Living Better One Day At A Time

Sunday, November 19, 2017

Nature Scenes for November 19, 2017

Sunday is meant to be a day of rest and relaxation and one of the ways that I rest is to spend time in Nature. I try to spend a least a little bit of time in nature each week. I have decided that I will use Sundays to share the photos of my nature adventures each week just as a way to relax and share the beauty that is God's creation with all. I hope you enjoy!

Thanks so much for the positive response to this Sunday series! I am so glad that so many of you have enjoyed it. I love to look back at the photos and to see how the landscape is changing, etc. I don't always have time to respond to the comments but I do read every one of them. :)

Photos from November 16, 2017 at the Kokosing Gap Trail

For more nature photos, please feel free to visit:

Nature Scenery (September 24, 2017)
October 1, 2017

October 8, 2017
October 15, 2017
October 22, 2017
October 29, 2017
November 5, 2017
November 12, 2017

I hope everyone has a wonderful Sunday and gets to spend time in nature!

Sunday, November 12, 2017

Nature Scenes for November 12, 2017

Photos from November 8, 2017 at Ariel-Foundation Park

November 9, 2017 Kokosing Gap Trail

For more nature photos, please feel free to visit:

Nature Scenery (September 24, 2017)
October 1, 2017

October 8, 2017
October 15, 2017
October 22, 2017
October 29, 2017
November 5, 2017

I hope everyone has a wonderful Sunday and gets to spend time in nature!

Thursday, November 9, 2017

Life happenings lately...

Life is just moving right along over here in our neck of the woods. My days consist of being super busy and collapsing into bed and then doing it all over again the next day. LOL. Such is the season of our lives right now. We have been busy with the kids, with our jobs and just getting things done that need to be done. Let's see what has been going on....

I have been tutoring and babysitting a lot. I typically watch Baby A 4 days a week. Sometimes it is all day (from 7:15-4); other days it is only a couple of hours. I charge a flat daily rate so it works out. I am also continuing to tutor, although I just "graduated" another client out of my services for the time being. I got this 5th grader caught up and so we are going to take a break from services to see how she does during the next quarter at school. Bill continues to be extremely busy with work. He is overworked and it is not a great work environment so he is also actively looking for something else in his field. Unfortunately there aren't many positions available, but we are hoping he finds something sooner rather than later.

The kids are keeping us busy as well. They all got their report cards last week and we had parent teacher conferences today. They are all doing extremely well. Rebecca and Jacob are both getting straight As and are being pushed into the higher levels in their classes. Ben is doing well adjusting to kindergarten. He will be getting some extra reading help as he has not mastered knowing his letters yet but they are working with him. So school is going well.

Outside of school, Rebecca keeps us busy with her American Heritage Girls troop meetings and activities. This weekend, I am helping with an artisan and craft show that they are hosting. This past weekend, I took the kids to their Upwards basketball evaluations. We have signed all 3 of them up to play this year (we paid at the end of the last season when Rebecca played as it was significantly cheaper to sign them up then.) They will meet their coaches and start practices at the end of this month. Benjamin especially was very excited to go through evaluations.

I have been trying to get some outside time in. The weather hasn't really been cooperating or I have been busy with other things that need to be done. I was able to get out yesterday and today to take advantage of the sunshine. It is supposed to be way colder tomorrow so I am not sure if I will get out or not. Yesterday, we took the kids to the park after school to have their snack and to throw rocks in the lake. They love to do this.

Let's see what else... Oh I won a giveaway on Facebook. A local mattress company was giving away a free sheet set to a lucky winner on their Facebook page. I entered and won! I wouldn't pay $79.99 for a new set of sheets but I will definitely take a set if I win them. I picked our set up on Tuesday after we went and voted. They are the best shade of blue!

Right now, the kids are playing with Ben's Thomas the train stuff. I have dinner in the oven and am just relaxing. I have been exhausted all day, I think it is because Rebecca and I stayed up to watch the CMA awards last night and then I had to get up early this morning for a doctors appointment for Jacob. Maybe I can sleep in a little tomorrow morning since the kids don't have school. Hmm...probably not since the kids don't know the concept of sleeping in. LOL Oh well, that is life as mom.

So that is what has been happening in our little corner of the world. The oven just beeped, so I need to go get dinner on the table before the kids revolt! Hope everyone has a great evening!

Sunday, November 5, 2017

Nature Scenes for November 5, 2017

This past week I didn't get to get outside as much a I wanted to/needed to. Part of that was because of rain... However, I did get to get a nice LONG walk in on Halloween with my hubby at the Kokosing Gap Trail at Kenyon College.

Photos from October 31, 2017 at Kenyon College

For more nature photos, please feel free to visit:

Nature Scenery (September 24, 2017)
October 1, 2017

October 8, 2017
October 15, 2017
October 22, 2017
October 29, 2017

I hope everyone has a wonderful Sunday and gets to spend time in nature!

Thursday, November 2, 2017

The Life Giving Table: Nurturing Faith Through Feasting, One Meal at a Time by Sally Clarkson

Book Description::

Make your table a place where your family and friends long to be―where they will find rest, renewal, and a welcome full of love.

Beloved author Sally Clarkson (The Lifegiving Home, Own Your Life, Desperate) believes that meals lovingly served at home―and the time spent gathered together around the table―are a much-needed way to connect more deeply with our families and open our kids’ hearts. Food and faith, mingled in everyday life, become the combination for passing on God’s love to each person who breaks bread with us.

In The Lifegiving Table, Sally shares her own family stories, favorite recipes, and practical ideas to help you get closer to the people you love . . . and grow in faith together.

Make your table a place where your family and friends long to be―where they will find rest, renewal, and a welcome full of love.

My thoughts:

Sally Clarkson has a wonderful vocation in wanting to help families be the best that they can be and she has a voice for bring families to their full potential. I feel that her heart is in the right place. I think that she really does want to help all women. She uses her book to share how we can use meal times to share experiences, and faith with those with whom we are sharing our meals with.

With that being said, please know that I read this book a couple of weeks ago. I have struggled with writing this review. I think that the writing really has a good message. I love how Sally Clarkson shares her own personal stories. However, I also felt like I was reading the storyline of a Hallmark movie where everyone lives in gorgeous mansions and does no wrong. Throughout most of the book, I felt like I was on the wrong side of the tracks peeking into the "perfect" life, which is very different than my own. Maybe because my kids are still little. Maybe because we are living paycheck to paycheck. I don't know. It was frustrating. I really wanted to like this book as I think the premise is good. However, I just can't look past these issues.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review from Tyndale Publishers. All opinions are my own.

Wednesday, November 1, 2017

Trick or Treat 2017

Last night our town held their Halloween Trick or Treat night. The weather was cold, but at least it wasn't raining or snowing!

We headed out around 5:15 as we were going to drive up to our church to park so that we could walk our route down the main street in town. Well it was good we left early because I was rushing out of the house and happened to leave the keys in the house locking us out. Oops. Thankfully, we were able to figure out a way to get Rebecca into one of the windows and to get my keys. LOL that wouldn't have been funny if we hadn't been able to get back in.

This year, we had:

An angel---

Captain America--

And Darth Vader.

Bill also dressed up this year as a "Charlie Brown Ghost".

Off we headed. The kids had a great time and got a bunch of treats.

We were only out for about 45 minutes or so. Enough time to go up the main street and back down the other side.

By the time we got to the second house to the end, Ben was saying he was tired and wanted to go home. So it was the perfect amount of houses.

After trick or treating, we headed to get dinner-- Wendy's-- which has become our post trick or treating tradition.

Then the kids went through their candy, trading and counting what they got. ( I told them in a couple days it will all be put into one bowl so it didn't matter, but they were having fun with it.)

Then we lit the jack-o-lanterns for one last time and ended a fun Halloween night.

How was your Halloween night? Did you take anyone trick or treating, or did you hand out candy?

Tuesday, October 31, 2017

Halloween jack-o-lanterns 2017

Happy Halloween from us to you! Tonight we will be going trick or treating in the cold. Oh well. Better than the rain we had yesterday and the rain we are supposed to get the rest of the week.

On Sunday afternoon, we spent the afternoon carving pumpkins with the kids.

Each kid cleaned out their pumpkin insides. Ben kept saying it was gross. LOL

But they did a good job cleaning them out. Rebecca carved her own pumpkin. Ben and Jacob drew their designs on the pumpkin and then I cut them out for them.

Bill even got into the act and decided to make one. He wanted to make his look like Donald Trump-- the orange guy in office. This was not meant to be a compliment.

I think they turned out really cute!

So I hope you all have a very happy Halloween and get more treats than tricks!

Monday, October 30, 2017

Boys went bowling for the first time

This weekend, the kids were all invited to a birthday party for a child that I tutor. The party was at our local bowling alley. The boys have never been bowling before and they had a blast. Ben and Jacob bowled on a lane with the bumpers up. Rebecca got to bowl on a lane without bumpers.