Spring Break

On Monday of Spring Break we ventured out with Chris’s parents to Southeastern Salvage where we procured a few rugs for our house and cabin. 

Then we went to McKay’s and I found lots of the American Girl books I loved to read as a kid for $0.50-1.50 each. And I had a $25 gift certificate for being a teacher. So I got all these beauties for about $1. Woot. 

Now to get my children to read them. 

Happy Wednesday!!

J-Dog

An easy way to remember Jonathan’s birthday is to think of John 3:16, so March 16th - get it?  We started Spring Break with his 13th birthday party. We had a great time, as always!  I didn’t get any pics of our kids but the signs Jonathan made for the big day were cracking me right up!

On the way home, we stopped at TJ Maxx and Eleo tried on some spring clothes. She can just fit into size 5 summer clothes, the biggest size that the adorable toddler clothes come in!  The boys were very patient with us. 

While we were partying on Saturday, Chris was helping pre-record our church’s service to be shown at our first drive-in Sunday service. 

We took our breakfast and blankets and had the best time!

Now all this was on the weekend of March 14-15 and we hadn’t hardly noticed anything about the Coronavirus coming to town (aka the US) before Wednesday the 12th!

Chefs

A couple times lately, with Josiah’s help, Eleonora has decided out of the blue that what I needed was a sandwich shaped like a heart. And so they delivered.  So sweet!  (As you can see by their attire, this one arrived at breakfast time, ha!)

In other news, back when school was in session, Josiah made Grandmother’s biscuits for a 4-H contest at school.   We can never get them quite as delicious as they are when made by Grandmother herself, but they were still oh-so-good!

Home

Our last day at school was Friday, March 13. Then we had one week of Spring Break, spent mostly at home, and we missed our much anticipated trip to Grandmother’s and the Virginia Creeper Trail. Since then, we have missed two weeks of school, and instead have been doing a wee bit of school work at home and even more yard work. 

The kids just love to get out there and work, rain or shine (ha!). They may not love it but they have been helpful and we have had fun. 

They really had just spread mulch in the rain in this picture. The bags were already laid out and Buddy was ripping them up, so it just had to be done. 

One day we went and ate lunch in our car by the ducks. Thrill a minute over here. 

Josiah’s cracking me up with his enthusiasm in this one. 

I’ll try to write more posts exploring other facets of our lives during this historic time. :)

Also we’re gonna try to kick it up a notch this week with our productivity. I better make a chart. 

Happy Palm Sunday!

 “Jesus was in the center of the procession, and the people all around him were shouting, “Praise God for the Son of David! Blessings on the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Praise God in highest heaven!””

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭21:9‬ ‭

New Bunk Beds

How’s everyone doing at home?  We got new bunk beds recently!  I found them on Facebook Market, and my dad drove Eleonora and I to go pick them up. It’s a twin bed over a full, over a twin trundle!  I never knew such a thing existed!  I loved the boys’ beds before because they were my dad’s when he was a kid, but they were getting a little rickety when stacked as bunk beds. I was getting nervous when I would lay on the bottom bunk to read to them at night. Now I’m not nervous (for them or me!) and I have plenty of space when I visit!  And Eleonora has a better spot to sleep when there are guests sleeping in her room. Up til now, we’ve kept the mattress from her crib/toddler bed under our bed and pulled it out when she needs another place to sleep. She’d about outgrown that. All that to say, we are so happy for this amazing new bed!

Happy Saturday to everyone!!

Eleonora is Six!

We recently celebrated Eleonora's sixth birthday.  

Here is an interview with the birthday girl herself.

Favorite animal?
Dog.  d - o - g

What do you like to eat?
(whispered in my ear) Macaroni-and-cheese.
Actually what I have in the freezer, mozzarella cheese sticks.

What do you love to do?
My family.



What's your favorite movie?
Frozen 2

What's your favorite song?
(whispered in my ear) "Away in a Manger"
Frozen 2 songs in my new CD player.

What do you want to do when you grow up?
(whispered in ear)  An animal doctor, no, actually an animal shelter.

What's one of your talents?
(whispered) Loving people.

Mrs. Wampler, kindergarten, I get to go learn things.  my favorite part is the very end of school when I get to see you.

Who do you like to play with at school?
you.  Keyli, Evelyn, Emily

Tell me about your dog.
He's a puppy.  (whispered) He likes people.  Buddy.  He looks like a reindeer.  One time I waked up and looked outside my window and with his ears he looked like a reindeer.

What do you like to do?
I like to play Lil' Woodzeez with you.  Dance like a ballerina.  Watch funny videos with my brothers.

Tell me about ballet class.
Good.  We're going to do a ballet recital.  Cumberland Springs Camp, no Bryan College.  Erase that!  

January Books

Here are the books that I read in January.

Marilla of Green Gables by Sarah McCoy

I had heard good, even great, things about this book from multiple sources, but I’m sorry to say I was not a fan and had to force myself to pick it up every time it was time to read. I could say more, oh so much more, but I’ve rarely read a historical fiction book more obviously written in the 21st century. Every page contained at least one example of something totally anachronistic, and I had a hard time keeping myself from starting a list. So sorry to say, love L.M. Montgomery, but this attempt at a prequel gets a big thumbs down from me. 

The Year of Miss Agnes by Kirkpatrick Hill (with the boys)

There's not much I like to read more than a book about a school in another time and place, and this is one that I had never read before, so this was a treat to read aloud to the boys at bedtime!

Dearest Dorothy, Slow Down, You're Wearing Us Out by Charlene Ann Baumbich

This is the second book in a series that a friend from school loaned me. It’s in the same vein as Mitford, and was a mildly good time. 

Poldark - Ross Poldark by Winston Graham

This was my first page-turner of the month. It is the polar opposite of Marilla.  Try it, you’ll love it!

Poldark - Demelza by Winston Graham

The second book in the Poldark stories. 

Couldn’t put it down!

My Daniel by Pam Conrad (with the boys)

Another historical fiction kids’ book that I had never read before, so that was fun!  Not my fav, but we had fun getting through it together.