lunch:)
13. plus there's a WHOLE bunch of ideas I pinned on pinterest. If we have time and materials and money we'll do these fun little projects, too. (If you follow me on pinterest you can find most of these ideas on my "with the kiddos" board.

Here's to summer!

Strawberry Sweetness

My grandma and I took the kids strawberry picking on Monday. To say we were successful in the berry patch may be a bit of an understatement. Over~ zealous is a bit more like it. We picked 30 lbs. in about 45 minutes; and I have been cleaning and prepping berries ever since. I am typing with berry stained hands, but our freezer is chock full of strawberry goodness!

• the kids inhaled enough fresh berries to turn their skin pink;)
• 20 half pints of freezer jam
• 2 nites of strawberry shortcake for dessert
• several pounds of plain frozen berries (can't wait to use these for smoothies!)
• and, 2 huge containers of frozen vanilla greek yogurt~dipped berries

Old Soul

Oh, Austin! Bless your black~sock~wearing~with~shorts little heart. Topped off with a navy blue shirt and different blue hued shorts. Today was one of those mornings. Clean laundry was low, desperation was high and I was feeling slightly apathetic about my kids' wardrobe choices. Until drop~off when I noticed Austin sporting the little old man look.

I've Still Got It

My memory, that is. After almost 10 months of not blogging, I still remember my password. Maybe that means I need to get back to blogging. Everything on blogger (and a lot in life) has changed. If I can find my way around and through I'll be back.