Little Movers

Yesterday I volunteered my family to help one of my sisters and her husband move. I didn't exactly consult with my family. My sister needed help and we were available so it's what we needed to do.

I'm recording this little 3 hour block of our lives because I was SO PROUD of all 4 of the children. Not one of them complained about going. When we arrived all of them picked up something that they could carry and walked down the stairs. And back up again to the 3rd story apartment that did not have an elevator. Then they walked back down again. Over and over. When Isaiah couldn't keep up with carrying things, he just walked up and down with us. When Jeremy took a shift being the "Tetras Man" in the moving truck, some of them stayed with him. They sat on the balcony to each their packed lunch. And then they started working again. None of the men got frustrated with the children being in their way.

I was just really proud of how all of them handled themselves. They were treated to Cook Out milkshakes on the way home--which they had to wait to eat until we got home because I had NO desire to go into a restaurant and we are still driving the Suburban and there is NO eating in the Suburban. So that may have been the end of the good attitudes for a couple of them. lol.

Riding in Style

Two weeks ago I was at my parents house and a thunderstorm came up. Mom and I noticed that a limb fell, but I didn't think anything of it. On my way home I noticed that I had a crack all the way across the top of my windshield. And then Jeremy noticed a decent dent in the roof right above the windshield.

We have comprehensive coverage on our van so we went ahead and scheduled to get it fixed. I opted to wait until this week to get it done because last week Hurricane Florence was headed towards us and I didn't want a rental sitting in my driveway during a storm. lol.

So Monday morning Jeremy dropped off the van at the body shop and Hertz picked him up and took him to the rental center. Our insurance also covered a large percent of a rental. And Jeremy came home in his '18 Suburban. All the bells and whistles. 19k miles. And then he told me what it would cost off the lot--starting at $50,000. Whaaat??!!

We went for a drive (and Rita's ice) on Monday evening so that I could get a feel for it. That thing is huge! I'm a lot more comfortable now on Friday, but, man, I am still self conscious on the road.

It's a fun experience to drive a fancy vehicle, but I would never spend that kind of money on a car. It's stressful to have to worry about every knick and scratch. I think my almost 10 year old van can get me around just as well as this fancy beast! It looks like we have the Suburban through the weekend, but I'll be happy to get the van back.

Projects

There are a couple projects started in my house, but this one was pretty easy to finish. It still took the motivation of my Mom bringing up a few tools (and herself!) to help me to get it finished!

This wooden piece is from a desk chair that we had for Jeremy. That chair served it's purpose and a wheel was broken so it was broken down into pieces and put on the burn pile.

Probably last fall my mother in law was out at the burn pile with the children and came back to the house with this piece. She said it needed to be reclaimed ad repurposed. So she took it home and eventually painted it and added the knobs.

I brought it home with me in July and planned to finish it. We used sandpaper to give it a distressed look and attached chicken wire the back. It's hanging right inside the back door.

I decided that I liked using small clothes pins to add pictures. I used a couple of my Grandma that I already had. I might make it season with little garlands from the knobs.

I didn't think I would be that crazy about this piece, but it ended up making me very happy!

Sept. 7 Ice Cream

I knew that I wanted to do something to remember Gramma on the day that she passed away. I wanted it to included Grandad and be something that she really enjoyed. I decided on ice cream at Chesapeake Dairy. Mom was off work and Dad was available so all of us met there and enjoyed ice cream and remembering Gramma. Gramma took pictures every single time she went to Chesapeake Dairy--usually of everyone sitting on the cow benches. And then she would get multiple reprints of the photo and send them to the 10 or so friends that she sent pictures to! I was cheap and didn't order the photos, but I did post the picture on facebook so that my friends--and very casual acquaintances (lol)--could see the picture.

After ice cream we went to Mom and Dad's house and I sat with Grandad and visited. The children played in his house which hasn't happened much this past year. All of them say they feel sad when they are in his house because it makes them miss Gramma. I totally get it. I do too! It was good to just be with Grandad.

I have two grandparents and they are in their 90s. What I've learned this year is that no matter how much time you have with someone, in this case grandparents, it is never enough time. In light of that, I'll make the most of every opportunity I have for a conversation or a visit.

Joy Dare::August

5650. Hummingbirds in my flowers

5651. Dreaming up ideas with a friend

5652. Delivering supper and meeting a new baby

5653. Josiah scored a goal at sports camp

5654. All the excitement for a slumber party

5655. Friend time

5656. Talking way too late at Dairy Queen

5657. New friends for the kids and me

5658. Got done what I needed to get done

5659. Aliza said I was super Mom

5660. Jeremy got to play soccer

5661. Cooking for Mom's birthday supper

5662. The girls enjoying Mega Sports church service

5663. Hiding for a while in the afternoon

5664. Family movie night--God's Not Dead 2

5665. Talking flowers

5666. Becoming more comfortable with hospitality

5667. Anna and Lydia loved gymnastics

5668. A good friend caring about me

5669. Giving a bouquet away

5670. Gearing up for the trip

5671. On the road!

5672. Pool time

5673. Flight 93 Memorial

5674. Seeing Grandma

5675. A wonderful place to stay

5676. Caffeine

5677. Learning a lot at Sauder Village

5678. Beautiful evening at the park

5679. Note in my kindle

5680. Wooden toys

5681. Train ride and horse and carriage ride

5682. All of the children got along so well

5683. We finished our picnic before the rain

5684. Having the thought to check the oil

5685. Grandma

5686. So many hours with my sister

5687. Sunflower and foxglove

 5688. Hearing Jeremy's stories
5689. Aliza and a friend can babysit together
5690. Checking out all the new school books
5691. Walking
5692. Aliza's negotiation skills
5693. Back to no morning screen time
5694. All inclusive lab kit

 5695. Organizing for school
5696. Lovely morning at the cove

 5697. Finding some great deals
5698. Anna over the moon excited about shoes

 5699. Shopping alone with each child
5700. Early bedtime amazingness
5701. Jeremy and Josiah got to golf
5702. Birthday party afternoon
5703. The sound system fried from a power surge, but Dad had brought a boom box for the children's story, Jeremy had an fm transmitter in his car (we had driven separately) and Janell had AAA batteries in her car sowe could play the music list through the *very old* boom box.
5704. Heart to heart with Josiah
5705. Aliza had a perfect start in 7th grade
5706. Anna has gained confidence in reading
5707. The humidity broke and it's a wonderful temperature
5708. Two goldfinches among the flowers
5709. An answer I've been looking for
5710. Sharing about gifts
5711. My 6 children listening quietly
5712. Calm enough to hold the boundary
5713. Isaiah's drawing
 5714. Playing at the park
5715. Lovely afternoon at the cove
5716. More sunflowers
5717. Visiting with Grandad
5718. Bikes the right size for all the children
5719. Another step toward the kitchen painted

 5720. Ice cream date with Josiah
5721. Grandma Friendly's
5722. Found egg "art"

 5723. These last days of summer...
5724. Anna loves every piece of clothing I buy for her
5725. Someone secretly paid for my book
5726. Surprise mail
5727. Belly laughs
5728. Aliza's diligence
5729. Exercising
5730. Dahlia bloom

 5731. Complete cooperation for family pictures
5732. A special lunch

5733. Window shopping
5734. Josiah catching a fish and trying out the excavator