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The other night I went grocery shopping. I was particularly proud of myself, in that, I went to both Safeway and Trader Joe's, shopped, drove home and unloaded, all in less than an hour. It was very impressive, if I do say so myself! So, next morning, I am feeding Charity, and sort of letting my mind wander...I thought of ice cream or hash browns or something frozen like that and realized I hadn't remembered putting them away. First I got huffy and figured the checkout person had forgotten to load my hash browns into the cart. Then, I got a sick feeling in my tummy and sheepishly asked Will to go check to see if I might have left a bag in the car. He did, and yes, I did! I was horrified. Of all of the bags I brought home, I had forgotten the one with frozen items in the car overnight! Icky...ice cream and yogurt and hash browns, and some other "need to be kept frozen" items... Now, my question is, for you dear faithful blog readers...have you ever done this? Humor me, leave your shopping-bags-left-in-the-car-stories on the comment section so that I can laugh and feel better. I mean, who gets over having to throw away an entire half gallon of ice cream!!!!???
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Today was the first ever visit to the dentist for the three oldest of my children. We had some insurance issues a few years ago, and then I procrastinated a bit and time went by. Here we are with an 11, 9 and 6 year old who needed to have an appointment. I think that they had a little trouble falling asleep last night, but not from nervousness as much as excitement. Each of the three of them did such a great job listening to the dentist and his assistant as they had x-rays, teeth cleanings, and fluoride treatments. Chloe asked a million questions, Ellie just smiled a lot, and Tucker listened to the radio program that was playing in his room. Each of them chose three little toys and three stickers to take home. They were given a little bag with tooth brush, toothpaste and dental floss. These they carried everywhere with them today! Nobody had any cavities and the dentist was supremely impressed with the great job that each of the children had been doing brushing. Whew! I was the one nervous about cavities, I have to admit! Now, I can check dentist appointment off of the list (if I can find it), and move on to more fun things to do. However, truth be told, the children were a bit put out that they have to wait six months until they get to go again...
Thankful today for no cavities, and for cute kids with winning smiles! |
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Our family just returned from a wonderful trip to the mountains. My husband's family lives in the Tahoe area, and we make an annual trip each July 4th. We get to enjoy the small town parade, pancake breakfast and then some of us go to the lake to watch fireworks. Delightful days! On this most recent trip, things were going swimmingly - until mid-week. Harrison who is nearly 3, threw up all over everything after nap. Without going into details, I will tell you that it was the ickiest sickness that I have experienced with my kiddos yet! Harrison was first, Charity was next, then came Ellie and the final sickie was Chloe. Once the sickness hit, my vacation took a different twist. I was the designated stay-at-home person most of the time, since Mommy is the MVP (most valuable person or mop-up vomit parent). Anyway, it was while the oldest two were swimming with the others, that I was struck with how terrific it is to take advantage of moments like these. Harrison wanted me to hold him, and Charity felt the same way. I had been holding one or both of them all morning and my arms were happy to cuddle my not-so-much-babies-anymore. Here I sat, looking out on beautiful trees and mountains, all alone in my thoughts, no one talking or demanding my attention other than being held. I began to sing my favorite hymns. Before I knew it, the songs took on a life of their own. "Be Thou My Vision, oh Lord of my heart, naught be all else to me save that Thou art..." "Oh for a thousand tongues to sing my great Redeemer's praise..." And then a special one that my mom used to sing to me, "Like a River Glorious, is God's perfect peace, over all victorious, in it's bright increase, perfect yet it floweth fuller every day perfect yet it groweth, deeper all the way, stayed upon Jehovah, hearts are fully blessed, finding as He promised perfect peace and rest..." What Momma doesn't need perfect peace and rest? Slightly sleep deprived myself, I refreshed myself in the good and true words from these songs, worshipping the Savior who is always worthy... Thank you Lord for being ready to receive my worship anytime and anywhere!
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Chloe has had a "bee in her bonnet" so to speak about making a pie. She didn't want to make a chocolate pie , preferring to try a strawberry one. I am not a big pie lover, but something about those strawberry pies with piles of strawberries towering on top, cause me to drool! I remember when the night before I gave birth to my first-born, I felt that I needed some strawberry pie. My wonderful husband made sure I had more than my fill, and since that time, I am all for the mile-high pie! This is of course off-subject, since I began talking about Chloe... Two little girls were coming over to play this morning, and we felt it was suitable timing to make little individual pies that would be eaten during our tea part. Before my eyes were totally open this morning, Chloe began washing berries, and mashing them to make the sauce. She worked all morning amid other chores and breakfast time. Tucker helped her stir, and mash, taking a little taste here and there. Once the berry sauce was ready, we began the pie crust. Chloe did this all by herself, and made little tie pans out of foil for each of the children. What fun to see the girls and a couple of boys rolling out pie crust to push down into their little pans, making ready to bake. While we waited, the lot of them prepared our banquet tables. Once our crust was cooked, we were ready to plop in berries and cover with sauce. None of us could wait and decided to take a little sample - delicious! The water was hot, peppermint tea was made, and the party was ready... Carrying the pies and tea cups outside, I wasn't prepared for the beautiful little scene that met my eyes. Three little tables, one made by plywood and buckets, were covered each with their own tablecloth, and decorated with branches and mini flowers from our yard. The willow tree above offered the perfect shade and a little picket fence made us feel like we were lunching in a garden. Such delicacy! And the pies...oh my, we will be making these as soon as we can get our hands on more strawberries! Have I mentioned how I love strawberry pie? Real teacups were used, after all, there were only ladies and gentlemen present at this tea party. All hands helped clean-up, and the delightful little tea won't be forgotten. Such wealth..so thankful for the beauty, and the creativity of my children... |
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The day after we discovered a rat in our garage, I started feeling a tickle in my nose, and over the next few days, sneezed more than I am sure I had previously in my lifetime. Unfortunately for my family, I became rather sick with a killer head cold. In reality the cold wasn't that bad, but it zapped me of any and all energy. Somehow I made it through the garage sale, then proceeded to take a two-hour nap. I have spent the past week being sick, while trying to take care of the other sickies in the family. Glad that we're done with that one! Thankfully Will never got sick, and neither did Tucker. I relied very heavily on Tucker for a few days needing his helping hand quite a bit. One particular moment, I walked into the living room and spied him holding and patting Charity on his lap, with one hand, while reading a story to Harrison with the other hand. He is an amazing little man! We ended up thoroughly cleaning out our garage, and it looks great...still don't know if our friend "Ratty" lives there, we need to go in search of him again! We made about 60 dollars and enjoyed feeling the sense of accomplishment that comes with a job well done. It is good, and I am thankful to be feeling well. Being sick is no fun, but it sure makes you appreciate the days you aren't sick a bit more! |
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As I opened the door of our garage, intending to throw out dirty clothes into the washing machine, I spied a little creature eating the kitty food. It ran away as quickly as it could, behind my dryer, but not before I got shivers up my spine, realizing that there was a RAT in my garage!!! It gives me the heebie-jeebies, and the willies, to think about this little unwelcome rodent living in the garage. I called the two older children out, since I knew that they would want to meet our new pet. We were able to scare him/her out enough so that we saw the tiny face. He was actually cute, has a brown nose and brown eyes. I thought all rats had beady red eyes, so this little guy almost drew sympathy from me. Before we could capture or chase him out of the garage, he darted behind another small space. That is the last we have seen of "Ratty". I don't really care if I ever see him again, but I do want to know that he is gone soon. Aren't cats supposed to kill rats? "The fat cat sat on the rat" ? Our kitty doesn't even seem to know Ratty is there!?! Anyway, the answer became clear...it was time for a garage sale! Doesn't that make perfect sense? We have literally cleaned out every cabinet, drawer, and cupboard in the garage and we plan to tackle anything we can find to tear apart tomorrow before our sale on Saturday. I don't know if this will work wonders or if we'll have to resort to rat poisoning, but I am hoping that Ratty will decide that our garage is now too clean for him, hoping that he prefers a messier pad! Thankful for garages (clean ones), and for garage sales! OK, maybe I am thankful for the fact that we don't have twenty rats... |
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Don't let the title fool you, I don't really sew. Of course, I can make a somewhat straight line, and I'm really good with a glue gun, but as for a true seamstress, I am not! My dream has always been to learn to sew, in order to make my daughters beautiful, twirly dresses. I am not giving up on the dream, however it may have to take a back burner for a bit. But, a good friend of mine, who does by the way, sew, volunteered to come by and teach my Chloe how to sew. What a treat! So far we have had about five lessons, and Chloe has made a pillow case and a little dress. The dress was one that I cut up years ago to sew for Chloe. Realizing that in order to make a dress, requires one to actually know how to sew, I gave up, intending to get around to learning one of these days. Chloe and her sewing teacher, rescued the poor dress pieces and put them together in adorable fashion. Ellie tried it on this afternoon, and although it isn't long enough to wear as a dress, she wore it as a long tank top over her shorts. Very cute and stylish. Chloe did a great job of sticking with the project, never once did she complain of being tired or wanting to quit. She has shown a lot of diligence in completing a task. I am hoping that some of Chloe's newfound skill will rub off on me, or at the very least, enable me to live vicariously through her ability to sew those twirly dresses for herself and her two sisters! What fun it is having girls! I am thankful for sewing class, and for sweet girls! |
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Yesterday was a fun day for us. We started off getting jobs around the house done. One of these included painting the small fence in the front yard. Painting is always great, but especially so, when it involves one Daddy and four children. It looks a whole lot better than it did - seems to brighten up the yard. Later morning we headed to the park for a year-end "recital". Our oldest three have been taking piano lessons and it was decided that the recital would be in the local park, so that the children felt more relaxed and could enjoy the time. The teacher set up a keyboard and each played their piece. Ellie Mae played "Old MacDonald", Chloe played "Goodbye Old Paint" and Tucker played "Malaguena". At the end of the time we sat and ate our lunch while the teacher passed out certificates of completion. Tucker received the Achievement Award for "Best Musicianship". He has worked very hard this past six months, putting forth a lot of extra effort. He memorizes almost every piece he plays and likes to embellish the songs with his own flavor. He deserved the award and we are proud of him! After naps at home we began unpacking our loads of clothes preparing for our final inventory count. This was another great family job...everyone could help, except Charity who napped while we unpacked. Will barbecued, and after our yummy dinner, we headed to Baskin Robbins to use our coupons for - buy one get one free ice cream. Delicious ending to a fun-filled day! We are thankful for music, for family, and as always - ice cream! |
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Well, our business "Organic 4 Kids" has been an interesting journey to say the least. Too much to go into here, but if you are into gory details, please feel free to email me privately :) Today after many months of frustration, banging our heads against the wall, and wondering what in the world we thought we were doing...the first shipment of clothes has arrived at our home. It is a miracle to us! We didn't think the clothes would make it here, and if they did, we were afraid we'd completely lose our shirts (no pun intended) in the process. When it seemed that all was lost and most everything in our finances, personal, business and otherwise was coming apart at the seams, God has once again, mended everything that needed fixing and like usual, He makes it better than it was before we started! One thing for which I am thankful is that mine and Will's relationship has remained strong through this trial called a "home business". He is a wonderful husband and I am learning better to be a wonderful wife...we have learned a lot about communication and patience with each other. I truly can't wait to see how God continues to make something really fun and rewarding out of our business. He is good and He is always right on time - he knew the clothes wouldn't arrive last March and it didn't alarm Him a bit! Thank you Lord for working out all of the myriad of details, for being patient with our ignorance, and for providing lots of support for us in friends and family!!!! |
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Just had to mention this for anyone who hasn't heard about the Chapman family's loss. It breaks my heart, and for those of you who have been touched by his music, remember to pray for this family throughout the coming months and years, as they struggle to come to grips with this tragedy. http://www.stevencurtischapman.com/ |
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My poor unattended to blog! I am so sorry little fella, I didn't mean to leave you so long! It seemed like a day went by, then a week and now several months (yikes)... To those of you who are my loyal readers in blogland - I will make an effort to visit a little bit more frequently. It is fun to write and fun to read your comments, and since I know that we're all busy, I figured I could make an attempt to quit using that as an excuse :) Today we had a "Home Improvement" day. We painted two walls that were in need of help, mowed the scraggly lawn, got a new sprinkler that actually works, and planned our strategy for future "Home Improvement" days! It was a great feeling to check some things off that forever growing TO DO list... We are all thankful for the cool weather today and for the three-day weekend with Daddy! |
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This is a rather late post, since my little girl Charity had a birthday on March 21st, and I intended to post thist then. All of a sudden we are in April, and there went the month of March! Regardless, I have to say a few words about Charity. She is a delight and a blessing and a gift. We were praying for her long before she came to us. We waited almost two years for this little girl and when the phone call came, it may very well have been one of the happiest days of my life...What can you say when God gives more than you ever thought you could ask for? Many people thought we were crazy to adopt when our youngest child was seven months at that time, but I could relate story after story of how our lives have been touched, and made better because of this little girl. She is special! I imagine God knitting her together inside of her mother's womb. I can guess that it was especially fun for Him, as he chose her eye and hair color to match our family perfectly. He probably laughed out loud as He fashioned her fat little fingers that curve in their own special way. I am sure that it was with extra tenderness that He gave her body one extra chromosome that would forever set her apart to be "one of those" people. He knew that "those" people are gifts and without doubt He chose our family to be a part of His amazing plan. I could just about weep with thankfulness for His goodness. Charity was made without error and without mistake. She was planned before time and she is a precious part of our family... Happy birthday little one, may you grow in strength and beauty. May the Lord continue to mold your little heart to love Him and to love others. May we celebrate many more birthdays in years to come!
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Here is an article that I came across (thanks Mom!) http://www.star-telegram.com/408/story/530421.html It is something worth reading, makes me consider that God must have had a special plan when He created certain individuals different from the rest of us, by adding one additional chromosome to their DNA during the knitting together process!
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Ever since I remember, the week leading up to Easter has been a special week. My family always celebrated Easter with lots of excitement and enthusiasm. The fact that Spring is near always heightened the anticipation of my most favorite Holiday! Spring Break was full of play and sunshine. New dresses for school were part of our annual tradition as well. Coloring eggs was of course part of the wonderful week as well. Our Good Friday service began in the afternoon around 1pm. We sang songs about the cross, listened to inspiring special music and a message! We met together with four other churches in my hometown which made for a precious celebration of Christ's redemptive work! Saturday we hunted for eggs and received baskets with goodies...it was always done a day early since my folks didn't want us (my brother and I) confusing the bunny with the REAL meaning of Easter. We of course loved eating the candy and enjoyed the goody baskets our parents had put together. Then, early on Sunday morning we'd get up with excitement and jog over to the park where churches from all over town were gathering to celebrate the Lord's Resurrection!! I will always remember singing worship songs while the sun came up, with all of the believers standing in one accord...next, we flew home, got our church clothes on, and made it in time for the pancake breakfast at church! When our bellies were full and our hearts were about to burst with the joy of it all, we moved into the service. After music filled with rejoicing, our very wonderful pastor always gave a stirring message . I look forward to this time each year, can you see why? The children and I have many special activities planned to prepare our hearts for Easter Sunday! May I encourage you to begin or continue traditions of all sorts with your family - it matters so much! Here is a link that inspired me to come up with some new traditions and continue old ones... http://www.crosswalk.com/parenting/11570532/ May it be a blessed day and week as you remember His most wonderful sacrifice for us! |
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Today at the end of a long and exhausting day, I was sitting here feeling rather blah...you know the feeling, plain old tuckered out! This week we have been revisiting some training issues with two children in particular - who will remain nameless :). I have gotten less school done, but have tried to zero in on obedience and listening the first time, sort of particulars. Some days as a mother, I feel like I have it truly together, then other days, not so much...but... Just when I was about to vanish in a cloud of self-doubt and "blah land", my little Ellie got up to go potty. As we walked back to bed, so I could tuck her in, I could hear all of my beautiful children (except Ellie) breathing rhythmically, letting me know that they were asleep. I think that God intended to make sleeping children especially precious so that at the end of a long day parents could be reminded why it is that we do what we do each day. Standing in the dark room, I was overwhelmed with the privilege and absolute joy that it is to parent my little ones! They aren't perfect, I'm certainly not perfect, but because God's gracious mercy, life is good! Whatever mistakes we made today - tomorrow is a new day! No doubt, tomorrow morning, someone will wake me up just a tad too early, and pretty soon, all five will end up in bed with me! Instead of hiding under my pillow, I will remember that I love mornings, and with all of those wonderful alarm clocks (children) who could blame me.... |
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Tonight we had our church service. Usually I really love going to church, but I wasn't feeling so swift today. I ended up foregoing the nap or rest time and chose this afternoon to go do my grocery shopping. By the time I got home, it was nearly time to prepare everyone for church. Somewhere during that time, my head began pounding. I made it to church, but felt a little out of things. Normally I never ever take any medicine to help headaches etc. I just don't like it and try to go the "natural" route first. But, since my head hurt so much and I was hoping to enjoy church, I asked around and found some Advil. Unfortunately for me, the Advil not only didn't help my head, but it began making my stomach terribly nauseous, and my head feel dizzy. Charity was pretty noisy during the service so I took her outside and lay down on the grass to rest a bit next to her. She was a happy camper, but I felt worse by the minute! Thankfully my good husband caught on and discreetly maneuvered the rest of the gang out of the service. They came to rescue me and bring me home to my bed. It was so glorious to be in my nice soft and comfy bed, knowing that Will had things under control. After a bit, I ate cereal and slowly began feeling more normal. I have definitely learned my lesson not to take Ibuprofen on an empty stomach, and take a nap on Sunday afternoon. I think there is good reason to rest more on Sundays! Now, I am going to go to bed for real, and am truly thankful for an understanding husband, and sweet children who worried about Mommy's tummy, and helped clean the house to take care of one another!
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We had the coolest field trip today. Our family, along with two others visited the Jamba Juice a few streets over. The staff were all extremely friendly, obviously delighted that we were there. They were patient and helpful with our children who ranged in age from 2 to 15. All of the children were able to make orange juice, carrot juice and a strawberry smoothie. It was great fun, since eating is always fun. Our children were all very well behaved, asking lots of good questions, and responding well to the employees. Apparently this was only the second field trip they had given, but once we spread the word, there will definitely be more! Harrison didn't like his orange juice, but drank his and my carrot juice. Charity sipped a little smoothie, but cried because it was too cold...The highlight of the tour besides eating was standing inside of the freezer. For some reason that was huge fun - and our tour guide told them they could stay in as long as they wanted! Thankfully they did come out, slightly chilled, but ready for action. Today we are all thankful for Jamba Juice and for the privilege to go on field trips...
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My three oldest children deliver flyers for a local real estate agent each month. This involves walking up to each door and placing the flyer under the mat to ensure that it doesn't fly away before it is picked up by the resident of the home. Most of the time they enjoy this job, especially upon completion when they are paid for their work. Tucker runs most of the route, covering quite a bit of ground. Chloe fast walks, sometimes jogging between houses. Ellie on the other hand, goes with the philosphy " It's all about the journey" as she delivers flyers. She likes to skip along the sidewalk and find the prettiest flowers to sniff. If the home happens to have paving stones, or a brick path - all the better. She doesn't ever deliver as many flyers as her siblings, but it really doesn't matter to her. She is all about having fun. She likes to walk up the path and spin, then move backward up the steps to the door, finally placing her flyer carefully under the mat. Even when the payment comes, she is glad to receive a few dollars as long as she enjoyed the job. I think it would be nice to be more like Ellie Mae each day as I travel through my life. I already know what my destination is, and even though I'm looking forward to Heaven someday, I'd like to be able to appreciate my journey a bit more! Wouldn't it be wonderful if, as Christians, we'd stop a little bit more and enjoy the blessings that God has sent our way? How about if we took advantage of the opportunities we have to share Christ with people even if it took more of our time than we wanted to share at that moment? I think that I will learn today from Ellie - maybe skip a little more and do a little dance unto the Lord, just because He is good!
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Tucker and Chloe found my old flannelgraph board today along with the thousands of felt pieces used to tell many a Bible story...the three of us had spent lots of hours together in years past learning about Jesus by way of felt and flannel! They wondered if they could sort through things and put together a Bible story time. Who could refuse an offer like that? The two of them spent the afternoon telling lots of Bible stories until they chose one of their favorites. They practiced the presentation, and got all of the people in their places on the board. When our good friend Kathy came over for her weekly visit with us, we were given the lesson. Correct me if I'm wrong, but whether you've heard the story of Jesus once, twice or nearly ten million times, you just don't tire of it! I could hear the crowds yelling "Crucify Him" and it made chills go up my spine when Jesus cried out, "Father, why hast Thou forsaken me?". The story of our redemption never gets old... "Sing them over again to me, Wonderful words of life, let me more of their beauty see, wonderful words of life. Words of life and beauty teach me faith and duty, beautiful words, wonderful words, wonderful words of life." I am thankful for flannels and for several faithful teachers who showed me through the use of felt pieces, the wonderful words of life! |
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Today a friend stopped by bringing along her three children. Mine were delighted and played happily for almost an hour without stop. My friend and I discussed the many nuances of motherhood, and finally landed on the topic of ministry. Both of us attend the same church which encourages its members to be involved in one another's lives throughout the week. We are taught to meet the needs of the Body and share our lives with each other. This is wonderful and we have all been blessed by the community that defines our church. However, as a mother of young children, there is always the pull between getting involved in church and ministry and caring for the children (and husband). Most mothers I talk to, desire to do more for the Lord and to be involved where there is need. We as moms can often sense where others are hurting or are needy. We want to help! Is there anything wrong with this? No! and Yes! God puts things on our heart, and He wants us to extend our hand to the poor and hurting. He delights in our willingness to give of ourselves to others in His name... Yet, as a mother with young children, we need to remember that the lives that we spend time with each day, nurturing and discipling are the most incredible ministry we could be involved in at this moment in time. Our influence on their very souls is of utmost importance. The time we invest today will come back many times over as we begin to see our children mature into adults who love God with their whole being! Our scope of influence may seem small today, but when our little ones grow to big ones who serve God, they will reach many more for Christ than we ever could have imagined... Will there come a time when I can teach Sunday School to ten silly little fifth grade girls, or lead an amazing Bible Study for women? For sure, but for now I'm keeping my eye on the goal. Even though it is tough to see the prize at the end through the piles of laundry, dirty dishes, fussy babies etc. ,I am going to persevere because it will be worth more than any other treasure on earth to keep on in my own beautiful ministry for Him... |