I thought all these pictures on my memory card were random, but really, they’re not. They all capture small, simple happinesses.

I take pictures of things that are beautiful…things that make my heart happy.

A Break the Ice game between Mr. FG and Sonia.

Candyland too.

A colorful sunset outside my back door.

A date night dinner with Mr. FG…we used our date night money to buy some dry scallops from a local seafood store, and then we used a Cook’s Illustrated recipe to grill them (I had a copy of the magazine from the library.)

Heaven on skewers.  And their method really DOES keep the scallops from sticking to the grill.  I was amazed.

So worth using our whole date night budget for the week!

An unseasonably warm day.

The water scenery we can enjoy even though we don’t live waterfront.

The ability to pack up and take school down to the neighborhood pier.

Because doing flashcards on a pier with your bare feet dangling over the water…well, it doesn’t stink.

A seagull that came to visit us.

The way the sun is sparkling on the left side of the boat ramp.  See it?

Sunshine. I love me some sun.

Children who are easily entertained.

Down by our pier, they recently fixed the edge of the road, which means there’s a strip of really smooth blacktop on the hill.

It’s perfect for scooters, which all three of the girls have (Lisey’s is from Goodwill, and Sonia and Zoe’s were Christmas presents.)  They have so much fun with these!

And I’m happy because the scooters are sturdy, low-tech, and they encourage the girls to be active and outside.

There really is a lot of space between that section and the boat ramp, so don’t worry…no one was in danger of scootering into the water. 

Zoe had an unfortunate slipping accident when she was running on a grassy (and muddy) area.

Fortunately, there’s water nearby for hand-washing.

And a little mud wasn’t enough to keep her off of her scooter.

They went up and down that hill somewhere around 742 times, I think.  But the sun started to set and so we headed home after a while.

Do you ever have moments where you just look around and think how beautiful life is?

Me too.

Scooters do carry them faster than my legs carry me.

But I am thankful for obedient girls who stop at the stop sign and wait for me (they’re waving at the mail lady.)

Obedience is good for one’s safety*, isn’t it?

I know I say this often, but if you develop an eye for the lovely things in life that don’t cost much, you’ll find joy even when you haven’t got much in the way of money.

I’ve said that in photos and words before: Simplicity.

Enjoy the little things,

for one day you may look back and realize

they were the big things.

~Robert Brault

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Today’s 365 post: Sunday Waiting

Joshua’s 365 post: Amazing Grace

*speaking of safety, I know the girls don’t have helmets on. That’s because I just discovered that we need to go helmet shopping because their noggins have all grown…and Sonia’s head is no smaller than Zoe’s, which means her helmet definitely can’t be handed down! Although I bet Lisey’s helmet will fit one of the younger two…)

I promise we were only on the real road for a block or so, though, and it’s a quiet block. And I promise we’ll go helmet-shopping before we do any biking.

I’m a little slow at getting these up, I know!

We’ve been studying the U.S. Presidents this year, and when we read about Thomas Jefferson, the kids became really fascinated with his Virgina home, Monticello.  Since we live not terribly far from there, I thought it would be fun to go take a tour and make an overnight trip of it.

And the kids thought so too…they were all very excited when we told them about our trip plans.

So, we drove to Charlottesville one Sunday after church.

These are the requisite though-the-van-windshield pictures.

I really like the challenge of trying to produce a passable photo while riding in a moving vehicle.

We stayed in a hotel that belongs to the chain where my brother works.  They offer a really great friends and family discount, which means we can usually snag a hotel room for $39.

The kids felt the most important hotel feature was the pool.  We went swimming that night.

And after breakfast the next morning.

And then we cleaned ourselves up and headed off to see what we had come to see.

Don’t you just love brick?  It’s so classic and timeless.

Monticello has so much detail…this is the underside of the roof overhang.  Can you imagine how long it took to make those designs back in the days before power tools?

We took a tour of the inside of Monticello but sadly, photos are not allowed inside the house.  Boo.

However, outdoors and all the out-buildings/under-buildings are fair game.

The kitchen was really interesting.  This was a fancy stove set-up back then…each of those basins is for a small fire, which gave the cooks the ability to have different heat levels for each pot.

Do you ever wonder how anyone turned out a decent meal when fire was the only way to cook things?

This is the back side of Monticello.

I made the kids sit there for a photo, even though the light was terrible.

Hmm.  I just now noticed that Lisey chose a pair of jeans with holes in both knees.  This is what happens when you let your children pack for themselves…they leave the non-holey jeans at home.

Oh well.

Joshua took one of Mr. FG and me.

This is what you see from that seat.  Not too shabby, huh?  Even in January it’s pretty breathtaking.

Sonia says when she grows up, she’s going to rent Monticello for 100 years.

If only.

It’s pretty cool that you can walk around in Thomas Jefferson’s yard.  I’m sure his granddaughters ran around just like Zoe did.

When we had seen all there was to see, we hopped back on the shuttle that takes you up and down the mountain.

I did sneak in one last picture.

Down at the visitor’s center, they have a great exhibit for kids.  It’s a space with replicas of a lot of the neat features of Monticello, but since they’re replicas, you can touch them and play with them (whereas in the real house, everything is off-limits).

We tried out his polygraph machine.

See the copy of his bed there?

There are Jefferson quotes on the wall, and I thought any of you gardeners out there would like this one.

This was the most interesting quote of the bunch, I thought.  I wonder what Jefferson would think if he could see the lack of vacant land in our country.

Oh, I and I loved this list of his:

Though his counsel about money is wise, unfortunately he was no good at following it.  He was always in terrible financial shape!

Monticello isn’t a particularly cheap attraction (I think we paid $67 or so altogether), although it is less expensive if you go off-season.  And since we squeezed in our trip before Zoe’s birthday, she was free (5 and under get in at no cost).

I think it was worth it, though.  Making it an overnight trip seriously upped the fun factor for the kids, and I think that seeing Monticello in person will definitely help them to remember what we’ve learned about Thomas Jefferson. Visiting his home and taking the tour really makes him seem more like a real person than just a figure in a history book.

Plus, Mr. FG and I have never been to Monticello before, and we both thought it was really interesting.  I was particularly inspired by Jefferson’s habit of placing mirrors opposite windows so as to maximize the natural light, and I’ve been thinking about how I can do that ever since we got home.

If you happen to find yourself in the Charlottesville area, I definitely recommend making room for Monticello on your itinerary, especially if you love early American history.

Gorgeous.
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Today’s 365 post: A sure sign of a good educational book.

Two and a half years ago.

09.09.09.

A hospital room.

A baby, born still.

Still loved, still precious.

Still privileged to have been there.

Still won’t ever forget.

And now, a new hospital room.

A heartbeat monitor, sending out a regular rhythm that never sounded so sweet.

A waiting mama.

And finally?

A crying baby.

Music to the ears.

So many years of waiting.

So many losses.

And now, arms full of warm newborn sweetness for the first time.

Bliss.

Love.

Yes, Callie Rose.

You are joy.

Welcome, welcome, welcome to the world.

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Today’s 365 post: Nerd Zoe

Joshua’s 365 post: Snow!

We’ll have a Q&A post next Monday, promise!

Yesterday after church, we took a little road trip to West Virginia to visit Mr. FG’s sister.

As usual, I amused myself in the car by taking pictures.

She’s in the region of West Virginia that’s not too far from Harper’s Ferry, so we saw the Potomac.

Sonia wanted me to take a picture of these clouds. So, there you go.

Look what I saw on the way! An Aldi. It was a new, high-ceiling one with windows.

The weather was really neurotic yesterday…cloudy, sunny, rainy, overcast, sunny, then cloudy, then windy. It made for some really interesting looking skies.

We saw the rest of Mr. FG’s family over the holidays, but his sister is pregnant and due in January, and her hips are giving her such trouble, she can’t make the drive to see us.

We snapped a few photos since I probably won’t see her again until it’s time for the baby to be born.

And I will be super glad to make the road trip again to meet my niece. 

I think that’s the last of the holiday gatherings, so things should return to normal around these parts from here on out.

I hope you had a marvelous New Year’s Day!

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Since we covered Christmas Eve yesterday, we’ll stick with just Christmas Day photos today.

I’ve actually got quite a few pictures of me because Joshua snagged my camera. The kids and Mr. FG insisted that I open my gifts first, which was sweet.

They kept making me close my eyes in between presents.

I was VERY pleased to get a nice pair of silver hoops.

I’m laughing in this next one because Joshua and Lisey bought me a Boston Market gift card.  When I was pregnant and sick, Boston Market mashed potatoes and gravy were one of the few things that appealed to me…they tasted SO good.  Joshua and Lisey remembered me talking about that, and they thought I’d like some more.

Hopefully they’ll still taste as good now that I’m not pregnant!

Mr. FG and Sonia and Zoe bought me a very silly stuffed fox.  He’s actually really cute, but I have no pictures of him from the front.

I am confused about something?

Ok, let’s have some pictures of other people.

Lisey, opening an ocarina from Joshua.

Zoe’s been seriously hankering after a blue velour whale from Fluffyland, and she was seriously pleased to find one under the tree.

We got Lisey the VW bus shirt she’d been asking for (from Dandelion Dreams).

Let’s see…I do have at least one of Joshua!

I was really encouraged as I watched my kids that morning.  They were all so anxious to give the presents they’d picked out for each other…more anxious than they were to open their own packages.

Sonia walked around in a box because…um, I don’t know why.

After eating some Caramel Monkey Bread,

we headed off to church.  Our church doesn’t usually have a Christmas Day service except when Christmas happens to fall on a Sunday, so going to church on Christmas Day is a little bit strange for us!

I wore my new earrings, of course.

I had a pair of large hoops before, but they were the sort that start to look not-silver after a year or two (boo), so I’m really happy to have a pair of lightweight ones that will last for a long time.

When we got home, I cleaned up the mess we’d made.

I didn’t actually have to spend very much time in the kitchen because Mr. FG suggested we forgo a big meal so that I could have a break (and who am I to argue with that??).

We did set the table up all nice.  We even used our china dishes for the very first time (which is pretty pathetic, given that this is our 15th Christmas together!)

The older four of us used goblets for our sparkling juice.

But Sonia and Zoe used teacups, because goblets are just begging to be spilled.

And Zoe drank regular juice because she hates carbonation.

So, what did we eat?  Crepes.

Traditional?  Nope.  But they were tasty and easy, and Mr. FG helped me make them. We had local sausage too so that our dinner wasn’t an unadulterated carb-fest.

Zoe and Sonia did actually get dressed that day, but they liked their new footed pjs so much, they put them on before dinner.

After dinner, the kids wrestled with Mr. FG.

Actually, it started with Joshua and the girls and progressed from there.

I love it.

This picture makes me laugh.

We did settle down so that Mr. FG could read the Christmas story to us (as per Sonia’s request).

And that was the end of our Christmas Day.  This is the second year in a row where we no extended family get-togethers have fallen on Christmas Day, and I must say, a quiet at-home Christmas is pretty lovely.

The gifts pictured in this post don’t represent the entirety of what we gave/received…that list would be sort of boring for you.  However, I do want to share the details about some of the presents I bought and made.  But it’ll have to be another post for another day.

And I promise there won’t be nearly so many pictures of me in that post. 

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Today’s 365 post: Two Babies in Purple

Joshua’s 365 post: This is very unusual for us!

For the last few years I’ve plunked down $40 for an annual membership to our local park system.

Why?

Because once I’ve spent the $40, I’m much more motivated to actually go to the park. Something about having to pay for it each time makes me loathe to go, so even if I really only break even by buying the park pass, it’s totally worth it just for the motivation factor.

And really, $40 for a year is pretty darn reasonable.

We’ve been awesome at making the most of our membership this fall…just in the last few weeks, I’ve gone with my sister, done a photo session at the park, and the six of us have spent two Sunday afternoons at two different parks.

This last time, we brought charcoal and grilled.

But we’ve also done a cold, picnic-y meal too.

The company and the outdoor setting matter more than the food, I think.

Doesn’t it crack you up when the kids crouch down to observe something?

Besides offering a lovely place to eat,

and beautiful scenery,

our parks also have great biking/skating/scootering paths,

beautiful beaches (not quite Myrtle Beach, but still nice),

fields to play in,

and playgrounds.

(Mr. FG took this one and I love it!)

It’s very undignified of me, but I play a speed-sliding game with the girls, racing them to see who can get to and go down the slide the fastest.

I’ve never claimed to be dignified anyway.

Zoe on the left in this next one?  Totally hilarious.

I love that our kids are at an age where it’s pretty easy to notice a lovely afternoon, pack everyone up, and head out to the park.

Life is good.

And beautiful.

And if you’ve got a park near you, you should go enjoy it! It’s probably some of the cheapest fun you can find.

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Today’s 365 post: Snuggler

Joshua’s 365 post: A Dedicated Gecko

I don’t have oodles of actual beach pictures this year.

That’s partly because we only stayed for a week this year, and partly because my less expensive camera died and I don’t like to take my more expensive one out in the sand.

But, we did play on the beach a LOT!  Lisey and I did a bunch of boogie boarding which was super fun, and Joshua did some too until the salt water started to irritate his skin.  Sonia and Zoe lose interest in boogie boarding pretty fast and mostly just want to play in the sand.

Of course, when we get tired of the actual beach, the pool is always fun.

The condo we stayed in has a lazy river too, which we use as much or more than the pool.

However, probably the most popular attraction for all the kids was the little wading pool.  They love that thing!

My sister and brother-in-law rented a condo this year, so they and their four kids were there for the same week as us.

All this activity does make a person tired.

What did we do that didn’t involve water? We went out to eat (for only $12 after our gift card!).

We visited an amusement park (two, actually!)

I got to ride on the swings, which are my very favorite ride.

Lisey shares my enthusiasm.

As does Sonia.

Zoe isn’t tall enough for the regular swings, but she does enjoy the kiddie version.

Zoe also has a passion for merry-go-rounds. 

Joshua’s not much for thrill rides. He mostly prefers just to watch.

He did do bumper boats with Lisey, though.

She got him pretty good.

He also played some Skeeball with Mr. FG.

They used their ticket winnings to buy whistles, which are not as piercing as one might have originally feared.

I tried hard to get a picture of the fun mirrors, but I’m just not very good at it.

Somewhere in one of our scrapbooks, there’s a pre-digital era photo of Mr. FG and Joshua in this Ben and Jerry’s sign, and Joshua wanted to take an updated one.

Walking down the boardwalk with Daddy is much more fun than with Mommy, because Daddy pulls you forward and backward and randomly helps you pirouette.

What else?  Oh, I have two pictures of Mr. FG  and me.  This is from our last day, when it suddenly got cold after being delightfully warm all week.

I think I like this one better.

After almost an entire week of lovely weather, we drove home in cloudy, cool, drippy weather.

It makes for not-so-fab traveling, but on the upside, it’s a lot easier to leave a cool and cloudy beach than a hot and sunny one!

Though I certainly wouldn’t have refused another week at the beach (vacationing with older kids is quite restful and fun!), being home isn’t all bad.

I’m glad to have my well-equipped kitchen (condo kitchens never have everything you want.)

I’m glad to get back to eating more healthy food.

I’m glad to have recycling and compost bins (in Myrtle Beach, you can hardly recycle anything.  Glass and soda cans are about it.)

I’m glad to be back to more normal grocery spending (I spent $177 on groceries during the week we were gone!)

And of course, I’m glad that we got to go away at all!  A lot of people aren’t able to squeeze in a vacation, and we’re blessed to be able to do this at a time of year that is so inexpensive.

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Today’s 365 post: Sometimes I think I’m not getting better at this.

Learn to like what doesn’t cost much.

Learn to like reading,

conversation,

music.

Learn to like simple food,

and simple cooking.

Learn to like fields, trees, brooks, hiking, rowing, climbing hills.

Learn to like people, even though some of them may be different…different from you.

Learn to like to work and enjoy the satisfaction of doing your job as well as it can be done.

Learn to like the songs of birds, the companionship of dogs.

Learn to like gardening,

puttering around the house and fixing things.

Learn to like the sunrise

and sunset,

the beating of the rain on the roof and windows,

and the gentle fall of snow on a winter’s day.

Learn to keep your wants simple,

and refuse to be controlled by the likes and dislikes of others.

-Lowell Bennion

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I saw this quote over on Clover Lane a while back, and I thought it was just begging to be posted with pictures.

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Today’s 365 post: My binder was falling apart.

Joshua’s 365 post: A Good Idea

I was going to do all that yesterday, but it was a lovely, cooler day and my friend called to see if I wanted to go to the park.

And since I’m trying to be better about dropping dutiful work to go and do fun things, we went to the park.

This particular park has a bunch of animals who are taken care of by a 4-H club.

These goats were making me laugh with the way they stick their heads through the fence to nibble on the grass  (even though there’s plenty of the exact same stuff inside the fence.  The grass is always greener even for goats, apparently.).

Amazingly enough, they don’t get their horns stuck when they pull their heads back in.

Here’s a photo from Zoe:

And one from Sonia.

Ok, I’m off to menu-plan!

P.S. ATTENTION EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS: If you want to enter into any of the giveaways I post, emailing me will not do the trick (I can’t keep track of entries that way).  You have to come and actually leave a comment on the giveaway post.  If you’d like to enter the bodycology giveaway, click here.  If you’d like to enter the Novica giveaway, click here. Thanks!

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Today’s 365 post: Taking pictures of people on swings is tricky.

It’s an off-week for grocery shopping, so I thought that I’d just do a quick picture post.

Especially since I’m supposed to be kinda taking it easy/off here (although somehow I still have not managed to miss a day of blogging since I announced that. Hmm.).

Usually once a week, we go over to my parents’ house to go swimming, and this summer, Mr. FG has been joining us after work.

The kids have all really enjoyed this because usually the only time we get to swim with Mr. FG is when we’re on vacation.

So, when I am tempted to feel discouraged and depressed about this early schedule of Mr. FG’s….

…and I’m tempted to feel sorry for myself…

…I will remind myself of our swimming afternoons.  And monkey in the middle games. Because those couldn’t happen if his schedule was more normal.

On an unrelated note, did you know that it’s easier to adjust your goggles properly if you stick your tongue out?

See?  They’re working just great now.

I have occasionally been remembering to us the video feature on my camera, so here’s a short one of Zoe, who is jumping off the board with much more pizazz than she was at the beginning of the summer.

I’m doing pretty well on the to-do list I made for myself earlier this week, and I’ll be back on Monday to give you an update on how all of that is going.

Have a lovely weekend!

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Today’s 365 post: Date Night Dinner

Joshua’s 365 post: Another Picture of My Little Buddy