1) Contrary to what you may be thinking, I did not get thrown out with the birth pool water.  I’ve been a complete absentee friend, neglected Facebook *gasp* and have returned zero phone calls.

2) In celebration of the summer-like weather I shaved.  Shaving is one of those events that is so much more exciting the first time you do it post-pregnancy.

3) I’ve lost 20lbs in 2 wks. No dieting. I’ll tell you my secret soon (note to self: write birth story).

4) I have some amazingly talented friends! My friend Mindy makes the best cake balls ever–”Oh, Mindy! Can you make me some cake balls for the often skipped over, super important holiday of Groundhog’s Day?”.

Then, there’s my friend Lisa.  She is a creative queen that has a slight addiction to embroidering…everything.  I shopped her Etsy store Shop 24 for a gift for my midwife.   I bought the market tote and it turned out so cute!

5) I still don’t feel like I’m back to normal life yet and that’s frustrating. Normal life = homeschooling without interruption, regular blog posts, full night’s sleep, meals made at expected times (not 9, 1 & 7)…wait a minute! I haven’t ever been normal!  Any ideas on when I might get there??

6) I have 5 kids!!!!!

7) Even when your husband works from home, has his office door open and the kids are playing outside it’s not possible to enjoy an uninterrupted shower. A child will come inside, seek you out and ask you a very unimportant question. 2 children will do this.

8 ) Everyone should want to live in Kerrville.  Did I mention summer-like weather? Okay, maybe summer-like for Canadians or super hot-natured people but it’s definitely spring-like weather.  Even after 2 years of living here I am still blessed everyday by my surroundings.

9) My friend Lisa is hosting a “Favorite things giveaway” on her blog. I think this is the funnest idea!  If I was feeling back to normal life I would do one for my gaggle of readers.  Here are a few of my favorite things: Pyrex Peeler (the best kitchen gadget!), Burt’s Bees Lip Shimmer- Watermelon, Spry Mint Toothpaste, Uncle Tom’s Cabin and Pampered Chef scrapers.

10) I have a real post I’ve been working on titled My Greatest Accomplishment of 2010. If my kids weren’t so cute and distracting I might have finished it by now.

Playing in the rain is by far the favorite activity among my children.

If they spot a dark cloud they’re praying for rain.

The kids found this pretty dragonfly outside and wanted me to take a picture.

She’ll totally shoot your eye out.

This week 4 Moms, 35 Kids: Kim C, Raising Olives, The Common Room, Smockity are spotlighting the kitchen and dining room. For them, last week they blogged about the outside of the home, for me it was 2 days ago. I’m on track now.

Welcome to our kitchen and dining room!

This kitchen isn’t one I’ll remember years from now but it has it’s benefits…well, it’s benefit. The gas stove is lovely. I feel trapped in this kitchen and long for the openness again.

As for our dining room table, we’ve squeezed just about all the juice out of it we’re going to get.  Michael and I bought it in 1999 for $500.  Isn’t it funny how I remember that?  It just had 4 chairs but we’ve picked up some almost matching ones at garage sales.  Currently, Haley does her schooling at this table.  Not ideal as it is too high for her to write and it has tile lines throughout.

That sums up this area of our home.  Head on over to see all the other blogs that have linked up to this party.

I’m trying to turn over a new leaf in blogging, which means posting more than once a month. I figured I go with some easy posts to inspire me.

One of the few blogs I read (In A Shoe) invited others to participate in an open house.  The theme is yard and entry.

Our Sweet Rental home.

I purposely did not clean the porch. I happen to prefer chalk drawings, my husband is a tad more sophisticated.

This would be a lovely place to hang out in the evenings if only the blasted mosquitoes would find someplace else to dine.

If you visit us you get to be greeted by some cuties with their noses pressed against the door.

When you walk into the house this is what you see to the right.

There are no doors and naturally your eye would be drawn to the wall AND ceilings of apricot (I mentioned this is a rental, right?)

Upon arrival to the back doors everyone gasps, “What a great backyard!” No, no. This is not a backyard. It is a jungle/beast/bug & snake haven.

Alas, it is gorgeous to look at.

There’s one more thing…

Leaving is very difficult

Also, check out the other 2 blogs that make up 4 Moms, 35 kids: Raising Olives, The Common Room and Smockity.

I’m pretty lame. I have a blog (a real blog that gets attention from me) that I feed 2x a week and in turn it provides me with vacation money.  Then I have this blog.

I promise you I am a prolific writer.  I write blog posts all day- in my mind.

For example, this one is really funny, one day when I was doing laundry Paisley asked what that black bug was.  Strange that she had never seen a cricket before.  Her and Haven studied it for a while then continued on in their non-stop mischief.

Fast forward a couple of hours to family worship.  As Michael is reading Matthew 6:? he says the word hypocrite and out yells Paisley (with complete excitement that she can relate to something Daddy is reading) “I JUST SAW A HYPOCRITE!!”

I think I might have peed in my pants at that point. Hilarious and perfect.  We all had to walk that line of not making her feel like a joke but still enjoying the moment.  She was confused but very proud.

Now we call those “black bugs” hypo-crickets.

Things like that happen all day and I think “I should blog that” but I don’t.  Maybe when this morning sickness is over I’ll write more.

Which leads me to my next random thought: morning sickness.  Do you know how hard it is to live James 1:2 when you feel like poop all day?! Very hard.  I certainly try but that usually lasts until about 8:30 (and I wake up about 8 )

I will continue to thank God for this precious blessing and pray intensely that the morning sickness ends promptly at the start of the second trimester—which is in 12 days.

Gum.

That’s another thing I thought about today.  Gum is one of those things I used to always have. Then about 10 years ago when we cut out Aspertame (acesulfame K) the gum went bye-bye.  So it’s weird when I see people chewing gum.  I think of how weird the whole concept is, I also think of how many brain cells they’re killing for fresh breath.  I realize there are xylitol gums but my thinking is, if you chew a healthy gum how are your kids to know the difference when someone offers them the unhealthy kind?

Oh, and the blog award.  It seems I have a friend (okay, I have like 3 or 4) and she says I make her think.  That is quite humbling.  I love making others think.  I’m not as good at it as Michael is but I’m taking notes and learning.

Lisa @ The Pennington Point nominated me.  Apparently, I don’t just get the award but have to earn it (a little Roman Catholism there).  Here are 7 things about me that will shock and amaze you…not really since all 10 of you already know pretty much everything about me.

1) I yell.  But, I’m working on it.

2) I dream of eating donuts. Oh, how I wish I could eat donuts every day.

3) I sweat whether it’s cold or hot. I hate it.

4) I don’t like to talk on the phone and because of this I usually don’t answer.

5) I wish we did not have dogs. I vacuum and Swiffer constantly yet there is still dog hair everywhere.

6) I kill everything I try to grow. Therefore, I try and stay away from the garden. I suspect the problem is that I forget to water the plants.

7) We have more student loan debt than most people have in mortgage debt. (but, it’s getting smaller!)

So, there ya go.  These 7 things reflect the mood I’m in right now.  Perhaps on a more cheerful day they would have been more…cheerful

Thought provoking statement of the day: “To deny oneself is to be aware only of Christ and no more of self, to see only Him who goes before and no more the road which is too hard for us.” Dietrich Bonhoeffer