Stone House Happenings

The Simple Woman's Daybook 9/8

2010-09-08T07:22:00.000-07:00

FOR TODAY, Tuesday, September 8, 2010

Outside my window... Fall is on it's way. There is a thick cloud cover in the sky and the crickets are sounding their call. The air is cool from the rain last night. I hear a small dog barking at most everything that moves.

I am thinking... my children are growing too fast. Sometimes it feels like life is just passing me by.

I am thankful for... the laughter of my kids, the smell after a rain, my relationship with my mom, diet soda ;)

From the kitchen... Most of my dishes are done. It's been a few days since I've cooked anything more than throwing something frozen in the oven.

I am wearing... A purple T that says FABULOUS, black cotton gouchos and yellow flip-flops....Not coordinated but very comfy!

I am reading... Nothing at the moment

I am hearing... crickets chirping and my children learning

Around the house... We're all in one room, windows open, enjoying the breeze and sounds of "almost fall". My 8yr old is working on his outer space workbook. My(almost)5 yr old is "learning" her president facts...(playing with a cardboard president spinner). My 1yr old is in her bouncy chair, having a little snack.

Pondering these words... "Not all who wander are lost" ~C.S. Lewis"

A few plans for the rest of the week... I work for a couple of hours tonight but then it's off the rest of the week for school and family time! We'll probably go to Hobby Lobby tomorrow evening. And I'm looking forward to going to Starbucks this weekend to try a Pumpkin Spice Latte.

A picture thought I'm sharing... my sweet little man from almost a year ago. He's a littlle wacky sometimes :)

Hey I'm back!!!

2010-09-01T19:22:00.001-07:00

Yep.....I've gotten internet back out my house. And I've decided that other blog wasn't going to work out. I always come back home. So stay tuned for more me.....Don't I just know you're on the edge of your seats! LOL!

New Blog!

2010-05-13T13:00:00.000-07:00

Hey everybody! I know I've been slacking off.....But so much is going on and so much has changed with me and my family. So I decided to start a fresh new blog to write about it all. I won't be posting here at Stone House Happenings anymore. My new blog is called, "Oh Look! A Kitty!" Hehehe.....Took me a while to come up with a name. But that one fits me very well as I am highly distractable. Anyway, go have a look-see! http://look-a-kitty.blogspot.com I will be writing alot more now that I have some things figured out. Love you and hope to see you there!!!

Wooh boy!

2010-02-25T11:19:00.001-08:00

Howdy people! Just wanted to drop in for a sec. Got so much going on....I know I keep promising to fill you in...and I will! Just gimme a bit. Finding time and the right words is not that easy. But don't worry! I still love you all! Love and hugs!

Yellow

2010-02-12T12:03:00.001-08:00

I have changed my blog layout in honor of my innate yellow-ness... :) Ever heard of the People Code? Also known as the Color Code. It's a study on personalities by Dr. Taylor Hartman. According to Dr. Hartman, there are four main character types, which are determined by the core motive of each individual. He signifies each of the four with a color: Red, Blue, White and Yellow.
Reds are motivated by power. The know what they want and what to do to get it. They are no-nonsense people. They are confident and motivated. They are decisive and assertive. One of my best friends is 100% red. (which doesn't happen often) She told me that if you want to get a red to do something, just tell them that they can't do it. :) Unfortunately, with the good, comes the bad. Reds can be selfish and insensitive. They can be bossy and impatient. They know what they know and it's hard to convince them otherwise.
Blues are motivated by intimacy. They value deep, personal relationships. They are extremely loyal and sincere. You can always depend on a blue. They are very thoughtful and compassionate. They are also perfectionists and tend to be very hard on themselves when they don't get things right. Some of the faults of a blue are that they tend to have unrealistic expectations and be hard to please. They can also be judgmental and unforgiving. My hubby is a blue. But thankfully, he has white as a secondary... :)
Whites are motivated by peace. They are tolerant and kind. They are patient, easy-going and agreeable. They don't like conflict and do whatever they need to to avoid it. They can be shy and unenthusiastic. They can also be indecisive and directionless. White is also MY secondary color.
Yellows are motivated by fun! The are playful and care-free, enthusiastic and optimistic. They are very likeable. They say, if you can't get along with a yellow, there's something wrong with you. Unfortunately I am very yellow. Meaning, I have alot of yellow faults as well. They can be undisciplined and disorganized, irresponsible and impulsive. And one of my favorites...obnoxious. :) I have found, though, that I enjoy being obnoxious. Feel sorry for my family and friends! :)
You can take a test to find out what you are either in the book or on the site. The site charges for a full test though. But you can find out your primary color for free there. I, as I said before, am a Yellow/White. I tested out at 60% yellow and 30% white. I also have 10% blue and no red at all, whatsoever.....What I want to know is how I have two red children....hmmm...
Anyway, I've learned so much about myself since my all-red friend brought this into our lives. I encourage you to find out what color you are. And when you do, let me know! It will change how you look at everyone.... We were having a good time one day color-coding cartoon characters....hehehe. So much FUN! :)

The Simple Woman's Daybook

2010-02-01T10:58:00.000-08:00

For Today...The first day of February...

Outside my window...chilly, with a good amount of leftover snow on the ground.

I am thinking... that trying to convince an 8 year old boy that reading and writing can actually be fun is hurting my brain...

I am thankful for... Friends that I can depend on for anything and who care enough to tell me the truth!

I am wearing... Grey corduroys and a black sweater.

I am remembering... how goofy I was as a teenager!

I am going... to be entering my 30th year of like at the end of this month! Yikes!

I am currently reading... in the book of Nehemiah.

I am hoping... that I get some time to get some things done at home.

On my mind... there are so many different things bouncing around my head, I wouldn't know where to start...

Noticing that... this is going to be a year of spiritual and mental growth...

Pondering these words... Happy is as Happy does!

From the kitchen... somebody wrote "Wash Me" on it...I think it was the hubby... :)

Around the house... lots of learning happening....and a little goofing off too...

One of my favorite things... a jabbering, smiling baby! :)

From my picture journal...

I would love to be back there right now!

The Simple Woman's Daybook

My crazy boy!

2009-12-29T09:12:00.001-08:00

Just wanted to share this video of my son playing his new wii game....He takes these things very seriously!

Out with the old and in with the new!

2009-12-28T09:48:00.000-08:00

Wow, what a year! Had a new baby. Left our church...and with that, lost a few friends. But God is good! And He is the Restorer! He has brought us into a fellowship with amazing family! And, with that, brought us into a closer fellowship with Him!!! I have NEVER been this excited about what God is doing! To FINALLY feel like I am really an active part of His Kingdom is AMAZING!!!
2010 is going to be BIG year for the Lord! And I am so honored that I get to be a part of it!!! He has given me a great hunger for His word and for reaching the lost! He is consuming our time like never before! We have finally stepped into the beginnings of His plan for us! So, AWESOME!!!
I can't really share much right now. Things are still up in the air. And we've already faced alot of opposition. From our old church, of all people! But we will continue to stand strong in the Lord! We have put on our armor and have armed ourselves with His Word! We are preparing ourselves for battle! Onward to advance His Kingdom!!!

The Simple Woman's Daybook

2009-12-15T08:09:00.000-08:00

FOR TODAY... December 15, 2009

Outside my window... Bright and sunny, not a cloud in the sky. But, oh, so cold at 19 degrees!

I am thinking... Christmas is coming too fast...I'm not near ready!

I am thankful for... Where to start? A God, Who is bigger than anything and everything in this life! An amazing husband who I love more and more everyday! Three fantastic, gorgeous children who are constantly making me smile! Awesome friends, who are more like family and keep me growing in the Lord! A terrific mom, who is also my best friend! A home that is beautiful and warm and safe! A sister, who has, along with her family, realized what it means to be a child of God and is growing more in Him everyday! I could go on and on...but I can't. I have too much to do today! :) I'm thankful for the things I have to do and for the fact that I am ABLE to do them!

I am wearing... Brown pants and a Tinkerbell shirt

I am remembering... the passion I once had for God. I'm so excited that the fire has been rekindled!!!

I am going... to be cleaning like a mad woman once I'm done here.

I am currently reading... anything I can get my hands on about homeschool and of course, continuing in His Word!

I am hoping... that it warms up enough to not be miserable outside, but stays cold enough to have a beautiful blanket of snow for Christmas!

On my mind... God!!! And all the wonderful things that He is and does!!!

Noticing that... Some people won't see the truth, no matter what you say...you just have to leave it to God to reveal it to them.

Pondering these words... Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen...Hebrews 11:1

From the kitchen... getting ready for a big dinner on Saturday.

Around the house... trying to get everything ready for Saturday's get-together.

One of my favorite things... coffee w/ White chocolate raspberry creamer and whip cream on top!

From my picture journal...

Daddy "horsing around" with the kids! :)
The Simple Woman's Daybook

Busy! Busy! Busy!

2009-12-14T06:30:00.000-08:00

So sorry I've been neglecting this blog. So much has been going on! I don't have time to get into it now...but soon I will sit down and get it all worked out on paper (that's how my brain works best)and spill the beans to you guys! Hugs to you all out in blogland! May God bless you richly!!! And in case I don't get back before, MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!

Snowflakes!

2009-11-15T06:37:00.000-08:00

This is so cool! Make your own virtual snowflakes! I could play on here all day long!

Big Things Are Afoot!

2009-11-09T07:33:00.000-08:00

We've been really busy lately and are getting ready to get even busier. Things are busting at the seams over in our neck of the woods! And it's all for God!!! So much to do and it's all happening so fast. I can't go into detail quite yet. But it's going to be big things from humble beginnings. I'm more excited about the things of God than I ever have been! I feel like doing a happy dance!!!

It's that time!

2009-11-08T13:22:00.000-08:00

The Christmas Season is upon us once again! We're just gearing up here in the Gribben household. Getting our cold weather clothes out and firewood cut. I hope to go today to get some things to decorate with. So far, we've watched The Grinch and Elf. Got my Christmas music on and I'm really getting into the spirit! We tend to start celebrating a little earlier than most because we love it so much. And every year it goes by a little faster than the last. Maybe we'll even get the tree up next weekend. We'll see. I'm so excited about so many things in our life right now. Christmas is just one of them.

So get to praising the Lord and thanking Him for all the blessings he's given us. And then start baking cookies and decking the halls. That's what we're going to do! Happy HOLYdays!!!!

*Just a note. the picture was, sadly, not taken at my own home. It is the beautiful creation of my Grandma Jo, in HER gorgeous home.

Hi!

2009-10-20T11:23:00.001-07:00

Sorry that I've been AWOL. We just have so much going on right now. For now, I will just leave you with some snapshots from our beautiful fall day yesterday.

The Simple Woman's Daybook

2009-10-05T05:42:00.000-07:00

FOR TODAY October 5, 2009...

Outside my window...Bright, sunny and chilly! It won't be long until we start the first fire of the season in our beloved fireplace!

I am thinking... I wish I didn't have so much to do today.

I am thankful for... my family and for good friends

From the kitchen.... I don't want to talk about it...

I am wearing... green and blue jammies

I am creating... lots of ideas for restocking our etsy shop.

I am remembering... back when I was about 8..Life was so simple. Not a care in the world...Good times...

I am going... I'll be going insane if I can't stop sneezing!!

I am hoping... that Anya behaves herself today at Walmart...

I am hearing... Spongebob Squarepants

On my mind... wondering what's going to happen...just wanting to know God's will for this situation...

Noticing that... if people are only given little bits of information about a situation from one side...they almost always assume the worst about the other side.

Pondering these words... don't shrink back

Here is picture thought I am sharing: My sweet baby girl! Can you see the mohawk? :)
The Simple Woman's Daybook

Pics from the Rock-A-Thon

2009-10-03T11:25:00.000-07:00

Don't have time to tell you all about it right now. But, I thought I'd at least share some pictures. Enjoy!

Lots To Do!

2009-09-24T09:33:00.000-07:00

I have so much to do today!!! I've about got Maegan ready to lie down for her nap. Then I can get to work. I've got dishes to wash, laundry to put away, and a living room to sweep...But besides that, we have the Rock-A-Thon to get ready for! Tons of beads to break out and organize, signs to make, table covers to find.

Every year it is so much fun! We get to get our stuff out there and meet some very interestiing people. Not to mention, we get to make a little extra money...That's never a bad thing!

We'll have Maegan with us, but the bigger two will be with grandparents. So, hubby and I get some quality time together. And, it's so much fun to look at all the rocks and jewelry other people bring...We always wind up spending a good chunk of our profits on stuff we find at the show. It's nice though, the vendors like to make deals and trades with other vendors. And having done this for 7 years now, we've made some good friends there!

I bought batteries for my camera, so I plan on taking some good pics. I will try to post about it on Monday.....I may post before if the venue has wi-fi......I love my laptop!!!

Anyway, really need to get to work. Take care all!!!

Chuck E. Cheese

2009-09-23T06:06:00.000-07:00

My daughter's 4th birthday is this Sunday. But, because we'll be at the Rock-A-Thon all weekend, we celebrated it with Hubby's parents last night at Chuck E. Cheese's. It was fun! We didn't tell the kids where we were going. So, they were extra excited when we pulled up outside the restaurant.

They played a few games until our pizza arrived at our table. We let them get soda, which never happens. So, that was an extra treat! We had to make them sit down and eat. After all, who gets hungry when there's so much fun to be had? I was hungry. So, I scarfed down three pieces of the yummy sausage and pepperoni pizza. I still beat Anya, who ate one piece. She kept getting distracted and jabbered on and on about what games she wanted to play. By this time, Noah had taken off with Grandma and Daddy to the many fun filled, ticket spewing games. (On a side note, I think it's awesome that all the games are just one token!)

Finally, Anya finished and Grandpa took her to play. And play she did! I think she put a token in every game...even if she couldn't reach the controls to shoot at the enemy planes. :) She got her picture taken and put on a little id card thing. It was cute! But although we pushed the button for a girl card, it spit out a policeman card with her picture on it. I told her girls can be police too. So, all was good!

I took Maegan to get her picture taken at the machine that "sketches" your photo. She did great. Sweet little faces all around.....Until it took too long to take the picture and she got fussy....Then it took the picture. Still cute, but not what I was going for.

Not long after, it was time to cash in the tickets...a few pieces of candy and some little plastic trinkets...Then Grandma got ice cream for us all from the ice cream vending machine. Just a buck for a ice cream bar or popsicle. The kids both picked Jolly Rancher Bomb Pops. They were HUGE!!! At least twice the size of a normal Bomb Pop. Needless to say, they didn't finish them.

They played a bit in the playground area before we left. Then we walked out the door...things were fine. Maegan was asleep in her carseat. The older two were cheerful. But, slowly, things began to go down hill....To give you an idea of how things were, Hubby posted this comment on facebook: "What is it about Chuck E Cheese that makes kids manifest?" It was fun, let me tell ya! It was mostly our household Drama Queen...Noah wasn't too bad. Thankfully it was bedtime and soon, there was peace again.

And that was our night....How are things in your corner of the world?

The Simple Woman's Daybook for the First Day of Fall!

2009-09-22T10:20:00.000-07:00

FOR TODAY September 22, 2009...

Outside my window... cloudy, breezy and cool...59 degrees! Autumn is definitely making her presence known!

I am thinking... these allergy pills make me sleepy

I am thankful for... a good church, where the Word of God is preached strait and unapologetically and God's power is evident.

From the learning rooms... we're working on behavior this week..

From the kitchen.... dishes waiting to be washed..no dinner waiting to be prepared. Hubby's parents are taking us to Chuck E. Cheese's for Anya's birthday.

I am wearing... blue shirt and jeans

I am creating.... comfort for my baby girl

I am going... to Chuch E. Cheese tonight! I'm not too old to enjoy that kind of stuff, am I?

I am reading... nothing right now, I've got a long reading list. I better get started.

I am hoping... that I can sneak in a nap before I have to pick Noah up from school.

I am hearing... Strawberry Shortcake... We got Anya a video for her birthday and she wants to watch it all the time.

A few plans for the rest of the week... Besides Chuck E. Cheese, we have alot of work to do getting ready for the Rock-A-Thon.

Here is picture thought I am sharing:
My awesome Daddy! He got that hat in Ireland! He teaches 8th grade history, coaches football and track and sings lead in the gospel group, The Victorymen. I love him sooo much!!!

The Simple Woman's Daybook

Rock-A-Thon!!!

2009-09-21T07:11:00.000-07:00

As some of you know, my husband and I own a bead shop called Stone House Merchant. We will be at the Tri-State Gem and Mineral Society's annual Rock-A-Thon at Joplin Memorial Hall this weekend. It's always a blast! There are a few people, like us, that bring beads and jewelry. There are tons of rocks, both finished and rough. And there are some that have the more precious gems and fancier jewelry. They have geode cutting and lots of other fun things planned! For more info, such as times and things like that, go here.You should definitely come by, say hi, and take a look at all the other great stuff they have there! We'd love to see you there!

Good Morning World!

2009-09-21T06:07:00.000-07:00

I hope everyone is having a great day! I'm just dropping a quick line before I get to work on this house. Alot's been going on around here lately. Just trying to get things ready for the Rock and Gem show this weekend. Trying to get stuff ready to re-open our shop. And, of course, working on the house. Flylady's not going too bad. Although, I am having trouble keeping my lace up shoes on. Once it starts getting cooler, I will be able to do it. They just make me too hot right now. But it's coming, slowly but surely!

My son, the baby and I are fighting with allergies right now. That's my least favorite part of the seasons changing. Once fall gets into full gear and it gets cool enough to kill off some stuff, we'll be all better. Then we can thoroughly enjoy this beautiful time of year!

The biggest thing that has been going on has been happening inside of me...spiritually. God is working on me, and for once, I'm not trying to get in His way. He's teaching me so much! About myself and about Him. But that's a whole other blog post. I haven't even been able to talk to my hubby about it yet. He knows something is happening. but I'm not so good with the talking when it comes to something this important. The thoughts are scrambled inside my head. The only way I can get stuff like that straitened out is to write it down. So, soon, I'm going to do just that. My hubby gets to read it first of course. :) Then I will probably post about it.
Well, that's all I have time for right now. Have a great day!!!

It's that time again....

2009-09-20T13:50:00.000-07:00

Some may call me crazy. Some may want to pelt me with loads of fruitcake and ice-filled snow balls.....but none-the-less, I have to say it....there are less than 100 days left until CHRISTMAS! Yep, you have found the online home of a self-proclaimed Christmas FREAK. Don't get me wrong, I'm going to enjoy every minute I can of Autumn......But Christmas truly is the most wonderful time of the year.......

Babysteps and The Simple Woman's Daybook

2009-09-14T07:20:00.000-07:00

I'm starting Flylady's Babysteps today. I've started Flylady many times in the past few years, but have never stuck to it....because I don't follow the rules. She tells us to use babysteps so we establish habits, routines. It takes 28 days or so to turn something into a habit. So doing things bit by bit gets them in your head...they become routine. But when you go from no routine at all to a full-fledged shedule all at once...you crashand burn...And that is exactly what I've done, many times before. I know flylady's routines will work, and I want things done NOW. So I go all out...until I fizzle out...within a day or two. So I'm doing it right this time...although I do have so much catching up to do. So I'm adding just a little extra to my daily babysteps. Flylady says that you can do anything for 15 minutes. So I will clean for 15 minutes every hour.....besides the babysteps... So slowly, things will get in order and eventually, after I get all my babysteps gone through, they will become routines....and things will finally be in order around here. I'm so excited!!!

Today's Babystep or Babystep #1: Go Shine Your Sink! Gotta get it good and cleaned out....and keep it shiny, so every morning I have a shiny kitchen sink smiling at me!

If you haven't heard of Flylady before, you should definitely go check her out!!!

And now it's time for....

FOR TODAY September 14, 2009...

Outside my window... It's cloudy. The trees are gently swaying with the breeze. I'm wondering if it's going to rain

I am thinking... about how blessed I am...

I am thankful for... my husband, he is so loving, hard-working and handsome. My children, who can be, at once, both nerve-wracking and awe-inspiring. How could God have seen me fit to be entrusted with their love and care? My home, so beautiful, so very "homey". I am so immensely blessed!!!

From the learning rooms... still working on our ABC's and 123's

From the kitchen.... tonight I will be making a skillet dish of potatoes, smoked sausage, rice, onions and eggs, with green beans and biscuits on the side. Usually, my best meals are the ones where I just throw stuff together and "wing it."

I am wearing... stretchy denim capris and an orange t-shirt with a rainbow and butterflies on it.

I am creating.... a home. Where my children can grow into wonderful and strong members of God's kingdom...a home full of love and learning. A place where God is welcome, where He can come and dwell with us.

I am going... to continue working towards my goal of having my son out of public school by Christmas....it is not an option. God didn't give him to me so I could send him off for the government raise...

I am reading... nothing at the moment...but I am getting ready to go through our books and start making a reading list. We should be forever learning new things and what better way to do that than by reading and doing?

I am hoping... for the best holiday season yet!

I am hearing... Anya babbling, me shushing her because the baby is asleep. :)

A few plans for the rest of the week... just working on this house, plus church tonight and Wednesday. And our friends' house for some awesome fellowship on Thursday!

Here is picture thought I am sharing:

My sweet babies on the swings!

The Simple Woman's Daybook

Give-Away @ Ponder & Stitch!!

2009-09-09T07:55:00.000-07:00

My friend Amy is a very gifted crafter. She makes fabulous jewelry out of vintage found items and out of fabric.

She has two etsy shops but this one is closing so you better check it out while you can. Her new shop, Ponder & Stitch, is amazing! So creative! I would've never thought about making textile jewelry! You HAVE to check her out! And while you're at it, go check out her blog and enter her contest for one of her textile cuffs. You won't be sorry!

Thoughts on a Rainy Day...

2009-09-07T10:07:00.000-07:00

I just love a rainy day! The soft gentle sound of the raindrops hitting the ground, the roof. The smell of wet earth and trees. It's so relaxing and refreshing. The only thing that would make it better is if my boys were here with us. But I do have my girls here and we're going to make the most of our day. A little ABC's and 123's. Some coloring. Some bottles and burping.

I'm also going to be starting my flylady rountines on Monday so I want to do a bit of catch-up cleaning to give that an easier start. I've gotten pretty behind on my housework this summer. So my goal today is to work on the house for 15 minutes each and every hour until hubby comes home. Starting now, that would give me 2 hours of cleaning, total. I think I could get alot done in those two hours! I can only do one load of laundry today though. Our septic can't handle much more than that when it rains like this. So a single load of must have it is. I'm behind on my laundry too. So, once the rain is over (supposed to rain all week), I will be doing at about 3 loads a day until I get caught up. Then I will be going through all the clothes to weed out what we don't need anymore. We have far too many clothes!

But, as I've said before, I have to be ready to take Noah out of public school by Christmas! And I WILL get it done! I've been researching different resources online and I'm getting excited! I'm going to be taking a more eclectic approach this year. Last year we just did the straight forward textbook/worksheet curriculum and we both got bored fast. I plan on using some of that too. But, I'm leaning more towards unit studies and unschooling. It will be like a structured unschooling. I have too many people that would protest if I did complete unschooling...my husband included. Plus, my son isn't the most motivated kid on the block. It's my fault. I'm not very motivated myself. It's something I've been praying about, and God is bringing me out of it. But I hope, as he gets older, I can turn it more over to him. Although he is a very inquisitive young man, so that is a good start!

Another thing we're behind on is our business. We were hoping to have our shop reopened by the end of this month and we haven't made any progress yet. Pat hasn't been able to do much because of being sick. Plus we have church 3 nights a week. But we have to get it ready. Plus the local gem and mineral show is also at the end of the month and we're not even close to ready for it. We paid for a whole booth this year instead of our usual half-space. This will be our 7th year there! I just now added that up. I hadn't realized it had been that long! It's always so much fun! And there are some great people there!

Another thing on the back burner is our etsy shop. We are getting ready to restock and reopen that too. We LOVE making stuff! Not only are we going to be making our beaded jewelry, but I'm going to be making more artist trading cards and some altered art. Hubby is going to try his hand at book making. He's done it before but he hasn't done it in a while. He also makes chain maille jewelry. And come spring, he'll have his lapidary equipment up and running. He also wants to learn faceting and silversmithing. And I want to try my hand at photography. So many hobbies, so little time!

Well, I guess I better get to work. Take care and God bless!!!

The Simple Woman's Daybook

2009-09-02T06:02:00.001-07:00

FOR TODAY September 2, 2009...

Outside my window... It's raining. It's pouring. It's awesome! I love a good thunderstorm when there's no strong winds! There's some fierce but gorgeous lightening every now and then. The clouds are thick and the forecast is calling for this through the weekend. Just God giving the earth a good drink.

I am thinking... about how much I love fall and about how much I have to do before she gets here.

I am thankful for... a home that I love, the best family a girl could ask for and a God who's love, mercy and power have no limits! (not in that order)

From the learning rooms... need to get back to school for Anya, we've taken a break while my husband has been having his medical problem. Thankfully, the worst of that is over and it's about to be completely over.

From the kitchen... coffee's in the pot, red beans, soaked and ready to go into the crockpot for tonight's beans and rice with sausage.

I am wearing... jeans and a striped shirt

I am creating.... nothing specific at the moment, although I am getting ready to get back into scrapbooking. I haven't scrapbooked since Anya was born, and she's turning 4 this month!

I am going... to church tonight! Get to learn more about my Lord and His Word! What could be better than that?

I am reading... Sink Reflections by the Flylady....gotta get a routine going!

I am hoping... the rain will calm down by the time I have to pick Noah up from school. I hate getting the baby out in it.

I am hearing... spongebob on the tv, the baby starting to fuss, and Anya telling me that the baby is starting to fuss..hehehehe...

A few plans for the rest of the week... not much of anything outside of getting this house in order

Here is picture thought I am sharing...

my honey and his girls!

The Simple Woman's Daybook

Welcoming Autumn.....

2009-09-01T07:57:00.000-07:00

It's September first, the final days of summer are upon us. Autumn is showing herself, bit by bit. A cool breeze here, an orange leaf there. Before we know it, she will be here in all her glory. What do you do to welcome her in?
Autumn is my favorite season. By the time we're done celebrating Independence Day, I'm chomping at the bit to get my fall on! I love everything about it! (with the exception of the occasional allergy) It's time to break out everything comfy and cozy. It's getting cool enough to get out all your sweaters and blankets. The softer, the better! Soon it's going to be cool enough to start drinking cocoa and spiced tea. We've already started burning a harvest spice candle. The smell makes me smile.
I've got alot to do to get ready for her this year. After being large with child and then having to attend to a newborn, my housework has fallen behind. So the very first thing I have to do is get the house in order. The next thing is to go through our clothes. Pack up all our shorts and tanktops. I have to get out all our cool weather clothes. Not to mention, weed out all the clothes that don't fit anymore, and the ones we just don't wear. We have far too many clothes. Then I want to rearrange our living room and start decorating. And, soon enough, I'll have to clean out the fireplace, get the chimney swept and start stocking up on the firewood. I LOVE having a fireplace!!! I also need to stock up on supplies for the kitchen. Everything I need to make spiced tea and maybe a little pumpkin spice coffee. I have to get my baking supplies bought. And start perusing recipes for soups. Buy some pumpkins and mums for outdoor decorations. (Walmart has their mums out already. I'm so excited!!!)
I want to be totally ready by September 22nd (the official first day of fall) so I can just sit back and enjoy the season. This time next month, I'll be sitting on my front steps, wrapped in a blanket, enjoying a steaming cup of spiced tea, a cool breeze and the beauty of the Ozarks in Autumn. What do you do to get ready for fall?

A Fresh New Day!

2009-08-24T06:53:00.000-07:00

It's a beautiful, sunny day! The sun is warm and the air is cool. My big girl is working on her schoolwork and singing about Jesus. My baby girl is napping. My little man is at school. I'm looking forward to the day when I can take him out of there for good.

I had an encounter with God last night at church. It wasn't as powerful as I had hoped. But God's power isn't what I needed. What I needed was His love...and that's what I got. He wrapped His big strong arms around me. It wasn't the "Wham! I'm God and I'm here!" that I thought I needed. It was Him telling me "Be still and know that I am God...I'm your Daddy and I love you." I feel like just the past few weeks I've been really seeing Him as Abba, Father. I've always know He was my King and even my Friend. But never totally felt the Father in Him. I just want to crawl up in His lap and feel the love and peace He brings. And that's what happened last night. I feel new today....I was feeling so overwhelmed...new baby, cantankerous 3 year old, a house that won't clean itself when I can't find the time. But He brought me a peace and a restfulness that I haven't felt in a long time. I feel like He's bringing me into a new stage of my life. I feel like I may be growing up a little. Learning to appreciate the little things in life. Learning to rest in His love and truly see the beauty in all that He's created. Learning that, even though things don't look clear, He is in control. He knows what He's doing. And He knows the end result. He will take my hand and bring me safely to the other side of every situation, good or bad. I just have to trust Him and obey Him, and let Him take the lead. It's not my life anymore. It never really was. I just liked pretending it was. Holding onto it for dear life. I let Him have some of it. But some is not enough. He has to have every bit of it to really do a work in me. So I'm giving it to Him. Some things are harder to let go of than others...but my grip is getting looser. He's helping me to be strong. The work on me will never be done until I am in Heaven with Him. But He can do alot more work on me when I cooperate. So that's what I'm doing! I can't wait to see what He's got in store for tonight's service!

Okay, I know I've rambled on and on...but that's just what's on my mind and my heart right now.

Take care! And may our Father in Heaven be with you!

The Simple Woman's Daybook

2009-08-20T06:02:00.000-07:00

FOR TODAY August 20, 2009...

Outside my window... a fall-like coolness, grass soaked by a recent downpour, bright green moss growing on a long dead tree that still stands, the smell and feel of summer beginning to come to a close.

I am thinking... About how we tend to overlook the little things. How what could be seen as an adventure is most often seen troublesome or mundane. How I need to start being more of a "glass half full" type of person and learn to appriciate every moment.

I am thankful for... a hubby that cares enough to suprise me with a lunchtime visit, children that love to hug and kiss their new baby sister, the comfort that comes from a sleeping baby in your lap, getting caught in a downpour at the most inopportune moment and still being able to laugh about it and a good cup of coffee....

From the learning rooms... Anya is working on her colors and shapes, what is bigger and smaller, longer and shorter. Noah was excited about going to his second day of first grade.

From the kitchen... coffee's been brewed, last night's dinner dishes in the sink, waiting to be attended to....

I am wearing... a yellow t-shirt with a white butterfly and pink flowers on it and jeans.

I am creating... a new schedule to keep me on track

I am going... to our friend's house tonight...we're all very excited! There's so much life over there...it's because there's so much God over there! Not to mention all the people! (there are 9 people in their family) I love it!!!

I am reading... emails from my momma! I love chatting with her in the mornings!

I am hoping... it doesn't get hot again. I am SOOO done with summer!!!

I am hearing... birds chirping outside, cars passing on the nearby highway, my little girl asking questions about her school work, my baby making sweet squeaky noises in her sleep.

Around the house... Anya's sitting next to me tracing squares, Maegan is sleeping on my lap. The rest of the house is quiet.

A few plans for the rest of the week: going to our friend's house tonight and hubby may be going to Kansas City this weekend.

Here is picture thought I am sharing...

I love that Anya is such a Daddy's Girl! That's the way it should be!

The Simple Woman's Daybook

Gonna be a good day, Tater!

2009-08-19T06:39:00.001-07:00

Just me and my girls today. I miss my guys though. But I feel pretty relaxed right now. Which hasn't happened in a while. Anya's working on some school work. Maegan is napping. I got my coffee and my windows open. It feels like fall outside! Already got my dishes done and my laundry going. I feel pretty good today!
I took Noah to school this morning. He had his backpack full of school supplies, his lunchbox and a bag full of he kleenexes and what not that they wanted us to buy. And he had only been to his class once before. But even with all that, he insisted he didn't need help and just wanted me to drop him off. My little Mr. Independant! He's getting so big, so fast! I sure am going to miss him! But I will definitely enjoy my days with just us girls. I will also enjoy the lack of fighting that almost accompanies Noah and Anya's playtime. Although, last night, they played very well together.
I hope everyone has a great day!

Such a big boy!

2009-08-18T17:39:00.001-07:00

Noah at about 2 years old.......

Noah, just a few weeks ago with his baby sister! (Age 7 1/2)

My baby boy starts first grade tomorrow! (although it should be second grade) I'm going to miss the little guy! He's so excited though! We met his teacher tonight at the open house. She seems nice enough. Better that his teacher last year. She was old and grumpy. So hopefully it will be a good year. Or half a year anyway. My plan is to be ready to homeschool him by Christmas. I am determined!

Bummed...

2009-08-17T07:06:00.000-07:00

Well, I have to send my son back to school this year. :( At least for a while. Hubby says so. He wants to see how it goes and if I can start making more of my time around here.

I need to get a schedule in place and actually go by it. I'm very scatterbrained, so if I don't have something telling me what to do, I won't get anything done. I need to spend less time online, too. It sucks my time up like it's nothing. I will still be starting Anya on pre-k stuff. And hopefully I can still go to our homeschool group on Fridays. I'm going to show my hubby that I can do it and then I'm going to take Noah out of that government indoctrination center and teach him at home as God intended!!!

The Simple Woman's Daybook

2009-08-16T05:54:00.000-07:00

FOR TODAY August 16, 2009...

Outside my window... Trees swaying in the breeze...a lonely swingset, left vacant because of the heat

I am thinking... About how much God has blessed me and how I long to become the woman He wants me to be.

I am thankful for... A God that loves me for who I am but isn't content to leave me this way. Who is continually challenging me and changing me for His will and His purpose.

From the learning rooms... getting ready to start my daughter on pre-K stuff and possibly my son on 1st/2nd grade stuff. He also wants to learn to play the guitar.

From the kitchen... needs attention....

I am wearing... Black slacks and a hot pink blouse

I am creating... just ideas for new photomanipulations I can do.

I am going... back to church in about 2 hours.. :)

I am reading... Anything I can find on homeschooling and am really wanting to start reading Scarlet Feather again if I can find it.

I am hoping... That God does something fantastic tonight!!

I am hearing... hubby playing with the 2 older kids and the gentle sucking noise from the baby and her pacifier.

Around the house... needs a major tidying....having a 6 week old, I can't get much done...

One of my favorite things... just spending time with my hubby

A few plans for the rest of the week: cleaning this house and hopefully working on lesson plans

Here is picture thought I am sharing...

My baby girl goofing around at the park!

If you want to take part in the daybook, visit the Simple Woman's blog

So much going on!!!

2009-08-14T07:04:00.001-07:00

First off, here is Noah and Anya with their new baby sister Maegan. She was born on July 3rd at 8:24pm. She was 8lbs 14oz and 21 3/4 in. at birth. As of her 5 week appt. (she's 6 weeks now) she was 12lbs 11oz and 23 in. She eats all the time. She a good baby. The only thing that makes her mad is not getting fed as soon as she's ready for it. We just love her to pieces!
Well, the restaurant our bead shop was in closed. So we are closed for the moment too. But we are going to try to put the shop in the back of our house. As long as we don't have any problems with zoning, it's going to be awesome. We can be open more than just the weekends and it will allow for more family time since we won't have to leave the house to run it.
And I am thinking about homeschooling Noah again. I didn't want to put him in school in the first place. He wants to be homeschooled too. And I truly believe it's what God wants. So it should be an easy decision. Hubby says he'll support it as long as I'll do it this time. I slacked off too much last year. Partly because I was sick with the pregnancy and partly because I was lazy and bored. The curriculum didn't hold Noah's interest or mine.This time I'm looking into a more relaxed/eclectic homeschooling with some unit studies incorperated in.
God's really been doing some stuff in me. I had alot of yuck to dig out...still do, but He's getting the job done. It'd be done alot faster if I was more cooperative. I have a hard time letting go sometimes. But I'm getting there. He's been doing alot in my hubby too. I will post more about all that later. That's all for now.

Stone House Merchant Beads

2009-04-11T06:54:00.000-07:00

Our shop is opening today!!!!! We still have alot of work to do to get it ready for our "Grand Opening", but we thought we could have it open to anyone who happens to wonder in while we are working to get it totally set up. The hubby is working there right now. I will be going to help after lunch when my mom picks up our kids. Between the inventory the previous owners are selling us and the orders we've made, we've got a very nice selection of beads. It's going to be a challenge to get things displayed in such a small space. But we are up to the challenge! I am praising God for yet another dream He has brought into reality for us!

I haven't updated it yet, but soon I will be posting on our business blog, Stone House Merchant. So check back there periodically to see what's going on with our new adventure!

How much have you changed in 20 years

2009-03-04T06:40:00.000-08:00

I snagged this from Amy from The King's Table. She didn't tag me, but it looked like fun so I stole it. I'm kinda sneaky that way. Love you Amy! :)

****20 YEARS AGO (1989)****

1) How old were you? 8

2) Who were you dating? yeah he was an older man...hehe NO I was 8!!!

3) Where did you work? nowhere, they had child labor laws back then

4) Where did you live? Springfield, MO

5) Where did you hang out? My friend Tara's and at my own home

6) Did you wear contacts and/or glasses? glasses

7) Who were your best friends? Tara

8) How many tattoos did you have? none

9) How many piercings did you have? none

10) Had you been to a real party? slumber parties :)

11) Had you had your heart broken? nope

12) Were you Single/taken/Married/Divorced? Single

13) Any Kids? No

****15 YEARS AGO (1994)****

1) How old were you? 13

2) Who were you dating? no one

3) Where did you work? nowhere

4) Where did you live? Joplin, MO

5) Where did you hang out? home and Myra's

6) Did you wear contacts and/or glasses? glasses

7) Who were your best friends? Myra and Angel

8) How many tattoos did you have? None

9) How many piercings did you have? ears

10)Had you been to a real party? nope

11) Had you had your heart broken? yes but it was the puppy love kind. Although that still hurts pretty bad

12) Were you Single/taken/Married/Divorced? single

13) Any Kids? 0

***10 YEARS AGO (1999)***

1) How old were you? 18

2) Who were you dating? not really

3) Where did you work? Taco Bell

4) Where did you live? Joplin, MO

5) Did you wear contacts and/or glasses? contacts and glasses

6) Who were your best friends? Heather

7) How many tattoos did you have? none

8) How many piercings did you have? ears

9) Had your heart broken? oh yes

10) Were you Single/Taken/Married/Divorced? single

11)Any Kids? no

****TODAY (2009)****

1) Age? 28

2)Who are you dating? Married

3) Where do you work? at home

4) Where do you live? Joplin, MO

5) Who are your closest friends? My hubby, my mom and Heather

6) Do you talk to your old friends? yes

7) How many piercings do you have? ears

8) How many tattoos? None

9) Had your heart been broken? yeah hardcore breakage but I'm much better now

10) How many kids? Almost 3... Noah (7 , Anya (3) and The Little Squirmy Lump (due this summer)

11) Are you Single/Taken/Married/Divorced? I will have been happily married for 8 years in just 19 days!!!!

Now you try!!!!

Hello!

2009-02-26T08:52:00.000-08:00

Oh goodness! I need to keep this blog up better! Not much new is going on. Just trying to keep up with life.
Today is my birthday! I am 28! Although it feels just like any other day. Noah’s at school, Hubby’s at work and I got lots of laundry to do.
I only have about 4 months left to get ready for this baby! Time flies! I have a lot to do, and PRAISE GOD! a friend of mine is loaning me pretty much everything I’m going to need. We had gotten rid of all our baby stuff. I wanted another one but we weren’t real sure it was going to happen so we just sold our baby stuff or gave it away. So this is such a blessing!
We still haven’t come up with a name yet. We have been thinking Emily maybe. But now that she’s been moving more, Emily just seems to be too much of a laid back name for her. I don’t know. Any suggestions?
Been doing inventory at the bead shop. It’s taking forever! It’s tedious, yet somehow enjoyable, work. Most of the beads are sold by the bead, so we get to count each and every bead. Seed beads are bagged up so we only have to count the bags of those. But the others, my gosh! There are hundreds upon hundreds! But we are determined to get it done so we can open up the shop!
Noah is doing good in school. He’s really liking it. I still don’t like the idea of public school, but until things change, I’m not going to be able to focus on home schooling him. I do plan on taking him out in a year or two, once things settle down and I can get more organized. Until then, he’ll do fine in public school. I just don’t like the idea of the government having that much control over MY child. But that’s a whole other blog post!
Anyway, I better get back to my laundry. Take care!

So much going on!

2009-02-04T07:45:00.000-08:00

I can't believe it's been two whole months ince I last posted!!! Where should I start?

I guess with the business. We are soon going to be taking over a bead shop! When I was pregnant with Noah we went to a local bead shop and made some good friends. They're the ones who gave us our love for beads and actually taught us how to make jewelry. To start with, it was a bead shop/coffee bar. Well the coffee bar expanded to a little vegetarian restaurant. Now that's what they are focusing on. They don't have time for the beads anymore, but they don't want to close the bead shop altogether. So there is a room in front where they are keeping the bead shop and my hubby and I are going to run it. It will be all our business! We've wanted a shop of our own for so long now. And the plus of having it there is (beside the VERY inexpensive rent) they are keeping their inventory there for us to sell. We just pay them a percentage as we sell it. Plus, they are very business minded and are going to help us along and let us use their suppliers! It's the perfect situation! And we'll only have the shop open Mondays and Saturdays so I will still be able to be home with the kids the rest of the week!

Which brings me to something else. I put Noah in public school today. I wasn't keeping up well enough and with the new baby coming I knew it would just get worse. And today I found out that I had been doing worse than I thought because they had to do an assessment. They recommended putting him back in kindergarten. :( It was my choice. But they showed me how he did on the assessment and what he should be able to do and it looks like he would struggle too much if they put him in with the other first graders. I'm pretty mad at myself, but Noah doesn't seem to care at all. He's just happy to be around all the kids.

And yesterday I went in for my ultrasound! Everything on the baby is perfect! And it's a girl!!! We don't have a name picked out yet. We have a long list of them but can't narrow it down. We will soon enough though.

Isn't she sweet?

Well, I need to go get some stuff done. I've slacked far too long. Today was an eyeopener to that.

Love and hugs to all!

It's a baby!

2008-12-04T13:51:00.001-08:00

I went for my first prenatal appt today! Everything is going great! I even got an ultrasound to determine exactly how far along I am. 11 weeks and 2 days! A little further than I was thinking. But that's cool! It was so awesome to see that little thing in there! It really made this pregnancy a reality for me. I know I've been sick, but it hadn't set in that there was an actuall baby in there. But the sweet little thing made itself very known! It's awas wiggling and kicking all around! Like it was doing a little jig for me! It was awesome!!!

Check out my sweet new baby!
This first one is the head. You can kinda make out a face. And the second one is from the side. See the little feet!
Here are a couple from the front.

I am so excited. Bet you couldn't guess that, huh?

Thankful Thursday!

2008-11-20T08:13:00.000-08:00

What am I thankful for today? Where do I start?
*I'm thankful that I'm still having pregnancy symptoms (as icky as they are) even after having a bit of a scare. And I'm thankful that the scare is over.
* I'm thankful for my other two babies. As crazy as they drive me, I couldn't live without them!
* I'm thankful for my amazing, sweetheart of a hubby. He's just so huggable!!! (and kissable too!)
* I'm thankful that gas prices are going down.
* I'm thankful that the holiday season is upon us! It really is the most wonderful time of the year!!!
*I'm thankful that this year is almost over. It's been a doozy!
*I'm thankful that God has kept me on my feet through this doozy of a year. On my own I would've fallen flat on my face.

A Reed Shaking in the Wind?

2008-11-18T13:08:00.000-08:00

“What did you come to see today?
A reed shaking in the wind?”

Those are the words based on Matthew 11:7 that are in the new song we are singing at church. Those are the words that made me bawl my eyes out Sunday morning. It was in the moment those words were sung, that I saw my whole life. Because that is exactly what I have been since I was young, a reed shaking in the wind. Always blowing one way or another. Never staying in one frame of mind long. Very indecisive and flakey. Then last night’s service, my pastor’s wife gave another word for me in her message. Vagabond Spirit. Oh, she didn’t say look I’m talking about Marietta! She’s pretty sensitive to the Holy Spirit though, so I wouldn’t be surprised if she sees it in me.
I don’t mean to be that way. But for some reason I am the most wishy-washy, most easily swayed person I know. I’ve never stuck with anything for long. Not once it got hard or complicated. I don’t want to be that way anymore! I CAN’T be that way anymore! I have too many things to do.
I am a mother. I am a wife. I am a Child of God. How can I truly do those jobs if I can’t stand strong? Obviously I can’t stand on my own strength. That would get me all the way to nowhere. I have to trust God and stand on HIS strength! I have to take hold of His promises and look the devil in his ugly face and tell him he can’t touch me or my family. And I want enough God behind me that the devil doesn’t laugh in my face! If I can’t stand with God, I’m as good as dead. And so is my family. It’s impossible to be a lukewarm Christian. Because being lukewarm negates your inheritance from the Lord.
In Revelations 3:15 & 16 Jesus says, “I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.” (NIV)
So if I’m not going to go all out for the Lord, why bother at all. Playing church and not living for Him is living a lie. So, I had to make a choice. Get in or get out. Well, I know too much to get out. Jesus has done ruined me for the world! So I’m getting back in! All the way! God has re-ignited the fire in my heart for Him. I refuse to turn back now! He is my Lord and I’m going to speak it and live it! Everyone who knows me, will know whom I serve! A lot of them may not like it, but I have to stop living to please other people. It’s God’s opinion of me that matters, not their’s.

I'm still kickin'...barely...

2008-11-12T08:09:00.000-08:00

You know that thing called morning sickness..I don't have it too bad. I have what you call afternoon and all night sickness. I have yet to lose my supper...if you know what I mean. I'm just horribly nauseous and exhausted! It's all for a good end though. At least I'm not sick for nothing! And it should be gone by Christmas, thank the Good Lord! I can't wait for my second trimester! No ickies and I'll get to feel my sweet baby move!! That's my favorite part!
Today I get a free day! Hubby's mom is taking the kids for the whole afternoon!!! I'm going to relax and watch tv! Without having to get up every 3 minutes to break up a fight! Wow! I'm so excited! The kids have been handfuls the past couple of weeks. I imagine it has something to do with the change in the weather. Hopefully we'll have our fireplace going this weekend. I guess it's supposed to get really cold here on Saturday. I'm so looking forward to it! A cracking fire, hot chocolate and Christmas music while we set up our Christmas tree!!! I get the Holiday Tingles just thinking about it!!! Anyway, I gotta go. TTFN!

It's that time!

2008-11-01T07:49:00.000-07:00

This year I have made a rule. We can't start Christmassy stuff until after Halloween. Halloween is over. It's CHRISTMAS time now! Right now, I'm listening to Bing Crosby sing and tonight we'll be watching the first Christmas movie of the year! Don't know which one yet. We have a big box full of them to choose from!
I know what you're thinking. ALREADY? We're still a month away from Thanksgiving!
Yes I know that. It's just that Christmas is our favorite holiday. And it seems, as we get older, Christmastime goes by so much faster! I don't want to miss a minute. So we start early!
We've only bought one gift so far. Well, I guess 2. Hubby said he found me something. We're going to have to make alot of our gifts this year. With the new baby coming, we have to save all the money we can. But that'll still be fun! Better get to crafting!
We haven't decided when we'll put up the tree. Last year we did it before Thanksgiving. So I'm guessing within the next couple weeks! I can't wait to get that fireplace going! Bring on the cold!!! I'm getting all excited just thinking about it!!!
MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYBODY!!

Please God help us!

2008-10-30T07:17:00.000-07:00

I can't stomach it to actually type about this. I'm nauseous anyway. So I will let others do it for me.....
These are MUST READS for this upcoming election. Especially if you are a parent!

Sprittibee: Obama Opposes Homeschool and Parental Rights

Christian News Wire: Obama Knows Best: Elitism Threatens Parental Rights

AmericaWantstoKnow.com: Barack Obama Explains Socialism

I don't have time today to find more, but I will before the election. Read up! Be informed! VOTE!!!

You'll have to excuse me....

2008-10-24T06:26:00.000-07:00

I'm obessessed with all things pregnancy/baby related right now. I made this ticker and I about laughed my butt off. Maybe I'm weird, but maybe you'll laugh too. Let's see!

Guess What!!!

2008-10-22T06:44:00.000-07:00

I'm Back From Gulf Shores!!!

2008-10-21T05:51:00.000-07:00

We had so much fun! I didn't really want to leave! It was so beautiful down there! And my brother's wedding was beautiful too!! And his new wife is just a doll!!! I am so glad he found her! They are so good for eachother!!! Okay, now that I've thoroughly overdone the exclamation points, I'm going to post some pics. I don't have time today to tell more about our trip. I will soon though.

Here's the beach by my brother's house. It was less than two blocks away and you could see it from his deck!

I love this pic of my babies! They had a blast!!!

These little guys were all over the place! And they moved so fast. I was glad this one held still long enough to get his picture taken!

Kayla (my brother's new wife) and her brother took Noah and Baylee (Kayla's brother's daughter) out on the lagoon in a canoe. Noah was pretty nervous but he still had fun!

This is my new sweet baby niece, Wren! I just couldn't get enough of her!!!

This is my crazy, hippy brother, Dave. He always has to make some stupid sign when he gets his pic taken with me. It's become sort of a family tradition. I miss him! It was so awesome to get to spend so much time with him! Thankfully, they're moving about 13 hours closer soon! YAY!!!

Here comes the bride! And Anya and Noah got to be in the wedding too! Anya was a flower girl and Noah was the ring bearer.

Here's Dave, Kayla, Wren and my momma. I have no clue what they were looking at!
Here's the happy couple! They really are perfect for eachother!!!

Sorry!

2008-10-10T05:56:00.001-07:00

I don't have time to do Friday's Favorites today. We have our homeschool group all day today. I should be able to pick up regular blogging a week from Monday, after we get back from Alabama. Have a great weekend!!!

Thankful Thursday!

2008-10-09T06:14:00.000-07:00

Yes, I am back and I am doing so good! Thanks to any of you that said a prayer for me! I've gone through a few rough days but it's all good now! And what better day to come back on than THANKFUL THURSDAY!!! So, let's get right into it, shall we?

*I am thankful fo God's amazing mercy!!! I had time to think, this week, about what my life would be like without it. And by the end of my life, if I didn't end up in jail or a mental institution, I'd be a crazy old lady living alone with all her cats. I'd be in the creepy house at the end of the block that the kids ran past saying, "Stay away from the Crazy Cat Lady's house! She'll put a hex on you!" And they'd probably be right. So, thank you, Lord for pulling me out of the pit yet again!!!

*I am thankful for having a home where we can have people over finally. We're having our first friends from church over tonight. I'm so excited! We're having lasagne (not homemade), garlic bread and salad. And for dessert, strawberry cheesecake extraordinaire. THAT, I will be making from scratch! I love to be hospitable! I just could never do it in our old house.

* I am thankful, that in one week from right now, I will be able to have my morning coffee on the beach!!! We are leaving for Alabama on Wednesday. I have never been to the beach in my life! Just never had the opportunity. But I've always been dying to go!

*I am thankful that my baby brother has found someone to balance him out. To keep his feet on the ground, so to speak. He's an artist, and he's awesome, but he's got the artist mentality so he needs an anchor. And he's getting ready to marry her a week from this Saturday! That's why we're going to Alabama!

*I am thankful for the fact that, even though things seem uncertain right now, God has this country in His hands. Whatever happens, we will be alright!

*I am thankful for ADD. Of course, I don't see it as a disorder. I see it as a personality type. The negative aspects of it are just aggravated by our environment and what we put in our bodies. As well, as the fact that most people in society aren't ADDers, so we don't seem "normal". When we are just fine! I love my ADD! I embrace it! But I think I might need to cut back on the caffiene and sugar...I guess I should probably do that anyway.

* I am thankful for a hubby that loves me even though I am "crazy". I guess scatterbrained redheads are hard to come by and he just wants something unique. I dunno!

Well, I know I could come up with hundreds more but I don't have the time right now. I have company to get ready for!!! TTFN!!!

Break!

2008-10-07T05:48:00.000-07:00

I've been having some issues over here on my side of the computer. Just some things I need to work out. So, I have to apologize, but I won't be blogging for a while. Not sure when I'll be back. I'll miss you all! Take care now! Bye-Bye then!

Monday's Martyrs

2008-10-06T07:26:00.000-07:00

This is Pastor Zhang Rongliang. He is a prominent Chinese house-church leader. He was arrested on December 1, 2004. He had previously spent 12 years on and off in prison for his faith. He had been subject to harsh torture, including electirc shock, during his previous time in prison. After being in prison for a year, the officials tried to transfer him to a prison in Zhongmu, China. But they wouldn't take him because he was in such fragile condition, they thought he might die. He's been kept in a couple different hospitals. He suffers from diabetes, high blood pressure and a number of other chronic health problems. They are still trying to decide his case. He's being accused of “attaining a passport through cheating” and “illegal border crossing.” They keep stalling, citing insufficient evidence for the case. But keep moving and retrying him. He has been sentences to 7 1/2 years, in which he's served almost 4.

Dear Lord,Please be with Pastor Rongliang now. Give him strength and healing. He has been a devoted servant of yours and is being treated more than unjustly. Lord God, please comfort him and give him peace until his release. Thank you. I pray this in the name of Jesus. Amen.

My Weekend and A Busy Week.

2008-10-06T06:44:00.001-07:00

Well, it's Monday.....again. Did we even have a weekend? I know everything that was supposed to happen on Saturday fell through. Except my mom watching the kids, which was good. I was going to get to go to the MMA event with hubby and meet Matt Hughes too. But NOOOOO. Hubby's friend had something come up and couldn't go. So we didn't go. Thankfully my mom watched kids overnight so we had date night anyway. We had a nice meal at the place I clean once a week or so. It's a vegetarian restaurant. Who woulda thought vegan food could be so yummy! Pat had a lovely bruschetta. (to drool over!) And I had a very interesting meal. I had to try it. It just sounded so odd. It was a pumpkin bisque with black beans. Topped with an apple salsa and a cranberry sour cream. It was good. The cranberries were a little tart and it had almost too much spice to it. But it really was good. I'm a wuss when it comes to spicey things so it probably wasn't really that spicey. But it was enjoyable! I'll get the bruschetta next time though.

Now this week we are having company over on Thursday. So, we have alot of work to do. There's still so much evidence that we just moved. Having them over is a way to make us move faster. I have to clean, clean, clean. PLUS, I have to make my dress for my brother's wedding. Which is next week! I got a pretty green and orange tie dyed batik material. This is the pattern I'm using:It's going to be a beach wedding so I wanted something that fit the mood.
Stay tuned for Monday's Martyrs.

Rained out!

2008-10-04T05:50:00.000-07:00

Today, we were supposed to have our rummage sale. It's a big step towards getting our old house sold. We had to miss going to the Tulsa Zoo with our homeschool group. We were really looking forward to going, but we HAD to have this sale.

So, Hubby goes over to the old house and gets everything out. I was going to meet him there. But once everything is out, it starts pouring. He has to get everything back in pronto, by himself! Not to mention, the tables we were using were on loan from our church...and they are wood. So now everything is soaked, drying out inside the old house. And we still haven't been able to have our sale. And it's too late to go to the Zoo. Eveyone was meeting at the church at 8:00...which is, like, now. I'm a little crabby. But I feel awful for hubby having to go through all that work putting everything out and then get soaked bringing it right back in.

He'll be okay though. He's going to go to a Mixed Martial Arts event tonight in Arkansas. He'll get to meet his hero Matt Hughes there. He's met him before. He's even trained with him once. So I think that'll lift his mood. Anyway, pray that we find some time to do this sale before it gets too cold. Thanks! TTFN!

Friday's Favorites

2008-10-03T06:17:00.000-07:00

Hey everybody out there in blogland! Welcome to the first edition of Friday's Favorites! And since it is my first post, I will introduce you, first, to my two favorite blogs ever!

* The Brocante Home Chronicles - Alison May will make you laugh, cry and drool as she takes you through her everyday life and findings as the Vintage Housekeeper! She is an amazing writer! She is honest and isn't afraid to show her faults. And she does is ever so scrumptiously!

* Keeping the Home - Candy is one fabulous, God-fearing, homeschooling Mama! She isn't afraid to tell it like it is. She lives her life for Christ and helps others in their path as well. She believes that women are to be "Keepers at home". And she does what she can to help us organize our lives so that it can be more fulfilling and totally for Him!

Here are some other blogs/sites I enjoy:

Sojourner in a Strange Land - WARNING!!! This blog is controversial! There are things on here that I don't necessarily agree with. But at the same time, I respect her immensely. She knows what she believes and she is unwavering in her adherence to it. But even though there are some things we don't see eye to eye on, most of her posts are enlightening and empowering. She loves Jesus and lives her life entirely for Him!

The Homesteading Housewife - Humor and courage on the old homestead. This lady has got some spunk! She'll make you laugh out loud! This lady was on Wife-Swap people! She's got some guts!!! She also has a site called Bad Mothers Anonymous. It'll make you laugh and cry. But all in all, it will help you feel better about the mistakes you've made in being a mommy. We've all been there! On a side-note, their home went through hurricane Ike. Be in prayer for them please!

A Homegrown Life - I've been researching unschooling the past couple of days and I came across this blog. I felt like I was reading my own words. Have a visit and maybe you'll feel the same!

Here's a list of a few of my favorite etsy shops!

Julia Belle Vintage - unique, vintage-inspired jewelry.
FaireWares - Medieval & Renaissance Clothing.
Scarlett Cat - Playful and unique artwork.
SugarRoxx - extremely fun jewelry and other creations.

I hope I've introduced you to some of yur favorite new sites! Enjoy!

Thankful Thursday!

2008-10-02T05:32:00.000-07:00

I apologize for my absence yesterday. It was a long day. So today is quite appropriate, in that I need to take a good hard look at my blessings. So without further ado, here is what I am thankful for this week!

*I am thankful for the wonder that is God's mercy! Where would we all be without it?

*I am thankful for two amazing children that actually get along (most of the time) and love eachother very much!

*I am thankful, not only that my children get along so well, but that they are close enough that they can goof off together!
*I am thankful for itty bitty rock stars in my house!
* I am thankful for fall and that it is finally cooling off enough to feel like it!

*I am thankful for a wonderful hubby who loves me and isn't afraid to show it!

*I am thankful for my new home! Who woulda thought I'd get my dream home so early on in life?

Tuesday's Tidbits

2008-09-30T06:25:00.000-07:00

The days are getting shorter and cooler. The trees are starting to put on their autumn coats. With many hues of orange, red and yellow, they make us smile. The smells remind us of simpler times when our only job was to make huge piles of leaves and then jump in them until we were completely out of energy. Only to come home to find our mother waiting for us with freshly baked cookies or pie and something hot to drink.
With autumn finally starting to show her beautiful face, I thought that would be a good topic for this, my first Tuesday's Tidbits.

*Now that it's getting cooler, it's time to bring out your winter clothes and put away your warm weather wear. Pull out your boxes and tubs and get to work! Put away all your summer clothes, nice and neat where ever they are to be stored and with them place a sachet of your favorite scent. Lavender and cedar work well, because not only do the smell wonderful, they do a good job at keeping away the moths. While you're at it make (or buy) enough sachets to put some in your dresser drawers and hang in your closet too!

*On a cool autumn evening, pull on your favorite cozy sweater and make your self some spiced tea. (recipe to follow) Go outside and enjoy the cool night air. Close your eyes and just take time to appreciate the scents and sounds of the changing seasons. If you have a fire pit (I highly recommend them) light a fire in it. Nothing is quite as cozy and comforting as a crackling fire on a cold night!

*Before the days get too cool, take the kids to the park. Let them run themselves silly while you sit and enjoy a new book (or an old favorite).

*Go on a walk and pick up colorful fallen leaves that you see. They can be a beautiful touch to your seasonal decor.

*Why save those leaf piles for the kids? Go on ahead and jump in yourself! People might look at you funny, but who cares! You'll be having lots more fun than they are!

* Go for a trip to a local orchard or pumpkin patch. Or both! What better places to find autumn decorations and flavors. Buy your self some cider and apple and pumpkin butters. And get some pumpkins and gourds to mix with those leaves you collected.

*If you have a fire pit, now is a great time to have a wienie roast! And after that grab some marshmallows and make yourself some ooey-gooey s'mores!

*If you have a fireplace, now is a great time to make sure it is nice and clean to prepare for all the cozy fires you will be burning when it gets nice and cold outside.

* Go shopping for new comfy sweaters and throws and get your cozy on!

*Open up the house and let that gorgeous fall air in!

*Eat candy corn and candy pumpkins. This is the best time of year for candy!

*What better time can you think of to learn to knit?

* Then go ahead and knit yourself a scarf and hat!

*Go to your local fall festival and have a look at all the arts and crafts. Even play some of those games! They might be rigged, but you'll at least have fun trying!

*Buy some fun, colorful socks to keep your tootsies warm!

*Bake some cookies....then bake some pie.....then bake a cobbler....bake, bake bake. Save some for yourself and take the rest and surprise your friends and family with it!

Recipe for Spiced Tea (this is my favorite autumn drink!)

1 cup Tang
1/4 cup instant tea (unsweetened)
3/4 cup sugar
1.5 ounces lemonade mix
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves

Put all ingredients into a container, put the lid on and shake. Continue shaking until well mixed. Use 2 heaping tsp mix (more or less depending on taste) to 1 cup boiling water. Stir and enjoy!

Monday's Martyrs

2008-09-29T07:02:00.000-07:00

I imagine you are wondering why I chose the most tiresome day of the week to post about my saddest topic. At first, I wondered if it wasn't a good idea. Then I decided it was the perfect day. It's the perfect day, when all of us that are free to live our own lives and have so many worries and complaints, to read about people who have it so much worse off than we do. These people are imprisoned, tortured and killed all because of their faith. I think it puts things in perspective. Makes us see that our problems (in most cases) are so much smaller than we think they are. Be thankful for what you have and try not to dwell on the bad and aggravating things in your life. I'm talking to myself first and foremost. I have a bad tendency to complain about trivial things. I always have. I have been working on that and I pray this will help me put things in perspective as well.

Today's martyr is Li Ying.

She is in her early thirties. She is now serving a 15 year sentence for helping in the publishing of a magazine of an underground church in China. She and 16 others were arrested in April of 2001. And in December of 2001 she was condemned to death. She is not allowed to have a Bible and she is forced to work 15 hours a day making things that are to be exported out of China. She had been allowed visits from her mother. But those visits have been stopped because Li refuses to admit to being a member of a cult.

Lord God, I pray right now that you strengthen Li Ying. That you give her courage and endurance in her time of great trials. Give her peace and hope. And have mercy on her and cause her captors to have mercy as well. May her conviction be overturned and she be set free. In the name of Jesus Christ I pray. Amen.

Our Weekend

2008-09-29T06:28:00.000-07:00

The Rock and Gem show we were in was this weekend. Friday, Saturday and Sunday. It's been a long weekend! Although we had fun and did pretty good! We bought a few rocks for cutting and Pat bought me a ruby ring. It's actually a man made ruby. It's actually called an aluminum oxide ruby. But it's still a ruby and it's so pretty. I'll post a pic of it once I can get a good one.
Here are some pics from the show. I need a new camera. These aren't very good, but they give you an idea.
These next two were of our table.

This was my view for the whole show. We had a good spot right at the entrance. But it meant I had my back turned to everyone else.

Like I said, we did pretty good. We are going to start putting our gemstone beads on etsy here in the next couple of days.

Anya's birthday was Saturday! She's three now! It's so hard to believe! Unfortunately we were at the show most of the day that day. So I don't have those pics yet. I'll try to get them loaded up and posted soon. She got a few babies and some dress-up clothes. And my grandma got her a set of little Disney Princess books. She's very happy with her gifts!

Here's a something I heard at church yesterday that made me think differently than I had before. A friend of mine quoted this verse as she prayed.

"if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land." 2 Chronicles 7:14 (NIV)

Now I never thought of this correctly until last night. I always thought it meant this country needs to come to Jesus. The unsaved ones. Which they do! But that's not what this verse is talking about. The world, or the unsaved, are not HIS people. They are not called by HIS name. It's not them who need to humble themselves and turn from their wicked ways so that our land will be healed. It's the Christians. It's those of us who already think we're okay. We are the ones who have to do it. The ball is in our court. Think on that.

Well, maybe I'm slow and the rest of you had already figured that out. But it struck me last night and I thought I'd share.

Stay tuned for Monday's Martyrs. TTFN!

Next Week

2008-09-25T10:10:00.000-07:00

Next week I will be adding new blogging topics for each day in addition to my regular blog. They will be as follows:

Monday's Martyrs: Every Monday I will bring you the names, and possibly faces, of people around the world that are under severe persecution for their belief in Christ. I will ask that you all be in prayer with me for these specific people and all who endure terrible trials for living for our Saviour.

Tuesday's Tidbits: Every Tuesday I will give you little ideas to add a touch of beauty and/or whimsy to your home and everyday life. This will also be the day I talk about ideas for the season and upcoming holidays.

Wednesday's Winners: Every Wednesday I will bring you a story of an everyday hero. Someone who stands out and has done something special for someone else. Maybe it will be a specific solider fighting for our country. Maybe it will be a neighborhood kid who gave his coat to a stranger in need. I just want to give recognition to people who deserve it.

Thankful Thursday: Every Thursday I will tell about things I'm thankful for. I'm sure she's not the only one who does this, but I got this idea from Amy at The King's Table. We all too often take our blessings for granted. We need to take time each day to reflect and thank God for the blessings He gives.

Friday's Favorites: Every Friday I will give a list of websites and blogs I find fun, useful or unique. I look forward to scouring the web for you to bring you new and interesting sites!

As for Saturday and Sunday, I'm usually not online on the weekend as it is our family time.

I'm so excited about this! This is what I wanted this blog to be when I first started it. I just never put enough effort into it besides using it for a journal of sorts. I hope you all enjoy! TTFN!

Finally!

2008-09-25T06:22:00.001-07:00

Well I liked the header I made for it yesterday until I added it to the blog. It just didn't look right. And the name was akward. Now I think I FINALLY have it right! Tell me what you think!

Whew!

2008-09-24T14:08:00.000-07:00

That took long enough! Yes I have been online ALL DAY looking for a good template. I had a pink one up, but I didn't like it much. But I finally have one I love. And the winner is..............

She has ALOT of AWESOME designs! Go check her out!
I still have alot of work to do on here. Arranging and what-not. But I'm happy with it for the moment. TTFN!!!

Itchin' For Some Switchin'!

2008-09-24T05:24:00.000-07:00

I'm planning a revamp of my blog. I'm still searching for the right template. I'm hoping that maybe I can get hubby to buy me a special one. I just feel like I'm changing so it's time for a change of my blog. I'm possibly even going to change the name.
It's still going to be mostly the same stuff you see here normally, but with extra features. Like I think I'm going to combine it with our business blog. Plus, I'm going to try to search out other sites that I like and maybe you would too. And I'm going to post about them. Plus, any advice that I come across as useful and little things that I think make life more beautiful.
I'm still in the planning stages rightg now. But hopefully, you will see the change soon!
If you know of any good blog design sites, let me know! I just hope blogger will let me change mine. It's been giving me trouble with that lately.
Anyway, talk at ya later!

Busy Week!

2008-09-23T09:59:00.000-07:00

It's been a crazy week already and it's not even half over yet! Yesterday, I had to go buy groceries. That is always fun. I have two little kids who want EVERYTHING! I swear I say the word no more than any other word. Anya stays in the cart fine most of the time, but Noah's always got his head in the clouds. I'm constantly reminding him to pay attention and watch where he's going. That's usually when I almost run into somebody. I think, maybe, he gets it from me.

After that, I got home and decided to finally try out my food dehydrator I got for Christmas last year. Apples and bananas. So, I cut them all up and layed them in there nicely. I plug it in and that thing sounds like a vacuum cleaner. I'm thinking, "I have to listen this for 8 more hours?"
So, I decided to make even more noise and help out my hubby by mowing the back yard. He'd been able to mow the front but hadn't had time to finish. It's the first time I've ever mowed in my life. I got out the mower and started it just fine. I've seen it done enough times. Mowed about 1/5 of the lawn and it died. I tried and tried and tried to get it started back up. I wore myself out trying. Finally I gave up and put it away. About half an hour later I decided to give it another shot. Got out there and tried a couple more times. Then it dawned on me. Check the gas tank. Honestly, I'm not a dumb person. Just sometimes I can be a little slow. I always miss the most obvious thing. So I put in some more gas and finished up the lawn.

Then I cleaned up some, had supper and went to church. I was working the nursery. Luckily there weren't a whole lot of babies. I didn't have much energy left.

Last night, after church, Pat tore out some of the wall and put our dryer in. Only to find out the plug didn't match the outlet. So, I went to Lowe's today and got a new outlet. He'll have to put it in tonight. Hopefully before he goes to the men's meeting so I can get started tonight on this mountain of laundry that's growing in our bedroom.

Today I still have to do school, dishes and vacuuming. Plus I have to make cookies for Pat to take to the men's meeting at church and I told the kids that we could paint little pumpkins today.

Tomorrow I have to go work at the old house for a while. Then the rest of the week will be getting ready for the annual gem and mineral show. We've had a booth there for the last 6 years. It's so much fun! It's Friday, Saturday and Sunday. I will be working most of Saturday by myself. Our church worship team is doing a "gig" for a community service project our church is involved in. And Pat plays the guitar for our worship team. He may be debuting one of the songs he wrote there!

Oh, and to top it off, Anya's birthdya is Saturday. She'll be three! And we have yet to get her a present. Gotta get that done!

Anyway, I guess I've gone on long enough. Take care!

A comic all of us moms can relate to!

2008-09-22T12:41:00.001-07:00

Just had to share!

2008-09-22T07:40:00.000-07:00

This is my hunky hubby's newest creation! Yes ladies, hot AND talented! Aren't I lucky girl? :)

He designed and made it himself. It took forever too. He's been working on it since before we moved! The thread wouldn't cooperate and kept getting knotted up. But he finally finished and I am so proud! He's selling this one and is custom making me one in green and brown! Celtic colors for a Celtic girl! I'm very excited! He's got this one up for sale on etsy.com if anyone is interested. You can find it here.
Just had to gush! TTFN!

Part one of house pics

2008-09-21T16:44:00.000-07:00

It's been a long weekend that went by too fast. If that makes any sense. I will write more about it tomorrow. I just wanted to get some pics posted tonight.
Anyway, I don't have pics of the bedrooms yet. Their not "ready for their close-ups" so to speak. that's why this is only part one. But here's the tour so far. Keep in mind that I have yet to do any decorating.
This is the front of my dream cottage!

Come on in! Don't be shy!
I'm skipping the entry way as it is still full of boxes. But here we are coming into the living area.

Our big marble fireplace that I can't wait to use!

The living area from the other end....
Here is happy fridge! I still hug it every now and then. No really......I do. My sweet and lovely kitchen!

This is our school/craft room. Or will be once we get more organized.

I can't wait until we sell the old house so I have money to decorate with!

A bunch of fish and a possible buyer.....

2008-09-18T15:37:00.001-07:00

This is a Rainbow Trout. I will be seeing TONS of these little slippery things today. Unfortunately, I can't eat any of them.....maybe with a little almond cream sauce....mmmmmmm....................... ANYWAY! Our homeschool group is going to a fish hatchery today. We will be able to see them swarming around eachother. We'll even get to feed them. The kids are very excited! After that, we're going to the park for some run-a-muck time. The kind that makes mommies very happy and wears the kiddos out for the day. Quiet afternoon and early bedtime. YAY! Yesterday afternoon, I got a call from our realtor. Wondering how close our old house was to be put on the market. Getting there. She said she has an investor who's very eager to buy a property. That lit a fire under us. Tomorrow, my mom is watching the munchkins and we are going to work our tails off at the old house all morning and early afternoon. We're going to get it DONE! Then our realtor is going to bring the guy over to look at it in the afternoon. Please pray that he wants to buy it! We need it GONE!!! Two house payments is not good for the checkbook. On a side note, Pat thinks the camera cord is at the old house. So keep your fingers crossed for me! Okay well I will see ya'll later. LUVS!

Bummer Dude!

2008-09-18T15:37:00.000-07:00

I got my house all nice and cleaned and prettied up. I took my pictures. I came on here, all excited to get them loaded up and out to you. But, wait! I feel like I'm missing something. Could it be the cord that connects the camera to the computer? Why, Yes! That's it! I have no clue where it's at. It could still be at the old house. No telling. But I'm going to search for it, and then I'll get back to you with some pics.

This is the day we clean the house!

2008-09-18T06:05:00.000-07:00

All this week, up until now I've been too busy to do much cleaning around this house. (got some done at the old house yesterday) So that is my day today. It's starting to look TOO "lived-in" around here.

Dishes are in the dishwasher already waiting to run. The bathrooms are in need of a good scrub. The floors need swept and vacuum. And goodness, I need to take that trash out! Besides that, just a major tidying-up should do it.

It really doesn't sound like much when I type it out like that. But I'm sure I'll work up a nice sweat on this cool September day. And once I get things nice and neat, I will take those long promised pictures.

But before all that, I need to catch up online and get our school done for the day. Thankfully, right now school is only taking about two hours. Most things we're going over is just review from Kindergarten, so he's breezing through it pretty fast.

Anyway, I best be going. Take care!

Good Morning All!

2008-09-17T06:02:00.000-07:00

I got a busy day today. I'm getting ready to do our school, which will be over before noon. Then we are meeting Grandma (Pat's mom) at Chic-fil-A for lunch. The kids are all excited because they have an indoor play area. Then after that, grandma is taking them for the whole afternoon! She'll be dropping them off at church at 6:00.
Of course, I'm not going to have much playtime. This is my turn to work on getting the old house ready to sell. Pat is the one that's always over there working on it. But now that I am going to be kid-free, it's my turn. I wasn't the best housekeeper when we lived there so there's still alot of cleaning to do. I hated that house. I wasn't sad at all moving. Thankfully, because I love this house so much, I've been doing pretty good at keeping it clean. I can't wait until I have the time and money to decorate!
On another note, I have exactly 4 weeks until I go down to Alabama for my baby brother's wedding! It will also be my first time ever to go to a beach. I've never seen the ocean before in real life. I can't wait!
I just can' believe my punk of a baby brother is actually getting married. And also now has a 6 week old baby girl too! Okay he's not so much of a punk as he is a hippy. I like to call him "The Beach-Dwelling Mountain Man". I really am so proud of him! Here's a pic of his happy family.

Kayla, David and Little Wren

Kayla is sick right now. The doctors weren't very clear about it. It has something to do with scar tissue from her c-section. That's all I know. So if you could keep her in your prayers that would be great.
Anyway, I better get to some schoolin'. Take care all!

Happy Tuesday!

2008-09-16T06:15:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a typical Monday. So today has to be better. Had to go to the laundry mat. FUN FUN....We can't fit our dryer into the laundry closet. It will fit in the closet itself (we've measured), but it just won't fit through the doorway. You can tell that the previous owners had to bust out part of the wall to get theirs in. They drywalled back up. So I guess that's what we're going to have to do.

The kids seem to think that a laundry mat is really a race track and proceeded to run circles around the tables. Telling them to stop only stopped them temporarily. Just until they think I'm not looking.

It's not the cleanest laundery mat either. But it's the closest. I washed the clothes at home in 3 loads. Then at the laundry mat it took 4 dryers and $4.50 to dry. Last week I had close to $10 in quarters gone to it. It's getting tiring and expensive.

Then I didn't get anything else done except school and dishes. Which I guess isn't bad, but I have alot left to do. Pics will have to wait until I've had time to clean. Then last night Anya got feverish. So....good day!

But today's going to be better, even though I have cleaning and groceries. Anya is feeling much better. She says her throat still hurts a bit but she's acting fine. So I need to get school done and then Hi-ho hi-ho it's off to Walmart we go! Then cleaning. THEN I will take some pics!!! And if I have time I will post them! So TTFN!

Hey!

2008-09-15T07:08:00.000-07:00

Well the batteries are charging so I should be able to get some pics of the house up sometime tomorrow.
Wow! These past few months have just flown by! It's seems like it was just a few days ago that we came and looked at this house for the first time! And we loved it from the start. There's so much room in here! Actually, it's 800 square feet bigger than our old house. Both kids have their own room and so do we! (Anya used to be in our room) It's in a quiet country neighborhood. We have neighbors on both sides but none in front or back of us. It's so quiet. Except the sound of the occasional fire truck. The local fire department is only about a block away. But I've gotten used to it. We were smack dab in the middle of town in our old house. I heard tons of sirens. We have a really big yard. Which is awesome! There's even a small bricked-in fire pit in the back. Which I didn't even know was there until about a week after we moved in! I plan on using that alot this fall. I am so looking forward to this holiday season in our new home!
We've started homeschooling. After the first week I was ready to put him in public school though. And that's something I really didn't want to do. I was working with a modge podge of partially used hand-me-down curriculums...(or is it curriculi?) I was getting frustrated and he wasn't learning. Anyway, thankfully I decided to seek out the advice of an experienced homeschooler before doing anything rash. She told me I needed more structure. So I invested in a brand new curriculum. I got the first grade curriculum from Christian Liberty Press and I am LOVING it! It's layed out so nicely so I'm not getting confused and Noah seems to like it too and is doing really good! And it was under $200 for the whole kit!
We've also started our homeschool group at church. We're called the Kingdom Builders Homeschool Group. This is the first year they've done it. Before the school year started we only had about 17 kids in the group. Now I think we have 24. It just keeps growing. It's so awesome! We have prechool age to, I think 10th grade is our highest. We meet every Friday and do something fun and educational. Actually our first meeting was a community service one. The kids helped clean up around the outside of the church. Everyone down to the kindergartners helped out! Then we went to the park and had a picnic. It was alot of fun! Last week everyone got to paint a ME-shirt. They all painted t-shirts to represent who they were. It was so cute to watch the little ones and the big ones are really talented and creative! Next week we're going to a fish hatchery, which should be interesting. And in October, we're going on a day trip to the Tulsa Zoo. We're all very excited about that!
Oh yeah, And I think we're going to try for another baby.....more on that later. TTFN!!!

I'm back!!!

2008-09-13T06:42:00.000-07:00

We now have internet at our new home now. I will be resuming regular blogging on Monday. And once I find my camera batteries and charge them up, I will get pics posted of the house! I am LOVING IT!!!

Hey!

2008-07-22T06:34:00.000-07:00

Our closing was moved back so we didn't close until yesterday. But it's ours now!!! Of course because of a busy week we aren't going to be able to move until Saturday. And I think we have decided that we aren't taking our internet over there. At least not yet. So it may be a long while till I talk to you all again. So until then, May the Good Lord be with you!!!

One more thing....

2008-07-08T07:02:00.000-07:00

Okay, I had to post this but then I'm gone!!!

TTFN!!!

2008-07-07T08:11:00.001-07:00

There are only 11 days until we close on our new home!!!! 11 DAYS!!!! We've been working, but not hard enough because it doesn't look like we've even made a dent!!! We are having a rummage sale this Saturday. We have to be ready!!! Because NEXT Saturday we will be moving! So, needless to say, we have a TON of work to do in 11 days!!!! Therefore, this will be my last post until after we're moved into the new home. (I waste too much time on the internet) So the next time I talk to you, I will be in my Happy Home hugging my Happy Fridge. hehehe...
So...Ta-Ta For Now!!!!

HOME

2008-07-02T07:21:00.000-07:00

I've been so busy lately with the packing and cleaning and the holiday coming up. Plus, getting things done with our etsy shop. But, I finally put up another post on my fictional blog, here.
Just 16 more days until we close on our new home. I've decided to call it a new home instead of a new house. I've lived in this house for more than 7 years now, but it has never really been home to me. Well, it has in the sense that it's where my family is. But I've never taken the time to actually make it a HOME. I've never liked it. It was hubby's house. Then I moved in. It's never been pretty or homey. It's my fault. I could've made it that way. But I never had the desire to. I knew it wasn't our HOME. I knew God had a HOME for us out there. And I truly believe that the one we're buying is that HOME! I am more than excited to start making it HOME! Anyway, I need to get back to work. Lots to do in just over two weeks.
Sending blessings your way!

Our Realtor Says It's a GO!!!

2008-06-25T08:08:00.000-07:00

WE'RE GETTING A NEW HOUSE!!!!!!!!!!

Our realtor says now that we have a contract on it, the only thing that will keep us from getting it will be if they find something major wrong with it in the inspection and the sellers won't fix it. I don't see that happening. It's been redone fairly recently.

Let me tell you about this gorgeous house! (I've been told that, in other areas of the country it would go for AT LEAST $100,000 more than what we're getting it for!)

It is 2000 sq ft. 3 bedroom, 2 bath. HUGE master with huge walk-in closet! The beautiful fridge you see there in the pic comes with it as does that piano in the entry! The entry and living room have original wood floor (very good condition) The kitchen, dining area and bathroom have linoleum and the bedrooms are carpeted. Nice big fenced in back yard. Big storage shed. It is perfect for us! I know this is the house God has been keeping for us! I am more than excited about it. We hope to close on it around mid-July. I'm praising the Lord and jumping for joy!!!!

Open for Business!!!

2008-06-21T21:27:00.000-07:00

Our etsy shop is open! Come see!!!

Stone House Merchant

Up and Running!!!

2008-06-20T14:41:00.000-07:00

My fictional blog is up and running! I'm really excited about it! I love writing and I love dreaming. This is a mixture of the two. I am very much liking my "alter-ego"!
Everybody....meet CLAIRE.

Make Believe World

2008-06-20T08:03:00.000-07:00

I'm thinking of starting a fictional blog. I have a few ideas in mind. It will be the diary of a girl who's life is in the process of changing dramatically. I've also thought of using the idea for a book instead of a blog. Maybe I should do it as a blog first and see if it builds any interest. I don't know...what do you think?

Home

2008-06-20T06:28:00.000-07:00

What does home mean to you? Of course, the first things that come to mind are family and love and security...things like that. But I mean the details. The little everyday things that make you happy. That make you feel like you are where you belong. I urge you to make a list, like I'm doing here. It's easier to put things into focus when you get them down on paper (or on a blog). Don't be shy. Join me in my quest for the "perfect for me" home!
Here is what home means to me......

Waking up to soft, warm sheets and a good cup of coffee.......the smiling, giggling faces if my children.........the warm embrace of my husband..........the smell of bacon sizzling on the stove............fluffy pink slippers and a cracking fire in the winter and bare feet and air conditioning in the summer...........sitting on the porch with a glass of iced tea, watching my children run themselves wild in the yard..........good friends, good food and good conversation.............God in every room, every nook and cranny...........the sound of laughter and song wherever I go............much loved art and books filling every room.........wonder in my childrens eyes and cookies and spiced tea at Christmas............studying bugs and other cultures..........learning our ABC's...........a hot bath in candle light...........creating and finding beauty wherever I can...........water fights and a cool breeze on hot summer days..........barbeques and lemonade..........catching fireflies..........a soft chair and a funny movie..........sleeping babies in my arms...........and someone to hold me as I fall asleep..........

That's not all of course...I don't have the kind of time it would take to type it all. Now it's your turn. And after you make your list...go and make it happen!

God Bless you and your household!!!

Goings On

2008-06-19T07:45:00.001-07:00

I've been a procrastinator this week. I haven't got much done outside of working on our business. But today after I get off of here, I have GOT to get to work! I have dishes to do, laundry to put away, toys to pick up...I could go on and on. Plus, I still need to do my Bible study. I've procrastinated on that this week too. I am very easily distracted. That's what happens. I start doing something, then I think of something else. It happens over and over. By the end of the day, I've started many projects but not finished any of them. So it looks like I've done nothing. And my sweet hubby is so good about it. Praise the Lord for good men!
I'm hoping he gets off work in time to go look at that house tonight. I'm really looking forward to seeing it in person. I just hope I haven't built it up too much in my mind and get dissapointed when I see it. I've been dreaming about it alot. Going over and over in my mind what it would be like to live there. That's just me. I can't help it. I'm a dreamer.
Oh, and I'm starting a new job on Saturday! I will be working just a few hours a weekend at a coffee bar/vegetarian restaurant called Isadora's Wonderful Things. It is also a bead shop. But they are closing that part out to expand the restaurant.
We have been going there since it was just a little bead shop in a fixed-up shed behind the owner's house. Then they moved to a shop on Main Street where the owner's daughter joined up and opened a coffee shop inside. It's where we learned to bead...and developed a strong addiction to coffee. Hehe! Eventually, the daughter and her husband took over the shop. The mother got married and retired. The coffee shop slowly expanded to serve food. Incredibly delicious food! It wasn't always all vegetarian. But she knows how to make vegetables taste awesome! Hehe. I worked there the summer after I had Noah and loved it! But that was 6 years ago! Alot has changed since then. I am definitely going to need a refresher course! Hehe!
Anyway, that's what is going on around here. How have you been?

Our Business!

2008-06-18T12:57:00.001-07:00

Hubby and I have had a business for a long time. But it was just a few shows here and there. Well, within the next week or so, we will be opening a shop on Etsy! Not only that, but we have FINALLY settled on a name. Stone House Merchant. And I've started a blog for it.....
Check it out if you'd like.....
I've only made one post to it so far. But I'm very excited about the whole thing!
We came up with the name because of the house we were supposed to go look at yesterday. It's a stone house. We just happened to be talking about moving and the business and the name just fell together.
We didn't get to go look at it yesterday because Hubby had to work late. It's a very busy week. They're doing work at the University of Arkansas. It's a very big job!
But hopefully by the time the weekend is over, we will know whether or not we're going to try for the house.

Looking at another house....

2008-06-17T10:59:00.001-07:00

We're going tonight after hubby gets home from work. I have high hopes for this one! We were wanting a newer one. But new homes just have no character. And the area this one is in is gorgeous! Probably the prettiest country we have around here. It's got a brand new roof and a fenced yard. It's 2000 sq ft which is huge to us considering our house now is only 1200 sq ft. I'm just hoping it's in good shape and that if it is we can get it. Anyone who feels like tossing a prayer up, please do. It would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

POWER LAB!!!

2008-06-07T18:08:00.000-07:00

Power Lab is our vacation Bible school. Today was the last day of five. It was a blast! I was a crew leader. I was in charge of 3 kids for 3 hours every night of Power Lab. They did pretty good. Although, my one boy was a bit of a handful. But all in all it was a very good experience. One that I am very glad is over. Only because it wore me out! They got the crew leaders into it almost as much as the kids. We sang. We danced. We made crafts and did experiments. We even walked on water!!!
The walking on water was part of the Bible Blast class. It's where the Bible comes alive! The "water" was a mixture of water and corn starch. The concoction was about 4 inches thick but only the top inch was liquid. The bottom 3 inches was this ooey gooey stuff. We were talking about when Peter walked on the water and was fine until he took his eyes off Jesus. Our mission was to go fast over the "water" and not take our eyes off Jesus. If we did we'd start to sink. And that stuff was so sticky, that once you started to sink, you had to have help getting unstuck!
Then there was the Wacky Crafts where we made a goo in a beaker, key chains, bracelets and signed our names to soccer balls to send to South Africa. Cinema Science where we watched a cute little film and talked about what it had to do with the days "power point". And Hyperspeed games, where we made REALLY big bubbles, learned to work together(got really wet!), and saw what happened when you put mentos into a bottle of diet coke. YIKES!
Now I mentioned "Power Points". Power points are our theme for the day. These were our 5 power points and the friends that helped us remember them.

This is Fizz. He is bubbling over with thankfulness.
Power point: Jesus gives us the power to be thankful! A-HA!!!
(we had to say a-ha everytime someone said the power point...it was fun!)
Bible verse for the day: "Always be thankful" Colossians 3:15

This is Sparki. She is a lightbulb. She reminds us to show Jesus' light to the world.
Power point: Jesus gives us the power to help others! A-HA!!!
Daily Bible Verse: "When God's people are in need, be ready to help them." Romans 12:13

This is Dewd. He's a brave little DEWD(rop).
Power point: Jesus gives us the power to be brave! A-HA!!!
Daily Bible Verse: "I will not be afraid, for You are close beside me." Psalm 23:4

This is Max. He's a battery. He gives long life to electronics. Like Jesus does for us!
Power point: Jesus gives us the power to live forever! A-HA!!!
Daily Bible Verse: "Since I live, you also will live." John 14:19

This is Electra. She's a lightening bolt. She goes all over the place, showing God's power!
Power Point: Jesus gives us the power to tell others about God! A-HA!!!
Daily Bible Verse: "Go into all the world and preach the good news to everyone." Mark 16:15

So after all of it, after 15 hours of being in charge of 3 kids that aren't mine and getting MY kids to bed 2 hours late for 4 nights strait which makes for cranky babies, I STILL can't wait until next year! It was AWESOME!!!!

If you're interested click here for Power Lab's website.

Tagged!!!

2008-06-06T07:16:00.000-07:00

I've been tagged by Karla from Loving Life in Oklahoma . So here it is!

The Rules:
1. Link to the person that tagged you
2. Post the rules on your blog.
3. Write six random things about you in your blog post.
4. Tag six people in your post.
5. Let each person know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.
6. Let the tagger know your entry is up.

1. I moved over 30 times before I was 20. Then I got married and we've lived in this same spot for over 7 years.

2. If I had the opportunity, I would move to Ireland in a heartbeat.

3. I want another child...or 7.....

4. My mom was adopted and when I was younger, I almost had myself convinced she was the child of Marilyn Monroe and JFK. And that a conspiracy was formed around the fact that she had his child.

5. When I was 19, my best friend and I started training to be professional wrestlers. No! Seriously! It's how I met hubby. :)

6. I once had a cat named Mouse.

I'm breaking the rules a bit as I don't know enough people online to tag. So if you read this....TAG! YOU'RE IT!!!

There's more to it....

2008-06-06T06:26:00.000-07:00

This is an amendment to yesterday's post. You could probably tell I was leaning toward staying here in this house. But I'm back on the other side of the fence now. We do want a business. That much is true. But I failed to mention my domestic side. I want a nice home and a bigger family. I want a home I can be comfortable in and be proud to call my own. I want a home big enough to entertain in. And a big yard that my kids can run a muck in. In a neighborhood that I don't have to worry about our tires getting slashed for no reason (again) I know what we should do. But I'm impatient and I worry about money. So yesterday's post was from my selfish side. If I didn't have children it would be fine to stay here. But there is so much that my kids need that we don't have here and I know they want a new house.

I also forgot to mention the 3rd choice in all of this. Hunky Hubby commutes an hour and a half everyday to and then from Arkansas. His company pays for the gas for his company vehicle. They want us to move to Arkansas. We're not sure if we should. But this company has been more than kind to us. They pay our insurance. Which would be $100 a week otherwise. Last year after Hubby left that job for a job that would have at least quadrupled his pay, they welcomed him back with open arms when the other job wasn't working out. And on top of that, they gave him a raise from what he'd been making before and started everything strait up like he had never been gone. He could never find another company like this. And he actually LIKES what he does. Also, it's been said that when another shop is opened in Arkansas, the current AR boss will take that over and he wants Hubby to take over and be in charge of this one. That's a nice promotion! Not to mention, how great it is that he's thought of so highly in this company. So, if you would pray for guidance for us, I would be so grateful! Thank you!!!

What to do?

2008-06-05T10:55:00.001-07:00

We have a decision to make. Stay in this house or move. I've always wanted to move. Until just recently I didn't even want to think about staying in this house. It needs a good amount of work and there's not much of a yard. Well the yard would be alot better if we had the huge tree stump ground out. It's a cute cottage style house. So, fixed up it would be very cute! Also, the payment is less than we could find anywhere. So that would leave us money to fix it up as well as money to expand our business. But it would be work. If we got a new house, it wouldn't need all the work and we'd get one with a bigger yard. But we'd have a house payment at least twice as high as what we do now. We keep bouncing back and forth on what we want to do. My biggest problem with moving is that we wouldn't be able to put much money towards our business. And eventually we'd like to be able to support ourselves on just that. So Hubby could work from home. We could get there faster if we stayed here. But do we want a newer home? Sheesh! I hate that we're both so indecisive!

You've Been Tagged!

2008-06-04T07:36:00.000-07:00

Candy, from Keeping the Home, tagged all her readers for this little survey. So here it is and if you read it and have your own blog, consider yourself tagged!

1. What were you doing 10 years ago?
Okay, that would be June of 1998. Well I was luckily getting ready to start my senior year of high school. I had some mental problems and as a result I had dropped out mid-junior year. But thankfully I had enough credits that I was able to go back as a senior. Praise the Lord for pulling me out of that!

2. What are 5 things on your to-do list for today?
1)laundry
2)dishes
3)clean the bathroom (AAAAAAAHHH!!!)
4) find us crazy outfits and do our hair all wacky for VBS.
5) Go to VBS!

3. What are 3 of your favorite snacks?
1) Doritos
2)chocolate
3)popcorn with parmesan cheese all over it!

4. What would you do if you were a billionaire?
Pay off all debts, give LOTS to the church, start a missions department at our church and go on some, buy a house for when I wasn't away, live on the rest.

5. What states have you lived in?
Missouri and Kansas

My Brother's Coming!!!

2008-06-03T07:10:00.001-07:00

They're almost here! My brother and his sweet-as-sugar fiance are visiting from Gulf Shores, AL! I haven't seen them since Christmas and that is the only time I've met her. I'm so glad my brother found her! He actually found her in highschool (or maybe junior high). But neither one of them were brave enough to tell the other of their feelings. But last August (I think it was) they talked on the phone. He went to visit her. Not long after, he came back for his things and they've lived there happily ever since! They're getting married in October. The baby is due in August.

Her name is to be Wren Taylor. I think the name Wren is beautiful. And if you knew my brother, you wouldn't think it was wierd at all. They're beach hippies, for lack of a better word. But my brother looks like a mountain man. He's sucha goober. But he's one of the most creative and artistic people I know. He's also a genius. Well I don't think it's been tested but I wouldn't be suprised. And she is just so sweet! And she makes him so happy. They are perfect for eachother!

We are having a baby shower for her on Saturday. I can't wait to spoil my little neice! I get to go down there once she is born. It will be my first time to see the beach in person. They basically live right across the street from it.

I'm just so excited I get to see them!!!!

Ren Fest, Here We Come!!!

2008-05-27T06:47:00.000-07:00

Well, not until September, but we're starting to prepare for it already anyway. We went to the KC Ren Fest last year and fell totally in love. See?

So we're going back this year and we're going to dress up this time. I am actually going to make our costumes! I'm not an advanced seamstress by any means, so that's why I'm starting so early. So we bought our patterns and the fabric for my chemise and Hunky Hubby's shirt.

This it the chemise I am going to make.

Nothing fancy, but simple is all I need.

Here is the skirt I am making. I think it is beautiful!

I am probably going to get a bumroll too, to make the skirt fuller.

I haven't decided which of these bodices I am making.

This will be my most challenging work.

With all the boning and grommets. I just hope I can manage.

This will be Hunky Hubby's costume.

He's going to look EXTRA hunky in it!

We're still going to have to buy shoes (boots, in his case) and hats. I can't go without a hat because of my short hair. That would be historically inaccurate. They might burn me at the stake. hehe. I think I'll just make a muffin hat for me. They look simple enough.

We are so very excited! We are actually going to get a shop there next year. We're very excited about that too! We're starting now getting things made so we can build up our stock before then.

Herbalism

2008-05-22T13:13:00.000-07:00

Herbalism, or herbal medicine is the art or practice of using herbs and herbal preparations to maintain health and to prevent, alleviate, or cure disease. (webster's)

And it's something I'm looking into. I'm not a big fan of modern medicine. Oh, there are alot of good things about it. But if you can heal yourself, or better yet, keep yourself healthy through natural means, why not do it that way?

I'm trying to find a course to take online. I want to be able to open a herb shop someday. Actually, I think it would be fun to have a shop at Ren Faires. It really doesn't matter, I guess. All I really want is to help people. I'm very excited about this!

A Correction, A Decision and A Vacation

2008-05-21T06:41:00.000-07:00

First of I want to apologize if I offended anyone. My dear Hunky Hubby just informed me that the term "Spaz" can be a derogatory name for someone with a certain illness. So, in light of that, I will be changing what I refer to my son as on this blog. He will now be known as 3-Ring Circus, or 3RC.

We've decided not to move. We're going to stay in this house and fix it up. It was my decision. Well, Hunky Hubby thought of it too, but was afraid to bring it up considering how I've always felt about this house. I've never liked it. It was always too small and needed alot of work. Well, it still needs alot of work. But, through some major decluttering projects we've been doing, I've come to see that it's not too small. We just have too much stuff. So, we've decided to stay. And we're going to fix it up nice and pretty. It's a cottage style home so I'm very excited about the outcome! I'm very suprised at how good I feel about this decision. It must be of God!

In July, we are going on vacation! A real vacation! Not just a day trip. We're going to stop in Springfield the first day and go to the zoo. It'll be the kids first time there. They're going to love it! Then off to Branson for 4 days and 3 nights of relaxation and quality family fun! No cooking. No cleaning. Just me, my Hunky Hubby and my dear, sweet babies! I was hoping it could be next month, but Hunky Hubby is going to be very busy at work. So, July it is! I can't wait!!!

Monday....again.....

2008-05-19T08:34:00.000-07:00

How do the weekends go by so fast? And they're even a day longer now that Hunky Hubby gets Fridays off. Our weekend was good though, even if it did go by too fast. Friday was family day. We had fun hanging out and shopping. We had Taco Bell for lunch. MMMM! Found season 5 of the Waltons at Walmart for $20! Luckily it was the one we were ready for, so buy it we did!!! That show is so much fun. It really makes me want to live a much simpler life with lots more kids. Of course, I'm still trying convince Hunky Hubby to try for ONE more. I've almost broke him. hehe....Actually I think it is the babies at church that are breaking him. Now that DQ is getting bigger, we miss having a baby in the house.

Speaking of houses, we went to look at another one on Saturday. It is very nice and we were interested in possibly making an offer. But, like the last time, it looks like someone may have beat us to the punch. I really want to find that perfect house! OUR HOUSE! I know God has one for us! I guess I need to open my spiritual eyes and ears more so He can let us know where it is!

Anyway, on today's agenda we have a lot of cleaning and a little schooling. I've officially made it summer vacation here, but since Spaz was a little behind in Math when I pulled him out of public school, I'm going to be catching him up over the summer. I imagine and hour or two a week should do it. I got some old workbooks at a homeschool fair I went to on Saturday. He's excited about getting into them. I'm so glad he likes school! And come the beginning of the school year, our church is starting a homeschool coop! So far there are 7 families going to be involved in it. 18 kids in all! Alot, of which, are near Spaz's age. So he's going to have a blast! Basically, we're going to all get together on Friday's for a field trip of some sort. Plus we already go to church with them 4 or 5 times a week. They're all good Christian families that I trust. Not some kids I don't know that will have a bad influence on my babies. How's that for socialization?!

Well, I guess I better get to work. I have a lot to do.

God bless!

Introductions!

2008-05-19T06:51:00.001-07:00

I am Cherrymomma! Outside of the virtual realm, I am known as Marietta. I'm 27 years old and finding that this is a learning period of my life. I'm a Christian. I love my God with all I am. It's a struggle. Before I found Jesus, I was pretty selfish. And I still find myself struggling with my old nature quite often. But, as the song says, God's still workin' on me! And boy has he been working this year! I have two beautiful children and an awesome hubby! (see below) This blog will be a record of my day to day thoughts, feelings and activities as I strive to be the best me I can be in Jesus!

This is Pat. But on this blog, I shall refer to him as Hunky Hubby. For that is how I see him! Not only is he big, strong and handsome, but he is also oh, so talented! He's a songwriter/guitar player. He masters any kind of art or craft he attempts. He loves Jesus and our family! He's such a terrific daddy! He makes me laugh and accepts me, quirks and all. And, oh my goodness, is he cuddly! We've been married for 7 years and I love him more and more everyday!!!

This is Noah, aka Spaz. He is my 6 year old son. He is incredibly smart and talented. But he has more energy than a 3 ring circus! Hence the name, Spaz. He's a great big brother. Very loving and great at sharing. Although, like big brothers, he tends to be bossy and he gets a thrill from picking on his little sister until she screams bloody murder. He's very logical and meticulous. Things have to be just so so. He has to know what the schedule for the week is before the week even starts. To be honest, I really don't know where he gets it as mommy and daddy are not organized at all! But he is also very loving and creative. He really is a sensitive soul.

This is Anya, aka Drama Queen or DQ. She is a She is 2 year old, 3 ft tall, tornado of curiosity. She is always into something, exploring the world around her. She's not afraid of anything. (except thunder) When I gave birth to her, she didn't even wait for her shoulders to come out to start hollering at her new world. She is very talkative and has a advanced vocabulary. She is extremely imaginative. And she is very moody. (just like a woman hehe) If she's having a bad day, watch out. The Drama Queen in her comes out in full force. But she is also very helpful and caring.

My family is my world. God has blessed me far above what I deserve and I praise Him for His greatness and generosity every chance I get!