Who Would've Thought?

Working on a collection

2012-01-27T22:08:00.001-08:00

I paid about $3 for all three of these bowls at a rummage sale this summer then primed and spray painted them some vintage-y colors. I'm keeping my eye open for more so I can fill the space above my kitchen cabinets with lots of them!
I'm going for something like this:

link

Or this:

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With colors like this:

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And some of these:

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And maybe these:

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Crazy hair

2012-01-27T22:07:00.000-08:00

More summer fun

2012-01-27T22:06:00.000-08:00

Beach vacation

2012-01-27T21:52:00.001-08:00

This man was truly living history, piloted that type of plane during WWII and lived to tell some amazing and outrageous stories about it!

Stop me if I've told you this story before...

2012-01-27T21:12:00.001-08:00

This last summer Mikey came out of his room hollering for me to come and see this "weird bird" he spotted outside his window. I was expecting him to show me a Magpie or something even less exciting. You can imagine my surprise when I saw this Green Cheeked Conure instead!

The bird was perched less than three feet from Mikey's window and we could tap on the glass without it starting. Convinced it was some body's beloved pet we tried to catch it. He wasn't fooled by our birdseed/cardboard box/towel contraption and it didn't take us long to realize he was smarter than us, I mean, smarter than we anticipated. Eventually his belly was full of our birdseed and he was done playing our little games so he flew off into the field behind the house. Without any other options we said a little prayer that he would make it home safely instead of into the claws of one of the huge hawks that frequent Thompson Hill. The kids were deeply disappointed as they watched what they had thought would be their future pet fly away.

When we look back at the picture it makes us giggle to think how silly we must have looked trying to catch that bird, but it was a good lesson in trying to do the right thing even if it did not work out like we thought it would.

Don't Forget...

2011-12-13T20:26:00.000-08:00

(Click on the comic to make it large enough to read)

Merry Christmas, and may we never forget.

Doorposts

2011-11-29T10:50:00.000-08:00

These are my entries for the "Write them on the Doorposts" Contest over at the Doorposts blog.

Good luck to all!

Normally this golden apple and silver dish would sit on our mantel, where we can be reminded to choose our words wisely. But our stockings are hung by the chimney with care and are displacing everything else, so it is sitting on our entry way table. The Scripture is Proverbs 25:11 "Words aptly spoken are like apples of gold in settings of silver."

Can you see the bite marks in the apple? When I went to the craft store to buy a fake apple, Jeremiah bit into it, he was so small I couldn't do anything but laugh...and then purchase it! Since then Ella has also tried to taste the forbidden fruit!

These are my salt and pepper shakers. When we go on a trip or if I wander into an antique store I always keep my eyes peeled for a pair that I like. It is a fun and inexpensive collection to build. I hung a tag with Matthew 5:13 "Ye are the salt of the earth, but if the salt have lost it's savour, wherewith shall it be salted?" It sits in my kitchen near the sink so I can think about how to spice up and flavor and preserve the world around me.

This one is "for the birds!" I like pretty little birds and I love all the references in Scripture about birds. Eagles, sparrows, and the shadow of God's wings, there are so many comforting and uplifting passages. This one is Psalm 84:3 "Even the sparrow finds a home and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young at Your altars, O LORD of Hosts, my King and my God."

And a tag to remind the littles that God knows all things, that He created them and that He loves them enough to number even the hairs on their heads! (Luke 12:7) This one is hanging on the basket with all the combs and hair accessories.

I have big plans for more tags. I'd like to hang one from the clock with verses from Ecclesiastes 3:1-8:
^1"For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:
²a time to be born, and a time to die;a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; ³a time to kill, and a time to heal;a time to break down, and a time to build up; ⁴a time to weep, and a time to laugh;a time to mourn, and a time to dance; ⁵a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together;a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; ⁶a time to seek, and a time to lose;a time to keep, and a time to cast away; ⁷a time to tear, and a time to sew;a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; ⁸a time to love, and a time to hate;a time for war, and a time for peace."

Or on one of the lamps with John 1:4:
In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

Head on over to Doorposts, they have a great contest with lots of ideas.

A good deal

2011-10-16T16:29:00.000-07:00

I'm getting through July one photo at a time! We picked up this eight-foot picnic table on Craigslist for a song! Less than we would have paid for a six-foot one at retail. It wasn't finished, but with some help from the boy, and stain leftover from our fence, Michael had it ready to use in no time! The kids love to eat lunch outside while I read our latest chapter book to them. I like to eat out there for dinner and look at Badger Mountain as the sun sets, but not more than I like to think of the memories we will make hanging out around that table, enjoying one another.

Clams

2011-10-16T16:09:00.000-07:00

As I sit here to write this funny little memory down, I realize that half of the memory is already gone. Hmmm, we were near water (but I don't know where or why), and Mikey found this little clam. He shoved it into his pocket deciding to cook it up as a snack when we returned home. And that is exactly what he did, topping it off with a little salt and butter, he dug it out with a fork and chewed and chewed and chewed and chewed, made a wretched face and swallowed it down! Sometimes the kids and their ideas crack me up, sometimes they drive me crazy and sometimes they make me thoughtful. I try to indulge their ideas as often as possible, but when they are talking about building forts as big as our house into trees the size of our van it is hard to explain the logistics of it all without feeling like I am squelching their hopes and dreams. And so lately I have realized to just let them talk about it, go for it, and figure out for themselves if it is practical or not. It never gets as far as I am afraid it will, the bigger their imaginations, the bigger my fears! And they are never as heart-broken as I think they will be when their plans don't come to fruition, surprisingly, they just roll with it. Now, if I can just train them to clean up all the messes they make along the way...that's the hard part!

Pay it forward mustache

2011-10-13T14:30:00.000-07:00

Three gifts down, and two to go from my "Pay it Forward" post on Facebook. This stuffed mustache key chain was the most fun to make and give so far. I made it with pleather from Joann and stuffed it . The loop that attaches it to the keyring is just some black cording. There are three young ladies in Spokane who got a kick out of their little gift and I am so glad they enjoyed getting them as much as I enjoyed making them!

I hate to go, but I am in a hurry today, so I really "mustache!" HAHAHAHA!! Get it?!

July--Mini-figure swap

2011-10-06T11:37:00.000-07:00

We have LEGO fever around our house, and so does every young man that we know! In July we hosted a white-elephant mini-figure swap. Each boy built and wrapped a unique mini-figure, my particular favorite wrapping job was one in a band-aid box! In true white-elephant style the boys "stole" from each other until each ended up with a new mini-figure to add to their collections!

It piqued my Pinterest...

2011-09-26T17:35:00.000-07:00

Bread tie to mark the end of the tape

When I told this one to my lady friends, they all said it was "old news," they had "known it for years," and worse yet that it was "easier just to flip the edge of the tape under!" Some people just don't appreciate a good idea!Raspberries stuffed with chocolate chips

The original pin had them stuffed with white chocolate chips too, but I ate all those straight out of the bag and didn't have any left. It would have been good though!Root beer float popsicles

(this is not my photo)

Root beer floats are one of my favorite desserts, so these popsicles hit the spot this summer. Anything made with sweetened condensed milk has got to be good, right?!

Globe pedestal bowl
(a different one here)

We had a globe, for about 3 months, and then Simon got it, then we had a broken globe. I didn't want to part with it because I thought we could fix it somehow. But I was wrong. So I saw this on Pinterest and copied it. I liked it better as a real globe, it was a big part of homeschool geography! But this'll do! And with the other half I want to do this...

Globe clock!
(this is not my photo)

Thanks to Sarahendipity, for passing on the link via Pinterest! She thought I would like it and she was right!

If you aren't on Pinterest yet, you should be! I'll send you an invitation if you want one!

Done with June, only 3 months behind!

2011-09-22T17:56:00.000-07:00

This post will catch me up with pictures through June on the ol' blog, that is, if you don't count all the months that went by without any mention at all...but whose keeping track anyway? (Besides you, Mom!)

We had a quick trip to Spokane in June, to meet a sweet, new baby boy, who we loved dearly just as soon as we saw him. His momma is one of my best-good friends and a big reason why a little bit of me will always regard Spokane as home, so how couldn't we cherish her babies?? He was as cute as she promised and Haley couldn't keep her hands off him!We spent a good portion of the day at Audubon Park playing in the sprinklers!

My new go-to bday present

2011-09-17T21:11:00.001-07:00

This "build-your-own-fort-kit" has been a big hit with the birthday kiddos and their parents, it is inexpensive and easy to put together, which is why it is my new go-to bday present!

I got the idea from Saltwater Kids, this post. She got the idea from Bloom, this post. And since then I have seen it at Design Dazzle, this post. Or with a superhero twist here at Grosgrain.

I've only included one twin size sheet and about 10 clothespins but the other tutorials have several sheets and more clips. I've also been using a matching pillowcase cut in half and lined with a coordinating print, then made into a drawstring bag, which just seemed easier to me but you could just use the pillow case the way it is or any other bag you find.

And on a related note, but also for any number of other fun projects, you can design your own tags on Picnik using this tutorial at Homemade by Jill or this one at The Mother Huddle. There is another one on the Picnik Blog right here, and they link this post at Wordplay. Or you can just use the tags at the bottom of the post from Saltwater Kids. Whew! That is a whole lot of links!! I hope you use them and make a fort kit for some luck little guy or gal!

Project and sewing tip

2011-08-20T18:04:00.000-07:00

Idea from: Infarrantly Creative, tutorial here.
Who got the idea from: The Idea Room

My added tip: Use a little glue stick to secure the ribbon before you sew it on, it saves you from having to pin it. You can also use glue stick instead of pins for hemming pants and any number of other things, try it sometime! The idea was passed on to me in a sewing class.

And one more thought, the metal clips were found in the section with all the purse handles at Joann, not in the notions dept.

It was so easy to do that I sat down and made all of these at once.

What to get for the three-year-old who has everything?

2011-08-18T10:45:00.000-07:00

A bubble-wrap hopscotch game for my nephew's birthday, original idea here!

Sisters

2011-08-14T17:42:00.000-07:00

You were expecting me to gush about my sister again weren't you? Well, I do love her more than my luggage, but this post is about our recent trip to Sisters, OR. We had so much fun, and it wasn't because it was jam packed with stuff to do. We had fun because it wasn't jam packed with stuff to do! Our friends, the Knudsens, pictured below, have a family home there and invited us to come and stay with them for a few days, needless to say, we were all for it! It was a fantastic time, with a fantastic family and we are grateful!

Haley

2011-08-01T10:55:00.000-07:00

Hard to believe that sweet little preemie is now 7-years old! I have had the opportunity to reflect on the circumstances surrounding Haley's birth lately, and it really didn't occur me until now that God spared us from a very hard road. He orchestrated every circumstance so that we would be safe at the hospital long before the problems that occurred could turn into major difficulties. I am thankful that He did that for us, that He spared us from those difficulties and I am prayerful for a family who is giving Him the glory in just the opposite way, He is allowing them to walk through the difficulties, but He is with them every step of the way. Praise God for the plans He has for each family and that He never leaves us alone.
So, she is 7, and beautiful inside and out. She giggles and is joyful no matter the circumstance. She is a glass-is-half-full kind of girl (which doesn't come from me!). I will share something she said recently that made me giggle and made me thankful all at the same time.

After listening to an "Adventures in Odyssey" program about a little girl who thinks she has to be beautiful to amount to anything, Haley said "I used to think that I was going to go to Heaven just because I was beautiful. But now I know that you have to have Jesus as your Savior to get there when you die." I am thankful that she knows, that God didn't let her get away with believing she was beautiful enough to get to Heaven on her own, that she carries His joy around with her always, and that she shares her giggles with me once in a while! And I am mostly thankful that she is beautiful, but hope she gets to that "awkward stage" really soon, and stays that way until she is thirty or so!

You can believe this or not...I know it is difficult to imagine, but she has also changed her favorite color from pink to blue?!

Family Friday

2011-07-08T17:30:00.000-07:00

I'd love to tell you that this is a new beginning for me and my blog, that this post will be the revival of all regular blogging on my part, because I really do enjoy it, but it probably won't be. I've been feeling very incompetent when it comes to writing, realizing more and more my ignorance of my native tongue and don't want to continue to embarrass myself with poor grammar. (For my Classical Conversations friends, you know what I'm talking about, right? I keep feeling like I need to go through Essentials before I can show my face on the blog again! HA!)

My craftiness has been limited to sewing lately, and maybe I will post a few of those things, but I haven't had any new epiphanies to share, only recycling ideas that I find all over the web. I did find a new site called Pinterest, if you haven't checked it out...you MUST DO IT NOW! It is an online PIN board for all those ideas that catch your INTEREST, get it, Pinterest? I have been organizing all my crafty bookmarks onto my Pinterest page and loving it. People use it to plan weddings, to organize their remodel projects, to categorize just about anything you could imagine.

Time is not on my side. Don't ask me how I had more time to blog when Ella was just a babe, because I cannot explain it. In reality I think I was just more willing to ignore the chores that should have been done instead. School has intensified a little bit for us and I am anticipating it ramping up even more in the next couple of years. Maybe that is why?

Anyway, I don't want to quit blogging, I like it. My momma said she felt disconnected so I thought I would jump on here and share a few pics for her. Then I realized it was Friday and I could do a Family Friday post...for old time's sake!

You can click on any of the photos to enlarge them.

A long time ago in a kingdom far, far, away we went to a wedding. I was a bridesmaid for Melanie, and got to spend much time with some of my favorite girls on the planet! I made Haley's dress and if I do say so myself...she and Mikey were a great addition to the wedding party! Then we decorated the get-away car with post-it notes which we thought was hilarious!!

We've done a fair amount of hiking this summer. This picture of Ella is from Zintel Canyon here in Kennewick. Unfortunately it was the last time the binoculars worked. The next time I tried to use them one of the lenses had fallen out...bummer...no birding for a while. At least none more than 10 feet away!

Then we went to a Memorial Day Picnic that our church put on and tried our hand (well, really our feet) at all the fun games. I wish I had a picture of the river normally and a picture of how high and fast it was running on this day, it was unbelievable and a little bit scary with Ms. Ella running around. The weather was beautiful all day, just for the picnic, because as soon as it was over and we all made it home, the clouds and rain and wind began again.

We had an AWESOME field trip with our CC group up to Palouse Falls. Mark Finkbeiner, from our local Creation Science Club and Founder of the traveling Creation Science Museum was our host and explained how so many of the geological features actually point to the truth in Noah's Flood rather than evolution. It was fantastic, he even showed us some petrified wood that went through more than one layer of the basalt columns.

Washington State hosts a free fishing weekend each year, and Michael's Uncle Tony (middle collage, right side) invited the whole family to come to Dayton WA, and enjoy it with him. I think every one caught their limit in Rainbow Trout and brought home over 70 fish! Uncle Gary (affectionately known as Uncle Bobo, middle collage, left side) and Uncle Tony gave everyone a quick reminder lesson in how to clean the fish, which is what prompted the HILARIOUS faces that Mikey and Jeremiah are making in the bottom photos. When we said "clean the fish" they were probably thinking "give them a bath" not, "cut their heads off and rip their guts out!" Mikey couldn't do it this year, but we'll try again next year!

That catches us up to June as far as summer pictures go! Maybe next Friday we'll do another installment?

Merrily we stroll along

2011-04-30T22:14:00.001-07:00

Tutorial here at one of my new favorite blogs Prudent Baby.

You oughta read it...

2011-04-30T21:55:00.000-07:00

(The Preamble to the Bill of Rights)

Congress of the United States
begun and held at the City of New-York, on
Wednesday the fourth of March, one thousand seven hundred and eighty nine.

THE Conventions of a number of the States, having at the time of their adopting the Constitution, expressed a desire, in order to prevent misconstruction or abuse of its powers, that further declaratory and restrictive clauses should be added: And as extending the ground of public confidence in the Government, will best ensure the beneficent ends of its institution.

RESOLVED by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America, in Congress assembled, two thirds of both Houses concurring, that the following Articles be proposed to the Legislatures of the several States, as amendments to the Constitution of the United States, all, or any of which Articles, when ratified by three fourths of the said Legislatures, to be valid to all intents and purposes, as part of the said Constitution; viz.

ARTICLES in addition to, and Amendment of the Constitution of the United States of America, proposed by Congress, and ratified by the Legislatures of the several States, pursuant to the fifth Article of the original Constitution.

Amendment I

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

Information taken from Charters of Freedom.

Happy late Resurrection Day!!

2011-04-30T21:35:00.000-07:00

Traditionally we spend Easter with Papa and Grammy Stordahl, but they skipped town on us (for a worthy cause!), so we decided to invite some friends instead, and were so glad we did! Dinner was a breeze since we all shared the cooking duties potluck style, and the kids had a great time playing together. All the kids except Haley Pie, she was sick. She was so disappointed in not getting to wear her new dress and celebrate at church and on top of all that having to be quarantined while we all ate and talked and played. I am afraid that she will be the only one who doesn't look back on this Easter with fond memories.

Matthew 28:6
"He is not here, He is risen just as He said, come and see the place where He lay!"

Easy as apple pie

2011-04-26T09:02:00.001-07:00

This MOPS group with these ladies, plus several others, changed my view on being a wife and a mother. I have said it before, and will likely say it again, if it weren't for them and the Word that grew in my heart, I would be a bitter and angry woman, a wretched beast of a person.

I took many things away from those meetings not the least of which was the easiest apple pie recipe ever! We made these at MOPS and then took them home to bake and bless our husbands, and it worked, Michael LOVED it.

The recipe has a ton of butter, which melts with the apple juice and the sugar when it is baking and makes the most delicious caramel-y, sticky, mess on the crust. Even discerning, apple pie connoisseurs have asked me for the recipe because it is so perfectly sweet and good! I hope you have the opportunity to make and enjoy it sometime!

MOPS Apple Pie
9" pie crust for top and bottom
4-5 apples
2T flour
1C sugar
dash of salt
dash of cinnamon
stick of butter

Get your bottom pie crust into the pie pan.

Cut up the apples and mix with all the other ingredients, except butter. Then pour into the pie crust. Cut the butter into small cubes and place them all over the top of the apple mixture. Arrange your top crust, make sure you vent it with a fork or cut out a design, and flute the edges. Bake at 425 degrees for 40 minutes, with the edges covered and 10 more minutes without.

Serve warm with ice cream!

He's been published!

2011-04-08T22:47:00.000-07:00

(Mom, just click on the picture to make it bigger...)

So, Mikey is EIGHT now. I pretty much freaked out when he turned FIVE...now he is EIGHT! I never believed grown-ups when they said that time went faster as you got older, but now I do.

He had a pretty big birthday month, which included...

Getting his sketch published in our very favorite science magazine called Nature Friend. (sometimes Nature Friend is our science curriculum, excellent magazine.)

Winning, with his very good friend, the egg-protector building contest at Classical Conversations!

Being part of the first place team at AWANA Games in Yakima!! Wahoo, GO SPARKS!!

Designing and helping dad to build "The Viper" which took 3rd place for speed out of 50 cars at the AWANA Grand Prix in Richland WA. And 1st place for speed in the AWANA Grand Prix in Spokane WA.

I just keep thinking about how God planned all these fun events for Mikey ahead of time. That He has a plan for my little man that is so much bigger than all I can ask or imagine (although I do try to imagine it), and that all these little things are adding up to lessons learned and a heart molded to (hopefully, prayerfully) be thoroughly equipped for every good work that God has prepared in advance for him to do.

Today Mikey prayed for me, I was going to lose it with Ella and he walked up, held my hand and said "Mom, don't lose your temper, let me pray." I almost started bawling, and I would have if I weren't so angry at that moment. But God listened to that little prayer and gave me peace beyond understanding, and enough patience for the moment. That prayer was one of the good works God prepared in advance for him to do.

Right now he is putting some U.S. Presidents flashcards in order. He asked if he could do it, because it would be a good thing to do for school. I can tell you for certain that I NEVER, EVER, asked or even wanted to do something because it was good for my education. And again I am reassured that God is working all things together for his good, that He has a plan and that He is working it out for my dear, sweet boy.

What's in the dress up box...

2011-03-31T17:55:00.001-07:00

Hats
Purses
Old halloween costumes (animals, superheros, etc.)
Costume jewelery and beaded necklaces
Bandanas
Old sports uniforms
Play cell phones
Aprons and wooden spoons
Clip-on ties
Plastic high-heels (I totally loved these when I was a little girl, and now my girls do too!)
Tap dance shoes
Gloves
Pom-poms
Skirts
Tulle--yards of it!
Sunglasses, fake reading glasses
Wings
Princess dresses
Outdated bridesmaid/prom dresses
Scrubs
Wedding veil or fake flowers for a bouquet

Check for all these items at yard sales or thrift stores, even in your own closet. The Dress Up Box is a favorite with my kids and pretty much all of our young visitors! You won't regret building a collection of items that keep your kids independently entertained while exercising their imagination.

Ella

2011-03-29T13:52:00.000-07:00

Ella turned 3 this month. For birthday dinner she chose roasted chicken and salad, for dessert she chose ice cream sundaes.

We are in the thick of it with potty training right now. Which means it might not be the best time to write a loving, adoring, special birthday post. I can't even say we are in the thick of it because quite honestly I don't know where we are in the process. I do know that we are on week #5, and none of the other kids took more than two weeks. I also know that we are on potty chart #4, and never needed more than one potty chart with the others. I almost gave up in week #2 but my good friend prayed for me to persevere...see where that got us?! Anyway, here we are, week #5, persevering, but just barely.

If you read the Christmas letter you already know that we call her "soggy face," due to the constant flow of tears on her cheeks. Believe it or not, her face is dry more often than it is wet lately, and that is progress!

She likes to do whatever the older kids are doing, she likes to jump on the trampoline, she likes to color, she does not like going potty like a big girl.

She likes to go to "classcal conbersations," she likes to eat just about everything, she likes to read books, she does not like it if I get too far ahead of her on a walk.

She likes to listen to stories in the car, she likes to listen to music, she likes the ABC's, she does not like sitting still.

She likes to give hugs, she likes to give kisses, she likes to receive them both, she does not like being told no.

She likes Grammy, she likes her brothers and sister, she likes Simon, she does not like doing her ONE chore.

I love Ella from the top of her head to the tip of her toes and everywhere in between, I love her hugs, I love her kisses, I do not love potty training.

Another great giveaway

2011-03-16T16:20:00.000-07:00

At Raising Homemakers from Veritas Press, it is their Phonics Museum Reading Curriculum. Good luck!

Doorposts giveaway

2011-03-15T13:38:00.000-07:00

Doorposts, a beloved resource for my family is having 10 days of giveaways to celebrate their new blog. Click HERE to check it out! Good luck!

You oughta read it...

2011-01-14T22:29:00.000-08:00

It's the Declaration of Independence and it is relevant today...

IN CONGRESS, July 4, 1776.

The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America,

When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.--Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.

He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.
He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.
He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.
He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.
He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.
He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the Legislative powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.
He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.
He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary powers.
He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.
He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harrass our people, and eat out their substance.
He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.
He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power.
He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:
For Quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:
For protecting them, by a mock Trial, from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:
For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:
For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:
For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury:
For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences
For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies:
For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:
For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.
He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.
He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.
He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.
He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.
He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.

In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.

Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our Brittish brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.

We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.

The 56 signatures on the Declaration appear in the positions indicated:

Column 1
Georgia:
Button Gwinnett
Lyman Hall
George Walton

Column 2
North Carolina:
William Hooper
Joseph Hewes
John Penn
South Carolina:
Edward Rutledge
Thomas Heyward, Jr.
Thomas Lynch, Jr.
Arthur Middleton

Column 3
Massachusetts:
John Hancock
Maryland:
Samuel Chase
William Paca
Thomas Stone
Charles Carroll of Carrollton
Virginia:
George Wythe
Richard Henry Lee
Thomas Jefferson
Benjamin Harrison
Thomas Nelson, Jr.
Francis Lightfoot Lee
Carter Braxton

Column 4
Pennsylvania:
Robert Morris
Benjamin Rush
Benjamin Franklin
John Morton
George Clymer
James Smith
George Taylor
James Wilson
George Ross
Delaware:
Caesar Rodney
George Read
Thomas McKean

Column 5
New York:
William Floyd
Philip Livingston
Francis Lewis
Lewis Morris
New Jersey:
Richard Stockton
John Witherspoon
Francis Hopkinson
John Hart
Abraham Clark

Column 6
New Hampshire:
Josiah Bartlett
William Whipple
Massachusetts:
Samuel Adams
John Adams
Robert Treat Paine
Elbridge Gerry
Rhode Island:
Stephen Hopkins
William Ellery
Connecticut:
Roger Sherman
Samuel Huntington
William Williams
Oliver Wolcott
New Hampshire:
Matthew Thornton

This information was taken from The Charters of Freedom.

What's in store?

2011-01-04T15:41:00.000-08:00

Potty training, for one, Ella is almost three, it is probably time to try...again.

Puppy training, Simon is cute and sweet, but he doesn't have the best manners.

For certain, there will be the everyday ordinary stuff.

Even more for certain, will be the unexpected stuff.

I don't know what is in store for this year, but my life is in the same Hands that hold the stars in place. (Thanks Elisabeth Elliot for that favorite word picture.)

Psalm 138:8
The LORD will fulfill His purpose for me;
Your steadfast love endures forever.
Do not forsake the work of Your hands.

Most certainly, because it says in His Word, He will fulfill His purpose for me, and He will love me when I fail, because His love is steadfast and endures forever.

I don't feel prepared for a new year, it came too quickly this time. But He holds the stars and He holds me.

Cards ordered...check

2010-12-03T11:34:00.000-08:00

Now let's see if I can get them in the mail on time?!

With Glee Christmas

Make a statement with custom Christmas cards at Shutterfly.

View the entire collection of cards.

http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0AbNXLRw4aN2bjI

Beans

2010-12-01T09:13:00.000-08:00

Do you see it? It is still there, that twinkle in his eye! In the last few months Jeremiah, who we call "Beans" has been growing by leaps and bounds. His speech has gotten clearer, he talks about more big-kid things, and plays better with the older two kiddos. He has gotten more independent, and in so many ways that is a wonderful thing. Although, my heart longs to hold him on my chest, in that scrunched-up, newborn way just one more time.

He was kind of a grumpy baby, not serious like Mikey was, just plain grumpy. I remember wondering what I would do with a cranky kid since I never really had one before him. But he grew out of that before long and then came the twinkle, I can't remember when it came, but it hasn't gone away since. He is just a sweet, funny, happy little guy.

Mr. Beans did develop a temper this last year. We are working on that, one outburst at a time! Even in that God is good, He gives us the patience to deal with it and encourages us with little improvements each day.

Who would've thought? Who would've thought God would give me, of all the mommies in the world, the privilege and the pleasure to raise that little man with the twinkle in his eye? Please God, fill in those gaps that I leave with my imperfect, sinful parenting, raise Jeremiah up to love you, to serve you, to obey you. Please let Jesus be his Savior and his Friend. In His name, Amen.

**For his birthday dinner Jeremiah chose cheeseburgers, french fries and banana splits.**

Here I dwell

2010-11-29T13:59:00.001-08:00

Elisabeth Elliot Daily Devotional

"I must admit I feel a lot of pressure with two children under two years of age. I am committed to do it until they are in school, however, and feel it is God's will. At times like this--when I wonder if I will even be able to finish this letter with both of them screaming for something--or when I miss going to lunch or getting dressed up, everyday life seems a drudgery. I worked hard to get through college--to be a scrubwoman, ha!"

I understand this mother's cry. So does the Lord. He has given us this word: "No temptation has come your way that is too hard for flesh and blood to bear. But God can be trusted not to allow you to suffer any temptation beyond your powers of endurance. He will see to it that every temptation has a way out, so that it will never be impossible for you to bear it" (1 Corinthians 10:13, PHILLIPS).

"A way out," I can hear her say, "What mother has a way out?"

The New English Bible translation throws light on this: "a way out, by enabling you to sustain it." Think, too, of Jesus' words, "My yoke is easy and my burden is light" (Matthew 11:29 AV). He is willing to bear our burdens with us, if only we will come to Him and share the yoke, His yoke.

I saw this principle in operation when I visited the Dohnavur Fellowship in India. There, day after day, year in and year out, Indian women (most of them single) care for little children, handicapped children, infirm adults, old folks. They don't go anywhere. They have none of our usual forms of amusement and diversion. They work with extremely primitive equipment--there is no running water, for example, no stoves but wood-burning ones, no washing machines. In one of the buildings I saw this text: "There they dwelt with the King for His work." That's the secret. They do it for Him. They ask for and receive His grace to do it. I saw the joy in their lovely faces.

Cute giveaway!

2010-10-25T19:27:00.000-07:00

Set of four ca-ute thank you cards, you get to choose from two color schemes! Check out Ness!

Hood River Part II

2010-10-25T18:02:00.000-07:00

IF this were an actual photo of our actual raft those arrows would actually be where Michael was sitting and where I was sitting in the boat, but this is not an actual photo of our actual raft, just one I pulled off of the website. If you are in the market for a white water rafting trip, you MUST check out Zoller's Outdoor Odysseys. We had an incredible experience, and they are Christian owned.

Now, I am sure that there is something to be said for having the safety briefing immediately before you get on your raft, although I am not sure I would say anything good about it. They went over all the worst-case-scenario stuff, and terrified is the only word to describe how I felt. So terrified, in fact, that I almost didn't get on the raft, it was only through gentle coaxing (from Michael) and tears, that I inched my way into my spot. That spot also happened to be much closer to the front than I wanted. I was convinced that I was going to end up in the freezing cold water, and most likely drowning before the afternoon was over.

During the safety talk I was glancing around at the guides, and some of them looked kind of young, some of them looked kind of punkish, one of them was a first-time guide. I just started praying that God would intervene on my behalf and give us an experienced, responsible-looking guide. I even prayed that He would miraculously switch my name on the lists if I didn't already have the right guide.

Convinced I was going to die, I also had one last request for God. Could He please just show me something about Himself, and let me see something beautiful before the end...this is all so silly in retrospect, but seriously, I was scared!

In order to make a long raft trip into a short blog post, I will just tell you the answers to my prayers, that is what this is all about, how good God is.

Turns out, our guide, wears several hats, in the summer he does raft tours for Zoller's, he also has a small screen-printing company, is a coach at the local high school, and is a YOUTH PASTOR, who pointed out evidence of a "long-ago, global-flood" along the way. We got the right guide and God is good.

I saw three new birds:
Common Merganser
Cedar Waxwing
And an American Dipper

I fancy myself an amateur (very, very amateur) bird-watcher so seeing three new ones in just a few hours was exciting. Exciting and beautiful, God is good.

The spot on the raft, that was too far forward, was directly behind Michael. Our guide would call out the instructions and Michael was always spot on, and immediately knew what to do. So all I had to do was follow Michael. Do you see it? Michael listens to the guide and then all I have to do is follow Michael...this is something God shows me, whispers to me, reminds me of, constantly. It is my job to follow Michael, it is Michael's job to listen to Him. God is so good.

I asked God to show me something beautiful, He did. I asked God to show me something about Himself, He showed me how gentle and merciful He is. He showed me how He loves to answer prayers. God is good.

Hood River

2010-09-25T22:41:00.001-07:00

Did you know we celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary last month? I probably told you, a million times already, but we had an incredible weekend away with no kids! We left them with Grammy and Papa. I felt a little guilty for not feeling more guilt about leaving them, but it isn't much of a transition for the kids to stay at their house...we did live there for a year after all!

The kids were glad to stay behind, but were afraid for their favorite animals to be left home alone all weekend...what if they got lonely? So we packed them up in our suitcases and promised to keep them company! Stuffed animals are much better long-trip-car-riders than four children. Pooh bear and Lamby got the royal treatment at our B&B. And they enjoyed the view in Hood River. Everywhere in Hood River has a great view.We stayed at a Bed & Breakfast called The Villa Columbia, a beautiful house just a few blocks from all the happenings in Hood River. It was yellow, my favorite color for houses, had flower baskets everywhere, old furniture and built-in benches, and shelves, and window seats, all original to the 100 year-old home. The best part was that every morning at breakfast we got to look out of a HUGE picture window and watch the bluebirds hunt for their vittles.Michael and I walked up and down the streets shopping and looking at all the lovely houses and flowers. It was a slow-paced walking, quiet talking, grown-up hand holding kind of a weekend.
We did go for a mini-hike one afternoon, it was very mini. I kind of didn't read the directions right and so we ended up in the wrong place. It was fine, we could see Mount Hood in one direction and Mount Adams in the other direction, both clear as day. Beautiful.We also went to a pick-your own berry, or flowers, or pears or peaches place called The Gorge White House. The house is on the Historic Registry and has been fully restored. We had a little wine-tasting, not my favorite. We wanted to pick some fruit, but everything was picked out, and the pears weren't ready yet. I did fall in love with some white lillies and told Michael how romantic it would be if he would let me take some home since they were the flowers at our wedding. He didn't get it, but he let me pick some anyway!Lest you think we were just lazy all weekend long, I will leave you with one more photo. This could very well have been the last photo we ever took together, as Michael dragged me onto a white-water rafting trip. I was convinced it was the end, really I was, I am not the adventurous type, never have been. At least not stomach-dropping, soaking wet kind of adventure. Just one picture though, because the trip itself deserves a post of its own...soon.

Reading version

2010-09-16T14:34:00.000-07:00

Play Boggle or Boggle Jr.
Play Scrabble
Label your furniture and drawers and dishes and toys with post-it notes for a day or two
Cut out pictures from magazines and glue them to one side of a note card, then write the name of the picture on the other side, you could use these several different ways. Or write the words on a separate note card and have your kiddo match the picture with the word. Simplify it and work on phonics by just writing the first letter or the first sound.
Play Upwords
Find letters or words that start with certain letters while you run errands around town
Play GO-fish with letter cards
Choose a poem on Monday, learn it and recite it to each other at dinner on Friday.
Turn off the TV and listen to a book on tape instead.
Turn off the TV and read to each other, snuggled up on the couch, or on mom and dad's big bed.
Set aside 5 r 10 or 20 or 30 or 60 minutes as part of your bedtime routine.
Read aloud while they eat breakfast or lunch.
Listen to books on tape while you drive.
Do Mad Libs
Play on Starfall

Nature

2010-09-16T10:16:00.000-07:00

Challenge #2 from the Outdoor Hour is to use your words. Go exploring and then write down one word describing something you heard, two words for something you saw and three words for something you heard.

Mikey said:
Rustling
Yellow pollen
Silky, yellow pollen

Haley said:
Locusts
Blue dragonflies
Droopy tree leaves
Jeremiah said:

Monkeys
Parrot birds
ummm...don't know

(After some leading questions)
Jeremiah said:
Birds
Hairy flowers
Tall, itchy grass

Mom said:
(mine is from a walk I took alone)
Buzzing
God's promise
still, cool air

We also stopped to watch some GIANT ants, that were half red and half black. We saw an orb spider and its web and lots of wild grapes. We were tempted to eat some grapes but I was thinking about all of the possible bodily fluids that could result from eating something unfamiliar...gross, I know, sorry, but I was a little paranoid.

The "piez de reistance" was an Osprey. We didn't see it until we were in the van and leaving Chamna, it made its nest on top of an industrial something-or-other that is by the river. We didn't even know what we were looking at until we got home and looked it up in the bird book, (which we had forgotten, along with our water bottles, big mistake!). But when we figured it out, we were all pretty excited!

I like this nature study stuff.

Video house tour

2010-09-09T11:48:00.000-07:00

Here is the link for the video house tour I promised. I clearly do not have a steady hand...hope none of you get motion sickness!

Click here to take the tour!

2010-09-06T14:44:00.000-07:00

During...

I can't decide which looks creepier, me or the preying mantis?!

Now that is what you call "sweat equity!"

Thanks to all our dear family and friends, who never complain about being part of the "rotation!"

Goodbye summer, hello fall

2010-08-31T06:59:00.000-07:00

To all appearance the summer's pomp was still at it fullest height, and although in the tilled acres green had given way to gold, though rowans were reddening, and the woods were dashed here and there with a tawny fierceness, yet light and warmth and color were still present in undiminished measure, clean of any chilly premonitions of the passing year. But the constant chorus of the orchards and hedges had shrunk to a casual evensong from a few yet unwearied performers; the robin was beginning to assert himself once more; and there was a feeling in the air of change and departure. --The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame

The Wind in the Willows is our latest read-aloud. We have been plodding through its pages rather than skipping through like we normally do, Toad is just too much for me, and I weary at our discussions regarding how selfish he really is, so that my littles don't fall in love with his charm. It would be easy to do if you weren't paying attention. Although the contrast between Toad and his faithful friends is worthy of good dialogue too.

I was impressed at the timeliness of the passage above, summer appears to be in full swing outside. But inside our family the business of fall has set in and the lazy days are gone, we are in go-mode with no end in sight. I am desperate to squeeze in a few more mini-hikes before it is too cold to venture far beyond our house. So desperate in fact that Mikey and I got up very early to go watch the sunrise from Badger Mountain on Saturday morning.
Although it was too cloudy to see the sun peak over the horizon, we did see our first woodpecker! Some bird tracks and snake tracks proved to be interesting specimens. We used a big rock and Mikey "orbited" around it to explain how the sun rises and sets. It was "stealth school," homeschool science at its finest!

Hope you are enjoying the last bits of summer.

What you see...

2010-08-27T22:34:00.001-07:00

You see a very sad Ella. What you don't see is that there is fingernail polish all over her sheets and blanket, her face, her legs, her shirt, her shorts and both her big toes and in her hair. You also don't see the hair do-dads that she won't leave in place, and you can't see that it is supposed to be nap time.

You see Ella smiling for the camera. What you don't see is the buckets of tears and the top-of-the-lungs screaming that was going on before she saw the camera. You don't see the bed that she is supposed to be napping in, or, again, the cute hair-do she had before she got stuck climbing up Haley's headboard.

You do NOT see me giggling at these disobedient things she does...at least not until after the punishment and picture...

Pretty clothespin magnets

2010-08-27T22:31:00.001-07:00

Sleepy boy

2010-08-27T22:27:00.001-07:00

Jeremiah gave up napping as soon as we took his blue blanket away. He must be having a growth spurt because lately he has been falling asleep where and when we wouldn't expect it!

All things birthday.

2010-08-19T10:53:00.000-07:00

Was it really only a year ago that Haley turned five? Our life looked so different a year ago. At the time it was so uncertain, no plan, no place to go, no job. Now we have all those things and realize that nothing is certain in this life, only the life to come. What a year, what a realization! But this is Haley's birthday post, so I will take a different path down memory lane for now. We had a polka-dot, cookie party when she turned five. It was fun to plan and decorate for, it was on a whim, it was in the middle of a move, so we kept it simple and easy. I made mini-bandana aprons and put them inside Chinese take-out containers with a cookie, some frosting and some sprinkles. We called them "make-your-own-cookie-kits" and sent them home as favors. We played "guess how many chocolate chips are in this jar?" And we ate a giant cookie instead of a cake, giant cookies are easier to make! This year we went to see Toy Story 3 in 3D.

It was also not so long ago that I was on my knees daily asking God to instill some self-control in my squirrely little girly. And now I am praising Him daily because I can see some fruit in her heart! It wasn't so long ago that she was still chubby cheeked, chubby bellied, little bitty. Now she is slimming out, getting longer and growing-up. Over the last year she has begun to develop the self-control that was so evidently lacking. She is making better choices and thinking (a little bit) before she acts. Older girls will tolerate her now that she can sit down and carry on a conversation or play doll-house. Younger girls look to her for help, and she is so helpful. She hasn't lost her giggles yet. She still loves to have fun and make the most of every moment. She is still squirrely, just a little less so. She is still girly and she will still wrestle with her brothers on the floor, she is still Haley Pie. And here is my evidence:

As per Stordahl Birthday Tradition Section 1 Article 1, each person chooses their own birthday dinner and dessert. Last year Haley chose strawberry ice cream cones for dessert, this year Haley chose strawberry ice cream cones, with sprinkles. See? She is still Haley, just a little more sophisticated! Well, on second thought, maybe sophisticated isn't the right word...

Lots and lots of tulle...

2010-08-17T11:19:00.000-07:00

For Haley's 3rd birthday we had a princess party. I bought yards and yards of pink tulle to drape all over the party venue (our dining/living room). Every since then I have been tying bows with tulle on every girl package that leaves our house. I still have yards and yards to go. This was an easy way to decorate a gift bag for a sweet baby girl. The tulle was cut into strips about 2 inches wide and tied around the handles of a plain white gift bag.

Mmmm...

2010-08-15T21:16:00.000-07:00

We woke up one day last week and it was cold outside, 65ish degrees! 65ish is not cold if it is February, but this is August, hot-dog days of summer, not February. I had to break out the winter-time breakfast menu to warm us up...in August!

This is a super easy, VERY inexpensive breakfast that we have often during the fall and winter months. If we have rice for dinner, I like to double the amount I cook and save it for breakfast the next morning. We warm it up, slice up some fruit and sprinkle it with cinnamon and sugar and drown it with milk. The kids love sliced bananas best. We have also used peaches, strawberries, apples, and raisins, they are all good. Last week was the first time for blueberries. As usual it was delicious, even in August.

Too cute not to share...

2010-08-13T17:05:00.000-07:00

We are going to a Hello Kitty bday party tomorrow for one of Haley's little kindred spirits. Her mom just happens to be my friend in real life and in blog world. I thought these puffy party decorations were too cute to pass up!

Apples of gold

2010-08-11T13:05:00.000-07:00

A word aptly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver. Proverbs 25:11

Hopefully and prayerfully,we will be wise enough to choose our words so carefully that they are beautiful to the friends and family that grace our home. Maybe this little project will serve as a reminder to do so.

Father, teach us to speak to each other with the goal of building up. Help us know one another so well that we recognize each others needs and can speak accordingly. Let our words benefit all who listen. In Jesus name, Amen.

Handbook of Nature Study

2010-08-08T15:06:00.001-07:00

There is a blog called Handbook of Nature Study. It is based on the book of the same title by Anna Botsford Comstock, which is now on my MUST be purchased list! The book is a homeschool mom's dream guide for getting the kiddos involved in the out of doors, although, as the book rightly points out, this comes pretty naturally for them. The blog hosts an "Outdoor Hour Challenge" each week. The blog is on challenge #52, we just got started with challenge #1 a few weeks ago.

Challenge #1 led us on a walk down the road towards the winery. Within 2 minutes of leaving the construction zone we call home, you could hear the crickets, the grasshoppers, and the birds. It wasn't long before a dead toad caught the kids eyes, and on subsequent walks we have been watching it waste away. But what really fascinated them was watching some ants try to tear apart a dead grasshopper so they could carry it away. They are amazing little creatures those ants. Glorious giggles ensued each time they managed to move the grasshopper in the slightest way. We were able to see them carrying one of the grasshoppers legs off into the weeds.

We managed to talk about the verses in Proverbs about ants, although we didn't do much other research.

Proverbs 6:6
Go to the ant, you sluggard;
consider its ways and be wise!

Proverbs 30:25
Ants are creatures of little strength,
yet they store up their food in the summer...

So what do you get when you cross a fun blog, a great book and excellent conversations with your kiddos? HOMESCHOOL at its finest!

What's in my bag?

2010-08-04T06:53:00.000-07:00

This "What's in your bag?" post from Photojojo has been in my inbox since April. I immediately thought about what a great blog post that would make, and decided I would do it! But since I have put off blogging, for a really long time, Love Stitched beat me to it! I wonder if she gets Photojojo emails too, or if her good ideas just come to her naturally? Hmmm.

1. Diapers and wipes, haven't left home without them for seven years! Well, I have left home without them, and I always regret it.
2. Glasses, because you don't want me driving on the road at night without them.
3. Scratch paper with the dimensions and cost analysis (which really means scribbles I made while at Home Depot.) of the shelves I'd like built for the den.
4. Shopko ad for 99-cent watercolors, that is a good deal, and I need 24 of them for CC.
5. Pepto Bismol tablets, had a puking kid last week.
6. Empty Snickers wrapper...you didn't expect there to be an actual candy bar left did you?
7. Two Tootsie Pop wrappers with FULL indian and star, which means we get to trade them in for two more Tootsie Pops!
8. Three pens
9. Spare van key, which has come in handy more times than I care to admit.
10. Club and discount cards to every store I shop at...geez.
11. NO CREDIT CARDS!! Thank you Lord and Dave Ramsey!
12. Two favorite lip glosses, both of which are almost empty, sigh.
13. Check that needs depositing
14. Debit cards
15. Stamps
16. Grocery and gas envelopes with the budgeted cash for each category...just call me NERD, and I am okay with that.
17. What is left of my fun money...$5.
18. Checkbook
19. Pile of change accumulated from paying cash for stuff. It comes in handy when we pay the kids their commissions for doing chores.

What's in your bag? If you do a similar post, leave it in the comments so I can go check it out!

Old Glory Revived!

2010-06-11T20:20:00.000-07:00

Did you know Flag Day is June 14th? I knew there was holiday called "Flag Day," but did not know it was coming up. This is a great article from The Presidential Prayer Team on the importance of the holiday and some good ideas for how to celebrate with your family.

2010-06-07T19:17:00.000-07:00

The Pursuit of God: The Human Thirst For the Divine by A.W. Tozer

My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Reveling in the last chapter that dispels the notion that there is a secular part of our lives, rather than all parts of our lives being sanctified by Jesus who lives in us.

View all my reviews >>

2010-05-30T23:43:00.001-07:00

The Screwtape Letters - How a Senior Devil Instructs a Junior Devil in the Art of Temptation. by C.S. Lewis

I had no idea what this book was about when I picked it up, but had heard it was good. Imagine my surprise when I figured out it was letters from one demon to another! I LOVED IT!!

View all my reviews >>

2010-05-30T23:40:00.001-07:00

Calm My Anxious Heart : A Woman's Guide to Contentment by Linda Dillow

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

View all my reviews >>

City Drive

2010-05-10T09:26:00.000-07:00

I saw this post on The Farm Chicks today and remembered how many times I said "We should figure out this city drive thing" while we lived in Spokane. We were there for eight years and never did it. Hmmmm, thinking this might be an excuse to go visit? Well, I think anything is an excuse to go visit.

2010-05-01T16:12:00.001-07:00

The Tutor's First Love by George MacDonald

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
It is always a pleasure to be reminded of just how deep and pure God's love is for us.

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Who is going to go?

2010-04-26T09:30:00.000-07:00

Is anyone else going to The Farm Chicks Show in June? Anyone want to ride together or caravan? The Farm Chicks are having a SUPER COOL giveaway on their blog, a chance to be their VIP guest for the weekend!

Peaceful blogs

2010-04-17T19:00:00.000-07:00

There are some ladies who speak and their words are like a healing balm soothing my soul. Like the Proverbs say, "Pleasant words are as an honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones." I found a couple of blogs that I visit just because they make me feel peaceful and restful. Like all is right with the world, because it is (even though it isn't).

Gracelaced
Love this post on hospitality.

Modobject at Home

Vintage Mommy

Having myself a think.

2010-04-15T20:34:00.000-07:00

We are reading Winnie-the-Pooh before bed. The original A.A. Milne "Winnie-the-Pooh," the BEST Pooh. It is fascinating how the characters have been changed over the years...but I digress.

We just read Chapter II, In Which Pooh Goes Visiting and Gets Himself Into a Tight Place. Here is part of what we read:

Pooh always liked a little something at eleven o'clock in the morning, and he was very glad to see Rabbit getting out the plates and mugs; and when Rabbit said, 'Honey or condensed milk with your bread?' he was so exited that he said, 'Both' and then, so as not to seem greedy, he added, 'But don't bother about the bread, please.'

And for a long time after that he said nothing...until at last, humming to himself in a rather sticky voice, he got up, shook Rabbit lovingly by the paw, and said that he must be going on.

'Must you?' said Rabbit politely.

'Well,' said Pooh, 'I could stay a little longer if it-if you-' and he tried very hard to look in the direction of the larder.

'As a matter of fact,' said Rabbit, 'I was going out myself directly.'

'Oh well, then, I'll be going on. Good bye.'

'Well good bye, if you're sure you won't have any more.'

'Is there any more?' asked Pooh quickly.

Rabbit took the covers of the dishes, and said 'No, there wasn't.'

'I thought not,' said Pooh, nodding to himself. 'Well Good-bye, I must be going on.'

So he started to climb out of the hole. He pulled with his front paws, and pushed with his back paws, and in a little while his nose was in the open again

... and then his ears

... and then his front paws

... and then his shoulders

... and then-'Oh, help!' said Pooh, 'I'd better go back,' 'Oh bother!' said Pooh, 'I shall have to go on.' 'I can't do either!' said Pooh, 'Oh help and bother!' ...

...Christopher Robin nodded. 'Then there's only one thing to be done,' he said. 'We shall have to wait for you to get thin again.'

'How long does getting thin take?' asked Pooh anxiously.

'About a week I should think.'

'But I can't stay here for a week!'

'You can stay here all right, silly old Bear. It's getting you out which is so difficult.'

'We'll read to you,' said Rabbit cheerfully. 'And I hope it won't snow,' he added. 'And I say, old fellow, you're taking up a good deal of room in my house - do you mind if I use your back legs as a towel-horse? Because, I mean, there they are - doing nothing - and it would be very convenient just to hang the towels on them.

'A Week!' said Pooh gloomily. 'What about meals?'

'I'm afraid no meals,' said Christopher Robin, because of getting thin quicker. But we will read to you.'

Bear began to sigh, and then found he couldn't because he was so tightly stuck; and a tear rolled down his eye, as he said: 'Then would you read a Sustaining Book, such as would help and comfort a Wedged Bear in Great Tightness?'
So for a week Christopher Robin read that sort of book at the North end of Pooh, and Rabbit hung his washing on the South end... and in between Bear felt himself getting slenderer and slenderer. And at the end of the week Christopher Robin said, 'Now!'

So he took hold of Pooh's front paws and Rabbit took hold of Christopher Robin, and all Rabbit's friends and relations took hold of Rabbit, and they all pulled together ... And for a long time Pooh only said 'Ow!' ... And 'Oh!' ... And then, all of a sudden he said 'Pop!' just if a cork were coming out of a bottle. And Christopher Robin and Rabbit and all relations went head-over-heels backwards ...and on top of them came Winnie-the-Pooh free! So with a nod of thanks to his friends, he went on with his walk through the forest, humming proudly to himself. But Christopher Robin looked after him lovingly, and said to himself 'Silly Old Bear!'

While reading this, I had myself a think, just like Pooh Bear might do, we have the same size brain, Pooh and I! Suppose Americans are like Pooh, and we have been sitting on our duffs eating too much milk and honey. Now we are stuck, we can't turn around and go back, it is much too late for that, besides sitting around eating mindlessly is how we got stuck to begin with. But going forward hurts. And it takes time, not pleasant times but lean times. We don't get to continue with the milk and honey diet if we want to go forward and get out of this mess.

Let's not sit around anymore, let's try to get out of the hole by reading Sustaining Books. Starting with the Bible, every day. Let's obey God as individuals and as families. And follow that up by reading the Constitution and the Federalist Papers. That makes for a good solid start, then we can gather our friends and relations around to pull, and pull until "Pop" we are free!

I realize my analogy breaks down on several levels, and that A.A. Milne wasn't writing about how to get our freedoms back. However, I am very cynical when it comes to America, I am afraid we are too fat, and that it is too late to pull ourselves out of the hole. Pooh gave me a little hope. I thought I'd share.

Win a free photo shoot for TC!

2010-04-10T18:35:00.001-07:00

Go here for a chance to win a photo shoot from a talented Tri-cities photographer!

Mikey learns a lesson on his bday

2010-03-31T01:40:00.001-07:00

Pooh Bear is a loyal friend. The kind we all need once in a while. Pooh Bear got lost when we moved back from Houston. We called the hotel in Nevada, the last place we remembered seeing him. We called my brother in Boise, hoping that my niece was taking good care of him for us. No such luck. Mikey felt like he lost his best friend. There were tears and few nights when it was hard to fall asleep without him. There was talk of the lost bear now and again, always accompanied with misty eyes.

Mikey prayed every night that God would bring Pooh Bear home, we assured him that God knew exactly where the bear was. A month went by, then two, then three. He wanted to know why God wasn't answering his prayer for Pooh Bear. Dad told him God always answers prayers, but sometimes the answer isn't what we want to hear. I explained that God might have a new plan for Pooh Bear, maybe there was another boy or girl who needed him more than Mikey did. Oh we of little faith. But my son has faith like a child. He prayed for four months, five months, six months, seven months. As March rolled around Mikey asked for the bear to come home by his birthday.

Then my brother called, they found Pooh Bear. They put him in the mail. Pooh Bear arrived on Mikey's 7th birthday.

Maybe I learned the lesson on Mikey's birthday. Thank you Jesus.

Birthday post

2010-03-31T01:22:00.001-07:00

Is she really two years old? When did that happen? It must have happened when I wasn't looking, because it came as a surprise to me! Ella gets to be a baby longer than the other three kiddos did. They all had a real baby coming up behind them by the time they were two.

Ella talks quite a bit for her age and pretty clearly, I don't have to translate for her. She sings herself to sleep at night, usually at the top of her lungs. She got some new shoes for her birthday and for a while she called them her "Happy Birthday Shoes" now she just calls all shoes "Happy Birthdays." I don't have the heart to correct her...that would mean she is growing up, and we can't have that.

She won't stay out of the bathroom, although we did cure her of the messy toothpaste habit. She wont stay in her bed. She looks cute when she is in footie pajamas and when she stuffs her hands in her pockets. She does not look cute when she is throwing a temper tantrum.

Papa Stordahl calls her "soggy face" because she often has tears streaming down her cheeks. Papa Schultz says she looks like a stinker...he would be correct!

Yes, she's really two.

Ten commandments

2010-03-31T01:12:00.000-07:00

So Moses was in the water, in the desert, and ate manna, all before he was on top of the mountain to receive the ten commandments.

The kids wrote the commandments on strips of paper and decorated them. We glued them into a paper chain and tried to shackle each other together. But what happens when you break one of the commandments? The chains aren't strong enough to hold anything together.

We also memorized John 2:10 "For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it."

If you are wondering we "broke" commandment number 5 in our chain, if you have kids you know why!!

Not often enough

2010-03-31T01:03:00.000-07:00

There are some things in life that you just can't get enough of. Chocolate for one, babies, time in the day, friends, date nights, the list goes on. I don't get enough time to visit with my sister.

She is older than me by several years which is why we didn't get along growing up. I was a pest, she was too cool for school. She was the pretty one, and the smart one, and the talented one, the good one. I was the jealous one.

And now we've grown up. She is the pretty one, and the smart one, and the talented one, the good one. I am the proud one, so proud she is my sister.

I don't get enough time to visit with her.

Fun stuff to do with kids

2010-03-15T14:40:00.001-07:00

Make squid dogs from Family Fun Magazine

Make rock candy from The Exploratorium

Be the first two to go jump in the swimming pool this year
Play with a slinky
Roll down a hill
Paint your car with washable acrylic paint (you know you have always wanted flames!)
Decorate balloons to look like people in your family
Put some food coloring in tubs filled with clear liquid soap and use it for bathtub painting (this is for older kids, who won't rub it in their eyes, and test it on your bathtub first, so you know it won't stain)
Bathe your pet
Memorize poems and recite them to each other
Have a contest to see who can recite the most Bible verses from memory
Ask your kids what they want to do...and do it...no matter what they say!

In case you didn't notice...

2010-03-13T09:56:00.002-08:00

I found a really good place to sort and store all the books I read online. With one click you can share on FB and your blogs. Check out Goodreads.

Books I Have Read

2010-03-13T09:56:00.001-08:00

The Maiden's Bequest by George MacDonald

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I wanna be just like her when shew grew up when I grow up.

View all my reviews >>

Books I Have Read

2010-03-13T09:54:00.001-08:00

The curate's awakening by George MacDonald

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Love George MacDonald for great Christian fiction with depth.

View all my reviews >>

Books I Have Read

2010-03-13T09:50:00.001-08:00

The Bronze Bow by Elizabeth George Speare

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Ashamed to say I had never heard of this book until recently. It is a good, solid, classic book and gives a great perspective on what it was like for Jews during the time of Jesus ministry.

View all my reviews >>

Books I Have Read

2010-03-13T09:48:00.001-08:00

The Well-Trained Mind: A Guide to Classical Education at Home by Susan Wise Bauer

My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Liked it very much, inspired me to homeschool! I had a hard time putting all the pieces together in a practical every day at home kind of way.

View all my reviews >>

Books I Have Read

2010-03-13T09:46:00.001-08:00

Teaching the Trivium: Christian Homeschooling in a Classical Style by Harvey Bluedorn

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Classical Model...Christian perspective...'nuff said!

View all my reviews >>

Books I Have Read

2010-03-13T09:45:00.001-08:00

Marley & Me: Love and Life with the World's Worst Dog by John Grogan

My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Better than the movie!!

View all my reviews >>

Books I Have Read

2010-03-13T09:43:00.001-08:00

The Shack by William P. Young

My rating: 2 of 5 stars
I was warned that this book had some heretical doctrine inside so it was really hard for me to read it and enjoy it. I felt like I had to be on guard and discern truth from lies in every sentence.

On the flip side, and somewhat surprisingly, Young portrayed God's love and God's forgiveness in an enlightening way.

View all my reviews >>

Books I Have Read

2010-03-13T09:38:00.000-08:00

The Saving Life of Christ by W. Ian Thomas

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Are you wandering in the wilderness or living in Canaan? This was part of a bunch of books I read right in a row that God used to do a work in my heart. Obedience really comes from the inside, not just looking good on the outside.

View all my reviews >>

Books I Have Read

2010-03-13T09:35:00.001-08:00

The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Makes me want to write an entire homeschool curriculum just based on biographies of the Saints who have gone before us!

View all my reviews >>

Books I Have Read

2010-03-13T09:33:00.001-08:00

The Only Road North by Erik Mirandette

This was too hard to rate. It was very well written, I wanted to keep reading and find out what was in store for Erik at each step of his journey. But it left me with lots of questions and wondering if this young man would persevere in his faith or give up altogether. I am waiting and hoping and praying for a much better sequel for his sake.

View all my reviews >>

Books I Have Read

2010-03-13T09:27:00.000-08:00

In His Steps: What Would Jesus Do? by Charles M. Sheldon

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Read like non-fiction, I was drawn in by each character's choices. Michael even read it and enjoyed it!

View all my reviews >>

Books I Have Read

2010-03-13T09:23:00.000-08:00

Lessons from a Sheep Dog by W. Phillip Keller

My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Very easy and lots of fun to see how Mr. Keller draws on examples from the life of his dog to give a better idea of our relationship with the Lord.

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Books I Have Read

2010-03-13T09:20:00.001-08:00

The Minister's Restoration by George MacDonald

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Always love George MacDonald and the way he points my heart toward the mercy and grace of Jesus.

View all my reviews >>

Books I Have Read

2010-03-13T09:16:00.000-08:00

Same Kind of Different as Me: A Modern-Day Slave, an International Art Dealer, and the Unlikely Woman Who Bound Them Together by Ron Hall

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Excellent example of love in action.

View all my reviews >>

Prayers for my family on Friday...

2010-03-12T17:32:00.000-08:00

This post is going into both "Prayers for my Family" and the "Family Friday" categories this week. Surely you don't mind since it has been MONTHS since a post was added to either!

Today we went and measured how big the backyard would be according to the plot map that we got from our realtor. IT IS HUGE! Let's just stop here and thank God for granting me my #1 wish for a new home! Our kiddos will have so much space to run around in, and when we have friends over the backyard will be a great place to throw all of them so the moms can chat, and we can have a garden, and we can have trees (big trees someday!), and we can have a little wooden swing set, and we can have tires buried halfway under to run through, and we can have BBQ's on the patio, and we can have a picnic table, and we can eat outside, and we can do school outside, and we can do things to attract birds and butterflies, and my backyard list goes on and on!

We are thinking about grey stone on the bottom, dark grey paint, white trim and wood shakes with a wood door. There will only be stone 3 feet up on the center wall. And we want to add some faux beams to match the wood shakes in all the pointy parts.

The outside will be reversed to match the floor plan here.

This is how it will sit on our HUGE lot!

My prayer for our family (adapted from The Imitation of Christ by Thomas a Kempis):

Merciful Jesus, if you see it good, and allow it to be profitable for us, then grant that we may use this house to Your honor. But if you know it will be harmful to us, and of no profit to the health of our souls, take away any such desire from us. In His precious name we pray, Amen.

Manna in the desert

2010-02-07T16:43:00.001-08:00

After Moses was in the water, and after the Israelites were led by the pillars of fire and cloud, God provided them with manna to eat, they complained about it, but that is another lesson, and I don't have an activity for that...
Spread butter all over both sides of a tortilla and dredge it in cinnamon and sugar. Fry it in the pan and flip it like a pancake until the sugar is really sticky and brown on both sides. Be careful not to overcook it, it makes A LOT of smoke and tastes REALLY bad!!

Obviously this is not what manna was really like...but who wouldn't enjoy a tortilla coated in caramelized sugar?

Thanks Lena Cheevers for the idea!

Pillar of cloud, pillar of fire

2010-02-04T22:07:00.000-08:00

So after Moses was found in the water, He grew up in Pharaoh's palace and then eventually led the Israelites out of Egypt, following a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night! We glued cotton balls and crumpled up squares of tissue paper to tubes made from poster board to represent this miracle. It was a hit, the kids enjoyed it and it was SO easy for me to prepare. If you can get some mailing tubes that would make the prep work even easier!

Moses in the water

2010-01-23T16:46:00.001-08:00

If you turn a milk carton into a basket, and fill it with a baby doll, float it in some water, without your children knowing, then read them the story of Moses and tell them to go find him somewhere in the house...your kids will have fun. And then they will take turns hiding him in every sink in the house!

Joseph's coat

2010-01-07T11:56:00.000-08:00

We are headed into the life of Joseph during our studies for the next few weeks, and we started off by making some coats with many colors for our favorite babies and animals! The idea was an adaptation of this VBS craft the kids came home with 2 years ago and this 18" doll clothes idea. Mikey and Jeremiah both chose animals with tails and so we had to do a few alterations to make the coats fit!

What you need:
Paper bag
scissors
markers or crayons

Project rating:
supplies: on hand
execution:very easy
mess factor: few scraps of paper bags
fun factor: kids enjoyed it, took a good amount of time for them to get their vests just the way they wanted them.

It is a Holy Night...

2009-12-24T19:07:00.001-08:00

Oh Holy Night! The stars are brightly shining, it is the night of our dear Savior's birth. Long lay the world in sin and error pining. Till He appeared and the Spirit felt its worth. A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices, for yonder breaks a new and glorious morn. Fall on your knees! Oh, hear the angel voices! O night divine, the night when Christ was born; O night, O Holy Night, O night divine! O night divine, the night when Christ was born; O night, O Holy Night, O night divine!

Led by the light of faith serenely beaming, with glowing hearts by His cradle we stand. O'er the world a star is sweetly gleaming, now come the wisemen from out of the orient land. The King of kings lay thus lowly manger; In all our trials born to be our friends. He knows our need, our weakness is no stranger, Behold your King! Before Him lowly bend! Behold your King! Before Him lowly bend!

Truly He taught us to love one another, His law is love and His gospel is peace. Chains He shall break, for the slave is our brother. And in His name all oppression shall cease. Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we, with all our hearts we praise His holy name. Christ is the Lord! Then ever, ever praise we, His power and glory ever more proclaim! His power and glory ever more proclaim!

Jeremiah

2009-12-20T14:28:00.001-08:00

Jeremiah turned three in November. How about a top three list for my favorite three year old?

Three things Jeremiah is good at:
1. Smiling--probably because he gets so much practice, the kid is ALWAYS smiling, practically since he was born!
2. Making people laugh--he is our class clown and will do anything for a laugh!
3. Being a boy--boy noises, trucks, legos, cars, tractors, Lightning McQueen, guns, swords, fighting, he does it all and loves it all!

Three things I love about Jeremiah:
1. His smile, his laugh and his jovial attitude. They are all part of such a sweet package, and things I hope he carries with him his whole life.
2. He pays attention to details. Have you ever met a three year old that reminds you to buckle your seat belt or to grab your purse or not to leave the house without diapers for Ella? He notices the funniest little things.
3. He never complains about dinner, just eats it all up with a happy heart!

Three of Jeremiah's funnies:
1. As we speak he is in his room trying on women's shoes instead of taking a nap.
2. Sometimes he complains of headeggs, translated, that means headache.
3. He calls Papa's hot rod "spicy" instead of shiny.

Three big things in Jeremiah's world this year:
1. He got potty trained...that was big in both our worlds.
2. Daddy made him give up his blue blanket, the boy used to suck on it as he fell asleep, and was VERY attached, but happily traded it for a stuffed dog named Paul.
3. He decided not to be afraid of bugs, this came after a hilarious incident with roly-polys, now he is my fearless, shoe-grabbin', spider-killin' machine when daddy isn't home!

Three prayers I have for Jeremiah:
1. That his heart stays happy, and that it would eventually flow from the joy of having Jesus as his Savior.
2. Sometimes his attention to detail comes from fear, I pray that God would replace that spirit of fear with boldness for the Gospel and bravery based in the security that God provides His children.
3. That he would obey his parents in the Lord, because it is right! That he and his brother and sisters would be the best of friends, especially where Haley-pie is concerned, they have the hardest time getting along between all of them.

Oh that boy and the twinkle in his eye have captured my heart in so many ways, it would take a "Top Three-million List" to name them all, but this is the short version just to give you a glimpse of my dear, sweet boy.

How clever is this?

2009-12-17T11:28:00.001-08:00

What a genius idea, put these cutouts on top of Lego wheels for hours of fun!

2009-12-02T11:47:00.000-08:00

Put a small object inside a brown paper lunch sack and have the kids guess what it is. To give a clue write the first letter of the object on the outside of the bag.
Hide jelly beans around one room of the house, but hide the jelly beans close to objects of the same color so that they are camouflaged.
Make smiley face pancakes.
Make sack lunches for another family and deliver them to their doorstep.
Have a big-water, big-bubble, bath in the middle of the day.
Prank call the grandparents, let the kids disguise their voices.
Next time you go to Starbucks, leave the cashier an extra $5 to pay for the next person's drink, then you and the kids sit in the corner and watch the reaction.
Answer your phone like Buddy the Elf. (This is Buddy, what's your favorite color?)
Take some cookies to the librarians.
Do a scavenger hunt at the library with a list of books, or other things you see when you are there.

Dear Spammer,

2009-11-28T10:56:00.000-08:00

I want to extend my sincerest thanks for the comments you leave on this post every day. And for all the rest you leave on various other posts. Comments are great, they really are the fuel for any body's blog!

There are no words to express how much I appreciate having to turn on word verification! All because you are so generous with your time and energy. I am certain that my friends will be glad to spend the extra time leaving me comments now too!

Please accept my thanks for your hard work.
Christian Stordahl

PS--one last thought, while your efforts are appreciated...I don't think my readers use viagra or cialis, so although you are generous with your time, you are probably wasting it...and mine...if you want free advertising go somewhere else!

I'll never make it to the big time...

2009-11-17T11:52:00.000-08:00

I signed up for Google Analytics on my blog a while back in order to see if there were any creepy people looking at my kids. I thought there would be a box that popped up on the screen and said "THIS PERSON, WHO VISITED YOUR BLOG AT SUCH AND SUCH A TIME, IS A DANGEROUS CRIMINAL, BLOCK THEM NOW!" But alas, there is no box that pops up with such dire warnings, and I am left to my own analytical skills.

Honestly I don't spend much time looking at all these things. I frequent the pie graph most:

All the people who come here from the orange piece of the pie are the suspicious ones. If I click on "view report" it pulls up a wealth of information that I know nothing about...but I never see anyone creepy!

I also like this world map one:

Most of my peeps come from Washington (Thanks Paul and Nan!) or Florida (Thanks Mom!). Today there was someone from Alaska, and I am certain that it was Sarah Palin, just checking up on me to see how the fam is doing! I am always excited to see that Gerald from Indonesia has been here, or Melanie from Guacamole (Guatemala) or Ana from Croatia, although they are less frequent flyers on my blog, I love to know they are around!

This line graph is the one that can get me in a tizzy! It can be exciting to log in and see how many people visited on any given day. Mondays seem to be good days for the ol' blog...anyone wanna venture a guess as to why? I used to post "Fun Stuff" on Mondays, maybe you are still looking for that?Over the summer I was up to about 50 consistent readers (I know, it is a minute fraction of what the famous blogs pull in, but an accomplishment for me none-the-less) now that I have stopped posting regularly there are much fewer. Which is one of the reasons I will never make it to the big time in blogland. My last post, was last month. Other various reasons, I lean waaaaay right, I talk about my personal life too much, my sidebar is totally out of date and has several dead links in it, and I don't have a "niche." Tip Junkie has a niche. The Crafty Crow has a niche. Sew, Mama, Sew has a niche. My family life is my niche and if I do a cool project I might post it, none of which adds up to a big name blog. My blog could use a new look too, I have tried to hire two different people to revamp it for me, and both of them have started the process and then ditched me in the middle of it...I am taking it as a sign!! The most people to ever visit in one day was...461! They came for this household tip featured on Tip Junkie.

And this one just cracks me up:

It is the list of most frequently visited posts. It took me a while to figure out that the top one represents those who just come visit my front page looking for the newest post. Then there is Merry Thanksgivoween, I linked that one up to A Soft Place To Land, and got 53 comments! I about died, it was awesome! Christmas Ornaments is the next big one, and Infarrantly Creative hooked me up there. Decorated Binder Clips is a popular one, thanks to Mod Podge Rocks! And the one that has me in hysterics is my mention of the lollipop guild lyrics, where I admit I don't know what the lyrics are, but people come here looking for them! If you are one of them here is a much better link!

Am I ever gonna make it big, nope. Do I care, maybe a little, when I am coveting someone else's good fortune (what a sinner)! But the reality is I feel like I have arrived when someone in my family or one of my friends mentions a post that they enjoyed from the blog. Thanks peeps for making it more fun to analyze my Google Analytics page and much more exciting than the pop-up box I anticipated!

Fun stuff...rainy day style...

2009-10-26T13:27:00.001-07:00

jump in puddles with rain boots
jump in puddles without rain boots
sing in the rain
count raindrops as they land on your tongue
go for a walk in the rain, don't forget your umbrella
make a waterproof outdoor fort with tarps
take turns reading out loud in a favorite book
take a picture with your camera phone and send it to a friend...right now...and don't forget the silly faces!
spin tops, race the tops, see whose top can stay up the longest, bump them into each other, try to spin them on top of each other, try to spin them on your hand, on your knee, on your nose
go to the dollar store and each pick out one new toy, that should be good for a couple hours or maybe an afternoon of rainy day fun

My Grandpa's Wallet...

2009-10-16T23:08:00.000-07:00

It was on my sister's lap at his funeral. She was passing it on to one of the men in our family as a keepsake. Previously she had returned the photos from inside to their new rightful owners. The photos he carried of me were from 5th grade, in all my buck-tooth glory, and my senior photo. I felt special, knowing he carried photos of me wherever he went, and even more special to see the signs of wear, realizing he loved me enough to take the photos out and look at them or show them off once in a while.

Tooled diagonally into the front of the leather were his initials, DRM. Most people, even up to his funeral, never knew his name was Davis Roy McCullough. Everyone called him "Doc;" born in 1929 he was the first of his siblings to be delivered by a real doctor, which is the rumor anyway. My sister traced the initials with her polished fingers and turned the wallet over and over in her hands as we listened to the preacher. She was obviously connecting with him in the only way possible now, through the things that remind us of him. And I longed to connect with him too, to put my hands where his had been so many times, but not at the expense of my sister's comfort.

The leather wallet was dark and slick from age and wear. It was also thin and empty now, but during his life my grandpa worked tirelessly for the cash that came and went through its folds. As my sister flopped it open and closed I remembered how easily he had opened it to give what little he did earn to help anyone who asked and many more that didn't. I remembered the times he reached in and slipped a bill or two into the palms of my own hands.

It wasn't just money that he gave. I met several people with stories about my grandpa's wisdom, the kindness he had shown and the replacement father he had been. I don't think he met anybody without becoming their best friend. It reminds me of that wallet. He too was old and worn, his body used up. But what a way to wear out, by constantly opening up and giving generously of what he had for the benefit of others.

I love you, Papa Doc. It is my turn to carry your memory around wherever I go, to take it out and show it off every chance I get.

How to decorate a coffee table...

2009-10-07T16:17:00.000-07:00

Kimba at A Soft Place to Land always has beautiful home decor ideas, her blog is all eye-candy, all the time. I live vicariously through her and someday when we own our own home I will get busy with all the lovely things I have planned to make my home a soft place to land after a hard day in the world.

Today Kimba shows us how to decorate a coffee table, below is just one of the oh-so-fabulous examples.

In my world however, there is a very feisty one-and-a-half-year-old who would be fascinated by the open flames and all the pretty breakable things and even the rocks to dump out of the vase. So here is my take on how to decorate a coffee table, one-and-a-half-year-old style, hope you are inspired!!

2009-09-24T15:14:00.000-07:00

rake the leaves and jump in them, then do it again.
dissect owl pellets
make corn husk dolls
see who can go the longest without talking
arm wrestle
thumb wrestle
wrestle
let your girls try on your jewelery
say "Mrs. Smith's Fish Sauce Shop" ten times fast. Then try this one,

"A Tudor who tooted a flute tried to tutor two tooters to toot. Said the two to their tutor,"Is it harder to toot or to tutor two tooters to toot?"

If your kids are anything like mine they will start giggling hysterically at the first mention of anything "tooting!"

Have fun!

Things I like right now...

2009-09-18T21:05:00.001-07:00

They totally got the spiderweb cookie design from my 4th of July cupcakes, who knew GoodHousekeeping editors visited my blog?!

Halloween decor from GoodHousekeeping.

Have I posted this before? I dunno, I can't remember. Maybe I just sent an email to some peeps? Whatever, it is good enough to post about twice. Jelly Telly is a newer online show by Phil Vischer. If he sounds familiar...he should...he was one of the original creators of Veggie Tales! Jelly Telly is for older kids, kind of like graduating from Veggie Tales and moving onto Jelly Telly, sort of. I like it because it has a lot of depth, especially for a kids show. I am always kind of sad to compare the new Veggie Tales to the old ones, they have lost so much since being sold and resold and now in the hands of Saturday morning cartoons, it has lost all meaning. Not so with this show.

Basketcase

2009-09-11T13:57:00.000-07:00

Elisabeth Elliot said this to me today...

"Let us not forget, however, that to God each of us is a special case. There is no category labeled "Miscellaneous." The God who guided the great apostle (Paul) in his great work is the God who carries lambs in His arms."

Pretty sure my category is "Basketcase!"

The wait is over...

2009-09-02T13:15:00.000-07:00

With a BIG sigh of relief, and a little groan for having to start all over again in another new location, we can finally say we know what the plan is! God has given Michael a great job in Umatilla Oregon and he will be commuting from Kennewick. The pay is great, the hours are great, he will be a Training Instructor, which he is very good at and enjoys. What more could we ask for?!

So many of you have been praying for us and we have coveted those prayers along the way. We serve a GREAT BIG GOD who has answered according to His very best plan for my family, thank you for petitioning Him on our behalf! Thank you for loving us enough to support us and take care of us when we needed it most. Thanks for putting us up for the night here and there as we traversed the country, for the great home-cooking, for the dinners out, for the time you have invested in our family, for the words of encouragement and the advice we so desperately needed. A difficult time was made so much easier by the help of our dear family and friends.

So there it is, finally over with. We will be settling in Kennewick...until God calls us somewhere else!?

2009-08-24T09:57:00.000-07:00

organize a neighborhood toy auction
volunteer at the zoo, local animal shelter, old folks home, soup kitchen
order a pizza, try a combination of toppings you have never eaten before
make root beer floats
memorize the presidents
memorize the states and their capitals
do some worksheets in preparation for a new school year
have your kiddos call the extended family to make a list of their birth dates, use it to send them bday wishes throughout the year
move across the country, it will keep your whole family occupied for at least a month when all is said and done
do show and tell after dinner, let the kids choose the item in the morning or afternoon so they anticipate it all day long