Balm of Gilead

I was thinking of just closing out this blog and being done with it, because I'm so bad about writing on it these days and I'm pretty sure only about three people read it anyway so it would pretty much go unnoticed. But...!!!...circumstances lately have made me rethink this. I've been so depressed lately. For lots of reasons...but none that I need nor want to share. All I want to do is draw everything around me so tightly that I disappear. Apparently though, Heavenly Father doesn't want me to do this. (Probably because I have four beautiful children that need me..you think?) So, he sent me angels that have ministered to my heart and have helped me find peace in little ways. I am trying now to find my happy places in myself and work from there. Today we were doing school and my kids were giving me such a hard time. I started to fall apart, but was able to rein it in as I looked at these little people that have my heart. They were sorry for giving me a hard time. I forgave them. We moved on.

Have you read the Psalm's in the Bible lately? I admit I haven't read them for a long, long, long time. And the last time I read them, I am pretty sure that I was just glossing over them in an attempt to get it done and say I'd read it. Last night I really began reading them. Reading the encouraging words to David and to all of us. Reading about how much we are loved and how NOT alone we are...even when we feel like nobody on the planet cares. Last night I was encouraged to read Psalm 61 and 138.  "In the day when I cried thou answerdest me, and strengthenedst me with strength in my soul." Isn't that beautiful?

So! I'm not looking to have a pity party or looking to get any sort of sympathies. This is just where I am right now. There is no written blog law that all blog entries must be totally happy and positive. I feel as if I've been underwater, drowning, and trying to figure out how to get out onto that dry dock. I think that my head has finally broken the surface of water and I've gotten a breath...now...I will doggie paddle with all my might to figure out how to get to that dock.

But...not to leave on a too bummed out note...here is a fuzzy picture of our newest, dear, little friend. The kids named him Robert Burglar Raccoon. We call him Robby for short. He comes by every evening to see what goodies the kids have left out for him. Most of the time it is just a couple of slices of bread. Last night he got the fat off our steak and some moldy cheese to go with his bread. The kids aren't allowed to be outside when he's in our yard, but it has been fun watching him and learning all about him through our sliding door. (please excuse the mess of toys...Robby didn't mind) (now...we just need to figure out if it's really a Robert...or a Roberta!)

I have been thinking a lot about the song, "Did You Think to Pray"...I love the words to this song...Especially the last two verses.

1. When your heart was filled with anger,
   Did you think to pray?
   Did you plead for grace, my brother,
   That you might forgive another
   Who had crossed your way?
2. When sore trials came upon you,
   Did you think to pray?
   When your soul was bowed in sorrow,
   Balm of Gilead did you borrow
   At the gates of day?
3. Refrain:
   Oh, how praying rests the weary!
   Prayer will change the night to day;
   So when life seems dark and dreary,
   Don’t forget to pray.

Aye Yi Yi...Is that even how you write it?

I thought I would do better at keeping up...but, alas...I suck. I'll try harder. Here is a cute picture of my silly kids. I took them hiking on the Olympic Discovery Trail. It is 140 miles long. There is alot of trail we could cover this summer. And it runs right by our house. Fun times ahead!

Ferry

Travis is taking a class for work...it's a Pharmacy class..in Bellevue...it just started this past weekend. We have always driven around the Sound, down through Tacoma to get to Renton where we stay. (at Travis's parents house) It's about a 3 hour drive total. This week we figured out that it's "only" $12.75 to ride the Bainbridge ferry into Seattle, so we thought we would try it out. It's still almost 3 hours total...but what a difference it made! The kids were able to get out of the car and explore the ferry for a half hour, go potty, eat a snack....totally worth the $12.75! It made the trip seem so short! Going home~well~that is a much more expensive story. It costs $38.50 for us to go from Seattle to Bainbridge. We had planned to drive home because that's pricey! But, we got delayed a day for leaving and we decided that scrounging up the money and riding the ferry home was a wonderful sounding idea. It turned out to be a good choice. I don't think we would be able to afford coming home on the ferry every time, but it was a fun adventure!

A Sunny Evening

Last week we had a sunny evening.Travis mowed the lawn and we just plain enjoyed it!

 Lizbet made her hippo eat all the other poor animals.

 Spencer enjoyed nature while playing his 3ds.

 Yah, yah...it's the septic tank cover...and that's slug killer behind her...but she was having fun! And she didn't eat any slug bait.

 I love how much she loves her Daddy!

Travis took a picture of Spencer with his ipad.

 Travis mowed the lawn...Connor rode his bike.

 Cutest lawn mower guy in town.

 Watching the deer across the street.

 Jump!

 Connor

Joseph and his newest monster truck.

It was a good night. The kids had fun and the lawn looked awesome!

Faith and Snape

Today I am thinking that faith is the word for me. I lack a lot of faith...in a lot of things. It changes day to day. I think I lack faith in myself more than anything. I'm really looking forward to the next Ensign to come to my home...because the Conference talks were all beautiful...and I can't wait to have them all packaged up in one place. Conference really helps build faith.

Anyway...I'm rambling. I found this funny picture on Pinterest...oh, Pinterest...yet another blog post about THAT  little addiction. hee. But...here is my funny picture that made me actually laugh out loud tonight!

**snicker**snort**

If you didn't laugh...or snicker...or snort....how are we friends? Just kidding........

The Library is Awesome!!!

So we went to the Port Angeles Library today. The kids LOVED the children section! It's smaller than the King County libraries we are used to, but it made it easier for the kids to find things that they liked. Plus, they have some awesome things that kept Elizabeth happy...like puzzles and puppets and a little house she could sit in. The kids each got their own cards and I let them check their books out themselves. I don't know why I took so long to do a field trip to the library, but I am super glad we did it today! 

Here are a couple of pictures...fuzzy and all...that I snapped while there with my phone. I hadn't planned to post them, or I would have taken a few more, but, as I look at all four kids sitting and reading their new books as we speak...I had to write about it! 

Little Miss got a princess book!

Lately...

We have done a couple more science experiments...

This one is called Corny Goo...

 The ingredients

 Corn meal...

 and water.

 Mix...mix...mix...but it won't stay together!

 For reals. They both tried. 

 Then documented their findings. It was fun!

 Joseph got a couple of model cars. I helped him build this one. It's a Dodge Challenger. We went and let him pick out his own model car paint. He picked GREEN!! 

 Lizbet wanted to help him...so I got out the water colors and she made her own masterpieces.

 For science a different day, we walked around our neighborhood. We saw several deer...

A Downy Woodpecker (see him on the tree?)

  And a lot of mallard ducks.  I couldn't get a good picture of them, but that's what we were watching here. Down in the little swampy pond.

 The ducks flew away all at once...Lizbet liked that part.

 Then we fed the neighborhood dogs. We bought milkbones and take them with us on our walks. These poor dogs are olllld...but very friendly.

Oh, but the old, friendly dogs tend to wander the neighborhood...and poop where they want. Joseph and Connor get pooper scooper duty a lot. Joseph got fed up. This is on the bush in front of our yard.

So...there are a few things that we have been up to. We are going to finally go and get library cards today...and show off my shiny clean van...compliments of Connor and Joseph car wash. (yep...they wash cars in 45 degree weather!) 

Prayer Rocks

First of all...the magnet chart and the school chart the I wrote about in the previous post...are TOTALLY AWESOMMMMEE! They are really working. For now. Cause I know that novelty tends to wear off of things. But, until then...woot woot!

Okay...on to the next. (which totally reminds me of Ghost Hunters and how sad I am Grant is leaving...but that is another post!) Focus! For our art project last week, we gathered rocks, bought paint in colors of their choice, and painted prayer rocks. (and in case anyone out there in the world is saying..painting a rock is considered art?...don't worry your pretty little heads...they painted many other things after the rocks...but the rocks are our main objective here)

 Joseph chose green...shock!

 Spencer chose blue...another shock!

 Connor chose...pink? This was actually a surprise. He informed me that it was supposed to be red! And that this week his favorite color was red! His mistake...he only looked at the dot on top of the bottle...it looked red...not watermelon pink. But Connor is the coolest cat in town and refused to let that stand in his way of painting an awesome prayer rock. 

 Elizabeth got shimmery purple...cause if it doesn't sparkle...it's not worthy of this princess!

They turned out very nice, I do believe. I love that Spencer used his manners and included please. I want the kids to have the habit of saying their prayers without me having to constantly remind them. Between the chart and the rocks and an occasional reminder from me...it is going well.


I made a little pink and purple tutu for Elizabeth, but I couldn't get a good enough picture of her. She puts it on and refuses to hold still. It's okay though. It was my first tutu...it could have been better. I'll post a picture of the next one. Actually, it's not a tutu...it's a pwetty pwincess! Get it right! *smile*

Order

Anyone that knows me well, knows that I am disorganized and very messy. Dad says I'm the biggest pack rat he knows...and he's kind of right...because he knows all 6 of us Nelson's...and combined....we make the biggest pack rat on the planet. Well, no, scratch that. It's not bad enough that you will see us on the TLC channel any time soon...but still....

Anyway! I have started to notice that our kids are spending way too much time on the computers and not enough time doing chores, studying and just playing outside. So, I came up with some fun ideas and charts that we have started to use to help remind us what needs to be done and also help keep things like screen time limited. The kids helped make a lot of it, and so far it's working for us.

Here  we go...

 This is an extremely simple daily checklist. And if you look closely, you will see that there are only 5 days. Weekends are more lax...we are just starting out...I figure we can build on our successes as they come. I followed everyone else in the crafty universe and used a picture frame as a dry erase type thing. Each chore completed counts as 5 minutes toward computer time. This is why it is hung next to the Computer Time chart...which is....

 This! The kids helped with this so there are some things that are kind of crooked, but that's okay. I like it. I got a cookie sheet for 96cents at Walmart. The kids have a base amount of 60 minutes a day. (15 minutes of which must be used on an educational website). They can earn up to 2 hours...which sounds like a lot, but compared to what they have been doing lately...it's nothin!

 This 96cent pie pan holds all of the extra minute magnets. Spencer spent a chunk of time helping me mod podge (the homemade kind..thank you Pinterest!) the numbers onto the rocks. Connor helped me hot glue the magnets on. I got the rocks at DollarTree and the magnets at Walmart. I think this whole project cost me about $7. Steal of a deal for something that is really working well.

 This is in the hallway right next to the bathroom and the kitchen. They see it a lot and has helped remind them what they need to do. Bedtime has been easier, they are getting more fresh air and exercise and they are participating in other things besides just sitting in front of a screen.

 Joseph has a lot of trouble with "doing" school every day. He asks how much more we have to do about five minutes after we start. I've tried writing down what we are going to do each day, but sometimes I forget...so...I came up with this chart. He's 11 and should be able to work on his own...but he won't..and I'm not sure he can at this time...we're working on it. For now though, this has been a life saver. I let him check off each thing as we accomplish them. We don't do every single thing each day, we mix it up to give variety. He doesn't whine nearly as much now. Phew!

I REALLY love magnets. I have a shoe box sized container of all kinds of pictures that I have cut out and put magnets on for Elizabeth to play with. I put magnets on the back of all our Scrabble letters and we use them for school. I just love magnets! So...I let each child, including Lizbet...make their own magnet the other day. (they are holding up the chart above) They want to do more...they love magnets too. Who the heck doesn't??? Seriously! This is a close up of Spencer's. He loves Club Penguin. Isn't that cute?

Anyway! Sheesh...I talk a lot. But...this is one of those times that I am proud of the ideas I came up with (thanks to prayers of inspiration being answered)...and they are working..so far.

the end....

Little Miss Turned 3!!!

 Can you believe it???? Three??? I can't believe it. It makes me so sad. It was a really fast 3 years! But, we are so proud of Elizabeth and love...love...love...love having her in our family. 

 The night before her birthday, I set everything up because we had to have her "party" the morning of her birthday so that Daddy could be present, since he had to go to work at noon. She helped set up. It was so fun watching her be excited.

 I made her a heart cake because she loves hearts and it's pink like her princess stuff.

This is blurry...but it shows the brothers singing. They were so attentive to their little sister and really helped make her day special.