October in Review 2015

Life Stuff

I made the girls costumes this year for Halloween. 

Do you like our costumes?  Because we aren't wearing costumes but I am wearing a glow in the dark pumpkin shirt.  Festive right?

We wanted to do a super hero/villain theme but I had a certain WWE guy that did not cooperate.

We got to go to my husband's work Halloween party at the Children's museum.  The kids got to play games and go through the haunted house with the lights on of course.

 We also went bowling as a family.  I did not win.

We also went to the pumpkin patch with my cousin and her kiddos.

Halloween day

My nephew's costume is hilarious!

Pumpkin painting

Food stuff 

I went to Brown County with some friends just to get this balsamic at The Wild Olive!  It is cranberry walnut and it is so yummy!

I love this fry cutter.  I use it quite a bit to make homemade fries.

 Some of my paleo meals that I post on Instagram.  I love paleo in case you didn't already know that.

School stuff

 About me

My brother and I at our town's festival

I got my hair colored for the first time in a long time and I love it!

And this cutie wanted me to curl her hair just like mine!

My Dad and I are working on building a table for us!!!

That is the haps in October - hope your month went well!  Now onto November and Thanksgiving and all that fun stuff.

When you think you have it all figured out - you so don't

If you have read my blog for any length of time then you may have seen things change.  When I started this blog in 2008 I had 2 kids and I also started making lots of things from scratch, gardening, freezer cooking and canning.

Now I don't do much of that.  I do some of that but not much.  You've seen chore charts and sewing projects - I don't do that or much of that any more.

We have changed our eating habits about - oh - 50 times in the last few years. 

I have stopped doing so much outside activity because I just cannot do it.  I homeschool only one child but he is dyslexic so he needs more one on one time.  I half homeschool two other children.  Homeschooling is straight up exhausting and I did not know that.

I kept thinking I was doing something wrong because I could not homeschool and make everything from scratch and keep a clean house and spend quality time with my kids and husband and serve in the church.

I was failing.  Thank goodness!  No one can keep up that pace.  For you, your list might look different.  You might be a mom, working full time with a husband, a home and some kids to care for and you look around and think - you are failing.  You cannot do it all.

Yep.  You can't.

And if you ever see a picture or a post or speak with someone in person (who does that anymore) and you think for ONE SECOND that they are doing it all.  You are wrong.

They are not.

But you've seen their house and you have had dinner there and you know she blogs and leads a Bible study and goes on a date with her husband once a week.  So.

She's not doing something.  Trust me.  She is totally missing out on doing something.  And you know what - good for her!

We can do one of two things - we can do it all (but we really can't) or we can do a few things well.  We cannot do it all well. 

Do not let anyone else steal your joy.  Don't look at someone else and think for one second she has it all together.  I'm telling you no one does.

Your priorities are not her priorities.  Speak truth into your life.  Surround yourself with someone who will speak that truth to you.  When doubt creeps in - combat it.

When you think you should be doing this and you should be doing that remember this verse:

"And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself."  Luke 10:27

That is it.

And focus on the jobs that only you can do.  (Click that link - read that post)


This sounds simplistic.  It is.  It should be.  You should stop being so hard on yourself.  You should stop focusing on everything you haven't done and what your weaknesses are.  You should surround yourself with people that are strong where you are weak.  You should love your neighbor.  You should love God.  You should stop thinking you can do it all.

I will try to do that too.

 

Post Vacation Wrap Up - Missouri, Missouri, Missouri

What were we thinking?  Four children, four different stops in nine days in four different cities.  We went from northern Missouri to Branson, Missouri to Joplin, Missouri to Springfield, Missouri.

And it was fun, but exhausting!

We visited great-grandma.  She is a fabulous lady who is in her late 80's and still gets up early and fixes our breakfast.  She always makes a lot of food for us when we are there.  She is definitely all about serving.

 We introduced some cousins that had never met.

We played.

 We took mandatory pictures.

Then we headed south to Branson!

We swam in the pool a lot!

We went out on the town.

We went shopping.

 We went to the water park!

We did some local rides.

We went to the lake for some rock skipping lessons.

And to get our feet wet.

Then we decided to go to Silver Dollar City when it was 97 degrees outside and the heat index was 103.  Hot, hot, hot people!  I would not recommend it because the Ozarks is a hilly place and Silver Dollar City is no exception!  We were a sweaty, sweaty mess.

After our days in Branson, we headed over to Joplin.  Here is part of a park that was done when Extreme Home Makeover went there.  It was so cute!  We stayed in Joplin overnight to visit with more family and we had a great time.

Kids looking at the fish.

Then we headed to Springfield to spend our last few days there.  We visited with Grandpa and Grandma and played in the backyard.

And I got to do something I have been wanting to do for a while - visit Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds!  They not only have rare seeds but they had heirloom breeds of chickens.  It was so interesting!

My oldest really liked the animals.

The pioneer village was so cute.  We got to visit each "store" and try some homemade bread.  I bought some soaps and more seeds.  It was such a fun afternoon!

Then that evening we got to visit with more extended family that we love and miss!  We had a dessert party and a bon fire.

Then we got to relax a little with Grandpa and Grandma before heading home.

It was a great trip and our kids were wonderful little travelers (electronics do help).   We had a lot of fun but we don't think we will travel across a whole state on a vacation again - but maybe we will - you never know.