Thoughts on everything...

I am SO ready for winter

We have gotten a taste of it

The kids played in snow yesterday

Well, really they got to scoot their hands across the hood of our car and got it on their mittens

That was a BIG tease

Christmas is my favorite time of the year

I don't like how everyone bypasses Thanksgiving

I am thankful for friends

The older I get, the more I see just how special it is to have other's call you 'friend'

I hope when my daughters are adults, they will consider me their best friend and confidant

That is what my mom is for me

I love to share things with her

She always understands and encourages me

My baby is WAY to mobile

She is crawling AND pulling herself up!

I guess she knows she better get up and moving to keep up with her brothers

I have gotten used to drinking coffee in the evening

I have a friend who has Island Coconut coffee


I know jealousy is a bad thing but I AM jealous! :)

It is one of those fancy coffee makers that I would love to have someday!

Not really a chance of that when your house is in foreclosure and your husband has no job!

I am still happy I can make Snicker-doodle coffee that I got for my birthday, in my old fashioned coffee maker


About a year ago, mine was broke and I did not have one

I have decided to stay home at least 3 days a week without going ANYWHERE

I just get more done that way

I am learning to say "no" more to things outside the home

My husband has been finding work

It has been God's blessing

We are learning to live more and more by faith with EVERYTHING

It is not easy and predictable

That is how I like things

God is showing me that it is more "fun" to live His way

My kids are learning His provision first hand

My little boy is praying for a new pair of tennis shoes

I can't wait to see how God gives them to him

"We have not because we ask not"

He has asked and His faith is SO strong

He asks me everyday if this is the day he will get his shoes from God

I tell him he will receive them when God knows he needs them

It is hard to pack not knowing where you will be living

God knows, so I will just keep moving forward

I think we get to be in our home through the holidays

I am thankful for that!

My baby keeps waking up at night

Not sure why

As my grandma used to say...

"This too shall pass!"

I am reminded that someday, all that we are going through, will pass also

I pray I learn all that God wants me to learn through this

If we do not have trials, then that means we are living a complacent life

I am thankful for this trial because that means God sees it worth while to try me

Are you going through something in your life that God is wanting to use for His glory?

Take advantage of it!

To you, it might seem like a set-BACK

God can use it as a set-UP to show you more of Himself!

7 months ago

 I found these pitures today from EXACTLY 7 months ago

I was reminded of the terrible feelings I had at that time

she was 6 pounds and so sickly.

I put her in God's hands and knew He would provide for her and me

 I'm so thankful this part of her life is past us

but I learned so much from it!

 She was SO precious then and has grown a HUGE and DEEP well of love in 13 peoples hearts!

Each day with her is a blessing and today I was reminded again just how much I appreciate her little life in ouir family!!

From her scary beginnings to this!

7 months and 2 ounces shy of 16 pounds!

WOW!

What a gift she is!

Foto Friday ~ sibling love

Nothing compares to the love of a big sister and little brother!
It is simply a joy to watch!
I always wanted to be a big sister but instead,
I get to take part in raising daughters and sons that are big sisters and little brothers to each other!

Life is good!

Enjoy the weekend!
Give somebody and unexpected hug!
It will bless their day and yours!

Geometry lesson

This is a GREAT geometry project. 
Little ones can do it too!

Get creative with the items you can use

We had marshmallows and yogurt covered raisins.

Try fruit snacks, BIG marshmallows, jelly beans or anything chewy

Use coffee filters to hold the contents because they won't roll out that way

oh, and they are VERY cheap!  :)

We used toothpicks

 You could use strait pretzels

We tried spaghetti noodles but they broke to easily

(That was also a great experiment for the little ones to learn from!)

I will never understand why kids like to eat raw shaghetti!

(That really had nothing to do with anything!)

My kids worked at this for a LONG time!

They tried many different creations
My 9 year old did this and we decided it was our favorite
 and it held up really well!

It is so fun to watch them learn while having a great time!

Be creative and think outside of the box!

They will thank you for it!

Many brothers

God must think this sweet little thing is pretty tough!
Can you imagine having 8 OLDER BROTHERS!
For now, mommy watches her like a hawk and protects her like a china doll!
I am sure the day will soon come,
when I have to let go a bit and she won't be satisfied with being attached to my hip LITERALLY!

Here are some things that are sure to happen when you are a sister of MANY brothers:

• Every toy you have is pink but hot-wheels suddenly end up in front of you hourly
• your teethers get chucked across the living room and end up behind furniture
• somehow your toys can be found outside and you know that you did not put them there because you can't even walk yet!
• if you are laying on the floor, in a matter of seconds, someone will be laying across your back
• when you are learning to crawl, you have an audience circling you and cheering you on (actually, when you are learning ANYTHING the circle happens!)
• there is always a ball being stuck in front of your face
• your mom walks in the room and you have a toy alligator in your mouth
• you get blue jammies with cars and trucks on them
• you get strange things shoved in your mouth
• you never get a full nap because either boys are yelling or your door gets opened before you are ready to be awake
• your mommy never leaves you in a room without an adult
• you hear questions about your body parts and the idea that something is missing that your brothers have and you don't (and you don't know what they mean yet)
• you do not own an outfit that does not have pink, bows or ruffles on it because your mom has not been able to dress a baby girl for over 10 years
• To you, your elastic headbands are for your hair, however, your brothers think they are giant rubberbands to shoot at each other
• everyone calls you a princess and it's not to be mean
• you have a frog put on your belly when you are 4 months old
• you get fingers jammed in your mouth that are not yours
• you start crawling at 6 months to ensure your survival
• you get picked up by somebody only 8 inches taller than you
• football games are your lullabye music
• you realize that you may never get married because everyone will be terrified to come near you someday
• your daddy is in awe of you and your cuteness
• very loud noise levels do not scare you in the least
• you have your ears pierced at 3 months and own more earrings than your mom and you are only 7 months!
• you are loved and protected by many and you realize it will always be that way

It will be so very fun watching her with all these brothers!  I can't imagine what God has in store for her!  It's gonna be good!  I'm thinking a professional boxer or something!  :)  Whatever it is, He has a plan for her and I will do all that I can to raise her up in the way that she should go! 

Just hoping she makes it to her first birthday!

More about Halloween

Because I detest this day soooooo very much, here is some more info on why we (American's) have adopted some of the traditions of Halloween and where they have derived from.  It took conviction and seeking on my part, to find these things and it has set me free!  Even bobbing for apples has a root of evil!  Please read! 

Halloween Origins and Customs

History traces Halloween back to the ancient religion of the Celtics in Ireland. The Celtic people were very conscious of the spiritual world and had their own ideas of how they could gain access to it - such as by helping their over 300 gods to defeat their enemies in battle, or by imitating the gods in showing cleverness and cunning.


Their two main feasts were Beltane at the beginning of summer (May 1), and Samhain (pronounced Sah-ween) at the end of summer (Nov. 1). They believed Samhain was a time when the division between the two worlds became very thin, when hostile supernatural forces were active and ghosts and spirits were free to wander as they wished.

Read the rest HERE...

The Scariest Thing You Can Do This Time of Year

I HATE this time of year!  Well, actually I LOVE fall but the dreaded Halloween, I cannot stand!  I will not take part in it EVER and it saddens me so that others do!  We cannot make take lightly the powers of darkness.  My kids will never think trick-or-treating is fun and dressing up will not happen!  (Ok, maybe dress-up in the daily fun kind of way!  But not for Halloween!)  This is my conviction and this writing pretty much sums it up!

The Scariest Thing You Can Do This Halloween

The fear of the Lord is to hate evil. (Proverbs 8:13)
By Doug Phillips
Our country is in the grip of a fear crisis. The tension because of this fear is almost palpable. There is fear over the election, fear over the economy, and fear over hundreds of other issues ranging from the environment to terrorism.

For more, go HERE...

Foto Friday ~ An Adult

It is official!
We have another adult in our home.
Legally anyway!
Our oldest has turned 18!
I am so very proud of him!
Africa really "grew" him up!
He really was very grown up already but 6 weeks away from home for the first time in his life, half a world away, is dramatic!
(for both of us!)

I have enjoyed SO much watching him grow up!
I do however, realize that in my busyiness I may have wasted time thinking of things that really did not matter as he was growing up.
I wish I would have enjoyed his boyish ways more and worried less.
I wonder why I did not have him sit on my lap more to read stories to him before bed instead of needing more time for ME!
Why didn't I go outside and run and play with him instead of worrying about clean floors?
Why did it matter how many of his fingerprints were left on the windows?
Now, I would like to see little marks of him everywhere but his hands are busy other places
I wish I would have answered all his questions with patience instead of haste realizing that there were few years left that he would look to only me and my opinions

This week, he asked me to go to a movie and go shopping with him just because he wanted me too!
I did!
  I dropped everything I was doing,
I even went fresh out of the shower, putting my pride aside just to be with HIM!
(and he did not even care I had wet hair!)
I hope it is not to late to show him how much I love him by spending time with him whenever I can!
Now it is HIS choice when he wants to see or be with be!
It used to be he was ALWAYS with me because that was our life!
I realize that each day, is closer to him having some other woman in his life to do things with.

Until that happens, I will appreciate being with him when I can...

I have and will learn from this!
I don't want to live with any regrets!
I get it now how fast time goes and I want to savor it all.
Sometimes the days are long but the years go by soooo very fast!
I can't let time slip away so easily with my other children.
 I will ask God daily to remind me that there is only a short time with my children because I want to make sure I appreciate them while they are young.
They too will be 18 one day and it goes WAY to fast!

My son,
 I love you and I pray that you know how much you mean to me!
You are a blessing and a TRUE joy in my life!
I am so very proud of the Godly man you have become!
Continue to follow His lead wherever that may be
He will NEVER leave you nor forsake you!
I know I have failed you as a perfect parent,
but God never will fail you!
Thank you for being you!

Happy Birthday!