for Uncle Ryan

good with the bad

I hate to share ho-hum news, but unfortunately when it comes to dealing with people I have learned you have to roll with the punches.  This past outreach was not one of my more favorite moments being downtown.  We had plenty of food and plenty of clothing, but the overall vibe of the morning was off. 
Every morning, when we arrive we first get out the food and after everyone is served we then get out the clothing.  This month, we took my mom-in-law's truck, so they saw the clothes and shoes before we were ready to get them out.  They just encircled the truck, would not eat and would not listen to me that I would get the items out after everyone had eaten.  Their eyes were on the shoes and did not matter one thing I said.  It was as if they stepped away I might give them to someone else.  It was very frustrating.  We also encountered some other attitudes, but I can only imagine the sleepless nights they spend on the streets so I try to look past it.  I saw a lot of new faces, and a lot of familiar faces.  We were able to pass out deodorant and lots of jeans.  My cousin's husband brought several decks of cards which they were so excited about.

I am creating a new project and a new blog, as soon as it is up and running I will share with you the big news.  Please pray for us & this project, b/c it could literally change lives.

space

Pictures do not do this room justice, but it is the one room every female wants their spouse to see when they come to visit. My pantry space is bigger than my last kitchen, pantry and laundry area combined. It is our pantry, laundry room, game closet, Ben's tool shop, girls artshelf, cleaning supply room, & home to extra fridge ( I think that is all).

just call us neutral

When we bought this furniture I painted our living room barnwood red. Now, that we have lived in a house with white walls and now this house with khaki walls, I know I need to buy some accent pieces. I want to get some red pillows, Ben just wants new couches, so we will see whats in the budget. For now it is home and I am just thankful for it, neutral and all.

Office Space

Ben finally has his own space, ok he shares it with me, but he gets to decorate however he wants. His last "office" was literally in our walk-in closet, so this is a palatial mansion to him. I like my space too. I am just glad I cannot sit on my bed and touch my computer at the same time.

blackout

"I had a blackout at Gourdough's last night", wanted that to be my facebook status, but knew being preggo that might freak some non-Austinites out.  My cousin, Anna has blogged about Gourdough's a couple of times, so if you read her blog please pardon the repeats, but OH MY GOSH if you live in Austin - get there!  Forget the gym, half an hour on the eliptical did not work off the first bite. Even Ben, the food critique was oohing and ahhing over this Big. Fat. Donut.  He had a scoop of ice cream, I had a glass of milk.  We could not finish one donut between the two of us, so either come hungry or bring a couple of friends.

Tori boxes

You know by now my favorite organization on the planet is children's cup.  I am so excited to announce their fall project and hope it sparks some excitement in you.  The public schools in Mozambique and Swaziland (the two countries I traveled to) are not free, but for $150 you can send a child to school for an entire year.  This fall Cup is also creating Tori boxes to send the children so they can go back to school ready to learn with the right supplies.  You can create a Tori box with your family. School supplies are at great prices, right now too!!   http://www.childrenscup.org/v2/

•Plastic Storage shoebox (Sterilite at Walmart is $1)

•Pencils (a pkg of 8-10)
•Ruler (metric system a must)
•Doll (small, skin color not an issue)
•Crayons (box of 16 or 24 Crayolas)
•Scissors (safety, blunt-nosed)
•Hot Wheels vehicle (fit-in-your-hand size)
•Toothbrush (soft bristles)
•Toothpaste (3.5 oz)
•Erasers
•Notebook (3x5 size)
•Pencil sharpener
•Stickers (Please, nothing "magical" or scary. Witchcraft is so very real that there's no room for even pretend magic.)
•Markers (washable)
•Pens (pkg of 8-10)
•Glue Stick (washable)
•Craft PipeCleaners (craft dept at Walmart)
•Washcloth (colorful cotton would be nice)
•Bar of soap (a gentle soap such as Ivory or Dove)
•Vaseline petroleum jelly (Africans use this for protection on their skin and lips)
•Ball (small enough to fit in the box, large enough to not choke on)
•Photo/note (photo of you, your family, your pet...and a note to encourage your child to do well at school)
DO NOT INCLUDE YOUR LAST NAME, ADDRESS OR EMAIL for your own security.
•A check for $10 to cover overseas shipping costs.

car says ahhhh

After 11 1/2 years of marriage, we have a garage that our cars sleep in!!!  It is nice to get in the car mid July, midafternoon and it is only 83 in the car as opposed to 103.  Thanks honey for making it a priority to get the garage cleaned out so the cars can actually go in.  Maybe I will wash the car now!

I did it! chores

When we were at the homeschool convention, the one booth that stole Daddy Richards' attention was the I did It chore system. We have been trying to get the girls more productive around the house without the nagging reminders. Each of the girls have their own chart and they have different color-coded chores to do through out the day.
Morning - brush teeth, feed dogs, make bed...
Lunch - clear plate from table
Afternoon - quiet reading
Dinner - clear plate, bath, brush teeth, ready for bed...
Extra - Say something nice to your sister, clean your closet...

The kit came with a set of chore cards and then blank cards to add chores specific to your household. Each night the girls go through their list and then, get token for the items they placed into their I did it box. We also can say at a specific time during the day, are all of your orange cards gone and have them check to see what their chores were instead of listing all of the things we want to see them get accomplished in a day. There is a graph and a cylinder for us to keep track of their tokens. Top prize - 250 tokens = trip to Gattiland, 25 tokens= movie. The girls helped us decide on the prizes with some encouragement from mom and dad. It has also cut down on them wanting to watch movies during the day b/c they have to spend their tokens in order to watch one now. So, far it is working great. LE remembers to feed the dogs each morning, she is usually dressed before Ben and I are, and both have become excellent at cleaning up after themselves. Bella is still getting the concept with a little help, but she has no problem remembering to get her tokens each night.

imagining at the museum

The girls favorite past time is dress-up. The museum had multiple rooms to let their imaginations run wild. They got to grind corn and beat the Indian drums. They dressed up like damsels in distress in the lego castle. We rode a wagon and churned butter in the pioneer room. Had a tea party in the Victorian tea parlour. Dressed up and played with toys from around the world in the international room. Drove all kids of cars in the trasnsportation area and grew our own vegetables at the homestead.
We went on Saturday morning and there was even a birthday party, but the museum was not over crowded at all.