Our Life

Art or the artists?

2011-10-05T16:33:00.000-04:00

This past week we did some tie dying. We did it in our garage so we wouldn't get the dye on anything in the house. Which was a good thing since some people splashed all over the floor. Afterward we noticed that we didn't just tie dye clothing, some feet were beautiful colors too!
There are some beautiful feet.

Have you ever heard of this?

2011-10-03T15:04:00.000-04:00

This week in teaching my children, the los lunas stone was mentioned. I had never heard of it before and I'm wondering why. but here is an interesting article on it. http://www.ancient-hebrew.org/15_williamson.html check it out and let me know what you think.

Color

2011-09-28T15:29:00.000-04:00

I think this girl looks a little like her Aunts. She loves her colors too.

live

2011-02-06T15:47:00.000-05:00

Going, going, GONE

2011-02-01T19:16:00.000-05:00

Today, every time we would eat, a little girl would complain about her tooth. So, finally after supper-

She got it out.

someday

2011-01-27T15:44:00.002-05:00

I think that someday I will have a house with steps that curve around like these. But then I also dream of a timber frame house, or maybe a roman villa type house... I think actually, I will have three or four houses. that should work out.
Isn't it fun to dream and make plans? When I come down out of the clouds I find that I really like a small house that reminds me that I should not be spending my time filling it with more 'stuff'.
We are so blessed to live in a house of our own with such a nice big yard and on a quite street where we can ride our bikes.
Someday, I will still be thankful for the gift each day is.

Blessed Life II

2011-01-24T18:01:00.001-05:00

continuing with things I am thankful for: It is still hard to tell for sure who has the bigger stronger muscles. ;)

A nice big sister who helped the little brother make cookies that he was craving so badly. altho' they made the mistake of trusting their mother to bake them and the cookies were forgotten in the oven until quite brown and crisp.

winter walk

2011-01-19T16:56:00.001-05:00

Last weekend we went for a walk along a trail that is in town here. There were a lot of really cool ice formations from the snow and rain we had had the week before. The sun had melted the snow out from inside the ice so it looked like these fence posts had a place for a candle or something.

My family got ahead of me because I was picture taking.

Some of us got pretty tired. But, pretty much all of us were to heavy for the others to carry us. :) I think we all enjoyed ourselves. I sure did.

Blessed Life

2011-01-18T19:07:00.001-05:00

Here are a few things I have been thankful for lately.

Snow days and holidays when my husband could be home.
The way Molly sighs when someone does something she thinks is too silly.
Sword fights around my house.
Reading good books aloud to my family.
Walking to the library with my children and a back pack very full of books.
Really nice pictures my sister takes.
Some crazy people acting like "geeks."
Girls who are getting good at helping out in the kitchen with many different kinds of tasks.

Cream of wild rice soup

2010-12-04T12:30:00.001-05:00

My version of a traditional Minnesota soup.

I don't have a recipe for this I just put it together with some basic ingredients and it more or less turns out the same every time. So, any measurements I give here will be a guess as to how much I put in. Have fun.

Cook 1 cup Wild rice with 4 cups water.
Fry around 6 strips of bacon, set aside.
In some of the bacon grease, saute an onion and 4 stalks of celery, minced.
In a small sauce pan make a white sauce with 3T butter, 2T flour, 1/2 c milk, salt and pepper and a few diced mushrooms. Or use a can of cream of mushroom soup.
Combine the cooked rice, onion and celery, 8 oz of sliced mushrooms, white sauce, and a quart of chicken broth, 3T sage, 3T soy sauce, and cooked julienned carrots.
Let simmer.
Just before serving add about a cup of heavy cream, the bacon (minced), and slivered almonds if you like.

I think that is all. Modify it as much as you please.

barbie clothes

2010-11-30T11:53:00.001-05:00

this dress was made by Denisa. she is a real artist with the needle.She has some really nice patterns that you can print. I have done several and they are turning out nice, nothing as fancy as hers but I think my girls will like them.

Thankful today

2010-11-11T12:24:00.001-05:00

fun project

2010-10-01T08:30:00.001-04:00

growing up

2010-10-01T08:19:00.000-04:00

I am so bad. I forgot to blog about Heidi's birthday!
She had a lovely day. I love how my kids enjoy birthdays. Molly and Lars went out of their way to make it special for Heidi and she appreciated all they did. My kids are their own best friends on a normal day but they really enjoy each other more on special days like birthdays.

make a joyful noise

2010-10-01T08:13:00.001-04:00

Remember to sing today!

Mmm, refreshing

2010-08-21T12:44:00.000-04:00

I have started making a lemonade slushy for when we are working outside on a hot day. Maybe you would like to try making it. :)

lemon ice

4 Tablespoons lemon juice

4 Tablespoons sugar

1/2 cup water

14 ice cubes

blend together in a blender until smooth. enjoy.

:)

2010-08-17T12:07:00.000-04:00

We have been sewing again. Our theme this time has been the renaissance period. I also made a vest/ doublet for Lars but have not taken a picture of him. I want to finish his Robin Hood costume. Derek made Heidi's first and then we all needed to have a costume too.

Happy Independence Day!

2010-07-04T14:53:00.000-04:00

Summer days

2010-06-17T13:36:00.004-04:00

This summer has been busy already. It has been HOT. We have been having fun. I bought the kids a little wading pool and they have spent many hours playing in it. The girls also got new swimsuits last week. that was exciting.

One Very hot (100*F+) Sunday afternoon we went for a walk at a state park not to far from our home. It was really pretty. We went down quite a long large hill and across a creek. then met a sign explaining that whatever way we went it would be up hill and several miles. We opted to go only a little farther along the creek and then go back.

We had to climb the very big hill in the very warm weather. some of our group were afraid they were going to have to just live at the bottom of the hill it seemed to hard to get to the top.

We all made it, but as you can see it was exhausting. :)

Today the kids had a bike wash going on in the garage. I did some spray painting touch ups on a couple of the bikes. It made it seem like they had new bikes. Oh, we aired the tires too. Molly also took the broken hand brake off of hers.

We are here

2010-06-02T16:23:00.000-04:00

I feel bad that I don't blog more often. But I'm really not a writer so I find this hard. I love reading all of your blogs. So here is an attempt at a post about us here. :) A lot of things have happened and these pictures show some of the highlights.
I really have trouble making the layout of this the way I want it so I guess I wont be able to do captions by the pictures.

Boys toys

2010-04-17T15:28:00.000-04:00

This week a lot of things have been made. We've enjoyed fixing things we already had and creating things as well.

Derek made some body armor and a helmet cover for Lars' bike helmet for Lars. He also made two guns that are m4's or something. He made two guns because Lars' cousin is coming to play with him next week.

Now we are friends

2010-04-09T10:32:00.000-04:00

Lars and Lemon have found each other to be fun playmates. Lars laughs and laughs while she enjoys playing with him.

dish duty

2010-04-04T18:36:00.001-04:00

At last I have someone who is more than happy to help with dishes! She is so excited when it is time to clean dishes.

Family

2010-04-01T15:27:00.001-04:00

We are a whole family again.

Prince Phillip

2010-04-01T15:20:00.000-04:00

Prince charming stopped at our house the other day. I think he is one of the most handsome gentlemen I have ever seen! I really liked his choice of helmet.

AAaaah!!!

2010-04-01T15:08:00.000-04:00

She lost a tooth! Oh my. She can't be old enough to lose a tooth. Where has the time gone. She looks pretty cute though. :)

The story of Lemon

2010-03-04T12:00:00.000-05:00

I have told you about one Lemon before. But we have had other Lemons in our life. Molly had a friend Lemon who also lived down the road and we would hear about the wonderful things she could do as well. Most recently Lars has had a friend Lemon come play with him.
His friend is a boy and has spent many nights at our house sleeping on the chair in Lars' room. There have also been times that I stepped on him because I did not see him in the hallway. He and Lars often play with swards and take turns being the bad guy. He eats meals with us a lot. He always brings his own dishes and his own food though he eats the same thing we are having, unless it is something Lars does not like and then Lemon will have what Lars wishes he was having.
Well, now we have a puppy and we feel that since we have always had a Lemon around anyway now we can see her. Heidi wasn't sure it was a romantic enough name for her but the rest of us are very comfortable with it.
This Lemon has been very sweet all except at 3:30 this morning she felt the need to cry loudly about her lonely little bed.
I'm really finding it hard to believe I have invited a dog to live IN my house, shedding hair and all that comes with being a puppy. I have never been found of animal hair in a house.
I probably will survive and even enjoy her company. My kids are loving her so much which is one big reason we wanted a dog. I hope she can open the door to animals for them. I really pitied their fear.

Spring?

2010-02-25T15:08:00.001-05:00

Heidi found this flower blooming in the corner of our front yard. Do you think it means spring is almost here? I hope so.

We love to read

2010-02-25T15:01:00.001-05:00

Asterix books are enjoyed by everyone in my family. We borrow them from the library and look at them for hours.

Sleep

2010-02-11T17:54:00.002-05:00

So, one of my hobbies this week was taking pictures of my son during nap time. Children amaze me as to how they can sleep anyway anywhere, If they want to.

140

2010-01-28T20:26:00.001-05:00

One hundred forty skittles later.... We are doing well. But we miss you a lot.
so yeah, one skittle a day and we are counting down. the jar is not nearly so full. do you realize this means we have only around 40 left!? 40 long days-short days-crazy days- hopeful days-lonely days- fun days.... They will all be all of those. because the last 140 were as well.

Beautiful Days

2010-01-23T14:35:00.004-05:00

Last week end we went for a walk by a pond. When we came to a stream with a bridge we thought we probably should play a game of Pooh sticks.
Whenever we happened to find a nice stick we would get it and take it back to the bridge to throw into the water. I thought some of the kids' choices of stick were a little large. especially when we had so far to walk before we got back to the bridge. Molly's did make the biggest splash...

See, we were all there. :)
Who's stick is going to win the race?

Naps

2010-01-15T12:36:00.002-05:00

Napping in a tent is way better than napping in ones bed. My baby is so sweet.

For you

2010-01-09T17:21:00.004-05:00

Oh yes

2010-01-06T09:25:00.001-05:00

Do you know this girl? don't you think she is sweet?

Quotes

2009-12-29T10:27:00.002-05:00

Here are a few good quotes from this past year.

"Mom, this is so tasty!" - Lars

"And they lived funly ever after." - Heidi

"I love you." -Molly
"I love you too." - H
"Do you want to get married?" -M
"I will if you be nice." -H
" I will, I'll even share my lion with you."- M

I'm not sure what they were playing with for that one but I'm pretty sure they were in some sort of character.

Bakers Man

2009-12-16T12:47:00.003-05:00

Pat a cake,
Pat a cake,
Bakers man,
Bake me a cake,As fast as you can,Roll it and pat it,And mark it with a K, and put it in the oven for the kids and me!

Aprons!

2009-12-10T09:12:00.005-05:00

This week we had a Christmas party. We did a white elephant for one of the activity's.
I had a pattern for the basic shape of the aprons. But you could just measure yourself to make a custom apron.
To make the aprons I cut out 2 apron shaped pieces of fabric. Then I cute out 2 straps of over 60" long and 2" wide and 2 straps about 4" long and 2" wide. I ironed all the straps so all the raw edges were turned in and sewed them closed. I attached the long straps to the top and the short ones I folded to make a loop and attached them at the side waist. Them I sewed the two apron pieces right side together with the straps on the inside. I sew the top and side of the apron then turn it right side out and top stitch the bottom closed. tada. if you want you could add pockets at this time.
I also made matching pot holders for the white elephant gift. It was a fun project to put together and it only took a few hours.

December iris

2009-12-05T12:48:00.002-05:00

I transplanted this iris the end of August. Then for some happy reason it decided to bloom this fall in its new home.
It is a little patch of sunshine under my kitchen window.
I am thankful for all my pretty flowers!

Once upon a time....

2009-11-21T13:23:00.003-05:00

We had lemonade.
And we liked it very much.
It was so pretty and fun.
We raked tons of pine needles into piles.

We watched Disney on Ice and enjoyed it very much.

H day

2009-10-19T18:17:00.002-04:00

day 39
Tonight for dinner we will be having Ham, Hungarian green beans, Herb roasted potatoes and Holiday bread from Morocco. I am excited about our menu. It is all smelling yummy.
For our other meals today we did not remember to be H-ish. :)
We did some yard work today and some school work.
Some of us seemed to be having a hard time with it being Monday. At least he was very grumpy and fussy until naps. Oops, I said he. :)
We are listening to music again tonight.
I need to rake my yard because it is looking more orange then green.
The weather is still rather chilly.

I digress

2009-10-18T17:52:00.002-04:00

And we got totally stuck.
tonight at dinner the topic of conversation began with talking about where we lived. The question then was, is that in America? yes, the USA.
This moved on to the US Army and what they do. Heidi said that pirates shoot cannons too. And, I admit I was the one to digress, I said, and forks. This began a debate on things which one could shoot. After they got over the shock that I said something so random!
"socks!"
"Pineapples!"
"Alligators!"
"Candy! Yeah, that is the tip top, We can't get any better than that." ......Well, maybe there is something else floating around up there.
Pine cones!"
And on and on and ON. They did this back and forth for all of the rest of dinner. When they are talking they take a very long time with dinner. Nearly an hour.
Kids are awesome. Have fun and laugh.

Day 38
G day

Day 36 - E day

2009-10-16T20:52:00.002-04:00

We've been pretty busy this week. both yesterday and today we had friends over for the afternoons.
I sewed some PJ pants for Molly today. They were super easy to do because I had a pattern out to cute them out then I found some of mine that I was going to get ride of and I ended up just cutting them down to fit Molly. They are a little wider leg than I wanted for her but oh well.
We had enchilada's tonight for supper for E day. They were good. the last time I tried to make them they were not so good.
We have a well out back of our house because this house was built before this area was part of the city. A few years ago the house was hooked up to city water but the well was left back there and the man we bought it from said that he used it for watering his grass. But, after we bought the house we found that the well did not work at all. Apparently we had left the water hydrant wide open after looking at it some time because this morning when I went out water was coming out full blast. And I sang praises to my God who gives gifts to His children.

Royalty

2009-10-14T17:49:00.001-04:00

C day

2009-10-14T17:41:00.003-04:00

Day 34Molly wore Clean Colorful Clothing for C day.
I wore Cream Colored Clothes for C day. Lars wore Colors.
Heidi wore a very Colorful Costume.
We did some Cleaning,
we ate Corned beef hash for breakfast.
We are about ready to go to ChurCh.

B day

2009-10-13T18:09:00.002-04:00

Day 33

Today has Been Basically Beautiful!

The kids tried to Blow Bubbles with their gum. Molly almost got it.
We wore Black, Brown, and Blue clothes.
We had BlueBerry Buckle for Breakfast.
I Baked Bread today.
We just had Burgers on Buns, Baked potatoes and Beans (green) for supper.
The kids also watched some Birds in the front yard.

Day31

2009-10-11T18:26:00.003-04:00

We have had a fun busy weekend.
On Friday night we went to the Army Soldier Show. It was very fun. I like watching my kids enjoy things. For a large part of the show Lars sat in his seat without hardly moving at all just watching watching. The show was a musical, dance skits kind of talent show sort of. I think if you searched it on you tube you would find some of their shows.
On Saturday our church had a cowboy themed fall party. We dressed up in clothes of that era and ate chili and put each other in jail and roasted marshmallows over a fire. Some people bobbed for apples and others carved pumpkins. They also had a pinata.
I was put in jail for visiting to much and Molly was sent to jail for being too blond. We had to sit in jail for five minutes and pay a 25 cent bail to get out.
Molly won the award for the nicest costume. ( when I explained to Heidi why Molly got the prize she wondered why she did not get one, Did not they like her clothes too?)
I hope to post pictures of the fall party sometime.

Day 29

2009-10-08T19:18:00.002-04:00

This morning I went for a slow jog while my kids rode bikes. If it had been just the girls I would have had to run pretty fast. But since Lars still uses training wheels he slowed us down. We were going on an unpaved trail which made it even harder for him. It was a really pretty trail in the woods.
I am really excited about company for Thanksgiving!!
Heidi is still not feeling very well. I am praying that the rest of us will not get sick. And, that she will heal quickly.
We did some playing in the dirt this evening. I planted my clematis. I hope it like its new home. It really took me a long time to decide where I should put it. I think I will like it where it is. I might be too used to plants in pots that I can move to a new location any time I want a change of scenery.
The weather is funny around here. yesterday we had a warm wind that blew some hot air and we were very hot, Made me want to turn on the air conditioning again. Today, we woke up to rather chilly weather again and needed to wear sweatshirts when we were out.

Day 28

2009-10-07T16:53:00.003-04:00

These are the girls in their new dresses. With their sweet little brother!

Day 27

2009-10-06T16:33:00.002-04:00

We are now reading Homer Price out loud together. Today we read about how the doughnut machine kept on making doughnuts, It just kept dropping rings of dough into the hot oil and a gadget kept turning them over and another gadget kept rolling them down the chute.... Anyway, the more I read about doughnuts the hungrier I got for fresh doughnuts. By the end of the chapter I had decided I must make doughnuts today. I did, and they were good.
Today is rainy and gray again. must be autumn.

Day 25

2009-10-04T13:34:00.003-04:00

Family and Friends
Music and Love,
Truly all these are gifts from above,
My heart is so full
I can't add up the sum,
Of all of these gifts,
And there's still heaven to come.

I often sing this song as I am working around my house. God has blessed me so much in this life. These lyrics say it so well. Praise God for sweet children and wonderful family and so many material gifts too.

Day 23

2009-10-02T21:07:00.002-04:00

Yes, we are fine today too. I'm not going to take much time tonight for this.
The dresses are done and ready to wear to church on Sunday.
The kids played in the back yard most of the day. They were playing some sort of house while playing in the dirt.
night all.

A song I like

2009-10-01T20:23:00.003-04:00

You know I like my chicken fried
Good friends on a Friday night

A pair of jeans that fit just right

And the radio up...

Well I was raised up beneath the shade of a Georgia pine
And that`s home you know
Sweet tea pecan pie and homemade wine
Where the peaches grow
And my house it`s not much to talk about
But it`s filled with love that`s grown in southern ground
And a little bit of chicken fried

Good Friends on a Friday night
A pair of jeans that fit just right
And the radio up
Well I`ve seen the sunrise
See the love in my 4husband`s eyes
Feel the touch of a precious child And know a mother`s love

And its funny how it`s the simple things in life that mean the most
Not where you live or what you drive or the price tag on your clothes
There`s no dollar sign on a piece of mind this I`ve come to know
So if you agree have a drink with me
Raise you glasses for a toast
To a little bit of chicken fried

Good friends on a Friday night
A pair of jeans that fit just right
And the radio up
Well I`ve seen the sunrise
See the love in my husbands`s eyes
Feel the touch of a precious child
And know a mother`s love

I thank God for my life
And for the stars and stripes
May freedom forever fly, let it ring.
Salute the ones who died
The ones that give their lives so we don`t have to sacrifice
All the things we love
Like our chicken fried

Good friends on a Friday night
A pair of jeans that fit just right
And the radio up
Well I`ve seen the sunrise
See the love in my husband`s eyes
Feel the touch of a precious child
And know a mother`s love

*these lyrics have been modified by me to fit my life style.

Day 22

2009-10-01T19:57:00.003-04:00

Counting days is kind of odd for me. I never stick with it so mostly I just don't try.
Today was a pleasant day.
We are doing very well with our school. I'm not sure what else to say about that.
I am almost to the point where I will be able to post pictures of some girls in new dresses. :)
Oh, if you want to have a pineapple plant. Buy a fresh pineapple. Cut the top off with maybe a little more of the fruit with it than you normally would and stick that in some peet moss mixed with potting soil. Don't let it dry out and eventually, it will start to grow. One place I read about it said that the plant had to get six feet wide before it would produce fruit, or something like that.
I have been seeing blue Jays lately. I like them. I saw a Monarch today too. Made me wonder if it was on it's way to Mexico. I really want to make my back yard so that birds and butterflies would like to visit us.

Hamburger Buns

2009-10-01T18:14:00.002-04:00

Mix and let rest 10 Min:
1 3/4 cup warm water
1/2 cup oil
3/4 cup sugar or 1/4 cup honey
3 Tablespoons yeast
Add:
1/2 Tablespoon salt
1-2 eggs, beaten
5-6 cups flour
knead 5-10 min. Shape into buns place on cookie sheet and brush tops with butter. let rise 10-15 min. Bake at 425 degrees for 12-15 min.

I cut the sugar in half. This makes around 12 buns. I usually make a half batch for our family. they are so yummy fresh out of the oven with grilled hamburgers.

Day 20

2009-09-29T19:45:00.002-04:00

Today has been a very nice day.
The weather was in the low 70's all day. It was breezy, almost windy. Very lovely.
We did some of our book work this morning and then went outside. We worked in the back yard. Well, I worked and the kids played. I picked up tons of pine cones and raked and then mowed. It looks so nice and inviting back there now. The kids worked on turning one of the sheds into a club house. some of the time.
Lars was running with a kite this morning and I guess it malfunctioned because he ended up running into a tree. He got a quarter size raspberry on his forehead and scratches on his nose, lip and forehead. It was a rather bad kite accident.
One of my cupboard doors has had the habit of hanging open and I fixed it today. It is so much nicer to walk into the kitchen now. (smile)
I made a caramel apple cake today. I will have to post the recipe on here for you some time. It is very yummy.
We are supposed to have 40 degree weather tonight. I brought in the avocado tree in case it would not like it that cold. I also brought in the pineapples. Oh, and one of the pepper plants. I hope everything else does not mind a slight chill.
I worked on the dress for Molly a little today. Mostly I was outside though.
Yesterday I was simply not in the mood to blog so you will have to just assume everything was fine then. (smile) Oh, and for the day before too. (bigger smile)
Tonight the kids helped me make supper. Molly made our hamburger buns all by herself. Heidi helped cute the potatoes for french fries. Oh, Lars helped shape the hamburger buns. Heidi helped shape the hamburger patties.

Day 17

2009-09-26T20:24:00.002-04:00

Wow, I am really sleepy.

I got Heidi's dress almost done. But then found out I didn't have the right size zipper on hand. Oh well, Wal-Mart is open tomarrow.
The girls helped me with dishes today. I have not had them do this very much before because my set up was not child friendly. But, today I got a dish drainer so they can stack the dishes in it to drain. I know, some of you are thinking, "you didn't have a dish drainer? What kid of kitchen was that anyway?" :) We enjoyed working together.
The kids felt rather caged up this morning because of the weather, cold and wet, and then they felt at a loss for what to do because I did not want to do school. finally they asked if they could, "just do some school." Makes a mother smile.
Dog sitting is going fine. she is a true dog. She refuses to go in the shed that I cleaned out for her. And, more importantly, she thinks the best place for her to lay is in my new flower bed. I even had her food in the shed but she would not eat it in there but left it for the ants to get into. I washed out her dish and put it on the back step and she ate it right away. At least one can count on a dog acting like a dog.
I got a catalog from a nursery this week. I am dreaming of what kind of trees to plant in my yard. I am also trying to decide what color and kind of roses to plant.

Day 16

2009-09-25T20:27:00.003-04:00

Aw. A nice day.

We are dog sitting for the weekend.
I was so, proud of Molly. She went outside with the dog and pet her and did not panic at all. The dog was pushing against her and just loving it that someone came out to see her too.
We made cinnamon caramel sticking buns for breakfast this morning. Everyone helped. Lars also got the job of licking the butter and cinnamon and sugar bowl. He said, "this is so tasty."
The weather cooled off this evening.
The kids are playing their version of hid and seek now.
We finished reading Charlotte's Web tonight.
I did not mow the grass again today. I was planing to do it in the afternoon when we were done with school but, it started raining right after lunch.

Beautiful children

2009-09-24T20:23:00.002-04:00

Day 15

2009-09-24T20:14:00.003-04:00

We got our school work done right at noon today.
I made a stew for supper that I thought was rather good but the kids thought it was nasty.
It was a hot and humid day today. Another day to be thankful for AC.
I cut out a dress for Heidi today.
I stood out in the front yard visiting with my neighbor after supper while our kids ran around in the yard.
I made a bow for Lars out of a branch from the crepe myrtle and a piece of yarn. The kids thought it was so cool. He stood around trying to get it to work for the longest time.

Day 14

2009-09-23T20:19:00.003-04:00

We had to make a couple runs to the pharmacy to get my prescription taken care of. It has changed so I have to take a different does every other day. I'm glad. I was thinking it was too high but not sure. But my LAB work said it was so now I don't doubt.
Went to church again tonight, This time we all went to our own classes and we all enjoyed them.
Lars was telling about the video he watched in class. He said, "...and they walked, no, they bounced..." So, can you guess what kind of video he was watching?
I made some bread today. We enjoyed some of it fresh with butter and honey.
It rained again today. I have more wet laundry to do. This afternoon it kind of surprised me because it was very bright and sunny but it started showering very heavily.
We ate supper at church.
That is all. good night.

Day 13

2009-09-22T19:59:00.004-04:00

I made Apple cake in an iron skillet Today. So very yummy. But, if you make it do follow Keren's advice and use only 1 stick of butter in the first part of the recipe. I did, and I was not sorry.
It was a rainy day. Made us really need our naps this afternoon. It was very nice to have rain though. We've been having gray days a lot lately and it is much nicer to have rain with the clouds. In my opinion.
The kids went out and played in the rain off and on today. They were collecting rain water in buckets and cups.
We did our school work in very good time.
My arm and finger are still sore from using the spray paint for Lars' bike. I find it kind of funny while it is annoying.

I better get these kids to bed.

Days 11 and 12

2009-09-21T19:44:00.003-04:00

I forgot to blog last night until I was done reading and had turned the lights out. I did not feel like getting out of bed and turning the computer back on.

Yesterday;

We walked to church. We all enjoyed that a lot. We saw two of our friends drive by while we were walking and that was very fun too. It took not quite 10 min.
We spent a very lazy afternoon.
In the evening we went over to the neighbors and the kids played.

Today;

We did vary little school work.
We went to Aldi and Wal-mart before lunch.
We went to the Commissary before supper.
last night our fish died. he died of lack of care.
We had taco salad for supper.

Other things happened I'm sure. :/

Bikes

2009-09-21T19:39:00.001-04:00

since I took a picture of Lars with his bike the girls needed pictures of them with their bikes.

Day 10

2009-09-19T19:11:00.003-04:00

Today was kind of an odd day. I thought about northern MN a lot.

We turned an old little girls bike into a boys bike today. It still has white tires but some things can't be helped. The other thing that is a problem is that I am really bad at spray painting. :) It was fun to do.
Worked on the rag rug again today. Oh, and no I don't have a pattern I just started crocheting around in circles. I should have used a pattern and I should have redone some of it because it has some really bad looking spots. But I am too lazy.
I tried to sleep in because three kids kept taking turns coming into my room with complaints all night long. But they were up and raring to go bright and early. oh well, I really haven't been tired today.
The kids went outside right after breakfast this morning and did not come back in until I called them in at 3 pm. They went back out right after naps too.
I had the kids pose for some pictures this afternoon. I had been looking at some other peoples posed pictures and thought I should get some of my kids because it has been a long time since we did any kind of portraits.
I've been pre-reading some of our school books for this year. they are some really good books. They are Sonlights Core 1 books.

Day 9

2009-09-18T19:46:00.003-04:00

I mowed the grass again today. only in the front yard this time. I really don't like my grass because it is not thick and it sends up really tall seed things really fast but the rest of the grass doesn't grow very fast at all. Feels like a waste of time to be running back in forth to cut every 10th grass blade.
I think I'm a little bit grumpy tonight. sorry about that little rant.
Started working on a rag rug again. I am making it out of old t-shirts. I am using whatever color happens to come next so it is getting a farm house look to it. kind of fun.
We used our new school room table today for school. It was very nice. We ate in the dinning room and did school work in the school room amazing really.

8th Day

2009-09-17T19:39:00.005-04:00

We have a table in our school room! We no longer have to do school work at the dinning room table. I am so excited about this. Also if some people are being to loud while other need it quiet we can divide them up.
We went for a short walk today. We walked down to the driveway of our church building and back. We might walk to church this Sunday.
School went well. We did some stuff with magnets for science today. I really like it that our science curriculum touches on a lot of different kids of science all year long. My kids are to young to have a passion for one type of science. This way they can learn about tons of stuff every year and when they do find something that they love we can start to focus on that one thing then.
Lars is getting pretty good at riding his little bike.
I made some chocolate cupcakes this afternoon. I didn't want us to forget what they taste like.
A bunch of rotary winged aircraft have been flying over today. I'm not sure what is up with that. :)
We wrote some letters this morning as part of our school.

Day 7

2009-09-16T20:29:00.003-04:00

I did a bunch of rearranging again today. Getting things to fit in a new house has been a little challenging since we have smaller living rooms (dinning and living) with more doors in them so it is harder to get stuff to fit in a comfortable way. I'm liking it the way I have it now. The other thing that changed with rooms, We are trying to have a school room now.
We went to Wednesday night church today.
We are reading Charlotte's Web this week.
It rained here today. The kids ran around in the rain for awhile this morning. They thought that was great fun.

Day 6

2009-09-15T19:40:00.002-04:00

My children are at this moment playing in the garage with their bikes. Their bikes are upside down and the are using them to, "make candy." You will have to ask them how this is done as I am not sure quite how to do it.
Another day of school went well.
We ran to Wal-mart to get some ink for the printer.
Had some nice phone calls tonight.
We had one of the kids' and my favorites for dinner; Split pea soup, with ham, and corn bread.

School really takes up a lot of our time now. It is time well spent and we all enjoy it so it's good.

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

2009-09-14T20:22:00.004-04:00

The other day I found this Barbie laying in my living room. Someone must have dropped her there when they were done playing.
I walked into the room and asked her what she was doing laying there like that and she said, "I'm a Barbie." Later she was walking around and moving her arms like a barbie would.

Day 5

2009-09-14T19:54:00.002-04:00

We had our first school day. It went very well. The kids were very happy to be "doing school."
I rearranged the kitchen dinning room.
moped the tile floors.
The kids played hide and seek around the house.
the kids took a bunch of pillows and got into the pillow cases and jumped up and down the hallway.
Lars reported that he had killed his pet. And I thought oh no he's killed the fish. But no, he had killed the fly that was in his room. His heart was fairly broken.
We went to Aldi and Wal mart.
We had fresh broccoli with our supper. I really like the taste of fresh broccoli cooked in the microwave with butter and salt and pepper. The kids don't find it as lovely as I do.

Day 4

2009-09-13T19:41:00.005-04:00

We, went to church this morning. It was lovely. My class had a breakfast potluck and fellowship time intead of regular classes.
After church we joined our church family for a spaghetti dinner. We did not join in the cake *auction but we were there at that time.
I did stuff to get ready for our first day of school tomorrow. I am very excited to get started on that.
We spent time sitting around the table coloring pictures together.
I stayed up way to late last night reading one of my new books. bad girl. Now I am very tiered!
Lars fell asleep on my lap while we were watching a youtube thing on the computer.
Lars went to Sunday school class by himself without fussing and then had a very good time while he was there. amazing. I gave him a little talking to before we left about how he was a big boy now and that he would go to class with out a fuss - "no, no, stop fussing while I'm talking to you about it too... Okay, remember you are a big boy and you will have a good time."

*Oops. thanks for pointing that out.

Day 3

2009-09-12T20:06:00.004-04:00

The kids played at the neighbors for awhile.They drove the little battery powered cars around about the whole time. They also gave Lars a little bike.
Went to a Yesteryear Festival. It was a small colonial reenactment. I guess there was a fort or "arsenal" here at that time.All that is left of it is some footing stones. They have also made what they call a ghost tower because it is like a trellis in the shape and size that the tower was. There were men dressed up as soldiers from the revolutionary war. They did some firing of canons and muskets.Making pewter stuff. I can't remember what he was making while we were watching.

We also got to taste some fresh pressed apple cider.

did the laundry - completely.
the kids played at the neighbors again this afternoon.
I bought two books from the author herself at the reenactment. They are historical fiction about the colonial times her in North Carolina. I read the first one this afternoon. It was a good read.

We had a busy good Saturday. thought about Keren a lot today. Happy Birthday little sister!

Day 2

2009-09-11T19:45:00.003-04:00

Mowed the grass. Which means I picked up tons of pine cones.
Cleaned out the truck and car. The truck really needed it. I should have washed the outsides of them but did not.
Went to the LAB this morning. For some reason it really hurt when she put it in the left arm and then it would not flow... So, I almost fainted and we had to sit there for a long time trying to keep me from passing out. Finally my head started feeling like it should and she was able to get it in my right arm. Crazy Phobia!
We went for a little drive, just to see what where the road would take us. We were also keeping our eyes open for any playgrounds.
Bought corn at a farmers market.
Lars started singing at the supper table. I was not sure what he was singing but then Molly joined him. He would join her for the last part of the last word for each phrase. They were singing, I'm in the Lords Army. When Molly sings that song though it is one of those songs that never ends. So I had to remind them to finish their dinners.
Bathed all of my children tonight.

Called the Cell phone company. Oh, yesterday some sort of cable company guy called. He started off saying that he had a better deal then what I had and kept going on about this good deal he had for me. When he finally let me say something I told him I had no TV. He was totally baffled by this and then mumbled something about wasting his time!

I got a new seed catalog in the mail today so I think I will get ready for bed and go enjoy that.

Day 1

2009-09-10T19:05:00.002-04:00

Organized my room and closet.
organized office and office closet.
rearranged the living room- still not quit satisfied with that, this will be happening again I'm sure.
Played barbies with the kids. The girls and I also made some furniture - We are finding hot glue to be a very fun to use tool.
cleaned the garage.
Vacuumed living room, hall and my bedroom.
worked in the garden - we got to visit with Miss Smith while we were doing that.
Made and served real meals for my family.

made some homemade Chai. Heidi had the idea to sit out back while we drank it. That was very pleasant. We even turned up our Dino radio so we could have music while we were out.

All in all it has been a good day. I will keep you posted on how this goes.
My radio is now playing What a Friend we have in Jesus.

Now we are five

2009-09-01T12:02:00.003-04:00

Heidi had a great birthday.

Happy girl with all her new things. The kids were chewing gum dawn till dusk for a few days. since she had two packs of gum to share with them. We have also done lots of coloring, mostly with colored pencils.

This Boy

2009-07-23T13:08:00.001-04:00

This is my boy. wouldn't you agree that he is most adorable?!

How my garden grows

2009-07-23T08:45:00.003-04:00

Before

Now

Sewing!

2009-06-10T14:38:00.002-04:00

This week I have spent a lot of time at the sewing machine. First I made a dress for me and then I made one for each of the girls. Today I made the one for the doll.
Oh, Heidi mastered the bike last week too!!

These are my beautiful girls!

The first one!

2009-05-21T20:29:00.002-04:00

Molly had the first tooth come out on Monday! The children were very excited about her loss. I really think she could not be old enough to be losing teeth! I really hope the one that comes in is not much bigger than the one that came out because her mouth is already crowded!

We go...

2009-05-21T20:22:00.003-04:00

One blustery day we went out. Molly biked,

Lars rode a trike,

Heidi also rode a bike.
We really felt it was too cold for this late in May, but who can tell the weather what to do? Well, anyway we couldn't change it.

Bike rider

2009-05-12T11:06:00.001-04:00

This is my girl who can ride a two wheeled bike! She mastered the bike March 22nd, the day before my dad's birthday. And she tells us, "it's so easy."

Birthday!

2009-05-12T10:48:00.001-04:00

Lars is 3 now! Blowing out the candles.^
Everyone sang happy birthday to Lars, including Lars. :)
He even got some birthday wishes by phone, in this picture he was talking to cousin Harrison!

Gardening

2009-05-12T10:43:00.002-04:00

I really enjoy working in the garden but sometimes the weeds really get ahead of me. So this fine lady came to help me with my celery patch. I do hope her work there will encourage the celery to grow because it sure has been slow going!

Sunday afternoon

2009-05-04T11:49:00.002-04:00

The past two Sunday afternoons Derek has been called to come pull someone out of a mud hole somewhere. I somehow lost the pictures form the first time. :(
This week the girls had been playing dress up when Derek was called and Heidi was wearing a tutu. We all just jumped in the truck with whatever we were wearing on. I was still in my skirt form church and Derek had shed his dress shirt so he was wearing his "wife beater shirt" and Heidi still in her tutu. Oh what fun!

Avocado

2009-05-01T12:52:00.002-04:00

Well I am trying to grow and avocado. And it is growing!

So nice

2009-04-30T16:12:00.001-04:00

Derek found these beautiful dragonfly hooks for us. he put this up by the back door for me. Such a lovely place for little aprons or rain jackets.

Update

2009-04-04T18:27:00.002-04:00

So, it's been a really long time since I felt like putting any effort into anything....
But because I know you care about us/me way more than I deserve or comprehend here's the news. :)
I am feeling really great these days!!!! My week of isolation went well. I was well cared for by our church family here and I had plenty to do to while away the time with packets of things to do for each day from Abbi and family and plus my host family loaned DVDs to me and the weather was such that I could get out and walk too.
The kids did really well here with their grandma taking care of them. They had tea party's and got to have a picnic even on a rainy day, in the garage.
We were also blessed to get to have Derek back sooner than we thought we would!
I had a scan this past week and all is well, there is no other cancer and the treatment did what it was supposed to do!
So, in short, God has blessed us in big ways every day. Thank you so much for your prayers!
Love to all, MJ

All dressed up

2009-03-02T14:04:00.000-05:00

My three happy kiddo's!

reduce, reuse, recycle

2009-02-26T08:13:00.004-05:00

Here are a few pictures of ways that I R-R-R. this top picture is of a small bag dryer I made from chopsticks and a pint canning jar. I put some dry beans in the bottom to keep the chopsticks in place.
This is an old hair serum pump that I rinsed out and put hand soap in.
this is a cream pitcher from a set my mom got as a wedding present. The handle broke off at some point so we glued it back on and turned it into a planter. I have another favorite cup that broke lately so it is now a small planter too.
This is one of my favorites. It is two things being recycled. The tin is a retired maple sap collecting bucket that is now my kitchen trash can. I use a small can in my kitchen so I can reuse all the bags I come home with every time I go grocery shopping! I have to take out the garbage from the kitchen at least once a day but I much prefer to run out side often then to have my kitchen smell like garbage.
I like to think of ways to reuse things. Things like the sandwich bags I don't think I'm saving that much money or saving that much space at the landfill. But maybe both together makes it worth my while.

Blessed

2009-02-25T11:48:00.003-05:00

Philippians 4:19 +20
And my God will meet all your needs
according to his glorious riches
in Christ Jesus.
To our God and Father be glory
for ever and ever. Amen.

Last night I was feeling rather stressed about where I will stay when I am radioactive. And I was stressed about how everything would work. But my God saw my need and cared for it.
Derek called our preacher from church to ask for people to call and check on me in the upcoming weeks. Tom said that would be no problem and that one of the elders and his wife had volunteered their home for me to stay in while I was undergoing the treatment! Volunteered! No body asked them to share their home they saw the need and offered their services.

Lars

2009-02-25T11:19:00.002-05:00

Here is our engineer hard hard at work with his new train set! This is the other toy we bought this month. It has been fun to watch him play with it. He mostly likes us to make the track and then he can drive his train around and around. He does build tracks too and is quite proud of himself whenever he does!

Molly's doll

2009-02-24T11:52:00.003-05:00

The same day as Heidi's Hannah came Molly got a doll too. Molly has had a harder time deciding on a name for her doll though. I think she has finally settled on Sarah for her dolls name. Molly is the mother to her doll and Heidi and Hannah are friends.
I made the outfit Sarah has on in this picture. It is really fun to make doll clothes because they go really fast.

:)

2009-02-20T18:50:00.002-05:00

Heidi with her new friend, Hannah.Hannah arrived in a box today! Heidi asked us what her name was, we, of course, did not know and had her ask the doll. She did. Then looked at the doll for a few minuets then said, "she said her name is Hannah. Later she asked me, "what was her name?" And again later, "why did you buy me a Hannah doll?"
Just one of the fun things that has happened today!

smiles for you

2009-02-13T20:38:00.004-05:00

I just read this-thought you might like to too.

2009-01-20T16:30:00.000-05:00

The Invisible Mother......

It all began to make sense, the blank stares, the lack of response, the way one of the kids will walk into the room while I'm on the phone and ask to be taken to the store. Inside I'm thinking, 'Can't you see I'm on the phone?'
Obviously, not.
No one can see that I'm on the phone, or cooking, or vacuuming the floor, or even standing on my head in the corner, because no one can see me at
all.
I'm invisible. The Invisible Mom. Some days I am only a pair of hands, nothing more: Can you fix this? Can you tie this? Can you open this?

Some days I'm not a pair of hands; I'm not even a human being. I'm a clock to ask, 'What time is it?' I'm a satellite guide to answer, 'What number is the Disney Channel?' I'm a car to order, 'Can you pick me up at 5:30?'

One night, a group of us were having dinner, celebrating the return of a friend from England . Janice had just gotten back from a fabulous trip, and she was going on and on about the hotel she stayed in. I was sitting there, looking around at the others all put together so well. It was hard not to compare and feel sorry for myself. I was feeling pretty pathetic when Janice turned to me with a beautifully wrapped package, and said, 'I brought you this.'
It was a book on the great cathedrals of Europe .
I
wasn't exactly sure why she'd given it to me until I read her inscription:

'To Charlotte , with admiration for the greatness of what you are building when no one sees.'

In the days ahead I would read - no, devour - the book. And I would discover what would become for me, 4 life-changing truths, after which I could pattern my work:

1. No one can say who built the great cathedrals - we have no record of their names.
2. These builders gave their whole lives for a work they would never see finished.
3. They made great sacrifices and expected no credit.
4. The passion of their building was fueled by their faith that the eyes of God saw everything .

A legendary story in the book told of a rich man who came to visit the cathedral while it was being built, and he saw a workman carving a tiny bird on the inside of a beam. He was puzzled and asked the man, 'Why are you spending so much time carving that bird into a beam that will be covered by the roof? No one will ever see it.' And the workman replied, 'Because God sees.'

I closed the book, feeling the missing piece fall into place. It was almost as if I heard God whispering to me, 'I see you, Charlotte . I see the sacrifices you make every day, even when no one around you does. No act of kindness you've done, no sequin you've sewn on, no cupcake you've baked, is too small for me to notice and smile about. You are building a great cathedral, but you can't see right now what it will become.'

At times, my invisibility feels like an affliction. But it is not a disease that is erasing my life.
It is the cure for the disease of my own self-centeredness. It is the antidote to my strong, stubborn pride.

More global warming!!

2009-01-20T09:21:00.003-05:00

the girls out in the wind and snow.
Making a snow angel and catching snow on her tongue.
It was very exciting for 4 of our family to wake up to snow on the ground and coming down still.
The first one out.
Derek was happy for the snow in the fact that they closed down the installation so he doesn't have to work.

Mornings

2009-01-13T10:21:00.004-05:00

This morning was such a average morning I thought I would share. Most mornings Lars wakes up somewhere between 4 and6 and comes and stands by my bed until I wake up enough to ask him if he needs to use the bathroom. He says yes and goes in and does then comes to ask me to, "cover me."
Around 7 to 7:30 Heidi shows up in my room usually fully dressed or needing zipped. She will then go play quietly in her's or Lars' room. Lars will wake up and join her until I am done with my shower and we three go down stairs. They do some more playing or start asking (rather loudly) for chocolate milk.
Molly joins us at some point but she always needs to sit by herself and watch the goings on for awhile before she is awake enough to enjoy our company.:) She almost never gets dressed before breakfast.
(Derek's time of appearance depends on if he is working or not.)
I hope you all are having a loverly morning this morning too!

Heidi

2009-01-10T14:29:00.003-05:00

"I'm thinking of a farmer excercizing. The pig sneeks out of the barn and runs away.
do ta do ta do."
(picture is of how the pig runs.)

update

2008-12-27T15:02:00.002-05:00

We have had a lovely Christmas holiday. We've stayed up late and slept in late most days. :) We've played lots of music and listened to lots of different types of holiday music; a Merry Axmas album, traditional carols, sung and or instrumental.
We've worked on some projects. Derek and I (mostly Derek) put together a quilt. I have done a lot of baking; cookies, candy and breads.
The kids have enjoyed having their favorite plaything around to clime on, ride on and abuse on a regular basis.(Derek)
I made the kids some play dough and they have been very creative with that again.
Also, We had a very nice Christmas day. We slept in (again). The kids were very excited about opening presents and thought they were all really great. Derek got each of them some sort of game. So, over the course of the day we played each of them. I really enjoyed playing games with all of them.
We also had friends over for dinner and had an enjoyable time visiting with them and laughing at our kids together.
Derek and Molly helped put the dinner together and serve it so I never felt at all stressed about it. We made mini apple pies that turned out really cute and yummy.
All in all We have been so very blessed.
Please keep me in our prayers as I will be having surgery on my neck in a week and a half. ( I still have a cough so I am concerned a little about that.)
God bless you in 2009!