Memoir Monday- April 22

Our daughter proudly wrote several pages in her journal about an event yesterday that she will remember for quite some time.  It will definitely be a part of her "memoir."  :-)

She attended her first professional baseball game with one of her brothers, my husband and I.  And a great time was had.  (It didn't hurt that we won the game, as well!)  :-)

We had terrific seats (the best we've ever had), and there were plenty of hits to stand and cheer about.  She is still talking about meeting the ball girl (I said our seats were really good, right?  lol), getting her autograph and being so close to a player that we could even say hello to him.  It was a bit on the chilly side.  Ok, it was freezing (literally! who would think that in late April that the temp would dip into the 30s?), but that didn't stop anyone's enthusiasm.  They even issued her a "I attended my first Phillies game certificate."  Now, how cute is that?  :-)  Many memories were made, as well as a wonderful entry in her journal/scrapbook. (she says that she is going to be like Laura Ingalls Wilder and record her life in writing!)  :-)

Linking up with:  On, in and around Mondays in addition to Wisdom Wednesday, Living Well Wednesday, Mom's Monday Mingle, Monday Mingle, Modest Mom, Crazy Mama, Homemaking Wednesdays and Raising Mighty Arrows and Titus 2sday and Clever Chicks Blog Hop and Memoir Monday and Mondays with Countrified Hicks and Create with Joy

Thankful Thursday- October 4

I wasn't able to post last Thursday since we were leaving for Bethany Beach and I really missed doing it.  It is wonderful to be able to focus, no matter what, on the things for which we are thankful.  There are always so many, if we just take the time to see them.  They may seem small or inconsequential to others, but it is sometimes the smallest of gifts that are the most precious.

I am certainly thankful for a wonderful long weekend away with my family.  You can see some random shots from Bethany here and even the wild horses of Assateague in a post here.

I am also thankful for a wonderful field trip opportunity yesterday (Wednesday).  My husband, children and I participated in a homeschool tour of Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia.  What a fun event!  I think the adults enjoyed it just as much as the kids. :-) We got to see the locker rooms, swing the players' bats, "give" a press conference, sit in the broadcasting booth, dugout and more.  We enjoyed a nice lunch afterwards.  It was a great end to our little vacation as we will all be back to the grind on Thursday.

"giving" a press conference

Carlos Ruiz' bat in the locker room

on the field

"broadcasting" the game on TV

Happy Thankful Thursday!  :-)

Linking up today with Red Oak Lane, NOBH , A Thankful Woman's Book of Blessings, Spilled Milkshake, Miscellany Monday and Field Trip Friday.

Homeschool Mother's Journal/Weekly Wrap-Up June 22

Another week has come and gone.  The scorching summer heat is already upon us and we are enjoying each other and just taking it easy for a bit....  We will do some math review, continue our bird study and work on a fun Olympics unit that I am planning, but right now, it is savoring the first few days of summer with relaxing, swimming and other activities.  It is a wonderful cure for burnout of all kinds!

On Monday, the kiddos had their music lessons (piano and guitar).  I love hearing them play their music.  Now, just to get them to practice a bit more!  :-)

I also posted about the beautiful gift that Kiddo #4 made her daddy for Father's Day.  If you didn't see the post, you can find it here. 

On Tuesday, my dad had his pool all ready for the kiddos and they eagerly jumped right in.  I guess we all could jump into cold pools as kids.  I could never do it now, but I really enjoyed watching how much fun they had.  I shared more photos of them swimming and being together in my Thankful Thursday post here.

I also hosted my weekly linkup called "Try a New Recipe Tuesday." I have gotten such wonderful and tasty recipes from my bloggy friends. You can see this week's linkup here. You are welcome to go back and see any of the others to check out my recipes or those that have been shared.

Wednesday was another day of swimming and a wonderful dinner picnic with some church friends.  Being busy helps pass the time until hubby comes home!  :-) 

(notice how the camera even begins to steam up due to the heat.  It has hit triple digits here with high humidity these last few days.  What a start to the summer!)  :-)

My Wordless Wednesday post this week was of the fun we had playing miniature golf on Father's Day. 

Thursday had Kiddo #1 and I helping at church with a funeral and Kiddo #4's sewing class.  She made the most precious hat for her brother's Dumbo stuffed animal and she is working on a collar to match!  It is absolutely adorable.  Of course, at 2 am as I am writing this post, I cannot locate said hat to take a photo of it, so I will have to include it in Monday's post.  I hope you come back to see it, as it is really so very, very cute.  She has such a natural talent and her sweet giving spirit makes it all the better!

Kiddos 1,2, my mom and I went to a Phillies game Thursday night.  We are Philadelphia sports fans here and always enjoy a good game.  It was hot and humid, but we were prepared with plenty to drink and were blessed that our seats were not in the direct sunlight!  Unfortunately, our team lost, but we did have a good time together and it is always fun to be in such an electric atmosphere.

Kiddo #1 did a great job with all of the baseball photos.  I managed to get the camera from him to take the one of him and his brother after the game was over.  :-)

What I'm reading:  A Mother's Rule of Life, My study guide for my online Proverbs Bible study, some great ebooks on gardening, homesteading and prepping....bits and pieces of other things.  I have so many books I want to read!  :-)

What I'm praying for: those who are ill or suffering, my husband while he is away with the Army, our nation, its military, our religious freedom and freedom of conscience.  The list goes on.....

A quote or photo to share:

"It is for war and sword' (Matthew 6:24), to separate the lovers of God from the lovers of the world, the materially-minded from the spiritually-minded, the proud from the humble."- Saint John Clemacus (525-606)

"True individual freedom cannot exist without economic security and independence. People who are hungry and out of a job are the stuff of which dictatorships are made."- Franklin D. Roosevelt

Did I mention that it is rarely dull around here?  lol!  :-)))

Linking up with Homeschool Mother's Journal, Weekly Wrap-up and Friendship Friday.

Us Among the Millions-The Phillies Celebration

Yes, we went. The kiddos happily played hooky from school (along with about every other kid in this tri-state area)and we boarded a train bright and early and headed into the city. We made it onto the 8:15AM train. We arrived at the ballpark at 9AM. The parade wasn't scheduled to arrive there until 2PM. It arrived at 3:30!


Although waiting 6 hours for a minute or two glance of your world-championship team may seem silly, it was so worth it! The kiddos will have those memories for the rest of their lives. They met other kids and played with them all day in the closed-off street in downtown Philadelphia. They played football, tag and the two younger kiddos were even finding and feeding bugs with some of their new friends. :-) The bonding with total strangers over an event that brought us all together is truly the highlight. Everyone was friendly, everyone shared tidbits, memories, joy and even some entertainment (footballs, baseballs, etc.)

It is something that the kiddos still are talking about. I still fondly remember watching the parade go by the last time the Phillies won 28 years ago when I was 12 years old. I hope that my kiddos will be sharing these memories with their children someday. So, if you saw the footage, there we were- a few specks among the 3 million cheering with the best of them! (some of kiddo #1's friends who actually went to school saw him on TV! We were lucky enough to have a news van a few feet away) :-)



Thanks again, Phillies and we love you!

PHINALLY!!!!!!

Wow! More than 12 hours after the fact, it still isn't quite sinking in. World Series Champions.

Elation, relief, celebration. This town hasn't seen the likes of this in a long time-- a very, long time. I was 12 the last time there was a Phillies parade down Broad Street. And, now at 40, I will happily attend this one with my 4 children in tow.

What really impressed me was this team. They were not boastful or egotistical like many other athletes in other sports. These guys were a team- a textbook definition of one. They worked together, supported each other and were always thanking each other even for their own accomplishments. They were each so humble in their remarks and all thanked the Philadelphia fans. It made a lot of us cry-- not only for the magnitude of their accomplishments, but for the way in which they accomplished it. They are an incredible group of guys and we will never forget them. Thank you, Phillies, for bringing a championship back to this town. Thank you for making us proud again. Thank you for giving us something to celebrate in these troubled times.

We Philadelphia fans are a special breed. We love our teams with a passion that cannot be duplicated in any other city. That enthuiaism will again be on center stage at the parade tomorrow for the whole world to see.

Yo, Adrian! We did it!!!

Four Generations!!!

This morning, my aunt and 91-year old grandmother left after spending a wonderful 2 weeks with us. It flew by too fast! It seems like you always wish you had more time to talk, share, and hear some of the "old" stories just one more time. :-)

I also wish I would have taken more photos, but this one is of four generations- my grandmother, dad, me and my four children. I'm going to quote the MasterCard commercial and say that this photo is, beyond any doubt, "priceless."

This next photo is with my aunt in it, as well. P.S. Don't you love all of our shirts? GO PHILLIES!!!