Blessed Abundantly

It's that time.

2009-02-20T16:48:00.003Z

I totally suck at the blog thing. LOL I need to schedule regular blogging time, I suppose. That would probably help. Sounds like a plan. I should probably get working on it.

I have updated my lapband blog. Things are going well as far as that goes. I'm not much better at updating that blog either. I'm getting better, though.

The family is doing great. Lucas has transitioned from Cub Scouts to Boy Scouts. He's had one troop meeting and he has a lock-in tonight. He really likes it and so do we. From what we have seen so far it's a great group of boys. They interact really well and we haven't seen any bullying issues or anything that would cause concern. Lucas is also going on a camping trip during spring break. It will be his first long camping trip without us. He's done overnight camping without us, but it was one time and at his den leaders house. I know he'll have a blast, though.
Griffin is doing great as well. School is going great for him this year. He's having a good time with Cub Scouts as well. I'm the den leader this year. I can't do it next year, so someone else will have to step up. We may end up looking at other packs. It depends on what direction this one goes in. We're losing our Cub Master. His son moved on to Boy Scouts with Lucas.
David is getting closer to graduation every day. He's currently looking for a job. He has filled out a couple applications. He needs to fill out some more. He has a dog now. She's a good dog. We did tell him that he can't keep her if he can't afford to pay the up keep costs.
Dave is doing the work thing. Same ol' same ol'. He tested for Master this year. We're hoping he makes it. It's time for him to make it. :)
I'm doing the SAHM thing. I have been researching colleges for the fall. I'll probably go to the jr college here in town. I need to get to the base and talk to the people in the education office. I know that will help clear up a lot of questions and concerns.

Well, that's it for now.

It's really not helpful...really.

2009-02-15T21:45:00.003Z

I would really like to know why people find it necessary to say to me "I'd really like to know what happened to you". It is said to me a lot, mostly at church. Mostly by people praying over me/for me. Actually, it's never been said in that "I haven't seen you in 20 years and you look crap. I'd like to know what happened to you" way. It's always said in a "Wow!!! You're pretty screwed up. I'd like to know what happened to you" type of way. It's pretty disheartening. Really. I mean, if I'm coming up for an alter call, I obviously have issues I am dealing with. Everyone has issues, by the way. Just sayin'... I'm there for a reason, and I do share that reason. What's the point of having someone pray for you if they don't know what they are praying for? I figure the more the pray-er knows the better they can pray, right? I'm also thinking that different people are at different places, ya know? I am probably not at the same point as my designated pray-er( I know there is a different word for this, but work with me here. LOL) At what point does it become necessary to dump the "I'd really like to know what happened to you" thing on me? You know what, I'd really like to know what happened to me, too. It must be something huge. I mean, it comes up a lot..A LOT!!!

I'd like to think it's just an "I'm concerned" type of thing. I'm not sure, though. Visions of people listening to tape recorded sessions sessions with a therapist, pencils at the ready to take notes and tear apart my life come to mind every time I hear that phrase.

I suppose I could see a therapist. Again. I've tried that. I got the whack-a-do therapist who wanted me to sing to myself. Seriously.. In his office..To myself.. Out loud..Whitney Houston, no less..The Greatest Love of All... Seriously... It was nuts. I know I have issues, but I also know I don't have that many issues. LOL In all honesty, I'm good with myself. I'm gaining more confidence. I'm becoming stronger in myself. I can stand up for what I believe in. Life is pretty good. Then the "I'd really like to know what happened to you" hits. UGH.

Oh My Word.

2008-09-27T18:46:00.002Z

How could I possibly have gone this long with out a post?!?! Well, life, that's how. lol

Tons of stuff has happened since the last post. We took a 2 week vacation to Missouri to visit family. It was nice. I think next year we are goin to bring our camping gear and camp for however long we are there and just have people come visit us. lol Much easier and much less stressfull. :)

School has started for the boys. They are all doing well. Griffin is in 1st grade, Lucas is in 5th grade and David is a SENIOR!!!

We got a dog. A HUGE dog. lol He's a Great Pyrenees/Anatolina Shepherd mix. We all love him. He's 3 months old and weighs just over 30lbs right now. He's a big boy. :) The house trainin is going well. We have gradually increased his roaming space and so far so good. He has learned a few commands. He will go into his crate if you tell him "crate". He also sits, lays down and will give you his paw.

Cub Scouts starts back up again soon. We have our first pack meeting of the year on Monday night, actually. Griffin and Lucas are excited about that. :) There is a camping weekend in a couple of weeks. I think Dave and the boys are going to go. We can't bring the dog and we can't leave him alone overnight so I will probably be staying home. It would be a great time to get some crafts done. :)

Well, that's pretty much it. Not really exciting, but we like our life that way. :)

Praying Mantis

2008-06-13T00:23:00.002Z

I was out checking the progress on the garden today and found this.

Pretty cool, huh? He was just hanging out on the jalapeno plant. I only saw him because I was looking to see how many blossoms I had on it.

Nature

2008-06-13T00:09:00.002Z

This is our first Spring/Summer in Texas and I put a couple of hanging baskets on the back porch. One of them must have been particularly attractive to the robins in the neighborhood, so they built a nest in it.

When we checked the nest one day, we found this.

The next time we checked, it looked like this.

So, today we check again and we saw this.

See the little hole where the baby's hatching? How cool is that?

I'll be sure to keep you all updated on the hatching progress. :)

From My Home Friday

2008-06-06T17:58:00.003Z

So, I've decided to do the From My Home Friday's from Michele's Blog. This week she is using Laine's letter "Grumbling Causes Stumbling".

What a profound letter. I know that I struggle with grumbling myself. It's a tough one to get a handle on. It's so easy to slip into the grumbling mindset. As women, we tend to surround ourselves with like minded individuals. Those that we have something in common with. Those we feel a bond with. We get together for bible studies, coffee mornings, play groups, bunco, etc. We all have a great time. We set aside our precious time for these "girls nights". We share our lives, our hopes, our dreams. We lean on each other for support. We support those we can. We become friends and strengthen our bonds. Then it happens. We have people that are complaining about their husbands, children, jobs, parents, friends, etc., on a regular basis. I'm not talking about the occasional "I'm having a hard time with my kids." or "My husband is on my last nerve." vents. I'm talking about the constant complaining. The "no one does anything right" evenings. Everyone gets caught up in it and before you know it, has become a giant grumbling session.

Something that has started as a wonderful time of fellowship, has turned into something else. Something sinister, something depressing. It's no longer fun. It's just all around a negative experience. That negativity begins to spread into our home lives. It taints our families. It spreads into our spiritual lives and taints our relationship with God. Instead of being content in God's plan for us and in God's timing, we never find the joy in His plans. The peace that comes with knowing He has us covered. We loose sight of our Godly heritage, the legacy God has left for us. Our roles as children of The King.

It is so easy to fall into this trap. It's human nature. We have a desire to feel like we belong, and sometimes we don't consider the costs. I have fallen into this trap more than once. I would love to say I'm over it, but I'm not. Sometimes it sneaks up on me, then the reality hits me like a semi truck. I'm doing it again. However, I am blessed. I know that my Saviour will forgive me. I know that He will truly forget what I have done and how I have fallen away. I know that He will remind me of all the positives, and help me overcome the negative attitude. He will once again be my bright shinning star, the center of my life, the only one I should ever feel the need to belong to. He is my source, my hope, my everything, and keeping the focus on him and not on the grumbling draws me closer to Him and His wonderful plans for me.

Revolution Money Exchange

2008-04-09T00:47:00.002Z

So, I got an email from a friend about the Revolution Money Exchange site. It's a lot like paypal. Anyway, the email talks about getting $25 just for signing up, so I figured why not. Everyone likes free money, right? LOL So, I signed up. They also have a referral program. For each person you refer, you get $10 (up to $500). So, if you think you might want to sign up, please use the link below. Then pass it on to your friends. :)

Menu Plan Monday

2008-04-07T18:56:00.004Z

I found a great blog for people, like me, that need a little help getting it together. :) On Monday's this blog has Menu Plan Monday. I thought I would participate.

Monday

Beans, rice, and cornbread.

I cook the beans in the crockpot to make things easier and to keep the house cooler. I may skip the cornbread if no one is really interested, just to keep the house cooler. I really don't want to have to turn the AC on yet. :)

Tuesday

Teriyaki Chicken, rice, broccoli, salad.

My family doesn't mind eating rice two dinners in a row, but yours might.

Wednesday

Fried rice, made with Tuesday's leftovers.

Ok, now this might be pushing it on how many times I can feed them rice in a row. LOL

Thursday

Alice Springs Chicken, broccoli cheese casserole, brussels sprouts, salad.

I may skip the broccoli cheese casserole, because it contains rice. LOL I really should have put a bit more thought into this, huh?

Friday

Pasties and salad.

I am trying a recipe from Dining on a Dime. We'll see how it goes. And no, not those kind of pasties. LOL

Saturday

Kids make dinner night.

I am officially instituting a kids make dinner night this week. I have no idea what they will make, but I am sure it will be fine.

Sunday

Grilled Chicken, potato salad, salad, corn

You can find more Menu Plan Monday Posts here. http://orgjunkie.com/2008/04/menu-plan-monday-april-7th.html

Busy Day

2008-03-12T22:59:00.002Z

Today was super busy for us. We had Griffin's homeschool zoo class, so I had to drive Dave to work so I could have the car. Ah the joys of being a single car household. :) So, my day started at 5:45. I woke David and Lucas up and had Lucas get dressed and got him breakfast. Then it was off to drive Dave to work. I got home, made Lucas' lunch, made sure his teeth and hair were brushed, and sent him off to school.

Next was David's turn. Now being that David is 16, he doesn't need much help from his mother, other than the occasional "isn't it almost time for you to leave?".

Then it was Griffin's turn. As soon as I reminded him it was zoo class day, he was up and getting dressed. I also reminded him that we were actually going into the zoo and having a picnic lunch with another little boy from his zoo class (and his mom, the most important part. LOL)

While Griffin was eating breakfast, I placed an online order for somethings we needed. However, as I pushed "process order" I realized the shipping address was our England address. Oops. So, i looked all over the website for a way to cancel the order, didn't find one. I tried the "live chat" with customer service and I kept getting "all available customer service representatives are busy at this time". Exactly what were all of them doing anyway?!?! I did get a hold of them by phone, eventually. The shipping address was changed and disaster avoided.

A little later than I would have liked, Griffin and I left for the zoo. They learned about food chains and food webs. They talked about carnivores, omnivores, and herbavores. It was pretty neat and Griffin had a great time, as usual.

After the zoo class, we went into the zoo. We walked around a bit, then stopped and ate lunch. Then we looked around the rest of the zoo. We spent quite a lot of time and saw everything there was to see. :)

After the zoo, we went to the park nearby. Griffin and the other little boy played, while the mom's talked. It was nice talking with another homeschool mom. It was a great day.

Depression.....

2008-03-12T00:53:00.002Z

I suffer from clinical depression. I've taken meds for it in the past. I'm not taking them right now. I'll be taking them again starting tomorrow.

I figured after 6+ months of feeling like I do, it was time to get back on them. I know that there are a lot of people out there that think that taking antidepressants is something to be ashamed of. I find that a lot, actually. So much so that I normally don't share much. I just don't need the extra stress of some well meaning person telling me how I just need to suck it up, or pray more, or give it over to God, or whatever miracle cure they have for depression. I understand they are just trying to help, but if you don't suffer from depression, you just don't get it. You just don't.

Now, just to set the record straight, I'm not suicidal or homicidal. I don't think about hurting myself or anyone else. I just feel crap, unmotivated, tired, stressed, defeated, like a failure. Every day that I wake up feeling that way, I feel more like a failure. That makes me feel defeated, stressed, tired, unmotivated, crap. It's a never ending cycle. Little things become huge deals for me. Just day to day things become overwhelming. Getting dressed every day becomes a struggle. Getting a shower on a regular basis is a huge chore. Caring for my family is just not something I can do easily anymore. It really does suck. It majorly sucks. Really bad.

Like I said, if you haven't been there you just might not get it. That's fine, you don't have to get it. You don't have to understand. You don't have to have answers for me, or any other person you know that suffers from depression. You can't fix me, or them. Our problems probably have nothing to do with you. I am sure we can't tell you exactly what our issues are and how to fix them. I know that I can't pin point the exact cause of my depression. It's a lot of things and nothing at the same time. If I knew what it was, I would take care of it. Believe me, I would love to be able to fix it and I am sure that everyone who suffers would love to take care of it that easily. It's just not gonna happen. That doesn't make me stupid, weak, lazy, selfish, or not as "religious" as you. It doesn't make me less of a mother, sister, wife, friend, or Christian than you. It just makes me a human being with issues, just like you. :)

I think I have reached a decision

2008-03-12T00:42:00.003Z

I *think* I have finally decided what I want to be when I grow up. Now, I understand that I am 34 and that most people my age are already "grown up". Now you readers need to understand that your age has nothing to do with being "grown up". Ask anyone I know and they'll tell ya. :)

I am going to go to school to be a nurse. It was a toss up between nursing and teaching, and nursing won. I'll be starting school this fall. If Griffin is still at home doing the homeschooling thing, I'll take night classes. If he's back in school, I'll take day classes. That'll make 4 students in our family of 5. That's a lot of students. :) I am really excited about getting back to school. It is something I have put on hold to be at home with my kiddos. Of course, my kids (and my husband) will always come first. Now that they will all be in school full time and we are living in an area with colleges and universities everywhere, the timing is perfect.

The only issue is the moolah. If the Air Force would get off their duffs and let dependents use the GI bill, all my problems will be solved. I really don't understand how all the other branches of the military have approved letting dependents use the GI bill, but the Air Force still hasn't. It just boggles my mind. :)

Anyway, nursing here I come. :)

What a great idea.

2007-12-27T20:38:00.000Z

Project 365: How to Take a Photo a Day and See Your Life in a Whole New Way

People will often say that their whole lives flashed before their eyes after they experienced a traumatic event. Perhaps it’s a bit morbid, but we think that sounds pretty incredible.When Taylor McKnight started taking a photo a day on January 1st, 2004, he never imagined the project would not only serve as a way to remember a year, but also help him understand what was important to him in his life.Whether it was his relationships, his career, or his fashion sense, recording a photo a day for a whole year left him with a rich visual history of his life. And it made him a better photographer to boot!Now that he’s in the middle of doing it for a second time, we asked Taylor to write about it for us. Read on for our tutorial on how and why to create your own daily photographic history.

Project 365: How to Create a Daily Photographic History www.photojojo.com/content/tutorials/project-365-take-a-photo-a-day/ Why do it?Taking a photo a day is a big undertaking with big payoffs. Here are just a few reasons why you should consider doing it:Imagine being able to look back at any day of your year and recall what you did, who you met, what you learned… (Often we find it hard to remember what we did just yesterday or even last night, let alone a whole year ago!) Your year-long photo album will be an amazing way to document your travels and accomplishments, your haircuts and relationships. Time moves surprisingly fast. Taking a photo a day will make you a better photographer. Using your camera every day will help you learn its limits. You will get better at composing your shots, you’ll start to care about lighting, and you’ll become more creative with your photography when you’re forced to come up with something new every single day.

Tips on How to Do ItHere are six tips on how to create your own Project 365:

Bring Your Camera EverywhereYes, everywhere. Get in the habit. Grocery stores, restaurants, parties, work, and school. Going to a movie theatre? Snap a pic of the flick with your phone–there are photo-ops everywhere. If you have one of those tiny tiny cameras, you have no excuse not to have it in your pocket all the time. And if you don’t? Camera phones are a great substitute.
Make Posting EasyYou can install blog software like Movable Type or Wordpress on your own site and create an entry for each photo, but for true ease of use, try a photo sharing site. Flickr will let you post a week’s worth of photos in 2 minutes flat, and fotolog and Photoblog.com are geared toward a photo-a-day workflow. Making it fast and easy means you’re much more likely to do it.
Vary Your ThemesTry to capture the day’s events in a single photo. Perform photographic experiments. Take a photo of someone new you meet, something you ate for the first time, or something you just learned how to do. Take a photo of something that made you smile. And don’t forget to take a photo of yourself at least once a month so you can remember how you’ve changed, too.

Tell a StoryUse your blog entry, or your photo description, to explain what’s going on in each day’s photograph. How good did that dinner taste? What made you want to take a photo of that stranger? It’ll help you remember down the road, and it gives friends following along a better appreciation of why you took the photo you did. You don’t need to write a lot, just enough to add some color.
Don’t Stop, No Matter What This is perhaps the most important tip of all. You will get tired of taking a photo every single day. Some days, you will consider giving up. Don’t. The end result is worth the effort. Remind yourself why you wanted to do it in first place. There will be times you’ll think there’s nothing interesting left to take a photo of, and times you’ll think you didn’t do anything exciting enough to take a photo of. There’s always a great photo to be made.Get out of the house and take a walk. Or stay inside and look around. Take a photo of something important to you. Take a photo of the inside of your house so you can see how your taste has changed over the years. Take a photo of anything, just don’t stop.N.b. It helps if you’ve told your friends about the project and asked them to follow along. Their encouragement will keep you going!

Post early, post often Plan on going through and posting your photos at least once a week so you don’t get backlogged and feel overwhelmed. Ideally, post every day or two. Again, spend the time up front to make sure it’s quick and easy to post. It’ll make all the difference.

ExamplesThe Project 365 2004 Recap — Read Taylor’s thoughts on the project after the year was over and see some of the highlights.
Project 365, 2006 (in progress) — Watch a slideshow of Taylor’s second go-around with Project 365.
Noah Brier’s One a Day — In a more self-reflective variation, our pal Noah takes a photo a day using the webcam built into his MacBook.
Taylor McKnight is a co-founder of Podbop, a music lover, and a fanatical concert goer. He’s always planning his next adventure. http://photojojo.com/content/tutorials/project-365-take-a-photo-a-day/

Christmas Ponderings

2007-12-26T02:15:00.000Z

Well, Christmas is almost over. All in all it was a good day. The kids all enjoyed their gifts, and so did Dave and I. Our Christmas this year was a bit scaled down compared to previous years. With the move and the new house, the funds were just not as available like they have been in the past. However, I don't think anyone was disappointed.

I fully expected to have some sort of family here for Christmas. Our last 8 Christmas' have been spent in England. I would have loved to have had more family to share the holiday with. Holidays are just not the same without family, ya know? It has been just the 5 of us for so long that this is the norm for the kids. I grew up with huge family gatherings for the holidays. The 6 of us, plus my grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, great aunts and uncles (when they could make it). It was great. I really want my boys to experience that. That sense of family, the closeness, the bond, the fun, the craziness, the memories.

Dave and I have decided we want to have family for the holidays. We want our house to be the hub of celebrations. Of course, right now we live in Texas and most of our family lives in Missouri. We do have some family in Louisiana, Florida, and Oklahoma, but the majority is in Missouri. We do plan to eventually retire in Missouri, but that is going to be quite a while.

So, we are thinking about inviting everyone here for Christmas next year. My mom and Grandma. My sister and brothers, their wives and their kids. Dave's parents. Dave's brothers and their wives and kids. My Aunts and their husbands. Whoever wants to come can come. I'm thinking if everyone comes that would be 34 people total. Fifteen kids, nineteen adults, I think. LOL Who knows where they will all sleep, or sit. We figure if everyone brings sleeping bags for the kids and air mattresses, if they have them, we can fit everyone on the floor somewhere. :) Of course, there would need to be more table/eating space for everyone, but we were planning on getting some folding chairs and tables for camping anyway. Sounds like a ton of fun. At least I think it does. Sure, lots of planning would be involved, but heck we've got a year to do it, right? Yep, sounds like a plan. :)

Merry Christmas

2007-12-26T01:43:00.000Z

I just wanted to stop by and wish all my readers a Merry Christmas. :) I know that it is sometimes hard to keep our focus on what is truly important this season. I hope that you have been able to keep your priorities straight. I hope that you have treasured every minute with your family and your friends, and the life God has blessed you with. I hope that you continue to be blessed for the remainder of this year and well into 2008. :)

I Corinthians- A Christmas Version

2007-12-19T20:21:00.000Z

-I CORINTHIANS 13 -

A CHRISTMAS VERSION

If I decorate my house perfectly with plaid bows,

strands of lights and shiny balls,

but do not show love to my family,

I'm just another decorator.

If I slave away in the kitchen,

baking dozens of Christmas cookies,

preparing gourmet meals and

arranging a beautifully adorned table at mealtime,

but do not show love to my family,

I'm just another cook.

If I work at the soup kitchen,

carol in the nursing home and

give all that I have to charity,

but do not show love to my family,

it profits me nothing.

If I trim the spruce with shimmering angels

and crocheted snowflakes,

attend a myriad of holiday parties

and sing in the choir's cantata but do not focus on Christ,

I have missed the point.

Love stops the cooking to hug the child.

Love sets aside the decorating to kiss the husband.

Love is kind, though harried and tired.

Love doesn't envy another's home that has coordinated Christmas china and table linens.

Love doesn't yell at the kids to get out of the way,

but is thankful they are there to be in the way.

Love doesn't give only to those who are able to give in return

but rejoices in giving to those who can't.

Love bears all things,believes all things,hopes all things,endures all things.

Love never fails.

Video games will break,

pearl necklaces will be lost,

golf clubs will rust,

but giving the gift of love will endure.

Merry Christmas to you and yours!

Author Unknown

Happy birthday to me

2007-11-30T13:46:00.000Z

Yep, it's my birthday. You have all be tremendously blessed by having me in your lives for another year. ROFLOL

Dave is taking me to the Olive Garden for dinner. That's pretty much the extent of my birthday plans. We normally just hang out together as a family and enjoy some quality time. We like to keep it simple around here. :)

I hope that you all have a great day. :) I know I will.

Warm and cozy

2007-11-26T19:38:00.000Z

Looks cozy, doesn't it. It was. We got hit with snow here in Abilene Texas on Thanksgiving day. According to the weather people it was 5 inches. Four inches is the average yearly snowfall for Abilene.

Here's the snow Thanksgiving night.

Here's the snowman David built outside Griffin and Lucas' bedroom window compelet with grape eyes, carrot nose and green onion mouth. LOL Hey, it was the best we could come up with on short notice.

The boys loved the snow and my mom loved sharing it with them. It was a great Thanksgiving at the Harman house. :)

Donate food to the needy

2007-11-26T17:17:00.000Z

The Bishop Sullivan Center is running a promotion right now. Just for registering at their site you can have 10lbs of food donated to the food bank at no cost to you. What an easy way to help out those in need during this holiday season. So, follow the link below and register. :)

http://www.bishopsullivan.org/

What I Did Today

2007-11-15T20:47:00.000Z

My mom is coming for Thanksgiving. It will be the first time in 8 years we have had family for any holiday. We are all thrilled. So, like everyone does when their mom is coming, we have been busy cleaning. Of course, we still have boxes piled in the front living room that need to be unpacked along with boxes that are full of packing paper that need to go away. The 16yr old's room is just....well, the room of a 16 yr old. LOL

So today I thought I would do some cleaning. I made a pot of coffee and put together a plan. :) I mopped the master bathroom floor, drank some coffee, mopped the kitchen floor, drank some coffee, hung some towels out on the line, drank some coffee, paid some bills, drank some coffee. See the pattern here? Anyway, a full pot of coffee later I have a killer headache. It has got to be the coffee. I have not had coffee in months. I don't think I've had any since we got to Texas. Maybe a cup or two. Anyway, I'm pretty much useless now. I had planned on doing some other things, but it's not happening today.

Oh, I did manage to re-arrange my spice cabinet. Now it's nice and organized and I can actually see what I have in there. No more buying spices I already have. LOL Anyone have any suggestions for cinnamon? I have 3 jars of it. LOL

Isn't He Precious?!?!?

2007-11-02T18:04:00.000Z

We have not been homeschooling that long. We started on Oct 15th. We have also had some set backs. I had some dental/tooth issues that made me fairly useless for the better part of a week. We also had some Griffin issues. Just one day, so that is not that bad. However, that one day was enough. I decided to take pics so that when Dave got home he could see how productive we were that day. So, here is Griffin in all his fit throwing glory. :)

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

2007-11-01T23:38:00.000Z

Well, we went to our church's Fall Freak-Out last night. Being new to Abilene, we figured it was the best bet as far as Halloween festivities go. The kids had a blast. We will definitely go again next year.

Here are the boys before we got started.

Fishin' for candy.

Spining the candy wheel.

Climbing the inflatable wall.

Boys will be boys

2007-10-28T23:15:00.000Z

I live in a house full of boys. There is my husband, our 16 yr old, our 9 yr old, and our 6 yr old. Needless to say, there is never a dull moment around here. There are also very few quiet moments around here. :) The other night there was a comotion at the end of the hall. Not a frantic, "we are having issues" comotion, but a "we're having way to much fun" type of comotion. So, I went to check it out. This is what I found.

Yep, that's all the boys. David (16) is on the bottom. Then it's Dave (dh). Then Lucas(9) in the storm trooper costume. Griffin (6) is on the top. :) They were all having a blast wrestling together. :)

More Pic of the House.

2007-10-28T21:48:00.001Z

Well, since I finally got the pictures from the camera uploaded to the computer I figured I'd share some more pics of the house.

Here is the back yard and the shed. Dave loves this shed it's huge. :)

Here's a view of the back of the house. I think Dave's standing at the back fence, or pretty close to it. You can see the porch on the side.

Here's a better pic of the porch. That's the kitchen window to the left and the door leads to the front living room. There is another door to the left, but you can't see it in this pic. It leads to the back living room

Here is the front living room. We love those built-ins. Ignore the scaffolding. These were taken while they were still in the house painting and stuff.

Here is the kitchen. The counter tops were still not in. The dishwaser was not in either. They were working on removing the oh so lovely wall paper from the walls above the cabinet and painting them.

Here is another view of the kitchen. You can see the pass through to the back living room. That is where the cook top is now. You can also see the wall oven. I love that wall oven.

Here's a view of the pass through from the back living room.

Here is the back living area with the second fireplace.

Here is another picture of the front of the house.

Long Overdue Update

2007-10-25T21:49:00.000Z

Wow, it's been forever since I posted here. Not that many people read this, but still. :) Anyway. Since my last post we have moved half way across the world, visited family, traveled to our new assignment, did some house hunting, bought a house, registered kids in new schools, recieved our household goods shipment, bought a new fridge and washer, un-registered one of the kiddos, and started homeschooling. Yep, I think that's it. :) Needless to say, it has been one busy summer for our family. :)

Here's a picture of the front of our house. We love it. :) There are some things we plan to do inside, but nothing major. :) The kids love having a big back yard to play in and we like having something of our very own.

Well, I have dinner to cook and a family to tend to, so I am going to be signing off for now. :) I will do my best to post more often. :)

Last few days in England

2007-07-23T12:07:00.000Z

We have just over a week left in England. Eight days before we fly out. It's bitter sweet. Iam glad to be going back to the States and I am thrilled about being closer to family. However, I am going to miss England terribly. My younger 2 sons grew up here. This is their home. They only know England. It is going to be quite different for them.

Wednesday will be our last night in this house. This is the house Griffin grew up in. He was 2 months old when we moved in. It's his home. He is really excited about moving, so that's good. He can't wait to get a new room. :)

We we be leaving a ton of great friends behind. The great thing is we have friends in Texas. At least we aren't arriving not knowing anyone. That should make the transition easier.

We have gotten the hook-up on a church. It seems nice. David is already getting emails from some of the youth. I have been talking with someone from the church via email. Thanks so much to Melissa for passing on our info.

Our phone and internet is being turned off on Wednesday. We will be able to check our email and such once we are in billeting, if their wireless works. :) We final out of housing on Friday. Dave finals out of the base on Tuesday. After he's done with that we are taking a taxi to London and staying the night at a hotel near the airport. We fly out at 12:35 pm UK time and will arrive in St. Louis around 6:30pm their time, if all goes smoothly with our connection in Chicago. We will be spending the night near the port and heading out to Mom's on Thursday morning. Hopefully the truck will be there when we get there. :)

So, this will be my last blog post for a while. :) Don't miss me too much. LOL

Finally

2007-07-12T11:16:00.000Z

We are finally packed out. Two and a half days and 10 crates later, our household goods shipment is on it's way to Texas. :) Monday our unaccompanied gets packed out.
Time is getting close for us to leave. We are all excited and looking forward to it. :)
Wel, I am off to finish up washing the laundry and sorting out what we are keeping and what is going with the unaccompanied. Fun fun. :)

It's Moving Day!!!

2007-07-09T09:32:00.000Z

The packers are here. Well, one of them is. The other 2 are finishing up a job that took longer than they expected. They should be here around 1 or 2. Since they are 2 men down it may take an extra day to get the packing done. No big deal. That means one extra day off of work for Dave, which he's all for. LOL

I think they guy has almost gotten Griffin and Lucas' room done. Then he's moving on to David's room and then the computer room (also known as the "piles of crap " room. LOL).

I have a little bit of stuff to do today. I need to send out a mass email giving everyone my new email address. I also need to let everyone know when our phone and internet are going to be turned off. I need to switch some online account information so they have our new information.

The house hunting is going good. We found a house we really like and are talking to a realtor about it. :) We don't want to buy a house sight unseen, but it's getting close to us leaving and we need to get the ball rolling on the whole house hunting thing. :)

Well, I am off to finish up the bits I have to get finished today.

One More Month

2007-07-01T14:51:00.000Z

Well, we only have 1 month left here in England. Things are rolling along. We have our "let's see how much crap you have to pack" inspection on the 4th of July at 8 am. They come to pack our household goods on the 9th and 10th of July. They are dropping off our Flintstone furniture on the afternoon of the 10th. I will definitely take pics for ya. :) We have our housing pre-inspection on the 13th of July. Our unaccompanied goes on the 16th. :) The cleaners come to clean the house on the 26th of July and we final out of the house on the 27th of July. Then we move into billeting on base until the 30th of July. Dave out processes the base on the 31st of July and we are going to London that night to stay in a hotel close to the airport. We fly out on Aug 1st. :)

We will get to Mo on Aug 1st. Hopefully the car will be there when we get there. We will probably get a hotel the night of the 1st and pick the car up on the 2nd. Then we will drive to my Mom's. Then we have to register the truck and squeeze in visits with everyone. We plan to be in Texas on Aug 6th. Then we just have to find a house, buy it and close on it before school starts on the 27th. No rush. LOL

The Ball is Rolling

2007-06-21T14:00:00.000Z

Well, we have pack out dates. Whoo Hoo!! We pack our household goods on the 9th and 10th of July and our unaccompanied on the 16th. Not much time. We haven't had any luck with giving the cats away. :( Dave called the pet liaison on base and left a message with her. I am sure she will be a great help.

The truck gets shipped on Tues. Monday we have an appt to get the lights converted back to US specs. We will be using a friend's car for the rest of our time here.

Dave is going today to schedule the delivery of our stick furniture. Fun for us. Actually we have never had the stick furniture before, so this will be a new experience for us. Nothing we can't handle, I am sure. I will need to go to the loan locker after they pack our unaccompanied to get loaner dishes and stuff.

We are hiring a cleaning service to clean the house for our final out. We decided long ago it is money well spent and have been saving up for it. We figure it is well worth the cost to have that taken care of. Of course we will still be doing quite a bit of cleaning after they pack us out. There won't be much else to do. LOL

We are flying out of London on the 1st of August. They have us flying into Chicago O'Hare. UGH I have flown through there twice and it was horrid. That was the screw up point for everything that went wrong on our trip home a few years ago. Planes were delayed or cancelled, we missed connecting flights. It sucked. So, we are not bringing any luggage. We have decided that we will mail clothes and such to my Mom's before we leave. We will each bring a carry on with a change of clothes and that's it. We have a 1 hour 35 minute lay over at Chicago. That is just not enough time for the 5 of us to collect our luggage, go through customs and make our connecting flight. Carry ons are much easier and a lot less hassle. We figure we are going to the States and anything that we need we can get for a reasonable price. Plus none of us have summer clothes, so we are going to have to buy clothing anyway. :)

So, I am busy sorting through the entertainment center. It needs to go to the dump, but everything on it needs to be transferred to the bookshelves. Our coffee table and end tables will hold our TV, DVD player, and AFN box until it gets packed up. :) That should be fun.

Well, I am off to finish up the sorting and moving of everything I can without Dave's help. Fun for me. :)

The Joys of Moving

2007-06-02T12:51:00.000Z

Well, to prepare for our international move, ( Doesn't that sound so much more exciting than PCS? LOL) we have been going through tons of stuff. Now the average military family moves every 3-4 years. We have been here for 8 years. Sure we have moved from house to house, but it's not the same as moving from base to base. In those 8 years we have accumulated a ton of stuff. We have also accumulated another child. LOL So we have started the much needed process of weeding out the necessities.

We have made 2-3 dump trips a week, on average, for the last month or so. That's a lot of crap. I mean, we are talking an Expedition load. We have started a pile for a yard sale, that is quickly taking over the house. Thank goodness the yard sale is in 2 weeks. Today Dave and David are taking down the shed. They have managed to empty it out and divide the piles into trash and sort through. Now they are cutting the shed down. We have figured out that we need to ship the truck 6 weeks before we leave in order for it to be waiting for us when we get to the States. That means we need to ship it around June 20th, if we are leaving here Aug 01. That doesn't give us a tremendous amount of time to get all the hauling done that we need to do. It's enough time, but just barely.

Dave goes for his briefing this week. After that we should be able to start setting actual dates. Then the fun stuff starts. LOL Up until now we have been working under self imposed deadlines. It's stressful, but not tremendously stressful. Once the military starts issuing deadlines the real stress begins. :)

Well, I am off to finish sorting through Griffin and Lucas' room. I am going to let them pick 5 toys each and the rest will be packed up. They will still have their game boys and DVDs and such so 5 toys each will be plenty. :)

Hope you all have a great day.

We are going to...

2007-05-13T18:07:00.001Z

Dyess, Tx. Whoo Hoo. Second choice on our list and Dave gets to work heavies like he wanted. :)

Cub Scout Adventure Weekend, Matey.

2007-04-29T19:17:00.000Z

We just got back from the Cub Scout Adventure Weekend. It was fun. The kids had a blast. The weather this year as tremendously better than last year. The theme for the camp was pirates, so all the activities were piratey. AAAAAAAARRRRRRGGGG. LOL

It's Lucas the Pirate.

And Griffin, his first mate.

What a gnarley crew.

David, aka Lady Constance.

Planning out the pirate flag.

What an awesome pirate flag.

Boat race with Griffin in the middle.

Boat race with Lucas in the back.

Griffin racing in the Rain Gutter Regatta.

Lucas racing in the Rain Gutter Regatta.

And the best use of duct tape goes to....

2007-04-29T19:13:00.000Z

Brian Mason for his emergency volley ball net. For the MTTM youth camp, the kids spent a day at Thetford Forest. Between the BBQ, bike trails and hiking, they managed to squeeze in a few games of volley ball, thanks to Brian and this net. :)

Youth Camp

2007-04-29T19:03:00.000Z

So, I helped out at the MTTM youth camp over spring break. It was nice and the kids had a blast. The event was held at Letton Hall. It was beautiful.

This is the front of Letton Hall. I wish the camp had been held later in the spring, then I am sure the vines on the front would have been much prettier.

I sure am going to miss things like this when we leave England this summer.

The List Is Out

2007-04-19T12:44:00.000Z

Actually the list came out last week, but I have been busy and haven't posted about it. :) So, here are our choices. :)

Melbourne, Fl- It's a training job so we are putting it as our first choice.

Dyess, Tx- several of our friends are moving there or have moved there this year so this is our second choice.

Grand Forks, ND- It has the planes Dave wants to work on, so it's our third choice.

Mountain Home, Id- I have friends here, but Dave doesn't want to work on the planes that are there, so we aren't putting that on our list at all. However, that doesn't mean we won't get it.

Seymour Johnson, NC- Dave doesn't want these planes either, so it's not going on the list either. LOL

We should find out where we are going on May 15, then it's the flight of the bumblebee to get everything scheduled and ready to move by August. Fun for us.

Easter Weekend

2007-04-06T11:45:00.000Z

It's Easter weekend. A time to praise God and thank Jesus for his sacrifice for us. What do you have planned?

Tonight the boys and I are going to dye eggs. They are also going to put the tent up in the back yard and most probably camp out there tonight.

Tomorrow I am baking. I am going to make dinner rolls for the church dinner. We are also going to make sugar cookies. I thought the boys would like that. Not sure how we are going to decorate them, probably with colored sugar and maybe sprinkles. If I'm feeling really froggy, we might actually frost them. LOL I am also thinking about making a cake. Probably carrot, but maybe chocolate, if I can find a recipe that uses ingredients I have here at home. I also need to make a pasta salad.

We are all going to church on Sunday, even Dave. :) After service we have the dinner I mentioned before and they are doing an egg hunt for the kids, I think. It should be fun.

I hope that you all enjoy your weekend and remember all that God has done for you.

UGH

2007-04-02T12:30:00.000Z

So I am sitting in the chair, surfing the net and watching Emeril Live. (in other words, avoiding folding the laundry.) Both the washer and dryer are going. All of a sudden the washer makes this weird noise as is shifts from the wash cycle to the rinse/spin cycle. So, I get up to check it. It no longer spins. Great. Of course there is a full load of towels in there. This means that I am going to have to wring out the load one towel at a time by hand before I get them in the washer. It also means that I am going to have to call the appliance repair people and have them come out tomorrow. Of course you never know when they are coming, they give you a time window of around 2 hours. Fun Fun
I planned on going and working out, but I guess I will have to work out at home. I have a perfectly fine elliptical machine here acting as a clothes rack. LOL Of course the boys have haircuts as well tomorrow afternoon, but they should be done with all the washer stuff way before then. I just need to remember to call them first thing in the morning. Hopefully I can get a new washer. I was going to call them anyway about it. There are spots where the enamel has worn off and the washer tub has rusted. I think it's putting rust spots on my whites. That's not good.

Well, I am off to watch the rest of Emeril Live, then I am off to get the kids from school. Then it's back home to wring out the towel load. Anyone wanna help? :)

Thinking...

2007-03-30T11:39:00.000Z

I have been thinking quite a bit the past couple of months about things I miss. The big one? Babies. I miss babies. Having a baby around the house, the smell of babies, tiny clothes, sweet sounds, nursing, even poppy diapers, sleep less nights and the tons of stuff you are forced to lug around with them. We are done having babies. We decided years ago we were done. It was a joint decision and it made sense. But, that doesn't mean I can't miss them, right? I know I am driving my husband nuts with the baby thing. Making him second guess our choices, wonder if we made the right ones. Of course we did. All the reasons we had then still make sense now. I think it's just that my "baby" is growing up. He started school this year. He's not so easy to snuggle with, he's starting to smell like "boy" and not so much like "baby". I tell my boys it's now their job to have babies. Not right this minute, now, but eventually.

Griffin was admiring my wedding ring the other day while he was sitting on my lap. I told him that one day he would find a woman he loved and she would love him. He would ask her to marry him and he could give her a pretty ring. Then they could have babies and she could stay home and take car of their babies like I do for my boys. He could go to work and take care of his family like Dave does for us. He looked up at me with those big brown eyes with a thoughtful look on his face and said " I don't want to do it that way". ROFLOL I asked him what way he wanted to do it, and he said he didn't know, but not that way. One day he will have babies. One day in the future, far from now. :) He will be a great father, just like his brothers will be. He will pick a wonderful woman of God, they will have babies and they will be blessed just like Dave and I have been.

Another thing I have been missing is homeschooling. I home schooled David for a few years and it was so much fun for everyone. It was stressful beyond anything I have ever experienced in my life. However, Lucas was undiagnosed ADHD and David was undiagnosed ADD, and Griffin was little. It was chaotic to say the least. Now, years later with David's ADD and Lucas' ADHD under control I know things would be different. With that being said, I would not pull David out of High School. He likes it and I don't think he would want to go back to being home schooled. However, Lucas and Griffin are a different story. I look at how my boys interact. They are great with each other. David has tremendous patience. Right now he is upstairs playing Nintendo with Griffin, who is 10 years younger than he is. He gets along so much better with them than most 15, almost 16, year old boys do with their younger siblings. I know that the bond they have has a lot to do with the fact that I home schooled him and they were together a lot.

Lucas and Griffin are not quite the same. They still get a long, but they fight a lot. It could be that they are closer in age. I don't know. I do know they don't spend as much time together not fighting as David spent with them when he was younger. They don't have as much experience in dealing with kids of varying ages. They aren't as patient with each other and with younger kids as David was with them. I think it's because they aren't exposed to as many kids of varying age, like David was. I think they are missing out.

My kids are getting a great education. Without the school system here we never would have known about Lucas' ADHD or David's ADD. Lucas probably would not have learned so much Spanish. He definitely would not have learned it as well if I was teaching it. There are some pluses to having them in the school here and I do not regret putting them in at all. However, I am a bit nervous about going back to the States. We don't know where we are going. We don't know what the schools are like. We don't know how well the kids are going to adjust to a new place. That is probably what is making me think so much. The changes we are facing this summer.

So, I will sit here and think some more and I will probably be thinking about different things tomorrow. :) Things like how we are going to ship the cats back. How much they are going to charge us to replace the carpet in this house? Where we are going? Are there any churches there that I will like? How far from family will we be? What's the weather going to be like? Is Dave going to be gone a lot? If he is, where is he going to be? See, I am never at a loss for things to worry about. LOL But, I know God has a plan and things will all work out for His glory. No amount of worrying or thinking will change that.

Sick Kid,Forgetfull Mom, and Cancelled Plans

2007-03-29T17:45:00.000Z

Griffin has been to school a grand total of 1 1/2 days this week. He's been sick. Monday Dave picked him up early because the nurse called. I would have done it, but I was at the gym. (which happened to be the only day I made it to the gym this week. UGH) He was running a slight fever. Fifth Disease is going around in his class. I figured he might have it. So, I kept him home on Tuesday to recover. All seemed well.

I sent him to school Wednesday. No calls from the school to pick him up early. Whoo Hoo I picked him up from school and he spent the entire walk home crying. His ear hurt. Poor thing. When we got home, I put a drop of tea tree on a q-tip and swabbed his ear. Not a good idea. Apparently it hurts. BAD. I loaded him up with Motrin and re q-tipped his ear to wipe the tea tree residue out of his ear, set him up on the couch with a pillow and a cover, and let the Motrin work it's magic.

He ended up sleeping with Dave and I, which means I didn't get much sleep wedged between the two of them. He was still a little warm this morning, so I kept him home. He slept until I woke him up at 9:30. I had an appt, so Dave dropped the both of us off. After that we went to the commissary and picked up the truck. By the time we got home and he ate lunch, he was totally wiped out and crashed on the couch.

I asked a friend to pick Lucas up from school for me. However, I forgot that he has homework club after school on Thursdays. Yep, there goes my chance at the Mom of the Year award. LOL She came by on her way home with her kid, to tell me he was still at school. Gotta love friends like that. LOL I ended up sending David after him since Griffin was still not feeling well and I didn't want to leave him alone.

With Griffin being sick, and Dave working late, I had to let Lucas know we were not going to the Pack meeting tonight. This is the second month we have missed the pack meeting. I sent an email to his den leader explaining the situation.

So, dinner has been made, the boys and I have eaten and I am on my way out the door to get Dave from work. Just another normal day around here. :)

Family Photos

2007-03-27T09:41:00.000Z

So, we finally got our family photos done. The last one we had done was when I was preg with Griffin and he will be 6 in May. :) I figured I would share them with you. :)

Here are the boys. Griffin is 5, David is 15 and Lucas is 8.

Dave and I. Aren't we cute? :)

This is one of my favorites. :)

10 Things About Me

2007-03-27T09:18:00.000Z

10 Things...

Each player starts with 10 random facts or habits about themselves. People who are tagged need to write their own blog about their ten things and include these rules. At the end of your blog, you need to choose 10 people to tag and list their names. Don't forget to leave each of the 10 a comment telling them they've been tagged and need to read your blog.

1. I have been married 15yrs. (16 in August)

2. I have 4 bothers and 1 sister.

3. I like rubber stamping and altering items.

4. I have 4 tattoos.

5. I have loved living in England and hate to leave.

6. I am moving back to the States this summer.

7. I spend way too much time online.

8. I have been married longer than my Mom. :)

9. I have 3 great boys.

10. I love Jesus. :)

OK, now I have to choose 10 people to do this next...so...

Erin, Chele, Amber, Laurie, Amy, Lori, Chrissy, Shawn, Mary, Tammy

Gettin' Fit

2007-03-20T20:26:00.000Z

Well, so far this week I have gotten a workout in every day. :) Yeah Me!!! Yesterday I did 10 min on the eliptical machine and 20 minutes on the treadmill. Today I did 30 minutes on the treadmill and a 1 hour Pilates class. It was a nice class, but I like the one at Mildenhall better, I think. Today's class seemed less intense than the Mildenhall one. We shall see tomorrow. LOL

Tomorrow I'm not working out. I have bible study and other errand type of stuff.

Thursday I have a tour of the commissary after I drop the kids off at school. She's going to show us all the "good stuff". After that tour, I have an appt to set up a meal plan. I am going to try and squeeze in a workout between the two. I should have enough time.

Friday is the Pilates class at Mildenhall. I will be going to that one. I might do some sort of cardio afterward, I'm not sure. We'll see how it goes.

Yep, that's about it. I know that you are just hanging on my every word, but it's time for me to go. I've got a kid marinading in the tub. :)

Checking In

2007-03-16T18:20:00.000Z

Well, the Largest Loser thing is going well. :) I am down 4.5lbs since the last time I weighed in on my scale. I don't remember the exact day, but it has been within the last week or so. LOL I planned on going to Pilates class today, but I have managed to come down with something. That's not good. So, I am going to recoup this weekend and go to that fit and ready class on Monday.

I have been doing pretty good on the eating part. I have an appt with the dietician next week to put together a meal plan. Until then, I have just been cutting back and eating more fruits and veggies. So, I will continue doing this until I get the meal plan. It seems to be working. :)

My Body Hurts. :)

2007-03-13T10:31:00.000Z

So, I am doing the Largest Loser thing. It's going well. I have taken 2 exercise classes. The first one I did was Pilates last Friday. It was really nice. No sweating. I hate sweating. LOL It was a great workout and I was sooo sore Saturday morning. By Monday I was recovering, but my lower abs were still a bit sore.

So, Monday Tracee and I went to take a Fit and Ready class. First we walked on the treadmils for 30 minutes. I walked pretty slow. Then it was time for the class. Let me start out by saying I have no coordination whatsoever. NONE. So this class uses a lot of equiptment. We had to drag out steps, hand weights, a jumprope, a mat, and an exercise ball. So we get started with the cardio section, which involves the step. Here is where coordination is needed. Anything other than a basic step up, step down and I was lost. LOL There were times I just had to stop and watch the instructor and try to figure out how to get my brain to tell my feet to move correctly. LOL It was a hard class, but I will go back. Yes, I did sweat. EWWWW

Today my calves hurt. They are tight. I need to do some sort of stretching today to get my muscles relaxed. I don't think I am going to do any exercising today, other than walking the kids to and from school. Tomorrow I won't be exercising either because I have bible study and lunch with the women from bible study. I think there is another class on Thursday and there is Pilates on Friday.:) I should be recovered by then. :)

LIfestyle Changes

2007-03-07T18:45:00.000Z

So, the base is doing it's own version of The Biggest Loser. It's called Largest Loser. LOL Anyway, it started this week and ends sometime in May.

This week is pretty busy. Monday was registration day. It did say to wear fitness gear(like I own fitness gear) but I had some things to do at the school and I wasn't wearing my ratty sweats there. LOL So, I showed up in jeans, boots and a t-shirt. That was fine for the weigh in and measure part and the briefing. However, they were doing a fitness assessment test. They are going to do another one later on in the program so we can see how we have improved. I wasn't planning it, but it's 15 extra points and you can always use extra points. :)

So, back to this fitness assessment. The first part consisted of running from one set of cones to another set. Fairly simple. When the tape beeps, run to the cones. Easy Peasy. However, the space between the beeps gets shorter and shorter. So, I did alright considering my physical shape and the boots. :) The second part was seeing how many sit-ups and push-ups you can do in 1 minute, I think. I say I think because I managed to crank out 1/2 a push-up and 0 sit-ups. So, I can only get better, right. Now I have to actually attempt to do push-ups and sit-ups. Oh, by the way, they were full sit-ups and standard push-ups, not the girly ones. :)

Tuesday I had a couple of classes. One was a nutrition class (Nutrition 101)and one was called Sensible Weigh. The Sensible Weigh was pretty good. It went over what we should eat, how we should manage our intake and all that jazz. We also got to set up a personal appt with the nutritionist to set up a meal plan. I am doing the personal appt with a friend so that it would be easier for her to fit everyone in. I am really looking forward to that.

Tomorrow there are a couple more classes. One is on emotional eating and the other is a behavior modification class. Before those start, I think we are going to go walking. That should be fun.:) So, since I only have capri's to work out in I need to shave my legs. LOL Well, I do have sweats, but I'm afraid I will be too hot in those.

I hope to keep updating my progress here, so stay tuned for more info. :)

Just pondering...

2007-01-17T09:56:00.000Z

I know it's been a while since I last posted. I haven't really been busy. Just the basics. However, I have been pondering quite a lot of things. I think that there are times in our lives where we just chug along with our lives, not giving much thought to anything really, and there are times where we think alot. I am at that thinking stage. Thinking about everything and nothing at once. :) A true sign of an ADD mind. LOL

I have made quite a few changes in my life over the past year or so. I would say most of them are for the better. Some things I chose to change, some I did not. You know, in the end it doesn't really matter how the changes come about, does it? Life is full of changes, both little and big, and most of the time we don't have much control over them. I mean, really, how much do we actually have to do with the grand plan God has for us? No matter how much we struggle or resist, we end up where God wanted us anyway. It's just a matter of how long it takes us to get there.

One of my favorite quotes is from Abraham Lincoln. It goes like this "I am confident that the Almighty has His plans and will work them out, and whether we see it or not, they will be the best for us." I think this quote sums up faith, really. Faith in God and His plans for us. Not questioning what He tells us to do, just doing it. This is something I struggle with on pretty much a daily basis. I know what I should do, I know what God is leading me to do, but I still question it. I don't have enough faith in Him, I guess. You know, that's not totally true. I have faith that God can do great things. I have seen them. I just think that sometimes my needs aren't that important compared to all the trillions of needs out there. So, I don't ask God to fullfill my needs. I don't ask Him for help when I need it. I guess I just figure he's too busy. Crazy, I know, but that's what I think sometimes. I have worked hard this year to yield more to God, to have faith in Him and His word, and to trust him to take care of things for me. I do have to say when I have stepped out in faith and truly let Him handle things, they have turned out great. Every time.
Now, maybe the didn't work out the way I wanted them to, or as fast as I wanted them to, or whatever, but they always worked out great.

So, I guess that's all for now. Nothing hugely profound, no words of wisdom, no tasks for you or anything. Just my thoughts. :)

Great Blog

2007-01-05T12:39:00.000Z

I read this blog this morning. I think it is a fabulous way to explain exactly what a SAHM does and everyone should read it.

Encouraging word of the day

2007-01-05T09:57:00.000Z

I subscribe to Klove's encouraging word email. Each day they send you a different scripture. It's nice. So, todays scripture was just what I needed.

Encouraging Word:
Friday 1/5/2007
Commit your actions to the LORD,
and your plans will succeed. Proverbs 16:3, NLT

If you have been reading my blog, you know I have started taking a new direction in my life. Living more for God, less for myself. It's working out great. This verse just reaffirms that for me. I have had great success in keeping the house up, starting and finishing new tasks, and just in everything I have done lately. It has been wonderful. I love how God works.

Just this morning I was feeling a bit overwhelmed. The kitchen drain is backing up into the yard. This means I can't use the kitchen sink or the dishwasher until it is fixed. I called the repairman this morning and they "will send someone out as soon as we can". I'm not sure when that will be, but I called a couple of hours ago. :) The mess of the kitchen was driving me nuts. I want it to look pretty. How it's looked for the past 2 weeks. You know, clear counters, empty sink and all that jazz. I just felt like all my effort for the past couple of weeks was fruitless, ya know?

So, I went to finish up my zone work for this week. (The old me would have just parked myself on the couch or in front of the computer for hours)This week it happens to be the entry area, stair way, and upstairs hallway. I'm working on the walls right now. The entry way has been decluttered and those walls have been washed. The stair railings have been washed. Everything has been vac'd (but it can use another going over). The upstairs walls have been washed. I'm almost done. I have 2 1/2 sections of wall to attack with the magic eraser and a window to wash and I'm done with the zone. Did you hear that??? I'm actually going to get an entire zone finished in one week!!!! I have never done that before. I've started a zone, then fizzled out. I've planned to start a zone, then didn't follow through. This time, thanks to the right attitude and keeping the focus on God and what He expects from me as a wife, a mother, and His daughter, I will actually finish an entire zone. :) Praise God.

So, the scripture today was so fitting for me, as they often are. And I am so glad that God finds little ways to show us what we are doing is right. I love how He works, don't you?

Suffering Withdraw.

2007-01-04T14:10:00.000Z

Ok, I am having serious withdraw symptoms here. Scrappy Chic is down and I just don't know what to do with myself. ROFLOL I lead a sad little life. LOL

Well, I am off to clean the walls in the stair way and upstairs hallway since I don't have Scrappy Chic to distract me. :)

Home Management Binder

2007-01-02T00:26:00.000Z

Well, I finally have my Home Management Binder together. There are a few more sections I need to finish up, but it's pretty functional. I figured since it was done, I could post pics and maybe describe it a bit. So, here goes.

Here's the cover

I have Proverbs 31:27-28 on the left hand side. It is a great motivational scripture for me.

Here's what you see when you open it up. This holds a pencil, a pen and sticky notes. I have a thing for sticky notes. LOL They are probably the single most important thing a person needs for organization. ROFLOL

Here's the first page for our calendar section. The picture at the bottom says " To everything there is a season and a time to every purpose under the heaven". I thought it was fitting for a calendar section. The calenders I use are free from Donna Young.

Here is the master schedule page. The picture at the top says "God did not call me to be succesful. He called me to be faithful" I am still working on tweaking the schedules, but it's all working out just fine.

Here's my cleaning section. In this section I have the daily cleaning schedule, which looks like this:

Cleaning Schedule

Monday-Zone work (see calendar); vac downstairs; 15 minute project

Tuesday-Zone work (see calendar); vac stairs and upstairs (including the boys’ rooms); 15 minute project.

Wednesday-Zone work (see calendar); finish 2 loads of laundry; vac downstairs; 15 minute project.

Thursday- Zone work (see calendar); wash throw rugs; vac stairs and upstairs (including the boys’ rooms); 15 minute project.

Friday-Zone work (see calendar); finish 2 loads of laundry; vac downstairs; 15 minute project.

Saturday-Yard work; trips to dump and/or recycling center; prep for Sunday (meals in crockpot, church clothes ready, .

Sunday-Church; relax w/family.

I also have a step by step emergency quick clean plan I got from here. I have also copied FlyLady's detailed cleaning list and tweaked it a bit. My zones are numbered differently than hers. I did mine based on how my house is layed out from the front door in a sorta clockwise direction. :)It works for me and that's what counts, right? Oh, I also printed out the New Year Grand Plan and have that in there as well. I am also going to put detailed cleaning instructions for each room in this section, so that everyone knows what I mean when I say "go clean your room". LOL There will also be basic directions for washing and drying laundry. I have cards with laundry instructions taped to the inside of the cabinet that holds my laundry supplies, but they are out dated. :)

Here's my Meal Plan, Grocery Lists, and Inventory section. Right now there is nothing in there. :) I will be putting basic instructions on how to make kool-aid and tea for the boys. I plan on putting my pantry and freezer inventory lists in there. I am thinking about having a couple of weeks of pre-planned menus in there. We don't have the opportunity to shop loss leaders here, since there is basically one store to shop at. Don't get me wrong, I can find good deals at the local Tesco, but the majority of my shopping is done on base. Anyway, I figure since there aren't any pesky sales to keep me from pre-planning the menus, I might as well do it. :)

Here's my Inspirational section. I wanted a collective place to keep Laine's Letters and other motivational and inspriation articles and such. So that's what this section is for.

I also have a Phone/Address section. I am still working on a divider for that, so no pictures yet.

All in all, putting together this binder was fun and helpful. It made me really think about what I want to achieve in my home this year and how I needed to go about getting those things done. It was a tremendous eye opener and a major stress reliever. Once I get everything tweaked and in the binder, everything will run more smoothly. No more asking mom 1000 times how to make kool-aid, no more checking up and making sure chores are done "the right way". Everything will have a how-to and everyone will have acess to that. Not at all like now where the only place this valuable information is stored is in my head. LOL So, if you have not started a binder and do not have a managable plan for your home, I suggest you seriously look into it. Now binders might not work for everyone, but I am willing to say they will work for the majority, especially the more scattered, fly by the seat of your pants type like me.

Cubby Decluttering.. Pics Included

2007-01-02T00:12:00.000Z

So, I did get the pictures taken and Dave is uploading them as I type. I am sure they will be ready to post before I get done. I think the area looks great, if I do say so myself. It also makes a great home for my Home Management Binder. :)

So, here is the before picture. Lots of crap.

Here's the after.

It looks much nicer, and no, I didn't shove everything into the cubby. Now I might have done that in the past. You know, "outta sight outta mind" and all that jazz. LOL I did put a couple of things in the cubby. Actually I think it was just 2 things, oh wait, it was 3. LOL But it doesn't matter. :) Well, look at that, you couldn't even see the back of the couch in the before picture because there was so much crap piled up on there. I am thrilled. :) The basket is holding dry erase markers, a small dry erase board and the dry erase eraser. LOL There is a huge dry erase board mounted to the wall on the left. It's a remnant of our homeschooling days and now it serves as our message board. :)

So, another area added to the "been decluttered" list. Whoo Hooo!!!!!!!!!!!

Whew

2007-01-01T22:03:00.000Z

So, I have gotten the top of the cubby cleaned off. I'm not up for sorting it out right now. I'm thinking I might just lay some fabric on the top so it is long enough to hang down the front until I get the curtain sown for it. Hmmm, there's an idea. I did manage to get a before picture, so I will need to get an after pictures as well. Now I just have to get them posted. ROFLOL

Dave has spent a good part of the day going through his closet and the upstairs closet that has had his clothes in it for a while. He has gotten 2 big boxes of things to give away. That is so awesome. He tends to hold on to stuff. :)

I am off to find some fabric for the cubby and get the last few things put away. Oh, I also need to vac as well. Since it's technically in the dining room, it needs vac'd. And since we had rice for dinner and Griffin is a heathen, the dining room needs it anyway. LOL

Cranberry Muffins....An Update

2007-01-01T13:57:00.000Z

So, I made the muffins. They turned out good. The first batch I put a spoonfull of leftover cranberry sauce on top, then baked. The second batch I mixed the cranberry sauce in. I prefer the second method. It was easier and resulted in a less messy final product.

So, here's the recipe I used. I will put the changes I made in purple, of course. LOL

Basic Muffins
http://dinnercoop.cs.cmu.edu/dinnercoop/Recipes/jody/Muffins.html

2 cups flour
4 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs, well beaten
1 cup warm milk- I didn't warm the milk
1/4 lb. butter, melted and cooled slightly

Preheat oven to 400oF. Sift flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt together. Mix the eggs, milk, and butter; add to dry ingredients, stirring only until the flour is moistened. Spoon into well-greased muffin tins. Bake ~20 minutes and serve immediately.

Variations: (Bacon, Cheese, Cranberry, Nut, Date, Upside-Down) Bacon: add 1/2 cup crisp dried bacon to dry ingredientsCheese: eliminate sugar and add 2/3 cup grated sharp Cheddar cheese to sifted dry ingredients. Sprinkle with paprika before baking.Cranberry: mix 3/4 cup chopped cranberries and 1/4 cup sugar. Add to the dry ingredients.Nut: add 3/4 cup chopped nuts to the sifted dry ingredients.Date: add 1/2 cup sliced pitted dates to the sifted dry ingredients.Upside-down: in the bottom of each muffin cup place 1/2 teaspoon butter and 1 teaspoon brown sugar. Add a few nuts or raisins or 1 stewed dried fig or apricot. Cover with batter and bake as directed.

I put one heaping teaspoon full (the regular eating kind) on the top of the filled muffin cups for the first batch. For the second batch, I just mixed the remaining cranberry sauce (about a cup or so) right into the batter. No other changes.

Now we have quite a few muffins for snacks or breakfast. All in all it turned out great. Instead of putting the cranberry sauce on the top, you could fill the muffin tins half way, put the cranberry sauce, then fill the muffin tin the rest of the way. That would be less mess, I think, but it was a bit more time consuming than I was looking for at the time. I might get pictures up here, but then again, I might not so I'm not making any promises. :)

Cranberry Muffins..An Experiment in Frugality.

2006-12-31T17:20:00.000Z

In my quest to be a better homemaker and manager of all things homey, I am trying to make sure that everything gets used up. Right now I have a few things left over from Christmas dinner that need to be taken care of. I have the ham sorted and ready for beans tomorrow and some for casseroles later. Dave just took care of the last little bit of turkey. All that is left is cranberry sauce and some sweet potato casserole. I decided to work with the cranberry sauce first. It's homemade sauce. It's just cranberries, water, sugar, and a couple scoops of orange marmalade. It was yummy.

So, right now I have some muffins in the oven. They smell yummy. I figured cranberry muffins would be good. I guess we'll see. I am going to make another batch, but do it a bit different. I think I will mix the sauce into the muffin batter this time. The first batch, I put a spoonful of sauce on top of the batter and baked. They look like they turned out great, but it would be easier to just mix the berries into the batter. At least that's what I think.

Not sure on what to do with the sweet potato casserole. There isn't much left, so if it ends up getting dumped, I won't be too upset. :)

I'll fill you in later on how the muffins turned out and post the recipe I used and the changes I made.

Last Day of 2006

2006-12-31T17:01:00.000Z

Well, it's the last day of the year. :) Nothing exciting going on here. Well, I think every day is exciting, but my standards may be different than yours. ;)

Dave and I made a trip to the commissary. Apparently so did everyone else on the base. LOL We only got enough stuff to last us a couple of days. I will be working tomorrow on the meal plan and grocery list for the next 2 weeks and then I will go back.

We finally decided on our "special" dinner for New Year's Eve. We're doing hot dogs and chips. I know it's hard to control your excitement. I know you are intimidated by my awesome kitchen skills. OK, brace yourselves. I also made onion dip. You know the kind. Mix a package of onion soup mix and a container of sour cream. Oh oh oh... I'm also opening a jar of Bush's chili heating that up as well. Wait, that's not all. I'm also going to shred cheese. With the food processor. ROFLOL

We might play a game later. It depends on whether or not we can find one that everyone can play. We may have to resort to something like Go Fish, but that's fine. The important thing is that we will be doing something together as a family.

So, we will be bringing in the new year exactly how we want to. No big fancy parties, no huge get-togethers. Just family. Just how we like it.

So, I am off to finish up here and get my magnificently special dinner served to the family. :)

I hope you have a great evening and a wonderful new year.

The Baking of the Bread

2006-12-30T15:02:00.000Z

Ok, over the past 3 days I have made 3 different bread recipes. First I made one called Angel Bread. Apparently I miscopied the recipe because it listed no water. So, I ended up added a few TBSP of water. Dave loved the flavor, but said it was a big crumbly. So, I need to see if I can find where I got the recipe from. Normally I keep the source, but apparently not for this one.

The second loaf was called Crusty Cuban Bread. I loved this one. The only problem I had was I used the light crust setting, so it looked a little pasty. LOL It is a great chewy type bread.

The third loaf was Honey Wheat Bread. It was.... well, it was wheat bread. It's pretty dense and I'm not sure how the family will like it. I think it will make great toast, not sure how it will do for the sandwiches though. I guess we will find out at lunch time. LOL.

Right now I have another batch of the Crusty Cuban Bread going in the breadmaker. I'm thinking this just might be our family staple. Of course, it depends on what the rest of the family decides.

So, I am going to post the recipes I used. I found these on line. If I made changes, I noted them.
***********************************************************************************
*Angel Bread *

Ingredients
1 egg
1 tsp. salt
3 tbsp. melted cocnut oil
2 tbsp. sugar
2 c. bread flour
1 -1 1/2 tsp. yeast

Instructions: Put ingredients in order suggested by your bread machine manufacturer. Use light crust setting.

(the coconut oil is essential because it gives the texture as if you used shortening. Shortening is very bad for you. You can substitute melted butter, but the texture won't be quite as soft and fluffy)

My Notes:
I must have missed an ingredient when I copied and pasted this recipe. I added 6 TBSP of water to this as well. Just enough to make the dough form a ball. I think I might add more water next time I try this.

***********************************************************************************
* Crusty Cuban Bread-medium loaf *

Ingredients
1 1/4 c Water
1 1/2 ts Sugar
1 t Salt
3 c Bread flour
2 ts Yeast

Instructions: Bake according to your machine's directions using French or Basic cycle. This is a low rising bread due to the lack of oil and small amount of sugar. Keep an eye on the dough and add a tablespoon or so of water if the dough looks dry or if the machine sounds like it's struggling.
The Bread Machine Cookbook by Donna Rathmell
***********************************************************************************

* Honey Wheat Bread *

2 lb loaf
Ingredients
1 -1/2 cups warm tap water
1/2 cup honey
1 tablespoon oil
1 teaspoon salt
4 cups whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons active dry yeast

Instructions:Measure the ingredients into the bread pan in the order listed. Make a well in the flour and sprinkle the yeast into it. Set the machine to it's Whole Wheat Cycle. On my machine this lasts for 3 hours and 40 minutes. Press Start, and let the machine work it's magic. Remove the cooked bread from the pan after baking and allow it to cool before slicing. Makes a 2 lb loaf.

Notes from original poster:
This is my kids favorite whole wheat bread. The honey makes it very sweet, and soft. This bread lasts longer than some machine made breads before going stale. The honey acts as a natural preservative.

Tired......

2006-12-29T19:59:00.000Z

I am so tired. I didn't get much sleep last night. I think I crawled into bed around 2:30 and was up at 9:00. I have these boughts of insomnia every so often. They normally last just one or two nights, so it's not that big of a deal.

Anyway, I am hoping I to get to bed soon. Of course I can't do that until the bread gets done baking. Yep, I'm baking bread. LOL I've decided that I want to make the bread our family eats. The store bought stuff is getting more expensive. I can't get it for less than $1.40 a loaf around here. Plus, nutritionally it's just not all that great, ya know? I can add all sorts of stuff into the bread I make and it won't make much of a difference. The family is getting used to homemade bread, so as long as it isn't horrible, they won't care. LOL

With all of us home for lunch during the holiday break, we are going through one loaf a day of the homemade stuff. Even the store bought stuff was barely lasting 2 days. So far I have made 3 different recipes. The first one Dave loved the taste of, but he thought it was a bit crumbly. The second one I loved, but I love slightly chewy bread. The third loaf is baking right now. It's a honey wheat bread and it smells yummy. Plus it has enough honey in it to make the kids like it.

I figure I'll post later on the trial and error bread making process. It should be interesting. LOL

If anyone has a favorite recipe, please share. It can be a bread machine one or a basic by hand one. It doesn't matter, as long as it's a winner with your family. :)

New Year, Learn Something New

2006-12-27T11:07:00.000Z

I recently re-joined a great yahoo group. It's called Making It Home. Anyway, a challenge was just issued. Here's the challenge.

We have just a few days left of 2006! Can you believe it?

For the next few days, as you go about your home, think about at least 3 things that you would like to learn how to do in your home that you have not be able to learn as of yet.

So, I picked 3 things, but I think I might add to them later. I'm thinking that as I master one thing, I might replace it with another. I'm not sure yet. So, here are the 3 things I chose.

1. Learn to keep my mouth shut. You know the whole "if you don't have something nice to say, don't say anything at all" thing. I need to work on this. - Now I know this may not seem like it has anything to do with my home, but I figure my attitude affects my home, so it still counts. :)

2. Learn to manage my home, using the Home Management Binder I've been working on.

3. Declutter. We are moving this year and a lot of stuff needs to go away.

So, you can find out more about the challenge here, as well as a list of ideas of thing you can change, if you can't think of anything.

I hope you have a great last few days of 2006 and that your 2007 is full of blessings.

Sharing a poem

2006-12-27T10:54:00.000Z

Christians - By Maya Angelou
When I say... "I am a Christian"
I'm not shouting "I'm clean livin'."
I'm whispering "I was lost,
Now I'm found and forgiven."

When I say.. "I am a Christian"
I don't speak of this with pride.
I'm confessing that I stumble
and need Christ to be my guide.

When I say.. "I am a Christian"
I'm not trying to be strong.
I'm professing that I'm weak
And need His strength to carry on.

When I say... "I am a Christian"
I'm not bragging of success.
I'm admitting I have failed
And need God to clean my mess.

When I say... "I am a Christian"
I'm not claiming to be perfect,
My flaws are far too visible
But, God believes I am worth it.
When I say... "I am a Christian"
I still feel the sting of pain.
I have my share of heartaches
So I call upon His name.

When I say... "I am a Christian"
I'm not holier than thou,
I'm just a simple sinner
Who received God's good grace, somehow!

Random thoughts about mistakes and Christianity

2006-12-27T10:19:00.000Z

You know, I am not perfect, I'm human. I make mistakes. I make huge ones. I can do nothing more than apologize and learn from the huge mistakes I make. I don't know if that is always enough sometimes, but it's the best I can do. I'm only human. Just because I am a Christian does not make me immune to sin. It does not make me perfect. It does put me in a difficult place. People assume that because I am a Christian I must be perfect. I am not allowed to screw up or make mistakes. I know I am held to a higer standard than most because of my beliefs. Maybe not by everyone, but by most people. I know that comes with the territory. But, I am still a human being, full of sin and fleshy ways. It's just as much of a struggle for me as it is for any non-Christian. I'm not a perfect person, I have never claimed to be. I am sinfull, I am pridefull, I gossip, I do all the things "good Christians" should not do. I dissapoint people and hurt them with my words and actions. It doesn't matter if it's done intentionally or not, it's still hurt. I act before I think. I don't always keep my mouth shut when I should. I let anger and pride take over sometimes. I am selfish. I can be mean. Sarcasim is my worst enemy and sometimes my best friend. I make wrong choices every day. I will probably make wrong choices every day for the rest of my life. I can only do the best I can do. Of course, my best is only as good as I let it be. If I try to handle it all myself, I might as well just start digging my hole. That's where my faith and my beliefs come in. I know that no matter how much I screw up, God is there to forgive me. I am not saying this makes every bad thing I have done all better. I'm not saying that everyone I have hurt should forgive me. I have done unforgivable things. I will lose and have lost friendships over stupid choices I made. That's all my fault. I know that I am responsible for the situations I have put myself in. I can't put the blame on anyone else. I'm not saying that those things are forgotten because I am a Christian and turn to God for forgivness. Those things will always be with me and those they have affected. I can't change that. I can only move forward and learn from those situations. Some lessons are harder than others, but they are all lessons. I do know that God forgives , and sometimes that's all you have. I don't expect to be forgiven by everyone I have hurt. It is not going to happen. I know that the reprecussions will follow me and that others will judge me on what they have heard and what I have done. I can't change that. That's part of life. However, I can only apologize so much. I can only dwell on it so long. I can only re-live it so many times. I have to use it as a life lesson and move on. I'm not saying that the moving on is happy thing, it's just necessary. I know that in Christ all is forgotten and forgiven. I know that through mistakes and trials, whether they are of my own doing or not, I can and will learn and make better choices. I am a work in progress, just like everyone else.

Some people just don't get it....

2006-12-26T18:47:00.000Z

Some people just don't get it, and it's rather depressing really.

We don't buy a lot of things for our family, Dave and I included. We don't spend thousands of dollars at Christmas or birthdays. Our kids don't have the newest gaming system or the coolest clothes. Not buying those things don't make us bad parents. It doesn't make us selfish, or neglectful. Our kids are happy, healthy, and well cared for. They are just cared for differently than yours. It's what works for us. It doesn't have to work for you.

However, there are always those that equate material posessions with happiness. That buying equals love. I feel a genuine sadness for those people. They just don't get it.

It's not my job as a parent to provide every single want and desire for my children. It's my job to provide for their basic needs, which I do. It's my job to make sure they are happy, which they are. It's my job to make sure they have a sense of vaule and appreciation for the things they have, which they do. It's my job to show them that family matters, stuff doesn't. I think that I am doing a good job and my husband thinks I am doing a good job. That's all that matters.

I must have said it a thousand times. What works for my family may not work for yours and what works for your family may not work for mine, but as long as we find what works for our own families, that's what matters.

New Year Traditions

2006-12-26T16:53:00.000Z

It's almost the New Year and I've been thinking about traditions. Other than having the kids go outside at midnight to annoy the neighbors, we don't have any traditions for New Year's Eve. No special foods, no special activities, nothing. I'm wanting to start something this year though, so I'm on the lookout for what other people do during this time.

I'm thinking maybe some sort of game night, or movie night. Since Griffin is 5, we are a bit limited on the games we can play. And when I say games, I mean traditional board games. So, I'm thinking maybe an appetizer buffet sort of thing, games, maybe a movie, outside to annoy the neighbors , then calling it a night. Of course I would need to plan a menu, but I love that part.

Another thing I am wondering about are actual New Years Day traditions. I'm guessing most people are up until the wee hours of the morning, so anything that happens on New Year's Day wouldn't start until late morning/early afternoon. Again, I'm looking for laid back family activites.

So, please share any traditions you and your family has during this time of year.

Boxing Day.

2006-12-26T16:50:00.000Z

I thought I would share some information I found online about boxing day. It's sad to think that this is our last holiday season in England, but I know that God has great things in store for us. :)

Boxing Day is the following day after Christmas Day. Like Christmas Day, Boxing Day is a public holiday. Where does the name Boxing Day came from? The name of the day goes back to medieval times, more than 800 years ago, when alms boxes were placed at the back of every church to collect money for the poor. Traditionally, it is on this day that the alms box at every English church is opened and the contents are distributed to the poor. Historians say the holiday developed because servants were required to work on Christmas Day, but took the following day off. As servants prepared to leave to visit their families, their employers would present them with Christmas boxes. Interesting Facts The Christmas boxes were made from clay and were not made in the shape of a box. They were hollow clay balls with a slit in the top. Boxing Day is a holiday in the United Kingdom, Canada, and many other Commonwealth nations. During the late 18th century, Lords and Ladies of the manor would "box up" their leftover food, or sometimes gifts and distribute them the day after Christmas to tenants who lived and worked on their lands. The tradition of giving money still continues today. It is customary for householders to give small gifts or monetary tips to regular visiting trades people (the milkman, dustman, coalman, paper boy etc.) and, in some work places, for employers to give a Christmas bonus to employees. Boxing Day is also known as St. Stephen's Day (when Good King Wenceslas looked out). 'Good King Wenceslas looked out, On the Feast of Stephen...........' He lived in Rome and was the first man to be killed for believing in the teachings of Jesus. His story is told in the Acts of the Apostles 6: 1 to 8: 2. Some people claim that he shares this day with another St Stephen, who came from Sweden. St Stephen of Sweden is the patron saint of horses. Boxing Day has long be associated with outdoor sports, especially horse racing and hunting. Boxing Day Hunts Traditionally Boxing Day is a day for fox hunting. Horse riders dressed in red and white riding gear, accompanied by a number of dogs called foxhounds, chase the fox through the countryside in the hope of tiring it out. Eventually the hunters hope the fox will be so tired that the dogs will be able to catch it and kill it. Before a Boxing Day Hunt, the huntsmen and huntswomen drink hot wine. The tradition of the December 26th hunt is changing. The 'sport' is slowly dying out due to the growing support for the fox. In November 2004, MPs voted to ban hunting with dogs in England and Wales. It started on 18 February 2005. Family Time Traditionally, Boxing Day is the day when families get together. It is a day of watching sports and playing board games with the family. Shopping In recent times, some shops have broken from tradition and started opening on Boxing Day to start the New Year sales. Hundreds of people now spend Boxing Day morning in queues outside shops, waiting to be the first to dive for the sales racks as the doors opened. Hunting of the Wren It is unlucky to kill a wren on any day apart from Boxing Day. Hunting of the Wren on Boxing Day was once a popular activity in England. Groups of young boys know as 'Wren boys' would hunt a wren and then tie the dead bird to the top of a pole, decorated with holly sprigs and ribbons. With blackened faces, the group would sing at houses in hopes for coins, gifts or food. "The wren, the wren, the king of all birds On St Stephen's Day was caught in the furze, We hunted him far and hunted him near And found him under the bushes here. Hurrah, my boys, hurrah! Hurrah, my boys, hurrah! Knock at the knocker and ring at the bell, And give us a copper for singing so well." Those that gave money to the boys would receive a feather from the wren as thanks. The collected money was then used to host a village dance. This odd ritual was not restricted to England. It was prevalent in some continental countries on Boxing Day as well as the Isle of Man, Wales and Ireland. http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/customs/Xmas/boxingday.html

Christmas Eve

2006-12-24T22:12:00.000Z

Well, it's after 10pm on Christmas Eve here in jolly ol' England. :) Dave and I still have gifts to wrap, Griffin and Lucas are still making noises upstairs, and David is down stairs watching football with Dave. I have a french toast casserole in the fridge for the morning.

We have gift opening, cooking, and family time planned for tomorrow. I'm hoping the kids will sleep in a bit. I know we have a late night ahead of us and I'm already beat. :)

I hope you and yours have a wonderful Christmas with your families. :)

Gearing up for the New Year

2006-12-23T13:12:00.000Z

I think most people plan to start the new year out with a bang and then sorta fizzle out with their "New Year, New Me" concept around April, or sooner for some of us. So I figure in order to be successfull, I need a plan. Now, I balk at plans. The rigidity, the structure, the "lack of freedom" plans stand for drive me bonkers. In my fleshy-ess, I want to be in control and a plan screams "failure to control" to me. I must be a huge loser if I have to make a plan or a schedule in order to run my household or my life. I have come to realize that by resisting a plan, I am setting myself up for failure. I have no focus, I have no goals set out, I have nothing to follow. I expect to flit aimlessly through life and accomplish something. Yeah, right. Talk about setting yourself up for failure. I've been doing it every day of my married life, pretty much.

I have finally realized that if I don't set goals, I have nothing to aim for. It's taken me years to figure this out. I never said I was the sharpest crayon in the box. :) It's just hit me. The meaning of the quote "If you fail to plan, you plan to fail". DUH Hello, McFly!!!!!

So, in my quest to finally get my household in order, I have decided to put together a Household Management Binder. There are several sites online full of information on these binders. The one I am using right now is www.keepingthehome.com . I find her site the most helpful for me, personally. She uses scripture to back up her choices and looks at the whole thing from a biblical perspective. Here is a list of other sites you may find helpful when putting together a Household Management Binder.

Organized Home
Home Works Best
Mrs Happy Housewife
Prayz God
Be Not Conformed
Fly Lady

So, I have been busy working on schedules, chore charts, and basic everyday things my family does or is involved in. I plan to post updates as I progress with the Binder. So, today I have to go and get more printer paper because I exhausted our meager supply last night. :)

So, anyone interested in joining me in the quest for a smoother running household? Post a comment and share your journey as I share mine.

Another Saturday with the family.

2006-12-23T12:19:00.000Z

Well, it's another Saturday with the family. :) My favorite kind of Saturday. We all slept in a bit and I made pancakes for breakfast. Griffin and Lucas ate 4 each. Guess they are growing boys. :) I used the following recipe, with these changes. I added a few shakes of pumpkin pie spice and some cinnamon sugar. They were yumy. :)

Not much planned today except for hanging out. Dave and I may have to make a run for wrapping paper and I need printer paper to finish up my household management binder. (I'll have to post about that in a bit)

Pancakes
Yields: 4 Servings posted as 120089
Ingredients
2 c Flour
2 tb Sugar
3/4 ts Salt
3 ts Baking powder
2 Eggs
1 1/4 c Milk
1/4 c Salad oil or melted crisco.

InstructionsSift to-gether flour,sugar,salt and baking powder.Beat eggs and add milk.Combine with dry ingredients,mixing smooth.Add shortening or salad oil.Drop by spoonfuls on hot griddle. From Geminis MASSIVE MealMaster collection at www.synapse.com/~gemini Making this today? Don't forget to rate the recipe! Load BigOven, or visit www.bigoven.com, and enter the BigOven ID: 120089. Ratings help connect everyone with great recipes faster!

Life Lessons from 2006

2006-12-21T18:03:00.001Z

So, I thought I would post a blog about what I've learned this year. All the cool kids are doing it. ROFLOL

1.) Be true to yourself. There is no need to change who you are or to let other people change you. I have been guilty of changing to fit in. I am sure most people have. However, I don't place all the blame on those people. I made wrong choices, I suffer those consequences. No one held a gun to my head and made me do anything, I chose to do it. Ya, know? I knew in my heart it was the wrong thing, but I did it anyway. No one to blame but me.
Now, I have experienced the other end of this too. I have been attacked, as well as my family, for being who I am and expressing that. It hurt. A lot. However, I didn't continue to argue my points, I just decided that maybe this person and I should agree to disagree. Apparently that wasn't what they wanted to do. They wanted to continue to take every oportunity to dig the knife in, so to speak. That's fine, I don't control what other people do anymore than they control what I do. I'm not saying it didn't hurt, I'm just saying it was a learning experience. It was hard to not give into the gossip and backstabbing and ugliness, but I think I did a pretty good job. I'm not saying I made the best choices all the time, but I don't think I did anything to be ashamed of. If you think different, please let me know. I'm not one to blame others for my bad choices. I'll own up and apologize if it was truly my doing.

2.) Take responsiblity. Yep, as adults we should be able to take responsiblity for the things we screwed up. It's not easy. No one wants to be wrong, but it's the responsible thing to do. Everything that has gone wrong in my life can't be blamed on everyone else. I have to take responsiblity for my actions. I have to accept my share of the blame.That's life. That's being an adult.
3.) Never believe what you hear, unless it comes straight from the source, and even then be cautious. I hear tons of things about tons of people. People talk about people everywhere. You can't go anywhere in public here and not overhear something about someone that you probably know. However, it's not your business. I do occassionally vent to friends about people I know. However, it's mostly just a " I just don't understand why ....". I don't do the whole "did you hear about so and so" thing. I have done it, it wasn't right and I apologize to anyone that I have hurt in doing that. Honestly from the bottom of my heart. If you are one of those people and you don't think that's enough, then contact me privately and we'll talk about it.
4.) Different things work for different people, and that's ok. My family works differently than yours. Thats' fine. I'm no better than you and you are no better than me. I may make different choices than you.I may have different beliefs than you. I may hold different things close to my hear than you. That doesn't make me better than you. I don't think I'm better than you. If you think that I think I'm better than you, that's your problem, not mine.
5.) You can't complain about a situation, if you don't work to change it. You can't complain about the government, if you didn't vote. You can't complain about the way organizations are run, if you don't participate. You can't complain about squadron parties, if you don't help plan it. You can't complain about your children's play group, if you aren't active in it. I think a lot of things are just jacked up in the world, but unless I'm trying to change it, I have no right to complain about it. Sure, I can be upset about the way things are, but unless I am willing to sit down and talk to those in charge, then I can't complain. I know that sometimes you can't change things. Sometimes you can talk to those in charge until you are blue in the face and get nothing. That's life. Everything doesn't work out like we want it to. Now if you've talked to those in charge, then complain away. You've done your best to fix the situation. No one can hold that against you. I just can't stand it when people have nothing but complaints about stuff, but want nothing to do with fixing what they think the problem is. Sure I complain about stuff, everyone does, but I don't make it my life's mission to completely bash something because I disagree with the way things are run.
6) If you have a problem with someone, let them know. I have a hard time with this because I am very non-confrontational. I know how it feels to not want to cause waves. However, I don't go sharing the problems I have with other people with everyone I meet. I don't blog about how I was mistreated and how I am always done wrong. If I have a problem with you I probably won't let you know. :) (I know I'm going to get a lot of "practice what you preach" posts, but that's ok) I don't want to start trouble and I usually just chalk it up to a mutual misunderstanding. I usually figure it was unintentional and nothing to bicker about. However, when it seems as if you are going out of your way to point out things about me, or avoiding me, I can only believe it is intentional and that you have some sort of problem. I don't know if you don't tell me. Heck it could just be a mood swing. I get those. It could just be stress. Everyone has stressors. If you don't let me know, I can't fix it, and you have no right to complain about it. See lesson # 5. :)
7.)You don't have to be exactly the same as someone to be their friend. You do have to have some things in common,but I don't think it's necessary to have everything in common. You don't have to have the same beliefs, the same family values, the same morals. I have friends that have different beliefs than I do.I have friends that have family values that differ from mine. I don't think any less of them for that. I like having friends that are different than me. I, as a Christian, have non-Christian friends. I like hanging out with them. I like talking with them about their beliefs. I like sharing mine with them. I'm not out to convert them or force my views on them, and they don't do that to me either. It's a respect thing. I respect my friends, and I expect the same in return. I don't always have to agree with what they do, I don't always have to like the same people they like, I don't have to have the same hobbies they do and they don't have to like those things about me. If someone feels like they need to change to be my friend, or act differently when they are around me, that's their issue, not mine.

8)If you are not happy with yourself, you are not going to be happy period. You can't count on others to make you happy.You have to find your own joy in life. I'm still working on this.
9) You can't please everyone. I used to be more of a people pleaser than I am now. I have cared more about what other people think than what I think. It comsumed me. I worried about what people would thinkabout what I was wearing. I worried about what people would think about what I said. I worried about what people would think about the graphics on myspace. I worried about what people would think of my car, my house, my kids, my everything. I finally had to stop worrying about everyone else when I realized I cared more about what other people though more than what my family thought. I have learned to be the best person I can be, no matter what other people think. I found what worked for me and my family and learned to ignore what everyone else says. See lesson # 4.
10) It's my job as a parent to raise responsible, self-confident, functional kids. They need to be able to function as productive adults in society. I can't leave that up to anyone else. I can't let the school do it. I can't let tv do it. I can't let me friends do it. Making my kids clean their rooms, won't kill them. Teaching them to do laundry won't give them a complex. Making them do their own homework, will only make them smarter no matter how much they protest. Leaving my 15 year old home with the younger 2 for a few hours a month will not kill him. Making my 8 yr old clean the litter box will not kill him. Having my 5 yr old unload the dishwasher will not kill him. I am not a bad parent for making my kids do these things. I am a great parent. The one thing I am not is my kids' friend. I am their mother. They have a lot of friends. They only have one mother. They know they can come to me with anything, and they do. They know I will listen to what they have to say. They know I love them. They know there are rules in life that need to be followed. That's just the way the ball bounces.

Now, I am sure some that some of the things I have said here are going to tick some people off. I'm sorry if you are offended or whatever. However, it's my blog and no one made you come here. If you have issues, let me know privately. If you think this is the most horrible thing ever written, fine that's your opinion. You know I monitor my blog comments. As long as they aren't vulgar and written specifically to cause trouble, I post all the comments I get. Don't think that's fair? I'm sorry. It's my blog and I get to make the rules. :)

New Year, New Blog

2006-12-21T15:06:00.000Z

Ok, so technically it's not a new year, but I'm gearing up for it now. :) I figured that are quite a few changes that I need to make in my life. Sorta an "out with the old, in with the new" thing. So, in keeping with that mindset I decided to start a new blog. I figure it's time to put the past behind me and look toward the future.

So, here's to a wonderful new year full of God's blessings.