one thousand gifts #171-178

This coming weekend (Labor Day weekend) I'm planning on having a rummage sale.  Which means this week I'm busy labeling the items I've already boxed up and maybe sorting through more boxes of junk and adding a few more things too!  So that's why this week's Multitudes is a day late.  I was so busy yesterday I didn't even turn on my computer!

So without further ado, my multitudes list continues.
171. babysitting my neighbor's little guy for a little bit one morning and a good visit with her that day too!

 172. "charlie" and "lola" the new flutterbys

 173. a bohemian waxwing (we think) eating chokecherries in the backyard

174. box day!  (i.e. getting our new curriculum for this fall)

175. getting ready for a new school year
176. beautiful weather
177. bubba doing his best for the local Bible bee competition

178. getting up early to go for a walk with my hubby


And that's all for now!
See ya again next week!

another blessed monday

continuing my weekly gratitude. 
there's so much to be thankful for. 

159. video proof that i'm not the only knitter obsessively in love with their yarns! (this really made me giggle this morning!)



160. a few more days of yard and house help from my parents! i can now sit on the porch and see down the road instead of having the view blocked by brush!  and except for needing to go through boxes and weed out stuff, the house is in much better shape! thanks again, mom and dad!

161. the beginning of soccer practices for our homeschool team

162. needing new soccer cleats for Bubba and finding it's cheaper/easier to order online.

163. getting a good quality pair of cleats that fit right and are here before the second practice of the season!  yes!

164. walking a 5K. not because i really wanted to. but thankful that i can.

165. sore legs (from walking a 5K without training at all). but the pain is good--it reminds me i should be more active on a regular basis.

166. beautiful words and photos combine causing me to stop and ponder at A Holy Experience

167. a really good cup of tea this morning (in lieu of my daily cup of "coffee" since i drank the last of it yesterday and haven't been to the store for more)

168. a morning to myself while the kiddos are fishing with Grandpa and Grandma

169. improved homeschool laws in minnesota  (it doesn't change a lot for me, but i do believe it's a good change nonetheless!)

170. mentally preparing myself for the upcoming school year.  i've purchased our next year's curriculum and am considering what i need to accomplish in the next 10 months with both boys.


Are you interested in blogging your own Multitudes on Mondays?  Click on the banner below to learn more about how to join in and you'll get to read a really wonderful blog too!

one thousand gifts

my weekly list of gratefulness continued:

149. once again, i'm super-thankful for my parents!  this time, instead of childcare, they spent 4 days this past week helping us out with some much needed house and yard work. 

150. grandma (my mom) helping me clear out the excess junk from our porches and collect-all rooms.

151. grandpa (my dad) working with bubba's help to clear some brush for T who plans to build a fort-jungle gym-playset for the boys. 

152. grandpa teaching bubba the basics of driving.  they use the pickup to pull out the brush by the roots (attaching them to chains).  now bubba knows how to drive forward and back as needed and grandpa doesn't have to keep climbing in and out of the truck.

153. our 11-year-old learning to drive a little!

154. sorting through bins and boxes; throwing away garbage, organizing keepsakes and mementos, and putting the rest in boxes so I can either sell or donate it.

155. finally having the local Salvation Army rep come pick up our old-but-still-in-relatively-good-condition queen mattress that was just taking up space and in the way!

156. having a porch that we can use for more than storage!  it's so nice to sit out there and read, knit, or play!

157. coffee--specifically my daily morning cup of Hills Bros. Cappaccino (french vanilla flavor!)  YUM! 

158. FABULOUS photos taken by Sarah a couple weeks ago!  Sarah blogged about it here--isn't she a hoot?! anyways, i just got my gallery link for Beyond Ordinary Photography and i can tell you it's going to be tough to choose which ones we'll want to get prints of--they're all so beautiful!  (and that's from someone who hates having her photo taken!!!!)  so happy!

more to be grateful for

Showing gratitude.  Being thankful. Counting my blessings.


142. an "Awesome!" week of VBS according to Bubba

GO FISH VBS at FBC--Bubba's the one touching his hat

 143. fun Go Fish music at VBS all week (If you haven't heard of Go Fish, go HERE!)

 In case anyone reading this is wondering...our church used Go Fish's "Backstage with the Bible" VBS curriculum this year and it's a great choice!!!

144. a quick weekend knit and a new hat for me as a result! sorry...no photos. but it's really cute and looks quite nice on me!  :)
145. enough leftover yarn to make myself a new pair of fingerless mitts too!  at least, I hope so!
146. finding this adorable apple basket at the local consignment shop (my first time in there but it won't be my last!) i love that it matches my KitchenAid mixer perfectly! 

(lemons and limes not included)

147. (mostly) finishing up our American History Core for school (we still have some read-alouds left, but history is done until next school year...in 4 weeks!
148. shopping for curriculum...time to decide what to use this fall!

And that's this week's installment...come back next Monday for more!

Interested in starting your own Multitudes on Mondays post?  Click on the banner below to learn more about it!

It seems I missed yet another week of multitudes last week.  So I'll try and remember everything from the past two weeks.

Interested in starting your own Multitudes on Mondays post?  Check out the banner at the bottom of this post! :)


In no particular order and continuing my list which I started here...
130. Fair week fun!  Although a bit too hot & muggy, we spent most of a day there (and a little of another just for more fair foods).

131. Ride buddies for Bubba.  This year he had fun again with his buddy, Ty, at the fair.  Then he also got to meet up with and hang out with his cousin, Evan, later that same day.  Meanwhile, CJ discovered he really enjoys riding the Tilt-a-Whirl and so he got to go on that ride with his big brother & co. a few times too!

132.  A visit from my sister-in-law and her girls!  So nice!   We must do this more often!!!

133.  Picking fresh peas, beans, and zucchini from our garden.

134.  Eating some just-picked peas while still in the garden! YUM! 
BONUS: Even CJ ate a few!!!

135. Finding a few raspberries on the plants I just planted this year!  It's so exciting to see them growing so well!  Next year we'll have lots more berries!

136. Freshly painted walls (I finally got our kitchen dining area painted this weekend!!!)  I hope the color helps me keep my cool and lets the kids concentrate better since we do our schoolwork in there too.  The yucky yellow we found under the yucky wallpaper was really getting on my nerves.  I'm just so glad for the change!  BONUS:  My kitchen dining/schoolroom is (almost) clean!

137. A family photo shoot!  The first one since CJ was a new baby.  Thankfully, the weather cooperated and Sarah was able to come over last night and get our session done despite her crazy schedule with trying to sell their house and move for her hubby's new job. You can read about that on my other blog (and from there you can find Sarah's blog too) if you haven't already!   I'm hoping we got some nice family shots as well as some good pics of the kiddos!

138. All the yard work my hubby's been getting done. (Having and outdoor photo shoot here has helped to motivate him!)  :)

139.  Our VBS is this week and Bubba is SO excited!

140.  A new month.

141.  Watching caterpillars & tadpoles grow and change.

Sorry for the lack of photos today.  Maybe next week I'll have some!

Anyways, that's all for now folks!  Hopefully I'll be posting again next week with more blessings to share!