~just keepin it real~

it's raining. (which i LOVE)

jake is doing his "responsibilities". (which he just complained about and claims give him panic attacks) the truth is: he doesn't like the fact that his sisters don't yet have the quantity of responsibilities that he does. (i get it....but i'm rearing a man here.....can't have a sissy)
and just in case you're wondering if we are abusive.....his responsibilities include guitar practice, a certain number of daily push ups and sit ups, and weekly trash cans to the road duties.

i just said to him, "son. you don't need to worry about what people around you are doing. focus on the job YOU have and get it done. period. end of discussion."

the "non-working, responsibility-less" girls are playing some sort of horse game. one gets a rope tied around her and the other holds the reins and so on and so forth. baby just gallops behind them convinced she has a very important role.  then a and e come in here arguing about who can be called Sarah and who can be called Sophia. what do i say?

"complainers get to work so i suggest you stop complaining and work it out between you. unless you want to start working." they choose to get back to it.

meanwhile, i'm doing this:

it's my secret to success this school year. i realize this is homemaking 101 but somewhere between husband with weird working hours, 16 years, four kids, part time homeschooling, treading water to just keep my head above it, and maintaining my sanity, homemaking 101 got skipped or ditched.
either way, here it is.

i'm compiling a list of the things we like to eat. breakfast, lunch, and supper. i'm making a card of ingredients needed for each meal. i plan to laminate and put the cards in a box.

every saturday, while the kids are helping brad in the yard, (good timing, i think) i will plan a meal for each day of the following week, then check pantry and fridge for what we have/need and make a quick grocery list based on my handy dandy cards. i'll zip out to the store ALL ALONE ~hallelujah~ and i'll have, Lord willing, EVERYTHING i need for the entire week!

i warned you......it's pretty basic stuff....but you'd be surprised just how much of your brain you push out with each and every delivery of your precious children. i'm working withe limited resources here but am living to fight again. i've never consecrated a certain day as "grocery day". until now. watch out.

i'm praying we get it right. 

i'm praying we teach our kids to stand alone,

that we teach them to know right from wrong and to choose right.

i'm praying that we actually pour our lives in to them,

not in word, but in deed.

i'm praying that we actually READ God's Word with them 

more nights than we do not.

that we demonstrate humility before them

by leading strongly but apologizing when necessary.

i'm praying that we teach patience by practicing it. 

i'm praying that with every year that passes,

we challenge the hearts of our kids to 

have compassion for the hurting

and to look for ways to bless others,

to be less self centered and more eyes open for those around them.

if i give every single bit of me to the four entrusted to me,

then i'll have been a success.

~stacey

~My Birthday Gift To Myself~

Just ordered my birthday present.

Yes I know my birthday isn't until the fall but listen to what I got myself and you'll understand why.

Jake was two when we started residency.

What do you think he loved?

Trains.

He loved anything with wheels but trains were his obsession.
One year for Christmas, he got the Thomas wooden train set and I don't know who was more excited. Me or him. Jake or I. He or me. Whatever. I loved him loving trains. The fact that they were wooden was even better because I have a thing for classic toys. This was a gift I would never put in a garage sale. His babies will play with this train at Honey's house.

So! The next year, and the year after that, and every year after that, what did I want more than anything at Christmas for my growing family?

A clanging, smoking, puffing train to put around our tree. I remember being in Target one year during residency and there it was. A Lionel train set ON THE CLEARANCE END CAP!

After walking around the store with it for who knows how long, non typical behavior overcame me and I put it back. I had a knot in my stomach but I knew I just. shouldn't. buy. it.

See, these were lean years for the Wall household. We didn't have even $100 to spare on frivolous things like train sets.

Fast forward nine years. Wow! Nine years.......maybe I am learning  a little about patience.

2013.

This is the year of the train. My sweet 11 year old hasn't hit puberty yet and by golly, we will have a train chugging happily around our tree this year.
It's cheaper than I've seen anywhere, I got free shipping, AND it'll be here in two days. (which is totally useless because it will stay in the box until the end of November) but still!!!

Happy early birthday to me!

~stacey

~for ailee~

~stacey

~just life & iPhone pics~

I hate to have to say the S word. (not snakes.....the OTHER S word), but I do.....because it's taken up an hour or so of my week so far and a little $ out of my pocket.

School.

I know, I know.  It sends shudders up your spine, you wrinkle your nose, and if you're at all like me, you just twitched, then sighed and groaned a very unhappy groan.

Let me be clear. We are not focusing on the S word yet but I had to order s books. And I have been looking at backpacks just because I like to have all that junk stuff done so I can just coast right on in to August 8 or whatever it is.

I don't know that there's any hope for my kids because I dislike school almost as much as they do. Don't get me wrong. We do it whole heartedly, I just empathize with them.

I can't fake it.

"Mom. I don't want to do school."

What do I say?

"I know, dude. Me either."

I can't work up a fake, " Oh, school is great!"

The only response I can muster is,

"Well, guess what? I don't really want to do laundry either. And I'm guessing Daddy probably didn't really want to go to work today. And I'd rather go to the beach than cook dinner. But! We have to work. You better get used to the idea. Work hard so you can play hard later. It's just the way life is."

It's not sexy but it's the hard, cold truth. And most of us don't even know what real work is, so I say, let's get to it with as little complaining as possible.

Have no idea where I was going with the above but there it is.

We recently celebrated our 16th wedding anniversary.

There was no sweet, long tribute but I think following pretty much sums it up.
THIS is why I'm one of the luckiest girls in the world:

and this is weird. my girl is doing her round-off back handspring in the purple leo.

it's like a 13 second video but it's playing non stop. 

have no idea. 

but this is where she spends 7 and 1/2 hours a week....working her happy little rear end off. 

sweetest girls from the sweetest Mama and Daddy. (not mine, but our friends) 

~I'm not that arrogant~

and......it could have been a Matilda Jane convention.

we hung curtains finally and baby got a new rug.

anyone who asks her about it hears,

"and it's SO soft!"

yes, that's Reese rolling or flipping......shocker.

  

she loves my bed and I love summer days where I can take 20 minutes and lay there

and listen to her giggle and hear her whisper, "Mommy, you're my girl, aren't I?"

what my mud room looked like when I walked by it.

(almost done organizing it....)

my pattern is this:

 organize,  gradual mess accumulates, pick it up, 

more gradual mess, a couple crazy days go by, 

I peek in and declare,

"good grief! Looks like a bomb went off in here!"

re-tidy, re-organize.

repeat.

(oh! and this picture is mild mess. gets WAY worse. trust that.)

what it would look like if I, hypothetically spruced it up for a picture. 

why do we do that?

....I guess it does look like this sometimes just not nearly as often as it does the other.

and! 

I'm working on some really good plans to make our home life during the school year go a little smoother. 

here's hoping I actually finish planning and implementing before crazy fall schedule kicks in.

~stacey