the BIG purse dump

It's Kendra's BIG PURSE DUMP. 

        

Between Kendra's Big Purse Dump

 and 

Jen's 7 post 7 days, 

this blog is getting a whole lotta love from me.  

Here is 'the purse'.

I had originally purchased this for one of my sisters.  It had a shabby chic look to it; very hip.  It was also dirt cheap!

Obviously, I ended up liking it too much since it never got to her.  Sorry, sister.

If ever there was a purse that can easily hold a mass of items, it's this one.  There are no dividers inside, no cute compartments for keys or phones.  It's just one big hole...

...with lots of rooms for stuff.

To be honest I had just cleaned out my purse.  Even so, I found that it doesn't take me long to fill it right back up.

The close up:

Wallet: Good to have, though it isn't packed with money.  Instead it's filled with receipts, coins, Annie's Pretzel cards, my driver's license, and teacher coupon cards.  I would seriously feel bad for anyone trying to mug me.  

My two year pocket calendar. I tend to lose my calendars and double book appointments because of it. So far so good, I haven't lost it yet.

A little hand sewn wallet: That holds all of our library cards.  I probably guard this little item more than my wallet.

A pen: To write down all those appointment dates.  This is a downgraded number from several I had this past Saturday.

My Daily Bread: This is my third Daily Bread book.  I've lost 2 now.  Both times I've thought that whom ever found my books must have needed them.  I sure hope so. 

The Rosary pocket: This was a gift from Lucy.  It carries anywhere from 3 to 5 rosaries at a time.  The number fluctuates; I don't know why. I always carry the red one (which was one of the firsts gifts my mother in law gave me) and the one Max made for me.

Glasses:  I have a love affair with sunglasses.  They must look good and be cheap.  I tend to lose, crack, or scratch these often.  I'm noticing a really bad pattern of lost items on this post (giggle).

Hand cream:  For my dry hands.

Make up bag: In here there is always blush, powder, lip gloss, and lip liner.  You never know when you have to spruce up your face.

Medical needs:  I began to use homeopathics with one of my kids. She had a few years of high sensitivity to anything that touched her skin.  It was eczema to an extreme! From homeopathics we've evolved to using Young Living essential oils.  I LOVE this stuff and carry some type of oil wherever I go.

Paper stuff: 

• JoAnn's coupons because you never know when you might be in JoAnn's.
• Recipes for that unexpected trip to the grocery store.
• Receipts from either store.
• A stack of paper napkins because someone is always in need of a napkin.
• An extra reading log from this year's Six Flags Succeed to Read program
• A single blush brush.  Don't ask me why?  

   

Misc: A few lollipops from St. Valentine's Day and a sock!  We went bowling, I was wearing flats and needed socks.

(giggle giggle)

•   It's my favorite thing in here:  My lavender oil.  This stuff smells oh so good.  
• Wow, I really have a lot of these:  I'd have to go with receipts. There really is a lot of receipts in the wallet and purse.  Wish I could have said money. That would have been nice.
• I've been looking for those:  Since I just cleared out the purse on Saturday I didn't find something I've missed.
• Huh. THAT shouldn't be in there:  Really.  Why haven't I taken those socks out?

What a nice surprise!

I'm a bit embarrased to announce that a very sweet Texan has voted my little blog for a

Part of the nomination involves:

Thanking the one that nominated the blog and giving you all a link back to their blog.

  Well I'm ever so happy to so both.

Her name in Neen, love the name; it reminds me of a summer flower.  Neen blogs about her 'busy' life of home schooling, loving and living her life as a Catholic wife and mother.  This momma is pretty amazing and though I just recently began to read her blog it's become a quick favorite.  Why?  Because any women that can carry that awesome smile while going after 8 kids and growing twins, is worth as a friend for sure.  Pay her a visit!  She writes at All This and Heaven about her family; and she writes about home schooling here at I Really Do Homeschool All These Kids

List seven things about themselves

(this won't be so easy for me)

1.  I am the first American born in my family.

2.  I am the first of six children.

3.  I am a huge debator and if it weren't for meeting and falling for The Lineman, I may have run for office; or be living in Africa ;-)!

4.  I am a novice sewer and have desparately been trying to advance for the last 10 years....hopeless!

5.  I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE to cook and bake.

6.  I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE to organize and plan for parties...I'm a 'party girl' at heart but organizing isn't easy for me.

7.  I melt, just a little, each time The Lineman offers his great smile in the way that he did the very first time I saw him.  It was love at first sight!

8.  I have terrible grammer.  Goodness why am I trusted to home school?!?

9.  I have a bit of an obsession with talk radio.

10.  I love hikes and the mountains and to sit with a drink in hand; soaking up the scene and loving all that God has provided!!!

Pick 15 newly discovered blogs to give the award to.

(I haven't read to many new blogs...time just doesn't allow me to venture out of whom I visit anymore but I will list some and get back with more as I find them)

1. Blessed Are The Feet
2. Among Lovely Things
3. Loreto Rosaries

Under Contruction

Excuse the mess while I do some changes to the blog ;-)

Day 2

I thought I'd pop in for a pep talk.  I really need one. 

As I mentioned on Monday or Tuesday, The Lineman and I planned on cleaning out and CLEARING out  our garage.  We are in the middle of some major work and It's been both humbling and embarrassing to say the least; we just have WAY TOO MUCH STUFF!

A lot of what we found were clothes I was saving for the next child.  We have two huge bins of pictures, a bin for books, too many bins of paper work and several bins of felt and fabric.  And this is just MY stuff, I  I was pretty overwhelmed over the amount of it.  Think of a 8ft x 15ft wall of boxes looming over you.  We knew that we couldn't put that beast back in our home.  The Lineman and I just repeated that over and over. 

Now, day 2!

The last few hours were spent going through just the clothes and party stuff I have. So far I have 4 large bags of clothes to give away and boxes upon boxes of other items; including books and curriculum. We are on a roll.

But the evidence of our lack of getting rid of stuff has really made me think. 

I know people who are very good at keeping their home clutter free. They are great at decluttering and keeping only the minimal of what they need. I think I'm just not one of those people. Sorry, I really try to be. Every season of Lent I declutter. Every 3-5 months I go through my children's clothes. Yet, the stuff builds up.  Honestly I know and love the concept of simple-clutter free living. I've seen it! Just not always in my home ;-).

I know my weaknesses though. Now the thing for me to build on is strength, maintenance and saying NO. The garage is our last frontier of the clutter monster.  We are armed with bags and will! 

Be gone clutter!  Be gone!!!

Whew!  Now, back to the beast.

The Greatest Miracle

Just popping in for quick post.

Have you seen this?

The Greatest Miracle

 

Spread the word

Fill the theater nearest you

 Be back soon with updates and several posts.

God bless!

need HELP from the states!

I'm not sure how I can get this to work out

BUT

I've been teaching a small group of K-4th graders U.S geography using the
Discover America State by State series by Sleeping Bear Press
these are some of the books we've read through and used

     

The books are a great introduction to the U.S states and luckily our county library carries all the titles.  Yippee for my pocketbook me!

We gone through most of the first 13 states this year; we scrape booked, watched videos, cooked, read, and sang our way through America's first 13 states.  Now that we've reached the end of this school year we are preparing for our

end of the journey fiesta!

The kids each chose a state to focus on.  They are making huge posters, drawing maps and landscapes; writing limericks and developing their speaking voices .  They've been working very hard on these posters; making invitations and even learned the Star Spangle Banner to perform for the invited guests.

As a treat for them I thought it would be great to get postcards mailed to them, or presented, from the states they are going to speak about at our fiesta.

If there are any readers out there from

South Carolina
Maryland
Pennsylvania
Massachusetts

and can send a postcard to a great kid...please email me!

We would all be so grateful!!!

How goes it?

I am overhauling lesson plans, beginning to look into Lucy's 9th grade year (what!), and trying to keep with the rhythm of our home that seems to have fallen from Heaven. 

It's been a really good school week. 

It's been a great prayer week. 

And all I did was; do less.

Could it be that simple?

Yep, I'm full proof of it.  With the exception of work that is being done on some property and a very sick relative in the hospital; we have been on a nice simpler roll. 

Now I need to figure out how to keep this nice turn of events with 3 kids in weekly orchestra and all kids starting baseball and softball two weeks from now.....

Oh dear!

Catching up

There has been a life time of events that have occured in the last couple months.  I can't spend the time, nor do I have the energy, to post them all.  So here are the clip notes to a life of many events:

There was the birth of

my niece Gianna Clare

I had a birthday

and celebrated with my precious family

Max learned to sew

a very long dream of his

And what has kept me so so busy

turning this room

to

School has started and I was READY!!

A Change in Plans...

Today

I was supposed to drive with the family 3 hours round trip to pick up Max from camp...

I am supposed to take the girls to a friend's double birthday party full of fairies and fair maidens...

I am supposed to show up to a surprise BBQ for The Man hosted by his favorite cousins...

Today

I am keeping company with my Princess.  A high fever, that wants to linger around 102, is dictating my plans for today instead.  So while she naps and I...

finally begin to use some of my fabrics

to make myself a new dress

and finish reading a book written by my

Goddaughter

while I enjoy last nights leftover dessert...