House of Many Blessings

Primrose Primitives

2011-10-21T09:29:00.000-07:00

Well that's what I call it anyway. For now, it is just a small, simple vintage and collectibles business all official and everything with the state of Wisconsin. I've been selling out of a great antique mall in Hixton, Wisconsin. Tried a few other places but not as much success. I'm actual amazed at how well it has been going. The sales for the summer were great. I know things will start to wind down as vacation travelers are now back in the routine of school. Then we have the holiday season and snow fast approaching. I'll be happy if the sales during the slow time just pays the rent. It will pick up again shortly after that.

A New Adventure

2011-10-21T09:16:00.000-07:00

I have about 10-11 months to get ready for this new adventure. Our oldest daughter Gabrielle will be heading off to college then. She's picked a great school and we are very excited for her. After many years of homeschooling and worrying if the kids were learning enough to get into college, I can now breathe a sigh of relief. Thank God He fills in the blanks when needed. So this new time in our lives is on the verge of taking off. As parents, we will need to learn to let go a little and give our kids a chance to spread their wings and grow into the young adults that God wants them to be. I am confident that Gabrielle's choice in Bethany Lutheran College will do just that for her. She is excited about the classes they offer including many along the lines of Bible study and theology. But it will be hard for us to send her off to learn along the way. Didn't someone say the hardest thing about being a parent is learning to let go?

The Comings and Goings

2010-10-26T14:21:00.000-07:00

Well life is sometimes a little crazy around here. We drive to everything because we live in rural USA. I just added some craziness to our lives but it has been fun too. I've always wanted to have my own antique shop and maybe have a few primitives crafts as well. I'm not currently in the position to be able to have my own shop so I decided to rent space in an antique mall. I'm trying out two locations to see how they do or which one is better. I've been doing it only for about a month now but I'm enjoying going to auctions, snagging up things for my booths, as well as a few things for myself here and there. Hubby comes along too most of the time, even my oldest daughter came once and enjoyed listening to the auctioneer speak so fast. So we'll see how my new adventure goes, wish me luck!!

Memories Monday Meme

2010-04-25T20:52:00.000-07:00

Well I'm going to try to participate in this weekly meme hosted over at http://mcquill-land.blogspot.com/2010/04/making-memories-monday-empty-house-good.html

Each week we are to post about a current or past memory. Well I'm going to keep this entry brief because it's late and I actually need to get kids into bed and it's 11pm already.

But a few weeks ago my 2nd oldest Arianna asked if we could do a family Bible study. I think she is just craving to be spiritual fed. My husband is a pastor but we were sent to a church with lots of problems. That in itself has taken a toll on my kids. My praying for a new call, hopefully to New Jersey.

I was so proud of my girl to hear her ask for that. I was completely shocked because she seems to have suffered the most while we are here. I was really worried about her for awhile in regards to her own faith. But now I can see that God's grace abounds.

Success!!

2010-04-14T15:31:00.000-07:00

I finally got down past the 150 mark on the scale. I felt like I was stuck above that for forever. I've been trying really hard to follow the weight watchers points system and to exercise several times a week. I think so far I've lost around 16lbs but way more is coming off in inches. I started at around an 18/20 and am down to a 11/12 on average but some jeans run small from certain companies like Old Navy and Aeropostale so then I'm about a 13/14. I'm not sure how long it will take me to get to my ultimate goal which would be around 110lbs but I'm hoping by the end of the summer if not sooner. Wish me luck.

DOUBLE DIGITS!!- Happy Birthday

2010-04-05T06:50:00.000-07:00

Today is my daughter Annaliese's 10th birthday. She has been counting down the days for weeks now until she would turn 10, "double digits." She will be having a little party of this coming Saturday so today I'm going to take her with me to Eau Claire and shop for party supplies, dinner, and head over to the store Justice.

Happy Birthday Sweetie!! I love you!

Christ is Risen

2010-04-03T18:05:00.000-07:00

Have a wonderful Easter everyone. Christ is Risen, Alleluia!

Roller Coaster Ride

2010-03-18T16:30:00.000-07:00

Well we are once again on the ups and downs of the call process this time waiting to hear about two different possibilities. I'm hoping for New Jersey because I don't think any of us are "cowboys" or "cowgirls" in Wyoming. Well maybe Micah would enjoy the "cowboy" side of things. I just can't really imagine us living that far out. We are east coasters so it would be great to be back that way.

Micah has only needed therapy for his knees so far no surgery. They think he will most likely out grow this situation.

Our snow has melted which is just great. We went today and got a couple of new bikes for the kids who had outgrown theirs. Thursday is a long day for us - it's our homeschool choir day and after we try to get some shopping done if needed.

My 4th girl Annaliese is at a friends house for a sleepover. They are pretty good friends and the funny thing is that they are both born on the same day and about an hour apart. They will be celebrating their 10th birthday on April 5th. Annaliese keeps counting the days down to when she will be "double digits".

That seems to be all the news for now. If you have any ideas to share for what to do for a 10th birthday party I seem to be running out of creative juices. So if you have any ideas send them my way.

MRI for Micah

2010-02-02T18:02:00.000-08:00

I posted on my other blog the experience we had with Micah's knee trouble. You can read the details here at www.primroseparlor.blogspot.com but the following is the next step in the process. He goes for an MRI on 2/19 at Gillette's children's hospital. This will tell us if he has too much cartiledge under his knees. If so then they will need to go in and scrap some of it away. If on the off chance that it isn't this then he will just need some serious physical therapy to keep his kneecaps from shifting. Never a dull moment over here.

Happy Birthday Natania!!

2010-01-20T07:21:00.000-08:00

Happy 12th Birthday!! Boy the years are flying by and with you it is sometimes harder believe you are getting older because she are so small. Just think in the fall you will be in Jr. High even your sister was shocked by that thought. Today we will have lots of fun shopping for your party. I'm praying everything goes okay for you and that the bad weather coming doesn't interfere with your friends arriving.

Before and After

2010-01-18T19:26:00.000-08:00

Before last weekend I was busy packing up for a scrapbook retreat. I've never done this before and I've never gone overnight without the kids. I was a little nervous that they wouldn't be able to handle it (the two youngest kids) but it was just the right amout of time for them, not for me. I was gone about 2 days so I only went to half of the retreat. Next year I'm hoping to go for the whole thing. It was fun and I got almost 40 pages done. Annaliese wouldn't let go of me when I got home for quite a long time. And Micah kept wanting to call me but daddy kept encouraging him to hold off on not calling too often which was good.

Now that I'm home (the after part) I'm busy with trying to get the laundry done. I made the mistake of not leaving instructions to keep up with the wash for me. I still need to put away all of my supplies. You wouldn't believe how much stuff other ladies brought. I thought I was going overboard.

I'm also busy getting ready for my daughter's birthday party. She's planning a sleepover with some friends from Eau Claire. She's pretty excited. I'm taking her Wed. (on her birthday) to get some supplies and out to diner since her party has to be a few days after. I'm looking forward to spending some time with just her. With five kids in the house it can sometimes be hard to find that one on one time that they need.

Hopefully soon I'll be able to find time to get my blog backgrounds changed before Christmas of 2010 rolls around. I've also started back on weight watchers. Today was the first offical day. I'm not doing meetings because I can't afford the weekly fee but I have my books and am keeping track of my food/points by writing everything down.

Welcoming in 2010!

2010-01-01T09:13:00.001-08:00

So let's talk New Year's Resolutions. I have a few but like everyone else the newness wears off and we seem to fall right back into old patterns, old routines. The really important resolution to me this year is to try very hard to lose some weight again. I know same thing from year to year. I did well last spring and had lost 25lbs now I'm almost back to where I started. Now tell me about your New Year's resolutions? And best wishes on accomplishing them.

I also have a blog giveaway going on over at my 2nd blog which is www.primroseparlor.blogspot.com check it out and be sure to enter.

Merry Christmas!!

2009-12-25T14:07:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas to all of you out there. We had a wonderful evening (last night) opening gifts. I got some great pictures and the kids got some really nice gifts. They did a really good job with finding things for mom this year and my hubby went a little overboard. One of the things he bought me was some body wash from bath n body two different scents. The first is Twilight Woods from my older two girls because they love the Twilight movies. Then he took the 3 from the PS I love collection and wrapped them in a box all by themselves from him - that was kinda sweet. Then he went to a local prim shop and picked out a new shelf for me all on his own. The owner Kathy is going to paint it red for me and then I can go pick it up when it's ready. I'll try to remember to post a pic when I get it hung up.

This morning was kinda poor attendance at church but the weather has been rather frightful out here. Snow, sleet, rain then more snow then more sleet. You get the picture. We had planned to go see a movie today - the new Alvin and the Chipmunks but decided to put it off until the roads were better. I think our new truck would've done fine but then again ice can be so unpredictable.

David has a funeral to do tomorrow at one of the vacancy congregations so we may have to wait until Sunday for the movie.

Some of the family's favorite gifts:
Gabrielle - new clothes, books and music
Arianna - books, a new camera, some clothes we need to exchange for the right size
Natania - some american girl stuff, clothes and fashionable boots
Annaliese - also some american girl stuff, clothes and fashionable boots
Micah - a new sled, xmas boxers (he sleeps in these. He does not consider them underwear and gets very upset when they are referred to as that) and some legos
Dad - movies, books and a fun thing from Micah to Dad was xmas boxers also - ones that say "naughty or nice", stripes and I forget the other print. We had a fun laugh at that one.

Well those were some of our favorites among all the gifts. I don't usually buy so many things for the kids but each year they need new PJ's. And then they have some fun things they usually want so it's hard to buy just clothes or essential things. I try to make a good mix of things. And when you have a mom who just absolutely loves to Christmas shop - crowds and all. Well sometimes you get caught up in the fun of finding that right gift for your child. I say every year I'm going to cut back but . . . well one can always hope to accomplish that some day.

I hope you enjoyed your day with family and friends. So Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!

Let the Merry Making Begin

2009-12-24T12:25:00.000-08:00

It's Christmas Eve and at our house that is when a lot of the celebration begins. We prepare the rest of the food which this year we bought too much so we will have to finish some of it tomorrow while eating left overs. Micah woke everyone up early to open stockings. I manage to put him off until about 10:30am so we could get a few things started.

On the menu this year is ribs (for later or tomorrow), chicken wings, cranberry chicken wings, lots of dips, hummis and few other things. I'm hoping to make tomorrow or the day after a gingerbread cake. So that will be a nice treat.

It looks like we will be snowed in from the storm that is going on outside today and tomorrow. They are predicting 15-20inches for us. I guess this will be a real "white Christmas". One of the girls is a little disappointed about getting snowed in - she was hoping to go to a movie on Christmas day like we did last year. We don't normally do that but with all our family too far away to travel to we decided to try that. I was actually very surprised at how crowded the theater was last year.

Merry Christmas to all of you. Enjoy your time with family and friends celebrating the birth of the Savior of the world.

Lil' Christmas Eve

2009-12-23T16:57:00.001-08:00

Today our family celebrates "Lil' Christmas Eve". We adopted the tradition from our pastor back home in New England. His family has Norweigan background and my husband's side has Sweedish. So the day before Christmas, we start baking and doing those fun little things around the house as we get ready to celebrate the birth of Christ. We listen to carols while cooking and maybe a little bit of cleaning gets done. We finish up the wrapping and put the final touches on our decorations. We baked 3 different cookies today. We usually do much more but the time this year seemed to just get away from me and my little guy started to seem like he was getting a sick stomach. I'm praying not, since it will be no fun to have a sick child on Christmas, especially at his age. He's been waiting and waiting with very little patience, but then I don't blame him for that everyone loves presents.

Children's Christmas Program

2009-12-20T16:02:00.000-08:00

Tonight was our church's Christmas program. We had a really good turn out for attendance and some family visitors coming to see the grandkids, neice or nephew of their relative. My daughter Natania had a two verse solo in one of the songs. I'm very proud of her. I think she is a little disappointed in how it went. She got kinda nervous on the 2nd verse, so I think she feels she could've done better. But I'm so glad she even tried. Bev, the lady who handles this each year kept asking for more volunteers and no one was willing to take on a solo verse or two. I know Natania can sing really, really well when no one is looking at her. So this is good practice for getting over those nerves. The hymn had about 10 verses, maybe more I lost track and it isn't the easiest song to sing even the congregation had trouble with their verses. We can't take photos during service so I'm posting a couple from the kids Christmas concert with our homeschool choir. The first is a picture of Natania with her friend Mackenzie. Natania is the blond on the right.

This one is from our concert. She really loves to sing so we are encouraging anything musical for her. She is part of the choir, takes voice lessons twice a month and piano.

We Should be Doing School

2009-12-14T09:36:00.001-08:00

We should be doing school but my little guy just loves the snow. It's a good thing we don't live in the south (LOL) at least from his perspective. He then begs his sisters to come out too. Who could resist the begging of this face?

Here's a cute pic of all three of them together

Between the two storms I think we now have 10inches so I think we have the "I'm dreaming of a white Christmas" covered.

Decking the Halls

2009-12-09T10:54:00.000-08:00

I finally had a few moments to take some pictures of this years decorations. I'm not completely done. I'm still hoping to work on the kitchen a little bit more but that room is always full of school books or dirty dishes.

This year I did a little bit of outdoor decorating with the sled and the box of greenery under the window. I've wanted one of those sleds for a while now and found one at a reasonable price at the antique store down the street.

Onto the livingroom/dining room area.

After getting the tree up and decorated we lost some lights. I hate when that happens. A few years back we had the same problem just on a different tree and in a different house. We were living in Indiana then.

We have another tree in the dining room. It's a collection of victorian ornaments that we've bought over the years. We've come a long way since the first few years of marriage when we didn't have alot in the way of decorations.

Let's not forget among the fun of decorations and gift giving the real meaning of Christmas.

Isa 9:6 For unto us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Luke 2: 7, 11, 14

And she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you: he is Christ the Lord.

Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.

Join us at the 2009 Holiday Home Tours over at the Nesting Place

Glory in the Highest

2009-12-08T18:12:00.000-08:00

Last night our family went to the Chris Tomlin concert his Christmas tour "Glory in the Highest". If by any chance you don't know who he is, he is a Christian contemporary music artist. If you ever get the chance to see him in concert I'd highly encourage you to do so. It was an absolute fabulous concert. It was my kids first concert so that was kinda fun too. It was a little pricey for our family to go but well worth the money.

He always takes along a guy named Louie, I'm thinking he might be his manager or something like that. But he gave a message during the middle part of the concert that was just really, really good. He started out by talking about Christmas and how chaotic it can be this time of year for everyone rushing around, buying gifts, decorating, etc...and sometimes you just feel like it's chaotic. Or someone's life could be filled with chaos right now, filled with lots of problems. Then he related that to how Mary and Joseph must have felt on that first Christmas. And how people must have really thought she was crazy telling people she was pregnant by the Holy Spirit and to put it in todays words that she was the gossip of the neighborhood. He continued to talk about how they must have been scared and tired, the long ride on a donkey is so similar to when women walk the mall to get the birthing process started. He imagines that Mary must have been praying for rest but not in the inside of cave, not in a stable. She must have been pleading please don't let the baby be born here. How they both must have felt the choas of that night and the chaos in their lives. But then God broke through the choas with the simple cry of a baby. He sent Jesus to break the chaos in our lives, to give us peace. This simple cry would be heard around the world. The same baby would have a triumphant cry. Triumphant over death, he would be the long expected Savior - the Messiah that we had been waiting for.

So if you ever get the chance to attend one of his concerts, you won't be disappointed.

A Funny Little Story

2009-12-04T09:03:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I sent my hubby, my son and two older girls shopping at Sam's Club while I took the younger two girls with me to Kohl's to shop for Christmas dresses. They finished at Sam's club before we were done but my cell phone wasn't ringing when they tried to call. My husband decided to send Micah my 7 year old and Arianna into Kohl's to find us. The funny part of the story is Micah's conversation with Arianna. He said to her "Mommy's lost that's why mommy shouldn't go out alone". Arianna said I wasn't lost but then Micah said "If Mommy doesn't come home she's grounded".

He says the funniest things.

Happy Thanksgiving

2009-11-26T07:57:00.001-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you. I hope you enjoy your day and your tummy's get plenty of turkey and trimmings. I'm planning to hit the shopping tomorrow more for the fun of it than for any "Black Friday" sales. It just seems to be one of those traditions that I have. A day away, by myself, enjoying the sites and sounds of Christmas, getting a jump on my own shopping but I definately do not go at 4am. I enjoy my sleep. We will also with sticking with traditions and starting our Christmas decorating while our bird is cookin'

Christmas Fun

2009-11-25T12:39:00.000-08:00

Here are some pics of the things I've been working on for a few weeks now. They were from some free patterns of various places, one item was from a pattern by Sweet Pea Primitives and another from Moonchild Prims. I've really enjoyed working on so many different things. My 7 year old son tells me that we have to keep some of them for ourselves. I'm thinking he might be right.

These candy canes were quick and fun. I baked them in the oven and scented them with coffee, vanilla and a little cinnamon.

These little guys look so great in my wooden bowl with some primitive greens.

These prim snowmen were fun but I'm not completely sure if I liked how they turned out. I didn't coffee stain the pure and natural batting, I only tea stained it. I think they should maybe be a little bit darker.

I made two of these one in green and one in red.

These were also baked in the oven. I left them a little crinkled. I didn't iron them I just smoothed out a little bit and then stuffed them. I think the crinkled look helps them look a little old. I love the graphic that is pinned with rusty pins.

I made 3 of the following little ornaments. I think they came out really nice. It was my first attempt at sculpted noses.

These little tea light holders were really fun to make. The brim is sprinkled with german glass glitter. I'm pretty pleased with these.

I made three of these also. I finished them up last night.
Now I'm finished for a few weeks and have boxed up my supplies. It's hard to find the space in a small house to keep the projects I'm working on out until they are completed. It's been awhile since I did so much crafting but these are for a good cause. Our church is doing a fundraiser on 12/5 a cookie and craft sale. I don't really think they will get what they are "worth" the way you would at a craft fair or a prim shop. I think whatever is left over I will try to sell here, on ebay or maybe even open an etsy shop of my own. When my oldest girls were little I had a very successful crafting business doing fairs and renting booth space in craft malls. That was a long time ago or at least it seems that way so it's been fun working on crafty things again.

I'm thinking too that I might do a Christmas giveaway. I've been enjoying reading other blogs and seeing what they have to offer this time of year. So check back around December 7th or so I might have it together by them. I certainly need more blogging friends/followers - it's lonely out here in a small town. I'm not a small town girl, somethings just won't change, no matter how much one tries.

Simple Woman's Daybook November 23

2009-11-23T06:50:00.000-08:00

Outside my window...gray, kind of a misty rain

I am thinking... of how many of the kids will be able to get in to see a doctor before the holiday

I am thankful for... that our doctor is just down the street. I like him alot and we see things the same way.

I am wearing... my red bathrobe still.

I am going... to be cleaning up the house today in the event that everyone feels well enough for Turkey on Thursday.

I am reading . . . email and blogs, haven't had much time for anything else the past two weeks with sickness.

I am hoping... that everyone gets better soon

On my mind... the lack of sleep has caused nothing to be on my mind right now

From the learning rooms... oh my gosh, last week was a complete bust. That's when all the sickness started. So I guess our learning will have to wait. And we were on such a good roll with our writing program and history.

Noticing that...life can be very lonely in a small town where you are not originally from plus the homeschooling. We live so far away from our homeschool support group that it is hard to make friendships easily and then friends that you can connect with often.

Pondering these words . . . God works all things for our good. I've had some doubts some days

From the kitchen... nothing

Around the house... lots of cleaning up and piles of craft things that are waiting for the churches craft and cookie sale on 12/5 - it should be fun.

One of my favorite things . . . is the crowded stores at Christmas time. I just love the listening to carols over the intercoms and the decorations.

From my picture journal...these two just had birthdays this past weekend

Stop by Peggy'sto read other daybooks. Have fun!!

Happy Birthday Micah!

2009-11-22T08:20:00.001-08:00

My son Micah turns 7 today. Unfortunately he is still sick. So it won't be much fun today. We had to cancel his first birthday party with friends. He would've had 3 of the kids he knows over for the afternoon. So now we will have try again next year.

Happy Birthday!

2009-11-21T07:48:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday to my Arianna. She turns 14 today. Some of us are feeling a little bit better so I am going to take her to see the Twilight movie this afternoon.

I know, I know

2009-11-20T16:04:00.000-08:00

I know it isn't Christmas yet so I shouldn't be changing my blog background before Thanksgiving even gets here. But we are transplants to the midwest and around her people seem to go from Halloween to decorating for Christmas unlike New England. I suppose a lot of the New England tradition comes from the history back in those states and the founding of our country. But I am just itching to get my holiday decorations up and out for viewing enjoyment. With everyone being sick, myself included, I decided to change around my blogs a little. I'm not quite sure I like this background but it will do for now.

It's Official

2009-11-19T17:17:00.000-08:00

Well it's official the flu has arrived at our house. Not just one or two of us but all of us have the flu to one degree or another. Annaliese even had the vomiting part to go with it. So we did end up canceling the two birthday parties schedule here this weekend. Micah was so sick that he really didn't care anymore. Arianna only had one friend who could make it that day but who wants to share the flu with anyone. It has sent our school week down the toilet and probably part of next week too. It seems to take a number of days before you get any of your strength back. My sickest child even wants to know if we will still put our Christmas tree up on Thanksgiving weekend and if I am making gravy. Hopefully we will all be doing better in time for Thanksgiving dinner.

Birthday Blues

2009-11-17T07:06:00.000-08:00

My daughter Arianna will be 14 this Friday and my son Micah will be 7 on Saturday. It can be a kinda crazy weekend with birthdays back to back like that but now they are sick. We've been fighting colds and sore throats around here this past week and now it has hit the two of them. Micah might even have a little more going on stomach wise so I'm waiting to see. He's looking very pale. Arianna is suppose to have a sleepover party on Friday that might get canceled now. Micah was planning his first birthday party with a couple of friends on Sunday afternoon. So now we will have to see what happens with either of them. So we might have some birthday blues around here.

A little bit of Crafting

2009-11-11T07:24:00.000-08:00

I've been working on a few items for our churches cookie and craft sale held in December. I thought I'd share a few of those photos.

I had so much fun working on these little guys. I made 8 of them but I'm going to keep 4 of them for myself. The pattern is from the Old Glory Company. It was the first time that I tried baking things in the oven. My hubby and kids would come in and ask what I was cooking. The smell of coffee, cinnamon and vanilla just waffled through the house. They were quite disappointed when they couldn't eat these little guys. But boy did the kitchen smell good.

Here's a whole pan of them. Don't they look great!

This snowman isn't really all that prim. He is lightly tea stained but I thought I should have a mixed variety because ya never know in such a small area as where we live right now how many are really into the prim decor.

I have some other items that I've been working on but they aren't finished yet. Mostly Christmas ornaments hopefully I will get those finished and can post them for next week. I figure if they don't sell very well at the church bazaar then I will either open an etsy store (never done that before) or sell them off my blog. Years ago I had a small craft business and did pretty well selling out of a booth and at fairs. Now with so many kids and the homeschooling I have really run out of the time needed to invest in something like that so that you have enough inventory to make the booth rent each month.

Daybook - November 2nd

2009-11-02T05:53:00.000-08:00

Outside my window... the sun is shining (yeah) and the yard is covered in leaves

I am thinking... now fast the Thanksgiving and Christmas are approaching

I am thankful for... my children

I am wearing...I'm still in my red bathrobe about to get into the shower

I am going... to the grocery store this afternoon and maybe Goodwill to see what they might have for new Christmas items

I am reading... A Legacy of Grace. Just started reading this last week. Some homeschool mom's are going to do a book group/discussion using this book by Francine Rivers. I think it will be a good group.

I am hoping...to get back on my diet and our eliptical machine. I've gained back some of the weight I lost and I really need to get back onto taking weight off. I find this time of year harder for me than others because of the cold and lack of daylight hours. I sometimes I think I have some of that seasonal affective disorder.

On my mind...when will we be able to move on from this location. I feel like the Israelites wandering around in the desert crying out how long?

From the learning rooms...finishing up World War I and moving into the Great Depression for a couple of weeks.

Noticing that...the kids are moving a little slow this morning. They must be tired still.

Pondering these words..."I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jer. 29:11

From the kitchen... don't know yet

Around the house... lots of piles of craft items and some of the finished items for the church's Christmas sale

One of my favorite things . . . primitive and country decorating

From my picture journal...

If you'd like to read other woman's daybooks then hop on over to Peggy's and join in the fun.

Daybook-October 26th

2009-10-26T08:23:00.000-07:00

FOR TODAY...October 26th
Outside my window... misty rain, wet ground

I am thinking... how much work I still need to do on the crafts for the church sale

I am thankful for... our homeschool group and choir group

I am wearing... jeans and a shirt

I am remembering... how much I love to decorate for fall and Christmas

I am going...to have less driving this week

I am reading...reading to the kids a book Kingdom's Dawn by Chuck Black

I am hoping... for some sunshine this week

On my mind... my day with my friend Tonja going to one of the local prim shops

From the learning rooms... working through finishing WWI and moving into the Holocaust

Noticing that... the trees are pretty bare around here

Pondering these words... to store up our treasures in heaven

From the kitchen...I think we will be making soup tonight

Around the house... need to do alot of school paper filing and sorting

One of my favorite things . . . baking this time of year

From my picture journal...

If you'd like to read other daybooks go on over to Peggy's click here.

Sweet Sixteen

2009-10-24T16:58:00.000-07:00

We celebrated my oldest daughters birthday today. A little early but she wanted to have a small party (which we haven't done in a number of years.) Her actually birthday is the 28th. We decided on trying to do an English Garden theme. She did a few games with either words from birthday, party, or words related to England. She also did another game with British literature where she read a quote from a book and her guests needed to guess the book and the author. After that they played a simple version of pictionary just for fun.

Her sister Natania and I decorated the basement in as many floral type things as we had. I bought some fabric, tulle, artificial flowers, and xmas lights. Thankfully those were at the stores very early this year. I did not want to hunt for those among our Christmas decorations - we have many, many boxes. Here are some of the photos:

I had her cake made at Sam's club and it was really good and a good price for the size that it was. A couple of the girls last minute couldn't make it which was too bad. I certainly couldn't have made this:

We also had a small section of a table with a few different types of candies - some hershey kisses, skittles, sweet tarts, dinner mints and life savers laid out in a variety of floral dishware. This was to be the "Sweet" in sweet sixteen. The girls had small purple bags to fill with some candy to take home.

A tribute to a sister. . . Arianna came up with this last minute and asked one of their mutual friends to help her with it.

She tried to put this to a rap kind of beat but here are the words:

S-i-x-t double E - N
thas right
she'z my best friend
smilez
cuz Gabrielle b the 1 who putz the smile on me
Mz. G-A-B-R to the I-E-L-L-E
We rappin' to say Happy B-day

Hearts for Home -October 20th USA

2009-10-20T08:16:00.000-07:00

I stumbled upon this website the other day http://cherishedheartsathome.blogspot.com/
and am hoping to remember to participate in her Tuesday encouragement meme.

The things I am going to try to focus on for this coming week will be:

1. To make it a priority to read out loud to the kids. We do this for school but rarely find the time to do it for fun. We started the other day the book Kingdom's Dawn by Chuck Black. The kids seem to enjoy the story (it's an allegory) and each chapter ends with discussion questions. I'm curious to see how to the book continues and what connections they will make with the characters.

2. I'd like to get the girls involved in crafting. Some of them on occasion have worked on a few things but I'd like to get them working with their hands more either a craft or even cooking skills.

3. To encourage them as much as I can in their abilities and in their faith.

4. I personally would like to not get frustrated if we fall behind in what society would call and academic subject in school because we were focusing on building family relationships instead. After all which is really more important?

5. I was convicted that I have fallen short of teaching my kids to have a more eternal focus so that will be a continual goal. To show them the importance of their beliefs and how that affects their choices in life.

If you would like to find encouragement along your journey of raising your children pop on over to the website mentioned above. She has some interesting posts to read, great suggestions and beautiful artwork.

Funny Moments in the Children's Sermon

2009-10-19T15:49:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, our vicar was doing a children's sermon and he was taken out of a bag some special items that held meaning for him. First he took out a teddy bear, then some military medals, and I forget the 3rd item because when he asked the kids what the item was (the medals) Micah said "they are World War I medals". He laughed, the congregation laughed and he told Micah he wasn't quite that old. The funny thing is we have been studying that time period in history class for the past several weeks. Every once in a while Micah comes out with some interesting comments that show he is really paying attention in school. A few weeks back he remembered that the first military tanks were nicknamed "mother". The congregation doesn't really approve of us homeschooling so I wonder if they even made the connection between Micah's comment and our history classes. But as the teacher I love these moments!! We need more of them to keep plugging along.

A Fun Read

2009-10-19T15:39:00.000-07:00

Annaliese is getting into a new found series of books by Lois Walfrid Johnson. These books are great for two reasons first they are Christian fiction for kids. But this particular set is about the civil war which is one of her favorite time periods. She tells us often how Abraham Lincoln is her favorite president.

Here is photo from our summer vacation to Gettysburg. We had such a great time.

This is just one of the joys of homeschooling. Finding the subjects or topics that really interest your child and watching them just take off with enthusiasm. I'm going to blog next about Micah's funny church comment.

Daybook-October 19th

2009-10-19T06:23:00.000-07:00

FOR TODAY...October 19th

Outside my window... a crisp, sunny fall day (my favorite time of year)

I am thinking... about the many things that need to get done today

I am thankful for... our homeschool group

I am wearing...still in my bathrobe. I thought I'd do this really quick before getting into the shower

I am remembering...fall days in New England

I am going... to snap fitness later today

I am reading...chapter 21 in the book of Isaiah

I am hoping... to get all our school work done

On my mind...how to create an English garden for my daughter's 16th birthday, that's her theme

From the learning rooms...I have sleepy children, not quite ready for a day of school

From the kitchen... breakfast is underway

Around the house... we need to get your typical cleaning done

One of my favorite things . . . apple picking

From my picture journal...

Go here to read what other woman are doing.
http://thesimplewomansdaybook.blogspot.com/

My New Ride

2009-10-17T07:35:00.000-07:00

We just bought this used truck recently. We can fit 10 passengers which is great plus it is 4wheel drive. We don't plan to use it for just "around town" or local places but it will be good for vacations and our frequent drives to Eau Claire especially in the winter months. I do okay driving it on the highway but I need a little more practice with parking lots that way I will feel more comfortable with driving it on my own.

Going From Six to Seven

2009-10-16T06:05:00.000-07:00

My youngest Micah will be turning seven in November. I wouldn't have thought that one year could make that much difference in a little boy. He has really changed in school. He enjoys learning to read now, he works on his workbooks sometimes independently, he gets up for our long drive to choir without complaining. I've heard how boys learn differently than girls and how some are not academically ready for school until a little bit later than the traditional kindergarten age requirement. That seems true of Micah. Last year he did some things with us but after just a little while he would want to go play. I'm glad I let him and didn't give into the pressure one can sometimes feel with homeschooling. The "keeping up" with the educational system and kindergarten enrollment. In just the past few weeks Micah has been wanting to print everything on his own for his projects. That can be a lot of writing for a boy so in the past I've had him dictate to me what he wants to write down. Not this year, if I even suggest helping him he insists that I don't. The other day he told Gabrielle that history was his favorite subject.

Simple Woman's Daybook October 5

2009-10-06T17:50:00.000-07:00

Okay, I am a day late on this daybook idea but here is my first attempt at trying this.

Outside my window... cold, rainy just plain yucky outside

I am thinking...how much I miss a New England fall day

I am thankful for... my husband and my kids

I am wearing... jeans and a new shirt from Goodwill

I am remembering...how good the sun felt during the warm summer months

I am going... to be taking my daughter to the orthodontist which she is dreading

I am reading...through the book of Isaiah

I am hoping... to find time to sew some primitive decorations for xmas and use a few for the churches cookie and craft sale in December

On my mind...not much right now, except how to make a link back to Peggy

From the learning rooms...how good Gabrielle is doing in math and how much the younger kids are learning about WWI

From the kitchen... fixing sandwiches

Around the house...trying to get caught up on the laundry

One of my favorite things~ the smell of pumpkin pie

From my picture journal...

Here is where you can join in the fun.
http://thesimplewomansdaybook.blogspot.com/

All ready on Week 6

2009-10-05T14:18:00.000-07:00

Wow, it's been a whirlwind of activity around here. Driving two times a week to Eau Claire gets very tiring for us or at least me. I feel like the weeks of school have just blurred into each other. We've been spending the majority of our time focusing on World War I for history. The younger kids have been learning about trench warfare, weapons including the use of gas, how soldiers spent the Christmas holiday during the war and we will move on to specific battles next week. I'm trying to finish up our lapbook pieces so I can throw in some weeks of studying the holocaust before jumping right into World War II.

The older kids have a more indepth study of the people and events of World War I. I don't really supervise their work -they do pretty well getting it done on their own.

We've been enjoying using Institute for Excellence in Writing that helps to teach the skills of key word outlining, paragraph structure, story writing and will eventually deal with essays and research papers. So far that is going really well for us. It takes the burden off of me to remember everything. It's funny how sometimes you can write yourself but not be able to explain the process very well. At least as a young adult, I was told I could write well but now that I am having to teach the process I thought I better get some additional help.

The younger three are learning about Europe for a little bit of geography. We have covered Spain and Portugal with a few details to finish. Then we will move onto France. Today I gave them a blank outline map of Europe to see which countries they could label either from what we've studied before or just somehow they pick up information that I didn't even know they had. This went really well. I expected alot of complaining but we broke it down into small sections, had a few incorrect guesses but that's okay, but they named as many as they could. We will do this a few times a week starting each time with a blank map to label. I bet in know time at all they will know all the relative locations of the countries that make up the continent of Europe. I'm hoping we can incorporate a few projects and recipes as we go.

Our apple picking field trip was rained out. We have had nothing but rain, clouds and cold around here for a while. I'm hoping we find one warm day before the apples are all gone.

We've started planning Gabrielle's 16th birthday party. It's hard to believe she is 16 now. She is having an English garden theme -hopefully I can pull that off. I'll post some pictures if it comes out the way I envision it. I keep trying to find a few minutes to post pictures from our summer vacation but I keep forgetting.

Happy Fall ya All

2009-09-23T08:45:00.000-07:00

Fall is one of my favorite times of year. I have a few children born in the season plus the trips to the apple orchards and pumpkin patch. I don't look forward to the cold but I do enjoy the signts and scents of the season and quick approach of Thanksgiving.

The Weeks are Flying By

2009-09-23T08:32:00.000-07:00

It's hard to believe it is fall already. Our weeks are going by quickly. Last week we were learning about the Panama Canal, Albert Einstein, President Taft and Wilson. We are beginning a study of World War 1 following Tapestry of Grace (loosely for my younger 3) and incorporating lapbook projects from Hands of a Child. They are a unit based type company that produces lapbook study guides that are very easy to follow.

In addition to that we finally found time to start up our study of Shakespeare. We haven't gotten to far along but have talked about where he was born but that we have to use his baptism date for a general idea of when he was born because no one knows for sure about that. Here is a list of the books we are using for our study of Shakespeare.

We started the first lesson in Institute for Excellence in Writing level A for the younger two girls and level C for the older. This went really well. I wasn't sure if Annaliese would be able to follow the video and concept but she came through with flying colors.

1 Down and 35 to Go

2009-09-05T19:26:00.000-07:00

We completed our first week of school for the 2009-2010 school year. Among our regular subjects the kids will be learning about poetry and Shakespeare. For the older two girls we will be studying Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, and Mid Summer's Night Dream using Parallel Text from the Perfection Learning Company. I'll do those same plays with the younger three but using the Shakespeare Can Be Fun Series that most libraries carry. I haven't decided on our composer or artist studies yet this year because our weeks will be busy now that we added an extra trip to Eau Claire (an hour away) for the kids to participate in a co-op. The older two will be getting drama and writing while the younger kids are enjoying PE, a science craft, and a class on the human body.

We are in the 20th century for history. So this week the kids learned about the Wright Brothers, Teddy Roosevelt, and Henry Ford.

Some of the things were learned about Orville and Wilbur was they were from Dayton, Ohio but also lived in Iowa and Indiana. Wilbur was the oldest. They opened a bicycle shop first before trying their hand at building an airplane. They tested their gliders in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina and in 1903 they have the first controlled, engine powered glider the "Flyer".

Teddy Roosevelt was married twice. His first wife died after the birth of their daughter. We also learned he attended Harvard (our home state). Then we learned a fun fact that the the toy, a teddy bear, was named after him.

We also learned about Henry Ford and the Model T car. I was trying to post Natania's writing about Ford but I can't seem to get it to copy and paste correctly. Any other bloggers out there who can help me???

Now only 35 weeks to go! Happy Homeschool journey to all you fellow homeschoolers.

Take a Dip

2009-09-05T19:12:00.000-07:00

I'm joining in the fun and posting a dip recipe from a recent southern living mag. Here it is: Blue Cheese-Bacon Dip

3 Tbsp. chopped walnuts
7 bacon slices chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 packages cream cheese softened
1/3 cup half and half
4 oz crumbed blue cheese
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh chives

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat walnuts in a skillet over medium low heat 3-5minutes or until toasted and fragrant. Remove from skillet. Cook chopped bacon in skillet for 10min or until crisp. drain. Wipe skillet then add garlic and saute one minute. Beat cream cheese on medium speed with mixer. Gradually add half and half. Stir in bacon, garlic, blue cheese, and chives. Spoon mixture into 2 (2 cup) individual baking dishes. Bake at 350 for 20-25min. or until golden and bubbly. Sprinkle with chopped walnuts. Serve with grapes, pears, flatbreads or crackers. Enjoy!!

Another Broken Arm

2009-08-31T19:05:00.000-07:00

Again, I find myself writing about broken bones and again from use of the trampoline at the neighbors house. My 9 year old Annaliese landed funny as she came down she tried to brace her fall with her hands. She ended up breaking her forearm just past the wrist by about an inch. We couldn't see the other bone but the doctor suspected that with this type of break it usually affects the other bone as well but it might just be a crack. She gets a full cast on Thursday or Friday and will need it for about a month to 5 weeks. She was pale as a ghost when it happened so that was one clue to me that it was broken, not to mention the constant pain, inability to move it and "don't touch it" over and over again. So if you are reading this send up a little prayer for speedy healing. We started school today and tomorrow starts our homeschool groups co-op. Annaliese is refusing to stay home and rest her arm because she doesn't want to miss out on the fun. So I'm bring along lots of motrin and a pillow so she can at least rest her arm part of the time. She broke her right arm last year. I can't believe all the broken bones lately.

The Latest Injury

2009-06-24T18:34:00.000-07:00

My son Micah has been playing with the neighbor's little boy and they have one of those big trampolines. Micah jumped off yesterday and landed funny on his foot. At first I didn't see anything wrong because someone told me it was his ankle which seemed perfectly normal to me. But as the day and night went on his foot seem to bother him more. By the morning, he was limping pretty badly. So I thought to be cautious we would take him to the doctor here in town, being a small town they also provide x-ray, so it would avoid waiting in the ER, so we did that. But now we still have to wait for the radiologist to read the x-ray. We think he might have a small hairline crack in the top of the foot bone below your 2nd toe. It's pretty swollen and pretty painful to the touch. The doctor said she saw a spot that looks suspicious but she isn't trained like a radiologist. We are hoping for a call back soon to tell us if anything is wrong or not. Micah leaves Friday for a weekend at Camp Luther with Dad. He is already packed, 2 days early, and waiting to go. We have his foot wrapped for now and he is trying to rest it. Although, I don't think rest is a word in this 6 year old's vocabulary. I don't know how I will get him to sit still if it is actually broken. Thankfully hairline cracks heal pretty quickly especially in young ones who grow and change so fast. So time will tell, I hope we get a phone call between now and Friday morning to tell us if he needs a cast or not.

Old News but Good News

2009-06-03T17:30:00.000-07:00

About 6 weeks ago I decided it was time to get serious about losing some weight. I had reached my all time high (of which I won't mention here) but it was way too high. Years ago Weight Watchers had always done the trick but lately didn't seem to be working as well. I came across a different kind of diet called the Lord's Table. I'm not sure why it's called that but basically 2 days a week you eat normal 3 meals, 2 days you each half size meals, 2 days a week you eat/drink only liquids like soup and juice and then 1 day of the week you fast. I thought that would be a little scary - how could I possibly not eat for 24 hours but some of the fast is while you are sleeping so it is really only the daytime hours of the next day. Surprisingly though it wasn't too bad. I didn't find myself very hungry either, probably enough fat on me to live off of, but bottom line in the approximate 6 weeks or so that I've been doing this I've lost 15.5lbs!!! I do think I've reached some plateaus with this program so if that continues I'm going to try to combine it with weight watchers one week and then back to the Lord's Table the next week and continue like that for awhile. I have about 50-60lbs to go but this is a great start to a thinner, more improved ME!

Blogoversary!!

2009-06-03T17:24:00.000-07:00

Today is the one year mark of my blog. I hope to do better with blogging and adding pictures as often as possible. Sometimes I just don't know what to write about. Today though we took the kids to a homeschool fun day. They made homemade juggling balls out of balloons and millet seed. We were also given some lessons on juggling by a professional juggler. It was fun and we had great weather for it, considering we were outside.

Happy Blogging everyone!

The Happenings of Late

2009-05-30T16:06:00.000-07:00

Well I haven't kept up with this blog as much as I had hoped I would. We did have a very nice Memorial Day. We drove about an hour and half to Osseo, WI and spent the afternoon with homeschool friends who own a dairy farm. We had a great time. They have 9 children and we have 5 so it was quite the crowd. The kids hit it off really well. Micah was able to feed the baby cows, of course, I forgot the camera. One of their daughter's, Emily, plays the harp which is an instrument that Annaliese is interested in playing. So they gave us some good pointers. The funny thing is Annaliese a few weeks before Memorial Day had asked me about learning the harp. I told her (just assuming it would be difficult) but I told her that it would probably be very hard to find a harp teacher. And what happens we meet up with our friends, not having any idea that their daughter played, and they have two harps in their living room. She also told me that there are about 5 harp teachers in the Eau Claire area. I think God has a really funny sense of humor about timing sometimes. Hopefully things will work out to get her started with lessons this fall sometime. All in all it was a really fun day. Oh and on the ride home, Micah announced he wants to be a farmer when he gets older so he can have cows.

Then today May 30th, the girls and I all went to a bridal shower. That was really fun too. They are homeschool friends from a different group - one that is a little more local which is good - only half an hour away. We played your typical bridal shower games but one I hadn't done before too. I have 4 girls and another friend at our table has 4 girls also plus 5 boys but we were joking about keeping these ideas in the back of our minds for our own girls as they get older and will one day find themselves engaged to their beloved. It's hard to think that far ahead but I know how quickly that time will come, in the blink of an eye. They served a really nice tomatoe, onion and feta cheese salad - way too fattening with the oily dressing but oh so good to eat. I definately want the recipe for that.

365 Day Project 88--93

2009-05-09T14:30:00.000-07:00

Blast from the Past

My babies are growing up...and one of them hasn't arrived yet.

365 Day Project 82--87

2009-05-09T14:16:00.001-07:00

365 Day Project 32-81

2009-05-09T14:09:00.001-07:00

I started out participating in this because I thought it would be really great to keep up with taking photos of the kids but it was so cold here when I started that I really fell behind. Now that it is slightly warmer, slightly being the operative word, I hope to get back on track. But if you sit for a spell and watch all the photobucket layouts down in other posts then I am approximately up to 81. One of the hardest things about getting us to Wisconsin is it seems to be always colder than I would like. Today and even the first few weeks of soccer we sat out in the cold and wind. My fingers felt frozen to my camera for awhile.

Another Soccer Player

2009-05-09T13:50:00.000-07:00

This year Arianna is on a traveling soccer team. Some games are fairly far away so we don't usually drive to those. But she will have several games locally or within 30min of Turtle Lake.

Micah's First Game of the Season

2009-05-02T15:20:00.000-07:00

This was kind of exciting for us to watch. Micah was running around at his first soccer game. He even got to play goalie. He seems to be really enjoying it. It is hard to get shots at this age though which I was surprised at. I didn't think they would all cluster together like they do. They also don't seem to teach positions at this age. It seems they just tell everyone to follow the ball.

Hopefully as the games go on I will be able to get a few better shots.

Natania's Games

2009-05-02T15:04:00.000-07:00

I'm posting a few pics from Natania's first two soccer games. You can see in the photos she is playing against two different colors. It's been pretty cold here on those days so my hands are a little on the numb side from taking pictures and the cold wind coming across the field. She's having a harder time playing this year with the wind and her asthma. She's hoping for warmer days with less wind, me too!

She still really loves soccer!

If you want to see a close up of any of the shots, just click on that frame and it brings you to the website that I use to make these.

I can tell I'm going to have way too many soccer photos this year. I think I'll have to send some to grandma's back home.

Spring Fun

2009-04-27T18:34:00.000-07:00

I took my younger two with me the other day to Natania's soccer practice and after awhile I we walked over to the school playground there. Enjoy the pics, I got some really good shots!

Soccer Star in the Making

2009-04-22T21:10:00.000-07:00

This is my son's first year at playing AYSO soccer. I got some great shots of him at his first practice. For us age bracket they practice for 30min and then play against another team for 30min. Unfortunately, this week was practice. The photos were taken with my new sony camera which I'm really excited about. Last year I missed alot of great shots because my old camera didn't have fast enough speed. At least that is how I understand it. Now I can hold down the button when in action mode and get about 5 consecutive photos.

Finding Her Own Style

2009-04-21T18:05:00.001-07:00

My Arianna is turning into her own person as she gets older. It's a nice change to see coming. There were days when I wondered if we would ever get out of big, baggy t-shirts. Now she is a little more interested in style/fashion. She has been getting into a few flair style pants which she use to hate. Once soccer season is over she plans to get her ears pierced. She still tends towards more dramatic style clothing pants with almost holes in them. Brand new those are outrageous in price so we buy ours at Goodwill. Or shirts with purple or pink skull bones instead anything flowery. For now that will do though. I'm curious to see how her style changes over the years. She is also becoming quite talented in drawing which is really fun to see. She has been practicing people and faces. She plans to put together a display for our homeschool display fair in May.

Easter Fun

2009-04-20T12:34:00.000-07:00

Here are some shots from Easter Day. This year was unusually warm somewhere around 60. Last year we still had snow on the ground. That's no way to celebrate Easter if you ask me.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ANNALIESE

2009-04-05T11:58:00.000-07:00

One of my babies turned 9 today. It's hard to believe how time flies. Annaliese has a really good friend in Eau Claire that she met a choir class who was born on the same day. So it's fun for them to get together and see how much they have in common. Annaliese keeps begging me to let her get her ears pierced so we will be looking into that for her. I actually don't mind her getting them done I just dont' want her to panic after one ear and then not want to do the other. Plus I want to make sure she remembers to clean them and stuff. It least it would be a new idea for Christmas stocking gifts.

Happy Birthday Annaliese!!!

Conversations with a 6 year old Boy

2009-03-25T09:45:00.000-07:00

It's been funny around here lately. I'm often wondering what Micah picks up during our school day. I have him tag along with his two sisters, Annaliese and Natania, for science and history but lately we've been focusing on alot of history specifically the civil war.

The other night Micah was looking at some books before bed and our conversation went like this:

Micah: "who was the guy with the big hair"

Mom: "during history you mean"

Micah: "yes"

Mom: "that was Fredrick Douglas"

Micah: "he taught himself to read"

Who would've thought he would remember that detail that we only read about once. He's probably forgotten it by now but it was nice to hear. Then I took him grocery shopping with me and we had another funny conversation about seasons. After he got the seasons down the rest went like this:

Micah: "Spring, summer, fall, winter after winter is Christmas"

Mom: "yes but Thanksgiving is in there too"

Micah:"But Christmas means snow"

Mom:"yes, sometimes"

Micah:" I don't want snow this year"

Mom:" I don't either but you can't control the weather"

Micah: "what about the weatherman"

Mom:"he doesn't control the weather either. He just tells us about it. The weather has to do with the air currents and temperatures"

Micah: "Oh God controls those"

Mom:"yes, that's right"

Micah: "He needs to fix that then"

I thought that was so funny. He's going to tell God no snow this year. I bet he doesn't get very far.

Therapy ???

2009-03-04T14:13:00.000-08:00

Your probably wonder who this refers to. At this point Micah gets to claim all the glory. Awhile back I wrote about his knee problems, well they have continued and now affects both knees. I took him again to the doctor today because he could hardly walk with out dragging one of his legs along. Pretty weird to see your 6 year old acting like a feeble, elderly person. The doctor thought since it seems to be getting worse to start him on some physical therapy. He will go 2-3x per week for as little as an hour to as much as 1.5hrs each time, for about a month. The hope is to gain strength in the muscle that holds your knee caps in place. Soccer is a good sport for that too. He is signed up for the first time to play this season, so that was good timing. I've already explained to the other 3 kids who are playing that Micah's schedule will have to take priority because the running helps strengthen those muscles as well. After the month of therapy I will have to continue the exercises with him at home. If it should continue to give him trouble the only other option is surgery but they really like to wait until late teen years for anything drastic like that. Let's hope this works Micah is a long way away from late teen years.

House Hunting

2009-02-25T16:23:00.000-08:00

Well it has been a long 3 years here in "smallville". And sometimes just as freaky as that show, at least to a city girl like myself. One of the ways we think might help is for us to own our own home again. With prices so low and Obama's tax credit for purchasing a home, it seems like a good year to try that. We spoke to the church elders and to my surprise they did not object. I think down the road we will have some objection by some. We plan to have David commute to the church so that we can get into a larger community. We don't qualify for a very high morgage but we did qualify. So we are primarly looking for a "fixer-upper". We've seen one house already and are going back tomorrow for a 2nd look. An offer has been made on that place but we plan to make a counter offer. It is a large, brick two story home with about 3200 square feet which is what this large family needs. Not just because we have so many kids but we homeschool, I have avid readers so we will have a library room, plus we have some craft hobbies. And everyone who is crafty knows how much space your supplies take up. We don't know if our offer will be higher or lower than the previous offer so we don't know if will be accepted or not. If not we will keep looking for a large home which would have to be another fixer. We are still waiting to hear about a new call in the area which is actually within commuting of distance of where we are house hunting. But if that doesn't come through at least things for me and the kids will improve just by getting to a larger community. Wish us luck on our endeavor.

365 day Project - 31

2009-02-25T16:15:00.000-08:00

Whooo, whooo Gabrielle got her braces off today. The two years went by fast. She now needs a retainer on top and bottom. Then she will be slowly weened off the retainers but the process takes about two years.

Don't her teeth look great! All to the tune of roughly $5,000 dollars - it might as well be the million dollar smile slogan since that amount is just as hard to come by. Thankfully we had the insurance and the budget to get it started. Now to move on to the other kids. Arianna is scheduled for sometime in March to get them started anyway. And we might have to bump Annaliese up because she could need her top jaw stretched. Sounds painful, doesn't it. But apparently it is better to do it before the end of puberty because the bones in your skull start to fuse then.

365 Day Project -22-30

2009-02-08T15:18:00.001-08:00

I came home from grocery shopping today and was able to grab a few photos of my son before the sun went down. His sisters were already heading inside but Micah wanted to stay out longer. So I took advantage of the few moments, grabbed the camera, and click. Here are the results:

For those of you who don't know, you can click on an image to enlarge the photo.

Isn't he a cutie!!

365 Day Project-day 17-22

2009-02-04T16:00:00.000-08:00

These pics our from our Christmas tree hunting day in 2007. It was really cold that and most of us did not dress warm enough. Since then, DH has developed allergies to trees so now we have 2 artificial trees each year. But these photos hold fond memories.

I'm hoping it warms up around here so I can get outside and get some up to date photos for this project. If not, I think we should start thinking about going south. LOL

365-day 16

2009-02-03T12:14:00.001-08:00

365 Day Project - day 15

2009-02-03T12:08:00.000-08:00

I couldn't resist posting this photo. My youngest Micah and my 2nd oldest Arianna have birthdays back to back so sometimes we celebrated together. This was from Nov. 2007. Although, now my son has said they can no longer celebrate together. I think he has caught on and wants all the glory for himself. I don't blame him one bit for that though. One day a year should be special for each of them. We live pretty far away from the rest of our family now so the kids miss celebrating with cousins and grandparents.

365 Day Project- day 4 through day 14

2009-02-03T11:43:00.000-08:00

Well this project may take me longer than 365 days. But here are some photos from about a year ago. This particular day my camera was cooperating really well for me.

These are what I call our "frosty" pictures. They remind me so much of the Christmas cartoon. I can't build I actually got some good shots.

It was a fun day. Just the right temperature for sledding. I'm having to use pics from a year ago because this season has been awfully cold here. Then on days when it isn't as cold we don't have the time or like now I have kids coming down with colds.

365 Day Project - Day 3

2009-01-27T16:55:00.000-08:00

Day 3

This was taken at one of our homeschool group field trips to a local apple orchard. I love her smile. Right now though, she seems very reluctant to share that big smile. I get only smirks or grins unless I can take the photo when she isn't looking. She just celebrated her 11th birthday. Time sure does fly.

365 Day Project

2009-01-27T16:44:00.000-08:00

Day 1

Okay, I'm behind but that seems typical for me in most things. I will try to catch up my posts but it may take a few days. Here is my first photo taken in our church sanctuary near Thanksgiving. We have a very talented man in the congregation who handles the flowers/altar decorations. I thought this was such a nice display of God's Bounty that I had to take a photo.

If you'd like to join the group just click on the link in my side bar. It will take you to Tracy's blog with all the information to get started. Then I won't be the only one behind. (LOL)

Day 2

This was from my garden last year. Can you tell I can't wait for spring to arrive.

Back Home Again

2009-01-26T07:03:00.000-08:00

We had a wonderful time in Fort Wayne visiting friends while DH attended the conference at the seminary. The kids and I hung out at the pool with our friends and the adults enjoyed the hot tub. I'm missing the hot tub already. We came back to Wisconsin which had below zero temps. I've gone back to hibernation mode. I honestly can't wait for the spring to get here.

While in Fort Wayne my daughter, Natania, turned 11 so we celebrated by going to build-a-bear and to Applebees for lunch plus dessert to be our "cake and ice cream".

It's hard coming back here to the middle of no where. Our kids miss their friends. We are hoping for a call to Eau Claire area. We should know something soon. Keep us in your prayers for that.

Shabby Chic Cabinet

2009-01-18T08:34:00.000-08:00

We found this great, old kitchen cupboard in Eau Claire, WI about a month ago or so. At the store it was filled with all kinds of things about roosters. I'm still not quite sure what I am going to put in it just yet. My husband says he is pretty confident that I will find things and put it to good use. He knows the collector side of me pretty well, somedays anyway.

I'm looking forward to filling it with Christmasy things when that time of year rolls around again. The decorating is always so much fun for me.

This is a pic of the inside. As you can see it is pretty old with the crackling paint but also the way the shelving it put together.

If you like to participate in Show and Tell Fridays go to Kelli's

ABC the letter B

2009-01-18T08:15:00.000-08:00

This is a post of my little "B"oy, Micah. DH took this candid photo of him the other day. And since I feel I little behind in the blogging world I'm going to use it for this meme.

Hop on over to HSBA if you want to join in.

Crazy Days

2009-01-16T15:57:00.000-08:00

It's been crazy around here lately. We've been trying to get back in the routine of school after the holidays. A lot of my time in the evenings now goes to working through Algebra 1 to help my oldest daughter who is struggling with that subject right now. She is improving which is great though.

Dh also has a last minute funeral to do tomorrow. At least they won't be standing in the frigid cold by the grave side. The internment will be in the spring. But it makes it a little more hectic around here.

We are busy packing for a week trip to Fort Wayne, Indiana. DH is going to a symposia at the seminary there while the rest of us with enjoy the pool and visit friends. It will be a nice break from small town life. The only wrench in it now is my son Micah complaining of a stomach ache. It's hard to tell which kind with him. A few months ago, we had an appendicitis scare with him. We were told that you can have chronic appendicitis for several months before something really needs to be done about it. Let's hope it's not that. I'm wondering if he was just hungry.

Keeping the Right Focus on Homeschooling

2009-01-12T17:28:00.000-08:00

This was sent to me from a fellow homeschool mom. I find it very appropriate for these days. I'd like to share it with all of you who home school and kindly follow my blog. I know this is often a hard road to follow with all the demands of home and trying to provide a good education. I know all too well of my short comings in this area. But with support from others we can all manage to home educate our children and send them off to college confident in what they learned.

The Love Passage for Home school Moms

Though I teach my children how to multiply, divide and diagram a sentence,

But fail to show them love, I have taught them nothing.

And though I take them on numerous field trips, to swim practice and flute lessons;

And though I involve them in every church activity, but fail to give them love, I profit nothing.

And though I scrub my house relentlessly, run countless errands, and serve three nutritious meals every day but fail to be an example of love, I have done nothing.

Love is patient with misspelled words and is kind to young interrupters.

Love does not envy high SAT scores of other homeschool families.

Love does not claim to have better teaching methods than anyone else,

It is not rude to the fourth telephone caller during a science lesson,

Does not seek perfectly behaved geniuses,

Does not turn into a drill sergeant,

Thinks no evil about friends' educational choices.

Love bears all my children's challenges,

Believes all my children are God's precious gifts,

Hopes all my children establish permanent relationships with Christ,

And endures all things to demonstrate God's love.

Love never fails.

Where there are college degrees, they will fail;

Where there is knowledge, it will vanish away..

For we know in part and we teach in part.

But when the trials of life come to our children,

The history, math and science will be done away

And faith, hope and love will remain;

But the greatest of these is love.

We need to keep it all in perspective of what is ultimately most important.

Dieting Days

2009-01-12T17:16:00.000-08:00

My oldest daughter and I set out together to try to do the Weight Watchers program at home without attending meetings. Too expensive right now. For our first week it went really well. I lost 3 lbs and Gabrielle lost 2 lbs. We are doing pretty well on week 2 also which just started today. We are using the old "tool" books - the points finder sliding thing and points booster sliding thing. I really don't want to buy one of those new calculators but I will if we have to. My sliding booklets are wearing thin in spots. We even cheated a little but still lost pounds. I think one of the big secrets to successful weight loss it to write it all down. I read on another blog the phrase "you bite it you write it" which is so true. We are heading out to Fort Wayne, Indiana for a week (we leave Sunday) and we will bring our points finder with us. Then when we come back we will work on implementing an exercise and toning segment of our dieting journey.

I'm really proud of my daughter for taking the initiative. I had talked with her about it last year and she was definitely not interested but because she is short like me it shows up faster. She actually is shorter than me and may not even reach my height of 4'10" so it is good for her to work at this while she is young. That way she will have better over all health in the long run.

ABC Meme at Homeschool Blog Awards

2009-01-09T17:09:00.000-08:00

Here’s how you play:

1. Post a photo for each letter of the alphabet of anything that starts with that letter.
2. Write a few short explanatory, quirky, or witty sentences about each photo you post.
3. Only post one photo at a time (the meme can take as long as you want - a month, three months, whatever… you aren’t being graded). You can link them later in a blog post so they are listed in order if you are the list-making type.
4. If you want to join the meme, sign the Mr. Linky and use the “A B See Photo-Meme” graphic in your sidebar. Link your graphic to this post and announce that you will be joining us.
5. When you post a photo, come by and add it to the weekly A B See linky that we’ll be posting on Foto Fridays for those who have some alphabetical photo to share. You can sign it each week as many times as you have posted photos - one time for each photo linked post. Make sure you link back to the HSBA on your posts, too - so others can come and join the linky.

So if your interested in joining in the fun hop on over to the Homeschool Blog Awards site.

I've posted this photo for the letter "A" for Annie. I made this doll about 10 years ago when I had small at home craft business. I'm hoping now that the kids are a little older I can get back into it just a bit. Keep checking back some items will be for sale. They make great Christmas gifts during the holiday season.

Twilight Drawings

2009-01-09T13:52:00.001-08:00

I wanted to share some great drawings my daughter has done recently. My girls are really into the Twilight movie/book series right now. My 2nd oldest daughter Arianna has a real talent for drawing. So here they are . . . the first is of Edward Cullen one of the main characters.

The 2nd drawing here is of Edward and Bella.

So what do you think??

Thank you to HSBA

2009-01-09T10:22:00.001-08:00

Somehow I was randomly selected to receive a special gift from the Homeschool Post known as HSBA. Here is a pic of what they sent me:

I've never used this before but I think it will be fun to use with my 6 year old son. Thank you again.

Homeschool Memoirs - Happy New Year Post

2009-01-09T10:16:00.000-08:00

The challenge this time is to share what you did on New Year's Eve and list any traditions your family might have. So far we don't have too many traditions other than staying up late and watching movies. When we lived in New England we also would order Chinese food. But now that we live in the Midwest, Chinese food is well, how shall we say it - not as good as East coast and West Chinese.

This year though, we invited homeschooling friends over to spend the night. We made lots and lots of food. The kids played a really fun called Quelf. The adults hung out and had adult conversation for a change. So that's what we did!

Tomorrow is D and E day

2009-01-04T17:55:00.000-08:00

Bet your wondering what the D and E stands for. You guessed it, diet and exercise. I'm planning to attempt one of my New Year's resolutions starting on 1/5. I think my oldest daughter is going to follow along with me. I'm planning to follow an old weight watchers plan that I still remember how to do. And implement some cardio and weights. I'm going to try it on my own for a bit and if I can't do it alone then I will try to find the money to go back to weight watchers. I'm the heaviest I've ever been and I honestly can't believe it has gotten this bad. I bought a new, small notebook to record my food habits, water and exercise routine.

So wish me luck, I'm gonna need it. Saying a prayer wouldn't hurt too.
Blessings,
Lisa

I received another award

2009-01-04T16:10:00.000-08:00

I received this award today from Tammy
Thank you, Tammy!! Boy it sure did take me a long time to figure out to make a link back. I hope all of you are better bloggers than I am at this point. On with the rules . . .

The Lemonade Award:
So here is the award and the rules.

#1 You must link back to the person you received the award from.

#2 You have to nominate 10 bloggers who are deserving of this award!

So here it goes:

Susan primitive preachers wife

Kindra 3 guys a girl and a prim place

Leslie My Country Home

Tracy Many Home Blessings

Gwynne Far Beyond Rubies

Sandy For the Love of Prims

Pam It's Time for More Coffee

Julie Joyful Days

Sandy Ron's Rib

Robin Bird in Hand Primitives

Now you all need to pick 10 more bloggers who you enjoy following.

Monday's a Comin'

2009-01-01T19:00:00.000-08:00

Well Monday's a comin' here and I don't feel nearly ready to start back up with school after our Christmas break. But I do have some ideas rolling around in my head about things I'd like to incorporate more of in 2009. First I'd like to give my kids a love of poetry. I think I'll start out by reading some really simple childhood poems (trying for daily - maybe at lunchtime) and then work our way up to others. I also have a book in the style of "the One Year Bible" but with poems. They also provide a brief author bio which is nice. All those poems focus on christian themes. I also think it would be nice for them to memorize some poems too. I'm not sure my oldest two, 15 and 13, will really appreciate that. But I'm hoping they will join in on that part also.

Another goal I have is to read out loud to my youngest, Micah, more often. I also think it would be good to pick a family read aloud book. My DH has tried this and it went well but he is a pastor and life can be very hectic for him. Often this has fallen to the wayside. Maybe we can pick it up again.

I site I like for a list of books is www.amblesideonline.org. They also provide a nice list of hymns for hymn study plus artists and composers.

God's richest blessings on your 2009 homeschool year.

Primrose Parlor

2009-01-01T11:34:00.000-08:00

Just a little note. . . I've started another blog that will be geared just towards primitives, decorating and crafts. I'm slowly moving over some of my prim links to that site. So for a little bit you might find some double entries places. There isn't much on that site yet but I will be adding to it as time allows. I will be posting especially about primitives, antiques and decorating. Or sharing photos of the new things I will be working on either by myself or if I can recruit some of my kids too.

Here's the new link:
http://primroseparlor.blogspot.com/

Third Anniversary of the Carnival of Homeschooling

2009-01-01T11:13:00.000-08:00

This carnival is celebrating it's third year of blogging. I want to encourage all you homeschoolers out there to participate in posting about your experiences. It's great to hear from other homeschoolers, what they are learning, how they establish routines in their homes, or just some general mom encouragement as we try to teach our children.

You can send your submission to here:

http://whyhomeschool.blogspot.com/2005/12/where-to-send-your-submission-for-next.html

Submissions are due by Monday night at 6pm.

Go check out the link.

Week off!

2008-12-31T06:14:00.000-08:00

Apparently, the lady who runs the HSBA meme each week is really busy right now and forgot to think of a new idea for this week. So we have the week off from writing about our daily lives or whatever the silly assigment is for the week. To which I say, Woo-Hoo because I'm suppose be working on my oldest daughter's algebra lessons. So when school gets back in session I can help her more. Too bad we can't have another week off from school.

Biggest Snow of the Season

2008-12-30T12:52:00.000-08:00

Finally today we have some serious snow coming down. We've had a few small storms with like 3-5 inches but for the midwest, I don't really call that a big storm. I was born and raised in New England so big snow storms is something I am use to. I'm always surprised when the news channels forecast what they define as a big storm. And then they tell you 3-5 inches. Then my DH and I get a big laugh out of that. But today they are predicting 8-14 inches with our town being on the heavier side of the snow. My kids are thrilled!! One of my daughters, Arianna, was so disappointed to hear about the ice storm that we missed in New England this year. Family and friends were without power for days. She's never experienced that but I think in reality she would grow tired of no power and candle light. You kind of get use to those modern conviences.

I ventured out to Walmart today about a 30min drive. I wanted to get ready for New Year's Eve a little early. We have friends coming over tomorrow night and they will be spending the night. The roads were pretty good except for the on/off ramps and rotaries which they call round-abouts out here.

It's good to know I haven't lost my touch with winter driving. DH would tell you otherwise but my driving record is better than his. So I think I'm safe.

How Do You Stay Motivated??

2008-12-29T07:31:00.000-08:00

I get tired just thinking about going back to school with the kids after our Christmas vacation. I think our break was a little longer than normal due to the kids Christmas concert and some sickness.

I thought I'd get your thoughts on "how do you stay motivated" during these winter months, where school just seems to drag on, and on, and on.

One thing that has helped me is to attend the local homeschool conventions that will start happening. I find it motivates me to carry on and gets me excited about school again.

Another thing that you might find helpful is to attend some "mom" support groups usually offered through local homeschool groups. It's a great time for fellowship and to share our burdens with one another.

So if you want to participate and tell us how you stay motived. Make your post on your blog, paste your link into Mr. Linky and then sign/comment here.

My First Award

2008-12-27T10:05:00.000-08:00

How exciting for me! Thanks Sandy.

"This blog invests and believes the PROXIMITY - nearness in space, time and relationships! These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in prizes or self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers! Deliver this award to eight bloggers who must choose eight more and include this cleverly-written text into the body of their award."

Now I will find 8 more blogging friends to share this picture with and the above text to add to their own blog.

Here is my list -

1. Shawn

2. Amy

3. Amy at Homeschool Share

4. The Scotts

5. Trivium Academy

6. Twinkling Stars

7. Barb at Harmony Fine Arts

8. Following the Narrow Way

Send it on to your own list of fellow bloggers. I hope you'll check back often or even sign up to be a "follower" of my blog.

On the 7th day of Christmas . . .

2008-12-26T16:53:00.000-08:00

My oldest daughter Gabrielle and I went out to hit some after Christmas sales. It is always a good time to grab those holiday decorations while they are 40%, 50% off, sometimes even more. If you are in the Eau Claire, WI area I highly recommend Cranberry Cottage and Pinecone Manor as great places to find those one of a kind items.

Here is one of the things I picked up today. You'll have to check back next Christmas to view any others. Or sign up for the Holiday Home Tours again through BooMama's blog.

Bible verse: I leave you tonight with the verses from Luke 2:30-32 "For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all people, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for the glory of your people Israel."

Words spoken by the prophet Simeon who knew he was holding his Redeemer when Mary and Joseph had brought the baby, Jesus, to be consecrated to God in the temple.

Salvation has to come to us all in the baby Jesus.

On the 6th day of Christmas

2008-12-25T12:05:00.000-08:00

On the 6th day of Christmas for us was attending Christmas morning service at church. We came home and made brunch. This is the first year we actually accomplished this. The other years we always seemed to tired or too rushed in the morning to get ready. So we made "brunch" instead of breakfast. The kids all wore their new Christmas sweaters. After service we ate oven baked french toast, biscuit/egg casserole with ham, mushrooms and cheese, hashbrowns and sausages.

Bible verse: Mathew 1:23 "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel" which means, "God with us."

I hope you have a few moments today to think about the birth of our Savior. God coming in human flesh to ultimately save us from our sins. A little babe, wrapped in swaddling cloths, asleep in the manger - he is God's annointed. This baby will be the one to rescue us from sin, who will over come death and defeat the devil. Praise be to God for this gift.

Have a blessed Merry Christmas - celebrate the Christ Child!!

Homeschool Memoirs 19 - Making a List

2008-12-24T21:57:00.001-08:00

Well, I think it is always best to keep the list short and simple. Often times people try to make long lists of things they want to do or change in the upcoming new year, only to find that they can't keep up with their list.

Here is my short but sweet list . . .

Lose some weight - I really need to do this.
Exercise this will help too with the losing weight.
Read my Bible more.
One other goal I have is to help my oldest daughter with learning algebra 1.

Hopefully, this short list will help me to stay focused on those goals and not get discouraged.

On the 5th day of Christmas . . .

2008-12-24T21:12:00.000-08:00

On the 5th day of Christmas . . . this family celebrated with lots of different appetizers and attending Christmas Eve service at church. The day was pretty relaxing. It was nice cooking in the kitchen with my older girls Gabrielle, Arianna and Natania. Annaliese helped a little bit too but her arm is still sore. She managed to help peel some cucumbers and to make onion dip, her favorite, mine too. Today was opening stockings day at our house. We've over the past several years let them open them during the day, especially when younger then I could get the cooking done. Here are a few pics. Enjoy!!

Here is everyone in their Christmas best. Micah said something funny to me tonight. I was getting ready and brushing my teeth. He came into the bathroom and said "mom you got good style." He told me how much he liked what I was wearing and my necklace. He says the funniest things.

Remember if you like what you read here sign up to be a "follower" of my blog or submit your email through feedblitz and you will automatically notified when my blog is updated.

Bible verse - Isaiah 9:6 "For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."

Merry Christmas!!!!!!!!!!!

On the 4th day of Christmas . . .

2008-12-24T16:46:00.000-08:00

Well the 4th day of Christmas at our house we celebrated "little Christmas eve" adopted from our pastor's family back home. They are Norweigan and my husband's family is Sweedish so we figured we could adopt the tradition too.

On "little Christmas eve" we spend the day baking and preparing foods for Christmas Eve. Being from european background my husband's family always celebrated the birth of our Savior on Christmas eve verses the American tradition of Christmas morning. So on "little Christmas eve" this year we baked cookies. One of my girls has referred to it as the eve of Christmas eve.

I really hope that these little things we do together is building lasting memories for them full of fun, love, and faith.

Luke 2:7 -"And she gave birth to her first born son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn."

On the 3rd day of Christmas. . .

2008-12-23T11:59:00.000-08:00

Well, on the 3rd day or roughly there about, my 3rd child managed to get hurt. We thought she might have broken her nose. We called the ER and spoke to a nurse who told us we would have to wait 5-7 days to see if it is broken. Well I didn't have the patience for that and my 4th daughter was having her cast removed yesterday. So DH took both girls to the family doctor. While the cast was being removed, my 3rd daughter Natania had her nose checked. All is good, no break. What a relief! Just some swelling that is coming down now and less pain. Needless to say I have fallen behind in the blogging of "12 days of Christmas" and many other things. I also have no photo to post this time around. I hope to get caught up shortly.

Bible verse: Micah 5:2 and 4-5 "But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times."

He will stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God. And they will live securely, for then his greatness will reach to the ends of the earth. And he will be their peace.

Wishing you God's peace during the season of His birth, the Christ child-Savior of the world.

20 Little Things I love About Christmas

2008-12-20T10:22:00.000-08:00

Well Christmas came faster than ususal this year. I'm always amazed at how time flies when your having fun or even not having fun. The days just get away from us. I found this fun meme at Theinspiredroom.net. So I'm joining in on the fun and listing 20 things I enjoy about Christmas. These are not necessarily in any order just as they pop into my head.

1. We enjoy listening to christmas carols and even singing along to them. This year I bought a new CD by the group GO FISH titled SNOW. It is a wonderful, up-beat kind of harmonized versions of old carols. They did a fantastic job. It has become our families favorite CD. Check it out if you get the chance.

2. Baking cookies, yum!

3. Decorating!!!!!!!!I love to decorate for xmas. I love decorating in general.
Trying to make a nice "home" in that way. But is is especially fun at Christmas, bringing out all the decorations from previous years and reminiscing about them.

4. Shopping for new primitive ornaments for our tree.

5. Attending advent soup suppers and service at church. We are a pastor's family so life can get very busy during the holidays.

6. I love the hustle and bustle of shopping. I know it's crowded but I love
looking around at all the displays during this time of year.

7. Making Christmas gifts.

8. Candles

9. Taking the kids Christmas photo in front of our tree each year.

10. Attending Christmas eve and Christmas morning serivces.

11. Cooking for those days listed in #10. The past few years we have switched to
making lots of appetizers. We try to find new ones each year. Our family is all back home in New England so this makes the day a little different for us.

12. The smell of fresh Christmas greens.

13. Watching Christmas cartoons or movies with my kids.

14. Watching the excitement in my 6 year old son's face as he counts down the days to Christmas.

15. Seeing the joy on their faces as they open their new gifts.

16. Spending time in church being reminded of the birth of our Savior, that He
came to rescue us from our sins so we can share in eternity with Him.

17. After Christmas sales!!

18. Listening to the Caroler's when they come to our door each year.

19. Spending time with my family relaxing during our school vacation break.

20. I love my Christmas mugs and dishes.

Wishing all who read this post a blessed Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Who's going to post about their 20 New Year's resolutions??

Show and Tell Friday-These are a few of my favorite things

2008-12-19T17:54:00.001-08:00

This is my first post with this meme over at Kellishouse.blogspot.com but I think it will be alot of fun. I'm posting some pics of my favorite christmas ornaments. What else is there this time of year, right?

These have been collected over the years from New England to Wisconsin from various christmas stores or primitive shops.

I also have a few things that sit on shelves during the holiday season. I love the primitive decor both during Christmas but also year round. I think I need a bigger house.

Maybe next time I'll post of few of the ornaments from our victorian tree. Hope you enjoy browsing around as much as I do on your blogs.

On the 2nd day of Christmas

2008-12-19T17:40:00.000-08:00

I'm still playing along with sprittibee and her 12 days of Christmas post. I found this picture of two of my girls ( I have 5 kids total) that was taken last Christmas.

So this is two silly girls with hats. It was really cold that day but we had so much fun trying to find a tree. Since then we've noticed that my hubby is allergic to trees. For the past couple of years when we've cut the tree down and brought it home he ends up with lots of sinus problems. So this year we bought a new artificial tree. We have one tree with victorian type ornaments and the other tree with primitive type.

The verse I want to share today is from Luke. "For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord." Luke 2:11

May the baby born in a manger show himself to you this Christmas season. God's riches blessings to all of you who stumble upon my blog.

Holiday Homes Tour 2008

2008-12-17T15:16:00.000-08:00

I never knew you could do a Holiday Homes Tour in the blogging world. Thanks to BooMama at www.Boomama.net it is possible. I think this is a fantastic idea and it seems that well over 800 participants thought the same thing. I'm getting in on it kind of late so hopefully I will find out how to keep on top of it for 2009. My decorations are little bit lacking this year because we had some sickness running through. But I did manage get some things done. We generally have little trees in the kids rooms, a primitive tree in our dining room area, and a Victorian tree in what we are using as a "computer area" because our dining room furniture is too big. So I'll share a few of those photos with you this year and hope to expand on it next year.

This is our primitive tree. I just love primitive decor. I'm planning on getting back into the crafting biz starting with some primitive ornaments.

This is the Victorian tree. Our first home was a Victorian with 9ft ceilings. We really liked that house until the family got so big we didn't fit anymore.

Now for some general pictures from the house.

>

I could post more but that is enough for now. Hope you all enjoy looking around and have a Merry Christmas.