These are my(Adria's!) Guinea's, Bindi and Bella. I took their Christmas pictures today, I hope you enjoy them!

Bindi loved to hide in the toe of the stocking!

Bella just sat there..for a very long time-she's my lazy girl!

They're both checking out all the new stuff!(Their eyes are a creepy color in some of these, I tried to fix it but it made them even more green-sorry about that!)

First snow of the year

Look at me!

Posing for ya mom!

Thankful heart all year through!

T~Ten 'A' named kids
H~Husband who loves Jesus
A~Always getting hugs
N~Neverending busyness in my home and NAPS!
K~Kind words spoken (Although somedays more than others!)
F~Family who loves me no matter what mistakes I make!
U~Unending laughter of children
L~Love of Jesus!

Today, and the whole year through, think upon things that are good, lovely and pure. Have an attitude of gratidude and remember, we can all think of something to complain about, it takes a special thought process to be content! Make sure you have thankfulness from the inside out, that is how true joy in the life Jesus has given you is found!

Peach Pie

Hi, It's Adria with a new recipe I made today, I hope you like it!

Ingredients

-2 pounds fresh peaches, fresh, peeled and sliced, about 4 cups
-1/2 cup brown sugar
-2 tbs. cornstarch
-2 tsp. lemon juice
-1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
-1 9-inch pie shell, baked

Topping
-1/2 cup flour
-1/3 cup brown sugar
-1/4 cup butter, softened
-1/4 tsp. cinnamon

Combine peaches with sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, and cinnamon. Toss lightly. Place peach mixture in the baked shell, cover with wax paper, and microwave on high for about 5 minutes until topping is set. Let stand until cool.
Crumb topping" Combine topping ingredients with a fork. Enjoy!

Thankful

Thankfulness is how you think, joy is the abundance it produces!

Yes, the decortions are already up!

We already decorated for the holidays this weekend. The kids were excited to dig in and I figured we had to do it sometime, so why not! Thanksgiving is late this year and we usually get all our Christmas things out the day after Thanksgiving so according to the date we are not too early. The problem is, some of the little ones thought we should get presents and stockings the next morning! So now, they get to join in with the lesson on patience. Waiting 5 weeks should be interesting! The newest baby of the family will be celebrating his first Christmas this year although he really does not get the whole concept yet it will be fun for us! I decided to let him open paper since that is usually the biggest hit anyway! ;)

More Turkey Day crafts

Today was a hand turkey craft

This is what the finished poduct looks like. I got the layout on the websight listed below, traced hand, glued on cut out feathers, beak and gobbler, and then glued onto paperstock...

This is my 6 year old gluing on his turkey's feathers...

These are some fun holiday worksheets that the older kids did. One was a maze and the other was a Thanksgiving Mad-lib. More crafts can be found at http://www.familyfun.com/

Thanksgiving craft

We are making a craft everyday before Thanksgiving, yesterday we made turkey hats.
A goofy turkey...
...happy turkey,


















...a serious turkey! Stay tuned...

Bullet Boy- one year aniversary!

I had to post this to remind some of you and maybe new to some of you, that this REALLY did happen to MY child!  This is the week that one year ago, a bullet was swallowed by my son!  Being a mother of boys is really a dose of excitement daily!  Here was my post a year ago!:

Okay, here it is! The bullet boy, aka my little B.B. This is proof that the bullet was there! It is no longer in him and lead levels are coming down! (If a sewer explodes somewhere, I'm genuinely sorry!) Call the Today Show and everyone else you know and don't know, to show that a bullet really can go through you without exploding your entire being! We can now laugh because this is now BEHIND us and has PASSED! (No puns intended! Okay, maybe they were intended!) With 7 boys, I'm sure this is the first of many ingestions I will face. I'll chalk this one up for experience!

Okay, this was not yesterday when I took this picture! We live in the midwest and are surviving through our first really cold day of the season! I thought I would bring back the memory of our nice warm summer. It seems like yesterday! It also seems like yesterday when I was planning for Thanksgiving! So as the seasons change, and the preparations are being made for the coming holidays, I have decided to savor all the beauty and make sure I don't just busy myself this year with all the extra's. I am going to take time to watch the smiles on my children's faces, take time to WRITE my name on my holiday cards myself and maybe even a letter, make sure my children know that things are not what make this a wonderful time of year, it is family and loved ones (I have even become thankful that I CAN"T afford to by many "things" this Christmas), I want to teach them things that are of value are eternal. I pray that unlike when this picture was taken, I appreciate the simpleness of the day and give my kids many hugs and look into their eyes and tell them Jesus loves them and so do I! As my kids get older, I realize these moments are like sand in an hour glass, but I have this moment and I chose today to cherish them before they are gone forever!

Beef Stroganoff

Easy Beef Stroganoff
-2-3lbs of ground beef
-2 cans of cream of chicken or mushroom soup
-1/4 C. of milk
-Onion, amount depends on desired flavor
-8 oz. sour cream
-Salt and pepper to flavor
-One bag of egg noodles

Directions:

Brown ground beef and add onion. Cook until onions are tender. Boil pasta until noodles are tender. Add soup, sour cream, and salt and pepper to strained hamburger. Stir until warm, do not overcook. You can put stroganoff on top of noodles, or mixed together. Serve with warm bread and vegetable. Enjoy!

The last days of fall warmth

Thankful!

I have always prayed to God that at the first moment my children are at the age of accountability for their salvation that He would somehow let me know. It is different for each person so I wanted to make sure I did not miss my children' s "time". I was in my early morning prayer time and my oldest at the time, (he was 5), walked in the room after he had just woken up. While still praying, I looked up and looked in those sweet little eyes and asked him if he had ever asked Jesus into his heart. He said, "No, but I would like to now mom, is that okay?" My heart leapt for joy and he repeated and prayed every word after me asking for Jesus to make him white as snow and please come into his heart and forgive him of his sins. What a beautiful moment in our lives. He remembers it to this day! I have often wondered what would have happened if I would have given in to my flesh that morning and slept in or stopped praying because my son walked in. Would I have missed that sweet moment that God created for us? My son remembers that morning and that his mom was there that morning he chose to follow Jesus. So when I begin to let worry settle in and fear they might chose the wrong road or those times I wonder how I have failed them and if it will effect their view of God, I have to go on facts when my faith just can't be felt! The fact is God IS faithful and He does hear and answer my prayers! My children are in His hands even when I fail as a parent! What peace and comfort that gives me! Thank him everyday for the time he gives you with your child and pray for their salvation! He hears you and He will answer!

I'm back!

We have not had internet for a short time, but we are up and running again! I will be posting a blog soon to let you catch up with us that last couple of weeks...stay tuned!

I did not just...

Okay, a mother of seven boys did not just take her 3 old for an x-ray because he swallowed a BULLET! Yep, that is what I DID do today! Let me explain. My 15 year old told me that our 3 year old came to him and handed him a bullet and that the other one went down his throat. My first reaction was no, he is making it up. But my mommy insticts told me he was telling the truth. Now what do we do? I was sure he was going to litterally blow up! My sensible 15 year old told me there has to be a large impact for that to happen. So after I had my second panic attack, I called the poison control center. I could not believe what sentence was going to come out of my mouth. "What are the dangers of a 3 year old swallowing a 22 caliber bullet?" I was sure he was going to be shocked! To my amazement, he said, "Maam, you can't believe the things we hear and this is not the first time we have received a call like this." (I'm sure he was just being kind!) He then told me to take him for an x-ray but everything should be fine. I was amazed! My child has a loaded bullet full of gunpowder with lead and brass covering it IN HIS BELLY, but it should be okay! I called my sister-in-law who is an EMT at our local hospital and she called the ER doctor and he said all we need to do is take him for an x-ray and get his lead levels checked in the morning. So we did. The proof was in the picture. There was the bullet sitting right in the middle of his abdomen! It looks like it has passed through the intestines which is a good sign, but I still need to make sure he does not have pain or develop a fever in the next 48 hours. It was like an episode of ER! The whole wing of the doctor's office had gathered around the x-ray! They were amazed. I about charged an admission fee! So, I now have another piece of wisdom behind me. The next time one of my children eats a bullet, I will just say, "It'll pass!"

BOYS!

A fun fall day

We decided to enjoy the first cool, no COLD day of fall. Did not really phase the kids though!







Big bro takes some kids for a ride!
I remember when the big kid was the size of the little one!
Before I know it, the litte guy will be clearing leaves!

Swinging is always a favorite!
...and playing catch
No, I did not let this one drive yet, although he did try it with a real car once! (No joke!)
The trailer looked bigger than that!

Not sure who is driving now!
I don't think they will ever get tired of riding!
Aren't I cute!
The hunters return to end the day~shot a fox but could not track it, hopefully next time!

Easy Pizza Casserole

This is one of my families favorite casseroles and mine to because it litterally takes minutes to prepare:



Place 15 oz bag of UNCOOKED noodles in 9x13 pan

Cut up pepperoni and add

1lb 10oz jar of speghetti sauce ( you can also use 2 of the Hunt's sauce, very reasonably priced!)

1 lb hamburger or sausage ( I have pre-cooked hamburger in freezer so it saves lots of time!)Add 1 1/2 cups water

Stir together and sprinkle with 2 Cups Mozzerella cheese and 1 T. of italian seasoning



*Cover (Essential so nooldes can cook) and bake at 400 degrees for 45 minutes or until noodles are tender



*I like to add onions, peppers or different healthy things



ENJOY!

A day in the life with 10arrows, and mom!

I saw this idea to give others a glimpse of a day in our life. It varies somewhat, but for the most part, this is our life:

5:15 am- feed the baby and put him back to bed

5:30am- My time with God (essential if I am to function the rest of the day!)

6:45am- I attempt to get in the shower before little yawns and footsteps can be heard (this morning I made it, some mornings I have little ones waiting in the bathroom for me when I open the shower curtain!

7:00am- downstairs to start my day as a mommy and wife and asked by 2 or 3 little boys to get their clothes ( I guess they are ready to start their day whether I am ready or not!)

7:30am- baby wakes up and needs to cuddle~So at this point I am on the couch with at least 4 other children who are asking me to get them dressed, eat and go outside! (I don't think the world is quite ready for them yet, I tell them!)

8:00am- The long awaited breakfast is here! We have eggs, bagels, and pineapple this morning. Depending on the day, breakfast changes. My favorite day is Tuesday, that is cereal day! Okay, I admit, it's my lazy meal. Internally, I feel better when I make a good, healthy breakfast, but sometimes my flesh enjoys the simple route.

8:15am- feed baby his cereal while other kids enjoy thier food

8:30am- we do morning charts and prepare for bible time

9:00am- pick up daughter from orchestra

9:30am- get home and oldest son has little ones wound up higher than a kite. Have to coral them all and prepare for bible time

9:45am- still trying to prepare for bible time which is usually at 9:00 but I'm losing ground quickly. Baby is supposed to be down for morning nap, he is crying at my feet, 2 year old needs diaper change and 3 year old needs wiped, I guess bible time will be at 10:00, I think!

10:00am- I finally put baby down a half hour late, and tell the kids to sit at the table for bible time so when I come downstairs they will be ready 10:05am- Hey, they are all sitting at the table! Okay, so we are an hour and 5 minutes off schedule.

10:30am- Kids begin their assignments, little ones begin playing, and throwing things, and need my assistance, so I get out puzzles for them to do

11:00am- well, puzzles lasted for awhile, now playdough is in order then I call a couple of the older ones to read to the younger ones for reading time

12:00pm- buddies prepare lunch (we have a buddy system in order so older kids can help with younger kids) Baby wakes up from nap

12:30pm- charts get done, and I feed the baby

1:00pm- naps for youngest 6, usually time for me to run errands while the oldest babysits, but today, I cleaned an edlerly ladies home

3:00pm- I get home and 2 kids are up, 4 still sleeping, I begin dinner preparations while the 2 that are up help me mix and stir

4:00pm- everyone is up and we prepare the house for dad to come home and I look over school work that is completed

5:00pm- we try to keep the sanity and quietness by reading books until dad walks in the door

5:30pm- we eat dinner, this meal was very crazy and hectic, maybe it's the weather! Lots of noise and chatter. I remember someday I will miss all these little faces and voices in my dining room

5:45pm- dinner clean-up and baths for little ones and feed baby

6:30pm- dad's playtime with the kids or should I say wrestle time with the kids

7:00pm- the two little ones go to bed

7:30pm- story time with dad

8:00pm- bedtime for the rest of the kids, older ones can read in their room, for some reason having a hard time getting the little boys to settle down. This is NOT an option in our home! Dad uses his sleeping in the playroom by yourself threat, and for the most, it part seems to work.

8:30pm- all is quiet and time for my husband and I to chat and go over our day

9:30pm- preparation for the next day and bed time for me! *For the most part, this is our daily schedule. Whew, I'm tired reading about it!

Friends

Today, I am reminded to thank God for my friends. Friends who have been there through all the fun stuff and the not so fun stuff!
A true friend is so hard to find. A friend who is still your friend even though you have not seen them face to face for literally months or years! (A phone is a wonderful invention!) In the business of motherhood, there is little time to maybe spend the time with them that you would like, but for all things there is a season and for a friend to understand that and continue with the friendship is a beautiful thing! I believe through all the seasons of my life, God has hand-picked all my friends. (And by His grace, He allowed some of the ones I would have chosen as friends growing up, to go our seperate ways!) I still have contact with those who are really near to my heart. (You know who you are!) I am a person who always has just a small handful of close friends. Those who I can bear my soul to, lifting me up in prayer and think of me often. For those of you who are reading this and consider yourself my friend, thank you! This is for you! To my mother, this is for you also! You have known me since the beginning and choose to love me anyway! :) I thank God for all of you! I thank God for all the seasons in my life that you have helped me and the blessing you have been to me! What a gift! Hug or call someone today thanking them for their friendship. It will bless them!