Impending Doom

I have been contemplating the fact that my oldest son turns 16 next week. I realize that he is now the age I was when he was born. Scary! I just pray daily not to become a grandmother before I am 40. I know I am from WV, but geez.

I came across this picture of him when he was just two years old. Seems like just yesterday that it was him I was reading stories to at night and holding his hand to cross the street and rocking him when he was scared or tired. I am so proud of him. I am hard on him, but he is a good kid.

next week brings his birthday blog.

Congratulations!!!

My neighbor/friends were blessed with baby boy around 7pm this evening. He weighed in at over 6 lbs. Since I was tucking the kids in when one of the grandma's stopped by with the good news and my husband relayed the info it is sketchy. But CONGRATULATIONS, Jenny Hobson and Chris Green, on the arrival of the long awaited Paul Elihu Hobson Green. May he grow tall, eat well, and wear big shoes!

Love
the Porterfields

Nostalgia

During these last months, I have been working on a photo album/book for my grandmother. It struck me last night how vivid some of these things are for me. Many of the photos that felt so familiar were taken before I was even born, yet I could smell, hear, taste, feel so much of the image that was captured. I realized that the same knick knacks were in the same place for decades, that same was good. So much is disposable, but my memories are forever. I hope this is what I achieve with the book. To pass on some of that to the younger ones and rekindle some of it in the rest. Here are some of my recent favorite pics:

From the mouths of babes

Today's conversation on the way home from rt. 60:

Daniel: Do three x's mean 30, if one x is ten?

Me (puzzled): Yes, I believe so. Why?

Daniel: 'Cause that store has 30 videos.

Me (actively avoiding further discussion of the adult video store we had just passed): Absolutely right! No more, no less. Just 30 videos. Yup, good job son!

Brief Hiatus

For those regular readers of this blog (all two of you), don't be alarmed if it doesn't have regular updates in the near future. It's that busy season again, time to start shopping for the holidays, making projects, homework with the kids, 4H meetings, birthdays, etc, etc, etc.

As much as I would like to write daily there are so many days I cannot conjure up a coherent thought. If I am going to bore you with my life, I may as well do it well. So I will be back, but at irregular intervals. Gotta love it. :0)

Life is good

I already know my life is blessed. I have a great family, great friends, the chance to stay at home with my kids, help other people out, and volunteer for something that really makes me feel good. But the last few weeks have really highlighted how good I have it. I've spent a lot of my life avoiding compliments and skirting nice things people say. It makes me uncomfortable to hear praise most of the time. This past week, however, I heard some praise that made me feel really good. Even if the possiblities don't come to fruition, the simple feeling that I am considered competent and reliable in a field outside of homemaking and caretaking is enough to make me giddy.

I've also been considering some sort of educational something. I started a social work degree almost four years ago, but put it on the back burner when Aurelia came along. I may not have time right now to devote to a campus-style degree, but I am exploring some ways that I could do online courses and come away with something to show for it. We'll see.

But no matter what life brings, I am still blessed to have so many wonderful people and experiences in my world. For all of you who surround me with such niceness, thank you. I really do appreciate each and every one of you.

Heather

Updates

I have been remiss in not keeping everyone up to date on this week's developements. In short, Aurelia got a haircut and started preschool. I have been quilting and cape making. Cory also got a haircut. WOO HOO.

Pics will say more than words. Enjoy.

Heather

Hello crafty people

My neighbor-friend Jenny had her baby shower yesterday. It was a fun time, but I didn't get the quilt I had planned to make for her done. As a matter of fact, I didn't even get it started. I was putting it off with the start of school, volunteering, watching kids, and general chaos because I thought it would take several days or at least a week. GOOD NEWS!! I started it today out of a sincere wave of guilt and I am finished. I just need to take it to the quilt shop for the binding and I am D-O-N-E! Now, before we get all cracktastic about my quilting skills, let's just admit that the figures on the pattern were fairly large and only the outline was quilted. Oh yeah, and it is a BABY quilt. But still, yippee skippeee!!!!

In other crafty news, I need referrals from crafty people. My children LUV running around the house with blankets tied to their necks and pretending to fly. The problem with that is the blankets don't stay tied for more than a minute and I wind up retying a gajillion times. So, I would like to find a person or place that I could pay to make a couple of superhero capes. If you know of anyone (or if you are someone) who could/would do such a wonderful thing, leave a comment and I will kiss the ground you walk on!!

Night all
Heather

First Impressions

I have been volunteering with a group that works to protect children. Sometimes it is necessary for me to be in the presence of professionals and judges, so I have made an attempt to behave as a normal person might. I try to dress well, mind my manners, and keep my crude humor to myself.

This may have worked TOO well. This evening, in a discussion with a social worker, I was asked if I would be home tomorrow to exchange some paperwork. When I said I would be home all day, she asked if maybe I wouldn't be at church in the morning. I said "We aren't really church people." She was surprised because she somehow had it in her mind that I was a devout, upright citizen who probably performed mission work. HMMM, let's think.... not so much. While I will say that I have my personal beliefs and I am in now way anti-religion, I have never once in my life been mistaken for a missionary until now. I have a rather off the wall, off color sense of humor and have a mouth like a sailor all too often.

I will bask momentarily in this confusion and look forward to the acting award I am sure I should receive soon.

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