{this moment} Art

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments over at

Soule Mama's blog for all to find and see.

Last week I took my three youngest kiddos bowling....you can see here!

To cute! Notice none of my kiddos have matching socks!

Ah....the joys of large family living! {sigh*}

Peace and Joy,

Georgiann

Yarn Along.....

My books and knitting project.

I was and am so saddened by the news of Elizabeth Edwards death yesterday.

I had started reading her book "Saving Graces" during this last summer and was very much enjoying it...

 I'm not sure what has kept me from finishing it.

Probably life in a home of 8, sport schedules a garden and a new dog?

As a family we are also doing some read aloud from these other books!
Where The Red Fern Grows....ah a wonderful book from my childhood.
(this copy is from the library)

So last night I dug around my bedroom and was delighted to find my book....and thrilled that I was able to find it quickly! lol {sigh*}

With a hot cup of red lavender tea on my bedside table,the cozy ambiance of my softly lite night light and a warm blanket wrapped around me I tearfully read the words written by a woman in her early battle with breast cancer.

Elizabeth was a wonderful woman and mother....she endured the death if her son age 16 from a car crash,

the heart break of infidelity and the 6 year battle of her life with breast cancer.

Cancer won yesterday....or did it?

How do we really define a win or a loss?

May Elizabeth Edwards rest now in peace.

So this is my yarn and.....well.....

now my book and life has me  knot  not knitting as much.

For those of you new to the yarn a long or my blog...

These are the first 2 project I have ever made....not sure what they will be?

One a scarf and the other perhaps a purse or bag?

To join in or see what others are doing go to {small things} Ginny's blog

for her Yarn A Long meme.

Peace and Love,

Georgiann

Changing thINGS uP

I can really use your help....

You can see my hubby and son Jacob out in the backyard.....they are putting up the Christmas lights.

Ok I hesitated to show this picture but here it is anyway!

My project this week is to purge and organize ALL the stuff in the corner of this room.

All things in the corner need to find a new home to make way for our Christmas tree.

Our house is kind of like a Rubik Cube. Main pieces of furniture get moved from room to room as the needs of each room/family change.

The green table came from the office....it was to be my sewing/home school desk for Noah. 

Then we adopted Jasper our Border Collie. He is a bit compulsive and there for MUST sleep in a create at night.  He can't be trusted to roam about the house alone at night! He loves to retreat to his create on occasion during the day to rest from the kiddos.

The create needed a home.....so it found its place, tucked under the green table. There fore making it impossible to sit at the table and do school work or sew!

I'm not sure where the create will go now?....hubby says the dog can sleep in the garage...I say NO!

After Christmas this corner will not be home to the same furniture.

I might bring the one of the girls doll houses back down stairs?

Once upon a time this same corner was home to the girls LARGE play kitchen, which is now stuffed in their bedroom. They love it and play with it often so we are not willing to part with it.

Eventually the green table will be in our family closet/laundry room upstairs. It has been 3yrs in the making and is still not finished! I will only dare to show you the before picture when I have the after one in hand to show at the same time! You WILL be blown away! :)

So this is a picture of  the rest our COZY living room.

The kiddos are playing with the GEO train set that is usually stored and forgotten under Noah's bed.

It did take a mint load of batteries to get the engines up and running but it has been hours of fun for the kiddos yesterday.....from 10 am-bedtime (do I dare tell the time?.....9:30pm)

My homeschooled bunch is now up this morning and at play again with the long forgotten train set as they nibble cake donuts in the living room.

I need your help....

While we are on the topic of making changes.....I have been thinking for a while now that I might want to get rid of the red (Berh Glazed Raspberry) from around the fire place. I also have the red on one wall in my dining room to blend the rooms. I was thinking of painting it a blue (I have not even got samples) so I'm not at all sure of a shade...but something grey blue or maybe a bright type blue?

Do any of you have an idea or suggestion of paint colors?

I feel like my living room mimics a MC Donald ketchup packet!

I have green on another wall that is opposite the fireplace.....the green goes into the hall and entry of the house.

Peace and Love,

Georgiann

Homeschool {field trip day}

One of the advantages of homeschooling is: going bowling when the place is 1/2 empty!

My Little's and I had a awesome time eating the bowling allies restaurant before our game!

The kids delighted in the fact that we got to sit at the eating bar instead of a table or a booth!

The waitress was happy to see us, as we used to stop in for breakfast Sundays after church.

It has been almost 2 yrs since we had been in,as we now attend church closer to home!

They have good food and BIG portions at great prices!

My kiddos can order and share an adult plate for cheaper. Getting more food than the kid meal price.

Peace and Love,

Georgiann

Cozy House

I have to admit....I don't usually like Christmas! I know....how can a Christian not like Christmas?

Well the truth is, as a momma of 6 kiddos I already have to much "stuff" stuffed into my house!

I stress about what has to come out of the living room to make way for the tree. Some days I feel like I'm just stirring the "stuff" around.  Then were to put ALL the gifts the kids receive. (even if we give a few things X it by 6 and it can be a lot! Decorating......hummm?

 Where's the cheesecake? I think I'll have a bath! Is it almost bed time? lol grin :)

Our house is not very big, but that does not matter. I believe one should live the life that God has blest them with, not one that starts when they have the bigger house or the larger pantry, laundry room etc.

Having to much clutter and stuff can weigh a person down!
Clothes,DVDs, books, toys,home school stuff, dishes, Tupperware.....this list goes on.
So much of it not being used.....just sitting there as a comfort I guess. Or at least that what the Hope is.
Only my HOPE needs to be in the Lord. HE will bring me just what, I need when I need it!
I don't even use my Tupperware as nice as it is. Foil over a glass bowl works just fine.

Saving this or that for a life I will someday live "if only"....

God has really spoken to my heart lately.....He wants me to live the life "I have" not the "only if life", because I may not be here tomorrow. None of us knows how long we have.

 In the end....in my final moments of life, all that will matter to me is the relationship I had with

God of course...but also my husband and kiddos.

Now, my house does not look like those on the show Hoarders, but that does not really matter.

My stuff is weighing me down just the same!

I have had a near death experience 2x after the birth of my 5th child back in Spring of 2005.

I was a changed person after that....or at least for a while. Then, the day to day sets back in and well you know! Remember what happened after 911? Everyone started going back to church,showing a bit of patriotism and all. Now most folks have forgotten and gone back to the day to day grind.

As a family we have decided to pray before we purge.

 Asking GOD to guide our hearts and hands. Placing things in the giveaway bag that will bless others.

Let our STUFF be someone else's answer....someone else's "only if".

An answer to their prayer and in a way answering my prayer.

So this year I am starting to look forward to Christmas (my mom is flying out that's a bonus).

My house IS becoming a refection of the true me. Its still a work in progress, but a step in the right direction.

Less is More......

And no, I did not just move it all to the garage! hee hee.
 My neighbor said, a big family like ours needs 2 sheds. I told her no we didn't.
We just need to give the STUFF away not store it.

I will hopefully be brave enough to show some of the before pictures as I go along, not just the afters.

I do get shy about the before photos....people (many) come by my blog and yet only a few comment just once in a while.   I blog for me and my family not for others but comments are nice to have. I know what my befores look like, so I just might only post the afters!? 

Funny thing that happened after church last weekend:

A group was selling some Fair Trade items as a fund raiser....a good cause.

Baskets, trinkets etc.

I told the lady....I already have to much stuff! I don't need another thing.

She kindly suggested that during Lent (that's in Feb.) some folks get rid of one item a day and by the end they have gotten rid of 40 things!

I just chuckled and said, "IF you only knew"!

I have done the get rid of stuff during Lent thing, only with getting rid of one BAG a day, not one item!

So far in the last week I have gotten rid of 8 large bags of stuff!

I just added my post to a 

Simple LivingThursday (meme) over here . 
You can join in or stop over to see how others are
Living Simply.......consuming less and producing more!

So many topics fit: Gardening, raising animals, cooking from scratch, real food, natural cleaners, sewing, recycling, thrifting, a mindset of simplicity, saving a buck…

Peace and Love,

Georgiann