Blog Party with Abigail Kraft

I've been having a lot of fun lately reading different blogs. There are some that really inspire me, some that make me laugh, many that leave me challenged. One family I particularly enjoy is the Krafts. They're the kind of people I wouldn't mind having as neighbors. I think it would be a blast to just sit down over a cup of Starbucks coffee with Lynnette and her daughter Abigail, and just spend an afternoon chatting. I believe my son Joshua and Jared Kraft would have a blast at the piano together, playing and composing together.

This week Abigail is having a blog party. Having never participated in a blog party before, or even knowing what it was, I had some homework to do. After perusing some of the partygoers' blogs, I got the idea. So without any further ado . . . here's my addition to the fun.

1. What's your favorite time of the day, and why?

For me it would have to be the moment my husband walks through the door after work! I love it when he comes home. He always hugs and kisses me and lets me know he's happy to be with me. My hubby brings sanity back into my life after a day of home schooling my children while also trying to work from home.

2. If health wasn't an issue, what food could you live off of?

Because of the idea that health isn't an issue, I naturally think of fun foods like cheesecake, brownies, chocolate chip raisin cookies, and decadent chocolate cake. But I'm very practical, and I know those sugary foods would get boring after just a few days--or even only one--if that's all I was able to eat. So I'm going to pick a salad since it can be varied every single time. New ingredients tossed in at each meal. I think fresh, green salad would be great, especially with avocados!

3. If you could have one wish granted (besides wishing for more wishes), what would it be?

A clutter-free, tidy, organized, beautifully decorated, and downright cute house with my very own craft room! When we moved into our home, we only had two little boys (1 & 3 yrs old). Within one year, my daughter was born. My guest/craft room was turned into a little girl's room. Now I have no place to put my scrapbooking materials! They get moved from corner to corner, further contributing to the clutter in my home.

Don't you just love this scrapbooking room?

4. What's one thing that you get teased about a lot?

I tell looooooooong stories! I cannot tell the abbreviated version without thinking I've neglected the most important part. The listener must have all the details and the background to fully understand. One time I told a friend about a two-hour movie; it took me almost three hours to tell her about it. Now don't get me wrong. I know how to tell the abridged version as well, but it's just not as fun. On the receiving end, however, I love a long story just as long as I know the bottom line first. I need to know where you're going with the story so I can put all the details into the right perspective. Fortunately, my husband understands this about me.

5. If you could choose one movie, book, or TV show to spend your life in, which would you pick? What type of character would you be?

I think it would have been wonderful to be Priscilla in the Book of Acts. She worked alongside her husband making tents, had a ministry from her home, helped train disciples, and lived during the explosion of the early Christian Church. She and her husband knew Paul and assisted in his ministry and helped train Apollos. Wow! Now she was a woman that God used mightily!

6. If you could have one talent that you don't already have, what would it be?

I wish I had never stopped taking piano lessons. I can plink out the melody line from sheet music, but I cannot really play. All three of my children are learning, and we've got some beautiful music in our home as a result. Music is truly an expression of the soul, and sometimes my soul just wants to express itself.

7. If money were no object, where would you go on vacation?

Europe, especially to Germany, the Czech Republic, and the British Isles. My mother-in-law has taught English in the Czech Republic off and on for the past 16 years, and we have yet to see the places that she fell in love with over there. I traveled in Europe for five weeks in 1988, and my husband and I dream about going there together some day.

8. If you were an awesome singer, which genre would you sing?

Country-gospel . . . it's the style I veer toward when I'm singing. My choir director has had to remind me about that on more than one occasion.

9. If you could have a $10,000 shopping spree to one store, what would it be?

I really liked the idea of amazon.com since we can buy just about anything there.

If it had to be a brick-and-mortar store, then it would be Home Depot so we could do some work toward #3 above.

10. If you could live in any point in time, when would it be?

The not-so-distant future. The exact moment when we hear the trumpet call:

"For the Lord Himself

will come down from heaven,

with a loud command,

with the voice of the archangel

and with the trumpet call of God,

and the dead in Christ will rise first.

After that, we who are still alive

and are left will be caught up together

with them in the clouds

to meet the Lord in the air.

And so we will be with the Lord forever."

1 Thessalonians 4:16-17

11. If every outfit in your wardrobe had to be one color, what would it be?

All shades of BLUE . . . from teal to violet,

and everything in between.

12. If you were one of the seven dwarves, which one would you be?

(Doc, Grumpy, Sneezy, Sleepy, Bashful, Happy, or Dopey)

This is a hard one because I can identify with almost all of them. I could see myself as Doc because he was a take charge kind of guy, an organizer; that's me! I tend to be Grumpy way too often, and lately I have been very Sneezy due to a cold. Oh, yes! And yet Sleepy is my name because I love to sleep in, and when my thyroid plummeted following my daughter's birth, all I did was sleep! Even though my hair has gotten darker with age, I am a true blonde at heart, and so I can be extremely Dopey in that I look at things very literally and am absentminded now and then. (I love blonde jokes, by the way!) When I get to spend time with my friends, alone with my husband, or with my children teaching, I am definitely Happy! I guess that leaves Bashful, which is just not me!

13. What's the last album you listened to?

14. What's something we'd be surprised to know about you?

I used to drive a motorcycle in my single days. It only cost me $350 at the time used and was a very economical way to get around in the late 70's when there was a gas crisis going on.

Well, that's me! Head on over to Abigail's blog for more party fun, and find a blog you just might connect with.

For the family,

Liz

Hats This Momma Wears

Tonight is Crazy Hat Night at the kids' AWANA meeting. David was busy pulling out his viking hat this morning, and Shannon will wear a silly blue and black "Cat in the Hat" type of hat for the event. I'm not sure yet what the boys will come up with.

It just it occurred to me I wear many hats every day! As the mom in the family, the list of tasks and duties I have to accomplish seems overwhelming all too often. On top of it all, I also run a home business. I thought it might be fun to start chronicling the different jobs I juggle.

Today I'm starting at the top--alphabetically, not in priority order.

A is for Accountant

While the kids are at choir practice, I'm off in a little room of the church with my computer, calculator, and a file folder full of all the receipts that need to be entered into Quicken, our money management program. Since I have to handle all the accounting for LITHBTH on an almost daily basis, it only makes sense that I would also help out in this way with the family finances. When we sit down each year to do our taxes, I'm so thankful for the way that we keep all the records on the computer throughout the year. Preparing income taxes takes me about one hour. However, as you can see, keeping up with the books takes endless hours throughout the year. If only I could learn to do this on a more regular basis. Some of these receipts date back to pre-Christmas! Yikes!!

Okay, back to work . . .

August-September

August brought a bountiful harvest of blackberries on the vines out front. Yum!

Our church hosted a Vacation Bible School this year. Shannon enjoyed her last year as a participant while John and Joshua served as assistant leaders. The boys especially enjoyed their roles in the daily skits.

David took the boys on a Father-Son campout the same weekend that Liz and Shannon worked at an SWR Seminar. We discovered at the last minute that we would be only 3 miles apart as the campout was in a State Park just outside of the town where Liz was working.

As the 2009-2010 school year started, we dove into our new classes. John (9th grade) is studying Physical Science whereas Joshua (10th grade) is learning Biology. We have joined with two other families to conduct the experiments on weekends. David and another of the dads help run the labs. The boys are doing a great job learning the scientific method and trying out their theories.

Even though our swim team finishes up at the end of July, we hold our awards banquet mid-September. It was fun seeing all the families again after a 6-week break. The kids all look so different in regular clothes as opposed to swim suits! John received a trophy for Most Dedicated in the 13-14 boys age group. The coaches are great about commenting on each and every swimmer, highlighting their strengths and their contribution to the team.

The boys took a 9-week Introduction to Public Speaking class this fall. They learned how to give interpretive, expository, and limited preparatory speeches. Here they are presenting a couple of their speeches.

While Liz typically tries to conduct her SWR Seminars in the summer, two of them were held in September. Shannon enjoyed learning how to work at the book table this year.

Sat, September 6

Liz worked at the book table downstairs. She spent part of Saturday filling the mail orders that had been coming in since the family left on the trip.

The two trainers, Lee Bradford & Liz FitzGerald.

Lee demonstrated how to dictate spelling words.

Liz enjoyed working with the ladies on their Master Teachers' Logs, the best way to learn how to teach SWR!

Meanwhile, David and the kids ventured into Chicago to visit the Museum of Science and Technology. This is a huge imposing and majestic building.

This gives an idea of the scale of the building.

Once inside, the large scale continued for each display with full-size planes, trains, a submarine, and even part of an aircraft carrier. These planes were hanging from the ceiling near the entrance.

Each of the exhibits was full of depth and information. This exhibit on toy design, for example, included displays for the concept development, working injection molds, automation, assembly robots, and even after-sales marketing analyses. You could almost get a full education just walking through the exhibit. Of course, this was one of David's favorites.

There was an actual German submarine that had been sunk in WWII which we were able to tour. We were not allowed to take pictures inside. The conditions on board were so cramped and torturous for the crew it was hard to understand why the crew would not surrender just to flee the 110˚ heat, stinky and sweaty beds, and deafening noise. Shannon and John demonstrated the peaceful freedom of swimming past the huge propellers.

The kids examined a scale model that shows a torpedo being shot out of the water.

The kids totally enjoyed the Naval flight simulator. John's favorite part was flying upside down.

David looked like he was attempting to drive away an electric Sparrow.

Heading back through downtown Chicago in order to get back to DeKalb.

A gaggle of Segways in a thoroughly modern Chicago...

After a great seminar and a terrific day for David & the kids in Chicago, what else should we have for dinner but Chicago-style pizza?