Simplicity in a complicated world

The perfect view from a house around the corner
and here we are trespassing in our PJ's with not a care in the world!!!

Matthew customized his old guitar

Michael has learned how to kyack

yard...

the girls with the new diva blanket

Li swinging

and poor Mom with the fractured arm!!!!

But what I am really thinking about tonight, and so many many of my days, is that I love love to live simply. I strive to live simply everyday, however, technology often wins out.I find great peace in simplicity and I know that children do as well. Li and all the children that come head straight for the homemade rope swing and do not take any notice of the wood and plastic swing set in the yard. There is something about a rope swing daggling from an oak tree that just beckons you to enjoy. So I am making a concerted effort to blog about the small simple things that I enjoy.

Matthew caught the first and only fish from our little creek last weekend. I was just getting ready to get in the shower, when I glanced outside and saw him reeling in a fish. I screamed like a crazy person and ran out in my PJ's to get a glimpse at it. I was so excited. Then came the kyack trip. Michael & Bruce took Jerry with Li then Kevin from the back yard to the harbor. Michael has gained enough confidence to go in his own kyack. It is so beautiful out there. And my last simple blessing came when me, Micheal, Jeannie and Jerry got into the golf cart around 7 or 8-pm and drove over to a house that is being built around the corner. I wanted them to experience the amazing view from the yard. we grabbed blankets and crept around to the back of the house and sat star gazing. Jerry took the pictures and captured it so well with the bridge against the dark sky.....

Simply

Joanne

Giving Thanks

Left is all the kids on the joggling board, they loved playing on that!

Flag football.....(above) our neighbor let them play basketball and football in THEIR yard!!

I woke up so excited on Thanksgiving day. We were having our FIRST big holiday in our new home and I was thrilled to be hosting. I don't have a formal dining room, we are not formal people anyway, however I did have to put some thought into fitting 24 people in to eat......

Well, I opened up the french doors(below) and put a table on the patio and it was amazing. It felt like we were bringing the outside in and the inside out!! I rushed and got a camera to take a picture b/c I was so hapy. Then I put a table in the great room a (left) and we were all comfy.... Praying, Eating, cooking, playing basketball, football, swinging, fishing, running, climbing trees, all of the simple things that kids love to do- all of this was going on all day long. Lots of dirty hands and feet, pluff mud tracked in, dogs running loose, the things that make a house a home, happened to my home on Thursday. Bruce and I sat back and watched and talked about how this has been our dream for so long. We love having an OLD home, it has weathered children, storms, many holidays. We love having a creek and old oaks for the children to play in and climb and fish.... Thank you to everyone who came, who cooked, who smiled and hugged, for the love and the laughter.

The house was full, our stomaches were full, and most importantly, our hearts were full....

Blessings,

Joanne

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Michelle, my niece came over to help decorate on a dime. She went in the yard and we found the gorgeous Savannah holly with the red berries, camelias which were arranged in vases and some palms. It came out gorgeous with tealight candles and the beautiful sunny weather. God really sent the perfect weather, sunny, breezy and in the mid seventies.... after eating the kids played outside for hours.

Family.....

In the span of 5 days so many Thanksgiving blessings were showered on me and my family, it will take days of posting to do it justice. I hope anyone reading this has had a wonderful weekend and that anyone reading this will remember what a blessing family truly is. I spent some time praying for those who were alone or lonely during the weekend. I am still trying my best to pray more often and seek out simple blessings.
So I must start with my

family that I grew up with.

Jeannie and her family come every year and spend the holiday with us. Cathy and family either travel to Chas or offer to host, of course mom is here and still looking great, Chris and Dell(who is just like another sister) either come or host. We all miss our sister Julie at this time. She loved all holidays and was so much fun. I am going to brag- my family has this down to a science. Really, we all know what to bring every year, we laugh, eat, have the kids all running around, drink wine and take hundreds of pictures. It is my FAVORITE holiday because we are ALL together with ALL the kids!!! Losing our sister/friend, Julie, taught me to never ever take one another for granted. It taught me to relax about the small stuff and concentrate on relationships.

Happily,

Joanne

Fall, well not really we ARE in the south you know...

I have enjoyed the "fall" even though obviously it is warm. No jackets needed here. The seawall is almost complete and we should have the yard back for Thanksgiving. Me and my sister in law took the kids to the fair. Michael got to bring a school friend for the first time; he is the one in the picture that is sound asleep with his turkey leg on the seat beside him. He is a wonderful little boy who had never been to the fair, and I feel sure he usually goes to bed early.... Now it is time to get ready for the holiday madness. I am sooo looking forward to having all my family in town and a full house.

Halloween, blessings and a messy yard......

I didn't realize getting a new sea wall would look like this!! all I can say is IT BETTER BE COMPLETE BY THANKSGIVING!!!!

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sleeping out in the back yard tonight.....

Let me be the first to say, I am not good at carving pumpkins, even with stencils. So, instead of worrying over that, Michael & I (the only one who was interested this year), we just got some beautiful pumpkins, 2 pocket knives and have fun together. Went to the dollar store and bought some simple decorations and put those up also last night. He sat out on the patio and finished carving in front of the fire pit. It was relaxing...

Matt and cousin David decided they were going to sleep on the trampoline last night, so they dressed in camo and made it until a little after midnight, then crashed inside. Lucky for them, me of little faith left the back door unlocked....

Morgan is at the USC game this weekend with cousin Lindsey. She comes back today.

I am including pictures of my yard at the moment as the sea wall is being rebuilt. Oh yes, it is quite a mess.

Lastly, I am counting my blessings and still praying daily. It is amazing how God just re enters your heart as quickly as the first prayer came out of my mouth. I am already feeling a sense of peace. My BLESSING OF THE WEEK this week was...Michael finished up his football season and did his best, even though he had begged to quit this year because he said "I am too stressed out with doing too much!"

Ever stressed and don't know why??? Well, that describes me and Bruce right now. Personally I think I am in a dry spell with my faith. That happens from time to time. So, I am putting it in writing right now, tonight, I AM GOING TO START MAKING MORE OF AN EFFORT!! There, I said it. Yes, I am going to pray more and be thankful for all I have been given. Recently in our lives we have changed our church. We are growing and changing.... it is sometimes difficult to leave the familiar behind and try new things.... growth is hard and scary

Here is a final picture of the yard as I know it. We are getting a new sea wall, ours is falling apart and the creek comes in the yard when the tide is high. It will be much better, but will mean lots of wood, tractors, pluff mud and mess. It is another change. OK now what I am thankful for tonight

: Morgan has a job at Outback as a hostess and came home excited about her first day!

Michael went on a field trip to the Tea Plantation and is snuggled up in PJ's drinking Oolong tea and actually understands the tea making process....

The smile on Matt's face today when he got the title for his boat and his name is on it.....

Bruce relaxing and watching the World Series

Seeing the lab and golden retriever asleep together in the kennel....

Good night!

Jo

Confessions, doubts, parenting......

This is a post where I admit, I am a mother who many times has doubts about raising children. I am really pretty old fashioned in my beliefs that kids need lots and lots of unstructured play. I think its ok to be bored, gives them time to think, create, imagine. We have had a lot of play time since we moved into our new home. The yard just SCREAMS to come out and PLAY!! But, our generation SCREAMS of structured play, sports teams, play groups, ect....so I admit, I feel that nagging feeling some days that am I causing my children to miss out? should they be in more sports, or lessons? am I giving them enough opportunities to develop their talents? I don't know the answer. I'm not sure if we are doing this right or not.....Sure they have played on countless sports teams, they each still do extracurricular activities, but we have suddenly slowed down and are home playing a lot.

So, as I think about the "free play", I realize that Michael figured out how to make a rope swing, learned how to catch blue craps and boil them, he can climb a tree, kyak, and build a great fire in the pit on the patio. Matt has learned to fish, drive a boat, fix up an old john boat, repair a dock... Morgan now has her first job, drives Michael back and forth to school, is not afraid to get dirty in the pluff mud, has painted and decorated her attic rooms, removed wallpaper from her bathroom.

So, in writing these accomplishments and seeing the growth, I think there is no right or wrong way. Parenting can be structured, it can be a little unstructured, it can be a little of both....I think we all have doubts, but when our hearts are in it and we are doing the best we can, God will fill in the blanks for us. I know He is with me everyday helping me raise His children. Every child is different and unique, mine seem to thrive on some structured activities and lots and lots of play time.

Enjoy your weekend, and your children,

Jo