Goal Monday

   "The true way to live is to enjoy every moment as it passes,
     and surely it is in the everyday things around us
     that the beauty of life lies."
    - Laura Ingalls Wilder


 Sunday was lovely. I was able to enjoy countless cups of hot tea, a doughnut or two (shhhh...don't tell), a good movie, reading with Trinity ...the two of us curled up on our brown leather chair covered with Mr. Cozy (my chocolate brown plush blanket),Zac played a round of hide and seek with the kiddos, we had satisfying meals (nothing crazy...just plain simple *hit the spot* wholesome food) and evenings with books and Sinatra and candles.
 I'm so thankful for my cozy room. I found an old journal a couple weeks back and one thing I had prayed about (two years ago) is that God would give Zac and I a bedroom, something comfortable for us to retreat too. One great thing about keeping a journal is looking back and seeing the ways that God has worked...the dreams that I dreamt about then that were SO important... now don't seem so important, the ways God taught me then....and the way He is still teaching me the same exact things.

  And now for Goal Monday. I was able to do a TON of schooling with Trinity and I'm so happy at how far she has come with her reading. She is doing a really good job and I think she is enjoying it more. This week a goal is to include Bible memory to her curriculum.

  As for me, I did finish my embroidery project. I made a few of these a couple years ago for some of our family members and never got around to making one for Zac and I. I can not take credit though for the creativity...I have been totally inspired by Melissa and her etsy shop The Little Pink House. She makes just the cutest things and I find working with little felt houses and birds and flowers totally fulfilling. So that goal...CHECK.

  Decorating the little boy's room has been coming along. I'm basically using what I have on hand and then supplementing with thrift store finds. See that lovely frame with the gorgeous THICK white mat? One dollar and fifty cents. Score. And the little hoop I made for Finn is there hanging on the wall under a cross stitch my mom made for me when I was in fourth grade. I was going through the girly "horse" stage and that was also the first year I moved away from home... she worked so hard and thought of me with every stitch - so I will always cherish it. The quilt is one I've had since high school - it was made by Mennonite women from a small town in Mexico. It's so heavy and comfy and all the squares are made from corduroy.

  The picture I framed is something I drew up...aspens trees with a blue background. Once again, all inspiration comes through browsing etsy. So...that goal...coming along a CHECK.

  And we DID get to making the laundry detergent...this morning. :) The kids had so much fun stirring together the hot water and grated soap....Brady said we should do this everyday. I told him if we did it everyday we would have to either do a LOT more laundry or sell it.

 The appeal to making your own detergent is that it's totally natural and costs about .06 cents a load. For a family of six....that number is just plain helpful.

 This week I'm STILL reading my two books, I'm going to be doing a little sewing project for Brady and for Trin, and my big project is organizing my recipes that I print off into a three ring binder. You know how you always have those favorite recipes but they are in different books or in a stack of papers or stuck in a recipe box? I want to compile all of my favorites into one big book. I had a big binder all ready so I just bought some dividers and some plastic slip thingys and that's what I'll be working on.
 Also, I did get my three days of exercise in last week so I'm aiming for the same this week. Happy Monday.