Doesn’t Niva look super comfy? Silly girl!
She only escaped our house twice this past week, so she’s doing pretty good 😉
She and I had a therapy visit at our favorite school for Deaf children this week. It feels like home being there with all those wonderful kids. I love watching Niva work her therapy dog magic and turn everyone’s (staff and teachers included) day around and put a smile on their faces. And fur on their clothes lol. I am forever apologizing about that!
Lots of little projects have been going on around here. Sadie had a Kids Club night at the library and they painted birdhouses. She had fun getting creative and was so proud to bring her creation home to show Jimmy and Mordecai!
I baked an apple pie with my favorite crust recipe and honeycrisp apples. For the past two pies I’ve made, I used two different kinds of apples: Granny Smith and honeycrisp. Jimmy is very torn on which is his favorite because he likes the tartness of Granny Smith, but I think honeycrisp is the winner!
I picked up an embroidery kit on a whim. Sadie wants to learn how to sew, so I’m trying to get better at fiber arts and crafts (like using a loom to knit and make potholders!) to be able to help and teach her! The directions in the embroidery kit were majorly lacking. I brought it to the library when I took Sadie and Mordecai to Lego Club and went out on a limb and asked the librarian if she knew how to embroider and she did! She spent an hour (very patiently) sitting with me and teaching me the basics. I love it! I also loved sitting and talking with an adult about crafting for an hour. What a treat!
I made a whole bunch of chocolate covered Oreos this week and hit 800 orders on Etsy! God is good. I really enjoy this little business of mine and always try to hold it loosely. It’s a blessing to do this fun creative endeavor and I try to never take it for granted!
It’s funny how demand shifts business, too. When I started my Etsy shop, I was focused on selling challah and granola. I added in some gluten free brownies and cookies, but things really took off when I listed chocolate covered Oreos. How random, right?! I love it, though. I really like coming up with new designs and ideas for new seasons and holidays.
While Sadie and I were at the above mentioned library night, Jimmy took Mordecai in the hot tub. Man do I miss getting in the hot tub (It’s a no-no while pregnant)! I’ll dip my feet and legs in, but it’s not the same haha. Mordecai also knows how to say “hot tub” now, which is so cute.
How is this little guy about to turn two-years-old? He is growing into such a fun little guy! He’s still pretty shy, but he warms up to people quickly now.
Our last fun project for the week was homeschooling with Hannah (my sis)! Her husband was out of town helping with Hurricane Helene relief, so Hannah and her kids came over to spend a day with us and use the homeschool room. She also homeschools her kids, so we combined Sadie and Caroline’s lessons.
It was fun having all five cousins together and if we did it again in a few months we would have eight kids together (our baby and Han’s twins!). It’s really nice being pregnant with Hannah at the same time. I feel like God gave us this experience together to be able to truly relate and encourage each other. It’s so special.
Now it’s Saturday as I type up this post! I am going to be making some baked goods for a friend who broke her foot. One friend is making chili and I’m teaming up with her to provide corn muffins and maybe some gluten free brownies or another dessert to go with it?!
Also, I wanted to share some recipes I’ve been making on repeat lately:
Rosemary chicken
Sloppy Joes
Peanut butter granola
Strawberry banana smoothies
Homemade apple pie
Living My Full Life 
The picture with all 5 cousins together is precious!
Love 💕 You!
Dad
🙂
Love seeing them together! And loved seeing you last night!!
So proud of you and Niva, and knowing the joy she brings to the kids is what matters most – they can brush her fur off 😜
Deck looks sooooo grown up in the pic with Sadie- and he is becoming much less shy (like his big sis!)
All the kids in the homeschool room on the big bean bag is adorable! You should print, frame and hang it on the wall there and do a new one every couple of years with the kids in the same positions.
I also love that you and your sister are expecting together (AGAIN). Exciting and busy times for our family 🤩
something new I’d like to try is MAYBE embroidery. Your’s looks so adorable, and it might be something I won’t get insanely frustrated with and whip it out the window?! I guess you can let me know 😋😋
love you,
madre
Hahah, so true! They do keep lint rollers in each classroom now because of her!
He really does look more grown up every day lately! It’s crazy.
Love your idea for the picture, too! I bet they would love to recreate that!
I think you would do really well at embroidery! You already know the basics of sewing, so you would be a natural!
Love you!