New House Fun

One of my favorite parts of moving into a new home is reorganizing and decorating! This is our 9th place to live since we've been married (one house we've lived in twice), so we've done this a lot! Each time we have a few more things and often another kid or two, and each time we've been able to purchase a few new-to-us items of furniture for the new house!

On the weekend we moved in, we purchased a sofa set, a living room chair, and a master bedroom set  from our local classified website. Soon after, we found a used Pottery Barn buffet on Craigslist. But our search for a round breakfast table was coming up short. Finally I found a lady on Craigslist whose husband builds custom tables for a reasonable price and makes them in less than a week!

To prepare for the arrival of our new table, we bought chairs and barstools from IKEA. Steven hates this store with "the fire of a thousand suns," but we survived this outing with only a few major disagreements and a promise to never make him return to IKEA! Then a few days later we had some very generous friends offer their help in assembling the chairs in exchange for a nice dinner. They brought along our goddaughter and her siblings too!

The hard work paid off and the kitchen was ready for the new table to arrive the next day!

But first we'd be having a 4-H cooking day! We purchased and cooked two meals, a stir-fry and lettuce wraps, along with a whole lot of smoothies that we froze in disposable plastic cups. We made all of this for our friend's family as she was in and out of the hospital.

Finally the table arrived! We weren't sure on the color of the stain (we wanted it to match the cabinets), and the people who made it offered to make a new one, but in the end we decided it looks just fine. It's working great for our family's needs and I'm glad I didn't settle for a table that wasn't going to fit the space. We'll also be able to add another chair or two if need be.

As Thanksgiving approached, we also asked them to make a matching coffee table. We really love it!

But what we love even more than this new house and these new furniture pieces are the way that we're able to share them with our family and friends. We've had get togethers almost every week, and we even hosted a big family Thanksgiving for the very first time (photos coming soon) and a big group baby shower this weekend!  I can't wait to share our home decorated for Christmas too. That has brought a lot of happiness to my heart as it's still so tender from the loss of my friend. One of the last things she said to me was that she didn't get to see my house...

I just feel so blessed to be living in this beautiful home with these beautiful things around me, but I'm mostly grateful for the beautiful PEOPLE surrounding me now, and the people like Beverly who've surrounded me my entire life with joy and love and peace. I'm a lucky girl.

A Television Family

We've entered a new phase here. When we first got married, we decided we didn't want to have a television. We both liked it so much, we knew it would be tempting for us to spend too many hours watching sports or home decorating TV! But we didn't realize what a big role the internet would play in daily life as time went by.

About 6 years ago I got my first iPhone, so now we could watch things streaming on the phone as well as the computer. Steven finally got one about a year ago for work. And this school year, we also got a laptop to help with the need for an extra computer for homeschooling. So when we moved into a house with a big opening above the fireplace for a TV, we went ahead and filled it. What's one more screen in the house anyway?

We don't have cable or anything, but it's a Smart TV where we can watch Netflix and Amazon Streaming and YouTube, and we have Apple TV and can connect it to my laptop. I'm still learning how to use both the laptop and the television; I'm actually saving to an external hard drive right now so that I can hopefully do some photo work and editing (AND BLOGGING) on my laptop without climbing the dreaded stairway (ha!) and sitting in a child-sized chair at the desktop computer straining my neck and back!

We will see how it goes!

Chess Players

I love this photo of the three youngest in the playroom window playing chess.  I think the kids played it with their cousins in August, and Thomas has taken quite a liking to the game. The other kids enjoy it too, but it's a different level of intensity that Thomas plays with. He couldn't beat the neighborhood chess champion though. (We have a little friend his exact age who is winning chess competitions!)

We're starting to find the things that make Thomas tick. He loves chess, animal facts, and geography. One day he was fascinated by the Roman Numerals on the Stations of the Cross in church. He's a bit more introverted than the rest of us, and I think all of our social activities can sometimes overwhelm his senses. Even last week while we were at evening mass for the Immaculate Conception, I brought him an animal field guide to look through and his eyes totally lit up! Mass can be even more challenging for him than the toddler, so it may be that we need to find some things like this to peak his interest for now (God created animals, right? So it's kind of a religious book?!?).  He's starting to read well for his age, so pretty soon he'll be able to read through the hymnals and missals.

Along with chess, the children have been playing lots of games both upstairs and downstairs, since we now have a game cabinet in the living room. It's neat to see them work together, and sometimes a little chess can count for some schoolwork on a crazy morning!

Steven Joseph's First Holy Communion

Steven Joseph made his First Holy Communion on Sunday, October 18th 2015 at Our Lady of Walsingham. This Sunday was also the canonization of Sts. Louis and Zelie Martin, special patrons for our family and the parents of St. Therese of Liseaux. 

It was a beautiful day.

Some friends served at the altar

and Steven followed the procession into the sanctuary.

 

 

 

There was also an older woman who came into full communion with the Catholic Church on this Sunday. So they both received Holy Communion together.

   

Happy Boy!

Family waiting for photos

 

  

 

With our pastor, Fr. Hough

 

 

  

 

Outside the church...

The church was having a pumpkin patch that weekend!

 

 Taken with my iPhone. Such joy on this day!

 We went home to prep for a big party!

We had about 75 people over, 50 of them children!

 

 

 
We kind of took over the neighborhood!

  

 

 

 

  

He was showered with friends, prayers, and lovely gifts!

 

 

 

 

It was our first big event in our new home, and what a special event it was!

Steven, we hope you always remember this First Holy Communion Day. We pray that each Holy Communion in your life draws you even closer to Jesus. May He guide your every step, and may you be comforted and encouraged by the family and friends who love you so much! But HE loves you most of all and will never abandon you.

After your Holy Communion, you have wanted to go to mass as often as possible. Yesterday, you told me you just decided to pray a decade of the rosary as you walked around the house. It is a joy to see you grow up and to see you grow into a young man after God's Son!

We are blessed that you are our Son. Thank you for loving us and loving HIM.