Where do I start? Really I haven’t written in so long you just are thinking I would have loads to write about but really I don’t want to put you all to sleep with the day in and day out of our lives but I will touch on a few highlights for those of you who check this blog daily.

Dan has just finished building Jeremy’s (my brother in-law) Dad’s house. We sold him a small parcel of land and he built a small house. Just a one bedroom one bath combined kitchen living room but it is just perfect for a single man in his 50’s who doesn’t need much. The entire house took 6 weeks start to finish. Dan is still hopeful that our beloved patriots will continue to win this season even with the devastating loss of Tom Brady during the beginning our first season game. Dan also goes golfing each spare moment he can. Dan and I have agreed to teach a Spur group again with the focus on discipleship for new believers starting next month. We also have agreed to be leader for Kids4Truth, it is like Awana and our church is doing this every Wednesday.

For myself, I started schooling the kids again and so far so good. We are still in the “This is new and exciting stage.” Emma just wants her own desk so I will have to get her one. I signed up for a Culinary Boot camp. It was a 3 week cooking class a lady in our church did. Loralei, Crysten and Erika were in the class as well and we all loved the class. I love to cook but can always learn more and I learned tons of things I didn’t know. I would highly recommend you take the class if you live here in Maine. You will not be disappointed. The only downfall for me and the class was my stomach. I have good days and bad days but the class has lots of food and my tummy just can’t take it as much as I wish it would. I am really at the end of my option when it comes to my stomach issues. With my last visit to the DR she said that she really didn’t know what else to try on me since I am touch cookie to crack. (She is the DR that diagnosed my mother with Lyme’s, after lots of other Dr’s couldn’t find the problem.) I am at the point where God is my only answer. Not that He hasn’t been there all along but from the beginning of this entire ordeal when I was sick with Hepititas I prayed, “Lord I don’t know what is wrong with me but I know you do. You formed my inward parts. Please heal me.”  This is still my prayer today. I have been watching some DVD’s on healing. Although I don’t agree with everything this Man says on healing. One thing that has strengthened my faith is pulling out all the scriptures that talk about healing and how God can and does heal.  I watch the DVD’s on the computer and take notes, use the PC study bible all at the same time. Lots of food for thought.

The cooking class also inspired me to get more organized with my recipes. So I am working on putting some of my recipes into my recipe binder, making sections for Dessert, Main dishes and so forth. I just don’t enjoy organizing very much but once it is done I like it. Of course that second law of Thermodynamics kicks in, where everything goes from order to chaos.  So the other struggle for me will be to keep them organized.

When colder weather hits I start to get crafty. Now at times I feel as though I don’t have a craft bone in my body but I do knit, love to paint ceramics and quilt by hand. So I am getting ready to knit 2 more Christmas stockings one for Dan and one for me.  Now if anyone has some good suggestion on a design I could place on them I am open to them.  Right now the kid’s designs are Christmas tree, Candy Cane, Presents and a Snow Man. My favorite is the Christmas tree but I am looking for something new.  

So if you haven’t fallen asleep yet I have a little more to write. Next is Faith. She turned 9 August 31st and we celebrated at camp with all her cousins. We had our own Olympics, where all the kids signed up and competed in events throughout the day. We had opening and closing ceremonies. It was really fun for the kids and adults. Faith has been saving for months for an American Girl Doll. I personally  didn’t care she paid $90 for a doll but I wanted Faith to learn how to want something, work for her money and save until she got it. Normally Faith will want something and 2 days later I never hear from her again about it.  When the catalog arrived in June Faith would spend hours a day pour over it telling me everything she wanted. I kept telling her to save her money so she did. She came up with the idea to sell rocks, have a lawn sale and more and by the time her birthday was done she had just enough money for the doll. When we called we found out shipping was $11 so it took a few more weeks but we have finally order her the doll of her choice. She wanted a “Just like you doll.” But the funny part is she insisted on buying the doll with Blond hair and Brown eyes. She has Blue eyes but since it was her money I let her buy the one she wanted. For $90 she better be happy with it.

Eli is enjoying a week with a dog. My aunt left her dog Katie with us for the week while she is away.  He wants a dog and this is a great lesson on how much work they really are. The first morning we woke up to trash torn across our garage. I woke Eli up and said, “Eli having a dog is a lot of work, and Katie has made a mess you need to clean it up.” He never batted an eye lash, and when I went to inspect his work he had done an excellent job and cleaning it all up. He is doing really well with this job and I am happy Kathy gave us this opportunity to have a dog for a week.   Eli also has really taken off with his reading. All it took was one week of Kid4Truth and Eli wanted to learn his sections. He thrills in reading his bible verses and learning them word for word.  I am thrilled that he is catching on. For months I tried telling him he could read but somehow Eli thought he could only read his reading books.  We were walking into Wal-Mart this past week and Eli looks up and says, “We sell for less.”  “I read that Mom!” Way to go Eli!

Alicia is Alicia. She still has unending energy. She loves her school. I bought something different this year for Kindergarten and I really like it. It is from Rod and Staff. She came to me the other day all worried, “Mom I have no clothes for when I get big and then I will have to go naked.”  Where she came up with this I am not sure but I assured her I would make sure she would have clothes as she grows.

Emma is as cute as ever. She has finally caught onto potty training and having accidents are rare and not the norm. Praise Jesus. There were days I would want to pull my hair out since she would love to poop her pants then take them off and I will leave the rest of the details to your imagination.