Brrr...

It was one of those cold Monday mornings. The kind where I just didn't want to crawl out from under the warm blankets and start the day. But! The smell of applesauce oatmeal pancakes cooking on the griddle was enough to motivate me to brave the cold and start the day:). So thankful for Scott's tradition of fixing us pancakes on Monday. It turns an ordinary Monday into something extra special. Yes, I still get to wash the dishes, but it's a break that I really appreciate.

Once Scott headed out I was definitely tempted to climb back under the covers:). The reality that we were out of bread for sandwiches prompted me to get a batch of dough rising on the counter and before I knew it, we were ready to start school! So much for going back to bed... The day passed quite quickly. We started "church practice" again today. The oldest 3 are generally well behaved, but haven't been participating in the standing and singing like they should, so we started with a few hymns and it was nice to hear their little voices again:). Adelaide is the main one needing help with church behavior. She feels the need to chatter quite loudly as soon as Scott starts preaching, so we end up downstairs quite a bit. I think it's better to have her get her wiggles and noise out during our "home practice", rather than trying to teach her on Sundays, where it's more of a distraction to those around us. The older ones weren't that thrilled, but ended up having a bit of fun, in spite of themselves:)

That brought us to lunch, which included bread fresh from the oven! Hard to beat that. Add some butter and homemade jam and life seems brighter somehow:). The sun actually came out and warmed things up quite a bit, which was an unexpected blessings. It was quite cold when the kids did the morning chores-water and food for the goats and chickens. The chickens must be settling in again because there were 2 eggs this morning. They haven't been laying until later in the day, so this was an unexpected blessing. More motivation to bake too...

After the two oldest were finished with their schoolwork we were able to have a much anticipated(for the mama anyway;) quiet time. Kiersten went right to sleep, but unfortunately Addie never did fall asleep. I think Sundays throw her schedule off a bit because she sleeps for the car ride home, but then not til bedtime. So, it was nice while it lasted. Back to getting remotivated to finish off the day.

Send the kids outside to jump on the trampoline while I search Pinterest recipes for inspiration! Yes, it started with a recipe for molasses cake. It's currently on the counter cooling and smells wonderful! I think Scott will enjoy the surprise. I had a harder time deciding the main menu and changed my mind a couple times. I'm currently starting to smell the turkey lasagna and waiting patiently for the "Olive Garden Breadsticks" to finish rising. The kids are anxiously awaiting their chance to be taste testers. They did get a bit of the extra lasagna noodles, but I'll admit that I decided to type this post to help the waiting time go faster:). The smells are enticing and waiting is the hard part...

Other fun activities in our day included reading books with Kiersten, playing Schleich animals with Addie(her favorite are the mama and baby pigs). Garrison very generously allows her to play with them and they keep her entertained quite well. The older two alternate between reading, creating and Lego. Caleb has been trying out his hand at whittling, but also dress up, etc. I'm thinking the boys room might look a bit like a tornado when they're done, but it's all in a day's work, eh? I think that they earned the privilege of (messy)playing after all the help they give with chores, etc...

Just waiting on the last load of laundry in the dryer. Supper dishes will be the end of our work and hopefully we can have a relaxing evening with Scott. I think we've reached the halfway point in our R.M. Ballantyne book-"Pirate City". The end of each chapter usually leaves us in suspense and we're hoping that Mariano will escape from the Turks! We're also currently reading through the Gospels in devotions and we look forward to seeing what kind of questions the kids come up with throughout the reading. They really do have some interesting observations and questions. It's good to get us, as parents, seeking to help them understand things more fully.

Guess I should go check on the progress of the supper! This Monday is definitely one to remember. Til next time...