Thursday's...No Computer Day

Okay, I have a computer, but not my computer. It's throwing off my entire routine and I'm in a funk. I have nothing to share and not really any pictures either. So I will just share this painting that Ella did recently. I'm going to frame it and hang it up.

Thursday's...Tidbits??? Thidbits???

Do you know it's near on impossible for me to write anything here without some pictures to prompt me. Isn't Sarah cute with her baby brother?

You may or many not know that Rachel broke her foot and there were a few complications with the splint being on too tight. I don't know exactly what's going on here but I think it has something to do with her skin dying. Anyway, it's getting better every day. Next time she's hobbling around in her boot and crutches I'll snap a photo. She's cute.

There are blisters all over the dead skin area...or whatever that is. The orthopedist said it was fine and told us to expect blisters. It looks terrible though doesn't it.

Ella has the most lovely eyes. She's got these lines around the outer edge of her iris. And beautiful eye lashes.

I thought this acorn was pretty.

Other than school and nursing and sleeping and making food and wasting time on FB and playing Bejeweled Blits (thanks a lot Johanna) life is pretty normal around here.

Spring...Then Comes Summer

I am grateful for winter only because there are fewer baths/showers, less dirt in the house and hair is actually clean of sand.

Ella would like to demonstrate the state of the children every day by 5 o'clock.

Don't try to look innocent Ella.  I know you can't see the dirt on her face but that is because she's already tanning like crazy.  Lucky girls with such lovely, tanned skin.  They better be grateful!

Hands and shirt.  Pictures don't do it justice.  You should see the bath water.  Actually, the bath doesn't actaully get them clean; they have to shower or they're just bathing in their dirt.

FEET!!  What is she, a hobbit???  Her feet are only about 1/2 and inch smaller than mine.  But take a closer look at those dirty feet.

HOLY SMOKES GIRL!!  WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN PLAYING IN???

Top Ten TUESDAY!!!!!

Since Jenni is busy homeschooling, I am going to go out on a limb here and make up my own top ten. Did you know that Jenni has a homeschooling blog also? It's very funny. Hmm...maybe I should put it in the side bar. Now that's a genius idea.

Today is Ella's 8th birthday, therefore I will do the top ten things I love about Ella.

Ella (and Sarah) at 4 years

1. Ella is incredibly patient with me. She has never shown that she was upset or angry with me even though I know she has been. I should emulate her patience and stop barking a her so much.

4 weeks old

2. She is very sensitive. Whenever any of her other sisters are getting their comeuppance for, ahem...misdeeds, Ella cries for them. She doesn't like it that they are being punished, in pain (curse the wooden spoon) or missing out on desserts because they tried to steal lollipops.

3. She loves to read. She stays up until all hours of the night reading books. She actually spent $14 of her own allowance on a pink reading light that wouldn't keep her sisters awake so she could read. She only gets $1.75 a week and we make her tithe first, split it in half and save one half, then keep half of that half in a "reserve" and the rest is spending money. She saved a long time to get it.

Ella (and Meagan) almost 3 years old

4. She is willing to save money to buy things she really wants instead of wasting it on dumb things like candy...not that she doesn't want to buy candy ever.

2 years old

5. She has the most incredible laugh. Sometimes I am shocked at how obnoxious her laugh is; it seems so contrived. When I go to look at her and tell her to knock off that fake, annoying laugh, she is holding on to her tummy and obviously tickled nearly to death. Everything is funny to her and she is so light-hearted that she can't help but laugh at life. I love her laugh.

6. She can draw. How'd that happen? She must have gotten it from Del.

4 years old

7. She is the only one of the five girls that has my eye color. The rest of them have dark brown eyes, but she has light brown like I do.

8. Talking to her is like talking to myself. Sometimes I have to remind myself that she is not me and although I might talk to myself like that, it's not okay for me to talk to her like that. But it's fun to know someone that is so like me. She reminds me of myself when I was a little girl.

9. She has lovely, curly hair and creamy, caramel colored skin. She is so pretty.

Ella (almost) 8 years old

10. She is not afraid of bugs, slugs, lizards and all sorts of other wild life and does not think of herself as an uppity princess.

Glasses

Isn't she cute? It took a much longer time to get them than we were originally told. I guess her prescription is so strong and the frame so small that they had to send it out to a specialist. Oh. But anyway, there she is.

That's a Big Negative on the Dog Issue

Ella has been crying on and off all morning long. Want to see why?

Meet Rosey. The friendly neighborhood pest. She and her friends have wreaked havoc on my beautiful African Daisies.

Ella and her cousin Gabby adopted Rosey as a pet along with four other armyworms. They were named Pearl, Whurl, Curl and Swirl. This morning Ella found Whurl in a catatonic state and buried him whilst crying over the death of her precious pesty pet.I read up on armyworms and believe that he was about to pupate and be come a moth. Shhh, don't tell Ella she just killed her worm...caterpillar.

Anyway, I have broken the news to her that armyworms are pests and I will not allow them to kill my beautiful and very expensive garden that Mom and I worked so hard to put in. They must be exterminated. She is crying again and making headstones and writing letters to her caterpillar pests pets.

Yeah, I don't think I could handle a dog. She cried less when the fish died.