Making the Most of Milwaukee

Day 198. I'm thankful for our church, even when it's a small crowd. Day 199. I'm thankful for not drowning my first time swimming laps. Day 200. I'm grateful for a beautiful day at South Shore Park with my friend Sarah and our kiddos. Day 201. I'm happy that I doubled my distance in the pool. Day 202. We enjoyed a fun afternoon with Angie and our kids at Chasing Tales, a children's indoor play place. Day 203. I'm grateful for another dinner and relaxing evening with the Iwinskis. Day 204. Morning screentime and an impromptu Betty Brinn Children's museum visit makes for a full and fun Saturday. Day 205. We had friends, Donny and Porscha and their two little ones, from our old church come over for an early dinner. It was a very pleasant visit. Day 206. I'm sure something interesting happened today, but I can't think of it at the moment. Day 207. Today was my first small group Spanish "class" with two other ladies and an ...

Day 191. I'm thankful for a fun Sunday afternoon! During the game on Saturday, Angie texted me, asking if Justin and Deuce would be interested in going to another Brewers' game on Sunday with David and Owen. After some thought, Justin agreed to it. They guys took Justin's jeep and left for the game right after church. Here are a few pics from their time at Miller Park. Meanwhile the girls and I and Angie and the rest of her crew grabbed a quick lunch, and came here for a backyard swimming party! Sorry, no pictures of our shenanigans.  Day 192. I'm thankful for a fun and tiring day with the kids and Lindsay! This morning, first, the kids and I worked together to get the whole house tidy. Then I got them all washed up. Next, we got packed up and headed toward Lindsay's house, which is up in Jackson. We actually met at Lammscapes, which is a landscaping and plant store near Lindsay's house. There was a cute gazebo on the property where she...

I'm making the most of screen time right now... But by the time I finish with this post, I'll be caught up for the summer! Day 181. I'm thankful for a little dress and bonnet my Aunt Carol made for me when I was a wee one. I don't remember when Mom gave me the dress, but I kept it for years, never doing anything with it. After we moved, the dress went back into storage. That is, until I found it the other week while cleaning out the closets. It was too late for Josie or Margo to wear the dress, but I was pretty sure that it would fit Piper. And it does! That night at church we had guest worship leaders and their young adult group visit. It was definitely a different vibe since we're used to a really small crowd, but it was still nice. And I made a yummy fruit salad with strawberries from the berry farm, blueberries, grapes and mango. I thought it was delicious. Day 182. I figured July 1 was a good day to start a new challenge, so no sugar it is! I alway...

I figured it might be easier/more enjoyable to read three shorter blog posts than one really long one, so here's part two of our summer so far. Day 169. New sandals, Lindsay's bridal shower, and an evening with the Price family. This was a pretty full day. While Justin went to his jiu jitsu class in the morning, I took the kids to Kohl's so Josie could get a new pair of sandals. Taking all the kids into a store is always an adventure! After that, I got ready and went to Alan and Vicki's house for Lindsay's bridal shower. It was nice to chat with Alana, Jon (her fiance)'s sister, Jenni and his mom, as well as some of Lindsay's friends. Plus there was a ton of yummy food that I pigged out on. I got home from the shower late in the afternoon, and almost immediately, we all packed up and went over to the Prices' house for the evening. The kids swam in their small backyard pool while the grownups talked. Then, Angie and I and Josie and Daniela made di...

I haven't blogged since before the kids got out of school for summer break! Once again I've got lots of catching up to do. But, we've been making the most of this summer so far! I did my best to remember something that made me grateful or happy each day. So, here goes... Day 160. I am grateful for Josie's sense of humor, even when it drives her brother nuts. Occasionally while driving, Josie will make Deuce go bonkers without saying a word. This time she made a silly, overbite smile, tilted her head and stared, so every time Deuce wanted to look out Josie's window he would see her goofy face. This infuriated him. haha And the best part is that she never broke character. Justin said, "she's my daughter!" Day 161. I'm thankful for a new swimsuit and the company of a good friend. But I'm not thankful for the process of swimsuit shopping! Ugh. But at least I finally found a swimsuit that looks reasonably good, and I feel okay in it. B...

Day 151. Memorial Day. Of course I'm thankful for the men in women who've paid the ultimate sacrifice while serving in the Military. I'm also thankful for another day with Justin. We went to Anodyne again for coffee and a pastry. We also spent some time shopping at Home Depot and Menards. We bought a couple of Clematis plants and two hanging planters and a variety of annuals. I did my first floral arrangements, and then hung the planters on the front porch. Day 152. I'm grateful for a quiet morning by myself, a brief visit with Bri, and some hostas. After dropping the kids off at school, I spent most of the last morning of Judy's visit at the Bay View Anodyne. It was quiet and relaxing and uneventful. It will probably be a while before I go there again, seeing as I usually have my kids and there's no drive-thru. Anyway, a few hours later, I went over to Bri's house and visited her with her for a little while. And then we went outside and dug up a han...

Day 142. I am glad that the kids finally have bicycles! Justin, Deuce, and Margo went up to a local bike resale, and got bikes for the three older kids. (Well, technically, he got 2 on Saturday and 1 on Sunday before church.) I had him take off the pedals of one of the bikes so Josie and Deuce could practice balancing first. I want them to skip the training wheels stage, mainly because they're already at the age when they could learn to ride without them. However, Margo's bike does have training wheels on it since she's only four. Anyway, I'm just happy that they finally have them! I know I also mentioned a dog walk and a clean porch. So, I guess I have to say that I took Carmen for a much-needed walk. Also, I busted my butt cleaning the front porch. I swept, vacuumed (that must've been a sight) and scrubbed our huge porch. I was so whooped when I stopped, and I didn't even finish the whole thing! Day 143. Learning to ride a bike is exciting! After churc...

Day 137. I'm grateful for a play date with my friend, Ally. It was a pretty typical play date. The girls made a huge mess upstairs, while Ally and I sat and talked. I was supposed to do housework while she visited, but that of course didn't happen. It was way more enjoyable to just chat with her instead of try to do chores. After they left, then I worked on getting the house in order. Later in the afternoon, the kids helped me. Good thing! Day 138. I'm thankful for Voxer conversations with Sarah. We talk almost every day on Voxer, but since I can't think of much else that was interesting that day, I'll write about that. We both tend to be long-winded on Voxer, which is especially nice when you want someone to keep you company while you're washing dishes or folding laundry. And it's a great way to talk without being interrupted. Haha Anyway, my friendship with Sarah has definitely grown as a result of all the time we've spent chatting o...

We had a full and fun weekend last Friday, Saturday, Sunday! Day 134. I'm thankful for a double date night with David and Angie! Around 5pm, they came over to our house with their four kids. Our babysitter, Skyler, and her mom (my friend, Sarah) watched all 8 kids while we went out to dinner and to a school fundraiser. We went to Odd Duck, one of our favorite tapas restaurants in Milwaukee. Small plates restaurants are great, because you get to try lots of different dishes and share them. The bacon wrapped gouda stuffed dates are SO delicious! I highly recommend. After dinner, we went to the Humboldt Park Beer Garden for a wine and beer tasting event. They also had a silent auction. One of the "items" we tried to win in the auction was a play date with Miss Clark, Deuce's teacher. It was also nice to be able to meet some other parents from the school. I had a few samples of wine and beer. My favorite was a Samuel Smith Organic Chocolate Beer. Then we grabbed so...

Another month has gone by. I really don't have any good excuses for not blogging other than life has been going on. But to be clear, life is wonderful. I was planning on not going into details about the last month, but I can't help myself. Get ready for a whole lot of gratefulness! I won't go into too much detail. So, without further ado, April 15 - May 12. And then, since there's more to talk about, I'll post this past weekend in a separate blog post. Day 106. Dinner at the Prices'. We spent several hours over at David and Angie's house. We had a yummy Italian dinner and great conversation while all the kids had a blast playing upstairs. Day 107. Our future garden. After Josie's swim lessons, I spent almost the entire day outside tilling the ground and pulling weeds. I got a lot accomplished, and I earned a sunburn! Day 108. Kayla's Playground. After church, I was supposed to meet some friends at a new park in Franklin, but due to unfo...

Day 103. I am thankful for biblical/spiritual conversations with Justin. On Tuesday morning, Justin and I spent some time texting back and forth about a variety of topics, including the fruit of the Spirit, abiding in the vine (Jesus), holding others accountable, seeking wisdom from God, and God doing a new thing in our lives. Here are the corresponding verses: * But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. - Galatians 5:22-23 * "Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing." - John 15:4-5 * Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yo...

Well, I've taken a bit of a break from blogging...partly because I got distracted with other things, partly because I didn't think anyone was that interested in reading, and partly because I wasn't that interested in blogging. Anyway, after both my mom and my cousin, Kathy mentioned that they've missed reading my blog, I'm back. Actually, a lot has gone on the last month. I will try to remember as much as possible, in chronological order. Day 73 cont. I will start with Sunday March 13th, after church. Justin told me that he had been thinking about The Upper Room (David's church), and we talked about it for a bit. I'd had it on my heart for a couple weeks already, but chose not to say anything to Justin, because I wanted God to direct him. Anyway, we decided that we would fast for three days and pray about it. Days 74-76. Monday through Wednesday, we fasted from everything except coffee and water. Justin had to stop a bit early because of his no gallb...