a big (little) family

Trying to maintain my sanity and live to blog about it.

Christmas monkeys.

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I sewed 17 sock monkeys in the last month and a half. Ten of them were for my kids and their cousins who were here for Christmas. Fun stuff.

Need? Or want?

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Yesterday, after much deliberation and trolling Craigslist, we bought a new-to-us refrigerator. The one we’ve had for the last five years is 18 cubic feet. Small. We measured our space available, and headed out. We bought one that’s 25 cubic feet, water and ice in the door… in short, everything the one I’ve had isn’t. […]

Temper, temper.

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Pierce has a fierce temper. I know this. Still, I was surprised to find this when I went to get him out of bed after his nap that he refused to take. Instead, he spent the time displaying his anger, not only verbally, but also physically from the evidence: Poor monkey lost his mouth. The […]

Book Review

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I was recently asked to review the book The Reunion by Rachael McIntire. It was published by Elisha Press. The Reunion is a novel meant to be read aloud to your whole family or enjoyed by readers around age ten and up. My kids were clamoring for me to read “just one more chapter” each […]

Grit your teeth and smile.

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My favorite photo out of the Christmas bunch – she just looks so tolerant, doesn’t she?! I think she likes her new backpack. He couldn’t stand it, he was so excited. He loves his sister. Feigned glee over a gift she helped me pick out… Dawning realization that the pile of tubes they were looking […]

Christmas numbers.

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There are 17 people in my house this Christmas. All family, crowded together under one little roof. Ten little people, all having the time of their lives and making memories that will last a lifetime. Seventeen people, one bathroom, 51 meals a day to prepare, and more games played than I can count. One Christmas […]

Neighborly update.

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Just a follow up to the story of our backyard neighbor. Today we made cookies and took those and some homemade soap over (Does that totally give the wrong message? I hesitated. It’s lovely soap, but does that scream, “You need a shower!”?) and knocked on their door. He recognized me, I got to meet […]

Please. Don’t make me yell this.

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Last Saturday, I was introduced to a delightful lady who told many stories of the years past, raising her own children. She led a fascinating life, and we had a great visit. As she was leaving, she rubbed my belly and told me how blessed I was to have another one coming. I grimaced, unsure […]

Blue is boring.

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Ruby’s my daughter with a flair for color. The more colors and patterns, the better. I regularly have to remind her that striped leggings do not, merely because they are striped, match a striped shirt. Color has to weigh in there too. Last week, when the kids had to model for the company my husband […]

Kitchen update.

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After painting the cabinets this summer, the whole kitchen slowly underwent a paint overhaul. It’s almost finished – it needs a new window and a new curtain above it, but overall, it’s done. I love how it turned out. I didn’t plan on using these photos for anything other than sharing them with my mom, […]