July review ✽ Hello August (Finally)

Happenings:

-We finished up some DIY "Christmas crackers" (4th of July themed) with chocolate kisses, confetti, and a little paper announcing baby #10, to share with Mama's family :)!

-Grandpa, Grandma, Aunt Amber, James, and Aunt Tessa came over. We had supper, then passed out cupcakes and opened the 4th  of July crackers (all of us, because it couldn't be too obvious that we already knew what was in the papers, you know ;)...) with their special announcement <3. Abbi has since nicknamed the baby "Cupcake", due to this sort of announcement, so the name shall stick until we know who the little person is... and probably for a few weeks later, as far as the little ones are concerned, it "Seaweed" and "Geo" are any indication ;). Then we did sparklers and pop-its (I earned the title scaredy-cat because I wouldn't pop them in my fingers when even Tori did it after protesting... I know it's safe, but I just couldn't bring myself to actually do it, haha), and we had Daddy's handmade ice cream :). We tried to go to the fireworks at the lake, but they were already turning people back because they had run out of room :(. Oh well.. we know for next year. Things have changed since we last went... what, five or six years ago?!

-Tori, Bethi and I went to stay with my Aunt Tessa for a few days, and had a wonderful time (not that we expected any differently :) )! Aunt Tessa and I crocheted, we played games and watched movies, went on a walk in my Aunt's beautiful neighborhood, laughed and talked, discovered that my Aunt Amber, Bethi and I all decided independently, all at the age of about 12, that we wanted to do our future kitchens in a cherry theme, and when Aunt Amber stayed overnight, I stole her baby every chance I got, haha! He's so precious <3!

-When the rest of the family came to pick us up, we got to see my Great-Grandma. It had been about 11 years since I had last seen her, and so that was a blessing! She lived in Iowa right up until we moved out of state, and since we've been back Mama has only been able to see her with a couple of children at a time. We met at a park... the little ones had fun playing in the field, we took family pictures, Mama told Great-Grandma about Cupcake ;), and we had a wonderful time <3!

-Andrew apparently went wild picking fireworks on the fourth... hahaha! Mama texted me that she was scared for the day that Josiah, manly man that he is, would get an opinion in this sport, since Andrew was having such fun, haha! Hamburgers for supper, 4th of July pictures that were finished seconds before it began pouring rain, a power outage, getting power back, more homemade ice cream, sparklers, and pop-its kept us busy until Daddy and Andrew were ready to set off their fireworks! Andrew was thrilled with it all, a strong contrast to his first... and second... and I think third... 4th of July celebrations, when he clung to Mama's neck in terror, poor guy. This year it was Noah's turn to be very unhappy at the festivities, but obviously Daddy and Andrew have hope of bringing him around ;). The grand finale was the lighting of Mama's (one and only) firework she picked out, favored simply because it had a heart cut out in the package that glowed when if was set off... which I failed to notice until AFTER it was done firing, and it went out just as I did, haha!

-I got really excited and eager to add baby sets to my shop, and I started crocheting. A lot. I didn't think it was too much. But, the Gideon cyst I developed AGAIN from crocheting, said differently.
So, figuring it wouldn't be wise to continue to stress my wrist out like that before it's healed, I took a crash course on making good selling listings, and found out I've been doing my keywords all COMPLETELY wrong, and had to start from scratch with that side of research and everything. It was worth it I think, but I was simply crocheting. Really? Who knew it was a dangerous sport! So, in the past weeks, I've been researching, re-writing descriptions, tags and titles, and posting new listings... but I'm still learning and have lots more items to post, so things are constantly changing in Under the Tapestry :)!

-Noah became obsessed with science videos... haha! Specifically a video about a puffer fish making sand designs. Every time Daddy sits down to do ANY work on his ipad or laptop, Noah wants to run over, climb in his lap, put his little hands behind his head, and watch the fish. It's even stopped him mid-scream to hear it; then when it was over he went back to crying, haha!

-At 2:30 in the morning, Emmi caused Mama to research whether frogs can burp. Our family is weird. (She is also keeping our family concerned and entertained by her sleep walking antics...)

-Abbi and Emmi got their ears pierced :D! Abbi requested it for her birthday, but Mama didn't want to leave Emmi out (they do everything together, and Emmi would have been the only girl without for another year, otherwise!), so they did it inbetween the two birthdays :). Mama said after they left, Abbi told her, "Thank you for letting me get my ears pierced. Ever since I was three, I've been suffering, wanting earrings..." Dramatic! Hehehe...

-We stayed for our first after-service church lunch, and Tori and I sat with some of the other girls... invariably, the longest conversation we had was about cats. I'm not sure if all girls talk about cats, or if I just draw out cat facts from everyone I know, haha. I dreamed recently that Daddy had business with somebody in the neighborhood we drove through to look at lights last year (that had a power outage as soon as we got there, so we saw nothing), and I drove him there and played with the guy's cat while they talked, and when we left a stray he would feed tried to get in the car with me, and I was sooooooo sad at having to leave him behind that I gave him a peppermint... I'm not sure what good that would give a cat, but whatever, hahaha! ALSO. I have spent years joking that all Pastors have to sign an agreement that they dislike cats before they are given a church... we've met so many Pastors who will tell you they don't like cats right off. Our current Pastor has multiple cats, though. I guess it's not a requirement ;). (And Josiah fell asleep standing up... what? Why?!?! Haha...)

-Gramma and Papa Nate came over afterwards, and brought water guns with them! Mama and Tori and I stayed safely inside, but the rest enjoyed a water gun battle ;). Abbi ended up with three outfits on so she "wouldn't be as cold" (here? In summer?!), and about the third time she and Emmi came in to fill their guns, Gramma asked, "Don't you have a hose out there?!"
"Yes."
"Why aren't you using it?" *peaks outside* "Papa has a bucket out there for you, stop making your Mama's carpet wet!"
"But if we fill it out there," Abbi explained, "They will get us while we're filling our guns!" *goes outside... and starts squirting everybody trying to fill their guns at the bucket*
Yeah, I wonder why she thought they'd do that... ;)

Laughing at:

-Taking pictures of Noah in the front camera on my phone so he can see himself while we take them... that was too funny, haha! That ^ is his face as he noticed he could watch himself do anything he wanted, hahaha!

-Laying on my bed talking to Bethi, and being like, "A few nights ago I dreamed that it was Christmas again and I totally forgot to decorate our room for Christmas, even though I had been looking forward to it all year, because I was so sad I ran out of time last year. And I kind of thought it was real, and I was so disappointed that I'd have to wait yet another year. And I only just now as I remembered it realized that I hadn't missed it." It kind of felt like that moment in "A Christmas Carol" when Scrooge realizes the spirits did it all in one night, of course they can, of course they can! Hahahaha!

-Noah BITING ME because I won't wrestle him. (Actually, this was only funny the first three times.)

-Andrew, meaning to tell the little ones to put their toys away while they eat: "NO FOOD, at the table!!!" This was after Emmi said one time "NO CHEWING WITH YOUR MOUTH FULL!!!"... So we had a whole bunch of fun laughing at the two together, haha!

-Josiah, given his first ever Starburst: *quietly tugging, turning, and examining it, the wrapper rips just a little bit*
"Oh... it this the candy? Inside it?"
Poor thing, haha! I helped him figure out the difficult mechanics ;).

-Abbi: "Oh? What is "Alone Yet Not Alone" about? Is it a sooooonnnnnngggg?" *begins singing* "Alone, yet not alooooonnnne!"
Me: "Ummm, yeah, actually it's a song too."
Abbi: "Oh cool! I made up a song that was already made. Can I hear it?
"....That's my favorite song."

-Me, going to close the freezer: *hits my own shoulder with the door*
"Ouch."
Tori: "Ummm... I heard a crunch."
Me: "That was the ice."
Tori: "Oh. I thought it was your shoulder, and I was like, all you said was ouch?!"

-Stalking Mama's Facebook because I literally blanked out on what we did the last half of the month, and I haven't been journaling to consult that, haha! And a sister helping me write this. There is power in numbers, y'all.

Reading:

-"Brother Andrew". The cover on our copy is really weird looking and Daddy questioned my reading choices when he first saw it, haha! It was interesting... and then just after I finished reading it, one of my friends asked me, "Have you ever read Brother Andrew?" And I am telling you all, it is getting really weird how often someone asks if I have read a book or watched a movie JUST after I have done so. It's getting scary...

-"Benard's Vision". This was a book our church gave out about a mission in Kenya, and I had it finished in 24 hours, haha. It was interesting, and neat to learn about the place our Elder does mission trips to.

 -"A Layman's Look at Cults and the Occult". This was written by our Elder for the church leaders in Kenya/India at their request, and he gave us a copy, so I'm reading it, haha :). (Isn't it odd how when you know what an author sounds like, you read their writing in their voice?...)

-"On the Edge of Tomorrow". This was kind of disappointing. The guy was a Catholic doctor missionary, not a Christian... not that it made much difference, because his mission was to create good relationships between Asia and America, not because he wanted to bring them the gospel- catholic or otherwise. A nice mission, but not one with eternal worth...

Quotes I liked:

-"Now concerning brotherly love you have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another, for that indeed is what you are doing to all the brothers throughout Macedonia. But we urge you, brothers, to do this more and more," -1 Thessalonians 4:9&10. Like, how beautiful is that <3. I pray the Lord allows that same love to be poured forth from my own heart stayed on him!

-"Oh Lord of the oceans,
My little bark sails on a restless sea,
Grant that Jesus may sit at the helm and steer me safely;
Suffer no adverse currents to divert my heavenly course;
Let not my faith be wrecked amid storms and shoals;
Bring me to harbour with flying pennants,
 hulls unbreached,
 cargo unspoiled.
I ask great things,
 expect great things,
 shall receive great things.
I venture on thee wholly, fully,
 my wind, sunshine, anchor, defence.
The voyage is long, the waves high, the storms pitiless,
 but my helm is held steady,
 thy Word secures safe passage,
 thy grace wafts me onward,
 my haven is guarenteed.
This day will bring me nearer home,
Grant me holy consistency in every transaction,
 my peace flowing as a running tide,
 my righteousness as every chasing wave.
Help me to live circumspectly,
 with skill to convert every care into prayer,
Halo my path with gentleness and love,
 smooth every asperity of temper;
 let me not forget how easy it is to occasion grief;
 may I strive to bind up every wound,
 and pour oil on all troubled waters.
May the world this day be happier and better because I live.
Let my mast before me be the Savior's cross,
 and every oncoming wave the fountain in his side.
Help me, protect me in the moving sea
 until I reach the shore of unceasing praise." -The Valley of Vision

-"Oh, my soul
Oh, how you worry
Oh, how you're weary, from fearing you lost control...
Oh, my soul
You are not alone
There's a place where fear has to face the God you know
One more day, He will make a way
Let Him show you how, you can lay this down
'Cause you're not alone." -Casting Crowns, "Oh My Soul"

-"If God is preparing you to make an impact on this world for His kingdom, chances are he will take you through a season of solitude. This is a season when you learn that you can't lean upon anyone but Him for your confidence and when you gain the strength to stand alone even when no one stands with you." -Leslie Ludy

(I saved quotes this month, y'all ;)!)

Fails:

-Forgetting to roll up the van window, and ending up with mosquitoes galore inside. And Mama seems to be their favorite treat during the summer. Oops.

-Starting soup in the crockpot for supper. And leaving it on warm. Instead of High. For two and a half hours. We had pizza for supper.

-Warming up said potato soup... and the potatoes STILL AREN'T COOKED, because they were brown potatoes instead of golden, and it had been cold after sitting in the fridge for 16 hours. We had pasta for supper.

-Finally completing that ridiculous soup and having TWO MEALS WORTH. I consider this a fail, because after round four of cooking/warming this stuff... I was really tired of it :P.

-Peter: "There is a guy asking Mommy if we had ants in our house!"
Me, closing up letters to take to the mailbox: "Oh, really? Mama, is there someone out there?"
"Yeah, pest control."
Brain: well, i'll take the letters out later so i don't have to run into him. i'll work on canvases instead. i should try that idea to use the window to make my reverse side tracing neater.
*slaps my paper up in the window and starts the graphite transfer*
The guy ends up like right under the window, and I quietly back away from the window thinking, yeah, that totally worked. Never mind...

-Me: *Drives to Sonic*
*goes to order and can't even reach the button*
*has to open the door and hang out to talk to the guy on drive through*
*goes to pay and the card screen is only showing half on the screen, it doesn't take my payment, and I'm really bothered, now out of the car at this point*
Mama: "Just get back in, they'll let us know if it didn't go through.
"But I'm not sure they will come out until they get payment.
"Better go in. Just take the card and tell them the screen is messed up."
Me: *almost walks through a door into the kitchen*
*finally heads to the correct window*
*passes a guy carrying what turns out to be our order*
*has to run back to the car to take it from him*
*can't take all the things before opening the car door, feels bad for opening the car door because it kind of hems the guy in*
*the guy goes to hand me the cup, I reach for the door, he takes back the cup just as I reach for it, he tries to hand me the cup as I reach for the door* Multiple. times.
*I finally get back in the car and sigh*
Mama: "Only us..."
Me: "You mean only me."
Mama: "Wellllll...."
^That's me y'all. I just try to live life in the most convoluted way I can so that you all can have a laugh and then realize how good at this whole '"life thing" you really are, even if you may not feel it. Anything beats me trying to do ANYTHING in public, hahaha!

Grateful for:

- ^That little guy. And his love of books. And yeah <3.

-And his little snuggles when I put him down for a nap! (Usually... the past two days he was angry about it, but he fell asleep quickly today, so I hope it wasn't a new thing. Usually he comes and whines at me until I realize he is tired; then he giggles when I pick up his blanket, and snuggles right into me. I love it!)

-Chatting with a friend and weeding the side bed, which was totally neglected while we put in the vegetable garden. I LOVE gardening- even weeding. Maybe especially weeding. I've missed it! I prefer to do it somewhere other than on pebbled sidewalks though. It's very rough on the knees, haha. Last time Tori and I were out there our legs had a chewed look after we'd been kneeling there for a while, haha.
-My planner, and a cute new bag one of Daddy's employees sent home with him.
-Doorposts bible studies :).
-Those who share their knowledge about selling on Etsy.
-Ideas from Daddy on how to create/display items better :).
-Timely "how are you" notes <3.
-Psalm 22.
-To be "caught up" blogging... haha. It's a relief ;).

"Worship the LORD in the splendor of holiness; tremble before him, all the earth!" (Psalm 96:9)