I love the feeling of getting my home back in order again, after the holidays are over.

I’ve been talking to my friends, and my mom (who is also my friend), and it seems like most of us are in the mood to organize.

My problem with organization is that I lack inner inspiration and creativity, and that’s when I turn to books and magazines, and my journals.

I got a book out of the library, Style for Living, by Alexandra Stoddard.  I first heard of this designer from my friend Joanna, years ago.  I now turn to Stoddard’s books when I need a little push to clean up, make my home beautiful, and organize.

Our surroundings are of prime importance to our sense of well-being and contentment.  They can make all the difference in the quality of our lives.

It is actually in your hands to create a dynamic, uplifting place where happiness is a natural state of mind.

Alexandra Stoddard

As a Christian, I believe that my home should reflect the inner peace and beauty of a soul saved by Christ…that our homes should ooze the love of life, the enjoyment of a life that was given to us abundantly, from God Himself.  It’s not a waste of time, and can actually push us onward to a greater relationship with Him, as we work to create, just like He also creates.  God is orderly, He pays attention to details, loves beauty and cleanliness.

I tend to get impatient about it all, though, and find myself upset at times with the mess and all the stuff we have accumulated through the years.  However, little by little we are working on cleaning up.  We’ve made good progress on the children’s bedrooms and the master bedroom is looking good, too.  I’m trying to concentrate on one room at a time.  It’s a lot of work, but the end results are very rewarding.  I’m not looking for a perfect home, I like the lived in look, but it is nice to freshen things up now and then.

To challenge myself, and to also avoid the stress that comes with shopping and making decisions how to spend my money, I am trying to use what I have around the house to help us organize.

For instance, I saved a few containers and let Grace cover them yesterday, with pretty scrapbook paper.  Ethan ended up doing one for her, too.  Jacob was inspired and started covering one of his cardboard boxes with a plain, but attractive maroon paper (the box holds his Star Wars figurines, but was originally used to ship coffee).

Grace can use these containers to store her little things in.  And she made them herself, I don’t care that they aren’t “Pottery Barn” perfect…..I love to see her handwriting, and her own style of doing things as a 10 year old.  And she had such a good time figuring out just what to put in them.

*Reading and studying my Tasha Tudor books always inspires me. 

*Country Living magazine, both the USA and the British ones (I prefer the British and buy a copy now and then from Barnes and Noble as a very special treat).

*My own journal, that I’ve been putting together for probably 6 years now, reminds me of certain things that always appeal to me; baskets, old canning jars, vintage lace, anything homemade, interesting arrangements of bedrooms, living rooms, kitchens, the colors I am drawn to, etc.

*Books, books, books (I like to browse the home and craft shelves at the library)

This time of year, when the busyness of the holidays is behind me, I also enjoy the extra time to try my hand at crafty things, too.  As a mother of six, I don’t have a lot of free time, but I think it’s important for my health and well-being to take the time to create SOMETHING now and then.  Grace and I were both inspired by a book that I checked out of the library, about making cloth dolls.

And so, we each made one!

I was really proud of Grace because she sewed hers almost entirely herself.  She even used the sewing machine for the first time, and I loved glancing up at her now and then as she worked.

This one is mine, and I’m not quite done with her hair.  She’s still bald in back. 

And here is Grace’s.

Fiestaware came in the mail today from a friend…..made me feel happy (I squealed) and loved.

I HAD to get outside, couldn’t breathe in the house anymore.

The sun shined for me now and then.

Saw tracks in the snow, heard the water in the stream, ran my hand along the bark of the trees.

The birds sounded happy today; it wasn’t as cold.

When I went back in the house I vacuumed every nook and cranny of the livingroom.  Seth hates the vacuum.

I had Ethan, Jacob, and Grace each write what they wanted me to bake on a piece of paper and then I drew one paper out of a box.  It was Ethan’s.  He wanted BROWNIES.  I thanked the Lord that I did not get Grace’s.  Then I would have had to make an apple pie.  Jacob wanted “chewy chocolate chip cookies.”  He was feeling descriptive today.

I made the brownie recipe out of the Apples for Jam cookbook.  It called for three sticks of butter and was almost as time consuming as putting together a pie.  They were very good though, dense, chocolatey, and eggy.

Caleb posed for pictures.  He thinks he is funny.

Then it was Seth’s turn.

Grace was on the couch reading me Charlie Brown cartoon strips as I took these.

Later, Caleb said to me, “I know a good name for a baby!  Charlie!”

I had to get up in the night and give Seth a bottle.  It took me a loooooong time to get back to sleep.

I took a nap today.  It was luxurious.

Seth still has no teeth.

His first birthday is in 2 1/2 weeks.

He can dance now.  And he is always walking, no more crawling for him.

I noticed Davy playing with sister’s hair and putting his arm on E. 

They were all looking at pictures of moose and bear on hunting websites.

“I don’t want to see pictures of DEAD THINGS!” ~David

Grace was watching a show about cheetahs yesterday and when I walked into the room she said to me, informatively, about the mother cheetah, “She is tireless.  Not like you.”

Grace looked at me last night and said encouragingly, “You’re not tired and frustrated tonight!  That’s GOOD!  I can tell when you’re tired, you get red all around the eyes.  And when you’re frustrated you look sad.”

(Oh. Dear.  is what I thought)……….

Seth was playing a game with this ball.  He would put it on the table and then watch in delight as it fell off and rolled away.  This ball makes squeaky noises as it moves.

Caleb took my picture.

Now the kids are playing a hunting game on TV.  Ethan really wants to hunt he says, “I WILL hunt, Dad MUST take me.  I’m even saving up for a gun!”  Grace says, while glancing at me, “Um, E, I don’t think you should have said that out loud.”

Caleb is being a pickle.  Someone is trying to pin him down.  I just heard him yell and say, “I don’t like this!”

I have the oven warming up.  We are having leftovers for dinner but I am baking some sweet potatoes to go along with them.

I just looked at Seth, he is standing on a wooden chair, he climbed up there himself.

I can’t wait until my husband gets home!

The umbilical cord was in the way so my doctor could not tell me anything except that if she had to guess she would say it was a girl because she saw “no boy parts”.

I have another ultrasound scheduled on January 25 so hopefully I will find out more at that time.

Doc gave Grace (who was right there with me) a high five, but said “don’t get too excited yet”.

You can imagine how I feel.  You would all be right, because my emotions and thoughts about the subject are all over the place!

He rummaged, he arranged, he made a nest, he fell asleep, and this is where I found him.

And today, we might find out if this little busy body will have a baby brother or a baby sister.

The anticipation is doing a number on me…….stay tuned!  My appointment is at 9:45 this morning.

“My child, listen to what I say, and treasure my commands.  Tune your ears to wisdom, and concentrate on understanding.  Cry out for insight, and ask for understanding.  Search for them as you would for silver; seek them like hidden treasures.  Then you will understand what it means to fear the Lord, and you will gain knowledge of God.”  Proverbs 2:1-5

I was on amazon.com and read the reviews for The One Year Bible for Women.  I was tempted to buy one online but it was already January 2nd and I wanted it sooner.  Then, when I was at Barnes and Nobles the day after, I discovered that they actually had the Bible I wanted in stock and on the shelves.

I’ve tried to read the Bible in one year before but have never finished.  I hope this time I am more faithful to reach my goal!

The same day I bought it, one of my little ones crawled over it on the couch and the cover got bent. 

So, I made a new one out of some fabric and Elmer’s glue.

After reading the first 10 days worth of Scripture passages, I have settled into a routine that works for me.  The moment I get into bed at the end of the day, I reach for my fabric covered Bible and open the smooth pages.  Reading the New Living Translation (rather than my typical KJV) has been very refreshing.  Every evening, I read a portion of the Old Testament, a portion of the New, a Psalm, and a few verses in Proverbs.  It’s hard to stop at the end of the day, I am really enjoying this!

I am sharing my Bible with daughter Grace.  After all, like I pointed out to her, it’s a WOMEN’s Bible.  After reading it for the first time (she’s used to the KJV, too), she looked up at me and said, “This is much easier to understand than the men’s Bible!”

 My little boy, Caleb, put an apron on just like me, and volunteered to help make our breakfast;  homemade pancakes flavored with cinnamon and sweetened with Grandpa’s maple syrup, Grandpa’s best farm raised bacon and sausage, and Davy-do’s favorite potato latkes.

 As Caleb and I cooked, Rich got up out of our cozy bed and came out to the kitchen with baby.  It was about 7:30 in the morning.  We love our Saturdays; the one morning of the week when there is no rush.  Looking at this picture makes me want to go find Seth and kiss his feet.

 I’ve been trying and trying to take a picture of Seth’s walking and I think this one is perfect.  I love the white long-sleeved onesie he’s wearing, I love the blurriness that shows the quickness of his pace, and I love the little leg out in mid step.  He was all hyper this morning, from fooling around with his big brother Caleb. 

Later on, we all ate lunch together at McDonald’s.  The sugary coke I drank, as a special treat, made me giddy.  We know it’s time to leave when the food is gone and the leftover ketchup packets start flying at various family members (there were no other customers sitting near us or we would have behaved).  No, it was not me throwing them.

We went to the library.  Seth was sleeping so he stayed in his carseat carrier by Rich, who read a book while I helped the children find books to take home.  After wandering around in the opposite side of the library with Jacob, we returned to find Rich leaning back in his chair, sound asleep with his mouth open.  The library is warm, full of books, quiet, and makes us sleepy.

After a quick run to the grocery store, we’re home now.  Rich is running on the treadmill, Jacob is walking the dog, Grace, tired girl, is curled up in bed, reading. Seth is playing with Ethan, and 7 year old *new reader* David is sitting on the couch reading one of his books in a monotone voice.  I can hear him, and I’m proud.