Jeff

I was in the kitchen the other day working with Jeff. There was a Cubs game going on and of course it was coming out of his radio. A thought crossed my mind, morbid I know, but it got me thinking. The thought was....when Jeff dies I will probably LOVE listening to the Cubs, because it would so remind me of him. I would somehow feel close to him listening to the Cubs. A little later, I had another thought.....what other things or words would remind me of Jeff.

For those of you who care, here is my list.

1. Ragu spaghetti sauce (Traditional Flavor) and toast
2. New Balance sneakers
3. Cubs ANYTHING
4. cream of wheat and vanilla ice cream (yes, together)
5. soccer
6. NPR radio
7. Whoppers (the candy)
8. rain (he loves to take long walks in it)
9. Columbo (the old TV series)
10. coach's whistle (he's a basketball coach)
11. chopping wood
12. gum and chips (he hates the sound people make with these two things)
13. 66 (the year he was born....according to him THE GREATEST NUMBER)
14. Vaseline (the man uses it for everything)
15. water bottles (he often has one with him whenever out of the house)
16. chess
17. a Bic pen (he always has one of these in his pocket/ very resourceful kind of guy)
18. ear plugs (because of issues like #12)
19. opera music (he enjoys this stuff....I HATE IT!)
20. Greenville, SC (birthplace and where we would LOVE to live someday)
21. tennis balls
22. Wrangler jeans (the ONLY kind he wears)
23. mashed potatoes
24. cream of chicken soup and LOTS of crackers (his comfort food)
25. our daughter Lauren (she looks and thinks just like him)
26. my wedding ring

I am sure I am missing a bunch of stuff, but I should stop for now.

I love dress up!!!

Amy was playing with her friend Faith yesterday. They were playing dress up while together. After they were all dressed up, Amy came back home to show me the final product. I am so glad that she did!!! I am sure that the fact that one of these little gals is mine makes me bias, but aren't they ADORABLE?

I can't pinch another penny....

I read this post last night and the topic was pinching pennies when buying groceries and necessities. The first thing on the list was not spending more than $100 to $150 per person each month. For my family of seven that equals $700 to $1050 a month. Let me just start by saying that I would LOVE to have $700 to spend each month!!! I spend a little over $500 a month, because we do not have the extra money to spend. That includes shampoo, diapers, soap, food and all the rest of the non-clothing necessities of our family. I commented on the above mentioned blog and I was asked to tell how I do it. Here we go.

1. We do not buy meat other than chicken and ground turkey.
2. We eat A LOT of bread and pasta. (not healthy, but cheap!!)
3. We do not buy name brands. We buy store brands and off brands WHENEVER possible!!
4. We eat breakfast for supper at least once a week.
5. I make most meals from scratch.
6. Beans and corn bread is a VERY cheap meal! Fills us up and we all like it.
7. I buy items when they are on sale and I stock up!!!
8. We do not buy sugared cereals. Bran flakes are a must!!!
9. I do not let my children snack all day. They must get permission from me before they eat anything.
10. We try to only make dessert once a week, then we stretch out the left overs for as long as we can.
11. Ramon Noodles are a huge blessing!!
12. We do not eat out more than once a month.
13. Popcorn instead of chips.

I have included everything that I can think of at the moment. I only do these things out of necessity!! I would SO LOVE to eat healthier. I have stated before that we are full time missionaries with Life Action Ministries. We live on support and we are in the midst of raising our support level. I look forward to the day that I can go get groceries for the week and not feel SO depressed when I am done.

Lessons from a dog

If a dog was the teacher you would learn stuff like:
When loved ones come home, always run to greet them.
Never pass up the opportunity to go for a joyride.
Allow the experience of fresh air and the wind in your face to be pure ..
When it's in your best interest, practice obedience!
Let others know when they've invaded your territory.
Take naps.
Stretch before rising.
Run, romp, and play daily.
Thrive on attention and let people touch you.
Avoid biting when a simple growl will do.
On warm days, stop to lie on your back in the grass.
On hot days, drink lots of water and lie under a shady tree.
When you're happy, dance around and wag your entire body.
No matter how often you're scolded, don't buy into the guilt thing and pout. Run right back and make friends.
Delight in the simple joy of a long walk.
Eat with gusto and enthusiasm. Stop when you have had enough.
Be loyal.
Never pretend to be something you're not.
If what you want lies buried, dig until you find it.
When someone is having a bad day, be silent, sit close by and nuzzle them gently.

Wow what a Summer!!

Today is the LAST day of Family Camp for the Summer!! Here are some pictures that I have taken through out these past seven weeks of camp.

I truly have a lot more, but I don't want to drive you crazy.

I am looking forward to next week being A LOT quieter and slower around here. I will be busy with a project next week and then we are going to start SCHOOL the next week!!! This summer went by SOOOOO fast!!

The past couple of days

Joel had been sick since Saturday night. He had a high fever for days. He finally got rid of his fever sometime yesterday and is now doing a TON better. Today we were able to go outside in the land of the living again!!! We went down to the lodge to eat lunch and we went swimming in the lake. Right now Joel is down for his nap and I am heading out with a friend for the evening. Today has been GREAT so far!!!

A great GOD story!!

I have nothing new to say, so I thought I would give you a link to a great God story!!! Click here to read it!! It is awesome!!

Have a wonderful day with your Savior.

Emily's BIG day!!

These beautiful ladies are some of Emily's friends. From left to right.....Emily, Sydney, Brooke, Holly, and Sophie.




Our first stop of the day was at Warren Dunes State Park. It is basically huge mounds of SAND EVERYWHERE!!! We climbed the biggest one and then SEVERAL not quite as big ones. I SO got my exercise for the week in...in one afternoon!!!








We were led to a special water hole. It was GREAT fun and very refreshing for our over heated bodies.




Next we came back home and got ready for our next ADVENTURE!!!

The next BIG thing!!

I found out about Cow Appreciation Day at Chick-Fil-A here!! I was SO excited when I read about it!! That special day just happened to be the same day that Emily was planning her Birthday Party. I asked the ladies if they would like to go. They were just as excited as I was. It was definitely going to be a part of our day. The gals worked together for two days getting their outfits ready. Here are pictures of our final products.

Yes, we did add a friend. Morgan is the little"cow" in the front.

It was so much fun!!! I want to totally encourage you and your family to do it next year!! We were able to order ANY meal off the menu for FREE!!!! The food was wonderful. I asked the ladies if they would like to do it again next year, but they just laughed and said, "Probably not!" So all my friends out there, be ready....because I am going to be begging you to go with me next year!!!

The day is coming to a close!

When we returned from Chick-Fil-A, it was time for Emily to open her present from her friends!!! Another friend came just for this part. Anna is the gal sitting in the chair on the left. I sent her on a treasure hunt to find her gift. It took her about thirty minutes to find it!! Her friends went in together and got her the gift that she has wanted for YEARS!!!



A DIGITAL CAMERA!!!! She was so excited!! Jeff and I were very excited too!!! There was no way that we could afford to buy her something so expensive. We as her parents hurt, because we couldn't get her her heart's desire. Thank you friends for making us all so happy!!!


After the gift time, the gals went swimming in the lake....in THE DARK!!! It was a lot of fun. We probably would have stayed for hours, but the mosquitoes were AWFUL!!!! They were eating us alive! We decided to go home and get showered and then watch a movie. The movie is finishing right now as I type. WOW, what an awesome day!!!

My day

Today is Emily's Birthday Party! We are headed to the Dunes and then to Chick-fil-A. I will post pictures tonight and tell the whole story!! I am really looking forward to this day!!!

Happy Birthday, Emily!!

Water fun

Emily went tubing for a couple of minutes today!! She had a blast!!!

Amy had her fun on the water slide!!! Sometimes life here at the camp is just TOO easy!!!

He makes us laugh

It has been a while since my last post. Tonight I thought I would share with you what Joel has said today that made us all laugh.

Joel found his empty cup. He was in need of some more water. He brought the cup to me and said, "Mommy, my cup hungry! Feed it!"

It rained here today, so the umbrellas were out of the closet. Joel found one and brought it to me. He wanted it opened, but this is what he asked, "Mommy, turn my umbrella on?"

What were we up to today?

Daniel's fun thing for today was listening to a CD, while in bed.



Emily is all about her hair. She enjoys looking good for any occasion. Today she worked hard on straightening her hair so that she could go....swimming in the lake!



Lauren and Amy's newest passion is making pot holders!!! They are very creative and quiet when they are doing these!! If anyone out there has extra pieces for a loom sitting around, my family would love them. Even Daniel has gotten into making these things. In fact we now have SO many pot holders in our house that many of you will be getting one for Christmas!!





Joel loves to have a HAMMER (or hanger in Joel language) in his hand at all times. I won't tattle on him and tell you some of the more creative places he has hammered. I will tell you though that he has gotten the hammer taken away more than once.