I am alive!

I really didn't mean to take the month of August off blogging but that is just how it worked out. With Eian starting school just a little ways into August (they take a week off in October for the Fair), and Ruth and Abbe starting home/online school the next week. Sigh. The month just got away from me.

We switched online schools this year. This new school is MUCH, MUCH MORE intense. I really like all that they provide. It has just been a pretty big adjustment from last year's online school and adding Abbe into the mix..... All of this has made for a few stressful weeks.

Yes, we have decided to keep Abbe home this year also. Last year ended up being a pretty good year for Ruth. So, with the doctor concluding that all of Abbe's stomach issues were due to her stressing herself out, we decided we would try it with her also.

So, now our kitchen/dining area has two computer desks and computers and school areas. Jason said he didn't know where else we could stuff something else in here. Jason and I sit at the laptop at the kitchen table off and on while we are helping the girls. This way we can see what they are doing and also try to get some things accomplished.

As most of you know, we decided to keep Ruth home last year after a very trying and difficult 5th grade year in regular school. Ruth has ADHD and very high anxiety which feed off of each other in a vicious circle. (Yes, we went to Children's Hospital for diagnosis. Yes, she sees a counselor. Yes, she takes medicine but at the very lowest level available. Yes, I did not want to believe the diagnosis when they told me. My child could not have this. Any hooo...) Ruth was getting bullied and was retaliating. So, Ruth was getting in trouble and not the girls who were doing the bullying. The teachers really tried to do something about this but they did not have the back up from the principal for any real change to happen. All of this was having a very negative affect on Ruth's self confidence which was already not very high anyway due to the ADHD and high anxiety. Another vicious circle for my girl. Having been bullied myself in High School, I know what it can do to a person's self confidence. And at age 10.....well, I knew something drastic needed to happen for my girl. My mom has said that she has noticed a huge positive change in Ruth over the past year which makes me happy. Especially since doing school at home is a pretty big challenge for the whole family.

Yes, that previous paragraph had a lot of "hot topic" words in it. Sigh. And I can see a lot of people rolling their eyes right now about the ADHD, the bullying, the stomach issues, the high anxiety.... These words are in the press a lot these days, and everyone is saying they are involved in one or more of these things. But these things ARE and have been happening here. If you want to believe it or not, that is up to you. We are doing what we feel is best for our children. If you know me well, then you know how much I struggled with Ruth's diagnosis. You know how terrible Ruth's fifth grade year was socially. And you know that I am a Big Mama Bear when it comes to my children.

Yes, Eian still goes to the local public school and will remain there as long as it continues to work for him. He has an excellent teacher this year. Also, Eian is a pretty social kid who likes (and needs) to be around other boys. Also, I know myself pretty well, and I think having Eian home too with all of the one-on-one work that is needed at his age would be waayyy too much for me. And he gets aggravated being home with all of us girls when Jason is at the firehouse! :-) Most of our neighbors have girls too! So he really needs to be throwing around some testosterone with someone.

Well, this ended up being a much wordier post than I had intended! Included some pictures from August for y'all.

My lovely vacation in Charleston

(I am just going to put some pictures of our vacation in - no particular order or place.)

We spent the first night of vacation with my dear friend Amy. We have been friends since we met at parent/baby swim class at the YMCA when Ruth was about six months old. Abbe took her first steps at Amy's house here in Circleville. Amy's first three boys are the same age as Ruth and Abbe. Her youngest will be in kindergarten this fall.

Amy's house looks like a decorator came in and did everything. That decorator would be Amy. She really has the 'touch' to make things look welcoming and lovely but also very comfortable at the same time. She has done this in every house I have seen her live in (here in Ohio, West Virginia and now Charleston, SC). I just don't have that same touch.

Of course, I don't think I took any pictures while we were at their house - I was really exhausted from the drive. Also, we spent that night talking until about 1 am - which is VERY LATE for this old lady.

The next day we went to our house by the beach. We had fun doing the beach thing some days and going into Charleston a couple of times.

The history of Charleston in AMAZING! Many on the houses were built in the late 1600's - yes that number is correct! I know in other countries that isn't really old but here in the USA it is. Jason and I were talking about how a house built in 1750 was really a new house compared to most.

I think the kids kind of got how old things truly were - at least I hope they did.

Jason and I really love history. We love to look and learn about it.

For anyone going to Charleston, the Charleston Museum is really cool. They have an AWESOME children's section. The kids were just telling Nana and Papa some of the stuff they learned there. I was impressed.

Right now they are having a rotating couture exhibit. WOW! Was it spectacular! But the seamstress in me would have loved to have seen the inside of the dresses and outfits too - not just how they look on a mannequin. How outfits are constructed is half of what makes them interesting to me.

Since it is almost midnight, I am going to wrap up. I will post more of our adventures later.

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Disclaimer: Jason took most of the photos in Charleston and I took most of the ones at the beach. I really didn't feel like carrying the big camera around Charleston. I know, LAME. But I think Jason did a pretty darn good job. Don't you?

Monday with Mom & Dad

Mom and Dad took us to their "secret" greenhouse, finally. Dad has talked about this place for the past couple of years, but never taken us.


Talked about the great prices, the wonderful plants, and the nice people who run it.


An Amish family runs this wonderful place. The kids were all helping out. Made me realize how much more my kids need to be doing around here.

One little girl told us that her job was to sweep the greenhouse floors. She was very sweet and constantly in motion, helping.

They had lots of purple martin houses....and lots and lots of purple martins.

When I asked the owner if I could take some pictures of his beautiful flowers, he pulls out a ladder, and asks if I would like to take pictures of the top. The top of the flowers in the greenhouse, that is.

He had dozens and dozens and dozens of lovely hanging baskets. These next two pictures are from where I just put the camera in the air and starting shooting.

I don't do hanging baskets any more because I would forget to water them. We really don't go in and out the front door very much, so out of sight means out of mind at my house. Of course now, I have Ruth who is tall enough to water them......hmmmmm....

Isn't this a really cool idea?

We drove up the road a  bit and saw this chicken coop which Ruth and Jason liked.

And baby percherons, Ruth was excited. She loves horses - especially baby ones.

And this really pretty farm.

Then, we stopped at an antique/junk dealer guy - he had just about anything you could want - big or small.

I will have to show you our treasures another day! This post already has plenty of pictures.

Jason really did some digging and came up with some good stuff.

A Rainy Saturday

Today was a nice rainy Saturday. We really needed this nice steady rain. It will really help Jason's new "square foot garden". It needed a good soaking for all of the vermiculite.

I just really don't like the wet dog smell that comes with the rain!

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(These pictures of the swamp are from last year.)

I am glad we decided not to go to Slate Run's "Secret Swamp" program. We would have been caught in the rain, back over the hill from the path, and a LLLOOONNGG way from the parking lot.

Hopefully, the salamanders will still be mating in April when they have the program again. It is probably the best nature program I have ever been to.

The kids absolutely love this program. You get muddy, dirty, wet, and up close and personal with nature.

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Abbe has been asking to host a 'tea party' for a few days. So, today seemed like a good day.

They are having hot chocolate, graham crackers, salty and sweet soft pretzels, and one corn dog. (Eian is my corn dog eater.) They probably won't be eating very much supper. ;-)

Lots of pretending to be living during the Revolutionary War. Makes for some very interesting conversations.

Nana and Papa found Abbe the tea set, cups and saucers.

Abbe is still looking for "pretty" cups every time we go to a thrift store. It is hard to find stuff not made in China. We found some made in Japan but she wasn't very thrilled with them. I told her to wait until she found some that she REALLY liked.

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Just a little comment/explanation about my absence last month.

I have depression. Depression that gets A LOT worse during the winter months. Thank goodness this winter was not that bad. Yes, I take medication for it. No, I do not go see a counselor. I DO however go see Ruth's counselor about kid issues which usually helps for everything else.

This is an inherited thing that many of my family members have. I just thank God many times a day that we now have medicine that can help, and that I don't have it as bad as some people. People who do not have depression have a hard time understanding those of us who do. It has taken Jason a long time to truly "get" it. But now I think he does, as much as he can, and it helps me to have him be able to give me the boost I sometimes need.

This blog is a lot of work. A lot more than I thought it would be. But when I wasn't doing it, I was constantly thinking "That would make a good blog post" or "I should get a picture of that". This made me realize, I like blogging. I like taking pictures, telling a story, describing our crafts, etc...

This blog also helps me realize how much good I have in my life. My wonderful husband, my goofy darling children, my family in general, and a great group of friends.  God has really blessed my life and this blog helps me realize that more than any other way truly has.

Also, my kids just like saying, "My mama has a website and she puts pictures of me on it!"

So, thank you Robin for your words of encouragement, they really do mean a lot more than you can know!

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Ruth, "Mama did you know that every time you run the dishwasher, you save five gallons of water?"

Me, "No, Ruth, I did not know that. I don't like to wash the dishes anyway and now I have an excellent reason!"

(I really, really HATE to wash the dishes.)

My Weekend

Saturday we went to Abbe's basketball game in the morning. She played some really good defense. I love watching her play, she has such concentration the whole time. My mom and dad came to watch too. Made Abbe really happy to have them there. (She hasn't been able to play for the last two weeks due to pneumonia.)

Then we went to the Ross County Historical Museums. They were open for free in honor of Ohio's Statehood Day. Dad joined us. We all had a pretty good time looking and learning. They have some pretty cool exhibits. After a while Ruth and Eian had had enough of being good and quiet and not touching anything, and were ready to run around some. As we are heading toward the door, a good two and a half hours after we had arrived, Ruth says, "Where is Grandma? We can't leave her here." Sometimes Ruth is such a blonde! (I can say that, being blonde myself.)

Sorry no pictures. I have gotten used to not carrying one. Need to get back in the habit.

This morning I woke up with the WORST headache. I think I need to follow my pharmacist's suggestion of taking an allergy medicine. So, we did not make it to church. Tried to sleep in to get rid of it. Did not work.

But we had already promised the kids that they could go to a friend's birthday skating party. She is in Eian's class but she also lives around the corner from us. So, all three kids know her - she is a really sweet girl. So, three ibuprofen later, which did not work, we were off to the roller rink.

Eian invented a new version of roller skating which was hilarious! Am I a bad mother because I was laughing so hard at him that I couldn't help him??? To quote Jason, "...many Bambi on the ice moments." He FINALLY got a LITTLE bit better right before we left.

Came home and took a little nap to try to get rid on my headache. Did not work.

Missed the only cycling that has been on tv in MONTHS. So really need to go, they are re-playing it now.

We had a great day.

We had such a good day that Ruth said, "I don't want to go to bed because I don't want Christmas to end."

Christmas Eve the kids and I went to my mom and dad's. My sister was there too. We took baked ravioli for dinner with homemade cookies for dessert.

We listened to The Worst Best Christmas Pageant Ever in the truck. The kids and I were cracking up. Yet, this story has an awesome message too.



The kids left milk, eggnog, cookies, a letter, a picture, gifts, and reindeer food for Santa.

Jason didn't get home from the firehouse til 9am on Christmas morning. I was prepared. Had the kids open a new movie, Muppets Treasure Island. Muppets, pirates, what's not to love? They had never watched it before so it really held their attention.

My homemade pecan rolls and coffee for breakfast. YUM.

Jason spent most of the day helping Abbe and Eian put their LEGO sets together. He said he is having a serious talk with Santa about the LEGO sets before next year. I think both of them had SIX bags of Legos!

All of the sudden it was 3:42 pm! And I wasn't even dressed. (Thank goodness I was just supposed to bring rolls and cookies because they were already made.)

Somehow we made it to my brother's house by 5 pm for dinner. Really had a nice relaxing time there too. It was so nice to sit and talk with everyone.

My kids really had a blast playing with their cousins.

We finished the story on CD on the way down and back to my brother's house.

It was another late night with the kids not getting to be til 10pm.....again. But this was probably one of the best and most relaxing Christmases I can remember having in a long while. I agreed with Ruth, I didn't want the day to end either.

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As soon as Jason walked in the door on Christmas morning, I knew something bad had happened that night. After so many years as a Firefighter wife, I can tell immediately when he walks through the door, and I know to let him tell me when he is ready. I just pray for him and whatever happened, and wait. A little bit later he tells me they had a fire in which three people died - one of which was a child. Then, he hugs all the kids, tells them in basic terms what happened, and that he may be a little withdrawn today. His job truly makes you appreciate all that God has blessed us with: three great kids, a wonderful family, supportive friends, a safe home, and a vocation he truly loves.

Please pray for this family who lost so much. And pray for the Firefighters who were there that night.