Adventures in Homemaking

Who says it's boring to be a stay-at-home mom? Where else can you see...

...a boy sleeping in his pillowcase?


...exploded potatoes (on July 4th, no less; I thought the neighbors had some incredible fireworks!)?


...a for-real shiner (he lost a fight with the side of the swimming pool)?


...a MATER cake (Happy Birthday, my big 4-year-old!)?


...kids making homemade ice-cream, and...


...eating it?


...homemade yogurt dripping whey over a sink (looks nasty but it tasted great)?


...a yogurt-eating dinosaur?


And now for a couple of pics from the Navy Lake fireworks show. Audrey and "Grandma #3," Ms. Teri:


Daddy and Audie


Daddy and Katie

Hinton Men

About a month ago Kevin and I took the children to Valentine Park. This photo, originally taken only to adjust camera settings, has become one of my favorite pictures of Kevin. It seems to reflect much about his character and personality.

Kevin loves to play, so the setting is certainly appropriate. He is looking down at his children - watching over them, protecting them, and enjoying the three little gifts he has been given. The solitude of the photo reflects his quiet strength and thoughtful nature. God's glory, displayed in the majesty of the afternoon sky above him, reminds me of Kevin's position as a child of God.

So keep climbing, little Owen. You have years and miles to go, but I pray that some day you will sit up by your Daddy and watch over your own family. For now, though, go play and have fun!

Kevin as My Example

About a month ago I was feeling discontent. For those not in the know, caring for small children and homeschooling is monotonous:

Wake up
Make bed
Fix Kevin breakfast
Get dressed
"Quiet" time (not usually quiet!)
Herd the children (get them dressed, hair, beds, etc.)
Breakfast and children's Bible time
Daily chores (dishes, trash, laundry, thaw dinner)
School
Lunch
Finish school
Weekly chores (bulletin, groceries, bills, etc.)
Dinner
Clean kitchen
Hang out with Kevin
Bed

I can type this from memory because it's what I do. Every day. Even on the weekends, I have to do the majority of these things to manage my household. The main variations of this include cleaning up the four drink spills that Owen creates at every meal, and Shouting out those unpleasant stains that come from Audrey eating too many grapes. So sometimes I get discouraged.

When I get discouraged, I look to Christ. Pray. Read God's word. But this time I also needed something tangible, so I prayed for just that! And God answered me by directing my attention to Kevin.

My husband is a faithful, dependable person. He goes to his workplace every day. He isn't exactly figuring statistics for the NFL (his dream job), but he never complains. He leaves, he does tuition reimbursements and service awards, he comes home, and he declares that it was a good day. What a godly example for me to follow!

This month (notice this is a monthly problem? HAHAH!!!!!), I need an example in "Keeping My Mouth Shut So Nothing Sinful Will Fly Out Of It Before I Have A Chance To Choke It Back Down." Some of you know what I am talking about. If this is you, I suggest you talk to Kevin. He excells in this area as well. Of course, he CLAIMS that he isn't thinking of anything at all, so there isn't anything to fly out...but I know better. ;)

Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ. ~ I Corinthians 11:1

Carving Tree

My parents own fourteen acres of wooded land. Most people would consider it worthless land because it is a series of gulleys and steep hills. The house I grew up in is on top of the biggest hill, with a creek running as a property line around the back and side of the lowest point.

These woods were my home. When we would finish our school for the day, Mama would let us go play to our hearts' content. I could often be found up a tree with a book! The only warning was for us to watch out for snakes. Mama HATES snakes.

Any visitors to our woods always stopped at the Carving Tree so that they could add their name to the impressive mass of jumbled carvings. This tree was on the side of a small bluff overlooking the creek. In the "olden days," one could (on a dare) walk around the tree, hanging precariously to the roots that were exposed on the bluff side. These days that would be more than foolish, as erosion has taken its toll.



My friend Elisabeth is to be thanked for this photo full of memories. She is also the artist behind the family photo slideshow at the top of my blog.

And what were our husbands doing during our excursion? Apparently, practicing for the praise band!

Everyday Providence

Owen is eating food now. On Monday (his four-month birthday) he nursed at 7:30 and then started screaming and putting his fist in his mouth at 10:00. I nursed him again. He drank everything I had and wanted MORE! So I scoured the cabinets and found some baby food that Mom Hinton had bought for his trick-or-treat bag (she can't treat grandkids differently so she had to buy him SOMETHING! LOL!). Owen LOVED the bananas. The next night he had peaches. On Wednesday I finally got groceries and that night he had oatmeal. I think that was his favorite. Now he is sitting in his high-chair and talking baby babble. He is SO cute! He has been sitting there for almost an hour, watching Katie play with some new play doh I bought and watching me clean up around here and get ready for lessons. MUCH more content now. And sleeping better, too. That boy was HUNGRY!

Katie is feeling better. She only threw up once. Now she just has cold symptoms. She is excited to go to Grandma's house today.

I think everyone is sick. The Quicks, Hughes, Crenshaws, Will Hefner, Katie, and the Mays all have this bug. I had half my voice students cancel today. And only five people showed up for church last night!

I got groceries by myself last night while Kevin watched the kids. It was wonderful! I am even considering getting up around 6:00 once a week to get them before Kevin leaves for work. It was much easier this way.

Kevin is the most wonderful husband EVER. I lost my CD that went with my Christmas book for voice lessons, so he drove to Amro for me on his lunch break yesterday to save me a trip to Memphis. Then he even made copies of the songs I needed because the church copier is broken! Then he came home and babysat. What a man!

That's all I have time for. I hope to write a little more tomorrow when I have more time.

Everyday Providence

Sundays are my "day of rest" and I do not plan to exercise any on that day. I haven't exercised today, either - at least, not yet. I did get groceries at the Super Wal-Mart which SHOULD count. But since we have daylight savings time (which I love), I will probably go tonight when Kevin gets home. My original plan was to go in the morning before he left for work, but I didn't sleep well last night. SOMEONE thinks it is funny to give me false labor pains all night and then kick the stew outta me!

Also, to clarify my eating habits (since I said I ate too much), when I say I am eating a ton of food, it is usually food that is good for me. I just can't stop eating it. We eat pretty healthy around here (lots of whole-grains, leafy greans, lean meats, etc). So I am not sure if I should practice some self-control or just go for it.

(I hope no one thinks I am vain, since I do realize that my current pregnancy weight isn't even a lot. It really has NOTHING to do with my shape, looks, or anything like that. It has EVERYTHING to do with my back, which has been in awful shape since I fell about 15 feet onto a wooden beam when I was 12 years old.)

My husband is SOOO nice. For my birthday, he ordered maternity clothes and got certificates for four pre-natal massages (since my back is bad). He also made me a card on the computer (!) and got me a bunch of sweetheart roses and two Twix bars (one for me and one for Owen, he says). Then he took me out to eat at a local restaurant and then to Starbucks. The Starbucks thing was a big deal, because I love mochas, but the nearest Starbucks was an hour away. Then we got one in Millington --- while I had hyperemesis! SIGH. So I just now had my first mocha at the new Starbucks. And we met Steve and Camille, who will be moving soon, to chat with them. They have seven kiddos so it was cool to be able to visit in the quiet.

The fellowship meal at church yesterday was AWESOME. A new lady who has been visiting came, and I spent a lot of the night getting to know her. We ate outside and watched all the kids (and MEN! LOL!) play dodge ball. They played for two hours! The pastor hit Katie in the face with the ball, and she came to me and RATTED on him..."Brudder Dax hurt ball FACE!"

Okay, I really need to put away my groceries.