Foto Friday

After the excitement of the holiday preperations,

my boys needed some down/brain time!

The running around like turkeys,

had to come to a hault!

So we took some play-dough,

 

raw spaghetti noodles,

 

and cereal to make some really fun sculptures!

I will posting of some other fun activies to do with your children soon!

Stay tuned...

Thankful for potty-trained 2 year olds!

We have been doing this in our home this week...


It has been a family affair!
 It is nice to have an entire cheering squad of 12 when you trying to accomplish something as great as this
at the age of 2!

It has been 5 days and he has total control of his bladder already!
Even dry after 2 naps
AND drumroll please...
...woke up DRY this morning and ran downstairs straight to his plastic throne,
and filled it half way!

(okay, WAY to much info, but this mom cannot contain her excitement!)

I have NEVER had potty-training happen this quick in my life as a mother!

I really cannot take the credit,

He really did it himself with his GREAT support system of brother's and sister's
cheering him on!

Now,

for this I am thankful! :)

I really am so thankful for WAY  many more things,

 but this post just does not have enough room to fill all the blessings I am have been given!

Have a beautiful day tomorrow and weekend with the people you love!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Foto Friday

I seem to post lots about my boys!
But I guess when you have 8 of them and 7 of them are under your feet ALL day,
they tend to be the ones you have sight of often!
And let me tell you,
I have learned the hard way,
I NEED to have sight of them every moment! :)
Because what one does not think of,
another one will!
We have had a long couple weeks of strep throat going around and it is NOT over yet!
Just think if you will,
13 people passing it around and THEN the ones who got it first,
are getting it AGAIN!
So, yes we have cabin fever and winter has not even hit yet!
But I did catch these sweet little things playing together so
a-d-o-r-a-b-l-y!
And believe me when I say,
I NEED SOMETING ADORABLE TO LOOK AT!

Have a GREAT weekend and PLEASE stay healthy!

Thankful for food Thursday!

Okay, don't think about the calories as you make this!  Who really cares this time of year anyway, right?!  Yes, as you read this recipe, it does have CHEESE in it!  It is simply delish!  It is a great thing for kids to help with also!  They love to cut up the cheese and dump the stuff in.  Try it! ENJOY!

No-Cook Never-Fail Fudge

Ingredients:

1 pound Velveeta, cubed
1 pound butter
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
4 pounds confectioners' sugar
3 cups chopped walnuts
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Directions:

1.Melt cheese and butter together in a nonstick saucepan; stir until smooth. Keep this mixture over a low heat. In a mixing bowl, sift confectioners' sugar and cocoa together until thoroughly mixed and no lumps remain.

2.Combine the sugar mixture with the melted butter and cheese. Stir until very smooth. Stir in nuts and vanilla. Press mixture into 2 lightly sprayed or buttered 9x13 inch pans; let cool until firm. Cut into small squares. This fudge can be frozen.

If you came to my house...

We just had family visit for the weekend and it always amazes me how little I notice things in our home when "outsiders" are not around OR maybe it's when "outsiders" are around, I notice just how much we have going on in our busy home!  What ever the case, here are some things you may encounter if you take the brave attempt to visit us!  Be afraid, VERY afriad!

• you will not go hungry!
• don't worry about cleaning up after meal times! We don't let our guests help with that, we want you to enjoy your time at our home. HOWEVER, it may be a good excuse to visit with the ladies of the home!
• more than likely, your plate and cup won't match your neighbors unless you want to eat off of a seperated plastic plate and drink from a sippee cup! 
• Don't look for a beautifully set table but you will find lots of beautiful little faces!
• be prepared to have LOTS of conversations and answer LOTS of questions!  Some more than once!
• get your game face ready!  We love to play all kinds of games!
• hope you don't mind changing a diaper or two
• your lap will be climbed on and your cheek will be kissed
• if you need to use the bathroom, you might want to check with us first!  We are still learning how to flush after we use the toilet! AND how to replace the empty toilet paper roll! 
• no fancy towels and you might have to search for the soap in the shower somewhere when you wash your hands
• go to the bathroom with out interuptions? Doubtful!
• hope you like to read books and build with lego's!
• if you decide to stay overnight, you will have your bed warmed up with a heated mattress pad, but please bring your own pillow! Never sure if there will be extra's!
• can't promise you won't find a hotwheel, or some other toy when you you crawl into bed! Hopefully it will be not be something slimy and alive! (Can't promise that however!)
• hope you don't like to sleep in!
• don't worry though, we go to bed early, so getting up usually is not a problem!
• if it is, don't worry, the troops will be in plenty early to wake you up!
• hope you don't like getting dressed alone!
• we do make sure the shower curtain stays closed at all times, so you should be safe there!
• quiet, peaceful mornings? NEVER!
• lots of fun conversation? ALWAYS!
• breakfast is at 7 am, otherwise you may not eat simply because your portion may get ate!
• if you decide to look out the window at the beautiful sunrise, it may look clouded because of all the fingerprints
• get your bible out at 9am for bible time and make sure your singing voice is ready!
• please bring your wisdom to help with questions about science, math, english, etc...
• beware for balls being thrown in the house now that dad is home, get ready to duck!
• if you don't like watching kids wrestle, you may want to reconsider the room you are in when the kids are around!
• willing to fold laundry?
• what about running a washing machine?
• any objections to washing kids?
• bring your play clothes! You WILL be asked to go out and play!
• be prepared to hear lots of bodily sounds coming from little ones! (we are working on that one also!)
• you will find yourself amazed of the things you hear coming from a mother's mouth! I am still amazed!
• don't worry about bringing anything to do! YOU WILL NOT BE BORED!
• you will be LOVED! (whether you want to be or not!)
• more than likely, on your way home, your ears will hurt because of the quietness in your car!
• hopefully you will want to come back for more!

Foto Friday

Boys raking leaves is all work and NO play...

And more work with nothing else in mind...

Yeah, right!!!!!

Thankful for food Thursday!

This is great for the holidays or just to make for dinner some night.  It freezes great and you can make it the day before and just warm it up!  I was always leary of pumpkin soup.  Always thought pumpkin should be for breads or deserts but I am sure you will be surprised as I was to find how tasty this is!  Kids love it!

Pumpkin Soup

Ingredients:

2 (3 pound) pumpkins - seeded, peeled, and cut into 1-inch cubes
4 cups water
1 cube chicken bouillon
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
2 teaspoons ground ginger
2 teaspoons grated orange zest

Directions:

1.Combine the pumpkin, water, and chicken bouillon cube in a soup pot; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until the pumpkin is tender, about 30 minutes. Stir in the chili powder. Pour the mixture into a blender, filling the pitcher no more than halfway full. Hold down the lid of the blender with a folded kitchen towel and carefully start the blender, using a few quick pulses to get the pumpkin mixture moving before leaving it on to puree. Puree in batches until smooth and pour into a clean pot.  You can use a stick blender and puree the soup right in the cooking pot.

2.Return the soup to the pot and bring to a simmer over medium-low heat; stir in the cream, pumpkin pie spice, ginger, and orange zest and simmer for 10 more minutes. Return the hot soup to the blender and puree as before.

*I have to triple this recipe for company or my family.  This feeds about a family of 4-6.

Looking back...

I decided to look back into my archives for a post for today and was awe-struck that about exactly one year ago, I was dealing with sick babies just as I am right now! (That being the reason I have not posted all week!:)  I had a 4 yr old with 106.6 fever last week and one with 105.2 last night!  AND I was sick over the weekend!  (Also becoming a common occurance with this pregnancy!)  So, as I read this, it spoke to my heart and thought I would post it again for my readers! :) 

The flu has hit our home and of course has hit the little guys ALL at the same time! Oh my! The past 2 nights have been interesting! I will just leave it at that! :) When I have sick children, especially babies, I feel literally sick myself! Emotionally it really wears on me! I lay awake and listen to them coughing and I touch their hot little bodies and watch them sleep in my arms and I ache and long for them to be well!


Last night, as I was holding my 20 month old just laying on me because he felt so miserable! I began to have an image of how God feels when we are "ill". Not ill in body, but ill in our spirit. When our bodies are sick, we do all that we can to make them feel better if possible! We will do things to get fevers down, take away the headaches, figure out a way to stop the cough or runny nose. Why? Because it is just plain miserable to have our flesh feel so "out of order"! But what do we do with our hearts when we are not living side by side with Jesus? Do we look and search with urgency to find something to "heal" us because we are so miserable? Do we even realize how "ill" we are or are we so used to being sick, that eventually we just get used to living for ourselves without giving a second thought to anyone else around us?

I'm not necesarrily talking about those big whopper, noticeable to all, mistakes! (Although those can count too!) I am talking about the things that subtly steal and pull us away from our first love. For me, it can be sleep, (or lack there of), computer, just plain selfishness and focusing on my needs instead of those around me. There are way to many others to mention!

As I pictured this image of me with MY child, I pictured Christ with us. Just as I love my babies soooo much and ache when they ache, God does the same with us. When His children hurt, He hurts! It says in Psalms 56:8 that "He holds our tears in a bottle". That means He cares about us and He loves us!

The romans had a tradition during funerals or mourning that they would literally collect their tears in a bottle and keep them for rememberence. Just as I desire for my child to feel well, Christ desires for us to be well! Our hearts more than our physical bodies! God desires for our hearts to be right more than our bodies, the body is temporary!

2Corinthians 4:18 says, “While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.” Our bodies are temporary, our souls are eternal!

God provides those of us who are healthy, an immune system to heal us when we are ill. He also provided us a way to heal our hearts! His word and just plain talking to him! (That would be called prayer!) When we turn to Him, we will have ALL we need!

Just as we grab the motrin or tylenol when our bodies are sick, we can look to the world for things to "heal" our sick hearts, but they are only temporary fixes! We can look to the world to satisfy us through material things, TV, computer, over or under eating, focusing on our outward appearance, getting more "stuff", shopping, even looking to our husbands instead of God for our worth,(something else I will get into another time!), and many other things. As we do that, God looks at us lovingly and aches! He knows what we need!

Just as our immune systems knows what to do in our fleshly bodies! ( That's why we get fevers! ) We are fighting an infection of some kind. Our hearts need Him and only Him! Love Him with all your heart and begin to allow Him to heal your heart! Just as we desire so much for our children to be well, God desires us to be "well" and it hurts Him when we are not! He is willing to do whatever it takes! He loves us and wants us as close to Him as we can possibly be while on this earth! Just as it says in James 4:8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. Why do we do this? Because He knows what we need to stay healthy on this earth so we can be with Him forever in eternity!

He is only a simple word away, JESUS! Just call on His name! He will not turn His ear, but will listen and be there to heal you! Read what John 14:13 says, And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. The Bible DOES not lie! It is the infallible word of God! God cannot lie! Trust Him! Believe Him! Follow Him! He loves you, you are His child and He is holding you!

Photo Friday

One of the TRUE blessings of homeschooling! 
Watching muscians play for God all hours of the day and little ones in their jammies, enjoying the sounds!

And also listening to them work things out on their own!

Life is good!:)

Enjoy your weekend!

Thankful for food Thursday!

Our family are HUGE chicken lovers!  Anthing that has chicken in it, they are sure to clean their plates AND the serving dish will be empty!!  This is a great, tasty, casserole to enjoy with company or just a family meal.  I like to make it a day ahead and bake it the next day.  It also freezes great too!  Enjoy!

Almond Chicken Casserole



Ingredients:


1 1/2 cups uncooked long grain white rice
3 cups water
5 cups diced cooked chicken
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup (or cr. of chicken)
2 cups chicken broth
2 tablespoons lemon juice
3 tablespoons chopped onion
1 (8 ounce) can water chestnuts
1 1/2 cups sliced almonds
1 cup chopped celery
2 teaspoons ground white pepper
1 tablespoon salt
3 cups cornflakes cereal
1 cup butter, melted

Directions:

1.Combine rice and water in a saucepan, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes.

2.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.

3.In a large bowl stir together the cooked rice, diced chicken, mayonnaise, yogurt, cream of mushroom soup, and chicken broth. Mix in the lemon juice, onion, water chestnuts, 1 cup of sliced almonds, and celery. Season with white pepper and salt. Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking dish.

4.In a bowl, toss the remaining 1/2 cup sliced almonds and cornflakes cereal with the melted butter. Spread evenly over the casserole.

5.Bake 35 to 45 minutes in the preheated oven

A few of my favorite things...

I think it is so fun to peek inside someone's heart.  The best way to do that, is to chat and get to know them better and better.  How can you do that in cyber-space?  Well, I thought maybe I would share a little bit of my heart with you by sharing some of my favorite things that I have in my home. These are dear to my heart and I although I can't sit down and chat with most of you, hopefully a peek into my world will allow you to get to know me a little bit more because I am just nice like that! :)

 This angel sat on my grandmother's bed for years, now it sits on mine.  Every morning I think of her when I start my day!  I hit the hay pretty early each night and my bed is my sanctuary that I look forward to heading to each night to wind down and thank God for His provision
When I got this bedspread (at a garage sale I might add) which is my FAVORITE find as a garage sale novice,  I put it on my bed, my 4 year old came in and told me my room looked like a hotel!  HA!

 My first favorite book, is my bible!  The book on the top is one I could read over and over and over... and the lamp, candle and container full of pens (to take notes as I read my bible and book), sets the mood for me each night as I relax before I fall asleep.  (How long I sleep is always a guessing game!)

 This is my red robe that I slip into each evening and in the morning before I shower
(I have been known to get my jammies on as early as 4:00 in the afternoon!)  SHHH, don't tell anyone!

 I am the type that likes one kind of perfume that I wear everyday, for the past 2 years, this is it! (Good thing Christmas is coming!  Looks like I might need a refill soon!)

 My favorite symbol as my God-given role as a mother

I always wanted many children!  I can honestly say 12 was NEVER even a thought! 

  a shelf with a picture of my precious grandma and youngest of the family
(Oh and also the shelf that the cat likes to try and crawl under and knock over!)
I used to collect miniature tea sets.  At one point I had over 50 of them and then the shelf that I had them on, came crashing down to the floor from the wall and broke most of them.  So I put the ones I could salvage, on this shelf.  As you can see, NONE are left thanks to the cat!
 This WILL be the last indoor cat we have!

I have not let bitterness overtake me though! :)

                                                                                                                                                                                       
Where I like to sit with a good book when the temps are warm.  The screened in porch this chair is on, was one of the things that helped me fall in love with my home when we were looking!

 These are the dishes that my mother-in-law got when her and my husband's dad were married (He died when she was 5 months pregnant with my husband) My husband never got to meet his dad, but someday he will!  (Maybe he is holding the 4 grandchildren that I have miscarried!)
AND my favorite color is the wall paint in the back ground!  GREEN!

The symbol of my role as a help-meet to my husband and the ring that my grandmother wore for over 70 years and showed her dedication to be a Godly wife to my grandfather

The diamond was replaced by a ruby years ago because we were so poor a couple years after we got married that my husband had to sell ALL of his baseball cards (hundreds) to pay rent.  So, I felt I needed to give something and all I had was the diamond in my ring.  I made the choice to replace the diamond with the color of the blood of Jesus gem because I knew Jesus was going to take care of us our entire lives!  He has proved that to be true!  (At the time we had 2 kids, and there are 4 diamonds in the ring also.  I always thought of that as a symbol of my husband, myself, and the 2 kids with Jesus in the middle.) 

I have NEVER regretted it, by the way!

And my most PRIZED possesions...

If you will take a look just to the left of my posts and scroll down, you will see some pics of my hubby and kids.  Those "favorite things" I get to take to heaven with me!  Now, that is the core of my heart and where my treasure truly is!

Let me know something special about you so I can get to know you a touch better!  Now that would be fun!