Turning to Fall

We had our first Girl Scout meeting on Tuesday. We have twelve of the little girls (Daisies and Brownies) and it was a busy, crazy time. I think we'll get it figured out, but we might have to corral them in a smaller room to stop the temptation for them to run around the room. My new Brownie leader brought in the craft to do. I just had to come up with some games.

Tuesday night was Open House at the school. We got to meet all the teachers and they all seem really great! We are excited for the year. Two of Kelby's teachers even email once a week to let everyone know what is going on! That helps so much.

I guess I have a reputation now...one of fighting for the kids. A friend called to tell me of the something their family has come up against at the high school. They are reading a book as Sophomores with multiple *really* bad words on each page and a sex scene. Yikes! I don't know why that is necessary and I certainly want to be aware of these things as a parent. They didn't have any permission slips or information to the parents about it and they won't even let the kids take their books home. So, yes, I am nervous. On the other hand...if I am made aware and given the choice, I think I would choose to let the girls read the book, but I'd read it too so we could have some discussions. The book's theme is actually an thought provoking one. It is called "Feed" and is about the feed kids get from culture and media. Funny thing is that the way the book is written...it becomes a part of that toxic "feed" it is angling against!

On Saturday we went fishing up at Newhalem. We didn't go camping because of the impending rain, but Saturday was beautiful. We even ran into the Oates Family and Debbie and George with cousins Riley and Luke, so it was a real party! Mike taught the girls how to fly fish and between them they caught (and released) 17 fish! The leaves are starting to turn and the trees were so beautiful up there! Mike took great pictures, but I don't think he's got them off his camera yet.

I'm in the process of going through a year's worth of photos to have them printed for my scrapbooking retreat this weekend! That is always the hardest part of going, but I get so much done. That is pretty much all the scrapbooking I do each year.

Everyone is going great here! Hugs!

Shawna

Rainy Fall has Started

This week filled up quick! 

 

Got the house cleaned on Monday, my “work” day. My plan is to stay home every Monday to get all my housework stuff done, so I can enjoy the rest of the week. 

We just started hosting a small group for our new church on Mondays. Just one couple came last week, but it was a really good time with good questions to discuss. We are getting to know a lot of new people and think we’ll be sticking with this church now for awhile. Mike is already helping out with their Power Point lyric slides for worship. We will probably help them with some web stuff too.

On Tuesday morning I got to go out to LaConner with Debbie and out to a birthday lunch of Chinese food. Yummy fun! I’m so excited because I picked up a ball of yarn and a new pattern to make some socks. I’ve been craving a new knitting project with the weather getting cooler. I think the socks will be tricky when I get to the heel, but I’m ready for the challenge!

 

 

 

That night we had a quick parent meeting/potluck at the park for Anika’s Girl Scout Troop. Then I was off to a leader meeting.

 

On Wednesday Kelby and Tegan went back to Studio A at His Place. That is the mid-week program for kids from 3rd to 6th grade. They have loved it, so we figure we’ll keep bringing them so they get to see their His Place friends and cousins.

 

On Thursday I went to another school’s Open House to man a Girl Scout information table. I wish there were more troops to stick girls in. There are always more girls interested than leaders available.

 

On Friday Mike went fishing/hiking with his dad. They got relatively good weather for their day. They found the beautiful beginnings of fall colors up there. Mike even caught a fairly good sized fish. They ended up having to help a couple when, on their way home, they witnessed their truck lose it’s front wheel while pulling a trailer. It happened where there was no cell service so they had to drive the wife into town…I’d guess about a 45 minute drive from where they were to contact a state patrol officer and then 45 minutes back up to her truck. They thought they’d never find out if the couple made it on their way, but she accidentally left her phone in our van. So yesterday her son-in-law stopped by to pick it up and we got to hear the whole story. They made it home safe and sound at about 5:30 am the next day! Yikes!

 

 

 

 

 

We seem to be managing the whole band thing okay so far. Mike takes Kelby to school in the morning. She loves it! I don’t even have to remind her to practice yet.

 

 

 

On Saturday I got to go to a Beth Moore simulcast. A simulcast is like attending a big conference, but you watch it on the screen of local churches. I really enjoyed the speaker and music. I went with ladies from our new church and went out to lunch with them. Fun!

 

 

On Sunday we had more rainy weather. The girls didn’t seem to mind and rollerbladed in the rain with the neighborhood kids. Mike watched the football game while setting up a new computer for Debbie and George.

 

 

That evening a bunch of people from church went up to pray for a family where the Dad has leukemia. He’s not responding to treatment, so his prognosis isn’t very good. It is so sad because they have four great kids. They are being so strong and faithful though and trusting God no matter what happens. I love how this church supports them. It is amazing.

 

That’s about it. I didn’t take many pictures this week. There isn’t much to photograph if the girls are at school all day. At least Mike got some good ones.

 

Love to you all!

 

Shawna

 

First Week of School

The first few days of school slipped by and then we were into that three day weekend. We didn't do too much. On Saturday morning I took the girls to the roller-skating rink to meet up with some other girls from our Daisy/Brownie Girl Scout troop.

 

Monday was my birthday and we spent the rainy day laying around and I finished a book. It is has been so long since I finished a book for my book club. Mike made me Eggs Benedict from scratch for my birthday breakfast! He is so talented! We went out to Asian1 for dinner. I love eating out and this was a tasty place.

 

The rest of the week was just full with school and me trying to catch up on life. I can't even remember what I did all week. My life is full of grocery shopping, returning stuff we didn't need for school, helping some ladies prepare for a Proverbs 31 University breakfast, going to meetings, and preparing for Girl Scouts.

 

On Wednesday we went to Children's for an appointment with the ACCESS Survivor program just to get Kelby's regular check up. All looks well and we won't have to do that again for another year!

 

That night we took Kelby to the band meeting. This was were she found out about the program and got to try some different instruments. All summer she said she wanted to play the flute, then that night she changed to clarinet. She can get nice sound of it and the flute was harder. It was also heavier to hold out with those little arms.

 

We only had until the next Monday to get her an instrument, so I found one to rent the next day. We'd like to buy one, but they are pretty pricey. The one we have could be rented to own. At least this way we have time to make sure she really likes it. I think she will. She is very excited.

 

It is going to be a challenge to get all the work done that she has now. I've told her she'll probably have less time to play now. She's okay with that. I think this is really going to be a growing-up year.

 

On Friday night we had the older Junior/Cadette Girl Scouts over for a sleepover. That helped us kick off our year. It was so much fun. We had make-your-own mini-pizzas for dinner and made little backpacks out of old t-shirts. Then we had a campfire and s'mores, then went to sleep outside in a tent. I slept out with them, but I had an air mattress and slept really good this time.

 

Making Dinner

 

 

In the morning we had pancakes and sausage for breakfast and then did a couple more crafts. Then they went home about 11:30. I enjoyed it so much. There are only 7 big girls, so it is a very manageable and fun number. This is going to be a great year for Girl Scouts!

 

Making Breakfast

 

On Sunday we went to church, then over to Debbie and George's for hotdogs, corn, and football! That was nice to see everyone we don't get to see as much now that we are going to a different church.

 

We are on to a new week and we'll see how this new band routine works out. Kelby's going to have to get up and get ready quick now. She has to be at the Middle School at 7:40 pm. Apparently that is the way it will be next year every day. I also found out that they’ll have no bus in middle school or high school, so she’ll have to walk or ride her bike. Yikes!

A Blast Through August

Whoa, I haven’t posted since we got back from our big Little House trip! However will I document the rest of my August? It will take pages and pages! I’ll try to keep it short and sweet, but let’s just say that today’s first of school is a welcome rest from all the great fun we’ve had all summer.

So, we’ll start with the end…

September 1 – The First Day of School


Aren’t they beautiful? They look so cute in these outfits. It was the only reason Kelby was excited for today…she wanted to wear her new clothes. We’ve been hunting and gathering a few new odds and ends over the last month. I made them their trendy little head bands.

I took them to school this morning and dropped them off. They all seemed to be ready to roll, but I dropped Kelby off last and then I saw all those tall and grown-up looking sixth graders in her class. She must be the shortest one. There didn’t seem to be any friendly little girls in there. I felt like I was leaving my little lamb in a lion’s den. I’m so nervous for this year for her. Her teacher did seem nice at least. I walked out and was supposed to help other kids find their rooms, but I was in tears once I started talking to other moms. (True, I did stay up too late last night and I am tired…but still, this is looking to be a scary year.) Kelby’s best friend Taylor is not in her class this year. Poor thing….and think about NEXT year…middle school! Yikes!

We’ll I guess we’ll see how the girls feel about their day when they get home. This will be the first year of everyone being in school all day. Weird. I’m trying to figure out what I’m to do now. Hmmm….

Okay, So Back to August

After our fabulous trip to Minnesota and back, I think I had one week home without too much planned. During that week, I prepared myself for our 2nd Annual “Mommy and Me Bible Camp”.

Whenever we were home for a bit, the girls would have friends over and swim in the pool in the backyard. The weather was reasonable this August. The cul-de-sac was always full of tons of kids to play with too.

Bible Camp – Monday, August 9th

We went out to Deception Pass campground like last year. I had to reserve the spot a long time in advance. This year’s theme was “Power Filled”. We took it to a Super Hero level and talked about the “super powers” we all have with the Holy Spirit. You know, those fruits of the Spirit…love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control.



The beautiful setting in the woods and the beach and lake made it a perfect location!
My camera battery died the first night, so I have only a mish-mash of pictures from my phone and Kelby and Tegan’s cameras.

We made these super hero shirts. The tie-dying we did at home, but we painted on the logos as a craft during our campout.



And these journals…

 
Then we read the Bible together and talked about it some, but mostly we played together and took walks and enjoyed the beach and the lake.



For almost four hours each on Tuesday and Wednesday we played at the water. The girls love the sandy shore and warmer water of the lake most of the time. Then we’d also visit the beach and wade in the waves.



And of course there were campfires. Campfires that I built all by myself…using the cool cotton ball/petroleum jelly fire starters that I learned to make and taught at Girl Scout Twlight camp! Ooooh, impressive right?!

There were plenty of campfire treats like s’mores, banana boats, and campfire pies. (Not all on the same day though.) I also made a couple dutch oven recipes.

Here’s our Bible study by the fire on the last morning.



Then we packed up and went down to the foggy beach to look for sea glass and eat our lunch.



We got home on Thursday afternoon. That weekend was easy going. Mike and Tegan worked in the garden and Kelby learned how to mow the front yard!

   
Andrea Comes to Town – Sunday, August 15th

My little sister got to come and visit us the next week. We had a great time doin’ a little this and a little that.



We went shopping in Fairhaven and to Lake Padden the first day. This is the cool toy store up there. I really want this cape. I don’t know why and it is $90, but it is so cool!





On Tuesday we went to the Outlet malls. Didn’t find too much for back-to-school there. That was a bust, but it was still fun shopping. I had to ditch my sister for a meeting that night for Girl Scouts. Lame, right! We still got to watch a movie when I got home though. We also introduced her to a fun crafty project…Shrink-It plastic. We made bracelets, necklaces, and earrings.



On Wednesday we went to the Lynden fair. The girls had a great time looking at the animals and we tried a couple new yummy treats there.



Tried my first funnel cake…



Decided my very favorite animal at the fair are draft horses…



Thought it was pretty cute that Anika wore her pink cowboy hat to the fair…

   
and enjoyed looking at the arts and crafts entries, including the collections…



On Thursday we did a little more shopping and went out to lunch at Olive Garden. I’m so mad that the only picture I have of me and Andrea together is blurry! I couldn’t find the charge wire for my regular camera so I was using my phone. We still look cute together though.

 

Girl Scout Camp Out

So, I dropped Andrea off at the airport at 5:30 pm on Thursday, went home and got the girls and took them to my co-leader’s house for a Girl Scout backyard campout at 7:00! We split the younger and older girls up into two troops this year and this campout was just for the younger girls. I have a great new leader for the Brownies. She hosted, organized, and planned the whole thing so I just basically got to show up with my girls. Kelby and Tegan came too…to be “helpers” and mostly because I didn’t want them to be at home alone all day the next day.

We had a games, snacks, and a campfire that night…and fun activities, crafts, and food the next day. They even got to try tie-dying as a troop! It was fun to see them as a group again. I’m excited to get back to our meetings.



The girls loved Joan’s nice pond and fish!



We got home at about 6:00 pm on Friday.

Anniversary Trip

Then…I feel like I’m running out of breath now just retelling all the fun and exciting stuff we did in August…then on Saturday we got to drop the girls off at Mike’s parents house and Mike and I left on a little anniversary road trip!

The girls really enjoyed the time with Grandma and crazy Grandpa that weekend!



We really enjoyed our time away. We took the “Cascade Loop” drive which just takes you through two of my favorite towns…Leavenworth and Winthrop. We tried to go on the hike we missed out on the last time we were in Leavenworth because "no dogs allowed”. But this time we were turned away because there was a fire up there! Someday…someday we’ll get to that lake!

We stopped at a fun fruit stand on our way to Wenatchee and picked up some treats for our trip.

 

We found a funky hotel in Wenatchee that was new, but decorated like the 50’s. It was cool. After exploring the Ohme Gardens and walking along the river we went back and changed into “fancy” clothes and went out to dinner. We found a great little Italian restaurant there with delicious food!




We drove the next day from Wenatchee to Winthrop. We’ve been to Winthrop many times before, but not from this direction. There are hills and hills full of fruit trees throughout the area and little fruit stands. The one we stopped at had this made-to-order ice cream! They mixed it up and froze it on the spot in a cool Kitchenaid-type machine with a liquid nitrogen attachment. Super yummy ice cream!



In Winthrop we found a cabin on the river that had a private hot tub on the deck. It had a full kitchen and everything so we picked up our favorite “date-night” foods from our first year of marriage and had that for dinner….pizza rolls, muenster cheese, wheat thins, and sparkling cider! I know, we are odd.

This was our celebration of 13 years of marriage. We had a really great time on the trip, but our marriage has been great all along. I am a lucky girl! A match made in heaven I think.

On the way home Monday, we stopped to take in a hike. We went up to Blue Lake at the top of the Cascade pass. Mike brought his fishing pole and I relaxed in the sun. It was a hard hike up for me…I’m out of shape! It was worth it!



Down to the Bare Wire

On Tuesday, the night after we got home, I had to teach a Girl Scout class to new leaders. That was the first time I did it. It went pretty well. Then on Wednesday it was just one week left until school started. I had some more shopping to do for back-to-school stuff. I can’t remember where else the rest of last week went. I hate it when you feel so busy at all times, but you look back and can’t remember accomplishing anything.

Oh wait, I remember something now. The girls played with friends all day and evening, except on Thursday when we got on the Skat Bus and took a ride into Burlington to the mall. It isn’t anything fancy, but the girls enjoy our annual “Skat” trip. That was the day we found the “first-day-of-school” outfits. We had Chinese food for lunch, my favorite!

Here they are playing were they are too big to be playing now…



Trying on clothes…
 

Riding the bus…


 

Mike left on Sunday morning to go to a conference in San Francisco, but the girls and I went to church and enjoyed a potluck afterward…then went shopping some more after that! We were trying to track down good deals on shoes and that was tricky!

On Monday, after spending the morning organizing and cleaning Tegan’s bedroom, we went up to Bellingham to go ice skating. I think that was Kelby’s idea. It ended up being a really nice time. We should do that more often. We’ve tried it before, but Anika was always needing so much help. She is old enough now! Now I just need to track down some ice skates we can keep instead of renting theirs!


 


Then yesterday, we cleaned Kelby and Anika’s rooms and got all the school supplies ready to go.

Then we were READY. Phew! That was tough.

So that brings me back to today. I told you…a crazy August. All good, but now I’m pooped. So, off they went today and then I could rest…or write this blog post. I'm sure I’ll find all kinds of crazy things to fill up my time. Wouldn’t it be neat if one of those crazy things would actually make me some money?! We’ll at least I got a new website designed and put into action today. Check out http://www.prov31u.com/. I really love this organization and have enjoyed attending the breakfasts when I can make it. Now they have a fancy new website.

So, when the girls got home from school today, the report was pretty good. They all like their teachers. Kelby has three teachers and likes them all. She said her math teacher was funny, so maybe that will help engage her attention this year. Kelby said the kids in her class ignore her, but I suppose that she’ll make a friend or two in time. She didn’t seem too upset about it.

Okay, I promise I’ll go to bed early tonight!