It's Been a While...

Hi all, I'm back. It has been a while since I've posted anything. I won't have any new pictures, as we've had more camera problems and I've given up on that for a while. At some point we'll have to get a new camera, but for now I'll just write.

October has flown by. Two weekends ago we camped on the property we hope to buy in January. It was a great weekend! The weather was so nice and it was great to be out there. We went on a big hike Saturday that took us 6 hours. It was pretty cold at night, but our heater helped to keep us from freezing.

We got our flu shots last week. Rachel was all for getting a shot (she wanted the promised candy). Josiah, on the other hand, had to be held down.

Our precious neighbor, Jo, is in the process of moving. The kids aren't happy about that. They just love her! She won't be too far away, so they'll still get to see her from time to time. They went over there (next door) for lunch today and I actually got a nap in while they were gone.

We are doing something different with school. Jonathan and Josh, who go to James' work once a week are doing double work that day. It works out good, because they were finishing too early. On the day they are home, I've been teaching them all kinds of useful skills (and things that will help me out). They've been learning things like laundry, dishes, cleaning different things, gardening, cooking, and chopping wood. There is so much to teach them and I'm enjoying coming beside them and letting them do some of my work. Sometimes they say they'd rather do school work (they both have been lazy this week), but the physical labor is good for them and I try to teach them some fun skill each week too.

One thing I wanted to share that really works in our house is what I like to call "Clutter Control". It is a great way to get your house picked up. You can transform the look of your living space in 5 minutes. I set the timer and say "On your mark, get set, go" and off we all go, picking up everything we can and delivering it to the right place. It is actually fun and we all get into it (most of us do). Sometimes one or two kids don't participate very well, but I tell you if even I get a couple kids and myself going, it gets done and the results are great. I try and do this twice a day. James has been impressed (when we do it that is). The problem is making a point to do it and sometimes I get to into something else and I forget. The great thing is that it only takes 5 minutes. I can spare 5 minutes, most of the time.

Things have been busier for James this week, the cold season has begun. We've even had a few colds going in this house. Jesse turned nine months last week. He is getting ready to walk. He stands for a few seconds and then sits down.

Well, that's all I have for now.

More Outdoor Work

Well another weekend has come and gone and it was beautiful weather wise! We wished we were camping. Instead we got to work around the house, continuing to spruce it up. James worked both Saturday and today on powerwashing the siding. I worked on staining the deck, with Jonathan's help. Both the siding and deck aren't done yet, but hopefully this week we'll finish up. I'm having a problem posting, so that's all I'm going to write for now.