Garden Progress

So exciting Look at all the progress

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Retreat Weekend

A sweet friend of mine snapped this photo of me. I had just taken a walk for probably an hour around the grounds of the retreat location. It was wonderful. I snapped photos and just enjoyed the quiet and nature. I had come back and sat a while to have some water, before having the urge to go and walk for a while again. I tell you I have never felt so refreshed and it was perfect considering the week I had with UIL for Choir, UIL for Track and then working at church, helping catch up homework assignments etc.
Rest is good

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Martha Home Mary Way Day 2

We have really struggled with the cabinets in our kitchen. Sometimes I think people don't think about how they will use their space when they install them. One day I hope to take them all out and start over. They are super deep but not functional. This is one of the upper cabinets before we reorganized it. Stuff just gets thrown into the top shelving, it frustrates me.

I liked this challenge because we could look at going through stuff and parting ways. Maybe containers without lids, lids without containers, old spices etc. 

I didn't get this posted on day two. We have had a crazy busy week with choir 2 days, UIL, then MOPS, catching up on homework for a daughter who missed 2 full days of AP courses. I can feel the lack of sleep. I am grateful to my husband who assisted with some of the kitchen this week. He went through the top shelf, matched up all bottles and put them together and parted ways with some. 

He also found me a spot for the mixing cups my oldest purchased me for Christmas. This is nice that they now have a true home in the kitchen.

Last he went through the spice cabinet for me. We are working at growing herbs and getting away from store bought spices where necessary. I am trying to learn to cook as much as I can  from scratch and have a better food situation for all of us. I can see a difference in the health of my younger two who struggle with so much medically.
So I will work on posting the kitchen cleaning jobs through this week.
I had just enough time this morning for Day 2, we are headed out to see my oldest inducted into Alpha Chi tomorrow night.

If you want to catch up on the challenges if you didn't print your page from Sarah Mae's Blog then here you go.

Day 1: Put a Load of laundry in the wash. Kitchen: Do the dishes, scrub pans, clean out sink. Gather papers from counters and set aside. Wipe counters.

Day 2 Kitchen: clean out and wash down interior and exterior of the fridge, Clean out interior and exterior of microwave.

Day 3: Kitchen Wipe down cabinets, Scrub the Kitchen Floor

Day 4: Kitchen: Clean out your Pantry.  Pull everything out, throw away what is old, wipe pantry down, organize and put food back.

Day 5: Bathrooms: Clear Counters and Remove trash can, clean toilet, sink, mirror. Wash out tub, sweep and scrub floor.

Day 6: Bathroom Closet/ Cupboards: Pull everything out and sort into trash, keep and donate. Take donate box immediately to your car. Put Keep items back.

#MarthaHomeMaryWay

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Womens' Varsity Choir UIL Competition Junior Year

I was so incredibly sad to miss this competition. It was at the exact time of our son's District Track Meet. If we knew how every race would finish then maybe one of us could have gone and been with her and then the other been with our son.
That being said they did amazing.
It is awesome that they won Sweepstakes  for both the stage and sight reading.
They work incredibly hard. Often missing lunch or advisory where they could be working on school work in order to practice their pieces for competition. 

I am truly thatnkful for photographs. While it is not the same as being there, it is wonderful to have a glimpse of their day.

This is my favorite one, that is my daughter bowing (humbly) in the front row. She cracks me up, such personality. She was so excited. We got home from the track meet that evening and she still had tons of homework to catch up on. Of course it took over 30 minutes to reel her in for focusing on the task at hand.
Choir Rocks~

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District Track Meet High School Day 2

Now this is the boy I know. Less stress, just back in the zone and joking with a team mate

I can still see that he is nervous but he doesn't seem like the weight of the world is on his shoulders. His fellow team mate made it to the 400 m race, which ran again to place for the top 3 from 8. While he didn't make it, it was an honor to watch him run. Gotta be tough to now a couple hours later compete again and we prayed he would have enough endurance to help his fellow team. 

What is different about this race is one of the guys had never run with them before. I know that made them a little nervous. The hand off in this is truly important.

I love how the coach chats with them. They have this, they can do it~

He will run the third leg

Waiting for his team mate to run in, this has to be the longest nearly 2 minutes.. He did amazing. He ran his leg in 51 seconds. His best time for a 400 m. I was filming the race and wanted to get lap four of his team mate. I saw him exit the field a little wobbly. By the time his team mate made it around he was going down. I am thankful that the security at the gate let me go in to be there when he woke back up. I am so grateful for amazing coaches that understand this doesn't happen every time. There is no risk to him physically and that we have no answers as to why it occurs. All doctors have cleared him to run and since he has been back on the track we have seen less episodes. Sometimes I feel like if he got enough mileage in every day that we wouldn't see any episodes. Its almost like his body reboots. I pray over the summer we can continue to eat more and more non processed items. Come up with breakfast and lunch that is completely home made and help him build more muscle and become even stronger. He amazes me. I just can't even know what he truly goes through. I do have trouble with seizure like activity but I can't say that I would want to run and compete knowing that is a risk at the end of each race. I am thankful for his faith in the Lord and that he seeks him for guidance.

Winning Track UIL after being off for two summers and a full school year, felt great! He got his celebratory chocolate shake from Whataburger after his meet. Sure was hard getting up for school Friday morning. What a truly busy week.

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Top 10 Percent Breakfast

I am so thankful that the top 10% Breakfast fell in the morning on the Track day so that I could do both. I missed a Choir Field trip with my girly this week because her brother had a meet at the same time. Its tough to decide where to be at times.
She works so incredibly hard. Much harder than I ever remember my oldest working. To him school came naturally. He worked hard but he didn't have to really take notes, he was a natural test taker and he didn't do much in the lines of church leadership.

She writes hours of notes between three classes every day, even on weekends. She truly studies for every test. She puts 150% into projects, she is just amazing.

I am thankful for her dedication to the Lord, rarely ever missing church. She is a student leader there as well as in the band and helping with the children's ministry on Sundays.
She holds a few positions at school, takes 6 Pre-AP/AP courses and Choir where she is involved in two different choirs.
She is one busy kiddo!
To have all A's one B in a set of 3 Nine Weeks is wonderful.
I can't wait to see where Graduation Day takes her. What college the Lord puts in her path and how bright her future will be.

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District Track Meet High School Day One

District Track Meet. I could see as he walked around how nervous he was. This is what it leads up to from all season long. Two final races. A 400 today and a 1600 Meter Relay the next day. Having this the day after Choir UIL and not feeling like that went well was pretty tough.

He did this a few times before the race. He just kept praying. He couldn't seem to find his peace.

He led prayer for his fellow teammates. I am so thankful to see this, I love how they support one another.

He ran the 400 m race, there were three heats, he did not get to run with his team mate in his. He scored 53 seconds but it just wasn't good enough. He would not go on to race again the next day for the top 3 spot out of 8. I know he was disappointed.

Concellation was a stop at Ross for new shoes, because he needed some and it would cheer him up. Then a stop at Five Guys and Fries. He was craving them. Told me his body was depleted in potassium. The guy was so awesome. He filled the bag and talked to him about track. 

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Junior Year Choir UIL

Today was mixed choir and men's choir competitions for UIL

In between we stopped and snapped some photos

We didn't have long, so we didn't get very many. Men's choir was getting ready to do sight reading.

The women's varsity choir performs tomorrow. I won't be able to get photos since it conflicts with the District Track Meet.

Sometimes they just act funny.

The girls always take such beautiful photos

This is one of my favorites.

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Daddy and Girly and Math Project

It is no secret in my house that when it comes to Math, you better ask someone else.
Math Projects are not my friend.
I am thankful Paul is able to help girly make a sun cooker. There is so much MATH involved in this project.
Of course it means there is a huge time commitment too. It is 10:30 they are still working on it and he gets up at 5 am to get ready for work. Generally I take the night shift with homework. Tonight I am super thankful he was willing to stay up.
Of course we haven't even tackled reading tonight.
Its going to be a long week. We have UIL for Choir 2 days, then a district Track meet 2 days. I work MOPS Friday.
I can tell you I am probably already looking forward to Saturday.

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Hatchet and His Water Bowl

My daughters dog cracks me up. We had a bowl that was plastic and we had to replace it because he kept carrying it around. We got this dish washing container as the dogs water bowl to try and solve the issue. The last few mornings when I am checking email he brings me his empty bowl to fill up. I guess it is a good thing that he lets me know he is out of water.

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