Park Hopping: Chattahoochee Lower Pool

On Nov. 4, Adrian and I decided to take the day off and enjoy being outside together.  We went to the Chattahoochee National Recreation Area's Lower Pool Park.  It is just below the dam on Lake Lanier.  The kids and I have been to this park several times, and have walked on the far side of the Chattahoochee.  So we decided to stay on the west side of the river and hike a trail beside the river.  We had a lot of fun, but got "lost" several times by taking the wrong trail and ended up "hiking" for about an hour longer than we planned!  It was an enjoyable time and I look forward to hiking here again.

Adrian took the first 4, and I took the last 3.

Project 365: Week 47

Another week, another trip to the doctor.  No, life isn't like that for us, but I believe we have been to the doctor's office more times this month than all of last year!  I took Kyle back to the doctor because he can't stop coughing, and it has been two weeks since his first trip and round of steroid.  So this week continued breathing treatments around the clock and trying to do school work around all the medicine and treatments.  This is for the week of Nov. 15 - 21.

Sunday: We all stayed home from church because most of the kids were coughing and/or sniffling.  Adrian wasn't feeling wonderful either, so we all listened to the worship service while sitting beside the fire in the fireplace and sipping on warm tea!  I am thankful such a quiet and calm Lord's Day!  I am thankful for being able to be still in such a hectic time in life.

Monday: I took Kyle back to the doctor and also to the chiropractor, so I didn't manage to take a picture.  This is a picture of my HUGE pot of chicken soup simmering on the stove.  I am thankful for warming healing soup.  I thankful for being able to cook such good food!

Tuesday: I am thankful for a clean table!  It can't just be my family, but it seems that ever flat surface is a magnet for stuff.  I think especially if it is a clean flat surface, it must cry out to be covered.  I clean off flat surfaces, turn around, and then look again, and the surface is a mess.   So I am thankful that this table is clear (even if it is only for 5 minutes)!

Wednesday: I am thankful for finishing a special project!  I am one who loves to start new projects, but struggles to finish them.  I am glad that I followed through and finished this one!

Thursday: I took pictures today of my special project.  I can't post those pictures though because the final project has not gotten to it's final home yet.  Once it makes it's way home, I'll update this post with that picture.  You will just have to trust me that the picture looks nice!

(Update: Now that this quilt has been sent and received, I can share my picture.  This quilt is made from shirts that belonged to my grandpa and my grandma's second husband.  The top (picture here) is all shirts from O'dell, and the back is made from shirts from my grandpa and the rest is filled out with a beautiful sheet that has a great sheen to it.  My grandma got the quilt in the mail and was really happy with the quilt.  I hope it brings back good memories of both of her husbands as it did for me while making it.)

Friday: I am thankful for cousins that are the same age.  We watched Megan's kids so they could have a date night.  The little girls played with horses and stuffed animals, the middle kids watched a movie, and the oldest two played Net Runner.  They all had a good time and were well behaved!

Saturday: I am thankful for this little girl and her golden curls and her love of pink.

Project 365: Week 46

During the second week of November, we dealt with asthma, colds, and breathing difficulties.  Kyle started struggling with his breathing just before Halloween, then Patrick started having trouble and was put on nebulizer medicine, and finally the other kids got little symptoms of a cold.  This is for week Nov. 8 - 14.

Sunday: (I didn't take any pictures on Sunday.  I stayed home from church with Kyle in order to give him breathing treatments.)  This picture is from later in the week.  I am thankful for a little down time to prop my feel up and hand sew some more binding down on my special quilt.

Monday: (Again I didn't take any pictures.  Adrian took the day off from IBM to do some work on our duplex.  He left shortly before lunch, and was gone until after 9 pm.)  I am thankful for my husband being willing to work hard and put in long hours.    I am also thankful for such a beautiful display of color!  The Lord is good.

Tuesday: Again Adrian worked at the duplex, so I decided to put together a more complicated meal for dinner.  I am thankful for the opportunity to be able to cook and create wonderful meals.  I am thankful that we have access to so much variety of food, and I am thankful for our friends, the Cunninghams, who shared this awesome recipe for Chicken Alfredo!

Wednesday: Avalyn and Kyle have been making a fort in the backyard under one of the bushy trees.  They found this tree branch that forked into three sections.  Kyle sawed it off, and Avalyn wove yarn around it to make a bowl for their fort!  I am thankful for their ingenuity and willingness to work hard to accomplish things that they want to do.

Thursday:  I am so thankful to be able to feed my family, even on days when it is hard to think about putting anything together.  I LOVE freezer cooking and even though I don't use this book too often, I love the idea behind it, and have used idea for many years.  I am also thankful for a full freezer with many meals that can be pulled out when we are in need of a quick meal.

Friday:  I ended up taking Patrick to the doctor for breathing difficulties due to a cold on Wednesday.  He was diagnosed with RSV, given a steroid, and nebulizer medicine.  I am thankful for breathing medicine!  I'm thankful that we have ways to help children fight through these colds that can cause such problems.  And I am thankful for big sisters who love to help!

Saturday: I am thankful for little hands that always want to help!  Mercy caught the cold (RSV) that the others had, but she really wanted to help shred the meat.  Adrian found a mask that she could wear so she wouldn't cough all over the food!

 Bonus: I really like this picture!  I made my first tinctures this week.  The herbal mixes look really  pretty!  Now they are steeping waiting for the time when they can be used.

Project 365: Week 45

It is November!  As is a normal theme for November, I am planning to take pictures of things I'm thankful for.  This post is for Nov. 1- 7.

Sunday: I am thankful for being able to listen to sermons from all of world and from our own pastor even when I am home with a sick child.

 Monday: I am thankful for my kids' creativity. Kyle build a knex ferris wheel and wanted the LEGO men to go for a ride, but they would not stay on the seats.  He just hung them over the bar so the got a different kind of ferris wheel ride!

Tuesday: I am thankful for color!  I love color in nature, especially in fall!

Wednesday:  I am thankful for my family.  God has blessed me with a wonderful husband who provides for all of us.  God has given me charge of 6 little ones to raise for his glory.  It is such a wonderful blessing, but a monumental task. 

Thursday: I am thankful for my children's love of learning!  After a full day of school, they happily built and programmed their LEGO creations through the Library's LEGO WeDo education program.

Friday: I missed Friday as I was busy running errands and then hang going to our church's annual Ladies' Retreat.  This picture is from Wednesday.  I am thankful for God's creativity in nature.  We saw many lichen when we were "hiking" on Wednesday.  They were all different colors and shapes and they were all beautiful.

Saturday: As we headed back home after the Ladies' Retreat (I drove my mom and Megan), we stopped at Sky Lake because the reflection in the lake was so clear.  I am thankful that God is an arist and he does all thinks well.  Can you imagine a God that was lazy and just wanted to finish the task of creating and so painted the whole world green?  No, our God is awesome and created so many colors and layers of texture and beauty in all things that he made!  I am thankful for the ability to see and appreciate this beauty God created.

Park Hopping: Rock Springs Park

Rock Springs Park is close to our church.  It has so neat trails, some paved and some unpaved.  Down one of the unpaved paths is a small suspension bridge.  The kids love jumping and bouncing across it!  The playground is a fairly standard Gwinnett County Park, but my kids love to play on all the equipment.

All the kids (minus Patrick) with Gma.

I am actually in a picture with Gma and cousin Bonnie.

Parts of the bridge

Patrick swinging

Sophia was trying to do the funny monkey bars.

Project 365: Week 44

So as soon as I got caught up, I started to get behind again!  Oh, well.  Life happens fast around here with 6 kids.  This post is for the week of Oct. 25 - 31.

Sunday:  Many years ago, Avalyn and I made these clothes pin bats to decorate with around halloween.  She had fun this year hanging them all over the house.

Monday: "There was a little girl, who had a little curl, right in the middle of her forehead."

Tuesday: The secret project got basted with Adrian's help!

Wednesday: I had a terrible headache, and didn't get a picture on Wednesday.  I took this picture of candy corn on Saturday.

 

 Thursday:  Avalyn made her first real sewing project!  She has been working through a sewing book, and the first project is a bag.  Avalyn did a great job!

Friday: Megan and I have decided to trade date nights.  So Adrian and I went out on Friday night.  We went to Cosmo's Little Italy for dinner, then headed to Bulls Eye to shoot a little.  I haven't shot a gun in almost 10 years!  I wasn't as bad as I thought I would be, but Adrian definitely did a great job!

Saturday: Our house turned into a zoo with a pirate captain in charge!  Avalyn was really proud of her costume because she put it all together from bits and pieces we found through out the year.  The other kids were different animals with costumes that we have had for a year or two.

Cake Decorating

Avalyn enjoys baking and especially likes to make cakes and then decorate them.  For pot luck at church, Avalyn made a special cake inspired by our recent vacation!

LEGO Americana Roadshow

While my grandma was visiting, we went to see the LEGO Americana roadshow that was on display at North Point Mall.  We were all fascinated by how detailed the structures were, how much time they took to make, and how many blocks were in them!  We also enjoyed learning a bit more about the different real life structures. 

The White House

Independence Hall

The Statue of Liberty

The US Capital

The Liberty Bell

Jefferson Memorial

The US Supreme Court

Old North Church

The Washington Monument

The Lincoln Memorial (I managed to not get a complete picture of the whole structure!)

I smaller display in the upper level of the mall.  It is a mall with the LEGO Americana roadshow inside it!

All the kids being a little goofy in front of the LEGO Capital.