Tina The Storyteller

We had VBS at the church last week and the week before that was pretty much prep for VBS and this week, the one we're all in right now, well, it's pretty much recovery :D We have started something called "Tuesday Bee" at the church on Tuesdays.  Just a time to come together and work on any project that you may have or just to drop in and chat.  Today, there were five of us.  I got a chance to pick my smocking project up again, which I haven't done in ages and I actually was able to finish the smocking today! After finishing up the smocking, I wish that I had used some more of the contrasting colors, because the others just blend right in.  I calle d around today and found a place to buy some elastic thread and exactly where it is located in the store.  I'm really hopeful that Hannah will be able to wear it for the Fourth of July.  I'm hoping to be around more often than the past two months.  Our computer is trying it's best to die.  When we...

We've been doing all sorts of stuff, not the least of which is converting our home into a house that cleans itself.  I thought I might share some before and after pictures with you.  The entire home is not done, I'd say about 1/3 is there and it's amazing the difference!

I would like to introduce the newest member of our family, Tinkerbell. We adopted her on Friday and she has been warming up to us this past week.  Hannah has been her normal rambunctious self and Tink has taken it all in and not gone crazy. We got her from the local Humane Society, where she's been since March.  She's about 2 and half years old and just the sweetest kitty ever.  I think she fits in our family perfectly.  If you are thinking about adopting a pet, I highly recommend checking with your local shelters.  At our shelter all cats 4 months and older are free, where as kittens younger than 4 months are 75 or 100 for two.  I have a feeling there are a few dogs for adoption there, too.

OH man, it seems like ages since our last real date!  With traveling, birthdays and the change of the month, it's been tough.  In fact, it almost slipped by again because life has been hecta -crazy.  But thankfully, it didn't. I had some No Knead Crusty Loaf in the fridge that needed to be used up, so we took on a challenge.  Each was given half of the dough and allowed to do what they wanted with it.  Joel made some pretzels which turned out to be tasty, but not very pretzel like.  I made a braided three cheese bread.  I lost points because it oozed out of one end.  While we waited for things to rise and cook we had some ice cream from the local spot ( bogo coupon) and talked about life.  It was a nice date.  It was definitely fun to have a little competition. 

By Robert J. Bernabe I picked this book from the Booksneeze collection because we are always contemplating buying a house or condo. We haven’t up till now because of moving, finances and currently debt reduction. It was interesting to read through this Mind Your Own Mortgage (MYOM) concept of turning shopping for mortgages into the equivalent of shopping for gas. There is a cost associated with a mortgage: lender's fees, points, third party fees, to name a few. They have always kind of frightened me, because I was like “I have to come up with a down payment AND closing costs, wow.” But this helped me see that I can control those costs and know what they are before entering into the loan process itself. One of the main things that Bernabe is trying to break away from is shopping for mortgages based on monthly payment. He gives clear examples of why this type of mortgage shopping works against you and how you can correct it. It’s actually quite exciting to think about payoff s...

I got this book last Friday from my lovely secret sister.  She knows that I'm always trying to make my house a cleaner, neater, tidier place.  I've been devouring it and rethinking the way that I clean my house.  I think it will easily take me through the end of the summer to get my house to the state that she's talking about, but it may very well be worth it.  I've been doing  a little cheating and started on a room that was not my entry way and the difference is pretty noteworthy.  Not only does our bedroom look cleaner, but I think the systems that I changed around are going to help with long term tidiness. I'll let you know how it all turns out if I end up following through.

I am so thankful to be home again!  It's wonderful being able to see my sweet husband every day.  I'm also thankful that the pool is open and we can go swimming.  I'm thankful that we have central air conditioning, that's a life saver most of the time.  I'm thankful that in a month, VBS will have come and gone.  I'm thankful that we homeschool .  It's nice to have Hannah able to travel when we want.  Though I foresee that her strong personality is going to take a really long time to get comfortable with the fact that she has to do school work.  I know that it will serve her well one day, if not today.  I'm thankful that any time Hannah asks for McDonald's, I can counter offer Jimmy Johns and she will give an resounding "Yes!" Today I'm thankful that we have only one car, because it means that I spend less time out on the roads and more time able to do things at home.  I love visiting people and Hannah loves the park, between the t...

Today was a dark, rainy and thundery kind of day.  Hannah settled herself into the upstairs living area and plugged in her night lights and lamp from her room.  She complained that it was kind of chilly and brought out her pillow and blanket to get warm.  I busied myself with the kitchen and cleaning it up nicely for our lunch guests today.  About noon thirty, Hannah got up and said that her legs were tired and that she needed some cuddles.  I had my suspicions that this might lead to a nap and I was right.  We laid down in my bed together and after about fifteen minutes she was sound asleep, and so was I.  I woke up to the sound of her sleeping and that quiet that follows a lull in a rainstorm.  She just slept.  She hasn't really napped since she was about two and half, so these occasions are few and far between and always a treat for me.  I don't even remember what I did with the time, but I'm always pleased to be awake in my home wit...

Last week I was out of town and I left on the day that I normally post about our dates, so this is from that week, if I can remember what we did.... We had a super low key date night because there was an event at the church on Friday night and Saturday day and Hannah and I were leaving on the following Monday, oh yeah and I helped with coffee hour at church that Sunday.  A much busier weekend than what we are accustomed to to say the least.  I dropped by the dollar bin at Target again and picked up a little Toy Story game book with the special marker that makes things appear on the pages.  It was actually a lot of fun.  We went through the entire book and talked a little smack in some of the games, even though the majority of them are luck of the color.  It was nice to have a little respite and coloring on such a busy weekend.  It is a new month and the ownership of the date night should switch to Joel.  His birthday is this weekend, so I might h...

I sat down to write to all of you, but then the computer crashed and while I was waiting for it to reboot, I got started on my rat costume for VBS.  I'm supposed to be making this guy and this is what I've got so far I'm actually amazed at how quickly the thing came together.  And now it's on to creating the head of the rat.  It should be fun.