Monday, March 31, 2008

What have I been up to?

  • My new passion.....learning about HTML. I SO want to learn how to design blog pages. If any of you have any wisdom that you would like to share with me, I will be your best friend forever!!
  • Answering my sons constant request.....Mommy Mommy. He doesn't even want me most of the time. My name just seems to comes out with every breath.
  • Disciplining or training my son. His other favorite word is NO.
  • Calling 13 soccer players to let them know that Jeff canceled practice, because of the rain and the messy fields.
  • Writing a letter to our supporters asking them for help. We really need to raise our monthly support level, and we are asking them for names of people that might be willing to support us each month. Please pray for us during this journey.
  • Cutting Jeff's hair. It must have been a long time since the last cut. I cut off a bunch!!
  • Requesting free samples of anything and everything!
  • Drinking tons of water.
  • Counting my points. I am constantly adding and figuring out what I can eat.
  • Blowing my nose!! I have been sick since last Monday, but I am getting better....I think!
  • Finding interesting blogs to read. My new favorite is written by a guy. Check it out here!
  • Trying to keep warm.
  • Keeping on top of school work.
  • Praying for my children.
  • Wishing the mud away! I think that we live in a mud pit. Not really, but it is impossible for the children to stay clean outside right now!
  • Our family is going to the Lodge tonight for Karen's homemade pretzels!! YUMMY! I am saving up my points for a pretzel!! I can't wait.

This is what I have been up to. What have you been doing lately?

Saturday, March 29, 2008

Now I know!

Well, the debate over whether or not to get the black stove is now figured out! I emailed the person with the stove. I asked him if I could come see it today, because I would be in Niles this afternoon. Apparently Ebay messed up and stated the location as Niles, MI, but it was supposed to be Lorrain, OH! Go figure. It sure is a good thing that I wanted to see it before I bid on it or we might have had to go to Ohio to pick it up! Oh well, that wasn't the stove for us. I am now waiting patiently for the right stove!

Friday, March 28, 2008

What?

  • Last night on our way home from Granger it was snowing very heavily. We were almost home when we all were sure that we saw....lightning and thought that we heard thunder!!! Is that possible?

  • Last night Jeff was on the couch asleep. I went over to him and said, "Honey, is it time to go to bed yet?" His reply, "Oh I closed my eyes. I guess I just forgot to open them." (He really makes me laugh!)

  • Today when I was at the Post Office I over heard another customer say, "No, it's all for the same last name. I have three addresses!" Why would one person need three addresses? (By the way that he and his two buddies were dressed and behaved, I am sure that he was not referring to Summer cottages!)

  • When I came home from my outing this morning this is what greeted me.






Jeff was watching the children and he FORGOT to dress Joel! ( Should I be worried about Jeff's memory?)

  • A telemarketer called me yesterday. He was trying to get some info that I was NOT about to give him. He persisted for at least 10 minutes, telling me why I was safe to give him my bank info. I do not hang up on telemarketers, so I was stuck listening to him and continually telling him, "No thank you." I finally said, "I have said no and I am not changing my mind. I will not be rude and hang up on you. Please let me go." His reply, "You can be rude." He actually was giving me permission to hang up on him! (Believe me...I wanted to be rude, but I just couldn't. I did consider giving the phone to the two year old though!) I told him that I wouldn't hang up. He finally relented and let me go. I thanked him and we both hung up. (Why do they have to be so difficult sometimes?) PS-The same guy called me back today 3/28!! I didn't hang up, but I wouldn't talk to him.......so he hung up on me!

10 pounds

Last night the first person not aware that I was on a diet, noticed that I lost weight!!!
Today I hit the half way mark!! Ten pounds gone and I still feel like I have SO far to go!!

I will try to write more later. I am in a big hurry , but I just had to let you know the good news!!!

Thursday, March 27, 2008

What is your opinion?

I need your help. We are in need of a stove. I found one on Ebay! It is brand new and it is located in the very next town to ours. Here is my problem....it is black! What do you think? Would this black stove go okay in our kitchen? We are not getting a new refrigerator until this one dies. This means that I will have a black stove and a white fridge. Do I even worry about it? Or should I just wait for the Lord to provide a white stove? I do like the black stove, but I am worried that finger prints will be much more evident on the black. What is your experience with black appliances?




Monday, March 24, 2008

Check these sites out!!

Today my name is driving me crazy!! I think that if I hear one of my little blessings call me "Mommy" one more time I just might scream. Since my attitude is kind of stinky, I thought that I would post about something not related to my family.

I want to make you aware of some fun blogs that I have come across.

  1. Lots of Scotts This blog is written by a mom of three year old triplets. She is such an excellent writer that you have just got to check her out.

  2. Freebies 4 Mom This blog is a MUST for all of you!! It tells you new ways everyday to get something for FREE!! In the last week I have signed up for about 25 FREE samples of a variety of different things.

  3. Star Fall I found this website and it is wonderful for little ones learning to read. My Amy LOVES it!! The website is very colorful and it has fun reading activities for the children. Make sure you check it out!

  4. My Survey This website PAYS you to take surveys. How do I know this? They paid me $20.00 last month. They pay by points. Every point is one penny. It took me several months to get enough points, but it was worth it!! If you decide to join, PLEASE let me know BEFORE you do!! I can get 150 points for referring you!!! I have also gotten a free sample of shampoo and conditioner to use through them. I used the product for four weeks then I filled out a survey about my opinion. I love to receive survey requests!!
  5. To Blessed to be Stressed This websites name just convicts me. I thought that I would share it with you. God has used it in my life recently and I need to be reminded DAILY!
  6. One Project Closer Here is one for your hubby!! I found this one a few months ago and signed Jeff up for it's emails. I think that he likes it. He must be learning something, he got under our house and fixed a broken pipe all by himself. Who knows? Maybe he will turn into a Mr. Fix It yet!!

That is all for now. Have a great day.

Sunday, March 23, 2008

Happy Resurrection Sunday!

Happy Easter everyone! I hope that you have an awesome day. I woke up this morning to spend some special time with my Savior. I got to thinking how much my Father really loved me to send His Son to die for me! I am so prone to sin and to love myself more than anyone else and yet Jesus gave his life for me! I am so humbled and thankful today for His love for me. I am also very excited about serving a God that is powerful enough to raise the dead.

This video is of the children receiving Easter gifts from a dear friend of our family. Thank you Cathy Gallo for spoiling my children. (warning....video quality is horrible, but I think you can get the idea.)

Saturday, March 22, 2008

So much to talk about

  1. We are now officially wireless!! I am SO excited! This has been in the works for months. Thank you Bryon and Karen for making this work!!

  2. Joel had been sick for almost two and a half weeks. He had the longest lasting stomach bug I had ever witnessed. During his sickness I was so concerned that he would never eat normal again. You see, while he was sick he was just grazing all day. He would eat the weirdest things and then not want his favorite things. This went on for way too long. I am here to tell you that all my worries were not needed. Joel is now all better. I am very sure of this, because he is now eating once again like the horse he has always been. I am so excited to see him eat a real meal and then be satisfied for many hours. Thank you Jesus!!

  3. Joel was able to have his best friend Hayden over today. They haven't played together in weeks, because of all the sickness in our house. The two boys were so excited to be together again. Here are some pictures of them.

Friday, March 21, 2008

What a deal!!!




Wow, let me tell you about the deal we got at Goodwill today! Today was the buy a bag for $25.00 and put as much as you can in it! Lauren, Emily and I were at Goodwill just after the doors opened. We spent two hours CRAMMING our bag FULL!! We didn't really realize all that we had put in there until we got to the register. It took about ten minutes for us to unroll each item, cut the tag off, and then place it into another bag. We ended up leaving with THREE bags, but only had to pay for one. When we got home, Emily counted each item. We spent a total of $26.50 for.....71 items of clothing!!! That is less than $.38 each piece. Can you believe it? I am actually afraid that they will not have any more bag sales, because of us and other tight bag packers!

Enough already!

Yesterday was beautiful! The sky was blue. The sun was shining. We didn't even need to wear a coat.
Today was the total opposite. It was cloudy and it SNOWED!! We had to have on a coat and gloves were also needed if staying outside.
Where did the spring weather go and when is it coming back?

Monday, March 17, 2008

Come check us out!!!

Some of my friends and I have started a new blog of just RECIPES!! Please check us out here or at the link on the left. I love the name of our blog "Recipeasy". It is our hope to make these recipes easy and good. The blog will not be having a new recipe everyday, but each of us will post at least once a week. Four people= at least four new recipes a week!!! If you have any questions or suggestions please feel free to comment! We want LOTS of feedback!!!

Random pictures from this week

Two of my favorite girls doing dishes together. They were working SO nicely with each other that I just had to take a picture. Now I will add that these dishes were Lauren's responsibility, so she HAD to be nice in order for Amy to want to help her!! This momma will take working together how ever and when ever she can get it!!
















Joel actually eating something. This has not been a good eating week for him. He is eating applesauce in this picture. If you notice, he is not eating in his high chair. I must not have been home when this picture was taken, because walking around eating applesauce is very messy. I know this because I found the mess after the fact. Whomever took this picture conveniently did not take a picture of the mess all over the couch!














Daniel has been such a delight this week. I just needed to take this picture, so that I could remember this stage.......just in case it doesn't last!!















Emily playing a computer game with her favorite companion glued to her lap. These two have a VERY special bond. Emily is an excellent little mommy. One thing is for sure, if I die Joel will be very well taken care of!

Sunday, March 16, 2008

I love you!

I have decided to make Sundays....my day for posting a video. I am trying to get video of the other children, but they are not cooperating at the moment. So here is another video of Joel. He had been talking to his sister Emily on the phone for about twenty minutes. I took the video, because he was just walking around the house and talking non-stop (like his mommy does on the phone). By the time I got the camera out, he wasn't really talking anymore, but he would repeat whatever I told him to say. These two phrases were what he was saying on his own, just one minute before the camera came out. I hope you enjoy.

Thursday, March 13, 2008

My life quote

"The time to be happy is now. The place to be happy is here."
-Robert Ingersoll

Tuesday, March 11, 2008

Tiny Talk Tuesday

Here are the funny things that Amy, our 7 year old, has said this week. I am sure that the rest of the children have said funny things, but I didn't write them down, so this all I can remember.

I overheard Amy talking to her dolls. "I have a big day planned ahead of me!"

Amy making sure that I take care of her two year old brother. "Mommy, the little one needs you!" (Hey there, I still consider you a little one too!)

Most everyone has been sick at our house this week. Amy is just starting to get the awful virus. She announced to us all, "I am getting sick! I have a runny nose and a sneeze!" (This was my favorite one. I am still laughing!)

If you would like to read more funny things that children have been saying, you have to visit Not Before 7!

Monday, March 10, 2008

Doing much better

I was sick the entire weekend! I am so glad that I was sick on the same weekend that we lost an hour. Instead of being sick for 48 hours, I was only sick for 47!!!

Daniel now has this nasty virus. He has had a fever since yesterday sometime. I did not require him to do school today, so he (we) had a pretty good day despite the illness. He and Joel laid around most of the time watching videos. I spent a lot of this wonderfully, peaceful day cleaning the house!!! I enjoyed myself TREMENDOUSLY.

Joel is not eating much at all. Tonight he totally skipped supper and dessert. I hope that this does not mean something bad is coming.

As of this morning my total weight lose is 7 pounds. I got a little behind when I switched my thyroid medicine a couple of weeks ago. I gained two and a half pounds that week and it has been slow coming off, but I think that my body is doing much better now. I should hit a ten pound loss soon!!!

Sunday, March 9, 2008

Making his SOCCER dad proud!!

Friday, March 7, 2008

My wonderful friend!!

Karen saved the day once again!! She taped Joel 5 new episodes of Little Einsteins!! Now we do not cringe any more when he says, "Stines!" Thank you so much dear friend. I owe you BIG TIME!!!

Joel and Jeff are getting a little better, but now Emily and I are sick! At this rate, it will run through our whole family by the end of next weekend. YIPPEE!

Thursday, March 6, 2008

My boys


Joel and Jeff are still sick! I am not sure that they are getting better. I hope that by later today I will see some improvement. Right now the only thing that is exciting in this house is that no one else is showing any signs of getting sick!!!! It will be a miracle, if someone doesn't get something! We have about four different things going around.

Karen (my wonderful friend, whom I love very much), if you read this PLEASE help!!! We NEED a new episode of Little Einsteins! In the last three days we have watched the 6 episodes that we do have at least a dozen times!!! I even went to the library yesterday and got Joel a ton of different cartoons. He honestly wants nothing to do with them. He ONLY wants "Stines"! HELP!!

Tuesday, March 4, 2008

NO WAY!!!

Yesterday evening I was cleaning off the microwave. There were about six bottles of medicine on it.....ibuprofen, Tylenol, cough syrup, gas relief stuff for Joel, and a few more things. I was so excited to make my kitchen look clean again. Those bottles have been there since the last time we were sick in January. As I was putting these bottles away, I had a fleeting thought.....watch someone is going to get sick now! I never expected to have TWO people sick within 10 hours!

  1. Jeff came home from his date with Emily last night, about an hour after I moved the medicines, and announced that he was going to be taking today as a sick day! He has a sore throat, cough and an upset stomach.
  2. Joel woke us all up at 5:50 this morning gagging and choking. He settled down quite quickly so I wasn't sure that he was sick. Well at 8:00 this morning, he let us KNOW that he IS sick. I will spare you the details, but he has the stomach flu.

I have learned my lesson. I will leave well enough alone next time and just live with the clutter on the microwave!!! (HA HA) I hope that you are all doing better at your house, then we are doing at ours!

On a totally different note, Jeff bought a pencil sharpener for the kids last night. I asked him to buy one to replace the three that we have lost and can't seem to find. I opened the sharpener last night and Jeff sharpened some pencils for school today. The children got right to school and I started cleaning. I found the first sharpener in the fruit bowl. I found the next one between the toaster oven and a huge stack of papers. Yes, I did find the third one soon after. It was hiding behind the kindling box. I promise you, we have been looking for these sharpeners for over a week now. I really wasn't even looking for them when I found them. I was just cleaning. So what was it that made these sharpeners be found? Was it that we just bought a new one or was it that I wasn't looking for them anymore?

PS- I found one more sharpener! We didn't have any yesterday, now we have 5!!!

Saturday, March 1, 2008

My special time away

Today was a Tea Time for the ladies at our church. It was such a special time. Not only did I get to sit next to one of my favorite people.....Lisa Smith, but I was not interrupted, tattled too, or asked, "Mommy, what can I eat?" for almost THREE HOURS!!! It was wonderful!!



The food was so elegant looking. I say looking, because I couldn't eat a thing!! I was very good. I took my two point granola bar and my water.



Here is a picture of Jeff's favorite friend at church. She makes it a point to come and talk to us EVERYTIME she sees us. Jeff really enjoys seeing her. He asks her about her week and she tells him all about it. We all just love Miss Dorthy.


While I was having fun with my friends, the rest of the family was busy doing their own things.

  • Lauren spent the afternoon playing with three young children, so that their very sick, pregnant mom could rest!! She was a huge blessing to this family. The mom was able to take a much needed two hour nap. I am so proud of Lauren's willingness to do this without ANY expectation of being paid!! I love to see my children serving others. (By the way she is getting paid, we just didn't know it at the time!)
  • Jeff was cooking ALL day at the lodge. He never made it home once today until 7:30 tonight.
  • Emily was home "in charge" of the rest of the clan. She did a great job as usual.
  • Daniel and Amy spent most of the time outside playing in the snow.
  • Joel took a long nap and watched "Stines" (Little Einsteins) the rest of the afternoon.