Fall Crafting

I have been doing some really fun crafts with the kids and just for me. Here is a great wreath that we made. I was inspired by one on tatertots and jello. She does some great stuff there. Of course we had to simplify it a little. So I made a trip to Hobby Lobby aka Hob lob to stock up on supplies. Several things I learned on that trip.

• My friend Mary Kathryn (aka MK) and I should probably have supervision when we go craft shopping together. She is one of those people that really encourages my creative bug.


• Remnant fabric rocks


• You can pull up the 40% off coupon on your phone at Hobby Lobby and the will take it.


• I love crafting and hanging out Hobby Lobby

Back to my wreath (I got everything on sale)

• Wreath form


• Burlap fabric


• straight pins


• lovely fall cotton fabric

I cut out about a bazillion circles of three different sizes and Elaina helped me put them into different patterns. We adhered the circles with a little glue and straight pin and then added a little rope and some letters stamped onto some brown card stock spelling out "Happy Fall" and TA-DA!

I'm hoping to get back on here tomorrow and share some more of our lovely craftiness. Let's home I can follow through.

Happy Fall Yall!

We have really enjoyed spending some good quality time together. E (aka Ethan) has not been traveling lately so we have been able to do a lot of things that we would not have ordinarily gotten to do had he been gone. One was going to a Pumpkin Patch last Friday. Of course, I forgot my camera and have zero pics to show. But, we do have pics of pumpkin carving. First we decorated some mini pumpkins with stickers. Elaina helped Leila while I helped Rin (aka Korinna)
Okay now on to the pumpkin carving. The kids and I have been trying to read all of our fall and halloween books at night. One of our books was about Jack-o-lanterns. This is the design of one of the Jack-o-lanterns.
Last but not least i wanted to share with you what E surprised me with yesterday. A waffle maker. I having been telling Ethan that I have been wanting one for a couple of years. Yesterday Ethan went to the grocery shopping for me. Yes folks, pick your chins up off of the floor. I was beyond swamped and desperatly needed to go to the grocery store. E offered and I wrote out a list and he left. When he returned he had groceries and a surprise. I must admit that Ethan has always been one to pick up surprises, big or small. That is just something he as always done. So I quickly unwrapped it and whipped up some waffles for dinner.

Lots of catching up to do!!

Okay so I have had a small set back. I started blogging and then I stopped blogging. I just can't find a way to make it a habit. Any whoo, crazy week last week. Leila has been sick with crazy things. She had a fever virus for 4 days. Then the day that her fever broke she started screaming in pain only to figure out that it was stomach pain. Which lead to the doctor, which lead to ER visit, which lead to the Radiology dept. which lead to a very unfortunate event for Leila, which conclude with the diagnosis of impaction. Yes Folks she was full of POO! Of course, maybe she had been trying to tell me she needed to poo!?

Of course that is not all that has been happening in the Blankenship world. Josiah and Elaina just wrapped up their fall soccer. Which I have to say, I am pretty happy about. I loved watching them play but I am ready for a little break. They did really well and I have to add how surprised I was at Elaina's enjoyment. I really thought she was going to have a problem being aggressive but she did really well and held her own. We saw some improvement with Josiah as well. Now, don't think I mean skills, I mean his behavior. He was listening better, being a better team player, getting along well with others, and waiting patiently for his turn. Here is a good one of him celebrating a goal and one of Elaina who I think had just scored as well.

Korinna has also had an activity this fall. She is playing Miracle League. Her games have been on Saturdays when Alabama has a away game. I talked to her about it tonight she informed me

1. That she didn't want to play in the spring
2. It was harder than she thought
3. She likes hitting
4. She doesn't like the outfield

I hate to inform her but if she still is not in the theraputic riding program in Birmingham by the spring she WILL be playing miracle league. It is so good for her to have her own activity.
One super, exciting, fun thing happened during this fall. Ethan and I were able to get away on a grown-up trip. We decide on South Florida. I had been itching to go to a South Florida game as well as go visit were Ethan and I began our marriage. It was so nice and relaxing and way to quick.
I had a ton of people I wanted to visit with and a ton of things I wanted to do but there just wasn't the time for it. So if any of my South Florida people are reading I am sorry. I just didn't have the time so we chose to slip in and out quickly. In fact we were only in Clearwater for Friday night and Saturday night. Ethan had a trade show in Orlando, were he had to exhibit that Sunday so we just didn't have the amount of free time we would have liked. We did decide to return again. Soon real soon!

I wanted to show you guys some things that we have done at school but I can't get my video to upload. I will have to work on that and see if I can't get that working. It is super cool. It is Korinna helping Elaina learn her books of the Bible. So sweet!

A Week in Review

What an exciting week!

*Saturday was the blessed day of Tara and Josh wedding. I love the young man and his family they are such and encouragement to Ethan and I. They asked Elaina to be the flower girl and of course she looked amazing.

Mrs Cathy has been such an important part in all of our kids lives. I don't think I have met a kid who doesn't love her.

It was a long day. Pictures started at 3:30. I was a little worried how she would do having to be "on " for so long but she smiled and posed and had a wonderful attitude the whole time. After pictures she found ways to keep herself busy and was a content with playing with herself. I was so excited to have this special time with her. I treasure the one on one moments that I get to share with my kids.

*Elaina is really adjusting well to our new schedule. She is such a self starter so she is quick to do her school work as well as take care of her "responsibilities". (I will have to do a post on how I set up my homeschooling things and the "Responsibility chart" I did for the oldest 3). Korinna has enjoyed having her around as well. I know Korinna was tired of always having me in her face. There is still a lot more to be implemented and I am daily coming up with great ideas that I would like to add. This is as good a place as any to discuss how I have adjusted adding the 2nd homeschooler. In many ways it has been a breeze. After homeschooling a child with special needs and having to adapt everything it has been a breath of a fresh air being able to homeschool a "typical" child. It has taken a toll my laundry room and I do feel a little more emotionally drained at the end of the day. Of course, I count it all lost. As I am able to pour myself into my children, watch them grow and watch them learn. What a blessing I have been given by being obedient to God's call to us homeschooling.

*The kids are also starting their activities. Josiah and Elaina had their first full week of soccer. I was concerned how the two would handle playing the same activity. I could be good and it could be bad. Let me go on and say after only 3 practices we have already had good and bad. Elaina seems to really like it and I am so glad she didn't get all girly on me and get shy or reserved when it came to running, getting sweaty and being aggressive. Josiah really needs this activity most of the time though right now we are fighting a nap battle. When he doesn't take an afternoon nap your chances of him having a melt down increase with every passing minute. I had to take a picture before they left for practice. Elaina looks so Sporty!!

Elaina also started violin lessons this week. She was super excited.

and that my friends are some of the highlights from the Blankenship family. Around here Alabama football is something to get excited about. I have to admit I encourage it. I love the football season and all of its fanfare. Well the kids decided that we need a few items to set the ton for season, one which was red and white cupcakes (red velvet with cream cheese frosting). I agreed that it would be a nice treat so Friday night I put together these "Roll Tide" cupcakes. After dinner Josiah asked can we sing "Happy Birthday to Alabama Football? I said that I didn't know if Happy Birthday was appropriate but if they wanted to sing "Yeah Alabama" I would help them. Well folks I had to get it on video! We are a little rusty but it is just the beginning of the season! I tried to upload it today but was occurring some technical difficulties. I will try again to post it on my next post.

August Adventures

I would like to say that we had a lazy summer but that would just be a LIE. Instead, we have been packed with lots of things, events, activities, appointments and so on. It looks as if we are going to have the same for this school year. Over the past two weeks we have been in the "Getting Started" mode. We are trying to get a new schedule for the school year and everyone has been working hard trying to get it done. Probably not the perfect time to start blogging but really with 4 kiddos in the house is their really a perfect time to start blogging. Okay so on to some of our biggies these past 2 weeks.

1st Josiah started back to school at The Rise School http://riseschool.ua.edu/ on Wednesday the 18th. O how blessed we are to have this program. This could be a post all within itself. We have gained so much from their support, friendship, work and sacrifice they have made for my family and other families like mine.

2nd Elaina celebrated her 6th birthday on Friday the 20th. It was such a fun time to spend with family. Elaina loved it and I of course (like I do for all of my babies) spent the day recounting the day she was born. What a sweet spirit child we have. She has such a servants heart. I can't imagine my life without that child.

After Korinna's cake disaster I refused to make another one until, Elaina told me she wanted me to make her one just like Korinna's except chocolate with white polka dots. So, I folded and made another one. This time it looked SO MUCH better. Of course we had to sing Happy Birthday to cousin Callie whose birthday was the next day!!

Sweet Laura Hocutt and Josiah. Not surprised that he has a dagger in his hand. He enjoys a good war just like any other boy!

3rd Then Saturday me and the girls went to Atlanta for some American Girl shopping with my mom. Okay I totally blew it in the picture department here. I took my camera just not inside. I am still beating myself up. I missed a ton of moments that I can never get back! Stink! I did get this picture of how Elaina sleeping when we got home. This is Elaina's doll Lanie all wrapped with her own blanket. How Sweet!

4th Back to school again! This week me and the two older girls officially started school. This was a big year because Elaina has been added to the Blankenship Academy roll. It has been awesome. She has been such a joy. She is such a self starter so getting her work done has been easy. Finding time to get everything done has been a new adjustment. I know with time that will come as well as God will give me the strength and energy when mine is running on low.

Those are our big events that have take place over the past two weeks. This weekend we will have some more with Buy for Rise and Josh's wedding. I will post those next week. Plus I have a super cool service project opportunity to post about but first I need to get more info. Keep posted.

I'M BLOGGING!!!

Okay for my first post I thought I would share with you why I decided to start blogging. Just to warn you this one is going to be a long one. Okay get ready!!!
Several months ago a family friend the McPherson's shared with Ethan (aka E) that he had run across a blog about a young lady who was a missionary in Uganda and she had a adopted 14 children. Well knowing me like they do, I was super interested and he shared the address with me, http://www.kissesfromkatie.blogspot.com/. Unknowingly to him, I was currently going through a personal spiritual funk. I was fighting with loneliness and desperate for some sort of "friend". Now please understand me when I tell you that this changed my life. The BLOG did NOT change me but GOD worked within me while I was reading. I was encourage by her attitude, strengthened by her passion and reminded that if we are obedient to our Father then things will be hard, tough, difficult and lonely here on this earth. But, in God we find our best friend the one who doesn't change, never leaves us and has a greater better purpose for us. This was a turning point for me. My mother always says attitude is everything and it was here that my attitude was changed. My joy was back, things were and still are tough and I still find days when I feel lonely but the Holy Spirit gives me what I need to continue the walk and fight the good fight.
Well, after finding this blog I started spending more time with God, read the book "Radical" by David Platt (a must read) and scoured Katie's blog. Along the way I came across http://www.amazima.org/ (this is the organization that helps Katie feed and help the people of Uganda) and http://www.147millionorphans.com/. The 147 million orphan started me down another path. I started reading the blogs found on that page http://www.oatsvallteam.blogspot.com/ and http://www.joiningthejourney.blogspot.com/ which lead to two more blogs http://www.babeofmyheart.com/ and http://www.weloveourlucy.blogspot.com/ and then last but certainly not least http://www.wiphan.org/.
Now to some of you, I know you are thinking that I have lost my mind but please let me remind you that I am a stay home mom with four beautiful children, and homeschooling 2 of them. I was happy to find some encouragement on these pages that help sustain me on my bad days. But I digress, SO I started talking about these people and their families to Ethan and well... he started laughing at me. I didn't take it personally, in fact, it was pretty funny. First he started calling them my stalkee's and I was the stalker and now he calls them my imaginary friends because they do not know I exist. He made a good point. So I decide it was time for me to become the not so imaginary reader and not just start commenting on their pages but allow myself to become a blogger as well and share my story and some of my findings with others so that they might find encouragement. Okay so here we go!!