Livin' the Good Life!

2012-01-26T22:01:00.000-08:00

It's a good thing.....

** to celebrate your birthday all week long. Tonight my parents took us (as in the whole family) out for steaks for my and Hubby's birthday (even though Hubby's birthday was in October, they hadn't taken us out for his birthday yet and that's what our family does, go out to dinner for birthdays)

** to have a good friend who sends you two birthday cards for your birthday.

** to have three kitties who sleep in the garage and are soft and furry and purr, instead of one dog who attacks you every time you go outside.

This is Tabby, our squatter kitty. She just showed up one day and started eating our cats' food. We kept shooing her away until one day we gave up and decided to keep her. She's a very nice kitty.

This is Socks. She's very persnickety. She was rescued as a kitten from the wood pile in back of the Fastrip in a neighboring town. She's a very nice kitty and can catch a June bug in mid air.

This is Nikki. She's our old grandma kitty. She's rather grouchy, but we love her.

** to have five wonderful children

** to have a couple of great books to read!

This and That....

2012-01-25T14:57:00.000-08:00

Today is just one of those scattered days. Nothing much going on. The kids actually got their school work done on time, which was good.
***
I've found a series of great books that I've been buying the kids for history. They're biographies and they're awesome. The series I'm reading from now is called the "Colonial Leaders " series. Since we're in the 1600's now, I'm reading the biography of William Bradford. It's really well written and interesting. The boys have been enjoying it. I got another one, the biography of Jonathan Edwards and am looking at more in this series. The next set is called "Revolutionary War Leaders" and then there's "Famous Figures of the Civil War Era". It's often hard to find good biographies for young children, but I've definitely hit a gold mine here.

********

We've got a climber in the family. None of my other kids were climbers but this one here.... she's a climber.

I'm always having to watch out for where she is or where she's going. She's been loving climbing up on chairs lately, but then she gets stuck (like she is in the picture) and yells until someone gets her down. She was yelling as I snapped the picture, but only for a few seconds. We maintain a strict policy of "no children or animals are harmed in the making of this blog!" lol.
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I had a good birthday dinner last night. We had Mexican food and the kids were very well behaved. One of the other patrons commented on it. That always makes me feel good. Then we went to Baskin Robbins for dessert. I had Snickers Bar icecream. It was delicious! And now, it's seriously back on my diet. I fell off the wagon at Thanksgiving, it ran over me and hasn't been heard from since. And the way my clothes feel is telling the tale of my misdeeds. So, it's time to get serious!

Happy Birthday...

2012-01-24T15:13:00.000-08:00

to me! Yes, it is. Today is my birthday. Ya wanna know how old I am? I'm not telling. Sometimes, I feel a lot younger than I am, mostly because I have children a lot younger than most people my age do. Most of my peers have children in junior high, high school or even college. One gal I went to high school with is actually a grandmother. Yikes. I can't imagine that. But, I did start late getting married and having kids and all. Oh well. So, what am I doing on my birthday. Oh, the usual. Laundry. Cleaning house. Yelling at my kids to get their school work done. You would think, being my birthday and all, they would be nicer to me. Maybe get their work done without being told 40 million times. But, Duh-duh keeps going around saying things like, "It's your birthday, Mom. You're -- years old today." and he keeps saying it. Over and over again. And I'm like, would you just get your school work done and stop reminding me how old I am! Oh, but I have had a few calls with birthday wishes from my mom and my mother-in-law. And my dear friend had us all over for lunch. That was very nice. My favorite birthday party I ever had was when I was in Brazil. See, I've had a winter birthday all my life. I hate winter birthdays. But, in Brazil, being south of the equator and all, January is mid-summer. So, I had a bbq for my birthday. We had these little Brazilian kabobs,that I can't for the life of me remember their names, but they're really good and you eat them with this salsa stuff and this other stuff, I can't really remember what it was. I can see it in my mind.... oh, forget it. But it was really good. You, know, when you get to be my age, and you have five kids, your mind really goes to pot! I can't remember squat anymore. Brazilian food is awesome. Have I mentioned that before? I mean, it really is. OK. So, that was my favorite birthday. And now, this is just a birthday. But, I did tell Hubby that I was not cooking dinner on my birthday, so we're all going out to eat to this little Mexican restaurant in town. We always go there with the family because they serve you chips right away and the kids can just sit and eat those. And the service is fairly quick. Anyhow, so Happy Birthday to me. I'm going to go make myself a cup of coffee.

All Aboard.......

2012-01-23T21:42:00.000-08:00

Ahhh, it's finally quiet. There was some crying. You know, you can tell the cry of a tired child. It just has this distinctive sound. There were a lot of tired children here tonight, because we just got home about half an hour ago after a very long day. It was a very good day. But a very long day. Our homeschool group took our annual field trip up to our state capitol via Amtrak. We didn't leave too awfully early this morning, and had a great ride up there. They give us our own train car, so the kids can basically run amok without disturbing the real passengers. I had a great time on the way up, too, because I got to talk with my homeschool mom friends. We have wonderful people in our homeschool group and it's always a treat to be able to sit and have a lengthy visit with these women. Hubby came too. Actually, there were a lot of dads there, so he got to talk to some dads as well! We got up to Sacramento around noonish and went to the train museum.

The train museum is a really great place. It's huge and has real train cars. We saw the inside of an old Pullman sleeper car and a fancy schmancy dining car. They used to use real china and serve gourmet food. Now they use plastic and serve hamburgers. There was a whole section on model trains, too and we saw on that was so tiny that the whole train set could fit in a brief case. Now that's small. It's a Z scale. I think the thing said it was 1:220. After that we walked around old town a little. The boys played around on some of the train cars parked there and we walked up the riverwalk along the mighty Sacramento River.

Then we had a late lunch/early supper at my favorite Old Town restaurant, Fat City. Actually, it's the only restaurant I know. Back in the day, when I was teaching, we used to go to teacher conventions in Sacramento and we'd always eat at Fat City for dinner. And, I'm the type of person that I don't just go try new restaurants unless they come highly recommended. I know, I know, I'm probably missing out on a lot, but I hate eating bad food. So, we stick with what we know. But, I ordered a burger and Hubby ordered a salad and we shared. The kids all got kids meals and they were happy with that. Then we went to the candy store and the kids spent all their money on candy (Missie Lou got this big ol' spiral lollie-pop thing and the boys got a huge tape of gum!) and when they got back on the train they were all sugar-sick. We pulled into home around 9:00pm and threw everyone in bed. After they brushed, of course.

Yessiree! That's my Hubby!

2012-01-21T19:14:00.000-08:00

OK, Hubby would never tell anyone this because he's a very modest type of guy, but I just felt the need to brag him up a bit! See that machine there on the cover of that magazine. He designed that machine. It's his baby right there. They debuted it at the trade show in Phoenix last fall. No, that's not the trade show that I went to. The one I went to was in Las Vegas. Yeah, that was the one where I sat and ate icecream all day while Rocco the cabana boy massaged my feet. Well, maybe not that last part. But anyhow. The trade show in Phoenix was the one where Hubby went and I stayed home and took care of all five children. Anyhow, it's an awesome lift and "Lift and Access Magazine" (the trade magazine for his industry) really gave it good reviews. So, we're really proud of him over here. He actually took two machines to that show and they both got good reviews. Hubby is pretty smart and he's a really good engineer. So, I just had to share that. Because he probably never would!

A Thought for Today!

2012-01-19T13:39:00.000-08:00

But He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

2Corinthians 12:9-10

An Interesting Conversation and Thoughts that Followed

2012-01-19T11:58:00.000-08:00

"Preach the Gospel at all times. And when necessary, use words."

St. Francis of Assisi

Yesterday Bubba comes in and asks, "Mom, is J going to hell?" (J is a neighbor girl, who does not share our faith). Ok, why couldn't he come up with some easy question? Like, where do babies come from? I'd rather have answered that one any day of the week. I forgot what I said, exactly. Because.... what do you say to a question like that? You just kind of mumble and hope it makes sense. I didn't answer the question directly, but I did admonish him to be kind in how we speak to our friends and that if we truly want to share the Gospel with them, we didn't start things out like, "You're going to hell!" Now, I know that that kind of talk is "typical", I guess, of children. The Bible does say that foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child. I remember some kid saying that to me when I was a child. Children fling insults at each other, using them as weapons against each other. And "you're going to hell" is a big weapon. However, this morning, as I thought about it, I knew I couldn't let it slide. So, I talked to the kids about it in Bible class. I asked them what the best method of sharing our faith was. They came up with "praying, reading the Bible, etc." They had no clue as to what I was talking about. So, we talked about how if you say you love Jesus, but you act unkindly, are they really going to believe that you love Jesus? And then I brought up the incident with J. And basically I told them that they were forbidden to talk to their friends about God unless they were genuinely interested and cared that their friend knew Jesus. Because it occurred to me that what they were doing yesterday, using God as a weapon to hurt their friends was actually in violation of the third commandment. (Deuteronomy 5:11 "'You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.) And I told them that. I'm not sure if what I said sunk in at all. I hope it did. But, whether it did or not, they have been told. And I will continue to pray about it. I am not very good about sharing my faith, I'll admit. I'm not one to sit on an airplane with someone and share the Gospel. But, I've had some (just a few at soccer practice) conversations with J's mother (just normal, mom-to-mom conversations) and would like to build a relationship with her and hopefully.... hopefully be able to share my faith.

How is Your Day?

2012-01-17T14:56:00.000-08:00

I'm not sure if I've ever mentioned this before, but Kevin Henkes is one of my favorite children's authors. He's the creator of Lilly. Anyhow, he also writes books for much younger children and his style (both writing and illustrating) is so different than his Lilly books, but equally as delightful. Anyhow, this afternoon I read his book "A Good Day" to Cee-cee as I was putting her down for a nap and it occurred to me that bad days can turn into good ones so quickly, and sometimes things that make a day bad initially, can be what makes the day good. He starts out like this....

"Little yellow bird lost his favorite tail feather. Little white dog got her leash all tangled up in the fence. Little orange fox couldn't find his mother. And little brown squirrel dropped her nut. BUT THEN....

Little brown squirrel found the biggest nut ever. Little orange fox turned around, and there was his mother. Little white dog worked herself free and ran in circles through the dandelions. And little yellow bird forgot about his feather and flew higher than he ever had before. And there's more... A little girl spotted a perfect yellow feather, picked it up, tucked it behind her ear, and ran to her mother, shouting,

Dumb Writer's Block!

2012-01-17T14:24:00.000-08:00

I hate it when I don't have anything to say. It's just been one of those days. Haven't even had time to think. Thankfully, today isn't nearly as bad as yesterday. Actually, today hasn't been bad at all. It's just been a day. Started out with a little Oswald Chambers. He really makes me think. "To serve God is the deliberate love-gift of a nature that has heard the call of God." Hmm. Now, that's something to chew on!

I've been a bit cold all day. I don't know what that's all about. It's sunny out. It's been sunny out for about 2 months now. We really need the rain. Everything is so dry. My allergies are killing me. I've got vertigo again. I had to get up in the middle of the night to get Baby a drink of water because she was coughing and hacking (because of her allergies - she's only 15 months old and the dr. already has her on Claritin - there is only one person in our family who is not on regular allergy medicine) and I about took a header into the wall because I was so dizzy. I'm going to try some meclizine, as was recommended by the doctor. Hopefully it'll rain this weekend and clear the air.

We got through school without too much mishap. We had the most interesting story in history today. It was about Queen Nzinga from Angola. She lived in West Africa in the late 1500's and her life was pretty much dedicated to fighting the Portuguese as they kept up the slave trade and tried to take over her land. I'd never heard of her, but she was a pretty interesting woman. We've started talking about the slave trade in history now and the thing I really like about world history, and this curriculum, is that it covers slavery as the global problem that it was, rather than just focusing on American slavery, which so much history curriculum does. So, that's been good.

And so, that's what the day's been like. Some of the kids are watching tv right now. This is the time of day they do it. Bubba didn't get his work done on time, so he only gets 1/2 hr. of tv today. Baby's eating chicken nuggets for lunch. Cee-cee's eating yogurt for snack and I'm having a cup of coffee laced with that Toroni's Sugar-Free Vanilla Syrup. When I really want to make it good I put both the Vanilla and Chocolate syrups in. Yumm!

A Bad Day!

2012-01-16T20:38:00.000-08:00

Today was a bad day. I know you have them, too. I'm not complaining. I'm just sayin'. And this morning, during my devotions, I was just telling God that I really had no idea how to do this job that He gave me, raisin' these young'uns and that I really really, just really needed some help. And then.... let's see. What happened today.
1. Two little boys refused to do their school work. They were defiant and disrespectful all morning. I was really at a loss as to what to do with them because they literally laughed at any consequences I threw at them. Yes, they did. Finally, I sent Bubba to his room with his school work and told him he couldn't come out until he was done. He came out at 3:00pm.
2. Cee-cee had a number two accident in her underwear. I had to throw out her underwear. She thought it was pretty funny. I didn't.
3. The little compartment on my dishwasher where you put the rinse aid was completely full of disgusting red moldy gunk. It was very gross. I did get it cleaned out.
4. Baby was fussy all day long.
5. A full bottle of olive oil came tumbling out of my pantry and shattered on my kitchen floor.
6. I was trying to shake a little pepper on some carrots to roast for supper. And the little cap on the pepper can opened and half the pepper came out on my carrots. I had to rinse them and start again.
7. I can't stay on my diet to save my life. I kept eating cookies all day.

So, after supper I hid out in my bedroom with my iPad, but the three girls found me. They hid with me. That's ok. They entertained themselves without anyone getting hurt or making a huge mess. Everyone's in bed now. And quiet. Now, I have to finish doing the dishes. Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day.

Church Potluck. The Menu: Chinese Chicken Salad and a Roast

2012-01-15T19:56:00.000-08:00

I love my church. I might have mentioned that before. Our church has gone through a lot in the past several years. Things that would have crushed and destroyed other churches. But God has plans for our church because we were not destroyed. We held on tight to each other and made it through. Another thing I love about our church is that it has a lot of older people. They just love our family and I think it's really neat that I can be good friends with women 10 or 20 years older than me. One thing that our church does well is have potlucks and today was one of them. Of course, I'd forgotten about it until late last night, but fortunately, I had a Costco Chinese Chicken Salad in the freezer. You know, the kind where you just add lettuce and mix! (We were supposed to bring a main dish, and technically I brought a salad, but we eat it like a main dish, and I never put my name on the bottom of the bowl so no one knows who brought it. Besides, what are they going to do? Kick me out of church because I brought a salad to the potluck and not a main dish?) Those things have saved my life more than once. Like the last time we had a potluck and I didn't realize it until that Sunday morning. I always make sure I have a Costco Chinese Chicken Salad in the freezer. Just in case! So, anyhow today's potluck was in honor of the retirement of our church treasurer. He's a wonderful guy with a dead-pan sense of humor. You ought to hear his Bob Newhart impressions. Priceless. So, we're all eating lunch in the social hall and we actually have someone else at our table besides just our family. If you have a large-ish family with small children you tend to take up most of the table and everyone somehow "misses" those couple of chairs left, so you are never able to eat with anyone else at church potlucks. But today.... today was different. Today Miss T sat at our table. She's a missionary, which would account for her bravery and adventurous spirit. We had a wonderful conversation with her. Thank-you Miss T for sitting with us! After we had all stuffed ourselves silly with ribs and chicken and salads and casseroles (yummy casseroles, not the kind with sliced up hotdogs and macaroni they used to bring when I was a kid) and dinner rolls, they had a roast for Mr. C, our former treasurer (Who had contributed his fair share to roasts of previous members. Our church does enjoy a good roast). It was hilarious and, of course, done in good taste. Most of it I spent in the back of the social hall with Baby who was starting to come unglued due to lack of sleep, but that's ok. I got most of it. After that it was cake and coffee and time to go home. It was a good potluck. Did I happen to mention that I love my church?

Winter Gardening

2012-01-14T20:50:00.001-08:00

Everything that slows us down and forces patience, everything that sets us back into the slow circles of nature, is a help. Gardening is an instrument of grace.

May Sarton

I love winter gardening. "What?" say you! "What's there to do in the garden in the winter. Everything is dead." Well, yes, to one's eye it is dead. But in my mind and in my soul, it's just waiting. And to me there's just something satisfying in taking this.... and turning it into this.... My irises are ready. They're cleaned up and ready to bloom. Here's my hydrangea bush. The leaves are frozen and spent. But look at it now. It's ready. Can't you see it's waiting?It's hard to see (well, you can't see, really, but I saw them when I had my nose in the dirt, practically) but there are little shoots of hostas just resting and waiting, too. In the summer, the hydrangea will be blooming, the hostas will be huge (if I can keep them from being eaten by the snails) and the edge of the fern garden will be a riot of red, pink and orange impatiens. But now is a time to rest. And to prepare. And to wait!

Were we really that lame? (and that poor of spellers?)

2012-01-13T20:06:00.001-08:00

I've been looking through my high school yearbooks. If you want a good laugh, go look through yours. I went to a small private high school, so everyone in my class knew eachother. Oh mercy. Too well, almost. I went to the back pages and looked through the autographs and about bust a gut. Here are some of the best ones (I've copied them verbatim, spelling, grammar, the works.):

Kris - its been pretty fun this year in English too bad we dont have a better teacher. Thanks for helping me out of some cituations. Take it easy and have a good sommer. Love, M

(Actually, M, I don't think it was the teacher. You might have learned how to spell and punctuate better if you would have listened in class. )

To my good friend Chris, its been fun getting to know you better this year and I hope I get to see you this summer stay cool. Love Always SC

(SC, if I were really your good friend, you'd know that my name starts with a K)

Kris- Yep, it's me and I appeciate you being my friend & talking to me. Next year will be mighty don't you think since we is being Juniors and all. I wish you the best of everything and you just have a great time, till the end of time, o.k. Well we'll be seeing you next year. Love, DU

(I think we did have a mighty time when "we is being Juniors and all")

Kris - Hope you have a great summer. About your becoming a plastic surgeon I was just kidding, you'll be great! (I hope) JA

(I wanted to be a plastic surgeon?)

Kris - M and us have to go to V again. But this time I'll take dad's truck & not mom's wussy car! I hope we always stay friends! Love ya, B

(Boy, I remember that time. Oh boy, do I remember that. I also remember B having a lead foot!)

And so it goes. I found out that everyone who signed my yearbook thought I was a "cool girl" and a "good friend" and were "glad they got to know me better this year" or they "wish they could have gotten to know me better this year!" But, that's high school! It was fun! Or as we used to say, "It's been real and it's been fun, but it hasn't been real fun!" (Although I did enjoy my high school years pretty much!)

A Good Book: The Railway Children

2012-01-12T20:30:00.000-08:00

We are reading a really good book right now and I just had to share. It's called "The Railway Children" and it was written by E. (which stands for Edith) Nesbit. (By the way, this book is in no way related to "The Boxcar Children" by Gertrude Chandler Warner. Not even close. )This book was first published in 1906, so it's an oldy, but it's just one of those books that is such a delight to read. Here's the excerpt from the back cover:
Roberta, Peter and Phyllis don't realize how happy their life in London is until their beloved Father goes away unexpectedly. They move to a simple country cottage with Mother, and befriend the local railway porter, who goes by the name of Perks. But even though they have many exciting adventures, the mystery remains: where is Father, and will he ever return?

The story is simple, but beautifully written. Ms. Nesbit uses such rich language and her characters are so real (although they are a little "goody-two-shoes" at times) that the story just draws you in. It's one of those books that after I read a 20 page chapter, Bubba still rolls around on the floor begging me to "read another chapter..... please.....". It's one of those books that you can tell is quality literature. It makes you think. It makes you want to sit up a little straighter when you read it.

Sometimes it just works out!

2012-01-11T15:32:00.000-08:00

Have you ever been in the middle of making something for dinner and you realized you were missing a key ingredient so you substituted something else, but it didn't turn out so good? Well, that didn't happen to me last night. Last night pork sandwiches were on the menu. I had roasted a pork loin on Saturday night with Pappy's seasoning and it turned out very yummy. But, there were left overs. Now, I'm afraid I have to say that I am just not a fan of leftovers, no matter how good the original meal turned out. I have no idea why I'm like this. I just am. Everyone has their things. I also have a problem with feet. I can't stand going bare-footed. Even to bed. I wear socks to bed. In the dead of summer. So, anyhow, I have a few idiosyncrasies. But I digress. So, here I am with leftover pork roast in the fridge and I promised myself a couple months ago that I was going to make a concerted effort to deal constructively with leftovers and not shove them to the back of the fridge and conveniently forget about them for a couple of weeks and then take them out when they're moldy and say, "Oh, rats. Look at that. It's got mold all over it. Can't eat that now!" (this is how I am!) So, I thought, hmmm, I have some homemade bread in the freezer (got that from a sister-in-law at Christmas). I think I'll toast that, then slice the pork, put it on top of the bread, slather gravy over the whole thing and it'll be great. Sounds good, huh? I even made some oven fries to go with it. So, I take the bread out, thaw it and as I'm cutting it I notice, it's cinnamon bread. Cinnamon bread. There's nothing wrong with cinnamon bread.... especially if you're going to toast it for breakfast and eat it with peanut butter. But I just wasn't so sure about cinnamon bread as the foundation for pork sandwiches. But, I had no other bread. So, I just decided to go for it. But I needed to disguise it a little. So, I sliced it, brushed olive oil on it, put salt and pepper and garlic powder on it and then toasted it in the broiler. Then, I put the pork on it and the gravy. And you know what? 4 out of 6 family members thought it was great. It really was. Sure, you could still taste the cinnamon, but I thought it complemented the pork nicely. So, there you go. Sometimes your substitutions end up working out!

Now when I have children....

2012-01-09T14:41:00.000-08:00

"Before I got married I had six theories about bringing up children;
now I have six children and no theories."

John Wilmot, earl of Rochester

I have to admit that before my own home was over run by rugrats, I had a lot of opinions about "other people's children." I remember when my boys were young and before we even got Missie Lou, going over to a friend's house who had more children than I did and thinking, "Good grief, she's got scribble all over the walls. Can't she just keep those pens out of reach of the younger ones? I know I sure would. " And that was one of many judgmental and completely naive thoughts I had while visiting the homes of friends who had more and older children than I did. Because.... honestly how hard can it be to keep inappropriate writing materials out of the hands of young children? Just have your older children put them away. Hah! Chomp. Chomp. Chomp. Do you hear the sound of me eating my humble pie? Because this morning I saw this.... and this..... as a result of this.....in the hands of this.... little sweet thing! And she is a little sweet thing.

"Breakin' Up is Hard to Do!"

2012-01-07T14:36:00.000-08:00

"Don't take your love away from me!

Don't you leave my heart in misery!

If you go, then I'll be blue!

'Cause breakin' up is hard to do!

Come-a, come-a down dooby do down, down,

Come-a, come-a down dooby do down, down!"

(I love the 'come-a, come-as')

(Lyrics by Neil Sedaka, in case you were interested)

You know, there sometimes comes a point in a relationship, where you just have to sit down and ask yourself, "Is this really working? Are we able to give each other what we need? Is it really worth the sleepless nights, the chewed up sprinklers and the trampled on garden?" And you really need to be honest with yourself and if changes need to be made, then changes need to be made. Last summer a little doggie found us (http://www.kristen-thehappygardener.blogspot.com/2011/07/just-passin-through-maam.html). She needed a home and she was pretty cute and nice, so we decided to let her stay. She was a sweet little doggie and we loved her, but she was also a very high maintenance little doggie. The vet said she had some terrier in her and she just had a lot of energy and needed a lot of attention. She barks a lot at night and chews everything and digs in my garden and jumps on you every time you go outside. I know, I know, you say, "She just has bad manners. You need to work with her." And you know, you're right. We probably could have saved the relationship if we would have spent more time with her. But... it just didn't happen. Another thing that she did was bite people. She was a very protective little doggie and she hated strangers. The act that sealed her fate happened the week before Christmas when Missie Lou had a little friend over and Sparky bit her. Drew blood. Not a lot. But she did. Yes, I know. If we would have taken the time to introduce Sparky to E that might not have happened, but.... there's just a lot of "should've, could've, would'ves" in this situation and it all boils down to.... we are not dog people. We don't love dogs enough to be able to put the time in that they need. We love the idea of a dog. We love dogs in movies and in pictures, in television and in books. But not in real life. We are cat people. We have three kitties who do just fine on food and water, sleeping on their cushions in the garage and enjoying a little attention now and then. Yes, I know that cats aren't nearly as affectionate and cooperative as dogs. I couldn't even get a decent picture of Nikki. She just does what she wants. But, it's a relationship that works. And that's what ya gotta go with! And so, Sparky is going to live with my brother and his family. They live in the mountains. They have another dog so Sparky will have a friend. And the thing is... they love dogs. They love animals, period. I think Sparky will be happy there. Although we'll be kind of sad without her.

I Am Superb!

2012-01-06T14:10:00.000-08:00

I really am. What? You don't believe me? Look at what the paper says. It says, "If you get down to one marble, you are superb!"
In a previous post I might have mentioned that I (well, technically, Hubby and I, but why get hung up on technicalities?) got this game for Christmas called Peg Solitaire (although ours uses marbles) and it's addictive, I'm telling you. It really is. Hubby even went so far as to say, "Honey, I think you have a problem!" The object is to clear the board of marbles by using one marble to jump over the adjacent marble. The one that got jumped is removed. As you play, the game board looks like this....and then this....and finally this.... or this...or this!
As you can see, you can easily get to a point where there's no more moves left to make. And then you start again. One night, I sat in front of the tv watched one of my favorite shows and played Peg Solitaire the whole time. I think that was one of the times that Hubby observed I may have a problem. I wonder if there are Peg Solitaire Support Groups! Anyhow, I am proud to announce that last night, I went from being merely fair, often good, occasionally excellent to being "Superb". Unfortunately, I do not photographic proof. Although in this day and age, a picture doesn't always tell the truth. So, you'll just have to take my word for it, which is a good word, I assure you. Even though I do have a problem. With Peg Solitaire.

Women I Admire, part 3: Miss Hunnicutt

2012-01-06T12:28:00.000-08:00

As I've mentioned before, we read a lot of children's literature around here, so many of the women I admire come from those kind of books. One of my favorite books is called, "Miss Hunnicutt's Hat" by Jeff Brumbeau. It's really a delightful book and has a most unusual storyline which shows the development of Miss Hunnicutt from "timid and quiet...." who "usually didn't like to make a fuss and always did what everyone wanted her to do..." to someone quite different at the end.
Here's an excerpt that tells a little about Miss Hunnicutt and what caused her transformation...
"But today, the day the Queen was to pass by, she decided to put her foot down. Well, hopefully. Miss Hunnicutt was going to do her shopping and wear her new hat from Paris, even if it was a little different..... It looked quite like the hats the other ladies of the town wore. It had blue felt and green and yellow ribbons, and great big feathers all about. What was different was that this hat had chicken feathers. And the feathers were still stuck to the chicken who was happily clucking away on Miss Hunnicutt's head."
Now, throughout the book Miss Hunnicutt meets with much opposition to her choice in millinery, and each time she holds her head up a little higher and is a little bolder in her assertion that, "I have the right to wear what I like! And I won't wear a flounder and I won't wear an orangutan! But I will wear a chicken and I will wear it on my head!" By the end of the book, Miss Hunnicutt is no longer timid and quiet, but through her calm and rational assertiveness, has won the respect of her community and even the Queen herself.

I'm Learning to Listen!

2012-01-05T14:29:00.001-08:00

This morning was a difficult morning. Missie Lou was frustrated with school as was Duh-duh. I was frustrated with them as well, and ended up sending Missie Lou to her room. But then, as the emotion wore off a little, I started to wonder if there was more to Missie Lou's little tirade than just rebellion or disobedience or just "I don't want to do school!" So, I went in and talked to her. She was pouting and I sat on her bed and patted the place beside me and said, "Sit by me!" It took her a while, but I didn't ask her again. I just waited and eventually, she came, though with her back toward me and arms crossed. I asked her if there was anything on her mind. Yeah, she's only five years old, but I'm discovering that this little girl is rather complex and things tend to bother her. I'm learning that I need to probe and listen to my children's hearts, not just to what their actions seem to be telling me. Once again, it took her a while, but she eventually told me that the neighbor girls had told her that I loved the babies more than I loved her. Now, this had come up before, some time ago, and I'm not sure if the girls were continuing to say this, or if Missie Lou was still hanging on to it from way back then. It doesn't matter really, since she's still dealing with it. So, I began telling her all about the day we met her, there in the hospital. She had that head full of dark hair and dark eyes and we just fell in love with her. She was our gift from God. And we chose the prettiest name we knew to give her. She listened and asked questions. Soon, she was in my lap with her head on my chest and her arms around me. It made me angry to think that my daughter was believing the lies of the neighbors instead of believing in our love for her, but I just had to think myself of how often I believed the lies of the Enemy, doubting God's love for me. I'm not sure how many more times I'm going to have to reassure her of our love for her, but I'll do it as often as I have to.

Isaiah 43:4-5 "Because you are precious in my eyes, and honored, and I love you... Fear not, for I am with you;"

Women I Admire, part 2: Abigail (from Scripture)

2012-01-05T14:07:00.000-08:00

Another woman I greatly admire is real enough, but she lived a couple thousand years ago. Her name was Abigail, wife of Nabal and her story can be found in the book of I Samuel, chapter 25 from the Bible. She was married to a man of great wealth (though extremely poor character) named Nabal (who's name means 'worthless fellow'). Anyhow, the story happens before David became king and he was on the lam. He and his army approached Nabal and asked for succor, but Nabal refused and instead insulted him. Understandably, David was furious and was ready to kill him. Scripture describes Abigail as beautiful and discerning and when her servants told her what had happened and also that David and his men had been nothing but kind and helpful to them, she acted quickly and bravely. She assembled quite a large donation and herself went to meet David. She humbly took the blame (instead of blaming her husband, whose fault it really was) and asked for forgiveness and spoke words of wisdom to David that it would probably not be a good idea to kill Nabal out of revenge. David recognized her courage and her wisdom and relented, accepted the gift, and, after Nabal soon thereafter dropped dead (literally), married Abigail.

I think this woman is so extraordinary. The Bible describes her as both beautiful and wise, but I also see her as quick thinking, extremely bold, and calm in the face of great crisis. A lot of people might criticize her for taking the blame for what her husband did, but I think what she did was the right thing to do and God took care of her husband for her. God seems to do that a lot.

2012-01-04T14:49:00.000-08:00

This was in the teacher's notes in our Bible Curriculum this morning. I've been pondering it today. Perhaps it will speak to you as well.
"God always hears our prayers, but God does not always give us exactly what we want. Just like Eve, sometimes we want something that God has forbidden or that for some reason He does not think is best for us. We believe we must have this in order to be happy. Sometimes we want this more than we want to please God. When this happens our desire has become an idol. If God always gave us everything we wanted just because we asked for it, then God would be encouraging us to be selfish. He would no longer be God, but simply a vehicle through which we get our desires met. Sometimes God does not give us what we want because He wants us to trust and obey Him even when we don't get what we want. However, we can be certain of this: God only does good to us. If God does not give us what we want, we can be sure that we do not need it to be content because God gives us what we need in every situation."
From "God's Great Covenant: A Bible Course for Children". Published by Classical Academic Press.

Women I Admire, part 1: Lilly

2012-01-04T11:17:00.000-08:00

Everyone has someone, or multiple someones they admire. Most of the time we admire people because they have some quality or qualities that we are lacking. Since I read a lot of children's books, a lot of the (fictional) people I admire are characters in children's books, but just because they're in children's literature, doesn't mean they are less admirable. One fictional character I have admired for a long time is Lilly. She's one of the characters in Kevin Henkes books. (I know, I've posted about her before, but I really really like her) And she is something. Listen to a description of her from the book "Chester's Way" by Kevin Henkes. "Lilly had her own way of doing things... She wore band-aids all over her arms and legs, to look brave. She talked backwards to herself sometimes, so no one would know what she was saying. And she never left the house without one of her nifty disguises. Lilly waved at all the cars that passed by, even if she didn't know who was in them. And she always carried a loaded squirt gun in her back pocket. Just in case."

Don't you just love her? She had her own way of doing things. She had her own style.I admire that in people. She wasn't afraid to let who she was shine through, and didn't define herself by the expectations of others. Lilly is definitely someone I admire.

Veni, vidi, vici - I came, I saw, I conquered (Julius Caeser)

2012-01-03T14:53:00.000-08:00

I remember it as clear as day. As plain as the nose on my face. The day I decided to homeschool and how my educational philosophy for homeschooling came about. I was visiting my girlfriend L and she was telling me about how she was pulling her daughter out of kindergarten and was going to homeschool her. Now, when I was growing up, homeschooling was synonymous with "geek"! Really. Because the only people I knew who were homeschooled were pretty geeky. Anyhow, L was pretty frustrated with the system and knew she could do a better job herself, so that was that. S was going to be homeschooled. And then L showed me this book. I read the first couple paragraphs standing there in her living room and then went and bought it myself. And the rest is history. We became a Classical Homeschooling Family. Well, I guess technically, they call us Neo-Classical, but whatever. Anyhow, part of a good Classical education is learning Latin and this year Bubba started learning Latin. I started him on this curriculum, which is DVD based because I didn't know a stitch of Latin and knew I couldn't teach it. But, I decided I wanted to learn it, too, so when Bubba does Latin, Mommy does Latin, too. But, what is the point of learning Latin? I mean, we're in the 21st century for goodness sake. Rome fell in 476 AD when the last Roman emperor fell to the barbarians. But, there are 21st century reasons to learn Latin. One of them is.... it trains the mind to think. A Classical education isn't just the acquisition of knowledge, but rather a training of the mind. Remember when you were taking algebra and you kept asking your teacher and your parents and anyone else who would listen, "Why do I have to learn this? How is this going to help me in the real world?" And nobody had a real good answer? Remember that? Well, I may not do algebraic equations on a daily basis (or even on a yearly basis, for that matter) but learning algebra (and I cannot believe I'm saying this because I hated math) trains the mind, which is something that is useful and essential in the real world. If you don't have a mind that is trained to think, reason and understand then you become just one of the mindless dolts that believe everything that is said because they don't have the capability to think logically and rationally. So, all that to say, Latin helps train the mind. Now, that is a high and lofty aspiration and it's something that happens over time. However, there is another reason to learn Latin, which does help answer that question, "How will this help me in the real world?". That reason is that it really helps you understand English. When I was in high school (can you find me in this picture?) we had an English teacher who taught us prefixes, suffixes and root words (all Latin, though I didn't know it) all year long. We hated it. (Here's another picture, can you find me?) But, I did remember a lot of them over the years and they do help a lot. When you see a word and remember that the prefix "sub" means "under" you can figure out what a word means. Or at least mostly what it means. Today, in Bubba's Latin lesson we learned all these Latin prepositions "inter" which means "between (think interrupt), "sub" which means "under" (think subway), "ex" which means "out of" (think exit). That kind of got me excited because... really, training a child's mind is good and important, but they don't really care about that at this point in their education. They do get excited when they can figure out what a word means because they know it's a Latin derivative.

Not Bad for a Monday!

2012-01-02T15:00:00.001-08:00

I know a lot of people have today off for New Years, but today we went back to work. All of us. Hubby's company took New Year's holiday on Friday, so he went back to work today and I just decided that we needed to start school back up again. It's been a good time off, but there can be too much of a good thing. So, we did school. Not without a lot of weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth, to be sure. Bubba was beside himself, arguing every single point. For example, today in Bible, we studied Genesis chapter 3, when Adam and Eve sinned. We talked about the two special trees - The Tree of Life and the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. And then, Bubba started insisting that there were three special trees. I honestly have not a clue as to where he would get such a hare-brained idea as that, but he was insistent. Finally, I just said, "You show me in the Bible where it says that and I'll believe you." He didn't have an answer to that. But, we made it through Bible, and Spelling and Grammar (direct objects for Bubba, pronouns for Duh-duh), Writing, Math, History (we were in Japan today), Reading and Literature (I'm reading aloud "The Railway Children" by E. Nesbit. Great book!) and by then it was almost 3:00, so I made Bubba promise me he'd do two Latin lessons tomorrow without complaining and then let them go. I was worn out. The neighbor kids are still on holiday today, so they're all outside. The weather is very mild for December. It's almost 70 degrees. I've got dinner in the crock pot. Senate Bean Soup from Betty Crocker. I love this soup. It's easy to make and tasty. I'll make a pan of cornbread and a good salad and cut up some tangerines and it'll be a good dinner. My mother-in-law was over today, and bless her heart, played a hundred and one games of Memory with the little ones. So, even though it's a Monday.... an after vacation Monday.... I would say it's been a pretty good day!

New Year's Traditions!

2012-01-01T19:36:00.000-08:00

What do you think of when you hear the word, "New Year's Cookie"? If you're a Mennonite, you think of a yummy, deep-fried raisin fritter coated with sugar. Oh yeah. That's what I'm talking about! And tonight, being New Year's Day, we went to my mom and dad's house for faspa (that's low German for "light meal") and New Year's Cookies. New Year's Cookies are fairly easy to make. And I can say that as I sat in the rocking chair and watched my mom make them. But, you just make a yeast batter with raisins in them and them drop them by spoonfuls into hot oil and cook till they're golden brown. When they're done cooking, you roll them in sugar and let them cool a tad bit.See these smiles? That's what eating New Year's Cookies will do to you.And you know what the best thing about New Year's Cookies are? You have to eat them all as soon as they are made. Seriously. They do not keep. Once they cool off they get kind of soggy and gross. So, how ever many you make, you have to eat them right then.Yeah, it's tough to have to sit there by a bowl of all that sugary deep-fried yumminess and eat to your heart's content, but... it's gotta be done.

High Tech vs. Low Tech: A Tale of Two Christmas Presents

2011-12-31T16:28:00.000-08:00

We (as in Hubby and I) got two interesting Christmas presents this year. As opposed to all the uninteresting gifts we got. Actually, I love all the presents I received (kitchen knives, a gift card to Chicos, very soft jammies, lots of sweets), but two of the gifts we received have been keeping us quite occupied this past week and they are as different from each other as can be.The first gift is one that we bought ourselves (or each other, if you prefer). I hate shopping for Hubby. He's hard to shop for and you can only buy him so many pull-over sweaters. He doesn't really like shopping for me either, so this year we decided to buy ourselves (or each other) an iPad. It is a really cool gadget and I have had more fun goofing around on it. Though the novice that I am (and as technologically apathetic as I am), I'm sure I haven't even touched the tip of the iceberg of what this bad boy can do.But then, strangely enough, the other gift that has captured our attention is this little guy. It's a game called Peg Solitaire, though we use marbles instead of pegs. My uncle, the painter, made it for us. It's a very simple game, dating back to the 17th century and it's actually a puzzle. You have to, by jumping over adjacent marbles and then removing them from the board, clear the board down to only one marble and that one has to be in the center of the board. My personal best has been two marbles left. This is an addictive little game. But what has really amused me is the contrast between these two gifts. You have the iPad and while it's not the pinnacle of technology, it's up there. It's a costly gift, too. It's a product of the 21st century. Then, you have Peg Solitaire. Technologically speaking it's.... it's.... it's a board with holes bored into it and a bunch of marbles. It probably cost my uncle some time and a buck for the marbles. I'm sure he had the wood on hand. And yet... it is right up there in competition with our iPad, maybe even more demanding of our attention, because it requires some thought and some brain power. It's not simply an object of amusement and entertainment. I love this little game, and I love the contrast it makes - so humble, so simple and modest, yet in my life it's been powerful. I'll stop what I'm doing when I spot it and play a game.... which turns into a few games and then... well, you get the picture. Just goes to show you, it's not always the biggest and the flashiest that are the best!

Looking Ahead!

2011-12-30T20:02:00.000-08:00

Christmas is over. We packed it up and shipped it off to the attic to spend another year with the bugs and dust. That sounds horrible, doesn't it? Well, it is neatly packaged in boxes. We took the tree down and packed up the Dickens Village. I listened to my Christmas CDs one last time last night (My favorite being "The Joy of Christmas" with Leonard Bernstein, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and the New York Philharmonic. Can't get much better than that!)and put them away for another year. Of the two holidays that make up the "Holiday Season" I definitely prefer New Years. Whereas Christmas is a "doing holiday" for me, cooking, baking, shopping, wrapping, gifting, decorating, New Years is a "thinking holiday". I tend to get contemplative at New Years. Like the Roman god Janus, from which January gets its name, I like to look forward at the future and backward at the past at this time of the year. Since I don't have to be doing all sorts of things, I have time to think about the things that happened during the year - both good and bad. It's a good time to sort through things and just remember. And I also like to wonder about what might happen in the coming year. New Year's Eve is a great jumping off point. I'm not a big one to make resolutions because I never keep them. Well, I did one year. I resolved to write down the birthdays of everyone in our family (parents and sibs) and send them a birthday card. And that year I did. Every one of them. I've tried to do it every year since and I haven't done a very good job. I maybe do half. So, anyhow, I just don't do resolutions. I do try to take stock of my life, though. I try to carve out some time for myself and think about things, where I am and where I want to be. I read Scripture and pray and try to prepare myself for the year to come. So, that's on the agenda for tomorrow. We don't do any great New Year's celebrations. We go to bed at the normal time, waking at mid-night when our neighbor's fireworks go off, wish each other a "Happy New Year" and that's about the extent of it. More of what goes on for my New Year goes on inside myself and I like it that way.

This Place is a Zoo!

2011-12-29T16:08:00.000-08:00

I am a bit chilled right now. So, I'm having a cup of coffee. There's nothing that can warm you up really good on the inside like a good cup of coffee. Which is why I have one often. Why am I chilled? Well, we spent a good part of the afternoon at the zoo, and although it was a nice and sunny day, it's still December, for cryin' out loud. The large city that is about a 45 minute drive from our fair burgh has a very nice zoo. It's been around a long time.

I remember as a kindergardener going on a field trip to that zoo. We had our little lion name badges around our necks and we were in groups of 4 or 5 with our chaperone and we saw Nosy the Elephant and the hippos swimming in their swimming pool. Well Nosy has since died, though she lived to a ripe old age and they don't have hippos anymore, but they have done a bang-up job improving the zoo since I was a kid. The kids love the zoo. They have a very nice reptile house and a rainforest jungle, too. They even have a sting-ray exhibit, but since I had to practically force the kids to put their hands in the water last time (You're gonna touch those stinkin' sting-rays if I have to throw you in the water. I didn't pay a dollar each for you all to just sit there and stare at 'em!) we skipped Sting-Ray Bay! But, we did see the cappybara exhibit, which we always love because we love love love the book "Cappyboppy" by Bill Peet in which he recounts the adventurous time in their lives when their son had a cappybara as a pet. It was a relationship that ended with them putting the cappybara in the zoo, but it was a very entertaining book. Here's the sealion tank. The zoo is in the process of building a very nice seal and sea lion exhibit. So all my kids don't have to crowd around the same window to see the animals. Of course, it doesn't matter that there are a whole bunch of windows all around the exhibit. They all have to be at the same window. You know, the social worker, when she was here visiting the girls recently, made the observation that, "your kids all like to be in the place doing the same things, don't they?" I said, "Yes, as a matter of fact, they do!" and thought that we might have a lot less conflict if they were a little less that way.We saw the kangaroos, which were pretty neat and boingie. I love watching those things hop around.And of course Missie Lou got hold of my camera and had to do the obligatory "picture-of-herself". You see that tooth? It's just about ready to come out. She's been losing teeth right and left lately. We saw the giraffes and the elephants and commented on the size of the elephant's poop. Don't worry, I didn't get a picture of that. So, we stayed for a couple of hours, saw what we needed to see and came home.

Three out of five children fell asleep on the way home,and all would agree that we had a great day!

That Weird Week!

2011-12-27T20:40:00.000-08:00

Yes, it's that weird week. The week between andIt's kind of a down week. Nothing much going on here this year. Last year we were here....and we had a good time! That's for sure. Well, the second day we had a good time. The first day it was so crowded they locked the gates and wouldn't let anyone else in. Anyhow, we're staying home this year. Hubby has the week off - combination of vacation and holidays. Yesterday we cleaned up the mess that Christmas left. We came home from my parents' house on Christmas night and everywhere, I'm telling you everywhere I looked there was mess. We even had to pick a path to our bed and unpile that, too. It was a disgrace. Things are much better today and I'm glad the garbage men are coming tomorrow. This morning we went to my parents' house for breakfast. My brother and his family were still there (they hail from the northern part of the Golden State). I made this tasty dish.It's from one of my favorite cooking magazines. It's very yummy. And rich.We got home and Hubby helped the boys put together their Christmas present. Yes, they got a fooz-ball table. It became a real father/son project. And nobody got hurt. That was the amazing part. This is what Hubby and I got for Christmas. Well, technically, we both got it, but I'm sure you can guess who's used up most of the battery.
The kids have even gotten in to it. Here's Duh-duh peeking over Hubby's shoulder, when he's supposed to be in time-out. Hey, how'd he manage that?

A Visit From St. Nick, Part 2: The Aftermath

2011-12-26T13:09:00.000-08:00

'Twas the day after Christmas,

When all through our home,

The papers and the boxes

were still where they were thrown.

On a bright Christmas morn

All frosty and white!

Five children opening presents,

Oh my, what a sight!

There were scooters and footballs,

Pink back-packs and more

Books, legos and puzzles,

Looks like someone bought out the store!

Treats piled up in the kitchen,

Yummy cookies and bars,

Rich fudge and colorful candy canes,

Brought from friends near and far!

Two days of festivities,

Spending time with loved ones!

A wonderful Christmas,

But now we can say that we're done!

Dad brought out the trash bags and filled up the bin,

With wrapping paper and ribbons and boxes,

And then...

We looked all around,

Order was restored!

And with all the new presents,

This week the kids won't be bored!

2011-12-23T14:45:00.001-08:00

"Faith that is sure of itself is not faith; faith that is sure of God is the only faith there is."
Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest

Naptime!

2011-12-23T14:34:00.000-08:00

Why is it that when you're a kid and you actually need a nap, you hate them. But when you're an adult, you crave them? They're an absolute luxury. My kids fall into two categories of nappers - three of them take/took really good naps. Baby is 14 months old and takes two good naps a day. Bubba regularly slept in the afternoon until he was about 5-6 years old. Missie Lou would still fall asleep on a regular basis if I made her lay down. Sometimes she naps on my lap during read-aloud time. So, those three were the good nappers. Then, I have two bad nappers. Duh-duh gave up naps when he was two years old. I still made the kids have a rest time each afternoon all the way up till last March. Then I started looking after a little girl a few afternoons a week and we gave up rest time. But, unless he was sick or extremely tired, Duh-duh would just look at books or play during rest time. He would not sleep. My other non-napper is Cee-cee. She's two as well. She actually falls asleep maybe 2-3 days a week. The good thing is, though, she can make it through to bed time without any major melt-downs. So, today nap time comes around and I put her down and then left to go shopping. (Don't worry, Hubby is home today. His company gets Christmas Eve and Christmas Day off, and since both fall on a weekend, today is his holiday for Christmas Eve). I came back and hadn't heard from her, but it was about time for her to get up so I went into her room to tell her she could get up. I looked at her bed. No Cee-cee. I looked in the closet. No Cee-cee. I looked in Missy Lou's bed, she wasn't there either. I'm thinking, where could this kid have gotten off to? But, before the panic could set in, I heard snoring coming from the pile of blankets in the corner of her bed. I looked a little closer and could see just a little hair peeking out. I breathed a sigh of relief. I guess today's going to be a napping day for her.

Check, check annnnnd check!

2011-12-22T13:27:00.000-08:00

Well, things are getting done around here. I hate it when Christmas gets to be just one big check-off list, but that's the way it is sometimes. I got the last of the truffles coated and I packaged them upand sent them off with my little elves. I've been working on baking bread, too. When Hubby's family gets together, the adults don't exchange gifts. When I joined the family we would draw names and everyone would get a gift, but somewhere along the line we stopped that. Only the kids draw names now. The adults all give homemade gifts. It's a great idea and much less expensive. One year my sister-in-law made mini-bundt cakes and we each got three different kinds. They were awesome. I always give zwiebach (because I can do that easily and quickly and my zwiebachs are pretty good, actually) and a little jar of my aunt's jam. I've made a couple dozen already (well, more than that, but a lot of them didn't turn out right. Some of them the top fell off during the baking.) and this afternoon I'll try to make another batch. The house is a mess, so I need to get to that, too. Lots to do, but I am determined to not let myself get so overwhelmed with the things I have to do that I don't enjoy the time we spend with family this year.

Too Much Stuff!

2011-12-21T13:33:00.000-08:00

We have too much stuff. Part of it harkens back to my "Depression Era Sensibilities". And I was born 30 years after the Depression. But I still think that way. "Oh, don't throw away that bit of yarn. You never know when you'll need it." "Those toys are still good. The kids play with them.... once a year.... don't throw them away." I can't blame the kids for all the stuff we collect, but they are definitely part of the problem. So, today I went in the boys' room and collected all the Duplos and put them in a box to give away. I threw away a bunch of broken trucks and collected a bag of stuffed animals (Most of which were given to us by the neighbor girls a couple of weeks ago who were told to clean out their closet. Thank you very much!) to give away as well. I tried to pick the animals that were the plainest and least obvious that are missing. I also collected a couple bags of just trash. I don't know how we collect this much junk but I know it's not good for us and I'm dreading Christmas because I know they're just going to get a lot more stuff. It's already started and it's already starting to turn the kids into little monsters. The more stuff they get the more selfish they become. Yesterday someone brought over some gifts (long story) but they were unwrapped, so the kids each got something right away instead of having to wait for Christmas. They weren't big and fancy toys, but I could see that ugly look in their eyes appear and they refused to share. This morning I told them they needed to share with each other and they fought about how they would share. Finally, I just took the toys away from them. I feel bad and I certainly don't want to seem ungrateful, because I am grateful and I appreciate the sentiment behind the giving but.... it seems like our kids get a lot of things for Christmas from a lot of different people and it's been very difficult to combat the greed and selfishness that has been rising up in their little hearts. I'm not sure what to do about it. I'm certainly trying to get rid of the stuff we already have, just to cut down on the physical clutter, but I'm having trouble combatting the heart clutter that comes from getting too much stuff. I guess I should probably do stuff like, have them make their own gifts to give, but I'm not quite sure how to go about that. Probably should have started something like that in November. Not 4 days before Christmas. I wish we could get involved in some ministry with poverty so the kids could see what real poverty looks like. But, I'm not sure where to start with that either. Anyhow, just some things I've been struggling with this Christmas time. It's a season for giving and my kids think it's the season for getting!

You do the Math!

2011-12-20T13:52:00.001-08:00

What do you get when you add this and this and this and multiply it by a good bit of selfishness? You get this!
Oh yeah. This is what happened when I was making dinner last night. They were both tugging, one let go and the other got smacked in the face and lost half his front tooth. A permanent tooth, I might add. I called the dentist, but they had gone home for the evening. I kind of figured they had, since it was after 5:00, but I could only hope. I left a message and they called me first thing in the morning and we were able to get in at 11:50 today.I had no idea what they were going to have to do, but it was a fairly straightforward procedure. They deadened his gums (I had to look away. I just can't take looking at medical procedures of any kind. I am so squeamish.) and then the dentist just built up his tooth with filling material. We were in there about 40 minutes, that's all. The dentist said it was fortunate that he didn't break if off any higher or it would have hit the nerve and he would have had to have a root canal. That's all we need for Christmas is a root canal in an 8 year old. It looks pretty good, too. He's just going to have to be careful about biting in to hard things because it can break off. So, that was my excitement for the day.

Another Holiday Tradition

2011-12-19T14:43:00.001-08:00

What's crunchy and spicy and completely addictive? Why, my peppernuts, of course. I'm making peppernuts today. What? You've never heard of peppernuts? Well, they're a traditional Mennonite Christmas cookie and, I might add, that even if you say you've had peppernuts before, you really don't know all there is to know about peppernuts, because there are as many recipes for peppernuts are there are Mennonite grandmas. Some peppernuts are soft and some are crunchy. Mine are crunchy. Some actually do have pepper in them, mine don't. Some have nuts in them. Mine don't. I made my grandma's recipe once. They're the soft kind and they have candied fruit in them. My recipe doesn't. I don't really remember where I got my recipe, but obviously it's not my grandma's recipe. Don't tell anyone, but I like my recipe better than my grandma's. Shhh! Here's my recipe.
Peppernuts
3 Cups sugar
1 C margarine (I use 1/2 c butter, 1/2 c Crisco)
1 egg
1 1/2 c dark Karo syrup
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp each: star anise, cinnamon, allspice, cloves, cardamon
6 c flour
Mix all the ingredients. It makes a very very stiff dough. You chill it for a while and then roll the dough out into little snakes. Cut it. Put it on a cookie sheet (lined with parchment paper to keep them from sticking)and cook for 11 minutes at 350 degrees. They turn out like this. Although sometimes they do turn out a little weird. But they are still good. Even if they look weird. They make a yummy little cookie that you just keep eating and eating and eating. And you just can't stop. They're really good with coffee. Or tea. Or just plain. They're good eating by yourself. Or with a friend. So, make some peppernuts this Christmas. They're a great holiday tradition.

The Greatest Christmas Pageant Ever

2011-12-18T14:25:00.000-08:00

Today at church a lady came up to me and told me how amazed she was that we made it to church on time with five children all nicely dressed and ready for Sunday School. I kind of had to chuckle because I may give the impression once a week that I have it all together, but I definitely don't feel like it. Ever. Anyhow, today was the day of the Children's Christmas Program and it went well. I wish I had pictures to show you, but I forgot my camera at home. And even if I would have brought it, the way the morning went, I wouldn't have been able to take pictures anyhow. It all started last night when my buddy and Sunday School teaching partner D called and said she'd been in a bad car accident and wouldn't make it to church today, so could I please take her place and help with the Christmas program. Well, of course I said "yes". What do you think I'd say, "Oh, no. I'm sorry. I know you're in horrible pain, were knocked unconscious and all that, but... I'd rather just sit and watch the program." So, I got to church and did what I could to help out. And then I realized that I had already told N the nursery coordinator that I'd take her place in the nursery since she wasn't going to be there today. It wasn't a big deal because my girls are the only ones in the nursery on a regular basis anyway. I figured I'd just keep them with me in the service. Well, the older kids rehearsed during Sunday School and then came church time and Baby was already getting a little tired. We were sitting up near the front and she just started falling apart shortly after the service started. Well, so much for that. I got up and left and as soon as I started walking up the aisle Cee-cee started freaking out and Hubby was right on my tail walking out of church. We got to the nursery and I settled myself in to missing the program when my dear friend B came rushing in and said, "Why are you in here? You're going to miss the program. Just take the girls into the narthex and open the drapes (there's windows between the narthex and the sanctuary, but the drapes are usually closed) and they can run around back there and no one will hear them, but you can watch the program." I about kissed her. So, that's just what I did. It was a little hard to hear, but since I'd sat in on the rehearsal it wasn't that crucial to hear it all. The kids all had readings and Duh-duh, while he reads well, was nervous and was very very quiet. The songs were well done, except that Cee-cee was supposed to join them for "Away in a Manger" and I was in the back with her, instead of sitting up in front where the director assumed we'd be. When the song came, the director turned to look for her to come up on stage, but didn't see her and started the song, which was good. I was back there thinking, "I know I should probably take her up there so she can sing (we'd been practicing the song and the motions with her all week) but I just can't. It's just not going to happen." And it didn't happen. Which was fine. She's only two years old. It's not going to scar her for life.

It's About Old Friends!

2011-12-16T22:31:00.000-08:00

When we first started this whole adoption gig we had to take a class. It was called Adopt-Pride. I don't know why they named it that. Anyhow, in order to adopt through foster care you had to take these classes and they taught you all sorts of things like how to be a good parent, not to spank your kids and the ins and outs of the child welfare system. The classes were not all that interesting, although we had a good teacher and we all really liked her and gave her a hard time, which she took with good grace because she liked us, too. Anyhow, we all kind of bonded together and even after the classes were over we all got together for potlucks. The first time we got together everyone was there. And none of us had kids. It was a nice quiet gathering, we all sat around the table and talked and laughed and had a wonderful time. That was in the summertime. By Christmas, several families had dropped out for one reason or another and we all had kids. Then, it wasn't a nice, quiet gathering. It was a nice gathering, but it was rather chaotic and fun in its own way. Over the years our monthly gatherings have dwindled - life with kids gets really busy. You've got sports, piano lessons, church activities and whatever else you're involved in. But three of us couples have refused to let our friendship die, no matter how difficult it may be to get together. And no matter how busy we are, we do try to get together at Christmas, hire babysitters and go out to dinner. We did that tonight. It was a wonderful evening. We had Indian food. It was delicious, although I'm not sure I could order the same meal again. Actually, we had the waitress order for us. I'd say, "Now, what would you recommend?" and she'd say, "Well, the blah-blah-blah is very popular," and I'd say, "OK, we'll take one of those. And how about a beef dish?" and she'd say, "Now blah-blah-blah is very good," and I'd say, "That sounds good." I have no idea what we ate, other than it was very spicy and very exotic and very yummy! And we three couples just sat and visited with each other, catching up and renewing our friendship. When you have old friends like that it doesn't take much to get back in the groove. So, it was a good evening. I love these people. It's about old friends!

Heloooooo down there......

2011-12-15T14:20:00.000-08:00

When you have your first child (or in our case, your first two children that you get at the same time) you tend to be very.... very.... shall we say "careful". You are careful about bedtimes and naptimes and the amount of food they eat. You are careful about where they play and what they play with. You obsess about.... poop! Come on, mothers, admit it. You do. And then, as more children come, you lighten up a little. You have to. Your old rules about, "3 year olds go to bed at 7:00, 4 year olds go to bed at 7:30 and 5 year olds go to bed at 8:00" kind of just meld together into "Everyone's in bed by 8:00" when kid #3 comes along. And kid #3 tends to do everything her older brothers do just because she sneaks in there and nobody's really paying attention because she's 5 years old going on 16 anyhow. Well, then when you add two more to the mix, it's now not a matter of when you go to bed but that you go to bed. I've been thinking about this whole thing lately because I've started to potty train Cee-cee, and I've been so busy lately that the poor kid is kind of on her own. With the older kids I'd hold their hand and set them on the potty and read to them until they'd finished their business, but with Cee-cee... I've been just telling her, "OK, honey. Ya gotta poop? Well, just go in there and sit on the potty. I'll be there in a minute." And then I try to remember to go in and help her wipe, poor thing. But, she's figuring it out. And I think it makes a kid more independent when she doesn't have her mother hovering over her helping her do every little thing. I'm seeing that more and more with having a largish family. I can't do everything for everyone, so they're all having to figure out how to do it themselves. And in the long run, that's better for everyone.

Things That Keep You Awake At Night!

2011-12-14T15:57:00.000-08:00

I haven't slept through the night since we got the girls. Baby just won't sleep through the night. When we first got her we indulged her passion for a little nightcap at 1:30am, thinking that "she just needed to get used to her new surroundings!" Well, at 14 months old, she's still waking up. Or, at least she did until last night. You know, you just get used to things, and for a couple months now I just got used to being woken up, stumbling to the kitchen, mixing up her bottle, giving it to her and resuming slumber. But then last night.... all the sudden I woke up at 4:30 in the morning and realized that I hadn't been woken up at 1:30 in the morning and everything was still quiet. In my sleep-induced fogginess-of-mind my first thought was, "She's dead. Oh my word. She's dead." Isn't that a horrible thought? Of course I can't imagine any reason why she'd die in the middle of the night (other than the fact that Monday I took a class on SIDS for my foster care license), but anyhow. So, I jump up, run to the crib and was greeted by the sounds of "snuffle, snuffle, sigh". And I breathed a sigh of relief and went back to bed, happy that for once, my Baby was sleeping through the night and hopefully this would lead to more sleeping through the nights in the future. But, that wasn't the only thing that woke me up last night. This thing woke me up last night, too. I'm telling you, this toy is possessed. See, the way it works is that those doors you see on the front are activated when you put the key in it. Each door is for a different Pooh character and they also have a distinct little melody when the door is opened. Well, something is wrong with the Eeyore door and it goes off without cause in the middle of the night. It is so obnoxious! It's been doing this for some time now, and I have no idea why we keep the book. So, last night at 2:00am it goes off and I stumble into the family room, find the book and in my sleep-induced fogginess-of-mind stick it in the dryer. It's the only place I could think of at the time where I would not hear it. Come morning Hubby was asking me what all the clatter was about in the middle of the night and I told him I was putting the Pooh book in the dryer. He gave me a funny look! Here's hoping that tonight is a better night for sleeping!

Christmas is a time for..... experimentation.

2011-12-13T14:19:00.000-08:00

You know, it's always a good idea to try new things. Keeps your brain working. Staves off Alzheimer's Disease. I also heard drinking coffee helps with Alzheimer's. I think. Lots of coffee. With 1/2 & 1/2 and chocolate syrup. Ahhhh!!!! Anyhow, whatever the case, it's a good idea to try new things. Experiment. A couple days ago I experimented by picking all the buds off my Nancy Reagan rose bush. I brought them inside to see if I could get them to bloom. This is where we're at with that experiment!

My other experiment is of the culinary persuasion. Have you ever heard of cake pops? They're like lollipops, but made of cake, not candy. I had them once at a bbq and they were heavenly. Then, I got this cooking magazine and it had recipes in it for these cake pops and I had to make them. So, that's been my next experiment. I think it's an experiment that's going to add a few pounds to my frame, but.... well, that's what January's for, right? Anyhow, I decided to make the Chocolate caramel pops. Oh my stars, they are delicious. They're pretty easy. Just make chocolate cake, crumble it up in a bowl, stir in a can of Dulce de Leche, form them into balls and then freeze them. I decided to make them into truffles, actually, not cake pops, because I didn't have the lollipop sticks. But they're still good. I dipped them into chocolate candy coating and rolled them in finely chopped cashews. Words cannot describe..... There are a couple others I want to try. If they turn out well, I may give them as gifts. The problem is, I'm never very good at making things like this. I mean, they taste great, but I just lack that artistic talent and fine motor skill necessary to make beautiful baked goods. Mine are always kind of sorry looking. But, we'll see. So, as I said, it's good to experiment with things now and then. Makes life more interesting and sometimes your experiments come out pretty good!

Oh Christmas Tree.... Oh Christmas Tree...

2011-12-11T21:11:00.000-08:00

Tonight we got the tree up. We have an artificial Christmas tree. We've had it for about four or five years now. The first Christmas we had with the boys we got a live Christmas tree from Lowes. We had every intention of keeping it alive and using it the next year. It died about two weeks after Christmas. The next Christmas we went to an actual Christmas tree farm and cut down our own. That was pretty fun. Except that it was kind of muddy out there and Duh-duh kept putting mud in his mouth. So, we didn't do that, again. Plus, the trees were kind of expensive. So, the next year we decided to get an artificial tree. One that was pre-lit. That made it really easy to put up. The kids loved it. Imagine, a tree that comes out of a box! This how big Missie Lou was that year. Wasn't she adorable? Which brings us to this year. This was kind of a difficult year decorating the tree. The kids have been rather wired the past week, so today when we said we were going to decorate the tree... yikes. We had time outs, tantrums, children sitting on couches while Mommy sorted the ornaments, fights breaking out and the classic Mommy-line, "This is supposed to be a fun family time. Not a time when Duh-duh breaks all the ornaments and Mommy yells at him!" Oh mercy! But, we did get the tree decorated. There are some spots where the ornaments overlap each other and other spots that are empty, but we did it. All the way to the angel at the top.

Winter Roses

2011-12-10T13:58:00.000-08:00

It's a gorgeous day out today. The sun is shining, the sky is blue. It's a beautiful winter day here in California. I walked out the the mailbox to get the mail and saw my rose bushes. I've been kind of housebound lately. With little ones, it's just hard to get out. And I certainly can't go out in the backyard because Sparky assaults me every time I set foot outdoors. So, anyhow it's been a while since I've seen the rose bushes and the frost really got them. We've had about a week of hard freezes (for our area, a hard freeze is when it gets below 30 degrees). This is my lovely Nancy Reagan rose. I just love this rose. It's just like its namesake - lovely and elegant.There were a lot of new buds on her and it looks like they just stopped in time. So, I decided to do a little experiment. I thought I'd cut off a handful of buds and bring them in and see if I could get them to bloom. I thought maybe the warmth of the house might encourage them. They don't look like they're too far gone. So, we'll see what happens. If they don't bloom, nothing's lost. But if they do, I'll get to enjoy my Nancy Reagans in December. I never thought that would happen. Next month will be time to prune them and then I give them a good dose of fertilizer/systemic bug control before their big spring bloom and then we wait. But this will be a little treat... if it works!

Oh, and here's a gratuitous picture of my cat Socks. Socks has been having some issues lately. She hasn't been hanging around the house and she certainly hasn't let anyone touch her. But, then, last week, she started sleeping in the garage again. And she's let me pet her. I am not sure what has happened. Maybe she went to kitty therapy or something. But, it's nice to have her back.

This is a hard job!

2011-12-09T14:12:00.000-08:00

I'm not complaining. I'm sitting here with tears in my eyes because I'm tired of battling this child. He's not a bad kid. Really. He's not malicious. He's not angry. He's a boy with a lot of energy. But he's also a boy who needs a lot of work. And a lot of maturity. He's a boy who complained loudly about lunch today, when it was a good lunch and I worked hard to prepare it - homemade bread, meat and cheese, apples. So, he didn't get much of it. And he's not going to get a snack this afternoon. "Because when your tummy rumbles this afternoon, I want you to think about being grateful for what you have and not be disrespectful to your mother." He'll live without an afternoon snack. He thinks he won't. He's a boy who was kicking the soccer ball and broke one of my clay pots. And didn't tell me. His brother told me. And when I asked him about it, he didn't apologize. He just looked at me and got upset because I told him I didn't want him kicking the soccer ball in the direction of the house anymore. I tell God every morning that I don't know how to do this job. I keep failing at it. I get angry. I get tired. I don't know what to do. And then, this week this Psalm has gotten hold of me. Psalm 18.

Psalm 18:29-37 "For by you I can run against a troop, and by my God I can leap over a wall. This God--his way is perfect; the word of the LORD proves true; he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him. For who is God, but the LORD? And who is a rock, except our God?-- the God who equipped me with strength and made my way blameless. He made my feet like the feet of a deer and set me secure on the heights. He trains my hands for war, so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze. You have given me the shield of your salvation, and your right hand supported me, and your gentleness made me great. You gave a wide place for my steps under me, and my feet did not slip. I pursued my enemies and overtook them, and did not turn back till they were consumed."

And so this week I have been just reading this passage over and over again, wondering what God has been trying to tell me (it's about war afterall, so what has this to do with me, other than the fact that I feel like I'm battling my kid, but I don't think that's it). And then, yesterday I realized that the author of this Psalm is a soldier/King. He's praising God for helping him and training him to be what God called him to be. So, I'm taking that Psalm as my own, as a mother, not a soldier. And I'm asking God to train me and equip me for the job He's called me to do. I love how David concludes this, "I pursued my enemies and overtook them...." He had victory. So, I'm trusting that God will give me victory as a mother.

Oh my poor soft heart!

2011-12-08T14:05:00.000-08:00

You know, being a softy can really have its disadvantages. And we are finding out exactly how disadvantageous it is right now. It all started this summer when our dog Sparky found us. The kids and I were having a peaceful summer morning, when all of the sudden one of the kids said, "Mom, there's a dog in the backyard." And I said, "No, there's not!" (It is not very easy for animals to get in our backyard. It's fenced in with gates. So, unless you're a bird, or an insect or maybe a cat, you cannot get in our backyard) And he said, "Yes, Mom, there's a dog in the backyard." And I looked and there she was.
She was dirty and her fur was all matted. She looked pretty bad off and I told the kids to stay away from her. But, as the morning wore on, she seemed pretty nice and the kids were fascinated by her, so we made friends and found out she was a rather nice little dog. As time went by I cut off the mats, gave her a bath, took her to the vet and we ended up with a dog. And as time went by she showed us how she can chew up things like sprinkler heads and bbq implements and everything else she can get her grubby little paws on. She barks at everything, although she's not quite as bad as she was a couple months ago. She hates strangers and is very protective of us. She's also very disobedient and untrained and jumps on you every time you go out, and unfortunately we don't have time to work with her. But, she's also very cute and actually she's a very sweet dog. So, even though we really really want to get rid of her, we just can't bring ourselves to do so. I mean, she's a little homeless dog who finally found a home (doesn't that sound like the plot to one of those sappy "Family Movies"?). Can we just abandon her to the SPCA where she'll more than likely get "put down"? Unthinkable. And every time I stiffen up my spine and decide to just pack her up and take her to the pound, a little voice in my head says, "You wouldn't just pack up Bubba when he's really obnoxious and give him away, now would you? How can you pack up your sweet little doggie, just because she's obnoxious?" So, I relent. And we keep her. We're such softies.

Christmas Correspondence!

2011-12-07T14:39:00.000-08:00

I love getting mail. Real mail. Snail mail. There's just something about opening the mail box and seeing something there that's personal. Not the cable tv company's monthly advertiser or the handful of coupons for things I never buy. I like real mail and that's one of the things I really like about the Christmas season - Christmas cards. I have an extensive Christmas card list. We send cards to relatives, old friends, new friends, and people who, for some reason, keep us on their Christmas card list so I keep them on ours. I'd feel bad if I axed them if they keep sending us a card. But, they probably keep us on their list for the same reason. Now, not all Christmas cards are equal. Some people still just buy the ol' box of cards, sign their name and send them along. No note about what they did during the year, no picture, nothing. It's a little disappointing. And, at the risk of offending someone.... can I say.... "What's the point?" The best way to send Christmas cards is to either send a picture or a letter or even better than that, both. We got a couple of cards this week with pictures. One came from a family from church. It was an amazing card. Looked like it should be on the cover of a magazine or something. Really. It was a fantastic picture (they're such a photogenic family, too!). The other was from a couple I knew when I was teaching in Brazil. They were (and still are) wonderful people and since they live in the mid-west, it's a blessing to keep in touch, even if it's only once a year. They sent a picture with a short note highlighting the events of the year. We send both a letter and a picture. We have ever since we got the boys. As our family grows it becomes even more difficult to get everyone to look right and smile, but we managed again this year to look somewhat presentable. One Christmas, about 4 years ago we had the longest photo-shoot in my mom's front yard. The boys were little, Missie Lou was a baby and it was so hard to get everyone to look at the camera. A cat would walk by and one of the boys would point to it. A big truck would rumble by and someone would be turning their head looking at it. Finally.... finally.... we got a picture that worked for us. I'll never forget that year. But, this year it didn't take too long. And I got the letter written, the envelopes addressed and stamped and tomorrow they're flooding the US Postal Service. Hooray! Merry Christmas!

The Great Communicator!

2011-12-06T14:39:00.000-08:00

Being able to communicate effectively is a great gift. Some people have it. Some people don't! My baby definitely has this gift. She is a hoot. She can only say a few words (Mamma, uh-oh, Da) but she is quite capable of making her thoughts and wishes known through other means. When she is done eating, she'll close her mouth, give a terse shake of her head and bat her hand in front of her mouth. This means, "I'm done!" There's no doubt. When she wants to get down from her high chair, she grabs the sides of the tray and starts pushing it off. It doesn't really come off, but the point has been made. When she wants something, she smiles, grunts and points. When she wants to be held, she looks up at you, grins and holds her hands up. Now, I know all these things are not new and extraordinary with babies, but somehow, with her, they seem different. She's got a very expressive face and engaging manner, which she uses to her advantage. She doesn't cry to get what she wants, she smiles and points. And she gets what she wants. Like I said, some people have it (even at 14 months) and some people don't!

Tuesday Freebie

2011-12-06T09:24:00.000-08:00

Quick, what's for dinner tonight? You mean to tell me you haven't thought that far? Haven't even had breakfast yet? Well, I'll tell you what you can have for dinner tomorrow night (it's what we're having for dinner tonight) and it's easy peasy to make. Took me 5 minutes. I may have posted this sometime before, but I love it so much that it's worth posting again. Anyhow, it's Pulled Pork Sandwiches. You get a pork butt shoulder (I have found this to be the best cut of meat for this meal), stick it in your crock-pot (on high for an hour and then low for the rest of the day) and put a couple of envelopes of onion soup mix over the whole thing, and add a cup of water or so, and let it cook. You'll get to enjoy the yummiest smells throughout the day and then at dinner time you just take it out, shred it, and serve on hamburger buns with bbq sauce. It's a good thing!

This Christmas..... this Christmas.....

2011-12-05T14:45:00.000-08:00

Are you like that? Every year Christmas sneaks up on you and just overwhelms you with all the parties and events (like the Gingerbread House Decorating Party at church on Saturday night) and expectations. Oh, the expectations. Those just get me every time. Because that's one thing that just keeps me tied and bound - expectations. It's not even really the parties and events (although there is one event coming up and I can't find a sitter. Ever try finding a babysitter for 5 kids? I already used my parents for one Friday night this month, and our normal babysitter is busy) it's the.... the trying to find the perfect gifts for every one, getting the Christmas cards out and a clever yet informative yet brief, but not too brief Christmas letter typed. I make a cookie plate for every house on our block and I've already told you about my cookie baking abilities, so that's pretty stressful. So, what's supposed to be a season of peace and comfort and joy ends up being a season of stress and frustration. I know that about 99% of this I bring upon myself, but I'm trying to figure out why I do this and end up like last year, running bang into Christmas completely exhausted and wishing the whole thing were over and not really liking much of it at all. So, I'm hoping that this Christmas.... this Christmas will be different. I don't have quite as many events as last year and I'm paring down gifts for the kids big time. And maybe, instead of six or seven different types of cookies on the cookies plate, I'll make only one kind. Or two. No, one. Because I want to enjoy Christmas this year. This year it's going to be different.

There Were Shepherds and Angels..... and Chickens and Goats!

2011-12-04T19:25:00.000-08:00

When you read the account of the Christmas story in the book of Luke you read about shepherds out in the fields keeping watch over their sheep by night. Well, our church's rendition of the story is going to be just a tad different. Our shepherds are keeping watch over their chickens. Today we had a photo shoot for our kids' Christmas program. Sorry, it's not going to be in any major publication so don't go running out to the nearest newstand. I think the idea behind this is that when the kids are singing their songs, there will be a slide show in the background. I'm not sure. For the first time in several years I am not involved in any way with the children's Christmas Program. I am on maternity leave right now from Children's Ministries for a while. So, it's a little strange to not be planning the program this year. Anyhow, so today we had a photo shoot out at a petting zoo. It went really well, actually. It had the potential to be utter chaos, with small children and free-range sheep roaming around, (And this awesome dog, who is some kind of herding dog; he kept rounding up the chickens and herding them. Made me really want to trade in Sparky for a dog like this.) but it was a good afternoon. The kids were dressed up in their costumes (yes, Bubba wanted to be an angel, go figure)So, we had three angels in the family (even Cee-cee had a little angel costume). We had shepherds gazing adoringly at the Christ child (a real baby) and bringing their gifts of chickens. We had angels adoring the Christ child as well.It was a beautiful day for a photo shoot. The kids ran around and petted the goats and the chickens. And the friendly dogs!They all had a great time and really didn't want to go...but alas, even shepherds and angels need to go home sometime and have dinner and go to bed.

Boys and Good Books....

2011-12-02T13:46:00.000-08:00

"Being a mother of boys is hard work, from son up to son down" Anonymous

I can totally agree with that quote. And I have a couple of very boyish boys. They're puppies, I tell you! Absolute puppies. This one here.... Bubba. He's quite an interesting child. He's wired. All the time. He can play all four quarters of a soccer game and not even be winded when it's over. He can't sit still to save his life. But he loves to be read aloud to.

In our history class we've started studying the colonization of America and we're doing Jamestown right now. This is an excellent book to read when studying Jamestown. It's by Clyde Robert Bulla (one of my favorite children's authors). It's about three children who take the trip from London to Jamestown in search of their father and, I admit, it's hard for me to put down.

But this is the reaction I get from this child when my voice gives out and I finally have to stop reading.
He gets all bent out of shape. It's kind of funny, actually. It's a good thing to like to be read aloud to and he reacts this way to all the books I read aloud. Right now we're reading two books aloud - the one I just mentioned and "The Railway Children" by E. Nesbit. I read probably twenty pages aloud yesterday and Duh-duh was begging me to quit and Bubba was rolling around on the ground whining because I wouldn't keep going. (heavy sigh!) You should have seem him when I was reading "Treasure Island" by Robert Louis Stevenson. It got ugly at times. But, that's a good book, too. It was hard for me to put down. I just find it funny and kind of interesting that a child with so much energy and so much.... whatever, can be so hooked on a good book!

Small Town Fun!

2011-12-02T08:42:00.000-08:00

Last night we did another of our Christmas traditions. We went to the Electrical Farm Equipment Parade here in our small town. Years ago, in the Dark Ages, when the dinosaurs roamed the earth and I was a young'un our small town had a Christmas Parade. A traditional one on a Saturday morning in December. Then, because of lack of interest, or funding cuts, or something, they canceled the parade. Well, people were not happy about this, so some farmers and other people just put lights on their tractors and spray rigs and the bus drivers decorated their school busses and the firemen put lights on the fire truck and they got the high school band to put lights on their tubas and clarinets and they put on a parade at night. The kids love it, and I like it, too, although generally I dread going because there is always soooooo many people and it's hard to find a place to stand and you gotta try to keep track of the kids and it's cold and all that stuff. But this year my mom said, "We'll just have your dad go early and set up our chairs to save our place. Noone will steal our chairs." (Did I mention we live in a small town?) I thought, "That's a good idea." And so, when my dad and Hubby took Bubba to soccer practice (which was canceled, but we didn't know about it because Coach called after we had left to go to my parents' house for dinner and he called our land-line because he didn't have my cell number)they stopped by in town and dropped off the chairs. And my mom and I stayed home and drank coffee. Don't know why I mentioned that, other than that's one thing my mom and I enjoy doing - drinking coffee. So, when it was time to go to the parade, we just bundled up the kids and found our places. This year was different, too, in that we camped out at the end of the parade and not at the beginning, where we have in years past. The crowds were not quite as thick, although being at the end, the high school band was in a real hurry to be done and they kind of flew past us. Which was a bummer because the high school in our small town has a really good marching band. And the candy throwing people had already run out of candy by the time they got to us, but overall it was a good move. And a great parade. Even my little two-year-old Cee-cee sat on the curb with her brothers and sister and watched with big eyes, but didn't get the least bit scared by the bands or the fire siren or the big ol' semi-trucks honking their horns. So, I can definitely say, "A good time was had by all!"

A Month of Thankfulness: Day 29

2011-11-30T14:43:00.000-08:00

Well folks, today is it. The last day of A Month of Thankfulness and after today I will not be thankful for anything ever again. I will just sink into the depths of greed and avarice. Just kidding. I hope this has been a good exercise for me. I hope that having to come up with something to be thankful for every day will stick with me and that I can maintain a grateful attitude every day. Not just around Thanksgiving. Anyhow, today I feel like I should come up with something really meaningful to write about because it's the last day and everything, but honestly, I can't think of anything meaningful to be thankful for. I've been thankful for everything meaningful. And trivial. I've got writer's block. What a time to have writer's block. But, right now as I sit here at the computer and it's very cold and damp and drizzly outside, I am thankful for my cup of coffee, and the fire and a warm house. I'm thankful to be here, right now. I'm thankful for the warmth of my home and the strength of my family. I'm thankful for my relationship with God and my church. And so, as we end this month of thankfulness, I hope that both you and I can remember to be thankful for everything we have and to not complain about what we don't.

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas....

2011-11-29T14:38:00.001-08:00

Here in California where we live, we don't get snow. If we want snow, we have to go the mountains to get it. And we do that occasionally. But, we do have our own version of a white Christmas. It's called Tule Fog. It's this horrible, thick fog and low overcast that just hangs on for days, until a storm comes through and scours out the Valley and clears things up. But right now, we have Tule Fog. Although it does look pretty at night when people have their Christmas lights on. The lights reflect on the fog and the whole thing looks kind of neat. But, I digress. Right now I'm working on decorating the inside of the house. The biggest job is doing the Dickens Village. I've been collecting pieces now for about 12 years. My mom gives me either a building or a couple of people each year for my birthday. With my birthday being in January, I open it and then have to put it away for almost a full year before I get to use it, but it's been a great thing to collect. I do enjoy putting it all together. The pieces have light bulbs with them to light up, so that always presents a fire hazard of some kind. And then I always end up with a broken piece or two. See this guy. He's a lamp lighter. A lamp lighter that fell off his ladder and broke his arm off, along with both his feet. It's a dangerous business being a lamplighter.And then the bottom fell off a topiary. So, here I'm gluing it back together. I had to prop it up with two persimmons, an apple and a pyrex pitcher. Ya work with what ya got! And that's been my project today. Got done with school in a timely manner and am still putting off writing my Christmas letter, so I decided to finish the Dickens Village. I still need snow. I used up my fake snow last year. Hmm, I wonder if I could do Tule Fog!

A Month of Thankfulness: Day 28

2011-11-29T14:19:00.000-08:00

Today I am thankful for my car. I know it's just one of those things a lot of people take for granted, but truly,I love my car and I am very thankful for it. I have a 2004 Toyota Sienna. We got it a couple of months after we got the boys. I remember when we were discussing getting a new car (because I was having the hardest time getting boys in and out of my Chevy Beretta) and we were tossing around ideas like mini-vans and SUVs and a friend of mine threw something out there that really just clinched the deal. She said, "Get a mini-van. The doors slide open and closed and with boys, you just don't want doors that open out when you're in a parking lot." I had never thought of that before. Wow. So, we went with the mini-van. It's been a great vehicle for us. It's completely reliable, roomy and has an awesome turning radius. Another friend of mine just got a Sienna and was commenting about the turning radius. She said, "I flip u-turns in my street just because I love the turning radius of this car!" So, today, I am thankful for my car!

A Month of Thankfulness: Day 27

2011-11-28T14:51:00.000-08:00

Today I am thankful that we are able to homeschool our children. Even today, when it was a pretty horrible day in Homeschool Land, I am still thankful. I'm thankful that I am able to choose what to teach my children, instead of letting the government make that decision for me. I am thankful that I can teach to my children's strengths and weaknesses. I can let Bubba do two lessons in one day in math because he understands fractions and is whizzing through it, and I can take two days to do one lesson in math for Duh-duh because he just does not get borrowing. I am thankful that homeschooling has become more mainstream over the years, so there is a lot of support and a lot of curriculum to choose from. I am thankful that Hubby is very supportive of homeschooling. So, as I said, even though today was a pretty awful day, I'm still thankful that I can homeschool.

A Month of Thankfulness: Day 26

2011-11-27T22:09:00.000-08:00

Today I am thankful for my home and the material blessings that I have. In church this morning we heard from a missionary who spoke of the country in which he served and these people don't even have the basic things we take for granted every day. They don't have electricity, or running water. Some villages don't even have roads leading to them. And as I sat there and listened to him speak, I started sinking lower into my pew as I thought about how ungrateful I am at times because I don't have a bigger house or there are other things that I wished I had that I don't even come close to needing. So, today I am grateful for the material things I have and I will continue to remind myself that there are many people in the world without even the common necessities.

Holiday Traditions

2011-11-26T14:47:00.000-08:00

I love traditions. My kids love traditions. Actually, with them, when you do something once, it becomes a tradition. Anyhow, there is one of my many holiday traditions that I really look forward to every year. And that's the Holiday Art Show at my uncle and aunt's house in the country. They have it every year the weekend after Thanksgiving. My uncle is an artist. He paints beautiful landscapes of the countryside and foothills in our area. These are a couple of his paintings. I can't afford to buy an actual painting, but I buy notecards he's made of his paintings. Here I've scanned a notecard, so it's not a real good representation of his work, (You have to just see these paintings in real life, as with all good art. You need to stand before them and absorb them, they are wonderful) but it'll give you an idea. I think his skies are always amazing. So, every year they host a showing of his art (they have a very charming log-cabin style house in the middle of some orchards and his art is displayed throughout the house) as well a boutique selling jams (they also make jam) and other food products from small family farms. You can sample the wares, have a cup of coffee and visit with my aunt and uncle. My uncle's great. He doesn't know a stranger and is so easy to talk to. I buy jams for Christmas presents, as well as this Hot Peach Tango, which is similar to red pepper jelly, but made from peaches. I love this. It's makes a great appetizer poured over cream cheese and served with crackers. My other aunt made this. These are my mom's sisters. They also sell cheeses, grape juice, local honey products, fresh breads and baked goods. All these products are from local family farms. It's just great! I also bought chocolate covered plums. This was Missie Lou's contribution. I took her, too. Usually, I've gone alone. A couple years ago I took a friend. It's one of those things that I like to do without kids. But this year I decided that Missie Lou was old enough to appreciate it, so I brought her (and Baby. I hadn't planned on bringing Baby, but it just happened, long story). We didn't stay that long. Just long enough to visit a little, do some Christmas shopping,and taste test some jam and grape juice. It was a lovely afternoon.

A Month of Thankfulness: Day 25

2011-11-26T14:25:00.000-08:00

I know, I forgot to post my thankful thing yesterday. I wasn't intending to stop at Thanksgiving. I was intending to be thankful the entire month, but I just forgot yesterday. Anyhow, yesterday (and always) I am thankful for my in-laws. I have the best parents-in-law a girl could ask for. Really. Hubby's parents are wonderful people. They are gracious and kind. They are always there when you need advice, but they mind their own business when you don't. My mother-in-law has started coming over on Mondays when Dad-in-law does volunteer work here in our town. That has been such a blessing. She'll fold laundry and hang out with the girls while I homeschool and it has been so wonderful. The kids are learning to know their grandmother so much better. I've been feeling bad because we live about 40 minutes away from them and sometimes it's just hard to get together. But now, she's over often and it's been great for both the kids and for me. So, yesterday (and today and tomorrow) I am grateful for my in-laws.

Thanksgiving is over.... what a great day!

2011-11-25T10:36:00.000-08:00

I am tired. Still. And I had a good night sleep last night. But yesterday just plum wore me out. It was a great day, though. We had Hubby's family over for Thanksgiving dinner and it was such a good time. There were 28 of us, including the babies. Hubby's parents were not there. His mother was ill, so they were not able to attend. We really missed them. The turkey turned out ok. It was a little dry, in my opinion, but I made a boatload of gravy, so you just slather that over everything and it's good. Everyone brought food, too, so there was more than enough to eat. The kids played outside most of the day, and the weather was perfect. Earlier in the week they predicted a slight chance of rain, but that fizzled out. The weather was sunny and mild. Our poor dog had to be tied up and she was a mess. She's very protective of our family and barks and barks and even bites people she doesn't know, so she had to be tied and even then there were issues, but it worked out all right. Everyone left in the early evening. Some had a bit of a drive to make. I got most of the dishes cleaned up yesterday and then we watched "A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving" with the kids (OK, I just have to say that while I loved those shows as a kid, as an adult I can hardly stomach them. Those children are so mean to poor Charlie Brown and so rude to each other. I can't stand it.) and went to bed. Today I'm not doing anything. I'm just relaxing. I may take down some of the autumn/Thanksgiving decorations and get ready for Christmas stuff, but that's it. I'm just going to drink hot tea and listen to Christmas music all day long!

A Month of Thankfulness: Day 24

2011-11-24T20:02:00.001-08:00

Today I am Thankful. With a capital "T". I am Thankful for everything I have. I do not need anything else. I am content.

A Month of Thankfulness: Day 23

2011-11-23T13:45:00.000-08:00

Today is Thanksgiving Eve. We are having dinner tonight with my mom's family and tomorrow Hubby's clan is coming over to celebrate Thanksgiving. In thinking about all this extended family, I have to say how thankful I am for them all. I am thankful for my brothers & sisters-in-law and nieces and nephews. I am thankful for my aunts and uncles and cousins. Getting together with family is never a tense or uncomfortable time. It has always been a time to look forward to and enjoy.

A Month of Thankfulness: Day 22

2011-11-22T21:35:00.000-08:00

Today I am thankful for my parents. I am thankful for so many things about them it's hard to know where to start. I'm thankful that they raised me to know the Lord. I am thankful that they have a good marriage. I am thankful that they are still in good health and can enjoy their grandchildren. Today I am thankful for my parents.

Getting closer, getting ready!

2011-11-22T13:27:00.000-08:00

"Thanksgiving dinners take eighteen hours to prepare. They are consumed in twelve minutes. Half-times take twelve minutes. This is not coincidence." Erma Bombeck

Two days till Thanksgiving. Aaaaugh! We're hosting Thanksgiving for Hubby's family. There will be 30 of us here on Thanksgiving Day. Yeah, some are babies and they don't eat much, so I'm not that worried about them. But 30 people. I'm gonna be prepared, though. We only had school two days this week (tomorrow Hubby will be home and we'll be getting stuff ready big time!) so as soon as we closed the book on "Squanto: Friend of the Pilgrims" (by Clyde Robert Bulla, excellent biography) we cleaned everything up, folded up the school table and vacuumed. I know we'll be using this a lot over the next couple of days. I've been doing a lot of food prep, too. Got this bad boy in the fridge. All 20 pounds of him. I'm gonna brine him and roast him and he'll be delicious. I won't stuff him, though. I'm paranoid of stuffing turkeys. You always hear all these precautions about stuffing turkeys (stuff it just before you cook it, make sure it's this temperature, don't pack it too tightly, watch out for low flying aircraft) that I just bake the stuffing in a pan (I guess you would call it dressing then) and it's good that way, too! Yesterday I made the cranberry sauce and I've also got the bread toasted and ready for the stuffing/dressing. I'm trying new recipes for the cranberry sauce and the stuffing. Got them from Martha Stewart's Every Day Foods magazine. Tomorrow I'll make the stock for the gravy. I've already got the roux done for that. So, I'm thinking things are under control here. Which is a good thing!

A Month of Thankfulness: Day 21

2011-11-21T16:03:00.001-08:00

Today is Day 21. Not Day 20. All of the sudden I realized that my numbering was off. Why didn't anyone tell me? I just cannot keep track of anything anymore. Sorry about that. Anyhow, everything is good now. And today I am thankful for.... my home. My dwelling. The structure in which my family and I live. Hubby and I moved into this house almost 8 years ago. His brother built it for us and we love this house. It is a nice house. It has high ceilings and big windows. I like my kitchen. It's pretty good sized. Although one area of the counter-top tends to attract clutter. That bothers me. I love my bathroom. It's huge. And our walk-in closet is big, too. Although it also tends to attract clutter. We have a nice quiet neighborhood and there are kids for my kids to play with. Today I am thankful for my house.

Fruits of the Season

2011-11-21T14:00:00.000-08:00

I love autumn. It's a beautiful time of year. There's just so much color. This is our neighbor's tree. We have the same kind of tree, Chinese Pistasche, but theirs is so much prettier than ours.One of my favorite fruits is a very colorful autumn fruit. It's the persimmon. A lot of people consider the persimmon an exotic fruit. It's not nearly as popular as that old workhorse - the apple. Yes, apples are fine. If there's nothing else to eat. But persimmons are awesome. There are two kinds of persimmons. The kind in the picture is the Fuyu. The Fuyu is a small, hard persimmon and is best eaten raw. I peel them (the peeling is kind of hard and not very good to eat), core them and serve them raw on a fruit plate. They are very sweet and have a delicate flavor. I love them. The other kind is the Hachiya. The Hachiya is very soft (and kind of slimy) when it's ripe. You have to wait till they get good and ripe or they can tend to be astringent and make your mouth pucker. There's all sorts of things you can do with a Hachiya. You can dry them whole and then slice them and make yummy fruit snacks. They get a kind of white coating on them dried, which at first I thought was mold, but then I found out it was sugar. The sugar comes out in the drying process. They are delicious dried. You can also eat them plain. My parents love them plain. They just open them up and scoop up the pulp with a spoon. I never really got in to eating them that way. My baby likes them that way, though. You can also bake with the pulp. My grandma used to make persimmon bread and I have a wonderful recipe for persimmon cookies. My dad has an orchard of persimmons and about 10 years ago a camera crew from Martha Stewart's tv show came out and filmed a segment for the show. That was kind of fun. They filmed my dad and my uncle walking through the orchard in the fall and I was picking persimmons in the background. Well, pretending to pick persimmons. And putting them in a basket instead of a metal bucket like they're really picked into. (I guess a basket is more aesthetically appealing) But other than that it was very realistic. So, if you see persimmons in a road side stand or in the store, try them if you haven't yet. They're very healthy and very delicious!

****************************

Persimmon Cookies

1 C Hachiya persimmon pulp

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 shortening

1 C sugar

1 egg, well beaten

2 C flour

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp. each: cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg

2 tsp. vanilla

1 tsp. lemon juice

1 C raisins

Cream together sugar and shortening. Dissolve soda in persimmon pulp. Add to creamed sugar and shortening. Add beaten egg. Sift dry ingredients. Add to persimmon mixture. Add vanilla and lemon; add raisins. Drop onto greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes.

A Month of Thankfulness: Day 20

2011-11-20T20:12:00.001-08:00

Today is Sunday. We went to church. We go to a great church. It's a little church in a neighboring town. It's a church of mostly older folks. It's a church that's been through a lot in the past year and a half. A lot of ugly stuff. A lot of stuff that might have destroyed other churches. Actually, I was afraid, for a while, that it might be our undoing as well. But God had plans for our church. And there is a core group of godly people who refused to be brought down. And so, here we are. On the other side of the chasm. We have a wonderful new pastor. Today we had our annual Thanksgiving potluck after church. I love church potlucks. So much good food. Our fellowship hall was filled. Today I am thankful for our church and I am thankful for how God has taken our church and purified it and preserved it.

A Month of Thankfulness: Day 19

2011-11-19T21:09:00.000-08:00

As I watched all three of my children out on the soccer field today (well, ok, not all three, I had to miss Duh-duh's game because Baby was taking a nap, but I understand he did very well)I realized what a wonderful thing it is that all of my children are healthy and strong and are able to play sports with ease. So, I am thankful today for the good health of my family this year. Granted, the year is not over, but we have all done very well this year. My dermatologist hasn't found any more melanomas and even the funny looking moles have turned out to be nothing. Missie Lou had her tonsils out, adenoids out and ear tubes put in, all in one fell swoop, and had a quick and painless recovery. Bubba's asthma has been well under control this year. Usually he has problems in the spring, but he sailed right through the year without having to use his rescue inhaler. Hubby is healthy, Duh-duh is healthy and the new babies are doing great. Good health is something you definitely cannot take for granted, and I am very thankful that that today!

Saturday Bits and Pieces

2011-11-19T13:06:00.000-08:00

Today is one of those days. Too much to do. Can't think clearly. Trying to make lists. Having a hard time doing it. Hubby's family is coming over for Thanksgiving. There will be 30 of us total - including babies. I'm looking forward to it. It's always a good time when Hubby's family gets together. But, now it's coming down to the wire and I need to get organized.
***
Today was the last soccer game of the season. Of course there's a tournament in a couple of weeks, but we do get some Saturdays off now for a while. Bubba's team did well. They won 3-1. I asked Bubba if they scored off him. He said no. X was goalie when the other team scored. Bubba's been scored off of once in a regular league game this year. Missie Lou's team ended in a no-score tie. That was a little disappointing, but that's ok. Duh-duh's playing right now. I'll be so glad to get my Saturdays back.
***
I was eavesdropping during Missie Lou's game. It wasn't my fault. I was sitting by myself and two men were standing quite close and not exactly whispering. So, I just happened to hear what they were talking about. One man was the husband of a woman I knew from a mother's group I used to attend. I knew they were having trouble with secondary infertility. I had talked to the woman at the beginning of the soccer season (we aren't close, really just acquaintances) and she said they were hoping to adopt, but waiting, waiting, waiting. I could relate. But, my ears perked up this morning when I heard her husband tell the man he was talking to about their new baby. So, of course I listened. I've heard stories like this so often from the mom's point of view that it was kind of fun to hear it from the dad's point of view. I guess the whole thing happened pretty quickly (Typical of adoption stories. You wait forever and then boom, it happens) and he's still kind of reeling from the shock of the whole thing. But then he said something that got me kind of teary-eyed. He said, "But you know, all the sudden I realized, I've got a son!" and he said it with such pride. It was really cool!
***
So, today I gotta go to the store and shop for Thanksgiving and try to figure out my life next week. Hopefully I'll be able to get it all together. That's why I write lists. Well, I gotta go get Baby up. She woke up from her nap and is screaming.

A Month of Thankfulness: Day 18

2011-11-18T16:44:00.001-08:00

Today I am thankful that my dear daughter Missie Lou has some sisters. I think I mentioned in another post that I really wished I had a sister growing up. I had a brother and that was fine, but I wanted a sister so bad. When we adopted Missie Lou, I knew that she needed to have a sister. I wanted her to have what I never had. So, we signed up to adopt another girl. We waited and waited and waited for a long time. And just when we were ready to give up hope.... we got the call. We'd gotten calls many times, and they never amounted to anything, but this time, for some reason.... I got the feeling that this was different. And it was. And now Missie Lou has two sisters. She told me once that she really only wanted one sister, but I told her that God gave her a double blessing by giving her two sisters. And we are doubly blessed. So now, we are awash in pink and have regular pedicures, even Baby sports blue toenails.I have two girls who are obsessed with shoes and hairclips and two girls who are quite the drama queens (not the same two girls who are obsessed with shoes and hairclips). It's fun having three girls and I am thankful for each one of them!

A Month of Thankfulness: Day 17

2011-11-17T20:30:00.000-08:00

I'm sitting here at the computer right now, trying to think of something to be thankful for. It's not that I am out of things for which to be grateful, but rather I am overwhelmed, still, by the difficulties of the day. It was a hard day. I felt like I was constantly at odds with all of the children and they were also at odds with each other. And I have to admit that I didn't handle things with much grace. I read a little quote on a coffee mug once (I really wish I would have bought it) that said, "Being a mother is like being pecked to death by a chicken" and today that was so true. "Mom... mom...mom....mommmmmy!" All day long. And so here I sit. Feeling a little down. A little bit like a failure. A little angry, still. But, I guess I can be thankful for forgiveness. And a new day tomorrow where we can start again. I'm thankful that the ties of family can withstand a little friction when there's love to keep us together. So, I guess in spite of a lousy day, there are still things to be thankful for!

A Month of Thankfulness: Day 16

2011-11-16T15:04:00.001-08:00

"Grandparents, like heroes, are as necessary to a child's growth as vitamins" Joyce Allston

Today I am thankful for Grandparents. I am thankful for both my own grandparents and my kids' grandparents. My grandparents played a very important part of my life growing up. In fact, most memories of my childhood involve my grandparents. My maternal grandparents lived on a farm. My grandpa farmed raisin grapes and some of my earliest memories are of the farm. Grandpa would take us out on the tractor when he'd work in the vineyard. We'd sit on the seat in front of him and he'd let us steer. I loved that. I also remember being in the kitchen with Grandma when she was making cinnamon rolls. Grandma made the best cinnamon rolls. She was an awesome cook any way you look at it, actually. My dad's father passed away when I was a toddler, so I don't remember anything about him, but I do remember his mother. She was so kind and gentle. She was a good cook, too. She made a lot of German food. I remember going to her house in town and she'd always read to us. We loved "Mike Mulligan's Steam Shovel". I don't know how many times she read that book to us, but she never seemed to get tired of it. Or if she did, she hid it well.

It is because of the influence my own grandparents had on my life that I am so glad we are living near both sets of my kids' grandparents. Grandparents just have a way of making time for their grandchildren that parents don't seem to have. Grandparents also seem to have a special understanding of their grandchildren, a special connection. Today, I am thankful for grandparents.

A Gorgeous Day!

2011-11-15T14:23:00.000-08:00

"Delicious autumn. My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns." George Eliot
It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood! The sun is out, the air is cool and crisp and the kids were outside running around playing. I love these fall days. The trees are brilliant. It's just a day that you have to enjoy and enjoy it now. You can't put it away for later because.... you just can't do that with days. Autumn days demand your attention now, because the trees don't hang on to their colors forever and you can't push rewind.

A Month of Thankfulness: Day 15

2011-11-15T14:17:00.000-08:00

Today I am really thankful for charities that pick stuff up curbside from my house. I know that sounds like kind of a dumb thing to be thankful for, but... it's true. I always have clothes the kids have outgrown or toys or something that needs to go laying around in bags in my bedroom. There is a charity here in town that I can go to and drop stuff off, but that would take me remembering to put it in the car before I go (I know, I know, I could just keep it in my car, but then I'd have to remember it's there) and make that extra stop. But, there are two charities (The Am-Vets and United Cerebral Palsy) that periodically send a truck around and all I have to do is put the bag out on my curb with the note on it and they pick it up for me. I think it's wonderful. And both are worthy charities, in my opinion, that I am more than willing to support. So, tonight I'm going to finish filling up that bag because the Am-Vet truck is coming down my street tomorrow and I am so glad to get rid of some stuff!

An Idea for Advent!

2011-11-14T14:28:00.000-08:00

I struggle with Christmas. I really do. Part of me really just enjoys the "secular" side of Christmas. I love driving through our neighborhood all decorated up with lights. I love the music, the cozy fireplace, watching the old classics - "White Christmas", "Miracle on 34th Street," and "It's a Wonderful Life". I get chills every time I watch George C. Scott in "A Christmas Carol" and he wakes up Christmas morning and flings open the shutters and he's a new man. I like baking cookies and wrapping gifts and all that jazz. It's a good holiday. But, it's really a Christian holiday and I just have trouble reconciling the two. You know, putting them together - one holiday with two.... two... I don't know. Two somethings. It's just hard for me to put an authentic meaning on a holiday that has become so secularized and overblown. I mean, when you have stores putting up Christmas decorations before Halloween, you know it's over blown. Anyhow, we do try and this year we are going to read through this book with the kids each night in December. Most people are familiar with celebrating the four Sundays in Advent and lighting the candles and all that. People are not so familiar with the Jesse Tree and ever since I was introduced to this tradition, I've been in love with it. (I've just been having a lot of trouble implementing it, but this year.... this year will be different.) The idea of the Jesse Tree has been around for a long time. There's a stained glass window in the Cathedral of Chartres in France, dating back to 1150, that has a Jesse Tree. Basically, a Jesse Tree comes the Scripture in Isaiah that says,"There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit." (Isaiah 11:1) Many early Jesse Trees listed in symbolic form the genealogy of Christ. The modern Jesse Tree uses symbols to express the story of Salvation, from the Creation all the way through the birth of Christ. It is traditional to make a small tree (or representation of a tree) and each evening, as each Scripture passage is read, hang the appropriate symbol on the tree. The book I got this year has a short story for each evening of December up to Christmas Eve. I found a website (http://images.rca.org/docs/discipleship/jessepatterns.pdf) that has the symbols in paper form and I plan on having the children color one each night and hang them on a branch that we will use as a tree. A Jesse Tree can be as simple or elaborate as you choose to do it. I'm excited about doing a Jesse Tree this year.

A Month of Thankfulness: Day 14

2011-11-14T14:23:00.001-08:00

Today I am thankful that my kids like to be read to. And they enjoy good books. Right now we are reading an abridged version of "Treasure Island" by Robert Louis Stevenson. They won't let me stop reading. My voice gives out before their attention gives out. We are also reading a biography of Squanto (the Indian friend to the Pilgrims) by Clyde Robert Bulla. (Clyde Robert Bulla, by the way, writes great biographies for children. We have read several of them and they are very well written.) We've been reading to the kids since they were tiny and they have developed a real taste for books and being read to. Bubba, especially. He's starting to get to the age where he should be reading to himself, but he would much much rather be read to, so I indulge him. I think reading aloud to children is a "must-do" and don't intend to quit soon. I even read aloud to my junior highers when I was teaching and they loved it, too. They'd all put their heads down on their desks and just listen. There's nothing like a good story.

A Month of Thankfulness: Day 13

2011-11-13T14:50:00.000-08:00

California is not exactly the place you'd go to experience the autumn foliage. It's a beautiful state, but most of the trees around here are evergreen and autumn comes so late around here that some of the trees are still hanging on to their leaves at Christmas. But, we do have some color and for that I am thankful. Especially today. We have about a 20 minute drive to church (our church is in a neighboring town) and we drove through the country to get there. The peach orchards were yellow and some were even reddish. But the color tree around here is the Chinese Pistasche and those are just gorgeous right now. So our drive home was such a pleasure today. I'm glad I took the time to enjoy it. God didn't have to make autumn such a beautiful time of year, but I am thankful that He did.

A Month of Thankfulness: Day 12

2011-11-12T16:13:00.001-08:00

Well, we're nearing the end of the soccer season. Thank goodness. Hmm, maybe that's what I should be thankful for in this post. Anyhow, I am thankful for my kids' soccer coaches. That's what I'm thankful for in this post. We decided to have the boys on different teams this year because their skill levels are so different that we thought it would be best. It was best, but it sure made things busy for us this fall. However, the kids, once again had good coaches. You hear horror stories about coaches who push the kids too hard, use foul language, berate the kids, all that awful stuff. We've never had to deal with that. In any sport. I'm thankful for that, too. But, we've had great soccer coaches this year. They're encouraging and supportive and seem to be just what each kid needs. Bubba's coach pushes those boys hard, but they're boys who can be pushed hard and need to be pushed and they're undefeated this season. Bubba's never complained and he's improved tremendously. Duh-duh's been on a good team, too this year. It's become quite clear that he doesn't have soccer in his blood, but he's had an enjoyable season and it's been good for him. Missie Lou's soccer coach, however, takes the prize. The Angels started out the team with a coach. She had two practices and then on the third practice didn't show up. Then, that week I got a call from the mom of one of the girls on Missie Lou's team and she said that she was taking over as coach. I know this mom didn't have the time, but she cared enough and did a great job. This morning one of the girls took a ball in the tummy and it hurt her pretty bad. Coach just scooped her up and held her close and took her to her dad. I overheard one of the parents say, "Yeah, she's a coach and a mom!" Kind of brought tears to my eyes. So, it's been a good soccer season. One more Saturday's worth of games and then we're done. I'll breathe a sigh of relief and be glad for my Saturdays (and Tuesday & Thursday nights) back, but we'll also be thankful for a good season and the dedication of great coaches.

A Month of Thankfulness: Day 11

2011-11-11T19:42:00.000-08:00

"The cost of freedom is always high, but Americans have always paid it. And one path we shall never choose, and that is the path of surrender or submission." John F. Kennedy

Today, Veterans Day, I am thankful for our freedom. I am thankful for the brave people who came to a New World to have a better life for themselves and their children. I am thankful for the brave soldiers and statesmen who were willing to, and some did, give their lives to preserve our freedom. I am thankful for the people who, even now, are fighting to preserve freedom in our country, to keep socialism at bay and to hold tightly to our Constitution.

The Joys of Getting Older!

2011-11-10T21:30:00.000-08:00

Check out what I got in the mail today. I have to buy everything on-line these days because I can't get to the store. Ever. And when I do... I forget things. Or people forget to tell me things like, we're out of catfood. I was at Target on Saturday and the grocery store, and Sunday I had to make a stop at Walmart to get the things I'd forgotten to buy when I was at Target. Then, Sunday, we get home from church and I tell Missie Lou to feed the cats (it's one of her chores) and she says, "We're out of catfood." So, I look and it is the truth. There is not a scrap of catfood to be found. But, what was I going to do? I had 5 grouchy kids and hubby was already on his way to Phoenix. I wasn't going to go buy catfood. But then every time I went out into the garage, our three kitties were meowing pitifully because they thought they're starving to death. (Actually, it was only our squatter kitty, Tabby, who was meowing pitifully. Nikki, the old grandma kitty would just sit there and give me dirty looks) So, Monday when my mother-in-law was here, I was able to run to the corner store to buy catfood. Anyhow, all that to say.... going to the store just isn't happening for me lately. But, what is happening to me lately is something that happens to most people in their 40's. I have developed a need for reading glasses. Now, I have been proud to say that I have had 20/20 vision my entire life. I've never had any problems with my eyes. Ever. Until I had that weird eye-thingie that happened a couple years ago. I thought I had pink-eye, my GP thought I had pink-eye and gave me antibiotics. But, after a couple of days it didn't clear up (I called my GP and told her it hadn't cleared up and my pupil was very dilated and she panicked and told me to get to the ER or to Eye-Q because it could be a brain tumor. Seriously. She said I could have brain tumor.) and all of the sudden I found myself at Eye-Q the day before Thanksgiving with one of the top ophthalmologists in the Valley giving me an injection in my eye-ball. She never really figured out what I had or what caused it, but the injection gave me a shiner that lasted a month and it took about three months of all kinds of meds and weekly visits to the doctor for whatever it was to clear up. But, aside from that, my eyes are wonderful. And then, lately, I've been having trouble reading things. Things are a little blurry. So, I ordered reading glasses. Actually, I think reading glasses are kind of neat. I'd like to get a cool pair and wear them on a chain around my neck, but I'm not sure I'm ready for that yet. Plus, Baby would probably chew on the chain. So, anyhow, there you have it. I'm getting older. Got the reading glasses. But that's the only allowance I'm making for Father Time. For now!

A Month of Thankfulness: Day 10

2011-11-10T14:21:00.001-08:00

Today I am really thankful for Hubby's job. Hubby is a mechanical engineer. He designs man-lifts. If you go to a construction site and see a guy on a platform on a 60 ft. boom.... that's the kind of thing Hubby designs. He's worked for this company almost 4 years now and really likes it. God really dropped the job into his lap because he wasn't looking for it, but he jumped at the chance when it was offered. It's a good job for him. He loves the design/research-and-development aspect of it. It's right up his alley. He's always learning new things. We're also very thankful that in spite of the economy and all that he still has a job. Last year he did have to go to a 4-day work week for a while, but this year he didn't have to do that. I am thankful that he earns enough so that I can stay home with the kids and homeschool. I am also thankful that last March he went to a trade show in Vegas and I was able to go with him for a couple of days for some much needed rest and relaxation. He was gone again this week at a trade show in Phoenix, and that was difficult, but we made it through and he's home now. We miss him when he's gone, but he's not gone that often and we're just very thankful that he has a job that he enjoys!

A Month of Thankfulness: Day 9

2011-11-09T14:46:00.000-08:00

"True happiness consists not in the multitude of friends, but in their worth and choice."

Samuel Johnson

Friends are important to women. I suppose they're important to men, too, but not in the way they're important to women. Today I am very thankful for my friends. I remember as I was growing up my mom having a lot of women friends. She was always having the two neighbor ladies (Shirley and Irene) over for coffee and I still remember when I was little going to her Bible Study with her. Some of those women are still her friends today. I was listening to a program on Focus on the Family not too long ago about the importance of women having friends. The guy was saying that women cannot expect their husbands to meet their emotional needs on the level they need meeting. Men just can't do it. That's why women need to cultivate friendships with other women. It's a hard thing to do. Everyone is so busy all the time and sometimes it's all I can do to just get through the day. Who has time to make the effort to get together with friends? Fortunately, I have some good friends who understand all that,(and the fact that I have a severe phobia about calling people on the phone, so I never call them) and we make time as we can and don't worry about it when we can't. And we are also very thankful for e-mail and Facebook. So, today I am very thankful for my friends!

"Friendship is a single soul dwelling in two bodies"

Aristotle

A Month of Thankfulness: Day 8

2011-11-08T14:05:00.001-08:00

Don't you just love watching babies learn how to walk? There's that first tentative step, and then they don't think they can do it so they plop back down on their bottoms and crawl. Then, the next time, it's a little more steady and before you know it, they've taken off and crawling is just a faint memory! Well, that's Baby. She's learned how to walk and it's opened up a whole new world for her. And on today, Day Eight of a Month of Thankfulness, I am thankful for the youngest member of our clan, Baby. She was thirteen months old on Sunday and she's such a sweetheart. She's got these big brown eyes and the biggest grin you've ever seen. In fact, that's Hubby's nickname for her (one of many nicknames she's got in our family) - The Grin. She's a very good-natured little girl and not a whole lot seems to rattle her. Although she will make her wishes known when she gets scooped up by one of her older siblings when she doesn't want to be. The three olders love to play with her, but she doesn't like it so much. She likes to either be held by Mommy or left to her own toddling around the house looking at things. She's a very busy little girl, but fortunately for Mommy, doesn't seem to get into things she shouldn't be getting in to. Yet.

Perfect Reading for Boys!

2011-11-07T21:22:00.000-08:00

Well, believe it or not, my soccer playing, plastic sword wielding, ninja boy loves Shakespeare. But, after what we've been reading these past couple of weeks, who wouldn't love Shakespeare? OK, let me just tell you about my experience with the Bard. I "studied" Shakespeare in high school. (and if you've been following my blog long enough, you know what my high school English classes were like... boring!) We read "Romeo and Juliet", "A Midsummer Night's Dream" and "MacBeth". And I really didn't understand much of any of it. And you know, it really just makes me mad because Shakespeare is brilliant and his stories are wonderful, yet....we just get lost in the language (or at least I did, but so did a bunch of my friends, we really didn't understand what we were reading, so we couldn't appreciate it) and miss out on the stories. So, last week we read "MacBeth" from our history book "The Story of the World: Volume 2, the Middle Ages" by Susan Wise Bauer. But this "MacBeth" wasn't written in Shakespearean English. Basically it was a condensed version of the story, in modern English. We were all captivated. Murder, intrigue, treachery, guilt.... oh, the guilt. Guilt that gnaws at the soul. Driving Lady MacBeth to the brink of madness and finally killing her. Good stuff, I'm telling you. I never got that from studying it in high school. As I said before, all I got from "MacBeth" was wandering around the hallowed halls of our high school with my best friend muttering, "Out, d--- spot, out!"

Now, here's another book Bubba's been totally in to! "Hamlet". You know, "To be, or not to be!"

I'd never read it, but I figured a child's never too young to start reading Shakespeare, so we got this great book written for the young'uns. It's written in rhyme, so it's a little difficult to follow, but it's wonderful. It's got ghosts, murder, guilt, treachery, madness, revenge. All kinds of great stuff!

A Day of Thankfulness: Day 7

2011-11-07T21:14:00.001-08:00

It's Day 7, right? I need to check my calendar. I am exhausted. Baby woke up at 4:15am and didn't go back to sleep. Which means I didn't either. Anyhow, it is Day 7 and since I'm on a roll with my kids, today I will be thankful for Cee-cee. Cee-cee is one of my two newest daughters. She's 2 1/2 years old and has dark brown/black hair and dark brown eyes. It's hard to know what to expect when you take in a child from foster care. They've had a past that affects the way they are and most of the time you have no idea what was in that past. Only that it wasn't good. However, the good thing is, young children can be very resilient and if they are able to become part of a healthy and loving family, a lot can be overcome. And, Cee-cee's been doing great. She's a happy little girl who loves playing with her siblings. She's active and intelligent, quite cooperative and much more of a neat-nik than our other children are. Hopefully she'll rub off on them. We've only had her and her sister for a little over two months now but she has just really become part of our family. I can't imagine life without her.

A Month of Thankfulness: Day 6

2011-11-06T19:33:00.001-08:00

I'm sure you can probably see a pattern developing here. So, it will come as no surprise that today I am thankful for my oldest daughter, Missie Lou.
We got her when she was two days old. Picked her up from the hospital. I remember that day as if it were yesterday. We walked into the place where they have the newborns and we had to go through security. We were pretty nervous as it was, but then we had to go through security. That really freaked me out. Fortunately, as we were waiting in line, the social worker spotted us ("you had that deer-in-the-headlights look," she told us) and brought us on through. As we walked in the room we heard this screaming and Hubby and I looked at each other with this look that said, "I hope that's not her." But, it wasn't. She was just sleeping and they put her in our arms and we fell in love.Missie Lou is that wonderful combination of prissy girl and tom-boy. She loves pink, loves to dress up, loves shoes and is already very conscientious of her appearance. But, then on the other hand... she's becoming a tiger on the soccer field. She scored all three goals in yesterday's game. She's tough and she'll go head-on with Bubba in a backyard soccer game and not back down. She's a lot of fun to go shopping with and she even helps pick out my clothes. I'm sure not every mom can say that about her five-year-old daughter. So, that's my Missie Lou. My precious daughter, who I am so incredibly thankful for!

A Day of Thankfulness: Day 5

2011-11-05T15:58:00.001-07:00

I have two boys. They are as different as night and day. Bread and soup. Alligators and pomeranians. Today I am thankful for Duh-duh. He got his nickname from his sister when she was just beginning to talk. I have no idea why she called him Duh-duh. Maybe it was her way of calling him "brother". Anyhow, he was Duh-duh for a long time and then all of the sudden, one day she started calling him by his Christian name and that was the end of "Duh-duh". If there was ever a child who could just worm his way into your heart, it's this one. He is a lover. He's the one who just wants to hold my hand when he's eating dinner. He'll just snuggle up to you any time and flash those big brown eyes and you'll just melt. Duh-duh is my sensitive and compassionate child. If there's someone who doesn't have something, Duh-duh's the one to give what he's got. He and Missie Lou have always had a very special bond and they shared a room for quite a while because Missie Lou was afraid of the dark. It's fun to watch the two of them interact, they really understand each other and care about each other. Most of the time. Duh-duh is definitely his own person. He's not concerned about what other people think about him and does what he wants. He's definitely a special kid and I am very thankful for him!

Friday School

2011-11-04T14:56:00.000-07:00

"The best laid plans of mice and men often go astray..." (Robert Burns). You know, I'm finding that in homeschooling that quote is quite applicable. Also, I'm finding that our homeschool has a tendency to evolve into what suits our family, which is really quite interesting, and Friday has been evolving this year into an education day that is quite different than the rest of the week. For four days out of the week we do Bible class, spelling, grammar, writing, math, memory work, history or science and Latin (for Bubba). But Fridays we do all the other stuff. Fridays for Bible we do our verse quiz and then we read a missionary story. Today's missionary story was about Jim Elliot. We've read about Hudson Taylor, Amy Carmichael, Gladys Alward, lots of people. It's been a great study. We also have a spelling test and on Fridays we study Health. and geography... and Bubba gets one of his fun math puzzles. He thinks it's just for fun. It is fun for him. He loves math. But, it's also getting him ready for algebra. And he doesn't even know it. I love that kind of thing! Fridays also give us a chance to play "catch-up" if we're a little behind. We are a little behind where I'd like to be for history so we did history and science today. Finished up the story of "MacBeth" (We're studying the Elizabethan Age and you cannot study the Elizabethan Age without studying Shakespeare. We're also memorizing "Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow" from MacBeth. You know, the passage that includes, "Life.... is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing." A little depressing, but so is MacBeth.) I'd never read "MacBeth" before. Well, we did study it in highschool, but that doesn't mean I read it. I just remember walking through the halls with my best friend L quoting Lady MacBeth with all the drama we could muster, "Out d--- spot! Out!!" So, anyway, today we finished that. Bubba always has a Latin quiz, which he does on-line. We also do art if we have the time and I feel like it. Lately I haven't felt like it, much to Bubba's chagrin. He loves art. So, anyhow, that's what Friday school looks like around here. I like it. It's a little change of pace and a little less intense.

A Month of Thankfulness: Day 4

2011-11-04T14:11:00.001-07:00

Today I am thankful for Bubba. He's the oldest of my five children. I still remember the day we met Bubba. He wasn't walking yet, but he was a terror on his knees. He was getting into absolutely everything in that little meeting room and the social worker had to keep pulling him away from the computer and out from under the desk and everywhere else. And he hasn't quit moving yet. I've always felt that if somehow we could hook up electrodes to him we could supply power to the entire tri-state area. (Actually, here in California, there is no "tri-state area". We are too big. And with those mountains in the way, we forget that Nevada is there, Oregon is too far north and south of us is a totally different country.) Anyhow, suffice it to say, the child has a tremendous amount of energy. He's also very smart. He's fun to teach because he catches on quickly. He's a very mathy person and sometimes drives me absolutely insane in his desire to find out all the "whys" and "hows". I'm not that kind of person. I'm just kind of an "it just is" type of person. Bubba is also a good athlete. I still remember when he was about four years old and in swimming lessons. The teacher had all the little boys sitting on the wall kicking and they all looked like four-year-old little boys, except Bubba. He had pecs. I couldn't believe it. Even as a toddler he's had the musculature of an athlete, and I knew he'd be good. And he's getting there. Soccer and baseball are his passions and with some more experience and if he can get a little more drive, he'll do really well, I'm thinkin'! So, today I am thankful for Bubba. He is a challenge. He is the one who consumes probably a bigger proportion of my prayer time, but he's a wonderful, gifted kid and I'm excited to see how God is going to use him.

Thursday Stuff!

2011-11-03T14:47:00.000-07:00

Here are a few glimpses of my life these days. See this.... this is my bar-b-que. Well, it's technically hubby's. It used to be his domain, but then I took that over, too. I'd feel bad asking him to grill up some chicken breasts after a hard day of work, so one day a while back I asked him to teach me how to use the grill. He did and there was no looking back. Now, there's picture of a dinosaur written on the dust of the lid. Hmm. Wonder who did that? Here's Sparky.... and here's her new dog house. Even since she got here she's been sleeping on the table right outside the window. I guess she likes to keep an eye on us. But then, the weather started changing and the forecast for this weekend is nighttime lows in the 30's. I started to think that maybe she'd need a little shelter. So, Hubby went to Walmart last night and got her a little doghouse. And I'm making a bed to go inside. Now she'll be warm and I won't feel guilty.

Oh, and here are a few examples of what I've been finding on my camera lately. I think my camera's been absconded.... and used for untoward purposes.
And this.... this makes me sad. These are my peas. They were doing so well. Until a little boy on a bike knocked over the trellises. Twice. And then he lied about it. He knows he's not supposed to play in my garden. But he did.
I told him that I was more sad about the lie than the peas; I am more concerned about his character than anything else. I hope it sunk in. It's hard being a parent these days.

A Month of Thankfulness: Day 3

2011-11-03T14:24:00.000-07:00

I am thankful for my husband. You know, when I was young I had my life all planned out. I was going to graduate high school, go to college, become a nurse and get married, all by the age of 22. And then I was going to have two kids. Well, only two of those things happened - I graduated high school and went to college. I started out in nursing school, but then I passed out during a clinical at the hospital when I was watching a real nurse put in a hep-lock. People who pass out like that shouldn't become nurses. Doesn't really inspire confidence in the patients. Anyhow, I did graduate from college, but I became a teacher. And I didn't get married when I was 22. The right guy didn't come along. So, I did what single people do - I became a missionary for a couple of years in Brazil and moved around a lot and went to grad school. Finally, when I was 32 years old, after not learning Portuguese in Brazil (but having a wonderful time anyhow) and earning a Masters Degree at a local university I met the love of my life. We met walking down Christmas Tree Lane in Fresno and after a little more than a year of hiking and dating we decided we were right for each other and got married. It was a beautiful wedding. In June we will celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary. It's been a wonderful almost-ten years. Hubby is still my best friend and I still love hanging out with him. He's funny and smart... just a great husband! And here we are - with our house, five kids, a dog and three cats. Yes, I am thankful for my husband.

A Month of Thankfulness: Day 2

2011-11-02T14:37:00.000-07:00

I am thankful for my Godly heritage. Last summer we had a family gathering. My dad's family is pretty big - he had 8 brothers and sisters and they all had pretty big families. So, when that side of the family gets together, it's big. The gathering happened over the weekend and on Sunday we had our own church service. Many of the smaller families sang hymns and shared what the Lord was doing in their lives. What really touched me was listening to my aunts share about growing up in their family and how they would sing hymns together as a family. That is one thing I will always remember about getting together with my dad's side of the family - singing hymns, especially the Doxology, which we would sing before every meal. My Grandma also prayed for each one of her grandchildren, all the way up until she passed away. Now, the examples I gave are from my dad's family, but my mom also grew up in a Christian home and her mom was such a wonderful example to me of Christian service. She worked hard and gave much to others in the name of Jesus. I look at my own parents and grandparents, and listen to stories of my great-grandparents and other relatives and how they loved the Lord and served Him and it is not only an inspiration to me, but it gives me peace and comfort. Reminds me of that verse in Hebrews about having that "great cloud of witnesses" cheering me on, having gone before me.

It's National Adoption Month!

2011-11-02T14:12:00.001-07:00

James 1:27 Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.

Did you know that the first social organization God instituted was the family? It wasn't the church, it wasn't the government, it was the family. God intended that each human being be connected to other human beings through the bonds of family. It is the family that provides the life-long support, structure and love that people need to be truly healthy and functional. And yet, there are so many children out there who do not have a family. Yes, they were given life by someone and yet, for one of many reasons, do not have a family. Sometimes parents die, sometimes parents are in bondage to an addiction or mental illness; there are so many reasons why children are parent-less, but that does not mean that they need to remain so. November is National Adoption Month and since adoption is near and dear to my heart I'd like to make a plea on behalf of the children in the foster care system and in orphanages world-wide. Get involved in adoption. There are many ways to get involved in adoption and so I'd like to list just a few and maybe one will strike your fancy.

1) The most obvious one is to.... adopt a child. Yes, it is a big step and it is scary, but.... really. What were we put on this earth for? To live for ourselves? Or to pour ourselves out for others?

2) Be a foster parent. Foster parenting is a ministry that is gory and in the trenches. You are getting involved in the ugliness of the lives of others. You are the Good Samaritan - binding the wounds of the innocent victims. And yet the rewards are measureless!

3) Do respite care for foster parents. Foster parents do need respite, which is a family who will temporarily care for their foster children. We did respite a couple times for a family - keeping a little girl for a couple of weekends. It is a ministry no one would ever think of, but it is needful!

4)Financial support. There are many organizations that do not get government funding that work with orphans, adoptions, etc. and are always in need of money. Our family sends money on a monthly basis to help care for 2 orphaned children in Africa. We have thoroughly checked out the organization that runs the orphanages and it is legitimate and has a philosophy that we agree with. (This organization does not facilitate adoptions - not all of these children are without parents. This organization is committed to raising and educating the children in their care so that they can grow up and make a difference in their own country. The orphanages are well run, clean and lovely to look at.) Also, there are people who would like to adopt internationally (or even domestically) through a private agency and it is expensive. I'm sure they would appreciate financial support as well.

These are only a few of many ways that people can celebrate National Adoption Month. Every child deserves a family and it is only if good people step up and help that these children can have what every child needs - a forever family.

PS: Focus on the Family has had some really good programs these last few days about adoption through foster care. I'd recommend you check them out!http://www.focusonthefamily.com/radio.aspx

A Month of Thankfulness: Day 1

2011-11-01T14:34:00.000-07:00

The first thing that comes to mind in this Month of Thankfulness is that I am thankful for my Salvation in Jesus Christ. When I was a child, it seemed so simple, but as I grow in years and in maturity in the Lord it becomes more and more mysterious. Being a mother, more than anything, has made me come face to face with my own sinful nature because I battle the flesh (and fail a lot) on a daily basis as I try to raise my children. I daily see my need for Reconciliation with God through Christ. Oswald Chambers puts it beautifully in his October 28th devotional:

"The salvation of God does not stand on human logic, it stands on the sacrificial Death of Jesus. We can be born again because of the Atonement of Our Lord. Sinful men and women can be changed into new creatures, not by their repentance or their belief, but by the marvellous work of God in Christ Jesus which is prior to all experience. The impregnable safety of justification and sanctification is God Himself. We have not to work out these things ourselves; they have been worked out by the Atonement. The supernatural becomes natural by the miracle of God; there is the realization of what Jesus Christ has already done – “It is finished.”

A Month of Thankfulness

2011-11-01T14:27:00.000-07:00

November is the month we celebrate Thanksgiving. Sometimes I think we're so used to everything we have that we forget to be thankful and we don't really realize how many people in the world have so much less than we have, both materially and spiritually. So, this year I'm going to do a Month of Thankfulness again. It was a good exercise for me, although it got hard at the end and I tried not to make it trite. So, let's begin our Month of Thankfulness with one of the most beautiful Psalms of Thanksgiving - Psalm 100.

A Psalm for giving thanks.

Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth! Serve the LORD with gladness! Come into his presence with singing! Know that the LORD, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name! For the LORD is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.

Halloween and all sort of Stuff!

2011-11-01T14:07:00.001-07:00

Is it Tuesday already? I can't believe it. I haven't blogged since Saturday. I try to blog every day. It's something I enjoy doing and would you like to know why? The real reason I like to blog? It's because I don't have to please anyone but myself. I don't care if my kids don't like it. I don't care if my husband doesn't like it. (Well, I do care, and I'd never share anything on my blog that he didn't want me to, but... you know what I mean) I write about what I want and what pleases me. And there's not much in my life that I can say that about. So, that's why I enjoy blogging so much. Anyhow, it's been a busy couple of days. Yesterday, of course, was Halloween. Sunday we carved pumpkins. That's always fun and slightly chaotic. Everything around here is slightly chaotic. Whether it's fun or not depends on how chaotic it gets. Fun and chaos have an inversely proportional relationship. I even roasted pumpkin seeds. They turned out pretty good. Something good and slightly healthy to nibble on. Last night we ditched our neighborhood and went to the Harvest Festival at my parents' church. I hate giving out Halloween candy. Call me a Grinch, but the only year I did it just completely burned me out. See, I happen to believe that Trick-or-Treating is for youngish children. Not babies. I hate it when women bring their 6 month old child by in a stroller dressed up in a costume. Yes, they are cute, but no parent should be feeding their 6 month old candy, so obviously the candy is for them. And I have no respect for a parent who uses their baby to get candy. Trick-or-Treating is also not for obnoxious junior high and high school kids who pound on the door and demand candy. That is extortion. So, we don't give out candy. We escape before the madness descends and it does descend on our neighborhood. People come from all over town to trick-or-treat in our neighborhood. Which I find strange. Our whole block had it's lights off this year. Except for the people on the corner who had this huge party. Anyhow, so the boys dressed up as Ninjas. I found this great costume idea when I Googled "Halloween Costumes made from sweats". I got this. Black sweat pants, sweat shirt and the mask was a black t-shirt. I was so excited. They can actually re-use this costume. I bought the swords for $3 at Walmart and we were good to go. Missie Lou was a.... butterfly princess fairy. We bought the wings for $3 at Walmart, I made her tiara from some beads and wire and the leotard was from ballet.I dressed Baby up in the little Piglet costume that I had for Missie Lou when she was a baby and Cee-cee was a "cowboy". Well, she had on jeans and a bandanna. She took the hat off before we even left the house, but I don't think she really cared. The kids had a great time at the Harvest Festival. I didn't get good pictures because it was too dark outside, but we went on a train ride, did games, got faces painted....
ate nachos and got loads of candy. So, I have to say, "A good time was had by all!"

A Soccer Tournament in the Dark. What'll They Think of Next?

2011-10-29T21:28:00.000-07:00

I'm cold. And I just finished eating a purple popcicle. I have no idea why I just ate one. I should have made a cup of tea or something. Being that I am cold. Anyhow, you want to know why I'm cold? It's because I just got home from a soccer tournament. That I didn't know was going to be in the dark. And it's cold out there in the dark. Well, let me back the truck up a bit here and explain. Several weeks ago Bubba's soccer coach called and asked if Bubba could play in a tournament. "Well, of course", we said. Bubba eats, drinks, and breathes soccer this time of year. We thought it would be good for him. We also understood that the first game would be in the afternoon and if they won, it would go on into the early evening. So, it was a bit of a surprise when the coach told us to be there at 4:30 this afternoon. OK, fine. I took him because our church was having a Harvest Event tonight and we decided that Hubby would take the three middle kids and I'd take Baby with me. She doesn't care about Harvest Events. She just likes to practice walking. So, I get him there at 4:30 and there's a million people there. I find some place to plop down my chair (unfortunately it was on a hill and Baby got to practice walking on a hill, which was pretty funny, actually) and wait. And wait. And wait. And then it starts getting dark. And they still haven't started the games. And they didn't turn the lights on. And then they started handing out glow sticks and putting glow sticks on the goals. And then we find out (maybe everyone else knew this, but I didn't and neither did Bubba) that they were going to play soccer in the dark. Each player got this glowing necklace thing and the goalie's necklace was flashing so everyone knew he was the goalie. And they played. It was an interesting concept, but not something we'd like to repeat. Poor Bubba, I don't think he'd let a ball get past him during the regular season, but poor kid.... he couldn't see anything and let the other team score on him three times. He was very frustrated. All the kids were frustrated because they couldn't see and they lost the first game. Baby was tired and cold (I hadn't brought her very warm clothes because I didn't think it was going to be that late) and I was getting cold myself. Finally, Hubby got back from the Harvest Event and I took all the kids home and put them to bed. Hubby and Bubba finally got home. Bubba's team won their second game, so he was in better spirits than when I left him. And I'm finally warming up.

Pumpkin Patch!

2011-10-28T14:07:00.000-07:00

Well, I don't know of any better activity to do with 5 children, 3 of whom have horrible allergies right now, (and I still have horrible allergies and vertigo) than to take them on a dusty field trip to the Pumpkin Patch. But, that's what we did today. Our home school group had a field trip to the Pumpkin Patch. It's here in our town, and they do such a good job that school groups from miles around take their students there. We were talking to one of the staff members and she said they had about 1200 kids go through there today. Yes, just today. It's been open all month. Anyhow, they do a good job. They have a story time, take the kids on a short walk on a path (dusty path) over a swinging bridge (and me with my vertigo), through a little castle with a slide, then they do a hayride (I passed on that), we had a picnic lunch, went through the corn path and each kid got to take home a small pumpkin. The kids had a great time. My mom came with us to help with the babies and that was wonderful. I had to carry Baby because a stroller just wouldn't make it on the path or the swinging bridge. It was a beautiful day for the field trip, too. Sunny, but not too warm and the trees are just starting to turn color!

I just had to include this picture. One of the dumbest reasons I've heard for why you shouldn't home-school is, "But how are they going to learn to stand in line?". Well, I'm proving that reason wrong. Here is our home-school group.... standing in line. See, you don't have to go to school to learn how to line up!

The Tooth Fairy

2011-10-28T09:23:00.000-07:00

You know, one of the problems I've had as a parent is how to deal with the whole Santa Claus/Easter Bunny/Tooth Fairy thing. On the one hand, they're the stuff of which childhood is made. I believed in Santa Claus and the Tooth Fairy. It's fun and imaginative. You know, fairy dust and all that. But, it's one thing to read about it and imagine it and it's another thing for parents to lie to their children about it. Now, I know, most parents would say they aren't lying and it's not a deliberate attempt to deceive, but I just have a real problem with telling my children that Santa Claus is real when he isn't. And yes, I have watched "Miracle on 34th Street", but that still hasn't changed my mind. Now, to be honest (since that is what this post is about) Santa Claus hasn't really been an issue. My kids know he's not real. We want to keep the focus of Christmas on the birth of Jesus, so we haven't done Santa Claus. Although we do have the cartoons about him and all that. But the Tooth Fairy, now that's been hard. And I have to admit, we do the Tooth Fairy. And I am so pathetic.... listen to what happened this week. Duh-duh lost a tooth on Tuesday night. So, Wednesday he puts it under his pillow, but I didn't remember to be the Tooth Fairy until Thursday morning. He was still sleeping, but he's a pretty light sleeper and a pretty early riser, so I knew I'd get caught if I snuck in there. So, this is what I did. I wrote him a note. It said, "To: Jonathan. From: The Tooth Fairy. I'm sorry I didn't make it to your bed. I got lost. You may keep your tooth." And I left a quarter with the note. Isn't that horrible? He believed it. He thought it was actually from the Tooth Fairy. It was cute, he showed Daddy and Grandpa & Grandma. So, as you can see, I'm still torn. I don't want to deprive my kids of the "magic of childhood", but I hate making them think there really is a Tooth Fairy when there's not. I want them to trust me to be honest with them. Oh, what's a parent to do?