A Lava Rock Debacle

Look what I just did to my perfectly normal looking landscaping!

I'm not sure what got into me.

I guess I'm just not a lava rock type person.

Considering Caged Birds

We've been reading a really cool book for school lately called "The Land I Lost."  This is the second time we've read it since this is the second time that Eastern Hemisphere has rolled around in our Sonlight curriculum, since I'm on my second batch of kiddos.  Secondly.... it is about Vietnam, a very long time ago.  A man tells stories about his boyhood adventures-- lots of giant snakes, water buffalos, monkeys, alligators, wild boars and birds.  One of the bird stories that we read the other day really impacted me and got me thinking.

Hibernation Un-Motivation

It is19 degrees out there today.  And not a hint of sun ANYWHERE.  Just deadness and gray.  Nothing to do but snuggle up and wait.  Which leads me to my latest theory....

Do you think that humans are supposed to hibernate???

Tip Tuesday: Cold Cereal Shake Up

OK, so I just realized that it's Tuesday.  Not bad, since it's only 6:30!  And there's two guys in my basement working on the furnace.  I'm glad because for the past several weeks it's been getting louder and louder to the point of breaking out the earplugs.  Me, not the furnace.  It sounds a lot like a deep growl going up the wall behind my head.  That's not a very comforting sound at night.  As you can imagine.  So, we're finally getting it the help it needs.  Aren't you glad you know that?

On another front.... I was mixing up the ole cereal this morning and thought you might like to know this little tidbit of tightwaddery.  We rarely buy cold cereal anymore, but when we do we always mix two different types-- sweet and plain.  Two boxes fit perfectly in these nice big pour containers that I got from Aldi a verrrry long time ago.  Then I just shake it up and whammo! Nobody can hog all the sweet cereal before everybody else wakes up.  We do this with cocoa or fruity/plain rice crispies, honey or cinnamon/plain cheerios, and frosted flakes/plain corn flakes.  Sometimes we dump a box of granola into a box of plain cornflakes (when we're feelin' really fancy).  Just make sure you hold the lid closed before you shake it up.  I'm just guessing that it might totally explode all over the kitchen if you don't.  Just guessing.

And that sums up my very exciting life.

Oh, and I got to go on a date last night with my incredibly manly, handsome SON.

 And I got a Smashburger and a movie out of the deal.... which is always good.

Oh, and I also came up with a new jewelry design.  It's an act of desperation really because I can't really go out in the garage and hammer right now due to the fact that I'm in so much pain that I can barely move my neck and I look like a robot when I turn my head.  It might help if I went to the doctor but I was raised by skeptics and I'm terrified to actually find out what's wrong in there.  So, when I say "pray for me" I really mean it because all this Aleve can't be a good thing.  But, you know how God causes all things to work together for the good?  Well, here's my latest project...

So, there ya have it...  Mix your cereal, eat a Smashburger and buy yourself a necklace.

Oh, and stay warm!  Brrrrrrr!

Life: Instagrammed

My newest most favorite obsession.... Instagram!

It's a bunch of random little snippets of life that are interesting, for no particular reason.

 With a neato filter added on that makes them even more interesting.

 You can crop to your heart's content.

 And capture the funny things in your life.

 Without having to be profound.  

 Or perfect.

The filters bring out the feeling behind the moment.

Making them all warm and cozy...

Or cool and ominous.  

It makes bad pictures better.

And good ones better.

And they're all collected in one handy spot for your browsing pleasure. 

It's the perfect creative outlet for busy moms and their kids (who constantly hack mom's account).

Because it's so entertaining.

So.... have you tried it yet? 

 It's free!

  Look me up (jensnest).  

Happy Monday, y'all!  

Modern Marvels: My iPhone

Well, whattaya know!  It appears as if I can now add more pictures.  Yay!  (This was just a random pic from my desktop that I grabbed to check to see if blogger forgot about me.)

Also, I had the sweetest evening last night.  Just thought I'd tell you about it...

After supper, which included my friend Lori's homemade tortillas, I sat down in my comfy chair with a heating pad on my neck to relax (I've got something majorly wrong in there but I'm too scared to go to the doc to find out what it is-- pray for me).  Anyways, Ben climbed up on me to snuggle, and since I was listening to Pandora radio on my iPhone, I gave him an earbud.  He must have laid there for an hour texting Captain, who was on the couch, in the same room on his iPhone, and Graci, who was upstairs in her room.  He was practicing spelling words and making funny faces with all the quirky little pictures that my phone has on it.  Later, Graci said that Ben's text made her day.  How cute is that?  It just said, "Ben. Grace, I love you."  Aww.

And speaking of Pandora radio.... have you guys ever given that a try??  It's super cool!  I just chose "Kim Hill," since she was my all time favorite Christian artist from the old days, and I got to listen to her AND lots of other music that I totally forgot about from that same era (college/young mommy days).  Artists that I totally forgot about, like Susan Ashton, that are so good!  It was so nice just sitting there listening to worship, getting snuggled and enjoying my family-- all staring at their little backlit screens.
 
You know what they say...

If you can't beat 'em, join 'em!

Hitting the Wall

Yep, that's exactly what happened.

I was cruising right along, week after week, in my manic inspired state.  Barely sleeping.  Barely eating.  And every time I heard the cha-ching of my beloved iPhone, my heart would beat a little faster.
It was strange.  I've been expecting a crash any day.  Well, yesterday, after filling a ton of jewelry orders that I had been up til late the previous night making, I drove to the big city with my littlest boy to do some emergency craft supply shopping, grocery shopping and a little Christmas shopping.  Oh yeah, Christmas.  Gotta start on that!  And after we shopped and drove and ran around for multiple hours, while driving home... it happened.

I hit the wall.

I came home, curled up on the couch in my coat and boots, covered up my head and went to sleep.

There wasn't a thing I could do about it.

It's an old track and field expression we used to use in distance running.  You'd be cruising along, thinkin' you're winning this race for sure, finish line in sight... and then you just hit the wall.  There was no more gas in the tank.  You could not possibly keep it up.

Sooooo, I have spent the entire day out in the garage pounding coins.  But my mind it fried.

I think I need to go on a cruise.  Yes, that's what I need!!!

As soon as I finish all these orders.... and clean this house... and buy a couple hundred presents.... and wrap them.... and .....

Maybe I just need a nap.

zzzzzzzzzz.

What Day Is It, Again?

Yeah, so it took me until 6:00 last night to figure out that it wasn't actually Tuesday.

Well, duh.

I've been spending waaaay too much time out in the garage pounding pennies!
Or maybe it's the paint fumes...  : /

Oh, and today I've only got FOUR children.

Totally weird.

Jacob's at college and Grace and Noah are at work.

Somebody was up barfing last night.  Don't know who, yet.

And there's two random deer legs out in my front yard.

I think Annabelle brought them to me as a gift, because she never chews them, she just finds them and lays them in the yard outside the window where I sit at the computer...

So that I can see them.

Isn't she sweet?

Gosh, it's sure hard to do "school" right before Christmas!

Benjamin read his first real words yesterday, and it was totally effortless on my part.  I'm tellin' ya, 

have a whole bunch of kids because the last few are the easiest!

Now, there's a tip, and it's not even Tuesday... or Wednesday.

I think.   : )

My Twilight Zone

Do you remember that old show?

 Me and my big sister used to stay up late and watch it on weekends when we were really little.  I'm not sure if we were even allowed... but it sure freaked me out!  I'd be freaked out for quite a while afterwards, too.

And I've been just a tad freaked out lately, too.  Do you want to know why?  Well, I'll tell ya.  It's because I'm not totally sure that I'm not currently living in the Twilight Zone.

Do you ever hear that weird theme song playing in your head when people act so totally bizarre that you just have to stop and wonder?  I do.

So, here's a few of the latest strange happenings....

Back Home on the Range

Just got back home from an epic trip to South Carolina...  I drove the "church van" full to the brim with kids and food and clothes and jewelry and props on a seven-hour trip through the mountains to a big festival at our old stomping ground.  Three years ago we actually lived there and I decided to get a booth at Harvest Fest, just to see if I could sell any of my creations.  Well, that year was an amazing surprise and I sold a TON!  This year was a lot different...

What's Up

 
Dude!  Things have gotten busy around here.  Bu-sy!  I'm tellin' ya!  I'm not really sure what changed, but the days are fuller than ever and I haven't been bored for several weeks, not even for ten minutes.  And I guess that's a good thing, since a friend of mine recently told me that boredom is actually a need for meaning and purpose, rather than just "activity."

 I'm not sure about the whole meaning and purpose to what I've been busy doing... but I sure have had a lot of "activity" lately.

 
So, here's a few things we've been busy with...

How I Roll

Girls, it's time for a confession.

I don't have a plan.

Monday Montage

 So, yeah, I went to the 127 yard sale. 

 It was one honkin' big yard sale.

I saw this table, which was perrrfect for my family of nine.  

I drove a mile through a farm field, dodging pedestrians and big trucks to find a parking place.

Then I walked back said mile dodging pedestrians and random antiques.

Getting more and more excited all the while.

only to find...

Boiled Peanuts and Neck Bones

You know how I told you guys that I can see what google searches brought you to me?  Well, here's a reoccurring search.  And it really kills me to be so unhelpful and lead you down the wrong path by saying that I have no clue how to boil peanuts and neck bones and then you search how to do it and it comes to MY blog.  So, I'm gonna tell you how to do it.

Blogging Is Funny

I'm still not sure why you guys are reading this blog.  It's pretty amazing to me.  There's a lot more readers out there than there are "followers" or "commenters."  Oh my, I sure loooooove my commenters!  You make my heart beat faster!  I know, it's weird. If you don't have your own blog,  you may not know that I've got this neat little back room on here that shows me all the "stats."

College Update: Packing and Procrastination

I just realized that I haven't updated you guys in a while on the whole traumatic first-kid-moving-away-to-college adventure.  I guess I haven't been feeling quite so traumatized lately.  That's a good thing, right?  I'm sure it will hit me out of the blue one of these days and I'll be all freaked out again.  But for now, I'm OK.

So, are you curious how it's going for a homeschooler getting ready to move off to college?

Purple Peppers, A Turkey Family and A Dirty Boy

My first peppers... and they're really purple.  How weird is that??

Summertime, And the Livin' is...

Random.

Confessions of a Compulsive Stripper

It's time I told you.

I've tried to quit.

"Give it up", they say.

"Look around at all the good things in your life," they say.

"Look at all the damage you're doing, " they say.

"Think of your family!

We need you here.

Cooking.

Cleaning.

Taking care of us..."

Van Moments: Missing Something?

So, I went to help Benjamin out of the van after church and this is what I found...
I said, "Hey, dude, aren't you missin' something?"
His answer... "No, why?"

Whatta cutie!