Learning to Blog All Over Again

I decided to take our family pictures this year. Unfortunately I don't have a good reputation with my family concerning family pictures. I get a little irritable and it usually ends up with me saying, "EVERYONE KNOCK IT OFF, SETTLE DOWN AND SMILE!!!". We need to go and try again later in the evening so that we have some better light but these are my favorites. We decided to go to Cafe Sabor in Garden City since we were all dressed up. I love those moments when everyone is soft and generous and we just enjoy one another. This was one of those nights.

Inspired by two friends; one that blogs everyday and another that just started again, I have also decided to start blogging again. I want to chronicle our family's life and experiences, especially now that we are homeschooling. It's going to be an adventure.

Wow- long time huh?

Hi. Thanks for still reading my blog. It has been a good long time. I'll try not to make this really long and catch up at the same time. We'll see. Ellie, Lily and Bridger were up last night with a stomach bug and so we are home from church. Everyone is pretty relaxed and laying around in their jammies so it seemd like an ideal time to catch up with the blog.

The kids are all doing well. Cassie is DRIVING!! It is a dream though because she loves to drive and do errands and run around for me. I'm sure that the newness will wear off for her and there may be grumbling about it in the future but it is really nice right now. She is involved in show choir and student council. She also has a part time job at our grocery store.

Treven is getting ready for basketball try-outs right before Christmas. He has a great group of friends that he does a lot with and it seem like there are always at least two extra teenage boys over here on the weekends. I love that they enjoy coming over.

Bridger got his cast off but missed basketball because of his broken arm. I can't believe that he will be in middle school next year. I go in and help in his classroom and he is very serious at school but not so much at home. He has a strong spirit and a desire to do what is right.

Ellie is enjoying 2nd grade. She is a reader and one of those kids that just keeps trying unitl she gets it done. She is such a good big sister to Lily and Emmie, very patient and caring.

Lily is almost always happy and she loves making new frineds. After a rocky start ("But I just miss you so MUCH mom that when I think about you I cry" to "I didn't think about you at all today" ) she really enjoys kindergarten.

Emmie is a goer and has the vocabulary of a ten year old which makes her a highly entertaining challenge to her mom. She LOVES her dad the most but will come and snuggle with me if she wakes up first. She likes hair paraphernalia and it is not uncommon for her to have ponytails, plus a headband and various clips, bows and barrets in at the same time. Our Christmas tree is completely un-decorated until the end of Emmie's arm length. It will be a really fun Christmas because she understands what the purpose of Santa Clause is now and wants to write him a letter everyday.

Jared is working hard at the insurance business. He loves being his own boss. I still need to post pictures of our building. It has been a drug store, mortuary, Dr's office, courtroom, florist. I have been trying to find out the history of it because we would like to slowly restore it. Unfortunately it has been neglected and there is a lot of work to do. We just got a new roof put on. New windows are next.

The embroidery business is busy. I am enjoying it more and have discovered that I like the creative process of taking someone's idea and turning it into something that they can hold in their hands and enjoy. I'll post some pictures of some of the projects I've done. Hopefully soon. :)

Four of my siblings and their families along with my Mom and Dad came to Montpelier for Thanksgiving. It was so enjoyable having them here. I love the feeling of a house full of family eating, visiting and enjoying each other. We were sad to see them go. The day ofter Thanksgiving we went skiing and Jared taught Lily to ski. She did great. My favorite quote of the day, "Mom, I did so good and the next time I will do even gooder!!"

True

I'm not sure why the whole screen isn't there but what this young woman in saying is true. LBJ's "war on poverty" was a tragic thing.

It's getting clearer

oregano harvest


The summer has flown by. We have enjoyed the heck out of it. We are waiting patiently for tomatoes to ripen and zucchini to get bigger. The cool spring that we had has set things back a bit. We are hoping that our usual "third week of August frost" will skip us this year. The kids are getting ready to go back to school and about this time I always have the "should I homeschool" conversation in my head. This year the answer is no. I have been attending all of the school board meetings through the summer and it has been a valuable experience. I love where we live. The Bear Lake community is wonderful. Jared has been in the insurance business for about three weeks now. I'll post a picture of our 100 year old building. We have to wait a year to change the name so it will still be "Hulme Insurance" for that time period. I admire his drive and am thankful for his desire to protect and provide for his family.



I am in the process of rereading "The Screwtape Letters" by C.S. Lewis. The book is a series of letters from Screwtape to his nephew Wormwood. Screwtape is a senior devil giving advice to Wormwood a junior devil on how to tempt a human (referred to as his "patient") that he has been assigned to. It is an incredible book and it has made it more plain to me that there really aren't any "new" ideologies. There may be new technology or new packaging but it really comes back to the same battle of ideas that have always been. One of my favorite quotes so far in the book:

"Do what you will, there is going to be some benevolence, as well as some malice, in your patient's soul. The great thing is to direct the malice to his immediate neighbors whom he meets every day and to thrust his benevolence out to the remote circumference, to people he does not know. The malice thus becomes wholly real and the benevolence largely imaginary."

Sunday Comics

Bridger: Hey Mom.
Me: Yes?
Bridger: I quit my job at the helium factory. I couldn't stand being talked to that way.