June 2018

Um...It's actually June 24th (though I plan to finish this later). It's been a good month, but starting more than three weeks late means I will definitely forget some important blessings.

Here are some June blessings I've experienced.

1. Strawberry picking with the kids.
2. Enjoying pound cake to go with the strawberries.
3. A new microwave. (The microwave was only four years old. Derek repaired it after it died on Thanksgiving Day. This time...the microwave could not be repaired.) 
   
4. Evan found his lost sweatshirt at school. Not the one he lost earlier in the year but the new sweatshirt.
5. A fabulous day at the Children's Book Festival in North East, MD. Derek even brought the kids at the end...and then it began raining.
6. Visiting friends from northeastern PA at AI duPont Children's Hospital before their little girl's heart surgery. Surgery went great!
7. Signing a contract for a book idea I had back in 2014. This will be the first book I can potentially earn royalties on. (This is a fairly big deal.)
8. Taking the kids swimming on their last day of school.
9. A nice Father's Day for Derek.
10. Fresh chocolate chip cookies. 
11. Chocolate chip cookies out of the freezer.
12. Meghan having a great week at the Summer Career camp.
13. A cleaner basement. Granted it still needs to be disinfected due to septic leaking onto the wall and floor. But we lost very little. The basement is significantly decluttered! 
14. Derek being home to find the leak. 
15. Getting a plumber here within a couple hours...instead of the Friday to Tuesday wait two plumbers told us of. Number three worked out for a diagnosis and temporary fix. Number one is who we hired to do it though since they were thousands less. 
16. Evan being in a group of all boys for swim lessons. For the past few years he hated being the only boy in his group.
17. The children having a good dentist appointment. They're also more committed to using their electric toothbrush after a talk with the dental hygienist. 

May 2018

With May's arrival I can finally say it feels like spring. However, May 3 and 4 are supposed to be about 90 and humid. Oi. (Edited: I wrote that more than a month ago. May was a cool, wet month.)

Here are May's blessings.

1. Wearing less layers of clothing.
2. Reaching 20,000 words in my latest writing project.
3. Making these biscuits. Do you see the layers...even if they are a bit uneven.

4. Meghan gave me a hug goodnight and realized I had a fever. (It was only low-grade.) Thankfully I woke up feeling more myself.
5. Having a cuddly cat.
6. Beautiful temperatures with low humidity.
7. The same publisher that made me an offer on a book 25 months ago was finally able to give me a contract for the same book. (We'd been waiting on rights and permissions.)
8. An easier week of baseball. I love watching them play, but it's exhausting to have dinner ready at 4:30 (and can't be late!) four nights in a row...let alone the late nights for all of us.
9. Visiting Esther's class to read one of my books to them and talk about how insects and flowers help each other.
10. Chaperoning part of Meghan's big field trip at Ashland Nature Center.
11. Memories of Nature's Classroom while at Ashland.
12. Seeing Meghan work through some friend issues and have fun with #10.

13. Meghan giving me a spontaneous kiss as I helped serve dinner at #10. That hasn't been allowed in public for a long time!

 14. Meghan appreciating me during the field trip and letting me know I'd be missed. (For the microscope use, hats had to be backwards.)

15. Knowing Meghan's favorite teacher would give her extra love after I would leave to sleep at home.
16. Watching Evan's great hit...even if it was caught.
17. Evan asking if I saw his big hit. He was proud even if it was caught and he was out.
18. Hearing Esther sing a song she made up. "Shaking my booty all day long..."
19. Feeling appreciated on Mother's Day. Esther wanted to give me dinner in bed since I didn't get breakfast in bed. (Maybe I shouldn't have declined.) Derek even made chocolate chip cookies. It was good to be loved.
20. Watching birds at my new bird feeders.
21. Knowing the whole family is already enjoying my Mother's Day gift of the bird feeders.
22. Helping Evan complete his roller coaster project. It was his first big research project with a tri-fold display.
23. Hearing Evan tell about his group working together on roller coasters at school...and winning the big competition.
24. Evan telling me how a girl (Kate) said anyone on Evan's roller coaster team would likely win the roller coaster competition.
25. Kate was right. Evan's team took first place.
26. Esther wanting to walk to the bus stop in the rain. We only did it once before. The first time was really windy with a heavy rain. I didn't really try to talk her out of it though we did get a bit wet under the umbrella. This time she said it'd be okay because it wasn't windy. She was right.
27. This detailed drawing Meghan made of me makes me chuckle every time I see it. She made it in 2014. When I showed it to her she said it was "cringy" because I don't have yellow skin, big lips, or apple cheeks. Oh, and the ugly glasses. She didn't mention the Christmas snake eyes being a concern...

28. Hearing Evan exclaim, "That's where all my stuff is!!" He was looking in his duffel bag. His last overnight trip may have been in March during spring break.
29. Morning walks after the bus stop for exercise. I get bored so I typically only do a mile...but occasionally it's more.
30. Working in the flowerbed with Derek.
31. Meghan making snickerdoodle blondies since I was busy in the flowerbed. They were a big hit at Bible study.
32. Making good progress on my writing project...and getting excited about it.

April's Blessings

I'm getting a late start at writing these, so I have to rely on my faulty memory for the first 17 days of April. Eek. (Ah...I will check Facebook to see what I've been sharing there to help my memory.)

1. Celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ!
2. And spending Easter Sunday with friends. Read more here.

3. The start of Little League for Evan and Esther...even if practices are few due to rain and snow.

4. Receiving a newspaper clipping and special card from my former English teacher, Sally Foote. You can read the article at The Daily Review.

5. Later receiving a package with the entire newspaper. The article was on page 3...but it had a little photo on the front page. How cool is that? 

6. Esther and I enjoying the bus stop...including wiggly worms.

7. My talented sister, Amy, sent me this card. It hangs above my desk.

8. And inside was this encouraging quote. 

9. Meghan and Evan arrived home from school and told me that a neighbor had garbage all over their yard. They asked if they could clean it up! That morning had been particularly difficult, so this was a real blessing!

10. Meeting a friend at the local coffee shop and eating a fresh doughnut. 

11. Returning to the coffee shop the next morning with Derek for another fresh doughnut. (I love Wholly Grounds! It's probably a good thing I don't drink coffee.)

12. The weather for the Little League parade and Evan's first game was beautiful. It may have been the first time winter coats weren't needed for the parade! I even wore flip-flops to his game. It was close to 80. (I took a great picture of the Giants team, but it was a different division than Evan! This is Esther's team.)

13. Esther home sick but feeling well enough to be herself. We read a lot together. She even played outside on day #2.

14. Watching Evan and Esther play ball. 

15. Finding this picture of Meghan on the camera.

16. Loving the stuffed pretzels from the Oxford Farmer's Market...and making my own that the family actually enjoyed.

 17. Having a great program at a local library about pioneer life. The branch manager called me the same week and had great things to say.

18. Surviving the busy weeks of having two children playing baseball and Derek coaching. It's also great to be able to give Meghan a break and let her stay home occasionally.

19. The barter system. I bought Meghan yarn. I got this. (She wants to sell them!)

20. Seeing the Newsboys in concert as a family. I think I saw them about 25 years ago, too...

21. Esther falling asleep on me during the intermission...and then awakening when the music began again.

22. Meghan saying it was probably her second best night of her life. 

23. Derek and I getting our passport photos taken and knowing my photo was pretty bad. Meghan reinforced this by asking if it was a mug shot. Really.

24. Talking to a friend after church...for a really long time and missing Sunday school. 

And I better get to work on May's blessings since it's already here!

March's Blessings

Let's dive in...

1. A husband who buys some of our groceries every week at Aldi so I only have to shop a couple times a month
2. Knowing that high winds were coming and putting the basketball hoop on its side (despite the 300 pounds of sand inside it)
3. A fabulous trip to Philadelphia
4. The kids loving the visit to Philly
5. My first real Philly cheese steak
6. Seeing Derek's grandparents, uncle, and mom while they were close by for the Holstein convention
7. Evan spending his own money on an inexpensive train set and loving it
8. Teaching Esther's class at church
9. Hearing from Evan's teachers some great improvement in work habits
10. Having a day of basketball where we attended all three kids' games as a family
11. Having a shopping day with Meghan, even if it was exhausting
12. Learning that Meghan and I had a Wendy's lunch date...same as Derek, Evan, and Esther but in different towns
13. Meghan loving her exceptional Sunday school teacher
14. Meghan carefully spending with a gift card and saving plenty for later
15. A new purse...that is so small Evan's emergency medication couldn't fit in it...but I don't have to consider that any more which is an even bigger blessing
16. Knowing you're kids are really smart
17. At Meghan's suggestion, getting rid of the calendar in my purse (because it didn't fit) and using the Google calendar on my phone...which I had already been using on my computer
18. Only packing one lunch (Esther's) because of early dismissals for all the kids
19. Then finding out she doesn't need lunch at school either and packing no lunches for one day
20. Enjoying the kids' early dismissal with a trip to the library
21. Getting an email from Evan's teacher about a fabulous work day
22. Evan getting excited about his improvements in school and hanging a paper on his bedroom wall
23. An invitation to a children's book festival
24. Meghan still cuddling up next to me
25. Meghan trying (again and again) to scare me
26. Esther's hugs and jokes
27. Meghan making no-knead bread
28. Eating Meghan's bread
29. A busy week of revisions and school visit preparation
30. A school visit that was wonderful though exhausting and still worth it
31. Derek supporting me and sending me to a writing conference
32. The writing conference
33. Being home early enough from the writing conference on Sunday to recover so I could get right back to work on Monday
34. An unexpected early dismissal on the first day of spring followed by snow days at the end of March...but not losing spring break
35. Knowing the children would be home early from school and saving errands for the afternoon so they could experience Rita's water ice for the first time
36. Managing to find some time to work on a manuscript and prepare for another school visit with the children home
37. Driving to northeastern PA with good timing...despite leaving Derek at home.
38. Spending Saturday and Sunday with family (both mine and Derek's)
39. A great author visit to Northeast Bradford...my alma mater!

40. Returning to sleep in my own bed.
41. Watching cousins play together and often get along...
42. Reading an article about the school visit and appreciating the journalist didn't make me sound like a fool (since I don't interview well)
43. Visiting the Herr's factory again
44. Sleep.

January's Blessings Part 2

See part 1 here.

34. How writing friends and I help each other
35. Delighting Esther's teacher with the giant tiger
36. An invitation to visit a great school in our county
37. Evan feeling better after tummy issues
38. Evan's excitement about his replacement drone when his Christmas gift didn't work
39. Janice's patience as I called her multiple times while making Derek's birthday cake.
40. A new appreciation for cookies (see #39)
41. Derek's birthday
42. Meghan making chocolate chip cookies for her final 4-H sewing meeting
43. A great sewing teacher and being able to help the club
44. A long weekend for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
45. A last-minute breakfast date with a friend and good conversation
46. Good progress on my current writing assignment (very short Bible stories)
47. Another good Instant Pot meal with a sirloin tip roast
48. A pretty morning of snow (even if school is cancelled...again)
49. Returning to Bible study and being reminded that we can trust God even when He throws us a curve ball
50. A short government shutdown
51. Wrapping up author visits with Meghan's class. (It was a 3-part visit with several rescheduled dates due to illness, assemblies, and such. The photo below says "Get Organized.")

52. Eating roasted sweet potatoes for lunch when I'm home alone...almost daily
53. Planning to see a friend later this week
54. Esther and I feeling better after a little illness over the weekend
55. Sunshine after the rain (and, boy, was it raining!)
56. Meeting two writing deadlines this month...one was a couple weeks early!

January's Blessings Part 1

During the first week of January I realized what a good start I was having to 2018. So...

1. Sewing with the children

2. Watching The Princess Bride as a family 

3. Satisfaction with newest manuscript
4. Lunch with a friend before she returned to college
5. Having another paid project to start on right away
6. Finding my lost wrist warmer
7. Chatting with Derek's cousin Kim to get a recipe for my book and learning more about Nestor's family
8. Esther playing with my new Little House wooden dolls while I read aloud to her from Little House in the Big Woods
9. Meghan emailing Nestor because she has so many questions about his family
10. Telling Evan to repeatedly backspace while sewing and Meghan correcting me
11. Two days of school followed by a four-day weekend thanks to two snow days (and Derek off on the snow day Friday)
12. Enjoying Derek's two-hour delay with him
13. Seeing Mookie and Lucy (our cats) napping within inches of each other
14. The children happily helping take down Christmas decorations
15. Hearing the children sing songs from The Sound of Music after watching it
16. Esther dusting the living room
17. Derek grocery shopping every week
18. Meghan made butter slime for herself and then made a second batch for her siblings!

19. Trying new recipes with my Instant Pot
20. And liking the first three recipes (potatoes, pork roast, and sticky rice)
21. Andre's Pizza. It had been way too long.
22. The children excited to play in their first basketball games.
23. The children finishing their three sewing projects. They are all so proud and with reason.
24. Critique partners who make me a better writer
25. Writing friends who send me job possibilities
27. Submitting manuscript with days to spare (even if not the usual week+)
28. Buying a giant stuffed tiger to give to Esther's Zoo Room classroom
29. Snuggling with anyone who wants to snuggle
30. A cat who loves laps...especially when the laptop is on the lap

31. My editor's appreciation for the recent manuscripts

32. The children back at school after a four day weekend...even with the early dismissal on Monday and delayed opening on Tuesday

33. Esther cleaning the bathroom floor before school...for fun?

I hope to keep this up. It's good to count my blessings!

Pinebrook 2017

It wasn't long after we arrived that a bit of rain began. Evan and Esther may have gotten a little wet and dirty riding bikes in the rain. 

 But the rain didn't last. Soon enough we were enjoying the pool.

And friends!

 Meghan spent a lot of time with these friends.

Derek and I relaxed a good bit this year with the children needing less attention.

 Meghan had to borrow Esther's bike to catch Derek when he took her bike for a spin.

 One night Esther and I went for a little walk to the pond. We didn't see frogs, but we caught some fireflies.

 Wednesday was a "hillbilly invasion." This is Pastor Bill in his finest.

 There had been a doughnut on that string. I took it off in one giant bite.

 Evan enjoyed this little cricket. He even took bunches and bunches of pictures of it since it didn't get away. Eventually, it was put in the grass...but unfortunately didn't overcome its injury.

 This is one of Evan's best buds at camp. We love C and his family.

 A fun ribbon...

 Before the banquet dinner.

 And all of us.

 We also had visitors on my birthday. Derek's mom and aunt came to share the day with us.

Mother's Tea with Esther

Esther's preschool has a Mother's Tea for the moms or other loved ones. My friend took a couple pictures of us.

Annette's 40th

Back in May Derek told me we should start thinking about celebrating my 40th birthday. It took me a month to agree to having a party. I don't exactly love being in the spotlight. 

We are too frugal to have something catered (even our wedding was DIY), so we spent a lot of time and energy preparing for the party. I'm so glad we did. My birthday party was exactly a month after my 40th birthday, but it was truly a blessing to be surrounded by family and friends.

It was a really hot day. I believe it was about 105° with the heat index. Thankfully there was a slight breeze. We had the party at a local park.

This is the cake Derek's mom made for me. I love that it's a book...and it has my newly released book on it! (I should probably write about that in a different post, but if you are interested, it's called Insects as Producers. It can be found on Amazon. No, it is not self-published.)

How about these lollipops to celebrate a book about insect products? Those are ants IN the lollipops!

I was really pleased at how many family members traveled a good distance.

Evidence

We've been told all along that Esther looks like me. This morning I found photographic evidence. I don't think we photograph the same, but in these two photos of me, I can see Esther.

(This photo also confirms that I look just like Dad and not like Mom.)