Coffee With the Girls

Harder Than I Thought

2011-10-31T02:41:00.000-07:00

"Mom, will you braid my hair?"
"Sure, honey."
And as I'm braiding, I'm thinkin', "Your days are numbered, mama."

My beautiful daughter, my first born, turned eighteen yesterday. Like most moms, I remember the day she was born vividly. They placed her in my arms and I just kept telling my mom, "Mom, I have a baby!" I was so shocked! Ha!
Never did I think I could love so deeply! I found this whole new capacity inside me and it was bigger than I thought possible. She was amazing. Plain and simple, she became my world. For eight years, she was our only child.
Aside from a bout of terrible twos, she was, literally, the perfect child. Oh, I know everyone says that about their kids, but Janie is different. Always has been. She's a gift from God and there's no mistaking it. Why He entrusted us with someone clearly so precious to Him, I will never know. We were bound to mess it up, after all. I suppose, in the end, He knew that we needed her.
Janie has taught me, on more than one occasion, to be a better person. She makes me think. She opens up her soul so easily and shares it so willingly... and that's where God is. I hope that when I grow up, I get to be just like her.
Yeah, my days are numbered. Not too long now and she'll be heading out on her own and building her life. What I wouldn't give to turn back the clock and relive some of those amazing days when she was little again. That's not how it works, tho, and, after all, I get to marvel at the woman she has become. It's not without a tear and more than an ounce of regret, but God helped us raise a true contribution! I could never take credit for who she is, I do so hope, tho, for many more years to come!
I love you, angel baby! xxoo

Lesson Learned... (or I'm trying to learn it, anyway)

2011-03-28T19:55:00.000-07:00

Today I saw a woman bringing her baby into the doctor's office for a check up after he had been to the emergency room suffering from bronchitis. He came in dressed properly and a little sweaty. He was minus some socks, which his mother claimed he shed somewhere between the house and the doctor. Mama was dressed in fleecy pajama pants, mud caked tennis shoes and slouchy shirt and coat. Her hair was pulled back into a pony tail and obviously needed washing. I heard her phone say "droid" when she got a text message. Her baby's breath rattled now and again as he breathed thru the green binki in his mouth. As I sit there observing the two of them while the mom talks to the receptionist I'm overwhelmed by the smell of... cigarette smoke. I imagine her baby sitting innocently near his mama as he tries to breathe despite the smoke and my heart begins to break. He is about Bo's age. I want to run over and grab him and take him away to let him breathe clean air so he can heal... so his lungs won't have to suffer another bout of bronchitis... maybe i could save him from further scarring.
So then I have to stop. Who am I? Am I so different from this mama? Fundamentally? Or are the scars I leave simply not visible with an x-ray? I yell at my children too much. I'm inconsistent when what they need is a rock. I'm impatient when they ask the same question repeatedly. How often do I crush them with my words or my attitude?
As I sat in the waiting room praying that God would send the nurse to call us back and fighting back the tears for this baby, I had to fight them back for my own children. It's moments like this that I have to take a hard look at me... and I'm not always pleased with what I find. I'm learning that I'm not all that different from other moms. We're all flawed. I'm flawed... but I'm committed to do better... and so I will.

My Lisa: Year Two

2011-03-03T15:40:00.000-08:00

kitchen dancing with lisa

They said it would get easier. Not so. I only miss her more. It's like trying to hold water in your hands.... she's gone. I can't get her back. Wish I were as positive as last year. Missing my darling friend. The feel of her hair, her hand in mine... her laugh... her smile. Sleep sweet, my love. Missing you.

A Mom's Life

2011-03-02T07:21:00.000-08:00

"When a servant comes in from plowing or taking care of sheep, he doesn't just sit down and eat. He must first prepare his master's meal and serve him his supper before eating his own. And the servant is not even thanked, because he is merely doing what he is supposed to do. In the same way, when you obey me you should say, 'We are not worthy of praise. We are servants who have simply done our duty.'" Luke 17:7-10

my calling

If that doesn't describe a mother's life to a "T"! It certainly describes my evenings! After dinner, there are dishes and baths and a shower that lasts about five minutes (I'll shave my legs when the kids are grown). Laying out clothes, checking the calendar... the list is endless. What I want to do (and I do at least half the time) is just sit down. Sitting down means that baths probably won't get done, I'll be searching for socks in the morning and I'll be completely surprised that I have an early morning appointment!
The attitude in this scripture convicts and inspires me. The servant serves without thought of "what about me". The servant isn't disappointed when his spouse doesn't remark about a job well done. He simply does what he needs to do when he needs to do it because it is his calling.
As a mother and a wife, I am called to care for my family and home in the way of the Proverbs woman (Proverbs 31: 10-31). Although I may never reach her status as the ideal, I do believe that my calling is to do the work without thought of praise, recognition, honor or reward. As a mom, I am simply doing my duty because I have been blessed enough to be called by God to do so.

The Mountain and Sea of Information: Complex Carbohydrates

2011-03-01T10:43:00.000-08:00

Ok, so carbohydrates supply us with energy. Depending on how refined your carbs are, that energy will last a little while or a long while. Of course, if you're consuming complex carbohydrates, then the energy provided will be a slower and more sustained release. Herein lies the theory of appetite control.
I am of the firm belief that those of us who gain weight do so because we've eaten beyond our appetite anyway, so choosing our carbs better is only part of the equation. I need to pay attention to when I feel full and stop. The other great thing about complex carbohydrates is that they are far more nutritious than their more refined counterparts. The more refined or processed any food product is, the less nutritional value it holds. So if I feed my body complex carbohydrates then i will feel full faster, have a sustained and level energy release and will be feeding my body the nutrients it needs to be healthy.
Whew! Ok, it's gotta be complicated, right?? Not so! I did a search on the internet for lists of complex carbohydrates. Here are a few that I found:

whole grains
spinach
apples
nuts
dried fruit
lettuce
oatmeal
pears
asparagus
plums
strawberries
wild rice
oranges
brown rice
yams
celery
carrots
cucumbers
beans
potatoes
broccoli

Those aren't hard to find! Nor are they difficult to eat! Watch the whole grain breads, tho. Read the labels. You may have a hard time finding good bread choices that don't include poor ingredients like white sugar, corn syrup or processed white flour. I'll post an easy bread recipe so you can make your own. I don't use entirely whole wheat flour in it yet because I'm trying to ease my family into eating something new. You can do the same thing for yourself and your family as well, if you'd like.
Ok, so the first component of my new way of eating is in place. Purposefully adding complex carbohydrates to my diet. Next is lean protien...

The Mountain and Sea of Information: Introduction

2011-02-27T08:17:00.000-08:00

So, here I go getting downright personal. For the first time in my life, I've gained weight. I hate it. I went to the doctor. Surely something must be medically wrong. My thyroid! No. Diabetes? No. Not that I want to be ill, understand, there just has to be some reason for this weight that isn't actually MY fault. After all, I've continued to do everything I've always done (which is next to nothing) and eat everything I've always eaten (which is nearly everything), how could my body "all of a sudden" change so dramatically??
Well, it has and that's all there is to know. My doctor had a very informative conversation with me about diet and exercise and so I'm now heading down this new road of purposeful activity and careful eating. Add to that the fact that a good friend just suffered a massive heart attack despite careful monitoring of his cholesterol and blood pressure and I'm totally on this new band wagon toward a slimmer, healthier version of me. Since patience is not a virtue I seem to possess, I am using this blog to help keep me focused on my new goals.
In a nutshell (because nuts are good for you), I'll be blogging about foods that aid in weight loss and control and that additionally will help with my heart health. I'll be talking about moderation and the definition of exercise.
Because I'll be learning so much as I go, I'm counting on you to correct and inform as you have information to share. There is so much information out there and I know that some of it is conflicting, but I'll try to stay focused on the main points that are bound to help everyone at some point or another. The information I give will only be from conversation with my doctor and research I've done on my own. It won't be complicated because, if it were I wouldn't be following any of it. I'll share successes, failures and stalls. I'm counting on you to encourage me along to better health and hold me accountable.
That's it. The next post will be about complex carbohydrates....

Darn! Busted Again!

2011-02-01T15:52:00.000-08:00

I've been battling Mitchell all day. "Do your chores!" "Get along!" "Do your schoolwork!" Sigh. Finally I decided that I would leave it alone. His Dad could deal with his laziness when he got home... not much of an anniversary gift but it hasn't been great for me, either!

mitch... ready for anything!

So here I sit in judgment when Mitchell pipes up and says, "Mom, what's your temptation?" Choosing honesty over nobility I said, "Feeling sorry for myself and complaining." "Oh," he says. "Mine is messing around and playing when I should be working."
Shoot. He got me. We all struggle with something, don't we? Where did my compassion go today? When did I start yelling instead of guiding and teaching? As difficult as Mitch can be, there is no denying that God speaks thru him straight to my heart.
I have been sufficiently humbled.

Nice Man. Think I'll Keep Him.

2011-02-01T13:58:00.000-08:00

Well, it's official! Today I have been married to Joseph for 19 years! Long time in today's world. We met through a mutual friend and a few months later we started dating. We've officially been a couple for about 21 years! That's a long time to put up with someone, I suppose. The question was posed, "how do we do it?" The answer is a lot of hard work and the grace of God. There's a huge amount of forgiveness and humility involved in marriage, I think. You soon realize that you're not "all that" and that life is short... yeah, even after nineteen years I can say that life is short. I've come up with a few bits of wisdom that apply to my marriage...

I am responsible for my own behavior even if my spouse is being, shall we say, less than ideal.
As soon as I start saying, "what about me?", I've doomed my marriage. We go through seasons. Sometimes it's about you, sometimes it isn't. Grow up and serve.
Guard yourselves against intruders at all costs! Don't EVER let anyone come between you and your spouse.
He's the leader, but she at least wants to know that she's been heard and considered.
Stay interesting. Who are you aside from wife and mother, husband and dad?
Stop taking each other for granted. You are both here to serve each other all the time, not just when it's convenient or when you feel like it, or when you think your spouse finally has done something to deserve it.
Love is a choice... not a feeling. Choose to love your spouse. You're a big girl, you can do it!

So, because we've been married for 19 years and I have all of these great pearls of wisdom that means Joe and I have it down.... right?? bahahahahahahahaha! Oh, man, that's funny! Yeah, funny but not likely. We pray and we rely on Biblical training. Without the training we'd be doomed for sure. If you haven't participated in a marriage seminar or had biblical marriage counseling, I'd encourage you to do that---even if everything is going great in your marriage. Satan is roaming about the earth like a hungry lion seeking to devour whom he may. (1Peter 5:8) Don't let your marriage be the "weak" or "sickly" or "young" one that that hungry lion devours. And remember, "anger gives the devil a mighty foot hold." (Ephesians 4:26-27) Besides that, anger is arrogant.
There's an enemy to our happy homes out there and he's dying to get in. Guard yourselves. Believe that the next home he poisons could easily be yours and fortify your marriage at all costs. You will never be sorry you did. And neither will your kids.

JoAnna's Chicken

2011-01-29T20:05:00.000-08:00

When I first came to La Grande, I was looking into going to college... more than 20 years ago!! I was here with my best friend and her cousin and we were staying at their relative's home. Her name was JoAnna and she was a school teacher. For dinner she made this chicken and it's been a staple at my house ever since.

two chicken breasts... the crumbs are so completely addicting!

JoAnna's Chicken

4 bone-in chicken leg quarters
2 cups of bread crumbs
1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. garlic
3/4 cup of butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine bread crumbs, cheese, salt, pepper and garlic in a gallon size ziploc bag. Coat the chicken pieces with the melted butter then dip them into the crumb mixture and place them in a 9x13 baking dish. Pour the leftover butter and crumb mixture over the top of the chicken and bake for about 1 1/4 hours til meat thermometer reads 165 degrees.

Mini Unit Study: Fire Safety

2011-01-29T15:17:00.000-08:00

max standing by the "wee-ooo" (his word for any vehicle with a siren!)

Well, since we had moved into our new house quite some time ago, we were clearly overdue for some fire safety training in our new locale! I set up a mini-unit study on fire safety and we established our place to meet, fire safety rules and floor plan. We installed two more smoke detectors and learned about the fire escape ladder located upstairs in Janie's room. We talked about fire safety in the kitchen and throughout the house. We got great ideas from www.sparky.org including a checklist and a printable floor plan. They also have games on the site that reinforce what our kids learned. We stretched the unit study to about a week and finished with a trip to the local fire department with our local homeschool group! Clearly unit studies don't have to be big and involved. Pick a little subject and try it for a week. I love it! They're really fun!

"It's All Over Over There!"

2011-01-27T16:14:00.000-08:00

Finally! The end of World War Two! Yikes! When we began this journey, we had no idea where it would take us. Because I took on the whole war at once, we merely scratched the surface. If you choose to do a unit study on World War II, I suggest breaking it up.... study the homefront, rationing, a few battles, a single country... there is so much to this subject that taking it on in bits and pieces is more effective than trying to digest the whole!

props for the presentation

To do this unit study, we did a half hour activity (or active learning) first thing and then 30 more minutes of me reading aloud to the kids. We decided to read "Anne Frank, Diary of a Young Girl" during this time. While I read the kids worked on the timeline (more on that later) or drew pictures of what they were hearing me read. It was tough getting a lot of reading done in that half hour with a three year old and and infant demanding attention. We found the book to be interesting and boring all at the same time. It was interesting how they were forced to live during their time of hiding, but naturally repetitious. Because it became a bit of a drudge and because the kids had watched a movie based on the book, we settled for reading only half the book and then the epilogue. We spent an hour one morning whispering to see how difficult it must've been for the residents of the Secret Annex on a daily basis to protect themselves from discovery. In retrospect, I would've tried "The Hiding Place" by Corrie Ten Boom instead. Actually, I've never read that book but I was disappointed that Anne Frank made little or no reference to her faith in her diary. It was sad to me that they hid, suffered and died because of their religious beliefs and yet it did not seem to play a pivotal role in their daily life.
Alright, beyond Anne Frank, we learned a lot through a movie that we watched called "The 1940s House". The movie was a bit of a documentary that chose a modern family to place in a house and situations fashioned exactly like one would find in England in the 1940s. It's about a three hour movie but well worth the time. We also watched "D-day to Berlin". This is a much shorter documentary that moved along rather quickly and showed real and up-close footage of the war. It certainly made an impact with the children.
Aside from movies and books, the kids did a trivia game, made yellow Stars of David out of popsicle sticks, a model of a bomb shelter and made a rather impressive timeline! During the presentation, Mitch did a sock puppet show that was the fastest summary of the war ever given! Janie did a detailed report on Anne Frank. Her read aloud was excellent! That was super exciting for me since reading aloud is really far out of her comfort zone. Mitch figured out how to drop a "bomb" on his shelter with a straight pin and grenade shaped balloons with a couple of beans in them for weight... that was a big hit with Josiah and Hailey who were here as guests!
We learned a lot, but I have to say that I'm totally burned out! Maybe next year we'll take on just a portion of the war, but it's gonna be awhile before I have the energy to invest in this subject again!

Coffee With Grandpa

2011-01-07T07:59:00.000-08:00

I'm a silly and sentimental girl, but so many things mean so much to me. Sometimes I hang on to silly things because they belonged to someone I love. The idea that that person touched the item and used it, even in the most casual way, means the world to me. It puts them in my life again and again and I love that comforting reminder of them and their impact in my life.
When my mother-in-law passed away I took from the pile of discarded household items a clear glass hand soap dispenser. She had put some little rocks in it and a sprig of silk flowers to pretty it up. It was a silly thing but it so reminded me of her.... or the popcorn popper that we finally threw away last month that belonged to my grandmother who passed away more than twenty years ago! It was decrepit and far past it's prime, but it still worked! When my best friend passed away, I realized that she was everywhere in my house. Things she'd touched, pictures on the fridge, things she'd given me... moments we shared were everywhere. I love that.


My new percolator and a polish pottery mug reminding me of the two people I miss the most in life

This Christmas I got a gift that brought tears to my eyes and still does. I got a stainless steel percolator with a clear "glass" top. I got coffee with Grandpa.
When I was little, I would spend the night at my grandparents house on occasion. Grandma would tuck me in to her bed all covered in pink satin blankets like a princess. In the morning, I would wake up to hear my Grandpa's deep morning voice and smell the coffee perking just on the other side of the bedroom door. Grandma would be making breakfast and Grandpa would be sitting at the table in his undershirt waiting for the coffee to be ready and talking to Grandma. I would crawl out of bed and sit with him and watch the coffee perk up thru the glass top on the percolator and it was such a comforting sound and smell. Grandma would serve us kids orange juice and Alpha Bits for breakfast. The rule was that you had to drink your juice first because Grandma couldn't stand the idea of you tasting the sourness of the orange juice after eating the "sweet" cereal!

Grandpa and me at Christmas time

My Grandpa was wonderful to us kids. He was always happy and never got after us about anything. I remember going in his room first thing in the morning (before he was even awake!) and my brother and I would run and jump on his bed loudly to wake him up. Even then, he didn't raise his voice, but treated it as if it were the best alarm clock idea he'd ever seen or heard! There isn't a day that goes by that I don't think of him and miss him greatly, but now, every morning, I get to have coffee with him. I'm so grateful for the time we shared and the memories I get to keep until I see him again.

I Resolve...

2010-12-30T12:30:00.000-08:00

I never do New Years resolutions. They always seem like promises that were meant to be broken before they even hit the page! This year, however, I may make a slight exception to this rule in my life. I think that taking an inventory of the areas that I need to improve seems like a rather productive occupation and so I will open myself up and share these thoughts with you.
I hope for a better relationship with God, first and foremost. I hope to let down at least some of the walls that have been erected over the past few years because of deep hurts in my life. I hope to experience "the joy of my salvation" more fully every day of this coming year.
Secondly, I hope to prepare my children better spiritually. To be an example to them and to be proactive in teaching them and encouraging them to learn about God and establish and maintain their own committed friendship with God outside of the family relationship.
I hope I become more disciplined. Not rigid, but effective. I know that being consistent can only help my family and myself in every aspect of life.

marveling in a summer sunset

I hope to be more fun. I hope to play more board games with my kids and take them swimming and for picnics and trips to the park. I hope to be an enthusiastic member of my family whether we are running around or staying right here at home.
I hope to get healthy... and to view it that way! Instead of being obsessed with my weight, I hope to change my thinking a little every day about choosing good food, exercise and more water... maybe less beer--maybe. :)
I hope to plan ahead and be smart with my money getting rid of bad debt.
I hope to look for moments that take my breath away and humble me... maybe even shed a tear or two.
I hope to catch up with all the doctor appointments, immunizations, orthodontist, dentist, eye doctor and dermatologist. They miss me, I'm sure of it!
I hope that by the end of the year I can say that I improved... even if it's just a little. I hope I can look back and say that I effected someone's life in a positive way and pointed someone toward the Cross. Tell me your hopes for next year...

Our Christmas Treats: Recipe Five: Dip Everything in Chocolate!

2010-12-23T05:17:00.000-08:00

It's getting late in the game and, if you're like me, that's just how we roll. Don't panic and don't give up. Don't worry about anything labor intensive like sugar cookies that take three hours to chill or fudge that may or may not set up! Bake up a box of brownies and cut them out with Christmas cookie cutters and then find what you can and dip it in chocolate! Everything tastes better dipped in chocolate! It's fast and easy, too. I always use almond bark because it's fool proof and that's what I need! Throw a small spoonful of shortening in with about six squares of almond bark and cook it for two minutes in the microwave. (use a plastic bowl if you can. ceramic bowls are PIPING HOT when you try to get them out of the microwave!) Using a whisk to stir this is fastest and gets any leftover lumps out. Here is a list of things that we would (and have) dip in chocolate and call it dessert! Add some of your own ideas!

Candy orange slices
Oreo cookies
Peanut butter crackers (two ritz crackers sandwiched together with peanut butter... these are amazing!!)
Drizzled on popcorn
Peanuts
Pretzels
Coffee Beans
Fruit (I would dip these last minute because the juices from the fruit tend to react with the chocolate and things get watery)

Sprinkle any of these with colored sugar to make them sparkle. Good luck!

Our Christmas Treats: Recipe Four: Homemade Almond Roca

2010-12-21T11:03:00.000-08:00

One of my mother-in-law's favorite Christmas treats was Almond Roca. Whenever Christmas rolls around we are always sure to pick up a traditional pink can of the gold foil wrapped treats and think of our sweet memories of her. This recipe is so authentic for me that it conjures up those same memories. Truthfully, it always feels like she's in the room and sharing a moment with me. If you click on the "mother-in-law" link above, you'll learn more about this amazing woman.
I found this recipe in "Miserly Meals" by Jonni McCoy. (It's interesting to note that a third cup serving of this is only .32 cents!) I've only made this recipe once so it's written here almost exactly as it is in the cookbook, but I have made a few adaptations for our own family's tastes.

Fuzzy... can't wait to get a new camera!

Homemade Almond Roca

1/2 cup butter
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
4 oz (1/4 cup) slivered almonds
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup chocolate chips, divided
1/4 cup finely chopped pecans

Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
Melt the butter over medium heat in a saucepan. Add the brown sugar and stir bringing the mixture to a boil. Heat to a hard crack stage (about 310 degrees) then remove from the heat and add the almonds. Stir to mix and pour the mixture onto the parchment paper and spread it out evenly. While the candy is still hot, sprinkle 1/2 cup of the chocolate chips over the candy. The heat from the candy melts the chocolate and makes it easy to spread it over the candy with a knife. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of the pecans over the melted chocolate and let the candy cool completely.
You can leave it simply like this, or melt the rest of the chocolate in the microwave, turn the cooled candy over and spread the melted chocolate on the opposite side and sprinkle the rest of the pecans on top of that.
Whichever you choose to do, once it is completely cooled, break it up into smaller pieces.

Parenting Pearls

2010-12-20T06:39:00.000-08:00

All of my life I have worked with kids. From babysitting to preschool teacher to being the owner of a child care center. Most of the time my clients would come to me for parenting advice. The truth is, I know a lot... on paper! Putting Parenting Pearls into practice, and into practice consistently, is far harder than giving the advice that's for sure! As the mom of four kids that have personalities that run the gamut, I've picked up a few things here and there... some on my own, but a lot from some amazing friends and family. Hope one or two inspire you and I hope you add some of your own!

Mitch building a snowman before school

You are responsible for your own behavior regardless of anyone else. Just because your sister is being a snotty pants doesn't make it ok for you to be snotty pants, too.
My friend Stacie is a mother of six and she says that it is her job to work her way out of a job. I love that! It is my job to train my children to eventually not need me to do it all for them anymore.
Kids will reach as high as you set the bar. If you don't expect much, you won't get much.
I'm convinced that every child needs a schedule. It's that consistency thing. Every single one of them, regardless of personality does better on a schedule and the more difficult they are, the more they need the schedule.
I read in a book once that getting up after the children is a form of suicide. A bit bold but the point is well taken! My sister gets up early every morning so she can have that time all to herself before her family needs to be up and getting ready for the day. It's a time for her to read the paper and drink coffee in utter silence! What bliss!
I hate folding laundry. Now that we live in a teeny tiny house, leaving piles of clean laundry isn't an option. That's a good thing, I know, but I still hate to fold laundry. Worse than that, I hate putting it away. Well, I've solved part of that problem and, at the suggestion of a great friend, I'm on the verge of solving the rest of it! I've decided it's time that my big boys learn to fold their own laundry. I'm going to get a small laundry basket for each child and put their unfolded laundry in it. I'll teach my boys how to fold the laundry and then they can take their basket upstairs and put the clothes in the drawers. My friend Stacie pointed out that since their drawers get ransacked daily, why are we putting in all the effort to fold the clothes just to have them unfolded again?? Indeed! With this new way of doing things, my boys will learn to fold their own laundry and maybe they'll not ransack their drawers anymore... and if they do, well, then they've wasted their time and not mine.
School is about learning... not how fast we can get things done and not how much we can get done. When we start checking things off our list or we're doing things just to get it over with then we know we're not doing it for the right reason. If we focus on the learning, school becomes more fun and relaxed and we actually LEARN! ... and we realize we have time for family, friends and the fun stuff in life!
Families are a team. My kids can tell you this. They don't always emulate it, but they know the words! Everyone pitches in to do their part and some days they pitch in to do someone else's part as well. For this reason, we don't do allowances for chores in our home. The work we do at home we do for our family and for ourselves. It is our gift and our responsibility to care for our home, our things and other family members because that's what families do, not because we're getting paid to do so.
I have been so tired of hearing my kids bicker! Mostly it's the 17yr old and the 9yr old! When they get going, it makes life a near living hell in this house! I read on another blog about a mom who makes her kids sit on the floor, hold hands and sing kum ba yah when they choose to bicker with one another so I thought I'd give it a try. The first time I sat them down they thought it was really strange. I sang with them like everyone was enjoying a moment with God. Then, before they got up, I let them know that every time I hear them bicker with one another they would have to do this... and, God forbid we were in a store or other public place when they decided to be nasty with each other! They got the picture. Mitch immediately said, "Janie, let's only bicker upstairs where Mom can't hear us!" Glory be and Hallelujah! Fine by me! They have only had to sing kum ba yah one more time since! They've decided that bickering just isn't worth it. Best parenting advice I've gleaned in a great deal of time!!
Say yes more than no and when you feel the urge to say no, ask yourself why. I tend to say no a lot. All day long I'm bombarded with questions... "Can we go to the park?" "Do you want to play a board game?" "Can I be done now?"... and the list goes on ... My immediate answer is either no or we'll see--which is just my way of not committing. My kids deserve an answer and one that is thought out rather than spewed in a reactionary way.

When mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy. I know that I need to take time for myself. To every now and then take a walk or go out to dinner with my husband, sans kids. I know that naps are an important weekend event for me. Taking these times makes me a happier mom who is more willing and able to share that joy with my family.

Speaking of weekend naps.... my husband is on vacation this week and it sounds like the baby is getting ready for his morning nap! Mama's happy!

Holiday Crafts for Kids

2010-12-13T15:12:00.000-08:00

It's that time of year when everyone is so busy and schedules are all messed up due to holiday events and company coming. I love crafting with my kids or just handing them a pile of craft supplies and seeing what they make. Almost nothing is off-limits to them to create with. We have a stock of felt, construction paper, stamps and ink, scrapbooking paper and stickers, hot glue, glue sticks, glitter, beads, googlie eyes, popsicle sticks, magnets and sheets of foam... among other things... MANY other things! There's always a mess to clean up afterward, it's true, but the kids have the best time just being able to create!
I thought I would put together a few holiday crafts that your kids could do easily without much mess. Hope you have as much fun crafting with your kids as I do with mine.

Christmas Tree

Cut a Christmas tree out of green construction paper and let the kids stick foil star stickers on them. I usually use a cookie cutter to cut the shape of the tree and give each child their own tree. The foil star stickers are a little tough for younger kids to manipulate, but it's a great fine motor skill activity and there's nearly no mess. Be creative. Look in the office supplies as well as the craft section of your store for other stickers like dots that would make great looking Christmas balls. Make different sized trees. Tape them all to a string and hang them on the tree or over a window as garland. Put a magnet on the back and put it on the fridge. Tape them on the wall to create a forest of Christmas trees. Take your garland to a nursing home and ask if you can place it on their tree while you visit with the residents there. (when i had in-home daycare, we planned monthly visits to the nursing home. we would do a craft there that the residents would help us with and have a snack. one year, i read the christmas story and the children acted out the parts. they simply love company!) You can use the free clip art from Carson-Dellosa to print a tree on construction paper if you'd rather. (this website has lots! you can save the pics to your computer and use them as coloring pages, too!) This is a great, low mess, fast craft.

Cinnamon Bear Ornaments

Have the kids help you mix 1/2 cup of cinnamon, 1/3 cup of applesauce and 1 tablespoon of glue together in a bowl. Dust a cutting board with cinnamon and roll the dough out. It should be about the consistency of cookie dough. Have the kids cut out Christmas shapes using cookie cutters. Use a straw to make a whole in the top so it will be easy to string. Place the shapes on a cooling rack that you've placed in a large cookie sheet. Put the ornaments in the oven with a temperature of 200 degrees. You can also let these air dry but it will take longer. After they're dry, the kids can decorate them or they can go straight on the tree after you've put a string of ribbon through the hole.

Snowmen

There are so many ways to make a cute snowman! One of my favorites is with paint. Don't cringe! It can still be a clean and easy craft. Here's what you'll need:

1 sheet of blue construction paper per child
white, orange and black paint
a top hat cut out of black construction paper or felt (don't worry about being fancy if you don't want to... the kids don't care nearly as much as we do about that kind of thing)
2 or 3 sponges cut into circles, one a litter smaller than the other
a pencil with a full eraser
a paint brush

Pour a large amount of the white paint onto a paper plate. Pour a small amount of the black and the orange paint onto another paper plate. Dip the largest circle sponge in the white paint (you don't need a lot of paint to do this) and direct the child to stamp it near the bottom of the page... it's their project, so don't direct too much. Repeat this with the other sponges having the child stack the circles to make a snowman. Dip the head of the pencil eraser into the black paint and have the kids stamp eyes, mouth and buttons on their snowman. Using the paint brush, you can paint a skinny triangle for the nose or older children can do it themselves. Have the children glue the hat onto the snowman's head.
You can also draw a snowman on a piece of construction paper and allow the children to glue cotton balls or marshmallows on the snowman. Eyes, nose and mouth can be made with construction paper, buttons, popcorn, cheerios or just about anything you can think of. Use pipe cleaners for arms or popsicle sticks as seen here.

One more tip to give is if you have lots of kids to craft with, put a Christmas movie on and hand out popcorn. While they're watching the show, invite one child at a time to the table to complete the craft. That gives you great one-on-one time with your kids and makes the craft time nearly stress-free.
Make memories with your kids. It's this stuff, not a gift that is "bigger and better", that creates the memories that last a lifetime.

Our Christmas Treats: Recipe Three: Coconut Balls

2010-12-09T14:38:00.000-08:00

One year at Christmastime we were visiting at Joseph's mom's house and his cousin, Shelly, lived across the street. We went over there to visit and she had THE BEST treats!! I never did get the recipe for Coconut Balls from her but she said she got it from her grandmother's cookbook. I love that. I love anything that has been passed down from generation to generation. It always makes me wonder about the people who used the recipes, who ate the food. What was their life like? Were they happy or was sorrow touching their life? It's for this same reason that I love antiques. I want to ask each piece, where have you been and what have you seen? So this recipe to me, although I made it up myself, has deep roots in the past which is always comforting to me when I make them.

Coconut Balls

1 14 ounce can of sweetened condensed milk
1 14 ounce package of shredded coconut (5 1/3 cups)

Combine the two ingredients in a bowl (you can add a little almond extract to this if you like it). Carefully form the mixture into balls. This is really messy but would probably be made easier with a melon baller. Place the balls on a cookie sheet lined with waxed paper or parchment paper and put them in the freezer for one hour. Melt almond bark as you do for Chocolate-Peanut Butter Balls. I always add about a cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips to this and melt it with the almond bark.
Bring the coconut balls out of the freezer and dip them in the melted chocolate. Put them back on the cookie sheet because they'll probably need a little help setting up because of the addition of the chocolate chips. I sprinkle some melted white almond bark on top to distinguish them from the Chocolate-Peanut Butter Balls. Depending on the size of the treats, this recipe will make from 2-3 dozen.

Our Advent Calender

2010-12-07T10:34:00.000-08:00

When my niece was little, I purchased an Advent calendar for her. It was the kind with little pockets and she would move a little felt mouse from pocket to pocket every day counting down til Christmas. The little pockets had treats in them... one treat for every day. This is what an advent calendar was to me. We have never done an advent calendar in our family. I thought the idea sounded like fun and was eye-ing an advent calendar at the store and thinking I might purchase one for my kids. In the end, I opted not to. You see, one day we were riding in the car and the children were talking about what they would like to get for Christmas. All of a sudden, I realized that I hadn't once heard them say that they were anxious to GIVE anything. Now, my children really are not ungrateful and they were just being normal kids at Christmas time, I think, but I wanted something more for them. I wanted them to see Christ in this time of year. I wanted them to understand the sacrifice He made in coming to earth to serve and to save.
With that in mind and a little inspiration from the friend of a friend, I put together our family's first Advent calendar. I didn't fill every day with activity but the goal was to put my children in a different frame of mind... to give them a different focus for this holiday season.
I thought I'd list what we are doing in the hope of inspiring your own holiday season.

Make and send Christmas cards to our Compassion International sponsor children
We chose to donate cash and a gift basket to our local Shelter from the Storm by offering to work for friends to earn a donation. We chose Shelter from the Storm to honor the kids' godmother whom they lost to domestic violence. We composed a letter and emailed it to our local friends asking for their consideration.
The Angel Tree. JCPenney and the Salvation Army have teamed up with an online Angel Tree. The kids chose the gender and age of the child they wanted to purchase for and JCPenney offered many items at a drastically reduced price. Both of my kids independently felt that they would best serve their "angel" buy buying her pajamas (yup, they both chose girls!). I thought that was sweet.
Serving you. The kids have one day per week that they serve someone else in the family. Serve Mom day is coming up on Saturday and I really can't wait! :)
We are preparing to gift a soldier (my cousin Artie) for the holiday reminding my kids that there are people out there fighting to protect their way of life and the right to celebrate.
Since we have an abundance of books and videos at our house, we will be going through our surplus and donating some of those items to the library.
My husband works for Union Pacific and it is our plan to descend on their morning meeting with holiday baskets of homemade gifts and treats for them. These men are so important to us and we love them like family. We'll also be handing out invitations to a casual Christmas party/open house. These plans are still a little sketchy to me as I would love for the party to be filled with ways they can serve our guests and gift them as well... any ideas that you have will be great!
We love to spend our tithe money in creative ways and one of our favorites is to shop Samaritan's Purse online Christmas catalog. You can purchase blankets, chicks, Bibles, goats... almost anything you can think of that helps families in poor countries learn to be self supportive and ministers to these people body, mind and soul.
I love this idea: The kids are going to write a thank-you note to a person who has made a difference in their life. I can just imagine the look on a person's face who receives that as a Christmas gift this year... the knowledge that they affected someone's life in a positive way for a lifetime. What better gift is there??
We plan to offer free babysitting to one (or more) of our friends so they can go Christmas shopping.
We will go through the kids' toys and donate our many "extras" to the office where foster children have family visits.
We plan to go to the "Living Nativity" for the first time. I'm told it's amazing and what a tangible way to teach the Christmas Story!
We also plan on reading the Christmas Story from the Bible and watching the movie "The Nativity" as well as baking a birthday cake for Jesus.

I'm so excited to see what my kids have learned by the end of this month. I'm hoping to see a humbleness that is currently lacking and maybe the beginnings of an eye toward serving others. The real challenge, tho, is to make this an on-going project. Although it's a great lesson to learn during the holidays, I want the kids to continue this attitude of service throughout the year. I hope that I can lead by example as well as direct their paths.

A Lesson To Learn... A Page From My Journal

2010-12-05T07:30:00.000-08:00

Tuesday, November 15, 2010

and aren't they worth it?

"I'm sitting here in the quiet of the morning, waiting for the full force of the impending storm to hit. Planning my day, examining my life. I read in Isaiah 48 the other day. The chapter is titled 'God's Stubborn People'. When I read that, I knew it was about me. The line that caught my eye was v.2, '...you call yourself the holy city and talk about depending on the God of Israel...' Do I call myself a Christian and merely talk about depending on God? Who am I fooling? Only myself. I'm short-changing my life and my relationship with God.... the most important and dependable relationship I have! You know how they say you always treat the people closest to you poorly because you know they'll always be there? Is that why I treat God in such a 'fair-weather friend' kind of way? Shouldn't I treat Him and the others around me--those that are closest to me with the greatest love and respect?"

Our Christmas Treats: Recipe Two: Gingerbread Bears

2010-12-04T07:14:00.000-08:00

One year in a Christmas basket from my sister and her family, there were a couple of gingerbread men tucked in among the other treats. I've got to tell you, it was love at first bite! I had to have the recipe! I love things that make a memory or remind me of someone and this always reminds me of her.
A cup of coffee and a gingerbread bear (i don't have any "man" cookie cutters that i really like so i use a bear) can double as a holiday breakfast at my house and has many times! I suppose I shouldn't recommend that but, what a treat!

"gingy"

Gingerbread Bears

3 1/2 cups of flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1 cup brown sugar
2 tsp. ginger
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. allspice/cloves

1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup molasses
1 egg

Mix the dry ingredients together. In a separate bowl, mix the butter, molasses and egg. Blend the dry ingredients with the wet to form a stiff ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for one hour.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. On a lightly floured board, roll the dough out to about 1/4 inch. (don't roll it too thin... fat bears are softer and yummier) Cut out cookies and place them on the cookie sheet (i always bake with parchment paper now but i've never greased the pan either way). Bake each batch for 10 minutes (i think that all cookies should be baked for only 10 minutes because then they are softer).
You can decorate your bears after they've cooled, but I never do. It would be a fun thing to do with your kids, tho.

Try them for breakfast with your coffee... I promise, I'll never tell!

Just Had To Share...

2010-12-02T13:22:00.000-08:00

I'm so glad that my kids love the "old" cartoons! The other day when I was walking past the table, I found this piece of paper with Mitchell's handwriting and started to laugh! Yep, that's about how it usually goes!

Our Christmas Treats: Recipe One: Chocolate-Peanut Butter Balls

2010-11-29T10:04:00.000-08:00

This week I'm going to start a series of posts with recipes for some of our favorite Christmas Treats and the stories behind them. In that way, I hope that we can share a little of our home with you during the holiday season.

Today's treat is...

Chocolate-Peanut Butter Balls

Peanut butter balls are one of the foods that my best friend always said she could never live without and so it was always among any gifts she received from me each year! Peanut butter was her biggest food love in life and I never make them without thinking of her. What a treasure to find her in even the little everyday things! Read about my girl in other posts I've published. She was an amazing friend and I'm blessed to have known her even in the smallest way.

1c. peanut butter
1/4 cup butter, softened
2c. crisp rice cereal
1c. powdered sugar
1pkg (14 ounces) chocolate candy coating (almond bark)
2T vegetable shortening

In a large bowl, combine peanut butter and butter and sugar. Add the cereal, mixing until evenly combined. Form into balls and set on waxed paper.
Melt the almond bark and shortening together for about 2 minutes in the microwave (or with a double boiler on the stovetop). Dip each peanut butter ball into the chocolate mixture and return it to the waxed paper to cool and set up.

Giving Thanks

2010-11-24T08:32:00.000-08:00

Today, Lord, I'm thankful for family. I'm thankful for a husband who endures the good, bad and ugly of his job because it pays our bills and allows me to stay at home with our kids and teach them. I'm thankful for the honor You bestow in trusting me to raise Your children. I'm thankful for a beautiful daughter who is growing into a strong woman and for three wonderful sons who are learning so much from their Dad about how to be a man.

I thank You, God, for parents who are always there to encourage me thru life. I thank You for any and every opportunity You give me to serve them in return. I thank You for brothers and sisters, aunts and uncles and dozens of cousins who all, in their own way, have taught me and helped to shape my world, my heart and my compassion. I thank You for Grandparents that I achingly miss every single day because they made such a massive impact in my life.
Thank You, God, for family traditions. For things I will never forget because they are etched in my mind as lighthearted days full of laughter and peace.
I thank You for a warm house, employment, and plenty of food. I thank You for friends, both here and gone. They are so clearly Your gift to me. Please don't ever let me take that for granted.
Most of all God, I thank You for the gift of being able to talk to You. Thank You for showing me why I believe and that my prayers count.

I hope and I pray that I never forget who and what I am thankful for. I want to make memories for my family that will last a lifetime and continue on for generations. I want to be the parent that my parents have been and the grandparent that my grandparents were. I want to leave a mark in this world that points others to the Cross because EVERYONE will see one day that, THAT is the only thing that will EVER matter.

The Best Pancakes... or so they say....

2010-11-21T09:42:00.000-08:00

I love pre-made mixes... anything that I don't have to think a lot about makes me happy! In an effort to save money and to prepare food with fewer impossible-to-pronounce ingredients, I found a great all-purpose recipe that I can use to make pancakes, shortbread, biscuits, muffins and even cake! It takes just a few minutes to throw all of the ingredients into my kitchen aid and blend together and I've got enough mix to last our family about two weeks. I can't double the recipe in my mixer because it isn't big enough so I've decided to start doing two batches at a time.
Master Mix

9 cups flour (use whatever flour you want to. sometimes i put in 1 cup of whole wheat, 1 cup of oat flour and 7 cups of unbleached white... my family doesn't really like the texture of whole wheat)
3t. baking powder
3t. salt
1t. baking soda
1/2 c. dry milk (i've been told that dry milk isn't very good for you and my original recipe called for 1cup. i continue to use the dry milk because the ratio is so low)

Put all the ingredients in a mixer with the whisk attachment or whisk by hand until the ingredients are thoroughly blended.


farm fresh eggs are the BEST!

Basically, you've just made a homemade Bisquick. Store it in an air-tight container. When I make pancakes/waffles with this, I add milk, egg, butter/oil and vanilla. My husband says that they're the best pancakes he's ever had!

We also make our own syrup because, oddly enough, we really don't like real maple syrup. Must be because we grew up with the cheap kind you buy in the store, but I found a quick and easy recipe using ingredients you probably have in abundance in your house anyway...

Basic Pancake Syrup

1 c. sugar
1 c. brown sugar
1 c. corn syrup (we all know corn syrup is evil, so i'm going to try agave syrup instead when i get the chance)
1 c. water
1 t. maple flavoring

Boil together for 3 minutes until the sugars are dissolved and store in the refrigerator.

The Master Mix recipe is adapted from a cookbook called "Prairie Kitchen Sampler" by E. Mae Fritz and the syrup recipe came from RecipeZaar.

Doesn't this sound like a fabulous combination on a brisk and snowy morning? Add in my friend Jackie's homemade hot cocoa and this meal paints a rather cozy picture. Really low temps and flying snow in our forecast... I'd better make sure I have plenty of everything ready!

Way To Go!!

2010-11-19T10:00:00.000-08:00

At a recent MOPS meeting our group made plates... you know, the kind where you design what you want on a piece of paper and then send it off to a company who will then put your design on a plastic plate. Anyway, I chose to make mine a "Way to Go!" plate. Every day someone is "awarded" the way to go plate at dinner time. The first night Daddy was served dinner on the Way To Go plate... for working so hard for us and having to work out in the cold... then Janie got it for going the extra mile when teaching Spanish to Mitch... Mitch was next for wanting to be a team player when the motorhome cover got blown off in the wind and for saying that he really learned a lot in homeschool (ah, don't we love to hear THAT!)... Max will get it tonight for being a good patient at the eye doctor. I was even given the Way To Go plate with breakfast in bed for always being the one to get up with the baby and let my husband sleep! Every one of us, without exception, felt really special when it was our turn to use the plate. It's been great because it has really helped me keep on the lookout for good behavior and it affirms the good in my kids and shows everyone that what they do is appreciated. We make a big announcement about it at the dinner table so that everyone knows what special thing the plate user did. Any plate will do. Try it and watch the face of the person you give it to. You'll be amazed!

Circus Peanuts in the Freezer

2010-11-17T11:08:00.000-08:00

Four years ago we spent our first holiday season without my mother-in-law, Donna. She was a fantastic grandmother and the best mother-in-law a girl could dream for! She died from emphysema. The cruel joke of her generation... that smoking is good for you... promoted as a "healthy" habit for someone prone to anxiety and stress as Donna was. Whenever my children see someone smoking or even hear the word "cigarette" they think of their grandma and how she died.
Donna was an amazing woman who was very artistic. She drew, painted, sewed, crocheted, and crafted all kinds of things. She loved involving her grandkids in anything she was doing and her house was set up so that the kids could rule when they were visiting. She had games and paints, crayons and lots of extra paper. She'd purchase craft kits and do them with the kids and then there was her garden. She'd let the kids water and dig. Her favorite word with her grankids was "yes!". They all remember cinnamon toast cut into triangles... standard fare at grandma's house... and to this day cinnamon toast just wouldn't be the same if it isn't cut just so.
Every Halloween she kept the trick-or-treat candy in the freezer with the theory being that if it's frozen it will take longer to eat and perhaps it will last longer! One of her favorites was Circus Peanuts, which we currently have in our freezer... reminding me whenever I open it about how much I miss her.
She was equally as good to us... her kids. There was never any such things as "adopted", "step child", or "in-law" with her. She treated everyone as if they had always belonged to her. I miss being able to call her up to tell her something funny that the kids did or said and hearing her laugh on the other end of the line.
Two months before she died and one month before I knew she was ill (yep, somehow she managed to keep it from us) I wrote an entry in my journal titled, "Ten things I appreciate about you". I made a list out for each of my parents and my husband's parents. It was my intention to print it out and frame it and give it to her for Christmas that year. She would've loved it but she probably would've kept it in her room as she was never one to want to bring attention to herself. Maybe this will give you a better idea of who this remarkable woman was...

donna

What I Appreciate About You...

Donna

1. Positive attitude

2. Devotion to her grandchildren

3. Her artistic talent

4. Her ability to forgive

5. The thoughtfulness she puts into every gift

6. The joy she receives from her sons

7. Her giving nature

8. The hard knocks she took in life are lessons for me to help direct and protect my kids

9. Her sharp mind

10. Her ability to see right through me and love me anyway

A Page from my Journal...

2010-11-15T14:36:00.000-08:00

Especially when we lived out in Cove, I loved writing an account of our day as a family. We tended to have days that were very "country" and it always seems that those days were full of peace, family strength and were some of the the most "honest" days of our existence.
Journaling is my way of immortalizing for generations the day to day life that makes up the fabric of who we are. My hope is that my family will love reading about the "mundane" events in our lives as well as the exciting ones.
"Monday, June 9, 2008
The day is ending in a glorious sunset. What a strange weather day with clouds, sun, wind and rain...

the orchard

We woke early to start another day... another week. I prepared Joseph's lunch as he prepared the coffee. Mom and Dad were going home today. I made sausage and an egg for Joe and french toast for the rest of us. We shared the meal with Mom and Dad before they drove off around 730 headed home to the beach, the rest of us quickly slipping into our routine.
Max and I went for our walk while Janie and Mitch got ready for the day and worked on their chores. We walked by the snow-fed stream that rushes under the road--my favorite part--and eyed the pink cherries that are developing in the orchard across the street.
While Max napped, I braved a load of laundry on the line in spite of the somewhat ominous looking clouds.
Janie and Mitch sat down with me for a snack and our first lesson on Native American culture. We're doing a unit study this summer. Every day is a new craft or activity aimed at teaching some aspect of the Native American day-to-day history. Today we learned about teepees. We constructed a miniature Indian village and the kids recited to their dad everything they had learned. (Did you know that the Indian women build and tear down the teepees and that they can disassemble and/or assemble in as little as 3 minutes!?)

new chickens in '08

We all went outside, and while Max ate his snack in his highchair on the deck, Janie, Mitch and I moved the clean straw from the garage to the new chicken coop. I spread a bale of straw that had gotten wet onto the ground in the scratching yard but Joe wanted the chickens to eat the grass down first. I guess that means tomorrow I'll be moving it again!
After lunch the boys laid down for a nap and Janie read while I took care of some family business and continued with the laundry. Eventually the weather caught up with me and I had to move quickly to get the sheets in off the line before they became soaked.
I took some pictures this morning of the garden and some trees that seemed to have died. I was finally able to send them off to our landlords who are in Malaysia right now. We'll see what they want us to do with that tree.
Janie cut out the apron pattern she had pinned last week and she and Mitch both practiced the piano.
Joseph and I went down to the garden just before dinner and were surprised again at how quickly it had grown!
We finished the day listening to Joseph read. I baked bread, rolls and brownies before bed and... I got to rock Max."

I do hope these days paint a memory picture for them some day that brings them joy.

The Oregon Trail...

2010-11-05T11:40:00.000-07:00

Since my kids are so far apart in age (17, 9 and 3), we've found unit studies to be the best way to educate all of them at once. At first I was a little wary of my 17yr old doing crafts or my 9yr old doing tedious time lines and research but it has all worked out so well! Since the point of school is to LEARN, we'll take that knowledge any way we can get it and the funner, the better!

Just imagine seeing this from your covered wagon!!

Our first unit study of the year was on the Oregon Trail. I bought the Oregon Trail video game and that became a favorite teacher of just how many "hiccups" you could run into on the trail! The first thing I learned is to not use your own kids' names members of your party! It's kinda disturbing when the computer tells you that your baby just died! Yikes!
Along the way we made a playdough model of the trail so we could get somewhat of a physical sense of rivers, mountains and plains. We also made hard tack, miniature covered wagons and took two field trips. We were able to walk parts of the Oregon Trail and see the ruts as well as a grave for a wagon master! Can you imagine losing your wagon master?? While walking a bit of the trail in the woods you really got a sense of how courageous the emigrants really were! Out there in the woods could be all manner of animal ready to eat them for a snack and I think I would begin to doubt that anyone knew where they were going! How quiet and eerie and yet beautiful! What adventurous souls must've traversed such unforgiving and untamed land in search of something better for their families and as a consequence, created something better for us all! It was a humbling and awe inspiring experience.

Live oxen at the Oregon Trail Museum in Baker City

We also read books depicting life on the Trail... we did anything to make it real. Making it real is what allows for learning.
One field trip was to the Oregon Trail Museum and Interpretive Center in Baker City. There were a lot of hands on displays for the kids and visual displays that were interactive as well. We were fortunate enough to visit on the day that there were live oxen on display! These oxen weighed more than 3,000lbs and were about 6ft tall at their back! They were amazing to look at. One has to have a good deal of respect for an animal of that size... and a back-up plan or two!!

max painting his covered wagon... and apparently his nose as well... and his hand... and arm...

making hardtack... or beating your brother with a rolling pin... whichever works!

Here are a few pictures of projects that we did. If you've never done a unit study before, try the book, "Unit Studies Made Easy" by Valerie Bendt to gather ideas and inspiration. Basically, we pick a subject and find books, art projects, field trips, movies, games, whatever... anything that will help the kids learn about that particular area of study. We love it! It really is great fun!

I Believe...

2010-11-03T17:30:00.000-07:00

I believe that I can do it all
I believe that school is where my children share germs with others, are socially ridiculed and learn bad manners
I believe that even though I can do it all, I should have help
I believe I should spend time every day exercising
I believe I should nap every day... naps are a gift from God
I believe that everyone should have at least four children
I believe that families should live near each other but everyone should live in the one place that their soul feels at rest
I believe I should be joyful all the time
I believe I am forgiven so others deserve my forgiveness as well
I believe in baking cookies with my kids
I believe in smiling even when the world is falling apart
I believe medication is a necessary evil
I believe laundry belongs in drawers not in piles on the couch... like mine often is
I believe beds should be made every day and sheets should always be crisp, clean and lovely smelling
I believe everyone should have one friend that they can call on who will always be there
I believe that bathrooms should always be meticulously clean... even tho mine rarely is
I believe in family dinners around the table
I believe in getting up before the children so I can experience the peace of early morning
I believe in bettering myself
I believe children should be read to by their Daddy every evening
I believe children should be bathed every night before crawling into their crisp, clean and lovely smelling sheets
I believe Daddy should pray with all of his children before bed every night
I believe my house should be clean but not at the sacrifice of my children, family fun time, normal family living or my sanity
I believe that parents set the tone for the holidays... either we're stressed or excited
I believe traditions are an amazing gift that we give to our children
I believe that parents should leave their children a family home that is filled with amazing memories... not expensive "stuff"
I believe grandchildren are going to be amazing
I believe in dates with my husband
I believe that people connect over a strong cup of coffee
I KNOW that life is short
I KNOW that God loves me and cares about the success and happiness of my family and me
I believe that as long as I exercise a little every day, eat healthy and drink plenty of water, it doesn't matter what size my jeans are
I believe in taking care of myself, body, mind and spirit so that I can live a fulfilled life
I believe in learning something new every day
I believe aprons are pretty as well as functional
I believe in seeing the beauty around me... and trying to capture it with my camera to share with others
I believe that one can never have enough beer, chocolate, tortilla chips and kitchen towels
I believe my children are the personification of what is the best of me and the worst of me
I believe everyone should have fluffy pajamas and new socks
I believe in adopting others into my family
I believe my husband has potential :-D
I believe that I should not be afraid of people
I believe that mamas should craft with their children at least once a week
I believe that homeschooling is an amazing way to build a family
I believe the most important thing you can teach your children is to have a heart full of service and compassion for others
I believe the length of my hair and how distressed my jeans are is a representative of my personality, not my age
I believe the man should arrange for, ask for an dpay for the date
I believe that wearing granny panties, makes you granny panties
I believe I am a work in progress until the day I die
I KNOW I want it all
I believe that parents are and always will be the greatest influence on their children
I believe that people need someone to listen to them more than they need someone to listen to
I believe God has great plans for me... not mediocre ones

Life Update

2010-11-02T16:07:00.000-07:00

Everything has happened so fast I figure I should start with an update...We purchased a home in town in May of this year. It's a small farmhouse style home with three bedrooms and only a single bathroom! We moved in shortly after June 1st after we refinished the floors and painted and did other small repairs. The house is within walking distance to the library, the park, the store and the ice cream shop! The back yard is large and fenced which is a relief to me. It's such a cozy little spot and I truly love it. This is a picture of our dining room. We do most of our homeschooling in this room. It's comfortable and feels very homey to me.
In July I surprised everyone (again) by going into labor on my own and having my baby quickly... something I have never done! i was only in labor for a total of seven hours and was only in the hospital for about 4 1/2 before our baby bo arrived!

Joseph Boaz

Joseph Boaz was born six days early on July 16th shortly after 9am. He was 8 pounds, 5 ounces and 21 inches long. He did great from the start and is continuing to grow in leaps and bounds. At two months he had already gained about five and a half pounds and grown four inches! He's happy and smiley and he fits in really well with the rest of the rowdies that live here!
I am homeschooling all of the children full time this year and, I have to say, for my family this is the only way to go! Mine and Mitchell's relationship has really grown and God provided us with a schedule that has been beneficial to us all. We are really involved with other families doing co-ops and we're involved with the local homeschool group, too. Janie sees a friend once a week to learn Spanish and my friend Jackie teaches her Geology while I do a craft and playdate with her kids. Tomorrow my friend Jenni starts a cooking class that my kids will attend. There are once a week field trips with the homeschool group and we're trying to wrap up our second unit study of the year!
The trial for my friend Lisa's murder will be held this month... 14 months after her death. Jury selection starts next week and trial is scheduled for November 15-19th. We'll see if it happens in that time frame. It would be good to put this part of the trauma behind us so I'm praying that everything will happen swiftly.

Happy Birthday!

2010-03-03T18:42:00.000-08:00

So, today is our Lisa's birthday! We called an impromptu holiday and everyone stayed home. Lisa had a bicycle that she loved to ride and she loved to walk or run on the beach. This morning the kids went for a bike ride then we came home to watch The Sound of Music... her all-time favorite show with a bowl full of popcorn. Mitchell has been working all day to make some sort of sculpture out of play dough in her honor. :) I baked an apple pie. I admit that I don't know her favorite choice for dessert but I know she liked apple pie so that's what I've done. It turned out great and we ate it for dinner! She had a magnet on her fridge saying something about pie actually being fruit so it seemed appropriate for tonight! :)
It is a family tradition to have a "singing candle" for every birthday. On her last birthday I gave her one of her own since her ex-husband seemed to have gotten the other one in the divorce!

It was a challenge to keep our chin up today but she loved her birthday so much that being sad today, of all days just wasn't an option. We miss her so but are so grateful for the love that she gave to us while she was with us. We have so many great memories of birthday's past that they have definitely sustained us today! Making it special for her was the best part. The line she put under her photo on Facebook is now widely used among her friends and reads like this: live, laugh, love, life is too short for anything less.
Make it a great day!

Living the Life... Again!

2010-03-02T19:53:00.000-08:00

What a long journey I've been on these past few months! To say they've been trying would be an understatement! Life is for living, tho, and so here I am putting my effort forward on the things that matter most to me.
I am 19 weeks pregnant now and morning sickness is finally over! Everyone says our baby is most certainly a girl with all of the nausea I've had this time around. We are hoping so but will not find out for sure until the doctor schedules an ultrasound. I'm guessing we still have a couple of weeks before we do that.
Joe, working hard :)

Joseph is working out of town now. He leaves on Sunday and returns on Thursday to spend the weekend with us. We miss him but I like this schedule much better than "compressed halves" where he works for 8 days and then is home for seven. Hopefully his gang will move closer to home soon so our family schedule will be more normal and our expenses will be lighter.

Janie is such a blessing to me! Where would I be without her? She has been there helping out when I'm exhausted or sick to help with Max and housework and still manages to work on her schooling. She attends afternoon classes at the high school and is a "straight A" student there. Her artwork is improving and she is making a head and foot board for a bed in metal shop. She finds that her favorite medium is chalk. She takes a very hands on but short computer class and then spends time one-on-one with her computer lab teacher.

Mitchell started second grade full time last month. It was a really difficult and painful decision but he is glad to be so occupied during the day. It has taught me a lot. We are working on his behavior now from a different angle. Mitchell seems to require lots of attention... this we've known for a long time... and he will get it any way that he can. I find that I need to "beat him to the punch", so to speak, and give him the opportunity to receive positive attention before he creates havoc and only gets negative attention. Negative attention is exhausting for all of us! We started with chores and small expectations. Since he normally throws a fit about doing his chores, I've given him a daily deadline to complete them and if he completes them by this deadline for two days then he gets some special time with just me. He finished his first two days today and we went to the library together. I'm hoping that the extra attention and the reward for good behavior vs. consequences for poor behavior will make a difference for him and for our relationship. I'll keep you posted on our progress.

Max is becoming a potty-trained little boy! Hooray! I always fuss about potty-training with every child only to realize in the end that they will train themselves when they are ready. As long as he's wearing underwear instead of a diaper he will ask to use the bathroom almost every time. He's such a cutie and a huge blessing to me. I am really grateful for his loving and snuggly self on days when life gets hard. His new thing is to pat his belly and say, "See my baby?" Crazy boy! :)
All in all, life is getting back on track. We are grateful for Spring and that it reminds us that life is full of new beginnings and there is hope in that. Hoping for you and yours that your Spring brings the opportunity for your own budding and blooming and reminds you of the only hope that is everlasting... the hope that comes from God.

Brrr....

2009-12-08T08:36:00.000-08:00

I'm ready for the snow. Snow means it should warm up a little! This morning when Joe left for work it was -3! Janie went out to defrost the chickens' water and twenty minutes later it was frozen again. I worked in the hen house this morning spreading a new bail of straw and defrosting the water more thoroughly. Some of the hens even had frost on their feathers. I felt so bad for them that i locked them all back in their house to dig through the fresh straw--a favorite pasttime of theirs--and, hopefully, stay warmer. Back in my toasty house I'm thinking of something cozy to make for dinner and maybe some gingerbread men. I'll add the new recipes to the blog today. We're praying for Joe who has to work outside all day. I'll have to have a hot cup of tea waiting for him when he gets home. Hoping you stay warm wherever you are today!

Our Thanksgiving

2009-12-03T08:55:00.000-08:00

Well, I've been meaning to update you on the Thanksgiving festivities at our house. Unfortunately I came down with morning sickness that weekend and, due to many late nights, a good case of exhaustion so I haven't taken the time to sit down and write.
Jackie came out the week before and sat down and got me organized. She forced me to allow others to do some work, too and listed all of the dishes I could prepare in advance. It wound up being my saving grace in all of this. She also loaned me a card table and five chairs which worked out great to put in the family room. With 21 diners in all even my 90 inch table couldn't hold everyone!
Well, everyone arrived late Wednesday and came out to the house. Most people ate but since it was after 8pm some had already had dinner on the road. Only one family cancelled at the last minute but we had an addition of two more so it all worked out well.
I failed to take very many pictures... I think I was too busy talking but I did take a few..

This is a picture of Makaily on Thanksgiving morning. She and her dad and I went out to take care of the chickens. We were all still in our jammies and Makaily donned my pink plaid rubber boots and barn coat. She looked so cute and was definitely very serious about her job. Her dad dropped the bucket of scraps while 'Kaily and I went in search of eggs. Luckily we found two! She also found this barred rock who didn't mind being pet first thing in the morning! Talk about unusual! She turned around and gave 'Kaily a look but didn't shy away from the lovin'.
I took most of Thanksgiving morning off and let Joe and the others take over the kitchen. After all, thanks to Jackie's plan of attack, most of my work was done for the day! I was in total heaven with all of my family around. Twelve kids and nine adults roaming (and sometimes running) around the house and the yard! We gave thanks and all ate an amazing dinner of turkey, homemade stuffing, cranberries and cranberry salad, mashed potatoes and homemade rolls, gravy, pumpkin and apple pies, green bean casserole and sweet potatoes with marshmallows. It was really great and a lot of fun.

This is a picture of a table we set up by the fireplace. Jackie made the centerpiece and it looked so beautiful in the middle of the table. I added some pumpkins from our garden, candles, silk fall leaves and grapevine pumpkins. Pretty nice for the kids' table!
We finished the evening with a kettle fire outside. I wish I'd have gotten a picture of that for our landlords but I just got so wrapped up in enjoying everyone that I forgot. I was sitting at the fire and passing out marshmallows to the kids and just absorbed the moment. It was dark out and there were kids swinging on the rope swing. Some other kids were playing flashlight tag and some of us were around the fire. About four or five guys got in the hot tub and they each took their littlest kids in with them. Some people were inside playing video games. I wish every day could end that way!

When we came inside, Uncle Jim got out his dremel so everyone could carve their names and ages in the table leaf. Everyone wrote their name with Sharpie marker first and then Donna Marie went over it all with the dremel. I sent a picture to my Mom. I know she would've rather seen the table unmarred but I told her it was my forever table and that it was going to tell a story. I think it turned out perfectly and I'm so happy with it!
I passed out the Christmas catalogs from Penney's and a Sharpie for each kid to mark what they wanted from Santa this year. I told the parents that I was promoting commercialism among their children. :) The kids loved them, of course!
The next morning everyone had to leave for one reason or another so we fed them all breakfast and off they went. Most of them encountered a little snowfall on the mountain and I think that was probably the perfect end to the weekend.
Family is the most important thing in my life. I do miss them all but am grateful to be able to live in the most beautiful bit of country on God's green earth!

Surprise!!

2009-11-20T19:12:00.000-08:00

Well, yesterday I got a little curious and decided to take a pregnancy test. No big deal, I keep a spare in the house just to reassure me when i get to wondering. I always "fail" the test. Yesterday I passed. Yikes! I've never had a baby that I didn't plan! The control freak in me kinda went numb. I was thinking about having another baby. Maybe we'd work on that this summer. God, apparently, had other plans. He has pressed us into a position where we must let go and trust Him. Financially it will be a challenge. Physically it will be a challenge. Emotionally it will be a challenge.
All that said, we are excited despite the hurdles that will need to be overcome. Everyone thinks that it's time for us to have another girl. I'd like that. So now it's on to eating more healthy, exercising with purpose and getting things organized for a new baby. Wish us luck!

The "finalized" Thanksgiving Plans...

2009-11-15T10:48:00.000-08:00

Well, the preschool teacher in me has kicked in and I've planned excessively for our family visit. In the spirit of this blog I'd like to list the ideas I have in case you'd like to use any as your own. I'm borrowing a little bit from the past and hoping to create some new traditions for the future.
Because I love Mexican food, Wednesday night we'll have a Mexican food buffet available as our family arrives in town. On Thursday I think I'll gift the children with their own Christmas catalogs from JC Penney's. Since there are a ton of kids coming, they may have to share a bit. Maybe I'll give them each their own color of Sharpie so they can clearly mark what is on their wish list. Of course, Thursday would be Thanksgiving which means it's the day of wearing elastic waist pants! :) We'll cook, bake and eat til we nearly pop! I thought we'd finish up with a cup of coffee or cocoa or cider by a bonfire in the lower pasture. We've been collecting branches and other yard debris throughout the fall so we should be plenty ready.
On Friday we can do any number of things! We can do a little shopping (since our options are limited, I doubt we'll do that), we can visit Gilstrap Brothers Winery for a tour and tasting, do kid crafts, Christmas baking, play games or watch Christmas movies. If there's snow on the mountain maybe we could go up to Anthony Lakes and go sledding. We may just sit around and talk while the kids play and that would be ok with me, too! I'd like to finish the day with the Brazil's coming to do a little bluegrass jam at our house tho. They're so fun to watch and listen to!
The Saturday after Thanksgiving at our house is traditionally the day we go to the tree farm and cut down our family tree. We'll spend the day decorating the house and the tree. I'm hoping to convince Donna Marie to take our family pictures that day, too. Maybe even a picture of ALL of us... cousins, aunt and uncle, brothers and sisters.
Sunday, before everyone leaves, we'll have a send-off breakfast... I think I'll post the menu's I'm planning later this week. If I'm REALLY good, I'll have a basket for each family to take home with them. Farm fresh eggs, fresh bread and something we canned this year like jam or applesauce... maybe some salsa. Ambitious, aren't I? I plan on enlisting lots of help to get ready for the holiday. I just can't wait!

Peace in the Valley... everyday life

2009-11-14T09:34:00.000-08:00

The last few days at our house have been so peaceful. I find that, that peace brings me hope. Joe stayed home from work feeling a bit ill the other day. Seems like everyone has come down with a little something lately. It was a great day, tho. We did science experiments and read in our history books. Janie and I corrected her algebra test and Mitch and I played a game of fraction bingo! It's the time of year when we always have a fire in the woodstove and everything feels so cozy and comforting. It was lovely to have everyone in the house for the day.
Yesterday we went into town to my great friend, Jackie's house. She helped me with some homemade sausage that Joe and I had taken too much fat out of. She is really smart and I'm lucky to have her as my friend. She took Mitch and her kids to the library for homeschool story time while I took Janie up to George and Lucy's for her weekly Spanish lessons. George and Lucy are friends that have adopted my children as their very own grandchildren. I picked up Mitch from the library and we went up to enjoy their company one last time before they head to Arizona and Mexico for the winter. George made balloon animals and did magic tricks and made us lunch as the snow started to fly outside.
It's a snowy morning today and the fire is burning hot. I finished up some sewing and made a special breakfast for my family. Janie is snuggled up on the couch feeling a little under the weather... is she really sick or is it that she doesn't have her Israel report finished? Hmmmm....
Well, greetings from the mountain! Hope your day is as cozy as ours promises to be.

Your Thanksgiving...

2009-10-19T09:26:00.001-07:00

For Thanksgiving we are blessed to have lots of family showing up for the event this year! I can't wait! I'm looking for all of your input on what Thanksgiving means to you. What traditions, food and such that just "say" Thanksgiving to you. For me it's always a massive dinner around the table with extended family, eating til you think you're gonna burst and falling asleep in front of a football game (the Cowboys, of course!). It's also the day that kicks off the holiday season for me. As a kid I'd go through the Christmas catalog and mark all of the things I wanted. Whenever I'd try to show them to my Dad he'd say uh-huh a lot but whenever I looked up he was more than likely to be watching TV instead of looking at the hundredth thing I wanted to see under the tree. :)
Ok, so tell me about your perfect Thanksgiving... I'm dying to know!

The New Normal

2009-10-08T06:38:00.000-07:00

I know you've heard about my friend, Lisa. She was killed on September 11 in a brutal and terrible way. Slowly but surely we are learning how to live again. We're trying to get back in the "groove" of life when everything seems to have changed so much.
I've learned so many great things and met and reconnected with so many wonderful friends during this tragedy. As hard as it's been I can look back now and realize that God was preparing me for what I'm sure He knew was inevitable. Scripture that didn't seem to make sense at the time but was clearly preparing me for the stressful time ahead.
God placed David in our lives. He protected Lisa to the best of his ability and now protects our Elizabeth. He also gave us Sarah, our legal "interpreter". Sarah keeps me steady when all I want to do is freak out. Tammie. Because we were both so close to Lisa I can say things to her that she understands like no one else could. I'm grateful for my new friend, Leslie. Lisa wanted us to meet and so now we have. It's like her gift to me... someone with a sense of humor as off course as mine! :)
It's amazing to me how God takes care of every little thing. How He places people in our lives and how He anxiously awaits me to allow Him to give comfort in my time of need.
So now we are on to the new normal, as my friend Elaine puts it. Realizing more and more the impact Lisa had on our lives and being thankful for it. The lesson we have learned is that life is short and we only have today to make our impact on people. There were 400+ people at my Lisa's memorial. That's the kind of impact that I want to have. What kind of legacy do you want to leave? Today is the day. Tomorrow may never come.

School is going great, but...

2009-09-09T09:23:00.000-07:00

Well, Max has been into EVERYTHING lately! Yikes! I do a lot more hands-on teaching with Janie this year and Max seems to be constantly pushing buttons on the tv, eating chips, climbing on things, playing with the computer, whining or making a general mess. Ah, the "terrible twos"! So, in true Dorene style, if this were your kid I could tell you exactly what to do and I would be right. :) With my own kid, tho... well, I need you to help me focus. What do you suggest I do with him when he's driving me nuts or, better yet, how do I head him off before he drives me nuts?

It's a Country Sort of Day...

2009-09-06T15:30:00.000-07:00

It's a busy day here! The children woke up to their mama gently coaxing them to get out of bed and put on their best lumberjack gear! We were going to cut firewood! We set off with a mug of coffee, a pitcher of milk and some yummy doughnuts! The kids were great helpers. I kept reminding them how lovely it will be to wake up to a warm fire on those fabulous but cold winter mornings in Eastern Oregon. We were able to get a cord today and will head out to get another one tomorrow. Our permit allows three cord so we'll have to plan another day to get the last one. Due to the fire season we aren't allowed to use power saws in the woods after 1pm so our time is limited each day.

Once we got home, the kids and Joe unloaded the truck while I started on lunch and got a couple of loaves of bread started in the mixer. Within a short while everyone was eating, the bread was rising in the bowl and I had a load of clean laundry drying on the line in a gentle breeze.
I called my Mom and she stepped out to the garage so I could hear the "sideways rain" that they were getting at her house! I'd like a good storm here, but I'm not over-anxious for it just yet.
Joseph worked again at trying to get the crab apple, hot pepper jelly to set up to no avail. We've had the worst time with that sort of thing this year. He had doubled the batch which probably wound up being the issue. There are plenty more crab apples to attempt another batch.
Joe made dinner tonight which is always a special treat for me. He made stuffed green peppers. All ingredients came from our garden save the rice and the beef. Don't know that I'll ever have rice patties but growing miniature herefords is something that's piqued my interest of late, I have to admit.
As is my habit, I called my Mom as I went out to do the evening chore of putting the chickens "to bed". No eggs tonight but I noticed that Janie had gone to check for some earlier today and brought some in. The chickens seem to be noticing the cooler weather and the shorter days already. Four of the seven are more than a year old... middle aged for a layer, I suppose. Seems there are fewer and fewer eggs every day. Won't be long til we're putting a light on a timer in the hen house to maintain some level of production!
I pulled the last of the clothes off the line in the dark and brought our old kitty, Cali indoors for the night. Tonight the low is supposed to be near freezing and her old bones just can't handle that kind of cold anymore. Hoping my tomatoes make it through the night...

Finally Fall... Preparing to be Purposeful

2009-09-05T13:46:00.000-07:00

So, we started school last week and it was a great success! Janie is going to the high school in the afternoons and Mitch is in class at the grade school in the mornings. This gives me lots of one-on-one time with everyone. Janie really feels like she's going to be learning more this way and it gives me the opportunity to do some character training with Mitchell. He's really impulsive and has a tough time controlling his anger when it comes to his family. I'm interested in any suggestions you can give me for purposefully teaching him different ways to consciously stay in control (like role-playing a situation or something). Do you have any suggestions? Can you suggest a book that is helpful for raising boys or difficult children? Mitchell is a good boy who has a hard time remembering what's best for him in moments of frustration. He also gets bored easily and CRAVES time alone with both Joe and I. Do you have suggestions of no cost things to do with him or my other kids or as a family? Something away from the house would be great so we have a change of scenery.
Alright, let me know!

Our Weekend

2009-08-17T19:26:00.000-07:00

Mom and Dad have been here this weekend and will stay all week. We're having great fun! We started the weekend with killing roosters! Turns out that every chick we got this Spring was a rooster! Joe was teaching Mitchell how to shoot them.
In the meantime the rest of us were harvesting and canning all weekend. We processed corn on the cob, green beans and tomatoes. I made huckleberry/cherry/raspberry jam yesterday.
Janie volunteered during the "Fun Run" on Saturday for the annual Cove Cherry Festival. We all went down to the parade and then over to the Ascension School Grounds for the festival. There were bagpipers and a kids train ride, flavored lemonade and spinning wheel demonstrations. Janie ran around with her friends and met up with us around lunch time.
Mom and I chased chickens, cleaned the hen house and bought a laundry basket and more clothes pins for the wash we've been putting on the line. We dreamed up all kinds of plans for the day when we own lots of acreage of our own. We've pet horses and cats and collected eggs. AND we discovered that the skunks are back! Sigh.
We went to church on Sunday and my parents were able to visit with the friends that they've met here. We made plans to have dinner with a family at the end of the week before my parents head back for home.
Mitchell's best friend, Clancy, was here all day... Janie was babysitting while his parents are working out of town... and Janie's best friend, Kimi, was here for a few hours this afternoon.
Tonight we went for a walk only to have the cutest puppy follow us home. We're pretty sure he belonged to our Mennonite neighbors so we packed him up in the bed of the truck with the kids and tried to run him home. He was so cute and wanted to come home with us. Everyone wanted to keep him and Mitchell cried when the dog didn't wander his way back to us despite the fact that none of the Monnonite neighbors were home. (we joked that they'd probably been raptured) :)
It's getting late and time to put the tired kiddos to bed...

2009-08-13T15:07:00.000-07:00

So, I decided to start this blog to talk about all of the great things we talk about as girlfriends sitting down over a cup of coffee. We talk about home, our health, kids and their school, money and family. We solve the worlds problems with one tiny little cup... or a pot or two! Suggest a topic or add to one. Let's get started!

Save Me Money! :)

2009-08-13T15:03:00.000-07:00

Alright. Lately I've been looking for great ways to save money on anything! One way I do that is by hanging my clothes to dry instead of using the electric dryer. My friend, Elaine, said she saves $30/month doing that... my Mom saves about $10/month. Elaine has 10 people in her family and my Mom just has her and Dad. Post your best money saving tip!