tookmeaminute

Nathan Early 16th Birthday

2010-05-15T13:17:00.000-07:00

We can't always be on the mountain top.......

2008-09-02T11:07:00.000-07:00

No, the picture does not need to be rotated.........it's me....and I am on top of the mountain. Bradbury Mountain in Maine a short drive from our home. We spent yesterday hiking and enjoying the last day before school and the fall craziness starts. While the older 2 boys and 2nd sons' girlfriend and my daughter were wondering off and hubby and baby son were exploring I took a minute to myself. It was nice to feel the heat of the sun since the breeze had a bit of a chill to it. Then everybody found me...............

We found a cove area in the rock and decided to do pictures. Hoping one comes out good enough for Christmas. We'll see..........

This next picture I think is a super sweet pic of 2nd son and his girl....

After the hike we let the kiddos play on the play ground for a bit. It was a good way to wear the kids out so they would get a good nights sleep for school. ( Although my oldest doesn't start school until tomorrow.)

Sunday evening 2nd son, daughter and baby boy decided to do an iron chef cook off in the kitchen.....here's what our entree looked like :

This was an egg burrito topped with salad and a salad on the side. Although my sweet little daughter forgot which one she had doused with hot sauce at the request of one of the judges ( her daddy) and I ended up with the hot sauce one. It was hot, but not bad.

Our Daughter won , I guess you could say be default. Our older 2 sons got a phone call about meeting some other friends at the park. So, the food the 2nd son made ended up being eaten by him. Since we were kind of tired of eggs by then we had baby boy make the dessert......

Now lets go back and see a picture of our lovely contestant and winner of the dinner portion of the competition.....

Clearly the boy won the dessert portion. Love making things fair :-).

Off to great the kids when they get home from their first day of school.....pics to follow.....

Half lazy Saturday

2008-08-30T18:50:00.000-07:00

So I had made this nice list of things I was GOING to get done today. I was going to be proud of myself and feel accomplished! Ok, that is what I thought when I was writing out my list. Now it is a different story! Allen talked me into playing a Scrabble game with him...well, not one but 2!! We have a hand held electronic game. So I tried to sleep between turns. Then I got up early this morning to go to AWANA training at the Church. Super informative meeting. Learned a lot and I am so eager and looking forward to this years AWANA.

Hubby and Daughter went for a walk today......that was nice to see them spend time together. Girls NEED that from their Daddy's'!

Now, for some holidays we give our kids "coupons"...... stay up 30 mins past your bedtime, favorite dessert, extra bedtime story....and so on...... today after their walk, Tiffany decided to use her "build a sundae with Dad" coupon. It was so awesome to watch them interact....

Ugh.........I have been fighting a migraine for 2-3 days now! It is such a pain!!!!! I started feeling a bit better last night when I was making that list...maybe that is why I was so ambitious! Anyway.....it returned to it's "roaring" state. Any of you migraine sufferers know what I mean....you can get the meds to "calm it down" but then once they wear off it's BOOM! So, I took something STRONGER then I normally do......so that being said, if I happen to wonder off subject , bare with me, I'll get back to what I was trying to say....if not, just enjoy......

Ok, yes, back to my "productive/lazy" day. The hubby was meeting with some friends tonight up at Timmy's ( that's what we call Tim Hortons)........he NEEDED to go and do something more then have coffee but whatever, he is old enough to make his own mind up. I just hope he is enjoying himself. So before he left I asked for 10 mins so I could take a power nap on the couch.....I think it turned into more like 30. That was good though. I think my migraines are being fueled by staying up too late and trying to cram too much in the day. With the bits and pieces of cool weather we have been having , it has gotten me into a baking mood!!

My oldest son made some of the BEST blueberry muffins Thursday night....they were SUPER yum!!!

He has become quiet the cook! He has been working at a German restaurant and comes home with some of the yummiest ideas. And we get to taste his SUPER creations/concoctions.

Then the same evening I had made some yummy homemade bread. Basically out of necessity because son #2 likes to have toast all the time........Anyway.....it had been a while since I made homemade bread and we LOVED it all over again! Of course we HAD to break out the homemade strawberry jam..........

That red blob you see is the homemade jam. Again, it was good. Right now, while I am blogging, my dough is rising for the cinnamon buns(mini cinnis) for our high school Sunday school class. Tomorrow is step up day and we will be gaining new students.

Oh, and I also made sugar cookies for the local college students. Our church partners with this ministry thing to where they give the cookies to students. Someone took a survey and it seems that the one thing college students miss a lot is homemade cookies.

Well, it sounds as if everyone is back home from where they had gone......oldest son working at the restaurant, hubby out with the guys and son #2 went to the movies with his "girlfriend"...they "celebrated" their 6 month anniversary....hehehe....how cute!!!!!! Ah.....to be young again.....

the younger 2 have been in bed for some time and I am now feeling the STRONGER meds taking place so that means it is now time for me to take a 10 min nap and then get the mini cinnis done and then to bed!!!!

Sweet ( cinnamon ) dreams :-)

Summer Sweetness and all its' glory

2008-08-29T10:41:00.000-07:00

My son just made the announcement to us all that today is the "official" last day of their summer vacation. Monday will not count as it is a holiday....according to him. So how is this last "official" day of summer vacation being spent? Well, the daughter is at a friends, the youngest son put together his first 2 models and the older two, typical ....video games, phone and computer.(too cold for the beach and we already took the pool down).

The hubby is off today and me...........well, I am just spending my time being nostalgic and in comptemplation. Why? Maybe it's the cloudy, overcast weather and the chill in the air? Or thinking that all my babies are growing up so fast! Then that led me to thinking about my Grandmother. Her mothers birthday is the 31st of this month. She would have been well over a 100. Wonder if she was thinking on the day of her babies birth what her babies life would be like.
How many children she would bring into this world and so forth. Honestly, I can say I don't remember thinking those thoughts when my children were born...too much going on I guess. :-)
I love history, especially when it is my families history.

I also have been thinking if my Grandmother got everything out of life she wanted. then of course that made me start thinking if I am getting everything out of life that I want.

I have decided to make a list of things that I REALLY want and things I want to do. I am curious to see how many times this list may change. have you seen the movie the Bucket List? I truly enjoyed it! Of course I bawled at the end! i am such a crier in movies!

Maybe I will share my list on here....maybe it will be too personal, I'll have to wait and see.

until then, here are the things we have been doing since I last posted....back in July! Crazy how much time lapses!

Now let me see if I can think back that far!! :-)

We celebrated my 2nd sons b-day...he's 14 now.....

My nephew William came from South Carolina. He was originally only visiting for 10 days until the airline cancelled his flight and bumped him out 2 more days.

We went to the beach while he was here, although he found the water much to chilly for him. we also did some mini-golfing, bowling and tubing on the boat too. Hope he had a good time.

During this time my Mother's cousin and her husband from Columbia, SC came to visit.( no pics from their visit as I had the digital camera...which I broke:-().

I was only here for one evening of their visit, I was on my way to Boston the next morning to a Women Of Faith Conference with some friends. ( which by the way was AWESOME!! AND I got to talk to Nicole C Mullen!!!).

We went shopping at some really nice places, ate at the California Pizza Kitchen and The Cheesecake Factory... ( do you need someTING?) Let's be serious, sometimes going out of town is all about the places you can eat at!! Especially if none of these places are near your home!

After coming back from Boston, my two older boys went off to boot camp again this year, but to work as staff not to be a cadet enlisted..or whatever you call them.

This was the second time we sent our older two boys off ....the first was with our church youth group for a week of learning and fun in Mass. By the way...the oldest son is going on a missions trip to Durban, South Africa in Feb of 09 I am excited and apprehensive all the same!

Hm..what else have we done this summer...........

Oh yes, hubby had a birthday! And we did LOTS of boating....until we broke the boat.....that has now turned into a project ;-0.

Then there was the GNO....girl's night out....at a baseball game...again, some places you go for the food ( fried dough and fries!!!!). (they were good going down...but eewwww NASTY later!!)

Look girls, there's our "friend" sitting behind us!! UGH!!!

remember I said I had broke the digital camera? Well, I took this picture without having a clue what I was getting! :-) Pretty good huh?

So we pretty much wrapped the summer up with a sailing excursion 2 weeks ago on a Sunday. My 2nd and 3rd child realized sailing is not their "thing". Although they do love them some power boating!! Not the rocking back and forth.

again......pictures taken with a broken digital...you can still take pics but can't see what you are taking them of. Do you know HOW many pics we took HOPING to get a good one ?:-)

so here's to summer.......looking forward to the next one until then....fair winds and following seas...

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!!!!!

2008-07-05T12:00:00.000-07:00

This is how we spent our 4th......
Hope yours was just as fun!

2008-07-02T15:22:00.000-07:00

I am not a homemaker because I had too little ambition or education to make anything else of myself. No—I am a homemaker because God has given me the infinite honour of being a wife, and I delight in employing every ability that He has equipped me with in this glad career. I love being home. ~Lanier Ivester

Borrowed this qoute and I LOVE it! Hope you feel the same way about caring for your family. Somedays may seem overbearing, but God gives us just what we need huh? :-)

What we have been up to..........

2008-06-26T12:01:00.000-07:00

Our oldest turned 16 with a party at the beach. We got him kayaking lessons.

The next child had his semi-formal dance at the school. Don't they look so cute??

HAVE to have some relaxing time thrown in there.......we took the boat out on the lake for a swim...rather they went for a swim, I read :-)

This is our daughter out for a swim....a little dark..........

So summer is upon us....yeah!! The weather hasn't been bad...a little warm here and there. We have our pool and a/c's to deal with it :-)

We went out and picked these........

and made some super yummy jam!!

We also are celebrating our 17th anniversary.

We're Hooked!

2008-06-19T11:46:00.000-07:00

The Office.........

Some of you have probably been watching this for a while now while we just stumbled upon it. Actually it was our 16 yr old that stumbled upon it. LOVE this show! This is John Krasinski who plays Jim. Funny! Tomorrow( or whenever) I will post another picture.maybe of Dwight :-).

If you haven't tuned in...try it. You will either hate the show or love it. Allen was actually telling me about a guy at his office not being able to watch it because it makes him angry? Go figure!

Proud Momma and Pappa!!!

2008-06-04T06:07:00.000-07:00

CONGRATULATIONS ZACHARY!!!!!!!!!!

Last night was the underclassman awards night, Zachary knew he would be getting an award in visual arts but had no idea he would receive one for Outstanding Physical Education! We are so proud of him for both his awards! Tonight is the sports awards and he will also be receiving a pin in tennis. Way to go!!!

CONGRATULATIONS TO NATHAN AND TIFFANY!!!!!

These two did a FABULOUS job at the elementary school variety show! How many eight graders do you see getting out of school early to come help their sister? they worked wonderful together and received many compliments. they are already talking about NEXT years performance!

Once Nathan gets it loaded on to YouTube I will include the link.........

DANIEL NEWS.......

Allen and I had the pleasure of going on the aquarium field trip with the entire kindergarten from the elementary school. Wanna know something even cooler? Daniel's teacher, Mrs G., had to leave because her baby got sick so I got to sign in and be his substitute for the day! Amazing how things work out right? I got paid to spend the day with my husband and son at an aquarium!

lunch break

holding a star fish

playing duck, duck , goose!

Other stuff....... :-)

School is winding down and part of me is happy and part is not. I enjoy subbing, but I am also ready for some down time. Although I amnot sure when that will come here's why:

*Oldest son will be looking into taking a math course to put him in pre-cal for the next school year. Also will be doing tennis and golf lessons, heading to Crosswalk and doing boot camp this year as staff.

*Next son is taking a math course to put him in algebra II for 9th grade. Also looking at soccer camp, heading to boot camp to staff and heading to Crosswalk with the youth.

* Daughter will be doing Math and Literacy camp because I requested it. Seems to help her retain things taught during the year instead of having to back track at the beginning of a new school year.

* Youngest son will be busy working on reading this summer. He wants to be able to read the dictionary by first grade:-) Love that enthusiasm!

So...there goes some mornings sleeping in!! We are trying to squeeze in some boating days and camping.

Here's to your summer, busy or not and doing what you can to help your children succeed!

food for thought...or thoughts on food.......

2008-05-26T18:07:00.000-07:00

So I was just asking my Friend about her menu for family dinners.....
she plans 2 weeks out and write it all down including snacks and lunch and breakfast.
I do once a week planning.
I get so tired of trying to come up with some meal ideas.....wouldn't it be fun to share your menu?
So here's what I propose we do..... lets post our menus and share them so we can all get some new ideas!

Ok, here goes mine for this week minus today:

Tuesday: (b) cereal (l) sandwiches, fruit cup, homemade cookie, yogurt cup, (d) spaghetti, salad, and bread.

Wednesday: (b) pancakes and bacon, (l) same as previous day (d) Parmesan chicken, green beans, salad, potatoes

Thursday: (b) oatmeal or scrambled eggs, (l) chicken tenders (d) hamburgers, homemade fries

Friday:(b) cereal, (l) go back to Tues, (d) homemade pizza

Sat: left overs all day

Sunday: (b) cereal or pancakes depending on time, (L) pulled pork bbq sandwich with coleslaw (d) left overs

a little boring this week I know............ haven't had a lot of time to put into it. Although the hubby suggested meatloaf and one child suggested mac-n-cheese.
Now that I look at the menu....YAWN.... I think I may revise it!

Would love to see your menus..........

Time flies.......

2008-05-26T17:33:00.000-07:00

Happy Memorial day! May you be ever grateful to those who have given us our freedom by laying down their lives.

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What a busy weekend!!! Allen and the older boys left Thursday evening for a trip to Canada with the Sea Cadets so it was just me and the younger 2. Friday I worked then we rented videos for the evening. Saturday was filled with going roller skating and Sunday we went to the beach.

Today we got up early to be at the parade when it started. By the afternoon Allen and the older boys were home and then off to a cookout at our friends' house.Whew!

The cookout was great! Time to catch up with friends and relax and let the children wear themselves out. And that they did! The kids( and grown ups) had a blast on our go kart that our Friends are soooooooo graciously "storing" for us ;-). (thank you thank you thank you!!)

After a FEAST( love those Jen Beans!!) we topped the evening off with rootbeer floats.

Our friends also have some chickens and recently got a new broad in. I have to show you my favorite....

this picture is a bit dark but she was somewhat shy :-). I have officially named her "Tina Turner". She's so cute!! All that hair up top and skinny brown legs :-) I will HAVE to get a better picture of her to post.

Here are some other fun shots from the day.......

This ones for you Jen....FRIENDS TIL THE END ;-) hehehe

"CHEESE"

Danica Patrick eat your heart out baby!!

This is Nick..........tell me Becky...what's wrong with this picture? :-)

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Previous goings on..........

Almost 4 years ago we had a foster child from Uganda come into our home. I remember when I took her to the neurologist and he said she would never function past a three month old level... I just kept thinking.." you are not God!!"

Well, friends in a neighboring town adopted this little angel and now she is flourishing and using a sippy cup, not a bottle, can "color" and walk assisted with a walker and also understands sign language. So there my neurologist!

Allen and I were fortunate enough to go hear the lady that owns the orphanage speak. Amazing the things they are doing for the children in Uganda!

here is a picture of Ruth:

God bless Ruth and her family.

So all in all it has been busy but in a fun way. time flies, but when you are making memories it makes it all worth while!

Here's to you having fun!!

Mother's Day and memories

2008-05-11T08:32:00.000-07:00

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms........

Especially my Mom, Mother-in-law, Sister and sister-in-laws!! Love you all so very much!

Well, even though Allen admits to not listening to me when I mention something I would like to have , this year he actually listened!! And this is what I got.....

This is one of those turntables(record players for us old schoolers), it also has the cd and cassette player on it. Plus a radio. He even went and dug out my old albums!! The kids made me awesomely sweet cards and Daniel made me "flowers" at school. What an awesome Mother's Day! This was something I thought would be neat to have but didn't have to keep dropping hints. Nice.......... We have all had such a wonderful time with it to, listening to the albums I had when I was little. Amazingly they are in great shape! Brings back tons of memories while we are creating new ones!

here's to you celebrating the old and the new!

Mustard Island

2008-04-21T12:00:00.000-07:00

We took the little boat out along with a friend's kid ( Marley) to Mustard Island. Allen and his brother found this when they were out. While there Allen told us of the GEO cache he and Brian could not find. He pointed out the area and no more then Allen had said it Tiffany walked right to the cache.
It was FREEZING out there and the sun didn't come out until after we were home. It was good anyway.....

Here's to making your not good weather days good anyway.................

2008-04-19T06:47:00.000-07:00

Ever had some news that was exciting to you and you wanted to share it but you weren't sure some people would "get it" but knew others would????
So, here goes.......
This morning I was using the Sunday school lesson as my devotion and guess what it was on????? Perseverance... get out!!! Especially after posting about the book I am reading. I love it when God confirms what your are doing or trying to do all around. I also started thinking of the verse about "thinking on good things..." SO...hopefully there are lots of new thought routes/bridges being built in my brain to combat the "bad" habits I have ingrained. I'm excited anyway,,,,

thank you for letting my share my "happiness" with you...

Here's wishing you some confirmation that what you are doing is right or that you need to change your direction.......

just one more....I'm on a roll :-)

2008-04-18T18:21:00.001-07:00

So, yeah.....3 post in one day....kind of makes up for all those I didn't do. Just wanted to share about the new book I am reading.
Here's a blurb about it:
"This Year I Will
Every so often people get inspired (again!) to lose weight, get organized, start saving, or stop worrying –but a few months later they give up, frustrated. It doesn’t have to be that way. In This Year I Will , bestselling author M.J. Ryan offers breakthrough wisdom and coaching to help readers make this time the time that change becomes permanent.
Why do people find it so hard to change? The secret is that everyone has their own formula for making changes that stick, but most people don’t know what theirs is. They think there is one way to lose five pounds, and another way to stay on top of their email, but they don’t realize that for all changes, there is one system that works best for each individual. This Year I Will helps you lock on to your unique formula for planning, implementing, and seeing a life change through, so you can use it again and again to tackle anything else you’d like to do."

This book has been so good so far.....so much so that I haven't wanted to pick up another. My book reading has come to a halt until I have finished this book. Honestly, with this book, I will read it completely but I am sure it will be one I want to keep around to refer back to and go back and dissect some areas.
Where I am in the book right now it talks about making positive changes/habits. This is different then reminding yourself that you don't want something. For instance the book talks about trying not to eat doughnuts, your mind will try to tell you not to eat them but the other part of your mind will only be thinking about doughnuts. so what are you going to want? Doughnuts.
So instead of telling yourself not to eat the doughnuts just tell yourself you are going to make healthy choices.
Just like looking at the pile of stuff you need to clean out of your house and all the hard work and time it will take to do the cleaning, will make you feel overwhelmed. Instead, just remind yourself of the end reward.

So in essence it's just changing your thought process and building more positive thought routes into your gray matter. If you've ever had trouble changing something, pick the book up from your local library and give it read.

Here's to positive changes in all our lives.......

this news deserves a post all it's own!

2008-04-18T17:53:00.000-07:00

Allen "wrestling" to get that tooth out...( it really wasn't hard to get it out....it was "hanging by a thread") Just needed to add some drama :-)

One happy little man!!! And in the morning he was $1 richer :-).

So, while this was a exciting occasion for Daniel, it was bitter sweet for us. We have now experienced yet another of our last "first".

Uncle Brian was here to witness the joyous moment but I felt Daniel needed his own special post about this :-)

Love ya Daniel! Yes, I know you are already working on the second tooth :-)

yeah....pictures...(finally!!!!!)

2008-04-18T10:56:00.000-07:00

THE VISIT...........

This picture is blurry, yes..... BUT it's a cute picture huh?

This was Zack's first tennis scrimmage. It was FREEZING!!!!

........the night before Brian left they decided to go GEO (sp) caching.....at 11:30 at night! They found their treasure though..........

Ok,,, I know this is sideways but couldn't figure out how to rotate it and while Blogger is doing so well with letting me load pics I figured I wasn't going to chance it right now :-)

This is Nathan in the shirt Uncle Brian gave him and wearing UB's hat....hm........that hat....

Zack building his robot...........

showing us how it works....... Zack went to Science Olympiad ,,,not sure of the exact placement in robotics but his team did bring home the bronze in food science! Way to go Zack!!!

Taking the boat out.................

LOVE THIS PICTURE OF THE TWO........

So there ya go............ pictures, memories.......good times........

Here's to you having good visits with your family/friends and making memories......

Ahhhhh.............spring......brrrrrrrrr

2008-04-17T13:05:00.000-07:00

So the calendar says it's spring and there are some buds going on ....it's still so chilly!!! At night we are back to jacket weather. But I guess that is better then where we were.

What's been going on.......
Allen's brother Brian came for a visit. We hadn't seen him in almost 4 years. It was a good and fun visit..........thanks for the good times Brian!

Pictures to follow as Blogger seems to be having issues with loading them........

I'll be back to do that....time for piano lessons for the kiddos!

Addiction..........

2008-04-02T16:04:00.000-07:00

yes, I have an addiction......Come on, we all do to some extent or another. Mine just happens to be dishes......for the moment. I go through phases, sometimes it clear glass dishes, sometimes I really like wooden things.

Here are a few of my exciting finds.....

No, that is not all one set, it's a few. The second and third pictures are just a piece or two because I was too lazy to pull all of it out to photograph.

This also does not include the dishes that are packed away or in the cabinet. How many do I have you asked........well.........that my friend is a secret :-)

What do I plan to do with them....use them and enjoy!!

the weather has been nice today just really windy and it's the kind of wind that "cuts" right through you because it's so cold. BUT...there was sunshine and the snow really is going away!!

I am itching to get my hands in the soil and start planting.

If you are ever at a thrift store and find a nice set of old dishes pick 'em up for me.

Thanks!

Honestly!!!!!!!

2008-03-28T11:10:00.000-07:00

The past few days have been REALLY nice. A few windy moments but lots of sunshine and melting snow. Woke up this morning looked out the window and it's snowing!!
WHERE did this come from???????? Apparently missing the news one evening is a big deal :-)
We were getting geared up for spring and then SMACK!!! Supposed to get 4-8 inches.
It's not the nice fluffy stuff either..... no the nasty ol' wet heavy stuff.

Well, here's wishing ( and begging!!!!) for some REALLY nice weather ahead....hopefully before June!

no apologies, no excuse.....

2008-03-22T10:42:00.000-07:00

When I started this blog, I knew I would not be on here every day but wow....didn't know sometimes it would be MONTHS before I came back. Lots have been going on since Jan. Most recent, my Grandmother passed away in February. That was very hard. Within a 2 year time span I have now lost an uncle, Grandfather and Grandmother. How ironic that the one week passing of my Grandmother was the 2 year anniversary of my uncle. All a little too much to take at times.
On a sweet note, my Grandmother truly gave us a gift, not in just the life she led but for this time of year getting out of snow and seeing life developing all around us was amazing!! My kids were so happy to see BRIGHT sunshine and actually feel the heat. Made us long for summer.
My cousin who I haven't see in a good 12 years came home for the service. It was good to reconnect with him and see/meet his lovely daughters. ( they were only 3 and a few months the last time I saw them.)
I miss my Grandparents, but I know they are much happier then anything I could have wished for them on Earth!

On a different note, I have been subbing a lot lately and while doing that I have been desperately trying to avoid catching this nasty flu bug that is going around. The schools have been hit hard! My youngest is down with a fever and cold right now, not sure how much of the flu this is or just a cold.......probably will take him in on Monday if he is still running the fever and looking pretty ill.

A good thing: the snow is slowly melting. I can see the edge of our grass, albeit brown, it is still grass and for now I will take that :-) I love hearing the dripping sounds of the melted snow, it's calling spring to come for a visit. But before it does we will have yet another season, MUD season. This is a bitter sweet season.......no snow but not yet spring/summer either.

We ( Allen and myself) are studying up on doing some container gardening. Looking forward to growing our own goodness and sharing it.

The next thing on the list is fishing, hunting and boating licence. Looking forward to skimming the river on the boat. Being lazy in the sunshine. Oh, got our park pass too so lots of days to be had at the beach.

Here's wishing for sunny and warm days!

Pictures are to follow...........

My cup and my portion....

2008-01-03T18:52:00.000-08:00

Today marks the one year anniversary of my Grandfather's passing. I still miss him very much. Although I know he and my Uncle are in a much better place the selfish side of me wants them back. My Mother relayed the question my Grandmother voiced the other day, "Wonder what Paul is doing?" I know she misses him.

Feeling lately like I have just cluttered my life with so much stuff....hence the purging of the piles, it feels so good getting rid of "stuff"!! Very liberating! My devotional for today(one of them anyway) was incredibly on target, "Lord, you have assigned me my portion and my cup:you have made my lot secure." Psalm 16:5 The devotional talks about foolish decisions we have made out of discontent about life. This can happen when we don't like where we are or we don't like what we have and wanting something better. Clearly I am becoming more and more content with my life and willing to let go of all the "stuff" that I thought was what I needed to make me happy. Hindsight shows the happiness was very short lived...some of the "happiness" purchased still has tags on it or has never been out of the wrapper! The devotion goes on to say how we don't live in a content culture, very true and I have noted this throughout the years. Instead of changing my behavior with my discontentment, I continued on the same path of society. ( filling my life with stuff instead of what I really needed.) My contentment, I believe, comes from the deeper digging I have been doing in the scriptures. The closer I walk with the Lord, the more content I am with where I am. Yes, there are days when I slip... I am human! But the journey is getting clutter free and I can enjoy the view with the clutter disappearing!

Joy to you my friends and may you find your contentment in the Lord. Start purging your piles, whether they be physical or spiritual.

HAPPY, HAPPY NEW YEAR

2008-01-01T08:49:00.001-08:00

Here's wishing you and yours a very Happy New Year and many of Gods blessings .

Today we are embarking on something I have been slowly working on....the previous post talks about it...ORGANIZING!!!! Nathan and Daniel are sorting toys and purging the piles. Tiffany is doing the same with her things and I am tackling this "office/computer/weight/craft" room. I already have a pile to get rid of and some things to ebay. Feeling good about the whole process so far.

Here are some random shots of last night................ Hope everyone had fun and got some much needed rest for today. We are supposed to get another load of snow....14 inches is what Allen says the weather people are calling for.

My break from cleaning/organizing is over now. Back to work so tomorrow we can be organized enough to get back to work. :-)

it's over.........

2007-12-26T20:07:00.001-08:00

All the preparations, all the decorating , the careful planning of the gift list and in one quick moment it seems to be all over. we have slowly been packing away the Christmas decorations and trying to bring ht house back to the before Christmas state. Not that I completely want it that way again........
I am not much for making new years resolutions or goals. I am not very goal oriented, well, com paired to my VERY goal/task oriented husband I am not. However, this year I would like to totally and completely organize my home. This is a large undertaking but I am up for it. I don't plan on doing this big master spread sheet or using the excel program. I plan on taking it one room at a time. Come spring we are having ourselves a MASSIVE yard sale!! All proceeds will be going to our Christmas trip for 08. Yes, we are already planning 08 and Christmas 09 is already int he planning stages as well.
For 08 we plan to fly and spend Christmas with my family in South Carolina and then fly to Vegas to spend New Years with my in laws. We are already excited!! For 09 we are going to spend Christmas in Disney World! Yeah!!!
So, lots of saving and planning. No, again, i am not task/goal oriented but I am a planner!!

Well, it's late and I am ready for bed.
More later!!!

Merry Christmas!!

2007-12-24T20:24:00.000-08:00

Oh My ! It has been since the first of October since I have posted anything! I feel like such a slacker!!!! BUT.........lots has been going on. I went through all the steps this past summer to ensure my qualifications to become a substitute teacher and for awhile I wasn't getting any phone calls. Then...BOOM!!!....the phone doesn't stop ringing! I love it though! Never thought I would have so much fun. My younger two love seeing me at school and when I can, I take my lunch break when they have theirs.

Tomorrow is Christmas!! YEAH!!!! So exciting!! The kids are excited to. Daniel even thanked God tonight that santa was coming but thanked Him more for it being Jesus' birthday.
I am having issues with the whole santa thing and I want the kiddos to know the truth but.....they are almost there on their own anyway. Maybe when the topic comes up after Christmas I will feel out the right words to say. Next year we are looking at splitting Christmas between South Carolina and Vegas. This will be the first time we have done something like that. I am usually a BIG advocate for being home on Christmas but honestly with all the snow we have now I can totally see myself somewhere tropical. Feet in the sand, lights stung on a palm tree.........ahhhhhhhh.....

Well,I bascially just popped in to say "hi" and apologise for being gone so long. Since we are out of school for a bit, I will try to update and post some pics.

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night.........

crazy days..........

2007-10-01T18:07:00.001-07:00

Can you believe it is October already????? WOW!!! this year is flying by!

The school routine is still in full swing, some days though I do forget and let the kiddos stay up much later then they should. Yes, it's shocking that my children don't report to me that it is past their bedtime and they should be sleeping.

Pictures...hm........where to begin........

Bo and Buddy waiting for me...yes, Bo still has the BIG bell around his neck so we know where he is.

In a previous post I shared about Daniel and his Jerry Bear. Well, here he is with Jerry bear. Someone gave my daughter 2 handmade cribs for dolls and Daniel confiscated one and put Jerry Bear in it and slept in my bed. Look close and you will see he is holding Jerry Bears hand.

apple picking again this year at our favorite local orchard that has the YUMMIEST ma and pop bakery/store!

Ok, so today I went to the Goodwill in another small town near here and LOOK what I found!!!

YEAH!!!! I love old finds and this was a treasure to me! The whole set for 8 was only $9!!! I also bought the planter bowl with the red on it for 99 cents. The digital doesn't do it justice for the color. Who cares! I love it !! It's a funky kind of vintage dishware that I am pleased as punch to have.

This is a picture of the corner of my downstairs bathroom. I have been wanting to paint it for some time because we hadn't done anything to it since we moved here several years ago. Look what I lucked upon at Home Depot on the oops shelf!! I also got a floor rug that has a cream base and this green and brown flecked throughout. The boys are super happy with the color since they are the primary users of this bathroom. I already have the material picked out for the valances. I am going to do that tomorrow.

I will post about our camping trip another day. I'm tired! And there are lots of pictures to post from that!

lots to report

2007-09-18T20:21:00.000-07:00

So we have been busier then bees around here!! Our state hosted an air show this past weekend. Since our older boys are sea cadets, they worked the show. I volunteer on 2 boards so I also worked the show. It was fun, I like doing that kind of stuff.

Saturday was rainy and cold but hubby and I walked around and did what we could. Saturday hubby came later then we did and took the younger two and walked around with them while I did my volunteering.

We all had a great time but needless to say we are all so VERY tired! Non-stop action for 2 days! then right back into the school zone.

Here are some pictures :

We didn't get a picture of Zach working. There were so many people it was crazy!

Today we took our boat out to "test" it for camping this weekend. Pictures to come soon.

I wish I could have just one more day

2007-09-12T19:28:00.000-07:00

These are pictures of my Uncle Jerry. He passed away March 6, 2006. Some days it's still hard.
The Christmas before he passed away he and my Aunt gave my two youngest Christmas bears. My youngest son named his "Jerry Bear" after Uncle Jerry. He clings to that bear and loves it with all his heart. The top picture is of him and Uncle Jerry when little man was, well little...over a year old. Today he was worried about a place on Jerry Bear and I told him we need to be super careful with JB because Uncle Jerry wasn't here anymore to buy a new one.
Then my little one said," Mom I wish I could have just one more day with Uncle Jerry." WOW!!! He is only 5 and he feels so much. I too wish I could have one more day. There is so much I want to ask him and learn from him. Really makes me appreciate the people in my life and how I want to know them, not just know about them. I wish I had this insight when I was younger. I would have loved to known my Father's parents better. There are so many things I would love to know.
If we could all just have one more day.........

Hey Aaron

2007-09-12T19:26:00.000-07:00

It's your Birthday!!!!

Happy Birthday to one cool DUDE!!

We love you!

A week has gone by and

2007-09-10T19:03:00.000-07:00

it feels like we are back in the same old routine of school. Almost anyway....the youngest will start full time next week so, for me, that will be another adjustment period. So far we are all doing well. Today was a little crazy with soccer, gymnastics and a youth skating activity. All starting within 30 mins of each other. Not to mention the meeting I had right before it all started. The rest of the week is pretty calm and next week too. Don't think there will be many more days like today.

I forgot to post the pic of the oldest on his first day of school....

Then on the weekend little man had his first ever soccer game and scored a goal! He was thrilled!

Lots of activity to be had around the house this fall.

end of the first day......

2007-09-04T20:10:00.000-07:00

Well, the day has officially come to the end and all are tucked in their beds sleeping. Except me. I can't get used to these hours. I usually start about a week or two ahead of school starting with getting everyone up early and going to bed early. Didn't happen this time. We are all still locked in on those lazy days of summer. Didn't realize how I would miss them until today. I am already looking forward to the first school holiday. I know a lot of people were looking forward to school starting so their kiddos would be gone, but I missed my kiddos! Now, I don't like refereeing or being their activities coordinator but I do like them here. We have fun. They are blessings!

So all the things I thought I would get done today didn't get done. I'm OK with that though. I have been mentally compiling a list that I will , probably tomorrow, put in print. I love to see things marked off my list. You know, I say I didn't get much done but:
Breakfast
packed lunches
dishes and cleaned kitchen counters
picked up around house
got Cubbies materials organized
Put out a few emails I NEEDED to do
did 2 miles on the treadmill and worked with free weights
went to meeting about a band coming to town and I am part of the PR committee
dinner
got kids ready for bed
laundry
did another mile and 1/2 just because
made 3 cards
dishes again
planned lunches for tomorrow and dinner for tomorrow
spent time with my children talking about their day
filled out ALL that paper work from school ( x3!!!)
( somewhere in there I should include taking the dogs out a couple of times)
Cleaning out fish filter and transferring fish to the other tank since our one filter decided to go kaput on us. ( we think a fish got sucked up in it and it over heated...gross I know but so goes life..........)

Not bad........... I guess to make myself feel like I have done something maybe I should write what I do at the end of the day instead of what I need to do.

After reading that I have made myself tired. Maybe I will go and read until I fall asleep.

It has been a long day............but now that it has come to an end, I am pleased to know my children were happy with their summer and missed me today as much as I missed them! :-)

first day..............

2007-09-04T06:39:00.001-07:00

Today was the first day of school for the younger 3, the oldest goes tomorrow. We packed them up and sent them all off only to be called by the elementary school 15 mins later to say the youngest has afternoon kindergarten. Apparently I misread the memo. Poor kiddo as if going to school for the first time ever isn't stressful enough, I go and send him at the wrong time! He was a trooper about it though. A good way to break the ice for him. Plus, I told him this way he gets to ride the bus AGAIN!!! How fun!

Don't 'cha ya just know the teacher is looking forward to this energy!!

The new school year is off to a running start...literally!

Kind of bitter sweet....today was another one of our last "firsts" experiences with little man starting kindergarten.

because it was free and he has always wanted one..

2007-09-03T17:59:00.000-07:00

We have a boat now. Nothing new but the price was great......FREE!!! Hubby works with a guy who is going to work in Japan and needed to rid himself of some property. Basically it was a win/win situation. Hubby and the boys put in some elbow grease and it shined up pretty good.

Tomorrow is the first day of school and this year all 4 will be going.......oh what will I do with myself????

Actually hubby and I are planning on going to the gym after the kiddos are off. I will surely miss them! I am not ready for summer to be over!

NONE of the kiddos want to get to sleep. Tomorrow morning should be interesting! I will be posting pictures........stay tuned...........

some might say we're rednecks.....

2007-08-20T15:44:00.000-07:00

but we just think we're having fun!!

My kiddos kindly declared "war" on the neighbor kid and his friend. Friendly war :-)This has been set up in the front yard and on the side yard so everyone driving by can see it...and believe me they are looking !!!

Command central

some of the cadets............

"mom,take this picture, I look so cool!"

we're talking CRAZY war with Nerf guns...........

don't take my picture mom...........

2007-08-20T12:56:00.000-07:00

~~~~HAPPY ANNIVERSARY ~~~~

Today is my sister and brother-in-laws anniversary. I am thinking they have been married..........18 or 19 years. (Not sure). They are an awesome couple and we wish them MANY more years of happiness!! Love to you both!

2 years ago or maybe it was 3.......

2007-08-20T12:40:00.000-07:00

For Mother's Day I received 2 grape vine plants. We planted them on the side of the deck under the side door entrance. The first year one had some nice growth while the other looked dead. Last year the boys "pruned" for me by accidentally running over them with the lawn mower. Well, I guess the pruning did them good because I have grapes growing on one this year and the other has really taken off! They are small but hey it's something!

There are about 3-4 clusters of these growing. I ended up cutting off some of the new shoots after reading my friends farming book and it was saying you should only keep x amount of new shoots. The grapes should be edible by end of summer.

This is a picture after I cut off a lot of the new growth. I will keep you posted on how they progress and how they taste!

finally back...........

2007-08-16T10:29:00.000-07:00

Wow! I really don't know how some people out there have time to keep up with a blog! I think about things I would like to put on here and say but then life happens and I find myself doing other things.

This past Sunday my two older boys graduated from Sea Cadet Boot Camp at Camp Edwards in Mass. (in the Cape Cod area) REALLY hot day and we ended up having to sit in the sun on the ground. A little different then what we thought would happen but it was nice anyway. The top picture is of all of us after sitting in the HOT sun for 3+ hours! ( we got there 2 hours early). We were all dressed up and then when we got there realized we were the ONLY ones dressed up, so we changed clothes to be more comfortable while sitting on the ground in the heat!

Afterwards we went to Cracker Barrel and then onto Nathan's g/f's house and spent the rest of the day there and evening too. We finally headed home around 10ish. Zack's g/f was with us but she is taking the picture.

Some other pics we took.............

...snacking on candy from the Barrel....yum!

.....this was actually in CB......the girl in the blue is Zack's g/f Sami.......

........Zack and Sami at graduation............
Zack and Nathan with "Chief"..........

In the HOT sun using the umbrella to keep the sun off of us...............

Allen letting the redneck in him show went to the van and pulled out one of the seats and wheeled it across the field to sit on......... gotta love it! Everyone else thought it was an excellent idea!

Finally caved.........

2007-07-23T10:58:00.000-07:00

after all this time of saying no, I finally caved and got a blog. Not sure what I will do with this but we'll see.................