Don't You LOVE IT??!! Corin made this for me over on facebook using my profile pic. I had the perfect hair-do for it, don't you think? You just HAVE to laugh or it will turn you cynical (much like anonymous)! 
Isn't she darling? No way she could fit through there, so she was safe! 
Sweetheart got off to work this morning, and as I type this (it is 8 pm) he should be on his way home. My morning was quiet. The kids all slept while I had some time with the Lord. Sassy, who is very playful in the early morning hours, found her milk ring and came to play.
Milk rings are her favorite toys....they are just the plastic ring off a gallon of milk.
It looks nice on the easel. I swapped pictures and put the Jesus print back in the entryway...I did straighten it out after I saw this picture, so it is nice and straight now ;)
All the furniture got polished and the runners were all washed.
I even made a batch of Sweetheart's favorite cookies.
Ok, enough housework. How about some pictures of the little kids?? Zachary has been very creative lately. He made this creation with math manipulatives this morning.
He put this Lego design in the Lego Gallery on their website.
Something VERY wonderful happened to Zachary last Tuesday. He accepted Jesus as his Saviour.
He wanted a new Bible...one like his sister has. We went online and picked it out, had it engraved, and it arrived today.
Cool Bible, huh? It is a large print, red letter KJV with the best maps and a great reference layout that is so easy for the kids to use. Charlotte loves hers and now they can both read together....which they did today.
Charlotte....she has been on a bit of a roller coaster lately. Adolescent girl. That is all I need to say! She did finish her blanket for her bed....
She did such an incredible job and it looks beautiful in her room. She took the picture too. ;)
Sweetheart leaves for work at 7 am tomorrow (Monday) morning. I am all ready to start my week. I loved my old routines. My house was always in order and I had more free time! In preparation, I got all my cleaning supplies cleaned out and organized. I store them in the laundry room, so I went ahead and cleaned and organized the whole room. (The milk jugs have homemade laundry soap in them, in case you were wondering)Lots of old empty bottles and containers, plus items that found their way in there that did not belong.
It is so easy...I usually do these in the summer so I can take them outside with the hose, but they could not wait that long! I used the kitchen sink and the sprayer. They came clean with no real effort. So much better. I should be embarrassed....but I'm not. ;) Without my schedules in place I NEVER even look up there! 
I have my daily sheet filled out for tomorrow. Some call it a PODA (Parade Of Daily Activity). I just call it a Daily Sheet. I take my daily schedules from my binder and fill out the next days list of chores. Some days, everything on the schedule for that specific day does not need to be done. For example, if the dining room wasn't used, it may only get dusted and vacuumed once a week instead of the 3 times a week it is on the schedule. If it does, it goes on the daily sheet.
Any phone calls, appointments, or errands also go on there. I list at least one job per child for the day too.
Such jobs as wiping down switch plates, vacuuming behind and under furniture, and washing windows, find their way onto the daily sheet. It is spread over the week, with some days not getting any deep cleaning added to them, and everything gets done. For example, I added some of those jobs onto tomorrows list since I will be working in those rooms anyway. On Tuesday and Thursday, other than general pick up, those rooms are not on my list, so I will not add any focus cleaning to those days. If I do things right, I should easily be done with my cleaning in 1-4 hours per day, depending on the day. It averages out to be 2-3 total, and that includes the deep cleaning jobs and the regular routines, like making beds, swiping down bathrooms, etc. You can see my complete Home Management Binder by clicking on the link on my sidebar.
I created my Home Management Binder years ago...it started out a "Control Journal", but I didn't like that name AT all. It has been a wonderful tool in organizing my cleaning schedules and daily routines. It worked for me...I didn't work for it. 
Two years ago, Sweetheart got laid off and his business actually closed it's doors. There has been little, or nothing in the way of work ever since. God has provided for us in ways I can not even begin to share here. Just know He has performed miracles here! Anyway, in that 2 years, my schedules have been put to the side. Things get done regularly, but not always by me. Sweetheart is a clean-freak-neat-nick-
I would do the deep cleaning, but things were not on a schedule. Having Sweetheart here most days is like a never-ending weekend. I could never make it all work. Once or twice a week he would go to his mom's, but I usually took those days to relax and sew. Now...2 years later, Sweetheart is going back to work. 
Homeschool, though affected in the beginning, has moved along quite well in the last 2 years with Daddy home. Little will change, though we may be a bit more laid back. Dad liked everything "timed"....and he preferred the kids do school at a table. Zach use to work in every room of the house, which was fine with me. Today was testing so he stayed at the table.
He was pretty confident he had done well.
Sassy will miss Sweetheart as much as we will. He is the one who gives her treats! I found this pic of her this morning....remember when she looked like this???
That little 1 pound 7 ounce sweetie with the cut off whiskers? She sure grew up.....
....and OUT! Maybe she will thin out now that "Daddy" is not here all the time!
Inside she had filled it with some wonderful teas and a scripture print from her online store, For His Glory Photography.
Go take a look at her prints. They are GORGEOUS!! You can find them by clinking on the above link.
I chose the Wagon Wheel design because she and her family moved out west this summer. They traveled by RV and made a real memory of the trip.
All my PIF's will have the same backing fabric to tie them together. Yeah....it was a large piece I bought and then decided against. It works for a back!
I may just start blogging a little more now that I will be back in "normal"...Sweetheart use to always read my blog from work and he would know how the day went before he ever saw us sometimes! His hours will be long, so I may have to take lots of pics and post them so he knows what is happening!
That title pretty much sums it up around here the last few days. I finally feel like quilting again!! Good thing too, cause I have 5 PIF gifts to get out. Sassy is always glad to help.
TJ helped make a cake for the Super Bowl dinner. He has his own apron here (one he made for me) and loves to help me in the kitchen whenever he can.
While cutting backing and batting for a little quilt, my granddaughter was intrigued by the whole process!!! She laid that piece of fabric over the batting several times before she was happy with how it laid....
She is ALWAYS at my side when I am working in the studio. I really think she will want to learn someday. How happy would that make this Grandma??!!
I got an itch to clean today. I mean REALLY clean. I don't know if it is the 45 degree weather (which feels like Spring to me) or the fact that we have all had nasty colds and it just feels "icky" in here, but the main floor got a good scrubbing! The kitchen took a BIG hit with the sponge.
Everything came off the walls, the counters were emptied and all things ON the counters along with the surface itself, were sprayed with Lysol cleaner and wiped down good! Both coffee pots, the knobs to the stove/oven, the microwave and even the salt and pepper shakers and cream and sugar holders were emptied and washed!
It sure did need it, and it sure feels and smells clean in there now! Now to hit that Studio! It is left in shambles and Sassy loves it that way! Me?, not so much!!!!
Praying you have all had a blessed weekend! Say a prayer for us....this next week could bring some VERY good news!!!
