Around Here....

Smelling....blueberry pie baking, to enjoy later with our neighbors.

Seeing...a lovely orange glow in the fireplace.

Hearing...my children not being so quiet during their quiet time.

Touching...my computer keyboard, and coffee mug. :)

Tasting...a delicious Italian-style latte prepared with my own hands.

Thankful For...New mercies every day!

Something Cool...

Just wanted to let you know that My Sentiment ExactLee is doing a great giveaway for laptop bags from coolcomputerbags.com. It's perfect for me because I just got a laptop. Maybe it's perfect for you too! Head on over there to sign up...you never know, you just might win. Even though I hope it's me, but I'd be happy if it was you, too!

The Simple Woman

I am joining The Simple Woman's Daybook today! You can too here.

Outside My Window...the sun is shining very brightly.

I am Thinking...that I should be planning my meals for this week.

I am Thankful For...God's guidance in my life.

I am Wearing...red ballet flats, dark blue jeans, black long-sleeved t-shirt, hat, watch and earrings.

I am Remembering...Autumn in New York, friends, and family.

I am Going...grocery shopping later.

I am Reading...Cold Tangerines, and Enjoying God's Grace.

I am Hoping...to go to a pumpkin farm sometime soon.

On My Mind...finishing my shopping list and menus.

From the Learning Rooms...lessons about the sun..and the "Son", Jesus is The Light of The World.

Noticing That...some of the leaves on the trees are finally starting to change.

Pondering These Words..."Charm is Deceptive, and beauty if fleeting: but, a woman who fears the Lord will be greatly praised." Proverbs 31:30

From the Kitchen..."I need to be cleaned!"

Around The House...some de-cluttering, dusting and organizing to be done, needing a few more fall decorations to feel more festive. :)

One of my favorite things...a large steamy mug with coffee, lots of cream, raw sugar and a sprinkle of cinnamon on a brisk day.

From My Picture Journal...

Unfortunately no pictures. I'm using a brand new computer and haven't transferred any pictures yet...hopefully next month!

Time Flies!

I have been very bad at posting pictures on this blog. In fact, I'm very bad at posting on this blog altogether. But anyway, I was searching through some old pictures and found this one of K. It brought a huge smile to my face. I remember him at this age like it was yesterday. Kent and I were just talking tonight at dinner about how his face is exactly the same as it was when he was a baby, just bigger. He doesn't quite enjoy bbq sauce now as much as he did then! What a cutie! How time flies..
P.S. Today was our fourth "official" day of homeschooling. So far, so good. I'm loving it! More on that in a later post. :)

The Big Move: Weeks 2 &3 (in bullets)

• Week 2 completely flew by without so much as an acknowledgement on this blog. How careless of me. I am sitting here with a monstrous headache, trying to recount all of the important details for you all. Sorry to say that nothing too exciting has happened around here. Just life. But, then again, life is pretty exciting in itself.
• Our basement is still filled with unpacked boxes but, most of the things I need are unpacked. I don't seem to be missing anything right at the moment, so as long as I'm not, those boxes will probably stay right where they are.
• My goal date to start Homeschool with K is September 28th, which is next Monday. I set a date because I didn't want to get here and jump right in and I also didn't want to get sidetracked by anything else so, Monday is the big day! We are very excited. I love the curriculum and am looking forward to learning right along with him. My only question is, what to do with my 3 year old?
• Central Square (the area we live in) is full of diversity. I love it. Last week Kent and I took the kiddos out on our monthly "date". Kent had K, and I had A. We walked to our destinations and it was a lot of fun. Kent and K ended up going to Starbucks and made a stop at a used bookstore to pick up a copy of "Call of the Wild", for their next reading adventure. A and I walked to a little bakery and had some hot cider and a big fat cookie. They really seem to enjoy living here. They love walking around the city. Well, sometimes it's running and shouting...they love the energy...something they can relate to. :)
• We've already had overnight guests for the first time and it was a lot of fun, and they fit perfectly in the kids bedroom, and K &A bunked in our room. Tomorrow evening we are having a dinner guest and I'm looking forward to that.
• Hopefully soon, I will get past just typing updates and get to some real posts. Right now I'm in the process of getting my own laptop so, there may be more frequent posts when that happens. Don't get me wrong, I love sharing a computer with my husband (most of the time) but, it will be nice to have my own. Can't wait!

The Big Move: Week One

Well, we are here. Cambridge, Massachusetts, that is. It has been a week and we are slowly but surely getting settled in. I love the city. The only way to describe it for me would be that it has something for all of your senses. I walk out my front door and there are wonderful things to see, smell, touch, taste, and hear. Right now, the first thing I hear, see, and smell, is construction outside my front door. They are working to make the sidewalks bigger, which is a plus but, not so great right now because it is noisy. But, it's to be expected in the city. There is a wonderful park about 2 blocks away and we've gone almost every day. There is a sprinlking fountain there for the kids to play in and a lot of space to ride bikes and run. It has been a blessing because our "backyard" consists of a cement slab and some greenery. We actually sat out back last night and it was surprisingly quiet. There is enough room for a small patio table, chairs, and our grill. It's really perfect for sitting out there to read or even eat. It has been an adjustment for K though as he cannot ride his bike in the driveway like he used to. The park has served him well for his bike and scooter riding.
I made my first mistake by attempting to do my grocery shopping on the Sunday evening before labor day. I will not do that again. I went to Trader Joe's and a local grocery chain. Let's just say, when the stores are crowded and busy...there are grumpy people, and I experienced a few of them. I also discovered that I can pretty much stick to my normal grocery budget if I do a little research and coupon clipping. Can I just say that Trader Joe's is amazing...and has a good price on milk? I had only been once before with my sister-in-law but, knew I would love it. I could have easily spent hours in there but, the hoards of people forced me to get what I needed and get out. Next time I will go during the week.
The kids are sharing a room complete with bunk beds. They are doing very well. They keep referring to "home" as New York. I keep referring to "home" as New York. It will definitely take some time but, I am looking forward to the future and all of the great things in store.

If anyone would like to ask me any questions about our move or anything else, feel free to leave it in a comment and I'll answer when I can.

Thanks to all still reading.

Packing, Packing, and more Packing...

Yep! That's what we're doing. Lots of packing, sorting, selling, giving to goodwill, maintaining my sanity...that kind of thing. We are 12 days away from the Big Move! I can't believe it, this year has gone by so quickly. I've been trying not to be too emotional about the whole thing...yet. I have been trying to wait until the actual moving day but, you know tears, they sort of show up when they want to. :) I don't really get emotionally attached to things. People, yes. Things, not so much, It's just stuff. But, the one thing I did sort of get a little emotional over was the kid's swingset. Our front yard is now bare because we can't take our swing set with us and the new owners of our home didn't need or want it. We explained to the kids why we couldn't take it and how it would be blessing other children and they would get to have fun on it. I was convincing myself as well.
I've experienced moving from a small apartment to a house but, never the other way around. People do it all of the time, it just feels different. The closer it gets to moving day, the more excited I become. I'm looking forward to all of the great things The Lord has in store for us in Cambridge, MA. If you'd like to check out our ministry blog and check out what we're up to go HERE