Family Fridays: That Crazy Uke Family

Dear Family and Friends,

Does your family have something that keeps them bonded together? Our family has a love for music. Even more specifically, a love for playing Ukuleles of all sizes and shapes!

Family Friday: Christmas Baking

Dear Friends and Family,

There's nothing that screams Christmas more than some holiday-themed baking!

Throw Back Thursday: My Grandpa's Guitar

This guitar has many happy memories for me. 

All having to do with my grandpa.

October 15th marked 5 years since my grandpa died. 

Part of me still expects him to be out in his shop when I go to visit grandma.

Other parts of me can't believe time continued after he died.

Grandpa was always the silent supporter in all our musical endevors.

He loved nothing better than to see his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren be involved in music of some sort.

After my grandpa died, my grandma gave me his guitar. 

It plays the loveliest music you ever did hear!

I will always treasure playing my grandpa's guitar because of the memories I have of him playing.

Here are some pics of grandpa playing:

At a Rest Home Meeting with McKenzie and Jordyn, his great-granddaughters

Probably about my age...he had that guitar a long time!

If you missed the last Throw Back Thursday: Praise Reports From The Past

Until next time...

Have a blessed day and embrace the craziness in your life!

Heidi

Numbers 6:24-26

Not So Wordless Wednesday: Music With Daddy

Often you can find Noah asking Daddy for music before he falls asleep...

Monday Madness: Dear Grandpa...

I originally wrote this letter last fall after school started. 

Somehow it got lost in my draft file until I found it today. 

Must have been a reason I didn't find it till now.

 Enjoy!

Guest Post: He Has Come...

He has Come

Felicia

Last year at around Christmas time I was not happy. I have struggled with depression and anxiety for many years, and there are good times and bad times. Last Christmas was not the best time. There were days of lying in bed, feeling pain and wishing that I could just get through it somehow. The year marched o, regardless of my inhibitions, fears, and sadness. I put on the best face I could. I was, I believe, genuinely happy about what God has done for me. I did love, and still do love, my Jesus. Still, the joy that at times pervaded my life seemed to be absent. I couldn’t stop or even pause, and everything was difficult.

Everyone has something they do when life gets hard. Some read, some paint or draw, others participate in sports or other physical activity. I choose to sing. It was, for a good portion of my life, the only ‘treatment’ I had for my depression, and I used it to its fullest extent. True to my nature, I was enrolled in my universities choir during this time last year. We were singing many beautiful sacred pieces, mixed of course with some secular selections, for our holiday concert. One piece really stood out to me.

The song is called My Lord Has Come, written by Will Todd. The song takes place the night of our Lord’s birth and is sung from the point of view of someone looking for Him. I loved how the piece brought out the journey of anyone who would seek God, but there was something in it more precious to me than any other message it contains. There is a line of the song ‘His love will hold me! His love will cherish me. Love will cradle me.’ This line, sung at a climax of the song, really struck a chord with me. At the time, whilst going through depression, I was wading through feelings of loneliness, inadequacy, and failure. I longed to be loved, cared for, by someone. This line, this song, reminded me that I am, indeed, loved. Through all my failures, I am loved by the very God who spoke heaven and earth into existence and breathed into our race a living soul. I am loved by the Creator, and there is no love greater than this. This song helped me remember this, and it helped me to hope to see my Jesus once again and to be embraced by him once more at Christmas.

My Lord Has Come

Written by Will Todd

Shepherds called by angel.

Called by angels.

Called by Love and angels.

No place for them but a stable.

My Lord has come, my Lord has come, my Lord has come!

Sages searching for stars.

Searching for Love in Heaven.

No place for them but a stable.

My Lord has come, my Lord has come, my Lord has come!

His Love will hold me!

His Love will cherish me.

Love will cradle me.

Lead me, lead me to see Him.

Sages and Shepherds and angels.

No place for them but a stable.

No place for me but a stable.

No place for me but a stable.

My Lord has come.

My Lord has come, My Lord has come!

First Day of School!

The first day of school got off without a hitch! The kids were so excited to start this morning that we started before 8am! I didn't figure we would start till around 9am, but they got dressed, ate breakfast and got chores out of the way by about 7:45 this morning.

We are doing some things the same this year and some things different. We are still year round schooling. We had our trial year of it last year and wow, our whole family just loved the freedom in doing it that way. I know there were several people that expressed their concerns to me, but it just seems to be what works for our family right now. I have no doubts that it could change next year or the year after, but that is the joy of homeschooling!

Our curriculum is switched up this year, that is a whole other post in itself. Might write about that tomorrow. At any rate, the kids are enjoying changing up some of their curriculum and my oldest daughter is completely in love with her math which is a first. So glad we found this other program!

Our schedule is flexible but has a flow. In other words, we don't have a set time we do things, but an order in which we do them. We start with Devotions, move onto Literature and Science as a family, then separate to work on Math and Language Arts on their own. When they are done, they are free to work on Extracurricular work. (Extra work with a reward, right now we are doing Scholastic and Kumon's Learn and Earn Program to earn some free books.) Then it's free time and piano practice.

Here are some pictures from our first day:

Lil Mr is in Preschool at home and Therapy School.

George is in Fifth Grade.

Mac is in Seventh Grade.

Bob is in First Grade.

Fred is in Second Grade.

 All my kidlets!

 My oldest was so excited to get 100% on her math that she had me take a pic of it! To understand why she is so excited: she has always struggled in math and this program just makes it so easy for her to understand. What a blessing to find what works for your child!

April Field Trip: Art Night

We are on break! Our field trip for this break was to go to our town's art night since we are doing a art class. So here we are starting out! (Unfortunately I wasn't able to take pics in the art museums, but we got some fun shots of the evening...)

Mac teaching the cricket the proper cello stance!

The girls!

The boys!

The art of music! These are called slit drums and are made here locally! They are so beautiful.

 On my wish list!

This is our "go-to" music store. The girls took piano lessons here several years ago. They are very family orientated and love to have the kids in. Speaking of...I should have some music coming in..

.they are called Great Northwest Music Company.

These are called Kalimbas. You play them like you are texting! 

They sound kinda like wind-chimes and can be tuned to certain keys.

This art was done by Lil Mr's Early Head-start class! 

Yay for Miss Victoria and Miss Danielle!

This is The Glass Forge. 

They actually make things for our small car business that we have.

 (VERY small business!)

We happened to get there right when they were training and we had fun watching them make a bowl. 

Posing outside one of the art museums!

All in all, it was a very fun night and we were so thankful to be joined by our friend Sue, our friend Grace and her son!

Music Teachers Rock!

We are a very musical family! I wouldn't say that we are pretty to listen to...LOL But we love music! My hubby plays the trumpet and the mandolin. I play the clarinet, a spot of piano and the autoharp. My girls are all taking piano lessons and my oldest also plays the cello. My son bangs things together at this point and pretends to play his "guitar" made out of cardboard and rubber bands!


If there is one thing we ALL love to do, it is sing! Love, love, love! Give us a few minutes in the car or van and pretty soon, someone starts singing a song or requesting the CD player or radio to be turned on so we can sing along! I love hearing my girls humming and singing as they do their chores around the house, doing schoolwork or playing. I don't know if they even realize they are singing sometimes!


A few years ago, our oldest girls were taking classes out of a local music store/community. However, the classes were so expensive, that after a year we could no longer afford them. In the past couple years we have had different people from church helping out with their music education, which was a blessing!  We are a very  musically inclined family and we are heavily involved in the music ministry at church. After a lot of prayer,we felt that we needed to find a teacher who could give weekly lessons that were affordable. It took about 6-9 months, but we have been incredibly blessed with a wonderful teacher who is just a dear! She takes the time to make sure each child is learning at their pace and is very heavy on Music Theory, which was something that was a requirement for us when looking for a teacher. We are so grateful for our piano teacher! Thank you, Miss Amy!!! You ROCK!

Miss Amy and Bob