8isgreat

Come over to my new blog:)

2010-05-06T07:39:00.000-07:00

Come join me over here. If you haven't checked out my new place and are wondering what is up...

Everything is great! It is spring here and our favorite park is now open! We went hiking yesterday in the gorgeous Loess Hills and had a picnic. It was a bit windy but the sun was shining and all was right with the world. We are winding down school and will be finished by the end of May. Took Colton to register for college classes last night.

A new address....

2010-03-11T14:57:00.000-08:00

Here is my brand new Blog:

A New Creation

Please join me over there!!!!

New blog

2010-03-11T12:07:00.001-08:00

I cannot get this one to work so I am moving...well update with new blog address soon!

Viral?

2010-03-09T19:53:00.000-08:00

My blog has been acting up so I haven't been able to post...I think it is infected. We shall see..so far so good.

I felt *today* the way that I felt when I bring home a new baby...tired, unable to complete a task with monumental tasks in front of me but happy to be home. Thomas and Anna both have the flu? and are cranky and miserable so I have been holding them. Julia is sick, as well, and I miss my good helper. We did manage to unload (most ) of the camper and get some laundry done. The house is a miserable disaster but I hope a few days will alleviate that. We utilized the local laundry mat to get mega loads of laundry done, but I still have quite a few to go. We had a nice trip although peppered with some sickness. I guess it was time, we really had not been sick all winter (up until Feb.). I enjoyed soaking up the Florida sunshine and seeing the gorgeous green grass, trees, shrubs and flowers. It was fun to see old friends, also. I am so thankful that God brought us home safe and sound. So many risky driving situations when you travel 1500 miles. We did encounter quite a few wrecks and one looked exceptionally awful. We returned to melting snow...Spring may possibly come in a few months here in the frozen North...maybe.

We're Home!!!!

2010-03-09T14:02:00.001-08:00

More later.......

Travel crazy

2010-02-25T13:17:00.001-08:00

Do your kids go nutso before a trip or some other wonderful thing that they are anticipating? Mine do and it is making me wish we had just sprung the whole thing on them. However, anticipation is half (well, maybe one fourth) of the fun and we (dh and I) just couldn't keep it to ourselves. So now I am dealing with cranky kids shouting that they want new underwear...because someone else got new underwear, of course and not being able to focus on their multiplication facts and wanting to help pack by throwing 6 stuffed animals, an old sock, a dog toy and a piece of apple into the suitcase.... I will survive and we will soon be on the road singing fun road ballads and playing I spy the yellow car and stuffing ourselves with french fries (candid admission).

Winners..

2010-02-25T11:24:00.000-08:00

We had a few winners last night...Alicia's car (log ride) won first place for speed and second place for design in the TnT category and Thomas's car (alligator) won second place for design in the cubbys category. It was a fun night. Thomas did great putting his car on the track and everyone had a great time. On a sad note, after Alicia's triumphant evening she awoke in the night throwing up and with a fever. So she is resting today and hopefully will recover before we leave on Sat.

Awana cars..

2010-02-24T09:08:00.000-08:00

Here are the finished products...tons of work went into these cute creations. Jesse did all the shaping and the kids did most of the painting and decorating. I won't say how much it all cost, but it does add up to make these little masterpieces. The artists are 1. Katie (pig) 2. Thomas (alligator) 3. Garrett (monorail-minivan) 4. Alicia (Splash Mountain flume car) 5. Colton (bronze race car) 6. Julia (fancy jeweled car) 7. Carlina (owl)

We are leaving..

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on Saturday. Taking the camper and heading down south for some sun and fun and won't be back until March 8th. I will be back then with an (hopefully) awesome update about all of our great adventures. Until then, we would appreciate your prayers for safe travels and good health for us all.

Help bring Laura and Bethany home!

2010-02-24T08:43:00.000-08:00

One Thing

The Parker family is in the process of adopting two gorgeous little girls and needs our help to bring them home.

Anna is better..

2010-02-22T13:31:00.001-08:00

thank you God! We were so worried about her. I can't imagine having a chronically ill child, I don't know how parents do it.

We have a beautiful sunny day. We have definitely not experienced a winter thaw yet and it doesn't look like it will happen. It is starting to smell a little bit like spring. I can't explain it...lots of snow and ice on the ground but the air smells different. We are almost through Feb and one more month before we can really hope for a weather change. Exciting!!

We are getting ready for our trip to Florida. Cleaning the camper and starting to pack. It will be such a blessing to get a taste of warmth and see green!

Home

2010-02-20T17:29:00.000-08:00

from the ER. We took Anna up this morning. She was looking so pale and acting very lethargic. They did 2 hours of iv fluids and a finger poke which showed that she has a virus. The fluid put a little color in her cheeks and she hasn't thrown up since this morning. Prayers for her would be greatly appreciated!!

Weekend...

2010-02-19T21:30:00.000-08:00

I am thankful for the weekend!

We did the first half of our IBS tests today. I was with the 2nd graders (2 of them) and had fun reading test questions and timing the tests. We will finish up next Friday. The tests are required by the school district due to the Home School Assistance Program in which I am enrolled. We used our church's basement and broke up into 6 groups. Carlina was the only highschooler since Colton is not required to test this year and the other girl was sick.

Anna has been sick all day...Grandpa and Grandma came over in the morning and watched the 3 younger kiddos while I helped with testing (required for me to be there). She was fussy for them and I hated to leave. She has had a tummy flu and cannot keep much down. It is so sad to see her quiet and lethargic as she is normally such a wild child.

We have cousin A spending the night. A is good friends with Alicia..they have lots of fun together. I never grew up with cousins in close proximity so it is fun to have my kids be near (some of) theirs. I am sad that my sister's kids live so far away!

I hope to rest tomorrow. Next week we will be busy getting ready to go on a trip to Florida. I am so psyched about leaving winter behind..at least for a few days...

America's debt and the sovereignty of Greece

2010-02-18T20:41:00.001-08:00

Read this commentary and shake in your boots:

Bible Prophecy Today

Pine Car Derby..

2010-02-18T08:36:00.001-08:00

It's that time of year again. Jesse takes 7 blocks of wood and magically transforms them into cute little racing cars for our AWANA Pine Car Derby. He is working diligently right now. Garrett is sitting right next to Daddy with his safety glasses and little ear plugs taking it all in. Garrett has requested a minivan while Thomas wants Lightning McQueen. Katie wants a doggy mobile. It will be interesting to see how they all turn out.

I just found out that a girl I went to High School with died this week from complications after a surgery. It is so shocking to hear about someone so young (39) dying. She left behind a husband and 2 children. Please pray for the Barton family, that they are comforted in their grief.

Menus...

2010-02-16T11:46:00.000-08:00

Do you make weekly menus? Monthly menus? Where do you get your recipes?

It is a big deal to me and sometimes a chore, but worth it to be organized. Not only for my sanity but for my pocketbook as well. I type up a menu at the beginning of each week (or end...on Sunday eve) and post it, so the kids can see it and not have to ask me what we are having. I list breakfast, lunch, snack, dinner & snack. I then also type up a grocery list for the week. I try to use my local grocery store flyer if I am going to shop there. Otherwise, I get most of my stuff at Walmart (where I go every couple of weeks). Walmart is an 85 mile round trip for me, so I need to be prepared when I go. To simplify things I have certain days of the week where we have the same thing. We have "taco Tuesdays" and "Spaghetti Wednesdays". We usually have popcorn and soda for a treat on Friday nights. We do alot of baking, so I like to stock up on baking supplies. Yesterday we made homemade cinnamon rolls for a snack and they were delightful. I have found planning ahead to really save me lots of headaches. When I don't get it done it is very stressful!

2 more sickies...

2010-02-15T08:50:00.000-08:00

Garrett got sick yesterday afternoon and Anna woke up sick this morning. Jesse had a hard time getting home last night...the roads were bad, lots of wind mixed with the blowing snow. He is home today and working with Katie, doing multiplication flash cards. We are reading the Bible through, together and read Genesis 27-29 today. It is good practice to read aloud. We have Iowa Basic Skills tests on Friday. This is the second year we have had to do achievement tests. In Florida, it was not required. We met with a Homeschool evaluator, instead. The evaluator was a homeschool mom and she would interview the kids (informally) and look at their portfolio of work...very laid back. Here in Iowa we are in a Homeschool Assistance Program. We have a supervising teacher (homeschool mom in our church), do the annual testing and have to fill out extensive paperwork with the school district each year. We do receive some curriculum assistance, but it has to be from non-Christian publishers. I have gotten Wordly Wise, Teaching Textbooks, Writing Strands, Handwriting without Tears, Rosetta Stone to name a few, from the school.

Free shipping...

2010-02-14T11:54:00.001-08:00

I will put in a plug for one of my favorite companies...

Lands End has free shipping (no minimum order!!) until Feb 16th. Use promotion code COLORFUL and pin 9516.

I love their clothes. They are so durable. I have passed dresses down through 4 girls (without them even appearing worn) and I absolutely love their swimsuits for the girls.

Home

2010-02-14T08:50:00.000-08:00

Today, I am home. Staring out the window at the fluffy flakes coming down..the wind whipping them into a frenzy. Jesse is working today, as is Colton, and I didn't have a car to drive to church. Colton had to take mine as his is out of sorts. Julia and Alicia decided to replicate a page out of Little House on the Prairie by walking to church in the blizzard. Well, it isn't exactly a blizzard but not great walking conditions. We canceled our Valentine's Day lunch with Gram and Gramps...not great driving conditions, either. So I am home with the kids and one extra, cousin J (age 7) who spent the night. The roast is starting to smell succulent and the kids are getting hungry.

Happy Valentine's Day!!!

If you haven't

2010-02-14T08:47:00.001-08:00

checked out my daughter's blog yet...here is the link:

The Next Chapter

She is an aspiring author and artist and has tons of fun musings.

Why I love WDW

2010-02-13T21:55:00.000-08:00

DH and I have loved that wonderful Florida kingdom ever since we first visited together in 1992. I had been a couple of times before...once as a small child and later in 1984 with my parents and sister. We took the kids (3 at the time ) in early 1997 and again (now 4) in 1998. Jesse and I went by ourselves in November 1999. We spent 2 weeks there in the summer of 2000 (we found out we were just expecting #5). Can you tell we love the place? When we moved to Orlando in 2004 we bought annual passes the first year. It was so fun to uncover the magic slowly. We didn't have to see it all in one day, because we could come back the next if we wanted to. We lived about 35 minutes from DW...a pleasant drive on the expressway.

I am a meandering person. I love to walk slowly and enjoy the gorgeous flowers and plants, admire the buildings and sit and eat the good food. I don't have to ride all the rides, although I enjoy that, as well.

Well, more later on the topic...I must hit the hay!

Ice Age...

2010-02-13T14:31:00.000-08:00

You may think that wherever you live is deeply entrenched in an ice age...but what about the one that happened right after the flood? Here is an interesting article from Answers in Genesis:

Did the Flood Trigger the Ice Age?

If uniformitarian scientists have severe difficulties accounting for ice ages, how would creationists explain an ice age or multiple ice ages? Let’s start with the recent ice age.

When attempting to account for ice ages, the uniformitarian scientists do not consider one key element—the Genesis Flood. What if there truly were a worldwide Flood? How would it have affected the climate? A worldwide Flood would have caused major changes in the earth’s crust, as well as earth movements and tremendous volcanism. It would have also greatly disturbed the climate.

A shroud of volcanic dust and aerosols (very small particles) would have been trapped in the stratosphere for several years following the Flood. These volcanic effluents would have then reflected some of the sunlight back to space and caused cooler summers, mainly over large landmasses of the mid and high latitudes. Volcanoes would have also been active during the Ice Age and gradually declined as the earth settled down. Abundant evidence shows substantial Ice Age volcanism, which would have replenished the dust and aerosols in the stratosphere.⁷ The Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets also show abundant volcanic particles and acids in the Ice Age portion of the ice cores.⁸

An ice age also requires huge amounts of precipitation. The Genesis account records the “fountains of the great deep” bursting forth during the Flood. Crustal movements would have released hot water from the earth’s crust along with volcanism and large underwater lava flows, which would have added heat to the ocean. Earth movement and rapid Flood currents would have then mixed the warm water, so that after the Flood the oceans would be warm from pole to pole. There would be no sea ice. A warm ocean would have had much higher evaporation than the present cool ocean surface. Most of this evaporation would have occurred at mid and high latitudes, close to the developing ice sheets, dropping the moisture on the cold continent. This is a recipe for powerful and continuous snowstorms that can be estimated using basic meteorology.⁹ Therefore, to cause an ice age, rare conditions are required—warm oceans for high precipitation, and cool summers for lack of melting the snow. Only then can it accumulate into an ice sheet.

The principles of atmospheric science can also estimate areas of high oceanic evaporation, the eventual depth of the ice, and even the timing of the Ice Age. Numerical simulations of precipitation in the polar regions using conventional climate models with warm sea surface temperatures have demonstrated that ice sheets thousands of feet thick could have accumulated in less than 500 years.¹⁰

A Rapid Ice Age

Most creationists agree that there was one major Ice Age following the Flood. The timing of the Ice Age is quite significant, since uniformitarians claim that each ice age over the past 800,000 years lasted about 100,000 years. To estimate the time for a post-Flood Ice Age, we need to know how long the volcanism lasted and the cooling time of the oceans. Once these two mechanisms for the Ice Age wane, the ice sheets will reach a maximum and then begin to melt. So, an estimate of the time for the Ice Age can be worked out based on the available moisture for snow and the cooling time of the ocean (the primary mechanism) in a cool post-Flood climate.

I used budget equations for the cooling of the ocean and atmosphere, which are simply based on heat inputs minus heat outputs—the difference causing the change in temperatures. Since there is no way to be precise, I used minimums and maximums for the variables in the equations in order to bracket the time. The best estimate is about 500 years after the Flood to reach glacial maximum with an average ice and snow depth of about 2,300 feet (700 m) in the Northern Hemisphere and 4,000 feet (1,220 m) on Antarctica.¹¹

Once the conditions for the Ice Age ended, those ice sheets in unfavorable areas melted rapidly. Antarctica and Greenland, possessing a favorable latitude and altitude, would continue to grow during deglaciation and afterward. To calculate the melting rate for the ice sheets over North America and Eurasia, I used the energy balance over a snow cover, which gives a faster rate than the uniformitarians propose based on their models.

An energy balance equation is a straightforward and more physical method of calculating the melt rate. Using maximum and minimum values for the variable in the melt equation, I obtained a best estimate of the average melt rate along the periphery (a 400-mile [645-km] long strip) of the ice sheet in North America at about 33 feet/year (10 m/year). Such a melting rate compares favorably with current melt rates for the melting zones of Alaskan, Icelandic, and Norwegian glaciers today. At this rate, the periphery of the ice sheets melts in less than 100 years. Interior areas of ice sheets would melt more slowly, but the ice would be gone in about 200 years. The ice sheets melt so fast, catastrophic flooding would be expected, such as with the bursting of glacial Lake Missoula described later in this chapter.

Therefore, the total length of time for a post-Flood Ice Age is about 700 years. It was indeed a rapid Ice Age. This is an example of bringing back the Flood into earth history. As a result, processes that seem too slow at today’s rates were much faster in the past. The Flood was never disproved; it was arbitrarily rejected in the 1700s and 1800s by secular intellectuals in favor of slow processes over millions of years.

In honor of Valentine's Day...

2010-02-12T12:48:00.000-08:00

A picture of my sweetie!!! God has blessed me with such a wonderful husband and father to our children! I am very thankful!!!!

Valentine's Weekend...

2010-02-12T12:42:00.000-08:00

Do you have special plans? Our church has an annual Agape Banquet on Valentine's Weekend. It is held at a local restaurant. We play a game, eat a delicious dinner and the Pastor gives a short talk. Lots of fun! This year we are going to a steak house called the AK Corral.

Jesse actually works both Saturday (the day of the banquet) and Sunday (Valentines Day). He is taking some PTO to come to the banquet. Then on Valentine's Day, I invited Grandpa and Grandma to come over after church for lunch. Roast and potatoes, plus Julia will make a cake:)

Happy Valentine's Day to everyone!!!!

Awesome Homeschooling post...

2010-02-11T06:31:00.000-08:00

from Large Family Mothering.

Homeschooling has been such a blessing to our family and this post really is encouraging.

February brings..

2010-02-11T06:19:00.000-08:00

sickness...We made it through December and January unscathed and I am so thankful for that. Last night Thomas began to complain of a tummy ache. He woke up in the night with a high fever and vomited. Poor little guy still has quite the fever this morning. We will see if it races through the ranks. I am hoping we get through this quickly as we have plans to take a little vacation at the beginning of March.

I remember 12 years ago when the kids were going through Chicken Pox about this time. Colton first, then Carlina and finally Julia. Alicia did not get it because she had received the new (at that time) vaccine. We took a trip to Disney when the kids had recovered but they are covered in spots in all of the pictures.

Cold day...

2010-02-08T16:24:00.000-08:00

Are you tired of hearing about my winter yet? It was frigid today...3 degrees with wind. Yuck! We had a homey dinner: tuna casserole, biscuits and a salad. I am happy to be inside and not have to go anywhere. Tomorrow Anna has her appointment and I am not looking forward to the immunizations...poor baby. I have put them off for a while though. I won the Super Bowl bet with Jesse. My team perservered so he will have to pay up with a box of chocolates...yum! My dad was a Saints fan and would have been thrilled to see them win the Super Bowl. He endured during the seasons where fans wore bags over their heads.

We just finished Living by the Book (our church bible study) and I really enjoyed it. It is a helpful tool for learning how to study the Bible. I am going to go through it again on my own.

Congratulations!

2010-02-08T07:09:00.000-08:00

Leah you are the winner of my blog drawing! Thomas picked your name out of a hat this morning. Something cute and snowy will be heading your way soon. Since there were only 2 entries...something Fallish will be coming to you as well, Melissa!!

I have known Melissa since 4th grade in Gladewater, Texas and I met Leah in Big Sandy, Texas as college freshmen...2 of my oldest and dearest friends....love you both!!!!

What does the week hold?

2010-02-07T20:51:00.000-08:00

Besides more snow? It was coming down this evening..beautiful fluffy flakes. This made for a very slippery road as we went on our way to some friends house to watch the last half of the super bowl. (We watched the first half with Gram and Gramps and ate ourselves silly.) As we drove the gravel road we attempted to round a corner and slid into a snow bank...ooouuuf! I am so thankful for our 4WD suburban which neatly made its way out of the snow and back onto the road...quite a ride!

Jesse is taking his dad to the doctor's office tomorrow...weather permitting. Carlina gets her permanent bridge in and Anna gets her 15 month check-up...a bit late. I am thankful that both the dentist and doctor are right in town. That saves so much time. The orthodontist is the only practitioner that is out of town...about 40 miles away.

Otherwise, we will attempt to have successful school days...we have Iowa Basic Skills tests coming up in 2 weeks!

More fotos..

2010-02-06T14:11:00.000-08:00

We got more snow yesterday and today....this is the snowiest winter that I have ever seen in my 15 years in Iowa. The kids had a blast building a cool snow guy.

Seasonal Give-away

2010-02-06T09:08:00.002-08:00

For the one (or 2) people who read my blog (hey, mom!)...I wanted to celebrate the seasons with ya'll (reverting back to my Texas roots). Post about which season you love best and I will send you a little decoration to match courtesy of Terry's Village. Do you revel in winter's coziness? How about the green glory of Spring? Is summer close to your heart? Do Autumnal trees make you swoon? I will randomly choose someone and then contact you (don't forget your info) to get your address. If no one enters, I guess I win haha. So for those of you who read but never comment..now is the time!!!! I will pick the name on Monday Feb 8th.

February Fotos

2010-02-05T09:07:00.000-08:00

Wow

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As much as I love watermelon, I don't think I could eat this....a work of art!

Poor dh...

2010-02-04T12:16:00.000-08:00

If it wasn't enough to work all night in the bitter cold, he also had to be picked up at work by yours truly, go get groceries (Super Walmart at 7am) and get our taxes completed. He was the walking dead when we were done. Killing 2 birds with one stone was awesome....groceries (put away neatly in the kitchen) and taxes (all done!). It was a snowy, rainy mess coming home. February looks to be a very wintry month thanks to good ole Puxy Phil in PA.

The kids have a Homeschool Presentation Fair in the Spring. Last year their topic was American Presidents. This year it is Christian Missionaries. All have chosen one and now to begin working on the presentation. Katie wants to wear a white beard made of cotton balls to look like her Missionary. They will be writing on Billy Sunday (Colton), Clara Barton (Carlina), Jonathan Goforth (Julia), Sojourner Truth (Alicia) and Lott Carey (Katie). Garrett will have to give a presentation next year as Kindergartners are not required (thank goodness!!).

Large Family Vehicles...

2010-02-03T12:37:00.000-08:00

What do we drive? Currently we have a 1999 8-passenger Suburban with an extra seat in the rear. This will hold 2 more...so it does fit all of us. It would be wonderful to have a 12 or 15 passenger van, but that is not in the budget right now..or ever??!!:) My husband drives a 1991 olds to work. It is basically on its last leg, so we are hoping to get the Suburban paid off with our tax money in case we need to buy something else for him. Colton has a 1993 Plymouth Colt. It is a perfect car for him and has been running dandy. We bought the Olds for $300 and the Colt was given to us, so we have really been blessed with vehicles. I miss the Sprinter that I had in Florida, but it would be useless on winter roads. I did love the room and the rubber floors:) It had rear air but not rear heat, so also useless in Iowa. Can you imagine taking a family of 10 across the prairie and over the mountains in a covered wagon? The pioneers could not even imagine what comfort and speed awaited modern families.

Daily Snapshot:

2010-02-02T20:15:00.000-08:00

Anna has been teething lately and not sleeping very well. Her little tooth finally broke through today and hopefully she will start to have some slumber bliss (and so will I). I am trying to get up earlier to get a head start on the day and it has been hard!

Julia re-arranged her room and put the beds back to bunk beds. She also took Colton's desk and he got the desk from the kitchen. It is always nice to have a change.

My food plan has been going okay. We had tacos for dinner and they were so tasty. Savory ground beef and chicken with lettuce, tomatoes, salsa, cheese, sour cream and refried beans....yum! The kids seem to be willing to stick to the plan, although the little ones do cheat sometimes.

Well, sweet dreams!

YAYAYAY!

2010-01-31T19:09:00.000-08:00

I made it through January! I am so happy. It (seems to me) is the second longest and second most miserable month of the year. March is my least favorite month (in Iowa). It is cold and snowy when it should be Spring! So I survived.

We are supposed to get snow tomorrow and February is predicted to be another brutal month. I do live in Iowa and what do I expect, after all? The first winter that I lived in Iowa (back in 1990-1991) when I was a 20-year old youngin' I fully expected to freeze to death. I just knew I would get frostbite in my feet and loose a couple of toes. My husband used to make fun of me because I didn't know how to dress for winter. Well...20 years later and I have learned. Layers and layers upon layers within layers.

10 things about me...

2010-01-30T14:39:00.000-08:00

This is an idea from my friend, Heather at Arrowsprings.

10 secrets about me that you may or may not know, and maybe some things you really don't CARE to know! But here they are anyway:

1. Fall is my favorite season--I love everything about it! I love the colors and I love Autumn decorations. Just ask my kids...when they start putting Fall stuff in the stores I go nuts:)

2. Holding and petting my kitties always lowers my blood pressure, helps me to feel calm and takes away stress for me.

3. I suffer from depression but it is under control with medication. I have had a few really bad episodes, once I didn't think I would survive it. I can thank God for it as it has helped me become more compassionate and has drawn me closer to Him.

4. I love watermelon.....and go into major withdrawal in the wintertime!!!!

5. I don't mind changing diapers or cleaning up bloody wounds...but vomit is another matter for me (sorry so gross!).

6. I miss Florida but am not particularly a huge fan of the beach...I adore the green foliage year round!

7. I have wanted 10 kids since I had my first one. Before that I wasn't sure I even wanted one....and believe me my first child wasn't and isn't easy...so that is saying something.

8. I love reading about disasters at sea. My latest read was about the whaleship Essex.

9. I miss having a horse so much that it hurts sometimes.....

10. My hubby and I disagree on how we met....it was at college and he thinks one person introduced us, where I think another did...oh, well....we have been married 20 years in July so I guess it really doesn't matter:)

Which you consider...

2010-01-29T07:23:00.000-08:00

a donation to this special family? They are in the process of adopting 2 beautiful little girls from the Ukraine.

Vivianne and Laura

Goodbye sun, hello snow

2010-01-27T08:08:00.000-08:00

It looks like a winter wonderland outside....fluffy, drifting snow. Winter is definitely entrenched in Iowa. When we lived in Florida, January seemed like such an alien scenario. Flowers blooming, oranges ripe, sunshine aplenty.

Garrett and Carlina had dental appointments this morning. The dentist is about 1 minute away, which is very handy for sleeping until the last minute, getting up and rushing to the dentist. Garrett just had a check-up but Carlina was supposed to get her permanent bridge. She is missing 2 permanent teeth (one on each side on the bottom). The dentist is doing the work for what Jesse's dental insurance will pay, which is a great blessing. Unfortunately, the bridge did not fit and they are going to have to order another one from the lab. So back in 2 weeks. Poor Carlina had to undergo the torture for naught.

Colton, Carlina & Julia are taking Greek lessons from our pastor on Wed. mornings and we have AWANA on Wed night....busy day!!!

Picture courtesy of Debi, Jesse's sister.

Colton's Potato Chowder Recipe

2010-01-26T12:28:00.000-08:00

This is delicious and a specialty of Colton's:

8 cups diced potatoes
1/3 cup chopped onion
3 cans chicken broth (14.5 oz ea)
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/4 t. pepper
1 pkg (8 oz) cream cheese, cubed
1/2 lb sliced bacon (cooked and crumbled-I use Turkey bacon)
snipped chives, optional

In a slow cooker, combine the first five ingredients. Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours or until potatoes are tender. Add cream cheese; stir until blended. Garnish with bacon and chives if desired. Yield:12 servings or 3 quarts.

Sunny

2010-01-26T12:13:00.000-08:00

There is sunshine today and I am loving it!!!! It makes such a difference to me to see that beautiful sun.

We went to mom and Terry's yesterday and, as has been the trend, it was a horrible day (weather-wise). Snowing and high winds made us glad to be inside by their cozy wood fireplace, eating homemade pizza and playing Phase 10. It is just so nice to have mom close and be able to visit. The last 3 times we have gone over, has been the worse day of the week, kind of funny. Mom's pizza was so good and she made a superb chocolate pie and apple crisp for dessert! We are so thankful for them. We come over like a swarm of locusts and eat everything in sight:)

Jesse's mom and sister, on vacation in Florida, have been very sick. They suffer from environmental allergies and were exposed to some bad things at one hotel they stayed in. They are getting help (from a homeopathic doctor) and will stay down there until they are feeling better. Prayers for them would be appreciated. His sister's 2 little girls are also along, but they have not been sick.

Rev: 4:8
Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under his wings. Day and night they never stop saying: " Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come."

Let us never stop praising and and worshiping God. In my devotional Bible it says "There is restlessness in heaven because the holiness of the triune God-Father, Son and Holy Spirit- has to be proclaimed without interruption. God is worthy to receive honor without ceasing." We must never for a second forget what He has done and continues to do and praise Him daily!!

Meals...

2010-01-23T19:43:00.000-08:00

I am going to try out a new food plan/menu in February which is aiming at cutting down my food bill. We will see how it works. It is labor intensive initially in that I am planning out each meal including snacks for each day. Next will be getting the kids to stick to the plan. It may not work at all but it will be worth a try! I am still not very good with coupons, may need to get more serious about that.

Colton made his famous potato soup last night and we had it for lunch today. It was really good. It is definitely not low-cal though...very creamy. Mom gave us two huge bags of potatoes that a church friend had grown in SD...they are large red ones. Makes me long for that delicious, fresh grown stuff that we won't see for awhile. August and September were bountiful months!!!

I think we've decided to stay put for at least another year or so. So unless something changes we won't have to think of moving. Just praying that we can get by with fewer vehicle repairs that year...I won't count on that one, though.

Creative little dear..

2010-01-21T09:08:00.000-08:00

Garrett is so full of delightful and creative ideas. He is in kindergarten this year and works on his reading and math in the morning. He will draw multiple doodles on his paper and is always scheming what he is going to design or dream up. After he is done with his work he has plenty of time to work on all of his projects. Sometimes it is frustrating to me because I just want him to focus on his work and get it done and he takes his time. I am praying that God will give me lots of patience with him so I can listen to his amazing dreams and plans. Yesterday he drew a number of different race car flags and colored them all. Today he is working on faces. He is cutting out the eyes, nose and mouth and shining a flashlight through it upstairs to make a shadow. Fun! I love homeschooling as it gives me lots of time each day with these wonderful little people that God has given me to mother. I am so thankful!!!! (the picture is Garrett with his cousin, Brecken)

Wonderful post about being a mother...

2010-01-21T09:06:00.000-08:00

from my friend Heather at arrowsprings...

Would not trade Mommy-thing for any-thing

Brutal weather...

2010-01-20T06:04:00.000-08:00

This winter has been a tough one so far. We were hit with major ice last night. Great day to stay inside! I am so glad I don't have to go anywhere today and Jesse doesn't have to work until tomorrow night. There is still so much snow, as well. I have a feeling that February and March will continue the harsh trend.

Julia got her braces on yesterday and hasn't felt too uncomfortable, so far! That may change today. She looks really cute with her pink and purple bands.

On another note, Thomas is doing very well with his potty training. I am one that has waited a long time to train (for my last 3) and once we start they are trained in a day or 2 with only a few uh-oh's. Thomas has followed that trend. So...one in diapers and Thomas is wearing pull-ups at night.

Cute quotes..

2010-01-18T08:38:00.001-08:00

We were getting ready to go on a field trip to the hospital when Thomas asked "Is Garrett broken?"...I answered no...he then asked "Well, am I broken then?".

Picture of Thomas at Christmas time with his cousin, J.

Anna

2010-01-17T13:09:00.000-08:00

Anna is 15 months old now and is just too cute for words. She has taken a few steps and is getting more confident. She is also saying lots of new words. She loves to give her brothers and sisters hugs and adores any and all electronic devices. She is still nursing and still not sleeping great. That is very normal for my babies. It seems like they are about 2 before they are really sleeping all the way through the night. I can't believe how fast she is growing up and turning into a toddler. No more baby! The pictures were taken by my SIL, Debi.

Thankful..

2010-01-17T11:16:00.000-08:00

I really enjoyed today's sermon about thankfulness. Pastor talked about being so captivated with God that we don't let the every day cares of the world get us down or discourage us. It is so easy to base our lives on events, seasons, holidays. It is not wrong to enjoy those things, but it is wrong to wile our days away waiting for the next one. We need to be thankful for each minute of each day...giving thanks to God. We have an amazing Father who cares for us and listens to us...He is the creator of the universe! How awesome is that? Jesus died for us and now lives and we have the glorious and true hope that He will return. I am striving to constantly see the larger picture in life and give thanks daily!!!!!

Loss

2010-01-16T08:43:00.000-08:00

It is so hard to look at those images from Haiti. The little 11 year old girl that survived all that time in the rubble to die shortly after being pulled out...my heart breaks and I wonder how the world can just go on. So much grief, so much misery. Here is a good post from Jenni at One Thing with some ways to help. Please pray...for He is there.

Drenching Love...

2010-01-15T07:09:00.000-08:00

I love this post from Large Family Mothering:

Drenching Love

Can I feed...

2010-01-14T09:02:00.001-08:00

every animal in my neighborhood? I can certainly try:) I have 4 squirrels who come daily to eat from the feeder, not to mention all the birds that eat their leftovers. I also feed 5 cats...3 of my own and 2 that are strays. I have not yet begun to feed the animals pictured...only because they don't live in my neighborhood and more specifically do not live in Iowa ( but I would if they did).

Busy weekend

2010-01-11T16:37:00.000-08:00

We are entering into a balmy week...today was actually in the 20's!!! I can't wait for it to hit 40 degrees later in the week!!

We went to visit Jesse's dad in the nursing home yesterday on his birthday. He has Parkinson's Disease and Parkinson's induced dementia. He just turned 72. It is sad to see someone that young so incapacitated. We brought him a sandwich and shake from McD's and he loved that. He is very rigid and has a hard time even sitting up in bed.

We are working on our budget for 2010 and it will be a strict one. We are trying to get our Suburban paid off and a reaff agreement left over after the bankruptcy will be paid off this year, also. We are hoping to buy a larger house but it may not be feasible this year. We've cut out any excess and pray that we can stick to it and be disciplined.

Prophesy and Turkey...

2010-01-11T16:35:00.000-08:00

This is an interesting read:

Turkey

Good read, part 2

2010-01-08T07:52:00.001-08:00

This cookbook is a very entertaining read. Full of fun recipes that really "won't kill you!" and that are actually quite delicious. Ann Hodgman has a hysterical narrative to go along with the recipes. I've used and read this many times and am about ready for a new copy.

Good read...

2010-01-08T07:13:00.000-08:00

A true story about an incredible woman and her family who staked a claim on the North Dakota prairie......one review on the back says "Any whining yuppie who thinks a rough day of work means spending 12 hours in front of a spreadsheet needs to read this book." These people worked hard! The narrative is charming, with lots of fun descriptions of authentic Norwegian foods and customs.

Weather savy...

2010-01-07T19:22:00.000-08:00

Today we ventured over to Grandma and Grandpa's house (about 10 miles away, up and down hills...through the woods...etc. etc. you get the picture) in sub zero weather. There were large drifts blocking the roads and the wind gusts were high....stupid! Once we got to mom's it was nice and cozy with a roaring fire. We enjoyed a turkey dinner, stuffing, vegetables, mashed potatoes and gravy. Plus homemade apple and peach pies! Yum! Totally worth it! We also played a rousing game of Phase 10 and watched Matilda and Pippi Longstocking with the kids. Jesse was coming off of 4 very hard nights..working outside in freezing weather and is ready for a break. Everything was dandy until we decided to leave. We hit a huge snowdrift at the end of Mom's road (gravel country road) and got stuck. Colton treked back to the house and brought back 2 snow shovels, which he and Jesse put to good use. They froze their feet off . A nice guy in a pickup pulled us out with a heavy duty chain after much scooping. It took mucho effort and small steps but they finally got the beast out( to hearty cheers)! So we are home and happy to be here. The corn stove is going and we are ready to hibernate for the next few days!!!

2010

2010-01-03T19:30:00.000-08:00

What will a new year bring?

Colton will be graduating from High School in June and turn 18 in July...our first homeschool graduate. He started his homeschool career in the 8th grade in Florida and plans to continue working on his novel while taking an electrician apprentice course. He wants to be a writer, but will have something to fall back on. Hopefully he can take some writing classes as well.

I am heading up our Woman's Ministry at church...Christian Woman's Fellowship. I will be coordinating various ministries that the ladies at our church do....an Agape Banquet in Feb, Ladies Tea in March, Easter Breakfast, College and Military care boxes, VBS, Woman's Retreat in the Fall, and various Christmas activities.

We will continue homeschooling until the end of May and then take a summer break..plan on getting another pool pass so the kids can enjoy the city pool all summer. I probably will put Katie in swimming lessons again. She improved so much last year.

If we can pay off our loans we may look at buying a bigger house...if not we will use our tax refund to enclose our porch, perhaps.

Jesse and I will celebrate 20 years of marriage in July! We don't have any big celebration plans...may save that for our 25th.

Mostly I hope to continue in the Word and draw closer to my Lord. I want to walk with Him every day and rely on Him more and more. He is the reason for life, the reason for everything and I want to give glory to Him in all that I do. I am so thankful for another year!

Pierre

2009-12-31T21:07:00.001-08:00

My big ol sweetie.

I am a major cat lover (much to my dh's chagrin!) and recently adopted this mammoth stray. He is such a dear...very laid back and loving.

My sister's pictures..

2009-12-29T10:16:00.000-08:00

she is a wonderful photographer. She took the one of Garrett (below) when she was visiting for Thanksgiving. Here are a few more of my favorites..courtesy of Cherrie...1. Her 9 yr old son Brecken standing on a dock at Southwood park 2. Anna Rose 3. Robin and Cherrie at the Henry Doorley Zoo in Omaha 4. Grandma Linda and Cherrie's son Laken, age 3 Looking at the pictures I can't believe how fast Autumn turned into Winter!

Today is sunny.

2009-12-29T10:04:00.001-08:00

and me thinks I just might make it through another Iowa winter if the sun continues to shine...it can be sub-zero and 40 mph winds, but if the sun is shining I will survive. I will never get used to Iowa winters, although I have now lived in Iowa for almost as long as I lived in Texas (well, don't count the 4 winters in Florida-so I guess the south wins anyway). I loved Florida winters and I love Iowa spring and summers, so if I could be a little, old snowbird it would be just perfect.

Garrett

2009-12-28T12:18:00.001-08:00

I am in awe that Garrett will turn 6 tomorrow. I was first in awe when I got pregnant with him shortly after a heartbreaking miscarriage in Feb 2003. Next I was in awe to find out that I was having a little boy after 11.5 years and 4 girls:) I couldn't wait to drag out my box of little boy clothes again. Thirdly I was so in awe when he was born on Dec. 29, 2003, 4 days after Christmas, his beautiful little fair face, bright blue eyes and head of downy blonde hair looking so much like an angel. Finally, I continue to be in awe daily of my little man and give thanks for his sunny smile, happy disposition and wonderful imagination. It is just so fun to have him as my son. Happy Birthday Dear Garrett!!!!

More pictures from Christmas

2009-12-28T11:04:00.000-08:00

Colton bought a PS3 with his own money before Christmas and I got him a game to play on it. He also got the movie Dark Knight, a flashlight for his car, some mittens and hat from Grandma and some underwear, socks and tee shirts. Carlina got a bed spread, cute owl pillow (she is collecting owls), game for her ds (we opened the game case and it was empty! I called Amazon and they are sending one asap...good thing about using Amazon!), jammie bottoms and socks. Julia got a comfy bathrobe, jammie bottoms, bible and makeup. Alicia got a pretty dark blue DS, DS accessories, game for DS and a webkinz, Katie got a webkinz, stuffed puppy, book, tea set from Grandma, Garrett and Thomas got a race car track that didn't work! Jesse gave it to them Christmas Eve so he could play with them (he had to work on Christmas) . He ran to Target and exchanged it for one that did work (hopefully)...and it did. The boys also got legos, lightning mcqueen semis and a hotwheels set from Grandma. Anna got a Strawberry Shortcake doll and a cute shape sorter. It was a fun Christmas. I enjoyed reading One Wintry Night to the kids. It is an awesome book that tells the Christmas story from the very beginning (Genesis) and has gorgeous illustrations. We had a great Christmas and it went by very quickly as it usually does. I am so thankful that Jesus came to earth to be my Savior and look forward to celebrating His birth each year.

Snowy Christmas

2009-12-27T20:19:00.000-08:00

This Christmas is what my children dreamed of for 4 years in Florida...SNOW and lots of it! It started with an ice storm on Wed. We left to go to Grandma's early...we thought we might not make it over if we waited. We went to my mom's (about 10 miles away) for lunch (a delicious meal of enchiladas and tacos) and fun fellowship including a game of Phase 10. Around 5pm we headed over to Jesse's mom's place (another 10 miles further on). The roads were terrible, icy and very slippery. Debi and Jewel were already there and Lori and girls headed over later. Christmas Eve night it began to really snow. We had fun doing white elephant exchanges Christmas Eve and the kids did play for awhile outside, but it was really too windy and miserable. Jesse had managed to get Christmas Eve off and he was really thankful. The guys who made it in Christmas Eve were stuck at the plant for 36 hours! Jesse went to work about 4pm Christmas Day and brought the guys some goodies. Christmas Day was fun....lots of gifts and playing. We had a delicious lunch of prime rib roast and spent most of the 4 days that we were at Grandma's baking goodies. Lori made a gingerbread house and gingerbread stable and manger scene....so cute!

Sunday

2009-12-20T05:29:00.000-08:00

Jesse is off to work this morning and I am up preparing for the day (and typing on my blog). I didn't feel very well this morning but am feeling a bit better as the morning goes on. I hope I am not coming down with something before Christmas!

I see on the Weather Channel that a big blizzard is hitting East coast. Yikes! I think we are going to be getting some snow this week, I hope it isn't as bad as the last wallop. People in NY are stuck in the airport for awhile it appears....a real life planes, trains and automobiles.

I need to figure out a better idea for my kitties. I've now got 4 of them running around inside and it's making some members of the household crazy! I also feed 2 strays outside! Jesse wants them all outside and I need to figure out a way to keep them warm. I'm thinking about getting a dog house or 2 on the porch.

Well, I need to put my chicken in the oven. Have a great day!

Hair

2009-12-18T12:12:00.001-08:00

New hair cut for me!! Ahhh! I am 10 lbs lighter:)

Home

2009-12-17T23:17:00.001-08:00

Jesse and I are looking at a house that was built in 1911 (Which happens to be the year an airplane landed on a boat for the first time!). It is a fabulous old house with original electrical wiring, a large billiard room, gorgeous stucco on the outside and an extensive unfinished basement filled with dusty law books. It is just the size of house that a family like ours needs to breath. Don't get me wrong...I have not stopped giving thanks for the house we are in. It was just the ticket for us after surviving bankruptcy in Florida and needing a reasonably priced place to live close to family. But, it does feel a bit tight inside and out. We are praying that God will provide a larger place for us, if it is His will and if not, I am fine with that. We are working on paying off 2 outstanding debts and then we will see what is in store for us. Here is a picture of the place know as the Bennett House.

Cutie

2009-12-15T12:14:00.000-08:00

How fast the years go...Garrett will be 6 on Dec. 29th. We celebrated his and Carlina's 16th birthday (on Dec. 4th), on Sunday. He was so excited to open his gifts. His expressions were priceless.

Here is Garrett when he was 4 months old. He was such a happy little guy, always smiling.

Thomas trouble

2009-12-14T19:51:00.000-08:00

A couple of days ago my 3-year old choked on an orange. It wasn't too scary..I was right there and helped him yuk it up and spit it out. Since then he has been afraid to eat and swallow. He will drink liquids and I have gotten him to eat yogurt, but nothing else. He seems to be fine (he ate quite a bit of yogurt today), but it is still a worry to me. I hope time will ease his fears and he will start eating regularly soon. I researched on the web and found quite a few similar cases, so I guess it is common. It is new to me though. I would appreciate prayers for Thomas if you see this!

Snow day/tiny house/stir crazy

2009-12-09T13:47:00.000-08:00

Everyone is stir crazy! We have been hit with a big blizzard, frigid air and below zero wind chills. As a result we are all inside and driving each other nuts! Our "doll house" is home to 10 people, 4 cats and 1 dog....

On the subject of a small house, I actually don't mind, most of the time. It is fairly quick and easy to clean, but we can't have lots of clutter or it overruns us. If someone wants peace, they may have to retreat to the bathroom (there are actually 2). Noone has their own room except for Colton.

Jesse had to work last night and said his feet were the only things that got cold. His boots are not waterproof and got wet due to walking through the deep snow. It is hard to find waterproof, steel toed boots and he is required to have steel toes. The battery went dead on the suburban, so he had some hardship in that respect.

Slow evening

2009-12-02T17:38:00.000-08:00

I am sitting here watching Pixar shorts on ABC family, also babysitting 2 little boys for my friend while she helps out with AWANA. I do that every Wed. night. Pixar is so creative...I loved Up which I just watched for the first time recently. Anna went to sleep, but I don't think she will stay down for the night. She is a terrible sleeper, so much like Colton at that age. He was up every hour for a long time...just a very light sleeper. He still says that he has trouble sleeping at age 17.

Carlina turns 16 on Friday. We took her to Panda Express in Omaha on Monday and it was pretty good. Jesse had the hot and sour soup which was awful, everything else was decent. We are having a combined party on Dec. 13 for her and Garrett who turns 6 on the 29th. Neither child was due in Dec. Carlina was due Nov. 23 and Garrett was due Jan. 3. I sometimes feel that Garrett gets cheated as his birthday is shortly after Christmas, but we try.

Last night I was sitting outside watching the stars in the cold air, waiting for Bible Study. It was such a beautiful night and I felt like God was right there with me. Sometimes I think about all the wonderful things I will do with Him for eternity. I hope and pray that all my family and kids are there too. We will have an amazing time...forever. Like Kay Arthur says "Time is short, but eternity is forever."

Well, tomorrow I am going shopping with the church ladies. Will be picked up at 7am sharp. Anna is going along, I hope she makes it. It is a marathon time. Jesse is picking me up in town at 7:30 pm. I won't be able to keep going to midnight or whenever they stop. We are having lunch at the Olive Garden...yum!

December rush begins...

2009-12-02T06:33:00.000-08:00

I am trying to complete at least one Christmas job every day. Yesterday I got 17 Christmas cards off. I have more that I need to work on, but it felt good to get some off. We are keeping our gift giving pretty basic so shopping shouldn't be too hard. The kids will get one larger gift and 1-2 smaller ones. Colton wants a video game, he is planning on buying a PS3 with his own money. Carlina wants a new bedspread, Julia is getting a cookie press from Pampered Chef and a new Bible, Alicia wants a Nintendo DS (she is putting $70 of her own money towards it), Katie wants a Webkinz and a Tamagotchi, Garrett & Thomas are getting a racecar set and Anna will be getting a book from Usborne. Jesse would like the Bible on CD. We still need to get a tree and get some lights up and then its baking time!!!!

Sardis

2009-12-01T19:07:00.000-08:00

We studied the Church of Sardis tonight at Bible Study. It was a dead church filled with unbelievers. They cared more for material wealth than spiritual wealth. They were concerned with social issues but neglected salvation, even their own. Their society was much like ours...very wealthy and craving luxury and ease.

I wonder how many churches exist like that today in America? I imagine quite a few. Here is an interesting article about how a church should disciple and change those around them:

CHURCH

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

2009-11-26T06:26:00.001-08:00

I am so thankful that for the last 6 days I have gotten to spend time with my sister, her husband and their 4 kids! They live in Central Oregon and we haven't been together with them in years! We had a wonderful time!!!! We ate lots of food, went to a movie, went roller skating, played lots of board games, went to the zoo and had a terrific time visiting. They flew back home today and I will miss them all so much!!!

Decisions...

2009-11-12T10:15:00.001-08:00

Colton will be graduating this Spring and is starting to make decisions regarding his future. He is only 17 and I am sure it will be some time before he actually settles on a permanent career. He is going to get a year of technical training as an electrician's apprentice (at a community college), first of all. He really wants to be a writer but it will be so nice to have a job (where you can earn pretty good money) to fall back on. He will take some writing classes on the side. It is so strange to think that this phase (high school) of his life is almost over. He was in public school for 8 years (not including one year of part-time preschool) and began homeschooling in the 8th grade. He is a really smart guy, although he does struggle a bit in math. He loves to argue! Start talking time travel, old earth/new earth, etc with him and he gets riled up. His ACT results should be coming back soon and they will help determine what classes he is required to take. I have always said that I don't care what path my kids take *career-wise*, if they try to follow God's leading in their life. I want them to serve God in whatever they do; not an easy thing in this dark world.

Gorgeous days...

2009-11-09T13:01:00.000-08:00

We have been having amazing November days. Today is incredible again....I know it won't last.

Colton had 3 wisdom teeth out last week and is recovering. So far noone else has been sick. Mondays are always crazy, today was no exception. Katie was getting baking soda down from a cabinet (standing on a chair) and knocked the cooking oil out, lid broke and spilled everywhere. She fell off the chair but wasn't injured.

Jesse is home trying to sleep...I stress "trying". He works 3 more nights and then will be off for 8 days.

More about decluttering....

2009-11-02T03:00:00.001-08:00

Here is another helpful article about the subject:

DECLUTTER

Decluttering toys..

2009-11-02T02:54:00.001-08:00

This is a good article about getting rid of excess toys. She says the secret is to be ruthless! I have been working on this for a few days. Trying to narrow down the clutter and it is a wonderful, freeing feeling!

Happy November!

2009-11-01T04:56:00.000-08:00

2009 is flying by...soon it will be 2010. I am flabbergasted that I will be turning 40 this month, celebrate 20 years of marriage in July 2010 and also have one graduating in the Spring. The girls and I love to look at old photo albums and reminisce about years past. When I had 4, ages 5 and under, I thought some days lasted forever...now those 4 are all in their teens (almost). I have been blessed beyond measure and I just want to savor each day that God has given me.

Last day of October...

2009-10-31T15:51:00.001-07:00

Where did the month go? Hopefully November will be as nice as October as been, for the most part. It was kind of a frantic day today, although I don't really know why. Jesse slept and the kids ran around and played like crazy. We went to the store ( 2 different ones) 4 separate times to pick up....candy, water, glue, and a few assorted other items. Luckily we live right in town (or maybe unluckily for the wallet).

Colton made delicious chicken alfredo for dinner and we are snacking on Halloween candy (m&m's and reeses pieces.

More Fall pics

2009-10-29T20:17:00.000-07:00

All clear....

2009-10-29T20:13:00.000-07:00

everyone is better today....so one day sickness free. Who knows what tomorrow will bring?

It rained off and on all day. I love the Fall smell. Julia and I took a walk in the drizzle (it was warm-57 degrees) and I breathed it all in deeply. Soon it will smell like winter and burn my lungs with the frigid air.

Jesse went back to work tonight. He works so hard when he is home. He cooks alot, which I love. Sitting in the crockpot is the most delicious chili mac which he "composed" yesterday.

Went to Bible Study tonight--Living By the Book by Howard Hendricks--learning how to study the Bible in depth.

Life..

2009-10-28T20:30:00.000-07:00

continues on with the flu. Colton and Carlina are still sick, although Carlina seemed somewhat better today. Still have fevers and chills. Thomas has a cough now, too. I sure hope the little ones can avoid the flu.

We (Julia, Alicia, Katie, Garrett, Thomas, Anna & I) went to Mom's for dinner. She made a delicious chicken dinner and we enjoyed visiting for awhile. At one point Anna climbed halfway up the stairs before we even realized she was missing. She is so speedy. We came home about 6 to get ready for Awana.

I have a new kitty who I love. He is a big stray Tom cat that showed up about 2 weeks ago. I call him Pierre. Cherrie-you would adore him! He is so loveable.

Turkey and Iran...

2009-10-28T10:56:00.000-07:00

Read Joel Rosenberg's column about interesting happenings with end-time revelance:

Here

Flu

2009-10-26T16:53:00.000-07:00

Yes, we have it here now. Colton has been very sick for the past 3 days and Carlina, sick, but not as bad. Colton has been extremely miserable today. We had to postpone having his wisdom teeth removed, of course and he has missed 2 days of work. Now it is a waiting game to see who will get sick next. I thought it was going to be Thomas. He was flushed with a slight fever last night, but seems to be fine today. We don't plan on getting any flu shots.

It was a gorgeous Fall day and Julia, Alicia, Katie, Anna and I walked to the library. We took Jake who got loose at one point and chased squirrels in the park. He also barked viciously at a man walking out of the library.

Hello

2009-10-23T07:18:00.001-07:00

I've been neglecting you, blog...so sorry!

It is a cold and rainy morning. We have a new stray cat that stays around now. He is a huge tabby that we named Pierre. Very sweet. I don't know if someone dropped him off, or where he came from. We have let him in several times. I asked my mom if she would take him, otherwise I will keep feeding him and maybe adopt him as an outdoor kitty.

Our yard is covered with leaves. The trees are almost bare. It is sad a dreary to see them go. There is still some color left and I am relishing the last bit of it. I am having fun feeding a baby squirrel. He comes every day and eats corn from the feeder. Yesterday he tried to drag a huge ear of corn back up to his nest. It was funny to watch him try.

Swine flu is prevalent around here. My niece in Oregon has it, as well! She has been home from school for a few days now. So far we have managed to avoid it, but I'm sure we can't forever. My mom has been sick with the seasonal flu, I haven't seen her in 2 weeks and have been missing her.

Colton gets his 3 wisdom teeth removed on Monday. I pray that all goes well. He gets to take the whole week off of work, so that will be helpful. He will be in no mood to work for awhile.

Birthday girl...

2009-10-13T00:12:00.000-07:00

Well, I am up at 2am with the little birthday girl on my lap. She sat up about an hour ago and suddenly threw up 2 times. Poor little thing, to be sick on her birthday! She seems to be doing okay now...maybe a slight temp.

Last year at this time, I was also up at 2am...in labor. Anna arrived at 7:43 am, so I still had awhile to go. HAPPY BIRTHDAY ANNA ROSE!!!!

Fall weather

2009-10-09T20:48:00.000-07:00

This week I've been feeling a bit burned out so we took a couple of days off. On Wednesday we went to our favorite park (about 10 miles away). It was a gorgeous day....70 degrees and bright sunny skies. We hiked, took pictures, let Jake run around and enjoyed some time away from the books.

Today--Friday--is our art day. All the kids painted pictures and then we had a unit study on World WarI. Later we talked about the evolutionist versus creationist idea of "Ardi". It was fun to do something together and less structured.

What can save me?

2009-10-05T19:01:00.000-07:00

I've been thinking about this topic alot lately. If you are a Lord of the Rings fan you will remember the quote "This quest stands on the edge of a knife. Stray but a little and it will fail......". I think of this when I ponder life here on earth. It is so precarious. Our houses, food, clothes, loved ones... are all things that we cling to on this planet. We think we are so secure and comfortable but, in reality, we are on the edge of a knife. Nuclear threats, biological threats, illnesses, accidents...life is unpredictable. This may sound gloomy but it has a stellar ending. None of the physical things that we cling to can save us. We may one day lose it all. We can't count on anything from day to day...anything except for One thing...the Lord Jesus Christ. If we have trusted Him as our Savior, we have no worries, no fears..all loss is gain.

Bountiful September...

2009-09-30T20:40:00.001-07:00

I am so sad to say goodbye to September. It has been a gorgeous month. This time of year makes me feel alive and I am so thankful for it. I feel blessed to be living in the Midwest again during Autumn. Mom and Terry have some amazing apple trees which really did produce well. Terry is an expert when it comes to taking care of fruit trees and with his special pruning they are exceedingly abundant. We also picked a bunch of raspberries and froze some. I made a huge cobbler with them and Jesse made a delicious sorbet. Jesse dug a ton of potatoes today at some friends of ours. He made scalloped potatoes for dinner which were delish!!! I am so thankful for a husband who cooks!

More fun pics...

2009-09-30T11:59:00.000-07:00

Alicia...

2009-09-30T08:15:00.000-07:00

turned 12 on September 27th. She enjoyed several parties (one earlier in the month with daddy--who turned 42 on September 12th) and one the day before her birthday at Grandma's. We also took her out to Subway (her favorite restaurant) on her actual day and went to Walmart to shop with her birthday money. She only bought a wallet to hold her money:) She is saving up the rest to put towards a nintendo ds at Christmas time. Alicia is my computer girl and will spend all her time on there if I don't limit her. She is very creative, artistic and is just a happy person most all of the time. Julia made her the cute bubble gum machine cake.

Don't limit God..

2009-09-29T20:57:00.001-07:00

Here is an article I recently submitted to our Woman's Newsletter at church:

“Mom, guess what?” I prayed that this would go all the way to China!” These were Katie’s words on Sunday as she showed me a paper airplane that she had decorated. It was covere d with an 8-year old’s words of evangelism in small wavy print and surrounded by colorful pictures of crosses, birds, kittens and little girls waving. “I’m going to send this into the air and pray that it reaches someone who doesn’t know God…maybe even to China!” she repeated.

Later, it struck me…she didn’t have any reservations or hesitations about the paper airplane flying all the way to China. She had faith that if God willed, He would send it to China. I thought of Philippians 4:13..”I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” How often we limit ourselves by forgetting to call on the Lord and attempting to do for ourselves. Jesus gives us the strength, not only for our daily activities, but for wonderful and amazing things that we would never dream of accomplishing without Him.

Warren Berkley says in his Expository Files “ To get the impact of this (v erse), stop and think about what you could not do without Him”. We are nothing without Him, yet often we try and go it alone. We then wonder why we fail or our accomplishments seem hollow and empty.

How we limit the Almighty God! When we take the time to study the petal of a flower or the delicate wings of a dragonfly, we are astonished. When we view a majestic mountain peak or the thundering ocean waves we can really understand Jeremiah 32:27 which says “I am the Lord, the God of the whole human race. Is anything too hard for me?”

So many times have I gotten up and faced the day without asking Him for help. As I wrestle and struggle forward, each minute seems like an eternity. Fear and anxiety are my companions when I attempt to live without God’s help. With God I can move forward in His will with peace and contentment. I can tell my neighbors and people I meet about God and am not surprised when wondrous and miraculous things occur….maybe even a small paper airplane crossing the mighty sea!

Get your Christmas Shoe boxes ready!!!

2009-09-27T20:56:00.001-07:00

Samaritan's Purse Operation Christmas Child

Roll with it...

2009-09-27T20:46:00.000-07:00

one must take the challenges that life throws at us (large or small) and keep moving forward. Today I was up very early. DH gets up at 5am to go to work and I don't usually get up that early, however, today I was up shortly after and could not go back to sleep. I got up and did chores to prepare for church. Laundry, dishes, ironing, puppy and bunny chores, etc. I made my birthday girl a hot breakfast of scrambled eggs, sausage and hot cocoa with marshmallows. Got the kids up about 7:30 and began the mad rush of dressing and eating before church. Colton took off for work and we went out to get in the suburban which was DEAD! Yikes! I have the permanent Sunday School nursery position and have to get there. Luckily we live very close. I hooked up the battery charger and off we walked...we made it in plenty of time and it was a gorgeous morning for a walk!

Fascinated...

2009-09-26T16:03:00.000-07:00

with the news. I have always loved watching what is going on in the world, following the Middle East and Israel in particular. The world continues to do nothing about Iran and Israel will probably be forced to act soon...especially with the discovery of the new nuclear facilities. Here is a good article on Fox News about this issue.

We had a nice day at Grandma's. Went over there about 11 and played, ate lunch (delicious pot roast and potatoes) and had a yummy homemade sour cream chocolate cake for Alicia's 12th birthday which is tomorrow. Alicia received some birthday money and a soft blanket with pillows from Grandma. We had to leave about 3 to get Julia to a party and Carlina & Alicia to babysit. Katie stayed with Grandma for the night.

Wow,

2009-09-24T19:02:00.000-07:00

I've been neglecting my blog lately. Jesse has been on his "8 days off" and we have been keeping very occupied. We had a wonderful day today. Had a picnic lunch at our favorite park and then did some driving around enjoying the countryside. Jesse and I love to just drive about and look at things and the kids seem to enjoy it, as well. Jake had a magnificent time running around in the park and then hanging his head out the window feeling the breeze. It is the most perfect time of the year(weather wise), as far as I'm concerned.

We stumbled upon a vineyard and were given an impromptu tour. Only the Catawba grapes were yet to be harvested...they looked fake hanging on the vine. We saw the beautiful bottles with custom labels, giant vats where the wine ferments and various other things they use to make the wine.

Stolen Identity!

2009-09-20T15:42:00.000-07:00

Watch this funny video that my kids made about losing your identity: Stolen Identity

Fun books...

2009-09-19T19:37:00.001-07:00

My younger kids love these Seek and Find books from Usborne...Here is a neat Christmas one:

I'm back briefly...

2009-09-19T19:18:00.000-07:00

Had a wonderful Friday night and Saturday morning attending our church's annual Woman's Retreat. It was held at a church member's house out in the country. We had a dinner, wonderful speaker (we sat around a campfire in the perfect September evening) and cheesecake dessert. Carlina, Julia and Anna came along with me. The older girls were invited to help out. They ended up staying up all night talking!

On another note, Carlina got a job working at the local restaurant. She will be busing tables until she is old enough to waitress (16). I am so excited for her! Now I have 2 working teens, so hard to believe.

September has been perfect...the trees are starting to change, days are warm and evenings are cool.