View From the Kitchen

We have dogs.
We have a cat.
We have birds.

Well, they are not exactly our birds. They are the birds that visit the bird feeder right outside the sliding glass doors in our kitchen. We placed the feeder there so we can enjoy the continuous flow of activity while we gather in the kitchen. Winter can be harsh for our local wildlife so we help them out by providing them with a free meal. Speaking of free, we fill the feeder with seeds harvested from the sunflowers we grew in our garden during the summer.




The other day there was such a flutter of activity during breakfast that I decided to grab the camera and capture the moment. It was not easy to snap a decent shot. These little guys fly in and out faster than I can focus on them. The few pictures I did get unfortunately had an unsightly glare from the glass doors. Although I did get one nice picture of a Dark eyed Junco sitting still on our deck and a chickadee landing on the feeder.


Feeding and watching our winged visitors helps us  remember to slow down, look around and enjoy the simple things in life. It reminds us that there is beauty all around us.  The only thing left to do is convince Skippyjon that we did NOT set up the feeder as a bait station for his hunting pleasure.

Win-Win

I love these wireless headsets. It was Steven's idea to let Noah use them to play Xbox. While Noah "plays" basketball for the Miami Heat, I am in blissful peace sitting in my red chair reading with Sierra snuggled up on my lap.

Growing Boy

Despite a hearty breakfast before his early morning basketball game Noah came home with a big appetite. Post game snack included fresh coconut water, blueberry protein shake, and half a bagel with peanut butter.

Home Improvements and Updates

There is always something going on at the Schoeck house. Especially when Steven's hobby is working on projects and my hobby is to organize and reorganize everything.





Noah's room is undergoing some minor updating. He is growing up and all evidence of kiddie stuff has to go. After purging his room of unused and unwanted toys, we moved around furniture to make room for a new desk. Noah did a great job building it.

Does anyone have any advice on how to get a teen to keep their desk neat and orderly?



















Downstairs in the kitchen, I had my own minor project. A new kitchen cart is converted to a beverage station. I was calling it the coffee corner but Noah reminded me that we also make tea and hot chocolate as well, not just coffee. So he renamed it "The Beverage Station."

As for Steven, he likes to take on bigger projects. He is building us a cozy little home gym in the basement. Stay tuned for gym updates. Pictures to follow.

Carving Out Time

Busy. Busy. Busy. We are all so busy!

Weekends are always full. Someone is working a shift, has a meeting or has a game scheduled. What sport depends on the season. Soccer is in the fall; basketball in the winter; lacrosse in the spring.
Whatever is going on, we always carve time to have meals together. As many as we can. It may be a quiet family dinner around the dinner table or nourishing breakfast to fuel us for what lies ahead.
Today, Noah and I went out for breakfast. We were there so early we beat the morning rush. It was nice quiet time just the two of us.

Back to Normal

Christmas Vacation is over. We are back to our regularly scheduled life. During prayers tonight Noah was thankful for going back to school. As much as I would love to say it is because he can't wait to dive into those books, it's because he gets to see his friends. Although, truth be told, we didn't have to remind him to do his homework. He jumped right in on his own.
Life

Goodbye 2012

What better way to end the 

year than a lazy day at 

home playing in the snow?

Noah decided he wanted to build a fort. Steven helped of course.

Once the fort was built Steven attacked Noah.

I went for a walk. Later Steven pushed me on the tire swing.