Everyday life with my 5 Blessings

Oh my word.....

2012-02-05T22:46:00.002-05:00

How time flies!!! It is February 5th already and I haven't written since last month!!

On Friday, I left for Milwaukee to go to The Pampered Chef Spring Launch. I had such a blast with my director. We got to be with 800 other consultants from the area. It was fun to hook up with a group of ladies that have the same love for PC products that I do. It was also a lot of fun to look at the new products that are coming out in March. If you love grilling out....you will love the new products!!!

Saturday I got home late and went to bed.

Today after church, I took Josh and another Korean student shopping. We had quite the adventure.....first of all, two Koreans together DO NOT prefer to speak in English so the constant chattering in the back seat makes absolutely no sense to the English person!!! Next, I locked my keys in the van and we had to wait 30 minutes for our neighbor to rescue us. Shopping took longer than I had hoped, but no problem because I had planned on picking up pizza for supper. I forgot that it was Supper Bowl Sunday and everybody and their brother wanted pizza tonight. We waited in Little Caesar's for over 20 minutes. We arrived home with supper a little before 7:30!!! Glad to be home!!!

Tomorrow morning will be a busy one and a sad one!! Josh leaves to go back to Korea.

Perspective changers

2012-01-31T22:17:00.001-05:00

I fell in love all over again this weekend. I was watching my dear husband play in the pool with our children. It was there that I remembered WHY I fell in love with him.....his patience and his love for children. I wanted my husband to be a Great Daddy and that is exactly what I got!!! Thank you Honee for being everything that I wanted you to be!!!

Today I was visiting a friend and her mom. We were talking about vacations that this family had taken. I of course felt a little sad, because we have never really taken any family vacation that didn't have us visiting extended family members. Just to travel for the fun and the experience of it all. I mentioned to the mom that we have never done anything like that. She looked at my daughter and said to her, "Your mom chose to have children instead. It costs a lot of money to go on vacations with such a large family." I hope that I NEVER forget the way I feel right now. I chose to have children and I wouldn't trade ANY of them for the most fabulous vacation!!!

Thank you Lord for these reminders!!! You are so AWESOME!!!

My weekend

2012-01-31T08:00:00.000-05:00

On Saturday morning, Jeff surprised me with a plan for us to go away for the night!!! The boys were gone, so he figured that the girls could take care of themselves and Joel without a sitter!! It didn't take much for him to convince me to do this....so I got up and booked a hotel.
We took the children with us to swim in the pool for a couple of hours. Then Jeff dropped them back off at home for the next 22 hours to be alone.
I had a complete blast being alone with my man and the children apparently had a great time too. When we walked into the house Sunday afternoon and announced, "We're home!" This is the reply that we got from our most quick witted child, "If you don't have any good news to say...don't say any at all." HAHA (Just a little twist on the quote from Bambi!!)

Family Movie

2012-01-27T22:30:00.000-05:00

Tonight we watched Dolphin Tail together as a family. It proved to be a fun time. I am still laughing because of what Joel misunderstood Morgan Freeman saying about the glove that goes on the dolphin's tail . Joel just kept quietly repeating it over and over again, as if to make sure that Morgan really said that. I laughed so hard that I was crying and had to leave the room a couple of times to settle myself down. I wish that I could tell you what was said, but I fear that it is not appropriate to repeat on here. You will just have to take my word for it!!

Josh and Daniel went on a field trip for the next couple of days. They went to a huge indoor water park with the rest of the Korean students and host children. Praise the Lord that this trip was FREE to us, because they are staying in a really expensive, VERY PLUSH, 5 bedroom, 4 bathroom, almost 5,000 square feet condo!! We are so jealous that we are not there with them, but so happy that they get to do it!!!

Past 4 days

2012-01-26T10:43:00.000-05:00

Sunday ~ Had a first that day. Emily and I went grocery shopping for the week only to return to a house that had just lost electricity!! Praise the Lord for the Michigan winter weather. I am happy to report that we didn't lose any of the freezer or refrigerator food.

Monday ~ Had a mildly sick child,

Tuesday ~ (Joel loves getting the mail every chance he gets. This is what transpired shortly after he came back form the mailbox.)
Me-Joel was there any mail today?
Joel- Nope not a thing. Not even a screw or a lemon.

Wednesday ~ Working hard on losing this extra weight. Feeling so good right now, which has made me wonder......Why do I go through spurts of eating like a maniac, eating total junk, and feeling horrible?

I also updated the blog pictures. And let me just say that the new pictures make me want to blog.

Wonderful Saturday

2012-01-21T22:49:00.000-05:00

I woke up this morning determined to do something about this added weight that I have been slowly gaining since Thanksgiving. I started today to eat right and I actually did a workout video this morning. I am feeling great tonight. My first goal is to lose 10 pounds. I will see how long it takes me to lose that and then I will decide if I want to lose 10 more!! I certainly would like myself a whole lot better 20 pounds lighter, but I won't require it of myself yet!!

I am not afraid!!

2012-01-21T00:06:00.003-05:00

I am so loving that we live in town in Berrien Springs!!

I have actually chosen to take Daniel to his wrestling match early tomorrow morning, so that Jeff could sleep in and......even though we are under a winter storm watch and we have inches of snow on the roads.......I am not afraid to drive!!! That is a major accomplishment for me. When we lived in Buchanan, I was known to not leave my house in the winter for any reason unless someone else drove me.

So excited to not feel TRAPPED any more!!!!

I feel like a taxi....

2012-01-19T21:25:00.000-05:00

No I AM A TAXI!!! Just got my first dose of the life as a mom of teenagers in sports!! Daniel has been playing on a sports team before school even started in September. As soon as one sport ends, the next one starts. Starting on January 23rd, Emily will be starting soccer and then I will have two children in sports. I sure wish that the practices were at the same time, so that I only had to go out once a day to pick them up, but no luck there!!! 4 days a week Emily stays after school and gets out of practice at 4 o'clock and on the fifth day she comes home on the bus and has to be taken back to school from 6:30-8:30. Most days Daniel gets out of practice around 5:10, with the exception of game days. My life is going to get very complicated soon!!! It sure is a good thing that we only live about 6 minutes from their schools!!!

My day

2012-01-18T21:57:00.001-05:00

Today it was just Joel and I for most of the day. I got so much work done without everyone at home. Folded at least 6 loads of laundry of which Joel delivered most of it to the appropriate beds, called several customers, put away tons of dishes, took a shower, paid a bill, cleaned my bedroom, and made supper.
I love days like this.

The older woman

2012-01-17T21:42:00.000-05:00

I am officially The Older Woman. ( I turned 40 in Dec.!!) Today I had a young mother over to teach her how to make homemade cinnamon rolls. We had a great time and the children played together SO nicely!!! I really enjoyed sharing my knowledge with someone else.

The best

2012-01-16T21:46:00.000-05:00

Thank you for your prayers!!!

This was the best 4 day weekend ever!!!

Wedding Shower

2012-01-15T22:42:00.000-05:00

I had my first Pampered Chef Wedding Shower tonight. Let me just say that I would LOVE to make this my whole business!!! I absolutely LOVED doing the shower. Everybody had so much fun and the Bride-to-be got A LOT of really great stuff!!! I think that every bride should have a Pampered Chef shower. The gifts that she gets will last her for a lifetime!!

Do you know of any one getting married? Please send them to my website to fill out a Wedding Registry with The Pampered Chef!!!

www.pamperedchef.biz/judithherdklotz

I am shocked!!

2012-01-14T22:47:00.000-05:00

These past two days have been the BEST TWO DAYS that we have had since Josh came!!! I was so worried about the snow days, but God has answered my prayers and made the days wonderful.

Daniel and Josh had a friend from school over. Zack (the friend) had a blast with our family and loves our house. I love it when my children's friends actually like us, because for some reason two of my children are very embarrassed of us and don't want to bring friends home with them. Thank you Zack for making my son see us in a different light...even if only for a few minutes!!!

First SNOW day of this winter season

2012-01-13T06:32:00.000-05:00

I have looked out my window this morning and I saw maybe three inches of snow on the ground. The roads must be really bad to have closed school for this!!! I must admit that I am VERY disappointed to be having a snow day this Friday the 13th. Today is only the fifth day since Christmas break ended and the day before a three day weekend!! My middle school guys are going to go CRAZY with nothing to do....AGAIN!!!

PLEASE PRAY FOR ME AND FOR THEM!!!!!

Good Morning

2012-01-12T07:06:00.001-05:00

I am trying to get on a schedule of posting in the mornings instead of at night. This is all I have to say this morning.....going to the middle school for a day of listening to middle schoolers read to me. Yippee! I think that I will need a nap when I get home this afternoon.

Here are two pictures of our "son" Josh...

VERY hard to get him to smile for this first picture, as you can see....we failed!!

Much better Josh, this is the smile that we now see SO often.

Have a great day in the Lord ya all!!

new addictions

2012-01-11T22:57:00.000-05:00

Milky Way Bar (the Simply Carmel ones)......LOVE THESE!!!!

Any book by the author Lynn Austin......I am devouring these almost as fast as I am the Milky Way bars!!!

Rice.....found an awesome brand at Aldi. Every time I cook it it is perfectly the way I like it and it doesn't take more than 30 minutes from start to finish!!

Giving Joel "treats" for doing well in school.....he has an amazing attitude about school right now, because of those treats!!!

Blogging......ideas of what to write about, pop in my mind several times a day!!

Accomplishments for today

2012-01-10T22:30:00.000-05:00

Laid down the law a couple of times....and the children actually obeyed!!!

Glorious day!!

2012-01-09T20:59:00.003-05:00

Woke up at 6:00 this morning and got the children out the door to meet their bus. Did some Pampered Chef work and some computer stuff until the little ones woke up. Ate breakfast and then did school with Joel. Amy and Joel have an art class on Monday afternoons twice a month. Today was their first class. I took them to school and then came back home to an empty house for TWO WHOLE HOURS!!!! I listened to praise music and got a lot of house work done in those two hours. I have been pumped ever since then!!! The rest of my day just flew on by and now the children are in bed. I will be heading that way soon!!

Randomness

2012-01-08T23:29:00.000-05:00

The time has come for us to go back to school tomorrow, but I am SO NOT looking forward to having to get up at 6:00 in the morning and I will truly miss my children not being home with me 24/7!!

Had my first Pampered Chef Party of the year this afternoon. It went a whole better than the host was expecting.....Thank you Jesus!!!

Put on several extra pounds since Thanksgiving. I have no room to go up anymore....I must lose at least 8 pounds so that I have some room to gain a little when I want to eat really poorly again.

Today was National Korean American Day!!

Watched a stupid movie tonight.

Never expected this...

2012-01-07T22:04:00.004-05:00

Had quite an emotional day. Lauren got a phone call today from a friend, of her old school, informing her that one of her past classmates had died yesterday. Sam was the name of the student that died. Sam and her mom were in a car accident last week, but they did not die until days later. This was too close to me and I started to bawl. Sam had spent the night at our house once and I fondly remember her as being very sweet. It just breaks my heart that this child was right between my two oldest daughters in age. So tragically young and her mom is gone too. She leaves behind a dad, a brother, a sister, and a Grandmother that has been living with them. I can't imagine how this family is coping with losing two family members at the same time. I remember while my children were all young...just thinking that if I died my children would be much better off. I now shutter at the thought of my children growing up without me. I know that both their earthly father and their Heavenly Father would take care of them, but who would love them like I do, sacrifice for them, cheer them on, touch them, and clean up after them? My heart is heavy tonight. I am feeling the pain of their loss and yet so very thankful for the time that I have with my family!!!
I love you my sweet family and I am so thankful to be a part of your life!!!

2012-01-06T23:11:00.000-05:00

Made a list of things that needed to be done today and I accomplished almost the entire list!!! Yeah for knowing how to delegate and for keeping on task!!! (Thanks Jeff for your help :)

Amy went to Allie's house for the night and Allie's sister Brooke came here for the night. I kind of like this switching thing for right now.

I have changed my mind about one of the items on my "would never change list". I would change my height if I could, but only for one person and then I would go back to being short. I would like to be able to look at my husband eye to eye, rest my head on his shoulder when he hugs me, and give him a kiss while he is standing up straight....all without having to stand on a step/ a rock/ a stool/ a tree stump/ or a ledge of some kind....JUST ONCE!!! Jeff is a whole foot taller than me, I would change my height for no one else.

Changes

2012-01-05T21:04:00.000-05:00

Christmas decorations are put away. I have never put the Christmas stuff away so soon after the holidays. Kind of proud of myself.

I got to thinking today about things that I would change about myself if I could. Here is my list.

I would make myself truly funny and witty!! There are a couple of ladies in my life that SO posses this ability and I am in awe of their God given talents.
I would make myself with the ability to cook up a great meal with the left overs in my cupboard and fridge.
I would always know what to say and how to say it!!
I would add to my great personality the passion for exercise.
I would love the snow and cold as much as I LOVE the summer sunshine and heat!!!

Things that I would never change about myself.....

My smile
My ability to start a conversation with a complete stranger
My desire for my husband
My height
My inability to pay full price

Just another day

2012-01-04T22:52:00.002-05:00

My house is driving me crazy. It is a mess because we have been sick and it still has all the Christmas clutter everywhere. I have some great hopes tomorrow of getting this house to feel more like a home and less like a bachelor pad.
Today was Josh's Birthday. We took him bowling for the afternoon. Went kind of well except for the fact that Josh felt like a failure because he wasn't very good at it. Wouldn't you know, Daniel had his best game ever today...198...of all days.
Josh and Daniel will be leaving tomorrow for a day and a half. The Korean students, the host students, and some of the parents are going to Chicago for some fun. I sure hope that they have a great time, because it is getting harder to believe that Josh could be enjoying himself here with us. Joel and I are about the only ones that talk to Josh. The other children seem to be uncomfortable around him. They don't know what to talk to him about. I just ask him a bunch of questions and he answers me, but he doesn't talk much to me other wise. He does seem to enjoy Joel a lot. Joel makes him laugh...it is really cute. Josh is still very polite and a wonderful guest, but I feel like he is bored most of the time. School starts again Monday...so hopefully he will feel more busy and have more to talk about.

Still Sick

2012-01-03T19:12:00.002-05:00

Still very sick. Ready to be healthy again.

The only thing that I accomplished today was getting my host's Pampered Chef wedding shower invitations out to all of her guests. Not a difficult thing, but time consuming!!

Snow all over the ground, only 16 degrees out right now, but it is supposed to be 40 degrees by Friday!!!!

Sickies

2012-01-02T12:22:00.000-05:00

House full of sickies today!!! The only person not sick is Josh...our Korean exchange student. I can not EVER remember ALL of us being sick at the same time. I hope this means that we will get over it faster. We usually have a sickness for a few weeks as it it slowly moves through the family...it is torture right now, but hopefully it will be nice to be totally over it at the same time!!!

Resolution

2012-01-01T22:09:00.001-05:00

One of my 2012 New Years resolutions is.....posting everyday on this blog!!! Posting anything will do.....I just want to get back into the habit of caring and sharing on this blog!!! I am so excited to be back. I wonder how well I will do at this resolution.....I have never kept any of my other ones.

Just had to make you aware

2010-12-02T11:36:00.000-05:00

If you would like some GREAT new ideas on how to make your Christmas season CHRIST centered....visit the website below everyday this month. The author is a VERY Godly older woman that I had the awesome privilege of spending some time with this fall.

http://makingitmeaningful-paulette.blogspot.com/

4 year olds

2010-06-24T12:57:00.000-04:00

Here is a conversation that Joel and I had yesterday.

ME: (starring at my adorable son) Joel, I wish you could stay 4 forever.

JOEL: 4 years old, Mom?

ME: Yes, Joel...4 years old.

JOEL: Mommy, why do you want me to stay 4 years old?

ME: Oh, Joel. 4 year olds are just SO cute.

Joel: (without missing a beat/ in a sing song voice) Mom, 5 year olds are cuter!

I am sure that you will be, son!

18 years and very happily married!!!

2010-06-13T00:13:00.000-04:00

Today is our 18th wedding anniversary. I can't believe how fast the time has gone. Except for the honeymoon, there is nothing about the past that makes me want to go back to those early years of marriage. I so LOVE Jeff more today than ever before. We have gone through so much together and we are very close because of it. We understand each other. We are ONE!!!

Thank you HONEE for sticking with me and working on our marriage. You are the BEST!!

Setting something straight

2010-04-15T21:31:00.000-04:00

I am feeling the need to get another blog so that I can reclaim some of my privacy. I am an open book to most everyone and I love being that way, but some things have changed in the last 10 months and I no longer feel the freedom to tell you all everything. The new blog would allow me that freedom. Everyone...except for a couple of people...would be TOTALLY welcome. That means any and everyone of you bloggy friends could read it at any time...all you would have to do is ask me to invite you. Sorry for the confusion. I didn't mean to make you think that you were not welcome to my new blog....when and if I ever get it started!! Until then, if you want to know any personal questions about how things are going here at our house....friend me on Facebook @ Judith La Fountain Herdklotz.

PS- Giving up desserts for the year was to show "the child that I am most burdened for at the moment" that I love them more than desserts. Every time I struggle not being able to have a certain dessert...I just tell myself that I love "?" more than desserts. The more I tell myself this the more I feel the love, the more I feel the love the better I treat this child, the better I treat this child the better this child treats me. It has been a very interesting 1 1/2 weeks. I can't wait to see what the Lord does in this child's life this coming year and what He does in mine!!!

2010-04-13T07:19:00.000-04:00

Just wanted to say, "Hi."

I so miss blogging everyday. I miss hearing encouraging words from you all. I miss making my life an open book. You all have helped me through some really tough situations and I thank you for that.

At this point I have NO IDEA who even reads this thing anymore and I hate that. I feel very discouraged that I lost my bloggy friend world.

Here is what is going on in my life today...

I have a test tomorrow.

I have a presentation to give on Depression next week.

I am being forced to become a better mother. Loving that I am getting better at it, but HATING the process that is bringing about this great change.

I am teaching Joel his ABC's. This child just loves to learn. It makes home schooling so much more fun when the child is actually excited about school!!

Needing to get out a letter to all our supporters to let them know that we are still alive here and that we truly appreciate their support!!

My dreams lately have been SO weird. I am too embarrassed to even tell you about them. Jeff just shakes his head at me and kind of laughs when I tell him about them.

I have given up desserts for an entire year!!! One week down....51 more to go!! If you want to know why I would do such a thing, just ask me and I will GLADLY tell you.

Thank you Lord!

2010-02-23T07:16:00.005-05:00

Jeff had to have a spot on his head biopsied this past week. I was 100% sure that it was skin cancer, because it was almost in the same spot as his last skin cancer episode. Well, I am EXCITED to report that.........Jeff is cancer free!!!

We haven't heard anything on the house, but we are hoping to this week.

This Saturday I fly out to spend a week alone with my mom in Arizona!! I am SO thrilled to get this opportunity. I know that the time will just fly so I am praying that we make some great memories for us to remember and hold onto for many years to come!!

Waiting....

2010-02-18T07:56:00.002-05:00

After MUCH prayer, plenty of counsel, and tons of looking at other houses....we decided to up our bid for the house. It is a totally awesome house for our family. We have upped the bid as far as we can responsibly go. So if the bank does not accept this offer...God has another house out there for us somewhere!

We hope to know something by next week. I will let you know as soon as I know anything!

more on THE house

2010-01-30T17:23:00.003-05:00

We placed our bid Thursday evening. We found out on Friday that our bid is not the biggest bid. This may sound strange, but I have not given up hope that our bid will be chosen. I have seen God's hand in this whole process. I have been praying and begging God for a GOD house. If God gives this house to us with a smaller bid, then how can anyone deny that God did it!!!!
Oh all I want in this whole house buying adventure is for the Lord to be glorified!! If losing this house will glorify Him most then I do not want the house at all!!
Please pray for the owner as he makes the final decision as to what bid to accept. His name is Hiram Rester and he is a Bible preaching PASTOR!!!!! I never even dreamed of asking the Lord for the previous owner to be a pastor!! Oh it would be SO awesome to live in a house that the Lord was already a part of!!
KEEP PRAYING!!! We will keep you up to date as soon as we know anything!!!

PRAY with us!!!

2010-01-23T20:47:00.004-05:00

We found what we think is our forever home!!

The only thing keeping us from buying it is the bank. The house is a short sale opportunity. We are most likely going to put a bid in for it on Monday...depending on the monthly electric bill average!!

This house would be a GOD house!! Which simply means there would be NO OTHER explanation for our getting the bank to accept our offer without GOD turning the hearts of the bank people to favor us!!!

PLEASE PRAY with us!!! We only want what God knows is best for our family!!

Here is why we LOVE this house....5 bedrooms, or 4 bedrooms and a study, school room, huge living room, massive kitchen and dining room, master bedroom on main floor, kids rooms upstairs, big basement, entire house is almost three times bigger than the house we live in now!!! It is located in the school district that we really want for our children, located on 2 acres of land, and only a mile or two from town!!

I am working hard at not getting too excited!! I do not want to be disappointed if God chooses to not give it to us!!

What's new

2010-01-04T15:37:00.002-05:00

SNOW...and tons of it!!

Less than a week ago, I wasn't sure that it would really snow much this winter. Boy was I wrong!! I wish that I had some pictures to post. It is absolutely beautiful outside and it is supposed to keep snowing all week long.

Our Christmas was awesome!! Just the seven of us spending the day together!! I loved it!

New Years was great too. Just 230 of us rang it in together. The whole family had a blast!!

I absolutely LOVED the break from school!! We started home school again today as planned, but Lauren's school was canceled because of the snow. I thought that she would be excited about it, but she was disappointed. She is READY to get back into the schedule of it all.

Jeff and I are looking at houses. We have to move eventually, so we figure that we should look now while the tax credit is still available. I am very excited right now about the school district that we are looking in. I have been told that it is a public school system that is as close to a private school as possible!! They also have LOTS of opportunities for home schoolers! The only draw back is the commute to work that Jeff will have to do everyday. We have been VERY spoiled in the commute area...so any amount of time seems like a long time. He will no longer be able to walk to work no matter where we move, but is 25 minutes too far away?

College

2009-12-16T07:57:00.002-05:00

I am so excited....I only have one more day of English 101!! I have not written much about this semester, because I really don't have anything good to say about my experience in this particular class. To be nice, I will just say that I am so glad that it is almost OVER!!

I am also taking Medical Terminology this semester...which I love learning the words and their meanings, but I really don't have anything good to say about this class either. To be nice, I will say that I won't miss going to this class when it is done.

Next semester I am taking Anatomy and Psychology. I am looking forward to learning a lot about both subjects. I know that it will not be nearly as easy as this semester, but I am actually looking forward to the challenge!!

2009-12-11T08:22:00.002-05:00

Not much going on here.

Winter has arrived.

Snow is covering the ground and the wind is very biting cold! Our house is freezing cold and I can just feel the cold air flowing.

I think that the snow is pretty, but I dislike winter so much.

Winter makes our 1000 sq. ft. house seem twice as small as it does any other time of the year. I am already having a hard time with the cramped space and all the winter gear in our house. I am trying to find "joy" in my circumstances, but it is hard.

Right now I am praying for a house that has enough room for all of us not to be right on top of each other, no mold on the walls, and can keep us warm and cozy in the winter and cool in the summer.

I can't wait to move to that house some day!! Just maybe I will enjoy winter a little more.

My awesome man

2009-12-02T08:18:00.002-05:00

I am married to a really awesome man. I put his ability to serve to the test last night and he passed with flying colors!!

What did I require of him that put him to the test?

I called him home from the office last night in a panic.

Daniel had just gotten sick all over the floor. I wanted Jeff to come "help" me clean up.

I am the one that always does the cleaning up. Jeff sometimes assists me, but I don't let him do most of it.

Before last night, I had NEVER asked him to clean up a mess like that before, but for some reason I let him clean the entire thing up.

The worst thing about it is, I don't feel the least bit bad about letting him do it.

I am VERY thankful for his job well done, but I am not feeling guilty!!

Now I am just praying real hard that he doesn't get sick too!!!

I wish that I had it on video

2009-11-25T08:37:00.003-05:00

I came out of my front door this morning and headed down the hill toward the Lodge. I was minding my own business when I must have startled two deer....then they startled me! They came running up the side of the hill to my left, ran in front of me, and into the woods to my right. I can now say that I almost got run over by deer. They were absolutely beautiful though and I wish that I could have touched them.

Offences and quick clean ups

2009-11-20T07:24:00.004-05:00

Have you ever taken up someone else's offence? I am doing this right now for a dear friend of mine.....and I shouldn't be!!! It is making me mad at the person that offended her. I was literally shaking inside when my friend shared her heart with me. It just made me want to scream!!!

On a lighter note. We got a very unexpected visit last evening. Well maybe not very unexpected....they did call us 5 minutes before they came to our house!! My family was able to do an incredibly fast clean up of the living room, kitchen area. It is basically the main part of the house that we live in... maybe 20x12. The couple came in, with the Christmas lights up on the walls and no other lights on, the house almost looked clean. I mean the main area almost looked clean. They never went up stairs, into the bathroom, nor did they go into our bedroom (which is where everything went that didn't look good out in the main area)! After they left, it honestly took me 20 minutes to clean up my bedroom from all the added stuff!! The time together went really well and they totally understood the clutter in such a small house with 5 children!!

I really want to post more

2009-11-19T20:00:00.003-05:00

I just spent sometime reading over the last several months worth of posts. It really didn't take me too long, seeing how my average is down from posting at least every other day to maybe posting twice a month. Man how the time has flown by. I miss sharing with you all my daily details. Not having Internet at home has made posting hard, but so have the people reading my blog just to find out what my father bought me in the past. I have felt very violated since the death of my father and it has been very difficult for me to open up again.

I am ready to move on and to start sharing with you all again. I have missed you guys so much.

For now I will share that my hubby is back home from his 11 day support raising trip. It is so good to have him home again. The trip was very successful. God has provided enough support for us to stay here with Life Action. When I have more time I will share more about this whole issue. God has done some miraculous things in my life recently!!!

I better go for now. I promise to be back real soon!!!

The things he says

2009-11-11T10:47:00.003-05:00

Joel will be turning 4 at the end of this month. I figure that I should blog about some funny things he has said this week, before he gets to old to say funny things. Although if he is anything like his father....he will be saying funny things for the rest of his life!!

Joel asked me to write his name for him. When I was done he announced what the letters were. J..O..E..one!

(I guess my l's look more like 1's. I will have to work on that.)

I was given some Apple Jack cereal. Joel saw them and said, "I want the rainbow cheerios!!"

And to prove that my little guy is growing up, here is a word he is now saying correctly.

bottom

I will always miss hearing him say BOBBIN!!!

A few family photos

2009-10-10T11:42:00.004-04:00

Notice that the three on the left are the exact same size and that they are taller than their mother!

I find this picture interesting. Amy and Daniel look like they are the same size, but in all actuality he is at least 7 inches taller.

This is one of my favorites. I just love my family!!!

Just visiting

2009-10-06T21:54:00.003-04:00

I am here, but I am too lazy to write about all that is going on.

We still do not have computer access at our house.

Blogging is the chore right now that I can't seem to find time to do.

I hope to post some pictures soon.

School

2009-09-18T16:56:00.002-04:00

Lauren loves going to school!!!! I am so excited that she is enjoying it. She loves her teachers and they really like her too.

Some of the many lessons that she has learned so far is:

*walk faster

*don't wait for the lunch line to die down...you just might not get to eat lunch that day

*some kids are not used to other kids being polite to them

*go to the bathroom when you have time...you might miss your bus if you wait to go later

*walk faster

*she really is smart

*she enjoys getting good grades

*do your homework early in the day, because you don't want to stay up too late doing it

*walk much faster

*she can make friends, has a group that she sits with everyday at lunch

*she really can get up at 5:30 every morning

*riding the bus isn't that bad

*her mom and dad love her enough to get up at 6:00 every morning to spend quality time with her and to walk with her to the bus stop

*one last thing...WALK FASTER!!

Randomness....

2009-08-29T12:07:00.011-04:00

My new mission in life is to......have a clean and organized house! I am no longer willing to live in clutter and messes. I am no longer going through the house and cleaning up every one's messes just because I can't stand it for one more minute. Their messes are now their responsibilities. I feel so much better about my home and they seem to like it too. I so pray that this is our new lifestyle and that we never go back to being messies!!!

Amy had her ninth birthday this week. Wow are my children getting old. In July, Lauren turned 15 and Emily turned 13. Now Amy is 9 and in November the boys have their birthdays. Daniel will be 12 and Joel will be 4. I love my children's ages, so now they can officially stop getting older!!!

The weather has been very strange here. One day we are swimming and the next we are FREEZING!!!!

I am certain that if I make it as far as becoming a nurse, I want to work with the elderly. I just absolutely love old people!!

I am in the midst of putting my trust in the Lord to the test!! I am submitting to what my husband believes is best for our family and waiting to see what God will supply. Will He supply enough financial support for us to stay here and minister or will He supply another opportunity for our family? Only God knows what our future holds!!

I can't believe that it is almost September already. Where does the time go?

Someone paid Daniel for all the hard work that he has done on their new house. They told him to go buy himself a brand new pair of sneakers and then buy himself something fun. God provided a great sale today. Daniel was not only able to buy himself a brand new pair of sneakers, but he had enough to buy himself a fishing pole!! Very fun day!!

My sister, Joann, emailed me yesterday. It was great to hear from her. I so pray that my family will someday be close.

I have searched several stores for just the right shadow box. Today, while out shopping with Daniel, I FOUND IT!!!! It is perfect, just what I was looking for, and on CLEARANCE!!! Thank you Jesus!!! I have been waiting to make a very special memorial of things from my dad!! I will post a picture when I am done.

Daniel is now over two inches taller than me and wears a 9 1/2 sneaker. Someone please tell me that he will not grow up and be a man real soon.

Aug. 19th - 26th

2009-08-19T00:09:00.001-04:00

This week was supposed to be an exciting week for me. You see...today was the day I was scheduled to fly down to Florida to spend some quality time with my Dad!! Just him and I for one whole week. I so hate that I never got that opportunity. Instead I traded in my ticket almost two months ago to fly down to Florida to say, "Goodbye" to him. Since that time, Florida has become a place I don't ever want to go back to. All of my favorite memories of my dad were spent there in Florida.....it will never be the same!!! In fact when I had to fly down to Florida again last month, I cried and cried just standing there in the Tampa Airport. My dad should have been there to pick me up, he would have been so happy to see me, but he will NEVER again be there to greet me when I get off of a plane. My heart just aches because of this fact.

Airports had always been one of those special things between my dad and me. I remember while growing up, Dad and I used to park at the end of a runway and have the planes take off and land right over our car. We both LOVED airplanes. There were also all the times that I flew to visit him. He would be at the end of the terminal just waiting to get a glimpse of me and as soon as he did he would ALWAYS cry those big tears of joy. It was the same thing for my return home, except this time it was tears of sadness that were shed when I walked back down that same terminal. Oh how I loved that man.....and oh how HE LOVED ME!!!

I sure wish that I was coming to see you today Dad!!

I really miss you!!

Chemistry is OVER!!!!

2009-08-14T12:19:00.002-04:00

I am so excited!!! I just finished my summer semester of Chemistry. I will miss the times that I so enjoyed with my class, but I am glad that it is finally over. I got a much better grade than I expected. With all the distractions of this summer I never imagined that I could pull off an A+, but I did!!!!

Now that I have some time off from school....I have a ton of work to do with my dad's stuff. I have GREAT hopes to get this all resolved before I start school again Sept. 8th. I have a heavy course load this next semester and I do not need any other distractions, besides what homeschooling 3 children, raising our financial support, keeping up with the house, helping my husband serve, and sending a child to public school will already demand of me!!!!

FYI...we have no Internet at home so I have no idea how often I can post, but I will really try!!

JOY

2009-08-02T21:07:00.002-04:00

Praise the Lord!!!! My JOY for life and for the Lord has returned!! I had the best day yesterday that I have had since that awful morning on, June 27th. I honestly thought that I might never be emotionally stable again. Praise the Lord......I am doing well today. Don't even think for a moment that I am not missing my dad, because I miss him more than words can express!! I am just no longer distracted with all that has been going on. I FEEL SO FREE!!!

Sorry that I haven't posted recently. I have some new readers and I have just not felt the freedom to be honest with what I have been going through. Just know that these past five weeks have been the absolutely worst five weeks of my life!!!!!!!!! Thank you Jesus that they are over.

My latest post

2009-07-26T09:45:00.002-04:00

Click here for my latest post. I accidentally posted it on the kids blog and I am too lazy to type it again.

The good, the bad, and the ugly

2009-07-14T11:30:00.004-04:00

THE GOOD

Yesterday I found this card from my dad that he wrote to me eight years ago!!! I will cherish this for the rest of my life!!!

THE BAD

Joel and his best friends....these three can get into a lot of trouble when they want to or they can play for hours on end and make their mother's life so much easier.

and MORE BAD

The chipmunk that seems to think that he is a part of our family! (I just couldn't put him under the "ugly" title, because he is so cute....when he is OUTSIDE!!!)

THE UGLY

Joel has lost one of his Spider man crocks, but he insists on still wearing the one he has left. I never know what will be on the non crock foot. He just goes and grabs the first shoe he finds and wears it. He has been doing this for a couple of weeks now. Strange kid.

Life this week

2009-07-10T11:45:00.003-04:00

I was given the responsibility of tying up all my father's lose ends.
I had to choose a lawyer, make plane reservations to go to Florida again, and try to decide what to do with the stuff that Dad left behind. (still haven't made any final decisions on this yet)
I was totally distracted, but still got a 98% on my Chemistry quiz.
I have found a chipmunk or two in my house this week on several different occasions. I keep seeing them go either out the door or into one of our couches. We are now keeping our back door closed, but the open door is our only way of getting fresh air into the bottom back of our house.
I have gone from beyond stressed (evidence of this...crying during Chemistry class, having that awful sick feeling in the pit of my stomach, not wanting to eat, can't sleep, pacing the floor, and not being able to make a simple decision) to very peaceful and relaxed within two days. MUCH PRAYER and a GREAT GOD!!!
I have lost 6 pounds in the past 2 weeks. If things continue as they have I will be at my dream weight in 3.1 weeks!!!
I had to order school books this week. MAJOR decisions had to be made, and I truly feel like we made the right ones!!!
Talked to my sister more this week than I have in my entire life.
I became a mom of TWO teenagers this week. Emily turned 13 on July 9th.
I actually still have M&Ms in a bag that I opened last week!! NEW record for me....normally I could finish it off in one day without any problem.
I was found swinging on the swing at the playground at 5:45 in the morning.
This weekend I will be studying for mid terms.

God's hand

2009-07-04T15:00:00.002-04:00

I would absolutely hate to go through again what I went through this past weekend, but to feel the hand of my God just holding me so close will always be a desire of mine!!! IF I ever thought that God was not real and that life just happened by chance, this past weekend would have cleared my head and I would never think such ridiculous thoughts ever again!!!! He is REAL and He is in total control of every last detail of this vast universe. Praise you Jesus!

Yes, I am so passionate about the hand of God!! I am going to recount as many details as I can about this past weekend. I want to praise Him for taking such great care of me during this horrible time.

Dad past away on Saturday, June 27. The first sight of God's hand started on the Friday afternoon before Dad died. I have mentioned before that we live here on a camp. There were at least 23 different families here that week, but just the right family stopped outside my house that afternoon to discuss my dying roses. While we were talking, out of nowhere they mentioned that two of their family members would be flying out tomorrow and heading down to St. Pete/Clearwater on Allegiant Air for a conference. We started talking all about how that is the exact airport that I would be flying into in Aug. when I go down to see my dad. We laughed and talked a few minutes and then ended our conversation. I thought nothing of that conversation until about two hours after I found out about my dad's death. It was then that I realized....hey maybe I could fly down with them and they could get me to my dad's house. I ran up the hill and asked if they would be willing to get me to my dad's, if I could get a flight out with them. They were more than willing to get me to my dad's. All I had to do was get the ticket. I went to buy the ticket, but Allegiant was going to charge me A LOT!!!! I hung up the phone to go find Jeff and to find out what he thought that I should do. He wanted me to be able to go and not be worried about spending that much money. I just wasn't sure that I could do it. At the exact moment that Jeff and I were discussing the money, in walked the mom of the family that I would be flying with. She heard my concern about the money and left immediately. She returned no longer than 2 minutes later with her check book and wanted to pay for the ENTIRE flight!!!! I of course started to cry and then hurried back up to my house to make the reservations. When I called back God allowed me to talk to a different person who gave me a $100.00 discount on the ticket!!! I was so excited to be able to give that money back to that family. Thank you God.

My flight down was awesome. I got to sit next to this total stranger and his family. The man was very good at distracting me and keeping me in conversation the entire two hours. I learned a lot about him and he was so much like my dad. It was amazing to me the similarities between the two of them. The best part was yet to come though. Right before we got off the plane the gentleman said, "Hey, I never introduced myself. My name is Teddy." I started to laugh and cry and through my tears I said, "That was my dad's name!" God could have had me sit anywhere on that plane or had that family sit somewhere else, but he chose to have us sit together. I will cherish that seat assignment for as long as I live.

I was driven to my dad's that night. My dad's girlfriend lives right next door so I went to her house to get the keys to his house. She was not happy at all that I was there. She felt violated that I showed up. I really think that she thought that I came to take his stuff. I couldn't have cared less about taking his stuff I just wanted to be in his house with his stuff. I wanted to feel close to him, sleep in his bed, and just cry all night long, but she would not allow me to do it. I never fought, I just obeyed and said, "Okay" Then I went for a walk and prayed to my Heavenly Father. I begged God to change her heart....I so wanted to be in his house. When I returned from my walk I had a great idea. I asked her, if she would like to come over there and sleep in his house too. Her attitude changed immediately. She said, "Yes, I would like that." So that is what we did. Many other times that weekend when all I could do was pray, God changed attitudes!!! God was in control and He was just holding me through it all. I felt Him like never before.

There was only one thing that I wanted of my father's and it was a coin that he carried in his wallet. At one point I told Debi, his girlfriend, about wanting the coin. She informed me that she had already taken it. I was disappointed at first, but God came to the rescue once again. He brought to my memory something that I had seen years ago. Someone had made a quilt out of there son's Tshirts to remember him by. I immediately asked Debi for some of Dad's plaid shirts. She told me that I could have them ALL!!! I was so excited. That coin wouldn't have really been that special to me. Knowing me I probably would have lost it anyway, but the quilt...I will cherish forever. My mother-in-law is going to try to get it made for me by this Christmas!!

I so see God's hand in my timing of being there. I am not sure that Debi ever saw it, but I truly believe that she needed me there. We grieved together and I believe that we have a bond that we wouldn't have had other wise. I must admit it was very tough at times, but I am thankful for that time.

The last detail that God had to work out was finding me a ride back to the airport. I tried all my old high school friends, but nothing worked out. I was not worried, just fascinated to see how God was going to get this done. In the midst if this weekend I had an urgent question to be asked.....so I posted my question on Facebook. In my question I mentioned Bradenton, FL. I got a response back from one of my friends who lives right outside of Bradenton. I wrote back and asked her if there was any way that she could take me to the airport on Tuesday afternoon. I figured that she would have to work, but at least I should ask. Wouldn't you KNOW IT....she had Tuesday off this week and she was more than happy to take me!!!!

On Saturday I was worried that I would have a hard time leaving Dad's place, but after all I had been through.....coming home seem liked the only thing that I wanted to do!!! God's hand knew right were to take me....home safely to my family.

Forever Daddy's girl!!!

2009-06-27T16:05:00.002-04:00

I write this post with a VERY sad heart!!

This morning the first man in my life to ever....

hug me
smile at me
call me Baby
listen to my endless chatter
support me in everything I ever did (except when I paid too much for something)
cry when I had to leave him
cry whenever I came to visit him
taught me how to Garage Sale without paying much for anything
share his good looks with me (HAHA)
make me feel special
tell me he loved me
not let me get too emotional about anything
teach me how to use EVERY dish in the house before I did dishes
introduce me to hours of watching golf on Sunday afternoons
mail me long letters just about every week my first year away from home
show me what one's house would look like, if they became a PACK RAT (because of his wonderful example....I SAVE NOTHING!!!)
made me feel that nothing was more important than me

had a massive heart attack and will never be able to do any of these things ever again. Oh how I miss my dad already. My life will NEVER be the same again.

I am back

2009-06-26T10:05:00.004-04:00

It has been so long since I posted that it would take me forever to catch up.....so I will take the lazy way out!! I am just going to post pictures of two things that happened this week and explain them a little bit. I will post more next time.

This first series is of the time that I lost Joel in the house. I looked all over the house and called his name several times, but got no response. Then I heard a sucking sound. I went toward the sound and this is what I found.

Joel grinds his teeth so badly at night while he sleeps, that the orthodontist told us to keep giving him his paci during the night. I take the paci away every morning and keep it in a "safe" place for the day. Apparently this day Joel just couldn't wait for bed time!! (Yes..the boy's paci is PINK. It was the only color available one desperate day at Walmart!!!)

This next series is of camp entertainment at its best!

When I came out of my house there were some other boys out there watching too, but they left while I was running to my house to get my camera. It was such a cute sight to see the lawn littered with boys just staring up at this tree being cut down. NO GIRLS in sight.

Random happenings of today

2009-06-12T20:42:00.002-04:00

Joel put a piece of apple in our toaster oven, turned it on to 500 degrees, and made our house smell that awful burning smell.
I took the children to the beach for the afternoon.
I left our backdoor open, which made it easy for a humming bird to enter our house, caught humming bird in a Tupperware container, and took humming bird outside again.
Talked on the phone to SEVERAL people, I did not call one of them.
Got up at 5:45 this morning to roll out cinnamon rolls, took a nap after dinner tonight, and will probably be up well into tomorrow morning.
Allowing the girls to have a sleepover tonight!!

Boys like boy things

2009-06-09T13:50:00.002-04:00

Today Joel and I were at Rite Aid to get his prescription. (He apparently has the starting of Pneumonia) The pharmacy was running a little behind, so we spent some time in the toy aisle while waiting. I so wish that I had a video of our time in that aisle. It was very entertaining and enlightening for sure. Since I do not have a video, I will try my best to convey what took place. Imagine a toy aisle with "girl" toys on one side and "boy" toys on the other. As soon as we walked to the aisle, Joel ran to the "boy" side. He talked nonstop about each of the toys hanging there. "Mommy, I need this plane. I need this gun so I can shoot Hayden. I need this ball. I want this car." His little eyes were so huge and excited about all the toys. We spent about 10 minutes in this state, walking back and forth and him retelling me all the toys he needed. I went over to the "girls" side and picked out a doll. I interrupted Joel mid sentence to show him the pretty little doll that was in my hands. I half expected him to say, "I need that baby." But he wasn't the least bit interested. Instead he stopped talking, turned toward the doll, and just stared at it for about 4 seconds. Then just as quickly he turned back around and started talking about all the "boy" things. It really intrigued me. I waited about 5 more minutes and the whole thing repeated itself. He looked at that doll as if it were an alien. It was the funniest thing to me. There is NO denying that he is ALL boy!! And I LOVE him so much!!! There is no way that a person could convince me that boys and girls are alike. I never trained Joel to LOVE tools, cars, guns, dirt, and balls. It is totally just natural!!

One more thing, Joel said something cute the other day and I just have to share it! He wanted to call my mom to let her know that the car that she bought him now had bad batteries in it. I let him call just so that she could hear him talk to her. He and mom talked for some time about the car. At one point to keep the conversation going, Mom asked him, "Joel what kind of batteries does it need?" He looked at the phone for a second and then replied, "Uhhh GOOD ONES!"

She said it!

2009-06-07T13:51:00.006-04:00

Yesterday Amy had been outside for sometime when she noticed this bush in our front yard.

She came running into the house and excitedly proclaimed, "Mommy, Daddy our thorn bush is growing ROSES!!"

I understand her confusion. Indeed this little bush does seem more like a thorn bush than a rose bush, because it only has roses for about three weeks a year!!

Pictures

2009-06-04T17:05:00.003-04:00

These pictures were taken recently. I sure wish that I could get some good pictures of all the children! Which doesn't seem possible right now, because Joel runs from the camera and Lauren and Daniel do a grown up version of running away....they give me really weird looks and won't smile. So for the two children that enjoy getting their picture taken here's what I got!

First camp of the season

2009-06-02T17:23:00.002-04:00

Yesterday was the first day of this Family Camp season. God is teaching me a lot already. The main thing I am concentrating on is....take it one day at a time! I don't know if you struggle like I do, but I often overwhelm myself by worrying about the future. This is going to sound bad, but this is truly one of my deepest thoughts. I honestly see myself stuck here at this camp for the next 50 years....I see no way out!! I know though that I must stop thinking like that. God tells us to not worry about tomorrow, today has enough concerns of its own. I have done well so far, well I did great until this afternoon and then I blew it for about 30 min., but I am doing much better now. I am trying to live moment by moment!!

We are home

2009-05-30T18:19:00.002-04:00

Jeff and I had a BLAST!!!!

I now have a new second love though....walking on a treadmill while watching cable TV. The hotel had two of the most awesome machines!!! The TV was attached to each treadmill, so I got to watch whatever home improvement show I wanted and Jeff watched whatever sports show he wanted!!! We walked for about 4 miles side by side on those things!! Since we do not have cable TV at our house, walking on the treadmill was so exciting that way!!! I so could have walked ALL day on that machine, but I was not about to waste ALL my alone time with my hubby!! Think of the weight I could lose though, if I just owned one of those things!!

The children did just fine...at least they were fine when we got home. I will not share the scary stories with you that were told to me when I walked in the front door.

YIPPEE!!!

2009-05-29T09:20:00.002-04:00

Jeff and I are going away for the afternoon and not coming home until sometime tomorrow!!! I am SO totally excited!! I can't believe that we are going to go stay at a hotel without the children!!! Our 17th anniversary is in two weeks, so my mom has very graciously offered to pay for this special night away as her gift to us! Thank you and I love you Mom!!! This time away couldn't be better timing. Jeff's very busy season for work starts early Monday morning....so this getaway is SO needed for him and I.

If you think about it...please pray for the children's time at home. Pray for their safety and their attitudes!!! Our babysitter is real laid back, so I am not worried about the kids bothering her...my only concern is that they will bother each other!!

2009-05-25T13:33:00.002-04:00

I have wanted to post at least a dozen times this week, but I just couldn't. I had a very hard week and I cried A LOT!!! I can't share the details, but I can say that I am OVERLY excited for a very special someone, but I am devastated for what this means for me. I am not sure that this makes any sense to you, but it sure does to me.

On a much lighter note...the kiddos and I went to a parade this morning. We had to go without our usual "parade buddies", because they were out of town, but we still had a good time. I met an older lady and she and I talked for most of the parade. I love older women....they are so sweet!!!

Next Monday is the start of Family Camps. I can't believe that they are here already. The next Monday after that will be the day that I start CHEMISTRY!!!! I am so excited to be getting back to school. My only fear about school is that it will make my summer fly by WAY too fast! The end of summer is something I NEVER look forward to, but even less so this year. You see, my life will be radically different come this fall and I am not ready for it to change.

OUCH!!!

2009-05-16T18:31:00.002-04:00

NO ONE is allowed to come visit me ever again!! It hurts way too bad when they leave!!! My mom and I had a great time though and I am sure that I will change my mind about visitors by next week....BUT until then stay away if you plan on leaving me!!

I am so excited!!!

2009-05-07T15:43:00.002-04:00

My mom is on a plane right now headed to Cincinnati, OH. She will be getting on another plane later tonight and it will bring her to South Bend, IN!!! The children and I will be going to pick her up around 9:00 tonight!! I am so excited. Mom and I have a ton of plans for this next week and a half. First plan....go to as many Garage Sales as humanly possible!!! We will be starting out tomorrow morning at 7:00 my time, but 4:00 her time. (She says that she is totally up to this!) I hope so!! Let the good times roll!!!

The stress!!

2009-04-27T13:28:00.002-04:00

I had my final exam today! I was not the least bit nervous. I was actually kind of excited. I just wanted to get it over with and find out my final score. Then.....the professor handed us our test! The STRESS was overwhelming. My heart was almost beating out of my chest. After about ten minutes and still not having an answer figured out, I was ready to quit and walk out. I was so disappointed that I had no idea what I was doing on the test. I was mad at the teacher for not preparing us better. I kept looking around the room and the other students seemed to be doing their tests just fine. What was my problem? Praise the Lord for His still small voice. I had this thought....READ the entire test. I started from the top and I noticed the problem right away!! My test was labeled Final Exam for Trig and Pre Calc.! I burst out laughing and said, "No wonder I have no idea what I am doing...I have the wrong test!!" The other students all breathed a sigh of relief too. They had no idea what to do either. Our professor apologized and then gave us the right test this time. That was how we started our final exam. I was a huge ball of nerves by then and didn't trust myself in coming up with the right answers. After much prayer and some very big breaths, I settled down and got to my test. I was the last one there, because I checked it over with a fine tooth comb. I am so excited for all my hard work....I got a 100% on the REAL final exam!!

The Differences

2009-04-26T16:25:00.003-04:00

Girl Drama vs. Boy Drama

Girls first

Mom...she won't talk to me.

Mom...I swept the floor for you.

Can I sleep with you tonight Mommy?

Can I get on email?

Mom...I have nothing to do.

How does my hair look?

Mom...I have no friends.

Do we have enough hot water left? I NEED to take a shower.

Mom...she's being mean to me.

Mom...he's cute.

I don't want to play with her.

Can I make a special meal for tonight?

Can I do a load of laundry? I wore my jeans yesterday and I need them washed for tomorrow.

Can I have a sleepover tonight?

What do girls and their friends like to do all day? TALK!!!

Boys Next

Son, did you break that window?

Son, where did you get this knife?

Throwing kerosene on that fire was very dangerous, Son!

Please stop irritating your sisters.

How did you get so muddy?

Yes, you do have to take a shower!

No, it is not fine to wear that to church, there is paint all over your jeans and shirt.

Comb your hair...PLEASE!

Has that been washed since the last time that you wore it?

Brush your teeth now.

Mom, can I have that scrap wood? I want to make something with it.

LET'S WRESTLE!!

Dirty clothes go into the hamper...not on your bedroom floor.

THINK SON!

I forgot!

I DON'T KNOW!

Please stop bringing things home that you have found out in the trash.

Hug, hug, hug. Mom, I love you!!

What do boys like to do with their friends? As much as possible!

I have some extra time to post.

2009-04-22T22:05:00.008-04:00

I wrote this post yesterday, but I wanted to add it to The God Chronicles. My bloggy friend has started this a few months ago and asked me to be a part of it this month. I hope that you enjoy reading about what else God is doing in lives of other women.

Wow! Finals are next week. I can't believe how fast this semester went.

I have never shared with you how this whole college thing came to happen. Since I have the time I will tell you all about it tonight. It all started in Nov. over Thanksgiving weekend. Jeff's grandpa was in a nursing home for some rehabilitation. It was the most awful place for him to be. While I was there, he begged me to take him home with me. (If you know anything about my house or my children, you would know that to prefer this over where he was had to be BAD!) I sobbed like a baby when we had to leave grandpa there. I left there telling the Lord that I want to make a difference in the lives of people that no one cares about. Fast forward two or three weeks later....and I was having lunch with some ladies at a church tea. There was a lady there that I hadn't seen in years and we got to talking. In a nut shell, she told me not to just sit and wait for the children to grow up before I went out and did something for myself. She was just saying take a class or two, start slowly, but invest in yourself and your future without children. I left the tea thinking, "Wow. I have always wanted to be a nurse, maybe I could start taking a class sometime for nursing." I went home and told Jeff about the whole conversation. He just kind of rolled his eyes and smiled. (To his defense...I do often come up with great plans and then never follow through with it. He just figured this was one of those cases. Actually so did I kind of...I wasn't sure of what I wanted.) I prayed for a couple of weeks about this nursing thing. The desire only got stronger! I was not seeking anything out, just asking God what He wanted me to do. I then started praying, "Okay Lord, how on earth would we be able to afford such a thing? Well the Lord answered that question a few nights later. I was talking to a friend about homeschooling and out of the blue she just started telling me how her cousin went to college to become a nurse and got it all paid for by government funding. I was shocked!! I had no idea that the government would pay for my college tuition and books. At this point I was still not seeking anything out, just praying and praying for God to bring all the information that I needed to me. This was not going to be done by me, I wanted it done by the Lord. I had no idea where the closest college even was from my house or if they had a nursing program. Maybe a week later I got a phone call from my bestest buddy who will remain nameless unless she says otherwise. She called to share some great news with me. She was going to college to become a nurse. (Now mind you I had not shared with her any of my journey thus far!) I just about fainted when she told me the news. I asked her where she was going to go to college and how long would it take to become a nurse? She gave me ALL the information I was needing...down to the phone number of the college that was only 12 minutes from my house!! The very last thing I needed was my husband's approval. It was a total God thing, because my husband very willing said, "Whatever you want Honey." I called the college the very next day and the rest is history or should I say algebra up to this point. I am taking every moment day by day, and going through every door that God opens for me. I have peace that God will take care of all the extra details...I am choosing NOT to worry about them. By the way, my life hasn't really gotten a whole lot busier, just a whole lot better!!! I have SO needed to get out of my house. I truly feel like a much better mom now! I am aware of the fact that my blogging has gotten very sparse though and I apologize for that. I will try to do better...just expect LOTS of pictures and not many words. Love you guys!

Score

2009-04-20T17:17:00.002-04:00

I know that my score is nothing to be ashamed of, but I am not really proud of it either. I just wanted you to know that my test is over and I got a 95%. I have promised my husband that I would not be depressed for days after this 95%. I am living up to my promise, but I have great hopes of getting a better score on my final exam next week!!

Picture day

2009-04-18T19:37:00.002-04:00

Here is Emily and Daniel's soccer team.
This is my favorite picture of the day. It almost makes me think that my children really do love each other!! The girl on the left is Morgan Lee. She lives almost next door to us. It is so fun to have her on this team...for more than one reason, but this is why I like it so much. Her mom, Dana and I sit and talk during the games and we share rides!! A huge help when you have two games at the same time.

Amy is also playing soccer this year.
This is Jordan Lee. She is on Amy's team along with her brother Carter. Isn't she a cutie!!!

Here are two of my favorite people...watching (coaching) the game together.

As for me, I have a test on Monday. Please pray that I remember everything that I studied!

Our week in pictures

2009-04-14T22:56:00.004-04:00

Lauren made it home safely from North Carolina. She was home almost one hour and we headed out to the mall. Lauren wanted to get her ears pierced. Her Grammie paid to have it done as her early Birthday gift!!

Here is a better picture of one of her beautiful little ears.

Amy got her hair all put up in rollers. They didn't stay in for more than two hours, but she enjoyed the whole experience.

Life with a three year old little brother. He just has to be with his Sissy even when she is doing her school work!

No wonder she can't resist him!!

I had a huge day in Chicago with some friends!!!

We enjoyed riding on buses and a train.

We went to the Lincoln Park Zoo.

I entertained a five year old while her mom shopped. Rena would pose and then I would take her picture. This was by far my favorite picture that I took of her.

We walked around down town!!

Last, but certainly not least we went to see Mary Poppins on Broadway!!! It was incredible!!

After the show we went around the back of the theater and got to talk to the actors and actresses. They were SO nice!!!

"Jane Banks"

"Micheal Banks"

"Mary Poppins"

WOW what a week! Oh yeah we had soccer games and Easter egg hunts too, but I didn't get any pictures of those things.

Out of the mouth of babes

2009-04-09T20:26:00.005-04:00

This is the most recent conversation that the girls and I had.

Me: "No school tomorrow!"
Lauren: "Why no school?"
Emily: "It's Good Friday that's why."
Amy: "Why is it Good Friday?"
Emily: "Because it is the day that Jesus died on the cross."
Lauren: "That's a Good Friday? I thought that it was Black Friday that Jesus died on."
Emily: "No, that is the awesome shopping day!"
Lauren: "Your telling me that we shop on Black Friday and Jesus died on Good Friday. Shouldn't it be the other way around?"

I did it!!!

2009-03-30T14:04:00.004-04:00

I finally got that 100% on an Algebra test!!!!

Airport drama

2009-03-25T21:51:00.004-04:00

Today my favorite Lauren in all the world flew to North Carolina!! Jeff, Daniel, Joel, Lauren and I left the house at 10:30 am to make sure we had plenty of time to make it to Midway before Lauren's 2:50 flight. We actually got there in GREAT time. We had SO much time to spare before she left. We watched many planes land while we past the time talking. After about an hour or so, it was time to go to the gate. Only one adult and any children under 13 were able to go through security to take Lauren to her plane. I chose for Jeff and the boys to go which left me all by myself in the baggage claim area. I worked on some homework that I had brought with me and when I got bored of that......I had the most wonderful time making "friends". I must have chosen the perfect spot, because as soon as one "friend" would leave another one would sit down. I had a blast getting to know people, not one person seemed to mind telling me all about themselves. My time went by very quickly and uneventfully, but not so for Jeff and the kids. I will try my best to retell the story that has been told to me.

For some reason before Jeff and the kids went through security, Jeff put our van keys in Lauren backpack....FULLY INTENDING TO GET THEM OUT AS SOON AS THEY MADE IT PAST SECURITY!!! But apparently Joel distracted Jeff and the keys were forgotten. Our van keys made it all the way onto the plane, with EVERY other passenger. The plane door was closed and those keys were ready to depart. At the last possible moment my dear husband remembered our van keys. If you know anything about my husband this next part of the story will seem unbelievable. He actually had to QUICKLY GET SOME ONE'S ATTENTION and TALK TO THAT PERSON!! He must have done a great job of communicating, because they didn't depart, they opened the door back up, and gave us our precious keys back. Thank you Southwest!

Jeff and the boys found me talking to my newest friends and then it was time to leave the airport. We parked way out TO SAVE MONEY and got to ride a shuttle to our van. I FULLY INTENDED ON SAVING US MONEY, I thought that all economy parking was cheapest. WRONG!!! We were charged $14.00 for two and a half hours of parking. It is a good thing that I saved us so much money yesterday, we needed it today!! By the way, planes travel VERY FAST....Lauren called us from the Raleigh/Durham Airport before we ever made it back into the state of Michigan!!

My Amy Jo

2009-03-24T16:26:00.000-04:00

Amy and I went to the doctor's office twice today. The first time was for her to be told that she has pink eye and a sinus infection. The second time was to save us $58.00. After the first visit we made our way across the street to Walmart to get the prescription. When the prescription was ready, we were told that it would cost $70.00. I told the cashier that I would need to talk to the doctor again, before I paid $70.00 for Amy's medicine. Amy and I then went back to the office and I was able to talk to the doctor again. I handed him the $4.00 prescription list from Walmart and asked him if he could please prescribe somethings off that list instead. He was WONDERFUL about the whole thing. He ordered Amy $12.00 worth of medicine instead!!! I am so glad that I asked instead of just paying for the original prescription.

One more thing.....
I so wish that you all could have seen and heard Amy's reponse when I told her that she had pink eye. She so nervously and cautiously said, "I do? Oh no....does that mean I am going to die?" At the moment it wasn't really funny, my poor little girl really thought that this was the end! Now that I can look back at the whole thing though I have laughed many times. She is so cute!!! (Apparently her friend had just told her earlier that day, that when your eye turns all pink....you die! Thanks Jordan!!)

I love funny emails!!

2009-03-20T14:58:00.000-04:00

On the first day, God created the dog and said: 'Sit all day by the door of your house and bark at anyone who comes in or walks past. For this, I will give you a life span of twenty years.'
The dog said: 'That's a long time to be barking. How about only ten years and I'll give you back the other ten?'
So God agreed.

On the second day, God created the monkey and said: 'Entertain people, do tricks, and make them laugh. For this, I'll give you a twenty-year life span.'
The monkey said: 'Monkey tricks for twenty years? That's a pretty long time to perform. How about I give
you back ten like the Dog did?'
And God agreed.

On the third day, God created the cow and said: 'You must go into the field with the farmer all day long and suffer under the sun, have calves and give milk to support the farmer's family. For this, I will give you a life span of sixty years.'
The cow said: 'That's kind of a tough life you want me to live for sixty years.. How about twenty and I'll give back the other forty?'
And God agreed again.

On the fourth day, God created humans and said: 'Eat, sleep, play, marry and enjoy your life.. For this, I'll give you twenty years.'
But the human said: 'Only twenty years? Could you possibly give me my twenty, the forty the cow gave back, the ten the monkey gave back, and the ten the dog gave back; that makes eighty, okay?'
'Okay,' said God, 'You asked for it.'

So that is why for our first twenty years we eat, sleep, play and enjoy ourselves. For the next forty years we slave in the sun to support our family. For the next ten years we do monkey tricks to entertain the grandchildren... and for the last ten years we sit on the front porch and bark at everyone.

Life has now been explained to you. There is no need to thank me for this valuable information. I'm doing it as a public service.

God is doing great things!!

2009-03-15T16:45:00.000-04:00

God is doing so many great things this week. I wish that I could sit down with each of you and tell you in person all that God is teaching me. For now I will just talk about two things. Contentment would be the word to describe this post!!

It all started this weekend when I went to a ladies retreat here at the camp. I did not have to lift a finger...I was a guest and I was able to totally enjoy the retreat. I learned so much from the teaching, but that is not what I want to share about during this post. Many of you know that my husband Jeff is one of the camp cooks. In the past, I have not felt that my husband's ministry was very important or appreciated. All that changed this weekend. Being a part of the retreat made me aware of how truly important and special Jeff's minisrty really is. All weekend the ladies just raved about the food. To be honest I actually thought about the food far too much. I was constantly looking forward to the next meal. The retreat certainly would not have been a success without the food. I came away from the retreat very thankful for the cooks and all that they do.

I have struggled for years working at a Christain camp. I have been hurt more by the people I serve with than any other people in this entire world. Ministry can be tough. I have been discontent here at this particular camp. I assumed that it would be easier at any other Christain camp. God in his great wisdom decided to bring me to my senses this weekend. I read a post by a pastor's wife and she was telling of her ministry struggles (without being specific). God showed me that Christain people everywhere hurt other Christain people. NONE OF US ARE PERFECT! I am choosing to be content here knowing that there is no perfect place this side of Heaven!!

I FEEL SO FREE YA ALL!!

I was missed!!

2009-03-04T23:25:00.002-05:00

Emily wrote this post on her blog while I was away.

All Aboard!!

2009-02-25T13:10:00.000-05:00

I leave "tonight" at 12:30 AM on an Amtrak train headed to New York. It will be a very bittersweet trip. The bitter part is....my main purpose for going to NY is to see my grandma who is dying of cancer. I am afraid to see her, because she is so weak now, but I don't want to miss this last opportunity to see her face to face. The sweet part is....that while I am there, I will be able to see family members that I have not seen in many years. I will also be seeing my mom, which I am VERY excited about.
The 13 hour train ride sounds exciting to me. I plan on sleeping most of the way, watching a video, and doing lots of Algebra. I just pray that my stuff and myself are safe throughout the night. I will be returning home next Tuesday morning.

Don't put off until tomorrow what you should do today!!

2009-02-21T11:50:00.000-05:00

This will be short, but I learned a huge lesson today. I have been in the process of changing email accounts. I was told by Intergate that I had until tomorrow the 22 to get everything done. You know me, I put everything off until the last moment. I did it again today and I LOST almost EVERYTHING!!! Intergate deactivated my account a day early! There is no way that they can retrieve any of my emails or addresses. I really must stop putting things off until later!!! Hopefully this is a lesson learned for a long time.

My SPECIAL Day!!

2009-02-15T09:33:00.003-05:00

Yesterday was the BEST Valentine's Day I ever remember having. It started out with cooking a brunch with Jeff for a couple's retreat. I love working with my husband!!!! While in the midst of working, Jeff surprised me with a beautiful rose and a kiss! I felt so special and loved. Later that day Jeff and I went out on a date. I could choose anywhere I wanted to eat. I thought of all those nice restaurants that would cost us at least $25.00 to eat at and said no thank you. I chose my favorite fast food place....Chick-Fil-A. I have only eaten there a couple of times, because it is so expensive. To me this was a total treat, but for much less than the other places!! Chick-Fil-A was having a special night for all of us Valentine diners. Jeff and I were seated at a reserved table. It was decorated very nicely. They even gave me a fresh flower and a heart shaped brownie!! This may not sound romantic to you, but this was perfect for Jeff and I. I LOVED IT and I want to go back again next year. We also went shopping while we were out. I found an incrediable pair of jeans at Christopher and Banks for $5.00!! (They were miss sized. According to those jeans I can fit a size 6!! HAHA!!! I felt like the Lord put thse jeans there for me. They were the last pair left. All those dear size 6 ladies couldn't wear them and all those dear ladies that are "lucky" enough not to be a 6 passed them right up!!) The day was just perfect in every way, except for one thing. The children and I were going to decorate heart shaped cookies when we got home. I had been on a mission for days to find fun Valentine sprinkles for the kids to decorate cookies with. We ended our date last night without the prized sprinkles. I was very disappointed, but everything else was so wonderful....I could over look my lack of sprinkles. I got home, took the cookies out of the freezer, and made the frosting. While in search for food coloring to make some pretty pink frosting, I came across two brand new packages of Valentine sprinkles!!!! They were exactly what I was looking to buy!!! I do not remember buying them after Valentine's Day last year, but I must have!!! You should have seen me jumping all around the house like an idiot. I was so excited that God had not allowed me to find any sprinkles in the seven or more stores that I searched. I was also so thankful that He allowed me to find them right BEFORE we decorated the cookies!! My God is so great and concerned about all my "little" things. I went to bed last night feeling loved by my dear husband and loved by my God!!

Potty Training 101

2009-02-13T19:16:00.001-05:00

I have been very busy potty training Joel for the past week. Through all this potty training I have learned a few lessons that I would like to share with you.

You can never have enough clean underwear the first day of training.
Boys can soak dry underwear while going potty on the toilet.
Don't start them too young. They get this whole potty training thing MUCH faster when they are old enough to understand it all.
Potty training children sometimes fear having the first bowel movement on the potty. I have learned the trick.....refried beans morning, noon, and night!! After two days they can't help but have a BM!!!
Be careful how hard you grab and yank on the zipper to your little boys jeans. You just might grab and yank something other than a zipper.
Do not play hide and seek with a potty training child. When they are looking the other way for you and you scare them when you run up behind them...they will scream VERY loudly and wet their pants.
Get very excited with every success. They really are proud of themselves. I am cherishing every huge, potty training smile I have been shone!!!
Stick with it...even if they seem to be having a horrible attitude about it!!
You will so enjoy seeing your little boy out of a diaper and into underwear!! They are so cute running around the house "ALL GROWN UP"!!

His mind

2009-01-27T19:32:00.064-05:00

Joel has such a quick mind and likes to talk non-stop, so I have many stories to tell you! Here is our latest thing that he said. He has a real fascination with "bad words" his favorite being the word...stupid! He is not allowed to say stupid. For weeks he has been telling me over and over again, "I not say that bad word." I just respond with, "Good Joel, thank you." This has gone on for weeks no joke. Apparently not saying the bad word was just killing him. The other day he started something new.

Joel-"Mommy, did you hear that?"
me-"No, Joel I did not. What was it?"
Joel-"My truck just called me STUPID!"
me (acting very sorry and concerned)-"Oh no Joel. Please tell that truck not to call you names like that."
Joel (very sternly)-"Truck, my mommy said no call me stupid."
He went back to playing nicely for about ten minutes and then the truck got mouthy again.
Joel-"Mommy, my truck called me stupid again."
me-"Joel tell your truck, if he can't talk nicely we will have to get rid of him."
Joel-"Mommy?"
me-"Yes, Joel."
Joel-"The couch just called me STUPID!"

What do you think....do we get rid of the couch or Joel?

My first day

2009-01-20T10:21:00.005-05:00

Yesterday was my first day of Algebra. I LOVED IT!! I loved the whole being taught process. I loved doing homework. I loved getting out of the house. I loved coming home to my family!!

I am very happy that Jeff is a whizz at math, because when I was all done with my homework we went over it together. It was so much fun to do it together! I just hope he still enjoys doing homework with me next year and the year after.

For now....we are not going to get a computer at the our house. After being without it for a little over a week, I realize how addicted I had become to the stupid thing. I have neglected A LOT, because I was on the computer. I am sure that we will get one again someday......just not in the near future!!! I feel so free and I love it!!!!!

A story and a couple of statements

2009-01-18T10:42:00.003-05:00

Hey ya all. How are you doing?

I'll do the statements first.

Still no computer at home...using Jeff's office computer now.

Karen, I need you to make me a fun winter background! PLEASE!!!

The falling snow is absolutely beautiful today!!!

Onto my story....

Jeff's back has been bothering him so he has been sleeping out on the floor by the wood burning stove each night. I get the huge bed to myself!! Lastnight Amy had a friend sleep over, so I gave them my bed and I slept in the girl's room in Amy's bed. (Side note...her bed is very comfy!) In the middle of the night Joel woke up. He got out of bed, walked over to Emily's bed, and woke her up. He told her that his foot hurt. I was two feet away, but neither of them was aware of it. Emily took such good care of Joel and I got to hear the whole thing. She picked him up and put him in her bed. She found out which foot hurt and she rubbed it until he said that it didn't hurt anymore. Then she went into his room to get him something. She came back, told Joel to lay down, and they fell back to sleep cuddled up in her bed together. I often find Joel in Emily's bed, but I have never heard her take care of him in the night. It warmed this women's heart to hear the love that was demonstrated and see the love this morning when I woke up!!

Thanks for the encouragement!

2009-01-17T12:25:00.000-05:00

You all are so sweet. Thanks for all of your encouraging words!

I went to the college on Thursday, just to check out some stuff about spring classes. Well...I am starting my first class this week!! I am going to be taking Algebra twice a week for two hours each day. I am SO excited about using my brain to solve real problems! Unlike what my brain has been solving the past 14 years or so. You know some of the problems that I face most everyday.....

who bothered whom first
who is really telling the truth
who has to put it away...the one that got it out or the one that last played with it
what were they thinking
are they really starving or can they wait 30 minutes until the next meal

I am actually looking forward to homework!!!! It will be the excuse for not being responsible for the house for a little while!!

I am going to college!!

2009-01-13T13:59:00.002-05:00

Lastnight I went to take my college assessment test. I did much better than I ever imagined that I would! I figured that I would totally fail the pre-algebra part, but apparently reading Lauren's math book over the weekend really helped me! My score was a 99, which means that I just tested out of my first class!! I do not need to take pre-algebra!! I am not sure if I am smart or if the test was just easy, but I will take it however I got it! I got a 95 on the reading part and an 84 on the writing part. This is not a brag post I promise. I am just so surprised and excited at how well I did.

I may not be able to post for a while again. I am actually using my wonderful next door neighbor's computer for this post. Our computer has burned up...literally! Did you know that you should vacuum out your computer every now and then, or else the dust inside could over heat and catch fire? Neither did I, but I do now! Well if this had to happen, I will say that the timing was great. We were given a couple of gifts of money for Christmas, which means we will be able to afford to get a new computer at this time. I hope to be back to blog land real soon, but I must admit.....I am getting a lot done without the computer pulling me away from my duties.

This is what he said...

2009-01-09T09:49:00.004-05:00

Yesterday I needed Joel and Amy to be busy while the older girls and I were outside stacking wood on our porch. I sent Joel upstairs to get any video he wanted to watch. It took him a little while, but he found it. He announced to us why he had chosen this particular video. "Mommy, I want this one. She's a CUTIE! She's a cutie!" He kept saying it over and over again while he was bringing it down the stairs. I was very curious as to who this cutie was.

When he brought it over for me to see I laughed so hard and then I became really concerned. Ya all....my just turned three year old can really pick out a little CUTIE!!

The movie is Little Princess with Shirley Temple. Which he sat down and watched the entire 90 minute movie.

I have a lot of catching up to do

2009-01-08T11:32:00.001-05:00

A lot is happening here at our house.

The biggest news is that I am seriously thinking about going to college to become a nurse!! I have always wanted to do this, but never had enough confidence in myself. Not that the confidence level has changed much, but I really think that I can do this. Jeff and the family are fine with it. The only thing holding me back is the winter weather that I would have to drive in. I know that that sounds really lame, but I am not a big fan of icy snowy roads!!

Our next bit of excitement is that Lauren is going to be going to our public high school this next school year. I have home schooled her all the way up to this point and I am so scared of making a mistake by sending her to public school. I am very excited about not being responsible for her education, but I am afraid of all the junk that comes with public school. I have so many questions. Will she really get a better education than what she can get here at home? Will her homework be so intense that we don't even see her anymore? Will I regret this choice? Will she thank me later for sending her to school or will she wish that I kept her home? I know....I over analize EVERYTHING!!! I am sure that I will relax much more with each child going to high school, but this first one is freaking me out!!! It doesn't help any that when I tell people about it the majority of the comments are not favorable at all. I feel very looked down upon for sending her. Jeff and I are totally united on this though, so that helps me some.

I NEED to potty train Joel SOON!!! In March we are heading out on annual drive in the van for 5 FULL days (at least 10 hours a day/ one as much as 15 hours) to visit family and friends. We go to Alabama, Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina and then home to Michigan. We do this all in 2 1/2 weeks or so. I am not sure that I really want Joel out of diapers during this trip, but I don't think that I will have much time to do it when we get back home. I just need to start doing it or I will never get it done.

I totally cleaned out some major clutter in our house recently. I filled the van FULL of trash and then again with Goodwill and garage sale stuff. It feels so great to be clutter free. Things now have a place and it is so much easier to keep clean!! I actually feel like someone could walk in my house and I wouldn't be embarrassed. It is such a great feeling. It almost feels as good as losing 20 pounds!!

My dad got us a Wii for Christmas. We are LOVING it!!!! My favorite game is the golf targets. He also got us the Wii Fit, but we have not opened it yet. I am afraid of it at this point. I don't want to break it. Yes, I know that it is not doing us any good in the box. Maybe we will get it out tonight!!

Oh yeah...I never told you all what I did to myself the other day. I was closing the sliding door of our van and I shut my finger in it!! It was wierdest thing, I saw my finger before I felt the pain. I hurried and got it out and then it started to hurt. In fact it still hurts me, but I have great hope that it will stop hurting soon.

I hope to talk to you all again soon. Have a great day!

Want to join us?

2009-01-01T14:46:00.005-05:00

I am joining Beth Moore and about 3000 other women in making this a Jesus year! We are going to be memorizing scripture together this whole year. You can read here Beth's original post all about the challenge. You get to pick your verse or verses on the 1st and the 15th of each month. I don't know about you, but I NEED to memorize scripture!! If I do this and stick to it...I will have at least 24 new verses put to memory!! I am so excited. Here is my verse for the next 2 weeks.

For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love, and of self-discipline. 2Tim. 1:7

If you are like me, you have GREAT intentions each year to do scripture memory.......BUT NEVER SEEM TO DO IT!!! Please comment here on my blog, if you are going to join us. Then go over to Beth's blog and sign in.

2008

2009-01-01T00:10:00.000-05:00

I am borrowing this fun idea from a couple of blog friends. The idea is to write the first sentence from the first post of each month and a little update for the entire year of 2008.

January

This has been such a big week of firsts for our family.

(The beginning of the year must be BIG for firsts. I did another first this week too. Shut my own finger in the van door. I hope to never do that again!!!)

February

A quick note to let you know that Joel and the rest of the family are much healthier now.

March

Today was a Tea time for ladies at our church.

(I love spending time with friends.)

April

The children have started their own blog.

(Here is a link to their latest post.)

May

I am able to get on other people's blogs again.

(I am notorious for making myself totally give up doing something for a certain amount of time. My way of practicing self-control.)

June

Life in a nut shell.

(I so enjoy making lists)

July

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

August

I have to post today.

(Summer is such a hard time for me to blog. We are so busy.)

September

Top ten reasons why I am voting democrat.

(This post and my post for an easy breakfast casserole were my most visited posts of 2008.)

October

Wasn't Jeff an adorable baby.

(We have two months with Birthdays on the first.)

November

Just wear your "I VOTED" sticker to Starbucks for a free coffee....

(I absolutely LOVE getting FREEBIES!!! Here is my favorite link for free item info.)

December

I am a little frustrated today.

( I dislike ending my year on being frustrated, but frustration is a real thing in my house sometimes. I love that my blog is real, but I hope that I am much more postive than negative in my daily perspective. It is totally my desire that 2009 be a Jesus year. I do not want to get in the way of what Jesus wants to do through me this year.)

2008 was a great year. Thank you to all of my faithful readers who check in on my family everyday. I am so encouraged by your comments and your blogs. I SO enjoy keeping up with your family too!!!

I love you guys!!!

If you love them.....

2008-12-28T21:50:00.001-05:00

DON'T buy them a Visa Gift Card!!!

My four older children were each given one last year for Christmas. We went out the next day and they each spent some on their card. To make things a little less confusing, Jeff and I bought the cards from the children so that they could put the remainder of their gift in the bank and save it. I planned on using the cards at Walmart for groceries. The cards got set aside for a few months. When I finally went to use them, the Walmart thingy said that they were not recognized. The dear cashier tried many different things, but it would not take the cards. I went home and called the card company. I was able to talk to a really sweet lady, who told me that nothing was wrong with my cards. She told me exactly how much was on each card and then told me what the problem was. I was told that the amount due can not be for more than what the card has on it. The card is not at all like cash. I could not swipe a card to get that money toward the total. She told me that I had to use each card for a seperate purchase. I was told to take calculator with me when I went to use them. This all meant that to buy groceries I had to REALLY think and plan ahead....not my two favorite things to do when there is a long line of people behind me. Just incase you are not getting the total picture I want to explain further. In order to use the card that had $22.43 on it, I had to either count out just enough groceries to add up to 22.43 or have the cashier total up my entire purchase and then use my calculator to subtract 22.43 from the total, pay the difference and fianally I could swipe my little gift card for $22.43 and it would supposedly take it!! These little gift cards were beginning to look like gift curses. I set the cards aside for several more months, why not....the expiration date wasn't until 11/09! This weekend I got brave. I brought Jeff with me to figure out the total and I would swipe the card. My dear husband did an excellent job. He would grab something out of the cart and I would tell him the price. He added up everything so nicely. We went to check out and it was for 30 cents over the cards limit. NO PROBLEM... I just handed the thirty cents to the fun cashier and then I swiped my gift ~~card~~ curse. PROBLEM!! The thingy did not recognize my card again. The dear cashier tried everything she could think of. I even paid more with cash and tried for a lesser total. NO GO! I was not happy with our little gift curse. I went home and called the card company again. A new problem now called MONTHLY SERVICE FEES!!! While I was to intimidated to use these cards the card company was charging me money!! We lost over $22.00 in fees. It would have been more if one of the cards had not been almost all used up. I have to go spend the remainder of the money before the first of the year or I will lose another $2.50 per card. Now do you see why you should NEVER give someone you love one of these cards??

A little side note....guess what I received in the mail the day all this happened. ANOTHER VISA GIFT CARD!!! I am taking it to Walmart and buying me a Walmart gift card for the same amount!!! That way I can spend it hassle free whenever I want!!!

Happy Birthday Jesus!!

2008-12-25T12:19:00.000-05:00

We had a wonderful birthday celebration today. We decorated with signs, streamers, and a left over balloon from Joel's birthday. We ate ice cream and cake and I gave a gift to Jesus. My gift was a promise to not give up on a certain relationship in my life. I am going to treat this person like I would Jesus...regardless of the fact that this person does not act like Jesus.

Watch and enjoy....

2008-12-22T19:33:00.000-05:00

I am not smart enough to download a video from YouTube onto my own blog. So please visit my friend Tyler's blog to watch it! You should get a great laugh and maybe understand a little what big families go through. I do not consider our family really big, but we have experienced some of these things.

It's my Birthday today!!

2008-12-18T00:35:00.000-05:00

Here I am as Miss America. Praise the Lord that my legs don't look like that still!!!

I think that there are 13 candles on that cake. Man did I ever look young for my age!

The above picture is me with my mom. The picture below is me with my dad. (Isn't that wall paper just beautiful? I might have to ask for some for my next Birthday....NOT!)

Here I am at the park.

Oh wait that's not me, that's Emily.

The picture below is of me with Mr. and Mrs. Santa.

Here is my absolute favorite picture of me and the children.

Happy Birthday Me!

Mom and Dad, when you read this....know that I love you LOTS and thank you for giving me my life!!

Things I learned yesterday...

2008-12-17T08:29:00.003-05:00

This stomach bug that my family has is not just limited to the kids.

Bleach must work for at least one family member in this house, because now I am the only person that has not had it. YET!

When you are taking a three year old out to the store....dress him yourself.

11 year olds don't think a three year old needs a coat when it is 20 degrees or less outside.

8 year olds remember to get a coat for the the three year old, but put it down somewhere between the the livingroom and the van.

Never again trust younger kids with that responsibility.

Look for said coat before you drive away from home.

Always wear two coats in case you need one for the three year old.

A three year old looks VERY funny in an adult coat.

People will stare at a three year old in an adult coat.

People just might think that the three year old needs a coat of their own and offer to buy them one.

Always take a diaper bag with you when you leave the house, even for just a quick run to the store.

Quick runs to the store can last five hours!

Keeping children out of the house for five hours can really help the one sick adult groaning in bed at home.

Just because it is snowing...the roads are not necessarily bad.

When the toilet gets clogged and the other adult in the house is sick....unclog it yourself.

11 year olds forget to tell you that they couldn't unclog it.

Toilets will spill ALL over the bathroom floor when they get flushed...if they are still clogged.

Going outside to pray in the beautiful snowy night, before you clean up the spill....is a VERY good idea!!!

BLEACH IS MY FRIEND!!!

When almond bark says to not overheat...I now know why!! Almond bark becomes very liquified and takes FOREVER to harden.

Wax paper will stick to your table, if hot liquified almond bark is placed on it to cool.

14 year olds like to stay up late, watch a movie with you, eat your creations and laugh at you!

I kid you not...this all happened yesterday!

Why Son must you be so big?

2008-12-13T14:53:00.004-05:00

Joel has learned something new today. He has figured out how to undress himself. It is freezing outside, not too warm inside, but he has proclaimed that he no longer likes clothes!! What am I going to do with this child?

He has also figured out when the camera is going to take a picture. I am getting way TOO MANY of these shots!!

WHAT A KID!!!

I needed the encouragement

2008-12-12T22:20:00.002-05:00

I entered a bunch of bloggy give aways and the Lord knew that I needed some encouragement this blessed stomach flu week. I WON a Radio Theater program from Focus on the Family from Elizabeth!!! I am so excited!! Thank you, Elizabeth for this great gift!!!

Thank you Lord for bleach!!

2008-12-09T02:51:00.002-05:00

It is 2:50 AM and I have yet to sleep tonight! I have gone to bed at least four times, but everytime I get close to sleep someone wakes me after throwing up. My bathroom has been bleached from top to bottom twice already tonight. Our couch is also very clean now. Joel is watching a video and I am just waiting for the next thing to clean.