The deadline is next Monday, September 1st to sign up in the post below (or this one....) to win two of my wonderful, handmade, 100% cotton dishcloths. If you have never used a crocheted dishcloth before, you are in for a treat! Please check out my etsy site to see the different patterns and other crafts I make and post below (if you would put a link to here on your site, that would be sweet, too!).
I am having a giveaway!! Whoo hooo! I am going to give the chosen winner 2 items from my new etsy shop (julieandco) -- Two 100% cotton, hand crocheted, textured, durable dishcloths! If you have never used a crocheted cotton dishcloth, you will be delighted in the durability, scrubbability (is that a word?), and wonderful texture of this item. I will also make them in your own choice of color, to match or accent your kitchen colors.
Please click over to my etsy shop to see the types of dishcloths I make (along with my other crafts) and then post a comment (with an email or some way to contact you if you win) along with a brief little post on your blog site with a link back to my site here! Thank you so very much!!!
I will choose a winner on September 1st! (Thank you to MoneySavingMom for hosting the giveway!)
I'm so happy we started school this morning! I absolutely love this time of year, even though this year my homeschool is pretty small -- only our youngest two girls (oldest is a senior in college and second oldest is in Africa for a year!). What a change and what fun. My girls at home are 14 years old and in 9th grade and 11 years old and in 6th grade. They are excited and happy to start school, too, for which I am very thankful.
We started Tapestry of Grace Year 1 (the classic version, which we are in our 8th year of using and LOVE), Saxon and Mathusee, Apologia Biology and Zoology, Spelling, Writing (in Tapestry), Spanish (Powerglide, although I don't know that I'm happy with that -- any suggestions?), Grammar, art and vocabulary. Fun!!
We "skyped" our daughter in Africa this morning to let her in our our first day of school (which sadly made her cry for missing us so terribly). I am SOOOOOOOO abundantly thankful for the internet and Skype for keeping in touch daily with our daughter. I don't know what I'd do if I didn't have that brief connection with her. Our younger two girls have even played backgammon (their all time favorite game) with Anna over skype! Hahaha. We point the webcam down at the backgammon board and have fun playing! What a blessing to have fun long distance like that.
Anyone else start school today??
Till next time, Julie (p.s. I have sold one thing on my Etsy site already! Yippee! I have posted new items if anyone is interested....my shop link is along the side of my blog!)
Please feel free to visit my new shop. I currently have only 10 items listed, but will be adding more daily and will be busy stitching up new creations, including aprons and some crocheted items.
Outside My Window... a furious thunderstorm is crossing over, bringing wonderful rain and refreshing coolness
I am thinking... as soon as the rain eases up, the girls and I will venture out to do our weekly grocery shopping. I am also thinking I need another cup of coffee,
I am thankful for...precious daughters and a faithful, loving husband. I'm also thankful for the internet connection we have with our daughter overseas...
From the kitchen...a bountiful harvest of blueberries...hmmm, what shall I create with them today?
I am wearing...khaki capris and a chocolate brown t-shirt
I am creating...lots and lots of temari, aprons, and maybe some other crocheted toys for my future Etsy shop.
I am going...to Meijer and Aldi today, taking Emma along with me. We may go back out today to hit the thrift stores.
I am reading...Jerry Bridges new book, Respectable Sins. Oooh, it's going to be a brutally honest, challenging study
I am hoping...to do some serious school planning this week, as I'd like to begin our new year on Augest 18! Only 2 weeks from today!
I am hearing...the last of the rain dripping off the eaves, and my oldest daughter scurrying around upstairs, getting ready for her shift at the coffee house.
Around the house...Jess is curled up on the loveseat, not feeling 100%, Emma is playing quietly in her room and all is quiet.
One of my favorite things...planning and organizing things, which I hope to do once I return from the grocery store. Nothing pleases me more than to have things in order (although I have learned over the years not to let this control me!! Thank you Lord!)
A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week: Photocopy school papers from Tapestry, clean some cupboards and line with new shelf paper, bring the van into the shop for tune up and repair, do lots and lots of crafts and sewing.
Here is picture thought I am sharing... OK, I know this is a bit shocking! This is our almost 21 year old daughter, Becca and her boyfriend, Ben on his motorcycle! Gulp....yes, I pray a lot when they are on this together! Tee hee.... good to know that that is his car (the white one) behind them and they mostly go in that!. Becca loves her baby blue helmet!
If you would like to take part in the Simple Woman's Daybook Monday journal entry, please visit her blog here! Enjoy! Till next time, Julie
These are just some of the 30+ pounds of delicious, fat, juicy, lovely, delightful, amazing
blueberries we picked in half an hour this morning, 2 miles from our home. We are so blessed to live in Michigan, home to such gorgeous fruit harvests, like blueberries, apples, peaches, cherries, not to mention all the vegetables grown in abundance here.
Of course, the fun was trying to not spill the handfuls of berries, trying not to gorge ourselves too much on fresh berries (still with the morning dew all over them), and challenging each other on who had the biggest berries. "This one is so huge...." "No way, my last one was bigger." "Well, I just ate one as big as a potato." (that was my husband, believe it or not! HAHAHAHA) They are pretty huge -- probably as big as a quarter around.
So, tonight, all (but about 8 cups) are in the freezer, to be enjoyed for a full year, until next August, when we will again delight ourselves with a morning in a blueberry field.
I have a little craft which I LOVE to make, along with several other crafts that I also love, and I wonder: Should I start up an Etsy shop? Would my things sell? Would you buy my things? Would you pay money for these 3" diameter Japanese temari balls:
or this:
Would you buy this apron:
What do you think I should do? I welcome any and all suggestions!!
I wanted to send out an update on our girl just as soon as I heard the latest. Most importantly, the good news is that Anna is safely there and in their new home!! She arrived last night with L. (the mom) and the two little girls she is going to nanny. Praise God for His protection and provision so far!
The travel to Africa proved to be very stressful, as their flight out of the States was delayed by storms for 2 hours, causing them to miss their connecting flight to Africa. But, after many delays, lots of frustration and over 24 hours of travel, they are there! They even got bumped up to first class for one round of travel due to the hassles. What a treat for them!
Their apartment there is spacious and bright, although M. (the dad) and his brother-in-law (who flew out with M. a week before to get everything ready) had to clean and scrub for 20 hours to get it ready for the girls! Wow! Anna has a bedroom with her own bathroom and they are in a pretty nice part of the city, near a main thoroughfare. It is hot and the air is pretty polluted, so it's a big change from our lovely Michigan weather.
The sad news is that they will not be able to get internet access in their apartment until their visas clear, which could be up to 2 (maybe 3) months. Yikes. My heart sank when I heard that, but there are other friends there with computers, so we may be able to get sporadic contact from them. My webcam will just have to wait!
Saying goodbye to Anna was probably the hardest thing I've ever had to do as a mom. My heart felt like it was ripping and still is very sad today, but we are confident she is in the center of God's will and being a nanny to those two precious girls for a year is the very thing she is meant to do! Please keep us all in your prayers and Anna and the rest, as well. M.and L. will begin language school right away next week, so it will be another big adjustment for them all.
Thank you all for your care and prayers and love....
Well, the day is finally here. I've know this day would arrive ever since she read her first biography book and turned saying, with tears in her eyes, "Mom, I have to go, too." She leaves tomorrow for a year in Africa as a nanny to our friends' two little girls, while they are in language school. My heart is overflowing with absolute joy and assurance that she is completely in the center of God's will, awe at our marvelous God who made all this possible, and sadness at the thought of her physical absence in our home. She is a girl full of joy, sillies, bounce, noise, delight and fun. She blessed us all yesterday with thoughtful and tender goodbye gifts and cried at our goodbye gifts to her. She wept yesterday at church when her friends gathered round her and prayed for her, crying and hugging her with all their might. She has packed all that will be essential into two containers and tomorrow we bring her to the airport and wave goodbye. Please pray for her and for our family. This is huge and our God is great! We rejoice in this and weep.
Enjoy our pictures from a lovely family day yesterday!
Till next time, Julie
(p.s. today is my birthday and my girls blessed me with a webcam to "see" Anna while overseas! Yesss!)
This one was an "oops" picture, but so cute, I thought I'd put it in, too!
Random thoughts on our life in beautiful Michigan (the mitten!), serving the Father, homeschooling with our four amazing daughters, and cuddling Maggie, our adorable pug.
or this:
