chubby cheeks

I love these chubby little cheeks!!!!!!!

Well hello there!

The kids are always taking pix of themselves..so I took one of me. It is scary and glary:)

Praying for heat...

That was what we were doing tonight in the Suburban. The blower quit working and then Jesse rolled down the window (frosted over on the inside) to look so he could pull out on the hwy and it got stuck, lol! The last time we prayed over the blower it started working...but alas not this time. A little cold is good for us and really makes us appreciate heat! I am so thankful for my corn stove, it keeps the house nice and toasty.

On another note, I am going to start a prayer vigil for those in my neighborhood. I hope that the Lord can give me the wisdom and courage to witness to those around me. That is what I am here for partly and I want to follow Him when He leads me and not be a wimp!

Monterrey...

Ariba! Jesse and I went out to our favorite Mexican food joint tonight...it was soo good! We had not had a date for awhile and it was so much fun. Anna went too and did great! We also went to Kmart and bought household supplies...like $140 worth....toilet paper, soap, shampoo, trashbags, zip lock bags, dog food, cat litter...etc.etc. It snowed and was so pretty but we almost went off the road on the way home. It was very slippery and I was so glad that I wasn't driving. Jesse and I had a good discussion about Heaven and Hell and other religious topics....we are overcoming some brick walls built up by former beliefs.

We finished the homeschool testing today and did our DNA experiment. Next we will have to prepare for our Presidential presentations in April.

Help!!!

Brach's chicks and rabbits are back in the stores! I am a sugar addict and these always call to me...they are so yummy and soft (just like another fave of mine, circus peanuts). Speaking of circus peanuts....once I went to summer camp in Minnesota and received a pack of them. I stuffed the pockets of my rain slicker with them (it rains alot in Northern MN in the summer). I was perpetually starved and those helped me get through the day. One day as I was leaving the cabin some fell out of my pocket. It was embarrassing. My counselor saw but didn't say anything...I was so skinny back then she probably thought I needed all the help I could get.

Snapshot of the day...

Right now the bread machine is going strong baking bread for the day. Julia is working on her math and Carlina is working on English. Anna is sitting in her car seat playing with a bear. Colton is researching philosophers. I have a sink full of dirty dishes and clean laundry to put away. The ground outside is covered with round ice pellets but it is melting. Thomas is napping on my bed and will wake up grumpy (he always does!). 3 kids are at school and I can't wait to have them home. Jesse is at work helping get the soybean by-products to all the places they are going. February is almost over and we are looking forward to SPRING!!!

Menu for the week....

March 1 (Sunday)-roast, potatoes and carrots

March 2 (Monday)-cheesy pasta bake & peas

March 3 (Tues)-Baked potato bar

March 4 (Wed)-Pineapple chicken*

March 5 (Thu)-meatloaf and mashed taters


***Pineapple chicken recipe (it you have a large family you have to adjust it to suit more people)

1 can unsweetened crushed pineapple, undrained
2 tbs cider vinegar
2 tbs soy sauce
1 garlic clove, minced
1/8 teas pepper
6 boneless skinless chicken breast halves

Combine first 5 ingred in large ziplock bag. Add chicken. Coat and refrigerate for 30 min. Place chicken and marinade in 11x7 pan coated with Pam. Cover and bake 350 degrees for 25 min.

Jan Karon's Mitford Cookbook

If you loved the series of Mitford books like I did...you'll love the Mitford Cookbook. Throughout the whole series I wondered how to make the yummy foods. Recipes include "Esther's Orange Marmalade Cake", "Louella's Coconut Cake", "Cynthia's Lasagne", "Puny's Macaroni and Cheese" and many other book favorites. Also included in the book are passages from the novels that relate to each recipe, musings from the author and cooking tips. Right now it's available from Amazon for a bargain price (hardcover book). Check it out here. Happy reading and eating!!!

Garrett

I finally took him to the doctor again yesterday (3rd time). This time he had an ear infection and low iron and other blood counts. So we have him on antibiotics again and I got some new multi-vitamins to try to coax him to take. He did not enjoy having blood taken...there were 4 of us holding him down. Jesse was able to come, too, which was great. Hopefully we can get him well....he's been sick for too long. He is 38lbs still...which is the same from last time....it sure seemed like he has been losing weight, he is so skinny...but I guess not.

We visited mom and Terry afterwards. She made delicious chili and muffins. Mom is going to work on Easter/wedding dresses for Katie and Alicia. I am going to buy some material for Alicia soon but have Katie's. It is blue and white checked and so cute.

In my homeschool devotional it was saying how God holds teachers/leaders highly responsible for what they teach...that goes for parents and the Word of God. We need to make sure our kids have a thorough grounding in His word and not leave that task to Sunday school or even Bible curriculums...we need to be talking to them daily.

I am going to try to budget my food money better in March. Often I get to the end of the month and we really have to be creative!!! We made homemade pizza last night which was delicious but I am looking forward to the paycheck on Fri so I can get some groceries and many other needed items.

Food stamp blog...

This is interesting.......man lives on food stamps..

Grabbie..

Anna is trying to grab everything in site now. Here she was going for the camera.

Katie

Katie loves her stuffed birds....she had just gotten back from playing at her cousin's house.

Pet pix

The white cat is not ours but an extremely friendly neighbor cat who loved to visit us. His name was "Mater". Poor Mater bit the dust recently, he got hit by a car....we were all so sad.

Ollie is so photogenic...he looks like his I.Q. is about 2. Kumquat and Montie are rarely this close together. Kumquat(orange one) likes to chase and bite Montie. Kumquat was adopted in Florida at the ASPCA. Montie was a stray kitten that we found in Florida. She was about 3 wks old and very sick. We nursed her through and now she is fat and sassy.

Birthdays..

It seems that most large families have birthday season...see Yankee Mom (second post after all the pictures of her gorgeous new baby). Although I love birthdays...we are resting right now! Jan-March there are no immediate family birthdays and I have a breather...ahhh! Our "birthday season" is Fall/Winter....Sept-Dec we have 7 of our 10 birthdays! Colton and Thomas have summer birthdays and Katie is my lone spring peep. I would LOVE to have another spring baby, but only God knows. Speaking of Spring...Katie was so excited to see the Easter Peeps in the store today. She is nuts about them!

Testing...

Colton, Carlina and Julia did the first part of their ITBS testing today. I am not a big fan of standardized testing but it is required here...so this is the first time they have taken them in 4 years of homeschooling. Colton will have to take his ACT if he wants to go to college or take some college classes, so maybe it is good preparation for him. They all said that they bombed the math part but did great on the other, so we will see. None of my kids like math. I guess I am strange, but I really liked math in school but haven't been able to pass that one to my kids, lol.

Jesse came home from work sick this morning. I dont know if he will be able to go in tonight...he has been throwing up all day, yuck!!!

Ankle better...

Thank goodness! For 2 days I thought it was broken because I couldn't put any weight on it. Now it feels *almost* like new. I always take for granted my health and mobility and am trying not to. I really had to rely on everyone for those 2 days or crawl around and do things myself. I guess it is good to run in to those things once in awhile...it swings back your focus to the One who made you and your reliance on Him. I feel so sorry for atheists....they are all on their own.

I have been depressed a bit lately. Some friends are going through trying times and Jesse's job is getting me down. It is not a Christian atmosphere(just the opposite....almost like the pit of hell)...he is the only Christian on his shift and he deals with tons of profanity, sexual language, etc. etc. They are all drinkers, smokers, druggies. I am praying that God gives him the strength to be a light or removes him from the situation. The worse man that Jesse was working with has been fired and that was a huge answer to our prayers. He was terrible and always bugging Jesse. Jesse has found that he has to separate himself on break or be exposed to all that garbage. Jesse likes the work, it is just all the other stuff that go along with it. God knows what Jesse can handle and will ultimately do what is best for him and our family.

I went to the dentist and have scheduled all my appointments. All my "white" fillings are falling apart and she wants to replace them with silver fillings. I have always had bad teeth and don't expect any good news when I go to the dentist. I have spent countless hours in that torture chair.

Dumbfounded...

That is what I feel like most of the time. I was doing some research on antidepressants and found that many people are in the same boat as me. It seems they may affect our ability to communicate, both written and verbally. I am constantly searching for the right words and writing creatively seems to have flown out the window with the coo-coo bird. One lady said that she couldn't write any poetry until she got off her meds; that is weird and sad. I was mainly doing the research because Jesse's dad is on Wellbutrin and really having trouble with confusion and communication. It may be linked so they are taking him off of it. He has Parkinsons and Depression, so they will probably have to find something else to help him. I guess I would rather sound like a blithering idiot (many said they felt like their vocabulary had reverted to a middle school level) then be lying in bed, unable to move, in a deep depression. It is sad to have to give up something that I find very precious, however. What if one day my speech sounds like a Dick and Jane book....

I love being at home...

Seriously. This year I have cut way back on activities. We are too far from a big city to go very often, so that helps. No dance this year...that was extremely time consuming. Also, no girl scouts and no homeschool co-op. I am in a homeschool group that does a field trip once a month but that is nothing compared to the once a week thing I used to go to. The kids haven't suffered! We spend a lot of time reading together, listening to music, playing games, making food, etc. It is wonderful! All doctor appointments are local (except my doc is 20 mi away and Carlina's orthodontist is 40 mi) as well as the dentist (except for mine, again, which is 80 mi away). I really love being at home and taking care of business here. I can't say I am ever caught up but when I am away nothing gets done. I guess I am becoming more and more of a homebody and it is great! Jesse's dad did get moved farther away, so we will have to figure that in, but we visit him as a family. That is my goal..to have all activities family activities.

Beautiful...

I love what this blogger has to say about large families....

large family mothering

Owie...

We solved the problem of Oliver pulling his leash by purchasing a "harness" type leash. It works great. Now we have to do something about him trying to bite the lease. I think a spray bottle with water or citronella spray is what is recommended.

I was with Julia (beautiful day...sunny and 35 with no wind) on a walk today and grabbed the only pair of shoes that were by the door. Happened to be a pair with heels...not fancy shoes, just casual shoes with heels. About half-way through the walk I stepped in a hole on the side of the road and twisted my ankle (the same ankle I've injured 2 other times). That was severe pain! I managed to get home but am now crawling around the house.

Valentines Day...

I don't have big plans for the day. Hubby has to work from 7-7 (usually gets home at about 8) and I am planning some kind of special meal/dessert for the kids and I. I am going to our church's Agape banquet Friday night with my Sil (divorced) and Mil (also divorced) as Jesse works that day, too. I am planning on sending a sweet card and some candy in his lunch on Sat.

As a child I never celebrated Valentine's Day (long story). I would go to the library during parties and never got to hand out Valentines. Many times I would get Valentines from the other kids, nontheless...I loved the ones with suckers attached...a rare thing in those days. I never got to make Valentine holders, either, so my Valentines were laid out in a pile on my desk. The teacher would always provide me a bag to carry them home in. I am now really enjoying helping my kids make cards and treats.

ps aren't these Nikes cool?

Circles..

That is what I am turning right now. I have so much to do and I sit here on the computer not wanting to do anything. I helped dh pick up a huge load of trash at 2 empty houses around us. The stuff has been sitting in the yard forever and the houses not renting...so we were tired of looking at it. We took it over to his mom's dump. Then we got the Colt licensed. Everything has gone up...so it cost $80plus bucks to register and license the 15 yr old car. Shouldn't complain...things were 3x as high in Florida. Carlina made magic cookie bars to take over to some friends house tonight and Jesse grilled some burgers. It is sunny out but supposed to snow tomorrow. We enjoyed watching the dog show on Tues night. They are all so well groomed and well mannered. I was looking for some dogs that resembled Ollie on line (lab/border collie mixes) and found a few that look just like him. What I don't understand is why Ollie is yellow when his mom was black and his dad black and white? Here is the picture that looks like Ollie:

Busy Sunday..

We had church today...had to be there at 8:30 so Colton and Carlina could prepare for the puppet show they were in. I sat in the nursery for Sunday school, but noone came in. Anna cried throughout services, so I was in the nursery for 2 hours, basically. Afterwards we went to the grocery store and bought stuff for lunch. We came home and made grilled cheese sandwiches, potato soup, stew and blueberry muffins. Garrett is still sick and stayed home from church today with Julia. His cough is not going away and he gets fevers at night, I am going to have to take him to the doctor again. Poor Anna has her 4 mo. shots next week,too.

Homemade Valentines...

We had fun making Valentines for Katie's 2nd grade class. We used construction paper, glue sticks and a sharpie. Carlina contributed by making 2 Valentines. We enjoy creative endeavors and don't do them often enough.

Anna Rose...

Yes, more pics....we are all so enamored! She is always sticking out her tongue, like she is trying to mimic us talking. Ollie loves to give her kisses...I really have to watch him.

Alicia loves being a big sister!

Shopping and more

We decided to make our Walmart trip yesterday so we left about 5 pm. Jesse had to work so he couldn't come much to his chagrin (lol). Julia has been looking for boots so we stopped at Target...all we found were a small pile of them in the bargain aisle (nothing she liked ) and a whole wall of new flip flops. Hey, people this is Iowa not Florida! I told Julia she will have to start shopping for boots in August this year. We drove through McD's and ate off the dollar menu...cheeseburgers and mcchickens:) Then on to Walmart. It was pretty empty...probably because it was only 3 degrees out. Katie wants to make homemade Valentines this year so we got construction paper and glue sticks, Garrett got some Spiderman Valentines. Anna cried the whole way home (40+ miles) which was sad. I had the kids bring in all the groceries since I had to tend to Anna and Thomas at home. They did okay except for the frozen celery I discovered in the back of the suburban this morning.

Exhausted!

Anna has been sick for 2 days and I am tired! She doesn't have a fever but is extremely fussy and has not wanted to nurse. I have been in pain from the less frequent nursing, to boot. She seems to be doing better tonight. Garrett was also sick today...he woke up last night with a bad earache and had a fever and cough today, so I kept him home from school.

It was a nice, sunny day but got cold this evening. I went with Julia to take the dog for a walk and forgot my hat. My ears were so cold! It is 3 degrees right now but the corn burner is going strong. Hopefully Jesse will stay warm tonight at work. So far we have had more snow to date then they have had the entire season last year. Welcome to Iowa!!!!

Mom is coming home tomorrow; back from taking Grandma to her new home in Arizona. I am excited to see her. Jesse's mom also got back from Florida this weekend along with his sister and her 2 girls

Dog got out again this afternoon. Jesse and I were at the store and he was out on his chain. Apparently he got off of his chain (I guess Carlina did not make sure the leash was properly attached to the collar). He ran after the neighbor girls and knocked Madi down. I was very upset and told the kids that his days are numbered if the neighbors call the police again. He likes Madi but is too big and friendly, not mean.

Julia made cookies today and helped Katie make some more in the evening...so we have peanut butter cookies coming out our ears. They are the no-bake kind and really good.

I really need to get to Walmart and stock up on groceries for the next couple of weeks. Maybe if Jesse feels up to it we will go tomorrow.