Wordless Wednesday-Family Pictures

Posted on November 8, 2016 by Sheila

We had family pictures made on Sunday. I am sure I will be posting more as we get them for here is a sneak peek. The other pictures the kids took while getting dressed!

Happy Halloween 2016

Posted on October 31, 2016 by Sheila

Celebrity Chefs

Trunk or Treat fun at Church

Five Things Friday-10/28/2016

Posted on October 28, 2016 by Sheila

This week has been a really hard week for me. I am think that the stress of the last several months in addition to our crazy busy schedule caught up with me. I have been struggling to just keep my head above water and even lost it several times this week. However, I do see light at the end of the tunnel and God continues to provide blessing big and small on a regular basis. I have decide that I am going to stop “trying to catch up” and enjoy the moment. What this did mean for me was that I shredded all the receipts on my desk that I want to write about. This weekend is not full and should give us all some time to slow down and catch up.
Lily is loving charter school. Even on the days that regular school is out. I am continuing to see progress and hear her working to finish assignments. This is officially the end of the first quarter and I am 100% confident that we made the right decision with NC K-12.
Zach’s last baseball game was Monday of this week. He LOVES baseball which is a huge surprise to me. He is already talking about the spring. He is also growing and will need new cleats and a new uniform. I hope he continue to try different sports, but if baseball is what he loves than guess we will spend more time on the baseball field.
The three little kids all had Dentist appointments on Thursday. We are excited that no one had any cavities. But the even better news is that it was discovered that Kendall had several wires that were continuing to rub against her cheek. She thought this was normal and therefore had not complained. Our orthodontist office was closed and will be closed to Monday morning but the dentist cut the wires. Kendall already is acting much happier and is back to eating regular food.\
The weather here is strange but enjoyable. We were able to turn off the air in mid September and are still not using the heat. Our electric bill for Oct is below $200 and I am hopeful for an even lower bill in November. The other benefit to the weather is that we are still harvesting a few tomatoes and peppers. In fact this is by far the best harvest of pepper that we have ever had. I am so excited to be able to flash freeze and may be able to use for the entire winter! Our first frost is still at least 2 weeks away according to the weather, so I am watering and growing!

Wordless Wednesday

Posted on October 26, 2016 by Sheila

Lily went on a Middle School Beach Retreat last weekend….

Zach had his last baseball game on Monday…

: on 2nd base

5 Positive Things Friday-10/21/2016

Posted on October 21, 2016 by Sheila

Our family has received several blessing and/or positive things are happening this week but instead of me shouting from the rooftop, I am still sitting in the pile of life is not fair. So I am going to be very intentional in being positive and thankful this week.

My mother’s health is continuing to improve. She received good news this week and has started taking small steps on her temporary new leg. She probably has another 8-10 weeks before things are “normal” again but definitely improvements this week.
Kendall has been tolerating her new braces for the past three days without needing medicine. In fact tonight she is eating chips which is a huge step for her.
Matt and I both received a small increase in wages this week. I have to keep reminding myself any increase is a good thing.
Matt and I have both been earning extra money with several apps. So far this month we have received an additional $110 this month so far! In addition to a box of food items and a box of dog items.
A very sweet friend offered to stay at cheerleading last night so that I could “experience” an entire baseball game in person. I got to watch Zach get a hit and score a run with this team WINNING!

Wordless Tuesday- Sweet Potatoes

Posted on October 18, 2016 by Sheila

We still don’t have our first frost in the forecast but at least one of the sweet potato vines has started turning brown. We decided it would be best to go ahead and dig up the potatoes while they are still healthy. This is always fun!

We feed the vines to our neighbor’s goats and bull.

The potatoes were HUGE! Now to enjoy the fruits of our labor! The best part is these potatoes were completely free because I started from potatoes from last year!

Wordless Wednesday- Amanda’s 25th Birthday

Posted on October 12, 2016 by Sheila

5 Things Friday 10/07/2016-

Posted on October 7, 2016 by Sheila

Most if not all this weeks event are financial!

Several of our monthly bills are lower than expected this month including cable (refund on over tax), water and electric bill.
I purchased an Orchard In A Box. We will be planting when it arrives in November. I am super excited! We should be harvesting fruit in 3-5 years. This is long range planning for sure but in 5 years we will have 3 teenagers including a boy so I am fairly certain that our food bill will go up instead of down! I did take this expense out of our normal grocery fund.
Zach is growing! I really this morning that we are going to NEED to purchase at least 5 new pair of pants for him. He and I will be heading to the local goodwill tomorrow. If we are not able to find things there it will be a major trip to Winston on Sunday.
I have finished the majority of my Christmas shopping! I still need to buy my nieces gifts and we will be purchasing pictures for my parents. I am so excited to have this expense out of the way.
In addition to the orchard, we are going to add pavers around the square foot garden in order to make it easier to maintain! We are using gift cards earned from Lowes and Swagbucks to cover this expense.