Oh deer.....

This is what happens when a deer decides to cross the road directly in your path.  These animals are wild.  They roam in herds.  They just jump out in the road.  In my lifetime, I've hit four deer.  I don't know where they are now.  Some did enough damage to my car that I'm sure they had to be injured or killed.  This time it was Rachel's turn to take out one of the locals.  She's fine but her car was in the shop for over two weeks - $1,500 in damages.  Lessons learned - drive with high beams at night whenever possible and always be looking for deer!

PersonalBlocks - JB Items

Mom and I have always enjoyed a good craft.  I thought we might try to make some money at it, so I approached a local shop owner about carrying us in her store.  And you know what?  She said yes.  So here we are - JB Items, also known on Etsy as PersonalBlocks. 

These are a few of our offerings.  In our first month, we broke even (on rent to the generous shop keep), paid for supplies and bought a tank of gas.  Not quite killing it, but, it's a good start!

What do y'all think?

Josephine is Fourteen

Josephine is fourteen.  I worry a lot about my ladies as teenagers.  I worry about their friends, their grades, their friends' grades....I worry about their self esteem, their confidence and their sense of well being.  We are not a wealthy family.  We shop at thrift stores and we live paycheck to paycheck.  In this world of peer pressure and validation, it is troubling to know that your daughter is out there, everyday, fighting for herself in a world that would sooner trample her down.

Not this one.  Not Josephine.  Our fourth daughter is a feisty thing.  She has matured over the past year from a quiet little homebody to an opinionated, keep-up-or-get-out-of-my-way force.  She used to always need a hobby at home to keep her bright mind occupied.  These days she is planning with friends, talking on the phone with boys and constantly interrogating me on our plans for three weeks from now.  She tries to stay one step ahead of me as much as she can.  Recently she told me not just what she wanted for Christmas (a platform bed), but, also how to build it, where to find the materials and a few websites I might find helpful.  This lady of ours is on the move.

Her grades are outstanding - all STEM, all As, all the time.  Her teachers have sent me notes about how she is a joy in class because she thinks independently (English) and that she helps others in class and explains concepts patiently and accurately (algebra).  She studies; she reads; she questions.  I can count on her to wake up with just a text from Mom and an alarm on her phone, then be out the door and catch her bus on time.  She can draw; she loves school and she never stops.  She is kind to her little brother while trying to keep up with her older sisters.

Josephine wants to go to college and be either an interior designer or an oceanographer - depends on her mood.  She may just do both.

Splash - September 2018

The September Splash was a re-creation of a picture from the fall of 2012 - just laying in the leaves.  In a few short years their faces have changed; their smiles are still genuine.  I just love them.

Fall 2012

November Rain In September

If you look closely at this picture, you will see that the name of the candle scent is November Rain.  Josephine, always the curious one, smelled the candle and proclaimed, Maybe.  Could be August Rain, or January Rain.  Mom, why does the Yankee Candle Company think rain smells different in different months?

I have no idea, Josephine.  But, I do know that you should never stop asking questions.

JMichael on two wheels

JMichael had a bike in Arkansas, but, he never learned to ride it without training wheels.  On our street in Arkansas, he had neighborhood friends who saw him at six or seven still trying to master his bike with training wheels and that was the end of that - he didn't want to hear about it from them, so he never learned.  When we moved, we gave away his bike because it was too small for him.

Now in Maryland, Eric and Abbey had Gavin's old bike and graciously gave it to the now ten year old who can't ride a bike.  It took about twenty minutes before he was racing up and down our long driveway with no trouble at all.  Charlotte and Samantha were out there, yelling pointers and pushing him to get started.  Success.

When I get home from work now, and JMichael's bike is not in its parking spot, then he's off in our little community at his friends' houses and riding around.  The rule - be home before dark and if mom or dad has to come looking for you, the bike is off limits for a while.  So far, he has loved his little taste of freedom and we can count on him to burst through the door at the setting sun and say, what's for supper?!

First Day of School 2018-19

Our bunch is up this morning and ready for an early start.  School begins at seven thirty in the morning here in Maryland, and you can see by the fog behind them that the sun is not even up all the way yet.

Charlotte is at Kent County High School and starting tenth grade.  She is excited about her electives this year because they begin a "career path". Charlotte chose nursing and her class is ten girls and one boy.  They will have hands on labs and field trips all related to nursing.

Josephine is at the top of the middle school this year in eighth grade.  She is still in the STEM program and for an added challenge she has qualified (because her grades are amazing) to start Spanish.  Most kids get to start in ninth grade, but, she and a few other eighth graders get to start now.  She is ready for a new challenge.

JMichael is also at the top of his school - in the fifth grade.  He has many of the kids from his baseball and soccer teams in his class and he is excited to get back into a routine.  He still gets a little help at school with reading/language for his dyslexia, but, he loves math.  JMichael is coming out of his shell a little too.  He loves to play the clown.

Yes, Charlotte wore those shoes all day.

Love these three.  2018-19