274/365... enJoy

A faithful reader of Travis' blog left a comment recently that included a link to directions for making very fancy wands. As soon as that was discovered I knew that I had approximately 5.2 seconds to grant permission to invite friends, locate supplies and commence crafting. Knowing that resistance was futile, we dove right in and I'll admit, I'm pretty glad we did.

One nice thing about having old kids is that when they get a bee in their bonnets over something or other a lot of the time it's something that they can actually pull off by themselves. And they can clean it up, which is even bigger. This project was no exception. I was there for the dispensing of the hot glue and for moral support (and occasional paint selection consultation), but mostly just to stand around and be impressed.

They turned out great and will make the perfect addition to the recent costumes that have been added to their collection. It was a creative afternoon well spent. (And I think Laurie might have made a significant move in the direction of "Coolest Adult" status according to my big boys.)

"real" wands joy...






273/365... enJoy

The Johnny Jumper has been in the family since Sam and that's a lot of babies! It's kind of like a milestone around here when the current new babe gets to fall in love with Johnny and for sweet Eli it was love at first bounce. I put the introduction off for a while because I couldn't let myself believe that he could possibly be ready to actually have fun in something, but now that the deed is done it's so funny to sit and watch him go crazy. He squeals and jumps and spins and laughs and how could anyone be sad about that? My baby is getting bigger by the second.

Johnny Jumper joy...





271/365... enJoy

Tonight after dinner I went upstairs to put Eli to bed while Jimmy was left to herd all of the others towards bedtime. I was fully expecting to come down to the post-dinner disaster and instead I found my sweet girl just finishing up the dishes in a spotless kitchen. She was so excited to surprise me. She had done such a great job!

I love this girl and I'm so thankful for her capable, willing, servant's heart. She genuinely delights to do big things that she knows will bring tears to my eyes. : ) I have absolutely no doubt that should I, for any reason, be unable to perform my duties she would be perfectly able to fill my shoes and fill them well. For a little while, anyway.

My little apprentice joy...


270/365...enJoy

I wouldn't exactly describe our thumbs as "green". We've tried to grow so many different things so many different times and historically it hasn't really gone all that well. We once had a friend drive past our house because the plants on the front stoop were alive and he was looking for the normal dead ones. I like to pretend it's because we're too busy doing the much more noble job of keeping people alive, but really it's just because we don't know what we're doing and we haven't take the time to really learn.

In a sudden burst of inspiration the other day, Jimmy decided that he wanted us to give it another go by planting a fall garden. If at first you don't succeed, try, try again, right? so we made it a family affair. We figure the more people we have invested in this venture, the more likely it is to actually produce something.

It's also possible that one of our kids could turn out to be a natural gardener. In that case, we'd be happy to take some lessons.

Grow little seeds, grow joy....






269/365... enJoy

There are a million things that I love about living in a small town. A few of those things include small town music festivals on a chilly Saturday afternoon just a little bit away from both our favorite ice cream store and our favorite coffee shop. Sharing it with some of our favorite people doesn't hurt either.

Small town Saturday afternoon joy...






268/365... enJoy

Today was Take Your Sam to Work day. First stop in the way in? Leopard Forest for a workin' mans coffee (Sam takes his decaf, lots of cream and sugar). He took some school work and books to read and Jimmy said he was like a little puppy working right under his feet whenever he was at his desk and right by his side whenever he was out on the job sites.

I can remember going to work with my own dad when I was a kid and loving every second. I'm so glad that my kids get a chance to see their dad in action, working hard for us.

Bringing home the bacon joy...


266/365... enJoy

Dressing up has always been a favorite activity around our house. We've had cowboys, indians, fairies, princesses, knights, super heros, Davy Crockett, astronauts and Heidi; sometimes all of those in one day. But right now? It's all Harry Potter.

Mr. Albus Dumbledore and Mr. Harry Potter joy...