Nov. 3, 2009
I love it when my hunny reads to the kids
  Yup, he is a really great daddy! And if you look closely, there is a book just on the other side of my hunny... he is reading to Jer before he reads to the bigger kids... Lord of the Rings on the current bed time story. |
Nov. 2, 2009
Conviction... through the mouth of my 7 year old...
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Ok, so I have always loved hearing people talk about the cute things their kids say, and on occation, my kids too say very cute things. I am just not usually quick enough to write it down so that the whole world knows how cute my kids are :-) Anyway, last night my daughter said something that I dont think I could forget if I TRIED... Heather: Mommy, Daddy, Why do you guys spend more time on the computer than you do reading the bible? There it is.... CONVICTION! My husband had a better response than I did and I am so glad that he spoke up first. Daddy: OUCH! Now see, I was thinking.... "Well, alot of the things that mommy and daddy read on the computer are about the bible.." or something patronizing like that... But My wonderful hunny hit the nail on the head. Ouch! what an appropriate response. Daniel and I have recently been exposed to a speaker and author named Voddie Baucham. We like him alot. He says all those things that are true, but most people would NEVER say because they would not want to risk offending you. Anyway, Voddie has a saying... "If you can't say Amen, say OUCH!" Well, Ouch it is... That hurts... not because it is not true, but because it is true, and not good. I need to read my Bible. More often than I do. How can I claim to know God, or teach my children to know HIM, if I do not read HIS words? I cannot. It is that simple. I can do bible study after bible study. I can read inspirational Christian author after inspirational Christian author, I can go to church Sunday after Sunday, but if I do not know God, what good does it do to know about him? NONE! So, inspired by my 7 year old... I am gonna go READ. I pray that you all are honest enough to be convicted by God through the mouths of your babies the way my husband was, instead of justifying some patronizing reason that does no one any good the way I wanted to. |
Nov. 2, 2009
Mechanics and Nutritionists
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Oh my goodness! This was GREAT! - Christina
IF MECHANICS BECAME NUTRITIONISTS “Welcome to Joe’s Nutrition. What can we do for you today?” “Well, my doctor wanted me to talk to you about my diet. He says I’m eating too much. I know he’s probably right, and I keep trying to cut back, but then I get so hungry –” “So you’re needing more fuel than you used to?” “Well, I don’t think I really need it. I just don’t seem to have any willpower.” “Willpower’s got nothin’ to do with it, pal. If you’re burning too much fuel, then something’s wrong with the system, you see? Something’s messing up the works.” “Uh … I hadn’t really thought of it that way.” “Could be an endocrine imbalance, maybe something wrong with the blood sugar regulator, not enough oil … all kinds of things. So let’s start simple. What kind of fuel are you using?” “Only the best. Whole grain cereals, potatoes, wheat bread, lots of fruit –” “Wo, wo, wo. So you’re stuffing the tank full of sugar?” “No, of course not! Whole grain cereals, potatoes-” “Same fuel, different name. It all turns to sugar in the tank, buddy. You got any idea what all that sugar does to the rest of the system? You’re working the blood sugar regulator to death. Half of what you’re eating is probably going straight into the ol’ storage tanks. No wonder you’re eating so much.” “But … uh … they always told me –” “Forget what they told you. They don’t know jack. You want clean combustion in the engine, stop putting sugar in the tank. Your engine needs oil, and I don’t mean the cheap synthetic stuff, either. I’m talking about real butter, olive oil, and lots of good quality saturated fat.” “Saturated fat?! But that will just gum up the engine!” “You know who started that rumor? The people who make the synthetic crap, that’s who. Trust me, you switch to the good stuff, you’ll feel better than you have in years.” “Wow, that’s a relief. So I don’t need any expensive repairs, or –” “I’ll be happy to do all kinds of expensive repairs if you decide to ignore my advice.” IF NUTRITIONISTS BECAME MECHANICS “Howdy, welcome to Kelly Brownell Auto Repair. Can I help you?” “Yeah, something’s not right with my car. It’s sluggish and it’s burning way more gas than it used to. Can you maybe take a look under the hood, or run some kind of test, or–?” “You say she’s burning too much gas?” “Definitely. I have to fill up like twice a week now, and I don’t even drive that much anymore.” “Well, there’s your problem.” “Huh?” “You’re putting too much gas in it.” “Uh … I’m not sure I’m following you here.” “Well, it’s simple. She’s burning too much gas. So stop putting so much gas in the gas tank. You see?” “Well, uh … don’t you think maybe something’s wrong with the engine, or the fuel system, or maybe there’s a leak, or–” “No offense, buddy, but you’re talking to a professional here. I see this all the time. People come in with cars that are sluggish, and every darned one of them is filling up the tank all the time. Doesn’t take a rocket scientist to put two and two together. If she’s burning too much gas, stop filling her up all the time. Then she can’t use too much gas. Like I said, it’s simple.” “Okay. Right.” “And if she’s still sluggish, you need to get her out on the highway a few times a week and run her at a high speed for an hour or so.” “Well … that kind of seems like it might just make the car use more gas.” “No, no, no, you’re missing the whole idea here. Give her less gas, but drive her around a lot more. That’s how you get your mileage up. Less gas, more miles, that means more miles per gallon. You understand the math?” “Uh …” “Look, it’s not hard. Lucky for you, the gas stations around here are required by law to show you exactly how many gallons you’re putting in the tank. So let’s say you normally put in fifteen gallons. Just watch that meter real close, and then stop when you’ve put in, say, ten gallons. Then drive her around a lot more. Problem solved.” “Uh, yeah, sure. Thanks.” “And if that doesn’t work, come back next week. I’ll be happy to give you the same advice again.” |
Oct. 27, 2009
A great cartoon
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Oct. 1, 2009
Memories of summer nights....
So as I sift through my pictures, I am realizing that I have so much good stuff to share, that I have just kind of skipped over... Here are some pictures that are from June 14th... A night of fun, friends, and food...  This would be me... enjoying the very last of the home made vanilla ice cream... Yes it really was THAT good!  Tri Tip... Even a two year old can appreciate that.... :-) Sammi was so proud that she got daddy with a water balloon... Little did she know that daddy does NOT fight fair! Yeah... Ok, that was all... I hope you enjoy your wonderful fall weather.... |
Sep. 23, 2009
stollen from someone who said it better....
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Ok, so I have not been on here alot lately because... well, I have been thinking... and working, and sorting and all kinds of other stay at home with 4 kids kind of stuff.... Some of it has been worth my time (like making home made chicken soup from scratch and home made apple sauce from apples that my girls and I picked and canning it) and some of it has been a wast of time (sitting on this stinkin computer too many hours a day) but that is why I have not blogged. Ok, now that we have gotten that out of the way.... I just read a great post that was just what I needed tonight. My sweet hunny and I have been learning here and there as the years go by, and I am happy to say that we have changed a bit in our convictions and our actions... We are in that process right now. (read the last blog if you need to know details) But in figuring things out, we may (completely unintentionally) offend some of our wonderful friends. You know, the ones who either do not have the same convictions, or have already dealt with them. We may come across as condemning or judgmental or "holier than thou". Which is NOT what we hope to convey. Especially since we do not even know where we stand yet, just that we are noticing a need for change of the way that we do things. Anyway, I hope that we are not coming across this way, but I am sensitive to the possibility... SO... without further adieu.... the words of someone who said it better than I could... "It’s easy to love people who are exactly like us. They make us feel happy, settled, at peace with the world and our choices. There’s such affirmation in homogeneity: you never look crazy, you never have to explain yourself, you’re probably right because, after all, look at all the people who agree with you. Rosy. Differences make people uncomfortable. There’s that nagging implication that someone might be wrong, or worse even than that, there’s the worry that someone might be snidely thinking that we are wrong and maybe even condemning us. I have a lot of experience with this because I’m sort of quasi-Amish. I wear loooong skirts. I cover my head. I have babies every 22 months (at least so far). I have homebirths. I breastfeed. I homeschool. I’m part of a tiny little house church. When people talk about a television show, if it was aired after the turn of the new millennium, I’m usually clueless. It’s been years since I was at a movie theater. I don’t listen to the radio. I’ve never followed secular music much. You know, isolated and strange. But there are a lot of people in my life who aren’t doing all of these things, or any of these things. And so I ask myself, how do people with an unusual set of convictions and life practices interact with the rest of the world, the “normal,” less freakish people out there, without adding that element of supposed condemnation that makes everyone feel so uncomfortable? Since my convictions are so unusual, I can’t seem to talk about them without making a lot of people around me feel condemned just by nature of the fact that they have different convictions. And I can’t honestly say my convictions are just “personal” convictions, as in “I feel called not to eat oatmeal, but I don’t mind if y’all eat boatloads of the stuff–it’s just a personal conviction,” because I never felt like God revealed anything to me as a special call just on my life. If I believe something it’s because I actually believe it. I don’t dress modestly because I think it’s something I need to do, but never mind, dear, God doesn’t care how you dress. I don’t avoid the majority of broadcast media because I think it’s a pointless, raunchy, morally desensitizing waste of time for me, but quite possibly good and wholesome for everyone else. No, I do these things (and most things) because I believe them to be true in the abstract, and then I apply them to myself. Stellar. I’m well set up to be a first class trumpeter of judgment and condemnation to nearly anyone on the planet. Because, you know, with my long list of all the ways I’m isolated and strange, it’s pretty easy for just about everybody to find a sticking point, some area of disagreement, some thing that I really believe in that they just don’t. What to do? What to do? Some people get around the issue by surrounding themselves with people that all think the same thing, join an oppressive group which dictates all convictions so they can be conservative without controversy, park their brains at the door, and do their condemning together as a cozy group. But then, who’s going to help them see where they’re wrong? It would be impossible for any of us to get it completely right. We need other people who see the world differently to challenge us and help us think through all those beliefs of ours to make sure we don’t decide oatmeal is the anti-Christ or something. A better plan is to really believe what we believe, share it freely, and then lovingly give each other space to follow God as best we know how. We are not the ones other people have to please. They only need to please God, and He will reveal the things He wants each of us to know in His own timing. Let’s genuinely love people even if they dress modestly (or don’t), or use birth control (or don’t), or send their kids to public school (or don’t), or even if they eat oatmeal (or don’t). People are still bound to get uncomfortable from time to time, but persevering in respecting them, valuing them, learning from them, and loving them seems to me to be a much better solution than either pretending we don’t believe anything, or limiting ourselves to people who already agree with us."
Ok, that is it from me for tonight... :-) -Christina |
Sep. 16, 2009
Church?
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Ok, so I have been wrestling with a concept lately and would love to get some feedback. What is the purpose of Sunday school? A few months ago, my four year old was having problems going into his Sunday school class. He just did not want to be there. We decided that if he could behave himself, he could go to church with us. For about a month he did just that. He behaved himself and went to church with us. I carry a deck of cards and a notepad in my purse all the time so that appointments and sit tight situations are a little easier to manage. I pulled them out after the singing part of service, and my four year old little boy sat there and sorted cards to his hearts content. He sorted them by color, he sorted them by shape, he sorted them by number, and when I was less interested in the sermon than I ought to have been, we added up the numbers together. He did very well. As the weeks went by, my hunny and I got to discussing why we send the kids to Sunday school? What is the point? We got into the habit of asking them, on the way home from church, "what did you learn today?". They almost always answer with this sort of answer : "Well, the story today was about baby Moses" Or "for craft we made a basket out of paper and lowered it down the wall with Paul in it". So we started asking... "well, what did you LEARN? You know, what did you find out today, that you did not already know?" Their response is always... "Oh, well, nothing then..." So we are now back to my question... What is the point? Is it child care so that we grown ups can sit and listen to the sermon? Is it so that the kids learn that church is a place to play and have fun? Is it so that kids learn to love God? I truly love my church! I love the pastor, I love the members, I love the way it deals with issues... I really do love my church. But I wonder if the idea of Sunday school is just another form of public school. As my hunny and I learn more about home schooling, why we do it, its values, its roots, its drawbacks, its purpose, we are finding that we really do believe that this is the way that God intended for us to raise our children. At home, with us as their main influences. Guiding their decisions, teaching them our values, instilling in them our faith, discipling them in the way that they should go. We are realizing that as they are with us, they become like us. They develop our mannerisms, our habits, our good traits and bad. This is how they grow, how they learn to be adults. By being with adults. So why do we take the benefits of home schooling (and the methods by which we see these results) and throw them out the window when it comes to church? Why do we group our children by age? Wouldn't that teach them to be like kids their age? Why do we dumb down the bible? Doesn't that teach them that they are too dumb to understand it? Why do we only teach them bible stories and not the living truth that is illustrated by those stories? Doesn't that teach them that it is just like any other story book... meaningless to their own lives? I posted a link on my facebook page that touches on this subject (I have since found a better link, if you are interested you you can read This interview) to see what kind of a response I would get. I was challenged to take my thinking to the next step. To follow this thought further and see what I find. What about AWANA (we are involved in that program)? What would we do with our kids while we are in church? What else do I just take as served instead of evaluating its value and cost? I think it would be a great deal of inconvenience for us (and the people sitting near us) if we were to take all four of our children into service with us (they outnumber us). At least at first. I am sure that we would have to answer our whining kids as to why they cannot play with their friends. (Yes, my kids whine) I KNOW that they will not learn much in "big church" (at least at first). These are several of the drawbacks that came to mind when I pursued this line of thinking. But what are the benefits? We would KNOW what our kids were taught, and then be able to discuss it with them later. They would be with adults, learning to become adults. If we decided to go to the first service that our church offers and then stay for the second, the kids could still spend time with their friends during the less structured kids time. Hey, we could even volunteer to help direct that time. I think I have figured out the dilemma.... Sunday morning church is more outreach focused than discipleship focused . It provides programs that are focused on inviting unbelievers. Focused on salvation for the lost. I suppose that is a good thing when you take into consideration that our job as parents is to "train them up". Our church has a "program" (that is not the right word but I cannot think of what I am looking for right now) called "R" groups. Mid week bible studies. Small groups. I guess in this line of thought, the Sunday morning church is for outreach and the smaller group study is for discipleship. The sharpening iron with iron. Then the family goes home and disciples the children... I think I just talked myself in a circle... But I think I understand it better now... Alright, before I post more I need my hunny to get home so we can talk... I hope i have encouraged you to think about why you do what you do... and maybe you can shed more light on this topic than I am able to see right now... I would LOVE to have your input! Until next time... Me |
Sep. 9, 2009
Making progress
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Normally, if you asked me how school was going, I would hem and haw and say something like... "well, it is going good, it is just kindof hard to measure the progress since we do not sit down and do school". Normally, we just kind of learn as we go... when something comes up, we learn about it, and if something does not come up then we work on manners or house keeping or cooking or any number of other things that just happen... This year is a big leap for me. We have committed to do a curriculum. It is a WONDERFUL curriculum, but it is still books and lessons and stuff to do... every day... As I mentioned in my last post (which was kindof sporadic, sorry I am still learning how to blog) yesterday was our official start day. Things went well with my third grader, but my 1st grader didn't even get to look at her work for the day. Today, we had to catch up. They both did SO well.... Rebekah does not read yet. She knows how... in that she recognizes the letters and knows their sounds. She can even blend them sometimes to make it sound like a word, but it is so hard for her. She just does not do it. That being said, she was writing today... sounding out the sounds as she went... That seems SO backwards to me! Anyway, It was a good day... again... I am so blessed!  This is the mess of books that comes with our curriculum. Steven has still not found his place in the grand scheme of things. We tried to have him color, but he was adamant that he does not know how. (that is a bunch of phoey by the way...) so, he and mommy got to draw... that worked well.... we were illustrating a story and each of us "saw" and then drew something different. Here is the one that Steven and I did.. And my girls doing so well at self directing and following directions....  (sorry, I have not figured out how to put them side by side... )  Ok, well, that is my update for now... |
Sep. 9, 2009
the first day of school...
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So we decided that we are going to start school every year the first Tuesday after Labor day... that was yesterday. It went.... well... mostly. My kids usually beat me out of bed.... they are just morning people, what can I say? Yesterday was no exception... they got up and went to play in the toy room (we decided to have the kids share bedrooms so that we could have one room designated for toys... keeps down on the mess in the rest of the house) i got up, went in to let them know that I was making breakfast and that they could start cleaning up to come out... They NEVER did!... the little turds! So my oldest... who has started sleeping in a little bit later (cause who can blame her?), got to be busy with me until the others came out. (Did I mention, that never happened? URRRGGGG) Anyway, we decided to take "school pictures" on our first day of school. We got the idea from a sweet blogger that I read. You can find her great stories here. Heather and I cut cardboard. We colored them. We did Desciple for the day. We read library books. We had lunch.... My other three STILL did not come out. And we were in there each time we changed activities. Kind of as a way to encourage them to hurry it up... Oh well... They all had naps and returned to the toy room. Oh... the point of this story? Right, they did eventually come out... around 6pm.... and we took "school" pictures... I wanted to share them with you....  Figuring out who goes where.... our "classroom" Heather Rebekah Steven Jeremiah And just for fun.... So... that was our day... at least most of it.. Oh yeah, I also made fried chicken for dinner and it was YUMMY! You can find the recipe here, or read about my friend (who posted the recipe) here. Ok, that is all I have time to write for now. I have to go school my kids ;-) |
Sep. 4, 2009
Allow me to pose a question...
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So last night, my sweet husband met me in town (after the kids and I had gone grocery shopping) and traded me vehicles. He took the kids and perishables home, and I went to the hospital to visit some sweet friends who just had babies. I went to visit the first mama... she went in to get checked out... she was having problems breathing and the baby was not doing well with the contractions... It turned out, she had pneumonia and the baby WAS having problems with the contractions... they ended up doing an emergency C-section to get baby, and mama needed a blood transfusion (anemic) and lots of antibiotics for the pneumonia... poor thing... She is doing a little better now that she can sleep, but really disheartened that she has not been able to see baby (he went to NICU and she has been drugged up). I will keep praying for her and the rest of her clan as both her and baby recover from this. The second visit I made was for some friends that we have gotten to know pretty well over the last few years. What a blessing... They had twins! Not that it was a surprise or anything. I knew they were having twins, I don't know what I was expecting... I guess I don't really think about TWO babies... It was... refreshing... surreal... surprising... no, none of those are right, but interesting... to see them both. As I stood there and talked with my friends and held their babies and listened to their stories... I found myself.. blessed. Even as I am writing this I am tearing up... what a sap I am ..  Sawyer and Greyson Proud mama and papaANYWAY, I have not really concreted in my brain yet that we are not going to be doing the same thing, ever, again. That was my life for so long. I went up the elevator (the wrong one mind you) and recalled my water breaking IN the same elevator, the doors opened and I walked to the counter and had to confess that I had NO idea where I was going... "Excuse me, I wonder if you can help me? I have only ever been here to HAVE babies before. I know I am not in the right place, but I dont know where to go to VISIT them..." I walked down the halls and realized that any one of my reletives would laugh at me because they would all know the hospital better than I do... Boy, I get distracted... back to the point of the story... I got to sit in the room with my friends, holding their babies, and watching them be new parents... remembering my experiences, and ... missed it, longed for it. For two and a half years now I have been trying to tell myself that I am better off now... knowing that I will not be a size bigger in a month, knowing that we will be able to fit in the car we are driving, knowing that I do not need to save all of the toys and clothes and diaper bags and car seats... knowing that within sight is a time with no more diapers, no more bottles, no more pacifiers... knowing that my emotions are my own and not some alien inside me injecting hormones where they do not belong... I have been trying to convince myself that sleeping through the night is a great consolation prize... that it is good to wear a normal bra (not the kind with easy access for hungry mouths).... that engorged breasts and cracked, bleeding nipples and stained shirts are happily a thing of the past. After last night... I think I have convinced myself exactly the opposite... that all of those seemingly undesirable things, are SO worth the product... So worth the beautifully wrapped gift that God has prepared you for. Those sweet little coo's and the tiny little fingertips on the side of your ribcage as you nurse that little one... the wonder of new life and all of the miracles that go with it... the forming of a body, the coming together of its personality, all the physical developments, and after the birth, that God is SO good as to put EVERYTHING that that baby needs to survive, inside its mama. (Yes, I am a believer in nursing) I am not discontent with my life as it is... I love my husband! Even if we had not had kids, I was still blessed beyond my worth through Gods gift of my sweet man. And I am so grateful for the four precious lives that we have already been entrusted. Each one of them is so unique. I truly enjoy each of my kids. If they were not my kids, I would want to be around them...  I LOVE the creativity of my first one. She see's good in EVERYTHING...  The passion of my second. Let me tell you... since she was a week old, if she was happy, her toes would tell you, and if that child was mad, well, there was NO denying it, when she is excited she literally JUMPS, and if she is sad, you want to cry for her....  The desire to be a gentleman that is so strong in my third. He will be so offended if you do not let him open the door for you....  And the excitement in my fourth. He enjoys life to its fullest... he wants to be all of his siblings. No, I am not discontent AT ALL! But I find myself regretful that we chose to be done having babies. SO that brings me to the title of this post... What is baby fever? Is it jealousy? Is it discontentment? Is it trying to fill a void? Will it go away? Should it? Is it God reminding you that He has something in store for you? I am eager to hear your opinions... I am still formulating mine. |
Sep. 1, 2009
NO, I have not fallen off of the face of the plannet....
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So as usual, I read more blogs than I post! Not like that is a surprise to anyone... Well, I am convicted today... I really do LOVE reading blogs... some have advice from people who have it together better than I do, some are moms, struggling to have it together as good as I do (I like to encourage them), and some are EXACTLY the same as me.... I think those are my favorites... and the most convicting.... If they can blog, why cant I? So.... Here I go... Sooooo..... Way back in June(the 13th to be exact), we were invited by a sweet friend to come and pick in her plum orchard... we happily went and picked a TON of plums.... the kids had so much fun... here are a few pictures that I took while we were there...  Heather The kids Jeremiah Steven  Rebekah Me and my littlest man Our haul....I don't know how I managed to take 0 pictures of just my amazing hunny, but at least he is in this one... Oh, and the pictures that I did not post include several of a bunny that had its hutch in the orchard, and a few really beautiful spiders webs... It was a good day! |
Jul. 29, 2009
yard sale
So we had a yard sale a few weeks ago (two) and it was HOT!!!! We sold a bunch of stuff, made a bunch of money, spent a bunch of money, sweltered in the heat... all kinds of things happened over the weekend, but the one that I took pictures of was.... well... here you seee...... This is Heather... posing, cause that is what she does.... Can you guess what she is doing? The jar is a good clue She is hunting for butterflies.It was her idea that if she dressed in bright colors and sprayed herself with fruity spray (bathroom freshener) that she could attract the butterflies, making them think she was a flower.  She was nearly devastated when they did not jump in her jar! My baby is a silly (imaginative) little thing... Cute though... |
Jul. 29, 2009
Mmmm fishies...
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7-25-2009 (back blog )  Oh look, snack time...  No, wait, its learning colors..... what a delish way for the two year old to learn colors.... Wow... hold on here... it is also math and reading WHAT is going on here?! How did snack time turn into school? Oh, wait, we home school.... that's right, I remember now... This is how WE teach.... ok, go on, you have my permission... *insert picture of happy kids eating fish crackers and stuffing them in daddies mouth* (mommy went back to washing dishes) |
Jul. 29, 2009
We made bread!
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So once again it has been FOREVER since I have written anything on here... I have been consumed by Facebook and even further into Farmtown... I am weaning myself off of there right now, but it is a bumpy process..... I have not even been keeping up on reading my usual blogs. But.... tonight was fun so here goes... We made bread! I measured out the right amount of each ingredient and they mixed it all up and tried to take a few pictures and then after it had risen once, they each got a clump for the purpose of shaping..... Here are a few pictures  yes this is my house and it is a mess... but that is my two year old making bread ...and my 6 year old taking pictures... so there.... :-) Lets see, Heather made the heart, Rebekah made the pretty "twisty" one, Steven came and asked if I would help him make a "human" (not sure why he didnt want a man or a boy or a person, but that works....), and my Jer boy asked for a "blob" which is pronounced "dlod" :-) Then for dinner we decided to eat Stevens "body" and had WAY too much fun chewing on his legs and arms and filling his parts with "blood vessles"  I must say, that human was scrumptious! |
Jul. 1, 2009
My little boy turned 4!
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So, It has been a really busy month... I have not blogged much, and in order to remember what we did, i had to consult my good ole trusty.... camera. That is right, If I tried to write down appointments or activities in a day planner, I would be LOST! HOPELESSLY LOST!!! I actually do have one, but it is better suited for telling me what date it is when I write a check at Win Co (since they do not accept credit.... :-( ) Anyway, I did check my camera to see where I left off on my seldom updated blog, and noticed that my baby boy (no, not the baby OR the first born, just.... mine....) had a birthday since I was on here last. (His birthday was the 6th of June) So.... without further adieu, I bring you, Steven's 4th birthday!  #1 Cake (Costco baby!) #2 Gifts #3 Pizza #4 (and my personal favorite) GREAT FRIENDS!!!!!!!!!And that my friends is how to have a great birthday party. Oh, I forgot to mention the sweet people in the backround of the pizza picture... they were amazing strangers.... they had rented the arbor that we set up camp in. In fact, ALL of the arbors were rented and being used. (I have never thrown a birthday party at a public park on a weekend before, so this was BIG news to me) Anyway, these sweet people gave us their arbor when they were finished with it... Isn't that sweet?! You should have seen us before that.... We had bed blankets and table cloths and WAY too many people for them.... and the wind was kicking up and the food was getting blown about... it was an interesting sight to see... But our lovely strangers swept in and saved the day. THANK YOU STRANGERS!!! It was a lovely party. |
Jul. 1, 2009
what to do with a TON of plums???
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ok, so I do not think i have a months worth of updates in me tonight, but I wanted to show you all (me when I look back at this) what I did! I made a screen about 2ft x3ft  Then I lined one with plastic wrap. and poured plum puree on it and put another screen on top to keep out the bugs and dust and stuff...  Then I let this wonderful heat do its magic.... and LOOK what happened!!! FRUIT LEATHER!!! So.... well, what else? Made something that could be transported easily...  Mmmmmm..... it is really yummy.... and nothin but plum. I just cut the flesh away from the pit and took most of the skin off.... I dare say it could even be considered healthy. YAY me!!! I am really excited! |
Jun. 22, 2009
delaying this entry....
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So, I have all kinds of ideas for blogs floating through my head as i do things, but rarely get to sit down here and write them... Today is no different. BUT, When I upload the pictures from my camera.... there will be a MEGA blog! Everything from Contra dancing to Plum Picking to Fathers Day crafts and VBS.... SO much good stuff.... Well, until then, enjoy your kids..... they grow up fast! |
Jun. 5, 2009
Lunch....
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MMMMmmmm.... Lunch today is so simple and so yummy! Apples, Bananas, Oranges, Pineapple, Peaches, and Mozzarella... And so much less stuff in my refrigerator too! Yay! Well, that is it, a short and SWEET blog update...  |
Jun. 1, 2009
A week in review.....
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Wow, it has been a week since I wrote last. I think I was getting in the hang of blogging for a while but it has been an eventful week. I seem to remember several times thinking to myself... "I need to blog about this..." but have not had the chance to sit in front of the computer uninterrupted. I do not have the ability to read (or write) while there are things going on around me... If I am on here, chances are good that my family is in another room. And I am happy to say that my family and I have been in the same room for much of this week, though my blog has suffered, my family has not. ;-) Well, whether or not you understood any of that rant, I am now going to attempt to recap my week... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Tuesday 26th- Happy birthday Franny! My step moms birthday. Well, Lets see... I was babysitting Brynna all last week, and we had a field trip planned for the Fire Station Tuesday. I got to take advantage of my great big van. Another family in our school that lives close came with us to the fire station. It was so much fun. Mommy M, and her 4 kids, J, S, T, and little miss K. (since they are not my family I will not divulge their names on the internet... ) With me and my 4 plus Brynna. We had 11 in my big ole van and lots of stuff to go with us. It really was a lot of fun. Thank you Mrs H for planning this. It was so much fun. Our homeschool group tries to get together with all the kids and do something fun every month. This month one of the ladies planned a trip to her husbands work... the Porterville fire station.  The group before the tour...  Jer Brynna Steven Bekah Heather The group watching Captain H and listening intently. After he put on all of his turnouts, he let the kids come and "snoop" and feel and learn...  Our group in the shade when we were just about done with the tour... Then we went to her house for sacked lunches and play time... She had a slip and slide up for the little kids and a zip line up for the big ones. The mommies got to enjoy sitting in a beautiful shady area of her yard that was green and had a fountain running through it... It was heavenly!  Waiting for their turn on the zip line... Steven, Rebekah, Heather, and J The slip n slide.... Steven on the zip line (he is 3... well, until Saturday) My attempt at creative photography... Brynna on the slip n slide... And the mommy spot! We got home in time to get the boys down for naps and get the girls ready for swim practice across the street. Mrs M watched them for me while I watched little miss K so the younger ones could still nap and the bigger ones could still swim. I love being across the street from the pool. Well, THAT was TUESDAY! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Wednesday the 27th- Chiropractor, Costco, Big 5 for a black competition swim suit (cheaper than $40) the strawberry stand (two flats for $2) The nursery for big buckets to plant new tomato plants in ($2 a piece for 15 gallon buckets) and dirt to fill them with (free if I shoveled it myself, which I did!) Then I had to figure out a way to fit all of that stuff in my Suburban.... with 5 kids in the car. I managed! Though I did leave the buckets of dirt in the drive way for my super heeman hunny to move when he got home. Those were really heavy. And back home in time for naps. Short as they may have been. Swim Meet at 5:30 and play practice at 6 (or whenever we got there which turned out to be 7) Daniel took the girls to the swim meet while I waited for Brynna's mom and fixed dinner to go... Took it to the meet in time to see my kids compete. I was SO proud of them.  Bekah free style Heather free style My boys cheering the girls on! Rebekah back stroke (which she had NEVER done before EVER!!!) Heather back stroke (Her favorite stroke) And once again, my attempt at photography... look how big that suit is on her... don't worry, we found a smaller one now.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Thursday the 28th- I cannot remember that we did much of anything during the day, which after the previous week was really nice! though we did have swim practice, and team pictures, it was a rather uneventful day. Very nice indeed! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Friday the 29th- the girls both had dentist appointments. We had a family trip the the dentist for check ups a few weeks back and the girls needed some work done... Friday was the day. My wonderful mother in law watched the boys for me (I was not babysitting) and I took the girls to get their work done.... THEY DID AWESOME! I love the dentist that was working on them he was so friendly and good at his job. We were out of there in less than an hour and that was both girls. Bekah was supposed to have a root canal, but once he got in there, decided against it. Heather had a filling. Since this was the first time the girls had had anything done (except Heather who was put under and does not remember it) the dentist decided to only do one quarter of the mouth at a time so they did not bite themselves. They came home and took naps until their numbness wore off. Big lunch and then cookie baking for the play. Concessions are provided by the cast and crew and since we were officially part of it, we baked. The kids had fun with that.   Then the play. A Midsummer Nights Dream put on by Woodlake High School. I was really impressed. We hadn't gotten to see any of it so far because my kids had really small parts so not really any practice required. But they did really well, and Jer and I got to sit in the audience and watch it. That was the best that he has ever done with sitting still for an extended period of time.  Oberon and Titana fighting over the small child (MY child... ) "Tis Fairy time" Oberon steals my baby from the sleeping TitaniaThen after the play we got to hang out in the band room playing with my niece. Daniels sister came down to see the show. It was really nice to see her.    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Saturday the 30th- we visited Visalia. Win Co, Sport Chalet, Target, all over the place... home in time for naps and back to the school for the second showing of A Midsummer Nights Dream. Though this time the kids stayed and did their parts under the supervision of their grandma while Daniel and I went to an AWANA leaders banquet. We took Jer with us and ate and played games and visited with other AWANA leaders and came home in time to get the other three from the show and home to bed. MMmmmm BED!  All those grown ups caught throwing their food.... AWANA leaders games get messy... He was so sweaty... I decided to play with his hair... funny boy! Musical Chairs....  Got.... Brutal....~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Sunday the 31st- Church. We took Steven into church with us this week. All of the kids went to first service Sunday school, and then Daniel and I went and picked Steven up and took him to "big church" with us. The three of us sang together, prayed together and listened together (for a while). When Steven got bored, I pulled out a deck of mini cards from my purse and he spent the rest of the time sorting them. by color, by suit, and then by number... it was very entertaining for him. After church, home for lunch and naps. When the kids woke up we watched Old Yeller over dinner. I had never seen that before. We have owned it for a while now and I have always been afraid to watch it because anytime someone mentions it, they make a REALLY bid deal at how sad it is. It was a really good movie. Anyway, after the movie, we took advantage of the daylight and went outside. Daniel mowed and weed eated, the kids played, and I ... watched with enjoyment. Well, I watered plants and picked up as it was needed, but for the most part, I just enjoyed myself. I have been blessed with a great life. Ohh, and after the kids went to bed, Daniel and I had some home made strawberry ice cream and let the dog in the house... that was ..... n.i.c.e. .... work, but nice. I think we will have to do it more often to get any peace while she is in. She is just not used to it yet. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Well, that was my week. With the length of this blog, I either need to have less eventful weeks, or blog more often. Perhaps a combination of the two would work best... Until next time.... -Me |
May. 25, 2009
A great weekend
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So, Saturday was wonderful.... a short night, but a great day. The BBQ was.... interesting... friends showed up later than I expected, but that turned out to be a good thing. The BBQ was not working properly... We ended up eating at like 7 instead of like 5:30, and the Ribs were baked not BBQ'd. But it was still good. The beans had extra time to finish cooking (they would not have been done in time if we were eating on time) and the kids played really well together. We brought the dog into the house because she is BIG and intimidating and she did really well too. (I didn't think she would like being cooped up in her kennel while the kids were running in and out, but she was resigned to it) We only had one behavior problem, and though it was a little embarrassing, It was resolved in a short time and didn't occur again. All in all, the evening was a great success! (Friends, you can disagree if you like, but I enjoyed it) The excitement came the next morning. Once again, I stayed up LATE.... Daniel and I talking about the evening and other topics that kept us animated for a while. Then, shortly after we did fall asleep, I was awakened my my oldest son SCREAMING for help... I ran in his room to find him covered in vomit. Poor baby got sick in his sleep. I carried him and all his bedding into my bathroom (the biggest tub we have) and comforted him and cleaned him and got him situated and tried to go back to bed... morning came about 2 hours later. As I was getting the kids ready for church, I noticed my youngest one.... COVERED IN WELTS! Under his armpits, behind his knees, along his diaper, all over his tummy.... Poor baby was blistered. Daniel took the kids to church and I went straight to urgent care. I have NEVER seen anything like this before... I was paranoid! The Urgent Care doctor was not. He calmly told be that Jer was having an allergic reaction and not to worry unless he started having problems breathing. That was it.... He even told me that he would normally write me a prescription for Benadryl, but since Jer is only 2, it was not worth doing... He assured me that it was not contagious and that if Jer was feeling well enough to play, there was no reason not to let him. We joined the rest of my family at church and I kept Jer with me. I really enjoyed having him with us in church. Singing with him and praying with him and just being together (at least the three of us). I think we are going to have to try that more often. Anyway, Sunday at 2 was our schools graduation and we were supposed to be helping with setup, so when service was over, I went to go get some pizza to feed the kids. I also picked up some Benadryl topical for Jer's inflammations. The poor guy was getting worse. Anyway, he (and the rest of the kids) did very well through the graduation ceremony and reception. While we were there, a friend came to check on Jer and reassured me that this was consistent of an allergic reaction and not to be too worried. Apparently her kids have had allergies and skin irritations. She was such a great blessing to me. Sunday night we came home and popped pop corn and watched a movie and just spent time together. We got to bed early and SLEPT WELL!!!! Then this morning, Daniel let me sleep in until 8 and when I finally woke up, I found that he had made me coffee and there were blueberry muffins left over from breakfast, and he was planning a picnic/walk to a park with the dog and the kids and a few balls. So much fun! We played kick ball and ate grilled cheese sandwiches and enjoyed the breeze. It was lovely. When we got home the kids laid down for naps, all except Heather and we watched Ivanhoe and paused every so often to explain some of the history to her. We just finished up dinner and now we are playing a game before it is time to get ready for bed. It has been a great weekend. I adore my husband. Life is so much more enjoyable when he is home... As far as the allergic reaction, I don't know... today the majority of welts seem to be fading, still some on his legs and his back, but better than they were, but now his eyes and nose seem to be suffering the brunt of it. He is so swollen. We have NO idea what caused it. All I can guess is that maybe it was the marinade that I soaked the ribs in. It just seems so strange... Oh well, he is feeling well through it. He was playing so hard this morning that he ran full force into the corner of the hallway and gave himself a HUGE fat lip. Poor baby has had a rough weekend. Well, that has been our weekend.... I have loved it.... all (though I think I could have lived without the trip to the Urgent Care) I will chat with ya more later. I am going to go enjoy bingo with my family. OH.... an added bonus.... THE HOUSE IS STILL CLEAN!!!!!!!!!!!! I love it! |