Apronpalooza! Check out the fun and prizes!

Labels: Drawings and Contests, Just for fun

Last night I dreamed about elegant dresses in very small sizes and a giant 1000 sq. ft. brownie.
As I was flying over the top of the brownie (in the mall) I was thinking "That seems like a lot of brownie for just one family...but I guess we've eaten that much before..."

...Care to analyze this for me? :-)

Either I'm very very skinny and need to eat to gain weight so I can wear the super figure hugging gown (which had a cape/train thingy by the way---does that mean anything?).

Or, I (ahem) could stand to drop a few pounds so I can fit into a smaller size (that's probably not it).

Or, I'm a crazed shopper who enjoys flying through malls and searching for formal wear I can't actually buy, and a very generous mom who bakes brownies by the mile, on the floor of public buildings. "Care for a brownie? The shoppers have squished it down with their feet but it still tastes the same."

What are your intelligent opinions? How does this dream reflect me and my personal struggles? Is there some deeper meaning, a shred of evidence that I am an exceptional person? Please leave me your thoughts and comments.

Anyone notice that my posting subject matter seems to be getting less and less noteworthy?

Labels: More About Me

Ever buy one of those giant 10 pound bags of frozen chicken leg quarters and then forget to put them in the freezer when you got home?
Osprey found them late last night in a grocery bag, nicely thawed and ready for cooking. Oops!

So today I am busy...cooking lots of chicken.

I opted for an old favorite, simple recipe: Sprinkle all pieces with lots of garlic powder and a little salt and roast at 375 degrees for 45 minutes. It smells delicious! I'll put it in the fridge and we'll use it for lunches this week.

Labels: Another Day

I've spent the last few days recuperating from the birthday weekend and a recent lack of sleep.
Yesterday, Hubby was home all morning. Usually I am able to get up when he does around 6:30 or 7 and make his coffee and send him to work with a hug and kiss.

Yesterday, I stumbled into the living room and felt very odd and couldn't open my left eye. I spotted the futon mattress we just removed from Rivergirl's room and dropped down right there. Hubby was on the computer and I have faint memories of him clicking the keys and children floating around me from time to time. When I awoke it was 10:30. I felt I could keep sleeping all day but I didn't.

I ended up sending the littles to stay at someone else's house for a while so I could pack a little and organize a lot. I also rewarded myself with 5-10 minutes naps at the end of each job. When the family came home they all thought I did a great job..lots of work done and supper ready and everything! Hooray!

Last night I don't even remember my head hitting the pillow, but hubby says when he came in he was talking to me.
"Don't you remember?"
No! Not a bit!...wait! I remember something...about hairstyles???....I didn't say anything I shouldn't did I? Hmmm...

Labels: Another Day

Yesterday we had a birthday party for Osprey who is turning 17 this week!
The party was also for his cousins who turn 13 this week.
We held the 'Barn Party' at my uncle's farm-where I grew up.


Here is a picture of Osprey on his 7th birthday--his first 'Barn Party'.


Here is a picture from yesterday's 17th.


We all had so much fun and laughed! A LOT! It's hard to describe all the fun but they say a picture is worth a thousand words:

So let me just say this:

The birthday trio. Osprey and his cousins.



Tug of war!


Photo Shoot (Out) Corner goofiness:


Hayride:


We made some wonderful memories and reminisced about the days when the kids were little. We got better acquainted with new friends. And we all got very tired! All in all I'd say it was a great success!

Osprey, you have made us so proud! We love you so much! It's hard to believe how fast you're growing up. Happy Birthday!

Labels: Holidays and Celebrations

I have a special schedule around here. Each day has it's own task assigned to it and I try my very
best to get to the work for each appointed day.
Sometimes I am none too successful, but at least with a schedule I know what I'm missing.

Here is an overview of my list:
Monday: Laundry
Tuesday: Free Time (what that usually means is time to catch up on all the unfinished work of the week)
and sewing
Wednesday:Office/Desk work
Thursday: Errands/Groceries
Friday: Cleaning
Saturday: Baking/Yard work
Sunday: Rest

With each of these days a certain mental picture comes to mind. I am a mental picture kinda gal and I work best with generalities that include happy pictures of me doing happy things.

Now, keep in mind, it's taken me quite a few years to 'find that happy place' when it comes to some of
the more distasteful of my jobs. Especially Desk work.
If desk work were only about writing menus or practicing writing pretty things on pretty
stationery to mail to distant friends...well... then I'd be an expert...a contented and happy one.

But desk work here involves things like filing receipts and paying bills and trying to decide which
of the 8,439 pieces of junk mail we received this week are actually things we might need to refer to again.
So, it's just not my favorite.

After years of struggling to keep the routine and accomplish my wifely
responsibilities with a good attitude, I've finally found a solution.
Yes! I now have a special office I go to each week.
And let me tell you! The office makes the paper work feel light as a feather.

At this office it is possible to take the children with me, but often I leave them at home while I go use the office for a couple of hours. The older 2 are instructed what to accomplish while I'm gone (History) and the younger 3 are put down for naps.
I load up a stack of paperwork, my cell phone and other items and go to work.

This office I'm referring to has some nice little bonuses. First, there is special parking. Each car gets it's own covered parking area. Second, they offer in-house service to everyone who uses the facilities. These services include use of the restroom, and personal food delivery per the customers request. There is also music piped in, which is great if you like 1990's rock and think that those are the 'oldies'... ahem... I'd like to add that it's really not all that expensive. It costs me approximately $4.60 each time I go.
The seating arrangement is nice because everyone has their own private area
and the chairs are so comfortable that you could take a nap...if that's what you do while doing paperwork...which I'm not saying I do. But you could...if you wanted.

Because blogging is such a pleasant part of my life, and because I love to share what works for me when it comes to managing my household, I took some pictures that will help you visualize my office space. I refer to my space as Olga.





Here you can see the work space and the filing system...



Here is some of the food brought to me by the office employees! Can't beat it! Especially the Super Sonic Breakfast Burrito!


OK...for those of you who haven't kept up with my super-sneaky, extra- witty writing style....I'm talking about the local old fashioned burger drive-in! Sonic! Yummy! We have one about 2 miles from our place via a quiet back country road.
---And the comfy chairs are the suburban seats of course! :-)

Labels: Household Helps

It has come to my attention, while reading TC's blog this morning, that today is National Packrat Day!
I don't know where she gets this crucial information. But, I'm telling you--this is NEWS.
Aren't you excited?

If only my dad would have known about this when I was just a youngster...he would have insisted on our family celebrating my natural talents in this area! I could have been given special meals and special songs could have been sung to me: "For she's a jolly good paaack raaat..."
He always wondered how I had gotten so good at the 'packratting'--and mentioned it frequently (very complimentary, of course) . I have since learned that I came by it naturally (through one of my grandmothers), but no one was 'fessing up back then.

Now perhaps you are beginning to understand why this moving thing is taking so long...hubby would never admit it, but he's a bit of a 'saver' himself. At our house, you can never have too many kitchen gadgets or extra blankets (it gets cold in Texas sometimes), or books or extra windows (in case we get to build someday), or pretty pieces of fabric, or papers! My word! The papers! The papers are not by choice...they just sneak in when I'm not looking and then they marry and have children.

Due to the fact that this day is so near to my heart I did a little online research to find out more. It seems that there are traditional celebrations already in place.
Naturally, some of these are just common sense.
Here is what I learned:

Pack Rat Day
When: Always on May 17th

Do's and Don't's:

Don't clean your room, basement, garage or any other area today.
Don't discard anything today...It may be valuable.
Don't even empty the trash today. You might have accidentally thrown out something useful.
Do keep an eye out for useful stuff being discarded by others.
Do go to garage and rummage sales. They can be pack rat goldmines.
Do look around your belongings and be thankful for what you have.
Do spend time thinking of uses for your things. Justification for saving is satisfying.

And so, I really need to get off the computer and start celebrating. We'll probably dig out some some special foods for the occasion. Maybe we still have those nuts I saved from Christmas...? Or some canned asparagus topped with little jars of cheese? I think I put them in the back of the pantry, just in case.

Labels: Holidays and Celebrations

Well, this week has been nothing short of an adventure. Not the kind I usually dream about but challenging and good for practicing perseverance.

I'm including a few pictures so you can share in the serenity ;-).

Let me back up a few days. I was having a productive day and supper was almost ready. Dear Hubby was on the phone and since I was feeling energetic (I've had a bit of sleep lately! Yeah!) I started looking around for a job to keep me occupied until he finished on the phone. I spied the cabinet under the sink. I don't know about you but I try to avoid that pit as often as I can. Anyway, being in an optimistic mood I swiftly and confidently opened the door and began removing old sponges and baskets of sink supplies. Out of the corner of my eye I thought I saw a glimpse of something wet so I crawled in that direction. Guess what I found?! About 2 inches of standing water! That's right! Everything in the lower cabinets was moldy and mildewy. Nice. After a couple days of no water and wet towels and way too many trips to the hardware store hubby had us up and running again. But in the meantime the kitchen looked like this.







And this is what the dining table looked like...all the stuff from under the sink...



And here is some of the stuff we've been packing...this is also in the dining area...



And here is the hallway...I think! ;-) It's hard to see anything but the empty boxes waiting to be packed.



And just to add to the fun...:-)...



BUT! Look what we got done yesterday! A few more boxes packed! It's a long, hard, row to hoe but we'll win eventually!

Labels: Another Day

We went to the homeschool bookfair on Friday and not only did we survive but we had fun too! :-)
The little girls had lots of sights and sounds to keep them occupied and stayed fairly contented for quite a while.
Little Guy was amazed at all the "COOL! stuff- MAMA!".
His favorite was the science booth with a section of scale model replicas of space shuttles and rockets.
We brought home a space shuttle!
My main objective this time was to show my two oldest what all is out there-homeschool wise.
I think it was a great success! We didn't buy very many things but did grab a few little goodies. DS4 got the space shuttle, DD12 got a new book by Elizabeth Prentiss titled The Flower of the Family (which she has already finished), DS 16 chose a T-shirt he wants to order later, and I got a new tote/book/diaper/purse bag!
I've been wanting a bag that has a place for pictures. I've looked at the ones you can order online that screenprint the photos for you but this is even better. It has pockets that I can fill with photos and I can change them anytime I like.
Here it is:



It says: "Homeschool Mom~ Please don't interrupt me. I'm in the middle of a parent teacher conference!"





And to top off all the fun we met some fellow bloggers:
The famous TC and her two oldest children SouthernBelle and Tyler!
It was fun to actually meet face to face. The kids talked for a few minutes and we discovered we live really close to each other (about 20 or 25 minutes apart). So now the kids are planning to get together. Tyler and Osprey want to have a music session since they both play guitar!
TC was armed with a camera and captured the moment.
Here is a picture of the three of them. ( I pirated it from Southernbelle's site :-0 ---but I don't think she'll mind too much...)


Left to Right:
Osprey, Southernbelle, Tyler

Labels: Homeschool

Happy Mother's Day!

I especially want to wish a Happy Mother's Day to my own dear mother's-in-law and my very own mother.

To my Mom-in-law, thank you for bringing the most wonderful man into this world! Thank you for all the years of self sacrifice and difficult challenges you faced to give him a good home. Thank you for seeing his potential when no one else was willing. Thank you for creating special memories for him...he still compares everything we do for our children to the special things he remembers. You are a hard working and tender hearted woman and I'm proud to be your daughter-in-law.

To Step mom-in-law: Thank you for being such a fun friend! I carry around special memories in my heart of all the fun times we shared at the lake and at your house. You have made a wonderful home for your children and I admire and respect you for that. You taught me a level of calmness that I hadn't experienced before. Thank you for being willing to be called Grandma at such a young age. I still tell people how awesome you are for that! It means so so much to our children!

To my own Mother, what a Godly woman you are!
Thank you for all the prayers, the long nights on your face before God, the many hours spent teaching us God's Word, the faithfulness and devotion to our Daddy, the sincerity of your everyday life, your self sacrifice in small ways everyday, your determination to teach us good manners. Thank you for being unflinching in the face of danger, and for never giving up on us. Thank you for being a true servant. Your life is a beautiful example of what God can do when someone allows Him to shine through them in every way.
I think of you every time I learn something new along this road called motherhood, and I wonder how long you've known that particular truth and been patiently waiting for me to get it.
Thank you for setting a really high standard for mothers everywhere!

Most of all, thank you for being such a dear friend to me!
I remember when I was just 6 years old...I was crying because God had not given me a sister to be my friend...you comforted me and told me that when I grew up you would be my friend.
You are my friend!
I love you more than words can express.

Labels: Holidays and Celebrations

I know some of you are not fond of music just taking over your computer when you least expect it...
I know I don't like it when I'm rocking one of the little ones to sleep and suddenly there is a loud blaring sound. Aack!
Sooo, I added my music box with the option of turning it on or off your very~ own~ little ~self!
But trust me when I say that these are not loud or blaring.
I've added some of my favorite music from Dan Gibson's Solitudes series.
Nature and music were meant to go together!:-)

To try it out just scroll down a little and look for the Music Box on the left sidebar of the page.
Click on any title you'd like and give it a listen.

If you like it will you let me know?
And if it does something dreadful or causes some kind of problem...will you also let me know?
Gently and sweetly, of course!

Today is my official one year blogging birthday! Woooo hooo!
I'm so glad I decided to start this blog.
It's been a year full of new friends and encouragement.
I love blogging!
Thank you for helping make it such a great experience!

Today is the Arlington, Texas homeschool bookfair/convention.
I'll be out having fun with the 5 lambies, showing them around.
It will be their first bookfair ever!
If you're planning on being there look for us. Hubby has to work but said "GO and have fun!" :-)
I'll be the lady stooped under a heavy baby backpack (while my ds16 wears the other one) trying to figure out how to carry all those things I wasn't going to buy and dropping half the contents of my purse while holding up the checkout lines. My bags of purchases will be stacked between my feet. DD12 will be trying to keep DS4 in line and the baby will be happily pulling my hair while trying to climb out of the pack! But I'll be smiling! I hope to see some of you there!
Have a great day!

Labels: Holidays and Celebrations, Homeschool

~ Share “personal miracles” that have happened... or serious answers to prayer.~

I am going to share this as a list, some entries longer than others:

These are in no particular order. I'm just writing good things as they come to me.

~When my 8 year old niece was only about 9 months old, our family nearly lost her...or so we thought. But God knew all along that He was going to keep her here with us! Her mother (my dsil) noticed that her breathing was labored and other things that she knew in her heart were not right. Every time she took her to the doctor she was told that the baby was fine...just a cold...etc... one day she started coughing blood. Dsil rushed her to the doctor again and they immediately put her in the hospital for tests. By that afternoon we were all told the news that something was wrong with her heart and she very likely wouldn't live. Our entire family came together and practically took over the hospital! We bathed the place in prayer and held up the exhausted arms of my brother and his wife. Emergency heart surgery was performed on the baby and the doctor discovered that there was a membrane where it shouldn't be. He couldn't figure out how she had lived this long! We knew God had been sustaining her! She has a scar on her chest from the surgery and she calls it her zipper. :-) Her parents have reminded her again and again that God has His hand on her life!

~I have experienced 3 miscarriages. I won't describe all of the details here, (This list is about the good stuff!) except to say that I really learned some things (I think!) and came to a point where Trusting God became more than lip service. I was angry and sad and experienced the full range of emotions that go with loss, disappointment and grief BUT then... I told God I was His servant. When my heart surrendered fully to Him for WHATEVER came, I felt a sense of peace that passed understanding! Very powerful. For my last pregnancy I had twin girls! seems like we made up for a little lost time!

~When my twin girls were 10 days old I took them to the doctor because they had developed a yucky sounding cough. They were diagnosed with RSV. We went straight next door to the hospital and my heart was quaking. You can imagine the rest of our day. Anyway, long story short. We were released from the hospital the next day! Hurray! Doc said their lungs sounded good and gave us a prescription. They recovered quickly. I still thank the Lord for His hand on them during those early days when they were so small.

~Dh and I (8 months pregnant with my first) were driving in the mountains of Colorado (moving from there to California) when the car my 16 year old brother was driving blew a tire. He could have gone over the cliff into the lake but didn't....we could have been anywhere and it could have been any day but we' JUST HAPPENED' to stop right near a little old shop that is always closed off season because the owner wintered in another state. This was the guy's opening day...and he had arrived only minutes before. He helped us get back on the road!

~On that same trip we were caught in a snow storm/blizzard on a mountain pass. There were cars turned every which way for miles and people couldn't even walk from one car to another without slipping and falling. NO ONE was getting out of there! Not even the heavy vehicles. It looked as though it would be days before the situation could be fully remedied. I was driving our large Dodge van. It was sitting still and just slipped off of the road (there was a slight grade). There we were in heavy snow drifts and sitting on ice. Hubby was driving the other car. I turned to my brother and said "Now what?!" He and I both knew we were done for. Dh stopped his car and got out and slipped and slid his way back to us. He climbed in and we all prayed. He put the van in drive and we pulled out like there was no ice or snow! We all still talk about that one! Amazing. We were able to continue the trip and make it home safely.

I have many, many stories to tell of God's faithfulness and protection...of miracles and blessings.
Even when it looks black and despair washes over like a tidal wave, God is still faithful.
Even when I experience terrible hurt and loss and pain, even when I get angry at God for 'being unfair'. He is still faithful.
His ways are higher than mine and His mercies are everlasting.
Praise be to God our heavenly father...in all things.

Labels: Blogger Friend School

Oh my! I've been reading some wonderful posts lately.

It seems that there are so many of us trying to learn to balance the Mary and the Martha parts of our lives.
The balance is sometimes difficult and it's different for every woman. Each of us faces different needs within our own families and we are each married to different kinds of men with different expectations.

My recent struggles have involved de-cluttering. I'm not talking about de-cluttering the stuff I don't use or want anymore...though there has been some of that going on, as well. I have been on a journey of parting with things that I DO use and like--or at least might use again when the babies get a bit older! How is that for a new twist?

You see-- I've come to realize that materialism is bad--- no matter how I package it. It's tough to make choices like: Should I keep this really expensive pasta roller that I begged my hubby for all those years ago? How much time should I be investing in pasta making? Maybe schooling the kiddoes should move up in priority? ;-)

Yes! Even simple folk like me have possessions that need to be culled and habits that need refining! ;-D

I stopped gardening a few years ago because it takes too much time here in Texas...what with watering and watering and watering and weeding and weeding and weeding! Other places I have gardened involve watering and weeding. Period. So...maybe I'll take it up again someday after we move.

I want to write more on this later but duty calls! I need to go take the troops to pick up some moving boxes and my time for serving my family is limited so...

I want to share some links with you to posts written by other moms who are facing similar refinement in their lives. Enjoy!

Laundry Detergent, Lists and Blogs
Distracted With Much Serving
Choosing the Good Portion
Dear Mom
Quenching My Appetite

Labels: Family

One of my favorite things.
This was given to me by my dear husband many years ago and is still one of my most loved possessions.
He eventually bought me all the canisters to go with it. :-)
I use it just as intended...to store our bread.
I don't know why it makes me so happy...maybe because I love for everything to have it's own place.
Do you have any favorite things to share?

Labels: Favorite Things, Misc, More About Me

I promised to post afew pictures of our trip to the Ozarks. Here we are in all our glory! :-)
I took many more pictures but I'm only going to share a few.
Even though we were all sick we loved the trip..especially the little lake. You can read about our trip here.


Little Guy and Rivergirl enjoy the water.



Curious Geese




The whole Crew



Doodlebug and Ladybug loved the sand!



Amazing view from the observation tower..LittleGuy was very nervous...can you tell?

Labels: Family, Holidays and Celebrations

Wow! Here is an excellent article : This Women in Ministry Thing
Be prepared to be challenged or greatly encouraged....depending on your current frame of reference. :-)

Labels: Misc