In Loving Memory ...

of my sweet Aunt Linda, who died of breast cancer in her early 50's ... she was a wonderful Aunt to me and all my cousins, she was my Mom's sister that she loved so much, and she will forever be missed. I will always remember going to her house and loving the warm, cozy, country decor, the gorgeous gardens and the welcoming feeling you got there.

On Mother's Day weekend my Mom and I were a part of a 4k walk for breast cancer research. It was an amazing event with thousands of men, women and children showing up to give there support. I know this is something we will take part in again. It was a blessing to share the day with my Mom.


For my Aunt Linda .... until we meet again in heaven someday.

Bouncy Fun!

My kids have been fortunate lately to be at a couple of events where they had some of those large bouncy houses or bouncy slides. The girls were thrilled and always have the best time. I love in the first picture how they held each other's hand to go down together! Cute!

Why didn't they have anything like this when I was a kid????


woohoo, catchin' air!
crazy girl!

Take me out to the ball game ...

I always seem to be playing catch up! Must be because our schedule has been insanely busy lately! We've had so much going on ... good things, fun things, but I've had very little time to keep up with my blog! Sorry!

I'm about to unleash on you several blogs in a row, so be prepared!

Anyway, we've been to a couple of Friday night baseball games lately. The minor league park near us is wonderful, very family friendly, inexpensive and fun! The first night we went it was a little rainy and cool, but the next time was sunny and lovely. The kids always have a blast. Yes, my youngest wore the same sweatshirt at both games, can you tell it's her favorite?






{Just as a side note ... we are totally not GAP snobs ... all 3 of us got our GAP sweatshirts at consignment shops for a fraction of what they would have cost brand new and they are all in like-new condition! Love those kind of bargains!}

All About You - Letter K

One of my fave homeschooling websites {The Heart of the Matter} is hosting the ABC's of you and I haven't jumped in until today when I saw it was the letter K! Yay for K!

Here are some things about me ... all starting with the wonderful letter K ...

Kathy or Kathryn {my name!}
Kitchen {I'm in the process of redecorating it right now!}
Kindergarten {the grade I always wanted to teach and am priveleged to be teaching my youngest right now}
Keeper {of special mementos from my hubby and children}
Killer {of mosquitos and spiders - sorry!}
Kin {to many very special people}
Knowledge {I may not know much, but am always seeking to learn and grow more}

Time

Time passes by all too quickly. I know this, and yet I don't always live my life reflecting this knowledge. I had what I would consider one of my biggest wake-up calls since becoming a Mom the other day. I hope you don't mind as I share my heart.

We don't have a lot of video of our kids. We have loads of pictures, but not much video. I'm trying to be better about using the video camera I got last year ... but as far as the girls baby and toddler years we had a very old video recorder and just didn't pull it out very much.

Anyway, the other day we were looking for a particular video {from an event that happened prior to our kids being born} and happened to stumble upon some video of the girls as babies and toddlers. At first I was enjoying watching how small they were, their cute little voices and giggles and just watching in utter amazement that they ever really were that small!

But I soon began to get emotional. It started with a video of my oldest getting upset about something and crying/fussing on the camera. My heart began to hurt because all I could picture was that at the time I probably blew her off as having 'another tantrum' and yet watching it on camera I wished with all my heart that I could reach through that TV screen and wrap my arms around that little toddler again. But I couldn't. Time had taken those toddler years away from me. Time had moved on. Past the baby stage, past the toddler stage, even past the pre-school stage.

The more I watched the more I began to feel extreme guilt and remorse. My heart hurt and I sobbed until I had a headache and puffy eyes. The hardest I've cried in a very long time. Here were these two beautiful, funny, sweet little toddlers ... and yet all my mind could remember was how I felt and how I acted during those early years. I was often frustrated, annoyed, impatient, overtired, angry and generally not a very good Mom. I would yell and scream at the girls for being too messy, for fighting with each other, for taking too long to get dressed, etc, etc, etc. Even as I type these words I have such guilt and remorse over my actions. I know we had good moments too ... but at that moment while watching those videos all I could think was how I wasted away those early years and didn't appreciate the time and now I could never get them back.

My girls will never be toddlers again. They will never need me to fill their sippy cups or change their clothes or help them get buckled in their seatbelts again. I can't go back to that time. It's gone forever and I can't have a 'do-over'.

I know that I'm a better Mom nowadays. I have prayed for wisdom and patience and guidance for the last couple of years and the Lord has been incredibly gracious to me. I still have my moments when I lose it and get angry. I'm still a sinner, every day. I'm thankful that I'm forgiven, and yet the sadness over that loss of time still haunts me.

I guess I chose to share this because I really want to encourage other Moms out there. I know there are so many times you just feel like you can't take one more minute and you're just going to lose it. But I encourage you to hang in there. The time will pass so quickly and before you know it you will be where I am and wonder where the time has gone. My oldest is almost 8 ... I can't believe that she has been a part of our lives for 8 years already! In another 8 years she'll be 16 and more independent than ever.

Don't waste another moment of time.
Love on your kids today.
Be patient with them.
Don't yell and scream.
Yes, they make mistakes. But they're just little children - they aren't adults.
They don't understand the value of a clean house or instinctively know how to share their toys with everyone.
They will test your patience!
They will frustrate you!
But how you respond will tell them a lot about Christ. If you claim to have Christ in your life {like I do} yet act as though you don't {like I did} your kids will wonder what to believe - your words or your actions. As the saying goes - You have to walk the walk, not just talk the talk.

Our children do not require lavish gifts or costly items - what they need most is our time.
Here is a list of Seven Gifts Which Do Not Cost a Cent:

1. The gift of listening - But you must really listen. No interrupting, no daydreaming, no planning your response ... just listen. {I am SO guilty of 'planning my response' and have yelled at my kids for things that I didn't even give them the chance to finish explaining.}

2. The gift of affection - with appropriate hugs, kisses, snuggling, pats on the back and handholding. These small actions demonstrate love in a powerful way.

3. The gift of laughter - share amusing stories, humorous cartoons, jokes, etc. Laughter establishes a bond between people and if one of the most effective medicines I know.

4. The gift of a handwritten note - kind words change lives and last a lifetime.

5. The gift of a compliment - a simple, kind and sincere remark can change how a person feels about him/herself.

6. The gift of a favor - the simplest things like getting a glass of juice for your child or putting away hubby's shoes for him may not seem like much but demonstrate kindness to others in a big way.

7. The gift of a cheerful disposition - the easiest way to feel good is to extend a kind word to someone. look him/her in the eye and speak kindly, from the heart with sincerity. {Proverbs 15:13 A Happy heart makes the face cheerful.}

I hope that somehow I have managed to encourage you. I have a lot of regret and guilt and sadness over things I cannot change and time that cannot be given back. And I truly hope and pray that you won't have to go through the same thing. I'm thankful for forgiveness from a loving God ... and also forgiveness from my sweet girls who have no idea how much I love them. Watching those videos was just the wake up call I needed. There is no time to lose. I need to cherish every day and make the most of the time we are given.

Show and Tell

Well not so much show ... but lots of tell. Today's the day! The day we all have to share how much we've gotten done for the Project Procrastinator's Party! And if you've wondered why my blog has been so terribly neglected over the last 2 weeks you're about to see why! I have been busy, busy, busy!

I was not able to complete everything on my list and you'll see why ... but I'm happy to say that I was able to get some other stuff done that wasn't on my list. All in all it's been a very busy and productive two weeks. In fact ... I'm downright exhausted!

OK, here goes ...

* Finish painting garden fence and install it {Painting is done/it's not installed yet}

* Put together presentation board for science class {Not done}

* Finish priming kitchen walls {DONE!}

* Paint kitchen walls {DONE!}

* Take stuff to Goodwill {TWO vanloads! DONE!}

* Plant bulbs in the garden {They have not arrived yet so not done}

* Hang white cabinet in bathroom {DONE!}

* Bring finished curtains to church {DONE!}

* Hang stuff in master bedroom {Not done}

* Clean out girls closet/toys and donate stuff {DONE!}

* Put away all Easter decor and put out summer stuff {Half done - Easter stuff is put away but summer stuff isn't put out yet.}

Also completed:

*4 days of working at the flower shop for Mother's day

*4K walk for breast cancer with my Mom

*Repainted all trim, doors and wainscotting in kitchen

*Painted new island in kitchen

*Put all new shelf paper in kitchen cabinets

*Am about halfway done painting kitchen cabinets black {more to come on that soon}

*Bought new cabinet handles for kitchen cabinets and drawers

*Cleaned out and organized the large storage closet downstairs

*Delivered items to ladies at church who I was giving things to

*Planted flowers in the gardens

*Shopped for all the summer clothes that the kids and I will need for the cruise and for summertime

And of course all the other stuff that comes with being a wife and Mom ... homeschooling, laundry, driving to the girls activities, food shopping, etc, etc, etc.

I'm sorry I don't have pictures {again} for all these tasks. If you don't mind being patient with me I plan to do a full house update with photos over the next few weeks {or months if life stays this busy!}. I really want to totally complete certain projects {such as my kitchen} before I post any photos. I promise it will be worth the wait!

Hop on over here to The Inspired Room to see what others have completed at this Party!

May Day - it's not too late!

No, I'm not making a desperate call for help as in MAYDAY, MAYDAY!!! I'm talking about a holiday that a friend and I were talking about ... "May Day". May Day is on May 1st every year. Both of us wondered what exactly it was so I googled it and came up with this:

"May Day was also celebrated by some early European settlers of the American continent. In some parts of the United States, May Baskets are made. These baskets are small and usually filled with flowers or treats and left at someone's doorstep. The basket giver would ring the bell and run away. The person receiving the basket would try to catch the fleeing giver. If they caught the person, a kiss was to be exchanged."

I saw some cute ideas on a crafty blog I enjoy called Skip to My Lou so I thought I'd share it with you! And I know it's already mid-afternoon on the night before May Day ... but I want to tell you that it's NOT TOO LATE to surprise someone with a May Day basket tomorrow! Go to Walmart {like I did!} and grab yourself a pretty flower {for only $1.50 each!}, put it in something pretty like a basket, tin can, glass jar or whatever you have on hand, tie some pretty ribbons around the outside and attach one of these FREE, pretty, printable tags. Then choose the person you would like to bless and drop off the surprise! Try not to get caught!

I already have in mind who I wish to bless with mine, but I can't tell you or it'll spoil the surprise!
Check out Skip to My Lou for more great May Day ideas ...

Project Procrastinators Party April 30th-May 14th

My friend Shawna never ceases to challenge or inspire me and this week she did it again! From her blog: "Do you have a list a mile long of little projects that need to be finished up? Or even started AND finished?! I know I do! That is why this little "party" caught my eye! Anyone want to join me?"

Seriously, how did Shawna know that this was EXACTLY what I needed?! I DO have a list a mile long of projects - many of them that were started and are still unfinished. And this time of year I always get the itch to finish them all so that I can spend all summer long enjoying my house, my family, my friends and my yard with no worries about that silly wall I meant to paint last winter!

Here is a snippet from the host, Melissa at Inspired Room:

PROJECT PROCRASTINATORS PARTY
APRIL 30 - May 14

I’m inviting you all over to share in my misery joy! And if you all want to join me in getting started on that project YOU are procrastinating on, I’ll give you moral support right back. I’ll put a special Mr. Linky out so we can declare to the world what our Procrastination Project is and then two weeks later on May 14 we’ll have Mr. Linky back so we can show off our accomplishments (however small they might be).

Even if we don’t finish, we’ll be farther along than if we hadn’t started, right?

APRIL 30, READY SET GO!

SO, because I'm such a procrastinator I don't even have BEFORE photos for this challenge. But I DO have a nice long list to share! And I promise to take photos as I'm working on each project. I've set myself up with quite a hefty task for these next 2 weeks - we have SO much going on in our lives, plus I'm now going to add a big list of projects. But if I don't set the bar high I know I will waste my time and not get enough done. Plus, I've also been feeling bad lately about spending so much time on the computer - so this is a great way to keep me busy and keep me off the computer. So if you don't hear much from me don't panic ... I'm still here, just getting a lot done. And I'll be back to post photos and all my completed projects.

OK here goes!!!

* Finish painting garden fence and install it

* Put together presentation board for science class

* Finish priming kitchen walls

* Paint kitchen walls

* Take {all my old junk} stuff to Goodwill {which will make my closets much cleaner - bonus!}

* Plant bulbs in the garden

* Hang white cabinet in bathroom

* Bring finished curtains to church

* Hang stuff in master bedroom

* Clean out girls closet/toys and donate stuff

* Put away all Easter decor and put out summer stuff

It's funny, the more I sit and think about what needs to get done, the more items I keep adding to my list! I do have even more tasks to complete - but for now I think I've given myself quite a big list. So I hope some of you will join the fun and stay tuned for the results in a couple weeks!

Catching Up On April

We have had such a busy {but fun!} month around here and I have lots of pictures but just not much energy to create several different blogs about them. So this is my April Catch Up blog! The weather around here has been simply gorgeous for the last week so we've thoroughly enjoyed the outdoors.

Here are a bunch of pictures - enjoy!

The girls and Bob found this FREE power wheels ride on - they were so excited they threw it in the van and brought it right home and it works great! It even had the charger and instruction manual with it! Joy has wanted one of these for most of her life but we've never bought one because of the cost - to find it for free was amazing and the girls just love it!


My friend Julie and her 3 daughters came to visit for a few days during Spring Break. We had a lot of fun together, the Moms got to scrapbook and the girls enjoyed playing together. Her youngest daughter just LOVED our dog and would follow her around and squeal with delight!
We took all the girls to the Zoo - it was a beautiful day! Here is my favorite animal - so majestic!
Julie and her youngest ...
This Ant eater was one of the coolest animals I have ever seen!
Taking a break for a snack ...
This Wallaby was adorable!
All 5 girls!
Julie's youngest - such a sweetheart and a very good baby!
Bob and I went to see Kenny Chesney in concert - it was so much fun! We enjoyed our overnight date without our kids and were very thankful to our friends who kept the girls overnight.
This weekend the temps soared into the 80's so the girls decided to break out the slip-n-slide!

We spent Sunday at a lovely park enjoying the day together ...

Little Miss Joy just learned how to ride a two-wheeler and is doing fantastic! She rides so fast trying to keep up with Hope now! She's had a couple of spills but gets back up and keeps going.
Hope in the flowers on Sunday.
It was so nice to enjoy the sunshine in just a t-shirt {no coats, sweaters or sweatshirts - yay!}
Joy in the flowers ...
We stopped for a yummy treat after the park.
On Monday we went on a field trip to our local Aquarium. They have this beautiful Sea Turtle right now ...
Hope is getting braver! She's holding a Spider Crab ...
Speaking of brave ... now that our deck is finished we decided to open the pool. These brave girls wanted to try it out on the second day it was open! BRRRRR, it still has a water temp of 62 degrees!
Yeah, no wonder you're chilly, silly girl!!

All about the 8's

I'm so sorry for my lack of posts lately ... honestly I've just been busy and had a real lack of creativity when it comes to what to blog about lately!

So today I share with you my list of 8's ...

8 Things I am looking forward to:
1. Our cruise
2. Summer
3. Finishing our school year
4. Morning quiet times on the deck
5. Swimming in the pool
6. Going to the beach
7. Planting and working in the garden
8. Seeing the girls reaction to the cruise ship

8 Things I did yesterday:
1. Went to a MOMS meeting at church
2. Ate lunch
3. Did laundry
4. Hand washed lots of dishes {until new dishwasher arrives!}
5. Planted seeds with the girls
6. Spent time on the computer
7. Shopped for swimsuits for the girls {looked at but didn't buy}
8. Went to a friend's Partylite Candle party

8 Things I wish I could do:
1. Have more discipline in my quiet times
2. Have more discipline to exercise
3. Have more discipline to eat healthy
4. Lose weight faster {are you sensing a pattern here???}
5. Spend more time scrapbooking and sewing
6. Be a better example to my girls
7. Finish all the projects I've started
8. Spend less time on the computer

8 Shows I watch:
1. Survivor
2. Dancing with the Stars
3. American Idol
4. Extreme Makeover Home Edition
5. America's Funniest Home Videos
6. ER {it's over now, but I've loved it for years!}
7. 18 and Counting
8. The Amazing Race

8 Books I love:
1. The Bible
2. Mom and Loving It
3. The Power of a Positive Mom
4. The Yada Yada books
5. Anything by Lisa Welchel
6. Anything by Karen Kingsbury
7. Anything by Lori Wick
8. Anything by Beverly Lewis

8 foods I could eat over and over again:
1. Lasagna
2. Pizza
3. Mac and cheese
4. Grilled cheese sandwiches
5. Brownies
6. Ice Cream
7. Cheesecake
8. Chocolate covered strawberries

8 things I plan to get done today:
1. Laundry
2. shower
3. exercise
4. eat well
5. have Mom over for dinner
6. go to the girl's show tonight
7. get outside to enjoy the beautiful weather
8. run some errands

So, with that list in mind .... guess I'd better run! Have a great weekend everyone!!