Happy Anniversary to My Hubby

Lights installed onto grill of van.

My husband went and did it!  He actually put lights on the grill of our van.  It's so hilarious.  I wondered where our giant wreath went.  Well, he let me know after the fact.  I just shook my head.

I love my hubby.  He's a funny guy.  He has a wonderful sense of humor as you can see.  I feel very blessed to have my hubby in my life.  He has brought me lots of jolly moments like this one.

This is the doohickey job for the outer lights of the van.

My hubby loves to create things like trailers and storage sheds.  He also loves to create a wonder-filled atmosphere.  I guess in that respect we are alike.  Where we have differed, I firmly believe it is to complement each other.  He is very energetic and out-going, while I am a homebody, who is more comfortable with writing about our latest adventures.

I am very grateful that God has placed my hubby in my life.  We have spent 17 years married to each other.  There have been challenging times, yes.  There have also been lots of fun times.  I pray that we get to enjoy a lot more years together.

Happy anniversary to my hubby, Frank Villanueva.  My life is richer because you are in it.  May God bless you with more patience with me.  You are like a saint in my eyes.  You've been through a lot with me, and I thank you for bearing with me through all these years.

Enjoy the following pictures of the Christmas lights that my hubby used to decorate our home:

My hubby used more than ten strings of lights.

Hubby even decorated the gates.

Hubby usually makes a runway out of the sidewalk.

Thanks so much for reading this entry about my jolly anniversary with my hubby.

If you enjoyed this entry, please share it with others.
I would appreciate that very much.

How about you, my readers?  Are you married?  If so, is your anniversary close to or on a holiday? How do you celebrate?  I would encourage you to praise your spouse for helping you enjoy life.  It's important for our spouse to know how proud we are of them.  It's a great way to boost their self-esteem.

May God bless you all with His wisdom and peace.

This entry is part of the Family Fun Fridays series.

The Case for Learning About Strategies

My husband's latest creation--a trailer (not finished).

Here's the case for knowing about strategies--you can build useable stuff.  Take, for example, the trailer above.  My hubby had been putting this off for far too long.  After playing the Fluidity game on our Wii, he started to create it.  In one day, he had assembled most of this trailer together.  

Hubby stands over the pieces he eventually welded together.

I am very proud of my hubby.  I've seen him in action.  Before he begins any project, he either sees a manual (if it is provided) or he calculates a plan in his mind.  He puts his fingers around his chin and stares at the pieces before diving in.  In effect, he's just like a little kid with a bunch of Legos in his hands.

Hubby used the right combination for leveling the trailer.

There are real life applications to strategizing.

What do you do when you need money?  You make a trailer.  Why?  Well, to transport metal that you find in your home.  When we are in a financial bind, my hubby knows how to make a little money.  That's strategy at work.

My husband builds trailers that he can sell when we are low in cash.

You can see the goal--we needed money.  You see the plan--my hubby planned how to make money.  He built a trailer, which can someday transport metal.  The salvage yard pays good money for scrap metal.  Presto!  We have potential to make money (more than once) after he finishes building it.

Mini-strategy is how to add safety lights to trailer.

Please understand this: my husband is in his late forties.  He is like a kid in many ways.  He likes playing games of all kinds.  He doesn't always have time for it, but he is willing to play with our children.  He has played Connect 4, Monopoly, and other Wii games with the children.

Our children need to be equipped for life.

For this week, I have been concentrating on talking about strategy.  I think it's important to think about this topic.  I have seen too many teens who go floundering about, not knowing what to do in life.  Questions about how to solve life problems come up very often in life.  It's not always easy making decisions.

I thank you for indulging me in this topic.  It's too important not to address.  I think our children need to learn the what-if-this-then-that game in life.  As my sister has mentioned in recent conversations, we need to have a firm foundation to build upon. Providing opportunities to strategize, during play, is a wonderful way for our children to learn about how to create a plan to achieve goals later in life.

Thanks so much for reading this entry about my case for learning about strategies.

If you enjoyed this entry, please share it with others.
I would appreciate that very much.

How about you, my readers?  Have you witnessed successful evidence of strategy at work?  If so, would you use those episodes for inspiration and/or lessons to teach about strategy? I would encourage allowing children to create buildings with Legos.  It could be a wonderful chance for children to showcase their strategic skills.

May God bless you all with His wisdom and peace.

This entry is part of the Family Fun Fridays series.

My Hubby is Very Talented

Here is a homemade TV box for our van.

Today, I want to brag about my hubby.  He is very talented.  He put that box together for the kids to use the television while we go on trips.  Yes, I am very blessed to have such a wonderful husband.  I think I'm smart for picking him to be the father of my kids, too.

Father and son enjoy the beach.

Just yesterday, I was bragging about my son.  Rafael is very creative.  Can you tell where Rafael gets his creativity?  Both used wood to create something.  Both are so full of energy when they are awake.

My husband enjoying the beach with his brother.

I hope my in-laws don't mind being included in my blog.  Norma Jean says she loves my blog, and I blush.  I'm really glad that she enjoys my entries.  Her hubby is the reason we are even on this mini-vacation at the coast.  He found a small job for my hubby to do here at the coast; in return, we get to stay in a room at the resort for a few days.

I had to take this photo of the waves.

I am feeling very blessed for all the wonderful things that are happening in my life.  This is a dream for me to spend a few days at the coast.  I love the ocean waves.  I love them so much I took some pictures so I can relive the pleasure later.

Does Bigfoot wear shoes?

We also saw something strange.  It could have been bigfoot.  I don't know for sure.  It could have been someone in a costume.  Why would someone walk throughout a beach resort, wearing a camouflage suit?

Well, my readers, I hope you liked my jesting.  I hope you understand, too, that I have needed this little diversion.  Please give me some leeway.  Lest you think that I left all the homeschooling behind, I must admit that I bought some books for the kids to read, but I don't know if the books will be cracked open.  They are enjoying some time off, though, from the mundane.

This scene was full of teachable moments.

Science abounded at the beach.

We did find a few good seashells under the pier.  We saw some vegetation washed up ashore.  We saw as the waves rushed in and out.  My oldest, Gabriel, noticed that the water had come some distance inward, onto the beach; he could see a boundary.  He also noticed that the sand in the shadows under the pier was still wet unlike that which was in full sun.

Iris, me, Rafael, Gabriel, Kaelyn (front), & hubby (back)

All in all, we enjoyed our first day here at the coast.  Hoping to get some rest.  Still want to do a blog a day.  Need to finish up my sixth of seven writing assignments.  More than anything, I want to sit in front of the ocean waves and get lost in their ebb and flow.

How about you all, my readers?  Did you get to enjoy a relaxing Spring Break?  It is off-season already.  We beat the crowds afterwards.  If you homeschool, do you try to beat the crowds?  I recommend trying it out because you might get some good deals.

God bless you all with His peace and wisdom, in Jesus' name.  Amen!

This has been an entry for Family Fun Fridays.