Christmas in Dayton- We spent a week with our wonderful friends. We had a delicious group dinner featuring Parmesan and Garlic Crusted Prime Rib, Cinnamon Spiced Pork Loin with Fried Apples, Garlic and Herb Spiced Pork Loin with Sweet Onion Marmaletta, Steve's Cheesy Potatoes, Glazed Carrots, Sue's Special Creamed Corn, Salad, Rolls, Herb Butter and Debbie's Norwegian Treats- We affectionately call them "Little Debbies".

      We shared gifts and had a rousing White Elephant game. I was very excited to get a Bird clock that chirps a different bird on the hour. They all think I am crazy, but it's one of my very favorite gifts. We had a great time together. One of our favorite things is when our friend Lary gets out his guitar and leads us in Chritmas Carols and Praise music. It is a special time that we always enjoy.

      The men have a tradition of going to the Air Force Museum together while we "hens" bake. The boys enjoy their time and look forward to it each year. This year we laid low and talked and prayed with our friend who is suffering with back problems.

      The highlight is "Couples Night". We all get dressed up and go out to a dinner theater together. We see a Christmas play. This year we saw "Miracle on 34th St." It was the best one yet.

      The kids have fun too by the way:)

      Christmas at Home- We always have Christmas Eve with my side of the family at our house. It was even more special with it being my nephew Josiah's first. I made him an Advent tree with space for 25 small gifts. Next year, each day he will be able to open one small gift from us and read a small portion of the Christmas story.  The tree is behind the kids in the picture. I only put 12 gifts on it this year. I figured he's a little young this year. After he removes the gift he can add one of the cork ornaments with the correct day of the month on it.

      My sister brought  Toasted Ravioli with Marinarra, my sister-in-law brought a cheeseball and crackers and my other sister-in-law brought punch. We had a nice dinner together. We had Glazed Ham, White Cheddar Herbed Potatoes, Sweet Potato Soufle, Glazed Carrots, German Green Beans, Salad, Pumpkin Bread, Buttery Pan Rolls and Overnight Rolls.

      Then we shared gifts with each other. We played a game of Bunco as a family. It was a lot of fun. My mom made a favorie from my childhood, God Bless her! Banana Cream Pie- real whipped cream included! Hallelujah!! She made me my own whole pie that I didn't have to share with anyone. I ate the whole thing over the course of two days and I am not ashamed.

      Christmas in Battle Creek- We traveled to visit my husband's mom and sisters after Christmas. The kids had fun playing with all of their cousins. It was loud and fast paced and they loved it.

      We ate and talked and shared gifts. My husband took the kids out to slide on the iced over driveway. That was definitely a highlight for them. They came in soaked but happy.

      We got to attend church together. It is always nice to visit Brad's old church and see some more family and friends. We shared Sunday dinner before it was time to head out.

      New Year's Eve we're going bowling with some family friends and their church. Then we are heading over to my sister's house to ring in the New Year.

      New Year's Day the family is coming over to play games and watch football. We'll enjoy some appetizers and probable a big pot of my brother-in-laws favorite soup, Wisconsin Cheesy Potato Soup. I'll make Blueberry Muffins to go with the soup and we will have milkshakes later in the day.

      I have no idea how we are going to recover from all of this merry making. I'll start thinking about that on Satuday. Time to party...

      I want to share with you a little about the FIRST (For the Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) organization. We have been involved with their FLL (First Lego League) for 3 years. FLL is a robotics and research program for kids 9-14 years old.  My husband is the robotics coach and I am the research coach for our homeschool team. My 13 year old daughter is on the team and loves it.

      FLL is more than just playing with legos or building a robot or even learning about issues facing our world today. The organization really promotes a very well rounded program involving research, robot building, technical understanding, programming, teamwork, public speaking, innovative ideas, creative problem solving, design work, creating public presentations, writing, and even acting. It is amazing how well rounded the program is. All the while the focus is not primarily on the competitive aspects but on something they call gracious professionalism and the importance of the learning that takes place leading to the tournaments. It has been a great blessing in our lives.

      My daughter used to be quite shy and slow to participate in activities with other people. Just about the time she would be warming up to a situation it would be time to leave and she would feel like she missed out. Participating on the team has done wonders for her self- confidence and social skills. This year we have seen her mature in leadership and with the group dynamic.

     Two years ago we were blessed to have been able to go to the World Festival in Atlanta, GA. As a result of our performance there, FIRST asked us to represent them in Washington DC at a congressional reception and finally with a meeting with President Bush at the White House. It was an incredible experience that none of us will ever forget. Having said that, even if none of that had happened, I would recommend FLL to anyone.

      We won our regional this year and are heading to the state tournament at IPFW in Ft Wayne, IN on Friday. Our kids have chosen as their motto  FROG (Fully Rely On God). They hand out smarties  with that printed out and wish everyone they meet the best. The results at regionals were wonderful and we do hope to do well at state, but it really has been all about the journey.

Here's a link to the organization: www.usfirst.org

      Warning: Be careful what you pray for.  Here's a 13 day example of my crazy life:

Tues- homeschooled children, volleyball practice, homeschool youngest at practice, drive 3 hours to game, watched game, drive 3 1/2 hours home

Wed- homeschooled children, pack catering supplies, pack personal items, get out meals for family from freezer cooking stash, drive to Dayton, OH

Thurs- shop for all food for wedding, make all rolls and sauces for wedding

Fri- pack everything into van and drive with friends to West Virginia, along the way went into culture shock: a few examples- 1) gas station that was also a doctors office and a deli where a shirtless, toothless trucker called me darlin' and proposed to me 2) wildlife viewing area that did not have anything that was alive but a layer of green slime 3) a place that looked like a junkyard but was really a hot dog stand ( more about that later).

Sat- decorated, cooked, served, cleaned up a wedding for a dear friend's daughter. The reception was very nice. My friend did a great job with the decorations.

Sun- packed and headed back to Dayton, stopped at Hillbilly Hot Dogs- if you are ever in Huntington, West Virginia you have to stop at this place- the outside is scary, parts of the inside are scary, they deep fry their hot dogs, one of the owners, Shari the Weenie wife, may be the happiest person that I have ever met, they even have a weenie song, it's wild, got back to Dayton and packed my car, picked up my friends daughter and drove back to Indiana.

Mon- homeschooled children, unpacked, drove to German lesson, cleaned house

Tues- homeschooled children, drove to volleyball practice, drove 2 hours to game, watched game, drove 2 hours home

Wed- gave kids assignments, went shopping for catering job, checked kids work, Mom came and gave the kids their piano lessons,prepared food, packed it all up and catered a Chamber of Commercs After Hours party, packed it all up with my wonderful husbands help and drove it all home

Thurs- homeschooled children, cleaned and put away all catering supplies, reclaimed kitchen, drove to volleyball game about 2 hours, watched game, went to dinner with teams, drove home

Fri- homeschooled children, blogged, take the kids to lunch and the girls to the Mall, pack for the lake and head out, stop for groceries on the way

Sat & Sun- enjoy the lake and work on lesson planning (it's supposed to rain all weekend)

      God has been teaching me a lot of things the last couple years. Two years ago, I began praying for empathy and patience with others. Let me tell you, there was a major conflict looming where God really taught me some big lessons in those areas. Then I start seeing how schedule oriented and rigid I can be and I pray about learning flexibility and giving my control issues over to God. He gives me a couple weeks like these and I survived with much prayer and calling on Him. I sure hope I learned what He wanted me to because it has been quite a whirlwind. I hope my next lesson is on peace and calm... is that me being controling?

      Thank you for praying for my brother! He is stable enough that they are sending him home today. They still have a long way to go, but the immediate danger has passed. Please keep him in your prayers as he tries to adopt a new lifestyle.

      If you know of any tasty, low- sodium recipes, please let me know. I am trying to find some and so far let's just say ... ugh!

      It's back to real life and homeschooling again! I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter!

      Thank you for your prayers. This has been an incredibly tough 7 days. We are so grateful that the Lord has been with us and we have seen His hand throughout this situation.

      The first hospital experience was awful. The care was unacceptable and we could get no information from any of the staff. The cardiologist finally came in after 3 days and gave us no information. He was going to send us to U of M but there wasn't a bed available.

      I went home, got on Web MD and did some research. My mom called a good friend of the family who was a cardiac care nurse for many years and now teaches. She told us to get him out of "that place" and get him transfered that day.

      They had to call the code team into his room that day before the transfer. We have since learned that it was probably due to how fast they took water off him- 15lbs in 24 hours. He was probably in shock. I wish there was some way to warn people about the place.

      The new hospital has been wonderful. The doctors actually talk with us and explain things and even answer questions. The nurses are amazing. They are attentive and professional. They are working hard to get him stabalized so that he can start the transplant process as an out patient. God provided this place and I know His timing saved my brothers life.

      My parents were scheduled to take my daughter to Atlanta for a preteen celebration trip. They were going to go to the Aquarium, CNN Headquarters, World of Coca Cola and to the Passion Play at Charles Stanley's church. The tornado hit the day after they were going to get there. Another example of God's timing.

      God has provided a great hospital, wonderful doctors and nurses, amazing friends and great comfort. No matter what His perfect plan is, we can give Him the glory for what He has already done. Please keep praying for him and we also have three grandparents who have gone in and out of the hospital this week. Thank you!

      Please pray for my 31 year old brother. We've spent several days in the hospital on a roller coaster ride of diagnosis. At this time it looks like he has idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy. They are sending us to the University of Michigan hospital in Ann Arbor. His heart is very damaged. He knows the Lord as his personal Savior.

      We are praying for God to do a great work here. We are claiming this verse, " Be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the Lord." Psalm 31:24 Thank you!

There is a great explanation on CVS saving at the following web site:

http://www.moneysavingmom.com/2007/09/cvs-101.html

Hope this explains it. She does a great job simplifying it for us.

-Trisha

      My CVS trip was great this week! Here's how it worked out:

      Hershey Sweet and Salty Granola Bars on sale for 2/5.00 -4 boxes

           (buy $10.00 worth of Hershey products get $5 ECB)

      Campbells Soup at Hand on sale for 5 for $5- 5 containers

           (coupon for $2 off 1 soup at hand)

      Colgate Total Advanced on sale for 2.99- 5 tubes

          (buy 1 get $2.99 ECB back- limit 5)

      Hersheys Kiss 9.2 oz packages on sale for .99- 3 pkgs

          (coupon for $1.50 off purchase of 3 pkgs.)

      Cadbury Mini Eggs 8.5 oz packages on sale for .99- 3 pkgs

          (coupon for $1.50 off purchase of 3 pkgs.)

      Dean Gallon Milk on sale for $2.99

      Swiffer Duster on sale for $5.99

      Swiffer Wet Refills 24 count on sale for $5.99

          (buy $10.00 worth of Swiffer get $5 ECB)

      Duracell Battery Charger on sale for $9.99

      Duracell 4 pk AAA rechargables on sale $9.99

          (buy $10.00 worth of Duracell get $5 ECB, coupon for $2.50 off)

      Wisp Flameless Candle for $9.99

          (coupon $5 off and buy 1 get $2.00 ECB)

My total without sales, coupons, and ECB's would have been $116.54 before tax.

My total was $81.82 after sale prices. 

I had $15 off a purchase of $75 or more and  coupons for $2, $1.50, $1.50, $5.00, $2.50.

New total $54.32

Turned in ECB that were close to expiring- $5, $5, $5, $5, $5, $2, $2, $2

Grand Total was $23.32

ECB Total was $38.95 + $15 off $75 at cvs.com and $2.00 off CVS brand $10 or more.

I  feel that I got all of my merchandise for free and made $15.63 to shop. Wohoo!!!

-Trisha

        My daughter's Lego Robotics team won the IN state competition in December of 2006. That meant a trip to Atlanta, GA for the World Championships in April of 2007. It was an awesome experience for her as well as her coat-tail riding family.

      The day we got back, the FIRST organization called to tell us we had been invited to the White House to meet the President and show him the robot. I will post about that and hopefully figure out how to add in some of our photos another time. Our whole family was able to go on both trips. God is good!

      We were able to spend much of the summer at the lake in Michigan. We made several trips to Chicago and Indy for museum visits and shopping. I was able to go to the HS convention with a good friend. God is good! How could I ask for more?

      Well, I asked for more. Every year my dearest friends from Dayton, OH meet me in Brown County, IN for our "Girlfriend's Getaway". It is a time of sharing, encouragement, laughter, tears and food. These 5 Godly women are all amazing. I learn from them continually. I pray for each of them and their families and I know that I am blessed to have them in my life. I look forward to this time all year. I come home renewed and a better wife and mother. God is good!

      As our time has grown near, I've looked at the more than empty vacation budget. I knew we didn't have the money.  I prayed and I asked God to provide a way to go if it was His will. I prayed that way daily for a week. Then a local church called and asked me if I would cater their Appreciation Dinner. After getting the details and figuring the cost, my profit would cover my portion of the cottage, my gas and food. God is good!

      I think that sometimes we are afraid to ask God for too much. He is God! He wants His best for us. I know that this time with these ladies is pleasing to Him. I know that God wants me to grow in knowledge of Him and in grace, which is connected to growth and service (II Peter 3:18). I give God all the praise for this. I hope this is an encouragement to you and a testimony to how good God is. Grow in grace!

-Trisha

      Well...I did it. I have finally embraced modern technology. I have been visiting other's blogs and have been helped, encouraged and challenged. My friends have been urging me to try this and to share some of my own ideas.

      I guess I will introduce myself. I am Trisha, wife, mother, and life long learner.  I have been married for 14 years to my husband, who is an engineer. We have three children, a daughter who is 12, a daughter who is 9, almost 10 years old, and a son who is 7.

      We use a wide variety of curriculums and resources. I take my favorite things from Charlotte Mason, Classical Homeschooling and more traditional methods and kind of toss them all together with good organization. My friends like to tease me about my organizational tendencies. I like to say that I have lightened up quite a bit in my old age. My husband would say that I am the only person he knows who makes a list of the lists they need to make. I don't know what could be wrong with that!

      I am heavily involved in our homeschool group. I lead a Keepers at Home girl's club, co-lead a Mystery of History co-op group, and my husband and I have a Lego Robotics team at our house. We are involved in German class, piano lessons, Michiana Christian Homeschool Band (trumpet and drums), Lady Crusaders Volleyball, Upward Basketball and a bunch of other things.

      We are very eclectic in our homeschool approach. All three of my children have different learning styles. I have been trying to find more ways to incorporate their styles and personalities into multi-age lessons and curriculums. I can't always find what I want, so I am currently writing my own unit study on the "Impressionists".

      I am looking forward to exploring this new "blogworld" and exchanging ideas and encouragement with you.

-Trisha