• Dec. 12, 2006
self sabatoge

Okay I have been trying to eat right and loose weight! Well I was doing really really good I got my self some free weights and I was working out them and getting the kids to do it to when some made a comment that I was looking smaller well before I knew it I was eating candy bars and bad stuff. What is up? I really want to loose but with out even knowing what I am doing I will catch my-self with a candy bar in my mouth. At the moment I just wanna scream and stomp my feet and bash my head into the wall. Any ideas? Has anyone delt with this before??

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• Dec. 6, 2006
Our Christmas letter

Dearest Friends,

 

            I just can not believe it is December of 2006! Where did the year go? It seems I have been carted onto a rollercoaster of hills and valleys and can not seem to get off. Before I know what has hit me, the year is over. We welcomed our 6^th child into the world on May 15^th and named him Joseph Daniel. We chose the name Daniel naming him after my Uncle Daniel.

            In July we took our small army as Nick calls us to Kansas to wish his Uncle Nick a happy 80^th birthday. Nicks sisters and brother traveled to Kansas as well and we enjoyed a picnic and had a family reunion. Nicks Uncle Leo and Aunt Virginia put our whole clan up at their house. They even fed and entertained us. Kiersten and her cousin Ben took off together going swimming and playing video games together. Maggie found a friend in her cousin Emily. If Maggie had been a few years older they could have been twins. My Matthias found a friend in his cousin Matthias. Gene was in awe of Uncle Leo’s toys that included a real WW2 helmet and a crank record player. Our girls still ask for Unca Pencer (Uncle Spencer Nick’s big Brother) to come and take them to the park. They are always asking for him to the point that I gave them both their own copy of their photo with him. There are days they carry it around.

            July was a very, very busy month two weeks after Kansas we headed to Pen State for my David’s Wedding. I loved the park he was married in and enjoyed talking to all my cousins and seeing their kids and my Aunts and Uncles. Kiersten bonded with my cousin Jonathan and he invited her up to Cleveland for a visit with him and his wife.

            A week after my brothers wedding I had to get three school portfolios together for our end of the year schooling.

            Our good friend and brother David was also married in July and it pained us much not to be able to go to his wedding and meet his bride. We miss him a lot still refer to the apartment downstairs as Dave’s even though Kiersten now has her bedroom down there.

            Nick is still with Computers and he still loves his job and enjoys working there. He still fixes computers on the side and he is still by far the sweetest man and the most wonderful husband a women could ask for. He has learned and is fascinated by some new computer technology but to explain it would take more brain power then I have. He loves the show Myth busters but will watch Dirty Jobs with me to. He is as I lovingly call him my sweet Geek.

           I have rediscovered cross stitch this year and have a few patterns that I plan on doing. I still make jewelry and I also knit with looms. I teach at our co-op though my roles have changed drastically over the few years. I am now the official Drama teacher and my class fills up quickly. This year I was brave enough to try my hand at actually writing the play for Drama class. Though I am still teaching sign language next year I will be taking a break and teaching crafting and Drama. I was informed by many of my students that I must teach Drama. I will happily agree it is a class I enjoy and love to teach.

            Kiersten started ninth grade this year and is working to finish it so that she can start tenth. She is in two Christmas plays and guitar lessons. This year has been difficult for her as she suddenly became allergic to milk and all it’s by products. Her allergy is such that to be around cooking pizza or a cake with milk in it she would start wheezing, break out into hives and pass out then stop breathing and die. She has done very well handling her allergy. We have not had to go to the ER once since she has developed the allergy. Kiersten has also met a nice young man named Peter they have been courting friends for a year now. She spent a week in Cleveland with my cousin loving the change culture and bonding with Diana. We picked her up on the Sat. after Turkey Day and enjoyed Aunt Ramona’s awesome cooking.

            Gene is taking piano and has the lead role in the choir play at co-op (I do not teach this one). He also loves Myth busters, Dirty Jobs & Stevie Wonder. He is fascinated with military history and anything mechanical. We start Mechanical Drawing this year and he is also learning to cross stitch. He is still karate and desires to be a black belt one day. He took wood carving this year in co-op and he has worked super hard on his projects and is the only on who hasn’t cut him self in class.

            Matthias is also in karate but his heart is in the kitchen. He loves to cook. He also loves to eat. He is an awesome artist. He will draw stories out on paper and then add to them as he tells the story. He has gotten very good at drawing cats and dogs and also people. Matthias is a huge help with Joseph and can always get him to smile.

            Maggie is a Daddy’s girl. She follows her Dad everywhere he goes. She gets insulted everyday he goes to work with out her. Her love is also pen and paper and writing letters to her Poppy and Grammy but mostly Poppy. She talks about her Poppy, and her Unca Pencer, all the time when she is playing they come to visit. She also has best friend named Elizabeth and they are best buds. They are like popcorn and butter, salt and pretzels. Elizabeth treats Grace like her little sister and like includes and protects her. Elizabeth also has a little brother named Ben who is two months older then Joseph.

            Theresa Grace (Grace) is our Pink girl. She will only use tissues from the pink box. (So I only buy pink tissues boxes now) She prefers pink cups, candy, plates, dolls, clothes and her pink cell phone. Grace ate all her pink Halloween candy first and used a finger to gently scrape the pink icing off her cup cake and ate it first. She also has a love for Chocolate. I gave her gold wrapped Lindts white chocolate truffle and she slowly unwrapped it and slowly bit into it humming as she took bite after bite. I don’t think she could have enjoyed it more. Maggie is our wide open, fearless Daddy’s girl. Grace is our pokey clown with a sweet tempered mischievous grin.

  God Bless Everyone!

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• Nov. 22, 2006
To All Our Family and Friends.

Just a note to let you know we are
hoping to see you Thanksgiving Day
But....
Martha Stewart will not be dining with us this Thanksgiving.
I'm telling you in advance, so don't act surprised.
Since Ms. Stewart won't be coming, I've made a few small changes:

Our sidewalk will not be lined with homemade, paper bag luminaries.
After a trial run, it was decided that no matter how cleverly done,
rows of flaming lunch sacks do not have the desired welcoming effect.

Once inside, our guests will note that the entry hall is not decorated
with the swags of Indian corn and fall foliage I had planned to make.
Instead, I've gotten the kids involved in the decorating by having them
track in colorful autumn leaves from the front yard.
The mud was their idea.

The dining table will not be covered with expensive linens, fancy china,
or crystal goblets. If possible, we will use dishes that match and everyone
will get a fork. Since this IS Thanksgiving, we will refrain from using the
plastic Peter Rabbit plate and the Santa napkins from last Christmas.

Our centerpiece will not be the tower of fresh fruit and flowers that I
promised. Instead we will be displaying a hedgehog-like decoration
hand-crafted from the finest construction paper.
The artist assures me it is a turkey.

We will be dining fashionably late. The children will entertain you while
you wait. I'm sure they will be happy to share every choice comment I
have made regarding Thanksgiving, pilgrims and the turkey hotline. Please
remember that most of these comments were made at 5:00 a.m.
upon discovering that the turkey was still hard enough to cut diamonds.

As accompaniment to the children's recital, I will play a recording of
tribal drumming. If the children should mention that I don't own a recording
of tribal drumming, or that tribal drumming sounds suspiciously like a
frozen
turkey in a clothes dryer, ignore them. They are lying.

We toyed with the idea of ringing a dainty silver bell to announce the
start of our feast. In the end, we chose to keep our traditional method.
We've also decided against a formal seating arrangement.
When the smoke alarm sounds, please gather around the table
and sit where you like.

Now, I know you have all seen pictures of one person carving a turkey in
front of a crowd of appreciative onlookers. This will not be happening at
our dinner. For safety reasons, the turkey will be carved in a private
ceremony. I stress "private" meaning: Do not, under any circumstances,
enter the kitchen to laugh at me. Do not send small, unsuspecting children
to check on my progress. I have an electric knife. The turkey is unarmed.
It stands to reason that I will eventually win. When I do, we will eat.

I would like to take this opportunity to remind my young diners that
"passing the rolls" is not a football play. Nor is it a request to bean your
sister in the head with warm tasty bread.

Oh, and one reminder for the adults: For the duration of the meal, and
especially while in the presence of young diners, we will refer to the
giblet gravy by its lesser-known name: Cheese Sauce.
If a young diner questions you regarding the origins
or type of Cheese Sauce, plead ignorance.
Cheese Sauce stains.

Before I forget, there is one last change. Instead of offering a choice
between 12 different scrumptious desserts, we will be serving the
traditional pumpkin pie, garnished with whipped cream and small
fingerprints.
You will still have a choice; take it or leave it.
I hope you aren't too disappointed that Martha Stewart
will not be dining with us this Thanksgiving.
She probably won't come next year either.

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!!

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• Nov. 15, 2006
Coffee table

Do you like my coffee table??? I do. Its over 40 years old. I grew up with this and two matching end tables. As a kid my mother used to let us sit and stand on it and we were rather mean to this poor coffee table. Well this was the first thing Grace did to the coffee table. I have to wonder what is the appeal to sitting on this table? Anyone know? It solid oak and HEAVY HEAVY. You can't just pull it out of your way you have to heave ho it. So I know you don't damage it when you sit on it... I still sit on it. Anyway, isn't she cute lol.

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• Nov. 11, 2006
Isn't she lovely!!

I can't believe my little girl is 14. She is such a young women. I see boys of all ages looking at her as she passes. I am just so glad she doesn't give them the time of day. She does have a boy that she is very good friends with. She is off camping with the youth group this weekend. I have missed her as I haven't bothered to go get coffee. It isn't as much fun to get a carmel mocha latte by yourself as it is to get one with her. We laugh and joke about what to get and then we always order the same thing. The ladies and the guys at the Front Porch Cafe know us because she is the only teenager that comes in and orders hot coffee. I always tease her and tell her its because she has the real women gene.    I hope that is something we will always do together. What do you do with your kids? I need an idea of somthing to do with my son.

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• Oct. 15, 2006
Apple Noodles

 

Yesterday was really nice. It was cool but nice. We packed up all the kids into the van and headed to the Brown family market. The kids got a hay ride with me and Dad held onto Joey. The ride stopped at a pumpkin feild and the kids picked out a pumpkin. We had apples and petted the horses. This photo was taken infront of the corn maze that Kiersten remarked was just a path and not much of a maze at all. I will post a photo of the pumpkins after we carve them tonight. lol if that is I live through it. Yesterday after coming home we cut and pealed apples with the apple corer pealer and the girls had bug fun eating the strings of apple skin they called apple noodles. Today we have a very big batch of dried apples. Yum we will enjoy eating them.

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• Oct. 2, 2006
This time of year!

I love Ohio and this time of year. Its cool and the bugs start making noises at night and when you wake up dew covers everything. Fog lays over the river and the valley like thick blanket. At night you shut your windows and during the day you open them. You work on Christmas crafts and its not to hot to bake. The moon is orange at times and I often think of growing up near the Warwick river. We use to have river sings and ice cream socials by the river. It was very fun to sing those old hymns by the river.

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• Sep. 15, 2006
What my job is worth

"Because homemakers do not earn a paycheck, estimating the economic benefit of their contributions can be complex. What is clear is that the cost of replacing the services a stay at home spouse provides can be substantial. Exactly what those costs would be depends on the family's circumstances: if there are young children, child care costs must be bedgeted; if the other spouse works long hours and is unable to help with many of the responsibilities at home, the family may need to factor in the cost of hiring these services, including housekeeping, cooking, child care and yard work.

Clearly, replacing the contributions of a homemaker and caregiver would be ver expensive indeed, especially considering the number of years it takes to raise a family or to reach retirement. While valuations vary widely, it is estimated that the money needed to replace the economic value of a homemaker can average up to $70,000.00 per year or more.

Here are some examples of jobs a stay at home spouse typically does on a regular basis, and estimated market wages for these jobs*
1. Shopping $10.36 per hour
2. Recordkeeping and Household Management $12.95 per hour
3. Food Preperation $ 9.10 per hour
4. Housekeeping and Maintenance $ 8.21 per hour
5. Yard and Car Care $ 9.88 per hour
6. Laundry and Clothing Care $ 8.21 per hour
7. Family Care $ 9.27 per hour

National Compensation Survey, U.S. Department of Labor Statistics, July 2002

 

Private tutor could be added I suppose that means I am Priceless LOL >

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• Sep. 14, 2006
Quote for today

God is seeing me covered, smothered, and smoothed over with extravagant grace. All my rough edges are rounded in grace. All my imperfections are hidden by grace. All my frayed ends are tied up with grace. All that I'm lacking is filled up with grace.

Barbara Johnson

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• Sep. 13, 2006
Clothes

I am beyond frustrated with growing and changing bodies of my kids. One day their clothes fit the next they don't. My daughter is 14 and hanging out of all her clothes. Though we go thru her clothing every week it seems the next week a shirt doesn't fit right or the pants have become a bit to revealing. She looses the shirts she can wear and I am not sure if its just plain ignorance with a who cares atitude or if she does it on purpose. I have purchased her really nice clothes and she hasn't cared for them. She got a MASH t-shirt Christmas and she loves MASH begged for the shirt and guess what............... she can't find it. grumble grumble complain complain. LOL

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• Sep. 7, 2006
ENT report

I had an ENT appointment today for my ear. After a brief conversation he knew what was wrong. I have Eustachian Tube Disfunction. meaning the fluids up enough to damage the nerve and cause hearing loss off an on. WHen i have cold I have more hearing loss. He was suprised that my hearing was as good as it was almost normal. The pressure is off not a good thing but can be lived with. That was the Good News

Bad News ==There is nothing that can be done to correct this. He is figuring on my hearing getting worse and hearing aids can't repair the hearing loss done this way because of natural feedback in my ear. so I will slowly go deaf in my right ear worst case or just stay the same. He is figuring on me just slowly loosing my hearing because it has progressively gotton worse over the last few months. Well at least we know whats wrong

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• Aug. 28, 2006
spring fling

 

I have to say this is one of my favorites to. Geeze I think I like all my work... well that really isn't true. I have made some things that I don't like I usually take them apart though.

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• Aug. 28, 2006
Beads

 

I made this Rosary two nights ago and I love it. It has to be one of my favorites. I am still going to sell it though because I need to have money for Kat's Guitar lessons. I am hoping to use my hobby to pay for her lessons. I used cats eye beads and blue moon glass art squares. the tiny beads are gold glass delica. I have also been making bracelets and necklaces. If you are interested in this one let me know!

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• Aug. 8, 2006
Books are here!!

Well, the books are here! I think i said that already. I was hoping to start school with my younger crew while Kiersten was at Grandpa's house but I never made it that far. Working on all the paper work that needs to be done for highschool and my want to do other things has kept me far away from the younger kids books. Except now that they are here I can't ignore getting EVERYTHING done. So i'll be cracken the books open again at night when my Husband gets home.Writing quarterly lessons plans for Kat (kiersten) and getting the yougers unit studies together. So I can write plans for them as well. I would much rather be making necklaces, earbobs, bracelets & rosearys. I suppose I can't do everything. I sure do try at times.

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• Jul. 31, 2006
The Egg Pan

I had a little egg pan.
and I loved it very much.
I used it for dinner and for lunch.
Then I had a baby and as that child grew I have a few more to make it a crew.

I loved my the rubber handle
and I the tefflon bottom much.
It really was very stylish and cooked just enough.
Now it hangs in the pantry gathered with dust.

I have a huge egg pan that cooks a dozen or so.
I love the rubber handle and watching my kids grow....

written by Momofhalfadozen
Inspired by the dust covered egg pan I used yesterday

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• Jul. 30, 2006
Wow oh wow its that time of year.....

Wow where did my summer go!  I think I spent the whole summer in the CAR!!

 

We are turning in our paper work for homelearning again this year and I am really really excited we get to offically start highschool. So I am getting everything ready to start transcripts for Kat. She will be doing Bible, Consumer Math, Home Ec with Life Pacs, Earth Science, Wolrd History and Cultures, Art App, Wilderness Training, Karate, Public Speaking, Journalism and Rosetta Stone Spanish. My boys will be doing Units and abeka math with Spanish as well. I am also going to attempt to teach the girls pre-school. I am sure I can enlist help from their older siblings too.

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• May. 29, 2006
Its been awhile... I am still here!

Well, its Memorial day. I am sitting here with my coffee in the a/c waiting for my family to wake up. My dear sweet baby kept me up til 2am because he was hungry and kept falling asleep while nursing and when I laid him down he woke up and wanted more. He he now I remember why God made babies so cute. Oh yes I cried from tiredness and closed my eyes while nursing. I suppose that isn't much different then most new moms. My parents have been a blessing and it has been nice having them here.

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• May. 18, 2006
He's home !!!!!!!!!!!!

We left for Hospital at about 9:30am. I was very nervous and shaky. Dh was trying to be a rock about it all and make jokes to calm me down. We registered and where taken back to the recovery/prep room. The nurse put an IV into my hand and then an OB student came over and flipped an ultra sound machine on to make sure Joseph was still head up in the womb. He was so she called in the order for an epidural. Doctor Hoopes came in and said hello and that she was ready and would be waiting for me. I was really close to tears about now and after about an hour with fluids I was walked back to the OR and Dh put on his scurbs. I sat on the table and hunched over with back rounded so the epi could be put in. She said now this isn't a big deal you will never want to go through labor without one after this.She numbed my back and I had tears immedeatly it hurt so bad. Then she ok next part I will put in the cathater in your back. She said you will feel a grainy push ans pull. I said ok. The she said ok ready for that numbing zing. When she said it was like some had reached into my back and punched both my ciadic nerves.  They called the Doctor and made sure I was numb though I could feel a bit on my left side and told them that.  So she flushed my epidural what ever that means I haven't a clue. They brought in Dh and he sat by head. She started cutting and I said Oh that burns I feel that. So she put on a topical and it was gone. She cut a little deeper and I said rather loudly that hurts. I feel that the next thing I knew the tiles above me where moving and my face felt like it was sliding off and I was floating. DH was turning paler by the second. Doc said ok Karen baby time and I said "what baby where"? I vaugly remember DH being scooted out of the room and then her saying all done and I looked over at Joseph on the wamer and thought cute baby whoose is it.  LOL Then it dawned on me that is my baby. My head came back to my shoulders and I was moved to a bigger bed and the nurse handed Joseph to me and he took to nursing like a fish to water. I was very very sore the first day but sfter that it hasn't been to bad. BTW i told the lady who did the epi i would never want another and that i would prefer a natural birth. LOL, she just rolled her eyes at me. I just got home today and Joseph seems very comfortable ith all the ruckess that eminates from our home.  I know i am glad to be home  :D

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• May. 13, 2006
After thoughts.... of a Hymn

I have this old hymn stuck in my head. 

 

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• May. 9, 2006
Ultra sound today

Well I had an ultrasound today and Joseph is still head up at my belly button and an incomplete breech. I don't think I have ever had a more stubborn baby.... Well ok there was Gene. Anyway he is estimated at 7pds 1oz and everything looked good. I am not looking forward to a c-section but I have a feeling that is what will happen. I am more resigned to it. In my wisdom I watched a c-section on birthday like a stupid head and now I am thinking "OH MY!!! what no". I don't like needles nor IV's and I know I am not a good invalid. I suppose its time to learn humbleness.

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