Pillars in her Father's House

Critical Thinking Co. ~ Reviews

2011-01-16T15:36:00.016-06:00

I've linked to Timberdoodle on my blog several times in the past. I have been a very happy customer of theirs for many years and they often have the very best deal on any given item. When I saw that Timberdoodle was looking for bloggers to review their products, I jumped at the chance!! This review will all be on these fabulous Critical Thinking Co. products. I've always want to try them! How exciting to be able to use them!!

Editor and Chief B1 and B2 (for grades 6-8) have proven to be very beneficial for Pillar and Miracle both. This year we have been using Easy Grammar Plus and this fit very nicely with it. Each lesson gives the student a small article to read with grammatical errors in it which the child then needs to find and fix. The articles themselves are engaging and so much more interesting than random sentences that need corrections. I like how they incorporate all the different aspects of grammar as well as helping them to become excellent proof readers! To be honest the girls both thought it was a little tricky to begin with. Now, however, they know "how" to look for errors and are finding them without so much difficulty.

For Rosebud (age 9 1/2, can't forget that 1/2 these days! lol) I chose Word Roots A1. This book teaches Latin prefixes, roots and suffixes. Again, this was a perfect compliment to her Easy Grammar: Grades 4 and 5. Although initially she thought it looked really really hard....she has now come to enjoy it!

Each lesson introduces a Latin prefix, suffix and root word. The child then finds each part of the word and "decodes" the word with the Latin she has learned. I really like this way of decoding rather than memorization, although we've done that too in the past.

Overall, I'm thrilled with all three Critical Thinking Co. products from Timberdoodle!! I will definitely continue to use them in the years to come!!

Disclosure: These products were given to me for the sole purpose of this review. All opinions here belong to me and my family, we were not paid!

Hang Time!!

2011-01-06T12:55:00.005-06:00

I almost didn't take my camera along today. I'm SO glad I did!! Our snow hill had some large dips worn in to it and it made for excellent hang times!

She looks like a professional! She's graceful and even has good posture in the air! lol

What a fun morning! The sun was shining brightly, the wind WASN'T blowing, and it was 15 degrees ABOVE zero! Wahoo!!

(And just in case inquiring minds want to know.....Yes, we did get most of our school work done before we left. The rest will be done this afternoon.)

Hope you're enjoying your winter!!

Sledding Fun!

2010-12-30T05:00:00.000-06:00

We had the most beautiful snow day here. By 8am it was 27 degrees, there was a bright sun shining and no wind! Wahoo!! December has been very cold, windy, and stormy. We've even had an official blizzard. At one point I heard on the radio that we were very close to making history with the snowiest December ever! So you can understand the girls excitement at such a beautiful day!! The first thing Rosebud suggested is that we go sledding. So......we loaded up the van and hit our local snow hill. The icing on the cake was that public school was still in session so we had the entire hill to ourselves. Us and our friends that is! Miracle and Rosebud bit the dust.....

After trying this! LOL Hey, they made it half way down before colliding....not bad!

Gotta love these shots! Or maybe it's just me.....

We had so many races down the hill....it made "me" tired and all I did was stand and take pictures!

Now this is how a cute two year old does it! Isn't he adorable???

Speedy Gonzales!

I think she has her mothers need for SPEED! LOL

Miracle is my adventurous, daredevil.....always trying out new stunts first!

I just love seeing the smiles on everyone's faces!! They make this mother VERY happy!!

It was a fun morning. And of course we came home to hot chocolate with all the trimmings! Thank you Lord for giving us such a beautiful morning to enjoy!

The Love of Family

2010-12-28T05:00:00.000-06:00

I just love this picture. I know it's not the best, but the smiles are precious to me. This is my "little" brother and his beautiful wife. She is pregnant and absolutely radiant! It's hard to tell in this picture but he has a twinkle in his eye that's a bit mischievous. It warms this "older" sister's heart. After more than 17 years of marriage they are such a testimony of God's faithfulness, goodness and grace. They are the best example I could possibly ask for....for my girls. The love and respect that they show each other are watched by many little eyes and hearts. Their dreams of family and children are being formed while watching such good examples. I am so thankful for their influence in our lives. We love them dearly!! The cousins all exchanged presents early this year. It was a really fun way to start the Christmas week! I'm not sure if we had more fun receiving and opening ours or watching the little ones open their presents though. It was just so exciting!

The girls each received a beautiful tea cup and saucer. Authentic, made in England! They're so pretty! What a special gift. They've already made special plans on where to keep them in their hope chests.

Our families haven't always lived close by like we do now. So, I'm very grateful for the time we have together. I love all the memories we are creating together. I will treasure them always.

It was a very Merry Christmas!!

2010-12-26T07:46:00.003-06:00

The Lord has been so good to us. He just never ceases to amaze me! Last year for Christmas we were "adopted" by some wonderful families. They were VERY generous to us and the girls all received gifts that I never could have provided in the natural. This year the Lord used garage sales, thrift stores, and Craig's list. He caused us to be at the right place at the right time and provided the DEAL of the CENTURY on some amazing gifts! Both for us and those we love. We had so much fun finding those perfect gifts!! It was hard to wait all the way till Christmas to give them.

(I apologize up front that all my pics loaded backwards. I thought I had it straight in my head....but evidently I didn't. Sorry.)

This is just a cool pic I took with my camera. It has a nighttime setting and I wanted to see what it could do. The girls were all playing outside last night and this is what I got!~
OK....on to Christmas morning! These AG dolls are the older ones with retired outfits I've been told. They are in excellent condition and a great addition to their collections! I found them at a garage sale for $10 each!!!! To say that they were thrilled would be an understatement. No one was expecting anything so extravagant this year. Also, see that keyboard in the background? That was Pillars gift from me this year. I found it on Craig's list. Brand new, only taken out of the box and used once. Not a scratch! It's high quality, it sounds great, and works great! I only spent a small fraction of what they cost new. Thank you Lord!!!

This is the real picture of them opening the boxes......unstaged! Yup, they were surprised!

Christmas Eve was spent playing games! We love games over here. I also let them open one present early. It was the adult version of Apples to Apples. We already had the junior one, but they had asked for the older one. So of course.....we played it first! (How do you like all our braids? LOL )

We also played Rosebud's new game Horse Sense, Hoopla, Spoons, Speed, and I taught them to play Hearts. It was such a fun afternoon!

Christmas Eve, as is tradition, we all get to open our stockings. One of the special things they always find in there is some new kind of gum. I know that may seem strange to you. But I don't allow gum chewing in the house except on rare occasions. Partly because I've always had girls with thick, long, and curly hair. And partly because of having daycare children in the house and not wanting them to have it either! I suppose the fact that I don't like the "smacking" sound is a factor too! LOL They also find things like their favorite chips or candies and any other little trinkets I've found! This year they had more from each other than they did from me. It was so much fun to watch them. They really got into the gift "giving" this year!!

Pillar is very crafty and artistic. She's really gifted that way! She's been making these adorable hair clips. If I ever figure it out, she's going to open an Etsy shop to sell some of her creations. Her sisters were thrilled to receive some of her beautiful clips!

She also made me this beautiful card. I know it's upside down in the picture but can you see it? It's a kitten playing with his shadow done in pencil. It's FANTASTIC!!! I'm so impressed. I love it!!! Thank you Pillar for such a thoughtful gift. You knew exactly what I would treasure!

This year the girls also made these fun jars for gifts. Boy did we make a mess, but it was fun delivering them to people! It's amazing what effect a hand written card and homemade mix can have on a person during the holidays. They were so appreciated. We also made cookies and bars and caramel popcorn for neighbors. It really has been a fun week!!

We have so much to be thankful for this year. I could write a list that never ends. We have our health, our home, our friends and family.....But I think more than anything, I am just so grateful that I know HIM! "I"......know "Him." The creator of the universe, the maker of heaven and earth. He chose to create me here and now...in this time and place. I'm so grateful that I'm not living in another part of the world or in a different time, that doesn't know Him. Thank you Lord for loving me. I love you too! Merry Christmas!!

A December Blizzard!

2010-12-11T20:30:00.004-06:00

It was hard to get a good shot of just how nasty it was outside today. We had an official blizzard the last 24 hours with -10 to -30 wind chills tonight. Brrrrrr! Can you see my neighbors trash can? The snow plow only came by once this morning and it was already to the top of the can. The snow almost covered our mailboxes too! I'm so thankful for a warm cozy home with lots of love and laughter!!

Although I must confess, I did feel awful about something today. My neighbor plows during the winter, and for the price of "cookies"....he plows our driveway too. He's such a blessing! Well, as you can imagine in a terrible storm like this, he's been out since the middle of the night plowing. It's a weekend and no one was coming over to our house today, so I didn't mind a bit that our driveway wasn't plowed right away. In fact, we didn't shovel our sidewalk either. I just figured we'd do it tomorrow, after the storm passed.

You can imagine my shock when the doorbell rang! It was the Fed Ex man!! Oh that poor man! He had to walk all the way up my unplowed driveway AND unshoveled sidewalk carrying a very heavy box of new college books! And by the time I saw him, he was half way back to the truck and I couldn't even apologize. I felt just awful!! Here you can see what's left of his footprints.
On a cheerier note, I was blessed with something that only the Lord knew how badly I wanted. A set of holiday dishes. One day I was telling the girls how much I would like some, and the next day a lady on fb asked if anyone wanted a complete set for free! God is so good!! And the icing on the cake was that the lady lived up north in my neck of the woods. Yeah!! So they were easy to pick up.

The girls and I washed them all up today and I'm quite excited to use them tomorrow! Aren't they cute??

The family that gave them to us even threw in these fun holiday glasses.

We have so much to be thankful for this year. God has proven Himself faithful time and time again. Both in the big and the little things of life. I'm just so grateful to know Him....to love Him!

The Jinglebell Family

2010-12-08T05:00:00.002-06:00

This is Joe (Pa), Jenny (Ma), and Joey (Baby) Jinglebells.
Ahhhhhh......winter in Minnesota!

Annual Gingerbread Houses

2010-12-06T20:25:00.005-06:00

Every year about this time we go to our local library and make gingerbread houses with our good friends, The Olson's. The kids have so much fun together. It's a tradition that everyone looks forward to. We were trying to remember tonight just how many years we've been doing it....too many to count!
Lots of frosting and candy......

And laughter......

These two talk non stop!

They're two peas in a pod!

Just look at their faces....they're not staged at all! I'm not sure I "want" to know what topic caused Kirsten's big eyes and Miracle's disgusted face! LOL

Doesn't Rosebud look like she's quoting Shakespeare? Nope, just another story!

At the end we take a silly pic of all the kids and their creations. I couldn't find all the past years. I must not have taken digital pics. But here is this years......

And last years......

What fun traditions does your family have?

Chess Solitare - Review

2010-10-31T17:30:00.005-05:00

Timberdoodle recently sent us this cool chess game to review. Now, I must tell you that most of us are NOT chess players over here, with Pillar being the exception. I was pleasantly surprised to see that not only was it challenging enough for her, but I was able to learn the game as well! It was really fun!!

There are 60 different game boards divided into three levels of difficulty. "I" started off with the easiest! LOL Pillar started somewhere in the middle. The object of the game is to use appropriate chess moves to end up with only one piece on the board, effectively teaching chess "strategy". What a marvelous idea! It's a small compact game that can be played anywhere and the fact that it can be played independently or by yourself is a HUGE plus! We are a big game playing family over here, and this one definitely passed!!

The game sells for $17.50 and when you order it from Timberdoodle you are not only supporting a fantastic homeschool family, but you will also get to experience their awesome website and super fast shipping! Here's the link to get your own catalog-FREE!

Disclosure: This game was given to me for the sole purpose of this review. All opinions here belong to me and my family, we were not paid!

Sever's Corn Maze

2010-10-17T17:41:00.010-05:00

Yesterday, I gave Rosebud a quiz and one of her answers referred to the fact that I am....uh hum....shall I say.....directionally challenged. So today we went to a huge corn maze. It was the size of 7 football fields! There were 26 signs to be found within, each with a letter of the alphabet on it. They gave you a map at the entrance and let's just say the girls decided that it would be safer for all of us if they led the search! LOL And can I just say that I am thrilled all three of them did GREAT! I was truly amazed. It was very difficult and took us well over an hour to wind our way around and around then find our way out! As you can see the girls were very proud to have made it through AND find all the letters! For an additional fee you could sling pumpkins at different bulls eyes.....

(Side note: This dad kept stepping into my view right when I took the pic. The first pic, not a problem, but by the 5th or 6th.....c'mon!"

It was so much fun to watch them aim high, aim low and then SMACK that pumpkin on the bulls eye and watch it explode!

This was the corn launcher. She landed all three of her pieces perfectly through the end zone!

If you look closely you can see the field goal next to the big bulls eye.

Inside the corn maze.....looking for the next letter.

Camel rides!

They also had an exotic animal petting zoo. It was by far the coolest thing I've ever seen! I was fascinated by the kangaroos. They had several mama's with baby's in their pouches! I've read about them before, but seeing them in person was so much better! Their legs, their tails, they were so strong! The pouches were strong yet thin enough that we could watch the baby's wiggle and squirm and stick out their hands and feet! Amazing!!

Not quite sure what she's doing with her head stuck all the way down in her pouch, but look how flexible she is!! Then there was the hay bale maze that the kids could either walk through......

or run across! Can you see Pillar in grey and Miracle in pink as they play tag??

Although the cow was fake, the utters if squeezed correctly would shoot out water. Yup....Pillar got me good! LOL

Having FUN in the maze!

Goofin' around, being silly!

It was truly a wonderful day!! We had so much fun together. I've always wanted to take the girls, but the price was too high. This year I found the deal of the century and was able to go. Wahoo!! I love it when the Lord does sweet things for me like that. Thank you Lord!

My Mom by Rosebud ~ Age 9

2010-10-16T20:23:00.005-05:00

This is a cute idea. Copy this note, ask your child the questions and write them down exactly how they respond. Tag me back if you haven't done this, I'd love to hear the answers.

1. What is something mom always says to you?"Are you going to choose to have a good attitude today?"

2. What makes mom happy?"Good attitudes and no fighting"

3. What makes mom sad?"When I get hurt"

4. How does your mom make you laugh?"when she tickles me!"

5. What was your mom like as a child?"just a little bit of trouble, but not as much as Uncle Mike and smart and beautiful"

6. How old is your mom?"should I say 39 or 40?"

7. How tall is your mom?" 6 foot 1??? "

8. What is her favorite thing to do?"go somewhere with us and have a wonderful time (and no fighting)"

9. What does your mom do when you're not around?"I don't know.....what do you do???"

10. If your mom becomes famous, what will it be for?"A CHEF!"

11. What is your mom good at?"Being Mom!"

12. What is your mom not very good at?"maps (I should mention that this one in particular got an AMEN from her sisters! LOL"

13. What does your mom do for her job?"daycare and someday a nurse"

14. What is your mom's favorite food?"Well....I know what your favorite dessert is."

15. What makes you proud of your mom?"when she doesn't even have to look at a map ONCE and gets us there real fast."

16. If your mom were a cartoon character, who would she be?"Snoopy"

17. What do you and your mom do together?"go shopping for the weekly groceries"

18. How are you and your mom the same?"we talk a lot and make friends easily"

19. How are you and your mom different?"You're wiser than me"

20. How do you know your mom loves you?" She always loves me. When you sing me my song... That's when I know you REALLY love me."

21. Where is your mom's favorite place to go?"Anywhere with us."

22. Where is your favorite place to go?"Walnut Grove!"

VF Baby Conference CD's giveaway

2010-09-05T10:42:00.006-05:00

A very encouraging blog that I follow is giving away this wonderful series. I am sure that I along with several other families I know would be tremendously blessed by it.....so I am entering the contest. Please click here to find out more!

Miracle's 12th Birthday

2010-09-05T09:31:00.007-05:00

I remember the day she was born like it was yesterday. How can it really be 12 years ago?? She really is my Miracle and I love her so!

The girls get to pick the menu for their birthdays....all their favorite foods! This year she chose Weaver's blueberry muffins with fresh pineapple for breakfast. Then chicken cashew salad with pink salad for lunch and ribs with potatoes for dinner (no veggies...lol). And last but not least she requested a turtle cheesecake for dessert! I tried a new recipe and it turned out very rich and yummy!!

In our family the girls have to wait till their 12th birthday to get their ears pierced. She's watched over the last year or so as her sister and cousin both got theirs pierced. And now finally....it was her turn! Yeah!! She's been soooooo excited!!

Knowing that sitting and waiting in the chair would be the worst part, the store manager graciously let her shop until the very last moment before it was time.

She really wasn't scared at all, but it did help to have this nice soft cuddly bear to hug tight!

She didn't even flinch or blink an eye! Here she is sporting her new crazy daisy earrings!

It just so happened that the store was having a clearance sale! 10 items for $10! She bought everything in this pic for $1/ea except the star which was $2.50. What a deal!!

First thing in the morning she wanted to open presents. Do we ever outgrow that? lol

Her sisters gave very generous gifts that spoke straight to her heart! We like to search all year long at garage sales and thrift stores for those "perfect" gifts!

Pillar made this treasure chest for her. It was FULL of...

Her FAVORITE candies!!!!!

She looks like she's doing a Reese's commercial. LOL

Very sweet girls I have!!

This is all the treasure!

One of these videos is of Miracle getting her ears pierced. The other is of her opening an unexpected present from me. Her confused/excited expression is because she's seeing and not really believing that Hannah Montana is staring at her from inside the box. And we don't listen to her. But then she realizes that it's an MP3 player. lol We're going to try and find a cover for it.....but I got the deal of the century on it and new that it would bless her. Oh the fun of surprises!!

I'm so proud of my Miracle. I couldn't possibly love her any more!! Happy birthday honey. I'm so glad that God gave you to me!!

The State Fair

2010-09-05T07:38:00.007-05:00

I've heard it said that we have one of the best state fairs in the entire country. I'm not sure if it's true or not as I don't have much to compare it too. But I can tell you that we had a most wonderful time there this week!! We had so....much....FUN! Quite unexpectedly we were blessed/given the money for the entire day. There was enough for everything we could possibly want/need like parking, admission, rides and food! WOW!!! We were also given some coupon books that enabled us to stretch that money even further. :-) I also have to mention that God gave us the most beautiful weather imaginable. Really! It was about 80 degrees, sunny, with a slight breeze! Ahhhhh.....perfect! And the really cool thing about it, that was the ONLY day the entire week with weather like that. The other days were either unbearably hot and humid, or rainy and stormy. Thank you Lord for sending us on our beautiful day!!

We arrived about 9am and hit the rides first before there were long lines. We LOVE rides!! Rosebud's gage for a ride is if it makes the boys scream......then you know it's a good one! LOL
The higher and faster and twirlier......the BETTER!

I think this one turned out to be everyone's favorite.

Then we found all the animals. These lamas were so full of personality!!

And we thought this pig was hysterical!

We happened to catch a sheep showing. It was fun to watch everyone try to keep control of their animals during the judging.

And the owners were very kind to let us get close and "talk" with them.

These baby pigs were being born at the exact time we were in the building! Great timing!! #7 was being born while we were just a few yards away. Although we missed it since we were watching another animal give birth. More on that to come.....

And of course there is all the good food!! We wanted to experience as much as possible so we shared A LOT. That way we all got a taste of a lot of different things! These were hot mini doughnuts. The smelled heavenly!!

And they tasted great too! :-)

I've been told you can find just about anything "on a stick" at our state fair. But we are cheesecake lovers over here so we just HAD to try it! We were not disappointed!

Although an ice cream sundae isn't anything special, we were hot, tired, and had a great coupon! So we shared Bridgman's brownie sundaes complete with hot fudge, caramel, whipped cream and a cherry on top! Yummy!!!

And who wouldn't want to taste an "Elephant Ear?"

We had soooo much food! Caramel apples, fruit smoothies, cheese curds and so much more! It was fabulous!!

But I think one of the highlights of the entire day was our visit to the Miracle of Birth Center. Don't you just love the name? It was a new building this year that housed all the animals that were ready to give birth during the fair. We entered just as a baby calf was being born. The front hooves were out about a foot and the little nose was trying to peek through! They had big screen TV's mounted above so that as we inched toward the actual pen where she was giving birth we could watch the whole birthing process. (I felt like a salmon swimming up stream, there were so many people) By the time we reached the pen, the calf had just given birth a few seconds before and there we stood......RIGHT in front of him! The pen was pretty big so we had no idea how far away we would be. But God led us right to the right place at the right time! We had a front row seat as this new little one learned to walk for the first time. It was GREAT!!

As is the custom we also got to participate in the naming of this new little one. The crowd voted by raised hand and cheering. Our three choices were Midway, Brett, and Doughnut. Our choice won! Meet Doughnut!

The dairy farmers, there to help with the birthing process, talked and taught us so much while we watched Doughnut try to walk. We learned A LOT!! Here's a little video of his first steps.

We had an amazing day! We made some great memories and the girls are really hoping that God makes a way for us to go back again next year. Thank you Lord for giving us this special day together. Thank you for making everything about it.....perfect.

Finished Closet

2010-08-31T05:33:00.003-05:00

Our closet project is complete. Yeah!! Her whole room has such a great feel to it now. Since she has no door on it, it really changed the way the room looks! But the best part was that we had a lot of fun doing it together. We make a great team!

I was a little nervous about taking all that shelving apart. Or rather remembering how to put it all back together again! LOL But we did it with no problems at all. And now it just looks so nice!

We used some old ceiling paint as primer and then did two coats of the lite lime green color on the inside. In an attempt to make something like a garden trellis we used some old dark green paint for the trim and then stencilled little flowers and butterflies all around it. Pretty artsy for me, huh? LOL
It was a lot of fun to work on together and Pillar loves the way it turned out! So glad we/I finally got it done!

A Fresh Start

2010-08-28T19:07:00.004-05:00

Proverbs 31:27 (New International Version)

27 She watches over the affairs of her household
and does not eat the bread of idleness.

I know I've been missing from bloggy world for a few weeks, but the Lord's been dealing with me. And I've been letting Him!! So I've thrown myself whole heartedly into what the Lord has called me to and done it with all my heart. I've made many changes in my own heart first, and then in the live's of my children. I must lead by example, I don't want to be a hypocrite.

Our school year started two weeks ago and it's been awesome!! We're using some new curriculum this year. Some that was given to me or found for just pennies. It's been fun! Rosebud is using Total Language Plus for language arts this year. We slowly read through a book dissecting it bit by bit. In addition to the necessary LA there are also fun activities, simple geography and character lessons added to it. She's LOVING these. Most are very simple both in time and money. Right now she's reading Pipi Longstocking. We've baked Swedish Christmas cookies, gone to the zoo, made and flipped pancakes REAL high, and attempted 43 somersaults in a row just to name a few~ LOL However, after just 7 she determined that this particular activity must have been meant for younger children. lol Hence the painful pic below.

We're using Mystery of History for the second year and loving it. When I put the time in to find the right books and movies at the library to go along with it, it really adds a new dimension to it. And when I plan ahead and prepare for the suggested activities, it's amazing all that they retain. So I have been diligent to do all of the above~and not regretting it for a moment!
Bowling with the family.

I have a question for you all. How do you determine how many books to have your children read? Mine have textbook reading/studying, assigned reading which might be for history or science, and then fun reading. They all enjoy reading too. I'm pretty selective about what they're allowed to read and am always on the lookout for a good book recommendation. But if they had their way it would be fun reading every day and I'm trying to get more non fiction, biographies or even historical fiction included in there. But I don't want them to lose their enjoyment of it either. Any help would be greatly appreciated!!

I've also been tackling little odd jobs around the house that are WAY overdue! We've made trips to consignment stores, goodwill, and friends house's to de-clutter. Yeah! Such a good feeling every time I do it. And the funny thing is when I start to de-clutter, then the next thing I know the girls are doing the same without any prompting by me!

One of the bigger projects has been to finish painting Pillar's closet. We painted her room a few years ago. Yep, you heard me right.....a couple years ago. But never painted her closet. I guess we didn't have enough paint to do what we wanted and then just never got around to finishing it at all. Well that what we're doing this week. Together, just the two of us. And we're having so much fun!! The two of us in a pretty small space has not gone without accident as you see here! LOL

We're not quite done yet. We put on the second coat of color today and we'll do the detail and stenciling tomorrow. I think it's going to look great when we finish!

Miracle, Rosebud and I are using Apologia's Human Body this year and trying their new notebooking journals too. In years past we've used a lapbook from Live and Learn Press. I thought we needed a change so we're using these and learning so much! The experiments are really helpful too! We've had so many medical issues in our family that this study is very relevant and the girls are eating it up! This is a jello mold of a cell. We used candy for the different parts. I wish I could tell you it tasted good, but alas....it was nasty! lol

Sorry about all the mixed up pics. I don't know how they all got out of order. Weird!

I wish we would have thought to take a video of what we saw here. The mother giraffe nursed her baby and just hugged and nuzzled him. It was the sweetest thing I've ever seen at the zoo. By the time the baby had finished nursing and the mama had stopped cuddling him, there was a HUGE crowd watching. What a beautiful sight!

Thank you for all your kind encouraging words. I appreciate them all!! Have a wonderful day tomorrow and enjoy the Sabbath with your family.

PS. Please don't forget to answer my question. Thank you!!

The Nina and Pinta ~ Up Close!

2010-08-08T18:27:00.006-05:00

We had the opportunity to see the most historically accurate replica of the Columbus ships ever built. The Nina and Pinta tour together as a sailing museum. They just happened to be docked just over an hour away from us so we just HAD to check them out! I must say we thought they were pretty cool. We were blessed with beautiful weather too! The breeze blowing through our hair made us feel like we were out in the open waters. Fun!!

The men/crew of the ship would sleep on hammocks tied between the masts.....WAY.....up there!

Hmmmmmm.......I wonder what's.....down.....there??????

Aghhhhhhhhhhhhh! Gotcha!!! LOL

Aye aye sailors!

On the way back to the van we found this cool amphitheatre. My little monkeys down there putting on a show.

Silly silly silly!!!

Aren't they cute??

After we were done "playing" we drove another hour and went to our favorite little Amish store called Weavers. It's been an annual tradition for years now to go every summer. They have wonderful old hymns playing in the background and they carry all kinds of fun food at great prices! Just a few of our favorites are little alphabet pretzels as well as alphabet pasta, mini marshmallows for our hot chocolate this winter, baking chips in every imaginable flavor, bulk flours, everything I need for baking bread that I can NEVER find in the stores, and the coolest candies ever! The girls always get to pick out a bag of new fun candy. A tradition we hope to continue for many years to come!

It was a fun day! And to finish the day off we stopped at Sports Authority to look at swim apparel and gear for the girls. And guess what?? God gave us such favor!! An associate in the store gave us two different coupons to use on our purchases. And then we found out at the checkout that the items we selected were really clearanced out but not marked properly! Wahoooo! So we walked out with just about everything we needed for just a fraction of the price. Thank you Lord!!! I love it when He directs our steps to be at the right place at the right time.

God Bless YOU!

Dinner's in the Freezer....and Breakfast Too!!

2010-08-03T22:10:00.002-05:00

I am a HUGE fan of cooking and freezing meals in advance!! It's a way that I can feed my family healthy, economical meals that taste great and do not require hours of work. Another benefit is that I have wonderful homemade meals at a moments notice for blessing friends and neighbors as well! Especially now that the girls are older and able to help in the kitchen, we can really get a lot done in one afternoon. Yeah!!

Monday morning we went to WalMart and bought everything on our shopping list but the fresh fruit and produce totalling about $150. Then that afternoon we made the following meals:

Chili - 4
Sloppy Joe Casserole - 4
Chicken-Broccoli Bake - 3
Greg's BBQ - 2

(I did have a pic of it all, but it disappeared from the camera somewhere between here and there. Bummer.)

This morning we went to Aldi's and bought a bunch of fresh fruit and veggies. We also stopped off at Goodwill and found some much needed jeans/pants for this Fall/Winter for the girls. They were having a 1.49 Yellow tag sale. Wahooo!

Then we came home and made the following meals:

Chicken Curry - 3
Beef and Bean Burritos - 48 burritos divided into 6 meals
PB&J Breakfast Cookies - 48 cookies divided into 6 meals
Farmer's Breakfast Casserole - 2
Strawberry Smoothies - 6
Fresh blueberries (frozen) - 1 Bag
Although we're all tired from the boiling, chopping, cutting, stirring, slicing, mixing, labeling and freezing.....it's a wonderful feeling to have a full freezer of yummy homemade meals!!

Hope you're enjoying your summer!

Little House on the Prairie

2010-07-25T13:48:00.013-05:00

WOW!! What an adventure we've had. We had such a GREAT time!!! I planned ahead and packed most of our meals so we wouldn't have to eat out and brought lots of snacks too! I didn't plan out every minute of our time there, but made a list of everything that was available during each part of the day. Then we just had FUN!! We left our house Friday morning at 6am and it wasn't too long before the van was pretty quiet. This is what Pillar and I discovered. LOL (I should also mention that we were blessed with a full tank of gas as a thank you gift!! Perfect timing!!)We took our time and made several fun stops along the way. You know......we enjoyed the journey!! Did you know that the real character of Linus was born and raised in Sleepy Eye, MN?

This year we have a membership to the Historical Society and with it FREE admission to 26 sites all around the state. We stopped off at this one where there were beautiful prairie grasses and flowers that have been preserved. The grass whistled in the wind. It felt like something right out of a Little House book. So peaceful. So beautiful.

There is a section of rock that the Indians used for ceremonies where more than 1900 ancient carvings or petroglyphs are found. We were able to recognize bison, hand prints or signatures, lightening and so many amazing designs.

We also got to use an atlatl to throw arrows at a fake bison off in the distance. It was amazing how far and how fast those arrows would fly. They said the Indians could throw up to 100 mph and kill a bison with one shot!!

The weather was absolutely beautiful when we arrived at Walnut Grove. A lot of the advertised special events were on Saturday so we didn't have to fight the crowds at all! It was PERFECT!! I think we took something like 80-90 pics so I'll try to just hit the highlights. We did so much!! lol

Pillar in an old time jail cell!

Because of the lack of enthusiasm in the students in this little schoolhouse.......

The teacher had the put one of them in the corner! Really......Rosebud just wanted to see what "Willie's" corner felt like! LOL

The dugout house in the background is a replica of the one Laura Ingles Wilder lived in when she was seven. Dirt floors and so very very tiny. Hard to imagine them all living in such a small space. While we were inside checking it out we discovered that we were not alone......a mouse had joined us! But I'll spare you the details AND that pic! lol

We ate a picnic lunch down on the banks of Plum Creek. It was picturesque! The water was so refreshing on a hot summer's day.

We, of course, had to go wading!! And yes, someone did fall in! LOL

Rosebud also lost/dropped/temporarily forgot her flip flops! But we found them before they floated too far down the creek! LOL

We went to the Mercantile where the couple that owned and operated it were so fantastic that we made a special trip to go see them again! They were so kind and made the girls feel very special. They asked them riddles, made us laugh and sold us candy sticks for $.10/each. What a deal! They also gave us free "left over" fudge the next day we came back. It was the best ever!!!

When we arrived at the pageant Friday night the stars of the show just happened to be sitting right there in the wagon in front of us! They smiled for pics and then they drove off

into the sunset to start the pageant.The weather changed for the worse that night. There was constant lightening and rumbling thunder with intermittent down pouring rain. We got soaked but still had a blast! The pageant continued as if the weather was sunny and calm. lol

The actress who played Nellie on the TV series was there on Saturday signing books and answering questions. The answers to my girls questions were #1 Yes ~ she is still acting. In fact, she just made a movie over in France. #2 Yes ~ she had a lot of fun on the set of the TV series. It was a good experience. #3 ~ Yes, she had control over the title of her book. And she went on further to explain how it came about. (We thought the title was completely inapropriate and disturbing considering she was representing a family show.)

There were lots of arts and crafts at the festival. The girls got to make corn husk dolls. Very cute!

And we finished off our trip by making a stop at Nellie's Cafe'. We all ordered a Nellie Burger that was very delicious. It was a quaint little restaurant with fascinating pictures and information all over the walls. It was a little different than we expected, but well worth the wait!

It was a wonderful experience. I'm so glad we did it!! I wanted to reward the girls for all their help and great attitudes this year. I love experiences like this where we enjoy the journey as much as the final destination. We made memories that will last a lifetime!! Thank you Lord for giving us such a blessed time together!!

Surprise, Surprise!!

2010-07-22T22:58:00.002-05:00

One day this week I woke up REALLY early. :-( Much much too early! And so after much trying and failing to go back to sleep, I gave in, went to the couch and tried to finish my very good book. However, I actually fell back asleep. This is a good thing!! But when Rosebud woke up and saw me strangely asleep on the couch, she thought I wasn't feeling well and decided to fix me breakfast to cheer me up! So sweet! She made our favorite.....scrambled eggs w/cheese, bacon and buttered toast. Yummy!! It was perfect!! And it was a wonderful way to start the day!This week our good friend went into labor a little early and had her beautiful 9lb 11oz baby boy! I helped take care of her children for awhile and these are all our girls being goofy at the park. I love these pics!!

The highlight of this park is this little spinner thing. They get soooooo dizzy from it. Just look at Miracle's hair!

I know these pics are blurry but they capture their faces well. I still laugh every time I see them!!

Still spinning......

To think.....they do this to themselves on purpose!! LOL

And last but not least I found the deal of the century on a new bike for Miracle this week. She's needed a new one for awhile and I really wanted to find her one for her birthday coming up. God is so faithful. It's a very nice, practically brand new red bike for only $25!!! The woman bought it last summer then hurt herself and could never ride it. Pics will be coming soon. I want to get one with Miracle riding it.

Hope your summer has had a few surprises as well!

Our Week in Review

2010-07-17T10:17:00.007-05:00

It's been busy over here, but in a fun way! I know our schedule will change dramatically next month as well as being a bit discouraged myself with how very slowly the healing process is going. So.......I just keep busy! I find it's a good way to keep better control of my thoughts and not focus so much on what I "can't" do instead of all the things I CAN! Hope deferred makes the heart sick. So everyday I am choosing to have Hope in HIM!

My surgeon is a good hour into the cities for us. So whenever we drive in I try to make a day of it and do something fun while we're there. This time we went to the Science Museum. Pillar did an experiment with live fly larva. I'll spare the details for those with a queasy stomach! LOL

Here they are dissecting, pulling apart and then examining the chromosomes.

A neighboring town had their Riverfest Days last week too. They put on a great parade with fireworks that night. A friend just happens to live close to the school where the fireworks are done. So we got to sit comfortably on her back deck and watch them! It was GREAT!!

Rosebud and her friend at the parade were born about 10 days apart and have a lot of fun together!

Pillar took this pic at the parade and I thought she did a great job!! It helps to have such a cute subject! LOL

We also went to the county fair where some old friends were competing in the 4H horse competitions. We were able to spend most of the day behind the scenes and watch all that is involved in showing horses. The girls LOVED it!! This is Becca and her horse Evy.

This is Shelley and her horse Codiac riding English. Of all their dress changes, I think this one was my favorite. It was amazing to me all the different rules for each type of riding. These kids practice A LOT!!

The girls were able to hang out in the stables, help care for the horses in between shows, and just generally "hang out." It was a great experience!

Becca could make her horse smile. It was so cute. Hard to get a pic of though!!

Becca's first of several ribbons. She would later win a first place!! We were so proud of her!!
Rosebud walking and cooling down Evy. Can I just tell you that she thought she was in heaven??? LOL
And last but not least before we left the fairgrounds we went on a couple rides. The zipper was a blast! I have the greatest memories of tricking my own mom to ride on this with me as a teen and making it spin so fast she screamed like an ax murderer was after her. I know I probably shouldn't get so much joy at the memory.....but I do! LOL
This was the girls second choice.....a new one for all of us. We weren't disappointed!!
We've also been swimming just about every day, sometimes twice a day! There of course were a million more things accomplished this week, but none seem very blog worthy. So I'll just say that I hope you're having a great summer! It's going to be over before we know it.

4th of July at the Kelley Farm

2010-07-04T21:24:00.003-05:00

It was hot and humid today, but we were with good friends so we hardly noticed at all! It seems every time we go to the Kelley Farm there is something "new" happening. Today was no different. In honor of the 4th.....150 years ago......part of a "real" passionate speech was given to show us what the farmers were going through at that time. What they were fighting for. What they believed in. It was very well done. The kids even got to raise banners and shout out during the speech. Although the girls didn't do this because they thought it would be "rude." lol All the kids got to play Townball out in the fields. What FUN!!! It's similar to baseball but with a few modifications to the rules. lol No strikes, any hit is a good hit, and you can throw the ball at the person to get them out. Just try not to aim at the "head." lol

Can you find the ball? Yep, this was a miss. But she didn't give up and hit a home run next! Wahoooo! The only one of the game! That's my girl!! Go Miracle!!

Those are all our kids out in the field. And that VERY cute pregnant lady is my good friend. Isn't she just the cutest thing? I don't think I ever looked that good with only 3 weeks left!

The dad's got involved too. It was a family game and we they had sooooo much fun!

It never did rain like the weatherman predicted. Yeah!! We were sooooo grateful!

This was the sign that our girls got to wave at the speech. It was a great way to get the kids involved in the process.

At one point one of the farmers asked Pillar to go to the barn and get a ladder. I'm not sure what I expected......but it wasn't this big heavy thing! As you can see she had a smile on her face and was up to the challenge!

Rosebud and Katie were transporting water from the single water pump in the center of the farm to the pigs down at the far edge. They worked together, got wet, and laughed the whole time doing it!

Aren't they just sweet working together?

But filling up the HUGE trough one bucket at a time was just too slow. So Rosebud gave this thing a try. It was REALLY heavy, not everyone could lift it. But she was determined. There's not much she can't accomplish when she puts her mind to it!

She also wanted to feed the horses but had to get fresh hay. Instead of just getting a handful.....she brought a whole wheelbarrow full!

She had to push it all the way back uphill when she was done unloading it. Her little cheeks were so red from pushing hard. She loves everything about farming. When she grows up....she wants to marry a farmer!

I'm not sure what this game was called but the kids had to push these metal rings across the yard using wooden sticks. It was much harder than they thought because the metal rings weren't perfect! And the bigger they were, the harder they were!

It was a really great day! We won't be watching any fireworks this year, although I can hear them going off even now as I type. Usually we do, but we had so much fun today that the girls don't mind at all. I hope you enjoyed your day as well!

Special Guest Appearance/Post by Rosebud!

2010-07-02T18:36:00.002-05:00

I got lots of books for cheap today! They are for the summer reading program at the half price book store. It was fun. Each book was .50 and I got 6 books for $3. All I need now is a yo yo to do some tricks. Aunt Carissa, I hope you are proud of me!! In history we are learning about the 7 WONDERS of the WORLD!!! Next year I am going to do space science!The first week I got these books. We went garage sailing and I got Big Bad Beans for .05. And then I got HATTI E's story for 2.48. Tell me if you read any of these books please. I hope they're good books. I hope you like my blog post.

Love,

Rosebud

PS. Have a great 4th of JULY!!!!!

Summertime Fun and Games

2010-07-01T21:08:00.002-05:00

Yesterday we were notified of a Wednesday only garage sale that had "lots" of homeschool curriculum and books. So before swim lessons we headed over to check it out. I was excited to find the 2nd grade English curriculum that a friend needed for a bargain price as well as some books for my girls. The books were all .05 - .50 and many of them very nice!! I also found these fun paper dolls in old historic clothes. Very fun!!On the way home from swim lessons we stopped off at another garage sale that was just down the street a bit from us. We almost didn't stop because it appeared a bit "junky." Boy am I glad we did!! The girls found this stack of old games that they LOVE to play as well as two tennis rackets. I was thrilled to find so many hours of enjoyment for just pennies. VERY cheap entertainment if you ask me. And me....well....I hit the jackpot. I found the deal of the century!! I still pinch myself to see if it really happened. I won't be able to show you pics until Christmas though!! But trust me.....it'll be worth the wait! I'm just so excited.....I'm not sure "I" can wait that long! LOL

The battleship games have been so much fun! We've always been a big game family. And these were in great shape and a great price. $1 each! The girls have been playing them every chance they get!

Pillar found this little guy outside the other day while mowing the lawn. Not sure what happened with the camera, but thought her pic turned out cool! She fed him some dragonflies hoping to see that long tongue come out to eat.....but alas.....the toad was too quick for our mere mortal eyes. She saw nothing spectacular at all and let him go.

Today was another fun day. For lunch we roasted hot dogs out in the fire pit so we wouldn't have to turn on the oven for lunch. Our a/c's been broken, and my neighbor couldn't come look at it until this afternoon. Which by the way he was able to fix for the fantastic price of chocolate chip cookies! Yeah God!! Anyhow, after lunch we played charades outside and let me tell you.....it was hilarious! Oh how I wish I would have had the camera. What a bunch of hams!

I hope you are enjoying your summer!

State Capitol Treasure Hunt

2010-06-20T21:21:00.007-05:00

Today there was an Art Treasure Hunt at our state capitol. We had never been there and I thought this sounded like a fun way to see it. The best part was that it was FREE! Not only the hunt but also parking since we went on a Sunday. Yeah!!! Can I just say that we all absolutely LOVED it! During our "hunt" we came across a guided tour (free) that was going up to the tippy top where those golden horses are. We tagged along and after winding up some very long stairs....we came out to a balcony and got to stand right next to those gold horses! I was soooooooo winded by the time we got to the top, it was a good thing I could just stand there and catch my breath. The girls were so excited though.....it was worth it! The view was magnificent!! They started us off by giving us a large brochure with 12 pictures of the items we had to find. There was a place to put a gold star as we found each one. There were three floors to explore plus the cafeteria down in the basement. Simple, but very effective and FUN!

Yup, Miracle found this one on our list. There were quite a few statues.....but this is the one we needed! She's quite proud of herself! LOL

An "Old Fashioned" phone. LOL OK.....now I really do feel old! They still have a hard time believing that I didn't have a cell phone or Internet growing up.

Aren't they just the cutest?

Admiring their conquest this afternoon. We found all the artwork on all three floors! We also saw the Senate, House of Reps, Supreme Court and all their corresponding offices.

The architecture was breathtaking, but I'll let Pillar blog about that. She took something like 100 pics before we deleted and organized. As it turns out she has quite the eye for art and architecture.

We came home to a nice clean house that smelled heavenly because of the roast, carrots, and potatoes that I had put in the crock pot before we left. I'm so glad I planned ahead! And to top off our wonderful day we watched Roman Holiday with Audrey Hepburn before bed. I love old things. Old books, old movies, old buildings. Ahhhhhh! So nice!! I hope you had a wonderful day as well!

PS....I forgot to mention one very important detail about today. One that I mussn't forget!! On our way to the capitol we had to stop at DQ because 2 of the girls accomplished VERY hard goals this week! Pillar completed a two week science module in only one week AND got an A on it and Rosebud did 100 random multiplication problems in 2:36! So we celebrated!! I told ya....it was just a really great day!

Ma's Pancake Man

2010-06-17T21:41:00.002-05:00

I have to say right up front that I did not find these beauties at a garage sale, but at Goodwill. However, I am as thrilled as can be at discovering them!!! They are not frilly and foofooey at all, and yet they are still feminine. They have little puff sleeves, scalloped edges, pleats and fun necklines. Oh Joy!! And they just happen to be in the perfect colors and style for a certain daughter of mine with particular taste! I am as pleased as can be!!!

Next month we are driving down to Walnut Grove to experience Little House on the Prairie up close and personal! The girls are so excited!!! And so in honor of this little field trip we are reading aloud the Little House Series. This week I am reading Little House in the Big Woods. We've read bits and pieces but never the whole series. I have to say that we have all laughed out loud several times. This morning I tried to make pancake men like Ma did.....but my first attempt looked more like a spider....and thus became one. My second attempt looked more like a snowman....and thus she became one too! After that I gave up and made the girls initials and hearts and fun stuff like that. Of course we had to throw in some chocolate chips too! And just so ya know....I did make another Z that didn't turn out backwards. lol And Pillar made an M for me so I wouldn't feel left out!

The backside of this heart is COVERED with mini chocolate chips!

It was a fun day had by all! Thanks for stopping by!

Summer Reading Programs

2010-06-16T21:39:00.003-05:00

We've always enjoyed summer reading programs. We've got a great local library and we've done theirs for sure. And in years past we did other large book stores as well. But most of those only go to 6th grade. So we were thrilled when my wonderful sister in law informed us that these two companies have joined in this summer as well. Yeah!! We especially love ice cream, although The DQ program here only goes through 6th grade. The Half Price Books on the other hand goes through age 14! And the best part is that each child can earn a $3 gift card.....each week....all summer long! The only bummer is that they can't combine them. But we don't mind. Just imagine all the wonderful deals we'll find! We can hardly wait. If you click on the pictures, they should direct you to the correct forms to sign up. If I linked up correctly that is. :-)

I always set a reading goal for the girls each summer and these programs really help keep them motivated. Too bad there isn't one for moms too! LOL

Dairy Days

2010-06-15T21:37:00.005-05:00

We went to the Kelley Farm again for their Dairy Days and we were NOT disappointed! We had so much fun!!! The girls got to churn butter from beginning to end. They used the buttermilk that was left to make biscuits, although we didn't stay for that. We also got to watch curds and whey separate on the stove top. We learned so much!! The pics didn't load right so you'll have to wait till the end to see the butter pics. Sorry!

These baby lambs were so gentle and kind, just like my Miracle.
Pillar and I watched this cat chase and capture this little rodent. It was hard to take a pic with him on the run!

And here's their opinion of the outhouse! LOL

Rosebud could have hung out with the horses all day.

Miracle found the baby kittens. She was amazed at how much they had grown in just one week.

We got to work in the garden for awhile. We started weeding the potatoes, but the ground was pure mud and difficult to work in. We didn't get very far. :-(

We used the "dash" to churn the butter. I didn't realize what a precise system/rhythm is required. And once you start.....you can't stop! The temperature has to be just right and if all the different factors are JUST right......a pro might be able to make butter in just 20 minutes. But many times it just doesn't turn out. What a bummer! So we were all thrilled that our butter turned out GREAT! Yeah!!

Now they're gathering all the butter off the top and placing it in cold water.

Yup....pretty nasty, slimy, buttery hands by the time they were done!

And this was our butter!! It was such a great experience. The girls were really glad they didn't have to do this once or twice a week! LOL

It was a great time had by all! Can't wait to go back again!!

City Wide Garage Sales

2010-06-13T20:29:00.006-05:00

This week we were "sellers" at a city wide garage sale in a neighboring city. It was CRAZY busy on Wednesday!!! I've shopped at city wide's before....but never sold. Oh my!! We had prayed that God would bring all the people that needed our clothes, curriculum and daycare items. And He sure did! We made $250 on the first day! Yeah!!! The weather didn't cooperate for the rest of the week, so traffic was pretty slow. Only the diehards would brave the rain and wind. But we still made more than $35o total! I'm thrilled!!! Thrilled to have the cash and thrilled to have successfully de-cluttered my house a bit. What a great feeling!

Here is a better pic of the beautiful chair and ottoman that we were given this week. Only God could give me a piece of furniture that is both functional and the perfect colors! We really needed another place to sit and this one piece of furniture ties together everything else in the room. Only God!!

The girls can bowl two free games everyday this summer through this national program here. But we still have to pay $2.50/person for shoes. Ouch! These shoes were for sale by another family at our garage sale and they blessed us with them. Yeah!! They're even name brand and practically brand new. How nice! We just might learn how to bowl this summer! LOL

It was a wonderful week, an exhausting week. But boy was it worth it!!

Simply Beautiful

2010-06-11T20:58:00.003-05:00

There's more than one beautiful thing about this picture.....

Last week I took all three girls in for routine eye exams. And much to my surprise I was told that Pillar's prescription had changed just a tiny bit. Miracle had what the doctor described as "Hawk eyes" or much better than 20/20 and my sweet Rosebud....well, she evidently has a severe astigmatism. Bad enough that they retested three times, just to be sure. Here she is sporting her new glasses that we just picked up today. Isn't she just the cutest thing??? The Dr. was amazed that Rosebud's reading and comprehension were so high given her diagnosis. She said it had to be because we homeschool. I heard this same exact comment about Pillar when she got her glasses years ago. Hmmmmmm. Makes me wonder how many children are having "issues" at school simply because they have "issues" with their eyes that have gone undiagnosed. The Dr. rattled off a list of possible problems she might be having in school that would be caused by this astigmatism. One of them was mixing up letters like "b" and "d". A few of the others were handwriting, being able to stay focused, and getting distracted easily. All of which we have been diligently working on. I'm very curious to see the changes that occur now that she's sporting these new pink beauties!! I think she looks simply smart and adorable. But I guess I'm a bit prejudice since I'm her mom!
The other beautiful thing about this picture you ask????

Well, it's the story behind the chair. It was given to us this week quite unexpectedly. I've wanted one for sometime, but not bad enough to buy one. Well not only is this a great little chair with cute curves and lines, but the color is absolutely PERFECT! It's the same color of red that my hutch is at the other end of the room. And those little circles/flowers are the same color of blue that our couch is. Only God could give me a piece of furniture that would tie together all the rest of the furniture in the room. Just about every piece of our furniture was given to us by a different family at a different time. Each one has a story, a testimony. God has been so very good to us for many many years. And this little chair has brought me some much needed encouragement this week. Thank you Lord!!!

Oliver H. Kelley Farm

2010-06-06T19:03:00.010-05:00

Today we went to a living-history farm that was home to a rural American leader and founder of the Grange. It's a restored 1860's farmstead with working fields, vegetable gardens, animals, kitchen cooking and so much more. And all the farmers/employees are in 1860's dress! What fun!! It rained off and on all afternoon so if you look closely at this picture you can see the rain pelting the girls that got the chance to ride up front. This was by far Rosebud's favorite part of the day as she got to personally pick the driver's brain the entire 1/2 hour ride. She loves all things horses and farms!! I'm not sure who enjoyed the ride more though. Rosebud or the driver who thoroughly enjoyed all her questions and curiosity! We had the privilege of spreading manure on the rhubarb garden. According to the girls this smelled worse than the outhouse! LOL

I just have to say that these oxen were HUGE!! I don't know that I've ever seen any up close. And I have a much better appreciation for the scriptures that reference a "yoke" now. What a massive and strong piece of equipment!

We spent a great deal of time in the main house cooking. We fried potatoes in lard. Gross, I know. We made cornbread from one of the very first cookbooks in our state. We also helped make strawberry jam. And learned a ton of fascinating information while doing it!! All cooking was of course done how a 1860's woman would have done it. No standard measurement system yet. No refrigeration. No screens on windows. LOTS of flies. Eeeek! Only the very first primitive stove. It was a blast!!!

We pumped this water ourselves from the well outside and used it for everything from washing potatoes, cleaning dishes and making cornbread. When Rosebud looked inside the cup and saw all the dirt and crud in the cup she asked the "lady" what she was supposed to do with it? Surely she wasn't supposed to put it in the cornbread, right??? Yup, that's what we did! (Don't worry, only the animals get to eat all the food made in this kitchen.)

Wiping the cornbread pan with lard. Another fun tidbit of info is that their aprons doubled as hot pads! When working with the stove or oven they just grabbed their aprons.....so handy!!

Grinding sugar from big chunks into fine granules.

Yup....more lard for the potatoes. The potatoes were cut up into swirls that looked something like the very first curly fries! Very fun!

Bread crumbs for frying. They were hard as a rock!!

Water from the well. It was fun the first few pumps but it took both of them quite a while to fill up the bucket for the kitchen and boy were they glad that we don't have to do that several times a day!!

OK.....now this just fascinated me. Not sure why. Today they were shearing sheep all day. This is what we walked into. This is a young sheep who was doing anything but cooperating with the process. The farmer got a real workout trying to hold it down and shear it.

Every time this farmer repositioned, the sheep fought and struggled to get free. Until once again the farmer gently held it down by putting his leg across his neck. The farmer was as gentle and kind as could be and was only doing what he had to.....to keep the sheep safe while he sheared it.

Now, here comes the next sheep. A mother that these three farmers couldn't praise highly enough. They sung her praises the entire time they sheared her. She had birthed twins multiple years in a row, she had birthed a strong ram, her babies were strong and healthy.....and she cared for all her babies well, better than most.

Look at how calm she is. She's not fighting them at all. She's not struggling for freedom.

She was completely at ease as if she knew that when they were done her babies would be able to find milk easier. That she would be cooler this summer. That these gentle farmers would never harm her. She completely trusted them. It was truly amazing to watch these two animals react so very differently to the same gentle farmers. One fought and struggled and made things so tough for itself during the process. The other completely trusted and relaxed during the process and it went much faster and smoother! I think I could take some lessons from this mother!

It was a wonderful day! We can't wait to go back again.

History and the Bible Come Alive!

2010-05-11T22:22:00.004-05:00

History.....I really enjoy history. I haven't always though. I thought the memorization of endless names, places and dates to be rather boring. But then one year in school I had a teacher who really had a "passion" for history and it completely changed my way of thinking. It became a story that impacted my own. I've enjoyed it ever since. But now that I'm a homeschooling mom.....I think I enjoy teaching it the most. It just fascinates me!!!

Tonight we had a special treat. We drove into the cities to hear a lecture at a christian college. It's about an hour away from us, but well worth the drive. His name was Michael Wise, and he is a world renown expert on the Dead Sea Scrolls. What's really cool is that these same scrolls that we learned about tonight are on exhibit at our state's science museum. WOW! The real thing just inches away from me. I can hardly wait to go see them!

That being said, you know when you have those proud mama moments? Those moments that feel like encouragement straight from the throne room of heaven? I know we are all proud of our children, as we should be. They are wonderful gifts from heaven. But since this is my blog and I don't have anyone else to tell......I'm going to share my proud moment with YOU! lol I hope you don't mind.

Tonight we went to this lecture not really sure what to expect. I wasn't disappointed at all. That being said, this was a true "lecture." It was not dumbed down for us non-scholars at all. lol It was about 1 1/2 hours long with a Q & A session at the end. 2 hours in total. Dr. Wise spoke like a true "professor" and had a good slide show presentation to go along with his talk. There were many words that I had never heard before. Just being honest. lol But what was so amazing to me was that woven throughout his speech was everything we've been studying in history this year!!

Now, I couldn't tell by the girls expressions if they were catching any of it. We had great seats right up front and I think they were glued to him and the screen all night. But the chairs were uncomfortable, it was late, and there was some wiggling and tiredness going on. Especially in my fun loving 8 year old. lol It was impossible to tell what they were thinking. Were they bored to tears at this man's 2 hour speech with words that even I hadn't heard before? Did they understand any of it?? Did they remember and see the correlation between what they had learned/read in history and what they were hearing here? Was the Bible coming alive for them in a new way like it was for me? I could hardly wait to hear their opinions afterwards!

Well, I wasn't disappointed. In fact.....I was amazed!!! I could hardly believe all the details that they learned and remembered. Thank you Lord!! I love it when He does this.....an unexpected surprise that ties everything together nice and neat! What a fun and wonderful way to tie up our year of history! We're not quite finished yet, but we're close. And after the year we've had....it did this mama's heart good to see all that they have learned. Really learned.

The best part about it though was how it not only tied together everything in history this year.....but what we've studied in the Bible as well. I am truly amazed at how God can make His Word come alive to us when we make learning it a priority. Thank you Lord for this special blessing straight from you. I love you so much!!

Lovely Locks and Lots of Life!

2010-05-04T20:13:00.003-05:00

I used to roll Pillar and Miracle's hair when they were little. I have the greatest pics of them in diapers and rollers....dancing on the bed in front of my big mirror! If only I had a scanner. Although I'm sure they're happy I don't. LOL So when I found a HUGE container of these same rollers for $1, I just couldn't resist. Miracle has beautiful, thick, very straight hair. She has always wanted some curls like her sisters. Now she has them!

Yes, Rosebud is quite a ham!!

Her hair is naturally curly, so these ringlettes actually stayed in for 2 days!!

Ahhhh, just look at this beautiful smile. It melts this mama's heart.

While my Grandma was here, the girls planted some seeds. It so much fun to see new life spring forth. Pretty soon we'll have a nice sized container gargen growing on our back porch. Yeah!! Someday we'll have a "real" garden!

Last fall one of my former daycare parents, who just happens to be a master gardener, spent an afternoon doing some landscaping for me as a thank you gift. It was such a sweet gesture. I've always admired nicely manicured lawns with beautiful landscaping. But the outside of my home has never been a top priority. I've been waiting all winter to see what popped up!

I can't tell you how thrilled I am to see all these beautiful plants springing forth around my house!! Just look at them all! These will all have bright flowers pretty soon too. I'm just so excited!! I've never had any landscaping before.....I just love looking out my window now!!

This is one of our new raspberry plants. It's one of the biggest ones. Someday it will produce some great raspberries!! Yum!!

Happy Spring!!

Lists

2010-05-02T21:03:00.003-05:00

I really like lists. I like the satisfaction of crossing things off. Truth be told I've been known to write something down.....just so I can cross it off! LOL I know. That's pathetic. But it's true. I am not a slave to my lists anymore though. But there was a day when I was. Productivity. Accomplishment. Finality. What wonderful feelings. Now, of course, not all success can be measured by a list. But at the end of a long hard day, week, month or even year....it sure does help keep me focused on the positive. On what I "can" do. Or rather what God can do when I cooperate with His plans and purposes!

This was just part of our list for today. I'm very pleased. Mind you I didn't do all this by myself. We're a family and when we work together, it's amazing what we can accomplish!

Plant raspberry plants in the backyard
Clean, organize and price items from our garage
Take another van load to sil house for garage sale
Girls complete weekend household chores
Plan meals
Go to bank
Buy groceries
Chop/dice/slice food for this week
Many loads of laundry cleaned, folded and put away
Call in and Pick up prescriptions
Call Grandma
Call Friend
Hang bulletin board and flower on Miracles wall
Roll Miracle and Rosebuds hair in sponge rollers while watching Amazing Race!

Whew! I'm tired! Although it's still very difficult to breath, it feels good to be "doing" something again. It feels good to be able to cross a few things off the list!!!

Random Thoughts

2010-05-02T06:39:00.003-05:00

I have to say that there's something very satisfying about finding name brand winter coats for my girls, that just happen to be in there favorite colors, for pennies at a garage sale. Now don't get me wrong. I am not one to only buy name brand clothes. These that I found recently just happen to be! They are in "like new" condition too!! I'm just so pleased! I don't know what my financial future holds at the moment. Not sure what God's plan is.....but that's OK....because I know HE is the plan! He is the answer! So I'm sticking close to Him. That being said I'm preparing for winter, because I know it's coming. I'm making sure my family has everything they need. Because whether I'm prepared or not.....it's coming. Technically, it's only spring here. But we've had an unusually warm April and many many garage sales! I've already found beautiful warm coats for all three girls as well as snow pants/bibs for each! Some I already had from last year, but most were very worn and needed to be replaced. Now all I need are new boots for each. Yeah God!! Thanks for the deals!

A bloggy friend of mine introduced us to these two fantastic science sites. This virtual surgery website has knee surgery, hip surgery and even brain surgery. The girls are loving them!! Caution: virtual blood is shown as well as the sounds of different instruments. ie. saws The other site, orlive.com shows actual surgeries being preformed. This site is definitely NOT for the squeamish! My girls LOVE it though! Thanks Kysha for sharing them with us!! If you know of any others, please let us know. Thanks!!

Yesterday, my brother found us FREE raspberry plants on Craig's list. They were already dug up and wrapped in newspaper! All we had to do was drive 15 miles away to pick them up! Yeah!! We're going to replant them in the backyard against our fence line today. I'll try and get a pic of them after we're done.

We are also getting ready for a HUGE garage sale with my sil this week. I'm trying to downsize, de-clutter, and just CLEAN HOUSE!! We've already brought over one packed to the brim van load. We're doing another today. Pray that everything sells for both of us please!

Well, the sun has risen and there is much work to do. So that's it for now! I haven't been on the computer much these days as it's hard to sit for very long. But I believe that is going to get better soon. I miss my bloggy friends!

March/April Highlights

2010-04-06T22:14:00.006-05:00

First of all I should give you a medical update. My next broncospopy is scheduled for Friday April 16th. It is a same day surgery where they will blow up a "balloon" inside my airway to stretch it out as well as laser out any webbing or scar tissue that might be forming where it shouldn't. So far the surgeon has not seen anything that he didn't already expect to see. We have had no bad reports. My throat as well as my rib are healing well, although the rib is healing slowly. I have a massage therapist coming to the house twice a week now to help with the pain in my back right shoulder blade area. Evidently it is common to have shoulder issues after major surgeries. I guess we never really know how they contort our bodies to accomplish these surgeries. My physical therapist told me this week that the rib will heal when it's good and ready! And there's not anything I can do to make it heal faster, although there is plenty I can do to slow it down. So I'm taking it easy and not pushing myself physically. (My daughters will probably disagree with me here. :-))

Friends and family have been very good about bringing homemade meals and groceries to us these past weeks as I am not able to work right now. Just last night a friend that I haven't seen in many months drove almost an hour to our house to visit and bring bags and bags of groceries and household supplies! And another sweet friend brought us some much needed fresh fruit and veggies! My brother's family has also helped with the girls as well as transporting me to and from the hospital and doctors office. All our needs are being met beautifully. Thank you for everyones prayers!!

Our homeschool continues to be successful everyday in spite of the physical challenges. Can I just say that I am so very proud of my girls??? They are so faithful, generous, smart and beautiful, inside and out. They have done all the laundry (we live in a split level and the laundry is in the basement), most of the cooking, cleaning, and overall household duties for more than a month now without complaining. They have continued to do school with great attitudes and do what is expected, even if I'm not available as much as usual. I really couldn't be more proud!

This Easter Rosebud asked me what would have happened if Jesus hadn't risen from the dead. It led to a wonderful conversation about the power of the Resurrection and how we serve a LIVING God!! He's not dead.....He's ALIVE!!

We also found a bag of old plastic Easter eggs. So just for old times sake we loaded them up with spare change and some M&M's and had an Easter egg hunt outside. I don't think we've had an Easter without snow since Pillar was a baby. So an outside Easter egg hunt was a big treat for all! Here's just a few pics of the girls having fun. It's too bad they're not more dramatic! LOL
These pics truly were not staged~

I just love to hear them laugh and squeal with delight!

It's the simple pleasures in life that make this mama's heart so happy.

This year Miracle has been working very hard on her reading comprehension. We made a goal for her and she's worked very very hard to achieve it. She had to read X# of large chapter books, approved by me of course, to reach her goal. For her reward she wanted a bonnet. She's wanted one for a very long time. And now she has it. She's so proud.....but I think I am more so! Proud that is!!!

This last week I felt I had the energy to make a small trek to a local park. Walking is the one thing that I'm "allowed" to do right now. So while the weather was so nice we got out a little. We packed a picnic lunch and spent the afternoon outdoors. The girls played, and I read a book under a tree. Don't you just love parks? I do!

I've always wanted to get one of these fun shots. But I didn't realize until we got home that it appears like two of them have their feet on the ground. But you can tell from their clothes that they really are up in the air. I guess you have to bend your knees to get the full effect. But they sure did have fun being goofy!

Overall, it's been a good 6 weeks. God is awesome and continues to be so very faithful to us. I am so grateful that we know Him.....and He knows us! No matter what our circumstances bring us, He is there leading us and guiding us in the way that we should go! Thank you Lord!!

I'm Back Home!!

2010-03-13T22:14:00.002-06:00

Hello to all my bloggy friends!!

It's soooo good to be back home! Thank you for all your sweet cards, e-mails, comments and prayers. God continues to be ever so faithful. I have so many wonderful testimonies of His goodness and grace to share with you! I'll try to keep them short and sweet.

First, I must say that the doctor who did the throat surgery stated, "The surgery could not have gone more perfect." Those were his words, not mine. He realized that there was something different, notable about it. Thank you Lord for your presence!

I was only on the ventilator 4 days, not a full week as previously anticipated. I have had no aspiration issues to date. No choking on fluids at all! Yeah God!!

I passed the 'breathing test' with flying colors, making the floater go all the way to the top the first time! Even with all the swelling, soreness and post surgery healing happening.....I can still breath wonderfully!!

My voice is growing stronger every day.

10 days after my first surgery I have had a second laser surgery and I am pleased to report that the scope/laser surgery was remarkable. There was no need to laser anything, nor was there any need to stretch anything! Nothing is happening inside my throat that is not supposed to be happening. PTL! That really is miraculous!!!

I have an 'in office' appointment to make sure things keep progressing in two weeks and then another scope/laser surgery scheduled in four weeks (April 16th) with the anticipation that they may have to laser or stretch something as my healing completes. I will give you updates on those as they happen.

Pain management continues to be an area where prayer is needed and much appreciated. More for the rib injury than the throat, although both hurt.

Thank you again for all your love and support. Just today we had more groceries and meals delivered to us. I look forward to giving you many more good reports in the days to come. God Bless You!!

Medical Update #3

2010-02-25T11:19:00.003-06:00

I will spare you all the drama that has played itself out in the last 48 hours and just tell you that the trip to Cincinnati for a second opinion has been cancelled. I received a call from billing at the Cin. hospital telling me that I had no "out of network" coverage unless in an emergency situation, which I am not. Obviously, there were a lot of mistakes on their part. But bottom line is that I have been praying over these very same details from day one and know that God has had His hand on all of it. He alone can make something happen as well as stop it. I learned years ago to trust Him and follow His lead. I'm so thankful that He revealed this "truth" now. Things could have been so much worse had we gone down there as scheduled.

That being said I have decided to go ahead with the original March 1st surgery scheduled here. Just to recap they will be taking out a 2 inch section of my rib, whittling it down and placing it in the back of my throat to keep my airway open permanently. I will be intubated for approximately 5-7 days in ICU. Once the tubes have been removed I will be moved to a regular hospital room to start the recovery process. I'll be honest, and unashamedly tell one and all that I absolutely LOVE flowers, cards, comments from my bloggy friends, e-mails, and pics from the kids!! It's the next best thing if I can't see you in person!!

Thank you for your continued prayer and support during all of this. I really appreciate it. I believe God is going to guide and direct the surgeons hands with precision that can only be described as supernatural!

Wordless Wednesday

2010-02-24T20:38:00.001-06:00

Interior Designer I am Not

2010-02-22T20:06:00.003-06:00

I am NOT an interior designer. In fact, I do not have an interior designer bone in my body. I am not one of those people who just automatically knows what would look nice in any given room in a house. Oh how I wish I did! I know what I like when I see it. I just don't know what to do or how to get there. I get intimidated at the very thought of hanging pictures on the walls. But today I conquered my fears! I hung up several pictures and even a mirror. SHOCKER!!

This was quite an "ugly" little nook in my home. Very practical mind you, but ugly. I think it looks much better now with a few pics!
I love these old antique pictures of the girls. And the quilt my sister in law made me when I got married is nice touch too if I don't say so myself!

A couple Christmas's ago we visited my Grandmother down in southern Az. We spent one day down in Mexico. While we were there we got this funny drawing done of all of us. It's the goofiest looking thing. Rosebud is about the only one that looks like herself in it. But we have the greatest memories and a lot of laughs every time we look at it.

Funky mirror. Don't know if there are any "rules" about how to place mirrors, but we all like it!

Well, there ya have it. My attempt at pictures and decorating. Hmmmmmm. What's next?

Just Do the Next Thing

2010-02-22T18:45:00.002-06:00

I have tried this past month, this past year....to keep things as "normal" as possible for the girls. I knew that there was plenty I had no control over and that I would have to completely trust God with. So knowing that, we take one day at a time and just do the next thing. We do what we know to do....what we "can" do. We have set our alarms each night and maintained our homeschool schedule/routine very well despite all the ever changing medical situations. But this last month has been especially challenging. In part due to stress I suppose, and largely in part to a drug reaction that we didn't discover until a couple weeks of taking it that caused "mental confusion." The good news is that I'm off those drugs now and feeling good again, much more like myself! Yeah!!

I also thought I would share a few random pics and thoughts from our last month. The first thing I want to share though is how proud I am of my girls. They are truly amazing!! In the face of fear, they are strong and courageous. They love God and they love their family. They are such a blessing to me.

One Saturday morning Pillar made these cute snowmen pancakes for us! She's so creative!
With three girls in the house we never tire of finding cute new do's!

Ahhhhhh! They make my heart sing!

They were so excited to go sledding with their cousins. We have a great sledding hill not 10 minutes from our house, but I haven't been able to take them this winter. So this was a HUGE blessing!! Thank you! Thank you!

They received gift cards to Claire's this Christmas and bought colored hair spray. How fun!!

I found this beautiful dress for Miracle at the Lands End Outlet. It was the last one on the rack, and in her size too....for 90% off!! It's beautiful with intricate bead work and lace. It was made just for her!! She absolutely loves it and has worn it every week since!

One more little moment if that's what you want to call it. The girls took their 1st Semester History exam last week. And they all got A's! Now I don't mean that in a "look how smart my kids are" kind of way. It really felt like a big pat on the back from God. More like a "Good job Mom!" In spite of everything going on, my kids are learning and thriving!!! Oh thank you Lord for your great mercy and grace!!! As Christians we're not promised a rosy trouble free life. Rest assured trials and tribulation will come our way. But the difference is that "we" don't have to go through it alone!! Ya, we're going through some stuff right now. But you know what? When we get to the other side of all this, and I KNOW we will.....we're going to be stronger, not weaker. What the enemy meant to destroy us......the Lord will turn around and use to make us stronger! Boy will we have a testimony then!!

Bathroom Project

2010-02-22T18:15:00.003-06:00

We finally finished the upstairs bathroom. Yeah!!! It looks so nice now. It's amazing what a couple coats of paint, a new border and a shower curtain can do to a room. All on clearance of course!! And I even thought to take before and after pics....aren't you proud of me??? This was by far the hardest part of the job. The Lord was so kind to me and sent me a handyman angel to scrape, sand and prime all the nasty walls for me. And my brother and nephew replaced the shower head to prevent any further problems in the future. Isn't God good?!?!?

Sorry I couldn't get a better pic. The walls are not pink at all. They are a nice warm taupe color, very similar to what I had originally. It's nearly impossible to get a full shot of my bathroom. But I think with a little imagination you can see how much better it looks now!

I'm so glad to be able to check this off my "To Do List!"

Medical Update

2010-02-04T21:40:00.004-06:00

Wow! It seems like forever since I've been able to blog. So I thought I would take a moment tonight and let you know what was going on over here. I've missed blogging. I've missed hearing from you. I'm sorry if this gets a little long....there's a lot going on right now. lol

Part 1

I have recently gone to a new ENT specialist. He is actually a pediatric specialist and all he deals with is teeny tiny airways. He is very confident that with more surgery he can give me about 30% more airway. That's the good news. The surgery that he recommends is taking a portion of my rib and placing it in the back of my throat to force it open. It's a long surgery and has significant risk involved.

A couple of the risk factors being:

1. Loss of voice. Probably just a little breathy sounding, but possibly full loss. Although total loss is unlikely. A permanent trach is a risk none the less.

2. Aspirations. According to him I might have slight aspirations that would go away after a few months....but possibly never. The swallowing system in our bodies is a complex one that involves 4 lines of defense so that food and liquid doesn't get down into our lungs. I would lose one of those defenses, but still have 3 intact. So I might choke every time I drink water, but not so bad that I get pneumonia all the time.

Some other things to be prayerful about, things that I'm struggling with:

I will be fully intubated for approx 1 week following surgery. Not sure whether that would be nasal intubation or oral. I will have to have restraints on my arms, holding me in bed, to prevent me from ripping my tubes out. Doesn't THAT sound like fun?!?! lol Obviously, I will be unable to talk, move, eat or breathe on my own for 1 week. To be completely honest, it terrifies me. I am constantly taking control of my thoughts and keeping myself busy! God has been good to me and I have had no trouble falling asleep. I am believing God that His presence will fill my room and that I will not be afraid, panicky, and anxious when I wake up. Not here at home, and not in the hospital after surgery!

I've been told that the rib "injury" could be pretty painful. I'm believing for supernatural healing there. I will have lifting restrictions, so I don't know when I will be able to do daycare again.

Part 2

Since all of that has been scheduled I have also decided to get a second opinion. The country's foremost experts in "Adult Airway Reconstruction" are in Cincinnati. My brother and I have been on the phone with them and they have agreed to see me and give me a full evaluation.

Right now we're just waiting. I have given them all my insurance information and they are handling that part of it from their end. They see patients from all over the world, so they know what they're doing. Once it's approved, I'll get a call from their office setting up the appt. It will be a 4 day visit with lots of testing. But we'll get their evaluation right away on that 4th day.

I've been reading about the children of Israel throughout the old testament. How they are speaking to me! How many times did God tell Joshua to be strong and of good courage?!?! He wouldn't have needed to tell him that if what he was facing wasn't scary! So bottom line.....I know that my God is GOOD! He has never let me down, and I have no reason to start doubting Him now. I will not be like the children of Israel who doubted, whined, cried, and turned from God when things got tough or they didn't understand. He is faithful and His Grace is sufficient FOR ME!

Thank you for your prayers and support. I really appreciate it!

My Marathon of Goodness and Grace

2010-01-19T19:45:00.018-06:00

I feel like I've run a marathon since last Friday afternoon. I took a slow deep breath knowing I wouldn't get another one until tonight. I didn't plan it that way of course, it just evolved. But we made it. Yeah!!! It all started that afternoon when I had to drive down to the hospital to get copies of CT scans for the new specialist I'm going to see tomorrow. We then stopped over at my brother's house for a few minutes before heading off to Claire's and Starbucks so the girls could have fun spending some of their Christmas gift cards. Knowing that I would need a lot from them the next couple days, I thought it would be good to give them some fun too! We pretty much had Claire's to ourselves, it was a great time for all.

The next day, Saturday morning, we woke up at 5:30 and were on the road by 6am to go pick up the papers for our route. The weather was almost 60 degrees warmer than the last two weekends. (-30 vs 30 above) Miracle had her head out the window enjoying the sunshine! lol But we had to stop delivering papers before we were finished, to drive into town and get the van fixed. What was supposed to be a quick one hour rear brake job.....took well more than two hours. Thankfully, we always bring games and I packed a lunch for us to eat too. Our church's car care ministry for single parents/elderly is such a blessing. It may take a while but it's worth it! Then we went back to finish the papers and then home to do our weekend chores. Yeah fun!! LOL I had to make sure the house was clean because I had surprise guests arriving the next day. (Isn't it frustrating when you're home just long enough to mess it up??)

Sunday morning we rose early again so that the girls could go to a friends house.....and me....well I got to go to the dentist. I know that doesn't sound like fun, but really....it's such an answer to prayer. This was without a doubt the best experience I've ever had at the dentist. He was so kind and gentle. And funny too! I've known that I needed to replace my crowns from 20+ years ago, but my ins. doesn't cover them, and I haven't had the cash. So I've waited and prayed. This was God's provision. Thank you Lord!!

We got home in the afternoon just in time to sit down and relax.....before the doorbell rang. A couple weeks ago, prior to all the last minute scheduling that happened, I had arranged a surprise for Pillar. She has a very good friend that she hasn't seen in a long time! I wish I could have figured out how to get a pic of her when she answered the door. She was truly speechless and a bit in shock! It was a heart warming moment to see the look of pure joy on her face! While the girls visited and got caught up on the latest greatest, her mom and I got to talk too. It was a lovely afternoon. And to top it all off, the lasagna I served for dinner just happened to be their favorite! I love it when God orchestrates every detail like that!

As soon as our company left that night, we were back in the van with bags packed, and on the road again. Mrs. H, who I've mentioned before, needed some help at her mom's house. Thankfully, the roads were clear and it was a quick two hour trip down. It's so hard for me to watch her suffer as her mom continues to receive bad reports from the doctors. I wish there was a way I could make this journey less painful. For now, this is how we can minister to her.

The kids had so much fun. And because all the kids were happy and well taken care of.....Mrs. H and I could knock out a lot of things on her mom's to do list. I wish we could have done more, but at least we could help a little.

Here they are sitting in the "couch" out in the snow fort.

Their home sits on 25 acres of beautiful forested land. The kids spent much of the day exploring and finding treasures. They also went sledding down their VERY long driveway. There's a little clip at the end. You can't see her, but a dog jumped on the sled with the girls half way down the hill!

We arrived back home Monday night about 8:30, although it felt more like midnight. The girls were so tired that two of them crawled straight into bed fully clothed and were actually SNORING when I went in to tuck them in! LOL I found them in the exact same position the next morning! Gee, ya think we all were a little tired???

And that brings us to today. We had to get up bright and early because a construction crew was supposed to show up at 7am to do weatherization improvements to my house. They didn't end up starting until after 10am. Bummer. But that's alright. We had a great day and I have some great energy saving improvements now. They blew insulation into my attic, replaced a broken window, put smoke detectors in each bedroom, carbon monoxide detectors too, weather stripping on doors, new dryer vent, and a bunch of other stuff! What a blessing. My energy assistance company randomly selected me for weatherization more than a year ago.....completely free of charge! It's taken a while to complete, but it's going to save me so much money. Thank you Lord for picking me!

This afternoon while the guys were working, Rosebud and I made these cute chocolate octopus cookies.

And while we were doing that, Pillar and Miracle were outside playing and taking pictures of all the cool winter sights in our yard for an American Girl contest. I think they took almost 100 pics between them, but this one was my favorite!

I hope your weekend wasn't quite as busy as mine, but regardless....Have a great week!! God Bless You!!

The Inside Olympics

2010-01-13T21:19:00.005-06:00

Today we were talking about the history of the Winter Olympics and so we decided to have our own "inside" Olympics. I don't know how much more we "learned" but we sure did have FUN! We did 5 events just like the early pentathlon. We had the long jump, and 63" was the winning jump. For the running event we had a race to see who could crawl the fastest across the living room floor. Get ready......set.......GO!
For the javelin throw we threw toothpicks as far as we could. For the discus we flicked pennies across the room. And for wrestling we arm wrestled. We really had a great time!

As for our challenge this week? Well.....have you ever prayed for patience? Watch out! You're sure to have PLENTY of opportunities to practice! lol We, I, have had LOTS of opportunities to exercise self control and not raise our voice. Boy is our flesh screaming! But that's good. We need to die to self so that HE can live through us!! Thank you Lord for teaching us to be more like you.

A Delightful Place

2010-01-11T18:33:00.007-06:00

I looked up the word Eden, the first home, in the Hebrew. It means delight, pleasures. So God intended our homes to be delightful places. How then can we make our home a more delightful place for our husband, for our children? How can we make our home have a more delightful atmosphere? A place where everyone wants to be. A place where everyone loves to be. This should be our prayer.

I have been meditating on these things lately and then my sister in law wrote this wonderful article here that inspired me to create a challenge for my family....starting with me, of course! There are a few bad attitudes, negative behaviors that have subtly crept in. They're ugly, selfish, and sinful. And I've declared war on anything that robs my home of God's very best! The first one we are attacking this year as a family is raising our voices at each other. Sometimes it's out of frustration. I know I've been guilty of this when certain children do not focus during school. It's a tone of voice that we use. And that tone is anything but patient, kind and understanding. Sometimes it's from anger. Angry that a mistake has been made that (in our opinion) shouldn't have happened. These are just a couple of our issues.

So I have created a simple chart and it hangs on our bulletin board. We get a tick mark each time we raise our voice because we are not walking in love.

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.

We will be graded at the end of each day as well as at the end of the week. There are rewards for positive change as God Himself is a Rewarder of those who diligently seek Him! Whoever gets the fewest tick marks earns a special reward at the end of each day. But whoever does the best all week gets the Grand Prize! Something all three are VERY excited about!! (And I might add that none of the prizes cost me anything!)

Well, I'm happy to report to you that on our first day of accountability two of us received 2 marks each, and two of us received 1 mark each. I thought that was tremendous! And not only that but I heard the most wonderful conversation in the kitchen tonight. It made this mama's heart happy!

Pillar is our resident pizza maker. It's such a blessing to me when she's in charge of a meal. Well, tonight on her own accord, she was teaching her youngest sister to make them with her. It was the sweetest thing to watch. Pillar was so kind, and patient, and a loving teacher. I was so proud!
First Pillar demonstrated how to knead the bread and gave very clear directions. A+ dear!

Then Rosebud gave it a try. She doesn't do anything half way. She is very determined to get it right!

She was surprised at how difficult it got after a few minutes of kneading! lol

But not to worry.....she still was having FUN!!

Pillar made a BBQ chicken pizza and Rosebud made a pepperoni pizza. Look how hard she's concentrating. They were having so much fun together.

Aren't they great looking pizza's? I thought Rosebud did terrific for her first time. And I was completely impressed once again, by Pillar's patient teaching. Good job honey!

Home can be such a powerful place. I want my home to be a place where the girl's gifts will flourish. A peaceful, quiet, resting place. A place of fun, feasting, and fellowship too! We have a choice to make. God's shown us the way. I choose His Ways!! How about you?

A Teachable Moment

2010-01-10T06:29:00.011-06:00

One day this week during BTS we read Proverbs 7. This is what verse 11 says in several different translations.

She is loud and defiant, her feet never stay at home (NIV)

She is boisterous and rebellious, Her feet do not remain at home (NAS)

Brazen and brash she was, restless and roaming, never at home (Message)

She is turbulent and willful; her feet stay not in her house (Amplified)

She was the brash, rebellious type, never content to stay at home (New Living)

She was loud and rebellious, Her feet would not stay at home (NKJ)

Now I do realize that that in context, this is talking about an adulterous woman. But in light of teaching the girls what type of woman this really was, I attempted to explain and describe some of these attributes. What is brash, boisterous, and brazen? What does a rebellious woman look like? How does she act? This is what we DO NOT want to become!! We spent two days talking about this one scripture and what it meant.

Well, last night after church the girls really wanted to go out to dinner for something special. According to them it's been F~O~R~E~V~E~R since we ate out! lol So with some of their Christmas money each one helped pay for a dinner out at a restaurant of their own choosing. When we sat down at our table the first thing we noticed was that the 3 girls/older teens sitting near us were VERY loud. They DID NOT act like ladies at all. It was impossible NOT to listen to their conversation as I'm sure they were disturbing everyone around them. This verse popped immediately into my mind. It was the BEST teachable moment. I had a live model of exactly what we had talked about earlier! My girls were shocked at their conversation and behavior which was very loud, rebellious, restless, and definitely not content to stay at home! I could hardly believe what I was hearing. It was as if it was scripted just to give me a teachable moment! Yeah God.....THANKS!!!

They left shortly after we arrived so our evening wasn't ruined at all. But especially since the girls had spent their own money to have this "special" night out, their hearts were very receptive to the lessons learned here. Was their behavior loving or selfish? Why? Did it effect anyone else besides themselves? Did the way they spoke and acted bring glory to God? Why? Do you see what a gold mine of opportunity this was for me??? I was THRILLED!!!

Thank you Lord for helping me teach the girls how to become maidens of virtue, ladies that are pleasing to you! I so appreciate your help as their father!!

(I'm sorry about the formatting. I don't understand why it does that sometimes. I really didn't type it like that!!)

Our Week in Review

2010-01-09T22:59:00.013-06:00

I'd say our first week back was a SUCCESS! By the time 6am Monday morning rolled around, I was ready! All my menus were planned for the week, school was planned out, the house was clean, and we were all ready to go! It's such a wonderful feeling of accomplishment for me when I'm organized and my house runs smoothly. I just love being a mother!! Did you know there is a difference between loving your children and loving Motherhood?? Well, there is! But that's for another post!

We love games around here. They're great family fun, character building, as well as a great way to learn. Some of our favorites are 10 Days in the USA (Geography) and Take it Easy (Math and Strategy) which I might add Rosebud is the raining champ.....and nobody is going easy on her! My friend who introduced us to the game and is VERY good at it scored 208, Rosebud scored a 191. Amazing for an 8 year old! Rummikub (Math), and The Global Puzzle (World Geography) are fun too. Pillar and I also have an on going contest of Extreme Rummy. The first person to 500 wins. I haven't lost a game yet! But she's getting better and better all the time. lol There's so many wonderful card games to be had. Speed is definitely a family favorite too, especially with Miracle. She's got the fastest hands! And Rosebud LOVES puzzles. She's been a natural at them since she was young. She received this new 300 piece one for Christmas. Notice the theme here??? What you can't see are the cowgirl boots she is wearing!! She was a happy little cowgirl!
One morning she asked me if she could fix breakfast. Sure! So she made cheesy scrambled eggs with ham, clementines, and toast. Yum! It was delicious!! She set the table and lit a candle too. So sweet!!

This week we did our global puzzle again. I like to do it once every quarter or so. It's a fantastic way to learn world geography. The pieces are actually shaped like individual countries. But because the puzzle is so large, it usually takes us a couple days to complete. And so we couldn't use our kitchen table for school on Friday. So.......we got out a blanket and did school "picnic style" on the living room floor! I wish I had a pic. The girls loved it!

Today we had to do our paper route in sub zero temps again. -20's windchill. Brrrrrrrrr!! I can't tell you how proud I am of the girls. They work together, have great attitudes, and don't complain. We make a great team!! This was a cute little guy we stumbled upon while delivering papers today. Isn't he cute?

Of course we had to stop and get a pic!

Overall, it was a very successful week. I even got in a long phone call with my little brother whom God used to give me some much needed wisdom and guidance. I love it when God does that! He is so faithful!

PS...I added a few of the games on the side bar for those of you interested in them.

A New Year's Heart

2010-01-03T19:56:00.007-06:00

Do you ever have so much going on in your head that you don't even know where to start talking?? That's the way I feel now. God is speaking to my heart.....and I am thinking about it ALL THE TIME! I have learned so much about God's heart, His very nature this year. I am more grateful than ever for the privilege of knowing Him, loving Him, and being loved BY Him!

In years past I have set detailed goals with attainable marks to reach and I still think goals are very necessary for success in any area. But this year my goals are much simpler. I want, no I NEED to know Him more! Without Him....I am nothing. Without Him I will not be the mother that my children need. Without Him I will not have the divine wisdom I need to make wise financial decisions. Without Him I will not know how to lead my family in a way that pleases Him. Without Him......I can do nothing. So I humble myself and seek His face this year in a way that I never have before. With more fervor and tenacity....as if my very life depended on it. Thank you Lord for wooing me, for loving me this much!! My expectation is in YOU!!

And for my friends and family that have asked what we did over the holidays....here are a few random pics and thoughts. We were blessed with a BUNCH of chicken thighs. The girls took all the skins off so we could make dinners for freezing. We made 8 chicken teriyaki dinners and 4 honey glazed chicken meals. Two of our favorites! Now Miracle would have you think this is a gross job..... But really she enjoys it. There is much laughter at the kitchen sink as she squishes the meat between her hands and rips/cuts off all the skin. She enjoys making meatloaf too. For being such a "girly girl", she doesn't mind getting her hands dirty in the kitchen at all! LOL And notice Pillar is wearing her new apron that she won!

Our New Years celebration went something like this. First we took down all our Christmas decorations and put them away. Then we made a most delicious dinner together. After that we watched a couple really cute Christmas movies together. (Christmas Angel and The Lost and Found Family) The girls like to have a slumber party upstairs in the living room, including me on the couch! Let me just tell you this is a labor of love because our couch IS NOT comfortable. About 10:30pm someone noticed I had taken up residence on the couch. Last year I fell asleep on them, so this year they were determined NOT to let that happen again! The next thing I knew, there was a diet coke in my face! lol I got up and we played games and had a lot of fun. Now can I just say that even at the ages of 12, 11 and 8.....I still love to watch them sleep. They're just so sweet! (It's actually dark in this pic but the flash lit up the room.)

We went to a birthday party on the first. We were supposed to go sledding but the negative temps kept us inside. My girls weren't too upset as our friends had received a Wii for Christmas! I'm not sure who had more fun though....all the girls or their dad who was "helping" them! lol Miracle and birthday girl number one who turned 11.

Rosebud and birthday girl number 2 who turned 7. So sweet! Check out all that chocolate!

I also got a paper route this week. Yeah!! I had actually looked for one before, but there were no openings. And then...all of a sudden....after more than 12 years....the man who delivers my very own neighborhood paper.....quit! It's just the local papers that are delivered once every Saturday. It's a perfect job for us because we can all do it together and it doesn't interfere with homeschooling! Yeah God!! I'm so thankful for His provision.

As for the last couple days....well, I have no pictures. The girls have been fighting symptoms in their bodies. Yuck!! One sounds like a seal barking, and another one can't keep anything down. It's been a long time since they felt like this. No fun at all. So there's been lots of cuddling and resting and laying low so to speak. But since it's been 20 below outside.....I don't mind staying inside where it's nice and warm! Tomorrow we resume our normal homeschool schedule and I can hardly wait! As much as we need breaks.....I love school!!

Happy New Year!!

Give-A-Way

2009-12-30T21:03:00.002-06:00

Isn't this just the cutest doll diaper and bib set you ever saw? It's hand made and absolutely adorable!! I'm entering this give-a-way by My Life on A Taffy Pull in hopes of winning it for my daughter Rosebud. But shhhhhh....don't tell her! It's a surprise! lol God Bless You!!

"Not Me" Tuesday

2009-12-29T22:55:00.003-06:00

I've read posts like the one I'm about to do.....and laughed and laughed! But until today it never occurred to me to do one myself. Well, let me tell you! Here's what "didn't" happen to me today! Oh No...NOT ME?!?!?! LOL

*I didn't forget to look at which of the 10 floors I parked on when leaving the parking ramp to go to the Children's Museum today. And the girls didn't forget either! (Side note: I always park in the same spot. But today was so busy that I had to drive all the way to the top of the parking ramp and then back down again to finally find a spot.)

*I didn't slip on the ice and fall flat on my bum for the whole world to see while looking on floor after floor for my van. Ouch!!

*It absolutely did not take me 4 floors before finally finding my van. And of course I walked in the fruit of the spirit the whole time and exemplified patience before the 5 children in my care. Of course I didn't raise my voice in utter frustration and growl. I did not embarrass my children at all!

*I did not come home to find out that the meat I put in my garage freezer had thawed! (When the weather gets cold, my outside freezer just turns off. But in the past if something large is already frozen....it's stays frozen!) Nope....not this time.

*So I am not up right now....at 11:30pm baking, cutting, and deboning a turkey!! (But can I just say that my house DOES smell really good right now!)

Ahhh. I feel better already.

Proverbs 17:22

A merry heart does good, like medicine!

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas!!!

2009-12-27T22:37:00.006-06:00

Our tradition for years now has been to go to church on Christmas Eve for their candle light service and then come home and open stockings. This year however we had to stay home due to a Christmas snow storm. Not just any snow storm mind you, but a record breaking snow storm. According to the weatherman there hasn't been this much snow on Christmas since 1945! So we stayed home and cooked a most wonderful Christmas Eve dinner. We were given a large 20 lb turkey, stuffing, potatoes, corn, carrots, cranberries and we had lots of our own homemade goodies too! We had a feast with LOTS of yummy leftovers. I absolutely LOVE cooking with my girls. It really is one of my most favorite things to do!!

But now much to the girls dismay.....I still made them wait till evening to open their stockings! LOL So here they are after waiting not so patiently ALL DAY LONG! LOL
I don't enjoy the sound of "smacking" gum. I don't chew gum myself and I don't care to hear anyone else either. (My mom was the same way.) Does that make me old??? So once a year at Christmas I give the girls several packs of gum in their stockings and they think this is the greatest treat ever!! They save it for special times and have learned how to chew as quiet as a mouse! lol

This year the girls did something VERY special. They made this "Mystery Box." Inside were many many many handmade coupons for us to draw from. The coupons said things like give foot rub, back massage, clean room, do laundry, do dishes or Mystery which meant you could pick any "one" thing you wanted! The girls all have their daily chores that they do, so this would give them an opportunity to have a break when needed/wanted. It was so much fun drawing and being surprised as to what special treat you picked. And there was a little twist to it too. The person drawing got to pick the person to perform the service for you! Of course we're all on the honor system to keep things fair and fun.....but I thought it was such a fun creative way to give gifts!! Good job girls!!

Personally, I love surprises. So I thought this was so cute. Rosebud didn't look inside her stocking. She closed her eyes and felt around for what to pull out next. The anticipation was almost too much for her! lol

We're passing the Mystery Box around and she picked what she was hoping for. Can you hear the loud, "YES!!"

We were adopted by a family for Christmas this year and they blessed Pillar with a brand new camera. Not in her wildest imagination did she ever expect such an extravagant gift.

This same family blessed us with so many wonderful gifts. Rosebud loves horses and all things cowgirl. She's wanted a pair of boots for the last couple years. And guess what she got??? Yup, a brand new pair of boots! She's worn them everywhere!

Miracle loves monkeys, soft things, pink and all things girly girl. So you can imagine her delight at this super soft plush pink monkey with baby!

After we were done opening presents we just sat and looked at all the gifts the Lord had given to us this year through the body of Christ. We were overwhelmed at His generosity through these families that had "adopted" us. So before we opened and played with anything.....we prayed. We have so much to be thankful for. He's been so good to us!!

And then......I remembered that I had been given one more gift for the girls. Someone had given me gift cards for them. So I ran to my purse and delivered one more surprise! Gift cards for each of them to Claire's and Starbucks! Yeah!

That afternoon the girls played outside in what will probably be called the Christmas Blizzard of 2009. The snow was wet and heavy. They tried making snowmen, but the balls were just too heavy to roll or lift. At one point this is what I saw when I looked out the window....

Bulding...building.....building.

Thinking....thinking....thinking!

We finished our day with the completion of Bartholomew's Passage, our advent story, and a Christmas movie. It was a wonderful day!! Thank you Lord for my family. Thank you for trusting me with these beautiful girls. I'm so glad that you gave them to me!

Christmas Ramblings

2009-12-27T21:56:00.003-06:00

My dd Pillar won this apron on a give~a~way that I posted about earlier! Doesn't she look cute?? We've never won anything like this before. We were all very excited. It came in the mail just in time to bake lots and lots of yummy cookies, candies and caramels! What fun!!! We had a fun pre-Christmas present exchange with our good friends, the Olson's. You would not believe how silly these girls get when they are together! Rosebud likes to remind me that SHE is the reason we are all friends. You see....Rosebud and "Molly" Olson (yellow shirt) met in Sunday School at church when they were about 2. They became bff's and we have been good family friends ever since. Their birthdays also happen to be about 10 days apart so we've celebrated many a birthday together! What fun!!

Remember our "adopted Grandparents?" Well, Mr. Rick has fought and won a recent battle with Cancer! You can imagine how thrilled the girls were when we entered their home, got BIG hugs.....and realized that he had HAIR!! These are the thank you cards that the girls made for them. I just love all the artwork. Notice the card in the middle? It's Rosebud's version of Proverbs 16:31 which says A gray head is a crown of Glory. She said when she saw his new gray hair.....that was the verse that "popped" into her head. How sweet is that?!?!?!?!

I hope you've had a very Merry Christmas!! I know we have!!

Blessing Abound Part 2!!

2009-12-23T19:49:00.014-06:00

I've pondered whether or not I should write this post for several days. My desire is to give God all the glory for the good things He's doing in our life. But I also realize that people are hurting and going through extreme hardships and in no way do I want to discourage or dishearten anyone. My hope is that anyone reading this post realizes that God is not a respecter of persons, so what He does for us.....He can do for you too!!

As I mentioned earlier I've had many surgeries and a loss of job this year. The health issue has not been resolved yet, and so I am unable to find new daycare families....hence very little money coming in for the last several months. I have applied for energy assistance and a home mortgage reduction program, but both take several months to process. So we are every week living very supernaturally. (I should also mention that I am committed to staying out of debt.) God has been very good to provide all the food we need and then some every week. It's come from different sources at all different times, and He's never been late once.

But my heart cry to Him has been, "What about the cash items Lord?" What about the items like my mortgage and utilities that I just need cold hard cash for? Then one day I got an e-mail from a friend that I haven't seen or talked to in a couple years. She told me that the Lord had her praying for us fervently. She told me how she had been led to pray for us. I can't tell you how it encouraged me to know that the Lord was working on our behalf! What happened next still leaves me speechless. Only God could orchestrate all the players to make this happen. We may plan our day...but it is HE that orders our steps! Evidently, she was standing in line for lunch and met/talked to a person......who ended up.....giving me a grant that would pay my mortgage for the next 4 months!!! CASH!!! God is so faithful!

And then a couple days later, we went to a different friend's house for lunch. While there, she handed me a plain manila envelope and said, "This is an early Christmas present from an anonymous giver that must be opened NOW!" I opened it to find a stack of $100 bills for me and several very generous gift cards for the girls. I cried right there on the spot....again! I now had more than enough money to get caught up on my utilities. But what is really awesome is the next part. The very next morning I was scheduled to have my van worked on. So I had the "CASH" to pay for everything! That is everything I knew about (the brakes and rotors) AND what I didn't know about (4 new tires!) God knew exactly what I needed before I ever knew about it! Isn't that just like God?!?!?

Now lest you think this is the end of the miracles.....please let me continue a little bit more. We were blessed with presents from an anonymous family at one of our little local churches. We don't know this family, and they don't know us. The connection was made through our local food shelf. Against all Christmas rules.....I let the girls open these presents early! And what we found inside was truly amazing. I told the girls when we were done opening them that Jesus Himself went shopping for them. There just wasn't any human way for a person that doesn't know us.....to pick the gifts they did! Rosebud was given a box of horses which are her all time FAVORITE animal right now and the exact same socks that she had wanted!
Now I know the socks might sound weird. But just the day before we had gone sock shopping. The girls were given some cash from great grandparents and so she was buying some much needed socks. The ones she really liked had one "yucky" pair in it. And she just didn't feel right about spending her money on something "yucky." Even if it was only one pair. So she opted for the plainer ones with nothing objectionable. These socks that she was given were VERY similar to what she had wanted......without any yucky ones! She was sooooo happy!

Pillar was given a really great sewing basket full of supplies. It was blue, her favorite color!

She LOVES to sew, knit, embroider and just all crafts in general.

Miracle was given a beautiful handmade outfit for her AG dolls that looks very Amish.

She absolutely loves all things Amish! It even came with a matching bonnet!

Jubilee in her new outfit! Isn't she sweet?

I really could go on and on with all the many blessings the Lord has sent and is continuing to send our way. But I just have to say it is so much fun to watch the Lord reveal Himself to the girls in this special way. He is our Provider, Protector, Father and Husband. He is our All in All....our Everything! We're so grateful for the privilege of knowing Him and calling Him our Savior!

Blessings Abound!

2009-12-19T22:31:00.006-06:00

Wow!! What a day! I know this will be a long post, but bear with me please. It's worth it!! We started off this morning going to the auto shop to get the brakes fixed on our van. Our church has a ministry called "Car Care Ministry" to help single moms and the elderly with their vehicles. They do oil changes as well as checking fluids, filters, tires and such at no charge to us. What a blessing! Then for some larger needs, like brakes, they only charge for parts....no labor! So today I had the front brake pads and rotors replaced for only $100.oo total! Thank you Lord!! It's so nice to have a reputable, trustworthy, reliable place to take my van.

The next stop was very special for me. Let me explain why. I have a vision for our family ministry. I want to be able to send my daughters into a home to be a blessing to that mama. If we have a friend that is pregnant, on bed rest, sick, or in need.....I want to be able to send my daughters in to minister to her family. They will be able to cook meals, clean, care for children, and keep order in her home for her while she is not able to. It's something we're preparing for now, knowing that someday in the future.....we'll be ready. We'll be prepared! I got a little glimpse today of what it will be like.

My friend, I'll call her Mrs. H., has a lot on her plate right now. She is the mother of 3 little ones. Her oldest, 6 years old, has very special medical needs. And the youngest is a 9 month old. Her mother is also fighting cancer. So between meeting the needs of her own family and that of her mother, she hasn't much time for anything else. Including housework. So today we went over to her house while she was gone helping her mother. The four of us "attacked" her house so to speak. It was amazing what we were able to accomplish! Pillar and Miracle scrubbed her kitchen and dining room floor on their hands and knees. It sparkled! Miracle also washed down all her kitchen cupboards, organized the playroom, made the children's beds, folded laundry and the list goes on! Rosebud vacuumed the entire house including two sets of stairs as well as folding laundry, putting away baby toys, and running endless things up and down stairs so that I didn't have to! LOL Her energy today was amazing! And of course Pillar was by my side as we conquered the kitchen and bathrooms. She worked sooooo hard. I was really impressed!

This was supposed to be a Christmas SURPRISE.....but she came home early! LOL She was THRILLED to say the least! She screamed with delight and said it was the best Christmas present ever. It was nice that the girls got to see what an impact it made on her. She was giddy with excitement over a clean house! Although it was a lot of hard work.....the girls agreed it was definitely worth it! A wonderful experience for all of us. One that I hope to repeat many many many times again!

Our third and final stop for the day was at the home of our "adopted Grandparents." We've known them for years and they are just some of the most wonderful people on earth. They invited us over tonight for our favorite Hawaiian pizza and ice cream sundaes. Yum!!!
After dinner though.....we had a surprise of our own. Early Christmas presents! The girls each got the cutest little bags with all kinds of fun stuff. Lotion, body wash, lip balm etc. Very fun!

And our very first ever.....big canister of popcorn! As you can see....we were just a little excited about it! LOL

Next the girls each had a box to open. They were very light. Hmmmmm. What's inside?

A beautiful card with an original piece of art on it.....and a $20 bill! How generous!!

This is Mrs. B. (adopted Grandma) opening our gift to them. She loved it!

And finally the ultimate ice cream sundaes where there is no such thing as too much real whipping cream! Vanilla bean ice cream, hot fudge, caramel, whipping cream.....YUM!

It was a wonderful day filled with God's many blessings. One that I will remember for a very long time! Thank you Lord for all that you've done for us, for all that you're doing for us, and all that you will continue to work out for us. We LOVE you!!!

Blog Award

2009-12-19T22:20:00.003-06:00

Pillar blessed me with an award this past week. It was very unexpected and very much appreciated! Isn't she the sweetest? But I have to follow a couple rules to receive it. Here they are:

1. Announce who has given it to you. ~ My very own Pillar!

2. Send this award to at least one person. ~ Heart 2 Heart

3. Share your most favorite candy in the world. ~ This is a hard one! Turtle or Reece's Peanut Butter cups!

Thank you Pillar!! It couldn't have meant more coming from anyone else! I love you!!

Mom

The Nutcracker

2009-12-17T21:18:00.006-06:00

Today we were so blessed to be able to see the "classic" Nutcracker done by our state ballet. They did a marvelous job! The costumes were spectacular, very beautiful and elegant. They had an amazing number of children involved. Both young and old! I've seen many productions of the Nutcracker over the years, and this was definitely one of the BEST! When the girls were younger, and my mother was alive, she would take us to see the Nutcracker at Christmas. It was our annual tradition. But after her death it wasn't something that I could afford on my own. This year we were blessed to go with a friend's homeschool co-op. Our seats that were normally $46, were available to us for $6 each! Yeah God!!

To add to our blessing, when we got there.....we discovered that someone from the group had saved us all really great seats! VERY unexpected!! We sat together with our good friends the Olson's. Don't we have some beautiful girls??

This would be my sad attempt at a group shot! It looks more like the joke about "hear" no evil, "speak" no evil, "see" no evil! LOL What monkeys! I really do love these girls!!

We had a wonderful time together making memories!

Ruffle Apron Holiday Giveaway

2009-12-12T22:39:00.004-06:00

OK.....this is the CUTEST holiday apron I've seen! So cute that I'm going to post about it to get get an extra entry! lol My girls would LOVE this! I wonder what my chances are of winning?

I LOVE these Girls!

2009-12-12T07:38:00.013-06:00

As I download my pictures,

just what do I see?
Silly surprises

Left just for me.

Yes, little surprises
they leave just for fun.
Little do they know
I love every one.

Goofy lil' pictures

That bring me great thrills.

Amazing just how much
I do love these girls!!!

Late last night the girls were playing with the timer on the camera that was borrowed to us for the holidays. I accidentally broke mine....lovely! All I heard was tons of laughter! So eventually.....I had to join in on the fun! These are just a few of the many many silly, sweet pics that I found this morning on the camera!

PS....I found this great little poem over at Scottsville. Thanks Erica!

Medical Update and Cookie Baking

2009-12-11T19:28:00.014-06:00

This week I met with Dr. G to discuss my current breathing problem. After using a scope to look down my throat he was able to see a couple things very clearly. #1 My right vocal chord is still showing signs of movement. This is such a miracle!! My brother was with me during this visit and was able to see the chord move as well. Dr. G has said more than once that he doesn't know how or why it's moving.....it's been paralyzed for a LONG time. But we know WHY and we know WHO! His name is Jesus!! #2 He could also see that the airway he has surgically created this past year looks good. It should be adequate. So that is not the problem. He suspects that the issue may lie "underneath" my vocal chords. Possibly damage from the initial trach site or maybe damage done with all the tubes and instruments over the course of 6 surgeries this year. Thus, this morning I had a spiral CT of my throat done. I'll get the results back next Friday. We need answers. We need this to be over.

But......while I was at the hospital having the CT, the girls went over to a nearby friend's house. Once I returned from having my test done we all had a yummy lunch of sandwiches, fruit and chips. AND then.....we baked cookies all afternoon! It was such a great way to get my mind off of myself and onto all the many blessings I have surrounding me. We had several "stations" set up around her kitchen so that everyone had something to work on. Here Miracle is hard at work dipping pretzels in chocolate before adding sprinkles!!

The blue stuff in the bowl is actually glaze for the sugar cookies. It reminded us of the "green goo" we experienced at Thanksgiving! LOL

Let's see....Pillar is working on rolling out more sugar cookies, Madison was making peanut clusters and Rosebud was making vanilla pretzels. We had so much going on at one time....it took both us mom's to keep things in order! But we sure accomplished a lot!

Baking at Christmastime......what fun!!

The girls had so much fun together. We made some for us, but most of them we put in tins for gifts. And like my sister in law likes to say....."These were made with a special ingredient. LOVE!" Rosebud told us these were better than from the store! How sweet is that?!?!

Our cookie frosting station was a happening place! We had quite a few artists hard at work decorating their trees.

It was a really nice way to spend the day. Good friends, good food and lots of laughter!!

The Tabernacle

2009-12-10T20:56:00.006-06:00

The last few months we've read through several of the Old Testament books of the Bible. We use Balancing the Sword as a guide and I can't recommend it highly enough. It has transformed our bible time together. We have such rich discussions!! This is now one of my most favorite times of the day....the time we spend together reading His Word!

We first learned of the Ark of the Covenant and the Tabernacle in Exodus, and then learned all about the offerings and sacrifices in Leviticus and Numbers. We haven't made it through the entire Torah yet as we alternate back and forth between Old and New Testament books to give a full picture of God's heart. We also learned about the same time period in history. (Mystery of History Vol. I) It was fun how everything tied together. I love it when God does that!!

Now we've been reading in I Chronicles when David returns the Ark to Jerusalem. So I thought it would be fun to make a model of what we had been studying all this time. We used A Kregel Pictorial Guide, Tabernacle Model. It includes an authentic die-cut cardboard scale model to build. I've included it in my side bar widget if you're interested. It was worth every penny spent! The girls have had so much fun "playing" with it....acting out scenes from the Bible.

Here is a little video tour the girls did together to show you the Ark of the Covenant and the Tabernacle that we built. They're a little silly!!

Her Children Will Rise Up and Call Her Blessed!

2009-12-09T22:44:00.015-06:00

This picture reminded me of the girls when they were little. This is just about how they looked, even how they wore their hair. And how they would hold their baby sister and admire her!

Now they are growing up into ladies that not only please me, but please God. I am SO proud of them!!

Just a few things that happened today to bless me....

Miracle had a wonderful insight into the scriptures that we read this morning. What a blessing to this mama's heart!

My neighbor had our long driveway plowed this morning before my daycare family ever arrived. He's such a blessing!!

Pillar wanted to stay inside with me and bake a double batch of chocolate chip cookies for my neighbor that plowed for me, instead of playing outside in the snow. She's so sweet. We made some for him, some for us now, and some to freeze. I love spending time with my children. I truly enjoy their company.

Rosebud offered to make grilled cheese sandwiches tonight for us so that I wouldn't have to cook dinner. She even did the dishes too, which was her sister's job! Just because she loved me!

Pillar obediently and graciously agreed to shovel our front sidewalk tonight after I realized that it had not gotten done today. It was freezing cold and she didn't even complain!

Thank you Lord for entrusting me with these beautiful girls. I love you.

Gingerbread Houses

2009-12-07T21:40:00.004-06:00

One of our fun holiday traditions is going to the local library with our good friends the Olson's to make gingerbread houses. The kids always have so much fun! I wonder if they're ever going to outgrow such things?? Nahhhhhh! They were as silly as ever this year!! I was so frustrated with my camera. It looks as though a 5 yr old is taking the picture! Why are they so blurry??? I guess I'm going to have to dig out my manual and figure it out.....BEFORE Christmas!! LOL Miracle was working so intensely. Can you see her pinkie finger sticking out? How cute is that??

This picture was taken quite by accident.....although I think it's hysterical!!

After we got home I made some pumpkin bread with a couple squash that someone blessed us with. There are more in my home that don't care for squash than do....unless I put it in bread! Then everyone LOVES it!! I just make pumpkin bread and substitute the pumpkin with squash! Yummy!! The house smells so good now!

It was another fun filled day!!

Rosebuds Special Time

2009-12-06T17:46:00.008-06:00

Today Rosebud and I had some very special time together. Her older sisters were both invited to a Christmas Tea Party so we had a couple hours to spend just the two of us. A very RARE occasion. She was so cute. She actually counted down the days on her calendar until we had our "special" time together!I let her choose the agenda. And the first thing on her list was a Frapachino (spelling?). I think she just likes saying the name. lol But ever since she learned of them from my brothers family....she's wanted to try one! Now me being a non coffee drinking mom.....needed a bit of help. The man behind the counter at Caribou was very nice and explained to me that that was actually a Starbucks drink. Great....embarrassing to say the least! LOL

After discovering that there was in fact "coffee" in Caribou's comparable drink, we opted for something called a Snowdrift. It had milk, ice, white chocolate, Oreos and whipped cream. YUM!!! She was thrilled!!

We sat at the big high chairs and she waved at all the drive through customers that came through. She was so excited!! She took this picture of me herself and made me promise to put in on my blog!

Next on the agenda was window shopping at Claire's. She was so happy today, people asked me if it was her birthday. Her smile lit up her whole face!

Ever since she was a baby she's liked accessories. Grandma would take her to the store to try on hats and she'd never get bored. Or I could set her in a pile of my shoes and she was quite content to try them all on!

Obviously, this has NOT changed! LOL

The Three P's.

Purple.....Princess.....Purse. Oh my!! What's a girl to do ???

"I look like a real princess, don't I mom?"

Our final stop was right next door at the Yankee Candle store. I think we smelled just about every candle in there! She made the funniest comments about the candles though. She thought one of the peppermint ones smelled like the stuff they give you at the dentist, the snow smelled like soap, and the floral ones made her eyes cry. She didn't think the floral ones smelled like the real flowers at all and she really didn't like the "tree" ones. Thought they were awful in fact! Not something she wanted to ever smell again. lol But, she loved the Christmas Cookies, Strawberry, and Pumpkin Spice ones.

We had a great time laughing and making memories. I'm so glad God gave us this time together!

Mailboxes and Casseroles

2009-12-06T08:09:00.008-06:00

This week we subbed again for our dear friends paper route. However this time the weather was 17 degrees outside! Brrrrrrrr! But I do have to say the sun was out and the wind wasn't blowing so all things considering.....it was great weather! Some of these houses were really decked out for the holidays!

Rosebud really liked this house. It's hard to see in the background but there are little bears all over the Welcome sign. Very cute! And just so you know, the heat was on full blast in the van for Miracle who was leaning out the front window and delivering most of the papers. The girls in the back were VERY hot!! That's why she doesn't have a coat on! lol

It took us a little under 5 hours to deliver all the papers and then we went home to do some more cooking! We made and froze 20 Breakfast Burritos, 2 Farmer's Breakfast Casseroles, and froze up the rest of the ham in individual baggies for omelets later on! Here is our assembly line for the burritos. It's amazing what we can accomplish when we all work together!!

And the two Farmer's Breakfast Casseroles ready to be frozen. It's so nice to have yummy food in the freezer ready to be baked!!

The girls took pictures of the most unique mailboxes too. Just for fun! Here are a few of them.

My personal favorite is Old Glory.

This mailbox reminds me of that obnoxious fish wall hanging/gag gift we received many years ago. I just can't remember the song it sang.....maybe that's a good thing! LOL

We're not sure if Garfield was protecting the mail or what. But the girls thought he looked funny up there!

It was a fun productive day! Yeah!!

Feed My Starving Children

2009-12-04T21:41:00.003-06:00

The girls and I had a wonderful experience volunteering for Feed My Starving Children. First I must say that I had every intention of showing you wonderful pictures....I even took some great shots! But alas.....I found out after the fact that the memory stick was NOT in my camera and so I have not one shot of our time there. So I'll have to do my best with words alone. Sorry.

This Christian organization ships food to starving children around the world. They are completely run by volunteers. I think what impressed me the most was how they had simplified and organized their operation such that children/volunteers could do it all! There were kids assigned to every aspect of the operation from beginning to end. It was extremely efficient! What a marvelous experience!! We were scheduled for 2 hours. They gave us our instructions, we prepared the food and then cleaned and washed up. Everything was then ready for the next crew of volunteers. There were several work stations. Our group of 10 children and 3 mamas worked together at one of them. The kids measured all the dried food, put it into individual bags, weighed each one, sealed it and boxed it up! Ready to be shipped! Altogether in our short time there we made 16 boxes with 36 bags each. That's 576 meals!! At the end our entire group of 150 people gathered around the completed boxes, shrink wrapped on pallets, and prayed. It was a special moment as we prayed over the food we had prepared. The lady in charge said that in 22 years, they've only had 2 shipments lost or stolen, and not reach their final destination.

The kids had such a great time serving together. They also came away with a great appreciation of all the yummy food we have here in America. We are truly blessed! And we have so much to be thankful for!

Slicing, Dicing and Chopping!

2009-12-04T21:22:00.002-06:00

We've been blessed recently with 50 lbs of potatoes and several bags of apples too! So we've been fixing and freezing A LOT. Some for now.....some for later! This Apple Crisp did NOT make it to the freezer. It was DELICIOUS!!
Over Thanksgiving we were blessed with a ham too, so Miracle sat and chopped the whole thing up! What diligence!!

I think Pillar peeled more than 15 pounds of potatoes in this one sitting! Amazing!!

And of course all the apples for the apple crisp had to be sliced thin!

Rosebud made the crumbly filling for the apple crisp. It was hard work cutting in all that butter....but boy did it taste good!

We have so much fun in the kitchen. It's great to see the girls gaining more and more confidence in their cooking skills. I hope these will be memories that they treasure forever!

Advent Celebrations

2009-12-04T21:04:00.003-06:00

This year for Advent we are reading the second book in a series called Bartholomew's Passage by Arnold Ytreeide. Last year we read Jotham's Journey and I just can't say enough GREAT things about this series of books!! I like what the author had to say..."While the story is fun and adventurous and has the most happy of endings, it does take place in the real world: there is greed, there is cruelty, there is death. The point is not to cover up the dark side of life, but rather to show how the love of God and His Son Jesus Christ is the light of our lives." We look forward to reading and talking about it every night now as Christmas approaches. This year to make it even more special the girls made our very own advent wreath too! I let the girls each pick out fabric, then we cut each piece into strips and tied it to our wreath. Pretty simple but very cute!! Rosebud made the candles in there too!

You Can Make a Difference!

2009-11-29T16:33:00.004-06:00

To be honest with you I've been struggling lately. And I want to be "real." I hope that in my being "real" someone else will not feel alone. With that being said, here are the natural circumstances of my life currently. I am a single homeschooling mom of 3 daughters. Both my parents are deceased and during the holidays I miss my mother something awful. Although I have done daycare out of my home for almost 8 years now to support us, I currently have no families and no income. I have found myself in the hospital having surgery 6 times over the past year and it doesn't look like the problem is fixed yet. That means there might be additional future surgeries. I am weary. I am tired.

Now, that being said....I serve an amazing God who has been right by my side every step of the way. It is HE alone who gives me strength each and every day. I was telling my daughter the other day that I can see so clearly those areas in my life that I have let the Lord take control of. Those areas that I recognize I absolutely can not do on my own. Those areas I trust Him in completely. For instance I know nothing about house repairs. If I were married, that would be my husbands responsibility. And so as long as I don't have an earthly husband, HE is my husband and so I've left that to Him. He has faithfully over the years sent me "Handyman Angels" to help. Different husbands, fathers, or friends will ask me if I need anything done around the house. God has been very faithful to send them, so I always keep a running list available so that I'm prepared when they ask.

This holiday season He has provided for us as well. I find myself once again at the receiving end of His goodness and grace. Since coming home from the hospital in October and still having no income, the outpouring of blessings has been quite overwhelming at times. We have received groceries from friends and family time and time again. We have received Walmart gift cards and gas cards multiple times. We have received anonymous gifts in the mail. I have more than one friend who thinks of us/buys for us each time they grocery shop. We've been adopted by a family for Christmas, my children will have gifts to open! We've won drawings for Thanksgiving dinners and been blessed by our church as well. The list goes on and on. We have so much to be thankful for! I think one of the things that has so amazed me during this time is how God has provided everything in such a thorough way. I mean that none of these different people knows what the other is doing. Each one gives something different to us. There is not a lot of extra or waste. One friend admitted that they didn't think what they were able to give was worth much, wouldn't make a difference, and was tempted not to do it at all. And I was able to show her that none of the other gifts.....gave us what she did. It was a HUGE blessing to my family!!

It's made me think of all the times the Lord has laid it on my heart to send a card, write a note, cook a meal, make a phone call, babysit, buy something seemingly little and not done it. And not done it because deep down....I didn't think it would make a difference. Now I know....If God is telling you to do something.....it makes a difference! Don't delay!!

So then how is it that I can be surrounded by such generosity and still be tired and weary??? Is it because I am worrying about the future? How will "I" provide for my children? How will "I" pay my mortgage? Instead of trusting Him to be our Provider. Trust. Do I really trust Him? Do I really believe that He will keep a roof over our heads and food on the table forever? Do I really believe that He can and will use this trying time to grow strength and character into my girls? That what the enemy meant to destroy us, God will use to strengthen us? I have a choice to make. We all do. Whose report will we believe? The temporary, always changing circumstances that we may find ourselves in? Or the promises of God's word which are eternal and never changing! I choose God's ways as they are higher than my own. I choose to trust Him! What about you?

Blog Award

2009-11-23T22:39:00.004-06:00

My amazing sister in law gave me a blog award this weekend. Thank you Mrs. Taffy!

Here are the rules:
1. Say thanks and link to the person that gave you the award.
2. Tell 10 "honest" things about yourself.
3. Award this to 7 people who's blog design you like or have received encouragement from. Inform them of their win and the rules of this award.

Ten Honest Things About Myself:
1. I don't like coffee, the taste or the smell.
2. I absolutely love the smell of fresh bread baking.
3. I don't like to mop the floors, but I do like to vacuum.
4. I love to scrapbook but don't do it very often.
5. I love Jesus!
6. I think I have the best children in the world.
7. I have been to China and Russia twice each for short term missions trips.
8. God miraculously healed me of Cancer as a child.
9. I am "technology" challenged.
10. I think this is very hard! :o)

7 people I give the award to:
Miracle
Cynthia
Jessica H.
RCUBEs
Kat
Mrs. C
Kysha

Girls Day Out!

2009-11-22T19:44:00.008-06:00

We had a very special day today! I won 6 free tickets to the MN State Orchestra and we invited my sister in law and her daughter to go with us. It was called an American Tribute. The music was very patriotic and heartwarming. Plus it was an excuse to get all dressed up, which my girls LOVE to do!! This is the outside of the building. Isn't is unique? We were wondering if the people "outside" could hear the music "inside" through those big blue structures? Our seats were located on the front row of the first balcony section! We had a great view. What a blessing!!

I had the flash turned off on my camera, so the pic is dark. But there was certainly excitement in the air!

The very first selection was our National Anthem. Did you know that the British use the exact same music for their nation anthem??

All our sweet girls after the performance!! Aren't they beautiful?

After the performance we went to Starbucks for a treat. Now, I have to explain why this is such a treat for my girls. I DON'T like coffee. In fact, I don't even like the smell of it! I know that may seem un-American to some....but it's true. But thanks to my brother and his family, they are being taught the finer points of coffee drinking! LOL

Today the girls just had steamers. But Rosebud informed me that next time she wants a Frapachino. Don't ask me what it is.....I have no clue. I probably didn't even spell it right! LOL

One last thing......One of the selections today was called the Turkey Trot. Toward the end of the performance this is what came "trotting" down the isle!

It was a wonderful day spent with people we love! Thank you Lord for blessing us with these tickets!!

Making Memories Together

2009-11-20T22:07:00.004-06:00

This is Rosebuds latest creation. Peanut Butter Popcorn. (Thank you Jessica!) It was so delicious!! And we had so much fun making it. Her sisters were off working on a "secret project" so it was just the two of us in the kitchen! I try to capture moments in time when we can make a memory. This was one of those times that "just happened." We talked all the while she measured, dumped and stirred. Then we tickled, laughed and laughed some more while it cooled. I'm so grateful to the Lord for creating these moments in time for us to make memories! It smelled sooooo good!! We are peanut butter lovers over here. However, she decided that the next time we make it, we need to add chocolate chips! A daughter after my own heart! What's better than peanut butter and chocolate???

This would be her attempt to get me to let her sneak a piece before dinner!

And on another note, she did something amazing today during LLATL. She was given the assignment of memorizing a two verse poem. I told her she had lots of time, but she wanted to go into the bathroom and practice in front of the mirror right away. In less than 10 minutes, probably closer to 5, she came out and declared that she was ready to recite it! I think what impressed me the most, was that on her own, she put it to music! Isn't it amazing what we can learn when put to music? Memory verses, books of the bible, geography.....the list goes on and on! She actually did it perfectly the first time, but I messed up my camera and so she had to do it again. This time she got a little flustered, but I still think she's adorable!

2009-11-19T22:26:00.003-06:00

I have so much to be thankful for right now. I find myself in awe of His goodness and grace in my life. Every morning before I get out of bed I recount, put myself in remembrance of, a testimony of His goodness in our lives. I make myself remember all the times He's provided for us. All the times He gave me favor. All the times He gave me Mercy!!

Just recently a friend asked if we would allow her family to "adopt" mine for Christmas this year. She asked for a Christmas list for each of us! As I am currently unemployed, this is a HUGE blessing!! I have also received several anonymous gift cards in the mail for Walmart and Gas! God knows our every need and is WELL able to provide for us! I am also grateful for all the yummy homecooked meals that we've received since coming home from the hospital. And I've really enjoyed the wonderful visits to my home as well. A special thank you for the friends who think of me each week as they grocery shop and pick up "deals" for my family. Thank you!!

Just as special to this mama's heart are the words that came from my daughter's hearts this week. God opened a window and let me see what He is doing in them!! We have a friend in a desperate situation right now. Her husband lost his job, they lost their house, she's pregnant and now has cancer. She's walked away from the Lord and my heart is just breaking for her. My girls know everything about the situation and have prayed for this family every day since they heard. And do you know what they pray for? Of all the things they could pray for.....they pray for the new baby's health and they pray for their marriage! For those of you who don't know, my girls have never known the love of a father. My ex-husband left us after the birth of my third daughter. So for them to be so sensitive to this need.....I'm grateful for the work that HE is doing in them!! Although I have never been able to model the marriage relationship for them firsthand, we have The Word of God!! I'm so glad He's not limited!!

And finally tonight when I was tucking in the girls, Rosebud told me that she was so glad that "I" was her mom and not someone else! That I was the perfect mom for her and that she didn't want any other mom! She was glad that God gave her to me! How sweet is that?!?!? She often tells me sweet things, but tonight....I really needed to hear it!

Thank you Lord for reminding me how blessed I am!! I love you!!

Stitches.....Almost!

2009-11-18T21:18:00.003-06:00

Can you believe it? I cut my finger open on a can. Never happened before....I really hope it never happens again. I'll spare you all the details suffice to say I saw stars and for the first time in my life I thought I would faint due to pain. The doctor said it hurt so bad because I sliced all the way into my nail, where all the nerve endings are. He wanted to give me 3 stitches....but I talked him out of it! LOL After an hour we were able to get the bleeding under control so that glue could be applied.
This is my right thumb and I am right handed. Not fun! I keep bumping it and making it bleed again. I probably should have let him put in the stitches. But I've had enough needles this year. No more!!

One good thing came out of it in that it was an excellent visual for the girls on just how important every member of the body is. Whether we're talking about the body of Christ or the members of a family. Everyone is vital, each affects the well being of all the rest! There are no small insignificant parts!!

Backyard Raking

2009-11-13T23:26:00.003-06:00

I was trying to take a picture that would reflect not only the size of our backyard but also help show a before and after view......because I forgot to take one before we started working. If you look closely you can see a line of leaves in the back. It's a solid leaf covering.....that's what the entire backyard looked like. A bit overwhelming. But we conquered it!! And on the far back right is our HUGE leaf pile. I was trying all different angles and at one point I stood up on the railing of our second level deck. The look of shock and dismay from Pillar was priceless!! I just had to capture it! LOL

The girls worked so hard and never complained once. I was so proud of them!! With the help of our good friends the day before, we were able to knock out all our raking in one weekend! That's a first for us!!!

Bonfires

2009-11-13T22:51:00.005-06:00

After raking 3/4 of the leaves in our backyard we decided to reward ourselves with a bonfire. We had some huge marshmallows left and that's what we tried to use for smores. I don't usually post this many pictures....but the girls were soooo funny! We laughed really hard! As you will see, there are some "hams" in the family. It was a great way to end a day of hard work outside! These marshmallows were vanilla and strawberry flavored. And for some reason they lit on fire easily. None of us care for the charcoal flavor.....

They do make great torches though! If you look closely you can see the fire.

Now what mama is gonna resist taking a picture of those cute puffed out cheeks??

And of course I made them try at least one bite! After all, I've been told that their uncle actually prefers his this way! Maybe they would too.....or NOT! LOL

Her roasting stick is on fire and is smoking like a sparkler during the 4th of July.

Rosebud's given name means God's Gift of Love. I tell her all the time, that she's God's gift to me.....my present from God! Isn't she sweet?

Uh oh.....caught on fire again!

Trying harder and harder......

She wouldn't give up, because "I'm not a quitter mom!" but tried to "pick" off the black stuff!

Nope....didn't work. So sad.

This would be the BEFORE face......

And the AFTER face!!

And end to another wonder filled day!

Leaf Raking Party

2009-11-13T21:39:00.007-06:00

I love all the beautiful colors of fall leaves. I never tire of the vibrant reds, oranges and yellows. However, that being said.....raking an acre of them does get a bit tiresome! LOL The girls and I have learned over the years to just split up the property into sections and tackle it that way. This year we were blessed by our wonderful friends from Olson's Merchantile. They all came over and helped! I was so impressed by all our hard working children. We did almost the entire front yard in about two hours! That's a new record! Some of us raked, and some filled up the trash cans and dragged them to the back corner of our lot where we made a HUGE Gargantuan pile! Here are all the kids afterwards playing in the pile. A person could get lost in there!

And of course, no leaf raking party would be complete without a leaf throwing fight!

This would be my nice freshly raked front yard. Yeah! Thank you to our special friends!! We appreciate all your help and hard work!

I wonder if we'll have the energy to do the backyard tomorrow?? It's supposed to be 55 degrees and sunny. Beautiful day to be outside!

My Little "Constructor"

2009-11-13T21:19:00.006-06:00

This week we attended a free children's concert given by a college in our area. They played several up beat, lively selections and ended with Peter and the Wolf. It was wonderful! I just love the orchestra and the theatre. For one of the pieces the conductor taught all the children in the audience how to "conduct" a simple one two beat. Then he stepped off to the side of the stage and instructed his orchestra to "follow their direction." The kids LOVED it!! Here you can see Rosebud enthusiastically conducting! If you look closely at the picture you'll see other children with hands raised as well.I wasn't sure how to turn my flash off so I didn't take many pictures. But watching Rosebud.....I just couldn't help myself! LOL Afterwards she took a straw and said, "Look mom, I'm a constructor!" She practiced the whole way home. And since then she's taught Felicity and Baby Kate (her dolls) as well!

Anyhow, here is a flash-less picture of the orchestra after they were finished. They did a marvelous job. We had a wonderful time. And I get to count this towards our Fine Arts requirements! God is so good!!