I'm {Still} Blessed

I haven't written for awhile, as you may have noticed.
Last week was a hard one, but after what happened last time, I'm not too inclined to talk about it here.

I am, however, going to play along with Gretchen's party this week, too.

I am blessed to live in a nation where it is legal to educate my children at home.

I'm blessed that today we have been invited to a picnic and all I have to bring are the paper products.  A meal I didn't have to make?  Rare, indeed.  And always so yummy.

The icing on the picnic-cake is that Dennis is planning on coming with us; also very rare.  The kids are very excited at the prospect of playing catch with Dad.

I'm blessed to have parents who love and want to spend time with my children.  On Friday night, the six younger children had a "peep-over" (how Ruby says 'sleep-over') at my mom and dad's.  I was able to do some cleaning up in the house and I was able to go from one thing, to the next, to the next, to the next---without interruption.  Another rarity.  When I mentioned this to my mom when I went to pick them up on Saturday evening, she said she happened to notice the exact opposite happened at her house.  Hmmm.  Coincidence?  I think not.

Another blessing is that Nathaniel and Isaiah were able to go to a youth group convention in Colorado this week.  A man from church has helped to pay their way to go, along with some help from grandparents and what the boys raised themselves.  It is quite an opportunity for them.

The weather lately has been perfect for sitting outside.  In the summer, I like to be outside as much as I can.  {And in the winter, I am perfectly content to be inside.  I'm not one who starts complaining about being stir-crazy in the long MN winters.}  So, yesterday after church and dinner, the younger kids and I splashed in the kiddie pool and ran through the sprinkler.  Yes, even I ran.  Okay, okay, I don't know that you could actually classify  my actions as "running", but I started on one side of the sprinkler and quickly made it through to the other side.  Call it what you want.  And even though I took up a disproportionate amount of the space in the little pool, the kids thought it was fun to have Mom in with them.

So, here's to a better week than last week.  Thanks, Gretchen, for hosting this to help me get my mind off myself and onto more important things.